#he does that with all the girls honestly. the more material gifts the less emotional commitment 😪

[duusheen]

The breakup part II

[simpsiren]

lee taeyong x reader

“my baby dont like it when you come around”

description. a new guy in college asks you for help to get rid of his girlfriend and slowly falls for you instead through your heated times with him.

genre. ANGST, college au, cheating au, bold/ arrogant reader x shy taeyong

warnings. none? except for the fact that this basically about cheating and having strong emotional tensions with each other, slighty suggestive

a/n. hihii i always thought of doing a ff about their baby dont like it song because its been in my head for so long HAHA also the lyrics are just uHem but yeah so anyways buckle up because theres going to be a lot of angst and tensionn also i didnt notice that i wrote so much like damn aNywAys enjoyy!

you walk into class lazily, expecting the same thing to happen again. as you step into the lecture hall, your eyes immediately went to your seat. you sigh and push you glasses up before walking over.

“i swear when will people stop doing this?” you mutter to yourself, shoving all the gifts off your table, making it all drop to the ground and producing a loud noise. everyone’s eyes are being drawn to your direction. you roll your eyes as mark takes his usual seat beside you.

“that’s the most you got this week.” mark laughs in disbelief, looking down onto the floor. you flash a fake smile at him, making him laugh even more. “its so annoying. none of them even look good.” your eyes scan through the gifts on the floor, seeing one that actually looks decent. you pick it up and examine it closely. mark gets near you and does the same.

“ill keep this one. looks expensive.” you shrug, shoving the expensive looking silver necklace into your bag. mark scoffs, letting his body sink into his seat. “i love the fact that you only care about the value of the gift.” 

you click your tongue and stand up, proceeding to pick up all the useless gifts you received from the random guys on campus and walking over to the trash can, throwing it all away. you hear gasps and mutters around the lecture hall. you clearly couldnt care less, walking back, taking your seat and bringing out your materials.

“it cant be helped that youre the most beautiful one around here.”

“you think i dont know that? people do know that they shouldnt mess with me right? yet i need to keep up with unknown admirers and random texts of confession.” you let out a long sigh, as you rest your chin on the palm of your head, leaning onto the table. 

“you admit youre beautiful. your confidence is truly amazing.” mark comments. you kept your eyes to the front as you watch your professor walk in, along with a new guy you’ve never seen before. your eyes remained on the guy, watching him climb up  the stairs and walking to the seat next to you. 

your attention changes to the professor as she starts talking. but your ears immediately diverted its attention to somewhere else, particularly to the guy next to you. 

“why did you seat next to her? do you know how dangerous that is?” you hear the girl sitting behind him whisper. its no doubt that she purposely whispered loud enough for you to hear, wanting to make your blood boil. you ket your cool and focused on the lecture, taking notes accordingly.

“how so?”

“she’s hard to talk to. she only had mark as her friend and she gets pissed easily. her temper is the worst around here and she’s the most feared. a lot of guys like her for some reason and-” 

“are you done, sweetie?” you lick your bottom lip as you turned around the face the girl. you hear mark hiding his laugh with a cough. “if you are, i really suggest you shut your mouth before i sew it shut for you.” your eyes glared at hers, staring at her intensively. you knew that it scared her when she immediately looks away. you chuckle in amusement before turning back to the front.

you look to the side, to see the guy’s eyes opened wide, with an eyebrow raised. you smile softly.

“lee taeyong.” you whisper, reading off the keychain attached to his pencil case, nodding your head before paying attention to the lecture again. the guy coughs softly and faced forward as well.

the lecture was now over and you start to pack up. you take your time since you know that it would be hectic to get through the large crowd of students who are also exiting as well as being able to avoid bumping into any guys and have them confess their useless affection towards you.

you were however intrigued to find out what’s going on outside when you hear someone whispering about the fact that there’s an extremely pretty girl waiting outside the campus.

by then, only you and mark were in the lecture hall. you figured it would be a good time to step out and find out the reason behind all the talking outside.

as you and mark walk down the hallway to the entrance, you tilt your head as you see a crowd forming at the gate. you sigh, taking off your glasses and rubbing your temples. “how the fuck are we suppose to get out?” you turn to mark with your eyebrows furrowed.

“im sure they’ll move aside once you come in.” mark places his hand on your shoulder and taps it lightly before walking forward towards the huge crowd with full confidence. you swear you can burst any minute as the the mumbles of the people fill your ears even more as you walk closer.

the moment one person makes eye contact with you. their eyes widened and signal their friends to quiet down. eventually, the noise starts to lower down as you made you way through the crowd. eyes were glued on you as you follow behind mark. you swiftly clean your glasses with the cloth in your pocket and put them back on.

as your vision starts to become clear, you notice that the one standing beside the girl is the lee taeyong guy from ealier. you walk over to them immediately.

you turn your head slightly to the back, signalling everyone to get back to what they were doing, and as always, they obey and the crowd dispersed itself. you look back to the front to where the cause of the nuisance started.

you eyed the girl intensively, looking up and down, observing every inch of her. you had to admit, she is quite the beauty. perfect wavy brown hair, almond shaped eyes, nicely drawn eyebrowa and plump pink lips. her body in the black tight fitting dress is amazing. it curved her body in all the right places.

you look up to see taeyong and the girl looking back at you with a raised brow. you faked a wide smile. “i dont think its wise to meet your boyfriend right at the gates of school.. especially when you’re this pretty. id fuck you.” you lick your lips teasingly and chuckle soon after.

“bitch the fuck?” mark whispers. you let out a loud, cunning laugh. “or perhaps...”

your eyes immediately connected with taeyong’s. you saw the fear yet a tint of interest in his eyes. you liked it. as you walk past the couple, you run your hand down taeyong’s chest. taeyong freezes as the girl’s mouth gape open, pulling taeyong away instantly with her arm around his waist. “id fuck your boyfriend.”

your head jerks toward taeyong as you whisper into his ear, but loudly enough for the girl to hear. with that, you wink at the both of them and walk off. mark smiles kindly before following behind you.

“that was... wow.” mark says to you, taking out his phone from his back pocket. you sigh, pushing your glasses up the bridge of your nose.

“honestly who is dumb enough to meet their significant other just outside campus? they should be taught a lesson. and to think that taeyong guy is new.”

“his name is taeyong?”

you nod. mark nods back in reply as the two of you walk ahead to the small secluded cafe shop nearby where the two of you would usually hang out.

“i really hope i dont see him on friday. does he look like he’s the kind to skip lecture?” you ask, taking a sip of your tea while mark drinks his coffee.

mark shrugs, laying his back against the chair. “i dont think so? he has that ‘bad boy but obedient’ vibes.” you eyebrows furrow, but you slowly nod your head as you start to understand his view of taeyong.

“well i hope he wont let his girlfriend and him cause such commotion again. it took us so long to get out.” you whine, looking at the time on your phone. “we fucking got out like 30 minutes after! you know how much i hate getting off campus late.”

mark chuckles, running his hand through his hair. “we know, sweetie. we know.”

“dont call me that i swear-”

“suckass.”

“bitch.”

the two of you laugh happily and take a sip of your drinks at the same time before discussing about today’s lecture.

friday comes and you see the gifts placed neatly on your table yet again. you roll your eyes and slouch into your seat. you are now too tired to even throw away the gifts and you give up doing so.

more people soon start to fill the seats of the lecture hall. when the professor walks in, you notice that the seat beside you is empty. you purse your lips into a thin line and shrug your shoulders, thinking that taeyong isnt going to come today.

“taeyong. its only your second day yet you’re already late.” your head lifts up from your table to see taeyong standing by the door. you rest your chin on the palm on your hand as you were intrigued by him again like the first time you saw him on wednesday. why? you dont even know yourself.

taeyong rushes in and sits down next to you. what surprised you is the fact that the same girl is standing outside. the murmurs and whispers come again. you swear you can get a headache from it.

you see her blowing a kiss to taeyong, making everyone shout and fangirl over her before she leaves and the hall is back to being silent. you turn your head to taeyong, who immediately look back at you.

“is she that crazy over you?” you ask, taking out your pen and beginning writing notes. “yeah. but i fucking hate it.” taeyong replies. you chuckle lowly as your eyes remain on the projector yet you could see taeyong blinking his eyes, as if you had an effect on him.

“she seems rich. you’re after her money, arent you?”

“it’s because i cant get away from her parents.”

“hm its also for the money. i can tell.” you look down at his outfit, a lot of it are designer and authentic clothing items. you laugh softly with amusement.

“why are people scared of you?” your eyes immediately darkens and you slowly turn your head to face taeyong, staring down at him. taeyong sucks air into his cheeks and glances somewhere else. laughing quietly at his reaction, you smile softly.

“let’s just say i have a bad reputation. yet im popular for some reason. its seriously annoying.”

taeyong looks down at the gifts that you have thrown off your table. “i can tell. you seem bold and intimidating.”

you take out your phone to scroll through your social medias in boredom. “bold and intimidating huh? you’re an interesting one. i like it.” you glance at the clock when you hear people starting to pack up. you too start to pack up as well.

taeyong is still seated on his seat, writing down the notes he missed from talking to you. you figured that he couldn’t multitask like you. before you stand up to get out of the hall you turn to taeyong. again it looked like his senses were all heightened and he’s being wary of you.

you got closer to him, faces inches apart. he didn’t move at all. his eyes still on you. you smirk softly, licking your bottom lip as you eyed him narrowly like looking at a delicious candy.

“looks like you arent intimidated by me. i like you.” you whispers softly, laughing loudly as you see mark waiting for you at the door. you quickly got up and went to mark. as the two of you exited the hall, you look back to taeyong. he’s still glued to his seat, not moving, his mouth gaping open slightly.

“oi let’s go.” you hear mark shout as you notice him already walking away. you smirk widely and follow behind mark.

“im sorry what?”

“let me cheat on her with you.”

“no.”

you glare at taeyong as you take a bite from your meal. you and taeyong are having lunch on campus together and it never fails to have eyes glued onto you whenever you’re with taeyong. you’re only option is to hang out with tayeong since mark didnt come today. you have yet to ask him why.

“come on please! if she sees me with someone like you she’ll be too scared to get near me then i can finally break up with her.” taeyong whines, grabbing your cup of iced tea and taking a sip.

“protect your reputation, taeyong. look around. you being with me is already giving people a bad impression of you.” taeyong does what you say, looking around and realising that a lot of people were staring at you two. he turns back to find you picking on your food.

“you’re the only one i know around here. itll only be until me and her break.”

you eyes trailed up from your food to meet taeyong’s. you put your fork down and sat up straight, tilting your head slightly. “what’s in it for me?” people around you know very well that wouldnt do something without getting something back in return. it didnt take taeyong long to know that due to the constant whispers about you around campus.

“ill let you have the money she gives me?” taeyong says nervously. you click your tongue. you were definitely intrigued when taeyong says the word ‘money’. taeyong smiles sheepishly as he waits for your answer.

“ill do it.” taeyong’s face lits up in an instant. you however were smiling devilishly, looking down at your prey. “get ready though. im not an easy one.”

taeyong blinks his eyes rapidly. his eyes definitely says he’s intimidated. but his body says otherwise, looking calm and composed.

“i know. itll be fun.” your eyes widen slightly as you see taeyong smirking under his soft smile. you raise your eyebrows and chuckle in amusement.

“oh im sure it will, ty.”

“you sure that’ll work?” you roll your eyes and rub your temples. you lost count of how many times you have tried to explain the plan to taeyong.

“you said she comes here to have coffee before she picks you up right? she doesnt know we ended early today so we’ll probably run into her. then i’ll just flirt with you or something. just follow my lead.” taeyong nods slowly. 

you shrug your shoulders and let your body sink into the comfortable seat. you and taeyong are at a pretty high class cafe and it felt good to drink some quality tea instead of the cheap ones you have to put up with living as a broke college student.

you drink your tea as you eyed taeyong. he looks anxious, constantly looking out the window and sucking his draw despite his cup already being empty. you groan to catch taeyong’s attention. “you need to chill. have you never flirt with anyone before?” taeyong shakes his head, biting his straw. you gape your mouth and clap your hands.

“no way! you’re good looking. you cant tell me that snobby girl is the only one you ever dated.” 

“she is.”

you choked on your drink, proceeding you laugh hysterically. taeyong furrows his eyebrow. “you better find a better girlfriend once you break up with her ty.” taeyong frowns, running his hand through his silk soft-looking hair. “im not interested in dating.” taeyong mumbles. you only hum in response. 

looking up from taeyong, you see the girl walking down the street, about to enter the cafe. you tapped taeyong’s hand quickly, making him flinch. 

“okay she’s coming, act natural. like how we are now.”

“wait what i-”

you immediately peck his lips to shut him up. taeyong widens his eyes in shock, his body completely frozen at your touch. you smirked widely as you see the girl standing outside, with her eyes filled with anger and her hand clenching into fists tightly. you chuckle in an evil manner. “her she comes.” you whisper in a sing-song tone.

taeyong looks straight at the door as she finally steps into the cafe and stomps over to your table. you smile widely, putting in your innocent act.

“who’s she, tae?” taeyong doesn’t reply, looking at you. you raise both your eyebrows and roll your eyes. slowly, your fingers crawl up to taeyong’s hand on the table, touching his fingers as you jerked your head to her.

“a friend.” taeyong replies simply.

she scoffs. you ran your hand through your hair. “and why are you guys here?”

you click your tongue and chuckle lowly. you look at her, noticing that she’s eyeing you like a prey. clearly she’s jealous right now. with her arms crossed and eyes. you knew.

“we finished quite early actually. you dont mind me hanging out with him, do you? im sure you know he’s new and im his only friend.” you say softly, turning to taeyong and biting your lip seductively. a smirk slowly creeped up taeyong’s mouth. you’re surprised that he suddenly looks confident rather than the first time you two met when he was looking all intimidated and nervous around you.

“yeah, its true.” taeyong winks playfully at you. you only hum in response before looking up to the girl. she furrows her eyebrows in anger.

“hm you wanna hang out with him, right? alright ill leave.” you stand up and shove your phone into your back pocket. as you walk past behind taeyong, you bend down beside him and got close to his ear, acting as if you were whispering something as you stared at the girl. oh the look on her face. you laugh inside your head. you stand up straight and ran your fingers seductively behind taeyong’s shoulders before exiting the cafe. you could have sworn that you heard her growling under her breathe.

“you should have seen the look on her face!” you laugh crazily, slamming your hand against your thigh and taking another sip of mark’s drink. you were too lazy to buy your own.

“man why didn’t you tell me all this before?! i would have followed you guys and watch the shit go down.” mark whines. you grin widely and shake your head.

“im so sorryy.” you take in deep breathes to calm yourself down.

“taeyong must have been surprised when he sees you go into that mode. i remember the first time you helped me get my parents to not force me to be in relationships after they knew im “dating” someone like you.” mark chuckles.

“well he was shocked at first. but he surprisingly acted well.”

mark nods his head. you sigh as you look around the campus and you see taeyong walking with his headphones on. you smile softly.

“if you’ll excuse me, ill put on my ‘cheating’ role now and go to taeyong. text me alright!” you stand up from your seat and did you signature handshake with mark before speeding over to where taeyong was.

your hand loops around his arm as you pull him close. taeyonh flinches but relaxes when he notice it’s you. “so how did she react?” you ask, walking happily.

taeyong shrugs and takes off his earpiece, unplugging it from his phone and shoving it into his tote bag. “she was definitely jealous. she gave me a lecture on how i shouldnt be with you cuz you looked like a bitch.” you gasp sarcastically, placing your hand on your chest as you gaped your mouth widely. taeyong chuckles at your reaction.

“a bitch? what about her? tsk..” you roll your eyes.

“i can safely assure you that you’re way better than her.” you laugh in response.

“of course i am.” you wink at taeyong. “also what’s her name? you never told me.”

“soyoung. oh by the way.” taeyong stops in his tracks. you stop as well and let your arm off taeyong’s. taeyong digs into his tote bag. after awhile, he pulls out money. you smile almost immediately.

“she gave it to me. in a way to bribe me not to hang out with you.” you lean forward and snatch the money away and counted it. and boy was it a lot of money.

“she’d pay this much for you to stay away from me? she really is a bitch.” you slid the money into your wallet.

“too bad though. she’ll be seeing me with you more often.” you start to walk forward, but you stop and turn your head back. taeyong was standing still and staring at you. you see him snap out of hid thoughts and shake his head before walking towards you.

“sorry about that. let’s go.” you only shrug your shoulders as the two of you walk out of campus.

“you’re meeting her this sunday?” taeyong nods. you look around taeyong’s apartment. it wasnt big, big enough for two people but he’s the only one lving here. the decor is simple and he place doesn’t look messy. you figured it suited him well.

“we’ll be together before you’re suppose to meet her and have her see us together.”

taeyong widens his eyes and tilts his head. “that’ll be intense.” you raise an eyebrow and chuckle.

“isnt that what cheating is all about, ty?” you shake your head, acting disappointed. you hear him let out a ‘tsk’. you laugh.

“all right. looks like you’re taking me out sunday night. ill dress up.”

“dont you always dress up? your outfits upstages everyone when i see you on campus.”

you peck taeyong’s cheek playfully. taeyong jumps back at your sudden move. you smiled widely.

“you know i always look good.”

you suddenly feel taeyong pulling you and placing you on his lap. you tilt your head in confusion. “what’s this?”

taeyong’s breathing slows down as his eyes glaze your face intensively, as if admiring every inch of it.

“sounds weird but i find you very fucking hot.. its irresistible.” taeyong whispers, raising his hand to twirl a section of your hair around his fingers.

“oh and please book me a grab home. im heading out now so text me aites.” you stand up from the couch and wave to taeyong before leaving his apartment and closing the door.

as you were waiting for taeyong to pick you up on his motorbike, you look down at your outfit. you’re wearing a really short grey pleated skirt with a white lace bralette and a oversized checkered blazer as an outerwear. you don’t usually wear skirts often, but you did need to play the part of being revealing so as to “attract” taeyong’s attention. you put the quotations on attract but you dont even know if taeyong would be attracted or not. you slightly hoped that he would for some reason.

you see a motorbike coming to a halt. you walk towards it as taeyong gets off. he takes off his helmet, ruffling his hair as he went to the trunk. you blink your eyes rapidly as you’ve never seen taeyong look this good. you snap out of your thoughts when taeyong passed you your helmet. the both of you wear the helmets at the same time as you give way for taeyong to get on the bike. after adjusting a little, taeyong jerks his head to gesture you to get on.

“sit properly if you dont want guys staring at your exposed thighs.” taeyong says, his voice being muffled by the shield of helmet. you pull your down your skirt slightly and rest your hand on your thighs, waiting for him to take off, but he doesn’t.

“put your hands somewhere else. it’s dangerous.”

