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sugar-petals · 4 years ago

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🌹 Sub!SuperM 18+ HC: Riding Their Faces

↳ NOTE. These guys... I swear. Bringing some heat to the dash right here. Enjoy the SuperMadness 👀

word count. 3.7k | bullet points | ot7

WARNINGS. ⚠️ all explicit, cum play, latex, hair & sweat kink, bondage, spit, brat taming, toys, breath play, ass fixation going strong, dominant reader, femdom, degradation, hardcore, veins kink, graphic language, strap-ons, crying kink, clothed sex, some crack

⌜ 💋 byun baekhyun ⌟

▸ strength: energy

not for the faint of heart. baekhyun thoroughly enjoys you giving it to him roughly; it’s the leader being led, how sexy is that

i spy with my femdom eye, baekhyun likes the bossy dommes who bring him to his knees — quite literally.

case in point: hates seeing you hold back. tells you to just bounce on him how you want it. no fumbling around, it’s gotta be hot and proper.

whatever you’re insecure about he hasn’t even noticed. the more confidently you’re taking your designated seat, the better. this shit’s gotta make him all loud and squeaky, baekhyun can’t get enough of your wild and demanding side. “don’t you dare move your hands!” — he’s already hooked.

yep, he’s part of the feral squad. and louder than the bass in jopping for that matter

small as hell face but the jaw is sharp, you can literally feel it, he fits between your legs so well

endless breath. put your pussy all over that nose, grind on it, cum all over him. society will thank you for suffocating a millionaire

like seriously the breath play is off the charts. if he’s into asphyxiation you’d not be surprised

meanwile baek’s naughty hips keep on bucking, like hello there, giving you a cheeky 69 invitation

such a cocky little shit, whiny byun all the way from those ruined orgasms he’ll be getting cuz you might just touch him with two fingers at best, you know how to keep him on his toes

swallows everything he’s like whatever, almost chokes because he’s so messy and greedy to taste you. damn baekhyun

does a “mmhhhnnn...!” sound all the time, this guy has pussy all over his face and is still more vocal than you no matter what you do

eats ass, all day if he can, knows the most shocking techniques, wants to get crushed by booty he’ll end up admitting it. no matter how big or small yours is. because remember, that face is small, everything is big to him

the type to cum on his stomach way before you do. groans a lot, then goes on even more intensely, how the hell did he just leak out five ounces of semen and still manage a whole tongue workout

slobbery and all over the place, those are tongue movements you can’t even think of in your wildest dreams

baekhyun is never content just making you cum once or just really lowkey, much less hearing you being silent. he’s a moodmaker, he naturally wants to hear you, and see you twitch like the world ends for goodness sake

brattiest tongue ever, always pulls out the taunting puppy licks, tries to grope you all the time, he’ll get a rough spanking later believe me

also gets his payback from you being crazy wet, as beautiful and cute his face might be it’s gonna end up damn ruined

not gonna lie his voice acrobatics will turn you into a waterfall that’s coming down on him

you can punish him for teasing by going raw with your hips, mochi is in wonderland, seeing stars. put his wrists in a spreader bar and go off is what i’m saying, YOLO

since baekhyun annoys the members by being so hyper in the evening, they appreciate you knocking him out for sleep. and indeed baekhyun dozes like a baby, probably using your ass as a pillow or something

you’ve drained the shit out of him and um watered the flower that is his face, so

another cupcake down, mission success, baekhyun certainly had his fill not to mention lucky you having to deal with his wildly talented mouth ahem, moral of the story annihilate him with your ass

⌜ 💋 lee taemin ⌟

▸ strength: steaminess

you will come (heh) to discover that none of his lyrics were a lie

yeah he’s busy hot boy shit for his gal

taemin has an all-soft and plush tongue that’s super pinkish. it literally feels so good, how to ever get enough of it holy shit

it also happens to be very long so buckle up, he wants to be deep inside of you, serve and please you

probably the most slow and agile movement in the group, tantalizing is the right word for sure

prefers kissing and sucking over just licking because he’s sappy, good on him and good on you those lips are heaven and need to be used by all means

once you go on the pill, taemin will eat his own creampies straight out of you, maybe even two at once, it’s taemin c’mon he’s above-average horny lord knows how much sperm he’s hoarding

loves drowning it seems

raunchy stuff aside, he always dresses up nicely or wears the fluffy sweaters you like the most on him. what an exclusive ride, the scent of the clothing turns you on even more he’s pulling all the registers taemin is so docile and giggly

most sensual style in the group, will edge and give you goosebumps first before the main course even remotely goes down, taemin thinks in several stages hot damn he calculated this

his face heats up so much it’s crazy, then again kkoongie capitalizes on all the warmth from the radiator so you might as well be taemin’s personal heating alright. it’s fun seeing him sweat like mad, see his neck veins bulge... ugh

is gonna be a provocateur and try to nibble on your folds, man he just wants to get slapped around you can see right through this brat’s rowdy plan

might even want his ass played with while you ride his face so prepare for some intense contortions, fingering, butt plugs, prostate massage, the whole array, gladly taemin is flexible

always pulls it off hands-free because he’s a pro and well yeah he’s always tied up how um totally surprising

and any challenge he will meet that i guarantee you

he has immediately apparent shinee concert stamina, longevity like his career, taemin can lend his face to your purposes for the whole night he doesn’t care if he needs to chuck it in the freezer afterwards

bonus: if taemin doesn’t at some point wear one of his glittery masks for sexy time, somebody is probably impersonating him and it’s not the real lee taemin i’m afraid

so many orgasms you’ll stop counting, one blends into the other, even if you’re not moving much, how does he do it

that being said gee can we just appreciate how beautiful his face is, everything about him, it’s gonna be so sexy and soft to kiss him to sleep oh my god

⌜ 💋 kim jongin ⌟

▸ strength: escalating

just how industrious is he? dammit kai is the rent due or something, this shit is not a comeback stage cool down

jongin is needy as fuck, he’s desperate to taste you especially in the morning when his lips are all plump

since then he’s skipped his skin care routine you do the bulk of the moisturizing you see

jokes aside get ready for whimpery kai thrusting his face right into you because he can, should you need something to hold onto, his thighs are literally right there

constant high-pitched moans, some during quick pauses, others stifled, kai are you okay he’s really going all out

so thirsty

if you don’t put a harness on him for this you’re missing out, also you need something to hold this wild slutty motherfucker in place

rock-hard throughout, harder than a goddamn superm choreography

also: sturdy chin that can take a lot, it’s made to be sat on

does a lot of the work, very active, main dancer vibes you know, you can be lazy and just enjoy

most continuous style in the group, gradually getting more and more passionate and nervous — the second you thought it gets boring he goes off, have fun losing your mind and seeing him basically K.O. himself

if he wants to make you cum, rapid tongue jabs deep into your clit, and his hard breath against it, no fair play in here

absolutely has a thing for your shaking thighs, like what the hell he’s blowing a huge load the more you tremble, and he’s goddamn crying from pleasure every time woah

those big ole lips are an absolute treat, yeah i’ll say it again his face is meant for this

wants to be called all kinds of names wow jongin, it just spurs him more

kai. is. so. good.

you can most definitely film your own POV cam, jongin can put on one hell of a show. just this time it’s not his eyes flirting with the camera, it’s his tongue getting a nice rough treatment oh yum

don’t get me wrong he can deliver a romantic version of this, but kai just likes you being tough on his face he can’t deny it

uses his hands so you can ride him even harder, all his teddy bears will be falling off the bed like dominoes

might one day ascend to heaven while giving head, wouldn’t regret it

can do it until complete exhaustion you guys just pass out

being such an oral workaholic do i sense a masochist streak in him there?

fucking typical capricorn

⌜ 💋 wong yukhei ⌟

▸ strength: appetite

first off yukhei is hilarious

it’s called eating out and that’s exactly what he does duh, he’s not nicknamed foodcas for no reason — the restaurant is open my dear, and he just served himself five courses (you)

gets super sweaty, forehead and down the neck, a 6′0 glazed bun can you imagine

giggles a lot, makes the atmosphere relaxed, loves banter before and after, an allround sweet experience

though beware, this guy is hungry. most prone to open his mouth super wide he wants to eat all of you at once

don’t tell kun how nasty he is, much less leader baekhyun, promise me that

and especially nosy kai should not hear about what sexy shit yukhei is doing in his freetime unless you want to trigger a war

that being said the wayv dorm is still the safest place to sit on his face, so. it’s a lawless land there, nobody gives a fuck anymore at this point. yangyang would not even blink if ten murdered someone in cold blood on the balcony, that’s how the atmosphere there can be best described

lucas being a far more harmless himbo still ironically fits into the environment being so sexually insatiable, just how often are you going to fuck? it’s only natural to lose the overview

he loudly pouts and complains when it ends, wants to go on and on, you need a lotta stamina to get with this guy this is not a warning it’s a fact — yukhei really wants to tire himself out and give everything

if you lower your thighs just a little you can feel his dangly earrings. kinda sexy but also a safety concern i know i know, he’s not gonna wear them next time

noisy as heck, wants to do well, always goes the extra mile to be sure you are all happy and satisfied with today’s dining

his tongue is... big...

we’re not gonna talk about that giant bulge either, such a huge tent in those pants it’s a whole camping ground. anyway

what we’ll talk about. his super soft blonde hair, we’re talking salon quality soft, that’s amazing to feel against your legs, it’s great to pull as well, or to twirl really playfully

though there’s not much playful going down when the initial inhibition drops

he’s not made of glass you can really get those hips going

sliding down his nose when you’re all wet... damn good stuff.

lucas is the kinda guy that has you grunting and gritting he loves your reactions, and how aggressive you can get. usually he’s the reaction king but like this? he can get used to it.

totally into having that kinda frog perspective it’s a whole new thing, he’s such a giant now he’s below you, the sight is just superb to him

less likely to have toys involved, but rather a bunch of rope for his chest, his arms, his long ass legs. yukhei is a bondage insider tip y’all

stable as a block of metal. if you go a little too wild on baekhyun he’s probably gonna break his mochi neck but lucas is a different calibre, this mf is made of giant muscles galore, i can only say one thing: finish him

⌜ 💋 mark lee ⌟

▸ strength: speed

talks a lot, even occasionally curses — instantly apologizing, but you curse right back, so this becomes the cussing olympics at some point, taeyong would bury his face in the ground all his parenting efforts have gone to waste

mark basically chokes himself

he can’t control his spit by all means jesus... in his own words: must be the drip then

next to taemin and baekhyun here we have the third drowning victim, mark is in serious need of multiple tissues or towels afterwards but that’s exactly what he likes

mark’s slutty side is not to be underestimated i’m warning you

that’s a healthy young man right here

loves to do quickies to get you off during daytime, if you’re horny just tell him and he’ll find a quiet spot, might do it on his knees rather than you riding him sometimes for practical reasons

all options open, mark is flexible af. if someone can promote with nct dream and superm at the same time that’s the result

so yeah you’ll experiment with positions and even outfits, what’s the most comfortable to wear?

few people even remotely think about this. mark himself stays in his signature sweater but the glasses come off, you know very well he’s a nerd without them he has nothing to prove lmao!

the clothes will be cozy but don’t let that fool you yet alright

this guy has watched too much porn to just keep it light and cute

don’t get me wrong you can baby him ad nauseam for the more gentle femdom moods

but at the end of the day mark loves some intense shit, he likes feisty girls who aren’t coy and subby, the more perverted you are the better, in fact he enjoys being shocked with brazen attitude and getting orders on what to do.

loves it when you to take it all out on him, rough is good. mark lee’s face is the rodeo range of super m alright, just don’t break his glorious jaw or anything, he still needs it okay

but yeah mark’s face is tempting to ride hard not gonna lie

his tongue can go so fast it’s at the speed of sound, no, the speed of fucking light. mark goes crazy on your clit, wait a few seconds, boom five orgasms rain down on you.

it’s like an anime swordsman just lifting the sword hilt, walking off calmly, and one minute later things are in shambles like how? mark’s sword tech is just epic like that

he’s a leo what did we expect, show-off

in the meantime, RIP to mark lee’s pants. they’ll be soaked with cum, gonna be a bitch to hide your clothes from taeyong who’s always eager to wash everything by himself

that aside, mark really enjoys the position, he doesn’t need much else to be honest, he goes “oh my god oh shit” enough for you to know

thank god he’s a rapper, otherwise his dang technique would be dangerous, he doesn’t breathe for half a minute or so

enjoys you really doing shallow thrusts, super fast and sloppy, loves how much you enjoy it

needless to say: breaks a guinness world record for most licks per second, it’s that mark lee flow

long story short his face is your favorite spot he can prepare for a daily session

all that practice on water melons paid off good job markly

⌜ 💋 ten lee ⌟

▸ strength: allround skill

you know a pro by how he’s offering you a tall glass of water beforehand

and by the way he’s chugging one himself

champion, a keeper

you’re guaranteed to love it, ten is amazing

takes his time, gets to know your every inch, figures out your soft spots in a matter of minutes to seconds

everything for his sexy mama, service sub right here

take him on a leash, grind on his lips, make him kiss your clit, he’ll respond by circling his tongue around obediently

chittaphon might be a little fidgety at the beginning, but the atmosphere is not as tense anymore after doing it two or three times.

ten is actually quite good cracking lighthearted jokes and showing his more extroverted side, he always gets like that with a partner.

you have an easy time with build-up conversations and communicating in general, same with aftercare pillow talk

that being said the degree of professionalism this guy is heading for needs a lot of talk in the first place.

ten likes doing advanced things that aren’t just intuitively understood, you need to exchange yourself a lot

through trial and error you figure out how to incorporate sex toys into the little routine you have going on

the pleasure will be so intense you’ll never want anything else fuck

ten is also down for a lot of moving around, some athletic shit

you’ll go from bouncing on his dick to smothering his face back and forth pretty much, let’s see how fast you’re gonna bust a huge nut like that my bet is five minutes

those like “oh... ah—” moans are just angelic

since he focuses so much on your erogenous zones and always keeps his hands involved, ten is always guaranteed to have you breaking a major sweat

ten does not like to eat any fruits, they say. well that’s true, because he’s too busy eating you that is. boy can basically retire from citizenhood, he’s that busy between your legs.

enough fruit juice for an entire week impending, don’t worry about his nutrients, this is also a form of diet.

uses his chin, his cheeks, the nose especially, the damn nose it’s perfectly shaped

wants you to really ride him hard, and fast, no holds barred at all, going so feral he’ll be squeezing his eyes shut

sometimes his hair gets in the way, it’s just so damn long. the result: hair ties for face-sitting, always on his wrist

among all members, buries his face the deepest, turns him on so much

always makes sure you’re both washed up, no impromptu sessions. ten is a hygiene priest and he’s right

the mattress is kinda bouncy and he always uses his favorite soft pillow under his head so you can definitely take mister ten lee to pound town like work your hips give it to him

in case he survives i send my congrats, you got yourself the right guy, terrific choice queen

⌜ 💋 lee taeyong ⌟

▸ strength: ideas

how much more religiously can he eat you out, he treats this like the best reward he can get

as you can probably tell by now, all the lee surname members are definitely a certain brand and clan of highly distinguished pussy eaters like, these guys are a fucking gang like... well taeyong is no different

reckless abandon oral, eats you like it’s the last day, even death fears lee taeyong when he’s in giving head mode

you might be showering together beforehand and be all shy and kissy like it’s puppy love. but that is all for naught when the tongue of god is unleashed and taeyong gets himself as messed up as he can

yeah i like the thought of god being incarnated as kinky taeyong begging to have his mouth spit and cummed in it just makes sense

very deep mumbles, very hard breathing, those veiny hands on your waist, he wants to make you feel good so bad, fuck he’s so sexy

intense facial expressions, need i say more

also um... he likes to be... threatened. he’s the student you’re the teacher, strict as hell surveying his every move, the more you yell at him the harder he gets, jesus christ he has a thing for you acting mad and shit

taeyong doesn’t even need you to pull off your underwear, he’s gone get through any type of fabric with that leaking mouth

let’s just say he likes to experiment with innovative techniques... anyway, taeyong is a nasty fucking freak, he’s a grade A hoe, you never know what to expect

one time he just licks like a shy doe, the next second slurping explosion 5000

imagine whipping his thighs with a riding crop while sitting right on that ultra gorgeous elven prince face like

taeyong is almost always getting super emotional. he sheds even more tears than kai, like at some point you’ll develop a crying kink because of him SOS

nervous as hell, shaky hands. that can easily be fixed sir let’s tie em up

has you moaning nonstop, he’s so engaged and so dead-on with his movements. don’t be surprised if this damned man has your eyes almost falling out

beware, this guy is into full-on sensual deprivation as well. blindfolds are only the start.

you might end up with a whole lotta black latex involved, who knows, a whole gimp on him he’s down for that, he learned from ten what it is blame chittaphon’s vast kinky knowledge

even better: while you’re grinding on him, taeyong likes you pumping his cock with a fleshlight with zero mercy until he yelps in tiny oops

hell he might ask you to roughly fuck his face with a strap and then ride it, the mister likes double treats huh

then again: wants it to be degrading and dirty and intense on some days, and really wholesome and romantic on others

especially aftercare will be sweet and dulcet, you take care of him, pepper him with kisses for being such a dutiful boy.

looks pretty no matter what. maybe he’s born with it maybe it’s tyongbelline. yeah just how handsome is that face and hair like... t’yongreal paris in full splendor

long story short he’s an oral deity. i rest my case howdy and goodbye see you next time aye

superm masterlist

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kuroos-world · 4 years ago

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The Bookshop Keeper - Dabi mini series

Masterlist A/N: thank you for reading ! :) lmk if you want to be tagged !

Pt.1 EC Pt.3 Pt.4

Ever since your official introduction Dabi comes in more frequently. Often the two of you stay way past closing, discussing books you’re reading and theories you have about certain lines. Recently though you’d been reading lots of poetry, which you read aloud and Dabi listened intensely. Your voice was so soothing to him and he loved the way you annunciated your words. One night while you’re reading poetry, you sneak in some of your own. ‘Casually’ asking Dabi his thoughts on it, and when he realizes it was an original he’s elated. Demanding to read everything you’ve ever written, he’s so impressed and loves how intelligent and knowledgeable you are. Really though he’s just happy you trust him enough to read your innermost thoughts, and he learns so much about you through it. Pains you’ve hidden from others, topics that are important to you, how deeply you're capable of loving, and so much more. You become his escape from reality, and he was yours.

No matters what struggles you faced during the week, the two of you could always come to one another and relax. Whether it be reading in silence next to each other (which was Dabis favorite) , venting about the problem (mainly you) or distracting yourselves with talking about anything. He even stayed with you on long nights when you had to update your records or check inventory. Dabi became your most trusted friend, he knew practically everything about you, and even though he never talked about his personal life you felt like you really knew him too. But the closer you grew the more worried Dabi became. He feared his life with the LOV would catch up to him or worse you, he wanted to keep you as far away from that as possible.

“Dabi?” Your voice is so soft as you call out to him.

“Yeah? What’s up?” He asks from across the aisle. Tonight the two or you were unboxing and shelving a new edition of shojo manga, “Thanks for always keeping me company,” you’re smile is sweet and pure, Dabi chuckles, “anytime”

“I really like hanging out with you, mm, maybe though we can hangout outside the shop too?” Your tone is hopeful but you catch his gaze, Dabi stares at you with a blank face. He knows he has a mission coming up so he probably won’t be around for a while anyways “...or not” your voice falters but you smile at him to show you’re not upset. “Uh I mean I’d like to but I can’t for now” you nod and busy yourself with shelving the new books. He leaves soon after and you mentally kick yourself, ‘ he probably doesn’t want to or maybe he just doesn’t like being around me as much as I like being around him’ you lock up shop walking home quietly ‘only 2 blocks’ you tell yourself. You’re too wrapped up in your thoughts to notice the shadowy figure trailing behind you. He walks slowly mentally scolding himself for being so cold to you, but also for barely realizing you walk home alone every night. ‘I always stay late with you, dangerous and this idiot hasn’t even realized I’m following, ugh why don’t you ever say something?’ He thinks as he watches tensely as you walk into your apartment before walking away.

**********************

You haven’t seen Dabi in about two weeks, you were worried you overstepped your boundaries. You sigh feeling lonely as you close up shop for the night. There was a quiet knock on the back door, you opened up to see Dabi. He was breathing heavily, his turquoise eyes wild with adrenaline, he’s holding his side leaning into the frame. His whole demeanor had changed from the quiet pensive man you knew to a cocky bastard, he smirks looking down at you, “can I come in?” He asks his voice full of arrogance, but you side step anyways. The two of you walking towards your office, “what happened?” You sounded so worried it was almost enough to bring Dabi down from the high he currently felt, “don’t worry about it-,” he sighs and you feel a change in him once again as he sits scratching his neck awkwardly, “uh I just need to lay low for a few hours, can I stay here?” You nod, “course you can” you touch his side and he hisses, your eyebrows furrow and you reach out to him. He lets you, watching you tentatively, you pull up his shirt seeing his scars but also a giant bruise forming right under. You stare at him eyes full of worry and pain for him, “ ‘s okay hun, I’m fine, I just need to lay low,” He was so excited to see you after his mission he completely forgot he’d have to lie about where he’d been and why he needed to hide out. The main reason he came here was because he’d rather hide out in a place he could feel close to you. He sits back in your comfy chair, eyes even more tired than you’ve ever seen. “stay with me tonight,” you say the words before your brain can even process them, Dabi still laying back, opens one eye, peaking at you. Once he sees the pink in your cheeks and the seriousness in your eyes he nods. The two of you walk side by side avoiding the open roads or anything with too many lights and people. When you arrive at your apartment your heart is racing, Dabi walks in behind you, his mouth hung open in surprise at the wall of books you had, filled from top to bottom. “Um so it’s not much but this is the living room, the kitchen is there, the bathroom is on that side and my room is through here,” you point everything out to him and walk into the room with Dabi right behind you, he laughs when he sees another small bookshelf by your bed, “those are your favorite ones right?” He asks seeing how worn most of them are and noticing a few familiar titles, your face heats at his words, “yeah.. I like to have them close” the innocence in your voice drives Dabi mad, you’re too cute. “Anyways, you can stay in here and I’ll take the couch” you smile at him, “y/n” his tone is stern and his eyes meet yours, “I know you read a lot of romance so not to be cliche but, we’re adults we’re more than capable of sharing a bed,” you give him a sheepish look, and he laughs loudly, more than you’ve ever heard him laugh. “Dabiii, I knoww,” you huff and he laughs louder, a full belly laugh, Your heart skips a beat at the beautiful sound, and he teases you some more. His demeanor was no longer cocky but also not as pensive as usual, he seemed more in his element, more comfortable than in the shop. He looked like he belonged here, teasing your embarrassed state, and laying in bed next to you with a book in his hand.

You leave him laying in bed while you go shower, you come back changed and sleepy. You yawn as you crawl in next to Dabi, who was still reading. He turns his attention away from the book, “y/n” he waits to have your full attention before continuing, “I appreciate you letting me stay with you,” he smiles, so kindly at you, you return the smile, “anything for you” he smiles wider, “read to me” he whispers, his face inching closer to yours “okay” you respond whispering too. He hands you the book, you open your mouth to read but he stops you, “come here” he pulls you to him. He leans against the headboard and sits you between his legs, you lay back against his chest, looking up at him in the dim light. He smiles down at you, playing with your hair, “read hun,” and so you do. The two of you lay like that you reading and him listening playing with your hair, happy to be in the blissful world you create.

You continue to read until you can barely keep your eyes open, Dabi takes the book from your hands placing it to the side and turning the light off, as your body relaxes into his,

“Y/n, lovely as ever,

Kind as can be,

You’re so very clever,

Please always stay with me”

he laughs at his own sappiness, pulling you closer and kissing the top of your head.

——————————————

Tag list:

@orenjineki @liitlesushi @icedtea-with-lemon16

@dabis-bitch @c0metar5on

#mha fanfiction #mha imagines #dabi headcanons #mha x reader #mha smut #mha dabi #mha fluff #dabi x y/n #dabi touya #yandere dabi #dabi smut #dabi imagine #dabi todoroki #dabi x reader #bnha dabi #dabi fluff #bnha fanfiction

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if-music-be-the-food-of-love · 3 years ago

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Happy Birthday

Robbe IJzermans!!

“I Want it All” ch. 8 Sneak Peek: Robbe’s Birthday

Summary: Sander goes all out for Robbe’s birthday. So much fluff. All fluff. Amelia is cute. Still rated T. This takes place about halfway through the chapter.

**Disclaimer: This is a rough draft. Please forgive my typos and inconsistencies. As always, it’s long (7k). Enjoy!

Link to fic on Ao3. This is not posted there. Preview below only:

Amelia - almost 12 months

Sander

“Bye, Laurence,” Sander said before hanging up the video call and closing his laptop. He stood, and reaching his arms overhead, stretched side to side before arching his back and twisting a few times. As he rolled his shoulders, he heard giggling coming from the kitchen, and a slow smile spread across his face.

Curious, he left their bedroom and followed the sound to the kitchen, where he found Amelia in her high chair, cackling and clapping her hands as Robbe ‘found’ Cheerios in her ears. He’d show her his empty hands and then reach for one of her ears where he’d miraculously ‘find’ one and give it to her to eat. Her eyes grew wide every time he brought the Cheerio in front of her, sheer adoration and amazement all over her face. She’d squeal as she reached for the cereal and laugh and clap her hands as she popped it into her mouth.

After four more Cheerios received the same treatment, Sander strode forward casually, hands in his pockets, and said, “Still don’t think that’s the best way to impress the girls.” He ruffled Amelia’s hair and gazed down at Robbe, a teasing smile on his lips. “Glad to know those magic tricks paid off. Longest investment I ever made.” He then ruffled Robbe’s hair, and muttered, “Dork.”

Robbe snorted in response and blushed prettily as he rolled his eyes up at Sander. “It’s your fault. You can only blame yourself. And,” he poked Amelia’s nose and made another Cheerio appear out of it, eliciting more loud giggles, “Amelia is clearly impressed. Aren’t you, sweet girl?” He asked, speaking directly to her, his voice dropping into a goofy drawl. “You think I’m amazing, don’t you? Forget what your silly daddy thinks. He’s just jealous.”

Sander bit the inside of his cheek and pursed his lips, his head shaking side to side. “If I’m jealous of you,” he finally said, “I guarantee it’s not about the magic tricks.” He winked at Robbe, pursing his lips into an air kiss, and then swooped down to kiss the top of Amelia’s head.

“How’s Laurence?” Robbe asked, refocusing his gaze on Amelia and continuing her magical meal.

Sander shrugged, stepping up behind him. He waved his hands forward a few times, and understanding him immediately, Robbe scooted to the edge of his chair. Sliding in behind him and then pulling Robbe back into his chest, arms still wrapped around his middle, he answered, “Tired. They’re afraid the baby might have colic, but it’s a little too soon to know.” Robbe shivered beneath him at the thought. “He looks like a zombie. Did we ever look that bad?” He rested his chin on Robbe’s shoulder.

Robbe chuckled lightly and turned his head to kiss his cheek. “Yes, we did. At one point, you looked like death, and I was seriously worried. Remember? I had to stage an intervention. I’m sure I didn’t look much better. Those first few weeks...just thinking about them…it was rough.” Robbe shuddered again, and Sander gave him another squeeze.

He kissed the space between Robbe’s shoulder blades and then rested his cheek on his shoulder, lips lightly touching his neck. He let his eyes close, and a companionable silence descended between them as Robbe continued to feed Amelia her snack while Sander rested.

Several minutes later, Robbe’s fingers touched his hands, pulling him out of his light doze, and he said, his voice coming across gravelly because Sander’s ear pressed into his shoulder, “I’ve been thinking.”

“Mmhmm,” Sander responded, his eyes still closed.

“Amelia’s birthday is three days after mine, and I know we already have some big plans. You know, all the chaos and people and food. It’s a lot to plan and manage. Maybe this year we don’t do anything for my birthday. Just stay home, nothing special. Its--”

“No,” Sander cut him off, snuggling in a little more. “Absolutely not.”

As if not hearing him, he continued, “Maybe in the future we could just do a combined birthday or something.”

“No. No. No,” he hesitated for a moment and then added, “No. C’mon, Robbe, I’ve been making a fuss about your birthday for almost two decades. You really think I’m going to stop now just because our daughter’s birthday is so close? Please.” He let out an exasperated “pfft” into Robbe’s neck.

“But, it just makes sense, especially this year,” Robbe tried. “We should focus on her. It’s her first birthday. It’s a big deal.”

Sander sat up, his voice turning serious. “And so is your birthday. The day you were born is a big deal to me. You are the most important person in my life, and I want to celebrate the fact that you exist. Would you deny me that?”

Robbe turned to look at him, and Sander thrust his lower lip out into an exaggerated pout. Robbe shook his head in response, but the corners of his mouth twitched. “That’s kind of sappy, San.”

He dropped his forehead onto Robbe’s temple and said, “You make me sappy. Not my fault.”

“Hmmm,” Robbe responded noncommittally. A second later, he surprised Sander with an elbow to the stomach, saying, “And honestly, not fair. You know I’d never deny you anything. Turning it on me so that I’m doing it for you? Pathetic.”

Sander grinned and hugged him closer. Bringing his lips to Robbe’s ear, he whispered, “Yet effective.”

“Ugh,” Robbe groaned, but he leaned back into Sander, clearly giving in already.

“Anyway,” Sander continued in a normal voice, “This is the first birthday where I can show you exactly how much I love you. I’m going all out, baby! I already have everything planned, and Zoë offered to watch Amelia before I even asked. So...you’re stuck.”

