#he really needs someone to juuuust stay by him and also stop him from being stupid

[oseike]

I RETURN, 7 DAYS LATER, GASPING WEAKLY BUT STILL INTACT

....I have finished orv whew

[cheetahspy]

Ledger!Joker x Diabetic Reader Headcanons

Warnings: Medical stuff, needles/injections (it’s not very descriptive though), slight NSFW mention (labeled at the bottom)

A/N: Heya! I’ve never posted something like this before haha…Kinda new to it and very nervous so don’t judge me too harshly. I actually write quite often but rarely post it, however I really wanna start trying to put my work out there more. Keyword try. 

Anyway, fun fact about me, I have T1 diabetes. I haven't seen anything about that with J so I decided to make my own headcanons and such :) Sooooo here’s that lol…enjoy??

You had been diagnosed with T1 diabetes three years ago. You hated it. The needles, the upkeep, the blood, the appointments. It’s scary, a living nightmare for you.

You were still in your…adjusting phase, and didn’t like talking about your diabetes to anyone. Joker was no exception

So, naturally, J took matters into his own hands and did his own research, learning as much as he could about diabetes (without you knowing, of course). How it works, the high and low blood sugar levels, how to manage it, he even figured out how the insulin pump that you have operates. 

You were shocked the day he offered to change the infusion set for you and knowing how to do so. He ignored you when you asked him how he knew.

You were hesitant but quick to give in and let him inject the cannula into your stomach. He hugged you from behind as he did so; you melted into his touch and your fears were comforted. From that day on you opened up more and more about your medical life to J and allowed his help. 

He enjoys being the one to inject the cannula and dexcom, however he still forces you to do it yourself at times, as to make sure you aren’t getting too used to being dependent on someone else. You’re a strong and brave bunny, he wants to remind you of that. 

He will tease you about your dexcom and infusion sets, saying you must be part machine. 

“I’m uh, still convinced you’re a cyborg.” “J!!”

He also forces you to stay on a healthy diet and keeps track of your sugar intake carefully. He’s definitely not a hypocrite. He rarely lets you eat junk food, even though you’re allowed to and tried explaining that to him

“The doctors told me it’s okay if I eat sugar now and then, as long as I have the insulin for it. It’s the sugary drinks I need to avoid more.” 

J doesn’t buy it, nor does he trust your doctor's input. “Mmm. Nuh uh. Can’T have my little bunny go falling into a coma, hm?” You know he’s just concerned about you (even if he’d never outright admit it), so overtime you stopped arguing with him and avoided junk food to ease his mind. Just don’t let him catch you eating it behind his back.

J absentmindedly fidgets with your insulin tube. Rubbing along it, flicking it around, twirling it around his finger, even constantly feeling the cannula end of it against your stomach as if to reassure himself you that it’s still on and doing its job. Don’t worry, he’s only accidentally ripped it out once or twice, and he certainly makes it up to you when that happens. 

Having a low, but forgot sugar to combat it? Not to worry! Joker keeps a juice box or two in his suit juuuust for you. He’s even stacked packages of juices in your pantry so you’ll have plenty. (Don’t ask whether he bought or stole them, you already know the answer)

The low blood sugar episodes hit you hard, but you’ve found curling up on J’s lap and cuddling against his chest while sipping on juice is very comforting. He’ll stroke your hair and rub your back, holding you closer whenever you shake and cry.

“Shhhh sh sh sh. It’s nothin’ you haven’t beaten before. It’ll pass, angel.” 

You hate looking at your stomach and seeing the previous holes and scars from constant injections. J will run his thumb over them and kiss each of them to comfort you. 

Whenever you have a headache or any symptoms, J will immediately interrogate you about your blood sugar level

“Not every pain I get is caused by my diabetes.”

“Shuuuuush. What’re levels right now? Let me uh, lemme see your pum-p. Give. Right. Now.” 

If you’re low on insulin and the pharmacist is late to sending you new vials, J will meet with them personally to have a little chat. 

He’ll then come home and plop the bag of new vials theatrically down on the counter. “Tadaaaa! More insulin for my sweet little sugar cube.”

“Oh, thank you J! Wow, they gave me a lot this time…” 

NSFW:

During the ✨devils tango✨, J will occasionally rip the cannula out by accident. He’ll immediately put a pin in your lovemaking session to get you a new one. Even if you insist you could go an hour or two without it, he’s not taking any chances. After all, where’s the fun in sex if your partner is dying from a seizure??

