#but they really had to sprinkle in the everything else like. yeah. no one stands a chance

[wisteriaiswriting]

Reader That Can Bake

Words: 1757

Includes: Dipper, Mabel, Stan, Ford, Wendy, Gideon, Pacifica and Bill

Honestly, he doesn’t have the biggest sweet tooth, but being young he still craves them a bit.

Knows the basics about baking in general but only with box sets, so he’ll stay out of your way in the kitchen.

Won't ever decline anything you give him, opting to either eat them right then and there, or hide them for later. (And away, safe from Mabel.)

Normally whenever he heard the sounds of someone in the kitchen, assuming it was Mabel, he would walk the other way immediately. But now that you’re spending more time in there he’ll take the gamble of peeking in, hoping it was you baking and not Mabel ready to drag him in.

This time he was lucky, finding you washing up all your used dishes and putting away the leftover ingredients. Standing in the doorway until you noticed, waving him over. “Dipper, you’re just in time!” Hopping on the spot as you stepped out of the way, revealing a whole bunch of cooled cookies.

“I tried some different flavours this time,” Grabbing one of each to shove into his hands, which he almost dropped. “There's classic chocolate chip, white chocolate, uhh… What else?” As you rambled and thought he took a bite of each, silently ranking them favourite to least favourite, not that he’d ever tell you.

“And oh! Hazelnuts, oreos and s'mores!” “You made s’more cookies?” “Yeah, this one was a small batch, I’ll get more stuff tomorrow.”

While yes, she bakes pretty often, you’ll always be the better chef around! (And she’s not afraid to admit it, sometimes.)

This girl will never shut up about ‘How good these are!’ ‘Even Waddles loves them!’ (It’s true, you have found him scarfing down a whole pile of your baked goods.)

Occasionally (And if you let her) she’ll join you, while she enjoys baking just spending time together is enough for her.

As soon as the door opened Mabel ran off, skidding into the doorframe. Smelling something very familiar and delicious. “ARE YOU BAKING AGAIN!” Your only response was to laugh, of course she would notice, really, you’d be an idiot thinking she wouldn’t.

“Yeah, they’re in the oven right now, so I’m just cleaning up.” “I’LL HELP!” God, she was excited about your baking. “Why don’t you pile up the dirty dishes while I start the sink.” In no time you had finished the dishes, everything was clean, dried and put away.

Reaching for a hanging cabinet, but this one was just out of reach. Stretching to your limit but unable to grasp the handle, about to turn around and ask Mabel for help only to be jolted upwards. Looking down to find Mabel's toothy grin looking right back atcha.

“Whatcha grabbing? More dishes? Decorations? Is it the icing? SPRINKLES!?” Laughing once again as you grabbed, as you could guess (And Mabel.) the icing and sprinkles. Being dropped back down when you had the items. “I think they’re ready for the toppings.”

Stan doesn’t go around flaunting his love for baked goods, but he doesn’t really hide it either.

But he does openly compliment anything you make, even if it’s not his favourite, he’ll make it positive.

He may not like to spend a lot of money on anything really, but he’ll throw you a wad of cash to buy whatever you need. (As long as he gets the first taste test.)

“Where ya going toots?” Arms wrapped around your waist, his head sitting on your head. One of your hands held your car keys, well, they were Stans but he’s given you permission to take the ‘Stanmobile’ out. “Gotta buy some more ingredients.”

His body pulled away from yours, hands digging into his suit pockets before pulling out a decent wad of cash. Grabbing a few notes (Which were 100s btw) and passing them over to you, “Make me my favourite later.” “Oh I will~”

He’ll scarf down plates full of your stuff, he hasn’t eaten anything this good in years! (And no he is not exaggerating, thank you!)

Always takes something with him on every adventure he goes on. (At first he was nervous to ask, but now he’ll try to ‘bribe’ you for anything. (Both of you know he doesn’t need to.))

Part of him is curious about how well supernatural ingredients would go, he would never force you to do it, but that means he would. So at least watch over him. (But by gods, don’t let him eat anything he makes. Who knows what would happen, and you don’t want to know.)

Hearing the front door slam open you peeked out of the living room, only to find Ford stumbling by, into the kitchen with a large box. After gently shutting the door (With this amount of abuse you don’t think it’ll last much longer.) you followed him, watching him pull and lay out plenty of things on the counter.

“Hope you were going to clean up after yourself?” ���AH!” Throwing something between his hands for a few seconds before calming down, “Oh! Y/N, I was, don't you worry.” “With everything you brought in here? I will.”

Quietly laughing to himself, “I don’t blame you, but how well would these bake?” “Ford, honey, I just bake, you’re the one who knows about these guys.” Gesturing to the box, “I guess you’re right.”

Very similar to Stan in the sense, she won’t go out of her way to admit her love for sweeter things but will if asked.

If you’re willing to make more she’ll take a bunch for her friends. (They all love them, even if some won’t admit it.)

Brings some to work with her, which makes her shifts actually bearable.

“I’ll see you guys later.” Lifting her hand as a quick wave before turning to leave, “Wendy!” Looking back to find Lee rushing towards her, skidding to stop just before hitting her. Throwing her a now empty container, which surprisingly enough, was still in one piece. “You gotta bring more of those snacks, they were amazing!”

“I’ll let them know.” Now that she was finally able to leave the group, she started her tract home. Pulling out her phone to send you a quick message, nothing much really. (It was a whole paragraph.) Watching you respond, pause then send the message, along with a picture. ‘Already ahead of you!’

Tapping into the image to find you back in the kitchen, flour covered every surface. There were other ingredients on the floor and everything, really. She couldn’t stop her laughter, taking a pause in her steps to catch her breath. ‘I’m on my way, don’t make a bigger mess.’

Luckily she wasn’t that far from home, and it was also a good thing that her family loved you. (They wouldn’t let you live down that image.) Letting her spend the night to help you clean and finish baking.

Absolutely will not go anywhere near the kitchen when you’re in there. (He may love you, but he also loves being clean.)

This doesn’t stop him from rushing in the second everything is cleaned up, impatiently waiting until the food is finished. (You will have to stop him from eating them hot, because he will whine about being burned.)

Will never share them with anyone else, the only exception is at the Tent of Telepathy.

Placing the hot tray onto a cooling rack before shutting the oven door, it’s been hours since you started baking. As Gideon wanted some baked goods to hand out to anyone who comes by the Tent of Telepathy, and that meant you had to bake it all.

Although he made sure to pay you for it, so it wasn’t a complete loss. But that's when you heard a door slam open and footsteps running down the hall, watching as Gideon entered the room. His first stop was the currently cooling tray of cookies, not the others that were cool and in containers.

“Gideon do–” It was too late, his hand touched the tray first. “OW!” Guiding the hand under some running water as he complained, “Why were they hot?” “I just pulled them out from the oven, those ones,” Pointing at multiple containers put to the side, “Are for you.”

Huffing as he removes his hand from the water to dry it off, grabbing the containers before leaving the room.

Honestly, she never thought about baking in general really. (There’s always been butlers or chefs, or whatever to do it for her.)

Doesn’t have the biggest sweet tooth, but will eat any of your less sweet items. (It better not be messy, otherwise she’ll (lovingly) wipe it on you.)

Sometimes she’ll sit around and watch you bake, she secretly finds it interesting but it’s highly likely she won’t join you for a while.

“What did you make this time?” Even as her face showed disinterest her tone gave her away, “This one is funfetti!” Handing over the cupcake, watching as she made her way through the wrapper. Trying to avoid the icing, although she wasn’t successful, a small chunk smeared over her fingers.

Clearly unhappy with it, the fact you were waiting next to her and no tissues or anything nearby. Reaching over to ‘subtly’ wipe the icing onto your shirt. “HEY!” “These aren’t that bad.” “Don’t ignore me!” You tried to stand in front of her, except that she kept turning as well.

“Pacifica!” “You should probably check on the other ones.” Oh yeah, you probably should.

Sometimes you forget that he can actually eat as he doesn’t do it much. (That’s until you watch him eat some deer teeth. Which is so disturbing…)

There have been so many times where he comes to bother you for some food, then just leaves with it. (You have no clue what he does with them but you can only assume someone else* is eatting them. (*Ford))

He will try to bake on his own with ‘non-human’ ingredients even if you try to stop him. (They end up inedible, even to other demons. Like fuck, he’s terrible.)

It was fucking comical how Bill entered the room, floating through the window towards the tray of cookies. Staying afloat for a few extra seconds before dropping to sit on the counter, batting his eyelashes at you. “No Bill, they’re still hot.” “WHO CARES?” Grabbing a handful (Which was like 2.) before shoving it into his mouth (Eye? Honestly man, you have no idea anymore.). “Are they good at least?” “HMM, THEY'RE ALRIGHT. COULD DO WITH SOME ꀤꈤꁅꌃꀭꀸꈤꍟꊼ.” “What.”

[user00003123]

NOW LIVE: IN A TRANCE feat. e. jaeger

SUMMARY: eren feels like you have him in in a trance

CONTENT WARNINGS: college! plug! eren x fem! reader, smut, mdni, college au, smoking weed, reader has piereced nipples and belly piercing, dub con (both eren & reader are high), neck kissing/sucking, nipple play, oral (f. receiving), face sitting, hand job, pussy drunk eren, nickname (pretty girl), slight dirty talk, wc. 1,957

Eren Jaeger was the well know dealer around the campus, even having some clients that didn't attend the university. So it shouldn't have surprised him when it's you walking out of the apartment building he was sitting in front of waiting to make a delivery.

He had received a text earlier that day from someone saying they needed weed to help them relieve some stress from exams, and the person didn't live far, just on the opposite side of his apartment complex, so he didn't mind driving. Now seeing that it was you he was texting, he felt his heartbeat pick up the closer you got to his car.

From the moment he saw you on campus you've had him under your spell. Every time he would pass you on campus or see you at a party, it was like he was in a movie scene where the girl has a light from heaven shining on her and everything else around her was blurry.

Sometimes his jaw would fall open, Armin wiping the side of his mouth while saying, "Close up pretty boy, you're drooling." The comment making Jean and Connie laugh also adds to the teasing, resulting in Eren punching both boys in the arm and muttering a 'shut up.'

You clouded his thoughts, even when you weren't around somehow, distracting him while doing homework, playing the game, hanging out with friends, and even smoking. Just from locking eyes with you for one second, you were all this man could think about.

Hearing a knock on his window pulls him out of his thoughts and he rolls the window down, greeting you with a smile.

"Thank you so much for doing this," holding out your hand to give him the $30, he counts it before handing you 15. "You said it was 30."

He shakes his head, handing you the small baggy, "New customer deal." He had never given a new customer a 50% off deal before, but for you, he made the exception.

"I appreciate that Eren," and then your face contorts into a small pout. "Uh...actually, do you think you could roll these for me? I've never rolled one before."

"Oh yeah, definitely," he holds his hand out for the bag.

"How about you come up to my apartment?" You put your hands on your face in embarrassment, laughing a little. "Sorry if I sound forward or weird, I just would rather you be comfortable since I'm making you do more work.

He agrees saying it's not weird and gets out of his car following you into the building. Opening the door to your apartment he's greeted with a warm scent of vanilla as he looks around. Your lights are dim, soft sounds of Rick and Morty playing on your tv that's mounted on a wall, and a few pictures of you with friends and family next to it.

You gesture for him to sit on your couch making room on the small table you had in front of it for him to use. You sat on the smaller sofa on the opposite side of the couch pulling your legs up to your chest.

"You a smoker?" he questions taking the weed out of the small baggy he had placing it in his grinder.

"Not really, I smoke at parties if my friends have some, but that's it," he nods, taking the weed out of the grinder and sprinkling it on the paper. "How long have you been dealing?"

Pursing his lips together, he looks up thinking, "About a year."

"Do you like it?" you question, head leaning against your arms.

"Yeah, it's not a hard job, drugs are always in demand, so I'll always have business," he explains. "and the pay is good."

Finishing up rolling your blunts, he smiles at you as he shows them to you, "Perfection."

"Thank you so much," you stand up, trying to hand him the other $15 but he puts his hand up stopping you.

"I told you, new customer deal," you follow him to your door, walking him out. "Text me if you need anything else."

Making it a weekly thing, you text him when you need some weed and he'll come up to your apartment to roll it for you. The more he comes over the more you two get to know each other, eventually asking him to just stay and smoke with you, since he was still giving you a discount even though you're not a new customer anymore.

You started inviting him to hang out at your place, not even wanting to smoke, just wanting to be around him. You would notice him just staring at you sometimes, snapping your fingers in his face and he'd just apologized with a laugh. It didn't bother you, not even close, it made you feel fuzzy all over, and you finally decided to ask him about it.

Your bedroom is filled with laughter and hip-hop playing softly in the background as you are both laid on your bed. His head felt fuzzy, you consuming his thoughts and he didn't even realize he was staring with a dopey grin on his face.

"Why do you do that?" you have the same dopey grin on your face as you're looking at him and Trance by Metro Boomin starts to play.

"Do what?" He raises his eyebrow nodding his head to the beat of the song.

"Stare at me. You do it a lot," you sit up against your bed frame, your hand scratching at his scalp. He had his hair in a bun, a few strands framing his face.

"I don't know . . . you're just pretty," he licks his lips, eyes still staring into yours.

"Shut up," you laugh and he closes his eyes, enjoying your fingers playing in his hair.

"I'm serious, you're so pretty," you don't say anything. You both just humming to the music.

"You know this song reminds me of you," you look down at him, his eyes still closed.

"Why's that?"

"Whenever I look at you, I feel like I'm in a trance," he moves his hand to run over your leg. "even randomly throughout the day I'll just start thinking about you."

You pushed his head to make him look away from you as your grinning, cheeks hurt, "That's just the weed talking."

"It's not, I swear," his eyes open. "The first time I saw you, way before I even brought you weed that first time, I felt like you were compelling me to just focus on you."

"You're so dramatic," you sigh head leaning back against the headboard.

"You were just so pretty, I couldn't even focus on anything else that day," he confessed. "Even after that, we never talked and you would randomly just pop up in my head."

You hid your face in his hand, giggling at his words, head feeling so hazy. Taking a peek at him from between your fingers, he lights the blunt that was sitting on your nightstand, and he just looks so good . . .

"Come here," he taps your thighs and you look at him confused cause you’re already so close. "Sit on my lap."

Without a second thought, you were straddling his lap, feeling his dick right against your thigh, and he lets out a small groan, as he is exhaling the smoke. His eyes are low and red, looking over your body. You're wearing a white camisole that stopped just above your belly piercing and black shorts that showed quite a bit of your ass.

His hand is rubbing your thigh, his lip caught between his teeth. Your hands go under his hoodie, lightly scraping your nails against his soft skin, licking your lips at how good he looks.

He's licking his dry lips as he's looking at you before taking another drag of the blunt. Grabbing your face he pulls you down so your lips are almost touching and he blows the smoke into your mouth while you inhale it. Closing the little space between you, your lips are pressed to his in a needy and heated kiss.

Hands comb through his hair as you're lightly grinding against him, needing to ease the sensation between your legs. He puts the bunt in the ashtray then both of his hands go down to your ass, groping and helping you grind against him. Your both moaning in each other's mouth, whiny breaths.

"Want you to sit on my face," he says between kisses with a smile. You peck his lips a few more times before crawling up his body so you're clothed pussy is hovering over his face. Using his index finger, he slides your shorts over revealing your glistening cunt. He nudged your clit with his nose, inhaling your scent, then blowing his breath on the nub watching you shiver.

Being impatient you sit down on his face and he hums burring his face between your thighs, tongue greedily lapping at your wet folds. You're grabbing onto the headboard, moans slipping from your lips, as he's flicking his tongue against your clit.

He's so loud as he slurps your essence from your dripping hole, feeling it clench around nothing against his lips. You're whimpering his name, fingers tugging at his brown locks, eyes looking down to meet his. "Taste . . so good," he's so pussy drunk already, loud moans vibrating against your lower lips.

Grinding your little puffy nub into his nose, his tongue slides into your drooling hole, penetrating it, feeling you squeeze his pink muscle. He's watching your eyes screwed shut, jaw slack, and head falling back.

He has the perfect few of your pebbled nipples poking through your shirt, as your chest rises and falls, the more you hump his face, "So pretty—riding my face."

You reach behind you rubbing your hand against his bulge and he's instantly grinding against it, so needy to be touched. You push his sweatpants down with the help of him raising his hips, and his dick flings out free. You give him a few pumps before spitting in your hand and stroking him again, "Ah—fuck."

He's so messy eating your pussy, nose and chin sticky with your arousal, desperately slurping at your pussy, the sounds getting louder and filthier, as your thighs twitch around his head. He's moaning and groaning, at the taste of your pussy and how good your hand feels wrapped around his dick.

Your legs are growing tired, shamelessly humping his face, feeling your orgasm almost hit its peak, "Gonna . . cum Eren."

His eyes are rolling back, mumbling something incoherent into your pussy as his hips are stuttering into your hand. He slides his hands from your ass up to your nipples, pinching and pulling at the buds, as you start to twist your wrist and squeeze his tip as you stroked his cock.

Holding his head still with the grip you had on his now messy bun, you feel your orgasm crash over you with a few screams of Eren's name, and he's following right behind you. Globs of cum coating your hand and his lower stomach, your hand still moving helping him ride out his orgasm.

When you both come down from your highs, you're sitting back on his thighs, Eren's face is glistening with your arousal, licking his lips savoring your taste. With a lazy grin on your face, you lean down giving him sloppy kisses, tasting yourself on his lips with a moan, "Taste so sweet, pretty girl."

Kissing down your neck to your chest, he's sucking on one of your nipples, tongue darting out licking around the cold metal hearts, while his fingers play with the other one, "Can I taste you again?"

©HANNSDIARY 2023 | all rights reserved. please don’t copy, steal, modify, or repost my work on other sites.

[midnight-mourning]

All Aboard

❄️❄️Midnight's DCA December Day 27❄️❄️

Once again, Pom, your brain is massive, this was a LOT of fun, i saw the words 'magic' and 'fae elements' and the pot started boiling over ashjadk, anywho, please enjoy!

Prompt: second request >:3c (but no pressure!!) I havent read all the other folks yet to see if there was a Polar Express/Train ride type oneshot. I feel like train conductor/surrealism vibes would be a delight, with holiday magic and spritely, fae elements sprinkled in. Maybe getting lost on to the destination--or the train getting stopped due to a snowstorm. (Very Nana, if you watched that anime haha) Perhaps, yn is in clear emotional distress bc of smth happening interpersonally leading up. Texting, phones, drama. Do they even want to go home…? … (Will they go back home? >:)) mweheh.)

