#gramps you really move me <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[eightball-chronicles]

Cheering Up Daisuke!

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inspired by some absolutely delicious art by @al1en-invasi0n !!! check em out theyre so yummy :3

this MIGHT be my first time writing a tk fic (it is) so please don't bully me gangalang ,,, criticism is accepted just be nice to me [cry] also was writen on laptop so if the formats weird i apologize oops ...

lee!daisuke, ler!curly (NON SHIP !!!!!)

tw / cw : tks, starts off a wee bit sad, mention of jeopardy (j*mmy)

word count : 3151 under the cut

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"Get it through your goddamn skull! That vent is strictly off limits! Fully fuckin' collapsed inside!" 

It was safe to say that Swansea was pissed. Daisuke, just released from the emergency foam he'd accidentally triggered, was awkwardly shuffling in place as he received yet another earful from his mentor. He messed up, sure, but really? His legs hurt already from being trapped not too long ago, he didn't want his head to follow suit.  

"You looking to get impaled, electrocuted, and cooked?!" Swansea's usual scowl was far more intense than usual; it was obvious to Curly, at least. As captain, he knew he'd have to intervene soon. Before he could, however, Daisuke spoke out: 

"Yeah, but like, you can't fit in there to fix it, right? So I can totally handle it." 

An uncomfortable silence filled the utility room. the three men stood in as the younger's words marinated. Swansea's eye twitched, clearly agitated. Curly really needed to say something - if he doesn't, who knows what Swansea would- 

"Captain." 

He stiffened slightly, worried what the older man was planning.  Swansea extended his hand out to the captain, demanding the axe. Curly saw Daisuke twiddling his fingers from the corner of his eye. Both their heads moved in unison with Swansea's arm. "Swansea," Curly started, handing the mechanic the axe, "this could've damaged the pods. You can't let something like this happen again." 

"Yeah, yeah...I got it." Swansea took the axe and swung it to rest on his shoulder. "Loud and clear." Slightly less tense than before, Curly placed his hand on his hip. "Keep the axe until you've cleaned this all up, yeah?" Swansea nodded with a huff, shifting his attention to his intern. Who was still fidgeting his hands. He looked up shyly as he spoke: "It's ok to be big, boss! "My gramps was super huge! And he lived until, like, 60!" 

Oh shit. 

Curly nervously looked to Swansea, who had an unreadable expression on his face. Daisuke, unaware of the weight of his words, smiled softly. Curly's attention shifted when he noticed Jimmy standing by the utility room door. He saw it as a reason to excuse himself from the heavy tension between the two men before him. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Curly swiftly made his way towards his co-pilot. Daisuke, finally noticing Swansea's mood, silently cursed at his captain for abandoning him. And as soon as he did... 

Swansea went off. Yelling all sorts of nonsense about safety and protocol that Daisuke didn't care to hear for the thirteenth time that week. Instead, trying to focus his attention on the conversation taking place behind his mentor. Unfortunately, he found it to be quite difficult. Something about being sane, psych evals, Anya - what was that about cartoon horses? 

Just as the two men started to walk off, Swansea yelled louder, noticing his intern not listening. This brought a new wave of lecturing, and Daisuke was *not* having it. He didn't even care if Swansea said the winning lottery numbers, he just wanted him to shut up. Much to his dismay, that wouldn't be happening anytime soon... 

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Curly just sent Jimmy away after receiving a letter from the higherups. He reread its contents again, confirming what it said as if he had somehow misread the whole thing. Pony Express is shutting down? How could this happen? How will he tell the crew? Although instructed to not break the news until later, Curly was unsure if he could do that. Sighing heavily, the captain decided to get some fresh air. Well, not exactly - just whatever was breathable outside the weighty air of the cockpit. 

Ready to open the door at the end of the hallway, Curly was stopped by Swansea's presence behind it. He noticed something off immediately; his familiar frown replaced with a more concerned expression. Curly questioned it without a second thought, to which Swansea replied: "It's about Daisuke. After you left, I kind of went off. I...I think I went too hard on him. I've lectured him a bunch of times before, but he seemed more down this time." 

"Oh? How so?" Curly asked, putting a hand to his chin. Swansea shifted his weight before continuing: "After I run my mouth to him, he usually puts on this dramatic act and pouts when I dismiss him to go somewhere else. This time seemed different. I don't know how to explain it, but I think I hurt the kid." 

Swansea ended his explanation with a deep sigh as he lowered his head; he clearly felt guilty, and Curly understood as much. "Have you tried talking to him?" 

"I'm not too sure how thrilled he'd be to see me right now. I don't wanna scare the poor thing any more than I already have.  Plus, I don't know where he's at." 

Curly nodded before Swansea spoke up again. "Do you think you can talk to him?" The captain thought for a brief moment before reaching out to the worried man, patting his shoulder. "Of course I can. I'll go look for him and cheer him up, promise! You can go rest if you'd like, just make sure the foam in utility gets cleared up later, yeah?" 

To this, Swansea relaxed, wearing an uncommon smile. He nodded as he thanked Curly and walked off. The now determined captain headed off with a mission in mind; he was going to get Daisuke to smile, no matter the cost. 

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If you disregard the sobs, the cargo room was quiet. The vast space left a slight echo on Daisuke's cries. He sat on the stairs, head between his knees and arms around his shins. His mind ran as fast as the ship he resided on. Why was Swansea so much angrier than usual? He was just trying to help; he was his intern after all. Then again, he practically called him fat and kinda sorta maybe implied he would die at 60... 

Damn, why would he say that? 

At this point, Daisuke's thoughts were racing a million miles a minute. The grip on his pants tightened as he cried. God, he's a screwup. No wonder his parents sent him away on this internship. He was annoying at home, and he's annoying in space. Will he ever learn to keep his mouth shut? He was so lost in his head that he didn't hear the door open behind him, or the footsteps that followed it. 

"Daisuke?" 

Said boy jumped a foot as he frantically wiped his eyes. He turned to face the source of the voice, trying to put on an act and forced a smile. But that smile shook, and Curly noticed. "Hey, captain! What's up?"  

"I should be asking you that. Are you ok?" 

Daisuke flinched slightly, his fake smile faltered as his shoulders began to tremble again. "I...I-I just...Swansea..." He didn't get anything else out after that, nothing that was intelligible, at least. He broke down again, turning around and placed his head back on his knees. Curly frowned as he made his way to Daisuke. He sat to his left on the stairs, rubbing the boy's back as he tried to soothe him. He let him cry it out until he was left only sniffling. Only then did he decide to speak out. "C'mon Daisuke, talk to me. Swansea found me earlier and said you were down. What's wrong?" 

He let out a small whimper upon hearing his mentor's name. Shakily, he started: "I-I don't know, I should've just listened to him. I just wanted to help! B-but I screwed up...I-I could've gotten myself seriously hurt, o-or killed, or broken the pods! Those are like, s-super important! Even I know that, yet still acted c-carelessly. N-not only that, I totally offended S-Swansea! H-he probably hates m-me, I c-can't believe I said that...I'm a t-total f-failure, I-" He was getting more panicked as he spoke, voice as shaky as ever. Curly cut him off as he stopped rubbing his back and pulled the boy to him by his waist. Daisuke yelped slightly at the sudden change of contact, yet melted into the side hug.  

"Kid," Curly started, "do you know why Swansea talked to me?" He felt a slight head shake on his shoulder. "Because he was worried for you, Daisuke. He told me he went too hard on you; that he feels bad he might have hurt you. I've never seen a more guilty face on him. And trust me when I say that means a lot. I've worked with him for I don't even know how long. He didn't mean to - Daisuke?" 

His speech was cut when he heard small chortles from the boy in his arm. Curly glanced down, seeing his shoulders tremble once more, differently this time. "Did I...say something funny?" he asked, a confused smile on his face. Daisuke shook his head again, a hand over his mouth. "Nohoho, it's just - your hahand-" Curly's gaze shifted to where his hand resided on the intern's side; it had started subconsciously rubbing him there as it was on Daisuke's back. "What about my hand? Are you hurt here? Oh no, I'm so sor-" 

"No! No, it's not that. I'm not hurt." 

"Oh? Then what is it?" 

Daisuke felt his face heat up. Thank god Curly couldn't see his face. He shifted slightly, unsure how to answer. "I just - it's not - you didn't - uh..." He peeked up to the captain as he trailed off, where he was met with a genuinely concerned face. "I'm afraid I don't follow, you know you can tell me anything, ri-" 

"It just tickled is all..." He mumbled. 

"Come again?" 

With a whine, Daisuke buried his face further into his hand, leaning more onto Curly's shoulder. No matter how many times asked, he didn't say more. Curly, in attempt to get his attention, pinched the boy where his hand still laid; on his waist. What he didn't expect, however, was for Daisuke to chirp at the touch. Now it was Cury's turn to get his mind thinking. Which didn't last long, however, as Daisuke's squeaky voice spoke up: 

"IT TICKLED ALRIGHT?!" 

If he wasn't blushing before, he sure was now. Curly saw the back of Daisuke's neck turn bright pink. Realization struck him shortly after, where a mischievous grin appeared. To confirm the suspicion, Curly pinched his side again, earning another bird-like sound. Oh, he struck gold. 

"Daisuke...are you-" 

"Shut up!" 

Daisuke's neck was now a deep red, his face buried deep in his palms while his fingers grabbed at his hair. His captain walked in on him crying, then he continued to cry *on* his captain, and now this?! Could this be any more embarrassing?! Well, yes, it could. Curly pinched his side for a fourth time. Daisuke whipped his head towards him only to be met with a grin covering half of the blonde's face. "Oh, Daisuke...that isn't a very nice way to speak to your captain now, is it?" 

Fuck. He's cooked. 

"W-w-wait, I-I didn't me-EEHEHEAA!" 

Daisuke was interrupted by his own squeal as Curly opted for pinching at his waist repeatedly rather than in intervals. He instinctively curled in on himself; arms wrapped around his torso while he brought his knees to his chest. While trying to twist away from the offending hand, Daisuke unintentionally leaned into Curly, who went in with his other hand to pinch at the giggling boy's other side. 

He squealed again from the tickly assault suddenly appearing elsewhere. Daisuke started jumping left and right, trying to escape from one hand only to be attacked by the other. Curly switched to poking before long, as this made the younger let out soft snorts as he weakly kicked his legs. The captain chuckled under Daisuke's evergrowing laughter, finding his reactions amusing. "I just cannot believe you told me to shut up. I'm wounded, Daisuke, and your words are the blade. How could you say such a thing?!"  

Said boy could only whine in response, "I dihihidn't mehehean toooooo! C'mohohon cahaptahahahain!"  

"Oh really? And how can I be sure of that, hm?" 

"Plehehehease! I prohohomise! I'm sohohorry, I'm sorryyyyy!" 

"Hmmmm...let me think." Curly pondered dramatically *way* longer than needed as he continued to poke at the intern's torso. Daisuke continued to squeak and giggle as he 'spaced out thinking.' Suddenly, the blonde perked up, "Alright, I've thought about it! I'm not stopping~" He then proceeded to move both his hands to Daisuke's hips, massaging the bone tenderly. 

The reaction was instant. The brunette shot his arms down, body spasming on impact. Grabbing Curly's wrists, Daisuke cackled loudly, unable to control the volume of his voice. His legs now fully kicking out as he spoke, "AAAAAHAHAHA! SHIHIHIT! GOHOD DAMN IT CUHUHURLY STAHAHAHAP!" To this, he gasped loudly; he would've acted out clutching his pearls had his hands not been occupied. "And just who do you think you are?! Talking to me like this...you're awfully ballsy for someone in your position." 

Daisuke could only answer in giggly babbles, unable to get any coherent words out as his hip bones got circles drilled into them. Curly only clicked his tongue in mock annoyance and grabbed Daisuke's left arm with his right, lifting it up. In once swift motion, he left the boy more vulnerable than ever. He gave him a break during this - he didn't want to kill the kid. Taking in big gulps of air, Daisuke had yet to notice the position of his arm. Only when he tried to rub his eyes did he glance up. He knew what was coming. 

Panicked, he locked eyes with his captor, smile wide and bright as his face matched his complimentary floral shirt. "C'mohohon captain! Y-you knohow I didn't mean ihit right? Rihight! S-so let's juhuhust forget this ever happehened!" Daisuke tried to reason with him, but Curly was having none of it. On the contrary, he was having too much fun. "Nuh uh, kid. You've gotta learn how to speak to your superiors. Tsk, young ones these days thinking they're all that. Even though you crumble the second I do...*this*." 

As he finished, his free hand quickly snaked behind Daisuke, going straight to his ribs. He pinched, squeezed, poked; anything to get the brunette to squeal. And squeal he did; his bubbly laughter echoed in the ample space of the cargo room. He tried to grab Curly's hand with his free one, but the captain kept dodging, scratching a new rib in the process. He chuckled as he felt weak tugging on the arm he held up. " 

"Plehehehease, I'm sohorry! I sweahahahar! I-I mehehean it!" 

"Oh, are you now? And how can I believe that?" 

Daisuke groaned between giggles before he spoke, "I prohohomise! I promihihise I'm sohorry!" 

Curly lifted an eyebrow at the intern, his bright smile showing off the gap between his front teeth. The sight brought his own smile to grow in size. "Okay, let's say I believe you then. You're forgiven, bud." 

"Thehen why aren't yohohou stohohohoping?!" 

He chuckled at the naivety shown before him, shifting so he faced the boy before he answered, "Did you forget why I came here in the first place?" Daisuke whined in response, brain short circuiting as he felt fingers drilling into his torso, letting out a scream at his uppermost rib was attacked. "Oh c'mohohohohOHAHAH -  CURLY! Quit ihihit! That tickles!" 