Robbe moved like he was going to protest one more time, but they were interrupted by a stream of babble from Amelia. She had about a dozen Cheerios on the tray in front of her, but she kept clutching at her ears and then looking disappointedly at her hands. Each time they came up empty, she chattered at them as if giving them a pep talk before trying again.

“Oh no!” Sander guffawed. “What have you done?”

Unable to control himself, Robbe’s body shook with laughter. “I...I...well...oops.”

“Oops is right. Let’s hope she doesn’t try to pull Cheerios from anywhere else.”

“Sander!” He elbowed him in the stomach again, but they both laughed. They laughed so hard Amelia finally gave up looking for Cheerios and stared at them in confusion, completely at a loss for why they were giggling so much.

Robbe

Robbe’s birthday dawned wet and cloudy, but the grey atmosphere did nothing to dampen Sander’s spirits. He woke up early to make Robbe a ‘real’ breakfast before work and shoved him out of the door with a dozen kisses and a promise to come directly home.

When Robbe arrived back at the flat, he found Sander’s backpack stationed by the door and Zoë’s shoes resting next to Amelia’s. He gave the backpack a second curious glance and then followed the sound of voices to the kitchen.

“Dada!” Amelia’s voice called, and Robbe immediately redirected from looking for Sander to searching for Amelia. She stood next to the couch, holding on with one hand, her chubby legs steady beneath her.

“Hey, princess,” he said, squatting down a few feet away from her. She took confident steps toward him, hand sliding along the couch in support, and then in her excitement at being near him, she let go of the couch and half toddled, half fell forward into his arms.

He held her for a moment, unmoving; then his jaw dropped, and he looked up, seeking Sander’s eyes. When he found them, shining and surprised, he asked, “Did you see that? Did it count? Do you think it counted? Did she walk?”

“I saw at least two actual steps before she fell forward,” Zoë said helpfully.

“I think I saw three,” Sander agreed. “I think it counts.”

Robbe squealed, lifting Amelia into the air as he stood, and swung her around. “You did it!” he shouted over and over again. He hugged her to his chest and showered her in kisses.

Then it was Sander’s turn. He hugged them both, liberally peppering them with kisses as he said, “And you did it on your daddy’s birthday! What a sweet girl! Happy Birthday!” He gave Robbe a loud smack on the lips.

“B-tday.” Amelia mimicked, clapping her hands, and they both erupted into even more praise.

“Best birthday present ever,” Robbe said, giving her cheek a final kiss before putting her back down to play.

“I dunno about that. Til now, maybe, but I have plans to top it. Just wait,” Sander said, bumping his shoulder.

“Oh really?” He wrapped his hands around Sander’s waist and looked up into his face, eyes teasing. “You really think you can top my daughter’s first steps as a present?”

“Definitely,” Sander said confidently, his mouth spreading into a broad grin.

Sander’s confidence gave Robbe a moment of pause. What could he possibly have planned that he was sure would top this? He was even more curious about the bag by the door.

When they reached the sidewalk outside, Amelia already being happily spoiled by Zoë inside, Sander took Robbe’s hand, and they turned towards the bike rack.

“So,” he said, “We have a few options. We can’t head to the main event until 20:30, and then we’re having dinner afterward. So between now and then we can do whatever you want.”

“Wait, what? The main event? Wouldn’t dinner be the main event?”

Sander smirked down at him, saying smugly, “Nope. You’ll see. So--” He clapped his hands together, rubbing them quickly while lifting his eyebrows playfully at Robbe. “What should we do now? I’m all yours.” He opened his arms and turned to walk backwards in front of him.

Grinning at him, Robbe said, “Oh, I’m well aware.” He then gave him a light shove and took his hand again to pull him alongside. “I thought you had it all planned. Now you’re making me decide. Rather unfair, don’t you think?”

Sander snorted, dropping his head forward. “Ro-obbe, this is part of the plan. You get to decide how we kill time together. Just us.” He looked up, his hand reaching out to caress Robbe’s long hair. “No babies. No friends. No responsibilities.” His fingers trailed down Robbe’s cheek. “Just us.”

Robbe’s breath caught, and when he met Sander’s eyes, he could clearly see how pleased he was with himself. Robbe rolled his eyes at him, bumping his shoulder with his forehead as he mumbled, “You can’t seduce me in the street, you know.”

Sander’s teasing voice lilted, “But I can make you blush.”

Robbe groaned, but when he lifted his head a soft, dreamy smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. Sander beamed back at him and kissed his forehead. He then tucked Robbe under his arm and led him to the bike rack. They unlocked their bikes and set off, heading in the general direction of the Schedlt.

In the end they decided to just walk along the riverfront, lingering anywhere that struck their fancy. Sander took about a hundred pictures of Robbe as they went, much to his consternation, which eventually led to him running away and them chasing one another around. Teasingly, Robbe would let him catch him, or he’d tackle Sander out of nowhere; but after a few kisses, he’d slip out of his grasp and dart away again.

At one point Robbe leaped at him from behind a tree, wrapping his legs around his waist, and it surprised Sander so much his legs buckled; and they tumbled to the grass. Robbe rolled to his stomach and kissed Sander’s cheeks and forehead apologetically while his hand snuck into his pocket and stole his phone. When he pulled it out, he snapped three photos of his shocked face in quick succession and then leapt to his feet and ran down the walkway. Sander shouted, “You little shit,” behind him, and rose to his feet more slowly. He took off after Robbe, laughing and glaring simultaneously. Robbe turned around, jogging backwards, and pointed the phone at him again, zooming in on his face.

“Not as much fun on the other side of the camera, is it?” he called.

“Robin, you ass!” he growled back.

Robbe stopped abruptly, and raising both eyebrows as he cocked his head, he pouted, “But you loooove me.”

Sander slowed to a walk, approaching him with outstretched hands. Slightly out of breath, he huffed, “Yes, I love you, idiot.”

Robbe giggled in response, lifted the phone up, and snapped several more photos of Sander’s exasperated face before racing off in a new direction, taking photos randomly as he went. He chuckled to himself thinking about all the pictures Sander would have to sort through and delete.

As he darted around the next tree, he took pity on Sander and turned around to allow him to catch him. Sander slammed into him, and Robbe wrapped his arms around his middle, burying his face into his chest. Sander burrowed his nose into Robbe’s hair and murmured, “You gonna give me my phone back yet? I do actually want to document some of tonight for posterity’s sake.”

Robbe kissed his chest and then lifted his face to nuzzle into his neck. “Only if you promise to be in more of the pictures. No more random ones of just me. I want us. Together.”

“Fine,” he said, smiling into Robbe’s hair.

“Excellent.” Robbe lifted the phone, flipping the camera, and took several selfies as they hugged and kissed against the tree. “Better,” he said a few minutes later, finally handing the phone back to Sander.

Exhausted, they strolled back towards the path and collapsed onto a bench facing the river. Sander rested his arm on the bench behind Robbe, as they leaned into one another, watching the sun begin to set over the city, the orange rays fighting through the remaining clouds. Several minutes later, interrupting the calm that had settled over them, Sander said, “We’re going to have to go soon.” Robbe made a quiet, guttural sound in his throat, and Sander chuckled, knocking his knee into Robbe’s. “I promise. You want to go. You’re going to love it.”

“More than Amelia’s first steps?”

“Yes,” he said confidently. Then he paused, adding, “Maybe. Probably. I mean, they’re such different things you can’t really compare them, but I guarantee you, you’ll like this. So,” he nudged Robbe’s foot with his own, “We should go get our bikes.”

Robbe begrudgingly agreed and allowed Sander to pull him to his feet. They walked briskly back to their bikes, and Robbe followed Sander, now almost overflowing with curiosity. Where on earth was Sander taking him?

As they ascended the elevator in the Sint-Annatunnel, Sander lifted an eyebrow at Robbe, saying one word: “Race?”

Robbe grinned back and said, “You’re on.”

As soon as the doors opened, Robbe stood and put his full weight on his pedals, propelling himself forward. He and Sander raced neck and neck, occasionally avoiding pedestrians and other cyclists. About halfway through the tunnel, their eyes met, and without saying a word, they slowed to a more reasonable pace.

Sander pulled out his phone and aimed it at Robbe. Shaking his head, Robbe admonished, “Selfie mode, baby. Selfie mode.”

Sander rolled his eyes but acquiesced, flipping the camera and taking several photos of the both of them as they neared the exit.

When they arrived at their destination, Robbe’s eyes grew wide, and he asked, “The pool?”

“Yeah, the pool. Our pool.”

“Our pool,” Robbe repeated under his breath as he locked his bike. Knowing their destination wasn’t helping. He was as confused and curious as ever.

Sander shrugged on the backpack, and turning to Robbe, said, “Okay. So I need to go get the key. There’s something I want you to see around the corner, so just stay here til I come back.”

“Okay,” he answered. As he waited, he began to fidget nervously, alternately pacing and bouncing on his toes. What were they doing here? What mad scheme had Sander come up with for his birthday?

About two minutes later and just after Robbe had to clasp his hands in front of him to keep them from shaking with nervous energy, Sander returned, jangling a set of keys from pinched fingers.

“Alright,” he said, grinning, “We’re good to go. The pool’s ours for the next hour.”

“It is? Just us?”

“Yep,” Sander confirmed, wrapping his arm around Robbe’s neck and pulling him in. “I gave our old coach a call, and he was willing to do me a favor as long as I promised that we’d continue coming for lap swim. There might have been something about volunteering at the next swim meet as well, but I’ll deal with that when I get the email.”

“Wow. Okay,” Robbe said, still confused. “Now what?”

Sander kissed his temple and said, “Don’t worry, Robin. I’ve got it all covered. Now,” he swept his arm forward in an arc, “I wanna show you something. Let’s go.”

Sander steered him to the end of the building and around the corner. About halfway down the alley, he stopped and said, “Pull out your phone and turn on the flashlight.” Robbe did as he said, facing the light towards the ground. “Okay,” he continued, “Now point it over here.”

It wasn’t full dark yet, but since it was overcast, the sky was darker than usual. Robbe lifted the light, directing it to where Sander indicated, and he gasped.

On the wall, in bright oranges, reds, browns, and yellows, was an enormous robin, its wings outstretched as if landing on a branch, its feathers ruffled around the neck, its brown eyes fierce and piercing. As Robbe took it in, his eyes darting from one detail to the next, Sander came up behind him and wrapped both arms over his shoulders, pulling him into his chest.

“Before you worry,” he whispered, “I had permission.”

“This is like your tattoo,” Robbe finally managed.

“Yes and no. They are similar,” Sander kissed Robbe’s temple, “But if you look closely, you’ll see that this one is quite a bit more aggressive. The one on my hip...that one is softer, sweeter, a more cuddly Robbe--the one I see at home. The one I’ve known and loved almost my whole life. This one is a bit more badass, more intense--the focused scientist the world gets to see.”

Robbe swallowed, unable to form words, and continued to stare at the robin, his robin. Sander was right. Apart from being a robin with outstretched wings, they were completely different. The robin on Sander’s hip was etched permanently in his memory. He’d spent hours studying it, tracing it, and kissing it. It was softer, the edges less harsh, the expression less intense. He wasn’t entirely sure he deserved to be labeled a badass scientist, but he could definitely see the differences in the two birds.

Kissing his ear, Sander continued, “And anyway, my tattoo is special, so much more special.”

Robbe turned a questioning face up at him, still unable to speak, and Sander breathed a quiet laugh, answering his unspoken question, “Because it’s our secret. It’s just for us. The world can see this one, the awesome, amazing, intelligent chemical engineer who gets published in fancy journals. The other one is ours.”

Finally finding his voice, he whispered, “How? Why?”

Sander laughed in earnest, his whole body shaking, taking Robbe along with it. “Really, Robin? Do I ever need a reason to draw you?”

Robbe ducked his head, pressing a shy smile into Sander’s bicep.

“Okay, but really. I’d been wracking my brain, trying to think of what I could do for your birthday, and I had this idea. I knew this wall was here because we used to run around back here. I asked the pool owner if it was alright, and she said yes. What I wanted to do was cover this entire wall with your face. You know, because that’s how much I love you.”

Robbe’s stomach fluttered suddenly, and he placed his hands on top of Sander’s, briefly kissing the soulmark on his left wrist.

“But,” Sander continued, “I didn’t think you’d appreciate your actual face on display, possibly for years, so I sprayed the next best thing, your namesake. And voila! You got a three meter high Robin. Happy Birthday!”

Overcome with emotion, Robbe again couldn’t respond with words, so he spun in Sander’s embrace, sliding his hands up to his face. The light was dim, but he knew Sander could see him well enough; so he gazed directly into his eyes and put all of his feelings, his love, his complete devotion to and adoration of Sander into his look, trying to express how he felt about the gift without words--that he loved it, thought it was amazing, and was honored to be the subject of Sander’s skill.

Slowly, Robbe lifted up onto his toes and kissed him softly, worshipping his lips with lingering kisses and caressing his skin with light fingers, as if he were the most precious treasure that deserved care and attention and love.

Sander had always been great with words, but he truly expressed himself best in his art. Such a large, public piece of art was a declaration of love, as or possibly more meaningful than his words. He poured his heart and soul into his work, but this was a full exposure. There was no way Robbe, or anyone who knew the backstory, could deny the depth of Sander’s feelings, and knowing that until two months ago, he could not have done this, couldn’t have shared his love at all, let alone this loudly, filled Robbe with love and longing. Sander had waited so long to love him openly, and it was almost exploding out of him uncontrollably. It had exploded onto this wall, in vibrant colors, and Robbe could only imagine where it would surge out next.

His wonderful, beautiful, talented Sander was the most loving person in the world, and he couldn’t believe how lucky he was to finally have him, all of him. The feeling was overwhelming, and he started to deepen the kiss, pulling Sander closer and trying to plaster himself to his chest.

Sander smiled beneath him and leaned back a little. “I’m so glad you like it, and while I’d love to do this all night, we have to be out of the pool by 21:30. So…”

Robbe lifted up on his toes one last time, leaning forward to peck his lips. “Fine,” he sighed, “There better be more kisses coming, though.”

Smirking cheekily, Sander gave Robbe another quick kiss and said, “I promise. You will get more kisses.”

“Good. Lead the way, then.”

The purpose of the backpack became clear the second they entered the pool’s changing rooms. Sander had packed their towels and swimsuits. They changed quickly, and then, leaving their things behind, strode out into the large, echoing chamber.

Sander lifted an eyebrow and, repeating himself from before, said, “Race?”

Robbe nodded. “Race.”

They made their way to the blocks. “Fifty or one hundred meters?” Sander asked.

With a wicked gleam in his eye, Robbe answered, “One hundred. Butterfly.”

Sander groaned, and Robbe grinned evilly. He knew exactly how much Sander hated the butterfly.

“Fifty?” Sander hedged.

“Fine. Fifty. But then we do one hundred free. Deal?”

“It’s your birthday,” he said, stepping onto the block.

“Yes,” he agreed, smugly, “Yes it is.” He stepped onto the adjacent block.

They took a few seconds to set their hands and feet, and then Sander began the countdown. “On go, three, two, one, go!”

They dove into the pool, and Robbe almost immediately regretted choosing butterfly, as neither of them had goggles. Valiantly, he struggled on, kicking hard and sweeping his arms wide, opening an I when he could. Still, it was no contest. Even without proper equipment, he was back at the start while Sander had over half a length to go.

He swam over to the lane divider, and crossed his arms over the blue plastic, waiting for Sander. Once he touched the wall, he turned to face Robbe, sputtering, “I hate you.”

Robbe reached his toe out, poking him in the side, and said, “No, you love me. That’s why we’re here.” He tickled him with his toes, making Sander squirm back. He giggled proudly, and snarked, “You ready for the next one, or does the old man need a moment?”

“Old man?” Sander sputtered again, spraying water everywhere. “You’re the one who’s actually older today, and twenty six is by no means old.”

“Well,” Robbe said, reaching out again with his foot, “I’m only turning twenty four, so...math. It never lies. You’re old.” He extended his toes to poke Sander again, but this time Sander grabbed his ankle and pulled him under and toward him.

He came up sputtering and spitting, wiping water out of his eyes. Sander gave his chest a slight shove and backed him up into the side of the pool, placing one hand on either side. “So,” Sander teased, his eyes heated, “What you’re saying is that you like older men.”

Robbe wrapped his legs around his waist, hands braced on his shoulders, and said, “I love you. I like whatever you are. So I guess I like older men.”

Sander rolled his eyes. “Of all the things I am, you went for old. Thanks.”

“Sander?”

“Yes.”

“Shut up.” And Robbe curled his arms around his neck, running his fingers up into his hair, and kissed him. The kiss was less successful this time because neither of them could stop smiling. Finally, Robbe mumbled into Sander’s lips, “Okay. You’ve had a long enough break. Let’s go.”

Together they lifted themselves out of the pool and climbed onto the blocks. Sander counted down again, and they dove into the water. Freestyle was Sander’s stroke, so it didn’t matter how long they raced. He’d win. Every time. Robbe didn’t really care. He was just happy to be spending some carefree hours with Sander on his birthday.

As expected, Sander won, finishing several lengths ahead of Robbe. “Now who’s old?” he asked, as Robbe touched the wall.

“Still you,” and Robbe splashed him with an avalanche of water.

They spent the next twenty minutes fooling around in the lap pool. As with everything they did, there was a mixture of teasing, bickering, wrestling, and kissing. With the added element of water, there was also a considerable amount of splashing.

At one point Robbe had to stop Sander from tackling him because he’d splashed water up his nose. Immediately redirecting his momentum, Sander scooped him up in his arms and kissed his nose while Robbe recovered.

When he finally felt better, he snaked his arms around Sander’s neck and pulled him into a soggy kiss, Sander still cuddling him to his chest.

Robbe marveled at how different things were between them now and yet how familiar the whole evening felt. They’d spent years training and messing around in this pool, playing together, racing, competing, acting foolish--much as they were now. The pool had been their safe place, their neutral ground. Since they went to different schools, having somewhere they both felt at ease had been important, and somehow they’d begun to associate one another with water. Now, even as adults, it was where they came together, meeting up after work to trade out Amelia and exercise.

The main difference was the kissing. When they were kids, it had been about fun. Now, it was still fun, just in more ways, ways they could never have imagined back then. And honestly, the kissing was nice, better than nice. Kissing Sander felt like a miracle, something he craved like an addict. After being denied for so long, it felt wonderfully luxurious and overwhelming and special, like his body came alive and every nerve ending was ramped up, feeling each sensation that little bit more intensely. He was so lucky, so damn lucky they’d figured everything out. It almost made him cry, but he focused on Sander’s lips, slick with chlorinated water, and his own hands, as they ran over the muscles on Sander’s back and shoulders.

Robbe kicked out his legs, freeing them from Sander’s grip, and wrapped them around Sander’s waist again, giving himself a better angle to kiss and caress his soft, golden skin.

Sander, however, had a different plan. As Robbe aimed a kiss at his neck, he pulled away, panting as he disentangled Robbe’s arms and legs from his body. “Wait. Wait, Romeo.”

“What?” Robbe whined, his lip jutting out petulantly.

Sander laughed at him and cupped his face. “I told you. I have the whole evening planned.” He jerked his head over to the diving pool. “We have a date with my old nemesis.” He jokingly glared at the diving platform.

“We do?” At Sander’s nod, he shrugged and said, “Alright.”

They swam to the edge and crawled out, holding hands as they strode to the deeper pool. “Any chance,” Sander hesitated, bumping Robbe’s shoulder, “That I could convince you to...uh…” He snapped the waistband of Robbe’s swim trunks. “Remove these?”

Robbe turned to him, aghast, whispering furiously, “What? No, there are cameras! There have to be cameras here. No way, San. No way!”

Clearly disappointed, Sander frowned but nodded and began chewing on the inside of his cheek. His eyes searched the cavernous room, and he looked thoughtful. As if coming to some decision, one that pleased him, a slow grin spread across his face--an obvious warning that Robbe probably should heed but was willing to ignore--and clutched Robbe’s hand tighter, pulling him toward the ladder.

Robbe ascended first, and Sander gave his ass a light slap before he followed, making Robbe smile. Robbe reached the top and moved aside so that Sander could climb up behind. Sander’s fear of heights hadn’t followed him into adolescence, so venturing up here today wasn’t an issue for him. Robbe was sure he was doing it more for nostalgic reasons than anything else.

As if he could read Robbe’s mind, Sander said, “Remember when you punched that kid for me.” He pointed to the space in front of the bleachers. “It was over there.”

Robbe nodded, wrapping his arm around Sander’s waist.

“You were my hero, you know,” Sander said quietly, earnestly. “I was in such awe of you. This little tiny thing, dripping wet, hauling ass out of the pool to deck that asshole, someone who’d been tormenting you for months. That you, the kindest, most caring person I know, would defend me like that. It was...you were magnificent, and I loved you so much for it. That might have technically been when I fell in love with you, but since I was ten at the time, I definitely didn’t realize it.”

“Hmpf,” Robbe grunted. “He deserved it. He could have killed you. Even thinking about it now makes me--” His body shook, and he growled.

“I know, baby. I know.” He hugged him tighter. “It’s fine. We’re fine. And anyway, let’s enjoy ourselves. We’ve never been allowed to do this.” He spread his arms out, indicating the platform.

“What? You mean be up here together?”

“Yeah. We definitely need to take advantage because you know they’ll never let us do it again.”

“True,” Robbe agreed. Then he had a thought, and he turned an excited, crooked grin at Sander. “Amelia’s going to jump off this thing one day.”

Sander’s jaw dropped, his eyes going wide as an expression of sheer panic came over him. He shook his head dumbly, finally saying, “No. Nope. No. I can’t handle that.” He looked over the edge, shivered, and said, “No,” one last time.

“C’mon, San. It’s not like it’ll be next week, but yeah, it’s gonna happen. Our girl is a daredevil. We’re doomed.”

“I know,” Sander said, frowning slightly. “We are so doomed.”

Robbe kissed his shoulder and bumped him with his hip. “Stop worrying, and let’s jump off this thing.”

Sander stepped aside, still holding Robbe’s hand, and doing the one thing they were never allowed to do at the pool as kids, they took three steps forward and jumped into the water together.

Robbe hit the surface with a splash and plunged underwater. Somewhere along the way, he had lost Sander’s hand, so he used both arms to swim to the surface. Taking a deep breath, he noticed that Sander hadn’t surfaced yet. He searched around, looking for a dark shape. A few moments later, Robbe saw Sander rising beneath him. His body almost grazed Robbe’s as he broke the surface, appearing directly in front of him. Their eyes met, and immediately Robbe was suspicious. There was a playful, teasing glint in Sander’s eyes, a smug, self-satisfied glimmer that alerted Robbe to mischief. The question was what.

Before Robbe could ask, Sander blurted out, water spraying into Robbe’s face, “You know, I think I would have jumped off the platform sooner if you’d been allowed to go with me. That was a stupid rule. I’m glad we’re breaking it now.”

Robbe smooshed his hand into Sander’s face but smiled in agreement. “You’re probably right, but you eventually did it. On your own. And that’s all that really matters.” His fingers traced the shell of Sander’s ear before returning to the water to help him stay afloat. “I was so proud of you. I almost went hoarse cheering. You were amazing, baby.”

Robbe glided forward, reaching out to pull him into a kiss, and then stopped abruptly. Wait. Was Sander-- He slid his hand down Sander’s chest, following the curve of his ribcage down to his hip, and--

Nothing.

No swim shorts.

Robbe’s hand was now on Sander’s bare ass. He lifted his eyes to Sander’s and found that playful, pleased look again. He winked. “Enjoying yourself, IJzermans?”

“Sander, what the hell?” He pulled back, his arms and legs treading water madly. His eyes darted around, searching for Sander’s shorts on the bottom of the pool.

Sander began swimming in a slow circle around Robbe, leaning to the side. “You were worried about the cameras. Well--” he grinned, “The cameras can’t see underwater, so we’re safe.”

“I--err..umm...San, I don’t know,” Robbe stuttered.

“Don’t worry, baby. I have a plan. We’ll be able to retrieve them before we leave.” His eyes grew soft, and his lips pouted. “Please, baby, indulge me.”

Robbe knew he’d lost the second Sander turned on the pleading eyes. He rolled his eyes and sighed, moving his hands to his waist.

“Oh no, baby. Allow me,” Sander interrupted, stopping his hands. He brought his hands to Robbe’s waist, accidentally kicking him a few times as he treaded water, and unknotted the shorts. He then pushed them down and taking a deep breath, he plunged below the surface, arms reaching overhead. Robbe could feel him working them the rest of the way down.

When he could see a dark shape sinking toward the bottom, Sander popped up again in front of him, once again grinning. “Now doesn’t that feel better?”

“Honestly,” Robbe answered, “It feels kind of weird and not weird. Weird because we’re here, and I’m freaking out a little. But not weird because I’m with you, and it’s not like I’m not naked in water all the time at home. Well, except usually it’s in a shower, not an enormous, chlorinated bathtub.”

Sander barked out a laugh, leaning his head back. “Only you, Robin, would be analyzing this right now. Just go with it, baby.” At his words, he began circling Robbe again, his eyes turning predatory.

“Should I be worried?” Robbe asked, lifting an eyebrow and turning his body to face Sander as he moved.

“Not at all.”

“Are you sure? You’re kind of circling me like a vulture.”

“I’m just enjoying the view,” Sander stated, matter-of-factly.

“Pfft. You’re ridiculous.”

“Robbe?”

“Yeah.”

“Take a deep breath.”

“Wha--” Robbe began but stopped when he saw Sander dive beneath the surface, his pale bottom peaking out momentarily before his feet kicked up behind him.

Before Robbe could process what was happening, he felt Sander’s hand close around his ankle, and he was barely able to suck in a deep breath before he was pulled underwater.

So surprised by the turn of events, Robbe’s eyes shot open, and he looked around. Sander floated directly across from him, his dark hair undulating slowly above him. His eyes were open, focused on Robbe, his gaze intense.

Robbe realized what was about to happen just moments before it did. The bottom dropped out of his stomach, and his chest ached, his heart beating like a hummingbird in anticipation. Sander’s arms pulled back, propelling him forward, and then his hands reached for Robbe’s face. Robbe’s fingers automatically found Sander’s neck, and within moments they were kissing. This was happening. It was happening!

And...it was interesting, a little bizarre. Their lips pressed together softly, the water providing a surprising resistance.

As he tried to deepen the kiss, an air bubble escaped Robbe’s mouth, and as he opened his lips for Sander’s tongue, a gush of chlorinated water flooded his mouth. He exhaled it out, closing his lips around Sander’s, and kicked his legs, propelling them upward.

When they reached the surface, they broke the kiss briefly to breathe and then slammed their lips together, kissing more successfully and furiously, hands caressing whatever they could reach.

Even as his mind registered how romantic this was--that Sander had paid attention when they were watching Romeo and Juliet and understood how much Robbe wanted to try this, that Sander had fabricated this whole evening to give Robbe the romantic moment he wanted, that kissing Sander anywhere at any time was still his favorite thing to do--his brain couldn’t stop thinking about how awkward it was. Sander didn’t taste like Sander. Water still dripped down their faces, getting in their eyes and tickling their cheeks. Their hands were occupied, holding one another closer, which made treading water harder. They were so close, their legs kept kicking one another. The whole thing was a bit of a mess, sloppy and uncoordinated.

Even so, Robbe enjoyed it. He was here. He was with Sander. They were kissing in their childhood pool, and Sander loved him, a fact that still staggered him, crushed him, made him feel weak and the happiest, luckiest person alive all at the same time.

And everything so far tonight screamed how much Sander loved him. The date night, the robin, the pool, the underwater kiss. It was all so much, so wonderful, so ridiculously over the top, just like Sander, that Robbe couldn’t contain his feelings. Even as his body fought to stay in the kiss and his mind analyzed it, his heart exploded with love, overwhelming him. He needed more. He needed to be closer to Sander. He wanted to show him how much he loved him, how grateful he was to have him in his life.

Without thinking, he wrapped his legs around Sander, and within seconds, they sank below the surface. It didn’t take long for them to come sputtering back to the surface, laughing uncontrollably.

“Someone got carried away,” Sander snickered.

“Yeah well. You’re hot, and I love you,” Robbe countered.

“Touché.”

“Sander, that was...that was…”

“Awkward,” Sander supplied.

Robbe ducked his head, blushing because that’s exactly what Sander had thought it’d be like. Softly he continued, “I was going to say mind blowing, and it was,” he emphasized, responding to Sander’s incredulous look. “But yes it was also super awkward.” He blushed again and ran his knuckles along Sander’s cheek. “But thank you. You are the best, baby. This whole thing,” and he waved around at the pool in general, “Has been so amazing and wonderful. I can’t show you how much I love you right now because we’d drown, so I’ll tell you. I love you.” He gazed earnestly into Sander’s eyes, willing him to understand the depth of his feelings. “So much. You are truly the best, and I am so, so lucky.”

“I love you too, Robin, and don’t get too excited. I’m not done yet.”

Robbe startled back, “What? You’re not?”

“I actually have one last gift for you.”

Robbe looked at the clock on the wall, 21:20. “Well, you can give it to me soon, then. We have to leave in a few minutes. I mean, that is, if you’re giving it to me here.”

“Oh, I’m giving it to you now.”

“You are? How?” Robbe asked, confused.

“I have it right here,” Sander said, opening his arms wide.

Robbe looked at him, completely bewildered. Sander was naked. His pockets were in his shorts, which were currently at the bottom of the pool. What? How? Robbe’s eyes darted all over, looking for a clue, but he found nothing.

How could Sander have one more present to give him? What was it?

