#friends she's more like she has to really feel cozy or she'll be a little gremlin and do it for laughs

[brawlqueen]

to do list! (for me so i don't forget.)

-do ask memes and headcanon asks at own pace basically clear inbox! -reply to threads, at my own pace, like all of this list. -work on mizuki's bio / post dash games i was tagged in. -write some analysis / headcanons i have. -if there are interest checkers / starter calls, get to them when i clear some of this! -have mizuki lift all her muse mutuals like a sack of potatoes with ease because it's the ultimate honor 12-18 at any age and there is no escape. -if you don't stop her at that with words and pleading, she'll shift to using you as her 'light weights' in working out! :) -do some headcanons in regards to mizuki's feelings on her biological parents, her relationship with date in my own canon or how it changes and doesn't in 'post explosion route'. (the dates get no peace). -tag people in some memes i find too! -reach out more once i have less to do that i want to! -make icons the most therapeutic thing honestly. -balance writing both child mizuki and teen mizuki! -make a post later on what i'm open to exploring in aitsf and aini. pretty much all of it except for uh...some things. -take it easy cause this isn't a job, so go at my own pace since i've been sick lately.

[stop-talking]

You're his ex, but he's desperate for a babysitter. (pt. 4)

Mike Schmidt x fem reader

2.4k words + 300 word epilogue

Tags: 18+, mike x fem reader, no use of y/n, exes, enemies to lovers, slowburn? sassy mike, sassy reader, pet names, banter, angst, fluff, comfort, happy ending.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

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Mike sits at his kitchen table, trying not to nod off into his cereal. Today is a quiet day. A lazy day. His one day off.

Except, not really. There's always work to be done. He just has to figure out what today's work would be. He's caught up on laundry and dishes, the house isn't too much of a mess... Hm. Maybe he should finally fix the dripping pipe in the bathroom. Or the living room window that's been stuck for years. Or one of the million other things wrong with his house.

He sighs and goes to take a bite of his cereal, only to realize he forgot the milk. Damn it. When he opens the fridge, he stands face to face with a little blue dolphin stuffed animal. Right... Abby's still testing him. He leaves it alone, she'll see it when she gets home from school and assume her "spell" still works. Pfft.

Mike nearly drops the milk mid-pour when he hears the phone ring.

*click.*

"Hello?" He mumbles groggily, a little annoyed to have his morning brooding interrupted.

"Hey, Mike? You free at all today?"

He immediately perks up at the sound of your voice. It's been two days since he last saw you, and he honestly wasn't sure if you'd ever speak to him again.

"Yeah, uh... It's my day off, actually."

"Good. I'm using that 2nd favor."

Mike's heart races. If this favor is going to be anything like the last one, he was definitely up for it.

"Oh? Missing me already, sweetheart?"

"As if. I need you to build me a shelf."

A shelf? Well, that was unexpected. Hm. Better than nothing.

"What, like build it from scratch? Are you expecting me to buy the boards, or-"

"No. I have all the pieces. It just needs to be assembled."

"You can't assemble a shelf?" Mike scoffs, but secretly he's pleased. Sounds like you just want an excuse to have him over.

"Mike. You know I'm no good with tools."

No, he didn't know that actually. Liar. You definitely just wanted to see him again. God, he felt giddy.

"Mhm. Sure."

"Just get your ass over here, Schmidt."

"Woah, what's with the attitude, Princess? I'm here to help." He can't help but let some smugness seep into his tone. Okay, more than some. He's a cocky bastard and he knows it.

"I've been working on the damn thing all morning. Almost three hours now. Not in the mood, jackass."

Shit. You sounded sincere. And really pissed off. Then again, what kind of a shelf took three hours to assemble? The fuck was it? A jigsaw puzzle?

"Alright, alright. I'll be over soon. See ya."

Mike slumps against the counter as you grumble something incoherent and slam the phone down. Damn, what is he getting himself into this time?

Only one way to find out.

・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・

When Mike finally arrives at your apartment half an hour later, he feels a bit silly. He put on a nice shirt and trousers to come see you, and here you are in sweats and a baggy t-shirt. Figures.

"Call for a handyman?" He greets you with a teasing smile, holding up his old rusted toolbox as he makes his way inside.

"Pfft. Someone's happy to see me."

Mike can't really say anything to that, so he doesn't try. He is happy to see you, even if you have attitude problems and dress like a bum.

"So, I bought the damn thing from a friend-of-a-friend, who got it at a garage sale. I swear, it has to be missing some parts or something, because-"

He nods as you rattle on and lead him to your bedroom, but he's only half-listening. He looks around your apartment, taking it all in. It's been at least six months since he last came over, probably longer. It doesn't look to have changed much. He likes your apartment. It's cozy.

"Anyways... can you fix it?"

Mike pauses in the doorway of your bedroom as you give him a sheepish smile and gesture to something in the corner.

Holy hell. Is that supposed to be a shelf? Mike can't help but think that the hideous agglomeration of boards and screws would only be good as a fire-starter. It looks more like a pile than a shelf.

"Uhh..." He bites his cheek, desperately trying not to burst into a fit of laughter. Maybe you really weren't lying about the whole "no good with tools" thing.

He finally loses it when you groan and flop down on the bed, hiding your face in a pillow.

"Ughh... Laugh at me, whatever. Just fix it."

"Jesus Christ. This has to be the sorriest excuse for a shelf I've ever seen. Sure you don't want me to haul it to the junkyard instead?" He snorts, sitting down on the edge of your bed and looking with disdain at the half-assedly assembled shelf.

Mike immediately shuts his mouth when you glare at him. Oops, right, you're in a bad mood.

"I mean, uh... you tried?" He laughs, shaking his head in amusement. He still can't believe you're actually this inept when it comes to assembly.

"Get to work, Schmidt."

Mike yelps as you kick him off the bed, but doesn't bother retaliating. He just grabs his toolbox and sits on the floor, examining the so-called "shelf".

"Well, the first step is going to be un-doing everything you did."

・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・

You lie on your stomach in bed, chin propped up on your hands as you kick your feet in the air and ponder the sight before you. Mike's back is turned to you as he quietly works away taking apart the monstrosity you assembled.

"How long is this gonna take?"

"Well, If it wasn't so..." He trails off, glancing at you and choosing his words more carefully.

"...sturdy, it'd be a lot easier to take apart."

"Hm? What do you mean?"

He gives you an incredulous look and gestures to a series of nails in a corner where two boards meet. It does look pretty ridiculous, the sharp ends pointing out the other side. Not your best work.

"You put nails in it, sweetheart." He scoffs.

"How else was I supposed to keep it together?" You give him your best pout, and gloat internally when he has to turn away. He's absolutely infatuated with you. Even the back of his neck is pink.

"It comes with screws for a reason, ya know."

"There's a difference?"

He turns and gives you a flat look, and you laugh. Damn. You can play dumb with him, but maybe not that dumb. Noted.

Still, it's a little boring just laying there and watching him grumble and pull nails from wood. You can't really mess with him too much either, because you really do what him to fix the stupid shelf.

"You want something to drink?" You finally break the silence, under the guise of trying to be a good hostess.

"Pfft. Need some whiskey to deal with this bullshit." He snorts, pulling yet another nail free. He'd almost gotten one board off. One. This was gonna take a while.

"I was thinking more along the lines of soda or tea."

"Jack and Coke, then?"

"Mike. It's hardly past noon."

"So?" He scoffs. "For me, this is like... evening, or something. I dunno. Sleep schedule's fucked with this new job."

That answer makes you pause.

"What is it you do now, anyway?"

He groans, finally prying one of the boards free of the clusterfuck.

"Night guard. Told you already, remember?" He tries to shrug the question off, but you're nosy.

"Where?"

"Uhh... Freddy Fazbear's Pizza..."

"Speak up."

"Ugh. It's this stupid rundown hellhole pizzeria. Honestly dunno why anyone would wanna break in there anyways. It's a dump."

"What kind of a pizzeria needs a night guard? Or any guard?"

"The haunted kind."

You decide not to ask about that, simply shaking your head as you walk to the door. He's truly a loon. A loveable loon, unfortunately.

"Just tell me what you want to drink, Mikey, or I'm getting you water."

・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・

Mike sits on the floor of your bedroom sipping his glass of water and wondering how he got here. If you'd told him a week ago he'd be building his witch of an ex-girlfriend a shelf, he would've gagged. Now...? Well, he just wants to go join you on that bed.

"So are you really just gonna sit there and look pretty while I do all the work?"

"Aww, you think I'm pretty, Mikey? You smile, lying on the bed with your feet kicking in the air, giving him a look of pure adoration. It wasn't hard to do.

"Pretty annoying, yeah." He turns away with a scoff, returning to his work. If only he could get this stupid nail untangled from the other two... why would anyone use this many nails?

"You know, I think I liked you better gagged."

"Oh I know, sweetheart. I could see it in those evil eyes of yours." He can't help but smirk a bit at the comment, though. Sometimes he liked himself better gagged, too. He shakes the thought away and keeps working.

"Why can't you just get on hands and knees and beg me to take you back already?" You huff dramatically and roll over onto your back, letting your head fall over the edge of the bed. He looks silly from this angle. Upside-down.

That question nearly makes Mike drop his tools. Were you serious?

"Why? So you can laugh me off again?"

Ouch. It was true you'd turned him down the last time he'd tried it, but that was six months ago.

"Maybe if you used those big brown puppy eyes of yours on me."

That only earns you a grunt, so you verbally prod him again.

"Besides, why can't I do both? Laugh at you, then take you back? Sounds fun."

"Pfft. Fun? To toy with me? You'd probably break up with me all over again just for shits and giggles." He responds bitterly, still refusing to turn around.

"Mikey. Look at me." You roll back over onto your stomach and rest your chin in your hands as he slowly meets your gaze.

"I didn't break up with you just for shits and giggles. You know that. I'm not letting you sit there and wallow in self-pity."

Mike goes stiff from your words, but your tone is soft, and your eyes even softer. You're still giving him that adoring look. Damn it.

"Well maybe I'd rather wallow in self pity than admit you were right all along."

"You've had six months to wallow. Grow a pair and come kiss me."

He can't say no to that. Not when you look at him that way. He shuffles over, kneeling by the side of your bed. On his knees for you again, damnit.

You kiss him. It's different from the lustful, sloppy kiss you shared last time. This one makes you feel warm. You kiss him again. And again.

Mike really doesn't want this to end, but the knot in his stomach forces him to pull away. He has to ask.

"Why? Why are you doing this, I mean? Do you really want... to take me back?" He sputters, looking down at the floor.

"I'm not completely sure yet." You answer honestly, shifting and lying back on the bed.

Damn. That's not the answer he wanted to hear.

"Are you-"

"Come here."

When you pat the spot next to you in bed, Mike melts. He's a wreck right now, but still wants nothing more than to be with you, in every sense of the word. He silently complies.

"It's not about right and wrong, you know. As much as I love being told I'm right." You give him a soft smile, breaking the silence and placing your hand on top of his as you both lie on your sides.

Damn it. He'd done this with you before, this and so much more. Why was such a small touch turning him to goo?

"What isn't?"

"The breakup. It's about growing as a person. As people. Both of us." You lace your fingers with his, and can't help but laugh as his face reaches a level of pink you've never seen before.

"And what exactly am I supposed to be growing out of?"

"Pfft. I don't know, the emotional unavailability? The way you never made time for me? Constant irritability?" You start to dramatically list off his flaws, using your free hand to count on your fingers.

"Okay, okay. I get it." He huffs, and grabs your hand before you can make fun of him more. Instead, he guides it to his side, pulling you in a little closer.

"And you're miss perfect?"

"No. 'Course not. I have flaws too." You give him a sly smile, and start listing your own "faults".

"Too hot and sexy, too intelligent, too kind, amazing, sweet and caring..."

That's as far as you get before Mike scoots closer, burying his face in your neck and giving you a playful nip.

"Too arrogant." He adds with a laugh, wrapping his arm around you and letting himself melt further into you.

"My arrogance is one of my best qualities, thank you." You reply haughtily, sliding your hand up his back and into his hair.

Mike couldn't speak, even if he could somehow find the right words to say. Everything in this moment felt so right. His arm around you. Your fingers in his hair. He lets out a soft groan instead.

You aren't exactly eager to let go of this moment either, and just hold him for a few minutes. It feels nice to play with his soft brown curls.

"I'll do better. Please." He finally mumbles something to you, not bothering to move his face from where it's buried in the crook of your neck.

"Please what, Mikey?"

"Take me back."

He finally pulls back, just enough to give you a glimpse of those puppy eyes of his. Damn it. How could you even think of saying no?

"Yeah. Okay."

You both lean in for another round of soft passionate kisses, and Mike feels himself relax completely. His stomach unknots and his mind goes numb. For the first time in months, he feels completely safe.

・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・

"So does this mean you'll babysit for me again?"

"Go finish the shelf, Schmidt."

"Yes, Princess."

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♡ Epilogue ♡

Over the past few weeks, you and Mike had fallen into a sort of rhythm.

He never did end up finding a new babysitter, and besides, you're the only one who could ever get Abby to finish her dinner. You had to graduate her from daily witching lessons to weekly ones, though, convincing her she needed to study for the more advanced spells. Secretly, Mike was just losing track of which objects in his house were supposedly invisible. It was quite amusing to watch.

Mike's favorite part of the day was coming home to you already asleep in his bed, and waking you up with a kiss. He'd then either lie down in bed while you shower, or hop in there with you, depending on how you felt. Either way, he loved the view.

The conflicting schedules made things complicated, but you were able to work around it. Mike slept better with you holding him, and consequentially, was a lot more agreeable. He did his best to make more time for both you and Abby.

He even started to open up to you for once, letting you take on some of his burdens. This man sure had a lot of guilt. You were certain he hadn't yet told you everything, but he told you enough. At least you finally knew what the fucking NEBRASKA poster on the ceiling was for. Now you kind of felt bad for all the times you teased him about it the first time you dated.

As for the damn shelf... well, he finished it. It was still hideous, but it was functional. There were holes in it from the nails, and the wood had even started to splinter in a few spots. You couldn't bring yourself to get rid of it, though. Not after how much work you both put into it. Even if most of Mike's work revolved around un-doing yours.

It definitely wasn't a perfect relationship, not by far. But Mike never promised to be the perfect boyfriend. He just promised to be better.

And he was, bit by bit, every day. Better. ♡

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Author's note:

Thank you all for the love!! This was my first time writing a fanfic of any kind so I'm really happy so many of you enjoyed it. Feels good to bring the story to an end.

Feel free to send me a request, I'd love to write more fics about Mike. Or any other J-hutch character for that matter, Mikey is just my favorite <3

[tourettesdog]

I am having extremely specific and niche ideas I must share. Specifically headcanons for Danny Phantom characters playing World of Warcraft

I feel like Sam would have been the first of them to get into WoW. Something other to play than Doomed, with a heavier focus on questing. She'd play on a PVP server and would be something of a legend on her realm.

She'd pretty much do everything, from hardcore raiding, to achievement hunting, to a little roleplaying on the side with friends.

She'd have two characters she swaps between, a troll warlock and an undead rogue, and would have the most min-maxed gear she can possibly get at all times. A "for the Horde!" girlie all the way. The warlock has tailoring/enchanting for professions, and the rogue mining/jewelcrafting, and she's got every recipe she can get her hands on for both.

I could see Sam trying to get Tucker and Danny into WoW, only to be wildly disappointed with their character decisions as both of them cozy up Alliance-side on a roleplaying realm.

-

Tucker takes one glance at worgen and goes "I'm gonna be a fucking werewolf" and it's all over from there. His main would be a guardian/feral druid (tank and melee dps) with the corniest RP name you've ever seen, and he loves them dearly. He's always looking for new transmog to dress up with, and he takes his mining/engineering professions a little too seriously. He mostly plays with Danny, but probably has a horde alt Sam forced him to make so they could actually play together before cross-faction became a thing (I am being intentionally Vague about what expansions they'd be playing in).

Tucker's horde alt would be a tauren druid that ALSO runs engineering. Pretty much the same character, especially considering he spends 90% of his time in animal forms.

-

Danny would start off playing a night elf monk and would get more into the RP of it than he ever wants to openly admit. He loves all of the flips and shit the monks do, and he's all in on the night elf aesthetic. He swaps between mistweaver and windwalker (healer and DPS), depending on what him and Tucker need to get shit done. He doesn't really focus a lot on the professions, instead going for dual gathering with mining and herbalism so he just has a lot of rocks and plants to throw at Tucker or onto the auction house.

After the accident though, Danny takes a long, staring look at death knights and decides he needs to play one-- for the memes. He's dogshit at it after playing monk for so long, but you can pry his frost (dps) death knight from his cold, half-dead hands.

The DK is just another night elf and when he's RPing, Danny likes to say it's the same character as the monk.

(Also I specifically think that Danny would play a nelf instead of a draenei because, as a trans Danny truther, I feel like the too-buff male draeneis would be a little Much for him, and the femme ones would be too dysphoric.)

-

Val would very begrudgingly start playing WoW with them once she joins Team Phantom. She'd go Horde-side with Sam, with a tauren warrior decked head to toe in red. She quickly gets sucked into the game, and gets a little intense with farming for all of the things she wants-- mounts, cool transmog, some battle pets. She likes to do a lot of content alone, finding it fun to just go off questing, but she'll let herself be dragged into dungeons ever now and then. She just doesn't have the time or energy for raiding consistently.

