#cotton candy tea my beloved

[britcision]

Teabox: did you know that your tea is at least 9-12 MONTHS OLD???

Me looking at my tea cupboard, almost all 9-12 years old: yup yeah that sounds terrible… mmmmmmhm

[lostfirefly]

Life Must Have It's Mysteries (Ch.7)

Nobody asked me, but the thought of sending my beloved couple on a new journey didn't let me go. Pain continues leading me to art :)

English is not my native language, errors may occur. As always, feel free to share your thoughts :) Masterlist is here.

Description: Buggy and Catherine (OC from my “You’ve Got the Same Dream as Me” series) continue searching for parts of the scepter.

Warnings: Fun, fluff, arguing, sadness, adventure, Buggy's inappropriate jokes, swearing (as always). Shitty shit again:)

Words: 8928 (sorry, this chapter is lo-o-ong, but it was impossible to split it :) Pour some tea and make yourself comfortable ^_^)

Taglist: @gingernut1314, @operationroots, @hey-august, @rorywritesjunk, @yujo-nishimura (I hope you still like it!)

The title is taken from “Life Must Have It's Mysteries” by Hans Zimmer (OST Inferno).

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Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6

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Smack. Smack. Smack.

“Cotton candy, please stop. My head hurts.” Buggy rested his forehead on the table. 

“Someone got too overjoyed yesterday and drank a lot, right? Should I order one more cup of coffee for you, my little bear?” Catherine straightened his ponytail and began stroking his back. 

They were sitting in a roadside cafe early in the morning. 

“I don't remember the drinks, but I remember what you did to me last night, bad, bad girl. You left me powerless, Catherine Mitchell.” Buggy lifted his head from the table and placed it on Catherine's shoulder. She immediately hugged him. 

She blushed. “I don’t understand how this happened. It was your fault.” 

“My fault?” He turned his head towards her and raised his eyebrows. “I’m wildly sorry, but it was you who asked for more and more, and please note that most of the time you were on top of me. And by the way. I wasn't the one who asked..” He started imitating her voice. “Listen, Buggy, are all your parts separated? I never asked you about that. What if you tried to detach your di~~”

Catherine kicked him with her foot.

“Ouch! For what?” 

“I hate you.” She reddened. 

“Yes! First “I hate you” for today.” Buggy snapped his fingers. “Oh, cotton candy, just admit that I’m like an amusement park to you. And the whole atmosphere is turning you on. And you love when I fuc~~” 

She pinched his arm. “Shhh, clown! Not here! We're in a decent place!” 

“Ouch! But I don't want to be silent! Let everyone in this fucking place know what I was doing to you. It was so good. Why should I remain silent?”

“It's called manners, Buggy.” Catherine exclaimed indignantly in a whisper. “People do not discuss intimate life in society. We talked about this too. Remember?” 

“Aw, come on. Where's the fun in that?” He settled under her armpit. “You know, Cathhie-pie, besides our hot nights, do you know what I love most? When... you... you know… you hug me. After sex or when I have breakfast, or when we sit on the couch together, doesn't matter. I lo... I love it so much when you hug me. I don’t feel lonely at times like this. I feel... you know... needed and safe. I want you... you know… to stay with me forever. Will you stay with me? I’ll be happy to be in your arms every day.” Buggy mumbled, closing his eyes. 

“Oh, looks like someone hasn't gotten over his beer yet. I love you too, my Buggy Bear. But you're still in the hangover stage if you're saying that to me aloud.” Catherine called the waitress with her fingers and motioned for two more cups of coffee and pancakes. “I ordered an extra cup of coffee for you and pancakes. You’ll be fine in ten minutes.”  She kissed the top of his head. 

“You always know what I need, my cotton candy. How do you do it?”

“Oh my god, do I have to answer this question?” Catherine laughed and stroked his head. “I don't know. Our relationship is new, but I know you better now. And even though you annoy me sometimes, I’m sure you deserve to be taken care of.”

He exhaled. “You seem like a smart girl, you went to university, read good books and met nice guys, but you got involved in a relationship with some lowlife man.”

“A smart girl knows who she's messing with. And don't say those terrible things about yourself. My heart aches for you. Honestly, I would kill whoever put that shit into your head.” The waitress came to the table and placed the order. “Your coffee and pancakes, my blue-haired jerk.” 

Buggy opened his eyes, sighed and sat up straight. He took a sip of coffee and stuck his fork into a large portion of pancakes. 

“Tasty?” Catherine stroked his head as he munched his breakfast. 

“Yeah. But your pancakes taste a million times better.” He said with a mouth full.

“Chew first, idiot.” Catherine moved her hand to his back and started stroking it. “I’ll make you the biggest portion when we get home.” She kissed him on the cheek. “God, you're so cute. I love you.”

Buggy swallowed the food and blushed. “Aren't you tired of repeating this yet?”

“Nope.” Smack. “You know, if you were a pirate, I could say that you just stole my heart. That's why it's hard for me to control myself sometimes. And that's why I love you so much.” Smack. Smack. “You’re not just the king of my heart, but.. oh, oh! I know! You could be the king of pirates!”

Buggy tensed and became a little anxious. “You're talking about piracy again. Stop telling this shit.” He cut a big piece of pancake with a fork and put it in his mouth. 

“I was joking, why are you so mad?” 

“I’m not mad.” He said with a mouth full. 

“Okay.” She removed her hand from his back. “By the way, while you were sleeping, I leafed through the notes a little and looked at the map. Next we need to move in this direction. But judging by the map, there will be no motels there, and we will have to spend the night in the open air. And on the second part of the scepter there are also some inscriptions. I don't understand their meaning yet, but we'll figure it out. In any case, we need to drive here for three or four hours. I can drive, if you want to rest.” 

“No, I'm fine. Well, I’m done with pancakes.” Buggy put his cap on his head and clapped his hands together. “I'll go fill up the tank. Order me one coffee to go. I'll be right back.”

“Okay.” Catherine kissed him on the cheek, in an attempt to defuse the situation, he silently got up from the table and went outside. Catherine ordered two more large coffees and asked for the bill. The waitress returned a couple of minutes later, and put the check on the table. 

“Five. Seven. Ten. Damn. I'm out of cash.” Catherine checked all the pockets. “Oh, wait!” She saw that Buggy had left his jeans jacket and reached into the inside pocket. “He left it again.” She opened his wallet and took out the required amount of money, 

“25 dollars. That's it now.” The waitress smiled, took the money and left. Catherine noticed her photo in his wallet and decided to take it out to look. “What I didn't expect was to see my photo here. You surprise me, Buggy the Clown. What is this?”

There was one other picture. 

“Fuck, I forgot my wallet. W-What are you doing?” Buggy stared at her.  

“What?” 

“Why are you rummaging through my things?” He pointed at her with his hand. 

“I'm not. The waitress came up with the bill, I didn’t have enough cash, I saw that you forgot your jacket and wallet again, and took money to pay the bill. Then I saw my photo and I wanted to take a closer look. By the way, I’m surprised to see me here. But can you tell me...” She was holding in her hands a photo where he was in prison clothes. “Is this your photo from prison? Why do you keep it?”

“Give it to me!” Buggy snatched the wallet and photographs from her hands. “I asked you not to touch my things.”

“I didn’t do it on purpose. Why are you so angry?!” 

“I’m not angry.” He grabbed his jeans jacket and went out. 

“Hey! Wait!” Catherine jumped up, threw her bag over her shoulder and ran after him. She caught up with him on the street. “Hey, you, clown! Stop! What's wrong again? What did I say?” 

“Nothing.” Buggy muttered, leaning on the car. 

“So if I didn't say anything, why are you freaking out?”

“I’m not! Why do you always do this, Catherine?” He hissed through his teeth. “You search and sniff out something. I re-hid everything, and then you found it again. Do you do it on purpose?” 

“Score, Buggy!” She showed her thumb. “You're a master of communication. I'm glad you're scared of me enough that you hide your things.” Catherine opened the car door, grabbed her sweatshirt, and walked toward the café. 

“Where are you going?” 

“Home!” She barked. 

“Are you crazy? We're in the middle of the desert! Come back!” 

“Fuck you! I'll catch the first car I come across and go home. I don't care who will be driving a fishman, a cyborg, or some rubber boy.”

Catherine took a few steps forward and felt his hand grab her bag. “Let me go, Buggy!” The hand pulled her back. “I said, let me go!” She threw back his hand and took three more steps forward. 

She stopped, turned around and looked at him. Buggy looked confused. “Seriously, clown?” Catherine clasped her hands. “Is that all? All you can do to stop me is use your chop chop thing?” 

“What do you expect? So I'd run after you, and the desert wind would ruffle my hair.” Buggy attached his hand back and crossed his arms. 

“It would be nice.” Catherine laughed and took a step forward. “I'm sorry I took your things.” Step. 

“I'm also sorry that you took my things.” He took a step towards her too. 

“Ass.” Step. “I don't want you to be afraid of me.” Step. 

“I just…” Step.

“And if you're worried that I found this fucking prison photo, then I'll surprise you.” Step. 

“How?” Step. 

“Hello, I’m sure we know each other. I’m your girlfriend - Catherine Mitchell, and I don't care.” Step. 

Catherine looked at his surprised face, tiptoed closer, and buried her head in his chest. She took his hand with one hand, hugged his back with the other, and began stroking his palm with her finger. “I’m not stupid, Buggy. I know that you’re hiding something from me. Well, you were in prison, so what. I don't give a shit. I'm sure you're not some kind of maniac. Maybe you stole geese.” She laughed. “When you’ll be ready to talk about your past, then we’ll talk, okay? We discussed it, remember? You can tell me anything you want, only when you’re ready.” 

“Fine.” Buggy hugged her. 

“So, you're not angry at me anymore? Are we okay?” She snuggled closer to him.

“Yeah.” He kissed the top of her head. “I forgot to say, cotton candy, I like your braid you're wearing today.”

“Thanks! We look alike today, right? By the way, you are very hot in that photo. And you keep me in your wallet.” Catherine raised her head and looked into his eyes. “That means I take a special spot in your heart, right?” 

“Please don't make me say the obvious, little shit.” He stroked her cheek. “Better tell me, where are we going?” 

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“Judging by your reaction, we are near something interesting.” Buggy looked at Catherine, who was squealing again as she sat on the ground. 

“I'm going crazy now!” She clenched her fists, closed her eyes and started kicking her legs. 

“Just now?” 

“Don't mock me, clown! Do you know what this is?” Catherine pointed at the pyramid with white outer casing stone at the very top. 

“Why do you ask all the time if you know the answer? Cathie-pie, everything is simple with us. You tell me where to go, I will take you there. And where I’m taking you, to be honest, I barely understand.” Buggy scratched his cheek. 

“This's the Pyramid of Khafre!!” She pulled his hand and he plopped down next to her.

“Geeez, woman!” He snatched his severed hand from her hands. “Pull more carefully! And I have no idea who this Kha-what-is-his-name is.”

“Khafre was the son of Cheops.” Catherine grabbed Buggy by the shoulder and started shaking him

“Whose son?” He glanced at her with a surprise look. 

“Oh, god! I live with an idiot! Cheops was one of the famous kings.” Catherine rolled her eyes. “And this's the second-tallest pyramid in the world. You live here, how can you not know this?”

“Cotton candy, dead dudes buried under a ton of sand don't interest me until I know they can make me rich.” 

“You know, this pyramid is unique in that the remains of the original cladding have been preserved in its upper part!! I can't beli-i-eve-e-e!!” Catherine fell on her back and began kicking her legs, squealing. She rolled onto her buttocks, looked at Buggy and threw herself on his neck with a squeal. “Love!” Smack. “Love!” Smack. “Love, love, love you!” Smack. Smack. Smack. “I'm so glad I can share this adventure with you!” Smack. Smack. 

“I'm glad that I can bring you so much joy, not only in bed. If you know what I mean.” Buggy giggled idiotically and hugged Catherine around her waist. 

“You're disgusting!” She sat on the ground and started stroking his hand. 

“I thought we figured out that a long time ago.” Buggy lightly snapped Catherine’s nose. “So, my Egyptian girl, where should we go?” 

“Oh, sure!” She pulled out a map and notepad from her bag and placed them on her lap. “So, let me look. To the right. To the left. You will be surprised, my blue-haired love, but we're gonna look for the burial room again.” 

“Lord, these pharaohs had no imagination.” He rolled his eyes. 

“What do you think, part of the secret scepter will lie somewhere at the entrance under your feet?” 

“It would be nice.” 

“No, everything is simple here. The pharaohs believed that after death they would become gods, so they built themselves huge tombs to place everything they needed for life in the afterlife.” Catherine ran her finger over the map. “You see? Now we will pass through the valley of the temples. But there is one problem. The only entrance that is indicated in the records is on the eastern side. And there are also a lot of tourists here, since this pyramid is part of the most popular route.” 

“Oh, if it means we can hide behind the sarcophagus again, and you'll be on top of me, then I don't mind tourists.” Buggy winked. 

Catherine looked at him, narrowing her eyes. “How did I even get in touch with you?” 

“You just couldn't resist my charm!” Buggy lay down on the sand with his hand behind his head. 

“Charm? Are you kidding me? You'd been tormenting and pissing me off for days!”

“So in the end, I was able to conquer you.” He poked Catherine in the side with his finger. 

“And I don't understand how it happened.” She looked at him and ran her hand over his ponytail. “So. Shall we go?” 

Buggy stood up and offered her his hand. Catherine kissed him on the nose, hearing another “stop it” in response, and put the papers in her bag. They took with them water, flashlights and small hatchets. They walked slowly and reached the entrance to the alley of temples. 

“Damn. We have to buy a ticket to get in. Really?” Catherine rolled her eyes.

“Huh, I've never had to buy a ticket to see someone and then rob that someone later.” Buggy scratched his head. 

Catherine took his hand and pulled him towards the cash register, trying not to attract too much attention. They bought tickets and went towards the alley of temples. 

“You didn't have to grab my ass while we were standing in line.” Catherine said as she held the tickets in her hands.

“I didn't do anything. It wasn't me. It was someone else.” Buggy shrugged his shoulders. 

“Yeah, lie more, you would have killed that someone else on the spot. Okay, now you and I will walk through the alley, and from there we will go into the pyramid. But since there are so many people here, we may have to stay longer somewhere to take a close look. I will tell you something, and you pretend that you don’t understand and want to look at something better.”

“Geeez! I don’t even need to pretend that I don’t understand.” 

They entered the territory. Catherine happily showed and told Buggy about the Sphinx, the history of the pyramid and the temples. He looked at her with admiration. They went to the valley, which was built with huge limestone stones, its walls were covered with sixteen blocks of red-pink granite. The floor of the temple was laid out of alabaster stones and the lobby was open to the sky. 

“Look, look!” Catherine tugged at Buggy's hand. “Do you see these traces near the columns? Khafre’s monuments stood here.”

“Apparently, he was everyone’s favorite, since his Egyptian people helped him build such an alley.” He looked at the walls with interest. 

“Actually no. He was a tyrant and was considered one of the bloodiest rulers. I think he was just a piece of shit. Oh, oh! See!” Catherine pointed her hand at the columns. “You see that light? This light penetrated into the temple through holes in the ceiling, and illuminated each statue. That’s so amazing. Can you believe that this is the real history of mankind? Oh, my blue-haired love, thank you so, so much for this trip.” 

Buggy hugged her and kissed the top of her head. “Always welcome.” He was glad to see her happy face, but he was afraid of saying it to her. 

“Sorry, I’m too emotional.” Catherine clapped her hands. “Okay! Let’s check where we should go next!” She took out a map and a notepad, ran her fingers over the sheets, and felt Buggy put his chin on her shoulder. 

She reached her hand and scratched his head. “Look. Inside, everything is quite simple, there are only two passages that will lead us to the tomb. We need the lower one. Also, the notes say that there we need to look for a “sign of the soul” and I don’t yet understand what it means.”

Catherine took Buggy’s hand and dragged him to the lower entrance, which began at about ground level. As they entered the short descending pass through the lower entrance, they descended until the passageway levels off. This was a way, which looked like almost a hallway, with a large empty recess in the wall on the left side. To the right, across from the recess, was a short descending passageway leading to a chamber. 

“There is no sarcophagus here. Only a pointed ceiling. And you see, there are almost no drawings on the walls at all. The decoration is quite simple. Apparently this Khafre had a bad imagination. This chamber may have served for storage of offering material or treasure.” Catherine looked carefully at the ceiling. “Wait! You see? Do you see the drawing there? Something like stars, similar to the constellation Ursa Major. To tell the truth, this is the only constellation that I can identify. It was used to designate g~. Quiet!” She fell silent abruptly when a group of tourists entered the room. 

They began to wander around the chamber and Catherine told the story of the pyramid.

“Shh, go to her. Ask her, she seems to know something.” Catherine heard a whisper behind her.

“Sorry!” Someone tapped her on the back with a finger. Catherine turned around and saw a slim young man. He wore a yellow hoodie, with black sleeves and black hood, and a northern-style fur hat.

“It seems my friend and I are a little lost.” The man pointed his finger at a man, wearing a beige overall, and a black cap with a yellow brim. “And you tell the story of the pyramid so beautifully that it seemed to me that you could help us. Oh! Where are my manners? My name is Trafalgar Law, and this is my friend Penguin.” He extended his hand.

“Catherine. Catherine Mitchell.” She extended her hand to him, which Law immediately kissed. Catherine quickly pulled her hand back. “And this’s my almost husband Buggy.” She looked at Buggy, who was turning red with jealousy.

