#but just imagine how romantic it would be in December!

[repressedgaymer]

I saw a beautiful photo on pinterest and my rpf brain went wild, i also studied paul's handwriting while doing that stupid photo caption. the lengths the artist will go to be accurate

[just-some-trans-nobody]

(Nsfw)

Orc boyfriend who's really into breeding kink, but his human mate don't want/can't have children, so he just keep filling up his mate anyway

December Christmas Monster stories

December 4.) Orc Breeding

Orc boyfriend x gender neutral reader

Thank you for this request! Hope you and everyone else enjoys. This gave me way to much trouble, for some reason everytime I went to save it, it just wouldn't save.

Warning: NSFW, breeding, cream pie, unprotected sex, no prep before sex, mention of pregnancy, small amount of alcohol

Minors don't interact!

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Wanting to do something romantic for your boyfriend on christmas you kicked him out for a few hours so you can set everything up. He left with friends to go get drinks, promising you he would be back in two hours giving you plenty of time to set everything up. 

Spreading flower petals down on the floor from the front door you made a trail of them to the bedroom you shared with your large hunk of an orc you loved oh so dearly. Next you set up candles here and there letting their sweet aroma fill the air. Turning on the stereo you put on a long playlist of songs to get nasty too, you knew to put on an extra long one, Grogmar loved to take his sweet time having his way with you and you loved that. The last step was to put on sexy Christmas lingerie. It was lacey with fuzzy white trim, leaving nothing to the imagination. 

Picking your phone up you shot him a text to check and see when he would be back. Playing it safe you sent another text telling him to come alone for his surprise, you didn’t want to risk his buddies seeing you like this. You didn’t get a text right away so you set your phone down on the nightstand walking away just as you got a text back from him saying he had just parked. Going to the kitchen you pulled out two glasses and poured some champagne into them.

Hearing the door unlocking you picked the two glasses and stepped out of the kitchen right in time for Grogmar to open the door. His eyes looked to you and widened as he went stiff taking in the sight of you dressed like that. Grinning you struck a pose popping your hip out lightly. “Merry christmas~” You purred while holding up one of the glasses for him. Stepping inside he closed the door not breaking his stride as he approached you. With one hand he took the glass from you, his other hand going to your ass. His hand covered all of your cheek with it’s large size. “Now this is a merry christmas. Might be my favorite gift so far.” He chuckled, leaning in catching your lips with his in a heated kiss. Moaning against his lips you pressed your body against him feeling that he was already growing hard. Pulling away he trailed kisses down to your neck, his tusks rubbing against you as he kissed you like a desperate man. “Let’s take this to the bedroom.” You moaned as he continued to attack your neck in kisses. 

“Can’t wait that long.” He mumbled against your neck before he hosted you up in one arm. Carrying you to the table he set you down on the edge before setting his glass down next to you. Watching him step back you brought your own glass up to your lips taking a long sip as he fumbled with his pants. “So eager to use your gift hmm~?” You teased watching as he finally got it off. “Always eager when it’s with you.” Grogmar said as he stepped in between your legs going back to kissing you neck drawing a moan from your lips. His hands gripped your thighs rubbing them at a rough pace as he gave them a squeeze. Moaning he grinded against you wanting any sort of friction. “Grog please.” You whispered, leaning your head back. “Please fuck me, fill me up with your cum.” You knew how exactly to push his buttons, you knew just how much that would rile him up and it did. Groaning against your next he pulled your legs open wider as he pushed his wide tip into you earning a moan from you. Grabbing onto his shoulders you had to hold onto him for support as he pushed more of his cock into you. No matter how many times he had taken you he was always just so damn big, he had to be careful at the start.

Panting you pressed your head against his chest, a soft whine leaving you as he stretched you open wide. “Doing so good for me baby, gonna fill you up so much. Yer gonna look pregnant once I’m done with you.” Grogmar knew that was impossible but the thought always got him hot and bothered. It rubbed a more feral part of his brain so nicely thinking about breeding you. Hearing your loud moan brought him back to reality, he was getting easily lost in the pleasure already. “You take me so well.” He moaned, thrusting into you harder causing you to cry out. “Oh fuck! Grog! Yes fuck just like that.” You screamed out not caring how loud you were getting, you couldn’t care less at that moment. His cock just felt too good, you didn’t think you could hold in any sounds even if you tried to. The wet sounds of his sloppy thrusts were barely covered up by the music playing in the background. “You love it when I pound you like this don’t you? You love when my cock stretches you so well.” Grog moaned, lifting your legs up onto his shoulders. Leaning down he pressed his chest to yours. His cock reaching into you deeper with his new position. Trying to answer him your words came out as moaning gibberish unable to talk as he fucked you stupid. “Gods look at you. The devinines would be jealous of your beauty.” He praised kissing your jaw. “Fuck! Grog!” Was all you were able to say as you let out a choked moan. “F-fill me up… Need it… please please!” You whined as you started to claw at his back. Grogmar groaned feeling your nails on his back, it was a good kind of pain he was more than happy to feel. He would gladly show them off if you managed to leave a scar from it, though it was unlikely to happen. You could feel his cock twitch inside of you as he grew closer to his orgasim, you were close too. “How could I say no when you're asking so nicely?” He asked as he started to thrust faster slamming his hips into in a unrelenting pace. Throwing your head back against the table you let out a scream of pleasure as you tightened around him cumming. Your tightness drove him to the edge causing him to cum inside of you. “Yes of fuck Grog fill me up with your cum!” You moaned encouraging him. Bending over you he grunted and groaned as he kept thrusting, riding out his orgasmism making sure he got every drop of his seed into you. Panting his hips slowed to a stop as he pressed his head against your shoulder. “Haa~ felt so good.” He mumbled gently rubbing your thighs. “You're always so good for me.” Grogmar praised placing gentle kisses all over your shoulder and neck. “Mm you do too Groggy. Now let's get cleaned up and unwrap the other gifts.” You said trying to sit up a little. “Did you forget what I said?” Grogmar whispered tusks grazing against your neck as he spoke. Confused and a little dazed, you looked down at him. Opening your mouth you began to ask what he meant when you let out a sudden moan feeling a harsh thrust. “You're going to look pregnant once I’m done and you don’t look pregnant yet so I ain’t done yet.” He explained, his grip on your thighs tightening again as he continued to thrust into you. Moaning you laid back down on the table more than happy to keep going. This definitely was your best Christmas yet.

[spatialwave]

i am LOVING your angus tully content 💕 would you please write an angus tully x reader where the reader meets angus in boston while they’re ice skating and then they get to know each other as they explore the city, sort of ‘before sunrise’ style and hunham gives them the space to do so? if you don’t like this idea though that’s totally okay!! have a lovely day regardless :)

𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫

pairing: angus tully x fem!reader word count: 4k notes: reader is very nervous & dorky! thank u for sending 🤎

the chilly december air stung your cheeks, leaving them reddened and sore, but that didn’t stop you from braving the weather and heading to the public skating rink. your friends had cancelled on you last minute, one of them falling sick with a nasty cold and the other deciding that her boyfriend was more important than a night with you during the festivities that boston had to offer. you couldn't be angry at her, though, you were a hopeless romantic at heart and would do the same if you had a boyfriend. you were happy that your best friend found someone so perfect for her, you dreamed of finding him too—the perfect boy.

though, you usually just giggled in your bed at night when you imagined yourself spending the rest of your life with david cassidy. that was much easier than finding real love.

so, alone you were as you willed your way ahead through the boston streets where your father had dropped you off. you promised yourself you'd start getting out of your nervous shell and what better way to test it than being alone at a skating rink? especially when you were notoriously clumsy and horrendous at skating.

if you could do this, you could do anything.

as you approached the skating rink you felt an overwhelming sense of anxiety flooding you. there were a lot of people, too many people, a lot of friends giggling with each other, children learning how to skate with their parents and partners holding hands as they stared into each other's eyes lovingly. you sorely missed your friends, but you shoved that thought as deeply into your consciousness as you could because you promised yourself you wouldn't wallow in your loneliness.

and you were here, weren’t you? successfully making do without them. all you needed to do was get the skates on and make your way onto the ice—that’s all. getting here was half the battle.

comfort warmed you as you fit yourself into the hand-me-down skates your older sister had given you. you tried so hard not to think about the negatives because even if you slipped and fell, it’s not like anyone here knew you. there was not a single person on the rink that looked even the slightest bit familiar and you thanked god you lived in a busy city.

of course, you were unsuccessful in ridding those thoughts because all you could think about was that there was a likely chance you could embarrass yourself in front of a cute boy. you were too boy-crazy for your own good, your mother blamed david cassidy for it.

as you let out a shaky exhale, you darted your eyes around the exterior of the rink as you shrugged off your bag and held your winter boots in your hand. you had ran into your first problem of the evening; there was no one to watch your belongings.

that’s when you noticed an older man just to the left of you, smoking out of a pipe and watching the rink, smiling to himself. he seemed friendly enough, reminding you a lot of your grandpa. there was no better person to watch your things!

“excuse me sir,” you said to him, smiling as you approached him cautiously, “is it alright if i leave my things here next to you? i’m not skating for long… i just don’t want to take them onto the rink with me.”

the man hadn’t realized you were talking to him at first as he pulled the pipe out of his mouth and looked between you and someone on the skating rink. he smacked his lips together a few times in thought, “okay. sure, i don’t mind.” he mumbled, though you could tell that he minded.

he was grumpier than you pegged him to be.

“thank you so much! i won’t be long!” you smiled, happy that you had some form of success, but again you had to ward off the image in your head of him running off with your things. at least he’d only have stolen a woman’s snow boots and three dollars from your wallet.

as you waddled away, you hadn’t noticed that a boy on the rink had skated up to the older man, you were much too focused on not toppling over. your ankles were already wobbling back and forth as you navigated through the snow, unaware of the set of eyes that lingered on you with each step you took.

“you got this,” you breathed to yourself as you made it to the entrance, taking a long and deep breath that caught in your throat. you froze in your spot, feeling frigid as you watched the tens of people skating along the rink so seemingly expert in their ways.

a woman cleared her throat behind you and you jolted up, looking over your shoulder and seeing a mother and her two children waiting to step into the rink, “sorry!” you squealed as you hurried onto the ice and clung to the railing for dear life.

the sounds of the young kids snickering made your cheeks burn red, so you kept your eyes downward and stared at your mitten-covered hands as they gripped onto the rail. then you focused on your feet, slowly moving them back and forth on the ice as you got used to the feeling of the skates gliding across the frozen surface.

with a triumphant huff, you straightened up and slowly started to skate with your hand keeping balance on the edge, much like a learning child. at least they usually had a helper.

you had focused on this for a bit, getting into the swing of things. you looked around with a content smile, slowly moving and breathing in the crisp air as you focused on the sounds of laughter. the christmas spirit was high and you were happier than ever to be experiencing this alone, you couldn’t wait to go home and gush to your sister about your first solo adventure as a young woman.

satisfaction wasn’t fully met, however. you needed to challenge yourself further before calling it a night.

carefully, you let your hand off of the rail and moved carefully away from the edge. your eyes darted around your immediate surroundings, making sure you had enough of a clearing to start skating without bumping into anyone. a big smile grew on your face, you were by no means quick, but at least you were moving!

you focused your eyes back down on your feet, watching closely as you moved one in front of the other with intention. you were getting the hang of it, muscle memory coming back from when you skated as a kid. with your attention far from the outside world, you didn’t notice a duo of young girls coming right for you—too busy laughing amongst each other to notice you drifting in front of them.

one of the girls bumped hard into your shoulder and yelped out a sincere ‘sorry’ as you lost your balance on your feet. you almost kept yourself upright, but you quickly fell back.

you expected to crash down onto the ice with a hard thump, but two arms caught you, hooking underneath your armpits and hoisting you back upright onto your skates. you didn’t have the means to turn around all that quickly, but the person who saved you seemed to realize that, so he skated in front of you and turned to look at you. he made it seem so easy to skate backward.

“you okay?” he asked, but you hardly heard the words because you were so fascinated with how beautiful he was. he had the biggest brown eyes you’d ever seen and a head full of wild curls that he obviously tried to tame. he was also taller than you, making you feel so small under his gaze, but not threatening in the slightest. all you could do was smile at him like a dork.

your knight in shining armour.

a few moments pass and the realization hit that you had been completely silent, “thank you!” you blurted out, your eyes widening in horror because of how you were staring at him like a goddamned fool, "i'm not very good at this."

"you were doing fine until you got bulldozed over," the boy smiled, unabashedly looking you up and down. he cleared his throat and held out two of his gloved hands, "hang on."

you obeyed with no hesitation, your arms extending so you could take his gloved hands in your own. you felt your mouth go dry and you had to force your hands to stop shaking. you were always so much more anxious around boys.

"oh, god," you groaned in anticipation as he started skating backward, pulling you along and forcing you to focus on keeping balance, "you really don't have to spend your time here teaching me how to skate." you looked up at him, feeling like a burden.

"i know," he replied, grinning at you as he kept pulling you along the ice, his gaze only breaking to make sure he wasn't about to skate back into anyone. those brown eyes fell back on you, watching you with a soft gaze as you kept moving with one foot gliding in front of the other, "i'm angus."

"hi, angus," you smiled, chewing on the inside of your lip after you returned the introduction. you could feel your cheeks blushing. you looked down and at your feet again, but your lack of focus got the best of you, "ah, shit!"

just as you lost your footing and balance, nearly flying forward, angus wrapped an arm around you and laughed aloud, pulling you against him so you couldn't tip over. you could've stayed like that forever, nuzzled against this boy's chest and forgetting about the outside world.

"you're clumsy," he teased, flickering his gaze down at you as he led you both to the railing for a rest.

"you only just noticed?" you retorted playfully as you leaned against the support, letting yourself exhale in relief once you could rest the entirety of your weight against it. shyly, you looked back over to angus after a few beats of silence, "you're not here with anyone else?"

angus scrunched his nose in response, shrugging, "it's a long story."

"i like stories," you mused, not ready to let this end. whatever this was.

a breathy laugh came from him as he glanced away to look at something, you hadn't been able to follow his gaze before he was looking at you again. there was something about him that kept your attention, likely the fact that he genuinely seemed to enjoy your presence. it made you giddy and your stomach swirled with butterflies.

"well, i came here with my history teacher," he said, almost sheepishly. you looked at him with slightly furrowed brows, uncertain where this would be going, "i go to a boarding school out of town, north of here. i, uh, didn't get to spend christmas with my family and so i've been stuck at school with him as my chaperone. guess i'm good at convincing people to take me places," he chuckled, his gaze looking anywhere but at you.

"i don't think i would've guessed that story in a million years," you giggled, a smile reaching your eyes as you looked over angus' face, "sorry about your family, though. must be hard around the holidays."

"it's fine," he quipped quickly, you figured it best to not bring up his family anymore.

you fell silent for a bit, thinning your lips as you looked around and focused on your surroundings to pass the time and try to ignore the awkward silence. you watched a group of kids skating together, playfully shoving each other and laughing when one of them wiped out.

"did you want to skate again?" angus' voice broke the silence and you met his eyes. with a small nod, he smiled and gave you his hands again.

the two of you had spent another twenty minutes on the skating rink, laughing together as he taught you how to keep yourself upright. you were happy to report that you'd only fallen on your ass twice, and even when he laughed at you, you felt your heart soaring.

there must've been some good karma you stored up over the year because you weren't sure why you were blessed to run into angus on a night like this. he was cute, funny and just as awkward as you were.

once you two were tired and ready to hang the skates up, you ventured out of the rink and stood at the exit. you had to catch your breath after laughing over some joke angus had made about his time at barton, something stupid that wouldn't have made you laugh in another other situation. angus was just... nice. funny, but in an endearingly dorky way.

as you bent down to untie your skates, you straightened up with a panicked look on your face. "my stuff!" you said, looking up at angus and then around the exterior of the rink, trying to spot the man you'd left your things with. that's where the bad karma came in, leaving you with nothing.

"are you looking for these?" a third voice spoke, your eyes landing on the pipe-smoking man that angus seemed to recognize. you put the pieces together.

"yes! thank you so much!" you smiled as you took the boots from him and your bag, quickly changing into the shoes that allowed you to stand steady. you sighed softly with a smile and looked between the two men, "i, uh, thank you again, sir, for keeping an eye on my things. and thanks, angus, i'm sure by next winter i'll be an olympic figure skater," you smiled, not quite ready to leave without spending more time with the boy, but you weren't sure you'd have the choice.

as luck would have it, though, his teacher, mr. hunham, seemed to have a soft spot for the boy.

"mr. tully, i'm calling it an evening and will be heading to the hotel room, i'm rather tired this evening," the older man explained. you could see the pleading look on angus's face, "i expect to see you there within a few hours or lest you deal with multiple detentions when we're back at barton," he continued with a satisfied look on his face when angus smile, "keep an eye on him for me." he turned to you, letting out a huffy sigh as he looked between the two of you once more before turning on his heels and leaving.

angus was speechless.

"he seems like a nice man," you said in awe as you watched him, growing nervous for other reasons now.

"trust me. he's usually not," angus replied, his hands shoved into the pockets of his coat as he looked down at you, "you look cold. i think i saw i coffee shop near here. they probably have hot chocolate or something."

"okay," you smiled, forcing yourself not to let your boy-crazy giddiness get the best of you again.

as you two ventured away from the skating rink, you found yourself feeling more comfortable with each passing second and talking about yourself like an open book. you spoke about everything and nothing, his favourite band was pink floyd and he was currently halfway through reading the novel dune. you shared your own love for the partridge family show, though, you kept your lips tight about your obsession with david cassidy.

you made a mental note to rip the poster of david off your wall if something were to ever come out of this night with you and angus, like hell he'd ever be in your room.

"what do you like so much about boston?" you asked angus as you two walked through one of the downtown streets in boston, your mittens shoved in your pocket as your hands cupped around the hot chocolate you sipped on. the heat emanated from the paper cup and warmed your hands. you two had been walking and talking for a while now and your drink was half-empty.

"you like long-winded answers, don't you?" angus said playfully, bumping himself against your side as you walked together. it caused a laugh to bubble up from you, your cheeks turning red at the closeness.

"what's so long about this answer?" you wondered aloud, glancing up at him.

"my dad is here," he said after taking a moment to think over his words, "he's uh, in the sanitorium," he murmured, not quite meeting your gaze, "not doing well mentally."

"you don't have to say anymore," you urged him, regretful that you asked the question in the first place.

"it's fine, i like you. you're not... judging me." angus admitted, flickering his eyes to you and smiling.

oh, god. that smile made your stomach do flips.

