#guess who still hasn’t planned anything!!! this gal!!!!!

[ectoplasmer]

hhhoh no anniversary is in less than a month

[sunrisefairy]

red cheeks and sunsets

Pairing: George Weasley x reader

Word count: 1.8k

Summary: George has been pining over Y/N for far too long and Fred decides to give his twin a little push. 

A/N: I love reading about Georgie so I thought I’d get back into writing and write a really fluffy oneshot about my fav. I hope you like it, I’m a bit rusty but if you wanna request anything please do :)) love you all 

“Seriously George, do you realise how creepy you’re being right now. You’ve been staring at the poor gal for 10 minutes.” Fred’s voice brings George out of his trance, okay it might have been the carrot Fred threw which hit George right in the forehead.

“I’m not staring” George mumbles, tearing his eyes away from Y/N reluctantly and at his dinner.

“No of course you’re not” the other twin states with an eye roll.

George can’t help it you see; the staring, the daydreaming, the embarrassing stuttering and nerves he feels whenever she is near or even in the same room as him. The redhead has had an immense crush on Y/N L/N for a year, too scared to say or do anything about it. No that he hasn’t tried to let her know about his feelings but each time he’s stood in front of her he is unable to speak and forgets everything prior to that moment, it’s a wonder he hasn’t passed out during his attempts. As soon as George looks into her eyes, those breath-taking, incredible eyes, nothing else registers in his brain. How can one be expected to think when looking as something so beautiful?

So, George decides it is easier to just admire from afar, to try and salvage whatever is left of his ego. He tells himself he’s fine with Y/N not knowing, he’s okay with sending shy smiles her way and imagining how it would feel to wrap his arms around the girl and kiss those perfect lips. He doesn’t think his heart could take the rejecting because at least this way he can pretend Y/N likes him back.

Fred groans, “mate just tell her” George interrupts him with a laugh. “No I’m serious, just walk up to her and say ‘Y/N I like you’, 4 words. That’s it.”

George stares down at his plate pushing food around with his fork and sighs “Fred, it’s not like I haven’t tried. I end up sounding like a stuttering idiot cos I can’t get the words out; I can’t get any words out. Plus, there’s no way she likes me back, I mean look at her” George’s eyes find their way back to Y/N, who is sitting with her friends, laughing “why in the world would she like someone like me, she’s stunning”

“Yeah you’re right, she’s a straight 10 and you’re a 6 at best” Fred answers with a chuckle.

George gives his twin a little shove with his shoulder, “thanks man, I appreciate the support.”

~~~

Fred has had enough of George’s pining; he can’t seem to get much out of George if Y/N is around. It’s like George gets tunnel vision and all he sees is Y/N and everything else around him fades away. Fred does think its sweet seeing how infatuated his twin is with the girl, he just wishes George would muster up the courage to tell Y/N how he feels. Maybe then George will be able help with the planning of some new pranks.

Fred and George are walking down the hall back to the common room one night when a familiar H/C haired girl turns the corner and walks their way.

George almost trips when he sees her but Fred nudges him upright.

“Hey boys,” Y/N smiles at them, eyes landing on George “hey George.”

Fred smirks, hearing that George got a second greeting, hoping he’ll at least say something.

Y/N is still staring at George hoping for a reply, George doesn’t seem to say much around her. She isn’t sure why. Yeah George is the more ‘quieter’ one of the duo but he still has an outgoing and loud personality. A few times Y/N has caught herself admiring George and a smile would always creep onto her face seeing him joking and laughing with his friends.

“H-hey” George all but whispers back, his cheeks feel like they are on fire and that his whole body might combust under Y/N’s gaze.

Fred wraps his lanky arm around George’s shoulder “Hello dear Y/N, you look very beautiful this fine afternoon, don’t you think Georgie?”

George almost chokes at Fred’s comment “Er- I guess so, I mean-um, y-yeah you do.”

If George wasn’t staring at the floor silently hoping a hole would appear and swallow him up, he might have seen Y/N’s face turn a light tint of pink.

“Oh, well thank you” Y/N giggles, “I guess I should get going. It was nice to see you both, bye George” Y/N waves and continues down the hall with a small skip in her step.

As soon as Y/N is around the corner, George groans into his hands, why is it so difficult for him to form sentences around her.

Fred just laughs, “you truly have it bad bud, but don’t worry, Freddie is here to help.”

George just groans louder; he isn’t sure Fred will be much help.

~~~

George finds himself running up to the astronomy tower later that week, Fred had left a note on his pillow saying to meet him ASAP so they can set up for a prank, it sounded pretty urgent, the note stated if he was even a minute late Fred would spill his secrets to Y/N. So, here George was racing through the halls to try and make it there on time, everyone was at dinner, so the halls were pretty empty which worked in George’s favour. Out of breath, George finally makes it to the astronomy tower stairs, taking 2 steps at a time he jogs up.

“Bloody hell Fred, I swear you just wanna make me-“Georges words disappear into the air as he reaches the top of the stairs.

Y/N is leaning against the railing staring out at the sunset, she turns her head to face George.

“Sorry to disappoint Georgie, but I’m not Fred” she giggles.

Godric, George thinks her giggle is the most magical sound in the world, he’d do anything to hear it again.

“S’ okay…” George trails off, he’s going to kill Fred later.

They stand in silence for a few moments, “Isn’t the sky so beautiful tonight?” Y/N breathes turning to look at the orange painted sky.

George can’t help but stare at this absolute goddess in front of him, the fiery sunset glows against Y/N’s face, he takes a small step closer to her hoping to memorise the way the sun beams against her soft skin. He wonders what it would feel like to caress her cheek, surely all his troubles would wash away the moment he has her delicate face in his hands. He glances down at her lips, he wishes he could just grab her face and kiss her right here, somehow try and show her how much she means to him.

George doesn’t realise words have left his mouth until it’s too late “Merlin, you are beautiful.” Georges eyes widen, did he actually just say that?

Y/N, surprised, turns to face him and it’s like a faucet in his brain has been turned on and he can’t stop the words coming out of his mouth, everything he’s ever wanted to say to Y/N is pouring out before he can control himself.

“S-sorry, I didn’t mean to say that. Not that its not true! Because it is, you’re beautiful, you’re amazing actually. The most beautiful person I’ve ever seen. So beautiful in fact, you make me forget how to breath actually. Whenever I’m around you, I get all nervous and don’t know what to say. Like how do you tell the most beautiful girl in the world that you’ve had a crush on them for a year” George takes a breath, Y/N doesn’t say anything, not that she really had time to, George took her millisecond of silence as rejection and kept speaking. “Merlin, I can’t believe I just said that. It’s okay that you don’t feel the same way, I don’t blame you. I’m so sorry, let’s just forget-“

George doesn’t get to finish the end of that sentence, Y/N had grabbed his face and lightly pressed their lips together.

Startled, George doesn’t know what to do, his brain is going wild he thinks he might have a head attack with how fast his heart is beating, surely this is a dream. But when Y/N’s arms snake around his neck it pulls him back to reality. George moves his hands to Y/N’s hips and deepens the kiss.

Y/N tastes of a mixture of pure heaven and cotton candy, George thinks he’s floating away when he feels Y/N play with his hair at the base of his neck, a soft moan escaping from his mouth.

They eventually pull apart and George keeps his eyes closed, worried if he opens them, he’ll find that he’s actually in his bed and this was just an insanely good dream.

“Georgie, open your eyes” Y/N’s hands are back on George’s cheeks.

George slowly opens his eyes and finds his favourite pair staring back at him.

“Wow” is all he manages.

Y/N just giggles, “If you can’t tell, I like you too. Like a lot. Fred actually told me to meet you here, he said you had something important to tell me. I’m glad you finally said something.”

“Me too because I’d really like to kiss you again” Y/N laughs and presses her lips to Georges sweetly.

George smiles, finally gaining the confidence to say a sentence he never thought he’d be able to form around Y/N. “Y/N do you think maybe- I mean would you maybe want to be my girlfriend?”

“Of course, George Weasley, I’d love to” Y/N replies.

“FINALLY!” a voice erupts from the stairs.

“What the hell?” George questions as he turns around to try and find the culprit, his hand not leaving Y/N’s waist. “Fred?”

Fred emerges from the stairs with a goofy grin on his face.

“Have you been hiding there the whole time? Go away you perv!” George chuckles, reaching for his wand.

“Alright, no need for that” Fred holds his hands up in defence “I just needed to make sure my plan worked and it looks like it did so you can thank me later. Maybe at your wedding.” Fred winks.

“Go away!” George shouts. “I’ll hex you if I have to’

“Okay I’m going, I’m going. No funny business up here though” Fred quickly adds before running down the stairs, narrowly avoiding the jinx George sent his way.

“I’m so sorry about him” George says looking back at Y/N.

Y/N smiles “it’s okay, I guess without him I wouldn’t be able to kiss you anytime I want now.”

The redhead laughs, “yeah, I guess I am grateful for that but not that I’m ever going to tell him” George leans down and kisses Y/N once more, unable to control the smile breaking onto his face.

He finally got the girl, his girl.

[couldibeanymorechaotic]

This is a mess

I wrote a fic about Percy Weasley coming out and like I said above, it’s kinda a mess.......👉🏼👈🏼 it’s really chaotic but lots of people like chaotic stuff right?! let’s just hope

anyway, do whatever u want with this and yeah!

warning: percy became a bit ooc and charlie became trans so she is now charlise <3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Percy Weasley was very nervous. Very nervous indeed. He was going to be coming out to his family. His loving but super chaotic family.

“W-What if they think I’m a-abnormal Ollie? Or w-worse than t-that?” Percy stutters out to his boyfriend, Oliver Wood, otherwise known as the keeper of Puddlemere United.

“They won’t darling. They love you,” comforted Oliver, “Besides, hasn’t Ron come out as bisexual, and isn’t Charlie, Charlise now?”

“B-but, I wasn’t there for them,” replies Percy ashamedly, “I left them when they needed me the most, and Fred died. I don’t deserve it!”

“Percival Ignatius Weasley, you are a beautiful, kind, smart person and you, like everyone else, deserve to be happy. Everyone makes mistakes! The thing that matters is you apologized! You came back!” Oliver reassures.

“Sorry, I’m just freaking out, Oll,” Percy apologizes.

“It’s ok, love. No need to worry,” says Oliver, “How about a kiss for good luck?”

“Seriously, Ollie?” replies Percy with a fond smile.

“Yes seriously!” Oliver chuckles.

“Fine!” Percy gives him a short but loving kiss, “Now let’s go over the plan one more time.”

“Percy, I love you, but if you make me recite that one more time, I’m going to flip. Besides, I remember,” Oliver said.

“Ok, ok. Love you, too! Bye,” replied Percy as he headed through the floo.

As he entered the Burrow various shouts of hellos greeted Percy.

“Hello Mother and Father,” Percy said primly.

“Oh, Percy, darling! You’re home!” Mrs. Weasley replied.

“Yes, indeed, Mother!” Percy responded, trying to stop his nerves and muster a smile.

“Oi! What about us?” Bill laughed.

“Hello to you too, siblings,” replied Percy.

“You say siblings like it's a bad thing,” Ginny replied.

“It is,” smiled Percy.

“No, this cannot be. Percy just made a joke,” said George, shocked.

“Hey, I make jokes. I’m plenty good at it!” Percy replied.

“Yeah, sure. Tell me one person who thinks your jokes are funny!” Charlise asked.

“My boyfriend!” shouted Percy, forgetting his plan, “Uh, I mean girlfriend.”

“Percy, do you have something to tell us?” Mr. Weasley asked.

“Um, yes father. I have a boyfriend,” Percy replied anxiously.

“Great, we were wondering why you were single for so long, Perce!” Fred laughed.

“Hey!” yelled Percy, “He’s been my boyfriend for 2 years!”

“That was the wrong thing to say, Percy,” giggled Ginny.

“Percival Ignatius Weasley, why haven’t you told us about your boyfriend of 2 years? When is he coming for Sunday dinner? I need to make a sweater for him!” Mrs. Weasley fretted.

“Um, well actually, I was going to tell you and then ask him to come,” Percy nervously replied.

“Ok, dear. How about you go call him?” Mrs. Weasley smiled.

“Wait. Wait!” Bill shouted.

“What?” George and Ron asked simultaneously.

“Can we guess who your boyfriend is first?” Bill questioned.

“Fine,” replied Percy looking at his watch, “My boyfriend is running late anyway.”

“So, what house is he in?” asked Fred.

“I won’t tell you! You have to guess!” chuckled Percy.

“Maybe, Slytherin?” asked Charlise.

“No, Charlise. Not Slytherin,” replied Percy.

“How about Ravenclaw then?” inquired Ron.

“Nope,” said Percy.

“You probably won’t date a Hufflepuff so Gryffindor?” asked Bill.

“Correct. He is in Gryffindor,” Percy smiled.

“Um, do we know him?” asked Ron.

“Yes, you know him,” replied Percy.

“Ok,” Fred says, “This is hard.”

“Because you haven’t even properly guessed!” Percy shouts.

“Fine, fine. Does he like quidditch?” asks Ginny.

“Yes, he does,” Percy replies.

“Oh, thank Merlins. If he didn’t, I don’t know what I would do!” George laughs.

“Ha, ha. Very mature, George,” Percy replied dryly.

“I give up! Can Percy’s boyfriend come so we can eat?” asked Ron.

“I will if there is an overall decision,” says Percy.

“One last question?” asks Bill hopefully.

“Ok, what’s your question?” Percy asks.

“How many siblings does he have?” asks Bill.

“None,” said Percy.

“Well he’s going to be in for a chaotic surprise,” laughs Charlise.

“Anyway, you can bring him now, Percy!” Mrs. Weasley replies.

“That would be good. I’ll bring him from the floo,” replies Percy as he steps into the floo, “Home!”

“Perce!” Oliver shouts anxiously, “What took you so long, love?”

“Sorry, darling,” replies Percy, “They wanted to try to guess who my boyfriend was!”

“Did they guess it right?” chuckles Oliver.

“They didn’t even guess! They just asked silly questions,” said Percy as he rolled his eyes.

“I figured. Anyway, ready?” asked Oliver.

“Yeah, I’m ready, Oll,” replies Percy.

“Great! Let’s go then!” Oliver says.

“No, wait!” Percy stutters.

“Mhm, what?” asks Oliver.

“Maybe, I could come in first, and then I could prank them! Maybe say he can’t come/he broke up with me or some shit and then floo to the Burrow?” laughs Percy.

“Hearing you swear never fails to make me wonder. And yeah, I love it. But it’s your idea, if they ask, which they will!” Oliver smiles.

“Come when I ping you on your watch, ok?” asks Percy.

“Sure, muffin. Love ya!” said Oliver, his scottish twang prominently arising in his voice

“Ok then. Bye Ollie. Love you,” kisses Percy as he floo’s to the Burrow.

“Hey, Percy!!” says Ron.

“Wait, where is he?” asks Charlise.

“H-he b-broke up with me….” stutters Percy trying to sound devastated. It wasn’t too hard considering he had done acting at Hogwarts. Not many people knew though. Only Neville, Hannah, Penelope, Susan, and Luna.

“Oh no, Percy, dear. Would you like some tea?” says Molly trying to comfort him.

“Yes please, mum,” Percy (fake) sniffles.

The other Weasleys were shocked…..they had never seen Percy act this way…..before they knew it, they were all starting to curse his heartless ex-boyfriend.

“I’m going to kill him,” screeched George.

“Me too!” replied Fred.

“Me three!” Ginny replied.

“Me fucking four!” growled Bill.

“I’m here too!” Ron yells.

“And me!” replies Charlise.

“W-wait guys,” Percy stammers.

“Excuse me?” glares Ginny.

“Oh, guys and gals,” says Percy, covering up his mistake.

“Yes, Percy?” asks his father.

Percy cracks a huge grin as he laughs, “It’s a prankkkk!”

“Fuck you, Percy. Fuck you,” growls Fred.

“Seriously, what the hell?” Bill yelled.

“And why did you do this?” asked Ron.

“I could answer that, or Charlise might know,” smirked Percy.

“Sorry, Perce. It’s just you never make jokes or pranks, or whatever,” replied Charlise.

“Never mind that, how’re you so good at acting?” asked George.

“Because I was in acting for 4 years, George!” shouted Percy, “How come you don’t remember?”

“To be honest Perce, I don’t remember,” replied Ginny.

Shouts of ‘nor do I’ came chorusing through the Burrow.

“Seriously?” Percy sighed.

“Percy, so is your boyfriend still there?” asked Mrs. Weasley trying to change the topic.

Percy instantly brightened up and he replied, “Yeah, he is. And before I get him, don’t scream, don’t yell, don’t do anything that would embarrass me, and the prank was my idea so don’t blame him. Got it?”

“Got it!” replied the Weasley Family.

“Ok then,” said Percy as he tapped his watch, turning it the color of his bright blue eyes.

“Hey, how did you do that, Percy?” asked his Father.

“Just some simple charms and transfigurations which allow me to ask my boyfriend to come where I need him to be,” Percy replied, “It also kinda works like a patronus but instead of sending one, I can just call him and he can talk to me!”

“Woah, cool!” replied the twins simultaneously, “Can you make a prototype for our shop?”

Flustered at the praise, Percy just nodded as he waited for Ollie.

A familiar voice was heard, “Hiya Perce! Oh and hello Mr & Mrs. Weasley.” said Oliver, “-and hi fellow Weasley siblings!

“No freaking way!” yelled Ron.

“Oliver Wood, keeper of Puddlemere United!!” screeched Ginny.

“Calm down! I told y’all to keep it down and not to embarrass me, it hasn’t worked so far,” glared Percy.

“Y’all? Who says y’all?” shudders George, “Oliver’s rubbing up on you, Perce!”

“Oi! Shut it! I think saying y’all is cute! Don’t you, pumpkin?” says Oliver, “Oh, and aren’t you cold, muffin? You’re only wearing a sweater, dear.”

Embarrassed, Percy replied, “I’m fine, love. Now let’s go to eat!”

“Wait a minute, did everyone else hear Oliver saying pumpkin, muffin, and dear in the span of 2 minutes?” Bill chuckled as he asked.

“No more questions,” Percy shouted as he blushed, “Now time for dinner.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

taglist: @mais-e @just-a-smol-spoon @oliverwoodmarrymepls

please join my taglist if u like this kind of shit 🤠

[lilyrachelcassidy]

same anon again! and totally cool with the last request :) So I popped up with a new one. Same thing daphne x reader using 15 and/or 47 from the prompt list! (preferably daphne asking out reader but anything’s cool) :))

A/N: Hi lovely anon... You're the sweetest <3 I really think you might be my official fav person rn :D And yes, yes, I'm super happy to see you again in my inbox and... oh boy, I love Daphne x Reader so much. Here you go with with the requests you asked for :)

Warnings: Might add but I consider both of those works as children-friendly lol (maybe some alcohol but that's pretty much it)...

15: “Just tell her that.” / “Such a pep talk…”

"Pansy?"

You burst into the Slytherin common room with as much energy as your legs could carry you with at the late hour as it was. Exactly, 1 am, if to be radically precise. But getting acquainted with Pansy's strange late-night habits for over seven years, you knew you could find her sprawling over the large lounge, still awake, with the Firewhisky drink in her hand per usual.