Val winds up making a bunch of different alts eventually to keep collecting shit, and she gets scary good at gold farming so she can pay for her subscription with in-game currency. She's got a bunch of different professions she runs on her various alts, but the warrior's got mining/blacksmithing since the idea of making her own armor won her out.

-

Dani plays on a laptop bought with Vlad's money, on a subscription also bought with Vlad's money. She takes one look at Val and Sam playing Horde-side and decides there is no other side to play.

She mains a vulpera hunter and is a troll through and through. She lives up to the hunter stereotype of accidentally pulling everything, but makes up for it by being scary good at DPS and PVP. Her and Val do a lot of mog and mount farming together, and some of her favorite things to collect are the battle pets and toys. She's got Meerah's Jukebox (a toy that plays a song about alpacas before exploding) hotkeyed to drop at a moment's notice.

She winds up getting a little too invested in alchemy, insisting she needs to be good at making goop.

-

Wes would not play WoW, and would instead play FFXIV and would never shut up about how much better it is than WoW.

Bonus:

Lancer plays a lot of WoW during the summer when school is out. He's got a human mage who looks a bit like a buff version of him that he's been playing since the game released, and he's got all sorts of achievements and collectibles held onto from that era. He runs herbalism/inscription as a profession, and has every recipe for it under the sun. He still insists on riding his first horse mount that he ever got, and it has a Shakespearean name.

[angeledeggs]

Main 6 + The Courtiers head cannons with a MC/Partner under the asexual spectrum

Asra💜:

Honestly, he dosent quite mind.

Asra knows that there's more to a relationship than physical intimacy cause he fucking grown.

That being said, his love language is physical touch. But if you're uncomfortable with it or prefer other means of affection, of course Asra will show his love in other ways.

Of course he'll want to know where exactly under the spectrum you fall. Not, of course, to try and coax you into anything or deem you a lost cause, but just to better inform himself.

They love you very much and your sexuality won't change the fact that they love you from your personality, and not your body or sexuality or anything.

If anyone ever makes fun of you or tries to demean or "change" you for your sexuality, Asra will definitely yell at them. If he ever does see or hear someone do anything like that, he'll be absolutely fuming but take you both away from the situation and make sure you're okay.

Muriel💙:

Dosent know what it means, but kind of nods when you come out to him. Will probably ask Asra the very next day and hurriedly buy you a birthday card that he has scratched out and wrote Happy asexual! On it.

Dosent really know what to do. Should he get a cake? Is a cake too much? Should he talk to you? Should he not make it a big deal? In the end (after more advice from Asra) he just has a quiet little talk confirming that he supports and loves you the same.

Hates it when people are aphobic, and will most likely just take you two somewhere else for both of you to calm down. If you cry, though, he'll definitely get a bit teary himself.

Gets a little cup cozy or a rug or something in your flag colors just since Asra recommend to. If he sees it makes you happy, it turns into a regular thing.

Loves you no matter asexuality spectrum or not!

Julian🦠:

Understands completely when you come out to them and is pretty supportive about it. But then he gets all stuttery trying to explain he supports you and can barely speak.

Will probably get you your flag the next day just to make sure you know he's 100% supportive. If you already have a flag, he'll get extremely embarrassed of himself.

If anyone tries to say a single word about your sexuality in a negative or judge light, he definitely has a few choice words for them and will make sure you two get away from the person, even if it's friends or family.

Loves you the same amount if you'd not be on the asexual spectrum. Loves you if you're sex repulsed, sex positive, or anything in between.

Nadia💎:

Is pretty casual when you tell her.

Probably just goes "oh, okay" or something and the rest of the day stays the same.

But little did you know that during the night she immediately researched your label and the Asexual spectrum thoroughly to understand you. The next day she had gotten you a little pin for your bag or shirt or something and curtly hands it to you with a proud, satisfied smile.

Would definitely defend you from anyone who tried to judge you. If you get any looks at pride (or any other place, for that matter) for being 'confused' or 'not really lgbtq', she will very aggressively begin to scream out the definition of the asexual spectrum. It's... Surprisingly affective?

Will most likely get you a cute little thing in your colors every pride just to show you she cares, as gift giving is her love language.

Portia🧡:

So touched you trusted her enough to tell her, and probably starts to cry and hug you. She always wants you to feel comfortable with her, so you telling her means a lot to her.

Will probably ask you for your exact label so she can research it to know specifically what your label is. Not to pressure you of course, she's simply curious and wants to know.

Will most likely get a flag or something for her home just for you, even if you don't visit or live with her. If you ask her about it, she insists it was always there.

She'll probably make some poorly iced cookies or something a few days after you came out in celebration of your coming out, but besides that, she dosent make a big deal of it.

Will definitely lose it completely if someone says anything about your sexuality in a negative light. She might even get mad if someone mentions it without you mentioning it first.

Loves you the same no matter what, and will probably never stop being so affectionate and caring towards you.

Lucio👑:

Blank stare for a few seconds. He really doesn't know what it is. He's just like, "Okay" and doesn't bring it up the rest of the day. He researches it later and realizes, oh, that's what asexual meant!

Brings it up casually the next day and slips in that he supports you in his 'cool, chill' way. Nervous on the inside.

Probably just gets you a little something in your colors every once in awhile that's small and stuffs it into your pockets so that he doesn't need to express his affection through words.

Just has a deep talk with you one night from the heart telling you about how he dosent think less of you and will still always love you

Will most likely lose it on someone if they invalidate your sexuality or will ignore the person in favor of getting you out of there and comforting you, it just depends on how angry he gets.

Dosent really mention it, but is just silently supportive in his own way.

Valerius🍷:

Plays it off like he doesn't care. Probably just gives you a bored look and keeps drinking his wine. Inside, he's a wreck.

He's worried, of course. Not worried for his 'bodily needs', no, he's worried he's been pressuring you without realizing it and has made you feel uncomfortable. He makes you breakfast the next day and stumbles through an apology about respecting your boundaries before he even realizes he hasn't done anything.

Probably reads an actual book or something about the asexual spectrum just to know about it. He don't mention it or nothing, of course. But if you ever find it, he'll be embarrassed.

Will just ignore anyone who shames you, but makes sure you're okay if anyone ever does and will probably get you two out of the vicinity.

Probably writes in his journal about it just talking it out to himself and in the end, he loves you just the same. Not like you being on the asexual spectrum would change his opinion on you, of course.

Vlastomil🐛:

Pretends to understand, definitely doesn't. Much too old to understand all those 'new labels'. But he wants to understand. So he talks around with some friends until he does.

When he finally does understand, he tries to make an awkward conversation about how organisms reproduce asexually, but sort of just makes a fool of himself. Gets the point across, though, that he supports.

Will buy many books on asexuality and fills his shelves up, wanting to show that he's committed to understanding and supporting you.

Gets many old fashioned posters about asexuaity and cheerfully will hang them up.

If anyone invalidates your sexuality or if they try to guilt you about it, he'll definitely get you out of the room and threaten that person later.

Will definitely love you just the same either way. He's been around the block a few times before anyway, he's not going to disrespect or passive aggressively push boundaries.

All in all, it won't change or warp his view on you if you're under the asexual spectrum

Valdemar🧠:

Is under the aromantic and asexual spectrum themselves, and probably just gives a curt nod in response. A small smile probably would play on their lips when you told them, though. They'll never admit how good it feels to be trusted enough for you to tell them.

Already knows a lot about the asexual spectrum, so they don't need to research about it all, since they know all the microlabels and many of the meanings.

Will probably make a joke or two about it to you when nobody is listening, which is extremely out of character from them and surprises you. Pretends to not understand sex for comedic purposes and will make horrified faces when anyone mentions it

Notices anyone saying a negative thing about your sexuality before you do, and will lead you out of the room with the insistence of suddenly needing to buy hand sanitizer with you.

Will probably get a flag for you. They do expect a heartfelt response in thanks, though.

Volta🍰:

Bursts into sobs because she immediately is so happy that you told her. Very easy to be consoled, though, and hurriedly explains that she's happy.

Definitely will load you up with merch of your label just so you can have it in case you ever want it.

Probably looks at a few charts of the aspec just to make sure she can accurately understand you.

Will hurriedly rush you out of a room if someone else tries to say anything mean to you about falling under the asexual spectrum. She's probably going to cry angrily sometime later, too, with how upset it makes her.

Will make sure to assure you the day you come out that she'll never try to change you or even want to change you, because its who you are.

Vulgora⚔️:

Nods a bit and is surprisingly calm. Doesn't want to stress you out, so they stay surprisingly chill about it.

Asks around the other courtiers so that they can understand a bit more.

Dosent really understand the 'whole flag shit', but will probably get or make you one, even, just to show that they support you and who you are.

Will most definitely go to pride with you if you'd like and insist upon 'that flag shit', even though they already have gotten you around three.

Is, once more, shockingly calm if someone should insult or say soemthing snarky about you being aspec. They'll just lead you away and make sure you're awake before you both continue their day. They're definitely angry, yeah. But they want to make sure you're okay more than they want to punch that asshole.

Will probably stitch you a few patches or other things with your fag colors too, just for fun

❀

Thanks for reading my writing! Requests are open for anyone who wants to make them, just make sure to follow the rules stated in my first post :)

[ultimate-shipper-blog]

Pt. 7

Lydia escapes the house early the next morning, the sun is barely up. Dew on the grass. She needs to think seriously. She's taking a walk around town seeing how far she can get before she gets tired and turns back. The problem is she doesn't think she'll get tired. She thinks she could walk forever, she hasn't had a tour like this before of the town her parents grew up in. The quiet before the storm. She has a relatively normal remembrance of her childhood. Everything after age 10 was what every normal kid did.

She feels like an outsider since this is her first run in with the upside down. She still remembers when she was sat down at 15. When she couldn't take the lies anymore and needed to know the truth of what happened to her dad. She went through all the stages then, she thought they were lying, she felt abandoned by Steve.

But could she blame him? For choosing the world over her?

When her Aunt El lifted her in the air her whole world's perception changed.

She comes across a clearing that is filled with trailers. There's a worn sign on the edge of the block she can't quite read. She picks one at random and decides to sit. She figures they won't be up yet and she needs the rest.

She's zoned out when she hears the deep rumble of a truck snap her into reality. She watches the truck park and a man steps out coming towards her. She puts her head down hoping he isn't going to acknowledge her.

She watches the boots get closer to her until they stop directly in front of her.

"Can I help you with somethin?" A gruff voice asks.

She looks up and is face to face with her favorite person. "Wayne?" She's shocked. Out of all the trailers in all the shitty small towns...

"Yeah? Who are ya?"

"Oh! Um. Um. I'm a friend! Of Eddie's! He um told me I could come here if I needed to."

"Huh," he huffs. "A friend huh?" He rolls his eyes. "Look kid I don't just-"

"I'm Steve's cousin! Steve Harrington. Um I was with both of them and I needed some space."

"Steve huh?" He looks her over. "I can see the resemblance."

He reaches around her and unlocks the door. "Well? Get up. Are you coming in or not?"

She scrambles to her feet.

"Yes! Ok! Thank you!"

She misses the soft smile that crosses his face.

----

She's sitting on the mug drinking some coffee wrapped in a blanket. She feels cozy in here. Pictures of her Pa littered around the place. Pictures she's seen growing up around her own house. She wonders if Wayne would notice her sneak into Pa's room. She needs that blackmail material.

Wayne clears his throat.

"You ok kid? I don't think I've seen you blink once, your eyes are just darting around and it's creeping me out."

"Sorry. Sorry for bothering you too."

"I was gonna drink the coffee anyway. Night shift and all that."

He looks her over again.

"What's wrong kid?"

"Um...well...I've been separated from my parents and the rest of my family. So I came here. Um...it's really complicated. It's just uh- UGH" She pulls her hair. "Have you ever felt like you're losing your mind?"

"Only everyday."

"I just need to get home but it's more complicated because it effects other people. I'm the outsider here and I can't afford to make any wrong moves. I just want to do what's right."

"Well...it sounds like you're doing ok so far. I mean you're thinking of others, you have good intentions. You know what you'd like to do you just need the push to finish it. You're a good kid Lydia."

She tries not to tear up. "Thanks Wayne." She stands up and heads toward the door. "I should head out before anyone notices I'm gone." He walks her out, giving her a pat on the head. She's a little down the lot when she turns around and runs to him. She gives him a big hug.

"Thank you Wayne." She squeezes him tighter. She missed him more than she realized.

"No problem kid." He sends her a soft smile.

-----

When she heads back to the Wheelers she sees Steve and Eddie on the front porch. They're huddled together frantically waving their hands. When they see her they run to her grabbing her into a giant group hug.

"Hey what's all this about?" She laughs.

Steve leans back and hold her chin in one of his hands. Eddie's hand is on her shoulder.

"I woke up first," Steve says. "I went around checking on everyone and I couldn't find you. I woke Eddie up and he didn't know where you were either."

Eddie's hands tightens.

"We thought you got zapped back. We didn't get a chance to say goodbye," his voice is so soft like he is trying not to be upset.

"I'm sorry," Lydia says. "I just wanted to go for a walk. I didn't even think about writing a note or anything."

"Buddy system ok munchkin?"

"We just don't want to lose you, we just got you." The two stare into each other's eyes. Lydia thinks they would forget about her if they didn't have an iron grip on her.

"Right." Lydia says, watching them with fond eyes. "We'll stick together, as a family."

"Right," Steve says.

"As a family." Eddie completes the sentence. Bright smile on his face.

----

AN: guys! Here's the treat I mentioned earlier! I love Wayne so I had to write him. And am I purposefully writing more fluff so I don't have to write the dark stuff which means ultimately the end of the fic? Maybe.

I'll see if my brain wants write more today.

PLEASE comment. Everyone who comments gets a big smooch. Legally by law.

Tags:

@tinyplanet95 @jaytriesstrangerthings

@bookworm0690

[ma-sulevin]

Rook questions: 38 all the way through +1

38. Did Rook have any relationships before Veilguard?

She did! She trained at Weisshaupt, so she has a lot of casual relationships with the people there. She's friends with Evka and Antoine and most of the people who were in her "class." She has a lot of casual contacts around northern Thedas as well, and she tries to keep up with some of the people she interacted with during the Inquisition-era. She has an ex or two (or more) but she doesn't keep up with them for obvious reasons.

39. What is their room at The Lighthouse like?

It's cozy! She has lots of blankets and pillows and little trinkets that she's started picking up since she has an easy home base. She has a few books on the Blight and darkspawn around, but she's not sure that they're going to be much use anymore. She has a bunch of candles (do they have scented candles in Thedas?) and probably too many changes of clothes since she has a pretty steady source of money now. There's always an empty mug or two sitting on surfaces because she likes drinking hot chocolate and then forgetting to take the mug back to the kitchen, so sometimes Lucanis sneaks in and gets the dishes so he can clean them up while she's gone.

40. Describe Rook’s bed:

This is where the highest concentration of pillows and blankets is. The girl has spent a lot of time hiking around and sleeping on the ground and she's going to be COMFY while she has the chance. There's also probably a stuffed griffon in the mix somewhere. Don't mention it.

41. What’s on their nightstand?

Candles, books, at least one old mug, a cup of dusty water...

42. Something Rook regrets:

I think she regrets trusting the Chantry the first time she was in the Circle. They told her they would keep her baby safe and she believed them - and then it takes her over a decade to unravel all of that. She regrets going back to the Circle too, but that regret is less sharp.

43. Is Rook the type to gossip?

What else do you think she filled her time with in the Circle? She's trying to get better about it.

44. What is Rook really good at?

Research. She's always been super interested in learning more about the Blight since she lived through the one in Ferelden, so going to the Wardens was the natural conclusion of that. She's also pretty good at organizing people to a common purpose, but that's some with age.

45. Who was Rook’s closest friend before joining the Veilguard?

Trelan was one of the Grey Wardens she spent the most time with in the couple of years leading up to meeting Varric. They weren't romantic, but they were pretty good friends, and they kept in touch after Eira had to start laying low and running around going after Solas. He died during the siege of Weisshaupt.

46. What does it take to earn Rook’s trust?

She reads people's vibes pretty well, so she'll either start out hating you or you have to actively fuck up to lose her trust. As long as you do what you say and don't shit talk the people she loves, you're golden.

47. What’s Rook’s temper like?

She gets angry a lot, but she keeps most of it on the inside. She's still not totally used to feeling safe in expressing her emotions. She IS good at letting that anger out on darkspawn though.

48. A color, flower, animal, and weather to describe Rook:

Going off of vibes only.... a really dark reddish purple, irises, bluejays, an early frosty morning

49. What will always make them laugh?

Oh she's a big fan of dirty jokes or a well-executed pun

50. Are they a mystery, or an open book?

She's.... a book that's easy to open. She may not volunteer information but she'll be honest if you ask.

+1 What does Rook smell like?

Realistically, darkspawn blood and sweat and probably cinders. When she gets to choose what she smells like, it's rosewater.

[icedragonlizard]

A few extra Susie & Taranza dynamic headcanons

I do have an earlier tumblr post that goes over the dynamic I have for these two. However, believe it or not, I still have more headcanons of interactions that these two have with each other than just that!

Here they are down below:

Headcanon 1: During Susie's vacations on Planet Popstar, the most common sleeping spot she'll use is in Floralia, in the Royal Road castle with Taranza. She'll sleep there with him about 80% of nights of her Popstar vacations. The remaining 20% is in the guest room of Magolor's ship, she's slept there on mere occasion but prefers Taranza's home as it's quieter.

Taranza has even spent nights in Susie's home planet. Magolor has done so well, but Taranza has done it notably more often than he has.