"why would i judge you?" you asked rhetorically, "you've been nothing but kind to me tonight. you didn't even know me and you caught me before i fell on my ass, i mean, that's the most any guy has ever done for me... and you bought me hot chocolate!" you were animated in your words as you spoke, not noticing how you lit up angus' facial expressions.

"like i said, it's because i like you." his lips twitched into a smile before he lifted his cup and downed the rest of his drink. you followed in suit, though, mostly to cover the way you had a smile stuck on your face like a lovesick puppy.

you two found an outdoor garbage bin and tossed your empty cups in, standing on a corner of the street that was near the courtyard with the skating rink. it was quiet there now, only then noticing how late it had gotten.

"so, what's your story?" angus interrupted your thoughts as he kept walking, you needing to take a few quick steps to meet his pace as he led you to a bench to sit down on. the perfect spot to watch the christmas lights flicker around the rink and people watch the last remaining people who were skating.

"it's hardly a story," you laughed, fidgeting with your fingers as you looked up to the night sky, the stars hidden because of the city lights, "i'm just crawling my way to graduation so i can get out of my parent's house and go to college," you look over at him, "are you graduating, too?"

he shook his head, "i was expelled a few times," he admitted with an amused look on his face, "should be graduating, but stuck as a junior because of my atrocious behaviour," he teased with a click of his tongue.

"expelled?" you laughed, "wow, i didn't expect such a gentleman like you to be so fond of troublemaking."

that got a laugh out of him, the smile reaching his eyes as he turned ever-so-slightly to better look at you while you two sat together, "yep, i'm the absolute worst. though, i plead my case as i've been wrongly accused of blowing up a toilet once when it was obviously not true."

"uh-huh," you smirked, "are you certain about the wrongly accused part?" you snorted a laugh.

the night was perfect. the two of you sharing so many laughs that your cheeks were hurting and you were beginning to feel like you knew angus for years and this was simply a reunion of friends. you knew at some point it would end, but you didn't want to think about it. not yet, it was too painful of a thought.

your laughter settled and you couldn't break your gaze from angus, the silence looming, but not overwhelming. as you admired him, you caught the way his brown eyes flickered down to your lips and you inhaled sharply, the breath catching.

"i, uh—can i kiss you?" his words were gentle, but they rang through your ears loudly, causing chaos and mayhem that left you feeling like a nervous wreck, "unless i'm reading this wrong."

you parted your lips to speak but nothing came out. all you could do was look down at his lips and nod, hoping that your movements spoke volumes. thankfully, they did.

angus leaned forward, hesitating for a second, but if you could will your way forward to adventuring boston alone, then you could sure as hell will your way forward to meet him halfway. you leaned forward bravely and closed your eyes just as your lips met his, a tingling sensation rolling waves over your skin.

it was a simple kiss, one that made your lips numb when you pulled away and looked up into his eyes. but it wasn’t enough for angus because you were soon pulled into another as his hand lifted and cupped your jaw, keeping you against him as your lips moved together at a gentle, easy pace. he parted your lips with his own, which gave him the space to slip his tongue into your mouth and cause a soft sound to escape your lips. you were fully entranced by him, completely malleable under his touch as you tasted his tongue on your own—sweet like chocolate.

this went on for a few minutes, maybe longer. you two indulging in the kiss you both were anticipating the moment you set eyes on each other.

“this sucks,” you murmured when the kiss finally broke, you two parting to breathe.

“why?” angus furrowed his brows slightly, his hand still on your jaw.

“because i really like you,” you said, pursing your lips into a pout, “and at some point i’m going to have to say goodbye.”

angus shared the sentiment, frowning slightly, “i’ll come to boston again, okay?” he said, just as passionate about you as you were to him, “and if you give me your number i promise to call you.”

you nodded, sighing and watching the way your warm breath fogged up in the cold air. the city was so silent and you’d never been able to experience it quite like this, let alone with a boy you kissed. knowing that it was getting late, though, left you nervous. you had told your parents you wouldn’t be out long and would go to your sister's apartment downtown for a ride back home—leave it up to a boy like angus tully to make it fun to break the rules.

“when do you go back to barton?” you asked him quietly like you didn’t want to hear the answer.

“the day after tomorrow,” angus murmured, his thumb stroking along the skin over your cheek, “i’m gonna’ try visit my dad tomorrow,” he said, “that’s the whole reason i convinced mr. hunham to bring me here, he doesn’t even know.”

you widened your eyes in surprise, “do you think he’ll let you go?”

“probably not, but i’ll find a way.” he said, but not quite fully convinced.

“it’ll work out, angus,” you said, a shiver running up his spine as you said his name, “just like you and me. i’m sure we’ll see each other again.”

he was glad that you managed to see the bright side in all of this, as the night was coming to an end he was beginning to let his negative thoughts pull through. already he could tell that you were going to be a big part of his life, even if it ended up being fleeting and short.

“come on,” angus breathed out, removing his hand from your cheek and standing up. he offered his hand for you to take.

“where are we going?” you asked him, blinking a few times as you took his hand, no mittens or gloves in the way as his fingers interlaced with yours.

“nowhere in particular,” he said, keeping you close as you walked through the quiet boston streets in the early morning hours and spending the last bit of freedom together that you two could muster.

when all was said and done, you found yourself exhausted as you curled up in your bed with the first bit of sunrise spilling through your curtains. it was a bittersweet end to your night with angus, leaving you uncertain about what the future would hold. all you knew was that you’d be waiting for that phone call he promised you.

and taking down your poster of david cassidy.

[goddessinnerglow]

Become Your Best Version Before 2025 - Day 2

Understanding Yourself Starts With Being Honest

Hi Goddesses! Yesterday we talked about what becoming our best selves means, and today we're diving into something really important, meeting ourselves exactly where we are.

Picture yourself packing for a journey. You'd check what you already have in your suitcase before deciding what else you need, right? That's exactly what we're doing today on our path to 2025, taking a inventory of where we are right now.

I know, I know. Self-assessment can feel a bit intimidating. Maybe you're worried about facing some truths, or perhaps you think it might be discouraging. But think of it as like turning on the GPS before starting a journey. You need to know your starting point to get where you want to go.

First things first: breathe. This isn't about judgment. Think of it as having coffee with your most supportive friend (that's me!) who just wants to help you reflect and grow. Ready? Let’s start.

Start With Your Gut

Remember when you wake up in the morning and have that first quiet moment to yourself? That's when our gut feelings are often the clearest. Take a moment right now. How do you feel about where you are in life? Not what others think, not what social media says you should be doing, just your honest feelings. Grab a notebook (or open your Notes app) and write down whatever comes to mind. No filtering, no judging.

The Life Wheel Check-In

Here's something I find super helpful: imagine your life as a wheel with different spokes. Think about these areas:

Your physical health and energy levels

Your relationships (family, friends, romantic)

Your work or studies

Your personal growth and learning

Your fun and recreation time

Your living space and environment

Your financial situation

Your emotional wellbeing

For each one, ask yourself: "On a scale where 10 is 'couldn't be better' and 1 is 'needs serious attention,' where am I?" Be real with yourself, this is just between us.

The "What's Working" List

Here's something we often skip: celebrating what's already good! Before diving into what you want to change, write down what's working well in your life. Maybe you're great at maintaining friendships, or you've been consistent with your morning routine, or you finally learned how to cook that one dish you love. These wins, big or small, are your foundation for growth.

The Honest Reality Check

Now comes the part that requires some courage: looking at areas where you feel stuck or unsatisfied. But here's the twist, we're going to do this with compassion. Instead of thinking "What's wrong with me?" ask yourself:

What's challenging me right now?

What keeps coming up in my thoughts as something I wish were different?

Where do I feel like I'm not living up to my own standards (not anyone else's)?

Your Future Self Letter

This is one of my favorite exercises: Write a letter from your future self (let's say December 2024) to your current self. What would they thank you for starting now? What changes would they be grateful you made? This isn't about pressure, it's about connecting with your hopes and dreams.

Getting Real with Yourself

Now, let's make this assessment more practical. Pick just three things:

One thing you want to maintain (because it's working well)

One thing you want to improve gradually

One thing you want to change significantly

Write these down somewhere you'll see them daily. Your phone wallpaper, a sticky note on your mirror, wherever works for you.

Remember This, you're not broken and you don't need fixing. You're a human being on a journey of growth, just like all of us. This self-assessment isn't about finding faults, it's about understanding where you are so you can move forward with purpose.

Take a moment to appreciate yourself for doing this work. Seriously. Self-reflection takes courage, and you're already showing up for yourself by reading this and (hopefully) doing these exercises.

Stay tuned for the next post in our "Become Your Best Version Before 2025" series! Remember, you've got this!

♡ ☆:.｡ Keep glowing, babes! ♡ ☆:.｡ With love, Goddess Inner Glow.

[justwinginglife]

Double The Trouble

25 Days of Simpmas: Day Thirteen December 13th: Manjiro Sano(Mikey), Rank 13 Anime: Tokyo Revengers Event Masterlist

Ironically, this is a Mikey fic and Draken stole lots of screentime lmaooo, whoops, my bad.

Warning: very slight mature scene??

“Let’s trade.”

Two simple words, and yet, they were anything but.

In truth, Mikey had been eying you for a while now, but out of respect for his closest friend, he hadn’t been very active in his pursuit of you. Then, when Draken suddenly expressed his interest in Mikey’s sister, well, Mikey just smirked and said it was only fair that they trade off; Draken was allowed to date Mikey’s sister if Mikey was allowed to date his sister.

Draken almost beat him to a pulp. 

He felt he’d been pretty respectful in asking for Mikey’s permission to date his sister, but he did not like the way Mikey was turning this whole situation into a damn transaction. If that’s what it took, he would just give up on Emma. 

But then you walked in. His baby sister. His whole world. The only thing more precious to him than the entirety of Toman, than the entirety of his life.

And your eyes lit up like the goddamn stars when you saw Mikey. “Hey, silly, watcha doin here? Isn’t it a little early to be up for you?” You walked over to him and ruffled his hair before giving him a hug that was much too long for Draken’s taste. “It’s good to see you.”

Draken sighed. This was terrible. You liked Mikey back, didn’t you? How could he have missed it before? Had the signs always been there, sitting right in front of him? He thought he’d done a good job at keeping you away from the gang life, but Mikey must’ve visited just a little too much, gotten just a little too close, because now you were just a little too fond of him to ever let him go. Now you looked at Mikey like he was the one who put the sun and the stars in the sky, and you looked at him like he’d done it just for you. 

And Draken wasn’t sure how to feel about it. 

On the one hand, Mikey was his best friend and he knew Mikey. On the other hand, Mikey was his best friend… and he knew Mikey. He couldn’t be sure that Mikey’s recklessness wouldn’t get you killed one day. He couldn’t be sure that Mikey’s childish behavior wouldn’t break your heart one day. Sure, Mikey was loyal to his friends, to his gang, but he’d never been in a romantic relationship before. Would he know the difference between love and a passing fancy? Would he even know love if it hit him over the head with a spiked baseball bat?

Now that he thought about it, Mikey hadn’t even expressed any notions as grand as love and romance. He’d only expressed interest in you. Interest as in what? As in you were as interesting as a kid's meal? As in you were as interesting as a buy one get one free coupon he’d found on the street? As in you were as interesting as the newest episode of a TV show that just aired? Was he merely intrigued or was he intoxicated? Was he merely amused or was he affectionate? What were the depths of his feelings for you? Was there no depth at all? Was it simply as shallow as physical attraction? 

He grit his teeth at the thought. 

Draken always knew the time would come when he’d have to fight off waves of suitors, of men who thought they were good enough for you, but he never imagined that Mikey would be first in line. He never imagined that maybe the reason Mikey came over so much in the first place was you. 

He wondered if he denied Mikey your hand, would Mikey respect his decision? Or would he go berserk, and steal you away with him? Would he simply sigh, pout a little, and then forget about you the next day? Draken wasn’t sure what pissed him off more, the thought of you being so valuable to Mikey that he’d kidnap you, or the thought of you being so invaluable to him that he’d forget you. But he had to remind himself that he held all the cards here. Mikey was still waiting for his decision. Maybe Draken would just pretend to think on it, buy himself some time. Maybe by then you’d get tired of waiting and just fall out of love with Mikey. Yeah, that’s what he would do. He’d just wait it out. This was just one big waiting game and Draken held all the cards.

But if he held all the cards, you held all the chips. And you were going all in. You knew your brother better than anyone else in the world, so you already knew that he’d never let you date Mikey. You also knew that his eternal pining over Emma would drive you crazy if left alone any longer, so you thought you might do some of the heavy lifting and kill two birds with one stone.

“Kenny! I want to go to the fireworks festival tonight. I bought a kimono and there’s NO WAY I’m letting the summer end without using it once.” You declared suddenly. 

Draken rolled his eyes. “So just wear it here. What’s the big deal?”

“The big deal is, I wanna wear it to the fireworks festival and I wanna wear it tonight. And you’re coming with.”

He raised a brow. Him? You’d just been hanging onto Mikey’s every word like he’d been hand feeding you oxygen breathed by the gods, and you were asking him to go to the festival with you? Not Mikey? He didn’t know what you were playing at, but he knew it wasn’t good. “Okay… what’s the catch?”

“Why’s there always gotta be a catch with you?” You whined. “Can’t I just want to hang out with my big brother?” 

He crossed his arms, waiting.

“Fiiiiiine. Catch is, I wanna see Emma too. You’ll bring her along, won’t you, Mikey?” You turned your big brown eyes on poor Mikey. Now, he hadn’t been intending to resist in the first place -in fact, he’d been too busy imagining how good you would look in a kimono to properly contribute to this conversation at all- but when you gazed at him like that, like he held the world in his hands, there was no way in hell he would ever deny you anything. 

“Of course. I’ll drop her off by-”

“Drop her off? But what if Emma wants you there with us? What if she gets lonely?”

He chuckled. Somehow he didn’t think you were talking about Emma. “I see. Well, I wouldn’t want my dear Emma to be lonely. So I suppose I’ll have to come with. Make sure she’s alright.”

If Draken had caught on - and he most definitely had- you were not going to give him the chance to counterattack. “Great! So it’s settled. You, me, Ken, and Emma will all go out tonight! We’ll have so much fun, can’t wait!”

—---------------------------------------------------------

Emma got here quicker than you thought she would, and thank god for that.

You’d made the excuse that you needed her to help you get ready so you had Mikey fetch her immediately, but you’d really just wanted to get Draken away from Mikey long enough for him to stop his glaring. He was going to scare your future boyfriend away if he kept this up. Stupid brothers. 

When Emma finally arrived, it was even better than you could’ve expected. She was already dressed up, wearing a floral patterned kimono, with flowers weaved into her curled hair, a slight blush applied to her cheeks, and a light gloss applied to her lips, looking like an absolute goddess. It was almost like she’d read your mind and was doing her part to charm the pants off of your brother like you’d intended her to. And boy did it WORK. 

Draken had been stunned into simple sentences.  

“You… you look, uh, good. You look good. So…so good.”

You snickered and Draken shot you a warning glance. Then, mockingly, you gave him a thumbs up to which he responded by flipping you off. “So smooth,” You mouthed to him. 

“Don’t you have to go get ready or something?” He glared. 

“Yeah, yeah. I’m going, I’m going.”

Emma called after you, “Hey, didn’t you need my help?”

“Nah, not anymore. Seems my brother’s enjoying the show. You may as well give him a twirl.” 

Draken chucked a decorative pillow at your head. “You’re lucky a pillow was the closest thing I could find!”

You laughed as you made your way up the stairs. “Love you, Kenny!”

“Brat.”

—---------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Wow. You look-”

“Gorgeous? Stunning? Dazzling?” 

Draken rolled his eyes. “You can’t feed him the compliments you want, dipshit, it won’t count anymore.”

Mikey laughed. “Incredible. I was going to say you look incredible.”

You nudged your brother with an elbow (more like jabbed him). “Seeeee- Mikey knows how to treat a woman. He can think of better compliments than just ‘you uh you look good, so good.’” You teased, mimicking Draken’s earlier speech. 

He nearly strangled you with your own hair. 

“Not in front of Emma, cmon, are you trying to scare all your love prospects away?”

Draken sighed, exasperated, before turning to apologize to Emma about your meddlesome behavior. She only smiled and offered her arm. “Shall we go on ahead of them? No reason we can’t have our fun too.”

You almost snorted as you watched them take off down the street. Seems Emma is as impatient as I am to get the ball rolling. Fine by me.

“My turn.” You wrapped your arm around Mikey, just like Emma had done to Draken. 

He laughed but obliged you. “Not trying to be sneaky anymore?”

“I never sneak.”

“Mmm, sure you don’t.” He grinned, pulling you closer to him. “I meant it, by the way. You do look incredible. I can’t believe I get to see you all dressed up like this.”

“Dressed up aaaaand wearing your favorite color.” You chimed in with a wink.

His eyes gleamed at your words. “Don’t tell me you picked this one specifically for me?”

“What gave me away?” You gasped in mock shock.

He shook his head, laughing. “You’re really something, know that?”

The two of you continued to talk and joke as you walked through the festival booths together. A couple boisterous laughs later, and you earned yourselves some wary glances from Draken looking over his shoulder. You’d emphatically point to Emma, reminding him who his attention was supposed to be fixed on, and he’d narrow his eyes at you and Mikey before finally turning back to smile at her like you’d never set him off in the first place. It was lucky for you that her presence seemed to be enough to dilute his protective big brother act -at least for the time being- because even the few, minor minutes she spent distracting him was enough for you to take advantage of. 

You pointed out a soba booth to Mikey and after you’d found a secluded corner of the festival to share your spoils, you went in for the kill. “I have an idea,” You said slyly.

He raised an eyebrow. “Go on, tell me.”

“I’m gonna eat from this end, you from that end, and we’ll see who can eat the fastest and take all the noodles.”

Mikey smirked. “You’re on.”

Everything was going according to plan. Your mouths were slowly working their way towards each other, as you both devoured your share of the food. Soon enough, there was one noodle left and you were both inching your way towards a cinematic kiss. 

And then he bit down on the noodle and severed it before your lips touched.

You let out a slight audible whine.

Even with kids running around squealing and food sizzling on grills, he still made out the sound of your displeasure. And he grinned.

“Now, don’t tell me you were planning to kiss me right then? What, did you see that move in a movie or something?” He teased, pinching your cheek. 

You swatted him away, grumbling, “So maybe I did. What of it?”

“Such a mastermind, and yet, she really is just a simple girl sometimes.” He tucked a hair behind your ear, brushing his finger along its curve, and you held your breath.

“Well? All my plans are foiled. How do you intend to make it up to me?” You crossed your arms in a slight pout. 

