#cinna roll

[nerdstreak]

It was fitting, really, that she got adopted on a day all about love. Because she certainly felt loved, and who could ask for anything more than that?

YES i was able to pull this off, with a full bg no less! hope it looks at least bluey-esque bc the real backgrounds are so nice and neat looking

companion art for my valentine's day cinna fic chapter!

banner by @/candyheartedchy

[lyingintheclouds]

it is with great pleasure that i tell you that i am eating a cinnamon roll right now

[cpahlow]

[moth-spiderling]

Cinnamoroll supremacy, who's with me

[thecinnaroll]

Life Be Rough 😵

🧡Thanks For Watching💛 🧡Lil Cinna Tik Tok: tiktok.com/@thecinnaroll

[kopivie]

EEEE WAIT BC THE ZZZ FIC TAG IS KINDA EMPTY....

harumasa, lighter, and seth? oh y'all will be MINE. MINEEEE...

[eatember]

-

[nerdstreak]

i really am just on an edit frenzy arent i? (ive got something original with these familials too, but i'll wait closer to halloween for that!)

well i got the sudden urge to put cinna in her rightful place with the family in some wedding photos from the sign! thought it would be a tighter fit but worked better than i thought!

[eldulcopatato]

"Keep It Cute, Keep It Quiet"

pairing: george clarkey x fem!reader

warnings: none!

summary: When George's lack of transparency about your relantionship and frustration by online rumors about him and Cinna finally pushes you over the edge, deciding you're done being his secret.

word count: 700

₊˚ ‿︵‿︵‿︵˚₊

You and George had been together for seven months.

Private, not secret. That’s what he always said.

He didn’t want to deal with “people being weird,” didn’t want to give the internet too much. You understood. You didn’t love it, but you got it. You were patient. Supportive. Chill.

Until Inside happened.

It started with harmless clips.

Cinna joining the group. George greeting her with that goofy smile. Them vibing, bouncing off each other’s jokes, becoming lowkey inseparable.

You didn’t say anything. You knew George. You trusted him.

But then came the TikToks. The fan edits. The comment sections that became unhinged.

“they’d be so cute together 😭” “george & cinna have serious main character energy ngl” “he never looks at anyone like that i’m sorry 😭😭” “they BETTER be together off cam”

You told yourself it didn’t mean anything. They were just shippers. Parasocials. But it kept getting worse.

Because even after the show, George and Cinna started streaming together. Frequently.

Usually with the group—Jason, Millie, and the other contestants. But sometimes? Just them two.

You’d pop into the stream chat, lurking silently, watching them mess around in different games. She’d say something flirty—probably as a joke—and George would laugh.

Too loud. Too fond.

“george and cinna streaming alone again??? they are not hiding it anymore omfg” “if they start matching profile pics i’m throwing myself into the sea”

You asked him about it once.

He just blinked at you. “What, me and Cinna? Babe… she’s just a mate. You know that.”

And yeah, you did. But that didn’t stop it from stinging every time she popped up on your FYP. Every time you saw a new fancam titled “cinna making george blush for 2 minutes straight”.

And the whole time… You were just in the background. A ghost.

Until that night.

You were lying in bed, scrolling, and came across another viral tweet.

“i’d bet money george and cinna are a thing, they’re too comfy around each other”

Something in you snapped.

You opened your camera roll. Found a photo from two nights ago—taken after a long dinner date. You’d been straddling George on the sofa, jacket half off one shoulder, messy hair, his hands all over your waist. You were kissing him. His jaw, slightly tilted up, eyes closed.

It was hot. Obvious. Intimate.

You hesitated. Just for a second.

Then added the caption: “not just comfy x” Posted it straight to your Instagram story. No tags. No explanations.

You locked your phone and tossed it aside.

It took about 45 seconds for your phone to explode.

Twitter? In shambles. TikTok? Full of scream edits and breakdown videos. Instagram? DMs blowing up. People were analyzing your bracelets, zooming in on George’s hands, comparing hoodie strings to old footage.

“WHO IS SHE AND HOW DO I BECOME HER??” “CINNA STANS WE LOST 😭” “she ATE. she WON. no crumbs left.”

You didn’t even hear from George until ten minutes later.

George: ??? George: babe what did you just DO George: you know everyone’s going mad right???

You finally replied.

You: well now they know George: you mad at me? You: you think?

Typing… typing… George: i didn’t mean to make you feel hidden You: you didn’t mean to. but you did. George: come over. please.

You showed up at his flat an hour later.

He was waiting at the door, hoodie on, hair messy, expression wrecked.

“You posted that ‘cause of Cinna?” he asked quietly.

You stared at him. “You think I wanted to watch people ship you with someone else every day while I stayed invisible?”

He stepped closer, hands sliding around your waist.

“I should’ve posted about you months ago.”

You didn’t reply. Just stared.

Then he kissed you. Soft, slow, apologetic.

“Can I post something now?” he whispered against your lips.

You smirked. “You better.”

An hour later, George uploaded a blurry polaroid to his grid.

You, in his lap. Laughing. Kissing his cheek. His arm curled around your waist. Caption: “she’s not just comfy x”

“REAL RECOGNISES REAL” “i forgive him for hiding her bc she is CLEARLY the one” “ngl i respect the reveal game. they held onto that like champs.” “cinna shippers i am so sorry 💀 the girlfriend had RECEIPTS”

[randomusingsofalovesickgirl]

EPISODE 01: CALL ME YOURS

a/n: somewhat (?) proofread! just needed to get it out there, before i forget. 😅 alsooooo if you would prefer shorter but more chapters, let me know 😊 🎶 call me yours by lilian helper 🎶 crush by fox gunn 🎶 there's no way by lauv ft. julia michaels

The moment you walked into the living room, you knew two things: first, the cameras were already rolling, and second, you were absolutely and irreversibly screwed.

There are plenty of things to be concerned about when you walked onto the Inside set—being without your phone for a week, tripping on your own feet, being at the mercy of seven of your most shit-starting friends, fumbling your words, or not getting along with the other contestants. But instead, all you could think about was him.

Not the cameras. Not the chaos. Not the loudness of it all. Not Milli and Cinna, who are currently sitting next to you as Cinna speculated who the fuck ordered the golden straw. Just George, standing a few feet away from you, looking completely unbothered. As if nothing happened. As if the two of you didn't just ruin your friendship two nights ago.

It happened after a year of skirting the line: hundreds of inside jokes layered with meanings, countless one-on-one moments that felt far too intimate for 'just friends', lingering glances you hoped no one noticed, and endless excuses to be near each other. Friends constantly asked "will they or won't they?" as they did whatever they could to set something up, push something to happen. Meanwhile, your fans created millions of edits, insisting that it had been secretly happening all along.

But beyond all your friends' efforts and fan speculation, nothing ever happened.

Until two nights ago, alone in his empty flat.

