#as I say while I look like someone’s dad

[sirfrogsworth]

I woke up and everyone was saying Biden did horribly and I saw a bunch of folks saying he has dementia.

And, while he did sound weak and tired and stumbled on his words, he did not sound like he had dementia.

That's just... old brain.

When people are that old and tired and you rush them to answer complicated questions, that's what they sound like.

And I don't actually think Biden did as bad as people were claiming. Not that I am saying he did good at all—it's clear he shouldn't be president. But he answered almost every question. He remembered facts and statistics. He wasn't a drooling invalid.

But expecting an 81 year old to give detailed answers in 120 seconds seems unreasonable. Timed debates are so stupid and I don't know why people agree to them.

SOLVE WORLD PEACE IN TWO MINUTES!

It seems Biden is fine if he is allowed time to gather his thoughts and speak when his brain catches up.

It's like people have never been around the elderly before.

And the only reason Trump didn't stumble as much is because he just regurgitated his rally-speak. He used the exact same lines he always uses and none of it lined up with the actual questions he was asked. And if he were forced to answer what was asked I think he would have looked just as bad.

I mean, why aren't people talking more about that right now?

If someone asked me "What is the name of your cat?"

And I responded, "Cannibal drug dealers from Mexico are going to eat your grandma."

How is that not a worrying sign of my cognitive function?

My dad had bouts of delirium, which is similar to dementia. And that is not something you can hide. It can't be masked. It isn't subtle. Nothing I saw hinted at dementia.

Just olds being old.

*heavy sigh*

[accioscarheadthings]

ULTRAMINE ~ CHAPTER 1

kenji sato x reader

summary: you are professor sato's student and mina contacts you when kenji finds himself with an injured kaiju baby

pairings: kenji sato x fem!student!reader

author's note: turning this into a series (?) may not follow the movie's timeline completely. future smut, so minors DNI.

you stood beside professor sato in the tube lift as it descended to kenji's basement.

you fiddled with the ends of your shirt, anxiety beginning to spiral within you by the second.

being at kenji’ house was something you never imagined would happen, especially after your not-so-smart first date. 

like kenji, you also had a legacy to bear, with your father as an expert mechanic, he built a titanium-alloyed suit with sato to fight by his side. and with him gone, you had to take on the mantle and the responsibility of protecting the city.

kenji knew you as his father’s student, slightly bitter that his father was spending time with someone who was not him.

but he couldn’t deny, you were a sight for sore eyes.

he would throw his words at you now and then, relishing in your sarcasm and remarks, falling more and more for your fiery demeanour and silver tongue.

and with you both fighting kaiju attacks together, it only pulled you closer to each other.

the baseball player won a bet against you, asking for just one date with you. 

you were skeptical about it, not wanting to get tangled in his spider web of messy celebrity life. but you couldn’t back off from the bet. a deal was a deal.

the date went surprisingly well, with you and kenji bickering back and forth about the most mundane things, just to get a rise out of the other. but as time went by, the sexual tension was increasing between you two.

you couldn’t deny it, no matter how much he annoyed you with his bratty charm. he was hot. 

the date was supposed to end with him dropping you in your place, but instead, you found yourself in his arms in the back of his car- naked, needy, and moaning his name like a prayer.

after that, he took you into your apartment and fucked you good, mumbling praises and promises as he drilled into you. the next morning, he left before you woke up, leaving a note saying that last night was fun. 

no calls or messages after that. he merely acknowledged your presence after that.and you were thankful for it. a bit.

part of you wished he would reach out and check in on you after that night. but you knew he wouldn’t.

it made you feel used and unwanted. took you quite a while to get over it, but you eventually did. 

you only took care of the fights he didn’t pay mind to. like the kaiju attack he ditched when the kdf intervened.

and now with the doom of meeting him again, your nerves were on end.

“fret not, dear,” professor sato glanced at your tensed state, “it will be alright.”

"professor, um, you still haven't told me why we’re at your son’s place. or what we're gonna do. or why you needed me out of all people-”

"i just need you to trust me on this, dear. you're the only one i do at this moment. can you do that for me?"

"you know i'm big on trust, professor, " i commented, shaking my head.

the lift stopped, and professor smiled, "that i do," 

when the lift doors opened, ultramn’s face was right on, big glowing eyes.

you took a step back with a yelp, “what the-"

"oh my-" ultraman gasped, “y/n… hi,” he seemed to be dazed, breathless.

you nodded nervously, glaring at his metal head and glowing eyes, glad that you didn't have to look at his handsome face, “hi,”

“dad! what is she doing here?” kenji hollered, as if you were invisible.

you glared at him even harder, tilting your head to the side at his tone.

"i apologize for my son," professor told you, "kenji, this is my assistant and she knows best about kaiju infants,"

i added, "because i've studied about them.my entire life. what they eat, their life cycle, the metamorph-"

"okay, okay, got it yeah," he waved you off in a hurry, his voice laced with impatience and worry.

you were about to snap when a pained squeal rang out and you leaned past him to sneak a peak, but ultraman obscured your view.

“dad, i’m not asking for pain, complaints, guilt, or criticism. not right now. i just-” he paused, struggling, “i need your help. both of you,” his head turned to you.

when he moved out of the way, you saw it, a gasp escaping your lips .

a baby kaiju lying on its back in the middle of the room, its head resting on ultraman’s knees while he held it down, rubbing its head. a red beam blinked under its skin, signaling its distress.

"wow," you gaped at the kaiju baby, following after professor sato.

“she was hurt, dad. we were attacked, i don’t know what to do. she got loose. i-i should’ve been there,” kenji rambled, guilt evident as he beat him up for what happened.

professor sato examined her, running a hand over a scales, “incredible,”

i held out my fist, metal plates slipping over your fingers and crawling up your arm till your elbow. you held out a hand, shooting a scanning bean from your fist to examine.

“you brought your warsuit?” ultraman asked in wonder. he knew about your identity and was hoping he’d run into you in one of the fights.

“just in case,” you shrugged, eyes on the anatomy chart you had pulled up in front of you as the holograph blinked on the arm of the kaiju, indicating the site of injury.

meanwhile, professor sato ran a chem analysis of the tranquilizer that had hit her.

"oh, hello mina," you greeted the ai when it floated towards you, “it’s been a long time,”

"indeed," mina responded, "you look well,"

"thanks,"

the kaiju baby whined in pain, squirming. you rested your metal palm on its tummy, easing your way up and down on its body, "shh, hey, hey- it's okay, we're gonna help you, baby, mkay?” you cooed.

the kaiju baby seemed to somewhat calm down at your words, its body still trembling.

“is it a he or she?” you asked, tapping and prodding her arm juncture.

“a she,” mina responded.

"she's beautiful," you looked up at her in awe, “professor, i suppose she has fracture. there’s fluid build-up in her elbow. mina, can u confirm?,”

“yes, she had a mid-humeral fracture with associated hematoma,” mina added.

the kaiju baby cried out again.

“it’s okay, you’re okay,” professor sato uttered softly caressing her arm.

mina was filling in the professor about the analysis of the tranquilizer while you got a closer look at the baby, running your metal hand over her palm.

her fist closed around your hand, the kaiju baby cooing slightly. your heart melted at the action.

“poor thing. does it hurt too much?” you reached to touch her arm where she got hurt, only for her to squeal in alarm.

“it’s okay,” kenji soothed, “she’s-” he stammered, looking at you now fully and taking in your appearance and feeling somewhat flustered, “she’s not gonna hurt you,”

you spared a glance at him, turning away, your face turning red at the mere sound of his voice. pathetic, you scolded yourself.

“can you synthesize a 100 ccs?” professor sato asked mina. 

“yes, professor,”

“good we’ll need more,”

 “more?!” kenji snapped, “for what?”

“kenji,” “you may not agree with me on anything else, but right now, i’m the best chance she has. and with y/n, it will be easier. so please, please just let me help,”

kenji glanced at you, agreeing, “okay,”

professor sato held up a ragged bunny in the air. the kaiju baby beamed at it.

“dad,” kenjis sighed in nostalgia, “bunny?”

“it always worked on you,” he placed it on the baby’s arm. he notched his walking stick between her shouler and arm, making sure it was right. i nodded in approval.

i placed my hand on the kaju baby’s palm, “hold her tight, kenji,”

two mechanical arms appeared from the ground, grabbing onto the baby’s arms.

taking a deep breath, you mumbled along with the lullaby mina played in the back and pushed her dislocated bone into place. kenji turned his head away to the side, unable to watch while the kaiju baby screeched in pain.

——————————————————————————————————

you sat by the stairs of the containment unit as the kaiju baby slept in it, snuggling a half-crushed car.

you were watching the footage of the kaiju baby loose in the streets, observing its movement, behaviour—

“hey,”

you slapped your watch shut and looked up at kenji, blinking, “hi,”

your eyes locked for a moment longer adn you both looked away, feeling bashful and flustered. 

you felt him sit on the stair beside you and rest his elbows on his knees, fiddling with his fingers nervously.

“so, uh, how are ya?” kenji turned to face you, his hair falling all over his forehead.

you bit back the urge to brush them back, “fine. so how’s life being a single mom with two jobs?” you teased, hoping to ease the tension.

kenji gave a small smile, his chest rumbling with a groan, “exhausting,”

“i can tell,” you noticed the fading dark circles under his eyes, the fatigue in the paleness of his skin.

“watching me that closely, sweetheart?” he tipped his head to the side, leaning forward a bit, his flirty tone showing up.

“you wish,” you rolled your eyes at him.

“it’s good to see you,” kenji spoke genuinely, “after the last time we met turned into-”

“oh dear god-” you sputtered, “don’t just don’t,”

“was it that bad?” he seemed offended that you were shutting out that incident so quickly, “was i that bad?”

“no, no, ken,” i laughed carelessly, missing the way a shy smile crept up kenji’s face at your sound, “its just that,” you tried to find the right words, “it was amazing, but the days after that, not so much. we-”

“-drifted apart,” kenji completed, understanding now.

"yeah,"

“i’ll just,” kenji jabbed his thumb to the couch area and walked towards it, muttering and scolding himself for being so clumsy and flustered around you.

you smiled at his back, watching him sit down. you turned back towards the containment unit, watching the kaiju baby snore away.

you crossed your legs, getting comfortable, "mina?"

"yes?" the ai floated towards you.

"give me everything you have on the kaiju baby. and you might wanna get filled in on the kaiju anatomy and life cycle info i have in my database," you held up your watch for her.

“sure thing,” a mechanical arm took it from you.

"and also, could i get a cup of coffee, with three-,"

a cup was thrust beside your face to hold. 

you looked up and saw kenji holding one for you, having one for himself, “three shots of espresso. just how you like it,”

surprised but touched, you accepted it with a kind nod, watching him walk back to his father.

he relaxed back, leaning into the couch and spreading his legs apart shamelessly, one arm resting on the head of the couch.

you lips parted at the sight.

kenji did a double take and caught you staring, a grin quirking his lips as he did so. it only widened as he saw how you fumbled and turned away from him, finding your reaction adorable.

he couldn't believe how captivating you were, and he knew he was in danger of losing himself to your charm. 

 the way your hair draped over your shoulder, only if he could wrap his fist around them and pull you flush against his back-

“pure thoughts, ken. pure thoughts,” he chided himself, his mind struggling to process the mental image it created.

he silently chastised himself for letting you slip through his fingers last time, but he knew that he couldn't ignore you any longer. 

as he looked at you, he felt his heart skip a beat and he couldn't help but sigh, "sweetheart..." knowing that you were too tempting for him to resist this time.

[hyunverse]

dad activities ☆ stray kids hyung line

tags. fluff, headcanons. fem!reader. note. long time no update... (nervous giggles.) maknae line soon. enjoy <3

BANG CHAN...

he's a total girl dad. 100%.

chan is soft-hearted when it comes to his little girl. a glance of her puppy eyes and he'll surrender himself completely to her.

often times, you'll find chan sitting cross-legged with little ha-eun on a stool, giving your husband a makeover. no matter what ha-eun does to him, he'll simply let it be — even if she's dabbing a ridiculous coloured eyeshadow on his eyelids and tying a horrendous looking ponytail at the top of his head. if it makes his daughter happy, then he'll entertain it.

you can count on chan to get your daughter ready for school. he's mastered multiple hairstyles! whether it be a french braid or pigtails, chan made sure he's mastered them even before ha-eun was born. he loves preparing his daughter to school, enjoys the morning as he ties up her hair and makes sure she's dressed up nicely.

would not miss any single school event. talent show? sports day? bring your parent day? report card day? he has every event marked on his calendar, and never misses any. all the teachers and moms know him for being so present and sweet.

always has a hairtie on his wrist! ha-eun is a cheeky, cheeky girl — constantly running around. chris makes sure to have a hairtie prepared for moments where the little girl gets tired of her hair sticking to her face and ends up throwing a tantrum. of course, the other hairtie on his wrist is reserved for you. ♡

at the back of his car lays a my melody stuffie. he's proud to have it in his car!! every time someone gets in his car, he proudly says, "oh, that's my daughter's stuffie." the proudest dad around <3

overall, chris is a dependable and sweet dad.

