#do you think yin knew it freaked him out??

[pinazee]

Gus’s dad may have killed an old guy

Gotta gif right outta the bat! Liams run here! So cute!

I tell you what, i love the Shassie friendship here because yes, Shawn is going to mess with him by getting him something he hates for christmas, but then he’s also going to casually convince Jules to invite him to her family dinner because he knows he’s lonely.

Ohmygod i missed this part somehow! Gus forcing a vision see it! see it!

So a few things about the Gusters and how that plays into Gus’s character.

If they thought Shawn was a bad influence, then why let him hang out at his place all the time? Obviously they couldn’t just refuse to let him see him anymore but why not have him over at your place so you can keep an eye on him? Plus, Henry’s a cop… its complicated is all I’ll say. I think it had more to do with the fact that Shawn was just too much to handle as a kid. He strikes me as the type that needed to be constantly stimulated (i might go into more detail about young shawn in a later ep. Possibly when i try to narrow down their origin story). And Gus apparently agreed with his parents, so i have to believe part of him blames Shawn for how his life turned out, which is a little unfair.

I love the juxtaposition of how they treat Gus compared to how henry treats Shawn. Gus was heavily sheltered and coddled, whereas Shawn was being hardened for reality. Both are overprotective to a degree, except you’ve got Gus’s parents putting up foam guards on all the corners of their furniture until he’s 18, and then you have Henry who probably taught shawn how to swim by throwing him into the deep end of a pool when he was three. Weirdly, i think of the two, Henrys way was a little better, because even though he was a pretty shit dad, he, for the most part, didn’t try to shield Shawn from the world. In fact he was taught to observe it, to understand it.

This ep made me wonder if Gus was born sick. It would explain why they act like he has a “Delicate health and weak disposition”, why he didn’t have that many friends growing up, why they didn’t want him to go to that school. His parents are so overprotective and stuck in the mentality that he is a feeble child, that i think thats what made Gus so terrified of everything, but on the flip side, sparked his need to know how things worked, and why he has such a wide variety of interests. Shawn also does this, though. He never told Gus Henry killed his dog (henrys a canonical dog killer lol and i think he accidentally killed one of shawns pets too in a later ep. How many pets have to die before its no longer considered accidental???) and just in general he’s looking out for him whether emotionally (agreeing with him that he is definitely happy with his life at the end of 9 lives) or physically (standing between him and a gun in the same ep)

But they should be concerned that Shawns Psych business put Gus’s life in danger on multiple occasions already but that wasn’t discussed. So I have to assume Gus hasn’t told them those bits yet because he knows they’d freak out and make him stop.

Ernie freaking Hudson and Phylicia freaking Rashad! Which is even funnier when you remember Gus/Dulé keep getting referred to as Bud

I love that they’re a family of super sniffers and it bonds them. shawn seems to really get a kick out of seeing it too (probably because a family enjoying each other is so foreign to him 🙃)

U-turn Singleton everybody! I love when Gus has a little thing to go with his nickname!

Gus was really about to kick lassies ass! Dulé is killing me in this ep!

Gus being very subtle as always

P.S I LOVE HIM SO MUCH (but he definitely cheated)

[hamlets-ak]

the photo booth ༊*·˚

m.list ◦ askbox

synopsis: in which you and timothée are taking photos in a photo booth and you tell him that you love him for the first time right before the picture is taken

The secret was out. You and Timothée were officially dating according to all the Internet’s gossip blogs. Apparently, someone had spotted you in New York at a cinema and decided to capture the moment.

It was your birthday and Timothée knew how much you loved going to the theater, so, after extensive research, he found a place where there was a six-hour tribute to your favorite director. He didn’t really like the director, never understood them, and most definitely had no desire to sit for six hours in the uncomfortable cinema seat. However, he was going to endure, because he bought tickets for a different cause, to watch a six-hour tribute of you staring at the screen.

But it was the damn moment he decided to pull you closer and press a kiss to the side of your mouth - he really couldn't help it - when he heard the clicking sound of a phone camera coming from the back. He turned around, annoyance painted on his face as he noticed two girls in the back seats lowering their phones and whispering something to each other.

The same night, the whole Internet knew.

At first, you were both freaked out, drowned by the mess that was prevailing online and the fans that were going feral. Not that it really mattered what people thought about your relationship or the assumptions they were making about how serious it was or how long it was going to last, but you were relieved watching that most of the responses you got were positive.

So, instead of hiding it for fear of getting caught, you decided to embrace it and do all the things you wanted to do like a normal couple. Besides, you weren’t criminals, you were young and in love.

At least you were in love, very much in fact, that you were desperately trying to find a proper way to express your feelings for days. You weren't really looking for a response. You just wanted to let him know that you loved him, that you cared for him so much to the point of love.

« You’ve been awfully quiet for quite a while now, » Timothée said as you walked down crowded streets hand in hand, fingers tightly intertwined together, touching the other’s soft skin.

Your 35mm had run out of film so you were on your way to the nearest film shop, which wasn’t very close to Tim’s house but it didn’t matter because you loved taking long walks; the autumn air fanning on your face, pulling back your hair, and the small chills running down your spine. Also, New York was really pretty in autumn (if you removed the smell of urine and shit); fewer crowds, red trees, leaves filling the streets.

« Me? », you looked up at him with a hint of amusement in your gaze at his observation and the tiniest smile.

« Yeah, what’s wrong? », he chuckled eyes fixed on you, biting his lips. You didn't respond for a moment turning your stare to the ground. Timothée gulped, still staring at you eager to find out what was disturbing your mind the last days.

« Nothing’s wrong, » you mumbled.

The thing about Timothée was that he always believed you were way out of his league and he got way too lucky to find you, a friend and a partner all at once. Being with you was so comfortable and familiar, as if he knew you his whole life. Everything felt so natural when you were together. You were the perfect balance, you were the Yin to his Yang, one completing the other.

And the truth was that your relationship wasn’t just about balance, comfort, and ease, it was also about love - mostly about love.

Timothée had never told you how much he loved you, though he was sure that it was going to slip out of his mouth at some point, but for the moment he was just too scared of losing you, that his tongue was tangled in knots only at the thought.

« You think I don’t know when my baby is being troubled? » Your lips lightly pouted at the sound of him calling you ‘baby’ and you tied your arms higher on his bicep leaning closer to press a kiss on his shoulder. « Come on, did I do something? Was I acting like a dick? », he smiled.

« You weren’t acting like a dick, » you laughed a little getting closer to his warm body. « Quite the opposite, actually. »

« Oh, » he furrowed his brows getting the fallen pieces of hair out of your face. « Alright then. » Noticing his expression you leaned your head to the side.

« Really, » you added, « nothing's wrong. » He just pressed his lips together, burying his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants.

« If you say so, I believe you, » he forced a smile, as sweet as possible to hide his concern. Even though Timothée was an actor, one of the best, in reality, he wasn't really good with lies. You could hear it in his voice that he was pretending but decided to ignore it, at least for the moment, and bring it up when you got back home.

« We’re here, » you pointed with your head at the camera store.

« They have a photo booth, » Tim noticed as you both walked inside. « Fun fact, I’ve never taken photos in one of those. »

« Really? », you widened your eyes in surprise.

« Yeah, » he chuckled at your expression.

« Then, we should definitely get some pictures, » you said with a smile. He kissed your head once, the intoxicating smell of your honey, cinnamon shampoo filling his nostrils.

You both greeted the employee as you moved further inside looking for roll films. Timmy wandered around the place with his hoodie on, while you crouched in front of some stands searching for the very basic Kodak Portra 400.

You were skilled (and by skilled I mean you've been in that store countless times,) so it didn't take long for you to find it. Quickly you paid for your rolls and you dragged Timothée to the photo booth.

« You are so cute, » you said making him chuckle as you lowered his hoodie and ruffled his curls a little. He watched you fixing his hair, but the thoughts he was having were overwhelming so he breathed out before speaking again.

« Sorry, I have to ask again but- », he held your hands close to his chest, gaze slowly falling down, « I just feel like the last couple of days something’s going on. »

« Timothée, » you said in a serious tone, as his grip relaxed and your hands slithered to the back of his neck. « Everything is fine between us. More than fine. »

« You’re sure? », his eyes widened holding your wrists. You nodded.

« One thousand percent sure. Now, let’s get our pics! »

You put in some coins, closing the red curtain behind you. Tim pulled you into his lap and you grinned goofily hearing the clicking of the camera.

Maybe it was just his cute expressions, his smell, the way he was holding you so tightly and reassuringly telling you ‘I’m here, I’ll always be here,’ or that you didn’t want him to think something was off in your relationship, that just couldn't restrain you from telling him. All these days, you were trying so hard to find the perfect, the most romantic moment to let him know, but you couldn't wait any longer. You wanted him to know.

You looked at him deeply making him return the stare.

« Okay, you want to know what's going on? » With these words, Tim’s brows lightly furrowed but quickly bobbed his head. « I love you. » You pressed your mouth shut in an attempt to hide a growing grin as you looked at Timothée’s surprised face which quickly heated up flaming red, lips separated and eyebrows slightly raised. You couldn’t help but laugh forgetting about the clicking sound in the back.

« You love me, » Tim repeated slowly before you touched his mouth with your lips and he stayed there too shocked and frozen to reply to your sweet kiss.

« Look at you! », you pointed at him as you got the four pictures in your hands. Timothée was still jaw-dropped. He truly believed for a few moments that you were going to break up with him. He didn’t give any attention to the photos instead kept staring at your cheerful face. « Your face! You are so- »

« I love you too, » Tim finally spoke. Your expression softened raising your stare and slowly smiling at him. « Very much. » He nodded eagerly.

« Okay, » you bit your lower lip watching the huge grin on his face and the way he clenched his jaw. The moment your eyes met he couldn’t help but look away. Timothée approached you to see the pics, hands wrapped around your waist, head on your shoulder as he pressed a kiss on your neck leaving a ‘mwah’ sound that only made you giggle.

« Okay. »

[quitealotofsodapop]

haha I love the "slow-boiled stone egg" name for this au thats adorable! I have some to chew on now thank you! I will be drawing some funny moments for this au now <3

[Many foes back off just by the tired firey glare in the King's eyes.] Wukong's presence is enough to scare most off, and the most of the rest who think about still trying end up taking one look at him and just knowing it's not worth it XD

[Wukong never managed to tell Macaque about the Egg in that lifetime.] it breaks his heart. later, the fact he never knew breaks Macaque's heart too, he'd always wanted a family with his king

[he's convinced that the Egg's presence at the Samadhi Fire was what caused the Rings to Split and hit Ao Lie.] I didn't mention it in my first post but it was part of my thought process that the stone egg started "kicking" mid-ritual, and try as he might to keep control of the situation the pain from that is what causes Wukong to slip allowing the creation of the fourth ring.

[By isolating himself, he accidentally causes his body to *turn down the heat* and extend the process even longer.] awww no, nore isolation! he's gonna be so mad when he realizes he prolonged the whole thing more. but maybe it's better that way, it wouldn't be good to have the egg be born while his mental health is that bad and he doesn't have a support network. egg is like, "no troop? no family? not suitable conditions, I'm staying in here for now". [he geniunely believed that keeping MK whilst the Stone Egg was still draining life force could kill the cub. So SWK is forced to give the little toddler up to save his life.] on the same note it's also (unfortunately) for the better, he wasn't in the right mind to care for a kid, and ebven if that isn't the direct reason he acknowledges as he reason to give MK up the fact he recognizes he might not be safe for a kid right now and does things to ensure MK still gets a good life says a lot. bonus points if he still watches over MK as he grows and giving up MK leads him to trying to better his mental health for the sake of his unborn infant.

[When him and MK finally reunite, its a little awkward but MK immediately understands the reason for the Monkey King's retirement.] wait, did MK remember he was with SWK first here or was just "meeting my fav legend irl" kind of awkward? also MK assuming it's a bad break up situation is super funny when you remember that it was his break up with Macaque that led to Wukong's body finally reaching peak egg making conditions. in a way, it is a bad break up situation, just not in the way that MK is assuming.

[being "like this longer than even Lao Tzu's mother". He returns to Pigsy's that evening silent with a horrified look on his face.] SWK def brags that he now holds the record for the longest pregnancy from any immortal. when MK goes back to Pigsy's the othres notice, and MK having already told the others why SWK wasn't doing hero work himself anymore (with SWK's permission ofc) explains what Wukong told him and the whole shop is silently horrified/very sympathetic the rest of the night.

[New Years does not go smoothly. The Spider Queen can sense that there's a new life within the King, but she decides its an issue for after the takeover.] Wukong is very surprised she doesn't immediately try and exploit the obvious weakness but she's like "I hate you but I still have some honor ape" but still goes and drains him. he's very surprised to see LBD present, and her being there when he's caught is how she learns he's carrying a stone egg. her having this information freaks him out, especially when it doesn't take her long to start making passive threats. after the spider queen debacle SWK def make a really quick tri to the south sea for a check up with Kuan Yin to make sure being drained like that didn't hurt the egg.

[DBK frees himself, not only from the fear of losing his wife and his son, but also out of fury that Wukong had been hiding his condition for so long!!] LBD approaches SWK who is tied up close to DBK, so DBK hears the whole conversation, including the parts about Wukong's condition. he spends the whole time he's trying to escape grilling Wukong about keeping it secret from even him.

[Any resentment surrounding the Bull's imprisonment is forgiven due to a certain offer... + PIF demands a proper baby shower when she hears about it from her excited husband later.] it is surprisingly easy to get back into the bull family's good graces after imprisoning DBK with that single question, as well as making up for not telling them. DBK picks up red son and runs back home super excited, he busts down the doors to his family's castle and just yells "DARLING WE'RE GONNA BE GODPARENTS" to both PIF and RS's confusion until he explains everything.

[Macaque has... suspicions when he and Wukong finally meet again in S1. He makes a comment about the king being "out of shape", but becomes concerned when his Sun refuses to fight in any way that leaves his stomach exposed.] Macaque's "comprehension of all" be coming in clutch here baby! he's instantly concerned about Wukong so closely protecting a certain part of his bidy, that usually means there's a vulnrability, a big one, but it's only when he's laying in bed later that night that it occurs to him just what that vulbrability may have been. it causes many sleepless nights after that, driving himself insane trying to figure out if he;s right or not with the information he has at hand.

["The Shadow Play" becomes more a plan to trap the Monkie Kid gang for answers. MK spills the beans. Macaque stares blankly for a minute before yelling in frustration. It's too much emotional baggage to process right now!] the endless speculation becomes too much and he just needs answers, now. but with that question out of the way there's a couple more lined right up. how far a long is he? who;s the other parent? when did it happen? but ofc he ends up not having the chance to answer those questions before LBD decides to shake things up some more.

[now with the additional threat that she will harm the Stone Egg if Macaque fails her again...] even without all the answers he wants about the stone egg Macaque knows he can't let that happen, he may have hated Wukong for a while and they have yet to even begin reconciling but he would never do anything to harm Wukong's baby if he ever had one. he wasn't going to bring an infant into their conflict. but Wukong doesn't know that. he knows Wukong doesn't know that from the way he hunches in on himself to protect his stomach the second Macaque's voice is heard above the airship. Wukong is at first terrified when Macaque gets involved, he hates the idea of having to choose between him or his unborn infant again, but Wukong already knows what he'll choose if he has to. but Macaque barely even acknowledges him, specifically doesn't target him, a noteworthy thing since Macaque's quarrel is most personal with the sage. SWK doesn't complain, he doesn't want to have to choose again.

[She tries to offer protection for the Stone Egg in exchange for the world - but Wukong refuses to answer and gets the drop on him.] clever considering his love for children in general let alone his own, but what good is having his little one alone when he so desperately wants to share that love with his family? [Macaque breaks the King from his possession by casually placing a curious hand on his swollen stomach, smiling in a way Wukong hadn't seen in centuries. "I know," is all that is said as the two monkeys allow their foreheads to touch.] Macaque is very mindful not to do anything that would risk the stone egg's life during the fight because LBD doesn't care to protect SWK's stomach the way he himself did back in s1. still, Wukong was so stressed by what was happening while he was possessed that Macaque's gentleness+pregnancy hormones causes him to ust start bawling his eyes out. loud, ugly crying tears of joy and relief.