As presumed, you were right -- she was sitting, still fully dressed in her school robes and staring aloof at the fireplace, drifting more in her perplexing thoughts than she would want to. Hearing your sleepy voice, however, made her tilt her head and glance at you, standing in your emerald-green pajamas, at the entrance of the stairs to the girls' room.

She smirked. "Insomnia playing over?" she asked, teasingly, her sparkling eyes locking with your fluttery ones.

"No," you answered carefully before covering your mouth from a yawn to which Pansy's smirk widened. You flopped tiredly on the sofa, next to her and laid your head instinctively on her shoulder. "There's something I wanted to talk with you about."

"That's why you got out of bed? To talk to me about something you could do as well in the morning but without bothering your pretty face?" she asked, and though you couldn't see her face, you imagined she was frowning in incomprehension.

"Well..." you drawled, already partly regretting you had decided to come over with such a sensitive issue to her. "It's the only time Daphne is not around."

"Oh...Is that--" Pansy gasped in enthusiasm, throwing your head off of her to which you reacted with a small moan of pain, to look directly into your face. "Are you going to finally admit you're so madly in love with her and that you drool at her every time she doesn't look?"

Well, that was straightforward...

"W-what?" you sputtered out, trying to make sense of what you wanted to express. But dealing suddenly with too much confusion and surprise, you found it to be a challenging task to perform. "How would you know? I've never told anyone!"

At the raised, almost frantic tone of your voice, Pansy grinned, probably satisfied with the fact she dared to shock you. "You are the worst player in this puppy-love game if you haven't noticed yet," she said, arching her eyebrows. "It's almost hard to miss you staring at her in the classrooms or... I don't know... even when you talk to her, smiling like mad. Only concerns are for Daphne, who seems to be totally oblivious to that."

"You think? I mean, hasn't she noticed? Did she s--"

"No," Pansy interrupted you intentionally, rolling her eyes. "I think she has other doubts than that. Besides... it's also she who attempts to hide her goo-goo eyes from you."

You frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Ughh... She has a crush on you too! Happy?"

"No, she does no--"

"Of course she does, you unheeding dolt! One time, I even caught her scribbling your name in her notebook with small hearts around. What do you think it means?"

"I--" Momentarily speechless, you dropped your gaze to the hands and unconsciously started playing with your fingers. "I don't know what to say..."

"Just tell her that." Pansy shrugged, finding the simplest solution in everything while eloquently sipping her drink. "It's a normal thing to do. Go over to her during lunchtime and talk to her. Confess."

You huffed, suddenly feeling a stream of sarcasm dancing on your tongue. "Oh, really? Such a pep talk, you know... Thanks, Pans."

She nudged you with her elbow. "C'mon. You've wasted plenty of time daydreaming about her. It's a moment to take up action. Tomorrow, it's your round, or otherwise, it might pass."

Sighing, you peeked at her with seriousness. "I don't know about that."

"Then you'll never know," she commented aptly, and you knew she made her point. "I realize it might be confusing. But hey, no matter what happens, I'll be always there for you. Remember?"

"Remember," you repeated, somehow feeling more confident than you had been ten minutes ago.

XOXOXO

47. “Are you asking if I’m a single?” / “Okay… I-I will.”

The party night was... disastrous, to say at least.

And you really didn't want to be here. But all thanks to your best friend, Susan, who was definitely a go-go type of a person and had been insistently persuading you to get out with her ("This'd be so fun, Y/N!" said she with already a little too drunk tone), by now you were being pushed in the crowd of inebriated people, soaking in sweat due to the heated breaths that were puffing and blowing at your neck from all around. Making your best attempts to push your way, conflict-less, to some less teeming space, you met with a failure by being shoved to your previous position by someone's hips from behind and a loud 'Watch it!'.

Frustration and exasperation accumulated in you, and you felt truly flustered with a situation. As it turned out, flustered enough to provoke the combative self you hadn't known existed in you, to start jostling everyone around to move away from your path to freedom. It required a few angry 'ouches' and curses sent towards you, but finally...Finally, you succeeded in getting away from the bustle and a disgusting odor of sweat that hurt your nostrils just too much.

"Double Scotch, please," you said breathlessly to the bartender as you had reached the bar and casually leaned over the counter. "Triple if needed. Make it extra strong."

The bartender nodded merely, giving you a perfunctory smile, before taking care of your order by grasping some liquor from the shelf and pouring it professionally into the glass. Too distracted with exhaustion from too loud music and screeches from the crowd singing along the songs' lyrics, you hadn't even noticed a blonde girl with a glint of explicit interest in her eyes staring at you. Well, not until...

"Is it a way of dealing with the party?" the girl asked, smiling. "Or are you trying to forget you're here?"

"Both, I guess." You laughed, turning your head to behold a nice-looking gal who was casually sipping her Mohito drink. A really nice-looking, actually. Her hair was laid in the smooth curls on her broad shoulder, emphasizing her soft facial features and shiny, blue eyes. Dressed in the tight gleaming-black dress with the heals lengthening her legs, she looked more than appealing. "I was forced by a friend to come. Not my intention."

"Tell me about it," muttering under her breath, she playfully rolled her eyes and smirked suggestively. Then with an outstretched hand, she proffered you an inviting smile and introduced herself, "I'm Daphne."

You took a hand invitation, shaking in lightly and reciprocating a smile. "Y/N."

"So, you came here with a friend?" the girl, now as you knew Daphne, asked you with an arousing curiosity. "Or girlfriend, or boyfriend?"

Alcohol being the best solution for straightforwardness as it was, forced you to express your first-moment thought without any earlier contemplation. "Are you asking if I'm single?" You took a gulp of your drink and squinted suddenly at the realization of your words. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean that! It's just--"

"It's okay, I'm aware of the after-alcohol effects," Daphne soothed you down and tried her best to hide her pre-momentary shock from her face, though you could still detect it.

You fucking idiot!

"Yeah, I've come here with my roommate. She loves parties and said it would be a crime to miss one, especially on Friday night," you answered her question, attempting to get slickly out of your faux pas.

Smiling, forgetting about your little confusion, and ignoring the noise from the background, you chatted, relishing each other's company and treating it as a make-up for ruined Friday plans, fault laying on both of your friends' sides. How much time had passed while you were sitting there, taking the next rounds from the bartender and goggling at each other you didn't know, but one thing was sure -- you both definitely enjoyed it.

The things came, however, to the end as soon as Susan, plastered as you had never seen her before, approached you in a stumbling manner. She was giggling like mad, which clearly indicated one thing -- it's about time to export her back to the house.

"What the heck?! It's not a funeral, peach. Come dance with me!" she screamed as if she was on the opposite side of the room, putting her arms around your shoulder and dangling on you to keep her balance. "Cooooommmmee..."

"No," you shot back, also drunk but much less than her, which made you take responsibility in your hands. Instead of looking at Susan, however, you glanced at Daphne apologetically. "We're calling a cab."

"But, I--"

"Shut it," you said, a little angry with her intoxicated state but yourself having a bit of a problem creating a coherent sentence. "The party is over. We're- are go-ing home."

Susan made a small groan but said nothing, to which you were very thankful because you wanted to end the conversation with Daphne. The sudden influx of bravery had overtaken, and you asked her to hand over her phone. So she compliantly did, and you tapped your phone number on the screen, saving it on the contacts list before handing it back to the proper owner.

"I'm sorry it turned out that way. In these circumstances," you apologized to Daphne, the weight on your arm becoming gradually heavier as your friend wriggled in her place, still grasping your shoulder like to necessary sanity. "It was nice meeting you."

Daphne smiled at that. "You too. Good luck with..." She didn't finish her sentence, but you concluded she was referring to the little situation with drunken Susan.

"Thanks. Oh, and..." You suddenly changed the timbre of your voice to a little deeper one, almost exigent actually. "...don't forget to call me."

A coy smile spread on Daphne's lips, and she said, more in the murmur than a normal tone, "Okay...I-I will..."

And then, you were strolling away, satisfied with how your Friday turned out, much less lame than you had initially assumed.

Maybe the party wasn't such a bad idea after all.

XOXOXOXO

A/N: I enjoyed writing those actually. These had to be drabbles but somehow turned out to be full-length one-shots. But no fault of mine; these were just my hands doing most of the job! I'm taking a break to spend some quality time with my friends (yes, it's me bragging I have a private life lol), and I'm sitting at my computer to write the next goodie :) See ya in some time!

Btw, as I've counted (via my computer) it's almost 2k words. What's wrong?!

[vampiremeerkat]

This is not a request just a question: Have you ever thought of doing art on the Disney version of hades & persephone? I know in the hercules show they never had her show up (and from what I read they were going to change her to being hades & demeter's daughter, and they were in a custody battle). I guess they had a hard time trying to work her in. Though I'm sure you could've made the story of the two work, evil guys & sweet gals is something you're good at writing.

I have not, I don't think I've ever drawn Hercules fanart. Maybe a few sketches attempting Meg back in early high school. Why make Persephone his daughter. There are multiple Greek characters argued to be his offspring, they could've gone with any of them. Though Hades wished to marry one of the incest children of his incestuously conceived brother, because triple incest is even cooler, I wouldn't deviate too much from Persephone's initial role as his love interest. I think their monogamous relationship, especially in contrast with how that whore Zeus lived his life, is the one element that drives people to put the two names together in the first place. But well, daughter or wife, scrapping Persephone was for the best. Hercules is about Hercules, not Hades and his family life. Anyway, you're probably not even asking me how I'd make it work in the original movie, rather as a stand-alone story. Not that you explicitly asked anything at all. I'd cut Persephone off from Zeus and his sister wife, and make her a mortal woman, one described to be flawless and pure of heart and mind. The kind of person any god would love to have as a sacrifice. Having that said, her soul is unknowingly sold to Hades by her father to save his deathly ill wife. While minding her own business, she's suddenly dragged into the underworld and told the news. Having learned from Meg, Hades no longer sees the benefit of keeping feeble, grieving humans around as servants and contemplates kicking her down the soul pit right away, but the differences between Persephone and Meg are quickly picked up on. Unlike Meg, Persephone hasn't given him one resentful look, and her silent defeatist mentality has him take pity on the foo'. And she's hypotizingly beautiful, that helps, why not. Anyway, Hades "cheers her up" by letting her be his replacement Meg, opposed to an immobilized spirit in a gooey lake, but he finds himself increasingly unwilling to give her chores -mainly those that are bound to humiliate her or risk her safety. She's too honest and not bold enough, you can't send her to swoon a giant centaur. The fact Hades even cares is the dilemma; he never had to contemplate whether something was inappropriate with the headstrong Meg, though he excuses his reluctance as not wanting the jobs to be half-assed. He feels charmed by Persephone's patience and tolerance for him, which is more than what anyone's ever graced him with. She shows understanding for his discontentedness and feels for the way he's being treated by humans and gods, since no one likes death, after all. One of her biggest compliments to him would be the fact how comedic and animated he is for a god of death, which would make the underworld a surprisingly fun place if he'd allow the dead to fade away whilst experiencing the same joy he brings her. Hades is perplexed to learn he brought her joy this entire time, since he was set on being her intimidating boss. Throughout the story, Hades still has his eyes on Hercules, who's claimed -and has continued to be- the one thing that prevents a successful future for him. The oracles give him a new, vague prediction that introduces the existence of a star, which has to keep on shining if he wants the guarantee he'll receive a gratifying life. Hades keeps his sights on the night time sky in order to protect this supposedly fragile star when it shows up. Meanwhile, Persephone's mother is looking for a way to find and save her daughter, which ironically worsens her health. She dies during her strenuous journey, and when her soul enters the underworld, Hades recognizes her and has to make the decision whether to spare this woman a second time, or to admit her time ran out months ago. While he's thinking it over, Persephone shows up, but doesn't make her presence known. Hades sends the soul back to the land of the living, and the spying Persephone becomes instantly smitten by him over it. She never tells him she watched him do this, though, and there isn't much else she says or does to express her changed feelings, since she was already being nice to him and doesn't know how to take the next step. As for the main conflict.. I guess it would be the other gods learning Hades has a human girl for a slave, since he proudly "shows her off" by having her wait for him outside the borders of whatever divine area he's visiting. Perhaps he mentions her as well, but then it was believed he was talking about a goddess. Hercules feels most offended and plans to save Persephone, and since Hades already has beef with him, sees no problem in trying to kill him for barging into his domain again. He sends everything he has Hercules' way, but he perseveres. When Hercules makes it clear to have come for Persephone, Hades calls him a womanizer, because yo, and contemplates using her as a bargaining chip/trap. This would involve killing Persephone in order to kill him. Hercules expresses willingness to take dangerous risks if it entails saving a life, making it appealing for Hades to go through with it, but he can't, because Persephone is his girl. Hercules sees his chance and beats him to a pulp, but Persephone intervenes and exclaims not to be in danger. He's a bit skeptical over her acceptance of the villain, but chooses to believe her and withdraws. Hades learns she's the prophesied star he needed to spare, or some sappy shait. As for the ending, it's made clear it's not healthy for mortal beings to live in the underworld, so she and Hades agree to do (mostly) scheduled visitations. He fires her from being his servant and she reunites with her mother and remorseful father. I'll give the original mythology a little twist; where Spring and Summer-like days are the moments she's staying with Hades, while colder days signal her return home, caused by Hades' stage 3 depression. Not that it matters much, I suppose, Hades should be able to visit her as well, but I imagine the man is busy.

[losingmymindtonight]

been on a for-your-own-good imposed exile from my phone & social media since Friday, so what’s a gal gonna do except eat pizza, reread The Inheritance Cycle, and finish old fic drafts?

I humbly present: Peter can’t sleep, but Tony’s a father now, and he’s got a few tricks up his sleeve.

--

Peter was okay.

He was. That wasn’t even him being self-sacrificing (like May thought) or deferring some kind of PTSD (like Tony thought) or anything. Most of the time, he was totally, completely, undeniably okay.

As a general rule, he just didn’t think about Thanos. He was too busy for that, with planning for his school’s Europe trip and patrolling and learning how to be a big brother to Morgan and resettling a whole apartment with May and rediscovering the absolute thrill of being alive along with the other fifty percent.

He had a good life, and considering everything that had happened, he was so, so lucky.

So, Peter was okay. Despite what Tony and May seemed to think.

He only ever had problems when the sun fell.

Vigilante by day, anxious wreck by night, he thought, more than a little bitter.

There was a bone-aching frustration that came with insomnia. He couldn’t sleep, but he was tired. God, he was so, so tired. His eyelids creaked, his face was tight and worn. Every inch of him was screaming for rest.

And yet, well, here he was: awake, staring at the ceiling, mind swirling down the inescapable drain of death throes and battle heat and the memory of his DNA vibrating apart.

He clenched his fists, then slowly pried them apart. His wrists hurt, yet his webshooters were comfortingly cool on his bare skin.

“Mister Parker,” F.R.I.D.A.Y. suddenly said, and Peter still jumped despite the fact her volume had been lowered and pitched into her softer night mode. “I apologize for the intrusion, but per my protocols, I am to alert Boss if you or Morgan are awake for longer than thirty minutes from the hours of 11:00 pm to 6:00 am. I thought it was only fair to warn you that he is en route to your bedroom and you should be prepared for his arrival.”

There was a time when an alert like that would’ve filled him with annoyance. A time when he would’ve met Tony at the door with a sharp reminder of, I’m almost an adult, I can take care of myself, on his tongue. Now, though, he just felt a dull splash of surprise.

“Mister Stark has rules for if I’m awake?” He asked the ceiling, blinking slowly at the smooth molding. It was different than the popcorn texture in his apartment. Probably easier to deal with when it came to painting.

As if on cue, his door swung open. A soft, yellowish bar of light flashed over his sheets and then collapsed in on itself with a distant click. Huh. So Tony thought that this needed to be a private conversation. 

“It’s called the Cradle Protocol,” Tony offered, and despite the fact that Peter hadn’t actually looked in his direction yet, he could hear the man’s smile in the warmth of the words, like curling into a fireside on a winter’s day. “You know, in case you were wondering.”

“I wasn’t.”

“Oh? Thought you spent most of your life wondering about pretty much everything.” His bedframe creaked as Tony settled down near his hip, and suddenly Peter didn’t have much of a choice but to stare up at the man, taking in the burn scars on his face and the gray in his hair and the quiet love in his eyes. “That’s what kids are best at.”

“I’m not really a kid anymore,” he whispered, but not a single inch of the words felt defiant. God, he wanted to be a kid again. He looked back on the moments he’d spent racing to adulthood and wanted to cry. Wanted desperately to hit rewind on all of it.

“All of us are kids, in the end,” Tony said, like it was the easiest thing in the world. “And you’ll be my kid forever. Sorry. No exchanges or returns on that policy. It is how it is.”

Tony’s thumb brushed soothingly over his cheek as he spoke, and the contact was rough and calloused and so intensely familiar that Peter let his eyes squeeze shut against it, swallowing hard.

“I don’t want to exchange it,” he whispered, and somehow he felt a little ashamed to admit it. Like he was rearing up against the order of things. Or, like he was admitting the truth in a space where untruths were expected.

There was a pause. Peter blinked his eyes open again, and saw that Tony’s gaze had drifted away from him. He was looking up at the headboard, soft curves of sadness mellowing his face.

Finally, he breathed, eyes tracing their way back to Peter’s own, gentle yet intense.

“Why aren’t you asleep, Peter?”

It was a redundant thing to ask, and both of them knew it. There wasn’t a person in the world who couldn’t guess the why of that question. There were probably a million different people all around the world staring up at a million different ceilings, all cold-eyed and shivering because of the same goddamn reason.

“I don’t know,” he lied.

Was it still lying if everyone knew that what you were going to say was a lie before it even left your mouth?

Tony just nodded, like those three words had told him everything that he’d needed to know. For all Peter could figure, maybe they had.

“Alright.” Tony patted his thigh through the blankets, then stood. “C’mon. Get up.”

It probably said a lot about him, or maybe more about his relationship with Tony, that he was already climbing out of bed even as he muttered a halfhearted, “where’re we going?”

“On a mission,” Tony said, gently tugging one of Peter’s oldest and softest hoodies out of his closet and pushing it against his chest. “Put this on.”

He did as he was told, tottering lazily into the hallway, too exhausted to do anything but follow.

“What’s the mission?”

Tony glanced back just long enough for Peter to see the corner of his mouth quirk up. “I need to put my baby to sleep.”

If he hadn’t been so goddamn tired, he would’ve picked up on the wryness in Tony’s voice. As it was, he blinked hard, brain whirring against the fogginess.

“‘S Morgan awake?”

The question startled a bark of laughter out of Tony. “God, Pete. I can’t believe you’re even managing to walk in a straight line right now.”

They were at the front door, now, and Tony snatched the car keys off of their hook in the entryway and ushered him into the cool night air. Cricket chirps swelled all around them. Peter let his eyes drift shut at the sound, then smiled when he felt Tony snag the edge of his sleeve, gently guiding him over the gravel.

“Ought to get this paved, huh?” Tony muttered, almost to himself, but Peter let the words fall over him anyway. “Would make life a hell of a lot easier when we got those summer monsoons. Plus, less of a tripping hazards for the kiddos, especially when they’re half asleep.”

“‘M awake,” he protested.

“I know,” Tony said, almost under his breath. “I’m working on it.”

Peter heard a beep as one of the cars unlocked, and he forced his eyes back open. They were standing in front of Tony and Pepper’s minivan, something which Peter still couldn’t quite wrap his head around. Tony Stark owned a minivan. Sure, it was a nice minivan, with leather seats and F.R.I.D.A.Y. installed and parking sensors, but it was still a minivan.

