#feels so nice to pull the banners out they're so good

[chazz-anova]

❣️, 🖌️, and 💝 for Antoinette, & 💓, 🤔, and 💀 for Roman?

thank you lovely!!! 💞💞

❣️ - What are their love languages?

Annie's main two love languages are physical touch and words of affirmation! The tender touch of Faith reminds her everything will be alright, and when her love validates her actions and emotions is when she feels most secure and understood in the relationship

🖌️ - Do they have any hobbies?

She does! The main one is painting, she loves impressionist paintings the most. Another big one for her is fencing- skill with the blade taught her the patience to hold until she's lined up the perfect strike

💝 - What gestures do they really appreciate? How do you get on their good side?

Having grown up in a well off home- Antoinette is used to people tending to her needs and that hasn't changed since she entered Eden's Gate. A gesture she will always appreciate though is a need that's anticipated. She doesn't have many friends per say but if she did and she were to to be venting to one, if they offered her a glass of wine because they realized she had a long day that would mean a lot. Honestly to get on her good side you have to like... emotionally ambush her, catch her off guard with how much she likes you lmao for instance if you do something impressive that catches her eye or if you were to continually try to talk to her, you would wear her down

💓 - What are some signs they’ve fallen for someone? How do they show their affection?

Ro is the kind of guy that keeps himself emotionally distant. With a 15 foot pole. When he starts to like someone he tries to close himself off to them, or stay only on the surface level and not go any deeper. Roman is a man of subtle touches and stolen glances to show affection. When passing behind the person he's interested in he'll leave a lingering hand on their shoulder, a kiss on the back of their neck.

🤔 - What’s something they’ll never understand?

People who aren't interested in expanding their tastes and pallet. Any chance he gets, Roman is trying new food and making new dishes! When someone chooses to put themselves in a box he can't help but roll his eyes.

💀 - How do they feel about horror movies?

Rome does enjoy horror movies, but he only likes psychological horror. Slasher films hit a little too close to home so he avoids those, but exploring human nature through horror interests him especially with films that really leave you thinking.

[toomiieimagiines]

Umumum, did you see the kissing hcs you did for akito and tsukasa? I would like a rui one if that's okay :3

It feels weird to request something like this

𖦹 hii! don’t feel awkward about it, i’ve been waiting for something cute like this for a while! let’s stop torturing rui for a while, and let him kiss reader!! (o^^o) sorry for hiatus, i have a bunch going on rn but i have a ton of writing qued up now! i’m just using a short one first to tease u guys! lololllll! do u guys like the new bullet points btw? i just think they're the cutest thing! also, i was thinkin of opening up some sort of commission to help with my banners! i can write you a however long fic if you just give me some pointers… or make some for me… i can credit you under every time i use them as well! LOLOLZ

♪ no warnings! (see before one shot for those warnings tho! (＞人＜;))

Rui Kamishiro Kissing Hc’s + more!?

☆ For starters, he was TOTALLY freaking out before your first kiss

☆ He just wants to impress you! Is that so wrong?

☆ DEFINITELY the kind of person who accidentally keeps his eyes open… Scary��

☆ He had never kissed anyone, or even dated! He didn’t want you to think he was weird if he messed up!

☆ Held your cheek so nicely too

☆ He’s always so gentle with you… :(

☆ Was a total wall for a while, he was always really tense…

☆ He did of course lighten up after a while, but not without a fight

☆ After he realized you weren’t out to get him, he turned into a FIEND

☆ “Sweetheart, I've been doing so good, y’know? I think I deserve something…”

☆ “I really missed you today…”

☆ Kisses with him always have a bit of reluctance to them, though

☆ His signature move is the tried-and-true shifty eyes, darting his gaze from yours, down to your lips, and back up again. He just wants to make sure you look into it!

☆ After that, it's brow-furrowing, the passion exploding

☆ Spontaneous kisses are VERY possible with him, throwing himself over to you when something particularly works in his favor

☆ He enjoys kisses that come from hugging the best. Feeling you close AND getting your lips on his? Sign him up!

☆ He’s also one to tease you when you kiss

☆ When you guys are comfortable, you really should watch out!

☆ He likes to pull you back when you least expect it, and WHAM!

☆ Doesn’t just love your lips either! He’s OBSESSED with kissing the top of your head!

☆ Again with the teasing, he likes to play Romeo and kiss your hands too

☆ He likes to be kissed on the cheek a lot, especially if you wear makeup and leave a kiss mark!

☆ Parades it around like a trophy

☆ The most offended you’d ever see him is if you wipe his kiss off. NEVER wipe his kiss off. He’d never kiss you again in fear he’s an awful kisser

☆ His kisses never really get spitty. If you want constant teeth clattering or biting, he’s not the one for you…

☆ Only time anything hasty happens is when he’s really upset

☆ He loves you - a ton - so please be nice with him too..

ayyyyy!! who’s proud of lil ol’ me?? here’s a mini mini oneshot! not long at all, but i thought the idea was cute! now that i think abt it, this was more just my musing… has a kissy kiss tho, so yay! it’s REALLY OOC sry… i’m rly not all that proud of this work, but it’s embarrassing how long it’s been since i’ve posted so i decided whatever take wut i give ya!!

TW: small issues with eating (rui has autism and trouble with textures (mild ARFID), you help him by trying to make nutritious food he won’t want to spew. . lmao… his problem has NOTHING to do with body image/weight, he’s just very particular..)

Rui wants to kiss you, you want to kiss Rui, and its causing you trouble.

It's been 4 years since you've been friends, 2 days since you've been dating, and you've been staring at each other for… how long are these stupid periods? Whatever, the short story is; the teacher made a million-dollar mistake (letting you two partner up for a group project), and everybody in your class is suffering because of it.

It's a classic story, you talk like everything’s normal, brush hands, look away, sputter something out, stare at each other, and freeze when you realize the other is staring right back. People - yourselves included - have seen you two be so natural together, so the simple fact of you two being so awkward is… unsettling. Little did they know, you both are going through some of the worst identity crises known to the angst-riddled teenage mind.

Rui is scared. To expand, Rui is scared of how much he wants to kiss you. To expand further, Rui is scared of how much he wants to kiss you, because you look so nervous around each other all the time since the thing, and he knows that asking you would be awkward enough to want to dig himself a grave out of embarrassment.

He wishes you would just wear the pants and ask, as horrible as that sounds. Why should he be the man and make the first move? He’s hardly manly, he wears striped sweaters…

He finds that way of thinking farcical, he knows it’s dumb to wait for you to ask, but he can’t help it. You asked him out (kinda, it was a genuinely… unique experience), and you should be the one to initiate a first kiss. Rui had never kissed anyone before! Can’t you take one for the team? He’s sure you’ve kissed people, how could you have not?

You were thinking the same thing, of course.

I mean, you already had to make him sit through your painfully long-winded and uncoordinated confession, the least he could do is this! He's definitely kissed someone, you decide, you haven't! It isn't fair to expect you to know what to do!

To everyone else, said simply, you both look schizophrenic.

The way you two decide how to split up the work, the way you two talk to each other as if you're perfect strangers, is confusing for both of you.

“O-Oh, uh- I can- y'know- I can do the writing, I don't mind-”

Your hands graze the others while reaching for the cheap school laptop.

“Sorry!-” You both squeak in unison, pulling away as if you had burned each other. Damnit! This is so annoying! You have to speak up.

“Rui we’re- c'mon, you're still my best friend, so why’re we acting like this?-” You try to laugh, covering your face in frustration. “Be normal, we do this all the time.”

Fortunately, he loves you more than his embarrassment, so your words quickly calm him down.

You both are just so dramatic!

Later, the lunch bell saves you from the hell-sent assignment, and you meet at your usual spot for lunch. You pull two lunch boxes out of your bag, and he grows anxious.

He squints at the sun, his hand cupping his face. “It’s been warm out, even for me. Do you think so?”

Really, Rui? You want to say, small talk? Is this to get out of the real food you want to feed him? Yeah, right.

“You’ll be pretty warm when I strangle you.” You remark, handing him his. “Heard you get sweaty when you fight for air, so you better not piss me off.” You point for emphasis, forcing down your smile. He has to keep from smiling too.

“Well, now i’m feeling nauseous,” he looks away, chuckling. “I think I’ll call someone..”

“Yeah, right. Like you’d find someone else to cut you cutely-shaped vegetables.” You nudge him with your shoulder, pointing again to his lunchbox as if to say eat. Eat now, or die later.

“Maybe a toddler's mom,” He pokes his veg to the side, “or a professional lunchbox maker. Something stupid like that.”

“I bought you soda candy if you’re a good boy and finish all your vegetables.”

“Aye aye, cap’n!” He fake saluts, looking at his lunch with a new-found determination.

“You're too easy, I should be a dog trainer.” You sit, watching him inspect the offending food. He knows you're watching him, and you know he knows you're watching him. You do it because it gives him a reason to actually try, letting him know that if he doesn't eat, you won't.

“You really went with a challenge today...” He squints.

“Why’d you think I bought soda candy?”

“Ah.”

A beat, you glare at him.

“Are you just going to look at it?” You prod, he ponders.

“What's my conversation rate?”

“Two bites to one candy.”

“That seems greedy.”

“Candy-flation. Its a real issue nowadays.”

Another beat, you have to pick up the silence again.

“So whats the plan?”

“You can eat, y'know. I'd rather you not starve to death.”

“Feelings mutual, Rui.”

“Touché.”

He picks one thing up, bringing it to his lips, and you do the same. You smile cockily, knowing he gave in.

“It's good, I promise. I only cooked ‘em for a little bit, so they shouldn't be too mushy.” You speak up, a piece of chicken in your cheek. “I even put meat in it, since you complained last time that it was too “vegetable-y”.”

He nods, chewing slowly with apprehension filling his body. As he continues to chew, however, his reluctance melts away slightly. He always doubts you for nothing! Why doesn’t he trust you? This isn’t bad at all.

“Good, huh? Proud of you,” you encourage. “Rui 2, broccoli 0. Hold out your hand.” You instruct, placing a candy on his palm. “Give me some feedback. Is the sauce a Rui yay or nay?”

“Makes broccoli better, so I like it.” He nods, confirming himself. You fist pump, thrilled he enjoyed it. He sighs at the taste of the sweet gummy, “I like this better though, if you could believe it.”

“Rui liking candy? I don't!” You feign surprise, holding a hand to your chest. He pushes you away playfully.

“Whatever,” he pauses, swallowing. “Do I uh- Do I have to finish?”

“If you wanna live, then yeah.” You joke, holding up an unconvincing first. He laughs.

You two forget about your shared desire, if only for a little bit.

It ends when he walks you home.

You guys were completely normal the whole school day! You both don't know where the sudden apprehension is even coming from, and it’s just…

awkward.

Rui clears his throat, pulling on his coat with an unneeded sense of urgency. You don't know why he felt the need to get your attention, you've been sneaking glances at him for the last 15 minutes.

“So, uh-” he starts, looking away. You know he's about to try for small talk, and it's welcome. “Tsukasa got sick, can you believe it?”

Ah, you were wondering why he didn't have anything to do today.

“I feel bad for his parents, I’d hate to have to nurse ‘kasa back to health,” you snicker, and he joins in reluctantly.

“Me too.”

Another round of silence overtakes the two of you, it’s suffocating.

“So I-“

“Would you-“

You both start, then stop just as quickly. The stifling atmosphere of your shared embarrassment leaves you both speechless.

“Sorry.”

“Sorry.”

You two don’t try to start again, not until you two reach your house.

“So…” you start. Everything feels so surreal. If you would've told yourself three days ago you'd be in a relationship with your best friend, you’d have never believed yourself.

“So.” He agrees, nodding. He's feeling as messed up as you are, he hopes you know that… “I can get started on that project tomorrow-”

“C'mon, Rui!-” you exclaim, grabbing his hands. You're sick of the tension - the apprehension - you just wanted to know where he was with it. Did he not want to be in a relationship with you? “I- Can you just tell me if you wanted to stay friends? This is so awkward!”

“It's not that, truly.” He defends, squeezing your hands. He can't believe you'd think that. Can you not see how endeared you are to him? A wave of relief washes over you, though. At least that suspicion wasn't confirmed. “I just- well…” He starts, getting flustered, “I get nervous…” His voice goes quieter, and he pulls you closer.