[She did not count upon the Egg recognising her as a yummy source of spirtual energy as she was possessing it's parent. LBD soul is literally devoured as the Stone Egg responds to Wukong and Macaque's reconcillation.] the mental image of the stone egg's magic just chomping down on LBD's soul is super funny, stone egg be like "you hurt bama and then try and leave like nothing? i think not! nom". SWK sensing the egg absorbing some powerful magic and is just like "oh gods".

[Until the newly unpossessed Monkey King doubles over in pain and cries for the Bodhisattva to help him. Guanyin is on the scene in seconds, glaring at her little brother angrily. Half the gang stare jaws dropped at what is happening while the rest are panicking.] the stone egg go the last of the magic it needed and later during the celebrations felt that SWK finally had his whole family present and didn't feel isolated anymore and was like "huh, guess it's time, is it? okay" and that's that. with how close he was to popping these days Wukong had Guanyin on speed dial in case of labor finally occuring, comes in handy now with how quick they shows up but they're not happy with Wukong for putting himself and the egg in so much danger with what was happening with LBD. he shouldn't have been fighting her! he shouldn't have been fighting at all! and the smadhi fire again? they're gonna skin Wukong.

[After many hours of painful labor with Macaque clutching his hand for support, Wukong *finally* greets his baby for the first time.] Macaque is def worried on a few occasions that his hand is gonna break, but he ends up only losing feeling in his hand for a while. it's also bruised and sore for a while but it's the price he's willing to pay to be present for the stone egg's arrival. Wukong, holding his new born infant after the egg hatches def joke that she "kept him waiting".

[Her dark fur is hard to ignore. As well as the ice-blue eyes that stare between the two monkeys with wonder.] ice blue eyes as a side affect of LBD's soul getting devoured at the end there, but what if the dark fur is actually because of SWK constantly yearning for Macaque to come back after their fight during the early stages of his pregnancy, SWK's desire and longing worsened by hormones causing her to shift in appearance to fit not just her parent but his wants. [And the little excited chirps she makes that sing the tune of Wukong's favorite songs. Everyone in the Monkie Kid gang, the Demon Bull family, and any present celestials are crying with joy.] I headcanon Wukong hums a lot, so his infant picking up on the sounds of the tunes he hummed in the later stages of his pregnancy is very cute, but he probably thinks every sound she makes is like music even when not trying to mimic him. he bursts into tears the first time she chirps. Macaque def cries at her having dark fur like him cause it makes him feel more like a bio parent. DBK tries to hold it together but starts crying when she can fit into his cupped palm with ease. Kuanyin cries and gives Wukong a hug when he holds her for the first time.

[Gold Star comes down from Heaven in person to bless her arrival.] he is thanked for his blessing and also thanked for being to busy to read the specifics of Wukong's imprisonment, seeing as if he had Wukong wouldn't be holding the most precious little furball in the universe right now.

[Her eye lazers come in a little later than expected... singeing Azure Lion's fur as he goes to take the Jade Emperor's throne. All present, including members of the Brotherhood, laugh at the coincidence.] it's hard not to laugh given the context, there ends up being a joke mad that every new Jade Emperor will have stone monkey lazer eyes shot at them when they try and sit on the throne for the first time. Wukong is insanely proud.

[Yuebei's whole family are willing to *destroy* the divine animals if even dare touch a single hair on her little head.] Azure would likely try deluding himself into believing that he, Wukong, and Yuebei could be a perfect family once justice is brought to Heaven, or try to blackmail the MKrew. or both. you can imagine that won't go over with anyone too well.

[The retrieve Yuebei after they enter the palace and see the three usurpers beaten to a pulp. The infant monkey rolling around on her butt as she giggles. Azure begs the crew to "please take her back".] Azure was so busy fantasizing he didn't notice Yuebei starting to get playful, and playful+super power do not mix. she starts tugging at him to play and the rest is history.

[Wukong and Macaque are so proud of their super-delayed baby girl. :3] they will always be super proud ;)

sorta mirror post to this one.

[it breaks his heart. later, the fact he never knew breaks Macaque's heart too, he'd always wanted a family with his king]

Macaque having the mega-regret when he finds out all those years later about the Stone Egg, feeling like a dad who wasn't around for their (ex)partner and unborn baby and barely having enough time to adjust when baby arrives.

[I didn't mention it in my first post but it was part of my thought process that the stone egg started "kicking" mid-ritual, and try as he might to keep control of the situation the pain from that is what causes Wukong to slip allowing the creation of the fourth ring.]

Ooh he'd feel so bad for allowing the slip-up to happen cus of being distracted by the Egg moving (likely responding to the Samadhi fire like it would consumable dao like; "Hey, can I eat that- OOO NO SPICY!!!"). Whats worse is that his slip-up indirectly hurt his baby's godfather, and nearly killed his master :(

Wukong's mental health was not good after the ritual, no matter how greatful the Ironbull couple were for the safety of their son. Wukong risked his own baby for them, and the couple don't learn this until centuries later.

[on the same note it's also (unfortunately) for the better, he wasn't in the right mind to care for a kid, and ebven if that isn't the direct reason he acknowledges as he reason to give MK up the fact he recognizes he might not be safe for a kid right now and does things to ensure MK still gets a good life says a lot. bonus points if he still watches over MK as he grows and giving up MK leads him to trying to better his mental health for the sake of his unborn infant.]

Bonus sad detail: Wukong probably didn't need to give up MK. The Stone Egg would have sensed MK as a fellow baby monkey, and hence "troop/sibling, no eat". But Wukong could not take that chance with the limited knowledge he had. He'd rather silently watch over MK being raised by other parents, than risk the Egg's magic killing the older cub. And ofc he was in a mental health pit and just *couldn't* raise MK on his own in that state.

[Wukong is very surprised she doesn't immediately try and exploit the obvious weakness but she's like "I hate you but I still have some honor ape" but still goes and drains him.] + [after the spider queen debacle SWK def make a really quick tri to the south sea for a check up with Kuan Yin to make sure being drained like that didn't hurt the egg.]

Ohhhh, imagine post-New Years the Spider gang hears some furious knocking at the entrance to the sewer-cave. Spider Queen turns, only to see Guanyin/Kuan Yin glaring her down like the vengeful goddess she is.

Quanyin: "You hurt my little brother and his unborn baby."

[even without all the answers he wants about the stone egg Macaque knows he can't let that happen, he may have hated Wukong for a while and they have yet to even begin reconciling but he would never do anything to harm Wukong's baby if he ever had one. he wasn't going to bring an infant into their conflict. but Wukong doesn't know that.he knows Wukong doesn't know that from the way he hunches in on himself to protect his stomach the second Macaque's voice is heard above the airship. Wukong is at first terrified when Macaque gets involved, he hates the idea of having to choose between him or his unborn infant again, but Wukong already knows what he'll choose if he has to.]

Ohohoho the spicy conflict. Wukong not wanting to choose his baby's safety over Macaque again, not knowing that this time Macaque knows about the Egg and is trying his damn best to ignore Wukong so he won't have to.

Instead of the infamous "OH WUKONG!" while flying overhead at the end of S2, Macaque instead announces hos presence to MK specifically. Wukong and the gang are confused when Mac is actively trying to pretend Wukong isn't there until it clicks that he knows.

[clever considering his love for children in general let alone his own, but what good is having his little one alone when he so desperately wants to share that love with his family?]

Wukong gets the drop on him cus it's such a paradoxial offer. If he agrees, his baby will be a lonely little cub in the world like he was + he'll lose all his found family and the world at large. If he refuses, LBD might just decide to aim for the Egg directly, taking away something Wukong has been incubating/nuturing for centuries away from him and using the energy accumilated within to fuel her mech.

It gives him enough pause that LBD manages to target her possession onto him.

LBD does not think about feeding Wukong in this timeframe ofc, since in her mind he's an immortal self-sustaining puppet now. It's ultimately what leads to her demise...

[the mental image of the stone egg's magic just chompingdown on LBD's soul is super funny, stone egg be like "you hurt bama and then try and leave like nothing? i think not! nom". SWK sensing the egg absorbing some powerful magic and is just like "oh gods".]

Oh gosh I'm trying to think of how terrfying that would be to witness.

You know when the Mayor gets un-possessed by LBD? Think that, but the soul energy is getting eaten like a string of noodles and slurped into Wukong's body.

Yuebei, from deep within Wukong's body: *burp!* Everyone present: 0_o Wukong, very concerned/proud(?): "Uh... I guess the Egg... ate her???"

[the stone egg go the last of the magic it needed and later during the celebrations felt that SWK finally had his whole family present and didn't feel isolated anymore and was like "huh, guess it's time, is it? okay" and that's that.]

The Egg needed Wukong to gain a couple few more family members before it could "hatch" into Baby. XD

[I headcanon Wukong hums a lot, so his infant picking up on the sounds of the tunes he hummed in the later stages of his pregnancy is very cute, but he probably thinks every sound she makes is like music even when not trying to mimic him. he bursts into tears the first time she chirps. Macaque def cries at her having dark fur like him cause it makes him feel more like a bio parent. DBK tries to hold it together but starts crying when she can fit into his cupped palm with ease. Kuanyin cries and gives Wukong a hug when he holds her for the first time.]

The whole squad is crying.

The baby does a little series of chirps that Wukong swears sound like a piece of music he hummed to himself when alone. He can barely explain it until he just buries his face into his (!!!) baby's dark fluffy hair. She smells like new beginnings and Wukong has to constantly wipe his eyes to prevent his tears from wetting her little face.

Mac's crying cus he's finally coming to terms with why Wukong hurt him all those years ago + he's meeting his former mate's little cub who looks like him!! He makes a sound akin to a dying squeaky toy when he's asked how he thinks of little Yuebei.

DBK holds it together until he has Yuebei in his palm. Smaller than even Red Son was as a baby. DBK does one deep breath... and quickly has to pass the baby to PIF cus his eyes have turned into waterfalls. She's so small!!

Quanyin has cried many times in their life as a goddess... but holding Yuebei is the first time in a long time she makes a joyful snotty sob. The baby monkey is confused by the bodhisattva's reaction, and tries kissing her tears away. This only makes her honorary aunt/grandmother cry even harder with pride and joy.

Not to mention how hard MK cries when Wukong introduces him to Yuebei as "your honorary big brother". Mei has hundreds of timelapsed photos of MK as his face contorts into an ugly cry as he holds Yuebei for the first time.

[he is thanked for his blessing and also thanked for being to busy to read the specifics of Wukong's imprisonment, seeing as if he had Wukong wouldn't be holding the most precious little furball in the universe right now.]

When Gold Star arrives to deliver his blessing, he finally gets a good look at the baby and is like "Oh!!" His previous divine demeanor immediately drops like an old coat, cus this is the first Stone Monkey infant he's seen in thousands of years!! And she's so beautiful!! He reminds himself to say sorry to Wukong for not checking if the Buddha's punishment was Stone Monkey friendly. Wukong and Mac laugh him off cus the Gold Star of Venus is currently having his beard nearly yanked off by the playful newborn cub.

[it's hard not to laugh given the context, there ends up being a joke mad that every new Jade Emperor will have stone monkey lazer eyes shot at them when they try and sit on the throne for the first time. Wukong is insanely proud.]

Wukong most certainly is proud!! His little girl is already developing ways to defend herself! She's supposed to be kidnapped after all.

[Azure would likely try deluding himself into believing that he, Wukong, and Yuebei could be a perfect family once justice is brought to Heaven, or try to blackmail the MKrew. or both. you can imagine that won't go over with anyone too well.]

Azure: "What do you think little cub? Am I not a fine Emperor and guardian? Do you think your mother will warm to being at my side?" Yuebei, hungry, frustrated, and bored: *glares and makes a distinctly "Macaque"-sound as her ears glow* The Brotherhood: "..." Peng: "She must be hard to impress. As any princess ought to be." Azure: *feels a little better* :'3 Yellowtusk the Wise, internally: "I'm telling Guanyin. I am not going to be held responsible for what nonsense Azure gets up to regarding Wukong and the infant."

[Azure was so busy fantasizing he didn't notice Yuebei starting to get playful, and playful+super power do not mix. she starts tugging at him to play and the rest is history.] + [they will always be super proud ;)]

If Azure still had a tail, Yuebei would have taken it as a chew toy long before the MKrew (love that name) got there. And Wukong would have let her keep it as a trophy.

Hope you enjoy this slightly different version of the other ask! I hope I managed to get to some details I forgot/overlooked in the other one!

[sheep33hallow]

Paws (GhostSoap) Call of Duty

Rating: G-T

Summary:

Soap, Ghost, Gaz and Prince have been in the Heavy Metal band, Underground 141, for over 20 years. They know they're a successful band, their manager Laswell has them working as a tight unit, and their accountants would agree as well. Three out of the four of them have kids, two are married and Ghost likes being the odd man out. 

AO3

___

Soap, Ghost, Gaz and Prince have been in the Heavy Metal band, Underground 141, for over 20 years. They know they're a successful band, their manager Laswell has them working as a tight unit, and their accountants would agree as well. 

Three out of the four of them have kids, two are married and Ghost likes being the odd man out. 

In his bones, he is a woodsman at heart. He likes wilderness activities, and collecting guns. His home is a fortress, yet it's also littered with teenagers' junk since Soap’s kids like being at his home as much as their Father does. 

He never understood his friends' fascination with him, and his kids have caught it as well. He's had to yell at them a few times when Gaz and Price bring their kids over and they want time with him as well. 

He knows more information about how the people think about their band than he's used to knowing, now that Emilio, Soap’s oldest, likes to record them for his TikToks. 

Ghost is always in his mask when he's recording. The world has never seen his face. He performs with it, does photoshoots in it and interviews. 

He was homeschooled as a kid, and the only person with photos of him as a kid is his brother. 

Against his will, he's learned the internet likes to ship Soap and he. He finds it odd. Shouldn't they ship their lead singer with someone who's handsome, or his ex-wife. He doesn't understand the appeal that two middle aged men have to people. 

Valeria, Soap’s ex, and PR manager, called him a Puta, when she told him to post more pictures of him and John on his insta instead of the fish he catches. 

Later that day, a photo of him without his face showing, and shirtless, with his fish he caught, shows up on Johnny's Instagram. They spent the weekend at one of Ghost cabins, making a fire, and cooking soup the old fashion way. It was something they liked to do from time to time. He knew Soap took photos of him, always has since they met. The little freak likes to act like the paparazzi and take photos of him when he thinks Simon isn't paying attention. 

The Internet instantly knows it's Ghost body. He may not show his face, but he shows his arms every now and again. It gets hot on stage playing the guitar for four hours, while Gaz will play the drums while they shower him with water during one of their theatrical sets. 

Valeria high fived Soap the next time they had a management meeting. 

He stood up and took a bow, everyone clapping for him. 

Ghost didn't clap, he was just confused. 

“Simon, ye just don't know the appeal ye have on people.” Johnny said when the meeting was over, as they walked down the hallway for their studio session. Johnny had his arm wrapped around Simon’s, leaning his head on the tall man’s shoulder. 

“Your attention is enough to fill a stadium. I don't need more people gawking at me.” Simon said, behind his half mask. 

“Ye just need me, big yin?” 

“I got you, even if I don't want you, don't I?” 

Soap laughs. “Damn, right.” He reaches over and rubs his hand on Simon's stomach over his signature black hoodie. “Ye gonnae cook fer me later?” 

“If you can make whatever those lyrics Gaz was trying to explain to us in that meeting sound good, sure.” 

They arrived, at the entrance of the studio, and Soap, wrapped a hand around Ghost wrist, “As long as ye, haz a right melody for me to holler to.” 

“Oh, I'll give you something to holler to, Johnny.” 

Ghost watched the blush flush up Soap's face, before opening the door, and pushing the Scottman inside. 

