#happy birthday to me - here's a potential present for *you* all

[reallypleasanttree]

Playing around with a potential backstory for the Iguro Clan

The comb’s teeth bit into his scalp. He tried his best not to wince in front of his mother. The comb ran through his dark hair. She would do it until his hair shone under the candlelight. His mother made sure he was presentable at all times. 

She paused and set the jade comb down and brushed her hand through his hair searching for any imperfections. Obanai closed his eyes, it was relaxing to have his hair played with. Her hands found no snags and he could sense her satisfaction.

“My darling boy,” his mother praised him and leaned forward to kiss the back of his head. “It’s nearly your birthday. Do you know what that means?”

He shook his head and turned to face her. Everyone in the Iguro clan looked the same. Dark hair, teal blue eyes, and a wide, sweet smile. His mother was no different. He was the odd one with his golden right eye. 

“What does that mean?” Obanai asked, hiding his hands under his long sleeves. 

“You will meet our lady. She’s been waiting for you for years,” she said, all her teeth shone. There was something unnerving that he could not place. It was the same way his heart quickened at night when he heard something moving around the floorboards. 

“Nearly 400 years for a child like you,” she added. He heard of their lady before, but he did not have the honor of meeting her yet. She was quite busy, protecting their family from the terrors of the world and ensuring their future happiness. It was part of the reason they kept him here. For his safety. He glanced at the wooden frame around him. Obanai had lived here ever since he could remember. 

“Like me?” He repeated quietly. She placed her hand under his chin, lifting his face to hers. 

“Yes, a child who resembled her,” she said, her thumb brushing against his right temple. “She has the same golden eyes you have. You are a special child, Obanai.” His mother, aunts, grandmother, and cousins all called him special. She dropped her hand. 

“I think it’s about time you learned about our clan’s history,” his mother said. “Our lady was born over 400 years ago. Her name was Tanaka Niko. She was the daughter of a high lord from the mainland. She was well read and took a special interest in medicine. She was an apothecary and specialized in toxins. At her betrothal ceremony, she met her future husband, a man from the Iguro clan. Iguro Masashi was quite handsome, dark hair and eyes the color of the sea.” His mother pointed to her own. 

“They married and were happy for many years. Their passions were well matched and their ambition for wealth, knowledge, and fortune. Masashi even indulged his beloved wife. He allowed Niko to continue studying and working as an apothecary. In return, she gave him eight girls, each one had his sea colored eyes. He was a good father and provider, but with each girl, he grew frustrated. He needed an heir to carry on the Iguro name-”

“But, we are still here. If-” Obanai interrupted. His mother shook her head and pinched his chin.

“What did I tell you about interrupting others?” She asked, pinching harder. He began to open his mouth again, but paused. If he spoke again, she would scold him. Obanai pursed his lips in a thin line. “That’s my sweet boy. Always following the rules.” She looked up briefly, trying to recall where she left off. 

“Niko took all types of tonics, wore talismans, and other ways to conceive a boy. She desperately wanted to give her husband a boy. She fell pregnant again and the babe was stillborn. It had been a boy with her golden eyes. The treasured boy lost before he could take a breath. It was the final straw for Masashi. 

He took a concubine to produce the boy he needed to carry on his name. Yuri was a woman of lower social standing, but she was quite beautiful and young compared to Niko. She had nine pregnancies in eighteen years. It took a toll on her body and appearance. 

Her husband stopped coming to her bed in favor of Yuri, who soon gave birth to the treasured boy. Masashi made the boy his heir immediately, setting aside Niko’s daughters. Niko was outraged by the decision though she never showed it. When she saw Masashi hold the boy and walk beside Yuri, she knew the love Masashi once had for her was gone. 

Her husband betrayed Niko and she would make him pay for putting her and their daughters aside. Secretly, Niko purchased a tawny-gold snake. In the middle of the night, she took the snake meaning to place it in the boy’s crib. However, a maid saw her and alerted the lord’s guard. She was arrested before the snake could harm the boy. 

He placed her in a cell along with their daughters. Niko begged for mercy, but Masashi could not be swayed. Niko and his daughters meant little to him now. 

The night after, an immortal appeared before Niko. Long black hair and red eyes. He promised to help her if she agreed to work for him as an apothecary and the search for the blue spider lily. She took his offer and ascended to another existence. She became faster and stronger. With her new body, she was able to take her revenge on Masashi, Yuri, and their boy.” His mother stopped, contemplating how and if she should continue. 

“The rest of the story will have to wait until you meet our lady,” she said. Obanai bowed his head and she left. 

If he asked her to finish the story, she would discipline him. His eyes widened recalling how she bruised his arm last week when he asked to be let out of the cage. And then, he recalled the words she used. 

“No, you must remain safe inside. You are our treasured boy.”

Her words chilled him to the bone. 

[the-cat-at-the-theatre-door]

~CLOSED~

Today is my birthday - therefore, what better day to do a giveaway for some more presents?

This round we have a bit of a smorgasbord from both sides of the pond (with some of my favourite productions, of course) including: 

- Jellicle Tribe Member badge (London Revival)

- Collectible pinback button (Original Broadway)

-UK VHS release of the 1998 film 

-OLC Cast Recording

-A Winter Garden Playbill (Original Broadway, September 1993)

-US Tour 5 Souvenir Brochure 

-Broadway Revival Souvenir Brochure (with Mamie Paris)

-OBC Souvenir Brochure (Published 1983)

(There will also be a little surprise item included!)

RULES (Please read these carefully and follow them):

1. Entries will open today (January 20th) and will close JANUARY 27TH - in one week. You can enter at any time between now and then, but anything after than date will not be counted.

2. ONE entry per person - when you reblog THIS post, you will be assigned a random number, and the receiver will be picked by a random generator. Likes do not count as entries. Multiple reblogs will not give you a higher chance - we want to make it fair for everyone. Entry doesn’t guarantee receiving, please play fair!

3. Shipping within North America will be easier for me, but I am willing to open this up to individuals overseas. HOWEVER, if you are picked and you are overseas, I would very much appreciate you going in half on any shipping/postage charges if they are ridiculous (and sometimes they are). Any import fees will most likely settle on the receiver, so please keep that in mind.

4. Obviously, you must be alright with providing me with shipping information - rest assured you will be providing me this information in confidence and I will not share it with anyone. If you are not comfortable sharing this information, that’s completely alright, but please do not enter as I won’t be able to send it to you.

A winner will be selected on A January 28th and will receive a message indicating that they’re getting a present. I will try to get it shipped out to you sometime in that same week (hopefully), and give an update once that happens.

I will do my absolute best to ensure the items arrive to the winner, but once it’s handed over to the post office, it’s unfortunately out of my hands.

[ew-selfish-art]

Dp x Dc AU: Bruce has a 'if you can't beat them, join them' mentality about the tabloids claiming he adopts too many kids- Developing foster homes that are paid for through the Wayne inheritance, personally vetted by the Bats, they're the leaders in the space for child health outcomes and family placement. Insert Danny.

---

Bruce has too much wealth, too many rumors and not enough reach into the abhorrent foster homes around Gotham to improve them. Tim ends up being the one to suggest it- He's the one who buys up their real estate for their safe houses after all- and Bruce is more than ready to pull the metaphorical trigger to get new clean welcoming spaces, Bat-background checked fosters and a new era of adoption in Gotham underway.

He's lobbied the state and the federal government for reforms of course, but this is a project he can micromanage. He spends time with every kid that comes through, talks with all the families that want to adopt and makes sure that these miniature homes are provided only the very best. Alfred personally hires all the staff, and with Barbara more than happy to help relocate the unhoused children she spots while they patrol, the project is a glowing success.

Occasionally, spots in their houses fill up, and those are the weeks were Cass takes on the Cowl of Batman- Bruce Wayne will personally invite a child in need to his home. He always has one of his kids present (they rotate on a pre-determined schedule) and he does his best to try and get them to understand that they deserve the world, have all the potential that anyone else has and can achieve a bright future. That he will personally aid them in their ambitions.

PR goes crazy for it of course, but Bruce and all of his children know its genuine. Almost too genuine, because a betting pool 'WILL THEY BE ADOPTED' regularly circulates between the siblings and the entire JL when someone spends time at the manor. And not just the black-haired, Blue-eyed kids get picked as favored outcomes- but obviously the running joke gets passed around.

It's a Thursday night when Bruce gets the call that the houses have once again filled up, and that there is a child in need of a home. The social worker (he knows her as Marsha and he has flowers planned to be sent on her birthday next week, like he does for all of his employees) (Say micromanaged one more time) explains that the kid is a bit cagey but has opened up with some humor. She explains that he has a few strange... mannerisms. She's not sure what to make of him, a non-gothamite for sure but something is, well, distinctly 'not from around here' about his energy.

Danny arrives at the house, meets Duke and Alfred, and by the time Bruce meets him at the dinner table it seems as though Marsha had it all wrong. This kid was laughing, he was teasing, he was totally playing along like he'd gone through nothing. Bruce is glad he's in high spirits but its just so... so different from all the other children he's taken in.

Bruce re-focuses on the conversation when Duke mentions something flashing, and its the first time that Danny goes quiet. Entirely still.

"...you noticed that?" Danny quietly asks, a bit of disbelief in his tone.

"You don't have a flashlight on or something do you? It was super bright whatever it is that you had in your hand a second ago?" Duke tries to sound chill but he's looking very much not chill. Bruce saw nothing, and that puts him further on edge.

"Look... I uh, I've been though... I've been through a lot lately. And the last lab I was in kind of, messed with me. I'm normally much better at dealing with it all, I promise." Danny sounds nervous, and the room seems to chill.

"Ah shoot, sorry." Danny notices something and frantically apologizes.

"Sorry for what Danny? You've done nothing wrong but I am worried about you- You said you were in a lab?" Bruce is desperately trying to calm him down while not slipping into Batman interrogation mode.

"Uh, yeah, like a lot of labs. It should get warmer in a second, its just cause I startled, I promise."

"You're a meta." Duke speaks softly and with hope in his voice- Danny is looking between them with wide eyes filled with fear.

"I mean I don't technically have the gene-"

"Danny, have you told any of your case workers where you were? Do any authorities know what you've been through?" Bruce needs to know, desperately, that who ever gave this young boy super powers is brought to justice. Danny goes quiet.

"I'm really sorry." He says softly, but he doesn't leave them.

Duke and Bruce try to ask a few more questions but the silence that meets them declares the conversation over, even with Duke admitting he himself is a meta. Danny didn't even look up from his plate. They watch a movie after dinner, and Danny seems to get back to the smile-y happy guy he had been before dinner.

Each of the bat-fam have their own interactions with Danny- And even if they're getting along amazingly, Danny won't open up. He doesn't open up to his provided therapist. Doesn't talk to Alfred. No one knows what's up.

So when Marsha calls Bruce back explaining they now have a spot for Danny and he can move out of the Manor... Bruce replies that he'd like to get started on Adoption paperwork, so long as Danny is fine with it.

---

Turns out, Danny is fine with it. he's both the newest Wayne and their newest case. (And godamnit, his new family is going to avenge him. If only he'd let them try.)