“ouh right right..” you look at your sides to find any handles to hold onto but there weren’t any. you stare down at his back. shurgging, you wrap your arms around his waist and interlock your fingers togther. taeyong turns his head to you and looks forward before starting the mottorbike and driving. you dont even know where you’re headed but oh well.

after a drive of about 20 minutes, you finally feel the motorbike stop. you look beside you and notice there was a restaurant. a very high class one. you gap your mouth open in disbelief as you get off the bike and take off your helmet.

“you have dates to these places often?” you turn around to face taeyong who sighs and gets close to you to take your helmet, nodding slowly.

you scoff, your eyes scanning the entrance of the place up and down. you feel taeyong’s hand snake around your waist. “let’s not go inside yet.” you raise an eyebrow.

“then where are we going?”

taeyong leads you to the entrance of the restaurant, where there are benches aligned. you nod your head once taeyong take a seat on the bench and sit doen beside him.

“the place is secluded so id normally see people making out around here.” taeyong comments, glancing at his phone to check the time.

“well there’s a bar a few blocks down so i guess that’s why.” you only nod in response, looking in front as you watch the cars drive by. it made you think of one thing. “wait what does her car look like-“

taeyong swiftly wraps his arm around your waist and pull you on his lap. you blink at him as he jerks his head to the back of you. you assume that she arrived. you arch your back and let your hair flow down on one shoulder before wrapping your hands around his neck and pulling him into a deep kiss. taeyong’s grip on your waist tightens as you ran you hand through his hair and tilt your head to deepen the kiss even more. you felt taeyong’s hand roaming from your waist to your thigh, going up and down slowly.

for some reason, you were enjoying it. his lips on yours. you felt his hunger, neediness for you as he held you close as if to claim you’re his. you felt the same nonetheless. you liked it a lot. the two of you knew very well that this isnt acting anymore. it was real. the heat and needy tension. you didnt feel such a thing in a long time.

you suddenly flinch when you felt a hand on your shoulder, pushing you off taeyong’s lap. you turn around. “oh look who’s here! its soyoung.”

“the fuck did i just saw you doing with taeyong?” soyoung pushes you back further.

“i was about to have dinner with taeyong here.. but id figure it would be better to get free appetisers instead of having to pay for one.” you say confidently, brushing your thumb over you bottom lip as your eyes stared into hers.

soyoung scoffs and folds her arms. she looks down at your outfit. “you’ve been trying to seduce taeyong from the very start.” soyoung mutters under her breathe. you tilt your head as you grin widely.

“of course that’s what i’ve been doing idiot. taeyong really enjoys being with me though.” you turn your head to taeyong who was smirking widely and eyeing your outfit hungrily.

soyoung rubs her temples. with no words coming out her mouth, she turn away and walks to her car, getting into the driver’s seat and driving off. you slowly turn your head to taeyong who’s mouth is wide open. you laugh hysterically.

“oh my fucking god that was awesome!” you shout, clapping as you sit back down beside taeyong. taeyong smiles widely. “you really do have it in you.” taeyong compliments. you nudge his arm. “if you say you underestimated me i will beat you up.”

“please do. ruin me. every single moment i spend with you makes me fall and want you more. i love the dangerous side of you,”

[needs-to-stop-looking-at-yigas]

OOH can we see how Kohga would react to Mipha asking for relationship advice? Since she’d see how devoted and passionate Sooga is for his Master, and not really anyone else in their group is in a relationship soooo

I’m just obsessed with him just adoring Mipha and trying his ass off to get her and Link together it’s so cute

One, thank you for recognizing the fact that Kohga playing Mipha’s wingman is possibly the best idea I’ve EVER had. Two, I am SO ready to start this absolute soft shit. Smut is fun and all, but come on, Kohga trying to hook bitches up is amazing. And third, this got waay out of hand, so enjoy some double dates here.

“So, did you get me something?”

Sooga hardly left Master Kohga’s side. Whenever he had to, be it to lend a hand elsewhere; he had TWO rules to follow; come home to him at the end of the day, and bring him something. Kohga had been sitting here, having tea with Mipha, while Sooga offered to help Sidon hunt for sneaky river snails (Sooga had a real knack for knowing where to find them). They came back with quite the haul, so the fact that he managed to get anything else was nothing to scoff at. He put the large bag of fish down on the floor, and from his pockets, produced a small cage. Inside the cage was what appeared to be a winterwing butterfly. Kohga clapped his hands together, clearly loving it.

“Ooh, I’ve been looking for one of these!”

“I know. It was why I had to stop in the middle of fishing to catch it for you. I may have let Sidon fall in the water in my haste. Maybe.”

Mipha cocked her head to the side upon seeing his reaction to the small bug.

“You like bugs?”

“Just the butterflies. I only keep them for a day or two before I let them go, I just think they’re neat.”

Kohga took a hold of Sooga’s chin, grinning from ear to ear.

“And SOMEONE seemed to remember me saying I wanted this specific one. You’re such a sap, Sooga.”

Sooga was trying (and failing) not to smile.

“I listen to EVERY word you say, master Kohga.”

“Ugh, you’re being mushy again. Get outta my face, go help shark boy with the fish.”

Kohga tried to look mean as he gently pushed his face away, but it was plainly obvious; Kohga loved him. Sooga pardoned himself, hoisted the bag over his shoulder, and walked off with Sidon. Mipha took a sip of her tea, watching as Kohga lightly shook his head. She knew it was a bad emotion to feel, but she couldn’t resist feeling a bit jealous. They were so happy with one another, and yet, her own love and affections were clearly not recognized by the one boy she loved, more than anything. Perhaps…

“Kohga? Can I ask something?”

“Whatever you want.”

Kohga stopped ogling his boyfriend for a second and gave her his attention, snacking on the cookies she made, just for him (shaped in just the cutest seashells). She squirmed a bit in her seat, unsure of how to go about it, before she finally came out with it.

“How...did you get someone to love you, the way Sooga does?”

Kohga stopped eating for a second, looking at her sullen face. This little fish was just sweeter than banana bread, and it hurt poor ol’ Kohga to see her love so much, without Goldilocks even talking about it with her. Sure they were young, and they had forever to talk about this stuff, but there was no time like the present.

“Sooga is a fucking idiot, for one, and I attract idiots. Second, you kinda just. Come out with it. We started off as friends before anything, and that’s now all relationships start. Course, your case is a BIT different from mine. You want my honest opinion? Just shoot your shot. I mean, worst he’s gonna say is no. Or nothing with his mute ass…”

Kohga mumbled that last part, helping himself to another sip of tea. Realizing it didn’t seem to be very helpful, he sighed.

“Or, you could cook him something. Call me old fashioned, but my mama always said the quickest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. I make mean salmon skin, look at the hunk I bagged.”

They both turned to look at Sooga, who was busy de shelling the fish alongside Sidon. Mipha pursed her little lips, before softly nodding.

“I...suppose that isn’t a bad idea at all. If I can find the courage in my heart to ask him.”

Just then, Kohga noticed Link walking alongside the princess. Small land, honestly. Kohga put his hands to the side of his face, crying out to Link.

“Yo Goldilocks! Mipha’s cookin’ tonight, you want in?!”

Link nodded, giving a thumbs up. Kohga shrugged.

“See? Easy. You just gotta be straightforward with boys.”

Mipha held her face in her hands, obviously embarrassed.

“But what do I do WHEN I make him something?! What do I say? What do I talk about with him?”

Kohga loved Mipha, really he did, but girl needed to stop seeing boys as a lynel, and more along the lines of wild horses. Something to tame, not to fear. He sighed.

“Tell you what. Me and Sooga will join you, sorta like a double date kinda deal. I’ll be there if the date goes bad, and we can dip when the date is going GOOD.”

Mipha looked up from the table with just the softest eyes you’ve ever seen.

“You...would do that, for me?”

“Course, lil red! You’re like, my favorite in the little team of goody two shoes. Plus, free eats, can’t complain-”

She suddenly got out of her seat, and nearly pounced on him for a hug. The things he did for love.

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

“He here yet?”

“Not quite, but I’m just about done!”

Kohga came back a while later, alongside Sooga. Kohga had his own men helping her in the kitchen, setting up the dining room, everything she could need, Kohga helped with. Kohga scoffed as he put his gift on the dining room table (he’d be remiss if he didn’t bring something to drink for the occasion), lightly pulling up one of her fins, and scoffing.

“Okay, let the boys finish up. Sooga, get to work on this girl, she needs to focus on being as pretty as a fresh stack of banana pancakes.”

Sooga nodded, prompting Mipha to follow him to her bedroom. Kohga was about to see just what she was cooking, before the main doors flew open. Link. Aka, Goldilocks, aka, the guy that never fucking knocked. He was wearing the classic gerudo outfit. A real tits out look, and honestly Kohga would jump on that in a heartbeat.

“Goldilocks! Bit early! How you doing? Mipha will be ready in just a second, take a seat, lemme get you a drink!”

Link nodded. Kohga chatted him up for a minute, serving him a nice glass of banana wine (it’s actually VERY good). When he caught the eyes of Sooga, he pardoned himself and dipped into the hallway. He took one gander at Mipha, and gave a whistle.

“Girl look at YOU! Lookin’ prettier than a pack of opals!”

She really did look like a beauty. Freshly touched lipstick, sharpened nails, her silver jewelry replaced with gold, and instead of her usual blue sash, Sooga somehow managed to find time to make a blue, see through looking dress for her. It fit around her body snugly, but it was a loose, comfortable material, perfect for fashion, and function. Sooga was so talented, getting that together so quickly. Kohga nodded towards Link.

“Go keep him busy, gotta give this girl a pep talk.”

Sooga nodded. Once he left, Kohga carefully put his hands on her shoulders.

“Look at me. Lookin? Okay good. You like this guy, so be you. BUT, you need to let him know you’re interested. Be flirty. Touch his hands, compliment him, fucking, feed him from your plate- make it obvious. You’re a princess. He’s a knight, it’s GONNA happen.”

She nodded firmly, shoulder’s straight as a Lynel’s. 

“I can do this!”

She peered over at Link, and immediately hid behind a wall again.

“I can’t do this! He’s wearing the voe armor!”

“For the love of…”

Kohga sighed. Why did he love all these shy bitches?

“Mipha. You’re gonna make HIM drool, not the other way around. Come on, you’ve got this. I’ll be right here, I’ll make you look good as hell. On three. One. Two. Three!”

He carefully pushed her towards the dining room, and Mipha looked ready to have a heart attack. Poor thing.

“Link! It’s so nice to have you over! I hope my invitation wasn’t sudden!”

Link shook his head. Kohga, sensing things were still awkward, jumped in. He was always the fun one at parties.

“Hey, you know what, we should totally start eating! I heard Mipha made quite the spread, Sooga why don’t you help bring the stuff out?”

Sooga nodded, heading into the kitchen. Kohga gestured for all of them to take a seat (with Mipha sitting right next to Link of course), and him just a bit away from them. Close enough to be supportive, but just far enough to beat it if he was cramping their style. Soon enough, trays of food were brought in, and even Kohga had to admit, he was starved.

“Master Kohga?”

“Yes, Sooga?”

“I’m sorry.”

He was about to ask what for, but then he saw it. Fish dish. Fish dish, not a single dish WASN’T fish. And he couldn’t just NOT eat her food, less he make Mipha’s food look awful. Kohga gulped, and Mipha seemed to catch onto his distress.

“Oh Kohga, I’m so sorry, I forgot you didn’t like fish! Please, let me make you-”

“Nope!”

Kohga could feel his ass sweating. He was really gonna sit here and eat fish, because Mipha deserved it. Link looked over at him, clearly just as confused as anyone else. Kohga forced himself to chuckle.

“I mean...I HATE clam chowder. A lot. It’s gross, it’s squishy, it smells AWFUL. Unless it’s Mipha’s. I LOVE Mipha’s clam chowder! She is just. SUCH  a good cook, I could eat a whole bowl!”

Link looked him right in his face, grabbed a bowl, and filled it completely with clam chowder. He slid the bowl over to him, and Kohga wanted to throw up. That yucky, smelly smell of fish. 

“Son of a bitch..I mean, yum! Thank you, Link.”

Mipha just had to like this blonde asshole. Sooga made a motion to grab the bowl, but Kohga halted him. He was going to do this for Mipha. He took a taste of it, and he fought every urge not to puke. Dear god, the smell and the taste was awful. But he forced himself to swallow, smiling.

“See? I l-like it! So it’s GOTTA be good! Mipha is just, so talented!”

Link seemed satisfied, helping himself to a bowl. Mipha looked at Kohga, clearly worried, but he shook his head. 

“Make it up to me by getting some, Mipha.”

He muttered underneath his breath, forcing himself to eat more. Sooga had no problems, this asshole, eating fish like it was nothing. Mipha pretended like she didn’t know anything was wrong, giving her attention towards Link.

“So, Link! You’ve been over at the Gerudo desert, I take it. Urbosa is doing well, I trust?”

Kohga didn’t pay attention to the one sided conversation, too focused on handling the thick creamy broth. His stomach churned, his head hurt, and he was just. Dying. Not even Sooga could help him. He was going to bail, but he saw it in Mipha’s eyes. She was getting more nervous, and this was JUST from watching Link eat. Oh god this was a mess. He forced himself to think past the creamy mush still left in his bowl.

“So, Link, what do you think of Mipha’s new look? Nice right?”

Link looked her up and down, before giving Mipha a thumbs up. Her cheeks exploded in color, and she looked ready to just melt. Kohga tried not to gag at the fish burp he just had.

“And Mipha, thoughts on Link’s outfit?”

Mipha hesitated, letting herself get a look at him, totally not looking at that titty (atta girl), before softly nodding.

“You had it dyed white, it looks very...nice, Link. It really goes with your golden hair.”

Distracted by her thoughts, she played with a strand of his hair, before suddenly realizing what she was doing. They both looked away, buried in blush, just two, dumb, flirty messes. Oh his girl was KILLING IT. Kohga forced himself to gulp down his bowl (somehow not choking on the chunks), nearly gasping as he finished. Oh that was a mistake. That did NOT feel right. Didn’t matter, Mipha was GETTING somewhere with this guy. He whispered to her, nudging at her side.

“Offer him some of your food.”

“But? He has the same thing in-”

“Say yours is different. Just do it, trust me. Sooga! With me, kitchen, now.”

They dipped into the kitchen, and Sooga immediately handed him a bucket. Just in time for Kohga to purge his guts. Sooga patted his back, sighing.

“No one told you to finish the bowl, Kohga.”

“I am SUPPORTIVE, dammit! She deserves-”

Yet another purge of his guts. He groaned, relying heavily on Sooga to keep him upright.

“If it makes you feel better, I’m VERY proud of you. Going through so much for the sake of her happiness. You’re a wonderful person.”

“Sooga, that’s sweet, but dear god I’m throwing up here, shut the fuck up.”

Kohga was three for three, and he was wondering if it was worth it. Then he peered into the dining room. Mipha was spoon feeding him from her bowl, going so far as to scold him for his messy face, and cleaning it with a cloth napkin. It was adorable, it was sweet, and dear god was this worth it. Sooga chuckled, peering down at Kohga.

“You’re incredible, Master Kohga, letting her have this.”

“I AM pretty great, aren’t I?”

They sat there, watching them. For a moment, for a brief, sweet moment, she wasn’t shy. She was honest with herself, she was even just a bit flirty. And Link looked as if he wasn’t clueless. It was so goddamn sweet, it was worth every second of stomach pain. Kinda.

“Oh it’s coming again- he better marry this girl, or I’m starting the war all the fuck over again.”

He was complaining, sure. But he was really, honestly proud of his little Mipha. He’d do this again and again, if it meant getting to see such a sweet, happy smile.

He just prayed he didn’t have to.

[thatwritingho]

I gotchu anon. This one hits close to home😔but tbh was pretty therapeutic to write

If you ever need someone to talk to about it, my dms are always open.

⚠️Obvious trigger warning for child abuse below the cut⚠️

You hated it, how even after all these years, just a string of words, a smell, a nightmare, anything that reminded you even slightly of that time could send you spiraling; amp up your heart rate, disrupt your breathing, force tears to your eyes, and steal your ability to speak. 

It was rarer, these days, for that all consuming feeling of dread and fear to overtake you. Time would never heal this, but it was easier to push it to the back of your mind, to go through the motions of your day to day like a semi-functional human being, with the trauma of days long gone buried securely behind multiple thick walls.

So rare, in fact, that you had never brought it up to your lover. Its not that you didn't trust them, far from it. Your conversations had merely never turned in that direction, and there was never a right time to just bring that up. You kept telling yourself that it didn't matter, that it was long in the past and you hadn't even had an anxiety attack in ages anyway. 

But now, here you were, curled up in your bed, blanket wrapped tightly around your shoulders in an attempt to hold yourself together.

Your door opened and fear shot through you like cold fire, for the briefest of seconds you were that same scared little child again, expecting to see your abuser as your eyes shot to the source of footsteps. Relief washed over you like a warm wave as you saw it was not them, but your lover, their eyes full of barely concealed concern as they rushed to your side, taking your hands in theirs and searching your eyes.

"Whats wrong?"

You opened your mouth, but no words came, only a choked sob as tears spilled down your face. Your tongue felt like lead in your mouth, your jaw wired together by anxiety. Their grip on your hands tightened. 

It was time. You needed to tell them. You wanted to tell them. And so you took a deep breath, and told your story as best as you could.

Itachi:

Listens to you calmly and patiently, though inside his heart is breaking for you. 

He's almost relieved, in a way, that you're opening up to him

It explains so much, and he's kicking himself for not realizing sooner, for not seeing the signs, certain aspects of your behavior, for what they were and putting two and two together

Feels like a terrible boyfriend for not noticing and leaving you to deal with this on your own

But you're not on your own anymore

he may not totally understand your situation, but he's no stranger to traumatic childhood events himself

Makes it clear that he is going to support you and support you hard, making sure you know you can talk to him about this any time

He never brings it up first, but is always ready to listen

All in all yall already know he's perfect boyfriend material and this is no exception

Kisame:

Similar to itachi tbh

But even better

A great listener but also somehow knows exactly what to say???

"You have every right to be upset." 

"You're not defined by this."

"I'm proud of you for being so strong, but you're not alone anymore. I'm here to support you now."

Here king you dropped your crown👑

You will feel so much better after opening up to this man I swear it

He has def had to comfort someone close to him in this way before, maybe a sister or team mate

He's just too good to not have

But we all know his heart is just as big as his sword so its no surprise that he's like this

Has always been understanding when you're having a more difficult day, but now that he knows the cause of some of your actions is trauma, he knows just how to calm you down and ground you

100/10 marry this man or I will

Deidara:

Is stunned, tbh

Like he never fucking suspected

Feels like shit honestly, what kind of boyfriend is he that he couldn't even tell his lover was struggling with something so big?

Knows he shouldn't be making this conversation about himself, though, so he doesn't say any of that

His hand mouths kiss your palms to try to comfort you

Pulls you into a giant hug when you finish speaking and kisses your tears away

Oh shit but wait maybe you don't want to be touched right now? Thats a thing right?