“Nice to meet you, Catherine. We came on vacation and decided to explore the local sightseeing. But no one told me that among the old, decrepit mummies I would meet a beautiful, smart girl.” Law smiled. “Anyway. We’re looking for this room. I’ve never seen burial rooms, I really want to see them. Sounds interesting. Can you tell me where it is?” He showed the map that was handed out at the entrance to the pyramids and unfolded it in front of Catherine. 

“Yes, of course. Look. You now need to go straight along the corridor, then turn to the right, then left again, and you will come out to the sarcophagus.” 

“Thank you, beauty!” He took her hand again and kissed it. 

“Listen, Traffic Slaw or whatever your name is. Stop grabbing my hand. This is the way you need to go!” She pointed her finger towards the passage. 

Law and his friend shrugged and walked away. Catherine took Buggy's hand, the grinding of whose teeth seemed to be heard throughout Egypt, and began to run her finger over his palm. 

“Are you okay?” She asked quietly. 

“Yeah. Just another handsome man decided to flirt with you at the bottom of the pyramid. This kind of thing happens all the time.” Buggy grumbled under his breath. 

“I love it when you're jealous.” She kissed him on the cheek. 

“I’m not jealous! A shitty bastard grabbing your hands. This is absolutely normal. Big deal!” 

“Liar!” She kissed him on his cheek. “Okay! Let’s get back to our search. I showed you a drawing of a constellation. This is how the god Amset was depicted before. But I still can’t understand why he’s here. His tail points towards the same path where these guys went. But as I told you, there aren't many ways around here. So let's go, my blue-haired love.” She tiptoed, kissed him on the nose and dragged him further along the corridors.

They left the chamber and turned to the right. At the end of the passageway lies a ramp which ascends into the next hallway. They climbed the ramp, and saw the rough dressed granite lined passageway that leads back up to the higher entrance on the north side. 

“Yes! You see? This way will lead us to the main burial chamber.” Catherine whispered. She took a flashlight out of her bag, turned it on and shined it on the walls. 

“And who is this?” Buggy pointed to the drawings on the wall. “Some kind of winged dude.”

“Where?” Catherine ran up to the drawing and shone the light on it. “Oh my god! It's not a winged dude, Buggy. It's Ba! Do you know who this is?” She looked at him with a smile. 

“Cotton candy, seriously! Are you kidding me, or is this your strange way of bullying?” 

“Ba was considered a life essence and was depicted as a bird with the head of a man. Wow!” Catherine carefully moved her hand over the drawing. “Wait.. The sign of soul. It’s.. Quiet!” 

They saw the light of lanterns flashing around the bend, and soon another group of tourists appeared. Catherine started telling stories again about the drawings she had seen on the wall. The tourists stood in one place for a long time, sighing joyfully, looking at the drawings, and finally left.

Catherine began to look at the wall again. “That's why the sign of the soul. Ba is the soul of a person. Look. The wings of the bird are pointing in that direction. Towards the tomb. Wait.” She pulled out the map and notes again. “You see? This path is indicated on the map. So we are going right.” She jumped up happily and clapped her hands. 

Catherine grabbed Buggy’s hand and took him further. They reached a chamber which was long and wide. There was a black granite sarcophagus in this room, in that it was built to be sunken into the floor. The lid, which was no longer attached, lay propped up next to the coffer near the wall.

“What the fuck?” Buggy asked loudly, looking at the sarcophagus. “It’s opened!”.

“Be quiet, young man!” An old woman from a tourist group was standing nearby, muttered with displeasure and hit Buggy on the leg with her cane. “Learn some manners!” 

“You're old fu~” Buggy looked at Catherine and suddenly fell silent.

The whole scene made her laugh. “I’m sorry, mam. He's just very happy to see the sarcophagus.”

“Idiots!” The woman mumbled. 

Catherine couldn't stop laughing, Buggy looked at her dissatisfied. “Oh, I’m sorry, my silly clown. That was so funny.” She hugged him and noticed how the old woman shook her head, glancing at them.

While the group of tourists remained in the room for some time, Catherine started telling stories about myths and the pyramid again. Finally, the tourists left.

“So what now?” Buggy asked in a whisper. “This thing is open, there are no traces of this fucking pharaoh. Our journey was in vain? Are you sure that the third part of the scepter is here? Maybe this is the wrong pyramid?” 

“Don’t ramble, clown! Give me a minute.” She sat down on the sand and took out her notes. “We're definitely in the right place and the right pyramid. Wait! The drawing of Ba, according to myths, should be on the sarcophagus.” She jumped and ran to the coffin. “I’ll check the frame, you inspect the lid. Look for the bird with a human head.”

“Fuck! Every Egyptian god here has the head of a bird. How will I recognize him?!” Buggy mumbled, took another flashlight from Catherine's bag and walked over to the lid. “Damn, it's heavy!” He took it and began to carefully turn the lid. 

“You are so strong, my love!” Catherine watched as Buggy blushed. “Found anything?” “Wait! Not yet!” He moved the flashlight over the lid. “I don't see the bird, but I see something which looks like a drawing of a man with a crown on his head, and his arms raised up.”

“Where? Where?” She ran up behind him and climbed onto his back.

“Oh, I wish I could be behind you right now. If you know what I mean.” He grinned and felt Catherine slapped him on the head. “Ouch!”

“Stop thinking only about sex, Buggy! Please, focus on our case!”

“It's very hard to think about our case when you're sitting on me, cotton candy.” He laughed idiotically. “Look, this guy with his hands. Is he important?” 

Catherine leaned her head over his shoulder. “It's Ka!” She started kicking her legs. “Look, look! Here is the inscription on the lid. 

“Do I live or die, Osiris. 

I enter and reappear through you. 

I disintegrate in you. 

I grow in you. 

I am not destroyed.”

This is the prayer of the soul. You’re doing great!” She kissed him in the temple and saw him blushed again. 

She jumped off his back and began walking in circles, waving her arms. “Ba, Ka.. Ka is the life force. According to the beliefs of the ancient Egyptians, Ka lives in a statue of a person or god. Ba is the soul and consisted of the totality of a person’s feelings and emotions. But Ka remained in the burial vault.”

Buggy kept a close eye on Catherine, who paced back and forth, muttering something under her breath and had little idea what she was talking about. 

“Amset! That's why there was Amset's symbol! And that's why there's a constellation on the ceiling again!” Catherine stopped abruptly and stared at Buggy. “Amset was one of the sons of Horus, and he was responsible for preserving the soul. Do you understand?”

“Actually, not very much.” He shook his head. 

Catherine waved her hand at him and continued to wander from side to side. “Wait. We found the first half of the scepter in the pyramid, in which the gods were responsible for birth. In the second, where the gods were responsible for death. Do you understand what I'm getting at?” Catherine looked at Buggy.

“That... I don’t know. That the Egyptians had many gods.. for all occasions?” He shrugged. 

“No, idiot! This part of the scepter is responsible for life. If you put all the parts of the scepter together, they seem to reflect the life cycle, you know? Birth, life, death.”

Buggy scratched his head. “But we don't have the third part of the scepter!”

“The myths say that Amset comes to illuminate the Ka's path.” Catherine began running her hands along the walls again. “Wait. There are more drawings here. This is Sakh. This is a human body. This’s Ib - the heart. It was believed that the heart was formed at the moment of conception and the whole life was imprinted on it. Think, Catherine, think.” She walked up to Buggy, looked at him, and buried the top of her head in his chest. “I don't know. I don't understand.”

He gently placed his hands on her back. “You know everything.”

“I don't know.”

“Cathie-pie, you're the smartest girl I've ever met. Seriously! You know everything. Calm down and think.”

Catherine flopped to the ground and took down her notes again. She sat on the floor for a long time and muttered something under her breath. Buggy sat down next to her and looked at her with interest. He didn’t notice how he gently touched her hand with his fingertips while she was moving it over the paper.

“Don't distract me, Buggy.” She smiled slightly. 

“I don’t…” He abruptly removed his hand and blushed. He glanced at the wall and felt her hand run through his hair.

“No, no!” Catherine flipped through the pages. “Oh! Wait! The notes say that the sky must touch the earth in order to close the cycle of life. What does this mean?” 

“I hate Egypt.” Buggy stood up. “ Why can't they just write how easy to find anything? Why did they have to bury something somewhere and come up with stupid clues for it? It would be easier if it was like, “Hey, Buggy, here's the key to my treasure. Take it and enjoy your life!” He kicked the wall. “Crap!” 

“Did you hit it hard?” Catherine looked at him with concern.

“No, I’m fine.” He glanced at the floor. “Hey, Cathie-pie, there’s also the same pattern under your feet, similar to the one on the ceiling. Why did they do it twice?” 

“Where, where?” She jumped up and ran to him. 

“Here.” He pointed to the floor. “I don't understand your Egyptian shit, but doesn't it look like what's pictured there.” He glanced at the ceiling.

Catherine looked at the floor and ceiling. “Interesting!” She touched parts of the drawing on the floor. “These things are clicking.”

“Wow, the Egyptians are so original. Every second thing in their fucking pyramids moves or clicks.” Buggy rolled his eyes and said sarcastically.

“Sh-h-h! Wait! Amset is responsible for the soul. That is, from the earth to the sky. We just need to click the drawing on the floor to create the Ursa Major. And you see this drawing on the floor? This is a variation on the star clock. They were used for night services in temples or ritual ceremonies.”

“You know, I think you should'd been out more, cotton candy. “ Buggy exhaled sadly. 

“Screw you! Okay! The drawing is located as if the clock is one in the morning. According to myths, Amset comes to the soul at one o'clock in the morning. It's easy!” Catherine clapped her hands and squealed. 

Buggy looked at her without blinking. “Yeah, much easier.”

“See all those drawings on the wall? This is what a person has during life. Heart, shadow, soul. But the sign of the soul itself stands directly under the constellation. I'll open my notes now, I need to see what the Ursa Major looks like so that we don't confuse anything.” Catherine took out a notebook and began to compare the drawing on the floor, ceiling and in the notes. She began to show Buggy with her hand which slab should be clicked. 

“So what now?” He asked, clicking the last slab in place. 

“I don’t know.” Catherine ran her hand along the walls. 

“Maybe we assembled it wrong?” Buggy sat down on the floor.

“No, it’s impossible. Everything matches completely. But wait. What if.. The constellation doesn’t all appear at once, right? It clearly appears in pieces. What if we assembled it exactly in the order in which the brightest stars begin to appear, and then all the rest? But I have no idea how this happens. Maybe this…” She heard him begin to click the slabs. “How are you?.. What are you doing?” 

“I'm clicking this fucking thing in the order you just said.” Buggy muttered under his breath.

“But how do you know the order?” Catherine watched him with round eyes. 

“Well, let’s just say that at one point in my life it came in handy.” 

“You are full of secrets and mysteries, clown.” She watched with interest as he clicked small plates. 

“Something like that.” He dusted off his hands, sat on the floor and looked at her. “What?” 

“Nothing. You did great!” Catherine ran her hand over his head. 

“So what now?” 

“I don't know.” She ran her hand over the clock’s drawing and heard a crash. 

“What did you do?” Buggy looked at the wall. 

“I don't know.” Catherine ran her hand and pressed the sign of the soul. They watched without stopping as the hatch in the floor opened. 

“What's there?” Buggy stuck his head into the crack and narrowed his eyes. “There's something there. Stairs and some kind of black box in the center.” 

“Let me see.” Catherine sat down and lowered her head into the crack. “I'm ready to bet anything, but I'm sure there's a third... Quiet. Do you hear? Steps again! Oh, people, are you serious?! Okay! We stand still and block this passage with ourselves.” 

The two of them quickly rose from the ground and as soon as they stood on the wall, a family with a child entered the hall. The child, seeing the clown, was very happy and began to pester Buggy with questions about whether he could do it right now a dog from a balloon, does his nose honk, why does he look so strange. 

“I'll kill the little shit myself!” He hissed, kicking the child away. 

“Why are they still here? This is one of the most boring burial chambers I've ever seen!” Catherine asked Buggy in a whisper, glancing at the family, who were walking in circles. “Oh! I don't believe I'm saying this, but grab my ass. Maybe they will feel embarrassed and leave the room?” 

“Oh, with all the pleasure!” Buggy giggled idiotically and at that same second, Catherine felt his hand on her buttocks. She blushed and glanced at the family. They reddened and quickly left the chamber, covering the child's eyes. 

“Great! The child saw the clown grabbing my ass!” Catherine covered her red face with her hands. 

“Oh, come on! He will be fine. Let him see it better now, judging by his dad, he doesn’t even know about such things.” Buddy smiled widely. 

“I hate you. We ruined his life.” She mumbled in her palms. 

“Just the second "I hate you." Honey, you're late today.” Buggy removed Catherine’s hands from her face.  “Focus, Cathie-pie!”

“Oh, yes!” She rubbed her hands, sat down on her knees and looked through the crack again. “Shall we go there?” 

“What? No! I won't let you in there, I'll check it myself.” 

“Are you sure?” 

“Listen, I may be a coward sometimes, but never in my life will I allow you to climb into some small room into which a passage opened in the old pyramid.” He blushed, walked down the stairs and walked towards the black box. “This is not a box, Catherine. Another sarcophagus. I’ll try to open it with the hatchet.” He whispered, took out the hatchet and tried to open the lid of the sarcophagus. “Doesn’t work. Do you have any brilliant ideas how can I open it?”

“Wait! I have something written down in a notebook.” She quickly took out the notes. “Not that. Not that. I found! I found it!” She lowered her head to the crack and began to read. 

“Osiris goes to his essence, 

Set goes to his essence, 

He who has the eye ahead goes to his essence. 

And you go to your essence. 

Your purity is the purity of the gods, going to their essences. 

Your purity is the purity of the gods, who departed so as not to experience suffering.”

Essence is the soul. Is there something with a soul sign there? We need to help Amset find Ka and Ba, and he will lead them to the kingdom of the dead.”

“Wait! Here on the lid are this guy with his hands up, your bird and the other one you were talking about. Also, a bird. But the first one's arms are down.” 

“Try to raise them. And I have it written down that Ka and Ba need to turn towards Amset. In general, move the man with the hands and the bird towards the man with the bird's head, okay?” 

“Okay.” 

Catherine looked through the gap behind him. “Is everything okay?” 

“Yes. Wait, those guys are heavy. J-j-ust.. One. Moment. Yes! Fucking gods. Turned it around. What’s next?” 

“Wait a minute! So..” She heard a noise and looked through the crack again. “What is it? What have you done?” 

“I didn't do anything! These Egyptian guys clicked, and it seems the lid opened. Wait!” Catherine heard Buggy groan as he pulled back the lid and began rummaging through the sarcophagus. “Why do these things stink. Fuck, the smell is disgusting. Wait! Cathie-pie!” 

“What?” 

“Yeah, baby! I think, I found it!” Buggy was joyfully twirling part of the scepter in his hands when he heard a crash. “What was that?” 

“I don't know…” Catherine looked around. “Shit! The passage is closing! Get back quickly!” 

“Fuck!” Buggy quickly ran to the stairs. 

“Damn you, Egyptians pharaohs and your traps!” Catherine tried to hold the closing stone. 

“Damn. I’ve dropped the scepter!” 

“Fuck this shit! Get out!!” 

“Already picked it up, don’t worry!” 

“This shit is closing!” Catherine watched as Buggy ran to the stairs and began to climb. “Come on! I don't know how to hold back the Egyptian doors!” 

“I'm coming!” As soon as he got out, the passage slammed shut. “A couple more seconds, and you could become the widow of the clown pharaoh, cotton candy.” Buggy said, sitting down on the ground. 

“Idiot!” She hit him in the shoulder. “You could have used your chop chop thing to get out faster!” She hit him once again and hugged him.  “Are you okay?!” 

“You just beat me up, and you're asking me if I'm okay?”

“Don’t ever do that again, please!” Catherine hugged Buggy tightly and kissed his temple. “Next time use your chop chop thing. I don't want you to stay in some fucking Egyptian trap.”

“Cathie-pie, I’m Buggy the Clown. I would have found a way out anyway. And by the way! Is this what we were looking for?” He joyfully turned the part of the scepter in his hand.

⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭

“You know, cotton candy, I think it's going to rain.” Buggy squinted at the sky. 

“Yes, you and I are lucky. To manage to get caught in a rare rain in the desert.” Catherine hugged him from behind, “Well, we don’t have many options. Or sit in the rain, but I don’t know how this will affect you. I don't want you to get hurt. Actually, we have food and booze. We can settle into the car and spend the night in it. Sounds interesting, right?”

“Well, yeah.”

“Then get everything we need from the trunk, I’ll fry the sausages before it rains.” 

While Buggy was dragging the plaid, pillow, snacks, and beer into the car from the trunk, Catherine quickly build a fire and fry sausages. 

“Do you need help?” He asked, approaching her. 

“No, I'm almost done. Get in the car, it's about to start raining.” Catherine drove him away with a branch. “Shoo, clown!” 

As soon as it started to rain, she grabbed the sausages, threw them into the box and ran squealing into the car. 

“Haha, I made it!” Catherine placed the box on the panel. “So, what do we have here? Warm french fries. See? I told you that buying a thermal bag was a cool idea. Chips, cookies, grapes, chocolate, beer.” She brushed her slightly wet hair out of her face and felt his hands pushing her wet braid back. 

“You're soaked.” Buggy took off his sweatshirt and threw it on her.

“Who? Me? No. I’m fine. Let's start. Bread, sausage, and lots and lots of ketchup and mustard for my little bear.” She quickly made a hot dog and put it in his hands. “Eat. You're hungry.” 

“Yes!” He took a bite of the hot dog. “I got you a blanket and a pillow, they are lying in the back seat.” 

“Thanks! You’re so caring.”

Catherine watched as he contentedly chewed his hot dog and washed it down with beer. “Tasty?” She stroked his head. He nodded, taking a bite of the sausage. 