Both of you gave each other the heads up that for the next week, you wouldn't be able to talk due to 'important family trips'—a lie, of course, to cover up being on the show. A week wasn't long, sure, but for you two—seven days felt forever. You hadn't gone more than a single day without at least texting since you met during the Sidemen Talent Show. His roommates were out on the town, and while you were both invited, you opted to spend the night alone—just the two of you. At some point, the shitty television show playing in the background became nothing but noise—forgotten between the shared laughter and stolen glances that lingered longer than they should've. Soon, the silence felt loaded. With one too many glasses of wine, your guard dropped...but it was the way George looked at you, almost as if he was trying not to. You don’t remember exactly how it happened, but he was soon hovering over you. You could feel the warmth of his breath and see the flicker of hesitation in his eyes, like he knew it was a bad idea but wanted it anyway. His hand brushed your jaw, a feather-light touch that sent a jolt down your spine and butterflies fluttering in your stomach. You whispered, "We shouldn't." But you wanted nothing more. "What are we doing?" George mumbled, his eyes now locked on your lips. His voice was low and a little slurred, and for a while, none of you moved. Until you leaned up, and his lips were on yours. The kiss, though soft, was hungry and aching. Like a secret finally breaking free, like a weight being lifted off both your backs. His mouth moved against yours with a year’s worth of restraint unraveling all at once—desperate, tender, and a little clumsy from the wine, but so, so real. Each kiss tasted like everything you’d never let yourself say sober.

"Can the contestants please make their way to the challenge room?" Tobi's voice blasted from the speakers, accompanied by the screen flashing the same message in bold white letters.

Cinna and Milli stood up from beside you, prying themselves off the beanbags you'd all practically melted into. You let out a playful groan, dropping your head back. “I don’t want to go. I know they’re going to be evil,” you whined, making both girls chuckle.

Taking Milli’s outstretched hand, you let her pull you to your feet. As the others started making their way toward the challenge room, you caught George’s gaze lingering on you out of the corner of your eye. He stayed back, letting everyone else pass.

He disguised it as adjusting something on his microphone pack, which only made your chest ache. Him waiting for you wasn’t odd—no one would’ve questioned it. Everyone already knew you two were close before the show. Mandi had even declared the moment you walked in that it was unfair both of you were here, claiming you were “definitely dating,” which would make "doing nothing together too easy." Her theory, of course, was backed by the dozens of TikTok edits she and Milli had watched of you and George together.

You both denied it—laughing it off with an ease that had been practically rehearsed for months. But you silently prayed none of them noticed the flush in your cheeks, the redness in George’s ears, or the way your eyes kept finding each other across the room.

As Cinna and Milli moved ahead, their laughter blending into the buzz of the rest of the group, you hung back. For a second, it felt like it used to—just the two of you; normal, almost. You had to physically restrain yourself from throwing your arms around him and telling him how happy you were that he was here. He licked his lips, and you had to force yourself not to remember how they felt on yours.

"Hey," He said, soft enough that only you could hear.

You swallowed. "Hey."

The silence that followed stretched between you like a tightrope. One wrong word—one mention of that night—and it would snap, sending you both tumbling.

He rubbed the back of his neck, eyes flickering to the ground and then back up at you. You noticed how they paused, just briefly, at your lips. "So, uh...how are you finding things so far?"

The conversation already felt...so small. Meaningless.

You forced a smile. "Fine, you?"

He nodded slowly at your words, sheepishly even. "Yeah...just...you know," he shrugged, "ready for the lads to fuck with us." He put on a stupid accent, one that he knows always make you chuckle. And it almost did. Almost.

Silence filled the space again, thick and charged. You stared at each other a little too long, both of you trying to refrain from subconsciously moving closer to each other, as you always have done. George shifted his weight from foot to foot, clearly unsure of what to say next.

His voice dropped down to an even quieter whisper so that no one could hear (as if he didn't have a microphone pack strapped to his chest). "You left before I could wake up. I'm not sure if you wanted to talk about it...or if we can...but I think we definitely should."

You hesitated. Too many words fought to reach your tongue, none of them right. Not here. Not now.

"Yeah, uh, I don't know..." you mumbled, "but we definitely should." Your eyes darted around. Everyone else was already in the challenge room, just two studio managers still tidying up the set.

He nodded again, too quickly this time. "Yeah, yeah, of course. Just, I wanted to let you know that I don't want it to be-"

"Oi! Lovebirds!" JJ poked his head from the challenge room and into the hallway, "Get your asses in here right now! We're waiting on you two!"

George let out a low breath and let out a quick smile, one that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Guess that's our cue." He held out his hand for you to take.

You stared at his outstretched hand, your heart thudding in your chest.

For a split second, and against your better judgement, you almost reached for it—almost letting muscle memory win. But instead, you wrapped your arms around yourself and took a small step forward, slipping past him to join the others without another word.

Not a rejection. Not quite. Just...space.

His hand hovered mid-air for a moment longer before dropping back to his side. He didn't say anything, just followed behind you—his eyes trained on the ground.

When you stepped into the challenge room and saw JJ, Simon, and Tobi—JJ in mid-rant about how he was this close to starting without you, you smiled.

Familiar faces. Some sort of normalcy. Even under the far too bright lights, you could pretend that nothing actually happened; that you weren't spiraling and panicking underneath your cool exterior; that George's closeness doesn't mean anything more than usual.

You mumbled an apology as you took your spot next to Milli and Dylan, trying to keep your expression neutral. Out of the corner of your eye, George slid into his place across the room.

Your eyes met once—just once. A flicker. A slient later.

But for now, the cameras were rolling, the game was beginning. And you can't let Tobi, Simon, or JJ have an idea that something was weird between you two. Then you'd never hear the end of it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The challenge is Insider Dating," Simon began, clapping his hands together. "You'll each be given two questions that you must answer to our satisfaction. Think of it as a chance to really get to know your fellow Insiders!"

The group let out a chorus of exaggerated awwws, leaning into the bit for the cameras.

"But," Simon added with a mischievous grin, "there will be distractions. You can opt out… but it’ll cost ten grand from the prize money.”

A collective gasp echoed through the room—playful, dramatic.

Tobi jumped in. “We’ve already paired you up. We’ll call your names. When it’s your turn, sit at the table, open the menu, and read what you see.”

As stage managers did a final sweep, double-checking mics and cues, everyone began speculating about what the distractions might be.

“I think we got this,” Dylan assured you, resting his hand on your bouncing knee. “Don’t worry.”

Milli grinned. “Remember, you’re a bad bitch!” You laughed, grateful, until something across the room caught your eye.

Mya leaned in toward George, who seemed to be explaining the rules again. Her hand rested lightly on his bicep, a sly smile on her lips. Your stomach twisted. She was gorgeous. And George? Maybe he’d like her more.

It shouldn’t matter. You and George were just friends who’d… hooked up. No claims. Still, the way she tilted her head toward him, the way he let her—it made your chest feel tight.

You looked away quickly, turning back to Milli. “As long as it’s not snakes, I’m happy.”

Finally, the challenge began.

First up: PK and Cinna—rats crawling over them.