Danny figures out that Duke= Signal early on because of that dinner, and if he's going to keep his parents out of jail, he needs to be as close to the investigation as possible. He knows that he shouldn't protect the Fentons, but he feels the upset in his core at the thought of letting them befall any harm. He has to protect them. Has to protect Jazz and her hiding spot as a mole within their lab. Has to.

Even if it meant lying to his new family who loves him, and who he loves in equal return. Even if it means lying to The Bats.

---

Tabloids go crazy about the black-haired blue-eyed thing of course, but no poll was ever taken by the batfam or the JL who know the whole story.

[cherryl4na]

❥•°❀"tears on my birthday cake"

abstract || it's midnight and you're feeling the birthday blues. thankfully, you have lando there to help.

female!reader || angst. fluff. comfort. soft!lando. crying. 1k words

The clock struck midnight, and with it, the arrival of your birthday. The room was cloaked in darkness, save for the soft glow of moonlight filtering through the curtains. Lando stirred beside you, his arm instinctively drawing you closer as he roused from his slumber.

"Happy birthday, love," he murmured, his voice laced with sleep.

You managed a faint smile, but it quickly faded as the weight of another year settled upon your shoulders. Birthdays were supposed to be a time of celebration, yet this year, it felt more like a reckoning—a stark reminder of dreams unfulfilled and the relentless march of time.

Sensing your unease, Lando shifted closer, his fingers gently trailing along your arm in soothing strokes. "Hey," he whispered softly, " What's wrong baby? Are you okay?"

You hesitated, the lump in your throat making it difficult to articulate the swirling emotions within. "I don't know," you finally admitted, your voice barely above a whisper. "I just... I thought I'd have it all figured out by now."

His embrace tightened around you, offering a silent reassurance as he pressed a tender kiss to your forehead. "You don't have to have it all figured out," he murmured, his breath warm against your skin. "Life isn't a race. It's okay to feel lost sometimes."

Tears welled up in your eyes, betraying the facade of composure you had struggled to maintain. "I feel like I'm falling behind," you confessed, your voice trembling with raw vulnerability.

Lando's fingers gently tilted your chin up, his gaze searching yours with unwavering sincerity. "You're not falling behind," he insisted firmly. "You're on your own path, and it's okay if it's different from what you imagined."

A sob caught in your throat, releasing years of pent-up frustrations and fears. "I just... I expected more from myself," you whispered brokenly.

You clung to Lando, the weight of his words and the warmth of his embrace grounding you in the present moment. The minutes stretched into an intimate silence, broken only by the soft cadence of his breathing and the occasional whisper of reassurance.

"I just feel like I should have accomplished more by now," you admitted quietly, your voice trembling with vulnerability.

Lando's arms tightened around you, as if to shield you from the weight of your own expectations. "It's okay to feel that way," he replied gently, his fingertips tracing soothing circles on your back. "But remember, success isn't measured by a checklist. It's about the journey, the lessons learned along the way."

You nestled deeper into his embrace, finding solace in the steady rhythm of his heartbeat against your cheek. "I'm scared of never reaching my full potential," you confessed, your words a whisper against his chest.

He pressed a kiss to your forehead, his lips lingering there as if to imprint his love onto your skin. "You're capable of more than you know," he murmured, his voice a soft reassurance. "You've already made a difference in my life, in so many lives. That's no small feat."

Tears welled up in your eyes again, this time not from sadness but from the overwhelming swell of emotions his words invoked. "Thank you for believing in me," you whispered, your voice thick with gratitude.

Lando pulled back slightly, his hands framing your face so he could look into your eyes with unwavering sincerity. "I'll always believe in you," he promised, his gaze searching for yours. "Even on your darkest days, I'll be here to remind you of your strength and resilience."

You nodded, a silent acknowledgment of his unwavering support. "I love you," you said softly, the words a declaration of trust and vulnerability.

He smiled tenderly, brushing away a tear that escaped down your cheek. "I love you too," he replied, his voice filled with tenderness. " And I'm here, always."

You leaned into his touch, the warmth of his hand against your cheek a balm to your weary soul. His words echoed in your mind, a constant reassurance that despite the uncertainties of life, there was one thing you could always count on—Lando's unwavering presence and love.

In the quiet of the night, wrapped in each other's arms, you found solace in the simplicity of being together. His embrace was a sanctuary, shielding you from the doubts and fears that threatened to overwhelm.

"Thank you for being here," you whispered softly, your voice barely a breath.

Lando pressed a tender kiss to your forehead, his lips lingering there as if to imprint his love onto your skin. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else," he murmured, his voice a vow against the darkness that lingered at the edges of your thoughts.

You closed your eyes, allowing yourself to simply be, to absorb the love and comfort he offered without reservation. The weight of your worries felt lighter, carried away by the gentle rhythm of his heartbeat beneath your ear.

As the minutes ticked by, Lando remained by your side, his presence a comforting anchor in the tumultuous sea of emotions. He listened as you poured out your heart, offering solace in the form of understanding nods and gentle touches.

By the time the darkness began to give way to the soft hues of predawn, you felt a glimmer of hope flicker within your soul. It wasn't about erasing the doubts or fears—it was about embracing them, acknowledging them as part of your journey.

As you curled up with Lando in the quiet hours before dawn, his arms around you, you felt a deep sense of gratitude for his unwavering presence. Birthdays weren't just about celebrating milestones; they were about reflecting on growth, on resilience, on the love that held you together when everything seemed uncertain.

And as sleep finally claimed you, lulled by the steady rhythm of Lando's heartbeat and the whispered promises of tomorrow, you knew that no matter what challenges lay ahead, you would face them with Lando by your side. Together, hand in hand, heart to heart, you would navigate the complexities of life and find solace in the simple moments of love and understanding.

an || okay so this one made me tear up a bit. hope you liked this as much as i did. till the next one!

©2024 cherryl4na. - please do not copy, repost or translate any of my works on other platforms without my permission.

[luceafarul-de-dimineata]

During a meeting with all the kings and the royal assistents TM

Mammon: I'm glad to see that everyone is present for the first time in years

Asmodeus: In my defense, being a father is difficult. Children are so time consuming and even when they grow up you still need to make sure they don't cut their own dicks off, DANTALIAN PUT THE KNIFE WHERE I CAN SEE IT

Belphegor: That's why I sleep all day. You can't make mistakes while sleeping

Asmodeus: Oh, trust me, if you want to you can. Where there is a hole, there is a way.

Leviathan: Asmodeus, you are trully the one demon whose mere existence is a mistake... you and Beelzebub

Asmodeus: Thank you, Leviathan. Glad to see that you're just as pleasant as I remember you being.

Lucifer sitting himself next to Beelzebub: Beelzebub I wish to discuss some important matters with you.

Beelzebub getting up and streching: Oh, wow, look at the clock. You're all great, loved seing you, but I really have to go. The sea is calling me.

Bael: No, the fuck you don't! You fucking bitch! COMR BACK AND DO YOUR JOB! Ughhhhhh, I'm so sorry he keeps doing this.

Gusion nodding in understanding in the background

Belphegor: If you open your mouth I'll take it as an invitation to pull out all your teeth.

Mammon: Anyways, today we are planning to discuss a celebration for MC's birthday. We have come up with some potential ideas.

Asmodeus: I'll take them to the human world.

Satan: Don't you fucking dare.

Asmodeus: What? If MC wants to see their human best friend again, who am I to stop them. I go in the human world all the time, I don't see what the problem is.

Satan: YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO GO TO THE HUMAN WORLD IN THE FIRST PLACE!

Asmodeus: Really now? And who are you to tell me what to do? You're not God.

Lucifer: Don't you dare use the Lord's name in vain

Asmodeus: Oh, I forgot we invited the mormon here. Excuse me, father, for I have sinned.

Lucifer hisses

Asmodeus: That's hot. Do that again, angel boy.

Gamigin: Hey, stop it!

Mammon: Please, stop. This isn't about our petty infighting. It's about MC.

Leviathan: It's simple. Mc will stay in Hades and I will make sure they get celebrated appropriatly there.

Satan: They will not! I already prepared the festivities for the birthday!

Asmodeus: I just say we all have an orgy and that's the birthday.

Leviathan: Why, is that how you wish Dantalian happy birthday? With his cock in your mouth? You backwards thinking heathens have no business being near another living creature.

Asmodeus: THAT'S MY SON YOU LITTLE BITCH! And you have a necrophile in your government. At least my nobles don't stick their dicks in a corpse!

Leviathan: He hasn't done that since last year!

Asmodeus: How do you know? Do you like watching it? And I'm the filthy one here.

All the kings start fighting while the nobles watch

Gamigin: S-should we do something?

Bael: No, this happens every time they're all here

Dantalian: And it's hot

Gamigin: ...I think I am starting to understand why Lucifer doesn't let you guys in the country.

[disneyprincemuke]

in another life * fem!driver au

"if not in this universe, do you think we're at least together in another?" "there has to be at least one where we're happy."

i HAVE SUCCUMBEDDD TO THE VOICEESSSSSS THE VOICESSSSSSS AHHHHHH

and my demons bc here we are :/

this is more smaus and shorter blurbs just because i don't wanna get too attached to logan and my literal fictional character being together huhuhuhu

could've been -> in which logan decided to make a move on her after her confession instead of ignoring his feelings and eventually getting over it

everything at 18, but nothing at 22 -> in which the drastic difference in their performance in their career seems to finally be catching up to them

they ask, “do you have a man?” -> in which everyone is curious why the grid princess is still single despite instagram posts from them seem to be giving out another narrative

is it just platonic? -> in which she and logan can’t help but flirt with each other in public, but it’s always disregarded as them being mega best friends

everybody talks too much -> in which he accidentally slips up during an interview and calls her his ‘girlfriend’ sending everyone into a frenzy

in the late night, in a disguise -> in which logan has to dress entirely differently to run some late-night errands with her in the uk

the grid princess x everyone -> in which everyone seems to ship her with everyone but her actual secret boyfriend

kiss all your tears away -> in which she and logan don't walk into the paddocks together for the first time all season and sends everyone speculating about the status of their relationship friendship

is it killing you like it's killing me? -> in which she and logan try to navigate the worst part about dating your literal coworker

tis the season for mistletoasters -> in which they invite a select few of their friends over for the holidays and a particular holiday decoration catches them off guard

there doesn't seem to be anyone around -> in which they're simply not discreet enough about sneaking around in the paddocks

the summer seemed to last forever -> in which they didn't want summer break to end because that meant having to sneak around again

baby, it's cold outside -> in which she always get seasonal depression at the same time of the year and he tries to make her feel better about it

i don't want you like a best friend -> in which their trip to the bahamas two years ago suddenly becomes a push and pull game that neither of them knew the rules to

the kind of book you can't put down -> in which the thought of settling down and being with her scares him more than anything in the world, but he can’t seem to steer away from the thought of ‘them’

you make everyday feel like it's christmas -> in which logan surprises her in the morning with a throughtful second present

in sickness and in health -> in which she's down with the flu and while she's locked herself away to contain the virus, her boyfriend simply refuses to stay away for too long

bad sushi and bad stomachs -> in which she completely overanalyses the situation when she wakes up puking from bad sushi, forcing her to have a conversation about potentially having kids

it's when we're in a crowded room -> in which they’ve got their own little ways to communicate their feelings for one another while they’re under watch of the crowd that’s not supposed to know of their relationship

god bless america -> in which it's everyone's favourite american's birthday and they can't help but take the piss out of him

i'm a monster on the hill -> in which insecurities suddenly strike up when she sees her boyfriend parading with williams’ star guest for the race weekend