“Shit, I need to change my t-shirt. The one I’m wearing right now is still damp.” She crawled from the front seat to the back. “Oh, I see your t-shirt is here, I’ll take it. And don’t look at me in the rearview mirror.” 

Catherine took off his sweatshirt, began taking off her t-shirt and glanced at Buggy, who was already staring at the mirror. “Hey! What did I tell you?” 

“I’m not looking at you. I’m looking at.. At cars and camels. Over there.” He pointed his finger at nowhere. “You just can't see them because of the rain.”

“Jackass!” She changed the t-shirt, put his sweatshirt back on, sat on her knees in the back seat and leaned forward. “Give me french fries.” Buggy calmly handed her a box of potatoes and put two sausages in it. 

“Thank you!” She kissed him on his cheek, took the beer from his hands and took a sip. “Bliss! Well, I guess we're stuck here until morning. It's not worth driving on sand in the rain, and you need to rest.” 

“Apparently, yes.” He grabbed the bottle back. 

“Well, at least your car is comfortable.” Catherine pecked him on the cheek a few more times, and quickly put several potato sticks in her mouth. 

“What's wrong with you? Why do you always do this?” Buggy tried his best to appear dissatisfied.

“I just love my little bear.” She stroked his shoulder. “I’m so happy that I spend time with you searching for treasures. Who would have told me about this a year ago, when I was working in the library and dating Mickie Squicky.” Catherine watched as Buggy’s face tensed and changed.

“Squicky? Life punished him. And what did you do with that Minty?” 

“He's Mickie. Nothing special. Regular dates, you know. We went to the movies, for walks, and kissed.” She watched him blush under all his makeup. 

“That's all? Did you do something else?” Buggy asked dryly and began to tap his fingers on the bottle.

“I love when you're jealous.” Catherine smiled widely, lightly tapped her fingertips on his shoulder, and kissed his cheek. 

“I'm not jealous!”

“Yeah, yeah. I don't believe you. You are already as red as your nose and if you met Mickie now, you would strangle him.” 

“I told you, I’m not jealous. I don't care if some Milty took you around the parks, hugged you or maybe saw you naked. I’m totally fine with that.” Buggy took a sip of beer and began to move his finger along the steering wheel. 

“My blue-haired liar.” Catherine ruffled his hair and took grapes with chocolate. She leaned back, crossing her legs. 

Buggy finished his hot dog and, holding the bottle in his hands, made himself comfortable in the front seat. “Fuck, yeah. Are you okay there, Cathie-pie?” 

“Hey, why are you sitting there? Come to me.” 

Buggy looked at her in bewilderment. 

“The two of us could easily fit here. Wait!” Catherine put a pillow on the door. “Here! That's better! I'm waiting for you, little bear. Come here.” 

He looked at the back seat again. “Okay. Just hold the beer.” Buggy gave her the bottle in her hands and climbed into the back seat.

Bam!

“Fuck, I hit my head.” He said, sitting down on the seat. 

“Does it hurt?” Catherine ran her hand over his head. “Let me see.” 

“Nah, everything is fine.” He gently put her hand away.

She pecked him on his lips. Buggy leaned his back on the pillow and Catherine quickly sat down between his legs, pressing her back to his chest. He hugged her with his arm. 

“That's better.” She took a sip of his beer and put a grape in her mouth. “Chocolate?” She handed him a candy bar. 

He took it and bit. “Yummy.”

“You know, our treasure hunt reminds me of my father. He and I were very close. You know, we constantly went to all sorts of archaeological exhibitions. He brought interesting articles that he found during his journalist trips and imagined how we would travel around Egypt and find some ancient inscriptions. I remember we were sitting in the park one day, eating ice cream, and he was sad that his daughter would someday marry a boring guy who wouldn’t go beyond his own home. He and I were already planning a trip to Egypt, when suddenly his heart stopped. It was hard for all of us to cope with the loss. I felt very lonely after his death, to be honest.” Catherine felt he hugged her tightly. “My mother loved him so much. She died a year later on the day of his death. Oh, Buggy, it was such a big love. I've only read about feelings like that in stupid novels.”

“How did they meet?” He took the beer from her hands and took a sip. 

“My mom was brought to the party at the bar by her friend. She was drinking a punch when she saw a guy, standing near the bar counter, with such a huge bouffant on his head. He was wearing a leather jacket and suspenders. She said his hair looked like a tumbleweed, although my father said he looked cool. He came up to meet her, but she rejected him. My mom said she thought he was an asshole. My dad spent a month trying to get a date with her. He met her near the university and work, she worked as a cashier in a cinema. But one day he climbed into her bedroom with lilac branches. And, apparently, she saw something in him. Then they got married, moved to Loguetown, and then my sister and I were born.”

“Near the bar? And seemed like an asshole? Sounds familiar.”

“Yeah. My sister said the same. But I don't understand why she said so. I just know my father would be glad to meet you. I hope he is now looking at me from heaven and rejoicing. His daughter found a sexy man with whom she travels around the pyramids and looks for something that may not exist.” Catherine felt how Buggy hugged her tightly and pressed his cheek to her temple. “I’m so happy I have you in my life.” She gently placed her hand on his head. “Shit, I made you sad.” 

“Nah, it’s fine. You miss someone important to you.” He kissed her temple. “Listen.. Cathie-pie, can.. can I ask you a question?” He took a sip. 

“Sure!” She stroked his cheek. 

“You mentioned that one.. Mickie. All these guys.. Did you lo.. At what age did you start going on dates?” Buggy cleared his throat. “Apparently, you had a lot of boyfriends. This doesn't surprise me, because.. you know.. You are smart and beautiful. But I'm surprised you didn't find a nice guy there.”

“It seemed to me that you wanted to ask something else. But ok! I started going on dates when I was 15, I guess.” She took the bottle from his hands and took a sip. “And no, I didn’t love them. Well, that is, at the age of 16 it seemed to me that I did. But then I was a teenager, so.. Even when I was 25-27 years old, I don’t think I was in love with anyone. What, you're afraid I treated everyone like you?”

“I.. I don't kn~~. I don't th~~ Never mind.” He took the bottle back. 

“No, my blue-haired love, you're special to me! Remember that, okay?” Catherine scratched his arm with her fingers. “What about you? You probably had a lot of girls. Tell me at least a little, I’m so interested in what you had in your life before we met. I promise not to be jealous. But if you don’t want to talk at all, then fine.”

“Well, it was hard to call it a relationship. Just meetings for one or two nights. Just.. you know.. not be alone sometimes. I don’t know. Who needs me?”  

“I hate it when you say that. You’re funny and handsome. I don’t really understand where the girls were looking. Were they blind or what? But on the other hand, I got you, so I won.” She ate a grape and put two berries in his mouth. “It's not easy to be with you, but I’ll handle it.” 

“I hope you won't leave me because of this.” Buggy sighed heavily. 

“Of course no. Oh! You know what sitting with you here reminds me of? The day when we in the corridor when the door was blocked. Remember?”

“Oh, the day when I had my second click.” 

“Wha-a-t? Really?!” She asked surprised.

“Fuck! Did I let it slip again? How did you do that, little shit?! Well, yeah. You were examining my head after my fight with Crocodile and you looked at me.. you know.. Somehow special.”

“Wait. So both clicks were when I showed concern to you?”

Buggy was nervous. “I guess. You.. You were so kind and your arms were.. you know.. so warm. It was so nice to feel your.. you know.. touch. And then you told me you don’t like me, and settled under my armpit. I was confused and didn't know what to do. Because, you know.. It's not every day that I find myself locked in a hallway with a beautiful girl. But that was.. was nice. And I thought “oh, no, maybe ask her out on a date.” 

“Said the man who took me to the airport later.” Catherine scratched his hand. 

“How long will it take you to remember this for me?” 

“I'm planning for a year now. Maybe two. Didn’t you understand then that I fell in love with you?”

“I don’t know. Your concern was new to me. And this is still new. Do you remember, I promised to take you to the circus? Well, you know.. I wanted to ask.. ask you out, to be honest. But your sister came.” Buggy began to worry and felt Catherine took his hand. “I.. I wasn't sure you'd agree. And I didn’t think that such a beautiful girl could.. you know… love me. I thought you'd fly home, I’d suffer a little and move on with my life.”

“Because you're a fool. It's good that you have me now. Otherwise, you would sit on your bed and cry into the pillow.” 

“I don't cry into my pillow, I'm a grown man.”

“You cried three weeks ago because the acrobats weren't doing well at rehearsal.” She stroked his arms. “Thank you so much. I was happy to hear that. I know how was hard for you to say that. I’m so, so proud of you!” 

Catherine was silent for a moment, stroking his arm. “Do you hear that? The rain is pattering on the roof. God, I'm about to burst from the romance of the moment.” She laughed until she cried. “You'll have to explain to my sister why I no longer exist. Catherine loved her clown so much that she couldn't stand one of the most romantic moments of her life, and she exploded. And excuse me, all that was left of her were socks.”

“No, you have to survive somehow, I still need you in my life.” Buggy kissed her temple. 

“Of course you need me. Who's gonna feed you?”

“What, you think I'm with you just for the food? Believe me, there are much more interesting things I like to do with you. Not just breakfast.” 

“You're disgusting. And I love you so, so much, my Buggy Bear. You know that?”

“First time I’ve heard it. And could you please change that terrible nickname? I think you've mocked me enough already.”

“No! Stop whining. I like your nickname. And my silly clown.”

“I’m listening, my Cathie-pie.”

“I don't know how you're doing it in this position, but stop grabbing my ass.”

[jellostories]

AJ the Very Whimsical, Ch. 15: AJ ze Lovebird

To Ariana

Like many young girls, AJ was a sucker for romance, despite being too young to understand what love was. Her idea of romance was all about holding hands and sitting together at lunch—the kind of innocent crush often called "kiddie love."

One fine spring morning, AJ's heart was captured by a boy with green eyes (just like AJ!), a messy bob of red hair, and a knack for kindness. He'd picked up the eraser she'd dropped on her way to class, and that simple act had sent her heart aflutter.

"Boyfriend," she sighed dreamily, watching him disappear around the corner to the fifth-grade portables.

"Oh, please," Twist said, giving AJ's shoulder a playful shove. "You don't need a boyfriend, Angel. You're way too young and cool for that."

But AJ disagreed. "I'm gonna hug my new Schnookie-Poo!" she declared, making a dash for the portables.

"Schnookie-Poo?" Twist giggled, grabbing AJ's sweatshirt to slow her down. "You're weird, Angel."

AJ giggled back. "I know!" She wriggled free and continued her pursuit of her newfound crush.

“🎶The circle of our love extends beyond the reach of time! Beyond the span of days and years, it goes forever...🎶” she sang in French, reaching for the staircase railing.

Twist, realizing her friend was serious, grabbed AJ around the waist and tried to pull her back towards their classroom. But AJ was determined.

"Schnookie-Poo!" she squealed, struggling to escape Twist's grasp.

Just when all hope seemed lost, AJ's eyes fell upon her shoulder bag.

"Look, Twist! I found a lollipop!" she exclaimed, pulling out a cotton candy-flavored treat. "You want it? I can't eat it, I'm on a diet!"

Twist's eyes lit up. She had a major sweet tooth and couldn't resist anything sugary. Her grip on AJ loosened, and her knees began to shake with desire.

"Hey, Twisty? Hey, Twisty?" AJ persisted, waving the lollipop enticingly.

Finally, Twist succumbed, snatching the lollipop and unwrapping it with a gleeful grin.

Seizing the opportunity, AJ zipped around the corner, dashed towards the fifth-grade portables, and bounded up the stairs. She burst through the classroom door, striking a dramatic pose.

“Bonjour, cher!" she chirped. "Your tummy can stop its growling now, 'cause your little cookie-biscuit is here!"

The fifth-graders stared in bewilderment at this messy-haired, oddly dressed second-grader who'd just barged into their classroom spouting nonsense about cookies. AJ scanned the room for her beloved Schnookie-Poo. There he was, sitting in the second row, looking like he'd just seen a ghost.

"Schnookie-Poo, let me hug you!" she yelled, arms outstretched.

Before AJ could launch her hug attack, Twist tackled her to the ground.

“Angel, stop!" she exclaimed, bits of lollipop still clinging to her lips. "You're seven years old. You eat ice cream, draw weird pictures, and have tea parties. You're not old enough to have a boyfriend!"

AJ scowled. "Non! You're wrong, Twist! As soon as Schnookie-Poo handed me my eraser, I felt an urge to bear-hug him! If that's not love, then what is?"

Schnookie-Poo and the kid next to him exchanged amused glances. Their teacher sat at his desk, too stunned to intervene.

"I don't know, Angel," Twist replied, her voice softening. "My dad told me that's something everyone has to figure out for themselves. Don't you think you should enjoy being a kid for a few more years?"

AJ considered this for a moment. "Non!" she declared, trying to charge towards Schnookie-Poo again.

Frustrated, Twist tackled her friend, sending them both crashing through the wall. They landed with a thump on a feather-and-grass-filled mattress below.

"Huh," Twist said, sitting up. "I guess this mattress was here for a reason."

AJ put her hat back on and sneezed.

"I think this mattress might have dandelions in it," she said miserably. "I'm allergic to dandelions."

Twist burst out laughing. "KARMA!"

"I prefer chocolate, actually," AJ said, sneezing again. "Ah-choo!"

[hongtonie]

hi bff theo !!! tea rose / cotton candy / lemonade <3333333

hi shri beloved<333

tea rose - what is your favorite drink?

hmnn i really love matcha frappuccinos with a shot of espresso, almond milk iced lattes that i make at home, and fast food lemonade. i like store bought lemonade too but imo the fast food lemonade has a better feel but it might just be the brand we buy lmao

cotton candy - do you like sweets? favorite if so?

i’m not a huge sweets person when i do eat sweet stuff it’s usually in small amounts but i really love brownies. ik sweets means candy so in that respect maybe airheads? or root beer/green apple/pineapple dumdums i love lollipops

lemonade - what is your perfect summer day?

hmn this is a good one. it would probably be stay over night at the beach, go swimming (not at the beach though i’m terrified of the ocean), take a shower, eat my favorite burrito from this one place, watch a couple episodes of my favorite show and take a nap. then go mini golfing and eat dinner

send me a shades of pink ask !

[missbaphomet]

BPAL Scent Reference

{Halloween 2022, Bobbing for Apples 2022} Bobbing for Smut: Three booze soaked apples soaked in smutty musks and sugar.

{Halloween 2022} X-Rayed Candy Bag: A scent to soothe panicky parents who are susceptible to urban legends about candy tampering! The sugary contents of last night’s Trick-or-Treat bucket blasted with atomic particles at your local hospital, producing a stark image of ghostly treats cast in a greeny-white radioactive glow.

{Novel Ideas for Secret Amusements 2023} An Aroused Prostitute from Maruyama Yukaku and a Merchant from Qing: Sweet cream poured over glittering peach amber.

{Carnaval Diabolique} Mme. Moriarty, Misfortune Teller: Red musk, vanilla bean, pomegranate, black currant, patchouli leaf and wild plum.

{Limited Edition} Please Scream Inside Your Heart: This is the scent of fried dough, funnel cake, and that balls-in-your-throat feeling you get when you’re about to pitch over the edge of a steep hill on a roller coaster and can’t see the other side.

{Beloved Favorites, Mad Tea Party} Eat Me: Three white cakes, vanilla, and red and black currants.

{Halloween 2022, Bobbing for Apples 2022} Bobbing for Blood Kisses: Gleaming red apples sloshing through lush, creamy vanilla and the honey of the sweetest kiss smeared with the vital throb of husky clove, swollen red cherries, but darkened with the vampiric sensuality of vetiver, soporific poppy and blood red wine, and a skin-light pulse of feral musk.

{Halloween 2022} Sugar Skull: Vibrant with the joy and sweetness of life in death! A blend of five sugars, lightly dusted with candied fruits.

{Activism 2020, Georgia On My Mind} Wisdom, Justice, Moderation: A poem about Georgia, sung through scent: red cedar, sweetgum, yellow jasmine, peach, and honey.

{Illyria} Tamora: Amber, heliotrope, golden sandalwood, peach blossom and vanilla bean.

{Virtualcon: Atlanta Edition 2021} Vanilla Wafers & Peach Cream: As listed

{Virtualcon: Atlanta Edition 2021} This is a Perfume About My Dog Eating Peaches: Toasted cream, marshmallow, vanilla bean, and sun-warmed peaches.

{Gris Grimly} Detestable Putrescence: Melty vanilla ice cream

{Halloween 2022, Bobbing for Apples 2022} Bobbing for Ball Gags: Black leather, honeyed amber, and a bite of apple.

{Halloween 2022, Dead Leaves 2022} Dead Leaves & Horchata: As listed

{Lupercalia 2023, Raunchy Hearts} Yes Sir: Freshly smacked peach candy and torn cotton Y-front underpants

{Halloween 2022, Dead Leaves 2022} Dead Leaves, Praline & Sheer Vanilla: As listed

{Lupercalia 2021} Bright Red Dildo: Red leather and honey.

Prototypes:

BOBN1: ???

Vishpala: ???

[seelestia]

★彡 𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐀𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐘 𝐈𝐍 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐆𝐀𝐙𝐄.

❝𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥, 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐚𝐦 𝐈 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮?❞

SUMMARY. redamancy is a love returned in full — except you express that by staring at your lover like a madman.

CHARACTERS. xiao, venti, kazuha, heizou, zhongli, albedo, gorou, itto, scaramouche, ayato, childe, diluc, thoma, kaeya.

GENRE. cotton candy fluff, little bits of crack, teeny tiny angst in kaeya's part, established relationship.