You swallow hard, your faces closer than before. The urge comes back- the feeling of desire to not only call him your boyfriend (something that already leaves a fuzzy feeling in your stomach), but to do romantic things with him. To touch him, hold him, breathe him in- even simply kiss him. Those things are why you decided to even tell him in the first place, why you were so discontent with your previous friendship.

Rui felt the same way too. He found his heart utterly devoted to the idea of you, and not much else. He saw in himself a restless animal, listening to every word you said like it was poetry.

All of this is to say that you two were at an impasse.

“Rui,” you beg, staring into his eyes, “let's be weird! I want to do things for the first time with you! I want to-”

A hand on your cheek breaks you from your monologue; your heart tightens.

Rui looks down at you, his expression something you can’t completely describe. He stares at you back, then he goes down to your lips, then back at you.

His voice is a whisper when he breaks the silence.

“Is this okay?”

You freeze. Is what okay? Why is he looking at you like that? Your knees turn into jelly as you realize.

Oh, he wants to kiss you.

You nod feverishly, leaning in.

Your collective thoughts quiet when your lips connect, and for once you’re not worried about trivial things like tension. It’s wonderful - still very reluctant, both being terrified of disappointing the other - but still heartskippingly amazing.

His eyebrows furrow as he deepens the kiss, moving off of pure instinct. He’s glad his first kiss is with you - he wouldn’t have it any other way. There’s no teeth, no fire, just small bursts of heat. You two have never been the kind to be rough with each other, after all, and it’s shown in the way you take care of one another.

His knees lock at the feeling of total gentleness from you, basking in the way you feel. It’s a calm reminder to both of you that; yes, you love each other, and no, you’re not just friends anymore.

like all good things, though, it came to an end eventually, as you two unfortunately had to breathe. (That isn’t to mention the fact that the blistering heat - combined with the strenuous activity, and embarrassment of doing this while standing on your very seeable porch - was leading you both to an embarrassing amount of perspiration.)

He looks down at your connected hands then back up at you, his face giddy and lopsided. “I should go home before it gets too dark, huh?”

You laugh too, heart pounding at the feeling of puppy love. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

It’s not a question, it’s a promise. A promise that you WILL be at school and WILL speak to him like normal.

“‘Course,” he confirms.

He walks home just a little quicker that night, anxious to tell Nene all about it.

(the ironic thing, is that as soon as you closed your front door, you texted her too.)

[recuira]

after hours

after hours : a live action buggy x fem!reader fanfiction

for some odd reason, you have no idea who he is. and he fucking loved that.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

chapter one

chapter two | red. rain. rotten.

his pov;

She was standing underneath a stripe-patterned banner that shielded her from the pouring rain. Her nimble fingers sorted through an assortment of fruits, trying to decide which were the ripest and tastiest of the bunch. Of course, she was by herself, with none of her peers or family around her. I knew she was close to them. But why must she always be alone?

The tan-suede coat I wore protected me from the cold, keeping my body somewhat warm. My gloves and hands were stuffed in my pockets as I peeked around the corner and watched the girl shop. I noticed her begin to shiver, which I dreaded. I was so selfish. I didn't need this coat. I've spent countless nights in the cold, the crashing waves of the East Blue only intensifying the breeze. I was almost immune to the cold, but her? Y/N's nose was reddening as her teeth shattered. Was any fruit worth suffering in the cold? A devil fruit, maybe. But even then, it wasn't worth it. "Y/N," I smiled as I approached the maiden. The girl's head rose as she picked up an apple then her body twisted, her eyes growing wide upon the sight of myself. She nearly jumped. "How-" She shook her head. "Are you following me?" Her voice and body shook. Yes. "No, of course not," I laughed, brushing the accusation off my shoulders as I took a few more steps toward her, closing the wide gap. "I was looking for something to eat and I spotted you. Am I not allowed to say hello?" Guilt was something I was tremendous at. Y/N still seemed skeptical but after a slight sigh, she smiled and nodded her head. "No, forgive me. I'm sorry. Uh," She turned her attention to the apple she was holding then let it drop among the others crowding in a small basket. "None of these apples look good."

"They've been sitting out for a while. The shop clerk doesn't take the best care of his fruits. It's why they're so cheap," I chuckled to myself and reached down to grab an apple. I twisted it and examined a large brown spot that was eating away at the once-bright red color. I huffed, "I'm sure you can find something else to eat."

"I can't afford anything else to eat."

My eyes widened and I took a step back, visibly and internally shocked. What? She couldn't afford to eat anything other than a rotten apple? "Why?"

"It's a long story," Y/N admitted. "But I don't wanna talk about it." The girl sorted through found one that looked reasonable, and started to dig in her pocket. She pulled out nothing. "Never mind, I can't even afford that." Letting out a pitiful laugh, she dropped the fruit. I frowned. Her absence of money was one of the few things I didn't know about her. And now that I was aware of it, I felt a puzzling and aggressive feeling in my stomach. Was she out of work? Did she not have any way of providing for herself? Raising my hand, I grabbed at my chin and scratched the bottom of it. "Let me buy you something to eat."

"What?" Her eyes widened and she immediately shook her head, waving her hands as a type of rejection. "You are not buying me anything."

"It's just lunch. It's no biggy," I remarked. "At least something small."

"Why?" She folded her arms over her chest. "Do you feel sorry for me? First, you see me getting picked on by some slob, and now, you see that I'm too poor to afford a rotten apple. What's next?"

"Y/N, knock it off. Stop. Just think of it as a friend doing something nice for their friend."

The questioning look remained stuck on her face as she stared up at me. I tried to maintain a serious expression though the look she was giving me made my lower lip purse, like a pout. How was someone so enchanting? I continued to stare into her eyes, making quick glimpses to explore her other facial features before she finally made a decision. "Fine, but just this once, okay?" "You got it." I winked. -=- Being the gentleman I am, I loaned Y/N my coat to wear despite her dismay and numerous declines. She was pouty the entire walk to the pub but I didn't care. I'd rather her in a pissy mood than feeling physically uncomfortable due to the rain. I, however, was shivering. I was starting to become drenched. I held a newspaper over my head in hopes of staying dry but the wind was strong and the rain was forceful, almost piercing through the thin paper.

When we arrived at the restaurant, she found herself a seat in the corner of the establishment, scooting far into the booth. I followed behind her, sitting on the edge of the seat. I'd rather her be sitting across from me than rather to the side but due to her current emotional state, I stayed quiet and slid her the menu. "Get whatever you want, alright? I mean it."

"Are you a man of money?"

"Something like that," I snickered and ducked my head down to examine the options.

"Have you killed anyone before?" Y/N asked as she folded her arms over the table, her eyes peering at me.

I furrowed my eyebrows and let out a soft laugh. "No," I lied. "I'm not like that. I wasn't that type of pirate."

"What kind of pirate were you?"

"What kind of pirates do you think there are?"

"I don't know," She said as she pursed her lips. "I don't like pirates."

I nodded, unsure of a proper reply. I didn't like lying to her. I was fine with lying, in general. I was the master of conniving and deception. But I wanted to be different for her. Maybe a better person, though that seemed a bit rash. I left the East Blue after discovering that Monkey D- or whatever his name was received a higher bounty than me. Double my own, to be precise. My normally high and mighty ego dropped down and was smooshed by a brick. I didn't want to show my face again, at least not for a while. I wanted somewhat of a fresh start. And when I discovered my presence in the North Blue was dim and almost non-existent, I decide to settle down and refresh.

Then I discovered her.

And my plans completely changed.

"Do you know what you're getting?" Y/N's voice interrupted my thoughts and I raised my head and peaked up at her, smiling softly.

"Hm, not too sure yet," I replied.

"Are you cold? You look cold. You can have your coat back, it's--"

"Nah, keep it. It looks better on you," I said with a grin. I reached for a napkin and started to dab at my forearms, trying to dry myself off. The lovely woman aside of me frowned and stayed quiet. I could tell she felt guilty, which, of course, wasn't my intention. So in hopes of brightening up the mood, I decided to tell a joke.

"What's a pirate's favorite type of exercise?"

Y/N smirked and scrunched her eyebrows. "What?" She laughed.

"The plank."

Her hand slapped over her mouth in hopes of keeping her loud giggles and snickers to a minimum but the more she proceeded to think about it, the more laughs she erupted. My face reddened. I glanced around me, noticing that every other patron and pirate were staring directly at us. Gulping, I reached forward and pulled her hand down from her mouth. "Come on, stop. It's not that funny."

"It's stupid, that's why it's funny!" She continued to cackle as she threw herself over the table, clutching her stomach. A smile crawled on my face, not a painted one. Hearing her laugh, while for no reason, was a beautiful sound. And seeing her laugh? That was even better. I rested my chin in my hand and watched her, smiling to myself. When she finally calmed down, she wiped tears from her eyes. Her face was stained red. "Gosh, I am so sorry," She sighed, shaking her head. "I needed that, thank you."

"It's no problem," I said as I dropped my menu.

Due to the lack of laughter, a waiter finally arrived and took our orders.

"I'll have a slice of apple pie, please. With a cup of milk," Y/N smiled up at the waiter as she read off from the menu.

I raised an eyebrow. Dessert?

"Then after that, I'll have the fish and chips. But I want the pie first, please. Not after." She announced and she folded her menu, sliding it forward. She smiled at me.

I looked at her, completely confused. "Uhm," I looked back to the waiter, "I'll just have a cup of coffee."

Now, Y/N was looking at me, confused.

The waiter nodded and left. "Hey," Y/N started. "Why aren't you eating? I thought you were on your way to get something to eat?"

"I'm not hungry. Plus I doubt you'll finish all of that. I might pick on your leftovers," I said with a grin then I started to munch on the small bowl of peanuts that sat in the middle of the table. "What's up with the apple pie though?"

"I like to eat my dessert before my food because that's what I'm looking forward to," She hummed as she leaned back in her seat. "What if during our meal, we are stormed by a group of pirates and killed at gunpoint? Or a sea snake comes and eats us whole?"

"Ha! What?"

"It's unlikely but it's possible. And I'd like to die knowing I was able to get to the good part of my meal." She wagged her finger at me.

"You make a good point there."

"I know," The girl said with a satisfied grin.

I chuckled and sat back, drumming my gloved fingers on the edge of the table. A thought pondered my mind but I didn't know whether to act on it or not. I wanted to, but I didn't want to overstep any boundaries. I felt Y/N and I were moving forward with our relationship if there was one. We were talking, enjoying a meal together. I made her laugh. She admitted a quirk about herself to me. I felt there was good progress. But I wanted more. I was an impatient man. And the fact that it took five months for me to finally talk to her, despite her initiating the conversation, was surprising. I was eager to get what I wanted. And Y/N was the only thing my mind and heart could agree on.

But the fighting halves of my brain finally settled and I rested my arm over the top of the booth, leaning back. "So, uh, earlier you said you needed to laugh? How so?"

"It's a long story," She mumbled, shrugging her shoulders.

"I've got no places to be, I have time," I said as I cracked a peanut open, discarding of the shells on an unfolded napkin. I watched as she began to grow uneasy with the topic but I was desperate to want to know what was the issue. Why was she stressing her pretty little head? I frowned. "Come on, talk to me. We aren't friends, I'm a stranger to you, no? Who am I gonna talk to or tell?"

"You make a good point," Y/N sighed and leaned forward, raising her hand to scratch at the back of her neck. "It's just- I don't know, it's a lot. I haven't talked to anyone about it."

“Why not?”

“Because it’s something I’m not proud of.”

What could someone as sweet and fragile as she has done that was such an awful deed?

“What is it?” I tossed a peanut into my mouth.

“Well, I was young when it all happened. But when Gold Roger announced the One Piece before he died, my dad was one of the stupid pirates who thought he could have a shot at finding it,” She announced as her eyes rolled and she started to chew on my inner cheek. “My mom kept telling him to knock it off and stop living in a fantasy but he set off, determined to find it. I haven’t seen him in fifteen years. But this came to me a few days ago,” The girl dug her hand into her pocket, rummaging around before she pulled out a crumpled piece of coffee-stained paper. She rolled the ball toward me.

I looked at her then back down at the paper ball. I reached forward and grabbed it, raising an eyebrow. Unfolding it, I smoothed the paper against the table and started to allow my eyes to trail over the letter.

‘Y/N,

It is with great sorrow that I write you this letter. I wish you the best in your youth and I hope you amount to incredible things, such as creating a new destiny for you and your mother. I am sorry I wasn’t able to be a better father for you. Greed is distasteful. I won’t see you again. At the time of writing this, I will be long gone. But please, do me one thing: never stop smiling.