LEE KNOW...

i see minho as a twin dad. a boy & a girl!!

having twins in the house, pranks become a common occurence. one twin would prank the other, then a revenge comes. it becomes a cycle!! you'd try to stop the prank war going on but it cannot be stopped when minho encourages it!!! sometimes he'll even conspire with the twins to prank you. watch out for the sugar jar as you make coffee because it might actually be salt.

i cannot explain this but he makes weird bento boxes. the typical ones would be of animals, or studio ghibli characters but he makes odd characters that are lowkey terrifying but the kids are so used to it that they're unaffected.

they'll never know what's coming for them when they open their lunchbox. it'll be either yet another jureumi-shaped bento or a weird-looking cat.

leaves cute little notes too! odd, and a bit threatening but cute nevertheless. some of the notes the twins have received range from — "fight back when someone bullies you," or "eat well or don't come home." they're all affectionate, but written in a very lee minho way that you can't help but smile when you read them.

you never have to worry about leaving the kids with minho for a long time. he's got you covered! the twins absolutely adore their dad. would spend an entire day building a fort and watching movies while you're out with your friends.

at the end of the day, when you're back from your outing, you'd come home to the sight of minho and the twins curled up in front of the tv, a studio ghibli movie playing in the background. ♡

CHANGBIN...

the ultimate boy dad!!

he would totally raise a gentleman. the kind to teach his son that chivalry isn't dead.

would 100% teach his son things like opening the door for other people, helping a senior citizen cross the road, and to carry mommy's grocery bags.

picture this. you're out buying groceries for the week. changbin and mini binnie are wearing matching jerseys & carrying grocery bags for you. so cute <3

would surprise you with your son!!! every single mother's day, he'd wake up early with the little boy to make you pancakes and scrambled eggs. sometimes they end up burnt but truly, it's the thought that counts.

ensures that his son does not forget your birthday!! you best believe that every single birthday you'll be pampered with gifts and handwritten notes from your hubby and son. <3

changbin has chronic dad jokes disorder and unfortunately, his son has inherited it. the little boy will have fun telling you dad jokes that changbin taught him.

also loves to play fight with his kid. you'd be watching tv and they'd be play wrestling in the corner, giggles filling in the house.

HYUNJIN...

twin dad through and through. a son and a daughter who'd get showered with love <3

hyune's a man of duality. he can go from boy dad to girl dad in one minute.

one moment he's playing soccer with your son in the backyard, giggling as kkami joins in the fun, little barks accompanying laughters.

or he'd be helping the little boy build the coolest train tracks ever. it's so long and loopy, stretches from the living room all the way to the front door.

the next moment he'd be playing tea party with your daughter, learning how to hold a small tea cup with his pinky up.

would end up coming out of the play room with a messy manicure and a tiara on his head. he doesn't complain. might give you a little twirl just to make his little girl happy.

he would even build the prettiest dollhouse for her. it'd be a whole project, would spend days building a dollhouse and they'd have fun painting it together.

i think hyune is the kind to support and encourage his kids to find new hobbies. his son wants to enroll in taekwondo? sure, he'll take the boy to the first class. his daughter wants to try out ballet? he'll sign her up to a class, buy her a tutu and ballet slippers. he's just so supportive <3

often times, he'd take care of the kids while you go out with your girls. you'd come back to him asleep on the couch, while the (very much awake) kids draw on his face with sharpie ^.^

all in all, hyune's a doting, and supportive twin dad. <3

taglist. @zoe8stay @starlostseungmin @hwajin @sleepyleeji @jdopes-recorder @sherryblossom @alyszaen @hyunluvxo @bokk-minnie @ghostyycat7 @fortunatelyhertragedy @yongbokkari @ameliesaysshoo @seoli-16 @jisungsdaydreamer @soobnny @seolboba @in2heartz @jehhskz @astraystayyh @mnwrld @hanjsquokka @pheonixfire777 @sapphirewave @seunghancore

[brainoutofstock]

Watch your back (Charles Leclerc x MotoGP!reader)

[previously on...]

yourusername: Nice to have a surprise guest in the paddock this weekend. Happy anniversary to my parents!

232 comments

yourbrothersusername: Watch your back.

user1: He really does look like he’s about to pounce at her.

ktmfactoryracing: @/charles_leclerc don’t murder her in broad daylight, please. It’s race weekend.

user2: A surprise guest indeed.

user3: Is that @/charles_leclerc lurking in the background?

user4: OMG CHARLES?????

oscarpiastri: Dad?

charles_leclerc: Thought I should give your mom a visit to discuss custody.

oscarpiastri: Not this again. I’m beginning to regret some of my life choices.

charles_leclerc: @/yourusername: Hey, are you reading this? Turn around.

user5: Someone give us an update, the suspense is killing me.

You didn’t really pay attention to the comments until your brother gave you a call and asked you if you had looked behind you. You didn’t understand at first, you assumed he was trying to pull some prank on you, but when you finally did turn around, you found a familiar face waiting behind you with his arms crossed.

“Took you long enough,” he said with a small smile, deciding it was the perfect moment to approach you.

This wasn’t the first time Charles showed up in the MotoGP paddock, but this happened only a week after the playful banter on Instagram over Oscar’s symbolic adoption. And it’s not like the two of you had interacted that much before, this was probably the first time he truly paid attention to you. There were no cameras around, no reporters who would pry for information about F1 or his intentions behind the visit. He seemed to be just a guy who came to watch a sporting event he liked.

Before you could say anything, your father gently put a hand on your shoulder and said, “I’ll go find your brother.”

When you looked at him, for a moment worried he thought you were planning to ignore him, you saw that he was smiling at you like he knew something you didn’t. This was his knowing look you had seen so many times in the past, and you made a mental note to ask him what it was all about this time. You watched him disappear into the buzzing crowd of the paddock, and only then did you turn back to the Monegasque driver.

“Sorry, I’m not used to people sneaking up on me like that.” Silence fell between you and you but in your lower lip as you watched him. You were nothing more but strangers at this stage, what were you supposed to say? “Congrats, by the way. Great drive last weekend.”

“Thanks. Maybe adopting Oscar confused the curse,” he replied with a short laugh.

“What are you doing here on a slow Thursday? The rest of the weekend is always much more fun.”

Charles nodded, suddenly seeming a little nervous when his eyes fell on his sneakers and he put his weight from one leg to the other. “Actually, I just thought you might have a little more time to chat today. We met before but we never really had the chance to get to know each other,” he said when he looked up.

Suddenly your eyes began to wander and so did your mind. You remembered watching F1 sessions before with all that footage of the drivers while they were waiting in their cars with the helmet on, and there was something no close-up shot could help you understand—his eye color. Now that he was standing right in front of you, you took the liberty to examine his eyes again, hoping daylight could help you come up with a verdict.

“So?”

“Hmm?”

You had absolutely no idea what he wanted to know, but at this point you weren’t afraid to ask. So when he let out a laugh and shook his head with that adorable grimace on his face, you took a deep breath and told him you didn’t quite catch what he said. You were making yourself look like an idiot, you knew that, which you truly were sometimes, but he hadn’t known that yet.

“Dinner. Tonight. I know a place,” he told you with a kind smile.

A part of you wanted to say yes, but you knew better than to agree on a race weekend. “It sounds nice but we have to discuss the setups for tomorrow and I’m giving an interview in the evening.”

To your surprise, he was like a dog with a bone, refusing to let go of his plan just yet. “Come on, you have to eat,” Charles tried as he gave you an expectant look, probably being fully aware of how well his puppy eyes worked. You wondered if that was something he learned from Leo.

With a sigh, you put a hand on the back of your neck. “Maybe we could grab a drink. Coffee or something non-alcoholic,” you offered as you were planning to have dinner with your crew chief.

“Perfect. Can you give me your phone for a sec?” You looked down at the device, but soon decided to unlock it for him. He took it from you to quickly type something on the keyboard, pressed a few buttons—which was followed by the sound of a phone’s brief ringtone—then gave it back to you. It was his name and number in the contact list. Nice. “I have your number now so I’ll text you to see when you’re ready.”

You nodded automatically, but within a few seconds your brain flashed a red light for you. “Why do you want to get to know me all of a sudden?” you wondered.

Charles let out a heartfelt laugh before shrugging. “You’ll see.” And with that, he waved goodbye and walked away from you.

[sharkikive]

Ken Sato with a supermodel!reader pls pls pls

Like they're dating in secret but accidentally reveals their situation and their fans go wild

OMG sure! Sorry this took time for me to write and I really do hope you'll like it <3

runway to your heart (ken sato x supermodel!fem!reader)

Summary: A baseball player and a supermodel, both celebrities in their respective fields. A relationship that had to be kept under wraps.

It was supposed to be a secret... until it wasn't.

Word count: 6,913

CW: Fluff, slightly suggestive (he def talks you through it), Ken Sato being the boyfriend of the year

A/N: I tried my best in writing this because I am not familiar with both fields (baseball and modelling) so here you go! This was purely out of my own imagination and is very, very self-indulgent because damn, who wouldn't want Ken Sato in their life? Rich, soft spoken, a good father, and the list goes on. Hope you enjoy this one just like how I kicked my feet every single time Ken becomes THE boyfriend.

***

Cheers erupted throughout the whole stadium and through the speakers, mixing in with the noise in the dressing room.

Hair rollers tucked in, brush with powder dancing across your face, and a neutral expression to let the makeup artist do his magic. Your eyes dutifully closed as the artist worked on your eyelids, but your ears got sharper to hear the conversations around you.

You knew who the main topic in the room would be, and that was the man that had just scored another point in the game on screen.

“Oh God,” you heard one of your model colleagues groan. “Ken Sato is too attractive. Look at that smile, that body-” she stopped talking and addressed you next. “Y/N, isn’t Ken Sato so handsome? Imagine being his girlfriend. That would be a-ma-zing.”

Your eyes were still closed and you hummed an immediate reply. “He’s okay. I’ve seen better and-” You opened your eyes when the makeup artist told you that he’s done with your eyes. “He seems like a cocky bastard.”

Your colleague, Hina, gave an exaggerated gasp as she heard your reply. “You did not just say that about Ken Sato. If he isn’t your type, I wouldn’t know who else would be able to satisfy you. He is the most sought-after man.”

You shrugged. “You never know. Maybe I like a single dad who has to raise a kid on his own, with him himself having daddy issues.”

Hina narrowed her eyes at you suspiciously, before prancing over and stared at you. “You know that whatever you described was very specific? Y/N,” she said, almost quietly, “are you seeing someone?”

“Yeah, I’m seeing you, Hina.”

She clicked her tongue. “You know, you always answer so smartly. One day, Y/N, I will discover your secret!”

You chuckled, watching as Hina got dragged by the stylist, prepping her to get her up to the runway. Your turn was still a long way to go, so you were left with your hair held up by rollers, while your eyes caught a notification on your phone. You read the notification and smiled, but quickly returned to a neutral expression.

The message read: It’s another win for us tonight, baby. Can’t wait to see you after this. Good luck for your show today, and break a leg. I know you’ll do great.

You typed in a reply, quickly snapping a picture of your prepped face and sending it over to the recipient. You weren’t even able to put down your phone when the next reply came in the next second.

You swore, this person could make you smile without even knowing, which could be a very risky thing considering the nature of both of your relationship.

Looking gorgeous as always, baby. The text message read. I really am the luckiest man to have you.

You put down your phone as your name was called over; your turn was approaching fast. You were practically floating around from one point to another, having different hands adding last-minute touch ups.

The line was moving fast before it was your turn, and you could see that every one of the models who finished their turn returned with a grim look on their faces backstage. You looked at the small entrance, and when you spotted Hina, you quickly signaled for her to come over.

“Was the runway condition that bad?” you whispered to her, whose hair was going in different directions at once.

“They said they wanted to simulate an ‘extreme condition’ on the runway, right?” She did quotation marks.

You nodded, agreeing to her. “Yeah.” You inched up the line. “The theme for today’s show is extreme weather.”

Hina exhaled slowly as she attempted to fix her hair. “All I can say is that they managed to replicate it well.” She shook her head. “Good luck, Y/N. You’ll need it.”

You turned your head back to the front, your turn coming closer as the models in front of you went out to continue the show. It was a rapid show, where you finally had your turn right after Hina disappeared behind a row of clothes.

You understood what Hina meant as soon as one foot was out from behind the scenes. The runway was boxed within a transparent glass, protecting the simulation from the audience.

From years of experience, you put on your best face before walking down the runway, doing your best in showing off the collection.

You were sure they were trying to imitate a blizzard, but the worst they could offer to models wearing heavy dresses and high heels. You saw the model in front of you fall first, the strong winds knocking her back before as she couldn’t fight it back.

One rule on the runway: you keep on walking, no matter the condition. Walk over your fellow models, maintain your expression and show off what you have. It’s an unapologetic world out here.

But that’s exactly the reason why you’re known as the rule breaker around here.

While maintaining your face, you did a show of reaching out to the fallen model, helping her up to let her continue, but you figured this time around, being a rule breaker did have its consequences.

You knew the fallen model; she considered herself as your rival, always trying to one up you in every single aspect. Every, single, aspect including boasting about having a ‘sweetheart’ while you don’t.

Your rival, Mei, quickly took this as a chance to get back at you and embarrass you in front of the audience. She accepted your hand at first, but you realised that she was pulling you down instead of pushing herself up. Not enough with it, she added an extra push, disguised under the pretext of accepting your help to get up.

