#anyways seriously glad they’re taking care of themselves as all people should

[a-decent-human-being5]

Drawfee Thursday has a good ring to it honestly

[kulaiyin]

(content: windblume 3.5)

i am completely normal about this event 💥😌💥

long post with reactions/thoughts about the windblume quests! as a certified collei fan, this was a great treat!

COLLEI JUMPSCARE

i love how green everything is in this picture

S... SCREAMS

alright so... i thought this was going to be collei and amber’s first reunion, but it actually makes sense that collei’s already visited mondstadt multiple times before! i’m glad because it really feels like a moment that they should have for themselves, without any nosy watchers

CYNO’S A REAL RIOT?! he’s so funny...

also i’m really glad albedo liked his jokes. tighnari is too much of a wet blanket sometimes 😂 (a comedy dynamic just needs some flabbergasted pushback to feel complete to me...)

THIS MAN SAID THIS UNPROMPTED!!!! ∑( 口 ||

by the way, in the CN voice he said something like “collei arrives” which sounds like “ke lai lai”... he actually made this joke again later in part 2 

i cannot stop screenshotting... gyaaa i love these two being the leads of the event, they’re so sweet and shy!!!! (;´༎ຶД༎ຶ`)💞

this is just a pokemon double battle

WHAT THE ACTUAL HECK CYNO!!!!!!

this is the start of what i consider my highlight of the event. 

i never realized it, but this is such a natural way for collei’s personality to progress after such a life changing event in mondstadt. of course she won’t feel 100% at ease even beside her savior and role model amber. she’s trying to be like the light that took her out of the darkness, but in the end, it’s still really difficult to crawl out of the dark. 

as a fan of manga collei for over two years, i really appreciate that collei’s past isn’t handwaved. the fact that a game like this is taking care with this mature topic instead of reducing her character for comfort and marketability... i’m really stunned and grateful with the care that the writing team has given collei’s personal struggles. 

we’re presented with the middle of a really beautiful character arc here. collei’s still growing, and that’s ok ♪(´▽｀)

sucrose’s speech here is incredible too, i’m really emotional about it... 

i’m really glad collei has made a friend in sucrose. these two characters are surrounded by people who are “out of reach”, like geniuses or role models. being surrounded by people that you put on a pedestal like that all the time must be tiring... 

i feel like these two can really benefit from each other’s company as equals who struggle in making conversation but in different ways. it’s just so good... 🤧 sucrose, you’re seriously the best.

(sucrose... 🦊, collei... 🐱? CUTE-- 💥)

besides the discussion being relatable, i also feel vulnerable having some of my inner thoughts and anxieties with human interaction relayed on the screen through these two so effectively _(:з)∠)_ i still can’t believe they did this and with such a nice message/learning moment, both for people who struggle and people who want to offer comfort.

... anyway, socially anxious people unite...! someone check on the writers responsible for this scene! it’s too real...

sucrose mailbox... it has her neck bow and the metal bit that’s on her sleeve!

this lore in part 2 really got my eyes opened wide?! so cyno’s adopted dad is professor cyrus... cyno also is possessed by “hermanubis” in a situation almost like collei’s, but he has it under control. that’s quite nuts!

SO COOL...

the hexenzirkel-- (googles) wow, i cannot believe i spelled that right --cutscene was also very interesting. the lore revelations about the new characters... hmm! too much to go over, but personally i’d love to learn more about B. “let me scry!”

also very happy to see albedo as a beby...

sigh... i am not a big fan of alice because of her crimes against hilichurls and i gotta admit, despite it being a lore bomb, i’m kind of sad this event ended on such a random note. i wanted sucrose and collei’s efforts to have a world shattering revelation on their psyche, darn it! (exaggerated)

also maybe i wanted a cutscene dedicated to collei backstory... (/▽＼) but i get it, it would’ve been totally out of place and collei shouldn’t be dominating a mondstadt event haha...

in the end i respect the writing decision, i’m glad everyone there got to witness an old secret that happened many windblumes ago. there’s still something special and thematic about that!

I-I-I-I-I-IS THIS.........!!!? A REFERENCE TO THE SCHOLAR’S BOOKMARK SHE WON IN LUDI HARPASTUM IN THE MANGA (COLLAPSES) 

THIS IS SO WARM! THANK YOU FOR A GREAT WINDBLUME!!!!! the cloud test tube scene was such a cute callback T___T may everyone find happiness!

by the way it’s so funny that you can actually challenge cyno...

IT WAS SO CLOSE, HE’S HARD...

also i full combo’d collei’s beatmap on first try! it was really hard too, i was basically relying on my memory of the song to not fail on the note spam parts `(*>﹏<*)′  i wonder why they got rid of the canorus rank?!

THAT’S RIGHT COLLEI IS A BEAST 💪💪💪💪

here’s to another great flagship event *(੭*ˊᵕˋ)੭*

[artemisiatridentata]

I am begging y’all to please wear a mask (ideally an N95, such as a 3M aura, or at least a KN95 or KF94) in public and in crowds, indoor AND outdoor, even when you DON’T feel sick or have any symptoms. At least 20% — and some sources say up to 60% — of cases are asymptomatic!!! Meaning you could feel completely fine, waltzing through the grocery store or restaurant or concert maskless, and be shedding virus and infecting countless other people!! Please mask up to protect yourself and others. If you’ve stopped, it’s never too late to start again. It is never pointless.

Also — just want to clarify a couple things mentioned above.

1) Covid is not endemic. Here’s a good explanation as to why:

2) While I’m very glad to hear the person above is experiencing mild acute symptoms, I hope people reading that don’t interpret it as a reason to drop precautions like masking, testing, avoiding crowds, etc!! And the next things I’ll say are not meant to scare y’all, but to reiterate the seriousness of this ongoing viral pandemic.

Covid is not becoming more mild. It is, rather, becoming more infectious and more immune-evasive, meaning immunity you may have from vaccines or prior infections protects you less as new variants evolve and spread.

While the acute phase of covid can result in mild symptoms for some people, the long-term effects are worrying. An increasing number of previously healthy young people are getting strokes, heart attacks, brain fog and other severe post-covid sequelae. Even mild cases can result in brain damage equivalent to an extra year of aging, and covid can impair your body’s ability to fight off future infections. An estimated 23 million Americans and 65 million people globally have or have had long covid, a cluster of often life-altering and debilitating symptoms that persist weeks, months, and even years after an acute infection. Hell, the WHO themselves recently stated that you have a 1 in 10 chance of developing LC with each infection, though some estimates put it at 1 in 5. Idk about y’all but I am not tryna fuck around and find out with those odds.

I’m not even going to get into the eugenic aspects of the way the US government and corporations are handling this pandemic, because I’m tired and don’t want to type all that out right now. But that’s another important reason to wear a mask, imo. Since the pandemic started, disabled people have been pushed out of society and repeatedly ignored and told the basic protections we’re asking for are too much to ask. They’re not. Caring for the people around you by wearing a mask is one of the most radical things you can do right now. Don’t let the government and capitalist corporations convince you otherwise.

Lastly, what we have to remember is that we are early on in this pandemic. We are just starting to see the long-term effects that repeat covid infections are having on people, and they are, frankly, horrifying. What will the world be like 10 years from now, if everyone keeps going along with the back-to-normal getting-infected-twice-a-year grind?

Anyways. Personally, for all these reasons and more, I’m not willing to take risks like going unmasked in public. I’ve avoided restaurants, bars, movie theaters, concerts, and other large gatherings since March 2020. I continue to wear an N95 in public, both indoors and outdoors if I’m around a bunch of people. I use other mitigation tools like air filters and antiviral nasal spray to further reduce my risk, and I…. may or may not have hypothetically used a fake name to get two Novavax shots even though I wasn’t eligible for more vaccines since I got a bivalent booster back in the fall. (No I didn’t. I would never do something illegal! Even if the government were dragging its feet on updating vaccine guidelines! Haha! You should definitely not do something like that!) is it hard to live like this? Fuck yeah. It fucking sucks sometimes. But you know what would suck more? Throwing caution to the wind and listening to corporations urging me to get back to normal and then getting repeatedly infected and probably becoming even more disabled or dying.

I would much rather make some sacrifices socially and listen to doctors and scientists and long covid survivors who have been sounding the alarm bells and screaming from the rooftops since 2020. Because I love my life, I love being able to do the things I’m able to do, and I don’t want to lose that by getting long covid. I don’t want to raise my risk of dying young from a stroke or heart attack. I don’t want to risk infecting someone else and condemning them to that fate because I wasn’t wearing a mask. And I doubt that any of y’all want that either, deep down. 💖

reminder that even if the world health organization says covid is over, it isnt.

[tourmalinatedquartz]

Darlin’s phone dies and David has been trying to get ahold of them for a last minute pack meeting or something. When he can’t get through Asher offers to try and can’t reach them either. Then they reach out to Sam who hasn’t seen them since they went out that morning to run some errands. He can’t contact them either obviously. So now the whole Shaw pack and Solaire clan are desperately trying to text and call and eventually they all go out to find them and they all expect them to be hurt or worse. But when they’re found, they had stopped at a secluded spot in the woods that they like and fell asleep after 2 days of restless nights. Their body finally just passed out and if their phone was charged they probably would have slept through all the vibrations and ringing anyway. At first David is mad because Quinn is out there, and they should take better care of themselves, and they should be keeping people updated if their gonna go off grid. But he just takes a breath and tells them he’s glad they’re safe. And so does Asher, and Milo, and Angel, and babe, and sweetheart (who was ready to call everyone at the department to get a search party together), and Vincent, and lovely, and Sam. Sam just pulls them into a hug. Neither of them have to say anything. Sam would have lost his mind if anything happened to Darlin’. And Darlin’ doesn’t know how to react to all these people mumbling about how worried they were. So they just tell them all something about how they didn’t need to waste their time. Which gets David riled up again and ready to lecture Darlin’ about taking their own safety more seriously. Even though everyone was scared and Darlin is embarrassed by the attention it’s a good reminder of how much they’re actually cared for. Despite what they’ve always thought.

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 306: the beginning of the WHAT

Previously on BnHA: Nana and the Gang were all, “hey Deku, we can read your thoughts and feelings so we should already know the answer to this, but for some reason we want to quiz you on whether or not you’d be down to kill Shigaraki Tomura.” Deku was all, “um okay, well tbh, probably not seeing as Saving People has been my entire thing since literally the start of the series.” The Vestiges were all, “yes that makes perfect sense and again we already knew that, but well, good for you buddy and I’m glad we had this talk. Anyway I guess we should ask these two cryptic fuckers in the corner to finally turn around now before we run out of -- ” and then the chapter ended. Because OF COURSE IT DID.

Today on BnHA: Horikoshi is all “YOU DON’T NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT, WOULDN’T IT BE SO MUCH BETTER IF I GAVE YOU A CONFUSING CHAPTER WHERE EVERYONE FINALLY LEARNS ABOUT OFA, AND GOES BACK TO THE DORMS, AND THEN THE CHAPTER ENDS WITH DEPRESSED NOMAD DEKU STANDING ON A PRECIPICE WITH GRAN TORINO’S TATTERED CAPE FLOWING IN THE WIND.” Everyone is all, “???????????” Horikoshi is all, “also the parents are moving to the U.A. campus, and Jeanist’s neck is two and a half feet long, for everyone that was wondering.” Everyone is all, “WHERE ARE KACCHAN AND TODOROKI AND FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, WHO ARE THE SECOND AND THIRD USERS”, and Horikoshi is all, “:)” and fades away into nothingness like the fucking fae he is. Like a fucking imp who’s kept his end of the cursed bargain. What, the, fuck.

okay guys, so after the longest Thursday of my fucking life, during which I was secretly hoping that my spoiler containment net would be somehow be breached, inadvertently exposing me to theta spoiler radiation, so that I could be all “oh no... spoilers... there’s nothing I can do... I have no choice but to look” (which sadly did not happen), it is finally Friday and the chapter is finally out. so I’ve got my clown kit at the ready and other self-deprecating memes on standby, and I’m ready to go. and I should note that I’m also ready for Horikoshi to pull some absolute bullshit and be like, “oh you know what, we haven’t checked in with Rat Principal in a while have we” and spend the entire chapter on nonsense like that. I’M READY FOR FUCKING ANYTHING so bring it

(ETA: it would be nice if this man wouldn’t call my bluff every now and again.)

oh, right, we were due a color page! wow look at this

isn’t this supposed to be the future?? what’s with all of these staticky CRT TVs

anyway, so! is this the first time we’ve seen Tomura’s stylish finger prosthetic glove thingy in color?? because I didn’t expect it to be red. also, at some point you just have to give in and change your pants into cutoffs or something, Tomura. start a new trend of stylish villain capris

meanwhile Deku is dressed like he’s going on a journey into the desert to find a mystical oasis. actually this cape looks a lot like Gran Torino’s. I have to go back and see if Gran’s is all raggedy like this

(ETA: it wasn’t before but APPARENTLY IT IS NOW. I also forgot that Horikoshi had showed it sitting on a side table in the hospital a few chapters ago.)

lastly, AFO looks like someone’s thumb after they’ve been washing dishes for twenty minutes. you are just the ugliest dude in history, and as always, fuck you

HAHAHA SOB I KNEW IT

oh, Twowy McTwoface is finally starting to turn around? better CUT BACK TO DEKU’S HOSPITAL ROOM THEN. wouldn’t want to accidentally ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS or SOLVE ANY MYSTERIES, god forbid

well, whatever. whatever!! anyway so now someone’s knocking at the door. I say “someone” but we all know it’s Hawks

yep

they were actually standing outside the door for a while hoping they’d overhear another juicy plot conversation, but no such luck this time

lmaooo Jeanist wtf

acting all embarrassed, but you’re really just as curious as Hawks is. making him do all the dirty work for you huh

ARE YOU SERIOUS THIS IS AN INJUSTICE

so like two seconds after Katsuki gets dragged away you open the door for the rest of them!! well, fine!! I really want it to be a more private/personal moment between the two of them anyway so let the other kids check in on Deku first then

and in the meantime, time to see Hawks put the thumbscrews to All Might’s resolve lol

I wonder how much of it Hawks has already put together in the last five minutes. One for All is something connected to All for One that Tomura seems to want. Tomura was apparently targeting Deku. that’s more than enough to make a few deductions right there. I wonder how much Hawks knows about Deku’s quirk. he did watch the sports festival, and he ran into the kids interning under Endeavor that one time

okay well maybe he hasn’t put the rest of it together just yet, but Hawks is making a pretty reasonable pitch here to All Might

also this is a pretty spectacular view. is this a hospital or a hotel??

AHLKJLKJLKJ ARE YOU SERIOUSLY GOING TO TELL THEM

OH MY GOD HE IS?!?!

JUST LIKE WE ALL EXPECTED, THE NEXT TWO PEOPLE TO LEARN THE TRUTH ABOUT OFA ARE GOING TO BE HAWKS, AND BEST FUCKING JEANIST

-- LFKLKKLDK ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS. ARE YOU --

( •̀_•́ )

[sitting cross-legged on the ground pulling up little clumps of grass and letting them fall from my fingers one by one] yeah. sure. okay. fine. sure

-- OKAY, NO. NUH-UH. NO

everybody better hold tight cuz I’m about to pick up this whole chapter and yeet it into the ocean like a fucking frisbee lol

HORIKOSHI I DON’T CARE ABOUT THESE PEOPLE SITTING HERE WATCHING TV WTF

-- OH

well okay then. proceed. though lord help me if they’re about to reveal the secret of OFA to the whole fucking world skdkj

oh snap

well, there it is. pretty much what I expected, but it’s good to actually get to see this moment with him taking responsibility

though at the same time, thank you Horikoshi for not forcing us to sit through the rest of that

their fucking faces omg. okay but seriously, what nation doesn’t secretly love a good scandal

the Endeavor Pamphlets, part two. thank you for giving the country something to opine about on twitter in these trying times, Enji

so now they’re asking about Hawks and Jeanist but I cannot even focus on anything all of a sudden because what?!

is Jeanist even a real actual human being you guys?! are we sure he’s not three kids sitting on each other’s shoulders?? are you related to that one guy with the really long neck from the Jedi Council?? are you Orochimaru, bro??

so now Hawks is apologizing for the murder of Twice, and for hiding the connection with his dad

the fact that he has to give this serious formal apology and beg forgiveness for the shameful crime of Having An Abusive Father is really something else, though. just. it’s realistic, but I still hate it

moving on now to the one thing he actually does owe the public an explanation for

not to go all “Hawks did nothing wrong” on you guys yet again, but seriously. 100% facts. fandom can (and no doubt will) debate this until the end of time, but if Twice had gotten away they wouldn’t be having this press conference right now because there wouldn’t be any heroes left to give one. anyways though, I’ve already said more than enough about that in previous posts

so now some severe-looking lady with the weirdest fingers I’ve ever seen is saying that her mother was injured during Machia’s rampage

and she’s basically all “a fuck lot of good ‘I’m sorry’ does us all about now.” true true

wow she’s really getting fired up

and now Enji is basically saying that he understands that an apology isn’t enough, and what they really need now are solutions. okay, well! SO THEN WHAT IS THE PLAN THEN

hmmfsdgh

this eloquent PEZ dispenser makes a good point you guys

wait, hold up

CERTAIN citizens?? um excuse me, what??

ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh shit

holy shit. well, this will go over well

okay! so this tells me a number of things, though

basically the minute that Hawks learned about One for All, he realized that anyone connected to Deku (e.g. Inko) would be a target for AFO. AFO wants OFA, meaning AFO wants Deku, and one of the easiest ways to get to Deku would be to target his family

Hawks therefore realized that Inko needed to be placed into protective custody

but the fact that ALL of the hero course students’ families (and is it only the U.A. hero course, or all of the hero course students across the country?) are being given protection tells me that Hawks and co. don’t want to single Deku out as being important. so then it looks like they’re not going to tell everyone about OFA (or at least not the public. which, good). so rather than drawing suspicion by saying “we’ve got to protect everyone connected with this one kid”, they’re making it seem like all the U.A. kids’ families are getting this treatment

but since the heroes are now spread so thin, they can’t just send a protective detail to each and every family, so they’re bringing all of the families to the same place instead to better keep an eye on them

so that’s all well and good, and a very smart move. except that idk how all of this is going to go over with the general public, all of whom are probably feeling unsafe at the moment, and who will probably see this as preferential treatment -- basically just the heroes looking after their own and leaving everyone else to fend for themselves

(ETA: okay so @hanashimas​’ translation clarifies that U.A. is offering their services as an evacuation shelter for everyone who wants it, not just the families of the U.A. students. that’s much more appropriate so I withdraw my previous “wtf” reaction lol.)

anyway though here’s Mitsuki and Inko

can we take this as confirmation that the two of them really are friends? that’s one piece of fanon that I’ve always hoped was true, so I’m gonna go ahead and say it’s confirmed

(ETA: also this means that Hagakure’s parents (or maybe “parents” in quotation marks) will supposedly be moving in as well. sure am curious as to how that’s going to go.)

now someone in the press crowd is asking whether U.A. can provide adequate security, which is honestly the LAST thing I expected these people would be outraged about lol. shows what I know I guess

(ETA: again though, this makes sense if the “certain civilians” thing was just a translation error.)

LMAO DAMMIT ENJI

YOU CAN’T JUST ALWAYS PULL THE “JUST WATCH ME” TRICK AND EXPECT IT TO SHUT DOWN THE CONVERSATION EVERY DAMN TIME YOU ASSHOLE

-- OH MY GOD RED ALERT

TIME TO ANALYZE THIS BECAUSE OMG

WASH CAN’T BELIEVE HIS FAMILY GROUP CHAT IS STILL SENDING HIM FUCKING MEMES AT A TIME LIKE THIS. HE DOESN’T GIVE A FUCK IF THE DABI DANCE IS TRENDING ON TIKTOK, MOM!!

FOR A MINUTE I THOUGHT MT. LADY WAS HOLDING MIDNIGHT’S TORN-UP MASK, AND BY THE TIME I REALIZED THAT’S ACTUALLY HER MASK AND NOT MIDNIGHT’S, I HAD ALREADY CONSTRUCTED AN ELABORATE HEADCANON IN WHICH MT. LADY AND MIDNIGHT WERE SECRETLY DATING BUT HADN’T COME OUT TO ANYONE YET, AND THEN TRAGEDY STRUCK, AND NOW MT. LADY IS GETTING READY TO SET OUT TO SEEK VENGEANCE. AND WELL, NOW THAT THIS HEADCANON EXISTS IN THE WORLD, I’M NOT SURE IF I’M READY TO GET RID OF IT

MIRKO HAS GOTTEN HERSELF A PROSTHETIC (ROBOT??!) ARM, NOTHING ELSE THAT’S HAPPENING IN THIS CHAPTER IS EVEN SLIGHTLY IMPORTANT!!! HELLO!!!!!

AIZAWA WITH THE EYEPATCH GOOD LORD. THE WORLD ISN’T READY. HE LOOKS LIKE HE HASN’T SLEPT IN NINETY-EIGHT YEARS, BUT SOMEHOW HE MAKES IT INTO THE HOTTEST THING EVER AS PER USUAL

WHO THE FUCK IS THIS FUCKING GUY. ARE WE SUPPOSED TO KNOW HIM? IS THIS KAMUI?? WAS THAT THING WHICH I ALWAYS ASSUMED WAS HIS HAIR ACTUALLY A HELMET OR SOMETHING WHAT

LOL AND MEANWHILE

you tell me, Dabi! weren’t you the one who said that wouldn’t be enough to kill him? what even is your endgame here. I’m starting to worry about the villain brain cell supply you guys. I feel like Compress took most of them with him when he left

OH??

“when asked about One for All, Endeavor fucking lied through his teeth.” well, well, well

SLKDFJLSKGDJLKLKGJL THE DORMS

( ⁰ ⌂ ⁰ )

SLDKJFLKJWLKJLK

WLKDJSLKJFWKELKSDJLKHGLK

HDSMFLKGKL:GDSELK

OCHAKO’S HAND IS SHAKING OH MY GOD

THERE’S YOUR KAMINARI, EVERYONE!!

RHA’S SCANLATION TEAM REALLY THREW DEKU’S HANDWRITING UNDER THE BUS HERE HUH

HE TOLD EVERYONE!?

WHY THE FUCK IS HE WRITING IT AS A LETTER

(ETA: 9. also if he really wrote every kid in his class then that means the U.A. traitor -- or Hagakure as we like to call her around these parts -- also knows about OFA, and knows that Deku has run the fuck off and isn’t at U.A. anymore. so that’s just great!)

OH HELL NO

the hell does that mean, you must leave. leave to go where. son you are not up and leaving to go power up and lead us all into a timeskip. and I swear to GOD, if you left Kacchan too...!!