Headcanon 2: It's not uncommon for Taranza to have nightmares while sleeping. These nightmares will often abruptly wake him up and cause him to cry. As a result, he sometimes gets on his phone to call Susie in the middle of the night, and apologize for waking her up as he just wants someone to talk to, in order to help calm him down.

Normally, Susie would be irritable if she was abruptly woken up, but she became understanding of this. And considering how much she cares about Taranza, she's come to feel really bad when learning about how often he has nightmares. Thus, she tries helping him out.

She'll even sing him a lullaby over the phone to help ease his mind, and often this will even help in getting him to fall back asleep!

This mostly happens when Susie is at her home planet away from Popstar, so these conversations happen over on the phone. However, there does exist the occasion of this happening when Susie is over at Popstar to spend a night in Floralia. And, well, she can do a lot more to try to comfort him at that point, including hugs. In those cases, it can be a lot easier for her to help Taranza sleep well by going onto the same bed as him, giving him a hug, and lullabying him to sleep.

Headcanon 3: Royal Road's castle has several beds with very soft blankets. Yeah, Taranza loves to sleep all warm and cozy and fuzzy.

This is another reason why Susie likes to sleep there during her Popstar vacations most of the time. She came to embrace those really soft blankets. It reminds her of her childhood, when her bed actually had a soft and comfortable blanket that her dad got for her, before the Another Dimension incident happened and everything changed. Her bedding afterwards wasn't something that a lot of people could consider as comfortable, since some of her childhood stuff has been completely lost, including that soft blanket she once had.

That fortunately changed when Taranza decided to outright allow her to take one of Royal Road's soft blankets to her home. It was a gift from him, basically. He believed that she deserved to have a blanket that soft for her bed. It was a moment of joy for Susie, since she regained something that she lost from her childhood, and she also just loves the blanket gift since it's super soft and it reminds her of Taranza. It made her realize how crap her bedding was before the gift.

Headcanon 4: Taranza and Susie were together the entire time of Star Allies' events. During the absolute entirety of game's events, they never left each other's side and nonstop beat things up together.

I headcanon that during Star Allies, the dream friends adventured in their respective waves. Or at least, they largely adventured in their respective waves. It wasn't always exactly 100% that they did so.

Magolor did accompany Taranza and Susie a lot of the time in Star Allies, but he didn't accompany them in the entirety of it. That's because, well, Wave 3 had a little bit of a thing with Wave 1 where they allowed an occasional swapping between their teammates.

You see, Magolor and Marx wanted to adventure together from time to time. Both wave groups allowed it to where Magolor could swap places with Gooey. This means that there were occasions where Magolor adventured with Marx, Rick, Kine and Coo; while Gooey adventured with Taranza and Susie. Basically, both groups alternated.

Taranza and Susie had no problem with this at the times that it happened. They both liked Gooey more than well enough, so they were actually glad to allow him to tag along with them on occasion.

But regardless whether it was Magolor, Gooey, or Kirby accompanying them, Taranza and Susie were with each other the entirety of Star Allies' events. They also saved each other's asses from close calls several times during that adventure, including during their fights with the mage sisters. Taranza saved Susie from being turned into a trophy by Francisca, and Susie saved Taranza from being burnt to a crisp by Flamberge. Both of them also talked mad shit at the mages during SA before they befriended them post-HiAD.

Headcanon 5: Zan Partizanne has become close enough with both Taranza and Susie to effectively form some sort of trio with them.

This of course has to do with all three of these people having committed undying loyalty to a corrupt loved one. Zan, of course, is the most devoted to Hyness out of the three mages, so it hit close to her when Taranza and Susie talked to her about their situations of their actions in the name of Sectonia and Haltmann respectively.

Zan is definitely the favorite mage sister for both Taranza and Susie. Sometimes, they even invite her to hang out with the both of them.

It also helps that Taranza and Susie are some of the few people that have no problem getting Zan's entire name right. That also earns her respect compared to others. She has nicknames for both of them, but she is also willing to say their actual names as a treat for them actually saying her name right. Meanwhile, Magolor is out there laughing his butt off in the background with his 'Zan Parmesan Cheese' nickname.

Taranza and Susie basically have more than one people they can form a trio with. Most commonly, it's Magolor, but they can just as easily do it with Zan as well. They have both come to really like her a lot.

Headcanon 6: I said in earlier posts that Taranza and Susie act as each other's emotional support, but let me just get deeper into that.

They are each other's biggest comfort person. Nobody can comfort Susie better than Taranza can, and vice versa. That isn't to say they can't be comforted by others, but they do it to each other the best.

They see themselves through one another.

Susie may not be exactly great at comforting someone, but she ends up being better at comforting Taranza than anyone else can. This is, of course, because she understands what he's been going through a lot better than anyone else does. She gets it like nobody else does.

Taranza can of course take well to Kirby hugs, as well as big comfy bear hugs from King Dedede, but he gets most comforted if Susie were to give him a hug and tell him that she knows how much it sucks to lose someone you really care about. It also helps when she decides to sing some alleviating tune to him, even going as far as to sing full on lullabies to him. She cares enough about him to do that, and that's why she tries to comfort him even when realizing it's not something she's exactly great at doing otherwise. To her, he's special.

Of course, Susie may not be the most physically comfortable to hug out of Taranza's friends, but he does not care. He thinks her hugs feel good enough anyways, and there's the element where he finds comfort in hugging someone he sees himself through and he believes that she herself is deserving and needing of those very hugs.

On the other side of things, Taranza is always the first option for whenever Susie feels the need to vent or talk to someone. He's by far the most understanding. He's always more than glad to help or give her advice to the best of his abilities, regardless of whether it be on the phone or in person. She knows that he understands what she's been through, so she's always most comfortable to come to him.

She loves his fuzzy hugs. Kirby is the only other person Susie has had hugs with, but yeah, Taranza is basically some big fuzzy teddy bear for her. He doesn't even need to initiate hugs with her... she's more than glad to be the one to do it. She knows that he needs them, too.

Both of them have also had issues with experiencing self-hatred, considering the hugely crappy things that have happened in their lives. Susie generally doesn't really let it show for a lot of people, since she keeps her emotions to herself a lot more than Taranza does, but Taranza is fully aware of it as she literally outright expressed to him about her self-hatred for having such a ruined life. It breaks his heart to hear it. He knows how much life can suck after you've been through tragedy and someone you care about doesn't survive.

He empathizes with the self-hatred issues that she's had before, because he's had it himself that he vocalizes a lot more. Even though he's done it himself, it just disheartens him to see her do it. This is also the case for vice versa when it disheartens Susie to see Taranza do it. They do it themselves, but they hate it when the other does it.

They're both well aware that they have a mutual feeling of being disheartened to hear the other express their self-hatred. That just makes them appreciate each other even more... knowing how much they've come to care about each other. They really are best friends.

Both of them have had moments where one cried over the comfort and kindness that the other has given them, even if comfort and kindness isn't something that Susie isn't the best at. But it does at least help her to know that she's capable of comforting someone, and that she just happens to do it better than anyone else can.

They wouldn't trade each other for the world even if they could.

Anyways... that's what I got for this post! Thanks for reading!

Feel free to steal these headcanons if you ship Taransusie, lol. I don't romantically ship them but I kind of ship them platonically to the point where they act like comfort siblings to each other.

See you for the next one!

[harlowehearse]

Candle Cove Head cannons

I have severe brain rot (also some of these might be from the archive account so apologies if you've seen them before). No rhyme or reason to this it's just a bunch of things that came to mind.

-It's a running gag that no one really knows what exactly Horace is? Whether he's really human or not? Even he doesn't seem to know and makes several conflicting statements about it.

-It's also a gag Horace just has no idea how old Janice is. He assumes she's like 3 or 4 or something and doesn't think she can read or anything.

-All of the puppets are made with 4 fingers aside from the abyssian ones who have all 5.

-Abyssians aren't born, they come from and are made from the sand at the bottom of the sea. They don't live forever, just much longer than a human. If they die of age they turn back into sand.

-Janice and Skin-taker sharing a birthday is partially true. Skin-taker does genuinely consider the date his birthday as well because it was the day Poppy killed him and he became what he is now, birthdays and date of deaths are practically the same thing to him.

-Janice and Skin-taker share quite a few other similarities like being the only left handed characters in the show, curiosity being a key character trait, their favorite color both being purple, and just a lot more sprinkled through out the show.

-Janice can be very blunt, is a terrible liar, and her curiosity can easily get the best of her so she'll just blurt out questions as soon as they come.

-Eye contact makes Janice quite uncomfortable (yet another reason why Skin-taker unnerves her so much cuz the guy just stares daggers into your soul).

-After getting really pissed at Horace Janice once threw a rock at and accidentally killed him. Skin-taker brought him back and he was honestly unphased but Janice is still a little messed up and feels guilt over it.

-Janice can get very frustrated or angry, mostly in cases of other characters being mean towards her or her friends (9/10 it's Horace she's mad at).

-Calvary is deaf in his left ear and the whole crew knows sign language. Nathan helped to teach Janice and in return she helped teach him some math stuff she learned from school.

-If she doesn't want to go somewhere, Ms. Laughingstock will just stop dead in her tracks. While not often she and Poppy do butt heads sometimes.

-Revolvers weren't used as weapons in the show until Milo was introduced in season 2.

-Milo was the one to teach Janice how to wield a cutlass ("begrudgingly," he will tell you). Up until that point she just used a slingshot she had from home and a throwing knife Percy taught her how to use.

-Skin-taker's lair resembles a relatively normal living space set up in the cave, and would actually be quite cozy had it not be all made from human remains.

-Skin-taker doesn't hate Poppy because he killed him, he's actually a bit grateful for that because he enjoys being dead, he hates him because Poppy 1) wasted the skin by just throwing it to sharks and 2) Skin-taker sees him as a hypocrite as he has committed crimes just as heinous as Skin-taker, but now goes around with the title "The Honorable Pirate" while sweeping his past under the rug. Plus the guy just gets on his nerves.

-Despite how aloof and cold he seems to regard him Horace is probably the only one (living) Skin-taker would consider a friend.

-Getting new skin isn't the only reason Skin-taker does things, he'll also just do things because he's curious as to the result or he thinks it'd be funny.

-Skin-taker actually really likes wordplay and funny sounding words. Sometimes he'll just say little rhymes and random words out loud to amuse himself. Of course he's also very cryptic sometimes to be purposefully ominous too.

-Though she never appears in person on the show or is mentioned by name, whenever the Red Mary is eluded to or something makes reference to her the music of the show stops, and if you listen closely, you can hear the crackling of a fire in the mix of the background TV static.

-Even though he can't physically smoke Skin-taker has a collection of wooden pipes.

-Sunny has a little cactus collection on the ship that Hans helped her get. Little reminder of home.

-The rubberfishes crew aren't really fond of Skin-taker (they're just as creeped out by him as The Laughingstock crew) but they're all very loyal to and kind of care about Horace so they stick it out for their captain.

-Lillian had light magic and like Horace was a sorcerer of sorts, Talapio was her familiar.

-The Tarantula crews sails were sewn using string Talapio gave them, and because of that you could see them faintly shimmering at night. Some referred to them as "the crew with stars in their sails" because of this.

-You could point at any color, any hue tone shade what have you, and Skin-taker could immediately tell you it's specific name. It's one of the few things about him that are the same from when he was Thade Soben.

-Lillian was genuinely a very goofy, emotional, and fun loving person but being a captain she tried keeping a very calm confident demeanor all the time which then lead her to also being secretly stressed out 24/7. Seeing Thades joy and curiosity for almost everything in Candle Cove helped bring out her sillier side again though.

-No one other than Poppy knows Percy's past on the Tarantula crew as the infamous Prowler Percy and whenever someone goes "Man that prowler percy was so cool I wonder what happened to him" Percy is just "Yeahh haha crazy- let's change the subject" just because he remembering those times hurts too much now and also the NPHC would pay soooooo much money to see Prowler dead.

-One time Poppy gambled Percy in a bet and lost and the crew then spent the whole episode getting into shenanigans trying to get him back.

-There was one episode where Janice and Horace got separated from their crew on a dangerous island and had to very begrudgingly work together to try and get back to them with Janice managing to snag his monocle and holding it hostage so he didn't try any funny business. Even though he did end up betraying her in the end by leaving her on the island (the Laughingstock crew did get her back still) during the episode they actually worked pretty well together and at one point found some common ground, and ever since Horace just seemed a little less hostile towards her, insulted her less, and even seemed to try and lightly deter Skin-taker from her once or twice.

-Susan Siren is actually a menace and does crash ships and kill sailors with her singing she's just loyal to Janice and The Laughingstock crew because Janice freed her from lullaby rock. Girls killed and will do so again.

-Green Gregory is the only other one is Candle Cove aside from Janice who isn't a puppet (in my version I like to think Susan and Nathan are also puppets). It's suggested but never confirmed whether or not he too was once a child who came to Candle Cove long ago.

-Green Gregory knew Skin-taker when he was Thade back when he was a pirate himself, and every once in a while after the taverns closed Skin-taker shows up to catch up with his old acquaintance. Even though he's clear in his distain for the skeleton's doing Gregory is never unwelcoming to him (listen even if they have no canon interactions you can't give me two characters presumably played by the same actor and expect me to NOT come up with a connection between them).

-Percy's paranoia and Calvary's superstition go hand in hand in literally the most chaotic and worst way. Sea dog is so tired of their shit.

-Milo is the only person to have ever tested Dr. Heartfelt's patience.

-The puppets can bleed. It's not a practical effect.

[avanguyen]

PERSONALITY

An old soul with a sunshiny personality is Ava in a nutshell. She's an introvert who would much rather spend a Friday night at home with her cats and a good book, rather than heading into the nightlife of bars and clubs.

BIOGRAPHY

As the oldest of three children, Ava began feeling the responsibilities that came along with being a member of one of the founding families early on in life. With her family being responsible for the first school within Windsor Bay, her parents Châu ( father ) and Liên ( mother ) made sure she took her education seriously from a very early age. Around the age of six, Ava could usually be found with her nose in a book. Her parents began taking her to the local library and she quickly felt like she was at home amongst the thousands of books. She loved partaking in the weekly story times and making friends who were into the same book series as her. By the time she was a teenager, Ava put in long, hard hours of volunteer work at the library. Not only was it an excuse to log some community service hours for her college applications, but a reason to spend more time within the building that had come to feel like home to her. It wasn't a hard decision to take her love of the library and turn it into her job as she became an adult. After graduating high school, Ava packed her bags and moved across the country to attend college in Syracuse, New York. The university there was one of the best in the country when it came to library science. While she was there, Ava quickly adjusted to life away from Windsor Bay, though she still felt homesick whenever she'd video chat with her parents or siblings and they caught her up on all of the latest Windsor bay gossip. As soon as she earned her degree, Ava made the move right back to Windsor Bay and applied for the open position of Youth Librarian. It wasn't a hard role to land considering everyone within the library system had watched Ava grow up and knew she would be the perfect fit for the position. She also wasn't going to complain about using her family name and their legacy to get ahead when it counted.

HEADCANONS

It's no secret that she loves to read. But Ava is the kind of person that always has to be reading multiple books at a time. She'll be in the middle of a romance, then start a thriller, while listening to a completely different book on audio. She is a fast reader, so a lot of times she will finish a book within just a day or two. She's a hopeless romantic who eats up a cute and spicy romance book. She is always willing to give out book recs to anyone that asks.

She has three cats named Ghost, Raven, and Milo. Ghost and raven are females, while Milo is the only male.

Within the past couple of years, she's picked up crocheting as a hobby. With a lot of practice, she's gotten better at it and usually always has a few projects within the works.

Even though she may not do it as often as she wishes, Ava loves to bake. Her specialty is peanut butter fudge brownies.

She loves playing cozy video games. Especially Sims, Animal Crossing, Dreamlight Valley, and anything of that sort. She does have a Twitch channel and occasionally goes live.

Ava runs a book club that meets once a month at the library to discuss the current book they're reading.

Ava has never really been in a long term/serious relationship. As a teenager she always put her school work first, which left little to no time for dating. In college she had a few short lived relationships, but nothing ever stuck for very long. Even though she doesn't always put herself out there when it comes to dating, she believes her prince charming is out there somewhere and will show up when she least expects it.

