#anyway i wonder how mart is doing. i hope he's all right <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[bikananjarrus]

feeling really touched by mart being the one that ezra told the purrgil plan to. like yes, the ghost crew & friends are all used to ezra's plans (and jedi plans in general) being a little out there. zeb even says, "when it gets strange like this, it's a good thing!"

but summoning mythical space whales that travel through hyperspace (which they've only encountered one time before) is really strange, even for their crew! i think ezra telling mart was definitely a way to keep hera, sabine, and zeb from worrying about him. but i think he also told mart because he knew, no matter how crazy the idea seemed, mart would believe him and follow through on the backup plan to summon the purrgil. wolffe and vizago even admit they wouldn't have believed mart if he'd said that was what they were doing.

and i just think it's really sweet how much ezra trusted mart. it's also a nice reminder of how young ezra and mart are. and despite everything they've been through and witnessed, they still have a sense of wonderment at the galaxy. it maybe seems silly and childish to believe that space whales will save the day, but they believe anyway.

[misora-msby]

embarrassing moments with inarizaki

inarizaki always looks so cool but you know they’re actually dorks and i am here to provide you the content to show theyre clowns. enjoy the headcanons :)

Kita Shinsuke

firstly. kita shinsuke being embarrased? making a mistake? unheard of.

he’s a perfect man and we all know it.

anyways

you two were having a nice dinner out together. 

it was a pretty fancy place so you decided to dress in a different style today

but you were beginning to wonder if kita liked it or not because he seemed to keep looking past your shoulder instead of at you

he was an observant guy so you were wondering if something had happened behind you

but you couldn’t hear anything weird so you assumed not

you decided to just stay quiet about it at first but now it was beginning to become annoying! 

why wasn’t he looking you in the eye to speak?

midway through your dinner, kita finally spoke up tho

“y/n, your shirt is slipping... yer bra’s showing.”

oh.

right. you were wearing your off-shoulder top.

“o-oh. shin, it’s that kind of shirt, you know?” you had to explain your outfit to ur bf with a pink face.

“oh... that so... well it’s cold these days so if yer feelin’ cold lemme know. i’ll give ya my jacket.”

GOD HES SO PERFECT KITA SHINSUKE I HOPE U MARRY HIM???????

Ojiro Aran

another man with next to no flaws.

but nature says everyone has to make some mistake.

so it was a regular school day, our aran has just come to class from morning practice and there’s still some time left until class starts.

all the girls in class are gathered around a table

he’s not sure why, it’s probably watching an idol video

but ur man wants to be a little romantic!!

plus he just showered so he smells Great uwu

he goes over and hugs you from behind, placing his chin on ur head.

“hey, bb whatcha ya doin”

all the girls gasp.

he doesn’t get whats wrong, it’s not like it’s a secret y’all are dating

pda to this level aint bad either

especially compared to his teammate miya atsumu

“ojiro aran.”

why is your voice behind him

he looks down and nearly faints when he sees he hugged the wrong girl.

to be fair she looked a lot like you from behind, just maybe 1cm shorter.

“i’m so sorry!” he keeps apologising to literally everyone and all the class is giggling bc they never seen their school’s ace so red before.

“didn’t think i’d come back from the toilet and see my bf cheatin”

“IT WAS A MISTAKE! I’M SERIOUS! Y/N U KNOW I LOVE YA!” 

hes so funny i swear

the volleyball team hears of it and it gets even better 

Miya Atsumu

it’s not a secret that miya atsumu, setter of the inarizaki volleyball team and invited to national youth training camp, had a gf

he was very much in love with u 

the whole class knew it because he’d show it off whenever he could too

so here comes valentines day

last year he received like... 50 different gifts from girls and guys aiming to win his love.

you didnt even give him one lmAOOOOO 

but this year, he had been not so subtly trying to hint that “i better not receive any chocolates this year when i’ve got a gf!”

he reaches school and plops into his seat.

there’s an anonymous box of chocolates with “please accept my love, miya-kun! <3″ on it

“the hell’s this?!”

“oh? chocolates?” - osamu who just popped his head into the class to shove into his twin’s face how much chocolate he got.

especially since the blond was off limits, the grey-haired twin had a bigger following now.

“do they not know i have a girlfriend...”

“well, ya might as well eat it. ya dont know who to return it to.”

“that’s like receivin’ their love!”

“no it ain’t. it’s just food.”

atsumu couldn’t argue with that and popped a piece in.

it was very delicious. the chocolate practically melted on his tongue and was the perfect sweetness and was filled with a delicious ganache too.

it was perfect

but he couldn’t accept this!

“it ain’t even good. too sweet and the filling’s sticky.”

“ah. really? is that what you think, tsumu?” you ask from the door where you had been watching the exchange take place.

“y/n! look at this! some weirdo gave me some choco and like... samu said to test it but i’ll toss it out, promise.”

“tsumu, i made that... i wrote it anonymously because i thought you’d know it was me and i wanted to tease you a little.”

“huh.”

osamu: “yeah actually i went over to her place to teach her how to make it.”

atsumu: “you said you went to suna’s place?!”

osamu: “i went there later but i first went to help her.”

you: “anyways if it’s not good i don’t mind if you toss it out...”

tsumu: “NO NO BABE I PROMISE IT’S GOOD”

you: “you just said-”

“BABE I SWEAR IT’S GOOD I JUST DIDN’T WANT TO ACCEPT A STRANGER’S STUFF”

“you’re always so honest though... are you sure?” you were having your fun teasing him now.

“BB PLSSSSSS”

he still cringes at the memory 4 years into ur marriage

Miya Osamu

osamu would DEFINITELY make home made dinner dates a regular thing.

this alone shows he’s the better twin - miya atsumu stan

he loves cooking and eating with you so sometimes when he’s got a day off you guys’ll set aside the afternoon to make a real nice dinner

imagine candlelit dinner with miya dorito body osamu in a suit

of course some fun stuff happens after too ;)))

and today’s your third anniversary!!

so osamu adds lots of ‘natural aphrodisiacs’ to the meal

i’m talkin

garlic bread and soup for an appetiser, a nice juicy steak with garlic and red wine sauce for the main, and chocolate coated strawberries for dessert

mm yummy

you two cleaned your plates completely (it was very delicious) and as you were washing the dishes, osamu comes up behind and wraps his arms around your waist

“yes, ‘samu?” 

“i’ve already prepared us a nice bath with yer favourite scents.” he’s got his head resting on ur chin

“really? thank you~ i’ll be there in a bit”

but he doesn’t let go of you while you’re still scrubbing at the baking sheets.

“osamu, you can let go for now.”

“don’t feel like it.”

“i gotta wash the dishes since you did most of the cooking.”

“mmm, i’ll do it if ya gimme a kiss.”

you roll ur eyes bc what a cutie 

u turn ur head to give him a kiss but suddenly he 

he burps

that garlicy wine smell is just kinda there

“ew! ‘samu!!”

his face is real red but he’s also trying not to laugh because he’s still a dude and this is absolutely hilarious to him

“want another?” he starts teasing

“i’m not getting in the bath with you.”

“wait wait wait i’m sorry, i’ll go brush my teeth and give you a proper kiss”

Suna Rintarou

you two were taking the train home today

it was quite late due to practice going a little longer than usual, so he insisted he walked you back home today.

sunarin can be a good boyf sometimes ok

it was getting a little crowded on the train tho, since people were heading home or going out for dinner

luckily you had already grabbed seats so you were quite comfortable sitting side by side. 

you and suna have the type of relationship were you dont have to talk all the time

silence is v comfy.

he’s just scrolling through twitter on his phone while you’re looking around the car, lost in ur thoughts

suddenly you notice an old lady standing a little bit away from you and you stand up

“baa-san, please take my seat.” you whisper in the crowded carriage

“oh how kind of you. thank you, dearie.” she smiles and takes your seat while you stand in front of her and suna instead.

suna doesn’t realise this exchange has happened tho

(he’s on his phone as usual)

probably starting some fights on twitter

he decides to try to be a little romantic and pretends to stretch his arm around (who he thought was) you.

“rin.” 

why is your voice right in front of him?

“young man, i appreciate it but i’m married.”

suna jumps as he sees someone he did not recognise next to him.

he looks up and notices you had moved.

you’re giggling

the granny’s giggling

atsumu and osamu sitting opposite on the carriage look like they’re going to cry because they’re trying not to laugh

“i was just stretching. really.” he mumbles and crosses his arms, face red as a tomato

he’s so embarrassed.

Ginjima Hitoshi

sometimes the inarizaki vbc would go for an after practice snack at the nearby family mart

they were really hungry after an intense preparation for nationals which was in two weeks so kita insisted they all get something to fill them up on the way home

but lucky lucky ginjima hhehe

you (his classmate who he had a crush on) were working at the cash register today.

“welcome!” you greet everyone as they enter

he cant help but stiffen up a bit 

why are u so cute and cheery today

the 2nd years already know what to do.

“heyy, i think last week i bought ya that ramen right? ya owe me my konbini snacks today!” - atsumu

“yeah. you lost a bet to me last week so u gotta pay up. a pack of jelly fruit sticks please.” - suna

“forgot my money today, mind payin’ for my snacks too?” - osamu

“like hell i’m paying for all of you. especially you, osamu. you eat too much all the time.” 

aran’s noticed what’s going on,

“hey, if it’s just for today you can do it right? if ‘samu don’t pay ya back tomorrow i’ll nag him ‘til he does.” 

“fine...” his basket is full when he goes to the counter.

he’s trying his best not to have a red face while watching u scan the items, ur hair swaying slightly as u look back and forth between the objects and the screen.

“alright. 4,890 yen please!” GOD he hated how expensive it was, that’s almost all his weekly allowance but bc it’s u and ur voice saying it it’s kinda ok

“mm, ok.” he still has his eyes on you while he takes out his wallet and puts it on the counter.

yes

his wallet, not the money

“...” “...”

“excuse me, sir. this is...”

he almost slaps his face wtf he’s so embarrassed.

“s-sorry. just a little absent minded after practice.” he starts pulling out his cash.

“it’s fine! i know how hard you guys practice!” you smile while performing the rest of the transaction and pass him his big bag of goods. “good luck for nationals, ginjima-kun!”

he almost runs out of the store and is about to fight the rest of the 2nd years for watching and (suna) recording

[cades-outsider]

Robby Keene X Reader

Warnings: Little Angst!

Not just a Secret

  Let's get one thing straight, keeping a secret from your boyfriend is not that easy. Especially when it's as big as your secret, you see from the time you were young you always admired karate. Other kids thought it was dumb and would rather play video games or whatever.

  You felt there was no hope for you seeing as, there were literally no karate dojo's available in your area. Only a car salesman by the name of Daniel LaRusso who won a karate battle with an illegal kick but you get the picture.

  It wasn't until someone by the name of Miguel helped spark Johnny your sensei to have his own dojo. You and Miguel were pretty close, you ran into him at the mini mart on your way home where you also met Johnny.

  He was sitting on a curve enjoying his pizza when a bunch of teens decided to get into some trouble with a boy smaller than them.

From most of your karate experience which detained of watching old karate moves on YouTube came into handy when they tried to start with you. You immediately caught Johnny's eye as you; someone 10 times younger than him knew about old time karate, though your stance wasn't completely stable.

Johnny decided to help you out seeing as there were more than just two or three kids you were going against and because they hit his car.

What you thought was cool was that You, Miguel, and Johnny all lived in the same apartment complex. You noticed Johnny a lot, but you knew from his personal actions that he didn't like associating with people.

After Miguel had convinced Johnny to open up his own dojo both Johnny and Miguel came straight to you. Well Both you and Miguel happened to run into Johnny who was looking for you both to tell you the good news.

You were eagerly ecstatic, having had wanted this dream to come true for a while. Johnny taught you a lot that you didn't know before, he was almost like a dad figure.

You see when you met Robby you hadn't know that Johnny was his dad and you didn't know the situation. It took a while for Robby to open up to you about his family issues in the relationship.

You guys were together for about 6 months before you knew about Johnny being his dad and how much he 'hated' him.

You knew Johnny for the first 3 months while learning a little bit of karate, and it wasn't until 3 months later you started fully going every day after school.

Yeah you could say whenever Robby told you who his dad was you immediately felt trapped. For the simple fact that is Robby hated his dad so much and knew how close you and his dad were he might not like that... he'd might even feel betrayed.

So you kept it a secret, which probably wasn't the best and definitely not the healthiest for your relationship but you wanted to keep Robby happy... but you knew if it got out he would not be the happiest about it.

Anyways, you were on your way to Cobra Kai... you guest it. As of right now Johnny had a good amount of students, including You, Miguel, Tory, Eli- also known as Hawk now, Chris, A**- Face as they call him, Bert, and a couple extras.

Practice was as normal as any other day, it consisted of sweat, pounding chest, and happiness. Karate brought joy to you, and you absolutely loved the way Johnny taught you karate.

You could tell from the beginning that Johnny was nervous and scared to teach more kids, you didn't quite know why but you thought it had something to do with his childhood maybe?

It was almost like he thought he was going to mess up, which so far he hasn't. Plus he has you and Miguel for reassurance which he didn't ask for but definitely didn't tell either of you to stop.

Johnny had let everyone take a 10 minute break while he worked on something in his office, a loud shout and bang was heard after less than a minute of him being in his office.

You and Miguel share a knowing look as everyone else's eyes stayed wide and scared, because when Johnny's mad he usually is shall I say more present with his actions.

Both you and Miguel get up from your sitting positions and walk into Johnny's office to see him with his head buried in his hands and the phone beat against the desk.

"Sensei?" Miguel questions worried.

"Yes Mr. Diaz? Do you need something?" Johnny asks, quite stressfully.

"Uh- I was just wondering if you were okay?" He questions softly.

"I'm fine Diaz, just stressed that's all" Johnny nods his head as an okay, Miguel nods and walks to the mats, as you stay behind.

"Uh- Sensei you know you can talk to me- to us" You comment, daringly.

"I appreciate that Miss. L/n" He says as he pops open his famous coors beer, leaning back into his chair.

You take a seat in the chair in front of him "what's wrong?" You question.

He takes a swing of beer keeping eye contact as he sits the beer aggressively down on the table "nothing is going my way, you know? I try one good thing and it escalates into two bad things" Johnny states, running a hand through his hair messing it up a little.

"Uh- Sensei, I can see it on your face you're not that hard to read. I know it might sound crazy but I know what you're feeling all I can say is that it will get better you're doing an amazing job at what you do already... so who says you're not already doing that one thing" You say softly.

Johnny smiles a little, but this time a genuine smile "that's very kind of you Y/n" he says as you smile, feeling accomplished.

"Is something going on with you? You said you knew what I felt" Johnny questions.

"Oh uhm actually I'm kind of stuck on something right now- I'm kinda doing one thing that I know would hurt someone I love but only just found out they wouldn't like it when I'm doing it and it's hard because I know how he'll react" You say nervously, as technically you just told on yourself.

Johnny nods his head in understand-meant "is he a lover?" He asks to which you nod yes.

"Well then he should understand right? I mean you're a great kid he would understand" Johnny encourages.

You smile softly "thank you" you blush of embarrassment from the fact that you know you literally just told on yourself.

"No problem kid, now go get into your stance" He says getting up as you follow, walking out of his office and into your follow in stance.

The rest of practice ended with a happier and more relieved Johnny. At the end of class Johnny asked both of you and Miguel to stay behind saying that he needed to give you both something.

  He leads you both to the trunk of his red firebird, which holds two black Cobra Kai Gi's "I wanted to give both of you these first" He says handing one to both you and Miguel.

  "Sensei this is- incredible" Miguel comments excitedly.

  "They're amazing!" You say excitedly.

  "Well you guys deserved it, you both worked very hard" Johnny says proudly.

  Miguel hugs Johnny until his phone dings causing them to pull away from the hug "sorry sensei that's my mom! Thank you!" He says before running away, over to his bike.

  "Thank you sensei" You smile slightly.

  "You can call me Johnny, Y/n but only out side of the dojo" He says as you give him a hug.

  See this is where it gets complicated, Robby had decided he was going to give his dad a chance and so he thought that he would come to Cobra Kai and speak with his dad.

  As he was riding on his board he stopped and picked it up as he arrived at his destination and saw you with his dad.

  "Y/n?" Robby questions walking up to the scene.

  "Robby-" You gasp internally, slightly freezing. You knew this day would come but not so soon.

  "Robby? What are you doing here?" Johnny questions, confused.

  "Well I came to talk to you but seeing as my girlfriend made it first it seems I don't need to" Robby spits out bitterly.

  "Robby I-" He cuts you off.

  "What you can explain? Oh please do, after I just told you too." He walks closer to you.

  "I guess now I know I should've never tried with you" Robby says walking away.

  "Don't talk to her like that" Johnny stands his ground walking over to Robby as he stops in his tracks.

  "Oh like you talk to me?" He asks sarcastically.

  "You know what I've had it, I'm done. We're done Y/n" Robby says before continuing to walk away.

  You couldn't just let him walk away, so you ran after him once he turned the curve behind the dojo "Robby wait at least let me explain" You plead.

  He stops once again before turning back around "what? What do you need to explain" he sighs.

  "Look I didn't know that Johnny was your dad until yesterday when you told me! I had no way of knowing but I knew that I didn't want to quit karate" You state.

  "Oh so you couldn't have just quit when you knew or at least have told me?" He grits his teeth, walking closer to you.

  "Oh come on Robby, just give Johnny a chance he's really trying" You plead.

  "Oh so now you're on his side" He says defensively.

"I'm not saying that I just thought that if I kept it a secret that I wouldn't hurt you" You say guiltily.

"That is not just a secret Y/n!" He yells stepping closer causing you to flinch accidentally.

  This action didn't go unnoticed to Robby, he immediately goes soft "oh Y/n- I-I'm sorry" He says going to grab your hand but you pull it away.

  "Just. Don't. I think we need some time to collect ourselves" You state before walking away from Robby and back to Johnny.

  "I'm sorry Johnny- I should've told you earlier" You say guiltily as you didn't want Johnny to feel some type of way towards you now.

  He nods his head understandingly "look Y/n. It's okay there's nothing to be sorry for, i actually would spin you two together if he wasn't being such a d*ck" He comments.

  You laugh at his choice of words "you mean ship?" You question.

  "Oh so that's what they call it" He hums as you nod.

  Johnny offered you a ride home, since you both lived at the same apartment complex and of course you agreed.

  As you walked through your apartment door you felt bad, bad about keeping a secret from Robby that would hurt him, but also mad because he had just told you Johnny was his dad so you had no way of knowing beforehand.

  Robby on the other hand felt terrible, he made you flinch. Worst of all he yelled at you which he would never do if it were a different topic, his dad was always a hard topic for him.

  Robby had decided to take action and visit your apartment, he hated being away from you for more than a couple days.

  He bought some of your favorite flowers and made his way to your apartment on his skateboard. Moments later you heard a knock at your door, your parents weren't home and you knew they would be here later so that confused you.

  None the less you opened the door to reveal Robby awkwardly holding your favorite flowers, a look of regret and sadness written clearly on his face.

  "Robby-?" You question confused.

  "Y/n hear me out please..." He pleads.

  "Okay... come in" You say holding the door opened for him more.

  He walks in and sets the flowers down on your counter "look I'm sorry for yelling at you like that, it was wrong of me but I was just upset" He confesses, looking down.

  You sigh "Robby it's okay, I know you would never hurt me like that it was just an instinct. I'm sorry to for not telling you" You say guiltily.

  Robby walks closer to you and grabs both of your hands interwinding them with his "no it's okay Y/n, I know you didn't know I shouldn't have pushed you like that" Robby admits.

  "It's know, I just thought if I kept it a secret it wouldn't hurt you as much...." You mumble honestly.

  He smiles a little "I think it hurt more, but now it's okay because I love you to much to lose you" He shyly admits.

  You smile, wrapping your arms around his shoulders "I love you more" You respond.

"How about we get some food and cuddle?" You question happily.

"That sounds amazing" Robby reply’s.

Even though Robby was desperately hurt at your actions, he knew it wasn’t your fault he knew that you didn’t know I mean how would you have known if he never opened up to you. Anyways life went on and eventually Robby finally spoke and sorted things out with his dad, though that didn’t stop certain people but it did save Johnny’s.

_______________________________________________

This was requested from Wattpad!!!

[karasuno-volley]

anon requested : I would actually die if you wrote a part 2 to the one where Oikawa protects you >///<      

a/n: of course !! as a general rule, i don’t mind writing more parts to my one-offs as long as there are requests for it. i hope you like it! likes / reblogs welcome, no reposting please !! love, volley.

pairing : oikawa x fem!reader

       PART TWO :

     After school the next day, you move down the sidewalk, more involved in your phone than your walking speed. When your brother gets too far ahead of you, he turns. “What’s wrong?” He’s always been annoyingly good at reading you, and you sigh. There’s no point in lying-- he’d just see right through you anyways. “So, uh… I met someone the other day.” You start, and he raises an eyebrow. “Someone?” 

     “I was just thinking that you might know him.”      “Why would I--?”

     “Daichi!” Sugawara appears from the gym doors, waving down his captain. You can hear the new freshman-- Hinata, your brother had said-- already screaming about something from the gym. Daichi smiles at you a little sheepishly. “I guess I’m running late. If you think I know him, I’m sure I’ll like him, if that’s what you mean. Tell Mom I might be getting home late, so don’t wait on dinner for me.” Your brother waves before jogging back towards the gym, his club jacket the last thing you see of him before you start heading home. The trees flutter in the wind, the shadows casted on the ground dancing with their movements. Against your better judgement, you take out your phone and open up Oikawa’s number. Your thumbs hover over the keyboard before you type.

hey. you at practice?

no, day off. why? you need me to pretend to be your boyfriend?

     You frown, glancing upwards from the screen for a moment. Why are you even texting him? It’s not like you don’t have friends to hang out with. You look back down as your phone buzzes twice again.

are you okay?

… 

karasuno?

     Staring at his text, you enter Shimada Mart after a few seconds, intent on gathering some snacks to eat while doing your homework. The automatic door slides open, the fluorescent lights and blast of air conditioning a stark contrast to the warm sun outside. 

fine 

wondering if you want to hang out for a bit?

you know i don’t even know your name right?

it’s Y/N

     Various flavors of milk, chips, chocolates… Nothing really strikes you, your fingers gently running over the packages. Your phone vibrates again just as you pick up a small bag of chocolate and those chips you don’t really like.

Y/N, are you asking me out on a date?

no, i’m asking if you want to hang out.

where are you?

     As it turns out, you didn’t really have to tell him, because as soon as you exit the store with a bag in hand, you spy Oikawa walking down the sidewalk, hands in his jacket. He spies you, quickly catching up to where you stand. 

     “You came fast.” You say, and he only smiles a little. “I was in the area.” Tooru gestures forward, and the pair of you start walking, “So, where did you want to go?”

     “I don’t know. I just wasn’t ready to go home.” You open the bag, popping a piece of chocolate into your mouth before offering Oikawa one. He turns you down, pointing over a nearby hill. “Well, Seijoh’s that way. I’m glad you texted me, because if I don’t have practice, I’m just bored.”

     “Bored?” 