He laughed. “Ah, my apologies. I’ll get right on that.”

His fingers tangled in your hair as his hand began to cup the back of your head and pull you towards him. His eyes darted down to your lips, then back up to your eyes. You were impatient and the evidence was made clear in your smoldering irises. He laughed to himself softly before running a thumb over your lower lip.

“My little mischief maker.” He leaned in and pressed his lips to yours.

At first, he was gentle. At first, it was your childhood friend who had kissed you. It was the boy who bought you popsicles on sunny days and blew on your hands on wintery days. It was sincere and sweet and soft. And then, all at once, you were kissing the ferocious leader of Toman, and he was commanding your mouth to open in an instant, invading and laying claim to you with his tongue. His hand hooked around your waist, yanking you closer. He groaned into the kiss, biting down on your lower lip. A whimper escaped your throat and he swallowed it down with a fierce hunger. Any longer and you might-

“And what do you kids think you’re doing??”

You froze.

Mikey sighed and released his grip on you. “Found us, huh?”

You sheepishly turned to face the wrath of your now-seething sibling. “Hiya…Ken.” 

He yanked Mikey off of you and Mikey held his hands up in surrender as he allowed himself to be removed. “And here I thought you said we were here to enjoy this thing together.” He turned to glare at you.

“But you and Emma were having so much fun, I thought-”

“You thought what? That you could distract me and run off with Mikey?”

You bit your lip. “Um. Yeah. Pretty much that.”

“Idiot.” He flicked your forehead. Then he turned on Mikey. “And you, dumbass. I didn’t give you permission to go around kissing my kid sister. In fact, I seem to remember telling you that I didn’t give you permission to ask her out at all!”

Mikey shrugged. “But I didn’t ask her out though. And you didn’t say anything about kissing her.”

You looked from Draken to Mikey then back to Draken. The realization finally dawned on you that after all this time you’d spent with Mikey, dancing on the line between friends and something more, Draken was the reason you never knew where you’d stood with him. “Hold up- you told him he couldn’t do what now??!”

Now it was Draken’s turn to flinch.

You stood up to stare him down, placing a hand on your hip in annoyance. 

Draken sighed. “No, cmon, don’t be like that. You look like mom, god. It was for your own good.”

“Let me get this straight. You told the guy I’m in love with not to ask me out. Did I get that right??”

Mikey coughed. “Love? I’m sorry, love?”

Draken shifted awkwardly, but he still stood his ground. “Yeah, and so what if I did? It was only to protect you.”

You jabbed his shoulder with your finger. “Yeah, well, I can handle myself.”

Draken scoffed. “Handle yourself? You suck at cooking, you don’t know how to change a tire, you never wake up on time, you barely know how to fight, and you say you can handle yourself?? You can’t walk down the street without some bozo trying to scam you or skin you alive!”

Mikey raised his hand slightly. “Sorry, bad timing, but could we go back just a bit- did you say love?”

“Well I can handle this, dummy! And the rest of that stuff is what you’re here for!”

“Oh, so now you get to pick which things you need me for? That’s not how family works, dumbass.”

“UGH, why are you being so stubborn? For crying out loud, he’s your best friend. If he’s not enough for me, than no one else is.”

Draken crossed his arms. “Now you’re starting to get it- no one is good enough for you.”

“And what if I said no one is good enough for you, huh? What if I said you couldn’t date Emma?”

His eyes narrowed. “I’d say mind your own damn business.”

You punched his arm. “Oh great, so I can say it too then- mind your own damn business.”

He scowled as he rubbed his aching arm. 

You stared each other down, stewing in heated silence.

Mikey waved on the sidelines. “Still on the love thing, guys.”

Finally, you sighed. “I know you’re always going to be there for me when I need you. I’ll always be there for you too. But this is something I have to do for myself, just like your relationship with Emma is something you need to do yourself. I appreciate you taking care of me all this time, and I’ll always love you, but you gotta let me live a little. And besides, you can always just kick Mikey’s butt if he hurts me, right?”

Mikey coughed. “I’m sorry, what? We went from loving me to kicking my ass?” 

A smile tugged at the edge of Draken’s lips. “Fine. Have it your way. But if he cheats on you, I’m breaking his limbs. If he makes you cry, I’m breaking his limbs. Hell, even if he just doesn’t make you smile enough times for my satisfaction, I’m breaking his limbs. That's the deal, you got it?”

Mikey stuck a finger into the air. “Can I ask, why does everything have to end with my broken limbs?”

“Shhh, it’s fine, baby.” You waved him off. 

Then you turned back to Draken. “Yeah, I got it, it's a deal. Now, we’re going to go finish our date. Don’t interrupt again or I’ll kick your ass. Kay, bye, have fun with Emma!” And with that, you looped your arm around Mikey and took off with him, humming happily the whole way. He was finally within reach, the fireworks were finally lighting up the night sky, and you were finally alone together. Everything was perfect. You peeked over at him, and saw his brows were still furrowed, deep in thought.

What could he be thinking about? Was he wondering how he should go about asking you out? Was he waiting for you to ask him out? Was he still worried about Draken? You knew you said that Draken could beat him up, but that was knowing full well that Mikey could handle himself so you hoped it wasn’t that. Or perhaps.. Maybe he was thinking… Your cheeks warmed as you thought about your earlier kiss. Maybe he was planning to try again. Maybe you should encourage it.

You inched towards him, closer and closer. 

Finally, as your breaths were on the verge of intermingling, he opened his mouth to speak. Here it comes, you thought to yourself excitedly.

“So… is this the part where we talk about the love thing now, or?”

Taglist: @pixelcafe-network @minasfwoopyponytail @ouiouimochi @inkytypewriter

[filmofhybe]

new written series ! — by filmofhybe.

IN EVERY MULTIVERSE

in which

> y/n was a young girl who believed in the multiverse. Believed that in each multiverse your in, something special or memorable would happen. What if she figures out a way to travel through each and every multiverse she would be in, and meet seven different boys that captures her eyes. Which she sadly can’t seem to get them off her mind at the end of every Adventure.Will she ever meet them again in her every multiverse?

PAIRING : ot7! x reader

🥥 GENRE : friends to lovers , academic rivals , streamer x streamer , stranger to lover , patient x doctor , singer x dancer , café owner x regular customer , coming of age

WARNINGS : angst , swearing , kissing , romance , kys jokes , dad jokes lmao

🗯️ FEATURING: enhypen obvi , rei - ive , K & Jo - &team , Yunjin - Le Sserafim , Sana - twice , Hanbin - ZB1

TAGLIST : feel free to comment to be added :)

STATUS : every Friday :) (hopefully…)

The perfect blend - YJW

synopsis : can you ever imagine in this multiverse, you having the biggest fattest crush on your best friend - Yang jungwon, however knowing he already has a “girlfriend” hurts more than just a sting from a bee.

warnings : angst (100%) , fluff , crying , kissing

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

video our love - LHS

synopsis : you were extremely camera shy in the actual world, so what makes you be so confident in front of millions across the world while facing towards the camera with your lover - Lee heeseung.

warnings: kissing , slight angst towards end (not much tho) , tooth rooting fluff

Healing hearts - PJS

synopsis : doctors and patients aren’t suppose to have romantics love towards each other. However, in this multiverse, your very much in love with you hot doctor - Park Jeongseong. Whose secretly trying to heal your broken heart..

warnings : kissing , tooth rotting fluff (cheer cuz there isn’t any angst on this one WOOHOO!!)

Academic Enmity Rivalry - JS

synopsis : all the studying just to make your parents proud until your biggest academic rival - Sim Jaehyun decides to have the biggest academic comeback. And offering you free legit tutoring lessons so you can beat him

Warnings : tooth rotting fluff , kissing , begging

Amidst Crowns - PSH

synopsis : crazy to think about how your a Royal in this multiverse, only for the crazy self-obsessed prince himself - Park Sunghoon to hit on you 24/7. Finding it annoying you decided to throw insults at him, not knowing the consequence.

warning : insult comments , fluff , slight angst , crying

Brewing Love - KSN

synopsis : now your a café owner?? Serving your favorite regular customer- Kim Sunoo everyday was the highlight of your day. Realizing you were falling for him before he starts bringing in girls, crushing your heart as you can’t handle it.

Warning : ANGST (I mean heavy) , kinda fluff , kiss on hand

Melodies of music & love - NR

synopsis : the last and final multiverse , your a singer to your lover dancer - Nishimura Riki. Promised to Perform together until realizing it isn’t your passion anymore. Maybe you want to continue in this universe and never go back… but how when you miss every boy you met in the other 6 multiverse..?

warning : sweet fluff , comfort , angsty (at the end.)

TBA….

SERIES TAGLIST : @enhaz1 @dubuii @in-somnias-world @ultimatestayandminoronce @yenqa @euncsace @hoondiors @yannew @mrchweeee @ariadores @oldjws @frukkoneeeeg @dimplewonie @seobstarr @asteria-wood (white = i cant tag)

; AUTHORS NOTES : since is December 1st on Friday , I would be updating this series every Friday leading up to January-February (or even earlier than that) . I hope you guys enjoy this series as much as I do. Don’t hesitate to ask to be on the taglist by commenting!! I love you all and hope you enjoy this series that’s going to be delivered to you soon :)

© filmofhybe on tumblr — do not copy , translate or share.

[solarmorrigan]

Steve Harrington gives me Beach Boys vibes

Like. Steve's a little neutral on pop; he doesn't hate it, but it's not usually his first choice. But like a lot of kids, his musical exploration begins with his parents' collection

He finds his mom's Beach Boys albums when he's about twelve, a little after they start leaving on longer trips and he starts poking around the house because he's bored and alone. He can sort of remember his mom playing them when he was really young, can remember her dancing around the kitchen and being silly in ways she usually isn't

He starts playing the Beach Boys when his parents are gone, just sometimes, because the songs have a pretty good beat and the lyrics are fun and it makes him feel a little less lonely. He's got one playing one evening when his parents get home earlier than expected; his dad just shoots him a look at tells him to "turn down the damn racket" (which Steve does, quickly) before stalking up to his office, but his mom stands in the living room doorway, just watching him for a moment

It's the first time in a long time he remembers her just sitting down with him, smiling, laughing, listening to the music with him. She tells him about the first time she heard the band on the radio, and about how she'd gone out to buy their album the very next day. She tells him that his dad had called in to the local station more than once to request "Barbara Ann" because he knew it was her favorite (Steve can't imagine his dad doing anything like that, but he guesses his mom would know better than he does). She tells him that when he was little, too little to really remember, he would ask her to play "the surfing song," even though she was pretty sure he had no idea what surfing was

They don't do it again, but Steve holds onto the memory

He keeps playing the albums. He gets them on tape, when he happens to see them, and then he can play them in his car when the mood strikes. He wouldn't call himself a fan, exactly, but he doesn't have a better word for it. He ends up memorizing a lot of the lyrics, and finds that he doesn't mind having that knowledge at all

December of '85, the first holiday season Steve and Robin spend together, Robin is ready to tease Steve mercilessly for not only knowing all the words to "Little Saint Nick," but for singing along with it while standing at the counter of Family Video. In public. Steve takes it with good grace, but he also makes sure she also knows all the words by the end of their shift. They sing it together every time it comes on the overhead speakers after that

(Steve gets the feeling Robin's enjoyment is half ironic, but he doesn't mind. Her joy as she sings is sincere, and that's the important part)

Robin isn't the last convert he manages to induct, either

"Kokomo" comes out in '88, and Eddie wants to hate it. Really he does. It's really not his speed, he doesn't like surf music, but he just - he can't quite bring himself to dislike it. Not when Steve is listening to it on the radio in the kitchen, singing along, dancing around unselfconsciously while he does the dishes (moving his hips in ways Eddie does not want to associate with the Beach Boys)

But of course, the second Steve catches Eddie listening with anything other than disdain, it's all over. He turns all his attention on Eddie, singing to him, trying to beckon him into the kitchen to dance with him while Eddie valiantly tries to hold out against the fucking dork-ass romantic he's been dating for over a year

Steve points him and then curls his fingers in a "come hither" gesture as he croons along with the radio, telling Eddie to "come on, pretty mama," and Eddie has to let his head hang back while he tells Steve "I hate you," just so Steve won't see how hard he's smiling

He does end up dancing, his head resting on Steve's shoulder because he's laughing too hard to hold it up on his own, his eyes watering while Steve continues being ridiculous just for him

(It is absolutely not their song, but many years later, it does end up on Eddie's carefully curated wedding playlist. He disavows all knowledge of how it got there)

[1dmonthlyficroundup]

— 1D Monthly Fic Roundup —

Hi, and welcome to the 1D Monthly Fic Roundup for December 2024! Below you’ll find 1D fics that were all published this month. We hope you’ll check out these new fics! If you would like to submit your own fic, please check this post on how to submit or visit our blog @1dmonthlyficroundup​. You can find all our other posts here.

Happy reading!

＊ pumpkin spiced regret by @disgruntledkittenface [M, 1k, Louis/Nick Grimshaw]

You know what they say: If you can’t take the heat in the kitchen, masturbate in the guest bathroom.

＊ When Harry Met Louis by @disgruntledkittenface [M, 45k, Harry/Louis]

The first time Harry and Louis met, they hated each other.

The second time they met, Louis didn’t even remember Harry.

The third time they met, they became friends.

They were friends for a long time.

And then they weren’t.

＊ Harry's Halloween Husband Haul by @lululawrence [NR, 666 words, Louis/Harry]

Harry's voice drifted in through the closet door.

“I saw a girl make a video showing her boyfriend haul, so I thought I’d make a Halloween Edition husband haul! So here’s mine…”

＊ All the Words We Don't Want to Hear by @lululawrence [NR, 666 words, Louis/Harry]

Louis turned off the tv and took a few deep breaths. He should never have allowed himself to watch a show detailing an ongoing serial murder investigation when he was home alone at night. His imagination was getting the best of him and causing him to get worked up over nothing.

…Right?

＊ You Should Be Here With Me by @lululawrence [NR, 34k, Louis/Harry]

The festive period is a traditionally hectic one in the world of Premier League football, and this year is no different. A lot is riding on how Manchester United is able to come through the fixtures in the coming weeks.

Louis and his teammates know all too well the pressure that is on their shoulders. They need to prove, not just to fans of the club but the entire league, that they still have what it takes to be a team worthy of fighting for the top of the table.

Throw in the fact that Louis is all too aware that he's not getting any younger in a profession that demands your peak physical fitness year round and the incredibly fit Harry Styles, who is part of the club's social media team, and this year's festive period might just be the most important one yet.

＊ Honk by @allwaswell16 [M, 3k, Harry/Louis]

Louis was not a romantic. He never really dreamed of finding his soulmate. Definitely not like this. Never like this.

Harry was a romantic. He’d always dreamed of finding his soulmate. Just like this. Exactly like this.

An omegaverse, soulmate goose fic for the holidays

＊ freaky friday by @tracksuitponytail [E, 1k, Louis/Harry]

It’s Friday the 13th—a day like any other for Louis until he wakes up in the middle of the night... in his best friend's body.

＊ be still, my foolish heart by localopa / @voulezloux [G, 3k, Zayn/Niall]

"you really love me? this is not a prank, right? because then i would have to punch you and i actually really want to kiss you."

＊ a flicker of hope that i wanna keep (please don’t leave) by localopa / @voulezloux [M, 12k, Harry/Louis]

harry is in love with louis, and he had thought louis felt the same until he accidentally left his journal in harry’s home. he knows he shouldn’t have read it, especially when it only proved to be a reality check he didn’t want. once harry finds the green-eyed, curly haired, gangly fucker that’s stolen louis’ heart, he’d like to have a strong word with him.

＊ i will become yours, you will become mine (i choose you) by localopa / @voulezloux [T, 7k, Louis/Harry]

it’s the day louis never thought he’d ever see. it’s the day that harry proves to his boyfriend he’s here forever.

a don’t be afraid to love (and love again) proposal. Part 3 of trans louis verse

＊ There Is Just One Thing I Need by Rearviewdreamer / @all-these-larrythings [G, 5k, Harry/Louis]

Louis doesn’t want a lot for Christmas apart from getting home in time to see his family. Then, he meets Harry.

＊ Out of Our Systems: Part 4 by Rearviewdreamer / @all-these-larrythings [E, 6k, Zayn/Louis/Harry]

Falling in love with Harry was so easy that it felt like coming home. Falling in love with Zayn is such an exhilarating high that it feels like playing with fire and hoping to get burned. Part 4 of Out of Our Systems

＊ We're here tonight and that's enough by Worldsofdreamers / @defences-down [M, 2k, Harry/Louis]

Snapshots of Christmas 2024 and Louis' 33rd Birthday.

＊ We're on fire by Worldsofdreamers / @defences-down [T, 2k, Louis/Harry]

4 times Harry gets caught stealing clothes from his bandmates for his nest.

＊ I'll be happy, happy once again by Worldsofdreamers / @defences-down [M, 7k, Harry/Louis]

After being unceremoniously dumped, Louis has no choice but to go along with his best mates' plan to find a date for Lottie's party.

Will their harebrained scheme work, or will Louis have to admit to his entire family that he got dumped?

＊ It was always you by Worldsofdreamers / @defences-down [T, 1k, Louis/Harry]

It's their first Christmas living together, and Harry has been trying to figure out how to talk to Louis about his feelings for weeks.

He could never have expected what would happen next.

＊ I Can Pull It Together by @louislittletomlintum [E, 6k, Harry/Louis]

Harry's eyes drifted to where Louis’ arms were slung over the back rim of the spa, exposing his underarms again. This time his fine hair was more apparent, wet from the spa and curling a little where some droplets of water hung.

Harry wanted to lick them.

He blushed almost instantly when the thought came through his brain, hoping it wasn’t obvious and that the general heat on his face would disguise his embarrassment. He’d never thought anything like that before.

or the one where Harry accidentally discovers a new part of Louis he really, really loves.

＊ Hearts All Whole by @justanothershadeofblue [M, 27k+, wip, Louis/Harry]

Father Louis Tomlinson hasn't seen or talked to his high school boyfriend in over a decade, not since they went to different universities and slowly grew apart. This means it's a bit of a surprise when he looks out from the pulpit on the first Sunday of Advent and sees Harry Styles' unmistakeable head poking up from a pew halfway back and on the left. How's a priest supposed to make it through the madness of the holiday season with his very friendly, very attractive ex distracting him at every turn?

＊ All These Lights by LetTheMusicMoveYou / @letthemusicmoveyou28 [E, 30k, Harry/Louis]

“As you know, every year Syco Industries throws the Holiday bash of the year. Their annual Christmas Eve charity ball, held in the building’s lobby.”