[drpeppertummy]

extra leon & shel lore/tidbits copy pasted from the group chat that i dont think ive shared (non-kink-related)

[warning for mentions/descriptions of alcoholism, abuse, death including child death & pet death, transphobia, self harm]

angela really did not like shel before they became friends she thought he was just the most pissy old bitch. shel liked her fine bc she 1. never did anything to piss him off herself and 2. Called him a pissy old bitch which he thought was funny. i think she only changed her mind about him when she realized he was one of the only people to immediately start calling her the right name when she came out & when she realized he was friends with leon, who she already was cool with. now she'll defend him she'll be like No Hes Cool If Youre Friends With Him Honest I Swear. he always just liked her bc he thought she was Spunky. never really made a move to be pals with her just considered her one of his more tolerable coworkers. they both think its hilarious now that she hated him & she still Jokingly calls him a pissy old bitch. she was cool with leon Before coming out but only really became close with him After coming out bc he was like [in private] omg wait me too [<-paraphrased] & trans coworkers gotta stick together

shels cats prefer laying on leon when hes over bc hes softer & warmer & shel gets jealous so naturally the solution is for shel to use leon as a pillow so the cats have to lay on her instead

i think leon likes showering at shels house bc she has a shower chair & its nice. he probably winds up getting one himself anyway so shel can feel safer showering at his house too

shels house is pretty well cat-proofed. hes invested in soft carpeting so shits less likely to break if it falls, hazards are generally well-secured, hes got magnets on his cabinet doors so they cant break in, shit like that etc. the cats are more or less allowed anywhere in the house But he has a Strict no cats in the laundry room rule bc hes absolutely terrified of one sneaking into the dryer when hes not looking

leons place is like. very Lived In. kinda messy but not Gross (i imagine shel probably helps him keep on top of cleaning sometimes). a little dingy but not so much so that you dont wanna sit down & hang around. kinda dated. not overly well-maintained. needs some repairs that he just hasnt gotten around to (for years). hasnt been renovated or anything in decades. ugly old couch. he tries to keep trash off the floor but he is guilty of having old bottles & shit sitting around. making it look nice isnt a huge priority for him but he tries to at least keep it sanitary

shels house as we know is full of cat-themed crap & knickknacks & i think its kinda granny-esque & a lot of brown & pink & off-white & warm neutral colors. clean but cluttered & cozy. small but comfortable. nothing is like harsh & bright the color is all soft & subdued & the lighting is warm & gentle. lot of decorative things & photos on shelves & on the walls & on end tables etc. maybe some doilies. shel could be a doily guy. lot of cute fridge magnets

leon will refer to his pre-transition self as a girl/woman almost as if she was a different person he used to know. angela only refers to herself as a girl/woman including when talking about the past bc thats what shes always been even before she knew. & shel well hes just shel

projecting onto leon he'll be buying pants & be like "omg these fit Perfectly" & theyll be like a foot too long. length, as we know, does not matter when youre built like grimace

i think shel (playfully) gives leon grief for bein older than him. bc shel Looks older. if u asked their coworkers to guess theyd place leon at no older than 43 and shel at like 55

they bring out the best in each other. when shels around leon tries not to drink & he tries to take better care of himself bc he doesnt wanna disappoint him. when leons around shels less bitchy & less grumpy & in much better humor. theyre both happier around each other

i think leon was a little nervous about becoming an Official Couple & i think hed be a little nervous about getting married moving in together etc, not bc he thinks shel would ever hurt him but bc he still worries that all the abuse he took from bill was his own fault & hes afraid shels gonna start to see him the way bill saw him & get sick of him. & he feels guilty for feeling that way

shels had A Lot of cats in his life & he carries the grief of every single one hes ever said goodbye to. the majority of his Family Photos he has framed or in albums are pets & sometimes he'll be looking through them & gets a little misty. & i think leon realizing that all these cats have always pretty much been shels only family & hearing the way he reminisces about them the way somebody would fondly recall happy memories with their family or friends is a point where he realizes just how lonely shels life has been. hes always been very sentimental about his cats. if he finds a loose whisker on the floor he sticks it in a jar bc its too cool to just sweep up. & if one of them cuts him deeply enough to leave a scar he looks at it with fondness. & the paw prints they do at the vet when the times up. he def has those all hung up amongst whatever photos & other shit he has on the walls

i think shel has some kind of goofy little tattoo he got when he was really young & dysfunctional like. on her hip or some weird spot where nobody ever sees it & its some weird random stupid little thing & the first time leon sees it hes like ??????????? idk what it would even be but its definitely shittily done & probably doesnt have any meaning behind it

leon was originally supposed to be bitter & grumpy & bitchy like shel (who has been around longer & whose bitterness & grumpiness & bitchiness was well established by the time leon came around) but he wound up being more sad & sweet & nervous. i think his coworkers still generally dont like him unless they know him well & its mostly bc they make Assumptions about him based on the things they know. hes an alcoholic, hes a hot mess, he hangs out with that bitchy weirdo shel, he doesnt socialize much, etc

Thinking About Shels Cat Pics u knowww they look like shit. if hes texting them . with his flip phone. but also i think she takes a lot of Camera Pictures & puts em in a photo album. all the time leons receiving grainy shitty flip phone cat pic texts & he Adores it he feels so in love

Thinking About Angela & Leon i think they have like an extra special little friendship which they really come to think of as a father/daughter relationship after a while. it just kinda Becomes Like That. since she was relatively recently disowned by her parents & he lost his daughter & they both have a major void that theyre subconsciously trying to fill. he might take her shopping since she came out pretty recently & doesnt have much of a wardrobe & hes pretty experienced in the field of Womens Clothes. they make a whole little day of it. i think ive already mentioned leons necklace that his mom gave him that her mom probably gave her that he was gonna give to his daughter which he wound up giving to angela & it was gonna be a casual gesture but it wound up being a whole teary huggy thing for both of em

i think. if he found out bill died or something he would be all freaked out like Omg I Shouldve Been There For Him bc even after everything theres still a big part of him that thinks maybe if he tried harder if he did a better job if he was a better spouse etc they couldve been happy. even tho he Knows bill was awful to him & he Knows bill was a nasty evil abusive person & he would never wish what he went through on anybody else theres still a big part of him that feels like it was his fault & he deserved all of it & he cant possibly deserve better

Thinking About Baby Shel. sometimes as someone who works in school/childcare youll have a kid who nobody can figure out how to help--beyond troubled, disillusioned, home life is a mess, etc--& you just know in your heart that if Somebody cant figure it out theyre not gonna make it. shel was one of those kids from a very early age. any teachers he had who are still alive remember him well bc he was such a fucked up little terror & theyd be astonished to see that hes alive. not only alive but Relatively Happy. functioning. sober. nothing like the disturbed child they knew back then

the destroyed parent in leon wishes so badly he couldve been there for shel when he was little. even tho had they known each other at the time hes only like 4 years older. he hears about tidbits of shels childhood & just wishes he could go there & hold him. but he can comfort him now & shel appreciates that. i usually depict shel being more Okay bc he does have his shit way more together but sometimes he is just all fucked up & leons there for him. sometimes he has Bad Brain Days & sometimes its just that kind of day & sometimes its brought on by his pain or lack of sleep or somethin & sometimes something triggers it & fucks him up. & he might be agitated & moody or he might be sad & fragile or he might just be numb & barely responsive but leon will treat him gentle & make sure hes not isolating himself or neglecting himself or hurting himself & make sure hes taken care of until he feels ok again. leon often feels like he doesnt do nearly enough for shel considering how much shel supports him sometimes but when those days happen he usually (probably unknowingly) prevents shel from spiraling into a weeks-long & potentially life-threatening funk

Thinking About Leon bc ive established how angela & shel came to be without a family but ive never gone into detail on leon. i think his family was never very supportive to start with & they didnt like the man he married & blamed leon for getting himself into the relationship when it started going south & bill kinda drove a wedge between him & his family and then when he started to really become a hot mess with Apparent Mental Health Issues Including Alcoholism they shunned him even more & wanted no part of him or his problems & then by the time he divorced bill & started his transition he was so estranged from them & he knew how unsupportive they were in general that he just never came out to them & essentially disappeared. he was their black sheep & they were fine with him getting away. i think if he had the chance to forgive them & go back to them he would do it in a heartbeat in spite of everything. if he found them again & they were willing to take him back he would forget how much pain they let him go through all alone Immediately. hes too forgiving bc he doesnt think he deserves better. he woulda let bill back into his life too if shel hadnta beat him to it. hes afraid of being alone he thinks hes unlovable😔 shels trying to get him past that

shels mother was a terrible parent but sometimes he wonders if they wouldve had a happy life without his dad. & sometimes he wonders if he couldve saved her. leon will be like “you were just a little kid theres nothing you couldve done” but he cant help thinking about it. & honestly if it werent for his dad his mom probably wouldve been a fine parent but their relationship was so vicious & abusive & horrible that the household was just a constant screaming fighting mess

when leon got his top surgery he was freshly divorced & had no friends bc his shity husband had him all isolated & he was like the most alone hed ever been in his life he didnt have Nobody & he had to go through the whole process & recovery all alone & it was miserable so when shel gets his knees done leon makes dam sure hes there for him every step of the way

thinking about leon & angela finding out about stuff shel never got to do as a kid & being like Oh My God We Are Taking His Old Ass To The Zoo. take his old ass to the boardwalk for minigolf & rides & ice cream. cant take his old ass to action park. sad

[tounderstandthesoul]

Chapter 16: 🐾 Christmas Special: Critter Christmas 🎄

Summary:

It's Christmas, and finding a suitable gift for DogDay isn't your only concern - there's also a meal at her place coming up. A sweet, warm Christmas special that departs from the dark, brutal events of the canon story.

---

"And you're sure...that this is the right gift for her?"

The words echo in your head, over and over again. They scratch at your insecurity, gnaw at your already fragile self-confidence. But what should you do? The answer was anything but simple.

You're new here, in Critter Valley, surrounded by your friends and ... more. You had actually intended to settle in first - to fill the new house with life. Maybe a few decorations, pictures or even a cozy corner to banish the silence and loneliness you fear so much. But now that Christmas is just around the corner, everything has changed.

Your gaze falls on the carefully wrapped gift in front of you. It is simple, just a small red envelope with a golden bow around it. Your heart beats faster as you pick it up. It's not much, almost ridiculous compared to the expensive things that others might give. But it is personal. It's from you.

"Yes ... she'll like it."

CatNap's voice is calm, almost quiet, and yet it fills the room. She stands directly behind you, or rather above you, as her tall, purple figure casts a shadow over you. She seems as if she is part of the darkness you have felt so often - and yet her presence brings a strange kind of comfort.

You look up at her, and for a moment your eyes meet. They shine in a piercing obsidian tone, but instead of the coldness that she often radiates with others, you recognize an unexpected warmth in them.

CatNap was a mystery. The most mysterious of all critters. She rarely appeared, and when she did, it was almost always in the vicinity of DogDay. Her silence and reserve seemed to separate her from the rest of the group, but it was different with you. Something had connected you even before you had really spoken to each other.

Maybe it was because you were similar. You were also quiet, withdrawn, almost invisible - a consequence of your previous life. And although you thought you were part of the Critters by now, deep down you felt that you weren't like them. They are animals, or at least something similar, while you ...

Your gaze wanders briefly to your hands. Thin, small and almost bony. Your scars stand out against the pale skin, a lasting testimony to your past. You are small, much smaller than you should be, another sign of your former life - a life that had taken more from you than it could ever have given.

"Why so quiet?" CatNap's voice snaps you out of your thoughts.

"I..." You hesitate and turn your gaze to the gift, which is now neatly wrapped in front of you. "I just wanted to make sure it was ... enough."

CatNap tilts her head slightly, her eyes watching you with a mixture of interest and something that almost looks like understanding. "DogDay doesn't need big presents. She needs people who really see her. You see her. That's enough."

The words hit you harder than you expected. You feel your throat tighten slightly, and for a moment you are glad that CatNap never talks too much.

"Thank you," you finally whisper.

CatNap shrugs slightly and sits down on the floor next to you, her movements surprisingly smooth for her size. She reaches for a piece of wrapping paper that is still lying around and folds it slowly, almost as if to occupy herself.

The other critters had been friendly to you. At least most of them. You hadn't met them often, but the few encounters you'd had had been pleasant for the most part. Only Kickin and Hoppy didn't really seem to like you.

You tried. You did everything you could not to stand out, to be polite, to fit in as much as possible. But it was never enough. Their comments hit you again and again, like little stabs that formed into deep wounds over time.

"What are you stuttering about?"

"Have you ever looked in the mirror? Oh, wait ..."

"You just don't fit in here."

Every word stuck in your head, hurt like a scar that never really wanted to heal. After such days, when you returned to your room - if you could even call this place "home" - you often cried yourself to sleep. The pillow you buried your tears in was your only listener.

But DogDay ... she was different.

She was the reason why you kept going. Every time the burden became too heavy, she was there. With a smile, a word or a gentle gesture that reminded you that maybe there was hope after all.

You had spoken to her. For hours. You confided everything that tormented you, every fear, every memory that you usually bury inside yourself. And she - she had listened. Not only that: she had understood you.

DogDay had also opened her heart to you. She talked about her world, her friends, her view of the other critters. She spoke with a warmth that was almost unbelievable, and her kind-hearted thoughts about everyone, even Kickin and Hoppy, made you marvel.

But it was the look she gave you afterwards - the moment when her eyes met yours and she looked at you as if you were someone important. It was that moment when your heart beat faster, your cheeks got hot and your stomach turned. It was the moment when you knew:

You liked them. DogDay.

But how would that ever work?

You, the small, scrawny, abused boy, a stranger in this world, with all his scars - physical and mental. And she ... she was perfect. DogDay, with her sunny nature, her beautiful appearance, her heart that seemed big enough to love the whole world.

How dared you even think of such a thing? What gave you the right to even imagine that she could ever see more in you than a broken boy who barely knew how he fit in?

A sigh escapes you and CatNap raises her head slightly. You know exactly what that look means: you're thinking too much again.

There was no condemnation in her expression, but you still felt caught out. You say nothing, lower your head and turn your gaze to the gift in front of you. It was still on the floor, wrapped in red paper, with a bow that wasn't quite as perfect as you had hoped. Maybe, you thought, the gift would attract enough attention to distract CatNap's penetrating gaze.

But probably not.

Tonight you were invited - DogDay had invited all the critters to his home for a Christmas dinner. For you, it was the first Christmas dinner since you had arrived here, and just the thought of it brought a nervous warmth to your chest. It was an opportunity that seemed perfect, almost like a gift from fate, to show her your feelings in some way.

But you knew it wouldn't be that easy. You weren't alone - the other seven critters would be there too. Of course they were invited too. They were just as much a part of it as you were - or maybe even more so.

DogDay was the heart of this group. No matter how much she denied it herself, for you and probably for most of the others, she was the leader, the one who held things together. Her warmth, her optimism, her strength - all that made her irreplaceable. And it was hard to stand up to that glow, especially when everyone else could see it too.

The truth was: DogDay wasn't just something special for you. She was the center of everything, a beacon that attracted everyone. And tonight, everyone would try to get her attention - through conversation, through laughter, through stories.

And you? What were you in comparison?

"You won't know if you don't try."

CatNap's voice broke through the silence, dry and low, but still clear enough to make you flinch. You hadn't realized that she was still watching you.

"Wha-" you asked, looking up at her.

"Your gift. Your feelings." She shrugged and looked briefly out of the window, where the snow was falling incessantly. "You think too much about what she thinks about you. Maybe you should worry less and just... be honest."

Honestly. It sounded so simple, and yet it seemed to be the most difficult thing in the world.

"And if she ... doesn't see me that way?" Your voice was barely more than a whisper, the words as heavy as your heart.

CatNap sighed softly and stood up. Her figure seemed even larger in the dimness of the room. "Do it, or don't do it. You'll end up regretting both."

You looked at the gift. It suddenly felt heavier than before - not because of its contents, but because of the meaning it carried. But CatNap's words echoed in your head.

Maybe she was right. Maybe it was time to be honest, no matter how hard it seemed.

Outside, the lights of Critter Valley sparkled through the snowfall, and somewhere there DogDay was waiting. Tonight everything would be different. Maybe.

You stand up slowly, holding the gift tightly in your hand. It suddenly feels heavier, almost as if it is carrying the entire weight of your hopes and fears.

You can see it in your mind's eye: You, outside DogDay's front door, while the cold air bites your skin. Your far too thin clothes that barely protect you, the plain scarf that you only wear because Crafty insisted on it. The small gift box in your hand, ridiculously inconspicuous compared to the meaning it has for you.

And then DogDay. You imagine her opening the door - tall, warm, confident. Her figure fills the doorway, her eyes radiate the same calm as always, and her voice is soft as she greets you.

But what would you look like? With the red spots on your cheeks from the cold and the trembling legs that can barely stand still. With eyes that would barely have the courage to meet her warmth for fear she would see through you - to all that you are and all that you think you are not.

The idea gives you pause. Your heart beats faster, your hands tremble and you feel the uncertainty descend on you like a heavy blanket.

"Everything will be fine," you whisper to yourself, but the words ring hollow.

You go to the window and look out. The colorful lights of Critter Valley sparkle through the falling snow. It's a sight almost too perfect to be part of a dream. Maybe it is - a dream that ends as soon as you open the door and face what may come.

"You won't be alone."

CatNap's voice behind you is quiet, almost like a shadow that penetrates your thoughts. You turn around and see her standing in the doorway, her figure half-shrouded in darkness.

"What?"

"You won't be alone," she repeats, her eyes fixed on you. "Everyone will be there. No matter how you feel, you have me. And..." She hesitates briefly before adding: "She likes you. More than you think."

The last words make you falter. Your mouth opens, but you can't find an answer.

CatNap shrugs her shoulders slightly, as if the conversation is over for her. "Don't take too long. The others are probably already waiting."

And with that, she disappears, leaving you alone with your thoughts - and the gift, which feels heavier in your hand than ever before.

You take a deep breath as you stand in your bedroom - an empty room that feels just as incomplete as you do. The walls are bare, the floor is cold, and the few things you own seem lost in the emptiness. It's not a home, at least not yet.

With trembling hands, you reach for your long scarf, wrap it around your neck and pull it tight. Your big jacket is old and a little too big, but it keeps you warm. Long trousers and thick shoes follow, their edges are already worn, but that doesn't matter. You will need them.

Because you have the longest way to DogDay's house of all.

Your home lies on the edge of Critter Valley, secluded from the warmth and light that surrounds the others. The path through the snow is long, and the cold bites harder the further you go. But you know that the biggest challenge isn't the snow - it's your own thoughts that torment you.

The gift in your hand feels as if it is getting heavier with every step. It is not only a symbol of your feelings, but also of the fear of what might happen.