[wnbnny]

wish you back - h.js

w.c - 2.0k | genre - highschool!au/slice of life | pairings - jisung x gn reader | authors note - omfg i'm back from hiatus 😭 anyw req by my bby @starseungs i hope u enjoy <3 req can be found here!

life brings about many surprises, one of which comes in the form of han jisung.

life as a highschooler wasn't easy, navigating through workloads, teenage crushes, and the struggles of a growing and developing brain.

most of all, the concept of soulmates.

soulmates were a thing you would expect from a movie, a fictional world. yet, it was very much true, girls gossiping over potential soulmates in the hallways, boys proposing to their girlfriends in soccer games, happy couples strolling down the streets of the city. your life was lived in monochrome, the classic black and white. it was only when you met your supposed soulmate at the age of 18 that everything would explode, a vibrant splatter of colours that finally allowed you to see the world as it was, not just through a filter. people described it as the feeling of warmth on your skin, the thrill of it all, the reds, oranges, yellows, greens, blues, purples, pink, all the hues, like home.

but that blood red string scared you.

what was so good about soulmates? the idea of having the rest of your life laid out before you, pre-destined and fated, scared you. what if your soulmate lived halfway across the world? what if you would never meet your soulmate, destined to die a lonely death while everyone else danced under the stars with their loved one? what if you didn't like the life planned out for you? what if you had to live the rest of your life seeing only black and white, and never see the yellow of the sun or the fresh green of the grass and the vibrant red of the flowers? what if your soulmate didn't want you?

it was especially the latter of the questions that haunted you the most.

you feared, with a frightening worriedness, that your chosen one would reject you. you had heard stories of people being rejected by their chosen soulmate, only to either live out their lives in misery or take their own life. no one was ever the same after meeting their soulmate. 

to be honest, you would rather live forever in a world with only black and white than to go through that heartbreak. you would never allow yourself to fall in love, you vowed. soulmate or not, heartbreak was something you never wanted to experience.

---

"oi!" 

"what do you want for your birthday? y'know what, nevermind, it should be a surprise." jisung grinned, ruffling your hair as you scowled at him.

"don't remind me, you know how much i dread the damned day." you groaned, shoulders sagging in defeat. 

your 18th birthday. 

the day you would finally meet your soulmate. 

life had been so peaceful until now, you thought. until someone would come into the picture and fuck everything up.

just 7 days to go until the day. 7 days wouldn't be that bad, right?

wrong.

day 7. day 6. day 5. day 4. day 3. day 2. 

each day, you could feel the trepidation settling into your bones, a chill running through your spine every time you looked at the clock on the wall, until that very day.

the day was normal, well-wishes from your parents and your gift given to you, the new bag you had been yearning for, significantly improving your mood, a smile on your face as you walked to the bus, corners of your lips lifting up and eyes crinkling. your eyes zeroed in on every person as you boarded the bus, squinting in anticipation of the bright colours that were supposed to burst in your vision. luckily, the world remained black and white, not a single spot of colour. you looked down at your phone. damn. the only classes you had with jisung were in the afternoon.

throughout the day, everyone showered you with birthday wishes, gifting you beautifully wrapped presents, yet you couldn't find it in your heart to be genuinely happy, a fake smile plastered on your face as you thanked them for the wishes. it wasn't that you didn't appreciate the gifts, truly. you just dreaded the change that would come in a few hours or so. in a few hours, you would be meeting the person that you would spend the rest of your life with. 

"class dismissed!" you startled awake with a jolt, unconsciously having daydreamed throughout the class, lost in thought. as you scrambled to move onto the next class, hastily picking up your textbook, a hand stopped you. you flinched in surprise, heightened alertness instantly kicking in. a girl held out your pen to you, the world still remaining in black and white.

thank goodness.

up next was biology, your hated arch nemesis. groaning half-heartedly to yourself as you dragged yourself to your locker to dump your heavy textbooks in, a voice broke you out of your reverie.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY-" a voice screamed, causing you to yelp in surprise, head whipping around in surprise as you finally saw the offender of your eardrums.

oh.

time seemed to stop.

red, the colour of his old beanie.

brown, the colour of his soft silky hair that you loved to thread your fingers through.

black, the colour of his old sweatpants and backpack.

yellow, the colour of his pins on his backpack.

blue, the colour of his fluffy hoodie.

purple, the colour of his keychain.

white, the colour of the blinding brightness that seemed to overtake you for a millisecond.

han jisung was your fucking soulmate.

in his hands was a badly wrapped present, wrapped in a bright yellow paper, his lips parted in shock and surprise as he started dumbfoundedly at you.

"oh."

he could only sputter, his boba eyes round and wide as the present dropped to the floor in shock.

han jisung was your soulmate. 

fuck.

"uh- so-" jisung's hand came up to scratch the back of his head, eyes wide in disbelief. 

"so uh- we're..."

"soulmates." you could only say in response.

should you be happy? you were supposed to jump in joy, after all. anyone would expect someone to be happy after bagging the person who was simultaneously your best friend and your secret crush. 

but why did it feel like you and jisung were headed on a one way train to doom?

"i- i gotta go." you stammered, turning around and dashing out the hall, breathing laboured as you heard him call after you in desperation.

no, no, no-

life was going so well. he would never want you, ever. he would never see you in that way. your friendship would be ruined. you would lose your best friend. 

life seemed to bustle around you as you ran. greens, pinks, purples, hues of every shade faded into your vision as you ran, tears finally cascading down your face, dripping onto the lush grass beneath your feet. you couldn't bring yourself to look at anything, eyes tightly shut, a stark reminder of what would change.

---

[57 missed calls]

jisungie 

hello?? y/n? i know you probably don't want to see me now... but i'll be here waiting for you, ok?  it's probably hard to accept that we're soulmates... but take your time:) seen at 12.03 a.m

jisungie

you didn't come to class today...  r u ok?? take care of yourself seen at 15.39 p.m

jisungie

its been five days already i miss you seen at 23.12 p.m

---

you threw your phone across the room, head buried in your shoulders as you muffled a sob. 

fuck him and his perfect personality.

if only he were that easy to forget, to let go. 

but he was han jisung. perfect in every way. as if you could ever dream of forgetting him and his warm touch, his wide grin, his fluffy brown hair hanging over in his eyes with a boyish innocence.

"ding!"

you groaned in annoyance, flinging the sheets back, stumbling out of bed, and quickly wiping away your tears. 

probably one of mom's online deliveries again. 

walking down the stairs, you swung open the door. 

"hi, you can leave the delivery there-"

except it wasn't even a delivery man.

it was han jisung.

"jisung-?" 

you could only stammer in response, eyes widening as you took a step back.

after all, what was one supposed to say to your soulmate that you'd been avoiding for days?

a flash of white and pink caught your eyes. your gaze drifted down to his hands, only to be met with a bouquet of pink, white, and red tulips, a beautiful arrangement wrapped in pink tulle and tied together with a elegant white ribbon.

"uhh... surprise?" jisung smiled anxiously before scratching the back of his neck awkwardly as his face turned crimson red.

too stunned to speak, you could only stand there gaping at him. after what felt like an eternity, you finally spoke.

"what are you doing here?"

"wait... lemme just- uh- compose myself. big speech, y'know?" he grinned in nervousness, fidgeting slightly, clearly a bundle of nerves.

"so..." he exhaled. "i know i'm probably the last person you want to see right now, but... i don't blame you. but however you feel about us being... soulmates, it doesn't change the fact that i don't mind being your soulmate. i was... pretty happy at first, but then you ran away, so i-"

"wait, happy? i thought you would be mad, or angry, or anything-" you cut him off, brows furrowing in confusion.

jisung gulped. "i had feelings for you." 

"what-?" your heart rate skyrocketed, a ringing in your ears, the thumping of your heart against your ribcage, all making you painfully hopeful, pleading with the gods to not break your heart and dash your hopes again.

"i- i had feelings for you. so... no matter how you want this whole soulmate thing to turn out, even if you don't feel the same, i'll be happy either way knowing you're my soulmate. if you don't want it to, this won't change anything between us, we can go back to living our normal lives-"

jisung was cut off by the feeling of soft, plush lips on his, crashing into him with a ferocity as your arms were thrown around his neck, teeth clashing with his, warm hands threading into his hair.

you didn't think you would ever get used to kissing jisung, you thought. every single touch, smile, even a tiny glance set your nerves ablaze. the feeling of his pillowy lips on yours was thrilling, his hands threaded into your hair and pulling you closer by your lower back, pressing you flush against him until there was so space between the two of you, bridging the gaps that felt like oceans forcing the two of you apart.

finally, the two of you parted with a gasping 'pop', ears red and cheeks flushed, staring at each other in childlike wonder. 

"thank you for the tulips," you smile, taking them from his hands and planting one last kiss on his cheek, "they're lovely."

jisung's ears turned bright red, stammering out a 'you're welcome' in response as you laughed at his antics. "oh, that reminds me," he smiled giddily, hand reaching into his pocket to pull out a beautiful baby pink coloured box, gently opening it. you gasped, inside was a beautiful necklace with a heart charm in the middle, simple and elegant. "i was gonna give this to you on your birthday, but... well, you ran off, so here." he smiles nervously awaiting your reaction, and is pleasantly surprised when you squeal and plant a big fat kiss on his lips. he helps you put it on, your lips finding his again as you wrap your arms around his neck and tug him closer. "it's beautiful, thank you." you smile, resting your head in the crook of his neck.

"so you'll accept me as your soulmate?" he asked, eyes wide as he worried his bottom lip between his teeth, anxiously waiting for your answer.

you nod, smiling. "i accepted you as my soulmate the moment i found out, i just... thought you wouldn't feel the same way back... so i just avoided you. in hindsight, that sounds pretty stupid," you sigh.

"aish, we could've kissed a long time ago if i had just told you i felt the same!" jisung groaned, pulling you closer as you laughed and smacked his arm in playful indignation. "at least we worked it out." smiling softly, you allowed yourself a moment of peace, tucking your head into the crook of his neck.

"out of all the people in the world, i'm stuck with you, han jisung. but you're the best person to be stuck with."

[thebroccolination]

KRIST AND BOUN: THE VERY EXCITING POTENTIAL FRIENDSHIP THAT ONLY MATTERS TO ME

I love Boun. I love Krist. I love them separately for different reasons and I’ve followed them for about the same amount of time.

Because they’re similar and I love them, I have been pie-in-the-sky, playfully hoping that my two favorite extroverts may become friends somehow for FOUR YEARS and TODAY KRIST JUST CASUALLY POSTED HIMSELF GIVING BOUN A GIFT ON HIS BIRTHDAY.

LIKE.

I’ve been documenting this.

And, y’know, at first it was tongue-in-cheek stuff, right.

Like on October 25th, 2023, they both met their respective idol on the same day.