Since entering, Cinna was the person you trusted most. She seemed genuine; serious about the challenge, lovely, and just overall kind. PK, on the other hand, terrified you—loud, outrageous, unpredictable. You worried he’d spend more than he’d earn.

Still, you had to give them credit. They both endured the rats. Neither tapped out.

You looked up—George was watching you. But as your eyes met, he quickly looked away.

Next came Farah and Jason. Though Farah had been rowdy so far, you admired how kind she truly was. When Jason panicked about the nail near his ear, she comforted him, hyping him up.

“This is so fucked up!” Jason screamed, sending the room into laughter. Except George. He had his own bit ready.

“It’s gonna get more fucked up!” he said, slipping into that same ridiculous accent he always used to make you laugh. Everyone cracked up—but you knew that joke was targeted particularly for you. It became clear when George's eyes looked over to see if you were laughing.

His eye contact made you feel small. You sank a little into your seat, hands beginning to fidget.

“Hey,” Dylan whispered, taking off one of his rings. “Here. Fidget with this, if it helps.” You smiled gratefully, twiddling the ring between your fingers.

Dylan and Mandi were up next—"a kiss from a chicken" as their distraction. Dylan admitted what he’d do if he could be invisible; Mandi revealed her first kiss.

“This is our only group of three—a threesome, if you will,” JJ announced with a smirk. “Milli, Mya, and Whitney—please take your seats.”

Shit. That meant you were left with George.

You were pretty sure the realization showed on your face, especially when JJ and Simon winked at you. Tobi’s lack of reaction was more concerning—did he realise something?

“You got this, Milli.” You gave her a smile as she stood.

Creepy spiders crawled across their heads as they answered: Milli’s most embarrassing date story, the most famous person in Mya’s DMs… and then Whitney tapped out. Another $10K lost. Fuck.

Now it was your turn.

Tobi called out yours and George’s names. JJ led the group into a chorus of exaggerated “Ooooohs.”

You forced a laugh, heart pounding as you stood. George met you halfway, giving your hand a quick squeeze. You hadn’t realized how visibly nervous you were—but he had.

Still, he looked away quickly. His expression unreadable.

“Go on, loverbirds!” Jason heckled. The group erupted in laughter. George flipped him off, and you forced a laugh.

You sat across from each other, and today, the table felt too small. George slid his foot between yours—a subtle touch to ground you. This time, you didn’t pull away.

As always, JJ made another joke at your two's expense “This isn’t your first date, so you know what to do.” You rolled your eyes and flipped him off again, earning some more laughter.

"Please open the menus." Simon instructed.

You flipped it open.

SHOCKING QUESTIONS.

“Ladies first,” JJ said, smirking. “So George, you're up.” George nodded in resignation as a technician locked you both into the shock devices.

You look at the questions listed on your menu. "What is your worst online dating experience?"

You’d heard this one before. But instead of listening, your eyes tracked the way he flinched—eyebrows furrowing in pain. Your hand instinctively reached for his, ignoring the group’s collective aww. You squeezed it, silently telling him to hang on. He squeezed back.

“Was that satisfactory?” George muttered, wincing.

Tobi, Simon, and JJ nodded. "Please ask the next question."

Really? You turned to look at the three hosts, who all had a mischievous look in their eye. These bastards.

"Snog, marry, and avoid three Insiders." He's going to say Mya.

George hesitated. "Do I really have to answer this?"

“You can tap out,” JJ taunted, “but we all know what your going to say anyway."

“Can it be any gender?” George asked, trying to stall. A shock hit. He grimaced, then gave in.

“Snog Cinna. Marry you. Avoid Farah.” He turned to Farah. “Sorry—you’re quite loud.”

“Fair,” she shrugged. She had admitted that was her red flag.

Tobi clapped. "Good job, George. It's now your turn to ask the questions."

"Which Insider do you currently trust the least?" George asked hesitantly, his hand now enveloping yours even before the shocks started.

The jolt shot through you. You yelped.

“This is unfair—I've just met them!” you protested. Another shock hit. You squeezed George’s hand tighter.

“You can always back out,” Simon teased, shuffling the cards.

But ten thousand...

Cinna came to your rescue. "It's okay! We won't be offended, right guys?" She got everyone to agree.

“Okay, really, no offense, but—either Whitney or Mandi!” They immediately jumped up, demanding to know why.

“Let me explain!” you pleaded. “It’s obvious one of you got the golden straw, and your denial makes me not trust you. Just admit it—it’s teamwork, so there's no point in being mad. ’Just be honest.” You were rambling, rushing to defuse the tension. “Also—the prices are literally extortionate! Who the fuck charges that much for a straw?” you added.

As the group laughed at your extra comment, the Sidemen motioned that the answer was satisfactory.

“George, just—please ask the next question,” you blurted, voice getting higher as you try and ignore the pain.

He looked down, face flushing red.

“Really?” he asked the Sidemen. They nodded. He berudgingly asked the next question; “Which Insider of the opposite sex would you… uh… be willing to share a bed with?”

“Agh—literally fuck off!” you yelled, jolted by the next shock.

You could answer honestly. Or safely. But the pain—and your instinct—won.

"George." You didn't dare look him in the eye, instead staring at the ceiling. You didn't see George's gaze fixating on the menu, refusing to make eye contact with anyone.

"Why?" JJ prodded.

“That’s not part of the question!” George defended for you.

“Uh uh,” Simon tutted. “We decide when the answer’s complete.”

Tobi stayed silent. And that’s when you were sure—he realised something was up.

You didn’t care anymore. “I’ve fallen asleep in planes with him, and on his couch plenty of times.” Even before two nights ago, you've stayed the night countless of times; mostly on his sofa, whether that is side by side on the chaise lounge or on his shoulder.

The Sidemen finally nodded. Accepted.

With the challenge over, the hosts announced how much prize money had been lost. Everyone began to file out—some toward the shop, others back to the living room.

George lingered by the door, waiting for you who stayed behind to playfully punch JJ in the shoulder.

“Hey, can we get you in Room 19 for a confessional?” a producer asked, pulling you aside. “Tobi wants to speak with you too.”

He knew.

You turned to George, his eyes locked on yours. Sorry, you mouthed. Later.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Room 19 was too bright and too quiet .

Tobi was already inside, lounging on the sofa like he hadn’t just summoned you in. He’d asked the camera crew to give you two a minute.

You slid into the sofa beside him, hiding your face in the back of the sofa. "Why do I feel like I'm about to be told off?"

He didn’t answer—just looked at you, like he was waiting for you to crack.

"What?"

He raised an eyebrow, "Something happened."

You shook your head too quickly, too defensively.

Tobi, of all people, wasn’t going to buy that. He knew. He knew. Ever since the YouTuber Pub Quiz—when he’d finally gotten fed up with watching you and George make heart eyes for three hours while being far too close to him. He heard firsthand George calling you snookums and had to physically pull George closer to him in order to protect their answers, especially after George kept gravitating towards you. When Tobi pulled you aside that night, he managed to get you to confirm it, drunk and giggly (fuelled by the alcohol from the night, and the shots you did with George), slurring out your not-so-little crush.