Curly shook his head slightly, seeing the intern's blush deepen upon saying the word. "Sorry, Daisuke. Swansea said you were being gloomy earlier. We can't have that now, can we?" Said boy threw his head back as Curly formed a vibrating claw against the space between his highest rib and armpit. He snorted loudly from the sensation, barely able to form coherent words. "OKAHAY, OKAY! I'LL CHEHEHEHER UHUP! PROMISE! I PROHOMIHIHISE!" Daisuke ended his plea with a wheeze, laughter getting more strained. Curly saw this as a sign to wrap things up, slowing his fingers until the tickling came to a full stop. He let go of the boy's hand, where it fell to his side as he curled into himself next to his captain.  

Curly once again rubbed the younger's back, hoping he didn't go too far as he giggled between gasps of air. Daisuke held his sides, still feeling the tingly sensation on his body. Once his breathing calmed down a bit, Curly decided to speak up, "Are you alright? I didn't do too much, right?" He received a head shake in return; the redness on the boy's neck showed he was too flustered to speak. 

"You really shouldn't be too hard on yourself, you know? Swansea cares for you. He doesn't show it much, but he really does. Sure, he gets mad sometimes, but that's just who he is. Like I said earlier, he's the one who came to me about you; he was worried sick!" Daisuke glanced up at Curly's speech, eyes widened slightly with curiosity. "To tell you the truth," the blonde continued, "his own kids moved out a while ago. I think he misses them; not like he'd ever admit that, though. I have a suspicion that you remind him of them. Gets his dad-gears turning. His fatherly instincts probably kicked in earlier when you set off the foam. Do you get what I'm trying to say?" 

Daisuke nodded his head, a tiny nervous smile on his face as he took in the confession. Did Swansea really feel that way? "Do you really think that's true?" Curly's gaze met his, flashing him a proud grin; "I know it's true! Don't tell him I said anything, though. He'd deny it to the moon and back." To this Daisuke breathed a sigh of relief, letting a small chuckle slip. He sat up from his ball-like position to fully face Curly, returning the smile. "Thanks, captain!" 

The captain felt his heart slightly melt at the sight of the joyous boy. Wrapping his arm around him for another side hug, rustling his hair with his other hand. "No worries! I'll always be here. As long as you keep that attitude at bay. Don't think I won't put you in check, young man." Curly poked his side as he finished, earning one last squeak from the previously giggly intern. Daisuke jumped out of the captain's arms before he could try anything again, dramatically taking a defensive stance. He winked in his silly pose. "No promises~" he sang as he walked backwards to the door. It automatically opened, causing him to turn around and jump slightly. Curly stifled a laugh as Daisuke turned around, face slightly dusted pink. He stormed off, grumbling as he left the cargo room for good. Curly giggled to himself, still sat on the stairs, reflecting on his crew and each of their colorful personalities. 

Yup, he was glad to be captain. 

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hai guys ^-^ i hope yall enjoyed !!! i love daisuke sm hes my gf i love my gf ♡

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[hummingbird24220]

after the zoro and luffy part in that alternate ending of sex pollen... I'd be deeply interested if you wrote a zoro × luffy one shot... Or any other ship, really. But ouugh it sure did make me feel things.

It doesn’t even need to be related to the sex pollen, really!

Yes! This is my first time writing char x char without a reader involved, but i hope you like it. Wasn't sure if you wanted NSFW or not, so have left it fluffy for now. Let me know if you want a part 2 that is NSFW, if that's what you wanted :3

Enjoy!

Where You Lead

Luffy x Zoro

The Sunny rocked gently on calm waters, sails full but steady. Night had settled in, the sky a soft blanket of stars, and the crew had drifted to their separate corners—some asleep, some tinkering or reading or planning. But Zoro stayed on deck, sharpening Wado Ichimonji under the lantern light, steel glinting with each pass of the whetstone.

He didn’t look up when footsteps approached, but he didn’t need to.

“Zoro! Look what I found!” Luffy plopped down beside him, grinning wide and holding a fruit in both hands. It was a mango. Whole. Uncut. Zoro sighed.

“You can’t just eat it like that, dumbass.”

“I can, I’m just not supposed to, huh?” Luffy tilted his head, as if that made him sound smart.

Zoro took the mango from him, unsheathing a small blade from his waistband. “You cut it like this. Around the pit. Then you do these little slices—like a grid.” He worked as he spoke, then flipped the mango inside out like a spiked sunburst. “There. Easy.”

Luffy’s eyes sparkled with wonder, like Zoro had taught him the secrets of the universe.

“Whoa! That’s so cool! You’re like a fruit wizard!”

Zoro rolled his eyes. “It’s basic knife work. Normal people know how to do this.”

“Yeah, but I got you for stuff normal people know,” Luffy said simply, digging his teeth into the mango cubes with sticky, childlike delight.

Zoro paused, just a moment too long.

Something about that made his chest clench and flutter all at once. Like pride. Like longing. Like a stupid, fragile feeling he kept sheathed tighter than any sword. He watched Luffy’s jaw move, his face sticky, hair a mess, shirt stained from god-knows-what.

Zoro knew what the feeling was. Knew it like the names of his blades, like the weight of his captain’s trust.

But saying it aloud felt like striking down the sun with a katana.

So he just leaned back on his elbows, sighing through his nose. “You’re hopeless.”

Luffy snorted. “You’re the one who followed me.”

“You jumped into the middle of the ocean with no plan. Again.”

“And you dove in after me! Again!”

They burst out laughing together, too loud for the quiet night, echoing across the sea.

A silence settled after, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Zoro let it stretch. Luffy chewed slower now, gaze fixed upward, toward the stars.

“You ever think,” Luffy began, voice softer, “that it’s weird? The way I feel ‘round you?”

Zoro didn’t move.

“I mean, it’s not bad. It’s... warm. And full. Like how I feel when I think about Ace, or Gramps, or Sabo. Like family.” He blinked. “But not exactly the same.”

Zoro’s throat went dry.

Luffy turned toward him, all big eyes and sticky fingers and no idea what he was doing to Zoro’s chest.

“I think maybe I feel that way ‘cause you were the first one to join me. You’re always there. Even when I mess up.”

Zoro met his eyes, just for a second.

That’s when he knew Luffy didn’t understand what it was he was feeling. Not yet.

And Zoro would never be the one to tell him. Not if it meant pulling either of them off their path.

He smiled. Just a little. “Guess you’re stuck with me, then.”

“Forever?” Luffy grinned, like the idea made perfect sense.

Zoro nodded. “Forever.”

Luffy leaned against him without asking, head on Zoro’s shoulder, finishing his mango in comfortable silence.

Zoro let him. Let himself want. Just for tonight.

-

The day started the way it always did: with shouting, sunlight, and something catching on fire that shouldn’t have been flammable.

“LUFFY, THAT’S NOT TOAST, THAT’S JUST BREAD YOU PUNCHED!”

Zoro groaned from his hammock, arm slung over his eyes. He’d been awake for ten minutes and already regretted it.

Footsteps thudded toward the men’s quarters, fast and uncoordinated.

“Zoro! Zoro! Zoro! Wanna spar?!”

“No,” Zoro muttered.

“You’re already up, though!”

“I’m not.”

“But you said you’d help me practice fighting with a stick if I stopped hitting people with fishing rods!”

Zoro cracked an eye open. “You didn’t stop.”

“YEAH, BUT I SAID I WOULD.”

There it was. That blinding, unfiltered, full-body grin. The one that made saying no feel like kicking a puppy. Zoro hated it. He hated that it worked. Every. Damn. Time.

He sighed, dragging himself out of the hammock. “Ten minutes. That’s it.”

“YEAH!! I’LL GO GET THE BIG STICK!”

Ten minutes turned into an hour.

It always did.

Luffy was a menace with a staff, and not in a good way. His stance was awful, his form worse, and he kept getting distracted by clouds, bugs, or Chopper walking by with a slice of cake.

But Zoro didn’t stop. He never did.

And when Luffy laughed—full-throated and bright, sweat clinging to his collarbones like sunlight—Zoro’s chest squeezed tight.

“You’re getting better,” Zoro said, flicking the stick from Luffy’s hands with a clean twist of his own.

“You always say that,” Luffy pouted.

“Because you are.”

“But you never say it with sparkles, like Sanji when Nami does anything.”

Zoro sheathed the wooden practice sword like it was a real one and grunted. “I don’t sparkle.”

Luffy blinked. “That’s sad.”

Zoro squinted. “You’re sad.”

“YOU SAID THAT WITH SPARKLES!!”

Zoro turned and walked away. Luffy followed—he always did.

-

Midday came with a nap on the lawn deck. Zoro didn’t ask, didn’t invite. But Luffy plopped beside him anyway, lying on the swordsman’s arm like it was a pillow designed specifically for idiot captains.

“Do you think stars ever fall on purpose?” Luffy asked, eyes squinting up at the clouds.

“Huh?”

“Like, not by accident. Like maybe they want to fall. Wanna see what’s down here.”

Zoro turned his head just slightly, enough to see the curve of Luffy’s mouth, soft with thought.

“Nah,” Zoro said. “They fall ‘cause they burn out.”

“Oh.” Luffy was quiet for a beat. “That’s kinda sad, huh?”

Zoro looked back up at the sky. “Not if they burn bright first.”

Luffy smiled again. Zoro didn’t.

Not because he wasn’t happy. But because he was.

And that scared the hell out of him.

-

Dinner was rowdy, messy, and ended with Sanji threatening to "personally deep-fry anyone who threw rice again."

Luffy, covered in food, plopped beside Zoro on the railing after it all calmed down.

“I like it here,” he said.

Zoro side-eyed him. “You live here.”

“Yeah, but I like it. And I like you, too, Zoro. You make things make sense.”

Zoro froze.

Luffy tilted his head. “Did I say something weird?”

Zoro’s jaw clenched. “No.”

“Oh. Okay.”

And like always, Luffy leaned against him, resting his head on Zoro’s shoulder like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Zoro didn’t move. Didn’t speak. Didn’t breathe too loud.

Because if he did, the truth might come tumbling out—and he wasn’t ready to chase it.

Not yet.

-

“Chopper,” Luffy said, very seriously, “I think I’m dying.”

Chopper dropped his clipboard. “WHAT?!”

Luffy pointed to his stomach, brows furrowed. “It’s all twisty. And warm. Like soup. But not soup. Weird soup.”

Chopper blinked, placed a hoof on Luffy’s belly, then tilted his head.

“Hmm… no fever. No inflammation. No parasites…” He tapped his chin. “Luffy, are you sure it hurts?”

“It doesn’t hurt! It’s just… weird! Like butterflies! But I didn’t eat any butterflies. I think.” He paused. “Did Sanji make butterfly soup?”

Chopper looked at him, then sighed. “Luffy, I don’t think you’re sick. I think it’s…” he lowered his voice like he was sharing some ancient secret, “...emotions.”

Luffy gasped. “I have those?!”

“Yes! You do! And that weird soup feeling? That’s your heart reacting to something you feel.”

Luffy squinted. “...So you’re saying I have a belly full of feelings.”

“Essentially.”

He shot up from the infirmary bed, a determined look in his eyes. “Then I gotta find Zoro!”

“Wait—Zoro?! Why Zor—?!”

But he was already gone.

Zoro was in his usual spot: the edge of the ship, one leg propped up, arms crossed, sword at his side, face calm in that stupidly handsome and brooding way Luffy had come to know so well.

“ZORO!”

“Geh—what?!”

Luffy skidded to a stop in front of him, fists clenched at his sides. “You’re the reason I have the funny soup in my belly!”

Zoro blinked. “...What.”

“Chopper said it’s emotions. That I’m not dying. And every time I feel the soup, it’s when I’m around you.”

Zoro rubbed his face. “Luffy—”

“So,” Luffy continued, undeterred, “I decided to tell you.”

Zoro let out a long breath, glancing at the sea like it might save him. “Okay. Sit.”

Luffy sat, cross-legged and upright like an eager student.

Zoro leaned back, staring at the clouds. “Look… that funny feeling? That’s... probably affection. Love. Attachment. Whatever you want to call it. I’ve had it too.”

Luffy’s eyes grew wide. “You get the soup too?!”

Zoro gave a small huff of a laugh. “Yeah. Every day.”

They sat in silence for a beat. The waves rolled. The ship creaked gently.

Then—abruptly—Luffy leaned forward and kissed him.

Quick. Sudden. A little off-center. And horrendously bad.

Zoro choked on his own spit. “What the hell was that?!”

“A kiss!” Luffy beamed. “That’s what people do when they feel stuff, right?”

“Y-you can’t just—” Zoro started, then stopped. “That was awful.”

Luffy frowned. “Didn’t taste like soup either.”

Zoro sputtered. Then, slowly, laughed. A real laugh. The kind that shook his chest.

Luffy laughed too, wiping his mouth. “You looked so shocked! Like your face was trying to run away.”

“Because it was!”

They both collapsed backward, side by side, grinning like idiots.

The stars were just beginning to peek through the fading light. The sky overhead was open, wide, and full of quiet possibilities.

Luffy stared up and whispered, “I think I get it now.”

Zoro hummed. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. You’re like my sword-heart. Not in my brain. Not in my belly. Just kinda... always with me.”

Zoro looked at him, eyes soft. “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Thanks.”

They kept grinning.

And kept staring at the sky.

[euphoricdr3ams]

Untitled (4/?)

