#have been the reason I have started writing fics

[cookierunoutofideas]

Day 2 of "Writing SMC angst until he stops breaking my heart and comes home" (welp)

*voz da Patrícia Lélis expondo Estilista Juliana* Ô, gente, voltei.

Another day, another failure. Lady Luck hates me, as suspected. Anyway, this fic is inspired by this post by @allimili , whose art I love so much QwQ No Beta and I also don't have my glasses so pardon any errors

One-Sided! Shadow Milk Cookie x ex!fem!Reader; Truthless Recluse (Pure Vanilla Cookie?) x fem!Reader

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Love is a very odd thing, Shadow Milk Cookie muses to himself. Despite being the holder of Knowledge itself, not even he can truly explain love and its intricacies. Even after feeling it himself, he still doesn't truly understand it.

Befero he abandoned the duty forced on him by the Witches, he had loved with abandon. He didn't know any better-and yes, he can notice the irnoy. But it hadn't mattered back then because he was in love and he was loved and, despite the growing pit of despair and stress in his heart due to his duties, he had been happy.

Happy to see her smile and to hear her voice. Happy to hold her hand and hug her close. Happy to kiss her lips and breath in her scent. He had been happy by her side, through thick and thin and rain and sun and sickness and health and joy and sadness. They had even dreamed of the future together, promises sealed in between bedsheets and sleepless nights.

But then he finally woke up and saw the Witches for what they were: terrible demons of cruelty, gleefully controlling cookies to their whims, a little pet project to pass the time. Right after, he understood what the other cookies truly are: useless batches of greedy ungrateful dolls, baked with every single one of the Witches' sins just to torment those who dream of a better world.

And so his rebellion started, joined by his four friends.

But she... she simply couldn't see. Or, rather, she didn't want to see. Not that he truly blames her, of course, after all, the Witches made sure no cookie would ever learn of their perversion. All his darling beloved knew was the silly cookies and their insignificant little lives.

She had rejected his changes. Gone were the smile and loving words and warm hugs and longing kisses.

The last glare she gave him when he was sealed in that damned tree was of pure hurt and anger. He swore to himself he'd get out and find her again, bring back her pretty smile and shower her in the love she deserved as he once did. He'd make sure of it, make sure she'd finally understand him and his goals. Everything would go back to happiness.

The next time he saw her, (Y/N) was smiling at Pure Vanilla Cookie the exact same smile she'd once give Shadow Milk Cookie.

For a brief moment, he believed the lie that she somehow knew that he was there, watching over her through the blonde cookie. Only for a brief moment, though, enough time for said blonde cookie to confess his feelings to her.

That was not in te script.

(Y/N) Cookie did have a knack for rewriting stories, though, so he should've expected something someone to be beyond his control. It was one of the reasons he had been so enamored with her in the past.

Still he screamed and cried when she returned Pure Vanilla's confession with one of her own.

His rage was so great even Burning Spice Cookie shut up from the root of the silver tree he was confined. Not that Shadow Milk cared, he didn't care for anything but his plans to destroy that weak little thief who stole not only hsi power but his beloved! And his plans to punish said beloved for her infidelity. Ultimately, he'd forgive her, of course, but she needed to pay before it could happen.

And what better way to do it than to corrupt her precious Pure Vanilla Cookie? Make him become just like Shadow Milk Cookie? Show her that in the end, she is meant to be his.

Except.

Except that when the time comes and he finally has Pure Vanilla Cookie Truthless Recluse drowning in the pit of deceit, (Y/N) Cookie doesn't leave him.

She is saddened, yes, and she frequently pleads that he "fights it" and "remember who he is" and "stop hurting other cookies, Milk, there must be another way", but she does. Not. Leave. She stays with him, takes care of him, gives him kisses and hugs.

And Truthless Recluse is so annoying about it too. Kissing her and hugging her and holding her hands and carrying her and smiling at her in a way he should've forgotten because he is not Pure Vanilla Cookie, Pure Vanilla Cookie never never n ever ever existed ever! Ever! everevereverever it has always been Shadow Milk Cookie ALWAYS ALWAYS SO WHY?!

WHY?

Why is that copy the one allowed to love her? How can he even love her? How can he love her when he is not Shadow Milk Cookie? How can he still keep enough of his pitiful sense of self to keep on loving (Y/N) Cookie?! IT'S ALL WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG

Shadow Milk Cookie truly doesn't understand love.

Not that he needs to to hate it.

[stardewfanficwriters]

Meet Our Writers

This week's spotlighted guild member is Friday!

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lily_alphonse/profile Tumblr: @lily-alphonse Age: 28 Pronouns: She/Her Guild Member since: November 2024

Fun Fact about yourself? I play the ukulele (badly)

How long have you been writing fanfiction? I only really started some time in 2022 when I wrote a Seb/OC longfic just for myself. The first fic I ever posted was a BG3 fic on Nov 14th 2023, so I've been posting for a bit over a year now! That being said I've always liked writing, and used to write all the time as a kid.

Favourite SDV character to write? Even though I always marry Seb, I think Elliott might be my favorite because I can get so artsy with him I love writing him poetry. Sam is probably a close second.

Favourite tropes/genre to write? I primarily write m/m and LOOOVE angst with a happy ending, enemies to lovers, best friends to lovers, mutual pining.

Your most popular SDV fanfic? Currently its Steamy, a SebAlex oneshot where Sebastian is having a terrible time quitting cigarettes, and goes to the gym to let off some steam. Alex is there and assumes Sebastian has come for a very different reason…

Your SDV underdog fic you wish more people would give a chance? Guardheart. It's a songfic for one of my favorite songs featuring Alex x Elliott in a medieval AU! It is beautiful and tragic and I reread it all the time, I'm very proud of it. But since it's a medieval AU and a rarepair, it doesn't get much attention.

Hear me out: Sebastian is in his mid-to-late 20s. People like to think he's younger because of his style and he lives in his mom's basement but that's normal into late 20s and he has a steady grownup job. His relationship with Demetrius doesn't really make sense if Demetrius came into his life when he was a baby

Lastly, any other fandoms you write for? Yes! I think at the moment I have 15 lol. I mostly write for SDV and Legend of Zelda, but some other big ones are BG3, Fields of Mistria, Disney, and Minecraft

We are so lucky to have such a talented and prolific writer amongst our ranks! If you check out her fics, please be sure to kudos and comment to show your support for small artists and writers.

If you write Stardew Valley fanfiction and would like to join our guild, please message this blog for an invite!

Credit to @lily-alphonse & @saradika for the banners

Please see AO3 for additional tags. Reader discretion is advised as always.

[suniix]

stupid horse | kenma x reader

synopsis | stupid horse i just fell out of the porsche, lost the money in my bank account oh no!

in which you frequently visit an arcade to destress after school and have the highest score on your favorite game, until one day you don’t. someone named applepi has dethroned you and you almost go broke trying to reclaim your spot.

details | slow burn, kind of crack, rivals (?) to friends to almost lovers, possibly ooc kenma, no use of ‘y/n’

word count | 10.3k

note | for @xoxojisu and @tlissablr and all the other kenma enjoyers 🫶 anyways this is my second long fic and i kinda think the pacing sucks? the fic is mostly me yapping. also i tried to be very vague when it came to the games because i wanted you 🫵 the reader to insert whatever you wanted BUT while writing i imagined the reader was obsessed with space invaders and kenma was playing brawl stars on his phone! (random yes i know) also i literally had no idea how to end this so sorry if the ending sucks :/

You stare at the screen, hoping the reason the name ranked first is unfamiliar due to the adrenaline running through you after losing a few seconds ago.

With jittery hands you move the joystick, spelling out the name you always use to claim your spot as second on the leaderboard for the first time in ages. It was only then that you truly realized you had been dethroned by someone with an odd name.

“Who the hell is Applepi..” You grumble, taking out more coins from your pocket before inserting them into the slot.

You spent a lot of time at the arcade and therefore recognized a lot of faces, especially those from your school. Normally people used their real name or a recognizable nickname so they could easily boast about their score to their friends, so it was a bit odd you couldn’t place your finger on who the name belonged to. You could only assume they really enjoyed apple pie.

Hearing the familiar start-up tune of the game you lock your eyes onto the screen, watching as the enemies roll in. You play as usual, pushing the buttons and timing your attacks just right to gain points. It was a simple process: attack, dodge, repeat.

From what you remember his score was just a couple points higher than yours, so all you needed to do was put in a little more effort and you’d win.

As you continued to play you felt the initial hurt of losing your place in the leaderboard drift away. You don’t know why you got so bothered— you come to the arcade to relieve stress, not stress yourself out.

You were having fun again, that’s what matters now.

The game itself was pretty old, with newer games and models surrounding it it almost looked out of place if it weren’t for the fact that you were in an arcade. Due to that, it didn’t receive much attention so the leaderboard always remained stagnant, the same people had been in their spots for months without it changing and with you at the top. It’s because of this that you unofficially claimed it as your game, so when you saw someone else had taken your spot you were thrown off. Who likes losing at something they’re good at?

You huff, almost feeling angry again at the thought before focusing back on the game. The enemies were getting faster now. It was around here that you died last time, so all you need to do is survive for a little longer.

You followed the usual pattern, attack dodge repeat, before eventually succumbing to an attack.

You watched as the leaderboard came back up and just as you had predicted you were in first place again. This time you were ahead of Applepi by a couple hundred points, so you’d be good for a while in case they ever tried to take your spot again.

You looked at the leaderboard again, observing the new spots of the players since everyone got knocked down by one. The person in last place was entirely kicked out.

“Poor guy,” You mumble, reaching into your pocket for more coins. It’s then you realize you’re out, you had spent your last few on the round you just played.

Momentarily you contemplated going to the counter to buy more but ultimately settled on being done for the day. You had spent enough time at the arcade for today, now it was time to head home and catch up on school work.

You picked up your bag and walked towards the exit.

The arcade was unsurprisingly busy today.

It was the weekend, to be specific Saturday. Those free from work and students who finished their assignments roamed the streets to destress after a long week, your friend and yourself included.

By some miracle your schedules aligned and after days of not being able to hang out the two of you finally set a date. Initially, the plan was to just hit a couple of stores since your friend, Riko, claimed she needed some retail therapy after a hectic week of school combined with work. Soon clothing stores turned into food stalls, then into shoe stores, followed by stores that sold trinkets, and the list went on.

While Riko planned to spend most of her paycheck, you had different ideas. Before the day ended you wanted to stop by the arcade. You claimed it was to wind down, but you secretly wanted to see the leaderboard on your favorite game. Since she had been dragging you around everywhere she wanted to go that day and she knew how much you liked going she complied with your request.

Upon entering you noticed the claw machines had restocked their prizes and among them was the most adorable cat plush you had ever seen. The leaderboard could wait, you had to have it no matter what.

Amongst the loud chatter and music in the room, you were able to hear your friend calling your name from somewhere behind you.

“Yeah?” You answered, focusing on the task in front of you.

You had promised yourself you would only try to win the plush three times before giving up and you were on your final try. Your hand was hovering over the red button that would drop the claw when pressed, waiting for the right moment. It was nearly in the perfect spot over the plush. Just a few more taps to the left and—

“Some guy took your first place.”

SLAM!

You watched in horror as the claw swung violently left and right from your accidental jab, dropping slowly and missing what would’ve been your plush completely. You stare at the glass for a moment in sorrow before turning around and walking to your friend.

Luckily your favorite game was only a few steps away from the claw machine so you made it in time to see the leaderboard before it disappeared, and she was right. Applepi had once again taken your spot, this time by a significant margin.

“Whoa, what’s with that face? Are you shocked that someone finally took your spot?”

It was obvious you couldn’t hide the look of surprise on your face given your friend’s reaction. You quickly looked away in embarrassment. “It’s not that, this happened like two weeks ago and I just never expected they’d do it again.”

Riko’s eyes widened in surprise, before narrowing in on you. A smile slowly creeps in on their face. “Again?! So that’s why you were so insistent on coming here! I know you like this place, but I felt like this time you were being extra pushy—”

“I was not that pushy!” You gasp at her dramatics before picking out tokens from your pocket and inserting them into the machine.

She giggles before leaning against the side of the machine, watching you focus on the game. “Can’t believe you didn’t tell me about this earlier! I feel like a boring show I was watching just got slightly interesting.”

“No way you just called me boring,” You shot her a glare before looking back at the screen. “And I didn’t tell you because I didn’t think it mattered. Last time they only beat me by a few points so I never thought I’d see their name above mine again.”

“You’re not boring, but I just don’t understand how you can play the same thing over and over again without getting bored.” She sighed.

“It’s my comfort game, it helps me relieve stress. It's kind of like how you love to go shopping, if you already have a lot of everything, why buy more?” You reply, hoping you explained it in a way she understands.

It’s still a mystery how the two of you become friends when you couldn’t be more different. The two of you had different likes and dislikes, but the two of you still indulged in each other’s interests where you could. You guys understood each other and wouldn’t push each other into doing anything the other didn’t like, which is probably why you’ve remained best friends for as long as you have.

A childhood bond that likely won’t ever be broken.

“Mm, guess you have a point.” She nodded. “Or maybe you’re just saying that ‘cause you’re unemployed.”

You let out a sigh that sounded more like a laugh. “Fair point—”

The game stopped and the death music silenced you. You feel your stomach drop, you had gotten so wrapped up in the conversation that you forgot to focus. There was no possible way you could have beat his score.

“Did you beat them?!” Riko quickly invades your space, eyes looking all over the screen for a sign of your score.

You watch with her in anticipation as the screen loads, bringing up the leaderboard.

“Fuck..” Your friend curses and you groan, throwing your head back in frustration.

Your eyes catch her various shopping bags on the dirty floor and you can’t help but feel bad. “You can head out if you want, it might take me a while to beat their score.”

Your friend, the loyal angel she is, shakes her head and crosses her arms. “No way, I’m staying with you until you win!”

You won't say it out loud but her response made you genuinely happy. Before you could say anything she held her hand up, stopping you. “Shh! Don’t say anything! I just want to see you happy, so hurry up and win so you can be happy!”

You smile and nod, sliding in another coin and starting over.

The two of you are there for nearly another twenty minutes. The arcade isn’t as full as it was when the two of you first got there, but there were still a good handful of people. Your friend continued to remain by your side but had taken out her phone to pass the time. It’s only when she hears the death music followed by your gasp that she puts her phone down and rushes to your side, grabbing your shaky hands.

“What is it?! Did you do it?!” She asks, glancing between you and the screen for a reaction that could indicate an answer.

You don’t respond, your eyes remaining fixated on the screen. You’re honestly not sure, you had been playing for a while but Applepi had gotten further than you ever have, so you were in the dark when it came to your score. When you see the words new high score pop up on the screen you and your friend squeal. It was only by a few points, but you had beaten Applepi once again. She shook you by the shoulders from joy and screamed ‘You did it! You did it!’ repeatedly. You shush her after noticing the silent glares you two were getting from other players.

“Can’t believe I actually did it,” You said shakily while plugging in your name again.

“Never doubted you for a second!” Riko laughed seeing your glare.

You quickly glance at the claw machine. One more try couldn’t hurt, and you were currently riding the high of your win. This time you’d win.

The two of you walk over with you helping carry your friend's multiple bags. Once you set them down you reach into your pocket for more coins. “Now that that’s done I can finally try and—” You pause when you don’t feel any in your pocket.

You turn to look at your favorite game, wondering just how many rounds you played.

Doesn’t matter, you tell yourself while pulling out your wallet, I’ll just—

Everything in your system nearly shuts down after seeing your wallet was completely empty, excluding your student ID. Your friend notices your silence and looks up, seeing your empty wallet.

“No cash?” She asks before pulling out her own wallet. “Don’t worry, your beautiful and employed friend has got you covered—” She gasped while peering down into her wallet. The look of horror on her face told you she in fact did not have you covered.

Just as you started to pick up her bags she stopped you. “Wait! I know I probably have something in my bank account!” She quickly tapped the screen on her phone. Her face quickly morphed into distress.

“S-Sorry.. I got nothing..”

The two of you turned to look at the plush. It sat there, stranded in the middle of the claw machine, almost beckoning you to save it from its misery.

You put your forehead to the glass. “I’ll come back for you soon..”

To keep your promise the next day once school ended you wanted to head back to the arcade to check the leaderboard and get that cat plush. As a result, your friend called you paranoid.

“Please come with me, it���s not like you work today.” You begged, tugging on her backpack as you walked together.

“I don’t work, but I have homework I gotta catch up on!” Riko argued back, quickening her pace in the hopes she’d get away from you. “Besides, I’m sure that person has a life outside of the arcade. They couldn’t have beaten your score that fast!”

When you didn’t respond she glanced behind her, which was a mistake.

Your hands still gripped her bag strap tightly, but your face held the most adorable pout. She knew she was in a losing battle with you now, you wouldn’t give up until she said yes. Besides, she stood by her point. Once you guys went to the arcade you’d see she was right and you’d stop being paranoid all the time. Hell, maybe she’d stay with you so you could win the plush in the claw machine, but that’s it.

“Fine! But I’m just accompanying you, if you stay to play I’m leaving.”

To both of you guys's surprise, your score had been beaten, once again by a significant amount, by none other than Applepi. To make things worse the cat plush you had been eyeing had disappeared too.

“I stand corrected, I guess whoever Applepi is does not in fact have a life.” Riko sighed. “Look man, I’d give you some change to play but I’m still all out, I work tomorrow though so—”

“Don’t worry about it, I brought some with me just in case.”

“… What?”

Your friend could only watch as you pulled out some coins and an extremely wrinkly bill from your pocket. She had no idea where you even got the money from, unless…

“Did you search through your couch for money?”

“.. These are desperate times..”

Your friend had no words. She can’t believe she was ready to help fund your new addiction, almost did too, until you pulled out your suspicious money. She couldn’t lie though, she admired the dedication you had. She silently watched as you inserted a coin to start playing.

“Alright then.. goodluck with your one-sided competition.” She waved goodbye and you reciprocated the action.

Normally you’d visit the arcade a couple times a week. She knew this because she would walk you part of the way before she split off to either go home or go to her job. Once, twice, on the rare occasion three times you’d go to the arcade, but now it was basically everyday. Once school ended as usual you two would walk together before you split, walking in a direction that she knew was not where your home was.

She wanted to say something, but she didn’t know how to bring it up to you without making you seem crazy. She knew this game brought you comfort, and this new rivalry excited you, but you were spending money you did not have. You were addicted, whether you knew it or not, and you needed to take a break away from the game.

And she missed spending time with you.

Luckily, as fate would have it, the opportunity presented itself in the form of a job application.

“Please help me get a job.” You placed the form on your friend's desk.

She stopped packing away her things to pick up the sheet of paper. The job application form was from her job. “When did you get this?” She asked, wondering how you got the paper since she hadn’t seen you around.

“A while ago when I went to visit you while you were working, I thought it’d be cool if we worked in the same place.”

“Uh-huh..” She eyed you suspiciously. “What’s the real reason you’re applying?”

You scratched your cheek nervously. “I told you, it’d be cool if—”

“No, the real reason.”

You sighed knowing there was no way you could lie about it when she already knew. You don’t even know why you tried to lie when the reason was so obvious. She just wanted to hear you say it.

“I want to get a job so I can continue playing at the arcade.” You sighed while looking down at your feet. Once you said it out loud you realized it was a little embarrassing especially considering the extra context.

She called your name softly and you looked up. “Listen, I love you and I’ll gladly help you get a job, but you gotta take a break from that damn game.”

If she’s telling you this, that means you’re really in deep. She’s not one to judge but when she does usually has a good reason. You take a moment to think about when this first started and do some quick mental math. It’s then you realize you’ve spent an alarming amount of money and time at the arcade.

“.. It’s gotten really bad hasn’t it?”

“I’m glad you’re self aware.” She stood up from her chair and gave you a harsh back on the back. “Now let’s go get you a job.”

“You know, I wasn’t lying when I said it’d be cool if we worked at the same place.” You said while wiping down the counter.

After school you walked with your friend to her job to submit the application. The place she worked at, a cat cafe, was run by the sweetest old lady who immediately gave you the job since you came recommended by your friend. She nearly handed you a uniform right then and there.

“I know, who wouldn’t want their best friend so they can chat while they work?” Riko laughed.

The other cafe employees were young students mostly within your age group and you’d momentarily see them when they came in for their shift before you headed out. The employee who would work during your friend’s shift recently resigned, leaving a vacant spot open just for you.

“I’m gonna go on break, will you be good out here by yourself?” She asked.

“Go for it,” You waved her off. “It’s late, I doubt any big parties will come in.”

She thanked you before proceeding to grab a snack and dashing to somewhere in the back. While standing at the register the lack of customers allowed your mind to wander. It had nearly been a week since you last visited the arcade and you missed it. What you missed most of all was playing your comfort game.

You’d be lying if you said you weren’t tempted to go back and check the leaderboard. On multiple occasions while walking home you almost ended up walking in the direction of the arcade, but your friend pulled you back every time. If it wasn’t for her, you likely would’ve ended up back at the arcade and drained your bank account.

Slowly, your obsession faded, but every so often you still wondered if Applepi had beaten you once again. You let out a frustrated sigh at the thought, you did not expect to get so invested. Now you’re dealing with the consequences and having withdrawals from the game.

Note to self: never gamble.

The gentle chime of a bell rang throughout the store, signaling someone had entered. You and your friend let out a synchronized ‘Welcome’ to acknowledge them.

The two who entered were boys around your age. One was tall with black hair styled in a.. unique way while the other was shorter, his hair bleached. What caught your eye was the familiar shade of red they wore. Then it dawned on you— they were wearing your school’s sports jackets!

For a moment you wondered what they were doing out so late since school ended a couple of hours ago, but you quickly realized they must’ve just finished with practice. Out of all the places they came here to relax? Your eyes shifted around the small store. That’s not to say the energy wasn’t nice, playing with the cats was definitely fun, but you personally would much rather spend your time relaxing at home.. or at the arcade—

“Hello! What can I get you started with?” You asked in your best customer service voice once they reached the counter.

The tall one’s eyes slightly widened once they landed on you before subtly glancing behind you, looking for something. You assumed he was looking at the menu so you didn’t rush him.

“Hi, um.. I’ll just have a green tea.” He sighs.

You try not to question why he said it in such a defeated tone while you plug in his order. “Will that be all?” You ask, eyes shifting briefly to his companion.

“I’ll have a slice of apple pie and a hot chocolate.” He answered softly, eyes quickly shifting back down to his phone.

Your eye twitches at the mention of the sweet treat. You once again plug in the order and the tall one says that’ll be all they’re having. They pay and walk to one of the furthest tables while you begin making their order.

While grabbing the cups for the drinks you could’ve sworn you heard one of the guys sniffing, almost as if he was crying. As tempting as it was to look, you decided to mind your business this time.

“Yo!” Your friend peaked her head from the back door before walking over to you. “Did you miss me?”

“That was the longest five minute break.”

“Sorry sorry, I got caught up watching my videos.” She giggled.

“Alright iPad kid, since you’re out now help me with this order.”

She rolled her eyes but helped you nonetheless. You started preparing the hot chocolate while your friend prepared the green tea. Once you finished the base drink you prepared yourself for the final step. You brought out another cup and began frothing some whip cream. Once that was done you gently added it into the drink, sculpting the froth to make it look like a cat was popping out of the drink. You then added two small drops of chocolate syrup for the eyes, completing the drink. You took a step back to admire the cat, smiling at the outcome.

Your friend was quick to notice. “Wow, I think this is your best one yet.” She smiles.

As you two finished up the drinks the dreaded final item came up. “.. Can you grab the last thing we need?” You ask.

Your friend checks the order to see what’s missing and lets out a loud laugh. “No way, don’t tell me you’re that triggered by it?”

“Don’t start..” You sigh.

Thankfully your friend complies without much more teasing. “Help me take these to their table?” You ask.

Your friend agrees and you both make your way to the table. The tall guy seemed to be sulking, sadly moving around a cat toy that didn’t catch any cat’s attention while his friend’s eyes remained glued to his phone.

“Sorry for the wait!” Your friend apologized while placing down a drink.

Like a switch was flipped his demeanor completely changed. Suddenly he was cheerful, looking at your friend like she made the drink personally for him. Oh, you understand now.

You resist the urge to laugh as you place down the other guy’s order, hearing the two converse. The guy with bleached hair perks up seeing his food and you feel a twinge of pride when you see him snap a quick pic of your drink.

Your and your friend head back behind the counter. Not caring about being ‘professional’ you pull a chair up to the chair and sit while your friend leans against the counter. You eye the distance between you and the customers before mentally declaring you’re at a safe enough distance that they won’t hear your conversation.

“So..” You start.

Your friend raises an eyebrow, but decides to bite. “So?”

“You and that guy?”

“I knew you were gonna say something.” She laughed. “He’s just a frequent customer. Him and his friend would come in all the time after practice, but once you started working they stopped. I asked him about it and apparently they’ve been practicing extra ‘cause they have a big game coming up or something.”

You eyed her suspiciously, taking note of the slight blush on her cheek. “Alright if you say so..”

Work went by fast after that. Later that night the two of you decided to hang out a little bit before parting ways. Your friend, noticing how antsy you’d been, suggested playing Roblox.

The two of you were holed up in Riko’s room, deciding on which game to play. The initial idea was to bully kids on Brookhaven, but a popular show involving surviving kids games had inspired many to create their own version on Roblox.

This you settled on the game, Shrimp Game.

Trial after trial both of you survived. When it was time for Mingle the both of you were doing good the first couple of rounds, occasionally getting separated but surviving nonetheless.

Once you reached the center of the stage the music started up again. You stared at the screen, anxious to see the number of how many could be in a group.

The music stopped and the screen flashed. 3 players.

You and your friend immediately raced to an empty room, hoping a single player would follow. As soon as the two of you entered another two player group followed suit.

“What the,” You grumbled, “Get them out, we were here first.”

You go to push one of the players but one of them had the same idea, reacting quicker and instead pushing you out and shutting the door.

“What the!—” You sat up in a panic. “Riko open the door!”

“I can’t!” She panicked. “The other guy pushed me down and I can’t get up!”

You quickly looked around seeing players scrambling to get into rooms, the only open one was across the stage from you. The countdown began, you knew you wouldn’t make it if you ran. You accepted your fate.

There was a player standing at the door, looking through the peephole almost as if he was taunting you that you couldn’t get in. It was then you noticed the username.

Applepi.

“No way,” You gasped. “Riko it’s them!!”

The countdown ended and your avatar was shot.

Your friend dramatically calls out your name and hugs you tightly. “I’ll never forget you!” She gave you a side hug while proceeding with the round.

“Quick turn on voice chat so I can cuss them out!—”

“No way!” She pulled back, “You’ll get me banned!”

You were tempted to spend money (now that you had it) to revive yourself but ultimately decided against it. You’d get your revenge in a different way.

“Want me to leave?” She asked since you guys were only playing to play together.

“No,” You flipped through the perspectives and landed on Applepi’s, “I’m gonna spectate.”

They played a couple of more rounds before moving on to the next game. You watched, unable to take your eyes off the screen while you thought about the possibilities.

“You think that’s actually Applepi?” You asked your friend.

“Dunno,” She mumbled, concentrating on the game. “What are the chances someone else uses the same username?”

The sound of her frequently tapping on the screen is dulled once you begin to think. She was right, what are the chances? This couldn’t be a coincidence, they were spelled the same odd way. Plus, it's very common for a person to stick with the same name, almost like they’re marking their online identity. It seemed as though the universe was pointing you in the direction back to the arcade. First the guy from work who ordered an apple pie, now this random with the same name.

“Damn!” Your friend groaned, putting down her phone. “I’m out.”

This was a sign. You were going to the arcade tomorrow.

“I think I’m finally gonna go back.”

Your friend looked at you, puzzled by your sudden declaration. “Go back to the arcade?” She hesitantly asked.

You nodded, confirming her statement.

“Well, it has been almost two weeks. I’m surprised you lasted this long without going.” She leaned back against the bench, basking in the sun while she clutched her juicebox.

It had been a week since you played Roblox and possibly met your archnemesis. You mimicked her and leaned back, staring up at the clouds. Somewhere in the distance you could hear the sound of squeaky shoes echoing from the gym. “I surprised myself too, but you made me realize I was obsessing over the competition too much for it to be healthy, and my wallet was really suffering…”

She smirked and ruffled your hair. “See what happens when you listen to me? You evolve as a person.”

You groan and gently push her away, attempting to fix your hair. She was right, but you’d never say it to her face. She knows she’s right most of the time and you saw no need to boost her ego at the moment.

“So, why go back now?”

“After we played Roblox I swore I was gonna go check the next day, but once school ended I didn’t feel like rushing to see the leaderboard and ruining my mood. Since I don’t work today I figured now’s a good time, I can relax and play the game how I want. Also, I really want to see if they restocked the claw machine for that plush.”

Your friend gasped. “Oh wow, you’ve really changed!”

Suddenly she engulfed you in a hug, ranting about how proud she was of you. “I would go with you but I picked up an extra shift today,” She pulled away and looked at you with a pout, “But text me how it goes!”

“I will.” You laugh.

Soon after the school bell rings, signaling the end of your lunch break.

The rest of the school day goes by quickly, but not without a small hitch. During your final class your teacher announced a pop quiz. You would’ve been fine, except you quickly realized you had lost your only pencil sometime throughout the day.

You quickly look around to see if anyone had their pencil pouches out, subtly turning around to look at the back of the class, only to see a familiar face you weren’t expecting to see. You don’t know how you didn’t realize he was in your class earlier since he stood out because of his hair. In a sea of mostly black hair, his bleached blonde hair and overgrown roots caught your eye since it reminded you of pudding.

You gulped, feeling anxiety creep in. You didn’t know him well enough to casually ask for a pencil like you would with Riko and you didn’t want to seem like one of those classmates who’s always mooching off of other’s supplies, but you had no choice since he was the only person you sort of knew.

“Excuse me,” You whispered, catching his attention. “Could I borrow a pencil?”

He blinked at you, golden eyes staring at you momentarily in confusion, almost as if he was surprised you were talking to him. He says nothing though, only nodding and pulling out a second pencil for you to use before handing it to you.

“Thank you! I promise I’ll give it back after class!” You smile and quickly turn back to face your quiz.

Minutes pass and miraculously you finish just in time. You let out a sigh of relief as the teacher takes away your exam, relaxing into your seat. You think you had a solid chance of passing this quiz.

You hear a scuffle behind you and turn around to look, only to see your blonde classmate getting dragged away by his tall friend from the cafe. You could only stare in shock as they quickly disappeared into the halls. You looked down at the pencil in your hand, wondering how you’d give it back to him.

As you pack away your things you remember he was on a sports team— possibly the volleyball team. Should I quickly pass by the gym or just give it tomorrow? You ask yourself. You were in no rush to get to the arcade and you knew if you waited until tomorrow you’d likely forget to give it back and end up keeping it, making it seem like you’re the type of classmate to never give stuff back.

You shiver at the thought— a quick trip to the gym wouldn’t hurt.

The walk doesn’t take long, but once you reach the gym you’re confused to see it’s empty. Since the two players rushed out of your class you assumed they were in a hurry to get to practice. Had you gotten the sport wrong? For a moment you thought maybe he was on the soccer team, but he didn’t exactly seem like the running type. You try knocking and jiggle the doorknob, only to see it’s locked. It isn’t until a random student passing by lets you know the boys volleyball team practiced earlier in the day.

You sighed, guess you’d give it back tomorrow after all.

Without any more distractions you began walking towards the arcade. As you walked the familiar path you couldn’t help but feel a little giddy. Maybe this time you’d go around the arcade and play some games you haven’t tried yet. The familiar neon lights eventually came into view and you smiled at the sight. It had been a long time.

You made your way inside, avoiding multiple running kids when you saw people standing in front of your favorite game. It was the two from the cafe!

You watched as the blonde one fiddled with the keys for a moment, before receiving a game over. He briefly looked at the screen before walking away from the machine. Instead of taking this opportunity to look at the leaderboard you followed behind them, ready to give back the pencil when they began talking.

“So, anything?” His companion asked.

The blonde shook his head, brows furrowed with what almost looked like a pout on his face. “No, it was boring today too.”

You paused in your tracks, his answer echoing in your mind before you rushed back to the game. Just as you had arrived the top scores disappeared, going back to the title screen.

“Dammit,” You mumbled to yourself, pulling out your wallet to take out some change.

You entered the token and began to play. Could it be a coincidence seeing that guy here at this machine? Possibly, but what could he have meant by ‘it was boring today too’? It had been a while since you played, could he have been referring to that? Not to mention when he came to the cafe he ordered an—

Your eyes widened, you had connected the dots.

At that moment you received a game over. The screen dissolved briefly before revealing the list. Your eyes raked through the lineup, not shocked to see you were still in second place with Applepi at the top. It had been awhile since you played, but you knew his score was different. You’re not sure of the exact numbers, but it was slightly higher from the last time you played.

You glanced at the exit. Had he been coming here to see if you had beat him?

Part of you felt bad, he probably thought you stopped trying to beat him when you were actually in rehab (work), but you were happy to know the competition wasn’t one sided.

Inserting another token you prepare to try your best this round. You’re about to make this a little less boring.

You open the door to the cafe, the smell of caffeine and sweets hitting you in the face. You made your way to the counter where your friend stood as the cashier. She lit up upon seeing your face, waving excitedly. “I thought I told you to text me! You didn’t have to show up during my shift!”

“Thought it’d be better if I told you in person,” You giggled. “I have some slightly crazy news.”

“Oh!” She raised her eyebrows, curious as to what you could mean by that before gasping. “You got the plush!” She exclaimed while glancing at your backpack, expecting to see it bulky or misshapen.

“Ugh don’t remind me,” You sighed. “Turns out it was some super rare limited edition thing so I doubt I’ll ever see it again.”

“Damn, that sucks. Anyways, are you gonna order something or are you just here to gossip?”

You briefly remember the guy you loaned you a pencil and how his hair resembled pudding. As slightly embarrassing as it was to admit you had been craving the sweet treat ever since.

“I’ll have the caramel custard pudding.”

“Ugh,” Your friend made a face as she tapped the screen for your order. “Can’t believe you actually like that, tried it once while on my break and just couldn’t finish it. You and that guy over there would probably get along.”

You look up from your wallet and shoot her a confused look, “What guy?”

You gestured to someone behind you. Slowly you turned your head, only to see the duo from earlier. You quickly look back at her, trying to hide your shocked expression. “Damn, do they come here everyday?” You whisper, trying to act as if that was the reason you were surprised.

“I guess? I think their schedules cleared up a bit so now they’re coming more often.” She responded, not even noticing your panic. “Anyways your order will be out in a sec, I’m gonna take my break and go sit with you after it’s done.”

“Thanks,” You nervously laugh and go to the cat area to sit. You take a seat at the furthest table away from the duo, wondering if it’d be possible to talk about your discovery without them overhearing. You take a quick glance at them, noticing how the tall one frequently looks over at your friend and decide it’s too risky.

You spend your time scrolling through your phone, occasionally giving affection to any cat that brushes up against your leg when your friend approaches your table with two plates. “Alright,” She starts, placing the plates down before taking a seat. “What’s up? Did you end up spending all your money again?”

You can’t help but laugh at her comment. “No Riko, I’m not bankrupt just yet,” You reply while taking a bite out of your pudding.

You don’t know how she sensed it, but she was almost right. While playing you got a little too into it, inserting token after token. Without realizing you had spent a little more than what you planned on that single game alone. Seeing the numbers go higher and higher was addicting, you almost fell back into bad habits before pulling away and trying other games. You weren’t going to tell her that though.

The sudden sound of chairs being pushed out caught your attention. You looked back to see the duo were packing away their things and couldn’t help but feel joy swell up in your heart. They were leaving!

You went back to happily eating your pudding, unaware that they were making their way to your table until someone cleared their throat.

Both you and your friend turn to look at the tall man. “Hey, thanks again for the discount.”

Your friend waved her hand. “It was no problem! I feel bad you keep spending all your money here.” She laughed. You couldn’t help but notice the tint of red on her cheeks before hiding your smile behind your hand.

“You should come to our game tomorrow,” He suddenly suggested, looking eager before turning to you. “You too, we could use the extra support.”

“Mm, volleyball right?” You asked, really hoping you hadn’t gotten the sport wrong. It would’ve been embarrassing if you ended up going to the wrong place earlier.

“Right,” He clarified. “Think you guys will be able to make it?”

Before you even had a chance to respond your friend quickly answered for you. “We’ll be there!”

“Great! I’ll let the team know, they’ll be super excited,” He smiled before waving goodbye. His friend peaked from behind him and waved a reluctant goodbye which made you immediately remember.

“Oh before I forget!” You rummage around in your bag before pulling out the grey mechanical pencil, handing it to the blonde. “Here’s your pencil! Thanks for letting me borrow it.”

He looks at you surprised, almost like he had forgotten he gave you the pencil. “Oh, thanks.” Is all he said before gently taking it back.

During the brief moment he was up close you got the chance to observe him. His hair was long, but it framed his face nicely. His eyes were gold and catlike, fitting given your school’s mascot was a cat. You would’ve admitted he was cute if it wasn’t for the fact he’d possibly been the one tormenting you.

They left the shop after that, leaving you and your friend alone in the room. “Thanks for asking me if I wanted to go.” You broke the small moment of silence.

“Ok listen, me and Testurou—”

“Testurou?” You asked, both shocked and confused at the fact they were on a first name basis when you didn’t even know his name. As far as you know the two only interacted when he came to the cafe, just how often was he visiting? And dragging his poor friend with him to third wheel?

“Yes, his name is Testurou Kuroo.” She sighed dreamily while resting her cheek on her hand, enhancing that ‘totally in love’ look.

“When did this happen?!” You gasped. “Why didn’t you tell me this was happening?!”

“Ok first, calm down,” She giggled, acting as if she wasn’t hiding any big news from her best friend. “Nothings happened yet, we’ve just been talking when he comes in. I was literally planning on telling you when I told you to text me.”

You eyed her suspiciously, taking another spoonful of pudding into your mouth. “Ok, if he means that much to you I’ll go to the game tomorrow,” You give up, not wanting to put up much of a fight.

“Great! Now what about you? How do you know Kenma?” She smirked, hoping to flip the tables on you. So that’s his name, you mentally note. You open your mouth to explain the situation when she holds her hand up, silencing you. “Nevermind, what did you want to tell me earlier? About the arcade?”

“Actually, it’s about Kuroo’s buddy and the arcade.” You quickly looked around, eyeing the exit to make sure the duo had truly left.

She looked at you confused, gesturing for you to elaborate. You recount how you had seen the two of them at the arcade and how Kenma was playing your favorite game. You make sure to include his comment about how boring it’s been lately, leading you to your highly believable theory.

“I think he’s Applepi.”

“That.. actually makes some sense.” She nodded in agreement, surprising you.

“Really? Just like that?” You ask, raising an eyebrow suspiciously. She’s normally so quick to call you delusional— maybe you actually have a point this time.

She nods, “Tetsu usually visits me alone, but when he visits with Kenma he’s always late. I’m guessing that extra time is them being at the arcade. Plus, Kenma’s always playing games on his phone while they’re here so he’s probably a little nerdy, just like you.”

You ignore the nerd comment and focus on the facts she just presented to you. Everything lines up, but there’s only one way to confirm his identity.

“Just ask him about it tomorrow—”

“Tomorrow?! Are you crazy?!” You panic.

“Relax, just be casual about it.” She says in an attempt to calm you. “It’s not like you’re confronting him, just asking him about it. Who knows, maybe you guys can bond over that stuff.”

Casual, yeah, like this guy hasn’t been driving me insane for weeks.. you roll your eyes. She had a point though (lately she’s been having many of those), if you didn’t ask him you’d be stuck wondering forever.

It’s decided, you’re going to ask him tomorrow.

Tomorrow came sooner than you would’ve liked it to. Without knowing the school day quickly passed and you had arrived at the gym, your friend dragging you alongside her.

Inside there were a handful of people eagerly chatting and rushing to their seats to watch the teams warm up. You were anxious, but not about the game’s outcome. You were worried about making a fool of yourself in front of Kenma when it came to asking him about his possible secret identity.

“Remember, just be casual about it,” Your friend attempted to soothe you, but it didn’t help much.

She led you further into the gym until you stumbled upon a group of kids wearing your school’s volleyball jackets. You're quick to notice the duo that frequent the cafe. Ok, just keep it casual.

“Hey!” Your friend calls out, catching the attention of the captain and his friend. She drags you closer to the group before letting go of your hand, a quiet signal to leave so they can talk privately.

You take the hint, walking away with Kenma wordlessly. He walks towards a wall and you essentially follow him, trying to figure out a way to talk to him. If he notices your inner turmoil, he doesn’t say anything. He leans against a wall and pulls out his phone, tapping away at his screen. It isn’t until you hear a familiar sound coming from his phone that you look over, recognizing the game he’s playing.

“You play that game?” You ask, genuinely surprised seeing another person play.

Kenma briefly looks over at you, almost as if he was surprised to see you next to him, before quickly looking back down at his phone, “Yeah.”

Simple and quick— you should’ve expected that given what you see during your shifts. He didn’t seem like the type for conversations with people he didn’t know well. In fact, if you looked close enough, it seemed he’d rather be anywhere but here. Silence ensued and only the sounds from his phone could be heard.

“Have you had the chance to check out the arcade a couple blocks from here? The one in front of that one restaurant?” You nervously ask, fiddling with a loose end at the bottom of your shirt.

He stops and for a moment you think you’ve distracted him and accidentally killed him in the process, but he nods. “I have, it’s fun. I only really play one game though.”

Your eyes widen at his comment and you try your best to compose yourself. “By any chance.. are you Applepi?”

That gets him.

He stops moving again and you look over at his screen— this time it seems you did kill him. He looks at you with confusion swirling in his eyes. “How do you know that?” He asked hesitantly, almost like he was afraid of your answer.

You tell him the name you use when playing, one he quickly recognizes. “For the past couple of weeks you’ve been beating my score and I finally found you.” You laughed, partially because you found the situation funny and partially because you were anxious about his response.

When he didn’t respond you got nervous. You looked over at your friend and found she was still talking to Kuroo. You internally groaned, there was no way for her to come save you. You slowly turned your head to face Kenma and saw him looking at you with an unrecognizable look in his eyes. It was almost akin to sparkles— but there was a hint of something else.

“How’d you know?” He asked, keeping his eyes on you. It was the first time he ever really looked at you directly, like he was curious about how you figured it out.

“I saw you eating an apple pie once at the cafe.” You responded honestly before realizing you sounded crazy for remembering what he ate. “Then I saw you at the arcade after you finished playing.”

He hummed and looked down at his phone despite it being turned off. You pretended not to notice the tips of his ears turning red.

“You said it had been boring, so let’s make it interesting and place a bet.”

That caught his attention. “A bet?” He repeated, eyeing you nervously.

You nodded. “A bet. We continue doing what we’ve been doing but at the end of the month whoever has the highest score wins.”

He looks at you with suspicious eyes. “And what does the winner get?”

“.. Did you by any chance happen to win a calico plushie at the claw machine? One with a yellow spot over its eye?”

A surprised look quickly comes on to his face again. “..Yeah?”

You feel your eye twitch at his answer. “I want that.” You quickly stated. You know you sounded demanding, like a spoiled child crying about wanting something they didn’t have, but you had been eyeing it for so long you couldn’t help but want it. You feel it’s only right too after all the emotional and financial damage he caused you.

Kenma hesitates, but ultimately gives in to your request. “Then what do I get?”

“Well, what do you want?” You ask, not knowing him well enough to suggest anything. Hopefully it’s not money. You shiver at the thought. Your bank account just recovered, you couldn’t go back now.

He doesn’t answer, looking away from you. “I’ll think about it.” He mumbles.

“Alright then!” You cheer, excitement filling your body. “So it’s a bet?” You ask, extending your hand.

Kenma looked at your hand, slowly reaching out and accepting. You couldn’t help but notice how warm his hands were.

After your little bet the two of you had exchanged numbers to settle some things.

Something you were quick to notice was how much of a dry texter he was, though it wasn’t surprising given how he was in real life. During a conversation (that you initiated) Kenma commented on how it wasn’t fair that you’d have more time to spend at the arcade than him because of his volleyball practice, but you reassured him that you wouldn’t spend all day there since you had work (and homework) to focus on.

Now if this was the old you participating, you would’ve immediately headed straight to the arcade after school to rack up as many points as you could and get a head start, but you had changed for the better. This was a little friendly rivalry, it wasn’t anything too serious.

But you still planned on winning to maintain your title as number one and get that cat plush.

The two of you also decided not to tell each other when you’d be at the arcade. Your schedules had to remain a mystery just as they had always been.

“It’s not like we don’t already have a general idea of each other’s schedules.” Kenma mumbled, picking at his desert. “I’m basically here everyday now.”

You nodded in agreement, eyes shifting over to your friend and Kuroo’s table. After the game they had officially become an item. They were giggling together and on their table was a single drink containing two straws— truly a romantic sight.

“Yeah, but without confirming anything neither of us really know, it makes this a little more exciting.” You smiled at the scene before turning to look at Kenma. “Wait, why do you even come anyway? You don’t need to third wheel Kuroo anymore since he’s with Riko.”

You saw his eye twitch and held back a giggle. You knew he’d say the same thing back to you if it weren’t for the fact you worked here.

It was currently about halfway through the month and you and Kenma had steadily become friends. With his frequent visits you noticed him becoming more expressive, he was almost like a cat. As long as you fed him treats he’d keep coming back, despite what he says.

“Kuroo still drags me along, he says I need to go out more.” He mumbled, taking a small bite of his pie.

“And he’s right, you need more sun.” You giggled, ignoring the glare he sent your way. “Can’t have my favorite cryptid hiding away forever.”

Lately this has become the norm. The two of you would share playful banter while your friends flirted just a table away. You bonded over both being the third wheel and lately, video games.

“Who do you think is gonna win?” You asked, genuinely curious about his thoughts.

He continues playing with the food on his plate, pushing around small pieces with his fork. “.. I don’t know. You’re actually pretty good at the game so it’ll be close.”

“Wow, is that a compliment from the Kenma Kozume?” You gasp dramatically, but your shock was genuine. If you had learned anything from spending time with him it was that it wasn’t common for him to praise someone so openly.

What caught you off guard was the smile he sent your way. “It was boring at first, especially when you stopped playing, but you made it interesting again.”

It was almost unsettling, he smiled as if he had something up his sleeve— no, he was enjoying this, and you were too.

Everyday you woke up you felt the thrill of the rivalry gnawing at your bones, making you excited to get through the day and head over to the arcade to see where you two stood. It wasn’t until a day before the competition ended that you remembered what your friend had said back at the arcade and realized what she meant.

She was right, this had gotten interesting.

A month had officially passed.

It was easy to see your excitement throughout the day. While on your way to school you nearly ran the whole way there as if rushing to school would make the day go by faster. During lunch you talked Riko’s ear off to the point where she traded you for Kuroo, leaving you with Kenma. He didn’t seem to mind as you talked, just nodded and continued playing on his psp. During the last class of the day Kenma was quick to notice you bouncing your leg, fidgeting with your pencil, and tapping your fingers on the desk.

He was surprised to see how this was affecting you. While he was excited to see the results you were clearly more eager than anyone to see who took the top spot. For a moment he questioned why this mattered so much, but then he remembered how you told him he’d been the only one to beat your score and held back a chuckle. He couldn’t lie, he enjoyed seeing you like this.

Once the bell rang you quickly turned around in your seat to face him, a common occurrence since the two of you became friends. “Are you ready?” You asked, placing your arms on his desk and leaning in close.

The giant grin on your face was contagious, he couldn’t help but let a small smile slip through. “Yeah, I’m ready.” He responded, grabbing his bag and standing from his seat.

Unlike in the morning this time you slowed your pace (mostly because Kenma refused to walk any faster than he needed to).

“You didn’t bring the cat plush,” You pouted, gripping the straps of your bag tightly to keep it in place.

“Are you that confident you’re gonna win?” He raised a brow. “Why are you obsessed with it anyway? You never told me.”

You shrug, “I don’t really have a reason, I just thought it was cute. I just remember the day I was gonna try and win it I didn't have any more coins left because I spent all my money trying to beat your score.”

He quickly whipped his head to face you. “You seriously have a problem..”

“Well it’s partially your fault, you made me competitive.” You crossed your arms.

The whole way to the arcade you bickered about whose fault it was until the bright neon lights came into view. You couldn’t help but grab Kenma’s arm to drag him inside faster, sprinting further inside until the game came into view.

You slowly approached the machine, still slightly anxious about the outcome. Kenma nudged your shoulder with his, catching your attention. He held up a coin in his hand, giving it to you. “Play a quick game, but don’t go crazy.”

You felt your heart do a small flip at the gesture. Kenma often came off as uncaring, but the truth is he cared a lot about those he was close with. You accept the coin from his hand, ignoring the brief skin contact before quickly shuffling towards the machine in hopes he wouldn’t see your expression.

You play a quick round, making sure not to go all out like Kenma said. Moments later you take a hit and lose the game, watching the screen shift. You take a step back and stand side by side with Kenma, eyes unblinking as the leaderboard pops up. Your eyes quickly glance over the names until they land on yours and Kenma’s.

“No way,” You mumble, clutching on to Kenma’s bag.

He said nothing at the action, only staring at the screen for a couple seconds before turning his head to face you. “Congrats.”

You cheered, shaking him from the joy you were experiencing. Kenma tried to lean away from you, especially after noticing the stares you were getting. He didn’t want to ruin your fun, but he seriously didn’t like the attention.

You notice and let go of his backpack. “Should’ve brought that cat,” You giggled.

“There’s no way I was going to carry that all day,” He sighed before pulling out his phone to check the home. You look at his screen and see it’s still early in the day, it would be a waste to leave.

“Hey since we’re already here, why not play a few games?” You ask, silently hoping he’d agree.

He shrugged and you took his answer as a yes. The two of you went around playing most of the two player games you could find. It was nice, most of the time you didn’t get to play these because Riko didn’t want to (she was extremely bad at them and hated losing).

“You’re actually kind of good..” You laughed after seeing both your scores on the screen.

“I play a lot,” He responded, taking a quick look at his phone. He gestured towards the exit and you nodded.

“I know you do,” You laughed. “I hear you all the time before class playing on your phone. It’s almost like you have an addiction..”

Kenma huffed at your claim. He never denied it, you held back a giggle. Once the two of you exit you see the sky is darker than it was when you first arrived. The two of you spent a lot of time there and you didn’t even realize it.

“I’m curious,” You start, catching his attention, “if you had won what would’ve you asked for?”

He didn’t answer right away, remaining silent. The sounds of footsteps were the only thing that could be heard between the two of you. Maybe he never decided what he wanted, you told yourself. You couldn’t blame him for it, you were mainly doing this to win and to keep your spot at the top. Though you were glad you won because you couldn’t risk him asking you for money (especially with his addiction).

Kenma cleared his throat, grabbing your attention. He avoided your gaze, keeping his eyes down at the ground before turning to look at you.

“I would’ve asked to keep playing with you.”

Extra:

You laid on Kenma’s bed, happily fidgeting with the cat plush you won against him. You sit up and see him sitting on the floor, his posture reminding you of a shrimp. Suddenly a thought crossed your mind.

“I have a question,” You start. Kenma hums from below you, acknowledging you but keeping his eyes glued on the screen in front of him.

“When you were playing Roblox, specifically Shrimp Games, why did you push me out?”

He quickly looks at you, confused, before looking back at his game. “Well obviously I didn’t know it was you back then, but I did it because I wanted to win and you were the closest to the door.”

You huff and lay back down. “Ok, well if you did know it was me would you still have pushed me out?”

He didn't respond and from this angle you couldn’t see his face. When you hear the sounds coming from the TV you turn your head and see he’s paused the game. He’s looking at you, a small smile on his face, almost like he wants to laugh.

“No, I wouldn’t.”

thank you for reading till the end! reblogs are greatly appreciated :D

masterlist

[sunlightwoo]

lily of the valley - sim jaeyun

✁ pairing: non-idol!jake x g.n reader

✁ genre: fluff, slight angst, established relationship warnings: nothing but cuteness aggression, and mentions of reader feeling as though they aren't able to love/to be loved

✁ wc: 974

✁ a/n: hi everyone!! this is my first fic in a while as im getting back into the rhythm of writing for bigger pieces to be released this year, so i hope you guys liked this as much as i liked it!! but happy 6 years to sunlightwoo, and thank you to everyone who's ever supported this blog after so long <3 i hope that from here on out i can finally put out the stories that i've been holding off on writing and posting on here for you guys to read! lastly thank you @quaissants for beta reading <3 and also again if you guys wanna join my permanent taglist, or this series' taglist, just shoot me a message/ask or click here!!

now playing: [lily of the valley by daniel] | part of the because i love you series

The silence of the night brought you reassurance after a long day of just thinking to exhaustion. You weren’t sure why today had felt different than any others, when you had done nothing different from your daily routine, but there was a heavy feeling settling in your chest as you looked out your window to the moon. Something didn’t feel complete after a long day that you had, and maybe the moon had the answers to it. 

The sound of the front door opening breaks you away from your trance, but you didn’t have the energy to get up from your spot on your balcony. You already knew who entered your home, and it was the quick footsteps that were pacing to your bedroom that slowly made the smile that was starting to appear on your face. Those steps started to slow the same time that you took a deep breath and turned around to face your lover with a small smile, arms wrapped around yourself as you were bracing yourself in the cold with one of your spare blankets. 

But it didn’t surprise him at all. What did was the small smile that didn’t quite meet your eyes at all. 

“What’s wrong? Did something happen when you met with your parents today?” He asked quietly, slowly taking steps closer to where you had stood on the balcony and you shook your head in response. 

“Can you just hold me for a bit, please?” 

Your question threw him off guard for a moment, knowing that in all your years of dating, you were never often the first to initiate physical affection like now. It was something that you had struggled to express at first in the beginning stages of your relationship, but you came to a comfortable peace with it as time went on with Jake being the one to show you what it was like to love slowly. 

Feeling his arms wrap around you, the heaviness that was once in your chest finally feels as though it were lifting from its shackle on your heart and that you could breathe once again. The both of you rock back and forth underneath the moonlight as he softly hums a small tune that you recognized from the radio that played the other day when you were both driving back from meeting with his family. 

It reminded you of the reason you might’ve been so distant with your own mind today, when everybody had asked when you and Jake were going to get married. The both of you had answered them all with shy giggles and brushed off comments of when the time feels right, then it’ll happen since you were both still young. But these last few days had made you think about it more, when you slowly came to realize that you did want to marry him at some point of your life. 

Which was why you had the rock sitting quite prettily on your finger with a small smile on your face. He had proposed to you just last night in the early morning hues with the sun shining in on the both of you. It was quiet, but you were both lounging around lazily considering it was a day off for the two of you. Jake felt it was the perfect time to propose when you were both talking about how you were so happy with living in the house that you both moved into just a year ago from yesterday. 

Thinking about that moment, you remembered that you used to dislike the idea of marriage, seeing as though it was a specific point in your life where you might never meet the right person, and it scared you, leaving your walls up around your heart and wary of those around you. However, Jake had always proven you wrong and it was times like right now where you couldn’t wait to be with him for the rest of your life.

“You know that I love you, right? My first and last love…” Jake mumbles into your hair as he squeezes you just a little bit tighter at the waist, and you nodded in response into his chest, pulling away slightly to look up at him with a smile. 

His eyes met with yours and this time, he could see a little twinkle in your eyes as your smile finally met with them. You notice how there were dark bags forming underneath his eyes from working longer these days, but you could tell that this time there was something hidden behind them as he stared into yours. Reaching up to cup his cheeks, you squeeze them a bit affectionately and start pecking kisses across them from the moment that you felt your heart swell from how much you had loved him. 

You wouldn’t know where you would be without him, had you not met that fateful day at the park, but you also knew that it was fate that led you right into his arms. 

Right where it was meant to be. 

“I love you too, Jake. I’ll keep loving until the lilies in my heart die out.” You reply softly, and he presses a small kiss against your forehead with a smile on his face. 

The lilies in your heart were mentioned a long time ago when you were on your first few dates, as you remembered telling him about a poem you once wrote about the flower growing in an empty valley. It reminded you of how you wished for your heart, in reference to the lily, to grow with time with feelings that were as pure as love can be. 

And it seems like you had already found it, with the man whose arms are tightly embracing you until the end of time. 

taglist: @cafeyuns @from-izzy @quaissants

[hungermakesmonsters]

Hiii congrats on 500 I love your fics!!! Could you do sth where the reader and Billy actually meet in the marines ? Like the reader is a marine as well and Billy her lieutenant or even the other way around ? Thank youuu❤️ (submitted by @dorita06)

Aaaaaaah okay, so little known fact about me, I kind of love the soldier/medic trope in fiction, so rather than writing reader as a soldier herself, I went with making her a medic (hope that's ok!!) I had a lot of fun with this one, so I hope you like it! 😅

Stolen Moments

Pairing : Billy Russo x Reader

Story Rating : M 

Warnings : [This is 18+ only, minors DNI] Smutty behaviour.  

"I take it I don't have to explain how to look after your stitches?" You asked, eyeing the lieutenant as he shrugged his shirt back on and got to his feet.

As he stood, you found yourself tilting your head back to look at him, knowing all too well what came next. (At least, hoping you knew what came next.)

"Dunno, Doc, think I might need you to explain it to me one more time," he said as he reached for you, his fingers softly brushing against your neck.

You leaned into his touch, lifting yourself on your tiptoes as he slowly started to close the distance between you.

"Did you bang your head, Lieutenant Russo? Because this is the fifth time I've given you stitches and had to explain the proper aftercare procedure," you said, your voice getting softer as his lips got closer to yours. "Maybe I should talk to your CO, get you taken off active duty, so I can keep you here and... assess you."

Billy smiled that same smile he had the first time you'd met him, months ago in that very tent. He'd been bleeding then too, but he'd been more concerned with trying to get your name than the fact he'd needed stitches.

Of course, you'd tried to refuse him at first, tried to ignore the way that damned smile sent a bolt of arousal through you, not wanting to do anything to put your career in jeopardy. But the third time your paths had crossed, the first time he'd dared to kiss you, you were a goner.

Now, you'd lost count of how many times he'd ended up in the medical tent, needing to be patched up — sometimes for serious reasons and other times for reasons he claimed were serious just to get your attention — and how many times that had ended with him inside of you, giving you the best damned sex of your life.

Finally, his lips met yours and everything felt right in the world. He stepped forward and you stepped back, a hand behind you, feeling for the solid form of your desk.

He winced as he lifted you onto the desk. A small grunt of pain escaped him but, when you tried to pull back to check if he was alright, his fingers slipped into your hair, holding you in the kiss.

Instinctively, you parted your legs, letting him step between them, pressing his body close to yours. It was a familiar dance and you both knew the steps by heart. Your fingers tugged at his fatigues, while his pulled at yours, neither breaking the kiss or coming up for air for even a second.

You both knew that you were on borrowed time and that, at any moment, someone could rush in needing your assistance or need Billy to return to duty.

It was dangerous and stupid, something that could potentially spell then end of both of your careers, but you couldn't help it. You wanted him, needed him in a way that didn't make sense to you. And, no matter how many times you did this, no matter how many times you patched him up or he slipped into your tent after curfew, you knew that you'd never have enough of him.

And, as your hand slipped into his fatigues tograsp his already hard cock, you knew he felt exactly the same way.

"Lieutenant Russo," you murmured against his lips. "I'm starting to think you're getting injured on purpose just so you can come see me."

Billy grinned against your lips, kissing you again instead of answering your accusation. It was probably better that way — the last thing you wanted was thoughts of him being seriously hurt in your head, especially while you were stroking his cock.

A laugh slipped out as he tugged your pants down your legs and almost managed to pull you off the desk with them. That was your cue to lower his combat pants, pushing them down to his thighs.

He stepped forward, clearing the distance, and you had to bite your lip to hold back a moan when you felt the tip of his cock against you.

"Can't wait 'til we're stateside again," he muttered, reaching between your bodies to tease his cock between your folds. "Be able to take my time with you then."

You felt your lips pull into a ridiculous smile, the same way that they always did whenever he spoke about going home, about still wanting you after all the shit was over an you were both back home.

Still, you couldn't help but tease him.

"Who says I'm gonna waste my time on a jarhead like you when I'm back home?" You asked.

"Allow me to persuade you."

"Go on then, I'm all ears, tell me why I should —"

Before you could finish, Billy pushed forward, notching his cock into you, filling you in one smooth movement. You bit down harder on your lip, your hands grasping his fatigues.

"Fuck," you moaned as a familiar feeling of ecstasy took hold.

"Persuaded yet?"

"Yes — fuck, yes —" you gasped as he started to draw his hips back, setting a steady rhythm.

He kissed you again, swallowing down the moans that tried to escape you while using your lips to muffle his own desperate noises. His hands gripped you, holding you tight, clinging to you like you were the only stable thing in his world, and you loved it. You loved how he made you feel in those moments, kissing you, holding you, fucking you.

But it couldn't last. While you wanted to enjoy it, you both knew that, at any moment, you could be discovered.

He gripped your hip as he upped the tempo, driving you closer and closer to insanity with each rough thrust. You back arched and you writhed on the edge of the desk, completely losing yourself to him and the way he made you feel.

You gasped and panted and whined against his lips, every snap of his hips causing arousal to burn hotter in your belly, every fibre of your being coiling tighter, like a spring desperate to be released.

"Lieutenant — fuck, Billy —" you managed before being pulled back into another kiss.

He grunted against your lips as the last of his self-control seemed to disappear. You loved the moments when he lost control, when he lost his mind over you. His fingers gripped your bare hip tight enough to leave bruises — replacements for the ones that had started to fade since your last tryst.

The desk creaked and the metal legs scraped against the concrete floor, but all you could think was more, more, more. After months of snatched moments like this, you'd found yourself addicted to him, desperate for him in a way you'd never know with any other man.

As he fucked you and stole your breath away, you felt a crescendo building, a wave of pleasure that was going to drowned you.

Your fingers damn near ripped his shirt as you started to come, clinging to him for dear life.

His grip on your hair tightened, keeping his lips sealed over your as you tried to cry out his name. A few more enthusiastic thrusts later and he followed you over the edge and into oblivion, holding you just as tightly as you were holding him.

He pressed his face against your neck, panting for breath, his cock still inside you, still twitching as his orgasm ebbed away.

Moments like this were the ones that made you wonder if he meant it, if he really did want to see you again once you were both back home and the desert was in the rear-view. But you didn't dare ask — you never asked, because you weren't sure how you'd feel if/when it all turned out to be lies.

You weren't naïve enough not to see what this probably was; you were one of the few women on base and it was very clear that Lieutenant Russo had needs. And you? What you needed was something to keep you sane and, somehow, that had become him.

Tenderly you ran your fingers through his hair as you both caught your breath then, reluctantly, he pulled away.

[momo-minomo]

I’m so tempted to write a Tim and Damian bonding fic right now. I’ve been re-reading through some Tim Drake and Batfamily comics and they’ve been making me feel things. Especially the Tim and Damian hug in Batman (2016) #138 and Tim getting shot in the throat in Batman (2016) #125. So much of Tim’s time in the Batfamily has been spent as the emotional pillar for the entire family. He was there to act as a bridge between Dick and Bruce when the two couldn’t be in the same room for more than 5 minutes without yelling. He was there to give Bruce a reason to hold back and try and come home safe for. He came running anytime any of them called even when it screwed him over. He became a bridge back to the family for Jason and Cass at different points. Hell, he’s so used to being an emotional crutch for Bruce that even shot through the throat and bleeding to death he was gently comforting Bruce and guiding him on what to do next because Bruce was losing his shit again over the Jason parallels.

So the habit of supporting them is probably burned into Tim at this point, right? It’s so automatic that he can’t help but fall into it even when half dead. So what if something happened to Dick? Let’s say he and Tim were on a mission together when everything went tits up with an enemy ambush. They’re fighting as smoothly together as they always do but they’re being overwhelmed with sheer numbers and are just trying to retreat at this point, the enemy in hot pursuit. Tim takes a major hit and goes down, maybe a goon gets a lucky shot right in the middle of a grapple swing, causing him to lose his grip on the line. He hits a rooftop hard before Dick can catch him and gets a bad head injury. Bad guys are closing in so Dick ignores Tim’s woozy protests and stashes him somewhere mostly hidden while he leads their pursuers away. By the time rescue arrives, following their emergency beacons, Tim’s barely conscious and losing blood from the gunshot wound and Dick’s beacon isn’t working but at it’s last known location they find a puddle of blood and a broken escrima stick and no sign of where Nightwing is.

Tim is recovering but can’t actively help in the field with his injuries. He’s forced to act as a secondary Oracle while the rest of the family are on the verge of destroying themselves or half the city as the search goes on day after day after day. But while everyone is busy Tim can’t help but notice that Damian is slowly unraveling the longer Dick is gone without news.

So Tim starts doing little things to ease the kid’s mind or make him happy for even a moment. He starts subtle because doesn’t need Damian to blow up at him right now, but the two gradually grow closer and Damian notices all the support Tim is giving to EVERYONE but no one is noticing that Tim needs it just as much. So he starts returning the favor and Tim is so unnerved cause, like, it’s sweet and all but this is NOT how his world works.

Maybe I could end it with the two of them realizing the bad guys were trying to get Tim and Dick specifically for a reason (Maybe they want to break into Titan’s tower or something? Maybe League of Assassins?🤔). Tim and Damian are sick of not having their big brother, the girls are all still traveling back from investigating another dead end, and Jason and Bruce are too busy arguing to listen so they hatch a hair-brained scheme together to have the still injured Red Robin act as bait to draw out the bad guys and lead them to Nightwing.

[grossitsluca]

queen. i loved the johnny & parcel girl fic so much. may we know if she did end up giving him wee bairns 🥺

thank you queen! i was looking for a reason to keep writing for this one 😭

pt2 to this

The sound of the front door being shut felt like being tossed a buoy while drowning in the sea. You closed your eyes in relief as you stood up from the carpeted floor, back aching and knees cracking.

“Johnny! You back?” It had been a long day of you watching the kids while your husband was at work and you now wanted nothing more than to put your feet up and just relax. Your youngest girl wasn’t old enough to go to nursery, and the thought of separating her from her older sister seemed unfair. Besides, you were on maternity leave now, and there was something so rewarding about looking after them both as they played and grew.

“Johnny?” You yawned, as you bent over to pick up the youngest, the other one content to play with her light up toys on the floor. “Are you back yet?” There was no reply. Usually he comes in shouting about how he much he “missed his three lassies” but today, there was no noise. A slight shiver ran up your spine. What if that wasn’t your husband? The feeling of nausea crept its way into your stomach, your throat closing up as you slowed down your breathing.

You whispered to your other girl, to stand up, slowly and quietly, telling her not to make a sound, there’s a new game you’re playing about who can be quietest the most. Keeping your eyes on the door, you usher for her to go sit behind the sofa in the room. But then the door starts to open, ever so slightly, and you freeze. Your grip on your baby tightens and your hand on your toddler becomes firmer. The door continues to move, the creaking sound growing louder and louder, more and more light flooding into the room, until the door suddenly widens, a sharp sound of fear leaving your mouth. And you see him.

“John MacTavish, I hate you.” And the sound of his cackling fills the room. He spends the next minute or so, laughing at himself, doubling over and even holding onto the door frame for support in his laughing fit.

“Sorry, lass, am sorry, didnae mean to scare you so.” He says after he calms down, even though you can tell from the smirk on his face that he absolutely did mean to scare you like this. Here you were, tired and now scared shitless and he still thinks he’s funny. Well, two could play at that game. You leave him in the doorway, still feeling smug and just simply walk past him, into the kitchen.

Half an hour goes by and Johnny has started to realise that you’re serious, probably due to the fact that you plated everyone else’s dinner but his. It’s not like you didn’t let him eat, just that you let him do it himself for once. Another half an hour and Johnny has began to panic. He wouldn’t have pulled such a stupid joke if he knew you’d be giving him the silent treatment.

Two hours later and you’ve settled both the kids in for bed in their room, adjusting the baby monitor, just to be sure. You walk past Johnny, not sparing him a second glance as you head towards the bathroom. A twenty minute shower later and another ten minutes spent on your skincare, you decide it’s time to head back to your bedroom. You could have been back earlier, but you purposely dragged it out to teach Johnny a lesson.

You turn off the hallway lights before opening the door to yours and Johnny’s bedroom, only to be met with the sight of Johnny kneeling on the floor, blocking your way in.

“Excuse me.” You say pointedly, and try to shift that mountain of a man with your leg. Obviously, you failed. But that’s when he starts.

“Am so sorry lass, wasnae thinking, shouldn’t have done tha’ to you. Wasnae thinking about my beautiful wife who spends her day looking after our family. Won’t do it again, ah swear.” The worst part is he actually sounds sincere, because for you, the look on his face as he watches you walk by him without any acknowledgment was rather fun. He looked scared shitless when he understood the gravity of the situation, which you have to admit make you laugh inside. But if he actually means this apology, then you have no choice to forgive him. Shame.

“Johnny get up.” His face lights up once he hears you call his nickname, and he knows he’s in the clear now, which he celebrates by immediately pouncing on your lips, murmuring about he’s been thinking of kissing you all day. To be honest, so have you, but you don’t tell him that.

“You know, if you hadn’t apologised, you would have slept on the couch.” And that scared look on his face returns.

[ahamkara-apologist]

i guess my ask got devoured by the tumblr bug, but what do you think about the theory that the echo of riis is made from chelchis’s memories?

Oh, no worries, it didn't get eaten! I was just too busy writing fic to remember to answer it. Got the Misraaks/Taniks brainworms and couldn't let it slip before I did something with it.

I'm personally of the opinion that it's pretty much canon, with the Echo being made up of the memories of Riis that were communally lost in the Whirlwind, and Chelchis acting as its speaker. This is mostly because of what we know of the Echo of Command and the Garden-Way lorebook, where the Echoes seem to have a 'primary' speaker/figurehead, and Chelchis was singing her star-song. Eramis likely didn't recognize her because Eramis was a star tracker for the Dancers at the time, while Chelchis was the Kell of Stone, but I do think it's Chelchis who's the singer in the Echo. It just feels too odd otherwise

As for why Eramis was a better match for the Echo than Variks despite neither of them recognizing Chelchis's voice, I think it's because Variks was able to let go of Riis, while Eramis never could stop yearning to go home. Variks has been speaking about how he's given his home to the legends since D1, focusing instead on ensuring that his people survived in Sol, while Eramis could never stop thinking about what they lost, and how to get it back. Eramis also has the drive and the desire to just burn it all down and start anew, which means that she's stubborn enough to want to bring back Riis while also knowing that it will never be the same as it was before. Which are admirable, necessary qualities for anyone who's going into ecological restoration, lmao

Personally, my hope is that if they ever do a follow-up with Eramis, we get a lorebook like we did with Maya and the Quagu where we see that Chelchis and Eramis have been vibing together, with Chelchis offering some of the much-needed therapy that Eramis rebuked from the humans. Chelchis seemed like a big, solid, kind lady from the lorebook with years of both kellship and motherhood under her belt (good kells seem to be intrinsically tied to being a good parent in the lore, which is the only reason I mention this), so whatever trials Eramis faces in finding her family and restoring her homeworld, I hope that Chelchis would be there to offer comfort and support

[legs-like-jelly]

If writing requests are still open, if I may so humbly request a little fic for the seeker trio in a tickle fight, I’d eat it like a thanksgiving dinner. It’s canon in g1 that they get on each other’s nerves and get into little squabbles, so who’s to say they don’t settle these little fights in a playful, brotherly way?

Skywarp would probs start it and TC would end it. Starscream would lose horrendously and we all know it

HEHEHEHE- GIGLGLLES SQUEALS KICKS MY FEET AROUND-

sorry i love the seeker trine i love love love love love them i am in love with them they are joy to me they are absolute treasures(they are war criminals) (i also know someone who will like this a lot)

Triple-Time!

lee: Starscream

lers: Skywarp and Thundercracker

Starscream was in an absolutely horrible mood today. And even that was an understatement. The entirety of the afternoon was him snapping off at the other two seekers for some unforseen reason. Both Skywarp and Thundercracker were getting fed up with his constant whining and yelling, so they decided to formulate a plan.

"Someone needs to whip that mech into shape. Or moreso, cheer him up a little," Thundercracker placed a digit on his chin.

"I say we give him the best medicine!" Skywarp wiggled his fingers tauntingly.

Thundercracker's faceplate split with a smile. "Now you're talkin. All we gotta do is find him now."

The two mechs set off from the separate room, scouring the area for their trinemate. Pedes collided with the metal floor of the Nemesis, trailing down the various hallways and wings.

"Ohhhh Starscream!! Where are ya, birdie?" Skywarp called out. It didn't take long for a helm to peek out of their shared berthroom, still visibly pissed off.

"What do you two want?" The red seeker hissed, crossing his arms over his chassis.

"We wanna know what's up. You've been more pissed off than usual. Whats grinding your gears?" Thundercracker gave him a short nudge, to which Starscream hissed and swatted him away.

"Why should I tell you two? You would hardly even care anyways, so why bother?" Starscream bared his teeth at the two yet again.

Both Skywarp and Thundercracker exchanged glances, then slid into the room. Thundercracker was the one to close the door. Starscream seated himself on the berth, a deep scowl engraved on his faceplate.

"Stars, you know we won't judge ya. We just wanna know what's wrong so we can help ya feel better.." The blue seeker took a seat next to him and placed an arm around his shoulders. This time, Starscream didn't pull away.

"I..It's hard to talk about. I-i just feel super..alone. I have no idea why, but ever since Bee disappeared.." The red seeker whispered, hugging himself tight. The other two exchanged glances before sitting down adjacent to him. Thundercracker rubbed soothing circles into Starscream's back.

"You miss him, don't you?" Thundercracker whispered.

"....I do," Starscream responded, hugging himself tightly.

"Well, we may not be him, but we know a way to cheer you up a little!" Skywarp perked up behind Starscream and wrapped his arms around the other's middle.

"How could you two possibl-EEEEK!!" Starscream was quickly cut off by a digit being dragged down the edge of his wing.

"Ohoho, I still got it!" Skywarp pat himself on the back with pride.

"Come on Warpy, we can't just get his wings. What about these hips? I think they deserve some attention" Thundercracker replied pointedly, his digits kneading at the metal of Starscream's hips.

"C-CEHEASE THIS NAHAONSENSE!!-" Starscream squeaked, trying to curl up into a ball to avoid the tickly servos.

"Awww, look TC!! He's curling up like one of those earth bugs!" The purple trinemate cooed while starting to scribble his digits all over the other seeker's wings.

"What are they called again? Rolly pollies? The resemblance is almost uncanny," Thundercracker chuckled while moving his digits to knead at Starscream's sides.

"STAHAHAP IT!! I-I COMMAHAND YOU!!" Starscream cackled, his faceplate burning a bright purplish-pink from the teases.

"But look at your smile! I wanna see more of it!" Skywarp faked a pout and started tracing his digits over the hinges of Starscream's wings. The red seeker let out a high pitched snort and kicked his pedes about. There was absolutely no escaping these two and he knew it.

"Oh man, that sounds like a bad spot, Screamer. Would it help if I moved my servos here?" Thundercracker smiled coyly at the other while his digits spidered up and down the outer plating of Starscream's thighs. His trinemate squealed out and jerked backwards, trapping himself further in Skywarp's grasp.

"And what do we have here? Some cozy neck cables for me to nuzzle into?" Skywarp buried his nose right into the crook of Starscream's neck, purring like a motor. The red seeker snorted at the gesture, scrunching up his shoulders to try and evade.

"YOU TWO AHARE AHAHAWFUL!!!" He squealed out, servos clenched into tight fists. The seeker was pressed tight unto himself, trapped between his two trinemates.

"Seems you're a lil tense there, Screamer. Maybe a massage will help you!" Skywarp snaked his servos down to Starscream's ribs, lightly kneading at the metal on his frame.

"GYEHEHEHAHAHAHAHA!! YOU'RE NOT HELPIHIHING!!" His trinemate cackled, clamping his arms down over Skywarp's servos. He kicked his pedes slightly, nearly hitting Thundercracker.

"Here, I'll help you out then," The blue seeker spoke, moving down to Starscream's knees and scribbling along the surface.

"YOU'RE NOT HELPING EHEHEHEITHER!!!" Starscream squirmed in the two's grasp, but couldn't get far considering he was in the middle of a seeker sandwich. His wings flapped around frantically, signaling his pure, unfiltered joy. The other two couldn't help but feel their sparks spin with warmth.

Starscream on the other hand was wheezing and hitting his fists on the sheets of their shared berth. The other two knew this was a sign and ceased their attacks immediately. Instead, they opted for rubbing out a few of the ghost tickles and leaving little platonic kisses on Starscream's wings and faceplate.

"You okay there, Stars? You almost sounded like a kettle there," Thundercracker teased lightly, his engine purring contently. Starscream crossed his arms over his chassis, turning his helm away.

"Hmph, you know perfectly well that I'm just fine! No thanks to the help you two, of course," Their commander scoffed.

"Oh come on, we totally cheered you up, didn't we? You can say it, Starsie!!" Skywarp nuzzled their helms together, wings flickering with delight.

"Don't you rub your grubby face on me! Off I say!" He tried to push Skywarp off, giving him a little scowl.

"That's enough, you two. How about some late afternoon cuddles? I can pull up a video on the datapad for us to watch," Thundercracker suggested.

"Fine, but I get to pick the series we watch this time!" Starscream declared with finality.

FIN

i LOOOOOOOOOVE taking forever on my fics its my faaaavorite activity its great guys u should try it

[losver07]

guys i really need a title for my fic jdbfkdnckd so ima tell you aaaaall about it and you tell me 1. wether youd read it or not and 2. what the hell i could use as a title because i have absolutely no idea

ok this is probably going to be long so under the cut :)

okay! marauders fic, of course. muggle au (because im not ready step that far out of my comfort zone yet lmao)

the main characters will of course be the four marauders, and the story is set in a hospital, where all of them are residents in the mental health ward. so after sirius attempts on his life, he is hospitalised by his brother and put in a room with james, peter and remus, who have all been accepted in the past couple of months for several but not so different reasons.

there will be a looot of mental health talk involved as you may imagine, as well as some juicy drama and very very yummy angst.

ships! wolfstar (unexpected, i know), jily, jegulus (ohhhh there's a lot of drama involved on that one), rosekiller probably, and many more that i'll improvise because let's be honest i do not control these characters.

also! no need to mention that i do NOT support jkr's transphobic, homophobic, racist, etc. views and that the goal of this fic is to make me and anyone else who enjoys it happy. i do not wish to offend anyone and even though there can be some triggering subjects involved (suicide, sh, eating disorders, etc.) they will be tagged so people who may be affected by them are safe. i really just want to write something that keeps my delusion going guys.

okay!!! so i think that sums it up well enough :) feel free to ask me anything or correct me if i messed up (i still have a lot of research to do on the british healthcare system), and give me ideas if you have any! i've got most of the plot outlined but i am willing to add/change some scenes if i get a good suggestion ;)

thanks for reading <3 ill let you know when i start posting chapters tho school is making that quite difficult lol

[persephoneflouwers]

Hi Angie, i hope it is alright that im calling you Angie, this is C.

Sorry for not replying earlier, I hope you are doing good. I’m also sorry to see that you lost someone so important to you, hope you are feeling better now.

I kinda screenshotted your answer to get back to you at a more suitable time (I see that I have the best timing now that the circus is back in town like talk about that wasted time eh Harry, anyway..)

I’m sorry that the fandom evolved into a place where you (and me and I’m sure many others) are feeling bad for voicing opinions that are essentially the fundamentals of being a larrie. The way this has been happening is particularly disheartening when people accuse us of apparently not respecting their closet or blaming them for their closets, like that is some level of gaslighting and guilt tripping.

I guess the fandom became this way now because louder voices are more occupied with following the biggest popstar (their words definitely not mine) of recent years than two closeted musicians that they can see past all the bs H and his team pull to the point where them voicing all the praise and how this fuck-boy persona is a must to make it big are drowning out the reasonable judgments of many levelheaded fans that can still manage to be here.

It really makes me wonder how it would be now with H and L if the fandom could have been more open with our criticism towards their recent way of handling fame, business etc, like im not trying to attribute more importance than we deserve to us as a fandom in their lives or saying we know better than them but we experienced firsthand how they were attuned to the chatter of larry fandom, maybe some tough love is what they need to hear instead of all the coddling (especially H) they are oddly receiving mostly from this part of fandom.

Also, im not trying to sound insensitive but it feels like they are missing Jay-like figure in their lives who im firmly believing was the voice of reason for them (I dont wanna get into this too much out of respect for Jay)

I have so much respect for you (and other blogs like you) bc you guys refuse to give into pressure of following whats come to be “the truth” and still speak your truths, there is nothing off putting about that believe me, it is admirable.

Im sorry if this ask feels incoherent, if it is so, you are gonna understand why in my following ask which would be just for you.

Hello, C 🦋 it’s so comforting to read your messages every now and then. I hope life is treating you well.

I know I made myself a reputation of an hater, but I’m not. I’m just constantly pushing back whatever stupid move they make. I don’t care if it’s good for their business, it’s not worthy on a human level and I fear the day people will start prioritising job and money and commercial success.

I also understand ignoring whatever thing you don’t like is a way to cope and go through this and curate your experience, but still it won’t make it go away. It’s hard at times, especially here - I’m not particularly close to anyone here so it feels like my experience is just me speaking into the void, you know? - and in this isolation sometimes I feel like the evil character but I don’t think I am. I’m a fan like everyone else, except I am very opinionated and more often than not I don’t agree with what I see/read here and there.

But thank you for coming back. I will not post the other part II because I like that little secret between us 😌 you’ll find me here when you decide to share more of your thoughts of course <3

[demaparbat-hp]

Zuko's eyes watered against his will when the ghost of a woman he did not know smiled at him like he was her child.

Zuko decided right there and then that maybe, just maybe, this too was something he came to find.

Ghost-Mother takes a look into Zuko's soul in For the Spirits Chapter IX: A Rider Alone.

More than a stranded soul, Kya holds all the love of the Old Tribe and the means to calm a coming tempest. Zuko won't ever forget her.

(He won't be allowed to.)

[uhbasicallyjustmilex]

me stubbornly forcing myself to drink green tea and rest from my THIRD COLD THIS MONTH

[friendlynaborhooddisapointment]

yk what im thinking? the fentons are 100% crazy enough to be Waynes. so what if they were? Jack could be Thomas Waynes' great-grandfather's brother who lived at Wayne Manor with his wife and kids. and they still open the portal with danny in it, so hes still a halfa. but either Jack and Maddie find out and they stick him in a stasis tube to try and fix him (what if they were also the people who figured out how to make the court of owls dead guys????) or Danny got stuck in the portal when he went inside and it doesnt open until the bats find it.

when the bats find him im thinking either they know (as well as danny) that hes half dead (the stasis tube) or they dont (stuck in the portal) and they find out all the fun stuff together. but, if they know hes dead already and so did danny there could be more creepy ghost shenanigans that could happen before they found the laboratory. which is v important

[angelpuns]

Sometimes when I reread Kid Leo - like EARLY Kid Leo it's so bad and I have the very far away feeling that it was written by someone else, cause in my head I'm like ' I can write way better than that!' but I'm sure I will also feel this way when I reread the current Kid Leo pages :/

[necrotic-nephilim]

this is an invitation to ramble about slade/batboy ships: sladick, sladejay, sladetim, sladedami, and other batfam member/villain ships, especially jayroman and ra'stim :)

AAAAAA this is so delightful oh my god thank you. adding a read more just because this one is going to get Long to cover all the ships and all my opinions. because my god do i love Slade.

firstly, the original Robin/villain ship, SlaDick. Slade Wilson, literally created to be a Teen Titans villains, with the original Robin he cannot be normal about ever. i'm so sad there's not much interest in Slade aside from making him a generic Evil Guy who canonically likes teenagers because i think to just boil down his complex with Dick to 'weird attraction' robs them of SUCH nuance. Slade *trusts* Dick, he trusts Dick enough to ask Dick to train his own daughter Rose. and initially Slade's complex over Dick isn't sexual, it's seeing Dick as a replacement for his dead son, Grant. that's messy as hell and i love them for it. i don't think there's a single villain that has the respect for Dick that Slade has. i'm always of the opinion Dick's attraction to Slade is rooted in daddy issues and Slade's attraction to Dick is rooted in dead son issues. do i think they could end up as an old married couple? yes but only in a world where Dick is completely broken and feels alone. my favorite SlaDick flavor is post-Jason's death. Dick and Bruce are arguably at their worst during that era to begin with so Dick is pretty isolated and emotionally unstable. and Slade would take such advantage of that, swooping in to offer Dick emotional stability and fucked up sex to get out pent up emotions. (i'm big a big fan of Dick fucking out his feelings tbh) and Slade is just. this sort of bad habit Dick will kick for a year or two then come crawling back to. you can directly track how well Bruce and Dick are getting along based on how many times Dick has slept with Slade recently. and that's the prize, for Slade. knowing Dick will come back to him, eventually. it's all about patience. and if something really extreme happened to Dick (like Bruce's fake death) i think they'd even date briefly. it's not entirely impossible for Dick to date someone he disagrees with morally (see: his flings with Helena) and i think Dick would keep trying to 'save' Slade, using the upper hand he has of filling in this role of Slade's dead son to try to domesticate him. would it work? who knows but if anyone is going to try over and over, it's going to be Dick. it's practically self-harm for Dick yet the only thing keeping him sane. i love them.

SladeJay is... an interesting one for me. because i like the *potential*. but they have no significant interactions pre-Flashpoint. and while usually i can forgive New-52 and Rebirth for their grievances if it has ship fodder i just... can't do that for Jason. Judd Winick's Jason is the only Jason that exists to me so even Slade and Jason's canon interactions matter little to me because it's not the version of Jason i care for. the upside of that though, is it's more of a sandbox to explore what they could be and there are no limitations. i can just run wild. which is fun bc. you're telling me Slade wouldn't be so drawn in by the idea of a dead Robin who's come back and is now the antithesis of Bruce's morality? i think at some point Slade would want to poke the bear, really see what Red Hood is made of. do i see them working long-term? no but i do think Jason would have zero qualms working with Slade if he got something out of it. and if he could fuck with Bruce or Dick by having a short, fucked up relationship with Slade? that's even better. i don't think Slade could ever truly respect Jason, at the end of the day the Dick Grayson standard is too high and Slade would sneer at the idea of a legacy who fucked it up so bad he got blown up. but, he'd see that as Bruce's failure more than Jason's. and for Jason to have someone look him in the eye and say that Bruce *failed* him? i think that'd just *do* something to Jason. and Slade has lost a son, he knows what that loss feels like, how you feel you failed as a father. would he have interest in being fatherly to Jason? no but i think he'd have fun momentarily manipulating Jason and seeing what reactions he gets out of what jeers. Jason's been calling himself a failure this whole time, so to have someone else say it is no real big deal, but to have someone else say it's Bruce's fault and voice Jason's feelings? they'd have the most fucked up sex with the most unhealthy dirty talk that's both gentle and degrading. i don't think Jason would ever let himself get too close, he's far too emotionally guarded. but for a second, i think he'd fantasize about having even *half* the amount of attention that Slade gives Dick. bc what has Jason always been, but in Dick's shadow.

SladeTim. my two blorbos. in one place. somewhere in my drafts i have a half-started longfic about SladeTim that's one half really fucked up porn and one half slowburn feelings. arguably Tim and Slade don't have many canon interactions, but it's fun to me that when they do, Slade always seems sort of startled by how well Tim fights back and Tim's willingness to fight dirty in a way even Dick doesn't. and to me, that's the crux of this ship. as far as Robins go, Tim should sort of slip under the radar for Slade. he's not the dead one turned villain, he's not the grandson of Ra's al Ghul, hell he's not even the child of a second-rate villain like Steph, he's not *the* Dick Grayson, he's just... the other one. grew up pretty rich and normal and fell for all of Bruce's wax poetic nonsense. so when Tim puts himself on the map as a hero, makes himself a worthy opponent against Slade that's interesting. even to Tim, Slade isn't a particularly remarkable villain since Slade cares to stay more on Dick's radar. so when they cross paths there's a lot of unexpected. neither of them have thought about the other too hard. so there's this interest and intrigue about it i love. i'm a big fan of the idea Tim is a massive masochist, both physically and emotionally and Slade is The Sadist Ever so. i like them falling into bed together and having the most fucked up sex. like Tim just being a Weird Little Freak so fucked up even Slade raises an eyebrow. because this isn't what you *expect* of a kid like Tim, who's had a pretty easy life before tangling with vigilantes. he should be like a fish out of water, but instead he's matching Slade's energy in ways even Dick doesn't. and of course, how smart he is, that's an asset. it takes a special kind of kid to have the audacity to poison Lady Shiva with hotel chocolates and pull it *off* no less. it earns a begrudging respect, and it's rare to get Slade to respect someone. i really like the idea of Tim seeking Slade out only for fucked up sex and somehow Slade falls for this weird little freak who's cold and clinical outside of sex and keeps him guessing.

i'll be honest i've only considered SladeDami in the context of seeing antis say 'omg Slade has been predatory toward Damian ewww' and going 'no the fuck he hasn't but if you want that so bad i'll ship it just to spite you all' but their canon interactions do fascinate me. a lot of how they interact is predicated on Slade as a father, even more so than SlaDick. like Slade will fight Damian and then be like 'hey be good to your old man fathers need their sons' and fucking dip. and then with the whole Respawn thing and Shadow War? that was extra crunchy. for a brief moment Slade had a son who was a brother to Damian and then he goes and *dies*? talk about the complex that would give him with Damian, the spitting image of Respawn. Make Slade Weird About Batkids That Remind Him of His Son 2024. Damian holds an utter contempt for Slade that is simply unmatched. so Slade not leaving that kid alone because of his weird issues, making sure that Bruce doesn't screw up with Damian the way he screwed up with Respawn is very fun. and Damian slowly building up a tolerance to Slade's annoying antics could be fun. Damian is, at his core, still just a kid who needs the approval of something father-shaped and he will Take What He Can Get. are they ever healthy or long lasting? no but i do think Damian would cling to Slade during his teen years for something incredibly fucked up and codependent until either Slade dumped him or he forced himself to get over it.

JayRoman. i will not lie love these two but i don't think i've read many Black Mask comics when he's not interacting with Jason. which is funny because my entire conception of Roman is him just getting humiliated by Jason and really what more is there to know about the man. Jason is so unserious in how he handles Roman and the best part is you can tell it's truly because he doesn't see Roman as a threat. Roman's just a pawn in the game of getting Bruce's attention and sure, Jason is aiming to kill Roman by the end of it, but he'll always have bigger fish to fry. and that's so *infuriating* for Roman. this new guy who's *clearly* a fucking teenager shows up, owns you so badly it shatters your empire, and then you only live bc he seems to have gotten bored of you. JayRoman is my particular favorite ship for the flavor of 'the sub in bed is in control of every other aspect of their relationship and their submission is a gift that can be revoked at any time' which we don't get enough. fucked up power dynamics always have the sub being the one lacking control. and whilst i enjoy when Roman is able to absolutely control and manipulate Jason through various means, i think in canon, it makes far more sense he's pathetic and begging Jason for even a *chance*. and Jason very specifically picking who he subs for based on someone who he could kill or destroy at the drop of the hat if he needed to is a very Jason thing to do. there will never be trust between these two. they will fuck nasty and Roman will be in love with Jason. but they are both carrying a gun during sex. the gun is probably involved during the sex.

Ra'sTim. my everything. Red Robin (2009) you will always be famous to me. what *don't* they have. forced proximity. enemies to lovers. forced partnership. one-sided obsession. ridiculously large age gap. deep unforgivable betrayal. i will never evacuate these two from my brain dear god. Ra's is another one of those villains who gets painted with one broad stroke of being cartoonishly evil with no exploration of his interesting nuance. making him nothing but a villain is boring. where is the Ra's who loves so deeply and fully and has to lose his loved ones over and over and will not let that happen to Tim. he wants to consume Tim in a 'cannibalism as a metaphor for love but also probably literal cannibalism' way. the amount of trust put in Ra's in order for Tim to be able to betray him as spectacularly as he did? that's glorious. Tim had full unfiltered access to Ra's' computers even when he was advised against trusting Tim so much. and then Tim wins against Ra's and willingly lets Ra's kill him. (obviously Dick saves him, but I'm of the opinion Tim was just committed to dying in that moment and he was Okay With That) 'i will betray you if it's the last thing i do' as an act of love. Tim is to Ra's what Dick is to Slade. you will never convince me Tim and Ra's didn't hatefuck at least once during RR (2009) with a questionable level of consent. i'm so serious i will never shut up about them. the way Tim talks about working with Ra's as if he's making a deal with the devil and Ra's talks about Tim like he's the precious, once in a life time thing, one of the only people worthy to produce an heir for Ra's. how's that not gay. what other ship involved one of them literally trying to have the other's baby to raise as an heir. Ra's would probably carry the baby himself if he could. memes aside they're just so. they're so it. i love when Tim is forced into a Situation where he has to work with Ra's and confronts the darker aspects of himself that Ra's wants to bring out but Tim wants to squash. it is The corruption kink. whether Ra's succeeds or not in corrupting Tim doesn't even matter because the real crux of this ship is the chase. it's the way the heart pounds when they reach out for each other and you don't know if it's for a kiss or a killing blow. it's very Hannigram to me, in that i don't even need or want them to kiss to know they're in love. love to them is not true love's kiss, it's the thoughtful place they decide to stab the other in. be the sheath to my dagger type ship. hold all this bloody violence i know you're capable of inside of you. let me cut the violence out of you ship. what more can you ask for from a ship. Ra's would tie Tim down and torture him both as foreplay and as a love language and Tim would be too fucked up and self-sacrificial to stop him. always playing the dangerous game of how far will the other let them go until someone tries to die or kill. listen i think i lost the plot here but my point is they're unwell about each other. Tim will make Ra's regret the day he met Tim Drake not just for the betrayal but because Ra's can never go back to a time Before Tim. before knowing what the chase felt like. they're so. them.