Maybe this was your sign to stop drinking.

“Don’t even deny it,” he said. “You and Mr. Architect aren’t acting like your usual lovesick selves.”

You rolled your eyes, scowling. “Fine. But you can’t tell any of the boys.”

Tobi mimed zipping his lips and tossing the key. You sighed.

“We slept together.”

His jaw dropped. “And?”

“And… nothing. We haven’t talked about it.” You could see the panic spiral forming in his head. “We were both drunk, and it was two nights before filming. We didn’t know we’d be here together. I kind of… left before he woke up.”

Tobi groaned. “You idiot. You didn’t want it to be awkward, so you made it more awkward.”

“I panicked!”

“For what it’s worth,” he muttered, “that poor sucker looks even more in love with you than before.”

“Tobi, we haven’t even made eye contact.”

“He looked wrecked when you were hurting earlier. That wasn’t acting. And trust me—Clarkey can't act for shit. Trust me, I've seen it."

You snorted. He wasn’t wrong.

There was a long pause. You didn’t say anything more. Not yet.

“They’re gonna call you for a confessional soon,” he said gently. “You good?” You nodded, even though you weren’t sure. Your head was a mess of George. "If you ever need a break, just ask them to go to the smoker's area. And, if you ever need to talk to me, just say so. We can hear everything."

You gave him a grateful smile, and then he was gone. The door shut behind him.

The crew came back in, cameras rolling.

You straightened your shoulders, just enough to fake composure. Although the world as you know it felt shook to its core, you had to pretend it was all fine.

Giving the producer a small nod, you convinced yourself you could do this. You'd done harder things. You just should not mention George, as much as you want to.

Maybe being away from your phone is harder than you thought. You wished you could text your roommate for her advice, although you could already guess what they were. Maybe you just needed the comfort. Maybe you just need George.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The end of the day came around faster than you expected.

With two new faces—Patrice (or “Uncle”, as he insisted) and DDG—the group loosened up again, especially after that tense challenge. Chaos resumed not long after, as people either tried to sneakily snag meal upgrades or tried to stomach the quite...unpleasant dinner prepared.

You wanted to keep track of who was doing what, to have a better idea of who to trust. But George was already on top of it. And right now, you couldn’t trust yourself around George, let alone what you might say if you were alone with him.

So you stuck close to who you could trust so far; Milli, Dylan, Jason,a and Cinna. Luckily, DDG managed to wrangle everyone into a budgeting talk—half serious, half banter—and you nodded along, grateful for the distraction.

Across the room, George finally stopped circling the space, his self-appointed half-joking job of policing the 'ruffians' (his words, not yours) done for the evening. But his gaze kept drifting. Back to you.

His eyes were pleading.

You could tell he wanted to talk. Needed to talk. About that night.

And you knew you should.

And part of you really, really wanted to.

But you were scared.

With a week still ahead of you—and cameras in every corner—this wasn’t the time.

Not quite yet.

Not quite here.

So you laughed a little louder with Dylan, leaned a little closer to Milli, and pulled Cinna deeper into the conversation.

Maybe you could avoid him for seven more days.

Maybe by then, you’d know what to say.

Maybe, in the real world, without all these cameras, this would feel less messy.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

taglist: @rubyskies

[msgses]

limits

pairing: loki laufeyson x gn!reader w. 2.2k genre: smut summary: it's finals week and both you and your grad student roommate are pushed to your wit's end. you get caught up in a moment of frustration together. warnings: college au, somewhat implied afab anatomy but no gendered terms used, stupid arguments. unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it, folks) a/n: for cinna, you dirty mf

READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION. MINORS DNI.

Finals week is nobody's favorite, least of all your own.

Work was piling up, due dates were fast approaching, you had to study for exams, and stress was growing exponentially. You couldn't move a muscle without reminding yourself of how much there was to do.

It didn't make it any better that your roommate was snappy. Loki was an... eccentric personality. However, his confident demeanor had turned into backhanded remarks and annoyed glances whenever you had the gall to speak to him. Whenever you were around him, it always felt like an inconvenience to his life.

You couldn't blame him for being stressed. He was in a graduate program and spending half of his days doing TA work. If your life was hard, you couldn't imagine the amount of deadlines he had to worry about. Quite frankly, you didn't want to.

That didn't make it any better, though. Loki was constantly complaining, making things intentionally harder than they needed to be. You weren't out to get him, but he certainly acted like it.

Things were obviously getting worse around the apartment. Other than his outbursts, you could see the disarray that was his bedroom. He was kind enough not to make dishes stack up, but his room was turning into a mess of clothes and papers covering the floors, bed unmade.

As the second half of finals week began, you were getting a bit worried. When he wasn't leaving the apartment to go to an exam, he was holed up in his room studying and grading tests.

You'd never been close, but you couldn't shake the feeling that he might need some help. So, you woke up on Thursday knowing both of your schedules were clear for the day in terms of exams. With the remaining motivation left, you got out of bed and made your way to the kitchen.

The plan? Make some breakfast for the two of you and see if you could make him feel a bit better. You grabbed what you needed for pancakes and got to work.

By the time you had pancakes cooking on the skillet, Loki appeared from his room. The bags under his eyes looked worse than usual and his hair was a mess.

"I'm making some pancakes, they'll be ready in a few minutes," You said.

He gave a small noise in response before turning around and starting to walk back to his room. As his sulking frame began to disappear towards the hall, you set the spatula down. "Not going to say anything? No 'thank you'?" You asked in a bit of disbelief.

"Why would you need me to thank you? Doing your good deed of the day not enough to make you feel better?" Loki's voice was laced with snark.

The outright rude tone of his comment took you aback. You made sure to put the pancake onto a plate before it burned, turning your attention back to him. "Does it ever occur to you to show the slightest bit of kindness to other people?"

"Kindness," Loki scoffed, shaking his head as he leaned against the doorway from the hallway into the kitchen, "Is that what this is? Let me guess, you felt bad for me and wanted to cheer me up, is that it?"

You stared at him in disbelief. "Maybe I saw my roommate looking like a depressed hermit for the last two weeks and I wanted make something to make you feel better. Is that so bad?"

"You can stop pretending to be something you're not. Thinking you've fixed my problems won't make you magically feel better, either."

"Some pancakes aren't going to fix your problems, I just thought it'd be a nice gesture knowing you'd spend the day in your room working."

He took two steps forward into the kitchen, rolling his eyes. "God, you just feel the need to wedge yourself into my life, don't you? What, nobody else giving you enough attention that you have to bother me instead?"

You rolled your eyes, shaking your head. "That's rich, coming from the man who's only seen the sun long enough to get to campus for an exam. Sounds to me like you haven't interacted with a real person and you forgot how to be decent. Well, not that you ever have been."

Loki let out a taunting laugh, taking another step closer. You hadn't noticed, but you backed yourself against the counter as he approached. "Unlike you, I don't need other people's attention to live. I'm perfectly fine being myself."