MY GOD I CAN’T PROPERLY ABSORB ALL OF THESE OCHAKO FEELS RIGHT NOW BECAUSE I’M TOO TERRIFIED TO SCROLL TO THE LAST FUCKING PAGE, FUCK

I JUST GOTTA DO IT. I JUST GOTTA SUCK IT UP AND DO IT. FUCK

FUCK

WHAT. THE. FUCK

y’all I’m not even gonna waste your time with more keysmashing, JUST ASSUME THAT I AM DOING IT NONSTOP, FOREVER. and let’s just jump RIGHT IN HERE

okay so here I thought that All Might and co. had taken him away somewhere to train, but that is CLEARLY not what’s going on here. this kid is standing here in his Apocalypse Aesthetic hero costume which has CLEARLY seen better days, with Gran Torino’s cloak (GUESS THAT EXPLAINS THAT, THEN?? SO DID GRAN FUCKING DIE EXCUSE ME WTF), and a fucking backpack. this little green idiot has RUN AWAY FROM HOME. this is the absolute LAST THING ON EARTH I ever expected to happen so PARDON ME WHILE I SCREAM CONFUSEDLY INTO THE VOID

he does not look okay. you guys he doesn’t look okay at ALL. he has NEVER looked like this. this isn’t just a “I’m sad because I’m leaving all my friends behind” kind of look on his face, or even just a “Gran Torino died maybe and I’m still having emotions over it” look. this is an EXHAUSTED, dead look in his eyes. something terrible has happened

WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR ARMS DEKU. THE PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING DOWN WITH YOUR ARMS GODDAMMIT

love how this random building is just straight up collapsing, like that’s just a normal thing that happens every day now. lovely

APRIL MEANS IT’S NOW FULL ON SCHEDULED ALL-MIGHT-DYING-HOURS, BUT LET’S COMPLETELY IGNORE THAT THOUGH BECAUSE FUCK THAT NOISE

“THE SECOND USER? WHO KNOWS? CERTAINLY NOT ME” HORIKOSHI I SWEAR TO GOD

“BAKUGOU? NEVER HEARD OF HIM!” HORIKOSHI PLEASE

WHERE. IS. KACCHAN

did he go with Deku?? did he get a chance to talk to him before he left?? did he get his own private letter which he read and then promptly blew up in a fit of panicked rage?? is he going to go after him?? DOES HORIKOSHI KNOW WHAT HE’S DOING TO ME RIGHT NOW?? OF COURSE HE DOES, DON’T BOTHER ANSWERING THAT

omg. though actually the fact that we’ve already jumped a few weeks forward makes me hopeful that there won’t actually be another timeskip, or at least not much of one. I’m sure that’ll be the big debate of the week, but I don’t think we can jump too far forward here. for starters because of that All Might prophecy I mentioned. and also because TomurAFO isn’t just going to wait around for months. and also because I’m 100% sure that Deku’s running-away backpack is just filled ENTIRELY WITH NOTEBOOKS and this asshole cannot possibly survive more than 3 days on his own. UNLESS SOMEONE COMES TO HELP HIM THAT IS. OR SOMEONES, EVEN. OMG. omg omg omg. fuck this chapter lmao

[engie-ivy]

Remus is the uptight, swotty Prefect who's always getting the popular and beloved troublemakers Black and Potter in detention. Remus doesn't care what people say of him, and he absolutely doesn't care about Black's blinding smile.

A Book By Its Cover

Remus pulls his jumper closer around himself against the draught in the large, empty halls. The corridor is dimly lit and he hears nothing but the sound of his own footsteps. Everything is quiet. Too quite.

A loud clang suddenly sounds from behind one of the tapestries. Remus almost smiles to himself. Bingo. In a swift motion, he pulls away the tapestry.

Startled, Black whirls around. He’s surrounded by what appear to be paint cans and rope. His shock only last a moment, though.

“Lupin!” He exclaims, a beaming smile appearing on his face. “What a pleasant surprise!”

Remus crosses his arms over his chest. He makes an effort to keep a firm expression on his face, to show he’s not affected by Black’s notorious, blinding smile, like everyone else is. “Only pleasant if you like detention. And as for a surprise, I am a Prefect. I am supposed to be here making my rounds. So what are you doing here?”

“Preparing a prank,” Black says simply.

Remus doesn’t know whether he should be insulted Black doesn’t seem to take his authority very seriously, or glad that he doesn’t insult his intelligence by coming up with an excuse.

“Right,” Remus says, before taking out his notebook and pen. “Out of bed after curfew and engaging in illegal activity,” he scribbles down. “And where’s Potter?”

“Aw, am I not enough for you, Lupin?” Black pouts.

“I figured you could use some company in detention,” Remus replies smoothly.

Black clicks his tongue. “So thoughtful.”

“If you’re here setting up some prank, then it’s a given Potter is setting up that prank somewhere else in the school as well. So, where is he?”

Black shakes his head. “For you’re own good, Lupin, you don’t wanna put James in detention right now. People won’t be too pleased with you if the school’s football star misses the upcoming match against Slytherin thanks to you.”

“So thoughtful,” Remus repeats Black’s words, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “But please, don’t concern yourself over me. I’ve never cared what others think of me, and I don’t plan on starting now. And you basically just admitted Potter is currently doing something that would warrant me giving him detention, so you might as well tell me where he is.”

Black sighs. “This is why people call you uptight.”

Remus’ expression hardens. “If people care so much, they should be mad at Potter for risking the football match in the first place by playing some stupid prank.”

Black gasps dramatically and clutches his chest. “Stupid? Our pranks are not stupid! They’re works of art! Jumping out of a cake on miss McGonagall’s birthday? Hilarious! Making a zip line to go from one floor to the other? Brilliant! Filling the gym with stray cats, many of whom were eventually adopted? Genius! People love our pranks. They make people laugh and bring some excitement in their lives. Much needed excitement, because let’s face it, school is boring. Sitting there, listening to old people tell you things you already know.”

“For you maybe,” Remus mutters.

Black scoffs. “Don’t pretend you’re not one of the smartest people in our class, Lupin.”

Remus just glares harder at Black, to show that no, he doesn’t care that Sirius Black, whom people are always falling over themselves for to get even a bit of his attention, has apparently noticed Remus’ academic achievements. No, he doesn’t care at all.

“Even the teachers love our pranks,” Black continues. “They put some life into this place!”

“We’ll see what miss McGonagall has to say about it when I report you tomorrow,” Remus says calmly. “I’ll go finish my rounds, and when I get back, you better have cleaned up this mess.”

As he turns around to leave, Black suddenly grabs his wrist. “Join us!”

“Wha...” Remus turns back, and his traitorous stomach flutters at how close Black is suddenly standing.

“Join us for one prank,” Black says.

Remus blinks at him. “Why in earth would I do that?”

“Because it’s fun! And honestly, Lupin, to me you always look like you can use a bit of fun.”

That catches Remus off guard. It’s true. Between struggling to get top marks, doing everything he can for extra credit, making sure he has a spotless record, excelling at his Prefect duties, and worrying about his sick mother, lately he often feels like just throwing his hands in the air and say ‘screw it all!’, and just do something crazy, something dumb or irresponsible. But he definitely never wanted for Black to notice that.

“Come on, Lupin,” Black says, as Remus stays silent. “Be part of the fun for once, instead of putting a damper on it.”

“Your childish pranks aren’t my idea of fun,” Remus bites back, feeling himself getting defensive.

Black just grins. “You won’t know that unless you join us for just one prank!”

“Why would you even want me to join you?” Many people would be lining up to be a part of one of Black and Potter’s infamous pranks. It’s beyond Remus why Black would ask that one stuffy guy who puts them in detention almost every week.

“Because I like you,” Black shrugs. “I like how hard you work for everything and how you don’t care what anyone thinks of you. And I think you secretly have a talent for it,” he adds with a wink, that absolutely does not make Remus’ knees go weak. “I bet you have a wicked side to you underneath all that swotty stuff.”

“But I’m a Prefect!” Remus argues. “I’m supposed to discipline rule-breakers, not break them myself!”

Black rolls his eyes. “You shouldn’t take that job so serious.”

This rubs Remus the wrong way. “Not everyone can afford to treat everything in life as a joke,” he says coolly.

Black folds his arms over his chest and stares. “A fancy title and a badge and suddenly you’re better than us?”

“It’s nothing like that!”

Black huffs. “Then why is that bogus job so important to you?”

“Because some of us can’t afford to have even one note on their record if they ever want to get anywhere in life!” Remus snaps. “Because some of us need perfect scores and every bit of extra credit they can get if they want universities not to immediately bin their applications! Because some of us don’t have a last name they can flaunt, a daddy who can make a phone call, a mommy who can throw some money around, and suddenly you’re top of the list! Because some of us can’t just look at their rich parents and rely on them to always give them everything they want!”

The change in Black is instant. He takes a step back, and instead of his usual easy smile and bright eyes sparkling with mischief, his face becomes an ice-cold mask. “Fuck you, Lupin,” he hisses. “You don’t know a thing about me.”

He pushes past Remus as he storms off, leaving him behind feeling very confused. Maybe he shouldn’t have said that. Yes, the system is unfair and Black is privileged, but Remus supposes that isn’t really Black’s fault. He knows Black isn’t actually a bad person. His heart is in the right place, and he’s usually kind, only ever mean to people who, quite frankly, deserve it.

Remus just wishes Black would stop with those bloody pranks.

Remus just wishes Black would continue with those bloody pranks.

Or do anything really that makes him seem more like his old self. Remus never thought he’d miss that loud, barking laugh, that infuriating smirk, those lame puns so much.

Ever since everyone returned from Christmas break, Black has completely withdrawn. He hardly talks to anyone, he just sits silently, his eyes staring off in the distance and his expression blank. Potter is always by his side, softly talking to him or just throwing him worried glances.

Since then, it has been the talk of the school, and even in the papers and on the news: Sirius Black has been removed from his parents’ custody. It was a messy affair, the police has even been involved. Black’s father was arrested on grounds of child abuse. Apparently, Orion Black, the noble and well-respected patriarch of the prestigious Black family, has a habit of beating his son. It must’ve been going on for a while, but over the break it escalated. People just can’t get over how Sirius Black’s life wasn’t as perfect as it always seemed to be.

Remus feels bad for Black, and especially feels like an idiot, having said the things he said. He knows he owes Black an apology. It has been a couple of weeks since the break ended, and the apology is beginning to be long overdue. Though he also knows that Black has probably not been waiting for an apology from the uptight twat that always gets him detention.

Maybe it’s more to ease his own consciousness that he hesitantly approaches the table where Black is sitting. Potter glares at him the moment he sees him, and half gets out of his seat, probably to tell him to piss off, and rightfully so. However, after a quick glance at Black’s face, who’s looking up at Remus, he sits back down, as if he sees something on his friend’s face that makes him chance his mind.

“Bla- Sirius,” Remus says, realising a tad late that Sirius might nor want to be reminded of his family name right now. “I’m sorry,” he blurts out. “I said some shitty things to you, and I shouldn’t have. You were right, I didn’t know anything about you.”

“It’s okay,” Sirius says softly. “You had good reason to be angry, it’s a rather fucked up system. And you didn’t know. Didn’t know that I would’ve gladly given up all that privilege to just have parents who... who love me...”

Sirius’ voice falters and he trails off. Potter is staring at him wide-eyed, and also Remus is surprised. He knows Sirius hasn’t talked about it to anyone, and he feels almost guilty he’s saying it to him of all people. He’s also surprised at the overwhelming urge he has to pull Sirius into a hug, hold him and tell him they never deserved him anyway. He has to leave before he does anything stupid.

“I should go,” Remus says quickly. “If there’s ever anything I can do...”

As he turns around to leave, Black suddenly grabs his wrist. “Join us!”

Remus turns back to look at him.

“Join us for one prank.”

“Why would you want me to join you?” Remus asks, much like the first time.

“Because I like you,” Sirius replies, much like the first time, only where he had then sounded nonchalant and slightly amused, he now sounds pleading and vulnerable.

“Yeah,” Remus says hoarsely, because his Prefect duties suddenly don’t seem so important compared to helping Sirius come back to his old self. “Yeah, I’ll join you for one prank.”

And then the most amazing thing happens: for the first time in weeks, Sirius Black smiles. It’s only a small smile, but the room already seems a bit brighter. In a moment of vivid clarity, Remus knows that there’s nothing he wouldn’t do to make that boy smile.

[warmblanketwhump]

flight plan: part 2

no planes in this one - just some good old-fashioned sickfic! But if you want the backstory, check out part 1 here.

“A, can you hand me my glass of water? Pleaaaase?” B sticks out their bottom lip in a pout, and A can’t help but laugh.

“Okay, you. It’s been four days and I know you’re getting better, because you’re getting pesky again.” A straightens the blankets and slides their hand up to feel B’s cheek. “Still a little warm, but I think you’re on your way out of the woods.”

“So I should milk this while I can?” B flutters their eyelashes and gives a pitifully fake cough, which slips into a real one, sharp and rattling. Concern flits across A’s eyes, and they help B take a few sips from the glass.

Despite the joking, A didn’t kid themselves about how sick B had been, or how awful they’d truly felt after getting off the plane. The first two days had been nightmarish - B barely conscious, shivering with chills and sweating through their sheets, alternating between terrifying fever dreams and inconsolable moaning and weeping.

A did their best to hold them through it, but they had been minutes away from hauling B to the hospital. Thankfully B’s fever had spiked just one final time before settling into general low-grade misery.

“As long as you need me, sweetheart, you’ve got me.” B gives a tired smile and pulls the blanket to their chin, huddling around the new stuffed animal A gave them at the airport.

“Did you call C?”

“Ah, not yet. Too busy with you, ya sick little bean.” A gently fluffs B’s hair. “You rest, and I’ll give them a call now.”

But C doesn’t pick up. Nor do they pick up an hour later, leaving A stuck with the unpleasant task of leaving a voicemail.

“Um, hi…this is A. I just wanted to call and let you know that B’s on the mend. They’re still pretty weak, but I think things are looking up. So…yeah. Thanks for everything you did for B - once they were feeling better, they told me all about what you did. And I…well, I care a lot about them. Obviously. So I appreciate it. I guess you can call back if you-”

The message cuts off, and A groans. Hopefully that was enough. Still, they couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling in the pit of their stomach.

Later, they settle in with B to watch a movie, B’s head cradled in their lap as A combs their fingers soothingly through their hair, reveling in the sheer normalcy of it all. They both end up falling asleep, and when A blinks awake as the credits roll, they notice a missed call from C. B’s still out, so they click to listen to the voicemail.

“Hey, A….sorry I *coughs*…missed you earlier. Wasn’t able to *sniffs* make it to the phone. So glad to hear that B’s *cough cough* doing better. I think they did a little sharing.” C laughs weakly, but A can hear the sheer exhaustion in their voice. “Anyways, glad they had you. And if you’ve got any survival tips, feel free to pass them along…..I’m just kidding. *cough* I’ll be fine. Anyways, I’ll…see you around, I guess.” They pause briefly, like they want to say something more, but a coughing fit steals their breath away, and the message ends with a click cutting off the rough gasps.

The pit in A’s stomach comes back. C sounds sick.

“Who….who was that?” B mumbles from their spot on A’s lap.

“It was C. They called back and they….didn’t sound so good.”

B’s eyes snap to meet A’s, more alert than they have been in days. “Did they sound like me?”

C pauses. They hadn’t thought about not telling B, but in hindsight, maybe they should have. After all, it’d only flood B with guilt, and they needed all the energy they had to get well. But one look at B’s concern, and they knew they wouldn’t be able to lie.

“Yeah. They did.” Immediately B struggles to push themselves up, throwing their blanket off their shoulders and trying to stand.

“Whoa, hold it there. Where do you think you’re going?”

“To C. If they’re sick, it’s from me, and if any hints from the past four days of living with me are any indication, we gotta help them.”

A throws their hands up, pressing B back on the couch. “Hold up. We don’t know them, we don’t know if someone’s already taking care of them, and we don’t know where they live. I’m sure they’re-“

B frantically shakes their head. “You didn’t hear them. On the plane. From what they said…I don’t think they have anyone. I have to go.”

A chews their lip. “Well, let’s get things straight first. You’re in no shape to go help them. Which leaves me. A random stranger they don’t know. And you want me to check on them?”

The question was meant to be sarcastic, but B nods vigorously and fear fills their eyes with a fevered anxiety. “A, you saw how sick I was. You think anyone’s gonna be able to fight through that alone?”

A sighs wearily. They could blame it on the fact that arguing with a sick B was like arguing with a brick wall. But truthfully, what did their heart in was the thought of B alone on that plane, sick and shivering and miserable, if C hadn’t helped.

Fine. They’d send a text.

You okay? You sounded kinda rough on the phone. B was worried….

A few moments later, C responds.

Eh, I’ve felt better. But thank you for asking. And tell B not to feel bad. They were a better seatmate than most.

A smile tugs at A. At least this C was polite.

Is there anything you need? B said something about you being by yourself.

This pause was longer. The dots appeared and disappeared a few times, before a message came through.

I hate to take advantage, but is there ANY way you could bring over some cough medicine? I ran out a couple days ago. No worries if not - I can figure it out.

C’s heart sank. So they were alone. Sure, they didn’t say it - but any good friend or significant other worth their salt wouldn’t leave someone they loved without medicine for days.

I’ll bring some to you! Want to meet somewhere neutral, or just want me to drop it off?

In moments, C sends a response and an address.

Dropping off is fine. You are an actual lifesaver.

A settles B into bed with blankets, a cup of water, hot tea, and six types of medicine on the side table. “Now if you get worse, call me and I’ll turn around immediately. Nothing’s more important than you, okay?”

B shook their head. “I’ll be fine. They need someone.”

A heaves a sigh. “You’re too good, you.” They give B a quick forehead kiss, and head out into the night.

By the time they get to C’s apartment, their stomach is flip-flopping - C is a stranger. A lonely stranger, but a random stranger nonetheless. They come to C’s door and knock tentatively, gripping the paper bag of cough medicine (plus some cough drops and Tylenol for good measure), and hold their breath.

Nothing. A few minutes go by and A knocks again. They’re ready to break down the door if C doesn’t answer soon, but they realize what took so long right after they hear the click of the deadbolt.

A had seen corpses that looked more alive than C did right now. They lean heavily on the doorframe, sweat beaded on their forehead, a thick grey throw blanket clutched tightly around their shoulders. Their face is hollow and devoid of color, lips dry and cracked, their hair mussed and matted to their head. The cool night air hits their fevered body, triggering a round of chills that make them shudder. Despite their misery, a tiny light of gratitude flits across their eyes, and they stare incredulously at the paper bag in A’s hands.

“C….” A’s jaw drops to the ground.

“A, I seriously owe you one.” C tries to laugh, but it turns into a wheezing chest cough, high pitched and tense as they fight to catch their breath. Their eyes blink slowly, and they start to slide down the doorframe, but A grabs them and they both tumble inside.

Even through the blanket, A can feel C’s every bone. C weakly clings to A as they stumble toward the couch, and A deposits them on the cushions before tearing into the package of meds.

“What have you taken so far today?” A asks, trying to figure out the dosages.

“I….nothing…” C mumbles. A meets their eyes in disbelief before cracking open the blister packet and retrieving a proper dose. Grabbing an empty glass on the side table, they fill it before helping C choke the pills down. C greedily gulps the whole glass, breathing heavily once they’ve drained it.

“Water…water’s good.” C smiles blearily - they’re almost completely out of it. A presses a hand to the side of C’s neck, and C flinches at the cool touch. Their neck feels like a bank of hot coals, slick with sweat, lymph nodes sore and swollen. Their forehead isn’t much cooler either.

“C, when’s the last time you ate or drank anything?”

C cocks their head like A just asked them to recite the entire periodic table. “I….not sure? Days….kinda blurry.”

A’s seen enough. “C, you’ve got to go to the hospital. I haven’t even seen your temp, but you’re burning up even worse than B was.”

C frantically grasps at A’s wrists, sharp panic flooding their eyes. “Please…no…no hospital. I can’t. The meds….I’m fine here. Please.” A shiver wracks their body, and they hunch their shoulders, wrapping themselves back up and pulling the blanket over their nose. “Please. You can go now.”

“C, you need help-“

“I don’t.” Their voice breaks on the last word, cut off by a brief hiccuping sob.

Confusion rises through A - one minute C’s a grateful wreck, and the next moment they’re demanding they leave?

“C, I don’t understand-“

“You don’t get it. You think it feels all nice, having people care about you. Making you feel like you matter. And then they leave you. Get tired of you. Decide you’re not worth it. And it hurts worse than if they were never there at all.” C scrubs their eye with the corner of their blanket and sniffles as tears run down their cheeks. “I can’t let it happen again. I have to be alone. So just go. Please.”

A’s speechless. They kneel down next to the couch, hand tentatively hovering above C.

“C, is it okay if I put my hand on you right now?” C’s still sniffling, but they nod and mumble a weak “yes”, and A gently lets their hand rest on this stranger’s shoulder.

“C, I want to respect what you want right now. But you should know that you’re very sick. And you’ve managed in your own way - how, I have no idea - but you need some help right now. Now I can either call the hospital and let them handle it, or take you home with me. It’s up to you. Otherwise, you need to look me in the eye and tell me honestly that you want to be left alone through this.”

They squeeze C’s shoulder, and it triggers a deep gasping sob from their broken, aching body, sending a fault line straight through A’s heart. The sob turns to weeping, and A can barely make out the words C whimpers: "I don't want to hurt anymore."

God, who broke this poor thing? A bites their lip. C’s losing it. They’re running out of options short of forcing C to come with them, and that’s the last thing they want to do to a delirious, love-starved person who’s known them all of 6 minutes.

“C, I’m not gonna hurt you. I want to help you. Heck, even B wants to help you. I had to practically pin them down to the bed before leaving, they were so hell bent on this rescue.”

C’s red, swollen eyes meet A’s. “You mean….they asked after me?”

“Yes. They did. They could hardly stop talking about you once they came to their senses.” A rubs C’s knee through the blankets. “And they’d never forgive me if I left you here alone - they were very adamant about that. So if you want to save me a lot of arguing with and consoling of a very sad B, you’d actually be doing me a favor coming back with me.”

C seems to be weighing their options, all while struggling to stay awake on the couch. “I mean…if it saves you the trouble….”

A’s the one nodding vigorously now. “Please. It would.” Please. Just come back with me. I can’t leave you here like this. But I don’t know what else to do.

C presses themselves up off the couch with a single shaking arm. “Well, if it’d help you, then I accept.” And then they promptly pass out into A’s waiting arms.

It’s late when A gets back home with a limp C, and B is knocked out in their room, light still on - they’d tried to wait up, but their body still craved rest.

A carries C over the threshold and into the house. They gently lay the bundle on the bed and feel their forehead - still too hot, but the medicine seemed to be working. They manage to wake C up enough to take a few sips of broth from a mug before they pass out again.

For the briefest moment, A lets their hand touch C's shoulder again, making a silent promise they barely know how to keep: I don't know who broke you, but I'm not gonna let you hurt any more. I won't allow it.

A wave of exhaustion floods their body as they feel the effects of several late nights and long days of caretaking. They'd be no good to anyone if they didn't get any rest. A drapes an extra blanket over C’s sleeping form and heads for the couch for the night - they’d check back in an hour or so.

--------------------------

B’s awakened by the sound of sniffling. And it’s not theirs. They blink tentatively in the lamplight, sleep clouding their thoughts. Snatching a blanket from the top of their bed, they wrap up, stuffed animal under one arm, and shuffle across the hall to see where the sound is coming from.

It’s C, swathed in two blankets, holding a wad of tissues and trembling like a leaf. B flicks on the bedside table lamp, and C winces at the light. B can see the tear stains on their cheeks.

“Cold,” C whimpers, coughing weakly. Pity floods B - it’s like looking at a picture of themselves just a few days ago. They reach out and put their hand on C’s head, and C leans into the touch.

“Yeah, this part sucks,” B says softly, guilt flooding their core. Sure, they didn’t mean to make C sick. But they did. And they felt a certain responsibility to make sure they made it through okay - just like C had cared for them on the plane.

“Can I get you anything? Another blanket, tea, medicine?”

“Throat hurts…water…please?” B nods and places the stuffed animal next to C before beginning the long, slow shuffle to the kitchen. A’s asleep on the couch, and they can’t bear to wake them up for something this small. But by the time they get to the kitchen, their legs are trembling with exertion. Easy there. You’re still sick, too.

They brace themselves against the sink as the glass fills, and will themselves to make the final journey back to C. By the time they’ve returned, the glass feels like a lead weight in their hand, and their entire body is chilled and shivery all over. They do their best to help C take a few sips, holding the glass with trembling hands, bracing themselves on the bed so they don’t tip over.