_____

Ghost shouldn't be surprised that it took this long for it to happen. 

Soaps have been hinting around for a while on the subject, and even the kids have been showing him videos and dropping horrible concealed hits on the topic, and now he's in this predicament. 

“Guys, guys, look at the new puppy my Uncle Ghost got!” Emilio was recording him while the dalmatian puppy was trying to take his sock off as he sat on the floor in front of his couch in the living room. 

The curly hair teen had his phone up, moving around in slow circles trying to get every angle, Ghost guessed. Soap was sitting on the couch next to him with Ghost's head resting on his knee. 

He had his official Ghost mask on since he knew the boy was going to record at some point during their time together. 

Soap’s daughter Tila, was in the kitchen eating out of a bag of grapes with the fridge door open. 

“Get ye a bowl, wee an.” Soap yelled for about the third time, but the 12 year old continued eating on the floor. 

“It's fine.” Ghost said he had one of his arms curled around Soap’s leg. He caressed his friend's ankle. “You MacTavish always eat me out of house and home. Don't know why you just don't move in at this point.” 

Soap stuck a few fingers under the back of Ghost’s mask, fiddling with the hairs on the back. “Dinnae thinks a Britt like ye, could handle us Scotts 24/7.” He murmurs. 

Simon huffs a laugh. He glances as Emilio picks up the puppy, and records themselves dancing together to some song. The boy had his ear buds in. 

“Oh, and 23/6.5 is clearly my limit.” 

Soap hums. 

“Well, both of our names are on the wee dug's certificate.” He says with a tone of nonchalant. 

Ghost firmly grasps Johnny's ankle. “Yeah, even though it's my dog.” 

Soap hums again. He takes his hand out of Ghost mask, and slides down on the floor with him. 

“Be careful Johnny. You can't get up and down like you used to.” Ghost teases. 

“Name the time, Si, and I can show ye, how much I can still get up and down just fine. Treat yeez like a bonnie cuddy.” He takes Simon's hand into his, and grins a feral grin at his long time friend before licking his bottom lips and biting it. 

Simon laughs at him. “I thought you needed a wedding before you'd give it up again.” 

“Aye, I do.” He looks at Simon meaningfully. 

Oh. 

“Oh.” 

Soap chuckles at him. “Let's talk more when the bairns are asleep, yeah? Maybe I'll show yeez a good winch.” 

Ghost is speechless after that. 

AO3

[dangermousie]

Young man, I hope you suffer and pain and wail and roll in agony on the ground!!!! Unlike most viewers, I can be fond of the noble idiot trope but only when there is a reason for it. Here, why don't you freaking TELL her about the calamity. That way she will know why you guys can't be together. Is there ANY reason why a sane person won't tell? She wouldn't insist if she knew this would destroy Daze Mountain or w/e but she'd be in possession of all the facts. He ranted at Pepto Barbie about taking his choice away but he's doing the same thing to Yin. Ugh, moron.

I mean - she literally asked! (Also, this is the ep that confirmed I am not cut out to be a xianxia heroine. My boyfriend went all jerk for no reason, I'd say bye see you never perhaps I will send you a sex tape of myself with all the hottest immortal bachelors so you'd know what you are missing.)

I laughed at him getting all beat up to get her the island she wanted. Perhaps you could talk to her, even if it's less gloriously masochistic? This said, if a rich royal dumped me but gave me a freaking xianxia equivalent of half of Hawaii to compensate, I'd consider it a fair deal :P

You know, if people talked to each other and acted sane, any xianxia drama would be about two eps long, so I am fine with thi tbh.

PS I ranted about it before but why on earth do all those numbskulls think you can avoid the calamity? It's by definition unavoidable. Try to figure out, as @silviakundera said, how to survive it, that's about the best you can hope for (and Donghua at least had the brains to realize it and so deflected some of the force of Jin's future tribulation onto Daze Mountain. See - that's what I call using a brain.)

[alchemist-shizun]

I was waiting you've been waiting ... MYATB final ep live reaction!

Somehow even later than last night, not only did I work for 6 hours again, I have guests over, but with no further ado let's begin!

first off i am terrified, somehow, even if im sure everything will be fine

STARTING OFF STRONG WITH THE HUAIBAO FANCAM. Does anybody look at first episodes Xiaobao expressions and how much of a genuine happy and warm smile he had, and now it's been SO LONG since we've seen one. Healthy happiness where are you?

Also. If I had a nickel for each time a danmei character falls off a cliff i'd be fucking rich let's BE REAL

lil meowmeow ...

XIAOBAO IS LOOKING FOR THE PENDANT SOMEBODY HOLD ME BACK

IT'S SOMEONE ELSE'S BLOOD XIAOBAO NO WORRIES this is so funny to me

Su Yin it's your turn for some character development come on I believe in you I know you won't disappoint me COME ON

My main question is why make him suffer so much things can be fixed so easily. so easily. oh my god.

Internally I'm also laughing a bit because Su Yin is just saying THIS MAN RUINED YOUR LIFE AND U WANT HIM BACK JUST HOW GOOD WAS THE DICK TELL ME. TELL ME

look at him, moisturized, in his lane, i dont know how the rest of the meme goes but you get it

OH MY GOD. OH MY GOD. YOU NEED TWO PEOPLE WITH STRONG INTERNAL FORCES. OH MY G O D u mean to tell me both Huai'en and Su Yin need to help him, this makes my ot3 mind go insane. This is beautiful, thank you Que Siming, again, he fixes everything, he is insane

NNNNNNNNNNnNnNnim goinG INSANEEEEE SIMING'S LIL be careful TO JINBAOOOOOOOOOOOOO STOPPPPPP IM SO SOFTTTTTTTT WEEPS WEEPS WEEEEEEEEEEEEEPS.

A few words for Xiaobao in this scene because holy shit. My boy is wholly desperate he'd do anything just to let Huai'en live, his feelings have been a mess for so long but he still finds it in himself to care about him so deeply he's better than any of us

This entire drama has been either of them in bed suffering and the other watching over, beautiful

holy fucking shit they FINALLY kissed. I'm going insane. THEIR HANDS!! THEYRE SO SOFT. Huai'en looks so cute after being kissed, they're so I'm so insane. my children.

i love my sick wife (literally either of them)

THEIR LITTLE SMILESSSS THEYRE SO SOFT AND VULNERABLE I WILL CRY

"swear to god if u and i become like this i give you permission to kill me" the most homophobic gay ever

I think he might really be one of my favourite characters I swear. Give an award to his actor. he is so disgusted by everything I love him

OH WOW OKAY. BATH TIME? Oh my god Su Yin and Huai'en. Here we go. My immediate response is "just kiss about it" but I don't think they will. Their tension would bleed out so easily

OOOO ZHAOCAI'S A MEANIEEEEEEEEEE

huaibao: having a small moment. Su Yin: THIS AINT ABOUT YOU!! i love them all, good god, he is hilarious, his jealousy is visible from three hundred miles

The healing process is so interesting to watch, I could just stare at them work for hours

WHY IS THIS GUY STILL HERE. WHAT. Thats a lot of food for a prisoner. TELL HIM LI GONGXIANG. HE IS SO AWESOME. God I ucking hate this guy.WHY ARE THEY LEAVING HIS CELL DOOR OPEN

HAPPY LITTLE THINGS

"Who am I to be mad at you?" I KNEW ITTTTTT I KNEW YOU'D CAVE SU YIN I LOVE U. WOOOOOOOOO

Heeeeeeeeere comes the cocklockkkk

MY TRIO OF WONDERS TWT <3 MAN the best dumbass trio ever

this is so fucking funny those two are lounging and there the others go being dramatic

im going to cry over su yin and xiaobao's bond again? yes. i am.

Thank u for calling that man a freak xiaobao

SHAOYU?? also this is the first time I see some actual help for starving people, that's a nice touch.

That was the stupidest interaction ever thank you shaoyu

oh he knows. he knows.

XIAOYU EXTERIOR DESIGN PASSION

THE SHADOWS MOVED IN WITH THEM ZHAOCAI NO LONGER ALONE. Also the matching headpieces!

THEY SAVED HIM TWT SHADOWS MY BELOVEDSSSSS

HUAI'EN IS SO HAPPY ABOUT BEING HIS WIFE

xiaoyu istg- HFAHAHAHA SHES DOING IT ON PURPOS. WE'RE ALL LAUGHING AT THEM LIKE ZHAOCAI

PLEASE IM NEARLY CRYINGNFDSAJAHAHAH

HE CANNOT BE JEALOUS ABOUT SU YIN AFTER HE PROPOSED FSJ

NOOOOOOOO WDYM THATS IT??????? NOOOOOOOOO THEY BARELY GOT USED TO EACH OTHERS SMILE. AND NOW IT'S OVER TWT NOOOOOO well that was a wild ride

I dont know what it is about danmei novels and NOT SHOWING ME THEIR WEDDINGS!!! I WANT TO SEE THEM!!

Anyway. WE REACHED THE END. WOW. Insane. Incredible work to all who worked hard to give us our first uncensored Chinese bl, may it pave the path to many more! I had fun waiting for episodes each week, hadn't felt this elated in a long time. I'm sad I cannot look forward to more, but I might get inspired and create some art or fics for this series, who knows owo the actors are too pretty to pass on.

I'm extremely glad we got that Su Yin acceptance arc I have been mentioning, Shaoyu hasn't gotten more bearable but ig he has to mature yet. Xiaoyu was an icon all episode, I must admit, Zhaocai has found his new partner in crime. I also dearly missed Jinbao and Siming as soon as they left :( their energies were something stupendous. I also liked that Huai'en did not go back to see his foster father, he didn't give him the fucking satisfaction. As it should be.

I'm not smart enough to make much more introspection so I think this is where I'll leave it! Come talk to me if you too have nobody to discuss this series with lmao, askbox is always open. Time for a deepdive into the tag now. I hope I see more of this soon!

A big pat on the back to all those of us who suffered to this day. WORTH IT WORTH IT.

HAVE A GOOD NIGHT

[carlsainz]

𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 – 𝒂���𝒆𝒙 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒄𝒐𝒕𝒕𝒆

summary: your friendship was perfect, until it wasn’t.

pairing: alex turcotte x reader

warnings: none

a/n: okayyyy guess who’s back!!! i’m definitely nervous as hell because i haven’t been writing lately and this was a challenge for me but i really hope you like it. thanks to my baby reghi @tencrushesperday for reading and helping me while writing <333 so that’s it, enjoy and please let me know what you think !!

word count: 2,5k

lowercase intended

being in love with your best friend isn’t easy. at all. after knowing alex back in that summer while both were working at the theatre , your life turned upside down but in a good way.

•

you were bored in the theatre, the movement almost nonexistent, when your manager called your name. beside her, was a boy around your age and looking very good.

“y/n, this is alex and he’s going to work with you during the summer,” cara explained.

“hey alex!” you exclaimed. you’d finally have some company.

he blushed and waved at you, smiling and showing two deep dimples.

when cara left, he approached you and said “did you know palace theatre always keeps two seats open for the ghosts to sit in?”

“really?” you asked. “how did you know that?”

“well i just love random facts and didn’t know what to say,” he admitted.

“that’s cute, i like it,” you replied. “but i’m terrified of ghosts so please let’s not talk about them.”

alex just laughed and nodded, asking you to teach him how to do basic things there.

•

by the middle of the summer, you and alex were best friends, totally inseparable. you loved to do shenanigans, and it was in the middle of a boring afternoon that an idea popped on your mind.

“hey,” you got his attention. “we should get matching tattoos.”

“mom is gonna kill me,” he answered.

“so what?”

“ouch!”

“i’m just kidding,” you laughed. “but not about getting matching tattoos.”

he sighed and said “‘k, i’m in. what do you think we should get?”

“maybe yin and yang because we’re kinda each other’s balance,” you suggested.

“that’s actually perfect,” the boy said. “we should do them today after work.”

and that’s the story of how you ended up with matching tattoos on your little fingers as a proof of your friendship.

his cute little dimples were absolutely enchanting and his smile the prettiest in the world in your opinion. at first, it was just friendship. the conversation flew easily, you loved his jokes and the way he could talk about literally anything. he made working easy and joyful and it was the best summer of your life.

at the end of the summer, he had to return to his life and to hockey, but you kept texting every single day. you knew everything about each other, literally everything. it was the perfect friendship, until it wasn’t.

it all started when alex started playing for the kings and you moved in with him to study at ucla. the domesticity of living with your best friend started doing things to your head and, within a few months, you realized you were in love with him. alex turcotte, your turtle, your damn best friend.

of course alex noticed how you were acting all weird around him and, inside his head, he thought he did something wrong. while you were freaking out on a daily basis because of your feelings, alex was feeling the same but for way longer. it was something that was bothering him since that first summer and he simply couldn’t say anything because he was completely scared of losing you.

everything has changed in the middle of another summer after alex’s rookie season. you were with the ntdp boys in Michigan and someone suggested you all should go to a party and that’s where you are now, getting drunk with alex and the boys and dancing like your life depends on it.

the first beat of your favorite song dropped and you immediately grabbed alex’s arm.

“turtle, let’s dance with me!” you screamed on his ear so he could hear you over the music.

he just smiled and nodded, going with you and never dropping your hand. in a calmer spot, you stood in front of him and and put your arms around his neck, while he didn’t know what to do with his hands.

with your mind kind of fogged, you simply stood on your tiptoes and whispered “you can touch me, you know.”

alex felt his face burning while you disentangled your arms from his neck to guide his hands to your hips. “way better,” you commented.

he automatically squeezed your hips, bringing you closer and you started swaying them in the rhythm of the music. the tension between you and alex grew with the music and by the end of it, you were looking at each other, gaze averting from eyes to lips.

turcs bent down and touched your nose with his, his hands gripping your waist now. “kiss me, alex,” you whispered and he only heard because of your proximity.

his lips finally touched yours and it was like the world was slowly fading into dust around you two. his touch was soft and his lips hungry yet, somehow, gentle. your fingers got lost in his hair and he brought you even close as if it was possible.

you spent some time just kissing and only stopped to breathe. you, once again, stood on your tiptoes and provoked him “who would’ve imagined turtle was such a good kisser, huh.”

he smiled, showing his dimples, and you kissed them tenderly. he blushed and you found that completely adorable, while alex wanted to dig a hole on the ground and disappear.

“you wanna go back to the lake house?” he asked.

“yeah.”

he held your hand and went to the place where the other boys were and quickly told them you were going back home because you weren’t feeling very well. they all were worried about you but alex convinced them he could take care of you.

turcs called an uber and you two looked like two teenagers, giggling and holding hands in the backseat of the car. it didn’t take long for you to arrive at the lake house and you went directly to the backyard to sit in one of the adirondacks, where you kept kissing and whispering sweet nothings into each other’s ears.

“do you think that this, us… do you think it could ever… be something more?” alex asked.

“i’ve waited to hear this for so, so long, turtle,” you said, smiling from ear to ear.

he smiled, caressing your cheek. “so what’s going to be?”

“i’m pretty sure we can be something more,” you giggled.

“yeah?”

“yeah, mr turkey turtle.”

he laughed and the sound was like your favorite song ever. you’ve spent the rest of the night that way until the guys arrived and you had to hide once again like two teenagers so they couldn’t see you.

in spite of all that happened, when you woke up the next morning, last night was just a big blur for you two. the kisses and words all forgotten, a distant dream or something.

the next day was spent in the dark because of the hangover and soon the summer ended. you were back to your normal lives and to the old feelings, blind to what happened on that beautiful summer night.

now you were almost screaming on the window while studying for a test and that’s exactly when alex opens the front door.

“hey y/n, i brought us sushi for dinner-” he stopped seeing you on the verge of tears. “what happened?”

“just school stuff, i don’t want a degree anymore, turtle,” you started crying.

alex just dropped his duffel bag on the ground, put the food on the sink and sat by your side at the kitchen island.

“you’re just tired, darling, do you want a hug?”

you only nodded and he involved you with his arms, your head resting on the crook of his neck while you cried and he whispered gentle things, making you cry even harder because you started thinking that that man would never be more than a friend.

he held you until you stopped crying, only sniffling. he disentangled his arms from you and looked right into your arms, softly smiling just because he knew you liked his dimples.