You turn around one last time and look around your house. The rooms you entered with so much hope now seem even emptier. The silence is palpable and you know that it will envelop you when you return.

But how will you return?

With a smile and a feeling of relief? Or with tears in your eyes and the weight of another disappointment on your shoulders?

You shake your head, forcing yourself to end the thought. There is no room for doubt. Not now.

So you go with that.

---

The door slams shut behind you and immediately the cold hits you like a sharp knife. It cuts through your thick jacket and long scarf, penetrates your skin and makes you shiver in an instant. The snow falls in thick flakes, swirling chaotically through the air as if to block your path.

You pull the scarf up higher, almost over your nose, and hold the gift tightly to your chest as if it could warm you. Your steps sink deep into the fresh snow that crunches under your feet. The cold grips your ankles, slowly creeping upwards and making your legs stiff.

Every breath is heavy, the air icy cold and dry, making your lungs burn. You breathe shallowly, trying not to let in too much of the piercing cold, but it's impossible to ignore.

The path is dark, the lights of Critter Valley are far away and the moon is hidden behind thick clouds. Only the faint glow of DogDay's house in the distance shows you the way, a small light in an endless white darkness.

But the cold is nothing compared to what is raging inside you.

Your thoughts are screaming in your head, a chaotic jumble of fears and self-doubt.

What if she doesn't like me?

What if my gift is ridiculous?

What if the others laugh at me?

You try to shake off the thoughts, but they are louder than the howling of the wind whipping around you. They cling to you, gnawing away at your self-confidence until there is barely a spark of it left.

Your legs tremble, and not just because of the cold. Every step feels heavy, as if the snow is trying to hold you down, to pull you back into the safety of your empty house, into the familiarity of your pain.

Your hands are shaking now, even though you are clutching the gift so tightly that your fingers hurt. You hold it to your chest as if it's the only thing holding you together.

The wind picks up, throwing snowflakes in your face that feel like pinpricks. You blink, trying to keep the cold out of your eyes, but it still burns.

You stop for a moment, breathing heavily, and your gaze wanders to the light in the distance. It seems so far away, almost unreachable.

Your thoughts whisper to you: Why are you going at all? What do you think you'll find there?

But then you remember DogDay. Of her smile, of her warmth, of the way she looks at you as if you were more than the broken person you see in yourself.

This memory is all that drives you.

You force yourself onwards, step by step, through the biting wind and the endless snow. Your legs ache, your fingers are numb and the cold has covered your body like a second skin. It clings to you, relentlessly and mercilessly, leaving you little room to think about anything other than the next step.

But you keep going. Not because you are sure, but because you hope.

You can already see DogDay's house in the distance. It stands out like a beacon, surrounded by the darkness that seems to envelop you. The large Christmas lights decorating her house also seem to penetrate the dark streets around you. You can see the warm, golden light hitting the silhouette of your small, fragile body - she and her house shine in the light while you remain in the darkness.

You walk closer, and each of your steps leaves a deep track in the snow that seems to close again almost immediately. The cold gnaws at your bones and your breath is heavy, small clouds that dissipate immediately.

When you finally stand in front of her house, your breath is taken away - not by the cold, but by the decorations. It is breathtaking.

The window frames are wrapped with fairy lights that twinkle in a rhythmic pattern - red, green, blue, and then a soft white that ties everything together. A huge wreath hangs above the door, decorated with shiny baubles and a large red bow in the center. Icicle lights hang from the roof and glitter as if they were made of real ice.

The path to the front door is lined with little Christmas figures - a reindeer, a snowman and even a small replica of DogDay himself, proudly wearing a Christmas hat. The bushes next to the house are hung with colorful lights that twinkle to the beat of a soft jingle you can hear from afar.

For a moment, you forget the cold. It's as if you've stepped into another world - a world so far removed from the darkness you carry inside you.

But before you dare to knock on the door, you move to the side, your gaze drawn to the large windows. With trembling fingers, you wipe some snow off the glass and look inside.

There they are.

The other critters are all already there, apart from CatNap. The large dining table, covered with a festive red tablecloth and illuminated by a magnificent candlestick, is bustling with activity.

Bubba sits at the head of the table, calm as ever, with a mild smile that makes his impressive size seem less intimidating. His trunk moves slightly as he watches Crafty sitting next to him.

Next to him, Crafty looks down at the table, slightly shy, and draws something on a page. Her mane is done, her horn apparently even polished.

Bobby is sitting next to him. The red bear is - as always - talking non-stop. Her voice is clearly audible, even through the closed window, and her paws move wildly as she obviously tries to dominate every conversation at the table

Next to him sits Kickin, grinning broadly as he apparently tells a funny story. His sharp eyes sparkle with amusement and his wings move in a lively gesture as he talks. He also strokes his yellow wings every few seconds.

Hoppy is sitting next to him, gesticulating wildly as if she is carrying on Kickin's story with even more energy. Her ears are bobbing with every movement and she seems barely able to sit still with excitement. You can also see this in her trembling leg from excitement.

Picky then sits next to her, quiet and deliberate, while she eats an apple in small bites. Her expression is serene, and she seems to be listening more than talking herself, enjoying the conversation around her with a slight smile. Her curly tail lies flat in the air behind the chair.

You continue to stare through the window as the warm light of the room falls on your face. Every Critter seems engrossed in the conversation taking place around the table - laughter, animated gestures and a warmth so palpable you can almost feel it, even though you're standing outside in the cold. But you don't see DogDay.

The absence of their presence makes your heart beat faster. The heat in your body rises, but it's not a pleasant warmth. It's a mixture of nervousness, longing and this irrepressible fear that you might be out of place after all.

You take a deep breath and lower your gaze to the gift in your hands. Maybe that's enough. Maybe it's enough to simply step into it, no matter how hard it feels right now.

But then you hear it - a muffled, splashing sound behind you. It sounds like someone has stepped in the snow.

You whirl around, the cold air cuts into your face, and that's when you see her.

CatNap.

The large, purple cat stands just a few steps away from you, her black and purple eyes fixed on the ground. Her gaze seems thoughtful, almost a little melancholy, but she slowly raises her head when she realizes that you have noticed her.

Your gaze falls on the deep footprints in the snow behind her. It looks like she came closer at first, but then stepped back before making a deliberate noise - as if she wanted to make sure you weren't startled.

"Lost?" she asks quietly, with that dry tone of voice that makes her so typical.

You shake your head and try to find the words. "N-no. I... I just wanted to..."

CatNap raises a paw, interrupts you without a word, and slowly steps up beside you. She's tall, much taller than you, and her presence is hard to ignore. For a moment, she looks through the window as well, watching the other critters sitting at the table inside, talking.

"Hm." Her only sound is a low hum, but she seems to be analyzing everything in the room with a single glance.

Then she turns her head slightly towards you, her obsidian eyes meeting yours. "Good...let's go in then."

It's not a question, but a statement. And yet you suddenly feel relieved. You don't have to go in alone.

With one last deep breath, you step aside and let CatNap lead the way. Her long strides are hard to miss in the snow, but she stops just short of the door and turns around once more. "Are you coming?"

You nod slowly, hug the gift tighter to your chest and take the few steps that separate you from the door. You will go in together.

CatNap raises her big paw and knocks on the door - a short, quiet pattern, almost like a code. You stand right behind her, your breath forming little clouds in the icy air as you hug the gift tighter to your chest.

It only takes a moment for the door to open and a gush of warm air surrounds you. DogDay stands before you, her orange form bathed in the warm glow of the light. Her big eyes shine, and she smiles gently as she looks at you.

"Come in, you must be frozen through," she says in her calm, friendly voice as she opens the door wider.

You enter cautiously, almost hesitantly, and CatNap follows right behind you. The warmth of the house immediately envelops you, and the scent of cinnamon, fresh cookies and pine branches fills the air.

Just as you cross the threshold and enter the festively decorated hallway, a loud voice echoes from the living room.

"Ah... you two."

You recognize Kickin's mocking tone before you see him. As you step into the living room, he sits casually in his chair and grins at you, his yellow wings moving as he seemingly finishes a story.

Before you can say anything, you hear a loud "Ouch!" from his side.

"What was that for?" shouts Kickin indignantly as he bends down.

Hoppy giggles teasingly, her ears bobbing in amusement as she puts on an innocent look. "What for!"

A soft giggle goes around the room, and even CatNap snorts in amusement before standing next to you.

"It's nice to have you here," DogDay says, her warm voice drawing your attention back to her. She has closed the door and smiles at you both, her figure almost seeming to glow in the soft glow of the Christmas lights. "It wouldn't be Christmas without you."

Her words touch you deeply. It is as if a gentle warmth is flowing through your body and slowly driving away the cold and doubt.

"You brought something?" she asks as her gaze falls on the gift in your hands.

You nod, your face gets hot, and you hesitantly hold out the box to her. Your hands tremble slightly, but DogDay accepts the gift with a gentle gesture, as if it were the most precious thing in the world.

"Thank you," she says quietly, holding the box in her hands for a moment before looking at you again. "That means a lot to me."

Her words make your heart stumble, and you only manage a quick nod before your attention is diverted away from Bobby.

"You're really sweet," she says, her voice warm and full of emotion. "Something like this ... it comes from the heart. DogDay will definitely never forget this."

You can feel your cheeks getting even hotter and you're not sure if you can answer without your voice shaking. But before the moment lasts too long, Bubba straightens up and interrupts the silence with his deep, soothing voice.

"Come on in!" he says kindly as he points with his big trunk in the direction of an empty chair. "Sit down before Kickin gives Hoppy any more reason to kick him!"

A short laugh breaks out and DogDay puts a warm paw on your shoulder before turning back to the others.

"Make yourself comfortable, you're at home here," she says softly, before giving CatNap a quick glance and nodding as if they wordlessly understand what to do.

You take a seat at the table while CatNap sits down too, a little apart, maintaining her typical calm presence. The living room is beautifully decorated - garlands of fir branches with twinkling lights stretch across the walls, the Christmas tree stands in the corner, adorned with shiny baubles and handmade ornaments, and the fireplace crackles cozily.

It's perfect - and yet you feel out of place.

"So?" Bubba suddenly asks, his deep, calm voice drawing everyone's attention to you. "How's the move going?"

The room becomes quieter and you can feel the atmosphere changing. It's not an uncomfortable silence, but it weighs heavily on you. Everyone seems to be waiting for your answer.

Your eyes wander across the table and your stomach tightens. Small talk has never been your strong point, and right now it feels like every sentence you say could be the wrong one.

"Uh..." You start, but immediately realize that your voice is shaking. Your fingers play nervously with the edge of your sweater as your gaze wanders to the floor. "It's ... it's going quite well."

"'Quite well'?" Kickin repeats with a wry grin that seems more mocking than friendly. "That sounds enthusiastic."

"Kickin," DogDay warns gently, her warm voice instantly softening the room. "Why don't you let him? Everyone needs time to settle in."

You feel a grateful surge as her eyes fall on you. It's as if she sees your insecurity directly and tells you without words that everything is okay.

"Have you thought about how you want to decorate your house yet?" Crafty asks softly, her voice barely louder than a whisper. She looks up from her sheet of paper and gives you a small, shy smile.

The question is easier to answer, and you exhale in relief. "Not yet...I'm not that good with...things like that."

"It doesn't matter!" Bobby bursts in, her red form advancing as she gestures wildly with her paws. "I'm the best when it comes to decorating! I'll come over and we'll make your house really fancy!"

"That's a great idea," DogDay says, her voice full of approval. She smiles at you, and you can feel the warmth she radiates further easing the tension inside you.

"Yes, and we're bringing cookies!" adds Hoppy, her ears bobbing with excitement.

"Forget it, I don't bake," mumbles Kickin, who demonstratively takes an apple from the table and bites into it.

A quiet laugh spreads around the table and you feel the atmosphere loosen up. Despite your uncertainty, something begins to change inside you - a feeling you can't quite put your finger on.

Perhaps it is hope.

But maybe it's something else that you just can't put your finger on yet.

And so the evening began.

Minutes later, the food was served and the table was filled with warm, steaming food that permeated the room with even more coziness. Everyone ate happily, laughed together and swapped stories. The sounds of the cutlery, the clinking of glasses and the cheerful voices blended into a lively melody that filled the room.

Everyone was talking.

Except for you.

Everyone cheerfully asked DogDay to open the presents before anyone else, their excitement barely audible in their voices.

Except for you.

You sat there, tried to eat, tried to smile, but the lump in your throat remained. The evening was ... an experience. It wasn't bad, but the overwhelming amount of voices and the stares of the others kept you sitting on the edge of your seat - metaphorically and literally.

The longer the evening went on, the more you realized that you are better in situations with fewer people.

Like now.

The night had already crept far ahead and most of the evening was over. It was warm in the living room as you sat on the couch next to CatNap. The two of you were silent, but it wasn't an awkward silence. The two of you sat there while DogDay sorted through each other's presents nearby.

You are probably the only critter who is more of a night owl. While the others have retired to their beds, you enjoy the peace and quiet of the late evening.

In front of you is DogDay, who is still busy. She walks gently back and forth between the presents, picking them up one by one, examining them briefly before either placing them carefully on a shelf or putting them somewhere else in the living room. Her movements are calm, deliberate, almost meditative, as if she wants to give each gift the attention it deserves.

The warmth of the room and the soft light of the tree make the scene almost surreal. You watch DogDay in her bright sweater with the golden pattern as if she were part of the Christmas tree herself - radiant and alive.

It feels like this scene could go on forever. You could sit here, just watching, without the world asking you to move or speak.

"She's always so thorough," CatNap murmurs softly beside you, her voice breaking the silence like a gentle gust of wind. She doesn't look at you, but watches DogDay with an almost amused expression. "Even when everyone else is long gone."

You nod slightly, but say nothing. Words seem superfluous at this moment.

DogDay slowly turns to you, her eyes meet yours and a warm smile spreads across her face. In her hands she holds your gift - the small red box with the golden bow that you gave her.

"Is it okay...if I open yours now?" she asks, her voice as soft as the snow falling softly outside.

Your heart beats faster and you can feel the heat rising in your face. CatNap gives you a quick sideways glance, but she doesn't say anything, her presence remaining silent and waiting as always.

You swallow, trying to ignore the nervousness in your stomach, and nod slowly. "y-yeah..." you whisper.

DogDay smiles again and slowly sits down on the carpet in front of you. She gently places the box in her lap and begins to carefully undo the bow.

You can't help but stare at her - following her every small, deliberate movement. It feels like she's not only opening the gift, but also a part of you that you've always kept hidden.

"That's-!"

DogDay pauses as she takes the lid off the box and looks inside. Her eyes widen slightly and an expression of surprise mingles with a warm smile on her face.

Exactly, what did your gift contain? Quite simply: pictures. Pictures from when you were new to Critter Valley - pictures that Bubba had taken of you and DogDay in the early days when you started spending time together. Pictures full of carefree moments that everyone thought were lost because Bubba had mysteriously lost his camera back then. No one believed that these memories still existed.

When you were new to Critter Valley, Bubba had taken some of these pictures with his beloved camera, which later disappeared. Everyone had thought that the pictures had been lost with the camera, a memory that would never return.

But you had found them.

You had spent hours in the forest, searching every possible spot, fighting your way through branches, shivering in the cold - until you finally discovered the camera, half-hidden under a fallen tree trunk.

That was weeks ago. Since then you had printed the pictures, every single one of them, and put them in this box. At first you had doubted. The other gifts were bigger, better, seemingly more meaningful. But for you, this gift felt right.

DogDay lifts out one of the pictures and looks at it. It shows the group together by the river, the sun falling softly on their faces. In another picture, you see her laughing, her expression so lively that it fills the entire photo.

But she says nothing.

Her fingers glide over the edges of the picture and her eyes are full of emotions that you can't quite interpret. For a moment, the room becomes completely silent. Even the fireplace seems to crackle more quietly.

And then you notice something.

CatNap has smuggled a red heart into your gift, you're sure of it.

You turn your head to the right to look at her, perhaps to get a reaction from her - but there's no one there.

CatNap has disappeared.

A soft whisper escapes you, almost inaudible. "Damn..."

DogDay lifts her head, her golden eyes meet yours, and she holds your heart in her hand. She smiles - a smile warmer than the light of the fireplace, stronger than any insecurity you've ever felt.

"This is beautiful," she finally says, her voice soft but so full of emotion that it almost overwhelms you. "I didn't know the pictures still existed...and that here..." She lifts the heart and looks at it more closely. "It makes the gift even more special."

You want to say something, but the words get stuck in your throat. Instead, you just nod, your hands resting nervously in your lap as DogDay looks at the pictures again.

Then she moves, quickly - you almost didn't notice her at all.

And before your mind can even form a thought, she's suddenly sitting next to you on the couch.

You look at her, the big golden eyes, the perfect look, and the red spots that are now showing on her cheek.

And then she kisses you.

You can hardly believe it. A warm mouth on yours. A warm, gentle kiss on your lips.

But as soon as you understand it, the moment is already over.

You can only grin nervously, what else are you supposed to do, you have absolutely no idea in this area.

Maybe...Maybe even someone like you has a right to happiness.

Notes:

And the last Christmas special is finally ready. I think this story is really beautiful, and it was exciting to show a different side of my own fanfictions - even if it's not canon. While the real story is set in the depths of the dark factory, the characters here are celebrating Christmas, and our dear Y/N even gets a kiss. It was a great adventure to write all these specials. Merry Christmas everyone.