Doesn't have any knowledge on this but he's trying ok

Is very open to any changes that come to your dynamics because of the new found news

Maybe a bit too open

Like completely stops initiating sex because he doesn't want you to feel pressured

And just all in all starts treating you like you're fragile

Its sweet, his heart is in the right place, but that isn't what you want of course

So you have to sit him down and tell him that you're still you, and he's still him, and that you don't want your relationship to change because of something that happened before you even met

That finally makes it click for him, and he goes back to his normal self pretty quickly

And he is always, always there if you want to talk about it. He may not understand, but he loves you and will do whatever he can to help you feel less alone

Sasori:

He done been knew

Well, he heavily suspected. I head canon him as an abuse survivor himself, and he recognized the signs

Knows how difficult it is to talk about, so he was just waiting for you to feel comfortable enough to bring it up

Lowkey relieved, because even though its horrible, having someone else who understands that particular brand of trauma is rare

Especially for him since he's never opened up to anyone else like he has you

But he's also fucking furious

We all know Sasori views people as possessions 

And even though he loves you more than anything else in the world, he still feels that way about you too, to a smaller extent, but its there

So the thought that someone did that to something of his?

Oh he mad

But he has enough wherewithal to not let you see that burning rage while you're upset and confiding in him

He listens attentively, and gives you as much comfort as he can until you calm down

Finds some way to weasel out the identity of your abuser without upsetting you(ya boi is manipulative af)

Later has one of his spies hunt the person down and capture them, and then sneaks off and takes his sweet time to make them regret ever even looking at you

Might tell you about his own abuse sometime in the future. Maybe. 

Kakazu:

Its not often that Kakazu feels the need to put effort into holding back his anger

But this is one of those times

Because he is livid

He has always taken extra joy in collecting the heads of child rapists for bounties

He may be immoral in regards to most things, but that is a line that should not be crossed

And to think about that happening to you makes him want to kill

Makes a vow to himself as soon as the words leave your lips, that he will find the scum that did this and destroy them. Slowly. Painfully.

But for now he listens, holding you hands with as much gentle care as he can muster 

Kakuzu is at a loss for how to handle delicate, emotional situations like this. But he tries, for you.

Wiping away your tears and holding you softly, allowing far more cuddles and gentle affection than he normally would that night 

He feels that acting different around you after would be an insult to your ability to handle a problem you've been dealing with for years

But he can't help but be a little easier on you, letting you get away with more back talk or general acts of affection than usual

He may even surprise you with a few small gifts

That necklace you were eyeing in the last town? That new album by that group you like that just dropped? A collectors edition of your favorite book? 

As much as he hates spending money, he just can't help himself

Afterall, the fact that you trusted him, him, with this information makes him feel a bit squishy inside

Hidan:

Another one for team "I'll fucking kill them!"

But much more upfront about it

Unlike Sasori and Kakuzu, he does not have the sense to not let his rage be know to you while you're telling him

But then he sees how you shrink, how you curl further into yourself, how you start crying that much harder

"Fuck, baby, I'm sorry. I'm not mad at you."

Once you calm down, you have to explain that him being angry and aggressive does not help when you're fighting off these memories

He feels like shit for upsetting you further

Go easy on him. You're the first person he's ever cared about. He's emotionally stunted but hes trying

Kind of just shuts up and let's you talk after that

Is lowkey amazed that you were hiding all these awful feelings this whole time

Is also lowkey amazed that you were able to function and seem so normal with them

Holds you close when you finish, and in the most serious, calm tone you've ever heard from him, promises that no one will ever hurt you like that again, and that he will make this person pay

They aren't worthy of being a sacrifice to Lord Jashin.

But you best believe Hidan will make them suffer 

Konan:

Sad girl is sad

Also not surprised, she knows how common it is for these things to happen

She's dealt with sexual harassment hersef

But her heart aches for you

Holds you tight, letting you cry into her shoulder and cling to her as much as you want

Soothingly stroking your back or arm or petting your hair as you let it all out

She can relate to many of the feelings you share

Is literally the only one who thinks to ask if you have any triggers

Not quite as supportive as Kisame, but still validates your feelings

"Its ok to be angry."

"You've been so strong."

"Be gentle with yourself."

Doesn’t let it affect your relationship 

But she is more understanding if you get in a mood

If you're being especially irritable or pushing her away, she may ask, "are you ok?" and give you a look

Its frustrating but also helps ground you

10/10 wifey I love her

Nagato/Pain:

Poor baby is devastated 

Also concerned

You've been hiding this pain from him all this time… why?

Do you not trust him?

Do you not think he could handle knowing?

All he wants is to take your heart ache from you, even if it means it becomes his

Lovers should share everything, including pain

And so you tell him, though teary eyes, that no, no, of course not, that's not it

Its just that every time you wanted to tell him, you just…  couldn't

How the trauma would cause your body to physically prevent you from speaking about it, even when you wanted to

You both end up crying 

He wants to know everything about how it affects you, physically, emotionally, all of it

The more he knows, the more he can do to help

Lowkey might have Konan pick him up a book or two on the subject, just to get a better understanding 

You already know he’s gonna obliterate the person who did this to you

Obito:

This man i swear

He's worse than Deidara

Finding out something so terrible happened to you, seeing how deeply its hurt you, has him crying right along with you

Feels helpless that he can't make it better

"I should have been there to protect you."

"Obito, we didn't even know each other."

"That's irrelevant."

Is super comforting though, kisses your fingers and plays with your hair and tells you how much he loves you

Very eager to do anything in his power to make you smile

"Is there anything I can get you, baby? Do you want a glass of water? Tea? Sake? How about some ice cream? A foot massage? New kunai? A private island? Want me to kill all the world leaders tomorrow?"

He's excessive but its cute and makes you laugh

Is the only one considerate enough to actually ask if you're OK with him killing your abuser

If you say yes, he'll also ask if you want to watch

There won't be anything left of the person after Obito is done with them. No blood. Not a scorch mark. Not even a stray skin cell. Nothing. He completely erases them from existence.

If you say no though, he's probably still gonna do it anyway, but make it look like an accident. He just can't let that person live after what they did to you. 

But hey, at least he asked first right?

[nerdyfangirl67]

Leading Woman -  Phantom of the Opera Fanfiction

Pairing: Meg Giry x Erik/Phantom

Warnings: Hurt/comfort, big scary Phantom (but honestly when isn’t he like this)

Word count: 1790

Requested: @ofserien​

A/N: This is my first character x character one-shot in a while so I hope y’all enjoy it. Also I know the GIF is of Phantom and Christine, but lets imagine its Meg for this one! Hope you enjoy this darling! <3 As always, requests are open and comments are very welcome!

Meg being willing to do whatever the Phantom suggests, even though his attention is on Christine. Finally, Meg has had enough and decided to meet the Phantom on his turf. Although he is upset at the disrespect and blatant neglect of his privacy, he is impressed by her lack of fear towards him and her gumption. Meg makes a case for herself, and the Phantom finally sees Meg for who she is, a leading woman.

She had had enough. It had been all I want Christine to sing my new composition and I demand Christine be the lead in the next production and Get rid of the background dancers. They draw attention away from Christine. 

She never argued or disagreed because the demands were coming from the Phantom of the Opera, after all. She never questioned his decisions because she thought the world of him. 

Everyone else saw him as this frightening being that would strike down anyone who opposed him. They saw him as an ugly creature that loomed like a shadow over the Opera house. Everyone except her. 

She saw him as a mysterious man, who despite his rough nature and scars, physical and emotional, only wanted to love and be loved in return. And that’s what saddened her. The fact that he chose to give Christine his love when she was clearly in love with another. 

She could tell the minute she saw recognition, followed by something much deeper and more intense, flash across Christine’s face upon seeing the Vicomte de Chagny that Christine loved this man. And every time she saw the two after that, she knew this to be true.

And yet, Christine still followed the Phantom to his lair, obeyed his rules to a T, and called him her ‘Angel of Music.’ And Meg has seen enough to know that Christine continued to allow the Phantom to come up through the tunnels to the mirror in her dressing room and sing to her, although she knew that even if Christine hadn’t wanted him to, he still would because that’s who he was. Christine’s ‘angel of Music’.

But she finally decided that she was done letting her friend have both the attention of the Vicomte de Chagny and the devotion of the man she loved. So for the first time since she had started dancing at the Opera Populaire, she decided she was going to step into the light, no longer as a backup, but as a leading lady.

Despite her wanting to act on this desire immediately, she had to wait until Christine was out of her dressing chambers and know that she wasn’t somewhere in the tunnels with the Phantom. Because if Meg was going to confront the Phantom and tell him how she felt, she didn’t want to do it with an audience or in the shadow of Christine.

She loiters around the door to Christine’s dressing room, pretending she was practicing moves for the next production. After what felt like an eternity, Christine finally padded out of her dressing chamber. Meg waits for a moment longer before slipping into the ornate room. She took a moment to scan the room, her eyes falling on the single rose resting on a small table towards the center of the room. She glides forward, a finger brushing over the black satin bow tied to the stem. A glance to her left reveals a large vase placed in the far corner of the room, filled with roses ordained with the same black bow, in various stages of decay, as if they were placed there as an after-thought.

Meg realizes that these had to be the ‘gifts’ Christine had told her about, the ones that appeared as if by magic in her chambers after each performance. She knew that the roses couldn’t be from Raoul because Christine would have made sure that all the girls knew she had received something from her love. 

No, Meg knew these had to be from the Phantom. A surge of white-hot rage flew over her at the thought. Before she knew what she was doing, she had the satin ribbon tied in her hair and, after breaking the stem off, the rose tucked into the top of her corset. On a whim, she moves towards the vase and gently grabs the oldest rose out.

She steps to the front of the large mirror, with the rose held delicately in her hand, taking a moment to collect herself before she pushes against the cold, heavy glass, sliding it open. After moving through the narrow gap, she pulls the mirror back in place. 

A soft gasp escapes past her lips as she takes in the expansiveness of the damp tunnel, lit only by a torch on the wall every hundred feet. A shiver passes down her spine as she moves through the dark tunnel, her nerves building. 

The soft music trickling down through the tunnels acts as a gentle siren, calling her through the twists and turns, to the Phantom. As she got closer, the music got louder, washing over her like a wave. After twenty paces, in which she thought the music couldn’t get any louder, the tunnel opened up to a large, cavernous room. Candelabras of various sizes bring a soft aurora of light into the room, causing a feeling of warmth to spread within Meg. Seated at the massive organ was the Phantom himself, his black cape spanning out behind him like a pool of thick, black satin. She let out a breath, fascinated by the music being created just as much as the man before her.

“I know you are there, hiding in the shadows, my muse.” Her heart stops, realizing not only that he knew she was there but also, that he thought she was Christine.

She steps out of the shadows at the same time as the Phantom turns around. She watches his look of happiness transform into one of confusion and frustration.

“Ah, little Meg Giry. I knew you’d come traipsing through my tunnels sooner or later.” His tone was condescending and his steps unhurried and confident as he made his way towards her.

She didn’t appreciate his tone and instead of cowering in wait for him to reach her, she strode forwards, abandoning the shadows that had been concealing her features.

“If you knew I would come, you must know why I’m here. After all, you are the Phantom of the Opera.” She comments, holding her head high, when he stops only two steps away from her.

He didn’t reply as his eyes slowly rakeover her body, stopping not once, but twice at the rose in her hand and the bud tucked into her corset. She can practically see the wheels turning in his head as he storms forward, catching a glimpse of the ribbon in her hair. His hands are clenched tightly at his sides and as he comes close enough to her that she can feel his breath on her face, she can see the fire blazing in his dark eyes, a sharp contrast to the soft white mask covering half his face.

Suddenly his hand is reaching up and roughly pulling the ribbon out of her hair and yanking the delicate rose out of her fingers. She lets out a small yelp of surprise as the thorns prick her fingers. She refuses to take a step back, despite the rising fear caused by his actions. 

She watches him a moment before she speaks.

“I will not tolerate being in Christine’s shadow any longer. I am skilled enough to have a lead position.” She pauses, moving slowly to place a gentle hand on his unmasked cheek. Her touch is feather light, not wanting him to feel fear with her fingers being so close to his mask. He remains still, as she traces a line from his forehead to his chin. 

“You deserve to be loved by someone who loves you back.” She whispers as she withdraws her hand from his face, turning her attention to his eyes. His dark eyes are no longer burning with fury as he looks at her.

“Continue.” His tone was less derogatory now and more interested than it had been. 

She does as he orders, “She once called you her Angel of Music and she was right. You are a master composer. What she does not see is beyond that. You are a man of mystery and intrigue. You strike fear into the heart of others, but beneath that callous exterior is a man. A man who deserves to be loved and treasured.” At this point she is a breath away from him and her voice is barely more than a whisper as his mere presence this close to her is enchanting.

“What are you suggesting little Giry?” His voice, no more than a rough whisper, actually sends a shiver down her spine, causing the Phantom to quirk his lips into a small smile, which is gone as soon as it comes.

“I am suggesting that you stop pushing me aside. I can be just as good as Christine if you stopped demanding that she be the star of the show.” She pauses, only briefly, to place a soft hand on his clothed chest. “I am suggesting you teach me as my angel of music. And I am telling you to let me love you. Because I can, quite easily.”

She finishes, her attention now on the soft material of the Phantom’s shirt between her fingers. Silence follows for a long time and she removes her hand from his shirt, ready to step away from him and return to the upper level of the Opera Populaire. A gentle, gloved hand brushes her chin, lifting it up so she is now looking into his eyes. 

“Ah little Giry, I’ve been waiting for you to speak your mind. Do you think I never saw the way you pushed yourself to be better than Christine? Or the way you made sure to follow my commands exactly, even when no one else did?” His eyes searched hers, and to her dismay, she could feel tears welling up in her eyes. 

She had thought that her actions, her commitment, had gone unseen and knowing that it had not was overwhelming.

A gloved finger came and gently brushed the tears that had fallen over her lashes, away. “Do you think I never noticed how devoted to me you were? Because little Giry, I did notice and you managed to warm my long dead heart by being so devoted.” 

With that, he grasps one of her hands within his much larger one, pulling her along with him to the organ. He slowly guides her to sit on the bench in front of the instrument and, after he seated himself next to her, he turns slightly to look at her.

“We shall begin with the traditional music scale. I want to see the range you can sing in, little Giry.” His words leave her breathless as she realizes that her dream was finally coming true. The Phantom finally saw her for who she was and was helping her become more.

[letterstothemidnightsociety]

It's 2007 and somehow, miraculously, Supernatural survives yet another rocky (?) season of mediocre ratings to come back for a third season, or at least, half season, but that season starts out with a real bang! Like, just a real solid trio of an opener for season three. It reminds me of all the things I love about SPN and also it reminds us of all the things that frustrate the hell out of me on SPN. So where did we leave things off?

First up, there’s Dean, who sold his soul to the devil in order to bring Sam back from the dead. Sam, you’ll remember, was part of some overly complicated ponzi scheme to find the perfect vessel to open a door - yep, open a door - and lost to Aldous Hodge who just straight up murders Sam in the season finale. So Dean get’s Sammy back, but in exchange, he’s only got one year left before he permanently moves down south. Oh! And even though they got Sam back and Sam kills Aldous Hodge (RIP pal), they neglected to keep the door from opening. The door to Hell, that is, and now they’ve allowed a shiz ton of demons out to freely roam the earth. Way to go, boys, you lost again! They are two for two on these season finales guys!

OH but they DO kill the Yellow Eyed Demon, so that’s a plus, but not before he plants the most perfect seed of doubt in Dean’s mind - “How do you know what you brought back is all Sammy?” Like, ugh, UGH, ugh!!!! What a way to drive the knife in deeper! What a way to make the heart of this show slowly start to crumble! C’est Magnifique!! *chef's kissy fingers*

So with all that emotional baggage weighing us down, how do we start season 3? How else - with a threesome of course! And also some technicolor grading, it’s wild guys.

Oh boy guys, let’s talk about this opener for a hot sec. I got into it a little bit last season, but as much as I love Dean, you HAVE to admit that that boy is gross. Just like...he’s a little gross. I’m also old enough now to see exactly how many red flags he’s raising through the last 45 episodes. Like, sorry Little Me, but he is not boyfriend material. Not to mention that all this debauchery is 1,000% him distracting himself from the consequences of his own actions, but we’ll get into that later.

Meanwhile, Sam is doing something constructive and trying to figure out how to reverse the curse and save Dean’s soul. And here we have the culmination of two seasons worth of character development - faced with the imminent demise of Dean Samuel Winchester, Sam tries to step up and take care of his brother for once in his life; Dean parties like it’s 1999. There were two things I thought of during this episode - 1) isn’t this not unlike the sort of behavior you see in suicidal people who have finally decided to take their own life? Which is just, like, further held up by the fact that Dean’s big monologue at the end literally has the line “Truth is I’m tired, Sam. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel.” and like...dude, you are NOT ok! Why isn't??? ANYONE??? ADDRESSING THIS????? And 2) Dean is sharing a lot of similarities with the demons in this episode.

Because MEANwhile, there’s demons! So many demons! Specifically, the Seven Deadly Sins ones, but also, spoiler alert, Ruby, who is gettin’ reeeeealll into that ketchup.

All these baddies just really taking advantage of their time topside cuz Hell is, as they so artfully put it, it’s like Hell, so they’re just livin’ it up while they still can ~almost like foreshadowing or something~?!?!?

Real talk though, it being a real long time since I’ve watched this season, it’s these kinds of details that I’m impressed with this time around. There is so much character work that goes into this show and it’s something I definitely connected with the first time around, but not on conscious level. Now I can look at it through time and experience and articulate what I’m seeing, which makes this re-watch infinitely more enjoyable.

Episode 1 of this season continues what they started in season 2 and just keeps building out that Hunter Community. Like, there really is a whole Community out there that keeps in contact and works together and makes sure everyone’s up to date on the latest hot goss, and it all makes John Winchester come off like a real creepy splinter cell lone gunman type. And that in turn makes the Winchester sons look like total, unprofessional boneheads who managed to open a portal to Hell. “UGH Great Jorb Guys, but can we blame them? They’re John’s kids,” is a conversation between hunters that I am headcannoning, but also 100% support.

Honestly, I love the idea of the Winchesters being just these real, like, b-grade, Walmart Brand Hunters that other Hunters are just SO done with. We kind of see a little bit of that with Isaac and Tamara, but by the end of the episode, the Winchesters prove that they’re...better Hunters? I hope somewhere in the next 12 seasons I get an episode that is told from another Hunter’s POV who is legitimately better/more emotionally balanced than the Winchesters and the whole episode is them just, like, cleaning up a bunch of Winchester messes like, SONuvabitch, these two ASSholes. I think we see a fair amount of episodes from the POV of people who are less qualified than the Winchesters who end up being mentored by them, but I’d be stoked for them to run into just a group of people who hate them for totally legitimate, professional vs amature reasons.

Bobby does not count because Bobby signed up to be their Dad and so he agreed to take care of their messes when he took that job.