     Tooru shrugs, slightly embarrassed. “Well, not bored, just… I spend so much time doing volleyball that when I don’t do it, I feel…” he trails off, and you don’t say anything for a while. You pass other people walking, the cars on the road passing by-- stopping and starting as rush hour to get home begins. Glints of sunlight light your path.

     “Speaking of volleyball, you said you knew some people on Karasuno’s team.” And just like that, the same unreadable expression falls over him. You fear, for a moment, that you struck a nerve, but just as quickly as it came, it goes. In its place is a slightly cocky expression. “We played a practice match against them recently. They’re… interesting. Strong captain, tall middle blocker, crazy first year duo…”

     “Strong captain?” You ask, attempting to keep up with Oikawa’s long strides as he takes a left turn onto a quieter road. “Y���know, an all around player.”

     “Oh, yeah,” you say, smiling slightly. “I think my brother does good work.” Oikawa stops dead in his tracks, turning around to face you. His eyebrows raise, and you have the feeling that if he had been drinking something, he would have choked. “Brother?”

     “Well, I’m just saying--” you keep walking, pretending to not have noticed Oikawa’s face. “Daichi works hard. I would hope he’s good at the game.”

     “You could have told me!” You hear him whine behind you. His footsteps get louder as he catches up beside you. “I was about to explain more, but I guess you may know better than me when it comes to their team… Also, brother?” You laugh, and Oikawa sticks his hand into the bag, pulling out a handful of the chocolates. “Well, now I feel like an idiot.”

     “Don’t.” You shake your head, the smile difficult to make disappear. “I didn’t tell you on purpose. Daichi doesn’t even know that we know each other.” And just like clockwork, you hear your name from behind you.

     “Y/N! Hey, where are you going?” When you turn around, you’re slightly relieved to see it’s just Sugawara. “Daichi’s looking for…” he stutters and trails off when he sees Oikawa next to you. “Suga! I thought you were at practice!” You’re half-surprised, half-reprimanding, and you watch Karasuno’s setter nod, a little dumbfounded. Rarely does Suga struggle with his words, but seeing his captain’s sister with the setter of Aoba Johsai does that just fine. 

     “Coach had an emergency with… uh… What are you doing with Oikawa?” You hear Tooru let out a light chuckle and he gives a quick wink in your direction. There’s a change in his demeanor as he sizes up Sugawara; a cocky smirk, a hand on hip. Oikawa waves a hand, as if trying to physically clear the tension with a relaxed attitude. “I should let you find your brother, Y/N. I’ll text you later, okay?” 

     Before you can say anything, he jogs past Suga, back onto the main street, and you watch as he looks at something out of your line of sight. Oikawa gives another smirk, a dramatic wave, and he heads off in the opposite direction, towards the hill and Aoba Johsai. 

     Suga can barely ask if you’re alright before Daichi, Tanaka, and Noya round the corner. The second-year duo look like they’re ready to beat someone up, and Daichi’s face is unreadable as he approaches, half dragging you out onto the sidewalk. The glow of a nearby streetlamp lights up your conversation and casts shadows over your older brother’s face. “What were you doing with Seijoh’s setter?” 

     “Why do you need to know? Do you have a problem with him or something?” Perhaps you’re being a little too defensive, but Daichi’s protective nature can get especially tiring when he tries to follow your every move. “You said you’d like him.” You poke at his chest, and recognition sets in his features. “You’re… dating Oikawa Tooru?” “No! We were just… I’ll tell you when we get home, which we should be doing now.” You grab onto Daichi’s sleeve, attempting to move him up the street and back home, but he doesn’t budge. “Oikawa Tooru, really? Out of all the guys you could have chosen, you choose Aoba Johsai’s captain?” 

     You roll your eyes, especially when you see Tanaka and Noya falling over themselves trying to triangulate Oikawa’s precise location, anxious to see their calm-headed captain beat Oikawa over the head with a stick. “We’re not dating!” You half scream at him, causing Suga to gently step in. “Daichi, if she says they’re not dating, maybe you should just… stay out of it? I mean, there’s nothing wrong with her having friends.” You watch your brother sigh as he attempts to work out the thoughts in his head. No matter how well Daichi could read you, you’re always unable to do the same. Eventually, he turns to see the rest of Karasuno watching both of you.

    “Well!” He finally says, all cheery and cool-headed again. “Y/N’s right, we’d better get home soon before Mom yells at both of us.” He waves goodbye to the group and you’re left to follow your older brother’s footsteps. You know you’re never going to hear the end of this when you get home.

navigation: 1 2 3

taglist : @yatoatyourservice !!

[delightfulstarlightparadise]

Stardew Valley imagine Reader/ ?????

Possibly Sebastian... but who knows.

-So, I have been playing Stardew Valley for hundreds of hours in just few weeks and finally had de courage to write my own imagine. (Nice, I get off the game to write about it).

-I will avoid pronouns as much as I can, but when necessary I will use they/them. I hope everyone feels included.

-English is not my main language, but I am doing my best.

- I will, sometimes, bring some fanarts I made too.

Let’s go <3

The slow pace of the bus makes you feel dizzy. You look outside and see the most lively and green landscape you had ever seen, and along with it you feel the memories of old times coming to your mind.

Those days in the farm seem so far away now, playing with animals along your cousins, running around the crops, swimming in the rivers and lakes, fishing... and in the late evening sitting by a fire with your grandpa to hear stories about the valley.

Stardew. Stardew Valley, a place cherished in your memories.

You never imagined you would be going back to that valley to live in the farm from your childhood, taking with you just a small luggage. You are tired, sad and broke. Your wrists still hurt, a gift from hours typing in a computer of Joja corporation.

You don’t know how everything went so wrong. As a kid you always wanted to be a veterinarian or maybe a biologist, but you ended up in that corporative job, making thousands of reports that seemed the same one and attending meetings to talk about nothing. If you told yourself, that bright kid full of hope and wonder, that you would grow up to become such a bitter adult, you wouldn’t have believed it then.

At least you had the courage to leave.

You hold tight in your hands the letter from your grandfather, attached to it as a last light of hope that moving to Paradise farm can help you start new.  

The bus stops and the driver asks you if you need help with your baggage, but you decline. You didn’t bring much.

You stand beside the bus sign and feel the soft breeze from the valley, listening to the birds chirp. Those memories seem more alive inside you.

“Hey! You arrived!”

A friendly call takes you out of your thoughts as a ginger woman comes towards you with the nicest of smiles.

“I was worried that the bus would be delayed but you are just in time!” she says, taking your baggage from off your hands before you can say anything. “I am Robin, the town’s capenter, you must be the new farmer! Lewis asked me to pick you up!”

“Hi...” you stutter, shaking her hand.” I am y/n.”

“You caused quite a commotion here at Pelican. It is not everyday we receive a new villager, a new farmer, then!” she says, taking your luggage to a small red pick up truck parked beside the bus stop.

“Actually... I am not a farmer. I am just going to live in the farm.” you say a little unease about how friendly she is. You are used to the apathic city people.

“Well, I guess living at Paradise makes you a farmer now.” She says a giggles.  

As you take a dirt road, she continues to speak to you cheerfully.

“I just came by truck because I thought you would be bringing much more stuff. Your farm is actually very close.”

“I... I don’t own much.” you reply. “WHAT THE …!?”

When she parks by the gates your wonderful memories and hopes connected to Paradise farm seem to shatter. The landscape is taken by weeds and all the structures you remember seem to have aged twice the time you had been away. Trees had outgrown the charming paths or rock in which you and your cousins used to race each other, the little ponds where you used to fish were surrounded by twigs and bushes of weeds. The sight of the land was a mix of leaves, twigs and boulders.

“Not much of a Paradise anymore, hun? But I guess with a little effort you can bring it back to it’s bright.” Robin says as she notices the disappointment in your face.

“I guess...” you say, dispirited.

She takes you to the old cottage and the view is not much better. The wood seems a little rotten and cracked, you are afraid of what you might meet inside.

“Y/n! I haven’t seen you since you were this little!” an elder man comes out of the cabin and waves at you.

You think you remember him. Probably one of your grandfather’s friends. He had many, unlike you.

“Oh, I guess you were too little to remember me. I am Lewis, Pelican Town’s Mayor. You know, your granpa and I used to be friends since we were very young and this farm was full of coops, animals, fruit trees...”

Robins ahams to him to call his attention to your discomfort about the current situation of the farm.  

“Oh... I mean... Sure you will do a good work of taking care of your grandfather’s property. Anyway, I am here to welcome you and say that whatever you need, you can call me and that If you have anything to sell to the city or export, you jut need to put it into that box, I will gladly take it and return to you with the money.” he says, in a very mayorish manner.

“Thanks.” you reply.

You are not very good with people. Maybe that is why you ended up behind a computer job.

“It is almost lunchtime!” Robin exclaims, she is so spirited. “So why don’t you put your bag in the cottage and come have lunch with my family? After that one of my children can show you around town. My son Sebby is almost your age, I am pretty sure you two will get along.”

“I... I don’t want to bother.” you reply scratching the back of your neck, uncomfortable.

“It was not an invite, it was a demand!” Robin says, and you can see the seriousness printed on her eyes.

You leave your bag beside the old bed in the cottage and follow her to the truck. After a small ride, you find yourself in front of a big house in the mountains.

“I think I have been here before.” You say, as you look at the lake slowly flowing near you.

“Probably when I was still building the house. I remember you and your grandfather’s other kids swimming around the lake. I think Sebby used to play with you sometimes. I guess if you remember each other.” she says.

“I surely don’t remember that.” you say, pointing at a giant boulder pile beside the lake’s source.

“Oh, that. That is the result of a landslide provoked by Joja Mart.”

“JOJA MART?!” you screech.

The simple mention of the company’s name makes you sick to your stomach.

“Yeah, they say they are working to get it removed, but they wouldn’t have to if they had not caused it in first place. I bet they were exploding the mines in search of gold, like the leeches they are.”

“Probably.” you agree to Robin’s inflated discourse.

When you get in the house, you hear the sound of a small explosion, followed but smoke and a funny smell.

“Oh Yoba! Dad, are you ok?! I guess I overcharged the batteries again!” you hear a girl’s voice and then a fire extinguisher being activated.

“There can’t be a fucking minute of peace in this house.” a guy comes from downstairs complaining. He is wearing a hoddie and has headphones hanging on his neck.

“Sebastian, language!” Robin says.

He turns to you and for a moment seems completely astonished to see you there, but quickly turns back to the apathic face he had on before.

“Hi honey! Maru and I were just doing a little experiment, but it got a bit out of hand... Oh, hello!” a man comes out of the room where the smoke is coming from.

“Y/n, this is my son Sebastian and that over there is my husband Demetrius.” Robin introduces you as you wave shyly.

A girl comes out of that same room. She is cleaning her glasses worried, but as she glances at you, her face shines with a bright smile such as Robin’s. She runs towards you and starts shaking your hand with both of hers, excitedly.

“Hello! I am Maru, and you must be the new farmer!”

“I... han... not a farmer actually. I will just live in the farm.” you reply uneasy.

“Oh, but I guess living in the farm will make you a farmer, then.” Demetrius says and giggles.

“I am going back to the basement.” Sebastian mumbles taking the direction of the stairs.

But Robin stops him by grabbing the back of his hoddie.

“Sebastian, it is lunchtime, so why don’t you go to the kitchen and put on the table for our guest, hmn?” she says in a way only a mother could.

He grunts and heads to the kitchen.

Maru leads you there by the shoulders while asking you:

“So you are from Zuzu city, right? How is life there?”

You can see Sebastian turning to you with the corner of his eyes when he hears it, he seems a little interested.

“Busy.” you answer.

She keeps staring at you with a smile as if she is waiting for the development of your answer, and does it until you feel uncomfortable enough to either attend her expectations or flee.

“Well... it is crowded. People are unfriendly, time seems to go by very fast...” you say, cracking your fingers anxiously. “There are more malls, I guess.”

“Interesting!” she replies with that same smile.

“So, you will be now taking care of Paradise farm, hm?” Demetrius says while sitting down next to his daughter. “I guess you will be having a lot of work taking care of all those weeds.”

“I actually don’t intend to work as a farmer.” you reply.

“Oh really? What kind of work do you do, y/n?” he asks gently.

“I am a reviewer. I mean, I was. I used to take care of paperwork, write reports on data and... you know, spend the day in front of a computer. I think I will find me a job to do this, but from here.” you answer.

“Sebby here is a computer geek, too! You two will get along well.” Robin says while serving you more food than you think you can eat.

“I am a programmer, mom.” he mumbles, facepalming.

“You should not be afraid of trying your hand at farming though.” Demetrius says. “Darling! This food is DE-LI-CI-OUS! As I was saying, this land has very productive soil and the town is an exporter, I am sure you can make some profit by selling whatever you produce. Also there is much foraging around you can pick and sell, there aren’t much people who take their time on doing that. The Salmonberry season will be here soon.”

“Thanks honey!” Robin replies with a giggle. “I am pretty sure y/n has it settled for the computer job.”

“Actually, I am pretty broke.” you think while taking a bite of Robin’s food. It is really good.

REALLY GOOD. You can’t remember the last time you had a homemade meal and the thought of it brings tears to your eyes.

“Oh, dear! Is it too spicy?” Robin asks, serving you a cup of juice.

You shake your head negatively trying to wipe the tears, ashamed. Sebastian and Maru stare at you, concerned, they even exchange a glance of worry and then, look back at you.

“No,no I... I have... a gland problem, I tear up sometimes... when... I am... eating?” you stutter, sobbing a little.

“I think I have heard about that. “ Demetrius says. “Maybe you should pay a visit to doctor Harvey in the town. He is a very good doctor.”

You nod as you continuously take bites of that wonderful food. It is so good to finally have a meal that isn’t pizza or a cold burger.

…

While having lunch you discover that Demetrius is a scientist. You take great pleasure in listening to him talking about how diverse is the Stardew biome. He also talks about minerals, the land’s properties and many other scientific things while Maru stares at him like she is the proudest daughter in the world. You feel like you would look at him the same if he was your father.  

Sebastian rolls his eyes more times than you can count and when he is finally done with the whole “family and guest lunch” thing, he stands up and says:

“I am going out for a smoke.”

“Actually Sebby, could you please take y/n to get to know the town?” Robin says while she collects the dishes.

“Mom, I think you better ask Maru, she is better suited for these kind of things.” He whispers at her, but you overhear.

“Oh well, so maybe you wanna stay and take her turn in washing the dishes?”

You swear you can hear him cursing while he passes beside you and makes a sign with his hand for you to follow him. You feel unease, but Robin points at him and shakes her hands indicating for you to go.

Sebastian takes you outside, to the garage and hands you a helmet.

“What?” you say.

“What?” he replies while putting on a helmet himself. “We’re taking the bike”

“Bike?” you ask.

Sebastian uncovers an old-fashioned bike and gets ready to sit on it, but you stop him by giving him back the helmet.

“No, no, no.” you say, gulping your breath. “I can’t, sorry.”

“What? Aren’t you from the city?” he says.

“I can’t ride a bike.” you say, shaking your head frenetically.

“You just sit down and hold on, I am the one doing the riding.”

“Look, you don’t really have to do this. I will just go home and you can tell Robin I had to... do something else.”

“You don’t know my mom.” he says while taking off the helmet. “Ok, wait here, I will grab the truck keys.”

Sebastian doesn’t take long to come back with the keys and the both of you get inside the truck. He lowers his window and immediately puts a cigarette in his lips.  

“Do you mind?” he asks you.

“Actually, can I have one?”  you reply feeling awkward.

“You smoke?” he says while rising towards you the pack with a cigarette extended.  

“Only when stressed.” you say while letting him light it up for you.

“Yeah. Me too.” he says starting the engines.

Next part here:

(I liked the sketch so much better, so here it is)

[paraluwoman]

For Good [Semi Eita X Fem! Reader] pt.1

( the gif belongs to its rightful owner uwu)

Author’s Notes : So uhm hi, this is my first ever fanfic here in tumblr and it’s been so long since I last wrote, I hope you enjoy it?? JSJDJHSJK I APOLOGIZE FOR MY AWKWARD ASS

Warning/s: Contains swear words

Word Count: 1083

Anyways here we go, a little Semi Eita loving

“Assholes. All of them,” Semi grumbled, taking down the poles used to hold the net. He was left alone cleaning up inside Shiratorizawa’s gymnasium because of a stupid bet proposed by Yamagata, their team’s 3rd year libero, also known as the bane of Semi’s existence. Cursing the brown haired in his mind, he carried the net and went to put it inside their equipment room.

While he was arranging the equipment, he heard a door open, followed by hushed footsteps.

‘Must be a first year who forgot his things again,’ thought Semi. Putting no mind, he stretched his back and was about to exit the stuffy room when he heard a voice, singing.

I’ve heard it said,

That people come into our lives,

For a reason,

Bringing something we must learn,

 He was caught off guard, not expecting anyone to come to the gym at this time, especially not anyone singing. He had to admit, whoever was singing had a very beautiful voice. He knew he should not be listening without permission but he could not move from his spot.

And we are led, to those,

Who help us most to grow,

If we let them

And we help them in return,

If Semi was correct, the song was from a famous play in the west. He tried to get closer to hear the singing better when he bumped into a basket of balls, the sound echoing in the gym.

Well I don’t know if I-

The singing stopped and Semi felt himself cringing for making his presence known.

“W-Who’s there?” a voice cried out, ‘they sound familiar,’ he thought. Semi walked out of the room, head bowed down and his hand rubbing his neck in shame. “I-I’m sorry I didn’t mean to eavesdrop-“

Once he looked up he saw a (h/c) haired girl, wearing their schools uniform. Her face was quite red and some of her hair was blocking her face. She raised her hands in defense,

“N-No, I s-should the one a-apologizing! I thought the g-gym was empty and I barged in h-here so late, I’m so sorry!” cried the girl, and bowed.

“No, it’s okay, I promise! I was just surprised,” Semi felt flustered by the girl’s words, stopped the girl from apologizing anymore.

The (h/c) haired girl stood up, albeit still a bit red in the face. Her hair was now pushed back, showing more of her features. Semi’s face lit up in recognition

“(L/N)-san?” said Semi, now realizing why the voice sounded familiar. (L/N) (F/N), his classmate for 2 years. Although he recognized her, they weren’t exactly close, only a few words were shared between them.

“Oh, Semi-kun, I didn’t realize it was you,” said the girl, her head a bit bowed down to hide her embarrassment.

“Yeah,” Semi paused, he didn’t quite know what to say.

“Well, I’m gonna go n-now. Need to pick up a few groceries on the way,” (L/N) murmured the last part a bit hurriedly. She nodded her head at him then quickly turned around, eager to escape the gym and the humiliation.

“W-Wait!” Semi shouted. The girl turned around, confused as to why he needed to lengthen their conversation, she just wanted to go home. Semi ran up to her side and said,

“I just finished cleaning up here, I can take you home if you want? It’s quite late and I wouldn’t feel comfortable letting you walk alone.”

The girl felt heat creeping up her cheeks, head shaking vigorously.

“It’s f-fine! I can t-take care of myself! You must be exhausted, with practice and all that,” she replied, “Besides, I kinda need to get groceries.”

Semi smiled,” I swear it’s fine, and I pass by that mart every time I go home, so it’s no problem at all. If you still don’t want to, maybe I can just accompany you to the store then?”

The girl sighed in defeat, knowing there’s no way out, “A-Alright then.”

Semi smiled again, then proceeded to take his stuff from the bench. They both exited the gym, an air of awkwardness still lingering.

  Walking side by side, Semi and (L/N) both working their minds, trying to come up with a topic, to at least ease the awkwardness between them.

“So, what were you-“

“You have a very-“

They both looked at each other, flustered with their timing.

“You go first-“

“Okay, you first-“

They both insisted but ended up with fits of laughter. In the end, the brown haired girl was able to ask her question,

“So, what were you doing in the gym so late?

The gray haired boy ruffled his locks, a certain bet coming to mind.

“Ah, I lost a bet to one of my teammates and the loser had to clean up everything by himself, tsk.”

(L/N) let out a chuckle at his answer. “Well aren’t you unlucky.”

“Tell me about it,” Semi snorted. “How about you? Why were you singing in the gym?”

The girl felt a blush coming up again and said, “Well, theater practice just ended and our adviser locked up our club room but I still wanted to rehearse. I saw your teammates leave the gym so I thought I could maybe go inside and practice, but in turns out, you were still there.”

Remembering the earlier incident caused the two to look away from each other, still feeling the embarrassment from before.

“Why the gym though?” asked Semi.

“Well for starters, I thought it would be empty, but clearly I was wrong. And,” the girl felt a sweat drop from her forehead, “The gym provided a nice echo,” the last part said a bit quickly, hoping he wouldn’t hear it. Unfortunately for the (h/c), the setter heard.

“Really? Huh, guess I never noticed it before,” wondered Semi. It could perhaps all the yelling from the team hid the echoes.

“Welp, here’s my stop.”

The gray haired setter looked and saw the blinding lights of the store. They must’ve walked fast to reach the mart in just a few minutes

“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then, (L/N)-san.” He faced towards the (h/c) girl.

“Yeah, see you tomorrow Semi-kun, take care,” the girl waved.

“You too,” Semi waved back, then continued walking towards his home.

   As soon as the setter was out of sight, the (h/c) slapped her forehead.

 ‘(L/N) (Y/N), why must you be so stupid.’

 She then entered the mart and bought what she needed, eager to go home and just lay on her bed.

 ~ JSKSJSAHKSJH this was not beta read so i apologize for any mistakes sjshsj hope you enjoyed and wait for the next part!! (and if you know the song and which play it’s from kudos to you mwa)

[kutemouse]

Hi! I just found your blog, and i'm in love with it. I would like to request from fluffy prompt 35+36 please with jin!

Well, what a coincidence, because I am in love with YOU kutie anon!! <3 Anyways, here is the imagine I dreamt up when hit with these prompts. Sorry it is so LONG (as usual) but in order to do these prompts justice, it is what it is. Hope you like <3

Fluff prompt #35: Can I keep this? It smells like you.

Fluff prompt #36: Please don’t cry. I can’t stand you crying.

Disclaimers: I found this gif on Pinterest, so it’s obviously not mine. Spiderman belongs to Sony, who has made a deal with Marvel/Disney to be used in their films, just in case y’all didn’t know.

Age Recommendation: 18+

Warnings: Swears, childhood romance, mentions of making love, Jin making me pop all the UwU’s and melting me into a puddle of fluffy goo.

Word Count: 2,968

Summary: You decided to spend your summer at your grandparents’ place where you used to spend summers during your childhood. The place is filled with so many memories, some good, some bad, but all containing him.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Always Loved You (Jin One-Shot, Fluff)

I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough. Currently, I was laying on a beach chair I’d dragged out to the edge of the lake, soaking up some sun while reading a trashy romance novel. The main character had finally confessed their love to the main love interest, and things were getting interesting.

“Y/n!” I ignored whoever was calling me.

“Y/N!”

“What?!” I hollered back, ripping off my sunglasses in annoyance.

“I need you to go to town! We need groceries for dinner tonight!”

I stood up, grumbling, pulling down my swimsuit that had started riding up my ass and gathering up my bag and towel. So much for a relaxing afternoon.