Louis arches a brow. “Robbing a Christmas charity? That’s your brilliant idea? That’s a little low don’t you think?”

Niall snorts. “The only charity that money is going to is in Simon Cowell’s pocket and we both know it.”

He’s not exactly wrong.

“Alright sure, but I’m pretty sure Santa still frowns upon stealing.”

Niall just grins.

“Being on the nice-list is vastly overrated anyway.”

(Or a holiday heist featuring a rag-tag team of lovable criminals, a pair of exes who hate each other except for when they don’t, and a lot of festive chaos along the way).

- Fic Fest -

＊ Louis Rare Pair Fic Fest / @louisrarepairfest / ao3 / masterpost

A rare pair fest for all Louis Tomlinson rare pairs

[m00nsbaby]

The invisible barrier.

(Jake Lockley x F!Reader)

Tags - Warnings: Jake doesn’t know about Marc or Steven. Angst, smut, fluff, everything. Most of Jake’s dialogues are in Spanish, most of reader’s are in English except in November - December. Word count: 4,9 k. (Lol, sorry) Summary: A whole year trying to understand Jake Lockley. (Literally)

January.

"¡Hola!" (Hello.) The sudden voice next to you made you jump as you made the most important and complicated decision of the week.

Would you choose pretzels with dark or white chocolate?

Reluctantly, you turned to your side to see a man standing just a few inches away from you. On another occasion, you would have probably jumped back or fled to another aisle in the supermarket, but the apologetic smile on his lips and the puppy-like look in his eyes told you that he didn't want to be in this situation either.

"Perdón, ¿Podrías decirme qué dice aquí?” (Sorry. Could you tell me what it says here?) The words came out quickly from his mouth and you furrowed your brow in confusion. Your fleeting and ridiculous Spanish classes had never been of much use, even less now that you had the opportunity to help an attractive man.

"I don't... Huh." You cleared your throat, searching for a way to say, 'Maybe I can't help you, but I'll move heaven and earth to try.' Dramatic? Yes, of course, but what more could be expected from a hopeless romantic? Many love stories began like this in your mind; this was a scenario you had imagined at least twice before falling asleep. "No hablo español." (I don’t speak Spanish.)

The man blinked a couple of times, as if realizing that he had gathered courage for about 15 minutes only to lose his dignity like this.

"Oh." He cleared his throat, nodding afterward. "Thanks," he said shyly, as if trying to hide his accent.

"No, no, let me help you. What do you need?" You turned the bag of Cheetos he was holding in his hands so you could see the list of ingredients on the back as he was asking. Both of you were guessing what you were saying. Your gaze scanned the list, nodding your head when you detected the problem. Everything was written in English.

Sure, your aisle companion had an extra problem on top of that. The letters were too small for his poor eyesight, and he would rather ask for help from strangers than give up on the idea of using glasses.

"Give me a second." Your fingers quickly handled your phone as you took the bag from his hands.

You took a photo and the app took care of the work for you, translating every word on the red packaging you held. You didn't hesitate to take a step forward and extend your hand far enough for your phone to be at the stranger's ear level, who didn't question your methods for a moment.

He just stood still, listening.

"¿Colorante rojo número 6?” (Red dye number 6?) He questioned when the voice function finished. And you quickly scanned the phone screen, trying to find the part on the list that seemed closest to what he had just said.

Well, seis = 6, that one was easy.

"Yes, 6." You saw him smile and take the bag back from your hands to shake it in a celebratory manner. "Why?"

"Huh?"

"Why 6?" He guessed based on how you tilted your head to one side what you were asking.

"Soy alérgico al número 4, o al menos eso creo.” (I'm allergic to the number 4. Or at least, I think I am.) He pointed to his throat. "Siento comezón en la garganta cuando como cosas que lo tienen.” (My throat itches when I eat things that have it.")

Did you understand anything he said? No, nothing beyond the number 4. So, you smiled and nodded, eliciting a warm laugh from him.

He was cute.

"Gracias." (Thank you.) It seemed like he understood the basics, just like you. It was better to use his words than to deal with the pronunciation of the "t" and "h" together.

"It's okay." You shrugged while continuing to smile in a friendly manner. It wasn't because the stranger was incredibly attractive; you always behaved this way with people, or at least you tried to. "Enjoy your Cheetos."

Another giggle. "Cheetos," he repeated, imitating the way you pronounced the brand's name.

You rolled your eyes playfully and went back to the pretzels without saying anything else.

Well, there went the potential love of your life. Both of you were too shy to engage in casual conversation. You were aware that pretending to have the confidence to do so would be a lie.

Silently, you paid for your pretzels covered in white chocolate, looking around in case the guy was still nearby. After a few seconds, you gave up. Well, it was nothing out of the ordinary, even with one more chance, you wouldn't have approached him. More than 20 dollars for a bag of chocolate covered pretzels? That must be a crime, the first time you bought one . . .

"Hola de nuevo.” (Hi again.) The leather of his jacket brushed against your skin as you bumped into him. He was in the exact same position as you, one hand holding his Cheetos, the other clutching the receipt he was trying to read with squinted eyes.

You almost had a heart attack.

"Hi." You smiled, your cheeks betraying you as they turned rosy just from being around him like this. You had to take a step back after the clumsy little push you gave him.

"¿Tienes cómo regresar a tu casa?” (Do you have a way to get home?) You frowned at the question. This only confirmed that your crazy fantasy wasn't going to work out; there was a huge barrier between you.

He could see the confusion on your face so he pointed outside. It was raining heavily.

"Oh." You had been so engrossed in your pursuit of him that you hadn't thought about that. It wasn't a terrible problem, though; you could just wait until it calmed down.

You could spend another $20 on an umbrella in the worst case. Or call a car to take you the 10-minute walk to your house.

"I'll just wait." You had to remind yourself not to get too deep into your words.

"Yo te llevo.” (I'll give you a ride.) He quickly said. "A ride." The way the 'r' rolled off his mouth was enough to make you dizzy.

"Are you sure?" This couldn't be happening. This genuinely couldn't be happening.

"Of course, I'm sure," he repeated, smiling. This couldn't be happening.

It couldn't.

That night, you ran together to his car in the rain, laughing. He opened the door for you, even though it meant a few extra minutes of water poured on him.

You gave him directions through your phone, and you learned how to say "cuadras" (blocks) to guide someone next time, and he kept telling you something you didn't understand, but he noticed you were just nodding for him to keep talking.

He said goodbye with a kiss on your cheek. He used a word similar to "custom" to justify it, ‘costumbre’ maybe.

Oh, and you exchanged numbers. It turned out the stranger, Jake Lockley, worked as a taxi driver most nights. You understood that because the words "taxi" and "noche" were in your mental dictionary.

February.

Your first date was a disaster.

You never considered that to spend the day together, you had to exchange more than 5 words, and Jake stained your beautiful pink sundress with an ice cream that didn't even taste that good.

Oh, at some point, you tripped too. You were so focused on trying to understand one of the anecdotes he was telling you that you ended up on the ground with a scraped knee.

That wasn't so bad, though. I mean, you had Jake on one knee, checking yours. He even had you step on his thigh so he could clean you up with his ice cream-covered napkin.

When the day came to an end, he took you home. You noticed he had memorized your address, making it easier for both of you. You hummed a song together to cover the silence of two people who had to resort to other means of communication than talking.

"I had fun." Lie, this hadn't been anything like you imagined a first date, not after reading books or watching movies.

He nodded silently as he got out of the car to open the door for you.

And even though the date was a complete disaster, Jake kissed you.

He kissed you against the closed door of your apartment, holding you by the waist as if you intended to escape from his arms, begging you silently not to separate from him.

"¿Repetimos la próxima semana?” (Second date next week?)

March.

Text messages flowed throughout the weeks. Depending on the day, one or the other used the translator to send messages that the other could understand.

Sometimes they were just silly pictures, mostly of cats. You found a silly liking for sending him videos and photos of different animals in romantic situations, hugging each other and such, with only the description 'us.'

Jake responded ‘nosotros’ with different emojis depending on the day. He liked the white heart.

His car became familiar to you, as well as the late-night drives with music. You wondered if Jake had started neglecting his work to spend more time with you, and although it sounded selfish, you didn't care much.

You enjoyed his company.

April.

Your fingers played with his curls while both of you rested comfortably on your bed, you on the pillows, Jake on your abdomen.

He was surprisingly interested in one of the old books you hadn't touched in a long time.

"Jake?" He immediately put the book down to look at you. "Can you help me with a word?"

"¿Ahora?" (Now?) he asked.

"Right now."

"¿Cuál palabra?" (Which word?) He closed his eyes as your fingers continued to enjoy playing with his hair. It was so soft that the gentle caresses you gave were enough to mess it up.

"Boyfriend."

"Novio." You stretched your free hand with difficulty. He opened his eyes again, looking at you with interest as you struggled in the least attractive way to open one of your drawers with one hand. Something cracked in it.

You put the bag of Cheetos on his chest, clearing your throat afterwards.

"¿Quieres ser mi novio?” (Do you want to be my boyfriend?)

May.

"Jake?"

The car hadn't started yet when he turned to look at you, raising his eyebrows as if to ask what was wrong. You stretched enough to touch his knuckles, which were marked with a purple tone and scraped.

Your gaze went to him. It was as if both of you knew how to communicate through looks.

"No sé qué me pasó. Mi teoría es que golpee algo mientras dormía.” (I don't know what happened. My theory is that I hit something while asleep.) He frowned as he extended his fingers to get a better view of them. It looked like he had beaten up someone, and he couldn't deny that it hurt, especially when he gripped the steering wheel of the car.

"Are you still having those strange dreams?"

"Weird dreams," Jake whispered to himself as a way to remember your words. "Sí, sueños raros.” (Yes, weird dreams.)

You pursed your lips without saying more as you brushed his knuckles with your thumb, as gently as you could.

"Let's go." You finally gave in, returning to your seat with an unconvincing gesture.

June.

"I don't understand football." You said as you walked hand in hand, leaning some of your weight against his body.

Technically, neither of you were drunk; you were just flushed from the heat of the alcohol, giggly and a little tipsy. Jake had mentioned how funny it would be to go to one of those bars where they show football games for fans, even though neither of you were fans. Choosing a team randomly to support, drinking things with strange names, and maybe sharing spicy wings sounded like a good plan.

That was your Friday night.

"Tampoco yo.” (Neither do I.) Jake was doing his best not to laugh. He failed miserably.

When you reached his car, you leaned your body against it, and your hands ended up on your boyfriend's shirt. He immediately knew what you wanted, bringing both hands to your waist and leaning forward, closer.

"Is it hot here, or was it the 4 margaritas we drank?" You whispered while trying to contain your smile.

"Debe ser ese vestido.” (It must be that dress.) His lips brushed against yours. The sudden change in his voice made you shiver, so husky. “O por lo menos es lo que me está poniendo caliente a mi.” (At least I know that's what's making me hot.) It was the last thing he said before kissing you as if his life depended on it.

You moaned into his mouth, pressed between his body and the car. The kiss was wet as his mischievous hands slid under your dress, squeezing your ass firmly enough for it to hurt. Not in a bad way. "Jake." You complained as you looked around to make sure no one was walking by to see you.

"Date la vuelta.” (Turn around.) Apparently, your Spanish only worked in moments of convenience because you obeyed immediately. You turned your body with difficulty, mainly because he refused to let go of you. You felt his erection against you as soon as your cheek collided with the cold metal of the car. He was rubbing against your ass while biting your neck to his liking, sucking and licking your skin until he marked it. "Fuck, Jake." You whispered with your eyes closed. You could have cum right there with just his kisses and soft touches. Fortunately, he was more considerate because one of the hands that rested on your waist little by little went between your legs, your dress was already raised enough to only have to worry about your panties, he brushed his fingers over your abdomen before sliding his middle finger between your lips. First he wetted it well before moving up to your clit. His touch made you tremble and hiss. "¿Un par de besos te tienen así, corazón?” (A couple of kisses have you like this, sweetheart?) You could hear the smirk on his lips as his finger traced circles against your most sensitive area. "Imagínate como será cuando esté dentro de ti.” (Imagine how it will be like when I'm inside you.) A shameless moan escaped from you. "Eso quieres, ¿No?” (You want that, don't you?) He kept talking in your ear while he distributed one or two kisses between your neck and your shoulder. “Sentirme duro. Profundo.” (To feel me hard. Deep.) He simulated thrusts between each word, his hip pushing yours harder against the car and against his hand that kept playing with your pussy to make you whimper. You nodded without opening your eyes. "Con palabras." (Use your words.) He said clicking his tongue.

"Yes please." You begged desperately while trying to get air through your mouth. "Buena niña.” (Good girl.) You swallowed the complaint of feeling him take his hand out of your panties, just because you immediately heard how he started to unbutton his jeans. "Escupe.” (Spit.) You could feel his girth between your legs, letting you know that there were no more clothes involved. You took a few seconds to be able to clean the fingers that were inside you before with your tongue, making Jake groan just by imagining what you would do with your mouth in another situation. When you were satisfied you spat into the palm of his hand as requested. He wrapped his hand around his cock, and covered it with your saliva. He used the same hand to accommodate it between your lips. A sigh of relief left your mouth when you finally felt it inside you. A muffled whimper accompanied the way your muscles suddenly relaxed, as if that was what you needed. "Mierda, amor." (Shit, love.) As Jake's forehead rested against your shoulder, he muttered under his breath. "Voy a terminar rápido si sigues apretándome así.” (I'm going to finish fast if you keep squeezing me like this.) His voice made you dizzy, you mentally thanked all those days you spent understanding each other because his words could have been enough to push you to the limit. It didn't take long for both of you to pick up a delicious rhythm. When he pushed his hip forward, you pushed back to make him go deeper. When he was pulling back, you were pulling forward almost taking his member all the way out to prepare for his next thrust. You were so close you had to bite the hand he put to your mouth to keep from screaming. "¿Vas a terminar para mi, mi vida?” (Are you going to finish for me, my life?) He whimpered. Oh god, he fucking whimpered. He had a desperate tone to his voice, almost like he was comforting you. "Déjame sentirlo, por favor, por favor.” (Let me feel it, please, please.) This time it was he who was begging. Your saliva had started running against Jake's hand. You were seeing stars from squeezing your eyes shut, and how close you were wasn't helping at all. The spasms had started around him, and without warning, the inevitable happened. He finished inside of you. His cum being pushed deeper inside you with each thrust he took to finish his orgasm was enough for you to reach yours. "Amor, carajo.” (Love, damn it.) His voice cracked at the sensitivity combining with your walls squeezing him every few seconds. You were milking him. "Te amo.” (I love you.) He whispered as his breath interrupted each of his words. That was the first time he said it.

July.

The only thing that relaxed you was that this 360° turn apparently had nothing to do with you.

Jake was someone else.

His flirty and playful personality was just a memory to you. Under his eyes, there were huge dark circles since his dreams had become crazier and more frequent.

There were unexplained wounds on his body, according to him. Or sometimes there were none, but he felt the pain throughout his body, as if a truck had run over him, he said.

He became silent, as if he felt he was talking too much when he started to let out words about what was happening. He still hugged and kissed you, still spent afternoons with you and continued to respond “nosotros" to your silly animal photos.

But something wasn't right. There was something so... strange.

You did what you could to work on it, to let it pass.

Even if it cost you the trust in your relationship.

August.

Your hands trembled as you dialed his number for the tenth time that night. Maybe you were being dramatic, but Jake always made sure to let you know when he had returned home.

The sudden change that had occurred in him over the past 3 months didn't help at all. You wouldn't last a lifetime without wondering why his body kept producing wounds he claimed not to remember, or about those days of complete dissociation on his part, when he swore you were playing with him when you told him it was Saturday and not Wednesday.

"I just want to know you're okay." You whispered with a broken voice to the voicemail. "Please, just tell me you're okay."

There was no response that night. You couldn't sleep either.

The next day, when he showed up at your doorstep with the dark circles you had learned to get used to over the days, your body's first reaction was to push him with all your strength. It was only enough to make him stagger.

"You're an idiot." You spat the words, your eyes flooded with tears.

"Me quedé dormido anoche, perdón.” (I fell asleep, I'm sorry.) He didn't even seem to believe the words coming out of his mouth, but how could he explain to you what was happening in his life if he didn't even know what the hell was going on?

"How much longer do you plan on lying to me?" You didn't care that people passing by on the street saw you both as crazy. You in your pajamas, him leaning against the car as a method of protection.

"No te estoy mintiendo." (I’m not lying to you.) He raised his voice a little, letting out a lot of the feelings he had been suppressing for a while.

"Do you think I'm stupid?" The worst part was that you also had things bottled up inside you, the worry for him being the thing that choked you every day, squeezing tighter and tighter.

"Creo que no quieres entenderme.” (I think you don't want to understand me.) He was angry. You had never heard him like this, especially not directed at you. "Creo que ni siquiera estás intentando.” (I think you're not even trying.)

Damn the day you started to understand his words.

"I'm not understanding you, Jake?" You had already broken into tears. Your finger collided against his chest in an accusatory manner while he seemed unaffected, even though inside he was falling apart.

It was too much for him. Everything was too much.

"I've been trying for months to ignore what you're hiding from me." It was so difficult to argue in this way that frustration was suffocating you.

"¡No te estoy ocultando una mierda!” (I'm not hiding shit from you!) You snapped.

With fear.

Mid-sentence, Jake had reached out a hand to push you. Not with much force, just enough to separate you from his chest.

In seconds, he became aware of what he had done. If the car wasn't behind him, he would have moved even further away from you. He was overwhelmed by fear too.

He was losing himself as he had suspected.

"Me tengo que ir.” (I have to go.)

"Jake Lockley, if you leave, I don't want you to come back." Tired of seeing him run away from the problems, you resorted to the last card you would have liked to play.

You were foolish to think he would risk hurting you again. The last thing you heard was the sound of the engine accelerating to get away from you as fast as possible.

September.

The first part of September is blurry. You did your best to survive without him, but the days passed so quickly that you began to question if you were alive or just living in a bad dream that had lasted longer than necessary.

It was as if Jake was dead to you, without any sign, without any notice, nothing.

He simply disappeared.

The clear countdown of the days begins on the 13th, when your phone lit up to notify you that he wasn't doing much better than you.

✉: ¿Podemos hablar? (Can we talk?)

✉: Estoy perdido. (I'm lost.)

It hurt not having him, but it hurt more to see Jake's well-being. Not knowing how he was, where he was, what he was doing after that tragic day tormented you.

You replied, and the most important relationship in your life turned into a series of midnight calls where you tried to understand what your ex-boyfriend was mumbling from the solitude of his car.