And Pup and Mark aren’t celebrities Krist and Boun are normal about. Krist got “P” tattooed on the back of his neck as a partial dedication to ‘P’up from ‘P’otato (it’s also Krist’s own name’s initial, also Peraya, etc.) and Boun once famously told Mark Tuan that as long as he got to see his ankle, he’d die happy. I love two very measured and chill fanboys.

Then they wore similar shirts one time.

Essentially I’ve loved Krist and Boun separately but fervently for four years, and for fun I was doing a lot of, “I’ve connected the two dots. I’ve connected them.” /shane

But Boun was part of Studio Wabi Sabi and Krist was with GMMTV and while it wasn’t impossible for them to interact, it definitely wasn’t likely. So I mostly made peace with this being a goofy game I like to play.

And then—

OH LOOK MY SON IS NOW IN MY OTHER SON’S COMPANY.

AND HEY MY SON WELCOMED MY OTHER SON TO HIS COMPANY.

At this stage I’m like, “Oh, so I’m god’s favorite. Fun trivia.”

I’m all revved up looking for any other indication that they’ve met or talked or interacted, but the universe keeps making a gentle mockery of my long-shot dream.

“Oh, you want to see Boun and Krist at the showcase?”

“Here you go. Oh, Boun is too small? No problem, let’s make him bigger.”

Then, oh, BounPrem are recording with a producer Krist follows on Instagram.

And Boun does the dance for Krist’s song “Call Me.”

Then of course Krist advertises Boun’s upcoming concert on Livehouse.

THEY KNOW EACH OTHER EXISTS.

THEY WORK IN THE SAME COMPANY.

AND NOW KRIST HAS GIVEN BOUN A BIRTHDAY PRESENT.

THIS ISN’T THE BEST DAY EVER YET BUT WE’RE GETTING THERE.

[honeytrap26]

I’ll Play Nice

Satoru Gojo x Reader

summary: Your boss invites you and your husband Satoru Gojo to dinner. cw: !!MDNI!! NSFW, talks about sex, gets a little heated between reader and Satoru. There’s cocks in here and I mean cocky men. 😉 aunote: I’ve been pining over Raiden from eighty-six, I can’t help it. just imagine two muscular men, almost equally as tall as each other, fighting over you. I just love Raidens and Satorus dub voices. I hope you all enjoy this one and happy reading! 🐼🖤 wc: 2k+ (proofread but there might be some errors)

This is your boss, Raiden Shuga Cookies for a Confession: a Raiden fluff.

“ Good work today, you did an amazing job with that presentation.” your boss taps on the edge of your desk.

“ Thank you Mr. Shuga.” you smile at him,

“ Please… just call me Raiden. Mr. Shuga is my father.” he chuckles, “ There's no need for formalities.”

“ Thank you...Raiden. But I can't get all the credit for it. We all contributed to that project.” you shut down your computer, grabbing your purse from underneath your desk.

“ Well, you should accept the compliment, you are their supervisor and that says a lot. The company has seen so many improvements since you started working here.” he smiles at you as he loosens his tie.

“Thank you again Mr. Shuga- I’m sorry. Raiden.” you get up from your chair, and begin to walk out when he calls your name.

“ Are you available this Saturday? I would like to take you out to dinner.” he clears his throat, unbuttoning his suit jacket. 

You let out a nervous chuckle, his question making you feel uneasy. He can see you shift uncomfortably in your spot.

“I didn’t mean it in that way.” he sighs, “Let me start over, I would like to invite you and your husband to dinner. I’m currently looking for a potential…”

“Partner? A girlfriend or perhaps a boyfriend?” you inquire. 

He laughs and shakes his head,

“No, a business partner. I have been inviting potential employees and coworkers out to a casual dinner to get to know them more. I would like to start my own business. I am going to need a partner and I would like to know what someone is like in a casual setting.”

You stand there for a moment before you mouth “Oh”

“So that’s what everyone has been talking about.” you clap your hands together, “it all makes sense now” Raiden raises an eyebrow,

“There’s been talk that you’ve been inviting people out to dinner and we all thought it was because you’re looking for someone to date.” you purse your lips together, awaiting his answer.

“Is…is that why everyone has been giving me weird looks lately?” he scans the empty workplace. “That's so embarrassing.” he drops his head down.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.” you let out a laugh, amused at his reaction, “but yes dinner is fine with me. I will see you tomorrow night. Now if you’ll excuse me, my husband should be calling me in 3- 2-1.” your phone rings, you wave to him.

“Have a goodnight Raiden.” you smile at him and walk out of the door into the hallways, waiting for an elevator.

“Toru, are you almost ready? We’re going to be late.” you say slipping your heels on.

“Why am I going?” Gojo takes his time to tie his tie.

“Because he wants to meet you and also I might become a potential business partner.” you say excitedly, checking your make up once more in the mirror.

“More like just a potential partner in bed. Is this guy even hot?” Gojo glances at you wiping off the lipstick on your teeth.

“He’s not bad looking.” you shrug your shoulders.

“So he is hot” he sulks.

 You walk over to Gojo and help him tie his tie.

“ You know I only have eyes for you and I love you. Now hurry up” -you slap his butt- “ you look good in a suit.” you give Gojo a quick kiss on the lips.  

His face lights up and he pulls you in closer to him, he whispers in your ear,

 “Oh yeah, I think I look better in a birthday suit.” he begins to kiss up and down your neck, he places his hands on your hips making you walk backwards until your back is against the wall.

Your hands roam his chest up to his tie, tugging it. Gojo smirks, his hands find their way to your ass giving it a hard squeeze making you whine.

“That's what I like to hear.” he grabs your face, his soft lips meeting yours, he licks your bottom lip but then you push him away.

“No no no. We have to go.” you say panting, Gojos hands continue to roam all over your body. He tugs at your dress, lifting it up,

“Come on, just a quick one? Your boss can wait. You look so beautiful in that red dress. I wanna rip it off of you.” his fingers hit the lace on your panties, making him more urgent but you grab a hold of his hands. 

“I know you’re the almighty Satoru Gojo and everyone waits for you but I’m not special. If you’re a good boy and play nice. Maybe I'll give you a little something on the way home.” you grab his tie and tug it gently, he moans biting his lower lip knowing exactly what you meant by that.

“Come on! We’re really going to be late now.” you fix your dress and walk out the door.

“But baby! I’m hard.” he whines, chasing after you.

Satoru and you drive down to the very expensive steakhouse your boss wants to meet at.

“So much for a casual dinner?” Gojo laughs in disbelief.

 “I wonder if he’s already in there waiting for us.” you say nervously.

A sleek matte black motorcycle pulls in just as you're about to walk into the building. The rider revs it a couple of times before putting it in idle. He leans back into the seat and slips off his black leather gloves. The man is wearing a white fitted dress shirt, you can see his tattoos peeking through the cuffs of the shirt, he has on a gray vest over it.

“Hi Raiden,” you smile at your boss. Gojo’s eyebrows furrow as he sees how cheesy you get for your boss.

“Hi…Raiden.” Gojo imitates your voice under his breath, he pretends to clutch his pearls.

“Hey it’s so nice to see you.” Raiden says holding the helmet in one hand, he gets off the bike, walks over and gives you a hug, he kisses the back of your hand.

“Wow…you’re so breathtakingly beautiful..” he takes a step back to take in…… all of your beauty.

Gojo growls under his breath, his long legs swiftly walk over to you, he wraps his arms around your waist pulling you in. His arctic blue eyes stare daggers into Raiden while he gives you a quick kiss.

“Behave." you slap Gojos chest playfully. “ I'm sorry about that. This is my husband, Satoru Gojo.”

Raiden's emerald eyes narrow at Gojo and he smirks,

“Nice to meet you, husband of this beautiful lady. You’re very lucky.” Raiden chuckles, taking your hand again and giving it another kiss, this time Raidens emerald eyes are focused on Gojo with the same piercing stare.

“You already did that.” Gojo snatches your hand away from him. 

Raiden just laughs, he waves for the valet boy.

“Yes sir,” the valet boy bows to Raiden.

“Just the usual spot. Have fun.” Raiden winks at the valet boy and fixes his suit. 

“Show off.” Gojo scoffs rolling his eyes, he hands the keys to the car to the same valet boy.

“Oh wait, I almost forgot to grab the reports.” you run after the valet boy to get your keys.

Gojo and Raiden are standing there, they both watch as you walk away heading back to the car.

“ You’re the boss, huh?” Gojo slips his hands in his dress pants, he sizes up Raiden, he's only a few inches shorter than Gojo.

“That’s me.” Raiden grins, he sweeps his hands out palms facing up, showing that he doesn’t mean to cause any harm.

Gojo lets out a sarcastic chuckle, he takes a step closer to Raiden, putting a hand on his shoulder. He leans in and says,

“I love my wife and I’ll do anything for her. So for her sake. I’ll play nice.” Gojo says the last part through gritted teeth, he squeezes Raiden's shoulder firmly before letting go.

“Sorry about that, I just finished the reports earlier today and thought you may want to take a look at it.” you hand the file over to Raiden.

“That wasn’t necessary, I already told you I wasn’t in a rush to get it back.” he accepts the file and tucks it under his arm. “Shall we head inside? I’m starving.” he ushers for you and Gojo to go in first.

“Nice to meet ya boss.” Gojo pats Raiden's shoulder twice making sure to hit him a little harder than he would to most people.

The three of you are sitting at the table, Raiden sitting across from you and Gojo. The orders were placed based on Raiden's recommendation. The waiter brought out wine for the table also based on Raidens recommendation.

“Now shall we begin?” Raiden washes down the very expensive appetizer with wine, he wipes his mouth with the serviette and places it back on his lap.

“Hmm..” you cover your mouth, you chew quickly and take a sip of your wine.

“No need to rush, take your time.” Raiden chuckles. He leans back in his chair.

“Why do you want to start your own business?” Gojo’s eyes narrow at him.

“ What can I say? I want new things. I want things I can’t have and in order for me to get those things I have to leave and grow bigger.” Raiden licks his lips, his eyes darken, practically undressing you.

“So you’re a grower not a show-er” -Gojo gulps down his glass of wine- “figures.” he grins, placing a hand on your inner thigh, he leans in to whisper loudly in your ear.  “I think she knows how much I show and grow for her.”

You choke on your food and excuse yourself to the restroom.

The night was oddly weird, this was supposed to be a nice casual conversation with your boss and your husband. At first you thought maybe it was just in your head but as the wine continued pouring the mouths started roaring, somehow this dinner turned into them fighting about who’s dick was bigger.

“That was a very nice meal, thank you for paying for dinner.” you say to your boss.

“No problem at all. We should do this more often.” he winks at you then looks at Gojo, 

“of course with your husband too. We can’t leave him out, he loves attention.”

You laugh at Raidens joke a little too hard for Gojos liking.

“Hey, why don’t we go to some place less fancy. You want to get to know me. I’ll show you.” Gojo says to him. 

You grab him trying to push him but Gojo is built like a tank and doesn’t move if he doesn’t want to. 

 Raiden shakes his head, “I’m fine. It was good meeting you.”