Still, I guess I was here for more than just a vacation. It was summer, and I’d just graduated from university. When everyone who attended my graduation party asked what I was going to do with my fancy new degree, I shrugged and gave some vague, non-committal answer. I had no job prospects lined up, not even an internship. I knew what I wanted to do with my degree, but no idea how to get there.

Sick of people asking me about it, I finally found something to do with my summer. I would go live with my grandparents and help them out. Truthfully, that was kind of a lie in itself. Sure, I’d help with whatever my grandpa and grandma needed, but mostly I was here to get some space and figure out what to do with the rest of my life. My impromptu trip got my parents off my back, at least.

I breathed in the warm, fresh air one last time before going inside to change. I loved it here. Back when I was in grade school, I used to come here for entire summers with my parents. Between the sun and the lake, I was constantly begging to come back here. I wondered when that changed… probably some time in high school, when I started getting busy with friends and parties. “I’m leaving now!” I called out to my grandma, scooping up the list she left for me on the coffee table.

“Thank you!”

I stepped outside and began the walk to the mini-mart down the road, relishing in the way my skin warmed in the sun once more. I hardly passed a single person, let alone a single car. That’s part of the charm here… no nosy neighbors or pesky so-called friends trying to get into your business and tell you what to do. Everything had a good distance between it, allowing for solitude and that small-town feel. I loved that it took a twenty minute walk to get to the busiest part of town, which was still nothing when compared to the crowded streets of the city.

A smile spread over my face as I passed a small park I remembered playing in as a kid.

“Tag, you’re it!” I shrieked before running away as fast as I could.

He growled and took off after me, causing me to squeal and run faster, giggling like mad. I ran up the steps of the jungle gym until I reached the very tippy, top. Oh no, he was coming! He grinned as he cornered me, but I had one escape left. I slid down the slide, still laughing as my bum hit the ground, got up, and started running. I didn’t make it far, though.

WAM! My feet tangled up and I ended up on the ground. “Ouch,” I gasped, looking at my hands. They had tiny cuts all over them, and my knee was scraped.

He reached me and pushed me hard in the shoulder. “TAG!” he screamed, but his smile faded when he saw me crying.

“Y/n, what happened?” he said, leaning down and examining my knee with large, brown eyes.

“I tripped,” I sniffled.

“Oh, don’t cry. I trip all the time. I even carry band-aides around just in case. See?”

I perked up a little when he pulled a bandage out of his pocket. He smiled at me as he peeled off the backing and stuck it on my knee. “It’s Spiderman,” I giggled.

He grinned at me. “He’s my favorite.”

The boy suddenly leaned down and placed a kiss on top of the bandage. “There. All better.”

He pulled me up and we continued our game of tag, shrieking and laughing even louder, if that was possible.

I blinked away the memory, realizing I’d stopped and was staring at the playground. God, I hadn’t thought about him in forever. How long’s it been? I wonder if he still lives around here… or even if he remembers me.

Our moms were best friends back in the day, and every time my family came here, we’d always spend the most time together. He was the only kid my age we knew around here, so he became my best friend. As we grew up, we went from sending each other hand-drawn pictures in the mail to full-on letters, then to emailing, then texting, then video calling.

One day, my laptop beeped, indicating I was getting a video chat, and I nearly declined it before seeing it was him. I quickly wiped my tears away with a tissue and blew my nose before answering the call. “Hey,” I said, giving the camera a watery smile.

“Hey! It’s been forever.”

“I know, I’m sorry, I keep meaning to call you but I’ve just been so busy.”

I sniffed, and he frowned, leaning closer to his screen. “Are you crying?”

“N-No,” I stuttered.

He gave me an amused smile. “Y/n, come on. You know you can’t lie to me.”

I choked out a laugh. “Alright, fine. Yes, I was crying, it’s stupid, just some guy being an ass as usual…”

I watched as he reached out a hand and leaned his camera even closer to his handsome face, concern etched all over his features, those brown eyes shining in what little light there was. “Please don’t cry, y/n. You know I can’t stand you crying.”

I nodded and laughed a bit more. “I know. I promise, it’s over with that guy. I won’t be wasting any more tears on him.”

He smiled at me. “Good.”

Lost in thought, I kept walking down the road, my tennis shoes scuffing along the pavement as I absentmindedly kicked stray rocks. I wonder if he ever thinks about me. Probably not. Last I heard, he too went to university somewhere in a far-off city. He was probably making a living for himself, his career prospects endless… probably dating someone too. Might even be married by now.

I huffed out a sigh as I reached the mini-mart. I stepped inside and grabbed a basket before pulling out my grandma’s list, muttering as I read it out loud to myself. “Y/n?”

That voice… it couldn’t be. No freaking way. I whirled around. “Jin?”

His face split into a wide grin. “It is you! What are you doing here?”

“J-Jin,” I stuttered, still not comprehending that the tall, handsome guy I was just reminiscing about was actually here.

He laughed. “Yeah, that’s me. It’s been what, six, seven years?”

“Something like that.” I could hardly breath. He looked only slightly older than what I remember. His hair was darker and pushed away from his face to reveal his forehead, but the rest of him was the same. The same easy smile. The same toned, wide shoulders. That melodic voice. Another memory suddenly forced its way into my mind, one that I’d been trying to push away since I got here.

The soft light of 6am caused my eyes to flutter open. A fresh, cool breeze danced across my bare skin, causing me to shiver and slide my arms back under the covers, cuddling close to the warm body next to me. I suddenly shot up. “Oh God, we’ve been out all night,” I groaned.

Jin sat up as well, chuckling. “It’s okay. Just tell your parents you were with me. They’ll understand.”

Oh hell. His voice was deep and husky from lack of use, and I felt myself melting into a puddle as he spoke.

Without warning, I leaned over and pressed my lips against his. He kissed me back eagerly for a few minutes before squeezing my waist, causing us to break apart as I gasped. “Listen,” he murmured, trailing his lips across my bare shoulder. “We should be getting back.”

“No, just a few more minutes,” I said, pulling him in again.

Jin indulged me for only a few seconds more, wrapping his soft lips around mine in a way that made my head spin. After an entire summer of flirting and driving each other crazy, we finally gave in and ended up kissing each other after Jin drove us out here to watch the stars. Before I knew it, we were in the back of his truck making love. He was my first. I always knew he would be. It was just a matter of getting us to cross the line between friends and lovers.

He pulled away from me. “Seriously, y/n, our parents are going to murder us as it is,” he laughed. “And… you’re leaving today. You’ve got to go pack.”

My heart dropped. I knew he was right. When would we see each other again? Jin began pulling his clothes back on, and I did the same. He grabbed his jacket and was just about to shrug it on when I tugged it away.

“Hey!” he protested, playfully grabbing for it back.

I buried my face in the jean fabric, inhaling deeply. It still smelled like him, musky with a hint of spicy cologne. “Can I keep this?” I asked suddenly. “It… It smells like you.”

Jin smiled. “Sure.”

“Y/n?”

I blinked, looked back up at Jin. “Yeah, sorry. I was just-”

“Lost down memory lane?” he said, the corners of his mouth turning upwards.

“Y-Yeah.”

I still had that jacket somewhere. I’d kept it wrapped in a plastic bag so, whenever I grew lonely or sad, I could pull it out and inhale his scent. I’d even fallen asleep a few times with my head buried in it, making myself feel better as memories of Jin wafted through my mind.

“I find myself doing that too,” Jin murmured, bringing me back to the present.

I never went back to my grandparents’ after that, finding myself too wrapped up in school, friends, and other boyfriends to bother. Or, at least, that’s what I told myself. Maybe the real reason I stayed away is because I didn’t want to find out Jin had been doing the same. Living his life… without me.

I tightened my grasp on my basket. “Um, I’ve got… I’ve got some shopping to do.”

“Oh, right. Well, I’ll leave you to it then.”

“Do you want to shop together?” I blurted out, noticing his mostly-empty basket.

Jin turned back around, his eyebrows raised in surprise. “Sure.”

We walked down the aisles in silence, picking out the groceries we needed as we went. “I can’t believe you’re here,” I finally said. “I thought you went to university.”

“I did,” he replied. “But I graduated recently, and I came back to see my family for a summer before heading back to Seoul.”

“Oh. Did you get a job?”

“Nope. I’m trying to become a doctor, so I need to go back to school for a few more years.”

“Nice,” I murmured.

“What about you? Why are you here?”

I sighed. “To visit my grandparents. Help them out.”

Jin stopped, grabbing something off a shelf, tossing me a knowing smile. “Come on, y/n, I know you. Why are you really here?”

I scoffed. “What do you mean? That is why I’m here.”

Jin stepped close, causing my breath to hitch in my throat. I caught a whiff of that oh-so-familiar scent and felt my legs turning to jelly as he leaned down so our eyes were level. “Are you sure?” he said, grinning.

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not here for you, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“That’s not what I was implying,” he said, chuckling. “But good to know.”

“Besides, you’ve probably got some girlfriend back in the city,” I muttered, turning away to grab something off a shelf.

“No, actually.”

“Really? The cocky, handsome Jin can’t sway them city girls?” I teased.

He shook his head. “Oh, that’s definitely not it. I could have any girl I wanted back there.”

Jin suddenly grabbed my basket away from me, causing me to whirl around. He stepped close, and I backed up until I could go no further, my shoulders pressed against the shelves. “The problem was me. I didn’t want any of them,” he murmured.

My lungs stopped working as his lips hovered dangerously close to mine, my eyes growing wide as our breaths intermingled. Jin drew back, laughing. “You should’ve seen your face,” he snorted.

“Fuck off,” I snapped, grabbing my basket back and striding down the aisle away from him.

He followed after me, his windshield-wiper laugh still echoing throughout the store. “Awww, come on, y/n. It was a joke.”

“Well it wasn’t funny.”

“Why not? What, you got a boyfriend that wouldn’t appreciate me flirting with his girl or something?”

His tone was nonchalant, but I sensed some tentativeness in the question. “No,” I replied firmly. “I don’t have a boyfriend.”

Jin looked down at me, his brown eyes bright as he smiled. “Good.”

I scoffed once more and headed over to the cashier, placing my basket down on the checkout belt. Jin placed his behind mine, and when I got out my wallet to pay, he placed a large hand over mine. “I’ll pay for both,” he told the cashier.

I didn’t say anything until we got outside, both of us weighed down with shopping bags. “You didn’t have to do that, you know,” I scolded.

Jin chuckled. “A ‘thank you’ would suffice, you know.”

I marched up to him. “Just because you’re some big shot doctor now-”

“I’m not a doctor yet, y/n.”

“Whatever. Just because you think you can-”

He cut me off once more by grabbing my bags and loading them in the back of a truck. I stared at the gray vehicle, my mouth dropping open. It was the same truck. The place where I’d lost my virginity all those years ago.

I shook my head, bringing myself back down to reality. “What’re you doing?”

Jin shut the trunk door. “Giving you a ride. Now come on, stubborn, get in.”

I scoffed, but got in on the passenger side nonetheless. Everything looked the same, but different. Rather than a Spiderman lanyard hanging from the mirror, a few graduation tassels hung there instead. The truck was cleaner than I remember. No fast food cups littered the floor, but a couple half-empty water bottles were in the cup holders.

But it was the smell that got to me. That musk with a hint of spice… exactly like I remember. My body relaxed as Jin started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot, the same way I’d relax when holding onto his jacket back home.

It didn’t take too long to reach my grandparents’. Jini pulled in the driveway and shut the engine off, but neither of us moved. Jin stared at me, but I didn’t say anything, uncomfortably biting my lip and staring at the dashboard. “Y/n,” he murmured, causing me to look at him. I half-wished I hadn’t. His eyes were filled with that same look he gave me that night we kissed and made love, wide and perfectly brown.

“Why didn’t you come back after that summer?”

There it was. The question I’d been asking myself since I got here. I twisted my hands in my lap nervously. “Because… Because…”

“Tell me,” he said softly.

I pressed my lips together before releasing a loud sigh. “Because I was afraid.”

“Of what?”

“Of you moving on.”

Jin shook his head, chuckling. “Are you serious?”

I slowly nodded.

“Y/n, I couldn’t move on even if I wanted to. I loved you. I still… love you.”

My mouth parted open in surprise at his confession. “You do?”

Jin smiled and nodded. “Yeah. I tried to move on when I realized you weren’t coming back, I really did, but you were always in the back of my mind. Y/n, I’ve loved you since we were kids.”

I bit my lip, taking only a second to process before I unbuckled my seat belt and launched myself at him. Our lips pressed together, melding into the sweetest kiss I didn’t realize I missed with every fiber of my being. Jin wrapped a hand around the back of my neck, angling his jaw to deepen the kiss, and I threw my arms around his neck, trying in vain to draw him even closer.

We pulled apart, and I smiled as I took in Jin’s blown pupils, his lips reddening from being pressed to mine, his breath coming out in short gasps. “I love you, y/n,” he murmured. “I’ve always loved you.”

My smile grew. “I love you too, Jin.”

We continued kissing for what felt like forever before he pulled back, laughing and saying we needed to get the groceries inside. We unloaded the truck with the biggest grins, holding hands as we walked up to the house.

As I looked at Jin, the sun glinting off his dark locks, his smile lighting up my whole world, I found myself thinking that maybe there was a reason none of my relationships worked out. Maybe there was a reason I hadn’t found any opportunities coming my way after I graduated. And maybe, just maybe, I was exactly where I needed to be.

[danseinthefallout]

the art of danse - one

a paladin danse fanfiction

story warning; this story contains strong language, adult themes (such as violence, smut/NSFW themes, drug use, and other harsh themes) and canon and un canon language and story plots of Fallout 4 and Fallout 3.

summary; yea, the bombs may have fallen, but art and love have not. and of course, people still tell white lies

~~

word count; 3,6k

chapter one - idiots

Stella wondered how she stumbled in a police station, fighting feral ghouls with a man who battle cried. One minute she was looking for her friends, Lucas and Joanna and the next was involved in military business. She knew that they needed help, even one man in power armor couldn’t take all those ferals at once. She saw one of his men down, lazily shooting at them as a woman was tending to him. She was hoping to ask if they have seen her idiot friends and she would be on her way back to Endcliff in hopes they would be there. 

Stella was caught off guard by looking at the women tending to the man as he gave up as a feral flung at her, knocking her to the ground. This has happened more times then she’d like to admit. She reached for her gun as she used the back of it to bash in the skull of the feral ghoul. “Filthy fucker!” She yelled as she jumped back up and shot the feral in the head, just to make sure. The man in the power armor was fighting three more ferals, the number of them decreases. He seemed to have a hard time as one of them attacked his arm. Stella was a master at headshots and with three bullets and a steady eye killed each and every one of them. Stella looked down the street to see if any more were coming, but it was clear, thankfully. 

Stella was unsure if she should stay around, after all, she could tell this was the Brotherhood of Steel territory. She only knew that from the orange outfits and the symbols that were around the police station. A while ago she bumped into a wounding scribe by the name of Danny. The man in the power armor came up to Stella as she held her gun close to her chest. Stella looked at the man’s face and couldn’t help notice how handsome he was. Her face grew red but hoped he didn’t notice due to the blood that was splattered on her skin. “We appreciate the assistance, civilian. But what’s your business here?” The man asked, his voice deep and more calming then his battle cry. Stella raised an eyebrow, remembering the idiots she called family. She let out a smirk, hoping that they didn’t get kidnapped by raiders… again.

“Looking for two idiots. Who are you?” Stella asked nodding her head at the man. Stella put her gun back in her hoser as she crossed her arms. 

“I’m Paladin Danse, Brotherhood of Steel. If I appear suspicious, it’s because our mission here has been difficult. Since the moment we arrived in the Commonwealth, we’ve been constantly under fire. If you want to continue pitching in, we could use an extra gun on our side,” The paladin spoke. Stella could use this to her advantage.

“Will do, but I need your help in return,” Stella spoke. “You know those idiots I referred too? Their the closest thing to family I got. It’s like them to trail off and get kidnapped by raiders or hideout for 2 days surrounded by feral ghouls. This time they promised me they would stay close and well, no one other than me is here. We’re from Endcliff, so making our way to the middle of the Commonwealth is a mission. Luckily, I got a signal from one of my teammates and it led me to Cambridge. Any help would mean a lot before I make way back home to see them there or not,” Stella sighed, frustrated at Lucas and Joanna. She hated traveling back home alone.

“Over there is Scribe Haylen and Knight Rhys, Haylen will help decode the signal for you and track down where your team is, but we need your help,” The paladin spoke as Stella put a hand on her hip, listing.

“What do you need me to help with?” Stella asked

“We’re on recon duty, but I’m down a man and our supplies are running low. I’ve been trying to send a distress call to my superiors, but the signal’s too weak to reach them,” Stella could see the worry in the paladin’s eyes and couldn’t help but feel bad for him and his team. The women that were tending to the man, now known as Scribe Halen turned to Stella and Danse, butting in.

“Sir, if I may?” Haylen began.

“Proceed Haylen,” Danse instructed, Stella, raised her brow.

“I’ve modified the radio tower on the roof of the police station, but I’m afraid it’s not enough. What we need is something that will boost the signal,” Haylen informed Paladin Danse and Stella.

“We need a deep range transmitter, our target is ArcJet Systems. We secure the area, get the transmitter and bring it back here. Will you be willing to help us get it?” Danse asked.

“I said yes, didn’t I? Let’s get you a new transmitter,” Stella smiled.

“Sounds like a plan, stay behind me,” 

***

Fucking synths! Stella had to fight first-gen synths just to get that stupid transmitter. Almost died twice, but with a little will, she got that transmitter. Haylen was decoding the signal she got on her Pip-Boy to see where Lucas and Joanna where. Danse and Stella were making their way back to the police station, Danse was explaining some stuff on their way there and back, but Stella kind of blacked out on the conversation, really focusing on her friends. She did look at him a lot, she hasn’t found a man that good looking in a while. Stella noticed how he spoke and how serious he was. She’d hope that she could travel with him again, but she knew after this, she has to find her friends and go back to Endcliff.

As they walked down the road back to the station, Paladin Danse broke the silence and looked at the women who held her gun tightly. “You mentioned you’re from Endcliff, why are you way out here?” Danse asked, breaking his serious military character. Stella thought for a moment and looked up at the man in armor.

“We’re on a supply run as well as a manhunt. A raider gang came though Endcliff a few weeks ago, stole some important technology from us, killed 3 of our people, and injured 6. That never happened to us before. Luckily, me and my friend Luna killed them, but their leader left with the tech piece we need most. We’re hoping to find that bastard and get that back,” Stella was vague on the subject but specific enough because she felt like she could trust Danse.

“I’m sorry to hear that citizen. I hope you track down and kill that scum,” Danse said with compassion.

“Name is Stella Kennedy by the way. I was a vault dweller for most of my childhood. Vault 101. I was 12 when I escape after a kid left to find their father. I guess I kinda wander off, found some friends at Little Lamplight and spent a year there. Became friends with Mayor… fuck was it MacKenny? Cready? Anyways...” Stella trailed off. “Shit… that must have been 10 years since that bullshit happened,” Stella smirked to herself.

“Vault 101 and Little Lamplight was in the Capital Wasteland, right?” Danse asked with suspicion.

“Yes, sir. I spent most of my days wandering around until I was 15 I made my way to the Commonwealth where I meet Lucas and Joanna,” Stella smiled. 

“I grew up in the Capital Wasteland as well,” Danse smiled but also remembering everything that happened. 

“No shit soldier, where from?” Stella asked

“Rivet City,” Danse simply respond

“I’ve only been there a few times, I bought some junk there to build my first gun and only went there to get supplies when I was leaving for the Commonwealth,” 

 Danse could see the police station getting closer and closer. The two went inside as Stella gave the transmitter to Danse. Haylen walked over at the two.

“The signal is coming from Lexington, from the Super Duper Mart there. Hopefully whoever you’re looking for is there,” Haylen smiled.

“Thank you so much. Since I help you and you helped me, I think I won’t bother you and your team. Perhaps we’ll meet again,” Stella smiled.

“Wait, before you go, I have something for you,” Danse said

“No need to give me anything,” Stella said softly. Danse rolled his eyes and handed her a laser rifle. It was beautiful, to say the least.

“No need, as a soldier we always pay our debts. I modded it myself, it’s called Righoues Authority,” Danse smiled as Stella smiled back, her heart grew.

“Thank you Paladin Danse. I’ll return the favor, I promise. Say, if you’re ever near Endcliff, you should visit sometime. Benji will question you, but tell him I sent you. Where can I find you and your team after this?” Stella asked, taking the gun from Danse.

“Rhys and Haylen will stay put, I’ll be going back to the Prydwen. If you ever need me, come back here and we’ll get a vertibird to fly you there,” Danse said “If you ever want to become a soldier yourself, we’ll talk and I’ll be your sponsor,”

“Thank you for the offer, but I don’t think I’m soldier material. However, you’ll probably see me again,” Stella declined the offer.

“Ad victoriam,” Paladin Danse spoke. Stella knew what all that meet when she spent some time with Danny, smile smiled

“She doesn’t know what that means, why waste your breath,” Rhys scoffed

“To victory. Ad victoriam, to you Paladin. Thank you for everything,” And there Stella made her way to Lexington, with her head filled with Paladin Danse

***

Lexington was always a raider shit hole. It was sad that only raiders, ferals and even super mutants littered the place. Stella knew the ends and outs of the place, but always had to tiptoe just incase a landmine was placed and every raider and their dead mothers could hear it.

She scouted out the Super Duper Mart and saw some roaming ferals liter the place, but from the looks of it, most were dead. Probably from Joanna and Lucas. She could hear yelling from a raider in the back of the store. “How many times do I have to tell you? I’m going to kill you both and keep it. Then I’ll find your friend who killed my gang.” Stella’s jaw dropped. It was him. She felt her heart beating out of her chest as she crouched down. 

Although she didn’t know the three people that his gang killed all that well, she knew that justice had to survive for their families. She turned on the dim lights on her Pip-Boy as she made her way across the market, being careful to not make any noise. Last time she was here, ferals littered the store. 

She saw the greasy raider towering Joanna. Only Joanna. She was tied up in a chair. It made Stella sick to her stomach. But she started to wonder where Lucas was and her mind started to race. 

Stella made a plan, point, and shoot. She aimed her rifle at the raiders’ head, making a perfect headshot. When she pulled the trigger, nothing happened. Fuck! She thought she brought enough bullets for this mission, but she used the rest of her bullets on synths and ghouls. Ha, funny…

Stella saw as the raider integrated Joanna, but she couldn’t just walk in there, discuss the weather. She knew these sacks of shits, they’ll just kill Joanna and then her. Stella somehow forgot the gift the Paladin gave her and reached for it. She never actually used a laser rife before, so she was kind of excited to kill that scum bag with it. She put her rifle over her shoulder, took out the rifle and aimed. “Hey fuck face!” She screamed as the raider turned around and struggled to get his gun before Stella pulled the trigger a few times and blowing his leg off. Holy fuck, that Paladin is a killing machine if he made this.