“Thank….thank you,” C’s grateful eyes meet theirs, and in a split second B knows the effort was worth it. But the validation is replaced with a bout of lightheadedness that nearly topples them onto C.

“Sorry,” B gasps. “Still not up to marathons yet. Just...need a minute.” They tug their blanket tighter, closing their eyes. “And this body forgot how to stay warm when I do stuff.” C’s eyes flood with concern - even in their fevered haze, they can see B struggling.

"Want to sit for a minute?" C asks softly, patting the open spot next to them on the bed. “I’m still cold, too.”

B wriggles into the spot, propping themselves up on pillows and pulling blankets over them both. "Just a minute - you need your sleep."

C's already dozing. "S'okay. I'll sleep just fine. 'Sides, you're warm." C's nestled themselves into B's side, head resting on their chest, and B wraps an arm around C's shoulder and holds them close. They’re warm, too. Just a minute....

Many minutes later, A pokes their head in to check in on C - and finds two sick peas in a pod curled up together, C's head still on B's chest, B's arm curled protectively around C, stuffed animal squished between them, both tangled in blankets and Kleenexes.

In spite of their own exhaustion, A smiles. After everything that had happened, they had a feeling C wouldn't ever be alone again.

[voiceless-terror]

Outside the Lines

for @archivalpride month! the prompt was ‘sharing clothes’ so I decided to add on a bit to my More than Enough archives polycule fic. you don’t need to read it beforehand, though. 2.2k words, cw in the tags.

Jon likes Sasha’s clothes. Particularly, her cardigans.

They’re warm, oversized things in pastel colors, chunky cable knits and ancient pullovers, smelling faintly of jasmine and sandalwood. There’s always one draped over the back of her chair at work, at home. Sometimes a pile of them.

“Just in case,” she said knowingly, when Jon mentioned the teetering pile on the back of her office chair. 

“Of what, a blizzard?” he replied archly, to which she had no response.

But Jon runs cold, so it makes sense that he’d like them. And eye them. And eventually, borrow them.

“You look good in pink,” she said casually, walking by him cozily wrapped up, surrounded by books for his latest case. “You should wear it more often.” Jon just grumbled in response.

It now sits on the back of his chair.

Point is, they’re not strangers to sharing clothes. Once they move in together, the lines blur even more. Jon’s scarves become hers, her jackets become his. It’s nice when the someone’s scent begins to remind you of home. Embarrassingly, he’s come to think of it like a hug when she’s not around. Perhaps she feels the same way, but Jon’s not going to bring it up. He’s not that maudlin.

“You need to stop me from online shopping,” she groans one day, dropping a pile of clothing into his lap that must have been from the newly-arrived and altogether giant box he found on the steps of their flat. Jon had raised an eyebrow as she guiltily hauled it to her room and got to work. “I swear, I don’t remember ordering half of this.”

“Far be it from me to get between a James and her phone,” he replies, picking through the pile of utterly un-Sasha-like clothing. It’s all floaty tops and tiny skirts, nothing like what she usually gravitates toward. She certainly has more...adventurous tastes, when she’s intoxicated.

“Don’t look at me like that.”

“I’m not looking at you at all,” Jon retorts, picking up the most offensive piece from the pile with his thumb and pointer finger: a muted brown, and yet somehow sparkly miniskirt. He raises a judgmental eyebrow. “Really?”

“I was not in my right state of mind, you know that.” She ran a hand over her face, refusing to look him in the eye. “Anyway, see if there’s anything in there you like. Otherwise, it’s all going back.”

Jon very much doubts there’s much in here for him - not a chunky knit in sight. The tops aren’t too bad, but a bit too sheer for his liking, and if he’s going to layer, he’d rather be comfortable than fashionable. He pushes the pile off his lap when something catches his eye. Buried beneath two very loud shirts is something black, with bits of lace. He pulls it out to find a simple black dress, high-necked with pearl buttons and slightly puffed sleeves.  It’s modest, but covered in a delicate lace pattern. His grip tightens incrementally. “You don’t like this?”

Sasha peeks her head around the corner. “S’bit short on me. You should try it on, though. It’s cute.”

Jon flushes. It’s something he might’ve worn in uni, when he and Georgie made a night of it and Jon had just enough liquid courage. Now, though, it doesn’t fit with his professional persona and strict uniform of blazers, vests, and button ups. He needed to be taken seriously, and he didn’t feel he could do that if he was...experimenting, as his grandmother would phrase it. His hair he still wears long, the only vestige of that life he kept. “Oh,” he responds automatically, “I couldn’t.”

Sasha blinks. “I think you’d look really nice. Put your hair up, maybe add some earrings.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“I’m not.” She comes behind his perch on the sofa, gathering his hair up in her hand and pulling it from his face. “Leave a few pieces out, y’know, artfully messy.” She takes the dress and pulls it up against his body. “What do you think?”

“Um, maybe,” he barely manages to whisper. It feels nice, right. He can see it in his mind’s eye - it looks very him. Not feminine or masculine, just pretty. Just Jon. “I’ll think about it.”

He thinks about it. The dress hangs in the back of his closet, untouched and passed over many a morning. He tried it on and Sasha had been right- of course she was, she’s good at that sort of thing when not inebriated. Maybe one day he’d wear it out - not to work, but to drinks or something.

Maybe.

It’s not until months down the line that he tugs it out, on one of those days where he feels like his body doesn’t make sense and names sound wrong in his ears. Drinks with Tim, the newest recruit to their department. Hard won drinks, if Jon might add; Tim was just starting to open up to them. He tugs the dress over his head and digs through a plate on his dresser for the long silver earrings Sasha gave him last Christmas. He studiously avoids the mirror on his way out the door, throwing his bag over his shoulder and standing in the doorway, as if waiting for Sasha’s reaction. 

This was a bad idea, he thinks as his palms start to sweat. You look ridiculous, you shouldn’t have- his thoughts are interrupted by a gentle hand tucking a piece of hair behind his ear. Sasha smiles at him.

“Oh, you’re perfect.” 

Tim thinks so too.

----------

“Oh man, I’ve got to get rid of that.”

Tim motions to the blazer in Sasha’s hand. “Hasn’t fit me since uni. Y’know, when I got these guns.” Sasha rolls her eyes as he makes an exaggerated motion with his arms. They’ve been cleaning out Tim’s apartment for the past few hours, she and Tim in the bedroom while Jon sorted through his books in the living room. She suspects he’s doing more reading than sorting.

“Why’d you keep it, then?” She holds the hanger up, smoothing the fabric out with her hand. It’s heavy, quality fabric. A shame to get rid of it.

“Dunno, just one of those things,” he shrugs, throwing another pair of joggers onto the bed. “It was expensive, but I only ever wore it to interviews for internships and the like. You can toss it in the donate pile.”

She hums idly, making no motion to get rid of it. She’s rather fond of blazers, has quite a few in her collection. They’re nice when she wants to be a bit more dressy and professional. A woman’s outfit can occasionally be her armor, particularly in academia, and nothing says ‘take me seriously’ like a nicely fitted jacket and skirt. Never mind how it makes her feel. But this is very much a men’s blazer, barely a nip at the waist and with nothing to outline the curve of her body. And yet.

She shoves it in her bag. If she doesn’t like it, she’ll throw it out.

_______

When Jon and Tim are tucked in bed, she tries it on.

She doesn’t know why she’s being so secretive about this. It’s not like Jon and Tim will care, it’s just clothes. Lord knows she’s encouraged Jon to wear whatever he wants, and there’s no surefire way to get Tim blushing like wearing one of his pullovers. But there’s something that feels a bit transgressive about it. She was generally drawn to more feminine looks, growing up as a tall girl there’s an inherent (perhaps taught) idea that making herself look smaller and delicate would make her more appealing. Appealing for what? She always wanted to ask. But she knows the answer now. It’s taken near a decade to get the slouch out of her posture and to get comfortable wearing heels. 

It seems silly to feel so cowed by a blazer. She’s thirty years old, unmarried and living with two partners. She stopped playing by the rules a long time ago. Her hands shouldn’t be shaking. For Christ’s sake, just put it on.

She slips her arms into the sleeves, pausing to inhale the leftover scent of Tim, his laundry detergent and the after shave he occasionally wears. Her entire body warms, like stepping into a bath. She slips the rest of it on, pausing to adjust the shirt underneath. When she looks in the mirror, she can’t help the grin that fills her face. She looks good. Her broad shoulders fit the line of the jacket perfectly, her curves hidden and barely even suggested by the cut. It is decidedly not feminine. 

She likes it.

It takes her twenty minutes to drag herself from the bathroom and back into bed. She lies awake through Tim’s light snores and Jon’s murmuring, filled with a strange, nervous excitement. It’s just a blazer, she thinks to herself somewhat giddily. It’s just clothes. But when she throws it on that Monday morning and steps into the kitchen, she starts to think it might be more than that. She walks a little taller, feels a bit more at home in her skin. Tim choking on his orange juice when he sees her is just an added bonus.

“Glad you kept it,” he stutters out, once he manages to stop gaping.

She’s glad too.

______

Martin’s sitting on Jon’s bed, watching as he runs a brush through his hair.

Jon’s hair is lovely, long and shiny. His own he keeps rather short, though the curls are getting a bit unruly these days. When he was a child, his mother insisted he keep it long, just like she insisted on a great many other things. But he shed all of that, got as far away from it as possible. And yet, eyeing the silvery tray on Jon’s dresser, he has to admit he’s curious. 

It’s full of delicate, pretty accessories- hair clips and necklaces and earrings. Jon’s like a magpie, collecting shiny things; though this collection is mostly gifts from the three of them. It’s a little dance they like to do- Jon sees something in a store, stares a little too long, insists he doesn’t need it, and eventually it ends up in their flat. 

Their flat. He’s still getting used to it. He’s never felt at home anywhere, but he’s starting to think he has one now. Listening to Jon hum as he cooks, Tim reading aloud from his recent article deep-dive, Sasha butting in with a comment - these are all good things. The background noise to his days that used to be filled with silence. 

And he’s never been around people so at home with themselves. Martin is so used to putting an effort into how he presents himself in the world, he’s never enjoyed being misconstrued. A strange, delicate balance of pride in who he is at war with a desperate need to be understood and accepted. Palatable. Easier to put yourself in a box with clear labels than to deal with the confusion and the questions. Any passing thought or fleeting impulse that goes outside the lines is dismissed.

But nothing about his situation now is easily labeled, to be honest. It’s hard enough explaining his relationship status to others, though Sasha has a little spiel ready to rattle off at a moment’s notice. They’re all so comfortable with each other, with themselves. It makes him both a bit braver and a bit more afraid.

While Jon scurries off to flick through his closet, Martin gets up, walking over to the collection and picking up the small moth broach he’d gotten him on one of their first dates, before Tim started to come along. The memory brings a smile to his face.

“Oh, it’s lovely, Martin.” Jon had immediately pinned it to his jacket, before reaching down to grab a bag at his feet. “And ah, actually- I got something for you too?”

A little Highland cow plushie. So he had been listening to his rant on Scotland the other day. It still sits in place of pride on his desk. 

“Do you want to try one?” Martin jumps at the sound of Jon’s voice, dropping the pin unceremoniously back into the pile as if he’d been burnt. He turns around, prepared to voice a thousand excuses, a knee-jerk reaction. 

“No, it’s-”

But Jon’s already sorting through the pile with clever fingers, hand lingering over a thin barrette with a tiny, gold flower. Pretty, simple. Martin’s hand itches to reach out but he draws it into a tight fist. Admiring is one thing, but actually wearing it-

“C’mere.” He thinks he should refuse but instead he leans down, lets Jon’s fingers wind their way through his hair and feels a settled weight against his head.

“There.” Jon smiles. “That’ll do quite nicely.”

He looks in the mirror. Oh.

It’s barely even noticeable, just a small clip bringing the longest of his curls behind his ear. But Jon’s right. It looks nice. It goes with his hair and it doesn’t feel feminine or wrong, just a comfortable weight against his head reminding him he belongs, he’s loved. And that Martin’s still himself, even if he steps outside of the box every now and then. 

“You don’t have to keep it in if you-”

“No. I like it.” He straightens his spine, tilts his head. Smiles. Jon smiles back.

Yeah. He likes it.

ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/31803076

[goodlucktai]

(I feel like I should finish your prompt first but. These ones are so good....feel free to ignore if you have too many asks but 29 or 33 with chocobros...?

PROMPTS LIST

33. “Are you SURE I can’t punch him in the face?” “Yes.” “What if I just break his nose a little?”

ik i just did this one for natsuyuu but...........chocobros

x

They're somewhere in Duscae, near enough to the coast that each breeze carries a hint of the sea, on another errand for another stranger to scrape together enough gil to eat tonight.

They've stopped at the last little roadside cluster of shops before the countryside stretches far and wide and wild, stocking up on what meager supplies they can afford.

Noctis has never lived this way before. He's never gone to bed hungry before. Neither has Gladio or Ignis, for all their world-weariness and the general practical knowledge and common sense they walk around with that far surpasses Noctis' own.

Ignis can budget with the best of them, and Gladio is willing to eat literally anything at any time, but Prompto is the one who gets it.

He chats at length about all the times he's had to get creative with pasta or rice because it was all that was left in his pantry. Back in high school, when he could only work part-time. When someone should have been taking care of him, and instead he was left to figure out how to stretch a tiny budget much farther than made sense.

"Come on, Iggy," he said once when they were out shopping, half-laughing. Like he thought Ignis was joking. "Fresh produce? We've got like a hundred gil between the four of us and we're totally out of restoratives."

And Ignis paused, and glanced sidelong at him. He put back the crisp, flowery vegetables and pulled out his little notebook and asked for suggestions instead. It took Prompto a few minutes to convince himsef that Ignis was taking him seriously, but now they like, bond over canned fruit.

"I'm gonna kill this catoblepas with my bare hands," Gladio says with feeling, leaning against the car. "I'm so godsdamned sick of pasta. Don't tell Iggy I said that."

Noctis rolls an energy drink between his hands absently, brow furrowed. It's tricky business, and he's not very good at it just yet, but home-made elixirs save them a ton of gil. He feels guilty when they have to spend their money on something he should be able to do himself.

"I'm telling him," he says without missing a beat. "He'll never forget, and he'll give you shit every single time you make cup noodles from now on, forever."

"I can't stand you," Gladio tells him seriously.

The bell above the door of the convenience store rings brightly, and Noctis glances up to see Ignis and Prompto walking out looking a lot more cheerful than they did going in.

Gladio's face does something very subtle and specific when he sees them, there and gone in a second, before Noctis can pin it down and figure it out.

"What are you two chucklefucks up to?" he calls over. Ignis immediately narrows a disapproving stare at him, but Prompto beams.

"I got a commission, sort of!" he says.

"A commission?" Noctis parrots, sending the energy drink back to the Armiger.

"Sort of?" Gladio adds.

"While we were checking out, the store-owner saw my camera, and seemed really into it," Prompto says. "Since, you know. It's unique."

Noctis does know. The digital camera hanging at Prompto's side has been with him since Noctis first bought it for him three years ago. He would rebuild it every so often, bowed over a collection of impossibly tiny parts spread out carefully across a dish towel at the kitchen table in Noctis' apartment. To call it unique is a bit of an understatement.

Gladio frowns, sensing where this is going a split-second before Noctis does. "And?"

"And he offered me money for it! Like, more than it's worth probably. A lot more."

"I don't see how that could be possible," Ignis says smoothly, leaning through the open window of the Regalia to put the shopping bag in the backseat. "Since your camera is clearly priceless. Which is what I explained to the man."

Noctis relaxes, glad that Ignis and Prompto have bonded over shopping to the point that neither of them want to do it unless they can go together-- because if Prompto had been in there by himself, he 100% would have sold his camera. He would have hated to do it, but he would have done it. It's like he thinks he owes his friends something just for letting him exist.

"Good looking out, Specs," Gladio says gruffly. Prompto waffles a bit, looking torn between pleased and embarrassed. Noctis decides to rescue him.

"What commission, though?" he asks.

"Oh, right. Well, he was kind of bummed about the camera, but he asked if he could see some of my photos, and Ignis said we had time-- "

If it were literally anyone else, Noctis thinks, up to and including and especially the Actual Crown Prince, Ignis would have said they were in a hurry and not to show off.

"--and he seemed really impressed! With the photos! I told him we were going to take down a catoblepas, and he asked why, and I said for some cash, I mean, clearly," Prompto adds, gesturing at the four of them and their general road grime. "So he, ah-- well he's never seen a catoblepas up close before, and he said if I could get some good pictures of it, he'd pay me for them. He gave me a figure, and it's, like, better than some of the jobs I've done for Vyv."

He's delighted, clearly. He likes feeling like he's pulling his own weight. Noctis is always so relieved when Vyv calls, not because of the inherent payday, but more because it puts this light in Prompto's eyes that Noctis would easily climb a hundred volcanic mountains for.

"Damn, Prompto, at this rate you'll have funded our whole trip," Gladio says. He doesn't ruffle his hair anymore, because Prompto actually hates that, just sort of scrunches his fingers through it instead. Prompto doesn't hate that at all. It's adorable.

Sometimes in the early morning, when he and Noctis are the last to drag themselves out of the tiny camper, they'll do their affirmations together:

"Gotta be our best today," Noctis will say, and Prompto will put on this absurdly determined expression, bed hair hanging into his eyes and cheek still creased pink from the pillow.

"Gotta get those hair scrunches," he'll reply gravely.

"What else did he say, Prompto?" Ignis says in a pleasant tone of voice that Noctis hasn't trusted since he was seven years old.

"Um! Nothing. Nothing worth repeating, anyway, you know." He is looking completely away from them now, an avoidance tactic if Noctis has ever seen one. "Woah, is that really the time? We better get going if we wanna catch that cow before it gets dark!"

He turns toward the car and runs into Gladio's arm instead.

"He suggested that Prompto's talents would be put to better use in different company," Ignis says, his voice carrying clearly over Prompto's whine of 'nooo, Iggy, let it go.' "He said that if Prompto ever got tired of our lifestyle, his door would be open."

Ah, Noctis thinks, followed by, ouch?

"Oh, fuck that guy," Gladio blurts. "Let me go talk to him."

"No!" Prompto clings to his arm, throwing all his weight into keeping Gladio in place. The Shield, who could bench Prom's entire body weight in one hand, lets himself be detained anyway and pretends to be annoyed about it. "Ignis, why are you causing trouble right now?" Prompto says frantically.

"Transparency is important in a relationship," Ignis replies.

"There's transparency and then there's causing trouble. Noct, tell them."

"I think Gladio should go talk to him," Noctis says immediately. But then Prompto looks betrayed, and it makes Noctis feel awful. "Ugh, okay. Okay. We're leaving. Ignis, Gladio, that's an executive order."

"Are you sure I can't punch him in the face?" Gladio grumbles.

"Am I-- yes, dude!" Prompto half-laughs nervously. "Very sure!"

"What if I just broke his nose a little?"

"Then that would be treason, I guess, cause Noct just said no."

It's with the standard amount of bickering and noise that they climb into the car, the top rolling up over their heads as it starts to drizzle. Ignis pulls smoothly back onto the cracked asphalt road and reaches over to turn the radio on; a peace offering. From the backseat, Noctis can see the corner of Prompto's smile, framed by a flyaway piece of yellow hair.

They live this way now, but they didn't always. Noctis used to have the run of the whole Citadel, had his own penthouse apartment, grew up dodging banquets and lavish dinners. It's not like he likes sleeping on the ground and having nothing to eat. It's not like he chose to lose his home.

But it could be worse. It's not a bad way to live, just Noctis and the people he loves best and these countless hours together. There's a lot of hard work and sometimes he goes to bed hungry but he knows he'll remember these days forever. He knows he'll miss them.

"Hey," he says, over the quiet sound of rain on the windows and the catchy synth-pop crooning out of the speakers. "Don't ever sell your camera, okay?"

Prompto says, "I mean, I wouldn't ever want to."

"Seriously," Noctis presses. He doesn't want to let it go. It feels important. "Your pictures are-- they mean the world to me, Prom. I can't even tell you."

His friend looks bewildered. He's half-turned in his seat, and his eyes stray to Gladio, then jump to Ignis, then settle back on Noctis. Whatever he's looking for, he seems to find it, because he smiles.

"Okay, weirdo," he says, "one fully-documented roadtrip, coming up. I won't leave anything out."

Noctis is counting on it.

[tryingmydarndest]

Thank You (Luka Couffaine x Reader)

Summary (Part 1/probably 3): The author goes on a bit of a tangent about how Y/N goes on a bit of a tangent about Viperion. Who may just have a little, big ol' crush on them?

Tags: -not enough actual relationship -fluff -but like, a weird sprinkling of angst that I didn't plan on right at the end???

Word count: 1.6k

A/N: Inspired by this fic by @seriously-sirius-black <3. Luka? OOC? Idk, probably, I don’t write fanfic. But I am actually kinda proud of how well Alya turned out. Writing this made me realize how much of a mom friend I apparently headcanon her as. I wrote this gender-and-as-everything-else-neutral as I can make it (lemme know if you see ways I can improve, tho idk how much more fanfic I'll even be writing). Also, I freakin' RAMBLE and overuse italics, but ya get what ya get and ya don't gotta fret. Ooh, important note for future parts (if i write them) - this is a kinda!au where the miraculous users keep their miraculous. also if I had a nickel for every time I get awkwardly specific about the placement of both of a character’s hands I’d have TWO nickels. Happy reading!! <3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

Part I - Paris's Cutiest Heroes

The look currently on Marinette’s face as she sputtered out a response was priceless, “Cat Noir? Cat Noir!? What makes you think I’d find Cat Noir attractive at all? And- and- HIM- the cutest superhero! Ridiculous!”

“Utterly ridiculous?”

“Nice one, Alya”

“Thank you so much, Y/N,” you gave Alya a high five on your way to your seat next to Juleka and Rose on the couch facing Marinette and Alya. A sunny Friday after school was the perfect place for Kitty Section and their entourage to hang out. Unfortunately without Ivan and Mylène, seeing as their anniversary called for a private celebration. After pushing a couple couches onto the deck of The Liberty, Alya had predictably started talking about Paris's resident hero team. Today, she chose to ask everyone who they deemed the cutest, and she made sure to jump on Marinette's... interesting response, “And girl, he has the same silky golden hair and dreamy emerald eyes as Adrien Agreste. What’s utterly ridiculous is you freaking out and dodging every time we bring up superheroes!”

The designated snack-boy, Luka, walked out precariously carrying three bowls of goodies for everyone, “Alright, I got more popcorn. Sorry, but looks like we’re out of cheese flavoring, Y/N”

“Oh... that’s fine. I honestly wasn’t expecting it since I forgot to ask,” your free hand not reaching for the bowl rubbed the back of your neck, “but thanks for remembering.”

“Oh, um yeah- Always," is it creepy to remember something so specific? Someone as nice as Y/N wouldn't be interested in some creep. Ugh. Luka took a seat with his own bowl after passing Alya and Marinette theirs. He ended up next to you on the floor, leaning against the arm of the couch, dangerously close to touching your legs.

Rose reached for the popcorn as she interjected, “You know, Alya does have a point. So Marinette, why don’t you just tell us who you think the cutest superhero is, if you don’t like us guessing?”

Somehow Marinette’s face went even paler as she spoke, “What- I mean, I don’t- I haven’t thought- Wha- what about Y/N? Why aren’t you interrogating them?”

Alya crossed her arms, “Because Y/N says the same thing about the same hero every day. Just watch. Ahem, Y/N, care to weigh in on the cuteness level of our lovely Parisian superheroes?”