I love you, kiddo.

Love, Dad’

I clenched my jaw and looked back up at her. “Damn, that is a lot.”

“I told you,” She whispered as she tore the paper out of my hands, crunched it into a ball, and then shoved it back into her pants. “I didn’t think he’d be dead. Not this soon. My parents had me when they were young. And to think that my dad died doing something everyone warned him of. It’s horrible. It haunts my mind every day,” She frowned, her eyes tearing up. “Do I write back?”

“Do you have things you wish to say to him?”

“So much. But if he’s dead, then there’s nothing I can say, right?” Y/N rubbed at her nose and took a deep breath as she looked up, her hands waving in hopes of drying her tears. “God, I hate crying.”

“Maybe just write your heart out. Say everything you wish you could say to him. Then seal it in a bottle and toss it into the sea,” I suggested. I looked down at my gloved hand and hesitating, I reached forward and took hold of her small hand. I gave it a tight squeeze. “What do you want to say?”

“How I hate him for abandoning me and my mother but I still love him because he’s my father,” Y/N murmured, the rest of her words muffling as her lower lip quivered. She broke down in a fit of sobs as tears ran down her gorgeous face. I swallowed, never knowing how to react when someone cried. As a child, I hated to be touched whenever I was upset. I wondered if she was the same way. “I don’t know, I don’t,” She repeated as she buried her face in her hands.

I looked around the bar, nervous that others were watching this scene. First the obnoxious laughter and now this? Her emotions were spiraling.

“Hey,” I whispered, my thumb rubbing along her wrist. “Let's say we get the food to go and I’ll take you back home. Eat where you feel comfortable and so you can properly feel your emotions.”

“Huh?” She raised her head, the light mascara that accentuated her eyelashes, now dripping down her cheeks.

“I’m going to go tell the chef to wrap your meal up. Then I’ll take you home,” I continued and I raised my free hand, snapping my fingers to signal we needed assistance. “But don’t worry, I’ll turn around when you walk inside.” I cocked a smile but the comment remained unheard as she continued to cry.

I finally found a waiter and instructed him that we were taking the meal to go. He looked at Y/N with a concerned look but I told him she was alright. But I didn't even know that.

On the walk back to her place, I think I managed to get her to calm down. My hand rubbed at her back as she dipped her head in her hands. I guided her through crowds, instructing her on where to go since her eyes were covered and swollen with tears. A small frown fell on my face despite the red-painted smile I wore so proudly. The face paint I wore was smeared and dripping due to the rain from before. It was continuing to rain but not nearly as frequent and hard as earlier.

I had no idea she was this emotional. It made me feel guilty, even though, as far as I knew, I had nothing to do with why she was crying so much. I hated seeing her so sad. Normally, if it were anyone else apart from her, ridiculing would be my goal. I never cry. Pirates don't cry. But my nose burned with an odd sensation as I helped her up the staircase to her small, run-down building. I blinked rapidly and the feeling went away. Letting out a sigh, I gave Y/N a pat on the back and informed her that we were finally home. Her head raised from the confines of her hands and she revealed a wet, red face with strands of her hair sticking to her skin. A frown stayed on my face. I pulled my hand from her back and dropped the takeaway down on the doorstep. I clenched my teeth together and watched as she fumbled to push the door open. "Here," I whispered, using my foot to nudge it open. It gave way, revealing a disorderly room with an unkempt bed and a woman sleeping under the sheets. It was probably her mother.

"Thank you," Y/N finally spoke, her voice croaking. "I appreciate it, honestly. I'm sorry for ruining your meal."

"Don't apologize. Things are fine. Go eat then get some rest, alright?"

"Yeah, okay." She rubbed her nose and nodded her head. "I'll see you around." Her body twisted and she hunched over to grab the uneaten food. She stepped inside.

"Y/N," I started, stopping her in her steps. She turned around. As I dug through my pocket, I pulled out a few berries, placing them in the palm of her hand. "Take these, okay? It's not a lot but, it should last you a little while."

"What?" She looked in her hand, shaking her head. "Buggy, no, I can't accept this. This is too much."

"Come on, take it. It's okay. You need it more than I do."

"But this is like," She counted the bills in her hands, "forty-three hundred berries... Are you completely sure?"

"Yes, I am," I said with a smile.

"I'm going to pay you back for this, I promise."

"No need."

"No, I want to. Please. I won't take this unless you allow me to repay you for this. Okay?" She slipped the money into her pocket, wiped her palm on the side of her pants, then held it out. "Deal?"

Chuckling to myself, I nodded my head. "Deal." I shook her hand. "Now, come on, go eat. I don't want to take any more of your time."

"Okay, okay," The beautiful girl agreed with a large grin, which was a much better sight than her crying. "Buggy, thank you. Thank you so much." And with those words, she stepped back, gave me a quick wave and a sincere grin, then shut the creaky wooden door behind her.

The sound of the door shutting nearly made me jump. And when I realized I was left all alone, the same sensation in my nose appeared. I gulped and walked down the stairs, now standing on a wooden dock. I hugged my arms and my eyes widened.

Y/N still had my coat.

[leavingsunsets]

alsgakdgaksh sorry I know you just answered my request but, but, but what about dcst characters reacting to a reader who has a problem with daydreaming (maladaptive daydreaming)

basically they get so lost in their mind that they start acting out or quoting(? their thoughts, from the outside it just kinda looks like they're talking to themselves but they've got a whole movie in their mind 😭 (i legitimately subconsciously tripped myself because i imagined a character falling to the floor)

take care and don't rush <333

whooo this was a doozy. had to do a little research for this one, so i get to give yall some good rep or atleast make it feel a little more accurate tehee. anyways with this population sampling liberty ive decided to get 5 characters, 4 guys and 1 girl. enjoy 😋.

"𝔇𝔞𝔶𝔡𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔪𝔢𝔯?"

[𝖣𝖢𝖲𝖳 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗋𝖺𝖼𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝗐/ 𝖺 𝗆𝖺𝗅𝖺𝖽𝖺𝗉𝗍𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝖽𝖺𝗒𝖽𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗆𝖾𝗋.]

𝙎𝙚𝙣𝙠𝙪 𝙄𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙜𝙖𝙢𝙞

Might be a little confused at first. Like, especially if it's at random times. Maybe he's busy tinkering with something, and you're in the same room. You do or say something and he automatically goes "huh?" because he thinks you're talking to him and you go "huh."

It takes some adjusting for him, but he learns much faster than the others. Though it's kinda funny during the beginning stages because whenever you said something aloud he'd pause whatever he was doing to stare at you blankly, and if you didn't look his way after a few seconds he'd take it as you weren't talking to him and resume his business.

He's a curious bugger tho so he obviously glances over at you sometimes to see what you were doing, whether you were both alone or not.

Seeing as your attention is a little harder to grab, he's got a custom habit of either patting or holding your shoulder. Like "yo [name]," and a little shoulder tap.

But with this development, it seems you've also learned to do the same. Now that he's used to you talking to yourself, to show that you're speaking to him, you have to either tap him or say his name.

Overall, pretty chill about it, even talks to you a lot just to pull you out sometimes.

𝙏𝙖𝙞𝙟𝙪 𝙊𝙠𝙞

Our sweet, underrated, heart of gold who I couldn't find nice aesthetic manga banners for (sorry for the jumpscare). Bet you didn't expect to see him on the list, huh?

Just a little longer in terms of adjusting. Like Senku, is a little confused and goes "?" when you do things randomly. Sometimes, you are interrupted because whenever he is in vicinity he's just bombarding you with questions.

"Hi! What are you doing?" "Were you talking to me?" "What's that mean?" "Were you saying something?" "What is that gesture?"

You either give him a very detailed description about the scenario in your head or just BS it.

"I was communicating with the trees." "Wow! Really? You can do that?" Accepts whatever choice you pick anyway. He will listen intently and he will take it literally. An open chance to tell him whatever you want and he would not suspect you at all. He is very intrigued at this new type of acorns called "Deez" that you found in the forest. Apparently it's part of the "Ligma" family of trees? Wow!

Easily snaps you out of your daydreams because his voice is just loud enough to do so.

You get to enthuse with him sometimes, and he will happily listen.

𝙏𝙨𝙪𝙠𝙖𝙨𝙖 𝙎𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙤

Also a little underrated, I swear.

Problem with Tsukasa is that he's a little nonverbal so when you do or say something, he just stares at you. Hulk of a man watches in confusion as you play out a whole soap opera or something.

But hey, what is Tsukasa if not a kind and gracious man?

Tries to understand you, and is a good listener if you ever need a guy to ramble to about this. And hey, gives him more insight on your mind in general.

Keeps a slightly closer eye on you, or is just more aware of your predicament in general.

This Tarzan would genuinely be gentle about it like he'd check up on you and stuff. Talk to you, or even sit down with you, maybe a little chitchat.

I imagine you as a duo would be him sipping nice tea and enjoying the garden meanwhile you accidentally drop your cookie in the milk so you borrow his teaspoon just to scoop it out and he lets you. Very weird analogy but he is just kind??

An enigma, overall doesn't change his usual equitable treatment towards you.

𝙆𝙤𝙝𝙖𝙠𝙪

I already had a vision of her reaction to this. Like, as an inquisitive type, she'd most likely ask you questions all about it as soon as she notices it. More answers lead to more questions. Forgive her, she's only curious.

Similar to Tsukasa, she wants to be aware and informed. Wants to know about what you're thinking about sometimes. "Hmmm..." and just watches you from the branches.

Of course, watchful, and vigilant. Observer type. If ever you're too out of it to notice something potentially harmful coming your way (or vice versa), she'd be there to tug you back to reality.

She's most likely less patient than Tsukasa, not the type for a sit down kind of conversation, but would still let you ramble while you both pick apples or smthn.

Overall a nice gal who wouldn't mind it at all.

I feel like she's the complete opposite of a daydreamer, so it's hard for her to understand what it's like. Still, she tries to be considerate and talks with you whenever she can as a way to learn about it.

[hermitscratch]

7 or 16 - Bdubs/Joel?

Send me a pairing + a number! || Accepting

16. A kiss while someone watches, Bdubs/Joel, 849 words

Honestly, Bdubs saw this coming ages ago.

Since Double Life, in fact. He'd have to be blind, deaf, and stupid not to notice the way Etho and Joel clicked. Like two halves of the same whole that had Bdubs wondering, not for the first time, if the game knew something they didn't. Bdubs hadn't been surprised when Etho came to him two sessions in to say that being with Joel felt Good. The kind of capital-letter-warranting feeling that Etho used to describe how he felt with people like Doc, like Beef, like Bdubs. Bdubs was sure at that point that Etho was in love. He was just as sure that, in time, he'd love Joel as well.

A lot had happened since then. Limited Life, the Rift debacle, The Decked Out 2 invitations, Secret Life. Season Nine had ended. When Season Ten began, Joel was there, and he took to being a Hermit like sparks to dry kindling, getting happily caught up in the whirlwind of early-game adventures.

Joel always seemed busy. Never too busy to indulge a conversation with any passersby who grabbed his attention, never too busy to pay calls and visits to his wife, and certainly never too busy to build- but busy enough that by the time he showed up on Bdubs' doorstep, Bdubs hadn't seen him since the season introduction.

It was nice, having Joel to himself for a while. They chatted, they caught up, they talked about their building plans as Bdubs toured Joel around his house and the space he'd cleared for future projects. Joel was a great rubber duck, taking all Bdubs' ideas and bouncing them back a little to the left, helping him see what could change for the better. Using the tree as a living indicator of the passage of time? Genius.

Bdubs tried to be the same, when it came time to tour Joel's base, but what could he add to perfection? His builds had so much visual interest, each decorated sign and hanging banner significant to the image as a whole. It felt like a part of a city, chiseled right out of the mountainside, and Bdubs was incredibly impressed. Verticality, especially, was a tough thing to work with.

They were on their way through the shopping district when Joel stopped. Bdubs walked a few paces ahead before he noticed, and stopped as well to let Joel catch up. The next time it happened, Bdubs paused with him. "You alright?"

Joel seemed to stare at the corner of the building they'd just passed. "Fine," He said, turning back around and gesturing with a nod for them to keep moving. As they did, Joel continued, "Any ideas why your boyfriends are following us?"

"What?" Immediately, Bdubs tried to backtrack to the corner Joel had been staring at, but Joel grabbed him by the arm.