And then we get to “The Kids Are Alright” which showcases one of my fav changes for this season - BRIGHTLY! LIT! HIGH! SATURATION!!!! And of course, by fav, I mean, Most Hilarious.

I do walk a fine line on this one truth be told. Like, season 1 was definitely going for A Look. It’s super gritty and high contrasty and stylized. Now, I got what they were going for but I wasn’t always crazy about it, mostly because the quality on the DVD’s was terrible. Quick tip for everyone: in order to get 2+ hours worth of content on a DVD, you have to compress the final edit of the program to a pretty small bitrate. When we drop videos onto DVD’s at my work (it isn’t often, thank goodness), the discs themselves only hold, like, 2GB worth of content and that is NOT A LOT when it comes to video files. The more compressed a video file is, the less detail you’re gonna get in the visuals. Watching episodes on Netflix (where everything’s probably at a higher bitrate and therefore is a better quality visual), it’s not bad, but on my DVDs, the compression is so heavy that we get SUPER hot highlights and SUPER crunchy shadows - what a lot of people would called “crushed blacks” because you’ve lost all the detail in the shadows and you’re left with a grainy, noisy, black hole on the screen. Like I lost so much detail in the pilot episode guys, I could not make out this guy’s face.

A rough approximation of my DVD quality. Still recommend it over Netflix for the Accurate Soundtrack tho.

Season 2 SPN toned that Look down a lot, like, a lot a lot. Enough that you still got the general vibe they were going for but not enough that you couldn’t make out faces anymore. But through this whole process, the CW execs kept pushing for the show to look lighter, more colorful, less film noir more...well, CW. And in season 3 it finally happened!!!

I get what those execs were going for, but also, I feel like the colorists on these first few episodes just REALLY went wild out of spite. Lookit this shot from “Magnificent Seven” right before Envy causes some rando innocent bystander to beat a girl to death for her shoes -

GREEN GREEN GREEN GREEN!!!! I WONDER WHICH SIN THIS GUY IS????

Then in “The Kids Are Alright” the birthday party looks like everything is coated in day-glow neon.

The Winchester Bros look like they just got back from 3 weeks in Aruba - LOOK at the saturation levels in these skin tones! LOOK AT THEM!!

My screencap ability aside, only in SPN can a cemetery at night have brighter lighting than a diner in the middle of the afternoon.

This is definitely a thing I will be tracking the rest of the season because I have a distinct memory of a future episode where the brothers have been magically gifted completely different lives where they were never Hunters, they know nothing of Hunting, and they’re completely normal until the end when everything gets snapped back and the episode literally changes colors. V. Excited to see just how saturated this season stays through the end.

But maybe more importantly in “The Kids Are Alright” we learn that Dean does NOT, in fact, have a son. Not that he would be a good father...well...maybe? I mean, this Dean, this season 3, definitely-suicidal, completely-reckless, can’t-keep-it-together Dean, is not good Dad material. Later seasons Dean? Probably fine? Earlier seasons Dean might ALSO be fine? And if he’d found out that Ben was his legitimate kid, it could have made a WORLD of difference, who knows. I know he ultimately does become father-like to Ben and that gives me a lot of feelings. But this Dean is not in a good place to take care of anyone, including himself and really, someone ought to do something about that.

I gotta say, this is an actual bummer. I can’t remember if, in the later seasons, they do any clarifying on this or not, but I am legitimately bummed that Ben is not Dean’s kid and that as far as we know, Dean has no natural children floating around out there with surly attitudes and soft hearts. Dean’s motivation from Day 1 has always been family and despite what comments he may make in early seasons, Dean’s secret desire is to have the wife and the kids and the dog and the white picket fence. And honestly, we’re only 3 seasons in and I just want Dean to have nice things!!

And then guys, we come to “Bad Day at Black Rock,” and I just...WHAT a masterpiece. I had almost NO memory of ever watching this episode before and I don't understand why. What a glorious masterpiece this episode is. Let’s make a list -

More Hunters™, who should be really annoying but were actually kinda charming in a Marx Brothers kind of way

Gordon’s in jail, where he belongs, but also is masterminding a coup against the Winchesters which is A+ spooky stuff

Slapstick comedy that I didn’t know I was missing from my life

Bela F*cking Talbot

Guys, I think this is my fav episode so far purely because I felt, while watching it, that the last 10 years of my life were not in vain and that I had in fact grown as a human person. I remembered hating Bela Talbot. Like, I DID. NOT. LIKE. HER. To the point that I questioned if her British accent was even real. It is, her mother is from the UK and she lived there for a time, but like, honestly, the audacity of Little Me.

This time around? Oh she’s defs my new fav. Just everything about her is like, A+, Great Job, Why-Did-We-Cancel-Her??? Like, oh yeah, probably because somewhere in here they try to shoehorn a romantic side plot with Dean. I don’t actually mind rioting over shoehorned romance, but also, if they’d let this play out for a season or two and then got the two of them to bone? I’m on board. I’m 100% on board.

Maybe it’s just that she is unapologetically out for herself, maybe it’s the fact that she is definitely a match for the Winchesters in a non-murdery way, probably it is both of those things. She's smart, she’s crooked, she has impeccable taste, she’s honestly a helluva lot of fun and I am so excited to see more of her and so BUMMED that she will not make it past this season.

Despite the fact that I absolutely adore all three of these episodes, they also bring up the problem that I was starting to see in season 2 - WHO is this show about? Isn’t it supposed to be about the Brothers as a whole? But the majority of these first three lean pretty heavily on Dean’s emotional arc. Granted, it makes sense. I mean, of COURSE Dean’s demon deal is gonna be the BIG thing in a season where he is literally staring down the barrel, but knowing that there’s a side plot about Is Sam Evil?? seems like...something we should really explore more? I believe it comes up in season 4, or at least, Sam’s demon-blood powers become a bigger deal in season 4, but I would have enjoyed seeing Sam have a more active stake in this season. I can see planting some weird new ticks being planted for Alive-Again Sam that just get weirder and darker and then a mid-season finale or a run up episode to the end of the season where Dean (finally) decides he needs to stop his demon deal because he needs to stick around so he can keep Sam from going completely off the rails. As much as I love Dean 5ever, I do think the show works best when the emotional weight of the season is distributed equally is all. And to be fair to the writers this season, there could have been a bigger plan for something like that but they ran out of time - their season was cut by about a third due to the Writer’s Strike.

Still, all in all, a solid opening to the third season. I want to say that these episodes feel like Classic SPN, but then I remember that this is season three out of fifteen. These ARE Classic SPN. Mostly self contained with enough emotional drama to remind us of the overarching plot. Maybe a little heavy on the emotional drama, but Dean’s only got a year to live and the show’s only got 16 episodes to resolve that crisis, so it’s fine.

[protectwoc]

thots on little women (2019)

or, y’all are giving greta gerwig too much credit (part two)

The character arc that was changed the least from the source material, but that still manages to personally offend me the most, is, of course, Amy’s. It’s no secret that Gerwig is an Amy stan, or at least more of a fan of her than most people. I am as well, which is why I am so disappointed with this particular arc.

It’s honestly more disappointing because Gerwig handled parts of Amy’s arc extremely well, namely, her relationship with Laurie. Gerwig did an excellent job of making Amy and Laurie’s relationship feel less like a consolation prize since Laurie did not end up marrying Jo and more like a fully realized and reciprocal relationship, arguably more so than Alcott herself. HOWEVER, and this is a big however, the Amy/Laurie relationship is not the only important part of Amy’s characterization in the novel, and unfortunately, it is in the movie.

Amy starts out the novel as a selfish twelve year old girl, which is evidenced in no other but the infamous book-burning scene. However, throughout the novel, she grows out of that selfishness and into a more selfless, self aware woman. (Again, whatever your thoughts on “learning to be selfless” as a trope in women’s narratives are not necessarily relevant.)

For example, in the first half of the novel, one of Amy’s most notable chapters deals with pickled limes. For anyone who only watched the movie or doesn’t quite remember the book, a short summary:

Amy, the only one of the March girls who attends school, is upset because the girls in her school have been trading pickled limes. The limes are seen as a status symbol, which can be traded for little trinkets, bestowed upon favorites, or indulged in in front of your enemies. The pickled limes trend has become so popular that the teacher, Mr. Davis, has banned them in the classroom, which has done nothing to curb their popularity. Amy, who is relatively popular among her classmates regardless of her relatively lower class status, has been gifted several limes but had no way to return them, is greatly “in debt.” When Meg gives Amy enough money to buy a whopping twenty-five pickled limes, she flaunts and preens her way around the classroom until a girl she snubbed tattles to the teacher and gets all twenty five limes taken away.

This scene is a good example of the beginning of Amy’s arc of overcoming her one major personality flaw. It shows how her selfish nature is really just immature behavior, and as she ages, she matures out of that childishness. Another good example of this arc happens when Beth contracts scarlet fever. At first, she complains, saying that she would rather contract the deadly disease than to go to her Aunt’s house, but as she remains there, we see her mature and even grow fond of Aunt March. Her personal arc independent of Laurie was a big part of Amy’s plotline, and it was unfortunately left out of the movie.

The most glaring example of this is the omission of one of the most important scenes of Amy’s arc in the book: the occurrences at the fair. Again, indulge me in a brief summary for those who won’t know exactly what I am talking about:

The mother of one of Amy’s friends, Mrs. Chester, holds a three day fair for all of the girls in Amy’s social circle. As Amy is the most talented and most well-liked of the girls, she has the best table at the fair, at the very front, where she is to sell her beautiful artistic creations. However, her friend, May Chester, is jealous of her, and seeing this, Ms. Chester takes the table from Amy and gives it to May, relegating Amy to the back corner to sell flowers. At first, Amy is incredibly upset, and takes all of her art back to the table with her, however, after talking with her family, who are properly indignant on her behalf, she resolves to be gracious and humble and gives her own drawings to May to sell. Seeing this, Jo tells Laurie to take all of his handsome, college-aged bachelor friends to Amy’s table, which he does, and they spend the entire next day of the fair flirting with her and buying every one of the flowers from Amy. On the final day of the fair Amy, who has entirely overcome her own selfish wishes, tells Laurie and his friends to go do the same to May. This string of selfless acts is seen by Aunt March and Aunt Carrol (who in the novel has half of Aunt March’s role in the movie) and is the premier reason behind Aunt Carrol deciding to take Amy to Europe instead of Jo.

Leaving this scene out of Amy’s narrative in the movie is, I think, unforgivable. The inclusion of this scene would have exponentially improved Amy’s arc, for three major reasons:

This scene is the culmination of Amy’s “selfish to selfless arc”. Again, regardless of your opinions on whether this is a good lesson for her to learn, it is an arc, and as the movie stands currently, she simply doesn’t have one. The occurrences at the fair show her finally growing out of her childhood vices into the mature woman we see in Europe, and to exclude this scene does her a disservice.

Prior to her trip to Europe, this is one of the only scenes in the novel where Laurie and Amy have any sort of interaction. If Gerwig wanted to more fully develop the Amy/Laurie romance I cannot imagine the logic behind leaving this scene out. It would make the romance seem less rushed, which has been a common critique of their love story since the book came out, and would even  provide context for Amy’s “Not when I have spent my entire life loving you” line which Gerwig added to the narrative.

As previously mentioned, this scene is one of the main reasons behind Amy being allowed to travel to Europe with Aunt March/Aunt Carrol. Within the movie, this reasoning is less obvious, especially given the fact that Aunt March had already told Jo she would take her to Europe, and the inclusion of this scene would have made the trip feel more earned for Amy.

Greta Gerwig has made no secret of the fact that she both a feminist and a fan of Amy March. I am both of those things as well, which is why I cannot understand her logic behind robbing Amy of a complete arc. In the movie, the most important parts of Amy’s arc are all tied to a man. Even that arc is not as fully developed as it could be. Gerwig did a magnificent job with Amy’s overall likability, but that is not the same thing as writing a fully realized arc for her.

But even though Amy is my personal favorite character, and I am more personally invested in her arc, Gerwig’s mishandling of Amy is not the most egregious sin committed in this movie. That honor is reserved for Jo’s arc.

Part Two: Jo

A Buzzfeed article entitled “The New ‘Little Women’ Makes Space for Jo’s Queerness” claims that “Gerwig’s adaptation, without being too explicit about it, does gorgeous justice to that [queer] reading.” An Advocate magazine article called “Greta Gerwig Brings Out the Inherent Queerness of Little Women” makes the bold claim that the 2019 Little Women “offers the queerest and most feminist reading yet.” An even bolder declaration by them magazine says that “The New Little Women Basically Proves Jo is Queer”. Gerwig has been lauded both by critics and by her own actors for creating an explicitly queer narrative for Jo March. 

As previously mentioned, I do not generally read Alcott’s Jo as queer. However, upon my first encounter with this headcanon, I could immediately see why so many people did see her this way, and why this interpretation is so beloved. Jo has a lot of non-stereotypically straight traits that have made her something of a queer icon in many progressive literary circles. Both the way she bemoans being “born a woman” and her intense desire not to marry spoke to a lot of queer or non-cis readers, many of whom were excited to see her portrayed this way on the silver screen. And though I am not particularly attached to this headcanon, as a bi woman, I too was excited to see her that way.

And then… I didn’t.

Look, I hate to burst y’alls bubble, but there is literally not a single second in the movie where Jo is anything resembling queer. At best, she could be read as aromantic/asexual, but that’s about it. (Note: Obviously I don’t intend to imply that being aro/ace is somehow “lesser than” being L G B or T, but obviously the form of queerness people were expecting is one in which Jo is explicitly attracted to women.) There are no subtle looks in the direction of another woman, no scenes in which Jo expresses any negative emotion towards the idea of marrying a man specifically. She doesn’t even have a single female friend outside of her sisters.

One of the reasons the 2019 Jo (and by extension, Laurie), have been hailed as queer icons is their relative gender fluidity. Jo and Laurie exchange clothes throughout the movie, which was intended to display their “gender fluidity”. I knew about this particular facet of the movie before going to watch it in theaters, so I was looking for these occasions specifically, and I still couldn’t tell that they were supposed to be gender neutral. Maybe that’s just me, because I don’t know a lot about civil war era clothing, but whatever.

The other reason that Jo is considered queer in the movie is her rejection of traditional Civil War era femininity. She doesn’t want to get married, and she has no interest in “girly” things like dresses or parties. But neither of those things are specifically queer. Being “not like other girls” as your premier personality trait is not queer, it’s just garden-variety misogyny.

Even Jo’s big scene where she laments her competing desire to stay unmarried and her intense loneliness, has nothing marking it as explicitly queer. “I’m so sick of people saying that love is just all a woman is fit for,” she bursts out. Love. Not love for a man. Not even marriage. She is decrying the entire concept of love.

“But Rae,” I can hear you asking, “what about the ending, where it’s implied she doesn’t marry Professor Bhaer and gets to publish her novel?” To that, there are two important things to consider. One: the ending is intentionally portrayed as optional. Even though it is heavily implied that Jo did not go off and get heterosexual married at the end, it is possible to ignore that ending or do some light mental gymnastics to make the two versions of Jo’s ending coincide. And I’m not just saying this as a worst-case-scenario, I actually have seen people do this, in fandom and my own life.

Secondly, even if you take the ending as completely factual, we still have all the scenes involving Bhaer previous to the ending to give some hint of Jo’s sexuality. We never see her even look at another woman, but she flirts with Bhaer and blushes when he looks at her and asks for his opinion on her work. Even ignoring the straight-as-default setting of most casual viewers, canonically, Jo has only ever shown interest in men. One man specifically, but still.

“But she could still be bi/pansexual, or suffering from compulsory heterosexuality,” I hear. And this is basically the crux of my argument. In fandom, you don’t have to assume straight as the default, and it's probably better not to. Bi/pan headcanons for “straight” characters are a good, positive way of adding to a fandom culture. However, when it comes to canonical representation, the opposite is true. Representation is not representation if it is not explicit.

I’m not saying that queer viewers cannot feel represented by Jo in this movie. I personally  feel represented by Hermoine Granger as a black woman, due to her “wild, bushy hair” and her penchant for social activism (SPEW). However, I cannot give JK Rowling credit for that representation because she had nothing to do with it. She did not do any of the hard work to actually make Hermoine a black woman. In the same way, we cannot credit Gerwig with adding queer representation to Little Women, because she didn’t.

Conclusion: The Response

I know reading this essay probably makes me seem like a Greta Gerwig-hater or like I disliked the movie. Both of those things are untrue. As previously mentioned, I loved the movie. I’ve watched the Amy/Laurie scenes of the movie like a hundred times already. I also don’t hate Greta Gerwig. This is the only movie of hers that I’ve seen, but I heard all about Lady Bird and its popularity, and I think the directing of Little Women was excellent. The fact that Greta Gerwig is a very talented filmmaker is not necessarily an arguable point.

I don’t believe that Gerwig had to fully develop any of the sisters. I don’t even think that Gerwig is required to add queer representation (or racial diversity for that matter) to her movies. Greta Gerwig decided to adapt an extremely white, cishet Civil War era book into an extremely white, cishet Civil War era movie. Hot take time: she is entirely in her rights to do that.

BUT. The thing that bugs me the most about the movie, and is basically the impetus behind me writing this essay, is the response to the movie. For whatever reason, Gerwig’s Little Women adaptation has been deemed more “woke” than it actually is. Little Women (2019) has been lauded for its strong female presence (even though there are only white, cis, straight women), for it’s development of the other, non-Jo sisters (even though it doesn’t), and for giving its lead space to be queer (even though she isn’t).

Greta Gerwig made an excellent film, but she did not do anything that has never been done before. I liked the movie, but I’m not about to go campaign for Greta Gerwig or the movie to win an Oscar. In general, we need to be less willing to acclaim those who do the bare minimum.

Again, I’m not good at writing conclusions. At a certain point I’m going to just start repeating myself, so I’m going to go ahead and cut myself off now. Again, if anybody has any opinions on this, agree or disagree, please come talk to me about it! I’d love to hear any other thoughts.

[okayoonoh]

TAEIL’S FAMILY

a/n: here is the start of the NCT family series!! I hope you guys like it!! Here is the link to the NCT FAMILY MASTERLIST.

MOON TAEIL:

he has two kids, a girl and a boy. moon yoojin is 4 years older than her baby brother, moon seojoon.