You had friendships that had started in stranger ways than this, you could endure this.

Make it work.

October.

"Trick or treat." Mentally, he slapped himself for how ridiculous his way of reappearing was.

A half-smile appeared on your lips as you opened the door and came face to face with an embarrassed Jake, wearing your favorite leather jacket and both hands in his pockets as if he was waiting to be scolded by you.

"I doubt any of these things don't have artificial coloring number 4." That was your only response as you leaned your body against the door frame. With one hand, you held the huge container of candies that came out of hiding every Halloween.

"Estaba por aquí.” (I was around here.) Jake pointed back, the path that led to the supermarket, or at least that's what you assumed. He had a very lame excuse to see you, but that worked for you. The interest was enough. "Y pensé en venir a saludar.” (And I thought of coming. To say hi.)

"I'm watching Friday The 13th." You looked behind him. Children approached with shyness, seeking candy. "Come in, let me finish with the candies."

Your smile was so genuine that Jake's heart skipped a beat. How had he lasted so long without you? Those lost 3 months would always be present in the multiple mistakes he made.

That night, you kissed until it hurt. Until your lips hurt from bites, until the skin of his neck burned from love bites, until his fingers became imprinted on your waist. "I love you." You said between moans as the movie gave you an almost unreal vision of who the love of your life was. Flashes in white, in red, even in black showing you how beautiful he was from any angle or lighting. He made your sofa creak as he raised his hip toward you, thrusting into you even deeper if that was possible. "I love you, Jake." You repeated with a broken voice while your little jumps gained more strength. Your body was already exhausted, your legs were shaking and your hair stuck to your forehead and neck from sweat but emotionally you refused to get away from him. "Te amo. Te amo. Te amo.” (I love you. I love you. I love you.) His whispers mixed with his panting. You both seemed to be on the verge of tears. "Don't go away again." Your fingers tightened on his chest, scratching at his skin as you had done many times before. "Don't ever leave me again, Jake." The way you said his name burned in his heart. He brought a hand to one of yours to squeeze them on his chest, making you feel his agitated heartbeat. There was no need to say more, not while your kisses, movements and moans spoke for themselves. That night, as you rested on his chest after an orgasm that made you both shake from head to toe, he promised you never to leave. "Mi vida.” (My life.) He repeated as his fingers untangled your hair and your weight on him increased as you drifted off to sleep. "Mi cielo. Mi corazón.” (My darling. My heart.) He whispered in your ear. "Mi todo." (My everything.)

November.

Everything with Jake was stupidly easy.

Laughing, singing, existing.

As easy as in the romantic comedies you used to love watching before you met him. And it's not that you had forgotten about those because of him, but now you enjoyed watching action movies, those that allow you to get distracted without losing track of the plot.

You didn't press him to talk about what happened in those months, knowing that there were still a thousand secrets between you because you still saw strange bruises on his body, marks on his knuckles, or felt him getting up in the early hours of the morning when he stayed over with you.

"Leave me alone!" You ran down the hallway, laughing with him trailing behind. Probably restraining himself because it would be impossible for him not to catch you with his eyes closed.

He wrapped an arm around you to press you against his chest and used the other to prevent both of you from crashing into the wall. He was laughing too.

"Do you give up?" He squeezed you tighter with his arm.

"Never! Let me go!"

The laughter almost made it difficult for you to speak.

"Come back to me, and I'll let you go."

The seconds of silence churned his stomach.

"What?"

"I mean..." He cleared his throat. "Officially. Would you be my girlfriend? Please?"

It almost seemed like he was begging you.

You reassured his fears with a kiss.

December.

"I don't understand how you can eat these things." You took a deep breath through your mouth, sticking out your tongue, already reddened by the red dye number 6, to seek some relief from the burning sensation.

Jake was setting down a fifth box from his arms. He sighed, tired.

"No puedo creer que no me estés ayudando.” (I can't believe you're not helping me.) He approached you to steal one of the Cheetos from your bag while you licked your fingers. "Te dije que uses palillos chinos, así evitas el polvo.” (I told you to use chopsticks, that way you avoid getting your fingers dusty.)

"The dust is the best part." You popped your thumb out of your mouth.

"Disgusting." He feigned a look of disgust as he settled between your legs, resting a hand on your thigh and giving it a squeeze.

"You didn't say that when..."

"¡Dios mío!" (My God!) He gasped, biting his lower lip to suppress his laughter. He leaned forward, stealing a chaste kiss from you. "Compórtate.” (Behave.)

"Are there many more boxes left? I didn't think you had so much stuff in your apartment." You pushed the box aside as you leaned forward to prolong your kisses.

"This is my apartment." He whispered with a smile against your lips.

"Touché." Your fingers slowly roamed his shirt collar before pulling him closer with a tug on the fabric. "What if you take a break?"

Jake's hands were already on his pants, figuring out how to unbutton his jeans without separating from your body.

"I'm never going to stop unpacking." He complained as his lips began to descend towards your neck.

Ok now that I have written happy endings for the three of them I’m sick of them, lol, I’ll try to get angst-ier with these thingies

[popponn]

a duck, a prince, and the snow.

note: was gonna make it hcs but uh. ehe. here, smth similar for chigiri haha. this is two iq shower thought situation. warning: none, fluff, post canon/pro au, reader’s gender unspecified, undertone of morons friends to lovers, prince & duckling (affectionately).

reo loves you enough to marry you the moment you demand it. with rings, grand ceremonies, and an even grander honeymoon. but the thing is, you are way too oblivious.

reo tries everything already—praises, flirting, dressing in the way you like the most, asking you to go to your favorite places together, buy you everything, special treatment, and many more. at this point, it’s probably easier to mention what he hasn’t tried yet—with “straight up confessing” sitting at the top of the “no way not yet no chigiri no nagi no way” chart. some people actually think this is some new brand of masochism—trapping oneself in a friendzone, but most of them stop thinking about this after seeing your dynamic with him once. as in it really is that painful to watch.

in your defense, this guy is indeed generous when he wants to be. so he could give you a diamond ring and you could read it either as a bribe for something or a random gift for that tuesday. the worst thing is probably how you are so genuinely unable to think of the more romantic possibility whilst the giving party is more than okay with it. really, sincerely, from the bottom of his heart.

because you could go “oh reo you are such a good friend! let’s be friends forever!” and this guy would probably look extremely constipated for 0.1 sec then before you could see it, all you got is a doting exasperation expressed through a charming prince smile on his face. in the way that is not even “ah well too bad, but we can do it next time” smile, but an “oh, how adorable. i truly am in love with them” smile. rinse and repeat for three years and more, that’s basically how this hellish adorable loop goes. talk about a guy who is in love with every part of you—even when the part is denser than a black hole.

but, like every fairytale, this prince too deserves a proper happy ending, doesn’t he?

Under the illuminations and falling snow, you wonder why Reo chooses to be here with you, walking through the cold December night with groceries in his hands. You feel bad for telling him that you are out shopping alone now, or at the very least you should have accepted his offer to bring his limousine. It feels wrong getting him carrying your things considering everything.

“Reo,” you begin sheepishly, reaching out to tug his jacket sleeve lightly with your empty hand. "You really don’t have to do this, you know.”

Reo, somehow, looks like he takes offense to that. “Huh? Why not? I want to. Plus, just imagining you waddling like a duck with two heavy grocery bags…” Dramatically, Reo trails off with a heavy sigh. A cloud of cold breath fogs his lips for a moment, but not enough to cover up the teasing smirk that follows, “…yeah, at least I want to watch that.”

You immediately nudge his side with an angry huff, all while fruitlessly trying to step on his feet. Whilst Reo laughs with too much mirth on his face, he avoids your vengeful foot with a grace that truly belongs to a professional soccer player. Some bystanders who walk past the two of you spares some glances, but as long as they do not recognize Reo who hides his face and hair under a miraculous yet simple black cap, you feel like you couldn’t care about them.

“I shouldn’t have felt bad for you! I’m trying to be considerate to your hands getting cramps and cold, you jerk!” you hissed finally, jutting out your tongue just as an extra gesture, before adding another protest as an afterthought, “And you called me a duck for that!?”

“You are worried about me? That’s sweet!” Reo smiles in a way that is positively shit eating. Then, he nudges back to your side, an act that is pretty much imitating your previous action, yet clearly, much gentler as he lets his shoulder stay pressed to yours as the two of you continue to walk. “Come on, don’t be mad. That means I will still take care of you even when you are a duck.”

You glare half-heartedly at that. Even if this sort of conversation—idle, with worth only the two of you could understand—is not rare, you really wonder why he seems so bubbly today. With your steps and his once again falling into a synchronous rhythm, you curiously ponder out loud, “So, what happened?”

Reo tilts his head, in a manner that is subjectively cute to you. “Hm?”

“Today, what happened? You seem happy. Did something good happen in your meeting? Or your training?”

“Uh… eh? Not really, honestly. Nagi was feeling kind of down, and Isagi also seemed to be in a bad mood, Rin—the younger Itoshi, you remembered?” he pauses, looking at your reaction before continuing after your nod. “Yeah, so that guy also got really angry today. Overall, it was a mess, but nothing new. The board meeting, uh, yeah—the greedy old guys somehow get greedier today.”

“Seriously?” You wince hearing all of those. “That… sounds like a really terrible day… are you okay?”

Reo’s face shifts once again into a very smug look, which you shoot down immediately with a glare straight to his handsome face. Seeing your unamused look, the half-lidded brattish look he wears immediately crinkles to a very bright happy look, with a smile that is wide enough to turn his eyes into a pair of crescent moons. It is beautiful—you think to yourself, silently, softly.

“Nah, as I said, nothing new about that too. Plus—” Reo suddenly leans his head against yours, letting his cold cheek glue itself against your equally cold one. Nonetheless, you still squawk ungracefully. “—I got a really cute duckling worrying about me and walking with me romantically like this. I will call that it’s a winning day!”

“Really now?” you ask again, exasperated and not really understanding the meaning behind his words. It feels like you are missing something—but you can’t really put a finger on it. Paying no more mind to that thought, you continue, “So, paying for me, coming running to me, and then getting me to walk with a prince who also carries my groceries is a payback for being the cute ducking?”

“Clearly,” Reo says, familiar pride and softness lacing his tone. It makes you laugh. It’s odd, but as how being in his presence really makes you feel at ease, it does feel pleasant to hear him feeling so with just a walk with you. But, before you can let that feeling settle quietly, Reo goes on, resting his gaze on you in a manner that feels too fond and affectionate, “But, even if without all those, I will still come running to you.”

Yet again, you feel like you are missing something. There is a heat that crawls up from the inner chamber of your chest, thrumming and warm and wonderful. Dizzying and confusing, but often presents itself for Reo and Mikage Reo only.

“I… I see,” you stammer out, your voice unconsciously turning into one that is just a few notes away from a whisper.

You don’t know what Reo sees in your expression, but with it, his eyes gleam in a very tender manner. “Well, but you see,” he begins, his voice mimicking a mocking tone, “while this prince’s hand is one warmed with groceries, the other one is still very empty and cold.”

“Oh?” you muse, seeing where this is going.

Boyish and as charming as always, Reo reaches his idle hand to yours, intertwining his finger with yours. One could say it feels like a scene from a drama, one could say it feels like something written by hopeless romantics, but ultimately, to you the fact that it is Reo that makes your breath hitches. Suddenly, it is very worrying if your hands are sweaty.

Wait, are they—

“Now, the prince feels very warm,” Reo, oblivious to your predicament, states cheekily with boldness veiling his eyes.

“…the prince is a prick,” you reply, knowing your defeat. It is unusual of him to do something like this, yet there is not even an ounce of desire in you to protest.

“As long as the duckling is okay with it, is it really a problem though?” he says, leaning even closer to your face.

At some point, you know you stop breathing. And Reo realizes it.

It is probably then that the tension between the two of you suddenly closes down its curtain. Something flashes through Reo’s eyes. And before you know it, the hold he has on your hand loosened, as if giving you permission to pull away.

Then, a part of your mind says, “Who cares about the duckling and prince anymore—”

And to that sentiment, you raise an enthusiastic agree.

Because it is Reo, probably, you tightened your hold around his hand. Your hand might be sweaty, and you might not get everything that is happening—but you know enough that this feels like the right choice.

“I am,” you answer resolutely, looking away from him and facing your front instead. “I am very okay with it.”

You have no courage to peek at your friend’s—your companion’s expression. And so, you miss the way his eyes light up, realizing and catching something that you haven’t realized yet. Thus, you too don’t expect the way he tugs you into a halt, stopping your steps just a few centimeters away from his.

When you turn to him, you find Mikage Reo. His eyebrows are furrowed under his cap, his lips bitten and pouting at the some time. With redness on his cheeks, as good-looking and as princely as he has always been to you, staring at you with a seriousness that spells out determination and more.

“Can I—”

On the middle of the sidewalk, surrounded by crowds who don’t recognize Mikage Reo and you, the two of you stand still. The snow continues to fall and none of you bring your gloves. In such a scene, Reo’s eyes never once left you.

“Can I tell you something?”

add. note: was it cheesy? unnecessarily so. did i lost the prompt somewhere? kinda. is it xmas? uh. what is this? uh. could it be better?...yeah i think i had fun tho <3 hope u too <3 blame jinshi and how this part came out the smoothest. also if this is in reo's pov lmao it's a mess there.

[yawujin]

hiiiiiiiiiii

since it's almost december that got me thinking

my home country sometimes has inches of snow and my mother told me during her college years sometimes they had to shut down school becouse students could not leave their houses........so......

Do you have any headcanons for Russia, Canada, Norway, Denmark and Finland getting snowed in with their partner (assuming they live together with reader or that their visiting) like what would they do to pass the time? hot milk? cuddling under a thick blanket🤭

love your blog and hope you have a happy december!!!!! 💙💙💙

{ request } snowed in with the hetalia men ❄️

type | snowed in trope , cute , lighthearted , platonic relationship , romantic relationship , scenario format , imagine format , they/them pronouns used

author's note* getting this posted before december is over !! sorry that it took so long anon...hope this month treated you well, and if it didn't─i hope this makes it just a little bit better!

russia/ivan braginski ♡

he is quite used to the heavy snow, so this type of weather doesn't bother him in the slightest

he'll invite them to watch the snowfall outside as he rests his elbow on the windowsill, chin in his hand

he's quietly reminiscing about all those times he spent running around in snowy forests and sliding across icy, frozen over lakes as child (not without falling down a couple of times, of course)

it'll take a while for this snow to melt anyway...why not get comfortable next to him and listen to all the bittersweet recollections of his childhood memories?

canada/matthieu williams ♡

being snowed in leaves you with a lot of time on your hands

canada takes this as an opportunity to make some mini pancakes, cover them with warm maple syrup and serve it with hot cocoa

the food is good and helps warm up their bodies...but it leaves the two feeling punchy

canada (shyly) makes an offer to share a blanket while sitting on the sofa together

their shared bodyheat makes it hard to resist sleep; soon, the two of them drift off while the snow starts falling again outside

(taking a nap together can be considered a date!!! >_<)

norway/lukas bondevik ♡

he does what he can to pass the time, doing what he usually does on a day to day basis

reading magazines , books and, random articles he found on the internet

norway feels like a lifetime will pass before the two can step outside again

they offer to do something he doesn't regularly do; play a board game

feeling this unusual sense of listlessness due to spending a full afternoon indoors, norway becomes determined to win a round in this board game

(not so) surprisingl, he finds it fun─and time flies when you're having fun

denmark/matthias køhler ♡

he finds himself pacing around their house, looking for something, anything, to do!

he snacks out of boredom sometimes, but since it's so cold out, he'd prefer to eat something hot

even eating has become boring for him

denmark goes to them for something to do, asking silly questions to help pass the time

feeling bold, matthias asks them for a kiss

...and like the weather outside, once it starts, it's hard to stop

a simple kiss turns into the two making out. (that's one way to kill time 🫣)

finland/timo väinämöinen ♡

being snowed in with finland can be kind of fun

he gets a little a worried in the beginning, expressing his concerns on how long the weather will last and how it will affect the food supply

that is, until he remembers he can hunt and he can handle snowy climates (no matter how harsh they may be)

he's a natural born storyteller, making up things in his head in an instant

sometimes, he'll tell them a story that sounds so fake but then reveal that it really happened

this skill of his takes both of their minds off of the fact that they are snowed in

he kindly gives them his winter coat to wear as he recalls the time he had to become santa claus one year during christmas

[1d1195]

Protection - Extra I

Read the rest of it here: Protection

I thought you all might want to read a bit about this. This is in between their dip in the water and their trip to England that I previously skipped over. (between part 9 and 10)

Just cute stuff I think (@freedomfireflies said it was romantic 😍thank you for reading it ahead of time for me). A little angsty maybe if you read it the right way.

~4k words

“Are you alright?” She asked, it came out strong. It was important to her to say it fully, no teeth chattering. She wanted to make sure Harry was okay.

He laughed, loudly. He couldn’t help it; he nosed at her ear. “Oh, love. M’fine... s’long as you are.”

The water was freezing; it was December after all. It felt like ice on Harry’s skin, and more so like it was seeping right into his veins. It was no more than twenty seconds before he reached her. He grabbed her by the arm before she started sinking further to the bottom. With a hurt leg and her arms once more held together by a zip-tie, his supervisor was definitely planning on letting her painfully drown to death.

It made Harry sick to be associated with such a place.

Harry pulled his free arm toward the top of the sea. They crested over the surface. Harry gasped quietly, more worried about making sure she had air. Almost immediately, he cupped a hand over her mouth a bit to hide the sounds she made as she spluttered over the splash of the waves. He worried that his supervisor might come back to check that she really was gone. Harry waded the pair of them toward the bottom of the little cliff. So that if he did look down, the view would be obstructed. “Shh, shh, m’here, baby. I have you, honey; m’so sorry, kitten. But y’gotta stay quiet, love. I got you,” he promised treading hard for both of them to stay afloat. It was so fucking cold. “M’sorry,” he whispered softly. As her breath came back more evenly, he pressed his lips to her forehead. Her lips were turning bluer by the second. Just like when she was paling without enough blood. It made him nervous even though he knew it was because she was freezing. But what truly worried him most, was the look of shock on her face. Like Harry wouldn’t have moved heaven and earth to find her and keep her safe.

After several seconds of silence, Harry didn’t have much choice but to risk it either way and started to swim awkwardly toward the sandy area nearby. He hauled her to shore, cradling her as best he could. They paused just at the shoreline Harry stretching his achy muscles from the stiffness of the cold. She didn’t even have a coat, the poor thing. Her jaw chattered almost violently—he could hear her teeth clacking together high heels down the hallway. Harry couldn’t feel his toes. “We gotta get warm,” he murmured, taking his pocket knife to the ties and releasing her poor, delicate wrists. Instantly, he was back on his cold feet. He scooped her up close. It was nearly second nature to hold her to his chest. He wished he could have stayed dry but what was his other option? Leave her in the water?