“C’mon,” Tony muttered, using the hand that wasn’t braced against Peter’s back to pull open the passenger’s side door. “Slide in.”

He let Tony manhandle him into the seat, even though he could’ve easily done it on his own. The exhaustion had stripped his stubbornness away. The only thing left was a yearning urge to be protected, cradled, loved.

It was good, he supposed, that those three roles seemed to be Tony’s favorites to fulfill.

Tony got into the driver’s seat, then double-checked Peter’s seatbelt twice before starting the car. He cracked the back windows, and the cricket chirps and nature swell mixed hypnotically with the buzz and hum of the engine. Peter closed his eyes and took a deep breath, turning his face in Tony’s direction when he felt the man’s eyes on him.

“You’re supposed to be looking where you’re drivin’,” he murmured, knowing that his smile was all drowsy and lopsided. He could feel them moving, though, so he wasn’t wrong.

“Nobody’s out this late.”

“Still need to stay on the road.”

“Oh, hush. I’ll take no driving smack from the child with a learner’s permit.”

He yawned. “Passed the test.”

“You sure did,” Tony murmured, pride warming the words. “I’ve got that picture that May took after hanging in my office.”

“I know.” A shard of longing pierced his chest. “Felt normal that day. Jus’ for a bit.”

He opened his eyes just in time to see guilt cascade over Tony’s face. Whoops. He really hasn’t meant to make his mentor sad. He was just loopy from all the sleepless nights, wading through the detachment weighing in his head. It was hard to stay conscious and keep his filter all at once.

“I’m so sorry, Peter,” Tony said, hands gripping the wheel so tight that his knuckles flashed white under the occasional streetlamp. “I wish I could take it all away.”

Peter just blinked. God, he was tired. His brain ached with it.

“You can’t.”

And Tony couldn’t. Peter knew that. Iron Man could do a lot of things, even survive the constriction of space, but he couldn’t void memories. Nobody could.

“No,” Tony admitted, and even through the fuzziness in his head, Peter found the wherewithal to be surprised, “but I can be here.”

Peter let his eyes drift shut again. Somehow, that was all the fixing that he needed Tony to do. I can be here.

That was it, wasn’t it? It was why the memories of Thanos rung so clear at night and pitched silent during the day. Because Peter hadn’t really been afraid of dying during the battles. He’d been terrified, horrified, by the thought of being left alone.

And at night, in his bedroom, walls and doors and locks between Tony or May or anybody else who would stave off the quiet, that fear was so much easier to taste.

He was so, so afraid that at the end of it all, he’d been irreversibly alone.

“Can you talk to me?” He whispered.

He just wanted words. Something substantive in the nothingness of night. And Tony was only ever speechless when there was something to be afraid of.

He’d... He’d been silent when Peter had died. Had been silent after he’d done the Snap, too. The look on the man’s face, the lack of speech in the haze, had rung in Peter’s nightmares ever since.

He could hear the roughness in Tony’s voice when he responded, and Peter couldn’t help but wonder if he was thinking about his silence on Titan, too. If he even remembered the stillness from the Compound’s dust.

“Of course, buddy.”

And he did. He talked about Rhodey and college and the first time he met Happy. Peter found himself drifting in and out as he rambled, although he never seemed to fully wrap his hand around true sleep. He’d nearly get there, Tony’s words fading into something he couldn’t quite comprehend, and then he’d recognize the shift and jolt himself out of it.

Somehow, it was even more frustrating than what he’d been doing before. At least then, he’d known he wasn’t going to get any sleep. Here, it kept dangling in front of him. And to make it worse, every aborted attempt at sleep felt like a failure. Like he’d screwed it all up, despite all the effort Tony was putting into helping him.

“Sorry,” Peter suddenly muttered, blinking away his most recent near-rest. Tony fell silent. “Sorry, sorry.”

“Shh, Pete,” Tony soothed, right hand abandoning the steering wheel and settling on his arm. “It’s not your fault. We’ll get there.”

“‘M trying.”

“I know you are. You’re doing great.”

For a breath, Tony just rubbed Peter’s arm, breath and nature filling the car.

“I used to do this for Morgan, you know,” he finally said, voice low. “Learned it within the first month. Think I must’ve put a thousand miles on the car, driving around just for some precious minutes of peace.”

“Ben used to drive me around when I was little,” Peter mumbled, twisting until he found a comfortable position: draped over the center console, head just inches away from Tony’s elbow. The console was leather and padded, which made it a surprisingly good pillow. Plus, he was close enough to pick up the steady thrumming of Tony’s heartbeat. “I didn’t like sleeping after my parents died. Car always worked, though. Dunno why.”

Tony’s hand settled on the top of his head, and a swoosh of comfort whisked from that one point all the way down to his toes. “It’s the vibrations from the engine. Low frequencies make us tired. It mimics the sensation of being rocked to sleep.”

He smiled. Trust Mister Stark to turn anything into a physics lesson. “‘S science,” he muttered.

Tony’s thumb swiped over his temple. “It’s science,” he repeated. “Do you want another story?”

Hmm. Yes. And he wanted Tony’s hand to stay right there, too. The tips of his fingers kept brushing over the nape of his neck, and the pattern was nice. Slow. The kind of monotony that was so easy to get lost in.

“Mm.”

“How about a special one?”

“Mm.”

“Well, since you asked so nicely,” Tony said, laughter in the words. He sounded pleased, though. Peter was too busy falling asleep to figure out why. “Y’know, I never went to Queens much when I was a kid. Howard wasn’t a big fan. And then I didn’t have much of a reason to go once I was an adult. Everything I needed was in Manhattan or Malibu. Point is: imagine how surprised I was when a web-slinging vigilante actually forced me out there…”

Peter drifted off long before he could recognize that the story was about him.

--

Peter half-surfaced to the quiet thud of a car door opening, and the crunch of shoes on gravel.

It wasn’t the usual way he woke up. He’d gotten used to jolting into consciousness, sweat slicking his trembling limbs and damp sheets snarling all around him. It was a violent thing, full of heartbeat and rib-ache.

But this was soft. Warm. Safe hands slid under the back of his neck, his seat tilting back until he was lying almost completely flat. On instinct, his eyes flickered open, and he grinned sleepily at Tony, who shushed him in a barely-there murmur.

“Nice and easy, Pete,” Tony said, voice warm and safe and already blurring. “Now be a good boy and go back to sleep.”

And for once in Peter’s life, it was as simple as that.

[ak8shi]

Sugawara + Bokuto: HQ boys as workout instructors series

Kuroo + Iwaizumi ver.

warnings: light swearing!!

Sugawara Koushi

After coming back from school for summer break, you decide to renew your gym membership!!

A ton of your friends have recommended taking yoga, so you sign up for a class, just to try it out

The class takes place on Sunday mornings at 10 am, leaving enough time for you to grab a light breakfast before class

You decide to pick up an acai bowl from your local smoothie/nutrition shoppe you stop in so often that the workers know your order LMAO

You decide to sit down and scroll through your phone while you wait for your order,,, but then the door chime rings alerting you that someone else has entered the small shop

You look up, making eye contact with the most beautiful man,,, that you’ve probably ever seen

He looks at you for a second with his light eyes, giving you a polite smile, then goes up to the counter to order a smoothie

Sis,, why are you in love already hahaha

You, wearing old yoga pants and an old raggedy T-shirt, no makeup on, hair messy: why is this my life 😔

One of the workers finally calls your order number, and you go to grab it from the counter before you make a fool out of yourself in front of this angelic man

You scarf down your breakfast in your car, making it to the gym twenty minutes before your class begins

Tidying your appearance a bit, you pull your hair up and tie your large shirt before walking into the yoga studio

You, seeing the beautiful man from the smoothie shop at the front of the class: ☺️wow☺️my luck☺️

He hasn’t seen you yet since you decided to set up at a mat in the back, but the man addresses the class,

“Good morning everyone, my name is Suga and I’m going to be your instructor today! Please make sure you are stretching in the meantime before we officially begin!”

He gives everyone the biggest, most glowing smile UGH

Oh so he’s ANGELIC angelic,,,,, yet sexy somehow

As you begin stretching, he starts walking around to see if anyone needs help and he’s coming towards you dear god

Suga’s face lights up, obviously recognizing you from the smoothie shop

Him, the best boy, smiling down at you: hey! Do you need any help stretching? Also, I didn’t catch your name this morning at the smoothie place :))

You: It’s y/n, & you can do more than help me stretch <3

Asaksjajaksjk anyways,, he gently guides you through some simple stretches, pushing on your back lightly and guiding you (with your permission ofc)

You don’t notice, but from an outside pov he’s kind of a blushing mess

Finally, he goes back up to the front he suddenly remembers he has a class to teach

Suga’s class consists of extremely calming music, Jack Johnson, and nature noises !! relaxing king

The class is so refreshing and not what you expected at all, also Suga’s AMAZING?? And so flexible

It’s super enjoyable because he has all these little tricks to do difficult movements and poses, and he adds in little comments about things dadknsdf

Suga: move your arms as low as possible, even lower than your standards for men ladies

After the class finishes, you feel amazing and energized, dare I say life changing ,

A few weeks pass, and you’ve gone to every yoga class that he’s put on; he’s just that good

He comes over to talk to you at your mat before every class, making casual conversation

Him: hey, are you coming to my class next week? If you don’t I have an event planned 🤬

You: Is that a threat

Him: ..

He’s TEW MUCH LMAO very witty but so loveable :(( honestly how could you not have a crush on this pretty boy

You literally have no idea that he looks forward to teaching the class now, just because he’s able to see you

Oblivious, you kind of accept the fact that you really like him, but almost every woman in the studio OGLES over him so you try not to get your hopes up

One day before class, you stop into the smoothie shop, and he’s already standing there in the shop, hands shoved into his Lulu Lemon shorts,,,, looking so unbelievably handsome

Him: finally, I can buy you a drink

You: over my dead body sweetie ☺️

After fighting in the shop like the idiots you are,, you give in and allow him to pay for your smoothie

Suga: Look, I already know what to order for you, that’s how well I know my favorite yoga student ;)

You: …I’m allergic to peanut butter

Him: Heart’s 💔 been broke so many times-

LMAO anyways, he let’s you order and before you can get into your car to head over to the gym, he gently grabs your arm to stop you

“I know we don’t know each other super well… but I really like you and think you’re beautiful. Would you want to go out with me sometime, like not at the gym?”

DJDJDOID HE LOOKS SO NERVOUS PLEASE !!!

Ugh his genuineness is so attractive to you, of course you say yes, causing a huge smile to cover his face

You: I’ll race you to the gym, if I win you buy my smoothie again next week

Suga: deal

Suga also that day: gets a speeding ticket and is late to class

Bokuto Koutarou

So your university gym offers a large variety of classes, including an extremely popular class called Hip Hop Fitness,,, you see where I’m going with this

You sign up with your friends for a Wednesday night class, thinking it would just be nice to destress since midterms are over

You and your gals carpool to the gym together, and you walk into the dance studio,, there’s already music playing super loudly,

Immediately your eyes as well as everyone else’s are drawn to the man standing in front of the studio mirror, adorned in sweatpants and a black tee-shirt

“hEy welcome to Hip-Hop!! I’m Bokuto, thank you for showing up tonight!”

He is so damn loud I’m howling

It’s hilarious because he literally looks like a frat dude, like super buff and intimidating, but his personality and teaching position says otherwise

He stops the other music from playing and puts on his playlist, asking everyone to stand up from the wooden floors

“Okay everyone, I have a few rules; number one, follow me. Number two, give it your all, and number three, you better be throwing it back with me. Let’s get it.”

He turns on his playlist and its Nicki LMAOO you are on the ground

The playlist consists of a lot of female rappers and singers, also remixes of pop songs, in other words it’s IMMACULATE for dancing

He is SO charismatic and HOT, you can’t take your eyes off him; He’s amazing at dancing ok but you’re sweating by the time the second song comes on

He’s the type of instructor that yells things out, “OKAY I see YOU,” “AYYEE” LMAOSJDMS ,,, he literally gets himself and others so hyped up

However,,,  it seems like he hovers around you a lot throughout the class, trying to dance with you

Your friends: sis…

You, oblivious: ???

Bokuto: 🔍👀 a crumb,,, ma’am ?

Him, yelling over the music: what’s your name????

You tell him, not thinking anything of it, but then he drags you up to the front and starts throwing it back thick king

You try to keep up with him,,, but we all know he’s untouchable when it comes to cake, LMAO

By the end of the class, you are EXHAUSTED, it truly was a workout

Bokuto is still energized and looks like he could do another class though

He says bye to everyone, and you leave the class not really expecting to see your little crush again

BUT

..

Around a week later you’re walking to the library on campus, and you’re scrolling through your music library to find the perfect song to listen to on your walk

You literally still can not stop thinking about Bokuto, he’s just an unforgettable person truthfully

Someone kind of bumps into you, and you look up ready to apologize, but when you look up you are met with Bokuto’s amber eyes

He’s with another super tall, black haired dude with piercing blue eyes, who he doesn’t even introduce lmao poor akaashi

He’s so happy to see you again I would die for him

Him: I wanted to talk to you after the class but I couldn’t find you ! I guess its kind of like fate bringing us together again, AKAASHI,,, this is the girl I was telling you about

You, a mess: sir you own my entire heart already

Him:

Him: I need to take you out IMMEDIATELY rip your study plans and Keiji getting ditched

He grabs your hand, dragging you to the coffee shop located just off campus

He is so eccentric and fun-loving, his personality is everything you thought it would be ++more !!

He definitely guilts you into going to his classes ,, but I mean are you really losing here

You get to see a sweaty Bokuto, dance with your crush, and then he usually takes you out to get ice cream after because fuck a diet ! He doesn’t believe in that bullshit

He’s so proud of meeting you through his class, he brags about it to everyone,,

Bokuto: yeah😌 she fell for how much ass I have

Kuroo: k... literally I didn’t ask

[fizzingwizard]

Episode 28~ Well, I heard this season’s supposedly got 60 episodes total (don’t quote me, that may be wrong) so we’re almost at the halfway point... I’m gonna wait till episode 30 to talk about that though.

This episode I actually rather liked, even though absolutely NOTHING happens other than the important things at the very beginning and the very end. That’s becoming a pattern this season - lots of nothing sandwiched in between hints of big dramatic things to come. Eh. But yeah, I liked it anyway :P for a few reasons that are probably not that objective. It’s not the kind of episode that’s gonna make you want to rewatch though.

Cap of the week!

Look we all know Jou is exactly the kind of 12 year old who folds his clothes neatly even when lost in a mysterious parallel world. Also he brought more textbooks (social studies and Japanese). Aka more ammo for Mimi

More below:

Last week we ended with Patamon evolving to Angemon in what was a pretty anticlimactic moment, despite a big villain being there and a cliffhanger ending. Seemed like a waste after all we went through just to get him.

However, I do think the beginning of episode 28 makes up for it somewhat. Angemon gets to show off how Very Very Cool he is, but it’s also made clear that he’s not up to full strength. Seeing him throw all his effort into the battle to save them even though it’s clear he won’t win was actually pretty great.

More typhoon winds throwing everyone back XD they must have so many bruises

Poor Takeru gets thrown back all by his lonesome

So last episode, I said I thought Darknightmon was gonna go for Hikari and was surprised and somewhat relieved when he stayed interested in Takeru/Angemon. Um... I guess that was a red herring x’D he’s after Hikari after all.

He literally says “I have no use for you” to Angemon LOL sick burn my dude

Hikari: “There is a new cutest child.”

Takeru: “Um, actually the phrase is ‘smallest child’.“

Hikari: “No. Cutest child. Do not interrupt my moment, impertinent one.”

Grogu: “Did someone say ‘cutest child’?”

Angemon’s peeved that Hikari stole the spotlight so he immediately jumps into the way and prevents Darknightmon from grabbing her.

Angemon: “No one treats ME like some washed up has-been!”

But as hard as he tries, Angemon just hasn’t recovered enough. It probably took all the energy Patamon had stored up just to evolve. His wings lengthen and release into millions of shining feathers, and both he and Darknightmon de-evolve.

I really did kind of enjoy this battle! Seeing Takeru be all strong and heroic, and the desperation with which Angemon tries to protect him... me likey.

Next it’s a nod to 99 series! D-D-Digimon!

Yamato screams like he’s at the dentist’s.

There’s lots of freaky black lightning that rains down seeming to give dark energy and empower random Digimon who get hit by it. Just to ensure our heroes don’t get to waste time on any more “breaks”

A single feather floats down where Taichi lands and dissolves. I am not sure what happened to it, if it did anything or if it was what protected them until this point...

Taichi and Hikari wake up and discover they are alone. So last week I thought they’d get swept off into pairs... I didn’t even consider that they’d each wind up alone. Mixed feelings! On the one hand, seeing each kid interact with their partner and their partner only was one of the good things about this episode (except it wasn’t always true, which I’ll get to in a minute). On the other hand, my fears last week were that whoever ended up with Taichi would be overshadowed by him. Turns out, if no one’s with him but Hikari, that means all the plot stuff is with them and the others have nothing in particular to do. -_-; At least not this week. My hope is that it’s coming (and there were a few promising hints this episode so), but next week’s trailer looks pretty Taichi-centric too..

Taichi: “Can I help it if I’m so charming cool awesome and dare I say it adorable”

The impact of everyone being “alone” is cut short by the fact that they can all still communicate via digivice. I would be fine with that, except for what I said earlier - they wind up spending too much time talking to each other instead of their partners. Particularly the ones who like to Plan Things. Eh.

Yamato tells Taichi to protect Hikari, doesn’t even mention that he’s sadly separated from Takeru at this point ;_; He knows Takeru’s okay though because Takeru is also communicating by digivice.

Sora: “Hello yes, it’s in my contract that I get to be awesome X number of times per episode, and I have doubts that you are making your quota.”

I love how Tentomon’s job is basically Koushirou’s secretary x’D “Put my calls on speakerphone Margaret” “Yes Mr Izumi”

The partners really are suited to each other... Koushirou gets a secretary, Jou gets a mom, Mimi gets a gal pal, Yamato gets a therapist, Sora gets a sister, Taichi gets a... preschool child who eats paste... -.-’

takeru and hikari don’t count because they’re Special and their main attribute is Cute

All the kids have ended up alone except for super-charged monsters who want to eat them. Palmon hoists Mimi up a very sheer rock trying to escape Golemon who is not great at climbing but doesn’t seem to know that

Meanwhile Jou... is like “Ohh yeah, you guys have it so rough, I’m trying my hardest too, keep fighting the good fight y’all”

He’s relaxing in the hot springs and freaking studying.

Gomamon’s unusually fine with it though. Because he gets to swim. He says “Let’s invite the others here.” They’re both like YEAH THIS IS WHAT I CALL A VACATION

It’s all fun and games until the hairy guy with the tattoos and veiny arms sharing your hot spring starts staring at your ding-a-ling. Uhhhhhhh.

he does make the “Nanimono?” joke so all is well lol

No matter what form he takes, Patamon is always an Angel 👼

Takeru is alone but he has Patamon... but Patamon is...

... ADORABLE... and conked out. Takeru’s so proud of him though, look at that smile *sniff*

Taichi remembers to ask Koushirou how conditions are back at home. This kid is too organized.

Koushirou: “News and variety shows continue as normal even though the world’s ending.”