**Lets pretend this is one of the selfies they took at the tree…

Thank you for reading and celebrating this fictional boy’s birthday with me. I don’t think there’s any possible universe where Sander doesn’t spoil Robbe rotten on his birthday. Again, please forgive my mistakes (I was rushing to get it done), and I look forward to sharing the rest of the chapter with you….what is Sander’s surprise gift? Wait and see! 💖💖

#wtfock #wtfam #sobbe #Robbe’s bday #robbe ijzermans #sander driesen #I want it all #I hope you like this bc I’ve been thinking about this for months #it ends on a cliffhanger #that was intentional #I don’t want to give it all away #Did I look up the forecast in Antwerp for this? yes I did.#tho i don't know if this is what happened #do suspend your disbelief about the legality of all this #sorry if any of it seems weird #there really is a reason for everything Sander is doing #I promise #a good reason (that will hopefully make sense later)

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fernsplaysthings · 3 years ago

Text

Another continuation of my YW x Crow fluff from here.

Definitely suggestive this time.

By the time Kestral had reached street level they were beginning to wonder if Roost was right and that this was an ill thought out idea. Yes, the conversation with the other two members of Fireteam Mayhem (and their nosey Ghosts) had been somewhat emotionally charged and had opened the floodgates on a rush of feelings that they weren’t exactly ready to approach in a measured way but they still felt the need to try and…

Kestral didn’t even know what they were going to say to him when they eventually found themself at the H.E.L.M. Not even just what words to use. They hadn’t exactly worked out what they were trying to convey. What needed addressing. Everything was fine as it was, right? They hadn’t felt as connected with another person as they did with Crow. Not since Artemis and Salome and that was lifetimes ago. He tugged on their heartstrings in all the best ways. They cared for him in ways that made their chest ache, their stomach flutter, and their brain go fuzzy.

Again, Roost wasn’t exactly incorrect when he’d suggested that perhaps those feelings ran a little deeper and in a different direction to how Kestral expressed them out loud but they couldn’t see themself throwing out the ‘L word’ on a whim either.

With enough drink they knew it could be a possibility that it’d just slip out by accident and ruin a perfectly good thing, but that could be avoided.

Did that mean it was true if they were more likely to say it while drunk?

Realising they’d now walked several times around the block to burn off their nervous butterflies and straighten out their thoughts Kestral stopped, hating the direction their mind had headed, and looked up towards the Tower. There would never be a good reason to keep guessing and speculating on these things while the solution was right there. Even if some of the fear was because somewhere deep down they were afraid of rejection. Even if a lot of the fear was because they knew that there’d always be the possibility they could hurt Crow in so many ways without even meaning to.

A little voice in the back of their head reminded them that they could trust the other Hunter with anything, this included, and that was exactly what they needed to get their feet working again to push them towards the Tower.

-----

Without their armour and weapons to hand, Kestral felt out of place in the H.E.L.M. It was a weird sense of vulnerability to walk through a place dedicated to battle, survival and strategy as a civilian when they’d usually be one of the larger presences at the wartable. Vulnerability was exactly why they were here though, and while admittedly of a different kind it did seem appropriate in a round and about way.

As expected Crow was in his shadowed alcove at the back of the main hall, perched on the bench nearby with Glint at his side chattering away brightly.

The sight brought a goofy grin to Kestral’s face as they approached, widening even more as the other Hunter looked up at the sound of footsteps and cleared the space between them in a couple of strides. Although he tried to hold back, to seem cool and collected as he stood before them, the softest look of adoration made itself clear on his face when he noted the other’s smile.

“You’re in a good mood,” chirped Glint, popping himself between the pair and looking from one to the other.

Crow pushed back his hood and rubbed at his neck, taming his expression enough that Glint probably wouldn’t tease him about it later, “It’s...nice to see you smiling.”

Their heart did something messy and fluffy at his awkwardness and for a moment that fuzzy feeling took over their thoughts enough to give them pause and cause Glint to take a longer, more concerned look at them.

“Sorry, just wanted to swing by and see you guys.”

“We’re glad you did! Aren’t we Crow?”

He’d gathered himself enough to nod, “Actually I was going to talk to you later anyway. Zavala’s got me doing some recon stuff.”

The fuzzy feeling subsided rapidly and their heart dropped, “Oh. Anything interesting?”

He shrugged, “I’m not really allowed to share the details. I’ll be off-world for a while though.”

It really shouldn’t have bothered them as much as it did. They were off on other planets and moons all the time and it’d never bothered them before. Not that they didn’t miss him before they got back or think about him during the quieter times but still…

“That’ll be Zavala’s way of looking out for you,” they sighed, that vulnerability seeping in deeper, making them want to tug their hoodie around them and hide, “It’ll be some good experience. Doing a bit of field work for the Vanguard and all that.”

Something about their body language had obviously given away their unease to the other Hunter even though they’d thought they’d hidden it particularly well. His gloved knuckles brushed over their cheek, pushing back the stray hair beside their face, fingertips running down their neck to rest his palm against their shoulder.

Despite the heaviness in their chest, the gesture still sparked a shiver across their skin.

“I didn’t want to head off without letting you know,” he added softly, “I know you do this all the time so it’s probably no big deal and...am I being stupid?”

Kestral’s chuckle was one of relief. It didn’t make up for the time they’d be apart - ugh, when did they get this sentimental? - but it was reassuring to know he felt similarly. They moved closer, looped their arms around his waist and looked up to meet him face to face. Crow rested his own arms over their shoulders, around their neck, instinctively returning the hold so he could lean down and press a chaste kiss to their lips.

“I’ll take that as a no?”

They laughed more confidently this time, “You’re not being stupid. I’ll miss you too. Always do.”

A mingling of concern and affection crossed his features and he pulled them in again to plant a firmer kiss against their forehead, only to tuck their head beneath his chin so he could rest his lips against their hair. It was sappy but there was something about being wrapped up in Crow, warm and safe, that put them at ease in a way they never thought they’d feel. It wasn’t often that the fabled Young Wolf felt protected, vulnerability be damned.

“Maybe we can spend some time together before you go?”

Eyes meeting again, Crow smiled, “You have something in mind?”

Kestral hesitated. No. No they didn’t. How did this work? What if it wasn’t fancy enough. What if it was too impersonal? Did they need to impress him?

“Wanna get takeout and spend an evening at mine watching movies?”

Oh no that was the worst idea. He was definitely going to…

“A quiet evening in, hm? I’d love to. I’ll bring snacks.”

Perhaps it was the heat that had engulfed their face or they way their heart was now light and fluttering but without thinking they stumbled over their tongue, words falling out, “You could stay the night too if you wanted…”

“Ooh.”

Glint’s teasing sound startled the pair, both realising that the Ghost hadn’t actually gone anywhere and the poor guy was front and centre to their awkward sappiness. Kestral’s opinion changed from ‘poor guy’ to ‘almost as bad as Roost’ when his shell flickered and his holographic eye morphed from smug to a cheeky wink. Crow didn’t seem to think too much of it, probably used to his Ghost by now, and rolled his eyes before settling his sights back on the Hunter in his arms.

“I’ll bring some snacks and a toothbrush then.”

-----

A movie and a half in Kestral started to wonder why they’d been so nervous about spending some time alone with Crow. Their takeout, a very large, very cheesy pizza, had arrived just as they’d started their first movie and Crow had made short work of scarfing back a healthy number of slices while immersed in some equally cheesy action flick Kestral had pulled out. They’d eventually settled back into each other, Crow reclined across the sofa with the smaller Hunter, their back to his chest, comfortably laid back between his legs.

Somewhere during the second movie, something slower and a little more sappy, his hand had come to rest on Kestral’s bare stomach. A warm weight on warm skin but they’d still shivered when his fingers found the raised silvery line of a scar and traced it idly until Kestral eventually placed their hand over his to still it.

“Ok, that tickles.”

He laughed under his breath, sliding his palm upwards and feeling for other scars, “Do they all tickle? Or is this one just...new?”

“Not gunna lie, I don’t really remember. You get so many scars by being a Guardian.”

“Can I see them?”

Kestral paused, eyebrows raised in amusement, turning just enough to catch a glimpse of Crow’s face, “Excuse you. Are you asking me to undress?”

A deep purple flush rapidly covered the Awoken’s face even on noticing the playful smirk that the other Hunter was wearing openly. They’d turned further in his lap, lying chest to chest and looking up at him expectantly.

“I…” he swallowed hard, “I mean yes. I guess I am...If you want to.”

Kestral’s smirk turned shy, “You know you can’t unsee this if I do?”

“The only reason…” he leaned down, pressed a sweet lingering kiss to their lips, “That I’d want to unsee anything about you…” Kestral pressed up closer, deepening the kiss between his words, “Is so that I could see it again for the first time.”

He’d barely finished his sentence when Kestral had let out a soft breath, a slight hint of a whine, and snaked their arms up around his neck to tangle their hands in his hair, to kiss him with all the affection and warmth that his ridiculously romantic sentiment had sparked in them. Crow briefly forgot all about the scars and undressing and the shy awkwardness, and focused on not becoming completely overwhelmed by the flood of sensations. Heated lips, the gentle tug on his hair, sharing breath, the long line of contact between their bodies…

Gently cupping Kestral’s face he pulled back reluctantly, “Sec…”

“Was that OK?”

He grinned dreamily, running his thumbs over their reddened cheeks taking in the sight of saliva wet lips and eyes that seemed darker with their dilated pupils, “Yeah. ‘OK’ doesn’t cover it, actually. It was great. Really great, and we should definitely continue but…” he shuffled to sit up straighter across the sofa noticing Kestral’s attention drop downwards and a wolfish grin spring across their features when it returned to him, “That. And I’m not sure if I’ve done - I don’t remember if I’ve done this before and I’m not sure if that’s going to make it weird for you…”

“It’s not weird for me,” they replied quickly, “Crow it’s been ages since someone’s seen me as something other than a ferocious god slayer and too legendary for something as human as...as…” their mind reeled with words, the one they refused to say, ones too impersonal, some that just weren’t enough, “...as connection. As emotional and physical affection. Even before that. This though. I like this, even with all the weird bits. Especially the weird bits. I like you too. Kind of a lot.”

The Awoken simply stared at them with the most open look of adoration they were pretty sure they’d ever seen, completely silent.

“Shit. Too sappy?”

His response was to move his hands down around their waist, tug them to straddle his lap and kiss softly from their lips to their neck, smiling against their collarbone.

“It was very sappy. And I think, if we’re on the same train of thought, we should think about relocating to uh…” he looked up to see Kestral’s barely restrained smile, “To somewhere with a bit more space.”

“Bed?”

The second they said it, Crow lifted them, their legs wrapped around his waist, “I wasn’t going to say that but since you’ve suggested it…”

“Crow, you ass.”

“Bed it is.”

-----

Lola had seen some shit in her life but walking in to her friend’s apartment to see said friend, half naked in a shirt that did not belong to them, perched on the kitchen counter with a man that looked remarkably like the Prince of the Reef - not him anymore, it was Crow now - also half naked between their legs having an intimate conversation…

Well, it topped the list of things that made her lost for words.

It was only when the front door slammed behind her that the couple looked up, Kestral like a deer in headlights and Crow looking very proud of himself, that they noticed they had an unexpected visitor.

It took Lazarus launching himself into the side of Salome’s head to snap her back into the present, dazing himself in the process.

“Uh. Shit, Lola this is Crow. Crow, this is Salome, a good friend and part of my fireteam. This is a bad time, maybe you can…”

“Am I gunna have to start knocking?”

Kestral blinked a few times, “I...would like that. Yes, please do.”

“I cannot believe this is being turned into an actual love nest. Last thing I need seared into my brain is the image of my fireteam leader getting railed on the sofa.”

“Lola!”

“It wasn’t the sofa.”

Kestral’s head snapped back to Crow, face cheeks and ears all a deep red and slowly creeping onto their chest, “Don’t.”

Lola’s cackle drew their attention back again, “Ok, he can stay. I’ll catch up with you both when you’re not all loved up and shit.”

“Might be waiting a while,” muttered Crow, turning his gaze back to the other Hunter and running his knuckles lightly over their cheek.

Lola loudly faked some retching sounds as she left, slamming the door behind her.

#young wolf x crow #guardian x crow #kestral //

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springday-aus · 4 years ago

Text

Enemies to Lovers!AU with Xiaojun

—

Group: NCT [+ WayV]

Member: Xiaojun / Xiao Dejun

Genre: fluff, comedy, romance

Type: Bulletpoint AU

Word Count: approx. 2.4k

so, you’re Xiaojun’s enemy (he thinks of it more of his number one attacker tho)

it wasn’t hard considering he’s always on fight or flight mode and considering his friend group….

fight mode is always activated

(ง’̀-‘́)ง

so it started when you became friends with Ten

the guy is so sociable, so you were bound to meet him and his other friends someday

but jesus christ, there were soooo many of them

it was a party; he threw a literal party of just him and his friends

and then there were others who turned it into a rave (i.e. Hendery, Yangyang, Chenle and Donghyuk)

anyways, you got to mingle and make so many new friends

it was going really well

until Xiaojun entered the picture

things went well with him too, until you made a joke that didn’t exactly land with him

but it landed well with the others

Lucas: “who in their right mind would like mint chocolate”

Xiaojun: “but I like mint chocolate”

You: “then you’re not in your right mind lmao”

YangYang: “I mean, is Xiaojun ever in his right mind tho”

everyone laughs

except for one person

Xiaojun stood up, staring you down for a hot second, before trying to argue back

in which YangYang was the main responder

you didn’t really think much of it, laughing away with the others

but, to him, you just declared war that day

it shouldn’t have bothered him as much as it did

but it did

so, from then on, things just got rockier

bc he started picking fights with you over the littlest things or he would argue with your points no matter what

you didn’t really think much of it bc he was also being picked on everyone else and you were like

every man for themselves huh

it wasn’t until he personally attacked you

it happened on Halloween

and he made an underhanded comment about how he’d look better in anything compared to you

so you made a “friendly” bet

but then you lost

bc Xiaojun looked better in the Jasmine costume than you and he def knew it too

and when he smirked at you

the grudge had been built

that’s probably when the mutual enemy status circulated around your friends

although, if they’re being honest, it’s so entertaining

especially since most of them like to gang up on Xiaojun too

and because of that unity, it’s only made things worse

from what the others can tell

you two don’t hate each other, but you def don’t get along

it ranges to food (e.g. mint chocolate chip incident that NO ONE lets go)

Lucas: “mint choco ain’t shit”

You: “retweet”

Xiaojun: “the attacks”

YangYang: “we cannot trust a man who eats bread with fucking lao gan ma”

You: “you eat what with bread?”

Xiaojun: “shut up. all of you.”

to activities

cue you two fighting about what movie to watch

Xiaojun: “Titanic is a classic!!!”

You: “it’s a joke, there was rOOM ON THE FUCKING DOOR”

Xiaojun: “IT’S ROMANTIC. HE SACRIFICED HIMSELF SO SHE CAN LIVE.”

You: “THAT’S NOT ROMANTIC. THAT’S SUICIDAL, DUMBASS.”

this feud is def bc you’re both petty as fuck

the bickering is nonstop

but, if the nct boys are being honest

they’re lowkey confused bc Xiaojun is supposed to have a really high emotional tolerance

he doesn’t even yell this much at YangYang or Ten

(excluding that one time he hit YangYang with that pillow very hard)

but he does blow off his top when it comes to you

which is sus to a lot of the boys

whenever someone does ask him tho

he just kind of……………

mumbles underneath his breath and then moves onto something else

meanwhile, Yuta: “isn’t he always like that?”

Kun: “who wants to tell him”

lmao, I’m kidding

kind of

anyways, you two are really just going at it

what changes?

you have to go to the dentist and get your molars removed

which means someone has to take you and go pick you up

obviously, Ten was going to do that, considering you two were the closest

so he dropped you off and you had your surgery

so what happened?

welp, your buddy Ten forgot he had a prior engagement and, hence, was unable to pick you up

cue him spamming the groupchat

and Lucas exposing Xiaojun

Lucas: Xiaojun isn’t doing anything Xiaojun: you don’t know that Lucas: I do tho, go pick up (Y/N) Ten: I’ll buy you anything from that green tea cafe you like for a week Xiaojun: deal.

so he came to pick you up, both willingly and unwillingly

and you……. you were more than a hot mess

you were just a mess

you basically were just blacked out that entire time after they gave you the laughing gas and completed the surgery

so you remembered absolutely nothing.

your roommate: “this is what you get for doing drugs”

You: “IT WAS PURELY FOR MEDICINAL USE”

You: “IT’S NOT LIKE I DID CRACK”

either way, your roommate let you know of the situation, taking note of how your enemy had to take you home

which

again

no recollection

your roommate: “he’s fucking hot tho”

You: “ugh, I know”

but that’s also when you decided

Ten is a dead man :)

Ten: “I’M SORRY”

You: “YOU BETTER FUCKING BE”

Ten: “I KNOW”

Ten: “............................................but………………………………….”

Ten: “maybeyoushouldalsothankhimfortakingcareofyou”

You: “sorry not sorry, I’m contemplating murder rn”

Hendery: “what do you call a murder against a friend?”

Kun: “don’t”

Ten:

You:

Hendery: “it’s a homie-cide”

You and Ten: “NOT NOW”

anyways

you knew he was right

so after you calmed down, you went to Xiaojun’s place (thanks to Ten), with some sweets to thank him

Lucas opened the door, let you in, and left to go to the gym with Sicheng

Xiaojun came out of his room, a couple of minutes after, disheveled from his nap

and when he saw you in his living room couch, his eyes widened, darting around to avoid looking at you

You: “hi”

Xiaojun: “hello”

You: “why do you look so scared? I’m not gonna jump you”

he stays quiet, the blush becoming more apparent on his cheeks

You: “Ten told me you took me home after my surgery, so…………………… thanks”

Xiaojun: “he bribed me with pastries”

You: yeah, sounds about right

You: “still”

You: “um, I didn’t know what you would like, so I brought some sweets you can just go through”

Xiaojun: “thanks”

it’s silent for another moment and you consider bolting out from the apartment, Wizards of Waverly Place, Harper-style: “see ya in p.e.!” kind of a thing

but he speaks up once more

Xiaojun: “are you feeling okay now?”

You: “uh, yeah, my jaw still kind of hurts”

You: “but I have meds they prescribed to me for the next month or so”

he decides to stop beating the bush:

Xiaojun: “so do you remember what happened yesterday?”

You: “to be completely honest, no”

Xiaojun: “you… did a lot of things”

You: “what do you mean I did a lot of things”

Xiaojun: “you also said a lot of things too”

You: “..... are these things recorded?”

Xiaojun: “maybe”

Xiaojun: “some”

You: “dELETET HEM”

you actually considered tackling him, but deemed as too Yang-Yang-like

You: “what did I say”

Xiaojun: “I didn’t realize you thought I was handsome”

You: “wait what?”

Xiaojun: “you said, you had a crush on my ‘fine ass’”

You: “you know what? I think I’m gonna pull a Jack and commit suicide, goodbye”

Xiaojun: “ah, ah, ah, you said like, which is… present tense”

You: “semantics”

Xiaojun: “but did you like me at some point?”

You: “does it matter?”

Xiaojun: “yeah, it kind of does”

Xiaojun: “bc even tho we bicker, it’s, like, our thing”

Xiaojun: “plus, you’re kind of cute when you’re threatening to rip off my eyebrows”

You: “I did what?”

Xiaojun: “it’s no different from how you treat me now”

You: “I thought it’s because you don’t like me”

he just kind of shrugs, rubbing his neck rather sheepishly

Xiaojun: “you’ve seen my friends; arguing is our way of showing our affections”

You: “so, you’re saying this is your way of telling me you like me?”

Xiaojun: “I mean………“

Xiaojun: “are you saying you like me?”

You: “are you saying you like me?”

*cue another argument about who likes who*

eventually, he found a way to shut you up

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

cut to Lucas and Sicheng coming back from the gym to you and Xiaojun making out on the couch

Lucas: “NASTY”

Sicheng: “what did we…. miss?”

Ten somewhere: I fucking called it.

anyways

you both decided to date that day

and you two still bicker an insane amount, which includes you nitpicking Xiaojun’s tastes to Xiaojun refusing to delete those videos of you under the laughing gas despite your threats

but, the only difference is, your arguments can end with a kiss

and it always freaks out the guys whenever you do

Donghyuk: “I’m too young to be seeing this monstrosity”

Mark: “ngl, this is nice for them—they’ve stopped arguing”

YangYang: “I weirdly prefer them arguing over them with those sappy eyes tho”

You: “we can hear you”

Chenle: “but when have we ever cared?”

You: “I’m gonna beat your ‘01 liner ass istg—”

Xiaojun: “calm”

oh, you know what’s fun about your relationship?

you two can’t agree on some stuff right?

so whenever you have to decide something, say a movie or dinner, you two just heads-or-tails it

(there’s also this cute app where you put your options on a wheel and let that decide—the amount of times you’ve used that on your dates…… anyways)

most of the time, on these dates, you seem more like an old married couple and it’s super cute

it’s bc you’re already used to your worse sides coming out—the really petty ones, the screaming ones, the ugly ones

ofc these aren’t from serious arguments that occur

(remember folks, it isn’t healthy for you and your partner to always be fighting)

but when serious arguments do occur, you both take time to sit down and talk face-to-face

it’s hard to get into actual arguments with him, especially since he really is understanding and tries to pay attention to the smaller details

Xiaojun: “I like learning more about you”

You: “you can’t just say that kind of shit to me”

like, yeah, he’ll debate with you all night about why he needs to read the words of his book out loud but, by the end of the day, you’ll lay your head in his lap and listen to his voice as you fall asleep

speaking of which, you love listening to him sing to you

he gets a bit embarrassed sometimes about it, but seeing you smile so brightly at him makes him forget about it

because even tho you two bicker about little things, in the end, it just makes you two laugh at one another and how ridiculous you’re being

I almost forgot, so Ten thinks of him pairing you two off right?

so, whenever he does something annoying to either of you, he’ll constantly bring it up

Ten: “I guess this is how you two treat me, your personal cupid—”

Xiaojun: “yes, yes, we are grateful for you”

You: “but it would be nice if you would stop making those annoying sounds”

Ten: “what annoying sounds?”

YangYang: “that’s just you talking”

okay, no, but yeah—the nct boys are glad this rivalry is over because it was really just…. stupid to the core

but also bc you two look super sweet together and seeing you two making each other happy rather than annoyed is adorable

but just bc you two got together doesn’t mean the pettiness isn’t still there

You: “what type of freak sleeps with their eyes opened?”

Xiaojun: “I’m sleeping next to you, of course I need to keep both eyes open”

You: “RUDE”

Xiaojun: “and yet here we are”

You: “son of a bitch”

Xiaojun: “YOUR son of a bitch”

You: “eh, I’ll take it”

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twilightprince101 · 4 years ago

Text

Mafia!Wiggle AU

So yeah, I came up with the idea of Wiggle being a mob boss a few days ago and I succumbed to the brain rot. Wrote an entire fic for this idea, introducing her and what she's like.

I got flustered myself writing the tall crime lady. Enjoy!

Mafia Boss Wiggle

“GET YOUR HANDS OFF’A ME YOU MEATHEADS!!” A lanky, roughed up grumpus struggles in the beefy arms of two well-dressed goons. They grip his arms tight with their paws, dragging his body along behind it like an afterthought. “You have any idea what my family will do when-?!”

“Shut your trap already,” the purple goon groaned. They adjust their ornate mask, brushing the sunset and emerald colored feathers out of their eyes. “Honestly, you’re lucky we caught you before openin’ hours, else we’d have to knock your teeth in to keep you from disturbin’ the patrons.”

“Don’t act like yer better than me!” The red grump kicks over a velvet chair from a nearby table as they pass. It clatters against the polished wood floor, echoing through the well-lit nightclub. A bartender--wearing a similar feathered and jeweled mask to the goons--gets up from polishing glasses to set it right. “Don’t you know who I am?! I’m from the Turnpipe family!! My boys’ll storm this place once they hear what you’se done to me! They’ll roast you all over open flames until every last strand of your fur is singed to the flesh!! You’ll be nothing but a naked mole rat for the rest of your lives!!!”

“Heya Cold-Brew, how was your kid’s party last night?” The blue goon holding Turnpipe’s other paw waves to the bartender as he sets the chair upright.

“Went okay. Park got rained out midway through the picnic, so we went to Slaker’s for ‘shakes.”

“Ah, shame. Need any help after I’m done here?” He gestures to their victim as if it were a sack of potatos. The red grump wiggles and yells while scuffing the floor they’re dragged across.

“Nah, should be good here, thanks ‘Stein. Fifteen until the doors open.” Cold-Brew waves back to the goons as he returns to his station, both wave back and smile.

“I SAID LET ME GO YOU INVERTEBRATES!!!!”

“Ugh, honestly why can’t you all say anything original?” The purple grump shakes their head. “Always just ‘let me go,’ ‘I’m with this family,’ ‘You’ll pay for this,’ if you’re gonna keep yappin’ at least say something interesting.”

“I’LL TEAR YOU LIMB FROM LIMB!!!”

“Hehey, he tells jokes!”

The nightclub’s attendants laugh together under the neon spotlights as the intruder’s yells fall on uncaring ears. Past the bar lined with high class alcohol and the grand stage lined with spotlights and the band pit, the three grumps make their way to a door labeled “BACKSTAGE: EMPLOYEE’S ONLY.” With a quick knock and faint response from the other side, the two gently push open the door and leave the main area behind.

“Heya boss,” the purple goon speaks, his voice much more formal. “Found this one tryin’ to bash the front lock open with a brick. Got him before any major damage was done, don’t worry.”

Both grumps lift the intruder up by the shoulders, leaving his legs kicking in the air. It takes the Turnpipe a moment to adjust to the dimmer lighting and he coughs from the lingering cigarette smoke in the air.

“Thank ya’ darlings,” a sultry voice speaks, facing away from the three. The grump thinks that the boss is some shade of pink, but poking above the large mass of pink fluff a sort of golden orange pokes out. Despite being held in the air, the orange grumpus sitting at the table in front of them reaches just below the Turnpipe’s height. “Wouldn’t want him making a mess before our loyal customers come in.”

“Are you these goons’ boss?!” The Turnpipe screams, pointing at the grumpus. “You fucked up now! When the Turnpipes hear of this-”

“They’ll tear us limb from limb, yes hun I know.” The boss speaks calmly, comfortably while applying purple eyeliner via pocket mirror. “I could hear you all the way backstage, making me consider sound proofing.”

The red grumpus blinks. Despite the goons disregarding his threats earlier, for some reason his mind expected her to take him seriously. He takes a moment to look around the employee’s area, finding various other grumps of size and stature. Some more fancily-dressed grumps put on makeup and practice vocal exercises in large vanity mirrors, while toned tux-wearing grumps check their suits before walking out to the main club area. All of them are wearing the same mask and haven’t given him so much as a glance.

“Now tell me darling,” the boss angles the pocket mirror to address her intruder. Her ice blue iris gives off a sharp, cold gaze that clashes with the warm and comforting atmosphere before. “Why were you trying to break into our lovely establishment? Just couldn’t wait to have some fun, wanted to steal some of our booze perhaps?”

“Wh-no I’m, I don’t care about your stupid club!!” The Turnpipe yells, finding his fury again. “One’a your meatheads shook down my brother! They were on my family’s turf, and I don’t take these insults lyin’ down!”

“I can see that. So you’d rather take it in the air instead?”

Some of the other staff members chuckle as they check themselves for the third time over.

“Du-buh?!” Did you even hear what I said?!” The turnpipe explodes, his enemy’s eyes narrowing in the mirror. “YOUR goons-”

“I heard you clearly.”

The CLICK of the pocket mirror cuts through the smoky air. She places it on the table alongside the bills, fan letters and knives and begins spinning her chair around. It swivels as she sweeps her long legs along with the momentum, poking out of her dark emerald dress. The dark emerald dress’s frills flutter from the sudden movement, draping the boss from her knees to the straps on her shoulders, hidden under her flowing pink mane. With a CLACK of her deep purple heels on stone she sets her crossed legs down and stops the chair in place. Her previous playful gaze is now replaced with one of annoyance, both her icy and greyed eyes narrowed in contempt.

With her clean scar sweeping across her right eye, the boss of the Gilded Dahlias, Wiggle Wigglebottom, sits up fully and rests a paw on her chin while gazing down at her prey.

“I’m just curious as to how you thought you could barge in here and get revenge against my boys, my gang, even me, all by yourself. You certainly don’t have the physique or firepower to do the job, so my first guess is that you’re either full of yourself, or just plain dumb.”

The performers all “ooooooooh~” between them, like a class of 8th graders hearing their fellow classmate called up to the principal’s office.

“I mean-well, I…” The red grumpus searches the floor for the right words, then balls his fists and puffs out his chest. “I’d assume YOU would pay us with respect! Us Turnpipe’s been around longer than you newbies have, so we outrank you!”

“It’s stupidity folks!!” Wiggle cheers and flicks up a paw to announce the results. A few goons groan and dig into their jacket pockets, handing their smiling associates a fat wad of bills. Turnpipe’s hot air dissipates and he deflates once more.

“Damn, third in a row… I’ll treat you to a drink later Wiggle.” A brown-furred performer in a glittery red dress crosses her arms.

“Maybe a milkshake,” The boss peeks over her shoulder, “I overheard Brew talking about Slakers and my sweet tooth’s been acting up lately! Them icy sweets are ‘Callin my naaaame~’.” She sings in a wide vocal range with complete ease, giving her paw a flourish and leaning back as she hums.