You looked up from the bowl you had stolen back from Rose with wide eyes, "Hey! Okay, no, that is not fair! Besides, what is our criteria for 'cute'? I mean... Are we going just by physical characteristics? Is costume a factor? What about the animal they're representing, could our opinion of that make this whole thing unfair? And cuteness is so subjective anyway... Why are we even reducing these amazing and honorable superheroes to just their looks? I mean we could be talking about skill, or their powers or power lev-"

"-And your answer would be exactly the same. Seriously, are you done trying- and might I add, failing- to talk yourself out of this one yet? Or should I just read the article you wrote for the Ladyblog?"

"You said you deleted that!"

Luka had perked his head up at your initial fumbling response and turned to you when he spoke, "You wrote an article? That's pretty cool."

You rubbed your face to try and distract yourself from the burning embarrassment, "Umm, yeah. But it was terrible and extremely not. worth. publishing." You hoped the glare you sent the girl in question was enough to scare her into deleting it on the spot, or to at least lie about it, "So Alya kindly deleted it, right?"

Sitting up with a smug look and crossed arms severely lowered your faith that she'd keep quiet. "A good journalist archives everything. Especially something as juicy as one of her besties going on for five thousand words about how dreamy the great Viperion is," dramatically fake-fainting into Marinette's lap, Alya could barely finish before bursting out in laughter. Of course, quickly followed by the others joining in to varying degrees. Juleka and Rose happily giggled to themselves, Marinette looked more relieved that the heat was off her, and Luka seemed to be shocked, or maybe just holding back to see how you were taking this.

Horribly. Horribly embarrassed would describe how you were taking this conversation. You sat there stock-still as you hoped that none of the others could hear your heart's desperate attempts to pound its way out of your chest. That's certainly all you could hear, at least until Alya's voice brought you out of it, "Hey, it's fine," she made her way over to sit next to you as she continued, "We all have our little hero crushes. That's why I bring it up all the time, to show you that it's totally normal! I mean, we all know how I could go on about Carapace for days," Alya gestured for the others to continue, and used her other hand to try and comfort you.

"Well, I find Ladybug to be just absolutely adorable and so kind.... oh it just makes me so happy knowing she's keeping all of Paris safe," Rose added softly.

Juleka brushed a strand of hair aside as she spoke, "Rena Rouge is super mysterious, pretty rad in my opinion."

Alya was rubbing your back like the mom friend she is to try and help encourage you, "See? Super normal, so go ahead and release all this pent up Viperion energy that I know you have. Maybe it'll encourage Marinette here to finally join in the fun!" Alya stuck her tongue out at her best friend, who responded promptly by smashing her face into a pillow.

You just sighed, "I mean- it’s- it can't just-'' were you supposed to just get over it all just like that? Well, at least the embarrassment was wearing off, maybe you could just entertain her for a bit, "Well- um, you see.... HisHairJustLooksReallySoftAnd- you know what. Nope. Can't do anymore of this. Yep- that's all you're getting out of me!" This time when everyone started giggling, you were able to comfortably join them. It was a nice feeling.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A nice evening chilling out with your friends was always welcome, especially with the rising number of akumatizations making that less possible. But the night had come to a close. Alya and Marinette went home, Juleka was walking Rose back herself, and Luka and you had volunteered to clean up. Luka stopped drying the cup in his hand for a minute as he looked at you, “Um, I know it might not be my place, but I want you to know that you don’t have to be embarrassed about the whole... Viperion thing.” God, how am I supposed to take the news that MY crush has a crush on.... Sort of me? Am I supposed to count it as me at all?

“Oh, um. Yeah, thanks. I think I’m over the embarrassment now that it’s out. I don’t know, it’s just that a lot of people think it’s weird since he’s kind of a new hero,” how are you supposed to explain this to him? That you kept such a non-issue secret from him, especially without getting suspiciously defensive about it. “And then people use that to try and say that I only like him for his looks..... And that’s not it! I don’t know, it’s kind of.... A lot? To explain, that is.” This was not going well.

“Oh... Well, what is it? That you like about him, I guess.”

This was so not going well. But he was waiting for a response so... “Uh, well I guess it did kinda start..... that way.... but then I started doing research. I learned about his power and saw videos of his fights. He’s really good! Especially for being so new, which kinda goes into why his power makes me like him so much.” Shit. Rambling, I’m just talking and talking and I need to stop. But how am I supposed to change the subject now? And now Luka’s sitting down, and he seems so invested. Why does this have to happen to me?

“What do you mean by that?”

Luka’s voice kindly shuts your little thought-spiral in its tracks. What were you saying? Oh, Viperion’s powers! You can talk about this, you know this. Just keep talking, at least he seems interested in it, “Well, you know how he can go back and redo the last couple of minutes?” Luka nodded, “Well, we always see the time that worked out. Us civilians get to keep going from the one time it all went right. Just imagine all the times he failed, all the times he couldn’t get it right. It could be dozens, maybe even hundreds of times! He must get so discouraged at some point, I mean I know I would.... I guess I didn’t really think about it at first, but.... but, I doubt I could keep that determination, and I’m so glad Paris has a hero who can, and does.”

Silence. Why was it so quiet? Oh no, he thinks I’m weird. He must think-

“All of this from ‘his hair looks soft’?”

“Hey! You can’t tell me not to be embarrassed, then make fun of me! That’s against the rules!”

Luka chuckled as he said, “Against what rules, exactly?”

“The Rules Of Best Friendship, duh!”

“And who exactly said you were my best friend?”

“Well... your loss, I guess. Now you won’t get an invitation when I plan Rose and Juleka’s wedding,” you brushed off his offended glare as you took the seat next to him.

“She’s my sister.”

“She’d take my side.”

I’d take your side, too. I will always take your side. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

A/N the sequel: I am super bad at finishing things, but I really wanna keep motivated to finish this (like I have a full, probably 3 part, plan for this). If you guys want to help, shoot me a message and I'll send you a link to the google doc I'm writing this on. Feel free to leave a little comment (pls be kind, obviously) and see my writing process! Idk, would any of you guys be interested in that? Would you just get annoyed at having already read the thing before I post it?

[jiminrings]

hellooo can i request a drabble of uni!au art major tae and biochem major yn? also part one of the would you series is AMAZINGGG seriously i cant wait to read more!! <3

rich kid kim

pairing: taehyung x y/n

wordcount: 5k

glimpse: tae’s cold and probably needs a friend more than he needs a model, y/n feels this nEED to take care of him, a term of enderment then a dash of emotional constipation and a sprinkle of jealousy :D

notes: thank you for the request babes!! writing this made my heart melt and aND!!! thank you omg i’m glad you like would you :((

if you squint or if you’ve read insufferable, this is most probably taehyung and his y/n!!!

taehyung is personally more than willing to pay himself out of this project

oKAY LISTEN

he’s not the proudest knowing that he comes from a rich family and he’s the only kid and he’s never really struggled for much

everything was just given to him without any hesitations whatsoever

and yeah he admits that he can nEVER admit that his pampered and luxurious lifestyle since birth has shaped him to be this way and it’s hard to unlearn these types of things

things were too easy for him and thAt’s what made it hard

tae is the farthest thing from an outcast..,.,.,.,

.,.,. but that’s him in his usual rich boi bubble of elites wherever he goes because he’s surrounded by people like him

hoseok and jimin have got to be his closest friends but of course they pursued business degrees and everyone must’ve probably saw that coming

nobody, however, expected the kim taehyung to pursue a degree based rootly on passion and even major in it

yeah that’s right what are yOU looking at???

he’s an art student and yeah he’s taking this seriously ://

do yOU have a problem with that?? do you?? no what did you say?? step the fuck up ky-

spoiler alert: people do have a problem with that

taehyung could tell that his parents did a complete 180 when they learned through jimin’s noisy-ass mouth (not even through their own son) that he’s gonna be getting an art degree

his dad’s the one who’s most especially disappointed at him because well he’s the only child and uhhhh.,.,.,, so who’s gonna inherit the company now.,.,,,

tae normally feels selfish and this time, he felt like he was being rational rather than being selfish!! this is what he passionately wants!! pls god can i be selfish oNE more time

eventually his parents had no choice because as their son explained,, having an art degree won’t keep him away from the family business at all and he could even expand it!! he doesn’t need a degree!!! 

lmao he’s been putting the money he gets on the stock market ever since he was ten years old

and they had to accept it eventually because this is what HE wants and if this is the only thing that he wants... then might as well help him through it, right??

now this is another dilemma

taehyung’s applied at a regular university in which everyone’s blended together and no one really cares about who’s who

it’s not exclusive to people like him.

he submitted his requirements and his portfolios by himself!!

and he got accepted!!

he’s nOT SURE if it’s purely because of his skills and himself and not his parents’ money nor influence

whatever it is, he doesn’t want to know because if it ends up being the answer he doesn’t want?? lol he’d crawl into a hole and mope for a week and would be doomed to wear three-piece suits for the rest of his life 

so anyways

yeah..,, this is one of the handful of times that taehyung is completely willing to pay himself out 

this project was supposed to be easy enough as what the professor said but uH he’d like to passive-aggressively decline pls and thank you

their final project was to make a portrait

right?? easy!!

a portrait of sOMEONE IN CAMPUS,,, regardless if you know them or not

(( well of course you’d get to know them by the end because yea they’re required to show proof that they indeed met and the model did agree to be painted ))

and by the end of the project, it’s either they keep it to themselves or give it to the model!!

that should be easy, right??

...

....

...... pls say right

oh my god tae should probably drop out now so he doesn’t get to do this

rich people don’t necessarily have to be educated, right???? maybe he’ll just settle into being a himbo 

he learned about the meaning of the word through urban dictionary that he tHEN only learned about like six months ago and now he gets so many things

taehyung’s not intimidated by the workload of it all -- in fact, he’s even excited about it because it helps him relax!!

what he’s intimidated about is the fact that he’s kim taehyung and there are only two possible options

either his model would be someone who knows him and would be taking every possible step to ensure that they climb the social ladder through him and they’re not even gonna be dISCREET about it

OR

his model wouldn’t completely care about who he is and in the process belittles him upfront and tbh his hart wouldn’t be able to take that and he’s probably wipe his tears away with dollar bills

there is almost no in-between, that one he’s sure of

so why are you like this?

why are you neither of the two and why are you sO kind and go against his expectations????

do you have an ulterior motive or something????

you who’s a biochem major and is actually another building away from his own

you who’s made the initiative that you become hIS model

you who actually oFFERED and almost begged to be a part of a project that would only be for tae’s benefit

... aha

that’s about -5 points from being a cool laid-back nonchalant gal

+10 for looking like someone who’s had a massively obsessive crush on him since day one and looking like you’d lay his life for him

no but lmao actually you just learned about taehyung in a magazine

you were bored at the dentist’s and scrolled through every possible outlet in your phone and it didn’t satiate you anymore!!! so how about reading a good ol’ magazine :D

then came taehyung

it was a whole issue dedicated to him and you were probably too dedicated into reading it that this time it was you telling the dentist to wait lol

that’s as far as you knew about him

and then you learned just some weeks ago that taehyung happens to study where you also study at and that was.,., inch resting

you never really saw him before around campus because it was too big and well maybe if you put in the effort, you’d actually find him

maybe you had a tiny lil admiration for kim taehyung just from one whole issue alone you read at the dentist’s or whatever

you’ve only known about this final project situation through changbin!!!

changbin, your neighbor at the apartment next to you, who’d crash over whenever his wifi feels the tiniest bit slow

yes you did spend a little more money to upgrade your internet situation (most times it’s the router who makes all the difference) because you were so tIRED of having things slow in the middle of researching for your projects in biochem)

no you will nOT have that <3

and of course changbin’s not having your that shitty wifi either so he pushed you to get that in the first place so he can use it too lmao

he’s told you just a couple of days ago about his final project and that maybe, just maybe, he’d make it into a move for this girl that he likes

nothing’s more romantic than pleading for someone to paint ur face right

and your grade and the decision to whether you’re gonna pass or flunk and graduate or retake are relying on you mostly

and in changbin’s case it’s also hIS heart on the line so yeah no pressure at all luv

“i kinda feel bad for rich kid kim, y’know?”

“what about taehyung???”

“eW do you have a crush on him??”

“addressing someone by their name equals to a crush??????”

your banters never stop because you’re as quick-witted as him and he both loves and hates it

he loves that omg someone can keep up with him and that way he gets challenged to always have the last say!!

he hates that oh god why is he friends with someone who reminds him of himself so much how is hE gonna deal with that??

sometimes he’ll purposely argue with you to fEEL something lmao

but there’s just something here that tells him you’re a little more interested now in this flow of conversation ever since rich kid kim was mentioned

“hm, nothing. i’m pretty sure he doesn’t have a model yet.”

he dodges you in the kitchen to look for peanut butter in your cupboard and oddly... you’re not berating him for decreasing your groceries....?

what does changbin mean by that? whAt model?? model as in taehyung doesn’t have the newest model of whatever car he wants? or maybe he has a model girlfriend and-

hold on wait wHAT

taehyung has a-

“m-model?”

he looks at you weirdly but you don’t even bat an eye when he gets ahold of your marshmallow spread so that he could make another one of his s’mores sandwiches

“uhhhh model as in he doesn’t have someone to paint for our project??”

is that what you wanted to hear or,.,

you and changbin share one (1) brain cell and it SHOWS

the two of you have to open your mouths, then close, then ponder, and then do that aGAIN until the both of you could finally grasp if you were in the same page

“oh cool!! i’ll be his model then!”

“yeah but did he ask”

“it’s gonna be easy!! i’ll just tag along with you to your building”

“yeah but did he aSK”

“we’re probably gonna hit it off instantly and then you’ll have to leech off from someone else for their wifi and food and every other necessity that you already have-”

“yeah but dID HE ASK????”

long-story short: no. taehyung most certainly did not ask you to be his model.

but here you are

saying that you came a long way is a bit of a stretch because taehyung mostly turns his head the other way around when you call out to him in public

progress is still progress :D

you’re eating lunch with him at the same table and this time you’re sat beside him!! when normally he’d just walk home to his apartment (lol that’s not allowed but you won’t be surprised to know that he has a free pass) and eat!!!

before that, taehyung would gLARE at you until you stop asking to sit with him in his table

yea he gets a bit lonely at time because jimin and hobi aren’t with him and hE’S the outcast but he won’t do anything about it,, just scroll through his phone while he eats and tune everyone out

you figured that maybe it’s changbin always linked with you in lunch because your schedules just matched up thAt perfectly like it does with tae’s

hee-hee so you might have elbowed him until he begrudgingly agreed to be tolerable, keep atleast four feet of distance from you, and not call tae rich kid kim

spoiler alert: taehyung doesn’t really care about whatever you do because doing those changes with changbin did nOT work at all

however

H O W E V E R

taehyung doesn’t know at all how you’ve wormed your way into his heart!!

what seem to be cold to you is his warmest he’s ever been in such a new environment and outside of his usual comfort bubbles!!!

it’s like you occasionally stealing the food from his plate when you have the same thing is the equivalent of h*lding h*nds with him

you putting your leg over his before he pushes it after five seconds mUST be the equivalent to marriage

wait he’s lying

taehyung does know how you’ve wormed your way to his heart

“hi! i’m y/n! :D”

ok u are a little bit sweaty and out of breath from doing all that fast-paced walking for the past ten minutes

your new shoes that you still need to break into further aren’t helping your situation in the slightest bit

honestly? this is all changbin’s fault <3

he unknowingly gave you the sign that you were looking for

if he says yeah five times with five minutes?? okay yeah you’re definitely looking for kim taehyung and offering yourself to become his model

you don’t wanna sound weird but you feel sorry for him and you wanna help him :((

he’s not helping you tho because he has long legs underneath those trousers and it looked like he wouldn’t budge at all not unless you jogged and stopped right in front of him

“hi! i’m y/n!! :D”

“...”

“.....”

tae’s a bit... perplexed

because who’s THIS entity and why are you standing in front of him

...

....

“bye y/n.”

:]

he wants to exit from this situation because oh my god??

why r u like this

he didn’t ASK for your name!!

and he doesn’t even know you and giving him your name honestly won’t do anything and he doesn’t get what’s your motive and-

“oh c’mon!! you didn’t even shake my hand :((”

he feels even more lost as he tries to wrap his head around that uh.....

you uh.... you wanted a handshake??

.....

tae doesn’t even hide his annoyance because it’s clear as day!!!

he’s blatantly tilting his head at you rudely with a blank stare omg take the hint pLEASE

realizing it now you mAY have came on too strong to taehyung that looks confused as ever

“hi, i’m y/n.”

changbin’s by one of the lockers taking pics of you beaming at taehyung and him scowling down to show you later how dumb you look and how you shouldn’t do this at all

okay LISTEN

his personality trait is to immediately assume the worst out of every scenario possible and that way when something slightly less worse happens? that’s a win babie ;D

he became ur friend in the first place because you heard him yelling since he’s at the door right next to yours and you could hEAR him throwing things around as he cusses his laptop

yeah he cusses his laptop what about it??

if you close your eyes hard enough, you could hear him throw his router against the wall (you later learned that he was so close to finishing his digitalization but then his laptop decided to die) before punching the air

(( the friendship started when you knocked vERY gently and offered him to borrow your laptop even if you aren’t done with all your homework ))

((( changbin thought at first that u were such an organized and too-friendly social butterfly who’s a kiss-ass to everyone but now he thinks ur the coolest person ever and he treasures you more than life itself )))

although, taehyung’s a lot more vicious and closed-off and critical than changbin

he narrows his gaze at you as you introduce yourself for the second time before merely clicking his tongue

“ok cool”

is that uhm

is that IT good sir

“you’re not,” you’re dancing around your words and being careful to not let a pout grace your lips at the sheer lack of enthusiasm, “gonna introduce yourself to me??”

you got a reaction alright

taehyung sCOFFS and that’s the loudest he’s ever been with you in the span of two minutes

“you followed me for ten minutes just to tell me your name. kinda seems like you already know mine if you do that, no?”

this is why you took up biochem instead of law

how do the lawyers not break down???

why does phoenix wright make it seem SO easy?? especially when he’s spoken to in a confrontal tone???

oh god taehyung broke you already

not to be rude but uh what do you wANT

can you get it over already??

“o-oh! uhm i was wondering if i could uHm,” you sound ridiculous now that you think about it and this is perhaps one of the only times you feel embarrassed, “volunteer to be your model for your project?”

hmm

was that a wrong answer,,,

sHOULD YOU HAVE SAID THAT??

“are you in my class?”

taehyung asks and he’s finally said a sentence to you!!! omg

you’re quite shocked so he had to click his tongue to get you to answer 

“no, actually!! i’m a biochem major and-...”

that’s all it takes before he hums and nods his head

and for some reason taehyung looks at you like you’re pREY

“are you a stalker?”

okay wait holy fuck wHAT

you know what

you took a sip from changbin’s coffee half an hour ago but why are you only choking on it nOW

you’re positively sputtering and now ur pressured bc tae thinks you’re a stalker!!! a damn stalker!!

“looked at you long enough. i don’t need a sketch artist and i could just-”

no no no pls no

this meeting is going downhill very quickly 

“oh my god taehyung i’m nOT a stalker okay!!!”

that shuts him up because your voice is so firm and okAY then how do u explain this stalker smh ://

throughout the whole time you’re talking about changbin being an art major and also your neighbor and everything in between, tae has such a neutral expression that you feel so intimidated

“-and that’s what!! i’m not taking advantage of you or anything, if that’s what you’re thinking i guess? i swear!!”

he listened and well if he’s being honest,,, okay yea you did make sense and he does know changbin

“okay then. i’ll think about it.”

“are you gonna give me your number???”

it’s either you’re so forward or he’s just not used to being caught off-guard

WHICH FUCKING ONE

“what for?”

it’s been so long ever since someone asked taehyung for his number

usually in galas and any other socialite gatherings you could think of, everyone’s number would just be in your phone automatically and you won’t even rEMEMBER how it got there in the first place

better yet, it’s been so long since he went back to his usual routine lifestyle of being himself 

his last gala was two weeks ago and tae had to keep looking at his phone to study pdfs and whatever clear pictures he can get of his reviewers back at home because he had a test tomorrow morning

“so you could text me where we’re gonna meet so you could paint me, silly!!”

:D

okay wOAH there

“i didn’t even say that you’d be my model????”

“lol but you were thinking it huh”

that’s it

taehyung has nO choice but to paint you if he wants to finish this project and graduate and have something of a thicker paper to flaunt

it came as a shock to him that hE took your offer and he could only imagine its effect on you

not to brag but tae didn’t even have to sweat for a little because it’s yOU who came to him with this offer!! not him!!

tae lives in the classiest apartment here in uni and everyone probably knows that

much to his insistence that he doesn’t want anyone from uni going outside his apartment, he had to take an L and invite you over

he wouldn’t risk doing his work in any place else because he doesn’t want anyone thinking and getting the wrong idea!!

speaking of, he’s regretting it now because you seem to be too happy being in his space

you’re pointing around and being awed at every possible thing!!! 

what??? is this ur first time seeing a rattan hanging chair :// or a massive couch?? or a canvas painting of something so beautiful?? all of that in what’s supposed to be a student’s one apartment??? christ y/n get yourself together

“so what do you want me to do?? where do i sit oR do i stand instead?? i’m gonna need you to know that-...”

“nothing.” taehyung deadpans before he gets his camera so he could get digital shots as well if ever he needs an extra touch when it comes to his final product

the gears in your head are going bRRR and you’re gonna have to ask him to elaborate but taehyung already sets the pace

“nothing. just be your rEALLY annoying self and pretend i’m not here.”

normally you don’t take his words to heart but this one just hits a little close to home bc it’s early in the morning and taehyung already finds you intolerable

“by pretend, do you mean-...”

“up to you. are you more annoying around me or no?”

how did he read your MIND

tae got the thoughts in your head word per word and you’re so amazed at that because fUcK you originally thought that he’s good at bluffing his way up

click!

it’s you smiling at him

no you’re beaming at him

and you’re in front of his morning-lit curtains and you’re against the light

the portrait itself is already visually appealing and satisfying and man the shadows!!! the value!!!! they’re so raw and dreamy and this is exactly his style!!!

it was just a one-take wonder as soon as he took a picture of you!!! and he may have you to hold that position if he needs the push!! he just needs to translate it to canvas with his own language and emotions and then he’s dONE!!

you’re a pain in the ass

you laugh and you move too much

taehyung had you to to revisit that pose and hold it and you wouldn’t stop giggling bc you were too proud that you did THAT!

you also ask too many things that even hE doesn’t have the answers to

how is he supposed to know if red string lovers exist when you went into a spiel just because you saw a red tube of paint???? and why is he saying his opinions on such trivial things when he has his final project to take care of???

and how is he supposed to know why YOU’RE here hanging out with him instead of finishing your own final project

jk maybe it’s the L word but you’re gonna subdue that as much as possible since taehyung looks like he’d leave you by yourself with any chance that he gets

and you even call him terms of endearment!!! nicknames!! pet names!! names that you’d call someone who’s familiar to you and you probably l*ve!!!

angel

that’s what you call him :))

“why do you call me that?”

“because you look like one”

“and how would yOU know what angels look like??”

“because if they were to exist then you’d probably look like one!!”

“but-”

“ok that’s one minute no more questions taehyung <3″

tae just provides you with all the conviction you need to take care of him without even knowing

not in a maternal type of instinct type of way, but rather in a sPECIAL someone type of way

you find yourself caring for him mOre than you ever could for any regular friend you have!!

you just throw a whole loaf of bread to changbin and call it a day

but for tae??? you go above and beyond!!