"Shh! Bloody- don't make a scene of it. Etho's lurking behind the building," Joel nodded towards the shade behind the oddly tall pop-up shop, "And Impulse is going from roof to roof."

Bdubs had known for a long time that he was going to love Joel some day.

He just... didn't expect it to start here, with enchanting eyes glinting mischievously and a smile that made compelling promises as Joel said, "We should mess with 'em."

Bdubs' throat dried. Now wasn't the time to be looking at Joel's mouth. "Yeah, uh-huh," He said with a nervous-excited chuckle, "They've got it coming! Wh-what do they think they're doing, spyin' on us!"

Joel giggled back, and the sound made Bdubs' heart do these funny little flips that he hadn't felt since he and Impulse were bound in Double Life, "Gotta make it convincing," Joel warned.

Oh. Joel's lips were soft.

Softer than Bdubs would have expected from a man who bit them while he thought. Warm, as well, and Bdubs' awareness narrowed to that point of contact. It was tame, as far as kisses went. Joel wasn't much for tame, and possessed by resentment that Joel might be doing something stupid like holding back, Bdubs grabbed Joel by the folds of his kimono and pulled him closer, kissed him harder.

They broke apart with a gasp only after hearing the sound of Impulse falling from his rooftop perch.

For a moment, there was nothing. They both stared at where Impulse had been, then to the dissipating smoke of his lost life, his items scattered haphazardly around the area. They looked at each other, kiss-drunk and surprised, like they'd forgotten that this started as a way to get back at Etho and Impulse for stalking them through the shopping district. Like they'd forgotten that they're very much still in the, very public, shopping district. Admittedly, Bdubs might have forgotten his own name if they'd kept up like that for much longer.

They laughed.

"That's enough of that," Joel finally said, "We should get Impulse's stuff put away, before it despawns on 'im."

Bdubs nodded his agreement, already in the process of crafting a chest. "And what happens then?"

"After that," Joel had that mischievous flicker in his eyes again, "I think you and I've got a lot to talk about."

[wintaerbaer]

things we don't say: part 5 TEASER (kth)

banner credit: @itaeewon

summary: Three years after graduating college, everything seems to be falling into place for you: stable job, cozy apartment, and a long-term boyfriend with a ring box hidden in his desk drawer. But when a mutual friend makes a remark that your best friend of nearly two decades is clearly in love with you, you realize that life may not be as simple as it seems.

pairing: Taehyung x Reader (with some VERY brief Seokjin x Reader and Yoongi x Reader)

rating: 18+

genres: best friends to lovers, idiots to lovers, slow burn, angst, fluff

word count: 721 (for the teaser; full chapter is expected to be 8-10k)

chapter warnings: weddings!, feelings, seventeen is here now because i fell into a rabbit hole and needed fill-ins, jimin kinda ruins everything, jk is relatively well-behaved, kissing?!

a/n: given that it's been the craziest time of year for work (and i may be focused on a jk oneshot rn), i figured i'd throw out a teaser since it's taking me longer to write! i'm heading into my job's off-season soon though, so i'll have more time to write and will aim to have this next part out by end-of-year :)

PART 4 // SERIES MASTERLIST

You look up to find Taehyung's eyes gazing steadily down at you, a small but confident smile playing on his lips.

"Dance with me?"

And in spite of the unease that had plagued you only moments ago, you don't hesitate to let him wrap up your small hand in his large one and lead you to the dance floor. His palm settles on your lower back to pull you in close, and maybe it’s the proximity or the intoxicating smell of his cologne that weakens your resolve, but you find the words spilling out.

"Did you get her number?"

Taehyung looks at you quizzically, brow furrowing in confusion. "Whose?"

"The woman at the bar."

His face relaxes as he realizes. "Oh, yeah. I did."

"Good." You manage a smile. Why does it feel so hard? "It really is…good you're getting back out there. Are you going to ask her on a date?"

He laughs, mischief in his eyes. "I don't think her fiancé would like that." And now it's your turn to look confused.

"Her fiancé?"

"I met the two of them through Hoseok a couple times so we've chatted. Nice people." He nods his head, and you look over to see the woman now dancing with a man not too far from you. "They just got engaged, and she knows I'm a photographer so she asked if I'd be interested in doing the wedding. I said I'd call her this week to talk about it."

"Oh." You can feel your face flush, but there's no doubting the relief that floods through you. And Taehyung surely notices, grinning down at you in amusement.

"Were you jealous?"

"No!" you say, but perhaps a little too quickly because Taehyung laughs, his fingers applying a gentle pressure to your back to pull you closer.

"I'm here with you," he murmurs matter-of-factly.

You shake your head at him. "It's fine, Tae. If someone catches your eye…like I said, it could be good—"

"I'm here with you," he repeats, more firmly this time. He releases your hand for a moment to tuck a stray curl behind your ear, and you have to look away. You spot Hoseok and Sunny swaying together in the middle of the dance floor, pressed closely together and smiling at each other like they're the only two people in the world. What it must be like to have someone look at you like that, you think, to hold you like you're something precious to be cherished. You had thought Jace made you feel that way, but now, watching your friends gaze at each other so delicately, so in love, you're no longer sure he even came close.

"What are you looking at?" Taehyung's voice rouses you out of your thoughts, and you suddenly notice his hand has drifted a little higher to where the back of your dress dips down low, exposing your bare skin.

Trying to pass off the shiver that involuntarily runs through you as a nod, you gesture at the newly married couple. "They're so good together."

Taehyung follows your line of sight, watching Hoseok lean down to murmur something in Sunny's ear that makes her giggle and press her face into his chest. "They are."

"Can you imagine loving someone like that?" Your voice is a bare whisper as if the words slipped out of their own accord, like a wish you didn't even realize you were making.

Taehyung's fingers splay at your spine, gently tugging you in until your hips are bumping his. Startled, your eyes snap back to him, breath catching in your chest. He's gazing at you intently, but as opposed to the intense fire that you've seen from him at times, there's only a deep warmth to his brown irises that you're not sure you've ever seen before. He looks at you with softness, with both a sense of familiarity and wonder that can only be attributed to your many years of companionship, and you see it all swimming behind his eyes—every day spent together seeking refuge from your families, every stupid childhood fight, every time you comforted each other through the bad days. And before you can deflect, can explain away the question as a rhetorical slip of the tongue, you hear his answer come out on a breath.

"Yes."

[sashaisready]

Chapter Twenty-Four - Yeah, idiot

Bucky Barnes Mob AU x Femme Reader

You're hard at work in Pepper's Bakery when notorious mob boss James 'Bucky' Barnes darkens your doorway one typical afternoon, and life is never the same again.

Warnings: Sexual references, references to panic attacks, tooth rotting fluff

18+ - see Masterlist for full list of warnings

Chapter 25 Series Masterlist

Steve had been entertaining you with stories from the past. You'd been screeching with laughter as he told you about what he and Bucky got up to as kids in Brooklyn, terrorising the local bullies and getting up to mischief. Steve was apparently a scrawny, sickly kid and didn't fill out until much later in life, so Bucky kept an eye out for him. You saw a lot of yourself in Steve's memories of Bucky - a headstrong kid jumping into fights he couldn't always win just to help his friend.

You were happy to learn more about Bucky's past, but also grateful for the distraction to keep your mind occupied and not be left to think about last night.

"Seems like we're having fun in here" came a gruff voice from behind you.

Bucky had walked into the kitchen. Dressed impeccably as always in a perfectly tailored navy suit. You felt a short flurry of butterflies in your stomach upon seeing him again, his eyes sparkling as they landed on you.

"Hey Buck" you greet him shyly.

He smiles and approaches you, giving you a kiss on the cheek. Then he carefully inspects the cut on your face, moving your head gently with his hand.

"This seems to be healing alright but I might ask Banner to check it out to be sure it won't scar - he has some medical training".

"I think it looks kinda cool" you retort.

Steve and Bucky exchange amused looks.

"Did we eat?" Bucky asks.

"We did" replies Steve. "Greedy over here was like a garbage disposal with those eggs".

"Hey!" You squeak at his teasing.

Bucky smiles. "Good. Glad to hear it". He paused to pull out his phone and stare thoughtfully at the screen.

"Thanks Steve" he continues. "Can you go find Sam and have him fill you in on this morning".

Steve nods, flinging his jacket on and heading for the door. "Nice hanging with you, cupcake".

"Thanks for breakfast, Stevie".

He shoots you a mock salute and a big grin and disappears out of the kitchen. Bucky moves to the kitchen island, pulling up a chair next to you.

"...Cupcake? Stevie?" He questions, the tiniest hint of jealousy in his voice.

"Mm. We hit it off. Do you know if he's single?" You wink.

Bucky rolls his eyes. "Don't do that..."

"What?" You ask innocently.

He smirks back at you before becoming more serious. "So, how are you feeling? Honestly?"

You squirm in your seat a little and grip your coffee cup. "Fine. A bit tired. But fine".

He cocks his head at you and it's clear he's not buying it.

"...I mean I did have a panic attack in the shower" you relent. "But other than that..."

Bucky smiles at you sympathetically, kissing your temple as his arm protectively finds your waist. You lean back into him, savouring his touch.

"And how about you? How did it go with your men?" You ask.

He grimaces. "Everyone is a bit shaken up, of course. But okay. They're pleased we got you out and didn't lose anyone from our side – a few injures and scrapes but that's all. We've got some guys on the road making sure we didn't miss anyone from HYDRA and I'm making progress on finding the rat".

You nod. He says it all so casually but it spooks you slightly as you consider the implications for those two things. It's not likely to be a friendly chat for anyone involved.

You look at the time on your phone, it's early afternoon now. You start to mentally make a list of all the things you need to do - call Wanda, clean your apartment, think about what you'll be making at the bakery this week...

"I should probably head out" you tell him. "I need to rest up for work tomorrow".

"Obviously you aren't going to work tomorrow" he scoffs.

You frown. "What do you mean? I'm back on the schedule for tomorrow".

He rolls his eyes in annoyance. "After everything you've been through? You can't just pretend everything is normal, Doll. You need to rest. Just stay here a few days, let yourself recover. You don't want to have a panic attack while you're with customers". His tone is light but there's a real scolding beneath it.

"Oh c'mon Bucky" you huff. "I'm not a weak little sick person who needs you and your men taking shifts to babysit me..."

"I didn't said you were..." Bucky warns.

"Well you had one guarding me last night and one cooking for me this morning. It's sweet but not necessary. You can't keep me locked up in your house forever".

Bucky turns to you, clearly furious. "You're not locked up. Why do you have to fight me on everything, Doll? It's exhausting. Can't you just relax and let me take care of you for a few days?"

"I don't need to be taken care of...." You fire back, aware of how petulant you sound.

"I know that!! I'm painfully aware. Hell, the first thing you did when I found you was hit me across the face...I'm very aware that you can look after yourself. I just want to..."

He's practically shouting now, you can see the fire in his eyes as he tries to keep himself calm. He gets out of his chair and paces aimlessly through the kitchen.

"Why do you even care so much?" You yell back at him as you get to your feet.

"Is all this just because you feel guilty? Are you trying to absolve yourself or something?" You spit.

"No idiot, it's because I'm in love with you!" He yells.

The word hangs thickly in the air as you both stand in silence. Your mouth has fallen open in surprise and your eyes are wide. He's turned away from you, clearly embarrassed that it managed to escape from him.

"You are...?" You ask. Your voice is much softer now, any annoyance extinguished by his accidental declaration.

"Yeah" he admits begrudgingly as he looks at the floor tiles.

You approach him cautiously, taking him by the shoulders and spinning him to face you. He doesn't meet your eye but you take a second to drink in his beauty, practically vibrating as you take his face in your hands.

"I love you too, Buck".

His eyes shoot up to yours, his face softening into an expression of relief and joy. "Yeah?" He asks.

"Yeah, idiot" you grin.

*

You and Bucky had gone another round in the kitchen after both dropping the L bomb. He'd kissed you hard against the sink and before you knew it you were bent over the counter screaming his name. Funny how life goes.

You had relented and agreed not to work tomorrow. That second orgasm may have made you a bit more agreeable. You knew he was right, but didn't want to admit that to his face. The fact was you weren't feeling yourself and were anxious about having another panic attack while at work, and you knew it was too soon.

As luck would have it Pepper actually called you rather than the other way around. Tony had filled her in after Bucky had asked him for help and she was just so relieved you were okay. She was surprised to hear you were involved with James Barnes (but then so were you...) although she trusted your judgement – and was pretty impressed with his philanthropy. She suggested you had a week off to rest and recover, she'd hired that new assistant baker anyway so would have her start early. She told you they'd miss your expert eye but they'd make it work, and you feeling more like yourself was the most important thing. It was a relief for you, one less thing to think about.