She looked tired, cold, and blue. “H-Harry,” she murmured, teeth clicking.

“I know, honey,” he cooed sadly; willing himself to be stronger because he had to be, he started back to his car.

“I-I hate h-him,” she reminded him sniffling a bit into his neck.

“I know. Me too, kitten.”

“How d-did you—?” There was a shake in her voice along with her teeth.

“I put a tracking device in y’scrunchie,” he admitted. He looked shy, embarrassed, his cheeks pinking at the admission. She wished she had the strength to reach up and touch them because she imagined his skin would warm her fingertips. “M’sorry, love...but I couldn’t...I don’t—"

The relief on her face was absolute. She looked at him as if he just told her that her mom was alive. “J-just p-put one in m-me,” she leaned toward him, pressing her face to his neck.

He smiled, grateful for the small reprieve of seriousness. The guilt he felt for tracking her like she was his property was abundant. But he was so grateful she was happy at the thought. “I thought ‘bout that too,” he confessed sheepishly.

“Are you alright?” She asked, it came out strong. It was important to her to say it fully, no teeth chattering. She wanted to make sure Harry was okay.

He laughed, loudly. He couldn’t help it; he nosed at her ear. “Oh, love. M’fine... s’long as you are.”

“I’m ok-kay.”

“Yeah?” 

She nodded, trying to nuzzle up to Harry. She wanted to shield herself from the cold sea breeze, but Harry was just as cold too. There was nothing but shivers passing through them like an electric current. Harry felt so much relief but was getting frustrated with the temperature of the air, the chill in the water, and just of course the day as a whole.

To conserve energy, they were silent. Eventually, they finally made it back to his car. Without running, it seemed like it took hours, not minutes, to get back. The poor thing looked so utterly exhausted. Harry reached below the wheel hub for his spare key—he probably could have left his whole key ring but he didn’t want to be without a phone, a car, nor his wallet in the event something worse happened. (Especially because he wanted to keep her precious handwritten notes preserved in his wallet safely. No way he was willing to risk losing those.)

He set her on her good leg, her body throbbing anyway as if it were the bad one because she was so numb with coldness; Harry kept her pressed to him. Her jaw was shaking so violently, Harry worried she would hurt her teeth. He bit his lip; now that his mind was clearer with less cold saltwater attacking him and taking over all rational thought and senses. “Honey,” he said softly, almost unsurely. Nervously. Like she was going to hate what he had to do to take care of her because he hated what he knew he had to do.

“Whatever you h-have to d-do, Mr. EMT.”

He sighed with more relief passing through him. He smirked at her, amazed she could still make jokes when her fingers looked like they were about to fall off from the chill. He coaxed her to sit on the ground—mindful of her aching leg. She frowned instantly, from the lack of contact—even if she and Harry were cold it was better to be held by him just because he made her insides feel warm.

But Harry was as speedy as he could be. He grabbed a couple blankets and the array of clothing he had in the boot originally packed for the gym. There were a few leftover sweatshirts from the change in season when he would wear sweatshirts home from the gym to keep the chill in the air from bothering him when he was all sweaty. Hurriedly, he laid one of his blankets in the backseat.

He turned back for her. She was wide-eyed. Waiting for directions, chattering, rubbing her hands up and down her arms trying to get the friction to warm her, to do something for her cold and achy skin.  “Love, I gotta take your clothes off.”

She looked devastated. Immediately she regretted her words that she would do whatever he asked. She shook her head at him, her eyes pleading with him. “N-no m’cold,” she chattered again.

“I know, beautiful. M’so sorry. But we have t’get warm. M’cold too, kitten. But—”

“P-please, no,” she begged anyway.

“Honey—”

“Can’t w-we—”

“M’gonna take my clothes off too, kitten, we need body heat,” he explained. Reminding her of the science may have helped the cold slip out of her foggy mind and appeal to the part of her brain that knew the science behind what he was saying.

It seemed to do the trick. “Oh, why d-didn’t you s-say so,” she smiled as flirtatiously as she could with blue lips and icicle-looking hair.

He rolled his eyes. “Keep it in y’pants, love.” But she couldn’t help it. Really couldn’t. Because naked Harry was all she thought about for the last week and half. Before the awful terrible stuff happened. He pulled his jacket off, hurried to the driver’s door and started the car blasting the heat. “S’gonna feel awful, love,” he warned. “M’so sorry,” he kissed her forehead hating how her skin felt colder than his own chilled lips.

Sighing, she nodded. “Okay,” she whispered, bravely giving him the go ahead. She sighed deeply as he helped her back to stand and he started with the thin shirt she had on from the hospital. “D-did you kn-now the wa-water is warmer in December than a m-month like M-May c-cause the h-heat cap-pacity for water st-stays long-ger from the s-summer? S-so this water is ac-actually w-warmer c-cause of August?” Harry didn’t know if she was genuinely trying to make conversation or if she was trying to distract herself. Either way, he was hopelessly in love with her beautiful brain.

“So, May would’ve been a worse time for this t’have happened t’us?” She nodded as he peeled the cold, wet clothes off her body as quickly as he could. “A Christmas miracle,” he murmured.

He did leave a sports bra and her underwear on, but it was of course not nearly enough for Christmas Eve in December. She whimpered as the breeze brushed over her. He carefully helped lay her down, so she was lying on her side closer towards the back of the seat. He then wrapped a sweatshirt around her cold feet, rubbing over top of them to add to the friction. He angled the vents from the front so she would feel the warmth hopefully. Harry stripped immediately and quickly as possible. His jeans were a challenge to peel off—stiff with the saltwater soaking every little fiber. He hurried to pull a blanket halfway around his side so he could slip into the space left for him beside her. He was grateful she already felt a smidge warmer as he pressed his body as close to hers as he could and shut them both inside his backseat with a slam of his door and click of the lock. “This is s-so unf-fair,” she whispered to herself.

Harry smiled and shook his head. “Promise I’ll let y’look s’much as y’want when we’re warm again,” he wrapped her closer. God it was so nice to hold her. Even if they were both freezing. Even if he wanted to explode with anger and murder all of DSS (except Niall).

They didn’t speak again for the duration of however long it was again, to conserve energy. Harry closed his eyes feeling relief crushing him as he held her to his body. Her icy skin was still like heaven to touch. For the first time in nearly a week, he felt like he could breathe again. Despite the direness of the situation, he was certain this was some form of heaven. He listened to her breathing against his neck, her quiet sniffle every few moments as he inhaled against the side of her head basking in the warmth he felt just from knowing she was safe in his arms.

Harry didn’t look at what time they got into the car but eventually the windows began to steam, and her shivers subsided. Her hair stopped dripping onto his skin and Harry could feel his toes again. “Do you have an eight-pack?” She murmured into his chest. Her nose was still cold, but her teeth weren’t chattering anymore. He felt her hands curled right below his navel.

He smirked lazily. “Behave, m’love,” he mumbled into her hair, enjoying the ease of the moment. She was warmer. She was safe. Harry wasn’t letting her out of his sight for a second for at least a month—maybe longer.

“Am I really that ugly you’re unaffected by me being naked?”

“M’not dignifying that with a response, kitten.”

She sighed. “You’re never gonna sleep with me, are you?”

“Honey, I thought y’were dead four days ago. Y’almost drowned within the last hour. Not t’mention y’were drugged a few months back, twisted an ankle, and nearly sliced y’hand open. Jus’ wanna hold y’right now,” he murmured. “Jus’ lemme do it.”

She didn’t say anything for a few beats. “When you say it like that it sounds like I’m cursed.”

He smiled. “M’gonna sleep with you. Promise.”

She was a little skeptical, mainly because she was cold and grumpy. “Are you gonna be weird about my leg?” She asked.

He nodded decidedly. “Very.”

She released another exasperated sigh and let the silence wash over them again. Harry squeezed her every few moments hoping for extra warmth from the friction. Also, because he was so happy she was okay; alive and real. He paid special attention to her breathing, listening for signs of irregularities. “Harry?” She asked so quietly, Harry worried that she was about to faint or something.

“Yes, m’love?” He hummed.

“Are we...still going to England?”

Harry felt the smile expand on his face so warmly it was hard to imagine he was cold right now. “Of course, kitten,” he hummed. “As soon as we pack.”

“Will your mom and sister like me?”

Harry felt his heart stutter against his ribs. He wondered if she felt it against her lips. “Yes, honey. Very much. Almost s’much as I do.”

“How much is that?”

He sighed. He thought about the notes he had in his wallet. Her little heart telling her she didn’t get kidnapped while brushing her teeth. How close she really was to predicting the future. Then of course the much more recent, horrible time she said sorry so profusely and admitted she adored him. “A lot, kitten. So much.”

She nodded, deciding there wasn’t much point in arguing. Harry found her despite everything, all the heartache and all the drama anyway. It was plenty—more than enough, really for her to believe him. “Okay, good,” she said. “I want out of here so bad.”

He chuckled, pressing his lips to her temple and giving her a squeeze. “Are y’warm?”

“I can feel my toes and fingers again,” she flexed them against his body for good measure.

He nodded gratefully. “How’s your leg?”

“It hurts a lot,” she had been focused on getting warm, but she was in so much pain between the cold numbing of her limbs, the hole in her thigh already seemed like nothing in comparison. But she couldn’t help but feel the sore ache of the ripped flesh coming back with a vengeance. “Saltwater and everything.”

He kissed her forehead. “We’ll go in jus’ a few more minutes. S’it unbearable?”

She shook her head. Harry was holding her. He was bare except for a pair of cold wet boxers. He was holding her. His lips were in her hair and his breath touched her scalp. Almost drowning, getting drugged, twisting an ankle, getting shot, and slicing her hand seemed like nothing. She would even consider doing it again if Harry could hold her like this forever. “No... not unbearable,” she decided.

He nodded sullenly. “I don’t have a plan,” he admitted. “I don’t want... them t’know you’re alive,” he murmured.

“Me either.”

More silence followed. It was comfortable though. What could they possibly say right now? Harry was just so grateful she was alive he didn’t care if they spoke for the rest of their lives.

She started giggling shortly thereafter. Almost uncontrollably. Her mind was thinking about how ridiculous all of this was. How bad it was. All that happened over the last couple weeks—the last few months with Harry. The laughter shook her against Harry making the friction warm themselves faster.

“Why are y’giggling? Y’need medical attention again. We need t’get into your apartment...we...” he sighed. “S’a mess, love. Such a mess.”

She pressed her cheek to his chest trying to stifle her laughter. “Yeah, it is...”

“How can y’be so calm ‘bout this?”

“I am basking in how nice it feels to know DSS is the worst.”

He rolled his eyes with a sigh. “Honey; s’not the time.”

“Y’know what will be really fun,” she said softly. “Telling our kids that you shot me.”

He winced trying not to picture it even though she said it so casually, as if it was an inside joke. But he liked the idea of their kids a lot. “Are y’delirious?”

She smiled into his skin with a little nod and shrug. “I have a plan. But we’re going to need some help.”

*

“Jesus Harry, I’m so fucking sorry,” Niall croaked the second he answered.

“Niall, stay calm; they can’t know. Especially if you’re around anyone else,” her voice was low, just in case anyone overheard his conversation. “Say so fucking sorry, Harry, again if you understand and can do this right this second or I’ll hang up and try again in a bit.”

There was a silent second as Niall theoretically composed himself. “So fucking sorry, Harry,” he repeated breathlessly.

She was taking charge again. Harry was hunched awkwardly on the inside of the seat while he worked on her leg with a kit he had from his EMT days. Most of the stuff was expired and there were a lot of materials missing, but it was better than nothing. He wrapped a dry sweatshirt around her torso, she wasn’t wearing pants while he tended to her thigh, but he had never loved her as much as he did right then. “Can you get in my apartment? Say yes this is real, if you can, or no I don’t believe it, if you can’t.”

“Yes, it’s real,” he said stiffly.

“A little more emotion, Niall. They won’t believe you. Tell Harry when the services are supposed to be.”

“Eleven in the morning. Saturday, the twenty-eighth.”

“Leave it to dad to ruin everyone’s holiday break so he can sell his suffering...” she grumbled. “We need two tickets to England at that time...can Harry text you on this line? Say yes, you’re allowed to come or no, you’re not.”

“No, you’re not allowed to come.”

She nodded, but by and large that was only a small hiccup. “Can you come to Harry’s house?” She asked. “Say I’ll send you the info or I can’t.”

“I’ll send you the info.”

“I adore you, Niall,” she smiled sweetly. “Aside from Harry you’re the only good part of DSS.”

“I’m so sorry, Harry,” he whispered off script; she wondered if the sorry really was meant for her or for Harry. In the end she suspected it was probably both.

“I know...we’ll see you later,” she promised. “I owe you a big hug.”

“Bye, Harry,” his voice cracked a bit. She smiled sweetly.

“Bye, Niall.”

*

Niall had her passport and the duffle bag that was packed in her apartment along with all of her belongings that she asked for—as well as a set of crutches to help support her injured leg. He shoved Harry out of the way when he opened the door, nearly throwing her heavy bag at him and heading over to her on the couch to cash in on the hug she owed him.

Harry rolled his eyes but completely understood Niall’s anxiety and excitement just knowing she was alive.

“How did you know you were going to make it out alive?” Niall finally asked after a thousand other questions.

She smiled at Niall. It was the first time Harry left her alone in a room for longer than a minute—even if he was just one room over and could still see her if he looked around the half wall. He was organizing his things in his own suitcase and simultaneously checking the paperwork Niall had done. He was focused intently on reading everything, making sure everything was in place. There was not a single centimeter of room for error.

“Well, to be fair, I didn’t know it was going to be this dire,” she shrugged.

Niall was looking at her like she was a ghost. Harry had her leg propped on the couch; a pillow stacked to keep it fluffed up. She swore it didn’t even hurt all that much, but they had spent the last few nights in crummy motels and after he helped her shower in his own regular-sized shower, a day before they departed the country, he wanted to make sure she was as comfortable as humanly possible.

At night, he wrapped her in his arms so tightly it was almost too hot when they woke up. But Harry couldn’t let her go—not even an inch. She didn’t protest either; the warmth was welcomed—especially after the frigid dip in the icy water. Plus, sleeping with Harry was all she wanted. Well...the most rated-G thing she wanted to do with Harry.

“I told them you’re leaving to visit home,” Niall said to Harry. “They don’t understand everything, but they won’t bother you.”

Harry nodded silently in response to triple checking again.

“Can you tell my professor I’m not dead...once I’m in England?” She asked.

Niall smiled. “Happy to.”

“Do you have a plan?” She asked.

“M’surprised y’don’t, love,” Harry muttered placing the passports and other paperwork into a folder for safekeeping through their travels.

“Oh, I do. I was just wondering if Niall did.”

Chuckling, Niall smiled. “M’all ears, darling.”

So, she explained her thoughts. Told him exactly what she thought would happen and how it should be handled in response. Apart from a few minor details, he agreed wholeheartedly. “You really like this guy?” He jerked his head in Harry’s direction with a smirk.

She nodded eagerly with a pretty smile. “Yeah...I know.”

Harry shook his head as he rolled his eyes at her. “You’re much too smart for him,” Niall reminded her.

She giggled and Harry sighed. “That I agree with,” Harry murmured.

“He saved my life, though...a lot,” she shrugged.

Niall smiled brightly. “Give Anne and Gemma a big hug from me, yeah?” Niall said, kissing the top of her head. “And don’t let him feel too guilty, y’know how he gets,” he whispered only for her as he pulled away from their embrace. “Harold, maybe don’t turn her into Swiss cheese? Enjoy the holiday?”

She giggled but worried Harry would have a breakdown if they kidded too much about it. Considering it was still so fresh. Especially since she knew Niall was right about how guilty Harry was probably feeling. The second Niall was gone she dropped her head back against the cushion. “I have no books to read while we’re there.”

“I’ll buy us some,” he promised and came back over to sit on his coffee table. He still looked exhausted—beautiful, but exhausted. It was only a little after eight in the evening.

“Can we go to bed?” She asked, yawning because she was exhausted too. She wanted nothing more than to snuggle close to Harry in a normal bed.

He smiled tiredly. “Yes, love, of course.” Harry helped her stand and held onto her to support her injured leg. “I wish you’d jus’ let me carry you,” he murmured the short walk to his bedroom. She ignored him and slipped between his soft sheets, and it felt like a cloud was holding her in comparison to the stiff motel mattresses. She moaned softly at the feeling. Harry chuckled.

“Comfy?”

She nodded. Harry slid in beside her and they were drenched in darkness. They were set to leave tomorrow and get away for a bit. A comfortable silence fell over them. It had been happening a lot since she woke up from her little medical nap. There was too much to think about. Too much to do and until they were safely away from DSS in another country. So the quietness was peaceful—after everything. They had said so much through words and actions over the last few days. There was still so much to discuss but it would have to wait. They were so very tired. Ached to the bone with injuries, chills, and bad dreams. She wanted to sleep for days. She wanted Harry to sleep for days. “Can I live here? On this mattress?” She asked.

Harry’s heart fluttered. “You can live here forever, Miss Wildflower,” he promised, making her heart melt. It was the first time she had ever felt so truly cared for since her mom died and it was overwhelming to say the least. His fingers danced along her arm making goosebumps appear on her skin, but not because she was cold. No, Harry made her so warm just by being there.

“Even with all my crazy flowers?” She whispered quietly.

“Especially with your beautiful flowers.”

--

general taglist: @justlemmeadoreyou @daydreamingofmatilda @sunshinemoonsposts @youdontcaredoyou @tiredinwinter @loving-hazz @likeapplejuicenpeach @straightontilmornin @freedomfireflies @littlenatilda @kathb59 @babegoals @angel-upon @lilfreakjez @mleestiles @ameliaalvarez06 @canyonmoondreams @summertime-pills @daphnesutton @l4rrysh0use @perfectywrong @foreverxholland @lolyouallsuck @buckybarnessimpp @stylesfever @harrysxcarolina @lovrave

Protection taglist: @youcouldstartacult @walkingintheheartbreaksatellite @luxiorchive @ameerakane20 @be-with-me-so-happily @cherryshouse @foreverxholland @tenaciousperfectionunknown @samanddeaninatrenchcoat @cherrystyle @kaiohnsa @snwells @st-ev-ie

I'm sorry if I missed anyone in the taglist. Please let me know if you'd like to join, if it didn't work, if you no longer want to be included, etc. :)

If you like this, check out my masterlist for more of my writing.