“What are you afraid of me?” -Gojo lets out a fake laugh- “Is it because…” -he tilts his head up- “ you’re weak?” 

You can see the cocky attitude slowly ooze out of him. It was time to take him home.

“Oookay it’s time to go. It was really nice to have dinner with you Raiden. Thank you for paying again.  I’ll see you at work on Monday.” you quickly wave at him, you pull Gojo away when Raiden says,

“ Actually I do want some more drinks, it doesn’t hurt to let loose once in a while, I can play nice.” he stares at Gojo coldly, then he clicks his tongue and shoots you with that charming smile of his. “I’ll see you guys there.”

It was on. If Satoru Gojo wanted to play nice, so could Raiden Shuga.

Extra Trimmings! “So…do I get a blowjob now?” he lets out a toothy grin. “No! What makes you think that you deserve a blowjob?” you slap his arm. “Ow! You said if I play nicely then I get a blowjob.” he reasons with you. “ Was telling my boss-” you lift your chin at him and imitate him. “-you’re weak. Playing nicely?” you sigh, “I’m so gonna get fired.”

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Unexpected 50

Warnings: non/dubcon, pregnancy, pegging, Lloyd being the worst, post partum, csection, suicidial ideation, and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging.

Your promise to Lloyd is empty. You have no great urge to see Andy again. You’re embarrassed at the thought. Even a bit guilty as you accept that any sliver of excitement he brought to you has flown away. The return of your husband drags you back down to earth in the most desolating way.

You swipe away another notification. You don’t know how to reply to Andy. It doesn’t seem right to tell him over a text. Still, you can’t bring yourself to face him. Your last two conversations haven’t been exactly productive. How many times can you tell him this was never meant to be anything more than sex?

That’s when you feel rotten. You used him the same way you’ve been used. Just a release, a thing to make you feel better about yourself. Worse, he’s a widower. He’s lost so much already and now you’re toying with him. That’s hardly fair.

You sit with Luna on the floor. Getting down there was hard enough and you don’t want to ponder how you’ll get back up. She lays on her mat, raising her head to look around. She’s still needy but you see her changing. Maybe she sees the same in you with how she stares at you.

There’s a knock at the door. You brace yourself. You already know it isn’t Lloyd, he would just barge in. You know he hasn’t changed at all. Luna’s head bobbles as she tries to look around and you call for whoever it is to enter.

“Hey, we goin’ on that walk?” Harlen asks as he enters, already half-dressed for the dipping temperature. You notice the metallic red thermos in his hand, “I was hopin’ to get out.” He present the capped container, “got us some hot chocolate even.”

“Oh, that’s so sweet,” you make yourself smile, “yeah, that might be a good idea.”

“Here, let me help,” he sets the thermos down and crosses the room, offering his hand to haul you up.

“Go on, get ready,” he bids as he grunts, bending to pick up Luna from the floor, “oh, she gettin’ heavy.” He stands straight, “I need the workout anyhow.”

“I have a suit for her. Thermal,” you explain as you search the dresser against the nursery wall. The last few nights you’ve spent sleeping in the glider chair, your own fortress in a castle not your own.

“You let me worry about that,” he nears, rocking Luna in one arm as he takes the insulated outfit from you, “go get something warm on. You gotta take care of you too.”

You look at him. You nod. He’s the only man you can’t bring yourself to argue with, maybe because he’s the only one who’s ever really cared. You love that about him but it makes you think of your own dad and how he would rather his flask than to spend a single birthday with you.

“Right,” you surrender, “I won’t be long.”

You leave the nursery and head down to the guest room. The door is already unclasped but you don’t think much of it until you enter. You find Lloyd sat on the foot of the bed with the little crescent moon toy Luna likes so much. His eyes flick up as you sigh.

You ignore him and go to the closet. You take out an old sweatshirt and dig out some jeans from a drawer. You feel him watching you. You hear him get up and come closer as you take out a pair of wool socks.

“Gonna be Christmas soon enough…” he says.

“Oh shut up,” you snarl.

It’s his turn to sigh. He angles around to stand beside you, facing you, and puts the toy on the dresser. You walk away from him and he follows you towards the bathroom door. The very idea of him seeing how he ravaged your body, the stretchmarks and the loose skin, repulses you. You won’t give him that victory.

As you try to close the door in his face, he forces his foot between it and the frame, “you have to talk to me eventually. She’s my daughter. I have a legal right–”

“Why did you come back? I know it’s not because of her,” you lean on the door. He’s just as strong as ever. If he really wanted to, he could overpower you.

“You,” he says. “I was always going to come back–”

“No, no, no. Lloyd, enough lies. It’s over. You know that. Whatever made you want me, I’m not it anymore. So whoever you were out fucking, go back to them. You won’t get anything from me.”

“I didn’t–”

“Fuck. Off.”

You stomp his toe and he recoils. You take the opportunity to slam the door and flip the lock into place. You keep your hand on the door and catch your breath. You hear him on the other side, lingering, the friction of his touch dragging down the other side.

“Peaches…” he says.

You scoff and push away. You go to the counter and put down the armful of clothes. You look at yourself in the mirror. You don’t even feel bad for yourself, you feel worse that Luna has to call someone like him a father.

🍑

You meet Harlan downstairs. He has Luna bundled up and helps you get her strapped into the baby carrier that hooks over your shoulders. It’s much easier than the stroller, if not a bit of a strain on your back.

He tucks the thermos into the large pocket of his coat and opens the door for you. He trails you outside into the brisk air of late autumn. The chill nips at your cheeks and nose as you adjust Luna’s hood to make sure she’s cozy.

“Thanksgiving soon. Dot was talkin’ bout it,” he says as you walk down the long driveway, “she talkin’ a lot lately. Driving me a bit crazy.”

“Oh,” you raise your brows dully. You haven’t said much to her. You resent her for all those weeks of sticking up for her son and her tune hasn’t changed, “yeah, maybe… get a turkey.”

“Ha, come on, what are we gon’ do? Sit down for a family dinner? She just wants peace but she won’t acknowledge the battle,” he puffs as he takes out the thermos and untwists the cap. “Here?”

He offers you a drink first. You stop awkwardly to sip from the brim and thank him. He takes a gulp of his own and hums.

“Not too bad,” he comments, “was of a mind to add some whiskey but we’ll save that for later.”

You chuckle and shake your head. You set off down the sidewalk, keeping a hand on the bottom of the carrier as you make slow progress. It’s the sort of cold that wakes you up. It reminds you of the day you met Lloyd and you scowl. A year. More than.

As you come to the end of the street, someone turns the corner. You don’t pretend to be surprised as Andy approaches. He wears a navy cap, his hair poking out from the hem, and his cheeks are rosy above his thick beard. He smiles as he nears, even as his eye twitches.

“Morning,” he greets brightly, “how’s little Luna?”

You slow as he glances at the baby in her harness. You sway with her as she babbles.

“She’s good,” you answer as Harlan clears his throat. You sniff as you try to roll the tension out of your shoulders, “oh, Andy, this is my… dad, Harlan. Harlan, Andy. The neighbour.”

“Sir,” Andy smiles and offers his hand, “nice to meet you. You must be so proud of your daughter. And granddaughter. A beautiful pair, huh?”

“Beaming,” Harlan shakes his hand gruffly, “couldn’t ask for anything better.”

“Well, uh, I was actually gonna pop in. I found some more baby stuff and thought maybe you could use it,” Andy rescinds his hand, tucking it in his jacket pocket. “I could watch Luna if you want. Give you some time off.”

“Oh, Andy, that’s sweet but… I got all the help I need,” you peek over at Harlan. “I appreciate everything but I hate to take advantage of your kindness.”

“It’s no problem. Really. I don’t mind,” Andy insists, only girding himself as his eyes flit to Harlan and he squares his shoulder, “just putting it out there.”

“I’ll… I’ll keep you in mind,” you utter awkwardly.

Harlan’s silent. You don’t have the courage to look at him. You can feel the tension radiating off of him. He’s shielded in that cool stoicism that once made you feel so small.

“Well, you know my number,” Andy shrugs, “I’m sure you can figure out how to reply to my texts,” he steps forward, gazing at Luna as he coos, surprising you as he bends to kiss the top of her head, “buh bye, Luna.” He grins, his eyes meeting yours as he stands at his full height, “pretty, just like mommy.” He nods and looks past you to Harlan, “try to stay warm out here.”

Andy struts past as you step aside. You hesitate before you continue on, quiet as Harlan lets a hum roll up his throat. He clucks and cranes to peer over his shoulder.

“That’s him?” He asks. You can only nod, staring down in shame. “Ah, well… you keep space from him… for yourself. Man’s got something ‘bout him…. Something off.”

“I… I’ve been ignoring him so…”

“No, no,” Harlan intones, “no, ain’t nothing ‘bout you.”

You stroll on, the uneasiness in his timbre crawling over you in goosebumps. You look down at Luna and run your hand up the back of the carrier, embracing her a little closer. Andy could be a little overbearing but he’s harmless, right?

[sequinsmile-x]

A Few of My Favourite Things

It's Emily's birthday, and Aaron and Jack seize the opportunity to right some of the wrongs of the past.

-x-

Hi besties,

Nearly four years into my Hotchniss writing career and I finally get to write one of 'those' ao3 author notes.

I know it hasn't been *that* long since I posted a fic, but 5 days is probably the longest it's been without me posting for a couple of years. I had (planned) surgery on one of my lungs on Friday and only got home from the hospital yesterday. I'm still recovering and will be for a few weeks, but I've been working on this on and off for a few days because I always write something for their birthdays <3

I'll absolutely still be posting - writing keeps my mind alive - but probably not quite as often as we're all used to whilst my body remembers how to...breathe properly hahaha

Anyway, here's a belated birthday fic for Emily based on an anon I got <3

As always, let me know what you think!

-x-

Warnings: None, just super super fluffy

Words: 3.5k

Read over on Ao3, or below the cut

“Emmy, can I ask you something?” 

She smiles as she looks at Jack, nodding as she sits up to make room for him on the couch, her book already closed and on the coffee table by the time he joins her so he has her full attention. Aaron was still at work, kept behind by paperwork and reports, and she’d offered to pick Jack up from Jessica’s and take him home. Aaron had smiled gratefully at her, his eyes shining with everything he couldn’t say to her whilst they were at work. He glanced towards the window of his office to ensure no one was watching before he stamped a quick kiss against her lips, a tiny moment of them lingering between them before they returned to the professionalism they held as dear as they did their relationship. 

It was a fine line they’d walked for months now, the 8 months since their first date some of the best of her life, and she knew eventually they’d have to stop. That as they moved further into this, as they took every next inevitable, wonderful, step into officially living together and marriage and kids, working together would no longer be practical. The blind eye that Strauss and the higher-ups had granted them so far would go away, any prentice of willful ignorance gone with by them submitting an address change form, or the existence of a marriage certificate. 

She knew realistically it would be her who would leave the BAU, and she was content with it. If it hadn’t been for Aaron, and by extension Jack, and the love and happiness they’d brought to her life she’s sure she would have left the BAU, and potentially DC, anyway. That she’d have taken the first offer that got her out of here, no matter how far away it took her, because she needed to be who she was now without people looking at her and mourning who she once was. Aaron had helped her through it, had helped her help herself more than anything else, and she finally felt at peace. Like she had a home for the first time in her life, only it wasn’t made out of bricks and mortar but a man, who she would have once called stern, with a dimpled smile that made her stomach flip every time, and his little boy. 