Word Count: 2811

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The train whistle blares loudly outside, starting to roll down the tracks. You watch out the window as the station begins to fade away, sighing as snow hits the pane every so often. You check you phone again when it buzzes, another message to add to the pile. Another half-hearted apology you're guessing. 

You're about to look in detail when you stop, cursing yourself and shaking your head. You got on this train for that exact reason, to avoid having to speak to them. You weren't going to give in, you just, needed a break. To go somewhere, anywhere really. 

Your ticket was for home, and the idea of being back in your apartment sounds better and better by the moment. You sink back in the seat again, already liking the sound of being back in your own bed with your own food and your own life. You never should have come here, should've listened to your friends, they'd been right all along. 

You feel a headache coming on, either from the stress, or the exhaustion of crying so much. Or even, the nagging of your friends as they brag and say they told you so. Which, they did, but you didn't need to hear it again. At least you had a day or so. The trip back was long, requiring you to get a sleeper car, where most of your belongings resided currently, save for the book sitting beside you, along with your sketchbook. 

You'd been wanting to do a bit of reading, or drawing, anything to take your mind off things, but after receiving that text you just didn't have the heart for it. 

"Everything alright over here, friend?"

You glance up, seeing a well-dressed man standing to your right. He was tall, blond, and wore a sun-themed mask over his eyes, which are also covered with a white shade. His smile is warm, kind.

You straighten up a bit, feeling self-conscious all the sudden.  "Oh, yeah. Just fine. Sorry, do you need my ticket?"

"Yes please!" 

You hand it over to him, and he punches it, promptly handing it back to you. "There you go! Is there anything else I can get for you? Perhaps a snack, or a drink?"

"No, I'm good, but thank you... Sorry, what's your name?"

The man bows slightly. "You may call me Sun. And you, friend?"

"Oh, my friends call me Nick/N." You smile. 

Sun tilts his head, his smile seems, strained for a moment. Then—"Welcome aboard, then, Nick/N. We hope you enjoy the ride!" For good measure, he takes your hand, pressing his lips to the back of it for a moment before releasing you.

"T-thanks." You say, watching as he walks off, going over to where the other conductor stands. 

You take note that he's wearing a moon mask, with red covering his eyes instead. They exchanged a few hushed words with each other, and when they look over to you, you avert your gaze again. 

You didn't pay attention when you booked this train, just got on the first one you could, you wonder if it's themed in some way. It would make sense anyway, why else for the masks? 

As you settle in for your ride, the conductors come by multiple times each to check on you. During this you find out the other is named 'Moon', which, pretty on the nose you'd say, but you have to guess it's all part of the act. 

Regardless, you find them to be friendly, very chatty, almost too much so. They're constantly offering you something to eat or drink, and if you hadn't brought snacks you'd take them up on the offer. Even then, they try encouraging you to pick something from the train's menu. 

"Surely you deserve something better than that, crumbling thing, Sunshine."

"Or something sweet to wash it down, maybe a glass of wine?"

You take another bite of your granola bar. "Nah, this is good enough for now. And I'm not much of a day drinker." You unscrew your water bottle lid, taking a sip. "Appreciate it though!"

"If you change your mind, simply let us know, Starlight."

That was another thing, the nicknames. At first, they used yours that you'd given, almost constantly addressing you in conversation. It was like they were waiting for something to happen. But when it didn't they'd switched to the celestial-themed ones instead. 

It was all so, incredibly, interesting. 

In the evening, you're sketching in your seat when your phone goes off again. You frown upon hearing it, looking out the window momentarily. It's dark, but you can make out that it's snowing incredibly hard now. You're surprised the train is still able to get through all this—

"What are you drawing, Sunbeam?"

You jump, finding the two of them are across from you. Sun leans over the back of the opposite seat, elbows resting on the top edge, while Moon lounges across the seat itself.

You feel embarrassed now. "Oh, nothing important." You don't want to admit that you're drawing them, that would be utterly humiliating. 

You couldn't help it, despite their, overtly friendly behavior—to the point you'd grown slightly suspicious—you found the two to be alarmingly charming despite it all. There was an air about them that was enticing, drawing you in and making you ever curious. 

Moon tsks. "Now, now. Don't leave us in suspense. I'm sure anything you create would be lovely."

"It's true, though maybe not as lovely as them, wouldn't you say?" Sun rests his head in his hand, small smirk on his lips. 

Moon nods, waving his hand. "Not even a question, of course."

Your ears are burning at this point. And, compelled by their outward flirting you hold out your sketchbook, head ducked to maybe hide some of your awkwardness. 

"Just take it already." You mumble. "And go easy on me, please. It's been awhile..."

Eager hands snatch up your book, and they bicker over who gets to hold it. You giggle at the exchange, and they finally settle on each holding one side as they flip through. 

As they go, Sun whistles, and Moon hums in agreement, it only serves to fluster you more. 

"You made all of these?" Moon asks. 

You laugh. "Well yeah, most of those are from months ago. They're, okay, I guess."

"Okay? You have talent, Starshine!" Sun states, waving his hand to the page. "I've never seen a hu-anyone create like this. It's impressive."

You have to cover up your face then, it's on fire. "Please, stop. They're really not—"

"And you drew us?" Sun exclaims. 

"They drew me better looking."

Sun huffs. "No, look how they got my jaw perfect!"

They delve into arguing again about who is sketched better and you just about can't take it anymore when your phone starts ringing. 

All three of you snap your attention to the device. 

When you see the caller ID, your heart fills with dread. 

Instead of curling up from being flustered, you curl up with fear, groaning. "Why can't they take a hint..."

As the phone continues to ring, you get ready to pick it up from the seat, either to answer or to decline the call. 

You don't get the chance, as Sun asks you a question. "Friend, is this your signature here?" He's pointing to a page of your sketchbook. 

"I, yeah. It is." You don't know why you didn't hesitate with that answer, too stressed to think, currently. 

You don't notice the shared look between the two, slight grins on their faces at this information. 

Your phone is still ringing, so you finally grab it, debating on what to do. 

"Do you want to talk to them?" Moon asks you. 

You sigh, then laugh. "God no. Not at all. But..." You trail off, and shake your head. "Maybe I should hear them out. Even if I really don't want to deal with them right now."

Your thumb hovers over the answer button, ready to press it—

"Y/n. Don't answer the phone." Sun's words are firm, but there's still a softness to them, almost remorseful?

You don't know, because one moment your phone is in your hand, the next it's not. You... aren't sure why but, it's probably fine, right?

The rest of the evening proceeds like everything is normal. Neither of them calls you by your name again, sticking to their nicknames. You're not hungry, so you don't eat dinner despite their pestering about it not being good for you. And you retire to your bed after a late night filled with chatting. The two of them must have very little work to do as conductors, if they can spend so much time with a single passenger like you. 

Speaking of, was the train always so empty, or had people just slowly been getting off without you noticing? You yawn, and as your head hits the pillow decide that you'll worry about it tomorrow. Besides, you should be home by the end of the morning anyhow. 

When you wake up the next day, you notice that there's a distinct lack of movement happening. You must have stopped at a station. You stretch and hop out of bed, deciding that after the day you had yesterday, you deserve to walk around in your pajamas for a bit. 

You go over to the dining car, incredibly hungry, and expecting people to be boarding. What you find is an empty car filled with piping hot food and—

"Is that a hot coco bar?" You ask to the open air, starting to salivate at the thought. 

However, before you even consider food, you decide you need to figure out what's going on. Walking over to the window, you see that the snow is piled high all around the train, almost up to the window. You must have hit a drift in the night, meaning you're stuck until the can clear the tracks. 

Normal people would be concerned about this information. But either because you don't care when you get home—as long as you're not there—or because you've developed a strange lack of care for most time related things, you don't mind in the slightest. 

With a shrug, you go over and grab a plate and start piling it high, someone's got to eat it, right? 

You also grab a large mug of hot chocolate, adding many marshmallows and tons of whipped cream. You sit down, ready to dig in, when you're spooked as you realize Moon is sitting across from you, chin resting in his hand with a smile. 

"Good morning, Starlight. Sleep well?"

You nod. "Yeah. You sure know how to make an entrance, don't you?"

"We pride ourselves on it." Sun says with a chuckle, in the seat behind you, you realize. 

Looking up, you see he's in a similar position to Moon, small smirk on his face as he observes you. 

"Seems so. While you're both here, what's going on with the train?" You raise a piece of toast to your mouth. "Unless I'm wrong and you two aren't good at your job."

You take a bite, and have to sit up again, eyes wide. The bread is perfectly crispy, with just the right amount of butter. It tastes like heaven. 

You're too caught up in taking another bite to catch what Sun says. 

"Oh my god. This is the best toast I've ever had in my life." You finish devouring it, wiping your mouth and looking back up to him. "Sorry, can you repeat that?"

Sun chuckles, hands shifting to hold your face. "I said, we're snowed in. It will take some time for the tracks to be cleared. Potentially several days." 

"Oh, really?" You reach down blindly for more food, and feel your plate be scooted closer to you. You thank Moon briefly and snatch up a piece of bacon, which also tastes divine. "Bummer."

This seems to surprise the masked man, eyebrows shooting up above the mask's edge. "You're not concerned?"

"Nah. To be honest, I don't have much of a place to go back to. A cold apartment in a shitty building on the wrong side of the city." You finish your bacon, grabbing another piece. "Not to mention how my friends are going to be getting on to me about how they were right and I was wrong and on and on and on and, man this food is delicious, like how do you guys have such a good cook for a train?"

Sun looks away from you, and sitting straight you see Moon's looking to him as well. You however, are too busy indulging your gluttony to care. Every single bite is amazing, like, the best breakfast you've ever had. 

You're about to take a drink of your hot coco, when a hand grabs your wrist. 

"Wait." Moon states, then sighs. 

You raise an eyebrow, waiting. 

He looks behind you to Sun, and glancing back you see he's frowning, but nods. 

He comes around the seat, and sits across from you with Moon. After removing the coco from your hands, he clasps one of yours in both his own. 

"We haven't been truthful with you, Sunshine. At least, I believe that's how your people say it." His grip tightens for a moment before relaxing. "It wasn't by accident that you boarded this train."

You furrow your brow. "Well, yeah, I bought the ticket."

"It wasn't the ticket you were supposed to. We, ensured you would board this train specifically." Moon states, sounding, ashamed. 

Sun continues for him. "You see, we're not from your world. We come from somewhere else, somewhere long forgotten to most of your kind. Many of our own like to play tricks on you humans, for entertainment and such. We prefer to help."

"The train is designed to find those in need of it." Moon waves to the rest of the car. "The lost, the lonely, the hurting,"—he glances at you for a moment—"It gives them a place to heal, to learn, to change in some cases. Then, when they're ready, the return home, none the wiser to the time that's past or what's truly occurred."

You notice Sun's cheeks are tinged pink under the mask, up until now you don't think you've seen either of them be so bashful. "Though, we've been, 'keeping tabs' on you for some time. Besides the gloomy aura you had we found you to be—" He bites his cheek, and mutters his next words. "Very attractive."

"Getting you here became a bit of a game for us." Moon admits, also blushing now. "As was getting you to share your name, and eat our food. Most never stay on the train long enough to do so. Or at least, they don't think they do."

Sun finally looks back to you, hands still holding your own. "But we wanted to tell you before you took a drink, as that would, bind you to us. But not to the train! You can leave whenever you like, of course. But, you deserved to know our intentions, regardless of whether you would even consider feeling the same or not."

He releases you finally, folding his now fidgeting hands into his lap. 

You take a moment to take everything in, reviewing in your head to make sure you understood everything they've told you. 

Once you've determined that yes, this is actually happening, you speak. 

"So if I drink this, I'll stay here... forever?" You point down to the cup, still steaming.

"You could still leave whenever you wish, but essentially yes—Oh my stars."

The two can only stare, mouths agape as you chug your hot coco in one go. When your finished you sigh, taking your napkin and dabbing your mouth. 

"Man, that hit the spot. I'll be getting more of that later. Anywho,"—you start to dig in to the rest of your plate—"It might take me a bit, but which one of you wants dibs on first kiss? If that's your thing, that is."

"I-"

"Me." Moon blurts. 

At this, Sun blusters, and you snicker to yourself as they begin to debate back and forth on the subject. You glance out the window at the snowy landscape, taking in how, enchanted it feels now that you fully understand the situation. It's certainly not what you expected to happen when you boarded this train, but you're certainly not complaining about the outcome. 

Maybe you'll change your mind, and one day depart from this place and the two fae you've somehow acquired. But as of this moment, spending your days with two magic beings vying for your attention, a warm bed, good food, and helping others? 

That's a pretty good deal to you. 

Best Christmas present you've ever gotten, by a long shot.

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

Thank you @divinit3a for the request! As i said before, VERY big brained and I enjoyed it a good bit hehe ^-^

Thanks for reading!

Masterpost link

Tag list (if you would like added, see this post for more info, you can also dm me!):

@scarletcowboy @beemyhuneybee @fishm0ther @deviouscrackers @elsajoyagent8 @luckyyyduckyyy @zenkaiankoku @jogimote @local-shrub @milosmantis @robinette-green @everlightreader @sinister-sincerely @starredeclipse @dangerva @juukai @crystalmagpie447 @mothgutz236 @lizyxml @divinit3a @amarynthian-chronicles @crystalfay

[hwashotcheeto]

𝑩𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝑭𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅'𝒔 𝑴𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 (2)

Best Friend's Mother Masterlist

Chapter: Two (Smut chapter | amab version)

Milf!Park Seonghwa X gn!reader

Summary: Seonghwa takes you back to his room to show you that the feelings you have for him is mutual.

WC: 4k (haha)

CW: Smut, little bit of plot sprinkled in and at the end, fluffy aftercare

Snut warnings: Kissing, oral (reader receiving), anal fingering (reader receiving), handjob (reader receiving) hair pulling (idol and reader), protected anal sex, bent over position, biting (reader receiving), some praise, reader and idol orgasms (2 for reader), Seonghwa uses pet names on reader (dear, sweetheart, sweetie, (good) doll)

AN: This is the amab version of chapter 2! (Yeah that's all I got, enjoy!)

You let Seonghwa lead you back through the house, and through the previously “forbidden door.”

You didn’t have time to admire his bedroom before you were pushed against the door by Seonghwa as he towered over you. One hand had already locked the door, the other holding your cheek.

“What did you notice first, dear?” He said softly. “When you looked at me, what caught your eye?” The hand that had locked the door had come up to cage you against the door. There was no chance to escape, but that was the last thing you wanted to do.

“Everything,” you breathed. Seonghwa smiled and leaned close, his lips centimeters away from yours. Your entire body was screaming to close the gap, but you made yourself stay in place.

“Really? Nothing special?’

Well, there was something.

“Your body,” you blurted, to which your voice became strangled as you got the words out. Seonghwa hummed as he moved closer, pressing his body of which you were infatuated with up against yours.

“I’ve heard that one a lot. It’s quite impressive, isn’t it?” You nodded enthusiastically, and Seonghwa couldn’t help but laugh at your eagerness.

Even he had to admit, the teasing was too much for him. So he leaned in and pressed his lips to yours in, at first, a sweet and gentle kiss. Stars exploded in your eyes and your whole body lit up in fireworks. His lips were so soft, like rose petals against your own.

The kiss quickly got more heated, with Seonghwa pulling you against his chest, his hand reaching back and holding the back of your neck. You wrapped your arms around him and held onto his shoulders, trying your best to stay standing.

You didn’t have to try for long, because Seonghwa pulled you over to his huge bed and laid you down on it, keeping his lips on yours as he put you in the middle and climbed on top of you.

A confused squeak left your lips as Seonghwa pulled away from you, and the wind was knocked out of you all over again seeing his half closed eyes and puffy lips. He smiled as he sat up on his knees and reached down to undo the silk robe’s belt.

He smiled at the stars in your eyes as the robe slid off his shoulders and down his arms, and off his body as he dropped it onto the floor. You choked when you realized that the robe was all he was wearing.

How was this person over double your age with a body as perfect as his? He didn’t look a day over 25, with pronounced muscles, honey gold skin, and again, the fucking hourglass body shape.

“Your turn, sweetie,” Seonghwa said softly, leaning down and slipping his hands under your shirt. He paused and looked up at you. “Is that okay?” You nodded aggressively, and helped him get it off your body. Seonghwa’s eyes lit up as his eyes raked over your body, and the smile was pure joy.

He dove into your chest and pressed kisses all along your sternum, his hands snaking up to rub all over your chest. At first, it was gentle massages and kisses that lit your skin on fire. You tilted your head back and closed your eyes as you sunk into his touches, forgetting everything else in the world, until you felt his tongue wrap around one of your nipples.

A yelp left your lips, but Seonghwa quickly put a finger to your lips. “Let’s not wake up Wooyoung, yeah?” You nodded again, and he drew his hand back, his mouth continuing where he left off.

It was torture keeping all your noises to a minimum of soft whimpers and moans, especially when his mouth and tongue knew exactly what to do. You were stuck between melting into the feeling and letting everything fade out, or watching Seonghwa as he ravished your chest.

There was something electrifying as he looked up at you with his eyes half closed while his tongue swirled across your nipple before his lips closed around it and sucked.

It wasn’t long before the pressure between your thighs was too much to manage, and you tried to close them, but all you did was end up squeezing Seonghwa. He hummed before he pulled away from your chest.

“You’re so cute, sweetie,” Seonghwa cooed as his hands slid down to grab onto your bottoms. “May I?” You nodded like you had before and helped him get off both your bottoms and underwear.

As soon as you were stripped bare for him, he took a moment to drink you in. You squirmed under his gaze, but he still took his time admiring you. You, who he found utterly gorgeous.

Seonghwa snapped out of his trance and moved back down between your legs, laying on his stomach. You whimpered as you realized where this was going.

“Please,” you whimpered out. Seonghwa’s eyes flicked up to yours, and the smile that spread across his face was sinister.

“Please what? What are you asking for?” His hands rubbed the underside of your thighs, slowly and torturously, making you tense every time he got close to where you needed him.

You whined as you knew exactly what you wanted, but couldn’t get the words out. Seonghwa slid his hands all the way down and instead laid his arms across your thighs, keeping your legs spread wide for him. Another whimper shot from your lips as your thighs tensed again. He smirked and looked up at you. “Come on, sweetheart, tell Mommy what you want.”

Your brain short circuited at the name “Mommy” and you forgot how to articulate words all together. It was as if that one word turned off your brain’s ability to think, and the words just tumbled out at that point.

“Please make me come with your mouth, Mommy.”

“There you go, good doll,” Seonghwa whispered, and took you all in his mouth like a man starved.