A simple game night turns into something deeper when Y/N loses more than just rounds of Smash Bros. With each defeat, the pressure of perfection, family wounds, and fear of being left behind start to unravel her. But Felix sees through it all — past the jokes, past the anger — and refuses to let her spiral alone.

genres: written, childhood friends to lovers, fluff, angst,unrequited love, senior year (highschool), felix and Y/N are aged up to 17, pre-debut,

Trigger Warning: Angst, Fluff, Smut, Protected Sex, Cursing, Underaged Drinking

Word count: 5,615

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

You set up Smash Bros next. Same old rules — loser takes a shot. Several rounds in, and it's loss after loss. Each one stings more than the last, a sick kind of symbolism that’s hitting a little too close right now. You take a deep breath, aware of Felix watching you quietly, sensing the way your sanity is starting to fray at the edges. But your frustration is peaking — not just with the game, but everything. Your mom. Your future. Your dad. The growing fear that Nana, Gramps, Hana, Faith, your friends — even Felix — might all leave you behind. Just like Kirby flying off-screen in sudden death. Gone. No warning.

It’s all too much. You want to be great, but your fingers aren’t syncing with your mind. You’re here, but you’re not.

And you snap.

You throw your controller and hits the wall with a loud, sharp crack.

“I can’t get anything right. Fuck—of course. The permanent disappointment.”

Felix freezes, wide-eyed. You’ve rage quit before — but this? This was different.

“We should take a break,” he says softly, putting down his controller and turning off the TV.

“No, it’s fine,” you say quickly. You footsteps are heavy as you go to pick up the Gamecube controller on the other side of the room. “It has to be fine. Let’s go again—”

“Y/N,” he interrupts, voice firmer this time. He grabs the controller out of your hands and puts it on the table. “Is that really what you want? Is that really how you feel about yourself?”

You freeze. Your jaw tightens as you struggle to come up with an answer. Truthfully, you don’t think much of yourself at all. Some days, you feel invisible. Other days, you’re convinced you’re too much — too loud, too lost, too messy to be loved the way you need. Today? You just feel like a failure. Ugly, unmotivated, disgusting. A mistake your father never really wanted.

Felix shifts closer.

“Be real with me,” he says, scooting closer. “I know you like to be perfect for everyone. But it’s me. I don’t need you to be perfect. I need you to be you.”

His hand finds yours, thumb tracing soft, steady circles. You don’t even realize how hard you’ve been gripping him until the ache in your fingers sets in. Slowly, the tension in your body begins to release. Your shoulders drop. Your breath evens out.

The shame spiral fades — but in its place comes something quieter. Heavier.

Emptiness.

And something inside you finally breaks.

Maybe it’s the dim lighting. Maybe it’s the drinks. Or maybe it’s just him — the quiet steadiness of him.

Your eyes burn. Tears swell.

“We don’t have time for this,” you whisper, voice cracking. “We won’t have many nights like this anymore. I don’t want all our memories to be about whatever’s falling apart in my life again. So yeah — let’s just have fun.”

But Felix doesn’t move away.

“We won’t have many nights like this anymore,” he says, his voice barely above a whisper, “where we can be completely open... and trust that the other person actually sees us. Cares without some ulterior motive.”

He squeezes your hand gently.

“I’m leaning into this. Because this? This is precious to me.”

You let the single tear fall.

“I… I’m okay. I promise. Just—today was rough,” you say, trying to hold your breath steady. “You’d think I’d stop expecting something different, but it’s always the same. Every time.”

Felix’s voice cuts through the room like a knife. “What did he say?”

There’s a disgust in his tone that makes your head lift slightly, startled—but not surprised. He already knew.

Of course he did.

Felix had never liked your dad. Not since he bailed on your art show right after your mom passed. Not since he remarried and acted like you were just an awkward footnote in his shiny new family.

Felix never understood why you still cared. Why did you keep trying? Why did you hold out hope that one day, maybe, he'd look at you and see someone worth rooting for.

But he never said much. He held his tongue. For you.

Because he knew that, no matter how broken the man left you feeling, his approval still meant something. Still hurt to go without.

Still mattered.

Felix exhaled, his jaw tense, like he was chewing on the rage behind his teeth. “You know,” he said, quieter now, “you remind me of Jasmine sometimes. From Aladdin.”

You blink at him, confused.

“Because one day,” he continues, “I know you’re gonna look that man in the eye and tell him exactly what he deserves to hear. And when you do? It’s gonna be legendary.”

“I actually have a picture of me and Mom meeting her,” you say softly, your voice thick with the weight of memory. “I wish I could go back. I miss her so much.”

Felix doesn’t respond with words — just inches closer and pulls you into his arms.

His hug is quiet but solid. Grounding. You don’t try to fight it. You just let yourself fall into the stillness. Curled up with him on the couch, the world finally goes quiet. So does your mind.

He plays with your curls — the ones he’s always loved. He wished your wore them out more often — and traces soft lines up and down your arms.

For a moment, nothing exists except the sound of your quiet crying and the unspoken truth sitting heavy in the room.

“I know,” he says gently. “It must’ve been awful. Him being so dismissive of something that was literally made for her. I’m sorry. You deserved better than that. You always will. And no matter what happens—” he hesitates, “I’m not going to leave you.”

“I know,” you whisper. Then, with a watery laugh: “That’s why I didn’t wanna cry, but you did this to me.”

He pulls back just enough to meet your eyes, lips twitching at your joke. “Yeah, well. You needed to cry. You can’t keep carrying all this on your own.”

The warmth in his gaze, the closeness of his hand still resting on your back, the soft lighting — everything about this moment feels fragile and fleeting. Like something borrowed from a dream.

So you take the leap.

You lean in, your lips brushing against his, unsure if it’s the comfort, the pain, the alcohol, or just you — finally wanting something for yourself.

Felix doesn’t hesitate. He kisses you back like it’s the only thing that makes sense in the chaos of the moment. Like he’s been waiting.

And for a second, it’s easy to forget everything else.

“Sorry,” you chuckle, brushing your fingers under your eyes. “That was random.”

Felix lets out a soft laugh, but there's something tender in his eyes — something a little sad. He wishes you hadn’t pulled away from the weight of the moment, but he gets it. You’ve always had a habit of diversion. 

“I actually got you something today,” you say quickly, standing up and fumbling with your phone to put some music on the speakers — something easy, something nostalgic.

He tilts his head. “What? You got me something?”

You disappear for a moment and come back with a small box  in your hand. You sit beside him again and carefully place the compass in his palm.

“It’s a compass,” you explain. “And on the back… it has our names, and the coordinates of the game club where we first met.”

Felix’s fingers run over the engraving, his jaw tight. You watch his face shift — the quiet recognition in his eyes, the weight of everything left unsaid crashing into the present.

He doesn’t say anything at first.

You almost speak again, try to fill the silence, but he finally breathes out, voice a little shaky, “This is… this is probably the nicest thing anyone’s ever given me.”

He pulls you into a hug — tight, warm, a little desperate — like he wants to press pause on time.

When he pulls back, he holds your hands in his, thumbs brushing lightly over your knuckles. “I’m serious,” he says, looking straight at you. “I’ll hold onto this forever. And I want you to know… I know a lot’s going to change soon, but I’m not going to leave you behind. I care about you, Y/N. So much.”

Your smile softens, and without even thinking, you lift your pinky and tap his hand twice — the little hand sign you both made back on the playground, years ago, when you promised you’d never stop being friends no matter what.

Felix swallows hard, a flicker of something else in his eyes — like he wants to say more. But he doesn’t.

Instead, he whispers, “You always know how to make me feel like I’m home.”

And silently, he’s screaming at himself for not being brave enough to tell you the truth.

You both switch into your PJs, laughing and joking as you finish your third bottle of soju. Somewhere between the laughter and the warmth of the room, you start to reflect — on Hana’s words, on Felix’s presence, on how he’s always been there. Safe. Supportive. A quiet constant in your life. You’re only just beginning to realize how much that means to you.

Felix slips the compass into his bag while you keep the energy light. Something about getting those feelings out earlier seems to have shifted something. Now you’re giggling over UNO, working through your fourth bottle of soju, and everything feels easy again. Comforting.

Felix can feel the change too. He notices how your once-frozen demeanor has melted into soft laughter, lit up by the spark in his own eyes. It’s all so simple, and the words you said earlier — “we don’t have many more nights like this” — echo in his head. He takes a deep breath, trying to keep his composure, knowing the next move will end the game. He doesn’t want any of this to end.

You see the draw four card staring back at you. You stick your tongue out and laugh wickedly.

“What?” Felix furrows his brow.

“You see the cards. Pick up the four.” You smirk, already feeling your win coming.

Felix sticks his tongue back out at you, getting ready for his fake victory lap — only for his face to drop as you slam your own draw four on top of his.

“Pick up eight,” you cackle, full-on belly laughing until tears roll down your face.

“I don’t wanna play anymore,” Felix groans, but he’s laughing too. Your chest hurts from how hard you’re laughing. You stumble up and walk toward the room, only to see a text from Faith:

Bestiiiieeee: Hey are y’all coming rrrrrrrrr nahhhhh?

You call out, “Did you still wanna go to that party Faith is hosting?” Secretly hoping he says no.

While Felix usually lives for a good party — any chance to show off his social butterfly charm — he looks up and sees how at ease you are, curls perfectly resting, cheeks flushed from laughter, and the room so warm and familiar. He tosses logic aside and leans into the moment.

“Nah, I’m good. Unless you wanna go… but considering you’re, like, two steps from your room, I don’t think you’re heading in there to change into a backyard party outfit.”

“I mean, I could. We’re young, wild, and free.” You sway a little, tipsy. “Let’s not be boring!”

“It’s 45 degrees outside. And raining.”

“Oh, no. F*** that. I’m putting on my PJs.”

Felix laughs — full, easy laughter. He thought he’d have to convince you to stay in, but of course not. That’s why this works. That’s why you’re close. You know each other.

You grab your phone and reply to Faith:

Y/N: Heyyyy I'm gonna passss, Felix and I are hanging at Nana's for the night. I think he's gonna stayyyy???

Bestiiiieeee: o.000 ohhhhhhh ok. He’s been around a lot more. You sure there’s nothing going on?

Y/N: ewwwwww it’s Lix, don’t play like that

Bestiiiieeee: lmaooooo sureeee. Y’all be safe please 😉 I’ll call you sometime this weekend for the recap.

As you're changing, you can’t help but feel the rush creeping in—first from Faith’s not-so-subtle text, then from your own spiraling thoughts. It’s the same flutter you felt when Hana brought it up weeks ago. Felix is your friend. There's no reason to escalate things… but lately, things with him have felt so much more intense.

You wonder, Is there really ever a right moment? Or a right person? Maybe it’s just about the feeling. And right now, Felix feels like the right guy.

You slip on your nightshirt and shorts and walk back out to hand him the set of clothes he keeps over. Then you duck back into the hallway to give him a little privacy.

While he changes, Felix glances around your room—your real room—and takes in all the things that scream you. Your creativity is on display across every wall: photos, sketches, concert tickets, quotes you scribbled in the corner of a mirror. His eyes land on a picture of the two of you from two summers ago, laughing in the middle of some inside joke. It all feels warmer now. Different.

He tries to keep it together, but it’s getting harder. His feelings for you have been complicated for a while now—something about the way you trust him, how you move through the world together like it’s the most natural thing. Somewhere along the line, he realized he probably has a crush on you. And now, it’s a war in his head: should he say something, or keep pretending it’s nothing?

His thoughts are interrupted when you come back in, slightly tipsy, flopping dramatically onto the bed with a giggle. It’s all so cute. So fucking cute to him.

He slides under the sheets beside you, the air between you growing heavier.

Maybe it’s the drinks. Maybe it’s the silence. But instead of grabbing a pillow, you reach for Felix.

And he lets you.

Your body fits perfectly against his, like a puzzle you’ve both been quietly avoiding. He strokes your curls gently, carefully, like you might shatter if he touched too hard. His gaze lingers—on the crescent shape your eyes make when you laugh, the way your skin glows in the low light, how your lips look soft and impossibly kissable.

He tries to keep his eyes respectful, he really does—but then they drift lower.

The swell of your chest rises and falls, steady and slow. Not too much. Not too little. Just enough to fill his hand.

Or his mouth, a reckless voice whispers in his head.

Felix blinks, trying to shake the thought, but it lingers. Sticky. Dangerous.

The room feels too warm. The R&B music playing through the speaker pulls him back to the present, grounding him just enough to remember: You’re his friend. Not his girlfriend. No matter how blurry things have gotten. No matter how many stolen kisses you’ve shared when the alcohol makes everything feel softer, easier.

He inhales slowly. Tries to focus on the beat. The rhythm of your breath.

But it doesn’t help.

Because in the quiet, everything he’s trying to push down gets louder.

His fingers drift across your arm, careful and slow. And suddenly, something in you clicks. 

“Hey,” you say softly, “do you remember that convo we had the other day?”

He shifts gaze now fully on yours. “What convo?”

“The one about sex.”

Felix sits up slightly, more alert. “Yeah. Not exactly our usual topic, so… yeah, I remember.”

You study his face, the comfort of his presence, the familiar tension that’s grown too obvious to ignore. “Are you still down?”

He blinks. “When?”

You roll your eyes. He knows what you mean. He knows.

“Now.”

Felix swallows, hard. “Seriously?”

You nod, not breaking eye contact. “Yeah. I trust you more than I trust anyone else. And with everything you’ve been for me lately i am, I just… I want it to be with someone I care about deeply, you know?”

He stays quiet for a beat. Then—“Yeah,” he says softly. “I care about you so much. And if you’re okay with it… I want to show you that.”