MOON YOOJIN >> as a baby <<

she was one of the most perfect

was never really fussy

she was very calm and only really cried when things got super super bad

when she did cry though?

oh boy

she definitely was gifted with Taeil’s lungs

it got so bad that you had to soundproof your house

your neighbors were very kind about it for the first couple weeks

but after those weeks, they (and yourself and Taeil) realized that her lungs really are that strong

lowkey taeil enjoys the soundproof house

he can sing to his hearts content

(and for whatever reason, his house became the main house for hangouts and parties and when you have a house filled with NCT, their spouses and their kin, it’s bound to get l o u d )

everything you bought for her was pink and even everything that was given to you was pink

obsessed with the color pink

anything and everything she owns is pink

pink was the first word she learned how to say (taeil and you had no idea with what to do with this because none of the parenting books suggested that pink would be the first word she said)

even when she was around the other babies her age and they would start crying, she’ll either a) cry in silence or b) not cry at all

as a baby, she always had one of those sleepy looks in her eyes

her eyes always had that droopy and calm look in them

she wasn’t a difficult child at all

you and taeil are very fortunate that she was you first child

it’s almost as if she knew that she had to take it easy on you two

>> as a child <<

kinda the same as when she was a baby, this time she can formulate words and she can figure out what is going on

didn’t really beg for things all that much, unless it was pink

there was only one thing that was persistent

from the second she could formulate a sentence that was different than “Eomma, Appa, PINK” she wanted to have a little brother

if he wasn’t saying “Eomma, Appa, PINK” she would say: “EOMMA, APPA, BABY BROTHER”

when you told her that you were expecting another baby

she was so happy she cried

she gave you the biggest hug and when you or taeil would try to take her down, she would start to cry

she eventually let go when taeil offered her some strawberries to eat

when seojoon was born

oh man

she already had the sisterly instincts from the second she saw his wrinkled form

she takes such good care of him

like she doesn’t dress him up or put makeup on him

she knows where his diapers are and even knows how to make his formula (you have to help her with the temperature aspects of it but i mean pretty darn good for a 4 year old)

when taeil would come back from tour and didn’t know where you moved the new diapers and stuff, she would lead him seamlessly

during school,

she never was interested in sports all that much

would rather stay back and either study or chill with the teachers

she’s class president type

she always, always, always has adored her father

when he was on TV, that was the only time she would reveal her energetic side

she would see him and cheer so happily just to seem him dance and perform

her and yuta’s oldest daughter, nakamoto akari, are best friends (They were born on the same day, 12 hours apart)

ever since they were babies, they were best friends

akari is filled with energy energy energy

when yuta’s daughter is jumping off of the ceilings, yoojin is just quietly smiling at her side

she loves taking egg selfies with her dad

johnny’s oldest son, noah seo, started to develop a crush on her at this age

>> as a teen/adult <<

HONESTLY SHES PERFECT

calm, kind, collected

has been class president ever since it was possible to be class president

lowkey really competitive, but civil about it (unless you hear what she says to akari)

she’s the second oldest in the group

almost like an older sister for the entire group

if any other kid has an issue, will go to her

she cares and loves every single one of the kids

it doesn’t matter which kid belongs to who, she will be the supportive older sister

a hard worker 

makes everyone proud

johnny’s oldest son, seo noah, has a huge thing for her because she was one of the first girls to not show him any interest in regards to his looks

she thinks he’s really handsome but will never admit it

she calls him ugly

that’s a lie she thinks he’s really hot but she’ll never admit it

even when they actually date she never wants to admit that she likes him and he’s fine with that (because she’ll admit it when they’re alone)

she isn’t the craziest of the group, you almost have to warm her up before she’ll let go and show her crazy side

her self image is just always perfect and pristine

she never lets anything trigger her

A BUSINESS WOMAN™ 

she doesn’t want to go down the music path, always thought businesses were cool and decided to start her own

honestly? SM’s newest CEO?

makes the most money out of all of the kids

she’s so supportive of everyone

she was there at every sports event, every birthday, every school play,

 e v e r y t h i n g 

it’s almost scary and weird how she was able to be there for everything

you and taeil are just so heckin proud of her

y’all raised her well :)

MOON SEOJOON: >> as a baby <<

he was definitely a little troublemaker

even from the start

he was a lot more fussy than yoojin in

but he wasn’t even the fussiest of the bunch

he is such a momma’s boy, like it’s crazy

like picture this

so, seojoon was being really fussy one night, like it was really really really bad

and taeil is all confident and is like “it’s okay babe, i got this.”

so you’re “okay go ahead”

he goes in there all confident because he’s so ready to use all of the skills he learned from taking care of yoojin

he kinda figured that since yoojin is all happy and healthy, that means he had to do something right, right?

so, he waltzes into the room of the screaming baby and checks on his darling son

he goes through the process: seojoon just ate, seojoon was just burped, and seojoon’s diaper doesn’t appear to be stinky or wet, so seojoon must need some good old appa loving

taeil picks up his son and starts singing the song he sang to yoojin while she was a baby and the same song he sang to his son when he was in the womb

with taeil’s gentle touch, there was no way baby seojoon would still be fussy

oh how wrong he was

it seemed like it was impossible for seojoon to get any louder

oh how wrong the world was

seojoon got so. much. louder.

taeil starts to freak out a little bit because he thinks somethings seriously wrong

you run in with yoojin close behind you, scared that taeil dropped your son or something

taeil just looks confused then hands the baby to you

almost instantly, baby seojoon stops crying and starts to get sleepy

you look at taeil and you both ???

you are kinda proud and he’s real jealous but dw, baby seojoon eventually warms up to his dad

>> as a child <<

oh boy

get ready for the headaches

he has a very active imagination

and he is a huge prankster

dw, it’s not serious physically hurting or emotional hurting pranks

simple ones

like “oh no, everything in the house has been shifted a little bit so something is off but the whole family can’t figure it out because it was so minute”

he is a giggly boy

has the most adorable laugh out of the whole group

he is best friends with haechan’s oldest daughter, lee minah (they’re born the same year)

they’re a dynamic duo

they can cause a lot of damage

but when they decide to do something nice?

it’s one of the sweetest and cutest things in the world!!

he gets lost a lot

and she does too

they usually get lost together

no one knows why they get lost a lot

like literally you’d be holding his hand and he’d just disappear?

it’s magic honestly

his favorite game is hide and seek

honestly, so logically smart

like top of the class material

honestly tho, probably second in the class because he forgot to do something dumb like write his name on top of a report or the final or something

just a big wholesome goofball who loves his mom and his sister

around this time, he realizes his love for singing

taeiil is filled with so much love when seojoon decides he wants to be a singer just like his dad

taeil will teach him everything he needs to know (doesn’t mean he loves yoojin any less, taeil would actually look into businesses and bring home books as to how to run them, taeil would be a dad who is VERY proud of his children and their accomplishments.)

even tho seojoon gives everyone headaches, he apologizes wholeheartedly and with that adorable look in his eyes, how can you stay mad?

>> as an teen/adult <<

another oh moment

like he grew up so well

thanks to his sister and you, he is so kind and respectful towards women

like he never says no to a date (of course he’ll say no if he’s in a relationship or if it’s a genuine bad time)

he’ll go on dates even if he isn’t sure that he likes the person all that much

he rejects them in such a positive way that they don’t even realize that they’ve been rejected yet

he’s the type of ex that you’d be happy to see in public and wouldn’t run away from

he’s a pretty soft boy

like he’s a genuine intellectual

seems like he grew out of his prankster ways he didn’t really tho

he makes sure that everyone is taken care of in the group

even tho he’s old now, he’s still terrified of his sister (he loves her to bits tho)

like he’ll be celebrating an event and he’ll be like “wait, let me ask yoojin-noona if it’s okay.”

and everyone is like “seojoon, you’re like, 20 years old, you don’t need her permission” 

and he’s like “oh yeah, i forgot”

on the occasions when he actually calls her she’s simply like “you’re an adult? you can make these decisions on your own?”

he’s like a jack of all trades

like he used to be really really really bad at cooking

then he watched one cooking show

and nows he’s out here making racks of lamb and all that good jazz

like 

it’s very surprising with what he can do

he’s one of the most supportive older brothers of the group

he gives the worst gifts tho

but don’t get me wrong! it’s not because he doesn’t care

it’s simply because he spends so much time at the store, that they close so he gets flustered and buys everyone gift cards

he’s such a wholesome boy and is pretty reliable 

you may have to remind him but that’s beside the point

he will be there for you when you need him!

starts his singing career at this age and he’s honestly thriving

he loves ballads and finds that they fit his voice really well (considering his voice is literally a virtual copy of his dad’s)

but he’ll release a random r&b album and everyone would be quaking

he’s just such a smart and wholesome dummy who’s trying his best!

---

here’s the first part! i’m trying to be as detailed as i can with these babies!

i hope you guys liked it! johnny’s kids are next!

- amy <3

[atamascolily]

Lily liveblogs: “Resistance Reborn,” part four

When we last left off, Finn and Poe and friends were about to go to a birthday party for one of Maz's smugger friends who has the list macguffin they're after. Please note they're not actually crashing this party for once - Maz got them actual invitations, lol.

Meanwhile, Bratt the Brat comes back to the office and beats Yama to a pulp, only to be taken aback when his superiors commend her for her loyalty in reporting Monti's theft. But he's offered a chance to prove his loyalty if he can fix the mess, even though he's still in denial about Yama and Monti's true allegiances because he’s a sexist asshole.  

The party is awesome - ocean and fish and rich people and smugglers, with the First Order providing security (??). Poe and Finn eat a bunch of sea-themed canapes and banter. It's delightful and I want entire fics of this instead of, like, three pages. They had to bring presents, and one of the other members of Poe's team got the gifts, so it's a surprise to him too when the birthday girl opens it, but it's a dwarf lylek, a spiky hermit-crab/praying mantis creature that stays small "as long as you don't feed it flesh".

The guest of honor is delighted because--who would have guessed?--she used to be an entomologist! I love her, and I'm kinda sad she's a throwaway character, because she's a member of the Collective, the Corellian techie version of antifa, which sounds wayyyy more interesting than the actual book.  

(I was also hoping that the lylek would start devouring canapes when the First Order inevitably breaks up the party and the shooting starts, only for the lylek to get HUGE and start going after stormtroopers... but alas, no, that doesn't happen either. DON'T TEASE ME LIKE THAT, OKAY??)

There's an auction to get the list macguffin as a fundraiser for the Collective and Poe is trying to figure out what the trick is because they're rapidly running out of cash. CorSec breaks up the party in the name of the First Order, which is weird because I thought the FO was providing security, but whatever.

Wedge, Norra, Snap, and Tasa Nasz, the ex-Imperial badass, go to the shipyards to steal ships for the Resistance. There's a Baleen-class freighter, and I love it. They run into Yama Dee, badly injured from Bratt's beating, and we learn that Yama is 15, so Bratt isn't just an abusive asshole, he's a child abuser, ughhh. Our heroes are rightly incensed and vow to help Yama, who is uniquely positioned to give them what they need.

Leia and Rey are sitting around on Ryloth, when... Rey has a bad feeling seconds before the First Order starts taking over (for totally unrelated reasons) and the Resistance forces have to GTFO.

Back at the party, the birthday girl is devastated because her husband was shot in front of her, so she agrees to give Poe the list macguffin for revenge (it's hidden in her jewelry in the form of a snake, which is a nice touch). They jump into a pool to escape the FO, and Finn hauls them out. Poe is afraid she's lost the necklace, but it turns out to come when called, which everyone agrees is awesome.

Bratt attacks the FO officer accusing him of treason and runs back to his office to track down information about Monti the Traitor--only to find Wedge and company with Yama and the escaped prisoners (including Leia's old political friend). Yama confronts Bratt, who denies everything, and Yama is appalled when she realizes she's parrotting his exact same arguments, that she is becoming the same as her abuser.

They fight, only to be interrupted by Teza, who is unsympathetic when she learns Bratt is the one who beat Yama in the first place. She tells Bratt he has a choice: either let Yama continue the beatdown, or she shoots him. Bratt is aghast at the idea of letting Yama beat him, so Teza shoots him and he bleeds out on the floor in astonishment while everyone else walks out. Leia's senatorial friend tries to offer him a hand up, but Bratt bats it away and dies alone and confused.

(Please note that the main reason the ex-Imperial comes along seems to be so she can be the agent of divine justice without our "good" heroes having to get their hands dirty. For all that ST fans like to talk about "edginess" and "grey Jedi" and "moral complexity" in TLJ, this is still Star Wars and our heroes don't shoot (usually) shoot people at point-blank range and leave them to die even when they're assholes.)

Wedge and company meet up with Poe and company, who have lost their own ship, so they steal a FO shuttle and escape with the prisoners and the full list. Since Ryloth is no longer safe, Poe makes a deal with the Collective for a safe haven in exchange for the rest of their credits.

Leia and her old friend have a tearful reunion. Poe makes an inspiring speech about scattering to the winds to become the spark that will burn the FO down. I don't know how much sense that makes in terms of strategy and tactics, but everybody is impressed. Poe has overcome all his angst about Crait and is happy to be--in charge? Second in command? I have no idea how the chain of command even works right now.

Wedge and Norra leave to do their own stuff; Snap wants to go with them, but Poe won't let him. Finn says he's coming with Poe, and that's Rey's cue to show up.

"Where are we going?" Both men turned to find Rey, looking expectant.

Finn grinned. "I didn't want to ask."

Rey grinned back. "You didn't have to."

The two friends laughed, leaning in to touch shoulders in acknowledgment. Rey looked at Poe, eyes narrowed as if unsure. "You don't mind?"

Poe pressed a hand to his heart, giving Rey a small bow. "I'm honored."

She flushed, pleased as he'd hoped she would be.

This is great, and I love it, but this doesn't have as much emotional resonance as it could have because THIS IS LITERALLY THE SECOND TIME IN THIS BOOK THAT ALL THREE OF THEM HAVE BEEN IN THE SAME ROOM WITH EACH OTHER AND REY AND POE HAVE SPOKEN TO EACH OTHER and so it feels like... it wasn't really earned??

Leia is smiling at the three of them in satisfaction because "the Resistance is in good hands" and "she's got us".

Poe slung an arm around Finn's shoulders and pulled Rey in close on the opposite side.

"That's right, Poe said. She's got us.

"Now let's go and save the galaxy."

Again, this is all A++ good, but I don't feel like any of this has been earned. At all. Like, does Poe know anything about why Leia believes in Rey, what Rey can do? They're just all friends now because of Finn even though Poe and Rey barely know each other?? Is he this affectionate with everyone?? I don't mind this closeness, but... it would have been nice to have more of this earlier so it doesn't feel so out of the blue and forced.

Also, what did this book accomplish? So the Resistance has some ships now. It has a few more fighters, they freed a bunch of influential prisoners from the New Republic that the First Order had taken into custody, and they have a list of current and future targets to warn. And they're not dead yet, so that's good.

But Leia and Rey barely got to do anything in this book, Rose is barely there at all, and Finn is only tangentially involved at the end. Most of the plot features Poe, Wedge, and occasionally other characters like Bratt, Snap, and Dross Squadron.

So despite the marketing, which makes it sound like this is an All-Resistance Adventure featuring our main trio, I would say Poe is the protagonist, because he's the only one with a character arc: moving from depressed and angsty over the failed mutiny at Crait to letting go of his failures and moving on to be a leader. There's also a smaller arc with Wedge moving from retired warrior and active farmer back to warrior again, but it's much less nuanced.

Outside of that, though, the book feels like it's tugging in too many direction and not going anywhere near the ones I find most interesting. There are lots of characters I'm expected to care about who are not in the films, and little in the narrative itself makes me want to. (The only reason I know about Leia's friend, for instance, is because I read a summary of Bloodline on Wookieepeedia.) It feels like Disney made a very deliberate decision to make all the plotlines 100% more convoluted and confusing than they needed to be, just so you'd read/buy all the supplementary material, and that is a... choice, I guess. But it makes me grumpy.

Honestly, if I wasn't writing a ST fix-it fic, I wouldn't have bothered with this. I found Resistance Reborn to be adequate, but mostly unexceptional, and occasionally frustrating. The few really delightful bits are when major movie characters are together in the same room, but that is weirdly and woefully rare, and I honestly do not understand what the story group/Disney was thinking here in not making those the meat of the book.

Question: who is Disney's target audience for this book? I'm honestly not sure, and I'm not sure they know, either, and I think this book demonstrates that. Which is... really weird for a billion-dollar corporation intent on milking every last cent out of the franchise, that's all. I don't get it. 

TL;DR:

The Good:

Stormpilot feels (brotp or otp depending on your preferred ship)

the Collective (Corellian techie antifa) 

Poe’s fabulous hair

fancy dress party heist

Wedge’s garden and space chickens

barely any mention of Kylo Ren whatsoever

The Meh:

loads and loads of characters that are not in the movies and therefore hard to keep track of or care

macguffin plot macguffin

cooler plot threads and story ideas are teased and never followed up on (in this book, at least)

The WTF:

movie characters barely interact with each other

assuming they have a role at all

does any of this matter?

feels like filler

[eshithepetty]

wholesome mp100 things:

(Because I really like to ramble about this show and I just thought I'd compile some things I appreciate about it):

Bottling up feelings? Nuh uh, bad idea, better have realistic and well paced development of you opening up more and learning to accept your emotions, kiddo.

Self!! Respect!! Not just learning it in a 'oh, I love myself, flaws and all' way, but the actual process of trying really hard to actually be proud of oneself, even when it's hard to see yourself as anything but terrible. It's all in the gradual changes and small moments of taking your own feelings into account!!

An actual adult? Actually acknowledging?? How actually fucked up all the shit the kids of the show have to go through is??? And going out of their way to lessen their weight of responsibility, and to protect them and offering them comfort, like,,, yes please!!!

'Huh...? You want? World domination?? What a ridiculous concept. What are you even going to do with that? People need other people, dummy. Honestly, you're acting more childish than the actual children here.'

Everyone!! Is!! Equal!! Yes, you may have god-like powers that could literally fling me into the stratosphere and I might be an actual sewer rat incarnate, but as people?? We all still long for the same validation. We all have the same rights. We're all human.

Not?? Sexualising any of the female/kid characters? Tbh, I don't really feel at my best giving points to a show for this, since it shouldn't be that surprising in the first place, but still, and I think this is easily overshadowed by all the thirst Bones has for Reigen, but that's the thing! They're putting all their (tbh not that creepy really and in character) fanservice into one grown man and that's!! Really great! Thank you Reigen for being our sacrifical lamb

On the subject of not sexualizing kids, Tsubomi, Mob's crush, while being portrayed as very pretty, is not sexualized at all either, and Mob's fantasies about her entirely consist of them just,, doing stuff like holding hands and walking home together?? Not even kissing or anything like that??? It's just so innocent and cute, gosh... also the fact that Tsubomi and the rest of the girls aren't stereotypes, but have their own lives that don't revolve around the boys and interesting personalities that are very distinct from each other, even if they don't get as much screentime as the boys :> (also, Tome being a protagonist in the Reigen spin-off manga!!)

Dealing with anxiety and dependency and manipulation/abuse, when you're an adult?? I honestly can't say I've seen too much of anything concerning this anywhere,,, Serizawa is so good

And all the adults for that matter!! All the villains! Their redemption arcs are all about intergrating into society again and learning to have a realistic worldview and all around getting well rounded as people. That's pretty inspiring, imo!

Also, Reigen, an adult, realising that he was being unfair to Mob, a kid, and specifically saying he was 'caging him in', instead of using excuses like 'trying to protect him" and trying his hardest to fix his life and mistakes before confronting him, and when he does, doesn't expect Mob to accept or forgive him or want to be friends with him again?? And tearing up for the first time on the show just from being a called good person by him,,,? That was honestly so tearjerking and pure and that arc made me feel the full range of human emotion.