“You… You know, just because you’re new it doesn’t mean you’re better than us! Don’t act like you’re a hotshot just because you did a few successful heists!”

“A few? Oohohoho!!” Wiggle peers back, sitting up straight once again. “Goodness darlin’, you are not helping your case right now. Tell me, how many bank heists has your little family done in the past year?”

“Uh… twenty five?”

A tuxed grumpus snorts as he walks out.

“Oh darling…” Wiggle places a palm against her cheek with a pitiful smile. “That’s not even cute, it’s just... sad.”

“Yeah?! Well, I’d like to see you-”

“Fifty three.” Wiggle interrupts. “In the past three months.”

“...wha-”

“Around… how much was it Abra?” Wiggle calls behind her.

“Passed the million mark just last week!” A green grumpus, wearing more casual clothing, peeks out from around a corner leading to an employee hallway.

“Got so much excess profits that even after giving everyone a bonus, I got to turn the rest to my own personal bed!” She waves a paw in the air. “Certainly wasn’t the comfiest experience, but I at least got to check it off my bucket list!”

“I… I don’t…” The Turnpipe’s words do their best to try and search for any rage or anger to grasp onto, but any attempt to feel above her hasn’t worked, not helped by the fact he’s still being held up by the shoulders like a small child. After around ten seconds of stammering, Wiggle sighs and shakes her head.

“You don’t gotta try and act tough anymore darlin’, I think I get what you’re about now…” The sunset grumpus uncrosses her legs and lets her other heel clack on the floor. The Turnpipe’s gaze goes from eye level to slowly upwards, and upwards, and upwards; the boss’s body obscuring the light from one of the vanities. She wraps one of her paws around the grip of a knife lodged into the table and yanks it out. Her prey freezes up in the arms of her trap.

“You didn’t come here so you could avenge your brother or any sappy nonsense like that.” Wiggle circles around the Turnpipe, her heels echoing their clicks with each step while fiddling with the knife in her paws. “You came here so you could try and make yourself feel big and stwong, flaunting your family name as if it were a gun in of itself.”

“I…” Clack. Clack. Clack. It becomes hard to think as each step feels like a hammer and chisel against his brain. Wiggle looks the red grump up and down, drawing invisible lines up and down his torso.

“Since you came in you’ve been talking about your little gang as if you ran it. ‘My boys,’ ‘My gang,’ ‘My my my my my.’ But all that time, being caught up in your own head? It just made your skull more dense. All you are is just some lowly lackey that probably joined, say…” She plants an elbow on the Turnpipe’s head, checking her makeup one last time in the reflection of her knife. “A month ago? Maybe less?”

The frog in her armrest’s throat nearly leaps out of his mouth. His head shrinking down is the only confirmation Wiggle needs.

“You’ve been so caught up in that little bubble of yours, thinking you’re the hottest grump on the block, just because you’re part of a gang. Think just because you have a name to flaunt around and access to guns it makes you powerful. But I’m gonna let you in on a secret little man.” The Turnpipe’s body clenches as Wiggle stands back up and Clacks her way back to his front, eyeing the knife she paws in her hands as intensely as possible.

“Having a name to flaunt around doesn’t bring you power.”

Clack.

“Having guns and knives to hold against people’s throats doesn’t bring you power.”

Clack.

“Having enough money to buy out all of Grump Vegas doesn’t bring you power.”

Clack.’

“But you know what does?”

Wiggle towers above the Turnpipe, patting her razor-sharp knife in her paw. All different rays of light are obscured by her roaring mane, leaving the grump to cower in the arms of her two goons. She Clacks forward, and her goons take a step back. Not out of fear or trepidation though; a quick glance to both of their faces shows the same devilish smile that their boss wears. Clack. Clack. Clack. Clack. Clack. Every single step is like a jolt of ice to his heart, dragging every last little step for an eternity as his entire being trembles in the arms of the two goons. Just the slight bump of the wall on his back knocks out every bit of air in his lungs and he fights to just inhale as his natural predator CLACKS just inches away from him, casting a toothy, ecstatic smile. Her single, silver iris seems to glow in the limited light.

Wiggle grips the knife in a reverse grip in her left hand and begins to raise it. The grumpus tries to close his eyes and look away but she grabs his chin with her other paw and forces his gaze back to her. His attempts to shake his head in a desperate plea are pointless, her paw digging into his fur and keeping him from moving even a centimeter out of place. The glinted metal shines as it finally reaches the zenith of its arc, hungry to tear through red grumpus fur. With nothing left to do all the Turnpipe can do is let tears stream down his face.

With the speed of a bullet and barely giving the Turnpipe a moment to flinch, Wiggle swings down the dagger. Her victim closes his eyes and blurts out a whimper and-

THUNK!!!

…

He’s not dead. His eyes are still fuzed shut but he’s still not dead, he can hear the sounds of the backstage area around him. The Turnpipe forces an eye open to peek at the knife and his skeleton nearly leaps out and books it at the sight. The knife is only a hair’s length away from his cheek embedded into the wood beam he’s pressed against. A sting in his cheek and the running of a warm liquid helps him fill in the gap of what happened. But just a little bit away, the Turnpipe finds something else that makes his body completely shut down

It’s Wigglebottom’s face, just as close to his as the knife.

Her icy and greyed eyes peer into the Turnpipe’s irises, flickering around while high on adrenaline and terror. Her gaze looks past his false-bravado exterior and reaches further, deeper inside him into a dark pit he had tried so desperately to hide. A black, slimy, jittering piece of disgust comes out. Letting the grip on his chin go she traces his chin and speaks in a tone fitting of her now-sultry gaze. Wiggle leans in close, so close that the Turnpipe can smell her rich floral perfume, and whispers into his ear.

“Fear~”

“...”

The Turnpipe’s mind has gone blank. Despite the pounding jackhammer in his chest, the final whisper and breath of hot air from the Gilded Dahlia boss erases his mind, leaving him a whimpering and stuttering mess. A few of the remaining employees from backstage snicker and point at her latest victim, though he isn’t able to process the fact that he’s being mocked. Seeing that the usual routine has worked yet again, Wiggle leaves the knife implanted in the wall and pulls back with a satisfied smile.

“Boys,” she snaps a finger in the air, her tone returning to the playful nature it was before, “drop our newest employee. He won’t be going anywhere anytime soon, should be good to leave him back here for the day.”

Both goons do as they’re told without question, letting the grumpus slump to the floor, his knees having completely given out. He continues to stare at the ground and shake his head, crying as he trembles from the terror just inflicted.

“So what’re you gonna make this one boss?” The purple grumpus asks with a playful smile. “Waiter? Bartender?”

“Nah.” She shrugs with little effort. “He doesn’t really have the looks for either of those. Probably’ll make him our new janitor, been needing a new one after our last one squealed. Feel free to give him the old guy’s uniform, I feel it should fit pretty well.”

The purple goon nods and takes out a sketchpad, writing “Find old janitor’s uniform” at the bottom of the list as they walk past and out towards the main area.

“Alright everyone, hopefully this little show of mine was able to help you get fired up! We got five minutes ‘till the doors open, get those finishing touches done!” The boss claps her hands in the air to her employees, resuming business as usual. “If we’re able to double our profits today I’ll treat everyone to Slakers at the end of our shift tonight! Let’s make tonight a good one darlin’s!”

The warm and familiar chatter of the backstage area continues once more. As every last well-dressed employee strolls out to prepare for the afternoon they pass by their new coworker, neither giving the other a glance. As the front door opens and the excited clamoring of a new audience begins to fill the club, Wiggle peers down at her latest victim, slumped up the hole-ridden wood post on his back. She smirks and gives a content sigh.

“Maybe one day you’ll all surprise me… but until then, I suppose this is just as fun~”

Wiggle ruffles the head of the former Turnpipe like an affectionate puppy, and then walks back to her main office, her heels Clacking and echoing throughout backstage and the red grumpus’s empty mind.

#Bugsnax #wiggle wigglebottom #bugsnax wiggle #young horses #bugsnax AU #my writing #my writings #twi talks #Mafia!Wiggle #Mafia!Wiggle AU #((I... have a thing for tall and intimidating crime lady's #So yeah #*voice crack* eNJoY!!!))

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samwritesforyou · 4 years ago

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Yoongi is waiting at home

OT7 story

Summary: BTS won all of the MAMA daesangs again, yet they appeared to be one member short. Nobody is getting left behind in this Bangtan family, though. So as soon as they can, the rest of the members present the awards to Yoongi at their dorms, suprising him.

A/N: i just needed to write this scene out, its been living in my head rent-free ever since bts swept all daesangs again.... just imagine them coming back to their dorms to surprise yoongi with the awards n stuff....

Warnings: like.. one swear word from jimin, thats it, otherwise just loads of happy sappy stuff! i cried lol. i miss them so much

Wrodcount: 1.3k

The atmosphere was bubbly. Everyone was vibrating in their souls from excitement and happiness.

It was their second year in a row making a complete sweep of daesang awards at MAMA.

It still felt unreal and they still felt so so grateful to army that made it all possible, alongside their own genius music production.

“Should we tell him we’re coming straight to dorms after this?” Namjoon said as he was holding one of the golden awards, all the boys piling into the big black car, shuffling to make more space.

“No, Hobi, don’t push so much!” yelled Jin in distress to Hoseok who tried desperately to make himself fit into the second row of seats where Joon, Jin and Taehyung sat, already squished together as it is.

“Ugh, fine,” he grumbled but still with a smile never leaving his lips this evening, making his way to the row behind them, sitting together with Jungkook and Jimin.

“We shouldn’t, let’s make it a surprise,” piped in Jimin, looking out of the tinted window as the vehicle started moving.

He was playing with one of the pretty rings on his fingers, spinning it around absentmindedly, thoughts somewhere far away.

“Yeah, I agree,” supported him Jungkook and grinned, in his lap resting three remaining daesangs, his big palms covering almost all of them, making sure they don’t fall.

“Alright, alright, whatever you say, boys,” Namjoon concluded with a smile and kept his eyes steady on the award, it’s gleam reflecting slightly in dimmed lights that were on in the car.

“Can we turn them off?” said quietly Taehyung to their leader, pointing upwards to the lights build up in the core of the car, “I’m kinda tired..”

“Sure, Taehyungie,” Namjoon smiled gently and turned it off with an easy movement of his hand, the inside of the vehicle turning black with a click.

Of course they were tired. All of them. Despite some of the performances being pre-recorded, they still had to wait so long for their turn and perform as well.

It could’ve been more physically exhausting, but MAMA was always emotionally exhausting as well.

Namjoon thought of all the years when they were waiting for the invitation and didn’t get it at all, for all the times when they were in fact invited, but never even got mentioned and to their incredible rise where they’re sweeping all the grand prizes.

/Truly incredible.../ he mused to himself, still looking at the golden object in his strong hand and then shifted his gaze out of the window, following the passing lights that were illuminating the highway they were driving on.

The constant shuffling of the vehicle was calming and made the leader even more prone to sleepiness than he would feel normally, so he just gave in and drifted off to a peaceful nap.

He could. He could finally relax now.

Soon, the space was filled with six different rhythms of snoring as the rest of the members fell asleep as well.

“Hey, we’re here,” Hoseok’s voice echoed through the seats as he was the only one awake, carefully shaking his seat-mate by the shoulder.

Jungkook just gave in to the touch and woke up, sleepily lifting his heavy eyelids and tensing up his arms, feeling the metal awards clanking at each other between his fingers.

/It wasn’t a dream../ the thought went through his mind and only then he looked back at Hoseok, eyes getting wider with realisation.

“Yoongi-hyung!” he exclaimed,looking into his friend’s dark orbs.

“Uh-huh,” Hoseok nodded with a fond smile and then shuffled to open the door, letting the harsh, cold air inside as he got out, Jungkook basically launching himself after his hyung as if he wasn’t just sleeping for three hours.

“What the fuck..” mumbled groggily Jimin beside them, squinting his eyes open and trying to snuggle himself up in more jackets than there actually was.

“Hey, Jimin-ah, come on,” Hoseok patted his shoulder excitedly and then left him alone, picking another target.

By that time Jimin and Namjoon already made it out of the vehicle as well, leaving only Tae and Jin still lost in the dreamland.

“They’re probably sharing the same dream at this point,” Namjoon commented and yawned, grabbing another spare jacket from the car, putting it on.

It was freezing.

“Hoba,” Jin started with an annoyed frown as Hoseok opened the door which was his main pillow, of sorts, and now he almost fell out of the vehicle. Thank god for the belt.

“We’re here, Taehyung,” he said sleepily and shook his friends shoulder firmly and started getting out too.

Finally they all made it out and a stood in front of their dorms entrance.

“Jungkook?” Namjoon looked at the youngest member expectantly with a proud smile and gesturing with his eyes towards the door, as they were getting closer.

He just blinked and looked completely as a lost bunny, nervously biting his lower lip.

Then he nodded and anyone could tell that this group of boys just didn’t even need verbal communication anymore. They just got each other’s intentions most of the time anyways.

Everybody had their pair of keys but Namjoon made a gesture of knocking on the door, miserably failing to hide his smile that showed his gorgeous dimples, revealing how happy he really was at the moment.

They heard a faint “Just a moment!” from the other side and then some shuffling behind the door, until it pushed open and there was standing Yoongi in a fancy suit, just like the rest of them and with a cast over his shoulder.

His eyes widened in surprise as he didn’t even open the door into its full swing, kind of stopping midway, looking at his friends.

His mouth was open in the “o” shape, failing to find words.

“I.. I thought only some of you will show up, since Jin’s family is in town, I didn’t know you’ll all come home..” he rambled incoherently, his dark eyes bouncing from one friend to another to... somewhere lower, where Namjoon was holding a gold award firmly in his hands.

There was a moment of silence when nobody said anything, probably savouring this moment, but after the world stopped to spin, it started just as suddenly literally roll out of control, Hoseok erupting in a high-pitched scream and rushing forward to grab his friend in a tight hug.

“Hyung!” Jungkook basically yelled with a beaming smile, excitedly leaning into his arms somewhere between him and Hobi, the metal awards pressing into his ribs slightly as Yoongi finally with an overwhelmed expression looked down between their pressed bodies and made contact with the prizes, tracing the engraved BTS name on their sides with sparkles that read joy and stars in his eyes.

“Ayo, Sugaaa,” Namjoon leaned in as well, bear hugging the trio with a loud laugh, pushing them all further into the house because his hands were starting to freeze outside.

Then Yoongi could only assume that three more additions to the hug was the rest of the group, everyone yelling some gibberish or everyone talking on top of the other, making it just a big jumble of words that nobody could understand.

His gummy smile was shining on his features as he was getting squished between six other bodies, four daesangs added to the mix, every so often reflecting the light on the walls of their living room.

“I love you, guys,” he mumbled under his breath, the smallest beads of water forming on his eyes, threatening to fall down.

And he cherished them coming back to him way more than the awards.

After all, the gold metal was cold, while their hug made him feel warm inside.

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is0gild · 4 years ago

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Ice Cream and Fire Oven Pizza - Chapter 17

Pairing: Elsa x Lea/Axel || Side Pairing: Riku x OC

Summary: Modern AU. She's an introvert ball of nerves who works at Ice Palace, a mall food court ice cream shop. He's the outgoing, sassy goofball who works at the Pizza Planet across the way. Hilarity, snark, and fluffy romcom hijinks ensue.

Word Count: 12,131

FIRST CHAPTER || PREVIOUS CHAPTER || NEXT CHAPTER

Credit for super friggin’ cute and super friggin’ amazing cover art goes to the super friggin’ talented ky-jane here on tumblr!

Day three of Operation Boyfriend But Shh Not Really and so far, so good.

Though the thought of this triple date had my inner recluse curling up into the fetal position, I'd manage to convince myself it actually was a good thing when you really thought about it. One, it gave me more practice for trying to do this whole couply… thing I was trying to do. More practice meant I'd eventually, hopefully be more comfortable with it all, as well as less chance for screw-ups in front of my parents when the dreaded but inevitable weekend with them at last came. Two, we were trying to maintain this image of being boyfriend and girlfriend in front of everyone else at the mall. And boyfriends and girlfriends went on dates. What better way to be seen going on said dates than by going out with other actual couples? And three, we couldn't forget about the person the Duke had hired to tail Anna originally and could quite possibly still be keeping tabs on me now. If they were still out there lurking, it was important that they, even more so than anyone else,see me dating.

It was still kind of weird to think about - that an actual, real life PI or whatever had been surveilling me constantly for who knows how long and I'd had no idea. It felt so surreal. Unreal even. But the Duke was absolutely that crazy and I wouldn't put it past him to still have someone keeping an eye on me, looking for any cracks in the story, any slip-ups or mistakes. I'd have to start paying attention more when I was out and about, see if I could figure out who it was, spot any faces that seemed to always show up everywhere I went.

But then, even if I did identify a likely culprit, I would have absolutely no idea what to do with that information once I had it. Even if I marched right up to them and told them their cover had been blown so they may as well scram, the Duke was just insane enough and rich enough to keep hiring new people to do the job instead.

...jeez, I was really starting to sound paranoid now, wasn't I?

With my luck, it'd turn out the Duke no longer had anyone following me after he'd confronted me in the food court.

Best not to think about it too much, because honestly? It'd get me nowhere.

Sighing, I banished the thoughts from my head as I watched the buildings blur past my window from the backseat of Riku's silver Ford Focus. The three of us were on our way to the restaurant now and Lea, Kairi and Sora were going to meet us there. My hand anxiously smoothed out the creases of my outfit - a dark magenta sheath dress with long sleeves and a hemline at the knees. It had a tastefully low v-neckline and a double layered skirt, the top layer made of a shimmering gossamer material. Nice, but nothing too fancy for our "nothing too fancy" date, to use Kairi's words.

Per Lea's request, I'd also worn his leather jacket. It made sense, after all. Nothing screamed "dating" more than one half of a couple wearing their other half's clothes, so it certainly helped maintain the facade. His boy scent still lingered on it, even though he hadn't worn it in a couple of days now, given it had been in my possession. The smell was somehow both soothing and butterflies-in-the-stomach inducing at the same time. It was an odd mix of emotions, to say the least.

I felt a buzz in the jacket's pocket. Pulling out my phone (gosh, it was so weird having one again after going so many weeks without) I checked my notifications to discover I'd received a text.

Well, speak of the devil.

Still cant believe u didnt lemme come pick u up

Shaking my head with a small snort, I tapped out a reply to Lea.

It just made the most logical sense for me to ride with Riku and Rayne since we were all coming from the same place.

Rayne suddenly cried out happily, drawing my attention to her as she clapped and bounced in the front passenger seat. "Ahh, I'm still just so excited for date night! Good food, great company, hot hubby," she slyly pinched Riku's cheek, which he endured with dignity as he drove. "What more could a girl ask for?"

He chuckled as he shifted the car over into the turn lane. "You make it sound like I never take you out."

"You know that's not what I mean!" she playfully smacked his shoulder. "But with the baby on the way, I don't know how many more of these I'll have! This is one of my last chances to enjoy freedom! Jesus take the fucking wheel, hallelujah!"

I felt my phone vibrate in my hand again and I looked down at it.

I know not this logic u spk of

I felt a tiny smile pulling at my mouth as my thumbs typed.

Don't worry about it. Tis beyond your mortal ken.

"I just hope no one's drinking tonight," Riku snerked as I watched those three dots bounce at the bottom of my screen. "Don't need you dancing on any more tables, thank you very much."

"Your face dances on tables!" Rayne shot back, sticking her tongue out at him.

"That doesn't even make any sense."

"You don't even make any sense!"

Rude. Ill have u know I had half a mind 2 drive ovr n get u NEway, logic b damned

My smile turned a touch wicked.

I'm impressed. That's half a mind more than you usually have.

"Here we are!"

My head shot up as I heard the engine shut down. I hadn't even realized we were in a parking lot. I hadn't even realized the vehicle had stopped moving.

As I looked out my window again, I heard Rayne saying, "Have I mentioned how happy I am we're doing this?"

"You may have said something about that once or twice." I could hear the smile in Riku's low voice.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her leaning over towards him, her hand coming up to run slender fingers through his long, ashen strands. "Yeah, but maybe I should show you."

"Maybe you should…"

And that's when I, being the absolute clueless, blissfully naive little fool that I was, chose to turn and fully look at them, just in time to get a front row seat to their little game of tonsil hockey. I blushed, threw up a hand to block my line of sight and made a tiny noise of disgust in my throat. "Ugh! You know you're not the only people in the car, right?"

Rayne pulled away to smirk back at me. "Well, other people can shoo," she flicked a dismissive hand in my direction before grabbing Riku by his collar and yanking him over for a deeper, more passionate kiss. Ding, ding, round two!

Squeaking, I fumbled with my seatbelt until I heard the click release, threw my car door open, stumbled out and slammed it shut behind me with a huff.

Oi, that was the main drawback to this group date plan. We were going to be around actual couples, and actual couples actually, ahem… snogged. Rayne and Riku were going to be bad enough, but let's not forget Sora and Kairi were along for the ride too and I'd seen firsthand how gross those two could be as well. Mark my word, this night was going to have more than its fair share of uncomfortable moments with those four around, being all besotted and smitten and other such rot. But I would survive this and make it through to the other side. Somehow.

Sweeping my braid forward over one shoulder, I glanced up at the building before me now. It bore a colorful banner over its entrance that read Fuente Del Oro. A local, family-owned Mexican restaurant, or so Rayne had told me. I could already tell this was going to be a very different experience from the types of restaurants my ex used to take me to for our dates. Those restaurants had all been about the look, the prestige… you didn't go to any of those places for the food, you went there to be seen, to give off an air of importance. Those places were… dull. Lifeless. This place before me now, on the other hand, was… nice. Colorful. Vibrant and full of character. Not elegant or frilly, but warm and inviting. And the aromas that I could smell coming from it, even all the way out here? Delicious.

I was actually kind of looking forward to this.

Phone still in my grasp, I looked back down at it and frowned.

No message back from Lea yet.

A giggle suddenly echoed out across the parking lot and my eyes snapped towards the source. It didn't take long to spot Kairi a few vehicles over, squirming and laughing in Sora's arms as he hugged her from behind, blowing raspberries against her neck. They were standing with a very familiar redhead who was leaning against a very familiar black muscle car. Said redhead had pulled his hair back into a ponytail again and was dressed in a snug, black tee with a second shirt on underneath, red and black horizontal stripes running down its full-length sleeves. His slim, dark jeans made his already long legs seem even longer and he was sporting his bright red Converse. He had his phone in hand in front of him, but it wasn't the phone he was looking at. Our eyes met and a grin tugged at one corner of his lips.

Suddenly, whatever boldness that I had felt behind the safety of text on the tiny, glowing screen in the palm of my hand had abandoned me and I felt a small pang of anxiety pierce my chest.

But I rallied.

Alright, Elsa, pep talk time. You can do this. You've been mentally and emotionally preparing for this since yesterday. Let him throw at you whatever fluffy, sappy moves he decides to today, all in the name of pretending to be your boyfriend. You can take it.

Shields raised and at full power, captain!

Inhaling and exhaling slowly, I pocketed my mobile and started making my way over to those three. Probably hearing my footsteps against the asphalt, Kairi and Sora looked over at me as I approached and greeted me with waves. I gave them a shy smile and returned the wave as Lea held his phone up, turning the screen towards me and showing the last message I'd sent him as he tsked, "Brutal. You wound me, madame."

I stopped a few feet away from him, my smile twitching wider. "You like it."

"True. What can I say, I've always been a bit of a masochist," he hummed a low chuckle, slipping his phone into the back pocket of his pants. His head tipped to one side and he stared at me for another second, then his eyes crinkled as he stretched a hand out towards me with a soft, "C'mere."

I bit my bottom lip, hesitating for a heartbeat before moving another step forward to take his offered hand.

"Lookit you," he whistled, closing his fingers around mine and leading me into a little twirl. "Digging the look." He then gently pulled me against him, drawing my arms up to hug his neck before slipping his hands beneath the jacket to wrap around my waist, enveloping me in his cinnamon scent. "Didn't get a chance to say it the other day, but my jacket suits you."

I rolled my eyes up at him, doing my best to be impervious to our sudden closeness. I wasn't succeeding. "Not really. It's too big."

"Yes really," he insisted, bowing his head slightly towards mine. "It looks way better on you than it ever did on me."

"Where's Riku and Rayne?" Sora interjected and I turned my head to look at him.

"They-" my words tripped over my tongue as Lea pressed a tender kiss to my temple.

Critical hit, captain! Shields down to thirty percent, but holding!

Ignoring the heat rushing to my face, I did my best to regather my scattered thoughts. "They, uh… they're back in the, uh… the…" Drat, what was the word again? "...car! They're back in the… the car."

Sora pulled a face. "Swapping spit, no doubt."

"Oh-ho, we'll see about that! C'mon, Sora!" Kairi cackled with an evil gleam in her eye, slipping free of her boyfriend's hold to instead grab his hand and pull him behind her as she ran off towards Riku's car.

"Seriously," Lea spoke up again, his voice hushed as I slowly returned my gaze to his. "Pretty sure I've lost all claim to that jacket. It belongs to you now."

My eyelids drooped. "That's not how that works."

"Sure it is." He rested his forehead against mine and I could feel his thumb rubbing light circles against the fabric of my dress just above my hip. "You don't choose a leather jacket, it chooses you. And trust me, that one has definitely picked you over me."

I gave a soft snort. "I'm giving it back to you after tonight."

"Don't you dare," he chided, his breath warming my lips. "You'll hurt the jacket's feelings."

"Stop anthropomorphizing the jacket." I was fighting a smile now.

"Make me," he murmured, something in his voice causing my insides to do that whole warm, fuzzy, squishy thing.

And the academy award for best leading actor in the role of Elsa's boyfriend goes to this guy right here.

But had to say, I thought he might be overdoing it a bit. I mean, Sora and Kairi weren't even around anymore to hear any of this. And if we were being monitored by someone under my great uncle's payroll, they certainly couldn't hear it either. I suppose Lea just… really liked getting into character?

Clearing my throat, I unclasped my hands from behind his neck and shifted them down to his chest in an attempt to push myself free of his grasp as I whispered, "We, ah… should probably go speak to the hostess now."

However, his hold on me didn't loosen, his arms remaining firmly secured around my waist. He didn't say anything, just continued to grin down at me. His eyes became hooded as they flicked down to my lips now, making my heart skip a beat.

What was he-?

A sudden loud yelp ruptured the air around us.

Rayne.

Followed by an annoyed yell of, "Goddamnit, Sora! Kairi!"

And that would be Riku.

The two delinquents in question blurred past us and towards the restaurant's front doors, whooping and snickering and razzing their tongues back at their victims climbing out of the Ford Focus. "We'll grab us a table!" Sora called quickly at the same time Kairi shouted, "See ya inside!" Then they both disappeared through the entrance with Rayne and Riku hot on their heels.

I heard Lea sigh. Or maybe he didn't. It was so soft that it was fully possible that I imagined it. Then he released me, slipping one hand into mine and jerking a thumb towards the restaurant with a lopsided smile, "Shall we?"

I stared at him, feeling the night air cool my warmed face. Then I gave a tentative nod and let him lead me inside.

The others hadn't made it far past the doors and we stepped in to find Riku doling out Sora's punishment: death by a thousand noogies. Sora was smacking his cousin's arm and trying to wriggle free, but to no avail. Apparently Kairi had gotten off with only a warning for she was standing off to one side with Rayne, both cracking up as they watched the boys. I looked past them, taking in the restaurant. Strings of fairy lights hung from the ceiling intermixed with strings of multi-colored papers, each bearing cutouts depicting various imagery. The walls were painted with murals of fantastical, mythical creatures of various shapes and sizes with wings and prismatic fur, feathers and scales. This place was absolutely beautiful.

Once the roughhousing had finally settled down, we all approached the hostess, an extremely tiny, extremely old lady wearing a name tag that read Coco who seemed far more interested in napping than greeting new customers. However, she woke up long enough to squint at her list and find our reservation before calling over a man to seat us. He led us through the restaurant and to a large booth in one of the back corners, leaving menus, chips and salsa on the table before flashing us a warm, genuine smile and saying he'd be back to take our orders in a minute.

I started shrugging out of the jacket, feeling Lea assist me before folding it over his arm and gesturing towards the booth with bow and a, "Lady's first." Smiling at him, I took a seat and scooched towards the middle. Lea wasn't too far behind, sitting close enough for our knees to bump against one another. He tossed the jacket on the back shelf of the booth before draping his arm across the top of the cushioned seat behind my head. Rayne took the spot to my left with Riku of course beside her, and on the other side of Lea sat Kairi and Sora. The waiter came back after giving us a little time to peruse the menus and he gathered our food requests before dashing off again.

"So Ray," Kairi piped up, popping a heavily salsa-laden chip into her mouth, "how's the preggers-life treating you?"

"Really well," she nodded contentedly, one hand going to her tummy. "The jellybean's happy and healthy so far and I've just started barely showing in the past couple weeks. No weird food cravings yet, thank god, but those are supposed to be right around the corner."

Sora leaned forward, propping his chin in both hands and beamed, "Do we know yet if I have a lil nephew or niece on the way?"

"We're cousins, Sora. Nephews and nieces would only be if we were brothers," Riku corrected with a wry curve to his lips.

"We don't know yet," Rayne shook her head, "but I'm about four months along now, so hoping to find out at our next appointment."

Lea had shifted his hand to dangle down so he could idly twiddle my braid between his fingers. I could also sense his gaze on me, causing a bit of a flutter in the pit of my stomach. Reminding myself he was just playing a part and it wasn't real, I resisted the urge to squirm and instead pretended not to notice, directing all my focus into reaching for a chip to dip into the salsa.