The raider screamed in pain unable to do anything. “You fucking bitch!” He screamed, trying to crawl to Stella who rushed over to Joanna and untied the rope. Joanna went to a steamer trunk to retrieve her gun that Stella gave her on Christmas years ago and the piece that the raider stole from Endcliff

“Should we let him out of his misery?” Joanna asked as they fleed to the front door. Stella laughed, hearing the pain that the raider was in, desperate to escape.

“Never, he needs to feel pain for the people he killed,” Stella said as the left the market. “What happened to Lucas?” Stella asked with worry. Joanna held her gun.

“He went out looking for help, I think we went to that police station to ask for help, some Brotherhood of Steel members are held up there, heard it on my tracker when I made that distress call, hoping someone would help,” Joanna explained.

“Perfect, I was just there. Helped this really cute Paladin and his team was stranded. They said we can come back whenever I hope that’s true,” Stella doubted.

“Okay, you lead the way before ferals attack,” Joanna nodded. “Hey what’s up with you and the Brotherhood of Steel? Didn’t you hook up with a scribe back in the Capital Wasteland?” Joanna laughed making Stella blush.

“I was 15, he was 17, we dated, then we fucked, it just so happened that I was held up with some Brotherhood soldiers and he was one of them. We went over this!” Stella said, clearly embarrassed.

“What about Scribe Danny?” Joanna teased.

“We’re just friends,” Stella stated.

“That’s not what my eyes would tell me,” Joanna laughed as the walked down the broken road to the police station. Stella shoved Joanna, annoyed, but a small smirk formed her lips. “I’m so happy you figured out my signal. I was so scared and I never really felt that fear before. All I could think about when he was yelling at me was you and Lucas. I had hope, of course, but I started to expect my death. I only felt that way once before and that one time was the accident. I learned to accept my new life as a ghoul fast, that was before of you guys… I just couldn’t imagine a life without you two… or your life without me. Shit, sorry if that was deep,” Joanna laughed as Stella gave her a side hug.

“I’d get you if you ended up in the Institute or the Capital Wasteland. You’re my family, just like Lucas is,” Stella stated with full truth to her statement.

“I love you, Stella,” Joanna smiled as she stopped in her tracks, giving Stella the biggest hug.

“I love you more, Joanna. Thank you for everything these past seven years,” Stella let go and looked at Joanna, grabbing her shoulders. “Just remember you’re still Joanna. You’re not just a ghoul or a freak like those assholes in the Brotherhood think or the folks in Diamond City,” Stella preached as Joanna smiled and rolled her eyes. Joanna pushed her arms away and did the same thing to Stella.

“And goes to you, you’re more than a prototype, you’re the best goddamn gun modder in all the Commonwealth and you let me fuck up your hair when I can’t with mine,” Joanna laughed as she pulled on one of Stella’s dyed braids.

“Hey, I really like the split color look,” Stella shook her hair a little. “Also, don’t let the Brotherhood know I’m… whatever the fuck I am and I’ll tell them to suck my dick if they give you a hard time,” Stella smiled.

“If you think it’s a good idea…” Joanna sarcastically commented. “But I’ll probably just wear my gas mask when we get there,”

Approaching the police station, the two girls casually made way towards the door. Joanna put on a gas mask that she looted off a raider, she knew she couldn’t walk in and have the soldier happy to see her. That did hurt Stella to her core. She hated the new Brotherhood to be quite frank. The Brotherhood was never like that years ago. One of the soldiers gave her a weird look, not expecting to see the mysteries girl so soon.

“Is Paladin Danse still here?” She asked one of the Knights.

“Yes, civilian, you may enter,” The Knight stated. Stella entered the police station to see Scribe Haylen working on the transmitter and Knight Rhys planning something out on the table. Stella went up to Haylen and cleared her throat. Haylan looked up and smiled.

“Hey, Stella! You’re back sooner then I expected! And I’m assuming this is…” Haylen paused thinking of Joanna’s name

“Haylen this is Joanna and Joanna this is Haylen… I have a question,” Stella got to the point and leaned in.

“What would that be?” Haylen smiled.

“Has a dude by the name of Lucas, about yay high, blonde hair. Joanna told me that he was coming here for help,” Haylen put down her stuff and stood up straight.

“Yes, Paladin Danse went with him to look. I’ll call him telling them to abort their mission and come back to the police station. The two just left,” Haylen spoke as she went to the radio next to her. “Paladin Danse, come in Paladin Danse, head back to the police station, Joanna and Stella are here for Lucas, come in Paladin Danse,” Haylen spoke, hoping that he’d come in the other side. She waited a few seconds before a signal started to come in.

“This is Paladin Danse, aborting mission now,” 

“Now we just wait,” Haylen smiled.

“Thank you so much Haylen seriously. I wouldn’t know where to look for Joanna if it wasn’t for you,” Stella smiled.

“Why does your friend wear a gas mask?” Rhys burst out, causing everyone’s head to turn to him.

“Rhys, you can’t just ask why someone wears something?” Haylen said, annoyed.

“Yea I can… So, why is that? Is there something you’re hiding?” Rhys smirked. Stella rolled her eyes and although you couldn’t see it, so was Joanna

“Hey asshole, why do you care?” Joanna blurted out. That caused Rhys to stand up, pissed off.

“You’re speaking to a Brotherhood Knight, civilian. I subject you don’t speak to me like that, or there will be a problem; so I’ll as you again, what are you hiding… freak?” Rhys said slowly as he approached Joanna until he was close to her face. Stella felt herself tense up because she knew how Joanna can get when some asshole threatens her. Stella grabbed Joanna’s shoulders.

“How about we just wait for Danse and Lucas to get here, please,” Stella stated.

“Please, Rhys can you just let this go. Danse will have your head if he sees you acting like this. I’m so sorry you two,” Haylen pleed.

“Fine, but I will figure it out, I always do,” Rhys said as he walked away.

“He’s such an ass! I’m so sorry,” Haylen was so embarrassed, her face was red like a tato. 

“It’s fine, I’m use to that. I’m kinda burned up, don’t like showing my face a lot,” Joanna half lied.

“No need to explain. I don’t mind… Danse should be here any minute now,” Haylen stated as she started to finish up fixing the transmitter.

“Hey, thanks again, we’ll be outside and we’ll fight any more ferals that come this way,” Stella stated as she grabbed Joanna’s hand and went out the door. She didn’t want any gunfire especially when Joanna is on edge.

Stella turned to Joanna. “What the fuck was that Anna? I mean what the fuck for both of you… Please try not to get yourself killed AGAIN. We’re almost done, we got the piece and we just need Lucas and then we’re home free. Please… and also don’t say shit to this Paladin, at least don’t call him an asshole, he could be useful,” Stella begged as she hugged her rifle to her chest, looking up and down the road to check for ferals, the Paladin or the idiot she called Lucas.

“You just don’t want me to blow your chances to blow the Paladin. I bet he’s not that hot,” Joanna laughed.

“Ah! Shut up! I don’t have a thing for soldiers in the Brotherhood. It was a two-time thing, stop teasing me,” Stella was clearly annoyed, but Joanna loved it. Stella rolled her eyes as she looked down the street to see the Paladin in his power armor and Lucas. “Lucas!” Stella shouted as Joanna saw him and perked up. The two girls ran to Lucas and gave him the biggest hug as if they haven’t seen each other in ages. 

“What the actual fuck dude! I almost shit myself thinking you died,” Joanna shouted as she let go and looked at the Paladin. Stella was right. He was as sexy as fuck. “And this must be your knight and shining armor ready to take you away and fuck you, aye,” Joanna laughed.

“That is not appropriate, civilian,” Danse said with the most seriousness. Stella slapped her face.

“I’m so sorry Paladin. Thank you for everything. I will repay you… and before Joanna says anything, nothing sexual,” Stella said as she looked at Joanna who was doing that thing with her hands to indicate a penis and a vagina. You know that hand signal. Stella flipped her off. “Anyways, we should head back to Endcliff before people get a search team for us. Make sure to visit if you’re ever in the area. Goodbye,”  Stella smiled.

“Anytime, soldier. You have a character full of friends. I’ll make sure to use that opportunity,” Paladin Danse cracked a smile. “Ad victorim, Stella”

“Ad victorim, Paladin,”

Authors Note; I’ve been really into writing this story and I have already written 2 more chapters that I’ll post sooner than later! Thank you for reading and I will try to quench all of your Danse thrist and needs.

[split-n-splice]

Because going on a lark sounds more evil than going on a date. ;B

[Chapter Guide]

15. The Nature Of – 3

During the noon exchange, Drakken’s partner in crime stood composed at his side as a particularly stern and ominous presence he might have found more unsettling if she hadn’t been grinning excitedly five minutes earlier.

The woman’s uniform was rightfully aposematic, and the prudish client was rightfully wary of what purpose she served. Maybe the rising bigwig recognized her and knew of her talents, or maybe he decided it was safer not to test the suspicious bodyguard standing at attention. Drakken liked to think his own confidence, despite being outnumbered and outmuscled, was a contributing factor.

The escape route Shego had secured for them in case the deal went south wasn’t needed after all as the trade for the made-to-order torture chair went off without a hitch.

The unceremonious paper sack of cash Drakken walked away with was just barely worth the time and labor put into building the villainous contraption, but there’d been a generous tip for having it completed ahead of schedule, so he couldn’t complain. He wondered inwardly if he’d be walking away with the payment at all if he had any ordinary budget henchman for backup.

As they retreated to the van and the buyer and his thugs went on their way, Shego leaned over to Drakken and whispered her disappointment in not being double-crossed. Unlike him, she’d been hoping for action. She whined about wanting a fight, even tugging his sleeve and asking if she could go mug one of the wannabe’s bouncers for the hell of it. It was then that Drakken saw it best to distract her. She might not have any qualms with it, but he really didn’t need to make enemies with powerful people so early in the game. Not if he could help it, anyway.

Hitting up the first Smarty Mart they crossed earned a displeased raspberry from Shego, but he promised it would be worth it and pulled her inside. She saw where he was leading her soon enough, and she grinned and shook her head and shoved him when he gestured with a flourish to the aisle of canisters.

He should have expected her to go straight for the green. He also should have expected her to give the first can she grabbed a good shake and to pop the lid to aim it at him. Barely dodging the aerosol, he leapt back and threw a nervous glance about for witnesses before stalking up to her, popping the lid back on the can, and dropping it in the basket.

She swore not to do it again, but something about the way she rolled her eyes and the shift of her stance urged Drakken to sidestep around her, catching her crossing her fingers behind her back. She dropped two more cans of green in his hand basket before he could make a remark. He added his own shades of blue before declaring that five cans of paint was more than enough.

A quiet alleyway was the next stop.

Graffiti in broad daylight from the roof of the van was efficient in giving the thrill-seeker her kicks, for a little while anyway. The sleeve of her sweater served as an improvised mask against the fumes, hiding her smirk as she worked. Drakken could only shake his head at the thick overlapping letters larger than her forming SG.

He returned to the van to wait for her to finish up, claiming his spot behind the wheel in case they needed to leave in a hurry.

After a while, he noticed a lengthy pause, followed soon by the footsteps as she strode across the roof and the thump when she dropped down to hang her head over the edge to peer in at him upside-down through the driver’s side window. Her raven hair hung like a curtain outside, and he had to ball his fists in his lap not to reach out and touch it.

“Grab the blue and get up here,” she said.

“Thank you, no,” answered Drakken, his stomach twisting at the very idea of climbing onto the roof of the rust bucket. Joining her up top would delay escape if they had to make one. He did hand her the extra cans, but she glared at him as she set them aside.

“Oh, grow a pair, would you?” she retorted, reaching down to stretch her fingers for the handle, only to curse that her arm wasn’t long enough. “I need your help up here.” Since she couldn’t reach the handle, she reached in through the window instead to filch the glasses right off his face to serve as a bargaining chip.

He barked her name indignantly as he all but climbed out his window after her, grappling at the roof for purchase. He glared up at the figure in the green sweater above him. “Give them back!” he ordered, but it came out more like a whine. His face heated.

“Come and get ‘em,” she suggested, kneeling just out of reach. She extended a hand, but it wasn’t to return his eyeglasses.

Grunting, he batted away her assistance. Against his better judgment screaming at him to get back in his seat, he carefully climbed the rest of the way out of the window, hefting himself up and getting his feet beneath him on the ledge. Blind as bat, he managed to wriggle his way up and rolled onto a roof he feared would collapse under his weight if he dared to stand.

“See? Was that so bad?” jeered Shego as she returned the glasses to his face before he could risk sitting up.

“Yes,” he grumbled, propping up on his elbows to peer over the edge. He wasn’t afraid of heights, but he certainly had a disagreement with the unreliable sense of bowing of the roof beneath him. It didn’t help when she shifted to kneel even closer, making the roof buckle with a plunk he felt reverberate through his spine. He sat up a little too fast, feeling another pop of metal under his tailbone, and immediately looked over the edge again to wonder silently how he’d get down without falling and looking like an even bigger fool.

Shego’s hands pulled him to his feet, and for some reason he allowed it. Her luring smile was effective in chasing away the voice of reason screaming at him to stay down for safety’s sake, but as long as she didn’t let go of his arm, it might be alright. She gestured proudly to her insignia.

“Lovely,” he sighed, squeezing her shoulder just a little too tightly for support. “I could have seen this from the ground, you know.”

“Not so fast,” she snipped, grabbing at him when he made a move to step away. She tugged him back toward the wall, just about shoving him against it like an officer about to frisk him. “Stand here. Feet apart, yeah. And, uh, put your hands here,” she instructed with nudges and prods, and before Drakken could twist around to object to the manual manipulation, she was pressing down on his shoulders.

“What are you—?”

“Just hold still,” Shego ordered, her patience almost as thin as the paint. “Ready?”

“For what?”

The metal underfoot buckled again and his knees almost did as well as he felt her push down against his shoulders with twice the force as a moment ago. He almost jerked away, but he was effectively pinned against the wall, and instinct had him frozen in place. He grit his teeth as her full weight came down on him, and stared wide-eyed at the knees now on either side of his face. A trivial fear of losing his footing wasn’t the sole cause for the thrum of his heartbeat anymore.

Standing on the roof was bad enough. Standing on the roof with another person on his shoulders bearing down on him was enough to make him sweat and pray the metal would hold up. Nevermind that he had to forcibly banish the entire thought of his head presently between a pair of thighs. He stood rigid, hands splayed firm against the brick wall ahead of him and tried not to think of her as anything other than a very inconvenient and heavy backpack.

He didn’t want to open his eyes to acknowledge her when she rapped her knuckles on the top of his head, but Drakken reluctantly cracked them open and grunted in answer.

“DL or DD?” asked Shego.

“For what?” he all but spat, fixing his glare dead ahead at the mortar.

“Your initials, genius,” Shego sighed in exasperation, and tousled his hair. The movement, however slight, struck fear into his heart and he braced for the roof or his knees to give way.

He had zero control of his mouth. “No – I’m not – I don’t think—”

Shego flicked the top of his head. “You’re part of this.”

“DD!” he blurted as if crying uncle. He swallowed as he looked up to watch her set to work, but he quickly looked back down upon the inadvertent discovery she wore nothing beneath her sweater. His face heated and he ignored the strain on his back and the burn in his limbs. “Please make this quick,” he whined out under his breath.

She took her time anyway, and the fumes falling on him made the lightheadedness that much worse. Before he could collapse, she slid back down his back, and he breathed easier, but still found himself frozen to the spot.

Shego took a couple ambling steps away, spinning around and grinning up at her work while Drakken slowly relaxed and took a look for himself. Sure enough, D.D was scrawled above in the same sharp crystalline fashion as her SG. The roof popping under his feet had nothing to do with the lurch in his gut as he gawped up at their combined initials.

Rendered mute, he took a deep breath to clear his lungs of the fumes messing with his head. The fumes were absolutely to blame for the trifling idea of their names being known in conjunction across the globe one day. It would be a big step up from a mere pair of ambiguous initials graffitied out of sight in some dark lonely alley. The thought was dizzying.

Or maybe he was just dizzy. He could blame the fumes for that too.

Arms caught him as he stumbled backwards, the laughter behind him doing nothing to help him get his head back on right. “What do you think?” she wondered as she pushed him upright and held him steady with a hand squeezing his arm.

“Uhm,” was all he could make out as he glanced between her inquiring raised brow and the drying mural. He was cottonmouthed, but managed to swallow and make an attempt. “It’s. Lovely.” They weren’t exactly the right words, but they’d have to suffice.

“Aw, shucks, pardner,” said Shego with a sarcastic southern drawl, and let go to elbow him and hook her thumbs in her belt loops. She laughed feebly, her smile barely meeting her eyes, and he tore his stare away as she licked her lips and brushed hair behind her ear to look up at the initials again. She cleared her throat and added in a more serious manner, “Let it be known, if you amount to anything, chief, give credit where credit is due. Got it?”

Joint initials were a testimony of partnership, but the nature of which, Drakken couldn’t pin down. He wasn’t sure he wanted to anyway, and he didn’t quite have the nerve to question it. He settled for smiling to his accomplice and giving an agreeable nod. “Yes, ma’am.”

Shego tugged his sleeve then. “Come on. We should book it before we’re busted.”

He had to admit, blemishing some unsuspecting business with a few more poorly-conceived and crude murals elsewhere until the paint ran out was enjoyable. Although becoming the canvas with the last bit of green paint was less so. Drakken discarded his ruined jacket in the back of the van along with the empty spray cans he’d confiscated from a chortling sidekick. She apologized, but it wasn’t very heartfelt. He had half a mind to turn a spent can on her, but remembered she wore only one layer just as he uncapped to return the favor. He grudgingly put the can away.

Little more than two hours had been spent on the endeavor, most of the time spent driving around scoping out locations. But the evening was still young – sunset wasn’t until six – and if his company wasn’t ready to retire, then neither was Drakken.

She had a suggestion a little more challenging than vandalism in dark alleyways.

Against his warning, she was insistent on getting her way. And against his better judgment, he let her have it.

Hitting up a casino was a risk, but she assured him that if she’d pulled it off once, she could do it again. He sighed and gave in to her demands, splitting up to let her to find her own way around the security checkpoint. He waited in anticipation inside the colorful noisy joint, keeping a sharp eye out for her, and all the while he tried not to dwell on the fact that if she weren’t underage, she wouldn’t have to be sneaking around at all. Luckily she blended in well with the younger patrons, and he spotted her skirting around some chatty college-age jock on her way through the crowd.

When she reached him, she took his arm and towed him off for roulette. As adamant as she’d been to visit the casino, she opted not to partake in any of the games this time. When he questioned it, she laughed that she’d rather watch him blow his dough than waste her own. He grunted indignantly in reply, but it was hard to argue with her lingering so close, frequently with a hand on his shoulder, or leaned against him, offering words of encouragement to egg him on and make his bets.

She was a bad influence and he had cash burning a hole in his pocket. It was a wonder she didn’t sucker him into losing anything substantial.

It was an hour or two later that her light touches to remind him she was close at hand turned into squeezes and tugs at his shoulders, but he ignored her pressure even when she pinched him. He was ready for another game of poker when she draped her arms over his shoulders suddenly to slump forward, and he got a strong whiff of her odd cucumber shampoo as she leaned terrifyingly close to his ear to hiss a warning through her teeth that they were being watched by the client’s thugs from earlier.

Heeding Shego’s warning at last, Drakken agreed to leave while he was ahead. It was hard not to cast a glance round to check for himself, but he took her word for it as they casually made their way through the casino, Shego splitting off towards the restrooms.

He couldn’t be happier that he’d turned a small profit from the torture-chair tip, and passed Shego her fair share of the winnings when she met him around back. She didn’t seem particularly happy about having to leave so soon, the cash she stuffed in her pocket doing little to take the grimace off her face.

With evening, the crowd of foot-traffic had swelled. It was perhaps the reason she stayed exceptionally close as she walked beside him down the sidewalk to find the parked getaway van. It made it that much harder not to glance over to her somber face as she followed. Her jaded eyes glanced up at him, and he darted his attention up and away.

Looking elsewhere, he spotted a familiar landmark in the form of an unassuming palm tree by an equally unassuming bench on the corner across the street. He glanced back to his companion trudging along next to him then.

“Are you hungry?”

++X++

Shego shrugged meekly before giving a nod in reply. The sun was setting, the dusky sky indicating it was nearing dinnertime. It had been several hours since the muffin she’d had for breakfast, and she could go for a bite to eat about now anyway. It might help stave off the dull headache dragging her down.

Drakken grabbed her by the arm then, pulling her off course and assuring her that he knew a guy. She quirked her brow, but humored him.

Apparently the guy was a former henchman of Dr. Drakken’s. Shego didn’t recognize the brutish bouncer in black, but that was probably for the best. He seemed to be on good terms with Drakken. Good enough anyway to give her a once-over after Drakken offered a cash bribe and asked him to look the other way. The thug took the money and made a sly dog comment, pushing open the door to allow them to descend into the underground establishment without a fuss and without checking ID.

The Hellhole was a seedy little pub and poorly lit inside. A weathered animatronic of a small red devil hung by a noose in the entryway, welcoming sinners with its worn-out voice box and a jerky wave of a pitchfork that struck Shego’s escort on the back of the head as they passed.

Drakken kept a hand on her elbow to keep her close, whispering a brief explanation, “This is a popular chain among ne’er-do-well villains, so try not to start any fights or look at anyone the wrong way.”

Villain culture was certainly turning out to have a bigger underworld than she expected. If she was a double agent, the knowledge of hidden locations such as this would be valuable. She had to wonder what kind of rabbit hole she was following this man down, but a fascination kept her on his heels.

“Ne’er-do-well villains, huh, Doc?” Shego scoffed. “What’s that say about you?”

Even in the dim red glow of the entryway, she saw his face flush. “I – it – I’ve had to come here from time to time for information, I’ll have you know,” he sputtered. “The food here isn’t half-bad either.”

She couldn’t help smirking and shaking her head as he lead her onto the floor, weaving between tables as he made a beeline for a booth in the back. He threw a few glances over his shoulder at her, as if worried he’d lose her despite the fact he was still holding her by the arm.

Despite his warning, she was looking at patrons the wrong way. It was a little hard not to. Not unlike a villain convention she’d busted two years ago, the Hellhole was a freakshow. Her blue escort was just an average Joe suddenly. The multicolor lighting made it hard to tell who was of an unnatural hue, but several guests certainly had peculiar skin texture, and they came in all shapes and sizes. She had a feeling the folks here weren’t dressed up for early Halloween festivities. She was pretty sure there was a reptilian hybrid monstrosity dining with a misplaced dapper fellow with a capuchin monkey on his shoulder. At the bar sat a gnarly woman with a parasitic twin on her side, which was decorated in beads and sipping a Bloody Mary with its single spindly malformed arm. Another fellow in a skirt stroked his beard as he eyed Shego’s backside in passing, muttered something in an indiscernible Scottish accent, though she was certain she caught arse.

If Drakken wasn’t dragging her down into a booth, she might have gone back to make the Scotsman repeat himself to her fist.

Her companion threw himself down comfortably across from her on the cushy bench and sighed contentedly.  “Nice turnout tonight,” he quipped as Shego tore her eyes away from the bizarre array of patrons, though he himself continued to stare almost dolefully across the pub. She tried following his line of sight, and just as she spotted a platform across the room, he heaved a sigh and slumped forward over the table. “I used to come here for the karaoke,” he admitted, shamefaced. “Well, technically I still do. Sort of. I’ve been here probably five times.” He laughed uneasily under her stare, and swallowed, and sat back.