“did it ever hit you that rich kid kim never really introduced himself to you?”

oh right....

changbin points out one day and you could see where he was getting at

for some reason he always knew what was in your mind at any given time and sometimes it’s to your disadvantage

you seem to be growing on taehyung though!!

he tolerates you better now!!

sometimes he’ll find you loveable even

he likes having someone around and you’re the perfect contender

if he decides to not talk too much, then you fill up the white noise!!

if he wants you to shut up?? then yOU shut up but of course not without babbling for a little

he’s opened up but with some reservations

some reservations that you don’t mind but it’s normal that you feel sometimes left out, y’know??

because it’s been a good month since you and taehyung properly interacted but he still resents you as much if you think about it

“hey angel!!”

“what is it-...”

taehyung looks up from his meal that he’s been poking at his fork because this has to be the fourth time you call out to him

so he turns to look at you and-

oh

uhm

there seems to be a misunderstanding

you weren’t calling HIM

you were calling out to some other guy that iSN’T him

that’s seungmin!!! omg you haven’t seen him in so long and he just happened to pass by your lunch table!!!

apparently he has something to talk to you about which is why you’re standing up and leaving tae all alone on the table

seungmin’s smile is adorable as always and he gets you in a pretty good mood!!

oh god

dear gOD

what is taehyung feeling in his chEST???

tae’s grip on his fork is starting to get pRETTY tight

and if he’s aware enough, his right eye’s twitching and he’s practically scoffing under his breath

why tf would you call him that

WHO is angel and why is it nOT him anymore????

what he’s feeling is just unexplainable and it tastes something like betrayal

“who’s he?”

he quizzes you as soon as you get back to your table and you don’t waver one bit because you know he’s been asking questions recently

“oh that’s just seungmin!! we were childhood friends then he just transferred here awhile-...”

there’s a bitter taste on his tongue and it shows up in his face and you’re not even paying attention to him!!

“really? thought i was him for a second.”

ok now that got you to stop eating

????

why is he acting weird

taehyung looks even more irked because you look sO oblivious right now

“do you call everyone angel?”

o-oh where is this going

“uhm-”

you’re not even finished and to be honest you’re quite lost and taehyung sCOFFS you to the next century

“‘course you do.”

taehyung angrily finishes his meal and you leave it at that because ok maybe he had a bad day?? and he’s just taking it out on you??

and well tae DOESN’T want you to leave it at that

he wants you to ASK him why he’s mad!!! he’s passive-aggressive and it’s getting unhealthy but he’d rather choke than have him spill whatever he’s feeling

the next few days, taehyung avoids you like his LIFE depended on it

you’re not really bothered by it because he has his days, but this one’s just getting out of control

“are you giving me a time-out or something??”

lmao what did u do now

you nudge him when you see him by changbin’s apartment to borrow an easel even though he’s already got it by his apartment

yeah he’s mad at you and he’s petty but maybe he wants to see you again

tae’s giving you silent treatment and you don’t even question him for it

you don’t bother!!

you’re letting him do whatever he wants as always and he dOESN’T like it anymore!!!

he feels like he’s gonna combust at any given time and you don’t give a shit and he feels like yOU should give a shit because you always do!!

you always hover and worry around him but wHY does he feel like you’re not doing it anymore??

why does he yEARN FOR YOU???

it’s quite an an early night for you

you love biochem but sometimes it kicks your ass and it makes you retch at the mention of all-nighters nowadays!! bc they used to be fun but now doing them because you nEED to?? no thx

you’re already in your pajamas and you’re all washed up!! what could changbin need from you at 9 in the evening??

there’s an urgent knocking on your door and you resist the need to groan because you were about to really knock yourself out!! you need to get back all the rest you’ve wasted over your own final project

is that-

“taehyung?”

the man in question is in his huge yellow hoodie that swallows him up every time and he looks positively spent

his hair’s shaggy and his eyes are glazed and there’s a pink tint to his cheeks :((

he’s holding a baby hydroflask in his hands and you’re pretty sure that’s alcohol in there lol

“don’t call me taehyung!!”

he immediately snaps and you’re lost as aLWAYS

did he really just walk all the way to your complex to snAp at you??

“i’m not taehyung,” he frowns deeply and that’s when you’re a bit more mesmerized, “i’m angel.”

is this what you think it is??

your no.1 deflection move is to laugH and you’re doing that rn

something about this whole situation tickles you funny and you’re not sure what to feel about it

“i like your bottle!! i should get one for myself!!”

he could see right through you though

he ignores your stOOpid statements and goes to hold your hands :((

“no, no. i’m your angel. i-i’m your taehyung, right??”

listen

taehyung is the most confusing being you know and he’s so emotionally constipated that he outperforms changbin but this one,,,

this just feels so different

he’s hugging you

he’s embracing you

he’s burrowing his face to your neck and you’d be lying if you said you didn’t ever imagine what this would feel like :(((

he positively 100% might be in love with you

and you positively 100% might be in love with him too

he’s fishing for your hand by your side to put in between your bodies as he shakes it and that’s because he doesn’t wanna let go of the hug 

:((((

you’re melting and this what heaven must feel like :((((

“h-hi. name’s kim taehyung and i’m yours.”

[mysterystarz]

the ceremony:

brides note: here is the ceremony in which you shall witness the shenanigans caused by stealing keijis shoes (it’s a part of my culture that i decided to integrate here!) and witness the vows shared between keiji and i! i want to thank my bridesmaids for providing me things they actually would say as well as admit that i got a bit emotional writing our vows. to whoever reads this, i hope this brings you as much joy as it brought me <3

warnings: absolute fluff and one innuendo that isn’t really explicit but still there

word count: 2.9k (i got a bit carried away but have no regrets)

The morning of Keiji and Nova’s wedding was absolutely gorgeous.

Above the garden estate that served as the venue, clear blue skies and soft white clouds accompanied a gentle breeze that filled the entire venue with a sense of tranquility. The very atmosphere itself was buzzing with anticipation, yet still had an air of serenity as the bride and groom prepared themselves to greet each other at the aisle.

Nova’s dressing room was a hubbub of emotion and excitement as she stared at herself in the mirror, her bridesmaids all surrounding her as she spun around in the dress they had all helped her pick out. It was truly surreal to her.

In an hour’s time, she’d be marrying the man she had loved for so long, the man who had guided her through her best and her worst moments, all while sharing the moment with the people she held so close to her heart.

The very thought made her smile with an accumulation of warm feelings pooling in her chest.

“Keiji is going to cry when he sees you.” Moon stated as they gestured to Nova, “You look beautiful.”

Nova giggled softly as she stared back at herself, “All good tears I hope.”

“No shit!” Natalia remarked, pointing to her dress. “You should see yourself! Hell, even I’m on the verge of tears! Keiji loves you the way you always are, but I bet he will be blown away when he sees you. No joke.”

She felt her smile widen even further as she turned to face her bridesmaids, dress swishing behind her. “I’m so glad to have all of you here today. Really.”

“I’m pretty sure that we’re all glad to be here,” Silla smiled, “I mean, none of us would ever dream of missing your special day. It was about time you two tied the knot.”

“No it really was.” Rach laughed, “Nova has been in love with Keiji for the longest time. She literally finds a way to relate everything back to him. If that’s not a sign to get married, I’m not sure what is!”

They all giggled and relished in the joyous atmosphere before Nova spoke again. “Alright, so how much money do we want to get out of them?”

“How much what?” Moon asked, raising an eyebrow, “Wait…what are we even getting money for?”

Inez chuckled at the side before walking to step near Nova, a black box in hand. “Here they are, as promised.”

“Are you two doing something illegal?” Natalia questioned promptly. “Nova, you know there are other ways to cure nerves!”

“Seriously Natalia,” Nova deadpanned before reverting back to her usual smile. “Anyways, this lovely black box here is Keiji’s shoes that we were able to acquire courtesy of Inez and her amazing stealthy skills. How did you manage to get them in the first place?”

“A magician never shares her secrets.” Inez shrugged, tracing a finger along the seam of the box. “To be completely honest, I expected this from Keiji.”

“So did I,” Nova chuckled as she tucked the shoes under a compartment in the dresser that she used to get ready. “So, I expect that any minute now, we’re going to have our plus ones at the door.”

“What’s the shoe stealing thing for?” Empress chimed in, “Like, what’s the reason for it?”

“It’s a fun wedding tradition we like to do to symbolize the groom’s promise to always take care of the bride and show the generosity of their heart.” Nova grinned mischievously, “Besides, now that we’ve got the shoes, the groomsmen need to come up with something to get it back.”

“Well they’re probably brainstorming,” Maia said. “I’m not sure what they’re thinking, but I think we’ll find out soon enough.”

MEANWHILE:

“So you’re telling me that your shoes are gone?!” Oikawa asked incredulously, “There is no way! I made sure to put them in a safe spot away from them!”

“Well, Inez came to retrieve them and she did,” Keiji chuckled, reminded of their earlier encounter. “She pointed a pistol at me and demanded shoes that I made sure I didn’t know the location of, yet here we are.”

A FEW MINUTES PRIOR:

“Keiji. Shoes or I’ll shoot.” Inez threatened, smiling innocently.

“But I don—“

“Shoes or shoot.”

PRESENT:

“There’s no way!” Atsumu remarked, “A pistol? Ya’ must be joking!”

“I wish.” Keiji smiled, “Nova planned this out better than I anticipated.”

“Akaashi. Your wife to-be and her bridesmaids just accomplished the ONE thing we tried to prevent, and you’re still smiling like a lovesick idiot. You are so whipped.” Kuroo rambled, pacing across the room.

“I am marrying her,” Keiji grinned, “I’ve been ‘whipped’ since we met.”

“You raise the standards for all of us Akaashi!” Oikawa pouted. “But in all seriousness, how do we get them back?”

“We’ll have to go and go to them and figure out where they hid them,” Kuroo explained, leaning on the wall casually. “Once we’ve done that, we have to strike up a deal with them. If it all goes well, we should be able to get Akaashi’s shoes without too much strain on our wallets.”

“Wallets?” Ushijima asked, stepping into the room. “Couldn’t we just politely ask for his shoes back? He’ll need them later.”

“It’s a wedding tradition on Nova’s side of the family,” Oikawa added, glaring at Ushijima. “Anyways, Kuroo, Kita, and Atsumu, come with me. Let’s see if we can try a diplomatic approach first.”

The four of them went to leave when Kuroo suddenly turned around, brandishing his cell-phone in the air. “Akaashi, I know you want to see her, but you’re staying on the phone. Got it?”

Keiji offered a subtle nod in response as the designated gang left the room, sprinting to the other side of the venue in the hopes of getting the groom’s shoes (and to see their plus ones looking hot).

Kuroo threw open the door of the dressing room, only to be greeted with the smug grin of Nova and her lovely bridesmaids.

“I ran as soon as I heard,” Iwaizumi suddenly said, pausing to look at the predicament they were in, “Damn, you all cleaned up nice.”

“You can do better than that Hajime,” Mai teased. “You still look handsome though.”

“Oi, stay on task!” Oikawa directed, surveying the room before looking at Nova. “Ahh, looking good Nova!”

A second later, he was met with Maia’s playful glare as he sputtered and backtracked, trying to defend his honor.

“Ladies,” Kita began, “You all look as dazzling as the stars themselves. However, we require Akaashi’s shoes so we can all witness the lovely union that is to occur soon. May we have a civil discussion about this?”

“How about no?” Rach grinned, turning to Natalia, “And YOU better not go betraying us because your boyfriend is here, you hear me?”

“I would never!” Natalia argued, turning her gaze to Kita, “My marshmallow, can help his team try and negotiate a good deal, but there’s no way I’m letting us get away without something.”

“Can we settle on twenty?” Atsumu began, stepping towards the door, “It’s a fair amount according to me.”

“More!” Moon yelled out, “You’ve got to give us more than that.”

“Yeah!” added Maia, “Let’s settle on five-hundred dollars, shall we?”

Nova high fived Maia and the rest of the bridesmaids as the boys stared at each other in horror.

Five-hundred dollars?! For shoes???

“Empress! Baby, please convince them to lower their rate!” Kuroo shouted in a way that was half-scared and half fond.

Empress merely smiled at this, waving a dismissing hand. “Nice try, but not happening. I say five-hundred sounds good.”

“Ladies,” Oikawa smiled disarmingly, “One hundred. It’s more than generous, and I think Keiji and the rest of us would be more than willing considering how gorgeous you all look.”

“Flattery gets you nowhere, Tooru,” Inez deadpanned, a laugh escaping her when she saw Oikawa’s crestfallen expression. “One hundred is starting to sound quite nice, but five-hundred sounds better. Isn’t that right guys?”

“You bet.” Tee smirked. “Where’s Omi? I’m sure he’d support our case.”

“I would,” Sakusa shrugged, joining the groomsmen at the doorway, “Lets just give them the money and get back. They’ll use it well anyways.”

“We would!” Angie yelled, glaring at the taller men, “Unload your wallets and you’ll have the shoes!

“Sakusa, you could help us, you know?” Kuroo sighed. “Wait, I’m calling Akaashi.”

Nova giggled at this declaration as the men all huddled in the doorframe, toe-tapping anxiously until Keiji picked up the call at last.

“How much are they asking?” Was the first thing that Keiji asked, a slight note of panic in his voice. “It’s not too outrageous,,,right?”

“How do ya’ feel about five-hundred dollars?!” Atsumu exclaimed, “I’m sure that falls into the outrageous category!”

“Five...hundred?” Keiji whispered, his tone rising in shock. “You’re serious?”

“Completely!” Natalia said into the phone, “I think it’s a fair price and—STOP SMILING LIKE A LOVESICK IDIOT NOVA!”

Sure enough, from the corner of the room, Nova was beaming brighter than she had before, a pure reaction to the sound of Keiji’s voice.

“Nova?” Keiji called out, “Are you over there?”

“Yup,” Nova whispered, stepping to the phone. “Hi Keiji.”

“As cute as this is, we’ve seriously got to get his shoes back.” Iwaizumi announced. “A hundred-twenty-five dollars? Can we all agree on this?”

“I think we can go a little further,” Silla added from the corner, a mischievous smile creeping up her face, “I mean, it is their wedding.”

“Hundred-fifty!” Kuroo yelled, “Please tell me that’s enough!”

“We can go mo–” Natalia had begun before Nova cut her off.

“Two hundred from Keiji’s wallet and yours right now and you’ve got a deal,” Nova smirked. “Three seconds to accept or reject. Three….two….on–”

“IT’S A DEAL!” Oikawa hollered, throwing a twenty dollar bill on the table. “Akaashi, are you good?”

“I’ll sacrifice two-hundred if it means I get to see my wife.” Keiji sighed into the call, “Kuroo, you’ve got my wallet. Hand it to them.”

Kuroo hesitantly handed Natalia the wallet before he began rummaging in the drawers for the shoes. “Where did you guys hide the damn shoes?”

“Right here Kuroo,” Kita responded calmly, opening the compartment of the dresser. “It was in quite the basic spot.”

“Alright then,” Atsumu shrugged, “See ya’ soon ya’ hotties.”

With that, the groomsmen sprinted out of the room, brandishing the shoebox that they had fought so hard to get. The whole dressing room was filled with excitement and exhilaration as they stared back at the cash that greeted them.

“Now we can get ice cream.” Inez smiled, “We did good.” “As long as it’s not mint-chocolate chip.” Empress hastily added, “I’m not sure how anybody can tolerate that stuff.”

“I’m not having ice-cream discourse before my wedding!” Nova interjected, twirling around. “Oh my god….wedding. I have to....walk down an aisle...WHAT IF I TRIP?”

“Don’t trip...even though I’m sure Akaashi would appreciate the view of your ass.” Rach laughed.

Nova frowned playfully, although a slight red overtook her cheeks. “You are a gremlin.”

“Then I’m doing my job,” Rach shrugged.

“No, but you’re not going to trip.” Moon assured, “Oh my god, you’re growing so fast! You’re going to be married!”

“You’re not even that much older than me!” Nova argued, although her point was lost on the happy smile on Moon’s face.

“Don’t bite him when you kiss him.” Angie winked, pacing around the room.

“I think I’ll save the biting for later, don’t you think?” Nova replied, eliciting laughs from all her bridesmaids.

“NOVA, save it for the honeymoon.” Natalia scolded, jabbing Nova playfully in the shoulder. “I know you’re looking forward to that.”

“Shut up Natalia!”

They all shared a last laugh before they exited the dressing room, stepping into the lush gardens where in just a few minutes time, Nova and Keiji would unite eternally.

The surrounding gardens brought a certain liveliness to the aisle, with the multicolored flowers adorning the path where they’d finally meet. The skies above them were blue and clear as Keiji waited at the altar, Bokuto as his best man behind him.

They stood in silence as they marvelled at the sheer beauty of it all.

Nova and Keiji were getting married. It was really happening!

Keiji found himself worrying a slight bit, fingers twitching of their own accord as he attempted to calm his nerves. A million things soared through his head, but he knew that half of them was merely his brain panicking.

Nothing could have prepared him for the sight of Nova.

The wedding march played out into the venue, filling the space as her bridesmaids walked down the aisle with their plus-ones at their sides. They clutched their flowers beautifully, offering him congratulatory smiles, standing off to the side as he finally saw the person who had taken his breath away from the minute they had met eyes.

Nova beamed at him from the other side of the aisle as she clutched a bouquet of pastel flowers, smiling all the while as she accompanied her dad to the altar. She walked slowly, but he felt the elegance she had in every step of hers.

Keiji was the epitome of handsomeness from the way he looked standing there. In his tailored suit, he looked practically ethereal, illuminated by the sunlight that hit him at all the right angles. She felt the love for him pool in her chest as she took his hand, calloused and gentle as it always was as she gazed back at him, admiring him for everything that he was. Her vision grew a little blurry from the sheer happiness she felt, but she had never expected similar tears to fall from Keiji’s eyes.

He looked at her and saw radiance in its purest form. She had always been beautiful to him, an enigma of sorts, but nothing could ever rival the way she looked right then.

“You look beautiful,” Keiji whispered, placing a flower delicately behind her ear.

“I think that would be you,” Nova choked out, her smile widening at the small gesture, her hands still intertwined with his.

The officiant offered a pleasant nod to the couple as he began his speech. “We are gathered today to witness the union of Nova and Akaashi Keiji in this fateful union of two souls who love each other, and will promise to always love each other for as long as they breathe. If anyone has any objections, please speak now, or forever hold your peace!”

The guests all offered pure smiles of joy as the officiant nodded gleefully. “You may now begin your vows to each other.”

Nova blushed freely as she stared back at Keiji, full adoration in her gaze. “Keiji, from the minute we met eyes in the library, to where we stand here now, you have always had my heart. You have always been my anchor, supporting me through the toughest times of my life and bringing me through them, hand in hand as you’ve always done. You’ve always been my sunshine, bringing endless brightness upon our shared days, and making me fall even more in love with you as the minutes pass. I never knew life could be a dream until I met you. Today, with all of our loved ones, I chose you to be my husband. I promise to stand by you through everything, and give my everything to you. I vow to inspire you, support you, and cherish you for as long as we live. I promise to be at your side in sickness and health, for richer or poorer. I vow to love you with every inch of me forever, and always.”

Tears flowed freely down his cheeks as he regarded Nova with as much love as he could possibly muster in his gaze. “Nova, you’ve captured me, mind, body, and soul from the minute we met. You are my other half, completing me in ways I never knew before I met you. You bring me joy in every way possible, and a sense of peace that I only feel with you. You are my person, my inspiration, and I vow to love you till the end of time. Today, I take you as my wife, and I promise to love you through everything in life. I vow to express my love for you for as long as I breathe. I promise to be your support, and to support you. I promise to love you with every fiber of my being for as long as I live. I vow to treasure you, cherish you, stand by you, inspire you, and to adventure through life with my hand in yours. It is my promise to you, my darling, that my love outnumbers every star in the galaxy, and that I will always love you that way, now and for eternity.”

Nova was crying, the joyful tears streaming down her face as they shakily exchanged the rings on each other’s fingers, a physical manifestation of all they promised to share.

“You may now kiss the bride.” The officiant called out, clapping grandly when Nova and Keiji exchanged a passionate kiss, hugging each other tightly as the applause flooded the gardens,

“I introduce to you, the new Mr. and Mrs. Akaashi Keij!” The officiant added as everyone rose to applaud the new couple.

“Akaashi Nova,” Keiji whispered, placing another peck to his wife’s lips. “I quite like the sound of that.”

“You’ve got forever to hear it, Keiji,” Nova grinned as she placed a kiss on her husband’’s cheek. “We have forever together.”

“That we do,” he smiled, linking their pinkies. “We’ve got that and a whole lot more.”

©keinova wedding <3

feel free to interact with this post!!

[kingreywrites]

Falling Into The Sun

Fandom: Tangled

Word Count: 8620

New Dream Appreciation Week Day Five: Forbidden Love

Summary: "Eugene is..." Rapunzel says, interrupting his spiralling. She meets his eyes uncertainly, trailing off, before taking a deep breath, her fingers still interlaced with his. "Eugene is my best friend. He... He saved my life." He doesn't miss the way the king sighs with relief.

(Rapunzel doesn't kiss Eugene after bringing him back to life. Eugene tries to navigate his feelings in secret, with more or less success.)

Note: i’m very sorry but no love is getting forbidden here asgfhds instead i went for the perfect dynamic for unestablished relationships which is idiots to lovers, and like... it doesn’t fit the theme, but i still like it, so i hope you will too!!

also everyone thank @der-sonne for the title i agonised two hours over it and ana just... gave me one

Read on ao3

@gleamful-lanterns @autumn-ravenclaw

"You were my new dream," Eugene whispers, too weak to even hold his head up without Rapunzel supporting him. He hopes she hears all he's trying to say - he hopes she hears the I feel like I belong with you, the I want to see you happy, the you gave me hope for the first time in years and I'll never be grateful enough. 

He hopes she hears the I love you. 

"And you were mine," she cries, and he can only smile then, because... She understood him. And if he wishes so badly he could stay with her, this reassurance is enough to make him close his eyes with a semblance of peace overtaking him. 

She'll be okay. That's all he can hope for. 

What he doesn't expect is to be able to open his eyes again. He's breathing, and the pain disappeared, and Rapunzel is here, tears in her wide eyes, as if she can't believe he's alive too. He cracks a joke, because that's the thing he's the best at when he doesn't know how to deal with his feelings (and he actually does have a thing for brunettes, though he has even more of a thing for Rapunzel herself) and then she's throwing herself at him. He can only hold her tight against himself, his own heart beating too loudly in his chest as she laughs tearfully, head resting on his shoulder. 

Rapunzel raises herself up again, elation plain on her face, eyes full of overwhelming emotion. He's smiling like an idiot, because he's alive and she's too, and he hasn't dared hoping to go this far, but before he can say anything, she drags him towards her again, hugging him as if he's about to disappear. 

No one has ever held him like that. Like he is the most precious thing in the room, like he is... like he is loved. Eugene melts into the hug, feeling happier than he has ever been. 

------ 

Honestly, he doesn't think about the implications of everything they've been through, and about his own feelings until they come back to Corona, and Rapunzel's parents welcome her- welcome them with open arms. This is all so weird. A few hours ago, he was about to be hanged, and now he is invited into the castle as if he’s family, the king and the queen looking at him fondly. 

Then again, a few days ago, the only thing he would have registered is how many things he could potentially steal from here; right now, his entire focus is on Rapunzel's hand in his, and how anxious she still appears. She doesn't seem willing to let go of him, and he's glad, because he doesn't want to let go of her.

He squeezes her hand, and her timid smile is enough to make his own worries settle for an instant. 