You were thrown to the side, and coupled with the condition on the runway, you almost tumbled off the path. Luckily, you managed to break the fall but as you landed sideways, you could feel the bruise forming near your right ankle. You cursed silently as you saw Mei picking herself back up and smirking in a split second before strutting away, leaving you stranded.

You knew no one was going to help you up as long as the show was on, so you braced yourself while continuing. Throughout the whole show, you managed to finish without breaking rhythm. You didn’t let the pain hinder you, although all you wished to do was to be lying down, giving your body a much needed rest.

Backstage after the end of the show, your manager, a sweet woman in her 40s, quickly rushed to you. A single mother of 2, Ms. Tornado as you’d like to call her, as she always seemed like she was caught up in something chaotic. She fussed over you, but you quickly brushed her away.

”Ms. Tor,” you cooed, hiding the pain with a calm demeanour, “I’m done for the day. Let’s go back.”

On the way out, you gave a signal of reassurance towards Hina, who looked worried while her right fingers were tapping on her left knuckles. You saw Mei smirking at you, offering no words to you. You gave her no satisfaction of seeing you in pain as you smiled back.

You knew that everyone had seen you fall on the runway, but that didn’t disturb you.

Your phone pinged with a notification. As you read the message in the car, you turned to Ms. Tornado on the driver’s seat. She understood your signal.

”Usual place?” she asked.

Unable to hide your excitement, you quickly nodded.

No further questions asked as she drove towards the city border, bringing you to one special spot you had practically owned with that one person. In fact, you’re sure that he had bought ownership over the whole area. Your smile grew wider as you spotted the person waiting on a camping chair with an empty one next to it, a campfire lit up.

You sneaked up from behind, forgetting the pain in your legs as you broke into a run, almost causing the person to tumble forward as you hugged him from behind.

”Kenji!” You exclaimed, your character a total 180 degrees from whatever you put on when you were ‘the supermodel who revived the fashion scene’.

With him, you allowed yourself to be comfortable; no pretense of having to check your posture, controlling your expressions or giving off a cold demeanour. With him, you were just Y/N, the girl who preferred to be nested in your home, finishing your time up by watching your same favourite shows over and over again.

Kind of ironic how you considered yourself an introvert yet landed a job that essentially thrusted you into the spotlight.

Kenji exclaimed your name back in the same energy you gave him, hugging your arms as he planted a kiss on the back of your hand. He stood up and dear God, you love this man so much. One of your features that contributed to your modelling career was your height, but you loved the fact that even then, he towered over you.

Ken Sato, the name that had revived Japan’s baseball team, who had acquired a celebrity status after essentially becoming the saviour.

Ken Sato, the man who had kept the audience on the edge of their seats as he scored yet another point in the game.

Ken Sato, the one man who had essentially saved your life while unironically revealing his one kept secret to you.

And Ken Sato, your boyfriend.

Though both of your relationships had to be kept under the radar due to your statuses, you were content with what you’re having now.

Who cares if people think you’re too ‘cold’ and that’s why no one wants you? A small smile played on your lips as you thought, Well, Ken Sato does.

How both of you met was bizarre, to say the least. You were out eating dinner alone, under the disguise that you always wore when you’re just a ‘normal’ citizen, when the ground shook. You were sure that there was a monster attack somewhere, but you were calmly eating dinner when the restaurant’s roof got lifted up.

Ultraman’s giant figure was punching the monster, and you were left gaping at the sudden loss of roof above your head. You quickly finished up your dinner, and when you were about to walk back to your condo, you saw the one thing that you were sure you shouldn’t.

You saw Ultraman shifting back into a human-sized figure and lo and behold, it was Ken Sato. Before, you never bothered to dig deeper into his life because you figured out that you would never be affiliated with the baseball scene. You knew he was famous and that was it.

You couldn’t believe your eyes so you gasped, but your hand wasn’t quick enough to muffle the sound until he turned back to look at you. Both were stone statues for a good minute before he finally spoke up at that time, “Um… can you keep… uh the… secret?”

You sure as hell did keep the secret that even after a drunken stupor, a one night stand then turned into a secret relationship with him, it was still safe with you.

You were so comfortable with him up to the point that it was nice to be yourself with him.

”What’s wrong, baby?” He planted a kiss on your forehead, bringing you back to the present. You inhaled his scent as you buried your face in his chest. “You’re thinking of something?”

You shook your head, tightening your grip around his waist. “Nah,” you mumbled. “Just thinking about the time we first met.”

He chuckled as he ruffled your hair. “I’m sure you did great in your show just now, hmm?”

You stayed quiet, debating or not whether you’d like to tell him what actually happened. He most likely hadn’t seen the show yet, but sooner or later he’d find out. It’s just a matter of now or later.

You were in your comfortable clothes; baggy t-shirt with cargo pants and hair tucked underneath a beanie. In public, people would usually leave you alone when you’re in this attire. Today though, the long pants were also an attempt for you to cover up the growing bruise.

You decided to keep quiet about the bruise, figuring later that he would find out and by then, you hoped it wouldn’t look as bad as it was now. You detached yourself from his hug, careful to not make it so obvious that you were limping. You took a seat, beckoning for him to come over.

Ken traced you with his eyes, lips locked before he smiled. He passed by his seat but didn’t settle down. Instead, he sat cross-legged on the sand, facing you. He leaned forward, crossing his arms with each other on your legs and rested his chin on top. He looked up at you, that same boyish smile he had whenever he was with you.

You looked at him, uttering, “Looks like my boyfriend won yet another game today.” You patted his cheeks, and he quickly grabbed your hands to hold them.

”It was the team, really,” he said humbly, but with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. “I was just one of the players.”

”Whatever you say, Mr.-eligible-bachelor-with-thousands-of-adoring-fans-waiting-to-be-picked.” You rolled your eyes.

He chuckled. “Little do they know,” he drew circles on your palm, “that I’m no longer available.”

He stared at you as you looked into the distance, the crashing of the waves filling in the silence between both of you. He stood up, cocking his head towards the shoreline. “Wanna go for a walk?”

You pressed your lips into a thin line, the trouble you had with your feet coming once again. You didn’t get a chance to answer as he knelt in front of you with his back towards you.

He gently pulled you on his back, your legs dangling on either side of his body as he piggybacked you. “Okay, let’s go for a walk,” he said, firmly placing his hands under your thighs.

You said nothing, circling your arms around his shoulders, your face buried at the nape of his neck. You loved the fact that you’re always calm around him, something that you’d always need after spending hours in a fast-paced environment for work every day.

As you walked along the shoreline, both of you pointed out stars shaped like objects, and he stopped at one point when you suddenly said, “I love you so much, do you know that?”

He laughed. “What’s with the sudden confession? I love you too, baby.” He gave your thigh a light slap. “And I’m glad to call you mine.”

”It’s time to go back, isn’t it?” You asked, hoping the answer would be no but knew the world would have to end for it to be.

He threw back his head to get a look of your face before uttering, “Sorry. I have a game tomorrow.”

You pouted slightly but knew that the circumstances wouldn’t change. Whether you’d like it or not, even though you didn’t mind your relationship was playing this way, both of you had your individual lives that didn’t intersect with each other.

Dates would always be a secret with limited areas you could go to, and you had to make sure you’re not seen within the vicinity of each other. If both of you needed to go to each other’s house, it felt more like you’re on an undercover mission.

Today, though, with you still on his back, he held onto you firmly and made his way back to his bike parked nearby some bushes.

”Kenji-“ you started, figuring that maybe he forgot that both of you were supposed to follow separate ways.

”Tell Ms. Tornado you’re staying at my house tonight,” he uttered, placing you on his bike’s seat, taking a helmet and helping you to put it on. “You’re sleeping at my house today.” He checked his watch. “I know that you don’t have any work scheduled for the next few days, right?”

You shook your head slowly, secretly happy that he actually kept track of your schedule. Your eyes searched for his from behind the visor, and you blinked slowly as he tapped your helmet.

“Stay at my house until you’re fully healed. Mina can take care of you.” He’s referring to the supercomputer his parents had programmed. He wore his helmet and leaned forward. If not for both of your helmets in place, he’d be resting his forehead against yours. “Of course, you’re welcome to continue staying until…” he winked, “whenever.”

He positioned himself in front of you, powering up his bike. You leaned forward, circling your arms around his waist.

Before your voice got swallowed by the roar of his bike, you said, “You knew I was hurt.”

Underneath his helmet he smiled. “I always do, baby. Always.”

***

One of the reasons you didn’t want to stay at his house for too long was because you knew you’d be too comfortable. It seemed that after the fiasco you ran into with Mei, Ms. Tornado told you that she was suspended from any work and your agency gave you time off.

So here you were, warm mug of coffee in hand, cross-legged on Ken’s sofa while wearing one of his hoodies. So far from your side, your manager was the only person who’d known about your secret relationship with the baseball player. You’re grateful that your agency was not the type to pry into your private life, so long it didn’t affect your work.

You made yourself right at home at Ken’s house. You could say that you became best friends with Mina, with her occasionally sharing stories about how Ken was when growing up and you helping her around the house.

You sunk in the plush sofa, watching a live show of another one of Ken’s games. You saw him turn to the camera, winked and did a secret sign that was directed at you. Seeing how he’s so expressive, you wondered whether Ken actually wanted your relationship to be public.

Even then, you wondered whether anyone actually noticed that Ken started doing the same pose to the camera whenever he scored a point, after he got into the relationship with you. Maybe the secrecy of your relationship was just held back by a single click to post on the Net.

As far as you knew, only five were aware of this relationship; both of you, your manager, Mina and Kenji’s father.

Rather than your own reputation, you’re worried more for Ken’s image. He just moved here from America, carrying the expectations of everyone who had set their eyes upon him. He rose to fame real quick, while you’d already established your foundation right in your hometown as you were raised through a family generation of models.

Night was approaching, and you did catch a message from Ken updating you that he would be joining the group dinner to celebrate their win first. He promised to come back as soon as the dinner was finished. While waiting for him, you caught Mina’s red bar from the corner of your eyes and you smiled at her.

“Y/N, Ken had actually asked me to ask you one important question.”

“Sure, what is it, Mina?”

Immediately, Mina displayed a projection showing a website of a furniture store. She changed the page to the ‘bed frames’ category.

“I was told that the bed broke last night. Ken told me this morning to ask you which ones would you prefer,” Mina said without any hint of emotion. “He didn’t want to disturb you while you’re sleeping this morning.” After remembering another point she added, “He said make sure to pick the strong ones.”

You, on the other hand, were already burying your face in your hand as your cheeks reddened. “Oh my God,” you groaned. He could go one day, one day, without making you blush. It didn’t help that Mina was delivering the message so robotically. Well, she was one, but you get the point. “Mina, can we talk about this… some other time? Don’t worry,” you pressed your lips into a thin line as you remembered how exactly the bed broke last night. “I’ll tell Ken that you delivered the message well.”

Mina backed up, doing her gesture akin to a nod. “Sure, Y/N.”

You turned your head towards the front door when you heard the door opening, and you stalked your way to your boyfriend, who was holding his jacket in his left hand. Your face fell when you saw that he was wincing, the skin near his eye bruised and his right hand gently pressing over the injury.

“What happened to you?” You fussed over him, requesting Mina to take a bucket of ice and a cloth. “Who did this?”

He winced once again, but grinned soon after. He threw his jacket on the sofa and grabbed your waist, kissing you, hard. It was like he was releasing whatever pent up frustrations he had the whole day, drunk in your kiss that you felt out of breath as soon as he let go.

You saw Mina hovering nearby, clearly not wanting to disturb both of you. You cleared your throat and Ken ran a hand through his hair.

Mina set down the requested bowl of ice and cloth, but Ken shook his head.

Ken uttered, “Mina, can you please bring a bucket of ice to the bathroom? I’d like to soak myself in the tub.”

“Sure, Ken.”

“Ken, you need to tell me what happened to you. You’re injured, for God’s sake!” Your eyebrows knitted in worry, but your boyfriend was displaying the opposite as he was happily dragging you along to the bathroom.

He only gave you a peck on your forehead as Mina helped to prepare the bath.

You wouldn’t let your eyes off his injuries, assessing how badly he was hurt. As Mina excused herself to leave both of you in the bathroom alone, he stripped and stepped into the tub. The water sloshed around as he settled down, and you gritted your teeth as you sat on the edge of the bathtub.

He lifted up his eyebrows, clearly teasing you. “Care to join me?”

You sighed, clearly dissatisfied at how he’s acting while not disclosing about what had happened to him until he returned with a black eye. You crossed your arms, not wanting to submit to his pleading eyes, not until he told you what happened.

Clearly, you were not strong against this man because now both of you were stark naked in the cold water, Ken hugging you from behind as he rested his chin on your shoulder.

“Now tell me what happened.”

Ken obliged. “So we went for a celebratory dinner at this one grilled meat restaurant.” He buried his face at the nape of your neck. “There was this one group of guys who clearly were too drunk. One of them,” you felt his arms tightening around your waist. “Was making inappropriate comments about your body. My girlfriend. Of course I got pissed and punched him. It was an easy fight, but I was unlucky to get this one hit. I won, of course.”

The knot in your stomach got undone, that heavy feeling finally lifting off as you laughed, relieved. You leaned backwards, muttering, “Oh, Kenji. My idiot Kenji. I really thought you had an encounter with a hater, someone that wasn’t afraid to punch you in public just because they hate you. I was so worried. But didn’t your teammates suspect anything? For you to react that way when they’re talking about me.”