She loved Jack so much that it scared her sometimes. At first, she’d doubted her place in his life, never wanting to overstep, the gap his mother had left behind was not one she wanted anyone to think she was trying to fill, but as time went on she got more comfortable with it all. She cared less about what other people may think because it worked for them. She was the one Jack would seek out if he was sick or sad, his face pressed against her neck as she soothed him with soft words, gentle kisses and fierce hugs. He’d bring her paintings he’d done at school with a proud smile as he presented them to her and she’d react as if they should be hung in the Louvre. She loved him, and he loved her, and that was enough. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that when she and Aaron had more children she wouldn’t love them any differently to how she loved him. 

He’d taught her that she could be a mom, even if he never ended up calling her that. 

“Of course you can, sweet boy. You can ask me anything, you know that,” she says, patting the couch as he joins her, her smile getting wider as he sits next to her and huddles against her side as if on instinct, “Is everything okay?” 

He sighs as if he has the weight of the world on his shoulder, “I don’t know what I want to do for my birthday.”

She has to press her lips together to stop herself from laughing, never wanting him to think she was making fun of him, “Your birthday is meant to be fun, kiddo. Let’s think about it together,” she pushes his hair from his forehead and then drops a kiss there before she encourages him further into her embrace, “Have you had any ideas at all?” 

He half shrugs against her, “I know I want Daddy’s chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast.” 

She hums and rests her cheek against the top of his head, “The best birthday breakfast ever.” 

“And it would be fun to go to the park. And maybe the arcade?” He muses, his fingers idly playing with the delicate chain of her bracelet, something she’d rarely taken off of her wrist since Aaron gave it to her one date night just because, “I just want to spend the day with you and Daddy.” 

Her cheeks ache with the smile that spreads across her face, love for him so overwhelming it briefly makes it hard to breathe, “Well, you’ll get that no matter what we do.” 

It’s a promise she knows she can keep because they’d booked two weeks off work so they’d be off for both Jack’s and her birthday, a positive side effect of Strauss’s recent ‘use it or lose it’ policy when it came to the team's leave. Aaron and Emily both had so many vacation days left she’s sure they could have taken a month off and still had time to spare, but they’d settle on this for now, both of them silently agreeing they’d keep the rest banked until the honeymoon they both knew was somewhere not too far away on the horizon. 

Jack pulls away and looks up at her, his head tilted slightly to the side, his eyes full of curiosity, “What did you used to do on your birthday?” 

“When I was your age?” She asks, something that gets her a nod in response, and she suppresses a sad sigh, “My mom would take me out to eat at a nice restaurant if she wasn’t busy with work.” She runs her fingers through his hair, smiling when it flops back down immediately, partially covering his horrified expression. 

“She never took you to the park and pushed you on the swings? Or went to the arcade with you?” 

She smiles at that, internally laughing at the image of her mother in an arcade, the red soles of her Louboutins sticking to the soda-covered vinyl floor as her daughter tries to win enough tickets to get a stuffed cat from the prize stand. It wasn’t something Emily had ever really thought about all that much before. Her birthdays had consisted of over the top gifts and very little time with her mother. Any meal they did go out for was in a restaurant designed for adults - fancy dishes created to be paired with wine, nothing for a little girl who wanted pizza, chicken nuggets and ice cream until she fell asleep. 

It briefly makes her sad, familiar sorrow for the younger version of herself flickering in her gut, and she promises herself Jack and any siblings he would one day have would never have to feel this way. 

“No, sweetie,” she says, “She didn’t, but we’re talking about your birthday,” she says, diverting the conversation back to him, tickling his stomach to draw a laugh about him, “Chocolate chip pancakes, the park, the arcade…anything else?” 

He furrows his brow and pauses, deep in thought for a moment, before his eyes go bright and he looks at her, “Ice cream.” 

She laughs and nods, tugging him back into a hug, “Ice cream sounds perfect.”

___

The first thing she notices when she wakes up is the smell of pancakes. The second is the sound of Jack giggling followed by Aaron shushing him, his voice low as he tries to stay quiet. 

“We need to be quiet, buddy.” 

“But we’re about to wake her up anyway.” 

She decides to take pity on her boyfriend when she hears his exasperated spy, not that she’s sure she could hide that she’s awake much longer anyway, her smile wide and sleepy as she half presses it into his pillow, and she opens her eyes. 

“Lucky for the two of you, I’m already awake,” she says as she sits up, her smile getting wider at the sight of them - matching grins on their faces and splatters of flour in their hair and on their cheeks. She looks at the tray in Aaron’s hands with a huge stack of pancakes on it and a cup of coffee, and then back up at her boyfriend, “What’s all this?” 

“Happy birthday, Emily!” They say in unison as Jack scrambles onto the bed, throwing himself into her arms, an embrace she returns just as fiercely. 

“Thank you,” she replies, stamping a kiss against his forehead before she turns to Aaron who is now sitting on the edge of the bed, ready to hand her the tray. She gratefully takes it from him and rests it over her and Jack’s laps and cups Aaron’s cheek, tugging him in for a kiss, keeping him in place, chasing the taste of batter and him before he pulls back, “Thank you too.” 

He smiles and kisses her quickly, “You’re welcome sweetheart,” he winks at her as he sits back so she has access to the tray, “They’re your favourite.” 

She looks down at the pancakes, her smile getting impossibly wider when she realises they are heart-shaped, and she chuckles when she sees the scattering of chocolate throughout them, “Chocolate chip!” 

“The best birthday breakfast ever,” Jack says, repeating something she’d said to him weeks ago when he was agonising over what to do for his birthday. They’d ended up doing everything he’d wanted, and he’d fallen asleep on the couch that night as they watched his favourite movie, happy and content and safe between them. 

She hums and leans down to kiss his forehead, “Well, there are a lot of pancakes here,” she smiles up at Aaron, “I think you boys are going to have to help me.” 

Aaron chuckles and reaches for one of the forks on the tray, “Why do you think we brought three forks up here?” 

She laughs and shakes her head at him as he cuts through the soft pancakes with the side of the fork. She leans forward to eat the first bite when he offers his fork to her, and she smiles, “You’ve got it all planned out.” 

“Trust me, sweetheart,” he says, winking again, “We’ve got the whole day planned out, don’t we Jack?” 

Jack nods enthusiastically, half a pancake in his hands, his fork already abandoned entirely, “We do!” 

She narrows her eyes playfully, “You two are lucky I trust you.” 

Aaron kisses her cheek, and then the corner of her lips, “Eat your pancakes, Em. All will be revealed.” 

After they’ve had breakfast, Aaron insists he’ll clean the kitchen, ignoring their usual rule that if one of them cooked the other cleaned up, and he encourages her towards the shower. He joins her when he’s done in the kitchen, his hands on her hips as he pulls her back under the stream of hot water, whispering he’d distracted Jack with a video game to buy them 30 minutes before he kisses her. 

They give her gifts, a framed photo of the three of them from Jack and a necklace from Aaron to match her bracelet, and cards with beautiful things written in them that almost make her cry. Aaron’s warm and comforting hand on her thigh, a gentle squeeze through the material of her jeans, is the only thing that keeps her together. They tell her it’s time to go and she doesn’t even care where they are going because she feels warm and loved and just happy to be with them. Aaron insists they all wear jackets, a hint that wherever they are going they’d be outside, and they get into the car. It’s when they are just over halfway there she realises they are going to the park, a journey they’d made only five days ago for Jack’s birthday, and she smiles curiously at her boyfriend, reaching over the centre console to reach for his hand, his eyes giving nothing away when he turns to look at her. 

When they are a safe distance away from the parking lot, Emily and Aaron walking hand in hand just a few paces behind Jack, the little boy takes off at a run, “I’m going to go save the swings for us.” 

“Jack, be careful,” Aaron says, “Make sure-”

“I stay where you can see me, I know,” Jack says, rolling his eyes at his father and the warning he always gave him. Aaron chuckles as Jack continues to run towards the swings and he shakes his head lovingly. 

“You know, he never used to do that before you,” he says, squeezing her hand, his smile getting wider when she laughs and looks at him, her eyebrow raised, her smile diminishing any attempt to pretend she was annoyed. 

“So,” she starts curiously, purposely knocking her shoulder against his, “The park,” she presses her lips together to contain her smile, “Are you going to tell me what you two are up to yet?” 

He stops her, turning them so he can talk to her and keep an eye on Jack, “A couple of weeks ago a little bird told me you never got to do any fun things on your birthday like go to the park or the arcade.” 

She bites the inside of her cheek and looks over at Jack, the little boy now patiently sitting on one of the swings as he waits for them, and then back at Aaron, “Did he now?” 

Aaron nods and squeezes her hips before his hands slip to her lower back, encouraging her closer, “He did, so we decided we’d make sure you got to do all of those fun things on your birthday this year,” he explains, his smile adorably nervous, “We’re going to a pizza place for lunch, then the arcade and then out for ice cream - which I was told was non-negotiable - which will be followed by heading home to order in dinner from a place of your choosing,” he smiles, his dimples carved out into his cheeks, “And then we’ll watch whatever nerdy movie you pick.”

She chuckles and hooks her arms around his neck, her fingers trailing through the short hair there. She feels tears pressing at the back of her eyes, her chest tight with love and everything she’d never been able to find the words for. She’d never been loved like this before. Never been loved so unconditionally or deeply, and there were moments like this when it was overwhelming, something that not all that long ago would have sent her running in the other direction. 

These days, she didn’t want to run anywhere other than towards Aaron and Jack, and the future they were building together. 

She watches as panic washes over her boyfriend’s face, mistaking her silence for annoyance rather than joyful disbelief, “If this was a bad idea, we can go home,” he says, half stuttering out his words in a way she’d never heard from him before, “I have a backup reservation at that new Italian place this evening-”

She cuts him off with a kiss, her hands on each of his cheeks as she pulls back, “No, this is…” she trails off into a wet chuckle, shaking her head at him, “This is perfect,” she kisses him again, “You’re perfect. I love you so much.” 

He smiles, his relief spreading through him in a way she can feel, his body relaxing against hers, “I love you too.” 

She leans in to kiss him again but they are cut off by a yell from Jack, his patience finally running out. 

“Dad, Emily, hurry up!”

They both laugh and look at him, his hands on his hips as he stands just a few feet away from the swings, and then they look back at each other, wide smiles on both of their faces as they start to walk towards the young boy.

“He never used to do that either.” 

“Aaron.” 

___

It had without a doubt, been her favourite birthday she’d ever had. 

Jack insisted that he had to push her on the swing, his small hands on her back helped along by Aaron’s bigger hands just above them, both of them laughing as she tried to pretend she wasn’t enjoying herself. They’d ordered more food than they could possibly have eaten at the pizza place and then spent more money than she thought possible at the arcade. Hours and hours lost to the three of them moving from game to game, the tickets they’d won stuffed into their pockets as they drank giant sodas and somehow found room for hot dogs and ice cream. She’d handed her tickets over to Aaron when she went to the bathroom, her lips stamped against his as he said they’d meet her at the prize counter, and she expected that she’d find them standing there with some plastic game Jack had picked out for himself. 