Bucky had gone back to work while you called Wanda and filled her in. She was aghast, horrified and extremely worried to hear about what happened with HYDRA but like Pepper was mainly just relieved you were okay. She was surprised about your date with Peter but admitted he sounded like he'd be fun to hang out with one day. She was more surprised about your update on Bucky, but not too surprised, as she pointed out she had essentially watched the two of you fall in love over in front of her over the last few months. She was nervous about your adjacency to his business though, and the risk that posed to you (as HYDRA had proved).

You had responded that you were nervous too, but trusted Bucky to keep you safe. You didn't have all the answers right now, and of course you had your doubts too, but this felt right to you and you needed to explore it. Wanda trusted you, she just wanted you to be happy. You'd agreed to meet up with her this week as she wouldn't see you at work.

The next few days passed in a blur. You had moved from the guest room to Bucky's room, stopping at your apartment briefly to pick up some clean clothes and toiletries. Bucky had asked that you spent the next few days at his place just so you were close by and he could keep an eye on you. It initially made you feel antsy but you'd agreed under the condition you were free to come and go throughout the day which he accepted. You didn't want to be under house arrest. Compromise seemed to be the way forward.

He worked a lot in the daytime so you were left to your own devices. You hadn't been away from the bakery for this long in a while so it was nice to catch up on your reading, take baths (that copper bathtub was as good as you'd imagined), let your body and mind heal. You sometimes played cards with Scott or Mario Kart with Thor which always made you laugh. You made yourself at home, quickly becoming part of the furniture. Bucky would come and check on you when things were quiet, a constant game of hide and seek as he'd try and figure out which corner of the huge house you were in.

You had been texting Peter and made plans to go for a drink as friends with Wanda, and he was going to bring Drax and Rocket too. Bucky wasn't super keen on joining the party himself for obvious reasons, but wanted you to have fun.

Your panic attacks crept up on you and were debilitating in the moment, but you were getting better at coping with them and when Bucky was around he'd help you through and soothe you until you calmed down again. You'd have nightmares too, so Bucky insisted on sleeping close every night so he could be there when you needed him.

You mostly saw Bucky in the evenings, he always ringfenced dinner with you as 'your time' and made sure work was cut off for then. He would order take out or you took turns cooking and you'd chat and drink wine. Sometimes Steve or Sam would join, or even others if Bucky was feeling generous. He didn't go into too much detail about his work and you knew not to ask. Sometimes you'd squabble like old times, but it felt domestic and comfortable now – not constant one-upmanship and game playing. You had started to accept that Bucky just infuriated you and that was a fact, but you loved him all the same.

One afternoon you had commandeered the kitchen to make cupcakes. It had been days since you'd baked anything and you were itching to have a wooden spoon back in your hand. You'd made a grocery store run and returned laden with ingredients, bags straining with the weight of your haul. It must've been a strange sight to see Bucky's men part at the entrance of the well-known mob boss' house to allow the safe passage of edible glitter and pink cake cases.

It was instantly therapeutic. Mixing, stirring, pouring. You didn't even need measuring equipment as you knew the recipe like the back of your hand. You flipped on the radio and sang unselfconsciously along to the songs. It was a beautiful ballet lead by your hands, you glided around the kitchen and savoured the expanse of the space. You even whipped up some brownies once you get in the zone. You couldn't believe how much more like yourself you felt.

Some of the men popped their heads in once they smell the unusual aroma coming from the kitchen, shocked to find baking going on. You gladly send them on their way with brownies and before you know it you were out and making a new batch. Steve came and chatted with you, leaning on the counter with a brownie and a coffee as you laughed and put the cupcakes in the oven. It felt good to be baking and feeding people again, this is what you do.

Later, you're deep in concentration finishing the frosting when an unexpected visitor arrives in the kitchen.

"It's much easier to track you down when you make the kitchen smell this good, Doll" Bucky growls in your ear as his arms wrap around your waist.

You flinch violently and nearly drop the cupcake you're holding when you notice he's there. There's a flash of panic in his eyes when he realises what he's done.

"Oh fuck, Doll I'm sorry – I didn't mean to sneak up on you like that" he pleads.

You smile warmly at him, he knows you're still jumpy. You lean back into him and stroke his cheek affectionately.

"You're fine" you whisper soothingly before he gives you a quick kiss.

"You keeping my men fed, huh?" he asks.

"Mmm. It was meant to be just a few brownies and cupcakes but it snowballed somewhat..." you mutter as you look at the endless racks of cakes cooling.

Your eyes move to the mess of mixing bowls and spoons next to the polished finished product and you grimace.

"Sorry Buck I know I've made a mess...I'll clean it up..." you tell him anxiously.

You move to the sink to start cleaning but he holds you tightly. "C'mon Doll, you know that I don't get upset over stuff like that".

He presses a kiss to your temple as you smile and enjoy the feeling of his body on yours.

"Hit me" he tells you.

You break of a piece of brownie and feed it to him. He moans with pleasure and closes his eyes.

"Yep. You've still got it" he says with a mouthful.

"I gotta say..." he begins as he swallows down the last bite. "When I came in I could see how happy you were, just in your element doin' your thing. I love to see you like that".

You turn into him and beam, pushing your head into his shoulder.

"It's my favourite place to be...Well, one of them at least..." you wink and look at him lewdly.

He grins back. "Don't tempt me Doll..."

He pulls you flush against him and moves his mouth to your ear.

"And I also love seeing you like this because it reminds me of when we met" he purrs. "All covered in flour, teasing me in those overalls..."

You giggle, kissing him softly as his hands travel along the curve of your waist.

"Wait...you didn't try the cupcakes..." you interrupt.

You slide away from him and lean over to grab a finished one from the rack. You break a bit off in your hand and move to feed it to him like you did with the brownie.

He smiles and parts his lips in readiness but at the last second you smash the rest of the cupcake into his face, frosting first. It covers the entirety of his nose and top lip in a glaze of thick pink frosting and for a moment he can only stare at you in horror.

Your amused grin drops when you see his eyes darken.

"Oh...I see" he says calmly as he reaches for a paper towel.

"Bucky...I'm sorry...it was a joke..." you tell him softly, your attempt to be solemn immediately overshadowed by the threat of a smirk as you watch the frosting slide down his chin.

"Imagine how dead you are?" he sighs mildly.

You go to run but he's too fast for you, he has you pinned to the kitchen tiles by his metal arm before you can even make it a few feet. You shriek as he straddles you, fruitlessly trying to push him off as you giggle helplessly.

He manages to pull the frosting bowl off the counter and mashes his flesh hand into it, rubbing big streaks of it in your hair and across your face as you squeal. He leans over and kisses you amongst the mess.

You could get used to life with him if it's like this. You understand him better now, you know how to communicate and compromise. And you're never going to be fully on board with his work. But that's alright. There are some things you just won't talk about. Maybe in time you will have the capacity for more, when your panic attacks have faded and your nightmares are occasional blips rather than nightly occurrences.

For now you will enjoy your time with him, unpeeling his layers and learning more about who he is, who you are when you're together.

He's flawed, but so are you. You find a way together.

And that's what love is.

[navybrat817]

Reluctant

Pairings: Max Burnett x Female Reader, Nick Fowler x Female Reader, Max Burnett x Female Reader x Nick Fowler Summary: Max and Nick say you're not playing a game, but you find yourself to be a reluctant player anyway. Word Count: Over 1.3k Warnings: E.S.C., reference to threesome, possessive behavior, manipulation, bickering, slight feels (it's me), Max Burnett and Nick Fowler are kind of assholes (and they're warnings, okay?). A/N: Didn't plan for more this week, but here we are! Set after The Truth Will Set You Free. ❤️ Not beta read and written on my phone, so any and all mistakes are my own. Moodboard by yours truly, banner by the wonderful @sgt-seabass, and divider by the amazing @firefly-graphics . Please follow @navybrat817-sideblog for new fics and notifications. Comments, reblogs, feedback are loved and appreciated!

Laying in bed in the unfamiliar and impersonal room, you wondered how it came to this. True to Max's word, he didn't tell you where he and Nick brought you after their little interrogation. Though you were angry, it didn't stop you from letting them wreck you once they got you back to this room. Their stamina shouldn't have surprised you, but it did and you graciously took them up on their offer to rest.

They were even nice enough to clean you up.

Not that it did you much good. While your body needed to recoup, your mind didn't stop racing. You felt like you hadn't slept at all.

What do they want with me?

"Get up."

Nick stood beside the bed already dressed for the day in jeans and a light blue sweater. It should've frightened you how quiet could be, especially since you hadn't seen him come back into the room. You could smell breakfast on the other side of the door, tempting you to leave. Despite the small growl in your stomach, you didn't move.

"Good morning to you, too. And no. I'm sore and worn out thanks to the two of you."

Only a little sore. I could go again.

Nick sighed and extended his hand. "You're a better liar than that. And as much as I love seeing you in bed, you can't stay here all day."

"Why not?" you asked, letting the sheet fall as you sat up and stretched your arms over your head. You didn't miss the way Nick eyed the swell of your breasts with a kind of hunger that made you shiver. "I should be on vacation and it's not like I have a job at the moment."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," he said, his hand still waiting for yours.

"What? You have a job for me?"

"Possibly working with me, yes," he answered without going into more details. "Now get up. I won't ask again."

"Are you always so bossy?" you asked rhetorically.

Reluctantly, you placed your hand in his and allowed him to pull you to your feet. Instead of backing up to give you space, he tugged you close so your naked body brushed against his. You stiffened in his grasp when he grabbed your chin, but you didn't push him away.

"I can't have you uncomfortable being close to me if we're going to work together," he said as his thumb swept over your lower lip. "But I'm happy to remind you how much you liked me being inside you if that's what it takes."

You allowed Nick to slip his thumb past your lips. The stretch you felt when his cock breached you earlier was a beautiful thing. Being between his and Max's bodies, you fell to pieces. The problem is you didn't recognize yourself once you put yourself back together. You had some jagged edges before you met Max, but you were no longer your own puzzle master.

You were a puppet on a string.

Nick hissed when you bit down on his thumb and wrenched his hand free. You didn't draw blood, but you wanted him to feel a sting. It wasn't wrong that part of you felt a little vindictive.

"Not interested in working with you, Nick," you said as you grabbed his hand. Looking into his eyes, you brought it back to your mouth and kissed the bite mark on his thumb. "But thanks for asking."

"Told you so," Max said from the doorway, clad in boxers and a t-shirt.

Your stomach twisted as you glanced at him. There was still so much you needed to say to him. Was your head even in the right place for it?

Nick glared as the darker haired man. "Yeah? And you think you're in her good graces?"

"Working on it," he shrugged.

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here!" you said, your patience starting to run thin. "We still haven't talked about what the two of you did! I should be on a beach enjoying my day, but now I'm stuck here. And I don't feel like playing any games today."

"We told you this isn't a game," Max said, pointedly ignoring the fact that they played you. "And if it were, do you really think you're winning? We have your phone, ID, and passport locked up for the time being in case you try to run."

"And even if you manage to leave, you don't have access to your money. You don't have anything. Who would help you?" Nick added.

Maybe the man back home you don't know about.

"So I'm a prisoner unless I do what you tell me. And here I thought I was winning because I got the two of you. I'm so lucky. Instead of one dick to deal with, I have two."

Your heart pounded as you glanced between the two of them. Both of them smiled in return.You expected that they'd have full control over the situation. Some part of you deep down thought you deserved this. Most people in your life before didn't care if they ever saw you again.

Most. Not all. But why are these two so eager to hold onto me?

"I thought we fucked most of that brattiness out of you," Nick mused as you tried to shove him away. He didn't budge.

"That's the thing about brattiness. It comes back," Max smiled.

You would know all about that.

"You watched me," you accused Nick, not having to fake the tears that swelled in your eyes. "And you lied to me," you spat at Max.

"Don't look at me like that," he said.

"Like what?" you asked, keeping your gaze as impassive as possible as you blinked the tears away.

"Like I'm going to hurt you," Max said as he walked toward you.

"You already did," you pointed out.

"And I'd do it all over again if it means having you here," Max told you, gripping your chin the way Nick had moments ago. "But we won't hurt you again now that we have you."