“J, I promise it’s okay! We don’t have to sto-”

“Now now gumdrop. I know you’re, heh, eager for me, but my patient needs her medicine first.” 

You’re grateful you don’t have to deal with your disability alone anymore. Who knew the Clown Prince of Crime could be such a good caretaker?

[aestheticsfandomsandmore]

In vino (beer) veritas

HE TIAN X MO GUAN SHAN FAN FIC.

Don't expect too much, really: I’m Italian, so I probably made a lot of mistakes (you can report them, I would be glad). There are few descriptions for the same reason and so this story could be a bit repetitive. There is not a proper ending. Maybe I’ll just leave it like this, maybe I’ll continue the fic some other day.

I posted it on AO3 if you want to read it there.

________________________________________

Mo Guan Shan hasn't heard from He Tian since the previous evening. Almost twenty hours have passed and he hasn't come to school. He's a bit worried, if he has to be honest with himself. The damn guy hasn't even texted to annoy him with random stuff, while he usually doesn't let him breath without interfering.

So Mo goes to his house. He's embarrassed, he's mad at himself for his dumb choice, he has no idea how to justify that choice to He Tian, especially when he's so damn sure the guy will give him a smirk and start assuming things, like that he cares about him. Whether it is true or not, Mo would always deny it until the end of times.

Still, the door of his loft is right there in front of him and he knocks, hoping for an answer so that he can stop worrying for that asshole.

However, the moment He Tian opens it, he only worries more and more.

The tall boy, always so handsome, with fucking perfect hair and fancy clothes, is now looking like he just jumped out of a hurricane: his shirt is wrinkled, the zip of his jeans is down (don't look, don't look, don't look), his dark hair are disheveled and his eyes are red and wide open.

“Ehy little Mo~ Wha-What ya doing here?” he asks him, so visibly confused that Mo wouldn't be surprised if he just fainted, right where he was.

“Stupid, what... what are you up to, what's goin' on?”

“Little Mo is worried about me?” even in that state he still manages to grin and to sound annoying.

“Move” Mo orders and the moment he gets in the loft he feels a bit shocked: a bunch of empty bottles of beer (at least five or six) are lying on the floor. He Tian is drunk. He turns back and looks at him. “Ohi, what is all of this about?”

He Tian closes the door and chaoticly walks toward the table before sitting on a chair. He laughs. “What do you mean?”

Is he fucking with me or what? Mo thinks, almost getting agry. “Why did you drink so much? Are you okay?”

“Suuure thing.”

Mo sighs. How much patience must he have with this guy?

“Okay. Let’s go to bed, shall we?” Mo Guan Shan reminds himself of how the doctors spoke to him when he happened to be in a hospital: like the things he was about to do were going to be a group thing or shit like that. He tries the same with He Tian, hoping it will work.

He Tian lets Mo putting his arm under his own armpit and then puts his around his neck, but it’s more like he’s grabbing it, like he’s trying to hold on to him.

“Okay, we’re moving.” Mo says and meanwhile counts more carefully the bottles of beer the idiot has drunk: eight. Eight fucking bottles. What the hell was wrong with him?

He carries He Tian to his bedroom and puts him under his sheets, but the right moment he tries to walk away the other boy clutches his wrists and pushes him to the bed as well.

“Ohi, the fuck-”

“Stay here for a while, c’mon~ You came all the way to my flat juuuust...” he seems to be struggling with making a coherent phrase. “... just to leave immediately?”

He can’t really say he is wrong, but he doesn’t want to stay either. “You’re wasted. I didn’t certainly come to babysit you.”

“You don’t have... to do... anything... just stay.”

He looks so weak and vulnerable, so different from his usual self.

He won’t remember anything anyway tomorrow, Mo thinks. “Whatever.”

He stays. He lays down on his right side and stares at He Tian. His eyes are closed but he is smiling. “Nice” he says, clearly happy he is going to stay.

“Why... why were you drinking so much?”

He Tian doesn’t answer. Mo almost thinks he fell asleep, but then he says: “I really want to kiss you.”

Mo winces. “What the bloody hell-”

“I won’t kiss you. Don’t you worry.” He Tian promises, his eyes still closed.

“Of course you won’t you chicken-”

“I don’t want you to cry again.”