Speaking of Reigen, the fact that all of his friends, for the longest time, are a bunch of middle schoolers, and that he has basically fathered them all is such a funny, yet heartwarming and also a bit sad and complicated thing, all at once, to think about.

The body improvement club!!!!! Super supportive and protective jocks, the absolute opposite of toxic masculinity. Thank you ONE for bringing us this gift.

The fact that every one of Mob's friends would likely kill, or at least give a very stern lecture to anyone who ever tries hurting him is amazing and sweet. The same goes for Mob, a big pacifist at heart, putting his strict morals on hold and fighting just for the safety of his friends, and sometimes even strangers or enemies. They're all just so protective and I absolutely love it,,,,

By the way!! Mob!!! I love that he's not a stereotypical cinnamon roll protagonist who is always pure. Like, he has his dark moments. He has hurt people. Sometimes, he's geniunely scary. But the fact that he's so aware of his faults and how much damage he could inflict, and thus tries so hard to better himself every day and to always stay on good morals, and always strives to understand and help people above all else, even through all the suffering he's gone through and all the power he posseses, is what truly makes him so kind and lovable. He's just.... grown so much. I'm immensely proud of him <3

Power of friendship, but done right, because they don't use bonds as some convenient power up, but rather primarily as a tool for character development, that, in turn, helps them become better and more stable and capable people ^^

The fact that the protagonist getting stronger in this show doesn't mean them gaining more power or becoming more book smart, but instead entails them learning to better understand people and to let others understand them as well so that confrontation can be as civilized and nonviolent as possible and become a better tool for helping everyone involved improve themselves is such a direct yet nuanced way of presenting how solutions can be made to real world problems and conflicts, and it's just such a different aproach to the usual shonen aesthetic of power being the defining factor on deciding who wins or loses.

In fact, a lot of the time there is no clear 'winner' of a fight. Sure, we certainly get to understand which side is stronger physically, but the impact those factors play into the characters' mental states and development is usually very removed from those results. A character technically winning can result in them plunging into a meltdown full of self loathing. A character losing often brings a very positive change in their life. Those experiences change the characters in different ways than just winning - positive or losing - negative.

The message that you don't need to be special! Everyone is fundimentally equal, so you being more or less special than anyone else is just flawed as a mindset. Reaching for the top is alright as long as you remember that the thing that matters the most is just trying to be kind.

Mob being widely recognized as autistic in the fandom!! A lot of characters having the capability to be seen as neurodivergent, actually. But even if it isn't intentional coding from the creator, all the messages about how people expressing themselves differently doesn't make them any less human or valid, how conventional isn't always the best, how being empathetic can manifest in wildly different ways and also the reoccurring theme of dealing with trauma etc. are still very much there and impact the narrative and characters a whole lot.

How the story was even able to become so popular, despite the nature of ONE's art!! Also, how the anime creators decided to stay faithful, even tho they had the opportunity to change the art style to something more conventional and not go as hard as they did, but nope, they admire and respect the source material and clearly have so much passion for this project, putting all kinds of talent and creativity and effort into every episode!!! They seem like they're having a lot of fun with it, and I'm very glad.

(Feel free to add more!!!)

[just-kessho]

Ambrosia: Dazai Happiness Week

[Day 2] Dress Up 

AU: None/Yokai(?)

Warnings: Suicide – this is Dazai, after all. Descriptions of blood and (slight) gore.

[Day 1] [Here] [Day 3] [Day 4] [Day 5] [Day 6] [Day 7]

 [Surname] [Name] has seen many, many, many things because of her Gift, [The Eden Cycle], that may as well have granted her immortality. From joining the battles in the Edo Era that left a (though perhaps imaginary) metallic, coppery taste in her mouth whenever her memories rounded to the deceased, to the putrid smell of rotting bodies mixed with a strong stench of blood that insects would love to craw all over – and don’t get her started on the Dragon’s Head incident…

Oh man, even six years on, her hand would itch for the handle of her blade whenever she thought of that particular massacre.

But really, nothing could have prepared her for this image that she saw with her two eyeballs.

Dazai Osamu was infamous for many things, and failed suicide being one of them, yet he was trying to hang himself using that fur around his neck… which was just simply too short, thus resulting in the brunette really just trying to chock himself with it…

Key word there: trying to choke himself.

Because honestly, that piece of fashion accessory was still too short to be completely wrapped around his neck ending with a knot.

So [Name], being the loving girlfriend that she is, bee-lined straight to him and nearly used her tanto[1] (or well, one of the many that she has on her) that she usually hides all over her clothing to literally cut the thing to shreds.

But when suddenly remembering that the attire Dazai had on was on loan to them, and it was so delicately detailed anyway, she just had enough willpower to hold back.

Although with the male’s face turning a light blue, [Name] did have second thoughts.

Still, ultimately, she decided against using any sharp objects that could not only cut through the fur, but could also accidentally leave a worrisome red line along Dazai’s neck.

(Unlike her, it was rather easy, almost too easy to end his life, despite his many failed attempts. A red cut – deep enough – in his neck would mean a one-way trip to Heaven… a clean stab through his heart would also mean death… and heck, even falling down past a certain height equals an eternal sleep.)

“… You know,” [Name] did not want to think about how the living, breathing person in front of her could die anytime soon anymore, thus she settled on scolding him with an expression that she hoped conveyed her annoyance. “When Kunikida-kun said that a generous shop is going to loan us kimono, I don’t think he meant you could do anything you want with it.”

‘Rather annoyed’ were probably the two words to describe [Name]’s emotion presently, Dazai thought, yet he could decipher the faint twinkle in her eyes and the mouth that trembles for a fraction of a second clearly – after all, perception was one of his forte.

Was she truly worried for him, about him for a moment? How truly precious. He would have hugged her, tightly at that, yet eyeing the traditional kimono (or rather, furisode[2]) that she had on, the brunette held back – just barely. Like the expensive attire he had on, [Name]’s was perhaps even more intricate, and so more expensive. He wagered one of those styles she has on, it was probably worth at least two weeks of pay check for him, perhaps even more.

It was nice, refreshing even, to see her in colours others than the normal black and white, and while her furisode does still have those colours, hey, with the accompaniment of vibrant, pastel coloured flowers and purple, it brought out her beauty even more.

Heh, no wonder many borrow kimono for formal events like these instead of buying them outright.

Still, the same could be said for him – especially that high quality fur he has.

“But [Name]-chan~!” drawing out the female’s name that made her eyebrow twitch, Dazai continued as if that failed suicide did not happen, at all, “that fur looked so comfy, and it really is, so I thought my end could be comfortable as well as clean.”

“Yeah right, I had to waste my time trying to help you. That suicide was by far clean…”

A chuckle met her ears, and her eyes widened at the light laughter that was emitted from her boyfriend’s mouth. That traditional kimono with haori[3] really suited him. If you told her several years ago that Dazai can genuinely laugh with a light pink dusted across his cheeks, then she would have scoffed and walked away muttering “what a joke.” and “wasting my time…” all the while under her breath.

… Still, Dazai looked so happy, so carefree (well, carefree as he was without running calculations and at least twenty back-up plans for the agency) and so… weirdly normal in that expensive kimono of his, so she too, joined his laughter.

Though that did not excuse him for his failed suicide earlier, thus [Name] was going to add an insulting nickname to show her annoyance (not that it always did much, as Dazai would just smile slyly and continue, completely disregarding the nickname), but at the look of utter comfort that was on his face as he rubbed his cheek against the fluffy material, she settled with:

“What are you, a kitsune?”

“But it really is soft and fluffy… of course, no where near that silk known as your hair but come feel it, [Name]!”

And so she did.

Not because she herself wanted to, oh no, even if that fur looked really soft… but because of the way Dazai’s face lit up whenever he felt the item, and she knew if she doesn’t, he really would have annoyed her to no end.

Oh, who was she kidding? It was because of the famous ‘puppy-dog-eyes’ that was aimed straight at her, though strangely enough, today seemed less ‘puppy-dog’ and more… ‘kitsune-foxy’…

Still, it did the job of melting her resolve-

And was he fucking purring?!

No way, the infamous Dazai Osamu, defeated by a mere accessory that people would bat an eye against, purring in delight at its power-

Oh my, that stupid thing really is fluffy…

So, when Nakajima Atsushi, also in a expensive kimono that was way over his finances that the poor boy had to watch where he put every step, wandered in the room, sliding the shoji[4] door, wanting to ask them if they were ready, he was met with a peculiar sight that had him rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating. The image of the two most dangerous people that he known of, snuggling into an accessory all the while seeming as if they were in pure bliss, was something that he would not forget in a hurry.

“Uh… [Surname]-san, Dazai-san… are you two ready?”

“Just give us a minute Atsushi-kun.” Dazai had answered, though all of them knew that it was a straight up lie, as they would need at least ten minutes. “[Name] here is looking more and more like one of those cat yokai you often find in old tales.”

“… Bakeneko[5]?”

“No, I’m more of a Nekotama[6] with my age…”

“… [Surname]-san, please stop speaking as if you are an old la-”

He suddenly stopped, for Atsushi realised the irony in the statement… though the actual age of [Name] isn’t known – not even to the female herself, but Vesalius (who was also invited, so Atsushi prayed that he would not strangle Dazai…) had deducted that she would be at least be two-hundred years, as [Name] often had nightmares – or well, past memories in her case – about days of samurai and warfare.

“All right, all right, Atsushi-kun, we’re going…” putting the fur around Dazai’s neck was hard, as [Name] had the sudden urge to just snatch it back and feel the softness eternally, but in the end, with Atsushi exerting a sigh, she, along with Dazai by her side, left the room.

Silently, without witness, the two shadows that were cast by both [Name] and Dazai held hands. Yet what was strange were the nine, fluffy objects (that somehow slightly resembled that weird fur-scarf that came with Dazai’s kimono) that were intruding from the shadow. These nine tails were the classic sign of a kitsune, and even the shadow of the furisode female have a tail, though this one was straight – exactly like a cat’s, yet with the end split equally in two halves.

Just before the light disappeared, thus taking the shadows with it, one of the nine tails found its way towards the tail of the nekotama, and the two enclosed around one another, much like how two couple would hole each other, never wanting to let go.

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

Notes:

 [1] Tanto: it’s basically a short Japanese sword that was used by the samurai. While I’m not 100% sure, I think Kyouka’s short sword qualifies as one.

 [2] Furisode: traditional kimono worn by unmarried woman/girls

 [3] Haori: a traditional jacket-like kimono

 [4] Shoji: those traditional paper sliding doors you often find in Japan

 [5] Bakeneko: a yokai cat that can shapeshift

 [6] Nekotama: a breed of bakeneko, born the same way as it, though only the oldest, largest (thus with more power and intelligence) cat could become nekotama. Nekotama have two tails

Done! Now, excuse me while I go reblog 2000+ photos of my husbando on my main trash blog. It’s not even 19 June here.

@dazaixhappinessweek2k19

[avaalons]

Chris Evans Fic: Hiking and Hypocrisy (Chapter 10)

Some NSFW content in this.

You glanced nervously at the clock, wiping your hands on a cloth as you ran through your mental checklist once more. Dinner was in the oven, dessert was chilling in the fridge, the table was set… all you needed to do was get yourself ready. You had about forty five minutes until Chris was due to arrive and you planned on using them to make yourself as primped and preened as possible.

After the success of your reunion at Mackie and Sheletta’s, you had invited Chris over to your apartment for dinner. You planned on telling him everything, the whole sorry tale. Yes, there was a high probability that it would totally kill the mood, and you worried that it was too soon to be bearing your soul so completely, but after all that had happened, it seemed like the only option. Chris had to know, end of.

You practised what you were going to say as you showered and shaved your legs, and then again as your dried your hair and applied a touch of make up. You practised, but you knew full well it would all go out of the window once you actually began talking. Still, it didn’t hurt to run through it all, as much as it pained you to recall the events that put the final nail in the coffin on yours and Isaac’s relationship.

By the time the doorbell rang, you felt somewhat ready. You did a final smooth over of your dress and opened the door to Chris, smiling on the other side and holding a bouquet of flowers and a bottle of wine.

You matched his smile, feeling nerves turn to excitement now that he was there, and stepped aside to let him.

He gifted the flowers to you and you thanked him, pressing a gentle and tentative kiss to his mouth before heading to the kitchen to find a vase and water.

‘Smells good in here,’ Chris complimented you.

‘It’s honey mustard chicken. I hope you’re hungry, I got a little over excited and made enough to feed the whole apartment block.’

He just grinned boyishly, ‘Oh, I’m absolutely famished.’

***

You chatted all through dinner, music playing softly in the background, venturing into flirtation on more than one occasion. You had seated yourselves around a corner of the table so that your knees brushed together often and you were close enough to lay a hand on an arm here or have your hair brushed back over your shoulder there. Each touch ignited a new spark within you, your body finally able to give in to its attraction to him.

Chris helped you clear away the dishes after dessert, moving close by you as you stacked them in the sink and you felt hands snake around your hips, a bristly cheek rest against yours from behind.

‘Thank you for that spectacular dinner,’ he said sincerely, and you spun around in his arms, wedged between him and the counter, laying your hands against his chest.

‘You are more than welcome,’ You beamed up at him. ‘I hope it goes some small way to apologising for the absolute shitshow you’ve encountered since you met me.’

You laughed as you said but there was a serious undertone to your words.

He dipped his head in acknowledgement, ‘There’s nothing to apologise for, honestly. The one thing I would like to know, if you ever felt up to telling me, is what that asshole did to you in the past to make you so wary. Just so I know what I’d be fighting him for if I ever meet him again.’

You knew he was joking about the fighting thing and you laughed with him, trying to keep the mood light but feeling the significance of what you needed to do.

Reaching up on tip toes, you pressed your mouth gently to his, placing your hands against his neck. He pushed back against you almost instantly, deepening the kiss, sweeping his tongue across your bottom lip. It was full of longing and, on your part, of apology, both for what had happened and what you were about to unload on him.

You pulled back just enough to be able to speak against his lips, ‘Let’s take the wine into the living room and I’ll tell you whole thing.’

He looked at you steadily for a moment, ‘You sure? I don’t want to push you into something you’re not ready for.’

‘No, you need to hear it so you can understand. I’ve been holding on to it for too long.’

He nodded, ‘Lead the way.’

***

So you sat, with your glasses of wine and you told him the whole of your history with Isaac. Some of it you had assumed Chris had been able to piece together from what he had seen at the cabin, but some of it was going to be fresh information.

So you told him how you had met Isaac when you were too young to know any better, had been taken in by his good looks, charming personality and, honestly, his ambitions of being an actor impressed you. He was just starting out but had a couple of decent TV credits under his belt, he knew people and was a little showbiz.

You spent a lot of your relationship wondering what he saw in you, how you had managed to catch such a prize, and it was only years later that you realised that whole train of thought was one carefully cultivated by Isaac himself. He wanted you to feel inferior, like he was doing you a favour, and he manipulated you so well that you hadn’t even realised that he was doing it. Every time he made you change your clothes before going to an event, or compared you to another girl, or changed plans at the last minute and went to events alone because ‘you know how it is babe, sometimes I can get more out of networking if I appear single, it’s just for work, you know that right?’

And every time, you told him yes, you knew he was trying to carve a career for himself to secure your future. He wasn’t cheating on you, he loved you!

Then things had happened in rapid succession. You moved in with him, into an apartment being sublet by none other than Anthony Mackie, also an up-and-comer at the time, and three months, he’d asked you to marry him. You had worn that obscene ring with pride at the time, believing beyond everything that this proves exactly how much Isaac truly loved you, how everything he did was for your future together as a couple. Underneath it all, however, deep down you were scared of how much you needed him. All of your friends had been cut off, left to the wayside as Isaac consumed you. You dyed your hair, lost weight, starting tanning - all things you thought would make him love you more - because, now you knew, that ring that never made you feel more secure. If anything, now you had it, you felt you had to work to keep it.

Isaac was the only person you had in your life, and that made it very difficult to leave him, even years down the line when you knew things weren’t right, that there was something wrong in his treatment of you. He stayed out late, a lot. You were invited to less and less of his events and spent more and more time alone in the apartment with only that ridiculous ring for company. His career didn’t seem to be going anywhere fast and you began to live for monthly trips to the cabin.

The cabin belonged to his parents really, but Isaac used it the most. Sometimes for out-of-town parties but your favourite times were when it was just the two of you. It was only there you felt like you had him, truly. You tried to keep him in bed all weekend, waiting on him hand and foot, trying desperately to show him how good a fiancée you were and how you could meet all his needs. You didn’t care what he asked of you, you did it. He was himself at the cabin, he was nice to you and paid attention to you, and you told yourself this is how he really was and that ‘LA Isaac’ was just a front, a mask.

The truth really hit you all at once, however. You’d been feeling pretty sick at work for a couple of days and, having mentioned it in passing to Nina, decided you should take a pregnancy test. You bought one at the store on your way home, leaving work earlier than you normally would, feeling excited to tell Isaac. This would surely set everything in stone. Engaged, with a baby on the way, you could be a family. You could give him what no one else could. Maybe he’d give up on the actor thing and settle into something more stable once he was a Dad.

You let yourself into your apartment, ready to burst, ready for Isaac to wait with you in anticipation as the test did it’s thing, but you froze immediately.

There, bent over the couch was a naked woman, head thrown back in pleasure as Isaac pounded into her from behind. Time seemed to slow. You saw every little detail, saw him admiring her ass, giving her a little slap, telling her she was a good girl. You heard the noises she was making, thrusting her backside in the air like she was in a porn movie. It wasn’t long before the shock evolved and all you wanted to do was throw up.

‘Isaac?!’ Your voice was strained, wild.

They both turned to the source of the noise but Isaac barely batted an eyelid. He even grinned a little as he pulled out, telling the girl he’d be back in a minute.

‘I didn’t know you’d be back so soon baby,’ he said as he nonchalantly strolled past you to the kitchen, pulling a bottle of water from the fridge.

‘Isaac! What - we’re together. We’re engaged! I can’t… why would you do this? Does this mean nothing to you?’ You held up your hand for him to see the ring he’d placed there himself.

He took a swig from his bottle and gazed at you, no emotion whatsoever on his face.

‘Don’t be so naive sweetheart. This is LA, you think anyone is monogamous?’

That churned up the ever increasing fury inside you and you wanted to scream.

‘I am! I’ve been here, been faithful, been everything you could possibly want me to be, and this is what I come home to.’

‘That’s the way it works baby, very rarely does wife material coincide with, well, bedroom material. That’s all I’m saying. Needs have to be fulfilled somehow. Now why don’t you run along for a couple of hours, take my card, go treat yourself to some shopping, and we’ll go out for a nice dinner later.’