“So, if you try to pressure me on stage again, no one here will bat an eye if I plasma-blast you, right?” she asked dryly.

He seemed to shrink under her questioning glare. “We’re just here for the food,” he mumbled.

Shego quickly came to doubt that when he knocked back a shot while waiting on two orders of chicken strips. She was really beginning to question what they were here for when he pushed the second shot across the table toward her. She hadn’t forgotten about the unsavory beer she’d sipped back on karaoke night in Go City, a little too distrusting now to take his offering so readily. She politely declined, but bit her lip as he gave her time to reconsider.

“You wanted to go on a lark, didn’t you?” he goaded, nudging the glass back her way. “Now’s your chance.” He had a very good point there.

She shook her head and rolled her eyes, but for the sake of solidarity, she willingly accepted. A lark. That had a certain appeal.

Drakken chuckled impishly as she gulped it down, and she soon found herself sipping on a strawberry cocktail he swore she’d like or she could hit him. Shego kicked him under the table anyway, stubbornly denying a bloom of warmth as she ate her chicken strips and fries while he lost his reservations and forgot whose turn it was to drive. Although she was just as much to blame for not reminding him.

The grub was good, as promised, but eventually she saw it fit to urge Drakken to his feet before he could drink himself completely silly, though he was certainly on his way to tipsy town. She wanted to believe she wasn’t, that it was just his weight against her making her sway as terrible standup comedy drove them out of the aptly-named Hellhole.

Neither could recall precisely where they’d left the van, but it was found eventually. Within an hour or so of nightfall anyway, and not before Drakken disappeared for a good ten minutes and left Shego confused and alone on a bench until he reappeared, proudly brandishing a bottle of liquor swaddled in a paper sack. She confiscated the bottle first for safe keeping before giving him an unappreciative shove.

Once he was back on his feet, she passed it back, and he wasted no time in cracking it open to take a pull. He ambled along beside her until she was pushing him into the passenger seat of the van. If his indulgences at the pub hadn’t gotten him drunk, then nursing a bottle of rum was sure to do the trick.

She wanted to be annoyed with her intoxicated passenger, but instead she leaned through the door and over his lap to reach for the bottle he held away from her, until he yielded and let her take a curious sip. She stayed there leaned over his lap and contemplating taking another for a minute too long, because he cleared his throat and pushed her back by the shoulder, reminding her they ought to be going.

Shego climbed over him and into the driver’s seat and patted her cheeks as if it would clear her head of any wooziness, exhaustion- or alcohol-induced.

As she wearily took it upon herself to carefully navigate them out of the grand city of Las Vegas, she contemplated how difficult it would be to book a lavish hotel room – make that two – on such short notice. Catching a magic show would have been nice, but there was always next time. The temptation of shopping crossed her mind as well as she stared longingly out at illuminated storefronts, but she sighed heavily, a little louder than necessary, and decided to save tonight’s earnings for a later date when she needed a pick-me-up or bail money.

She realized Drakken was talking, and almost ran a stoplight when she glanced over at him. No, he wasn’t talking – he was singing. To himself no less, to some tune in his head.

Shego waited until they’d left the congested traffic and night-life behind and were on the highway home – or so she hoped – before even considering turning on the radio. The plum-faced man sipping booze next to her killed time by howling to the tunes on the radio and strumming an air guitar, or otherwise beating the dash in an ill-timed drum solo.

It took a few songs, and a tiny sip or two as she warmed up to the liquor, before Shego was coaxed into joining in. His grin stretched from ear to ear when she finally quit merely bobbing her head to the beat and raised her voice in duet, swerving carelessly as she playfully grooved along with him to Michael Jackson’s Bad. Her clumsy and slurred rendition would score her no record deals, but it earned a round of applause from Drakken anyway.

One nice part of having the good Dr. Drakken drunk in the passenger seat was that in the midst of singing his depressed little heart out to the top 40, she got to floor it down the vacant highway. With his attention on her and the music, he didn’t even notice she was pushing the poor van to its limits.

Eventually her blue songbird tired of singing, but his voice wasn’t so tired that he couldn’t dissolve into conversation. It was mostly one-sided as he divulged details of shady deals of late that all-too-frequently involved him being swindled, usually because his clients had bigger and badder henchmen than his own. “I haven’t had it go that smoothly in a while,” he noted contently. “You’re something different. Unexpected. Those buffoons didn’t know what to make of you.” After a moment, he added in a mumble, “Like a poison dart frog.”

Shego snorted and shook off the frog bit. She wasn’t altogether sure if he was paying her a compliment, but she decided to count it as an attempt made. “You know, Dr. D, I could back you up full-time if you didn’t have me doing some stupid goodie-two-shoes act for my brothers,” she hinted.

“I do enjoy having someone around the lair,” Drakken muttered thoughtfully, but shook his head before she could get her hopes up. He sniffed and pushed his glasses back up his nose. “No, it’s better this way. For now.”

“You just don’t wanna pay me for full time,” she scoffed, mostly lightheartedly. The pay had been generous so far. Especially tonight.

“Hey, now, I gave you three grand in cash earlier for this,” Drakken defended, wagging a finger at her. “Three thousand six hundred and twenty. Twenty Five. I know – I counted. The henchmen work for pennies.”

“That wasn’t even a ten-percent cut.”

“Much more than that, and you’d be cutting into my profit margin, so zip it. I have bills to pay.”

That, she could accept. Not so much the zip it comment – she still reached over and shoved his stupid head for that – but she didn’t complain anymore.

Soon enough, her companion shifted the subject, launching back into the saga of his history with inept henchmen over the past year and a half or so since leaving Gemini’s research team as a lowly lab hand to strike out on his own. Eventually his complaints about his troubles with them died down to grumbles and finally dwindled into silence.

Shego was just starting to feel the effects of fatigue catching up to her when suddenly Drakken piped up again.

“I have to take a leak. Pull over.”

Biting her tongue on a retort to use a bottle, as she’d advise her brothers, Shego rolled her eyes and complied. The desert highway was, well, deserted, and she didn’t have to pull off the road. Coasting to the shoulder and down a slight embankment was just an accident. Dust and debris drifted in the headlights as she ran over a couple of bushes until finally sliding to a stop.

Drakken forgot to unbuckle himself when he tried to climb out. She didn’t mean anything by it when she reached over to press the release, but she laughed hysterically when he fell out with a yelp. He shouted something indignant about almost pissing himself as he stood back up, and then disappeared around the side of the van, grumbling and kicking pebbles.

She tried to keep her eyes off that side to spare some privacy, but left alone with the idling engine and a foot tapping to the beat thrumming from the crackling radio, a mean impulse played through her head, and she acted on it before she could think twice.

It was a dirty prank.

The tires spun out in the sand and she heard him yelling behind her as she floored it. She didn’t have it in her to leave him stranded in the desert though, and she didn’t want to either, but she did make him run a good ways down the road and tapped on the gas pedal each time he neared the passenger door.

She cackled when she finally let him dive in after his fifth attempt to board. In the overhead light, she saw his face flushed purple, and it wasn’t so much the alcohol doing it this time.

“Shego! That wasn’t funny,” he complained, slamming the door a little too roughly.

“XYZ,” she replied.

“What?”

“Examine your zipper,” she reiterated. Honestly, if he didn’t have a belt on, he would have lost his pants. Drakken grunted and she only glanced back at him again after she heard him zip up. She reached over to shove the pouting man’s shoulder. “Alright, I’m sorry,” she said, not especially genuine, but it was the thought that counted, right?

“Neh,” he grunted, crossing his arms, only to uncross them and yank the bottle from the consol. She snatched it from him before he could raise it to his lips, and downed a swig for herself. “You’re driving,” he complained, reaching out for the bottle.

“Yeah, like I’m gonna be pulled over out here,” she scoffed, gesturing with the rum to the vacant road disappearing into the dark ahead. Getting back on the straight highway suddenly wasn’t so appealing with a vast expanse of desert on either side of it. She hummed as she looked out into the darkness off-road, just beyond the glow of the headlights.

Drakken uttered something in confused questioning as she steered the van away from the pavement.

“I know what’ll cheer you up, grumpy pants,” she said as the van picked up speed and gained traction on the grit. “You like donuts?”

“Eugh – yes? But – Shego – Shego, this is bumpy.”

“Yeah, I know,” she answered. She flicked a grin towards him but didn’t take her eyes off swerving between bushels of parched desert flora in the headlights.

“Shego!” he all but screamed as she cut the wheel.

A stark contrast to Drakken, who let out a terrified scream, Shego shouted in exuberance as the van skid in a loop. She let it idle for a minute once she completed the circuit, letting the dust settle and watching him gripping the handle above his head in one hand and the bottle in the other. His chest heaved, and he stared bug-eyed at the cloud of debris for a long moment.

And then he was hastily rolling up his window before yet more dust could waft in. Shego took the cue to roll up her own. His rising chuckle made the mischief worth it. He burst out in laughter a moment later and chortled, “Again!” like a kid begging for another go on a roller coaster.

“You’re the boss,” she laughed amicably.

It was too dark to see, but she wanted to believe he was looking a little less blue beside her, even if she was sure his condition didn’t work that way. It would seem that the prankster offense from minutes ago had been forgiven anyway, because he was smiling and laughing now, goading her on to go faster.

She obliged to his demands, finding she had no objections.

At least until a combination of factors sabotaged their fun. A sudden change in the turf gave her better traction, she cut the wheel too hard, maybe it was a rut – but whatever happened, she felt her stomach drop as two wheels lifted off the ground. 

[noccalula-writes]

What are your favorite games and franchises? Top 5?

OH BOY have I got feelings on this subject. 

Please keep in mind - I’m a storyteller and a writer. I fucking /love/ a good story. I DM a DnD game and my biggest weakness is that I don’t often include enough combat because I am so much more interested in telling a story. So for me, there’s got to be an emotional investment for a game to really land. I also hyperfixate like a motherfucker so I often refuse to pick up new things purely because there’s not enough space in my head for them at the time, so I’m slow getting to things as they come out. 

So, I’m first and foremost a survival horror bitch. I cut my teeth on Parasite Eve before I played any others - my mother scrimped and saved and fought her way through Wal-mart back in like 1998 to get me the original Playstation gaming console and Tekken 2 (which was my first PS game, I played it in an arcade near her barber shop as a child - Tomb Raider 2 was my second). The old Playstation discs at that time came with demos for different games, including Metal Gear Solid, which I replayed until I could have done it in my sleep because poverty meant I wasn’t likely to get another game anytime soon. I mention this because the Parasite Eve trailer used to give me nightmares but I was super, super hooked. 

I am a huge Silent Hill fan. Huge. That is a tragedy I could write a whole ‘nother post about, because as excited as I am to finally get my hands on Death Stranding (again, poverty, so it’ll be another minute before we can get a PS4), we’ll never get another SH game again unless some major reconciliation happens with Kojima and Konami, which is unlikely (and also hard to hope for - I’m happy Kojima now has the creative freedom to go as balls to the wall as he wants). 

I am an equally huge Resident Evil fan. I’ve always maintained that my first fandom was The X Files, but my wife pointed out a few nights ago that my RE love started around the same time in the late 90′s, so now it’s a chicken and egg kind of thing. Point being, it’s either The or One Of my longest lasting fandoms/interests. RE and Silent Hill get compared to one another a lot - RE7 did nothing to help that - but they really are apples and oranges to me. Fruit, sure, but two totally different tones and experiences. 

I’ve been a huge Tomb Raider fan for forever - my first high school boyfriend was loaded and bought me Angel of Darkness to come play at his house and while it was def critically panned, I do recall enjoying it - so that’s been fun to get those games remade with updated graphics. I’ve only played the one but the others are def on The List. 

So now that I’ve talked for an hour, my Top 5 fave games ever - 

#1 - Resident Evil 3 I am beyond jazzed for this remake, and a lot of people in the 90′s complained about RE3′s lack of clear cut boss battles, but I don’t know what they’re talking about. The entire fucking game is a boss battle - Jill vs. Raccoon City, and of course, Nemesis, who used to give my mother nightmares and caused me to sleep with a leaf-stabber by my bed for years. Jill is far and away my favorite protagonist in RE; she’s got a resilience of the spirit that somehow isn’t conflated with naivety, which is uncommon in ‘nice’ female protags. She’s savvy but she’s still kind, and she’s committed as fuck to survival - not to mention, as zealotous a Chris and Jill shipper as I am, she and Carlos had hella chemistry and I’m excited to see where that goes (JD Pardo would have made a fuck of a Carlos Oliviera, btw). It was An Experience and it’s forever at my #1. 

#2 - The Last of Us 

There is no comparison for emotional weight in video games, as far as I’m concerned. SPOILERS if you don’t already know the ending (this game came out in what, 2014?) but to me one of the biggest thing in the game’s favor is that the protagonist made the wrong choice. He had an option to potentially eradicate the cordyceps fungus and maybe save the world, turn the tides back for humanity, and with the weight of the world in the balance, he chose to save Ellie instead. It was, on a global scale, the wrong choice - but it was the human choice. It was the thing that a dad who never properly grieved his dead daughter would do for the surrogate daughter he inherited by accident. As for Ellie, there is no other character quite like her in games, and she’s fucking quality LGBT representation, especially considering how little we see queer children in media. I still cry every time, we play this game twice a year like clockwork and every single time, I still cry. 

#3 - Silent Hill 3 

All of SH’s games will have a special place in my heart - and if you wanna talk shit about Downpour, I’ll meet you in the Denny’s parking lot at 11, you better square the fuck up because I will defend Murphy with fists - but 3 is the best, hands down. I felt like it did the best job of streamlining the series’ ... uhm... somewhat complicated lore into something more understandable. SPOILERS: The villains are horrific - the Missionaries strike fear into my heart every time I play, and Claudia eating a miscarried god fetus to become god herself? Fucked up on a level you rarely see. I suppose if you didn’t catch it in the last sentence - your protag Heather vomits up a fetal god late in the game. Yes, you read that right. The best thing about this game though? Heather. I could climb up my feminist soapbox and talk about Heather as a subversion to video game tropes all fucking day - she’s a nonsexualized teenage girl whose father is killed for her character development. She’s self-sufficient, tough but still vulnerable, and hard as nails in a fight. As I might have mentioned a time or six, she also voluntarily aborts a god because Fuck Your Plans, She’s Got Her Own. 

#4 - Final Fantasy X 

Listen. I don’t know how much of this is because of actually enjoying playing the game and how much of it is emotional attachment. As most of you who follow me know, my mother died when I was sixteen. When I was about fourteen, I dated a rich kid who used to bring his PS2 to our very not-rich house and play games for us to watch - the sort of neophyte version of Watching Guys Play Videogames, if you will, which is another rant for another time. He got a Gamecube specifically so I could play RE Zero and Hunter The Reckoning. He was a neckbeard but he was also desperate to keep me from ditching so he did the smart thing and plied my very poor ass with money and food. The #1 game in the watching roster, though, was FFX - and if you know anything about the game, you know how heavily spirituality features into the story. My mother, very caught up in a very Eastern Philosphy Meets Quantum Physics internal seeking about the nature of things, was hooked from the word Go. She used to sit and watch Trey play for hours - we all did, but having her join us and love it that much? Wonderful. Half my memories of this game are both of us crying - crying when Yuna dances to send the souls, crying when Yuna reveals she’s on a suicide mission, crying when she and Tidus fall in love anyway, crying when she sends her Aeons to die in the final fight, crying over ‘the fayts are waking up’, crying when the big reveal about Auron comes up, crying crying crying. My wife bought it in 2011 and I watched her play through it again and while it suffers from the same issue as all FF games - too much filler and weird battle scenarios - it was cathartic. I miss my mom. 

#5 - Resident Evil 6 

Eat my entire ass. You already knew this was coming. I will defend this game to my grave for the fact that we have complex, interesting narratives surrounding female characters who have actual personalities. Was it perfect? No. Did it take RE out of horror territory and move it more into action? Woefully, yes. Is this series deeply problematic for where it chooses to set down your mostly-white protags and have them kill their way through? Big time. Don’t gloss those facts. But it’s got emotional punch in spades and a few weird character breaks that ended up being kind of brilliant - Chris has been so resiliently relentless in his fight against bioterrorism that a major PTSD break was inevitable. Leon would of course risk life and limb to help Helena, even though she implicated herself in something terrible. The icing on the cake to me was a grown up Sherry Birkin, wide eyed and believing like hell in the fight she thought she was on the right side of and getting knocked down only to get back up. Ada’s entire side campaign was brilliant. I hate some of the control choices they made in this game - the running from the Haos scenes near the end of Chris and Piers’ campaign makes me want to eat my own fist - but so it goes with most RE games (until RE4, moving your protag was like driving a tank). Jake and Sherry are My Unsinkable Ship. There are at least six scenes across this game that never get easier to watch - when the bomb hits the city and the cut scene of the mass infections begin, I still get sick to my stomach - and that, to me, is the mark that this game struck a hell of a chord in terms of storytelling. 

This was long. 

[kawaiikichi]

Kiss and Make Up (Iwaoi)

Jealous Oikawa request for Anon! I would like to apologize for how long this took me to do; a lot of things have been going on in my life recently that I haven’t been able to make as much progress on this as I would like. I noticed that as I continued to write this, it started veering in the direction of “I’m done with your BS” Oikawa rather than jealous Oikawa, so I tried to fix it. I hope it’s enough...

I hope you like it and let me know if you would like anything changed/edited :3

*Based off of this request*

Title: Kiss and Make Up

Summary: Oikawa returns to the dorm only to find out that Iwaizumi is studying with a classmate in the study room. To top it off, said classmate is a woman. Iwaizumi reassures him that they’re just studying for an exam, but Oikawa isn’t the slightest bit convinced.

One-Shot Notes: College AU where Oikawa and Iwaizumi go to the same college and are roommates; Iwaizumi is a psych major while Oikawa is a biology major; their dorm room is pretty much modeled after the dorm room that I lived in during my freshman year

One-shot is under the cut!

Oikawa sipped on his mocha frappuchino as the elevator went up to the eleventh floor.

I wonder what I should wear for our date tonight...it’s been a while since we’ve gone on one, he wondered to himself.

He smiled at the thought as the elevator stopped on the eleventh floor. Getting off the elevator, he began to skip through the hall to their room.

As he got closer, he saw Iwaizumi stepping out of their room with a plastic bag full of various things in his hand.

He arched a brow at this.

Is Iwa-chan going somewhere, he wondered to himself.

“Iwa-chan!” he called out.

Iwaizumi looked over as Oikawa approached him.

“Oh, you’re back.” he commented.

“Indeed, I am.” Oikawa eyed him. “Are you going somewhere?” he asked.

“Yeah, to the study room. I just came back to grab snacks and drinks.” Iwaizumi replied.

“The study room?”

“Yeah. I’m studying with a classmate for our abnormal psychology midterm.”

“Studying? Midterm?” Oikawa watched as Iwaizumi continued down the hall. “You never mentioned this to me!” he exclaimed.

“I’m sorry, I’ll explain it to you later. I can’t keep Kairi waiting.” Iwaizumi shouted over his shoulder.

“But our date—“ Iwaizumi disappeared around the corner before Oikawa could finish his sentence.

Oikawa huffed out an annoyed sigh.

“Fine then, be that way, Iwa-chan...” he grumbled as he proceeded to unlock the door and head inside.

He sighed upon entering their room, resting his drink on his desk under the bunk bed and dropping his things on the floor.

How could he forget our date just like that, he asked himself.

“And all for that stupid study session, too...” he mumbled.

He stomped out into the entryway and turned into the bathroom. Turning the faucet on, he began washing his hands.

And also, the name Kairi...is he studying with a girl, he asked himself.

He couldn’t help but let his mind wander, thinking about what could possibly be happening between Iwaizumi and that Kairi girl. For all he knew, they might not actually be studying and she might be trying to seduce Iwaizumi—

Just the thought made Oikawa’s blood boil.

“Oooh, just thinking about what could possibly be happening in that study room is making me uneasy!” he exclaimed.

He turned the faucet off as a voice reached his ears.

“If it’s bothering you so much, why don’t you go see for yourself?”

Oikawa turned, a frown pulling his lips downward at the sight of Kageyama, who stood in the doorway of his and Hinata’s room.

“Ew, Tobio-chan! What are you doing there?” he asked.

“I was going to head over to the grocery mart and pick up some things for Hinata and I when I heard you grumbling about some study session. I assume it’s about Iwaizumi?” he asked.

“Tch, it’s none of your business. Now, shoo!” Oikawa snapped as he waved Kageyama away, not caring if water droplets flew everywhere.

Kageyama furrowed his eyebrows at him before sighing.

“Whatever. Just stop whining. You’ll distract Hinata from his studies.” he said before closing the door behind him and heading out into the hall.

“I do what I want, Tobio-chan, so screw off!” Oikawa shouted, blowing a raspberry at him as the door closed behind him.

He shook his hands a little before grabbing for the nearby washcloth and drying his hands with it.

Once he was done, he headed back into their room and plopped down onto the ground. As he gathered his homework materials, his mind wandered back to what Iwaizumi might be up to in the study room.

I know that Iwa-chan wouldn’t do something as despicable as cheating on me, but I just can’t shake that feeling off, he thought to himself.

Just thinking about how that girl might take advantage of being alone with Iwaizumi and clinging to him as he went over their studies together made Oikawa more annoyed.

“Aaaaagh, I can’t keep it in anymore!” he whined.

I have to go keep an eye on those two. God knows what she might be doing to ensnare Iwa-chan, he thought to himself.

After coming to that decision, he stood and proceeded to pack his things back into his bag.

Okay, I’ll just go over there and say that I also wanted to study, so that’s why I’m coming to the study room. Yeah, that should be a good enough excuse. He wouldn’t get suspicious if I put it that way, he thought to himself.

He quickly finished his drink and headed out of the room, closing the door behind him.

“There we go...” he murmured as he stepped into the hall and headed down towards the study room.

Breezing past the elevators, he looked to his right and saw Iwaizumi sitting in the study room with a brown haired girl. He was pointing at something in her packet with his pen.

Well, it doesn’t look like they’re too close for comfort. But still, I have to watch them, he told himself.

He took a deep breath before rapping on the door. Iwaizumi and the girl looked up as Oikawa pushed the door open and poked his head inside.

“Hey, is it alright if I come in and study with you guys?” he asked.

The girl watched him in surprise as Iwaizumi spoke, eyebrow arched in confusion.

“You want to study in here?” he asked.

“Well, I know I didn’t ask if I could sleep in here, now did I, Iwa-chan?”

“I never said you couldn’t study in here, you know.”

Iwaizumi sighed.

“Just sit down.” he said.

“Okay!” Oikawa chirped, a wide grin spreading across his lips as he slipped into the study room.

He quickly seated himself beside Iwaizumi and began taking out his materials, placing them on the table. As he plugged his earbuds into his iPad, he watched how Iwaizumi was explaining something to her. She leaned in closer, watching him with interest. He had to stop himself from releasing an angered growl.

She’s too close, he thought to himself.