Mo baffles. His heart starts ricing faster and faster. “What...?”

He Tian opens his eyes and looks at him with no smile of any sort. “You freaked out last time I kissed you.”

Mo blushes and gets furious. “Yeah - and whose fault is that?”

“Mine.” He Tian answers immediately. “I know it’s mine. I- I know.”

“Good.” Guan Shan says, but he’s actually pretty surprised He Tian admitted it so easily. He expected him to mock him and start making jokes about how he reacted back then. 

They stay silent for a while. Then He Tian asks: “Am I... still... disgusting to you?” His voice is so low and depressed Mo could almost burst into tears.

“I-” he swallows, super nervous. That was uncertain territory for him. Such honesty from He Tian demanded just as much from him as well. “No. You are not.”

He Tian looks relieved. “Really?”

“Yeah. Actually... you never were.”

Now he looks shocked. “You didn’t mean it?”

“I meant it when I said it” Mo replies. “I was fucking infuriated, He Tian.” Now he’s getting angry again, just by the thought of that moment. He felt so ashamed he just wanted to disappear from the face of the Earth. “But... I never really thought you were a disgusting person, I just thought you did a disgusting thing.”

“I get that” He Tian says. “I shouldn’t have done it. I shouldn’t have forced you. Sorry.”

An apology, Mo thinks. He Tian apologised before, but always with a smart smirk on his face or his hands on Mo’s body - never sounded very convincing. Now he is talking from the bottom of his heart and Mo believes him. “Okay. Apologies accepted.”

He Tian smiles. 

Mo smiles as well. He won’t remember any of this. He caresses his cheek with his thumb and He Tian shudders, almost as he punched him in the face. He stops immediatly, realizing what he was doing. “Okay. Now get some sleep, idiot.”

“Will you wait for me to fall asleep?”

He sounds like a kid. He was never good with kids. Way easier to go along with their insanity rather than question it. “Whatever. Now sleep.”

-

The morning after, the hangover is right there waiting for him to wake up in the most embarrassing way possible. His knees are pushing against his arms, his toes are crisscrossed, he smells like shit and he probably looks even worst. But none of this matters the moment he understands Mo is sleeping right next to him. 

His first thought is that he’s still dreaming. It has to be a dream. Mo never stayed over the night and even if he managed to make him do that Mo would have never slept in his bed. Too risky. 

But it takes him just a few moments to realize he’s not dreaming at all. He gets up, way too quickly - his head hurts. “Shit”. He goes to the bathroom and takes a cold shower. He wears something clean and takes his time to get back in the bedroom, scared that he just imagined things and he won’t find Mo in his sheets just where he left him. But he does. He’s still there. 

He Tian smiles and takes a moment to appreciate that scenario, wishing it would happen again and again, every morning, preferably after a night of rough sex and sweet cuddles. Or just sex. Or just cuddles. Anything, literally anything to have Little Mo in his bed as often as possible.

“Ehy, Sleeping Beauty, rise and shine~” he pats his head and ruffles his hair, foreshadowing a bad reaction coming from the boy. 

It comes. Guan Shan slaps his hand and gets up, a bit uncomfortable, and then rubs his eyes, still sleepy. “’Morning dick head.”

He Tian grins. “Is there an actual explanation for which you slept in my bed? Not that I’m complaining.”

“I see you went back to yourself” Mo replies, annoyed. 

He Tian doesn’t say anything. Went back to himself? What did that mean? “Uhm... what?” he asks, trying to sound entertained. 

“You don’t remember, do you?”

Okay, now he’s feeling a bit scared. What did he do? What did he say? “What should I remember? Did we have fun last night?”

“If you find funny getting wasted and unable to walk on your own towards your fucking bedroom, then yes, it was massive fun.”

He Tian laughs. He expected way worst. “Okay, so you took care of me, Little Mo~?” 

He draws closer to him, but Mo stops his approach by grabbing his wrists and says: “I didn’t plan to stay the night, but since I did... I guess we should talk.”

Talk? Like, a proper chat? Offered by Mo? Was the world about to end? “Uhm, okay? What do you want to talk about? Our future together?”

“Can you be serious for one fucking second?”

He Tian blinks. What the fuck happened last night? “Sure.”

He lays down on the bed waiting for Mo Guan Shan to do the same. He stares at him and then sits. “I- I have some questions for you. And then, if you have any questions... for me... I’ll answer. I mean, I’ll try, at least.”