"Well whatever the wee monkey turns out to be, you can bet Auntie Kairi and Unkie Sora will be here to shower it with all the love and kisses!" Kairi cooed.

Riku twitched and frowned. "I just said that isn't how it-"

"Shush, hon, they're just teasing you now," Rayne poked his cheek with a laugh before looking back over at Kairi. "And you? How's the new gig over at Mickey's going? You've been there, what? About a week now?"

"Mm-hm! It's been a lot of fun working the jewelry counter. Oh sure, there's the occasional asshole customer, but turns out I'm really good at killing them with kindness."

Riku kicked Sora's foot under the table, "What about you, ya freeloader? Any prospects yet?"

He shrugged with that big smile he seemed to always have permanently glued to his face. Just looking at it was starting to make my cheeks hurt. "Couple of interviews coming up, so we'll see!"

Smirking, Riku said, "Can't wait to hear how you screw them up this time, knucklehead."

"Hey!"

Kairi turned to look our direction now. "So what's new and exciting with you two, hm? Lea, you just had that big test, right?" Silence was her answer as I went for another chip. "Lea? Hello, earth to... ah-ha, there!" She rocketed up to her feet, slamming one hand down on the table and pointing the other right in Lea's face. "Lost puppy look!"

"Hm, what now?" he jolted, his hand jerking away from my braid to lay across the booth backrest once more. "Lost pup-? Bah, I told you already, there's no lost puppy look. You need to get your eyes checked, princess."

She scoffed, plopping heavily back down into her seat and smugly take a sip of her soda. "Please. You were bad at hiding it when you guys were dating in secret, and you're even worse at it now that it's all out in the open."

"What's the deal there anyhow?" Sora cocked his head at me. "There's all sorts of wild rumors flying around the mall, like that you're runaway royalty from some far off country just living off the lam now."

"What?!" I blanched, gawking in disbelief. Doing my best to recover with a tiny, awkward laugh, I hastily said, "No, nothing quite so, ah… dramatic. My parents, they're… well off, to be sure, but certainly not royalty. And not from so far away either. Just Arendelle, which is only about an hour north of here."

Chewing on her straw, Kairi eagerly leaned in closer, "I'd love to hear the story of how you two met!"

I stiffened.

Fudge.

Welp, add that to my ever growing list of things I should have thought about in advance but failed miserably to do so. I fiddled a chip between my fingers as I tucked in my bottom lip. Shoot, what was I supposed to tell her? It's not like I'd gotten any better at lying in the past few days since my visit with Father. In fact, I'd been mostly skirting by since then by dodging questions and letting people fill in the blanks for themselves so I didn't have to. Heart thudding in my chest, I opened my mouth, not quite fully sure yet what was going to come out.

"Last summer," Lea was quicker. "In another city."

"Oh, during that big cross-country road trip you took?" Rayne asked him as she leaned into her husband who slung an arm around her shoulders.

Lea tapped his own nose, "That'd be the one, Raindrop."

Kairi gasped, "You two met in a foreign city? How romantic! That's the dream!"

"You have to leave the country in order for it to be a foreign city," Riku shook his head.

"Cram it, you knew what I meant!"

"It was like one of those scenes straight outta a movie," Lea planted an elbow on the table, rubbing a curled finger over his smirk as he watched me out of the corner of his eye. "There I was, just strolling along minding my own business, smack dab in the middle of a jam-packed city street. But then the crowd parted and there she stood. The most gorgeous creature to ever walk the face of this or any other planet in all the cosmos."

Cue my face turning all new shades of red never before witnessed in the history of human eyesight.

Jeez, laying it on a bit thick there, Lea, don't you think?

"So whatdja do?" Kairi pressed, eyes bright and on the edge of her seat. "Sweep her off her feet right then and there?"

He snerked, "Shit no, I walked headfirst into a lamppost."

I smothered a grin behind my hand as the rest of the table erupted into laughter. Sora reached over to punch him lightly in the arm, "Smooth, ya stud. What city was this anyway?"

"Corona," I was the one to answer, surprising myself. Suddenly self-conscious with all eyes turning to me, I quietly added, "I was there for part of my vacation last year."

"By yourself?" Rayne quirked a dubious eyebrow at me. She knew this story was as made-up as my current relationship status was. I could only assume she was trying to poke holes in order to help us solidify this little tale that was being spun so we'd be more prepared for the next time we had to tell the lie.

The thing is, the best lies have a grain of truth to them. I really had been in Corona last summer. "No, I was taking the trip with Anna. We were actually staying over in Traverse Town, but had planned to visit Corona for the day to enjoy a festival there, since it was only a short train ride away. However, Anna disappeared with a guy before we could go. I'd really been looking forward to this festival though and didn't want to miss it, so I took the train over on my own."

"Wait," Kairi slapped both hands down in front of her, eyes widening. "Are you talking about that big lantern festival they do every year?" At my nod, she squealed. "Lucky! Punzie has shown me pictures in magazines, it looks so goddamn pretty! Oh man, I've always wanted to go! Hint, hint," she shouldered Sora, who just chuckled and scratched the back of his head.

"It was actually right as they were launching the lanterns that I saw her," Lea said, folding his arms atop the table now. "She was wearing this cute sundress. White with a lil diamond patterned hem. Split sleeves that were all flowy. Hair down and dancing in the slight breeze." Wow, he was really selling this. He'd even nailed that whole far away look in his eye, like he was seeing something the rest of us couldn't. "And the way those lanterns lit up her smile as she watched them float up, I knew my lowly mortal self was in the presence of a goddess. Knocked the wind right outta me."

"As did that lamppost," Rayne sniggered.

"As did that lamppost," he agreed with a chuckle.

Totally enthralled now, Kairi breathed, "So what happened next?"

"Yeah, what did happen next?" I grinned over at him, the barest note of a challenge to my tone. To the others, it probably just sounded like I was teasing him since obviously I was already supposed to know this story. But now I was almost as invested as Kairi and was genuinely curious where he'd go with it next.

The corners of his eyes crinkled as he looked over at me and he leaned back, propping his elbows up on the back rim of the booth and once more slipping an arm behind my head. "Well after the lantern bit was over, I watched her get onto her train heading back to Traverse Town. So I did what any self-respecting, red-blooded, utterly bewitched male would do: I followed her."

"Stalker," Riku singsonged.

His wife smacked his leg, "Hush, it's sweet!"

He snorted, eyelids drooping, "Yeah, so sweet, the dumbass left his car behind in Corona."

"Psssh, I just took the train back for it later," Lea brushed off. "Anyway, when I found her on board, I sat across from her and worked up the nerve to strike up a conversation."

Rayne looked at me. "You? Talk to a handsome stranger on a train?" She squinted, repeating for emphasis, "You?"

"Heh… what can I say? He can be very charming," I smiled down at my drink, swirling the ice with my straw.

"Even with all of my roguish charm and devilish good looks though, it wasn't easy," Lea laughed. His hand had drifted down to start toying with my braid again. "But she warmed up to me eventually. By the time we arrived at Traverse Town, I was completely smitten. A total goner. She still needed more convincing though, so I managed to persuade her into joining me for a night out on the town. Luckily for me, Traverse Town has a very active night life that goes on for hours long after most other cities have gone to sleep."

"Yeah? Like what?" Sora burbled out around a mouth full of chips, making Kairi giggle as she put a hand over his face to hide it.

He pursed his lips to one side, looking up at the ceiling, "Oh, nothing too exciting. Few odds and ends here and there though… wandering around a record store… a café with a palm reader… a street poet at one sidewalk corner, a belly dancer at another, some stargazing in a park…" Now he smirked over at me, "A carnival with a kiss at the top of the ferris wheel."

A mock gasp from Rayne, "Scandal! And you with a fiancé, young lady!"

I looked away, suddenly feeling guilty and flustered over something that hadn't even really happened. "...ferris wheels can be very enchanting."

And my streak of helping the lie along while not actually lying myself successfully continues!

"And then, and then?" Kairi insisted impatiently, just eating this whole bit of fiction right up.

He chuckled and shrugged, "Just mostly a lot of meandering the streets and talking. We were out all night and watched the sunrise together. Eventually, she had to go meet up with her sister so they could move on to another city for the next leg of their lil vay-kay. But I didn't let her leave without agreeing to meet with me again in a few months."

Kairi was slackjaw now as she whispered, "And did she?"

"Mm-hm!" he hummed happily. "And from there, we kept meeting up, our little get-togethers getting longer and more frequent over time."

"Then what?" She was relentless.

A wolfish curl tugged at one side of his mouth. "What else? I slowly seduced her until she fell helpless into my bed, hungry for the pleasure only I could give her," he waggled his eyebrows.

Of course I'd chosen that exact second to be taking a sip of my drink. And of course I promptly spluttered and choked on it. "Excuse me?" I coughed, laughing incredulously as I elbowed him in the gut.

He gave a pained grunt, but grinned and snagged my hand before I could retract it, pressing a kiss to my knuckles. "I mean that in the most gentlemanly and respectful way possible, of course," he winked at me before looking back over at Kairi. "From there, I convinced her to run away from her family and ditch her two-bit, loser fiancé to be with me. And the rest, as they say, is history!"

"Wow!" she sighed dreamily, slumping back and fanning herself. Then she blinked, "Wait…" A gasp. "Oh my god! You swore off dating about a year ago, which was last summer! Was it cuz that's when you two met and it was love at first sight?!"

"Huh. The two certainly seem to line up perfectly, don't they?" he chirped. He'd rested my hand back down onto the table, his on top of mine, threading our fingers together.

Our waiter popped up again just then. "Your food will be just another moment. In the meantime, please allow us to entertain you with some music." He then turned, clapped his hands twice and called out, "Miguel!"

Out charged a boy in his early teens wearing a red hoodie and lugging a guitar that was white, etched in swirly patterns, and nearly as big as he was. He flashed us a smile huge enough to rival one of Sora's and without further preamble, started strumming away and singing. The kid was actually really good too!

Kairi clapped in delight and Rayne cooed over how adorable he was. Sora gaped in awe at the boy's obvious talent while Riku just grinned, digging into the chips. As I watched him perform, I couldn't help but feel Lea's eyes on me once more instead of on our little musician. I shifted in my seat, slipping my hand free of his and bringing it up to tuck some bangs behind my ear, hiding the growing warmth I felt in my cheeks behind my fingers.

At this rate, I didn't know how I was going to survive fake dating this guy for the rest of the evening, let alone for two more weeks.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Lea's hand closed around mine, stopping me in my tracks. I glanced over my shoulder at him, then back towards where Rayne and Riku were climbing into their car across the parking lot. "With them?"

"Ahhhnt," he made a buzzer noise, grinning. "Wrong! Would the contestant care to venture another guess?"

I gave him some side-eye, feeling one corner of my lips turn up. "...with you?"

"Bingo!" He started walking towards his car, gently tugging me along with him. "I was already so rudely denied my god-given right as the boyfriend to pick you up from your place. No way am I missing out on giving you a lift over to the movie theater. Same goes for driving you back home later tonight, so better make your peace with it now. It's happening."

I felt my smile twitch a fraction wider as I fell into step beside him. "I suppose being my chauffeur is quite the honor and privilege. Wouldn't want to take that away from you."

"Glad that's settled then," he gave a chipper nod, unlocking the front passenger door of his vehicle and holding it open for me as I got in. As he then jogged over to the driver's side while I buckled in, there was a loud meep meep of a car horn and I looked up just as a hot pink Jeep blurred past where we were parked - Kairi and Sora, it seemed, going on to the cinema ahead of us. I waved at them just as Lea had settled in himself and started the engine.

"So," I began once we were on the road, resting my temple against my knuckles with my elbow propped on the window sill, still grinning as I watched him out of the corner of my eye, "you took a road trip last summer?"

He gave a low hum of confirmation, reaching over to turn down the volume on the rock oldies station coming through the radio. "Decided to have one last big adventure before I really buckled down and started taking school seriously. Did a lil soul searching, that whole shtick."

"Ah." My gaze focused on the road ahead once more and I hesitated for a second, gnawing on my lower lip. "...that was a nice story you told. About how we met."

Lea chuckled, leaving one hand on the wheel while moving the other to lay atop the headrest of my seat. "Liked it, didja?"

"Oh definitely." Now I hid my growing smile behind my hand, trying to keep a straight face. "Though I have to admit, I think I was a bigger fan of the original movie adaptation."

I watched him visibly stiffen. "The…?"

Tapping a curled finger to my chin, I muttered, "What was the title again? Before Sunrise, I believe?"

He snerked, then broke out into a full laugh. "Crap, ya caught me. Yeah, I may have borrowed from the plot there a tad."

"Just a bit," I shook my head at him. "You're lucky Sora and Kairi haven't seen the film."

"Kinda surprised you have," he turned the car down a road that would take us towards the mall. "Pretty sure it's older than you are."

"Nothing wrong with old movies," I shrugged before wrinkling my nose at him slightly with a tiny smile. "Kind of sappy though. Wouldn't have thought that'd be your kind of movie."

Looking my way, he smirked, "What can I say? I'm a sappy guy. And hey, at least I didn't steal everything from that flick."

"True. The stuff before the train was all you."

"You helped," Lea pointed out as he pulled up to a stop sign. He then tapped his index against the steering wheel a couple times. "...outta curiosity, why'd you say Corona? Out of all the other places you must of visited on your trip, what made you pick that city?"

As the car accelerated once more, I tilted my head in thought. "Don't know really… I guess I just felt it would be a nice place to meet someone new in. That'd it make for a good story." I paused, watching some tail lights streak past us. "...the lantern festival really was beautiful. Have you ever seen it?"

Lea shook his head as he glanced up at the rearview before shifting lanes, "Nah. Had plans to on the road trip, but something else came up."

"A shame," I sighed wistfully. "You missed out."

"Wouldn't say that," he murmured, a warm flicker in his eyes. "'Sides, there's always next time."

"Suppose that's true," I nodded. "Nice touch, by the way, describing the dress I was wearing. I think I might even own one that's pretty close to it." Don't think I'd been wearing it in Corona though. But I couldn't really remember. It had been over a year ago after all.

He laughed again, fingers combing his scalp before returning the hand to my seat, now on a spot next to my ear. "Well, I did help you pack your clothes from your old condo just a couple days ago. I probably saw it then."

"Good point." That made sense. It would have been too much of a coincidence if that'd actually been what I'd had on that day. But now… should I be worried that I hadn't really been in that dress? What if someone found out the mismatch in the story? No… no, that was just me overthinking things again. Even if the tale ever reached the ears of the Duke's goon, it's not like they could go back in time to fact check. "Just one more thing now." My eyes narrowed at him, at odds with my grin. "Might want to edit the ending a bit."

"Which part?" he asked a touch too innocently, already turning us into the Dusk Town Center parking lot. "Running away to be with me? Hasn't that been the story all along?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "Try a little before that."

Wouldn't have thought it possible to both purse one's lips and smile at the same time, but Lea proved me wrong in that moment. "Hmm… oh! Well, figured wooing you over the course of months sounded more believable, but if you think it works better as weeks or even days, then-"

"No no. Little after that."

"Well then, now you got me stumped cuz I know you just couldn't possibly be talking about the absolute masterpiece that was the slow seducing, helpless bed falling, pleasure hungry part."

A snort. "Why yes, actually, I could be talking about that and in fact am."

"But that's the best part!" he protested, turning to park in a space right next to a familiar Ford Focus. "It's the heart and soul, the very essence of the story! The pièce de résistance, the crowning glory."

With a good natured scoff, I unfastened my seatbelt as the car shuddered into powering down. "Well decrown it because you're dropping that bit."

He lifted his chin slightly and gave a dignified sniff, "I am a storyteller, El. An arteest. You wouldn't ask Leonardo da Vinci to remove the smile from the Mona Lisa."

Well someone had a high opinion of himself. Which honestly came as zero surprise. I fixed him with a dull stare. "Drop it or your jacket gets a giant, sticky stain before the night is out." And with that, I opened my door.

Lea scrambled out of the car and rushed over to join me on my side just as I slammed the door shut behind me. He had the decency to only spend a couple seconds looking mildly miffed at having been denied the opportunity to open and hold the car door for me before his frown melted into a smile once more. "Jeez, blackmail? Never thought you'd stoop so low. But eh," he shrugged, "jacket's black, it'll be fine."

"You're failing to see the big picture here," I crossed my arms as I waited for Rayne and Riku to get out of their own vehicle. My guess was they were probably going for another round of Seven Minutes in Heaven in there. Smirking at Lea, I elaborated, "Because then I'll wash it."

"Egads," he mocked gasp, splaying a hand against his chest, "the horror."

My smirk curled wickedly. "In a washing machine."

As my roomies finally vacated their car (faces flushed, I might add), Lea actually paled. "But it's dry clean only!"

"That's right," I said smugly and turned to walk away. "So nix that line or the jacket gets it."

"You fight dirty," he muttered as he caught up to me, slipping his hand into mine. However, he was grinning.

Huh. That wasn't what I'd been expecting. IE the face of a man who'd just suffered a crippling defeat by my hands.

I narrowed my eyes up at him. "You certainly seem pretty happy about the impending, inevitable demise of your jacket."

Now the grin was joined by a dimple as we walked. "Well, it's just that in order for you to make good on your threat, you have to take my jacket hostage. Meaning you're gonna hafta keep it after all." His head dipped down closer to mine as he swung our hands slightly. "I count that as a win for me."

...well crud.

Score one for Lea there.

Shrieks and giggles suddenly erupted behind us before Sora tore past us towards the mall's entrance with Kairi riding piggyback. Rayne laughed and tugged Riku into a stumble behind her so they could catch up while Lea and I continued to take our time, bringing up the rear.

We made our way through the food court and over to Cinema XIII. The manager with long, silver hair that I'd seen there last time was present again, off to one side where he was setting up a huge cardboard display for the latest Star Wars movie. I watched him scowl and fiddle with the lifesize lightsaber cutouts as our group purchased tickets from a blonde chick with a weird hairdo that kind of resembled antennae. As we'd approached, I could have sworn I'd seen her boredly cleaning her fingernails with a small knife, but there was no sign of the blade by the time we'd reached her register. Perhaps my eyes had just been playing tricks on me.

Tickets for our whodunit comedy flick in hand, we then moved over to concessions which was being worked by that same teen with the emo haircut that I'd also spotted here a couple weeks ago. He hardly glanced up from the book he was reading as Riku and Rayne ordered snacks and drinks from him, Sora waiting in line behind them with Kairi still latched onto his back.

"Alright, whatcha want? My treat," Lea asked as he watched the flat screens hanging behind the counter scroll flashy ads for crisp, buttery popcorn and fizzing, bubbly soda.

I blinked. "What?" Then I frowned at him. "Oh no, not happening. You already paid for dinner despite my multiple protests. I'm not letting you buy me candy too."

We were only fake dating after all, and I wouldn't even want to make a real boyfriend pay for everything!

"But it's my right as-"

I put my finger to his lips, silencing him as my eyelids drooped. "Enough with playing the boyfriend card already. You're having too much fun with that."

He puckered up and planted a tiny peck on my fingertip, sending a small jolt straight to my heart as I quickly jerked my hand back. He chuckled, "Just tell me what your fave candy is."

"Shouldn't you be able to guess?" I arched an eyebrow, stubbornly ignoring the way the tip of my finger still had a slight tingle. "Isn't that like your special gift or whatever?"

"Only with ice cream," he lightly corrected.

"Right," I crinkled my eyes at him. "How's that coming along again?"

His shoulders bobbed up and down. "It's a process."

"My turn!" Sora suddenly proclaimed loudly in front of us, dropping Kairi off his back and spinning around to get behind her.

His girlfriend gasped, "Sora no!"

"Sora yes!" he cackled, jumping onto her back, arms hugging her shoulders tight and legs wrapping around her waist as her hands automatically shifted to grasp beneath his knees. To her credit, she managed to stand for three whole shaky seconds before collapsing beneath her boyfriend's weight into a tangled heap on the floor with him.

Ah, to be young.

Never mind the fact that I was pretty sure I was only like a year older than them.

With a soft snort through my nose, I glanced back at Lea. "Well, while you keep processing, I'm going to go find our seats."

I turned to go, but he pulled me back with the hold he still had on my hand. "C'mon, just lemme buy ya something small," he insisted as he hopped over the Sora/Kairi knot that was still trying to disentangle itself, forcing me to gingerly step over the two of them as well.

Shaking my head with a sigh, I said, "Why won't you just let it go?"

He beamed. "Cuz what schmoopsie-poo wants, schmoopsie-poo gets."

Oh no he didn't.

"Uh-uh, no. Veto. You are not calling me that," I jabbed a finger into his chest.

There was a sly gleam to his eye. "Tell me what candy you want or I won't stop."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Wanna bet?" he flashed a toothy grin as we stepped up to the counter now that my roommates had stepped off to one side, already munching away at their newly purchased sweets. "You'll think you died and went to schmoopsie-poo heaven."

I gave a small huff and looked away. "Small price to pay. Not budging on this."

"Fine. You've forced my hand." He turned his head to the concession worker, slapping his palm down on the countertop and proudly declaring, "I'll have one of everything, my good man!"

"What?! No, no, stop, he's joking," I hastily told the cashier, who froze mid-ringing the order up as he gave us a flat look with the one blue eye not hidden behind bangs. To Lea, I whispered, "What do you think you're doing?"

He shrugged, grin not faltering. "Figure ya gotta like at least one of 'em."

I stared at him. Then my shoulders slumped and I hung my head, grumbling, "...Junior Mints."

"You heard the lady," he chirped to the theatre employee. "And throw in a small popcorn and large Kupo-Kola too please!"

Once the junk food was acquired and paid for, we moved out of the way to join Riku and Rayne as Sora and Kairi bought their own goodies. While we were waiting, I opened up my candy and reached inside, retrieving a minty, chocolate-coated treat and popping it into my mouth.

"Can I have one?" Lea asked beside me.

I gave him a blank look. Then I glanced down at his hands, otherwise occupied with a full soda cup and a bag practically bursting with popcorn. Digging another Junior Mint out and holding it up between us, my gaze met his once more. "Say ahh."

Face brightening, his lips parted wide.

I inserted it into his nostril.

He blinked a couple times, then snorted which had the byproduct of dislodging the Junior Mint. "Okay, guess maybe I deserved that for being a lil pushy about getting you the candy."

"You most certainly did," I said matter-of-factly, eating another one. A pause while I slowly chewed before swallowing and mumbling, "...but thanks for doing it anyway."

"Heh. Don't mention it."

Kairi and Sora rejoined us then, arms piled high with sugary delights. Jeez, all that on top of the gigantic Mexican dinners they'd both devoured less than an hour ago? One had to wonder how the two of them managed to stay so skinny.

It didn't take long for us to locate our theater and when we entered, all the lights were dimmed for the trailers that had already started to play. We quietly found our seats close to the middle of the auditorium and we settled into them, Lea to the right of me and making up one end of our group while Rayne took up my other side, the rest of the gang to her right. It seemed the cinema had recently renovated with new, barely-used cushiony sofa seating, the kind that reclined.

As I pushed the button that popped out the chair's footrest and made myself more comfortable, I caught a glimpse of the others. Half way through a strand of red licorice, Rayne flinched when Riku was suddenly in her face and chomping down on the other end of the candy. Grinning, he took a few more bites, bringing their lips closer together until he could give her a smooch before pulling away, looking quite pleased with himself as she blushed and snerked, giving his shoulder a light shove. Kairi was tossing Milk Duds towards Sora's open, awaiting mouth and rewarding him with little kisses every time he successfully caught one.

Worrying my lower lip between my teeth, I glanced towards Lea out of the corner of my eye as he crunched away on some popcorn. Should we be acting all… couply right now? Like the others were? I mean, it was a dark theater… did we really need to keep the act up in here too? Would anyone really notice? Then again, I'd noticed our friends being all sickeningly cute and I hadn't even been trying to, my eyes had just wandered. So maybe it wasn't such a stretch to consider the two of us were also possibly being observed, even in here.

My gaze flicked down to the armrest I shared with Lea. It was wide enough for both our arms to lay on it side by side, elbows touching. He wasn't holding my hand at the moment, instead just resting his about an inch away from mine. Which, now that I noticed, actually felt a bit weird, oddly enough. I guess I was starting to get used to it. But perhaps I should look at this as an opportunity for some more practice. An exercise in me being the one for once to initiate a display of affection. I seriously couldn't get away with him being the one to start it all the time, right? Surely, I had to act like I liked him too.

Which, to be fair, I kind of did.

Even if it was a secret.

But now I had to wonder how does one go about, ah… what was the term? ...making a move? I'd never had to do it with my ex. I'd never particularly felt the urge, nor had he ever really encouraged me to have more initiative in that area. He'd always been the one to take charge and that seemed to be the way he'd liked it. It seemed to be what was expected of our relationship, by him, by my family, by the world of upper society that I had lived in for so long. But I was no longer in that world. Things were different here. I was different. And I needed to show that to my parents. And one way I could show that was by doing this.

So then… exactly how do I do this?

...well I suppose I could start by moving my hand in the general direction of his. Seemed simple enough… right?

Gulping and holding my breath, I slowly, oh so very slowly started reaching for his hand. As my fingers crept closer, the pounding in my ribcage grew louder and louder. A hairbreadth away from skin contact, I hesitated, what little courage I'd mustered already dwindling. But after a second, my face hardened. I needed to do this. For the sake of Operation Boyfriend But Shh Not Really. For the sake of a continued future free from my parents' control. With a newfound resolve burning in my chest, I pushed on.

My pinky barely brushed against his knuckle.

Nope! No way. Mm-mm, not happening!

I snatched my hand back, blushing furiously.

The blush of a failure. Pathetic.

However the touch, no matter how light and brief, hadn't gone unnoticed. Lea glanced my way, his head tipping slightly. Then he smiled, shifting his popcorn out of his lap over to his right while moving the soda from the cupholder between us to the one on his other side. Then he lifted the armrest separating us, folding it back between our chairs before slinging an arm around my shoulders and pulling me close so my head was pillowed by his chest.

I tensed for several seconds before relaxing against him, clearing my throat and, if possible, blushing even harder.

Well then.

Guess I no longer needed to worry about us not looking couply.

Even if I hadn't been the one to initiate.

...tomorrow. I would do a better job tomorrow.

As the last of the trailers ended and opening credits for the movie began filling the big screen, Lea ducked his head down next to mine. I could feel him grinning against my ear as he whispered, "This boyfriend model comes equipped with all the latest technology, including hilarious movie commentary. Would you like that feature enabled now?"

I leaned my head back a bit as I turned to look him in the eye. He cocked a playful eyebrow at me. Feeling one corner of my lips tug up, I whispered back, "Commentary on."

"You got it."

I was not disappointed.

"Is this really totally necessary?"

"Oh absolutely. Your uncle's spies could be anywhere, ever vigilant and watching at all times."

"Even here? In the parking lot for my own apartment?" I frowned dubiously.

I could feel him nodding against my hair. "Especially here. I'll have you know I've seen at least three cars pass us already, each one more suspicious and shady than the last."

Date night had been a rousing success, if I did say so myself. We'd had a good time with friends, dinner was amazing and delicious, and the movie had been excellent. But as everyone knows, all good dates (even the fake ones) must come to an end. And at the end of every date, some sort of goodnight ritual is often at the very least customary, if not absolutely essential. Traditionally, this usually takes the form of the infamous goodnight kiss. However, since I'd already taken any sort of liplock completely and one hundred percent off the table, Lea had instead opted for a hug.

One… extremely and uncomfortably long hug.

...okay, that was a lie. It wasn't uncomfortable at all. In fact, was actually quite nice. Pleasant, even. Ten out of ten, would recommend.

We stood next to his car at the moment, my apartment building just a few yards away. After he'd parked and we'd both climbed out, he'd pulled my arms up to wrap around his neck, his hands once again finding their way under the leather jacket to encircle my waist, hugging me close as he'd rested his cheek atop my head. And so we had remained for quite some time now.

Kairi and Sora were no longer with us, having parted ways back at the mall, but I could see Rayne and Riku off to one side near their own vehicle, enthusiastically taking part in some cuddle time themselves while they waited for me. Which actually I really appreciated. Without their added presence here, I'd probably be getting a lot more awkward a lot more quickly about The Hug That Would Not End.

That said…

"We've been at this for at least five minutes now. Wouldn't you call that a bit, er.." I shifted my feet, resisting the urge to squirm, "...excessive?"

His hold on me didn't budge. "Gotta be convincing. 'Sides, we're obviously still in the honeymoon period of our relationship. You know, when the couple takes forever and a day telling each other goodbye a thousand times before actually leaving. Otherwise known as the No-You-Hang-Up-First phase."

My brow furrowed. "I thought that was only made-up for TV. Real people don't actually do that, do they?"

"Yup," I felt another nod. "Trust me, I'm an expert. I know these things."

I squinted off into space. "...haven't you only ever done one night stands?"

"Shush, I said trust me on this," he murmured.

And shush I did. I suppose I could look at this as a sort of… endurance training? Get me more used to his hugs so I'd be less awkward about them in public? Make them seem more natural? Yeah, okay. This might be good for me. Let's see how long I could keep this up.

...answer? Not long.

Tentatively trying to pull away, I began, "Alright, maybe we should-"

"One more minute," he insisted, squeezing me tighter and shifting his head down now to instead nuzzle against my neck. His nose was cold and his breath tickled against my skin, making my cheeks warm. Welp, so much for not squirming.

Huh. He really seemed to be taking this whole pretend boyfriend thing very seriously. This was some extreme dedication to the role.