“Even if they do find out, it doesn’t matter. Anyone who speaks like that about you deserves to be punched, baby.” The water sloshed around as he turned you around so that both of you were facing each other. He rubbed a thumb over your lips, his mouth lifting at the corners. “And guess what?”

You narrowed your eyes. “What?”

“I got a personal invitation from one of the biggest sports brands here. They’re inviting me for an official photo shoot for their new attire collection.”

“That’s amazing, Kenji!” you exclaimed, and he shook his head, a smile plastered on his face.

“And you know what’s the best part? It’ll be a duo photo shoot, a collab with one of Japan’s famous models.”

“A man?” you asked, still clueless.

“A woman.” He grinned, “With my woman.”

“Oh!” You slapped a hand to your forehead, not believing that you hadn’t caught on when your manager had told you that you would be having an upcoming photo shoot with one of the most famous athletes. No wonder Ms. Tornado looked all smiley when she was delivering the news.

“They were surprised when I agreed to it without much questions,” he said. “Said yes as soon as I heard your name.”

***

Your leg was all healed, Ken’s bruise subsided, and it was finally the day of the photo shoot. Obviously, both of you had to come from a different place and at a different time to avoid any suspicion, so the night before you had returned to your house, despite Ken showing you his puppy eyes to make you stay.

You left without looking back, having to reassure him that both of you would see each other tomorrow.

The day came. In the makeup room, both of you had your lips locked, only a slight nod of greeting when he first came in before you returned your attention back to the mirror in front.

God knew how much Ken Sato was holding back from pulling you into a hug as soon as he saw you in the room.

You saw him from the corner of your eyes, his eyes closed as he let the brushes and artist do their work. You smiled, your mind thinking about how Hina would most likely go crazy once she heard that you had landed a job with this famous baseball player. You figured that you’d let her find out by herself once the official photo shoot had come out.

In the studio, both of you exchanged a formal greeting before the photo shoot started, and you could see that Ken was trying to hide from forming a smile on his face. As the camera started clicking and poses were thrown, you could hear the photographer yelling out encouragement, including ‘Don’t be shy with each other’ and ‘Stand closer’.

You heard Ken slightly snicker, and he whispered to you subtly, his lips slightly brushing your earlobe. You shivered, and he was smart enough to not let anyone see what he was doing. “If only they know how close we are.”

“Last set!” The photographer announced. “This time around, I’d like to see some contact with each other. No looking like you’re two magnets repelling each other, but attracting each other instead.”

“Oh I can do that,” Ken said smugly as he followed the photographer’s instructions.

Funnily enough, he was the one looking like he had more experience in modelling as he followed the photographer’s instructions to a T, while you felt more like a deflated balloon guided by your boyfriend.

You promised you were a professional model, but with him, well, you faltered and posed like you’re a novice instead. Still, you managed to pull through the photo shoot as the photographer gave a thumbs up, fully satisfied with the session today.

You took some time to relax after the photo shoot alone in the dressing room. As you were leaning against the chair, your head turned to look at the door that just opened.

Ken’s head popped up through the space and he waved his hand. “Hey,” he whispered. He looked over his shoulder before slipping into the room, locking the door behind him.

“Ken Sato,” you said, more of a warning. “What if someone sees you coming in?”

“It’s fine,” he walked over to you, and lifted you up in a hug.

Naturally, your legs coiled around him as he firmly placed his arms around you.

“I wanted to say goodbye in person before I leave for my game this evening. You’ll watch the game live, right?”

“Of course, I’ll be there.”

You practically jumped away from him as a knock came on the door and panicked, you opened the closet door before shoving him inside. You shut the closet tight, catching his eyes trailing your movement through the bars before putting a finger over your lips to signal silence. Steadying your breath, you opened the door to find the photographer standing outside.

“Oh hey, uh…” you trailed off as you realised that you didn’t know the camera man’s name.

“I’m Yuichiro,” he extended his hand to offer a handshake, but you politely declined with a nod of your head. “It’s uh,” he nervously chuckled. “I thought that you looked great and I found out that we’re the same age. I was wondering if you would like to, you know, go have coffee sometime. As in, uh, I’d like to take you out sometime.”

“Oh, really?” You swore you could feel Kenji’s stare digging through the man’s skull as you stole a glance towards the closet behind you. “That’s too bad because I uh,” You silently prayed that Ken wouldn’t suddenly spring out of the closet. “I am too busy. I don’t even have time to drink coffee myself.” You gave a professional smile, hoping that the man would take the hint and walk away.

“Not even coffee?”

“Not even coffee.” You sighed, shaking your head. “I don’t drink coffee, actually.”

“Oh.” He looked surprised. “But I thought I saw you drinking coffee this morning at the set.”

You shook your head, pretending to be disappointed. “I’m afraid you are hallucinating, my friend. I don’t drink coffee. Anyway,” you clapped your hand, “I need to get ready to go to my next destination for another photo shoot, so if you could please leave?”

He looked disappointed as he nodded. “I mean, yeah. Please go on your way. Sorry to take your time.”

You smiled politely but as soon as you closed the door and locked it, you jumped over to the closet, the door creaking as you pried it open. You saw Ken sitting on the floor, elbows resting on his knees as his bangs curtained his eyes. You sat down in front of him, moving his bangs out of his vision.

“Kenji…?” you started, trying to gauge his emotions. 

He stayed quiet for a few moments, and you poked his stomach when it seemed like he’s not budging.

“Are you okay?”

He breathed in and out, before looking up. His eyes caught yours, but still you couldn’t read his expressions. “I experienced this new emotion,” he finally said.

You inched forward.

“You’re doing great, baby.” The compliment came out of nowhere that you were slightly taken aback.

“Kenji,” the grin on your face grew wider, “were you jealous?”

He never broke off his stare to you, and you found it so attractive. “I was.” His eyes dropped to your lips. “I was stopping myself from jumping out of the closet and announcing that you’re mine.”

“I am,” you uttered, ruffling his hair. “You better get going. You have a game to win.”

“I sure do.” He stood up and you mirrored his actions. Before he turned to leave, he kissed you on the lips and whispered again as he peppered kisses on your neck. “With this jealousy, let’s just hope the bed won’t break again tonight.”

***

Of course you lied to the photographer to politely decline his advances. Your schedule was free this evening and you had promised Ken you would see his game live. You dressed as inconspicuously as possible, donning on the merchandise jersey they sold to the public.  

Ken had offered you to wear his jersey, but that would practically mean announcing your relationship to the public. Tucking your hair under the cap, putting on fake glasses and looking at yourself in the mirror, you figured how Clark Kent had managed to turn people’s suspicions away from him being the superhero.

Now, you’re just one person among the thousands of show-goers filling up the stadium. You took up your seat, eager to witness the game Ken would be joining. Announcement blared throughout the stadium, signalling that the game was about to start. You heard your boyfriend’s name announced as he stepped onto the field.

Giants’ supporters cheered for him, and you joined in on the hype as you saw him giving his million-dollar smile to the crowd. You waited for the game to start, and truth be told, no matter how many times Ken had explained the rules of the game, anything barely stuck to your brain. Still, you tried your best to support him even though that meant cheering for him blindly whenever the others did.

The crowd went wild again as the Giants scored yet another point.

You got distracted by a notification coming to your phone. You wanted to ignore it, but as you saw Hina’s name as the sender, you had to sit down and open the message. She rarely texts you out of work, so there must have been something out of the ordinary. You felt your heart drop as you read the message, and a link towards a news website was sent together.

Your eyes caught her message first. Oh my God?! You’ve been dating Ken Sato?

You read the headline next. BREAKING NEWS: BASEBALL PLAYER KEN SATO AND SUPERMODEL Y/N IN A RELATIONSHIP?

You stood up together with the rest of the cheering crowd, but you had to wrestle your way through to make your way out of the stadium. You didn’t know what to do, Kenji was still in game and your feet almost gave way as your shaky hands opened the link to read the news.

Everything was summed up in one news article, and you felt your world getting smaller as you saw the pictures of the night Ken had piggybacked you after you hurt your leg, all obviously looking like they were taken in secret. You read through the whole article, your ears deafened by the sound of roaring cheers inside the stadium.

You were standing outside the stadium, and you looked back at the giant screen you could see displaying yet another shot of Ken doing his signature pose to the camera. You turned back to the news article in your hands, and read through the whole thing over and over again. Several lines caught your eyes, and you finally caught on who was behind this.

Photographer Yuichiro handed over the pictures of the two lovebirds having a secret date at the private beach, which was purportedly owned by Ken Sato. From the pictures taken, I’m sure everyone would come to one very obvious conclusion. The question is; do you find the relationship surprising, or are they a perfect match for each other?

You wondered if it was all planned by him; the photo shoot together with Ken. Was he testing to see whether you’d accept a date with him to assume whether you’d have a boyfriend or not?

You wanted to run away. But from what, exactly? Running away wouldn’t solve this problem.

Well, if it turned into a problem.

Cheers erupted again as you returned to the stadium, just in time to see the final score and then celebrating the Giants’ victory. Chanting swimmed through the crowd, and you gripped your phone tightly as you searched for Ken among the players.

You finally spotted him at the bench, and your mind was as equally noisy as the audience around you.

He looked in your direction, trying to search for you but before he could catch your eyes, his shoulder was tapped by a fellow teammate, showing him an article displayed on the screen.

Everything happened fast, you didn’t know that it was possible as your worst fear came to life in front of everyone. The giant screen in the stadium displayed the news article and the pictures of the both of you displayed in a slideshow. You could hear shouts of confusion and gasps among the crowd as all of them were looking at the same thing.

The noise of the crowd died down as Ken made his way to the edge of the field, where an interviewer was waiting to start the session. The topic of the interview was supposed to be about the win at first, but it had clearly turned into a different direction.

The camera focused on Ken, and you knew he was directly looking at you. He looked calm, the practised smile he had on whenever he appeared on screen.

“Ken Sato,” the interviewer started, as he looked into the camera, “The name that is no longer a stranger to every household. His return to Japan brought waves and hope to the Giants. But today,” she turned to him, “it seemed like you’re the focus on the interview for an entirely different topic. Who knew that this eligible bachelor was actually already taken? I have the man here with me, so, what would you like to say?”

The crowd was obediently silent as they waited for his answer. You felt your heart beating loud in your chest as you, too, anticipated what he would say.

For a split second your mind wondered whether he would vehemently deny the news, but you brushed that thought away. You trusted him.

“I do have a question for everyone here, first, though.” Ken swept his vision across the crowd. “Is it a sin for a celebrity, or at least someone who is quite well known by the public, I mean,” he shrugged, “I don’t wanna sound like I’m boasting or that I’m too full of myself thinking that I’m famous.”

There was a ripple of laughter through the whole crowd.

“Is it wrong for me to be in a relationship?”

Silence. A dread coming over you as you quietly anticipated that there might be protests coming from the crowd. No one spoke up until you heard a female shouting from the crowd, “No, it’s not a sin! Well, we would be slightly sad that our favourite bachelor is no longer available, but you’re still human!”

Your eyes travelled to the female shouting, and realised why the voice was so familiar. It was Hina. She saw you looking at her and she grinned, giving a thumbs-up.

“Thank you, random woman from the crowd,” Ken uttered. He turned back to the camera. “I think that answered the question. I’m still human,” he shrugged, his eyebrows lifting up as he announced, “and I fell in love with Y/N. We are happily in a relationship. I’m proud to say that she’s mine.” His eyes finally fall towards your direction. You could only discern his expressions and gestures from the big screen because he was too far from you. “I love you, Y/N.”

There was a momentary moment of silence that you could hear a pin dropping, and you feared that maybe, the public wouldn’t take it so nicely.

But soon, the whole stadium shook with cheers from the crowd. This time around, they were chanting both Ken's and your names.

Okay, so this was not the reaction that you had expected.

You saw Ken gesturing to you, asking to meet you privately after the game. You nodded, pointing to your phone to say that you would communicate through text.

He sent you a message for the meetup point, and you practically ran towards where he had wanted to meet you.

You saw him at the end of the empty hallway, the noise in the stadium a distant sound now that it was only the two of you. You ran into his arms and he caught you, laughing. You let your breath steady first before saying anything.

“Ken Sato… you…” you started. “You have this way of wording things. I never expected the whole crowd to just agree with you.”

“Hey, look at me.” He tilted your chin, and he gazed upon you. “Like I said, we’re still humans.” He kissed your lips. “And I fell in love with you.”

“Hmm…” You hummed, still feeling slightly worried.

Ken opened the article, scrolled down to the comments and showed them to you. “See, they’re all positive comments.” He cleared his throat, doing his best imitation while reading the comments. “Oh my God, they’re a perfect match for each other! I knew they were dating, it would be weird if they didn't date. Honestly, I don’t know how it happened, but I’m happy for them. Y/N, you’d be better off with me-” He stopped reading when he read one comment that irked him. “You know what, I’m going to report that last comment.”

You burst into laughter seeing how he was tapping furiously at the screen, blowing out an air of satisfaction as he finally reported the comment.

“There, problem solved,” he announced.

“You know that probably some time in the future that there will probably be people who won’t be satisfied.” You sniffed.