I’m not going to get into everything he says but it’s pretty much more of the same regarding the power influx from the human world to the digital world and the way the Zurumon’s attacks are wreaking havoc with electronics...

Taichi almost says “You’re so sugoi!” Almost. He’s grateful anyway. *chews on those Taishiro breadcrumbs till they’re broken down to atoms*

Then... Hikari’s acting strange!

Agumon: “What are you looking at?”

Hikari: “I don’t know.”

Taichi: “You don’t know but you’re looking at it?”

Hikari: “It kind of looks like Steve Buscemi... it’s hard to tell”

Taichi’s not too wigged out by freaky Hikari because he’s lived with her all his life, and she’s always been a freak.

Baby Hikari: “Shteeve... bushemiii....”

Agumon: “Your sister’s weird.”

Taichi: “Yeah but she’s MY weird sister.”

Yamato is fighting, of course. He stops for a moment to be impressed by how well Takeru’s handling himself. Garurumon points it out. I suppose it’s simply time to accept that this season Yamato is just not the disaster boy he was in 99 x’D

Now have some gratuitous adorable Patabutt images.

Patabutt patabutt pata pata butt butt

Um... is it just me or is Patamon kinda... oversized all of a sudden lol...

Takeru: “Did you eat all of my candy stash again?”

Patamon: “I just can’t seem to quit”

Takeru: “That’s it we’re getting you into rehab”

Patamon tries to fly but just can’t ;____; poor baby is totally wiped out. Takeru takes a long time to catch on to that. I REALLY HOPE THIS GOES SOMEWHERE, like Takeru has to protect Patamon instead of the reverse etc... pleeeeease don’t just leave this where it is writers!! The potential for cute is endlessssss

On the matter of Things That Are Not Cute... -.-;

Jou: “Please stop looking at my junk”

Nanimon: “Stop looking at mine”

Jou: “YOU DONT HAVE ANY wait do you wAIT I DONT WANT TO LOOK”

Mimi is much more useful! She discovers a shiny rock!

Theory!

This rock... could be the raw material for their Crests!!! Squeee~!! I mean, it’s about time something about that came up, assuming it’s still a thing. (Since they already seem to have their Crests loaded in their Digivices and got to Perfect level without any talk of values and personal strengths, I don’t know how much of the old Crest legacy remains in this season.) I, uh, did the same thing in my fanfic so I guess I’m just biased... These could totally be Evil Rubies Of Darkness and Terror but I’d rather have Crests :p Of course I would have expected Mimi to find green stones in that case sooo... maybe not.

Anyway she and Palmon are suitably distracted from running from Golemon and go mining instead. I’m sure that will not cause any problems.

We swing back to Taichi and Hikari, who are being approached by a big scary monster...

Taichi: “Watch my Tarzan impression.”

Hikari: “Nooo! I don’t want to be Jane!”

Fortunately Agumon evolves just to catch them in midair x’D Now is not the time for impressions, Taichi, seriously.

They are attacked by Volcdramon, which is a dumbass name.

Voldramon: “I AM VOLCRADMON, THE VOLCANO DIGIMON”

Taichi: “Velcromon the Velcro Digimon?”

Voldramon: “what NO i am Volcdramon-”

Hikari: “Voltronmon? Voldemortmon?”

Voldramon: *sniveling* “why does this happen EVERY time i JUST want to be one of the cool guys youre all such BULLIES”

MetalGreymon and Volcdramon face off, but something’s not right! Much like... the Digimon in the last episode whose name I already forgot *cough*, Volcdramon seems able to absorb other Digimon’s power. This presents a problem because last time it took all of them shooting into its mouth together to overload it so they could win. MetalGreymon is having a hard time on his own as Volcdramon just absorbs all his attacks.

Hikari prays to Jesus to save them. Digimon is approved for Christian families 👼👼👼

ugggghhh I love them

Taichi promises Hikari everything will be okay. His back-and-forth with MetalGreymon here is kind of cool. Every time MetalGreymon takes a hit, Taichi’s encouragement and coaching?? I guess keeps frustration at bay.

Buuut eventually they’re both feeling pretty desperate :P It was hard for me to take this battle seriously since, after all we’ve seen MetalGreymon capable of, it seems weird that he should be struggling this much. But obviously they don’t just want to make him invincible. And this problem makes sense: the ability of Digimon to absorb attacks and turn them into energy is definitely a new problem.

The question is, how do we solve it?

Apparently it helps if you have a little sister who’s some kind of super battery.

Taichi: “Nothing shocks me anymore with Hikari. She could announce she’s been Beyonce this whole time and I would believe it”

WarGreymon appears (again) as his goldeny vision self, defeats Volcdramon, then promptly de-evolves back to Agumon.

So the question is, why is this happening... From earlier episodes we know Agumon & co are some group of legendary warriors who have had their memories tampered with (??) to some extent (because they do still know each other, or at least Agumon and Gabumon remember knowing each other). Omegamon’s a given for that of course so I suppose that’s why. Hikari seems to be the key to unlocking the legendary warriors, maybe with Takeru. That’s my guess. Of course, Tailmon’s probably already in the bad guys’ clutches, much like Patamon was. I hope she’s still working for them. I want more double agent fun times. Also ANGST

Hikari: “Thank you, Agumon-” *disappears*

Taichi: “GEEZ I can’t eat, can’t sleep, can’t even breathe without something bad happening anymore, like excuse me for BLINKING”

Yeah so... Skullknightmon appears and abducts Hikari like it’s nothing xD

Skullknightmon: “What’s under arm number two? Iiiiit’s your sister!”

Taichi: “Aw damn, I wanted the sports car”

Taichi quickly gives chase. I assume Agumon’s pretty exhausted after that and probably can’t evolve now. Bad timing. Oooor maybe this is all how Skullknightmon planned it...

Then... the unthinkable! Hikari looks at her brother rushing desperately to save her... and turns away!

Taichi is SHOCKED! Le GASP!

Taichi: “But but but I’m the MAIN CHARACTER”

Hikari: “Not anymore bitch it’s my show now”

Yeah okay jokes aside! This bit was AWESOME. Like, I’m sure it’s obvious that she can tell the voice that “called” her to the digital world is with Skullnightmon. Or at least, her heart’s telling her she has to go with him in order to meet that person (Tailmon, duh). I’ll be surprised if that’s not what’s going on. But... to so coldly just turn her back on her brother... I mean, maybe she also thinks she’s protecting him... but SHE JUST GOT HERE... holy crap...

To think we spent so long theorizing that Takeru would be the one abducted but no it’s Hikari... In retrospect should have been obvious. She’s 1) a girl and therefore a damsel, and 2) the one who was abducted in 99 xP

But I really like her semi-willingly going off with Skullnightmon. Much better than just screaming as she’s whisked away King Kong-style. In 99 she also got abducted voluntarily (I mean, it was coercion, so... that’s not voluntary, but you know what I mean). So they kept that in this season and I like it.

That’s it for this week’s episode! So the bits that I liked were the individual moments with the kids and their partners, of which we had more than usual but still not nearly enough. Nowhere near. In the end it was still a Taichi episode.

As a Taichi fan... it’s not like I’m ever sad that he gets more focus. But I love ALL the kids and they’re NOT getting development. We do keep getting hints about them but it’s so, so, so slow. To be fair, it’s not like we know THAT much about Taichi either. He gets so much focus because he’s always fighting. This season doesn’t seem concerned with personality and character bits like the 99 one, and I am gonna compare them for that. Because I think that was the heart of the 99 show. Without it, it’s missing something. I keep hoping it’ll come back, we keep getting those hints and special moments here and there, but the plot is such a distraction... if it was like a really good plot maybe I’d care less but...

Next week...  as far as I can see, it’s another Taichi episode xP But I do think they’ll do the same as this episode and intersperse Taichi’s battle with what’s going on with the others too. If that’s how they do it, I won’t mind. It might even be better. Fine, Taichi can fight, as long as the others are showing us more about themselves and getting other things done in the meantime. Mimi and Jou both look promising. Takeru too. Sora and Yamato, not sure..

Koushirou better not just sit at his computer the whole time -___-

Le owch.

Taichi: “Look being the main character’s not all it’s cracked up to be. I have three concussions and six broken bones. Also I can’t feel my toes anymore”

hang in there bud im cheering for ya

[nooneactuallyasked]

Diner Gal - Reggie x Reader Part 8

Requested: It’s a series, there are no requests here!

Word count: 2,560

Warnings: Cursing

Summary: Julie and the Phantoms ( + Flynn ) go to a musical diner/café/restaurant for inspiration and hopefully a future gig but they end up meeting a very special waitress.

Note: This one is really long- the next part will be out tomorrow so be ready for that! Enjoy!

Edit: I FORGOT THE TAGLIST I’M SO SORRYYYYY!!!!!!

Part 1 here   Part 2 here   Part 3 here

Part 4 here   Part 5 here   Part 6 here

Part 6.5 here   Part 7 here

---

“Hey, Diner Gal.”

Y/N smiled at the floor before turning around to face her surprise visitor, “How’s it hanging, Leather Boy?”  She probably wouldn’t admit it out loud but Reggie’s random visits were probably the main reason why Y/N had been arriving at work extra early and leaving extra late. “Alright, Julie is kinda freaking out and getting Flynn to help her pick an outfit and then Flynn freaks out and gets Julie to help her decide on a theme for the marketing stuff. You?” Y/N shrugged, “The usual.”

“So, what can I do you for?” Reggie looked down, a red flush covering his cheeks and the tips of his ears, “Well, I kinda wanted to just hang out because Julie and Luke are “writing some songs” but we all know it’s just a date and Alex is with Willie and I’m willing to bet my left sock that they’re on a date too and I didn’t wanna be alone so I thought that you’re really nice so I came here.” A smile danced on Y/N’s lips and her gaze softened, he was too sweet and just hearing his voice made her cheeks heat up slightly. Reggie’s eyes widened and he met her gaze, a horrified expression painting his face, “Unless you’re busy, sorry, I’ll- I’ll just go-“

“Woah, Reg, chill out. I’ve just got to plan out the way we’re gonna decorate the room on Friday. Plus, I like having you around, it makes my job a lot less boring.” Y/N smiled before grabbing a black notebook an opening it to a new page, she scribbled down a title so she’d remember what it was for before bullet pointing her ideas. “You know, I just realised, how much work do you do? I mean, you’re around the same age as us, you have a job and you basically co-manage this place whilst also working here as an entertainer. Do you even go to school?”

Y/N chuckled and turned to face him, “This is a part-time job but I do usually sneak in extra hours just to help out Cal, he can’t do everything by himself and there isn’t anyone else to help him, plus he’s a family friend and basically my uncle at this point. As for school, I do online school which I pay for with this job, and it all comes full circle.” Reggie frowned, “Still, it sounds like a lot. You should come to Julie’s sometime during practice and just hang out. No folders, no notes, no work, just hanging out and having a good time! And  promise me you’ll start taking it easy”

“Alright, Leather Boy, I promise and maybe I’ll take you up on that someday. But for now, just focus on your gig that’s coming up in two days, not including today of course. Speaking of, do you mind helping me out with this, I get the impression you have a lot of ideas locked up in that brain of yours.” Reggie looked at her in surprise, “You really want my help? I mean, you could ask anyone for help, why me?” Y/N stared at Reggie, her brows furrowing as a  worried expression crossed her face, “Why wouldn’t I? Reggie you’re amazing and I wouldn’t want anyone else to help me.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

---

“Finish up these papers for me, I’m going out.”

“Cal, I’m already doing more than I should, I have to finish off an essay and send it in before lunch. You haven’t even started your time listings for today yet.” Y/N blew at a piece of hair that kept falling into her eyes and glared up at Cal.

“I said finish them, I’m going out.” Cal slammed the papers onto her desk and walked out of the office. “Cal, what the fuck!” Y/N stood up, her chair slamming into the wall behind her as she ran after him, papers in hand, “Where the hell are you going?” “Out.”

Cal shot her a cold glare that made her freeze in place before walking out. Y/N groaned in frustration, throwing the papers to the floor, “Shit, fuck, kill me.” Sighing, she knelt on the floor and gathered the papers back up. “Fucking asshole, but he might have something important to do and he’s just stressed about it. Calm down, Y/N.” She kept muttering reassurance to herself so as not to lose her temper once again.

Y/N glanced down at the paper, it was her schedule for the note giving out extravaganza. Oh fuckerooney, she was meant to do that now and she was already late. Y/N ran into the office and stuffed all the notes into a bag which she slung onto her shoulder before sprinting out into the street and making her way to her first stop: Firecracker’s house.

---

“Y/N? You look like you ran all the way here…don’t tell me, you did, didn’t you.”

“Perhaps.”

Julie rolled her eyes despite the grin growing on her face, “You’re an idiot, you know that, right? And your face is really red.” Y/N gasped dramatically, bringing her hands to her cheeks in comical shock, “You don’t say?”

“Julie! Who’s at the door? Tell them to go away, we need to practice!” Both girls stared at each other for a second in slight shock before bursting into laughter, Y/N cleared her throat before turning to Julie, “You might want to cover your ears.” Julie raised a brow but complied as Y/N took a deep breath, “Oi, dunderheads! I thought you wanted your notes but I guess not!” Silence followed and it everything in her to not burst out laughing or snort. “And go…” Julie furrowed her eyebrows and the snickered at the sounds of scraping and scrambling that came from inside the garage.

“No! Please, give us the cheat sheet so we can win!”

“Not a cheat sheet and it’s not a competition but yes, please ignore him! We need your help!”

“Wait there’s a cheat sheet? No one said anything about a test!”

“Okay, boys, chill out and let her breath before she joins you in the afterlife.” Y/N sent Julie a grateful smile before setting the notes down on the coffee table and quickly stepping back as the boys (specifically Luke) dived for them. “So, as per mandatory instructions I need to explain the notes and help you use them to your advantage but I also took on all of Cal’s work until the weekend alongside my own so I hope you don’t mind me checking the finance’s, writing setlists and my essay and other work stuff. I promise you will still get the full explanation for each and every note!”

“You took on more? You already have so much, you promised that you’d take it easy!” Y/N rubbed her knuckles, “I know but Cal walked out on me earlier and hasn’t been himself lately so I needed to pick up where he left off. Plus, all the other workers need a manager and so that’s what I’ll become.” Julie sighed, stroking her finger along the piano keys as she sat down, “As longs as you’re sure it’s okay.” Reggie furrowed his brow but picked up his bass and slung it over his shoulder nonetheless, his concern and probable disappointment made the nasty, sinking feeling of guilt weigh down on Y/N. She didn’t like letting people down but she needed to do this, for her family, for Cal, for herself.

“So let’s do this, you can read through it and then I’ll walk you through it all.”

.

.

.

“Oh! Julie, can you call Flynn? I’d like to see what she’s got before putting everything out there.” Julie frowned, “Are you sure, you’re already doing so much, I don’t wanna-“ “Julie, it’ll be fine just call her up, I’d rather get this done, it’s now or never.” Luke snorted, Alex rolled his eyes but smiled and Reggie choked causing Y/N to raise a brow before shrugging it off, she just needed to see this through and then maybe Cal would be okay again.

A small smile made its way onto her face when she saw Julie and Luke link pinkies behind the piano, she didn’t that was possible but they were cute so you didn’t particularly us. And hey, she got Luke’s nickname spot on, so there’s also that.

“Okay, if you’re sure then I’m sure Flynn will be delighted.” Y/N grinned, “Sweetness, let me know when she’ll get here so I can prepare a space the printer in our office back at the diner.” Reggie furrowed his eyebrows and tilted his head, kinda like a confused puppy, “How do you prepare it? Are you leaving already?” Y/N chuckled and shook her head, “No, the printer is wireless and connects to all of the staff’s phones and laptops. Since I only have my phone on me I’ll be using that.”

“Ohhhh! That makes sense!”

“Yeah, Willie said something like that when we went sightseeing and we say printings being put out without anyone nearby.”

“That’s stupid, just draw them or something, what if the wireless breaks?”

“You’re talking loud for someone with bad handwriting.”

---

“Hey everybody, your favourite manager has arrived!”

“Thanks for coming, Flynn. Y/N is just setting up the wireless connection back to her office, have you got a copy of the flyer or something?” Flynn grinned, “You know I do, and can I just say that I really appreciate me and my talents and you should too. You’re welcome.” Julie chuckled and led Flynn over to Y/N who looked up at them with a smile. “Hey, Flynn, it’s really great to see you again. Sorry about the short notice.” Y/N picked at the tips of her nails, a bashful smile making its way onto her face, “No problem, since Julie ditched me for her invisible boyfriend and his band geek friends I haven’t had much chance to hang around, now you’re my excuse.” Julie rolled her eyes as Flynn stuck her tongue out in her direction.

Y/N chuckled and put her phone down beside her, “Well, I’m glad to be of service. So, may I see your masterpiece?” Flynn grinned and pulled her phone out of a pocket, “I thought you’d never ask.”

---

“Thanks so much, Flynn. Your flyer’s amazing, we might have to hire you properly.” Y/N winked, a bright smile on her face, “Really? I mean, these guys really need my talents but if I find some time away I might drop by.” The two girls laughed and then a thought popped into Y/N’s head. She rummaged through her bag and brought out her notebook; she ripped out a page and wrote her number onto it. “Here, Julie already has pretty much all of my contact info but I just remembered you don’t, so here’s my number.” Flynn smiled, “Thanks, I’ll put it in my phone when I get home.”

“Y/N! Do your job and help us now!” She rolled her eyes and stood up, “Once again, thanks.” Flynn sent her finger guns in return. She walked over to where the ‘band geeks’ were congregated around the piano.

“Okay, so it says ‘Remember to interact with audience members’ and ‘Move around when possible’. What does that mean?” Y/N smiled and leant against the piano, “The first one is simple, Cal really liked how you guys react with each other but since we are a performing diner the audience want to be included as well, so interact with them, send them smiles, wave at specific people, pick people out of the crows, that sort of stuff.” She shifted her body to a more comfortable position, “As for moving around, again, we’re a performing diner, everyone will have a mic pack, since you can pick up, hold and wear physical things I’m gonna assume you can wear mic packs too. I don’t know how your amps work though so just move as much as possible, Julie if you can do the most moving around that would be great, we’ll have some performers dancing and working around you but you guys are our main attraction when you’re performing. Just do what you can to the best of your ability, that's all we ask.”

“Well, I’m sure we can do that, right, boys?”

“Obviously, have you not heard us rehearse this week? We’re going blow everyone’s socks off!”

“I have a feeling anything could go badly though, what if the mic packs don’t work or one of us doesn’t appear when we start playing, or- “

“Alex, chill out, this isn’t a second hotdog, and if it is we’ll eat it so it knows who’s boss!”

“Uh, Reggie, that’s how we died, I’m pretty sure the hotdog won.”

“Huh, yeah, that checks out.”

Julie and Y/N caught each other’s eyes and burst out laughing, “Can you guys stop having your little ghostie jokes, I’m trying to boast that I’m well on my way to being a famous manager to the She-Devil herself!”

“Well, now I’ve fulfilled my part of this mission I have to head off to my next mission, Agent Y/N is officially signing out.” Julie smiles and Flynn walks up, “It was great to have you on this mission, we wish you luck in your next. Stay safe Agent, we hope to see you again.” The three girls saluted each other before snickering while the boys stared at them in confusion. Y/N walked over to her bag and slung it over her shoulder, “I’ll see you guys later.” She pushed open the garage doors, waving goodbye one last time before walking out.