The conviction in his voice had your next breath a bit shaky. You stared into his eyes, trying to see beyond the walls he built. You thought you knocked them down, but he had more right behind them.

And Nick was another story. You'd have to peel back the layers to get to the root of him. It was a matter of how to do so.

Because neither of them were sorry since they got you in the end.

"I don't trust either of you. You have to realize that," you said.

Nick brought his mouth to your ear. "We know and can't change what we did."

"But we can show you that it's better to face forward," Max said, brushing his fingers along your neck.

"Show me? How?"

"We know you won't trust our words uet," Nick said, bringing a hand to your hip. "So you'll have to trust our bodies for now."

"It felt good, didn't it? Taking both of us?" Max asked, his voice softening as you briefly closed your eyes. "You nearly soaked the sheets."

"And you did soak our cocks," Nick said as you trembled. "You can do it again."

Before you let them get any further, since your body liked the idea of being between them again, you slipped out of their grasp. "After I eat breakfast," you said, grabbing the nearest discarded shirt to put on.

"After breakfast," Max agreed all too easily.

"And maybe we can talk about the job," you said to Nick. "I'll have to have separate conversations with each of you because I'm still pissed."

Maybe I can tear you each a new one for basically keeping me hostage here.

"A maybe is better than a no," Nick smiled.

You ignored their lustful stares as you stepped backwards toward the door and left the room. You were their prey, but you could also be the predator. It was just a matter of setting the trap.

And if you truly wanted to escape these two men who seemed hellbent on owning you.

Oh, what will we do with them? Hehe. Love and thanks for reading! ❤️

Masterlist ⚓ Read Between the Lies Masterlist ⚓ Ko-Fi

[pjsk-headcanons]

THE REVIVAL OF VIDEO GAME TAKEOVER: proseka characters playing wuthering waves

saki plays and is obsessed with camellya, she sees a lot of her own chronic illness in camellya's constant overclocking. she begged minori to pull camellya for her, because minori has really good luck in gacha games - all her luck for evwrything else was just siphoned into gambling. minori managed to pull 3 camellyas in 1 10 pull for her.

honami plays and really really likes shorekeeper. she got her cr0 on her first banner, and is now saving for cr6 r5. she really likes quickswap teams because that's where most of sk's damage comes from. the star motif is also a nice bonus.

shiho plays casually, but she actually shares her account with ichika - neither of them are particularly big fans, they only play when honami or saki ask them to hop on. combined they're a diehard mortefi main.

minori is a fan but she's kind of bad... she sucks at dodge counters. for this reason she mains jianxin, for Shield. before she got jianxin, she mained taoqi for much the same reason.

airi is a minmaxer, she has like 12 accounts that she regularly maintains. jinhsi main on all of them. she knows that sanhua isn't a good support for jinhsi, but she can't bring herself to separate the lesbians.

kohane tried it once, at minori's request, but didn't really like the playstyle. she only plays for the story and lore.

emu is an encore main. her encore is known to do better damage than nene's xly, despite already having been powercrept. she has no other characters built though, only encore!

nene plays, and she's a xiangli yao main. he reminds her of rui. she prefers pgr, genshin, or hsr though.

rui doesn't play, but he knows a good bit about it through nene and mizuki.

kanade plays, she is a taoqi main because she viscerally relates to the constant tiredness. she also gets irrationally annoyed that shorekeeper's hands don't actually show what she's playing on the piano - the song shorekeeper plays is a full octave above/below what shorekeeper's hands are shown to be playing depending on what rover you pick. (rover's hands are always shown playing 2 octaves over from shorekeepers, if you pick fem rover she sits to sk's left and masc rover to sk's right, and the tune they play is in the dead middle of those two octaves. i have so many feelings about this. it annoys me so much. yes this is me projecting.)

mizuki is one of those absolute madman (gender neutral) danjin mains that 18☆s any tower circle with solo danjin. she also has youhu built as a dps, bc in toa you can run out of resonance energy and become unable to use a character... but aside from the toa fuckery, she's a diehard danjin main. only danjin. need healer? danjin. need support? danjin. need dps? danjin. only danjin.

🔆 anon

‎

[mayberaspberrywrites]

No One But You | Dehya x Reader | SAGAU

A/N: Your girl just got Dehya yesterday, and just had to write a fic in celebration. This is my first angst. Be nice you goofy goobers

P.S.: ...I ran out of Sand Grease Pupas :(

Genre: Fluff, Angst

Reader: Gender Neutral

Warnings: Angsty

SAGAU!!!

Summary: Dehya fears that you won't want to pull for her after the leaks and kit reviews. You prove her wrong.

The city spoke in hushed whispers upon her arrival. The whispers ranged from pure disgust to pity. To Dehya, it all felt horrible.

"There she is!"

"Didn't you hear? Her kit was leaked."

"Pathetic."

"What will the players think about this?"

Of course she'd also known the moment her kit dropped. She herself felt anger towards the developers for the way she'd been wronged. What she didn't expect, however, was for everyone else to find out about it. "Tsk…" Despite the backlash, the flame mane managed to keep herself together.

That only lasted so long.

Each day felt worse. She continued with her mercenary duties as normal, but at the end of each day, she felt herself break more and more.

It began to affect her battle performance as well, something that did not go unnoticed by her fellow mercenaries. 

And then her banner dropped. She had high hopes that you'd pull for her regardless of the things you'd heard. As she sat on her bed, she thought back to all the things you'd said.

From the moment she was leaked, you were ecstatic. 

"She's so pretty!"

Dehya smiled to herself at the fond memory. 

"Do we know her name yet?" You asked your friend, your primary source of information. "They're saying her name is 'Dehya.'" Your friend responded. 

"Dehya…." What a pretty name, you'd thought to yourself.

You were joyful the moment her npc version appeared in the game. Her lines were the only dialogue you didn't skip. 

From that day forward, you told yourself you'd pull for her. You took in all the information about her that you could. You sat through the debates on whether she'd be a 4 star or a 5 star. It didn't matter to you, all you knew was that she was going to be yours.

That didn't mean you weren't overjoyed when it was confirmed she was a 5 star. "Ha! I told you so!" You teased your friend, who playfully rolled their eyes. "Fine, you win. It's going to be harder to get her now, I hope you know that." You shrugged it off. "I don't care how many wishes it takes. She will be mine."

And then came the day everything began crumbling down.

"Credible leakers have confirmed that Dehya will be on the standard banner!" 

She heard the audio all the way from another app on your phone. What would you think of this?

"It can't be that bad. Besides, I wouldn't mind losing my 50/50 to Dehya." You reasoned.

Dehya breathed a sigh of relief. She knew you mained one of the standard characters already, but she didn't know how you'd feel about her now.

And it only got worse from there. The talk of the city began. It was nothing all that bad, at first, just a few apologies here and there.

"I'm sorry, Dehya. But look on the bright side…"

"Poor girl."

"Standard…she's going to be weak."

To her, it didn't matter. All she cared about was your opinion on her. However, the comments made her wonder if you'd be swayed.

What if she decides I'm not good enough? If I don't do enough damage, she might choose someone else over me…" She shook the nasty thoughts out of her head. No. I know my creator. They would never.

Dehya suddenly snapped back to the present. She was now laying down, curled into her blankets. She felt her eyes moisten. No. I'm stronger than this. I can't let the creator down. She sat up once more, staring into the mirror across from her bed. Weak. Pathetic.

They can say all they want. I might be physically weaker than the others, but I won't let them break down my mental state too. 

From that day forward, she made it a habit to train harder. To compliment you more. To give you a reason to consider her.

"Look, she just winked!" You exclaimed, pointing at her. "What? She didn't wink for me though?" Your friend, who was doing the same quest, showed you their screen. "Mm…must be a bug." They concluded. 

But You knew better.

And then the day of the livestream arrived. You preferred not to believe leaked banners, as you'd been fooled before. And alas, the banners were different from the leaked ones.

"Phase One will be…Cyno and Dehya!"

You were quiet. Too quiet. Dehya began to worry. She knew that her kit was nothing compared to Cyno's. 

"Phase Two will be…Shenhe and Ayaka!" The video announced. "Haha, good thing I don't need either of them." You said, continuing the video.

Dehya continued to listen in on the rest of the video, but her mind became clouded halfway through. You never said anything about Cyno. She bit her lip as she pondered, the video quickly becoming background noise to her thoughts. 

You never said you didn't want Cyno.

…And you never said you wanted me.

She clicked her tongue in frustration. Was she still not enough? She had to ensure that you still wanted her.

So she amped up her efforts.

She sent you mail. She never put her name on it. That would seem too desperate, she thought. On the day that her banner dropped, she mailed you 600 primos under the guise of maintenance. Attached to the 'maintenance rewards' were little trinkets, some that she thought would remind you of her.

To her delight, the developers decided to hand out 1 intertwined fate per archon quest. "If we do the math…that's 21, excluding the newest quest." She said to herself. "Plus what I sent…"

Unfortunately, your luck did not cooperate. Out of all of the pulls, your best item was a Bennett constellation.

"Bummer. Oh well." You closed the game, much to Dehya's distress. She still hoped that the day would come.

But then the whispers began again, this time while she was sitting outside the local tavern.

"Didn't you hear? The creator's considering pulling for Cyno instead!"

"He's the better option anyway, at least he can deal damage." One snickered.

She put down her glass, and breathed out a deep sigh before jumping when she felt a touch on her shoulder.

"Don't listen to them. I know she wants you more than anything." A familiar voice spoke. Dehya turned her head to be faced with the one and only General Mahamatra Cyno. She laughed bitterly. "Easy for you to say, General. This patch is in your favor."

Cyno crossed his arms, staring down at Dehya. "I mean it. Don't let it bother you."

"Yeah. Whatever." She smiled lightly. Despite their current rivalry between banners, Cyno was never hostile towards her. "It doesn't bother me any." 

…I'll try to keep that in mind.

She waited. She waited for days, and she was starting to lose hope. She'd heard you talking to your friend again.

"My feed is full of Dehya showcases now. She doesn't hit very high damage at all." You'd said.

Ouch.

"I suggest that you consider pulling for Cyno or waiting for a good banner to roll around." 

"Hmm."

By then, she'd tuned out. It's fine. Life goes on after all. 

And there she stood. She felt the tears falling down her cheeks as she made no attempt to wipe them.

"Archons…now my makeup is messed up." She weeped to herself.

And then she fell to her knees. 

But then she felt a warmth surging around her. She opened her eyes, immediately covering her eyes to prevent being blinded by the light. 

Wh…what's going on?!

She heard your voice in the distance.

"OH MY GOD OH MY GOD! IT'S GOLD!" You squealed, watching the screen intensely.

There's no way…

Dehya felt as though she was flying. Her eyes widened as she finally broke through her dark thoughts.

You wanted her?

You actually wanted her.

Her splash art displayed on your screen as you shrieked with joy.

"Dehya! You're finally home!"

—

A little while later, after you fell asleep, the game transferred your body into Teyvat. This had happened on many different occasions at random. You weren't afraid anymore.

After searching for some time, you found Dehya standing by herself. She wasn't hiding her tears any longer. You quietly stood behind her, not wanting to scare her.

You should've known that a mercenary's senses were stronger than that. She sensed your power.

"I heard it all, you know." She stared down, willing herself to stay strong. "The things they said about me. Normally, I wouldn't care, but…" She balled up her fists, taking a deep breath before shakily exhaling. 

"...You don't hate me?" She asked, slowly turning to face you, while still holding her head down. You softly cupped her cheek, lifting it up.  Her eyes were glossy, and her cheeks were stained with tear streaks. You smiled affectionately, staring directly into her sapphire eyes. "I could never hate you, my dear." You pulled her into a tight hug. After a few heartbeats, she finally laid her head on your shoulder. 

"I…never wanted anyone to see me like this." She sniffled, briefly lifting her head up and wiping away her tears, further smudging her eyeliner. "Especially not you." I look pathetic. 

You shushed her softly. "Lovely, it's okay to cry. It doesn't make you weak." You hugged her harder.

Damn, she has some back muscles. No, no, not the time.

"Even after everything they said? You still wanted me?" Why didn't you listen to them? They were right. 

"I've never cared all that much about the 'meta'." 

You rubbed soothing circles into her back as you spoke quietly. "When I saw you for the first time. I knew I knew I had to have you." 