He peeked over Iwaizumi’s shoulder.

“What is that you two are working on, anyway?” he asked.

“Our review for our midterm.” Iwaizumi replied.

“Is that so...” he trailed off.

He shifted, looping an arm around Iwaizumi’s and pressing his cheek to his bicep. Iwaizumi stilled, watching him out of the corner of his eye.

“Shouldn’t you be studying?” he asked.

“I’m going to. I was just curious, that’s all.” Oikawa replied.

He eyed her, giving her a look that warned her not to get too close to his man. She distanced herself from Iwaizumi soon after.

Iwaizumi looked at Oikawa, his eyebrow twitching.

“You do plan on letting go, right?” he asked.

“How mean, you don’t want me to cuddle up by you?” Oikawa asked.

Iwaizumi shot a glare at him.

“Okay, okay, fine...” Oikawa mumbled as he pulled away.

He resumed setting up and getting to work as Iwaizumi looked at her.

“Do you have any other questions, Kairi?” he asked.

“Mmm, not right now. I’ll let you know if I come across something else that I don’t understand.” she said.

“Alright. Oh, I also brought some bags of chips and water, so you can help yourself to those.” Iwaizumi said.

“Alright, thank you.” she said as she reached for a bag of cheddar chips, opening it as she turned her computer on.

Iwaizumi did the same and soon after, the study room was silent. Oikawa listened to his music as he went into his messages and sent a quick message to Iwaizumi.

Oikawa: I can’t believe you.

Iwaizumi looked at the screen of his Macbook, lips pulling into a slight frown. He typed away and a few moments later, Oikawa saw that he replied to his message.

Beloved Iwa-chan❤️: What do you mean?

Oikawa huffed out an annoyed sigh.

Look at him, playing dumb. How could you not know what I mean, he asked himself.

Oikawa: You know exactly what I mean, Iwa-chan. You never mentioned this study session to me.

Beloved Iwa-chan❤️: I’m sorry about that. I didn’t get enough time to let you know; everything was happening too fast.

Oikawa: It still would’ve been nice to know 😤

Oikawa: Because of this stupid study session, we won’t even be able to go out on our date...

Beloved Iwa-chan❤️: Date? What date?

Oikawa blinked his eyes twice as he reread Iwaizumi’s response.

He can’t be serious, right, he asked himself.

Oikawa: Are you being serious right now?

Beloved Iwa-chan❤️: I am. What date are you going on about?

Oikawa’s eyes widened.

Oh my god, he actually forgot, he thought to himself.

Before he could send a reply, he heard Kairi let out a sigh.

“I think I came across something else I don’t understand.” she said.

“You did?” Iwaizumi looked over at her. “What is it?” he asked.

“It’s this.” she said, turning her computer towards him.

He leaned in close so that he could get a better look at it. Watching how close the two of them got once again infuriated Oikawa.

Why do they keep getting so close together?! I’m the only one who can get that close to him! Is she trying to bewitch my boyfriend or something, he asked himself.

He silently noted how close their faces were as they spoke.

Does Iwa-chan not care how close they are? It doesn’t look like he’s complaining compared to when I clung to him. Not only that, he doesn’t seem the slightest bit concerned about the fact that he forgot our date, he thought to himself.

Hurt and anger bubbled up from within him.

I can’t stand this anymore. I can’t bear to watch these two, he told himself.

He packed his things back up and glared at Iwaizumi. Then, he kicked him as hard as he could from under the table.

“Ow!” Iwaizumi looked at Oikawa in surprise. “What the hell—“ he didn’t get to finish as he stared into Oikawa’s eyes.

Oikawa gave him his most intimidating glare before turning on his heel and storming out of the room, not caring to see how the look on Iwaizumi’s face changed. He fought back his tears as he rushed down the hall to their room.

What the hell is wrong with him?! How could he be like this?! Stupid, stupid, stupid, he continued to curse him quietly as he stopped in front of their room door.

Unlocking it, he stormed into their room. He tossed his stuff onto the ground and climbed up onto his bed, burying his face into the pillow. Soon, he screamed into it.

“Stupid Iwa-chan! I hate you!” he screamed.

He turned, burning holes into the wall.

Now I know what’s going on here. He forgot our date on purpose just so that he could go sneaking around with that wench! Ugh, the nerve of him! I hope they both burn in hell, he thought to himself.

He continued to blink back tears as a voice called out to him.

“Hey...Oikawa?”

He stiffened upon hearing Iwaizumi’s voice. He listened as the door closed.

“Hey, Oikawa.”

Oikawa chose not to respond, continuing to burn holes into the wall.

“Oikawa, I can tell you’re upset. Can you come down from there so that we can talk?”

Oikawa let out an annoyed “hmph”.

“Well, I don’t feel like talking to you, so no, I will not be coming down from here. Go back to that girl you were studying with or something.” he grumbled.

An awkward silence hung over them like a thick fog. He continued burning holes into the wall as Iwaizumi spoke.

“Fine. I’ll come up to you, then.”

Oikawa arched a brow at that.

What the hell is he going on about, he wondered to himself as he turned.

He drew in a sharp gasp upon seeing Iwaizumi climbing up the ladder to his bed.

“I-Iwa-chan?! What are you—?!” he could only gape in shock as Iwaizumi climbed onto his bed and made his way over to him.

Oikawa swallowed as Iwaizumi trapped him against the mattress.

“I don’t plan on leaving until we sort this out.” he stated.

Oikawa crossed his arms over his chest.

“Hmph! Well, you should have a good idea as to what is angering me!” he barked out.

“Hm, do I? Is it because you didn’t like that Kairi was getting close to me?” Iwaizumi asked.

“That...!” Oikawa stared at Iwaizumi in shock as he continued.

“Or is it because I forgot about our date?”

“That...”

Oikawa pressed his lips into a thin line, avoiding Iwaizumi’s gaze. After a few moments of silence, Iwaizumi spoke.

“So it’s both, huh...” he trailed off.

He released a sigh before dropping down on the bed beside Oikawa. Oikawa’s breath hitched as Iwaizumi pulled him into his arms.

“I’m sorry for upsetting you. I didn’t mean to forget our date. Things were happening so quickly and then Kairi asked for some help with the review. If I had known you were going to get this jealous, I would have turned her down.” he explained.

“I wasn’t jealous!” Oikawa snapped.

“Yeah, you were. I could tell.” Iwaizumi ran his fingers through Oikawa’s hair, playing with the silky smooth locks. “You were kind of cute, you know.” he commented.

“I said I wasn’t jealous...” Oikawa grumbled, a pout curling his lips downward as he glared at Iwaizumi.

Iwaizumi chuckled, a smile crossing his lips.

“Suit yourself, Whinykawa.” he said as he leaned in and kissed his pursed lips.

Oikawa furrowed his brows.

“There you go, ruining the mood with your insulting...” he mumbled.

“Yeah, yeah.” Iwaizumi rested Oikawa’s head against his chest. “Do you forgive me?” he asked.

“Hm...” Oikawa rose his head, peering up at Iwaizumi. “Maybe I can let it go this time.” he said.

“Thank you.” Iwaizumi said before kissing his forehead.

Oikawa couldn’t help but giggle.

“So, what about our date?” he asked.

“We can do that another time. I wanna hold you for a bit.” Iwaizumi stated.

Oikawa snorted.

“What a baby.” he commented.

“Shut up and let me hold you, Shittykawa.”

“How mean.”

Oikawa couldn’t help but smile as he let Iwaizumi hold him, inhaling his scent and letting himself enjoy the moment between them.

[leaveharmony]

It’s so hard to type on the tablet so I did only the briefest of summaries at the time.  An account of random Tana encounters in NYC over supercard weekend, cut for length.

Anyway - I’d promised @lone-gunwoman-of-the-week a new york postcard, which with one thing and another I had forgotten entirely about until Saturday, when we passed a big rack of them outside a touristy place down the street and I stopped dead and pointed, “POSTCARD!”

We were on a trek to Macy’s at the time, looking to get mum an emergency replacement purse because hers had blown out its zipper with all the stuff she was carrying in it - the last straw was after Wrestlecon when she couldn’t find her Metrocard, and then it just gave up the ghost.

(Macy’s was way too expensive as an aside - we ended up going to K mart lol.  Those all closed here like two decades ago!)

So we got the postcard, and then a stamp at the other gift shop in the hotel...only I was in pretty rough shape so we decided to go back up to the room so I could actually write the postcard & address and such.  So we went back down to mail it, conveniently at the letterbox at the other end of the lobby.

Like I say, @joshi-hashi by total coincidence booked us at the same hotel where the whole roster was staying, so over the course of three days I ran into / saw, including but probably not limited to: Kazu, Ishii, Sho & Yoh, Yano, Tacos, Goto, Shingo, Naito, EVIL, Will, Shibata & his lions, Juice, Zack (we kept riding the elevator with him lol), Jay, Tama, Haku, Yujiro, Gedo, Jado, Taguchi, Rocky, Ren, Shota, Red Shoes, Sato, Marty, MiSu, Taka, Kota, Kagatsu & a few of the other Stardom girls, Sumie...

Again, I was in rough shape and mum was faring no better, so in the window of time between waking up and the show, we could have gone and done more tourist stuff but after the subway disaster on Friday, we elected just to stay around home base, Saturday.  And I needed to sit down, so we picked a spot on one of the long padded couches in the lobby to recoup a little.  Not a minute later, Tacos, Goto & Yano rounded the bend from the elevator - we’d somehow managed to time it so that we were sitting there as literally everybody was making their way across to MSG for the show.  Hand on heart, total coincidence...I just wanted to mail a postcard lol.  As obviously times when you can just sit there comfortably and watch the whole NJPW roster walk past are fairly limited in number, we elected to stay a while.  Kazu actually came from the direction of the doors but he did have a suitcase, so I have no idea where he’d been - he grinned at us when we waved though.  Shota smiled too, Kota managed somehow to smile, wave and bow without even slowing down because that’s just the kinda guy he is.  MiSu looked at us like we were nuts every time we waved lol but we kept doing it anyway.  Most didn’t notice - I always feel like being to forward is rude so we just kept to our seat & waved rather than trying to get selfies or start a conversation - everybody was obviously all over everywhere and busy.

I couldn’t help myself on a very specific occasion, though.  “We’ll wait til 3:30,” I said casually, fooling no one.  We had the end bench right by the little dividing wall that obscures the elevators; he emerged nearly right next to me and I sprang up like a jack in the box.  My hair was pigtailed and I had my hat on rather than the feathered headband & ponytail, and I was dressed like a normal human being rather than wrestling Cinderella, but he remembered me ^_^  I didn’t want to detain him or anything so we just clasped hands again & I wished him luck - though I guess it didn’t help much.  But I was so happy just to see him again, for what I figured would be the last (probably only) time casually.  Two really sweet Japanese ladies also spotted him on the way out and physically chased him down the lobby to say hi lol.  The pillars were a little in the way but we could see him beaming while they gushed over him, and then they took a selfie.  I guess they must have complimented his hair (which looked fucking amazing) because he told them getting it done for the show cost $300 lol.  It absolutely looked it.  We were still sitting there when they came back and of course they noticed my Tana shirt - they both had his shirts on too (I think he might have signed them on the spot cos they were both proudly showing me the autographs).  So we had a really lovely chat in what they could manage in english (much much better than my broken Japanese).  Rachel appeared not long after, summoned by my mention of Kota going past, and so we all talked a while.  I just.  I love wrestling lol and the kinship of wrestling fans.

Later, after Supercard (which was on whole at least live very good, apart from some really, really stupid decisions on ROH’s part) it was past midnight when we got back to the room; our airport shuttle was due to arrive at 3:05 last we’d heard, but mum had a text message waiting RE: a slight bump up to 3:15, something schedule or logistics related I guess.  So we figured that there was no point going to bed as we’d maybe get two hours’ sleep before the wake up call and it’d be better to use the time packing and getting everything arranged.  When more or less everything was, I went up to floor 12 to sit up at the common table with Elle & Rachel (admittedly I broke into a bit of a sprint when Elle texted to say Tana’d gone past lol).  By another total coincidence as we were sitting there loudly discussing the show, an absolutely lovely gentleman who works in what sounded like a v. important position with NJPW World happened to walk past and overhear.  He’s obviously got a vested interest, so he u-turned as I was saying “If someone had only just casually seen this as a first introduction they’d probably come away concluding New Japan is amazing and ROH is terrible.”

“New japan is amazing?” he echoed, to a chorus of Yes’s.  So we had a chat for about twenty minutes giving him general feedback, telling him how we all met cos of NJPW, how we first heard about it, watch every show live, showed him all our costumes for the show, etc.  He got a handle on Elle and Rachel’s names but kept calling me “Hiroshi” because he’d seen me the day before at Wrestlecon in my Tana dress lmao.   He was a real sweetheart - a fan turned employee, living the dream.  He thanked us for paying his salary, essentially lol.  I should have thought to ask him about putting out an english subtitled version of Shinsuke’s Wonderland interview XD

But I had to run not long after he left, cos I’d cut it a bit fine with 20 minutes or so before the shuttle was scheduled.  We weren’t sure if the driver would come looking or if we had to be outside, so mum checked the keycards while I ran to see if I could ask the doorman, figuring he/they would keep a better watch and know what to look for, or just know which way it would be.  That early in the morning there wasn’t a doorman, though.  So to play it safe we stayed by the doors just inside, keeping watch, figuring at about five min before the appointed time we’d go outside.  “The lobby seems so empty without all the wrestlers in it,” mum remarked.  I figured that late, everyone must have gone to bed already.

Not long after though, TAKA came in with uh...let’s just say ‘some lady friends’ and hope they were fully informed lady friends.  “There, happy?” I said to mum, looking back towards the door in time to see Kota heading for it with a few of the accompanying entourage I figure must have been staff, translators and officials - they were everywhere too, this weekend.  I thought for a split second, ‘Oh good, I’ll be able to congratulate him!’ before he faded to a gentle haze in the background, as the sun himself said something on the way past and walked on by the door, towards Macy’s.  I don’t even think I said anything to mum but she probably understood when I took off at a dead sprint, not even bothering to drop my suitcase handle, just towing it behind me like a little red wagon.  I blew past Kota without even looking at him (I’m so sorry dude!!!!) and went as fast as my poor abused knee could carry me the way he’d gone - he hadn’t gotten far, just tucked around a little corner by the entrance - I think he was gonna do another selfie or panoramic lol. 

Again, the man is fucking unflappable, as he didn’t even raise an eyebrow when confronted with a disheveled, panting nutcase in a trenchcoat and newsboy cap being smacked in the back of her legs w/ her own suitcase at the abrupt stop.  “We’re just waiting for our airport shuttle!” I blurted.  “So I get to say goodbye!”

He actually managed to look happy to see me, bless his heart lol.  He thanked me for the third time, for the doll I made him, and I just said thank you for everything.  Again - I don’t like to be too forward, I don’t even think I could bring myself to ask for a hug, I’m too shy & too much of a headcase wrt fear of being a burden or an annoyance.  But he came at me first, and when the Ace has his arms open to you, there is but one possible course, and that course is to throw yourself into them lol.  He is a wonderful hugger :’)  It’s like being wrapped in the embrace of everything that is good and pure in this world & that’s not even hyperbole, that was really how it felt.

I’m so glad I got to say goodbye.  I mean...it would’t have broken my heart, you know?  There’s always that “Oh maybe I’ll see him again at random” thought in the back of the mind but it’s utterly without expectation.  But I was blessed enough to have the chance to speak to him twice, by chance. 

It really was like a lil fairytale; my lil wrestling Cinderella dream come true in a way I never would have actually believed.

[engekihaikyuu]

Hyper Projection Engeki Haikyuu - Start of the Giant

Final show curtain call!!!

Full description under the Read More~

At this point I think Engeki Haikyuu curtain calls are semi-cursed lolol each one is slightly more of a mess than the last.  

Very unexpectedly, I ended up in the 5th row from the stage (center section, left aisle) for the final night’s show, and got a wonderful clear view of everyone’s expressions for the curtain call.  I’m just gonna recall everything as best I can and just go in order.  So this is going to be loooong.

First up, Mart-san.  He had his usual standard curtain call message, no misses, always a strong start to the lineup, and ended with another round of cheering for Karasuno, yelling K-A-R-A-S-U-N-O!!! Then Momo, who got to play not just Saeko-nee but also Hana, the manager for Johzenji.  On the far right of the stage, she actually stands between Mart-san and Johzenji, so she’s closest to them and a little more removed from the other Karasuno members.  She said it was a great privilege to be able to play both characters, and that one of the great things was that she could cheer wholeheartedly for both Karasuno and for Johzenji.   Then moving all the way stage left, we move to Shungo (Akaashi).  One of his lines from the NekoFuku match is asking Bokuto, “Was that OK?”  (OKですか？） He says this when Bokuto’s making a comeback out of his slump, and he wanted to say it to the audience and have us reply with, “OK!” （OKです！） Takumi (Bokuto) was after that.  Takumi was actually quite teary-eyed when they came out for the curtain call bows, but he recovered by the time it was time for his message, so he was ok when talking.  He kept it pretty short and simple, but of course, he wanted us to shout, “Hey hey hey!!!” when he gave us the cue: “We really are the best!”  Then onto Shouri (Kuroo), who also kept his message relatively short and simple, but said, “I really want to play the battle at the trash heap.”  Takato (Kenma) was the one who dragged out their segment by trying to steal Shouri’s captain thunder.  Traditionally, each member of each team will give a message and then the team captain closes them out by saying, “Thank you for supporting X school.”  Takato tried to say, “Thank you for supporting Nekoma High” but Shouri stopped him like, “Hang on, that’s me!  That’s my bit!” Then Takato called him Shiro (with Shouri going, “Wrong color!”), and eventually they settled down into asking if they could do the Nekoma chant with the audience again.  So we did, I definitely tried to yell it EXTRA loud, and then Shouri shouted, “Thank you for supporting Nekoma High!”   Then we would’ve moved onto Ariken except Kenta stepped forward and reminded Takumi that he forgot to do that for Fukurodani.  Takumi was very flustered by it and kind of meekly started saying it, but Kenta was like, no no no.  Stand up tall and do it in a big voice!  So he stood up a little straighter and yelled, “Thank you for supporting Fukurodani Academy!” and then he and Shungo bowed again.  

Then we moved onto Arita Kenji (Ushijima) (stage right next to Momo), who gave a very serious, mostly very formal message at first... and of course mentioned how he’d be returning in the autumn show with the rest of his team, but he slipped and sort of said that they’d start working immediately, and Kenta was like, “That was fast!  Geez, don’t we get a break?!”  Kage-chan chimed in too about wanting a little break lol.  And then Shouri yelled from his side of the stage to remind Ariken to do his captain message.  And he seemed a little unsure, since he has literally no one else from his team, but he did it anyway (and finally broke out a smile~) and said, “Thank you for supporting Shiratorizawa!” 

Then we move back to stage left to go through Wakunan, and most of them were in tears.  I definitely ended up tearing up with them.  Yuma (Akiu) was first up, and he was so in tears he had a lot of trouble speaking.  We the audience cheered him on, clapping and telling him to do his best, and eventually he got out his thank you.  Mossan (Naruko) took over then, and he was all smiles as he gave his message, patting Yuma to try and cheer him up.  But then next was Goku (Hanayama) who was also so in tears he was very nearly unintelligible.  But even while crying, he snuck in some humor.  He said thank you to the wonderful cast, the staff, Ryoutarou--  At which point half the stage fell over laughing and Kenta interrupted like, “Normally you stop after cast and staff!  What is this?!  Cast and staff and Ryoutarou?!”  And Ryoutarou looked very bashful but he was also laughing.   Then Masa (Shiroishi), who had been in tears when they were initially lined up for curtain call, but like Takumi he recovered in time when it was his turn to speak, so he rushed through his thank you, spelled out his name energetically in English: K-I-M-U-R-A and passed it on to Nao (Kawatabi).  Nao had been pretty sniffly, and was still a little bit during his message, but he got through it ok.  And then Rin (Nakashima Takeru).  Oh my goodness my heart went out to Rin.  Rin had basically started crying towards the end of the Wakunan match, crying at the end of it, crying throughout the scene where he’s sitting outside talking about how the last few moments of that match were in slow motion, but he wanted to keep playing.  And I saw him teary-eyed throughout the closing sequence, his bows, and as they lined up.  He was just a constant flow of tears.  He said how much the show meant to him, how wonderful everyone on Wakunan was, and how wonderful everyone was on the cast and staff.   Kenta had to remind him to do his captain message, and he too, was a bit timid about it so Kenta had to urge him to do it properly lol.  But by the time he said, “Thank you for supporting Wakutani South High!” the rest of his team was supposed to follow by saying, ‘Thank you very much’ but they didn’t because they were unsure when to start, so everyone erupted in laughter and the team just bowed anyway lololol.  

We move to stage right to Johzenji, where literally all of them, from Rin to Aiji to Shihou to Youta to Ayato to Funakki all gave near flawless messages without a single miss.  Funakki (Terushima) said, “I hope that Johzenji left an impression and that something of us will carry on into future shows” and in response to that, Kenta made the Johzenji party hands gesture lol.  Then Funakki started going, “Thank you for supporting Johzenji High!” and Kenta was just like “How is it that Johzenji is doing everything properly?  Aren’t you guys supposed to play around more?” 

Ami (Yachi) and Shizune (Kiyoko) kept their messages short and simple and sweet, albeit ADORABLE, and Ami mentioned how happy she was to be able to do the Karasuno cheer with everyone.  Shizune got a bit nervous and fumbled over what she wanted to say so she just cut it short, and the two turned and nervously laughed at each other.  

Then Shige-san (Takeda-sensei), who got a bit nostalgic, remembering that they’ve been working on this production for 3 years.  For him personally as an actor, he said it was the longest he’d ever worked on a single show, but as he struggled to come up with the exact number of shows they’d done, Tsuyoshi-san answered for him, “We’ve done 212 shows!  Remember it better!”  For Tsuyoshi-san (Ukai both younger and senior lol), he actually told us the trick behind switching between the younger and senior Ukais.  He’s actually wearing TWO wigs lol.  He wears his blonde, young Ukai wig over his grey, old Ukai wig, and basically swaps between the two by ripping the blond on and off backstage.  Takato yelled from the other side of the stage, “Take it off!  Show us!” so he did actually lift the blond of his wig to show us the grey underneath!  

On to the Karasuno players!!!  