Y/N started walking down the path before a loud smashing sound caught her by surprise, “Wait!” A weird sensation spread over her hand, it was warm but cold and it made her skin tingle before she felt pressure replace the weird feeling and fingers curl around her hand. “How can I help you?” Y/N turned around, plastering her customer service smile onto her face.

“Leather Boy?”

She turned to see Reggie standing there completely frozen, holding onto her hand as though it were a lifeline. “Reggie? You okay?” Reggie shook his head slightly and smiled before looking down, a sheepish expression crossing his face, “Can I hug you? Please?” Y/N’s softened and smiled brightly, “Of course, Reg. Come here.” She reached up and looped her arms around his neck as he buried his face into her shoulder, “I don’t get many hugs, the guys don’t like them and I feel like it would be weird to ask Julie.”

“Well, you can hug me anytime…that sounds really weird.” Y/N chuckles as Reggie gazes at her in admiration, “So what did scream at me and- break a plant pot for?” Y/N peers behind Reggie and finds the origin of the smashing sound. “Uh, well I was going to just say goodbye but since we’re here would you mind if I came by the diner later?” Y/N smirked, “Can’t get enough of me?” Reggie grew flustered and turned his gaze to the floor, “Well- I like looking at the food but you being there is definitely a positive.” Y/N blinked, now it was her turn to be flustered, she didn’t expect him to just come out and say something like that.

“Right, yes, well, I’ll see you there then. Um, bye.”

“Yeah, yeah, goodbye.”

---

Taglist:

@hereforthejatp

@slutforjjmaybank​   @morganayennefertyrell​

@dxestars​   @dcnerd98​

@ultraworthlessbitch​   @revolutionary-werewolf-ghosts

@underc0vercryptid-reads​   @miisacore​

[val-bananatine]

Mikannie Week Day 3

Title: Mikannie Week Day 3,  Anchor in the stormy seas / The breath taking hug

Pairing: Mikasa x Annie (Mikannie)

Genre: canonverse, canon-divergent / time altered, hurt and comfort, slightly OOC because both of these couldn’t start a feelsy conversation even if their life depended on it

Rating: K+

Overall word count: 2,802

Disclaimer: The characters used in this story are not mine, they and Attack On Titan belong to Hajime Isayama. I simply am borrowing these lovely gals for a fanfiction One Shot. Also this story is based on the prompt: “A gives B a hug that makes them lose their breath”.

Summary: Day 3 of the @mikannieweek 2020, with the prompt canon - verse! Late at night, before the group parts onto the plan and ship, two lost, young women can’t sleep -- both too occupied with their own thoughts and struggles. As they meet in one of the ship halls, they slowly began to talk, and Mikasa offered herself to be the anchor in the storming sea of emotions that Annie needs in that very moment.

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Continue reading down below

__________________________________________________

A young woman with short, black hair was aimlessly strolling through the dark hallways of the ship and storage halls, her way only being lightened up by the few faint rays of the moonlight that shone through the small windows from time to time. Her gaze was fixated on the floor, her brows furrowed as she slowly walked into one of the halls.

She only looked up once she stepped through the door frame of the hallway that connected the halls, seemingly checking where she was. Just as she wanted to continue her stroll, she noticed a silhouette in the corner of her eye.

The young woman raised her eyebrow and turned her head in that direction to see another person leaning against the reeling of the water canal which lead ships outside. She padded towards the person and narrowed her eyes in hopes of recognizing the features. As she got close enough, she could distinguish the light blonde hair and parts of their hoodie being illuminated by the moonlight.

“Annie?” She stopped focusing her eyes the moment she recognized the other woman and looked at her back with a tilted head – but she got no reaction of her, not even a movement of the head to show that she heard Mikasa calling her name.

After a few seconds of waiting with no reply, Mikasa got a step closer and began to stretch her hand out after the smaller woman – only to hesitate in her movement and stop just as she was about to touch her shoulder.

Annie was seemingly so lost in thoughts that she neither heard the steps echoing through the hall, nor her name being called; She hasn’t really noticed anything of her environment. If she now would suddenly feel a grip on her shoulder – Mikasa shook her head at the thought of most likely scaring her to death and completely shutting herself in out of shock.

Instead she decided to not pursue her concerns about Annie’s behavior any further for now and padded next to the other girl. Leaning against the iron fence, Mikasa watched the small waves of the water stream and the hall fell into silence once more.

_____________________________________

Minutes passed without neither saying a word, both seemingly too lost in their thoughts and memories to say something. That was until Annie tilted her head towards Mikasa, her cheek resting on her hands.

Even if the movement was small, it was still registered by the taller woman, who lifted her head up, still seeming to be in thoughts before stating: “It’s a quiet night, isn’t it?”

Annie’s mouth opened a little before she closed it again, raising an eyebrow as she tried to make a sense out of the sheer random question. However, she did not ask about it and instead stayed silent.

Mikasa followed her example and the hall fell into silence once more – but only for a few moments.

“So…” Annie’s propped herself up with her elbows, her gaze staying focused on the taller woman next to her.  “What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing, you know?” Mikasa moved her head slightly to eye Annie, who silently stared at her without commenting. And so Mikasa shrugged her shoulders before explaining: “Well – I couldn’t sleep.”

“Because of Eren?”

“Yeah–“ Mikasa sighed before she stared down at the water stream. As she watched it flow, she quietly carried on– “Everything honestly. So much is going on and is at stake… Taking a walk helps me in sorting it all out – and to get a clear mind again.”

“I see…” Annie nodded slowly while listening, her gaze trailing to the water once more. “Well… I mean – uh, if talking about it helps you–“

Mikasa let out a soft chuckle, something which made Annie blink and quickly turn her head to the taller woman, only to see her shaking her head with a soft smile: “It’s fine, thinking helps enough. Besides –“ She tilted her head slightly as her gaze and smile softened even more– “I wouldn’t want to put even more weight onto your shoulders with worries…  Seeing that you seem to be fighting your very own battle right now.”

“I –“ The blonde’s eyes widened slightly and she opened her mouth to say something, but only one word managed to slip out. She tried again, but she couldn’t find the right things to reply about Mikasa’s very true observation, and so she lowered her gaze and started to fiddle with the sleeve of her, a little too big, blouse.

Mikasa watched the smaller woman’s reaction with a soft, understanding look in her eyes and patiently waited for her to settle on what to do before she elaborated: “Annie, I’ve still known you for years. It’s – not that hard to tell when something is of, for any of us. We’ve all still been one troop. It’s not like you to be that quiet and lost in thoughts. You were so deep in them that you didn’t even hear me in the slightest.”

Quietness filled the hall as Annie stared on the floor and bit her lip, seemingly thinking before she let out a soft sigh: “I mean… I did hear you, kind of. But…“

Her voice broke, and silence filled the room. Annie’s mouth opened again, but no sound came out. It was as if she wasn’t even sure on what to say. Mikasa’s face only softened more at the sight and she carefully put a hand on the blonde’s shoulder: “But you didn’t have the energy to react while thinking about it. It’s okay.”

The blonde looked up at her when she felt the light grasp on her shoulder, her mouth still opened before sighing quietly.

Mikasa tilted her head as she watched the smaller woman in front of her, her eyes showing the sympathy she felt for her situation as she quietly suggested: “Do you want to talk about it though?”

Annie’s eyes widened at first, though she averted her eyes while mumbling: “You know– I can say the same back about not wanting to add more weight…”

“If it helps you.” The taller woman shrugged before turning around to fully leaning against the reeling again. She did notice Annie silently watching her movements, but since no words followed from the smaller one, she decided to elaborate: “I appreciate the concern, but it’s alright – I’ve made up my mind about it already. No matter how I look at it, it won’t change anyways; it won’t change the fact that I’m set on bringing Eren back.”

At last Mikasa turned her head around and propped her face on her hands to look at Annie, who was in a similar position, her eyes not fully focused on Mikasa as she listened to her observation: “But I notice that it’s not that easy for you – yet at least. Whatever it is, it’s heavy, I can tell. So if talking about it helps you to ease it, I see no problem in listening.”

“I…” Annie averted her gaze from Mikasa and bit her lip, seemingly thinking of what to say. “I – don’t know. It’s just –”

“Too much. Everything is.” The blonde’s head hung low as she let out a deep breath, her eyes by now focusing on the water stream instead of averting Mikasa’s gentle, caring look. “I’m – I’m here now, on humanity’s side. Even… even though –“

Her voice broke and she could not finish the sentence. She again took a deep breath, trying to hinder herself from sobbing out loud. And Mikasa’s expression turned from gentle into a pained one, yet she didn’t know how she could possibly help in this dilemma, which only was the beginning – and so she decided to silently listen when Annie regained her quiet voice: “It’s… nothing personal, you know…? But I know what I saw… and what I was told – and I can’t bring myself to just ignore it – even if we’re on the same end now. We’re – running, and at the same time prepare for a final battle –“

Annie’s voice grew quieter and more hoarse, her hands loosened the grip on the fence and began to shake, while she got lost in her thoughts and tried to form some kind of sense as all the words she could think of left her mouth: “But… I don’t want to fight anymore… not against you, or anyone else… And –“

Once more she struggled to finish the sentence, or the thought that ran through her mind as she interrupted herself with a loud sob, hiccups and sobs leaving her mouth in between her words until she could not speak properly anymore: “And now – I... I don’t have a reason to fight…  anymore –“

Strong arms wrapped themselves around the shaking blonde and pulled her closer to embrace her in a tight and warm hug, so tight – she felt like the air left her lungs for a moment, making her gasp loud in surprise. As she looked up with an open mouth and wide eyes, tears still streaming down her face, her gaze met Mikasa’s small yet pained eyes.

Annie felt as if time stood still for an eternity where they just stared at each other – yet it was only a few seconds until Mikasa whispered, almost inaudibly for her: “I’m here for you, Annie.”

______________________________________

Mikasa couldn’t tell what exactly drove her to this; she couldn’t tell what this almost magical force was that made her step closer to the blonde – that aching in her heart as she saw her breaking down about something she could only guess she knew oh so well in a way. She couldn’t why those soft, comforting words left her mouth, but they did – and it felt right.

And so, as Annie averted her gaze again and simply rested her head against Mikasa’s chest to let her tears fall freely, the dark haired woman began to rub her back in slow circles to calm her down.

While watching the smaller blonde she couldn’t help but to bit her lip, the pained expression deepening – something that Annie gladly didn’t see. She knew that she should say more, or something for the matter; but what was there for her to say that would have the wanted impact? She still could only guess what it was that pains Annie so much, and that it was linked to her break down at the mention of not being able to save Liberio – but guessing didn’t help her in finding up cheering words. It never was a strength of her to begin with, especially if she doesn’t even know from what exactly she should cheer the other up.

“Hey…” Mikasa’s voice was only a whisper when she began talking, her mind roaming with the most various thoughts and phrases as she tried to find some way of saying the right words. “You don’t have to fight anyone… not against them, or us… But –“

Mikasa could feel Annie head moving a little up at the last words, the sobbing quietening down for a second – until it began again. The taller women assumed it was an attempt to stop, and proceeded to rub her back with a hint of more pressure when she elaborated: “But… you have to against yourself… in a way. I – I can only guess what was in Liberio. And – I never wish to find out how it’s like… I –“

_______________________________________

Once more she stopped to try and find the last words again, but Annie didn’t fully notice. Her heart clenched at the mentioning of Liberio; her fists balled together and clasped onto the thin jacket Mikasa was wearing as she sobbed out loud. But through all this she could still notice how much Mikasa struggled with this situation as well. Annie tilted her head and looked up to see Mikasa biting her lip and staring past her; this sight made her look down for a split second and mumble in between tears: “I – I’m sorry… to burden you with this…”

“Don’t have to be.” Mikasa’s look was focused on Annie the moment she heard her speaking, and her gaze softened at the apology and made her shake her head. “It’s – tough for you, and sometimes we need to let it out… It’s okay.”

For a moment nothing more was said, all you could hear were sniffles and sobs, while Mikasa silently rubbed the blonde’s back. Only after letting out a quiet sigh Mikasa murmured: “I am sorry though.”

As she saw Annie slowly moving her head up to look at her with confused, teary eyes and a tilted head, she continued: “I should have known that mentioning your home would hurt. So I’m sorry for making you feel worse.”

“No – No, it’s okay…” Annie croaked as she weakly shook her head, “It’s not your fault… It’s just… Thinking about my father hurts.”

The dark-haired woman attentively listened as Annie’s voice grew quieter and quieter into a hoarse whisper: “I… I promised him that I’ll come back… And I couldn’t keep it.”

More tears began to stream down the small blonde’s eyes once more as she thought about it, and so she buried her face into the taller woman’s shoulder, while said woman hugged her closer again. With a soft look in her face she crooned “Don’t say that… In a way you can still keep it.”

“Huh..?”

“One day you’ll meet each other again, Annie. But that day isn’t today… nor very soon.” As Mikasa softly explained, one of her hands slowly moved up to Annie’s face to carefully brush some strands of hair behind her ear. “I’m sure he knows too… I’m also sure that he still loves you… and that he’d want you to live your life until the time to meet again comes.”

The small blonde found herself leaning into the touch, feeling her aching heart relax just slightly – and her mind slowly wandering away to think about what was said. “Yeah…”

________________________________________________________________

Over the time, Annie’s sobs and tears fully faded – yet neither of them wanted to let go of the warm, comforting embrace and instead stayed silently together for a long while.

Annie, having leaned her head back into Mikasa’s shoulder by now, quietly stared into the water stream as she mumbled a soft: “Hey… Mikasa…”

“Hm?”

Her mind seemed to have wandered long, twisted ways in the meantime for what was on her tongue. She hesitated at first, biting her lip, before she mumbled with a voice full of concern: ”… Don’t kill yourself when you bring Eren back, okay?”

The dark haired woman didn’t respond at first. She looked down, and while Annie silently was waiting for an answer, she let out a quiet sigh.

Before she could say something, Annie could guess which words would leave her mouth, the smaller woman moved her head up to look at Mikasa, who purposely averted her gaze “Mikasa, I mean it. I – know that you’re set on bringing him back… but please – be careful.”

“I’ll try, but…” The moment that those words left the tall woman’s mouth, a small frown started to appear on Annie’s face. Mikasa turned her head to look at the smaller woman, her brows furrowed together while stressing: “But I can’t lose him. I won’t let it happen, under any circumstances.”

“Look –“ Now it was Annie’s turn to sigh out – “I get that…”

“But please – think about it.” Annie tilted her head as she got lost in her thoughts, her frown being overshadowed by a deep dark, sad shadow over her eyes, her voice beginning to tremble slightly again. “I… I couldn’t save the last person of my family. And – of course I don’t want you to suffer from the same…. But I also want to spare Eren that pain.”

Mikasa’s heart grew heavy as she listened, knowing deep down how very right she was, and what Annie was trying to say with it. As she saw Annie staring right at her, she immediately glanced away, biting her lip and feeling her throat swell when Annie hit the bulls eye of the problem: “You both are your last family members.”

“I –“ Mikasa couldn’t find a proper response to it. A deep sigh left her lips and she looked down onto the cold floor. But no matter how much she twisted and turned it in her head to find a reason why sacrificing herself would do the trick – she couldn’t deny how right Annie was. In a last attempt she hoped to find a defense attempt in her mumbling: “I– Know… I just– ”

But before she finished the last word, Annie interrupted her with a concerned yet stern voice as she pled: “So promise me that you’ll return with him?”

“…. I will.”

The end~

[marvella15]

Astaire & Rogers Rewatch Part 8: Carefree

• Ah Carefree. Another film with a lot of weird, extraneous crap in it that detracts from what we’re all actually here for: Astaire and Rogers together and dancing. 

• Surprisingly, this odd movie has a song and dance I especially like, “Change Partners.” It also has the first on-screen romantic kiss between Astaire and Rogers. But we’ll get to that. 

• Our character/actors: Dr. Tony Flagg (Fred Astaire), Amanda (Ginger Rogers), Stephen (Ralph Bellamy), Cora (Luella Gear)

• I’m not up on Ralph Bellamy’s filmography but in every movie I’ve ever seen him in, he’s the guy who loses the girl to the bigger male star. 

• Now I’m no expert but it seems like if your fiancé breaks off your engagement three times, there might be some actual issues in your relationship. And I don’t think those issues boil down to just “the girl I like won’t marry me.”

• For the first time in one of these films, Astaire’s character isn’t a dancer or musician by profession. He’s a psychiatrist… who used to be a dancer. Gotta have some reason why he’s so dang elegant and talented. 

Not a fan of his notes on a patient that indicate she’s a “typical pampered female” who doesn’t need a doctor but rather “a good spanking.” 

Right after this, he describes Amanda, whom he hasn’t met, in very unflattering terms, including that she probably doesn’t have a brain. Here’s a diagnosis, Dr. Flagg. You’re a misogynist. 

Already we can see some issues with Carefree. 1938 may have been a different time but nothing about Astaire’s character is charming, kind, or anything we’d want Rogers to be paired with.

• I do like that as usual Rogers’ character doesn’t stand for any crap. She doesn’t give one single eff about his questions or his attempts to chat with her and then she storms out. 

• Astaire spent two weeks rehearsing the golf solo (aka "Since They Turned 'Loch Lomond' into Swing"), during which he did a thousand swings. The actual number took two and a half days to film. 

Surely it helped that he was an avid golfer already. In addition to horse racing, it was one of his favorites hobbies. 

It goes without saying that he hits a golf ball better in the midst of a dance than I could on a driving range. 

It also probably goes without saying that the only reason Tony does this number is because his ego is insulted by Amanda. 

• Rogers looks particularly fab in her shorts during the bicycle scenes. 

• Amanda begins to warm up to Tony after seeing he has talents besides psychoanalysis and insulting women he hasn’t met. But she only truly starts to like him after he makes an idiot of himself by crashing his bike into a bush. 

• Cora thinks that Tony sent her a gigolo?? And she’s totally on board with it?? And she drinks something this random man (who we know is Tony’s assistant) hands her???

• “I Used to be Color Blind” has a lot of potential that it doesn’t live up to imo. As you might guess by the song and the way the scene is filmed, this sequence was supposed to be in color. But, depending on who you ask, either the studio felt it was too expensive or the color tests looked horrible so it was scrapped. Either way, it’s a shame. Audiences had to wait over ten years to see Astaire and Rogers dancing in color.

• I’m also not wild about the slow motion, which seems a bit goofy. However, it does let us better appreciate the talent and mastery of Astaire and Rogers. For example, when he lifts her in a spin, her feet don’t touch the ground again for a while and they both make it seem effortless. 

• Soooo the Kiss. I know I’ve been banging the kiss kiss kiss drum for a few movies now. But this almost isn’t that satisfying? Now, I would say that this could’ve been intentional on Astaire’s part since he (and maybe his wife?) was the one opposed to any on-screen clinches and preferred the romance and intimacy to be in the dances. But, Astaire wasn’t comfortable with even this finished product, according to both his account and Rogers’. The slow-motion made what was really just a peck on the lips seem like much more, which he felt made up for all of the kisses he hadn’t given her in their previous films. So it seems unlikely he had any hand in intentionally making it unsatisfying. 