[ultfreakme]

Honestly Geto and Gojo having the same death anniversary which happens to be the most romantic day in Japan, with a character in-story stating how romantic it is should be enough evidence to convince anybody that SatoSugu are supposed to be a romance.

On top of that, we hear that JJK0 is about Yuuta and Rika's love but it's also about Geto and Gojo's relationship.

Then Gege Akutami specifically assigning break-up songs to Geto and Gojo.

AND THEN; they each get canon songs made in each other's POV speaking about their feelings specifically for one another. Where Gojo's song contains lyrics like "Even though I’ve come to know the scent of you being different from mine" and "Any prayer, any word Could bring us closer, but they couldn’t reach you Just like a silent love, In the summery colors along my cheeks". And Geto's song has lyrics like "Even trivial conversations are fine. Show me your blushing face once more" and "It exists only here. I want to touch you" and "Though I understand a wounded heart. Why do I end up hurting and leaving the same scars?"

The animation team going out of their way to give these two more soft moments hanging, creating visual parallels through the Betta Fishes, the flowers, the entire OP for Hideen Inventory but especially the part where we are seeing Gojo's vision being filled with Geto looking amazing while he rides Geto's rainbow dragon.

I saw someone say we're just projecting western views of romance onto satosugu but like, LOOK AT ALL THIS. I cannot stress enough the insanity of their death dates. It's like two people dying one after the other on Valentine's Day. This is some Romeo & Juliet bullshit. JJK in general has next to no romance, no one's pining after each other, the few times there are implications, it's very short. The most obvious one is Mechamaru and Miwa. Now imagine if Mechamaru and Miwa were the ones who got Ao No Sumika and Akari. Imagine they got 5 episodes dedicated to their story and Mechamaru dies on December 24th and Miwa's the one forced to put him out of his misery for betraying them to Mahito and Kenjaku.

Okay do you fucking see how ridiculous denying SatoSugu is? If Mechamaru and Miwa got all that even WITHOUT saying an 'I love you' no one would question their romance.

I know people keep making fun of shonen animes for having a stronger 'romance' between the two guy leads than with any other love interest but I've seen that stuff and even there it isn't nearly as deliberately romantic as SatoSugu. I can tell that Kuroko & Kagami, Gon & Killua or Levi & Erwin are supposed to be friends, the shipping thing is based on the established friendship stuff but SatoSugu are so blatant it's hard to think of another explanation.

I saw a point about how people are projecting western perspectives of romance on platonic friendship expression in a different culture, which I do get, I think it's a valid point. Idk much about how people express friendship in Japan but I have heard there's a lot more skinship and openness as compared to western cultures.

But w/ SatoSugu there isn't anything that can be read as purely platonic, there's always an ambiguity or it's directly romantic.

[fxnfiction]

FirstPrince Fic Recs!

In honour of our wonderful film coming out on the 11th of August (2 days can you believe!) I've compiled some of my favourite firstprince fanfics here. Happy reading!

-

The Earth Turns by smc_27 | 10k | E |

Four unconnected AUs, one each for every season.

-

I didn't know by clottedcreamfudge | 1k | E |

Blood is rushing in Henry's ears as he makes his way back to his room. It had been incredibly stupid of him to go in there; to be so foolish as to assume that anywhere in his home was safe for him anymore.

Because Alex - brash, bold, beautiful - is not safe, and he never has been. Never will be, frankly, where Henry is part of the equation. However you combine the two of them, the results are not promising.

Those glasses though.

-

The Beginner's Guide to Floristry by clottedcreamfudge | 20k | E |

As if there's anything romantic about it; as if it's not the most humiliating death Alex can imagine. This is why he doesn't do relationships. This is why he never will. The risk, as far as he fucking sees it, is too great.

Hanahaki Disease is a fictional disease where the victim of unrequited or one-sided love begins to vomit or cough up the petals and flowers of a flowering plant growing in their lungs, which will eventually grow large enough to render breathing impossible.

-

Seven Years by LolaLand | 35k | E |

Seven different places, seven different timelines, seven different meetings, seven different Decembers.

And still, Alex and Henry find each other in every universe.

-

Camp Llwynywermod by bleedingballroomfloor | 56k | E |

The first night of camp with Henry is always weird. Weird in the sense that they haven’t seen each other in nearly eleven months, but Alex knows that Henry has been thinking about him in the months leading up to camp. Alex is guilty of it too; often the first thing he thinks of after applying to be a counselor is seeing Henry, Henry and his stupid blond hair and stupid English accent and stupidly gorgeous face, and thinking about just how he could outdo him in pranks this year.

Alternatively, the camp counselor AU that nobody asked for.

-

starry eyes sparking up my darkest night by coffeecatsme | 16k | T |

“Any time, son.”

This time, Alex knows it’s not a nickname.

Or, 5 times Arthur and Catherine act like Alex's family and 1 time they become one.

-

Abandon Ship by notcanoncompliant | 28k | E |

Alex has been blindly following his mother's word for most of his life, and she's carved him into a damn good pirate. But, something has been itching at him lately, and he needs to get off this ship to see it through. What if there’s another option for him? What if he could do something good with his life, for once?

When he recognises the, ridiculously beautiful, Prince of England on a Royal Navy vessel, he jumps at the opportunity to ransom him back to the crown and escape to find out. Because that’s what a good person does. Obviously.

-

the home that i've wanted to make by buildyourfences | 21k | E |

Alex has hated Henry since the first week of law school. When they get partnered in the civil rights appeals clinic they're forced to work together. And maybe fall in love along the way.

-

Déjame Ver Cómo Es Que Floreces by 14carrotgold | 12k | T |

Oscar gets in close and bluntly asks, “Earlier. In the bathroom. Did you do it?”

Alex scoffs, “No. Don't be a perv. Why would you wanna know that anyway?”

Oscar rolls his eyes. “Mind out of the gutter, chamaco. Did you propose?”

Ah.

Henry is introduced to the extended Diaz side of the family at their matriarch's birthday. Shenanigans (and romance and feelings) ensue.

-

thank you for loving me by demigodbeautiies | 2k | E |

The first thing he realises when colour is breathed back into the world is that his entire body is trembling.

-

Truth by cmere | 22k | E |

Alex always does this, hauls every base fucking instinct that Henry has out into the open between them, plain for both to see. And every time it happens, Henry expects him to laugh it off or give him a hard time, but instead he just encourages it with soft, pliant lips and greedy fingers until Henry gives in to himself and his desires. Alex has never made him feel bad, or odd, or disgusting, always treats him with the utmost patience and care.

Henry loves him so fucking much.

It's just past midnight on Alex's birthday and he's going to get what he wants. Which is, of course, to give Henry what he wants.

-

Never Did Run Smooth by clottedcreamfudge | 67k | E |

"You and me? Best friends. Stellar. Love that for us. But we could absolutely fake being in love. Dating. Whatever. I know literally everything about you—" (No you don't, Henry thinks firmly) "—and you know everything about me. We would absolutely fucking annihilate the other contestants.”

"You're too drunk to apply," Henry points out, like he himself isn't about as wasted as it's possible for him to be without curling up and going immediately to sleep. "I doubt you could spell your own name right on the application. Or mine."

Alex grins and pulls something up on his phone; it looks like it takes him a few tries. "Wanna fucking bet?"

Or: Henry's life is a comedy of errors; a patchwork of oopsie-daisies; a quilt stitched together with hauntingly terrible mistakes. And at the centre of it all is his best friend, Alex Claremont-Diaz; director of said comedy, threading together his oopsie-daisies into a flower crown, rolling around in the quilt of his own making, and this analogy is going to shit because Henry's so in love with him he wants to die.

-

Nova, Baby by chamel | 67k | E |

Agent Henry Fox-Mountchristen is an asshole.

Alex is 90% sure those exact words are going in this mission report. Yeah, they’re supposed to be objective when writing this shit up, but that isn’t his opinion. It’s a fact.

(CIA agent Alex Claremont-Diaz and MI6 agent Henry Fox-Mountchristen don’t exactly get along, but that doesn’t keep their respective agencies from insisting they work together as partners. Then a mission in Colombia changes everything, and their relationship begins to shift and grow into something that neither of them ever expected… and something that could have deadly consequences.)

Enjoy! Send me your recs or let me know if you liked this list! I'm heyitsafrog over on ao3 and I'm trying to comment more because I appreciate our fanfic writers so much :)

[stillness-in-green]

What do you think about Horikoshi ending the manga without a canon couple? Do you ship or used to ship MHA characters? Did you see romantic potential? Do you think Horikoshi might confirm a couple later?

No canon couple?  Au contraire, my dear anon!  The manga ended with the most important canonization of all!

(Everybody give a huge hand to The Only Hets Who Matter, Gentle and La Brava; they deserve it.)

As to the ships people actually care about or were expecting some word on (e.g. the stuff with the students), my reaction there is overwhelmingly “lol gj hori”.  I’m glad he ended it with no canon student couple to speak of!  While I do sympathize with the position of certain people on Twitter who contend that Ochaco’s arc about repression really needed her to actually confess to Deku, I hated what her crush on Deku did to her arc anyway, so I don’t have it in me to be too annoyed.  Anyway, I don’t think it’s possible to do the Iron Might 2.0 part of the epilogue if Deku and Ochaco[1] have been dating the entire time, so I’m perfectly happy to run with the headcanon that she did confess at one point and it didn’t work out for whatever reason, so by the time the last chapter rolls around, they’ve just been friends for years.

1: Or Bakugou, for that matter, but with all due respect to the BakuDekus who haven’t been seeing Shonen Jump battle manga come and go for twenty years with nary a confirmed gay MC amongst them, that was never in the cards.

I remember posting once ages ago about a Japanese fan’s hope that Horikoshi, who the fan perceived as being at least somewhat progressive about women, could manage to end the series without a bunch of timeskip romances showing up at the last minute.  While I have some deep reservations about Hori’s progressive cred at this point in time, and am not tremendously impressed with his writing of women, either, credit where credit is due: he did end the series without any timeskip romances.

As to there being any confirmation of couples in the material we have remaining, I imagine the last train station[2] for that is going to be the final volume release in December, as, on top of the usual volume extras, Horikoshi should be considerably more free to include expansions that his schedule and exhaustion kept him from in the weekly publication.  I could even see a bonus chapter of some sort, maybe something post-epilogue so we can see the power suit in action or something silly and fourth wall-breaking to celebrate the series conclusion.  There’s also going to be one last fanbook released in January, which I have been assuming will be a data book like Ultra Archive.

2: Or harbor, I suppose, since we’re talking about ships.

Now, do I think any of that stuff will confirm ships?  Eh, that’s not really in my analytical wheelhouse.  The farthest I’d venture to guess is that I would a) not be surprised to get some clarification on Deku and Ochaco, and b) definitely peg the volume release to have material like that over squirreling it away in the fanbook.

For myself, my shipping habits are somewhat erratic—it’s not really where my primary engagement in media lies, and certainly not for this series!  But that’s not to say I don’t have ships, or that I’m not happy to talk about them, so if you’re curious about that, do feel free to hit the jump.  I’ll order them by general sphere first, then by how passionate I am about them compared to ones I just think are kinda cute or funny for whatever reason.

DISCLAIMER: While I have not explicitly stated as much here before, I am a 40-year-old asexual proshipper, proshipper here meaning I'm in favor of curating your own fandom space and not harassing people about their fictional ships under any circumstances.  When I say I ship something, that does not mean I’m idealizing the relationship, want it to be canon, think it would be cool in real life, or am mentally putting myself in the place of one the characters.  It’s solely because there’s something in the dynamic I think is fun or interesting, and “interesting” can very much include the same kind of interest one might have in watching a building get demolished. 