“Well that’s too bad.” He bumped his forehead against yours. “Because you’re already mine.”

[selfaware-bungou-stray-dogs]

Hellooo!! Ik I just requested but I can't help it- I love ur fics Soo much!!

Can I request a teen!reader who is touch starved and their love language is physical touch? They are an absolute cuddle bug. Their parents (step dad+ bio mom) don't really give her much affections and reader is a quiet and shy kid so she doesn't ask for them either way. Though her quietness was the effect of their father dying when they were 6. Their father was the closest to them. If possible can I get this with Ranpo, Poe and Nikolai? And maybe some head cannons for the rest?

I want to say so much more but I don't wanna bother you😔

You don't bother me, so, don't worry.

And I am sorry l, that it takes so long for me to do your request.

Hugs for a good mood

Self-Aware! Platonic! Nikolai Gogol x Fem! Teen! Reader x Self-Aware! Platonic! Sigma

Self-Aware! Platonic! Ranpo Edogawa x Fem! Teen! Reader x Self-Aware! Platonic! Edgar Allan Poe

Description: Sometimes, all you need is a hug to make a good day into a perfect day.

Warning: OOC. English is my second language

__________

A large, colorful box with “Hugs for a good mood” written on it was finally ready.

Paint the TV box, decorate it, write the phrase... It took two hours, despite the fact that your dad helped you. Well, he did most of the work, while five-year-old you were coloring pictures you want to put on the box.

You wanted to climb into the box, but dad stopped you. His big hand ruffle your hair.

"You can't play with this right now. Wait for paint to dry, [Y/N]. Okay?"

You nodded and hugged his leg.

"Okay, dad."

He chuckled and picked you up, giving you a hug.

You giggled. Live was fun and full of hugs.

________

The next year he died. And shyness replaced your easygoing nature.

________

It's been few years since your dad died. You were a teen now and were going to school.

The school bell rang, you pick up your bag and books. The day was over.

You walked down school hall. You saw, how your classmates were leaving in groups, while talking. You were alone. Too shy to make friends, you were on your own.

You bit your lip and walked faster. You just want to go home.

______

Your mom and stepdad were at work. Of course, they always have their phones with them in case of emergency, and you also weren't a kid anymore. But, you really want to have someone near right now.

You wanted a hug.

Your mom was a good mom. She loves you. You aren't holding it against her, that she remarried. Your step-father was a good guy. He respected you, didn't force you to call him dad, didn't force spending time with him. He and mom let you get used to the new situation in your own speed.

You were grateful. But, if only... If only they hugged you more often... Much, much more often.

They loved you. But didn't like hugs.

And you were too shy to ask.

You ate your lunch and went to your room. You will do your homework and will be free to do whatever you want.

And will try not to look in the "Hugs for a good mood" box you still have in your room. That now was in the corner and full of books.

_________

Few hours later. In BSD World

________

Sigma felt, how Little Light landed in his head, cuddling him. Guiding Light's voice, coming from above, followed.

"New Sigma's card has such a great attack. I am so lucky I got it."

Her voice, as usual, sounds warm and soft.

Sigma smiles. The portal soon will be ready, and they will finally see Guiding Light in person. Sigma wonders, how their first meeting will her will go. Sigma was lost in thought and didn't notice, how Nikolai, with a butterfly net, was sneaking up on him.

Little Light left Sigma's head the moment before Nikolai swing his net. Little Light flew away, and Nikolai's butterfly net was on Sigma's hair. Nikolai quickly freed Sigma, and with a quick "Sorry, Sigma

", chased after Little Light.

Sigma rubbed his temples. Little Light was just a floating blob of light, it didn't have body. Anyone who tried to pet it (a.k.a. Oda and Fukuzawa), had their fingers go through Little Light. But Nikolai still tries to catch Little Light (with net) and pet it.

Well, whatever keeps him occupied.

And Guiding Light will have so many head pats from Nikolai.

Sigma chuckled. Soon.

_________

Few months later

_________

You were in your new room. The last few months were wild.

First, BSD Cast were real and adopted you before you met them in person. Second, after a very long discussion with your parents, they agreed to share custody over you. With daily phone calls to mom, weekend visits to mom's house, with spending half of the holidays with her.

The relationship between BSD Cast and your parents were good. Even great. Koyouou and your mom quickly became friends, and your step-father and Steinbeck watched games together from time to time.

Your family became bigger. If only there were more hugs.

A knock on the door interrupt you thought.

"Hey, [Y/N]! Can I come in?"

Ranpo's voice was cheerful. You clear your throat and answered.

"Yes!"

The Best Detective in the World ("you can call me Big Brother Ranpo") skipped into your room and stopped right before you. Ranpo's grin was huge.

"[Y/N], there is something I want to ask you." Ranpo stopped talking, waiting for your response. You tilted your head.

"Um... What it is?"

Ranpo opened his eyes and opened his arms. Did he...?

"Can I give you a hug?"

Your world froze. You can't believe it. Ranpo was asking for a hug.

You nodded and step forward. Ranpo hugged you immediately. You hugged him back and almost melted in the warm embrace.

Ranpo gave you a head pat.

"Don't feel shy to ask for a hug from me, [Y/N]."

The hug from Ranpo was nice. The normal day became better.

_______

You were scratching Karl behind the ears, while having a conversation with Poe (you can call me Superior Older Brother Edgar).

He was telling you about his last book, that go quite well among readers.

You nodded, while Poe was describing ideas for his new book.

"It sounds great, Poe! Can't wait to read your new book!"

Poe grinned.

"And you will be a first one to read it."

Suddenly, Poe stood up from his armchair and walked to yours. He opened his arms for a hug.

"Can I?"

You nodded slowly and stand up. Karl climbed on your shoulders, rubbing his head against your hair. You hugged Poe. He gave you a tight squeeze.

"Here you go, little sis."

A normal day became a happy day.

_________

You were exhausted. All the school work was tiring you up.

You were in the library, finishing your homework. You put pen down and looked up. You closed your eyes. Soon... The school soon will be over.

You heard steps. Then familiar voice.

"Tired?" Sigma hummed. You just nodded.

"Want a hug to make it better?" You nodded again.

The next second, Sigma was hugging you, ruffling your hair.

"Here you go. Go away, tiredness, stop making [Y/N] sad."

You smiled, leaning towards Sigma's hand.

A normal day became a good day.

________

You went to the kitchen to grab some snack. While you were in a middle of making a sandwich, Nikolai entered the room. He looked at the almost finished sandwich on your plate.

"So, I am late for making you a snack? Well then... Want to have a hug? For no reason."

Nikolai opened his arms, inviting you.

You smiled and hugged him. Nikolai chuckled.

"Thank you, sis, for being you."

A happy day became a perfect day.

______

Your life was happy. Full of family members, familial love and hugs.

_________

Headcannons

🐯 Atsushi likes give you side hugs. Will let you hug his paws, when he is half-transformed.

📒 Kunikida will mostly pet your head for doing a good job.

🩺 Yosano will give you hugs for taking good care of your health. It includes you brushing your hair and teeth.

🌨️ Junchirou will hug you just to make you happy.

👩🏻 Naomi likes to give you a "friend hug".

🍵 Kirako isn't a cuddler, but she will sqeeze your cheeks.

🛏️ Katai will let you hug him and his futon, but will be very clumsy, if he hugged you.

🐄 Kenji will carry you during hugs.

🐰 Kyouka is another shy one. You will give each other a side hug.

👘🗡️ Fukuzawa isn't a cuddler, but he will give you headpats and praise.

🦀🪢 Dazai will gush over you while hugging you.

💉 Mori is another one, who stuck with headpats.

🍷 Chuuya's hugs a tight and makes you feel secure.

🌂 Kouyou's hugs are warm. You feel safe each time she hugs you.

🇫🇷 Verlaine will give you small and quick hugs.

🎧 Rimbaud's hugs are extremely warm. He will try to stay close to you during winter.

🚩 Flags will have competition between each other on who will have more hugs with you.

🧥 Akutagawa will give an awkward head pat.

🔫 Higuchi's hugs are soft but quick.

🚬 Hirotsu will hug you for doing a good work at school.

🔪 Gin will give you less awkward head pats.

🩹🧲 Tachihara's hugs a tight and protective. He takes his role of big brother very seriously.

🍰 Elise's hugs are sudden but soft.

💎 Karma is too shy to hug you.

⭐⭕ Kyuusaku are another sneaky hugger.

🍋 Kajii's hugs are tight but stiff. He doesn't know, how to hug.

🍛 Oda gives "dad hugs".

💰 Fitzgerald will be another one, who gives "dad hugs".

🐋 Melville will often ruffle your hair.

🐙 Lovecraft will give you even more awkward head pats.

🍇 Steinbeck likes to pick you up during hug.

☕ Lucy's hugs are gentle and warm.

🪶 Alcott is too shy, but will give you side hugs.

👒 Mitchell's hugs are soft but quick.

♊ Twain's hugs are bone-crushing.

✝️ Hawthorne prefer to give you hand pats.

😷 Pushkin will ruffle your hair.

🫖 Goncharov's hugs are careful and protective.

🐀 Fyodor will brush your hair.

🦇 Bram will let you hug him as long as you want. You can grab into him like a koala and he won't bat an eye.

⚔️ Fukuchi is another one with "bone-crushing hugs".

👧👩👵 Teruko's hugs are sudden and long.

💧 Jouno's hugs are soft and makes you feel calm.

🌸 Tetchou's hugs make you feel like you are behind a stone wall, that will protect you from any danger.

⛩️ Taneda will just pet your head.

💻 Ango's hugs are long, with him ruffling your hair.

🥷 Tsujimura's hugs are strong and secure.

🕶️ Ayatsuji will playfully scoff, while hugging you. His cats will rub against your legs.

👻 Mushitarou's hugs are awkward, but soft.

⌚ Gide will give you soft headpats.

🐉🍎🍏 Shibusawa will give you side hugs.

🐈‍⬛ Natsume will let you hug his cat form.

🤖 Adam's hugs are mechanical, but enjoyable.

👧🏻 Aya hugs you, when you two manage to win games.

🚸 Kousuke, Yuu, Katsumi, Shinji and Sakura will quickly hug you while you five are playing.

[fleurywiththesave]

for your Tumblr request Matt/Drai story on AO3, can you do one that has Leon telling Matt about his fantasies for their future - marriage, babies, etc.

Or one seeing the other with their baby and it gets them hot

First of all, I am weak as hell for sweet conversations about the future, so jot that down. I love this prompt, thank you for sending it! This is basically a sequel to my little post-game 7 ficlet.

They’re still out by the pool. The rest of the family started calling it quits one by one a couple hours ago, but Matthew doesn’t want to miss a single second of this. He can sleep after the cup’s been picked up in the morning, to be spirited away to Benny. For now, he’s more than content to be exactly where he is – lying on his back listening to the sounds of a St. Louis summer night, feet dangling in the cool water, looking at Leon look at the Stanley Cup.

He’s been very careful not to touch it. Someone had almost accidentally nudged him into it earlier in the day and Dad absolutely barked at them, then stonily informed everyone in the vicinity that Leon would be winning it next year and nobody had his permission to interfere with that. Leon had turned bright red. Matthew had furtively texted Davo to make sure he knew his marching orders.

He still isn’t touching it, but he hasn’t taken his eyes off of it in awhile. He doesn’t look sad, or regretful, or jealous. He looks thoughtful.

“Would you two like a moment alone?” Matthew asks. Leon reaches out and gently swats him on the face without looking away.

“Says the man who would’ve made out with it at center ice if there weren’t guys still waiting to lift it,” he snarks. Matthew catches his hand before he can pull it away and twines their fingers together.

“I want to put a baby there,” Leon tells him.

Matthew pauses.

“Well, Gads might not notice right away if we borrow one of his,” he says.

“Matty.”

It’s quiet, amused, long-suffering, loving. It makes Matthew’s chest go soft and light. He rolls over so he can see Leon better.

“Tell me more,” he says softly.

Leon is still looking at the cup, but his hand tightens around Matthew’s.

“It doesn’t have to be a baby. It could be a kid. Or kids.”

“Yeah?” Matthew can feel the smile stealing over his face. “How many?”

“Three,” Leon says immediately.

“That’s a good number,” Matthew agrees. “Keeps everybody on their toes.”

“One offense, one defense, one goalie.”

“And who exactly is going to take responsibility for raising a goalie?” Matthew asks. Leon laughs.

“We can call in reinforcements for that one.”

God, Matthew loves to hear him laugh. He loves to watch the way his eyes crinkle. He loves how surprised people sometimes seem to be by the fact that Leon is capable of laughing.

Matthew stopped being surprised by him awhile ago, for the most part, but he can’t say he saw this particular conversation coming. He scoots over and lets his head rest in Leon’s lap. “What else?”

Leon picks up Matthew’s left hand and traces his ring finger. Matthew shivers, just a little bit.

“I was thinking Mallorca,” Leon says. “That way everyone has to travel, so they can all complain equally.”

“At the house?”

“Or on the beach.”

The beach at sunset, Matthew thinks. Taryn would love an excuse to be barefoot for a wedding. So would Dad, for that matter.

“No tuxedos,” he murmurs. His eyelids are finally getting heavy, despite his best efforts.

“Of course not,” Leon says, combing his fingers through Matthew’s hair. “But we’ll make sure Brady and Emma’s baby has a bowtie.”