More likely, it’s that of all of the scenes, songs, dances, and movies for a kiss to happen, this isn’t the one I would’ve picked. A peck on the lips during “The Continental” would’ve been perfect, or a delicate kiss after “Cheek to Cheek” or a passionate one after “Never Gonna Dance.” Just a few places I wish we’d seen a kiss rather than (or in addition to) here.

All of that said, I will say that there’s something very fitting that in the scene Rogers is the one to lean up and kiss him rather than him being the proactive one. That’s very fitting for their off-screen dynamic too where he was far more shy and reserved. And I do like that it’s clearly an intimate kiss, as evidenced by the way she wraps her arms around his back. 

• Two years before she would win her historic Oscar, Hattie McDaniel appears in Carefree in an uncredited role as a maid.

• When Amanda next meets with Tony, she is conflicted about telling him about her dream where she was very clearly in love with him and not boring old Steve. Her sweater conveys her struggle. It has arrows piercing an embroidered heart over her actual heart. 

• Amanda’s invented dream is insane but who hasn’t made up ridiculous excuses to stay around their crush? But kids, don’t go so far as being put under anesthesia. 

• The whole period where Amanda is still drugged and acting weird is absolutely something I typically skip, even though Rogers does a good job with the slapstick.

• “The Yam” harkens back to previous numbers like “The Piccolino” or “The Continental.” Even though it feels almost a bit outdated at this point, it’s a fun, upbeat number in an otherwise somewhat dull film. 

• I like that Astaire drops the acting after a few seconds. He’s just himself for most of this dance and looks like he’s having the most fun he has at any point in this movie. Rogers is also all smiles and looks marvelous. 

• I also like that they dance around so much of the lodge and use much of the scenery as part of the number. 

• Some fun lyrics:

“I didn’t come to do the Charleston” - Rogers got her start in entertainment by winning a Charleston contest when she was 14.

“I didn’t come to ball the jack” - Five years later, Judy Garland will perform a superb number called “Ballin’ the Jack” in For Me and My Gal with a promising new musical star: Gene Kelly. 

• Gotta give it up for the EIGHT times they do the move where his leg is up on the table and she leaps over it. 

• She is undoubtedly whispering something to him when they start to slow dance. 

• Rogers is a really wonderful actress. She does a stellar job when Amanda tells Tony she’s actually in love with him.

• Look, I get that Tony’s trying to find a way out of a situation wherein his friend’s fiancé has fallen in love with him and plans to break it off with his friend, but telling Amanda she’s imagining her feelings is pretty crappy of him. Hypnotizing her so she’ll hate him and marry Steve instead is pretty stupid. 

But once again, Rogers does a fab job in this scene. Hypnotized or not, she’s obviously devastated and cries even while pretending to be in a trance. 

• “Kiss her, you dope!” is what I’ve been saying for seven movies. 

• Some light gun violence humor here in 1938.

• I assume it’s an in-joke that the judge’s last name is Travers, which was the last name of Astaire’s character in Gay Divorcee.

• We already knew Steve was hapless trash but refusing to allow Amanda to choose her own future and instead leaving her hypnotized and getting a restraining order against his friend to prevent Tony and Amanda from ever getting together is a new low.

• Unsurprisingly, the most enduring song from this film is “Change Partners,” which was nominated for an Oscar. It’s also one of my favorites and frequently gets stuck in my head. 

• At least Steve’s stupidity is used against him. Tony literally sings exactly what he’s going to do (“I’ll tell the waiter to tell him he’s wanted on the telephone”) and yet Steve still falls for it. 

• For the third(?) time in this film, Rogers must pretend to be in a trance, this time dancing to Astaire’s hypnotic hands. But not long in, she clearly breaks through a bit because she becomes more of a participant. She grabs his hand when it’s on her waist and melts into his arms when they embrace. 

• “Change Partners” as a dance is incredibly intimate. That’s not so unusual for Astaire and Rogers’ romantic duets but it’s a tad unusual in this particular film where, despite that kiss, they’ve hardly had any romantic interactions. And yet in this dance, they are frequently very close together, his lips hover near hers more than once, and it’s all very slow. In fact, they very nearly kiss a few times. To me it’s further proof that as long-awaited as the earlier kiss was, there were and are better places for it, such as right here.

• Amanda really gets a raw deal. Sure she gets to marry the man she actually loves. But in the process, she nearly shoots him and others, gets arrested, is subjected to a variety of psychological experiments, and then gets punched in the face on her wedding day. 

• During this rewatch I’ve been surprised how much I’ve enjoyed certain films I don’t watch as much, like Gay Divorcee, but Carefree is pretty much how I remember it. Very little worth rewatching, except “The Yam” and “Change Partners.”

• Up next is the last RKO production Astaire and Rogers made and the end of their partnership… for now. It’s The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle.

[pan-inc]

SDR2 Boys +Chiaki Figuring Out Their S/O Is FtM

  Blank (Aka Mod Rantaro) was working on part SDR2 and DRV3 of the boys when they have a crush on you, but she dislocated her wrist part way of writing them and insisted she finish them herself, so I decided to do some work and write this with some ideas from Blank since I’m not too good at making ideas ;;

  I don’t think I was too specific on whether or not they’re FtM or MtF, so go ahead and change the pronouns if you need!

  (I myself am not transgender and don’t know anyone who is, so I’m very sorry if I get some incorrect information on you guys)   Non-Despair AU

  Y/N- Your Name   D/N- Dead Name

-Mod Chihiro

Spoilers under the cut

  (Warning, there is a tiny bit of dead naming in this but not in a ‘them trying to be transphobic or rude’  way, just them not knowing your actual name yet.)

Hajime Hinata

  Not even gonna hide it, I headcannon Hajime as FtM as well, so let’s just go with he hasn’t told you about how he’s trans either.

  “YOU’RE TRANS?! WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME BEFORE WE EVEN STARTED DATING D/N?!”

  Him calling you by your now dead name made you flinch slightly, “I-Im sorry! I knew that you would be grossed out and stuff, so I-”

  “Grossed out? Why the hell would I be grossed out by you being trans?”

  “Y-You just got mad... Mad at me? And... A-And......” You are very confused, his mood switch from yelling to being concerned was a bit too much to deal with over the heart-pounding anxiety of coming out to him.

  Your anxiety dies down a little and confusion rises through the roof once Hajime hugs you as tightly as he can, “I wasn’t mad at you being who you really are, I was just... A little upset that you didn’t trust me with this information earlier in our relationship, but I guess I have no room to talk.”

  You hug him back while not processing the last part of his explanation, snuggling your face into his neck instead. “I also have something to tell you.” “Hm?”

  “I’m also trans,,,,”

  So after you two coming out to each other he takes a little bit to get used to your new name, and he promises to himself that he’ll buy you literally anything you need from The Store™ to feel comfortable once he gets a hang of your name.

  If you feel ~dysphoria~ before then, he will not hesitate to let you borrow some of his baggier clothes and possibly even a binder if your body hates you enough.

Nagito Komeada

  You wanted to talk to him about your transition, but he just started rambling on and on about hope. You were getting a little upset (so was Hajime, but a lot more than just a little upset.) but your anxiety about him not accepting you forced you to stay quiet and just let him ramble.

  “God Nagito, if you’re not going to shut up for me at least do it to hear what D/N has to say.” Hajime snaps, shutting up Nagito.

  “Y/N...” You whisper softly in an attempt to correct Hajime, but he doesn’t hear.

  “Okay, what do you need D/N?” He seems slightly upset that Hajime interrupted his preaching, but lightened up when he started talking to you.

  “Please call me Y/N!” You accidentally shout, quickly covering your mouth, “Sorry for yelling...”

  Hajime, despite not knowing how to spell without help, clicked it in his brain what you were trying to say to Nagito, so he quickly excused himself and walks away.

  “I’m sorry Y/N, what do you need?”

  “I, uhm... You’re bisexual right? So, that means my transition won’t be too hard on you right?”

  Nagito tilts his head to the side, but then quickly picks you up and hugs you.

  “My wonderful Y/N is so amazing, don’t be filled with so much despair just because you want to come out to me!”

  Honestly, what else would you expect. He’s insanely supportive of your transition and thinks of you as an even more special hope that he isn’t deserving of. 

  You might have to reassure him a bit more than you usually did, but it’s 100% worth it in the end.

  Will totally lend you his jacket.

Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu

  To be honest, you came out to Peko before getting anywhere close to coming out to Fuyuhiko. You knew he loved you with all of his heart, but you were worried about if that would change if you transitioned.

  Peko was really supportive, but she had let it slip a few times to Fuyuhiko.

  Thank God Peko is smart enough to make a smooth recovery to make sure Fuyuhiko doesn’t find out before you’re comfortable with him knowing.

  After a bit of encouraging and planning from Peko, you finally decided it was time to come out to him.

  You walk up to Fuyuhiko, who was talking to Peko, and pull on his suit sleeve as gently as you could while still gaining his attention. “Huh? Yeah D/N?” “Can we talk about something?” You respond, trying to not sound too serious to try to not scare him.

  Fuyuhiko looks at Peko, back at you, then back to Peko, as if asking for permission to leave the conversation.

  “Go ahead Young Master. Our conversation can wait.” She smiles and walks away, leaving you panicking to yourself and a confused Fuyuhiko.

  “U-Uhm... Does the Kuzuryu Clan support same sex relationships?”

  “Huh? The hell? Why do you want to know that?”

  “Because I am now the second leader of the Kuzuryu Clan, Y-Y/N! A-And now your.... Your b-boyfriend?”

  “Well fuck, they better support gays and transgenders or they’re getting kicked out and fucking murdered.”

  Peko smiles in strong Ally.

Kazuichi Soda

  Big think.

  Was he into guys? Before he got to know you, a gal (Sos if you aren’t), better he was enamored by Sonia, also a gal.

  From what you know, he’s never liked any guys, so what if he wasn’t okay with dating you when you transitioned?

  (Spoiler for later in this scenario, he’s bi-curious uvu)

  You decided to come out to him using your knowledge that he taught you about making electronic stuff.

  It was hard to hide that you were making something from him. but with a quick “I’m making a gift for you, you’re going to be so proud of me!” He (reluctantly) leaves you be to create whatever your creating.

  After a long bit of working, you had finally finished.

  Two little doll-like items (Kinda like Mini Maru) that looked like Kazuichi and the real you. The Mini Y/N was holding a trans flag and Mini Kazu had a blank flag that can be changed at a later time, and the two Minis had their arms intertwined.

  “Kazu~! Look look, I’m done with my project!”

  He turns and looks at your invention. “Oh, what is this D/N? Is that me? Who’s that?”

  “It’s me and you of course!”

  After a bit of his confusion, he understands and supports you greatly. Like a simp 

Gundham Tanaka

  After thinking about the pros and cons of every possible way to come out to  G U N D H A M  T A N A K A , you just decided to come out to him in a more straight-forward way after brainstorming with Sonia.

  You run up behind the slightly embarrassed G U N D H A M  T A N A K A who was being complimented by Sonia and jump onto him, almost making him fall over onto poor Sonia. After giving her the signal she excuses herself and makes her escape.

  After getting off G U N D H A M  T A N A K A ‘s back and calming him down from his extremely blushy state, you start panicking over what to do again.

  ‘What if he doesn’t like me because I’m a guy? What if he’s transphobic? Love isn’t the purpose of life, but he’s been such a huge part of me that I don’t even know how I’d be if he was gone. You’d be so lost without him-’

  “Fallen Angel, are you alright? My skin didn’t poison you, did it?” He asks, obvious concern in his voice.

  “Oh, no, it’s not that.” You take a deep breath, look up at him, and push your anxiety as far down as it can go.

  “I-I don’t want to be your Queen a-anymore!”

  “You... Don’t want to be my Queen?” There was a lot of pain in his voice and you realize what you said.

  “T-That’s not what I meant! I want to be your Queen of the Underworld and Overworld, b-but I would...” You take a deep breath, “I would rather be your K-King!”

  He pulls you into his arms and hugs you as tightly as he can, burying his face into your neck.

  You hug him back, “Also, please call me Y/N.”

  “Anything for my King. I will tell my Devas of this news so they do not make you uncomfortable.”

  Sonia is very happy about the energy she has created in the studio today.

Nekomaru Nedai

  I’m not very good at writing for Nekomaru so I’m gonna have to skip the coming out part, I’m very sorry if you wanted to read you coming out to him TvT

  But anyways~

  He isn’t the brightest light bulb, so he does his research.

  If you wear chest binders he’ll panic quite a bit but after asking you and gaining more knowledge, he goes less hard on you when it comes to exercising.

  Your binder is giving you troubles? Fucking take a break, take it off, B R E A T H E.

  Oh, you want muscles to look more ‘manly’ like him? First, he will let you know that you don’t have to look ‘manly’ to be who you are. If you still insist then he will help with your want.

Teruteru Hanamura

  Before you officially got together he would flirt with practically everyone no matter their gender, so you were pretty confident about him not leaving you because he’s ‘NoT gAy’.   So uh

  I’m horrible at writing him

  So just know he’s supportive and doesn’t really mind that you transition.

Chiaki Nanami

  “Hey Chiaki? Can I talk to you about something?” You walk into her room with your beautiful flag in your arms.

  “Yes D/N?” Chiaki hums, not looking away from the screen of whatever she was playing.

  You drape your flag over your arms and then wrap them around Chiaki’s neck in an attempt to hug her from behind, “Please call me Y/N.”

  She looks over at the flag and after a bit of the wheels in her brain turning, it clicks in her brain what you mean. “Okay. Is there anything else you need, Y/N?” You smile at your names coming from her and sit next to her properly and nuzzle into her hair while using your flag as a blanket, “Just your support.”

  She smiles softly, “You already have that bunny, you should know that already. Also, tell me if my nicknames make you feel uncomfortable.”

  Very supportive, will get into the head of anyone who says anything mean to you about you being transgender.

  But besides that she doesn’t really make a big deal of you being trans. A gud gorl.

Ultimate Imposter

  He’s someone who can and will be the impostor of anyone no matter their gender (’Cuz that’s his whole ultimate) So he absolutely wouldn’t judge you for changing genders, right?

  So I’ve rewritten this like 4 times, even with the help of Mod Rantaro, and neither of us know his personality very well so sorry about this.

  Either way, he’d be very supportive and buy you everything you need to feel comfortable in your body.

Izuru Kamakura

  Hm.

  Oh, you’re trans?

  Oh cool.

  So who are we giving despair to today?

[chaoticevilbean]

Atla Youtube Au, Sokka-Centric

1/?

“What’s up, ma dudes? Time for another session of What My Friends Have Put Me Through. This time will feature Lady, Warrior, Gurl, and Princess.” The male was wearing his Southern Water Tribe facepaint, and from his background, it seemed he was indeed in one of the Water Tribes’ territories. His hair was white for this particular video, long and pulled back into a tail. His irises were bright blue, and once again left no clues as to whether it was the real coloring or just contacts.

“Alright, so this story is a bit strange, as per usual. As you all know, my friends are activists and Lady takes that to the extreme. Well, they did it again. What do I mean, you new viewers ask? I mean they started another rebellion. Now, maybe it’d officially count as just a bunch of protests, but I personally believe that once the number of protests in a single city is more than five in as many days, it’s the start of a rebellion. And yes, I did say another. I’ve got it all in a playlist if you wanna look.”

The background behind the videographer changed as he presumably walked around as he spoke. Snow and a clear sky were shown, and there didn’t seem to be any other people in sight.

“Now, it all started because of a previous thing my wonderful Lady did. If you’ve already watched the video, noice. If you haven’t, pause this and find the one labeled ‘Lady Vs Old Coot’. Very inspiring. Anyways, so they came back here and thought that maybe at least that Old Coot had changed, but no. No, instead there’s been no change. Or there hadn’t been. We all came as a group, but only myself, Kuzon, Lady, Bluey, Princess, Gurl, and Warrior. Bandit, Ballerina, and Knife would’ve come, but they were all busy. Or Ballerina and Knife were busy. Bandit hates it here cause there’s no land. Nothing to see.”

“So, we’re all here, and we spend the day touring and exploring and stuff, and then we meet up for lunch. Well, Lady starts ranting about how they’re so disappointed in everyone, especially the Old Coot, and demands that we do something. Immediately, Gurl, Warrior, and Princess all pledge themselves to the cause, and then guess what they do? Guess what they flippin’ do?” The Youtuber gave a sarcastic and slightly pained chuckle, dark seal markings emphasizing his features as he looked around a little.

“If you couldn’t guess, they asked me, me, to help them plan their course of action. Now, these are my friends. Basically my family. I’ve been through a lot with them, from overthrowing corrupt organizations to taking down drug rings to literally being Kuzon’s father one time. And through all of these things, I’ve somehow become known as the one who’s really good at planning. But they asked me to help plan a stinkin’ rebellion. I do it, obviously, but the fact that they even asked.”

“But then, apparently they told all of these people who’re following them in protest that I helped organize everything. And no one decides to tell me this, so I keep helping from the sidelines. We reach day three of protests, and it’s lunchtime, so I think I’ll just walk on over and bring some food to these people who’ve been standing outside the Council all morning. I get there, and I get mobbed. Everyone’s either thanking slash congratulating me, or they’re complaining about the protestors. It takes me an hour to find Lady and ask them what the Spirits happened because of all these people just crowding around and yelling at me.”

“Lady apologizes, but the damage is done. The warriors are asking me to end the protests. I tell them I can’t. They get mad because I’m supposedly the one in charge. I am not the one in charge. I am the one who the people in charge asked for a favor and got dragged into this mess. No one seems to get it. Then the heckin’ Council calls me in and tries to make me end it all. I kept trying to say that it’s not my fault there’s a rebellion. It was the will of one person, aided by the wills of three other people, that inspired the hopes of everyone who’s protesting. I just helped them do the most damage so they have a big impact and this doesn’t take a year.”

“So here I am.” The camera turned around, and started panning to show the barren ice devoid of any life. “I’m currently out here attempting to hide from everyone. I have enough supplies to last me a week on its own, three if I make the most of it all.” The screen showed several bags, including a green Earth Kingdom satchel, a blue Water Tribe satchel, a black Fire Nation duffel, and a yellow Air Nomad backpack. A few items are attached to the duffel and backpack, though it’s unclear what. “I’ll wait out the protests, since Bandit’s giving me a play-by-play of the progress. Once that’s done, I’ll just head back and hope that no one’s still under the delusion that I’m in charge.”

“Thus ends this day’s session of What My Friends Have Put Me Through. I’ll be back in an hour after I figure out what else to video and get bored enough to post again. Hope y’all like junk food, cause that’s all I’m serving. That being said, I’m signing off. See ya.”

The video cut to a picture of a boomerang with ‘Boomeraang’ written in calligraphy on the flat side. The entire vlog was titled ‘Lady’s 75th Revolution’.

True to his word, another video was posted about an hour later, this one titled ‘Furry Friends and Shock’.

“Sup, dudes. I’m back as promised, and this time, I’ve brought friends. Say hello to Fluffster, Rookie, and Baby.” The screen flipped, and three wolves were sitting like trained dogs in front of the Youtuber. “The biggest one’s Fluffster, since he’s obviously the floofiest. The smallest one’s Rookie, he’s pretty young. You can tell because his paws are a bit too big for him. He’ll grow into that. Then Baby’s this lovely little gal, and she’s super sweet. Took forever to stop her from licking my face.”

The three wolves wagged their tails as their names were spoken, and people who had watched that far were already commenting about how either it was impossible to tame wolves, the canines were incredibly cute, or disbelief at how it’d only been an hour and he already did something weird.