He is palpably nervous and the way he’s speaking is a total surprise: things like that never happen between the two of them; it’s always He Tian the one who brings up more weighty topics for them to discuss. “Okay. Go ahead.”

“Last night you told me...” Mo lowers his head, “that you’d like to kiss me.” He blushes.

He Tian is not surprised at all. “Well, is that a brand new information for you?”

“Cut the sarcastic crap out, thanks.” 

“I’m not being sarcastic! I mean it: was it honestly shocking for you?”

Mo still doesn’t look at him in the eye, but he shakes his head. 

“So what’s the question?”

“I was going to ask you if that were true, since you were drank, but apparently it was.”

“Yeah. What else?”

“You also told me that you won’t kiss me, even if you want to, because you’re... basically scared of my reaction. Is this true?”

Okay, he didn’t see this coming. “I-” he needs to think before answering. “I... kinda.”

“Kinda?”

“It’s just- I want to be sure you want that too.” He really means that. He never said that aloud. He never admitted that truth to himself. Heʼs waiting for someone’s permission to do what he wants. It is a weird and new concept for him. He knows that, being a kiss something that involves two people, it should just be normal to ask before doing anything. But he isn’t used to, anyway. 

“You never seemed particularly interested in what I wanted.”

Now, that sentence gets him mad. “Look at me.” he orders.

Mo does that and he looks more confident than ever. He’s almost proud to see him like that.

“What’s the point of this?”

“Wait. I have another question.”

He Tian rolls his eyes. “Fine.”

“You apologised. For what you did. And... you asked me if I still thought you were disgusting.”

He Tian would blush if he wasn’t the way he is. “And what did you answer?”

“I- Wait, did you mean it?”

“Uhm?”

“Do you actually feel sorry for what you did?”

“I apologised to you when I was sober as well, did you forget?”

“You never apologised for something specific.”

He Tian is getting impatient, but he still says: “I’m not sorry to have kissed you, I’m sorry I made you cry.”

That answer makes Mo mad - well, of course it does. “I cried because you kissed me. Because you’re a piece of shit.”

“Call me what you want” he is getting heated as well, “but you didn’t cry because I kissed you: you cried because I didn’t ask you and you were surprised and you didn’t want to accept that you liked me. You still don’t, by the way.”

Mo tries to punch him but He Tian’s faster and blocks him right away, switching positions and standing onto him on the bed. 

“You have no idea what’s going on inside my head! You shit head, you have no right to tell me why I was crying!” 

Mo screams, trying to free himself, but He Tian is holding his wrists with his hand and impeding his movements with his legs. 

“Okay, hey, chill, calm down, please.”

It takes a while for Mo to actually stop moving. He grumbles and bites his lips. He Tian lets go of his right wrist to make him stop, touching his mouth very gently. “Don’t ruin it” he whispers. 

Mo blushes and turns his head. 

“I shouldn’t have kissed you like that - I’m sorry.”

Mo blinks and looks at him doubtful and hesitant. 

“But now let me ask you a question.”

“Shoot it.”

“Why are you doing this? You could have just made up an excuse for staying here the night, as always, relying on the fact that I forgot everything. Why didn’t you?”

Mo observed him for a while and then said: “I- I wanted to know the truth.”

“The truth?“

“Yeah.”

“Little Mo, you asked him if I wanted to kiss you, which you already know I do, you asked me if I was sorry, which I had already said I am, and you wanted me to confirm a sentence which I pronounced when I was drunk - and so, completely honest.” 

Mo looks pissed. “Listen, it wasn’t all this clear to me when I decided to talk to you, okay? You don’t have to play Mister I know-it-all, you’re already annoying enough.”

He Tian laughs. “Whatever.” He lets go of the other wrist and moves his legs away, still remaining on top of him. “You haven’t answered my question yet.”

Mo seems confused. “Which one?”

“Am I still disgusting to you?” he asks this with a tiny grin, but he’s actually desperate for an honest answer. He knows Mo doesn’t find him disgusting, but to hear him saying it is a totally different story.

Guan Shan snorts. “No, you are not. Happy now?”

He Tian smiles. “Very.”

“Asshole.”

They stay like this for some time. He Tian is almost leaning towards his lips, when Mo interrupts the silence. “Oh, right! Why the fuck did you drink eight bottles of beer?”