"But what about what your friend said? They were right, Y'know. There are better options than me." You scoffed, smiling. "Don't worry about them. They're just a goofball. Dehya chuckled to herself before taking a long breath in. You pulled back from the hug, still holding her by the shoulders. For a moment, you two stared into each other's eyes. Dehya wished it would have lasted a little longer. "Chin up, Flame Mane. You and I have much to do together." You squeezed her shoulders. 

She's so happy you didn't give up on her.

—

Bonus:

You were now playing from your computer. You were testing out your new main Dehya’s damage. After all of your combined hard work, she was finally level 90 and triple crowned.

"Wow…that IS some mid damage." 

"HEY!" She bit back playfully.

"I'm joking, I'm joking! You did well for your first showcase. How about we grab some food to celebrate?"

"Haha. Sounds good, my stomach is hitting my backbone!" Dehya jested.

"Have you ever had sticky honey roast before? It's pretty good." You suggested. 

"Hm, never heard of it. I'll bite."

Dehya looked on towards Sumeru City. Let's continue our adventure tomorrow, creator. You and I have a long road ahead of us.

—

[hansolmates]

you good? | 04

banner by @theluttleprince

summary; hansol vernon chwe is crying at his doorstep like a taylor swift music video, and you’re for some reason there to help  pairing; hvc / reader (f) genre/warnings; neighbors to friends, friends to lovers!au, slice of life, fluff, angst, mentions of sex, tw—cheating, mentions of pregnancy related to cheating, profanity w/c; 1k a/n; thank you god of music [masterpost]

“It’s him, isn’t it,” Jihoon juts his petal pink lips towards the door next to yours, and you can’t help but slap him on his chest. “You have a crush on him?” 

“Had a crush, had,” you pout, pressing your back against the open door frame of your apartment. 

“Once a crush, always a crush,” he reaches over to wipe the sweat off your brow, flicking his thumb over your flushed cheek. “Was he the friend you had over for dinner the other day?” 

“What will it prove if I say yes?” 

“It’ll prove that I have competition,” he teases, pinching the apple of your cheek. 

“Stop it,” you whine, tugging at the waistband of his haphazardly reapplied sweatpants. They're barely hanging on his hips, as you two were rushing to reclothe due to future commitments. 

"What?" He laughs, "he seems like a nice guy. A little crazy for trying to move out at 5AM last week but I feel for him."

"I don't even know anything about him, at least not anymore," you frown. To be honest, you don't even know the aftermath of what went down with Vernon and Yoojung. You really want to, but you don't feel like you're on that level to ask any follow up questions. Which brings you to your next point, he's getting over a long term relationship that ended messy. There's no way you could entertain a crush while he's still crushed. 

"But you want to," Jihoon nudges you close, and pulls you into a hug, "no shame in that." 

Jihoon's grasp feels so familiar, your arms fitting in all the right spots and your head tucked snugly in his shoulder. You peruse the thought of pursuing your landlord, it would be so easy. You suppose, you're already compatible both physically and mentally. It's just the pesky issue of trying to develop feelings. 

The door next to yours opens and you squeal, pushing yourself away from the embrace. You pushed so hard, hard enough that if Jihoon didn't grab you by the arms you'd be knocking your back against the wall. 

"Oh, hi guys!" Vernon is tugging a gigantic garbage bag outside, one lanky leg propping the door up and the other leg stretching to get the trash bag out. 

"H-hi Vern!" 

You can feel Jihoon’s smug grin, knowing that you’re acutely aware of both boys staring between you like an Oreo sandwich. 

“You good?” Vernon asks, tilting his head between the two of you. 

“Ah, yeah. Just had to fix a leak,” Jihoon shrugs, and you want to choke at the way it’s so easy for him to lie, “but we’re all good now.” 

“Cool. Actually, now that you mention it,” Vernon tugs with all his might at the trash bag, and with a big ugh! It’s out the door and into the hallway, “I noticed that my shower faucet is a little loose and sometimes it causes more water to leak out? Everytime I try to tighten it I feel like I’m gonna break it.” 

“That’s ironic, her leak was also in the shower.” 

What the actual fuck? 

You turn away from both boys, stare at a speck at the ground so you don’t get caught. Jihoon really wants you to die, right here, right now. 

“I can take a look tomorrow, is two good?” 

“Sure—wait, AM or PM?” 

“You really want me to come in at 2AM?” 

“Op, my bad,” Vernon chuckles, “two’s good. Text me when you come down. Let me know if you want pizza or something. You good with pineapple?” 

“Pineapple’s great,” Jihoon agrees, “I’ll see you then.” 

“Thanks Landlordie, you’re the best!” 

While the two of them talk like long lost friends, you’re spiraling. Of course, there’s no way that Vernon could know the double entendre Jihoon is trying to pull. Yet, it starts to make you paranoid. Your back pinpricks, and you think back to not an hour ago when you two were in the shower. I mean, the shower is on the opposite side of the apartment, there’s no way he could have heard you, right? 

“Good night hyung,” Vernon’s voice breaks you away, and you notice that Jihoon is already down the hall, waving the both of you goodbye. “Good night neighbor,” Vernon says, quiet and reserved for you. 

You tack on a smile and watch as Vernon catches up to Jihoon to the trash room, dragging the trash bag with a sharp metal object peeking out of the corner. “Night,” you reply, waiting until both boys are out of the floor before going back into your apartment. 

Letting out a breath you didn’t know you were holding, leaning against the door and letting the cool surface calm you down. 

You are so confused.

[briansastro10]

Day 7: First 9 days of Lancaster

The atmosphere is casual and bustling with activity. YANG sits at a table, looking determined. JAUNE and RUBY, both nervous and fidgety, take a seat across from each other.

Yang: *leaning forward* Alright, you two. We're here to have a good time, so let's break the ice! Jaune, Ruby, why don't you start by introducing yourselves?

Jaune: *looking down, mumbling* Uh, h-hi, I'm J-Jaune Arc. Nice to, uh, meet you…

Ruby: *nervously twirling her hair* H-hey, I'm Ruby Rose. It's, um, nice to meet you too…

Yang: *irritated* YOU ALREADY INTRODUCE YOURSELF 50 TIMES IN YOUR ROOM!!

the sudden burst didnt make the situation better, so Yang took a deep breath before she continue.

Yang: Calming down Why dont we open up with something new? How old are you two? Are you in any clubs?

Yang: energetically Alright, let's try something else. Since you both are in college, what courses are you taking?

Jaune: nervously I-I'm studying software engineering.

Ruby: softly I'm majoring in art.

Yang smiles, happy to see them sharing their academic interests.

Yang: So how's your course do you enjoy it?

Ruby: Y-yes..

Jaune: Y yeah..

Yang waited and realises they've finished their sentence, and to keep the conversation flowing she ask again.

Yang: That's great! You both have unique paths, combining creativity and technology. So, what about extracurricular activities? Are you involved in any clubs or groups?

Jaune and Ruby exchange awkward glances, clearly uncomfortable with the question.

Jaune: avoiding eye contact Uh, No… I haven't really joined any clubs.

Ruby: nervously Yeah, me neither.

Yang notices their hesitation and tries to think of another way to find common ground.

Yang: thinking Hmm, maybe you both know someone in common? Like a mutual friend or someone from your classes?

Jaune: shaking his head I don't think so. I don't go out often

Ruby: disappointed I haven't really had the chance to meet many people outside of my art class.

Yang pauses for a moment, realizing that finding a common friend might not be as easy as she thought.

Yang: annoyed Come on, guys! Stop with the Dry answers!! We need to find something to talk about. This is supposed to be an opportunity to get to know each other better.

Ruby and Jaune lower their heads, feeling guilty for their inability to keep the conversation flowing.

Just as Yang is about to scold them, both Ruby and Jaune's phones simultaneously emit a notification sound. They glance at their screens and see that their favorite game has released a new update with exciting gacha banners. They looked at each other, Not sure on how to make the first move

Ruby: Shyly Do you play that game too?

Jaune: U-mmm Yeah… I do, I've spend most of my free time playing it. There's a character I wanted to get.

Ruby: Ooh! Me too!! I've been trying to pull this one specific character for weeks! They have such powerful abilities.

Jaune: Smiles I actually managed to get that character recently! They're a game-changer, for sure.

Yang watches with relief as Ruby and Jaune engage in an animated conversation, their shyness fading away.

Yang: smiling See? You both have something in common that you're passionate about. It's a great conversation starter.

Ruby starts to feel happy. realises thats its nice to have someone to talk to.

Ruby: Hey Jaune, There's this mission that requires two player. Would you like to play with me?

Jaune: nervously I-I would love to! That sounds like a lot of fun.

Ruby's face lights up with excitement as they exchange shy smiles.

Yang: teasingly Looks like you two are hitting it off.

Ruby and Jaune both blush at Yang's remark.

Ruby: softly Y-yeah, Let's exchange numbers.

They take out their phones and quickly swap numbers, their fingers slightly trembling with nervousness.

Jaune: looking at the time Actually, I should probably get going soon. It's getting late.

Ruby: Oh, alright. Thanks for coming over and talking with me, Jaune.

Jaune: sincerely No problem, Ruby. I had a great time too. And don't worry, we'll play that mission together soon.

Ruby smiles, appreciating Jaune's reassurance.

Yang: Take Care Jaune

Jaune: Thanks a lot. I'll see you guys back.

Ruby and Yang bid Jaune farewell as he gathers his things and leaves the restaurant.

Ruby: Under her breath My.. First…

Yang: curious Hey, Ruby, is everything okay? You seem a bit flustered. Did you say something?

Ruby: looking down, blushing Oh, um, well… It's just that… this is the first time I've ever had a boy's phone number.

Yang: Well there's first time in everything.

Yang's eyes widen in surprise in her realization. That she introduce Her sister to a boy!!

Yang: *In her head* Face palming and hitting herself to an imaginary wall I've become the thing I've sworn to destroy!!

[capsarcastica]

Deadpool & Wolverine Review

This one is the weakest in the Deadpool series but also has so much to enjoy. It's more like the swan song of the Fox X-Men series rather than an MCU entry.

First the bad. It's pretty tame compared to the first two Deadpool movies. It may be because it's now under the official Disney-Marvel banner, or maybe it's because the Writers and Actors strikes during development. Whatever the reason, it seems like it's pulling its punches. It still has plenty of bite, but there's some obvious stuff the movie avoids going after.

Already, some of the worst of the MCU is bleeding in. Mostly, that it relies too much on other works. Don't know the entire history of Marvel movies including undeveloped ones then the cameos don't feel special. Some of the stuff can go over the heads of casual fans. Didn't see Loki on Disney+? Then a lot of the second half won't make any sense. Deadpool has always used references to other Marvel work, but this is the first time it's necessary to the plot to know this stuff.

Sadly, the supporting cast seems to have been tossed aside. There's the party scenes that bookend the movie, but they're entirely gone. None of the fun interactions with Colossus, Negasonic, Dopinder, etc that made the first two so much fun. There's a moment that seems like a set-up to a side story about them rescuing Wade, but nothing comes from it.

The movie doesn't have the emotional core that the earlier two did. The first was a love story and the second about family. They had personal stakes. This one is about the destruction of the universe, which is big but lacks that personal touch. It also doesn't connect to the end of the second film as far as where the characters are. Too much of the in-between has to be explained when it would've been easier to just rewrite some scenes.

There are two villains, but neither are interesting. Both seem to do whatever furthers the plot but not what makes sense. Neither have a plan that seems thought out, just to make the most problem at any given moment. The previous two had great conflicts, and this points to that lack of personal stakes.

And finally, the Multiverse. Marvel and DC Comics have made great use of alternate realities, What Ifs, and possible futures. The movies not so much. I love seeing Patrick Stewart, Michael Keaton, and Tobey Maguire back in costume. But bringing back beloved actors, and occasionally listening to fan castings, seems to be the extent of what the movies are doing. The Deadpool Corps are also wasted. The idea of dozens of alternate Deadpools coming together should be cinematic gold. Instead they're mostly treated as cannon fodder.

Now the good. The titular duo are amazing together. Reynolds and Jackman know how to bounce off each other. Both are in perfect form, showing the kind of rapport that's straight out of the comics. This is a team up that's been fifteen years in the making, and it doesn't disappoint in that regard. Though it's definitely more Wolverine's movie. It acknowledges how terrific Logan is, but gives this new Wolverine plenty of depth in what might be the best example of having its cake and eating it too.

The movie does for the X-Men movies what No Way Home did for Spider-Man. It expertly includes the previous movie into the MCU while making a great case for their continuation. The X-Men and Spider-Man movies are the reason the MCU even exists so it's nice to see them treated so lovingly.