“I am.”

You lean in, and your lips meet.

The kiss starts soft—sweet, careful, like a question. But this time, you don’t pull away. And this time, Felix doesn’t hold back.

You pause only for breath, eyes fluttering open just long enough to catch the flicker of something in his expression. Like wonder. Like hunger. And then he kisses you again, deeper this time, cupping your face like you might disappear if he lets go.

It builds slowly, deliberately, with every stroke of his thumb and graze of his lips. He’s studying you, adjusting, learning. The room feels warmer—your skin, flushed. His touch, reverent.

You think you open your mouth to take in air, but instead, a soft, involuntary moan slips out—so full, so unfiltered it surprises even you.

And that? That’s when Felix completely loses it. The last shred of self-control he was holding onto vanishes.

“Sorry—” you start, embarrassed.

“Don’t be,” he cuts in, voice low and wrecked. “That was so hot. Let me make you do it again.”

He kisses you again, and your hands find their way under his shirt. His skin is soft, warm, and firm beneath your fingertips—his “idol” body slowly coming in, carved and perfect. Your hands are everywhere at once, chasing sensation, craving closeness.

Your moans get louder, less controlled. Felix has one hand on your cheek, the other somehow slipping under your shirt. You don’t even know when it happened, but you don’t care. Not when he’s making you feel this good.

“Fuck,” you whimper as he begins to kiss your neck, lifting your shirt just enough to see your hardened nipples.

He takes one into his mouth, and your body arches. It’s heaven. He teases one side with his tongue, then circles to the other with slow, calculated movements. Gentle. No biting. Just pressure. Pleasure. He’s clearly done his research—and tonight, he’s praying it works.

Because all he wants to hear is you. Your sweet, broken moans.

He pauses just long enough to flash you a smug little smirk.

You roll your eyes. “What?”

“Nothing,” he shrugs playfully, grinning. “Just nice to know,I know how to make you feel good.”

There’s something about the way he says it. Something about this moment. It feels natural. Meant to be.

“You wanna keep going?” he asks, fingers now tugging lightly at the tie on your shorts. He leans close, whispering the words into your ear—and you can feel just how hard he is under his sweatpants.

A soft kiss lands on your neck, and you let out a breathy, “Yes.”

Felix doesn’t waste time. He undoes the drawstring of your shorts and slips his hand inside. His fingers slide through your slick warmth, and he groans.

“Fuck… you’re so wet.”

“Well,” you whisper, teasing, “whose fault is that?”

You want to keep playing the game—hold onto your cool—but he starts rubbing slow, purposeful circles on your clit, and it’s getting harder to keep up the boss-girl facade he’s already dismantling.

“Mine,” he mutters. “Keep going. I wanna drown in you right now.”

He increases the pressure just slightly, just enough to make your hips buck. You bite your lip, grasping for any sort of release from the overwhelming tension building inside you.

Every inch of you is buzzing, unraveling.

“Fuck. Oh my god.”

You pull his shirt down, needing him closer, needing him to kiss you again. He obliges, lips warm against yours, whispering sweet nothings into your ear.

“Can I push in now?”

“Please.”

Felix starts with just his index finger, watching your reaction closely. He's tipsy, but his focus is all on you. He doesn't want to mess this up. He knows how important this moment is.

He waits for any sign of discomfort, but instead, you let out a frustrated little moan. “More,” you whine. It's too gentle—it’s not enough.

He chuckles, amused. “No problem.”

At some point, your shorts have disappeared. You didn’t even feel him take them off. Now, he slips two fingers inside you, pumping them slowly. Your wetness is spilling over, coating his fingers, and he’s mesmerized. Your pussy is pulsing in front of him and he just stares, captivated.

It’s one thing to see it in porn. This? This is different. It’s real, and it’s beautiful.

“You sound so sexy,” he murmurs, eyes still fixed on you. “I just wanna see how you taste once. I know it’s gonna be so good.”

“Then don’t have me waiting, Yongbok. Fuck. Oh my god—”

He gives your clit one single, teasing kiss.

“MMMHMMM, God,” you cry out.

You taste like heaven, like sugar and sin, and now it’s all over. Felix goes in with his tongue, licking and sucking like he hasn’t eaten in days. You grab at his hair, pulling it back so you can see him. He’s worshipping you—your pussy, your moans, your body—and it’s so fucking hot you can barely breathe.

He pauses for just a moment, lifting his head for air.

“You okay down there?” you manage between your ragged breaths.

“I’m amazing. How are you?” he says smugly, using his fingers to spread you open again, going right back in like he’s got a mission to finish. And he does: making you cum on his tongue.

You thank the universe that no one else is home. The sounds you're making are downright obscene. But he doesn’t care. It’s perfect.

“Hmm? I didn’t get an answer,” he teases.

“Mhh… Memreurwurbw—”

“What was that?” He grins, still teasing.

“Miehreiheanfemfan—” you mumble again, before he slips his fingers back inside you, cutting your words off completely.

You're grinding down onto his hand, and the noises between your bodies are wet, sticky, loud. His tongue swirls just right, sucking your clit into his mouth at the exact angle that makes your toes curl. You feel your climax coming, fast and overwhelming. Your thighs start to shake.

He doesn’t stop. Not even for a second. And then—you break. Your back arches. Your moans are loud, unfiltered. You come undone completely, pulsing on his tongue, breath caught somewhere between a gasp and a cry.

When you look down at him, he’s got that same smug look again, eyes twinkling with pride.

He chuckles. “I don’t know what that sound was. Is that code for thank you?”

You shoot him a look, still breathless. “Lix… fuck you.”

You try to sound annoyed, but you’re laughing. You don’t want to admit it, but he did exactly what he set out to do.

You sit up slightly, reaching into the drawer beside you and pulling out the condoms Hana left behind. You shake your head with a tiny smile. Of course she knew.

He catches you grinning. “What?”

“Nothing. Just… she’s gonna be so smug.”

Your eyes drift to his sweatpants—and yeah, that’s definitely a tent. Your breath catches when you realize just how big he is. You let out a small, nervous laugh.

He raises an eyebrow. “What? Does my dick look weird?”

“No. I’m just shocked you’re that big.”

He laughs, pulling you closer. “I’m gonna take that as a compliment.”

You hand him the condom, but your fingers linger. Instead of giving it to him right away, you shift, leaning down slightly. You start to play with it in your hands, teasing, before gently wrapping your hand around him. He props himself up on his elbows, eyes fluttering shut as you start to stroke him.

And then—you take him into your mouth.

You gather some extra spit, let it drip, and go even deeper, humming around him.

“Ufrhugjmgri—fuck, babe—aihfiefm—”

Felix’s words are broken, scrambled. He knows he probably shouldn’t be calling you babe… but fuck it. This moment? It’s unreal. You, with that sharp mouth of yours, now using it for the exact opposite of arguing—giving him the kind of pleasure he’s only dreamed about.

His dick is throbbing, hard and alive, pulsing against your tongue. You can feel his heartbeat in it.

You pull back slightly, looking up at him. “Am I doing this right?”You’re nervous. His moans were softer than expected, more fragile than filthy, and you weren’t sure what that meant.

But he reaches out and cups your cheek, his cock still warm in your mouth. “Yes,” he breathes. “You’re doing so good.”

He gathers your curls in his hands, gently pulling them out of the way so he can see your face. “Keep going, babe.”

Something about the praise—his voice, his eyes, his touch—it sends a jolt of confidence through you. You suck him deeper, bobbing your head, working him with your tongue and lips. His moans are getting louder, more desperate. He’s not holding back anymore. They’re raw, animalistic—like he'd give you anything you asked for in this moment.

He grips the sheets with one hand, your hair with the other. His abs tense. His hips jerk slightly forward.

But then, just as he’s getting close, he pulls you off him, breathless. “I’m gonna cum if you keep that up any longer.”

You watch as he tears open the condom wrapper, sliding it down over his length with practiced hands. He climbs over you and gently adjusts your position, making sure you’re comfortable on the bed. A pillow under your head. A kiss on your lips. And then—his fingers again. Just to make sure you’re ready. He stretches you gently, watching you.

When he pulls his fingers out, he looks you dead in the eyes.

“You sure?”

“Yes.” No hesitation. No second-guessing.

Your body, your mind, your soul—everything wants him right now. And nothing's going to stop that.

He slips inside your wet folds, slowly. Your eyes widen. He’s… bigger than the dildo you tried once during a moment of curiosity. But thicker too. It’s a little uncomfortable at first, but his fingers are on your clit, rubbing slowly, easing you into it.

“Fuck—oh my god,” you gasp, clutching the bedsheets. Your moans break up your breath, and before you even realize it, he’s fully inside you.

“You okay?”

“Yes. Move.”

Felix starts with slow thrusts, watching your face for any sign of discomfort. But all he sees is how your body’s reacting—how wet you are, how your moans grow messier, louder, more desperate with every stroke. Your pussy tightens around him, clenching so sweetly he swears he might black out.

You’re sending him. Every little sound you make is burning into his brain. And you look unreal—so beautiful like this, taking him, wanting him.

“F-fuck yes,” he pants. He finds a rhythm that syncs with the beat of the song playing in the background, and it drives him insane.

“Please… more.” He smirks.

You’re slipping around him so easily, soaking the sheets beneath you. The headboard is knocking against the wall. You’re perfect. The way you take him is perfect.

“Shit,” he groans. “You’re so perfect. Tell me—how am I doing? Tell me how you want me. I’ll do anything for this body. I’ll do anything for you.”

“Deeper.”

He pushes in further, slowing his thrusts so you feel everything—every inch, every vein dragging against your walls.

“Like that?”

You try to respond, but it’s just a string of sounds, breathless and broken.

“Huh?” he teases, thrusting deeper. “Use your words. How do you want me to make you cum?”

“it’s so good. Shit.”

“Flip over. I’ll make it even better.”

Before you can process, he’s bent you over the mattress. Your ass in the air, hair gently adjusted by him using the mirror nearby. He slides back in and grabs your waist, thrusting so deep that all you can say is:

“Yes, please. Oh my god. More.”

He lifts your head so you’re looking at your reflection. “Look at yourself. It’s beautiful.” He kisses you again. “My perfect view.”

You can feel it building—your orgasm, rising fast. The music, the bed, the heat, all of it blurring together. That spot he keeps hitting? It’s going to push you over the edge any second now.

“Shit, I’m—” Your words crash into a moan.

Your ass is clapping against him, the bed creaking under the pressure. He could fuck you through the mattress and neither of you would care. The moment’s too hot. Too real.

He pulls out again, flips you onto your back, and stares into your eyes as he sinks back in. This time, his thrusts are fast, erratic—hungry.

“Lix” you gasp. “I think I’m gonna.”

Felix kisses you, shifts his angle just slightly—and that’s it. Your moan rips out of your throat, full of need, full of surrender.

“Fuck yeah, babe,” he groans. “Cum on my dick. I know you can.”

His fingers rub your clit while his lips kiss your neck, dragging you closer and closer.

“Shit—oh my god—”

You come harder than you ever have. Your body trembles, your voice catches, and for a second, nothing else exists.

He’s still moving, still inside you, whispering praises.

“Perfect. You’re so perfect. So wet. So cute. So fucking nasty.”

His thrusts get sloppy, his moans lower, drawn out. You’re touching him everywhere—his hair, his back, his chest—pulling him closer.

Then he grunts, his cock throbbing, and you feel the heat of his release pumping into the condom. He collapses gently against you, both of you breathless.

He pulls out slowly, and you glance at the condom, giggling. It's full.

“Wow.”

“Yeah… You okay?” he asks, eyes soft now.

You nod, still catching your breath. “Yeah. I’m amazing. That was… amazing. Thank you, Felix.”

He grins, brushing your hair from your face. “It was everything I’ve ever wanted. Thank you, Y/N.”

Felix kisses you and walks off to the bathroom. You follow not long after, taking your turn to clean up, still buzzing from the afterglow. When you step back into the room, he’s already back in his sweats, shirtless, hair a little messy from your hands. He’s looking at the starry light display on the ceiling, face soft and unreadable in the dim glow.

You glance around for your clothes.

“It’s here,” he says, quietly, holding up your shirt and shorts.

You chuckle, padding over to him. “Thanks.”

You dress in silence, but it’s not awkward. Just... full. Heavy with something neither of you are quite ready to name. You crawl into bed beside him, both of you lying on your backs now, watching the stars dance across the ceiling. The silence feels sacred. Safe.

“It’s two a.m.,” you murmur. “We should sleep.”

“Yeah,” he says. But he doesn’t close his eyes.

A few beats pass, and then, “Y/N, I won’t ever leave you. Thank you. You mean everything to me.”

You turn toward him, your heart expanding all at once. You smile, a sleepy, emotional sort of grin.

“I know... and thanks. It was perfect. I’m so glad it was you.”

Felix leans over to kiss you — slow, gentle, a promise he can’t put into words. And as he pulls back, his eyes linger on yours like he’s trying to memorize this version of you: soft and safe, curled into his side like it’s where you belong.

At the edge of his tongue is the confession he’s been holding in for weeks. The truth that could shift everything between you.

But it stays there, stuck, buried behind fear and the countdown he can’t ignore. He glances at the clock again. The date. Only two months left until he has to leave. 

His chest tightens.

What if this is the best it ever gets?

What if saying it makes it real—and makes it end?

So instead, he kisses the top of your head. Pretends the ache in his throat is just from being tired. He tells himself this is enough. That even if this doesn't turn into something more, he’ll always have this night. This feeling. You.