"Like hell you don't," You straightened up, but still remained pressed against the counter, "You're so obsessed with making everyone around you feel lesser. You haven't been able to do that lately, so you decided to be a dick to me so you can get your rocks off."

"Excuse me?" Loki took another step forward, only a few feet separating the two of you, "You think I get off on the insolence of the other people around me? The way you think you can psychoanalyze me is pathetic, sweetheart."

You tried to move forward and get away from the counter, but he simply got closer and you couldn't find a good way out of where you were standing. "Oh, I know you do. You'll never be able to live until you have someone to torment with your bullshit."

"You're pathetic."

"Look in the mirror."

Maybe you should've realized just how close he was getting, pointing a finger in your face. You weren't sure who closed the distance, but through the anger all you wanted for him was to stop talking. With his lips against yours, you seemed to have solved the problem.

Your hands found the back of his neck, tangling into his black hair that desperately needed to be brushed. One of his was on your back, the other pressed flat on the counter top next to you and trapping you in.

It was rough and sloppy. He seemed desperate, open-mouthed kisses and slipping his tongue into your mouth without hesitation. He was obviously practiced, yet his care for making it tender and intimate was long gone.

Loki was insistent, pushing against you hard and pressing you into the hard countertop. His hips began to grind against your thigh, his breaths hard against your skin whenever you parted momentarily.

You pulled away from him for a moment, watching as he chased for you. "You're so fucking desperate," You chided, seeing his flushed face.

"Shut your mouth," Loki spat back, leaning forward and kissing down your jaw and onto your neck. He sucked marks onto your skin, leaving behind small bites as he worked his way down.

Your hand grasped his hair again as he worked down your neck to your collarbone. "What are we doing?" You asked breathlessly, but only heard a small, mumbled noise against your skin.

His touch was hot and needy, his hand snaking down your body and pushing past the waistband of your pajama pants. He parted from your reddened neck, looking at you for assent. You nodded, feeling his hand yank them down.

The pajamas hit the floor and Loki pressed his hips into your exposed ones, feeling him grind against you for any sort of friction. He notched his thigh between your legs, moving desperately against you. You could hear his breathing labored, shallow and fast as he sought any sort of feeling.

As good of a sight as it was, you needed more than just his thigh. Your hands hooked on his sweatpants, tugging at them. He seemed to get the hint, pulling them down and letting them join your own. He wore a pair of black boxers, although they left little to the imagination.

He was straining against the fabric, so you helped him get his boxers off as well, watching as they quickly joined the assortment of clothes on the kitchen floor. His hands found your waist, pushing you onto the counter.

He looked impossibly hard, leaking and yet waiting as he seemed to stop. "Can.. can I?"

"Yeah."

It was all you had to say before his hand found your thigh, moving it just enough to give himself access before pressing a finger against your entrance, slowly pushing it inside.

Although, he was obviously impatient. He worked his first digit in and out, curling it slightly to reach the sweet spot. Whenever he brought a sound out of you, you could see his grin as he pushed ever-so-slightly harder to hear more.

He added a second without warning, though with little issue. As you whined and your breath hitched, he smiled again. "You're liking this, aren't you?"

Trying to catch your breath enough to speak, you nodded. "You... know what you're doing."

It was true. He seemed practiced, knowing just how to move his fingers to make you feel good. Affirming his words seemed to give him a little more confidence, speeding up and moving with finesse.

As he was speeding up, he suddenly slowed down and pulled his fingers away, leaving you in need of more. You gave him a small frustrated look, but you felt something. Looking down, he had his cock pressed against your entrance.

"Do you want this?" He asked, half teasingly but still looking for your permission.

Sighing, you nodded. "Please."

It was a stretch as he pushed inside, slowly feeling him fill up far more than what his fingers had. Both of you had gasped, watching as he sucked air between his teeth from the feeling. The stretch wasn't exactly painful, but the discomfort was soon replaced with pleasure as he fully sank inside.

"Fuck," Loki muttered under his breath, "So good."

Grinning, you stabilized yourself on the counter. "Not so mouthy now, are you?"

Loki was caught off guard, overwhelmed by the feeling but he let out a laugh that got stifled by a low moan. "Do you ever stop getting on my nerves?"

"What's the fun in that?" You asked, but he began to move his hips and you couldn't be bothered to add any extra snide comments, overwhelmed by the feeling of him hitting deep inside.

Loki began with shallow thrusts, his expression flustered and letting out soft moans as he seemed to get it together. As he quieted down and seemed more confident, his movements were full and precise.

Once he got into a rhythm, you were grasping at his back as he picked up a consistent pace. The sound of your skin connecting began to fill the room as all you could think about was him. Standing in front of you, breathing heavy as he pressed his forehead against yours.

"So perfect," His voice was softer than before, though it carried a feeling of lust, "You're unbelievable."

His words were sweet like candy, your head in the clouds as they filtered in alongside the constant stream of pleasure. You simply grabbed at his shoulders and hair, trying to pull him impossibly closer.

The feeling came on quick, burying your face into his shoulder as you felt yourself tipping over the edge. You couldn't find the words before you came undone around him, the wave crashing hard. Loki seemed to feel it, having to slow down for a moment as he let out a whine.

"Not going to last like this," Loki admitted through deep breaths, his grip on your thigh tensing.

You nodded. Neither of you had gotten laid in long enough that the encounter was comparatively short. That didn't stop you from loving every second of it, watching as his breath became ragged and the movement of his hips became desperate and sloppy.

He sped up further, going fast enough that you had to tilt your head back and close your eyes, being met with his lips against your exposed neck as he chased his release. He faltered, pulling away as he quickly pulled out of you.

He desperately fucked into his hand, hardly having to move his wrist before he spilled into it, some of the mess hitting against your thigh.

"Fuck," Loki sighed, his breaths shaky as he regained his composure and began to come down from the feeling, "That was.. impeccable."

You couldn't help but let out a laugh. "That was insane."

"Gods," Loki looked at his hand in disgust before rushing over to the kitchen sink and vigorously washing it with soapy water, bringing back a washcloth to get rid of anything that landed on you.

After he had finished cleaning his mess, he stopped and stood in silence for a moment. "I... shouldn't have done that. Gotten upset."

"Over some pancakes? Probably not," You admitted, slowly getting off of the counter. You looked down at the pajama pants on the floor, but shrugged. You'd find something cleaner in a minute.

"It was incredibly irresponsible and stupid," Loki continued, shaking his head.

"It ended alright, though."

"Alright? That wasn't simply 'alright' to you, was it?" Loki looked at you in disbelief.

You shook your head. "No, no, it was great, you were great," You backtracked, "You just seemed a little.. on edge, is all. The sex was great, though."

Loki's ego seemed a bit bruised, but that made him look visibly more confident. "Well... I suppose I should go and shower, get a change of clothes."

"Yeah, of course," You nodded, "Do you want some pancakes, though? They might be a little cold."

He looked at you for a moment in confusion before a small smile came to his face. "That would be nice, yes."

[angelsimoleon]

TS3 STORE HAIR RETEXTURES

All toddler hairs from the Sims 3 Store retextured using @shockshame texture and @pastry-box control + reduced shine on accessories. Original hairs are not required!