Matthew doesn’t sleep. He drifts, the most content he’s ever been in his life, while Leon paints him a picture of their future.

[lucszli]

Having a Dottore segment fall for you –

Part 2 !

part 1 :

——————

; Being in a relationship with Zandik definitely wasn't your usual fairytale love story. You never imagined that your first boyfriend would be someone like him, but that doesn't mean you'd choose anyone else in the world over him.

• You thought you were inexperienced with romance, but upon realizing how inexperienced Zandik was?

• You had to take the obligation of teaching him basic things, such as what love even is, and what lovers are, and what they do.

• You definitely didn't expect him to try and kiss you as soon as you explained what kissing is and the fact that couples usually do it.

• “I thought we were supposed to kiss?” He would ask, innocently tilting his head while you were all flustered up, having to explain that it wasn't necessarily something you two had to do. (Atleast, not yet..!)

• Honestly, for a genius, you were stumped that there was a topic even he was unsure about.

• As the days passed, you noticed he was slowly becoming clingier to you.

• At first, it was small things, like purposely sitting close enough to you so that your bodies would touch, or not moving when your hands brushed.

• When he first initiated holding your hand, you felt yourself smile so wide that it probably looked creepy.

• ... He almost felt worried because he's never seen that expression on you before, but you told him it was a good thing.

• As far as you knew, Zandik would also sneak out just to see you. You were still not that familiar with his family situation, but you assumed it may be similar to yours.

• After all, your parents didn't even notice (or care for that matter) that you were sneaking out practically everyday. Since you still see him, you assumed that his dad hadn't noticed as well.

• Oh, how unfortunately wrong you were.

––––––

“[Name.]” You heard Zandik's voice from behind you, and you turned around and smiled at him. “Zandik, hi! I missed you.” You said without really thinking, and you both awkwardly looked away, either from embarrassment or being flustered. “..Me too.” he paused, looking at the basket you were holding in your hands. “Oh? What's this?”

You got over the initial embarrassment (due to not being used to saying things like that yet,) and went closer to him to grab his hand, and started walking towards your usual spot. “Oh, I thought we could have a picnic! We usually just sit and talk together, which is fine, but.. It would be nice if we did something else,” you explained, letting go of his hand to place the basket down.

Zandik watched as you set up the picnic blanket and started laying out a variety of food on it. “Did you cook all this, [name]?” he asked, kneeling down next to you to help you set up. You smiled at him and nodded. "Mhm! I'm sorry if it's not that good.. I'm not really the best cook, but I usually cook for myself.”

He only nodded in response, but this simple gesture was enough to make him feel that same warmth he was still unfamiliar with. This was the first time someone cooked for him specifically.

You two sat next to eachother, indulging in the food that you made. There were times when you would feed him the food or vice versa, and even if Zandik tried to look annoyed by this, you could tell he was enjoying it atleast.

Time passed by quick, and the sound of laughter and talking filled the atmosphere, as it usually did. Even if you two talked for hours everyday, it was like you never ran out of things to talk about. Once the food was finished, you both cleaned up and put the containers back in the basket.

You set it off to the side, and sat back down next to him. “So.. was my food acceptable?” you laughed nervously, worried whether he actually enjoyed it or if he was just pretending for your sake. “Hm.. It was rather pleasant to eat. Good job.” he replied, same seemingly blank expression as always, but from the twinkle in his eyes, you could tell he was actually happy with it.

You sighed in relief, before smiling again. "That's great! If you want, I can cook for you more.”

You two fell in a comfortable silence at some point, and you held his hand, leaning your head against him to truly enjoy the moment. He didn't make any movements of protest, so you took that as your sign that it was okay for you to be this close to him. Moments like this were a little rare, as you were a bit too shy to initiate any physical touch; so you were glad that he was accepting it.

Zandik was looking out at nothing in particular, just happy that he was with you. If he had to be honest with himself, he was still a little nervous about this whole ordeal with you.

He was worried about what could possibly happen if the others found out about you, what could happen if prime found out. Would he be tossed out for being a defect? Or worse, what if something happened to you?

Since he'd sneak out the lab everyday, he was worried at first that someone would eventually notice, but since he's been doing it for so long, he decided not to worry too much. It's been fine up until this point, what could possibly happen, right?

He glanced over at you, and he could feel his lips turning up ever so slightly in a smile when he saw that smile you'd always give him. Nobody's ever looked at him like that before, and he wasn't sure what you saw in him to look at him like that, but he had no complaints.

The moment just felt right, and he recalled what you explained about kissing and how couples did it. You turned it down the first time, but he had a feeling you wouldn't if he tried again right now.

He leaned in, pressing a soft kiss on your lips. It was a chaste kiss, your lips being pressed together for only a few seconds.

When he pulled away, he couldn't hold back a chuckle from the expression you had on your face. When you started to ramble on about how that was your first kiss (and his), and other things that didn't really make sense to him, he only looked at you in admiration until you finally calmed down, looked back at him and gave him a kiss back.

If his feelings for you made him a defect, he wouldn't mind being seen as one any day.

————

• You two eventually parted ways before it got too dark, and you hugged him goodbye before heading back home.

• He stayed in place until you were out of sight to make sure you were safe, atleast.

• When he got back to the lab, he went on his usual route to stay out of sight.

• He didn't expect to be greeted by prime. He almost flinched, but luckily he held it back.

• He was about to just walk away, assuming it was just a mere coincidence before hearing a question he was dreading to be asked.

• “Would you care to explain where have you been going all this time?”

—————

Authors note : Boom, part two ! I hope you guys enjoyed this, I wanted to make it sweet. :) Thank you to everyone who read part one, and I'll definitely be posting more parts. Maybe 1 or 2 more?

side note: this isn't proofread, apologies for any mistakes !!

[tallgirl14]

I need fanfics of chilchuck being a dad to his kids and some angst

Example:

Chilchuck and his family out at the market Beabell (his wife) is carrying their infant Puckpattie and walking few feet behind her his Chilchuck holding his two daughters' hands. On his right is 6yr mayjack on his left is 5yr Fullertom who's rambling on about something

Chilchuck hears someone call his name instinctively he moves fuller towards the inside, making him the barrier between stranger approaching and his kids.

Fuller wines that she dosent want to hold mayjacks hand she want to hold her dad's hand. Mayjack notices whenever her dad talks to someone who isn't a half-foot, he's always tense up his body.

Stranger: I heard you had another kid. Congratulations! It's true what they say about you half-foot going at it like bunny's

Chilchuck looked at the man with dry expression. He couldn't place his name, but he knew he worked on a job with him awkward moments silence passed " well I got to get going." Chilchuck starts walking guiding his girls to move forward when the man grabes Chilchuck by are " I actually came here to offer you a job now you got an extra mouth to feed-" Chilchuck smacks his hand away and turns to face the man being mindful keep his kids behind him. Mayjack was already observing her father she could sense his mood shift.

Chilchuck: " very kind of you but as you can see I have my children with me and I don't like to talk about work while there around BUT I'll be at tavern this weekend I your still interested in talking "

Chilchuck truns and grabs his girls hands as they duck threw the crowd start walking again trying to gain distance as he scans the crowd for his wife. At this point Fullertom is starting to realize something is wrong

Chilchuck: let's find mom and get ice cream yeah? Sound good?

Any suspicion fuller had is now gone with the mention of desert, but mayjack known that's dad's go-to when he needs to distance them when something wrong

This is one of the reasons chilchuck stopped sharing personal info about himself on jobs. So if a coworker had beef with him they wouldn't go after his family

[thevirtualvalentine]

TAPE SEVEN : BOTTOMS UP !

SET SCRIPT : “for your birthday, shanks decide it’s time to take you out for taste testing so you can know your limits, who else better to invite than mihawk? the man you’ve had a crush on for years, who is coincidentally your dads best friend. “

MATURE WARNING(S) : AGE GAP (legal, but continue at your own risk), mihawk is readers “uncle” because of how close he is to shanks, reader is shanks daughter, alcohol consumption, smut, emotional manipulation, cowgirl, hair pulling, unprotected sex, afab!reader, reader is referred to as a mouse and, “little one”, biting, unrealistic and dramatized sexual relationships.

DIRECTORS CUT : the person who requested this actually deactivated … thus I had to come up with something a little wicked in their memory. Enjoy. 🖤

Your 21st birthday was an occasion you’d never forget.

For the first twenty years of your life, you were surrounded by vast amounts of alcohol. Your father, a notorious pirate, celebrated every occasion with a truly lavish party and days of drinking. He ensured that you would have no part in it, not even a single drop.

You love him and appreciate your father for protecting you, but at times it felt he was like a helicopter dad suffocating you with his affections. His attempts at trying to shelter you from the world only made you that much more curious.

It was suspected to be grand, a large party with your friends and maybe some you didn’t know. All you did know was, you wanted to be wasted for the occasion. Then, your dad informs you that he and Uncle Mihawk prepared a special treat for the day.

Your heart threatens to leap out of your chest at the mention of him, “what’d you have planned?” You ask, perched on your bed rocking back and forth. Anticipation eats at you in the form of digging in your nail beds.

He was your dad’s best friend, but it didn’t stop the heat from rising to your face thinking about him being there. It’s not like he’d pay attention to you anyway, those cold eyes always so bored as he accompanies your invigorated dad around.

“Wine tasting with your old man! And Uncle Mihawk, I guess, but doesn’t that sound fun honey?” He clamors in the doorway. Resting his weight on its frame as he prattles on and on about the reservations, drinks, and location.

Supposedly, it was a personal recommendation to him by your Uncle, he tends to have expensive tastes. Whereas Shanks, your dad, can do with bottom-of-the-barrel ale that fucks you up thoroughly.

What an idiot. He really has not the faintest clue about you, or anything going on around him. He still sees you like his little girl, “of course Daddy, sounds like fun.”

Perhaps your outfit was a little over the top, a single strap keeping the snug-fitting gown hoisted to your voluptuous chest. The sequence makes it look beautiful and flattering in whatever light you choose to stand in. You got whatever you wanted, the world was in the palm of your hand.

“Very pretty, sweetheart,” your proud father says kissing the top of your head. Although it seems to remind him of someone, the top of your dress is a dark maroon color before fading into black. He takes your arm in his, fending you from any wandering eyes on the way to your destination.

Punctual and precise, your Uncle has already beaten you both there. Grabbing the table as you are ushered in by the hostess. The usual scowl of disappointment lay across his sharp face in annoyance at a lack of time management, usual for your Father.

“Sorry we’re late, ms. I-can’t-leave-without-perfect-hair was doin’ just that,” he jokes awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck while pushing in your seat.

At this, your Uncle's scowl softens into something lighter, after all, he could never blame you. “I see, it’s no problem then.”

You squirm in your velvet seat, unnerved by the fact he won’t look at or even talk to you. For an occasion all about you, it was starting to feel like a magnifying glass was over your every move in a bad way. You'd be eaten alive by nerves.

Enough, you down the first set of drinks lining the table not bothering to read what it is. “She takes after you I presume,” Dracule laughs lightly, amused that you chose a smoother drink, something that he picked with you in mind.

“Woah, careful honey you don’t wanna drink too much now,” Shanks' nervous laughter ignited a rebellious streak in you. Guzzling another hefty drink of your glass in defiance. You’re not sure what for, but it did give you a kick seeing your old man unsure of whether to praise or reprimand you.

The night continued with sensual jazz music and background chatter from other patrons, your uncle only adding blurbs to conversations and you wish he would pay attention to you. You hadn't realized when the buzz started but now that it has, it’s strong. Growing each time you think about dragging your foot up his leg…

“So, do tell Little One. How does it feel?” A simmering pot can just as well boil over if the right amount of heat is applied. His voice dark and smooth just like his drink.

“I guess I don’t see what all the fuss is about,” you lie. Tangible heat working its way up your face and down your core. Testing the waters, a leg darts out from the slit in your dress to nudge his.

“Why don’t we get you home then,” he points to your dad, “it would seem he’s had too much to drink.” Maybe you did too, why on earth would you try something like that? Your head spins as Uncle Mihawk (of course) covers the bill and slugs your dad over his shoulder.

It’s hushed on the way back, deafeningly so as regret hung around you like a plague. You didn’t follow him when he put your dad to bed, opting to sit on the couch as you cleared your brain fog with a glass of water.

“Enjoying yourself?” He asks, throwing his textile overcoat on the back of a chair. His hasty proximity startles you, forcing you to meet his glowing hawk-esque eyes in the dimly lit room.

You relax into the cushion, sensing no harmful intent as you mellowly melt into the couch. “Hardly, I feel like my head's spinn—”'

“No,” he cuts you off succinctly, “I meant throwing yourself at me,” oh, so he did notice. The swiftness of shame marred your body harsher than his words.

All you can do is stare down at your hands as he scans your every move from across the living room. The liquor is heavy on your tongue as you debate simply coming clean altogether. “It didn’t start out that way,” you confess.

Maybe some part of him did know, but he allows you to continue. His silence is the only way you know he’s actually there.

“I just…” you try to think coherently, years of feelings, pining, and shame boiling into one word, “admire you.”

Despite you being older now, his eyes still felt just as punitive. At least you had been honest, maybe now it would rid you of these irrational feelings.