It's the queen, who first forces him to think about… well, everything. They have been talking for a while now, Rapunzel explaining what she feels comfortable sharing, and asking questions of her own to the parents she didn't even know existed the day before. Eugene stays quiet, for his part. This is a time for Rapunzel, and her family, so he's here to offer her support, but he has nothing to add himself - until the queen turns towards him. 

"So," she says, as serene as she can appear with tears still in her eyes. "I can't help wondering, what are you to each other?" 

"Uh..." Eugene says intelligently, suddenly feeling like a fish out of water. What can he even say? What would Rapunzel feel comfortable with him saying? He doesn't want to put her on the spot, but he also doesn't want to lie to the queen- but would it be a lie if he himself doesn't know? What are they, what- 

"Eugene is..." Rapunzel says, interrupting his spiralling. She meets his eyes uncertainly, trailing off, before taking a deep breath, her fingers still interlaced with his. "Eugene is my best friend. He... He saved my life." He doesn't miss the way the king sighs with relief. 

"And you saved mine," he adds without thinking, because he doesn't want her to forget how brave she was too. 

The subject changes again, because her parents see it's too soon to talk about what they're implying, but Eugene keeps wondering about her wording. He's her best friend. There's a warmth spreading in his chest at the thought, because she saw the worst of him, saw all his vulnerabilities, and still found something worthy of love in him - he doesn't know how to deal with that. Doesn't know how to deal with Rapunzel's affection, because he's just... not used to being cared for. Not like this. Not so intensely. 

But there's also... something he doesn't want to name. He feels guilty for it immediately, this pinch in his heart telling him that his feelings are too big to be contained under the term friendship. He loves her, more than he has ever loved anyone, and it's only been three days - he can't imagine how much more his feelings will grow with time, but he knows already that... That they're bigger, somehow. More intense than he has ever felt anything. But Eugene squashes that feeling, because friendship is more than he ever hoped, more than he ever expected, and Rapunzel thinking of him this way is already overwhelming enough as it is. 

She looks at him, and he smiles. They'll be okay. That's all he can hope for. 

------

Two months later, and Eugene can officially announce that he's not dealing well.

That is sort of an exaggeration. His life is better than it has ever been -not that it was a high bar to clear-, he has a home and food on the daily, he can see and talk to Rapunzel everyday and… Well, not everything is perfect, but it's as close as it can be. He certainly didn't expect any of this when he agonised on the floor of the tower, so he'd say he's doing great.

There are only two things, really, that are currently not exactly ideal.

First, a lot of people in the castle don't like him. More than that (because he's pretty used to being disliked), they don't like that he's allowed to just… hang around all the precious artefacts they are sure he wants to steal, and they want him gone. He resisted his first impulse which was to tell them that if he really wanted to steal anything, they clearly wouldn't be able to stop him, and instead offered to take a job around the castle. He knows that being Rapunzel's best friend isn't going to be enough for them, that they don't even understand what she sees in him (on that one, he can definitely understand the confusion, because he's not always sure either), but he's simply annoyed at being constantly watched and doubted. He ends up with a job as a stable boy, and if that wasn't upsetting enough, Maximus is seemingly always there to mock him if he messes up.

He's a terrible, terrible horse. Eugene is ready to grumble that to anyone who will listen.

(He's also one of his best friends now. Yes, the horse. He's not sure how that happened either.)

Now, his second problem is a little more personal. A lot more, actually. Because his second problem is that any time Rapunzel smiles at him, he becomes an absolute mess who barely passes as a human being.

He's in love, okay. There's no denying it now. Not when he actually falls asleep with a grin on his lips when he imagines going on dates with her. God, who ever believed him when he pretended to be smooth as Flynn? He's the sappiest romantic he has ever met, and he seriously wonders how his feelings can be secret to anyone when he can physically feel his face heat up when Rapunzel says something a little too soft.

Last time, she picked a flower and put it in his hair, excited by how much it suited him and he… combusted, for lack of a better word. There had been enough heat in his cheeks to keep all of Corona warm for the entire winter.

Anyway. Life was a little weird, when your best friend was also the most wonderful person you had ever met, and someone who made your heart skip a beat simply by being themselves. To be fair, this isn't really a problem - he doesn't consider it as one, at least. He'd like it if he didn't risk ridiculising himself because he can't control how whipped he is, but nothing linked to Rapunzel could ever be a real problem.

She doesn't love him back that way. As much as his heart tends to ache at the realisation, Eugene can never dwell on this for too long because… Because Rapunzel is his best friend, and it's the best thing in his life. They laugh together, and explore together, and chat together for hours on end, and he can't feel too sad that there isn't more, when he's already getting so much. His relationship with Rapunzel is the best thing that has ever happened to him, and he's never going to pressure her into changing it, when they're both perfectly happy as it is.

"Blondie?" he calls, knocking at her door at the same time. His day of work has just ended, and hers should have too, but some duties can pop up unexpectedly, so he isn't certain she's here. "Can I come in?"

He hears a crash, and- "Eugene! Come in!"

When he opens the door, her head is popping up from a mess on the ground, strands of her hair sticking everywhere around her face. She pretends to pout when he laughs, but this only serves to amuse him further.

"I can come later if it's a bad time," he offers, even though he has nothing else to do for now, and would probably just wait like an idiot worrying about the correct amount of time Rapunzel needs. Thankfully, she shakes her head quickly, raising herself up in one quick movement. Her dress is covered in paint.

"No, no, stay there! I just need to change," she exclaims, before surveilling the fallen paravent lying at her feet. "Uh, turn around?"

She doesn't even have to finish her sentence that Eugene is obediently turning around to give her privacy. He's amused by the grunts and sounds of struggle he can hear behind him, and he's about to say something witty, when his eyes catch a glance of the mirr-

"ARGH!" he exclaims, slapping his hands over his eyes so quickly that it stings, "Imsosorryohmygod-"

"You okay?"

"I forgot there was a mirror here, I'm so sorry," he explains in one breath, already feeling his cheeks heat up under his palms.

"... I didn’t even get my dress off yet, just the bodice," Rapunzel answers, sounding amused. "The worst you could have seen are my shoulders."

Eugene sputters vaguely at that, because thank you, he's very aware of what he has seen. He doesn't add anything however, because he doesn't know how to explain that in these last few months, he has become someone who's ready to faint at the mere sight of shoulders. Well. Of Rapunzel's shoulders, very precisely. He doesn't want to explain that either.

He startles when he feels a touch on his arm, and when he finally lowers his hands, Rapunzel is here, in a loose dress, looking at him with an amusement he knows means she's gonna make fun of him. He can feel his cheeks still burning.

"You're very red Eugene," she singsongs, leading him to her bed so they can sit, the picture perfect of a concerned friend if it wasn't for the malicious glint in her eyes.

"Shut up," he groans, wondering if it would be more or less ridiculous for him to hide his face again. "I- I'm trying to protect your virtue," he announces haughtily.

"Ah," she smiles, leaning her head towards him, "we wouldn't want anyone to be exposed to be my scandalous shoulders, right?"

They meet each other's eyes, and maintain the joke for exactly one second, before bursting into laughter. Eugene's cheeks still hurt, but talking to Rapunzel always makes him feel lighter, like there isn't any trouble they can't face as long as they're together.

He asks her about her day, and Rapunzel launches herself in an animated reenactment of her history tutor nearly having a heart attack when he found Pascal on his desk. He's too busy watching her, and seeing how her face lights up, each of her freckles sitting against her skin like so many stars of her own constellation, to really think more about the shoulder incident.

(When he's alone in his room, ready to fall asleep, his mind reminds him of the stolen glimpse of skin he saw in her room. He doesn't know why he's embarrassed, still - he has seen more of her that one time her skirt got ripped during one of their walks in the forest - but the memory is enough to make his cheeks darken again. He hides his face under his pillow, and wonders again how anyone could have found him cool before.)

------

Sometimes, Eugene barely has the time to open his door that Rapunzel is throwing herself in his arms, entire body shaking with unshed tears. He always feels useless in these moments; like nothing he ever says could possibly do anything to make her feel better. He tries his best, of course, but he so wishes that she didn't have to go through any pain at all.

Today is one of those days.

He leads her to his bed gently, heart breaking at the fine tremors he can feel coursing through her. She doesn't even pretend to help, instead clinging to him for dear life until he figures out how to sit with her in his lap, so she doesn't have to let go. He remembers how insistent she had been for his bedroom to be close to hers, and he's always grateful for it - he wouldn't want her to have to cross the entire castle when she's in this state.

His hand hovers uncertainly above her head, before he gently strokes it away from her face, making her look up at him. Her eyes are red rimmed, and his heart twists at the sight. He never wants to see Rapunzel upset.

"What's wrong Blondie?" he asks softly.

She snorts, giving him a painfully fake smile. "Everything?" She hesitates, before sighing. "I mean, not everything of course. Things are… good, I just- I… I don't even know," she exclaims angrily, tears building in her eyes. 

"Hey, hey, it's okay," he assures her, shifting his grip on her to stop her from slipping. "Sunshine," he whispers, caressing her cheek with his hand, and feeling her relax under his palm.

"... Sunshine?" she asks curiously, cracks still in her voice from her emotions.

Oh. Oh no. Eugene's cheeks immediately and valiantly take their now usual shade of red, as he realises what nickname slipped from his lips. He remembers exactly how it was born, too - remembers lying on the grass with Rapunzel during one of their picnics, and seeing her brown hair spread around her head, shining under the sunlight as she laughed. Sunshine had been the only word he could think of, the only word that could fit her because… Because Rapunzel shines, too. She brings light into his life, into everyone's lives, and she… She makes him happy, just by being her. She makes the entire world brighter by existing.

"I- You're simply… You know, bright. You make things bright, and happy," he stutters out, terribly aware of how loudly his heart was beating.

The good thing is, that seems to amuse her. The bad thing is, Eugene knows he isn't particularly discreet about his whole "loving Rapunzel more than his own life" thing, but he doesn't particularly want to confess via a sappy nickname he couldn't help but blurt out at a bad time.

"I don't see anything particularly bright or happy about myself right now," she chuckles, brushing away her own tears.

"No but- you don't have to… to be happy all the time, that's not what I mean. I- Well-" He takes a deep breath, and gives up on pretending he isn't a hug sap. He's too far gone anyway, and he doesn't want her to think she has to be a perfect ray of sunshine all the time. "You make me happy Rapunzel. Even when you're not having a good day, even if you're angry, or- or upset, it's all part of you, and your existence makes the entire universe brighter, okay? That's why… That's why I think sunshine suits you."

You're my light, he doesn't say. I love you, he doesn't say. He wonders if she hears it anyway - for once, there is a faint trace of red on her own cheeks.

"Thank you, Eugene," she tells him earnestly, a smile hesitant, but real now.

"Of course," he smiles back. After a beat, he dares to bring up the initial subject again. "Do you… Do you want to talk about it?"

Rapunzel opens her mouth, and closes it, looking frustrated. After a few seconds, she shakes her head, and goes back to hiding her face against his jacket, hugging him tighter than ever. But this time, she's not crying, and it's more than enough for him. She'll confide in him in her own time, but for now, he offers her as much comfort as she's willing to take.

------

Life goes on. Rapunzel and him get closer and closer each day, until he can't help but notice the suspicious stares going his way when his hand stays a little too long on her shoulder. Rapunzel is not oblivious to the animosity either, but she thinks people are giving him the stink eye because of his past crimes, not because he's very obviously in love with their beloved princess. He can't exactly tell her that, though, so he goes along easily with her plans to "redeem" him in the eyes of everyone. It's funny anyway, to see guards having to stand his presence with clenched teeth as Rapunzel makes him pet a kitten to show he has a kind heart. 

Cassandra is the best at threatening his life without being spotted by Rapunzel, though. This woman has way too many knives for his personal well-being, and she's also clearly not scared to use them. 

However, he's... he's happy. Eugene is happy, happier than he has ever been, and he may be somewhat of a mess when it comes to romance (how does one flirt without using Flynn Rider's lines?), but he... he's starting to think that maybe, maybe, his feelings aren't as unreciprocated as he first thought. 

He's not sure sure, of course. And he doesn't want to assume, doesn't want to pressure Rapunzel into anything, doesn't want her to change only because he's reading too much into the hugs and the touches but-- there are things. A hand lingering too long on his skin, a smile a little too tender, eyes a little too loving... He doesn't want to project his own emotions on her, of course, but he can't help the hope building up within him. 

Life is a little hectic for them right now. Rapunzel's coronation is coming up quickly, and she seems more and more stressed at the idea, even though she's trying to hide it. It's not the right time, Eugene knows it, but... But he keeps thinking about telling her what he feels. Maybe in a casual way, ready to move on if she's not interested in him like this - he's like, fifty percent sure he can roll with it, and a hundred percent sure he can pretend he is, until it's true. 

And if she is interested- he can't really dare to seriously hope for it, but his heart flutters at the thought. 

She needs to be coronated first, though. The king tightened security around her for the occasion, which made it even harder for Eugene to see her, what between his job in the stables and her packed schedule. The rare moments they get are spent talking about anything but the coronation - Rapunzel doesn't want to bring the subject on the table, saying that she hears too much about it during the day, and him being, well, himself, he only wants for her to feel better, so they don't talk about it.

He's not sure it's the best choice. He wishes he could comfort her, but since she absolutely refuses to address her feelings when they have time together, there's not much he can do. 

Still, though, as worried as she seems, she's also the bravest person he knows. What's a little party to confirm her position as a princess, when she already went through so much? 

It's a lot, apparently. Eugene gathers that when he makes his way to the throne room, not even ten minutes before the party begins because he still had work to do before, and he sees Rapunzel running towards him at full speed, looking completely panicked. She grabs his shirt, hesitating, before leading him to the nearest closet, and making them both go in it. 

The doors close. The closet is spacious enough to hold them both, but it's still a tight fit. Eugene looks at Rapunzel, face only visible thanks to the slims rays of light coming from between the doors, looking resplendent in her coronation clothes and- and he sees how freaked out she is. 

"Sunshine?" 

"Ican'tdothis," she exhales, eyes wide as she grips her hair. "I can't do this, I can't, why did anyone think I could do this-" 

"Wow, wow, hey," he says, hands on her shoulders, trying to center her. "Rapunzel, can you breathe for me?" 

She takes a comically big inspiration, before exhaling loudly. "I did, and I don't feel better," she says immediately, dislodging his hands as she fidgets. "Oh my god Eugene I really can't do this." 

"Of course you can! Rapunzel, you're- okay, I can see that you're scared, and it is scary, I know that, but I really think this is nothing you can't face!" 

He hopes she can see his honesty even in the darkness. Eugene, while trying to find a more comfortable position, hits his head on a cabinet, and when he goes to touch the bump with his hand, knocks over a broom. This closet situation really isn't the best. 

"I can't do this," she says again, breathing hard as he bends over to pick up the broom. "I can't- I've never done this before, I'm gonna mess up so bad, why do you even believe I can- why-" 

"Sunshine, hey, I love you, and I'm sure they'll do too! You're amazing," he adds, straightening up, "I swear- what?" 

Her eyes are wide. She stopped fidgeting, which is good, but the way she stares at him feels a little too raw and what- Eugene rewinds what he just said in his head, and time freezes. 

Shit.

"What did you say?" she asks breathlessly. 

"I- uh- I-I-I- I owe you! I owe you!" he exclaims shakily, every alarm blaring in his brain. Shit, shit, shit. "I owe you fooor- showing me this closet haha, such a cosy little closet, and they'll all owe you too once they see what an amazing person you are! Yeah!" he chuckles awkwardly, before doing a fingergun to really keep digging his own grave apparently. 

Rapunzel doesn't smile. She doesn't even blink, which he knows, because he's not blinking either. His mind is entirely composed of insults, because the most fucking stupid idiot in this entire kingdom what the hell is wrong with- 

"You didn't say that," Rapunzel says. It's not a question. "You said 'I love you'. You said you loved me." 

Is Eugene breathing? He doesn't feel like he's breathing. He can't even answer her, the words are stuck in his throat, and the closet feels a lot hotter than it was seconds before. 

"You never say 'I love you'," Rapunzel continues, an intensity he can't place in her expression. "Other people do, sometimes. My parents do. I say I love you to Pascal. And you can... people can say I love you to their best friends, I know, but you never say it. Not like this. Not to me." 

His throat is dry. She's not going to let this go, it's clear, but he has never felt as terrified as he was now. He has no idea if her reaction is good or bad. 

"Eugene," she whispers, her voice the only thing that he can hear. "This means something more for you, doesn't it?" 

Her voice breaks at the end of the sentence, and with a start, he realises that tears are gathering in her eyes. He's going to make her cry. He can't- he never wants to make her cry. He's terrified, and he hates himself for dropping this now, in the worst situation possible, but he- she deserves his honesty, at least. 

"Yes it does," he admits in one breath, feeling like he might drown any moment. 

Fuck dying, this was the scariest moment of his life. After an hesitation, he takes her hands in his, and she lets him do it, and- and he remembers all these moments shared together, when he started wondering if she could love him back. There's a flicker of hope building in his chest, and even though he wanted to do this in another way, he clings to the idea that this might end well, that she could... She could love him like that too. That's how he finds the strength to continue. 

"I really wish I had better timing," he laughs, "and a better setting too, but Rapunzel- I love you. I've loved you ever since that first day in the kingdom together, and my feelings only deepened since then." 

Her eyes are shining in the dark of the closet. He hopes these are happy tears. 

"I love being with you," he continues with a soft honesty. "I love everything you do, everything you are, so much that I feel like I can't possibly contain all of it. You're my best friend Rapunzel, and I just- that's why I love you, because you make me laugh, and I love making you laugh too, and you're- you're also pretty," he rambles, before realising he was, and getting back on track. "I want to be your partner in all things, Rapunzel." 

There's a smile growing on her lips, and hope growing in his heart. She seems... she seems happy, and that has- it can't mean anything else, can it? 

"I think about you all the time," he admits with a smile. "And... I want to be by your side, always. When I think about the future, I think about us here, forever together in the safety of the castle, going on dates and- and running to the wall each day, and... And being happy, with you. Making you happy." 

"Here?" she asks faintly. Something feels different about her tone, but Eugene is so focused on trying to explain what he's feeling that he misses it. 

"Well, not in this closet exactly, but I don't see how we're gonna top a castle like this one," he jokes, looking down at their linked hands to try and gather himself. "I- I really love you, Rapunzel," he says again, meeting her eyes to see if perhaps, she might return his feelings. 

Her green eyes are full of tears. Eugene immediately sees that they're not good ones, and his heart sinks. 

"I-" Rapunzel tries, looking overwhelmed and... devastated. She blinks quickly, and a tear falls on her cheek, but neither of them go to wipe it off. "I'm sorry Eugene, I- I can't," she breathes out, letting go of his hands. 

They fall limply at his sides, while her own cover her heart. She hesitates, before opening the doors and running out. 

The doors fall closed again. He's alone, in a dark closet, and he doesn't even think about calling after her. 

It's funny, he thinks, because he has tried to prepare himself for a rejection for months, and he still hadn't been able to imagine the full scope of the pain he's feeling right now. His chest is tight, his heart heavy, and despite tightening his fists, his hands are trembling. 

He blinks, and feels the cold shock of tears against his cheeks. Just like that, the dams are open, and he feels his mouth tighten and twist as he tries to keep himself quiet. 

He should have known. He should- he shouldn't have- why did he say anything? Why, for once in his life, didn't he keep his mouth shut? 

Slowly, Eugene sits down, uncomfortable in the tight space of the closet. He tries to brush his tears away once, twice, before accepting that he can't win that fight. He feels cold. 

He stays crying in the closet for a long time.

------

The thing is, Flynn would have taken this rejection as a sign to gather as much stuff as he could, and go away forever. When Eugene finally gets out of the closet, startling a guard in the middle of his round and thus making sure the whole castle would know he had been crying in less than ten minutes, he considers the Flynn way out. He ruined everything anyway, what else could he do but leave?

However, the difference is, Eugene met Rapunzel. Eugene loves Rapunzel. And even if it's complicated between them right now, it's not something that will ever change - he might take time to get over his… romantic inclinations, but Rapunzel is still his best friend. He hopes, at least.

He doesn't want to lose her.

Flynn never had anything precious in his life. There wasn't a thing he hadn't been willing to sacrifice for his own survival, not a thing tying him down to anything. Flynn had been… no one. A lonely thief who would have died someday, forgotten by all, if not for Rapunzel. But Eugene changed. Eugene is- he's still Flynn, in some ways, because it's his past and he will have to live with it forever, but he… He wants to be better. He wants to be someone Rapunzel can count on, and he just… He needs to tell her that being in love with her doesn't mean that he isn't her friend, or that she can't count on him. He doesn't want her to feel like he's abandoning her - though if she wants him to go, he guesses he'll have to?

The thought is enough to make his heart sink even lower. He'll do what she wants, of course, but he's not sure he'll ever be okay if she wants him gone.

He's so stressed out when he arrives in front of her bedroom that he worries Stan and Pete are going to refuse him entry immediately; but they both seem somewhat relieved to see him, and tell him, without meaning to, about the way Rapunzel had to leave the party early because she wasn't feeling good. The guilt twists itself in his gut, but he says nothing, because he wants- he wants to make things right, and for that, he needs to talk to her.

He has the most terrifying conversation of his life once in her bedroom, pouring his heart out to her as she stays stubbornly silent, hidden behind her paravent. He tries to explain his feelings, and why he loves her, why he thinks she’s wonderful, but he’s scared he’s only making things worse by being honest. His eyes sting when he tells her that she’s his best friend, and that he doesn’t want to lose her, and only silence answers him. I destroyed everything, he thinks, feeling sick with worry - until he can’t take it anymore, and beg her to answer something, anything-

Her head falling is a surprise. The embarrassment of finding Pascal on the other side is enough to make him want to bury himself somewhere and never come back. Second declaration of love of his life, and he does it to a frog. The first one was in a closet, between cleaning supplies.

Eugene is starting to think he’s not good at this stuff.

In any case, Rapunzel obviously sneaked out. Pascal nods when he asks him if someone is with her, and it doesn’t take a lot to guess Cassandra is at her side. At least that means she’s safe, he reassures himself. She’s probably only trying to clear her mind of…

Of him. Of what he told her.

Oh, he’s so going to mope around in his room now. No more maturity and honesty, he’s gonna go borrow the saddest Flynn Rider story in the library, and cry in his pillow pretending it’s about Tony’s death in the third novel, and not… well, all of this. Eugene is great at this coping thing.

He takes the time to put Rapunzel’s mannequin under her duvet, so if anyone tries to look, she will seem asleep. He doesn’t know what anyone will do if they find out she went out, but she… She deserves to go wherever she wants, in his opinion. He’s not going to let her get in trouble with her dad. He also tells Pascal to go to bed, that he’ll make sure no one tries to enter, because the little guy deserves his rest too. He even tucks him in his little basket, and tells him to sleep well. (Don’t tell anyone, but he loves that little frog a lot. He also doesn’t want to share his future breakdown with anyone, but that’s another subject.)

He hopes he seems casual enough exiting her bedroom, and thankfully, Pete and Stan only nod when he informs them that Rapunzel is resting, and shouldn’t be bothered.

Since nothing can ever be going well for him, Eugene meets the king himself in the hallways. The option of the ground opening under his feet and swallowing him whole seems more and more tempting today.

“Your Majesty,” he grins awkwardly.

“Eugene.” His tone is ice cold. “Rapunzel was feeling… unwell, earlier. Do you know why that is?”

Funny how so many different words sounded exactly like I know you messed up and hurt my daughter and I am so very close to expelling you from my castle to Eugene’s ears. His gut reaction is to deny everything - Flynn is amazing at shifting the blame anyway, and it would be so easy to accuse someone else, to craft a lie on the spot and leave before someone notices and even more things go wrong… But he’s not Flynn. Eugene Fitzherbert has many flaws, but doing better than before implies that he has to keep choosing honesty, even when it’s difficult. Especially when it’s difficult.