CW. use of pet names.

THOUGHTS. weewoo, my first multi post! i may have screamed, kicked my feet in the air, and sobbed while writing this and i hope you do too <3 /pos

☆ masterlist.

─ ⊹ ⊱ ・・・・・・☆・・・・・・・⊰ ⊹ ─

XIAO turns his face away nervously. You are silent, yet your gaze speaks many volumes; volumes that he is unable to comprehend properly. What exactly should an Adeptus say to such peculiar manner of staring? Xiao clears his throat, "If you have words to spare, then spit them out." Bold words for someone with reddening cheeks.

VENTI grins as if he had caught a thief red-handed. "Is it me or is someone awfully shameless today, hm?" Although it is clear as day that you're not even trying to hide it, this bard sees the opportunity to tease you and he takes it in stride. As a performer, Venti is used to having eyes on him — but to receive such attention from his beloved is so much sweeter, is it not?

KAZUHA returns your gaze with an even softer one. He asks, "Is something wrong, my love?" What started out as a way to express your adoration for his beauty turns into a mutual contest. Kazuha's eyes are a beautiful scarlet red, you know that — but why is it so hard to acknowledge when he's staring right back at you? But in his defense, he is but a humble man returning the favor and using it as an excuse to adore you.

HEIZOU pretends to poke your eyes. "Ah-ah, where's your permission to stare?" A cheeky one, indeed. Heizou hovers two fingers in front of your eyes as if poised to poke on command. With the way his smile is almost reaching his ears, it's so difficult to take him seriously — and it doubles by tenfold when Heizou dives in for a kiss. His giggles tap against your lips, "There you go, permission granted." Great, just awesome; now, you feel like poking his pretty olive eyes instead.

ZHONGLI is unmoving yet knowing all the same. No, he is not oblivious, not in the slightest. In fact, he knows you are staring at him. Zhongli usually doesn't mind being gawked at; yet as he takes a sip of his tea, he can't help but chuckle, "You can look until you've had enough, but don't let the tea get cold now." Your eager gaze that is almost akin to a stupefied child is more amusing than he thought, it seems.

ALBEDO wonders what is running through your mind. As if his thoughts have morphed into crystalflies that leave a trail of epiphany in their wake, you exhale a cold breath and two words for him, "You're beautiful." Albedo realizes that maybe, his metaphor might've been off the mark; because no longer are the crystalflies taking flight in the air, they are here in his chest like fluttering butterflies at the sight of your smile.

GOROU blinks in confusion. Deciphering has never been his best suit, so when Gorou finds you staring at him without a word, his first instinct is to assume the worst. His ears droop down almost instantly, "W-what's wrong?" The genuine fear on Gorou's face makes you panic and he swears he never relished in relief like ever before after you explain. No, he's not mad — he just can't help but sulk, just a little. Ahem, please don't scare him like that again.

ITTO pats himself in accomplishment. "Are you staring because I look extra, super duper handsome today? Ohoho!" Was it the new shampoo? Mouthwash? Eyeliners? His pearly white teeth? The comb he exchanged for snacks yesterday?! He sounds obsessed but hey, he wants to look good for you — and if you're staring at him like that, it means his efforts aren't in vain! How silly though, you've always been staring at him like this; Itto was just too immersed in his beetle fights to notice.

SCARAMOUCHE flicks your forehead. You get two privileges, though; a forehead flick and a somewhat gentle one at that. He doesn't just flick anybody's forehead, you're special (or whatever). Scaramouche huffs, "Got a staring problem? Your eyes look like they're gonna pop out." But you don't mind, you'd gladly pick them up just to stare at him again. "Ugh, weirdo," he rolls his eyes but he's actually smiling, so who's the weirdo here?

AYATO only hums in acknowledgment. "Is this angle good enough for your liking, dearest?" He says that so casually. As a man who has etiquette engrained into him since young, you partially expect him to reprimand you. It's common knowledge that staring is improper in public, after all — but that's exactly it; right now, he isn't the public figure, Kamisato Ayato but simply a man with his beloved. How ironic would it be to reprimand the very person who gives him a sense of normalcy? Besides, you're adorable, so he's not complaining one bit.

CHILDE tilts his head questioningly at first but plays along. He searches your eyes; is this a prank or are you angry? The corners of his lips crook into a grin, there's a playful agenda in his mind. "Are we doing a staring contest? If I win, will you give me a kiss?" His jokes are just a way of his to get a reaction from you. But when it fails, Tartaglia's grin quite literally drops, "Wait, are you actually upset? [Y/N], what did I do—" And he won't stop pestering you with a whine until you explain.

DILUC lowers his head into a bow. He mutters quietly, "I'm sorry." Straightforward words, but the thing is does he even know what he's apologizing for? Actually, why is he apologizing? Diluc looks so meek underneath your gaze, you wonder how he'd react if you tell him that you're merely staring because you can't look away? Simple, he wouldn't know how to; so, he'd fake a cough to hide his face or more specifically, the shades similar to his hair blooming on it.

THOMA frowns with concern. "Do you need something, my love?" His hand is warm as he cups the side of your cheek as a giving touch of comfort. Are you staring at him to get his attention? Has something been bothering you? Worried questions begin to fill Thoma's mind — of course, your well-being is what comes to mind first, not the thought of you admiring him for no reason. "Ah, you're such a tease. You scared me there," he pinches your nose; that's a Thoma-like way to get revenge, alright.

KAEYA leans in closer. He does so with no hesitance, no warning whatsoever and you lean back with a squeak. Kaeya chuckles to his heart's content with a cheeky jest, "Why, I thought that was an invitation?" But beneath the desire to fluster you, lies an odd sense of contentment; knowing that you stare at him with such a loving gaze. "Thank you," two words that seem so out of place, but Kaeya wants to say them anyway.

— © seelestia, july 2022. do not repost, plagiarize, translate nor claim as your own.

[simplyotometrash]

MC turns into MSheep!

Inspired by the lil anime announcement we got because I love MC still being represented by a lil sheepie~!

As usual, this is gender-neutral reader!MC

It was a total accident. You were just working on your potion project with Solomon. He was helping you with the math of it, mostly, since it was pretty complicated. You had no idea where things went wrong. There was a puff of pink smoke when you added the last ingredient and suddenly Solomon was a giant! Well, actually you were turned into a small pink sheep...

Lucifer:

He didn’t know what to say when Solomon brought you home.

You were a sheep. A tiny sheep. And very pink.

His beloved was a sheep.

Lucifer.exe has stopped responding.

Honestly, give this old man a few moments to take in the shock and let things settle.

Then he’s going to threaten Solomon because who else would have turned you into a fucking sheep?

A tiny voice sounded from the sheep. It sounded like you, only smaller.

“It was my fault. I think. Solomon didn’t even touch my potion ingredients.”

Well, that doesn’t change anything. Solomon had best change you back or else.

And those words shot pure ice through your veins. You knew when your Lucifer got pissed off, his threats were not to be taken lightly.

For the time being, however, you had to live as a sheep.

Lucifer didn’t hesitate to just carry you everywhere. What if you got lost? Or Beel tried to eat you? Or Belphie thought you were a pillow? Or Mammon tried to sell you?

There were too many variables and this old demon just wanted some peace of mind.

So you went literally everywhere with him. You two still talked as normal. You even slept in his room still. 

You promised yourself to help him relax once you were human again. You knew your situation caused a lot of unneeded stress on the poor man.

It took three whole days before Solomon was able to change you back.

But when you were human again you didn’t expect Lucifer to hug you so tightly or give you such a firm kiss. He had missed his human being, well, a human far more than he cared to admit.

But you better make good on helping him relax. I think there’s some grey in his hair now.

Mammon:

Haha, good joke, Solomon! Now, where was his human? Really, where were they hiding?

He was so sure it was a prank and you were taking pictures from the bushes or something.

When you voice sounded from the small sheep Mammon nearly fainted.

What the fuck did Solomon do to his human?! The Great Mammon’s human was a sheep!

You explained your situation and Mammon only grew more jittery.

He was grinding his teeth. He didn’t hesitate, though, to snatch you away from Solomon and hold you like you were the most sacred thing in the whole of Devildom.

“Ya better turn them back! I can make money at the casinos so name the price!”

Oh he was serious. Mammon was willing to pay good Grimm just to turn you back.

And Solomon, after cruel teasing with pricing your return to human at over a million Grimm, said he would do it for free. After all, there was no telling if this would wear off or if it needed to be reversed.

So he would do it. It was a good chance to study your potion recipe and figure out how you fucked up.

Mammon, like his older brother, took you literally everywhere with him. But by everywhere I do mean everywhere. Lucifer at least had the decency to leave you out when he went to the bathroom. Mammon did not.

He was also making sure to keep you away from Asmo, who had fallen for your pink and fluffy form on sight. 

Mammon talked to you like you were still human. He treated like his human.

But he also acted like you would break at any second. He had never been so careful in his life.

He honestly cried on the third day, worried you might be stuck as a sheep. He didn’t know what to do.

Of course, you were turned back by that evening. Solomon had dropped by to check in and the potion naturally wore off.

Mammon hugged you so tight you felt like you were being suffocated.

But he was back to normal the second Solomon joked that he wanted to get paid for his efforts.

Levi:

Once Solomon was able to get into his bedroom, Levi just about fainted at the sight of you.

He wasn’t even skeptical about this.

It was just like the anime “Help I’ve Accidentally Been Turned Into a Sheep and Now I’m Stuck!”. Literally, just like the anime! 

You needn’t worry about anyone trying anything with you while Solomon worked to turn you back, it wasn’t like you would be leaving Levi’s room very much.

You were in his lap almost 24/7 save for when you needed food or to go to the bathroom. Or he needed to do the same. 

His room was a fortress so you were pretty much safe. 

You couldn’t remember the last time you got to spend quite that much time with your otaku. He could be difficult at times, especially when he was playing a game.

You actually relished the time spent as a sheep because of it.

Levi was not-so-secretly getting more and more anxious though. 

He saw the anime! He made you watch it with him in one sitting, too! What if this turned out just like the anime and you never turned back into a human?

The main character in the anime was a sheep for an entire YEAR!

If he had a soul it would have left his body at the very thought.

By the end of the third day you could tell he was totally falling apart.

His partner was a sheep. Probably forever.

With a poof of pink smoke you were human again.

And Levi unconscious because, for some reason, you turned human and had no clothes on.

You just put on some of his clothes for the time being and called Solomon.

You caught a glimpse in the mirror as you were on the phone and told him to keep working on that reversal potion.

You still had sheep fluff for hair, horns, and sheep ears...

Satan:

If looks could kill then Solomon would have been dead where he stood.

The sin of wrath was so pissed off that there was an evil, menacing aura radiating from him.

And it was directed solely at Solomon.

“I don’t even want you working on a way to turn them back. You might be a great sorcerer but I’m going to do this myself.”

He snatched you away and slammed the door in the sorcerer’s face.

No one tried to bother him as he stormed back to his room. 

“I promise I’m going to turn you back, MC.”

He poured over his books and had you give him the potion you had been making. You had to tell every single detail you could remember of what happened leading up to your transformation.

But he didn’t only focus on turning you back.

He couldn’t neglect you being in the room with him. You still brought out the calm within him and made him feel at ease.

When you insisted he take breaks, he would make some tea and give you a straw so you didn’t get tea in your wool.

Like he usually did, he read to you when you wanted to go to sleep. It was even more relaxing holding a warm ball of fluff.

But he barely slept.

He had to figure out a way to turn his favorite person back to normal.

You were still you, no doubt about that, but he missed you being a person. Someone he could kiss and hold hands with. Someone he didn’t have to worry about accidentally crushing or losing because you were so small.

He finally figured it out. He studied your potion recipe for hours on end until he figured out what went wrong. You had been given a recipe that had been “mislabeled”.

Knowing that made it a cinch to turn you back within the hour.

Now to murder the dodgy sorcerer who gave you the recipe for class to begin with.

Asmo:

“Whaaaaaat? MC? A sheep? Oh, darling, you are so cute! And so soft!!”

He canonically loves cute things (did you read the Devilgram story about him taking care of bunnies?) so he was having the time of his life.

And then it hit him as soon as Solomon laughed.

He couldn’t go out on dates with you. He couldn’t kiss you. Or see your stunning face. Your voice wasn’t the same. 

Solomon promised to do what he could to fix this, but it could take a few days.

Did he spend the next hour crying and hugging your fluffy body? Yes, yes he did.

You got him calmed down, reassuring him that it was temporary and there were some perks. He would totally get lots of attention on Devilgram if he posted your pictures! You were pink, his favorite color! You had lots of soft wool he could brush and he could paint your tiny sheep hooves!

That perked him right up.

He spent the next several hours styling your wool, somehow managing to put braids in it. He gave you cute decorative pieces to wear in your wool, painted your hooves to match his nails, and even gave you a little bowtie!

And boy did his Devilgram blow up with attention at the sight of your pictures.

You even inspired his newest clothing designs! Clothing for pets! Devildom didn’t have a cute variety of pet clothes, and while you weren’t a pet, you were very inspiring to look at.

Even pets deserved to look beautiful!

You were so soft to snuggle with but nighttime really made him miss you. Even in an innocent way, he missed skin-to-skin cuddling. It was always so reassuring.

But he didn’t have that.

He managed to get through the days that went by before Solomon finally turned you back.

And he was beginning to wonder if Solomon had drawn out your time as a sheep on purpose.

That didn’t matter, though. Not when he had to take you out on a date!

Beel:

Solomon was holding something soft and fluffy. Was it food? Cotton candy? It looked really sweet and tasty.

“Beel, no, it’s me!”

“MC...?”

He wasn’t happy once the situation was explained. But he didn’t show it. To be fair, he wasn’t the most outwardly expressive of his emotions unless it was necessary.

With Solomon’s promise to return you to normal, he just carried you back to the kitchen with him.

But he wasn’t hungry anymore. Not when his dear human was in a new and unusual form.

It caused him to go into a bit of a crisis, though.

What did sheep eat? What could YOU eat? You were a human in a sheep’s body after all. Did you have to eat what sheep ate or could you still eat your favorite things?

He sat there, staring at the cupboards and fridge, with the most worried look on his face.

To be fair, you weren’t sure either.

And you two stayed liked that until Satan said you could still eat whatever you liked, though it would be best to avoid meat unless it was basically shredded. 

Then came Beel’s next huge crisis: he was terrified of crushing you!

You were so tiny and delicate now, even more fragile than when you were a human.

It took a little convincing but Beel took to carrying you literally everywhere you wanted to go. He loved how soft you were.

Though you didn’t like how often he drooled on you because your fluff looked too tasty. You promised to get him cotton candy once you were a human again, which kind of helped the situation.

Beel even made sure to make everything you ate easy on you! He didn’t want anything to be hurtful to your little sheep body or hard for you to eat!

He didn’t hesitate to help you drink the reversal potion once Solomon got it made, holding his breath until he saw you in your proper state again.

He could breathe easy again. 

Belphie:

What was Solomon carrying? A new pillow or something?

It looked so soft and like it would be a perfect napping pillow.

He wasn’t even listening to anything Solomon had to say, the explanation going in one ear and out the other.

He was focused on going inside to use the new pillow.

Until he heard you talking to him after Solomon had given up on explaining anything.

Now he was mildly concerned. You weren’t you anymore. You were a sheep. He actually listened as you told him your story, unlike with Solomon, and he merely shrugged.

“Well, what can you do? You’ll be normal again eventually.”

You knew your grumpy demon, though. He was worried about you. But Belphie was never good at showing his worry for others unless it was drastic.

True to form, he passed out once he laid down again. You were held against him as if you might disappear while he slept.

It was all the more proof he was worried about your situation.

He still slept most of the time, he was like a cat in that he slept for hours without moving. You had to wiggle free to do anything. No one wanted to wake up to a sheep smelling like piss and you didn’t want a bath.

Belphie whined that taking care of you as a sheep was too much work, but the moment anyone tried to take you from him he immediately got defensive. He even threatened to break Mammon’s hands.

The only one he trusted with you was Beel.

Always sleeping holding your little sheep self did make him realize he wanted a stuffed animal version of you just like that.

It was so nice to snuggle with.

But he missed the normal you. He wanted to have you to lay on or go “star” gazing with. He wanted to do things with you again that weren’t quite possible with you as a sheep.

So he may have gone to find Solomon and threaten him if he didn’t turn you back quicker.

It was all for naught, as he came home to find you curled up in his bed in your human form once again.

He’d wake you up later. For now, he wanted to take another nap with you.

[jasper-pagan-witch]

Jigglypuff Associations & Correspondences

For my beloved mutual @crazycatsiren because Jigglypuff is her favorite!