You saw white as you threw your head back and covered your mouth. The magic he worked on your tits was the same magic he had on your dick. He moaned at the taste of you, eyes closed as he pressed his tongue against you, gently sucking until he pulled off.

Seonghwa quickly bobbed his head, keeping his tongue pressed up against you, stroking what he couldn’t fit into his mouth. You needed to use the blanket to keep your cries muffled from the pleasure that was washing over you in tsunamis, because there was no way you’d be quieter without it.

You made the mistake of looking down at Seonghwa, and you nearly came right then and there. He was so invested, he hadn’t even bothered to try to keep his hair out of his face. With a trembling hand, you reached down and pulled his hair away.

As you did, he looked up at you the same way he did before, and a whimper escaped you again. He smirked and paused for a moment, pulling off. Spit and pre cum was already all over his lips and chin.

You watched as he leaned over to one of the night stands beside the bed and grabbed a hair tie out of the drawer. You were so turned on by the sight of him putting his hair up and you didn’t even know why.

“Thank you for reminding me,” he said softly, moving back to his original spot. “Don’t be afraid to grip on, I like it.”

And as he got back to work, you did just that: You kept the blanket over your mouth while holding onto Seonghwa’s ponytail. You occasionally tugged when he did something just right, like when he ran his tongue over your slit, or he gagged when your tip hit the back of his throat. Every time you did, he let out a little moan and kept doing whatever he was doing.

When Seonghwa closed his eyes and focused, he completely melted into you. He was enjoying this just as much as you were. The taste of you, the way your thighs shook when he licked or sucked just right, the way you pulled on his ponytail, your muffled whimpers and cries, it was all perfect. He was painfully hard, but he forced himself not to do anything.

It’d feel better if he waited to fuck you.

That’s what he thought about as he worked his mouth on your dick, as he bobbed his head faster and faster, as he took more of you down his throat, was how he couldn’t wait to be inside you.

He couldn’t help himself, he needed to know how you felt.

He pulled one of his arms back from your thighs to slowly push two fingers inside you. You forgot about the blanket and yelped into the open air, letting out a strangled moan as Seonghwa pumped his fingers inside you.

“Quiet, doll, remember?” Seonghwa’s voice had gone hoarse, and the rumble of his voice made your eyes roll back into your head. You pulled the blanket back over your mouth, but it was becoming more and more useless, as Seonghwa’s fingers fucking into your hole made you louder than before.

What made it even worse was Seonghwa now constantly moaning around your cock. He was holding on by a thread, fantasizing about how good it would feel to be balls deep in your hole. He was already as deep as he could be with his fingers, but it wasn’t enough for him. He wanted to fill you up, feel as much of you as he could.

The idea of you clenched tight around him while he’s fucking you into the bed, his hands on your hips, his lips on yours to keep you quiet-

“Mommy,” you suddenly whimpered out, knocking him out of his thoughts. “Mommy, I’m gonna come.” Seonghwa groaned and kept going exactly how he was, craving your sweet release just as much as you were.

With how he was devouring you, it only took seconds to get there. You covered your whole face with the blanket as screams and whimpers ripped from your throat, your thighs trembling as Seonghwa fucked you through your orgasm.

Seonghwa was close to whimpering as he swallowed every drop of cum. Just thinking of how good you would feel, being a mess beneath him, screaming just like you were now.

Goddammit, he couldn’t wait anymore. What were you doing to him, he was thinking like a teenager again.

Seonghwa pulled away from your dick as your orgasm tapered off, panting as heavily as you were. You pulled the blanket away from your face to see him, and your heart stuttered at the sight before you. Some of his hair had fallen out of his ponytail, sticking to his face because of sweat, and his pupils were blown out as he stared down at you, and his mouth, chin, and neck were glistening in the low light.

You were so intimidated, but also so turned on.

Seonghwa calmed his sudden resurgence of teenage thoughts as he leaned over you, holding your cheek. “Are you okay, sweetheart?” He asked, his voice soft.

“Yeah,” you breathed, still trying to get your breath back. Seonghwa smiled seeing you being such a mess for him. He hadn’t even properly fucked you yet, but you were already a gorgeous, flushed mess.

“Good. I should’ve said this before, but tell me if I hurt you at all, okay?” You nodded, and Seonghwa nodded back, kissing your forehead. “Good doll.” You couldn’t help but smile at the praise.

Seonghwa reached back into the night stand’s drawer, and you heard the familiar crinkle of a condom package. You sighed in relief and relaxed more into the bed as you watched him tear the packet open and slide it down onto his dick.

At that point, you realized what Seonghwa had to work with was more than impressive. Not only good in length, but in thickness too. It almost intimidated you a little, but you felt safe.

With the hospitality Seonghwa had shown you so far, how gentle he’d been, and how he’d taken care of you so well already, you were confident he wouldn’t hurt you. Or if he did, he’d listen to what you needed.

How lucky you were that Wooyoung’s mother ended up being so wonderful.

Seonghwa leaned back over you and looked down at you. You tentatively reached up and held onto his arms.

“Do you want to stay like this?” He asked. “It might be easier if you’re on your stomach, or on all fours.”

“Yeah, it would be,” you said reluctantly. While anal sex was more comfortable and easier if you were facing away from your partner, it worried you a little about not being able to see his face. Seonghwa noticed you’re hesitancy and reached out to hold your cheek.

“It’ll be okay,” Seonghwa reassured you, his voice soft. “If I hurt you, please tell me, okay?” You nodded, and Seonghwa’s smile was warm. Your heart fluttered at the sight. “Thank you, sweetie.”

With that, you got into position on your stomach, making a space between the pillows for your face. While you were adjusting, Seonghwa grabbed out a bottle of lube and applied a generous amount to himself.

Seonghwa’s hands gently held onto your hips once your were settled. “Are you comfortable like this?”

“Yes,” you said, then added, “Mommy.”

You couldn’t see it, but Seonghwa’s face lit up hearing the title. With that, he slowly pushed inside you, and the whole world faded out.

Seonghwa gasped and gripped onto your hips, hanging his head. You felt even better than he could’ve imagined. His knuckles were turning white from how tight he was gripping onto you to stop himself from ramming his cock into you already.

What you didn’t know, because he specifically hadn’t said it to you or Wooyoung, was that Seonghwa hadn’t been with anyone else in well over a year. Not by choice, he’d been trying to find someone, but it just hadn’t worked out.

So his reaction to getting to be inside you wasn’t exaggerated in the slightest.

When he finally bottomed out inside you, you both needed a minute before you could continue. You closed your eyes and smiled contentedly, melting into the mattress. Seonghwa couldn’t help himself from smiling at how cute you looked. At your relaxation. How you were so oblivious to the fact that he was picturing you fucked out and sprawled across his bed.

Seonghwa still leaned in and pressed a sweet kiss to your shoulder as he began to slowly move his hips. He was gentle and slow at first, still easing into it, preparing both you and himself for what he wanted to do with you.

But he ended up taking too long. You started getting impatient, and whined in protest. You felt Seonghwa smile against your skin, but he kept his pace as it was. His motherly care was in everything he did, even in this, when you clearly wanted more.

You pushed your hips back into his dick when he pushed into you. Seonghwa moaned and pulled away from the kisses to collect himself.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he breathed. You just whined again.

“You won’t hurt me. Please, Mommy.” You were starting to beg, on the verge of it, and Seonghwa could see it. He almost wanted to make you beg. To see how badly you really wanted him.

But he decided against it, and to save it for another day.

He decided to oblige and he quickened his pace, fucking into you faster. White spots appeared in your vision as Seonghwa brushed against your spot, and as you open your mouth, Seonghwa gently pushes your head into the pillows as he fucks you harder and faster again. Shivers ran across your whole body as he stifled your moans, and when you thought that was a lot, Seonghwa slipped an arm under your hips and pulled you onto your knees.

The angle he pulled you into gave him the ability to fuck you as deep as he wanted, and that’s fucking great because your whole body was on fire from how he was pounding your spot, it also meant he couldn’t kiss you, and you were responsible for not waking up the whole neighborhood.

That proved to be pretty fucking difficult when Seonghwa was like a rabbit. You felt like you were going to explode from how he was drilling into you, pounding your spot every time, and keeping the same tempo consistently.

The pleasure reached all over your body, spreading the icy-hot feeling through your bones, blossoming into every muscle, making you feel like you were floating. You had to keep your face in the pillows or you would have woken up the neighbors, much less Wooyoung.

You were fighting for your life, but Seonghwa, he was focused. He didn’t sound like he was struggling,

How was he not falling apart like you were? Well, internally, he was.

Seonghwa was fighting demons. He was using every ounce of strength that wasn't used for pounding into your guts to stay composed and quiet. If he faltered for even a second, he’d lose it and melt into a babbling, loud, whiny mess.

He played the act of a sweet, level-headed mother well. Someone who knew how to speak, and speak well. He knew how to act in any situation, and how to deal with people. But you put him on his own, or in a situation like this, and he just falls apart.

“Sweetheart,” he breathed, meeting your teary eyes. “I won’t last much longer.” His voice was strained and low, and he was panting out all his words. You nodded, unable to say anything, but hoping he’d understood. Thankfully, he did.

Seonghwa reached around and wrapped his hand around your dick, stroking you in time with how he fucked you. You nearly suffocated yourself from keeping your face pressed into the pillows, screaming into them.

You had to raise your head for a minute to breathe, and soft whimpers of “Mommy” fell from your lips as you could distantly feel the climax you were approaching just seconds before. Seonghwa quickly silences your soft cries by covering your mouth with his hand.

Seonghwa mostly needed you to keep quiet, but also because if he kept hearing you say “Mommy” the way you were, he wouldn’t have been able to make you come before he did.

Which wasn’t far off anyway.

With Seonghwa worrying about your orgasm, he forgot about his, and when it snuck up on him, he nearly collapsed on top of you. He bit down on your shoulder, followed by a whimper, his other hand desperately stroking your dick to help you come.

“Close, sweetie,” he whimpered, his pace growing irregular. You nodded, trying to communicate the same message to you. Seonghwa nodded back in confirmation.

Seconds later, you both tipped over the edge, and before you could scream, Seonghwa grabbed your hair and pulled your head back, smashing his lips onto yours. You moaned and screamed into his mouth, trying to keep your lips on his, fisting the sheets in your hands. Seonghwa moaned and whimpered into your mouth, holding you tight, fucking you through your orgasms.

When you both were finished, you pulled away from the kiss and laid on your sides, getting your breath back. Unintentionally, you laid back against Seonghwa’s chest, letting him hold you.

And it felt good. It felt really good. You couldn’t remember the last time you’d been held like this. You got hugs from Wooyoung, sure, but being held was different.

And it was a good different. A comfortable different. You were happy like this.

“How do you feel, sweetheart?” Seonghwa asked as your eyes began to fall closed. The tiredness was beginning to pull you to the sleep you longed for all night.

“Amazing,” you breathed. Seonghwa laughed and kissed your head.

“Me too.” You smiled and looked at him over your shoulder. When you were close up like this, you could actually see the signs of his age. A few of his roots were gray and his skin was wrinkled. You didn’t notice anything before, but now, you saw all the details.

And he was still as beautiful as he was when you first saw him.

“Let's go get cleaned up.” Seonghwa sat up, helping you up as well. You tried to stand, and nearly fell over from your legs being so shaky. Seonghwa laughed as he caught you and kept you steady. “Here, let me help.”

But as he stood up, he wobbled too. You couldn't help but laugh, and he laughed with you. You saw where Wooyoung got it from.

You both helped each other make your way to the connected bathroom. With a clear mind, you finally started noticing the details of Seonghwa's room, and how his minimalist, neat aesthetic was really in every room in the house.

The bathroom was the same, everything was perfectly placed in a specific spot. Nothing was even a millimeter off. You had to admit, the dedication was impressive.

Seonghwa took the initiative to begin to clean you up, using a damp towel to wipe you down, and wiping the sweat off your body.

“Thank you,” you said softly. Seonghwa smiled as he finished up.

“Of course. I have to clean up the messes I make.” Your cheeks turned red as he laughed, and you looked away quickly. But you couldn't help but smile.

Seonghwa brought you back to his bed, and you redressed yourself in what you were wearing prior to this escapade. Seonghwa put on a silk nightgown, and pulled you into bed with him, but you resisted. He looked at you with confused eyes, but you saw a little bit of hurt in them too.

“What about Wooyoung?” You blurted. Despite the conversation you had with Wooyoung earlier, where he essentially gave you his blessing, you didn't want to tell him “hey, the first night I met your mom, we fucked”.

Not to mention that it did feel a little weird, didn't it? You were the best friend, and you just had sex with his mom. If you were in Wooyoung’s position, you wouldn't be too comfortable with your best friend having sex with your mom, your dad, or really, any family member.

And yet, Wooyoung had said that he wasn't against it. He even encouraged it almost during the dinner. So clearly, he wasn't very averse to it.

“We…” Seonghwa trailed off, trying to find the right words. “We can talk in the morning, okay? Wooyoung doesn't wake up till late, so we have time, okay?” You nodded, but you still hesitated to get into the bed, despite Seonghwa's open arms.

You didn't wait to ruin the friendship you had, because you loved Wooyoung as much as you could ever love a friend.

And yet, you knew you wanted Seonghwa. You didn't love him, but you wanted him. You didn't want this to be your only time to have sex, and you didn't want your relationship to be only sex.

You were weighing many heavy scales, and none of the options were necessarily the “right” one.

So right now, you chose the one you wanted most. You crawled into Seonghwa's arms and curled up like a little kitten. He happily held you in his arms and kissed your head.

“Sleep well, dear,” he said softly, slowly rubbing your back. You smiled as you held onto him. He felt secure. Strong. Safe.

So you gladly let yourself melt into him. You mumbled a “Good night, Mommy,” right before you fell asleep.

Seonghwa smiled down at you. Unbeknownst to you, he was on the similar train of thought you were.

And neither of you had any idea where it would end.

Thank you for reading! Please reblog if you enjoyed! 💜

This is a work of fiction written by me. This does not represent the idol(s) in any way. Any re-upload is not allowed and will be reported.

[mothbart]

12 days of kolowv: day 7

my baby @theapocryphaofantares's birthday is in seven (!!!) days, and because i love him with all my heart he gets a small microfic every day until he gets his big present on his actual birthday.

prompt: scorch | bartylily | words: 2,312 | explicit

The bludgeoning, bright sun is too much for Barty. He’s overheating, his hair is sticking to his face, and he wants nothing more than to dunk himself in a pool of ice water—maybe drown himself, too, while he’s at it.

It’s the annual neighborhood block party, something that Barty absolutely loathes. He doesn’t care about seeing his neighbors, let alone socializing with them. White plastic tables are littered with red, solo cups, and multicolored plastic chairs are scattered along the street. Aggravating, repetitive pop songs are being played from the large speaker that sits in the Vance’s yard, and the culmination of that along with roars of laughter and yelling makes his head want to explode. He’s tried going back inside the house multiple times, but each time his dad catches him, and an empty threat is thrown at him. So he’s sitting here in an old camping chair outside his yard, slinking down in his chair, miserable.

He’s staring at all of the people who are hanging out in the middle of the street, and he just doesn’t understand the appeal of pretending to like these people just so they can have an excuse to get publicly drunk. He’s itching for a cigarette, and the pack in his pocket is practically teasing him at this point. He looks around to try and find his dad, and when he does, he sees that he’s standing in a circle with a couple of other adults, chattering away. As he gets up from the uncomfortable, ripped-up camping chair, he feels his other pockets to make sure that he has his lighter with him, too. He makes his way through the crowd, trying to get out of the way of the running children with water guns and moms holding trays of lemonade.

However, he doesn’t do a very good job of being careful because he bumps into someone.

And that someone just so happens to be his neighbor, Lily Evans.

“Barty?” She asks, looking up and smiling at him. “What are you doing here?”

Barty takes a good look at the girl in front of him, and it takes everything in him not to start fucking drooling when he sees that Lily is wearing a tight, yellow sundress. Freckles sprinkled across her sun-kissed skin and her long, red hair is pulled into a high ponytail, and Barty wants to trace his fingers along her skin and tangle them in her hair.

“What are you doing here?” Barty asks her, not really wanting to answer her question.

“I’m back for the summer,” she says. “You know, summer break and all of that.”

“How’s college?” He asks, and he feels silly doing small talk but he doesn’t know what else to do. His brain is short-circuiting and it’s almost like he forgot how to form words and questions. There is only one person who has ever made him feel this way, and of course it’s Lily fucking Evans.

He never forgot the night when he gave Lily her first kiss on her sixteenth birthday, and if he’s going to be honest, he still thinks about it almost daily. They never really saw each other after that. Sure, they saw each other in the hallways here and there, but it was back to how it was—Lily ignoring him and Barty pretending that Lily Evans never existed despite him constantly thinking about her. Lily had given James another chance after he left her hanging that night, and Barty wanted to tell her that she deserved better than that.

But it’s not like he was able to give her anything better than what James offered.

“College is good,” she replies. “Is college good for you?”

“Yeah,” Barty says. He looks around, trying to find any excuse to get out of there. The more that he’s standing in front of Lily, the more he keeps thinking about her soft lips and the way that she tasted like strawberry lip gloss and it’s something that he wouldn’t mind tasting again. “Anyway, I’m going to go—”

“Where are you going?” She asks.

“I was going to go for a smoke—”

“Come with me,” Lily says, grabbing Barty’s hand. “You can help me make more lemonade.”

Before Barty can decline, Lily’s already dragging him to her house. He doesn’t miss the way that Lily’s dad glares at Barty when they walk past him in the yard, but he doesn’t give two fucks. He remembers that Lily told him a couple of years ago that her parents warned her that Barty was a bad influence, and ever since then, he couldn’t care less about what her dad thinks.

When they walk inside the house, it looks exactly like how it did when they were kids. The foyer is full of carefully placed family photos, tacky floral print wallpaper, and shoes neatly lined up on the shoe rack. Lily kicks off her sandals and doesn’t bother placing them with the others, so Barty follows what she does and takes off his shoes.

The music can still be heard from outside, and when Barty walks further into the house, it’s a little more quiet. Lily is standing in the kitchen, and she looks so beautiful here. There’s something with the way that her bare feet patter along the hardwood laminate floors while she’s grabbing the glass pitcher that makes Barty want to see her like this all the time.

“Petunia is supposed to be on lemonade duty, but somehow I got stuck with it,” Lily explains while she’s grabbing a bag of lemons. “Did you see her new boyfriend?”

“I haven’t seen her at all,” Barty answers. He walks over to where Lily is, stands right next to her, and leans against the counter. He’s watching her intently as she pulls out the cutting board from the dishwasher and places a few lemons on them. “How’d they meet?”