View under the cut for download links + info!

⚥ AVIATOR SNOW CAP - DOWNLOAD

♀️ CINNA-SWEET HAIR ROLLS - DOWNLOAD

⚥ CUPCAKE HEAD - DOWNLOAD

♂️ CURLY TUFT - DOWNLOAD

♀️ PIXIE BOW - DOWNLOAD

⚥ POMPOM HAT - DOWNLOAD

⚥ SLANTED BERET - DOWNLOAD

♂️ THE SHAGGY LOOK - DOWNLOAD

Notes:

This hair has been re-categorised from unisex to male only.

♂️ TODDLER HAWK - DOWNLOAD

Notes:

This hair has been re-categorised from unisex to male only.

[thecinnaroll]

💛 Types Of Vtubers🧡

[ticklishraspberries]

Neck Kisses (Katniss/Peeta)

Summary: Peeta gives Katniss kisses over the years. (Week #4 of @august-anon's Tickletober prompts!! I've never written a Hunger Games fic before so let me know if y'all like it and/or want to see more!!)

The lights are blinding, and Katniss is struggling to keep that fake smile on her face. They’ve been standing, taking photos, being gawked at for what has felt like years.

Cinna has dressed her in gold. Peeta’s suit matches perfectly. He does look handsome, but she isn’t sure the color really does him any favors: The shimmer pops on her skin tone, compliments her dark hair and eyes, but Peeta’s pale and blonde and would probably suit silver more, she thinks. Not that she knows anything about fashion, nor does she care about how Peeta dresses. She only cares about how he’ll fight in the arena, and how his hand around her waist right now is really irritating. She wants nothing more than to shrug him off, to roll her eyes right at those cameras, to take all the stupid pins out of her hair.

Instead, she just stands and tries to look pretty.

Peeta’s head moves in her peripheral vision and she shoots him a confused glance, and then twitches when he presses a gentle kiss to her shoulder where the dress has left her skin exposed. No one has ever kissed her there, and goosebumps immediately spread over her skin. It doesn’t feel bad, but she still digs her elbow into his side in retaliation anyway, because he could have at least warned her that he and Haymitch were upping the affection quota.

When they’re finally free from the cameras and lights, and Katniss has shed most of her ridiculous outfit, Peeta comes and sits beside her, away from prying eyes.

“Sorry I kissed your shoulder,” he says, avoiding her eyes. “Haymitch and Effie have been trying to get me to…sell this whole love story thing. I should have asked you if that was okay first, I just had the idea in the moment and went for it.”

Katniss looks him up and down, the shyness in his body language and the genuinity in his tone, and her hard expression softens just a little. “It’s fine. Just…warn me next time.”

He nods, offering her a little smile. Then, after a moment of comfortable silence, he asks: “Did it tickle?”

“What?”

“When I kissed you. It seemed like it tickled.”

Katniss does roll her eyes now, ignoring the way her face feels suddenly warm under his scrutiny. “No, it just felt weird. And I wasn’t expecting it.”

Peeta has this stupid smile on his face that makes Katniss want to punch him. But, there are rules about tributes fighting, and she also doesn’t think she could really hurt him when he looks so innocent, so…She huffs and gets to her feet.

“So, you aren’t ticklish? I just think if we’re going to be allies, I should know your weaknesses, you know?” Peeta says, and he’s fully grinning now.

“Goodnight, Peeta,” she replies, refusing to turn back and let him see the way her lips have started to curl. Watching him try to find the light, the humor in this all, to get to know her even though it’s probable he will have to kill her…Well, those thoughts dampen her mood quite quickly.

The truth is, she is ticklish. Most of her experience with tickling has been her tickling Prim, and sometimes Gale tickling her, but she always fights him tooth and nail when he does it. He’s usually all rough hands squeezing her sides and scribbling behind her knees. What Peeta had done was different, it was gentle and made her stomach flutter…She supposes it would have felt nice, if they had been alone, and she had known he was going to do it, and could have prepared.

She falls asleep trying to ignore the little voice in her mind that wants him to do it again.

***

The sound of birds chirping outside the window is what wakes her.

Katniss blinks against the sunshine seeping into the room, and settles comfortably into Peeta’s arms that are wrapped around her waist. The morning is still, the children still sleeping instead of climbing into their bed with excited babbling as they do most mornings.

Peeta begins to stir beside her, and Katniss finds herself smiling as he nuzzles his face into the crook of her neck. “Morning,” he mumbles.

“Morning,” she replies softly.

Peeta’s lips press a soft kiss to the skin of her shoulder, and then continues to pepper those little kisses up to her jaw and back down again. She’s giggling in seconds, having been unprepared for such antics so early. She’s still stubborn as she was as a scrappy teenager in the Seam, and normally when Peeta tickles her, she holds her laughter in and fights back, turning the tables or running off into the grass. She doesn’t have that chance now, lovingly encased in his arms and still too sleepy to launch an escape plan.

She doesn’t even remember the first time he pressed his lips there, back before the first Games, on that stage with the blinding lights. That feels lifetimes away, has been buried under much worse memories, forgotten. They are making new memories now, better ones.

“Peeta, we’ll wake them,” she says, trying to keep her giggling to a low volume.

Peeta just grins. “They’ll be up soon anyway.”

And with that, he starts tickling her belly with ten fast fingers, and Katniss has no choice but to dissolve into laughter. It isn’t long until the children are roused by the sound, curious as to what their mama could be finding so funny.

Now, she starts her day with genuine smiles, laughter, and love.

[sweetbunpura]

some fluff for today Yuu and Rollo at a arcade

Okay, are we talking American arcades cause there are a lot of them. Or Japanese arcades, which are just as good but feel better. But that also includes Japanese Crane game arcades.

Just for this, I'm gonna say Japanese crane and American arcade.

American Arcade:

The moment they walk in, Rollo is assaulted by the sounds of the machines and the smell of greasy foods. He had joined Yuu back in her world, and she had taken him to one of her hangout spots. While Rollo looks around, nearly disgusted with everything around him, Yuu chats up the person at the front desk and buys a pair of passes for them.

"Rolls, I got em." She holds up the cards and the two walk into the play area.

"Is everything normally this loud?" He has to talk louder to be heard over the excited yells of the other players.

"Yeah, anything to catch your attention to play the machines."

Rollo hums and the pair begin to try out different machines. He's not a fan of a majority of them, but he tries her Yuu. Any strength ones he leaves to her, a crowd gathers around the pair of them as Yuu sets a high score. When they get hungry, they order some of the greasy food, which has Rollo's stomach turning. The pair of them leave sometime later and he feel like he can breath again.

"Alright, so we know what you don't like." She laughs and holds his hand as they walk along the crosswalk as the sun begins to dip behind the beach they're across from.

He sighs and placed his handkerchief over his mouth "It was foul in there."

Yuu kisses his cheek and a blush appears on his face. "I know, let's head home. We can chill in the pool and watch some TV." She fishes her car keys out of her pocket and spins them around on her finger.