Well. Not total honesty of course. It's a mix between respecting Rapunzel's privacy, and being somewhat of a trustworthy person.

"Sir, I… We had a talk, earlier, and it, uh, didn't go that well. I wanted to talk to her, to say sorry, but she's tired, so we should probably let her rest." There. Not completely honest, not completely dishonest. And hopefully, King Frederic is not going to check on her that way.

A few seconds go by, which feel like an eternity. Finally, the king nods. “Let me accompany you to your room,” he says serenely. Eugene suspects that he knows exactly what kind of effect he has on people. Thank god his bedroom is just under Rapunzel’s.

They’re on the stairs when Frederic finally decides that he let Eugene freak out enough. “Eugene, you know that you are an estimated guest in my castle, right?”

Ouch. Frederic immediately went for the combo “guest” and “my castle”. Eugene is in trouble, and he knows it.

“I… Thank you, your Majesty,” Eugene stutters out anyway. He could still fake an accident. Slips on the stairs to avoid this whole situation. That feels like a fair reaction.

“Good, good,” he smiles. “I know that these last months haven’t been easy on Rapunzel. She has… a huge responsibility, that she had to adapt to quickly, and I know that you have been important in helping her feel happier and more comfortable here. For that, I thank you, Eugene.”

“Of course,” he mutters, knowing the but is coming at the speed of a trainwreck.

“However, you have to understand that I can’t allow for more pressure to be added on her shoulders, not when she’s barely adapting to her life as a princess. Things like conflicts, or… or love, it will all come when she is ready, and it is obvious that she isn't yet.”

If there’s a word above mortified, Eugene is feeling it. Hearing the king basically telling him that he knows he’s in love with his daughter, and being rejected for the second time (maybe third? did the Pascal thing count?) in under three hours, it all makes him feel queasy. He opens his mouth, but no words seem able to come out of it. He’s not sure if he wants to agree, to defend himself, or to tell the king that he really shouldn’t be talking for Rapunzel anyway. His grave is already deep, he could keep digging - when his throat stops being so dry.

The king doesn’t leave him the time to gather himself. “I will keep her safe from these troubles until the time comes. From everything and everyone,” he announces, tone even as they both arrive in front of Eugene’s door.

Well. Frederic’s room, which he lends to Eugene, but could take back whenever he so desires. The threat is hanging in the air between them now, and Eugene remembers just how little he belongs here. He’s… He’s a barely reformed thief, who’s only allowed to stay because Rapunzel vouched for him. He knows that even if she hates him now, she won’t let him be thrown back in the street, but it’s a pretty lonely feeling to realise that her affection is the only thing holding him here.

“I hope you understand, Eugene,” King Frederic adds when he doesn’t answer.

“... Yeah, your Majesty. I think I got it,” he smiles tightly. For a second, he thinks he sees concern flash in Frederic’s eyes, but it’s gone as quickly as it came. He feels like ants are crawling under his skin when the king wishes him a good night, and the uneasiness doesn’t wash away when he goes sit listlessly on his bed.

He doesn’t even have the Flynn Rider book to keep him company. He looks at the rays of moonlight coming from the window, and hopes that at least, Rapunzel isn’t in trouble out there.

------

So… Is the return of the magical hair that got Rapunzel kidnapped as a baby trouble enough? Eugene nearly has a heart attack when he first sees it again, and Rapunzel has to help him sit down as he babbles questions upon questions. Then, he notices how awkward things are between them still, and how she can't meet his eyes, and how she doesn't want to tell him what happened, doesn't trust him anymore, and- well, he remembers. It puts a damper on the mood, for sure.

They barely have the time to talk after that. Rapunzel is busy with her coronation, and with trying to hide seventy feet of hair under a wig, and Eugene is... He doesn't want to bother her. And if she doesn't want to talk right now, if she doesn't- if she can't even look at him, he isn't that eager to clear things up either.

He doesn't care about the king’s warning even half as much as he knows how heartbroken he will be if Rapunzel decides that she doesn't want him in her life anymore.

They get attacked during the Coronation. Rapunzel is… She's beautiful, with her hair shining golden around her face as she defends her kingdom. They fight back to back at some point, and the banter that falls from their lips is familiar in a way that warms his heart - but when he looks at her swing from the ceiling to knock out one of the attackers, all he can think is wow, I love her.

That's kind of the problem, isn't it?

Can he get past his feelings? If that's what she asks of him so they can stay friends, will he be able to promise it? Will he be able to keep that promise?

He isn't sure. And it kills him that he isn't, but- but she's his best friend for all the same reasons that he loves her, she's just… She's amazing. She's not perfect, no one is, but everything that makes her who she is, is something that Eugene treasures. He- They met six months ago, and it felt like a lifetime, but Eugene is… He's happy, right now. Not right now right now, of course, the whole failed declaration obviously weighs on his mind, but these last months have been the happiest of his life, and he doesn't want to remember what it felt like to live without having Rapunzel in it.

He's terrified again, when he goes to talk to her that night, after her discussion with her father. He half hopes she will be gone again, so he can repeat with Pascal - the frog is a surprisingly good listener.

She's here, of course. Despite his nerves, he softens when he sees her sitting at her windowsill, closing what looks like a journal.

"Hi," he says gently, before brandishing his gift. "Somebody ordered a cupcake?"

"Aww Eugene," she smiles, and for a second, it feels like everything is fine again. He has cupcakes, and they're smiling, just like their first day in Corona, and nothing has changed, but everything did. Her hair doesn't help the déjà vu.

He takes a deep breath, and sits next to her, knowing that this was it.

"Listen Rapunzel, I- I'm sorry. I'm sorry I put you on the spot with my- my declaration, and I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, that was really not… Really not what I wanted."

"To be fair, I did force you to say that you meant it," she answers awkwardly, playing with her hair. "I'm sorry for that."

"No, no, don't be, it's… You definitely had the right to ask me for honesty. I shouldn't have tried to lie back then, I'm sorry for that too," he chuckles, feeling like his heart is going to beat its way out of his chest.

"So… So you were honest, in the closet. You- you love me," Rapunzel whispers, something unreadable in her expression.

"I do. I… I love you, Rapunzel," Eugene repeats, and sees how her eyes widen again. If he wasn't terrified that she would recoil if he tried to hold her hands, he would take them. "I said it already, but I've loved you for a long time, before I even understood it was love. But… But that doesn't change anything," he assures her. "I'm still your best friend too. If you want me to be, of course, but I still- All we lived through together, it's still the same, and I promise I won't bother you with my feelings ever again, I-"

"But you'll still have these feelings, right? You'll still love me," she says quietly. It's not a question.

Eugene closes his eyes quickly, before lowering his gaze to the uneaten cupcakes between them. "I will, yes. I can't- I'm sorry I can't promise you that I won't, but I'm… I'm not even sure how I couldn't love you. But I swear," he insists again, looking right at her, "I swear that it won't bother you. You're my best friend Rapunzel, and that's who I wanna be to you too, and I'll do everything so you can forget that I ever said anything, we can- we can go back to what we were before!"

It sounds like begging to his own ears. Rapunzel mutters something, drawing her knees to herself, and it takes everything in him to not cry again. He doesn't want her to accept his apology because she feels bad for him - the pity party will have to wait.

"I… I understand, if that's not what you want," he murmures. "I won't blame you if you decide you'd like me to- to leave the castle, or even Corona, that's-"

"What? No!" she exclaims, getting closer to him and taking his hand. It's clearly not the time, but all the alarms in his brain are blaring about the contact. "Eugene, I don't- I never want you to go, please don't leave, I-"

"I won't, I- I just wanted you to know that you could, uh, ask that. If you want."

"That's the very last thing I want." There's tears in Rapunzel's eyes now, and Eugene feels even worse. He keeps messing this up. "Eugene… How do you know you love me?"

"I… I simply do," he answers breathlessly, not prepared at all for this question. "I want to see you happy. I think- I think you're someone incredible, in all aspects, not just when you're doing something cool, but also when- when you trip, or have paint on your face, or… I- I think you're funny too," he babbles, waving his hands to make his point, "and I know it's kinda similar to friendship, but it's not, too. It's… When I see you smile, my stomach flutters, and I- I-"

There are days when Eugene wishes he was rich enough to hire someone who would shut him up when he starts saying something embarrassing, because god does he need that. He clamps his mouth shut after realising he's been rambling about his feelings, because how can she believe his assurance that this - his love for her - doesn't have to change anything, if he can't even control his tongue?

"Sorry," he says quickly, "I just… I know. But I swear, I can make you forget I even said these words, we can-"

"I don't want to." She scooches closer to him, her hand still on his, and all of his focus is on her. He doesn't know if he's breathing. "Forget. I don't want to forget. I don't want you to change yourself either, Eugene," she whispers, and his entire world hangs on her lips.

"Sunshine?"

"I… You're my best friend, too. I love talking to you, and laughing with you, and sharing everything with you," she smiles, full of emotions. "When I see you, I- my stomach flutters too, and I'm never as happy as when I'm with you."

"I don't understand," he exhales. "I thought- I made you cry?"

She squeezes his hands, an anxious grin on her lips. "I'm sorry for that. I'm sorry for… running, and leaving you alone and confused in that closet, I was just so- I'm so overwhelmed, lately. I feel restless, and I'm scared of messing up, of being the worst princess there ever was and, I don't know, leading the world to its destruction probably."

"Seems like a logical consequence to giving a bear hug to some foreign dignitary," Eugene jokes, and they both laugh. His heart feels a little lighter.

"I- When you first started talking, I was happy. I was so happy Eugene, you can't even imagine, because everything you were saying, I was feeling it too. But then…" she hesitates, brushing her hair back. "I got scared. When everything goes wrong, I know that you will always be by my side. I know that you're in my corner, no matter what, and I- I was scared, that it would change. That we would change, and nothing would be the same again. And after that, you were talking about the castle, and staying here, and I got scared again because I'm terrified of nothing changing too, I don’t… I'm- this makes no sense, I’m sorry, I know," she laughs nervously. "I can't make sense of my thoughts."

"It's okay, it's… I think I get it, in a way." He doesn't want to ask if she really feels what he thinks she feels. He doesn't want to hope, and doesn't… He thinks back on Frederic’s words, and wonders if the king was right, if he's just putting another source of pressure on her shoulders when she's not ready. "Listen, Sunshine, I- we can take things slowly. Nothing has to change between us, we can be-"

"No."

"... No?"

She bites her lips, and he has one second to wonder if he misreads this situation completely, and now she's angry at him, before she grabs his shirt, pulls him towards her, and crashes her lips against his desperately. His eyes widen with shock, hands hovering above her waist for a second, before his mind catches up and-

Oh.

Oh, he thinks, arms steadying her against him. Oh, she loves me too, he smiles against her, closing his eyes and opening his mouth for her tongue to slip between his lips. Oh, I'm an idiot, he realises, as his heart seemingly bursts during the kiss, and his mind goes over his memories, trying to assemble the pieces - she loves him, she loves him, how long has she loved him? His face hurts from smiling when they separate, his hand trailing along her arm to avoid letting go.

"I want things to change," Rapunzel says, her hand going to cup his burning cheeks. "I- Since that first day in Corona, and the lanterns, and everything, I wanted… I wanted to do this. But I was scared, scared of losing you, scared of- of being truly free, I guess," she chuckles. "But you know what? I'm not scared anymore."

Her eyes shine under the moonlight, full of tears and elation. Eugene is pretty sure he looks the same.

"I love you, Eugene." Rapunzel's fingers are soft on his face, and she brings him to her again, their noses brushing against each other.

"I love you, Rapunzel," he whispers again, and they kiss - it's slower, full of a shy tenderness he has never felt before. This is new, and it isn't at the same time; because the love has been here since they told each other they were their new dream, but the discovery is fresh, full of joy and wonder.

Eugene can't wait to see where this road takes them. All he knows is that they'll be at each other's side. For that, he knows they'll be okay. That's all he can hope for.

(Though Eugene wishes becoming Rapunzel's boyfriend would have helped him overcome his habit to blush for any and every little thing that she did, it appears that it only heightened the problem. Maybe because now, when he does it, Rapunzel is here to smile and kiss the red on his cheek, only serving to make him blush harder - she knows exactly what she's doing, he's sure of it. It's okay, though. Now he doesn't have to fantasise about holding her hands and going on dates with her, he can just… do it. It's definitely worth the occasional embarrassment.

Loving Rapunzel feels like coming home. It's as easy as breathing, and he's ready to do it until the end of time. Being loved back by her… It's indescriptible. No matter what obstacles might be in their way, he knows they'll have each other, and that's all he can ask for.)

[sage-nebula]

So, the good news: Ghetsis was not redeemed, he isn’t going to have a relationship with N moving forward, and although N was shown to wish things could be different between them, ultimately the whole situation was treated with the seriousness and gravitas that it deserved and N never once forgot the abuse that Ghetsis put him through, nor was he at any point willing to just brush it aside. In that regard, I’m very glad for how Masters handled the situation. 

With that said, though, the writing in Masters made me realize something else about how child abuse stories are handled in Pokémon, and that something else is . . . not good. Namely, I’ve realized there is a significant difference between how child abuse stories in Pokémon are handled depending on whether the abusive parent is blood related to the child or not.

First and foremost, let’s get this out of the way: There is a social stigma in Japan against adoption. This isn’t to say that children never get adopted, but that culturally adoption is looked down upon in comparison to having biological children, and as a result there are only a few hundred adoptions each year in comparison to the thousands of kids living in orphanages. (Although this isn’t purely stigma, since in Japan the biological parents can still retain legal guardianship over their children in the orphanages and can therefore prevent them from being adopted by families as well. They don’t do this maliciously, but instead might think, “I will be able to care for my child later” even if that never comes to pass.) Additionally, I’ve read before that the stigma is why adopted children often don’t refer to their adopted parents as “mother” or “father” but I can’t find that source now, so take that with a grain of salt.

Anyway, the point of me saying all of that is: Japan has a stigma against adoption and Pokémon is a video game series created by Japanese people. Therefore, it stands to reason that Japanese cultural beliefs (such as the importance of blood family over adopted family) can make its way into the series, even if the series itself is a worldwide phenomenon that they know will absolutely stretch beyond Japan’s borders . . . and I think that’s what has happened here, intentionally or otherwise. Basically, whether an abusive parent in Pokémon is redeemed or not seems to have very little to do with the severity of the abuse (including that which is shown to the audience), but instead everything to do with whether their children are biologically related to them or not.

First, let’s take a look at the abusive parent that was redeemed, Lusamine. In Sun & Moon specifically Lusamine is not once shown being anything but abusive to her children. Lillie tells a story of how Lusamine was kind to her a couple times in the past (dancing in the rain, co-sleeping when Lillie was sick), but that falls in line for abusive parents. Abusive parents generally aren’t abusive 24/7; there’s a well-known cycle of abuse which contains a “honeymoon period” stage in which, typically after an apology and a promise to do better, the abuser treats the victim kindly, which usually results in the victim believing that the abuser really does love them and that whatever abuse comes later (and it always does come later) is in fact the victim’s fault on some level, for failing to keep things stable. Regardless, we know that not only did Lusamine abuse both Gladion and Lillie terribly in the past (to the point where Lillie has trauma surrounding even the clothes she wears and has trouble getting new ones), but we also see her verbally and emotionally abuse them on-screen, and then we see her attempt to murder Lillie during the climax. While Lusamine was retooled into being a well-intentioned extremist in Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon, we again see her verbally abuse her children on-screen, to the point where when Hau says that Lusamine really isn’t a bad person after all, we see Gladion grimacing in the background. All told, we see Lusamine emotionally, verbally, and (with her attempted murder in SM) physically abuse her children on-screen, and yet she is still forgiven by them pretty much immediately, redeemed, and treated as if they’re a happy family with just a few unfortunate bumps in their history. I’ll note here, for anyone who isn’t already aware, that Lusamine is Gladion and Lillie’s biological mother, and this is obvious by how similar they all look even if you weren’t told repeatedly.

Now let’s look at the abusive parent that is not redeemed, Ghetsis. In the first set of Unova games, Black & White, most of Ghetsis’ abuse of N happens off-screen and isn’t revealed until the climax. Ghetsis had N raised in a castle underground where he was cut off from society. He was brought pokémon that had been abused so that he could be manipulated into thinking that all humans abused pokémon and that pokémon needed to be liberated therefore. Because Ghetsis needed N to act as King of Team Plasma and control the legendary dragon, Ghetsis didn’t directly abuse N during this time. Instead, he neglected him (N was primarily raised by his sisters, Concordia and Anthea), and psychologically abused him via manipulative lies about what the rest of the world was like. It isn’t until the climax when N has decided to disband Team Plasma and listen to what the player has to say that Ghetsis brings out the verbal abuse, calling N “a freak without a human heart” and revealing that he was only ever using N all along. In the sequel games, Ghetsis is similarly openly hostile to N again, showing that he has no intentions whatsoever of being a good father to him. He’s pretty terrible to him, even if we didn’t see very much of it (particularly in comparison to what we saw with the Aether family, whose abuse was also much more realistic than N’s situation), and pretty much no one would want him to be redeemed. But also it’s important to note that N and Ghetsis, despite having the same hair color, are for whatever reason NOT biologically related. 

And this is hammered home time . . . and time . . . and time again, particularly in this Masters event.

Now, I think most of us would agree that it would be hard to find a woman who would want to procreate with Ghetsis. Granted, Ghetsis isn’t the type of person who would care about consent, but I do think it’s reasonable to assume that Game Freak probably wanted to avoid those thoughts, even though it could have been very easily solved by having a female Sage who was also Ghetsis’ baby mama / wife (similar to how Ariana, one of Giovanni’s executives, is very obviously Silver’s mother). So I mean, from a taste standpoint, I can see why they wanted to go the adoption route with Ghetsis, even though they still made him and N have green hair despite not being biologically related for some reason.

But.

I still think it’s noticeable that they have the irredeemable abusive parent be the one who both had the least amount of on-screen abuse (and also the least realistic abuse) and also be the adopted parent, versus the one they bent themselves into pretzel shapes to redeem be the one with the most on-screen abuse (and most realistic abuse) who also happened to be the biological parent. The message that sends, to me, is that it doesn’t matter how badly you abuse your children in this world so long as you are their biological parent. In the end, you will be forgiven and they are beholden to you as family. Versus if you’re an adoptive parent . . . well, you were never as important anyway, so. I mean, why else would Lillie leave her loving adoptive parents of Kukui and Burnet to go back to her abusive mother in Sun & Moon? Clearly the blood ties were just that much more important. (Granted, Kukui and Burnet hadn’t officially adopted her, but they as good as. I’ll never stop being infuriated by that ending.)

 This is, to a lesser extent, even shown with Giovanni and Silver’s situation. Giovanni was, to our knowledge, never actually abusive toward Silver; in the one conversation we see them have in HeartGold & SoulSilver, Silver’s main issue is that he doesn’t understand why Giovanni is disbanding Team Rocket after losing to Red, and also he doesn’t get why Giovanni needs so many underlings to begin with. He thinks Giovanni is weak, and Giovanni just tells him that he’s wrong without really bothering to explain things. At most, Giovanni is aloof and distant with Silver, which makes Silver angry, but Silver’s bigger issue is with Team Rocket as a whole. Giovanni’s definitely not a good father, but he’s not an abusive parent on par with Lusamine or Ghetsis from what we’ve been shown, and the implication is there that they could potentially repair their relationship in the future. Even in this event, the tension between them wasn’t bad, just complicated.

But . . . they’re also biologically related. Silver is Giovanni’s son, we’ve been told this a million times, and it’s very obvious that Ariana is his mother. They’re biologically related. And so, even though Giovanni is routinely touted as one of Pokémon’s most fearsome villains, Silver will never actually cut him off completely / be able to do that because Giovanni is his biological father. The fact that Team Rocket is based on yakuza probably complicates things even further there, but all the same. If Silver had been adopted by Giovanni, I’m pretty positive that Giovanni wouldn’t care / Silver would cut him off entirely. It wouldn’t be seen as a “real” family.

And this all bothers me, because not only was my biological mother abusive, but my stepmother was the only one who treated me as a mother should treat her child. Similarly, my biological sister was complicit and even participated in the abuse I suffered as a child, but my stepbrother whom I’ve known practically my whole life is the sibling I’d ride or die with. To me, biological ties mean jack shit. Family doesn’t begin or end with blood; to treat non-blood relations as lesser is something that will never fail to raise my hackles. So to see it handled this way in one of my favorite franchises of all time . . . yeah, it’s more than a little upsetting. I understand why it’s happening, I’m fully aware of the cultural context that this series is being written in, but that doesn’t mean that I have to like it, because I don’t.

And before anyone gets it twisted:

Both Lusamine and Ghetsis can rot in hell, NEITHER should have been redeemed. This is NOT me complaining about Ghetsis being treated as the piece of shit he is, but rather my anger at the fact that Lusamine got a pass because she birthed the children she abused, and Masters making that abundantly clear by having N and Ghetsis state in every single chapter of this event that they weren’t blood related. 

But anyway, it’s nearly 4am, and I need sleep. I can continue being angry about Pokémon’s handling of abusive parents at a later date.

[seasonsofeverlark]

Pumpkin Pie and Cheese Buns

Author: @evestedic​

Prompt: Hard working coming home for thanksgiving. Stops at the store on the way to pick up the dessert she didn’t bother to make no one will notice anyway and runs into their ex lover. Tries to leave fast but has to take the walk of shame back to grab the cranberries too. Arrives home not just with the cranberries and pie…  [submitted by anonymous]

Rating: T

____________

“God damn it!” Katniss was not happy. 

It was Thanksgiving, which meant she was being forced to spend time with people she didn’t even know.

Why?

Because they’re family, Katniss.

She could hear her Aunt Martha’s voice. 

Why should she care that her cousin was getting married?

Or that her nephew had gotten into college? 

Or that her godfather was slipping her a 20 buck bill while winking an eye at her? 

She wasn’t a total bitch, so she bore with it, but this was people she saw one fucking time per year! 

If it wasn’t for Thanksgiving, she was sure she wouldn’t see them again as they never even called. Nor did she.

But, be that as it may, Prim loved big gatherings and the attention; she was, after all, quite cheerful. Her father also bore with it, although better than her. 

However, who knew? This year her mother was coming with her new boyfriend. 

Ugh, puke… 

And that was why she was there, November the 26th, coming back from work and on her way to Aunt’s Martha’s house. 

Katniss was not happy. 

She had already left the store not five minutes ago, but something kept nagging at the back of her head while she accommodated the bags in the back of her car. 

Of course, being who she was, she had forgotten dessert. The pumpkin pie with maple whipped cream. Sighing and fuming, she went back to the absolute chaos of the aisles. If she arrived at her aunt’s without dessert…well, she would rather face a biblical plague. 

After perusing the dessert stand and seeing everything was completely wiped out‒not even crumbs were left‒she gave up and thought about getting some canned peaches and cherries.  That’s when she heard it…   

“Is that you, Katniss?” 

That voice. 

She had loved it at one point. Now, it was just nails on a chalkboard. 

Turning around, she set her eyes on a huge blonde guy; he had a perfect gym advertisement body, a smirk on his face, and his arm around a blonde girl with the same perfect gym advertisement body. 

“Cato.” 

“Buying for Thanksgiving?”

“No, just came because I was craving some peaches.” 

“Oh.”

Seriously? It was the most direct sarcastic answer ever, and he had actually believed her? 

Katniss rolled her eyes and was about to turn around when the Barbie clone spoke. 