And there my insides went all over again, doing the whole warm, fuzzy, squishy thing. Alright, just breathe. Deep, calming breaths. Remember: Conceal, don't feel.

...maybe just focus on the concealing part. The not feeling part was already a lost cause.

"Ya know," Rayne's voice suddenly piped up nearby, causing me to jump, "maybe you two don't have to say goodnight just yet." Lea straightened up, loosening his grip on me just enough for us both to turn our heads to see she'd joined us. Gracing us with a sly smirk, she said, "I mean, if you want to really drive this date home for any eyes that might be prying, Lea could always, ya know..." her eyebrows bounced as she leaned in closer to whisper conspiratorially, "stay the night."

"What?!" My face erupted into blistering heat, the likes of which would've put the Sahara Desert to utter shame. "N...No! Absolutely not! How could you possibly even-"

She laughed, her finger booping my nose. "Relax, you silly goose. Of course he'd only sleep on the living room sofa! S'not like your grunkle's minion would have x-ray vision into our home."

Oh.

That's what she'd meant.

Well of course that's what she'd meant. It's not like she'd ever really suggest…

Actually, no, this was Rayne we were talking about here. I honestly wouldn't have put it past her.

She elbowed Lea in the arm, "So whaddya say, stud?"

He smiled, removing one hand from my waist to rub at the nape of his neck. "Well, I'd planned on getting some reading done for my classes tonight. But I do have my book bag in the backseat, so I suppose I could just as easily read here on your couch." His gaze shifted back down to mine, "That is of course, as long as you're okay with it!"

My face still recovering from its abrupt and devastating heatwave, I looked down and muttered, "Well, I… I suppose, ah… sure. Okay. I mean, just to keep up appearances… " My eyes flicked back up towards Rayne, "Thanks. I guess that's… actually a pretty good idea."

"Of course it is! I came up with it!" she beamed, planting her fists on her hips and puffing up her chest. Then she turned back to her husband, pressing her lips to his cheek as she linked her arm in his and led him over to the building entrance. Lea at last fully released me, but only long enough to unlock his car and pull out a messenger bag that looked heavy with textbooks. Kicking the door shut, he slung the strap of the bag over his head to hang across his chest before slipping an arm around my shoulders, grinning down at me as we followed the other two inside.

Once in our apartment, he removed the arm while Rayne pulled some spare pillows and bed sheets from the closet, tossing them onto the longest couch for Lea. Then grabbing a water bottle from the fridge, she unscrewed the cap and held her drink up high. "A toast! To Lea's sleepover! May it be the first of many!" she declared before tossing her head back to chug half the bottle.

Riku just snerked, shaking his head while Lea scratched his cheek with a weak chuckle and walked over to drop his bag on the sofa next to the blankets. I squeezed my eyes shut, pressing my fingers between my eyebrows with a soft sigh. Still, she had a point. I suppose it was only natural for my "boyfriend" to stay the night with some amount of frequency. Oh gosh, I hope this wouldn't be too much of an imposition on Lea.

As Rayne recapped the water bottle and put it down on the kitchen table, Riku stepped up to her, taking both her hands in his and pressing their foreheads together. "Hon, why don't we head to bed early tonight?" he asked, tone low and eyes hooded.

"Mmm," she breathed him in, smiling up at him through lowered lashes and nodding, "sounds good." As he pulled her towards their bedroom, Rayne glanced back at us. "Good night, you two! Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" she winked and waved before disappearing through the door, closing it behind her.

Silence followed. It felt strangely sudden and almost deafening.

I slowly turned to look at Lea.

He looked back, giving me a tiny smile.

That's when it struck me.

This was the first time in two full days I'd been alone with Lea. Like, really alone. Not in public, not where we had to put on the boyfriend-girlfriend act. Even when it'd just been the two of us in his car earlier tonight, even then we'd still had kind of been in the relative safety of pretend date mode. Besides, driving around in a car was completely different from being alone with him here, now, in my apartment late at night. Now that there was no more reason for all the hand holding, forehead kisses, and other little touches, things felt… well I wouldn't exactly say wrong per se, but more felt just kind of… off?

Panic was beginning to set in.

My mind was drawing a total blank.

I… didn't know how to be around him now. Not when we didn't have to fake a relationship anymore.

I'd forgotten how to act normal.

I think he could sense it too. The weirdness that had suddenly popped up out of nowhere. His eyebrows knit together, his gaze shifting about for a couple seconds. Then he opened his mouth to say something.

"Good night!" I loudly blurted out first.

Then I was in my bedroom so fast, you would have thought I'd spontaneously developed the power to teleport.

I slammed the door shut behind me, pressing my spine flat to it, eyes wide and taking shallow breaths through my nose. A few seconds passed where I just forced myself to inhale and exhale slowly a few times, trying to calm down. Then I winced, lightly banging the back of my head against the door.

Good job, Elsa. Way to make things mildly awkward. And for no real reason at all, you useless, hermitic dope!

With a small scowl, I shrugged out of the leather jacket and tossed it onto my bed. Then I unzipped my ankle boots, kicking them off and started pacing the length of my room back and forth, my hands twisting at my braid.

I couldn't just leave things like that. I had to talk to him. I had to toughen up and find an excuse to march my butt back out there. But what excuse?

My feet paused mid step as I glanced around my room for a minute before landing on one of my walls. Not just any wall. The one I shared with Riku's and Rayne's bedroom. Then I lightly tapped one fist into my palm. That's it! I quickly moved to my nightstand, opening the top drawer. Amongst its contents was a plastic baggie of earplugs. Digging out a pair and dropping the bag back into the drawer before closing it again, I then stepped over to my door. I took a second to take a deep breath and gather myself, standing up straighter and flicking my braid back behind me. Then with a firm, determined nod, I turned the knob and pulled, walking back out into the living room.

Lea was sitting on the couch that would be doubling for his bed tonight, arms splayed out wide to either side atop its backrest while he read the textbook that laid open in his lap. He'd pulled his hair out of its ponytail so his crimson locks were once again wild and free and he'd taken off his long-sleeved undershirt, now just wearing the tee.

Looking up at me, he all but leapt up to his feet. "El! Hi! I-" he grunted as the book he'd apparently forgotten was in his lap crashed down hard onto his foot.

I sucked in a tiny breath through my teeth with a frown, taking a step forward and reaching a hand out, "You okay?"

"Fine," he groaned. "I didn't need that toe anyway. It was only holding me back. Just dead weight." He laughed it off as he picked the textbook up off the floor, tossing it behind him onto the cushions before crossing his arms, "So, was there, ah… did you forget something?"

"Yes," I took a little step towards him, then frowned, glancing away. "Well, no…" I started to take a step back before catching myself. Wrong way, dork. "That is to say, sort of… er, I just...hm…" I thrust one fist forward, opening it palm facing up to reveal the earplugs, "Here!"

He stared down at them blankly. Then at me.

"Oh!" I gasped. "Right! Some sort of explanation would probably help." I gave a nervous heh. "So… uh… you know, those two," I gestured with my chin towards my roommates' bedroom door, "well, they just… the look they were giving each other before they went to bed, it's… well, it's a look I'm very familiar with from them. You know the look, the kind that should come with its own Marvin Gaye soundtrack. And those two… when they get going, they can really rattle the old headboard, if you know what I mean." A beat. Then I blanched. "Of course you know what I mean! Right, moving on. So uh… they are not quiet about it and they're definitely not quick. And these walls? They're thin. I'm talking like tissue paper thin. And not even the good Kleenex Deluxe kind of tissue, more like the cruddy, two-bit kind you'd get at the dollar store that just disintegrates if you even so much as breathe on it." Great, now I was just plain babbling. "These walls may as well not even be there for all the sound they block. Or rather, don't block. Then again, if they weren't there, then we'd not only hear but also see-" Wrap it up, girl, wrap it up. "A-Anyway! So just… just take these. You'll thank me later, believe me."

His eyes crinkled and he nodded, plucking them from my hand. "Alright, I'll take your word for it. Thanks."

Good. Okay. Yes, this was going well.

...huh. Though… slight hitch in the plan…

What now? I hadn't exactly thought this far ahead.

Maybe this was enough. I could now just make a graceful exit, leaving things in a better place than where I had previously. Yeah, that sounded good.

I gave him a tight-lipped grin, inching backwards as I pointed towards my room. "Okay then, I think I'll just…" But as I turned, my eyes landed on Rayne's and Riku's door again and I froze and grimaced. "Ah, shoot," I hissed under my breath.

"Problem?" I heard Lea ask behind me.

I shook my head, "I meant to ask Rayne to unzip my dress before she went to bed since the zipper is just where I can't reach and-" I blinked, then glanced over my shoulder at him sheepishly before fully turning to face him. "And why am I even telling you this? Forget I said anything. It's nothing, I'll figure it out."

"I can do it," he tossed the ear plugs onto the coffee table between us before stepping around it.

Waving my hands rapidly back and forth in front of me, I said, "No, it's fine. Really, you don't have to-"

"Don't be silly, just let me help you," he came to stop in front of me.

I tucked in my lower lip. Maybe I was just being silly about this. I mean, what was the big deal? Really? "...o-okay," I sighed, turning my back to him once more and sweeping my braid forward over one shoulder, running my hands down its length a few times. At least my old nemesis, The Blush, had the common courtesy to wait until I was no longer looking at Lea before creeping its way up into my cheeks.

I could sense him taking another step closer to me, could hear his gentle breathing as I felt his fingers undo the clasp at the top of the zipper. One of his fingertips incidentally grazed my skin and I couldn't stop a tiny shiver. Then there was a pause. Like… a long pause. I frowned straight ahead, uncertain. Nothing seemed to be happening. I turned my head slightly, stopping just short of actually being able to look back at him. "...everything okay?"

"Uh… yeah, the uh…" he cleared his throat, "...the stupid thing just got stuck for a sec there, but it's all good now." At last, the sound of the dress unzipping reached my ears. "There ya go, you're all set!"

My hand darted to clutch at the back of my dress, holding it together as I whipped around to face him. My blush? Only seemed to be growing in strength. I started backing away, "Th-thanks… for that. That was really… something. Nice! That was nice. Of you. To do that… for me. I-" I crashed into my door frame and stumbled. "Oops. Heh. Who put that there? Um… anyway…"

And on that eloquent and fully formed note, I dashed into my room, banging the door closed. Then I puffed out a breath, slumping down to sit on the floor as I pinched the bridge of my nose.

Great. Just dandy. I hadn't left things mildly awkward this time. Oh no, I'd only left them mega, ultra, super awkward now. Progress! Superb. Just perfect.

That's it. It's decided. I'm not fit for human contact. I was just going to barricade myself in this room and never come out ever again. Ever. Period. The outside world would be better off without me anyhow. Good bye, people. Hello, sweet sweet solitude. I-

I heard a muffled buzz and my head snapped up. It'd come from Lea's jacket on my bed. I squinted at it for a second. Then it clicked. My phone! I half crawled, half scrabbled over to it, digging into the pocket and pulling it out, swiping the screen.

There was a new text from Lea.

2nite was fun

I blinked, looking over at my door. Then back down at my phone, pursing my lips to one side. My thumbs hovered over the keyboard for a second. Then slowly I began to type.

I thought so too.

I waited as those three little dots hopped in a row.

We shud totes do it again sometime

A huff of amusement escaped through my nose, the tension starting to leave my body.

I'd really like that.

Then I tipped my head to one side, grinning slightly as I tapped away further.

I'm paying next time though.

The dots were dancing on my screen again.

Aight, if u insist. But b warned, Im not a cheap date

Now I actually laughed.

I can live with that.

Perhaps I'd been a bit too hasty. Maybe there was no need to barricade myself in here. Not just yet anyway. I'd hold off for a bit.

At least long enough to see what tomorrow would bring.

Author's Note: Anyone else notice Lea's shirts seem to be getting tighter and tighter every new excuse he has to see Elsa out of his work clothes? I think he's subconsciously putting on a courtship display to present himself as a sexually viable mate xD Ahem, moving on… Fun Fact 1: Fuente Del Oro is a real, Coco-themed restaurant over in Disneyland Park in Paris! Google translate says the name means "Gold Fountain", oooOOooo pretty! I really hope Coco makes it into one of the future KH games eventually! Fun Fact 2: Elsa's dress this chapter is inspired by her purple dress from when she sings Into The Unknown in Frozen 2! Just picture it shorter and more cocktail-dressy. And I know in the movie, that purple dress is a nightgown, but shhh, we'll just forget that part. And the dress Lea described in his "how we met" story? Loosely based on Elsa's Show Yourself dress - again just picture it shorter, more practical and more sundressy xD Also if you haven't heard of it, Before Sunrise is a real movie, not to mention a real SAPPY movie. Kind of slow, but cute. I'd actually never heard of it until I started writing this chapter - saw a gif go by on tumblr of the lead couple from the movie doing something adorable that made me go "oh gosh, that's SO Lea and Elsa!" and had to watch it xD I'm kind of happy it came along when it did though, cuz it gave me inspiration for Lea's "how we met" story :)

Next chapter, what new challenges will Elsa face in her adventures in fake dating? Will she ever be able to work up the courage to initiate a display of affection herself? Just how much of a "not a cheap date" is Lea really? What about his shirts? CAN they get any tighter? Stay tuned!

Thanks for reading, I super duper appreciate it! And an extra BIG thank you to those of you who’ve liked, reblogged, and followed so far, seeing those lil notifications always brings the biggest, goofiest smile to my face!

FIRST CHAPTER || PREVIOUS CHAPTER || NEXT CHAPTER

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crystalwillow · 4 years ago

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Against All Odds, Part Two

Pairing: James Whitmore x Lillie Jones

Word Count: 2.4K

==================================

It was close to two week since James and Lillie had last seen each other and their date was fast approaching. Lillie was frustrated because James wouldn’t give any clues as to where he was Taking Lillie and wouldn’t even tell her what sort of outfit to wear. The only thing he would respond anytime she asked was “I’ve got it handled.” which frustrated her to no end. But finally the day rolled around and she was awoken by her doorbell ringing early in the morning. Luckily she was already up, so she raced to the door and opened it to be greeted by the mail man delivering her post along with a fancy looking box. Curious and having a feeling the box was from James, she thanked the mail man and hurriedly headed inside to her living room, tossing the letters aside and opening the box. Inside she gasped as she pulled out a beautiful silk blue gown, and peered inside to see some glittery white silver high heels and a note.

Taking a deep breath she read the note aloud. “Hey Lillie. I hope you’re excited for our date. This is the outfit I’d like for you to wear tonight and accessories with those cute butterfly earrings and necklace you were wearing the other day in your video you posted. I look forward to seeing you later, enjoy your morning. James x”

Lillie delicately placed the heels and dress back in the box and ran to her room placing it on her bed for later, then hurried back to the kitchen to make herself some breakfast before getting ready and going for a run. Today was going to be a good day and nobody was going to bring her down. Not even snooty paparazzo who just wanted to make her look awful. She’s Lillie Rose Jones and she will take the day by storm.

She ran two laps of her block before heading back inside and taking a well earned shower. She then ordered a light lunch to be delivered to her house whilst she caught up on the admin side of her work. Her accountant had recently fallen ill and Lillie had insisted that she took the time off to recover. It was a good job Lillie left school with an A* in math, because if she hadn’t she would be struggling right now. Just as she finished juggling the books, her phone rang and lit up with James’ name on the screen.

“James, hey!”

“Hey stranger.”

“What’s up?”

“Nothing much. Just wanted to hear your voice.”

“Sappy.”

“Hey!”

The two laughed before Lillie let out a tired sigh and a yawn.

“Are you okay?” James asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’ve just been going through my books. My accountant’s fallen ill and I don’t have anyone else who can do it. I guess I just forgot how tiring it is.” she chuckled as she yawned again.

“Are you going to be okay for our date?”

“I am. I was just about to go and take a 2 hour nap then get up and ready.”

“Lillie. It’s 2pm, our reservation is for 8pm.”

“Exactly. A 2 hour nap will take me to 4pm, 30 minutes to wake up and freshen up takes us to 4:30pm. 2 hours to get ready takes us to 6:30pm. And then, I’m just waiting on you.”

James chuckled. “I forgot how organized you are.”

“You forgot?! Oh you’ll pay for that!” Lillie laughed.

“Will I now?” James teased.

“You will. As punishment. I’m not turning up for our date!” Lillie huffed playfully down the phone as she took some milk from the fridge.

“Hey! That’s not fair! You can’t forfeit our date just because I forgot how organized you are!”

“Can too!” Lillie protested.

“You’d break my heart over my error?”

“Aw James, of course I wouldn’t. I’m just playing with you.”

“Well it wasn’t very fun.” James replied and Lillie giggled as she could hear the pout in his voice.

“Oh stop pouting, you big baby.”

“What?! How-”

Lillie just laughed. The two shared a few more words before Lillie hung up and headed to her room for her nap. Before they knew it, the time for their date had come around and James found himself on Lillie’s doorstep taking a deep breath and fixing his suit before reaching out and ringing her doorbell which caused her to suddenly freak out from inside. She steadied her breath and put a smile on her face as she opened the door. James looked at her and his jaw dropped as he took in how stunning she looked.

“Hey.” Lillie said nervously as she stepped forwards to give him a hug.

“H-hey. You look um… wow.” James blushed.

He marveled at her beauty for a while longer before taking her hand and walking back to the car with her holding onto his arm.

“Where are we going?” Lillie asked as the door was closed behind them.

“Now why would I tell you that and ruin the surprise Miss. Jones?”

“Because you like me just enough to do so.”

“I like you more than enough to do so. But, I have restraint. You’ll have to wait and see.”

“You’re seriously no fun when you’re like this James.” Lillie huffed as she crossed her arms.

“Oh come on. You can seriously look cute in a dress whilst pouting.”

“I’m doing it aren’t I?”

“Very well. Yes. But you won’t get me to crack. Can I offer you some alcohol-free champagne?” James asked, motioning to the center console.

“You got alcohol-free champagne just for me?”

“Well I wouldn’t be a very good date if I tried to make you drink actual alcohol, knowing you’ve switched to non alcoholic drinks. Which by the way. The organizers at The Met Gala should have told you it was alcoholic alcohol you were drinking the other night.”

“It was?! Ugh. No wonder I overslept and woke up with a killer migraine.” Lillie complained as James handed her a glass.

The journey to where James had made their reservation passed by quicker than expected and soon, James was helping Lillie step out of the car and they walked into a lovely restaurant together hand in hand.

“I hope tonight is to your liking.” James said nervously as the waiter walked away after handing them their menus to browse over.

“As long as you’re here. I’m sure it’ll be just fine.” Lillie smiled.

James smiled back and took a sip of his drink.

“What are you getting as your starter?” Lillie asked.

“Hmm. I’m not sure.”

“I think I’m going to go with the bruschetta.”

“Mmmm. I’ll take that too. What about the main course.”

“The pork belly, with apple purée and sprouting broccoli.”

“Good shout. I’m going to go with the smoked salmon and rice I think.”

“Nice.”

“Dessert?”

“Can we share it?”

“I don’t see why not.”

“Then could I request the chocolate cake with a forest fruit coulis?”

“You certainly can.” James smiled and they placed their menus on the table and James placed their order and they waited patiently for the food to come out.

They enjoyed their starter as it came and then waited excitedly for their main courses.

“So tell me… What was life for the elusive James Whitmore before stardom?”

James chuckled and took a sip of his wine. “Well. It was a regular life. I was at college, taking a major in agriculture and a minor in sociology. I was clueless, didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do with my life, started posting short video clips on my social media just for fun. Then I decided why not make longer videos? Eventually, I was picked up for modeling by Dior and haven’t looked back since.” He smiled and took another sip of wine, then looked at Lillie through curious, narrowed eyes. “What about you? What was life like for pre-famed Lillie Jones?”

Lillie chuckled and subtly avoided his gaze, saved by the waiter coming over with their main courses.

“One pork belly and one smoked salmon?”

“Ah yes. The pork belly would be mine and the fish would be his.” Lillie told the waiter with a polite smile and she placed them in the correct places.

“Enjoy.” she smiled with a slight curtsey before turning and heading over to another table.

“Thank you.” Lillie said after her before turning her attention back to her food on the table.

“So?” James questioned as he cut into his fish.

“So…?” Lillie asked

“You still need to answer my question.”

“Oh. Right. Of course. Um.. well you see, the thing is.. Before all this. I couldn’t afford to go to college so I was there on a scholarship. But there was this guy that I angered somehow. It must have been through winning a mock debate in a lecture one day because I didn’t interact with him outside of the class. Long story short, I never got my law degree because he pulled a series of pranks that always led back to me being the culprit and I got kicked from the college. My dream is to one day go back to college and gain my law degree and go on to be a lawyer as I’ve always wanted to be.”

James listened intently, furrowing his brow and clenching his jaw at the mention of some guy he didn’t even know, being a douche to Lillie for no valid reason. Lillie clocked it and felt butterflies form in the pit of her stomach before she took a deep breath and a bite of her pork belly.

“So let me get this straight. You were put into a mock debate situation, I’m guessing to show what skills you already possessed and what could use work, and some douchebag idiot done everything he could to get you thrown out of the college because you won the debate?”

“Pretty much, and I was there on scholarship so I’m sure that didn’t help my case.”

James scoffed and shook his head as he chewed another bite of his fish before his expression turned thoughtful. “I suppose in some ways I should thank him though.”

“How so?”

“Well… If he hadn't done that, we may never have met.”

“I guess there’s some truth to that.” Lillie nodded thoughtfully.

They finished the rest of their meal and drinks in a bubbly atmosphere before they split the check and paid for everything. As they stepped outside, James offered Lillie his hand.

“May I? I thought we could take a slow walk back to your place.”

Lillie smiled brightly as she placed her hand in James’ lightly. It was the first time she had been on a date like this with someone who acted like a decent human being. Her past experiences had been going to a club and ending up entangled with the person by the end of the night, waking up the next morning with deep regrets and breaking things off two months later. Granted this had only happened 5 or 6 times, but that didn’t mean the experience was any less horrific in value. As they walked side by side, Lillie smiled up at James who turned his head and smiled back at her just as softly. They took their time, taking in the full beauty of New York in the night time and the stars overhead, basking in each other’s presence and just simply being. There wasn’t a word that needed to be said, they just walked in a comfortable silence, hand in hand as they headed back towards Lillie’s place. At some point Lillie shivered, despite wearing a faux fur coat that she owned, which paired with the dress James got her perfectly. Noticing the slight shiver, James wrapped his arm around her shoulder, holding her closer to share his body heat with her and she nuzzled her head into his shoulder, eyes starting to feel heavy. Though she didn’t mind as they weren’t far from her house now. When they arrived there, they faced each other on the porch.

“Did you want to come in for a nightcap before you leave?” Lillie asked hopefully.

“Do you want me to?” James questioned back with his brow slightly raised.

“Me wanting you to or not shouldn’t be what you base your decision on mister.” she giggled and playfully jabbed his side with her finger.

“Hey!” he laughed tiredly, stifling a yawn.

“You could always come in and stay the night in my guest room. It contains a bed dressed up in only the finest silk.”

James gave her a sly smile. “Just admit you don’t want my presence to leave yet already.” he teased.

Lillie giggled. “So what if that holds some truth? Could you blame me?”

“Honestly? Not really. No.” James laughed richly.

“So… are you coming in?” Lillie asked

“...yeah.” James smiled and Lillie unlocked the door, stepping inside with James following closely behind her and closing the door before joining her in the kitchen.

“What can I get you?” she asked, finding a couple of glasses and filling her own with water.

“I think I’ll join you in having water. I found the wine a bit too….”

“Drying?” Lillie asked, finishing his sentence with a smile as she passed him a glass of water too.

“Exactly that.” James responded and took a long swig of his drink, sighing happily.

The two stayed up for a little while longer before they started yawning uncontrollably.

“Let me show you to your room.” Lillie smiled, stopping along the way to grab some fresh towels from the laundry cupboard along the way. She then stopped outside of a door, keying in a code to unlock it.

“I have a coded door? Fancy.” James commented.

“Yeah, well I’m sure you’re aware of the time I got robbed whilst I was away at a New York Fashion Week last year.”

“Yeah… I’m sorry that happened to you, by the way.”

“Thanks.”

James offered a comforting smile and followed her into the room.

“There’s an en suite if you prefer to shower before bed, and if you need to leave the room at any point, the code is written down on a piece of paper in that top drawer there.” Lillie said, smiling.

“Thank you. Oh and Lillie?” James said, gently grabbing her wrist

“Yeah.” replied spinning to face him.

“Goodnight.” he smiled.

Lillie stepped in closer and kissed his cheek sweetly. “Goodnight James.” she smiled before heading out, closing the door behind. James sat on the bed and listened as her footsteps echoed down the hallway before they stopped and he heard a door open and close.

========================================================================

A/N: I had currently only planned two parts for this AU. But, I’m wondering if you guys would be interested in me making it a multi-part AU or just adding one more part to round it off. I just want to give you all something that’s different and doesn’t contain Choices characters. Comment and let me know, or let me know in your reblogs (if you choose to reblog that is).

#not choices #love sick interactive game #love sick lillie jones #love sick james whitmore #love sick vampire ball #vampire ball au #james whitmore x mc #james whitmore x lillie jones

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jimlingss · 4 years ago

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DUDE... jungle park iz DA BOMB... the plot twists ugh-- i love how hoseok still fell in love with yn even though years passed and actually has amnesia(god that was stressful) but im happy that they still found each other, like the universe is telling them that they really are meant for each other(i know i know it's a fic but dont burst my bubble AJAAAJAAJJA) AND SKSKKSK I'M TOTALLY BINGING ON YOUR SERIES ASKDSKS 2 stories left for the slice of life series then next are your other stories AKKjaaj

nochujeonjk said: and i realized that every single one of the series just makes me tear up with slight sadness, or made me smile from ear to ear without even realizing it, or makes me think and feel things as i finished reading the last sentence or word. like there's this sudden spark of delight. (woah im like so deep into this im releasing my inner, inner, deeper DEEP DEEP~ expressiveness)

nochujeonjk said: OMG I JUST FINISHED THE SLICE OF LIFE SERIES AND IM SO PUMPED I DONT EVEN KNOW WHY-- but im sad, it's over for me.... though i know that the series are something that i'll probably seek out and read again in the future. it taught me a lot of things ngl. made me realize things about life. that not everything are rainbows and fields of flowers, BUT! you can aim it if you will not give up!! AND I LOVE ALL OF THEIR CHARACTERS AND PERSONALITIES AND I'LL PROBABLY MISS THEM

and thank you, again, for releasing such stories. the president's son taehyung actually relates to me a little, how lonely he was growing up. but im happy that yn came back and they changed each other for the better. instead of pushing each other down, they helped each other and lifted their spirits up, changing the way they perceive things and people around them. it is also lighthearted and soft for me AND IM NOT COMPLAINING. while for the colour of our voices shows the hardships of life that

- some of us take for granted. yet some hardships also push us to strive and work harder. wait-- TF SOUNDS LIKE IM WRITING AN ESSAY FOR MY ENGLISH CLASS IM SORRY DONT MIND THIS ASKDSK -- but im really happy bc jimin and yn realized their mistakes and tried to understand each other(even if they're duMB SHH) but im glad they reached their dreams(i hope me too). OKAY THATS SAPPY BUT IM REALLY HAPPY ON HOW EVERYTHING TURNED OUT. and also,'the ultimate drabble' gave me a warm feeling that i cant

explain, that even though they are all different characters from different stories, they are all somehow connected to each other. AND ALSO I WONT FORGET THOSE LITTLE CAMEOS OF THEY CHARACTERS FROM DIFFERENT STORIES AKFLKDF THAT SOMEHOW SHOWS THAT THEYRE NOT ALONE. AND NOW IT'S TIME TO LEAVE THIS UNIVERSE (ASKFKS) BUT IT WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN-- i need to rest ive been reading to much but its TIME TO READ OTHER STORIES OF YOURS THANK YOU ILY(btw my fav character is min yoonji I LOVE HER BYE)

Oh my goodness! I’m so glad you enjoyed it and thank you for giving such extensive feedback. Jungle Park still remains one of my blog’s classics so I’m happy you liked it haha and I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the others as well. It’s definitely a series that I wrote so that anyone could re-read whenever they want at whatever point they want - which is definitely different to a lot of my other stories, namely the angsty ones which I find is hard to re-read.

Anyway, my main intentions with the SOL series is not to deliver a particular message lol - I’m not inclined to preach and show that life isn’t that hard or anything like that bc who am I to tell people what their mottos should be for life. With that being said, while it’s not in my intentions, messages inadvertently come as a side effect with the storylines. So, I’m happy you were able to draw such positive conclusions for yourself and that it can inspire you in such a way!! There’s definitely a lot that all my characters learn in each one and different struggles that they face, and how each couple grows to develop and understand one another.

I digress, thank you for taking the time out of your day to not only read my series but to leave so much loving feedback :]

#Jimlings #nochujeonjk

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miguel-manbemel · 4 years ago

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Aspects & Fanfics Ep. 45: Beware the Paladin Part 5: The Royal Family Grows

This episode serves as an ending to the multipart story Beware the Paladin. I hope that you all have been enjoying the story so far and the ending is not disappointing to your expectations. The next story I’ll be working on will be a story out of the main narrative, a Halloween one-off special that I hope you all enjoy. So I’ll see you next time in a little less than two weeks, on Halloween. Until next time!

SYNOPSIS: Roman is scared of the fact that he’s going to have a baby, both for what he’s about to go through and because he’s going through it without Virgil by his side. Chris tries to convince Virgil to forget his differences with Roman and be with Roman when the moment comes, but Virgil shows himself reluctant and it’s improbable that Chris will manage to convince him on time before the new baby is born.