That is to say, there are a handful of Too Problematic For Tumblr ships in here—one age gap but otherwise wholesome, one age gap and tacitly abusive, and one that really hits the Tumblr Trifecta by being age gap, abusive and incestuous. I've put all three at the very bottom in their own section in descending order of Most BadWrong, but if you’re one of those people deep into The Discourse about how ships need to be Morally Correct otherwise the shippers are terrible people who should kys, this is not the post for you.  The block button’s there if you need it—and be advised that it’s there if I need it, too, and I’m not afraid to use it. (I grew up in dark fantasy shoujo fandoms; I am not litigating my ships with anybody.)

~~~Stillness’s Dubious and Delightful BNHA Ship Opinions~~~

Villain-o-rama-rama:

Spinarakiya, ShigaRD, Spinaraki: Alas for my short-lived OT3!  I was really, really pumped for this in the stretch between MVA and the early stages of the first war, what with there being such interesting possible angles between all three parties, only for Re-Destro to get arrested and never seen in person again, Spinner to get snatched up by Gigantomachia and never look back, and Shigaraki to get lost to the possession plot for, at least as far as scenes with his allies were concerned, basically the rest of the series.

Not exactly great material for my shipping heart, though I’ll refrain from the rant comparing how long the PLF members were living in close contact with each other compared to the League of Villains and why that should have meant they developed stronger relationships than what we got.

But canon being what it is, I do still ship the hell out of these three in a canon divergence situation, or any number of potential AUs.  I love the connective tissue there, with Re-Destro + Shigaraki having some startlingly strong background parallels and lasting injuries courtesy of each other, Shigaraki + Spinner having the gaming and the emptiness themes, and Spinner + Re-Destro having their Big Gay Feelings About Shigaraki as well as an appreciation for patterned fabrics some shared early frustrations about Shigaraki’s seeming lack of plans or direction.

It's a good dynamic, and I think they could all do a lot for each other, though certainly not in ways that are good for the continued survival of Hero Society.  But fuck Hero Society anyway.

As to the component parts, I don’t ship Re-Destro and Spinner without Shigaraki being at least an invisible part of the dynamic (though I would read the fic where he wasn’t with considerable interest!), but I’m also very much on board with ShigRD and Spinaraki individually.  My constant refrain about Shigaraki and RD is that they have a lot of common ground but very little common language, and I’m fascinated by how much of that they could recognize in each other and how much of it they could then recognize back in themselves, versus how much you’d get one of those cases of, “This guy is a freak and I’m so normal.”

It's so, so, so important to me that Re-Destro is the first ally Shigaraki won entirely on his own merits.  He's got no borrowed reputation from Stain, no monsters on loan from Sensei, and no help from people on Sensei’s payroll, yet still, as a result of his efforts (both in his own fights and in making the League his own, even if it didn’t start that way) he wins himself an army and a follower who never saw a light that wasn’t his.

I weep for the Shigaraki/Re-Destro relationship we could have had if Horikoshi didn’t decide that Shigaraki in the endgame was to be nothing but a pawn, and therefore couldn’t be allowed to keep any of his markers of independence and growth.

As to Spinaraki, man, what is there even to say?  The relationship so clear and obvious that it had even the mhatwt bros out there saying, “Spinaraki but at what cost?” in the last chapter!  I will admit that I liked them better when their romance had that apocalyptic tinge than when it suddenly started getting painted as primarily about them being Gamer Bros, but at least that melancholic “beauty at the end of the world” shading came back when Shigaraki talked about destroying Mount Fuji for Spinner (be still my heart!).    

They will meet and be close in every world and I will hear nothing else.

RiKoku: I don’t think I truly understood the appeal of ex-lover ships until these two.  They snuck up on me in a big way, pretty much entirely a result of my realization when I was halfway through the (first and only, sadly) MLA Week event that Trumpet was pretty free-roaming and independent from Re-Destro all the way through Deika only to be glued to his side from there on out.  Together with the Spinner parallels (the subordinates who fought each other and then came together to the crater to see their worlds remade) and my jokes about wanting to see the MLA heads during their stressed-out, over-achiever college years, all the pieces fell into place for a Rikiya and Koku who had dated for a few years and then broken up when Rikiya realized that his authority as Re-Destro—and Koku’s strong subordination to that authority—meant that he could not responsibly stay in the relationship.  (This also presents several good explanations for why a man in Rikiya’s situation isn’t married with at least one child already.)

Anyway, to me, they never really fell out of love with each other; Re-Destro just couldn’t justify overlooking the power dynamic problems once he realized how extreme they were.  (This does make for a fun alternate angle on RD’s personal life post-Deika, wherein Trumpet watches RD pass the mantle of leadership to Shigaraki Tomura and then more or less immediately pounces on him because now he doesn’t have the power dynamic excuse anymore.  Look up the great Whatever Is Spared by @leftofrevolution on AO3 for more on this.)

Overhonest: I just like Nemoto much more than I like Chrono, and thus my Overhaul ship of choice follows suit.  I like the idea that their feelings are wildly unbalanced but not totally one-sided—Overhaul has more baggage than a freshly loaded airport carousel, but he does like the Shie Hassaikai, as proven by them being mentioned in the Likes section of his character page. Nemoto in particular is someone whose presence we know Overhaul finds reassuring and we know it because he told Nemoto so directly when Nemoto asked, which means it can’t be anything other than the plain truth.  He relies on Nemoto enough to make demands of him, he expects (and gets!) effectiveness, and he even bothers to take the time to justify out loud why it would be okay for him to merge himself with Nemoto physically (because Nemoto would say yes if asked, right? of course he would) rather than just doing it with no thought to Nemoto’s feelings about it because why should he care about that.

And Nemoto, for his part, is of course an obsessive weirdo who’s totally smitten with the first person he’s ever found who legitimately wants him around, so smitten that he’ll happily overlook the fact that Overhaul primarily wants him around because he’s useful.

Moving away from what’s on-the-page canon, I enjoy (and write) the take that Overhaul is sex-repulsed, not because he’s fully asexual, but as an extension of his mysophobia.  This makes his sex life extremely fraught, but not non-existent.  When I dabble with writing them (and they’re by far the ship I’ve written the most explicit material for in this fandom), I write him as basically a sex-repulsed demi (not that he would know or use that terminology!) who is attracted to Nemoto but has been largely left aggravated and sexually frustrated by their periodic experiments in non-traditional ways of getting him off.  (Nemoto, for his part, is more than willing to keep trying!  No kink is too weird for this guy if it means finding something Overhaul would actually like.)

(To get real here for a second, if Spinarakiya is meaningful to me as a person who’s comfortably poly, Overhonest is meaningful to me as an asexual person who's only ever had allosexual partners.)

AFOUji: Truly the Evil Husbands of all time.  I wish the shift from Final Boss Shigaraki to Final Boss AFO hadn’t left Ujiko with a few truly inexplicable characterization beats,[3] because I truly do love these two as just the worst pair of mutually enabling monsters making the world worse and more dangerous for everyone while being 100% supportive of each other’s passions the entire time.  Here’s to 70 years of Dark Lord/Mad Scientist domestic bliss.

3: For the record, I consider these to be his, “I've only been living for the boy's sake,” line in Chapter 269 and his clear reticence and dissastisfaction with Shigaraki getting the surgery in Chapter 240.

DabiSkep: Skeptic is the only man Dabi has ever thanked for his contributions.  Dabi goes out of his way to kidnap him.  I’m 90% convinced that they’d been working on the video together prior to the Villa raid.  The combination of Skeptic’s deep and abiding neuroticism with Dabi’s swings between lazy malice and manic pushiness is extremely funny.  What can I say; it’s just about the only Dabi ship that really clicks for me.  I enjoy leftof’s take that Skeptic had a goth phase he never completely exited and so Dabi appeals to his inner Hot Topic teen, which he is 100% aware of and 150% embarrassed by.

   

School Environs:

Mirio/Tamaki: Tamaki literally regains consciousness at the exact moment Mirio loses his quirk.  Other than cases where there’s some actual explanation for that—a magical connection, psychic powers, etc.—I have never seen that kind of beat happen outside of a shoujo manga.  The bit where one romantic lead just mysteriously has a Bad Feeling in the same instant that something Bad happens to their love interest is so shoujo-coded.  Jesus Christ, Tamaki is so moe.  And Mirio so clearly thinks the world of him, too, as evinced by what an over-the-top sobriquet he dubbed Tamaki with.  They’re great, end of story.

Monoma/Shinsou: I’ll admit I liked this somewhat better when I thought there was any chance at all Shinsou might end up in Class B—I kind of loathe that he wound up in Class A for the self-evidently terrible reason that it’s The Main Character Class, when it seems so obviously a conflict of interest for Aizawa to be teaching him.  But eh, it’s okay; it just means Monoma will have to nobly learn to look past it after a lot of time spent being completely obnoxious about it.

My annoyance with Shinsou’s class placement aside, Monoma is one of my favorite students, and I like that he immediately latches onto Shinsou as a kindred spirit.  And, like, if that were 100% one-directional, I would probably shrug it off, but Shinsou, despite trying to play at being aloof, does actually get invested enough that he gets pretty bothered by the idea of Monoma needing help, even in something as inconsequential as a class exercise.  It’s just a much, much more interesting dynamic than Shinsou has with Deku or especially Kaminari.

Also, as someone with a bit of a Thing for mind fuckery, the way Copy and Brainwash can play off each other is Good.

MomoJirou: The fanart is cute and I like Momo better than Kaminari.  And the culture clash thing is fun.

Shouto/Inasa: The fanart is cute and I like Inasa better than Deku or Bakugou.

   

Professional Sphere:

Hawksdeavor:The age gap adds flavor.  The fact that Endeavor is still married but deeply unhappily so makes it even spicier.  The difference in what they represent (or could potentially represent) to each other is the best part, with Hawks, for Endeavor, being someone who represents a totally clean page, while Endeavor, for Hawks, represents a lifelong adoration.  Finding each other’s reality in all of that would be an interesting relationship arc and could be extremely fulfilling and strengthening for both of them.

The spoiler is (or at least should have been, if I’d been writing the series) their divided feelings on Dabi.  Honestly, I really wanted to see them clash over the matter of Touya and how to deal with him, with Endeavor wanting to save him but not knowing how and Hawks just wanting him gone but not knowing how to get away with it.  A certain pair of facts is glaring to me: first, that Hawks was a chief architect of the second war’s battle plans, whereas we never saw Endeavor involved with them at all, and second, that, when the big day came, Endeavor was slated to fight All For One with Hawks at his side despite at least some guilty protests from Enji that he really ought to be facing Dabi.

It smacks strongly of Hawks making some profoundly selfish decisions under the guise of clear-headed strategy and I really wanted it to blow up in his face when Dabi found his way to their battlefield anyway.  Pushing Endeavor into a place where he had to choose between them and ultimately chose his son (say, by protecting him from an attack coming from Hawks) would have been validating for Touya, done a lot to lever Endeavor’s arc out of the reactiveness and passivity that drag it down so badly in the canon, and also handed Hawks a real consequence for how dismissively he treats the lives of Villains and how much he’s tried to avoid reckoning with both Endeavor’s abuse and Enji’s own attempts to do said reckoning!

In summary, Hawks and Endeavor could be very good for each other, and the incredible amount of baggage they’d have work through first would be key to either making that good ending feel earned or lead to them dramatically and deliciously imploding.  Either one works for me, and either one, even without the romantic angle, would have been more interesting than the pablum we got.

NightMight: Speaking of could-have-been-good relationships that dramatically imploded!  I love Sir Nighteye as the most visible cost of All Might’s lifestyle, the one he lost because he couldn’t step away from the path his ideals had set out, and how that ideal inevitably took him full circle so that he found himself standing, for Deku, in the same place Nighteye once stood for him.  And of course by then it was too late and Deku wouldn’t listen to him anymore than he himself listened to Nighteye back then.

But Nighteye didn’t give up on caring about him, even if he had no avenue left to express it but throwing himself into finding a successor All Might would accept, which led to Nighteye's own (wonderful) relationship with Mirio.

Just great, difficult, adult stuff about irreconcilable differences that never stopped them from caring about each other even as those differences forced them to their parting of ways.

Mount Lady/Kamui Woods: They’re cute and I like the idea that they both have trouble, for opposite reasons, with cameramen.  I like that he calls her just Lady when he thinks she’s in trouble.  And not to put too fine a point on it, but I like that they’re kinda the most explicit Pro Hero couple and yet she’s the more prominent and important character with the more visible arc, which is a nice contrast to most of the other hetero relationships in this benighted manga.

   

Other/Cross-faction:

Togachaco: The yuri ship that could.  My god, the canon divergence I want to give these two.  You know why I want Deku and Ochaco to not be together in the end?  Because I want Ochaco to realize that she did everything in her power to save her Villain while Deku—after all that talk on the cliff!—just killed his, and triggered Toga just before he left to do it, meaning Ochaco had a harder time with Toga than she might have otherwise.

But, I’m not here to talk about No. 2 Green; let’s talk instead about the canon divergence where Toga survives (shove that absurd death-via-blood-transfusion right into the incinerator) and then Ochaco has to come face to face with a system that does not want to let her be anywhere near as kind as she wants to be.  The canon divergence where Ochaco realizes that her forgiveness is immaterial to justice, where she watches the system she fought to defend gear up to try Toga as an adult because Japan needs a scapegoat for the destruction of the war and all of the people who are actually most responsible are already dead or dying.  Where Ochaco realizes that she has to do something drastic if she doesn’t want to live the rest of her life haunted by the knowledge that her compassion got a 17-year-old victim of emotional and psychiatric abuse executed by the state.  The one where she decides to take a fucking stand, and it forces the rest of her class to confront that need as well.

“The cutest girl in the whole world,” my god.

Kotarou and Nao: I’m not as big on it by the time we’re seeing them in the Tenko flashback, though I certainly wasn’t pulling for some mean-spirited, allegedly feel-good “Nao slaps Kotarou and the whole family walks out of him” thing like you see in fanfic sometimes.  No, what I really like with Kotarou and Nao is thinking about them when they’re both still young, in the stretch of years where they really think they'll be happy together.  That her being with him can make all his problems go away, that him being able to bury his past and be better than all the people who hurt him (and there were so many people who hurt him) will be enough, that love is the answer to everything. Sure, the cracks are there, but they’re thin, and they can be hidden beneath all the days when things are good, when the two of them hold each other and feel safe and loved and sure.

The cracks are still there, and love isn’t enough when love becomes a band-aid and a blind eye.  But the love is still there too, and it’s so fierce and so desperate, and it still won’t save them.

Sorry, everyone; they make me emotional.  They are beautiful in the way of sparks dancing above flames, or early flowers blooming right before a vicious cold snap.  Ah, me.

StainMight: GOD, All Might really needed to grapple more with Stain’s side of his legacy.  Like, StainMight is really a victim of the way the story looked like it was setting up to criticize All Might’s methodology as well-intended but not sustainable long-term, but then, like every other aspect of the series that was about systemic critique, that criticism just evaporated and Stain became an All Might cheerleader with nothing to say about the system All Might supported for thirty years.  Maddening!  But for real, All Might should have been badly hurt in that car attack and then rescued by Stain, both to give Deku some stress about how All Might could be in danger after they parted on bad terms, and also to really make All Might have to sit with this opinionated zealot all-too-prepared to talk about how no one else is really living up to his example.

And there should be UST the whole time.

Yoichi and Kudou: I am almost entirely negative towards the OFA Collective these days, especially Kudou’s role in the endgame, but I still have some fondness for what he and Yoichi could have been.  My god, the first One For All transfer really should have been because they kissed.  More beautiful, more tragic, more profound, and preserves the Yoichi that had some actual fucking agency in the life he lived instead of just constantly being AFO’s or Kudou’s trophy princess there to talk about how respectively terrible and awesome they are.

TogaTsuyu: I just think it would be interesting if Tsuyu were actually allowed to be more present in the Toga plotline, rather than only arriving as a spoiler to avert major shifts every time.  Toga says she likes Tsuyu, too, after all, and Tsuyu is so different from both Ochaco and Deku, so much more thoughtful and considered.  I dunno, I just wonder how things might have gone if, for example, it had been Tsuyu that Toga managed to draw away in the Jakku fight.  Given that side story with her snakey friend Habuko, evidence suggests that Tsuyu is a good deal more observant and intuitive than Ochaco, and I wonder if she might have been able to suss out what Toga was actually asking there better than Ochaco did, and how that might have changed things.

   

.

.

.

   

THE TUMBLR PROBLEMATIC ZONE:

Gentle Criminal and La Brava: I was willing to follow the canon’s initial vagary about these two, but I also like them quite a bit together, so if canon wants to put them in wedding rings at the end of the series, that’s fine by me!  Yes, I’m aware that there’s a pretty significant age gap there, which would have been at its most apparent when she first sought him out, but I don’t for one single instant believe that he’d be anything less than a total gentleman to her.  Indeed, it’d be entirely plausible to mount an argument based on his behavior that they were not at all romantically involved circa the Culture Festival arc,[4] and only become so after Gentle’s imprisonment and subsequent release.  But in general, what I’m more concerned with is the dynamic—I regard a power differential in a relationship as a reason for both parties to be cautious and mindful of that differential, but not as an immediate game-ender.

4: Most obvious is that when she says, “I love you,” he only says things like, “Thank you,” in return.

In that sense, Gentle and La Brava are great—they click together perfectly and obviously make each other tremendously happy after a lifetime of rejection.  La Brava, in Gentle’s theatrical attention-seeking, finds someone who accepts her overflowing way of showing love; Gentle, in living up to La Brava’s feelings, finds a reason for his skewed heroism beyond satisfying his pride.  To whatever extent their life together was heading anywhere bad (and there’s no evidence of this at all save that Heroes were always likely to catch up to them eventually, making La Brava’svery extreme response to Gentle’s defeat likewise inevitable), Deku’s intervention got them off of that path and back onto one that let them be accepted by the world, which they seem to have capitalized on marvelously.

They’re the only Villains I can think of whose turn to Team Hero in the endgame works for me without any significant quibbles.  Good for them!  I hope they are so, so happy together, because they deserve it.

AFO and Kotarou: MEANWHILE, IN MY OTHER KOTAROU SHIP.  I love AFO knowing Everything about what he’s doing here while Kotarou knows absolutely Nothing about what AFO is doing here.  I love an AFO who is self-amused in being friendly and reassuring and distractingly attractive to Kotarou, an AFO who knows that his toying with Kotarou would make Shimura Nana sick with terror and rage, and even if she isn’t alive to be so anymore, the fantasy of it is satisfying enough, especially since Kotarou is himself a very handsome young man, one whose hurt and resentment AFO finds beguiling to sometimes prod at, as if unable to leave a bruise alone except the bruise isn’t on his own skin.

I have an AU I’m never likely to write where Kotarou winds up successfully knocking out Tenko on the night of the accident before going on the run with him, only for them to get picked up by AFO a few weeks later, and let me tell you guys, that’s where all my guilty pleasure AFO/Kotarou really lives.

That said, I liked this one much better before we got the opening for it in canon, and not just because AFO’s disguise persona was doofy-looking instead of devastatingly handsome.  It was always one of those ships that tickled my inner hedonistic wickedness fancier but that I never wanted to be canon because my affection for the ship's vibe was not more important to me than the integrity of Shigaraki’s arc, and Shigaraki’s arc was far better served by his early childhood being as free from AFO as possible.  Alas, the reveal is very AFOtarou but at what cost.

Dabideavor: Sorry not sorry everyone, but all the people screaming about how this is SICK FILTH seem to have missed the point that it is indeed, absolutely and completely, sick filth and that’s part of the appeal.  Personally, I like it for two main reasons.

Firstly, I want Endeavor to have as hard a time as possible, and times don't get harder than this. I enjoy it when he's frozen and helpless in the face of the son whose life he destroyed because I have a long history of enjoying stoic male characters being made vulnerable through suffering.

Secondly, and more importantly, I like it because I like the version of Dabi you see in it, particularly compared to the Fanon Dabi who made so much League of Villains fan content un-fucking-readable for years.

I'm going to try to keep the hot fandom tea to a minimum here, limited to the upcoming footnote, but I hated Fanon Dabi.[5] He was an incoherent mash of a character designed to be a vehicle for the unabashed revenge fantasy of bloody murder against Bad Dads while also presenting no danger whatsoever of splash damage, a Woobie Big Brother who was completely harmless except to the father whose organs he was planning to paint the walls with. Every excuse that could be made, would be made, for Dabi's more questionable or even outright nasty moments, even if it meant minimizing or outright erasing the harm we saw Dabi do, right there on the page in literal manga monochrome.

5: There's a particular type of flanderization that goes into Fanon Dabi, the same kind of flanderization I saw attached to Steven Universe's Lapis Lazuli, and which informed the absolute umbrage certain people took with Rebecca Sugar for describing Spinel, the SU movie's villain, as toxic. There is a portion of fandom that loves abuse victims who get angry and lash out, but which will go absolutely ballistic at the slightest suggestion that abuse victims are themselves also capable of harm, that lashing out has the potential to hurt innocent people. In a perfectly executed DARVO, it becomes "victim blaming" to confront an abuse victim about the very real abuse they're inflicting on others. I only specified fictional characters here, but it's a dynamic you see in real life, too. Some people hunger for nothing so much as an acceptable target and abuse victims are not exempt from that statement.

The Dabi I thought was fun was the high-energy maniac who doesn't give a shit about anyone else getting caught in the crossfire of his revenge. Both that version of Dabi and the Endeavor who's paralyzed with guilt and despair are facilitated by Dabi’s father-obsession having a taboo sexual dimension to it that Dabi is all too ready to shove in the face of absolutely everyone who would think worse of Endeavor for it.  That means Endeavor himself, of course, but also all the good little civilians who Endeavor keeps telling to watch him.  Watch this, says Dabi, as he makes lewd hand gestures on force-streamed national television.

It's not about Dabi healing as an abuse victim, and it’s not about Dabi having a fulfilling arc—covering that stuff was canon's job!  It's about the fact that I, for reasons both personal and related to fandom spite, am personally entertained by Dabi being pedal-to-the-metal deranged about doing whatever it takes to seize Daddy’s attention and never let him look away again, which also means acting to ensure that no one is capable of or willing to save Endeavor from that fate. Like, if you want someone who would spend ten years plotting the most agonizing possible way to torment his abuser, then it’s sophistry to suddenly declare some agonizing torments off-limits.  Dabideavor is just committing to the bit.

[dykephan]

my thoughts re: how did dan and phil kiss in october and still not start dating until december? from @omatone-dnp's post here :)

i'm sorry in advance for how much forbidden material i'm bringing up here, i feel bad about it which is why i'm putting it under the cut so i can delete this if i want to

so obviously we know they talked online & on skype for months before they decided to meet up in person, and they were heavyyy on the flirting. but we also know that these online spaces were the only places dan and phil were able to be 100% openly queer, so it's natural that they both put on a persona to some extent. this was the time for them to explore who they were & who they wanted to be. dan says he assumed phil would be this super confident smooth guy but then he was awkward and dorky irl, and it was kind of the reverse for phil about dan.

phil might have felt a lot of pressure to be a good example considering he was older, he was someone dan liked on youtube, and phil was one of, if not the first, gay man dan had met. but phil didn't have much romantic experience (...his heart had never done the flippy over thing..............) so i can imagine he felt even more scared of screwing things up. we know he was super nervous the day they met and that he didn't make the first move. i think he wanted to leave that to dan because 1. he didn't know if dan actually liked him or if he was just confused, and 2. he wanted to go at dan's pace for the reasons i mentioned above. we also know that phil had a hard time verbalizing his emotions / understanding them, so he might have wanted to go slower on the romance front too, so he could have time to process everything. he talked quite a bit about how he didn't know where he wanted to go in his life, feeling lost without being in school anymore, and that his family was pressuring him to sort his life out. that's a lot to deal with all at once and adding a serious relationship on top of that can be hard.

for dan, i think the early days were more about finding inner confidence in himself than they were about purposely forming a long term relationship. phil is the one who encouraged dan to make youtube videos, which he'd dreamed about but never thought he would be good enough. phil made him feel safer than he'd felt since he was a tiny child. he introduced him to other queer people and then to his family, who welcomed dan with love (though we don't know how much they actually knew at the time). it was more than just romantic!! it was something dan really needed! :(

at this time, both of them were constantly talking about how they're trying to figure out what to do with their lives, with dan being in his gap year and phil being fresh out of college. it was a transitional period for both of them in very different ways. they weren't even sure if they were going to meet irl, they kept going back and forth about the train tickets for a few months before dan finally bought one. i think as soon as he bought it, he decided he was going to shoot his shot and worry about everything else later.

also, dan was in a relationship with his girlfriend for 3 years, and while we don't know when or how they broke up, he has some tweets indicating that they were still together in 2009 when he began talking to phil online, or at least that dan was still conflicted about the breakup. let me clarify that i'm not saying dan cheated, none of us have any idea what happened and it seems more like their relationship came to a natural conclusion when she moved away for uni, along with all of dan's irl friends which he talked about frequently. i'm more so bringing this up because it marks a shift in how dan talked about love and relationships.

for example, all of these tweets happened in october 2009, right before he met up with phil:

but fast forward to THAT week in december and dan has a completely different perspective on love:

this is the main reason why december makes so much more sense to me as their anniversary. october was about taking a leap of faith even though both of them were afraid of getting it wrong. november was about testing the waters and figuring out how they could logistically make things work, while they were building their bond. december was about finally letting go of all those fears in the pursuit of a happier future for both of them ;-;