“They’re in some club together in college,” Lily replies, shrugging. “He’s okay. His name is Vernon.”

Barty snorts. “What kind of name is Vernon?”

“Same could be said for Bartemius,” Lily teases.

“Whatever,” Barty mutters. Lily lets out a giggle and starts to cut the lemons, she’s just cutting them in half and placing them carelessly on the counter—some of them hit the cutting board, and some kind of fall right near it. Lily is humming to herself as she’s focusing.

“Can you go grab the pitcher and fill it with water?” She asks, turning her head towards him. “I meant to do that earlier but spaced it.”

Barty nods his head, taking the pitcher that’s still full of ice and fills it up to the brim with water from the sink. When he carefully tries to walk closer to Lily to bring her the pitcher, she must not realize that he’s standing right behind her.

Because she walks straight back into him, and water backsplashes on Barty and some gets on the back of Lily’s dress. It takes everything in Barty not to drop the glass that’s in his hands, but his shirt is soaking wet and the crotch of his pants is wet, too.

Lily quickly turns around, looking at him in horror as she sees that his shirt is sticking to his skin.

“Barty, I’m so sorry!” She says loudly, grabbing the rag that was hanging from the oven. She frantically starts to dab the rag on his torso, as if that was going to do anything. “Shit, I didn’t realize that you were right behind me—”

“Lily, it’s fine,” he says, his voice calm. “I can just run home and get changed.”

“No, no, I think I have some clothes that might fit you,” she says, still dabbing the towel on him. She’s so close to him, and his heart is pounding. He grabs her hand, stopping her from trying to dry something that more than a rag will do. “Okay, yeah, sorry, just follow me upstairs.”

She tosses the towel on the counter and starts to make her way down the hallway and up the stairs, Barty following right behind her while also trying to minimize much movement considering everything that he’s wearing is fucking wet and cold.

When he said that he wanted to dunk himself in a pool of ice water, he didn’t mean it. He’d rather get burned from the sun than have cold water on his skin like this. Lily walks into the bedroom that’s on the left at the end of the hallway, and when she opens the door, her room looks different.

It seems like it’s the only place in the house that changed since Barty was here when he was a kid. Her pink walls were now white. The posters of popular boy bands were long gone, replaced by multiple cork bulletin boards that are covered of photos of Lily and her friends. Her bright pink, twin-sized bed was replaced by a queen bed with regular white sheets; her room just didn’t feel like Lily anymore.

She must have sensed that because after Barty walked inside, she shut the door behind him.

“My parents slowly are re-doing my room,” she explains. “Feels weird, huh?”

“Yeah,” Barty murmurs, walking up to one of the bulletin boards. He looks at the photos and it’s just Lily with some people he doesn’t even recognize. Some were people they’ve known since high school, but the others? They must be from college.

His attention gets drawn to Lily when she starts going through her closet and pulls out an over-sized t-shirt and a pair of old gym shorts. She hands them over to him, and he takes them with a confused look.

“Where the fuck did these shorts come from?” He asks, holding them up to show her.

“They’re from high school for gym class, see?” She points at the logo at the bottom left of them. “Anyway, I’ll turn around.”

“No need,” Barty says, as he tosses the dry clothes on the edge of her bed. Lily doesn’t move. In fact, she stares at him as he strips off his soaked shirt and tosses it on the floor. He can feel her eyes gazing at his chest, and he smirks. “Hey, Lily, eyes up here.”

She snaps back into reality and blinks a few times, looking at him. Her face starts to turn pink, and she bites her lip.

“Sorry,” she says. She takes a couple of steps forward, and Barty sucks in his breath when Lily starts to softly trace the tattoos that are on his chest. “These are new.”

Barty doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t know what to really say to her—so instead, he allows her to touch him, caressing her fingers along the black lines that are embedded on his skin.

He’s not sure what happens.

Because the next thing he knows, Lily is looking up at him like he’s a constellation in the sky—in awe and amazement and admiration. She goes on her tippy toes and her lips are ghosting over his and he’s having a hard time remembering to breathe.

“Can I?” She whispers, her eyes fluttering closed.

He doesn’t say anything, because he’s already beaten her to it. His lips are on hers, and it’s like everything has fallen right into place. Her lips still taste like the strawberry lip gloss from the first time they kissed, and it’s moments like these where he’s thanking whatever fucking deity exists that he gets to have another chance to kiss Lily.

It goes from soft, tender kisses to desperation and eagerness. It’s more frantic, and Lily shivers under his touch when he slides the straps of her dress off her shoulders. He kisses along her jawline, peppering them down her neck and to her shoulder. She tilts her neck, giving him more room to work with and he wants to leave a mark—wants Lily to have something to remind her of him.

But he doesn’t.

Instead, he brings his lips back onto hers, and she starts walking him towards the bed, their lips never leaving each other. She pushes him down on the bed, and before he can sit up, Lily is already straddling his lap.

He runs his hands up her thighs, and she gasps against his mouth and he takes that opportunity to slide his tongue over her teeth. Lily is sweet and tart and everything in between.

They take their time unraveling each other, finding ways to make each other gasp and beg and whimper. It’s roaming hands, flicking tongues, quivering thighs, sticky sheets, and Barty feels on fucking cloud nine. Lily’s soft moans and panting on repeat in his ear as she tells him to move faster, stay right there, keep going.

It’s pure ecstasy, the way that Lily’s tight around him, and the way that their movements are messy and urgent. It’s the way that Lily comes, the way that she shudders and the way that she says his name like she’s worshipping and praising him.

Lily Evans makes him feel on fire—with every touch, she’s burning him and creating her own mark on him—visible or not. His skin feels like it’s littered with scorch marks and when he tucks some of her fallen hair out of her face, he can’t help but want more.

[greenjacketwhitehatdocmui]

Superman and Lois Got It Right

Well, I've met my 50k word goal for Nanowrimo.  The story isn't done, but it's a good add-on to what I had already.

But that's not what I wanted to talk about.  I wanted to say something about Superman and Lois.

The CW used Superman as, for the most part, a comparison to Supergirl.  Most times, circumstances would go in favor of Kara, rather than Clark.  And you know what?  That's fair.  It's her show and she's the main character.

When "Superman and Lois" was announced, I decided to give it a try.  I'm a big fan.  Even though I didn't care for some of the things they did with the character on Supergirl, I wanted to be open-minded and fair.

I'm glad I did.  These last four years have been some of the best--if not the best--times for Superman on any medium.  The plot was tight, the action was gripping, and the chemistry between the characters felt incredibly real.

Folks, these aren't your two-dimensional, plug and play, cardboard cut-out characters.  These aren't just names and faces, but people.  The care isn't just on Lois and Clark, or their twin sons.  Everyone gets their fair share, their moment in the spotlight, enough to feel like you really know them.

Do you know how hard that is?  Do you know how easy it would be to cheap out and do the classic "family is my weakness" tripe?  (And yes, I do mean tripe.)

I'm going to call out some names here, if only to compare how they could improve.  It's not meant to be a smackdown.

First of all, I'm calling out Brian Michael Bendis and his run.  Superman and Lois didn't do the family dirty.  Was there an identity reveal?  Yeah.  Was it done better than Bendis?  Oh, yeah.  It wasn't a one-off decision of a few issues.  It was a progression of four years, when they showed the strain of keeping the status quo.  And the twins, Jon and Jordan?  Well, they've got more personality and received more character development than his ill-conceived age-up of Jon ever would get.

I'm calling out Tom "The Deconstuctionist" King.  Superman and Lois embraces Clark's humanity, the strength of his family, and their perseverance through times that would shatter most.  Like an amateur clockmaker, he takes apart the pieces to see what makes things tick, but he just can't stop fiddling with one piece to see the chain reaction of when it goes wrong.  Superman and Lois shows you the whole of the characters through the pieces, not just the pieces themselves.

I'm calling out Tom "My Superman Doesn't Punch" Taylor.  In Superman and Lois, Jon and Jordan have interactions with their peers in high school.  It's what makes them relatable, even though Jordan receives his powers earlier than Jon.  We see them struggle and overcome trials, often together.  This is unlike the aged-up Jon Kent of Taylor's design, whose constant ruminating and angsting have drained the vitality from the young Jon that people could relate to and cheer for.  Taylor's Jon is perpetually surrounded by his super-peers, never dealing with the ordinary person like his Dad--or, at least, we're not privy to such moments. 

(Oh, and don't get me started about Taylor's clumsy attempt at passing the torch with the infamous "why don't you do more" question.  That shows that Taylor can be remarkably tone-deaf to the immigrant metaphor that is essential to Superman.)

The writers on Superman and Lois get it.  They have taken an 80+ year-old character, and made their own, relatable version that will stand the test of time.  They sprinkle in bits of lore, but they make their own twist on it.  They don't have cheap, sudden swerves; everything is planned out.  And when the plot twists are revealed, they feel logical and natural--as they should.

Tyler Hoechlin's Superman isn't a Reeve clone, a Cain clone, or anyone else's clone.  This is 100% Tyler's interpretation--a family man who can be dorky, loves his family, and can punch two worlds apart to save both.  And we are all the better for this interpretation

Bitsie Tulloch's Lois Lane isn't a helpless damsel in distress.  Gone are the days when Lois was obsessed with Superman's identity.  She and Clark are partners in every way, propping each other up when needed.  She is his strength.

Anyone who says that a superhero marriage would be boring just isn't trying.  One can only wonder at the state of their own relationship if they trivialize and project such a viewpoint onto the great love between Lois and Clark.

Jon and Jordan?  Yes, they can be annoying at times.  Yes, they make mistakes.  But they also have truly awesome moments.  To see them grow and mature was a great pleasure.

And the other characters?  This show had the best version of Sam Lane, period.  Instead of a stock military xenophobe/bigot, we see a staunch ally who doesn't always agree with Clark--but we know his heart is in the right place.  John Henry Irons?  He was once a man on a mission of vengeance, but now he's better off for giving it up.  There are so, so many other characters I could gush over, but I won't.  this has been going long already.

It's been quite a ride.  I wish it wasn't over, but they're going out with a bang.  And if there's one thing you can take from this long ramble, it's this:

Superman and Lois Got It Right.

--Doc

[the-wolf-files]

Caught in a Foreign Web [12.14.24]

Percy stormed out of Miguel's office with the loud slam of the metallic doors, walking swiftly through the chalk white pillars that danced around the walkway of Spider Headquarters. Their eyes stung with hot tears, clouding their vision as they barely weaved their way through a crowd of other Spider-People following the opposite direction of traffic. Warmth streamed down Percy's cheeks, weakly punching their emotions back inside of them. They hugged themself tightly and scrunched their nose in a snarl while continuing on their rushed path, the piercing stares of the masks around them making them want to curl into themselves and hide away forever. Percy would give anything to be invisible at this very moment, maybe even they could disappear and have no one notice. Maybe they could crawl into some back corner and learn how to survive there, like they had to at the labs of Oscorp.

Before they could even continue further down their spiral, Percy found themselves slamming full force into a taller figure and falling to the ground with a loud thump. They opened their mouth to bark something at the stick thin figure towering over them, quickly stopping once they recognized a foggy outstretched hand offering to lift them back to their feet.

"Quite a fall you jus' took there, yeah?" He casually remarked.

His accent was thick, yet gentle enough to soothe someone to sleep. His spider-suit was nothing but a chaotic mess, if you could even call it that. It had the usual red base with a blue torn crop top and diy-ed denim jacket decorating his shoulders with spikes, his lanky legs dressed in a pair of plaid pants sprinkled with hand sewn patches, and bright red boots with blue laces stood up to the middle of his shins. From what Percy could tell everything he wore was made himself. Even his blue suspenders that dangled from his waist looked like he had sewn them himself.

"I-I-" Percy stumbled over their words, grabbing the punk's hand to regain their balance, "Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry for, um- bumping into you. I wasn't really watching w-where I was walking."

They tried to distract themself from the embarrassment of the situation, averting their gaze onto anyone else who would walk around the two standing in the middle of the pathway. They could feel the stranger's gaze burning into their core as their tail tucked between their legs.

"No offense taken 'ere." His expression was calm, seemingly care free of those around them, "You got a name? You've been nothin' but nervous since I saw you walkin' down this way."

They shrunk into themself more as he asked their name, their voice small and shaky from crying, "Percy... Percy Parker." They sniffled quietly, quickly wiping more tears that tried to escape their eyes.

"I'm 'obie." He replied, using the spiked watch on his wrist to open up a familiar orange portal behind him. "Go through this portal and we'll have a more private place to talk."

Percy's nose scrunched into a growl yet again, backing away from him cautiously, "How do I know you're not going to trap me somewhere? How do I know I can trust you when we just met!"

Before they could back away any further Hobie grabbed their hand and pulled them through the portal, quickly transporting them back to his own home in one swift movement. It took a couple blinks for them to process that they were now in a new location, "W... What? Where are we?!"

"Oi, calm down, you're safe… We're in my flat, that's all." The taller man spoke with a soothing tone to his voice, "I noticed you were cryin' and jus’ wanted to talk. Everyone heard you comin’ out of the big guy's office." He explained.

"The big guy?" Their gaze pinned onto him like a frightened animal.

Hobie rolled his eyes and turned to rummage through his bedside drawer covered with an assortment of jewelry and metal pieces, "Miguel. This isn't the first time he's... disagreed with someone, let's say that."

Percy stayed vigilant, closely tracking his movements around the room. They decided to take the time to take in their surroundings after not paying attention before, grounding themselves would help them release tension. It was more quiet here, so now they can actually focus their senses. The walls were painted a navy blue, most of it being plastered with punk band posters or political artwork Hobie did himself. The closet door he left open revealed more diy clothing he wore casually, sparkling with countless spikes and studs on denim items whether it be more jackets or crust pants decorated with more patches. Their breath began to slowly mellow out, so they kept going. As for his bed, the pillows were also a navy blue color like his walls, and the comforter was messily thrown on it. It matched his pants with the same plaid pattern, a white underbelly showing from the folded corner. They couldn't exactly see the sheets clearly enough but they looked like a rose grey underneath. Almost everything he owned was handmade to some degree, the only thing being bought was the base furniture. Even his own lampshade was a bunch of upcycled materials and fabrics he threw together.

As their body began to relax Percy finally got a better glance at the punk's actual face. Neither of them had been wearing their masks but they couldn't clearly see his facial features through their blurry vision earlier. His resting expression was sharp, his cheek bones looking like strikes reaching towards his lips. Additionally they were plump, and anytime he spoke they nearly touched the bottom of his wide nose. His eyes were a deep brown to match his skin, and his eyebrows framed them with thin stripes. Both of them were dressed beautifully with piercings on either side. He had multiple piercings which all followed the curves of his lips and nose, his face being topped off with varying sizes of wicks he happily styled himself. It made Percy almost enamored with just looking at him, so much so they didn't notice how long they were staring until they were spooked out of their thought's by Hobie's voice.

"Enjoying the view?" He chuckled at them.

A faint blush painted their cheeks as their tail gave a tiny wag at his comment, "Ah- sorry, I don't mean to stare. I just didn't clearly see what you looked like before."

He nodded with a smile, walking over to sit on the side of his unorganized bed, "I'm sure you couldn't see a thing while cryin' like that. Speakin’ of... would it be too personal to ask what happened back there? With you 'n Miguel, I mean."

He motioned with his head for them to come sit down with him, Percy quickly catching on and making themselves as comfortable as they possibly can in their purple puffer coat. They really couldn't criticize Hobie's suit too much either when their own was just about as layered.

Once they got comfortable they shook their head in response and curled their tail beside them, "No, I wouldn't mind..."

Now that they were more calm they could properly tell the story of how they ended up at Spider Headquarters in the first place. It all began because they had rescued their father from a lab fire, which resulted in Miguel bringing them to his universe because they apparently deviated from what he called a canon event. They were supposed to let their father die, but because they refused to they ripped another hole in the multiverse. They didn't know any of this and didn't know they were even supposed to let that happen. Cut to his office and now they're going back and forth about why Percy can't join the rest of the spider people in the multiverse crew. They thought if they could work with others like them then maybe they could try to solve the problem. Unfortunately this only resulted in them being rejected, and boiled down to nothing but a "mindless animal" as Miguel put it. Peter ended up having to split the two up and see Percy out, or rather let them storm out.

"Jesus." Hobie looked at them, bewildered, "He really called you that?"

They nodded nervously as another quiet sniffle escaped them, "That kind of thing tends to be a sensitive spot for me. Back home I get othered a lot because I'm a mutant. I understand why they treat me that way, it's out of fear, but-"

"Doesn't mean you deserve that type of treatment." He cut in, shrugging while his expression stayed nonchalant. He fidgeted with something in his gloved hands as he continued, "And that applies to anyone. You're still a person, whether human or not. I personally don't think any bein’ should be seen as lesser for any reason."

Percy searched his face as tears welled up in their eyes again, wiping them away with the sleeves of their coat, "S-Sorry- I've never had anyone say that b-before... It means a lot to know o-others don't see me as some freak..."

"'ey, no need to apologize to me. Just speakin' truths. Miguel as a grown man especially shouldn't be sayin’ that," Hobie looked down at the watch he's been using as a fidget toy for the entire conversation in silence for a few moments, a smirk slowly creeping up on his cheeks the more he looked at it.

"W-What is it?" Percy asked, their teary eyed expression becoming puzzled. They didn't take notice to the watch in his hands until they caught the punk looking down at it, the spikes shimmering in their wet vision. It was hand made. They began to put the pieces together, catching on now, "Wait- are you thinking about making me a watch?"

"I've made them tons before, why not make one for you?" He gestured to them.

"Really? We barely even know each other!" They giggled through their sniffles, "Are you sure you even want to do that for me?"

Hobie scoffed and tossed his own watch for Percy to catch, getting up from his bed to show the parts he dug out from rummaging around in his drawer before, "Already 'ad it prepared. So, yes, I am more than sure I want to do that for you. Seems unfair to kick you out of Spider HQ when the big guy will let in other rookies and new spider-people," He put the pieces down onto a desk covered in more tools parallel to the bedside table in his room, "I take parts from his office to make these things, pretty simple once you get the 'ang of it, really."

You could see the room brighten as a smile split open on Percy's face, happily rushing over to his side to watch him make their watch. Their tail couldn't help but to wag excitedly behind them, making Hobie laugh at their puppy-like joy. They watched for the full hour that it took to not only make the watch, seeing every little screw, knot, and bolt put together, but to also customize it to match their orange and red striped spider-suit they wear on the job. The band was painted the same coral orange with a dark red stripe down the middle, and the screen was held in a black case to match their mask. The rooms smell was now suffocated with paint chemicals, but it was totally worth it by the time their watch was finished.