WARNINGS: Depicts a pregnancy and delivery. Implied sexual innuendo, very slight.

EPISODE INDEX

[Chris is looking right at the camera in shock]

CHRIS: I… I’m sorry I’m staring at you, guys, gals and non binary pals. I’m just… how do I say it… in shock, I guess? I mean, I shouldn’t be. After all I’m here which means that this could happen again at any time, but still… I’m rambling. I guess it will be better if I tell you what happened so that you understand why I’m… why we’re all like this. You see, Patton returned safely from the Core and thanks to a new ability that the Core gave him, now he can heal injures from the other Sides. With that new power, he cured Janus’ head injury and woke him up. With everybody ready, we all entered in autopilot and Talyn hypnotized Thomas and Joan to resynchronize Thomas’ brainwaves and restore his contact with us. That went fine… but in the meantime, my parents, Roman and Virgil, tried to fix their relationship, very damaged after the Paladin’s words. They seemed to have talked it all out and decided to give a chance to their relationship again. But then, after some time they spent in their bedroom in autopilot, suddenly they started arguing and Virgil claimed that the Paladin had taken control of Roman again, for a short time, to tell Virgil that Roman blamed him for my leg injury, and that Roman thought that Virgil was bad for my development. That was the last straw for Virgil and he decided to leave Roman’s room and return to his own room, to put his ideas in order and decide if he wanted to break up with my father definitely or not. He’s now there at this very moment… but the time they spent in the bedroom seems to have had consequences for my father… He just said… I still don’t believe what he said… excuse me, I’m gonna ask him again. Roll title screen, please.

[intro sequence]

CHRIS: I’m sorry, father… I think… I think I didn’t hear you right. Did you just say…?

ROMAN: Have you ever imagined having a brother. Yes, I just said that Chris. I think… I think I’m having a baby.

THOMAS: Gosh, Sides’ biology is so confusing… So one time Virgil gets pregnant and the next time the one who gets pregnant is you? How’s that possible?

ROMAN: Don’t ask me, Thomas. Just like you, I’m not in control of my inner organs. Yes, this time it’s me who’s got pregnant and we did nothing different from the last time, but that’s how it goes, I guess. It seems in a relationship between Sides, who’s gonna deliver the baby is just chosen randomly. This was so unexpected. We both had decided not to have any more children, and now…

LOGAN: Roman…

ROMAN: I know what you’re gonna say, that if we didn’t want more children, we should have taken protection, and that we’ve been a bunch of senseless fools. And you’re right, we should have taken protection, but we didn’t. After two weeks apart, we had just reconciled… so, we both got overwhelmed by our feelings, so repressed for so many days. They blurred our reason and… it just happened naturally. We didn’t even think about anything else other than being together sharing our mutual true love after so long. And this is the result. Born from our love, a new Side is about to join the fam.

CHRIS: Wow… I can’t believe this… I’m… I’m gonna be a big brother? [starts crying] Why am I getting so emotional all of a sudden? I know I’m Thomas’ sensitivity but how can I get so sensitive over someone I don’t even know?

PATTON: Well, kiddo, a new kid joining the family should always be a motive of rejoice, and becoming a big brother is no less emotional.

ROMAN: But this was so unexpected.

REMUS: Well, if you do it without protection, what did you expect? Did you think that a stork would deliver the baby at your door or something, like Patton believed before Logan taught him otherwise with practical lessons?

[Remus wiggles his eyebrows at Logan, who blushes and gives Remus a silent dirty look]

ROMAN: Ugh… My royal suit is starting to get too tight. Like it happened to Virgil, this is going fast, so fast I barely even have time to react about it, and my body is changing by the minute… I feel like a bag of popcorn in the microwave. And I didn’t want to deliver any kids… I’m so scared…

THOMAS: Are you saying that you don’t want to…?

ROMAN: No, I didn’t say that. I’m scared to death of what I’m about to go through… but at the same time… I don’t know… it’s a strange feeling of joy and happiness. Just like when you were born, Chris. And, same as you, I don’t even know him – because we already know it’s gonna be a him as all of us, Thomas’ Sides, share with him the same gender, age and sexuality – I don’t even know him yet, but I can’t wait to have him in my arms. I’m frightened of what comes immediately before but I can’t wait for what comes next. I do want to have him. I desperately want to have him now. I haven’t seen his face… and I already love him with all my heart. I know it’s sappy… but I can’t express it with other words.

PATTON: You’re not sappy, Roman. This is something that only those who have experienced parenthood can really understand. If there’s a form of true love at first sight, I think this is the purest form of this kind of love, a parent meeting their kid for the first time. Even before, like you said, that love is already present and strong. It happened the same to me when I had Virgil. I just looked at his tiny little face once, and I immediately knew giving him love and protecting him from all harm would be the center and purpose of my life forever. Not even the Dark Master deleting my memories could erase the love I’ve always felt for Virgil. From the moment I saw him years later, all grown up, even when I didn’t remember he was my son, I loved him with the same strength I had loved him as a baby, if not stronger.

CHRIS: Speaking about Virgil… Father, you do realize that we need to tell him about this, right?

ROMAN: I know, but I don’t want to disturb him. He wants to be alone, he made it very clear.

CHRIS: But this changes everything, father. This is important for him. He has the right to know he’s about to be a father again. Besides, his complaints come from you hiding things from him. I don’t think hiding this important event from him and denying him the chance of being present on his second son’s birth is the best way to solve your issues. It would make them even worse if possible.

PATTON: Chris is right, Roman. Wow, Chris, you have matured so fast. Now you speak like a proper adult man and I’m proud of you, kiddo.

CHRIS: [smirks] I love the contradiction of you considering me an adult man and ending the phrase with “kiddo”. It’s such a lovely trait on your part, grandpa. Thank you. [to Roman, serious again] Well, father. What do you say?

ROMAN: [beat, then he sighs] I think you’re right, Chris. Virgil needs to know and we must tell him… But I wouldn’t dare to enter his room now… I’m scared of making everything worse if I do.

CHRIS: You don’t have to tell him yourself, father. If you want me to, I can go see him in your place.

ROMAN: Ow! This suit is too tight, I can barely breathe… [summons an XL-sized version of the suit, wide enough to conceal his growing belly] There… that’s much better. It’s so weird… As I said I can already feel something moving inside of me… well, not something, someone. [puts his hands on his belly] It’s so weird, but so wholesome at the same time…

CHRIS: The pregnancy is going fast, so I can’t waste more time. I shall go to dad’s room. He should be here with you when the delivery comes.

ROMAN: Please, don’t mention the word “delivery”… I’m so scared of it, and it’s just around the corner… The Dragon Witch is just a roasted chicken compared to this battle I’ve got ahead… I seriously admire human women who can go through this, even worse than me, and stay strong… Now, Chris, are you sure you want to do this? Maybe I should swallow my fear and go tell him myself. I’m a prince and I should be brave enough to talk to my husband about this.

CHRIS: No, father. I do think that facing your fear and telling him yourself would be the right thing to do under normal circumstances. I would support you and it would make me proud that you would do that. However, in your state, it will be better that you stay here, not traveling between rooms and putting yourself in a situation of stress, cause you’ve settled down on having him and you don’t want a miscarriage, do you? If that thing is possible for us, Sides, I don’t know… Just in case, wait here, okay? I’ll go speak to him.

ROMAN: Okay… I’m so proud of you, my boy. Please, tell Virgil that I love him… [suddenly sad] No, it will be better if you don’t tell him that, I don’t want him to feel pushed.

CHRIS: [putting his hand on Roman’s cheek] He knows you love him, father, and you know that he loves you back. I’m sure everything will be fixed eventually, don’t worry. [to the others] Please, guys, take care of him while I’m gone, okay?

PATTON: Don’t worry about anything, kiddo, we’ll take care of Roman.

[Chris nods, smiling, then smiles one last time at Roman and sinks down. Then he rises up in Virgil’s room. The room is all dusty, more than what was usual for Virgil’s room, the signal of not having been inhabited for a long time]

CHRIS: Well, it seems dad didn’t have time to tidy this room yet… Dad! Dad, are you here? I know you asked me not to come, but something’s happened! Something that needs your immediate attention! Dad!

[Virgil goes down the stairs]

VIRGIL: Chris, what are you doing here? I thought I told you that I wanted to be alone.

CHRIS: I know, dad, but this is an emergency. I need you to come with me to the living room.

VIRGIL: To the living room? What for? Did something happen to Thomas?

CHRIS: No, not to Thomas. This is something about father.

VIRGIL: About Roman? What, did he turn into the Paladin again? Maybe something went wrong with the hypnosis or something? I hope it’s an emergency of that kind, because I’m not interested in anything else related to your father, not for the time being.

CHRIS: It’s not that… but listen…

VIRGIL: Chris, I understand that you love us both and I appreciate that you try to mediate between us. But you can’t just meddle into this issue like this. You could cause more harm than good.

CHRIS: Dad, listen…

VIRGIL: I don’t want to see Roman right now. So you can tell him that I’m not interested in anything that he…

CHRIS: [interrupting him, yelling] You’re gonna be a father again!

[Virgil looks at Chris, stunned and speechless]

CHRIS: Yes, that’s what I came here to tell you. Father has gotten pregnant of you and you both are about to give me a little brother.

VIRGIL: A… a new son? But… but how? I thought that I was the one that…

CHRIS: So did we, but it seems we were all wrong. Father’s pregnancy has already started and you know how fast this goes. He will be delivering soon, and he would love you to be there when the time comes to support him.

VIRGIL: But… I’m not ready to face him yet.

CHRIS: Dad, please. Can’t you push aside your differences just for a couple of hours? He needs you now, he’s so scared. You should know better since you’ve also delivered a child, me. I don’t remember, of course, but I bet you’ll never forget how you felt before that. That’s how Roman is feeling right now. Please, dad, I beg you. Come with me.

VIRGIL: [anxious] I… I can’t… I can’t! This is like some sort of emotional blackmail, is it not? He sent you as his tool to make me feel like trash and push me into coming back! Well, if he thinks he’s gonna manipulate me into coming back to him just because…

CHRIS: [angry yelling, interrupting Virgil] Are you listening to yourself!? It’s Roman we’re talking about, not the Dark Master, for f… [bleep] sake! Father didn’t want to tell you at first, because he didn’t want to disturb you in your retirement! It was me who thought that you had the right to know the news! He was so afraid to tell you in person he wouldn’t dare to bother you! Heck, he was afraid of even asking me to tell you that he loves you, so don’t you f… [bleep] dare to say he would…!

[Chris stops mid sentence, trying to calm himself down, while Virgil doesn’t say a word. Then Chris sighs and speaks with a calmer voice that can’t conceal the disappointment]

CHRIS: I’m sorry… You’re still my dad and I should speak to you with respect… Well, now you know the news, and you are free to do with this information whatever you consider. But if you want my humble opinion… Father was there supporting you when you delivered me. Now, he’s going through those exact same feelings of terror, insecurity and pain you went through back then, and I think it would be fair that you were there supporting him, at least while it happens, just like he was there supporting you when you went through that. Then, you both are free to stay separated, to divorce, or to do whatever the heck you want to do with your lives as free adult Sides, but now Roman needs you. If you don’t want to be there as a husband, at least be there as a friend to comfort him, and be there also as the father of the creature that’s coming to this world, who also has the right to enjoy your presence. That’s all I have to say, dad, and I won’t force you to do anything. I’m going back to father, because if you don’t wanna be there, I’ll try to fill your place and support him. But you and I know very well it won’t be the same for him. Bye, dad.

[Chris looks at Virgil one last time with eyes of huge disappointment, then sinks down. Virgil looks at the empty spot, still speechless after his son’s speech. Then, Chris rises up in the living room. Roman’s belly is already huge]

ROMAN: Well… How did it go?

CHRIS: I gave him the news. He said he’s not ready to face you yet… among other things I’ll better keep for myself.

ROMAN: [sad] I see… Well, thanks for trying, son.

CHRIS: Don’t worry, father. If he doesn’t want to be with you, I will be with you. You’re not alone, okay?

[Roman smiles sadly at Chris]

ROMAN: Thank you, son. I love you so much.

THOMAS: And we’re all here for you too, Roman. You are not alone by any means.

ROMAN: I know, guys, and I thank you all… It’s just… that this isn’t gonna be the same without Virgil. And I don’t mean only this happening right now. My life as a whole is not gonna be the same without Virgil by my side. I thought we were gonna grow old together, and now…

[Roman can’t help a little sob. Chris hugs Roman]

CHRIS: It’s okay, father. It’s okay. Things will get better and you’ll feel better in time, you’ll see.

ROMAN: [in pain] Aw, it hurts! Aw!

CHRIS: [startled, suddenly releasing Roman from his hug] What!? Did I hurt you on the belly with my hug!? I’m sorry!

ROMAN: No, Chris, it’s not the hug, it’s…! Aw! [puts his hand on his belly as if he was in a terrible pain]

LOGAN: The baby is coming!

CHRIS: Already!? Oh, my gosh!

TALYN: Wow, I came here to perform a session of hypnosis, I didn’t expect to witness a birth.

JOAN: Me neither, but that’s what you get when you hung up with the Sanders Sides, I guess. Every day is an adventure.

[Roman summons a hospital gown around him]

ROMAN: I hope you don’t mind if I summon my own gown, Logan. Nobody needs to see my posterior, you know? I mean, they would be wowed by it’s beauty, but that’s a view I reserve only for… [suddenly sad again] …well, you know who… [in pain, yelling] Ugh! Get me to the couch or I’ll drop the baby right on the floor!

[Logan and Janus help Roman lie down on the couch. Chris holds Roman’s hand]

CHRIS: I’m here with you, all the way through.

ROMAN: Thanks, Chris, I…

[suddenly Virgil rises up. Everybody looks at him]

ROMAN: [surprised and a little afraid] Vi… Virgil…

VIRGIL: [shy voice, looking away] Are… are you okay, Roman?

CHRIS: [slightly reproachful] You took your time, dad. You almost didn’t make it.

VIRGIL: I… I’m sorry, guys… I was afraid that you all would be mad at me after what I said… If you want me to leave, I’ll understand.

THOMAS: No, don’t leave! You don’t need to be afraid of us, Virgil. We’re your friends and family. We don’t hate you and we’re not mad at you.

VIRGIL: There’s more, though… [to Roman] Roman, I… I was afraid to show up here and be rejected by you… just like I rejected you earlier. I guess this all comes down to my fear of rejection. After the Paladin said these words through your lips… I feared that you would eventually reject me and… I rejected you before you had the chance of doing it first. I guess you were right from the start. I… I’m a paranoid after all. [ironic titter] Even now, I’m imagining that everyone in this room is against me, somehow…

PATTON: We’re not, Virgil. Like Thomas said, we love you.

ROMAN: Virgil… You’re my reason to live. How could I reject you? And you’re not a paranoid… not any more than anyone of us and certainly not any more than me. We all fear rejection. Just a moment ago, I was afraid of being rejected by you, that’s why Chris stepped in to tell you what’s going on with me. But I love you… I always loved you and I think I forever will. If you only gave me the chance, I’d show you that I wouldn’t let you down, and that I would never, ever reject you. I promise.

VIRGIL: Roman, I…

ROMAN: And please, whatever you decide, I beg you, don’t listen to the words I said as the Paladin. He’s only a part of me that I can’t control, who always puts in my mouth things out of context in twisted ways, trying to put you away from me. That’s not me. I swear that’s not me and I don’t think the things he says.

JANUS: Virgil, you asked me the other day if the Paladin was saying the truth, and I detected he was. But now I’m telling you that Roman is saying the truth too, which means either that the Paladin is such a good liar that he can fool even me, or the most probable, that he’s so insane that he believes his own lies, which makes him undetectable by me, because for him, it’s the truth. You can trust Roman in this.

ROMAN: With Thomas’ treatment, I hope the Paladin will stay locked up inside of me and never come back out again. But if he ever tries, know that I will fight him with all my strength, to defend you from him and his poisonous words so that he never harms you again. I’ll protect you with my life from him if need be. By my royal crown, I swear I won’t let him break my family again if you give me the chance to put my family back together again! Please, Virgil!

VIRGIL: [tearing up] I’m sorry, Roman. I should have trusted you better and not let my fears overwhelm me. I still love you and I never wanted to leave you, because you too are my reason to live, Roman, and I think I’d be miserable… no, I already was miserable without you.

[Roman gives an emotional smile to Virgil]

ROMAN: You’re making me the happiest creature on existence with these words, Virgil. I love you, so… so… much… [suddenly in pain] Ugh! But I guess I’ll have to show you my love later, because there’s a little baby that can’t wait to be ejected out of mi body! Aw!

VIRGIL: [rushing towards Roman] Keep calm, Roman. [to Chris, who is still holding Roman’s hand] Can I…?

[Chris steps aside, smiling fondly at Virgil]

CHRIS: Of course, dad. His hand has always been yours to hold. It’s a shame that the couch is next to the wall, or else I would have placed myself on the other side to hold his other hand. Of course, I could always stretch my arm, but…

ROMAN: [in pain, but smiling nevertheless] Nnghh! You’re holding it in spirit, my son, don’t worry. Besides, I don’t want Thomas to get sick again because of the stretchy arms…

THOMAS: Thanks for noticing me…

LOGAN: Okay, you already know how this goes, Roman. The baby has taken the form of gas that is circulating inside your body, looking for the way out. When it reaches the exit, the pain will disappear, but until then, you need to push when I tell you, okay?

ROMAN: Okay…

LOGAN: And I hope you don’t fart on my face, like Virgil did…

VIRGIL: [titters] Yeah, me too… Sorry about that, Logan…

LOGAN: It’s all right, Virgil. Okay, Roman. Ready? Push!

[Roman starts pushing. His struggling face is full of sweat]

VIRGIL: Come on, Roman. You’re the strongest man I know, much stronger than me. If I could do it, so you can.

LOGAN: Okay, one more try. Push with all your might… now!

ROMAN: [struggling] Ngggghhhhhh! I’m never doing it again without protection! Nnnngggghhhhh!

LOGAN: Come on, Roman, I thought you were a warrior! I’m sure you can do better. Push again! Push as if you were figuratively fighting the Dragon Witch and sticking your sword inside her tummy! Push, now!

ROMAN: [now with tears in his eyes, his face is all red out of the struggle, yelling] GGGAAAAAHHHHH!!!!

[crimson smoke starts coming out of Roman’s body. While it forms a cloud, Roman’s belly shrinks back to its normal flat form, until all the smoke is out of him]

ROMAN: [concerned, and relieved from the pain at the same time] Cri… crimson?

LOGAN: That’s another possible combination of red and purple, this time with red dominating.

VIRGIL: Yes, but what do you think it means that his color is crimson? I mean, the only one we’ve seen crimson is… you know…

LOGAN: …the Paladin, I know, yes, but don’t worry. I don’t think this baby will be related in any way with the Paladin. This has to be a coincidence, that’s all.

VIRGIL: Okay, if you say so…

[the crimson cloud descends upon Roman’s arms and a baby materializes. Oddly enough, he doesn’t cry, he just stares at Roman with a cute face of curiosity and determination]

ROMAN: Oh, my gosh… I…

VIRGIL: He’s just as brave and determined as his father. Look, he’s so strong-willed he doesn’t even cry.

[the baby lets go a cute little giggle and puts his little hand on Roman’s cheek, trying to grab it. Roman is the one who immediately starts crying. After him, both Virgil and Chris giggle and cry at the same time]

TALYN: Oh, my gosh, he’s just so cuuute… Look at his little hands, Joan…

JOAN: I’m getting a little emotional, and I didn’t expect to end the day this way, at all.

THOMAS: Well, welcome to my world once again, Joan. [to Virgil and Roman] I’m so happy for you two, guys.

REMUS: I’m Uncle Remus for the second time. How proud can an uncle be?

PATTON: My, I have two grandsons now. I’ve got a huge family of kiddos to spoil now, I’m so happy!

IAN: Congratulations, guys. After all you’ve been through, I’m happy that at least you have a moment of happiness to compensate, even if just a little bit, the distress you’ve been suffering lately.

JANUS: I’m not glad at all that I could wake up on time to witness this. I’m an uncle-in-law again, who would have thought?

ROMAN: Thank you guys, all of you.

LOGAN: Well, congratulations, family. How are you going to name him?

ROMAN: I’m too tired right now to think of a name, Virgil. Have you got any ideas?

VIRGIL: Well, if it was a girl, I would have chosen Hope.

ROMAN: Hope? Why?

VIRGIL: Because that’s what his little giggle inspired me. It calmed my anxiousness, and gave me hope for the future. Could it be that he’s the Side of Thomas in charge of his hope?

THOMAS: It would be beautiful if it was so. How can we know for certain, Logan?

LOGAN: Unfortunately, without my checking ability, I can’t examine the baby to see what Side of Thomas he exactly is. Patton already tried to restore my power with his new healing ability but it didn’t work, unfortunately. We’ll have to wait until the baby grows to find out.

PATTON: I’m sorry I couldn’t do more, Logan, but your ability is out of reach for me to heal it, it seems. Or maybe it’s not a matter of lack of health on your part and it’s something else, I don’t know. In any case, I’m sorry I couldn’t help you more.

LOGAN: You don’t have to apologize for anything, Patton, it’s not your fault, and I’ll be fine. But returning to the subject about the baby’s name, if I may be of help, I have an idea for a male name that means “hope.”

VIRGIL: Really? What is it.

LOGAN: And it’s only appropriate, due to Thomas’ Irish heritage, that the boy’s name would be of Irish origin. Do you like the name Dillon? It means “ray of hope” in Irish.

VIRGIL: Dillon? Ray of hope? [heartwarming smile] That’s exactly what I felt, a ray of hope straight to my heart. I love it… What do you think, Roman?

ROMAN: I love it too. Thank you so much, Logan.

VIRGIL: Then Dillon it will be. Dillon Benjamin Sanders.

ROMAN: Why Benjamin?

VIRGIL: It is after Ben Platt. You named our first son Christian Gerard after Gerard Way knowing how much I love My Chemical Romance. It was only fair that I in turn named our second son Dillon Benjamin after one of your favorite musical actors.

ROMAN: Thank you. I love you, Virgil. And I love you too, my dear Dillon Benjamin Sanders.

[everybody in the room starts looking at the baby with smiles of happiness. Time goes by and it’s nighttime. Everybody has left the living room except the family, Thomas and Joan. Roman his holding the baby, giving him his first bottle of milk, while Thomas and Joan are in the kitchen making dinner]

ROMAN: [holding the bottle while the baby drinks] I want to treasure these moments for as long as they last, as I know that, in any moment, Dillon will start growing up at light speed, like you did, Chris. I want to enjoy Dillon’s infancy, as I know it’s gonna be short, really short. This is his first bottle of milk, but it will also probably be his last.

CHRIS: I’m sorry I couldn’t give you more time. Before you had the time to get used to the idea of having me, I was already an adult. It’s not fair, is it?

VIRGIL: It is not, certainly. I would have loved to live the experience of seeing you growing up day by day, year by year, teaching you all I know, doing my best to make you a good Side, making sure that I could set you ready to the world of adulthood. Like any parent, I guess. But one moment you were in the cradle, and the next moment you were practicing archery and sword fencing. And I don't remember anything in-between, if there even was anything in-between.

CHRIS: I would have loved to live that experience too, dad. But don’t you worry. If I may speak, you have already done your best to make me a good Side, even if sometimes I made it difficult.

VIRGIL: Thank you, son. I really appreciate your words. But you haven’t been much difficult. If anything, I was the one making things difficult for both of us sometimes.

CHRIS: Dad… father… I really hate saying this right after all that has happened, but I have to be honest to you and to myself.

ROMAN: What is it, son? Is something wrong?

CHRIS: Wrong? No… not really… I think… Dad… Father… Would you be very disappointed if… if I left your room to live independently in my own room?

[Virgil and Roman look at Chris, not saying a word]

CHRIS: [nervous, slight stutter, moving his hands nervously] It… It doesn’t have to be just now. I wouldn’t leave until I made sure that father was totally fine and you didn’t need me… but I need to experience life and build a room of my own in the Mind Palace. Like I said, it’s not fair that I grew up so fast that you couldn’t spend more time raising me up… but that doesn’t change the fact that I grew up and I’m an adult and…

VIRGIL: [putting his hand on Chris’ hands to stop him from moving them compulsively] Chris…

CHRIS: Yes, dad?

VIRGIL: You don’t need to try so hard to convince us. We are your parents, and we love you. Besides, we knew this day had to come one day or another. It’s a law of life that the son leaves the nest to build a new nest of his own. It would be criminal if we opposed to that and you are not a property of us that we should keep in a jar unable to experience life on their own. We understand and we don’t have any objections. Just remember that we’ll always be here for you, for whatever you may need us, okay?

[Chris gives an emotional smile to Virgil]

CHRIS: Of course, dad… Of course.

ROMAN: Virgil speaks for both of us, Chris. I will only add that we’re very, very proud of you, and we know that you’re ready to make us proud no matter where you go. Chase your dreams, Chris. Life is too short to do anything else.

CHRIS: Thank you, father… [tears fall down his cheeks] Gosh… Why am I crying? It’s not like I’m leaving to the end of the world, my room will be in the same Mind Palace as yours, dag nabbit! I know I said I’m an adult, and I know I’m gonna be super sappy, but… dad… could you hug me like you briefly did when I was a baby… one last time, so that at least I have a memory of how it feels like?

VIRGIL: [also in tears] Come here, my boy.

[Virgil hugs Chris tightly, and they both sob]

[end card]

THOMAS: Okay, dinner’s rea… what’s going on, guys?

ROMAN: It’s nothing, just some family bonding before our boy spreads his wings and becomes an independent man. He’s moving away to build his own room.

THOMAS: Oh?

CHRIS: Not today, father. As I said, I’m not leaving until I make sure you are okay. Besides, I want to spend some time with my brother before I go.

ROMAN: [suddenly struggling, but not losing the smile] Well, now that you say so, I could use some help with your brother right now, because his weight is starting to crush me. Help me, please!

[Chris quickly grabs Dillon. He has already grown to five year old size, he sits him down on the couch]

DILLON: Sorry.

JOAN: Heh… It’s funny. A human’s first word is usually mama or papa, and his first word has been “sorry”.

CHRIS: Well, my first word was “pizza”, so…

VIRGIL: You do remember?

CHRIS: It’s my oldest memory. Me in the cradle begging for pizza.

DILLON: Ew! Pizza! Gross!

CHRIS: What? What do you mean you don’t like pizza? It’s the best food in the world!

DILLON: Then you can keep it all for yourself! I don’t like that kind of food. I prefer veggies, like eggplant, zucchini, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and above all else…

CHRIS: Don’t…

DILLON: …carrots.

EVERYBODY IN THE ROOM EXCEPT JOAN: Eeeeewwwww!

DILLON: What? They’re delicious, and a good source of vitamins A and D, which is good for the eyes and the skin! You’ll envy me when I have golden skin in the summer and you stay all pail!

JOAN: Well, Thomas, it seems there’s a part of you that, deep inside, loves carrots. Or maybe it’s the part of you that is conscious that it’s good for you to eat healthy, even if you don’t like it.

THOMAS: I guess so… Carrots, ew…

VIRGIL: [smirks] Maybe this was my fault… Patton’s cream of broccoli actually contains carrots and that’s the last meal we had before Roman and I… And you know they say you are what you eat, so…

ROMAN: [over the top dramatic voice] Carrots? You made me eat carrots!? Virgil, how could you do this to me!? I trusted you! [giggling] Seriously now, that cream of broccoli is so delicious I don’t care what it’s made with. And may I say, Virgil, you really improved on the recipe.

VIRGIL: Compared with my first try when I almost destroyed the kitchen, anything would be an improvement… but thanks for the compliment, my love.

CHRIS: Gosh, I’m so happy to see you two like this again. I don’t know if I would have had it in my heart to move out leaving anyone of you in that situation. Now I can leave in peace, knowing that you’ll be all right together.

ROMAN: Yes, sorry, Chris. This must have been awful for you and you were caught in the middle.

VIRGIL: I’m sorry too if we caused you any distress.

CHRIS: Well, all’s well that ends well. Right, Dillon?

DILLON: [adult voice] Indeed.

[Chris and the others get startled when Dillon speaks with an adult voice. They all look at him. Now, indeed, Chris is an adult Side like the others, and he’s already wearing his outfit. He’s dressed with a crimson tunic, looking like a wizard. He also carries what looks like a magic wand, like the one Merlin uses in the Disney movie “The Sword and the Stone”. He’s also wearing on the neck a golden medallion with three jewels on it, a red ruby, a purple amethyst and a crimson garnet. On his chest, he sports his logo, a crimson almond-shaped figure divided in two, one half is red and the other is purple, and inside of it a flower in the middle that looks like an almond blossom]

DILLON: What? It looks as if you had just seen a ghost.

[after a short moment of silence, Virgil is the first to talk]

VIRGIL: Aww! We didn’t have time to introduce Dillon to your brother and to Ira before he grew up! They’ll surely be bummed when they find out!

ROMAN: It’s okay. After what happened last time with Chris, I didn’t have the intention of taking that risk again. We’ll go to Sandersia tomorrow, when we’re all well rested and ready to face… whatever, who knows who will come after us next. But we’ll be ready for them.

THOMAS: Well, all I’m gonna say is… welcome to the family, Dillon. Oh, and one more thing. Dinner’s getting cold, so what the heck are you still doing there? Come on, guys!