You, tangled in his sheets with the galaxy reflecting off your skin.

You, whispering “I’m so glad it was you” like he’s more than just a person in your story—you’re glad it was him.

And you — you’re lying there with the happiest ache in your chest, tracing little shapes on his stomach with your fingers. Your heart feels too full to hold. You don’t even know what you’re holding onto so tightly, but you’ve never felt more wanted. More safe. More understood.

For once, you don’t need to overthink anything.

You just let yourself exist in it. In him.

You don’t know what will happen tomorrow. But right now, the boy beside you is everything, and your last thought before sleep is simple.

______________________________________________________

Author's Note: Lol i hope y'all like <3, Please let me know what u think

[stars-and-the-min]

☆ the wrong way to hard launch (12) | OP81

summary : oscar's girlfriend is a walking pr problem for literally everyone (including herself) social media au

pairing : oscar piastri x zhou!fem!singer!oc

a/n from miami, USA to sofia, bulgaria

bro miami gp was WILD i can't believe i slept thru it 😭

masterlist | last part | part 12 | next part

TWITTER

pookie piastri @op81ln4 · 2h landoscar sitting so far apart from each other at the same miami heat game is incredibly funny to me ↳ pookie piastri @op81ln4 · 2h do they even talk 😭 do you think they knew the other was going?

oscalina real ?! @ emptyginbottles · 36m oscar sighting today vs lina sighting today

↳ oscalina real ?! @ emptyginbottles · 1h its like 25 degrees in miami and 10 degrees in sofia

INSTAGRAM

aidan_ebass Sofia, Bulgaria

liked by cameliazzz and 231,029 others

aidan_ebass a love letter to sofia tagged: cameliazzz and selinabui

lottie2418 EXCUSE ME SIR THAT LAST PHOTO???

2cami4lina aid posts once in a blue moon and it's always wild like who even took that photo

emptybottlos why are they whoring out aidan, gramps blink twice if ur being held at gunpoint ↳ aidan_ebass @emptybottlos 😐😑😐😑😐

TWITTER

EB Updates @emptybottles_news · 4h 🗨️| hey guys, recently a lot of my posts have been flooded with a bunch of lina hate. this is insanely unwarranted, if you don't like empty bottles or ANY of the members, please do not interact with my account. it's really disheartening to see so many people insult this incredibly hard-working woman that such a huge fanbase, including myself, adore and claiming to speak on behalf of her bandmates, friends and even boyfriend is absolutely vile. ↳ emme @flowersforcami · 4h admin i fear it's time to spam block bc i'm getting sick of it as well ↳ liv is SEEING EB LIVE!! @olivielina · 3h alright, start throwing hands. any tongue that rises against selina bui shall fall, we ride at dawn

kayla @luna_apocolypse · 27m i am begging BEGGING that the european leg isn't completely FUCKED by the hate train like PLS LINA return to giving no shits and flirt all you want ↳ pookie piastri @op81ln4 · 12m well like... maybe let's not overdo the flirting

INSTAGRAM

mclaren Hard Rock Stadium

liked by landonorris and 54,205 others

mclaren A little look into OP81's Miami media day shenanigans 👀 tagged: oscarpiastri

eb_jonno your joking we just got rid of the nfl guy ↳ oscarpiastri @eb_jonno My skills would never get me to the NFL so I think you're safe

pastry81 lina pls save this man and his wardrobe, go girl give us nothing

TWITTER

camilina gfs fr @ drummergf · 2h literally all of ebtwt waiting with bated breath over sofia n1 😭 ↳ camilina gfs fr @ drummergf · 2h i'm a camilina truther but if i do not see lukas remove selina's gloves on a grainy livestream I WILL CRY

kay ♡ @ blackcatluna · 1h THEY DID IT OH MY GOD THEY DID THE GLOVE MOVE I'M INCONSOLABLE ↳ kay ♡ @ blackcatluna · 1h @luna_apocolypse SLEEP WELL TWINSIE THOSE BITCHES ARE BACK TO BEING DERANGED ON STAGE

lina bui x2 grammy winner @urdaisea · 1h we must look so unhinged to locals, we look like a bunch of victorian ladies screaming over a guy removing a pair of gloves i can't- ↳ lina bui x2 grammy winner @urdaisea · 1h YES IT'S MASSIVE AND I'VE NEVER BEEN GLADER TO SEE THE RETURN OF THIS MOVE BUT HOLY SHIT WE'RE DYING OVER TWO BESTIES FAKE FLIRT

lukas 🔛🔝 @lukiepookie28 · 53m HE KISSED HER HAND OH WE'RE SO BACK LUKAS ZHANG YOU LITTLE FLIRT EFNSDJCNSDI

opal @pxastrixxx · 21m i've said it before and i'll say it again; you do not treat friends like that ↳ piaa⁸¹ @ papayaeightyone · 16m do you genuinely not know what a performance is?

EB Updates @emptybottles_news · 3m Empty Bottles played Sofia (originally sung by @ clairo) as their audience selection song during the encore! ↳ amie <3 @mieflrs · 2m oh they understood the assignment this is EXACTLY the shit they should be getting lina to sing

MESSAGES

from the phone of oscar piastri

INSTAGRAM

emptybottles_official Arena Sofia

liked by chrisyamada and 328,375 others

emptybottles_official First stop of the European leg done and dusted! Sofia, you guys were a dream, we hope you had fun with us these past two nights ❤️

cami.png when the weather's so cold lina debuts a new minidress with sleeves 😭

eb_jonno why are you doing me dirty, i thought we were friends ↳ emptybottles_official @eb_jonno You signed off on this photo ↳ eb_jonno @emptybottles_official can i... change my mind?

mrslukaszhang they all look so good it's criminal

sofia.michaels good day to be named sofia 🥰

oscarpiastri Hard Rock Stadium

liked by quadlock and 209,486 others

oscarpiastri P6² in Miami

pi4str1 oscar, sweetie, i don't think that's how math works

opeightyone That gorgeous gorgeous helmet 😍

lukaszhang best of luck for the race tomorrow mate ↳ oscarpiastri @lukaszhang Thanks man

TWITTER

pookie piastri @op81ln4 · 2h WTF DID OSCAR HAVE THIS MORNING HOLY SHIT, THAT WAS SPECTACULAR

McLaren @ McLarenF1 · 2h OSCAR. JACK. PIASTRI!!!

piaa⁸¹ @ papayaeightyone · 1h carlos sainz when i get my hands on you...

oscalina real ?! @ emptyginbottles · 17m OH MY GOD OH MY GOD LANDO WIN???? LANDO NORRIS WINS???? ↳ 🕯️manifesting EB3 🕯️@ linabelles · 8m rip 'lando nowins', u were one of the funniest nicknames of the sport

clovie @ luvyouvie · 20m oscar p13, u were robbed my son, that was straight-up highway robbery

MESSAGES

from the phone of oscar piastri

✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:

taglist @ririyulife @ashy-kit @fionaschicken @namgification @cherry-piee @urfavsgf @eiaaasamantha @sp1rl @destinyg237

[happypotato48]

Century of Love EP 9 Unhinged Tangent Thoughts

Last stretch baby, let's see how this show will end. I'm hoping for a devastating heartshattering ending cause i'm a masochist whose really like to see my blorbos in pains :3

Go cry in a river bitch!

Don't hurt my baby he's already had to deal with That fujoshi goddess nonsense, he shouldn't have to deal with soap oprera henchmen too.

What a gentleman. she suck but she definitely doesn't deserve to get moider by these generic lakorn bad guys.

You go girl! and by go i mean go as far away as you can. you came, you serverd and now it's time to take a bow off the stage hun.

Bye bitches you both were generic AF.

YOLO. dying for good dicks is somewhat a good kind of death imo.

"Phi San promise me that you'll be happy without me." This! this is what i wanted. time only move in direction and i'm glad that Wee get to be the embodiment of that. this line gonna fuck me up for a little while.

Yeah you do, doesn't mean it make this any less sad.

Horny till the end, respect bruh. i mean gramp.

*cry in gay joy jealousy* look look look, i think i'm going to be extra emotional for sometime since you know what passed with gay proposal scenes in thai media.

Yeah that's not gonna happen with how pretty and a hunk Wee is.

Girl i get it sometime sad gay shits are best for us sad queers.

They're so pretty, wahhhhhhhh!.

I loved that their parting words were lottery related cause that was like one of the most common things poor thai people love to talks to each other. speaking from my own experience.

That's my man! scold that grandpa. Wee's heart gonna break either way not letting him getting through it with you is kinda not good old man.

The ways we express our love to people we care about is in a way a long goodbye in the making. cause parting ways is inevitable.

Okie dokie there is a small chance that this show will not have a happy ending but i'm a sick fuck who love sad gay shits, so i'm praying for some heart wrenching ending tomorrow.

[fivequartersoftheorange]

___________________

I found the album one sweltering afternoon in mid-summer, a month since we’d laid Gramps to rest. Rummaging through the dusty boxes and stacks of back copies of society magazines, I stubbed my toe on the trunk where it was kept, old and battered, sat in a dark corner of the attic.

I took the album, dusted it off, and sat down on a nearby stool. The cover was made of leather, cracked through with age and neatly labeled 1953-1954 in faded gold lettering. I flipped through the pages so yellowed with age, dust motes swirl in front of me as I make sense of what I’m looking at.

It was pictures of Gramps as a younger man. We knew that he was a film star back in the day, and that he was quite famous too, a real matinée idol. It seemed impossible to me then that he had a whole other life for he was always just Gramps; he seemed to always be humming and dancing, constantly moving or cooking up a storm in the kitchen.

Gramps was like magic and fairy dust, his warmth and gentleness touched anyone he came across. He was the grandfather who was up for anything, never raised his voice and talked to you like a grown-up. He was wise and funny and always pushed you to be a better version of yourself. Many a time I spent in Gramps kitchen, listening to him tell stories of film sets and the soaring lives of Hollywood’s finest.

My greatest regret was not asking him about his life when I had the chance. For no one bothered to, he was always just there, woven into the fabric of our lives. None of us really knew anything about him and the questions that had always lingered in the back of my mind resurfaced.

There were other things in the album, ticket stubs and dried flowers and a million other keepsakes. But what seemed to feature most prominently was a young man who looked to be about the same age as Gramps. He had a shy smile and a tentative look in his eyes. He was very handsome.

It seemed that he was also an actor and that at one point worked on a film with Gramps. There was a photograph of a cluster of smiling people and at the very center was the shy handsome man. His gummy smile was breathtaking but he was looking at someone or something out of frame.

As I looked through the rest of the album, a thick packet of letters fell to the floor. They were tied together by a faded red ribbon and at a glance I could see neat loopy script. I knew instinctively that these were all from the handsome man with the gummy smile.

My mind raced with a thousand questions and I burned with a longing to read them yet a sense of wrongness pervaded me. I would be intruding on my grandfather’s privacy. There was a secret buried here that much was true. For now I tuck the album under my arm and make my way downstairs.

___________________

Inspired by this post by @bigassbowlingballhead

I have absolutely no idea how I went from making a silly little edit to having an entire backstory to the silly little edit.

This also broke an almost 3 year streak of no writing. I don't think this is my best work, I'm rusty like an old bicycle but I'm quite surprised I managed to write something. So thanks for that Jon!

This is also by the way heavily inspired by a Danielle Steel novel I once read that I cannot remember the name of. In that story it featured a box, a locket and a packet of letters.

This is literally titled Hot Gramps on my laptop. You can click on the images to make it bigger.

Also did you know that the SAG was founded in 1933? And AFTRA was founded in 1952 but the two only merged in 2012. And that the first Emmy Awards were held in 1949?

[sparklygraves]

just got to the part where Marius becomes a lawyer I guess??

I just thought it was so funny how fast it went. to be fair, French is not my first language so I’m sure I missed some stuff, but for me it went like this:

Marius leaves his gramps cuz he loves Napoleon now

Courfeyrac is like hey I don’t really know you at all but wanna live with me?

Marius is like it’s ok man I’m gonna sell all my clothes

Courf is like uhhh what about maybe getting a job? do you have skills? know any english or german?

Marius does not have skills

but then! he does move in with Courf & there are all these law books lying around & Marius reads one & is like I guess I’m a lawyer now

& on the next page Marius gets his own place I think & Hugo is like oh ya um this all happened over like 3 years & I’m like ohhhh that makes more sense

[chaoscheebs]

It's Midnight, Cinderella, chapter 5

(Chapter 1) - (Chapter 2) - (Chapter 3) - (Chapter 4) - (Chapter 5) - (Fic Tag)

--------

Mokuba entered his brother’s office to said brother cackling evilly at his computer. Well, that’s a hell of a way to start the workday. “Does this mean you found the guy, big brother?”

Seto stood up, a manic gleam in his eyes. “Not yet, but I found the e-mail address of one of the women who was talking to the playboy the man came in with. If I can get his name from her, the rest should fall into place.”

“Just make sure to come up with a good excuse for e-mailing her; you don’t want to come across as a creep,” Mokuba warned.

Seto just waved him off. “Yes, yes, I know. I already have a plan for that.”

“Which is?”

“The man mentioned a game I’m assuming the playboy was responsible for, but I can’t remember the name of it,” Seto answered with a scowl, resenting the fact that he let himself be distracted by the man’s charms. Remembering the stupid game he mentioned probably would have saved days of searching. “I’m simply going to ask her about that and pretend I’m interested in learning more about it.”

Mokuba nodded. “Sounds reasonable, as long as she’s not hoping for a business deal with him.”