“Now, these beautifuls are strong predators. Usually, they’ll avoid humans, but I’m alone and my facepaint makes me seems less like a threat. They approached me pretty casually, not stalking or anything. I didn’t even notice they were there until I looked around again. And they’re much more tame than most wolves would usually be. Again, it’s likely because I seem unthreatening. Please do not try to do anything like this without training. I literally just did this by chance. I named them and they understand their names, but most animals wouldn’t. I mean, Foo Foo Cuddlypoops didn’t. I don’t think he did.”

Avataratlast: Who’s Foo Foo Cuddly Poops? Another friend?

- Banditrocs: Probably an animal.

Keepitreal: how did this dude manage to tame three wolves? it’s only been an hour?! and why does he wear that makeup? i’m so confused, was this all planned? does he have a crew?

- Boomeranglife: You must be new here.

“So, I’m gonna sign off soon, mostly so I can give these three some love. I think the best course of action would be to answer some of my commonly asked questions, tell you all a bit about wolves, and then give you the official goodbye until I get bored enough that my resolve crumbles. That’ll take at least another two hours with the fact that Lemur somehow managed to sneak my notepad into my bag. I wasn’t gonna bring it because I left in such a hurry, but then I’m inventorying my stuff and find it. Lemur’s such a pal.”

“Alright, gotta start the answers so I get cuddle time with the canines. My frequently asked question get put in a list thanks to my subpar hacking skills. Don’t tell Knife I said that or they’ll make good on their promise to lock me in a closet. Let’s get to it.” The screen split to show a list of questions on one side, the wolves on the other. Some of the questions were blacked out, probably due to being inappropriate.

“So, if it’s blacked out, those are hateful, nasty, or have far too many swears. The first question is the same as always, asking what my name is. My response is the same as always. Smiley emoticon. The next is my age. Under 50, above 10. My gender? Male. Is this a profile or something? Seriously, all these are about my identity. Sexuality? I let the people theorize cause I don’t care about what y’all think, unless you’re a bigot, then get off my channel, pretty please with The Moon on top. Real hair color? Hmm, I guess I can probably give you that. It’s not white. Eye color? Not white, either.”

Actlikewater: is everyone getting this?! he’s giving us information!!!

rockbeatsfire: what r y’all getting hyped up for? he hasn’t said anything

- powertoBoomerang: have you watched these before?

- - rockbeatsfire: i watched that parkour one

- - - powertoBoomerang: one - watch them all. two - you need to be more specific, and three - he never says anything about his identity besides pronouns. we have information. we can figure this out!

- - - - CaptainSparky: Are you sure about that?

- - - - - powertoBoomerang: we can figure this out maybe!

“What’s my nationality? Theorize, ma dudes. I ain’t gonna say, so go to one of those lovely blogs. Boomeranglife is really sweet, they’ve got a bunch of videos all about this sort of stuff. Actually, it might only be about my channel. I don’t really know. I just saw one of their videos and started questioning if I really was a Spirit. Ask them, and give them some love. They a nice peep.”

“What is my favorite animal? Either sabertoothmooselion, flying bison, or flying lemur. Is that seriously a commonly asked question? Am I gonna get spammed with artwork now? Do I need to have a lesson on how to draw flying bison and lemurs and all that? I’m gonna do it anyways, and all artwork is accepted, so long as you keep it PG-13. I’m around kids.”

“Am I single? I don’t know. Really, I don’t know. I could be dating Warrior, or I could be stealing Kuzon. I literally have no idea. I platonic flirt with everyone, and I’m horrible at reading social cues when it comes to romance. Wheaty? Apparently had a crush on me until three months ago. They told me when it ended so I would relax and I had to explain my oblivious nature and crippling anxiety. Ballerina? We’re married according to a small town and soulmates if you listen to a certain nomadic troupe. I might even be dating everyone on the team, heck if I know.”

“Am I a bender? Heh, that’s a good one. Can’t believe you haven’t figured it out yet. Who am I? Hold up, Ima search this.” There was the sound of keys tapping as the screen showed the videographer searching himself up. When the screen loaded, there was a bleeped out sound and the three wolves rushed towards him in concern.

“Holy Spirits! Tui, La, Yue, and Agni! *bleep* I’ve got a Wiki page! They gave me a *bleep*ing Wiki page! I’m not even that popular!”

Livelovemurder: he knows we see this, right

- Boomeranglife: I’m still recovering from him mentioning me, but I don’t think he realizes he is a celeb here

Azulastan: someone get this boy some tea! His video from literally an hour ago already has thousands of views! someone call Bandit!

- SouthernChief: on it! I’ll spam the comments of that last video. Hopefully they respond!

- - UncleTea: Good man/woman/enby!

Livelovemurder: wow, our first reaction to seeing him hurting is to contact Bandit. didn’t she once launch him into a tree?

- UncleTea: that was the first time they were officially friends. now they’re best friends

“Alright, I think we all earned some wolf facts. Did you know that wolves can live over ten years? Pretty long for any wild animal, even longer for a predator in a wasteland like this. Wolves are also extremely expressive for animals, and they’re very social. Wolves can get much bigger than dogs, except polar bear dogs, and despite what most people think, they don’t usually hurt children. Even the really small ones. They’re more likely to adopt your kid than try to hurt them. I personally believe it’s because they’re a lot smarter than most people credit them. Comment #WolfRights below and I’ll see if I can start a movement.”

“Now, I’m signing off once again, so say goodbye to Rookie, Baby, and Fluffster. See ya.”

The second video ended. Comments were pouring in about the clip, and Boomeranglife had already gotten another thousand subscribers in the time it took for the video to be played twice through. SouthernChief did indeed spam Bandit’s latest video, and had the earthbender ignore them until they mentioned that the guy from Boomeraang didn’t think he was popular.

- Bandit: He what?

- - SouthernChief: he doesn’t think he’s popular

- - - Bandit: I’ll take care of it.

Time Skip 5 Hours

The next video was titled ‘Who Sold Me Out?’ The starting screen showed Gurl in their Hei Bai mask, very clearly holding the camera. They waved at the screen before flipping the view around to show what was in front of them. The Boomeraang guy was sitting squashed between what appeared to be several people hiding underneath blankets. He was glaring directly at the camera, face set in a scowl that was once again greatly emphasized by his facepaint.

“Alright, I only got a few minutes to get this out before the others get sick of hiding under blankets. Who the *bleep* sold me out‽ Just because I didn’t realize how popular I am doesn’t mean you needed to call Bandit! Seriously, who was it‽ I’m out on the ice, having the time of my life sketching Baby and Fluffster and Rookie, and then, out of nowhere, Bison is flying towards me with Kuzon and Princess. Then they practically drag me back and I can no longer feel my legs because there’s four people on them. Whoever it was, you’re on thin *bleep*ing ice. I was fine! I was more than fine! I wasn’t the alleged leader of a rebellion!”

“You done?” Gurl asked from behind the camera.

“Yeah, I’m done.” The screen flipped back to Gurl.

“The dude’s been majorly *bleep* off because someone tattled on him. You have the thanks of the rest of us and the anger of one squished Youtuber. He refused to come out of the house, so we all decided to stay in tonight. The protests are over for the day anways, thanks to the fact that the Council is starting to give in. We promised an afternoon of peace so they could discuss it all without worrying. And we’ll be bringing you rebounders to the morning rally as well. NO EXCUSES!” The last words were thrown towards the guy on the other side of the camera, and a loud groan was heard. “He’s gonna do his outro and then y’all are gonna say goodbye.” The view reversed again.

“Signing off for now! See ya, ya traitors!”

The screen cut out.

SouthernChief: i regret nothing

UncleTea: He looked like an angry toddler, OMS.

Boomeranglife: gals! pals! dals! I got big news!

- Livelovemurder: spill

- - Boomeranglife: the NWT is having a bunch of protests all across their cities!

- - - Tyleestan: do we know who’s leading it?

- - - - Boomeranglife: no, NWT is too secretive! i just heard it from a merchant that left as they were starting. we live about as close as you can get to the north pole w/out actually being there

- - - - - SouthernChief: sucks, dudes. next time, for sure

- - - - - - rockbeatsfire: next time there’s a rebellion? does that actually happen a lot?

- - - - - - - Boomeranglife: seriously, watch the videos. I recommend in chronological order instead of by playlists

- - - - - - - - rockbeatsfire: alright, alright, i’m going

[novantinuum]

Bi the Way...

Fandom: Steven Universe

Rating: Teen

Words: 2.8K~

Pairings: Steven/Connie

Summary: Connie has a question, and also something to say.

Or: the one where Connie comes out as bisexual :D Set post Steven Universe: The Movie.

You can find the AO3 link in the reblogs! (I have to omit it from the original post these days to ensure this will show up in the tags.) If you enjoyed this, I’d greatly appreciate your support through reblogs here, or kudos on AO3 as well.

---

Bi the Way...

Outside the familiar coziness of Steven’s bedroom, the late autumn rain pours steadily, the choppy waters of the Atlantic crashing onto shore with a ferociousness Connie hasn’t seen for a number of months. Historically, Beach City has been blessed to be host to consistently good weather. But even the most consistently stable meteorological systems aren’t immune to the odd unexpected shake-up. It’s a necessity to clear the air with a great thunderous clap, sometimes. It relieves pressure that’s built up long term amongst the clouds. It leaves the atmosphere noticeably cleaner, the dirt below sparkling with that fresh scent that comes about after torrents of cool rain.

On this particular afternoon, she’s found that this is a lesson that holds just as true for people as it does the weather.

It begins with a stray comment, as things often do.

They’re watching TV, the two of them, tangled together on his bed. About once a week they’ll try to have one of these cuddle sessions, just some time alone together to relax and enjoy each other’s company in private. Working alongside a myriad of Gems to aid in the restructuring of an entire society can be excruciatingly stressful at points, and so can rigorous AP classes and the eye-rolling drudgery of high school drama. There’s no placing a hierarchy on these things for them, no matter their outward difficulty or importance, they’re all just... the challenges in life they have to win. And on occasion, they’re the challenges they need a quiet break from. Both of them are no stranger to throwing themselves at a problem and working endlessly towards a solution until they hit rock bottom and crash, but over the years they’ve started to recognize this tendency for the bad habit it is. It’s okay to take 'me' time, Connie’s constantly reminding Steven (and herself) whenever she catches him about to stubbornly sneak away to the galaxy warp with clear stress lines rimming his eyes. And without fail he’ll groan halfheartedly, knowing he’s been caught red-handed, and retire to his room to relax with a book or a board game or a few rounds of Lonely Blade: Resurgence instead.

Today’s workaholic distraction is a marathon of old Under the Knife episodes. It’s been a while since they’ve binged through this show, and when Steven brought it up and she started to feel super nostalgic about it, in a flash their entertainment for the afternoon was selected.

“Gosh, I honestly forgot how good this is,” he says in the middle of an episode, nudging her arm with his elbow. “The satirical nonsense, the passion, the drama? Eh?”

“Yeah, it’s pretty pulpy,” she giggles, nudging him right back. Then, directed at the unhearing characters on screen: “Ughh, Marigold, come on, just go out with him already! We all know you like him!”

“I can’t believe they kept this a slow burn for five entire seasons,” he comments, pursing his lips. “They’re literally perfect for each other!”

Connie throws her arms down against the mattress, palms stretched wide open. “I know, right?? Adrien’s like, a total dreamboat of a man.”

“Yeah, he is pretty cute,” Steven says, an unmistakable blush coloring his face and ears.

Connie pauses upon hearing this, gazing at her boyfriend thoughtfully with a soft smile as he continues to watch this old episode with the same level of investment he exhibited upon its first airing. He props his chin in the cradle of his hands, which of course only further exaggerates the curve of his chubby cheeks. His eyes are blown wide with youthful endeavor, the TV’s glow glinting against his irises in a myriad of continuously shifting colors. He is pretty cute, she thinks, his own adorably smitten words echoing through her mind. And then that blush...

There’s a question she’s had for quite a while but has never asked. Something she’s suspected of him, but had no concrete proof of. The reason? Even if they’re best friends, and now— boyfriend and girlfriend on top of that— the idea of asking him something like this just felt too... what’s the word... invasive. Not that there’s anything wrong with discussing this sort of stuff, no, no, of course not! That’s definitely not what she means. But talking about something as important as this, she just knows it would turn into an in-depth conversation, as most worldly topics tend to do with Steven Universe, and it’s only inevitable this conversation would eventually turn back on her. On why she cared to ask in the first place. And that answer was... well, straightforward, but something she’s not sure she’s ready to broadcast. As if she’s taken command of but a single fragment of Garnet’s future vision, in her restless mind she’s already mapped out what feels like every possible response he could have to her. Most of them are no more than anxiety laced fabrications, things he would never ever dare think of with his upbringing, but believe her when she says she’s been burdened with considering every possible outcome in great, excruciating length.

Now that she knows for sure there’s a strong chance he’s the same way, however... that narrows down these possibilities significantly.

Connie threads her fingers together, gathering the courage.

Come on, you. It’s just Steven. No script, no planning, just... say it!

She opens her mouth to speak before her anxiety laden mind can beg to differ.

“By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask- do you like girls and guys?”

Steven glances away from the television set to meet her curiosity head on. “Oh, you mean like, romantically?”

Running in automatic, she nods in confirmation. Here she goes. The answer to both her spoken question, and the question of which river of possibility this conversation will careen down.

He grins, scratching at the side of his neck. “Uh, yeah. Yeah, I guess I do! But I think I could like anyone, really. Guys, gals, none of the above. Doesn’t matter to me. That’s... okay, yes?”

“Silly, of course it’s okay! You don’t need my permission to like who you like. I just asked because I-“ Her heart pounds as she pauses briefly, focusing on the nervous jitters, but not in fear. Not anymore. Instead, that soft fluttering in her heart is nothing less than sheer exhilaration. She parts her lips once more, bravely speaking her inner truth into reality for the first time in her life. “I’m like that too. I... I’m bisexual.”

Her boyfriend’s whole expression lights up so bright she may as well be looking at a newborn star.

“Oh, really? That’s awesome!” he says, throwing an arm around her shoulder to side hug her. (Knowing him, his keen empathetic ability likely led him to sense the internal battle she waltzed through just to state this out loud.)

The forgotten soap opera continues to play in the background as Connie gives a bashful laugh.

“Hehe, glad you think so. You’re actually, um... the first person I’ve ever said that out loud to,” she says, blushing.

Steven looks as if he’s about to say something in response, but then he pauses— fades into a silence that’s deliberate and measured— as he gazes back at her. Drinks in the moment. Wonders how he could be so lucky to hold her trust like this, or how— heck, he could be thinking anything, she has no idea! Unlike him she can only catch small glimpses into how he feels, the truth woven like gossamer threads through his words and actions, but in this one hallowed moment she doesn’t need to guess. The spark of affection dancing within his dark eyes is soft, perhaps softer than he’s ever looked at her before.

More than anything, Connie feels seen. Years back, long before sword training and Gem missions, long before that fateful day she discovered the beautiful temple (it looked like it could very well be a Hindu goddess, and that cultural connection alone made this slice of beach instantly familiar) hidden on the other side of the hill and decided to park herself there with a book, she’d grown used to feeling invisible. Before she bravely chose to step into this world of magic, it’s as if she forgot that she even had a choice to stand out, to openly shine as the unique, extraordinary individual she is. Admittedly, she still struggles with that to this day. But whenever she’s with him, with her Steven? It’s as if her universe explodes into a kaleidoscope of dizzying color where everything is so, so beloved and worthwhile. She’s worthwhile.

She can only hope being with her makes him feel the same way.

“I know it’s silly after everything we’ve been though,” she continues in time, still having a few things on her mind she suddenly has an exhilarating need to set free, “but I always kinda worried that people... would belittle me for it, I guess. Especially my parents. That like, there’s some upper limit to the number of unusual things about my life they’ll accept.”

“It’s not that unusual, though,” Steven says with a shrug. “I mean, Ruby and Sapphire are legally married. Sure, the Gems aren’t exactly women, but they do present that way. And then Pearl was in love with Mom, of course. Oh, and Amethyst once told me, and I quote, that ‘like a whip, I swing in every direction.’”

Connie snorts at this, and even he can’t help but laugh.

“Let’s see, what else...” he muses, peering at the ceiling thoughtfully as he continues to list the queer individuals he knows of. “Jenny, Buck, and Sour Cream are all dating each other. Mr. Smiley finally reconnected for real with his old comedy partner, and they’re dating. And my dad may not be seeing anyone but he’s always been openly pansexual.”

“Well, it’s not usual in my family,” she says glumly, nestling her chin into his bed’s comforter as the terrifying possibility of rejection hits her harder than expected. Her glance roams. On the television screen, the episode they were watching had paused automatically, a message asking if they’re still there popping up. Clearly it’s been a while since anyone’s handled the remote. She blinks past tears, shame settling at the pit of her stomach for even daring to cry them when others have gone through so much worse, and you’re lucky, what do you even have to feel lost about, and suddenly she begins to feels shameful just for feeling shame, and what cyclical, bittersweet irony is that, and what’s wrong with her, why can’t she stop obsessing over distant possibilities that likely have zero chances of coming to pass, why can’t she—

Steven breaks through her downward spiral with a gentle hand on her shoulder, rubbing away the physical evidence of her stress. She melts into his touch, forever smitten by this kind of casual intimacy they get to experience together here, alone. It’s innocent, still merely the wandering hands of two teenagers barely beginning to break the boundaries between close friendship and romance, but when words fail she’s discovered that touch can be a language of its own. And right here, right now, she knows he’s talking her down from the mountain of anxiety she’s marooned herself on. He’s leapt effortlessly into the stormy sky and cradled her in his arms, ready to float back to Earth’s surface together.

Outside, the rain continues to slap in rhythmic sheets against the deck. She shivers. Maybe it’s in reaction to the gloomy weather beyond the sliding glass door, maybe it’s despite it. She has no idea.

Steven scoots forward on his belly a bit, and rolls to his side so they can talk face to face without turning their heads. During this, his shirt rides up— ever so slightly— ambient light catching on the lower facets of his gem. The reassurance found in that beautiful, familiar smile of his is dizzying. “Well, at least no matter what happens with your family, you have more than one, huh?“ he says.

“Yeah,” she breathes shakily, eyes glistening with emotion at the metaphorical hand he’s extending with that statement.

Hopefully it’ll never have to come to that, though.

“I do think my parents will be fine with it, if I ever do tell them,” she continues, dabbing the dampness from her eyes. “Especially my mom. She works with queer patients all the time at the hospital, so she’s pretty used to stuff like that. I just... get anxious sometimes.”

“Yeah, I get that. It’s tough dealing with identity stuff.”

She hums, mind immediately harking to the years he spent doubting his own personhood. Seeking any kind of physical connection she can get, she nuzzles her cheek against his forearm, which he’s currently leaning on. They lay there like that in comfortable silence for a good while. Steven, laying on his side, one hand lazily trailing through her wavy hair, and her, curled up close to his heartbeat, hugging his free arm.

“Hey, while we’re on the topic, can I ask you something?” he asks eventually.

She nods. “Anything.”

“How’d you distinguish bi from pan, when you were figuring all this out? I know they’re pretty similar, and my dad tried to explain it a while ago when I asked, but I still don’t exactly get the nuances.”