Would his expression reveal anything? You meekly peek up to find him … smiling. He beckons you to move with two tugs of his finger, not having to say anything.

Warmth shoots right through your veins, powering every sinful move of your body towards him. You had so many questions but for some reason, you can’t seem to care about that when he’s asking for you right here, right now.

Like a wee mouse, you fall for his trap as he whisks you into his sturdy lap. “So young and impressionable, what would your father say if he saw you like this?” The thought has you writhing on top of him, trying to stop the shame that takes over you in waves.

But he doesn’t let you, holding you there, making you wallow in your filth without doing anything to you. Because it’s always been you, chasing after him, watching him, and now dragging your growing heat on his pants to feel some sick kind of relief.

Your head spins, blinded by the devotion that’s been festering inside you. Now, you’ll be selfish, taking from him what you need.

“Kiss me,” you command, hungrily chasing his mouth and stuffing any rejections into the back of his throat with your tongue. It’s warm, wet, and consuming. You can’t stop, lapping up more of him in your drunken haze.

He doesn’t prevent you, doesn’t say anything, yet now it all makes sense. His silence is your answer, the hawk has been caught in the mouse's trap.

Dracule helps you to roll your hips on top of him, composure giving lightly with each revolution. It’s wrong and he knows it, his best friend is only 20 feet down the hall from where he’s letting you (his daughter) have your way with him.

It’s hot and fast, your hands seem to race for his belt needy for him. He’s needy too, raising his hips to pull down his pants enough to slip inside you with ease.

The chair creaks and gives as you rise to mount him down to the balls. “You want me so why don’t you just say it, right Uncle Mihawk? You want to fuck me so why not just come clean yourself.”

It’s true. He knows it’s true. That’s why he can’t decline you, can’t bring himself to push you off him to spare you from the mistake you’re going to make. Instead, he kisses you and it tastes ravenous, his hands glide along the smooth fabric of your dress to tug you down himself.

Moaning in unison at his blunt intrusion into your slippery heat. “Is this what you wanted Little One, for me to make you feel full?” Conviction even lost to his own ears, pathetically trying to remain in command of the situation.

“Yes, yes, yes yes yes—” you utterly whine into the crook of his neck, hell-bent on getting your fill. Up and down you go trying to make him proud now that he’s finally noticed you.

You’re so happy, overcome with endorphins while you ride him in your family living room. Acknowledging that fact only makes your tight cunt well… tighter. He can feel your walls throbbing on him trying to tell him something.

He answers your silent plea for more, spreading the globes of your ass apart and planting himself deeper. The sweet noise you make creates an urge for him to hear more of that from you. “I’ve got you,” he says, and while it should be sweet there is nothing more appalling.

The man you’ve always wanted to notice you is currently serving you, and it lights something sinister inside you as you take him faster and faster over the edge.

“Mhm fuck, wait—,” his abs tense while his cock twitches helplessly. You feel incredible, sliding over him like a perfectly fitting fleshlight.

“Uh uh.” He’s nervous that you can hear the sounds of sex bouncing off the walls, what if Shanks heard you two? As much as that thought should have frightened him, it thrilled him.

His hands find your hair as he strains to thread his fingers through it, pulling you to an abrupt stop. You wince in pain at the sheer force of his grip and his full length being crammed inside you. You try to stutter out words but it’s useless, he’s in control again.

You’re so disgustingly needy that he thinks he likes you.

Deep, slow, punctuated thrusts in your cunt have you grasping his forearms for support as he blows a hole in your stomach. It feels good like this, your back unnaturally arched while he shows you heaven on earth. “Gods, Dracule, please just make me cum,” you beg.

He groans at the way you moan his name, muffling himself by biting your exposed throat and giving you what you want. Muttering obscenity after obscenity into your skin while grinding his pelvis deliciously upwards.

It’s messy, but it gets the job done, coating his thighs in your essence when you cum. Even after you finished you still wanted more from him. Unsatisfied with just one measly round, plus you wanted to make him finish.

“Come home with me then, little mouse.” Yet another trap, but maybe this time you’ll just be honest about wanting to be caught.

Enjoy? Reblog & click here 2 see more!

[amuseoffyre]

Thinking again (thanks to the dead bird site) about Stede rebooting his worst day ever, aka the traumatic flashback he has multiple times across both season, only this time he gets the acceptance and approval he has craved for his entire life.

The Worst Day Ever is the day his father teaches him to kill, slaughtering a goose and spraying blood all over little Stede's face. He then grabs his son by the arm and drags him out to verbally excoriate him and tell him he is worthless and useless, "a soft-handed, weak-hearted, lily-livered little rich boy".

Faced with the prospect of killing for the first time sends Stede into a panic spiral including that flashback.

It's referenced again throughout the season, but especially in 1x02, loosely in the fever dream in 1x04 (he was scared of geese for Christ's sake!), and 1x09, when Stede is struggling with his guilt, self-recriminations and self-doubts and also being confronted directly by Chauncey.

But the most significant return of the Worst Day Ever flashback is immediately after Stede kills Ned Low, his first real deliberate kill.

Our man is very much Not Okay. The fact that this memory is front and centre shows exactly how much that day - that moment - impacted on him decades on.

He does his usual thing when he's upset - isolates and closes himself away somewhere else, shutting himself down and using the tried and true conceal-don't-feel approach.

The difference this time is that someone comes after him to offer him emotional support, comfort and care (much like Ed did on the beach in 2x09, and this time, more kisses as well). So for a little while at least, Stede is distracted and wrapped up in Ed's affections and can put Ned's death to the back of his mind.

But the trouble arises when they get to the Republic and suddenly, for the first time in his life, he's being praised and celebrated. And, of all the people for him to gravitate towards, he ends up choosing to spend his time in the company of Blood-bucket Bill, an older man in a blood-smeared leather apron, who keeps telling him how cool and amazing he is.

And, after Stede kills in front of him, we get another twisted up mirror of the Worst Day Ever. Instead of his dad dragging him out to humiliate him, Bloodbucket Bill grabs him by the arm and hauls him up and tells everyone "the Gentleman Pirate is the fuckin' dude"

And as the episode continues and Ed leaves, Stede retreats to the bar with Bill, trying to take comfort from the man who has been telling him how good he is all day.

"At least you like me for me," he says to the deranged blood-smeared groupie. "Bonnet, I'd fuckin' die for you" Bill tells him and you can see that it isn't bringing the assurance Stede thought it would.

And to ice the cake, even when he's holding onto those last little vestiges of "yay I'm cool", Izzy shows up and dismisses Bill with three words and Bill doesn't even try to stay. "I'll fuckin' die for you" becomes "yes, right away, Mr Hands".

And the framing. omg the framing in the scene. It is, once again, a deliberate and pointed call back to Stede's Worst Day Ever. Once again, an older man is looming over him and Stede is just waiting to have emotional strips ripped out of him again ("have you come for your victory lap?"). This is the first and only time I can think of Izzy looking taller than anyone, especially Stede.

But unlike the horrendous abuse he got from his father, the abuse Stede expects yet again, the same old patterns happening over and over, Izzy changes the script and tells him "I think you're good for him. You balance each other out".

And if not for a group of his crew - his family - choosing to leave him as well, it might have been enough. But when he's already fragile over the loss of one person precious to him and reassured that he's good for people after all, the threat of losing more of his beloved people pushes him straight back into the reckless behaviour that has filled the rest of his day.

(brb wailing into a pillow that we won't get to see him have a chance to process any of this stuff)

[sueheesblog]

Let's talk about some stuff! SZN 3: SPOILERS I watched the season after I saw some spoilers on X and from friends lmao. I didn't sleep. Sorry for the typos n shit. I need to vent.

- First off, Syd and Cousin carried the whole fxcking SZN on their backs, while Carmy was too busy being a psycho. Ayo n Ebon deserves all the awards. JAW is a fantastic actor - 10/10 for all 3 of them. Everyone else did great too, Napkin was 😭😭😭 AYO DID THAT. Those 3 are legends in my eyes!!!! If Ayo leaves or if the writers do her dirtier in SZN 4 I'm DONE. I cried for her this SZN, n for Carm too.

- All of Sydcamry scenes for some reason gave me butterflies even though they drifted farther apart each eps. Syd getting Carmy's dish was top tier - incredible writing from the writers. I just need them to explain more - what is the purpose of having Syd n Carmy tied together - if Claire is so great why not tied her to Carmy? Why does she seem like someone who died, haunting Carmy like his toxic boss? She more unbearable this season n I think it's intentional.

- Some ppl were saying Claire had alittle more substance this SZN and I beg to differ. She's like a dead gf to me. Her scenes with Carmy are so cold, dead, and heavy - like a burden. She triggers my anxiety n I don't know y - n I don't want to be mean, but just how their scene are edited, it literally puts me at the edge of a panic attack. The writers had the audacity to call her PEACE. I did not experience peace watching her scene and I think Carmy feels the same way from the jump. So, Fxck no, she ain't PEACE, that's Syd and it's obvious.

- Claire being labeled as PEACE makes no sense - the writers are trying too hard n it's make me sick. If she's so great, let her n Carmy run/manage The Bear.

- Syd is the invisible string that's holding everyone together in this chaotic sh!thole, while babysitting Carmy and keeping him from combusting. Unc, Nat, Pete, COUSIN, Marcus, and everyone else are staying afloat because Syd is the fxcking life vest that's strapped to their chest.

- Syd is calm, organized, observant, caring, considerate etc. Yet, these fxcking writers said Claire was peace- that line had my blood boilingggggggg.

- Syd's relationship with her Dad is everything

- Sydcarmy is sooo far apart it physically hurts. They didn't even do ther sign thing over their chest this season.......I get this feeling (just a FEELING) that Syd might be in love or has a crush on CARMY 😭😭😭. The margin wider scene gave me that vibe. When you like someone, you notice every little thing they do. There were times I wanted her to hug him soooo bad, I just felt like if she did if would've grounded him. He really needed a hug this season.

- Something I think some of you might have missed. Remember SZN1 Ep1 when Syd said her dad ate at The Beef on Sundays. We got confirmation from Carm, in SZN 3 that The Beef/The Bear only closes on Sundays. 😂😂🤣😂 (this was in the scene with him n Claire in a dark room or whatever. It might have been a dream scene idk) So, Carm knew Syd lied. I need the writers to have Carm n Syd talk about it and the meal she had in NYC. These are only a few important stuff they hid in the storytelling and I need to know WHYYYYYYYY.

- Carmy had a panic attack during service. Syd's voice took him off the edge. And I must say, her voice could really calm me down too lmao.

These fxcking writers are lowkey abusing Syd at this point. She's being stretched thin, and again this is also why I think she's in love with Carmy. It hurts her, but she's so into him, connected to him physically n mentally. It's really hard for her to let him or The Bear. It reminds me of the time Donna said "I make things pretty for others, but no one makes things pretty for me" not being verbatim lol. Syd did sooo much heavy lifting this SZN and no one noticed it, they all subconsciously over look her and gave all praises to Claire and making her the peace and angel.

- We finally saw Syd broke tf down in ep 10. Baby girl couldn't be strong anymore. She doesn't want to leave Carmy or The Bear but after the round table talk with the workers from Ever. She realized that Carmy - the person she idolize or even love/crush on, might not be good for her. Carmy is trying but the communication is lacking so bad, and on top of that he's pushing her away.

At this point, the partnership agreement seems like a trap to keep her. If Unc cut his connection to The Bear that's going to be Syd last straw. And if she leaves, I kinda see Tina, Marcus, and maybe COUSIN going with her or they will stay and give Carmy HELLL for losing her. The tables would turn. Everyone is so hang up on Claire leaving, if Syd leaves, Claire would go straight through the window. That would be the moment of realization (for all of them. Especially Carmy) that the woman he really NEEDS is Syd and not Claire. But for some reason, they all think Syd ain't going nowhere which is so naive. She got a bigggg offer and I can't wait to see when she tells Carmy. Would he confess her importance to him to keep her? Would he beg her to stay? Would he listen more or communicate more to keep her? Would he ask her what would make her stay at The Bear? Or would he be a b!tch and tell her to go cauase it's a great opportunity? And then after confess that he's having a hard time letting her go. Very interesting stuff.

- Last thing - Unc talking to Syd. I was shock he was looking to Syd for answers as to what's going on with Carmy. This was also telling. Unc believes or senses that these too are CLOSE. And Syd being a good gf/partner kept her mouth closed. SYD is an angel sent from heaven, cause I would be so done with The Bear😭😭😭😭.

We saw that Carmy and Syd are having conversations that we are not seeing on screen. For example, he asked her about her new apartment. When did she tell him?? He then asked about her dad. Sir, what about her dad? Did she tell him about the annoying bathroom exchange? Are they sharing more about their personal life that we, the audience is not seeing? So many fxcking questions in SZN3.

This is just my thoughts. I saw the season once so this not an analysis.

[f4nd0m-fun]

@puppetmaster13u

It was getting too long so...

Okay this was VERY long but I love it all. So much food, and very much alive when possible. And yeah they're very much venomous.

... oh gods you're making me hungry for food that isn't even safe even if it existed 😂

Also, I feel like Ivy's plants would, ah, sometimes move if they don't like where they're currently planted. If your neighbor is taking better care of your flowers then you might wake up and see them over there, you just learn to deal. 😅

Ooooo I love that. And I feel like, to Aquaman, it would be like speaking in Pig Latin + Esperanto mixed with the heaviest Scottish accent ever. He can tell it's words, but he can't really understand it.