[circa04s]

‧ ₊ ˚ ✧ › MUSE: and without further ado, allow me to introduce shin eunbi— 19 years old, a yuseong native doing her best at trying to balance work, school, & relationships. catch her earning a quick buck & killing time at pierrot lanes front desk. you can find her also wip sobs stats page here!

when did your muse first arrive in yuseong bay? may 7th, 2004. born during a brisk springs afternoon.

what does an average day look like for your muse & where can they usually be found? juggling a full time schedule at university, alongside a part time job, isn't always easy— the commute to her classes is arduous enough, her time spent inland normal reserved only for when she needs to be on campus ( ordinarily, this mean her early mornings / middays are packed a coupe days a week ). evenings & nights are where her free time reigns, split between having to study, take on a shift at perriot lanes, or allowing herself leisure time for whatever she so chooses. weekends are a toss up— maybe she'll be at work, maybe she'll at andante in the hopes of finishing a last second assignment, maybe she'll have been dragged to the shopping district. or, maybe she's in the company of someone special.

how does your muse feel about hanhwa resort? with an appreciation for consistency, the sudden traffic brought on my the resort is something eunbi doesn't really care for. she enjoys her peace and quiet, and while she still has that to an extent, there are far more eyes to view her now than she liked.

is there an aspiration for your muse to stay in or leave yuseong bay? yuseong has always been home, a safe space that, despite the sad memories lingering everywhere she looks, makes her happy. there isn't an innate want to leave, so why would she?

list your muse’s three favorite songs. beside you — keshi. door — caroline polachek. brooklyn love — lolo zouai.

describe your muse’s wardrobe. comfortable, cozy, easy. having to juggle work, school & fun leisurely outings with friends leaves little time for eunbi to care too much about what she wears on a daily bases. she always looks put together, but in a way that looks effortless ( even if she’s running on fumes ).

what is a color, word, and emoji that you feel describes your muse? sage green, structured, 🥀.

three strong likes and dislikes for your muse.likes — clean scented laundry, the sound of rain, making deadlines. dislikes — freshly polished bowling lane smell, gossip, all-nighters.

three positive and negative traits for your muse.positives — calm, thoughtful, introverted. negatives — skeptical, stony, indifferent.

three talents and shortcomings for your muse. naturally inquisitive and always one for details, eunbis knack in terms of retaining knowledge is the saving grace of her academic career. it's never been difficult for her to study ( not that she does it in excess, she just likes to have good grades ), nor have special dates / matters of predetermined importance ever slipped her mind, making it possible to keep her ever moving life on track with little room for combustion or burnout. sensitivities towards smells, however, have been an issue since was a child— it's one of the main reasons she works at the front desk of perriot ( not only is the job easy and light on work, it's also the farthest vantage point from crowds of people gathered around strongly polished lanes making heaps of noise ).

a relevant goal or arc for your character to overcome. she doesn't know it, but deep down, eunbi would like to grow softer. it's something that, for her, is well overdue.

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 3/5

Book BlurB:Julie Murphy meets Casey McQuiston in this unforgettable queer romance about a teen girl whose foray into fantasy tabletop roleplaying brings her new confidence, true friends, and a shot at real, swoon-worthy love.

Hollis Beckwith isn’t trying to get a girl—she’s just trying to get by. For a fat, broke girl with anxiety, the start of senior year brings enough to worry about. And besides, she already has a boyfriend: Chris. Their relationship isn’t particularly exciting, but it’s comfortable and familiar, and Hollis wants it to survive beyond senior year. To prove she’s a girlfriend worth keeping, Hollis decides to learn Chris’s favorite tabletop roleplaying game, Secrets & Sorcery—but his unfortunate “No Girlfriends at the Table” rule means she’ll need to find her own group if she wants in.

Enter: Gloria Castañeda and her all-girls game of S&S! Crowded at the table in Gloria’s cozy Ohio apartment, the six girls battle twisted magic in-game and become fast friends outside it. With her character as armor, Hollis starts to believe that maybe she can be more than just fat, anxious, and a little lost.

But then an in-game crush develops between Hollis’s character and the bard played by charismatic Aini Amin-Shaw, whose wide, cocky grin makes Hollis’s stomach flutter. As their gentle flirting sparks into something deeper, Hollis is no longer sure what she wants…or if she’s content to just play pretend.

Review:

A teen girl finds friendship and possibly new romance when she begins her journey into fantasy tabletop roleplaying. Hollis Beckwith just wants to connect withe her boyfriend Christ and his friends, and since they've made a "No-Girlfriend Rule" for whenever they play S&S (essentially D&D), Hollis decides she'll try and play the game and get good enough to be allowed to play with her boyfriend and his friends. When her first game goes bad she discovers a flyer looking for fellow friendly female players who would be open to joining and she decides to give it a go. Soon Hollis finds herself spending every Friday night with a group of girls who make her comfortable and happy, giving her confidence and friendship that she's never had before. Yet this new group of girls unlocks a new part of Hollis that she's never expected, she feels more herself and she finds herself falling for the charismatic Aini Amin-Shaw, a girl who makes her heart flutter in a way her boyfriend has never done. The more Hollis comes into being herself the bigger the difference she is beginning to see in how her boyfriend treats her vs how the girls treat her... and she might finally be able to stop pretending to be someone she's not and finally embrace herself. Overall this was a pretty cute coming of age story about a girl discovering herself and what she likes while also discovering who she likes. I'd definitely recommend it for young readers who are discovering themselves and finding their own confidence. Hollis has a lot of growing up to do and she does up exactly where she needs to be and I am happy for her. The friend group was really cute and supportive, and overall it's a cute book.

*Thanks Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, Atheneum Books for Young Readers for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[aneenasevla]

Red Velvet - Chapter 2 (part 1)

MasterList / Akane’s profile / Last chapter here Art by @aneenasevla

Chapter 2 - Shake It! (part 1)

"Hey, babe, I found a good place!," Okubo says, while  Tomori gets into the car.

"Great! What's the name?," she asks as she sits next to him, in the passenger seat, and puts on the seat belt. "So I can send her the address."

"Put it on Google: Brazuca’s Bar, in Romaji because you won’t find it in kanji. I've already sent the address to Iron Fingers, privately," he starts the car, heading down the main road. "It's a Brazilian bar that Himuro recommended to me, he said the music is great and so is the food. There's a lot of other stuff there too. I'm kinda curious, I've never listened to Brazilian music much. It's gonna be something new for me, and I think it'll be new for you too."

"Brazilian, huh?," Tomori smiles at this. "Good choice! She has loved these places since high school. She'll feel at home there," She searches for the address on Google. "And it will be fun for us too! Brazilian establishments are very cozy."

"So you've been to one?," he asks, curious. "What is it like? Do you have a song reference so I don't feel lost? Put one on the stereo for us to hear."

"Only once, when I was eighteen and Kane was nineteen. Teenage girls, recently graduated from high school and with more hormones than common sense, you know the drill," She blushes a little, playing with a strand of hair, giggling. "But that wasn't the place you chose, so I'm very curious! Anyway, the music that plays most in these places are very famous genres in Brazil. Pagode and funk. And no, it's not American funk. It's another type," She looks for a song to use as an example.

"Pagode? Isn't it Samba?," he raises an eyebrow. Then he listens to the song when it starts playing. "Hmmm… the rhythm is quite romantic, isn't ir…? Which one is this?"

"Pagode. Music to dance close to, skin to skin," She giggles. "Everything is very physical in these places. I think it's the perfect place for Rihito, and for Akane too. But only if he knows how to behave. But we can both dance too, I'm available for you, hehe."

"I'm a terrible dancer," he blushes a little. "But for you, I can twerk like I'm the master of gigolos, so you can laugh in my face."

She laughs loudly right there, her shoulders shaking. "Laughter is what keeps a relationship alive and well, love! I laugh now, but I'll give you all the treats later to make up for it."

"Anything you want to give me," he smiles, and then laughs softly. "Wow, the music is really putting me in the mood! Show me some Funk, so I know what to wait for."

Tomori's smile is now a little more embarrassed. "Okay... but don't judge...," She chooses a specific one, putting the music on. And the rhythmic and intense beat startles him a little.

"Wow," he blinks. "Okay, I kinda like the beat, ahahahhaha... holy crap...," He starts laughing like an idiot. "I don't even know what this girl is singing but it seems very vulgar..."

"And it is! Akane loves these things, seriously," She laughs again, scratching the back of her head. "It's really fun to dance to, but if you read the translation of the lyrics, you'll blush like a virgin girl, hahaha!"

"Sorry, but now I'm curious to see this friend of yours in flesh and blood, and I think I hit the nail on the head, again. I'm getting scared with my luck..."

"I told you that day, Naoh. Rihito has no idea what he's gotten himself into," She gives a sharp, dangerous smile again. "But seriously, this could work out really well. She has the ideal energy to be on the same wavelength as him. Someone who won't be intimidated."

"I still have doubts, that dumbass only gets along with nut jobs and sex workers, 'cause they're paid to put up with him. So I dunno...," he then looks at her. "Are you in the mood for a bet?"

"A bet? What kind?," She arches an eyebrow, interested.

"What do you want from me?," he waggles his eyebrows.

"An autograph from Kaolan Wongsawat!," She says immediately, her eyes shining with excitement. "I only need his for the trinity of my biggest idols to be complete!"

He makes a face, as if he had sucked on a lemon. Of all the famous fighters he knew, it has to be the Thai God of War… "Okaaaaaay… if I win I want to take you on a tour on Osaka for a month. Give your boss a heads up because you're going with me after Christmas and you won't be back until the middle of February. Got it? Oh... one more thing," he looks at her, in an intimidating but lascivious tone. "You won't be able to walk for a while after that."

"Oh my God, you...!," She blushes a lot, giving a nasal laugh followed by a snore. "You're terrible, Okubo Naoya...!," She holds her face in her hands with an adorable smile. "Now I feel like losing on purpose, ahaha... even though taking a month off from the bakery would make Kanny's life difficult. But okay, I'm in! I'll see what I can do..."

"Alright! And it's gonna be good timming 'cause if he doesn't get this girl he'll cry in my fucking ear for weeks, and I want to be far away when that happens."

"Tell me about it…," She sighs. And then she looks up at him, her expression serious. "And I saw that face you made, y'know? I already told you that you don't need to be jealous of Kaolan Wongsawat, silly. I wouldn't trade my human mountain for anyone..."

"I know, it's just that you're too pretty and he's too…," he stops himself. "Well! I want my girl to only care about me, and to look at me, and only me, with star in her eyes," he looks at her with a smiles. "Just like you're doing now."

She pats his shoulder, and then snuggles her head there, closing her eyes. "I won't call you cocky only because I've caught you looking at me the same way manny times. ‘We’re even."

He laughs a little, before changing gears in the car.

…

Panther: 

honey, I’m already here!

wya?

Wolfie:

we're almost there! 

just one more block away

we'll be in a blue suv

are you at the entrance?

Panther: 

yep

and I'm enjoying the music already

a brazilian bar, eh

you know me so well

hey, I'm gonna get a table for four

it'll be easy to spot me

but just to be sure, I'm wearing my favorite coat, you know which one

Wolfie:

I'd recognize that coat from a mile away lol

ok we'll park and then meet you inside

brings back some memories, right?

both of us, sneaking into that pub to get shitfaced lmao

Panther: 

it sure does lol 

we'll talk more at the bar, it's cold as hell outside

And her icon went offline.

Akane goes inside the bar, looking for a table big enough for four people. She found one on a good spot, sitting down and taking off her coat, letting it fall to her waist. She was never ashamed of showing her tattoos off, but she still adjusted her cleavage to keep her breasts in place. This caught the attention of a waiter, and she ordered a juice. If that Rihito guy was like Tomori told her, she wanted to be sober to face whatever he threw at her.

The atmosphere was already buzzing, despite it still being relatively early. She could only imagine what it would be like later, at nightfall, when the music was at its peak and the alcohol had risen in the blood of all those people. The buzz of random conversations gradually increased in volume, making it difficult to hear her own thoughts, which might be a good thing, all things considered.

It doesn't take long for her to see the waiter further ahead, bringing the juice she ordered, walking a little slowly so as not to bump into the customers.

"There you go, miss..."

"Send the menu, sweetheart," she smiles. "I’ll look at it for now. I don’t even know how much the juice costs, I ended up ordering it on impulse…"

"Of course. And no need to worry about that, miss," The waiter places the menu on to the table and the tray under his arm. "Your juice has already been paid for."

"Huh? Really? By who?," She raises an eyebrow. Was there some busybody who wanted to ruin her date? She gets worried, pushing the juice away lightly so as not to give this annoying stranger any ideas.

"That gentleman over there," The waiter indicates with a discreet nod of the head the long counter facing the bar, where some people were sitting. "He said you know him..."

And she sees him there, sitting on one of the stools with his back to the bar, his arms resting on the counter. He wore a dark green shirt that molded to his muscles in such a way that it could only have been planned. He lifts his head a little and smiles, his expressive green eyes looking at her with obvious, warm interest, a few strands of unruly bleached hair falling over them.

Oh yes, she knew him. From photos, but there was no way to get confused. And apparently he wasn't confused either. She felt relieved that it wasn't some other cocky man and then smiled, taking the glass.

"Thanks, darling," she nods to the waiter and drinks some of the juice, looking directly at him. She knew her look was spot on, so she put it to good use.

No sooner said than done. The interest on his face was so obvious it was funny, a second before he managed to compose himself. He himself was already drinking, picking up a glass and slowly turning it into his mouth without taking his eyes off hers. He almost seemed to be waiting for something...

"Akane!"

The excited scream steals her attention, and as she turns around, she comes across her friend, Tomori, coming towards her with a huge smile, and right behind her, the almost seven-foot gorilla she recognized as her new boyfriend.

"Girl, I missed you! Still the biggest clotheshorse in the whole town, eh!"

"Go big or go home, isn't that what they say, Peahen?," she gets up and hugs her friend, laughing. Then she look at Okubo. "Holy smokes, did they build a freakin' wall in front of me and I didn't see it 'till now? Is that your pet gorilla, Tomori?"

Tomori returns the hug with a loud laugh, before turning around and saying, "In the flesh, honey! Kane, this is Okubo Naoya. Champion of Ultimate Fight and of my heart," She coos playfully. She had always been an helpless romantic, even in her days as a crazy delinquent, and she knew how hilarious her friend found it. "Naoh, this is Agata Akane, the crazy girl I told you about."

"Hey, nice to meet ya," he bows a little, hugging Tomori by the shoulder. "Tomori talks about you a lot. She really likes you, y’know."

"And who doesn’t?," she jokes, laughing afterwards. "Nice to meet you too, Mr. Okubo. So… that blonde bull over there is your friend, right? Is he shy? Why don't you introduce him to me?," she points with one of her well-painted claw-shaped nails.

"Big bull- jeez, has Rihito arrived yet?," Tomori looks where Akane was pointing. And sure enough, there was Lihito, sitting with his back to the bar. He widens his eyes a little before looking away, mumbling to himself for a second before seeming to make up his mind and standing up from the bench. "Yes, it's him! Wasn't he going to arrive just half an hour later?"

"He must've tried to lose us," Okubo murmurs to his girlfriend. "Welp, sucks for him, but we arrived...," he says out loud, pulling a chair for Tomori to sit down, then taking his place, while the other man comes closer. "This is my friend, Rihito…"

Rihito approaches, looking momentarily embarrassed. Apparently, the cute couple ended messing up his plans of wooing her with his mysterious charm... well, at least paying for her juice had worked. And the look of embarrassed annoyance, even though it only lasted a second before being suppressed with a confident smile, had been strangely cute.

"Hey. Is this the lady I've heard so much about, Tomori?"

"Yep! Rihito, this is Agata Akane. Akane, this is Nakata Ichiro, but he prefers to be called by his nom de guerre. It's something you have in common," Tomori smiles, and Rihito a little to the side, his eyes narrowing a little as he smiles crookedly.

"Seems like it. Noms de guerre and the fascination with big cats...," He deliberately lets his eyes roam over her shoulders, focusing for a second longer on her set of tattoos "Nice to meet you, Miss Agata."

"Likewise, Rihito," she smiles sharply, extending a hand to him, as if waiting for a kiss. "I saw you from afar, but up close... it's more interesting this way."

"Yeah, same to you," He takes her hand, and Okubo and Tomori are secretly relieved to see that he had managed to contain himself, not pulling her towards him with that wild excitement that they knew well. He just brought her delicate hand to his lips and kissed it, his eyes fixed on hers. "You were already beautiful in the photos, in person… 'Panther' couldn’t be a more appropriate definition hahaha…"

"My spirit animal, my dear," she winks and then looks at the other two at the table. "So, shall we start with an appetizer to warm up? I started with a glass of juice because I didn't want to get hammered before you guys got here, so I'll stick with that for now. Here's the menu," she sits back down and hands it to them.

"Thanks", Okubo takes the menu. "Oh, nice, this one looks tasty," he points to some cheese cubs. Akane looks at him as she sits down, crossing her legs elegantly. Rihito immediately looks at her. She was wearing a short dress with a side slit… that was open almost all the way down to her hips. No sign of panties there. Or a bra; that red dress and those stockings were the only thing that prevented him from seeing everything. And that thing covering her entire thigh... was that the same tattoo she had on her shoulder?!

He swallows discreetly. Holy shit, how the fuck was he supposed to hold back? None of those two saps prepared him for that! He knew from her Instagram profile that she was the confident, "likes to leave nothing to the imagination" type; he didn't mind at all, he even liked that type of woman, because they were the most likely to accept his advances. But that? Walking around in such a revealing dress and without any sign of underwear, with all the confidence in that hot, tattooed body that she was displaying? She was basically asking him to fuck her right there in the pub's bathroom! He couldn't believe how lucky he was!