He laid his bottle on the counter and began to walk back towards the girl, still ready and waiting over the couch. You couldn’t believe the lack of concern. He literally did not care that you had caught him fucking another woman’s brains out while you were at work, while you might have his child-

‘Isaac, I might be pregnant. I came home early today to do a test.’

That made him stop at least and he turned around slowly, but his face was hard and unforgiving.

‘Then what are you doing here? Get to the doctor and get that sorted out now,’ he hauled you by the shoulder and all but pushed you out the door, ‘And don’t come back until it’s taken care of.’

You stood in shock, staring at the front door, watching your life fall apart in front of you. You had no one. There was no one to go to, no one to help you. Isaac was all you had in the world.

Eventually, you had called Mackie. He was your landlord for all intents and purposes, and you didn’t really know him too well at that point, but at least he could help you with the apartment stuff. Maybe he had another sublet you could use temporarily? And help you collect your belongings from the apartment? Because you wouldn’t be going back. Not ever.

He’d come over after hearing your shaky voice on the phone and had led you away carefully. He and Sheletta had taken you in, Sheletta holding your hand while you waited for the results of the test (Negative. Just stomach flu then) while Mackie collected your belongings for you. You figured he’d kicked Isaac out because Mackie had asked you if you wanted the apartment back. You’d shook your head vehemently. There was no way you would ever go back there.

With the help of Mackie and Sheletta you had slowly gotten back on your feet, found a new apartment, threw yourself back into work, and, after a broker had told you your ring was virtually worthless, had thrown it into the river.

You started again, were reborn as a new Isaac-less woman: hardened, cynical, and alone but just about getting by.

Until Chris.

[imagine-loki]

Across the Divide

TITLE: Across The Divide CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter Twenty-Seven AUTHOR: wolfpawn ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine Loki sneaking out of the palace as a youth to see the city and countryside, while out one day, he accidentally gets in trouble for something, but a young girl deals with the situation, allowing him to be left alone and his true identity be kept secret. She is a poor girl who is only in the city to sell goods with her father, so she does not realise it is Loki, even though she sees his face. They form a friendship as she shows him around the city, and tells him the date she comes to the city every month for a particular market. RATING: Teen and Up

Life, as it so often does, conspired against Loki and Ariella. While Loki was contemplating how best to apologise to her, there had been an emergency that called him off realm. He had not even the time to talk to Ariella again and to try and make amends when he and Frigga had had to rush to Alfheim to deal with a matter there that caused need for all the greatest seidr wielders in the realms to be required, the matter was of such importance, Odin had given Loki Gungnir to assist. Leaving Ariella to be told what was going on by Odin, though she was slightly sceptical at first, but after a day or so, she had heard maids confirming it, as well as the lack of appearance by Frigga, confirming it more to her.

After a week she had begun to walk about her room somewhat and with good food and rest, she had recovered almost fully. It was then she set about the task that Odin had asked of her. She had thought about it at length while she recovered. Odin gave her permission to call upon anything she required, the results startled all involved, the materials were inexpensive and basic. There were comments made regarding it, scoffing and ridicule being most common, but Ariella never heard any of it, because she was too busy in her own world.

Her days were busy, she did lessons for a few hours in the morning, had lunch, then she worked on her idea, then dinner and rest before beginning the next day again. Odin was a constant mentor to her as she continued her education. A better-suited tutor was found, one that made Ariella’s learning a pleasure for the woman, Odin came by every so often to see how she was progressing in those lessons, but also to keep her company and to inform her of what was going on with Loki.

‘How is the project going?’

‘Fine.’ she smiled as she put away to book she had been learning to write with. ‘I need to do the next phase of it soon.’

‘Excellent. Have you a timeframe or are you simply working as you see fit?’ Odin asked as he watched her work around her room, putting away more items.

‘I think a month, but then I have days like today and reassess to six weeks,’ she rolled her eyes.

Odin chuckled, ‘All beings have such days, they mean very little.’ He dismissed. He smiled as he noticed she had taken some his vernacular in their time speaking as well as broadened her own comprehension of many words he used. ‘Loki and Frigga should be home soon.’

‘That is nice.’ She gave a small smile.

‘Are you still angry at him?’

Ariella gave a stern glare at the old monarch for a moment before her shoulders slumped, ‘No.’

‘Then why the disinterest?’

‘I am not disinterested, I am looking forward to seeing Frigga again.’

‘And Loki?’ She said nothing. Odin shook his head, knowing there was nothing he could do regarding the matter. ‘You are as stubborn as each other.’

Ariella said nothing and went about getting herself ready for her afternoon’s work. She thought of the time when she had just seen Loki after their forced separation from one another due to circumstance, of how he placed a chaste kiss on her lips, and the sensation that she had felt as a result, as though she was after being given a new lease of life. It had made her feel incredible, but of late, thoughts of Loki had made her feel less than good, she felt as though she was never going to feel such a way about him again since he clearly had not seen her in the manner she thought he had. Perhaps, she thought, she had only imagined it in him in desperation for his affections in return for her own.

She was toying with her hair, which thankfully was now halfway down her neck and getting to her shoulders once more even after it had been cut to shape it. She was able to put a small braid in it now, making her feel more feminine. The new dresses she was made also caused her to realise she could actually look somewhat like a high born woman giving the right circumstance. It filled her with joy to feel such a way, she often looked in the mirror smiling as she began to gain weight again. The only concern she had was how she would know how to stop. Eir assured her that that was not a concern, she would ensure that her diet be altered come a time she reached such a weight.

Smiling as she walked to where she was working on her piece, she rarely paid any attention to anything around her, oblivious to the people watching her, many speculating she was Loki’s whore, some even speculated she was Odin’s, more than a few comments were made that there was life in that old dog yet, especially with Frigga off realm for what was notably the longest period in recent centuries without her husband.

‘Ariella?’ She turned to see Thor behind her. ‘Forgive my shouting, I was unsure if it was you, you look well.’ Thor jogged a few paces to catch up to her, smiling widely. ‘I hardly recognised you.’

‘Yes, now that I do not look like some form of famine victim, I am somewhat different looking.’

‘Different would imply grotesque to many, you look incredibly well.’Thor beamed.

Ariella folded her arms, ‘What do you want this time?’

In the time since Loki’s departure, Thor and Ariella had spent some time in each other’s company through different events, most of which were accidental meetings, as Thor tended to go training after his lunch while she went to about her own dealings, both inadvertently meeting en route, as well as Thor aiding with some of Loki’s matters in his absence. In such times, they had spoken, though not at any considerable length. It was through this that Ariella had noted Thor’s interest in the young and seemingly pleasant Lady Sif, and due to a small suggestion on her behalf one day to get Sif something that she had noted the girl liked as a gift and her subsequent elation, Thor had come to Ariella to deal with any issue he had regarding the maiden thereafter, citing she was the only non-staff female he had any form of amicable relations within the palace, and with Frigga not on realm, he needed to ensure he did not screw up too badly on the matter.

‘I wish to ask the Lady Sif to dine with me tomorrow.’

‘And?’

‘What should I ask her?’

‘Ask her if she wishes to dine with you, literally there is nothing wrong with just that.’ She stated as though obvious.

‘And if she declines?’

‘Force your father to force her father to force her to marry you; what do you think you do, you get over it like a grown man.’ Ariella scoffed before rolling her eyes. ‘Honestly. Look, you like her, she likes you, according to Odin, she is of enough standing for this to be allowed, and according to the monkey stirring the devilment pot in his head, having his son be in a love match will only add to the situation.’ she stated as they came to where their paths usually ended on the accidental meeting. ‘So, just get on with it. I am literally going to die of old age before you take your finger out and deal with this.’

‘Take your finger out of where?’

‘It is an expression.’ She stated, not paying any more attention to him, too busy thinking of her next addition and not overly bothered by Thor’s love interest other than hoping he was content with it.

‘Did you hear Mother and Loki are back soon?’

‘I was not aware of such.’ She stated, trying not to show her emotions at that.

‘You still have not forgiven Loki?’

‘I still have not forgiven your lying and I was not even friends with you.’

‘So, you see me as a friend?’ Thor grinned, Ariella gave a stare. Thor placed his hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes. ‘Do not hold onto anger and let it fester, you will end up ill again with such thoughts.’

‘Stop trying to be sagely, you are too young to make it work.’ She scoffed before walking off. Thor rolled his eyes before heading to the training grounds.

*

‘I cannot wait to return home.’ Frigga smiled wearily as she got into the carriage to bring them home.

‘Yes, my own bed is something I never thought could be so enticing.’

‘And Ariella?’ Loki gave a sideways glance at his mother. For the entirety of their time on Alfheim, she had tried to get him to use some manner of communication with Ariella, which led to him commenting that she would not be able to read the letters and would be too proud to get someone to help her. When Frigga mentioned her at all, he clammed up slightly, the look of defeat on his face blatant. ‘You cannot ignore her forever.’

‘I am not the one who said to leave, am I?’ Loki growled.

‘Time heals most wounds.’ Frigga stated sagely. ‘Wait and see, before the full moon you will be worse than before, back once more in each other’s company.’

As Loki thought of the time he had kissed Ariella, after seeing her in the inn after their time apart, he swallowed and sighed. ‘It can never be like that again.’

Frigga rolled her eyes and looked out the window again, wondering why her son had to be so melodramatic.

* Loki walked through the palace, not overly interested in anything around him, he did not care what others were doing, he was partly concerned with Ariella and her reaction should she see him again and also wondering what work would be waiting for him on his desk.

He turned a corner and froze at the sight that greeted him. There was Thor, giving Ariella a hug, then kissing her cheek as they parted ways, the smile on Ariella’s face telling him she was genuinely happy. He noticed too her hair, her now fresher features and her clothing; she looked beautiful, more beautiful than he ever thought the small grime covered gaunt peasant girl could ever have looked. With his heart pounding in his chest, he watched her laugh to herself as she walked off down a hall, Thor grinning widely as he went his own direction. Not wanting to see any more, he used his magic to get him to another part of the palace and away from the scene he had just witnessed, Thor’s promise the day that Ariella was angry with him coming to the fore of his mind and his anger rising as a result. From his hidden position, he heard two courtiers going by, scoffing as they spoke of the peasant concubine and how she clearly was seeing to all three royal men, such was the manner they were in her presence, and how would Prince Loki feel on his return to know that his father and his brother had been ploughing that particular field of his in his absence. Unable to take the pain in his chest, he rushed through the palace again, not able to stand it.

When he got to a large balcony that overlooks the city, he realised he must have run several staircases also. Knowing none would hear it from such a height, he let out a pained yell.

‘Loki?’ He turned to see Odin behind him, looking at him with great concern. ‘My son, what is it?’

‘I…’

‘Yes?’

‘You…’

‘I what, Loki, tell me.’ Odin walked forward slowly, looking worriedly at his son. ‘Whatever it is, my son, I will assist you. Is it Ariella?’

On using her name, something in Loki snapped, his pain turned to anger, the scoffing words of the two men coming to the front of his mind. Looking at Odin in hate, he lunged forward. His actions startled Odin only for a moment, and though old, years of wars, training and general knowledge came to the fore again, and he grabbed his son with a swiftness a man of his size should not have and held him fast against him, using his own seidr to prevent Loki using his, grateful that in his anger, Loki’s was not able to function with the proficiency that it usually would. ‘Let go.’

‘Speak to me Loki.’ Odin refused to let him go, instead, holding him fast.

‘I heard what they are saying.’

‘Who?’

‘What you are doing with her.’

‘Who Loki?’

‘Ari.’ He got his elbow free and was trying to strike him. ‘In her rooms.’ Implication rife in his words.

Loki was winded as his father threw him forward and he fell to the ground, when he turned he felt fear for the first time in his life of his father, who glared at him with anger. ‘Do you think me such a man?’ He bellowed. ‘That I would prey on a young girl, the only one that holds my son’s affections, that I would do that to my wife, the woman I have loved since before you and your brother were ideas in my head?’ He stood over his son. ‘Courtiers will always talk, you are capable of knowing their lies, yet you choose to believe that of me, of Ariella.’

‘She and Thor…’

‘So he is using her now too, Norns how has she the time of day to do anything other than bounce from room to room of the Odin-Line with such actions? Nothing to say about her five hours of study before lunch, or the six after that she labours on the task she is set, no, she is bed-hopping the royal household, I have to commend her, she is by far the most hardworking creature to ever set foot on Asgard to juggle all that, whenever does she sleep. What sort of way is that to speak of her, you know her better than any, you know she would never do such a thing, yet here you are accusing her of it.’

‘I saw them.’ Loki shouted, causing Odin to pause and frown. ‘Together, in the hallway, he kissed…’

‘Where did he kiss her?’

‘Does it matter?’

‘Yes, it does. To kiss her as a lover would is far different than to kiss her as anything else.’ Odin growled before looking to the edge of the balcony. ‘But no better one to ask than one involved. Care to explain what Loki witnessed.’

Thor stepped down, Muninn and Huginn pruning themselves after completing their assignment to retrieve their master’s older son. ‘I gave Ariella a kiss on the cheek, yes, I confess, I also embraced her, tightly I might add.’ He strode over to his brother, his face stern. ‘And? What concern of it is yours? What right have you to dictate who she does or does not have contact with? What makes you any better than those before you to try and control her, those you stated you wished to see her free from?’

‘You could not see me happy, you swore to ruin it.’

‘I am happy, I am elated beyond words or measure.’ Thor bellowed, resembling his father.

‘With her.’

‘I do not want anything to do with her in that manner,’ Thor scoffed.

‘Then why do as you did?’

‘Because of gratitude.’ Loki scoffed. ‘Yes, I suppose that is a concept you cannot understand.’ Thor sniped. ‘If you must know, Ariella has been helping me.’

‘In what manner?’

‘Not that it is your concern, but with the matter of Lady Sif.’ Loki frowned. ‘The interaction you witnessed was a result of her aiding me have the Lady Sif join me for dinner, in private, as a manner to court her, the Lady Sif, and not Ariella, the woman I know you, my own brother and kin, to love.’

‘Then why say what you did about her?’ Loki challenged, though his voice uncertain.

‘To get you to cop on and start doing something about this rather than allowing something good pass you by.’ Thor stated as though obvious. ‘Why else?’

‘So you did not want her?’ Loki’s voice was smaller as a result of Thor’s declaration.

‘Forgive me, brother, I mean no disrespect to your tastes in women, she is quite pretty, I can see and acknowledge such, but not a type that would interest me.’ Thor stated. Loki’s lustre to fight dissipated fully. His brother and father’s words ceasing his anger. Turning to his father, he could see understanding in his features. ‘You never cared what idiots thought before, yet now their word is sacred. You need to reassess yourself.’ Loki gave him a sideways glare, causing Thor to square up to him. ‘And if you ever attempt to lay hand on our father again when he did nothing to warrant it, when he only tried to help, I will create a crater with your body as its centre.’ He swore, walking back to the edge of the balcony. ‘Sort yourself out brother, not everyone is as honourable as to take your feelings into account.’

Loki frowned again. Odin walked over to his son, placing his hand on his shoulder. ‘We all want you to be happy Loki, why will you not let yourself be happy?’

He looked to his father, remorseful of his actions. ‘I…I should never, I am so sorry.’

‘We shall say no more.’ Odin stated, waving his hand in dismissal. ‘You have an incredible mind Loki, you are also a very good man, it is not in your nature, so we will put it down to exhaustion and stress.’ Loki nodded, grateful for his understanding. ‘But as your brother threatens, once I can forgive, a second time would be wrong of me to. It would indicate you are aggressive, and I do not want anyone, much less a girl who deserves the world, to deal with a man that could strike her.’

Loki looked at him appalled at first, but said nothing, knowing his actions deserved such words. ‘It will not occur again Father, and I will make amends for my actions against you this day.’

Odin nodded and gave a small smile. ‘I know you will, now, go calm yourself, and then speak with Ariella when she finishes later.’

‘Finishes?’

‘She is a busy woman, as I said, she will not be seen until after dinner, which she usually takes in her rooms alone and many times she goes to bed immediately after, if her maid is to be believed. She is caring for herself now, eating well, sleeping well, she is a new being because of it.’

Loki swallowed, he was so consumed by jealousy, he had not taken time to even assess Ariella’s appearance fully, though he noted her beauty. ‘I will have to wait to see her so.’ He gave a sad smile.

‘I hope it is soon.’ Odin smiled encouragingly. ‘I am proud of your work in Alfheim, your mother’s correspondence was very complimentary.’

‘I am just glad it worked.’

Ariella’s hair

[toloveforward]

Why You Don’t Need Girlfriend

Why You Don’t Need Girlfriend

There are many articles on how to seduce a girl, invite her to a second date, find a wife and hold on – all in that spirit. But in fact, without a girl is very good. Now is the time that people are emotionally more stable and do not need to feed a partner. Those times when you were condemned for being lonely for 30 years have already passed, and there are a lot of reasons for that.

Why You Don’t Need Girlfriend

Why You Don’t Need Girlfriend

Focus on self-realization and career

And the girl, especially if she is not chosen very correctly (and she is almost always so chosen due to the fact that we are always in a hurry), as a rule, this will slow down with all my might. Even if reluctantly, albeit unconsciously, but they are, it is laid down by nature: it has already made its nest – the mission has been completed.

Free time? Forget! A conscript soldier has more free time than a happy owner of a meticulous girl. Even if you have a lot of free time, you could spend it on mastering a new language, learn how to draw beautifully, master Braille, read more books, take pictures of cats from trees. When you are alone, you are free from obligations. They called for dubious work? I agreed and found myself. Thinking about moving? Just picked up and moved, without endless persuasion and controversy.

Roughly speaking, you are 25 years old, and your girlfriend suddenly decided to give birth (I wonder who is to blame for this?). So it happened, what to do, and you are in the 3rd year and just about to get a job, so that you will slowly get the experience that will be needed in the future.

Riddle: Who will drop out of school and interesting, but low-paid at first, work in favor of a more profitable, but unpromising, so that there is enough money for a crib?

Answer: We all know him very well.

You can make a bunch of intrigues on the side – Why You Don’t Need Girlfriend

If there is no girl, then there will be no party as such – there will simply be a bunch of sweet affairs. You don’t owe anything to anyone, you don’t explain. Wanted – went to one, then to the other. This, of course, taking into account if you are in demand among girls and they are waiting for you there. But even if this is not so, you can make every effort for this, because of a lot of time. And when you answer endless questions about how your day went and how much you miss now, there is no time left at all.

There are 7.4 billion people on the planet. Of course, it is very controversial to give this argument, because there are many less potential partners (about 7 billion), but the fact remains: there are a lot of people. Really, living with Natasha, whom you met in a nearby store, do you seriously think that here she is that half missing? No, you need to search more, you can not be lazy. No one says that the girl is not needed at all. But in order to find it, the one that will brew coffee exactly the way you want, you need to reconsider many options.

What if you are jealous? This, of course, is very sad, but there you are, and you must change. But this had to be done before the relationship you had already entered into. And, instead of thinking about useful things in the evenings, you sit and bite your nails, wondering what your girlfriend is doing, where she is. And when you don’t have an emotional attachment to anyone, you won’t even think about such trifles. You will become free from these heavy thoughts that oppress you and prevent you from working normally.