Rollo nods and climbs into the car once she unlocks it. If this was one of her spots, he's almost afraid to see what the others entail.

Japanese Crane Game Arcade:

Things are far quieter in here as Yuu drags Rollo into a Crane Game Arcade. She had returned to Japan to grab some stuff she had missed and Rollo tagged along with her. While Yuu paid to get some of the coins, he looked further into the Arcade. People were at the machines, trying to win whatever prize they were trying to seek. Once Yuu had the amount she wanted to spend, she pushed him inside with a smile on her face.

"Okay, so, just put a coin in and try to grab the prize." She explain as she set him infront of a plush machine.

"Are these those machines that Idia was complaining about?" He stares at the gray owl plush inside. "The ones that he says 'cheat'?"

"American ones cheat, these don't cheat as much." She handed him a coin. "Go ahead."

He takes it, puts it in and tries for the plush. It slips through the claw's grip and he frowns.

"Are you sure these don't cheat?"

Yuu laughs and hands him another coin. Rollo finally gets the plush on the fourth attempt and Yuu cheers for him. They hop from machine to machine and collect price after prize. While Yuu is distracted with trying to get a figure of what Rollo sees is a tall man dressed in a blue outfit with long white hair, he turns his focus to a plush machine. Inside is a white dog like creature that he remembers seeing that was a good chunk of Yuu's room.

He counts up the amount of coins in his hand and decides to try his luck. Rollo gets the plush on the first attempt and fishes it out of the machine.

"Neuvillette, why must you hurt me this way..." Rollo hears her grumble as he joins her side with the plush in his hands.

"Love."

"Hmm?" She turns away from the machine and sees the puppy plush. "My boy!" She takes it and hugs it close. "Cinna~"

While she's hugging it, Rollo makes a few adjustments to the claw and wins the figure for her. She has to hold off on screeching as she hugs him and smothers him in kisses. They leave the arcade with a ton of items and head for the subway.

"Is there room for all of this?"

"This is why you bring extra suitcases."

[katiemay-025]

I Know You Well

~~~~~

~~~~~

Summary: The 3rd Quarter Quell twist has been revealed and after the initial shock wears off, you have a conversation with your lover and fellow victor where you both promise that no matter who gets reaped, there would be no volunteering. Johanna will make sure of that.

wc: 2.5k

Warnings: 18+ mdni, use of y/n, violence, ptsd, swearing, Ifem!reader think that’s it.

An: I should probably make a banner for Johanna or something. Also I think I sent this head cannon to someone’s ask but I don’t remember whom I sent it to. :/