“thanks alex, you’re the best friend one could ever ask for,” you said and it was like you were stabbing him right in the heart, but he only kept smiling and started redoing your messy ponytail.

“you need to take a break, let’s eat something while we watch how i met your mother, what do you think?”

you sniffled once again “yeah, we can do that.”

turcs grabbed your hand, helping you stand up and go to the living room and while you sat at the sofa, he went back to the kitchen to grab the food.

you put on your favorite episode and he sat beside you, handing you the food. you ate silently, just laughing at the funny parts. when both of you finished, you paused the episode you were currently watching and discarded the trash, going back to the sofa and curling yourself at turcs’ side.

it was a common thing between you two. you’ve always been emotional and alex was your harbor. whenever you feel defenseless or small, you curl against his side and he protectively throws an arm around you. it’s always been like this, but this time seemed different. it felt more… familiar and it hurts.

you watched three more episodes until alex started yawning and both of you went to sleep.

“sleepover?” alex asked.

“yeah, just let me get ready.”

another tradition of yours. it was common for both of you to sleep on the same bed in times like these, because you tend to have nightmares when you’re too tired and alex always calms you down.

as the days passed, it became harder and harder to fight against all the feelings, especially to alex. his friends on the team didn’t know what to do anymore and, as a last resort, decided to arrange a blind date for him. of course alex didn’t know where he was going and why, but there, he ended up having fun with brianna, one of the guys’ cousin and after a couple months, they were officially dating.

when the news reached your ears, it wasn’t alex telling you. it was one of the kings wags, in the middle of a little get together. you felt like the world was dissolving while thousands of knives stabbed your whole body. you faked a smile and, after a few minutes, left saying you weren’t feeling very well.

meanwhile, alex was truly happy with brianna, the feelings for you in the past. or at least that’s what he thought.

you stopped going to his games, just to avoid seeing her at the box and started getting more miserable every passing day. it was now a common thing to see you locked in your room, crying and listening to taylor swift. even the guys were worried about you.

after one of the practices, they cornered alex to ask him what he had done to you and he was totally blind to the reason until fiala said “my girl said she bet she’s in love with you, when did it start?”

alex tried to remember. “i think it was when i started dating bri.”

“are you dumb or what, kid?” another one said. “of course she’s in love with you,” and everyone agreed.

“what do i do now?”

“you break up with brianna and go chase your dream girl, we all know you’ve been in love with her for longer than you can recall.”

he nodded and thanked his teammates. at his car, he called brianna and said they needed to talk. it was after dinner he told her they should break up and explained the reason to be completely honest with the girl. of course bri wasn’t happy, but thanked his honesty and they ended up in good terms.

meanwhile, you were once again crying your heart out after class sitting at your favorite spot at the beach all by yourself. how could you be so dumb to ever think that one day you and alex would be more than friends? now he’s dating the perfect sweet girl just like him and-

your thoughts were interrupted by alex’s voice.

“i knew i would find you here,” he smiled, sitting by your side.

you didn’t have the strength to even disguise your tears so you just looked at him, your heart breaking even more just at the bare sight of him.

“why aren’t you with brianna right now? i thought you were going to have a dinner together.”

“yeah we did, but we broke up,” he simply said.

“what? why?”

“she’s not the girl of my dreams and i couldn’t keep doing that with her.”

“but- but she’s perfect for you, you’re sweet together and-“

“i don’t want someone that looks just like me, y/n/n,” he said. “i want someone to complete me, my balance.”

after saying that, he put your pinkies together, the tattoos completing each other like you.

“you know, i’m in love with you for so long, since we were younger and i know it’s a risk to confess my feelings because i don’t know you feel the same but-“ you started interrupting his rant and he asked you to wait. “i love you since i’m 14 years old and if you asked me to jump off of a bridge that first summer, i would’ve done that without questioning you. every moment with you is a core memory, lately they’re sad ones but still. you’re such a bright person, you deserve someone who loves and worships you and i’m completely ready to do it since we were teenagers full of things to discover. please know that i don’t want a perfect person that’s just like me, i want you and your mess, because your mess is mine too. i want you even when you slap me in the arm if i breathe too loudly when you’re stressed, i want you on days when you don’t feel like talking to anyone. but above all of this, i want you when you feel unlovable, i want to show you how easy to love you are, how adorable, how empathic and helpful you are. i just want you.”

at the end, you were ugly crying like a baby, alex still holding your hand. you were completely speechless while alex nervously smiled.

“i love you, turtle. even though i can’t say anything right now, but that’s your fault,” you said, making him laugh.

“so you want to be perfectly imperfect with me?”

“of course i want to,” you replied and cried even harder, the moon, stars and the sea as testimonies of your love.

he kissed you and it was so delicate, the salty tears adding something special to your first kiss. suddenly, alex stopped.

“what happened?”

“are you feeling the familiarity too?”

“yeah,” you replied.

“when we were at the lake house, i had a crazy dream where we kissed for the whole night-“ you interrupted him.

“i had the exact same dream.”

“well, i don’t think it was a dream anymore,” he said and smiled.

“it’s so crazy to think it all could’ve been different if only we remembered that night.”

“sad too, but everything happens for a reason and we’ll be very happy from now on.”

and he was more than right, your story was just beginning and happiness was present in every single moment of it.

[kasienda]

yin and yang, chapter 4, “Adrien somehow made it through the whole day.”

Adrien somehow made it through the whole day. Marinette had never shown up. He had texted her, but she hadn’t responded yet. He tried not to panic.  “Do you think she’s okay?” Adrien asked Tikki.  Tikki smiled warmly. “I’m certain that if she wasn’t, you’d be the first person she would call.”  He let out a sigh of relief. Tikki was right. He normally got pulled from class for a day for all sorts of reasons. There was no reason to freak out.  But he missed her. Her presence had a way of soothing his anxiety if only because she could give him hints through every interaction.  He slipped through the doors of the bakery. Marinette’s mother was at the front and smiled at him brightly. Something in his chest squirmed. Marinette’s parents were so nice.  “Hey sweetie! How was school?”  “It was great!” Adrien assured her with a smile, but Sabine’s smile actually faltered. “Come here, Xīngān.” Adrien stepped around the counter, every muscle locked in tension as his heart pounded in his chest, once again completely uncertain as to what he did wrong. Sabine’s arms wrapped around him and pulled him into a hug. “You don’t have to pretend, you know. Not when you’re at home.” “Pretend?” he echoed. Had Sabine already figured him out? He didn’t think so. She was holding him and referring to him by the sweetest of Mandarin nicknames. She wouldn’t do that if she knew.  “Pretend that you’re okay,” she said, like it was obvious.  Adrien didn’t know what to say. What was she asking him to do? Break down into tears in her arms or whine about his day?  Neither would have been tolerated by his father.  She was stroking his hair, and he finally felt himself melt into her embrace. “I know, m-maman,” he said, trying hard not to stumble over the familial title and failing. After a week, it hadn’t gotten any easier. “I’m just tired.” Sabine nodded. “Well, if you want to take a nap, I’m sure your papa would understand.” “What?” “It’s Wednesday! Did you forget?” “I guess I just lost track of the days. He’s in the back?” Adrien pointed towards the bakery.  Sabine smiled. “As always,” she said. She kissed his forehead. “Have fun, okay?”  Adrien entered the back room of the bakery with only a little trepidation. Sabine has just told him to have fun, so it couldn’t be anything bad, right? Was this an every Wednesday thing that Marinette had forgotten to mention? Or a this Wednesday thing? Marinette didn’t have a calendar telling him where to be and when.  He was rapidly discovering that he didn’t know what to do with himself and all the unstructured time.  Tom’s whole face lit up when Adrien entered. It was surreal. Adrien’s father never looked at him with such open joy.  “There you are, cupcake! How was your day?”  “It was fine,” Adrien said. Tom was in the middle of decorating cookies and there was obviously a spot right next to him, waiting for Marinette to fill.

At some point, I had read an article about people who grow up in abusive dynamics - where a lot of the time they actually have a hard time in healthy relationships because their brain doesn't believe that it's real. They're actually more stressed out because they're waiting for the other shoe to drop at all times and when it doesn't, that just puts them even more on edge. I was trying to capture a little bit of that dynamic in Adrien's interactions with Marinette's parents.

He's always ready for his father to start in on the criticism, he's bracing himself for it at all times. So when he's Marinette with her parents he's still expecting that to happen at some point. That he's going to make a mistake at some point and they'll come down on him hard. This is all exacerbated by the fact that he's trying to pretend to be Marinette at the same time and is nervous about them figuring out that he's not.

Then it's all made just a little bit more stressful by the fact that his own mother is not around, and so just addressing anyone as mom brings all that up for him. And that in some ways, this is what Adrien wishes his family life was like. So he wants it, craves it, but is also terrified of stealing it from Marinette. ... Director's Ask Game if you want me to do another scene/snippet from any of my fics!

Link to the fic if you want to keep reading! Haha!

[cr1ms0nesp3ra-ac3]

Proflie for my COD OC,this is my art btw so I hope you enjoy it!: ⬇️

Loading:

Full Name:

Kaiden "Harmony" Stones

Age: 32 years old

Birthday: October 31,1991

Born from Colorado,Denver in America

Status: Active

Rank: Sergeant

Callsign:

Steelblade

The Blade(formerly)

Koroshii no Aka(translated in japan "The Red Kill",also formerly due to unknown reasons)

Nicknames:

Kai

Herb (formerly)

Interesting target ( to Kane )

Pathetic (to Kane and the terrorists )

A blade soldier ( to Price,Soap and Ghost )

Personality:

Despite his energetic vibe, Kaiden had the strength to protect the ones he loved and make sure that everyone is safe. Besides his chaotic matter- sometimes when Kaiden brings his neighbor snake friend "Viper" accidentally in front of the others,they were freaked out yet confused of why Kaiden had an interest of having Viper. And it got worse when Kaiden once was taking care of Willow the Spider outside of base- Price was scared of spiders when he saw Kaiden with Willow,before she died in June 4,2018.

But deep down to the other personality, that Kaiden was a very secretive,and also a liar from his own personality.. Why? He's been..pretending to hide his darkest secret pain from his ''good'' past. That he ..... preferred not to tell one.

After the kidnapped incident from Kane Joyce in December 14,2016. Kaiden began to change a bit..

He was used to be very tempered after he was kidnapped by Kane,but when he realized that the others might see him like this.. He doesn't want it to happen. And he began to feel a serious for sure.

And regardless of what happened 6 years ago, he's still caring for the others.

Yet he still pretends to hide his pain.

Languages(that he learned):

English(currently working on it)

Spanish

Japanese

Allies(aka his neigbor pets that Kaiden kept it secretly):

Viper the Snake

Willow the Spider (deceased at June 6, 2018 )

Family:

UNKNOWN due to personal reasons

Skills:

Blades

Knives

Guns (formerly)

Appearance:

Height:

6'9 ft

Eye color: Dark red velvet

Hair color: Dark brown

Scars: Bullet wounds (around his body,arms and face) Knife wounds (left upper arm,right hand,neck) Glass wounds ( everywhere from his body,arms ,legs and face.)

Beauty marks: none

Blood type: A-

Early "Life":

Growing up as an infamous rockstar guitarist was the best thing Kaiden ever lived for,joined with two friends "Scott 'Junior' Adams" and "Sophie Michigans" by the name of their band "The Shining Stars",it was created in April 19,2014 at the age of 23 before he had a letter from Captain Price in 2016. And regardless.. Kaiden forced himself to retire and decided to join the military. It went well when Kaiden had an interest of blades,he prefers it over guns because he thinks they were cool to fight with! Until..

There was an reason why Kaiden had the callname "Steelblade" as to hide his identity,he always had a feeling that he was about to get targeted. And yet he was correct..

There was an organization called "Yin to their Death",an group of terrorists with their leaders were targeting someone by finding their real identity. And of course,their main target was Kaiden,Run by Kane Adams. Kaiden was the only one who knew this and didn't want the others to know. And he wished to defeat him alone.. But he knew that the others(Gaz and Price) were preventing him from fighting Kane. And so,he must do it alone for their own sake.

( That was prob for my first and ever COD AU but idk lol- this will take place before MW3. Besides all that,I hope you enjoyed! His lore was currently worked on character.ai!! )

[crowning-art]

TGCF SPOILERS

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

THEY TURNED INTO A FREAKING SWORD?!?? THIS IS SO FUNNY TO ME I CANT TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY OH MY GOD THIS IS SO FUNNY

THIS IS BASICALLY THEM LMAO I CANT STOP LAUGHING

I never thought I would EVER use a transformers gif for TGCF of all things 😂

Stop Qi Ying is a literal puppy it's so adorable

Yin Yu had already snuck behind someone’s back to hide, but he was instantly picked out by Quan Yizhen. He jumped up and shouted, “SHIXIONG!”

Of all the reactions...this guy's reaction to hualian kissing is smt else lmao

Pei Ming: “Ho ho.”

Ok Santa Claus

AND THEN THIS MESS OF A CONVO OH MY GOD AND Qi Ying like ohhh that's how u borrow powers and everyone's like ok, who's gonna tell him?

Xie Lian accidentally choked a bit and only then did he break away. He didn't dare to look down, and shouted towards the sky, “B BORROWING SPIRITUAL POWERS! I’M ONLY BORROWING SPIRITUAL POWERS! VERY PROPER!”

Mu Qing was shaken too. “YOU DIDN’T NEED TO DO THIS TO BORROW SPIRITUAL POWERS THOUGH??? JUST A SLAP OR A SMACK OR SOMETHING WOULD’VE BEEN FINE???”

Xie Lian didn’t know what he was saying anymore, either, and cried randomly, “HAHAHAHA! I’VE BEEN SEEN THROUGH! IT’S NOT ACTUALLY BORROWING ANY SPIRITUAL POWERS! HAHAHAHA…”

FINALLY! JUN WU TOOK SO LONG TO COME DJJDJDJF but hey he's here to save the day!!

This was so poetic and like metaphorical but I'll explain that metaphor some other day lol

After Xie Lian stopped controlling it, that giant stone divine statue was still obediently lying on the ground, a gigantic, exquisitely-sculpted thing. Now that it’d fallen down, it also looked like a small mountain.

Imagine being Qi Ying and waking up and finding yourself in this random demonic place, and then u knock out, and you're a doll and you knock put and suddenly u r being forced into being a sword lmaoo

However, Quan Yizhen was confused. “Why am I going to the west? Just what exactly are we doing right now?”

No one could blame him for not knowing what was going on. Perhaps, he was confused the entire way: Why was he beaten? Why was he buried inside a wall? Why was he turned into a daruma doll? And why did he have to turn into a sword, too? There was not a single point where he’d figured out what was happening.

I CALLED IT AGAIN!!! (I think! I'm pretty sure I did...somewhere) but Goushi was so suspicious I KNEW IT

If Guoshi truly lived in this world for longer than Jun Wu, then the possibility he was one of the Four Guardians of the Crown Prince of Wuyong was even greater!

AYYYY HEAVEN'S EYE IS BACK! Love those funky losers lol

Wait, oh my God wait no oh my God no this has got be a joke, like my heart acc cracked PLEASE TELL ME THIS IS JUST A JOKE that poor beggar with his limbs cut off....was wind Master? Our beloved wind Master???? I literally feel like crying my heart is breaking so much

DID HE XUAN REALLY HAVE TO DO ALL THAT??? WAS THIS REALLY WHAT BROUGHT HIM SATISFACTION AHDUDJDJD UGHHHH IM SO PISSED AND SAD AND UPSET AND ANGRY AND EVERYTHING

My poor beloved wind master....

I am so sad 😔

[deerydear]

It's way more fun to leave it to the mystery of the wind....

...but, to my ears, I always thought it was obvious that Ryuzaki's aggressive-top attitude was a parody-dig at L.

"You know, I am childish and I hate to lose."