Connie shifts to sit up, pursing her lips as she considers her words here. She’s done a lot of research into queer identity in her time, checking out books from the school library and looking up stuff online on incognito mode, but there’s probably still a ton of holes in her knowledge. “Hmm, okay... so I’m no sole authority on any of this of course, but to the best of my knowledge bi means you’re attracted to two or more genders, and pan means you’re attracted to people, but like... their gender isn’t really a factor in the way you experience that at all? I‘m pretty sure? There seems to be a lot of overlap. From what I’ve read people just sorta pick whatever feels the best to them.”

“Huh, that makes sense,” Steven says. “So picking labels is kinda like fusion, then! Whenever I fuse, we decide our own name, and it’s sorta... based on a feeling, y’know?”

“Yeah! And like, with Stevonnie... Even though Amethyst kinda inspired the name, they still had to figure out who they were as a person on their own.”

“Exactly! And then, even if two fusions are made of the same gem types, they could still have different names because they’re different people, and that’s what they choose. Anyways, that’s just what this reminded me of,” he says, glancing up at her with a bashful smile. “Honestly... I don’t actually know how I identify.”

The corner of her lips edge upwards. “That’s fine,” she reassures him with a pat, “it took me a while to sort through all this stuff.”

“I really wanna figure it out, have a word for it, but nothing’s clicked yet. For a while I thought I was pansexual like my dad, but that didn’t quite... feel right. Like—“ he too shifts to sit up, folding his feet under his legs as he continues to speak— “I love getting to kiss you, but no offense, I don’t... know if I'll ever want to have- to do anything more than that, y’know?”

She snickers at his inability to simply say the word sex. He’s seventeen now, he knows full well what that is, yet still his faux innocence on the matter remains. It’s one of his charms.

“None taken. Love and attraction is a bizarre, complicated world.”

“You can say that again.”

“Bogus.”

“Whack,” he agrees with a playful grin. Reaching for the remote, he presses play a few times to wake up their streaming site. The episode starts up right where it left off, and they continue to watch together, the air somehow feeling sweeter after her much needed release of emotion.

The satirical medical drama quickly fades into the background, though, as Steven’s hand curls around hers.

“Hey,” he says quietly, blushing. “Even if I don’t know everything about labels yet, I do know one thing for sure.”

She raises a curious brow. “What?”

“I know I love you.”

And before she can open her mouth to respond in kind, he’s kissing her cheek, swooping in like a bandit just like she did for the first time all those months ago, and her heart swells with affection for this boy. He leaves her with one kiss, then two. At the exact moment she turns her head to reciprocate— to sneak a gentle kiss to his cheek right back— he turns as well and she ends up meeting him at the lips. It’s but a quick peck, but she's almost floating. The two of them stifle a laugh as they gaze at each other, their noses almost brushing together.

“Hey, it stopped raining,” he comments then, grinning against her cheek.

She drapes her arms around his shoulders, and hugs him close. Her eyes trail to the glass sliding door. The clouds outside are still thick, but after releasing their load they’re visibly lighter now.

“Yeah,” she breathes, feeling her muscles finally relax as she sinks into her best friend’s embrace. “Yeah, I guess it finally has.”

[nellie-elizabeth]

Supernatural: Unity (15x17)

It's weird, I would have bet good money on this being a Buckleming episode, given how crowded it felt. But no, we're saving those chuckle-fucks for the penultimate episode, which just bodes... really super great and awesome.

Cons:

Like I said, this shit was crowded. In the span of one episode, we learn what Jack's final task is, learn what his weapon is and how he's going to use it to kill Chuck and Amara, see him implement said plan, and then fail at it, the episode ending with him on the verge of death with no outlet. It all happened lightning-fast.

And on the flip-side of that? I'm really feeling the pressure, considering there are only three episodes left, and I'm starting to get mighty nervous that our friend Castiel might not survive next week's outing. The trouble is... why has this whole last run of episodes been about Dean resenting Jack? Like, is there not enough else going on? The plot twist in this episode is really actually quite good, and it appeased one of my biggest worries about a way they might end the show in a really dumb fashion. But it's replaced by other concerns, one of which being that the Jack conflict feels manufactured, and has been given center stage for the end of the whole show. Jack is great, but why is Jack the main character after fifteen years?

Another rushed pacing moment... Dean has really lost the plot, hasn't he. I kind of like the idea of him getting so worked up, and his pain over his lack of free will making him act erratically and all that. I can totally dig that and see where he's coming from, to be thanking Jack and willing to sacrifice him, to go against what Sam and Cas want... but his whole point is that he can't live feeling like he's lacking free will anymore, right? Does that mean he'd rather be alive, and alone, than risk seeing what comes next if Chuck doesn't die? Like, he pulled a gun on Sam. A gun. Aimed at his chest. He didn't go for knocking him unconscious or trapping him, he straight-up threatened to shoot him. I can't imagine we're supposed to take that as a legitimate thing that might have really happened, but for me, the ramp-up to that level of behavior did not feel warranted.

Pros:

Despite the frenetic pacing, I do love me some good old fashioned melodrama, so I loved it when Dean is all "Jack isn't family!" and Sam makes the Pikachu face, and of course Jack heard it, and then they have to have a talk about it later on... Dean thanking Jack for his noble sacrifice was a really strange and intense moment that I quite liked for the sheer discomfort of it. This isn't Dean Winchester, he shouldn't be willing to let a kid die to save the world, but he's in such a twisted, emotionally messy place that it doesn't feel completely out of character. He needs to redeem himself, bigtime, of course... but I don't think it was written in such a way that made no sense for who Dean is and the trauma he's been through.

And I also think we forget sometimes that Jack is not human. His conception of the world isn't going to line up with what a young human man might think. He wants Dean's forgiveness/approval so much he's willing to die for it, but he also appreciates the narrative symmetry of his death serving a greater purpose and cleansing the path forward for the people he loves. As Sam says, it's very brave... but that doesn't mean it's not wrong.

Obviously obsessed with Dean talking about how he'd give up anything to kill Chuck and be free of him... and then Sam saying "would you give me up?" because we all know the answer is no, and Sam knows the answer is no... this codependency stuff is Bad but also So Fun To Watch, y'all.

The biggest, most important revelation of the episode, and the one that makes me cautiously optimistic that they won't screw up the ending too bad, is what Chuck revealed about this particular world. Dean and Amara? Not something he planned on turning romantic. Cas sticking around and becoming family with the Winchesters? Decidedly not part of the script. He refers to them as broken toys who won't obey, and hopefully Dean hears this for what it really means: they do have free will. They always have. They've disobeyed Chuck's will time and time again, and even though they fell into his trap regarding Jack and Amara this time around, in that he knew what they would do, knew what Billie was up to, it's still clear that they're making their own choices. That's really important for setting up the endgame. I'll still be... pretty damn pissed if anyone dies for noble sacrifice reasons in the next couple of weeks (ugh, it's gonna be Cas, I can just feel it in my bones, they're gonna kill him...), but oddly, I'll be less angry about it if it happens in a way that comes organically from the situation, and not something pre-ordained by a higher power as "the only way."

Seeing the Empty in the form of Meg was really fun, a way of calling back to a fan-fave without artificially injecting bad reasons for seeing old faces. The Empty is going to be... ahem... relevant for Cas' eventual fate (god, can you tell I'm incredibly nervous?), and I think seeing it here was appropriate.

Amara. Oh, Amara. Talk about a stealth-fave. I found her super annoying in her introductory season, but now she seems like a super chill gal who honestly just wants to relax and wants nothing to do with all these men and their messy situations, and like, girl same. I will say that she seems a little bit too persuadable, willing to believe Dean right away, and then willing to believe Chuck again just as quickly, but I think that sort of works given that she has all the power in the world but very little practical earth experience. The fusing of Chuck and Amara was a shocking development that I did not see coming, and it sets things in motion for a less predictable final showdown...

If indeed we even get a final showdown! Because guess what y'all, Billie is the final boss! Or... I don't know. Maybe. If someone had told me that at the start of Season Fifteen, I would have been annoyed by it. But as we round the final corner, if we want to honor the story as it's been told thus far, this actually makes a lot of sense and makes me excited for what the final episodes will be like. Please don't make it grimdark and stupid and pointless and dour... that would be such a waste of everything being developed narratively.

We shall see. I've got to say, my emotional investment is defensively low right now, because I don't want to have my heart broken by this dumb television program. I hope to be pleasantly surprised instead of disappointed.

7.5/10

[katedoesfics]

Lacuna | Chapter 6

The following morning, Kahli took the completed device back to Dawa and Aadit at the tree farm.

“Will this actually work?” Dawa asked skeptically as he looked over the device.

“I’m afraid of using relics,” Aadit said warily. “The church told us to use as little of them as possible. Bad things happen when they’re used.”

“You’re afraid of everything,” Dawa said with a roll of his eyes. “We have no other choice.” He turned to Kahli with a nod. “Go ahead and try it.”

Kahli shrugged and turned on the device. A loud sound was emitted from the speaker and the panbats reacted just as Merlin said they would. Frightened by the loud noise, they took off screeching, leaving the tree farm and heading back into the safety of the swamp.

“They actually left!” Dawa cheered. “I can’t believe it! We owe ya one!”

“I’m surprised,” Aadit mused. “Maybe I’ll order a couple more of those from you in the future.”

“We can’t celebrate yet,” Dawa said. “Now that the panbat issue has been resolved, we need to move quickly to heal our trees. The panbats took a lot of water and nutrients. We need a fast way of restoring them. Up for the job?”

“Well, that’s what I’m here for, isn’t it?” Kahli said. “Got any idea what you may need?”

“Petra mentioned she knew something about an irrigation system before. Maybe you two can come up with something.”

Petra was either going to be her best friend by the end of this, or annoyed at the mere sight of her. Kahli hoped their relationship would lean more toward friendship, but she was sure time would tell.

She made her way to the research center once more and explained the situation to Petra.

“Something to revive the trees?” she said. “The ancients used many elaborate irrigation systems. I read quite a bit about them. You’ll need a small engine, though. You should be able to find some in the ruins.”

And to the ruins she went. She was used to the back and forth, now, especially as she started to take on more work. Go here, do that, build this, get that part. It kept her busy, at the very least, and though it left her arms sore the next day, she was sure Arlo would be impress with the new muscle soon enough.

Not that she cared to impress him. She didn’t care if she impressed anyone, really. Still, as she worked tirelessly, and alone, in the ruins, she couldn’t help her wandering mind. Whether it was Arlo, or Emily’s incessant teasing on whether she liked him or not, or his relationship with Nora, whatever that was. She thought about the life that the people of Portia already had here, feeling like an intruder. And when her thoughts turned negative like that, they usually turned to her father. Where was he now? What was he doing? How did he feel about everything? About her? And why did he reach out to her, anyway?

She tried to push these thoughts aside especially. They were thoughts that occupied her mind far too often, late at night, or when she was working away in the workshop. It was all the same thoughts, the same unanswered questions, and it only made her grow more and more frustrated.

When she got to that point, she often shifted focus to the animals at the ranch. She had passed them a few times already; the horses, the cows, the sheep and the chickens. She decided she wanted to save up some money, build a barn and a coop and get a couple of each. A horse, at the very least, could help her with some of her larger projects, carrying them from place to place.

She had always had a soft spot for animals, though she was never privileged to have any of her own. Due to her aunt’s allergies, she couldn’t even have a dog to offer her companionship. And she would be damned it she couldn’t at least have a dog to keep her company in the workshop.

Kahli eventually got her hands on a small engine in an abandoned room in the ruins, and she retired wearily to her home for the evening.

In the morning, she went into town as she often did, sitting at the bar at the Round Table as Django opened up for the day. She had come to enjoy her morning routine: a couple cups of coffee with breakfast, listening to Django and Sonia chat and laugh as they readied the restaurant. They seemed the perfect team, always with smiles on their faces, and their presence always put Kahli in a good mood. She had never been much of a morning person, but their cheerful attitudes helped her adapt to her new lifestyle.

“So, how’s life as a builder treating you?” Sonia said, taking the seat next to her with a cup of coffee in her hands. She sipped it and rolled her eyes when Django made a comment about his lazy help.

“I lost count how many times I smashed my thumb, but so far, the bridge hasn’t collapsed, so I guess I’m doing something right.”

Sonia laughed. “Higgins giving you any trouble?”

Kahli shrugged. “Not really. He made a great first impression, but I haven’t really seen him since.”

“Count yourself lucky,” Django said as he walked behid the counter. “He’s brutal when it comes to business. Doesn’t make anything easy for anyone else trying to make a living around here.”

“Well,” Kahli started. “In his defense, I kind of did come onto his turf.”

“Nonsense,” Django said. “You’re not the only one to come to Portia seeking something better. Plenty of people here from other parts of the world. Mayor Gale makes sure to see to it that everyone feels welcome here.”

“You know,” Sonia said. “It gets pretty lively here at nights. You should come hang out and keep me company. Antoine and Emily usually do, but we could use a forth gal.” She grinned. “And to be honest, I’m getting tired of Antoine talking about Dr. Xu all the time.”

Kahli yawned. “I’m just getting used to mornings. Now I need to have a social life after I’ve been working all day?”

Django laughed. “Sonia, let the poor girl sleep. She’s not used to all this hard work.”

Kahli narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m not sure how to take that.”

Django raised his hands up in defense. “I only mean to defend you. You were never a builder before now. It’s hard work that not everyone would understand. I don’t blame ya for hurrying home to bed every night. I’m trying to give you an out, yanno.” He winked at her.

“Nights are more my style,” Kahli said. “I don’t expect to be working too hard today. I’ll come by for a couple of drinks.”

Sonia grinned. “Excellent! It will be fun, promise!”

*****

The irrigation system took Kahli most of the day, but it wasn’t physically demanding work. She welded a few pieces together here, connected a few parts together there, and with the engine in place, the system was ready to be set up at the tree farm. All things considered, that would be the most difficult part, requiring Kahli to set up the water wheel at the lake, then connect the pipes back to the farm where it would hook up with the sprinklers she placed. It would take at least another day’s work, but it could wait until tomorrow.

It was the first time Kahli found herself in town after dark, and Sonia was right. It seemed most of the town was at the restaurant, sharing in meals and laughter after a hard day’s work. As soon as Kahli entered, she found Emily and Antoine at the bar, and Emily eagerly waved her over to them.

“Look who made it,” Emily said. She slid down a seat to make room for Kahli between them. “And here I thought you would ditch us to go to bed like an old lady.”

“Honestly, I was starting to wonder if I dreamt you coming here,” Antoine said. “I haven’t seen you since Preseley brought you around.”

“Yeah,” Kahli started. “I’ve been trying to figure out what the hell I’m doing so no one catches on that I’m a joke.”

“So far, the bridge is still standing,” Emily said.

“That deserves a drink!” Sonia quickly came through the crowd and around the bar. “What’ll it be, girl?”

“Whatever they’re having.”

“Are you planning on getting drunk?” Sonia said with a grin.

“Yes.”

“Aye!” Antoine and Emily both cheered.

Sonia slid a drink over to her and quickly dismissed herself to tend to other patrons.

“To a bridge that’s still standing!” Antoine said, holding his glass up, and the three of them toasted to Kahli’s success.

“I thought I heard your voice!” Sam pushed herself between Emily and Kahli, leaning against the bar. “Guess you have a social life after all!”

“Is that what people talk about around here?” Kahli muttered.

“Not much else to talk about,” Emily said.

“Well,” Antoine started.

“We’re not talking about Dr. Xu!” Emily barked at him.

“But,” Antoine whined.

“Yeah, yeah,” Sam said, rolling her eyes. “We all know he’s your eye candy. We need new gossip.”

“I’ve got one!” Emily motioned for them to move in closer, and Sam and Antoine leaned in, crowding Kahli.

“Kahli’s got someone she’s been eyeing,” Emily teased.

“Emily!” Kahli hissed, but Antoine and Sam both had their attention turned to her, oohing like teenage girls.

“Who?” Sam barked.

Kahli covered her face with her hands. “Why?” she moaned.

“Albert?” Antoine asked.

“Gust?” asked Sam.

“It’s not Dr. Xu, is it? Because I called dibs.”

Sam put her hand on her chin for a moment as she considered the other single men in Portia. “Who else is single?”

Emily giggled. “Someone you know pretty well.” She looked up as the door opened and a wide grin split her face. “Hey, Arlo.”

Sam’s eyes widened. “Arlo?!”

Arlo stopped beside Sam. “What did I do this time?”

Sam spun around to meet Arlo’s gaze. “What? Oh! Uh…”

Arlo looked over her shoulder and offered a smile in greeting to Kahli, but when he saw her hands dragging down her face, he frowned. “What’s going on here?”

“We were discussing the huge crush I have on Dr. Xu,” Antoine said. “Got any advice?”

Arlo blinked at him. “Um. What?”

“Kahli was just telling me to just ask him out already.”

Arlo turned to Kahli who had a look of defeat on her face. “Yeah, that sounds good.”

Antoine batted his eyelashes playfully at Arlo. “Thanks. You’re the best.”

“Okay then,” Arlo said slowly. “I’m going to go drink with Rem now.”

When he was gone, Kahli put her head down on the bar and sighed heavily. “Is this my life now?”

“Unfortunately,” Sonia said as she appeared behind the bar once more, a grin on her face. “You like Arlo?”

“I don’t like anyone,” Kahli muttered. “I said he was kinda cute one time!”

“She wants his babies,” Emily said as she drank.

Kahli brightened when she remembered she had her own drink, and she emptied it quickly. She pushed the empty glass to Sonia. “Keep ‘em coming.”

Sonia laughed. “Poor thing,” she said, and she refilled it quickly. “We get a little exceited around here.” She put her hands on her hips and narrowed her gaze on Antoine, Emily, and Sam. “Kahli is our friend. I expect you three to keep your traps shut.”

Emily sighed and put her chin in her hand, her elbow on the counter. “Yeah, yeah,” she said. She winked at Kahli. “I may tease, but I would never spill the beans. That’s so high school.”

“You mean we’re not in high school?” Antoine said. “Because I know how Sonia gossips.” He narrowed his own gaze on her.

“Do not!” Sonia said, her voice raising defensively.

“Are we gossiping or working?” Django commented as he, too, stepped around the bar.

Sonia flashed him a grin and batted her eyelashes at him. “Just refilling drinks. Kahli’s gonna need ‘em.”

“What kind of drunk are ya, anyway?” Sam asked.

“Guess we’ll find out,” Kahli muttered. She drank quickly and placed her empty glass on the counter.

“Okay, but I’m not cleaning up if she pukes,” Antoine said.

“One of us has to be the responsible one,” Emily said.

“Aw, come on, why’s it gotta be me?” Sam whined.

Kahli burped. “You gotta defend my honor, remember?”

Sam rolled her eyes. “Fine. But just this once! Next time, I’m getting drunk, too!”

“Shouldn’t there at least be one Corps officer sober in town tonight?” Django said.

“Are you letting those assholes drink?” Sam barked. “We agreed Arlo would be the sober one tonight!”

“Oh, relax,” Sonia said, waving a hand at Sam. “When has Arlo ever been drunk?”

“Alright,” Sam cheered. “Arlo can carry all our drunk asses home!”

“I’ll tell him you said that,” Sonia said as she carried a tray of drinks from around the bar.

“Maybe Kahli will jump his bones,” Emily said.

“Django,” Kahli groaned. “My glass is empty.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Django replied, saluting her. He filled her glass once more.

“And keep ‘em coming!”