“Is this the one, babe?”

“Yes, baby, that’s her.”

“Oh, I thought she’d be…I don’t know, prettier?”

“She never wanted to put in the effort, baby.”

“She is standing right here. And if working out turns you dumb, I’m glad I didn’t do it.” 

Katniss had gone out with Cato for two years when they were nineteen. Back then, he had been a kind guy, funny and perhaps a bit silly, but very nice, normal. He had asked her out after a college party, and she accepted; the rest was history. 

However, after one year of being together, he began frequenting the campus gym and suddenly started to change. All he could talk about were diets, exercise, and protein. Katniss was all in for a healthier life; hell, she knew if she kept on eating Greasy Sae’s food every other night, she was going to clog her arteries by the time she was 35, but Cato was relentless. He got rid of all of her comfort food and she had been forbidden to eat chicken and meat ever again. Only turkey and fish were allowed, vegetables, no dairy or eggs, no sugar! She was going crazy; Katniss had reached the obscene point of hiding in the bathroom to eat a Snickers bar, only to quickly brush her teeth and rinse with Listerine at least thrice so that her boyfriend wouldn’t taste any trace of chocolate when he kissed her. It was that night when she knew she couldn’t do it anymore. She no longer recognized the guy she had agreed to date or herself, for that matter. So, Katniss decided to end it right then and there. She skipped her next class and went to their dorm only to find him banging the very same Barbie girl who was in front of her in the canned aisle right now. 

Quickest breakup ever. 

He had said it was her fault for not ‘putting in the effort,’ and she hated him for it. 

“Jealousy doesn’t fit you, Katniss. Well,” Cato gave her a once-over, “I doubt anything does. Have you gained weight?” 

“If I have, that wouldn’t be any of your fucking business. What are you doing here? Came to buy something for dinner? I think there’s a celery and mineral water pack on sale.” 

“Still salty because I chose someone better?” Cato shamelessly licked the girl’s ear, making her giggle in an obnoxious way that made Katniss want to gag. 

She didn’t have to stand here and watch this; she-

Was that a hand on her waist?

“Hey, sorry I took so long. I literally had to wrestle this from an old lady.” 

That voice. 

Peeta Mellark was holding onto her waist and smiling that charming smile that could probably tame a wild animal, while proudly presenting a ham to her.

“Um…” Eloquent as always. 

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t know you were with friends.” 

“Yeah, no…Not my friends.” 

“Aren’t you the baker guy? You’re slumming it with the bakery employee?” Cato laughed while Barbie‒Katniss really couldn’t care less about her actual name‒looked at Peeta appreciatively. 

“I haven’t introduced myself,” Peeta said, extending his right hand but not letting Katniss’ waist go. Cato immediately took it, flexing his bicep as he did so, but his expression faltered when he shook Peeta’s hand. “Peeta Mellark, owner of ‘The Cake Lair’. Have you guys ever been?” 

Katniss was confused. 

It wasn’t as if she and Peeta were actually friends. They had talked, yes. She simply loved the pastries he sold, and because of how she had raved about his cheese buns, well…the double entendre put her in an uncomfortable position, but he had only laughed and thanked her for the compliment, as he had, in fact, baked those himself. 

Peeta always made sure to set aside at least two cheese buns for her prior to the end of the day. 

And okay, yeah, they had exchanged numbers and texted from time to time, but nothing deep. It was always things about the weather, the cheese buns, or how Prim was. Did that qualify as being friends? 

Katniss was awful at being a good friend, hence why she only had two: Gale and Madge. Her sister and father didn’t count; they were family. 

Shaking her head, she returned to the present to find that arm still around her and Cato’s face getting red. 

“Just let go, dude.  You’re about to pop a vein.” Peeta chuckled. 

Katniss directed her gaze at their hands; she could see they were both squeezing the hell out of each other. Cato probably thought he could scare Peeta off with his muscles, but he clearly hadn’t seen Peeta shirtless on a hot day, hauling 100-pound flour sacks onto his back as if they were light cargo. Peeta was strong, like ‘I could iron clothes on your stomach’ fit; he just didn’t flaunt it, and Katniss appreciated that.

Cato huffed and let go, and Peeta smiled once more and winked at Barbie, who was giggling like an idiot. 

“So, we should be going soon if we want to make it, Katniss. You know how Aunt Martha gets if we don’t get the groceries in time for her.” 

So yeah, she had told him about her hellish weekend to come last week, but Katniss didn’t think he would remember. 

With his hand still on her waist and her still not shrugging it off, they made to pass Cato and his doll, but, of course, the bodybuilder felt the need to use the sole neuron in his brain. 

“You know you’re just a replacement, right? I mean, she went and looked for the next guy that kinda looked like me because she clearly can’t forget me.” 

Tuck your thumb over your middle finger to make a proper fist. If you wrap your fingers around your thumb, you’re likely going to break it. 

Her father’s words and the boxing lessons came back in a flash, and before Peeta could hold her back, Katniss pivoted on her left foot, momentum aiding her, and connected her first with Cato’s jaw. She wasn’t an expert boxer or anything of the sort; she just liked the exercise, and she was strong. But Katniss must have been lucky enough to hit the sweet spot because Cato dropped to the aisle floor, unconscious. 

“Babe!” Barbie girl screeched, and suddenly, two more gorilla-looking guys were coming to her aid. 

Friends of his, no doubt. 

“Tell your boy toy, next time he wants to bully me to think twice, lest he finds himself beaten up again by a woman,” Katniss spat at the blonde girl. 

“You did this?” A broad and tall black guy asked. He was actually pretty scary, but Katniss held her ground and managed to nod. To her surprise, he chuckled and sort of bowed to her. “He’s an ass. I bet he had it coming. We’ll take care of him.” 

“Thresh! He’s your friend…” Barbie girl actually had tears in her eyes. 

“He’s not. We’re just in the same weightlifting class. And don’t cry; he’ll come to soon. Finnick, help me bring this idiot back.” 

“You must have a mean right hook, hon,” the guy with reddish hair and perfect teeth told Katniss. 

“I do.” She jutted out her chin proudly; her dad had taught her well. 

“Nice to know you have it all sorted out. Katniss, should we go?” Peeta was pulling her a bit, and she let him, both soon finding themselves out in the parking lot, having decided to leave behind the cans and the ham. 

Once they were in front of her car, Katniss did something she rarely did. 

“I’m sorry I cost you your ham.” 

Peeta seemed surprised, but he simply smiled. “That’s okay. There are a lot of hams left, actually; I just needed an excuse to walk up to you.” 

“Why did you do that?” 

“That guy was an ass, and I know you could’ve handled it on your own, but…,” he leaned in a bit and whispered, “doesn’t it feel good to let him know you’re with someone much better now?” 

Katniss couldn’t help it, she laughed. “You’re full of yourself, Mellark!” 

“Hey! I’m a catch, I tell you. Owner of his own bakery, hard-working; I know how to cook and bake, and I’m easy on the eyes, too.” 

“Not to mention, tons and tons of humility.” 

“That, too.” He smiled, and Katniss rolled her eyes, but she really didn’t feel angry with him. She hadn’t needed his help, but he had offered it freely without expecting anything in return. “So, I guess this is where we part ways.” 

“What are your plans for tonight, Peeta?” Katniss suddenly asked, and he was surprised as well. 

“Uhhhh, not much. Bake something? Eat it while watching TV, nothing exciting.” 

“You can come to my Aunt Martha’s, if you want. Prim would love to see you, and this way I can repay your ‘act of kindness’.” 

“Really? You sure it wouldn’t bother you?” 

“If it did, I wouldn’t have asked.” 

“Sure, I’d love to.” 

“Okay, but before that, there’s something I need you to do for me.” 

“What is it?” 

“Can you drive? My right hand is killing me.” 

                                                °•. ✿ .•°

“Why couldn’t you just buy it?” Katniss whined.

“Because I actually enjoy baking. You should know this already.” Peeta chuckled as he handled the mixer. After a few more turns, it seemed everything was ready. “I just need to flour the containers now.” Peeta patted his hands on his apron and went back to the pantry. 

Katniss took her chance. 

She slowly inched her hand forward, her eyes not leaving Peeta’s back, just in case. 

Two more inches and-

“I swear, Katniss, if you’re reaching for that dough I won’t make any cheese buns for a week.”

“You wouldn’t dare!” she exclaimed, shocked. That wasn’t fair! Peeta hadn’t even turned around, but he knew what she had been about to do. 

“Try me, love.” He then approached the table again, watching a grumbling Katniss cross her arms. “You know you can’t have raw dough while pregnant.”

“That’s a stupid rule. I bet it’s invented. How did women manage centuries ago, then?” 

“Oh, I don’t know. They sometimes died intoxicated, so no biggie.” Peeta was serious now. 

“I wouldn’t die over a bit of dough…” She said it under her breath, but he heard.

Peeta sighed, and Katniss felt a pang of regret. Damn him. “Katniss, do we really have to discuss this again? It’s Thanksgiving, and I’d bet my bank account Aunt Martha would come down here and force you to go to the party if you weren’t so-” 

“Go on, finish what you were going to say.” Katniss knew she was so big she might be in need of her own postal code. 

“-tired. You’re carrying twins, and that’s not an easy feat. The only thing she asked for was the pumpkin pie with maple whipped cream.”

“Every fucking year.” 

“She indulges during the holiday.”

“Why not just get one from the bakery?”

“She wants it fresh.” 

“Why doesn’t she come down here and get it herself?”

“You really want your Aunt Martha here? Right now? Today?”

“…No.” Why did Peeta have to be so logical? 

“I know you’re crabby and your feet are probably swelling. Let me put this in the oven, and then I’ll massage them with some of that lavender cream your mother gave you.” 

“And a bath.”

“A massage and a bath, you got it.” 

Peeta, of course, fulfilled his promise and left Katniss so relaxed she fell asleep and didn’t even notice her husband had gone and come back from the Everdeen’s annual Thanksgiving gathering. 

By the time she opened her eyes, he was sitting next to her, reading a book. 

“Hey…did you all get a proper rest?” Peeta put a hand on her belly, smiling. 

“I think so, yeah; they just started moving.” 

“I can feel. Here, let me help you up.” Peeta’s strength was no joke. He could single-handedly lift her up, yes, even when she felt like a whale, and prop her on the bed so she could sit comfortably. “That okay?” 

“Yes, perfect.” 

“Happy anniversary, love.” He presented her with a huge cheese bun, making her laugh.

“Peeta, just because we fucked for the first time four years ago today, doesn’t mean it’s an anniversary.”

“For me it is! Come on, I bet you didn’t think we’d end up doing it in the bathroom that night.” 

“I seriously didn’t.”

“But here we are, and that’s all that matters.” 

Her husband really was the cheesiest person alive, but she secretly adored that part of him. 

“Shut up and let me enjoy my cheese bun.”

“Your wish is my command.” 

[yanderecandystore]

Happy holidays! how about a hot chocolate competition among the yandere ocs and the best one gets a special cabin date with darling?

Hello @teachillvibes, I'm so glad to see you again- Your requests are always so wonderful boo, thanks for requesting me this one!

Happy holidays everyone!! 🎄

TW/Tags: Sweet times cause I sure love them- // kinda like a city festival going on lol // I took your concept and change it a bit I'm sorry boo ;-; // it took me so freaking looooooooong to do it XD I'm sorry- I was kinda hoping that this could be my Christmas gift to y'all ;-;

🍭꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍰꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖🍭

Hot Chocolate Competition [Yandere!OCS x Reader - Headcanon]:

🍒Bullies🍭

→Alexandra Coldwell:

If I'm being honest, she probably would have reconsidered sharing the prize with her brother before she can consider going out with you instead. Alexandra entered the competition solely because she thought it would be fun, after all she isn't really the type to get herself dirty if it isn't for fun.

She wanted to win of course, but surprisingly she did have a lot of fun learning how to make hot chocolate, especially with her brother's help. Alexandra thought it would only make sense to take her brother as her company into this free wintery vacation, yet for some reason he didn't accept her offer.

Adrien felt satisfied with helping his sister as normally his cooking skills are generally unappreciated or ignored, although he appreciated how his sister wanted to pay back for his help, he was already happy with just being the one that got to teach her something new, since it's normally the other way around.

And besides- Free vacation packages are always so lackluster to him, if it isn't a five star service then why even bother? He could literally pay for better treatment than what the prize guarantees anyway.

Still, she wouldn't have accepted it if she didn't have someone in mind already. Yeah, yeah, she knows you probably won't like the idea of spending time with her, especially all alone in the cold.

But- Hey, I think you should give her a chance, after all, isn't this the time to forgive and forget? Maybe not completely forget, but I'm sure she'll do her best to make this the best trip for you, ever!

→Adrien Coldwell:

Adrien is known as the lazy one of the twins, the antisocial, the "mean one" (let's be honest, they're both evil but in different ways-), yet people tend to not give him enough credit for his accomplishments.

Him coming out as the winner of the competition may seem shocking to many but let us all remember that this isn't just his random luck, Adrien really did work his best to win and since he is already interested in making sweet treats for himself you can only imagine how hard he wanted to be recognized at least once.

The prize that he won was a vacation to a winter resort of some kind for two people, meaning him and anyone he would like to bring. Adrien considered bringing his sister, since he felt like it would be better for her to spend Christmas in a cabin with him than at home with... both of their parents and, may he dare say, ridiculous Christmas songs. Those damn, Christmas songs.

But Alexandra made sure to refuse his offer each time he tried to bring up, saying that the place was probably runned down and filthy and that she would never step inside a place like that- Alexandra also said that it wouldn't be fair to go with him since she didn't help him, and that this was something he won on his on, he deserves to enjoy it fully.

But what a dilemma, who would have the privilege of accompanying him to such a "special event"?

You, of course. Even if he knows you would rather be far away from him and get some rest from his constant torment, it's not like he would leave you alone at all lol-

Hey give him a break, will you? I'm sure you'll have a great time with him, he promises he won't do anything stupid while you two are there.

Just let him repay you for an entire year of entertainment, dearest.

🍎Teachers🥧

→Madeline Allen:

Madeline is normally very uninterested in competing with anyone, even if the prize sounds amazing. What made her stay and see more of the event was when she noticed you in the crowd, maybe you were with your friends, although she didn't really see anyone she recognizes as your friends there-

What made her participate and do her very best to win? It was when she noticed how most of the contestants seemed to have a suspicious interest in you, something felt weird in those stares they were giving you. She is a little suspicious about the intentions behind those stares, yet she has to recognize that whenever there is a shiny diamond radiating light, it's hard to not notice. It's obvious that they recognize how shiny you are, love.

It doesn't really excuse their clingy behavior towards you, but sure, she gets why they're doing this, or why they would enter this competition in the first place. All to get your attention apparently.

Honestly, she wasn't planning on entering this competition at all, but… Hmmn, how can she say this nicely- She doesn't like these people trying so hard to get your attention, specially with the prize being something that would give any of them the privilege of having you all by themselves, no dearest, she can't let them have you like that-

Besides! Wouldn't you prefer being with nsomeone that is actually looking forward to making you happy, instead of being stuck with brats, with troublemakers and… uhn- A cosplayer…?

Anyway, all of them are pretty eccentric with their own weird little charm, she is sure they'll be fine, especially far away from you- Believe me, she is so excited about this vacation! Forget about these guys, think about all of the things you two can do!

She is already thinking about what she'll bring with her, some cozy warm clothes, maybe her favorite fuzzy blanket, maybe some of her favorite movies, some rope, an tranquilizer-

Well, who cares about the details anyway?? She is just so excited, she can't wait to give you the best of her cookies!!

→Matthew Robinson:

Matthew is a really reserved individual. Being part of big events is simply not his thing, but it was because of you and that sweet smile of yours that brought him to this place. And well…. The smile stuck in the other contestant's faces… Not that they were even half as charming as yours, on the contrary, they seemed oddly sinister.

Mischievous by their very nature, all of these people seem to be somewhat interested in you, breathing in your presence like you're oxygen itself. Disgusting. For the first time in his life he feels pissed off enough to say he wants to see them drop dead- Not that he'll actually do anything, he is nothing like that.

All of these people seemed really interested in winning that prize and hopefully taking you with them, which of course he couldn't allow it, as your only protection from these fiends.

When he won, he was too dumbfounded to even notice the hatred looks that the other competitors were giving him. He really did win, didn't he? He couldn't believe he won!

For the first time in his life he didn't feel satisfaction that came from the competition itself being great, no, true satisfaction came when you accepted to go with him! That's the golden prize he never thought he deserved, yet feels so rewarding.

Don't worry dearest, he'll take care of everything that you need while you two are there, you'll be treated like the perfect little princess/prince you are, like the perfect doll.

Now he just needs to be sure on what to bring, this is probably the most excited he has been since he was a child!

🍋Delinquents🐍

→Janette Sartorius:

Janette isn't one for entering in these competitions just because, there needs to be a good reason for it, like helping them raise a good funding for some sort of charity, or ya know, impressing that one really cute person in your class. Yeah, really important-

Look, she has a lot of clown energy, she knows it, but being publicly humiliated is absolutely not her thing! And that means being either the loser or the winner, she doesn't know exactly what to say when she is put into such position-

Still, if it means giving you something nice, then sure! She'll take whatever she can, although she was focusing on gaining something like second/third place so she can get something small like a plushie or a basket of chocolate, anything that would be small yet really charming- Just like you!

When the judges announced her as the winner in first place, she couldn't believe it! No- Seriously, she couldn't believe it!! She tried to make sure her presentation would be nice but mild enough to not be considered a winner!! What the hell???

Even if the universe seemed to have betrayed her by making her be the one in front of so many people as she claimed her prize, she was once again blessed with luck, as her prize was something truly worth looking like a fool in front of so many strangers-

Of course she'll take you first! Why not?? It's not that weird, it's just pals being pals and inviting each other to cool trips, ya know?? Surely she isn't screaming inside at how cliche this all seems.

Look at her, NOT thinking about the huge amount of fanfiction she had ever read where there was only one bed! NOT her reconsidering not going because she can't handle the thought of there only one bed. She is totally fine, ya know? NOT thinking you'll hate her when you learn how much of a weeb she is-

She'll make sure that you have fun with her, but you'll probably catch her trying way too hard to impress you very soon- Please, talk with babe- In her brain there is only one neuron, and it's constantly banging its head in the walls of her brain screaming your name.

→Jackson Macnee:

Jack isn't really interested in these competitions, it isn't his thing, he wouldn't waste time on it unless there was something really, really important at hand.

And it seemed like today was the day to do anything that he could to not only enter such stupid competition, but to win it at all costs. It was when he recognized those familiar faces next to yours that he decided to enter it, but it was when he noticed all of the contestants, who were presumably strangers to one another, get somewhat riddled up about your presence.

Yeah sure, you're cute, you're pretty and yes you're perfect, but seeing half of the contestants being so… Clingy over you it's absolutely ridiculous-

What? You know all of them?? Or are you going to tell him that some of these imbeciles got this lovestruck immediately just by taking one glimpse at you? You would sound absolutely insane to him if you have chosen to tell him none of them, absolutely none of them are interested in you in any way- Especially those dumbass bourgeois blondies.

Jesus fuck, what type of luck is that? Having all these morons be so interested in impressing you by winning a prize for you? Sounds dumb to him, but still, if winning it's what takes to make these fools stop daydreaming about you then so be it. It's not that he really wants to impress you by giving the prize he won, he just wants to see the twins cry after noticing the cruel reality that they don't have you- Or that they can't get everything that they want, that could work too-

Jack is sure to seem calm and unbothered throughout the entire event, trying to sound happy that he won, and trying even harder to not make the laugh in the face of the rest of the competitors. But honestly, he wasn't expecting the prize to be so…. convenient? Really? A place where he can take you to be all alone with him while enjoying such a joyful season?? Yes, he'll gladly take it and make sure to shove in everyone's faces, not literally, but clear enough for everyone to get the message.

Although he is happy for his win, he doesn't really know what to do from there- The fact was starting to settle in when he rethought over and over again about the trip. Somewhere all alone with you, sounds really, well, like a dream, like a fantasy, unrealistic.

Jack will do what he does best, fake that he is calm while hiding the fact he is panicking at the thought of being this close to you. Again, he doesn't want you to know how much he wished for this. Whenever he acts like he doesn't care at all, he at least hopes you know you do mean a lot to him.

🍈A.I (non-binary/gender neutral)👾

→Yuma Soma:

Yuma was focused on winning the moment they entered the competition, however they didn't know what the prize would be until they actually won it. They were more interested in the competition aspect of this event than what they would gain with it, yet when hearing what the prize would be they were, well, confused-

What is so special about this whole "free vacation"? A cabin in the middle of the woods with nothing but snow? Pff- As if snow is even that cool for them to want to see it! Yeah, they know what snow is….. 100%...... yeaaaaaah.

Okay fine, they don't really know what it is. I mean- Sure they know the definition of it, and they have seen a bit of it in their game, although they bet that what they have seen isn't half like the real deal.

It may seem silly, but maybe this trip could be a great opportunity for them to be able to see it and feel it for the first time with you by their side. With you trapped inside the game or not.

Don't be so mean boo, they promise they'll behave this time! The biggest gift you can give them it's the wonderful time you two will share, then again, it's not like you can really do anything against it, right?

🍬Kitsune🦊

→Tatsumi:

To be honest, Tatsumi isn't one for entering these types of competitions unless the price is truly worth it. Money would be the first thing in his list of priorities, yet the idea of going into vacation on the holidays doesn't sound half as bad, ya know?

While walking around the city plaza with you, you two noticed the event happening and decided to take a look.

He wanted to try it out because it sounded fun, yet to actually win?? This feels amazing yet somewhat inappropriate to him, he didn't really consider the possibility of winning, that it almost feels like he would be taking something that he doesn't deserve.

And as he struggles to come out with any excuse as to why he can't take the prize, even though he could take it and give it to any of his friends, you decided to intervene and take the prize for him.

You already knew how Tatsumi felt about himself, you didn't know exactly what led to it but you did know about his constant breakdowns whenever he thought no one was looking. He did tell you about some of his issues but whenever he could he would fake it as being something dumb that you shouldn't worry about, but come on- You already know that is bullshit.

Tatsumi would feel better knowing you're coming with him, but he would still feel awkward knowing it's just the two of you, and it's not like he won't receive thousands of messages from all of his friends calling him out for not inviting any of them. It's not like they had anything against you, they just really liked messing with him over his massive crush over a you-

He may be a little sneaky perv bastard, but come on now- You know he will treat you right while you two are there, honestly he just wants to enjoy some change of scenery with his favorite person.

🍰CEO📏

→Ingrid Bright:

First things first, Ingrid is a serious woman owner of the biggest business empire in the country- Do you really think she has time for things like that? Cause either way, even if she lost, she could have- Built a winter resort just for herself if she wanted to go there so badly.

But who knows, maybe she found something charming about winning the competition and sharing the prize with you, it's… A bit more charming than her just bringing you to a place she paid for. Something about the novelty of winning something for you sounds really appealing, maybe even worth the trial and error, and again she doesn't really need it, so there isn't any harm in trying.

Although let's be honest, there is a slight possibility that the game was rigged to her favour considering her own status against the various competitors. What? It's not like she is aware of it, if anything she is just as clueless as every other person competing.

She probably does need some rest from the same boring office that she has to work in everyday, and bringing you with her may be the best part of it all! What do you say? Want to get some rest far away from the company?

Well, maybe not completely far away, considering she is your boss… But, maybe if Ms. Bright gets to relax for a while, she'll eventually soften up. You won't be in an awkward trip with your boss anymore, you'll be on a surprisingly nice vacation with a person you knew for a while but only got to truly know recently. She really hopes you don't see her as just your boss...

🍭꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍰꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖🍭