#cake is mostly based off a bear I own

[kirby-the-gorb]

[humanwheatleyslefttoenail]

why do you ship chell and glados if glados is basically her mom

Okay this is actually a pretty common misconception in the fandom that unfortunately a lot of people have taken as canon, but I’m feeling nice so I’ll answer your question.

Basically, anon is referencing a theory from around 2012 that Caroline is Chell’s mom. The evidence for the theory is as follows:

- The turret opera calls Chell “bambina”, which means “little girl” in Italian

- Chell’s name can be found on a Bring Your Daughter To Work Day science project

- GLaDOS references the possibility of Chell being adopted multiple times

- GLaDOS is significantly nicer to Chell after discovering she’s Caroline 

And, anon, you’re right, it does sound like a pretty good argument at first glance. The problem is that a lot of these points don’t actually hold up to scrutiny.

For example, although “bambina” literally translates to “little girl,” it’s often used in the same way “baby girl” is used in English - it can mean child, but contextually it’s usually a flirtatious term. (Source: Cambridge Dictionary)

For Chell’s science project, it doesn’t work as evidence for the theory because GLaDOS killed the scientists around 1998-ish, when Caroline had presumably been uploaded several years earlier and Cave was already dead. Also, Chell’s in her 20′s, and since we know from Lab Rat/Portal 2 that people don’t age in stasis, and that Doug put Chell at the top of the test subject list only weeks after the takeover, Chell was 28 at the time of the takeover. The science project is really only an Easter egg and doesn’t actually fit into the canon timeline let alone prove anything about Caroline and Cave. 

GLaDOS talking about Chell being adopted is a pretty strong point, I’ll admit, but also it’s important to remember that maybe half of what GLaDOS says is true. And even if we take what she says at face value, she also says there’s a man and a woman in stasis with Chell’s last name, which could not have been Cave and Caroline because they were already dead at that point. And the official book Final Hours Of Portal 2 confirms Cave and Caroline were not married and could not have shared the same name anyway. It was also the 50′s, an an unmarried couple of two likely famous people having a child would’ve been scandalous, and yet we see no hint of something like this affecting their company. 

Also, although GLaDOS is nicer to Chell after the Caroline reveal, that’s not necessarily indicative of a mother-daughter relationship, and neither is any of their interactions. It’s just. GLaDOS being friendlier. 

Finally, when this theory was made (and let’s be honest - it still is happening) Chell was constantly whitewashed to hell and back. 

Chell is Japanese-Brazilian, and Cave and Caroline are white, so it would be a near impossibility for her to be their biological child (and insisting otherwise is kinda. just. whitewashing). And although people will cry “adoption!”, based on what I’ve previously proven, that’s pretty much impossible. This theory that somehow she’s Cave and Caroline’s daughter erases an important part of her identity. [Disclaimer, I am white, but this is what I’ve heard from around the fandom]

With all that said, the idea that she’s the daughter of Cave and Caroline really doesn’t hold weight when you really analyze the canon. It’s surface level analysis that doesn’t hold up. And honestly? The idea kinda cheapens the story. It’s much more powerful that GLaDOS learns to care about Chell and becomes kinder than just. Oh, she remembered she’s related to Chell. 

But to actually answer your ask. 

Why do I ship them?

Well, they aren’t mother and daughter, I think that’s pretty obvious now. But if you actually look at a lot of subtext in Portal 2, without the lens of the mother theory, it’s actually pretty romantic! 

I know that sounds ridiculous, but bear with me!

Now - it’s totally okay if you don’t ship them. I get it. Their interactions in Portal 1 and the first half of Portal 2 are toxic if not outright well. Y’know. Murderous. I completely understand why that turns people off from shipping them, and ultimately, shipping is a personal thing. To each his own. 

But before you judge me, let me present my case.

Exhibit A: Portal 

Portal is kinda gay. No, really. Chell and GLaDOS are enemies in this game, but the entire focus is on their relationship (good or not) and the power struggle between them. They are opposites, two sides of the same coin, different representations of opposite ideologies. People have analyzed Portal as a relationship metaphor, or as a metaphor about women’s role in society - either way, the heart of Portal is the complicated dynamic between Chell and GLaDOS. 

That’s not necessarily enough to code a romance, but a lot of popular (and especially popular queer ones) ships begin with opposite ideologies, symbolic powers colliding. Portal cements their relationship as a toxic one, something on the verge of falling apart and hurting both parties in the end. The ending image, of Chell and GLaDOS side by side after the battle, reinforces the symbolic parallels between the two. 

The companion cube is also pretty symbolically important to this interpretation. It’s literally a representation of someone’s heart, and you are told to protect it and preserve it under GLaDOS’ orders, and then you have to destroy it regardless of how you actually feel about doing that. You are destroying GLaDOS’ heart, so to speak. 

There’s also the ending song, Still Alive. The lyrics speak for themselves.

They hint that GLaDOS’ feelings about Chell are more complicated than they may appear (if she’s not being sarcastic...) and she literally talks about Chell breaking her heart (also, think back to the companion cube. Yeah.). The entire song is structurally similar to many a breakup number, with the laments of “I’m glad it happened, but also leave.” 

At the end, we also see that the long promised cake GLaDOS was supposedly lying about was real the whole time. Before Portal 2 came out, it was mostly interpreted as a stinger ending (along with the nicer lyrics of Still Alive) to make you question GLaDOS’ true motives and intentions.

She actually did have a real cake waiting for you. (Side note - not really evidence, but in Argentina, “torta” means cake in Spanish. It’s also a slang term for lesbians. So. Do with that what you will). The cake is what GLaDOS offers you to lull you into the sense that she cares about you, so discovering that “the cake is a lie” wakes you up to the realization that she doesn’t. Except then the idea is subverted one last time, at the very end, showing that the cake is real and at least some of what she said she meant. 

You also see the companion cube. You know, GLaDOS’ symbolic heart?

Now, okay, you might be thinking I’m extrapolating a bit too much. And you might be right. But Portal is not the only game in the series, and if you’re asking me about Cave and Caroline you obviously know about Portal 2.

Exhibit B: Portal 2

If you thought Portal was gay, Portal 2 turns that up to 11.

Even before GLaDOS wakes up, you’re treated to some visual subtext. A few of Rattmann’s drawings representing the events of Portal 2 focus a lot on the relationship between GLaDOS and Chell, with more of the cake symbolism.

In this, you can see a face layered on top of GLaDOS. This could be foreshadowing about Caroline, and likely is, but also resembles his other drawing of Chell. It insists that Chell is a part of GLaDOS, or reinforces parallels between Chell and Caroline, hinting at something either way. 

In this picture, we also see Chell standing on top of GLaDOS, in the same position where the overlay of the feminine face was, again referencing the parallel. It also presents them as opposites, fundamental parts of the same thing and both connected to the same basis, but on opposing sides. 

When GLaDOS wakes up, she returns to her antagonistic role, but there are more hints to something deeper just like in Portal. 

Here, in her awakening lines, she references Chell not unlike an estranged ex. Also worth noting that GLaDOS is pretty much the personification of testing (in a sense, she is testing since she can control all of Aperture like an extension of her body), and insinuates that Chell loves to test. And that she reciprocates that feeling.

In test chamber 10, she says this:

It’s supposed to be threatening, but it does read as almost... sentimental. 

There’s also another chamber with companion cubes in Portal 2. I already talked about their symbolism in Portal, and the same pretty much applies to them here. However, GLaDOS says something interesting about them during this level:

Once again, meant to be intimidating, ends up coming off as “well, GLaDOS, why were you going to give Chell a heart shaped representation of yourself that says ‘I love you?’” And you might think I’m stretching the GLaDOS’ heart metaphor thing a little far here, and I might agree, if the companion cubes didn’t literally sing Cara Mia for you. 

Cara Mia is the turret opera from the end of the game, which is all about how much GLaDOS cares about Chell. More on that later. But the companion cubes play a song called Love as A Construct, and when you get close to them, they sing a specific part of the song that has the tune of Cara Mia. These things literally exist to sing about GLaDOS’ feelings. 

Which makes this line a lot more. For lack of a better term. Tsundere-ish.

Then, right before the escape, she starts talking about the confetti from her fake surprise. 

I really don’t have to explain this one. What else does GLaDOS consider an inconvenience but might miss anyway? Or, more aptly, who else?

Then, during the escape, she teases a (fake) final test chamber in front of you, and forms the panels in the shape of a heart. No, really. 

Up to this point, a lot of the points I’ve presented are interspersed with a fair amount of antagonization on GLaDOS’ behalf, more Foe Yay than anything actually hinting at something deeper than GLaDOS being conflicted about whether she loves or hates Chell. But things really ramp up after Wheatley’s betrayal, when the two of them are forced to team up. (I should also note here that “enemies to lovers” is a pretty classic queer romance trope.)

Here, GLaDOS is put on an equal level with Chell and they have to rely on each other if they want to survive. For the rest of the singleplayer campaign, GLaDOS becomes a lot nicer and even friendly to Chell. There comes a point where she starts referring to Chell as a teammate, calling them “we.” She begins to consider them one unit, two opposites unified. Here’s what she says after the lemon rant:

You can not only see her using we, but actively talking about how her and Chell are going to fight Wheatley together. There’s also that last line - “let’s explode with some dignity.” GLaDOS has fully accepted the very likely possibility that she and Chell might die together. That she might die on the same level, and the same team as Chell. And she seems... surprisingly okay with that, as long as she and Chell go together. 

It’s during the Old Aperture levels that Chell and GLaDOS also discover that they have a lot in common. This is the part of the game where GLaDOS figures out she’s Caroline, that she’s human. Or, that she’s like Chell. And Chell discovers (from what we can tell anyway) that Caroline is kind, that she’s funny and smart and so many of these things she never noticed about GLaDOS before. Now also with the knowledge she is fighting alongside another human being. 

You can also draw parallels between Chell and Caroline, both intelligent women ultimately betrayed by their seemingly innocuous male friends before being trapped in Aperture and forced to team up with one another in a way that will free both of them. We see that really, GLaDOS isn’t that different from Chell - she too has been imprisoned in this place against her will, but in a completely different way. Once again, the idea of two sides of the same coin applies here. 

I’ve written another meta about this before, but I also think the whole idea of repressing a part of your identity and hating it, before bonding with another woman and then realizing that it’s okay to be like her and to be on her side. It’s okay to be yourself and meeting her is what helps you discover this new part of yourself. Is kinda inherently gay. GLaDOS’ discovery of her own humanity just fits so well into a queer realization narrative, to me at least.

Then, Chell and GLaDOS escape Old Aperture and have to get through Wheatley’s tests. 

Here, GLaDOS isn’t just begrudgingly on Chell’s team. She’s actively helpful. She wants to help Chell solve tests, defends her from Wheatley’s insults, and makes jokes to lighten the mood. Things that can really only be explained by her caring about Chell, especially the part about the insults. See below.

After the two escape Wheatley’s testing track, right before the boss fight GLaDOS has a few other things to say.

GLaDOS is not going to betray Chell, because of some kind of conscience. But she could easily ignore that back in her body, and yet? Here she’s deciding not to, and for no good reason. She didn’t have to say that to Chell, but she did, because she cares and she wants Chell to live.

And then, moments before the fight:

The final lines imply that GLaDOS does not think of Chell as an enemy anymore, and that it doesn’t matter what Chell thinks because they are in this together and they are getting revenge together. It’s pretty heartwarming to be honest, to know that even in a fight that will almost certainly kill you, she is there rooting for you and caring about you, even if you don’t feel the same way about her. It no longer matters to GLaDOS whether you even reciprocate - you staying alive, you making it through is enough for her.

So Chell fights Wheatley and sends him into space, all well and good, and at this point, GLaDOS has the option to kill Chell. But not only does she not, she actively saves Chell, and holds her hand in the process. If you don’t believe me:

And not only that, but when Chell goes unconscious from her injuries, GLaDOS sits and waits for her to wake up. It’s also implied that GLaDOS carries her to the elevator, since it’s where she wakes up but not where she passed out. In the scene where Chell blacks out, you can also hear the part of Love As A Construct that sounds like Cara Mia. Yeah. Yeah.

If you think that this cannot possibly get any gayer, you are wrong again, because then GLaDOS makes her final speech. Which is really just a love confession, let’s be honest.

The “surge of emotion?” Do you mean love, GLaDOS? And the idea of GLaDOS considering Chell her best friend, despite everything these two have done to each other? The idea that GLaDOS, out of all people, forgives someone?

Except this isn’t even Chell’s final send-off. GLaDOS writes her an entire opera of turrets, that sing a literal love song. (Note what I said earlier about the use of the word “bambina”).

It really can’t get any more obvious than that. “My (affectionate romantic term here), my dear, I adore you.” How. Is. That. Heterosexual. In. Any. Way.

So Chell goes to the surface, set free by GLaDOS (think of the saying “if you love something, set it free), and you think that’s the end. Until GLaDOS gives you a companion cube so you aren’t alone on the journey, and from the burn marks, you know it’s your first companion cube. Her original heart, her first gift to you, a piece of her that she wants you to carry with you to remind you that she does care about you after everything. It also gives the lyrics to Still Alive a much more genuine meaning. 

Portal 2 ends, and then the ending song, another GLaDOS number plays. Just like Still Alive, Want You Gone is structurally a break up song and very obviously about GLaDOS missing Chell and “counting on” (read: caring about/loving) Chell’s tendencies and quirks. 

She’s accepted Chell completely, and yet also given Chell the one thing she wants most. Only wanting Chell gone can mean GLaDOS not wanting Chell in her life anymore, but can also mean she wants to give Chell the freedom she’s wanted for so, so long. It’s the best thing she can give.

In the co-op campaign, GLaDOS also references still caring about Chell.

And that’s the end of the Portal series. Except. Brace yourself. Despite the games being over, there is STILL more subtext somehow. It gets. Even gayer.

Exhibit C: Supplemental Evidence

Valve has made a lot of extra/cut content for the Portal series, and I’ll be looking at some of it below.

This official valentine from Valve shows GLaDOS offering a romantic partner cake, which as we’ve established before, is very symbolic of GLaDOS’ feelings about and/or relationship with Chell. 

There’s a lot of other concept art and official art that emphasizes their relationship too. See below.

There’s also some cut GLaDOS lines that are even gayer than the source material and again, sound like confessions or references to a breakup:

The idea of “discovering things about someone”... how much more obvious can it get?

The developers have even confirmed a lot of my commentary on Chell and GLaDOS’ relationship in The Final Hours Of Portal 2. See these quotes from the book/this post:

The devs literally describe it as a romance. They use terms like “cheating,” they wanted to write a romantic duet, JoCo purposefully wrote the endings like love songs. It is literally, blatantly said by the creators of the game that their relationship is interpreted romantically. By the creators of the game. 

And if Word of God confirmation isn’t enough for you, have a song written for a cut alternate ending by GLaDOS’ voice actress, Ellen McClain. The song is literally nothing but GLaDOS talking about caring about Chell, about not wanting her to die/leave GLaDOS alone, about wanting to bake a cake with Chell, about waiting for Chell to wake her up. It’s so genuinely sweet and sad, and really, really romantic in the most heartwrenching way possible. 

JoCo also came back for the Portal levels in Lego Dimensions, writing one final breakup song for GLaDOS to sing about Chell. It comes off as GLaDOS not wanting to admit she misses Chell even though she obviously does, trying to replace their relationship but failing, and even explicitly forgiving Chell/wanting her to come back.

Also, the “finally I understand,” as if only now GLaDOS understands just how deep her feelings for Chell are... What else can I say?

In Lego Dimensions, GLaDOS also outright rejects anyone who isn’t Chell.

In Conclusion:

Why do I ship Chell and GLaDOS? 

Well, ultimately, it doesn’t matter whether I ship them. 

Because I think it’s glaringly obvious Portal does.

[lady-literature]

Found Family

holy shit did this one get way out of hand. Don’t expect them all to be this long because hot damn this is a monster compared to literally everything else but it just wouldn’t stop

(should I have expected this? probably. we all know how I am about found family.)

anyway enjoy 4.5k words ig

based on this post | @maribatmarch-2k21 | find more here

***

When Marinette had been chosen to intern with Monsieur Wayne’s PA, she hadn’t been expecting anything special. Sure, the Waynes were an odd breed and generally considered strange, but Marinette hadn’t actually expected to have much contact with them—if any at all.

She was here to earn credit for her business degree.

Instead, she has… well. She thinks she’s been somehow inducted into the Wayne family, mostly on accident and kind of as a joke.

That is, until it very much wasn’t.

***

Her first mistake, she supposes, was being too good at her job.

Marinette is an old hand at keeping track of multiple moving parts and riding herd on stubborn people who’d otherwise be too distracted or goofing off. (She was the Court’s leader for more than just being the latest in a long line of Ladybugs, after all.)

After the first two days shadowing Selina—“please, darling. Ms Kyle is so formal”—and learning the broad strokes of the job, Marinette felt confident enough to dig her nails in and get to work. Selina spent most of her time dedicated to international tasks and arranging Monsieur Waynes’ private affairs—all of which was highly classified and not discussed with Marinette—so she turned her attention to inter-company affairs.

Her first order of business was personally meeting with as many people in managerial positions as she could get. Not a requirement for the job per se, but these were people she’d have to interact with often and Maman had always stressed the importance of building connections in the workplace.

“People,” she would say, “are far more willing to do what you want them to when you’ve endeared yourself to them.”

So Marinette takes that advice and spends her breaks and lunches charming employees and giving baked goods to security guards and learning the names of the cleaning crew. She doesn’t speak to the department heads, because Selina handles their correspondences, but everyone else is free game as far as she’s concerned.

She becomes a well-recognized face astoundingly quickly.

***

Marinette probably should’ve seen the rumors coming.

It’s common practice in not only the Wayne family, but in most business conglomerates, for the children to quickly rise through the ranks of their company—if not just handed a high position right off the bat.

It took barely a month before the eldest was all but running Human Resources, and the second was placed as Head of Security practically out of nowhere. Monsieur Drake is the youngest (and most terrifyingly calculated) CEO to ever hold Wayne Enterprises, even if he does share the title with his father.

The other three are still too young or have yet to express an interest in the company, but people say it’s only a matter of time.

The track record speaks for itself, even if Marinette wishes it didn’t.

As a girl who’d come mostly out of nowhere and found herself with far more divisive sway in the company than she had any right to, it’s no wonder everyone thinks she’s some sort of secret Wayne finally coming out of hiding.

Marinette had nearly choked on her coffee when Selina dropped the bomb of that particular tidbit of company gossip.

“Most think you’ve been unofficially adopted,” Selina tells her, looking far too amused for Marinette’s liking. “Seeing as you’re too old for official avenues now.”

Marinette looks up warily from the schedule she’s rearranging. Selina had all but shoved the thing at her a month ago when she started suggesting more efficient ways of managing the CEOs’ valuable time.

“Only most? Does that mean the rest have common sense?”

Selina’s grin widens even further, if that’s possible, and Marinette regrets her question even before the older woman starts speaking.

“Oh, of course not!” she laughs delightedly. “The rest are hoping to hear news of wedding bells. It’s high time someone swept a Wayne off the market, don’t you think?”

***

“So you’re the new little sister I keep hearing about.”

Marinette stares up through narrowed eyes at the brightly smiling Dick Grayson. In her stomach, there are already the beginnings of resignation starting to form. 

“It’s nice to finally meet you!”

This man is going to bring her nothing but trouble. She can tell.

***

Dick takes a liking to her. And she, against her better judgment, finds herself doing the same to him.

It’s a little hard not to, if she’s being honest. He’s bright and bubbly and brings her bagels during his morning break without her ever having asked.

It takes practically no time at all before Marinette considers him a friend, relaxing when he’s near and laughing openly at his ridiculous jokes. Despite being the head of HR, he’s not great at the whole ‘professional’ thing and often employees will walk by to find him draped across a chair or balancing precariously on the edge of her desk while she tries and fails to get some work done while he’s around.

It really doesn't help all of the ‘Marinette is a Wayne’ rumors running around. Especially when Dick starts pointedly calling her every variation of ‘little sister’ that he can think of just to annoy her (and, she knows, because he thinks the entire situation hilarious).

***

Three weeks after befriending Dick, Selina all but shoves her into Monsieur Drake’s office and, in no uncertain words, says, “He’s your problem now.”

Marinette blinks at what she can describe as nothing other than a disaster area and just… sighs.

Tim blinks back at her.

The motion is somehow both completely blank and filled with an uncomfortable amount of knowing at the same time. There is also, she notices, a frankly ludicrous amount of concealer caked beneath his eyes and more coffee cups scattered on every flat surface than Marinette has ever seen in her life.

She knows his schedule like the back of her hand seeing as she spends hours of her day pouring over it to make sure everything runs smoothly. He has no prior engagements for the next three hours.

“You’re not going to take a nap just because I ask, are you?”

He snorts. “Absolutely not.”

She nods, having expected the answer; her phone was already at her ear before he even finished speaking. “Hey, Dick!” she greets, sounding brighter than she feels at the moment, and watches as Tim stiffens in front of her. “Yeah, no. I was just wondering if you’re busy right now.” She pauses. “Oh, good! Can you come up to Tim’s office for me? Yeah, I need you to knock him out so I can fix his dumpster fire of an office.”

Tim has since started waving his hands frantically at her, panic setting in behind his eyes.

Marinette stares at him, unmoved. “Thanks, Dick! You’re the best!”

The silence after she hangs up is deafening.

“I don’t know if I should be impressed by the ease you’re manipulating me or pissed off that you’re doing it in the first place.”

She hums thoughtfully. “Does your decision have any bearing on my future employment?”

His eyes squint. “…No.”

Marinette shrugs, mind already whirling with what she’ll need to get done first and calculating how long she’ll likely have to get it done. “Then I think you should skip right over both of those and land on resignation as quickly as possible, Monsieur, because you’re going to have to get used to it regardless.”

It’s silent for a long moment, and she worries for just a second that she’s severely crossed some sort of line. Then Tim bursts out laughing instead of, you know, firing her like he probably should have.

“Oh, yeah. You’re going to fit right in here.”

Marinette doesn’t ask where the ‘here’ is. She’s pretty sure she already knows.

***

It takes ten days for Marinette to wrangle Tim’s life into something resembling order. His office is clean and organized to his liking. She’s developed a system of filing so that all paperwork goes through her and is quickly sorted into ‘can be handled by Marinette’, ‘forge his signature and tell him about it later’, and ‘actually important enough to have Tim read through’.

His schedule is the most efficient it’s ever been and Marinette is quickly honing the skill of getting him properly dressed and out of his office in under thirty minutes. (Dick is, thankfully, a great teacher and has little to no qualms about giving her the key to all his little brother’s weaknesses.)

Selina stares at her when Marinette all but drags Tim from his office, a folder tucked neatly under his arm and the sugary monstrosity of a caffeinated beverage she’s bribed him with in her own, with a whole ten minutes to spare before his meeting with the Board.

“My dear,” she says solemnly, “you are positively magic.”

She doesn’t even look up from where she’s simultaneously wrangling Tim’s hair into submission and laying his tie down flat. “You have no idea.”

***

She knows Tim is capable of professionality. She’s seen the cool facade he pulls up in front of the Board members and the kind but impersonal smile he uses on the employees of Wayne Enterprises. (He is not the Ice Prince of the Wayne family, but Marinette believes he should have some equally ruthless sounding title.) He is aloof and sharp and every inch the businessman people praise him to be.

She’s seen it. And yet… 

“Monsieur. Why are all the Lexcorp contracts I gave you done in crayon?”

Tim doesn’t stop messing with his Rubix cube or even look up at her when he says, “Cause deadbeat fathers don’t deserve the respect of a pen.”

Marinette is very tired. She does not have time for this. “What are you talking about?”

“Lex is a bitchass absentee dad and I live to inconvenience him.”

“What about inconveniencing me?” she all but whines. “I can’t hand him these!”

That does make Tim look up at her, eyes wide with false innocence and mouth pouting up at her. “But sister dearest, I’m your little brother. It’s my job to inconvenience you.”

Growling in frustration is probably an inappropriate reaction to the situation.

But, Marinette thinks, so is the fact that both of the Waynes she associates with regularly seem hellbent on convincing the world that she too, is a Wayne, so.

(Is this how Alya felt dealing with the twins? Cause if so, Marinette takes back every joke she ever made—little siblings are a bitch.)

***

She meets Damian without warning.

Honestly, she never really expected to meet him at all but, well.

She finds him in Monsieur Wayne’s office, sitting at his father’s desk and doing something that she thinks is vaguely illegal, but she’s not about to tell her Boss a dozen times over how to parent his children.

Damian is a near-perfect copy of his father with darker skin and calculating green eyes. There’s also a more potent aura of danger around the child than there is around his father, like Damian hasn’t yet learned how to hide behind his public persona as his father had.

Or, Marinette looks at the teen thoughtfully, perhaps he just chooses not to.

“Monsieur Wayne,” she greets. Children like to be treated like adults, she knows, and Marinette doesn’t think this one is any different. “Selina hadn’t told me you’d be in the office today.”

“I don’t run my schedule by her,” he says flatly. A response she expected considering Dick’s stories.

“Of course not,” she agrees.

He finally deigns to look up at her and something flits across his expression, too fast for her to pick up on it. “Are those for Father? Bring them here, I’ll deal with them in his absence.”

Marinette raises her eyebrow. “I’m not sure that’s wise Monsieur.”

Damian scowls and sticks his hand out. “I’m perfectly capable of forging Father’s signature. Give them here.”

She does not move and, instead, lets her lips quirk up into the smile she’s been fighting since she stepped in here.

“I don’t doubt it,” she tells him, and she doesn't. Forgery seems exactly like the kind of skill a child who broke into the CEO’s office of a multi-billion dollar company would have. “But you’ll find that all forging of signatures has been finished for the day and that these,” she shakes the sheaf of papers lightly, “actually require your father’s attention.”

He snorts disbelievingly and it says a lot about Marinette’s life up until now that the blatant display of disrespect doesn’t piss her off but instead reminds her of Chloé and of the fact that she still needs to reschedule their spa day. It's been too long since they spent time together in person.

“Well,” she pauses and eyes the papers thoughtfully. “‘Requires’ in the sense that its information needed to trounce the Board when they start spouting off greedy bullshit about cutting corners on our humanitarian efforts. I’m not sure how much of it is actually useful for anything besides that.” She shrugs. “But homework is homework, yes?”

That gets her a thoughtful once-over. His hand lowers and he then turns back to whatever he’s messing with on his father’s computers.

“Very well,” he concedes. “Father will be back in approximately thirteen minutes. You can leave the papers and I’ll inform him of their… importance.” He smirks, but it’s more like he’s letting her in on a joke than anything else.

Marinette smiles back as she sets the folder on the desk, feeling, oddly, like she’s passed some sort of test.

***

The day after, both Dick and Tim are waiting for her with what looks like an entire bakery laid out in her workspace.

“Uh,” she says eloquently, setting her purse down on her chair because there’s not a single open space on her desk not filled with some kind of pastry. “What’s all this?”

She looks up to find neither Dick nor Tim has stopped staring at her since she walked in. “We heard you met Damian yesterday,” Dick starts warily, like he’s scared of her reaction.

The response does not abate her confusion. 

“Yes, I did,” she says slowly. “That does not explain all… this.” She waves a hand, trying to encompass them as well as the state her desk is in.

The two brothers share a look.

“It’s a bribe,” Tim tells her simply and Marinette is taken aback for all of a second before her eyes suddenly narrow.

Dick cuts in hastily before she can say anything. “It’s more of an apology, really. For Damian’s behavior.”

But Marinette is confused and frustrated and just a bit offended by the apparent not-bribe at this point. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, but it only does so much.

“Damain’s behavior was fine,” she tells them with measured neutrality. “You two, on the other hand, are being weird and it’s freaking me out.” She crosses her arms expectantly. “Seriously, what’s going on?”

Appearing from out of nowhere, Selina drapes herself along Marinette’s shoulders and snags a raspberry scone. “I do believe,” she says as if sharing a secret, “That they are trying to keep you from quitting, kitten.”

Marinette wrinkles her nose. “Why would I quit? I like this job.”

She also likes the Waynes (in general, if not right then) and she likes Selina. The woman was a good mentor who didn’t shy away from the dirtier parts of the job and taught Marinette all she knew. (Even the bits, she noticed, that had little to nothing to do with being a personal assistant and were more likely to be found in the repertoire of a thief.

But, Marinette is in possession of her own sticky fingers and knows how to not ask questions, so. You know—curiosity killed the cat and all.)

She doesn’t voice any of that, but Selina, at least, knows it anyway. Marinette isn’t quiet about her gratitude after all.

“First meetings with the youngest Wayne don’t often go well,” Selina tells her. “In fact, I think he has a habit of making the interns cry.”

Dick makes some kind of offended noise. “Hey! He hasn’t done that since he was twelve!”

Tim elbows him in the ribs and Marinette makes a vaguely skeptical face at all three of them before deciding it wasn’t worth it. She has actual work to get done today and pastries to get rid of before she can even start.

She pats affectionately at Selina’s hand before grabbing as many boxes as she can hold. “Come on you two,” she says to the brothers. “You’re going to help me hand these out to the rest of the company.”

Dick immediately starts doing as told but Tim hesitates, humming thoughtfully. “You know that’s not going to help your whole ‘I’m not actually a Wayne’ thing, right?”

She glares at him. It doesn’t stop Tim from grinning like the utterly unrepentant little shit he is.

***

Things are quiet after the Damian Incident for a whole two weeks. It’s the longest lull Marinette has had since she first started and became somehow involved with the Waynes.

It ends because Dick finds out about the crush Marinette has been nursing on the Head of Security for three months now.

The Head of Security who is Jason Todd: second eldest Wayne sibling and Dick’s brother.

He takes it better than expected.

(Almost, she thinks later, a little too well.)

***

Despite her friendship with Dick and Tim—or perhaps because of it?—Jason had never seemed very interested in her. At first, Marinette had shrugged and counted it as a win; there was one Wayne, at least, who neither found her situation funny nor used it to poke fun at her.

They were on friendly terms, she supposed. Security has always been one of her more regular stops in the building, so she’d spoken to him often enough. He liked complaining that she spoiled his team rotten with all her treats.

But she also noticed that he likes her cherry danishes, so.

And then she noticed how crooked his grin was when he smiled. And how he seemed to have an arsenal of nicknames for everyone he knew. And the small collection of classic romance novels filled with sticky notes he tries and fails to hide in his desk. And, and, and.

It was around the time she began unconsciously memorizing his schedule based on when he was and was not there for her pastry deliveries, that she realized she may have made a misstep somewhere.

Jason was stubborn and passionate and flipped between overly proper and crass light a damn light switch. He was also, as stated, very much not interested in her.

Not that she would’ve pursued him anyway. He was a coworker as well as her friends’ brother.

Now if only one of said brothers could understand that.

“You should ask him out,” Dick suggests not for the first time and Marinette sighs, also not for the first time.

She loves Dick—she truly does—but he has been an aggravating level of unhelpful since he found out about Marinette’s latest romantic disaster.

“I’m definitely not doing that.”

Dick groans, like she’s being the unreasonable one. “Why are you being so stubborn about this?”

“Because I don’t like embarrassing myself?” she asks rhetorically. “Not everyone can have a fairy tale romance like you and Wally.”

He throws his coffee stirrer at her. “We are not a fairy tale.”

She shoots him a flat look. She’s heard Dick talk about Wally and Tim’s told her all the stories and she was there when he and Wally finally got their shit together. Dick was unbearable for an entire week with his gooey, lovestruck new lease on life.

“You two are the definition of fairy tale. You two make fairy tales look like trashy romance novels.”

He opens his mouth to argue the point before forcibly cutting himself off. “No. Stop distracting me. We’re not talking about that; we’re talking about you and Jason.”

“There is no ‘me and Jason’,” she reminds him through her clenched teeth.

“Not yet,” he says optimistically. Like it’s a fact, like he knows something she doesn’t.

He makes her want to slam her face into a wall. Truly, he does.

***

Dick stops running his HR papers up to her office. Instead, he’s somehow convinced Jason to play errand boy for him even though he literally never looks happy about it. What used to be a flimsy excuse for Dick to slack off for a few minutes and gossip with her has now turned into awkward silence as Jason drops off the papers and leaves without even a ‘hello’.

During their shared breaks, Dick takes to orchestrating ‘chance encounters’ between her and Jason, all but shoving them into each other (and even actually shoving that one time).  She catches Jason shooting dark looks at Dick every time he does it, and if she’d been holding any iota of hope at this point, it’s been smashed to dust. Jason obviously knows of his brother’s meddling and isn’t happy about it.

But Dick just can’t take the hint.

Every failed plan of his makes him steadily worse about it all—more frantic and frustrated and like he wants to strangle her for her stubbornness. (The last feeling being more than mutual.)

Dick’s meddling starts to make her and Jason’s previously friendly, if distant, relationship awkward and embarrassing. With every pointed comment, she gets closer to just punching Dick in the face. Or, maybe, she’ll just tell Wally who really ate all the chocolate strawberry macaroons she made; it’d certainly be more devastating.

***

It all comes to head on a Thursday, after most employees have left for the day. 

They run into each other in a breakroom, and she watches as Jason suddenly goes stiff, eyes flicking over her shoulder to no doubt scan for Dick. That single action makes her expression sour and she slams her empty mug down with more force than was necessary.

For Kwamis sake, he looks like a cornered animal. An image not helped by the way he jumps a foot in the air and stares at her like he’s worried she’ll suddenly lunge at him.

“Can we agree this is ridiculous?” she says abruptly. “I don’t know what Dick is trying to accomplish with his wingman schtick, but we both know it’s not going to work. Can we just… agree that he’s an idiot?”

A complicated look crosses Jason’s face before he snorts wryly. “Yeah, we can agree on that. Dickie-boy has always been a few sandwiches short a picnic.”

“I know things have been awkward between us lately, and I’m sorry about that, but I hope we can keep being friends?” she says hopefully.

“What in the world do you have to be sorry about?” he asks before she can start catastrophizing about the bewildered expression he makes at her words. “It’s not your fault.”

The smile she shoots him is rueful and she shakes her hand in an ‘ehh’ type gesture. “Kinda is. And I understand if the-” she makes a vague gesture between them that she hopes properly conveys ‘my giant, stupid crush on you’, “you know, is too much for you. Just say the word I’ll try and keep out of your way.”

She’s trying to be comforting or understanding or something like that, but all her words seem to do is make him upset. “Absolutely not,” he insists. “Sunshine, you are not going to change your routine just to make me feel better.”

Marinette crosses her arms, frowning up at him. “Why shouldn’t I? If I’m making you uncomfortable-”

He makes a strangled noise in the back of his throat. “Uncomfort- Marinette. ” She jolts a bit at the use of her name. She doesn’t think he’s used it since her second week at W.E. “I’m not sure who made you think otherwise—and if it was Dick just tell me cause I’ll kick his ass —but barring the fact that I still enjoy your friendship regardless of any… feelings-” Marinette concentrates very hard on not showing emotion when he says that, “-it’s not your responsibility to deal with it.”

Okay, but… that makes no sense. Of course her feelings were her responsibility, that’s the whole point of them being hers.

“If it’s not mine, then whose responsibility is it then?” she asks, wondering where the hell his train of thought is running.

“Mine, obviously.”

She gives him a look, complete with narrowed eyes and thinly veiled judgment. “What? Is this some kind of gentleman’s martyr complex? Is that what’s happening right now?”

Jason huffs a laugh, but there’s no humor in the sound. “If me taking responsibility for my own damn feelings is a martyr complex then sure,” he snarks, not unkindly. More like he’s trying to protect himself by retreating behind a sour attitude.

Her mouth is halfway around a retort when his words catch up to her brain and she freezes.

“Your feelings?” she repeats. “Your feelings for… me?”

His voice is carefully neutral when he says, “Those would be the ones.”

Her mouth opens and closes and opens again. “You like me? Seriously?”

His face spasms at the question, starting at anger before he properly looks at her and the surprised expression on her face. He pales.

“You didn’t know?”

“No!” she squeaks, something she hasn’t done since she was fifteen. “Well Dick said but I didn’t believe him!”

And fuck, she thinks. This means Dick knew the whole damn time, didn’t he? Oh, she is so going to kill him the second she gets the chance.

Jason runs a hand down his face, covering his mouth as he gathers his bearings. Suddenly, his eyes shoot back open and land on her. “Wait. If you didn't know, then what the hell were you talking about just now?”

She blushes to the tips of her ears and buries her face in her hands so she doesn’t have to look at him. It was easy when she thought he’d figured it out himself. It’s harder now that she has to tell him. “I- I was talking about my crush on you.”

He’s quiet for so long that she gets antsy and peeks out from behind her fingers to see his expression. He’s still looking at her, but now there’s a wide, crooked smile on his face. The expression softens something in her chest and she lowers her hands.

“Really?” he asks, leaning closer.

Marinette nods, feeling a small smile spread across her lips.

He jolts forward, hands reaching for her before suddenly stopping just shy of touching. She startles a bit at the motion but doesn’t move away.

Jason licks his lips, smile smaller but no less bright. “I- can I?”

She blinks. “Can you what?”

“Kiss you.”

The blush returns full force, but with it also comes a smile, giddy and bright. She nods and no sooner than she does, is he swooping down to pull her into a toe-curling kiss. His hands cup her face with a tenderness that makes her smile, makes her giddy, and it’s not long before they’re both smiling too wide to actually kiss and are forced to break apart.

His hands fall to her back, practically engulfing her, and his chin drops onto her head. It’s warm and cozy and she thinks she could so very easily get used to this.

Later, they’re going to have to deal with Dick and Tim and Selina and the teasing they’ll no doubt have to endure—not to mention how much worse the rumors are going to get—but right now? Right now Marinette pulls Jason back down for another kiss and very pointedly doesn’t think about it.

[ffakc]

The Boys of Fall - a Jeffrey Dean Morgan fanfiction

I based this off a dream I had where Jeff and my dad were watching football together. I was being super flirty the whole time while Jeff just wanted to watch the game 😂

The Chicago Bears versus the Seattle Seahawks. Tim versus Jeff. My loving dad versus my loving husband. I prepared a feast of game day snacks for my guys and picked up their favorite brews. Today was going to be intense, to say the least.

I build a plate of food and head to the living room. The game was well underway. Jeff taps his knee with a smile and I sit on his lap.

“Here, try this,” I run my fingers through Jeff’s graying hair and kiss him. I hold a chip with hot spinach dip up to his mouth. He takes a large bite.

“Oh my,” he rolls his eyes back, “Did you make this?” he takes a sip of ice cold beer. I gesture to my mom. “Ma, you’ve really outdone yourself!”

“Thanks, Jeff!” my mom smiles. My husband looks over his array of snacks, trying to decide what to sample next.

“I’m 24 years old and I still don’t understand football,” I laugh and continue petting Jeff’s hair.

“I’ve explained it to you before!” my dad says.

“Well, the gist of it is the defense tries to prevent the offense from scoring the football. The offense must advance the ball at least 10 yards every four plays or downs. Each time the offense is successful in advancing the ball 10 yards, they get four more downs or what is called a ‘first down’. Does that make sense, sweetheart?” Jeff explains.

“A little bit,” I reply, “You’re so cute when you talk about the stuff you love.” I curl up under the fuzzy blanket while Jeff’s hands rub my back.

“These wings are delicious too, doll. And you don’t even miss the meat!” Jeff remarks, biting into a cauliflower Buffalo wing.

“Yeah, she made those for Grandpa once and damn near killed him,” my dad jokes.

“It’s true! I think I added more hot sauce than barbecue,” I giggle.

“I don’t mind a little heat,” Jeff replies.

“Well, if you’re going to eat those spicy wings,” I lean into Jeff’s ear, my voice barely above a whisper, “You better brush your teeth real good later. I want your mouth all over me, Daddy.” I feel Jeff get excited in his gray Seahawks sweatpants, grateful he was under the blanket, for those sweatpants definitely didn’t leave much to the imagination. He squeezes my backside and bites his lower lip. His face quickly turns to frustration.

“NOT A PASS!!! GOD DAMN IT!!!” my husband yells, causing me to flinch, “Sorry, babe,” Jeff rubs my shoulder, “Didn’t mean to scare you.” My dad laughs maniacally.

“Well, Mr. Morgan! Look who’s not doing so hot!” Jeff tosses up a middle finger with a smirk. “Hey now, play nice. Just because your team sucks doesn’t mean you get to flip off your father in law.”

“Can I smack your dad?” Jeff jokes.

“Jeffrey!” I playfully slap his chest and we all laugh, “How about another beer?” Jeff nods.

“God, I really love your daughter, Mr. C,” Jeff says as I hand him the beverage with a kiss, “Thanks, baby.” I sit back on my husband’s knee.

“I wouldn’t want anyone else for a son in law, Jeff. Look at the way she looks at you.” I make a goofy face and Jeff wheezes, “Okay, maybe not like THAT. But it makes me so happy to see her happy. She never holds back about how much she loves you, and don’t we all want that in a partner?”

“Very true, I’ll drink to that. I love you, (name).”

“I love you too, Jeffrey,” I nuzzle my head in the crook of his neck.

***

I waited for my husband to finish his shower as I dicked around on my phone. We were sleeping in my childhood bedroom. I shut off the lamp next to the bed, letting the moonlight illuminate the space I used to call my own. The crisp, fall breeze feels heavenly. Jeff appears in the doorway, hair damp and pajama bottoms clinging to his hips. His manly, brunette chest hair turned me on like crazy. He shuts and locks the door behind him.

“Nice room you’ve got here. I dig the orange walls,” my husband looks around.

“Yeah, I think we repainted my junior year of high school. I was going through an artsy phase,” I giggle.

“It’s very cozy,” Jeff smiles and places his glasses on the nightstand. I beckon with my finger. “What are you doin’, Princess?” He climbs on top of me and kisses me deeply, tasting very faintly of cigarettes, but mostly like minty toothpaste, “Oh, I see. I know what you want. Don’t worry,” he glides his tongue over his teeth, “Nice and clean, no more Buffalo sauce,” he teases. I laugh as he buries his face in my neck, kissing and moaning. My husband smells so damn good. Jeff’s kisses trail down my body, “Look at my little girl. Oh fuck yes. So wet already, Princess?” he rasps, burying his nose in the freshly trimmed hair of my most sensitive area.

“You always get me there, Daddy,” I nod and bite my lip.

“You smell scrumptious. Good enough to eat, baby cakes,” Jeff lowers his voice to a whisper, “We’re going to have to keep it down a bit, doll,” Jeff makes a satisfied “mmm” noise and he sucks my clit, “Don’t want Mom and Dad to know how good I tongue-fuck you, hm?” He slurps loudly, “That’s my good girl.” He kisses around my outer lips and slides a finger inside.

“Daddy,” I whine, “Oh fuck!” I rock myself against Jeff’s hot, wet mouth as he grips my hips. He adds another slender finger and begins curling them slightly, hitting just the right spot. “Jeffrey, oh god yes! Jeffrey!” I gasp. Staying quiet while my silver fox’s tongue dove in and out and around every inch of me was damn near impossible.

“You sure have a pretty little pussy, my gorgeous wife,” I LOVED when Jeff called me that. I was Mrs. Morgan, now and forever, and he was never going to let me go. Jeff brings me to the edge of a mind blowing orgasm and readjusts himself. He hovers above me, pressing his lips into mine. “I’m going to fuck your pretty little brains out now,” Jeff lets out a vaguely Negan sounding chuckle. I beg for it as he taps the tip of his hard cock against my clit, “But maybe,” I run my hands over his stomach and across his chest, his nipples hardening from the stimulation and the cool night air. “Maybe I want you to beg for it, sweetheart,” his croaky voice gives me chills.

“Please, I need it so bad,��� I can barely speak.

“I can’t hear you,” Jeff teases.

“Please, Jeff! I need your big, fat cock inside of me!” I speak a little louder.

“That’s it, pretty girl,” Jeff sinks into me with a groan, “I ain’t going to last long, you feel so go-oh hell yes, that’s it. Right there,” he bites his lower lip as he thrusts deep and slow, smooth and even. The fullness makes me shake. He hushes me gently as he brushes two fingers over my clit, “Jesus fuckin’ Christ, sweetheart, I’m so close.”

“Come on, Daddy. Finish inside me, Jeff. Please finish insi- oh fuck! Fuck me harder!” I whine. Jeff quickens his pace as small beads of sweat gather on his forehead. Jeff curses under his breath, making low growls of pleasure.

“You want it in your pussy, hm? You want Daddy to breed you good?” I nod quickly and inhale sharply as an intense orgasm overtakes me. I shove my face in the pillow, attempting to muffle my sounds. “I’m fucking cumming, Princess, oh fuck yes! Yes, baby girl! Oh god!” I drip with Jeff’s sticky, warm juices as he pulls out. He rests his head on my chest and I begin stroking his hair.

“Jeffrey Dean, you fucking animal,” I pant.

“I’ve still got it. At 54, I’ve still got it,” Jeff jokes.

***

Jeff pours himself a cup of coffee and joins us at the dining room table. He rests his head on my shoulder lovingly.

“Did you sleep good? You look tired, Jeff,” my mom laughs.

“Yeah, slept wonderfully,” Jeff smiles.

“Is everyone still coming over later?” I ask.

“As far as I know. If you two want to run to the store-“

“Okay, I have to say something. It’s bugging the hell out of me,” my dad speaks up.

“You okay, Mr. C?” Jeff looks confused.

“Yeah, um, I couldn’t sleep last night. Now, I can’t stop you guys from doing what married couples do, just know that the headboard in that bedroom is LOOSE and LOUD,” my dad says.

“Oh my god,” I bury my face in my hands and Jeff turns red.

“Just be more careful, okay bud?” my dad pats his son in law’s shoulder.

“Yes sir,” Jeff holds back laughter. I sip my coffee with a smirk, squeezing Jeff’s knee under the table. And here we thought we were being sneaky.

[falcor-thee-luck-dragon]

Rough Night

Bucky Barnes x (f)werewolf reader

Summary: Your life is already so weird, thankfully Bucky loves you through it all.

Warning: fluff, reader being a sass master w/ no filter

side note: couldn’t think of any cool avenger powers and then brain went werewolf so here we are

Masterlist

If you had a dollar for every time you’d ended up in the woods with ripped clothes and no shoes, well, let’s just say you could probably afford a real nice two bedroom apartment in some real pleasantly fancy building with a great view and all. Too bad green doesn’t just rain down from the sky every time the full moon comes round to knock you back into another world of blurry confusion.

You won’t lie to yourself, being what you are is strange and not very common in the slightest, obviously. It’s even weirder that you weren’t bitten one night and turned just like that, oh no, all passed down through the bloodline of other strange relatives. So you’re gifted with the curse, forced to inevitably change into a furry beast every single full moon, so what you’re still a mostly pleasant individual.

Well luckily for you, being born with the gift does happen to have its perks which do come in handy. For instance, you’re incredibly strong, quick on your feet, and have heightened senses, plus the ability to shift on command. It’s not all bad, well......most of the time.

Honestly you truly thought life couldn’t get much stranger for you and your whole hidden secretive situation, until low and behold some random red head found your little hideaway in a remote mountain side village far off in the Himalayas.

Everything was completely fine and under control and then BAM, she showed up with some important documents and something called an Avengers initiative and well shit, guess some time spent with the real world couldn’t hurt. I mean come on, some more friends seemed like a nice idea and uh, somehow they knew who you were so too late to run and hide.

Also at the time, considering you lived like a recluse on the edge of the village and of course for good reason, but damn if the red head didn’t just hand you an open invitation for some real adventure. Who were you to say no?

Fortunately for you, all seemed to go in your favor and fantastically enough, they had a nice big strong cell for you on nights when the wolf was inevitably bound to come out. A fridge full of plentiful snacks, a training room to lay off some steam, and a big safe and secure room all your own. It was perfect. Only problem was, there happened to be a very attractive and very wary of you super soldier who undoubtedly caught your attention.

How could you not, he smelled divine, muscles for days, thick thighs that could make a girl swoon, and he just seemed like the best goddamn hugger alive. Okay listen, maybe you were touch starved and deprived of human affection but dammit if your little monster heart didn’t skip a beat every time he was near you.

And yes, the few months it took to get him to crack was just down right torturous. But with some coaxing from Steve and encouragement from Sam, the winter soldier at long last did talk to you. Turned out he thought you were scared of him all along, how hilariously ironic you thought when he told you that.

But as time progressed and you both opened up more and more, a blossoming relationship sprouted forth, eventually evolving and manifesting into a big beautiful flower called love. Cheesy yes, but you couldn’t have dreamed of anything better.

And seriously, he wasn’t freaked out about your whole hidden hush hush secretive gift that usually either goes in your favor or ends up causing you major legal trouble. The man himself, Bucky Barnes, thought you were a marvel to behold, so odd and fantastic that he couldn’t stay away even if he tried.

And for that you could love him forever, especially now after a full moon while you’re out in the middle of nowhere. Hoping that the team will send your hundred year old boyfriend out to find you in the brisk dark morning after a grand unrememberable adventure. Which would be very nice of course, considering you have not a damn clue what you’ve done.....or where you are.

Cracking your back, you stretch your hands up to the dawning sky as a tired yawn escapes you. It’s been a long night and you look like a wild woman with your hear a fluffy nest and your clothes ripped in various unrevealing places thankfully.

Your surroundings are simply trees and small scraggly bushes, green grass underneath your bare feet and a small stream flowing in the near distance. With a second to listen, you can hear a highway a couple miles away to the east, guess that’s a start.

Rubbing your eyes you set out in that direction for about twenty minutes before a blue and gold Mercedes comes into view from the side of a country back road, it stops when you guess the driver spotted you from the tree line. Keeping a wary eye on the fancy sports car, you keep walking towards it until a figure gets out and leans against the passengers side door all cool and casual, then on further inspection you realize the driver is Bucky.

Yes! My knight in shining armor is here!

Trudging through the grassy field in the dewy morning light, he watches your every move, eyes crinkling in amusement as you come to stand a couple feet in front of him. Undoubtedly looking a bit wild, and very tired as you fold your arms underneath each other, giving your dark haired lover a shy almost fangy smile.

“I know I look like a hot mess.” You mutter with a shrug, biting your lip as you dart your eyes to the fields behind him, slightly embarrassed of the current disheveled state you’re in.

Bucky smirks before pushing himself off the car and engulfing you into a big Bucky bear hug to your pleasant surprise, “Y/N I’m just glad you’re okay and nothing bad happened to you.” He mumbles into your shoulder as you press yourself closer to him, letting yourself have this wonderful moment to relax and feel at ease.

Slowly pulling back to look up at him, you smile, “Aww Buck you were worried about me?”

He returns the grin, leaning down to press his head flush against yours, “We all were, me more then anyone else of course...and maybe for the general civilians nearby.”

You laugh nervously, “Oh right, yeah. Well hey, I didn’t destroy anyone's car this time. I think I’ve made progress.”

He pauses for a brief moment indicating he’s not sure if he should tell you something and this does make you nervous before Bucky finally lets out a little laugh, “You ate a whole cow Y/N.”

Snorting in surprise you quickly pull your head from Bucky’s, “What? Did I? Please tell me you’re joking.”

“Yeah, uh I wish.” He admits with a casual reassuring squeeze to your arm, “We tracked you with Sam’s suit tech, yunno Red Wing, and uh....you seemed to be having fun.”

Mentally and just about physically cringing at yourself, you purse your lips together in slight embarrassment, “Shit. Was it gross?” You ask, making a face that causes him to chuckle.

“A little.” Adds Bucky with another casual shrug to make you feel less terrible.

“Is the farmer going to see everything, I mean shit they’re gonna be so pissed.” You worry, biting your lip anxiously as you break eye contact from him. “Why am I like this.”

“Uh, that’s not going to be a problem.” Inquires Bucky causing you to find his blue eyes once again.

Eying him up suspiciously you raise a brow, “And why’s that.....Bucky what did I do?”

Taking a breath he gives you a small apprehensive smile, “Y/N...you uh, kind of ate......everything.”

“I what?” I did not! No way, right?

Giving you a quick kiss on the cheek he smiles affectionately, “I’m going to be honest with you here it looked like a kid with a piece of cake who has no impulse control, and loves cake....like a lot.....Rodney almost puked.”

Rolling your eyes you fake glare at him, “Oh god who all watched my little horror show?”

“Mostly everyone.”

“Jesus.”

“It’s like a car crash Y/N, we don’t want to watch but we can’t look away. Sorry doll.” He confesses apprehensively, though honest and sincere knowing you do feel bad for what you do when out of it.

“No.” You say honestly, pausing for a moment, “It’s fine. Seriously Buck, I’m just relieved you guys keep taps on me while I’m out, god knows I can’t help what I do and where I go. It’s nice to have people making sure I don’t injure any innocent bystander.”

“Yeah I guess so huh...alright Y/N/N,” Chirps Bucky with a beaming grin as he attempts to shift the mood to a less dull one, “let’s get out of here, I mean unless you want to sniff around the place for awhile...it is a nice forest over there and all but I guess we can stay and I’ll let you...”

“Alright Barnes, can-it or maybe I’ll bite you.” You tease with a playful squeeze of his bicep before breaking out of his strong grasp.

“Depends on the context maybe I’d enjoy it.” Adds Bucky sarcastically, side eying you with a half smile as you move to open the car door.

Shaking your head in playful disapproval you lightly shove him aside, “Believe me you wouldn’t.”

——

The ride back to the Avengers base or headquarters or facility, who the hell knows at this point, was actually quite smooth and peaceful. Then again you fell asleep as soon as Bucky made it onto the highway, and continued to catch a much needed nap for the next hour ride home.

No one ever said you were easy alright, but let’s be real, Bucky would let you put him through anything and he’d be happy about it.

After parking and walking down the sidewalk past some early morning trainees catching a run, the two of you made it into the Avengers official HQ where all your rooms and other luxury’s are located. But of course not before walking past the facilities giant living space and huge kitchen.

Just keep looking forward, keep walking, walk faster you idiot!

“Y/N!” Shouts Sam in that stupidly peppy obnoxious early morning voice of his, no doubt gaining the attentions of Steve and Natasha who are seated at the kitchens bar talking about some mission report.

Pausing in the large doorway that’s not giving you or Bucky a whole lot of hiding space, you take a deep breath before turning to acknowledge him, “You’d think people would be sleeping considering it’s only six in the morning.”

Chuckling, Sam raises his protein shake, “Weird,” He says while giving you a knowing smirk, “we missed you during training this morning.”

Nat and Steve conceal their amusement as you simply roll your eyes, “Yeah well it was a long night.” You mutter unenthusiastically, earning the tiniest laugh from Bucky which causes you to throw him a glare. Knocking that smile right off of his handsome stubbly face.

“Well we got all these shakes here if you two love birds want one. Hate to have em go to waste.” Adds the smiling man with a nod, if he doesn’t just love seeing you looking like shit. No Sam I do not accept this invitation for you to tell me how crazy I look.

Sam means well of course, but damn he loves teasing you in front of Bucky for a fun reaction out of him. And it’s kind of working, but not on Bucky.

“It’s fine Y/N, you don’t have to have one if you don’t want to.” Calls Natasha before taking a sip from her mug. “Just ignore Sam, he’s been annoying since the gym.”

Before Sam’s even able to speak you quickly narrow your eyes at him, holding up a finger before making hasty steps across the room. Stopping right in front of him, “Give it.” You deadpan.

Brows raised in surprise he glances from a confused Bucky, then back to you again, “Listen I only made so much, Y/N this is my breakfast okay you can’t just...”

Ignoring his rushed rambling you pull out the whole glass blender full of protein shake before taking a step back as the whole room goes quiet, then never breaking eye contact you heartily drink up the whole entirety of its cold contents without missing a beat. Yeah, definitely needed that.

After you’re finished you lick your lips in satisfaction, taking a step closer towards a speechless Sam as you set the blender back in its place. Giving him a satisfied smirk before walking back over to Bucky where you tug on his jacket to follow you down the hall and away from everyone else.

Sometimes you can’t help but be a little dramatic.

——

Laying sprawled out on yours and Bucky’s giant mattress, you stare up at the ceiling as he folds your clean and freshly scented laundry, your mind swirling with thoughts of what duties you have to be apart of today. Blah, work.

Sighing gently you glance at Bucky to see if he heard you, not getting anything from him you sigh again with more grandeur this time. Nothing. Rolling your eyes you suck in a deep breath before practically soft yelling out your exhale like the dramatic little beast you are.

Glancing over to Bucky, you watch as he turns around to put some of your pants away in a drawer. Okay then, that’s how it’s gonna be. Quickly sitting up, you smirk a devilish grin before silently reaching over to pick up a small pillow, once in hand you don’t think twice before launching it at full speed directly headed for the back of his head.

But before your decently soft projectile can smack his precious flowing locks does a metal arm swiftly reach up to catch it mid flight. Oh, shit. Bucky’s head turns to you, brow raised at you before tucking the pillow underneath his arm, and going back to his usual domestic duties for the day.

Okay, killer of fun Mr. James Buchanan Barnes.

Frustrated from lack of a reaction out of him, you stand up on the bed like a warrior about to give a great battle cry. Eyeing his cute butt up for a moment, you smirk once again before launching a sneak attack pillow right for his head. It sails magnificently across the room before a metal hand stops it in its place. 

Well, shit.

This time he gives you a proper look, full of mischief and a new profound playfulness that sends an excited thrill throughout your entire being. As fast as one of Thor’s lightening bolts does the pillow soar in your direction, but conveniently for you he’s forgotten just how quick you can really be. This is just what you wanted.

Dodging to the left you watch in almost slow motion as the fluffy cloth just misses your face, instead opting to smack against the back wall with a loud thud. Snapping your attention back to Bucky he narrows his blue eyes at you suspiciously while you let out an admittedly scary villainous chuckle.

Let’s party my love.

He hands you a smirk right before shifting his body to the right, arm cocked back and thrust forward just as quickly, launching his second pillow attack without an ounce of mercy. You see it coming a mile away and as graceful as a dancer do you flip off the bed, landing perfectly on the carpeted floor just as the pillow smacks hard against the door. Thwack!

Slowly standing, eyeing him up like a lioness to her prey, you give him a satisfied smile, “Missed.” You tease.

Letting out a breathy laugh, Bucky takes a cautious step in your direction as he tests the waters, “Y/N what are you doing?”

“Getting your attention you ass.”

Chuckling he takes another step forward, “Was I ignoring you?” Duh, that’s why I, oh wait he’s playing you.

“Well you certainly weren’t doing anything interesting.” You sass as he steps again closer, this time about an arms length away.

The corners of his eyes crinkle in amusement, “Okay that’s fair, but was the pillow really necessary?” He asks, though his tone is still humorous.

Not falling for his alluring charm you tilt your head to the side, a knowing smile breaking out across your face as he tries to register what your true intentions are. “Yes, and so is this.” You quip before dropping to the floor for a side sweep of his legs, in an instant he’s on the ground and looking wide eyed up at you.

God he looks beautiful. No, focus.

“Y/N!” He whines breathlessly, brows furrowed as he holds himself up by his elbows, “Now you’re gonna get it!”

Taking a quick step back you snort, “Oh really now?”

And he’s fallen for the plan.

“Yes, and when I get you, you won’t be laughing anymore.” He grumbles, trying to keep himself from laughing as well.

“Alright then hot stuff try and bring me down.” You snap back playfully as he rises to his feet, “First one pinned has to run with Sam later, and we both know how much fun he is to run with.”

Bringing his arms up into a defensive position he readies himself for an attack, “Yeah, I’d rather not be his jogging buddy today. I mean it is raining outside, but I know you’d look real nice after a wet run.” Teases Bucky with a smirk.

“Touché you smartass.” His lips twitch into a grin as you ready your own stance. “Now let’s dance.”

[dingoat]

Boy

[Almost 2k words, mostly sad. I needed to write some sad. Don’t read if you don’t want to read sad.]

There was a very large part of Ahuska that just wanted to relax. To stop, shut down for a while, to simply exist without looking over her shoulder, without worrying what would come next, without wondering where they’d next touch down for a bite of food. They were home, they’d gotten Nines home, against all odds, against every doubt, though she didn’t feel any ounce the ‘hero’ that was being suggested by the colonists.

Colonists. Settlers. Out here, they weren’t Deserters any more, they weren’t even the Free People’s Army.

Just people, working together to build a new home.

As much as Ahuska enjoyed the idea of that, there was still something restless in her heart, unsettled in her guts, if she let herself dwell too long on what sort of future that might offer. And she couldn’t pause to dwell just now, anyway, because she still had responsibilities to check in on. She’d given some moments to Nela, to her buir, even to Ulfran, though that had just left her feeling more awkward and uncomfortable than she’d thought possible. She’d helped Crow offload some of their gear into the little prefab dwelling that had been built in their absence and awaited their return. She’d settled Pexu with a good feed, avoided being pulled away to some sort of celebratory gathering with Laks and the other bothans, and now… to the stables.

The paddocks looked to be well in order, with some half dozen of the varactyls out foraging, pressing their beaks through the knee-high clumps of grass in search of bugs, their bright feathers catching the glow of the late afternoon sun. She slowed to watch them; two of the blues, three blue-green, and that lovely deep purple-black girl… but no flash of iridescent silver, no violet-streaked plumage. Ahuska scanned across the rolling slopes of fenced off pasture one more time to be sure, then shrugged and started heading to the stables proper, figuring her Boy must be indoors.

The musty stable smells hit her immediately in a wave of familiarity and comfort, and the soft trills and churrs of restful varactyls tugged at Ahuska’s heart with a pang that made her realise how much she’d missed having Boy nearby. Of course, it had made sense to leave him on Eden. He was getting on in years, he tired more quickly than he used to, was less inclined to make those steep climbs, took longer to warm himself up for the day…

Ahuska’s feet carried her to his stall, and she frowned to see it empty. Was someone out with him, then? She told herself not to get upset, it’s not as though they’d set a date on their return, it’s not like she should expect everything to just be waiting for her… 

Her gaze darted about the stall walls and floor, and narrowed her eyes. Why wasn’t there any bedding down for him though? Even if he was off on a longer trek… perhaps they’d just moved him. Perhaps he’d hit it off with another of the varactyls and they’d arranged a larger stall for them to be penmates…

Ahuska moved through the stables with more urgency in her stride, and something uncomfortable turning about in her guts.

There was the orange striped boy. The little dark blue girl with attitude. The large and gentle cavern boy. The pale gold who she remembered as scrawny, but had clearly put on some solid muscle since she’d been gone. The tawny, the green…

“Boy!” Ahuska called, squinting, turning and staring back the way she’d come. “Bo-oy!”

But no familiar warble responded to her voice, and she felt suddenly cold.

“Boy! Where’s my Boy?” She called again, pushing through to the doors that opened straight into the paddocks, running out amid the tussocks of native grass. “BOY---!”

Still no response came to her, and she turned again, berating herself for not checking if his tack was still hanging in the storage area.

“Ahuska!”

The shout came before she started moving back inside, and she twisted to look over her shoulder and spy the dark-haired figure sprinting down the path that ran alongside the paddock fence.

“Ahuska, wait, just… wait a…”

It was Kovar, and he looked… well. His back straighter, shoulders squared, the bothan carried himself with more ease and confidence than when she’d seen him last. When she’d asked him to take care of the herd while she and Crow took off on their fool’s errand, chasing after the declared dead based on nothing more than an old dream and a hunch.

She didn’t want to see him right now. She didn’t want to have to be the one to tell him what she’d seen on Korriban…

“Just a… a-a-a moment,” he was nervous, not out of breath, despite his dash and the way he’d vaulted the fence to hurry up to her. “I was hoping to catch you before you got here, there’s…”

Something in his tone made the cold feeling inside her clench around her heart like a gnarled fist. She suddenly, desperately didn’t want to hear what he had to say, and she shook her head as she turned back and started moving toward the stables. “It can wait.”

“No please, wait, just wait. I don’t… I wish I didn’t…”

“Then don’t.”

Subconsciously, she’d already started casting herself outward, feeling the bright sparks of life that shone outward from each of the beautiful animals quietly foraging in the paddocks. She knew Boy wasn’t anywhere out there with them, just as surely as she knew that Kovar was feeling utterly wretched, and she wanted nothing to do with either of those facts.

“Ahuska you’re not going to find him in there,” she could hear the effort it took for him to say those words, and she thrust aside the shudder of anxiety that tried to grip her, masking it all with anger instead.

“Where then?” She snarled, spinning to round on Kovar who took an abrupt step back, hands raised. She pressed forward. “Who the hell have you let take my varactyl out of the settlement? How long has he been gone?”

He stared at her, and she hated the look in his eyes. She hated how abruptly terrified she was of what he was going to say.

“Just over a week,” Kovar murmured, his voice hitching slightly. “He’s been gone just over a week, there was nothing we could do…”

Ahuska sucked in a hard breath through her nose, refusing to believe he meant what she knew he must surely mean. “The hell do you mean, Boy can’t be gone…”

Kovar opened his mouth, searching for words, but his expression said more to Ahuska than any words possibly could.

“No,” Ahuska shook her head and shuddered, something terrible gripping her from the inside. “No, you don’t mean that. Where is he, where…”

Again she turned, and when Kovar set a hand on her shoulder as she tried to take some staggering, aimless steps out into the paddock she jerked violently away from his touch.

“Stop it, no! No, he can’t just be gone! Where is he, where are you? Boy? Boy!”

“Ahuska…”

But she wasn’t listening. She didn’t want to listen. So long as he didn’t say it outright, so long as she didn’t have to hear the words aloud, she could believe that her Boy was simply… missing. Missing, somewhere, and therefore able to be found, just like Nines had been. Lurching footsteps carried Ahuska across the paddock, her movements so rough that she startled the foraging varactyls. Seeing them shy away from her, lifting their heads and flowing back a few paces, only made her more upset, driving the cold, twisted feelings more sharply through her insides.

She stood, staring out, her breath coming in shudders.

She heard his footsteps behind her in the grass, she flinched and leaned away, hugging her arms across her chest as he came to stand beside her.

“I’m sorry.”

She gasped, then, a hiccup of a sob, and suddenly felt as though she couldn’t breathe. It couldn’t be real. It couldn’t be true. He couldn’t be gone. She shivered and shook, her ears quivering, her insides constricting. “How?”

“You know he had a few things going on. But it was a tumor, in the end. Grew quickly and aggressively and was pressing into his lungs. I… I tried. You have to know I tried, but he was old, and the sedation was hard on him, and he…”

Ahuska’s breaths were ragged with sobs that she couldn’t quite bear to release.

Kovar took a deep breath of his own. “He stopped breathing. He probably would have only carried on another day or so as it was, but we couldn’t bring him out of it.”

“No…” she croaked out the word, she tried to deny what she was hearing though there was no denying the terrible aching rush that flooded her body. “No,” she repeated, more firmly, that single word of denial taking a phenomenal effort. “No he can’t, he can’t. He’s not…!”

It can’t be like this. I wasn’t there. I wasn’t there for him! The image of Boy taking his final breath, stretched out on an operating table surrounded by strangers, tore her to shreds. A violent and terrible guilt flushed through her, and as Kovar reached out again to try and offer a comforting hand, she sensed it and pushed outward, sending him topping backward into the grass. She didn’t want it. She didn’t want comfort, she didn’t want him, she didn’t want anyone.

I let him down. I let him down, I knew he was getting old but I abandoned him, I wasn’t there for him. He was my Boy and I should have been there…! Ahuska didn’t pay any attention to where her feet where taking her, all she knew was that she couldn’t stay here.

Her beautiful silver varactyl was gone. He’d been so gentle, so trustworthy. Never prone to wander, never snappy or defensive, how many beings had had their very first ride on him? He liked to sleep with his chin resting up on something. He loved knytix skins and crunchbugs more than anything, though one time he thieved a box of sweet cakes from the side of her bed and devoured the whole thing through the night. The sun used to energise him, but in the last year or so it just made him sleepy, and to rest against him after he’d spent an hour or so basking was bliss. The feathers just behind his ear holes were the softest.

She’d told him she loved him and kissed the curve of his beak every time she settled him for the night, but had she told him enough? Did he know, did he know right at the end just how much he’d meant to her?

Her Boy was gone.

She’d been barely fourteen when he was passed into her care, a constant and steady fixture of her life, and now, just like that…

Ahuska buckled into the field in the middle of nowhere and sobbed openly, grief rolling through her in waves she could no longer contain.

Her Boy was gone.

[ask-the-twst-girls]

Interactions with the twst!girls Part 1: Rosia Rosehearts

Quick note: I decided to start this series just to clarify how the muses in this blog in would interact with their fellow NRC students, or at least the core cast. This list will be rather long so I will be making this a series. This will be rather long, but anyway, Let's get Started!

Rosia Rosehearts

General Headcanons

Being a 2nd-year transfer from Golden Crown University (Girls version of RSA), Rosia was very off-spoken and polite when she first entered NRC.

Her concerning nature has basically caused everyone to see her as either as an older sister or a Mom-figure, so she's used to it.

In her opinion, everyone in her dorm is her family and she does her best to look out for everyone. Especially as a 3rd-year

Her Unique Magic is pretty handy and she can play therapist when she needs to. She doesn't do it all the time though and in Heartslaybul, it's basically an unspoken rule that if something is wrong, or you have a problem, you go to Rosia.

Heartslaybul Relations

We'll start with Riddle since he's practically king here (and it's his B-Day LOL).

Rosia and Riddle are blood-related as Cousins, so they are very close. Riddle doesn't like it when Rosia coddles her too much, so she knows the boundaries.

Only when they are behind closed doors is she allowed to hug him, give him treats or whatever she normally does when it's just the two of them.

Rosia is extremely protective of Riddle, since she knows first-hand how bad his side of the family is

Alright, next we'll go to Trey. Rosia knows him because he's friends with Riddle. She often plays messenger because of the "incident" that happened when Riddle and Trey were kids (i.e: getting caught by Riddle's mother)

As a result, if Trey has anything he wants to give Riddle, it's usually through Rosia.

Between the two of them, Rosia sees him as a brother, almost. She's glad that he's also worried about Riddle and that she doesn't have to bear that burden alone.

Loves it when he bakes Pear cakes, one of her favorite treats.

Alrighty, with Cater, I will warn you ahead of time that there is Canon x OC content ahead, so if you don't want to hear it, I suggest you move on.

Cater basically fell in love with Rosia at first sight. He claimed that he reminded her of Roselia, the painting mentioned in the game. Of course, it took a while for Rosia to feel the same way about Cater, as she wasn't one normally for Romance.

During her first (2nd-year) year in NRC, she treated Cater like a brother. However, when she entered her third year, it wasn't long before she started to have some feelings for him.

Despite his phone addiction, she still found a way to like him. She does encourage Cater to take a few minutes away from his phone, but it doesn't always work. It doesn't bother her though, as he's pretty open about what he does.

Doesn't mind whenever he wants to post selfies of their activities.

When they announced they were dating, it took Trey holding Riddle back to keep him from beheading Cater on the spot. I mean, this is his cousin we're talking about XD

He eventually got used to it, with some help from Rosia.

Now onto the Idiot duo. Rosia refers to Ace and Deuce as the "Dorm Brothers" as to her, they have a pretty brotherly rivalry. Ergo "Dorm Brothers".

No matter how many times Ace tried to remind her that he had an older brother, Rosia is still pretty set on it.

She seems particularly worried about the mischief they get into. Not because of the dorm's reputation, but mostly because she doesn't want Riddle to bust a vein yelling at them.

Ace is rather annoyed by Rosia and her worrying but Deuce respects her a lot. Mostly because she's an upper-classman.

Savannaclaw Relations

Alright, let's move on to Savannaclaw. In general, Rosia tends to stay away from there, due to the unsavory nature of many of the Beastmen (not saying they're perverts but what do you expect from a bunch of rowdy delinquents?)

With Leona, Rosia doesn't like how lazy he is. She has come across him napping a few times or just slacking off in general.

She will scold him whenever he is overworking Ruggie or not respecting him. She doesn't even flinch whenever he yells back at her.

Her Secret: Whenever he gets into an unreasonable mood, she always imagines him as her aunt (Riddle's mother) and is able to stay calm, as opposed to crying or running away like some of the other girls have.

Leona always calls her the "Nagging Red-Head" and claims that she's worse then Riddle, which she doesn't care about.

For her, it's on sight and she won't hesitate to remind Leona to get his ass to class or even do more to help Ruggie. She dislikes Slackers in general and no insults are enough to get through to her.

With Ruggie, Rosia will not hesitate to help him if she sees that he needs it. Especially if it has to do with Leona. After all, whenever she sees the poor guy struggling, she can't help it.

Will sometimes give Ruggie homemade donuts made by Trey to help his mood. Even when Trey doesn't bake, Rosia will buy him some from the store or just any treat to ease his mind.

Will often offer advice on how to deal with Leona (based on personal experience) or tips on a system to help keep his room neater.

Ruggie sees her as an older sister (like a lot of the other students) and appreciates her efforts to help. Even if it doesn't look very manly, at least there's donuts in it.

Rosia is the same way with Taai, as she sees them both as one and the same.

Since Taai struggled with being the only girl in Savannaclaw and Leona rejected her as a member of the Magift Club, Rosia was more then happy to play a part in the Female Team.

Since then, Rosia is happy to see Taai more confident and will help if the situation calls for it.

With Jack, Rosia heard through the grapevine that he had a past with Vil and their friendship started when she started asking him for advice (reasons will become relevant later)

Jack has heard about her from Taai and Ruggie and even saw her helping students on occasion. Seeing her also scold trouble-making students for causing disturbances, even when they retaliated also bought his respect.

He respects her as an Upper-classman, a girl and even a disciplinarian (since he saw her from the incident earlier)

Rosia in turn is secretly in love with Jack's Fluffy tail. (It's Fuzzy! What can I say!!!??) One of her secret desires is to pet it one time, but she knows Jack wouldn't like it, so she refrains. After all, you gotta respect boundaries

Octavinelle Relations

Rosia is very well aware of the rumors surrounding the Azul and the Tweels and after seeing first-hand the experience that her fellow dorm members (such as Ace and Deuce) go through when they sign a contract, then she knows better then to fall into the same trap.

Azul sees her an a potential client (like he does with a lot of the students) and does his dangdest to get Rosia to sign a contract. Thankfully, the red-head is too smart for that.

He's kinda jealous of her Unique Magic and the effect it has on People. As such, he aspires to have that ability in order to calm agitated people into signing contracts (convincing, amirite?)

Sadly, he has to bide his time. After all, some Roses have Thorns

Jade simply respects Rosia and her choice not to sign a contract. After all, it's her loss.

He admires her ability to stay calm in difficult situations that most people would be freaking out in. He wondered at first if that was the same with all girls, but later experiences proved to be a no to his answer

Rosia in turn admires how stoic Jade can be and sometimes remarks that it's almost as if he is a butler (*cough* Sebastian *cough*).

Even though Azul has asked him to use his Unique Magic to try and get his hands on Rosia's deepest, darkest secret, he refuses. After all, he only gets one shot at using his U.M. If he were to use it on her, then it has to be something good.

With Floyd, Rosia is able to navigate his mood swings. Since her Unique Magic involves emotions, then this is right up her ally.

She is often very gentle whenever Floyd is in a good mood. Afterall, she'd be doing Azul and Jade a disservice if she upset him in any way. And besides, if Floyd is happy, then Riddle is happy (LOL)

Floyd finds some of the songs that she hums at times very cheerful and asks her to teach her some of the words, which she happily obliges to.

Helps his mood a great deal when he hums them while at work in the lounge, even if it confuses the shit out of Azul and Jade.

With Scylla, Rosia treats her like a little sister. She also makes sure to heck that Azul and the Tweels don't torture her in any way. After all, she's one of the younger students.

Rosia will also scold them if Scylla complains to her about working overtime, as she's not a huge fan of child labor laws.

Scylla likes hanging out in Heartslaybul and is already good friends with Deuce, so Rosia isn't surprised whenever she comes over.

Scarabia Relations

Rosia is generally very respectful of Students form Scarabia. She can relate to their problem-solving abilities and their knack for staying calm in hard situations.

With Kalim, the biggest ray of sunshine in this school, Rosia gets the impression that he's too pure for this world. Heck, she's surprised that he even got into NRC to begin with.

As much as she likes Kalim, she feels he's better off in RSA, since he doesn't even seem like the type of student to attend NRC. But she doesn't say anything out loud. It's partially out of worry for him and concern for Jamil.

Other then that, she is able to tolerate his extrovert nature and is able to keep up with his eager banter.

Kalim himself likes Rosia a lot and sees her like an older sister. He enjoys being around her and always listens whenever she gives him advice. Even if he forgets it half the time.

With Jamil, Rosia is able to sympathize with his position with Kalim. In her own way, she does worry and is willing to listen to him rant about his dislike of Kalim.

You would think that this makes her interacting with Kalim, hard, but it doesn't. Rosia is able to tell that these are only emotions Jamil is feeling and that's what's leading him to think about this. She fully supports his ambition to travel the world upon graduation.

Jamil won't admit it, but he appreciates Rosia worrying and always accepts her offers to take a step back to address his emotions to her.

With Shi and Amee, they see Rosia as an Obstacle. With their own ambitions on getting closer to Jamil and Kalim, they think that Rosia is trying to one-up them.

As such, they regard her with hostility and often avoid her at all chances. Mostly because she's an upper-classman and she could get them into trouble. Plus, they aren't always in the mood to hear her scold them.

With Sahara, Rosia often checks up on her, seeing as Sahara is related to Briar, who is a member of Trad. Dance club.

Even though it's for Briar, Sahara can get easily annoyed by Rosia's probing and asking. Even so, she doesn't hesitate to admit anything she is asked about, mostly because she's afraid Briar will come after her later.

Pomefiore Relations

With Pomefiore, Rosia is well-acquainted with many female students from that dorm, as some of them are in Trad. Dancing Club, or she's worked them on some of the projects Vil has asked her assistance on.

This is where Jack's advice on dealing with Vil comes in handy, as Vil and Rosia have a very love/hate relationship. Rosia isn't too keen on dealing with famous people. Mostly because popularity isn't something she's too into.

She does admire Vil's ability to act and perform, but his strict working style kinda puts her off. With him criticizing people left and right, she doesn't know how people are still confident afterwards.

Vil in turn has heard about Rosia and her calm nature. From afar, he doesn't think she's much to look at, but he has to admit she knows how to calm a room down.

When Trad. Dancing was struggling to find a place to meet, he was the one who stepped forward to offer Pomefiore's ballroom, but on one condition: That Rosia's club would assist the Movie Appreciation club when they needed extra people. After all, you can't go wrong when you hire dancers, amirite?

With Rook, Rosia is very very very wary. With some of the tales she's heard from Pomefiore girls, she's wondering what Rook's true motives are.

Even with Rook being polite with her, Rosia does her best to be polite, though she can't help but feel secretly unsettled.

Rook in turn admires Rosia for her level-headed nature. He often vocally admires her when he sees her say or do something. Vil sometimes questions whether he has a crush on her or not.

With Epel, Rosia worries about him a lot. After all, with Vil's strict nature and Rook's stalker tendencies, how has he not gone insane?

Epel does appreciate it when Rosia stands up for Vil and scolds him for all the tough things he's put him through. After all, you can't expect a country boy like Epel to know Fancy Folk talk.

Rosia doesn't stop Epel when he runs from his duties, but she doesn't help him either. In her opinion, it's out of her hands and she's not going to get involved.

With Annabelle, Rosia has worked alongside her when Trad. Dancing volunteers for Vil's Projects in his club. She's admires Annabelle's sewing skills and is open to learn so that she can fix torn clothes in Heartslaybul.

Annabelle likes Rosia as well and respects her an an upper-classman. She also secretly asks Rosia for dance lessons, as she is very clumsy when it comes to dancing and doesn't want to embarrass herself in front of her dormmates.

Unlike her younger sister, Danielle is a different case. Haughty and dismissive, Danielle often looks down on people she deems unfit to be students of NRC and Rosia just so happens to be one of those people.

Even with someone as crude as Danielle looking down on her, Rosia is still able to hold her own against her and even put her in her place a few times.

As such, Danielle dislikes her and tends to either avoid her, or talk crap about Rosia, even when she can't come up with any truthful dirt to spread on her.

Ignihyde Relations

Rosia doesn't talk much to any of the Ignihyde students, as they are normally shut away in their dorm and dislike any social interaction. While she can understand their case of social anxiety, she does worry about their health and mental well-being.

Rosia hardly interacts with Idia, but when she does, she makes it a point to ask how he's doing. Since Idia hardly makes any public appearances, even at dorm meetings, Rosia often finds herself playing messenger, delivering important papers that Riddle would like to give Idia if he didn't have a case of Anthropophobia (which he might have. I dunno???)

Idia himself sees her as a "Normie" as he often calls many other students. He wants to get annoyed at the fact that Rosia is even trying to interact with him, but with her Unique magic on sometimes, he just can't.

All he can do is resign himself to the fact that if you're not there in person, then a messenger is gonna come. So for now, he just puts up with Rosia's efforts and carries on with life.

Ortho is the only Ignihyde student that Rosia is close with. She adores him and is very sisterly to him whenever they cross paths.

Rosia can sympathize with Ortho's frustration over Idia and his refusal to leave his room. All she can do is explain that some people just don't like social interaction and that it's hard for them to deal with it.

Unlike what she does with other students, Rosia doesn't confront Idia, because she knows that it won't do any good. To her, it works on some people, but not on others. All she can do is just be polite and carry on.

With Clotho, Rosia worries greatly for her. Since Clotho came from an abusive household, Rosia understands all too well the troubles of strict parenting.

She's glad Laechesis is around to correct Clotho on behavioral issues, but will jump in and help if the Fate of the Past isn't around to help out.

Laechesis isn't around at School much, so Rosia has barely seen her, much less interacted with her. But the one or two times they have, Rosia is pleasantly surprised to see that she's not as introverted as her dorm members.

Laechesis in turn appreciates Rosia's help on Clotho and her issues, even if she doesn't show it.

With Atropes, Rosia knows her as Briar's younger sister. Not only that, but she pities the Fate of the Future because of all that she went through in the span of 2 years in NRC.

From getting your hair turned into some weird fiery form to getting both your legs melted off, it's a wonder that Atropes is still sane. If you can even call it that.

Rosia finds herself puzzled at Atropes' trolling nature. From Rickrolling the Academy to sending weird memes to random students, she doesn't understand it.

Atropes herself likes to keep Rosia guessing. After all, what fun is it if it's not trolling?

Diasomnia Relations

Like Ignihyde, Rosia hasn't seen much of Diasomnia, even of it's leader. But she's still respectful towards them, as she knows they are a feared dorm.

When Rosia first met Malleus, she could easily tell that with his Fae Heritage and reputation, he's one of the more famous students. As such, she's polite to him at every chance meeting.

She's not scared or put off by him, but she still gives him his space, as she can tell that he's often off in his own world, something she's learned not to disturb.

But when he's up to talk, she's happy to lend an ear. Even if it's him talking about gargoyles and his Gao Gao Dragon-kun. She thinks it's sweet that he's learning what it's like to live a high-school student.

Malleus in turn is also polite and very appreciative that Rosia doesn't fear him. He enjoys her company and thinks of her as a good friend.

Rosia has heard from Trey about Lilia and his strange tendencies. She's also heard... questionable rumors about his cooking from Briar.

From the few times they've met, Rosia is taken aback by Lilia's insistence that he is way older then her, despite his young appearance. But Fae are Fae, what do you expect?

Lilia himself finds himself intrigued by Rosia and her willingness to help and understand others. He's met a lot of people in his life, some of them like her, but everyone is different, and Rosia is no exception.

He will often talk his old man Shakespearian speech, something that Rosia finds herself amused by.

Rosia is often worried about Silver and his Narcolepsy. On the off-chance she sees him dozing off, she's quick to wake him up.

The red-head sometimes is surprised by seeing the little critters that gather around Silver and as such, she finds it adorable.

Silver, though he doesn't know Rosia very well, still respects her as an upper-classman. After all, Lilia taught him to respect his seniors.

Rosia knows Briar very well, as she's a member of her club, Trad. Dancing. As a result, the two of them are good mutual friends, despite the class and age difference.

Rosia is also amazed by Briar's ability to Irish dance, especially at a high speed.

Briar respects Rosia and often learns a lot from her as an upperclassman. She often comes to Rosia with problems that she needs advice on (some of which Lilia gives terrible advice on, no offense old man).

Sebek, as loud as he is, can often startle Rosia by his boisterous attitude. Since Rosia doesn't like yelling in general, she does her best to avoid the crocodile-man.

Even asking him to be quiet is a lot for her to handle and she just steers clear of him.

Sebek himself sometimes feels insulted that Rosia doesn't like interacting with him, but doesn't complain about it directly to her. Mostly out of respect for his seniors.

On the off-hand he complains to Briar or Silver, he's either met with silence (Silver fell asleep) or Briar scolding him and telling him to maybe shut up once in his life.

Staff

Since they're all teachers, Rosia respects them all to a T. However, some of the attitudes from some teachers are off-putting and try as hard as she might to be polite, she can't help but mentally die on the inside from some cases.

As much as she respects Crowley, Rosia can't help but feel irritated at his seldom unwillingness to act like a headmaster. She won't talk crap about him, but she won't exactly say good things either.

Rosia dislikes Vargas in general, partially because he doesn't exactly treat the girls as equally as the boys and also because she's horrified that he eats raw eggs (I mean, you're gonna get Salmonella, dude!)

Rosia likes and respects Crewel and wonders at times how he manages to stay sane in the midst of all the general disorder and chaos. Even in Alchemy, she wonders how he hasn't died from insanity yet.

Rosia is friendly with Sam and the two of them can find a lot to chat about. From the weather to whatever weird goods he's selling, the two of them have a great time just chatting it out.

Rosia has seen Trien in action and she's not exactly on board with his stern nature. Just seeing him drone on in class and unintentionally put students to sleep, along with harsh punishments, Rosia can understand why Annabelle wants little to do with her father. She also regards him as a grumpy cat woman (LOL)

Well, that's all for now! Next up is Taai Onheil so be on the lookout for that! Hope you liked my general headcanons on interactions, so with that, I'll see you in the next post!

[j-hawthorn]

A Pleasant Day Off

(Cheeky little VetVimes. Mildly hot and heavy! It’s also posted over on AO3 here!)

---

There was something about dried cranberries that really rubbed Sam Vimes the wrong way. Why take a perfectly average berry, and make it a smaller, sadder version of itself? The ones in the bowl in front of him were sour.

Peeling an orange, Vimes leaned back in his chair, and rubbed sleep from his eyes with his sleeve. It was a surprisingly quiet day. He had woken at around mid-morning to Sybil kissing him awake. After a delightful forty minutes of enjoying his large, soft wife, (mostly between those glorious thighs of hers), he had been pushed out of bed and went to shave.

Technically this was his day off. But Sam couldn't help feel like it was more of a house arrest. He was under strict instructions not to leave the grounds. It was drilled into him before she left, that if Sybil caught the slightest whiff of his leaving, he would be in for a world of disappointed looks and extremely pointed sighs. He couldn't bear the thought.

Wiping orange juice from his chin, Sam yawned, crossing his legs at the ankles. The sun had made its way through the murk of the city. It was, he thought, a good day to have a smoke in the garden.

Nipping through the kitchens, Vimes nabbed himself a freshly baked bread roll that he slathered in butter and jam, grinning to himself at the simple pleasure.

The years of food scarcity he (and pretty much everyone else he knew) had endured never really left him, and instead meant that he still relished the simple joys of a good piece of warm bread. You could always trust warm bread. He was glad he'd kept that part of himself. The one that knew to take what he could get and hold on. It came from a harder life. Now in theory he could snap his fingers and have anything he wanted, yet Vimes clung to the memories of what it was like. He needed to remember. He owed it to his past self. And to those who it was their every day.

Vimes found a bench at the base of a large tree. He sat with his back against the trunk, legs stretched out, arms folded and chin resting on his chest. In the warm he almost nodded off. Vimes fell into that half waking doze, where he could still hear everything around him, but was pleasantly fuzzy.

To his left a twig very pointedly snapped. He huffed, not moving, 'So, what brings you here, then?'

There was a soft laugh, and the light swish of robes. Vimes felt someone sit beside him. 'Perhaps,' said the visitor. 'I have come to visit the Duke on his day off, or to bring him some documents worthy of his attention.'

Sam cracked an eye open, 'You got something?'

Havelock Vetinari smirked, 'Goodness me, no. I wouldn't dare go against Lady Sybil like that.'

Vimes huffed, closing his eye and shifting into an even more slouched position, 'So, a social visit then.'

'Is that so odd?'

'Depends on who you ask, I suppose.'

Their shoulders brushed, 'As you're the only one here, commander, it's obvious I'm asking you.'

Sam was quiet for a moment. He sat up, fishing his cigar case and lighter from his pockets. 'I haven't seen you for a while,' he said finally. He leaned forward, arms braced on his knees and sent a puff of smoke up into the breeze. 'Outside of work, that is.'

Birds chirped overhead. There was a soft sigh beside him, followed by the light tapping of a single fingernail on a cane. 'And that is...regrettable.'

Vimes chuckled, shaking his head. He stood, hands on his hips and leaned back, joints cracking. 'Come on,' he said, gently nudging Havelock's foot with his own. 'I'll pop the kettle on -' he paused to scratch his chin, 'Actually, I think Sybil got some of those little cakes you're so fond of stashed away somewhere.'

'Capital.'

The men sat in the drawing room, a pot of tea steaming between them. Sam puffed on his cigar; arm folded beneath his head. Fingertips brushed his lips. He cocked a brow, letting Havelock steal the cigar from him. His tall companion stretched his legs out, and slouched, sending his own cloud of smoke into the room.

One hand resting on his stomach, Havelock turned, and caught Sam’s eye. Vimes gave a half smile, turning his attention to the long fingers that held his cigar. Vetinari’s sleeve had slipped down, exposing his pale wrist. Sam swallowed, reaching over to lightly touch the back of his hand, pulling it towards himself.

‘Really, Vimes, if you wanted your cigar back, you could simply have said so -’ Sam pressed his lips to the underside of that wrist and Havelock stopped speaking. He took the cigar from him, stubbing it out in his empty teacup, not once releasing his hold of Vetinari’s hand. He shifted closer, their knees bumping.

'You always are a surprise, Sam,' Havelock whispered. Vimes looked up to catch his eye and smiled at the pleasing pinkness that rose on his cheeks. Vetinari moved. Settling on Sam's lap, an arm snaked around his shoulders, he pressed himself close, forehead resting against Sam's.

He wouldn't say it out loud, but Sam had missed him. Missed this. He let one hand trail down Havelock's spine, the other resting on his hip. He kissed his neck, eliciting a stifled moan from him. Thin fingers bunched the fabric on his shoulders. Sam tightened his arm around the small of Havelock's back, his other hand reaching up to cup his cheek. Teeth grazed his thumb, and Sam grunted in approval.

'How's your leg?' Vimes asked, nipping playfully at Vetinari's earlobe.

'...Not great,' Came the quiet reply.

Sam sighed, resting his chin on his shoulder. He clapped Havelock on the back, 'Rightio then, come on.' With as much care as he could muster, Sam scooped him into his arms, carrying him out of the room.

Havelock frowned, 'Oh, honestly, do you really think this is necessary?'

'Yup!'

Vimes carried him easily upstairs, ignoring his huffs and grumbles. He nudged open the bedroom door, kicking it shut behind them. Carefully, He placed Havelock on the bed and sat beside him, working on the laces of his shoes. He eased them off, tossing them to the floor.

'Right, what's something that'll help? Sybil's got some ointments for...Well, everything, in the bathroom -'

'Sam-'

'I think there's a hot water bottle in there too, actually -'

'Shut up and get over here.'

Vimes, for once, did as he was told. He lay down beside Havelock, chin resting on folded arms. Vetinari rolled onto his side, palm on Sam's cheek. His touch was warm, and Vimes found himself turning his head to press a kiss to his palm.

'I didn't come here for you to fuss,' Havelock said. 'I came here to see you -'

'Yeah, I gathered that-'

'I missed you.'

Brows notched, Vimes leaned in, kissing him softly. 'Yeah,' He muttered against his lips. 'I uh...Yeah,' he sighed, looking into Vetinari's eyes. His companion smiled softly and stroked his cheek before carefully pulling Vimes on top of himself. The commander chuckled, and while he was mindful of his bad leg, he didn't hesitate to grab Havelock's other thigh.

Vetinari dragged his nails up under Sam's shirt, making him shiver. Sam shifted to straddle his hips, keeping his weight on his knees. He pulled his shirt off, and Vetinari ran his calculating fingers over the planes of his chest.

'That's new,' He tutted, finger tips tracing a fresh scar along Sam's ribs.

Vimes just shrugged his shoulder. He fumbled with the tiny buttons on Havelock's top, frowning. The bastard simply smiled, watching Sam struggle and was no bloody help at all.

Sam huffed, 'Seriously, what is with all this?'

'Do you have a problem with my fashion choices?' Vetinari chuckled, running a hand through Sam's hair.

'I do when you're bloody done up tighter than a ducks ars-'

A hand clamped over his mouth, 'I'm going to stop you right there, Sir Samuel. None of that, now.'

Sam smirked under his hand, and nipped at his skin. Vetinari rolled his eyes, nimbly undoing his own buttons in a matter of seconds. Vimes watched as his layers were removed. He leaned in, kissing along Havelock's now exposed chest.

Hands combed through his hair and soon the pair were lost in one another. They both shed the rest of their clothing. Strong, sword calloused hands roamed while delicate, long fingers pressed and pulled. Moans were muffled by hard kisses, open mouthed and urging.

By the time they eventually eased themselves apart, Sam's back was covered with scratches and Havelock's neck and shoulders were red with bites. Vimes panted, his entire body fizzing as he gently guided his lover to lay among the plethora of pillows. He pulled the heavy quilt over them both, pulling Havelock close. He settled against him, chin on his shoulder, Havelock's hand in his hair.

Vimes yawned, eyes half closed. He chuckled softly to himself, nuzzling into both Havelock and the pillows. He sunk into the bedding with a small smile.

A kiss was pressed to the top of his head. 'What are you giggling about?' Vetinari asked.

Sam snorted, blinking up at him, 'So, two questions. One: When did you and Sybil concoct this little plan? And two: Has it gone how you hoped?'

'...Last week. And the plan isn't over yet,' Vetinari chuckled. He wrapped his arms around Sam, chin on top of his head. 'I lost track of time while you were doing that thing with your tongue, but, at some point, Sybil is joining us.'

'...But she went shopping.'

'Yes, and I believe it was to Mr. Scrope's... Establishment.'

'...Oh...'

Havelock chuckled, kissing the top of his head again, 'I hear he has a new line of leather pieces that are quite delicate, yet durable.'

Sam sunk further under the blankets; his forehead now pressed against Havelock's chest. 'Well then...' He muttered, cheeks burning red at the thought of his wife, and leather, and whatever interesting little trinkets and toys she'd no doubt bring home to experiment with.

He smiled, hugging Havelock, eyes closing. This really was going to be a damn fine day off.

[paragonrobits]

A friend asked me to give a stab at a Tierlist Maker for Video Games Not Yet In the Video Game Hall of Fame Tier List Maker, so here's my list for it!

This is based primarily on what I considered to be overall value to gaming history as a whole, with games with greater influence or impact ranking higher than those that had less impact on those to follow, or on culture. All the entries are those that have been nominated to the Hall of Fame, but not actually inducted as of this post's writing. Games that I personally like are generally rated higher, though mostly because I'm more familiar with them and thus can judge their impact from a personal POV.

(Tier List explainations, below!)

SHOULD BE IN ALREADY

Final Fantasy: I mean seriously. How is this one not already in yet?? It is not, as my research suggests, the first true RPG; that likely goes to games like Ultima. It is certainly an incredibly influential one; FF is a name closely associated with JRPGs in general, and its diverse class system is one of the strongest things to do with it, as noted by challenges like beating the game with a party of Black Belts. FF is THE name of RPGs in general and I'm startled it hasn't made it in, though I suppose that's owing to more notable entries (Hard as that is to imagine). It doesn't hurt that the majority of my favorite FF titles are those most similar to this one, such as FF6 and FF9, in terms of approaching the general world setting and class systems. Most significantly is that this game popularized RPGs and made them accessible, in ways that previous games such as Dragon Warrior/Dragon Quest did not; the field of gaming would be VERY different without it; RPGs became VERY popular, to the extent of RPG elements being almost universal among other games in the modern day. (I am also pleased and amused to see 8-Bit Theater mentioned on the actual Wikipedia page. Now THAT'S notability!)

Sid Meir's Civilization: HEY NOW HALL OF FAME JUDGES, DON'T YOU BE MOCKING CIV, ALRIGHT. CIV IS FUCKING AWESOME. Okay, jokes aside, I'm genuinely astonished as the Civ series is considered the first true main game of the 4x series, and it shows; the entire genre centers around expansion, resource usage and diplomacying or conquering your enemies, and considering the impact of this game and its sheer popularity, to the extent of the meme of the game getting people to play for Just One More Turn, I'm a bit disappointed that it's not already in the hall of fame. I also note that I am personally more familiar with the spin off Alpha Centauri, a sci fi variant, which is still one of my all time favorite games.

Half-Life: Given this game's popularity, to the point of its release alone consigning the likes of Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines to cult classic status and its engine spawning a whole THING with GMod and the usage of physics mechanics in FPS games, one thing of note is its use of scripted sequences; at the time, an unknown in most games of the time. There may be something to be said for how the entire game is spent as Gordon Freeman, behind his eyes, possibly engendering a lack of separation between self and character that would be later emphasized in games like Bioshock. It's influence on games cannot be denied, with publications using it as a bookend between eras of gaming. One consistent element of what seems to make this game so distinctive is its approach to storytelling, without simply imitating film techniques which don't always work well with gameplay.

Candy Crush: This is an example of something I don't personally play myself, or even like very much, but I'd be remiss to dismiss it out of hand. There's no denial that phone games are one of, if not THE biggest market of games in the here in now; if now in scale, certainly in quantity. You might call it the TF2 Hat Economy theory; people aren't spending BIG bucks, but they are spending a LOT of little bucks all the time. It proves that highly accessible games that are generally free to play, with optional purchases, are a legitimate means of game business, and this certainly revolutionized how games were seen by the money-makers.

Super Smash Bros Melee: I loved this game as a kid, but truth be told i have a bit of a love-hate relationship; i REALLY dislike the competitive community that has fixated hard on this game, so any thoughts on it will have a slight element of pause beforehand. Even so, I can't forget the thrilled delight I felt watching the trailer for this game in supermarkets for the first time as a kid. at a time when getting any new games at all was a HUGE deal in my family. So, there is a lot of feeling behind this one! Ultimately, I have to concede that while i have complicated feelings about this game, its worth noting that the vast majority of things that made Smash iconic, and influenced the competitive scene AND the games inspired by Smash AND shaped the course of the series going forwards, largely owe themselves to Melee in particular. 64 was far more slow paced, while Melee began the trend towards much more fast paced action (and while I doubt it's SPECIFIC to melee as a whole, it may have been a trend for the genre from then). Melee is STILL widely played, especially on the competitive scene, and this sort of longevity always bears evidence of notability.

Goldeneye 007: I have to admit that despite being a kid in the 90s, despite someone who put most of their time into gaming, and despite being someone whose favorite system at the time was the Nintendo 64, I mostly missed out on the trend of history by honestly not being that much into this game. I have to say that I DID play it, however; I just never managed to get past the first level or so. I have strong memories of triyng and failing to sneak around a snowy lair of some description; it wouldn't be until the mid-2000s, playing Deus Ex Human Revolution, that I got the hang of stealth. All the same, personal indifference really doesn't matter much because HOLY SHIT THIS GAME HAS SOME STAYING POWER. IT HAS INFLUENCE, FRIENDORITOS. Perhaps chiefly, at the time it was made, consoles were not considered viable platforms for first person shooters; Goldeneye revised that notion, and created a whole revolution in multiplayer and shooter games. We would later see the ultimate consequence of this in games like Halo, which further revolutionized the whole genre. Ironically, the stealth attributes I was so bad at were part of what made the game so unique! It's one of those games that may not have aged well, by modern standards, but its import to gaming as a whole goes a long, long way.

Guitar Hero: I expect this one might be a bit hard to justify, but on its own, this game is INCREDIBLY innovative, though its not entirely the first of its kind, having mechanics based on earlier games. The very first entry has a respectable library of 30 songs, which is impressive considered at the time it was made, its not likely people expected it to get as far as it did; bear in mind that the massive libraries of later games were the result of years of this game series being a massive steamroller of a franchise! At the time, this one was an unknown. It has an interesting history as being a successor of sorts to an arcade exclusive, and inspiring a genre of imitators and spiritual successors on its own; of great note is the sheer impact this game had. With so many of those successors, the increased value of liscened soundtracks, and the way the game's concept became so influential, its astounding this one isn't already on the hall of fame. (It's also very fun, but fun alone doesn't make for memorability, sad to say.)

DESERVES IT AT SOME POINT

Myst - an iconic and incredibly atmospheric puzzle game, I'm genuinely surprised that I haven't heard talk about this one in some respect; it bears note as a rare game with absolutely no conflict whatsoever. I actually rank this one on par with the 7th Guest in terms of atmospheric games, though their tones could not be more different. So why do I think this game deserves it at some point? It was an incredibly immersive and beautiful game, lacking in genuine danger or threat, encouraging the player to explore and tackle the puzzles of the game. This sort of open-ended lack of peril makes it an interesting precursor towards certain flavors of sandbox games around now. It's worth noting that it was a tremendous achievement, given technical limitations of things such as the CD-Rom it was stored on, maintaining a consistent experience, as well as tying narrative reasons into those very constraints. It has been compared to an art film; if so, it certainly is the sort that invited imitators and proved to be a great technical achievement.

Portal: PORTAL! What can I honestly say that hasn't already been said by other people? The amazing integration of a physics engine into innovative puzzle solving, combined with a slow burn sort of minimalist plot reveal concerning the AI proving itself to be a kind of reverse HAL 9000? This game got a HUGE number of memes back in the day, and I expect anyone reading this can probably reference a few. The cake thing, certainly, and its relevance to matters of deception. There is much discussion over the game's utility in academic circles, which is certainly quite notable, and for my part, I'm interested by the point that at first the game gives you a lot of hints towards what you're supposed to do, gradually making it less obvious for the player you're on your own entirely, using your experience with the game to get past the puzzles from there, and its excellent game design. Ultimately though, I place this below Half Life in hall of fame urgency, because while I probably like this one more, it doesn't have the same impact on other games, per say. (That's a lot of awards for it, though. Wowza.)

Resident Evil: Is it fair to call this one the major survival horror game of its era? No, because it's apparently the FIRST, or at least the first to be called such. It's certainly up there with shaping the genre as a whole, both its immediate predecessors and modern games. The flavor of a survival horror can even be judged about whether its close to Resident Evil's style of defending yourself with limited resources vs controlled helplessness. It's also worth pointing out that I quite like the restricted, cramped setting of the mansion, rather than an expansive city; Biohazard was a real return to form, even if its something I mostly watched through funny lets plays because OH NO ITS TOO SCARY I CANT WATCH.

Asteroids: It's called the first major hit of the golden age of the arcade. I'm forced to say... yeah, it absolutely deserves it. The actual implementation and hardware of the game makes for interesting reading, and so its innovative nature ought to be noted: it lacked a soundchip at all, making use of handmade circuits wired to the board. It's reception was great, beating out Space Invaders and needing larger boxes just to hold all the money people spent on it. It also invented the notion of tracking initials on the top ten score, which has implications for arcade challenges.

Ms. Pac Man: This one consistently ranks HIGH in gaming records of its time, though there is admittedly some confusion to whether it or Donkey Kong was a better seller. Interestingly it appears to shape most of the gameplay mechanics people remember most for Pac-Man, such as the improved AI of the ghosts. It's more highly regarded than the original game, and on a personal note, I remember being a kid and seeing this arcade machine at ALL the laundry places my family usually wound up going to.

Frogger: It's placing on this list is not solely because CUTE FROG. The accessibility and wide appeal of the game bears a great deal of consideration, the flexibility of its formula, and just how many dang times it's been ported in one form or another. (And also, cute frog.) It also gets points for the creator being inspired for the game when he saw a frog trying to cross a road, hampered by the vehicles in the way, and he got out of his car and carried the frog across the street. The game is also evident of broad appeal, and some money-makers resisting it, goes back a long way; it was apparently dismissed as a kid's game by some, which just goes to show that some problems are older than quite a lot of gamers alive today.

Uncharted 2: this is one of those games where I cannot honestly say I have personal experience to draw from. Of the playstation's big games, I remember the Jak and Daxter series; I remember Kingdom Hearts, and I remember Ratchet and Clank, and I remember Infamous, but the Uncharted series remains

something of a 'I don't go here?' obscurity in my personal playbook. It does look memorable and charming from what I've seen, and one consistent element I've seen in comments about it is the cinematic nature of the game; it feels very much like a fun heist movie, based on what I have seen of it, and the notable thing is how the game FEELS cinematic.. in a literal way. As in, it combined elements of cinematography with game design, and that's no mean feat: what works for movies are unlikely to translate well to the interactive side, and it shows how that can be done for other games. The extensive praise does the game a LOT of credit!

WORTH NOMINATION AT LEAST

Angry Birds: As noted before, I'm not the biggest fan of most phone games, given that i prefer a more passive experience than most provide. As such, Angry Birds isn't something I've played as of this writing, but I have to appreciate the straightforward and simple gameplay; it reminds me a bit of the Burrito Bison game series, which I HAVE played, and I'm going to go out on a limb and assume it's because Angry Birds is probably the innovation that coined that particular style of gameplay. It's an example of what made phone games profitable and worth the time of developers to work at them; its easy for casual players to get into, and there's a fun sort of impact involved. Given the popularity of phone games, this one has a LOT of influence in getting that rolling, similar to candy crush, if not as much.

FIFA International Soccer: Simulation games are a tricky business; it can be really difficult to get them right, and this game provides an example of it being done in a way that a lot of people REALLY loved, set up an entire game series, and revived the 3DO system after a very bad year. Of note, apparently it was commented that it was more of a simulator than a console game, and this is rather funny considering how simulator is its own genre nowadays! Such do things change. It seems to have been a revolutionary game and simulation; setting the shape for modern sport games of its type, and tending more towards realism (accounting for acceptable breaks in reality) than was typical of the time. This one's position is thus picked for its impact as a whole; while it may not necessarily be a household name now, the series continues on, and is popular enough that even after 20 years, it's still been going.

Elite: I nominate this game in this position for being a startlingly early entry into what we would now consider open-ended games, even with an element of exploration and trading; if one stretches definitions a bit, a precursor towards gameplay of the like scene in 4X players who strive to avoid conflict, if possible. Its technical breakthroughs are some very interesting reading and make for good game history; a vast and complex game (not just by the standards of the era, either), and opening the door for persistent world games such as World of Warcraft.

Wii Sports: A significant game, and much as how other titles mentioned above were famed for gateway entries into gaming for an unfamiliar audience, or those that would want o play on a more casual basis. It seems notable to me for being most suited as a family game, or a more casual experience of multiplayer than usually associated with games like this; this has greatly influenced Nintendo's design philosophy, and one can see elements of this all the way through the Wii U onwards. It's essentially a fliparound from Mario Party; less competitiveness, but definitely meant as a group thing. Controversy is evident, because like with Mario Party, injuries did result from it.

Call of Duty: I place this one here because, while it DOES hold a very significant role in gaming history, with countless imitators, spiritual successors, being a game-changer in ways that its modern reputation might surprise you with, ultimately it is less so than other games such as Goldeneye, Halo or Half-Life. It's development in AI pathfinding and tactics is incredibly noteworthy from a mechanical perpsective, and the sheer level of awards it won is notable. In the end this game's popularity and continuing influence means that it shouldn't be overlooked.

Metroid: You can't spell 'Metroidvania' without this game! A relatively open ended exploration-based game with further options opening as new tools were found give it an interesting vibe, and the oppressive atmosphere distinctive to the game says great things about its sound and level designs. It wasn't the first open world game, or explorer, or even the first to open new aereas based on equipment, but it had ALL of these elements in a very memorable package. (Samus Aran as a female protagonist is something I'm a bit reluctant to give it credit for, as her identity was obfuscated for most of the game, and only revealed in a fanservicey way in a secret ending. All the same, credit where it is due, I suppose!) It's music seems to endure as a mood setter, too!

Pole Position: Perhaps not the FIRST racing game, but still considered one of the most important from the golden age of gaming, and the one to codify many of the firm rules of the game series. It's three dimensional gameplay is incredibly innovative for its time, and having played it and games like it in the past, I'm struck by how smooth the whole thing feels. No wonder it was popular! It is notable for having been designed specifically as a 3d Experience, meant to execute techniques like real drivers might attempt, which makes it a different sort of beast in that it tried to do more realistic actions; in some ways, a precursor to modern trends of realism in many games, for ill or best. Ultimately I think this one is worth a nomination because of its influence towards racing games (a popular and long lived genre, to say the least) as a whole.

OUTSIDE CHANCE

Nurburgring 1: On the one hand, I feel a bit guilty putting this one so low; it is recognized as likely being the earliest racing game in history, and given that I just finished noting Pole Position's influence, it feels a bit mean to rate this one as relatively insignificant all the same. However, in terms of notability, I never even heard of this one, and it was tricky finding information about it. Accordingly, that may say something about its influence, though this position DOES make it noteworthy as the first of its kind, albeit with Pole Position refining and introducing elements that shaped the genre.

Dance Dance Revolution: It feels a bit strange, putting this one fairly low. This thing was a MONSTER back in the day; entire arcades were built around the dancing control peripherals it required, rhythm based games or mechanics specifically invoked it by name, and it was an absolute cultural touchstone for years and years. So, why place it low? Partly, its because I can't just shove EVERYTHING into the 'deserves a nomination' folder; I do think it's fairly reasonable for this one to at some point get a nomination in the future, though ultimately there's games more noteworthy on the whole. It's specific rhythm qualities continue outside of its genre, and are quite influential to gaming as a whole, though unfortunately the series seems to have lost something in notability over time; popularity is a factor, but so is the impact on other games.

NBA 2K and NBA Jam: I put these two together because they touch on similar touchstones for me, and they really did popularize basketball games back in the day. Jam in particular seems to be invoking the Big Head mode that were a big thing in games at the time, at least going from the screenshot. They were very popular and highly beloved games back in the day, though I don't know if they have much influence on later games. I note that interestingly, they take opposite approaches; 2k focuses on AI and realistic experiences, while Jam was deliberately less realistic and more actiony in its over the top gameplay.

Nokia Snake: This one really impresses me for the sheer number of releases, in various forms, it's had! Interestingly, there seems to be little consensus on the name of this game; most just call it Snake or something on that theme. I went with Nokia Snake because... mostly, it sounds funny, and that's how its done on the list. This one is fairly low, but I Have to give it credit for having hundreds of releases!

Farmville: My mom liked Facebook games, a lot. And I am certain this one was one of her main ones! I rate it fairly low, and no doubt her spirit is yelling imprecations at me across the void of time, space, and abandoned socks; all the same, this one is ranked low because of the sheer number of displeasure aimed this one's way. (And to be fair, she complained about it. A LOT.) It is thus notable for unusually negative reasons; an example of exploitation, pressuring players to pester their friends to play it in an equivalent to electronic chain mail, and microtranscations.

Tron: I'm inclined to give any game that takes place in a computer land and uses programming or mechanical terminology a free pass! Interestingly, this has some association with the Snake game, as they have similar gameplay and Snake games are sometimes called Light Cylce games, after this one. It has an interesting history; the graphical system was chosen largely because it was believed it was more likely to be achieved before the deadline.

NO BUSINESS IN THE HALL OF FAME

Mattel Football: I do feel a little mean putting anything in this category; firstly because I don't want to make actual fans of something sad, and secondly because I believe you can probably find notability anywhere you look, if you are inclined. And here is the chief difficulty with this one: I could not find any real information in this one. It has no Wikipedia page, a google search only led to undescriptive links of SALES for the game, but not any information on the game itself. Notability is my main resource for sorting these entries, and honestly? If google has nothing on you, that's a pretty poor sign. Sorry, Mattel Football, but you look like a poor man's Game And Watch. You're no Portal, Myst or Pole Position.

[eternalsehyoon]

Monsta X imagine:  first date.

This is how I would imagine the members on a first date with a potential lover. This is solely based off my opinion and my perception of them, I’m sorry if some of these seem unaccurate to you! Enjoyyyy :)

Shownu

Ice cream (or any other type of food) dates

Would be SUPER SHY, but really thoughtful

Always making sure you’re enjoying yourself, having a good time “Is everything good? Are you having fun?”

Wouldn’t make the first move unless he’s completely comfortable and 99% sure you would reciprocate

 A TOTAL gentleman, would open doors for you and make sure you feel safe

 Would definitely be the type to ask before holding your hand or gently pecking your lips

Good listener

Short responses when you ask about him, but would absolutely love to hear about YOUR life stories

 Soft kisses on your cheeks and lips

 Would totally drive you back home and wait for you to get inside before leaving

“I had a really good time, hope we can do this again.”

Minhyuk

Playful dates ONLY

He would bring you to places like Build-A-Bear, because he’s a cutie like that

CANNOT take his hands off you

Will help you find cute outfits for your plushie

Always admiring you, « How did I get so lucky? »

Spontaneous

The type to grab your hand and start frolicking around like a child

He’d always find a way to make you laugh if he senses your nervousness

Would be so sweet and affectionate, “No need to be shy, you’re perfect!”

Would come up with plenty of ideas for what to do next

Straightforward when it comes to how he feels about you, « I really really like you, let’s do this again soon? »

Would peck your nose/lips and tell you how gorgeous you are ALL the time

« Wanna go back to my place? I don’t want this to end. »

Would spend the rest of the night cuddling with you and talking about everything

Hyungwon

Lazy « stay at home and watch an entire kdrama » kind of dates

Awkward at first

He would definitely order your favorite food and you’d eat it together while watching said kdrama

Silent because he’s concentrated on the show but would crack jokes once in a while to make you laugh

Would ask you a ton of questions between each episode to get to know you better

A whole lot of cuddling involved

Would be the type to gently run his fingers through your hair while you’re lying on his lap

Would stare at you when you’re not looking because he thinks you’re absolutely beautiful

“I so want to kiss you right now” before crashing his lips on yours

If you’d fall asleep, he would cover you up with a blanket and watch you doze off until he falls asleep with you on the couch

Jooheon

Movie theatre dates

Definitely the type to greet you with a hug

He’d make you feel 100% comfortable within the first minutes of the date

He would totally bring you to an arcade before the movie, to get to know you a bit better

Would mostly be competitive, but would lose a couple of games on purpose just to make you feel better about yourself

BUT… wouldn’t hesitate a second to tease you/ make fun of you when you lose, “Wow, driving sure isn’t your speciality” (while playing a racing game)

Very touchy-feely

Would let you pick the movie, because ya know, he’s a gentleman like that

He’d trace small circles on your hand or arm with the tip of his index while watching the movie

Would whisper hilarious comments about the movie in your ear once in a while “Did you see what he just did? That’s a whole fricken mood!”

Would end up kissing you passionately before dropping you off at your place

Super clingy and wouldn’t want you to leave, “I just wanna hug you forever and never let go.”

Kihyun

Picnic dates

Would insist to prepare all the food, even if you told him multiple times that you’d love to help

“I’ll take care of everything, don’t worry.”

Quite confident and a bit cocky, but suuuuper sweet 

Would make you feel like royalty

Wouldn’t miss the chance to tease you when you spill some food on yourself, “You eat like a child, Y/N.”

Would bring his camera and take random photos every once in a while

Would probably snap quick pictures of you when you’re not looking, because he’s so fond of you

Romantic walk around the park after dinner, “Let me hold your hand, if that’s alright?”

Would stay with you until it gets dark to watch the stars

Would kiss you spontaneously while you guys are talking because he can’t resist you “Finally… I’ve been wanting to do this all night.”

Intense make-out sessions

He can’t get enough of you, “This was absolutely perfect, let’s do this again. Like… tomorrow maybe?”

Changkyun

Shopping dates

Would be super chill on the outside, but kinda nervous on the inside

He’d love to go to your favorite stores with you, it would be his own personal way of getting to know you

Definitely the type to spend hours in a candy shop with you and help you choose a ton of delicious treats

Takes his job as a Candy Expert very seriously, sticking out his tongue without realizing because he’s too focused « Gummy bears or sour cherries…? We’ll take both. »

Because he’s an accessory enthusiast, he would ask your advice on jewelry, glasses or hats

He would let you pick whatever you think fits him well « I trust you, you must have good taste, since you’re on a date with me. » wink wink

Would pick a ton of clothes for you and watch you « catwalk » afterwards, « I can’t believe how pretty you are, ALL these clothes suit you well. »

Would carry your bags for you like the gentleman that he is

Would take silly pictures with you in a photobooth and steal a kiss for the last photo

Wouldn’t stop kissing you every once in a while after that, « I could get used to this. »

After the date, when you are both in your own houses, he’d text you: It was a pleasure to get to know you today Y/N, you definitely keep me wanting to know more…

Wonho

Coffee dates

Romantic as hell

Definitely the type to bring a bouquet of flowers, “I chose red roses, I hope you like them.”

Would certainly share desert with you (cake, ice cream, chocolate fondue, name it)

Would think you’re the most gorgeous person he’s laid his eyes on

He’d have literal heart eyes while looking at you

I swear, the guy is all over you

Would choose a booth over any other table because he’d want to sit right next to you

His hand would be continuously brushing your thigh while you guys talk

Would absolutely love talking to you for hours while sipping on his coffee

He’d be very curious and interested, “Tell me everything there is to know about you.”

Not afraid to use his charms and pick-up lines to seduce you

Would make you feel so cozy and petite in his arms

Would drive you back home and walk with you up to your front porch, “I guess it’s time to say goodbye.”

He’d crash his lips on yours, passionately at first, getting more and more gentle, his hand slowly brushing your cheek “Please call me, soon?”

[steves-on-a-plane]

For Frosting & Feelings (Pt 2)

Part One  Written for: @buckybarnesbingo​   Words: 1272 Square Filled: Baker!Bucky Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader   Warnings: none Summary: Reader and Bucky are owners of rival bakeries. This year they’ve decided to team up for the town’s cake-off. Can their new found truce survive after years of competing?  

“This is the craziest thing that either of us has ever done.” Bucky told you as he studied the three-foot cake before you.

The cake was composed of a flat sheet cake base with carved rolling hills of various levels. Above the hills was a small stack of round cakes help up by columns. Atop the small cake was a photo realistic sleeping lion made of cake, fondant and modeling chocolate. The tallest part of the cake was another stack of round cakes with a lamb atop it. While the lion slept below, the lamb peered down at him.

The sheet cake base had been intricately decorated to look like a field of grass and wildflowers. There was a waterfall made of melted sour blue candies that connected to a stream which ran through the middle of the cake. The candy steam even had modeling chocolate fish swimming around in it. Visually it was an impressive cake backed by equally as impressive flavor profiles. The flat sheets were lemon and mint cake with lemon zest buttercream frosting. The lion round cake was apple cinnamon and the lamb cake was banana with hazelnut buttercream.

“Better together for sure.” You decided. “But gosh I am so tired.” You leaned your head against Bucky’s shoulder, bearing some of your weight on him.

“We’ve been at this for hours.” Bucky acknowledged. “Competition doesn’t start for another seven hours. That’s plenty of time for a nap.” He suggested. Bucky put one arm around your shoulder, holding you.

“We have to get this cake to the venue by six.” You yawned. “That’s in three hours.”

“Nah the cake has to get there. We don’t have to bring it.” He pointed out. Bucky fished his phone out of his pocket and called someone. They chatted quickly before Bucky ended the call. “My guys’ll be here in a few. They’ll pick up the cake and make sure it gets to the venue safely. After that I’ll drive you home.”

“I can drive myself!” You snapped, pulling away from him.

“[Y/N], you were tired when I got here. After making this thing? You’ve got to be out right exhausted. I’m going to make sure you get home safe.” He insisted.

“Look at that, chivalry isn’t dead.” You smiled. It didn’t take long for Bucky’s team of cake movers to arrive. The two of you helped break the cake down into movable sections and load it into the Patisserie’s refrigerated box truck. “They better be careful with my cake, Bucky.” You told him ask you watched his truck drive away.

“First of all, that’s our cake. Second of all, have I ever showed up with a damaged cake?” He questioned you.

“Okay, Okay.” You held your hands up. “I just need some sleep.”

“My car’s just out back.” He said, walking towards the back door.

“Right.” You and Bucky made sure everything was locked up out front before exiting the bakery through the back door and lock it. “Actually, I live upstairs.” You pointed to a set of stairs that led to an apartment above your bakery. “So, if you’re too tired to drive home…”

“That depends, do you have a good couch?” Bucky questioned as you started walking towards the stairs.

“No.” You shook your head, looking back at him over your shoulder. “It’s okay to watch movies on, but it’s terrible to sleep on. However, I have a great bed with room enough for both of us.” You faced forward again climbing on the stairs.

“If I would have known all it took to get in bed with you was bake you a cake, I would have done it years ago.” Bucky joked as he climbed the steps behind you.

“I just realized, I never thanked you.” You’d reached the landing at the top of the stairs. You unlocked your door and stepped inside of your apartment.

“I can think of some ways you can thank me.” He said cheekily.

“Maybe tomorrow after we win the cake-off. For now, sleep.” You yawned again. Bucky shut and secured the door while you stumbled your way into the bedroom, stripping your clothes as you went.

“This feels like someone isn’t playing fair…” He commented following after you. You felt a warm pair of hands on your waist and before you knew it you were being lifted off the floor.

“Now who’s not playing fair?” You giggled as he cradled you in your arms.

“Mmm you smell like frosting.” He whispered.

“You smell like sweat.” You teased him.

Bucky managed to find the bedroom easily enough. He kicked the door open wider and brought you both to the bed. His lips were on yours the second your head hit the pillow. You kissed him back your fingers grasping at his shirt hungrily. The years of animosity and rivalry had finally boiled over into passion. Suddenly you weren’t very tired anymore.

When you finally paused to catch your breath, Bucky seized the opportunity to tug off his shirt and pants. He flopped down in the bed next to you. You rolled over so you were both laying on your sides. Bucky seemed to be studying you, his eyes traveling up and down your body. You started to do the same, but you stopped short at the sight of his arm.

“I just realized I never asked you about it before.” You apologized.

“Mostly people don’t.” His said quietly. “My finance manager tells all our new hires that I lost it in an industrial mixer. Always scare the hell out of them.” He chuckled.  

“What’s the truth?” You asked.

“Motorcycle accident when I was a kid. Thought I was cool, zipping between cars and this one guy couldn’t stop in time. I cut him off and…well I’m lucky it was just my arm.” He huffed. “Scared the stupid out of me though. Sold what was left of that bike and my other one the second I was released from the hospital. That’s also when I picked up baking. I was home recovering for a long time. My mom was a huge baker. Made dessert for me and my pops every night. I started helping out while I was home and now I’m the best baker this town has even seen.”

“Second best baker.” You corrected him.

“If you want to start tallying our wins, year by year...” He offered.

“Full transparency, I did that once.” You admitted sheepishly. “There was that scholarship contest in High School, do you remember?”

“The prize was like $200, right?” He recalled.

“A $200 prize you won for a deflated suffle! I was young and petty, but I’ve been keeping a tally ever since. We’re actually tied for wins at the moment.” You told him.

“And it’s going to stay that way when we win the competition together tomorrow.” Bucky told you confidently. “How about you, [Y/N]? How did you get into baking?”

“Easy Bake Oven.” You told him. “My parents got me one when I was little, it was the hot toy that Christmas and I loved it. They had all these little kits with premeasured ingredients and I worked my way through the entire catalog of options After a while I started making my own recipes and by the time I was ten, I was using a real oven.”

“And when did you learn your signature croissant recipe?” He questioned.

“I knew it! You do like my croissants!” You exclaimed.

“I like a hell of a lot more than your croissants, [Y/N].” Bucky assured you. He wrapped his arms around you and pulled you closer, kissing you again.

[timextoxhajima]

Pastries and Royalty (WRITTEN BY YU)

Member: Haknyeon

Genre: fluff - royal au; baker!reader - prince!haknyeon

Word Count: 1.7k

A/N: this is part of the 12 days of christmas collab hosted by @timextoxhajima

snow had blanketed every exposed surface like dusted sugar on any type of pastry if possible. and while it’d been a sight to see for some, many were cocooned in their homes as the clock counted its first seconds of the morning.

but wading through the layers of ice, there was you, with one destination in mind while the cold air rushed to your eyes like maidens on a ballroom dance floor rushing towards you, in awe of the elegant wear you’d put on. there was a reason why you went to bed just when the sun had started to set. you wished to put your best work out for the royal family to get a taste, even if that may only be admired from a distance.

several hours later, the last swirl had been perfected and the display of your art was ready to be transported to the castle where they all shone like they’d caught the first rays of sunshine in the morning. cakes and cookies, nothing had been left untouched.

the prince had heard about the bakery that served the best pastries and bread in the village but never had he seen the mastermind behind numerous art works and flavors he had the privilege of tasting. unbeknownst to him, you’d always watched the smile slowly appear on his face after his eyes had gone wide. it was the type of reaction you looked forward to, the type of reaction you’d like to take with you along your journey as a baker. 

~

in your childhood, cookies were made out of sand, as well as cakes. but back then they’d either be too runny or filled with cracks as water had been the only base to bind the different colors of sand together. flowers and leaves served as your piping work - messy, but a work in progress. you’d be nagged at by your aunt since she’d been annoyed at the clear missing scoops of sands and clay littering her yard, deeming your creations as useless. during drier seasons the sand would be hosed down to deter you from digging away your ingredients, but you always escaped with a giggle.

as you grew up, your childhood antic had slowly transformed into passions and realisation would strike when the real tools had to come out of your own pockets.

you remembered getting nagged at, playing around with real ingredients when you tried creating your own recipes. the skin bearing inspired recipes started shedding off when the taste keep straying from the original ones and the decoration reflected all that is you.

~

one day the curtain that hid you away from the prince’s knowledge had to be drawn. the bakery was only manned by you when he’d made an appearance. you’d been on your way to flip the sign so you could close up. 

“i apologize, your highness, but i have to close up shop.”

“i heard about the bakery that usually opens till late and sometimes it is the first shop with a lit corner,” he looked down at his watch as if to calculate the time, “hours before opening.” 

“many do have lights on hours before opening, your highness.”

“at 2 am ?”

you fiddled with your fingers, “we’re really passionate about our products.” you added a smile, showing off your pride. but something told you that he wasn’t fully convinced.

“is there perhaps something i could assist you with ?” prince haknyeon was known to return late whenever he’d been out and it mostly stems off the fact that he’d like to be back as soon as he finished something, rather than sleep away the remaining hours of the day to return the next day. you’d think that at times, it may have been safer to return the next day, but the prince had always been very fond of his friends and disliked being away from them too long if he was able to get back soon. unless he’d been abroad. 

haknyeon nodded, “i’m here to place an order for the upcoming christmas ball.”

“i see our last order was well received.”

“very well,” he smiled fondly, “but do tell me, who do i thank for such scrumptious treats ?” you were suddenly shrouded by shyness knowing that the prince himself had loved your deserts. your first try at that too!

“that’d be me.” you voice was tiny, but still audible enough for haknyeon to hear.

“excellent! have you gotten many orders since then ?” you’d only been employed for several months and you could only be grateful your recipes had been approved to take part in baking for the royal party.

“i’m trying to take it slow, we can only do so much with the piping set we have.” the bakery was small, possessed several seats and only two ‘piping artists’ who could tackle the work since the supplies weren’t grand. “as soon as i’ve saved up enough, i can come with my own piping set!” 

you tried not to sound so desperate in front of the prince but as soon as the words had left your mouth, you could only cry in silence behind the gentle grin you gave him. 

“hard work pays off doesn’t it ?”

“i’d like to believe so, your highness.” 

the prince’s presence wasn’t a secret for long as the order had to be given for preparations and of course others would linger around you like ants around a fallen sweet treat. throughout the days leading up to the ball, you had seen prince haknyeon several times and every smiles you had exchanged felt like a breath of fresh air and it seemed like you felt a lot more comfortable in your skin. working on the pastries came with buckets of joy and a couple servings of enthusiasm.

the cherry on top just had to be your invitation to the ball as the prince’s guest of honour for after all, the prince had quite a love for food.

but nothing compared to the struggle of finding the perfect outfit to wear as the room you’ve know before as your had suddenly become something you barely recognized as clothes lined up your walls like any wardrobe of a fashion show. 

~

your first time inside the castle was worth all the hassle you’ve put yourself through and seeing haknyeon come down the stairs just secured that feeling. 

unfortunately, it’d been quite a night to be wandering around the ballroom on your own since your companions hadn’t received an invitation, but haknyeon found ways to keep you company. be it his friends or even relatives who’ve gotten to know about the one being responsible for the desserts.

“you know what makes this all baffling ?”

you turned to him, eyes filled with curiosity and a mind that forgot the register his question with a response in the first few seconds.

“you know my name,” you sensed where this was all going, which made you laugh, “..but i don’t know yours.”

“you never asked, your highness.”

he waved you off, “oh stop it, if i’m going to be supporting you with your creations in the long run, there is no need for formalities..”

“but it’s barely been two months since you entered the bakery, it’s not like we’ve become buddies all of a sudden.”

“haven’t we ?” he challenged and you didn’t know what brought the situation to a point where you talked to him like you’ve known him since your childhood.

you pulled your neck back and stuck out your hand, only to retrieve it upon realizing that it might have been a rude gesture.

“i’m y/n and i guess, if you are willing, this marks the start of our friendship.”

haknyeon stuck out his hand towards you, glove-covered palm slightly facing up, “it’s nice to meet you y/n and i believe i have something for you.”

couldn’t miss the opportunity, he muttered, gently pulling you along to follow him towards the table that housed the food. he only had to duck slightly before pulling a carefully wrapped box in front of him. its wrapping looking far too intricate to allow yourself to even tear off a piece of tape.

“correct me if i’m wrong but did you say you had something for me?” he nodded.

“and the one you are holding now..” he nodded again even if you hadn’t finished your sentence, “is.. for me ?”

“every bit of it.” he pulled out a bag for easy carrying. “feel free to open it now.” he’d looked more excited than you have been, besides, you didn’t know what to expect.

“in front of all these people ? no way!”

“you could open it in the hallway if you don’t mind a few palace guards witnessing your surprise.” with how eager he was to see you open your present, you didn’t want to deny his request and by the looks of it, he’d really wanted you to see what he’d gotten you even if you barely knew of each other longer than two months.

and opening the present sure had been the highlight of your night as every inch of steel that your eyes had seen, was enough to make you want to shed some tears.

“this is.. this is not just a few..” the packaging were left on a nearby table as you gawk at your new possessions, “this is a whole set!”

“your new and very own piping set, just like you wished for!” he let out a giggle you were sure you never heard of, but didn’t complain about. “now you can even bake at your own pace and who knows.. open up your own dessert bar.”

“this is.. this is a lot, thank you, your highness.” tears brimmed in the corners of your eyes and haknyeon pulled out a handkerchief to help clear your vision again.

“you can call me haknyeon, you deserve each one of them, you really are great at what you do and i’d love to see what else my new friend can come up with.”

and sure enough, the kitchen was not only filled with joy and passion for your work from then on, but the determination to spread your wings slowly until it is known - far and wide - about your capabilities with flour, sugar and much more ingredients someone with a sweet tooth can imagine about. and with your newfound friend by your side, it was bound to be quite the adventure of your life.

[xplr-beauty]

Ateez: August Dates ~ Week One

Every month I'll be posting 5 dates with the guys for a whole year (1 update a week)

Hongjoong:

Tubing the River

You guys take an hour long drive up to the river, listening to the radio quietly as you discuss your nerves & excitement

After arriving to the destination you rent 2 floats/tubes and tie them together so you guys can stay together and so he can make sure you dont get lost

As you stand in line waiting to get in the water, Joong stares at you from the side as if you're the only thing in the world worth looking at & loving meanwhile your excitement/nerves get the better of you as you stare at the rapids up ahead

If you were nervous, he would take your hand and squeeze it, giving you a reassuring look/smirk to help you relax

If he gets scared, you would sing the part in 'My Way' to him jokingly in a deeper/teasing voice "dont be afraid" and he would blush and laugh, covering his face but agreeing with you. Seeing your smile he couldn't be scared

Once you made it to the water and dipped your foot/toes in, realising how cold it is you gasped and quickly pulled it back out of the water

Hongjoong would squat/kneel down and cup the water in his hand gently splashing your legs to help you adjust to the coldness, once you gave the signal you were alright he would take your hand and help you sit in your tube before pushing them into the water and getting inside his own

At first you guys gently floated down the stream, enjoying nature. He would make Pirate jokes and references about 'owning these seas' as you roll your eyes and laugh, playing along. You would point at the clouds, trees, rocks as you passed them so you guys could admire these things together

His eyes would mostly be on you, he felt relaxed and happy. At one point he would whisper 'I love you' unable to hold back, and as you ask 'huh?' After not hearing him properly a dip/small waterfall would come up pulling y'all down before he could answer

The rest of the stream would be full of curves, small bumps and fast rapids. Don't worry though, he's there to hold your hand and make you smile if you get scared.

If you get hurt or fall off he'll be so fast to pull you to the side, clean you up and treat your wound as best he can with what he has and help you back in the raft (if you wanna continue) He'll also apologize and kiss your injury

As you continue to float down the river he occasionally splashes you, teases you and just makes a lot of subtle jokes

He also falls out a lot which you tease him for. When you guys get stuck on a rock or hill, he'll be the one to get out and unstuck y'all as he laughs and shakes his head

Once you make it to the end he'll jump out first and help you out of the tube, taking the floats from the water he'll insist on carrying them

As you walk back to the rental shop, hand in hand, he would thank you for a great date and ask to do this again some time

Back at the car he'll take your towel and dry your hair fluffing it up before wrapping it around your shoulders finally drying himself afterwards before taking you to get some food

Seonghwa:

Farmers Market Brunch

Waking up early you and Seonghwa head to the Farmers Market (fresh foods store) to buy ingredients for your brunch

At the store he would pick up the basket/push the cart

Stopping at the fruits/vegetebales first he looks over sales prices and limited time foods first while you mostly joke around while also picking and bagging your iteams

Holding up two tomatoes you ask your boyfriend, "hey hwa, say I have two tomatoes but then I lose one. What do I have? A-Spare-I-GUESS" before pulling a bundle of asparagus out from behind your back and laughing at your own pun as he shakes his head while laughing very subtlety (his pained laugh)

When things are out of your reach or even a little heavy, Seonghwa will grab them for you and place them neatly in the cart

At the checkout he would pay for everything without hesitation and even carry all of the bags so you don't have to worry about it

Back at home ready to cook, Seonghwa prepared all the ingrediants while you washed up

You guys have matching aprons that you always wear when cooking together, he would tie yours for you while smiling, happy knowing you guys have a matching set of something it really helps him know you guys are a couple and little things like this make him really blushy and happy

Ready to cook he would chop everything that needed cut while you did the stirring and mixing. He would do whatever you asked him to as well

Once the food was on the stove he would offer to do the flipping/stirring just to make sure you wouldn't get burnt

Meanwhile you made the drinks preparing the juice/coffee and pouring them into your matching mugs/glasses

As you made the drinks Seonghwa couldn't help but to keep looking over at you and how gorgeous you look, he almost burned the food as he got distracted

Once it was all ready, you made the plates while he set up the balcony, laying blankets on the ground and setting up the side dishes picnic style, helping you carry the food out after you got them onto their plates/In their serving dishes

Seonhwa leaned against the wall and you leaned against him, your back and head on his chest as you looked at the sky/ocean/garden/whatever you like and as he watched you

Between your talking and random discussions, hwa would feed you berries/fruits and smile at how you look so peaceful while just eating

Even after finishing you food the two of you just lay outside together enjoying the nice weather and each others company

Eventually you get up and clean up the mess together, he offers to wash the dishes and do whatever chores you don't want

Yunho:

Museum of Ice Cream

Looking for date ideas online you came across the 'Museum of Ice Cream' and immediately jumped up running to the kitchen to show Yunho and begging him to take you. He said 'sure' before you even finished asking as he was curious as well

Before you guys went he made sure to preorder tickets, get new film for his camera and coordinate outfits with you

On the day of the date he took you to the museum and was in awe and shock from the building and how cool everything was. He opened all the doors for you but also admired everything around you guys

You start off in the 'Ice Cream Vault' where y'all met the leader and answered the questions based on facts from the walls which he found fun being able to work with you to solve these answers

You guys then found out you can only go forward not backwards which made him decide you guys would take your time in each room even if that meant seeing some things twice

The first room you were lead to was the Army men and Whip cream room. He made sure to take pictures of you with everything, having you pose like the army men and pretend to hold the balloons. He also asked you to take some pictures of him, wanting to be able to remember this always. Before moving on you guys had some fun in the photobooth and he made sure to get two copies so you guys can keep the pictures in your wallets as a memory

The next room was the diner where you got to try ice cream. He 'mnm'd at the deliciousness his eyes widening as he turned to look at you curious if you'd have the same reaction

In the diner, he messed around with the phones, pretending to call his parents and had a fake phone call with them that left you cracking up. He also drug you over to the juke box to have a look see before you sadly moved on

'what do you scream for?' The room of magnetic letters was up nexted. Yunho had so much in this room like a little child. He ran around leaving you little messages around the walls signing them all with your special nickname. Some messages include ' You look dorky in those pictures' 'But still cute' 'I love ice cream' 'but not as much as I love you' he also left a bunch of random ones and lyrics from their songs for you and also couldn't wait to see what you wrote

Being forced by you to move on to the next room, Yunho pouted a bit but only shortly. After entering the room of cherries and cotton candy he pulled out his camera jaw dropped and handed it to you having you take photos of him pretending to bite a cherry and other silly poses but also some modest photos as well. Of course he took pictures of you as well, between holding your hand for the first time today and heading down the walkway together

Gummy land was next, obviously he had to take pictures of you with the gummy bears and he even made friends with one of the play creatures, playing hand games such as patty cake with the sculpture and giving him fake bunny ears in the photo

After successfully exasperating you and making you laugh, your boyfriend pulled you into the Animal cracker room where he had you pose in front of an animal cracker elephant riding a merry go round and other designs. You guys also got to ride on the rides/animal crackers which he loved so much giggling every 2 seconds and smiling at you like a child

The room of mirrors was your next stop. Yunho decided to dance in front of the mirrors and rainbows as you filmed him and acted as his hype (wo)man he cheered you on and attempted to get you to act dumb as well while some passerbyers laughed and cheered along and even joined in

Laughing together as you guys leave the magical room, Yunho holds you close by your shoulders and walks you into the mint room pointing out the obvious mint smell as you walk in. At this point he was a bit more relaxed and settled, being able to calmly tour this room taking pictures of you in front of the mint leaves and commenting on the structural design

The 'pool of sprinkles' was next, he took you to swim with the ice cream toppings even though you only had a limited time he made sure you had fun and he definetely dumped sprinkles over your head and into your clothes. Lets just say you left with sprinkled everywhere!

The last room on the tour was the swings. Banana swings, ice cream sandwhiches, ect. You guys had a bit of fun playing on the little swings and taking pictures here as well before heading hand in hand into the gift shop

Yunho bought you guys matching sprinkle crowns thinking it was funny and cute, he acted like the ice cream queen as he wore one of them and followed you around the gift shop judging your choices to make you laugh but really he bought you whatever you wanted before saying how much of a fun time he had, not wanting to leave

Yeosang:

Mini-Golf

Wanting to take you out on a fun little date Yeosang thought taking you to play mini-golf at a little dinosaur themed course would be the best choice

You guys would get to get closer, do something different and be outside

Before you guys go inside he makes a little bet with you. If he wins you buy him lunch, if you win he buys you lunch

Inside the rental shop, he helped you pick out the best golf club and ball for your height and weight to help you hit it best and make it easier for you to play

He did make jokes, walking out with a gold club designed for a toddler saying it was perfect for you (making fun of your height jokingly) before apologising with a little laugh and grabbing the right club for you. He even chose a golf ball in your favorite color remembering what it was from when you told him last time. He remembers everything about you.

On the golf course, he would be really focused which you would admire and stare at his face due to his serious and intense eyes as they lock onto the ball

He seemed very poised and composed as he hit the ball with the the perfect amount of strength and at the right angle, you couldn't help but notice how professional he looked

On your turn he helped you as well, showing you how to angle your club for the perfect hit and whispering everything just loud enough for you to hear it (even if you already know how to play he would still reteach you)

Every time you pout after missing he would tease you for your face and comment on how bratty yet adorable you look as he stands a few feet away from you arms crossed, chin in his hand and smiling

As you continue along the course he asks you to write down your guys scores and he continues to get the ball in the hole in 1-2 hits - 3 at most. He also laughs quietly every time you miss loving how you look when you get frustrated. He keeps telling you that you'll 'get it next time'

On your turns he would try to distract you, talking about chicken and asking where you should take him to eat once he wins. He also would pretend to blow towards the ball and just as you began to swing he would call you beautiful, breathtaking, lovely, ECT. catching you off guard and making you miss (or sometimes get it a hole in one, it was a blessing and a curse)

Even though he walked ahead of you, walking on the edges of the golf courses like a balancing beam, he continued to look back making sure you were close behind so he didn't lose you

If he saw you looking down he would let you know its okay to quit if you aren't having fun, but he would still do his best to make sure you were having an enjoyable time

As you wait for the people in front of you to finish their turns, he takes pictures of you with the dino props on the sides of the course

At the end of the game he did beat you but only by a few points. He made sure to compliment your skill as you guys took the tools back to the shop, before heading across the street to the chicken restraunt

Even though he won, he still paid for lunch saying seeing you pout was payment/reward enough before asking you to do it again and trying to copy how you looked

San:

Sunset Beach Walk

You and San had rented out a beach house for the summer but up until now your nights were full of fun outings or falling asleep early so you haven't been able to go on a sunset walk yet

However San knows how much you love walking on the beach so he cleared up tonight's schedule to make sure you guys would be able to get a nice view

It was still fairly early and as you and San waited for the sun to set, you sat on a beach blanket and played some music singing together and soaking up the sun

With your legs in his lap, San began massaging and rubbing along your calves and ankles up to the backs of your knees

Every now and then he would tickle you softly and make you laugh a bit as you pull your leg away from him out of reflexes, just for him to pull it back

Eventually he tackled you down onto the blanket with a weak yet loud lion roar as he tickled you making you squirm and laugh beneath him

You ended up tickling him back to get him off you and some how, you guys ended up laying on your sides, San behind you holding your waist and spooning you as you traced his finger tips gently and whispered to him

You spoke softly about how you never want summer to end and how this has been the best summer of your life all thanks to him, about how you're slightly worried about how things will be once you go back to life as normal

San reassured you saying he would never treat you differently, promising that even after you guys go back home and to work he'll still spend time with you daily and show you love the same as always and the same as he has done all summer long

Soon the sun began to set just as you finished your talk with your lover, giving you the perfect chance to ask San on a walk under the sun

He stood up slowly before helping you up and pulling you by your hand into the water. Before stepping in he helped you take off your shoes and even carried them for you as you walked hand in hand under the colorful sky.

Mostly staying quiet and just enjoying this peaceful moment together, you let your hands slide up his arm and hug it as you walk closer to him

Walking through the warm water, San kicks some of it up making splashing motions gently

He ended up splashing you with water, which you scolded him for jokingly before kicking some water up onto him

The whole thing ended in a little water fight. San leaning down to splash you with water making you gasp

Seeing your reaction he ran away from you and you chased after him laughing and warning him about what will happen once you get to him

Finally catching up to San he grabbed you from behind before you could do anything to him and he spun you around in a little circle a few times before putting you down and kissing you under the sunset

The sun shined and reflected on the water beautifully. After your kiss, you turned to see the sunset as you hugged your boyfriend and smiled peacefully

Standing together for a while watching the sunset, you got tired just as it began to get pretty dark

"Should we go?" San asked softly as you laid your head against his chest and blinked your heavy eyelids several times

Nodding, San picked you up bridal style and carried you back to the house kissing you softly every couple of feet as you fell asleep in his arms

He would lay you down and freshen you up a bit before covering you up and kissing your forehead goodnight, whispering how much he loves you before kissing each of your eyelids and turning off the light

Mingi:

Water Balloon Fight

It wasn't really early in the morning, nor was it late. The time however? Didn't matter. All that mattered was that your boyfriend was hungry and lonely and he wanted you up, NOW.

He took one of the packs of water balloons you guys had bought a couple days ago, and he opened it up filling all 30 balloons up with water and dropping them into a small bucket

Going to your bedroom he ran in screaming, jumped up and down on the bed and began throwing water balloons at you while yelling 'its time to get up, wakey wakey eggs and Mingi wants bakey' between his laughs

You weren't a happy camper at the way you were woken but seeing Mingi smiling made you want to kill him a little bit less

You crawled out of bed silently not wanting to yell at him too harshly and instead you went to change and freshen up. From inside the bathroom you yelled to your boyfriend that if he wants breakfast he'll have the bedsheets in the washer and the mattress sitting outside to dry by time you came out

He rushed to get the chores done, tossing the blanket and sheets in the washer quickly (forgetting to add soap and press start however) and then he took the mattress and did his best to drag it outside onto the pavement to dry

Keeping your half of the deal, you cooked breakfast and ate with Mingi listening to begs of having a waterballoon fight today. He wouldn't shut up about it all throughout breakfast so in the end you agreed

Later that day, after all the balloons were full of water and seperated evenly between the two of you, you guys came up with different games to play using the balloons

First you both played 4 corners. Each corner that y'all made up had a different color (blue, orange, pink, purple) One of you would get spun around for ten seconds while the other ran between the corners before deciding where to hide. You both hid and guessed 5 times

Every time the guesser guesses the right corner, they get to throw a balloon at the hider. Everytime the one hiding chooses the corner that wasn't guessed they get to throw a balloon at the one guessing

Mingi was bad at both, he guessed and chose blue every other round making it easier for you to find him and win meaning he got hit with a lot of balloons

Next up was baseball using the waterballoons and a thick stick. This one, Mingi was better at. He managed to hit just about every balloon while you missed quite a few finding this harder than you thought it would be

After playing 2-3 more games, you and Mingi used the rest of the balloons to have an actual all out water balloon fight

He did NOT hold back

Mingi would hide in a tree and drop water balloon bombs on you, hit you from around the corner, he didn't throw them super lightly either

However, you didn't hold back either. Using a mini slingshot to launch the balloons at your man, throwing 4-5 at a time and hitting him every time

It was a pretty fair war

After all the balloons were gone, you guys took an old tarp and laid it across the yard. You took some soap next and squirted a bunch of it all down the tarp mixing it with water from the hose as Mingi blew up little floats, up next a slip and slide!

On Mingis turn he would do random tricks, act like a fish out of water, and dance before hoping onto the float and sliding down the tarp

Once he hugged you tight and flopped you both on the float, him on his back you on his chest sliding you both down the slippery slide together

By the end of the day you were both soaked and a mess, heading in to shower Mingi kept saying he was fine and insisting that the slip and slide counted as a bath since it was soap and water after all

Eventually y'all cleaned up and got in your pajamas, cooked dinner and ate

After dinner you scolded Mingi for not washing the sheets but in then end had a good idea anyways

You took an old old old sheet from your closet and took it outside, laying it on a dry patch of grass. You and Mingi then took the mattress and laid it down on the sheet, before making the bed with sheets, blankets, pillows like normal and sleeping outside together

Wooyoung:

Chalk Art

Heading outside with a new pack of chalk you and Wooyoung create a bunch of 3D pictures

From drawing balloons amd pretending to hold onto them for a 3D photoshoot to drawing a hopscotch board to play on

While Woo drew on the sidewalk, he kept calling you over to look at his stick figures holding hands and climbing rainbows and stuff

He also drew symbols and movie references as well as random foods and iteams he likes

He would kind of rock back and forth like a child focusing on his art work as you lay on the ground and draw your own designs to surprise him with

Sharing art with each other and being a little unsure as to what one another drew, you both used your imagination to go into each others magic worlds

During hopscotch you and Wooyoung sang kid songs and competed for the fastest time

He cheered you on from the side but also kept saying you won't do as good as him no matter how hard you try

In the end his back handed cheers only proved to work in your favorite as you won against him

Woo obviously got defensive saying he let you win and that you should be thankful to him

A few hours before it got dark, you and Wooyoung cleaned up all the chalk before chasing fireflies and running around aimlessly

You spent your night joking with one another playing games

Jongho:

Dinner Cruise

Wanting to take you somewhere nice and to do something that would impress you, Jongho made dinner reservations on a cruise ship for you guys

He told you to dress up nice, he himself cleaned up nicely and bought a new scent (perfume/cologne/spray) just for tonight's special occasion

Picking you up exactly when he said he would, Jongho knocked on your door and waited for you to answer it. He was speechless at first seeing you, but was able to in the end get out how stunning you truly are

He walked you to the car and opened your door for you, helping you slide inside before helping you buckle and shutting your door for you

He struggled to keep tonight's location a secret as he drove y'all to the dock

Arriving and seeing the cruise ship you were now the jaw dropped one making him smile and his heart skip a beat

Again he opened your door for you and helped you out this time, locking his arm with yours your boyfriend walked you through the ship and to the dining room

He pulled your chair out for you, waited for you to sit down and then pushed it back in for you

Sitting across from you, Jongho had no idea what to say or do

He asked about your day while looking over the menu and tapping his foot ever so nervously

When the waiter arrived he let you order first before copying what you got or going with your second choice if you were indecisive

Throughout the meal he continued to talk mostly about what you wanted to and occassionally about little random things and philosophical questions as well as debates

After supper he ordered you guys your favorite dessert to split, feeding you small bites when nobody was looking and letting you have most of it

After you both ate and rested your tummies, Jongho would again lock his arm around yours and walk you guys around the ship to get a better view of everything

That night he kissed you under the stars before taking you home and making sure to call/text when he got home so that you wouldn't worry

[some-dr-writings]

Maki and her protective best friend celebrate her birthday one-shot: Have Your Cake and Eat it Too

The life of an assassin was a rather lonely one, for Maki Harukawa at least. Nothing but hiding and killing people. That was it for the most part. Often times she’d think back to a certain mission that would change her life, the mission that allowed her to just be a person for a while, the assignment that took her to Hope’s Peak Academy. Initially she was just there for work, but in her time looking into her target’s schedule, she got to get to know people, talk, and laugh with others, get roped into others’ silly plans, just have fun with her class. After taking out her target she was supposed to leave, but she stayed. She kept attending as the Super High School Caregiver, for the first time she ignored an order and made a choice for herself. She stayed and made friends. It was by far the best time in her life. She found herself just wanting to be with them, and she fought for it, and it was all worth it. No matter how she longed to return to those days she could never go back though. The moment they graduated it was all over, she had to slink back into the shadows and return to her true work.

At times, she wondered if things could have turned out different though. It is said that all those who attend Hope’s Peak Academy and managed to graduate were guaranteed a great future. Perhaps there she could have made an even bigger change in her life than allowing herself agency. Perhaps she could have gone even farther, find some way to make lots of money to keep her old orphanage running without the need of assassins. Leave her old life behind and make a new one, one where she could keep better contact with her friends. One where she wouldn’t have to worry about their safety if she stayed close to them. Very few of her old friend could she keep around to some extent, but even then, she had to keep them at a great distance and disappear for years on end from them.

Maki never regretted attending Hope’s Peak and staying, never even crossed her mind to consider it. Leaving hurt, but her memories could never be taken away. She could always keep those precious moment close at hand, times she drew strength from like her time at the orphanage. No matter the amount of blood spilled, the constant moving from place to place, hiding and attacking, the paranoia, she always had those memories.

It was rarer, but at times, her missing these times became too much to bear, there was one place she could return to for a week or less to recapture the carefreeness she could never attain anywhere else. A single apartment tucked away in some city, hidden away from the world. It was the perfect place for those who preferred to hide away from one and all.

As Maki approached the apartment, she heard the distinct sound of laughter and something being knocked over. Maki leaped back, the door suddenly slamming open. “Nishishi! Ah! MAKIROLL!” The purple haired gremlin ducked behind her, clutching something. “Protect me with your scary, evil, assassin, murder, death glair!” Maki shoved Kokichi into the wall behind her, slapping a hand over his mouth. “Do you want to die?” Her grip was not tight though, knowing Kokichi was not stupid enough to so loosely say that, he would only do so now knowing no one could be listening in. Even so, her reaction to hearing that was so instinctive. Kokichi managed to slip out from under her hand. “Yeah! That look exactly! Now! I choose you, Maki! Use scary-evil-assassin-murder-death-glair on Y/N!” She looked to the open door, you out of breath, your smile beaming. “Maki!” She didn’t move accepting you tackling her into a hug. “You’re back! You’re back, you’re back, you’re back!” A bright blush instantly erupted on her cheeks as you squeezed her tightly, nuzzling into her. “Oh~ What’s this? Our stoic assassin has a weakness for hugs?” Kokichi hugged her tightly as well, only making the blush on her cheeks darken to a bright red. “D-do you want to die!?” “Maki get’s hugs.” “Maki get’s hugs!”

If Maki could only keep one person from her high school days, she was so glad it was you, her best friend… even if you usually came with Kokichi of all people.

Eagerly you took Maki’s hands, dragging her into the apartment as Kokichi did the same but instead shoving her in. “Aw, this is the best! I didn’t think we’d have you for your birthday!” “My birthday?” As you dashed away into the kitchen Kokichi hopped up, taking Maki’s coat. “Whaaaaa!? You didn’t know today was your own birthday!?” Those crocodile tears came pouring out as he wailed. “Thaaaaaat’s sooo saaaaaaad!” Those tears however abruptly stopped as Kokichi spotted you. “Oh! Cake!” “Happy birthday Maki!” You presented the white frosted cake to her, giving it a twirl before placing it on the island that separated the living room from the kitchen. Kokichi had already scampered off, gathering plates and forks.

So it was February already? Maki hadn’t even noticed. As she sat at the island, watching as you and Kokichi playfully bickered about who was going to cut the cake, you worrying about Kokichi taking a giant piece for himself or some such, Maki wondered how long it had been since she had seen the pair of you. It had been at least little more than a year, she knew that for sure.

“Ugh! Why do I even live with a brat like you anyway?” “You make almost no money and only I do.” “… Damn it!” “Y’know, the offer to join my secret evil organization is still open! Same goes for you miss, evil scary assassin! We could use someone li-” Kokichi’s offer was cutoff by you slamming a hand on the Island, before Kokichi. “Maki is not evil, nor is she scary you monster. Look at her, she’s the definition of adorable!” Maki immediately turned away, nervously playing with her hair. “Not this again.” A light blush dusted on her cheeks knowing what was happening. “Excuse me!? Yes, this again!” You leaned over the table, gently poking her cheek. “Soft squishable cheeks. Big eyes. Little ears. Pouty smile. Get’s flustered easily. Simply adorable!” It seemed every time she came to see you Kokichi would appear at some point and say something to get you to go off on how great, cute, or amazing she was. She’d almost think Kokichi was doing this on purpose specifically to get you to compliment her so much but to Maki this could not be the case. To Maki, Kokchi was a selfish creature. All he did was for his own entertainment so getting you to compliment Maki and fluster her was for Kokichi’s entertainment, not for Maki, she couldn’t understand the dictator’s behavior in any other way.

As you continued to go on how adorable she was Kokichi cut three giant slices of cake for each of you. It was red velvet. It was delicious. She never said anything about it, but… Maki liked it, knowing that at least you and maybe Kokichi were going to celebrate her birthday, even if she likely wouldn’t have been around to celebrate it too. She remembered how despite it happening every year, every time she was surprised when you and the whole class threw a birthday party for her. And yet again the exact same thing has happened, you and others, well, one other, surprising her by celebrating her birthday.

Before Maki knew it, most of the cake was gone and the three of you were making a fort in the living room. “This is stupid. Why are we even doing this?” “What!? Stupid!? Gurl, we’re making our secret base!” Kokichi skipped away to gather more blankets while you were trying to figure out where to place a chair. “Well, you seem to be enjoying yourself, so I think that’s a good enough reason!” “Maybe I am.” Maki acted as your assistant getting blankets and pillows from your room to add to the fort, all the while Kokichi mostly keeping to his room, occasionally popping out and cause chaos, knocking down a wall only for you and Maki to make the fort even bigger and more sturdy. Soon there was nothing else that could be used, and it was a mighty fort indeed.

You and Maki sat huddle inside. You held Maki’ hand, carefully brushing the first coat of nail polish on her nails while Kokichi kept being unable to decide which color Maki should wear… despite you already brushing a color on. “Say, when was the last time you got your nails painted?” “Last time I visited you.” “Three years ago!?” Ah… so that’s how long it’s been. You looked to your dear friend in disappointment. “Maki! You promised me you’d try to do more things for yourself!” “I came here, didn’t I?” “Well, yeah. But you need to take care of yourself more often, not every couple of years!” “I don’t have many chances to do this. I much rather paint my nails with you than on my own.” “…” You were silent, just thinking for a moment. “Was this really the first opportunity you had in three years?” “… No, this isn’t, but this was the only good chance. My next assignment is not too close, no one is following me, I can actually be here.” “Then what about those other times when you can’t get here. Can’t you do even a little something for yourself then?” “I have to focus on work.” “All work and nothing else… well, you’re unfortunately used to that.” “Yeah.” Kokichi groaned as he placed one of the little bottles down. “Geez Maki-dearest-” “Don’t call me that.” “Your life must suck. Why don’t you make a change! Have some fun!” “Shut up, you don’t know why I have to do this… Why I can’t do anything else.” “… Wow, so depressing. Is this why you’re always sulking?” “I don’t sulk!” “Oh, miss sad assassin, I’d almost pitty you if you weren’t heartless.” Kokichi smirked seeing you had tried to hit him with a rolled up magazine. “Maki has feelings, and she expresses them too! She’s just not as loud and obnoxious as SOME people!” “Aw, Y/N, it’s okay. We already know you’re a cry baby, you don’t have to tell us.” Kokichi immediately sprinted out of the fort, you lunging after him for a tussle. “Don’t bother, he’s just trying to get a ruse out of you.” “Yeah! That just makes beating him with a pillow more fun!” Maki couldn’t help but laugh a little seeing you were just as fiery, looking for any excuse to fight as ever. “So, how has the underground wrestling been treating you?” “I won the world championship!” Your eyes sparked with delight as you went on to explaining how it was one of your toughest matches, both you and your opponent trying your best, not holding anything back, even if it meant playing dirty and using weapons or throwing chairs.

And that was how the rest of the day went, just you and Maki happily chatting as you did whatever Maki liked and not often had the chance to do, like playing with make-up or styling her hair. Small little things that Maki so loved and appreciated that so many others got to do without a second thought. All too soon that fun had come to an end though. You had long gone to sleep and would not awaken for another few hours while Maki was up and restless.

Maki looked around the kitchen, searching through cupboard after cupboard till she found where the plastics were kept. She took out a little container and a fork, placing much more money than the cost of the things on the counter in case these were something more expensive than expected. She then cut a slice of cake, placing it in the container, along with the fork. She then stowed it away in the bag she had discarded upon arrival. Collecting that as well as the coat she had all she brought and left.

Upon exiting the building she looked up, finding the sky pitch black, pure white snow gently drifting down mixing and twirling around her frozen breaths which drifted up into the air, getting carried away by the wind, no control as to it’s destination before dissipating into nothing with the air. She pulled on the ends of her coat, hugging herself making it tighter as to be a better shield from the chilled world which surrounded her. With her every step down the sidewalk her lone footfalls echoed, a soft crunching sound of the snow being crushed under the weight of it all as she moved on. Of all seasons, winter had to be Maki’s least favorite, she couldn’t see why so many others found it to be so fun and great. It was just cold to her, nothing else. She sighed, wondering how long this awful snowfall was going to last, there seemed to be no end in sight.

There was hardly any other soul around, it was the early morning hours after all, just a little past midnight in fact. No one would want to be out in this dreadful cold. It was dark out too, making it hard to see. However that did not mean one could not notice some things like sounds that were almost silences by the snow that seemed to blanket everything, even it however could not cover up that distinctive voice. “Awww, you leaving already Maki-bear?” “Shut up. Stop giving me stupid nicknames. What do you want anyway?” That dreaded ‘Nishishi’ laughter rumbled out of him, the smile clear in it’s tone. “Why do you have to be such a meanie! I just want to say goodbye to my big sister!” “I am NOT your big sister!” A sigh escaped him at that response. “You always do this, sneak away when we’re not looking. Is it that hard for you to say goodbye? Don’t want to relive saying goodbye to everyone at our graduation ceremony?” He hummed away for a moment, then spoke, cutting off any response Maki could have made. “Say now that I think about it… You said goodbye to everyone but Y/N and I. It’s because we’re the only ones you knew you could see without putting into danger right? Because we both also specialize in illegal activities and know how to avoid people like you, right? Right!? I’m right, aren’t I! I knew it!” How his tone could so effortlessly change as if turning on and off a light with a single flip of the switch, that must have been one of the things Maki disliked most about the man, only second to how annoying and childish he relished being. His tone went from something somewhat serious to jubilation.

“You know, you can see them again. You don’t have to keep killing yourself. You can have your cake and eat it too!” “What?” Maki instinctively took a step back, hearing Kokichi was drawing nearer. This was a tone Maki had so rarely heard. It was a tone she could never quite place what it was, it was something like serious, but it was more open, light, earnest… who was she kidding, Kokichi could never be honest and open. His embrace was tight and warm. Even with the layers Maki could feel Kokichi’s heart beating next to her’s. “You know just as well as I do that crime can pay. How do you think I can afford an apartment for Y/N and other places around the world for me and my lackies? Join us. Slaving away at something you don’t even like. That’s just cruel torture. I know you can see it, a chance to break free. You can risk it all for a world where you can live a little, laugh, have fun, see everyone again. You can be family and not just on stand by waiting for SOMETHING! You can make a choice! Come with me, leave your cold dead world behind and come join me in the warmth of others. Let yourself love without any walls. Embrace others unabashedly without worry. Join me in a better life… Please. You can’t keep going like this Maki. We could have days like this every day, and we can protect whoever you want. I know you see it, you don’t need to sacrifice them or yourself anymore. No more aching, no more distance. You can let yourself be warm and close with others.”

Suddenly Kokichi pushed himself away. “But why would you believe a liar like me.” There was that childish tone Maki was all too accustomed too. “Whatever, I’m going to draw on Y/N face with marker, I’ve been getting rusty in my graffiti skills.” Then he skipped away. Maki huffed in annoyance, moving on. The hell was that brat saying. This was Maki’s life, she couldn’t move on to something else…

Sitting on the train Maki watched as she was carried away from the little town, the sun begging to rise, it’s golden glow obscured by the dark clouds. Opening her bag Maki found something unexpected. It was the rest of the cake in a container. There wasn’t much cake left anyway, but… Maki shook her head at the notion, the moment she opened the lid it likely would explode or something, Kokichi would do something like that. Maki did indulge on her slice. Even a little piece was better than nothing, leaving it all behind. It’s hard to quit something once you’ve gotten a taste of it after all.

It was a good thing maki left so soon, she was unexpectedly given new work not even an hour later. She was setting up in her new apartment. It was quiet and empty save a few basic necessities, but nothing else. Maki didn’t need anything else anyway. As she unpacked she cautiously placed the cake on some counter. As she took off her coat something fell out of one of the pockets. On one side was an address, and the other it just said ‘If you want to have your cake and eat it too’ followed by a little doodle of Kokichi’s face. This was all just some elaborate prank, it couldn’t be real in the slightest.

And so she continued to unpack though there was not much.

And she did her work.

And she waited for another assignment.

And she did her work.

And she waited for another assignment.

And she did her work.

And she waited for another assignment.

And she did her work.

And she waited for another assignment.

And she did her work.

And she waited for another assignment.

And she did her work.

And she waited for another assignment.

And she did her work.

And she waited for another assignment.

And she did her work.

And she waited for another assignment.

And she did her work.

And she waited for another assignment.

All that time though she kept the cake, untouched in its box. That was till she found everything just tasted bland. So she tried the cake. It was stale, a little hard, but… it had some taste. And it felt warm.

It couldn’t hurt to at least look into where the address lead too. Who knows, maybe there really would be cake, and it’s be fresh and truly warm.

[kayr0ss]

Perfect, or Not

[LWA, Diakko, cooking, trying new things, Diana needs a break from all the expectations, cute fluff!, domestic cute girlfriends, STAY AT HOME]

Diana and Akko navigate perceptions, vulnerability and... a cooking activity?

---

Diana once told her that what made her different from everyone else at Luna Nova was that Akko never thought she was perfect.

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Akko had asked, caught off guard by the admission.

“A good thing.”

She didn’t fully understand it back then—she was much, much younger—but as the years flew by and led to their eventual romantic involvement, Akko began to get it. When it came to Diana, it seemed as though the whole world had one form of expectation from her or another: model student, soon-to-be heir of magic aristocracy, and later on a well-respected front-runner in the educational career she had chosen.

This was mostly due to the fact that Diana Cavendish rarely made mistakes. Seriously. Ever. Her reputation was held in such regard that even as a student, the instructors at Luna Nova made exceptions based on her opinions (which may have infuriated a younger Akko who had no idea they would end up dating). But even back then, she could see it bearing down on Diana’s shoulders like rocks piling up; and how hard it was becoming for the young Cavendish to keep it balanced lest it all come falling down.

Within their first year of dating, the brunette came to a realization: Diana never failed because she never did anything she might not be good at. She figured it out during a fishing trip of all times! Diana had tucked herself behind a book and under the shade of her wide-brimmed (and very stylish) hat while Akko wrestled with what felt the Master of the Swamp of that darned lake.

“We went all the way out here to fish! Won’t you even try?”

“You seem to have it covered. Fishing isn’t exactly within my area of expertise.”

“And so?”

Diana looked up at her and blinked in confusion, as though the concept of doing anything just for the heck of it was completely foreign to her. “I… well.”

They had to cast the rod seven times before Diana even got so much as a nibble, but fishes be damned—Akko didn’t give up on her that afternoon.

Biking was another activity which Diana had obstinately refused to even consider doing, she fondly recalled. Now this sucked for Akko—it really did—because biking around a park dusted with autumn leaves was kind of on her ‘couple bucket list’, except the other half of said couple didn’t even want to get on the bike.

“We have brooms. This is completely unnecessary.”

“It doesn’t have to be necessary,” Akko took her hand and practically dragged her towards the bicycle. “Don’t you remember what it was like for me to learn flying? Come on, try it for me!”

She’d never forget the how visibly difficult it was for Diana to say this, and that it hurt her to see how the blonde seemed to be expecting some form of judgment. “I… don’t know how.”

Akko laced their fingers together and made sure Diana was looking into her eyes when she said,

“That’s okay.”

Diana seemed surprised.

“I’ll teach you?”

--

This year, Akko’s birthday fell on a lovely, overcast Saturday. There were no dinners or parties to be held on account of a recent outbreak, which left her in the company of Diana with whom she now shared an apartment. It was more than enough.

What she wasn’t expecting, however, was for her girlfriend tap on her shoulder, looking a little excited and reluctant at the same time, asking: “Could you help me bake a cake?”

Akko’s eyebrows shot up, and she blinked away from her video game. “Oh. Without… magic?”

Diana nodded, and Akko lowered her line of sight towards the paper bag the blonde witch was carrying in her arm. Ingredients?

Akko dropped her game—her island and its denizens could wait.

“Please tell me you wore a mask when you went out to buy those!”

“Of course.”

--

Their first obstacle for the afternoon’s baking session was cracking the eggs.

“By Jennifer, I’ll always be amazed at how eggshells are both so fragile yet strong.” Diana accidentally crushed another egg, and braced herself for a witty remark form Akko, but none came.

“That’s okay,” Akko beamed, handing her another egg. “One more time!”

Encouraged, Diana picked up another egg and decided to just smack the damned thing along the rim of the mixing bowl. Oh. To her pleasant surprise, it cracked open obediently. “Right along the prime meridian.”

“P—Prime meridian!” Akko chortled, “mou, Diana, you’ve made the egg into a little Earth!”

Diana wanted to roll her eyes in annoyance but found herself smiling instead—Akko could get away with murder weilding a laugh as warm as that.

“Come on,” Akko stole a chance with a kiss to her cheek, “we’ll make a chef outta you yet. Time to get to mixing!”

The brunette had a good spot of fun during the first five minutes watching the taller witch mix. But Diana started grumbling about how her arm was sore, and so it was Akko’s turn to, to quote her girlfriend, “toil.”

“Someone’s comfortable,” Akko teased, leaning back when Diana decided rest her chin on the opposite shoulder of her mixing arm.

“I’m simply resting,” the blonde replied with a rare dash of jesting. She brought up her arms to circle Akko’s waist, squeezing a little bit while she planting a small kiss on the brunette’s shoulder. “Thank you for agreeing to teach me.”

“And what a teacher you’ve picked!” Akko giggled. “The last time I baked a cake, well… you were the one who brought Lotte to the clinic for a stomachache.”

Diana chuckled, and Akko couldn’t help but love the way she could feel the sound of it through her back pressed against Diana’s chest. “You know, I…”

“Mhm?”

“I always liked you teaching me new things.”

“After making beg all those times? You liked it after all?” Akko stuck her tongue out “Betrayal!”

“Oh, come on.” Diana nudged the side of Akko’s head. “It’s just… I always remember how I lost my magic when I was younger.”

Akko kept quiet, bring her pace of mixing to a slow, smooth motion.

“The kind of expectations my family had, and how hard it was to learn everything. Everyday. On my own. I remember how I couldn’t even cast simple spells, and how I told myself I’d never feel that… inept anymore. Not at school. Not at work.”

“But now, Diana, I’d say you’re pretty amazing.”

"That’s... Thank you.”

“But you don’t have to be,” Akko reassured.

“I… just never thought that. Not until recently. It felt right to be perfect—fit everyone’s preconceptions.”

“I don’t think you need to be perfect.”

Akko felt Diana’s arms wrap themselves around her a little tighter, felt her firsts clench with the way the cloth of her shirt balled up in them a little. The blonde witch relaxed, and then nuzzled against Akko’s shoulder.

“And I love you for that. Among many other things.”

Akko turned her head to kiss Diana’s temple. “Oh! Other things like what?”

“Must you always ruin these cheesy moments,” Diana rolled her eyes, but smiled anyway.

Akko laughed, dropping the mixing spoon to turn around in Diana’s embrace and drape her arms around her neck. “Indeed, I must! But for the record, I’m sure Hannah and Barbara don’t think so too, you know?”

Diana wiped a spatter of chocolate mix off Akko’s cheek with her thumb and licking it off on instinct.

“I love you.” Akko smiled, “even if you can’t bake to save your life.” She slowly brought a hand to cup Diana’s cheek and she tilted her head, inching forward for a soft, warm kiss that tasted like chocolate.

She really couldn’t bake. But somehow, Diana thought that was just fine.

---

An hour later, they found themselves trapped in an apartment that smelled like rich—yet slightly burnt—chocolate cake.

Diana looked a little lost and adorably sheepish, holding up a tray with a cake shaped like a… a rhombus? The frosting was uneven, although the birthday message was written in perfect handwriting (which was no small feat for a beginner!). Her sleeves were rolled haphazardly, and the apron looked hopelessly awkward on her, but by Jennifer—

(“Happy birthday,” she lifted the tray up as if to say ‘ta-da!’

Akko smiled so wide her cheeks hurt.)

—she looked absolutely perfect.

--

fin

---

A/N: Howdy folks! Firstly I genuinely hope everyone is safe and doing well. Stay at home--and stay properly informed! Secondly, aaaa I’ve missed writing and I’ve missed the fandom so have a cute fic! I have another idea which I’m excited to write!

This was the product of me getting so TIRED OF WRITING A RESEARCH PAPER all night and READING FOR THREE HOURS just to WRITE ONE SENTECE so I’m sorry if the grammar is kind of whack or for typOs you see sir it is 7;30am sir..,.,., i haven’t slept helpe meEe I am but an ant in a colony  L I F T

[theladyofdeath]

Rags & Riches {10}

Summary: An A Court of Thorns and Roses Fanfiction. 19th century AU. Based on the prompt sent in by @cat5313 All characters belong to SJM, I am just a fan with a plot.

Warning: Mature content strung throughout.

A/N: 2 chapters in 1 day? Sure did. You all know how I feel about a cliche rain scene. 

Leave a comment to be tagged & tell me what you think! :)

The days after Feyre had met Isobel and Mor passed in a blur. She had not seen Rhysand at all, but he had written, saying that his mother was not doing well and he would be taking care of her.

The thought saddened Feyre, and it had become all she could think about. She had only met Isobel once, but she was a lovely woman who made Feyre feel cherished and made her laugh harder than she had in a long time. 

She also couldn’t bear to see Rhysand hurting, watching his mother grow more and more sick as the days passed. 

So, when she woke three days after Rhysand’s last letter, she decided that she should pay them a visit. After hurrying to the library and grabbing a book, she wandered to the kitchen, where she found the cook rustling about, making lunch preparations.

“Arnie, could I have a loaf of bread? And, perhaps, some lemonade?”

Arnie made the best lemonade. Feyre had asked him for it countless times throughout the fifteen years he’d been with them.

Arnie smiled, the wrinkles around his eyes deepening as he did so. “Of course, dear. All for yourself?”

“Thought I’d visit some friends in the village,” Feyre said, adjusting the hat on her head. 

“Very well, my dear,” he smiled,and got a canvas bag where he placed a fresh loaf of bread and a tin canister of freshly-squeezed lemonade. 

“Thank you, Arnie,” she smiled, graciously, before hurrying out the back door of the kitchen. 

“Be safe, my dear!” he called after her, waving her off.

Feyre remembered when she was a child, loving being with Arnie in the kitchen. He would always sneak her cookies and let her lick the spoon every time he made cakes or muffins. 

Her mother had caught her once, sitting on the counter in one of her finest gowns, licking a spoon covered in chocolate dough. She looked at Feyre, then at Arnie, and whispered, “Your secret is safe with me.” She left and never spoke of it again. Feyre couldn’t have been more than seven. 

The memory still brought a smile to her lips. 

It was late morning, and the clouds were gathering in front of the sun, but it was warm. Feyre decided to walk her normal route through the woods. She tossed the canvas bag over her shoulder and held up her skirt as she made her way inside. There was a soft breeze that was calming. 

Feyre loved being in nature. She loved the way the leaves rustled with the wind, loved the way the path was uneven, forcing her to climb over logs and through dirt. It was peaceful. It was real, far from their heavy golden curtains and marble floors. Even in her dress, Feyre felt more at home in the woods than she did in their manor. Perhaps one day, when she’s old and no one has a say in what she does anymore, she could have a little log cabin in the woods.

She wondered if perhaps Rhysand longed for such things.

Once the inn was within view, a soft rain began to fall. It was mostly blocked by the trees until she fell out of the woods and onto the cobblestone street. She hurried inside of the inn before she could get too wet. 

The inn was quiet, and Feyre saw no one as she walked up the stairs, down the hall, and to the final door. She knocked, softly.

A moment later, it creaked open, and Rhysand stood their, brows raised. “Feyre?”

“I’m sorry to just drop by, I hope I’m not intruding,” she said, in equal quietness. 

Rhysand smiled, opening the door further. She had never seen him so casual, in nothing but his shirt sleeves and loose trousers. His feet were bare. Even his hair was in disarray, as if he had woken up and immediately come to his mother’s side. “You could never intrude. Come in, please.” 

“Do we have a guest?” A soft voice came from inside. “Is it Feyre?”

Rhysand looked from inside of the room then back to Feyre, his grin widening. “She’s asked a lot about you these past few days.”

“And you told her all good things, I hope?” Feyre asked, raising a brow.

Rhysand chuckled. “I never lie to my mother, Feyre.”

He stepped aside and, with a laugh of her own, Feyre swept into the room. Isobel was indeed looking worse than she had the other day. Her skin was pale, clammy, her hair braided back to reveal dark circles beneath her eyes. She wore a nightgown and was bundled in blankets.

“Hello, darling,” Isobel smiled. “Do excuse me. I am not made for company.”

“Oh, not at all,” Feyre said, sitting in the chair by her bedside. “Pardon my intrusion. I heard you were feeling unwell and wanted to see how you were fairing.” 

“Not an intrusion at all,” she smiled, as Rhysand walked to the other side of the room and sat in an armchair, watching the two of them thoughtfully. “I’m feeling quite alright. Except for Mor had to go into town and leave me all alone with this one.” She gestured to Rhysand, who rolled his eyes dramatically. 

Feyre grinned. “Well, Arnie, my cook, made you some fresh bread and lemonade.”

“How thoughtful,” Isobel smiled, as Feyre put the canister and wrapped bread on the table near Rhysand before walking back to the chair by the bed and sitting down. “I also brought some poetry, if you wish to be read to. I….do not know if that is strange or not, but my mother used to read poetry to me when I was unwell, and now when me or my sisters are unwell, we read to each other. I always found it comforting.”

Isobel reached out a shaky hand to where Feyre sat and patted her knee. “That sounds lovely.”

Feyre nodded and took the book out of the bag. “Do you enjoy John Keats? I have always enjoyed his work.”

“Quite so,” Isobel said, thoughtfully, as she leaned further back into her pillows. “Ode to a Nightingale has always been my favorite.”

Feyre knew Rhysand was staring at her, and she suddenly felt nervous. She did not often read in front of others, never those who were not a part of her family. It had never been a strength of hers. 

Feyre cleared her throat, and began to read one of Keats’ most famous pieces. “My heart aches, and a drowsy numbness pains My sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk, Or emptied some dull opiate to the drains One minute past, and Lethe-wards had sunk: 'Tis not through envy of thy happy lot, But being too happy in thine happiness,— That thou, light-winged Dryad of the trees, In some melodious plot Of beechen green, and shadows numberless, Singest of summer in full-throated ease.”

She finished and moved on to Modern Love and by the time she had finished that, Isobel had drifted into a comfortable sleep. Feyre slowly closed her book then looked to Rhysand where he sat on the opposite side of the room. 

His lips were parted, his chin perched in his palm on the armrest, one bare ankle tossed over the other, his legs outstretched.

He was watching her with such intensity and adoration that Feyre suddenly felt nude. She couldn’t breath, couldn’t think of a word to say. Instead, she took the canvas bag and put the book inside, then rose from her chair.

“I should go,” she whispered. “Let her rest.” 

Rhysand, as if just realizing he was staring, cleared his throat and shot to his feet. “It’s raining, you should wait.” 

Feyre glanced out the window and, sure enough, the sprinkling had turned into a downpour. “Not to worry. I came through the woods, the trees will block the worst of it.”

Rhysand smiled, softly. “I should have known.”

Feyre met him with a smile of her own. “I do hope she gets well soon.”

He nodded. He still wore the smile, but it no longer met his eyes. “Thank you for the lemonade, and the bread. And for reading. She enjoyed that quite a bit. Allowed her to forget about the circumstances enough that she could rest. For that, I am grateful.”

Feyre nodded, and before she could convince herself otherwise, she leaned up on the tips of her toes and pressed a kiss to Rhysand’s tanned cheek. “Until next time, then.”

Rhysand had frozen in place, and it was not until she was nearly out the door that she heard him say, “Until next time.”

She went back down the hall, and down the stairs, and still saw no one else as she got to the threshold. She looked from the edge of the woods, then up to the sky where thick droplets were falling from dark clouds.

It would be a quick run.

Feyre tossed the bag over her shoulder, now lighter due to lack of contents, and held up her skirt before hauling herself into the downpour. But she had barely made it a quarter of the way to the trees before the door of the inn burst open and Rhysand, still without socks or shoes, was running toward her.

His ivory shirt was already soaked by the time he made it to where she stood, his dark hair matted to his tanned skin.

Feyre opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong, but she didn’t have time. The moment she opened her mouth, it was met with his. 

She instantly fell into him, one arm wrapping around his neck, one hand pressed softly against his smooth cheek.

He gathered her close to him, those broad arms holding her tightly by her waist. She didn’t have to say a word as he put one arm beneath her knees and the other beneath her arms, lifting her in the air, her face in the crook of his neck as he walked back toward the inn. 

She had wondered what it would be like to kiss there, but that curiosity faded and turned to delight as she did so. His skin was warm, smelling of lavender. The moment her mouth touched the sensitive spot just above his collarbone, she could feel his breathing shift.

He took her up the stairs and down the hallway, stopping at the same room in which she had cleaned his wound.

He whispered her name as they tumbled inside, the door closing behind them. Feyre dropped her bag and undid the ribbon that held her hat as he pressed her up against the inside of the door. Her green skirt inched up to her thighs as she changed her position, her legs wrapping around his waist.

She felt wild.

Improper.

Irresponsible.

And she let it all consume her.

Rhysand’s violet eyes were bright as he took his lips from hers. They stared at each other a moment, both breathing heavily, until Feyre reached up and undid the top button of his shirt, then the next, and the next, until his chest was bare. He held onto her thighs, only letting go when each sleeve went down his arm, his drenched shirt ending up on the wooden floorboards.

Feyre traced his chest muscles, his abdomen muscles, his biceps, his forearms. She ran her fingers gently back up his arms, and over his shoulders. Rhysand shuttered beneath her touch. 

“Feyre,” he whispered. She could feel his heart pounding through his chest. 

“Let me down,” she breathed.

He obliged, and the moment her boots hit the floor, she turned her back to him and moved her hair out of the way. 

Rhysand hesitated before running his fingers down the buttons of her dress. “Feyre…”

“You have brought me to this inn on multiple occasions,” Feyre began, voice quiet, shaking. “Do not tell me you are worried about jeopardizing my virtue, now.”

He laughed, breathily, and dropped his hand. “I want to, Feyre. You don’t know how badly I want to, but-”

“I want to, too,” she said, turning to face him. There was no more sarcastic mask, no more snarky remarks or humor dancing in his eyes. He looked at her, completely raw as she leaned forward and pressed her mouth to his bare chest. 

He let loose a long, deep breath, one that completely halted when Feyre unbuttoned his trousers. He didn’t breath until the last button faded away and they were hanging loosely around his hips.

“Do you intend to kill me?” he muttered. 

With a grin, she turned her back to him, once again, and pulled her hair aside.

Rhysand undid the buttons, one by one. 

~~~~~

Cassian hadn’t seen Nesta since they were by the lake, days before. They had finished, and once she had caught her breath, she pulled back on her undergarments, straightened out her dress, and hurried away, leaving Cassian with his chest bare and his trousers halfway down his thighs. 

She had been blatantly ignoring him since, so he didn’t push. 

He stayed in his own little world. If she wanted to ignore what happened, then he would, too. 

Morning had turned into afternoon by the time Cassian had finished his chores, and he was packing up when his roommate showed up in the stables.

Cassian raised his brows. “Troubled?”

Azriel hesitated, then rubbed the back of his neck as he said, “I need your help.”

“Okay,” Cassian said. “Of course. What do you need?”

He hesitated again, which told Cassian that this was no small request. “Know what? Nevermind. I’ll figure something out.”

He nodded his thanks and began to walk away, but Cassian quickly caught up to him. 

Azriel looked unnerved. 

“What’s going on?” Cassian asked, stopping him with a hand on his shoulder.

Azriel could have put up a good fight, but he didn’t bother. He stopped, and turned to face him. “I have to get away.”

Cassian blinked. “What?”

“Okay,” Azriel began, taking a deep breath. “I’m...we’re leaving tonight, but no one can know. And I need your help.” 

“We?” Cassian repeated. “As in you and me?”

“No,” Azriel said, closing his eyes. “Elain and myself.”

“Elain,” Cassian repeated. Azriel nodded. “As in Lady Elain?”

“I will answer all your questions, okay? Just...I need your help.”

Cassian did not hesitate. “Okay.” 

~~~~~

Elain looked at the small travel case she had on her bed. Not much would fit inside.

She had thought of what she would like to bring with her, what to pack if she were never to come back to the manor. 

After a deep breath and a lot of deliberation, Elain selected some jewels and put them inside. She gathered her journal and all the notes she had saved from Azriel and put them inside of the case, too. A second day dress and a nightgown went in, and her hairbrush. 

And just with that, it was full.

She looked around at the rest of her belongings, of things so expensive but so insignificant. If belongings were what she was leaving behind to be with Azriel, then it was all worth it.

She wrote a letter to each of her sisters, in which she had given Azriel to give to his roommate, so that he could give them to Nesta and Feyre. 

Azriel trusted Cassian. So Elain did, too. 

She was excited, but she was equally terrified. She couldn’t sleep the night before, and every second that passed seemed to take far too long. 

By dawn the next day, they would be gone, far away from the manor, ready to start their new life. 

Elain would no longer be a Lady.

Instead, she would become Azriel’s wife. 

~~~~~

Nesta hated the very sight of him.

She watched him out the library window, discussing something with the handsome butler. When the butler walked away, Cassian looked up to see her sitting in the window.

He raised a brow.

Nesta’s book snapped shut and she stormed through the manor until she reached the side door, closest to the stables. She threw it open and stalked his direction, finding him leaning against the door of the stables, eating an apple.

“Done ignoring me?” he asked, mouth full.

Nesta rolled her eyes. “Stop watching me.”

“Pardon?” he asked, taking another bite.

“I’ve noticed you looking at me the past few days and I want you to stop,” she snapped.

Cassian watched Nesta as he swallowed his bite of apple and set it down on the post next to him. When he said nothing, it seemed to anger her more.

Throwing her hands in the air, Nesta said, “What happened between you and I will not happen again. Therefore, stop looking at me as if it will.”

“Okay,” Cassian said, crossing his arms. “Anything else?”

Nesta blinked. “You are absolutely filthy.”

“Well, I do work with horses,” he said, shrugging. “Shall I bathe in the lake again? You’re more than welcome to join.”

Nesta stepped close to him and pressed her finger against his chest. “You will not speak to me like that. I am a Lady.”

“Are you?” Cassian asked, amused. “You could have fooled me.” 

Nesta’s eyes narrowed even more. “You are foul. I loathe you.”

“The feeling is mutual,” he promised, then added, “my Lady.”

She went to pull her hand away, but he caught her wrist. “Leaving so soon? And here I thought we were having a moment. Is hateful talk not your love language?”

There was no one else outside, but Nesta could not risk someone approaching. They were standing far too close. They were touching.

She snatched her arm out of his grasp and took a step back, fixing her posture. She lifted her chin high and said, “I assume you have not told anyone about what occurred the other day.”

Cassian walked into the stables and began cleaning up supplies as he said, “Do you truly think me so careless?”

Nesta huffed as she followed him. “I don’t know. I don’t know you.”

“Don’t you? We’ve shared some interesting moments since my employment,” he said, grinning over his shoulder as he put a brush away.

Nesta shook her head. “I am not in the mood for games, Cassian.” It was such a rarity that she used his true name. “You mustn’t tell anyone. Swear to me.” 

Cassian sighed as he turned around to face her. He saw the fear she had, the fear that came from realizing that she was not perfect and hating herself for it. “Fine. I swear it.”

After a curt nod, Nesta turned her back to him and hurried away, back toward the house. She stopped, just outside of the stables. “Meet me by the lake. Just before midnight.”

When she looked back over her shoulder, his hazel eyes held a mischievous glint. 

She could feel him watching her until she disappeared through the door.

~~~~~

Feyre had not known what to expect when it all began. All she knew was that if pleasuring herself was invigorating, the pleasure of sex must surely feel the same.

But it was so much greater. 

Rhysand was gentle with her, at first.

He laid her down atop his bed and trailed gentle kisses down her body before guiding her toward him, and pushing himself inside. 

It had been beautiful. Sweet. Romantic.

Her heart had never been so full of emotion as they made love for the first time, and once they were done, and he asked if she was okay, she just laughed. 

“I am better than okay,” she promised, and he kissed her, softly.

The second time was not gentle, at all. 

Feyre found it even better than the first. 

Which could be seen from the marks she had made across his back with her nails. 

“I’m exhausted,” he said, flinging himself back against the pillows. “You exhaust me.”

“Perhaps I should go then?” Feyre asked, climbing up his body and resting her chin atop his chest.

Rhysand laughed, his smile glorious. “Please, do not. If you did, I’d be afraid-”

A loud knock came on his door. “Rhysand?” it was Mor. “Auntie and I are preparing for dinner. Will you be joining us?”

“Er,” Rhysand hesitated. Feyre had to put her hands over her mouth to keep from laughing. “I am getting ready to go out for a bit. I’ll be back soon.”

“Very well,” she called. “Don’t get into too much trouble.”

Feyre waited for her footsteps to sound down the hall before she asked, “You’d be afraid of what?”

Rhysand lifted a brow, gently rubbing her back with the tips of his fingers. “What?”

“You said that if I left, you’d be afraid. Afraid of what?”

Rhysand’s fingers slowed, but he didn’t stop. “That you wouldn’t come back.”

Feyre chuckled. “I just made love to you twice. Why would I not come back?”

Rhysand took her face into his hands and brushed back her hair. “You are too good a woman, Feyre Archeron. Too good for any man, especially me.”

“Although I agree,” Feyre began, making Rhysand laugh, “you do not give yourself much credit. I have seen the truth of your heart, and I quite like what I see.”

Rhysand’s brows went up. “Is that so?”

“It is,” Feyre confirmed. “Which is good, if I am to be your wife, after all.”

Rhysand’s body stopped, every part of him coming to a halt. “Say that again, I’m sure I misheard it.”

Feyre’s smile widened as she began, once more, “If I am to be your wife-”

“Stop,” he said, putting his hand over her mouth. “No.”

Feyre rolled her eyes. “You are the most dramatic man I have ever known,” she said, muffled through his hand.

Rhysand flipped Feyre onto her back and hovered over her. She trailed her fingers along his chest as he leaned down to kiss her forehead. “I have no ring,” he said, kissing her nose. “And we are at an inn.” He kissed her lips. “And I am nude.”

“As am I,” she said, giggling as his head dipped down to trail his tongue along one of her breasts, then the other. 

“I’ve noticed,” he said, the tone of his voice causing her toes to curl. “I must propose to you properly. You mustn’t know it’s coming. Besides, you could change your mind. You hated me up until today.”

Feyre shook her head, taking his face into her hands and pulling him down, so that her lips touched his. “I never hated you, Rhys.”

His eyes softened. 

“But I’m going to know it’s coming,” she grinned. “Were I not always meant to become your wife?” 

Rhysand let his body fall against hers. He rested an elbow on each side of her face. “From the very first moment I saw you.” 

The third time they made love that afternoon, all the walls had come down. 

~~~~~

@throne-of-ashes-and-beauty @mariamuses @a-happybird @amusicalbookworm @manoncrochanblackbeak @alifletcher2012 @candid-confetti @fandoms-everywhere-united @mis-lil-red @littlehoneyybee @abillionlittlepieces @impossiblescissorspeachpaper @awesomelena555 @theoverlyenthusiasticwriter @tswaney17 @jemma-nessian-and-elriel @rhysandsrightknee @gendryaforthemasses @dayanna-hatter @thebluemartini @welcometothespeaknowworldtour @julemmaes @christiashadows @sleeping-and-books @itsme-malin @agnez312 @cat5313 @amren-courtofdreams @chemica @empress-ofbloodshed @islamonna @illyrianbeauty  @sleeping-and-books @queenofxhearts @sleeping-and-books​ @aedionashryver-wolfofthenorth​ @queenofillea1​ @mynewdreamwasyou​ @levivlio​ @hellolenas​ @burritowithfeels​ @that-other-pineapple​ @girl-who-reads-the-books​ @raghad-50725 @musicmaam @rowaelinforeverworld​ @negativenesta  @welcometothespeaknowworldtour​ @gloriouspaintercreatorbandit @sannelovesreading​ @nerdperson524 @ireallyshouldsleeprn @nerdperson524​ @mariamuses​ @gorl-power