[every body rushes to the counter to grab a serving of food]

#thomas sanders #sanders sides #character thomas sanders #roman sanders #virgil sanders #logan sanders #patton sanders #janus sanders #remus sanders #sanders sides fanfiction #sanders sides fanfic #sanders sides fic #fanfiction #fanfic #fic #aspects and fanfics

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yourdeepestfathoms · 5 years ago

Text

Olly Olly Oxenfree (part six)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

TW: Death

———————

as quiet as an empty church

“Well, the station’s at the top of the hill.” Cathy said. With a sigh, she adds, “I hope this works.”

“Me too.” Joan said.

They were back in the woods, back to pushing through brambles and branches to get to the area with the cable car. Their goal was the upper cabin they didn’t go to before, and they began hiking up to i-

- .... . / .... --- ..- ... . / .. ... / .- .-.. .. ...- . / .- -. -.. / - .... . / .... --- ..- ... . / .. ... / .... ..- -. --. .-. -.--

“Well, the station’s at the top of the hill.” Cathy said. With a sigh, she adds, “I hope this works.”

Joan felt like she wanted to cry or pull out her hair and scream- maybe both.

“It’s the thing again.” She mumbled sluggishly.

Cathy groaned. “We’re due, I guess. It’s been, like, a minute since the last one.”

They try to trek up to the hill to the Catbird Station again, but are sent right back to the bottom of the maintenance cabin.

.... ..- -- .- -. ... / -.-. .- -. / .-.. .. -.-. -.- --..-- / - --- ---

“Well, the station’s at the top of the hill.” Cathy said. With a sigh, she adds, “I hope this works.”

“Yep.” Joan agreed.

She tries again.

Cathy doesn’t say anything.

So she tries again.

And again.

But the tenth try, Joan’s head was splitting open and she was frustrated to the point where she was near tears. She backed up, ready to maybe charge up the path and hope she couldn’t be looped if she moved quick enough, but then she noticed something under the bridge.

Lightning cracks and lit up the horribly bloody and disfigured shape of Anne’s body impaled on the rocks.

She’s strung by the stomach, gouging it wide open and letting her long, gooey intestines hang out. Her skull, which must have hit against one of the rocks, is split and her brains are revealed to the cool night air. Blood is practically soaking the entirety of the stone her corpse is stuck on, turning the river water below a sickly shade of red.

Kitty is on the other side of the bank, sitting on the shore with her head buried in her knees. She couldn’t bear to see the sight of her dead cousin.

Joan can’t breathe. She can’t even muster up the will to cry; she’s too mortified. Shock sets in fast.

“Kitty,” Cathy said as they both slowly approached the scene. The smell of blood and entrails was thick in the air. “What happened? What happened to Anne?”

Kitty snapped her head up. There are tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Anne’s— she’s— she had an accident, she— she died. I couldn’t—”

“Oh my god.” Joan whispered. Her knees wobble, then buckle; she’s on the ground.

“What happened?” Cathy asked.

“She—”

Joan’s vision bugs out. Anne’s bloated, waterlogged corpse is in front of her, skin grey, eyes clouded, mouth open in a frozen horrified expression and leaking water.

“She drowned.”

Joan’s vision bugs out.

“She—”

Anne is standing at the top of the guard rail on the bridge. She spreads her arms and falls backwards. The blood splatter splashed out onto Joan.

“She fell.”

Joan’s vision bugs out.

“She—”

Anne is nowhere to be seen.

“I don’t know... She just...stopped.”

Joan’s vision bugs out.

And then it twists and shifts and everything bleeds together. Starbursts and fireworks explode beneath her eyelids and her brain rattled viciously inside of her skull to the point where she thinks it may just fly right out. When she pries her heavy eyes open again, she’s standing in the maintenance shack in the dark. A storm is raging outside. The only light comes from the claps of lightning and Cathy’s red glowing eyes.

“I mean, does it really matter what happened?” She asked. “Either way, done is done.”

“I know you’re not really Cathy.” Joan grits.

“Soon, it won’t be a pretense. It will be an absolute.” Not-Cathy said, and her words ooze from her lips like thousands of spider. “Joan, we know you’re in charge and we know your plan and we also know that your plan won’t work. It never does.” A smile twitches on her horribly pale lips when Joan shivered. “So, we have a proposition for you.”

“Like what?” Joan pressed.

The door behind Not-Cathy swung open, not affected by the power of the howling winds outside. She turned smoothly and walked right out into the freezing rain. Joan has no choice but to follow, and she gets drenched instantly. The cold bites her right down to the bone.

“It’s over for Catalina, she’s gone.” Not-Cathy began to say. “We’ll pilot her through the rest of existence, and there’s nothing you can do to change that.” She glances over her shoulder and smirked at the shivering girl below her. “But...if you agree to let us take her, quietly, without a fuss...we won’t slaughter the rest of your friends like you did young Reginald, here.”

They stop at the bridge. Anne’s corpse rots below them.

“We will leave the rest of your cattle alone.”

“No.” Joan’s voice is firm and hard, even with the underlying laces of fear. “No way. I’m saving everyone!”

Not-Cathy laughed. “Courage isn’t always the answer, dear.”

Joan shrunk back. Her drenched, ruined grey jacket chafes uncomfortably against her back.

“You don’t have much time left.” Not-Cathy said. “Do you know how we know you don’t have much time left?”

Joan is quiet, even when she’s egged on with hums to answer.

“We know,” Not-Cathy went on, “Because we can be Cathy for this long... and her soul’s as quiet as an empty church.”

Joan’s vision starts to bug out-

“Jµ§† ñêvêr §å¥. Wê ÐïÐñ’† þrðvïÐê ¥ðµ. Äll. †hê rµlê§.”

-but this time it’s so much worse than all the other times before. It feels as if someone was taking a knife and stabbing it into her ears over and over and over again until brain matter is spilling out. She can barely get her eyes to focus after the looping sequence ends, but she recognizes that she’s back in front of the maintenance cabin, Cathy is gone, and there’s three tape players on the bridge.

Her legs feel like sticks of lead when she moves them to walk.

She winds up two of three tape players when she notices Kitty huddled beneath a lamppost with her head in her knees. Before she goes to the last one, she checks on the younger girl.

“I know she was your best friend, Joan.” Kitty said before Joan could even say something to her. “I— I’m sorry. I don’t— I don’t know what happened... One moment she was just there, and then she was...” The image of Anne’s corpse seemed to flash in her eyes like it did for Joan. “Gone.”

Joan wanted to yell at Kitty. She wanted to scream at her, slap her, spit on her, throw her stupid body off the bridge for payment for not saving Anne, but she couldn’t. It wasn’t needed.

“You were her cousin.” Joan whispered.

Kitty scoffed sadly. “You knew Anne better than I ever have.” Fresh tears stream down her cheeks when she realizes that she’ll never get the chance to know her cousin like that anymore. “I liked what I got to know of her.”

“If she can hear you right now,” Joan said. Her voice is breaking and the tears finally spill free. “She’d be over the moon.”

Kitty sniffled.

Joan moved on.

She winds the last tape player and lets the loop embrace her.

“Well, the station should be at the top of-“ Cathy’s voice halts and she gagged. “Ugh... I feel like I just ate a tree...”

Joan is still soaked, even though the rain is gone and nothing is wet anymore. She shivered and uselessly pulled her jacket closer.

“You were possessed.” She said. “It was the longest it’s been before.”

“Yeah, I can...kinda remember that part.” Cathy said. She notices her sister shivering, so she takes off her beanie and puts it on Joan’s head.

“Hello?”

The loudspeaker crackles.

“Hellooo?”

“Oh, they’re broadcasting from the station speaker somehow.” Cathy said as she and Joan made their way up to Catbird. She smiled slightly at both of the cousin’s babbling over the com and Joan’s wonder at getting to wear her beanie.

They get to the top at Kitty and Anne tell them about how they were ready to go at the bunker. Joan clicks on the microphone at the control panel.

“Hello,” She said. “Hello, we are here.”

After a quick joke- which, in hindsight, was pretty inappropriate at the time being, but they all needed it- Joan flicks a switch on the board.

“Signal Verified.” Said a mechanical voice on the panel. “Shelter TF1 Open.”

“Great!” Kitty said.

“Alright, hurry back, you two!” Anne added.

The sisters exit the station and begin walking out of the woods when-

“I have an idea, Mr. Jordan. Can we make him reborn?”

Joan whipped around.

Cathy’s eyes are solid red.

“Cathy!!” Joan cried.

Cathy blinked and her eyes are back to normal.

“Okay okay okay, I’m— god, I really hate that!”

“It’s getting worse, Cathy.” Joan whispered. “I think we’re running out of time.”

Cathy swallowed thickly. She nods slowly.

“Yeah...” She mutters. “Hey, I— I don’t want to get all sappy on you, but... I just want you to know that it would have been nice living with you and ending high school by your side.” If she’s about to cry, she’s really good at hiding it. “I’m just...glad I met you that’s all.”

Joan bites her quivering bottom lip. She doesn’t want to cry, not again, but her sister is making that near impossible.

“I’m just glad we met.”

Joan reaches down and takes Cathy’s hand as they walked to the shelter together.

“Me too.”

Cathy smiled at her softly.

They continue the rest of the walk in silence, hand-in-hand.

They meet up at the cousins in front of the bunker. There was no time for them to spare, so they cut right to the chase.

“The bunker won’t open back up once we’re in.” Cathy said. “Anne, Kitty, don’t wait for us. Find someplace safe to stay...or hide. Main Street might be a good idea.”

“Yeah,” Joan nodded. “If the ferry comes, get on it. Leave. Don’t wait for us.”

Anne and Kitty just nodded quietly.

“Ready to go?” Cathy asked her sister.

“Yeah. Just-”

Joan walked up to Anne and hugged her tightly. Anne hugged her back and she can feel her friend’s tears splatter on her shoulder.

“We’ll be back, Annie.” Joan whispered. “I promise.”

Anne sniffled and wiped her eyes. She squeezed Joan’s forearm with one hand tightly.

“You better.”

Joan goes to Kitty next and hugs her, too. The younger girl clearly wasn’t expecting it, but she accepts the embrace.

“Go bust some ghost heads.” She tells her softly.

Joan manages a laugh. “Will do.”

Then, she hugs Cathy before they both go to the bomb shelter door. They turn to Anne and Kitty and the true peril of the situation only really sets in when the cousins spring forward and pull all four of them into a big group hug.

“We love you guys.” Anne choked out through a sob. “Come back. Please come back.”

“We love you, too.” Joan whispered.

“This isn’t goodbye.” Cathy added.

And then the heavy bomb shelter door shuts and they’re engulfed by darkness.

#olly olly oxenfree #six the musical fanfiction #six the musical fanfic #six the musical au #six the musical #catherine parr #joan on the keys #anne boleyn #katherine howard #tw: death

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theskyexists · 5 years ago

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she-ra 4

the reason i stopped watching she-ra is the same reason i stopped watching the dragon prince.

the narrative doesn’t take the situation seriously. instead of leaning into the anguish of war and violence (atla, teen titans) - they make light of it. EVEN when the characters’ guardians are KILLED!!

when Angella died and they spent 2 seconds on Glimmer’s grief at the end of season 3 i was like......actually fuck this. HOW can i take any of these stakes seriously when they insist on brushing them off???

anyway just had to complain about that - especially because the start of the first ep of 4 is them joking AGAIN about something as grim as Glimmer now carrying all the responsibilities of her mother - who may i remind you IS DEAD

but catradora became canon apparently so now i have to struggle through

her aunt, her mother’s sister, is fuckin, joking about cakes, her friends are laughing at the joke. COME ON! how goddamn unrealistic and insensitive. EVEN if they wanna make a point of it - it’s silly! because the narrative PARTICIPATES in making light of the situation. if it was just the characters it would be less jarring

‘we’ll make sure this day is perfect’ WHAT? how could it EVER BE IF HER MOTHER IS FUCKING DEAD????????? AND THAT”S THE ONLY REASON SHE’S QUEEN????? ‘must be hard’ YEAH IT’S HARD - IN FACT IMPOSSIBLE. instead of pretending to be happy maybe you can show some genuine sensitivity. these people are so crazily emotionally underdeveloped my god. what age are they supposed to be? 16? 17? The problem that She-ra has (just like the dragon prince) is that there are no relevant adults. Oh sure there’s a Queen, and some Soldiers, and a Sorceress. But there isn’t a single relevant competent adult around who is concerned with running a bureaucracy or the emotional stability of children

I do like how Catra has overcome her fear of Hordak. but i think i remember being fuckin furious at her for almost destroying the whole world and hurting Scorpia and betraying Entrapta just to spite Adora. vaguely.

the rebellions problem is that they’re all extremely stupid himbos. like literally, in the whole story, only catra and shadowweaver have any smarts, while glimmer gains the ability to think during full moons on wednesdays. meanwhile everybodys is a slave to their emotions - which destroys any brain cells that shadowweaver or catra (or angella or anyone) might have managed. they could literally have killed hordak the entire time but just let him order them around because they’re so hot for acknowledgement

I’m glad Glimmer reflects my frustrations now hahahahaah

‘everyone is already acting like she doesn’t matter’ - yeah dudes, you fucking insensitive bastards

‘im supposed to take care of you glimmer’ - but unfortunately i have the emotional intelligence of a crab! FUCK!

this is another thing about this show that makes me groan. sappy quick resolutions of emotional turmoil through re-affirming the fuckin power of friendship in the first episode of the season.

also couldn’t Adora have done this she-ra stuff from the very beginning

that was badass.....miss glimmer’s other hair though. ok the emotions at that hologram and statue though...

the coolest part of she-ra for me is finding out more how the ancient systems all fit into Etheria and the She-Ras and Hordak Prime etc.

THIS IS A GOOD SPEECH. love this badass.

love Hordak getting put in his place. Love Catra realising she has power - love Hordak reaping what he sows. its unfortunate that she’s a shitty brat who JUST can’t get over her inferiority complex

if i could endlessly teleport i would do what glimmer does

also, glimmer was willing to fuckin murder catra before and she DEFINITELY will be now lol. love that for her.

why did they only introduce adora learning to transform her sword NOW ahahaha, theyve had SO MANY SCENES in which she doesnt have it and then suddenly does - and then its gone again

scorpia is the funniest and most likeable person in the whole show

they really suddenly can’t take five people on with she ra and fuckin huntara on their side??

i remember that little sadistic righteous twist in my stomach when Adora finally was like: FUCK!!!!!! YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!! Catra!!!!!!! and the stupid idiot got it

FINALLY A GLANCE AT THE PEOPLE OF ETHERIA AGAIN! i love the party sequences in this!!! the people of etheria are so beautiful! nobody ever comments on the main characters all looking plain human in contrast....

‘and i fell for it!’ yeah cos you DUMB AS BRICKS ADORA

so first they quietly take out the guards....and then literally break open the door hahaahahahahaaha

‘we forgot the bots regenerate’ - yeah cos you DUMB AS BRICKS ADORA

i just dont understand why they insist on making the main characters so DUMB ahahahahaah

Adora and Catra are great at hitting where it hurts. the difference between them is that Catra KNOWS that she’s hurting Adora - she does it deliberately.

wow that could be some pretty angsty stuff constantly leaving her to struggle on the floor while painfully electrocuted. Catra has also moved to kill Adora straight up so many times. im sure she really wants to (but it would destroy her later). But now, Adora swept something at Catra that might have actually killed her. I get Catra though, I would’t want to get beaten by some blonde, blue-eyed, glowing golden kid who always gets to win and do better. this is truly the first time Adora has moved to kill Catra......

does flatterina not have parents who’d be like: uhhhhh maybe leave the soldiering for a couple more years?

catra truly burning all her bridges. hahaha. it’s so satisfying to see her use her anger and power to truly destroy herself - because of guilt!

no other villagers were like - HMMMMMMM this random new kid is here? weird..... i didnt see that coming either.

Adora doesn’t think about what Catra might have even been doing there - cos she’s DUMB AS BRICKS

the interesting thing about this show is that they’re setting up a dichotomy. they’re treating war like a high-stakes game because they have the good side adhere to an aesthetic of ....magic. they will not make the two sides equivalent in any way - which makes questions of morality moot. the show is purely an emotional drama. the horde is an army of brainwashed kids in an industrial wasteland - they fight with tech and guns. but the good guys cannot fight with an army or tech, they fight with cleverness and magic. they’re called the ‘rebellion’ - they HAVE to be underdogs because they have to follow the script of good - even though what’s really going on is war, not a rebellion. That’s why they have a single strike team that do ‘missions’. They are presented as FUNDAMENTALLY different - on the level of identity which they cannot change lest they destroy themselves - and in that way the good guys can never become the bad guys. it is ALMOST meta. think they’re gonna do something with that at one point. i hope

also Netossa has such a super cool design.

‘everyone knows you’re needed in bright moon’ - uh. really? i dont know. some random person i’ve never seen before demands you go to meetings. so? is that important? why?

spinerella can literally FLY???????? why has she been in the background this whole time??? hahahaha military inefficiency.

there was an explosion that ripped trees apart - but bo’s alive!! honesty why didn’t they try explosive suicide bots before. they’re very lucky he was still alive to heal

‘could they be tracking she-ra?’ WHAT? isn’t the obvious suggestion - A SPY???? they just assume that the general is right hahahahaa.

i love how double trouble is so meta.

actually, why wasn’t glimmer trained as a sorcerer anyway?

glimmer is upset about her growing magic plants but not her having magic ingredients

why do they present good strategic thinking (for once) as evil influence from shadowweaver

what a fuckin badass. honestly - glad that this show finally utilised glimmer’s extremely op powers like they should be. honestly, she’s much more powerful than She-Ra.

that bit with spinerella was so contrived jfc.

‘by using me as a decoy’ adora says, pissed off. uhhhh YOU went off on your own to get smushed by fuckin bots adora. Glimmer didn’t do that to you. she just used your stupidity.

glimmer really left catra to die. hahahahaa

i like adora best when she’s on her own and being a dork

they definitely managed to foreshadow that Light Hope was evil but im glad they picked up the thread now

am i seeing this wrong or did scorpia have two mums??? but also. where the fuck are they

lolololololol because everybodys dumb as bricks and emotionally volatile they’re incredibly easy to manipulate

‘i cant risk hitting flatterina’ pffft - ALL YOUR ARROWS ARE NON-LETHAL BO. ugh i cant deal with these contrived stakes

I LOVE THIS BADASS EFFICIENT HARDCORE GLIMMER

they’re really gonna spin it like this is a bad development? fuck off. finally some grit.

‘you took things way too far’ - but she got results! dumb as bricks adora

(this may seem harsh but adora is DUMB shes so fucking DUMB!!!! and she has many good qualities (such as an almost innate sense of morality) but goddamn. i guess its good to sometimes have a show about all around dumb characters. i mean, it’s not unrealistic per se, it’s just.....weird.)

the interesting thing about these characters is that you can SEE every single one of them struggling with cognitive dissonance. thats the big story of this show. they see the world a certain way - and then when something challenges that, they fight to the death to destroy or deny or ignore that new information - to everybody’s detriment. and they can’t back down because every step they’ve taken - would turn to sins they can’t live with. it’s interesting and its also a kind of conflict that‘s frustrating if not resolved at SOME point. thats why i love this season for its characters going off the rails. adora aiming to kill catra, catra destroying her last relationships, glimmer growing more and more militant.

they’re all acting like teens - that is - highly volatile - unable to keep from provoking others or be provoked - but they ARE teens.

‘catra doesn’t care. she’ll hurt people to get her way (implied: EVEN people on her side)’ - we must remember that Scorpia was entirely fine with KILLING the trio (it was Catra that wasn’t at the time).

‘you’re a bad friend’ OH OUCH. Catra - who’s always been treated as a whipping girl by those in power - does the same to those she is in power over. But on some level she doesn’t WANT to be that. she’s just always always been rejected and take advantage of and lashed out at and abandoned by the people she considered important (shadowweaver ---- doing the same to catra that was done to her is so goddamn....it’s the story of this show. the simplicity and banality of damaging and hurting others and that carrying over to harm even more people - is the story of this show and it’s immeasurably frustrating and REALISTIC)

she still flinches at Hordak’s lashing out. but she imprints on him the exact lesson she’s trying to school herself in. If you don’t need anybody - you don’t want anyone - if nobody matters but the mission and winning - then you can’t be hurt. she wants to prove her worth - but she doesn’t realise that inherently means that she’s putting somebody in power over her - again and again and again.

mermista coming in clutch with the braincells: there’s a spy! I love how this is played as completely implausible and just Mermista nonsense (who i love learning about) - while it’s so obviously true/

i actually love Adora when she’s being serious and heroic, or a huge dork. and she has the wit to RECOGNISE good ideas. but i just don’t understand why Adora is being big b about being used as a distraction. like....why?

i love that the underside of Mermista’s sneaker has a figure. but why the fuck is a common soldier with them (flatterina) and do they really think they can interrogate the whole castle filled with some shitty guards and...what - the guerilla troops they sometimes employ? where do they even live? ah in a tent city. ok

why is the GENERAL in front line combat WITHOUT SOLDIERS???? oh wait. glimmer did that too when she was general. lolololol

i understand why Adora doesn’t trust Shadowweaver and doesn’t want her around most of all - and Glimmer getting buddy buddy with her is hurtful. but...it’s not helpful to needle glimmer about it. but dismissing the guards around shadowweaver however? stupid of Glimmer. unnecessary. ‘what has she done but help us?’ - uhhhh she kidnapped you, corrupted your powers, almost wiped Adora’s mind. I wish Adora had summed up those things instead of leaving them implied.

so perfuma and mermista come across inconsistencies in the stories - but then. forget about it? i just...... UGGHGHGHGHGHGHGH. people really aren’t this dumb are they? they’re just NOT.

‘no more secrets and doing things without us’ - that was a good speech. but like, glimmer is right - she’s surrounded by INCOMPETENT IDIOTS lolololol. but good leadership is corralling idiots, Glimmer. not going off on your own. but she’s already planted the bait about the dining room.

‘we were the only ones who knew about the plan to take back dril’ ---- THEN WHY DID YOU INTERROGATE OTHER PEOPLE AHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHA

‘stop questioning my choices, stop whining about being a decoy’ YEAH FUCKIN HELL ADORA STOP BEING SUCH A FUCKING SHIT. IS THIS REALLY ‘TAKING CARE OF GLIMMER’????

‘all you do is question my authority, it’s exhausting.’ yeah god...it really is. adora needs to fucking BACK! OFF! but im loving these fights because it brings out the grievances. Adora is right to be worried about Glimmer no longer including her in her decisions. and she makes a good point that that’s bad. She makes a good point that Shadowweaver cannot be trusted. And Glimmer makes zero good points - except that it’s been hard for her and has garnered 0.1% understanding from the people around her. Oh they were working together. BUT those were definitely real grievances.

GLIMMER CAN ALREADY DO A CONTAINMENT SPELL LIKE THAT??? godDAMN. castapella completely flunked her responsibilities to Glimmer but shadowweaver did NOT.

hmmm so Solinius was....destroyed. but like, did the people die? like....the people? that’s the important bit isn’t it? i mean, they were under the sea right?

i suppose the problem i also have is that this show will NOT hurry up. normally i love filler stuff but ...the characters are too.....cheery. too flat. their quirks are fun and funny until they’re literally character flaws.

are the horde just literally attacking civilians? jezus. the war crimes. how did shadowweaver ever expect to trick Adora when she was released into the field?

‘you can’t just keep going off on your own!’ - SHE LITERALLY SAVED THE WHOLE FUCKING TOWN. SHE’S THE QUEEN! EVERYBODY SHOULD LISTEN TO HER! lolololol

the problem with Adora’s points is that everything about their dynamics are always so nebulous. why cant glimmer keep showing up to help out? WHY??? she’s the most capable fucking soldier in the field! she’s supposed to have full fucking authority! like, Adora isn’t in the right here. the problem is that her needling is only a symptom of her worries - which is that Glimmer doesn’t trust her any more. but the needling does NOTHING but make her seem like an idiot

i do love this trope reversal here - Seahawk deliberately damselling them to let the princesses save the boys? pffft

love catra getting the consequences for her actions regarding Scorpia. You can’t keep lashing out at people and expect them to stay my dear cat.....

oooohhh Glimmer.... you’re treading close to very hurtful territory. Blaming Adora for the Rebellion failing? for things she couldn’t do anything about? stupid.

really?? you’re really gonna fucking fight-resolution BLOCK ME? are you FUCKING kidding me? edging me for the whole GODDAMN SEASON??? and finally Adora cries at Glimmer going over the line???? fuckin I HATE the narrative decisions in this stupid show I FUCKING HATE THEM FUCK THESE WRITERS GOD FUKCING DAMMIT!!! this has been the whole GODDAMN SHOW!!!!!! ARGHGHGHGHGHGH

i’ve been waiting for a fucking resolution for Adora and Catra the whole! goddamn! SHOW! NOTHING! else matters! you do the exact same for glimmer and adora and now you let it fester again??? because of some no-stakes BULLSHIT? just give me the fucking godddamn PAYOFF for watching these kids be IDIOTS.

this fight on the boat is COOL and really wonderfully animated

really? Glimmer’s response to Adora being hurt and not wanting to be TOUCHED is to be angry herself? what a fucking IDIOT. god i can’t stand this. I CAN’T STAND IT

is this how people act? do they never take a moment to breathe and think and reflect and realise their priorities and take a step back and fucking apologise?

jezus FUCKING! CHRIST!

‘no matter what glimmer thinks of me’ oh that HURTED. oh damn. that’s so relatable. it’s a way to run, it’s a way to internalise the hurt and then prove the things that hurt wrong. the one that hurt you

I know Bo is supposed to be the emotionally intelligent one but he’s also too soft. He should go up to his friends individually and ask them the sharp questions. not - ‘communicate more positively’.

I just like Adora so much better when she’s alone. Her friendships’ positive moments are always so sappy or so....like over-exaggerated, the negative moments always so fucking annoying. Alone, Adora is generally driven, tragic, and cool. the problem is perhaps that i don’t care for the constant fucking drama

god i LOVE Mara so much - she’s so beautiful. and i LOVE learning more about the Old Ones. So they were trying to study Ehteria’s magic.... but then Bright Moon and the princesses were already here. The Magic-Like systems of the Old Ones are pure tech.

wow! even Mara’s transformation is way cooler.

so why was the first one’s tech (she ra) responsive to the magic? why does Raz know about She-Ra? when she ra is first ones tech????

WAIT ONE SECOND. She-Ra is ‘magic’ ??? it’s the SWORD that’s the first one’s tech! She-Ra is Etheria’s magic ! but how if the First Ones chose Mara. Did they steal She-Ra from Etheria?

so what im getting is that. the Old Ones colonised Etheria. Etheria has magic, and when Mara was chosen they made that girl an elite soldier - giving her a first one’s tech sword so she could ‘control’ Etheria’s magic. Then Mara was told to study the magic of Etheria - the ship implying that she’d not been on the planet before. then they created a Heart of Etheria project - which will probably turn the magic into a weapon. this was going to be used against Hordak Prime, im sure. I mean, Mara saved Etheria, but she did doom the rest of the universe to...extinction.... like, judging from Hordak’s strategy, Hordak Prime just literally exterminates planets and repopulates them with his clones....

But why would the planet choose a girl from amongst the colonisers - twice?

OOOHHH that anguished scream. i love anguished screams

why dont they put fucking safety belts in these ships. it’s not like the ship didn’t survive. only Mara got splatted (i guess)

also i love Mara. but damn Adora just got some more shit on her plate. why the fuck was she pushed through a portal again? for a She-Ra chain reaction?

I love madame Raz.

So they didn’t explicitly use it against Hordak Prime. and it wouldn’t have destroyed Etheria back then but it will now...

guh this showmakes it so hard to enjoy catra’s pain.

well they did finally have a good talk about it. I have to say, Glimmer is making good strategic sense - it’s just that this show only rewards harebrained schemes

Catra having a crazy panic attack cos she can’t find Scorpia and she’s completely lost and she knows its her fault. kinda love that for her. my heart

my dear Glimmer, theres a difference between absence of trust and absence of agreement.

they’re bringing king micah back just when angella is dead? oh fuckin lol

the horde....exiled micah? they exiled Micah instead of killing him???

why do they ALWAYS interrupt important conversations? i hate that shit. it’s cheap. it’s unsatisfying.

now THIS is what im here for - that unstoppable WILL!! john gonzalez is right - we watch stories for characters overcomign obstacles. writing, is creating the obstacle course. .....what does that say about me and my life....hmmm.

‘light hope told me everything i need to know’ - uhhh no she didn’t. she didn’t tell you how to harness the energy at all. ugh

how the fuck did double trouble escape. seems to me that they didn’t actually. they were let go....

it’s always so stupid when people try to tell other people: oh no you’ve got no plan - this is too risky! when that’s NEVER a problem

Glimmer is going to activate the weapon just in time for Hordak Prime to use it. And naturally she misses the return of her dad. fuck this

they’re gonna have Hordak and Catra fight? hmm

Double Trouble is right - this IS good for her - and it IS Catra - except for Shadowweaver’s case - she was an abusive bitch

I love Scorpia’s new cool fight music and also glowy eyes

is glimmer going to throw herself into lava??

the unfortunate thing is that Hordak Prime is right on the doorstep and he took over the whole universe or whatever. so they could probably have used that weapon. i mean the Old Ones must have seen something coming. there must be a reason they’re all GONE maybe????

why did Adora assume that all those stars would be destroyed?

THE ANIMATION ON THAT FINAL STUFF WAS INCREDIBLE AND EPIC

how the fukc are they going to beat Horde Prime lolololol.

i guess Glimmer really shouldn’t have done that. but at least she was in time to bond with Catra.

#my stuff #vidi #she ra

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