Just like the original Deadpool did, the movie expertly brings the R rating to the MCU. In fact, there's more blood, swearing, and carnage than the other Deadpool movies. The only thing I know they couldn't do is hardcore drug use, and this makes for some fun scenes with Blind Al. This may be under the family friendly Disney banner, but Marvel seems to realize it's best for some franchises do their own thing.

Deadpool has always had fun with Easter eggs, cameos, and references. This one more than most. The fight at the 20th Century Fox logo being a big one. It brings back a lot of characters from the franchise, and some from others like the Russian guy from the Thomas Jane Punisher movie. It may be more in-your-face than the previous two, but it's a lot of fun for the hardcore fans.

This one feels like Avengers: Endgame. Too many problems to really match up to the previous entries, but too much good stuff to be bad. The MCU has been in a rough spot, but if anything this movie proves that Marvel can acknowledge that and work to fix it. Hopefully this won't be the last we see of Deadpool and Wolverine.

[be-more-chill-evan-hansen]

Actually got to watch UKsies finally! Putting my thoughts/things I like under the cut + a final thoughts (live blogging)

I like the little added stuff at the start. It's a cute touch.

Jack and Crutchie actually looking at a physical picture during Santa Fe (Prologue) was a cute touch. They have such good chemistry.

Crutchie showing fear when getting his papers from the Delanceys because it was right after they pushed him down was a nice touch. It makes sense! We love continuity!

I love the parts where they're running in the crowd because they run in front of the camera and you can hear each individual member as they pass it. It's just kinda funny.

I'm liking the chemistry with Jack and Katherine a lot more in this one. His flirting being more playful (my friend described it as "boyish") definitely helps their chemistry. She seems to be more amused than creeped out, and it just helps it feel more authentic.

Ryan's Davey is so lovely! I think his version has definitely become my favorite by FAR. The way he holds onto Les is just so cute.

One of the scabs actually looking ashamed of himself while Jack's talking :(

Crutchie spinning around on Mike(?)'s back during Seize the Day is something so personal to me

Crutchie is actually sobbing and I'm crying with him

The picture makes a comeback in Santa Fe aww

THE BELT!!! We love to see it

Elmer actually lunging at the "there's a headline even Elmer could sell" pls that's so funny

Spotlight changes for each person at the start of King of New York that's so clever!! I love lighting design!!

Les dance solo

Katherine dance :)

They're driving the tables that's so cute

The spinning on the lights!! Does someone know if this was an intentional nod to the fan part in the 1992 King of New York? Was that ever confirmed or anything? It just reminds me of it, and it feels like it's too much of a coincidence to be unintentional.

The spoon crown is adorable!!

Letter from the Refuge 😭

Left handed Crutchie!

Oh his voice is so good

The way Medda lifted Jack's chin up 😭

His "we are inevitable" I love him

Davey rolling his eyes at Jack lmao

His "poor guys head is spinning" is so good!!

Davey and Jack's eye contact at the end of Watch What Happens (Reprise) was a bit too long iykwim

I think it's interesting that Katherine chose to hide instead of Pulitzer hiding her.

Jack's laugh

Oh she hid so she could run out to explain herself this hurts even more

I wish I could've seen Jack's face for the Katherine reveal

Katherine pushing Pulitzer's hand off of her arm lmao

The Delancey's cackles are sinister

BROOKLYN :D

Girl Spot my beloved

I love the idea of one of the Brooklyn girls having a broken arm (I'm assuming)

Not him pushing Davey off of him :(

Spot throwing him down and threatening to punch him!! Yes!!

NOT HIM KNOCKING LES OVER

I love when Jack actors go to lean back in for another kiss/Katherine backs away after the first one! It makes more sense in why he questions her intentions later because she pulls away from him! Of course it makes him confused! It's such a good choice!

Her getting emotional and having to take a breath with the "so I could keep looking at you" line!! I. LOVE. THEM.

Her lookback at "angel"

THEIR CHEMISTRY!! Best Jathrine hands down

The lanterns are a nice touch! I love this!

The Once and For All lyric change! I love it so much!

The choreography!! The lanterns!

THE BIG BANNER AND SILHOUETTE!

Jack looks so proud of Davey for telling Pulitzer off lmao

Him gushing with Davey about Roosevelt

The drumming stopping at "think of the happiness you'll bring those children" it makes it so dramatic

*looks at Jack* *looks at Pulitzer* *looks at Jack* "You can do this" pls

JACK FALLING PRETENDING THEY LOST THEN TELLING THEM THEY WON! WHEN JACK HUGGED DAVEY!! THEY WERE SO HAPPY!!

Crutchie wearing a police hat 😭

I melt every time I see Jack hug Crutchie he cares about him so much

Jack and Katherine: *Having a moment* Davey and Crutchie: *fully in the foreground*

Jack giving Katherine a newsboy cap I'm going to cry they're so cute

***

Final Thoughts

I think this one definitely topped Toursies as my favorite. Everyone had such good chemistry! Jack and Katherine's relationship felt much more authentic!

Davey's arc felt more authentic as well. I love everyone who has played him before, but Ryan definitely understood the assignment with this one. Davey is supposed to be very reserved until he realizes that there's a fighting chance, and that's exactly how he played him!

The original choreography (original compared to the bway/tour/recording choreo that's mostly the same if not identical) was so clever and well done! The little moments they added were also really nice touches!

They blew it out of the water with this performance, and I'm so happy that I finally got a chance to watch it!

I think this production officially holds the title for my favorite versions of the characters and the show! This is definitely one I will be watching again!

If you read this far I'm so sorry

[crystalelemental]

"books-are-my-life-stuff: Maybe SS Leon, SS Cyrus, and Classic Elesa are meant to give people the illusion of "oh yeah Pokefairs might get a rerun or they might not" to make people more willing to pull for them, I dunno. I don't want for banners to get overwhelmingly dense every month than they already are, but I also want a rerun of the old pairs...it's confusing."

I think it's one of those challenging decisions, in the sense of yes, you want to enforce the idea of scarcity and FOMO, pull now to avoid potential calamity, so some have to go a while. But Masters takes absurdly long times to rerun some things, so much so that it has to be preventing profits when pairs that good get sidelined. Maybe it's because people only need one pair for them to function? SS Cyrus and C!Elesa, I mean. They're really fine at 1/5, so maybe that factors in? I couldn't say. But I think frequent reruns of older, well liked PokeFairs is a good way to address both the need for reruns and the increasing number of limited pairs. People don't really like Variety, but they would love some extra reruns. But then your whales don't spend much. So is that worthwhile from the company perspective? Without knowing more about the insider information, it's really hard to say what the correct call is on that front, but I do think reruns can be easily managed and not be a problem. But if the Mix Scout is anything to go by, given the presence of Variety Giovanni, Rei, H!Phoebe, and...the fourth one I forgot, they're more likely to rerun the really good stuff under that paid scout. Which is Not Great!

"books-are-my-life-stuff: I'm surprised they didn't mention 4/5 and 5/5 grids which I think also had a fair amount of controversy. A comment said those grids are optional and often not needed, but some units, like OG Gloria and OG Diantha, have pretty crucial grids that help them to catch up with modern units or patch up their glaring flaws. I still don't like it. EX roles did improve SS Serena and Paulo, but the introduction of it in master fair paid gems ruins it for me too I think."

I was always more positive on 5/5 than most, but then I had the means to make it work. I can see people getting upset with something like Gloria for sure. Her 3/5 sucks, and she doesn't get much until at least 4/5. But that's a higher investment than should be needed. In part, it's a matter of expectation. Had 5/5 grids always been there, I don't think anyone would bat an eye, just be mildly annoyed at all the good tools being at max investment, like how we get slightly annoyed when a pair only has good traits at 3/5. But I do think that this is easily circumvented. Take Cynthia and Lance, for example. As the only pairs with both 3/5 and 5/5 expansions, you get the sense that 3/5 is where all the traits to make them super strong went, and 5/5 is utility to make them easier to use. Even Diantha, good as she is, follows that pattern. You can actually deal better damage with all three with just 3/5 and pushing more power into sync, so they're far from unusable. Gloria's the odd one out, in that...had her tools been 3/5, I don't think anyone would've cared. But because it's only 5/5, it's damning. If she had a 3/5, and it also had good powerup tools? I think she'd be less of a problem. And the 5/5 tools felt like a nice incentive for whales; I've liked having them available, anyway. It was the least intrusive monetization angle they pulled, with the most benefit for players who bothered favoring a character that hard.

The EX Roles are also a bit an issue of presentation. I think his point of, if they hadn't done paid only Master Fairs for cake? People probably would've been fine. It's a neat mechanic! Maybe a little grumbling from people like me who wanted it to be customized and more available to older pairs, but far from the level of irritation. I actually love the PokeFair angle; that also feels fair and great. PokeFairs now come with rewards for pulling, and they have the added draw of "Why don't you go to 5/5 for the full cake?" incentive. They've had some really good ideas that are mutually beneficial. They're just wrapped around...really questionable ones, often interspersed with the good, and it muddies the waters.

[old-poptart]

birthday fic for @under-the-cherrytree !!

personal a/n: HOLA MI VIDA!!!!!! happy birthday!!! i hope your special day is full of blessings and hope and that you receive all that you deserve!! you are one of the most special and sweet people i have known and i feel honored just getting to talk to you!! it honestly feels like we've known each other for years now HWUHAUAHAHHA but hopefully we shall grow together as time passes! you deserve the world! may you wish many many MANY more!! MUAH I LOVE YOU 🫶🏼

warnings: none

pairing: wally darling x personalized reader

"a special day"

"are you readyyy~?" you heard wally's alluring voice ring in your ears. ten minutes ago, you were just on a small picnic with Mr. Darling himself. he prepared everything for you! a nice filling lunch, yummy drinks, sweet snacks, and dessert of course! and just for the birthday girl, he got you mint chip ice cream! how sweet of him~

the entire day, you two have been stuck together like glue. he took you to paint outside with him, apple picking, the picnic, what more could you want from this sweetie! something was missing though, the rest of the neighborhood. they were apparently super busy today. sally with rehearsals, barnaby practicing his tricks, howdy restocking the stolen apples, julie and frank inventing new games, poppy baking, so much to do!

wanting to yank off the blindfold that was doing it's job of blinding you, you impatiently blurted out "yes!! what's even going on anyways?" a quick sound of scattering and shuffling footsteps and familiar voices whispering "hurry! they're here! no not there-!!" filled you with curiosity. you couldn't take it any longer!!! the elvis like puppet gently removed your blindfold, revealing your vision to the world again.

"wait what's happening??" you stared blankly at the empty area you were facing, a chuckle escaping wally's mouth. "not there, angel! turn around" his voice got smaller as if it went further away, little did you know he was getting into position.

once you did as told, your face was written with pure shock and excitement. "SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANGEL!" all of your friends yelled out, colorful confetti canons being blasted. my gosh, the effort put into all of this! the banners, the decorations, the lights, music, balloons, ribbons, it's perfect! no wonder why they were so 'busy', and that's why he was with you all day long! from dusk till dawn he was by your side to keep the surprise from being spoiled.

"oh my goodness!! thank you so much you guys!!" your cheeks filled up with warmth as you smiled from ear to ear, taking in all of this wonderful scenery. wally walked up to you with a present, it was nicely wrapped with light pink wrapping paper and green ribbon with red hearts doodled all over the box.

"i think you should open this one first, it's from me" he looked at you softly, then looking away after realizing how embarrassed he felt. accepting his gift and a thank you, you opened the gift. you couldn't believe what was its contents.

inside the box were three things; a mini photo album of the memories with all your friends but mostly you and him with the cover saying 'A + W ' inside a heart, a cute gold necklace with a bell as the charm, and a letter. opening the letter, you were absorbed with what contained it. his love for you poured itself all over the paper and to be honest, a feeble paper wasn't enough to confess his immense love for you, so he used two.

the sweet note ended in the most important question, "will you be mine on this special day?". no hesitation was included in your words and gestures, you immediately tackled him onto the ground and repeatedly replying with "yes!!! yess!!!!", kisses accompanying your words.

hugging you back, he pulled you up with the most beautiful smile he has ever smiled. "may i have the honors, angel darling~?" he held up the necklace to put around your neck.

"of course, sweetheart" you smiled, he was so special.

I HOPE YOU ENJOY AND HAVE A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY HERMOSAAAA!!!!!!

-ooga :D