[vargaslovinghours]

Vargas Playlist Part II (Part I)

Honey I’m Home - GHOST

Final Chapter - Snake City

Empty - Boyinaband & Jaiden Animations

Beauty and the Beast - Disney (covered by Chase Holfelder)

I want you to want me - Cheap Trick (covered by Chase Holfelder)

Toxic - Britney Spears (covered by Casey Beeves)

Devil’s Backbone - The Civil Wars

Stand by You - Rachel Platten

Monster - KIRA (covered by Aruvn)

Kitchen Fork - Jack Conte

The Mind Electric - Miracle Musical

Manipulate - Nathan Sharp

(And more talking under the cut)

Honey I’m Home

Religious imagery and familial rejection and abuse ahoy! I’ve already doodled Scriabin with a moth chained to his hand (and Moth Edgar lol), but he obviously suits the spider just as well. The droning repetition suits Edgar too, especially since it’s centered around repression of thoughts and wants. That vivisection could be a lot of things, “Done by God for all to see” makes me tempted to pin it to Scriabin and Edgar’s separation.

Final Chapter

I mentioned briefly in my first set of tags that I liked this song for juuuust After Scriabin gets his own body. “For a second let’s forget and pretend” feels very much like how they want to act, they want to have what they had even though they never can again - “Never thought we’d come to an end” is the first line! Wanting to hold each other, like nothing happened; especially Edgar, but Scriabin too. I think it could pair well with You Can’t Live Like This as well, they’re trying so hard not to turn that page!

Empty

Like I said the first time I mentioned this song, I’m still a little conflicted including such a personal song, but there are so many weirdly appropriate lines that it feels unavoidable to add it to my list. Since it talks about a voice arriving, it lines up almost perfectly with their relationship before they started being weird about each other, terribly hate filled. “Fill up on water and shame” and “Convince myself I’m in control and it’s not all the voice that makes me sick” especially stick out to me, as well as “empty” as a theme, Edgar’s mindscape is so blank! (Also if you watch the behind the scenes, there’s red yarn which is weird :0)

Beauty and the Beast

Well that’s a bit obvious, isn’t it lol. I only really started to consider it because of the minor key though, the way the tone twists and shifts with the new notes and mixing, ah it’s lovely. I especially like the way “Barely even friends, then somebody bends unexpectedly” hits, they’re always surprising each other! Bittersweet and strange indeed.

I want you to want me

Yet more minor key covers, yay. I was originally going to tie this one to mainfic, most specifically Edgar’s desire to get home from work to see Scriabin heh, but now there’s some interesting new layers with Manual Override, especially Scriabin trying to convince Edgar and himself. Scriabin is Scriabin no matter what though, so he’s always going to push for what he wants, in every context!

Toxic

A bit on the nose perhaps ♪ I think my mind was wandering while I was thinking about Once Again and it landed just long enough on this song to desperately want to give it a relisten, and whoops ♪ For whatever reason, Edgar drinking from “the Devil’s cup” really stood out as a strong image to me, either from his visit to Hell or redirecting those feelings onto Scriabin. Somehow this version really gives the vibe of them fully permeating each other, hateful and desiring and hard to pick apart.

The Devil’s Backbone

On recommendation, I have indeed added this one to my personal playlist! I was surprised, I’m usually so picky with my music but I could not stop listening to it. It fits Edgar/Nny so well! That said, I can see Scriabin stealing a line as well now, “Somewhere between a hangman’s knot and three mouths to feed” with Edgar’s new life situation of Nny’s threat of death and living with Scriabin and Todd. The bridge is still completely Edgar tho, that absolute desperation is so good.

Stand By You

Ngl, I almost cried listening and recontextualizing this one, the line “If your wings are broken, borrow mine so yours can open” just- agh. Also they never got to walk through Hell together so it only half works but I’ll take it! Probably especially relevant to the final chapter of You Can’t Live Like This, their little discussion sitting on the floor, pledging their lives to each other again fdjsalkfdsf

Monster

I can’t but imagine a bouncy Scriabin gloating about how he was made, “Feed me your negativity, talk some more about me ♪” Too bad it’s Monster rather than Demon eh! “I see how you’re going crazy, always thinkin’ ‘bout me” works rather well too, there’s a lot of lines that suit him! He’s so insufferable haha. The bridge is quite good too, “It could’ve been so different between us, then you went and messed everything up.” He’s always blaming Edgar!