Justin started his message on a serious note, thanking cast and staff, commenting on the new third-year unit, and then promising to do his best for their graduation in the fall.  Then he turned to Naoki and said it was time to do his usual, and everyone in the audience hooted and cheered.  Naoki was like, oh no.  What?  And Keita laughed and held his shoulder like, ‘It’s your turn now.�� So Justin yelled SUGAAAAAA as he’s always done, and told him he needed to do an Egashira 2:50 impression later (Egashira is a comedian who usually appears shirtless in black leggings).  Naoki took after Hiroki very well and screamed, “Nooooooooooooo!!!” and ran to the back of the stage lol.  (He did do it though, and I’ll post the video later) Naoki for his message mentioned how nervous he was to take on the part of Sugawara after Hiroki, and he hoped that he did a good job keeping the parts of Hiroki’s Suga that were best while also putting himself into Suga.  Where Hiroki used to make the audience shout, “We love you!” (大好き！), Naoki wanted to change it up just a little, and have us shout, “We love you lots!” (いっぱい好き！） Kenta laughed, “It’s only a little different!”  Keita of course mentioned the fact that he had been Daichi in the first show, but then left while Akisawa Kentarou played the role for two years before he came back, and that he was very glad to be able to come back to the production.  As he said this, Ryoutarou started tearing up and crying on his side of the stage, and Kenta was like, “It’s not even your turn!”  He was obviously also very emotional about Keita’s return to the production, and after Keita wrapped up his message, he walked across the stage to give Ryoutarou a hug.   Moving stage left, we have Kazuma who said that he wanted to keep things light, especially after the emotional message he gave after the show last night.  He gave his thanks and then asked us to clap as always in rhythm for him to do that weird pose he’s always done in curtain calls and then he turned to Fucchi and said, “Give us the Super Deluxe Rolling Thunder!”  So Fucchi just ran to the back of the stage and started rolling and tumbling around screaming Super Deluxe Rolling Thunder, but since there was literally nothing for him to receive, he just fell over at the end, and everyone laughed.  Then he gave a very fiery, energetic thank you to cast and staff, and said the second-years really are the best, asked Ryuu to agree, then the two of them did the SOI SOI SOI we so love.   For Kouhei’s turn, he wanted us to shout “Tanaka-senpai!!!” as always.  Who’s the coolest?  Tanaka-senpai!!  Etc... But then he got very serious after he made us do that a few times and said, “Even though... Tanaka in this show caused injury to Daichi-san... and got depressed and troubled his teammates... and needed saving from Ennoshita...”  And then he pretty much dedicated his curtain call message to Ennoshita, and he almost made Kazuma cry.  Kazuma had to step back from the line-up, turn his back to the audience to collect himself.  Kouhei reiterated how amazing all the second-years are, and then it was on to Kairi.   Kairi began by stuttering, “P-p-p-playing Y-Y-amaguchi--” and Ryoutarou turned to scold him in the same way that he does during the show.  During the show, when it’s Yamaguchi’s turn to serve and he’s a nervous wreck about it, Tsukki tells him, “It’s not like before.  If you happen to score a point, everyone will just think, how lucky, that’s all.”  So for the curtain call, he tells Kairi, “It’s not like last time.  As long as you say anything, the audience here will think they’re lucky to hear it.”  And Kairi replies with, “Thanks, Tsukki!” as he does in the show, and then gives his thank you message. To introduce Ryoutarou, he puts on a nasally voice and goes, “Next, next is... Tsukishima Keiiii...”  Then Ryoutarou mimes doors opening, steps forward, and then anti-climatically bows and says, “If you please.” (お願いします。） Which makes a bunch of people laugh and fall over because of how anti-climatic it was lol.   Ryoutarou then said that he swore to himself that he wouldn’t cry, but he ended up crying anyway, and reiterated how happy he was to have Keita return to the production.   For Kage-chan’s turn he kept it serious and straight-forward, bringing up how hard they’d be working toward their graduation, and how they’d be sure to carry on the spirits of everyone who wouldn’t be joining them for that show.  He looks at the Wakunan and Johzenji members as he says this.  He recalled how during the Summer of Evolution curtain call he’d felt relieved when it was all over, he’d been so nervous, but now he’s really glad to be here and all he wants is to keep going.   Finally Kenta, who started by pointing out just how carefree everyone else had been with their messages even though they didn’t really have the time to do so because of the Live-Viewing audience.  He told us that the staff were in his earpiece trying desperately to hurry them along, but that this carefree attitude is one of the wonderful parts of the Haikyuu family.  He then said, that although he’d been trying really hard not to think about the fall production and their upcoming graduation, his head was now full of it with this show being done, and he just couldn’t help but feel, “Let’s do it one more time,” quoting Hinata.  (もう一回）

They bowed, they left, we all stood to give them a standing ovation to return to, Kenta thanked us for the ovation, the entire cast bowed once again... This time Kazuma lingered a bit in the back of the stage, and gave another bow before he left.  Then Kage-chan, then Kenta, then they were gone.  

For the final entry, which is always just Kage-chan and Kenta, they came out to us all smiles and off-the-cuff as usual, and making weather references again lololol.  Because although Engeki has a history of bad, rainy weather during the last show, we actually had very nice weather today, so Kenta was feeling really good about that.  Almost as if some... sun-like figure... had something to do with it... (referencing Hinata of course).  Kage-chan halfheartedly scolded him, but also mentioned how nice it was to not have to carry an umbrella lol.   They joked it was the perfect weather for flying, and how they wanted all of us in the audience to fly too.  “But only until you get to the station.  Not inside the station.”   They didn’t linger too long this time.  I think this third curtain call was shorter than the one they had during Summer of Evolution.  But they promised to work hard in the fall show as well, and then it was time for final bows and for the staff to shoo us out of the theater lol.  

[atopearth]

Higurashi When They Cry Part 5 - Ch 5 Meakashi-hen

(So the answer arcs answer each of the question arcs and then the whole thing? Ooo)

We’re already getting some answers! Shion was in a private school where they were practically training her to be something like an ojou-sama/lady and she tried to pretending to be one, and it worked but it was boring so she always reverted back to her true personality. Loll, what I love is her dedication to escaping that school though, pretty elaborate plan! XD although I had an inkling, I never really thought Oryo (Mion and Shion’s grandmother) actually hated Shion just because I guess it’s those usual twin things where the second one is bad luck? I knew that the twins were good friends but I never expected that they actually got along THAT well and now I see that Shion pretended to be Mion at Angel Mart not only because it was fun to play with Keiichi but also because she was hiding away from her parents but needed money to survive by herself after running off. She’s such a cool girl.

So, putting it in order, the dam protests, the dam construction halted indefinitely, first death with the dam construction head dismembered into pieces, then Satoko’s parents dying falling off a cliff (one of their bodies not found/disappeared) and then Rika’s dad dying from an unknown illness and her mum jumping into the swamp to her death. Satoko’s parents were pro-dam and were considered traitors and Rika’s dad was neutral and did not favour either causing some people to be dissatisfied with him. Tbh, I wonder if Rika’s mother killed herself because she couldn’t take how weird Rika was, I mean she seemed pretty insane complaining about her in her diary already so if she met that other “personality”, she might have gone a bit more crazy?

Shion’s pretty cool to not even be fazed at a bunch of thugs trying to extort her for money for kicking down their motorcycles. She’s right that as long as the people in Okinomiya notice that she’s Mion, they’d rush to her aid super fast. It was pretty funny when she started fake crying to make things a bit more fun for her lol. Satoshi seems like a good guy for trying to save her even though he’s weak and hasn’t raised his voice to anyone before. He’s so cool. Aww she fell in love at the first meeting! Patting the head gets girls😂 he did it to comfort her because she was crying though haha, so cute. He seems so innocent and kind. Shion’s like bullying him, their relationship is so cute. It’s kinda crazy though, Satoshi is so clumsy and needs to be protected himself and yet he tries his best to protect Satoko, he’s really a great big brother. Every time I read his diary though, I feel so sad for him, he’s just a kid himself but he’s trying his best to do what he can as the older one having to face the brunt of his aunt’s abuse. She’s probably mad that she has to take care of them, mad that Satoshi’s parents were pro dam and that makes their life in Hinamizawa harder and mad that her husband is with the mistress all the time, so she takes it out on them. Maybe for Satoshi, being with the Mion who is actually Shion is one of the only times he can relax. I guess that applies for Shion as well, being like the baseball club’s manager just to help and spend time with him is nice.

I see, I think I can see why Satoko felt so guilty in her arc, Satoshi always had to protect her so when he was trying his best to be good but Satoko clashed with the aunt or their multiple stepfathers, as the good brother he was, he always took most of the violence in place of her….and yet at the end of the day, she gets to sleep peacefully whilst Satoshi still deals with the rest of the chores and everything. Rena is so observant to notice that Shion is jealous of how much Satoshi cares for Satoko that he’s even doing a part time job to get her a nice birthday present. Can’t blame her I guess since he’s her only friend and she wants to see him but he’s quit baseball now. I wonder if Rena can tell she’s not Mion and is just pretending to not notice. Rena’s really smart after all.

So Rena has experienced the footsteps too, just like the ones Keiichi always felt and heard in the previous story when he killed Satoko’s uncle? Wow, I knew Shion was mad but to see her go ballistic and hurt Satoko… Reminds me of how protective Keiichi was of Satoko before. I guess she’s just as desperate to protect Satoshi and seeing him so worn out, depressed and his foul mood must have made her feel even worse when she saw Satoko crying for her brother for something small. Her being a spoilt child needing his help for everything must have made her want to literally kill her…. And seeing Satoshi hurt Shion was so saddening too, but I guess her screaming out that he actually thinks of Satoko as a burden must have made his guilt and anger take over him. I wonder how Mion will react to this though… She lent Shion her spot in school for a day and this happens even though she warned her to not go crazy… I love Rena though, she’s always the one that breaks up the fights and is probably the most calm, level headed and mature.. Until Oyashiro-sama comes into the conversation anyway lol. So, the one that Satoshi requested to take Satoko to the festival was actually Shion. Satoshi thinks that the one who has it the hardest is Satoko.. did he really..like Keiichi thought…kill the aunt? He’s leaving Satoko to her? He doesn’t care if he disappears or whatever because of Oyashiro-sama’s curse as long as he buys that teddy bear for Satoko? I see…. I guess the people who become the victims are told that they will be the victims that year…..and that gave Satoshi a firm resolve to killing his aunt to protect Satoko in the future that he won’t exist in.. he’s much calmer than Keiichi though, I guess it’s more apathetic though, as someone who’s had to be the mature one, he’s learnt to control and hide his true emotions and keep a straight face for mostly everything. In a sense, he’s pretty scary and a bit similar to Rika.

She revealed her true identity so that she could make up an alibi to protect Satoshi.. She really cares about him so much.. I never thought that it’d end up so bad for her as well but I guess it’s understandable considering she’s Shion and not Mion so they don’t care as much. I feel sorry for Kasai and her uncle, I hope they’re okay… But to pluck out 3 fingernails as punishment and having to do it yourself with the device, that must be so…eugh… If it saves Kasai and her uncle, it’s worth it but… It was good that someone else did it for her since she messed up the second time and got scared. I don’t think I’d be able to do it myself either. Hurting yourself is difficult. But yeah, now I can see why Shion doesn’t really like Ooishi in a sense. He’s like a bringer of bad news.

I’ve always liked Mion quite a bit, but seeing that she shouted at her grandma for Shion and had her fingernails pulled out too, you could really see how sincere of a person she was. Even though she carries the burden as the successor, she always thinks that Shion has the worst of everything. I always thought Shion and Satoshi dated but I guess not hahaha~

Keiichi’s sprite on Steam looks cooler than I thought considering the comments I read about people not liking it. I think he’s pretty much how I imagined him tbh, a bit silly but cool. I approve. Lmaooo when he got rid of those guys harassing Shion (same scenario as when Satoshi saved her) but way more hilariously because they were talking about stripping her and Keiichi, as a man of culture could not approve of stark nakedness as the best way to enjoy…looking at the human body I guess. I laughed like crazy when he said at least leave some socks on hahahha, his fetish😂😂😂 Hearing how sad Mion actually was when Keiichi didn’t give her one of the dolls with all her tears…made me remember how sad her face was Keiichi and Rena went to her house to get her to confess to everything…

And the story follows Shion’s perspective as she drags Keiichi with her to the forbidden storehouse just because she wanted a partner in crime and who best to get than the one Mion likes? Except that thumping sound she hears in the storehouse that Takano and Keiichi can’t hear.. What could it be? Especially since Tomitake heard it too? To be honest, although I thought about Shion possibly having swapped places with Mion ages ago in Watanagashi, I dismissed it because I didn’t really think Shion was crazy or someone who would go to such extents anyway, but I could never grasp how Mion could be like that considering the person she was. But I guess now it’s rather clear, Mion let her guard down and allowed Shion to stay over at the main house in Hinamizawa and after she secretly heard of Takano and Tomitake’s horrific deaths, she used a stun gun to restrain Mion and the grandma and took Mion’s place. Considering how nice Mion always was to Shion, I’m really disappointed in her. I was going to say, considering the grandma’s age and weak health, I’m surprised she didn’t die from the stun gun but I guess she really did…

Seeing everything from Shion’s perspective really puts into perspective everything we saw from Keiichi’s view. I always thought that Mion asked Keiichi if he saw Shion twice because she knew they snuck in the storehouse together or that she knew he hung out with Shion and she was jealous. But really, it was Shion all along… I never suspected how devout the older generation were in their belief of Oyashiro-sama and how angry they would feel to say that Tomitake and Takano deserved those deaths considering how sacred the ritual storehouse is. This is a tradition thing, if not a curse thing after all.

But I see why Kimiyoshi died in Watanagashi now. She was sad that Kimiyoshi wasn’t saddened by the fact that even though she said (as Mion) that the other two that will be punished for entering the storehouse would be her, he didn’t show any concern at all, which to her probably interpreted as she deserved to die too. So in order to preserve the uncle she had always loved, she made it seem like he died because he wanted to help Shion, one to further her plot and two, to keep the Kimiyoshi she always loved as she remembers before she sees any more about him that would tarnish her image of him. Or I guess I got a bit ahead of myself since he showed her later how much he actually cares about her…too bad he didn’t have the same concern for Satoshi whom she’s gone crazy for and because of…Poor Kimiyoshi. How cruel of Shion to torture him like that with him probably ending up hanging himself… She’s turning into a serial killer now, huh?

Did someone really “deal” with Satoshi under the “indirect” order of Oryou after all? Since as long she talks about something and expects it without actually relaying it, the others have interpreted that as orders and fulfilled it. Would they have also considered that the three nails Shion gave up to be for Kasai, her uncle that owns Angel Mort and Shion herself rather than one of them being for Satoshi? Since anyone would do anything for Oryou and Hinamizawa is bonded enough to cover for each other, there’s really no way to tell if someone did something or not… So now that Oryou is dead and the truth of the curse of Oyashiro-sama is this murderous system that was created with all of Hinamizawa protecting and using it, Shion thus considers the whole of Hinamizawa to be her enemy rather than the actual person that might have killed Satoshi, which is fair enough. Satoshi wasn’t really killed by one person because in the end, what drove him to suffering what he did was Hinamizawa itself and that’s why he unconsciously wanted to escape from it.

I never thought about it but I guess it would be logical that if they killed Satoshi, Oryou would have disposed of his body by throwing it in that underground torture chamber well, it’s so well hidden after all. When you think about how Shion is right now though, you can’t help but think she was hiding all the pain of being the unwanted and cursed twin all this time. And it’s even worse that Mion and Shion swapped places all the time as kids so who was Mion and who was Shion could not be determined anymore since no one could tell the difference. In the end, the fateful choice of who was who was arbitrarily chosen when they separated the two and not at birth (which they really should have done). I wonder if Mion was in Shion’s shoes would have became the same as Shion in the present? I hate that Shion is being so violent and mean to Rika! Just because she says stuff that Shion doesn’t like, she slaps and pushes her. She’s really as crazy as she was when she threw Satoko around. I wonder if Rika-chan noticed that the one who was talking to her and treating her like that actually isn’t Mion…

Omg…. Rika is ruthless. I assume Rika attacked Shion at her house because she wanted to protect Keiichi? It’s too bad that Shion won the fight but that was so intense omg. Especially when Rika killed herself by slamming her throat against the knife she put into the wall so that she wouldn’t let Shion have the satisfaction in torturing her. That is so insane but understandable. That would take so much guts but I guess when you think about having to hear how crazily happy Shion would be killing you, I think I’d rather this too but omgg moving backwards letting the knife continuously slash her throat sounds so eughhhh too.

Considering how much Satoshi loved Satoko and wanted her to live, I’m really disappointed in Shion torturing and killing her like that (to spite Mion for never having helped to save Satoshi, so Shion wants her to feel the same pain of being helpless) even though she’s hated her from day one. In the end, she’s really just obsessed with the idea of Satoshi and how kind of a person he was to her when no one was, but in the end it could have been anyone, what she’s doing isn’t revenge for Satoshi, she’s getting revenge for herself. Shion torturing the helpless Satoko is so disgusting, I want to cry, especially when Satoko talked about how after Satoshi disappeared, she realised how much she had cornered him by always relying on him and never doing anything to help him and… That’s why she wants to be independent.. So that he’ll come back.. having her endure all this pain and wishing for her brother to come back in her last moments… It’s so sad… Shion totally forgot about Satoshi’s last request to take care of Satoko and was instead driven by loneliness and hatred to fill her emptiness, completely forgetting about the person Satoshi really was.

Now that Shion has realised how she’s become a demon, all she thinks she can do is continue doing what a demon does until someone catches her. At least, she hopes someone will catch her lies I guess. The confession in the Sonozaki residence makes so much sense now.. the demon within her that she was talking about makes so much sense after seeing everything from Shion’s perspective… And her saying that Shion (meaning Mion) really liked him too… Because it’s true that she loved him so much. I guess the reason why despite Rena could see through everything but not the fact that she wasn’t Mion was because Shion didn’t even know who she was anymore. She lived as a demon believing that she was Mion, the rightful successor but in the end, she was also Shion, the weak and lonely one. They had swapped places so much, their existences couldn’t be separated anymore.

I’m so sorry Mion for believing that it was really you! I just assumed that her responsibility as the successor made her have two personalities! Or that this second personality was actually Oyashiro-sama. I just assumed that there was another her… I guess I wasn’t exactly wrong since Shion is another her I guess…. It makes much more sense for Mion to be the one screaming in the cell knowing that Keiichi would die.. I always thought Shion was over reacting since I never thought she cared about Keiichi that much but I thought she had probably gone a bit insane staying in a cell for so long… So to Shion, everything started with Keiichi not giving the doll to Mion, because Mion cried to her about it and that made Shion jealous that the person she loved was beside her when Satoshi wasn’t. I always felt bad that I never realised how important a gesture like that was to Mion but I guess I was wrong. This was just the unreasonableness of Shion.

Mion is being pushed to the bottom of the well to delay everything and allow Shion to escape.. The biggest revelation though is that Oryou actually was always just a figurehead that took the “blame" for every incident that happened even though she really doesn’t have any real power and never ordered any of these things. She was just a normal granny…. It would be too hard for Shion to swallow that everything she did up until now was useless and wrong.. When Shion said her life was only a notebook long (where she writes all her guilt and analysis of the curse), I felt really sad…. Because I guess that is so true in a way… I guess I wasn’t too far off in how Shion died though, I always thought she went insane and all that arguing people heard was just her talking to herself. I was wrong about how she became insane though haha, since she believes the ghost of Mion is hanging around her and I just thought she was super traumatised witnessing so many deaths. To accidentally slip to her death is so ironic considering how many people she killed so ruthlessly on purpose.. but I guess at least, like the ones she killed, she didn’t get a choice in how to die either.

You know… If everything really ended up like that little snippet where Shion went to school at Hinamizawa as well and actually took care of Satoko as she had promised with Satoshi, it really would have been nice, huh? It would have been so enjoyable and fun… It’s too bad that everything turned out like this instead. It’s too bad that a happy ending couldn’t happen. Btw, the twins’ mum is so pretty!!! Woww! I guess, a mature beauty? Hahaha, but I wonder what Oryou once did to have her fingernails plucked as atonement too? Keeping Shion alive when she was born? Hmmmm…

Reading Ryukishi07’s note, I guess I did sympathise with Shion’s situation to an extent, so I’m not completely crazy like her hahaha. But, I really did, because I think I can understand to an extent how powerful and oppressing of a feeling loneliness, rejection and jealousy can be. Shion always tried to protect herself from the pain of being rejected by her family and not getting along with anyone else with that playful attitude of hers but Satoshi broke through that with his silliness and kindness. So when he disappeared, she lost everything. If he never appeared in her life, she would have accepted her fate as she always did but because he existed, she found something and someone she could believe in that can make her happy. So when everything and everyone took him away, she lashed out at everyone for letting this happen, whether they were directly involved or not and this was only amplified by the fact that she was jealous of Mion. Jealous that she hadn’t lost anything and could experience that "happy” feeling of love that she couldn’t anymore. Especially since they’re twins, that would have made it worse. I mean, as she said, they’re practically the same, so why was their life so different? How could she possibly accept that? If she was tormented, of course she’ll want Mion to feel the same, because they’re twins after all. That’s what I think anyway. But, I sympathise most with the poor people she killed, it was terrible. Btw I loved the music in this chapter for Shion, that melancholic, sorta happy but also sad soundtrack was really beautiful and suitable for the whole theme of this chapter. I loved it. Both the music and the story.

[horseroadtripper]

Yeah... that “drunken wheel” was NOT looking good. We took turns driving the vehicle around the parking lot and looking at it in motion and at a full stop.  George was non-plussed, agreeing that the tread on the another one didn’t look good and that we should maybe change the tire, but not worry about it more than that.

But it just didn’t feel right to me.  Wal-Mart was the only tire place in town that would be open on July 4th, but I wasn't even sure we should drive there.  All I knew was that this thing didn’t look right and that barreling forward with a fully loaded trailer at Montana’s 80mph limits without having someone who knew what they were looking at look at it, even just to get to Wal-Mart, was not making me comfortable.

I looked around the parking lot and, remembering one of my girlfriend’s making a wedding toast about how I looked at people’s shoes in a bar to find a river guide and rent us a boat to go down the river with a little beta on the rapids before we started (being a river guide myself), I decided to bloom where we were planted in this little parking lot.  A Dodge truck with elk hunting decals on the windows had just pulled in to Subway.  George was not pleased when I suggested asking him to take a look, and I wasn't convinced that this was our guy yet, either.

Just then, I saw a larger truck pull up with some kind of crane built into the bed.  I mosied over thinking to myself, “You know, from one trucker to another,” and asked him, looking up at his perch five feet above me, “Hey there -- would you mind taking a look at something for me?”

He smiled down with sparkling blue green eyes behind a salt and pepper Santa Clause beard and tanned face that had seen plenty of sunny work days, “Absolutely -- let me just get off the clock, first.    The man is funny about that.”   I waited while he did a few things in his vehicle, cut the engine, and climbed down multiple  steps to meet me on the parking lot floor.

“What can I do for you, sweetheart?”  he asked simply, his shoulders square.

“I’ve got a funny looking tire -- I don’t know what I'm looking at, but you look like you know what you’re doing and I thought you might give me an opinion.”

The tire actually looked pretty straight now the we had re-parked it, so I showed him the picture that I had taken and he raised his eyebrows agreeing that THAT looked funny.  Then he started pulling on the top of the trailer’s tires in a big “heave-ho” motion.  The front right tire in question moved a little, but the one behind it rocked like a loose tooth.  

“There’s your problem!” he exclaimed.  “A tire shouldn't move like that.  Let me grab some tools and take a closer look,” he said, taking his orange construction vested Santa Clause self back towards his truck.

“You have tools to fix it?!”  I squeaked happily!  “I mean -- who are you?  What do you do?!  That’s great!”

He looked at me sideways like he was sure I must already know the answer, “I’m a mechanic for the railroad, sweetheart -- what did you think I was?!”