You will have more money

It sounds very petty, but if you think about it … Extra money appeared – I went and bought new jeans, binoculars, maybe even caviar – whatever. No one talks about being mean when you’re in a relationship. But the fact is that when you meet with someone, you yourself stop from certain purchases, stipulating that you need to save money on dates, stockings, a joint trip. There are times when you collected five salaries and wanted to buy dollars or invest somewhere, but you can not, because you are expected at home with flowers and rolls.

Of course, if you are a billionaire, you have already bought all the shirts that you wanted, and the financial aspect does not bother you at all, you can spend money on travel without adapting to your partner. He wanted to fly to Kazakhstan – he took it and flew. Do not wait until she is given a vacation, she will make a visa, the mood will appear. Although they say that behind every successful man a woman stands, the fact of the matter is that she simply stands. It costs and does nothing, as a rule. And the man is ahead. Goes ahead and dissolves his problems, but now also hers.

Quickly disappointed in a girl – Why You Don’t Need Girlfriend

The first two months of the relationship are just a fairy tale: the guy willingly takes a shower, ironing clothes, the girl is painting. They give each other gifts, make concessions, do not really argue, greet each other. Well, isn’t that happiness? Of course, happiness. But then two months pass (sometimes more, sometimes less), and there you no longer need to impress anyone – everyone is already seduced. The girl begins to behave differently, the guy no longer whispers in her ear all kinds of pranks. Here it begins – conflicts, abuse, disputes.

They say you have to fight for love. Yes should not! It either goes on its own, or just let it go. You’ve been doing this all your life (study, army, work), and then they add love to you to fight for, and with it a girl who has a lot of problems in her suitcase that you will solve too. And if you don’t, you’ll listen to how someone solves them, and then you’ll start to decide. One way or another, you won’t getaway.

Think twice – Why You Don’t Need Girlfriend

For many years, divorces in Russia have exceeded 50%. How can I fix these statistics? Do not marry. And the main problem of such a number of divorced marriages is that many marry either on the fly, or not fully understanding themselves and not finding the right partner. We people do not know ourselves what we want from this life, and we hope that the person whom we have drawn into our lives will solve all our problems. But in fact, he only creates them.

When we rush towards destiny headlong, we must enter into a relationship as a fully-fledged person, both spiritually and materially, and only then involve anyone else in our world. But we do not do this and are very disappointed when, after several months, our soulmate does not want to put all our problems on his hump or does not live up to the expectations that for some reason were assigned to her. We ourselves create the illusion that the other half is salvation from all troubles. Nobody owes anything to anyone: neither give birth to 30, nor pay for coffee, nor buy expensive gifts. Everything is simple: I wanted to – I bought it, presented it. And only after realizing all these nuances, you can try to enter into a relationship. When you are happy alone, you will be happy with someone.

What to do as a result – Why You Don’t Need Girlfriend

In any case, everyone decides for himself what he needs at this stage of his life. Girls, in general, are great. They have soft skin, pretty faces, almost always clean hair. And if everything goes well, then you can enter into a relationship. But will it be so all his life? When you seriously start thinking about this issue, you should remember that in Russia 2 out of 3 couples get divorced. Do you just need a girl or specifically this girl? These questions need to be answered honestly to oneself first of all, and only then go on the first date and answer her questions already.

The post Why You Don’t Need Girlfriend appeared first on ToLoveForward.

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[withlovecb]

Marriage Talk Pt. II - What The Men Are Saying

Hey guys!

Seems like Wednesdays come around faster than ever, lol.

Any who, let’s get down to blog business. Usually, after I write all my posts, I have a phone conversation with my mom. Anyone who knows us, knows that she is really my best friend, but also another great writer. Her opinion really matters to me. I ask her over and over again, “So, mom. You liked it? Did you really like it or are you just saying that?” I really harass her when it comes to the pieces that I write. But as I’m having this discussion with her about my previous blog post, I couldn’t help but hear my dad’s voice in the background. Couldn’t really make out everything that he was saying, but it sounded pretty extensive. So, I asked my mom, “What’s Dad saying?” He’s usually always talking junk. I was praying though, that the ‘junk’ that he usually spews had nothing to do with my previous blog post. Whenever my dad forms an opinion about something that I’ve created and it’s a negative critique, I really get into my feelings lol. No, I mean like crying and all y’all lol. I don’t know what it is. However, the ‘junk’ talk was actually no junk at all, but rather an opinion. My dad actually loved my ‘Marriage Talk’ piece and thought that it’d be an even BETTER idea to get the men’s side of the issue. I honestly couldn’t have agreed more. So, here it is. Marriage Talk Part II – What The Men Had to Say!

As I’m riding in the car with my boyfriend, driving back to our home town, I’m telling him how opinionated my father was on this topic. He told me that I should include men and not assume that all my readers are women. I agreed. So, I raised this question to the men, lol, even my very young men. I wanted to really see the generational difference in responses between the younger and the older. Alright guys, here goes nothing. So men, tell me... Do you think the engagement ring is necessary in order to seal the deal in a marriage proposal? Why or why not?

Dyshell P., 25 – “Necessary? Negatory. I feel like the ring is more so for others to see. In my opinion, what’s the difference between me kneeling down asking for your hand in marriage with a ring vs. giving my word? It’s between the two people in the actual situation, technically speaking. The engagement ring does not solidify anything.” (He requested this picture be alongside his response).

My face after his request:

Lol, but let’s continue. My father has been patiently waiting for his time to shine so ... here you go dad. 

Preme B., 52 – “No, the engagement ring does not seal the deal for the proposal. However, if both persons’ finances are in order, credit is good and all your ducks are in a row, by all means, buy the ring. But if your finances and priorities aren’t situated then in the end, all you’ll have is that ring. What would be the sense to buy a ring if you can’t afford it? You’re portraying an image that’s not reality. Look at it this way, you use your credit to buy a ring because your money not right, all this does is become another bill. For what? I’d rather build on something of more value than an engagement ring. Focus on the bigger picture and the bigger goal like buying a house. For example, if I went outside and made you a wooden ring and asked you would you marry me and you look at me like I got two f—kin’ heads, then you’ve missed the total concept. A ring, in my opinion, doesn’t prove real love. It’s just a materialistic, adopted culture that many women have become so desperate to be a part of. Back in the day, you created your own ceremonies where people laughed and had good times. These days, what’s that show? Bridezilla? You see how all the women are usually angry and everyone is so stressed out? It’s because everything has become so materialistic. A ring means absolutely nothing. It’s just something for the perception of someone else and a good business deal for the stores. To be honest, what good is a ring if your priorities are f—ked up? Bottom line, if you can afford the ring and you’re in good financial standings, by all means, do you. But is it necessary? No. Build your future first. Let’s get sh-t in order so we can have sh-t.” 

Jerome R., 32 – “In a way, I PERSONALLY don’t think its quote on quote necessary but the way in which we were ALL taught or should I say brainwashed to believe from society is that YES in order to propose to someone you MUST have a ring. But I say this, if I DON’T have a ring, does that mean the love we have for one another and your thoughts of possibly wanting to get married goes away if I don’t propose to you with a ring? See that’s important to think about because we get so caught up in the materialistic ‘stuff’ that we forget what’s really important . What’s important isn’t the ring, that sh-t is just for show for her to brag to her girlfriends and family. The important thing is the love that we have for one another that ultimately got us to the point that we even had a thought of wanting to get married in the FIRST place. So I say, no, it’s not necessary but many will probably disagree because like I said before, everyone is so programmed to believe that in order to propose one MUST have a ring that they can’t think outside of that.”

Kwame B., 19 - “Nah. The engagement ring isn’t necessary. If I got down on one knee and asked my girl to marry me, the emotion is still going to be the same. With or without the ring. The message is still the same.”

Keith T., 52 – “No. A ring is not necessary. A ring is to let everyone outside the couple know that they are in a relationship. The biggest/ highest compliment a man can give a woman is to ask her to marry him. No paper or ring can change that. When you’re committed to someone, it’s in your heart not on your finger.”

Johnathan B., 25 – “Hey Tay, lmao, wah gwan? But nah, I don’t think the ring HAS to be the necessary item. It could be a house or a sentimental gift… something like that and then you get the actual ring on wedding day.”

Devon A., 26 – “Hmmm, that’s iffy! Well according to society, the ring is what really seals the deal. I wouldn’t care to be honest but if you’re going to announce it on Instagram, etc. etc. every one’s going to be like, “Where’s the ring?” with their big ass eyes.” 

Michael C., 26 – “I don’t think it’s necessarily needed to seal a marriage proposal because as a man, your word is supposed to be your bond and you shouldn’t need a ring as reassurance that your spouse isn’t bullshitting. But the whole proposing with a ring thing has been done for so many years that it would look abnormal to someone to propose without it."

Aaron T., 48 – “Unless you can’t afford the ring, yes, I do think the ring is necessary. To me, it shows the seriousness in wanting a commitment.” 

Vincent S., 27 – “No, I don’t think so. The engagement ring is just something of symbolic meaning. I honestly think it’s a mean of spending more money for the economy. The fact that people equate a diamond to love is nearly stupid. Love is love, you shouldn’t need a materialistic thing to prove whether or not the deal is sealed for marriage.”

Amir S., 19 – “I think the engagement ring is an important piece to let your lady know it’s real.”

Anthony W., 26 – “No, I do not think an engagement ring is important. Depending on the financial status of the gentleman, he may not be able to afford a ring at the moment and love is something you can’t put a price on. As a woman, if you have no doubts in your mind that you and your significant other are in love, then there shouldn’t be any question. But if the brotha just being cheap, let him goooooo sis!!! Lol. (Sidebar: Please note readers that Anthony was joking with his last statement. He wanted me to make sure that I added the ‘lol’, haha! I’m telling you, interviewing the guys was hilarious!)

Tysean T., 22 – “I think, not just because I’m not a material kind of person and we both know that the ring you want will cost damn near what the wedding cost, if you and I both know we love each other and we know we want to marry each other, you will eventually get the ring. The proposal doesn’t become less official because the ring isn’t present.”

Keith T., 27 – “Nah because marriage is a covenant under God and Christ! Material shouldn’t matter! It’s really to let others know like “Yo, this one right here is mine, she spoken for” but between the two people in the relationship, no.”

Isiah B., 25 – “Yes. Because it puts a title on your property as a man. It’s almost like a dog pissing on a tree to label it as their spot. So we put rings on our lady finger to make it known that she belongs to one. Sometimes, material objects are the best way to get a point across. It’s so deep and so traditional that there’s no turning back.”

Leonard C., 26 – “I do not believe the ring is a necessity. It is customary, but not mandatory. In some cultures it is almost non-existent and unheard of. One of my previous employees got engaged to a wealthy man and did not receive a ring because it was not customary in their culture. In our culture, the proposal represents a promise between two people to commit to each other and then wed, making a covenant with God. The engagement ring is a sign to the masses/public that the woman has accepted the man’s proposal to make a lifelong covenant. Therefore, she is almost permanently, unavailable. It is also, a symbol to the man and woman of their love and commitment to each other. 

Eventually, they will both receive wedding rings which are to be worn on the only finger that has a vein that connects directly to the heart. This simply symbolizes how deep their love runs for each other. 

I’ve recently met men (in different scenarios) who were clearly committed to their wives but didn’t necessarily wear a wedding ring. The ring isn’t the commitment. It is not the element of love itself. It is simply a symbol. 

Suppose the woman does not have a hand? Is she automatically disqualified from engagement eligibility? Of course not! Nick Vujicic is a powerful motivational speaker and leader who is happily married with two children. However, he is totally unable to wear or present a wedding ring. He is quadriplegic. 

As I said, the engagement ring is not mandatory, only customary. I intend to follow the custom.”

Well. You heard the men. They have spoken. 

I always love the variance in responses and again, I am just as shocked with these responses as I was for the women. Honestly, after careful observation of all the answers I’ve received from doing this Q&A, lol, I have to agree with the fact that no, the engagement ring is not necessary to seal the deal. My boyfriend and I are both still young with goals that we’d like to achieve. Saving our money, clearing our debt, buying a home. So, how could I say “No” to a man who craves the idea of me being his wife, but would rather put his money into a better future for us? I feel like the commitment is already in the mere act of the man’s proposal, not the engagement ring. 

So, as this topic comes to an end, I will close this post with a sincere THANK YOU to everyone who participated in my Q&A. Literally, answering my mass texts at 9 o’clock in the morning, lol. Gotta thank my boyfriend too for all of his help. Staying up late night helping me with editing and getting responses as well. You were great babe, Netflix and chill? *winks* ... No, but seriously, I thank all of you who really support my writing and my craziness on Wednesday nights or whenever you have the time to read my posts. It’s really motivation to keep this here going. Thank you all for bringing me back to my passion. I love each and every one of you!

Until next time.

Always, always love,

-CB.

[juxtaposie]

Kick Start

Title: Kick Start

Rating: T

Genre: Fluff ‘n stuff

Fandom: RIverdale (2017)

Characters/Pairings: Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones

Summary: Betty finally convinces Jughead to let her give him a gift.

Notes: I'm not even sure where this came from. We mainlined the show in 11 hours with some friends, and then, predictably, I came out the other side as Bughead trash.

AO3 Link

It's not quite their one-year anniversary when Betty knocks his heart right out of his chest. He highly suspects that she's had it all along, tucked into the pocket of one of her button-ups where she can keep it close to her own, but if he’s ever had any doubts, this confirms it. Whatever happens, from here on in, for the rest of his life, she's the one. He knows they're young, but neither of them are naive, and he feels lucky, suddenly, to be looking foward to what might potentially be a very long and happy life with the girl he desperately, all-consumingly loves.

She knocks his heart right out of his chest, and she does it with an old motor-bike.

"Well," she says expectantly when he remains silent, waving her hands again like Vanna White. "What do you think?"

A little part of him wants to be mad at her, and he knows that if he doesn't knock it down now his pride will get the better of them both. His jaw tightens at just the thought.

"Betty," he says lowly. "You... you really shouldn't have."

She's grinning despite his warning tone, but her summer sunlight smile dims into something gentler and she takes his hand.

"I knew you'd say that," she offers, lifting their clasped hands to her mouth so she can brush a kiss over his knuckles. "So I have to start by telling you it doesn't run. My dad had some old stuff to trade at the junkyard, and I threw in my old laptop and - voila!"

This knowledge does ease the tight tangle of emotions in his chest, but, "If it doesn't run..."

She turns away from him, suddenly shy, and drops his hand to sidle over to the bike, running her fingers across a tear in one of the leather grips. "I miss you," she says, not meeting his eyes. "The Southside is a long way to walk every day, or even every other day, and school is getting crazy, and my mom keeps trying to sabotage all my attempts to borrow the car, so I just- I thought-"

There's a long, alarming second where he thinks she's going to cry, but then she turns back to face him and the only thing shining in her eyes is love.

"I thought maybe we could work on it. Together."

It's a statement, but she says it more like a question, and his feet move on their own. She smiles, bright and alive, then shimmies backwards until she's sitting side-saddle on the bike, laughing a little. She reaches for him, hands fisting in the front of his open flannel to pull him in close between her parted knees. His hands find her face, and he kisses her soundly, deep and hungry, but beyond anything else - happy. Just happy.

She hooks one leg around him, pulling him flush against her. The bike wobbles a little but doesn't fall over, and his heart skips a beat when she laughs into his mouth.

"I don't have a license," he says, still smiling while he peppers her face with short, sweet kisses.

"Mr. Andrews is going to help you pay for one for your next birthday," she retorts, fingernails scratching gently at the material of his shirt.

"I don't know the first thing about fixing up a bike," he continues, hands tangling in her hair.

She laughs, her other leg coming up around him, thighs pressed tight against his hips. "I've been helping my dad fix cars since I was old enough to hold a flashlight. And," she says, breaking away long enough to shrug a shoulder toward the tote bag laying near them in the dirt, "I bought a manual about this model on ebay. Twelve dollars with shipping."

His smile is so big he thinks he face might split in two. He presses his forehead to hers. "Parts. Gotta be expensive."

Her arms wind around his shoulders, pressing their heartbeats together. "That’s what the junkyard is for."

"Am I even old enough for a motorcycle license?" he whispers.

"Less than 250 cubic centimeter piston displacement." Her voice is low and breathless. She hooks her ankles together behind his back. "This one's just fine."

"Do you know what that means?" he asks, breath coming faster.

"Sort of," she says vaguely, before kissing him hard. Her fingers splay across his shoulder blades, holding him against her. He leans into her, wanting to be closer. His arms lock around her waist, and it's still not close enough. There's too much clothing, and not enough her, and for one crazy second, he wishes he could separate his atoms and slide them in with hers where everything is dark and warm and Betty-

-and the bike tips over beneath them.

Jughead is quick enough to keep them from falling on top of it, but not to keep them from falling altogether. Horribly conscious of the fact that he'll break one or both of Betty's ankles if he comes down on top of them, he doesn't so much fall backwards as stumble. She makes a noise he's never heard before, some hilarious mixture of a squawk and a yell, and lets go of his shoulders as he sits down hard in the gravel. He takes most of the weight on the first landing but their combined momentum lays him out flat. Betty's knees land hard on either side of his waist, and she just manages to catch herself on her hands before her stomach can collide with his face.

They lay there for a second, each catching their breath, and that's when Jughead notices the loud banging coming from the window of the trailer across the way. He turns his head, already knowing what he's going to see: the neighbor’s four kids, all boys, knocking on the glass of their bedroom window. They're hooting and catcalling, and the older two, who are teenagers, are making rude gestures at him and Betty.

“Smooth, Jones,” he mutters, covering his eyes with one hand. “Real smooth.”

"Have they been there the whole time?" she hisses, cheeks flushing an even deeper shade of pink.

"Probably," he answers, groaning as he sits up. Betty mirrors the motion, sitting back on her heels to keep the weight off his stomach, then grimaces at the sight of her hands. They're not scraped, but they're raw and red. She climbs off of him and starts to pick out the gravel.

"You okay?" she asks when he doesn't stand. The kids get bored once they realize Betty probably isn't going to flash them, and the banging stops.

"Yeah," he says after a moment. "Just trying to-" He can't stop the groan that escapes him as he stands. "Just trying to decide if i shattered my coccyx on t- I'm kidding, Betty. Kidding. You survive the crash?"

"Honestly, I think the bike probably took the most of it," she says. She moves to right it, but he rushes in to do it for her, and realizes the reason they'd gone down in the first place. The kickstand, already rusted, and possibly original, has snapped right off.

"Well," she says, dusting off the knees of her jeans. "At least we know where to start."

He goes to lean it against the porch, but then freezes when something else occurs to him.

"Betty," he says, not sure if he's ashamed, or just amused at the absurdity of the last ten minutes.

She hums at him in response, eyes wide.

"... I don't know how to ride a bike."

She laughs, deep and full, and he decides he is definitely the latter.