Kitchen Fork

I’ve wanted something of Jack Conte’s for a while now, there’s so much chaotic energy in all his songs. I feel like this one and Bloody Nose both really suit Violation, there’s a really lovely disjointed energy, though I think Kitchen Fork works more generally. “Wake from the scar” and “Save us from our own two heads” are both really great lines for Edgar especially, and the rising violins are so unnerving.

The Mind Electric

I drew to this one quite early but it wasn’t until I started thinking about it a bit harder that I realized just how well it works, especially with Diaryfic/Hospitalfic. Much like with Stay, I can imagine this one working well as an animatic, it’s all very evocative of imagery. Would Scriabin be the “Lord” or would the doctors? Hmm. “Doctor, I can’t tell if I’m not me” continues to be a great line for both of them.

Manipulate

Nate needs to stop with making literally every song so adaptable, I can’t keep giving away my heart like this. Another song that switches POV from verse to verse, starting with Edgar and then with Scriabin: “Find somebody else to call your home.” “You stab me in the back and then you make demands! You say it’s only you? I got another plan.” “Maybe you could torture someone else.” “Maybe I don’t have the strength to follow you Hell.” I cry okay. I can’t just list all the lyrics, they’re all too good.

[purplecatghostposts]

If you're still doing the song writing ask thing,,, could I ask for frenmy(or as others call it,, frenreylatta) with 1 or 24? 👉👈 Or just frenmy in general I will appreciate and holde whatever

CANNNN do!!

(Also I’m juuuust now realizing these are song titles I just saw one word and went ‘LETS WRITE A DRABBLE OFF OF THIS’ oops- uh enjoy either way!)

—

For better or for worse, Tommy isn’t always taken completely seriously.

Which is fine. Tommy can brush it off, he might have some “Childish Interests” but he’s a grown adult, he can take a hit or two.

(Tommy doesn’t know why anything has to regarded as childish when anyone can and should enjoy anything and not get shit for it but that’s a whole other can of worms).

But when Tommy says things like, “Grab a soda, it’ll help you see faster!” Nobody thinks twice about it. Which is good, because Tommy didn’t mean to say it at all. There’s certain things Tommy doesn’t like to talk about and his more ‘Inhuman’ attributes is one of them.

Son of “The G-Man” has a few perks after all.

The ability to make his eyes glow and see in the dark, the ability to create- both living and non living things, immortality and the ability to share it with something like a dog he created with his own two hands, and most of all, a connection to Time itself.

Tommy has all of these abilities under control, except for the very latter of the bunch. Because turning on and off your eyes like a flashlight is something he’s been doing as a kid; Immortality he was born with, sharing it came to him in his late twenties; and while difficult, Tommy now has a bit of a knack for creation; but Time? Time is something else entirely. It’s its own entity, and not even his father has much control over it.

And of course, with a difficult entity like Time, Tommy got saddled with the worst ability to have little control over. His father, G-Man, can freeze, suspend, and even travel through it. Tommy can see it, and Time shows him too much.

Tommy does not dream, he Sees. The branches of time are shown right before his eyes whether he likes it or not, and possibilities are laid out. Time is not set in stone- there’s millions of timelines and ways it could go- and when he sleeps, Tommy can see them.

There’s no physical way to stop it without fully mastering it, but Tommy has found that there’s a few things that can make it more pleasant or at the very least, bearable. Low stress or going to sleep happy and content means he usually sees happier timelines. Caffeine, for whatever reason, means that when he sees timelines, it’s at a speed where he doesn’t have to comprehend anything or have to see something he doesn’t want to see. So far, it’s the only two methods he knows, and since he can’t always control how stressful his situation is, Tommy turns to soda.

He means what he says. Soda helps him see faster. He’s just glad that he doesn’t have to explain it to Gordon. His inhuman attributes used to scare other kids off when he was younger, and he knows that Gordon is an adult like him and probably won’t run, but the fear runs deep and Tommy keeps his mouth shut.

Benrey knows, of course. He’s not human either, he understood. But even when Tommy has bad dreams, he doesn’t like to bother other people about it. They’re just dreams, he can handle them.

Until they get personal.

Tommy has been seeing dreams about how it could end for them in Black Mesa for days now, but his intake in soda means he doesn’t really process them. They pass by in a flash and Tommy wakes up and promptly forgets about whatever was shown to him.

But of course, his luck runs out.