Instead, she’d found them there with a large stuffed cat in Jack’s arms, his smile wide as he handed it to her and told her they’d chosen it for her. It’s probably the ugliest looking thing she’s ever seen - its black fur looked unevenly distributed, its sewn-on smile was wonky and the stare from its eyes was something close to unnerving - but she loves it. It’s immediately her favourite thing she’s ever been given, and she’s sure she’s never come closer to crying in public. It’s something that would have felt ridiculous in the middle of an arcade filled with screaming children and exasperated parents, so she’d held it together. She’d held the cat close all night, cuddled up against her as they watched Star Wars, a physical manifestation of their love for her that she wasn’t quite ready to let go of yet. 

When they get ready for bed, she places it on an armchair in the corner of Aaron’s bedroom and pats it on the head before she walks to the ensuite. She’s just finished with her skincare routine when Aaron joins her, his arms wrapping around her from behind as he smiles at her in the mirror. 

“Did you have a good birthday?” He asks, kissing her cheek, making her smile when he shifts down to kiss her neck, his nose nestling against her jawline, his love for her lotion well known. 

“I did,” she replies, resting her hands over his on her abdomen, “The best.” 

He tilts his head to look down at her, “Are you sure? It was only when we were at the arcade I realised I’d let Jack talk me into the perfect day for a 6-year-old boy.” 

She’d laugh, but she wants him to know how much this had meant to her, how this had been infinitely more special to her than a dinner in a restaurant they could eat at any night could ever have been. She turns in his arms and wraps her arms around his neck, letting her thumb stroke back and forth over the patch of skin beneath his hairline. 

“Honey, today was perfect,” she says, her eyes boring into his, hoping more than anything that he’d believe her, “You gave me something I didn’t even know I’d been missing,” she smiles when he relaxes, “This was the best birthday I’ve ever had,” her smile turns mischievous as she leans in to kiss him, “If anything, you’ve just made more hard work for yourself next year when you have to try and top it.” 

He grins at her, his grip on her tightening, “I look forward to the challenge,” he kisses her, his hands firm on her lower back as he holds her close, his fingers sneaking under the hem of her t-shirt. He starts to lead her towards the bedroom, both of them grasping at each other, their kiss eventually lost as her knees hit the back of the bed and she pulls him down on top of her, “Just one thing though.” 

She frowns at him as she tries to catch her breath, “What?” 

“We’re not doing this with that fucking cat watching us.”

She laughs as she looks over to the stuffed cat sitting on the armchair in the corner of the room, and she holds Aaron’s head against her chest, his forehead against her collarbone, “Don’t worry honey,” she encourages him to look up at her, her lips stamped against his as she scrapes his hair away from his forehead, “I’m sure we’ll find a permanent place for it.” 

18 months later, the cat is one of many stuffed animals lined up in their daughter’s nursery. Its wonky smile a well-loved companion on long sleepless nights as Emily feeds the baby and Aaron holds them both close.

[historical-fashion-polls]

Hi! I loved the halloween event so much thank you for making it! is there a possibility that we are going to have an event for the december holidays too?

hello dear anon! 💕

I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed the halloween tournament so much! 🥰🥰

and I'm glad to hear that there's so much interest in me potentially doing another one! ☺️💕 I have additional answers here, here, and here on this topic, but the most immediate answer is that unfortunately it's just not going to be possible for me to do one this year 😔😔 however, given the interest I've seen, I can definitely start thinking about something for next year! ☺️☺️ (I'll also make a little interest poll hopefully within the next week to gauge general enthusiasm 💕💕)

in terms of timing for a potential winter tournament, I was thinking I might aim for mid-january through some time in february? (again, this probably would not be until next next year, jan-feb 2026) I have a few reasons for this:

as I mention in that last ask I've linked, I would do something more "seasonal" that's not directly linked to any holiday, so it would still be seasonably appropriate in jan-feb (for the northern hemisphere at least)

december tends to be a really busy month for me, as the whole first half is usually taken up by writing, presenting, and submitting course papers

and then my birthday is at the end of december! as much fun as running the tournament was, it was also a lot of work, which I would prefer not to worry about on my birthday, if that's okay!

but then there's another birthday on january 18th – the blog's first birthday! 🥳🥳 I could absolutely see that being the start date for a winter tournament, but I just don't see myself having the time to get something together by this jan 18th, which is why we could potentially aim for next year?

I thought I'd put this all out here to get y'all's tentative thoughts on this! let me know what you're thinking if this is something you have thoughts about! ☺️💕

so sorry to turn this very sweet ask into such a long post! ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹 but thank you such much for this lovely message, and I hope all my reasoning makes sense! ☺️☺️ if you have further thoughts, please feel free to send in another ask! ☺️💕

[strawberrystepmom]

happy tanjimimi day!!!! tanjiro x f!reader. fluff! a little birthday present for @izvmimi 🎈 | wc 1.2k, divider thanks to @cafekitsune

“And here is the last of it.”

You nearly topple over beneath the stack of gifts and goodies in your arms, reaching above your head and toward the ceiling. Your friend beams as she tucks in a little linen wrapped box at the bottom of the pile, a special gift just for you from her.

Time has passed so quickly since you’ve arrived in this strange timeline that your birthday is already on the horizon, two days away, and you find yourself searching to find where the rest of the days and nights disappeared to. You’ve trained, learned, tried new things, experienced life through a point of view you couldn’t have dreamed of seeing.

Above all, you’ve just so happened to fall in love over these many many months. It’s a gift you’ve met a man that you love who shares the same special day, two souls separated by time and later joined together by a freak twist of fate.

It’s a lot sometimes but you manage the best you can. The overwhelming amount of parcels atop your forearms is currently not helping though.

“What is that?” You ask, pursing your lips. She peeks around the pile, gray eyes sparkling, and shrugs with a mischievous smirk. “Something from me for you. Wear it for the birthday boy.”

Face warming at the insinuation of what could potentially be inside, you sigh and shake your head. It’s too late for you to turn away this carefully curated collection the Hashira and other friends you’ve made since settling in with Tanjiro have given you so you accept it reluctantly. You spot food, sake, books, and that’s just merely scratching the surface. She senses your trepidation and smiles at you softly, comfortingly.

“All of this is for both of you and it’s meant to last the entire weekend so you don’t have to spend a moment apart.” She tilts her head to the side, silently begging you to just give in and accept the kindness of others. “There are robes and snacks and…”

Turning around, you bend and place the pile down on your futon, next to your half packed suitcase. The perk of sharing birthdays with your beloved is that the weekend becomes an event about both of you. The downside is that your friends have insisted upon doing this despite your protests against making a big deal out of things.

“It’s too much,” you sigh, crossing your arms over your stomach. “All of this is just too much.”

She shakes her head and walks toward you, pulling you into a hug. You lean her head on her shoulder and she gently pats your back, giving you a moment to collect yourself.

“Stop it! It’s not. We love you guys and just want you to have fun. Now, stop complaining and get packing, he told me he wanted to have you in the springs by no later than sunset.” You look up at her, a single brow raised and she raises one back.

“This is my first birthday here, you know,” you start and she nods, still rubbing your back. “I know that’s why it has to be special so accept your gifts and go celebrate with Tanjiro.”

There’s a finality it feels hard to argue with so you groan and stand up while she walks past you to regather the bundle of gifts and pack them into a basket you can carry along with you while you and your beloved take the winding trail up the mountain to the springs and inn.

⊹・・───・・✦・・───・・⊹

For July, the evening is surprisingly cool. A breeze ruffles the surrounding trees and flora, the moon a perfect crescent in the sky glimmering down on two of her favorite subjects. Crickets and cicadas chirp and a windchime tinkles in the distance, lending background music to your easy conversation with Tanjiro.

“I can’t believe all the mochi,” he chuckles, the back of your head resting against his chest, the rest of you crowded against his body, his muscular thighs trapping you. “Do you believe they really made it or did they buy it?”

You shrug, looking over your shoulder to smile up at him. The rising steam of the hot spring has warmed his face enough that his cheeks are perfectly rosy, a little bead of sweat threatening to drip off of his nose and down your shoulder. Contemplating wiping it away, you lift your hand halfway, but change your mind in the process, snuggling against him.

“I’ll bet they made it. Nobody we know really does anything halfway.”

It’s true. You took an inventory of everything the two of you were given after arriving at the inn and settling in for your short stay, stacking a few books and journals in the corner of the room along with mochi, onigiri, four bottles of sake (apparently everyone really wants the two of you to tie one on…), brand new matching yukata and sandals, and for you, a shimmering hair clip that was in that little linen wrapped box with a note in modern English instructing you to wear that and nothing else to make his birthday evening special.

It’s hard to accept that you will always be this loved no matter where you go, even by the friends dragged here with you inadvertently.

“I’m grateful we were able to get away from everyone though,” Tanjiro admits, rescuing you from your own slightly spiraling thoughts. “I want to have you all to myself this weekend.”

You giggle, nodding in agreement, turning slightly so that you are facing him. He’s using a modern word, a habit he has formed in many successful attempts to connect better with you. Showing your appreciation, your arms find a home around his neck. You pull him down to press his forehead against yours, staring deeply into his eyes.

“Me too.” The smile on your face is as beautiful as anything he has ever seen, a gift for him from the cosmos themselves considering the way in which you were delivered to him to begin with, and he rubs his forehead against yours. “Thank you for considering it in the first place, I was worried you’d rather celebrate as a group instead of just us.”

He wrinkles his nose, leaning in to kiss you so softly it mirrors the breeze that once again ruffles the atmosphere around you and sends ripples across the surface of the warm water.

“Never.” He pecks you again, his lips barely parted from yours. “They’re great but this is our day and I want to celebrate it with just us for as long as I can.”

You raise a brow, intrigued by his innuendo, your lips now the ones to begin the dance the pair of you know all too well.

“What do you mean by that, Tanjiro?”

He grins and your world tips over, reminding you once again that fate had designs for this before you could stop them, shaking his head.

“Just thinking about someday when we have children and will celebrate with them.” He kisses you, heart pounding at the thought of sharing this particular joy of life with you. “But until then, I want it to be me and you.”

Nodding your agreement, you let your lips do any further talking, turning your hips so that you can lightly straddle him in the warm water, hips easily and naturally settling against his.

[scrub456]

INKTOBER DAY 5: JOYFUL: Supernatural

This is a belated birthday gift for @imnova, and there's a short story under the cut. Sorry it's so late! And sorry if your boys are out of character, as I'm not in this fandom, but for you I tried! 💙

Thanks to @bluebellofbakerstreet for the prompt!

Title: "Celestial Influence"

“I'm starving!” Dean exclaimed, slamming the fridge door, unsatisfied with the sparse contents.

“You could make a grocery run for once,” Sam suggested, not looking up from the ancient, dusty book he was flipping through.

“Ugh,” Dean groaned as he rifled through a cabinet. He stopped short when he spotted a beautifully decorated birthday cake, depicting an intricate design of stars, under a fancy crystal cloche, sitting in the middle of the table.