ASSOCIATIONS

Balloons [origin: design]

Chang’e (Chinese deity) [Moon Rabbit]

Cream puffs [origin: design]

Green (Magic the Gathering color) [rabbit]

Meadows [habitat]

Moon (planet) [evolution, origin: design, Wigglytuff]

Moon deities/figures/heroes [personal UPG]

Moon Rabbit (Chinese/Japanese/Korean/Vietnamese figure) [origin: design]

Music-related deities/figures/heroes [personal UPG]

Ostara (deity) [rabbit]

Plains [habitat]

Plush toys [origin: design]

Powder puffs [origin: design]

Rabbits [origin: design, Moon Rabbit]

Rubber balls [origin: design]

CORRESPONDENCES

Anger [anime appearances]

Competition [Abilities]

Emotion [Abilities]

Fertility [rabbit]

Infatuation [Abilities]

Love [Abilities]

Music [PokeDex entry]

Passion

Protection [Abilities]

Sleep [PokeDex entry]

Relaxation [PokeDex entry]

FAIRY-TYPE POKEMON

Candles: gold, light pink, pink, white

Colors: gold, pink, white

Crystals: clear quartz, rose quartz, pink, white

Herbs/plants: all (especially flowers)

Images: Fairy Pokemon, friends, loved ones, moon

Planets: Moon, Venus

Correspondences: beauty, family, fantasy, friendship, glamour, grace, passion, self-love, whimsy, wishes, youth

Magic types: air, bath, beauty, bonding, cottage, friendship, glamour, happiness, light, luck, kitchen (especially baking), mirror, self-love, time, wishes

Offerings/tools: accessories/clothing, arts & crafts supplies, baked goods, bath bombs, beads, beauty products, bows/ribbons, candy, cotton balls, Epsom salt, floral print, floral/fruit teas, flower-scented incense/oils, fruit, glitter, glitter jars, gold jewelry, Himalayan pink salt, honey, lace, lotions, molasses, nail polish, pearls, perfumes, soft things, sugar, sweets

NORMAL-TYPE POKEMON

Candles: brown, white, warm-scented

Colors: brown, white

Crystals: rocks/stones, brown, white

Herbs/plants: N/A

Images: family, friends, Normal Pokemon

Planets: N/A

Correspondences: comfort, content, family, friends, hearth, home, memories, nostalgia, peace, protection (especially of family/home)

Magic types: air, calming, chaos, cleansing, comforting, cottage, earth, family-related, fate, fire, friendship, kitchen, light, luck, memory, order, protection, space, time, warding, water

Offerings/tools: baby powder, besoms/brooms, blankets/pillows, bread, candy/cookies & their boxes/tins, cleaning supplies/tools, cooked meals, cooking/kitchen supplies/tools, home-related tools, knick-knacks, letters/postcards from loved ones, potatoes, quinoa, rice, toys, tissues/tissue paper, warm-scented incense, wool

SOURCES

FAIRY/NORMAL-TYPE POKEMON IN WITCHCRAFT

“Corresponding Pokemon Types to Internal Forces” by a private blog on Tumblr: https://jasper-grimoire.tumblr.com/post/666310061191282688/corresponding-pokemon-types-to-internal-forces

“Pokemon Types and Elemental Correspondences” by stormwaterwitch on Tumblr: https://jasper-grimoire.tumblr.com/post/666310046640209920/pokemon-types-and-elemental-corrospondences

“Pokemon Offerings and Working With Them Masterpost” by themanicnamion Tumblr: https://jasper-grimoire.tumblr.com/post/666310029653262336/pokemon-offerings-and-working-with-them-masterpost

“Planets & Pokemon Types” by dumbbunnnyy on Tumblr: https://jasper-grimoire.tumblr.com/post/666309721053167616/planets-pokemon-types

“Pokemon Elements and Candles” by pokewitchcraft on Tumblr: https://jasper-grimoire.tumblr.com/post/666309666985443328/pokemon-elements-and-candles

“Witchy Items and Pokemon Associations” by lorelai-darkmoon on Tumblr: https://jasper-grimoire.tumblr.com/post/666255996752150528/witchy-items-and-pok%C3%A9mon-associations

JIGGLYPUFF

“Jigglypuff” on Bulbapedia: https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Jigglypuff_%28Pok%C3%A9mon%29

“Jifflypuff” on Pokemon Database: https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/jigglypuff

“Jigglypuff” on Serebii: https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-swsh/jigglypuff/

“Jigglypuff The Balloon Pokemon” on The World of Pokemon [fanwork/non-canon]: https://www.theworldofpokemon.com/entryPages/entryPage_39.html

“Research Notes - Igglybuff” on The World of Pokemon [fanwork/non-canon]: https://www.theworldofpokemon.com/researchPages/174_research.html

MUSIC

“Music Correspondences” by lunar-witches on Tumblr: https://jasper-grimoire.tumblr.com/post/666254871969890304/music-correspondences

RABBITS

“Fertility Correspondences” by healing-sun-witch on Tumblr: https://jasper-grimoire.tumblr.com/post/667500285781000192/fertility-correspondences

“Kyne, Goddess of the Storm” by bloodstone--circle on Tumblr: https://the-college-of-whispers.tumblr.com/post/662853685650554880/kyne-goddess-of

“Moon rabbit” on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_rabbit

“MTG Color Pie & Witchcraft 5/5” by highpriestness on Tumblr: https://jasper-grimoire.tumblr.com/post/666255424650182656/mtg-color-pie-witchcraft-55

“Ostara” by The Witchipedian on Witchipedia: https://witchipedia.com/deity/ostara-2/

[dodo-begone]

The Kidnapping...

(Aka in a nutshell the Yandere boys kidnap reader)

They adored you. They befriended you. They payed attention to you. All for one very important reason. They loved you. And they were quite sure you felt the same for each of them. However. There was no good way of keeping the thing they loved safe and hidden from everyone else. Something so good could be snatched away right from their finger tips. They couldn’t let that happen. Not to you. So they created a plan. A plan to keep you safe. More precisely, a plan to kidnap you.

After sometime they realized their feelings for you. The four sat down to talk about their feelings for you. Tommy confessed first, stating that he should have the reader for himself, followed by Tubbo barking back that reader and him were closer then Tommy and reader ever were. Ranboo jumped into the fight  stating that Tommy was just being a selfish child and that Tubbo was just as immature as him. Purpled knew this was a battle he had to fight in too. “I should have (y/n) for myself! They actually notice me and make me feel seen!” Purpled said. “Your just desperate for attention from someone Purpled! You’re always just giving them crap to make reader like you!” Tommy shouted at Purpled. Before they knew it the argument turned violent with Purpled trying to stab the shit out of Tommy. Just as Purpled backed Tommy into a corner ready to plunge his dagger into Tommy’s throat, Ranboo yelled “Wait! W-What if we s-shared them?” Purpled turned his head to Ranboo so fast it could give him a whiplash. Everyone in the room went silent at his comment. “That could work.” Tubbo agreed. “Fine I guess I can work with this.” Tommy grumbled. Purpled gave a silent nod signifying he agreed. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief after Purpled put his dagger into his hoodie pocket.

They finally all agreed to share you. It was better this way. This way no ones feelings were trampled on and together they’d have a better chance of keeping you safe. The next day they confessed their (platonic) love for reader. They wanted to keep you for themselves forever safe forever! After all you guys are such good friends. They could make sure you’re taken care of. You’ll have everything you could ever want. Just please stay with them. If you say yes? Great! You get to move into your new forever home with them. They’ll cut you off from the rest of the server. If anyone asks about you or tries to search the forever home? They’ll get a nice wack to the head from Purpled and wake up outside their base or home unaware of what just happened or how they ended back up here. If you want to leave, they’ll guilt trip you into staying with them. This is your home now. And they’re your best friends! Don’t you love them? Why would you ever want to leave? “Are you tired of me (y/n)? Is that what it is?” Tommy said. “Please don’t leave me alone (y/n)! You don’t hate me do you? Oh thank goodness your willing to listen, come over here and we can have a nice cuddle session! No need to focus on the outside world!” Tubbo said. “What if I forget you (y/n)? I could never forgive myself if I did (y/n). Do you want that?” Ranboo said. “You could get hurt if you leave here! Please just stay by my side and I’ll keep you safe (y/n). I won’t let a single person lay a finger on my best friend.” Purpled said. Eventually after cuddles, gifts, and kind words from the strange teenage boys. Your content (or you think your content) with living here. You’re stuck either way.

If you say no? Fine. They’ll do things the hard way. Over the next few days you’ll start to notice foot steps behind you, more random noises in your house then usual, and wherever you go somewhere you feel rather unsafe. Eventually you reach your breaking point when you come home one night to find your house’s door wide open and your kitchen window smashed. You take off in a random direction with tears streaming down your face. As your running into the distance you bump into someone. In the dark you can’t quite see who it is but whoever it was offered to take you back to their base to calm you down. As you reach their home you start to see the lights of the forever home in the distance. Entering the forever home, you finally realize who your savior is. Not only did you have one savior, you had two. Ranboo and Purpled. You didn’t care it was them in the moment. You felt to scared to be in your home alone in the moment. “Oh you poor thing! You’re shaking! Here have some tea to warm up.” Tubbo said as he handed you a cup of tea while you sat in their living room shaking like a leaf. After drinking away the entire cup of tea you started to feel tired. You didn’t feel calm or scared. You felt numb, like the world was slipping out of your grasp. The last thing you remembered before you blacked out was being picked up by Tommy and being placed somewhere warm.

You’re their beloved best friend. They could never let you go. Even if you try to escape or scream how much you hate them. That won’t change anything. They just think your tired and cranky. So they’ll take you to bed for naps and cuddles instead. But honestly living with them isn’t so bad. Besides any teenage boy habits and random little things they might do that seem a little strange. They don’t try to hurt or punish you. They’re usually just overly sweet and soft towards you. When ever the boys talk to anyone in the outside world they’re usually more loud and obnoxious towards everyone. But to you, they’re as soft as cotton candy. Days could be spent with doing small to large tasks with them in the home. Or just enjoying movies together that turn into late night cuddles. Cuddle piles are the best! They don’t exactly know how to cook, but they’ll often try to cook meals for you which turn out rather interesting. Their favorite part about the process is when you compliment their food. Any compliment you give the four boys will send them over the moon. Often times they’ll try to 1-up each other all the time to see who can get the reader’s appraise over the others. It’s really cute what they’re willing to do for you.

After some time with the yan boys, you’ll start to love their company just as much they love yours. Days where they’re busy become incredibly lonely and dull in the home. So because of this reader would make small gifts for the boys while they were out. Like little flower crowns out of the flowers they brought home for you yesterday. Or writing little letters telling them how much they mean to you. Or just trying to make them some food for when they come home to you. Just little things to make them happy. When they find these things, they’re more then happy. They’re overjoyed! The fact you’d do this for them proves you think about them even when they’re not there! They couldn’t be happier! They’d wear or use anything you give them with pride. One day Purpled decided to wear a flower crown the reader made. Turns out the same day he was going to train with Punz. “So Purpled, what’s up with the flower crown? It’s not usually your sty-“ “Shh! More training less talking!” Purpled would say while dragging a confused Punz by his hood.

Although things weren’t all calm. People already suspected the boys kidnapping reader beforehand due to how they had already made such attempts in the past. We already knew that if someone made an attempt to search the home they’d be put to a stop by one of the boys. But what if none of the boys were home? Uh oh. Say if one of the caretakers of the smp(Puffy, Philza, or Sam) came to the home in another search of reader. And found them inside the house. We’d be in trouble. All I can imagine is the reader kicking or screaming to be released back home. And the the caretaker would just be like: “but we are going home? What’s the problem?” I can just see the reader being sad cause they miss the boys and know the boys miss them.

As soon as the yan boys find their bestie has been taken away. Panic. It’s panic mode baby. The four gear up in full netherite and grab any weapons necessary. Along with an extra set of netherite for reader. Tommy and Purpled scout outside. While Tubbo and Ranboo stay at the forever home just in case you come home. At a certain point while Tommy and Purpled were searching, they heard from Niki that she’d seen reader with Puffy. Tommy and Purpled were overjoyed and quickly ran back to the forever home to alert Tubbo and Ranboo of their discovery. They decided on ambush. They went to Puffy’s base ready to ambush but were completely unaware that Sam and Phil were currently taking care of reader with Puffy. So this ‘ambush’ went less then pleasant. The four went into the water stream that went down into Puffy’s underground base. Phil was about to go upstream to grab some more medicine from his base only to be greeted with four angry teens ready to tear the place down just to find reader. Phil knew exactly why they were there based on how reader had been ranting on and on about how they were going to come and save them or something. Tommy and Tubbo tried to hold off Phil as Purpled and Ranboo searched for reader. It wasn’t hard to find reader at all. Sam and Puffy were just keeping reader restrained in a small makeshift room in the west wing. Purpled and Ranboo saw Puffy and Sam by reader’s side trying to convince them they were safe and the boys wouldn’t find them here only for them to quickly stand up pulling out weapons ready to defend reader. Purpled being more experienced in combat than Ranboo instructed he help reader while he took on Puffy and Sam. 2 against one wasn’t easy due to the fact that Puffy and Sam were strong fighters too. However Ranboo was quick to follow orders. Ranboo in a hurry took off reader’s restraints and handed them a full set of netherite armor. Both hurried to assist the now cornered Purpled. Reader took a running start launching themselves onto Puffy. Due to the unexpected weight, Puffy went tumbling down knocking Sam down with her in the process. With reader now saved, the three ran out into main area of the under ground base to find Tommy and Tubbo still battling with the Angel of Death. Tommy and Tubbo noticed Reader and they all headed for the water stream up. Finally after a long day of fighting and searching for reader they had them home safe again. The long day had the five tired. They all laid down near the fireplace for some late night cuddles.

Yay! Good list/story? I don’t know. This kinda turned into a strange story at the end lol. I hope you liked this either way. This was just something I made while being sick. So your welcome I guess Dodo :D Apparently I wasn’t done with kidnapping head cannons after that one alien-purpled thing. Either way. Good day. -Toma can anon 🥫

————————————

First off, Toma I’m so sorry that I took ages to answer this. Second off- FUCKING POP OFF MAN THIS WAS SO FUCKING GOOD HOLY SHIT. I McLove it.

Okay so I won’t be writing too much of a commentary on this- I want ppl to enjoy this masterpiece in their own plus anxiety but let’s not talk about that. Anyways beyond the cut is my commentary- so tw for jokes and all of the stuff from above.

KSJDJDJD PURPLED PULLED THE QUIET KID MOVE- lmao Purpled the Quiet Kid tm. It just reminds me of that one fucking meme: “I wanna kill you and destroy you. I want you died. #scene #anger #fuck #die #hatred”.

Can we just mention that the bonking ppl on the head and them appearing at their homes confused and shit is literally just the despawn system in mc. Like right on par- that’s the literal version of it and that’s how I’m seeing it and I’m fucking cackling at the idea of it-

OKAY LEMMIE GET ANGSTY!!! WHAT IF- What if, when the boys start getting so busy that you practically don’t see them anymore. Eventually you leave to either find them or just leave the house (for company or freedom). You feel that they don’t like you anymore. That you were just a bother. No wonder they haven’t come back. The withering alium flower crown in your hands was a somber reminder of the better times that weren’t so long ago.

[azul-marie]

Amm .. I'm a bit ashamed to ask for this but without fear of success: v9 could you make headcanons for cozmez and then for bae, I don't know if I can order it like that or should I do it separately? Well my request is about how her relationship would be with a fem reader who is like a disney princess X'D, you know, a beautiful voice that attracts animals, fanciful, friendly, etc. I know it sounds childish but I've wanted to ask for this idea for a long time haha

hello! thanks for requesting! this was so much fun to write — can you spot how many disney references i put in? unfortunately, i wasn’t able to include bae since it went over the character limit, but i’m happy to write this scenario for them once my asks are open! i’ll come back to this post later, or you can resubmit it if you’ll like. take care! 💗

note: fem. reader

genre: romance/fluff.

characters: kanata, nayuta yatonokami.

kanata:

he has never met a girl like you. you are soft and pretty like cotton candy clouds, gentle and as sweet a sight. all you do is done elegantly, whether it’s slipping into a summery date dress or yawning sleepily before bed. you move about like a rose in bloom, lovely at every angle you bend. still, it is no match for the delicate warmth you bare, kindly and open for everyone to receive. it is almost princess-like, this overarching beauty of yours, pure-heartedness kanata’s only read in books. a part of him is convinced you are a princess from another life; if santa is real, wouldn’t it make sense for this to be true, also?

animals are drawn to you nearly as strongly as he is. he doesn’t mind if he can sneak in a pet or a scratch, but kanata can only bear to share for so long. he’ll glare at tweety birds pressing kisses to your lips, fluffy cats who weave themselves into your arms, any other creature who magically appears the second you sing into the air — but to you, nothing’s cuter than a grumpy kanata surrounded by your faunal friends.

he does not have much, but you never make it seem so. you delight in mismatched cutlery, broken teacups, vessels used during times spent with him. you bring out the littlest joys in his life, the kinds he’s never thought that way of before. the creaky wooden floors become a ballroom, the cold streets of the neighborhood an adventure. kanata finds your optimism fitting, a sweet sparkle he’s sworn to protect; a knight everseeing his beloved princess.

nayuta:

the way you move is reminiscent of hand draw animations, buoyant and smooth. the dresses you wear flow across the air like flower petals dancing in the wind, lifted by puffs of fairy dust. your laughter is sugar and spice, warming him from the inside out. nayuta has never met a girl like you, not even in daydreams. he can’t see you as being anything else but a princess come alive from storybook pages, all beauty and daint.

your voice is a melody in itself, whether speaking or singing aloud. even wild giggles become music to those who listen closely enough, to him who drops everything just to stay silent, take it in. nayuta prides himself in his own voice, his words and rhythms, but you are on a different level entirely. so casually you burst into songs qualifying for concert scores, warmups or warm teas never needing to ready your vocals. impromptu duets between you two happen at a moment’s notice and always end in smiling kisses shared.

you find beauty in everything. you show him a whole new world each time you pluck a blooming flower in spring, reach out to butterflies and ladybugs and fireflies in summer, stomp on crinkly rainbows of leaves in autumn, decorate his lashes with snowflakes in winter. for nayuta who’s disheartened by this wicked world, punishing and cold, you are a north star of nights and mornings. indeed you find beauty everywhere, but nayuta finds all beauty in you.