"Now that its done..." Hobie put his hand out for his own watch, Percy happily handing it to him with a small wag, "I can add my own contact into it. If you'd like that, of course."

Their eyes grew wide and they nodded quickly, "Yes please. Is it like cross dimensional texting?" they looked at him curiously.

He nodded and began to carefully type in his own contact information into Percy's new watch, "Exactly. Basically while you're at 'ome, you can still chat with me! That way Miguel doesn't 'ave to get suspicious of either of us sneakin' around. He tries to keep a close eye on who travels where. Kind of like a tracking thing, an' you can get in big trouble for not doing somethin' he says you aren't supposed to," He waved his hands in a side to side motion, lowering them to put one of them out for Percy's wrist, "Anyway, lets see if it fits."

They excitedly tapped their feet as they carefully allowed him to grab their wrist and place the watch over it, tightening the strap to fit over their coat sleeve with ease. Their canine nose twitched at the new paint smell, but they gave their wrist a flex and turn around to carefully observe the new device on their arm.

"I'll have to get used to this, but... thank you," Percy smiled and wagged at him, "It really means a lot."

Hobie smiled back in return, his lip ring shining with his teeth back at the happy puppy standing next to him, "'ey, don't mention it. I like to 'elp when I can. 'Sides, you seem like you'd be lovely to talk more to. Send me a message when you get 'ome, yeah?"

Percy nodded in return and carefully navigated the new device to open another orange portal like before, this one now leading back to their own dimension with their Aunt May. They took a couple steps into it before turning around and waving at Hobie as they walked into the mouth of the portal backwards, the orange glow swallowing them before closing and leaving the punk's room completely silent. While he had a few calm minutes to himself he took the time to flop back onto his messy bed with a breathy grunt. A content sigh escaped him as he melted into the bed, only for his attention to be grabbed by a message he got on his watch. It was Percy.

"I'm back home :)" It read.

"Glad you got back safely"

[rhaenizziettie]

Legacies 1x03 Rewatch

Haven't even made it past the Previously On ... and I'm already rolling my eyes at Alaric's speech to Hope. Like how did the writers think yes, let's sprinkle this all in so heavy handed but next season, when it's his blood daughter doing all that and more, let's have him sit silently and coddle her and force her murder victims to be nice. The character assassination -

I can't be the only one who does not give a fuck about the flashbacks over the season. Like not a single one is memorable except the Ben/Jen ones. I forget they exist and I really don't care.

My chain spell potential. Wasted.

No but why is Lizzie actually so nice to Penelope in the beginning?? Like last episode, she's willing to go along with Penelope's ideas and this episode, of all the people in the room, she's the one to say why Penelope's absent? I know Josie said she used to have a crush on Penelope but GIRL GET UP.

"If it pleases the court." Is this and 4x12 foreshadowing Lawyer!Lizzie? Because if so, I'm down for it.

"If anyone should take the blame, it's Josie." "WhAt?" I mean, look. Did Lizzie need to point it out? No. Bitch move. But it literally is because of Josie. How is she gonna stand there and pretend like it wasn't.

"I promise I'm not gonna betray you by being friends with Hope (who I made you believe hated you and did some fucked up things to you)." The very next morning:

"You only play by the grown-up rules when you don't need something from me." Get him again Hope!

"Baby, I'm a loser, yeah, yeah, yeah." as Lizzie stares at Hope's ass. I can read between the lines.

"Litter, weeds, graffiti." And then they immediately forget about weeds. Like they split into two groups and not a soul went to weed??

"I love trash. As of this moment." "Your sister's kind of a dumpster fire." HOPE. I SEE YOU. I SEE RIGHT THROUGH YOU.

"Daddy's girls." Said the pot to the kettle.

"You run, I run. Period." BRING RAFAEL BACK TO ME ALREADY. THE JOKE ISN'T FUNNY ANYMORE.

"She hates me, doesn't she?" "I don't want him to hate me." Tethered.

As much as I hated it, I miss Kaleb's stance on supernatural-human relations. I hate that it just went away. It made him into a villain-like character, but damn it, it was interesting. Why did Legacies let all their interesting plots go in favor of "immortal man dies again" "the girl who grieved grieves again" "girl who ran runs again"??? I would have rather seen Kaleb start a small sect of students who believed in his idea that supernaturals were better than humans than listen to Josie whine about how she wants to leave again because people don't like that she murdered them for a season and a half.

No because fuck MG and Connor for that one. I will never understand the absurd Lizzie hate in S1. It reads like a bad fanfic where they layer on the abuse to set the tone but it also is wildly unrealistic and not based on anything.

PEDRO! (Side note: Had a dream last night where J*lie appeared to tell me there was a spin off about Pedro coming and I just told her everything she did wrong)

Enough time has passed. Emma and Alaric should've ended up together.

Call him a bitch, Lizzie. You know you want to.

"Hope and Josie are all sisters in solidarity." Baby, just say your crush is picking trash with someone else.

"But as I was walking home, I did the work and I dug deep." I want to give you a hug.

"She has a point." This is gonna be a real controversial opinion here but I think Emma was more of a mother figure to Lizzie than Caroline was.

"People disappoint." "When I let my guard down, people disappoint." How did I not see what they were setting up from the beginning.

Lizzie sacrificing herself for all of Mystic Falls who had done nothing but treat her like shit really get glossed over

"We've known each other over a decade and anytime you get the chance, you poke." Maybe because you've been spreading rumors about her and bullying her since you were eleven?? She heard that shit??? God, I can't stand Josie's fake innocent act.

"I can heal it." BUT YOU CAN'T HEAL THAT BEAUTY OF A SHOE HOPE.

"Sir, we've already taken your money twice." Landon's so soft.

"I just think that that's making me a little bit nauseous." It's called jealousy.

"MG has the impulse control of a pre-schooler." That's such a nasty thing to say about your "best friend" who has diagnosed ADHD?? Open a fucking book.

"He also always goes for the wrong girls." Yeah, you're gonna tell me that wasn't a shot at Lizzie? The one girl MG goes for repeatedly??

"Lizzie has dibs" and mind you Lizzie just arbitrarily decided to try and crush on him

"She always has dibs." So is it canon that Lizzie called dibs on Penelope then?

"Lizzie's sensitive." IF I SPEAK -

"That's why she's extra testy lately." No I'm pretty sure that's because in the last 48 hours, she's been assaulted several times, you've been lying to and gaslighting her, and her father's been a giant hypocrite. But sure. She's not there to defend herself, so keep going.

Jeremy really just showed up once and never again, huh?

Josie feels it when Lizzie is attacked by monsters but not when she uses black magic?

Dana and Penelope would have been best friends and she should've been in the Dana x Josie AU.

"I had to ask the honorable -" Blah blah blah. I'm really finding it hard to fall for the nice guy act this time around knowing what he does at the end.

Standing there silently while Kaleb talks all sort of misogynistic shit on Lizzie. Ooh if I could reach through a screen -

"She didn't. I did." ... okay?

No because Rafael losing Cassie and Hope losing Landon at the same time would have hit hard. And what if I just rewrite Legacies myself? Like damn.

I love that they just leave Lizzie on the floor. Like not a soul even holding her hand as she whimpers in pain. Wow.

Alaric jumps in front of Hope like she wouldn't just wake up a Tribrid if the gargoyle had got her. You're telling me this man was ready to die if his research was wrong just so she could stay human?? I'm not buying it.

"Me being the evil one in this scenario?" and I know she was flashing back to eleven years old hearing Josie make all the witches laugh at her for being a villain

"These secrets are gonna tear us apart." If only she knew.

"In their minds, we're the villains because we won't give them what they want. We don't even know why they want it." Oh the Dark!Josie foreshadowing.

Me, trying to listen while also trying to jam out to Raign.

"I had the kitchen make these. Your favorite. Brownies." "Someone else's baked goods?" Oh Hope was throwing shots and I didn't even know yet.

Also Lizzie's favorite isn't brownies. It's key lime pie. She says so later in the season. Get it to-fucking-gether, MG.

No because Dana running into the Salvatore School to deface it, finding out about the supernatural, and turning THAT into a plot would have hit so good.

[shikonstar]

Here’s a snippet from The Fixer. I posted a bit from this story here, and this scene comes soon (but not directly) after that one.

Professional relationship guru and relationship fixer Kagome Higurashi is at the peak of her game, but everything threatens to come crashing down when she runs into an old flame. What’s worse than setting up the love of your life with someone else?

Having to do it twice.

@heynikkiyousofine @elkonigin @mustardyellowsunshine @lavendertwilight89 @hahaalaine @ruddcatha @liz8080 @kawaiichan67

Inuyasha paused in the entryway, surprised by the interior. From the outside, the building appeared to be a large warehouse, but inside it was more like an upscale department store. There were clothes and accessories everywhere, and his nose scrunched at the mixed scents of makeup and hair products that hung in the air. Kagome didn’t bat an eye and instead strolled in like this was a second home.

“Jakotsu! I need you to work your magic!” She called out, craning her neck to see if she had missed him behind any of the displays.

“Kagome! My light, my treasure—please tell me you’ve come to relieve my boredom!”

Inuyasha hung back, watching as Kagome trotted forward to meet a man scurrying from the back room. He was slim but well-muscled, his crimped hair tossed up in a calculatedly messy bun. He wore a loose lavender linen jacket with the sleeves rolled up to display his forearms. On the right was a delicate tattoo of a cherry blossom branch, although Inuyasha’s keen eyesight picked up the droplets of blood sprinkled throughout the flowers. 

Kagome exchanged air kisses with Jakotsu, allowing his excitable energy to dispel some of her low mood. “We’ve got a job—this one will be a difficult sell, so I’ll need you to pull out all the stops.”

“Oh, honey, you know I love a challenge!” Jakotsu laughed before catching sight of Inuyasha over Kagome’s shoulder. “Oooooh, it looks like this is going to be a delicious assignment,” he crooned, his smokey eyes dragging up and down the hanyou’s form. 

Inuyasha shot Kagome a helpless glance as Jakotsu glided up to him and took his hand. “Hello, gorgeous. The pleasure is all mine, but I might be willing to send some your way with the proper motivation.”

“What, I—waitaminute—” Inuyasha spluttered, flushing a deep red. He had never been comfortable with people coming onto him.

“Down, boy,” Kagome teased, snapping her fingers at Jakotsu to get his attention. “This is a client, so let’s pretend to be professional.”

Jakotsu cast a critical eye over Inuyasha, looking for the catch. Finding none, he turned his attention back to Kagome. “He’s having trouble getting attention? Is the woman dead?” 

Kagome had spotted several outfits on a nearby rack that seemed to call to her, but she steeled herself to ignore them. They were nothing like the wardrobe she would have to wear for the foreseeable future, so she might as well not even bother. With a small pout, she tried to focus on what Jakotsu was saying.

“It’s....complicated,” she said evasively, not really wanting to explain the whole situation with Inuyasha standing there--his ears were pricked forward in a way she knew meant he wouldn't miss any detail. “Just start pulling together a type 3, with occasional warm accents.”

Distaste curdled Jakotsu’s face. “Ugh. Not my favorite way to style you, but I suppose you know what you’re doing. Do you have time to start on your hair? It’s grown out a bit since last time,” he asked her, getting down to business. 

“Yeah, just something basic for today--I don't plan on going back out. And can you pull an outfit? I’d like to wear one home to start getting the feel for it. The last job was more casual.”

Jakotsu was already rifling through the racks and gave her a wave that was both acknowledgment and dismissal. 

“Let me get you to fill out some paperwork while you wait,” Kagome said to Inuyasha, who had been staring at them both like they were speaking in an unfamiliar language. 

“What kind of paperwork?” He asked as he followed her to a desk in a tucked-away nook. “Wasn't the payment all you needed?”

Reaching into the middle drawer, Kagome pulled out a small stack of papers that had been stapled together. “This will help me do my job more effectively. Just fill out the questions referring to Kikyo--I still remember all of your information,” she told him, keeping her voice cheerful as she shoved the papers and a pen in his direction. “How’s it going over there, Jakotsu?” Kagome called, ignoring how her heart clenched at Inuyasha’s puppylike expression.

Keep it together. This is just a job.

“I think I--hold on, let me check this,” Jakotsu said from behind one of the counters, pulling his phone out of his slacks. 

“Uh, Kagome? I don't think I’m gonna be able to answer about half of these,” Inuyasha muttered, skimming through the pages.

She gave a short huff of exasperation. “How long did you two date? Good grief, Inuyasha! Just answer as best as you can--if I have to do some online stalking later, I will.”

Jakotsu, who had been smiling down at his phone, suddenly began to frown--an expression that became darker at the same pace as his eyes following the words that rapidly appeared on the screen. By the time he was done, he was practically radiating a negative aura.

He looked up, a sharp smile cutting across his face. “That was Sango. She had a veeeeerry interesting story to tell. Care to guess what it was about?”

Kagome’s spine stiffened, but she didn't dare glance at Inuyasha, who had come to stand close behind her at Jakotsu’s tone.

“It’s not a big deal. You know how she can exaggerate.”

“Oh, no, Boss Lady. This is a very, very big deal,” Jakotsu said, the softness of his voice in no way matching his eyes. “And we’re going to have a long, long talk about this later. I’m not going to sit back and watch you end up like--”

“It’s not going to be like that!” Kagome cut in, jerking her eyes to the side to let Jakotsu know that now was not the time. “I promise. Look, we can discuss this at our Tuesday brunch, okay?”

For several long, tense moments, the room was silent. Inuyasha had no idea what was going on or how a guy in a lavender suit and teal eyeliner could scream yakuza, but he was poised to fling himself into the situation if things went sideways. Why the hell did Kagome have a guy like this working for her?

After having worked with her for so long, Jakotsu knew exactly how stubborn Kagome could be. He agreed with Sango; this was a bad fucking idea. Like, tequila on an empty stomach after a devastating breakup level of bad. Unfortunately, he didn't think Kagome was going to be able to puke this out of her system. He couldn't stop her from doing this, but he would be watching. Watching very closely. 

He had been such a good boy....it would be a shame if he were forced to revert back to his old, wicked ways. 

“Fine. We can bitch about it over mimosas,” he said with a half smile. “Now, come on, I need to see if I’m going to have to make any alterations to this dress.”

Although she knew she wasn't off the hook completely, she was relieved that Jakotsu was at least going to keep his mouth shut while Inuyasha was around. Which was good because a quick look told her that he was starting to think of Jakotsu as a threat to her and was getting into what she referred to as his Classic Alpha Protective pose. 

Which she considered utterly unfair and damned misleading, but at least this time, she knew better than to read anything into it. 

“Go ahead and finish that up--there’s a couch where you can wait,” she said, grabbing her purse and heading back to the changing room.

Jakotsu paused at the concerned expression that flitted over the hanyou’s face, and he didn't miss the way his hand had reached for Kagome’s shoulder as she turned away, only to let it fall to his side. Hm. If he hadn't gotten that text, he would think.....he made a few mental calculations and came to a very interesting conclusion, one that he would keep to himself for the time being. He turned to follow Kagome.

Mama was right. The hot and stupid ones are too much damn trouble.

[aneenasevla]

Red Velvet - Chapter 5

MasterList / Akane’s profile / Last chapter here

Chapter 5 - The Talk (part 1)

"Order for table six!," Tomoyo calls while standing at the counter, bringing the sheet with the orders written down. "It's a big one..."

"You can leave it there, Tomoyo, Kanny will take care of this one. I'm finishing up Akane's cookie box," Tomori says from the order window. She makes a face when she sees the entire length of the sheet. "Wow... apparently, he seeks solace in food when they don't serve alcohol at the establishment where he is, huh," She comments while giving the sheet to Kanami.

"Huh... this is some 'Ohma level' stuff...," she looks around. "I thought he was training with Raian today... oh, he's not here," she pouts a litle. "Okay then…"

"You can't go a day without seeing him, can you, Kana?," Hiro smiles maliciously.

"It's not that!," she blushes as she gets the order ready. "It's just that it's rare to have bottomless pits of that caliber around here, even among fighters!"

Hiro laughs, shaking his head. Provoking Kanami... in fact, provoking everyone, was that spawn of Satan's favorite pastime. Tomori took care to make some cookies with little devil faces just to mess with her friend too.

"Okay, Tomoyo, order's ready!," Kanami then sees where the waitress was taking the tray. "Oh, it's for the idiots... two of them, in this case."

"There…," Okubo smiles when Tomoyo delivers the order to their table. "Thanks, miss Tomoyo."

"You're welcome," she smiles at them; now that she had learned that they were nice people, she had become a little more friendly. "Bon appétit," and she rolls off on her skates.

"There you go, man."

"Thanks, dude, miss Tomoyo...," Rihito grumbles, more out of consideration for his friend and the girl than anything else. His entire focus was on the food, which was organized into a small mountain; the kind of snack Ohma usually had as a warm-up for training. He grabs a sandwich and starts to devour it, his face serious.

He had said very little up to that point. Okubo had only seen him silent like that after he was eliminated in the first phase of the Annihilation Tournament. And Rihito being silent, without teasing others or saying perverted nonsense, was something extremely disconcerting.

"Well, I'm glad you've cooled down a little after two days. I think now I can let you go without worrying," Okubo declares, leaning back in his chair, feeling less tense. "I can even give you a ride if you want. I wanna help you in whatever way I can..."

"Don't sweat, man," He grumbles with his mouth full, looking at the sandwich as if it had offended him personally. "You're going to have a press conference for your next public match, aren't you? You have to concentrate. I can handle this."

"It's in three days, I can drop you off there and go back home to pack for the trip, no problem," he smiles a little, but the smile kind of dies in the process. "Unless you really, really want to go on your own." 

"You won't see your girl for a few days because of the trip. Go be with her while you still can," He finishes with the sandwich, already going to grab a donut. "And yeah, I wanna walk. I need to organize my thoughts... and to prepare myself," He bites, chews and swallows the mouthful, growling afterwards... and Okubo had to admit, it was quite funny to see him making that expression with his mouth all sprinkled with powdered sugar "I can't make an ass outta myself in front of that chick. I have to say everything I want in one go, no stuttering, no chickening out." 

"Well, alright. The food is on me then," Okubo was really making a point. "You can just go, no need to worry about the tab, okay?"

"Thanks. I owe you one," He nods, also finishing the donut, helping it all go down with a sip of water. "I have to sort this out today, man. I can't even function properly, Ivan and Komada are there at the fridges working their asses off and I'm more of a hindrance than a help to them..."

"Eh, at least it's a weekend now, they probably can see that you're not acting normal. Good luck," Okubo gets up. "Since you gave me the green light, I'll go to the counter, okay?," He pats his friend on the shoulder as he leaves.

"Sure. I'm going to stay here, having a 'Tokita moment'," He nods, without looking away from his tray. He was wondering if Ohma's monstrous appetite could have something to do with anxiety, because that was definitely the case for him.

After two days, he had finally managed to cool down and think about Wednesday's events without wanting to explode with anger and humiliation. He had even picked up his phone to reread the exchange of texts between him and that hateful woman, when he had finally worked up enough courage. He wanted to read those texts more calmly, find something there that would help him understand what the hell had happened and what he had done wrong.

He didn't remember being rude to her, or inconvenient (too much, at least), and much less being an inconsiderate fuck. He had tried so damn hard! But apparently all that effort hadn't done much good, if she considered his performance “average at best”.

Those words still made him burn from inside out. Average. Mediocre. Better than nothing. He had heard those things so many times over the years, and it never got easier to handle the blow, every time. He had always been a prideful guy; his ego was his biggest weakness. And that cruel woman knew exactly where to hit him.

He goes back to eating, even angrier. Okubo even heard him grunt softly between bites. 

"Wow," he confides to Tomori, at the counter. "All that’s left is for him to put on a thick black wig and he'll look just like Kelpthullu…"

Kanami wasn't far away, arranging things on the counter, but she had the ears of a bat. "Not at all!," She widens her eyes, blushing.

"Sorry, Miss Kanami," he laughs anyway.

Tomori laughs a little, looking at where Rihito was sitting, over her boyfriend's shoulder. "At least he's eating instead of getting shitfaced. He has a tendency to make bad mistakes when drunk, I know that," She turns to Okubo. "But seriously, Naoh, I'm sure Akane wasn't that cruel to him. She's just very blunt."

"So you know what happened…?," He asks, still quietly. "No, I won't tell him anything, I was already promised that he would come outta this in one piece..."

"She sent me some texts on Wednesday," She confides, lowering her voice. "She believes in constructive criticism, y'know? In her point of view, she was helping him improve with feedback. But apparently he didn't see it that way..."

"Which is weird... normally he's open to this sort of thing," he blinks a little. "I think this was, like... a broken pedestal or something, y'know? He was thinking he was hot shit, and then she knocked him down a peg like that... at least I know he'll think more clearly when he goes after her."

Tomori nods, a little undecided. Maybe she should explain to Okubo what had actually happened and what Akane's real intentions were? She didn't like hiding things from him; it was never a good thing to do, especially with them being in the first few months of their relationship. Communication was the basis of everything, right? 

She asks, quietly, "Well, he intends to go after her, doesn't he? After everything is sorted out, I want to explain everything more calmly. I just want to wait and see what happens."

"I hope so... I feel like if I get involved, in any way, it'll just mess everything up, and I want him well, you know...," He then looks at the box that she was wrapping up. "Hey... are these for me?," he smiles a lot, his voice even increasing in volume with happiness. He loved the cookies she baked. 

"Ahaha, not this time," She laughs, pushing the box away from him, and quickly adding when she saw his sulky expression, "Yours are saved, I swear. These ones are for Akane. She placed the order a few days ago-"

"Oh, so they’re for Miss Agata?"

Okubo had only realized that Rihito had appeared at his side when he had spoken right in his ear. He jumps up from his chair.

"AAAAAAAIE! For fuck's sake, Rihito! Did you stole Ohma's teleportation technique alongside his appetite?!"

Kanami holds back a laugh; from the expression Rihito was making, he now looked like a cosplay of her boyfriend.

"Dude, calm down. Sheesh, don't burst a vein or something," He grumbles as he approaches the counter, staring at the cashier with a strange expression. He looks up at Tomori. "So? Are these for her?"

"Uh- yes they are. Again, she placed the order a few days ago," She nods, a little confused by his interest. "We've already planned for her to stop by my house to pick up the box and- HEY!," She shrieks, astonished, when he picks up the box without the slightest ceremony. "What are you doing, Rihito? This is an order for a client!"

"Yeah, I know. And I have some things to sort out with this client. Ah-ah-ah, not so fast," He lifts the box in the air when Tomori tries to take it back, out of her reach. "Your loss, shorty."

"Hey, you’re going there to confront that chick or to give her a peace offering in form of some cookies? That's a hell of a confusing sign," Okubo shakes his head. "Get a grip, man…"

"Huh?," Tomori stops huffing as she tries to reach for the box. She blinks, surprised. "Wait, do you want to go deliver the box to Akane?"

"Bingo," He nods, very seriously, placing the box under his arm. "I was already going there anyway. This way I'll kill two birds with one stone. And there's no sign," He turns to Okubo. "The boz is just an excuse. That way she won't think I showed up there just to have a chat."

Tomori sighs, scratching her scalp. Why did men had to be so goddamn prideful?

"Ugh... alright then, do as you wish. But don't you dare opening the box and stealing a cookie, do you hear me?!"

"... I wasn't going to do that, but now that you mentioned it…" Rihito starts to untie the neat bow that wrapped the box. And both he and Okubo jump in fright when the girl lets out a high-pitched sound of anger, making a move to jump over the counter "Holy shit, I was joking! Okubo, hold your pet ocelot back before she kills me!"

"Me?! I'm on her side, damn it,"! Okubo holds her back anyway "Tomoh, there's a little door on the counter, go through it so you don't get hurt..."

"You’re not supposed to mess with my orders, dammit! Ugh... you can let me go now, Naoh...," She grunts, straightening up. "You can take it, but you won't get a commission for the delivery or anything like that, if that's what you're thinking."

"Can I at least have some of your sissy cookies, then?"

"... Yes, but only because I feel sorry for you."

Rihito stiffens his shoulders, growling as he blushes, and Tomori feels vindicated enough.

Okubo tries his best not to take sides, but he really wanted to laugh. He focuses on his coffee, turning away when he blushes from holding it so much. "Go- Good luck," he babbles, before the other man leaves.

When Rihito actually disappeared from the bakery and from the view out of the window, Okubo looked at Tomori, laughing a little as he swayed his body in silence.

"You’re one mean woman, y'know?," he says. "You, Hiro and Miss Agata, all cut from the same cloth."

"Then you know what I put up with every day with two of then, egghead," Kanami laughs too. "Good luck on your trip."

Tomori smiles sharply.

"There's a reason that Akane and I get along so well, y'know. And yes, I'll get your cookies for you to take on your trip! And...," She sighs when she sees the amount of food that Rihito had left on the table. "I presume you'll want all that as a take-out, right?"

"Yeah, it’s on me anyway. At least I’ll have something to snack on later."

Kanami clicks her tongue as she looks at the table with contempt. "He couldn't even commit to the character… such a shitty cosplay."

…

With the help of GMaps, it wasn't difficult for Rihito to find the address he was looking for. What surprised him, however, was finding himself inside the last place he would have imagined to be the address of a beauty salon.

Wasn't that place in one of the city's outskirts? A place away from the glamorous center of Tokyo, far from the busy streets, the flashy establishments with neon signs, the passersby walking up and down in their designer clothes. A commercial area with a more poorly maintained appearance, with small stores with unattractive facades, some of them probably hiding shady businesses behind their seemingly innocent doors.

So that was where she worked? Or had GMaps let him down and taken him in the opposite direction?

No, the name was right: “Lady Priestley’s”, it was written on the sign, with a crappy low-resolution photo of a Meryl Streep character but photoshopped with colored hair, crude makeup and red lipstick. 

Holy fuck, and his friends said he was the one with bad taste. 

The entrance was full of signs that he summarily ignored; most of them were definitely saying something funny like “B.B.B.: Beware The Bad Bitch” or something like that.

He shakes his head, adjusting the box under his arm as he straightens his shoulders, preparing himself for what's to come. Okay, now there was no turning back... he had come all that way to that freak show, and if he chickened out now, he would only be confirming Akane's words. That he was a mediocre lay. He exhales forcefully through his nostrils, determined... and then takes his phone out of his pocket, taking a photo of that ridiculous sign and sending it to his friends' group chat, laughing loudly.

Mr_Iron_Fingers:

lmao get a load of this shit

if I open photoshop and slap my dick on the keyboard I'll make something better than this crap 

The others respond almost immediately:

Gigolo_Master:

LMAOOOOOOO HOLY FUCK I’M LOSING MY SHIT IN THE MIDDLE OF MY SHIFT 

GiantKiller:

Oh my goodness 😳😳😳🤣🤣🤣

EggHead:

HOLY SHIT I SCARED THE WHOLE FUCKING BAKERY HERE LMAOOOO

Dickhead_Tokita:

who the ugly hag?? 🤨

Rihito hugs his belly, almost out of breath from laughing so much... and then  he takes a deep breath and straightens up. Okay, he'd already had his thirty seconds of fun. It was time for serious business. He goes to the glass door of ths stablishment and opens it slowly, immediately being hit in the face by the combined aromas of old women's cigarettes, formaldehyde and cheap shampoo. Holy shit...

"Excuse me..." 

"AAAAAIEEEEEE," he is greeted with at least five women shouting in chorus. "A MAN! GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE!"

"NOT AGAIN! GO AWAY," an old magazine goes flying and almost hits him in the head, and then a bottle of dry shampoo follows it right after. He narrowly avoided it.

 "DIDN’T YOU READ THE SIGN!? DO YOU WANT TO LOSE YOUR BALLS, YOU BASTARD?!," another woman shouts while holding a baseball bat. The shit was serious.

Rihito almost takes the heron pose in his fright, preparing himself for the imminent fight.

"Oh shit! Calm down, ladies!," He shakes a hand quickly, astonished to see himself surrounded by a battalion of little ladies who must already be in their sixties, with their flowery dresses, faces covered in makeup and short hairs that looked like helmets, hard from excess hairspray. The one holding the baseball bat left him especially alarmed. "I came in peace! I just want to know if Agata Akane works here-" 

"GET THE HELL OUT!," the women scream in unison, the one with the baseball bat charging at him with a fury that he only saw in movies. He had no choice but to flee.

"Holy fuck! Alright, I'm leaving, calm down!," He screams, leaving the establishment immediately, hugging the box of cookies to his chest as if it were a bulletproof vest. Holy shit, what the fuck had just happened?! "Just answer me, does she work here or not? I came to deliver something to her, that's all!," He shouts over his shoulder.

The one with the baseball bat follows him to the door, still screaming "What do you want with her, shit-for-brains? Do you want to pick a fight?!," She snarls while looking at him threateningly, the baseball bat on her shoulder and a cigarette in her mouth. Other than that, Rihito noted, she looked exactly like the woman on the sign. 

... Oh. That must be the owner of the salon. He would have taken his phone out of his pocket and taken another photo to send to the group chat, if he hadn't been so perplexed by what was happening.

"No, lady, I don't want to pick a fight with anyone! I came to deliver a package," He shows the cookie box, taking a few steps back to put a safe distance between him and that battalion of crazy hags. "She ordered a cookie box from the Heavy Bakery."

The woman seemed to lose steam, changing her mood like a TV channel

"Oh my dear, so you're a delivery boy," she laughs softly, then changes back to a serious tone "But you can't come in, you know?! Didn't you read the sign?," she points to the sign, the biggest one, of which said “abandon the golden jewels all ye who enter here”; the kanji for “golden jewels” clearly indicated “testicles”. "No men can come in, it's the rules! There's a place to leave delivery packages, if you haven’t seen it either," she indicates what looked like a mix of a mailbox and a morgue lid, with a “delivery” sign above it. "Now since you're here… give it to me and I’ll give it to her, darling. Gimme a name so we can inform her..."

"Uh... okay then," Rihito blinks, a little confused as he goes to hand over the box. So that means that women also had their “sacred temples” where men were not allowed? Boy, live and learn indeed… "Here. I'm Rihito... and could you tell her that I'd like to talk to her, when she leaves for lunch break or something? She knows me."

"Rihito? What kind of name is that?," she says after picking up the box. "Is this a nom de guerre or something? Are you one of those thugs?! And I thought that Akane had found a decent guy this time... just get outta here before I call my trusted bitches to kick your ass! Piss off!"

If Akane was like a panther, that old hag was like a mama bear, protecting her cubs.

"Calm down, jeez! I'm an honest man, lady! And it's not a thug's name, it's a- argh, forget it!," He snorts, making an impatient gesture with his hands. "Tell her that it's Ichiro who wants to talk to her. Nakata Ichiro. Better now?," He growls, his face heating up a little.

"Rihito?," he hears a voice behind him, sounding somewhat surprised. The salon owner raises an eyebrow.

"Oh, so you do know the delivery boy," she taps the cigarette butt. "Girl, what did I tell you?"

Rihito looked over his shoulder, and there she was, the said-whose. Her blue eyes were looking directly at the older woman, and her multicolored hair was more visible as it was tied in a ponytail at the back of her neck.

"C'mon, Mrs. Jin," she grunts, shrugging her shoulders. The tattoo was nowhere to be seen, hidden under a turtleneck sweater she was using due to the cold.

"Code Gold, sweetheart," Mrs. Jin waves the baseball bat to show her presence, and Akane gasps, looking at Rihito.

"Didn’t you read the sign?!," she was astonished that he hadn't seen the supposed white elephant in the middle of the room.

Rihito takes a moment to respond, completely caught off guard by her sudden appearance. He had been expecting to face her haughtily, confident and ready for a serious and frank conversation. Not like that, scared shitless of half a dozen old women who could probably kill him just by headbutting him with their helmet-like hairs. He turns very red.

"It's- It's kinda hard to pay attention to the other signs with a sign like that... and hey," he tries to pose with a minimum of dignity, taking a deep breath and pointing to the box that the salon owner was now holding. "Your cookies. You ordered them with Tomori, didn't you?"

He hoped his hard gaze made his intentions clear.

"Oh yeah, the cookies," she nods. "Give them to me, Mrs. Jin, they are a gift from my friend."

The old woman gives it to her without ceremony. "Careful with those calories," she looks at Rihito "AND YOU! If you ever come in here again, you'll have to leave your balls behind, you pervert!," Then she turns and enters the establishment, throwing the cigarette butt alway.

Akane sighs, her hand on her face "Sorry about that... My boss takes her rules very seriously, and they are very intolerant. Are you okay?"

"Uh... well, as okay as someone who got chased by the Old Age Super Sentai can be... seriously, what the fuck was that?!," He asks, now calm enough to be able to be outraged by the absurdity of the whole thing. "They could have sent me out with a lot more class! Holy shit, it looked like I had stolen the bingo prize or something…"

"As I said, very intolerant," she sighs, embarrassed, her hand on her waist, the other hand holding the box, the poor thing now a little crumpled "And you entered their sacred temple, so for them you're an idiot. It would be like if one of your friends' girlfriend comes to your bachelor party or something." 

"... Oooh...," He nods, seeming to finally understand, his eyes half wide as he crosses his arms. Yes, a man with a very simple mentality, that one "I got it now. Sorry, I swear I didn't see the sign. The bigger sign kinda distracted me... pfffft!," And he makes a farting sound through his mouth, quickly looking away while he comments quietly, just for her to hear, "Seriously, what's with this 'photoshopped' version of a fifty-year-old roadside hooker? Hahahaha!"

"I have nothing to do with this," she makes a face at the sign. "It was her nephew or whoever did this, she's too much of a cheapskate to hire an actual artist who knows what they're doing. It's horrible, but she attacks you if you talk shit to her, you've seen it yourself."

"I won't even try, I'm not crazy! And as far as I'm concerned, you can leave the sign as it is, it's funny as hell, hehehe...," He continues laughing like an idiot. 

 "Yeah… so, like, that's my life, apparently," she rolls her eyes, and then looks at him. "I'm just going to leave this box along with my things inside, and then I'll come back to talk to you."

And then she enters the saloon without him having time to say anything else. He could still hear screaming inside, partly with her voice responding. He couldn't understand what was going on, but he wouldn't be crazy enough to stay close to listen.

Damn... he felt guilty now. He was still a little pissed at her, but not enough to want her boss to be up her ass. He puts his hands in the pockets of his sweatshirt, very embarrassed, while leaning his back against the wall of an alley near the beauty saloon, wondering if he will have to wait long. He takes his phone out of his pocket, sending a quick message to the group chat.

Mr_Iron_Fingers:

I'm here at the saloon's door

holy shit guys

I'll never go into a place like that ever again

I was scared for my nuts, I'm not even joking

Gigolo_Master:

huh?

what happened?

Egghead:

did they kick you out or something?

Gigolo_Master:

I guess so

judging by that area were they are

they're like 

trying to protect miss agata or something 

the women in these kinds of neighborhoods, when they're mad, are worse than the men...

be careful where you step 

normally they leave a warning sign for people outside

GiantKiller:

Was there any sign like that, Rihito?

Mr_Iron_Fingers:

yeah but I didn't see it

that stupid ass sign distracted me

anyway

they kicked me out, with baseball bats and everything

it was, like, The Hairspray Squad or some shit

and then that girl showed up and saved my manhood

and yeah, I got that, Himuro

I mean it was nice of them to worry about her

but they didn't need to threaten to make rolled omelet with my balls to get their point across ffs

Gigolo_Master:

LMAOOOOO

GiantKiller:

Oh my god 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Dickhead_Tokita:

rolled omelet?

where?

can I come?

Gigolo_Master:

nah, man, it got canceled 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Dickhead_Tokita:

man, that sucks =(

Egghead:

ask miss kanami to go with you, maybe she'll be down for it 

Dickhead_Tokita:

=)

"I'm back," he hears her voice again, and that takes his attention away from his phone "I got a little time. Again, sorry about that bad first impression. They're nice, just...," she doesn't complete the rest of the sentence, gesturing vaguely while making an extremely embarrassed face.

"Just intense. Yeah, I noticed," He nods, putting his phone in his sweatshirt pocket and turning to her, one hand on the back of his head "My bad. I hope you didn't get into too much trouble with your boss because of me..."

"Nah, she understood what's going on…," Akane hated to admit this to herself, but being the youngest in that group of women, most of the men who entered without warning were looking for her "Well… now… as for the talk…," she gestures for him to start, already expecting the speech of a wounded man. She had to bear it, it was part of the process…

It takes him about two seconds to understand what she was talking about and remember why he was there. Damn, the talk! He tenses his shoulders a little, his expression tightening. He was not only taller than her, but much broader and stockier. In another situation, his large size would have only helped boost his confidence. But now, he could only wonder if he was intimidating her. And if this happened with any frequency to her, considering the reactions of the old women in the beauty saloon. He twists his mouth in an expression of displeasure.

"Yeah. The talk," He nods, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, his hands still inside the pockets of his sweatshirt "Although you can't even call it a talk, right? It was more like point-blank shooting."

"Well… you already know me," she finds it strange that he wasn't trying to intimidate her, in fact his own face had cooled down from the anger "I’m direct, decisive, and not just when I’m all dressed up and glamorous, you know… and… you told me to be say what I thought, so I did. I gave you my opinion... okay, maybe it was too direct, but the truth is that I don't know how to do it any other way," she avoids looking at his face. After all, she had said that she didn't have the courage to look at him after all those texts. She had to remain truthful, after all.

"Yeah. I told you to say what you thought. Not to insult the shit out of me," He twists his mouth even more, looking away, and when she turns back to him, she sees a soft blush coloring his cheeks "Fuck, lady, was that really necessary? I've received less painful beatings in the fighting rings." 

She blinked a little, surprised. He… wasn't he mad? Tomori had said he was going to come looking for her pissed...

"And who said I'm one to hold back my punches?," she smiles mischievously despite her surprise. "I don’t play around while on duty, you know…," she tries to joke, but her smile slowly dies, without expecting a reaction from him. "I’m not a faker. I'm tired of trying to please someone in order to keep them, so they better know right away before they think they can mess with me… sorry if that hurt, but oh well...," she shrugs, letting the sentence die.

"Grunf... yeah, the message was received successfully," He clenches his fists inside the pockets of his sweatshirt, grinding his teeth, a small vein bulging on his temple "I just don't know at what moment I implied that you were going to need to resort to morally killing me. You do that sort of thing to inconsiderate idiots, not to a guy who worked his ass off to please you the whole fucking night!"

"I do the same treatment for everyone, and whoever passes it gets points with me," she raises an eyebrow, moving her head and shoulders with her hands on her waist. Her movement makes her breasts shake, a little less than the other night, but probably because they were held in by a bra… he found himself wondering what size it was; he just knew it was the perfect size.

If it was a tactic, it worked, because she saw the exact moment his eyes fixed on her chest, widening a little, his Adam's apple rising and falling as he swallowed hard. And then he shakes his head, trying to recover the thread, before continuing, now growling, "Oh, so I guess I should just feel less shitty about this, huh? I'm not the first and won't be the last. You're a fucking selfsteem killer..."

"Yeah, she’s an unscrupulous bitch," they hear a voice. Akane sighs in exhaustion when she recognizes whose it was "But she's my bitch..."

"Roki…," she grunts, angrily turning to him "Fuck, man, didn’t I tell you to scram a century ago? Get lost, damn it, the ship has fucking sailed."

"I already did and now I’m trying to board again. Hey man," he seems to notice Rihito, who notices that he had a mohawk and a series of ear piercings, with an outfit made almost entirely of leather, metal and jeans. "You didn't fall for that hellcat's sweet talk, did you? This one knocks motherfuckers down like a bad booze, I'm warning you straight away so you can get away while you still can..."

Akane gets as red as her name, but out of anger and embarrassment.

Rihito blinks, amazed, when he sees the man approaching and talking to him in such intimacy. He looks sideways at Akane, watching her reaction with a frown, before straightening his shoulders and saying dryly, "Dude, I have no idea who you are, but we're in the middle of a conversation. Wait your turn, will you?" 

"Oh yeah? So you're her new victim?," He smiles and looks at Akane "You don't waste time, huh, Sekihyo?"

"For fuck's sake you're deaf on top of being inconvenient? Piss off, I have nothing else to talk to you about! And what do you mean about me not wasting time? It's been months, stop bitching and get a grip, idiot. And I don't make victims, I'm not like you."

Rihito could have said he disagreed, if he hadn't still been a little taken aback by that exchange of “niceties”. So that weirdo was an ex-boyfriend of hers?

"Oh yes, you came from the hood like me," he approaches her dangerously, and she tries to move away but he holds her arm. Immediately she steps on his foot with her heel, and he lets her go. "OUCH! You fucking skank…!"

Akane tries to move away from him, her expression panicked.

She sees Roki lunge at her again, his teeth bared in fury, his hands coming like claws towards her... and then a massive wall of muscle stands between them, solid and insurmountable. She heard Roki let out a surprised yelp, she saw him stumble back, disoriented after the collision. And she watched as Rihito's hand grabbed her ex-fuck buddy by the collar of his shirt, pulling him close as if he were a rag doll.

She couldn't see his face, but she heard his voice when he spoke. And there was no sign of the smug, lovable dork she had folded like a napkin in that low, menacing growl.

"Are you really trying to attack a woman like that, in broad daylight? Have you lost your fuckin' mind, you son of a bitch?!"

"She isn’t any kind of woman, Blondie, she's a heartless whore! Be careful," Rihito could smell alcohol on him "I'm tellin' you this because she's no innocent angel... and you're the one who's losing yours. Get the fuck outta my way...," he tries to push Rihito, who was certainly bigger than him, but the guy had something to call strength, so he menaged to push him a bit to the side.

Rihito grunts a little, but quickly regains his composure, grinding his teeth. "Fuckin' nutcase...!," And he grabs the man by the neck in an armbar, turning to Akane and ordering, "Get inside, quickly! I'll hold him back."

She doesn't think twice and runs away, a little slowly because of the heels. Roki looks at her leaving and he growls, "HEY! I'm not done with you, slut!," he looks at the other man "You’re her new man, aren’t you? ‘Come at me then, fucker!," and Rihito feels a cut on his right arm; the motherfucker had brass knuckles with a knife.

"OUCH! You piece of...!," He manages not to let go of the man, despite the strong burning sensation in his arm, the blood gushing out and staining the sleeve of his sweatshirt. He stares at the maniac with an almost homicidal fury, his green eyes burning like embers. "You want a razor fight, you son of a bitch?! Your loss, 'cause I'm not giving you that pleasure!"

And the next thing Roki feels is a fist hitting him in the jaw, with the force of a steel plate. The poor guy goes flying and lands on top of a pile of rubbish, where, ironically, he belonged. And then he doesn't move anymore.

He immediately hears a thin scream, and when he notices in his peripheral vision, Akane was at the door of the room, her eyes wide and gasping, surprised and very scared.

She only sees Rihito panting heavily, holding his injured arm, his glassy and still furious eyes staring at the place where her ex-fuck buddy had been dumped. She remembers all of their interactions so far, how he was able to lift her off the ground and carry her effortlessly, to leave slight marks on her skin without actually hurting her, to hold her close to him without giving her the chance to escape from his hands, but at the same time without causing her pain.

Tomori had not exaggerated. That man was freakishly strong. And he knew very well how to choose who was worthy of the less pleasant side of his strength.

And he was then startled by the scream she let out, seeming to wake up from a state of delirium as he turned to her. Reason returns to his eyes, fury being replaced by disbelief. He returns to staring at Roki's faint body. And then he grabs his hair, making a hilarious expression of despair.

"Oh shit! I hope I didn't kill the bastard...!"

He goes to check on him; the guy was just unconscious, thank God. He breathes a sigh of relief.

"He's… he’s not dead, is he?," Akane was white as a sheet. He smiled to ease her fears, and she seemed to calm down "Damn, that was scary... I- I'm going to ask Mrs. Jin to call the police to take him away, so- so don't leave!," She runs into the saloon. 

"Alright...," He nods, checking one last time to make sure the bastard was just unconscious, and then taking a deep breath. Damn, he should have been aware of the possibility of being attacked with a cold weapon. He had been careless. His master would chew the hell out of him if he found out... He gets up, grunting tiredly and raising his arm to scratch his hair... well, the arm that was injured. He grabs it with an exclamation of pain.

"Ow, fuck! The fucker really got me...!," the adrenaline hadn't even had time to settle and it was already gone. He looked at the man, and, as it seemed he was inspired by Tokita that day, all that came to mind was his famous phrase, “what a weakling! That wasn't even fun.”

Akane comes back, followed by about two women. One of them pointed to the guy lying on the ground and they immediately went to him. They were Mrs. Jin, who was introduced to him earlier, and one of the crazy women he saw inside the saloon. Mrs. Jin glanced at Rihito's arm and spoke to Akane.

"You two," she points at him and then at her, with a tone of voice that reminded him a lot of Kanami when she was pissed. "You have five minutes to get your things and get out of here. But I want you at the saloon tomorrow, Akane. Go home and fix him up, we'll take care of the rest, okay?"

"O-okay…," her voice was a little shaky. She disappeared into the saloon to get her things.

He stares at the ladies, and surprisingly, he becomes shy, averting his eyes like a child who was caught doing something he shouldn’t be doing.

"Uh... I know I smashed an idiot's nose during a fight, but that doesn't mean I'm a thug, okay? It was self-defense! And Akane- I mean, Miss Agata needed help!"

"Shut up," the old woman interrupts him "I know that one, but not you. Better to keep that good first impression, don't you think?," she lights another cigarette "You protected her, I respect that, and that's all I want to know. Now scram."

She slaps his butt. He jumps half a foot off the ground with an involuntary yelp.

"AIIEE!," And then he turns red like a tomato "What the fuck- this is sexual harassment, damn it! I... uugh, okay, okay, I'm going!," He shrinks completely before her gaze, turning his back and doing exactly what she ordered. He looked like an almost six feet tall child.

The old woman laughed coquettishly as he left.

NEXT CHAPTER HERE

[weekend-whip]

I just realized something that could happen for Jesse & his lil' flower readings after reading that Nature-based Outburst ask.

What if... after the last time Jesse sees Harumi prior to Season 8, he decides to summon a flower, maybe wanting a sign that everything's gonna be alright with his troubled friend...

Only to pull out a lycoris radiata... a red spider lily... a flower said to line the paths walked by those you'll never see again...

'Cause yeah, he's not gonna see that Harumi again. He's gonna see the Harumi that's secretly The Quiet One the next time she shows up. But he doesn't know that, he'll think she's gone for good, after everything she's been through.

And when Crystalized comes & goes, when Harumi swaps back to the Good Guys during the last moments, when Jesse doesn't have to worry about his long lost friend stabbing him in the back while he gives her the most long overdue hug in existence... he'll know that she still isn't the Harumi he once knew, and she never will be again...

...because she's already walked the path lined with red spider lillies.

"I think it's more surprising—" Harumi hums, eyeing the wispy red flower that Jesse holds out to her as a sort of a peace offering. It's not the snapdragon she'd expected, but seeing something so pungent with meaning makes a smile creep on her face. Her pink eyes flit up to meet his brighter ones. His are not amused. "—that the spider lily didn't appear sooner, given that I died as soon as my parents did."

She says it dismissively, carelessly—like that hadn't been the inciting incident for years of impending agony. Maybe she's stopped caring. Maybe she's moved on. Maybe she's just trying to make a point.

Jesse doesn't know anymore, because he doesn't know who this is anymore.

It should be easy to look past it, as she says she's reformed, learned her lesson, wishes to atone...and there's moments where Jesse can see shades of the past sprinkled across her face in the few ephemeral moment since. It's in the way she carries herself, slightly shy yet bold when given the opportunity; in the way she does her part to help rebuild and makes sure no one else is slacking; in the way she'll catch the eye of those who were once friends turned enemies turned something else and then smile privately with nostalgia. But this Harumi doesn't deserve to do so, does she?

She almost has the same sparkle in her eye, same slight tilted smile, same windchime-like laugh...and even after a fall from grace, grace she still carries, derived from her duties upon the council and accumulated in the title of 'princess' eventually bestowed upon her. A grace that, even all those years ago, had been deduced by the appearance of a white and pink snapdragon, and enforced even now.

So, too, is that unwavering strength, for without it she wouldn't have defied all those deaths, metaphoric or otherwise, and certainly wouldn't be standing before Jesse now. He concedes she's overcome much with that strength, but used it just the same to inflict so, so much harm. Her strength is a neutral one, only taking on a connotation of good or bad depending on how she wields it...or, who beholds it.

That much is still the same as before.

But the most alarming similarity is the one he doesn't want to say. That, even back when she'd still wore her long pale hair in braids and skipped through the school halls and paraded around her adoration for the ninja, her snapdragons still whispered mentions of a capacity for deceit; a quiet, subtle warning Jesse had chosen to ignore.

Because surely, surely, surely, his best friend could have never been capable of hurting him and everyone they cared about to a life-destroying degree. And to believe otherwise would have been wrong.

...had the old Harumi truly died, if the most important shades of her still persisted within the girl before him now? Or, worse...the Harumi he'd known all along...really was this girl the whole time?

Jesse mentions her snapdragon's hidden meaning as she accepts the spider lily in its stead. She almost laughs, though it comes out as more of a choked sob than anything else. To anyone but Jesse—yet except maybe Lloyd—it would have been impossible to tell the difference.

"...that, I find incredibly ironic," Harumi remarks. The subtle mirth vanishes from her gaze, replaced by cold, expressionless melancholy. She's not upset, nor angry. Just tired, mostly. Resigned, if nothing else.

A hand slips into her pocket, and unto her finger slips a keychain, connected to a snapdragon encased in resin. Jesse's eyes widen as she pulls it out.

She spins it around like it's a meaningless toy. And yet, she'd kept it after all this time. It's almost enough to make him think that the lillies could be wrong; this could still be her—his best friend, lost to heartache, turmoil, and the unforgiven march of time and a slew of bad choices...

And maybe one day, if they're lucky, they'll be able to have what they used to, or at least parallel to it, if the Master is kind.

But, it won't be today.

"So you...find it ironic because you would have deceived us, even before you would have had reason to?"

"No." Harumi brushes a hand through her bangs, her fingers featherlight against the scar torn across her face. Sometimes, that's still enough to bring back the sting. "It's ironic because you had deceived me first."

And Jesse is swiftly reminded that no, this is not the same girl.

And also, that it is his fault.

[sanctum-stinker]

What made you like wongrange? They're an interesting couple and I'm interested

Strap in folks this will be a long one.

I have a brief and summed up version of how I got into it, and I also have screenshots of the panels, pages and comic issues that feed my dedication to this ship. Read whichever you please!

Doctor Strange: Way of the weird is the comic run that made me ship WongStrange for the first time. It was my first comic, and my perception of Wong was simply what the MCU served us with Benedict Wong, so I was immediately drawn to his character. His dedication and loyalty to Stephen and his job, as well as Stephen’s attachment and care for Wong in this run made me raise a brow, as I had never expected them to be this close. Furthermore the marvel gods decided to gift us with a confession.  I later branched out to more comics and picked and chose moments that I liked and forgot the ones I didn’t. Way of the weird set the bar very high in terms of how people write Wong, so I was shocked at how vile and disgusting some of the things that happen to him are. The servant and Master dynamic is still yet to be fully addressed in the way I think it deserves, so the issues I have with their dynamic are still being written in at times. So yeah! I basically just weave my own narrative with the comic bits I like. The way in which I ship them (like most ships) is very non-canon, so I understand that it may be confusing as to why I even stand by this weird niche pairing. I just think they’re neat, and I think Wong deserves proper love.

Thank you for coming this far. Here are my beloveds!

Way of the weird offers us a look into their first meeting! This has been done many times before, but this run put a spin on it and introduces them before Stephen was a proper sorcerer. To see where they started out from and to see Wong’s ever present patience gives us such a neat little comparison to how they were to how they are now.

They also sprinkle little domestic moments in which I really love. Everything Wong does in this comic doesn’t feel too Servanty and more just… interior decorating? Also his sass and his witty remarks as he keeps up with Stephen, they are so good.

Wong’s deepest darkest fear is revealed to be Stephen’s death! Teehee giggle  this will not be heartbreaking in later years. Death of Doctor Strange I’m looking at you.

So many things to say of about the Mr Misery chapters. First of all Mr Misery, a being made of Stephen’s pain which lives off Stephen’s pain chooses to possess Wong knowing it would hurt Stephen. It also uses Wong’s memories and emotions against Stephen. There is literally a confession in here if you ignore the ‘like a father’ bit. I choose to perceive that statement as Wong being protective of him because he does act that way consistently throughout the comic run (sacrificial monk cult I will never forget you).

Stephen decides that to draw Misery back into his body he has to feel more pain than Wong is. He tries jabbing a hot rod into his neck, but the physical pain is not enough so he instead tells Wong he cannot love him or anyone else. The pain of this action is more than any physical pain he has ever felt, and is painful enough to draw Misery into his body. I mean, what do I even have to say. 

This scene pushed the ship for me. Until this point I was just raising an eyebrow and saying ‘it his is certainly fruity’ but this… historians would call them best friends I guess.

Moving onto Doctor Strange: Damnation.

Now this is a cool case because there’s a Stephen and Wong POV going on which is dope.

Marvel tell us what Wong was going to say IMPOSSIBLE EDITION.

This whole sequence is just very sweet. Wong had since left the sanctum because of a dubious decision Stephen made. The forgiveness, and yet again the patience Wong has with Stephen is so soft. Regardless of his opinions of Stephen Wong still dragged his ass out of Hell, and that’s something and a half. Also the way they look and smile at each other. Very platonic homie activity.

The hug, the promise to return, the hand on his shoulder. Yeah. Just very lovely.

Now onto Death of Doctor Strange. The title says it for itself! This shit hurts!

Wong has obviously since returned to the sanctum. This domestic banter is so good, the reminiscences on older times and the care Wong has for Stephen just shows and I adore it. Unfortunately this never happens again after Clea turns up, and Wong is sort of pushed into a background character which was a little saddening considering how important of a character he is and how much the next events effected him.

Wong was the first to notice and the first to arrive when Stephen was killed. He was already grieving when Zelma and Jericho turned up, and considering the fact he was in an art class means that he was there in a snap. 

The trauma of the memory of Stephen’s death haunts Wong and continues to do so until he is revived. It’s a little odd, as Wong is more openly reactive and weighed down by Stephen’s death than Clea is. Wong is a very calm, closed off and controlled person and I honestly expected Clea to be the one to be so emotional due to her warlord origins, but it was an unexpected surprise to see how he deals with it.

The fact that these two sentences come out of his mouth and not Stephen’s wife’s is peculiar. Honestly very fruity behaviour from Wong.

‘my’ sorcerer supreme.

The culmination of his guilt, anger and grief over the loss of Stephen bursting out in this violent rage was so emotional to see. Wong has very rarely if not never reacted this way, as i mentioned before he was always the calm and collected one out of the bunch. The effect Stephen’s death had on him will always be very important to me.

These are the only two images we get of their reunion which I thought was a bit stingy considering how much Wong went through, but it’s still sweet! Look at how happy he is!

Now for one shots which are unrelated to the main story.

What If Magik? Is a narrative in which Illyana Rasputin becomes sorcerer supreme. I consider this the prequel to Doctor Strange: The end, though I don’t know if that’s canon. It just fits very well and the art style is the same.

Wong explaining his relationship to Stephen while he eats his tentacle soup in the back is very funny and I love the art style and dialogue.