"I have never once been submissive, not even to a traffic signal."

It just makes sense coming out of L's mouth.

Although.... *dipshit thinking-face*

Someone else brought up the point that maybe L copied Ryuzaki's copy of him, for the Kira case..... specifically just to freak Kira out, try to throw him off balance.

He had heard how well it had worked for Ryuzaki.

My other supposition: Everything that Ryuzaki did was supposed to be a dig at L, including rifling through a murder-victim's panty-drawer in plain view of another detective.

Look, you would think that if B had wanted to do that.... that he would have made time specifically for when he wouldn't have company. But he knew Naomi was coming. She says this, she detected it in her gut, before her mind had processed it.

It's also fun to be the bad guy.

I often think about the movie Se7en, where the lead detectives are interrogating the serial-killer they've caught.

He says he was inspired by God.

One detective asks: "If you feel that you were ordered to do this, then why did you seem to get so much enjoyment out of it?"

[.........]

"Nothing wrong with a man taking pleasure in his work"

I have a strong distaste for fandom... I like the privacy that a book holds.

For me, this has really been like a litmus-test for tumblrites' intelligence, at least for as much as I should take random people's opinions seriously.

If you can't even solve a problem where there is a definite right or wrong answer, where there is INTENT, there is a question posed.... then how could I expect anything of you?

I'm not trying to insult, but I'm putting my thought-process out on paper.

A dangerous thing.... is that?

Is it so dangerous to know what's running through another man's head?

Another funny thing, back to Ryuzaki: is how there are two components.

One, he put the plan out on paper. He marked it down, he planned it.

Two, he did it.

IT'S LIKE SURFING, MY DEAR WATSON!

lol...

because there are all these currents underneath your feet, and you have to know how to move over them, in order to achieve a goal.

So imagine for yourself, putting a plan on paper........ then, how you would realize it into the world.

(L's other succeeding heirs each embodied these two functions of his personality: the cold, methodical, calculating one who sits like a spider; the one who picks up all the pieces and organizes them, one at a time.

The other is the actor, the instigator, the one who grabs life by the balls and pulls.)

Catch the wave, my dear Watson!

I'd do it because it would amuse me. It isn't particularly my natural behaviour, but what is natural anyways?

Everything is trying to achieve form all of the time. The ether is full of unrealized potentials.

Did you know that the I Ching's hexagrams -- alternating yin and yang lines -- are the inspiration for the binary math that is used in computers today?

0's and 1's

Assigning an alphabet to ordered combinations of these: 01101100 01100101 01110100 01110100 01100101 01110010 01110011.

Let's look at an episode of south park for inspiration:

The time where the guys TP someone's house.

This little soundbite video, embedded up above, is a lot funnier in the full context of what's going on in the world. I linked to the episode so you can watch it.

Just make sure your antivirus is active. Wear a condom, man.

Why I bring this up?: When I first saw this, I wasn't aware that this was inspired by another movie. I thought it was hilarious in its own right.

Something about that...

You know.... if we're going to play tit-for-tat, I think that Misora got off pretty light, as far as the Ryuzaki treatment goes.

I mean, that L is so weird that he chose to handcuff himself to another person, spent every second of every day and night together with him... even as far as showering.

Put THAT in your pipe and smoke it!

[quitealotofsodapop]

Gods help Macaque when Jade-Face learns how risky the pregnancy Wukong was going through actually was. If he thought she was mad the first time around, she was twice as pissed off at her surrogate son/protégé when she learned that most Stone Monkeys do not survive childbirth and that its very possible the only reason Wukong is even remotely as healthy as he is was due to the fact he was quite literally immortal and a group of mortals his successor is family with just so happened to find and adopt him into their pack "just in time!"

The furious Nine-tailed vixen momma.

I understand from another ask you meant Jiuweihuli aka Nine-Tailed vixen.

But yeah, her and Jade-Face are like the lethal duo of a pissed-off mom and auntie ready to kick Macaque's butt for his recklessness. The two force Mac to sit his butt down and roast him verbally for hours over tea. After the Shadow Play incident, Mac just knew his adoptive mother/mentor was on the otherside of the stage door ready to yell at him for; "Messing with those nice noodle people!" and left himself open to attack from a certain demon.

Mayor: "Bravo! Bravo! What a perform-" Macaque, not even paying attention: "Thank the buddha, get me out of here. Sneak me out the fire exit or something. Anything's better than facing her right now." *(later getting interrogated/threatened by LBD)* Macaque: "Ugh... hard to decide what woman I'm more afraid of."

And since his disappearance left behind a bunch of dark magic with the Bone Spirit's signature on it - the rest of the theatre staff immediately freak out and peace together that the Vixen's protege has been kidnapped. The Monkie Kid gang get a screaming, worried phone call from the theatre house about Macaque going missing - MK doesn't think much of it since he barely tolerates his not-mentor - but they get very concerned when the words "bone spirit" pop up.

Jiuweihuli: "It's terrible. I know he's been acting like a bum lately, but the last time he dropped off the face of the earth like that he died." MK, very tired but concerned: "Wait. Died? And you say there was Bone Spirit magic left behind?" Jiuweihuli: "Yes. Biggest culpurit I can think of is that boney b-word who was bumping around earth for a while calling herself the Ivory Lady. I performed for her Emperor whats-his-name a few times." MK: "Monkey King says a Lady Bone Demon was the one who threatened him during New Years." Jiuweihuli: "Small world. Whats the King up to now? Taking plenty of rest?" MK: "Actually him, DBK, and Red Son are running across Heaven, Hell, and the Underworld right now looking for clues on what the Lady Bone Demon is planning." Jiuweihuli, after a long silence: "...He's doing what now!?"

The Vixen decides in that moment that this family hasn't a braincell to rub together, and orders her twins to try and keep an eye on where ever Macaque shows up. She also calls up her niece Bo (the demon accountant) in the Celestial Realm since she works as an assistant to Lao Tzu.

Bo, on the phone: "Hmm, no sign in the palace auntie but- oh no wait... some Asura just got their bums handed to them. Yeah, there's food flying everywhere. Yeah I see the King flying around out there, he looks fine but he just ate a dumpling bigger than he is. I'll keep you posted auntie."

Jiuweihuli is a nosy fox and she will find out where her idiot understudy and his boyfriend have run off to. And when Bo gets back to her in a hurry with the knowledge (from skimming Lao Tzu's research) that Wukong is pregnant with a Stone Egg that typically kills the parent... Macaque better wish he only dies if he fails LBD.

Mac seeing the Jin and Yin following him during S3 like:

[asthmark]

❝ chemistry ❞ o.st

synopsis → osaki shotaro moving to town means trips to the dance studio, boba dates, and the perpetual teasing of lee donghyuck. 

pairing → shotaro, reader

requested? → yes! based off @onlyjihoons​​’s shipping game answer ♡

word count → 5.5k (this was supposed to be 1k.... goodbye.)

a/n → i enjoy writing texting scenes WAY too much ;; tbh this is like 50% texts im cryign but i had to convey how much i love 00 line .... and also how firmly i believe in lee donghyuck devil supremacy. as always, feedback is greatly appreciated and enjoy! 

+

if someone were to ask you how you felt about your friends, you would without any hesitation, answer that you loved them to death. of course, if you were being completely honest, you would also have to add that you experienced the urge to strangle them from time to time. that might earn you a couple odd stares but you’re sure people would be more understanding if they knew who was in your inner circle to begin with.

for starters, there was lee jeno — tall, handsome, and the textbook definition of a gentleman. then, na jaemin, who you would consider to be the yin to jeno’s yang. an extremely energetic guy and, in your book, a total freak of nature ever since you found out that he inhales four shots of espresso on the daily. liu yangyang was a more recent addition to your group but, being as quick-witted as he was, he quickly fit right in. he also had a habit of going on somewhat aggressive rants in german which renjun found to be extremely amusing. speaking of, huang renjun was another one of your close friends — the shortest of the group, actually. (and, much to renjun’s dismay, that’s exactly how donghyuck liked to introduce him to people.) he was the type of guy you could trust to keep everyone in check which consequently made you mildly terrified of him.

however, it could never compare to the perpetual fear you have of lee donghyuck. 

of course, you love him to pieces but sometimes you really wish he didn’t find so much joy in, well, making everyone miserable. you couldn’t deny it was funny to watch him tease and taunt your other friends. you still remember him purposefully messing up renjun’s game at the local arcade just when he was about to reach his high score — and also the way renjun had tackled him to the floor right then and there, resulting in the six of you being banned from the place. or, that time he offered to pay for everyone’s starbucks orders only to tell the barista that jaemin’s name was ben dover. (to no one’s surprise, yangyang had found that joke particularly hilarious.) you can also clearly recall how hard you had laughed in both of those situations.

but, donghyuck never let anyone laugh for too long.

according to him it was ’only fair’ to make sure each of his friends was at the receiving end of his gags. so, despite laughing at his latest victim’s expense, each of you knew that donghyuck would make sure you were in the same position sooner or later.

you definitely weren’t expecting it to be your turn one dull friday evening.

things are going slow for you as you sit at your desk, typing away on your laptop. school has been out for hours and your professors have decided to be saints and leave you little homework for the weekend. beside you, your phone dings, alerting you of the new text message in your group chat.

[4:23 pm] hyuck: i’m bored 🥺

[4:23 pm] you: plz never use that emoji again

[4:24 pm] nana: it’s misleading dude

[4:25 pm] yangx2: yeah like when have u ever made a face that isn’t this 😈

[4:25 pm] renjun: donghyuck is the devil = confirmed

[4:25 pm] nana: CALLED IT

[4:26 pm] hyuck: u guys are literally so evil

jeno laughed at “u guys are literally so evil”

[4:27 pm] jeno: look who’s talking lol

[4:27 pm] you: dangg u know it’s bad when lee jeno disses u

[4:28 pm] jeno: ...ngl it kinda feels like ur shading me rn

[4:28 pm] you: u would be correct :)

[4:29 pm] hyuck: um HELLO can u guys go back to paying attention to me???

[4:29 pm] renjun: what do u want, diva?

[4:29 pm] hyuck: i just wanna spend some quality time with my best friends ;(

renjun disliked “i just wanna spend some quality time with my best friends ;(”

yangx2 disliked “i just wanna spend some quality time with my best friends ;(”

you disliked “i just wanna spend some quality time with my best friends ;(”

nana disliked “i just wanna spend some quality time with my best friends ;(”

jeno disliked “i just wanna spend some quality time with my best friends ;(”

[4:30 pm] hyuck: OH COME ON

[4:30 pm] yangx2: i think what u meant to say is that u wanna make one of us very miserable today, right?

[4:30 pm] hyuck: .....no comment

nana renamed the group chat “hyuck hate club”

[4:31 pm] hyuck: ok i’m honestly feeling so attacked right now

[4:31 pm] jeno: well now u know what it’s like to be friends with u

[4:31 pm] you: so true king omg ur on a roll

[4:32 pm] hyuck: hmm okay so either jeno or y/n is gonna be today’s target, got it

[4:32 pm] hyuck: anyway can u guys come down to the dance studio now??

[4:32 pm] you: what makes u think i would go anywhere near u when i know ur plotting ur revenge on me as we speak

[4:32 pm] hyuck: because maybe i’ll have mercy on u and just terrorize jeno instead

[4:33 pm] you: good enough for me! thnx bestie, see u soon!!

[4:33 pm] jeno: HEY

nana laughed at “good enough for me! thnx bestie, see u soon!!”

[4:34 pm] yangx2: u literally cannot trust anyone in this friend group

[4:34 pm] renjun: ikr isn’t it great???

you might have been slightly out of your mind to willingly go see donghyuck knowing you had teased him in your group chat earlier. although, if there was a slight chance he would show you mercy if you did hang out with him, you were going to take it.

the studio was where you had first met donghyuck, along with the rest of your friends due to the dance classes you attended. after bumping into each in between classes and during practice, you began to get well acquainted. turns out, the six of you actually got along incredibly well and after a while, you began to share routines and tips, even choreographing together from time to time. obviously, this led to the infamous group chat being formed and lots of time spent outside the studio as well.

but, none of you had lost that love for dancing. in fact, forming your little clique had only made it grow. as you opened the front doors of the building you had made so many memories in, you wondered if donghyuck wanted your insight on a certain routine or needed some help choreographing. of course, there was also the possibility that he really was just bored and wanted you to suffer with him.

what you did not expect, however, was to see him caught up in conversation with another person. you couldn’t clearly see them with donghyuck in the way; all you knew for certain was that your best friend’s mouth was moving a mile a minute. you tentatively tiptoe into the room, hoping to not intrude on their discussion. but, at hearing the doors creak open, donghyuck puts his rant on pause to enthusiastically wave you over.

you sigh, putting your belongings down and approaching the pair. as you near, you notice that hyuck has a huge smile — no, smirk — on his face. you internally curse yourself for believing that he would ever pass up an opportunity to torment you, especially in front of a stranger.

“this is a very dear friend of mine,” you hear him introduce to his acquaintance. “her name is y/n. she dances, too.”

“oh, that’s really cool!”

the stranger’s unusually cheery tone prompts you to finally peek behind donghyuck and put a face to the voice.

and what a face he has.

“this is shotaro,” donghyuck informs you. “he’s new to town and quite the dancer. caught him in the middle of a routine.”

your knees almost wobble as you take in the stranger — shotaro’s — kind eyes that almost sparkle. (you aren’t sure if it’s because of the fluorescent lights of the studio or just part of his charm.) his lips are curved up into a friendly smile that makes you feel slightly giddy. his hair falls into his face almost perfectly, not a strand out of place and you’re uncertain as to how that’s even possible since, as donghyuck had said, he was dancing. not to mention, there’s not a bead of sweat on his face. did this guy come straight out of a disney movie or something?

“excuse her,” donghyuck chuckles. “good looking people tend to make her freeze up. don’t worry, this happened when she met me, too.”

you offer your friend a glare and an elbow to the side and you swear you hear shotaro chuckle. you turn to him instead, putting on a welcoming smile.

“my bad, i just—”

“got lost in his eyes?”

you pinch the bridge of your nose. “donghyuck, please don’t make me have to attack you in front of our guest.”

more giggles escape shotaro. (you swear it’s the prettiest thing you’ve ever heard.) you curiously tilt your head at him.

“sorry, it’s just that, you guys are too funny,” he admits with a sheepish smile.

you mirror his grin, slightly relieved he was amused instead of weirded out. “yeah, well, just wait ’til you meet the rest of us. it’s like a circus show, you’ll love it.”

“hello, clowns!”

“speak of the devil,” donghyuck murmurs, watching as yangyang and renjun enter, followed by jeno and jaemin.

“woah, who’s the cutie?” yangyang asks renjun, in what you presume he thinks is a whisper. however, yangyang has never spoken quietly a day in his life. renjun simply shrugs at his question.

having clearly heard the compliment, a faint blush creeps onto shotaro’s cheeks.

“guys, this is shotaro,” donghyuck answers, tugging the sandy blonde forward.

he gives a somewhat shy wave. “hi, y/n’s friends.”

jaemin erupts into laughter. “uh oh, looks like he likes y/n more than hyuck.”

“don’t blame him,” jeno mutters.

shotaro’s forehead creases, face suddenly twisted in worry. “oh, i’m sorry, was i not supposed to say that?”

“oh no, don’t worry,” donghyuck denies, quickly. “i’m sure y/n doesn’t mind at all, right?”

if you could crawl into a hole to avoid the embarrassment, you would. of course, donghyuck was 100% right; you really didn’t mind shotaro calling the group that if it meant you could hear him say your name over and over again. in fact, his sweet voice could probably make the dictionary sound like the most addictive song. but, donghyuck had no right putting you on the spot like that.

jeno suddenly speaks, catching on to your flustered state and donghyuck’s evil grin. “so, it’s y/n’s turn today? sweet, i’m off the hook!”

shotaro furrows his brows slightly. “huh?”

“oh, it’s just an inside joke,” jeno says, smile reaching all the way up to his eyes.

you wish you could strangle him right then and there for finding amusement at your expense but the last thing you want is for shotaro to think you’re some sort of psychopath. (although, with a friend group like this, you’re definitely beginning to think that’s where you’re headed.)