Then suddenly a whole crew of railroad mechanics showed up to help us, apparently all congregating to eat dinner together in this parking lot after working a national holiday.  We offered to buy them dinner, but they refused, pointing out that “the man” pays for it anyways and that they are happy to help us out and keep us safe.  After moving a few bolts around, they suggested we try getting to Bozeman and having it looked at there the next day, and change the tire then, but that we should pull over at a trucker’s stop they knew 50 miles down the road, pull the hub cap and spit on it to see if the axle was running hot.

Confident that we were safe to continue under these conditions, we thanked them and God above profusely and loaded our babies up to make our way down the road.

I was driving, and taking in the beautiful sunset while my traveling companions slept.  Infact, everything was going so meditatively well that I missed our turn and went almost 20 miles past the 50 mile marker at 75-80 mph before pulling over at a nowhere town that came up next, where everything was closed.  Rachel opened her eyes and closed them again, agreeing to watch the girls while George and I got out and took a look.

He removed the hub cap and spit on it while I found a place to squat a spot by some bushes, hoping no-one was looking out their window in the twilight, as I really had to go.  When I came back, he showed me how the spit was boiling on the axle, exactly the thing that it was NOT supposed to do -- indicative of a potentially serious flaw in the axle when in motion.  Again, I felt my heart rise up into my throat: what wasn't clear from the mechanic’s assessment was whether or not we should continue if the axle was running hot, especially with a big mountain pass ahead of us.  My impression was that we should not.  

But George thought it was okay to continue, SLOWLY, and we switched places.  He suggested I look up “hot trailer axles” on the internet, which was especially freaky to research while in motion, might I add.  Based on what we were reading, we started making calls with the information we had, asking USRider to have a mechanic call us back to talk us through whether or not we should keep driving based on our particular scenario; then we called my friend Arnica who was going to board our horses for the night, and my friend Katie who was hosting our family at her place, both on different side of Bozeman.

“Sooooo, what I'm wondering, Arnica, is how much have you had to drink?”  I asked sheepishly, knowing she was having a party at her house for the 4th, “and would you be interested or able to safely come and get our horses tonight?”  

At this point, we had gotten off the phone with the only mechanic who had picked up the phone a hundred or so miles away in Butte; he had STRONGLY suggested we stop driving, telling us some very scary stories about horses and accidents when bad axles are involved.  It was more than my consciousness could handle with all our babies in tow.  We knew we had to stop.  He had also given us the name of a local Tow truck company in Livingston, where we’d finally pulled over to devise a plan at 10:30pm.

Arnica was game to come get us, God Bless Her!  We hung up and dialed Whistler Towing to see if we could leave our trailer with them and wait it out at their place until Arnica arrived.  “Oh no, you can't bring horses over here for an hour now,” the owner said, the warmth of a few beers lighting up his voice like it was the 4th of July (after all, it WAS the 4th of July;), “we’re having a party and setting off all kinds of fireworks and things that aren't good for horses, if you know what I mean.”  I knew what he meant, so we pulled over in downtown Livingston by what looked like a park at a crossroads that we thought would be easy for Arnica to find, and sent her a pin of our location.

George cuddled up with the baby, and we took turns caring for her or the horses in the trailer as we waited it out for about an hour.  Not long after we stopped, we realized we were right next to the railroad tracks and this train that we had been chasing and followed by all day caught up to us and passed us by through the night with 50 or more cars of coal loaded like shaved ice mounds, shaking the ground beneath our feet with all that commerce and energy.  It was somehow comforting to feel the earth rocking as the fireworks blossomed in the sky above us.

Arnica called shortly thereafter and we found each other on foot in the dark and transferred our horses over to her 3 horse slant load which she fondly dubbed “the rusty bucket.”  After an initial break in their understanding of what on earth was going on, they loaded fine, and we went our separate ways to drop the trailer, then go to bed, thanking our lucky stars for our friends, and God above for getting all our loved ones home safely on this crazy independence day.

This life and country really is a rare and beautified thing!  You can’t make this stuff up; “thank you, Jesus:)”

[supergirlimaginesfic-blog]

Dating Lena Luthor (Everyday can be our Valentine’s)

Request: Prompt Lena x reader, the reader forgot it's Valentine's Day and Lena is mad because it's her first time celebrating valentines. So reader does a surprise romantic date night

a/n: Ahhhh this was so cute to do LOL. I was thinking about this all during work wondering wth I was gonna do with this!! Firstly, I don’t really think Lena would be angry, per se, so I switched this up just a tiny bit! There’s a funny little easter egg I put in here because I’m absolute katie trash, tell me if you find the Funny Joke. Thanks for reading btw y’all! You give me something to do lol. Requests are always open, and I’ll get to them hopefully every other day!

- - - - -

So maybe you were a little bit of an asshole. Actually, you are definitely the tiniest bit an asshole. You’re a good enough person, and you show basic human decency because you surely weren’t raised to be a farm animal with no manners. You’d even go so far as to say you care about people if they’re really hurting enough for you to feel compelled to get into that uncomfortable place of relating to them and having to comfort them.

You’re a bit rough around the edges, you’d admit it. You’ve had a grand total of 3 and a half arguably serious relationships in your very eventful, very promising life so far and it’s not like you were emotionally stunted for the entirety of them all, not really. Sometimes you’d admit you are a pretty emotionally constipated person - you lose track of your days as often as you lose track of your housekeys, and if someone asked you to retell something from last week, well, you’d let them know that frankly you don’t even remember what the last thing you ate was. But you knew how to make your girl smile and that’s what counted. You’re kinda good when it comes to the bigger stuff. That’s all that should matter, right?

When you walked into CatCo for work in the morning, you greeted everyone who’d spare a glance at you, even spent some time making small talk with some of your deskmates. There was a restlessness in the air that made you think people were even itching to talk to you. Everyone had seemed peppier today more than usual. That was surely a weird thing to note, even for a place like CatCo (especially for a place like CatCo). There was an abundance of flowers sitting on desks and because Miss Grant has a very vocal opinion-decreed-official-but-not-really-official-policy regarding cheap-smelling things in her offices, even when arguably flowers are the most natural scent in the world (how possibly can they be cheap?), all the bouquets and arrangements were relegated to a place by their desk inhabitant’s feet where they could be admired in relative peace.

For what it was worth, the place seemed more alive than it ever has been - not that Miss Grant was the worst person to work for, quite the contrary, everyone was just too intimidated or outright terrified of her that any semblance of fun was  overpowered by the fear of messing something up. Miss Grant was nice, in her own quiet, borderline abrasive but never power hungry way. You could tolerate just one day of people being in a good mood.

You felt a slight gust of wind blow your way as you sat at your desk, and you really ought to think you should warn Kara about slowing down her speed just a notch more.

“Hi! (Y/N)! Golly it’s a great morning isn’t it. Oh, why aren’t you wearing red?”

“Kara, does it look like I own any coloured clothing other than black? Anyway, why would I?”

Kara’s eyes widen comically and she inhales sharply, and you almost dismiss it as another purely Kara Thing. You take note of her white pants and pink blazer, unbuttoned to reveal a simple white button up, and you grudgingly concede that this nerd always looks so stupidly cute.

Before you could get yourself irrationally angry at the multitude of Kara’s Preppy Looks, you wonder if Miss Grant has a special occasion that you didn’t get the memo for.

“Wait, is something happening today? Did Miss Grant finally acquire that small-town newspaper outside of Metropolis?”

Kara tilts her head at you, fully reminiscent of a confused child, and her eyebrow quirks ridiculously high up that it could disappear into her hairline.

“Hm, that’s not right. I would have heard about that one. I know she was saying how everyone should dress in red to symbolize the blood spilled of her competitors, but even that’s a bit much.” You say more to yourself than to Kara.

Kara opens and closes her mouth, and opens and closes it again seemingly at a loss to say something as she squints very severely at you. Your eyes widen marginally, taken aback by Kara’s silent assessment.

“Are you alright? Did I offend you or something?”

Kara’s jaw drops as she gasps indignantly. You were only half-kidding but you think you might as well have offended her unwittingly at some point in your very brief conversation.

“Seriously, are you okay? What’s wrong?”

“I really hope you’re joking.” Those words were startlingly ominous, and especially so coming from someone like Kara.

“What the hell do you even mean? Kara-”

Before you can ask any more of her, Cat Grant’s voice reverberates through the office. It’s impressive, considering she’s a good thirty feet away from you and inside an enclosed elevator when she speaks up.

“Keira, please tell me you found out who plastered that cheap Wal-Mart stock paper heart onto my window and that you have collected their resignation letter. Do not think that because I’m not here I don’t have eyes everywhere. I can practically smell the cheap scotch tape sticking eternally to my windows.”

“No DIY decor, already on it, Miss Grant. But don’t you think that’s a bit-”

Kara follows after Miss Grant, falling into step behind her rather impressively as Miss Grant hands off her coat to Kara and Kara hands her latte to her, balancing  various papers, clothing, and a bag in her arms.

Why is everyone so weird.

You boot up your computer and check the messages on your phone while you wait. An unread message from Lena fills your screen.

Lena: “I can’t wait to see you tonight.”

You smile at your girlfriend’s simple text. You know it’s tired and not very fair to keep having presumptions of your girlfriend based solely on her career, but you can’t help it. She’s a softie and an absolute sucker for romance and you never would have suspected it - certainly not the first few times she’d spent the night at your place and she’d untangle her hair from her high bun, shucking off her heels and stripping off her CEO persona. It always mesmerized you, it still does, which is why you’re smiling at your phone like an absolute nerd at her easy vulnerability when it comes to you.

you: “I can’t wait to see your beautiful face, pretty lady ;) Don’t make my day any more difficult than it needs to be...”

You remember all too well the very incriminating texts that have recently bombarded your phone with startling frequency. Lena being her own boss certainly had its perks, and spending an awful amount of time sending suggestive messages and downright not-safe-for-work pictures certainly was a perk in itself.

You’d wondered how often anyone would see you looking around suspiciously with the biggest shit-eating grin on your face. It begged the curiosity of who knew you were practically sexting sometimes? You figured you were probably a bit obvious, Kara has spent her fair share of your shift grimacing and blushing furiously whenever you meet her eye. It’s strange because it’s not like part of her powers involves mind-reading, did it really not take a genius to figure you out? Maybe with her super hearing and- oh. That might explain a little bit. In fact, that might explain a lot. Gross. You are not going to broach that conversation with her.

Lena: “Hmmm, that’s no fun...”

You smirk down at your phone. It is far too early for this teasing bullshit, but Lena Luthor lives on her own time and the universal conventions of decency wait for no one, apparently.

Lena: “What if I’m in the mood to be bad?”

you: “I guess I’d have to teach you a lesson about what happens when you tease me all day”

Lena: “It’s settled, let’s call it a date.″

you: “you’d call anything we do a date, love LOL”

Lena: “Well then let’s make it extra special tonight ;)”

you: “looking forward to it, you big nerd”

You finally amend to put to your phone, seeing as though you spent a good few minutes flirting with your girlfriend instead of working. You figure even someone with as much money as Cat Grant wouldn’t appreciate you fooling around on company time.

“Ooooh, texting a fancy someone?” Winn’s voice comes from behind you as he swirls around to face you in his swivel chair.

“Yeah, weirdo.” You roll your eyes amused as Winn feigns hurt, but he continues nonetheless.

“Cool, you guys got any romantic plans tonight? Lena must be wicked excited.” He quirks his eyebrows suggestively, and you reach over to hit him on the arm hard enough to make him yelp.

“Gross. Even if we were I wouldn’t tell you anything.”

“Aww aren’t we superfriends? Don’t we go to share super secrets?”

“Definitely not of the bedroom variety.”

“Ah fine, I don’t think I want to know anyway. J’onn and Kara must try so hard to tune out all the adult stuff you and Lena get into whenever you guys are chilling at the DEO.”

You grimace and tune out whatever else Winn was about to say, “Oh god.”

“Really, you guys have no PG plans tonight? No extravagant displays of luxurious affection or cute date outings?”

“No, Winn. Why are you and Kara so interested in my life today anyway?”

Winn stares blankly at you before chuckling and turning back towards his computer. “Ah, ah okay! Sore topic. Sorry to pry. Just know I’m your pal, alright? You can tell me all the things.”

“Yes, rest assured, you are my pal, Winn.” You laugh despite yourself, shaking your head at your interaction.

You’d become quite busy the next few hours, all the bustle and general strangeness of the day wearing off as the remaining CatCo employees that stuck around waited until they could go home. You finally had a chance to lean back and check your phone’s notifications.

Lena: “When are you coming home? I miss you.”

you: “lol you’re so cute. Soon babe, don’t worry. Just a few things to finish up here. Are you done yet?”

Lena: “Yes, I managed to finish all that I needed today. I let Jess go early too, she’s got a cute date of her own.”

you: “oh man, no way! Is he cute? Is he worthy?? Is he an asshole? Do we need to threaten him?”

Lena: “If I didn’t know any better I’d say you’re more excited about Jess’ plans than ours. I’ve no clue, I merely assumed. Though she was acting particularly off today come to think of it.”

you: “you too eh? People were so weird today. More than they usually are. It must be a full moon.”

Lena: “I’ve no doubt that must be it. Tell me when you’re about to leave, darling. I’d very much like to get out of these restrictive clothes.”

you: “what? You won’t let me help you out??”

Lena: “If you take too long, you’ll regret far more than just that.”

Lena: “I will see you soon <3″

If you rushed to pack up a little quicker than you usually would and took off at a speed that could rival Kara’s, you’d never admit it to anyone. In your haste, you still managed to text Lena once you got into the packed streetcar and were notified that she was just on her way to yours from her apartment.

You had the chance to clean up your apartment a bit and get into your comfiest trackpants and your favourite hoodie when you heard knocking on your door. You opened the door and smiled as you opened your arms to your girlfriend. Lena immediately walked into your embrace and wrapped her arms around your middle, sighing happily as she did.

“You smell nice.”

“Thank you, I just got back from work.”

“And did work have half an army’s worth of perfume sprayed throughout the entire office to attract potential mates today?” She smirks as she makes her way around you to put her things away and make herself at home.

“I thought you said I smelled nice.”

“You do, I’m going to be stealing that sweater from you by the end of tonight.”

You chuckle at her nonchalance, “Naturally.”

She leans back on the back of your couch and crosses her arms easily. “Any hot plans for tonight?”

“You, me, and a box of pizza?”

“Make it two and you got yourself a deal.”

“Any other requests, beautiful?” You make your way slowly to Lena, eventually pinning her between your body and the couch. Your face is just inches away from hers and you can practically feel her next words against your skin.

“I was good today, need I remind you.”

“You were, actually.”

“What do I get for that?” She brings her lips close to yours and you can feel yourself being pulled for a kiss, but she doesn’t let you.

“Anything you want.”

“Oh, that’s dangerous.”

“Yeah, well, I want to make it all about you tonight.” You try again for a kiss, leaning in just too late as Lena brings herself away again. You grunt in mild frustration and she chuckles at your desperation.

“Are you sure? I see you’re getting a little impatient.”

Finally, she kisses you and you feel relieved. You’ve been waiting all day to be able to kiss your girlfriend. She’s the only sense of normalcy you have, no matter the absurdity that is your life or your individual circumstances. Her hands come up between your bodies as she latches onto the front of your shirt and tugs. Your hands come up to her hips and you push up against her lightly. You hear a soft groan from her lips and kiss it away.

You lose yourself in the kiss for however long you’ve been going at it, and she pulls herself away suddenly, leaving you moderately shocked at the abrupt loss of contact as she makes her way towards your kitchen.

“Let’s get Tony’s, I think I’m in the mood for a greasy cheesy-stuffed crust pizza.” She smirks as she takes in your indignant expression. You decide right then and there that, yes, in accordance to all science, religion, and all poetry that could be: Lena Luthor will be the death of you.

You call in your favourite pizza place and have two large greasy, cheesy-stuffed crust pizzas delivered to your door - one vegetarian for Lena (compromises, apparently), and one specialty butter chicken flavoured pizza that does an excellent job of tasting like it’s supposed to.

You’re the very definition of relaxed as you recline into your couch, Lena leaning into you as you wrap an arm around her. You both decided on one of the conspiracy theory documentaries on Netflix, deciding it was a good piece of relative garbage to consume.

Lena hums happily as she nuzzles into your side, taking a bit more of the blanket wrapped around you two as it uncovers a bit more of your legs.

You hear her mumbling from somewhere near your stomach, muffled by your sweater and the blanket and her general sleepiness. “Happy Valentine’s day.”

“What?”

There’s a long pause as you stare at Lena’s figure, no doubt with the intensity of burning into her skull if you had heat vision.

“I’m sorry, was that too weird? I shouldn’t have brought it up-”

“No...”

Lena finally turns her head to look at you questioningly. “What is it, love?”

You squint hard at the TV, the documentary long forgotten as you quickly run a reel of your entire day, pulling the brakes hard to a screeching halt when you put all the pieces together.

“Holy shit.” You mumble more to yourself than Lena.

“Babe, what’s wrong? Please, we can just forget about it-”

“No. No, no, no...”

“Oh my god, (Y/N), are you okay? Please talk to me.”

You sit up quickly, trying as best as you can to ease Lena off your lap as you continue to scratch at the surface of your struggling comprehension. You can’t believe yourself, you really can’t. You’ve certainly outdid yourself this time.

“I can’t believe it.”

Lena becomes increasingly alarmed at how upset you’re becoming and is at a loss for consoling you.

You finally look at her, an amalgamation of sadness, disappointment, and disbelief in your eyes. “Baby why didn’t you say anything?”

“I- I mean, I just did?”

“No, no way. This was supposed to be special.”

She looks at you, total confusion written on her face. “I’m sorry. I just thought- you didn’t bring it up? You hadn’t mentioned it all day and we haven’t really talked much about it, which is fair because that’s not really a thing one talks about in detail. I just thought you weren’t comfortable? I didn’t intend to upset you.”

“No, no baby that’s not it. I just- wow, I kinda suck. Aren’t you a little bit sad that I forgot?”

Lena’s lips quirk into a small smile. “Well, I mean I’ve never really had an official Valentine’s day so to speak. I would have liked to do something nice for you. But I wasn’t sure if you’d already made plans and I didn’t want to encroach on yours, and you didn’t give many hints about today at all so I thought maybe there was something else there. I didn’t want to bring it up if it was going to upset you.”

You click your tongue and lean across the couch to meet Lena halfway. You take her face in your hands and kiss her passionately. “You are too good for me, you know that?”

Lena smiles and kisses you again in between her words. “It’s okay, darling. As long as you remember my birthday.”

You pause in between your kisses, stopping as you stare almost cross-eyed into her eyes. The delayed reaction most certainly wasn’t going to help you. “Yeah, of course.”

She squints her eyes at you, backing away marginally so she can regard your entire face.

“You do remember when my birthday is, right?”

“How can I? You have like, three.”

She gasps in mock offense and begins to move away before you pull her back in, grinning at her reaction. You savour one last kiss before gently pulling yourself away and shaking your head. “Nope, I won’t have this. Get up.”

“What is it now?” She quirks her eyebrow at you quizzically, surely pondering what other nonsense you’ve come up with now.

“Get up baby, this is our date night.”

“I’d figured this night was, regardless of the calendar date?”

“Nope. Get your pretty little ass off that couch and help me, Luthor.”

Lena laughs as you take her in your arms and take her away from the couch. You pull the cushions off immediately and leave them in a heap on the floor as you take long strides toward your bedroom.

She calls after you from the living room.  “Where on earth are you going? What are you even doing?”

You come back with various blankets and push them into her arms. Lena looks down at them questioningly and watches as you stack the cushions against the couch, taking care that they won’t fall.

Eventually, you’re satisfied with your work and you’ve made a tiny fort in front of your TV with the blankets and couch cushions. Lena smiles at you, bewildered and her expression just begging for an explanation.

You notice her look and cock your head to your creation. “Well then? Get in. You said you’ve never made one of these in your life, ever. Right?”

“Yes...” She’s still looking on with perplexity but crouches down to get into your fort. You follow happily behind her.

“Well, I fucked up, so I’m going to try and fix it.”

Your girlfriend looks at you with utter adoration, her eyes slightly wet with unshed tears. “You are truly something else, (Y/N).”

You smile at her and let her kiss you, closing your eyes in content as you bask in the love you have for Lena - the woman who came into your life and challenged everything you thought you knew, and then changed you for the better.

“I am sorry. I feel like absolute shit. I’ve never forgotten before and I...” Your words trail off, and she looks at you, encouraging and understanding. You find the resilience to continue. “I just, I don’t know how it’s escaped me. It’s like, lately it’s this simultaneous experience of my days blurring together and looking forward to each day, you know?”

Lena doesn’t answer, she simply nods and silently prods you to continue.

“It’s no excuse, I don’t want it to be. It’s just that, I’ve been so happy now. I am so happy, and that is all thanks to you. I lose track of my days because I’m not counting down anymore to some unmarked end or whatever, or waiting until the next greatest thing happens to me that makes me feel alive for a few minutes. I don’t need that anymore because it’s you. You are the best thing that’s happened to me, and I don’t need to count down anymore.”

You hear her sniffle and you wrap an arm around her, as best as you can attempt with the lack of space in your fort.

“I just want to make it up to you. Because you deserve everything. And the people I’ve dated in the past have done things on Valentine’s day, and it makes me feel fucking terrible that I can’t even be assed to remember it for you. It makes me feel like I’ve let you down, and it sucks, because I want to be worthy of you. If I can’t even remember one stupid day, how am I supposed to be the person you need me to be?”

You inhale sharply, getting all your words out and finally being able to breathe. Lena’s freely crying now, tears pooling at the corners of her eyes and wetting her cheeks.

“No, (Y/N), look at this. You did this.” She points up at the fort surrounding you. “You did make it up to me. You realized it and did something about it. I could never hold this against you. I can’t be mad at you for this. You did nothing wrong, baby. And you are exactly the person I need.”

Lena’s hand comes up to your face and caresses your cheek, her thumb lightly treading circles on your skin.

“You are so good to me. You are good for me, (Y/N), and I couldn’t have asked for a better person to spend this day with.” She leans in to kiss you and your breathing steadies, allowing yourself this forgiveness.

There’s a pause in your kisses as you and Lena look at each other, the documentary long over as silence fills your apartment. Nothing but the sounds of the street and the humming of your appliances can be heard.

“You wanna know something that I haven’t done?” You ask her after a moment.

“What is that?”

“I’ve never had sex in a pillow fort before. I’m gonna fuck you in this one.”

You smirk as she she gasps scandalously, swatting your face away from her as you effectively ruin the moment. You laugh as you dodge her half-hearted attempts to keep you away, poking at her sides as she twitches and squeals at the onslaught.

“Hey, but honestly. What else haven’t you done before? You wanna do some watercolour painting tonight? I think I have a full set hiding around somewhere that I got from my best friend for my birthday. Or we could put together a puzzle, or something.” You contemplate the items you have in your apartment, and you’re about to move to look for them.

All Lena does is give you a long look, studying you before she pushes you down onto your back and moves on top of you, kissing you so that you both forget the time or the day by the time you’re both done with each other.