“From what I heard, they probably weren’t talking business when I saw them together; I’m willing to take the chance,” Seto said with a shrug. “Besides, most people know better than to try to compete against me anyway.”

“Mm-hm.” Mokuba, looking less than impressed, walked around to his brother’s side of the desk, and stole the chair his brother vacated earlier. “Move over; I’ll take care of the e-mail.”

Seto, however, refused to budge. “I can handle it; get out of my chair.”

Mokuba looked up at him and raised a single eyebrow. “Big brother, I love you, but you don’t know the first thing about charming information out of a woman.”

“And you do?”

“More than you; I am the cute brother here, after all,” Mokuba said, stubbornly reaching out for the keyboard and pulling it closer to him. “What’s her e-mail address?”

“The man at the party thought I was cute,” Seto said, one hand on the keyboard trying to drag it back towards himself, before he could stop the words from coming out of his mouth. He quickly realized his error and covered his mouth with his free hand, eyes darting away.

“He thinks you’re cute, huh?” Mokuba replied, grinning up at Seto. “Guess that means we really have to get this done with delicacy so we can get you reunited, then~”

Seto turned his back on Mokuba, hand still over his mouth, muffling his next words. “I said nothing, you heard nothing, nothing was said.”

“Sure, sure~” Mokuba said cheerily. “Anyway, her e-mail address?” Seto grumbled a bit, but eventually muttered a Kmail account address. “Thanks. Don’t worry, I’ll get the name from her, no problem, I promise!”

“Please do,” Seto said, finally regaining a bit of composure. “I want this entire debacle to draw to a close as soon as possible.”

“Because you want to see him again that badly, big brother~?”

Seto raised his hand to cover his face, the red tinge to his ears still visible. “Just send the damn e-mail, Mokuba.”

Mokuba kindly stopped teasing his brother there and got to work. It’s hard work, tightening the noose on the “mystery man”, but one way or another, it was going to end soon.

--------

The bell at the top of the game store door jingled. “Grandpa, I’m home!” Yugi announced, before doing a double-take and adding, “Jounouchi?!”

Both men in question were, in fact, out on the sales floor, the latter helping the former place things on one of the higher shelves.

“Ho ho, welcome home, Yugi!” his grandpa brightly greeted him.

“Hey, Yuug!” Jounouchi said, clapping his hands together to get dust off of them. “Yer gramps said he needed a lil’ extra help out today an’ I was free, so here I am!”

Yugi smiled. “Ah, OK! Thanks for helping out; we appreciate it.”

“’Ey, not prob, man! Just happy I was available,” Jounouchi said with a little half-salute.

“Oh, Yugi!” Yugi’s grandpa interrupted, slipping behind the register counter. He bent down to pull up what looked like an ordinary Amazon box, which he then set on the counter. “By the way, a box came in for you; why don’t you go take it upstairs?”

Yugi stared at the box, a chill running through him as he remembered the last time he got a surprise box. “… I didn’t order anything.”

He then felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “I got yer back if it’s anything weird again.”

Yugi placed his hand over Jounouchi’s. “Thanks, I appreciate it.”

Yugi’s grandpa just laughed at their worries. “Ho ho ho, I’m pretty sure it’s safe, boys; it just sounds like a bunch of plastic!” he said, shaking the box to make whatever plastic bits were in there rattle loud enough to hear.

“GRANDPA, NO!”

“YO, BE CAREFUL WIT’ DAT!”

Yugi and Jounouchi both shouted in sync and rushed to the counter, Jounouchi getting there first and snatching the package out of the old man’s hand. He passed it to Yugi and said, “How ‘bout we go open this upstairs?” He cast a look at Yugi’s grandpa and said, “Yer good for now, right? Don’t need anything else?”

Yugi’s grandpa shot Jounouchi a meaningful look back. “No, no, that should be everything for now. Go have fun, boys, ho ho ho~”

Yugi looked to his grandpa, then to Jounouchi, and back again, confused. Something was definitely up, but honestly, this worked out fine for him. It’d be harder to talk himself out of talking to someone this way, ultimately. “… sure, grandpa. Let’s go, Jounouchi.”

--------

Several moments and a little work with an open pair of scissors later…

“These are…”

“… infinity cubes?”

Jounouchi finished Yugi’s sentence stared at the contents of the open box. Well, at least it didn’t look to be anything dangerous, although they thought that about that tape too…

Yugi opened the plastic bag the toys were in, picked one up, and began to fiddle with it. “Now I know for sure this isn’t something I bought and forgot about; I always break these—” His hands stilled for a moment, sudden realization hitting him. He searched the box more thoroughly and under the bag was a packing slip with a note.

“’Break as many as you need to’? The heck?” Jounouchi read over Yugi’s shoulder. He then noticed Yugi’s hands began to shake, Yugi’s shoulders soon following suit as Yugi grit his teeth and crumpled the note, though by accident or on purpose was beyond Jounouchi.

“You…” Yugi hissed low like an angry alley cat. “You…” He balled up the already partly-crumpled slip of paper, drew his hand back like he was about to throw it, but stopped and started to lower his hand. He would have succeeded in doing so as well, has Jounouchi not grabbed his throwing arm.

“Dude, if throwin’ the thing’ll make ya feel better, throw the thing,” Jounouchi told him.

Slipping free of Jounouchi’s loose grasp, Yugi lowered his hand to chest level, looked down at the paper, and after a moment of thought, pulled back and hurled it across the room. “HOW DARE YOU?!” he yelled.

He grabbed one of the fidget toys out of the box and threw that too. “NOW YOU PAY ATTENTION TO ME?!?”

CLACK. Another cube hit the wall.

“AFTER ALL THIS TIME?!?”

CLACK.

“AFTER…! AFTER EVERYTHING…!!!”

A shrill screech of frustration, followed by another loud CLACK.

Shoulders heaving with each heavy breath, he glared at the small pile of junk opposite him until he collected himself.

“Feelin’ better?” Jounouchi asked.

“A little.” Yugi then dropped back onto the bed in a sitting position, then flopped over on his side, barely missing the open box sitting on it.

Jounouchi picked up the box and set it on Yugi’s desk, then pulled up a chair and sat down, facing Yugi. “Right, now that that’s outta the way, what’s up, Yuug? I ain’t seen ya that pissed off in a while.”

With a groan, Yugi rolled onto his back and pulled his pillow over his eyes. “It’s… a long story. A long, stupid, stupid story.”

“I got time.” Jounouchi leaned in closer. “For real, man, spill. Y’always bottle things up an’ it ain’t good for ya. Just let it out.”

Yugi gripped the pillow tighter and let out a long, low, unhappy groan. “… all right…” he finally says, “but it really is really, really stupid.” He hesitated a moment longer, heaved a sigh, and slowly rose into a sitting position, setting the pillow back in its place behind him afterward. “… OK, so, I think I told you about that fancy masquerade party thing Otogi invited me to, right?”

“Yeah, I remember.”

“Well… I met someone while I was there,” Yugi said. “Or should I say, I met someone I already knew who didn’t recognize me? Which I’m honestly still pretty pissed off about? Like how could he not--” He reached for the box of fidget toys, forgetting the box had been moved already. Realizing his mistake, he withdrew his hand, drawing it to his chest and looking down as he clenched it into a fist.

“Yeah, I can tell,” Jounouchi replied, offering him one of the cubes.

Yugi took the cube, looked at it for a moment, and decided to busy himself folding it in on itself over and over. “Anyway, he approached me first, and it was really clear he didn’t recognize me at all, so I thought, hey, let’s see how long it’ll take for him to notice? Just a little harmless fun, y’know?”

“And he didn’t notice.”

Yugi practically leapt off the bed and slammed his hands down on his desk. “He didn’t notice AT ALL! Even after I dropped major hints! I even mentioned wanting to beat someone with a dragon-focused deck and NOTHING!”

Jounouchi blinked twice, then scowled as the realization hit. “This is totally about Kaiba, ain’t it? Y’need me to sock him in the face for ya?”

“Wha—NO!” Yugi backpedalled, waving his hands in front of himself. “This isn’t—this isn’t a ‘need to punch him’ situation! He didn’t even do anything other than be oblivious! I was the one who—uh…” Yugi faltered, balling his hands into fists as the memories washed over him again. “I was the one who really fucked up here, so don’t be mad at him for this, OK? I… let things go too far, and I know it.”

Jounouchi tensed, his eyes narrowing. “Exactly how did you ‘let things go to far’?”

Yugi sat back down on the bed, slouching sadly forward. “I… So, I told you he didn’t recognize me at all, right? So I, well, kinda took the opportunity to, uh, flirt a little? It was kinda cute to see him that oblivious and all.”

“Not the word I’d use t’describe Kaiba, but go on.”

Yugi sighed. This is why he didn’t want to talk about this with Jounouchi.. “Anyway, somehow, it led to a card game, which I really should have figured was his way of flirting back, and, well…" He stopped to take a deep breath. “Well, he said if I could pull together a deck that could actually challenge him on the fly like that, I stand a chance at defeating my ‘mystery rival’. Which… was really nice to hear? So I sort of kissed him on the cheek for that.”

“An’ he got mad about that?”

Yugi averted his eyes. “… he did not. In fact, uh, he kind of kissed me? And, uh… well…”

Jounouchi leaned forward in his seat, elbows digging into his legs and his hands folded horizontally, blocking view of his mouth. “Yuug. Buddy. Bro. Pal. Please tell me this ain’t leadin’ to what I’m thinkin’ it’s leadin’ to.”

“OK, I won’t.”

They sat in silence for a while after that, Jounouchi unmoving and unblinking as Yugi, still refusing to meet his friend’s eyes and getting increasingly red in the face. In the end, however, Yugi caved first. “I mean, look, he was like the fantasy for years, OK?! I know I should’ve said something, but, well…!” He hesitated, hands gesturing wordlessly in the air. “It was… nice to be wanted and acknowledged for once. Once he started getting handsy, that was it, it was over, brain dot exe has crashed, dick dot exe is now running.”

That actually got a snicker out of Jounouchi. “His nerd shit is rubbin’ off on you, Yuug.”

“More like rushing coding in the middle of the night to get out short games out for game jams is a bad influence on me.” Yugi sighed, then picked up the blue mask off the headboard of his bed, twiddling it back and forth in between his fingers. “But anyway, now I have no idea how to even talk to him about this, or if I even should, y’know?”

Jounouchi raised an eyebrow. “Y’didn’t talk to him that night?” Yugi remained silent, the mask in his hand suddenly seeming really interesting to him. “Yuug. Please tell me you didn’t hit it an’ quit it with Kaiba.”

“… more like I hit it, then fled like a scared rabbit in the middle of the night once I was sure he was asleep. Also, I’m pretty sure he still doesn’t know it was me.”

They sat in silence for a moment again, Yugi visibly sweating as he raised the mask just high enough to cover half his face. “You’re totally gonna die, y’know that, right? It’s gonna be Death-T 2.0: Revengeance if you don’t do somethin’ here,” Jounouchi said, not waiting for Yugi to continue this time.

Yugi slumped forward, his hand dropping in the same motion. “I know, I know, but how am I even supposed to bring his up to him? Or should I even bring it up? It’s not like he’s actively looking for me, right?”

"Maybe he ain’t,” Jounouchi said, “but even if he ain’t, the longer you don’t say nothin’, the madder he’s gonna be when he does find out. An’ he probably will; you know your luck, man.”

Yugi winced. “Ugh, you’re probably right.” He took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and let it out. “… I’ll talk to him tomorrow, and hopefully I’ll still, y’know, have a job afterward?”

“I mean, you could always take over the game shop, man,” Jounouchi said, shrugging.

With a dead, distant stare, Yugi replied in something that was not quite a hiss, but not quite a whisper, “I am not taking over the game shop; I have already done my time in retail hell.”

Jounouchi recoiled like he took psychic damage from that. “It’s kinda terrifyin’ when you talk like that, bro.”

“A life working retail forever is terrifying,” Yugi countered.

“All the more reason t’get this straightened out an’ fast, then.” Jounouchi ran a hand through his hair, then shook his head. “Seriously, bro, you’re already a trouble magnet, and now you’re dickin’ down the damn trouble. You got any sort of plan of attack for this?”

“Uuuuuuh… Word vomit an apology and pray it works?”

“Yugi…”

Yugi threw his hands up in the air in surrender. “I’ve been trying to think of something better! Just nothing sounds good after I write it down or try to rehearse something!” He dragged a hand down his face. “I just… you know I’m not good with people…”

“Yer better than you think you are; you just overthink things too much,” Jounouchi said. “C’mon, we’ll figure somethin’ out together, OK? I’ll be yer soundin’ board!”

Yugi weakly laughed. “… Yeah, we’ll figure it out together. Thanks, Jounouchi. I know this can’t be easy for you, because of who’s involved…”

“Can’t say I’m a fan a’ that jerk, yeah, but you’re the important thing here, y’know?” He held his fist out to Yugi, waiting for a bump back. “We got this.”

Yugi completed the fist bump. “Ha… Yeah, we got this.”

--------

Unfortunately, as time would soon tell, they did not, in fact, have this.

[its-hai-time]

Apollo Justice 2 AU dialogue

For three years now I've had dialogue moments from the "game" written out in my notes app and I've never shared them. I planned to draw them eventually but I'm horrifically inconsistent so it never happened lol.

Here they are!

(Case AJ2-2, in the defense lobby before the first trial)

???: Excuse me,

Apollo: Ack! (TALL)

???: I presume you're the one they call Justice?

A: Ah! Justice! Um, yep that's me! (She's glaring so intensely, my palms are clamming up already)

Destiny: So then you're the rat I'd heard word of on my crime scene. I'm Prosecutor Atlas, your opponent today.