“got it,” shotaro responds, breaking out into a grin himself. “you guys seem like a really close bunch!”

“the closest,” donghyuck corrects, overly sweet, as he wraps an arm around you. (you resist the urge to shove him off.) “you’ll fit right in!”

+

you believed that the torture was over the day donghyuck introduced shotaro to your group. you would probably just see him from time to time and the studio (hopefully without hyuck around) and it would all be downhill from there, right? the latest notification on your phone alerts you that you are absolutely wrong.

hyuck has added one (1) user to the group chat

[1:05 pm] hyuck: welcome shotaro!!

[1:06 pm] unknown: oh hey guys! :]

the emoticon almost makes your heart beat right out of your chest. you roll your eyes in frustration at how easily affected you were by this guy. seriously, why did everything he do have to be so cute? regardless, you quickly add his number to your contacts.

[1:06 pm] hyuck: why don’t we do a little roll call so shotaro can save ur numbers to his phone

[1:07 pm] yangx2: YANGYANG

[1:07 pm] yangx2: HA I WAS FIRST

[1:07 pm] jeno: ...

[1:08 pm] jeno: anyway this is jeno :)

[1:08 pm] nana: jaemin present!

[1:08 pm] renjun: hi shotaro, this is renjun

[1:10 pm] shotaro: haha cool thanks a lot, i just saved all ur numbers!

[1:10 pm] shotaro: but quick question, is y/n in this group chat? :0

you almost drop your phone at reading shotaro’s message although you’re unsure why. he just typed your name, get it together, you urge yourself.

[1:11 pm] you: heyy shotaro! i’m right here :)

[1:11 pm] shotaro: oh yayy! i’m so glad ^^

hyuck disliked “oh yayy! i’m so glad ^^”

[1:12 pm] hyuck: shotaro plz return my love what does she have that i don’t T-T

[1:12 pm] nana: a heart

[1:12 pm] yangx2: a brain

[1:12 pm] jeno: a conscience

[1:12 pm] renjun: a functioning moral compass

[1:13 pm] hyuck: wtf

[1:13 pm] shotaro: ahahaha it’s like i’m watching a comedy

[1:14 pm] you: told u it’s a circus

[1:14 pm] you: i say get out while u still can

[1:14 pm] shotaro: whaatt and leave u behind? no way!

nana renamed the group chat “shotaro x y/n supremacists”

[1:15 pm] jeno: my thoughts exactly

[1:15 pm] renjun: took the words right out of my mouth

you cringe at your friends’ blunt behavior, praying shotaro didn’t find their antics to be too strange.

[1:16 pm] shotaro: 😳

[1:16 pm] nana: aww someone’s shy

[1:17 pm] renjun: he wouldn’t last a day in itzy

[1:17 pm] yangx2: HELPP

you shake your head, laughing silently to yourself as you mute the group chat and place your phone back down. although, moments later, you receive a direct message. you presume it’s one of the boys trying to rope you back into the chat but the moment you see the contact name, you’re forced to do a double take.

[1:21 pm] shotaro: i hope i’m not bothering u but i just wanted to make sure ur okay .. you kinda went quiet in the gc :>

[1:21 pm] shotaro: it’s shotaro from the dance studio btw!

you can’t help but find the fact that he seriously thought you wouldn’t remember him adorable. how could you ever forget a face like his?

[1:22 pm] you: that’s so kind! i’m okay, i promise. i’ve just had to put up with those dorks for way too long, sometimes i just ignore them haha

[1:22 pm] shotaro: lol yeah they do seem like a handful! but i look forward to getting to know them better!!

[1:23 pm] shotaro: and u too ofc~~

it takes all your willpower not to spam dozens of heart emojis in an attempt to show shotaro just how he has reduced you to a lovesick fool. instead, your response is short and sweet.

[1:23 pm] you: right back at u, taro! ♡

+

“okay, take five,” donghyuck pants, pausing the music blaring from the speakers.

you gladly obey, wiping away the light sweat you had worked up from the latest routine you and hyuck were constructing.

you both belonged to the same dance class and frequently paired together for partnered projects. the rest of your friends attended different classes, which you constantly joked was for the best since there was no way one dance instructor could possibly handle the six of you together.

“how do you feel?” donghyuck asks you, running a hand through his tousled hair.

“the choreo’s great, i’m proud of what we got so far,” you reply. “of course, i would be happier if i didn’t have to get so up close and personal with you.”

donghyuck scoffs at your joke. “i can’t do anything about that. the teacher said the whole concept of the routine is supposed to be is intimate.”

you fake a gag, failing to contain a laugh when hyuck playfully shoves you in offense.

“i’m sorry i can’t be shotaro,” he adds, a smirk forming on his lips.

you roll your eyes. “oh, very funny.”

“c’mon, you’re acting like you wouldn’t kill to have him as your partner, especially with choreo as spicy as this.”

“well, it would beat being paired with you,” you remark, picking up your water bottle and taking a swig.

“hm, then looks like today might be your lucky day,” donghyuck replies, eyes trained somewhere behind you.

you follow his gaze, nearly choking on your water as soon as you catch sight of shotaro entering the studio. he meets your eyes, plucking out his earbuds and offering you a small wave.

“oh, hey guys!” he exclaims, cheerfully.

“hey ’taro,” you greet, rather quickly, earning you a knowing glance from your partner.

“’taro?” hyuck repeats, amused, as he folds his arms over his chest. “you guys are already on cute nickname basis?”

shotaro giggles, eyes squinting adorably as he does so. “it is a pretty adorable nickname, right? she’s the only one who calls me that!”

your heart beats faster when you see how oddly excited that seems to make him. did he somehow find it endearing?

“seems like the two of you are becoming quite close, hm?” continues hyuck.

shotaro nods enthusiastically before glancing at you tentatively, as if to check for confirmation.

“yeah, you could say that.”

your agreement causes yet another smile to grace shotaro’s lips — this time he seems relieved. you briefly wonder if the kid ever stops flashing those pearly whites of his. you certainly hope so, or else your heart may never catch a break.  

“well, since you’re comfortable enough with each other,” donghyuck begins, flashing you a grin.

you’re not even sure what he’s gonna say but you already feel the need to put an end to it. after all, nothing good has ever come of donghyuck’s mischievous grins. you subtly purse your lips and narrow your eyes in an attempt to get him to stop whatever chaos he’s planning to ensue.

nevertheless, he proceeds. “maybe you could help me out with this choreography?”

you want to facepalm at donghyuck’s lame excuse of a lie. however, on the other hand, shotaro’s face lights up in delight.

“you’re working on choreo? what for?” he inquires, curiously.

“for our dance class,” hyuck explains, motioning towards you. “i have a couple ideas so i was thinking you two could maybe try out some steps i’m planning to include. you know, to help me... visualize.”

“that sounds awesome,” shotaro responds, oblivious to your friend’s untruths. “i would love to help you guys out.”

“great!” donghyuck claps his hands together. “just a heads up, the theme of the routine is intimacy, so i wanna see all that charm of yours, shotaro. it’ll, uh, help me choreograph.”

you cringe at the obvious fib. meanwhile, it’s as if a switch has gone off in shotaro’s mind. his smile fades and his eyebrows knit together. “hold on, i-intimacy? does that mean—”

“that you’ll have to get a bit touchy-feely with her? yeah,” donghyuck interjects, innocently.

“y’know... i’ve really been wanting to dance with her.” he faces you, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. “just never thought it would be like this.”

you offer him an apologetic smile. “i know, it might be a bit... uncomfortable. you can back out if you’d like. i promise hyuck and i won’t mind.”

shotaro’s head shakes, vigorously. “no, of course not!” he must realize how quick he was to deny your offer, making him suspiciously eager to be close to you as he immediately adds, “i mean, it’s good practice.”

you suppress a giggle. “sure thing. hyuck, should we get started now?”

the boy in question dramatically picks at his nails, acting as if he had been waiting on you both for hours. “if you guys are done flirting, then, yeah.”

you roll your eyes, shooting shotaro a mildly annoyed stare. he grins, finding it to be equally amusing as it is endearing. (what can he say, the faint pout that appeared on your face was cute.)

“shotaro, how about you get in position right behind her.”

shotaro obeys, making sure to leave a significant amount of space between the two of you. however, donghyuck doesn’t seem to approve.

“closer!” he commands. “the concept is intimacy, not social distancing!”

shotaro shuffles forward, pressing his front into your back. you can’t help but notice how firmly toned his chest is. curse his dancers body, you think.

“okay, now, lemme see your hands on her waist!”

you feel the breath of shotaro’s shaky exhale on the back of your neck as he obeys, sliding apprehensive hands around your midsection. there’s silence on donghyuck’s end and through the mirror you watch him observe the two of you, no doubt acting way more pensive than he truly is. you know he’s just prolonging your flustered state by keeping you in this intimate position with the younger boy.

although, shotaro himself might know it too, considering the fact that he begins to rub comforting circles into your sides that he’s currently gripping, as per donghyuck’s request, in an attempt to calm you down. you nearly melt right then and there. at the same time, you hope he doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon.

donghyuck calls out your name, successfully startling you and putting an end to the peaceful atmosphere. “why don’t you go ahead and lean on his shoulder. just lay your head back nice and easy— good, very good! look at that chemistry!”

if you’re being sincere, reclining on shotaro feels way more natural and enjoyable than it should. he steadily holds you in place, almost as if he secretly wishes to never let go. you wouldn’t be completely opposed to the idea either.

“alright, last thing, guys! y/n, how about you hook your arm around shotaro’s neck?”

you do so, fingers brushing softly against his jaw. he shivers beneath your touch, erupting into giggles when you shoot him an odd stare.

“i’m ticklish,” he confesses, in a whisper.

you can’t help but smile widely. “is that so? hm, i might have to exploit that information sooner or later.”

“as long as donghyuck doesn’t find out,” he replies.

his comment certainly gets a chuckle out of you. “did you finally realize how evil he is?”

“if the torture he’s putting you through right now is anything to go by, then absolutely.”

“only a matter of time before it’s your turn,” you reply. you lean into his ear to add, “by the way, this is anything but torture for me.”

“hey! no whispering!” donghyuck reprimands.

for the first time, shotaro goes against the older boy’s orders to whisper back, “it’s mutual. if anything, i think this is the best thing i’ve done since i moved here.”

your heart melts at the sincere admission. you stare at shotaro in what you’re sure is a very obvious case of heart eyes. you’re taken aback to find that he, too, returns the lovesick look. perhaps he was immersing himself a bit too much in the intimacy concept...

“stop! pause! cut!”

you and shotaro (reluctantly) untangle yourselves from each other to face a seemingly unhappy donghyuck.

“can you guys please just focus on my instructions without falling in love with each other?” he pleads. “i mean, you haven’t even gotten out of the starting position yet.” he groans, exasperated. “actually, you know what, just take five.”

+

[2:03 pm] hyuck: good morning

[2:03 pm] nana: it’s 2 o clock in the afternoon but ok

[2:03 pm] hyuck: i just woke up, therefore it’s morning

[2:03 pm] shotaro: good morning :3 did u sleep well?

[2:04 pm] hyuck: i slept a wonderful 27 hours, thnx for asking!

[2:04 pm] yangx2: ?????? THERES NOT EVEN 27 HOURS IN A DAY IM SCREAMING

[2:04 pm] you: LOLLL WHY WAS HE HIBERNATING

[2:05 pm] renjun: i was just gonna ignore him but i am genuinely concerned now

[2:05 pm] shotaro: woww,, well at least you’re well rested now! :]

[2:04 pm] nana: shotaro, i am begging u not to encourage him

[2:04 pm] you: all it takes is one (1) supportive person and he becomes an unstoppable force of evil

[2:04 pm] shotaro: o_0

[2:05 pm] jeno: besides ur like the only other person here with common sense besides myself and maybe renjun. i can’t lose u to donghyuck :(

[2:05 pm] renjun: ykw i’m not even gonna argue with that

[2:05 pm] yangx2: yeah shotaro is a good guy™

[2:06 pm] hyuck: i hate u guys and ur goldfish attention spans

[2:06 pm] you: sigh what do you need hyuck?

[2:06 pm] hyuck: i want boba :(

[2:07 pm] you: that actually sounds really good but idk if it’s worth being around u

[2:07 pm] hyuck: i’ll pretend like u didn’t just say that <3 what if i paid?

[2:07 pm] you: ....

[2:08 pm] yangx2: LMAO HYUCK BEING NICE IS SUSPICIOUS BEHAVIOR

[2:08 pm] renjun: ikr it’s making me super uncomfortable rn

[2:08 pm] hyuck: can’t i do something nice for my friends? :/

[2:08 pm] jeno: no

[2:09 pm] nana: nope

[2:09 pm] yangx2: nah

[2:09 pm] renjun: absolutely not

[2:09 pm] you: never seen it happen before so no

[2:10 pm] hyuck: u guys are so fake :( shotaro do u wanna hang out with me? if u say no i’ll scream :)

[2:11 pm] shotaro: yeah i guess i could :]

[2:11 pm] renjun: oh this just got interesting.. i guess i could tag along

[2:11 pm] yangx2: me too, i gotta be there to record whatever happens

[2:12 pm] nana: i’m in

[2:12 pm] jeno: same

[2:12 pm] you: hhhhh okay fine.. only to ensure taro’s safety

[2:13 pm] shotaro: (^з^)-︎♡

+

due to the fact that you believed donghyuck was going to try and officially initiate shotaro into your friend group with one of his infamous pranks, you decided to head to the boba shop. you hoped that if you showed up, you would be able to prevent whatever mayhem he had planned or at the very least, provide some damage control.

you pushed open the door to the quaint building, the bell dinging to announce your arrival. your eyes immediately lock onto the table in the far back since it was where you and your friends always sat — you had practically claimed it. you expect to see all the chairs filled but, to your surprise, only one person occupies the space.

osaki shotaro.

he beams, probably relieved to finally have some company in the otherwise empty shop. (after all, you weren’t sure how long he had been sitting there all alone.) nevertheless, you allow yourself to wonder — just for a second —  if maybe he was just that ecstatic to see you. the way he enthusiastically waves you over seems to be in favor of that theory. it’s almost confirmed when you reach he table and he pats the chair beside him.

you let out a soft laugh. “the whole table’s empty, ‘taro.”

“i know,” he admits. “i just really want you to sit next to me.”

you swear you could break down in tears simply from the way he’s looking at you; like you’re all he needs. it’s pure adoration.  you wonder if that’s how you look at him too. you can’t help but ask yourself if he, too, notices your longing stares.

you decide that you would be a monster if you denied shotaro his wish, so, you internally prepare yourself to sit next to possibly the sweetest boy you’ve ever known. yet, that proves to be difficult as said boy stands up to pull out your chair like the gentleman he is. you shoot him a grateful smile, mentally dethroning jeno as the most well-mannered person you know and passing the crown on to shotaro.

“so, how long have you been waiting for?” you ask, resting your elbow on the table and leaning into your palm to stare attentively at the boy to your right.

“actually, i only got here a couple minutes before you. we did agree to meet up here a quarter before three, right?” he asks, slightly confused.

you nod in confirmation. “honestly, i think we got set up.”

shotaro tilts his head. “really? why would they do that?”

“might have something to do with our ‘chemistry’,” you explain, quoting donghyuck.

the japanese boy’s mouth falls agape, as he comes to the realization. “oh, so they literally set us up.”

“mhm,” you agree, smiling ever so slightly.

shotaro must be paying closer attention than you thought because he picks up on your grin. “what’s with the smile?”

you shrug, feigning uncertainty. “i guess i just don’t feel so bad about being set up if it’s with a certain cutie i know.”

“oh?” he raises a brow, cheeks growing as he too mirrors your lovestruck look. “should i be worried about this guy?”