He forces himself to keep his thoughts in order and his blood away from the lower half of his body. He had made a promise, and he was a man of his word. He was going to take things calmly, test the waters and tame that wild cat until she was all soft and eager to get busy with him. The juice scheme had only been partially successful thanks to the interference of those two, but that was okay. They still had all night.

"Hehe, of course," He nods, making a point of sitting right next to her, hands together on the table to contain the urge to take a good grip on her exposed thigh. "You can order more of them, if you want. There may be more where that came from, after all...," He arches an eyebrow.

"How generous," she laughs softly. The invisible clothing tactic never failed, he had his eyes on her and only her. It was exactly what she wanted. "But for now the juice is enough... help yourself, an empty bag won't stand, and if you fall, you'll take one or two poor bastards with you," she laughs softly, drinking some more.

Rihito was so taken with her that he even began to notice details in her face: the vibrant red lipstick on her full lips didn't stain the glass, it was so well applied. Even her makeup looked flawless; he had no idea how much she'd applied on her face, but her blue eyes seemed to want to hide shyly, beneath her thick, dark lashes. Her vibrant blonde hair had some well-hidden colored streaks. He had to concentrate on responding to her appropriately and not look down to look at her cleavage, which happened to be very evident in his point of view.

"Haha, lady, I can knock down a lot more bastards than that," He manages to say, forcing himself to keep his eyes fixed on hers; he discovered it wasn't that difficult, because those blue irises were quite impressive. Contact lenses? Or was it natural? It was hard to say, and if it was the second option, he wondered if that meant she was mixed race, like Kanami. "But no need to worry. I can be quite gentle when I get the right encouragement, hehe..."

"A stuffed gorilla, as I said," Tomori jokes with a smirk.

"Oh, c'mon! A gorilla?," He turns to her, his bravado lessening a little, giving way to a slight embarrassed indignation. "You'll make your friend think I'm a Neanderthal or something!"

Tomori laughs a little, shaking her head. "Considering how long it took you to make an Instagram profile, that definition is appropriate."

He snorts, rolling his eyes. And then he smiled, looking sideways at Akane. "I had a nice incentive."

"Hahahahaha…," she laughs softly. "In that case I'm happy I helped you with leaving your cave. It strokes my ego, you know?," She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, showing the colored lower part; how many colors were there he didn't know, but he counted at least three. "But it'd be good to eat, you'll need energy for what's to come. I heard that the dance floor gets really busy at eleven. What do you think?," She looks at the other two too.

“Lady, I want to stroke much more than just your ego!” He hums in thought.

"In that case, I'll fill the whole tank. We don't want to lose steam for the night... but anyway!," He leans a little towards her, and Tomori and Okubo enter into a brief alert, which passes when he just rests an arm on the table next to hers. "Tomori told me a little about you. You've been friends since high school, right?"

"Yeah! Did she ever told you guys about how we met? It was very intense," she smiles at her friend, leaning a little on the table. Okubo gets a little embarrassed and discreetly looks at the menu, and then turns to call the waiter. Akane laughed a little and turned her body towards Rihito, out of respect for her friend, looking at her with a naughty little smile. "How can I describe it... once upon a time there was a peahen who liked a lion... except that the peahen was a wolf underneath all the feathers. She challenged a panther, who also liked this lion, and they fought. Then they saw that the lion was an asshole, so they got together and put the sucker in his place. They shook hands and have been friends ever since. The end," She waves the fingers of one hand theatrically. "But of course, the wolf went to college and now she makes delicious cakes with her Butch friend..."

Tomori laughs loudly, her shoulders shaking a little. "And on top of that, the butch friend  managed to get herself a 'stone' in the last few months!"

Rihito blinks, confusion written in every line of his face. And there was the stupid face she had seen in the photos Tomori had sent her. "Stone? Like... in 'stoner'? Tokita isn't a pothead, even if he looks like one... Hey, what's so funny?," He blushes a little when the girl laughs even louder, placing a hand over her mouth.. "Okubo, your girlfriend is parroting those bizarre slang words again!"

"Relax, 'stone' is what you call a lesbian's very masculine girlfriend. Or in that case, a bi chick's boyfriend," Akane looks at Tomori. "But, like, for real? I saw a hunk near her in the pics you sent me. It wasn't him? She's dating a girl?"

"No, it’s a real guy. Black hair, kinda stuck up...," Okubo says, now more relieved, as there is no cleavage in his field of vision.

"Oooh... oh honey, that's no 'stone', c'mon now," she makes a face, and then she looks at Okubo. "So you're all friends?"

"Sometimes he is, when Kanny decides to act like the 'man' in the relationship...," Tomori laughs again, while Rihito, still a little confused, responds, "Yes, we are! Okubo and I have known each other for almost five years and have been hanging out together ever since. It was actually thanks to me that these two met, hehe."

"Oh, you?"

"Yep! I was the one who invited him to stop by the bakery the day he met her. He kept bitching, but I convinced him. You're both welcome," He smiles smugly. "And like you girls, we kind of met because of fighting, right, man? We're both fighters. We were lucky to come across two hot-blooded fighters too. There's no better way to form a solid friendship, right?," He laughs at Akane.

"Actually there is, but some take longer," she laughs too. "In our case we had a common enemy, that's what brought us together and we saw that it wasn't worth fighting over him. So, are you a fighter too? Wow, now I'm interested in seeing you in action later, in a controlled environment, of course...," she smiles suggestively.

"Maybe one day...," He arches an eyebrow at her, also smiling suggestively. "Then you'll see that I also have a lot in common with panthers and leopards... I can even give you a quick demonstration, if you want."

"Oh yeah? Let me see," She gets excited and slowly holds his chin in her fingers. "C'mon, gimme a smile, I swear I saw little fangs in there..."

Okubo laughs at the Rihito's surprised face.

Tomori gives an absurdly devilish smile when she sees Rihito shuddering, becoming completely disconcerted for a second, his eyes widening.

“I warned you, you casanova wannabe. Now deal with it.”

Rihito, on the other hand, was trying to remember how to move his tongue to form cohesive sentences. He had been warned to behave more courteously and was trying to follow that to the letter, so the last thing he expected was for her to go the opposite way. Damn, no one had ever told him he had “fangs”… he felt the long, manicured nails brush against his chin, sending a shiver down his spine that reverberated through his muscles and bones, and he could only imagine them scratching on his shoulders and between his shoulder blades as he pounded into her. Wild as a big cat, a dangerous predator... the thought caused a brief lapse in his self-control, making him open a wide, sharp smile, his heart racing in a brief jolt of adrenaline.

"Lady, you can look as much as you want. But be careful, I don't warn you before I bite. Raaawn!," And he closes his teeth very close to her fingers.

Tomori and Okubo exchange tired looks. He had held on for about ten minutes. Must be a new record or something.

Akane, on the other hand, laughs out loud for half a second. "Hahahahhahaha, there you are…," she purs, withdrawing her hand, but smiling immensely. "And I was right, you have little fangs! So cute!"

Okubo looks at Tomori, whispering, "Okay, it wasn't his fault this time..."

"No, it wasn't. I told you she was terrible," Tomori whispers to him in response, arching an eyebrow. "Do you still doubt that they can get along, love?"

"I do, but at least now I'm hopeful," he smiles a little, and then he looks to the side. "Hey, our order's coming!"

The waiter arrives with some snacks and four colorful drinks in the Tropical style, leaving the plates on the table - curiously made of black clay - in front of the two couples - "Here it is! Please enjoy."

They saw a variety of cold cuts, French fries, salami and a small plate of what looked like dried meat accompanied by fried cabbage and a strange yellow sand-like flour. According to tthe waiter, it was called "Farofa”, cassava flour, typical of Brazil. And there were some yellow buns too, which looked warm and freshly made.

"Thanks! Finally, this looks delicious...," Tomori sighs contentedly, straightening up in the chair, while Rihito laughs too, his gaze now showing the hunger he feels more clearly. And not just because of the appetizing food that was placed on the table. He was still going to try to contain himself, he had promised, after all. But damn, it was so good to see that he seemed to have met his match in that woman. He couldn't wait until he was alone with her...

"It arrived just in time, I’m as hungry as a lion. Or a leopard," He smiles again. "And I don't have only fangs, miss. I have claws too."

"Ohhh… really?," she looks at his hands. "I don't see any... do you play the guitar or something?"

"He does, we even have a band. Nothing too serious 'cause our schedules won't allow it, but we had our moments of glory," Okubo adds happily.

"Oh my... tall, strong, green eyes, cute little fangs and now he even plays guitar? What a catch, eh...," she jokes, patting him on the shoulder as she laughs a little coquettishly. "All that's left is you being a good dancer, then I'll be a goner," she takes a salami and bites into it, still looking at him.

Tomori had to rest her forehead on her boyfriend's arm to stop herself from laughing when Rihito's chest ballooned, his face lighting up in an absolutely hilarious smug happiness. If he were a peacock, he would probably have opened his huge tail by now.

This was one of Akane's specialties. Grabbing men by their giant egos and making them dance to the beat of her tune, like trained dogs being led on leashes. Obviously that incorrigible womanizer would not be an exception to that rule.

"Then today is your lucky day, Miss Akane, 'cause I'm a hell of a dances! Hey, can I call you by your first name? It sounds too good not to be pronounced, haha..."

"Call me Sekihyo, it’s my nom de guerre. Then I call you by yours," she smiles more, her eyelashes falling slightly, only making her eyes look even more piercing. "And you are, eh? Then let's hit the floor at midnight. I want you to show me these moves."

Okubo tries not to laugh, and busies himself with the food, offering a bite to Tomori, as a cute gesture.

She accepts immediately, all happy as she bats her eyelashes at him. The next few hours would be a real show in itself, so it was good for them to enjoy it with a little cuteness while they still could.

Rihito doesn't even pay attention to the other couple, completely absorbed in his back-and-forth with Akane. It was the first time in a long time that he felt so encouraged to have a conversation with a woman, instead of rushing things so he could finally take her to the nearest bedroom. He decides he wanted to enjoy it more, seeing how far they could go before the attraction became unsustainable.

She wanted to play, didn't she? Oh, they could definitely play then.

"Haha, alright then. Sekihyo...," He lets the H click on his tongue. "Midnight then. Always that magic hour, right? Until then, I can show you other of my attributes…"

"If you want, I'll show you mine too. I have some," she continues eating the food, taking a sip of the juice; now it was in another glass, more alcoholic, but still not much. "You're being so generous with yours, I think it's only fair I show you too."

"All in good time. Anyway, I was the one who asked to meet you first, right? I think it's fair that I first show you that I'm not wasting your time," He puts a salami in his mouth too, chewing slowly, insinuatingly... and then widens his eyes and says, amazed, "Wow, it's so salty! But it's actually good, you know? I-I mean...," He swallows quickly, a little red, and Tomori once again hides her laughter in Okubo's arm.

“Who knows, maybe she’ll go easier on him after she sees that, deep down, he’s just an idiot with the personality of a golden retriever?”

Akane, however, smiled even more; Tomori felt that she was enjoying this more and more with each minute. Oh boy, he was teasing the monster too much...

"It really is, right?," she eats another salami. "There's a spicy one here too, if you want," she takes a toothpick and offers it to him. "Be careful, Brazilian food tends to be very deceiving. This is one of them."

He swallows again, looking at the snack she offers him. Oh, damn, had they already reached that stage? He was really enjoying how she wasn't making a fuss, exactly as Tomori had described. He smiles sideways.

"And how can I say no to such an offer? And I don't mind. I like a little spice...," He closes his mouth on the snack, his lips close to her fingers, and he had to restrain the perverted impulse to stick his tongue out and lick them. He had already taken enough risks with that playful bite.

And the intense burning came straight to his tongue, after a few bites. She looks straight at him, a mischievous smile on her lips while she herself eats the same snack as if it were nothing.

"So? You like it?," she says as if she wants to laugh, looking at him seductively. Something about it reminded him a lot of a certain twink from a certain bakery, and that gave him goosebumps as much as the spiciness.

The snack went tearing down his throat; he had to hold back to keep from coughing and panting like a thirsty dog. Holy crap, that shit burned! He hadn't imagined it would burn so much! Did- Did she know that? Was that why she were smiling like that?

What a she-devil. Satan's spawn, like the scary twink from the bakery. But that only served to stir him up even more. Oh, he was going to give her a well-deserved retribuition later...

"It's- It's very spicy," ​​He nods, quickly pouring himself some water, trying to ignore how Okubo and Tomori seemed about to burst into laughter. "Strong flavor. Apparently you're quite used to this type of food... do you like a little heat?," He asks, the provocative tone becoming implied.

"I was baptized in Fire, honey," she raises her eyebrows. "I'm not perfect but I'm training to go to Hell, since there's no way I'm going to Heaven anymore," she throws her hair back, revealing the color underneath. He saw blue, purple, pink and red amidst the yellow, falling like silk ribbons on her shoulders, and now the leopard skin tattoo was completely visible.

"... Good girls go to heaven. Bad girls go wherever they want," He was surprised how he managed to say that sentence clearly, considering that his tongue was a bit numb. It was probably that rainbow she had for a hair that made him regain his focus. Or the tattoo on her shoulder, which he was already fantasizing about kissing and biting later. "And they can drag someone with them. Not that said someone would complain."

"I'm almost asking for us to change tables, Naoh. Things are going faster than we expected," Tomori confides quietly to Okubo, with an air of laughter.

"Not yet, babe, this is getting funny as hell. I'm getting all the details for the guys, they'll want to know," He laughs softly and speaks in the same tone. "but, hey... we can hit the floor as a excuse to make ourselves more comfortable, what do you think? And honestly? These songs are putting me in the mood to rock with you, and I'm not even good at that..."

"I think it’s perfect. I want to let Akane do her magic," She laughs softly, placing her hand over his on the table "And don't worry about that. The important thing is to have fun, not to put on a show. We'll make our own show later, at your place or mine..."

"My place, please. My bed can handle it better," He jokes, laughing softly.

Akane noticed them, feeling  if she teased any more it would look awkward.

"Ohh, what time is it now?," she pretends to be surprised and raises her head, looking around, her hand on top of Rihito's, even running her nails a little over his skin. "Guess it's time for us to shake it up a little, right?"

"Yeah, I guess," Rihito looks at the clock on his phone. "It’s almost midnight. Time flew, damn..."

"Get ready, because this place is going to get heated pretty soon," Tomori assures, smiling excitedly. "If you're still not sure, boys, just follow Akane and me, and we'll know what to do. Right? War veterans and such..."

"Hey, I don't need guidance. I know my way around a dance floor like that. And I've always been the type who likes to coordinate...," Rihito smiles insinuatingly, straightening his shoulders and looking even broader and more imposing.

"Oh, so you like twerking too?!," she opens her eyes, pretending to be absurdly excited. "Nice! I wanna see!"

He didn't even have time to justify himself, when the lights suddenly went out and a bunch of neon lights and colored spotlights invaded the room along with the sound of a characteristic siren. A bunch of people suddenly cheered, clapping and howling at the sound, alerting the two fighters. An extremely seductive male announcer's voice speaks with a strong accent:

"Laaaaadies and gentlemen, from now on the most awaited moment of all begins, the Dance Floor is officially opeeeeen..."

Akane howled a little along with the chorus that followed. Several people gathered in the middle of the dance floor, leaving the tables.

"Woohoo! Right in time!," she smiles a lot, getting up and leaving her coat on the table. "Tomori, how about we go first? So we can warm up a little, like we used to do?"

"Girl, that’s exactly what I was thinking!," Tomori throws her arms up with an excited exclamation, exchanging a high-five with Akane afterwards. "We'll be right back, Naoh, Lihito!"

"Wha- you two will go first?," Rihito blinks, surprised, immediately turning to his friend when they leave the table. "Are you cool with this, man?"

"Oh c'mon, don’t you wanna watch it first?," Okubo smiles, suggestively. When the girls were far alway enough, he adds, "Are you gonna waste your chance to look at her the way you've been wanting to since you saw her pics on Instagram? Now you can, and no one's gonna judge you…"

That made Rihito pause. Okay, when he put things like that, the perspective became very interesting…

"Damn, what’s worse is that you're right," He smiles, excited. "But in my case, I’m just in this to have fun. Aren't you worried that someone’s gonna grind against your girl in the middle of the dance floor or something?"

"Nah, not this time. Tomori said the girls always go first, and then the guys join. Hey, look," he pointed with his head, and there were only women in the dance floor. "Man, that's a really nice sight," he said, but he was looking directly at his girlfriend.

Okubo was grateful that Tomori told him beforehand that first only the girls will go for the first song, then the couples would mix.

Rihito immediately follows the direction of his gaze, and finds himself compelled to agree. Damn, apparently they had been incredibly lucky, because there were only hot girls on that dance floor! The thought of seeing them dancing close to each other left him almost on edge... and one of them already had his special attention, her incredibly tanned skin and multicolored hair making her stand out in that ocean of curves, legs and tempting breasts. Without the coat, he could clearly see all her curves, shamelessly displayed in that tight little dress.

"Hell yeah… it’s practically the best buffet in all of Tokyo… and I’m going to try the most exotic dish," He smiles hungrily.