Tommy’s leg bounces anxiously as he stares at the broken vending machine. Nothing but water- no caffeine. Water is good for survival- Gordon gulps it down greedily then gawks when Benrey eats the whole bottle in one bite making Tommy laugh- but it means Tommy’s at risk for bad visions. And with the stress of soldiers starting to come at them as well as aliens, he suspects that tonight will not end well.

There’s a tug at his sleeve. Tommy glances down to meet Benrey’s eyes, who studies him silently. He knows something’s up- of course he does- but Tommy smiles like there’s nothing to worry about. Benrey won’t confront him directly- not unless he’s certain it’s really bad- but he has a feeling that Benrey’s still going to try something in his own little way.

“Getting late.” Gordon comments, rubbing his eyes. “We should probably get some rest.”

“Baby Feetman wants a nap?” Benrey grins lazily. Gordon rolls his eyes in response, but doesn’t look all that annoyed. He’s more relaxed than usual, looking less like he’s a twig about to snap and more a river who’s just going with the flow. In fact, Tommy swears Gordon smiles for a second.

“Shut up, you got dark circles under your eyes. You could use it too.”

Benrey rolls his eyes. “Haven’t slept this entire time, don’t intent to start now.”

Both Tommy and Gordon’s attention snaps to him. Benrey almost shrinks under the spotlight, looking utterly confused. “Uh... Care to fill a bro in on what I said wrong..?”

“You haven’t slept?” Gordon’s voice raises.

“Benrey, that’s not good for your health!”

“Jeez fuck- I don’t need to sleep to live, guys.” Benrey cuts in. “Not like you guys. Besides, someone’s gotta keep watch so like, I don’t sleep. S’not a big deal.”

“Benrey, you- you told me that half of your energy to use your abilities comes from sleep.” Tommy says slowly.

“Yeah, and the other half is food. What of it?”

Gordon joins in. “We’ve gotten the bare scraps of food down here. You- you have to be running on empty.”

“Don’t worry about it, Bro-”

“No!” Both Tommy and Gordon shout simultaneously.

Benrey jumps, eyes darting between the two of them and rubbing the back of his neck. “Uh, this isn’t fair, you’re tag teaming me, I deserve someone on my team.”

Dr. Coomer pokes his head from around the corner, Bubby following. “Is something wrong? We heard some shouting!”

“Hey, Coomer, Bubs, you uh, you gotta back me up, they’re bullying me.” Benrey points accusingly at Tommy and Gordon respectively.

Bubby shrugs. “Just do what I did whenever someone bullied me.”

“Somehow I feel like this is going to be bad advice...” Gordon mumbles.

“Set them on fire.”

“Andddd I was right.”

Benrey pretends to consider it for a moment. Gordon rolls his eyes at him, earning a smile from Benrey. “But uh, these two keep yelling at me because I haven’t slept. Tell them to stop.”

Dr. Coomer frowns and Bubby narrows his eyes. Tommy snickers to himself, knowing Benrey isn’t winning this battle.

“You haven’t slept? What the hell do you think you’re doing? Fucking dumbass.”

“Benrey, sleep is an important function we all need to live!”

Benrey groans into his hands. Gordon grins cockily. “Hey, Bubby, Dr. Coomer, mind taking watch tonight while Tommy and I get Benrey to sleep?”

Bubby snorts like it’s obvious. Coomer smiles brightly and nods. “Of course! If anyone tries to come after you in your sleep, we’ll take care of them, if you know what I mean.” Coomer winks, then makes a punching gesture.

Gordon laughs at that. Tommy rather likes when Gordon laughs, his whole body moves with him. It’s wholehearted and genuine and if it were possible, Tommy would love to bottle it and keep it with him.

Tommy’s fully aware that he’s rather smitten with Gordon and Benrey. Benrey’s his best friend and Tommy is fine if it stayed that way, but he’s also felt a certain romantic fondness for him too. Benrey’s not easy to decipher but Tommy has learned he shows he cares in the subtle ways. How Benrey learns to read people and distracts them when they feel down. He’s done it to Tommy himself, and recently, he’s seen a very similar sentiment towards Gordon.

And Gordon wears his heart on his sleeve, which is endearing on its own. Tommy sees the way he acts around Benrey and around himself, and he can’t help but wonder if Gordon might feel the same way he does.