[vannahfanfics]

Heavenly Bodies

Category: Romantic Fluff

Fandom: My Hero Academia

Characters: Mina Ashido, Eijirou Kirishima

Additional Tags: Quirkless AU

Howdy, everyone! Today I have my story for the @ashidobigbang! I had the privilege of working with the wonderful @mallowfac​, so be sure to go give her beautiful art some love!

The picturesque campus of U.A. High School was always abuzz with activity, even after the final bells rang to mark the end of the school day. As expected of the number-one high school in the district, the institution hosted a vast number of after-school sports and clubs, so much that it was almost unheard of for a student to be uninvolved in anything. Thus, even as the sun had sunk low across the sky, the halls were still packed with many students fervently discussing events and fundraising and planning, walking to and from their classrooms. 

The exterior of the school was no exception; one would be hard pressed to find an empty sidewalk or field—except for today, when the American football team would be taking on the baseball team in an impromptu flag football game to determine once and for all the title of best sport. The halls and sidewalks and fields were abandoned, for the entire student body had crammed themselves within the confines of the spacious practice field nestled in the back corner of the campus. The baseball team had asserted that football was so easy that even they could do it, and the school had become divided on whether or not that was true. 

“Kick their asses, Eijirou!” a particularly loud fan crowed from the top of the bleachers. He was standing tall, hands cupped around his mouth and stamping his feet as he cheered for the school’s idol and star quarterback. The bleachers sang with chants and stomps, trying desperately to smother the boos drifting from the opposite end of the field, where the baseball team’s supporters sat. Eijirou Kirishima, his grin blinding and his red hair gleaming in the spring sun, laughed nervously as praise was rained down upon him. 

As Mina zeroed in on him in the lens of her binoculars, she knew she’d found her latest victim— er, recruit. 

Mina Ashido was the president—and only member—of U.A.’s astronomy club. Well, it wasn’t technically a club yet since they needed two members for the administration to approve the application. An avid admirer of all things cosmological and an aspiring astronomer, Mina refused to allow her pride and joy to collapse before it had even begun. Thus, for the last few months, she’d been concocting hare-brained scheme after hare-brained scheme to recruit at least one more member and officially christen the U.A. Guild of Astronomers and Astrophysicists. All of her efforts, unfortunately, had crashed and burned brighter than a supernova. 

At first, she’d just camped out in the hallways and leisure areas pitching her case and attempting to garner interest in the subject, but she’d been met with polite refusals or awkward avoidance. With so many extracurriculars available, sometimes drastic measures had to be taken to garner interest in a club— the Shakespearean drama club, for example, had performed Macbeth completely backwards in the courtyard, and their numbers had swelled immediately. Mina had cooked up a dramatic scheme of her own, which involved her running around the school screaming about a falling star and the end times. After inciting a mass school panic that led to a lockdown and police involvement, all Mina had managed to acquire was a fierce scolding, detention, and the label as a kook—not even one person expressed interest in joining her club even for the shits and giggles! No, it was clear that the inner workings of her mind were too sophisticated for humble high school students and staff, so she would have to try a more nuanced approach—manipulating the most vital high school variable: popularity. 

Her first target had been gorgeous cheerleader and school sweetheart, Momo Yaoyorozu. Despite the stereotype that popular girls were great big bitches, Momo had been nothing but polite when refusing Mina, since her rigorous practice schedule would unfortunately not allow her to devote the time to the club it deserved (but they did regularly meet up for Sunday tea now!). The next one to fall into her crosshairs was the school heartthrob Shoto Todoroki. He’d entertained her for an afternoon, but he destroyed one of her very expensive telescopes while attempting a night viewing and she’d politely informed him that perhaps he wasn’t cut out for it. He didn’t seem too sad about it, though he did occasionally ask her how the recruiting was going when they met in the halls. Very sweet guy, but bless him, he was an airhead. 

Thus, Mina had moved on to her next opportunity—the pride and joy of U.A.’s sports program, star American football player Eijirou Kirishima. Incredibly handsome, charismatic, and kind-hearted, Eijirou was beloved by everyone at U.A. If Mina managed to recruit him to her humble club, half the student body would be clamoring to join before it was printed in the school news the next day. 

She snickered to herself as she watched him through her binoculars, hiding in the thick, leafy bushes lining the backside of the sports complex. Her cotton candy-colored hair blended well with the hydrangeas blooming amidst the emerald leaves, camouflaging her as she conducted her vital research. The redhead strode across the field with confidence, yet his sunny smile made him seem anything but arrogant. Though she couldn’t hear him, she could see his lips moving as he relayed orders to his team while they set up the play. The players seamlessly fell into an offensive stance, a testament to the faith they held in their captain—and how seriously he took their practice and performance. 

A deep and bassy “huuuuup!” resounded through the field, and then the player hiked the ball. With a speed much at odds with his muscular frame, Eijirou took off down the field. Mina admittedly salivated a little as she watched his muscles ripple, his gray muscle tank displaying his biceps and triceps in mouthwatering detail. She could see the sweat shining on his skin and flicking from his hair as he whipped his head around to eye the ball that was sailing through the air toward him. The baseball team’s defense could only watch in awe as Eijirou leaped into the air over the endzone. The ball landed in his arms like it belonged there, his grip smug and sure as he landed in the touchdown zone. The supporting crowd erupted into deafening cheers, while Eijirou just smiled bashfully and gave a little wave. 

Mina lowered her binoculars to compose herself, a blush dusting her cheeks. So effortless… And the crowd loves it! she thought in awe. No matter what, I have to get him to join the Astronomy Club! She snapped the binoculars back to her eyes, watching intensely. She really didn’t need to watch the entire game, but… damn, that was a mouthwatering piece of man. She had to find some way to entertain herself while she waited for the game to end and her chance to corner him to finally present itself. 

Needless to say, the football team absolutely demolished the baseball team. The rival players marched back to their diamond in defeat along with their gaggle of supporters, while the crowd flooded the practice field to heft a very bemused but giddy Eijirou on their shoulders with chants of his name. They dunked the container of water over his head as soon as his feet touched the grass again, making him laugh jovially. Mina’s heart fluttered at the sound; his laugh was as sunny as the rest of him, so bright she almost felt the need to close her eyes. He was just blinding, like the most intense star. 

And just like with a star, Mina gravitated toward him. 

Eventually, the raucous crowd dispersed and the football team started heading to the locker rooms to change out of their sweaty gym gear. They came tromping onto the sidewalk, with Eijirou trailing in the rear dripping wet and trying to wring water out of his tank. Mina almost forgot to spring out of the bushes, too occupied with the planes of his abs being revealed each time he wrung the fabric. She remembered her mission just as he passed the hydrangea bush, and leaped out in front of him with a delighted trill. 

“That was a wonderful game, Eijirou!” she squealed, throwing her arms up and hiking up one leg behind her in a cute little flourish. The redhead jumped back with a small gasp, startled by her sudden appearance and the leaves and hydrangea petals clinging to her clothes and the soft fibers of her pink hair. Once he recovered, however, he gave her a charming smile that nearly had her melting into a pile of space slush. 

“Oh! Thanks. Hey, you’re, uh—” he snapped his fingers quickly as he struggled to recall her, then pointed his fingers at her in a gun-like shape once it clicked, “Mina Ashido! You have homeroom with Tsuyu from the Amphibian Care club. She talks about you when she helps run the concession stand sometimes!” 

“That’s right! The one and only!” she chirped, trying to suppress the surge of anger at the fact that Tsuyu could recruit for her club about pet frogs and turtles but Mina couldn’t get one single underling. Not to worry; that will all change soon! 

“This might be an odd question, but, uh… is there a reason you were hiding in the bushes?” he laughed awkwardly. Mina blushed when he leaned forward to gently brush the leaves and petals from her shoulders and hair, which made her short-circuit for a second. It was only when he looked at her inquisitively that her brain jump-started again. 

“O-oh! I thought it would be fun to surprise you! Yanno, like in the movies where someone jumps out of a big ol’ birthday cake!” It was a bold-faced lie, but it wasn’t like she could tell him she was spying on him through binoculars while she schemed to reel him into her club. Trying to keep him from thinking too hard about it, she placed her hands on her hips and straightened up. “I watched your practice match with the baseball team and have decided that you’ll be a perfect fit for the Astronomy Club! So please join. <3” 

Eijirou blinked owlishly at her, his bright red eyes swimming with confusion. He smiled bashfully, clearly trying not to let his utter perplexity show on his face. He rubbed the back of his neck with a nervous chuckle. 

“Well, um, I’m really not sure how you made that connection watching me play…” 

“The inner workings of a woman’s mind are quite an enigma~” she hummed with a waggle of her finger. Eijirou only scrunched his eyebrows in confusion and jumped when she slapped her hand down on his shoulder. “Seriously! You seem like a great fit! Please consider at least trying it out for a little while?” She batted her eyelashes demurely; if nothing else, her womanly charms could entice the burly football player to at least humor her for a while. 

Sure enough, a pink blush dusted across his cheeks and a bashful smile curled onto his lips. 

“Well, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt checking it out… Stars are cool…” 

“Fabulous!” she squealed, making Eijirou flinch again as she clapped her hands together and jumped up and down in elation. Even if Eijirou didn’t join permanently, just the rumor of his interest in her humble little club was liable to attract attention. “I know that you’re busy with football practice, so we’ll schedule club meetings on Friday afternoons when you don’t have them, okay?” 

“Oh, that’s not necessary. I don’t want to inconvenience any—” 

“Great! So it’s settled then! I’ll see you on Friday afternoon in Room 310!” With that, she jumped back into her bush, leaving Eijirou staring at the quivering leaves in confusion. Through the gaps in the branches, she saw him open and close his mouth like he wanted to say something, look around and then up at the sky with a pensive look, and then smile with a shrug of his shoulders. Mina clutched her binoculars to her chest as a smile bloomed on her own lips, but one of satisfaction. Surely this will work! The Astronomy Club will be booming in no time! She thought with a giddy snicker. 

If nothing else, she could look at Eijirou’s absolutely dreamy body and face for a few club meetings and drive his fangirls nuts. 

At the end of the week, Mina paced impatiently in front of Room 310, chewing her fingernails to nubs as her eyes darted back and forth around the hall. It had only been a few minutes since the final bell had rung and the students had scattered to attend to their Friday afternoon obligations (or lack thereof), but anxiety swirled in Mina’s belly at the complete emptiness of the halls. Has he stood me up? Was I too pushy? Is he secretly a great big jerk who is nice to people’s faces but scathingly berates them behind their back to his football teammates and they all laugh evilly at the unknowing victim’s expense? 

With a dramatic sob, Mina flung herself against the classroom door and hugged it, her fingers just barely curling around the wide frame. Once again, it seemed that her recruitment plan had failed miserably, and she was still the sole member of the Astronomy Club. Was she a doomed stranded astronaut, left to traverse the stars in silence awaiting a bitter end? She sank to her knees, sliding down the door with a long squeeeeeeeeak and crying bitter tears. Stars were hella cool! Why did no one at this stupid high school appreciate them? 

“Mina!” 

Mina’s mood did a complete one-eighty when she heard Eijirou calling her name and his footsteps pounding around the corner. She jumped to her feet, her tears drying up instantly and her pout morphing into a giddy smile. The redhead came trotting up, a thin sheet of sweat on his forehead and an apologetic smile on his face. 

“Sorry!” he panted. “I didn’t get a chance to warn you that my class is all the way on the first floor. I hope you weren’t waiting long!” 

“No, no! I just got here mys— yeowch!” 

She had still been hugging the door, so when she tried to turn to face him, she accidentally pulled it forward and smashed her fingers in the doorjamb. She screamed as her knucklebones crunched and the skin tore; the pain rocketing up her arm sprang tears to her eyes immediately, and she released a petulant whine as she retracted her bruised and bloody fingers from between the wooden door and concrete wall. 

“Oh my gosh, are you okay, Mina?” Eijirou gasped, dropping his school bag and rushing to her side. Mina cradled her throbbing hand to her chest with little sniffles, curling away from the football player when he reached for it. He gave her an encouraging, sweet smile. “I know I look big and tough, but I promise, I can be gentle too. Let me see; you may have broken something.”

Whimpering but enticed by his soothing words and demeanor, Mina obediently allowed him to pull her hand forward to inspect her fingers. They were bruising already, big blotches of purple blooming around the torn and bloody skin. Eijirou leaned over her hand, and goosebumps sprouted on her skin as his warm breath puffed over her electrified skin and aching bones. With featherlight touches, he inspected her knuckles, prodding as gently as he could to feel for any deviations in the bone. 

“I know this may hurt, but can you bend them?” he asked, looking up at her through his red bangs. Mina whimpered again, hesitant to comply for fear of the pain. However, the glitter in his vermilion eyes urged her to comply. She hesitantly bent her fingers, wincing as pain skittered up her nerves— but it didn’t hurt nearly as much as she thought it would. Eijirou smiled satisfactorily. “You crunched ‘em pretty good, but I don’t think anything is broken or fractured,” he said as he straightened up. 

“Thanks… I can’t believe I did that,” she sighed, using her good hand to knock on the side of her head a few times. How embarrassing, injuring herself like that in front of him! “Well, now that all that drama is over, let’s go inside so I can tell you about the club.” 

Eijirou followed her inside. While she rifled through the teacher’s desk for some bandages, he looked around at the desks, which were empty aside from a build-your-own-telescope kit, Mina’s completed telescope, and astronomical charts and textbooks. As Mina wrapped bandages around her fingers, he looked at her with knitted eyebrows. 

“There’s no one else here yet?” 

“There’s no one else to be here,” she replied with a shrug and a wan smile. “I’m the club’s only member.” When Eijirou’s eyebrows shot up to the roots of his hair, she sadly added, “If that information makes you want to leave, go ahead and do so,” she said with a wave at the door. She then looked down at the adhesive wrapped around her knuckles. “You wouldn’t be the first.” 

“No, I don’t want to leave,” Eijirou said quickly. He marched up to the front of the desk, leaning against it. Mina didn’t know what to look at—his flexing muscles or his bright smile. He tilted his head slightly as he smiled charmingly at her, then said, “Tell me about your club, Mina. I want to know everything.” 

Oh God, he’s hot! Mina screamed inside her head, her good hand flying to her rapidly-beating heart. It took everything within her not to absolutely swoon at the complete sweetheart of a man gracing her with his presence this Friday afternoon. Her eyes watered a little in gratitude, or maybe it was the sheer emotion at being witness to such a wonderful human being’s kindness. 

Thus, Mina did as he asked. She first instructed Eijirou how to build the telescope that he would use on nights they did observations; he bungled through it a little, but remained patient and tried his best to follow the instructions. Mina had to giggle at the absolutely triumphant grin that plastered his face when he successfully assembled the telescope; he held it up over his head and pranced around—nearly giving them both a panic attack when he bumped into a desk and nearly dropped the telescope on the ground. Mina didn’t think she could handle a Shoto 2.0. 

After assembling the telescope, she started him off with easy information—constellations. She unrolled her star map which had all the constellations displayed by season, explaining specifically which ones they could see at the moment. Eijirou was very excited to see them in person, so they arranged a meeting for the following week. True to form, he showed up that Friday night with his telescope and all his zeal, his smile brighter than the full moon hanging high in the sky. 

“It’s hard to believe that people stared at the sky thousands of years ago and traced shapes out of ‘em!” he exclaimed as he plonked his telescope down to the ground. “And made up all these stories to go with ‘em. And all the stories and constellations are different based on what civilization was lookin’ at ‘em!” 

“The stars have always been fascinating,” Mina hummed, gently setting up her telescope and adjusting the lens. “Sometimes I like to find my own constellations and make up stories about them.” 

“Really? Tell me one!” 

“Well, my favorite is the Alien Queen!” 

“The Alien Queen?” Eijirou laughed, making Mina flush shyly. “Show me!” Not waiting for an answer, he shouldered in next to her telescope and peered into it. She flushed darker as his sturdy shoulder dug into the meat of her side, warmth blooming across her skin. With slightly trembling hands, she moved the telescope to the right section of the sky. 

“Do you see that big, bright shiny star right there?” she asked, waiting until Eijirou confirmed. “Well, that’s the tip of the back of her head. If you follow them like this—” she gestated in front of the lens, tracing the star pattern— “it looks kinda like the alien from the horror movie!” 

“Leave it to Mina Ashido to find the Xenomorph constellation,” Eijirou snickered, straightening up to smile at her in amusement. “No wonder you’re the club president.” Mina shyly played with the hem of her skirt, unable to control the giddy smile playing over her lips. 

They spent the rest of the early evening finding the constellations and discussing the various mythologies behind each. Eijirou loved the Greek-based patterns and myths the most. Every time they pointed one out, he would flex dramatically and proclaim how much he loved the famous heroes of old—Hercules, Achilles, Odysseus, Perseus. Mina laughed at his sensational flexing and grunting each time, her giggles bouncing around the empty practice field to join the cricket song. 

Monday morning, Mina was surprised to find Eijirou rushing down the hall towards her as she went to enter her classroom. His face was flushed pink and his forehead dotted with sweat, indicating that he’d sprinted all the way to her. He pin-wheeled to a stop, nearly bumping her with his broad chest, and his breath puffed in her hair as he grinned brightly down at her. 

“Mina! Guess what I saw on the news this morning! The Creati comet is gonna be passing by this Wednesday, and it’ll be visible here that night!” 

“Yeah, I know!” Mina cried. She’d been glued to the news program this morning as astrophysicists and space program officials discussed the once-in-a-lifetime event; it was rumored to be an absolute gorgeous comet, with a rare rosy pink-lavender tail due to its high concentrations of lithium and potassium chloride. She then blushed, warmed by the fact that Eijirou had found it so important to inform her that he’d run all the way across campus first thing in the morning. 