"Heh, there’s an exclusive dish there, don't you fucking forget," Okubo warns, half seriously, half jokingly. "But they are giving us a hell of a gift, so enjoy it. Damn, Tomori," he practically groans, seeing his girlfriend swaying to the rhythm of the music along with her friend. "Fuck, she's such a tease…”

Rihito laughs out loud. "Looks like I'm not the only one getting lucky today, huh! Feast with gusto, pal... because I'm going to do the same..."

He watches the two girls dancing together, his eyes fixed on that scene that seemed like something out of one of his most erotic teenage fantasies. But Okubo could rest assured that he wasn't interested in Tomori, but in her dance partner. And what a partner, may God be fucking blessed... he watched attentively every movement, every sway of those hips, how her breasts swayed lightly under her dress, the sweat already dotting her golden skin like small pearls, or drops of dew that he wanted to catch them with his tongue, following their descent until they were lost in her folds, in her navel, between those wonderful legs...

What he wouldn't give for her to be wiggling like that in a hotel room, just for him, preferably without any clothes on...

The first song ended, which was the signal for the rest of the patrons to join in. Okubo gave his friend an encouraging slap on the shoulder. "Come on, Iron Fingers, let's have a feast!," he smiled very naughty, so much so that Rihito wondered which one of them was the single guy after all.

"Right behind you, Egghead!," He quickly follows him, restraining himself from running like a dog that was called to eat by its owner. He felt completely confident now, sure that he wouldn't be rejected and that now he could go all out. That dance was very physical, insinuating, so the prohibitions imposed by the sugary couple did not apply there. He doubted his illustrious company would want it any other way.

The two girls were laughing with each other, panting and sweating a little, but they didn't look tired. Great. The two men got closer, and Rihito takes advantage of his size to make Akane feel everything when he leans against her, not enough to make her feel cornered, but enough to make his intentions clear. It was a strategy that Okubo and he used frequently, even when they were both single. He found himself really appreciating how smaller than him she was, how delicate she seemed close to his impressive frame. That did a lot of good for his male ego.

"Excuse me... are the two ladies up for a different partner for the next song?"

"Oh? I was wondering how much longer I'd have to wait," Akane smiles, leaning against him and taking his hands with hers, facing away from him. "Let's dance..."

Okubo approaches Tomori and holds her hand, turning her a little before bringing her against his chest. "Hey, did you miss me?"

"Always...," Tomori arches an eyebrow, smiling lasciviously, and damn, who would have thought that such a cute and petite girl could look sensual like that? Rihito now understood well why his friend had fallen head over heels for her. But he doesn't pay too much attention to it, because Akane's hands intertwined with his and her back pressed against his chest demanded all his attention, and he would give it with pleasure.

"Come on... I always thought of panthers as graceful animals, you know, Sekihyo? I want to see if its true," He says quietly in her ear.

"I thought you already knew, handsome," he feels a volume passing between his legs, and he notices that it was her buttocks passing right over that spot as she rolled her hips. "But it only gets better if you show me what you can do…"

She turns and faces him, starting to dance to the rhythm of the music, moving her feet and shoulders, snapping her fingers, looking him up and down, inquisitive and expectant.

... Holy. Fucking. Shit.

To hell with self-control. To hell with promises. She clearly wanted him to be direct and physical with her. The sugary couple could stay there, circling each other slowly as if this were the slowest foreplay in the history of humanity. That gourgeous woman and he weren't really interested in taking it slow. They had already played enough.

She wanted it fast and hard, didn't she? Then that was exactly what he would give her.

She feels that huge hand wrap around her waist with the speed of a snake's pounce, bringing her to him in a single pull. And she sees that Tomori hadn't exaggerated when she said that the blonde gorilla was strong. His hand was like an iron noose. He also had a lot of control over his own strength, because she didn't feel any pain or discomfort. She just found herself unable to escape those fingers.

"I'll show you... you'll see as much as you'll feel."

And he began to move his hips along with hers, rubbing himself against her without any shame. And damn, that unit of a man really know how to twerk!

Akane didn't expect that, panting lightly with his grip. Wow, that was a really nice surprise. Now things were getting really good.

"Wow, so you aren't all bark and no bite?," She smiles a lot, turning around to face him, one hand on his shoulder, placing it close to his neck, the other going on top of his butt, moving her hips along with his, following the rhythm. Her excitement was reaching the stratosphere, may Daddy Satan be blessed… "You'll make me fall harder and literally..."

"Not here on the dance flor, babe," He gasps at her, smiling that predatory smile, and once again showing off those little fangs. The way he was glued to her, leaning down so he could whisper in her ear, made her think he must have been dying to have those canines on her neck, like a male cat would do with a female when he wanted to mate. "Let's just dance for now. We can continue the show later, behind closed doors, if you want."

His hands held her tight around her hips, guiding her movements to coordinate with his. He then makes her turn around, again pressing his broad chest against her back, wanting her to feel all his muscles working in sync as they dance. Rihito was both proud and a little embarrassed of his resourcefulness. Many people considered dancing something only for women and fags... but damn, if he could stay like that with her for longer, he would continue twerking like there's no tomorrow!

And the woman in front of him seemed to fully agree with that, he was sure; even more so when she held his face while she moved, so there was no one calling him anything!

"Holy shit," Okubo commented when he took a look at his friend, seeing if they had the green light to do their thing. "Okay, love, I think we're free to go. Look...," he smiles while looking at the other couple. "From now on it's an adult film session and I want to do my own, not watch others do theirs."

Tomori laughs loudly, taking the opportunity to imitate Akane's movements, just to make the poor man behind her even more excited. "Fine be me! They can sort thing out themselves from now on. Come, I want to dance like this for you in your bed...," She takes his huge right hand, slowly biting the tip of his index finger.

"I swear, woman, you're begging me to carry you outta here," he laughs. "And I really liked it, you know? If it's going to always end like this, I want to come here often," he follows her as eagerly as she does, both of them disappearing into the crowd. "We can send Miss Agata a message saying that we left, so they won't look for us, just in case..."

"Take it from me, Naoh, there’s no need. She's quick-witted enough to figure it out on her own," Tomori guarantees with a chuckle. And then she confides in him, quietly, a little astonished, "But damn, babe, I didn't know Rihito could dance like that! Have you ever seen him make those moves?"

"Yeah, one time when we're playing Just Dance," he laughs. "Everyone ended up knowing about it later. We don't make fun of him only because Himuro ended up winning, the dude is a GoGo Boy to the fuckin' core.

She laughs loudly, pulling him by the hand with excitement. "​​There's something I want to see. But now I just want us dancing, preferably without clothes to get in the way."

"I love you so fuckin' much," He laughs in a very idiotic while leaving the bar with her, like two teenagers going to do something naughty.

Akane, all the while, had seen a glimpse of the couple disappearing. She smiled to herself; her cue was right there. She turned to him, moving a little away to look at him dancing, with the excuse of twirling to show herself, and she was loving what she was seeing too. Under the lights, with his eyes half closed and biting his lip, he became sexy... she approached him and pulled him a little, bringing his lips closer to his, and moving away, just to see if he would follow, trying to complete the distance. And she felt like she had won when he did exactly what she had predicted.

Big, dumb and hot. Exactly the way she liked it.

The current music ended, and she smiled, looking at him. They didn't really need any more games, he was wrapped around her little finger.

"So... let's get going?," She indicates the exit with her head, in case he didn't hear because of the loud music.

"Show me the way," He says in a breath, and yes, she no longer saw any bravado or presumption there. He would probably grab her right then and there if it was socially appropriate. His arm immediately circles her waist, bringing her close, almost possessively, as if he were afraid she would change her mind midway. "I'll follow you wherever you want."

"Come on, I’ll just get my coat, pay my share and we can leave…," she pulls him by the hand, languidly leaving his embrace. "Then we can talk more in private… I know a nice place."

"I can pay if you want, no problem," He says quickly as he follows her. "It’s the bare minimum. I said there could be more where that juice glass came from, didn't I?" He jokes, smiling sideways.

"Alright... just this time, handsome," She smiles sharply. "'Cause this time I really wanto to."

She grabs her coat from the back of her chair, and they prepare to pay the check and leave.

Damn, that could only be the universe recognizing how unfair it had been to him all those years and deciding to make it up to him in one fell swoop! He really wanted to kiss her again, but no, there would be a much better place for it. He could wait a little longer. He had waited all that time after all.

It's then that he receives a text message. Okubo had transferred him some money, saying, 

EggHead: sorry bro, I forgot to pay our tab 

sort this out for us LOL

He rolls his eyes with a laugh. That pervert who was almost as helpless as he was... he was so eager to get home fuck his own girl that he almost turned into a deadbeat. Not that he blamed him. He understood it perfectly. He himself was almost running with the tabs in hand, wanting to end this as quickly as possible so he could go with Akane to a place much more appropriate for what they wanted to do. If he hadn't been determined to preserve a modicum of dignity, he would already be jumping and punching the air like an idiot.

NEXT PART HERE

[chiefbeifongcanrailme]

15, 18, 19, and 30 for Lin and Zek!

15) Why do they like each other? Because it's very easy to like each other. But really, from Lin's perspective, Zekou is a kind, friendly gentleman who eases himself into her life. He moved at her pace, letting her take he time to trust him and relax in his company instead of rushing himself into her personal life like most people do. Zek admires the fact that Lin is honest to a fault. She's sweet and caring in her own way, her company is isn't overbearing and they can spend time together without having anything to say to each other. Plus it helps that they're both hot af.

18) Evening rituals? Post retirement, Zekou mostly spends his day engaging in different hobbies or projects he takes on. But come evening, when Lin gets home (yes, one of his projects involved creating a work-life balance for his girlfriend), they sit by the radio, listening either to a probending game or just some music- whatever the mood is while chowing down on some takeout or whatever cuisine Zek had been experimenting with that day. Some nights, they'll go out and meet Bumi and other mutual friends from the United Forces (someone's always visiting Republic City) and others they get cozy in bed; either with a book or getting frisky with a back massage ;).

19) How are they at parties or gatherings? Mostly with a drink in hand. Lin isn't super social but she'll make small talk with whomever she is introduced to. If nobody's talking to her, she'll just sit by the bar, nursing her drink. Zek, on the other hand, is far more social than her. When he's not busy being the life of the party, he'll come sit by Lin and keep her company- telling her tales of the people around them (even when they're in Zaofu, Zek has gathered more tea on the metalbending clan than the metalbender herself).

30) When did they realize they loved each other? Following canon, I would say the end of book 3 episode 2 for Zekou and the end of book 3 for Lin haha. For Zek, it was soon after he hooked up with Lin- in a "you just know when you know" kinda way. He liked Lin to begin with, they'd become friends after all. He cared for her too and of course, she's gorgeous and it would take an idiot to not notice that. But knowing Lin, he knew better than to make a move. Until it just sorta happened. Thereafter, he knew he was in love. Lin probably felt something a little bit after that. She noticed a change in his demeanor and took that as her cue to bolt. She buried herself in work and flew all the way to the Earth Kingdom to protect Korra instead of facing her new feelings. But once she was back, after Zaheer was arrested, the first thing she did was get to Zekou's house and confess that she reciprocated his feelings.

Ask me about our OTPs!

[allamericanb-tch]

crimson rivers thoughts (23)

the last part ☹️

chapter 69 (lol)

wait guys i lowkey forgot what happened it’s been so long

why is albus so sassy

"Gellert was my soul," Albus replies. "The only thing he wasn't was my little sister and my little brother. That is why he's dead and I'm here now, without him, and you still wish to punish me. You can't punish me more than I already punished myself the night I plunged a sword into his heart."

why is this dumbledore brothers angst so angsty 

ALBUS CALLING ABERFORTH ABBY 😭😭

“James and I are going to have four children." 

love sirius

ugh i forgot monty died ☹️

boooo albus

THE GASP I GUSPED

crimson river

yeah albus deserved that

it fully has been over a month since ive read this all of the thoughts from above are from the beginning of may

ok i think i found the part where i left off

“Sirius shakes his head and says, gently, "You. It was you, Reggie. You taught me that."“ ❤️‍🩹

ugh aberforth pov

i mean yeah i feel bad for him but

the end notes are always my fav part

chapter 70

wait i forgot to write down my thoughts

regulus’ note to james ☹️

monty ☹️

bye sobbing how is it that the games were the least emotionally heavy part of this entire fic

“”My moon is right here," Sirius counters, pressing closer to him, something gentle and adoring in his gaze.”

marylily save me marylily

marlene ☹️ never forgiving zar for that

poor james ☹️

frank ☹️

vanity ☹️

trying so hard not to cry rn

i love effie so much

“It's in his mum's arms, in this very moment, that he feels his dad again.” sobbing

why is sirius breaking up with james

oh okay

sirius is going back to 12 with remus

sirius is a good friend i think

james is a good friend too i think

james and regulus are kissing

it’s been two months ?!

chapter 71

effie ☹️

taking a break i can’t do this

ok we’re back it’s been several hours

i love effie so much she deserves everything

“My parents moved out, back to my childhood home when I was eighteen, when I started mentoring. I was gone during parts of the year, and they—ah, well, they were never really fond of…the neighbors."

Regulus pauses, then his lips twitch. "Those dastardly Blacks, I'm assuming."”

i love regulus

“Because Lily and Remus are not-so-secretly as attached to each other as Sirius and James are, Remus also calls Lily every day.” i love remus and lily

marlene ☹️

i love lyall in this

who is this ken fool

puppies!!!

"Very low bar. I could trip over you," sirius you menace 😭

“Lyall is wheezing.” me too lyall me too

oh me oh my

sirius just picking remus up

chat i have to pee so bad like i’m actually gonna pee my pants but my dog is sitting on me so i don’t want to get up bc she’s so cozy

i love mary so much

james going to be a teacher (of fun) i love him

BINGLEY IS A TEENAGER?? I THOUGHT HE WAS LIKE 8??

bagels ❤️‍🩹

james telling regulus about his fear of fire good job james

the song ❤️‍🩹

SHEHWJEGTW

james just asked regulus to marry him

they’re getting married!!!!!!!

chapter 72

dorcas pov ?! ok eat

oh !

poor dorcas ☹️ ugh i feel so bad for her

she so right where you left me

took another break now im back

“Marlene wasn't the first; she wasn't even the last. That honor goes to Albus.” ugh i hate albus

oh molly i love her

this chapter

poppy and minnie ?! 

"No," Regulus agrees with a shrug, "but I hoped."

“She wants to live, and she wants to love, but in this aspect—romance—she feels quite content with being finished. Marlene was the love of her life, and that's it. Simple as that. She'll never love another.” SOBBING

i’m actually trying so hard not to cry

chapter 73

this one is called the wedding please let it be a happy chapter

low bar hilarious

wait i forgot to write my thoughts

remus and sirius are moving back to 6 and i love them 

jegulus i love them

sirius came back and james cried (he’s just like me fr)

james favorite thing at school being gardening with the kids ❤️‍🩹

james and regulus fighting over sirius is hilarious

baby

remus is not having this

non binary tonks i love them so much

i love narcissa

aberforth pov jump scare

reading this chapter is making me want to have a wedding

“but he and James are too busy riding the train in their locked compartment where they take the time to, ah, christen every single stop along the way” 😭😭

james in a suit dress save me james in a suit dress

“"Don't rush me!" Sirius retorts from inside, his voice muffled, but his excitement palpable. "James, entertain him, will you?"” this whole bit is hilarious

a bookshelf ❤️‍🩹

bye i’m crying that’s so sweet

“That other life is this one. This life is that one. All their lives have even a split second of joy, and hope, and effort. It doesn't matter what life it is; James knows that, in every single one, they have so much love to give, and so much love granted to them. Even if for only a moment, and that one moment can make any life worth living. Despite all the grief. Despite all the pain. Despite all the loss. Because there's love. Because there's a bookshelf. They do get it. They have it. They make it, and people who love them help make it, too.” 

"You're so stupid," Regulus says. 

"Yes, but I'm your stupid," James tells him, grinning. 

oh james and his knife kink

eugh this is giving me the ick

wedding time

aw james ☹️

“and no one knows this except them, but before the wedding started, Sirius gently fixed Regulus' tie and whispered to him that if, at any point, he wanted to stop or run away, Sirius would make a scene for him if that's what it came to.” i love sirius 

regulus is remembering things

“you’re hesitating love”

bye im going to cry

ugh i loved this chapter so much ❤️‍🩹

chapter 74

SIRIUS 😭 im so embarrassed for him poor sirius

“Apparently the stars have demands of me. Or just one, at least."

stop i imagined sirius crawling like what’s the name of the girl in the ring but like how when she crawls out of the tv 

sirius accidentally proposing to remus and then purposefully proposing to remus with a spoon because he doesn’t have a ring i love him

sirius is so unserious 

LILY IS GOING TO PROPOSE TO MARY AHHHHH

i love trans mary she’s my everything 

alice ?!

rip alice and emmaline

james invited alice to the wedding omg

frank ☹️

alice putting the casserole in the oven for james i love them

sirius dissociating in the middle of his wedding

wolfstar married wolfstar

i always get jump scared when i see xenophilius in fics

pandora xenophilus and rodolphus okay

wolfstar fostering a child

regulus babysitting

bagels

regulus stealing sirius’ children

harry!!!!

jegulus babies

TEDDY

i just finished this chapter and it’s 1 am so k need to stop and o will read the last one tomorrow. or later today technically.

chapter 75

last one guys 

wait i totally have not been writing my thoughts

vanity 💔

the hat

evan 💔

"There are a lot more views waiting for you, so go see them. You don't need me to climb," Evan murmurs. "You never did."

sobbing

that was so

ugh i love bizzarestars