Stephen being Stephen and Wong being fed up is my favorite dynamic. Never gets old.

Illyana and her family. Just this whole sequence is very adorable and sweet. To be honest the whole comic is. This is a truly hidden gem, I’d recommend anyone to read it. Stephen Dilf era is canon in this timeline.

Doctor Strange: The end switches between being my favorite with WoTW because it’s so good but so short. There’s actually a lot of Wong content in this even though he is not physically there.

He’s a little memorial cabinet and just everything about this makes me go insane. Stephen is openly very protective of it, and also talks to it regularly.

In an attempt to keep magic alive he grave robs a bunch of old mystics and outs their bones in Wong’s cabinet which he Carrie’s around in his back and travels with. He also keeps talking to him almost constantly while he’s on this journey and it’s really bittersweet to see how lonely he is.

Just this dialogue and Stephen sleeping in his cabinet.

Another confession. This time just true and raw. I like that the ‘….’ Implies that Wong said it to him first. Stephen is willing to sacrifice the rotten remains of his friends to keep magic alive, but is very reluctant to throw a very willing Wong into the fire. Anywho, spoilers but after he puts the cabinet into the flames he climbs in himself and they burn together. Homie activity.

That concludes the selection of images I kept to prove my ship worthy to you all. I hope it was worth while! I am very passionate about them, so this was fun to write out. I’ve missed out a lot of good moments and even whole comics which have a good dynamic between them like Doctor Strange:Origin or Doctor Strange: Sorcerer supreme #80-90(?). Regardless, I hope this is enough to make you consider joining this niche community! We don’t bite!

If you have any questions or comments please message me! Never bored of talking about them.

[bloomskullberry]

Ok you know what i just gotta write out my feelings on the new Miraculous movie. I have both good and bad things to say. I will be rewatching it cause i was pretty biased (we'll get to that) and maybe reposting this with my new thoughts afterwards cause this is a lot.

THUS: READ MORE AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION and understand that most of this is based on personal perception, preferences, and an element of nostalgia/frustration (ive been watching this show since season one, would not have made it this far if I didnt have FEELINGS about Miraculous). but take everything with a sprinkle of salt.

THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS ABOUT THE NEW MIRACULOUS MOVIE UNDER THE CUT

1. Pacing felt like the biggest issue. A lot of stuff was happening, and a lot of big moments were happening, but there was nothing inbetween that made them feel like they flowed into eachother, and a lot of the character/relationship "development" relied on the viewers previous knowledge of the show, even tho its pretty clear the movie was doing stuff very differently in terms of characters and relationships. Do i understand this is a 1hr 40min movie trying to encapsulate the slowburn romance and 5 seasons worth of content in a way that caters to the fans of said 5 seasons? Yes, its a huge ask for what is essentially 5 episodes (average 20 mins long). Especially with the amount of exposition the concept of Miraculous requires. Is it still disappointing, considering the movie left out information because of its audience and still rushed through important stuff to just get to the "juicy" moments? Yeah

2. Visuals were lovely, as was the music and specific moments. Honestly if the pacing wasnt such an issue and everything was developed more, the Ladybug and Ladynoir songs (maybe even the Hawkmoth one too) would be really enjoyable as a way to progress stuff and show development. Im also a sucker for dramatic visuals during musical numbers to help emphasize the feelings/emotions of the characters, and it really showcases the potential benefits the animation could add to the show as a medium

3. I actually really liked movie!Marinette (partly cause she wasnt a stalker and creep about her crush on Adrien) qnd because she had a much more sarcastic and bantering attitude, even outside of the costume, which made Ladybug an alter ego more than a complete other person (which is a slight issue ive had with the show). The scene of her growing into her civilian persona and becomign more confident actually made me really happy, especially her standing up to Chloe

4. Movie!Chat Noir kinda pissed me off ngl, and felt very disconnected from movie!Adrien (or at least how he was shown). People have said movie!Adrien is much more depressed/isolated and acts appropriately as to his home life (and dont get me wrong, i loved his scene where he stood up to Gabriel), but i think thats why his relationship with Ladybug and complete 180 as Chat Noir feels so off to me? Like his almost "meanness" with Ladybug at first from being super cocky and then doesnt even apologize for his treatment of her even after he falls for her just throws me off (tbf ive always been biased against the "cocky assholes falling for people who put them in their place" trope, so this might just be a me thing). Idk, it just doesnt sit right with me

4b. Anyone else notice Adrien didnt even get chosen for being kind? Plagg just appeared in his bedroom? Like Marinette almost got ran over from saving Master Fu and then Adrien is just like Yo A Cool Ring. Idk, its funny but that felt weird to me

5. The stupid freaking montage. Yall cannot even imagine how much I hate the montage. If they had replaced the montage with one scene and maybe cut down the magician and mime fight to add another scene in to focus on marinette + adrien friendship and then adrien personal life development or chat noir + ladybug bonding/respect for EACH OTHER i think it would have elevated the movie to new heights. The montage essentially was the movie pressing fast forward x3 on any development of characters. Its because of montages like these that make me appreciate filler or fun episodes in any show, because when you just stick a montage in then you feel like youre watching coworkers kiss when the movie is trying to convince you theyre starcrossed ride or die lovers. Made me feel like i watched the origins episode and then the season 5 finale with just the stormy weather 2 episode inbetween. Hate it.

6. Movie!Tikki has personality and movie!Plagg is a fart machine. I think its clear theres a favorite. Feels like it reflects the focus on Marinette and lack thereof on Adrien as a character present in both the show and the movie. Hardly a new observation, just food for thought.

7. ¿¿¿¿¿¿movie!Hawkmoth/Gabriel???? That basically sums up how I feel about him but to explain theres just very little done with him i feel. Plus it seems like all his Hawkmothing around actually takes a toll on his wellbeing, which is really cool and interesting, but it just comes out of nowhere afTER THE STUPID MONTAGE. Like id love to see the kind of degradation of his health, mental physical and emotional, as he works to revive Emilie, cause you cant tell me thay wouldnt make stuff a lot more interesting (i know he got catacylsmed but the show just treated it as an outfit change and checking his arm like a clock until the season finale, so it doesnt really count for me), but mans just shows up looking like a wreck and fights with Adrien

7b. Also i was pretty confused about how him breaking/rejecting his akuma at the end of the movie worked, and him just having all the powers ever while akumatized?? But that's just me being picky at a superhero show where magic animal jewelry exists

8. Movie!Chloe and movie!Sabrina felt more real in a way? Like Chloe was just stuck up and self centered, not actively making everyones life hell, and Sabrina didnt just blindly follow her along (i ADORED when she let Marinette escape and when she shrugged at her during the ball, you go girl you have that personality and self-consciousness the show never allowed you to have until the last moment), it was more a reluctant follower ignoring a friend's red flags ya know? Movie!Chloe wasnt the mayors daughter who had control over every adult in Paris and would literally become a dictator if elected. She was just freaking out at Marinette for "ruining" her sweater. Shes still a bully/mean kid, but shes dialed back, which i think makes her much better.

9. Alya and Nino were just kind of chilling, i dont have any feelings about their characters except how terrible Nino is at advice, and Alya was set up as a good friend throughout the movie, so i appreciate her supportiveness of Marinette. Tom and Sabine were set up to do more/be more important in the movie (I was so sure Tom was gonna be akumatized at the fair, but nope), but were kind of dropped halfway? Like Tom was set up as the overprotective and loving kinda helicopter father who would go all the way to the fair in disguise to watch over Marinette, and then he was just never mentioned again after Marinette felt embarrassed by him at said fair. Wasted opportunity and time for a movie with so much issue in pacing

10. I saw buggachat say this movie felt like an animated fanfiction of MLB and I have to say i completely agree. I dont mean that in a bad way, i love fanfiction with all my heart and you can clearly see that the movie and a lot of fanfiction fixes the issues many fans have with the show. But the thing is, this is a full movie, not a collection of one-shot specific scene rewrites. Thus, for it to be successful in "rewriting" or creating an alternate version of MLB, it has to include those in-between moments, not just the juicy identity reveal, or the "my heart belongs to another " moment, or even the "Gabriel actually cares about his son" moment. Is the movie good at those moments? Goodness yes. It definitely has its humor, its enjoyment that you can tell is a gift to the fans. But as a movie, a whole animated film, it disappoints.

10b. I mean for goodness sake they didnt even mention that Catacylsm was a thing until it was used, and Lucky Charm wasnt utilzed at all, just the fixing power (that might just be a genuine change they made so Ladybug wasnt too unbalanced with Chat Noir tho)

OK IM DONE, phew. Those are my major thoughts from the day after watching the movie, and im going to watch it again more carefully later. Ill not to be so personally biased and to just enjoy it. Who knows, maybe ill think differently afterwards.

Definitely gonna listen to the songs again, and definitely gonna burst out laughing at Careless Whisper tho

[buggknife]

🍕💼🎯🥊❤️✂️🧊🍀🌂🙌🍎💎🍩 gib me scrunkly lore plz 🥺

yeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaa thank you so many aahh, once again since this is a Big One I am gonna throw these under the cut/zaza pic :3

🍕 - What is their favourite food? Since we’ve established the gas station snack food thing I’ll make another addition that isn’t dependent on a modern setting: jerky, generally anything crunchy. Any setting in which chips (or even crackers) exist you can bet he’s gonna be scarfing those fuckers down.

💼 - What do they do for a living? Ok so this is funny; in everywhere except the very scuffed ass modern/fc5 AU he mainly just steals shit. If asked why he’s always very ideological about why he does it, very particular about his targets but ultimately yeah. Whatever he can’t obtain via his weirdo hermit ass lifestyle he just forages in other peoples’ homes and businesses for. He could probably make some bank selling the shit he makes if he had any tolerance for the prospective buyers but that is not going to happen because stealing is less annoying.

🎯 -What do they do best? Answered HERE

🥊 -What do they love to do? What do they hate to do? Loves to fucking chill idk. If left to his own devices he would probably just roam around, climb some mountains, build some dumb shit, make a campfire, play guitar, who knows. As for hate. uhm. I don't think there's any day-to-day activity that he genuinely cant stand. Like he doesn't particularly like going to pick up the mail or answering the door but like it's not the end of the world. He definitely hates when things are done TO him though lmao- he hates being touched except by a VERY specific few people, otherwise expect to lose an arm.

❤️ - What is one of your OC’s best memories? Answered HERE <3

✂️ - What is one of your OC’s worst memories? There was a prominent antagonist in the main RP I did with him, a dracolich who managed to push his buttons like no one else could and more or less took away everything that he held dear. Needless to say Eran went full murder mode, forgot how to be human for a few years, the whole nine yards. I could gush about that RP for hours it is my favourite thing I’ve done with Eran like ever

🧊 - Is their current design the first one? I went and tracked down a specil [ EXCLUSIVE !! ] piece of sprinkle history: behold scrackle circa 2009.

Needless to say the current design is slightly different. Having said that I think I had the basics of his design dialed in within the first few years.

🍀 - What originally inspired the OC? I can’t explain this without sounding like an insane person, but it involves a fixation that 13yo bug had with a popular Canadian country-rock band. It’s all completely irrelevant now but it is funny to think about. There were comics.

🌂 - What genre do they belong in? For a long time I had him really locked in to fantasy stuff but I am less and less enamoured with that genre as time goes on for a few different reasons. It’s familiar and comfortable for me certainly, and Eran has BY FAR the most ‘lore’ in his original, fantasy-ish canon. So I’m not sure if that counts as belonging but it’s certainly his origin. Even then that's more of a setting than a genre so I'll expand on that- I think there are certain elements that make an Eran story successful in my eyes, that aren't limited to fantasy. I need him to be able to do crimes, be a Wild Boy and generally be more of a freak than a modern setting would typically allow (not to 100% trash the FC5 au but it definitely needs…something). I think it would be funny to put him in a heist movie. I’ve always liked him best when leaning heavily into the drama, character study sort of shit.

🙌 - How many sibling does your OC have? One brother, Ash, whom he hates.

🍎 - What is the OC’s relationship w/their parents like? Bad! His whole family is a cult in its own right more or less and Eran really doesn’t want anything to do with them. It's admittedly something I haven't fleshed out toooooo much. E's very much a 'keep moving forward' type of guy so naturally his family past stuff has not had too much attention.

💎 - Do you ever see yourself killing off the OC? I have had him beef it before- obviously it’s been in self contained storylines. As for anything more permanent- hard to say. I never want to rule out the possibility entirely. I definitely feel like I’ve exhausted my writing options for him at the moment so that seems close to death in a way. I can draw the little bastard until the end of days but coherent story content has been…. Lacking. :|

🍩 -Who is your OC’s arch-nemesis or rival? I don’t feel like he’s had a ‘nemesis’ really in any of the main stories. His scraps tend to be against larger organisations, the world around him or his own dumb ass decisions. I think his most persistent ‘enemy’ has been a Mages’ Guild (also from ‘The RP’ I keep blabbing on about) which he angered on many different occasions though not without good reason. ;)

[casspurrjoybell-24]

The Alpha's Beta - Chapter 15 - Part 1

BOOK ONE: The Alpha's Trilogy

*Warning Adult Content*

Stars - Part 1

Alpha Silas Claymore

I stood in a clearing not far from the small town I called home.

I was face to face with a large black wolf.

He had to be the same size as myself, with a white tear drop patch of fur on his chest, white front paws and sprinkles of brown on his side, that you wouldn't notice unless the sun hit him.

He snarled at me, going towards my right side for an attack.

I was able to jump back and meet his attack with my own.

I knocked my head with his own before faking a right and grabbing his neck from the left.

He growled at me before trying to pull away.   

Just as we were about to go in for another attack I heard a whistle blow.

I let out a huff of air before changing from my white and brown form to my human.

I grabbed my pair of gym pants from the tree where I left them and looked over to the wolf I had been fighting not a minute before.   

We had been training for three days now.

Right after the pack meeting we held we started, those who didn't want to fight got medical training, anyone under the age of twelve was put on a bunker list and would be taken to safety if and when we were attacked, along with the some medics.

The other medics would be on stand by in random areas.   

I watched as a male Omega and a teenage girl begin to spar.

The girl got the upper hand on the older male but soon she was pinned by the scruff of her neck and the whistle was being blown.

I looked over to Simon who had the whistle in his mouth and a hand on his hip.

He really seemed to enjoy being the boss of everybody.

He blew the whistle again and the Omega and the girl began round two.   

I enjoyed watching everybody spar.

It was nice to see all the pack members on the same page about things.

I also liked the pride in the eyes of everybody, especially the Omega's.

I wasn't the kind of Alpha that believed in everyone having there own place and them having to stick to it.

I whole heartily believed that no Omega should be belittled for their rank.

Once I became Alpha Omega's were free to go hunting and train like everybody else and not just work the jobs that no one wanted.

Hunters could freely cook meals at pack gatherings if they liked.

I've seen Omegas become hunters and hunters/trackers become almost Omega like and not in a bad way.   

Lucca had been to training yesterday and today.

He spared with trackers and none-ranks.

He hadn't been hunting and Ellis hadn't needed him on guard for the last few nights, via my request.   

I couldn't trust him, I wanted to, everything in me wanted to but I couldn't my instincts told me not to.   

My instincts also told me to turn my head to the right and watch Darren gulp down a full water bottle.   

'Sometimes I really enjoyed my instincts.'   

Things between the two of us got no better but they also got no worse.

He didn't make snarky remarks at me anyone but he still gave me the stink eye every so often.  

After the night he spent at my house things seemed to have lightened up and I was excited to think that he finally had some trust in me.

"Stop staring at me. It's weird."  

A smile crept its way onto my face.

"Oh shut up. It's a free country."  

"I will charge you ten dollars in the next ten seconds if you don't stop looking at me."

"You can't do that."   

He shrugged and stretched his arms over his head, letting his stomach muscles clench and I thanked the Moon Goddess that he didn't have a shirt on.

"Probably not but I will and you'll give me ten bucks anyways because you do anything I say."   

"I do not."   

He shrugged his eyes trailing over the grounds watching the other six people on the field train.

"You should get everyone ready for the ten mile run."   

I nodded getting up from where I sat on the ground.

"Yeah, you're right... that doesn't count... I was going to do it anyways."  

"Sure, Alpha," he said with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"What ever you say."   

I rolled my eyes but I smiled none the less, enjoying the fact he was able to freely goof around with me.

I wouldn't call us friends just yet but we were getting closer to friendship and the closer we got to friendship the closer we got to mating.   

I asked Simon too blow the whistle and singled everyone to come with me for a run.

There was only about thirty people training at the moment.

We had three training groups.

First group was at 4am-8am, group two was 12pm-4pm and group three was 4pm-8pm.

I knew and respected that people had work and school so I didn't force everyone to train at the same time.

Plus I don't think I could train all the wolves properly if I had all of them together.

I liked to give everyone there attention and helped them with whatever it was they needed and I couldn't do that with the whole pack in attendance.  

We did a run at the start of training and at the end.

I thought it was a great way to get the blood flowing plus show me who was where in speed.

We ran around half the border then stopped at a near by lake that my father had dubbed Lake Marshall, after a high school friend who had died young.

After we got to the lake in our human forms we all stripped down aside of Simon, who had a backpack waiting for all our clothes and ran back to the clearing.

Despite being in his human form and carrying all our clothes on his back, Simon was relatively fast.

He had a strong human form, seeing he refused to phase into his wolf.

He never told me why though, I could only believe it stemmed from the abuse he had inflicted on him by our father but there was no way I was going to ask him that, seeing I couldn't bring our father up at all without him flinching.   

I shook the thought from my head dismissing the group before me.

They all started to make there way back to the town.

I stayed back and helped Simon clean up discarded water bottles and shirts that were left by shifted wolves.

I would have only taken a half an hour all together but Simon and I goofed around and talked a lot so it took us an hour and by the time we were done the sun and fell and the moon was lifted.

I looked up towards the sky and saw the big and little dipper hanging proudly.

***********

"Those stars there, That's the little dipper," Father said pointing up at the sky.

"And those there."

He shifted his fingers higher pointing above the little cluster of stars.

"That's the big dipper. If you're ever lost. Look up at the sky and find them. Then look north and you'll see that star there."

He pointed towards a bright star brighter then all the rest.

"That star is the North Star and it will take you home."  

I smiled up at my father.

His black hair fell backwards as he looked up at the sky, his blue eyes twinkled with something I couldn't pin point.

I sat beside him in the small clearing not far from the houses.  

"Stars are amazing things, Silas. Always leave a space in your heart for the stars."

He looked down at my seven year old frame a bright smile on his face.

"Come on now. Poor Momma is home alone, with a teething Simon and you know how cranky he can be."