“Yeah! We’re gonna watch it together, right?” he asked, clapping his hands on her shoulders. Mina flushed, fidgeting in place and chewing on the inside of her cheek. 

“A-are you sure? I’m sure you’ll be tired after football practice.” 

“Are you kidding? What kind of Astronomy Club member would I be if I didn’t see this comet?” he objected. 

Mina felt her heart thrum at the statement. Does he enjoy being a member that much? She’d only recruited him as a means to an end, but was it really turning out that Eijirou liked being a member of her club? She felt her belly twist with guilt and a cold flush pulse through her body. She curled into herself a little, blood roaring in her ears and nearly drowning out what he said next. 

“I know you’re planning on going to watch it, so let’s see it together, Mina!” 

“Okay,” she found herself saying before she even processed it. The next two days were a similar blur of guilt and anxiety amidst preparations to view the comet Wednesday evening. All traces of excitement she would normally possess was swallowed up by the remorse poisoning her from the hard ball in the pit of her belly. She couldn’t help but obsess over the fact that she’d recruited Eijirou on false pretenses, abusing his kind heart to use his popularity for her own gain. She’d already received a flood of interest in the club once news had spread that Eijirou was seemingly an official member, but she’d evaded them with half-hearted promises that she’d contact them soon to set up a general interest meeting. 

On Wednesday night she stood by the hydrangea bush, chewing on her bottom lip and tempted to hide within its emerald leaves and pink blossoms so she wouldn’t have to face Eijirou. Before she could take shelter in its branchy depths, the redhead came trotting up the sidewalk, his smile gleaming in the starlight as he called her name. His telescope flopped on his back in its canvas sheath. 

“Hey, Mina!” he grinned when he came to a stop in front of her, panting slightly. Always in such a rush, she thought fondly. No wonder he’s the star quarterback. “Are you excited? I sure am!” 

“Yeah,” she lied. There was no room to be excited with all the guilt filling her to the brim. Eijirou’s smile somehow managed to get brighter. Despite everything, her heart still jumped in her chest when he grabbed her hand, his thick and calloused fingers so strangely perfect around her slim ones, and pulled her onto the practice field. 

“This is perfect!” he exclaimed, looking up at the starry night sky with his hands on his hips. Mina only hummed quietly, robotically unfolding a blanket and placing it over the grass. She’d arranged for the school to shut off the nighttime lights for the evening, giving them a clear view of the moon and stars. Thus, they were the only things that provided illumination as Mina and Eijirou sat down on the soft blanket together. “I didn’t know if we would want to get a better look at the comet, so I brought this!” he said excitedly, slipping the telescope off his back and setting it down between them. Mina hummed again, anxiety swirling in the pit of her belly. In the gloom, she could still see Eijirou’s bright red eyebrows scrunch. 

“Mina…? What’s wrong?” he asked quietly. Mina debated lying for a moment; she nervously plucked at the loose fibers of her stockings, unable to meet his pretty vermillion eyes. The lie never got the chance to dance on her tongue. She knew she had to come clean, to tell him the truth before she toted him along even further. 

“Eijirou… I have to confess something,” she admitted quietly. He shifted beside her, eyebrows raised. 

“What is it?” 

“I’m not as good a person as you think I am.” Her voice shook as tears flooded her eyes. She bit down on her lip as a sniffle slipped free. Eijirou looked at her in utter bewilderment, confusion swirling in those gorgeous vermillion eyes that had struck her the moment she had first seen them. He gently reached out to stroke his fingertips ever-so-lightly down her cheek; she turned away, a tear slipping down her cheek that was still tingling with his featherlight touch. “Don’t,” she begged, her voice nothing more than a strained whisper. “I don’t deserve your sympathy.” 

“Mina…” 

“I used you, Eijirou,” she said finally, choking the words out as her throat constricted with guilt. “I used your popularity for my own gain. I just wanted my club to be popular.” 

She didn’t look at him as the silence hung heavy between them, like an anvil suspended on a slowly fraying rope. She waited with bated breath for the rope to snap and for it to plummet, for him to explode on her like he rightfully should, to tell her she was selfish and cruel and for him to storm away and never look back. She cringed when he inhaled sharply, already preparing for his raised voice. 

He didn’t yell or scream or curse. Instead, his voice was heartbreakingly soft when he murmured, “That doesn’t make you a bad person. That just makes you lonely.” 

Mina’s eyes fluttered as her heart swelled with hope. She didn’t resist when he cupped her cheek and gently turned her tear-stained face to look at him. Her watery eyes met his red ones, and she was so relieved to find them brimming with understanding, not hate or anger. He swept his thumb over her cheek to catch the tears still streaming over her ruddy skin. 

“Mina… I knew that already,” he confessed with a small smile. She gasped in shock, while Eijirou smiled bashfully and rubbed at the back of his neck with his other hand. “As soon as you told me that you were the only member of the club, I figured that you wanted to use my popularity to recruit more people. I was a little bitter about it for a second, but… Then I saw how sad you looked.” He used both his hands to cup her cheeks and leaned forward to press his forehead to hers. “I didn’t want to see that look on your face. Even if you were using me, I wanted you to be happy.” 

“Why?” she hiccuped, chest drawing tight like a balloon ready to burst. “Th-that was so horrible of me… And you still wanted to do that for me? Why?” 

“Because from the moment you jumped out of that hydrangea bush, I’ve been head-over-heels for you,” he purred, mouth twitching up into a smirk. Her face flushed with a fierce, fiery blush and her mouth dropped open in shock. “And maybe I was a little hopeful that I could get you to be head-over-heels for me, too,” he added with a playful wink. Mina couldn’t help but laugh, mostly from the overwhelming relief bubbling up inside her body. She leaned into him, finding solace in how well her small body fit into his muscular one—like a lock and key, like they belonged together. 

Sniffling happily, she curled her fingers into the leathery fabric of his varsity jacket and smiled joyfully. 

“Well, you didn’t have to try very hard. How could I not be head-over-heels for you?”

Before they could say anything else, the sky was suddenly filled with bright light. They both turned to see that the comet had appeared among the stars. Its powdery tail streamed pinkish-blue behind the large white body, slowly traveling across the expanse of inky blue like a leisurely sailboat. Mina inhaled sharply as the pastel colors reflected in her eyes and the light danced over her skin and hair; it truly was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. She was so entranced that she didn’t register Eijirou’s hand sneaking under her chin again until he turned her face back. The comet danced in his red eyes, making it a pink nebula of stars and space and beauty. 

No. Those eyes of his were the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. 

She almost didn’t want to close her own as he leaned in to kiss her, but as soon as his lips smoothed over her own, she couldn’t help it. They drifted shut as she melted against him, savoring the gentle motions of his mouth against hers. Her heart fluttered when his hand drifted up into her cotton-candy hair, twirling around the strands like he was memorizing the feel of the silky threads. He kissed her with rising passion, like an astronaut adrift in space who’d finally found the oxygen he needed. 

They pulled apart slightly panting and blushing the same color as the comet streaming slowly above their heads. He stroked her face gently, then wrapped his arms around her and pulled her down on the blanket. She laughed when he hugged her tight, nuzzled into her hair and inhaled deeply. 

“You smell like hydrangeas.” 

“Eijirou, I thought we were here to watch the comet.” 

“It’s pretty,” he remarked with a glance up at the sky. He then looked down at her with that dazzling smile she adored so much. “But I’ve got a heavenly body right here that I’m more interested in.” 

“Oh my gosh! That’s so corny!” she howled, throwing her head back in laughter. Eijirou snickered and snuggled into the side of her face, making her laugh more at the ticklish sensation of his nose brushing her skin. He peppered butterfly kisses over every inch of skin he could find, making her squirm and giggle in his grasp. 

Finally, he rolled on his side, one arm still snug around her shoulders while he watched the comet slowly make its way across the horizon. She pressed against him, warm and fuzzy and happy. 

“You know, despite the circumstances, I’m still glad you asked me to join, Mina,” Eijirou said with a contented sigh. His fingers drifted up to play with the fluffy strands of her hair. Mina rested her head on his chest, smiling while she watched the comet. 

“Me too, Eijirou. I can’t wait to spend the rest of the school year checking out heavenly bodies.” 

Eijirou gave her a wan look as she snorted piggishly in laughter. 

“You’re not going to let me live that down, are you?” 

“Absolutely not. I’m already planning to sell tee shirts!” 

Eijirou laughed, then rolled over to attack her with snuggles and kisses again. Mina welcomed his embrace and affections. Their laughter drifted up into the sky to join the stars and the streaming glittery trail of the comet, finding a home forever in the vastness of space…

Enjoy this oneshot? Feel free to peruse my Table of Contents!

[justasillyoldfox]

♡Character Masterlist

♡ One Piece

♡ One Piece Strawhat Headcanons

♡ One Piece Strawhat Relationship Headcanons

♡ One Piece Strawhat Angst Headcanons

♡ One Piece Strawhat, Kid, and Heart Pirates Headcanons

♡ Moria x GN!Reader {Romantic}

♡ Gecko Moria x GN!Reader {Romantic}

♡ Non Screenshot Ver.

♡ Here, Now Stop Being Sad

♡ Moria x GN!Reader {Romantic}

♡ Usopp x Male!Reader Headcanons {Romantic}

♡ Usopp Headcanons

♡ It's Alright, Shhh

♡ Usopp x Child!Male!Reader {Platonic}

♡ Jinbei x Fishman!Male!Reader 4 Part Series {Romantic}

♡ Why Hello, Dear Beloved, Nightmares, {UNFINISHED}

♡ Jinbei x Male!Reader Wedding Headcanons {Romantic}

♡ Hot Tea

♡ Luffy x Mink!Male!Reader {Romantic}

♡ Morning Fun

♡ Sanji x Black!Male!Reader {Platonic}

♡ Luffy x Sanji x Goth!Male!Reader {Romantic}

♡ Marco & Zoro Comfort Trans!Male!Reader Hours Before Surgery Headcanons {Romantic}

♡ Kid, Sabo, Ace, x GN!Reader Who Wears Make-Up Headcanons {Romantic}

♡ Valentine's Special

♡ Rosinante (Corazon) x Male!Reader With Vitiligo {Romantic}

♡ Oh No, He's Hot!

♡ Smoker x Narcoleptic!Vice Admiral!Male!Reader {Romantic}

♡ Katakuri With A Shy Younger Sibling Headcanons {Platonic}

♡ Buggy With A Punk Lover Headcanons {Romantic}

♡ Fukaboshi x Male!Merman!Reader {Romantic}

♡ First Meeting

♡ Fujitora x Pirate!Male!Reader {Platonic}

Jujutsu Kaisen

♡ Gojo x Tall!Male!Reader Headcanons {Romantic}

Haikyuu!

♡ Practice & Bloody Tissues

♡ Tendō x Male!Reader with motor tics {Romantic}

♡ Kenma x GN!Reader {Romantic}

A Silent Voice

♡Cotton Candy

♡ Shoya x Gn!Reader {Romantic}

♡ I Just Hate Your Pretty Face

♡ Kazuki x GN!Reader {Romantic}

Ouran High School Host Club

♡ Sleepy Compliments

♡ Nekozawa x Sleepy!Male!Reader {Romantic}

Sinbad: Legend Of The Seven Seas

♡ Proteus x Demigod!GN!Reader Headcanons {Romantic}

Demon Slayer

♡ Love Sickness

♡ Sick!Rengoku x Black!Male!Reader {Romantic}

Encanto

♡ Sleepy Cuddles

♡ Bruno x Male!Reader {Romantic}

My Hero Acadamia

♡ Sero x Short!Male!Reader Headcanons {Romantic}

[esmealux]

I'll bite. 13 and 35 look like they might be fun together. 😈

Thank you so much for this fun prompt, Shelly ❤ The opportunities seemed endless, but in the end I went with this. I hope you like it.

Once again, I screwed up at brevity, so this is 1.9K (:

13. Someone does something stupid + 35. 'You wanna bet?' 'Care to wager?'

Never make a bet with the Devil.

A deal, if you must. But do not bet against him.

Not because he’ll take your soul or anything; he won’t even necessarily take your money.

But because he can’t handle it. He can’t. He’ll stop at nothing to win, and when he doesn’t—when he can’t shoot down a bottle of vodka with a slingshot from 400 feet away, or blow a soap bubble with his nose, or fly to Sweden and back in under thirty minutes (the latter he did do, but a drug test showed he’d taken EPO)—he’ll walk around in a pathetic cloud of self-pity, sulking and pouting to an unbearable degree for days on end.

So if you care about the Devil, don’t bet with him. It’s for his own good.

It really is.

And yet-

Chloe picks up the dirty plates from the coffee table as gunshots fire around her. It makes her a little uneasy, how real it sounds through their newly installed surround sound system. One so expensive she doesn’t even want to know.

Their just as overpriced (and unnecessarily big) TV is bathing Lucifer in white-blue light as he stares at the screen intently. He did want to watch the movie with her, but she’s not much of a Weaponizer fan, and she’d like to clean up before she snuggles up next to him on the couch and inevitably falls asleep. As she’s gathered all the dishes in her arms, however, she can’t help but pause and glance at the film for just a second.

‘Yeah, like that could actually happen,’ she snorts, watching the car jump across a considerable gap in a bridge, flip mid-air, and land on all four wheels on the other side. ‘I mean, no one’s ever done that.’

As soon as the words leave her mouth Chloe knows she’s made a mistake.

Lucifer pauses the movie—because God forbid he misses five seconds of a film he’s watched thirty times—before he looks up at her with a lifted eyebrow and a devilish grin.

‘Is that a challenge, Detective?’

Chloe glares at him, her jaw clenching. ‘It’s not possible,’ she states firmly, which is even worse, because now he can only reply with-

‘Care to wager?’

Chloe wants to kick herself.

‘There’s no way in Hell you’re doing that,’ she tells him, nodding towards the paused screen before she heads for the kitchen to start the dishwasher.

‘Why? Because my worried girlfriend won’t let me?’ he calls after her. ‘I’m invulnerable, remember?’

Chloe refills her wine glass, generously, and returns to the living room.

‘No,’ she objects, careful not to spill Pinot Noir on the couch as she settles against Lucifer’s warm, silk-clad side. ‘I just know you’ll never forgive yourself when your beloved Corvette rams into a cliff.’

Lucifer gasps and scoffs. ‘As if I’d ever risk such a sweet beauty like that!’ He plucks the glass out of her hand and takes a sip. ‘And even if I did, she would not, because I would succeed, first try.’

‘First try? Really?’

Chloe grabs the remote and replays the last fifteen seconds. Looking at it a second time, it’s even more ridiculous. The background is so obviously a green screen it’s not even funny, the flip is clearly made using some sort of outdated CGI, and they haven’t even bothered making it look like there’s a real person in the car. Also—Chloe doesn’t remember much from school, but she’s pretty sure the entire stunt defies physics as the car leaps, practically flies over the 150 feet gap, all the while rotating 360 degrees sideways.

‘Maybe third,’ Lucifer admits.

Chloe shakes her head and sighs.

‘I can do it, Detective.’ He looks at her like it’s a threat. ‘And I will.’

Oh, he will definitely try. The determination in his eyes leave no doubt about that. But he can’t possibly copy that stunt with an actual car and an actual gap. There’s just no way. And she shouldn’t spur him on. She really shouldn’t. But the idiot’s gotta learn at some point, and if she’s gonna have to deal with his childish disappointment (and she will), she might as well get something out of it.

‘Fine,’ she shrugs. ‘What are we betting?’

He grins at her, brown eyes twinkling with excitement.

‘If—nay, when I win,’ he answers promptly, and Chloe rolls her eyes, ‘I’ll finally get that thing I’ve always wanted.’

Chloe stares at him, comepletely clueless. If his tone and stupid smirk are anything to go by, it’s not a pet shark he’s talking about.

‘One... re-enactment for another,’ he clarifies slowly, his dark gaze gliding over her body before his eyes flicker to the glass doors leading to their terrace—and their outdoor hot tub.

Chloe fights the urge to roll her eyes again.

‘Okay,’ she agrees, internally reminding herself it doesn’t really matter. She gives him a cocky smile. ‘And when I win?’

Lucifer chuckles as if he finds her adorably naïve. Asshat. Still, he says, ‘You’ll get anything you desire.’

Chloe thinks. There’s not much she desires he wouldn’t give her anyway. She could have him do paperwork for a month, but he’d just mess it up, and she’d have to listen to his complaints about ‘torturous boredom’ and ‘purgatory’. She could also go for something funnier, like have him wear t-shirt and sweats to work for a week. But that would just be cruel, wouldn’t it?

‘I don’t know,’ she tells him, but the words are barely out of her mouth before Trixie’s enthusiastic voice sounds behind them.

‘I might have an idea!’

Lucifer sighs and gives Chloe an unimpressed look before he shifts slightly in his seat to look at her daughter.

‘Alright, but only because your mum lacks creativity like a sober Faulkner.’

Trixie walks around the couch and comes to stand in front of them, a mischievous smile on her face.

‘Please don’t tell me it’s a unicorn on the cheek,’ Lucifer huffs, taking another gulp of Chloe’s wine.

‘It’s not,’ she assures him and holds out her iPad for him to see. It’s a doodle of a small, fluffy goat with pink fur. ‘I was thinking something more… permanent.’ With the hand that’s not holding her tablet, Trixie pats a spot on the left side of her upper chest.

Lucifer slowly removes the wine glass from his lips, and the sheer horror on his face makes Chloe snort with laughter.

He stares at the small, inarguably adorable drawing like it’s a personal insult, glances down at his chest with dread, and looks back to Trixie.

‘You little Devil,’ Lucifer grumbles, but there’s no trace of hostility in his voice. If anything, he sounds a little impressed. He grabs Trixie’s iPad from her outstretched hand and studies the pink kawaii buck for a second, as if he’s seriously considering saying yes to the deal.