A: (Rat!??)

Trucy: I think I can see your tail, Apollo!

(more under the cut)

(Case AJ2-3, day 2 of investigation)

Apollo: So you're.... Married to Prosecutor Atlas?

London: Yep!

A: But you're still her personal assistant?

L: Ah! There's no weird motive behind it!

L: We met right before we started.... Working together. When we started dating she didn't want me to lose my job, so we agreed to keep it professional.

A: Couldn't that have gone horribly wrong?!

L: Haha... Yeah, I guess it could have. But spending every day at her side is more than I could have ever asked for.

Phoenix: That's.... Wonderful.....

A: (Mr. Wright looks weird.... wait, are those tears in his eyes?!)

(Case AJ2-3, first investigation, forensics mini-game)

Phoenix: Oh, this feels familiar.

Ema: Feels like the good old days, doesn't it, old guy?

P: Oh come on, I'm not old yet!

E: Yeah yeah, keep telling yourself that, Gramps.

Apollo: (I really wish they wouldn't banter while I'm trying to focus.)

(Case AJ2-3, Right after the end of the TL comic, Klavier has just accepted Apollo's offer to defend him)

Phoenix: You're doing good, Apollo.

Apollo: Mr. Wright?

P: I've been doing a lot of hiding. Should have known you'd know exactly how to drag the truth out of me.

P: You've been a real good sport through all of this.

A: What do you mean?

P: After my... Memorable first impression, I expected you to abandon ship. Run away from my nonsense, from the card.

A: (The card.... He's talking about the forged evidence from my very first trial..... I didn't think he still thought about that moment.)

P: I guess..... I wanted to say thanks.

A: .....With all due respect, sir, where is this coming from?

P: Ah....... I guess this case is just making me sappy.

A: (I guess his talk with Prosecutor Gavin earlier got him thinking about the past...)

(Case AJ2-4, directly after the murder attempt on Trucy. They're in the hospital while she lays on the bed unconscious.)

Phoenix (at her bedside, facing away from Apollo): Trucy.... I never got to give her a stable life to grow up in...

P: I think she could tell I didn't know what to do. But I just kept bluffing. I guess that's all I've ever been good at.

Apollo: Mr. Wright.... Trucy's going to be okay...... She has to be.

P: ..........

P: I know she will be. She's a strong girl.

A: (there's a familiar feeling gripping my wrist...)

A: *sigh* Mr. Wright, you should stay with Trucy. Look after her.

P: !

P: But what about your investigation?

A: I can manage by myself. I know my way around a crime scene by now.

P: ...... Thanks, Apollo.

A: Right, I'll get down to investigating. Tell me if her condition changes.

P: Will do. Good luck.

>move

>hospital hallway

A: *big frustrated sigh*

???: Forgive me for overhearing-

A: Wha-

A: Prosecutor Gavin?!

Klavier: You need help in the investigation, ja?

A: ...What?

K: I want to help you.

A: (What????)

A: Gavin, what brought this on? Why are you here?

K: I was in the crowd for the whole event. I wanted to see how the fraulein was doing.

A: And now you want to help... Me?

K: Fraulein Atlas has already taken the case. I assure you, Forehead, I really do wish to help.

A: But I-

K: You would have been investigating alone this time around, no? It never hurts to have an extra pair of eyes, and you would know mine are quite sharp.

A: I guess but-

K: Perfect! I can drive us back.

A: (Something tells me he isn't going to take no for an answer.)

A: Alright, Gavin. Let's go then.

K: Ah, I was hoping you'd say that!

[britt-kageryuu]

It's a beautiful afternoon, and Leo is replaying Luigi's Mansion 3.

Leo still had on his astronaut unicorn shirt, black pants, and bandana, though he switched the shoes for unicorn slippers. His model was lounging on a big blue beanbag chair on a virtual set that looked like his train car. River is laying near his head.

"So I don't really remember much past some beginning parts, except I hated some of the later parts when trying to get the Elevator Buttons. I think I broke a controller, or maybe just the buttons." Leo says as he maneuvers Luigi to the next objective, "Like where you had to guess which ghost dancer had the button, with the slightest difference in appearance."

A swimming turtle animation goes across the screen as River reads the message attached, "Hey Blue, did you guys have a great Halloween, and Dia de Los Muertos? Did you do anything special?"

Leo thought it over for a second, "Well for Halloween Red went with Star and her brother Trick-or-treating, Dee played Left 4 Dead with some Co-Workers,then they went out for candy. Meanwhile, Mandarin and I cooked up some dishes and treats for the Offrenda." Leo was preening, apparently he did a good job on the food.

"Though we technically honor our ancestors, we really only put the thing that specific ones liked. Great Great Gram-Gram, Gramma, Gramps, and some of the less annoying relatives." Leo looks over his shoulder at something, "You know why we don't honor you! Remember why Pops jumped to America once he reacted adulthood!!"

Leo readjusts his sitting position, and moved Luigi to a different floor.

"We also stopped into our favorite Run of the Mill restaurant to grab their famous Pizza. Because what is Halloween without good pizza? They were packed, but Mandarin was already told he couldn't stay to help by the Boss Man."

Leo stopped talking to focus on some ghosts that were blocking his way to the next button. "HOLD STILL AND LET ME VACUUM YOU!!!"

"Anywhizzle, Pops had an interesting time helping with trick-or-treaters, old man doesn't go out much anymore, but he does love helping our family friends. We don't really have a traditional home that's easy to get to, so he went to help out April's family."

"On a very different note. Why in the world are so many male ictional characters for myths, so Stupidly Hot!?" Leo suddenly says a bit loudly while looking to the side, and with a wide smile, "Like seriously. I was looking at the art for this series, and hoo boy, why're most of the guys way to Hot for being a fictional person!!"

The audience was very confused on why Leo seemed to be trying to annoy someone off screen, but no one wanted to ask why.

Though it was interesting when Leo started naming different fictional guys.

"I mean, I don't know about you but why do they draw Son Wukong soooooo-" He gets cut off by something hitting his head. Leo glares toward where the item came from.

"Dishonor! Dishonor to the disgraceful ancestors!!" He shouts off screen.

Leo goes back to the games, and continues to talk about fictional characters he had had crushes on. He added that his Boyfriend knows about this, told Leo his own fictional crushes and they traded stories of why they had them.

The audience and chat ask for some of these stories, because why wouldn't they want to know these stories.

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

Masterpost

Technically a follow up of my last Leo Post.

[jujumin-translates]

Misumi Ikaruga | [SSR] Soaring Paper Airplanes | An Important Triangle And A Paper Airplane - Part 3

Misumi: Uueg…

Misumi: (Mother… Madoka… I’m sorry…)

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Misumi: (...?)

Misumi: Nnm…

Misumi: (What’s going on… why is everything so warm and fuzzy?)

Hakkaku: --You’re awake, Misumi.

Misumi: Gramps…?

Hakkaku: When you sneak in here? I was surprised to see you sleeping when I came into the room.

Misumi: (Oh, I must’ve fallen asleep in Gramp’s room crying…)

Misumi: Gramps… hug me.

Hakkaku: Haha, but I’m already holding you. You’re a pampered boy, Misumi.

Hakkaku: Here, how’s this for something fluffy?

Misumi: Waah… It’s a big onigiri!

Hakkaku: You like triangles, don’t you, Misumi? That’s why Gramps got this plushie as a present for you.

Misumi: Present…

Misumi: Thanks, Gramps! Ehehe…!

*Flashback end*

Madoka: …san. Nii-san?

Misumi: --Madoka?

Izumi: You finally snapped out of it, Misumi-kun…!

Tenma: We’ve been calling your name forever, but you were still so out of it. We were starting to get worried.

Misumi: …

Madoka: Are you okay, Nii-san?

Misumi: Madoka, hug~.

Madoka: Wah--! What’s with the sudden hug?

Misumi: …I’m glad we get along so well, Madoka.

Madoka: Nii-san…

Madoka: Yeah… me too.

Muku: Waah, it’s so wonderful seeing siblings hug like that…!

Kazunari: The Ikaruga sibbies are way too precious!

Tenma: It’s… probably not any of our business to ask why all of that so suddenly, huh?

Izumi: Yeah.

Kumon: I think it’s great~! Kinda makes me want a hug from Nii-chan too!

Yuki: I don’t mind seeing siblings be together. You’re going to ask Madoka to do “that” aren’t you?

Madoka: “That”?

Misumi: Ah! That’s right~!

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Kumon: Fold it like this and… Alright, this should definitely make it fly super far!

Muku: I wonder if my paper airplane will fly properly… How’s your’s going, Madoka-kun?

Madoka: Umm… I’ve got something like this.

Misumi: Yeah! You’ve gotten really good at making paper airplanes, Madoka. You’re way better than Tenma~!

Tenma: Why do you have to compare him to me?

Yuki: Because it gives you more confidence to compare yourself to someone who isn’t as good, duh.

Tenma: Hey!

Madoka: Actually… Nii-san is the one who inspired me to make paper airplanes in between studying and writing.

Madoka: So I guess that’s why I’ve gotten kind of good at it.

Yuki: I see, so that’s why.

Misumi: Whaaat!? I wish I coulda taught you more~!

Misumi: But… I’m glad we got to make paper airplanes together, Madoka!

Madoka: Yeah… me too.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Tenma: Alright, seems like everyone’s done.

Kumon: Then let’s go to the hallway right away so we can get this paper airplane contest st--.

Sakyo: …

Yuki: …That’s quite the glare we’re getting.

Izumi: That’s a lot of silent pressuring…!

Muku: How about we move this outside then?

Misumi: Let’s go, Madoka!

Madoka: Yeah!

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Izumi: We shouldn’t have any problems since the park is so open.

Kazunari: Yep, yep! No need to worry about Frooch-san getting mad at us here!

Tenma: Then let’s get started.

Kumon: By the way, what’s the plan for the prize for the winner?

Muku: Umm, we never really finished talking it out…

Misumi: Then how about the winner gets the onigiri plushie I got earlier~!?

Yuki: Of course, it’s a triangle.

Misumi: Eh~, you don’t want it?

Madoka: …I’d want it.

Misumi: Madoka…!

Yuki: Yeah, yeah, save the hugging for later.

Kumon: Well then, for now, the prize can be the onigiri plushie!

Tenma: Okay, let’s get this thing started. Paper airplane contest, start!

Misumi: Madoka, let’s fly ours together!

Madoka: Yeah, Nii-san!

Madoka & Misumi: One, two--.

[ ⇠ Previous Part ]

[mechaseraph]

Ig gonna talk Oreca spoilers/corocoro thoughts here every month now, because why not So, spoilers for some new cards/monsters evos (specifically Stan and Busker), as well new manga chapter

One of 2 spreads from this issue, 2nd got Zenogon/Oremon info, which ain't new I think. Also confirms Muus to come to Oreca 2 Note: names tl are more of my own taste, than in-line with official SEA english release (as I can't really access it either) 3 and 4 stars evos for Dark Warrior Stan!

3 Stars: Sangria Knight, Stan (alt color tls "Dark-Red/Dark Rouge Knight, Stan") (I just feel Sangria fits due to color+Orecas tend of using alco related names? lit it's just dark-red, so picking a shade name of it that made sense to me) His EX Move name is: Darkness of Nihility Evo item has pun on "Midnight" with its name so uh: Wicked-dyed Cloak

4 Stars: Knight of Crimson Lotus, Stan (It is said crimson lotus grows on place of battlefields, thrives in soil that been soaked in blood...) (another fun fact ig, 紅蓮 and グレン are of same sound. 2nd is name of his fellow knight (the meaning be different though. On it later) ...wonder if there's connection/this was a nod) EX Move: Nihility Demise

And Busker

Another 4 Stars: Wicked Lord, Busker Ex Move: Heatwave Hellfire Evo item: Dark Wheat (. another one of guren puns here huh. They really like the sound of it, I guess)

The manga chapter was nice! We got to meet Glen (グレン which could mean "Valley", assuming it's Glen(n) and not Gren. Also, I feel there's pun on グレる-to go wrong, stray from the right path; considering that he sided with Busker, as I got from pre-battle cutscene between him, Stan and Aria) who seems like a "righteous" knight, but with high ego, going "it's weak knights fault for falling to Busker" and such. Makes me understand his game version. Good to see that they indeed explaining/showing characters here Anyway, he's also seems to be the reason why Stan turns dark, but it happens at the end of chapter, so uh, next month we will know, I guess </3 Nagi seems like a good protag, going "gramps taught me, that strong is the one who protects his comrades, and if you ran, the one who was left alone, it means you are the weak one" against Glen's "who survived, left weak to perish, is the strongest" Me, when my knight in kiddie media have issues/are indeed fun to follow <3 Also, Rewinder was peak again as always oh my god, truly one of the best current coro mangas fr fr Also, look at my boy he finally getting turned into marketable plushie!! I wouldn't be able to get him but </3 oh well

[divergent-paths]

I just went on DA to find you (and read all the lato league stuff, younger Alex was a really cute kid) and I was wondering, is there more stuff about Alex than just the lato league comics? It felt like the last one had a lot of references to things I didn't know so I'm curious. Is there maybe a story about how he got the scar? Or will it come up later? (In that case I'm not asking for spoilers btw)(I'm just really curious, the lato league stuff was fun) (wait is Alex in someone else's lato league stuff too then? Gtg check, bye)

Alex doesn't like answering questions about the scar, so have a cameo from Franz & Fubuki (Gramps & Aunt Fuu as Alex usually refers to them), who still seem to feel guilty about it years later lmao

It's another long ramble for this ask, so it's all below the cut~ The tldr is that there is more stuff I've done/drawn, but it's focused on the adults related to Alex, rather than on him directly. The one other story he was witness to (Frostsmitten) is incomplete because of a 1-2 punch depression-burnout combo, but I am looking to work more on it again this year finally.