This probably would have been better as a blurb but oh well.

~~~~~

Johanna sat on the couch rolling her eyes and groaning at the sight of Katniss’ wedding gowns being presented to the audience. Her feet were propped up on the coffee table that you made and she had nothing on except a pair of fuzzy socks. “Ugh disgusting! What flock of white geese had to die for that dress?”

You chuckle at her words as you were cutting the bell pepper for dinner. “Do you mean swans, honey?”

“Absolutely not, she does not deserve swans.”

There were a total of 6 dresses to choose from and Cinna announced to the crowd that they could vote for which dress Katniss should wear. Johanna made another snide comment about making the Girl on Fire walk out in a suit of mud and call it a day. “They would definitely like that.”

“Katniss would not. I’m not too sure she’d be as comfortable as you being naked.”

Johanna cupped her own breast with a smirk. “At least I show myself off instead of being bought for it. What are they going to do? They can’t take it from me if I give it out for free.”

You tilted your head in acknowledgement of her words. It’s something you learned as a victor, watching others do the same. Finnick acted cocky as a defense mechanism. Enobaria sharpened her teeth to defend herself from the Capitol. Hell, you had done it, fiddling with your pocket saw out in the open. It was effective in scaring people away but it also gave you horrible flashbacks to your own game. What does that say about your view of the capital if you decide to willingly traumatize yourself again? Even so, after years of doing it, you’d only get flashes of the dark memory instead of a full blown panic attack. Exposure therapy at its finest.

Anyway, immediately after Cinna finishes his campaign for Katniss’ wedding dress, Snow took the podium on the raised balcony overlooking the city circle. “Why the fuck is he on our screens? As if voting for a wedding dress isn’t torturous enough.” Johanna groaned.

You put your knife down. The living room was a good 50 steps away from the kitchen counters and you placed your hands on the back of the couch watching intently. To you, the twist wouldn’t matter, you’d still have to mentor who ever the twist catered too.

“Ladies and gentlemen, citizens of Panem. This is the 75th year of the Hunger Games. When the charter of the Games was written, it dictated that every 25 years there would be a Quarter Quell… to make fresh for each new generation the memory of those killed in the rebellion against the Capitol. The Quarter Quell was reserved for the Games of special significance.”

Johanna sat up in her seat fiddling with the hilt of her axe. You noticed the slow movement of her thumb over the wooden handle before she took a breath.

“On the 25th anniversary, each district was made to vote on the tributes who should represent it. In the 50th anniversary, as a reminder that two rebels died for every Capitol citizen, each district was required to send twice the tributes to the arena. And now on the 75th anniversary of the Rebellion, we honor our third quarter quell, as bestowed to us, by the signers of the Treaty of Treason.”

A small wooden box is carried onto the balcony by a boy dressed in white. You watch as President Snow opens the box and retrieves a yellow sealed envelope. “As a reminder that even the strongest cannot over power the Capitol, on this 3rd Quarter Quell Games, the male and female tributes are to be reaped from the pool of existing victors of each district.”

The room froze, you and Johanna not daring to break the silence. Your eyes widened and you forgot to breathe. Chills traveled down your spine. Johanna reacted first gripping her axe and swinging it at the television projector with a scream, smashing it to pieces.

Your heart plunged to the ground. You were going back. Tears welled in your eyes and a lump found its way to your throat. The walls closed in around you and before it could crush you, you rushed out of the house.

Your foot caught each other on the way down the steps and you caught yourself with your hands and knees. The bushes beckoned you to them and you crawled over before dispensing the bile caught in your throat.

The fall was so fast you didn’t notice the glassy rocks that cut your knees. Only after you crawled to the log storage did you notice them. Smears of blood oozed out of your wounds and sticky red liquid coated your fingers.

Your hand began to shake.

The First Kill was never something you could get over. Her name was Olive and there was a sponsor sent to you on the 5th day, she was nearby and tried to take the gift from you. She tackled you to the ground and after a few moments of tussling in the grass, you found your saw and lodged it deep into her neck. Her blood trickled down coating your fingers as you pulled on your weapon to slice her neck. She died choking on her own blood. Your hands stained red and no matter how much you tried to scrub it off, it always remained on your hands.

Even now, as you frantically scrubbed your hands in the shed sink, it wouldn’t go away. The harder you rubbed the redder your hands got. That was how friction worked but in your state of delusion, it all looked the same.

The cascade of water stopped. As you moved your hands to the faucet, gentle hands cradled yours. A small whimper escaped your lips. You were going back. You were in the pool of existing victors. But so was Johanna. Your head snapped up spotting the younger girl focused on your reddened hands.

“Johanna.”

She let out an unamused chuckle. “I fucking trashed the house.”

“I assumed so.” You whispered. “I rubbed off the skin on my hands.”

Johanna hummed as she traced her thumb over the injury. “I know.”

You raised your arms to her to hold her face. “I need you to promise me something. Do not volunteer for me.”

She met your eyes with her own fiery ones while tilting her head. “One of us has to go in. Like hell, I’m going to let it be you.”

“I can handle myself, that’s why I’m telling you not to volunteer.”

“If you don’t volunteer then I won’t volunteer.” Johanna bargained. You went quiet pressing your lips into a thin line. Just like you knew her well enough to know she’d volunteer, she knew you well enough to know you would to. It was hypocritical so you agreed.

Johanna kept her unwavering eyes towards you. You matched her gaze until you found a soft glint in her eyes. Your shoulders relaxed as you looked a way. A deep sigh escaped your lips. “Fine, whoever gets picked for the reaping gets picked.”

“Great but we’re training for this. I am not going to have a rusty tribute as my mentee.”

~

Your heartbeat echoed in your ears and thumped against your rib cage. Your legs were wide enough for Johanna to fit between them. She stood in front of you playing with your hair as you buried your ear into her chest. Hers was almost as fast as yours but there was comfort in wrapping your arms around her.

You didn’t want to let go of Johanna. The thought of having to watch from the sidelines where you physically couldn’t protect her. The pressure in your chest felt like a bubbling volcano, stress building up before an eruption.

Usually the silence with Johanna was comfortable being able to be in the moment, in her arms. This time, the silent air was heavy. The small ticking of the clock reminded you of the looming possibility of going back to the arena.

You loved her. You made a promise not to volunteer but you had to. You had to protect her. Blight and Old Spruce came to pick you up for the reaping. When they knocked, Johanna gave you one last squeeze to your hand to comfort you. She made it a habit to hold your hands when you slipped into a memory lapse to keep you from rubbing the skin off your hands. In return you stocked and supplied the wooden logs for Johanna to split when her anger rose.

You snuck her a peck on her lips before the four of you trudged to the town square where the entirety of District 7 awaited the victors. The hot July sun did nothing to ease your worries as it heated your arms. You rocked onto your toes as the escort stepped onto the stage. It was ironic being an eligible tribute again. Seven years ago you dreaded for the slip to say your name and now seeing all the faces of District 7 on this raised platform, you prayed it was your name being called.

“Ladies First.” You stood staring out to your home. After these next moments, your life would never be the same. Either you get reaped and survive the loss of your closest friends turned enemy, Johanna is reaped and survives, you are reaped but die or Johanna is reaped but dies. The loss of it all would turn anyone insane.

Technically, you didn’t promise, you only agreed because it would get Johanna to not volunteer. So you could and you would. To your right, you could see Johanna eyeing you and you returned a glare.

“The female tribute from District 7 is...” He paused for dramatic effect and your heartbeat rose in your throat. Let it be me. Let it be me Let it be me. “Johanna Mason.” Your heart plummeted before turning your head to the escort. You weren’t going to accept this.

Before you could even open your mouth to object, you felt a sharp pain on your nose and a small pop in your neck from the force. Your head hit the ground and everything went black.

When you came to, you were on the train staring straight at Blight across from you on the table. “What the fuck happened?”

“Oh she’s back.” Spruce called. “You were out of it for about 30 minutes.”

“What do you remember?” Blight asked.

“Johanna was reaped and then it felt like my nose exploded.” You say wincing at the pain on the bridge of your nose. You groaned holding your head.

“Doc says you got a broken nose and a concussion.”

“Where’s Johanna?”

“The peacekeepers restrained her in her room.” The escort called. “She knocked you out in one go. She must’ve been so pissed that she was picked.” You shared a look with your fellow victors. The escort hadn’t been here to watch your relationship with Johanna. Both of you were great about hiding your relationship during the annual hunger games.

“So which of you got reaped?”

Blight took a deep breath. He took a swig of his alcohol laughing at the ridiculousness of it. “Can’t believe they’re making me go back after 20 something years.”

“So you and I are mentors.” Spruce solemnly said patting you on the shoulder. “Should I take Johanna?” He asked keeping up with appearances. Ironically it was like the 71st Hunger Games again. Mentoring was set by priority. Old Spruce had said yes to mentoring while the others said no meaning you had no choice but to mentor Johanna. This time you could choose her.

“No. No I’ll talk to her.”

“Take things slowly okay, you took a big fall.”

“Yes dad.” You joked. Dad was nice, ‘Old Spruce’ was pushing 65. He had been your mentor during your games and continued to take care of you afterwards.

The walk to Johanna’s room was short luckily. A peacekeepers stood outside the door and you smiled at him. “Hi I’m here to talk to my mentee.” He looked at you and stepped aside. As soon as the door slid closed, you looked at Johanna. “You fucking bitch.”

She turned her attention to you from the fuzzes of green zooming past the window. A soft smile plastered on her face. “You promised you weren’t going to volunteer.”

“Technically I didn’t. I agreed so you wouldn’t volunteer. We didn’t shake on it or pinky promise or sign a contract so….”

“You were going to volunteer.”

“Yes.”

“Great I’m glad I know you well enough.”

“Decking me in the face was part of the plan?”

“Absolutely.” You stared at her unamused. “Don’t look at me like that. We both know we were going to break that promise to protect the other. Maybe you planned that all along or it was a last minute thought but I saw the look on your face. I anticipated it and knocked you out before you could.” Johanna told shrugging her shoulders as she walked towards you.

“You broke my nose.”

“It’s better than you dead.” Johanna countered. “I said I wasn’t going to let you go back in. I made that promise to myself and I kept it.”

“What do I do if I lose you? Do you think you’re the only one who loves in this relationship.”

Johanna held onto your waist. “First, avenge me. Second, none of us want the other to go in but someone is going to be forced to. I’m sorry, I’d rather it be me than you. You would be safer.”

“Safe is a relative term and when did you become such a sap?”

“Oh you know, since I started dating the best girl I’ve ever met.”

“Shut up.”

“Why don’t you make me.”

You closed the gap and let your lips meld with the younger girl. Slowly, the two of you walked towards her bed. She sat on her bed and you climbed on top of her with little room to breathe. Johnna wrapped her arms around the back of your neck to bring you in closer deepen the kiss. She flipped you over before nuzzling her face into your neck.

You held her in your arms playing with her hair. Lulling yourself to sleep. “Don’t die okay.” You whispered.

“I won’t.”

“I do hope you break your nose though.”

“Ugh get over it.”

“No! Although it was a smart countermove.”

“Thank you. I thought long and hard about it for all of 5 seconds after you first told me not to volunteer.”

“Well that’s the last time I trust you.” You joked.

“You love me.”

“I do. I know you do too.”

“Yeah, I do.” Johanna sighed. The both of you laid motionless embracing the other, enjoying the moment.