Eventually, he sighs. ‘I’m in.’

‘Lucifer-’ Chloe immediately begins to protest. He’s not gonna win this bet, and she knows how downright intolerable he’ll be when he’ll have to get a cute, chubby animal—one that, to him, represents mockery and misconception—tattooed onto his skin. She's tired already, just thinking about all the whining she'd have to deal with.

But it’s too late. Her boyfriend and daughter shake hands, and the deal is settled.

Chloe palms her face.

‘Wait, what do you get if you actually manage to… whatever it is this time?’ Trixie asks, her small hand still clasped in Lucifer’s.

Chloe looks up at him, heat creeping up her cheeks. Their eyes meet shortly before he looks back to her daughter, visibly conflicted.

‘Eh…’

It’s not so much a word as it is a breathy, high-pitched sound, partly stuck in his throat. But it’s answer enough for Trixie.

‘Forget I asked,’ she quickly says, her face scrunched up in disgust. ‘I’ll be in my room.’

She takes her iPad back and leaves them alone on the couch.

‘So, I guess it’s tit or tat, then,’ Lucifer remarks with a chuckle, glancing down at Chloe’s chest.

She snorts and smiles, despite herself.

‘But, I mean-’ He grabs the remote and plays the scene a third time.

He must not see the same utterly absurd and almost comically impossible stunt she (still) sees, because he leans down and whispers in her ear, ‘Better start rehearsing your lines, Detective.’

Chloe shakes her head at him and snuggles closer to his body.

*

‘You’re lucky I like your mother,’ Lucifer mumbles as the needle pinches ink into his chest.

He’d driven off in a ‘cheap’ Porsche this morning and returned eight hours later, looking like he’d literally been fed to the wolves and with no Porsche.

‘Hey honey,’ she’d greeted him, hiding her smirk behind her cup of tea. ‘How’d it go?’

He’d answered with a grunt, blamed the Germans for making their cars too ‘praktisch’ and the Italians for not making theirs fast enough (he’d controlled for variables) and finally concluded it was all his dad’s fault because He ‘created that pesky gravity’.

Then he’d handed her an ornate, black business card and looked at her as if he’d picked his own casket.

Chloe had bit her cheek and hugged him before driving all three of them to the high-end tattoo parlour he’d requested.

‘You okay there?’ she asks him, letting him grip her hand tighter. The fact that he isn’t feeling any actual pain—‘any physical pain, Detective!’—makes his wincing all the more pathetic. Still, she feels a little bad for him.

‘No.’ He bends his neck to peer down at his chest, and pouts. ‘I’m not.’

Trixie grins beside him. ‘I think it looks cool!’

‘Of course, you do. You’re a twelve-year-old girl.’

The smile on Trix’ face turns into a smirk. ‘A twelve-year-old who girl you lost a bet to.’

Sighing deeply, Lucifer turns his head to scowl at her like she’s his annoying little sister and not the stepdaughter he’d go to the ends of the universe for.

‘It’ll be gone in a few months,’ Chloe reminds him, earning her a funny look from the tattoo artist.

The muscle in Lucifer’s jaw ticks. ‘It’s not even finished yet and I already hate it more than I ever did my bloody wings! How am I supposed to endure this… horned cotton candy for months?’

Chloe takes a deep breath. She brought this on herself. She knew she shouldn’t have made that bet with him. She knew he’d be an insufferable drama queen.

She also knows, after hours of hearing him moan, that he’s not gonna shut up about ‘deceitful special effects’ and ‘useless laws of physics’, much less the ‘vile, little creature marring his muscled chest’. Not unless she does something.

So Chloe does something.

For the second time in her life, she gets naked in—and out of a hot tub.

‘No moaning, then,’ she tells him, giving him a stern look.

Lucifer looks her up and down in awe and hunger, dark eyes lingering on the tiny red bikini he knows she’ll take off in a matter of seconds. ‘Now, there’s a promise I can’t keep.’

‘About the wager,’ she clarifies, but he’s not listening.

With a sigh, Chloe sinks into the hot, bubbling water, loosens her bikini top, and gets into character.

She is never, ever betting with the Devil again.

[whiskey-bumblebee]

the february poems

feb 5-19, 2022

I am heady with love for you, once again.

Maybe you were my first love. Is there a reason both of us have never really loved again? Is there a reason we both move on in seasons?

You’re the purest, brightest sunshine. You call me honey and I blush despite miles and two screens between us.

Say the word. No, the other ones.

You say you miss me and my heart leaps. You’ve been thinking of me, which of your posts I’ll like. I’m predictable, but only to you.

I love you, I love you, I love you.

How wonderful that it’s never really gone away. You’re sweeter than…

I was thinking about your favorite flower and you message me a day later. We are gold-threaded together. You make me want to be good, you make me want to save the world.

My hair looks its best when it looks like yours.

I miss the freckle above your lip. I remember when you had it removed. I could imagine, I had imagined, how the bump would feel as I traced your lips. 

This is all in pencil because I’m a coward. 

I’m embarrassed that my heart still beats for you, when yours has always belonged to many others. I know your eyes’ shade of blue from memory.

I’ll never not remember how they look at me. 

You make me gentle. You make me lilac, clouds, cotton candy, holding grapes for you…

You’re in me forever. You’re my gut reaction. You’re my best best.

J’adore, j’adore, j’adore. There are more poems about you than there should be.

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

You are not my fairweather love. 

You are my extraordinary, accommodations will be made for those who cannot travel due to inclement weather, love. You’re my bridges closed due to wind love.

You are my record-breaking love, my cities washed off the map love, my town razed to the ground love. 

You’re my 45 degrees love, my month’s worth of rain in two days love. 

You’re my effort love. My pass out on the bus because it’s sweltering love. My iced tea love.

I’ll see you again in the deluge, the wildfires, the tornadoes. Never on a lukewarm day, never when you can smell the rain evaporating from the ground, never on a thoughtless leaving-the-house-unprepared day because it looks perfectly average outside.

You’re my extraordinary circumstances love. You’re a rebuilding highways love, a polar vortex love, an everything else is lost to us love. 

You’re my unnatural love, my unexpected love, my unprecedented love. 

What would it cost for us to see each other again? What would the world have to give for our skin to touch, for you to brush my calf with your hand as you bend down to pick up your coffee cup lid?

Let the cities burn to the ground. Let the roads tear themselves apart as the earth rolls beneath us, let the lightning crack and the sea recede. Let the fish flop in the void. Let the sun fail to outlive expectations. Let the meteor pass too close. Let it burn, let it freeze, let it blow away, let it break, let it sink beneath the waves. Let the livestock drown in barns. Let there be rooftop pleas written in toilet paper. Let the volcanoes go, let the ash rain, let the lava flow. Kiss me, kiss me, kiss me.

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

You’ll never be nothing to me,

First friend, lover, beloved, never nothing

Unless you’re nothing in the way that

A sky full of stars observed alone is nothing

Or the hush that falls when the light dims is nothing

Or the zero distance before lips overlap and teeth become obstacles

Or the love that stretches thousands of miles without evidence, proof, or reason

You could be nothing -  mathematically, auditorily, 

in an eyes wide shut in a dark room kind of way

But you’ll exist in the way god exists to believers,

The way gravity exists in an empty room,

The way that every culture knows of an afterlife,

The way love hangs heavy in ladies’ bathrooms in bars,

Friend, lover, beloved.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

I’ve just finished slicing the capsicum into 20 perfectly symmetrical ribs. 

I chew on the seeds. 

My mother sits down opposite me, and chides me for wasting the celery rose. 

Nobody in the house likes soup, I say. She’s silent. I don’t either, I remind her. In case she’s forgotten since… She shakes her head. 

I remember. 

We have such little time together these days, so we let the tension die. 

How are things? She asks. I sigh. 

Life is not light these days. She shrugs. 

You should wash your lettuce.

You never did, I counter, not with malice, but knowing her and I are the same and I’m not too happy about it.

I take the offcuts to the compost bin. She smiles. You still… I nod, and nod to the recycling crate. She nods.

How are you? 

She sighs. I can’t really say. Fine.

How’s my brother? She turns away. 22 years and it still smarts. I saw Sidney Poitier left. Have you seen him? 

She nods. He’s a sweet man. 

The wedding… I start, not knowing where to go. It’s been post-

She starts to fade. 

Sorry, I offer. It’s hard for me too.

She’s gone. 

I love you. 

Something in me knows she said it back.

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

The world is not prettier than when I was 13. It is an ugly place, a hard place, a hostile place. I carry all the younger versions of myself to bed with me. Some are repulsed. 

Your poem left me weeping, except it hasn’t really left me, because it’s still open, right there

Anyway I’m thinking of a friend of a friend whose funeral I went to in 2019. A suicide, a Catholic suicide. Catholic suicide funerals are always awkward. The coffin was so little.

Have you buried friends yet? There’s an impish part of me that thinks not, and a lover that hopes not. I can’t help but feel you had it easier than I’m having it. Oranges and camaraderie and camera-derie. Moments captured. Moments worth capturing.

I think emotions have a right to be voiced, although you have no reason to listen, although you’re the only other person who was part of ‘we’, you’re the only other who isn’t an other. You move me. You move me monumentally. You move me to look at the kitchen floor differently. I have feelings about you, some for you (unfortunately), between 3 and 8 feelings and if you understand the reference it’ll skyrocket to 9 and then what will I do?

I have feelings and you’re the only one worth telling because I need you to cut me down.

[elvearryn]

for the ice cream ask:

cotton candy, cookie dough, mocha, (key lime), green tea

(sorry if this is too much, you don’t have to respond to all of them <333)

CC: Three places you want to travel to?

The Abyss, Ireland, and the Czech republic

CD: Yes

M: The worst possible, blizzards, thunder storms, 60 mph winds

KL: In the abyss (or my beloveds arms)

GT: Mint chocolate chip or caramel

[voidcat]

Company — Seijoh 4 & animals

(press “Keep Reading” for Iwa, Mattsun & Makki!) 

Oikawa Tooru, cats: It was cute, watching you unhook your hand from his to run towards any cat you saw on the street, crouching down to their level and talking to them as if they could understand you. When he said this one, you laughed and said they did understand but the look in your eyes made it clear you were serious. Getting to see a soft side of yours, unfiltered, shining and radiating so much love was a scene he loved dearly. Your bond with cats went so far back to your childhood and he loved listening to your stories.

But when you appeared in front of his door one day, on the same day as your little trip, with a box in your hand, he knew what was about to come.

“So Tooru.” “No.”

“As you know I’ll be away for a few days and cannot take my baby with me.” “Why…”

“I’ve written down a little manual on her likes and dislikes, her preference of food and how to be pet.” “Can’t you ask Iwa-Chan instead?”

“No because Iwa-Chan does not live in Argentina.” So that’s how he found himself with your cat one morning, leaving the lid open, he went back to bed.

That night when he returned from another practice ended long gone, him staying overnight, he was met with a furious glare. “What are you looking at? I left an extra plate of food for you.” Was all he said.

By the time you returned, it was too early for them to be up. Opening the door quietly, putting your bag down and tiptoeing towards the bedroom, you were met with Tooru sleeping with your cat leaning against his leg. Pulling her to herself and lying besides him with as little noise as you, you joined them.

“Maybe she wasn’t such an awful guest.” Was what he first mumbled to you. As you chuckled, she got up to adjust her sleeping position, hitting him in the face with her tail in the process. “She has a name you know.” “I refuse to say it, especially after getting hit that harshly.” “It’s not that bad.”

He scrunched up his nose once “I’m sorry, Czarina Natalya.” As you laughed again, scratching her head with one hand and stroking Tooru’s hair with the other, he asked: “I still don’t get why you brought her to me. It’s not like I’m that good at taking care of plants or pets.”

“It was so she would take care of you while I was away. Nati is pretty good at that though she likes to act cold hearted.” “I guess that’s a story for another time.” “In the morning. Let’s get an hour of sleep before she starts meowing aggressively for breakfast.”

Iwaizumi Hajime, dogs: It was an ordinary day at the beach. Enjoying the sun and the waves, letting the sounds calm you and having a mini picnic of sorts. Seeing stray dogs by the beach wasn’t extraordinary, it wasn’t a common thing either, but when the white pup approached you shyly, you couldn’t help but pat the spot next to you on the sand. Running to you and laying down under the comforting shadow of the umbrella, she accompanied the two of you for the rest of the day. Petting her on the occasion, offering half of your sandwich and giving water, it was a given she would follow you home. And you didn’t have it in you to reject her.

Iwaizumi wasn’t so keen on the idea at first. The dog did seem well, she didn’t have a collar but she appeared healthy to the eyes. But it was the eyes that captured your heart and that’s how you found yourself listing so many advantages of having a dog to live with. And it was your eyes that Hajime couldn’t argue with so that was how you ended up with a pup. She would wake the two of you up with gently bumps of her nose, accompany Hajime on his regular runs, walk with the two of you to the market and keep an ear out at night to make sure no harm came near you. “Hey Princess!” You would say and she’d lay on the floor, paws raised and belly in the open, a sign of her trust too.

When you woke up that day, it was a bright grey. Clouds clogging up the sunlight, you knew what was about to come. Going through your morning routine and getting urgent things done, you decided to allow yourself a breathe. On your way to the kitchen, you heard the first rumble. Hurrying now and taking out your relaxing tea mix, you went to grab your blanket as the water boiled. Pouring it to your french press and adding the tea, you dropped yourself to the couch. When Cotton saw you, she walked away. “Weird.” You said to yourself. When she appeared minutes later, accompanied by footsteps, you realized why she was gone for a short period of time. As Hajime sat down by your side, pulling you into his arms, Cotton joined in as well, placing her head to your lap and giving you looks of concern once in a while. That’s how you found yourself waking up in the middle of the night, the thunderstorm long gone, you in the arms of Hajime, your beloved girl sleeping with content in your lap.

Matsukawa Issei, fish: When he decided to try all the ridiculous games at the fair one night, insisting on winning a prize, you were too busy laughing to sense the seriousness in his words. But as the night came to an end, your stomach hurting from the Cotton candy you had, Issei walked towards you, the smug expression you’ve come to know so well, painted in his face. Hands behind his back, you started laughing again. No absurd color could be seen so he didn’t go and win any huge stuffed toy. But when he raised his arms with a “Ta da!”, it was a small plastic bag filled with water, and a little orange fish swimming inside. There was no way this was real.

The fish you thought was the side effect of too much cotton candy turned out to be as real as the two of you. Grabbing a big glass and filling it water, you left the fish in the kitchen that night. Waking up to meet with it again was a shock to say the least. So doing what any responsible adult and eager kid would do, you took a photo of it and went out to get a proper tank, decorative rocks and fish food. By the time Issei got up to prepare some coffee, you were still in the kitchen, head rested on your hands, watching the fish and tapping against the tank once in a while. You didn’t see the way he took a sip of his coffee as he watched the two of you.

This became a habit long after, on stressful days, one of you would take away the source of the stress away and guide the other back where Carrotcake was, watching the light break and divide into infinite colors, getting lost in the waves of its tail as it swimming in serenity. The simple life of your fish was a break from anything and everything, especially when you needed escape. Getting too attached to a fish seemed hilarious to you at first but few months in and you found yourselves researching, then going out to get him a friend and a larger tank, now with a little castle they can play in.

As you sprinkled fish food into the water one morning, Issei placed down his mug to the side and wrapped his arms around. “Who knew we would rediscover us in them?” “Next time we go to the fair, I’ll be the one to try and win a prize.” “So the family keeps growing, huh?” “Why not? They deserve a little happiness and love like ours in their lives too.”

Hanamaki Takahiro, birds: It was a regular café try-out. As Makki was trying his profiterole pyramid, your attention was pulled to your phone when the notification bing! Reached your ears. Seeing a video from your friend, who was visiting her family in her home country, you opened the app eagerly. The joyous chirping of the budgerigar filling the café in an instant, you immediately turned your volume down. Seeing the bird sing and move his head as if he was dancing, you couldn’t help but be glued to the screen. Feeling the burning gaze of Makki in you, you showed him the video and watched him as fascination took over his features. After that, it was merely a count down. When he saw an adoption post for one, he sent it to you in an instant and in a week, you were the proud parents of a budgerigar. Spending the day setting the cage in a good place and checking the water and food, you went to bed content.

Waking up with an unfamiliar and loud noise the next morning, alarmed at first, only to remember the bird afterwards, was an experience to say the least. The first time you let Boncuk out of the cage, to fly inside the living room, you had no idea what he would do to your books. Experience being the best teacher, you found yourself running to get a blanket and using it to cover the book cases. Despite the energetic nature of the bird tiring you once in a while, it was fun to have a singer in the house. He would learn where to fly and what not to chew at in time, sit on your arm or on Makki’s head in the evenings, often pooping on Makki’s head and making you laugh the loudest in your life. When he first opened his beak and made a song far from a typical tweet but more like an actual word, you yelled Makki’s name, pulled him by the arm and asked the bird to do it again. And do he did, he could say only one word but it was more than enough. With the same pride parents have when their baby first starts to walk, you took videos all day, called all your friends and made them hear this wonder on call.

Being the two of you, it didn’t took you long to teach the bird a few more words. The best one was when you called Oikawa on his birthday and Makki called out “Okay, Boncuk! Now what do we say?” “Shittykawa!”

As the two of you started laughing, Oikawa hung up, complaining as he did. Yet all the mindless fun aside, your favorite thing was to watch the two of you duet together some nights, the bird singing along to Makki as he would serenade you or dance with you.

Boncuk means “bead” in Turkish, it’s a common name for budgerigars