“Sam, where did this…” He turned quickly and crashed right into a stunned Castiel. “Holy shit, where did you come from?”

Castiel turned his eyes heavenward, “Well…”

“No, not what I meant,” Dean interrupted. “Just, you gotta stop sneaking up on a guy like that.”

“I didn't mean to startle you,” he laid a hand on Dean's shoulder apologetically.

“I'm not startled.” Dean narrowed his eyes. “You didn't scare me.”

“‘The lady doth protest too much, methinks.’” Sam marked his place and stood with a stretch. “Hey, Cas. Who got cake?”

“Oh, right to the matter at hand.” Castiel lifted the cloche with a flourish. “Happy birthday, Dean,” he announced matter-of-factly.

“Um, it’s not my birthday,” Dean replied, glancing at Sam for support. Sam shrugged, raising an eyebrow.

Castiel tilted his head, a sign of his confusion. “I consulted the new astrological signs. Apparently, there’s been a recent shift that alters our understanding of celestial influences. It appears you have a new birthday. Congratulations.”

Dean crossed his arms, skepticism written all over his face. “New birthday? So you’re telling me that because of some cosmic change, I’m suddenly a year older?”

“Not just you, Dean,” Castiel said, stepping closer. “Everyone’s birthdays have been recalibrated. Mine is now on July 24th.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Sam interjected gesturing to the cake. “So you’re saying… You made Dean a birthday cake?”

“Yes,” Castiel replied, looking pleased with himself.

“Well. Isn't that precious?” Sam smirked and moved to grab plates and cutlery. “It's nice, right Dean? Super sweet.”

Dean rubbed his temples, feeling the weight of yet another potential supernatural mess on his shoulders… Yes, that's what it was. And not any other sort of feeling or… emotion. “So we've had some sort of astrological realignment, and your first thought was cake?”

“Cake is a form of celebration,” Castiel insisted, his tone earnest. “It brings joy and recognizes the importance of friendship.”

“Joy? Friendship?” Dean shook his head. “Not sure where you've been…”

Castiel once again turned his eyes heavenward.

“Not what I meant,” Dean rolled his eyes. “I'm just saying, we don't get much joy around here, if you haven't noticed.”

“Hmm, you make a valid point,” Castiel said, his expression deadpan.

“No time like the present, right?” Sam pulled the cake to him and started to cut into it.

“We're just going to skip over the fact that there's been a reality altering celestial shift, and just… eat cake?” Dean took the offered plate and glared at it as if it had personally offended him.

“You were the one whining about being hungry not even two minutes ago. Say thank you to Cas and eat your cake, birthday boy. We'll be knee deep in the consequences of this cosmic disaster soon enough.” Sam handed Castiel a plate and then took a bite of his own slice. “That's really good, Cas.”

“Fine.” Dean let out a weary breath. “Thank you very much for the cake, Cas.”

“Cheers!” Castiel grinned and tossed a handful of glittery confetti at Dean.

“Oh, for fu-” Dean grumbled as he slumped into a chair and cut into his cake. “Next time, make it pie.”

[smolthealmighty]

Even the Losers Get Lucky Sometimes

This might be the fastest I ever wrote a fic, and it was for Spinner's birthday (happy birthday to the boy)! For those not in the know, 4 is an unlucky number in Japan, while 8 is considered to be a lucky one. Take the fact that Shigaraki was born on the 4th day of the 4th month and Spinner was born on the 8th day of the 8th month and...

“None of this canned stuff look appetizing. How about we try cannibalism? Moonfish did and he turned out fine!” Toga declared as she tossed another can of miso-mackerel from the top shelf of the empty cabin’s kitchen pantry over her shoulder.

“Great idea!” Twice agreed as he searched the bottom shelf, then quickly countered, “Not all of us have quirks that allow us to consume human viscera!”

“If we’re being serious then I nominate Spinner to be our meal.” Dabi proposed, as he kicked the discarded mackerel can into the next room.

“Hey what did I do?!” cried Spinner as he nearly tripped over the can.

“Absolutely not, no one’s eating anyone, and especially not Spinner,” Tomura said as he paused his raid of the kitchen cabinets, “Honestly you can’t resort to cannibalism just because you hate canned mackerel.”

“Why not? C’mon look at how much meat he’s got on those bones!” Dabi exclaimed as he grabbed and presented one of Spinner’s arms, “There’s enough protein on one bicep to feed us for a week!” Spinner yelped in response and yanked his arm back, sending Dabi stumbling from the sudden momentum.

“Because Spinner’s the good luck charm that’s why! Now stop thinking about cannibalism and start actually looking for food in here.”

“No need, I found the jackpot!” Mr. Compress called out from the basement, presenting his findings as he reached the top of the stairs. “Behold, mitsumame with pomegranates for Toga, honey mustard-flavored bacon for Twice, and while I couldn’t find soba noodles, I did find gyudon for you Dabi, so you can start building meat on your own bones.” Twice and Toga grabbed the cans out of Mr. Compress’s hands and started fighting over the lone can opener. Dabi rolled his eyes, but accepted his can anyway.

As the League retired to the living room to eat their fill before planning their next move, Tomura and Spinner headed down the stairs to grab their own basement meals.

“Hey, thanks for taking me off the potential menu,” Spinner said, as he and Tomura reached the bottom, “But I’m confused about what you said earlier. Why am I the good luck charm?”

Tomura turned towards him, an incredulous look on his face as if the answer was obvious, then replied, “My birthday is April 4th and yours is August 8th.”

“Um… happy birthday? Wait that’s not for at least another half a year! What does your birthday have to do with this? Better yet, what does MY birthday have to do with this?!”

Tomura sighed, and explained, “Because I was born in the unluckiest day, and you were born on the luckiest one.”

If Spinner’s expression had been one of confusion before it escalated to one of bewilderment now, so Tomura figured he had better clarify his thought process further.

“Okay look. My life sucked to put it lightly. I dunno exactly what happened before meeting Master, but I assume it was traumatic enough that my brain wiped it out of my memory. Hell when I really think about it, even the time I’ve spent under him was kinda shitty. I only started having actual good things happen after I fully formed the League, right about the time we first met you know. Maybe things aren’t the greatest, but it’s like your inherent lucky numbers cancels my unlucky ones out, leaving things okay and manageable rather than an endless barrage of game overs.”

“That’s… that’s honestly the nicest thing I’ve heard directed at me in a while so thanks,” Spinner said, his cheeks visibly warming, “but I wouldn’t consider myself to be ‘lucky’, not after what I’ve been through.”

Tomura paused for a minute, a look of intense internal focus taking over his face, then said, “Well, maybe I’m lucky to have met you.” Spinner’s face warmed further, but a contagious smile spread across his face too, and the pair of villains fell into comfortable silence as they surveyed the endless options of preserved food on the shelves.

Suddenly, Tomura perked up and asked, “Hey, wanna know why I recruited you?”

Spinner startled at the abrupt change in topic but nodded anyway.

“Ok. I know you arrived 10 minutes early and used the extra time to psych yourself into entering the bar,” Spinner let out squeaks of embarrassment as Tomura continued without acknowledging them, “I could hear you mumbling through the door while I was grabbing more Mountain Dew-”

“You had Mountain Dew by the door?”

“Secret stash, not important and do not tell Kurogiri next time you see him. Point is, I heard you quoting Ambrosio’s final monologue from Blight Upon the Righteous and… yeah, my mind was made up before you walked in.”

Spinner stood with his mouth agape for a full ten seconds before bursting into laughter, one part disbelieving and one part utterly giddy.

“You decided to hire me because I quoted an old RPG?”

Tomura squirmed a bit but affirmed, “Yeah, I guess the reasoning sounds stupid out loud, and to be fair learning that you knew how to wield a sword definitely sweetened the deal, but I liked the idea of having someone on the team who I could talk on equal terms with for once. It’s a change of pace from talking up to Master or talking down to a bunch of faceless grunts, and even then, its only ever about the next big scheme.”

By then, Spinner’s chuckling had subsided and his smile had turned into a look of soft admiration, encouraging Tomura to admit one last thing.

“Spinner, you’re the only person I know who I can act like a 20-year-old with and still take me seriously afterwards. I hope you know how much I appreciate that.”

“It’s nothing that special”, Spinner claimed, “Don’t you do the exact same thing for me?”

Feeling his own face break out into a blush at the realization, Tomura turned back towards the shelf to pick his choice of lunch, but not before letting Spinner see that his answer made him smile.

“Still,” Spinner continued, “that was one hell of a gamble you took on me.”

“If recruiting you was a gamble,” Tomura replied, handing Spinner a can of nikujaga that matched his own, “then I won the jackpot.”

[mysteryshoptls]

SSR Azul Ashengrotto Bloom Birthday Voice Lines

When Summoned: This is quite the grand celebration. I'll gladly accept all of your warm wishes.

Summon Line: The gold embroidery on this fit is exquisite. As the birthday boy, I must behave in a manner that is most fitting for this elegant attire.

Groooovy!!: I have practiced extensively for this day. Allow me to show you the fruit of my labors!

Home: I shall grant your wish!

Home Idle 1: Jade poured this tea as his gift to me. Only... He had this strangely good-natured smile on his face as he did so. ...Would you care to drink it?

Home Idle 2: My dormmates keep bringing to me plate after plate of dishes they highly recommend. Please, there's no way I would be able to eat that much.

Home Idle 3:  I don't understand why candles are inserted into the cake... Sure, it's lovely to see the flames dance in the dark, but it ruins the cake's presentation when it comes time to eat it.

Home Idle - Login: I'm truly honored that you've taken the time out of your busy schedule to wish me a Happy Birthday. It is said that time is money, after all.

Home Idle - Groovy:  It seems Jack-san would not be very suitable for any kind of business negotiations. His tail just gives away his honest feelings.

Home Tap 1:  On principle, I do not accept gifts, but there are some exceptions. That's because there are some people I would like to develop long-lasting relationships with. Kalim-san, for example.

Home Tap 2: Even brooms can appear elegant when decorated with chic flowers. This just goes to show that even the plainest object can be made attractive with the slightest bit of effort.

Home Tap 3: I was overwhelmingly crushed by Idia-san while playing a board game today. I cannot allow this utter disgrace to stand on my birthday... I must collect data and have my revenge!

Home Tap 4: As a gift to myself, I purchased a coin that I was eyeing. It was a tad pricy, but when I think about its potential worth in the future... Fufu, I cannot wait.

Home Tap 5: It's no use trying to surprise me, I have eyes in the back of my head as well. Fufu, I'm only kidding, of course.

Home Tap - Groovy: Something I would like? ...Then, please sing a birthday song for me. Come, you'll sing for me, won't you?

Duo: [AZUL]: Jack-san, you know what you should say here, right? [JACK]: Azul-senpai... Happy Birthday.

Birthday Login Message: Is there anything I would like for my birthday...? Of course, there is. As many things as would fill an endless ocean. However, there is no need for you to gift me anything. Whatever it is that I may want, I will acquire by my own hand! Nothing is as costly as a free gift, after all. Well, I shall at least accept your kind thoughts. Thank you.

Requested by @pianostarinwonderland.