“certainly not,” you reassure him. “i’ve only got eyes for one.”

you see a faded tint of pink rush to his cheeks and you find it adorable how your confession flusters him. you can’t help but caress the supple skin as gently as possible. shotaro leans into your touch, his own hand coming up to cup your own, almost as if he were holding you in place. after a couple moments of basking in the intimate moment, you retract your hand.

“maybe we should try and get hyuck to include that in the choreo, huh?” you suggest, a teasing smile on your lips.

shotaro chuckles, “sounds good to me. i might even ask if i can fill his position, too. if not, i just might get jealous.”

you playfully shove him and he raises his hands in surrender. you chuckle, grabbing one of the menus that litter the table, planning to offer shotaro some help choosing an item from the list that is surely unfamiliar to him but it seems something outside the window behind you has caught his focus instead.

“looks like we have an audience.”

you take a deep breath at his words, preparing yourself for whatever it is you’re going to see upon turning around. when you finally do, all you manage to catch is five heads ducking beneath the windowsill, in a weak attempt to not get caught.

“of course,” you nearly laugh. “they’re so predictable.”

shotaro seems to find the situation humorous as well, if his amused tone is anything to go by. “to be honest, we should be thanking them. they got us together.”

“oh, so we’re together now?” you inquire, raising a brow.

“w-well, i mean, if you want to. i-i definitely want to.”

“no need for stuttering,” you reassure him, reaching over to stroke that one ticklish spot on his neck. “to quote a very wise — and handsome — young man, ‘it’s mutual.’”

he smiles at his own words being recited to him. “i don’t know about you, but i think we should seal the deal.”

“interesting. how do you suppose we do that?” you ask with faux curiosity. you certainly had some ideas of your own.

“maybe... a kiss?” shotaro leans forward, eyes closed expectantly as he taps his cheek. you resist the urge to pinch his lovely, round baby cheeks. he peeks one eye open to add, “for the audience, of course.”

you giggle, completely and utterly love-struck by the boy before you. in fact, you are so enamored by him that you decide to go the extra mile and press a sweet, chaste peck to his lips.

it seems as if he himself didn’t expect it as his eyes snap open, hand coming up to cup his lips in shock. when he finally uncovers his mouth, you see there’s a dazed, giddy grin on his face that let’s you know the smooch was very welcome pleasant surprise.

your phones simultaneously go off, alerting you of incoming messages. it’s a given that it’s none other than the group chat.

[3:15 pm] nana: that smooch was romcom worthy i’m so impressed right now

[3:15 pm] jeno: shotaro is living proof that being a gentleman has its perks! everyone in this gc should take notes!

[3:15 pm] yangx2: HERE IHAVE THE VDIEO OF THE WHOELE THIGN IF ANYOEN WANTS IT

[3:16 pm] yangx2: attachment: 1 video

[3:16 pm] yangx2: SORURY FOR THE TYPSO MY TEARS ARE BLURRIGN THE KYEBIOARD

[3:16 pm] renjun: can we get boba now?

[3:16 pm] renjun: oh wait my bad, congrats to the new couple :-)

[3:16 pm] renjun: to celebrate they should pay for everyone’s drinks.. just a thought

[3:17 pm] hyuck: ur welcome, y/n and shotaro ;)

[skellebonez]

How's about 45 and 54 where canon MK finds himself in the Inverted AU Universe? Because I think that'd be funny

Poor MK is having the second worst day of his entire life. This is not the situation he should be in AFTER THE FINALE. This would have been way different if I wrote this when you sent it in, but now you get a very sad Monkie Kid.

You may technically be an adult, but you’re still my child./ Yeah well dying generally puts a damper on things.

When MK was knocked out they were on the deck of the drone ship, fighting off some kind of demon that the White Bone Spirit had taken under her control.

When MK woke up they were on the sandy shores of Mount Huaguo surrounded by baby monkeys and one Six-Eared Macaque looking down at them with a face of great concern.

“Are you-” Macaque started to ask them, unable to finish his sentence when MK screamed and kicked out and just barely missed making contact that would have sent him flying backwards into the nearest tree. “Whoa, no, it’s alright! I’m not-”

“What did you do to me this time, Macaque!?” MK yelled, looking around for a weapon, any weapon, something they could use to defend themself. Their eyes fell on something familiar, something that shouldn’t exist anymore and they froze at the sight of red and gold.

“Little one, is your name MK?” Macaque asked softly, holding up his hands as he slowly walked forward back toward the started and confused young adult before him. “I found you washed up on the shore. You need to lay back down, you’re still-”

Macaque let out a yelp of surprise as MK dove, hand firmly grasping the familiar warm-cold center of the staff.

But it felt... wrong, somehow.

They didn’t let go.

"OK, WHAT IS HAPPENING!?" MK shouted, holding the stolen staff in front of them as they turned on the immortal monkey that was their one time mentor. "Is this Jin and Yin again? Is this the Calabash!? Did they change it so my stuff doesn’t work in it anymore!? I'm not falling for that again!"

"I'm sorry, the what?" A new voice rang from behind him. One a little... too familiar...

It was MK. It shouldn't be possible, not if the Calabash was working the same way it had worked before, but it was them. But not.

Like... the way the staff felt.

The Other MK standing in the too bright sun wore a stark sky blue and black instead of his signature orange and red, a large hefty backpack in that same blue slung over his back. And he was... tall. Not unusually tall, just taller than MK was. And also looked incredibly angry as he carried a box of medical supplies.

"The... Calabash..." MK repeated, holding the staff closer to their chest with a nervous gulp. Their hands twisted around the staff nervously, hoping the repetitive action would ground them against the repeating 'THERE IS ANOTHER YOU STARING AT YOU WHAT THE HELL' whizzing in their head. "This... this isn't Jin and Yin again after all, is it?"

MK gulped again, blinking as their vision swam suddenly and their head felt like it was filled with... something. Like liquid but if it was as light as air.

"I don't know which answer would be better for you," Macaque said softly, honesty palpable in his tone. Something so odd for the Monkie Kid to hear in their ears with that voice. "But no. We are very much real."

"Oh..." MK said plainly. "Oh that's bad. That's... Oh boy..."

Before their eyes rolled back in their head and they passed out they were pretty sure they saw a few more overly familiar faces rushing to them.

~

When MK woke a second time they were once again moved, but to somewhere else far less familiar than the shores of Mount Huaguo and the drone ship... but also too familiar. They also now realized that their head hurt... a lot. Like, a lot a lot.

“Finally, you’re back from the brink of death,” that same overly familiar voice rang our in their ear. They snapped their head to the side, regretting it instantly as it made their vision swim again and lights pop in front of their eyes. “Hey, no, don’t do that!"

The other MK jumped up, kneeling down in front of them and poked them in the forehead. His scowl didn’t seem to let up in the slightest, but it tilted in a way that felt more concerned than angry.

"... why am I looking at my own face?" MK asked, not sure whether they should continue to stare at their own face or to look anywhere else to keep their brain from short circuiting trying to process what the actual hell was happening.

“Considering you were able to pick up my staff,” the other MK said, removing his finger and gesturing to the rod that was still across MK’s chest (how had he not noticed the extra weight of it still in his hand?). “I’d say we have some kind of multi-dimensional bullshitery going on here. Unless you’re, somehow, a robot made of the same shit Red used to get the that thing in the first place, but I don’t think robots bleed from head injuries.”

Ah. That would explain why his head felt like someone had cracked it open and shoved cotton balls into it.

MK looked around, taking in the stark white walls and the overly clean smell and the clean white sheets they were laid on.

“... am I at the hospital?”

“Oh, absolutely!” Other MK yelled, raising his arms in frustration as he paced the room in a familiar excess of energy. “But unfortunately for us you don’t exactly exist here! So we’re figuring out a way to make them believe you’re me with some really fucked up memories my dude! Which is easier with, you know.”

The other MK knocked on his head twice, wincing a bit as the second knock seemed to be harder than intended.

“... but you’re..?”

“I snuck in.”

“OK, well, thanks for the help,” MK started, sitting himself up with more than a little struggle. “But I need to figure out what the heck happened and get back to-!”

“Oh no you don’t!” Other MK said, jumping on the bed and standing over him. That was... well, MK would definitely say that was a very weird but effective way of keeping someone from getting up. “Macaque already ran off without letting me stop him, I barely got him to take some backup, to figure out what in the hell is happening. You are me and I know myself and if you ever tell anyone this I will end you, but you are way too injured to be doing anything right now!”

“I have to do something, Other Me-”

“No, oh no I hate that, just call me Blue,” the other MK said, the scowl on his face softened ever so slightly once again. Just slightly. “It’s a lot better than ‘other me’. And there’s nothing we can do until Macaque gets us some answers.”

"So... what, Blue? Am I just supposed to sit around and wait for someone to come and rescue me if he finds nothing!?" MK snapped, grip on their staff tightening so much that their knuckles paled and creaked in stress. "Just do nothing while who knows what happens to my friends!?"

"No," Blue said, placing his hand on MK's shoulder and frowning when the other shrugged it off and curled in on themselves. "But hurting yourself isn't going to help you get back to them. And as long as you’re here you’re my responsibility.”

“I’m a grown ass adult, you should know that.”

“Yeah, well, dying generally puts a damper on things and you’re not so adult that you can’t escape death,” Blue said, letting himself fall back into a sitting position on the bed. “Unless you got to keep your invulnerability or something, but given the crack in your noggin that doesn’t seem... like...” Blue trailed off, looking at MK with an odd expression. “... are you ok? Like. Emotionally?”

“Huh?”

“You’re crying.”

MK wrestled with one of their hands to free it’s iron grip on the staff (not their staff, their staff was gone, they had to remind themselves that their staff was gone and... and so was so much else), raising to their cheek to discover that at some point in Blue’s retort they had indeed started crying.

“... what happened to you?”

“It’s a long story,” MK said, wiping their face on their arm (they now realized they were wearing hospital dressing). “I...” They grabbed the staff with their now free hand again, twisting the grip carefully and freeing the iron hold their other hand had. “Can I just... keep this for a bit longer?”

Blue looked at MK, looking between the other him and the staff that was rightfully his before sighing and rubbing the back of his neck.

“Not like I need it right this second,” he said, his scowl vanishing completely as he stood and yanked over his backpack and put it back on after he pulled a baseball cap out and squished his hair into it and pulled it down to cover his face. “There’s gonna be someone here with you at all times until you get out, just to keep you in the loop of what’s going on here. We’ll figure out where you’re staying if Mac doesn’t figure out a way to get you home by tonight.” He moved toward the entrance to the room, turning back before opening it. “I’ll be back, I gotta restock my bag. There’s a couple people who wanna talk to you already... don’t... freak out.”

Before MK could ask what Blue meant the young man opened the door and slipped out, talking to someone just out of his line of vision before running off down the hall.

And then they saw the overly familiar sight of Pigsy and Tang... except they weren’t.

Pigsy, their Pigsy, was always in a chef’s uniform unless he was sleeping. Rough edges softened when he smiled or looked at MK or Mei with that exasperated look that MK knew meant he cared. Tang, their Tang, was a scholar who looked the part in every way, old fashioned clothes and books in hand. Always smiling when he could manage it and carefree.

This Pigsy was.. soft. And fluffy. Literally soft and fluffy. And wore oversized sweaters and smiled in a way that fit more on someone else’s face but felt right at home on his. This Tang was...

Well, the only way MK could think to describe the man before them was “skinny biker with probably hidden muscles who would kick your ass”. He looked the same but his hair was more wild, sunglasses pushing his bangs up, decked out in a (probably fake) leather jacket... but he had the same scarf.

And he and Pigsy were holding hands.

“I suppose you already know who we are,” the biker version of Tang said, smile on his face very awkward and seeming somewhat forced in a “I don’t know if this is helping but I’m gonna try” kind of way. “And we know who... you are. Kinda.”

“Yeah,” MK responded, thinking for a moment back to when he was found on the beach. “Were you... were you the ones with Blue, the other me, on Mount Huaguo?”

“Yeah,” the soft Pigsy said and... wow, hearing that voice say something so gently so casually was throwing him through a loop. “M-Blue was convinced we needed to get out of the city for the day and brought us along for his training. We didn’t expect to find... well, another him...” Pigsy frowned, the first one MK saw on his face and it felt so much more openly worried than their own Pigsy’s scowls. “How are you feeling?”

MK looked down at the staff in their hands, then back up to the two men in front of them.

They weren’t the two people MK considered father figures. They weren’t. But they were. And as MK tried to process this they felt their breathing speed up faster and faster and faster until-

“Hey,” Tang said, gentle and soft voice breaking MK from their racing thoughts as he reached out to put a hand in MK’s hair but stopped himself short. Probably in remembering that they weren’t Blue. “You can stay with us if you want. Once you’re discharged and if you need somewhere to stay.”

Well... that didn’t help at all.

No.

Instead it opened the floodgates and MK started crying harder than they had since the final fight with the White Bone Spirit, curling in on themselves as the last few days and what had transpired really hit them.

“What the FUCK did you do!?” He heard his own voice shout from the doorway.

~

It looked like PIgsy’s apartment. But not.

MK’s hands clenched at air, wishing they still had the staff for comfort. But no, they insisted that Blue take it back when they were discharged.

Blue was still the Monkie Kid after all. He needed the staff to fight.

MK... was just MK here. And they couldn’t fight, not while recovering from their injuries anyway.

But oh how they wish they hadn’t given it back. It felt so right and yet so wrong to hold it. They didn’t realize how much they had grown attached to the object until it was...

“MK?” Once again Pigsy’s voice startled him, not for the first time since they arrived at the apartment and MK took up the extra bedroom that this world’s counterpart had once stayed in until the apartment above the shop opened up for them. “Do you need anything?”

“No,” they responded, hands gripping the edge of their jacket in an attempt to hold something solid. It wasn’t the same. “I can handle myself.”

“I know you can, but you don’t have to,” Pigsy said, coming into the room holding a cup of water and putting it on the nightstand. “And you don’t have to talk to us, if you don’t want to... but it’d probably help. Even if you just ramble about something.”

Had this been the other Pigsy he probably would have something something like “You may technically be an adult, but you’re still my child”. Something firm and gruff and filled with underlying affection for the younger adult. But this Pigsy... there was some of that there. A firmness to his words, though the gruffness was missing. But he could feel the affection he must have had for Blue transferring to themself, the knowledge that they weren’t the same person holding most of it back.

But it was still there.

And MK hadn’t really talked to anyone since the short lived argument with Blue.

“... You uh...” they started, chuckling quietly as they twisted their fingers together. “You said you own a flower shop? My Pigsy, uh... he, runs a noodle shop.”

It wasn’t going to help. MK was certain that talking about their family and friends and how different they were would probably make how he felt worse.

But sitting there and ignoring it would make it worse far quicker in their mind.

So MK talked. For hours. Eventually Tang joined the two, both listening as MK recalled all the differences and similarities and...

Well. They listened. Just like their own Pigsy and Tang would.

... they wondered if they would ever get to go back.

[wolveria]

Inside Your Wires - Ch 25

Pairing: Human!Connor x Android!Reader

Series Warnings (18+ only): Eventual smut, slow burn, fantasy bigotry, violence, brief noncon elements, angst with a happy ending

Chapter Summary: Connor questions all of his life decisions. The conclusion? He's doomed.

AO3

It took all of his concentration to focus on the road and not on the android in the passenger seat.

That he was taking home.

To his apartment.

For the night.

Connor really hadn’t thought this through.

He also had neglected to tell Hank, or Colin, or anyone else who might give a shit, which was a considerably short list. He certainly didn’t think CyberLife would mind if they didn’t care he’d shot the android through the skull.

His grip tightened on the wheel as his head throbbed in time with the bass. He’d tried to turn up the music, but the android’s little LED had spun and she’d hacked his goddamn car so he couldn’t.

They were his eardrums. If he wanted to ruin them, that should be well within his right.

Except that, like, he didn’t know how advanced this android’s hearing was, and he didn’t want to break her. Again.

It was going to be a long night. What the fuck was he going to do with a detective android in his apartment for the next several hours? God only knew what she’d see with those scans of hers, and he only prayed she wouldn’t start licking random surfaces. Connor shuddered at the thought.