Also, Bruce singing lullabies to the kids, just imagine. Jason or Dick or anyone shows up having a panic attack and Bruce starts calming them down. First in English, then aquatic, and slowly morphing into a lullaby.

Oh definitely, those other heroes will be struggling. Almost feel bad for them.

The medical professionals must be paid well, and Gotham University probably ends up with a very heavy metal degree that most people might assume is for vets not human doctors. 😂

Oh my gods Helena yes. Poor Supes, and I love the JL freaking out. Also, her bottle HAS to be a little pink, because of the blood that's probably in it. Also, I imagine they're born with weak venom, and drinking their parents' blood lets them process and produce stronger toxins.

I bet Dick and the other kids probably have the same weird food habits and their teammates aren't really sure what they're supposed to do. Sometimes Tim will fall asleep in the middle of lunch and whoever is in the same room will get to see his lunch run away. Probably a bit unnerving. 🤣

I like the idea they might do them for 'major holidays'. Not on the holiday, because Calendar Man (on the holidays is Gotham only, they fully expect him to show up, he's practically invited without saying anything outright), and that's the Outsider Galas. Not just one a year, but not like 20 of em either.

And yeah, aside from runaway food, Tim is pretty good with outsiders. He probably wouldn't eat 'normal' (normal for Gotham anyway) around his team if he didn't trust em or something either. This is probably another reason Bruce made him CEO. 😅

Yesss uncanny valley please. Everyone is freaking out internally, and yet at the same time they can tell they're safe... for now. Servers doing their job, and Gothamites not revealing anything, unless someone does something wrong.

Yesss the rogues. Honestly I just want an AU where the rogues are basically family.

||=====||=====||

"Oh yeah that's aunts Harley and Ivy, they can be fun but don't drink the wine."

Then (controversial I know but also heavily depends on the AU)

"That's Uncle J, we're on tense terms with him but he's got the best drinks if you don't mind letting a bit."

Maybe

"There's not-dad Harv-"

"he's Uncle T right now-"

"-that's Uncle T, don't gamble with him or ask about his coin collection unless you want to stay a while."

Or

"Don't mind Uncle Cobbles, he's a little competitive with B about their family histories, but other than that and birds he's pretty calm."

Even

"Yeah don't mind Uncle John, he's probably more nervous than you are, doing spook him and you'll be fine."

||=====||=====||

Yesss so many photos.

Also, there's two wedding photos. One he shows to outsiders, the other is up at the major as a painting and is the same wedding photo but underwater.

... Ras don't bother your son-in-law's friends please, they have enough on their plate. Seriously, stop. 😂😅

Bruce probably confuses everyone even more by knowing the assassins.

Oooo yes. Sharks, aquariums, oh my. I love all the animals you mentioned too.

... so I randomly looked up 'Victorian modern punk' because why not and...

This was the top result.

[leodette]

well, part 2 for you! pretty sure this will actually turn into a series as I have some ideas :) your support and interactions are always welcomed! love you :*

**********

I Never Wanna See You Walk Away | LN4 | Part 2

fandom: Formula 1

pairing: Lando Norris x OC (not named)

previous parts: 1

names/faceclaims: -

summary: pancake 'date'

warning: age difference (older woman x younger man)

requested: yes / no

**********

Strawberry pancakes were considered a success. Both Mila and Maxie stuffed their mouths full of the sweet snack, their crash earlier that day long forgotten.

Lando smiled at his little niece. She was basically her dad reborn, the blonde curls making her look like an angel. Only looking though. When they entered the bistro and found a place, Mila insisted on sitting next to her new young friend, while smiling brightly at Max’s aunt. Those two were gigling when the menus were brought to them, Mila’s eyes wide as she looked at the older woman who pointed out different options. The orders were made, Lando getting himself only a cup of cappuccino and her banana split plate, while the kids excitedly talked about the animals.

"Have you ever seen Uncle Lando race, Mila?" the question came, and Lando nearly choked on his coffee, turning towards the little girl and waiting for what she would say.

But Mila only nodded her head, mostly because her mouth was full of strawberries and whipped cream, with a little bit of it sticking to her nose. Lando was about the wipe it off, but his company was quicker, and in no time the kids were talking between themselves again.

"You're good with kids," he murmured towards her, and she only smirked, a small crow feet appearing in the corners of her eyes.

"Oh heck no. Max and my other nephew are the only exceptions. I always steal them away, stuff them full of sugar and return them safely to their respective parents," she smiled and cut off a piece of her banana split.

When they arrived, it started raining outside again, and she shrugged off her rain coat, leaving her in a soft looking grey blouse with a very tastefully deep V neckline. Not too much so her cleavage wasn't right in Lando's nose, but also revealing enough that his imagination was busy making scenarios. And so he now watched, almost hypnotized, how she put the fork in her mouth, her lips closing around it, that damned smirk still on her face and her eyes not leaving his. She knew damn well what she was doing, and Lando prayed to all Gods he knew that she would keep doing it. She quietly asked the waiter for a second fork and gently pushed the plate in his direction.

"C'mon, one banana with chocolate will not wreck your diet plan," she continued smiling, although her eyes softened, and handed him the fork.

Lando felt a sudden warmth in his stomach. No one in a very long time offered to share a piece of basically a junk food with him, all afraid that he would have problem with his diet. But this woman did not. Instead she turned the plate so the bigger piece was in front him, and then patted her nephew's hair, leaving the man in her company with his thoughts for a milisecond.

"So, I guess you probably want a break from all the race talk, right?" her raised eyebrows prompted him to hum in agreement, his eyes drifting to the plate as he cut a piece of the dessert. Lando had summer break, more importantly the two week mandatory leave.

"Technically I'm not even supposed to think racing. Sorry," he smiled back at her, and she chuckled.

"But you can tell me what you do. Since it's quite unfair you know my job," he pointed the fork at her, the second too early for him to understand that it could be considered rude. He knew her for what, an hour maybe? But she seemd a good sport about it. Her fork remained on the table as she pushed the plate completely in front of him, winking at the younger driver before grabbing his coffee cup and taking a sip, then leaning back. Lando was speechless. Someone else could consider it too straightforward. Maybe a bit over the line. But him? No. Mostly because he did that quite a lot to women as well. This time though, his own game turned against him.

"Well, I work for the local travel agency, and do a part-time dj at PRYZM," the smile didn't leave her face when Lando's jaw dropped.

"Wait... you're a dj?" he stumbled, being caught totally off guard. Of all jobs he could think of, playing in a night club wasn't one of them.

"Shocking, right? Who would've thought that on a brim of my thirties I would play for eighteen-year-olds," she chuckled and shrugged, clearly not giving a damn about what people think.

Lando's mind was completely blank. He couldn't imagine the elegantly-dressed woman opposite him behind the mixing board. And his mind continued to produce images. What would she wear? How would she behave? What beats would she play? ... How would she look after her part? Sweaty? Breathless?

"Lost for words?" she raised her eyebrows, one corner of her lips taunting him before she turned to Mila and helped her cut the leftover strawberry in half, Lando's niece immediately taking the other half and putting in on Max's plate.

"I... I'm sorry, you just surprised me," he shook his head, trying to shake the not so pg13 images from his mind.

She waved her hand and took her bag from underneath the chair, rummaging through it for a second before taking out a square of paper and a pen. She scribbled something at the shiny white back of it before sliding it towards him, that seducive smile not leaving her face for even a second. Lando felt like a mouse who just ran into a particularly mischevious cat. Real-life Tom and Jerry.

"Well, maybe real experience will help you," she added, mentioning to the paper before turning back to the children. Lando took it.

It was a pamphlet from PRYZM, the local night club. With a date. And a name. He turned it over. +44 .... .......

"You're welcome to come and see. There's a private booth for my eventual guests. Never used it," she motioned to the paper, almost careless, like she was just talking about the weather.

But Lando knew. Seemed like he had plans for Saturday evening.

[gravehags]

"Amore, you look as if you've seen a, hehe, ghost."

You toss your keys into the dish by the door and set your enormous water bottle down on the side table before lowering yourself into an armchair in a daze.

"I..." you begin, your voice cracking, "Did you...uh...did you know Papa Nihil works out?"

Copia lowers his Nintendo Switch from his face and gives you a wary glance.

"What...do you mean?"

You clear your throat and resituate yourself in the chair.

"I was um. On the treadmill in the gym the upper clergy use - you know the one you gave me the key for? Anyway. I'm like a half hour into my workout and...a tall gentleman I had never seen before comes in. Real--" there goes your voice again, "Real beefy. Y'know vascular. O-older guy. And he sits down and starts lifting weights like they're nothing and I'm thinking this is some cardinal or bishop I haven't been introduced to...I go to give him a good look and he looks at me a-and. It's Nihil. And he smiles at me? Like, for maybe the first time? Copia he looked good. Strong. I mean," you laugh, a little wildly, "You know more than anyone how I am about older men but," you whistle low, "Goddamn I think I get what Sister sees in him now. Who knew he was hiding all of that underneath his chasuble."

You turn to Copia and his face has turned white as a sheet.

"You think my dad is hot?"

"I mean...kinda? Now I know where you get your thighs because whew. The girth on--"

"I don't want to hear anything more about my father's...girth," Copia says, digging the heels of his palms into his eyes. "Why, why did you tell me this, amore?"

"I don't know!" you half-shout, panicked, "Copia I had to tell someone, you can't expect me to live with this information on my own!"

"You think my deadbeat dad - who doesn't like you either need I remind you - is hot. Unbelievable."

Miffed, he rises from the couch and walks towards the kitchen while you follow him with your gaze, mouth agape.

"I mean technically Satan is your deadbeat dad but...oh come on, Copia. I think your mom is hot too but--"

"You what?"

"You know what, that's on me. I'm sorry I weirded you out by being attracted to my almost in-laws."

He turns his nose up with a pout.

"And they'll stay almost in-laws if you ever make me have this conversation again, capisci?"

"Capisco," you mutter, now with a pout of your own on your face. You look at your watch and wonder if Sister Imperator would be busy about now...surely this is a conversation she'd like to have.

"Hey, I'm um. I'm going back out, I left something in my office."

"No you didn't," Copia calls as he gazes into the open fridge, "Leave my mother alone, you horny little fiend."

Shit.

You stomp back to your chair and throw yourself in it, arms crossed.

Party pooper.

[kmartmithril]

The PCs within PCs are all some sort of heightened version of their regular selves and I can’t wait to see how it plays out:

Paula- this was pointed out in the AP for the first episode but she’s playing the detective and she saw Liv’s stolen nail polish and thermometer. I wonder if Jack Manhattan will somehow also help her learn to move on from her ex husband via a lover Jack can’t let go of (he’s so passionate about his work! He has no time for love!)

Liv- Also a fairly obvious one. She’s seeking the thrill of stealing something and becomes a crime lord in the film world. Might be a wake up call for her about what that might mean, possible an avenue to explore why she doesn’t want to leave Lake Elsinore (perhaps expectations have been placed on her to perform at a certain level and it’s tiring, which is why she’s stealing).

Wendell- The small snapshot we see of his life is his siblings out riding around while he’s inside working and trying to talk to this girl he likes. There’s also mention of his dad microwaving dinners. There’s a clear parallel to Vic who is non copy right infringing Dom Toretto who is infamous for talking about family (Vic’s focus is on siblings). Possible exploration of sibling dynamics (a betrayal perhaps???), what it means to leave them behind, willingness to move on.

Russell - Loner in his real life with a lot of affection coming from past jobs and unsaved numbers, while Jennifer behaves similarly in that she works alone. Hey did you know that the pack has a better chance of survival than the lone wolf? Wonder if that’ll come up at all. Also possible exploration of gender as that’s something Ally loves to play with in their characters.

Dang - We know that he’s into music, has a number on a poster on his wall that seems to imply that he could easily make some kind of connection about it but hasn’t. He’s also living with his uncle (Russell) at the moment so there’s likely something there too. Greg Stocks is a James Bond type character, suave, high profile, fancy suits, cars, casinos, the whole nine. Also a bit of a loner though likely with far more connections than say someone like Jennifer as he’s working through legitimate channels though takes a less legit approach where needed. Not totally clear what Greg might show Dang about his own life, but they are polar opposites which is going to be a fun thing to watch. He’s already shown though that he has a decent grasp on what Greg is capable of.

Usha - This one I’m so curious about. Usha is all hand drawn spreadsheets and inability to plug in a phone while G13 is a hacker - the two could not be more opposite and I love Rehka for it. I have to wonder if her husband dying when he was super young (27?) effected her in a way that made it hard for her to move on and learn new things? Maybe she started working just to get out and experience life, not realizing how difficult it would be? I think this one might be about moving on and looking towards the future rather than existing in the past.

This is all obviously speculation based on the first episode. A lot of the times the PCs have something to gain throughout the season and the sort of heightened state of an action film will help them uncover things about their own lives. Per Rehka in the Adventuring Party though, Brennan isn’t worried about them “hitting their marks” as much this season - which basically means like intended story beats I would imagine? So it’ll be interesting to see how that affects that overall narrative but allows the players a certain level of freedom that isn’t held back by hitting a particular arc.

I’m very excited for the rest of the season!