As for prior stories, Alex is young enough that he's only been the star of one adventure, which was Lato, but there's a number of adults in his life who have been through many crazy shenanigans and he was brought along for grampa's crazy new year's romance in the snow (Frostsmitten), and the planned follow-up (FS2: Freezer Burn). But! While I am currently teasing about old references and such, anything in Divergent Paths that becomes necessary info *will* be explained when the time is right for the story. I like to tease things out to allow people to theorise on the story as they read, but I know eventually you've gotta' come out with a straight answer and that's best done when it finally means something to the characters. So we'll get there!

As for reading the story I mentioned above, well, haaaahhh... It's a tale as old as time. Depression+Burnout destroyed me, and last year (2023) was really the first time in years that I felt any semblance of my old energy, and it's still in process of working back up to those old levels. Frostsmitten (link here) is about 80% done/uploaded, and Freezer Burn has its concepts and timeline done, but no pages drafted yet.

So where does that leave us nowadays... Well, last year I was actually touching the old pages that remained to be finished and chipping away at them when the mood struck me, and I think I'm up to moving along that story this year between posts here on the tumbles. Definitely no schedule though, absolutely no promises, certainly no guarantees. I only end up embarrassing myself and disappointing people when I say 'it'll be out on xx date!' :'D

Anyways, I've rambled on long enough I think :'D Thank you for the interest in my other works, I really do appreciate it. It's not an exaggeration to say that everyone's comments, compliments and excitement is giving me life here. <3

[ofoceansandtombsanew]

What's your relationship with Tamarack's family like?

I get along really well with Tamarack's grandparents.

Honestly, it would be harder not to all things considered! We're neighbors and spend so much time together so a good chunk of my time is spent at the Baumann's next door.

Grandpa Baumann is a lot like my own grandfather on Mom1's side irl, so it's easy for me to get along with him and his silent kindness. And I love eating Grandma Baumann's snacks in her drawing room and having our tea parties. It's pretty obvious to her grandparents that we adore each other but they think of it more as puppy love that the two of us will grow out of as we get older (little do they know).

I feel like Gramps is the one who realizes first that it's more than just a puppy love phase though. Granny, it takes a bit before she comes to the same conclusion as her husband.

As for Frederick and Nichole, that one is a bit harder to answer.

From a gameplay standpoint, I can acknowledge they are people that are trying their best but their trying their best led to them being less than stellar parents. So I want to see them rekindle that bridge with the grandparents and with their own daughter.

But within the context of the self-ship, my relationship with Tamarack's parents is rocky. They were a lot more intimidating as elementary schoolers when the reality of how Tamarack's life in Golden Grove was supposed to be temporary hit, become more like unstable anomalies as we get older. We don't know what's going on in their heads and it makes it really hard to get along with them.

That's also part of the reason why I have a hard time telling Tamarack that I like her, not just because I can't tell how she feels about me. Do I tell her if she potentially moves during freshman year? Or should I just keep my mouth shut? Eventually the desire of 'rejection is better than regret' comes ahead full force though.

Once we interact more with them when the game comes out, it'll be easy to figure out how I interact with her parents. So for now I have a tentative, as long as they treat me with respect, I treat them with respect as far as Step 2 interactions go. It doesn't matter if you're a kid, you're a living being and you deserve respect. I'll be relatively polite for Tamarack's sake but if they ever make her upset, that might go out the window.

If I'm too volatile and hostile, I'm afraid they'll think I'm a bad influence on their daughter and not want us to be friends anymore. I don't think that would happen because Granny and Gramps would come to fucking bat for me but then I'd wonder if that would become an argument that would solidify Tam's parents taking her back to live with them.

While Granny and Gramps eventually come to the realization that it isn't just puppy love we'll grow out of any time soon, Tam's parents are logical. They're scientists. And they also weren't there to see us grow up together and don't have a tenth of a shred of attachment to me as Frederick's parents do.

I'm assuming that by Step 3, we'll get along a lot better though. Around then they'll probably see how much we care for each other since we'll definitely dating by that time... still feel like they'd be the type of parents to potentially go 'you shouldn't go to uni with a girlfriend, either of you, a lot can happen' but then maybe the nostalgia comes out.

They met and fell in love during college even despite Granny's less than pleasant opinion of Nichole. In a way, I think Tamarack and I will eventually remind her parents of each other and they'll trust our decisions with our relationship. Sure it's a little different, we grew up together. But we are each other's choice and that's something they can respect.

What I can definitely say though is that I think Tamarack's parents are really pretty. Like holy shit, everyone in her family clearly won the genetics war, Tam included. It's something I definitely tell Serenity and Vianca if they ever ask about her parents. I'll skirt around the heavy stuff and just go "they won in genes. That family does not believe in ugly".

[isakvaltersnake]

first watch was for me, now second watch for THOUGHTS

Act 1:

obsessed with the way they turn into each other when the cake is coming down slash how Henry slips into Alex when getting up

zahra is so hot my goD I want her to top me

Henry showing off in his fuck boy raybans and fancy vintage car YOU WANT HIM TO WANT YOU SO BAD ITS EMBARRASSING

Henry’s soul leaving his body at “Vicky 👊”

Henry being turnt by the way alex smells

Henry’s “I need to get out of here” upon first meeting alex and deeply understanding that this beautiful boy could ruin the charred remains of his heart if he let him

Henry IMPOSSIBLY AND HOPELESSLY CHARMED

straight up FUCK miguel

Henry using bitmojis is how you really textually understand he has like 1 friend

Henry is so bad at dancing oh baby you would’ve been laughed out of a middle school gym with those moves

why am I mad that everyone got low at the wrong part of the song

ALEX WANTS TO LOOK COOL IN THE RED ROOM SO BAD ITS EMBARASSING

THE LOOK WHEN HENRY LEAVES ALEXS ROOM FUUUUUUUUCKING HELL

Act 2:

the fucking polo scene. Alex so horned up, Henry so sweaty. chefs kiss

henry infinitely smoother than alex wow

only momentarily AND ALEX TOOK THAT AS A CHALLENGE

Henry playing with that fucking ring like it’s a noose around his neck

ALEX FFS ACT LIKE YOU'VE BEEN SOMEWHERE BEFORE

this sex scene actually just being a clean demonstration of two people who fill each other with so much comfort and peace engaging in a physical act of love wowwww they invented romance wtf

I do love this alex in texas side quest seeing as there wasn’t time for the book storyline

SHOULD I TELL YOU THAT WHEN WE’RE APART YOUR BODY COMES BACK TO ME IN MY DREAMS

giggling during sex is peak romance these nerds are IN LOVE

HE SAID NO SO FAST THESE NERDS ARE IN LOOOOOVE

“look at us now” and the way I yelled DIVORCED OSCAR?!

“it won’t even matter if anyone sees us” the way you could see henrys heart shatter in real time jesus

i felt myself getting too close and i didn't want to break his heart. henry, my love, baby girl, boo boo the fool.

Act 3:

BECAUSE IT COSTS YOU NOTHING. No Henry in fact this is costing me everything. Kwjakasnsnkanskamskkaksjmsbwkkss

I will not trade one prison for another SORRY THE ANGST GIRLIES ARE EATINGGGG

sorry but if the love of my life ever danced with me in a low lit museum and told me he would try to be brave for us I would simply cease to exist

low key lmao and well done @ Alex’s grip on Henry in bed cause the last time they slept together Henry snuck out in the middle of the night and ghosted him for a week straight

ngl I hate that they didn’t even get a phone call before the speech

ok so i didn't get america he is my choice but i did get i fell in love with a person who happens to be a man and that man happens to be a prince

baby he says like I haven’t been waiting like an hour and a half to hear it

Alex watching Henry play piano oh honey he is never beating the competency kink allegations

stephen fry Alex already admitted it what’s your endgame my dude

Henry leaning back to talk back to his gramps like he was going into sport mode was v sexy actually

THE FINGER TOUCHES

straight up Rachel Maddow with more lines that pez, she should’ve had her own promo

Henry with the hand hold/hand in the crook of alex’s arm combo was so baby girl of him I couldn’t be prouder

they traded the key and the ring back cause it was only til they could have all of each other again and now they can pls kill me this is the end

do you think anyone noticed? I hate him so much omfg

[compo67]

I'm not the original Post Hole Diggers anon but I wanted to say I love that story so much and definitely consider it a favorite, but I don't reread it as often as I would like to because so much about Jared's living situation just makes me so angry and upset. I thought it was interesting how you said Jared's mom in PHD resents him. I don't understand why at all. Could you talk about that a little more perhaps?

Hi there, anon!

I'm happy to talk more about PHD. :) Long post ahead!

Think of this from Kate's perspective. Her husband walks out on her and her kid. But she's supported by her in-laws (Grams and Gramps) and raises Jared without too much of an issue (money has always been tight). Then Gramps dies and Grams decides to move into assisted living (for her own reasons). Suddenly, Kate is left on her own with Jared in a house her in-laws have given her but she can't keep up with the mortgage payments on her own. Jared is about 13 at this point and his odd jobs around the neighborhood and in town keep him fed, while Kate works two or three jobs to keep up with the house.

Kate meets Luke and doesn't necessarily fall in love with him, but she tells Jared she does. Kate and Luke have similar problems: how to support their families. And then Kate gets pregnant, which adds another kid to an already crowded mix. Luke has 3 boys, all of whom command Kate and Luke's attention more than Jared does. Jared has learned how to be self-sufficient--as much as a teenager can be.

Kate starts to resent Jared by the time he's fifteen/sixteen years old. She was a mother at that point, working three jobs. If she did it, she doesn't understand why Jared won't/can't. She's pulled in so many directions--work, Baby Rose, the boys, Luke--and Jared only has to care for himself. She has no time to spare for him and his moods or complaints.

The older Kate gets, the less she likes her life. Sure, Luke is nice to her and he's actually, surprisingly, a decent guy. But he's also a fairly absent parent to the boys, which puts more on Kate, which puts more on Jared. Jared could sleep with Baby Rose, but he can't stand her crying in the middle of the night--and he knows that if he starts paying more attention to Rose, he will be the one taking care of her the most often. Kate resents that.

Kate is upset that Jared isn't helping around the house as much as she wants him to. She's upset that she let herself get pregnant when they had enough going on with 4 kids. Jared is upset that he doesn't have his mother 1:1 anymore. He's upset that Grams went to live in the assisted living place instead of staying with them. Everyone is upset about their situation.

In Kate's mind, Jared should put school on hold so he can help contribute to the family. They need the extra income, he knows how to care for a baby, and he's the oldest teen. School will be there for him to go back to if he wants... later.

She sees Jared as having very little responsibilities and obligations. When he complains or speaks up about something he doesn't like, she has no patience or bandwidth left to A) do something about it and B) care. He knows there's no way to get a room of his own right now, and still, he keeps asking for one.

Jared has what she wants--the freedom to come and go as he pleases. He doesn't seem to appreciate that.

Then, enter Jensen. A handsome, amiable, wealthy alpha who used to be in a relationship with Luke. Instead of treating Jensen with civility, she chooses hostility. What's Jensen doing around here? Does it have something to do with Luke? Luke denies this, saying that what they had is in the past, but can Kate really trust that? Is Luke really at construction sites all day or is he hanging out with Jensen? It's probably way more fun to hang around Jensen--he's got a big house, a large plot of land, no kids, and spending money. (Whenever Jensen overpays Luke, Luke skims some off the top to put away for the kids. He doesn't show Kate 100% of his earnings.)

Kate doesn't want Jensen around anyone in her family, but Luke insists that the money Jensen gives him and Jared is worth more than her pride (or whatever she wants to call it). Kate and Luke begin to disagree more and more on things, especially Jared. Money is tight, the baby needs so much attention, and everything is falling apart. Nothing seems like it's going to get any better for Kate.

It's tough to picture a mom resenting their only son, but Kate is just that kind of person. She's not a good mom. She used to be, but right now she's just going through the motions and barely getting by.

Then she's got her mother-in-law calling and asking questions. This makes her feel threatened and small, even if Grams has nothing but good intentions. So she lashes out at Jared. She knows that as soon as he can, he's going to leave--just like his father. But she can't leave. She doesn't have what Jared has: independence.

And in the end, she's proven right. Jared does leave. And he doesn't even bother to say goodbye to her. Just like his father.

Kate is an emotionally immature parent. She's not like Sheri in Photo Op or Jared in Punzel. She doesn't hate Jared. She's just too caught up in resentment to understand him. And she's too caught up working two or three jobs that she has no time to work through her emotions.

Resentment is unresolved anger. She's angry about how her life turned out. This isn't what she pictured or wanted.

TLDR; Kate is an emotionally immature parent and barely hanging on by a thread in regard to her own physical/emotional capabilities. She resents Jared for the independence he has and his repeated refusal to help out more around the house.

If this family had just $100 more every month (that's like $1000 in modern money), they'd be more financially secure and things could potentially calm down. But they're losing money. Everything is tenuous. Happiness isn't forever or for everyone in Kate's perspective.

I hope this helps, anon. I think Kate might be the most flawed character I've written. I think readers want her to be a good mom because I've usually written good moms. That's just not what we get here. Jared will benefit from reading the book "Children of Emotionally Immature Parents" later in life.

Omg this post got away from me. Sorry! Bless you if you've read this far. <3