“Are you cold, Detective?” asked the object of his anxiety. He released a huff, reminding himself the android probably had super senses. No jerking off tonight, no matter how many doors and walls between them.

He was a little cold, though.

“I’m fine—ugh.”

It was too late; she’d already hijacked his AC and turned on the heater too. Whatever. At least she was showing a sliver of personality again. He had started to hate the dull-eyed, obedient machine CyberLife had returned to him. It was Connor’s own damn fault she’d come back in that condition to begin with, and he was well aware of it. Made him feel like the biggest pile of shit on the planet.

If only Conrad could see him now, having an existential crisis over a machine. It was bad enough that he’d witnessed Connor freak out and carry Yin down to his car, bridal-style. Connor had muttered something about the prototype being an extremely expensive police unit on loan from the CyberLife’s R&D department, which was true.

But the side-eye Conrad had given him? He knew his brother saw right through his defensive bullshit.

Connor parked the car in his normal spot, locked the car, and tried not to walk like a guilty suspect when he crossed the lobby with the android in tow. Thankfully, the desk clerk kept his thoughts to himself.

When they reached the front door of his apartment, it took Connor a moment of shoving his shoulder against the door to get it to open. The jamb was slightly off-kilter, the result of an enthusiastic YN unit having barged her way inside. Considering the way she’d found him, the evidence of his self-destruction gathered around him, he couldn’t blame her for a busted door.

But when she said, “I’m sorry for breaking your door, Detective. CyberLife will pay for the damages,” his answer came fast and with a small smirk.

“Don’t worry, I’ll send them a bill.”

Connor shut the door behind the android, who came to a stop in the middle of the apartment. For one of the few instances he’d noticed, she seemed unsure about what to do with herself.

“You can, uh, take a seat. Or wander around. Whatever you want, I’m gonna grab you something to wear.”

He didn’t wait for a response since Yin already had her eyes locked on the picture frames on his bookshelf, proving him correct that the android was going to disseminate his life, piece by piece, by the time the night was over.

Connor found he didn’t mind as much as he thought he would.

After grabbing clothes he thought would fit her measurements the closest, Connor returned to the living room to catch sight of the android holding up one of the frames. Most of the pictures he had on his desk at work, so they wouldn’t be anything new for the nosey android.

This one… was not displayed at the precinct. Judging by the fast blink of her blue light, she’d already figured out it was a photo of his biological parents, taken just weeks before their deaths.

Connor cleared his throat unnecessarily, or perhaps not. Yin lifted her head in a somewhat jerky motion, eyes comically wide as if she’d been caught going through his underwear drawer.

Connor smirked, letting himself enjoy the little things in life like startling an advanced prototype. She dropped her eyes to the bundle in his arms.

“Oh, thank you.”

Yin carefully lowered the picture frame back into its place, and Connor breathed in relief when she didn’t bombarding him with questions.

Instead, she did something far worse.

“Uh—what are you doing?” he squeaked in a voice that hadn’t been that high since before puberty.

Yin looked up from where she’d already unbuttoned her dress shirt halfway down her chest.

“These clothes are for me, aren’t they?”

“Yeah, but. You can’t—you can’t just...” Connor pinched the bridge of his nose. “You can’t just strip here. Go in the bathroom to get changed.”

“Oh, I see.”

Yin smiled far too serenely for the situation as she thankfully removed her fingers from her dress shirt and took the clothes out of his arms. Once she was out of sight and safely behind a closed door, Connor groaned and rubbed his face.

How am I going to survive the night?

The knock that answered, followed by a “Connor, you in there!” coming from his front door informed him that he would not, in fact, survive the night.

“Shit. Shit shit shit.” Connor hurried to the door and threw it open. Hank was standing on the other side, still in his work clothes (a nice suit and tie, except for the fact his dress shirt was a pattern harsh enough to make someone dizzy) and looking like he hadn’t even gone home yet.

“Connor!” Hank’s large hands were on his shoulder, frantic eyes scanning him more closely than any android could. “Are you okay?”

“What? Yeah, I’m fine, why—“

“Why?” Hank’s eyes bulged. “You really gotta ask me why? After the shit that went down today?!”

“Slow down, Hank, I’m okay!”

“Okay?!” he barked out the word, face turning red, his gestures wild. “You were shot at by a goddamn deviant! You coulda been killed! What were you thinking, going after that thing alone?! What would have happened if—if—“

Connor did the only thing that would stop Hank from spiraling; he wrapped his arms around him, hugging him tightly around the shoulders.

“I’m fine, Dad. I promise.”

Hank took a shuddering breath before bracing his own arms around Connor’s ribcage, squeezing so hard it almost hurt, but he wouldn’t complain. Not when it’s what Hank needed, and maybe Connor needed it too. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d done this.

“What if I’d lost you, Connor?” Hank’s voice was low and rough, no doubt thinking of a son he had lost. “I can’t lose you. I can’t.”

“I know. You’re not going to. I promise.”

“You can’t go making promises like that.”

“Watch me.”

Hank gave a deep huff that turned into a chuckle, and Connor smiled. No matter how dark Hank’s moods got, Connor could always pull him out of it. At least in that regard, Connor wasn’t a totally useless son.

A door clicked open and Connor frowned, having completely forgotten about—oh, no—

Hank pulled away, looked over Connor’s shoulder, and gave an impressive scowl.

“What the hell is that doing here?” His eyes dropped and his mouth twisted. “And why’s it wearing your clothes?”

Before Connor even had the chance to answer, Hank had already come to the wrong conclusions, judging by the glare he was beaming Connor’s way.

“I’d expect Colin to pull this kind of thing, but not you.”

“Hey!” Connor protested in a very undignified yelp. “It’s not—that’s not what this is!”

Hank folded his arms over his chest and gave Connor his most formidable glare.

Connor released a sigh and turned toward the android, and he realized Hank might have a point. Yin stood there in Connor’s ill-fitting white shirt and sweatpants, barefoot with her hair half-pinned, looking like she’d just rolled out of bed.

My bed, Connor’s horny brain helpfully supplied.

“Could you, uh, give us a moment?” he asked through the lump in his throat. He didn’t know where he expected the android to go, maybe out into the building hallway, but she gave a nod and retreated into his bedroom and shut the door.

Connor’s ears were practically on fire. Hank’s expression was even less amused than before.

“Did you just politely ask an android to leave?”

Connor wisely ignored the question and pressed forward to the more important task at hand—namely making sure his adoptive father didn’t leave thinking Connor was some kind of android-fucker.

Connor might have been sexually frustrated, not to mention he’d been alone for too long, but he at least had some standards and morals left to his tattered dignity.

“She’s the reason I wasn’t shot, okay?” Connor said. “She saved me. Shoved me out of the way and took a bullet for me, so I let her stay here for a few hours so she can repair. That’s all.”

Hank deflated somewhat, but he still glared suspiciously at the closed bedroom door.

“And it’s wearing your clothing because?”

“Hers were covered in blood, so I got her some of mine—“

Hank went pale so fast Connor thought he might pass out.

“No, not my blood! That blue blood stuff, Thirium, she was covered in it and… Yeah.”

“Why didn’t it just go back to CyberLife? That’s what it did when the sex bot shot it, right?”

Hank’s dubious glare was turned on him now, and suddenly Connor had the sinking feeling he was being interrogated. He knew that look in the interrogation room well enough.

“She wasn’t damaged enough for that, so I had Echo take a look at her. I don’t want to keep sending Yin back to CyberLife in case they might get the wrong idea that—“

“You… named… the android?”

Connor winced, rubbing the back of his neck. He hadn’t been lectured this bad since Hank first arrested him as a teenager.

“She needed a name. Why-En-Eight-Hundred doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue when I need to get her attention in a dangerous situation. There’s nothing wrong with naming an android—“

“Well, then, what’s this she and her business, huh?” Hank gestured toward the bedroom door. “It’s not a girl, it just looks like a girl!”

“I know what she is, Hank.”

Heavy silence fell between them as they glared at one another. Connor refused to budge, and eventually, Hank’s gaze dropped with a sigh.

“I just… need you to be careful, son. If androids are going off-script, especially with this new leader of theirs, then you gotta keep one eye on that thing at all times. Even if it doesn’t go deviant, it doesn’t take its orders from the DPD, either. At the end of the day, it’s CyberLife’s bloodhound. We’re just taking it for a walk.”

Connor hated to admit… Hank had a point. One that ate away at him at every reminder that no matter how Connor might have warmed up to her, the reverse didn’t necessarily apply.

Connor was just a means to an end, a way for Yin to complete her mission, and he needed to remember that.

Hank departed with one last hug, a warning to be careful, and a promise that he would call him in the morning. Once he left, Connor’s gaze drifted to the closed door. He approached it slowly and nearly raised a fist to knock. Knock on his own damn bedroom door.

Connor turned the handle, hackles raised as if he were in a haunted house about to be jumped by a monster. Instead, the only occupant of the room sat on the edge of his bed, staring out at the city through the window.

Yin turned her head as soon as he opened the door and rose to her feet, hands clasped in front of her hips like a child trying to show how obedient she was. Connor sighed and rubbed a hand through his hand, another gesture he’d picked up from Hank.

“I apologize if my presence is causing you any trouble,” she stated.

“Huh? Oh, no, Hank is fine. Or he will be. Especially since you… saved me. And not for the first time.” He winced. “I’m not sure I’ve ever properly thanked you for that, so… Thank you.”

The android tilted her head and blinked. Connor was certain that was the only reaction he was going to get, but then she did the same thing she’d done at the tower when talking to the officer. The corners of her lips slightly turned upwards, as if she wanted to smile but didn’t quite know how.

Fuck, it was cute.

“You’re welcome, Detective.”

Really cute.

God, I’m so fucking screwed.

“So, uh… Do you need anything?” He motioned vaguely toward the kitchen where he’d put down his bag. “Got that Thirium if you need it. Or…”

“Thirium would be fine. Thank you.”

“Good. Great.”

Connor didn’t know what else to say, so after a brief pause, he turned and headed for the kitchen. The soft footfalls of the android followed not too far behind him.

Well, he thought, opening the cupboard to find the newly purchased Thirium. It’s going to be a long fucking night.

Next Chapter

[k-llama-llama]

All Too Much

SuperM/WayV AU: 8th member (YinYin)

Before SuperM promotions begin, YinYin deals with her stress.

Word Count: 1100

A/N: Thank you all for your lovely messages as I’ve taken this month off. I’m still not committing to a regular schedule, but I’ll be active again! (Patreon will be back to normal in February)

Requests are Open…and your feedback is still super important to me.

Masterlist and other Follow Me links in bio!

YinYin ripped the page out of her notebook and crumpled it up, throwing it against the wall. She’d been trying to write her journal page to submit to her Korean tutor for two hours, but she wasn’t having any luck. She just knew that every single draft she’d done was riddled with mistakes, and no amount of consulting her workbooks or googling was helping her.

She was weeks away from her first Korean promotions for SuperM and she couldn’t even write a full paragraph in Korean without messing it up.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t speak Korean, she could hold a conversation with any of the boys without any trouble. The issue was, when she was with WayV or NCT they were almost all coming from the same boat, where they had to juggle different languages depending on who they were talking to. If she forgot a word, she could switch and someone would fill in the blanks.

But she couldn’t do that with SuperM, and she definitely couldn’t do that in interviews.

It didn’t matter how good she was at dancing or singing if she couldn’t even form a coherent sentence when it counted.

She threw her pen against the door, growling in frustration. She collapsed back on her bed, staring at the bunk above her. She’d affixed a pronunciation guide for the lyrics to one of their songs there, hoping that she would learn it in her sleep.

She groaned. It was literally impossible to escape her failure.

“You done?”

YinYin turned her head, watching as Lucas leaned his head over the side of the bunk bed and peered down at her. “What do you mean?”

“You’re throwing your failures all over our room.” He gestured to the growing piles of crumpled paper littering their floor. “So are you done?”

“Am I giving up, do you mean?” YinYin sighed. “Because the answer is yes. I’m a failure.”

“What exactly are you failing at?” His head disappeared, and she heard noises as he scrambled to climb down the bed.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” In an attempt to distract herself, she pulled one leg up to her head, stretching it out.

“Stop that.”

“Stop what?” Lucas was standing next to her bed.

“Stop being a human pretzel and move over.” He shoved her, and she rolled closer to the wall to make room for him.

He flopped down beside her, staring up at the notes taped to the top of her bed. “You never stop, do you?”

“Nope.” She frowned. “We start filming for promotions in nine days and I’m nowhere near good enough.”

“At what? I thought you said you had all of the choreography down.”

“Of course I do.” She glared at him. “I mean Korean. And English, too.” She pointed at a sheet of English vocab words with her toe.

“You’re stressing about Korean?” He looked confused. “Why?”

“Because we have interviews to do, dumbass. And I can barely speak the language.”

“That’s not true. You’re good at Korean.”

“I’m good at Korean the way a tourist is good at Korean.” She sighed. “I can’t order food without planning out what I’m going to say.”

“So? Neither can I.” Lucas laughed. “No one cares, YinYin.”

“Sure, you don’t care. Your Korean and English is a lot better than mine. Besides you’re…urgh, nevermind.”

“I’m what?” He elbowed her.

“Nothing.”

“No, now you have to tell me.” He poked her side. “I’m what?”

YinYin rolled her eyes. “Not sure if you’re aware, but people treat tall, funny, handsome men a lot different than they treat tiny, awkward Chinese girls who are only good at bending.”

“You think I’m handsome?”

“I’m just conveying popular opinion, you’re not my style.”

“Still, you said I was handsome.” He smirked. “And seriously, Yin, I don’t think you need to worry about it. Any place where you get confused or stressed Ten or I can cover for you. Or Taeyong and Mark, they’ve both worked with you before too.”

“But what about the others.” She insisted. “I can’t expect them to be worrying about whether I can understand stuff.”

“They’re in your group now, of course it’s their job to worry about you.” Lucas argued. “And besides, I really don’t think it’s going to be that big of a problem.”

“You don’t get it.” She covered her eyes with her arm, trying to block out the stress.

“And I’m not going to get it unless you tell me.” He nudged her again. “Come on, best friend, spill.”

“Just…” She searched for the right words. “Thinking about getting on stage in front of all those people and not…not being able to speak and them all staring…it’s just…”

“Hey, hey.” Lucas pulled her arm away from her face. “Stop freaking out.”

“Thanks, Lucas, that’s a huge help. Why didn’t I think of that before?” She glared at him, fully aware that her eyes were welling up with tears.

“Yin, it’s not worth your stress.” He promised, rubbing her shoulder.

“I’m going to embarrass the whole group.” She said quietly.

“No, you’re not.” Lucas sighed, before pulling her into a hug. She pressed her face into his shoulder, trying to hide the fact that she was obviously close to crying. “If everyone is staring, it’s going to be because they can’t believe you’re out-dancing Taemin.”

“I can’t outdance Taemin.” She said quietly.

“You can outdance anyone.” He promised, patting her hair. “And I promise that no one is going to stare or laugh or care if you mispronounce something. You speak more languages than anyone in the audience anyways.”

YinYin let out a shuddering breath, and didn’t say anything.

Lucas just squeezed her a bit tighter. “You’re really stressed, aren’t you?”

“I feel like crying.” She said, answering his question.

“Go ahead. I won’t tell anyone.”

“You won’t?”

“Of course not.” She could practically feel him smile as he considered his next words. “I mean…I’ll make fun of you for the rest of our lives, but it’ll be our little secret.”

YinYin let out a little laugh. “You’re the worst.”

“But you love me.” He grinned as she pulled her face away from his shoulder to look up at him. “Better?”

“Slightly.” She leaned into his shoulder. “Thanks.”

“Anytime.” He looked up at her study notes again. “So this is actually depressing. Do you want to go get ice cream or something?”

She gave him a knowing look.

“Fine.” He relented. “We can get frozen yogurt.”

YinYin smiled. “If I can’t speak Korean, at least I’ll have nice abs.”

“But will you ever truly be happy without eating ice cream?