They find a place to camp out and before he knows it, Tommy has Gordon on one side and Benrey on the other. Despite lying on the concrete ground, Tommy doesn’t think he’s ever felt more comfortable in his life. Benrey’s curled up next to him and Gordon is lying on his side with an arm over him and Tommy feels himself get lulled to sleep. He doesn’t want to ever move again.

His dreams are not as kind as his situation. Because Tommy Sees all possible timelines, and one too many of them involve two of the people he cares about most in the world.

Benrey betrays Gordon and gets his hand get cut off. Gordon betrays Benrey and Benrey comes back not looking quite right. Gordon lets Benrey die, Benrey lets Gordon die, Benrey stands on an alien planet and attempts to kill everyone- does kill everyone. Gordon stands on an alien planet and sees Benrey being the thing they have to kill and he doesn’t hesitate.

They tear each other apart, no matter what Tommy says or does. And in a few timelines, their rage is directed towards him, and Tommy’s heart breaks into two.

“Tommy? Tommy, bro, c’mon, you gotta wake up.”

Benrey’s voice pulls him out of it. Tommy sits up, trembling and reaching out blindly. His vision is blurred and all attempts to speak come out as quiet sobs. A pair of hands grab onto his while a second gently touches his shoulder, grounding him to reality.

“Benrey?” It’s deathly quiet but it’s unmistakably Gordon’s. “Benrey- his eyes- is he okay? They’re- they’re gold-!”

“I know, dude, this happens sometimes, he’ll be okay.” Benrey responds, shockingly calm. “Tommy sees bad things sometimes when he goes to sleep and sometimes they’re overwhelming and this happens. Just... Trust me and follow my lead on this?”

A beat. Tommy tries to wipe his eyes but tears keep streaming down his face.

“Okay. I trust you.”

Tommy can’t see but he has a feeling Benrey is smiling a little at that.

Benrey and Gordon both begin to whisper reassurances and ask him what he can feel around him. They talk and talk and talk until eventually, Tommy can finally see them again and the anxiety in his chest is manageable.

“Thank you...” Tommy gives them a weak smile.

“Bad visions?” Benrey guesses. Gordon looks mildly confused but doesn’t ask questions. Tommy nods in response. “You... Wanna share or nah?”

Tommy’s gaze lowers. He sucks in a small breath. “It- it was a lot of bad timelines with you two. And I-...” He hesitated for just a minute but thinking of the timelines again made him push through it. “And I really care about both of you. A lot. In- in a platonic as well as a... A romantic way.”

Silence. Tommy swallowed thickly, not wanting to look at either of them and unsure if he made the wrong choice to tell them or not.

“Oh thank god, I’m not the only one.” Gordon blurted out. He let out a long breath, laughing softly. “I was- fuck, I was really struggling there.”

Benrey cracked a smile. “Cringe Gordon can’t deal with gay feelings? How embarrassing for you. Can’t believe I have gay thoughts for such a loser.” His eyes turn to Tommy and his smile grew. “I guess having gay thoughts for a really cool guy balances it out so it’s chill.”

Tommy couldn’t stop smiling. Was this really happening? Were they really all just on the same page? “R-really?”

Benrey shrugs. “‘M kinda surprised, thought I was obvious.”

“You’re not obvious with anything.” Gordon tells him, rolling his eyes but relaxing his shoulders.

“I...” Tommy let out a laugh. “I- I really care about you both! And- and after we get out of Black Mesa... I want us to stay this close.”

Benrey nodded. “‘Course we will. You’re some of my best bros and how else would I kiss you both goodnight like all bros should?”

Gordon snickered, then cleared his throat. “Hey uh... Have we all just been holding this in the entire time even though we all felt the same-!”

“YES.” Bubby screaming from across the room made all three jump in surprise. Bubby and Coomer were both sitting by the door, Bubby wrapped in Coomer’s arms but he still scowled at the three of them. “You’ve all been pining like a bunch of fucking idiots. Just ask a guy out by setting half a building on fire like a regular person!”

Tommy looked back at the other two and laughed to himself. Soon enough, the three of them were laying down again but this time, Tommy wrapped his arms around one each and held them close to him. In the morning, they could talk more about the three of them and their newly forming relationship, but for now, they deserved to rest.

Gordon’s head rested against Tommy’s shoulder while Benrey clung to him. Tommy felt his eyes get heavier and heavier but he wasn’t as afraid of getting a bad vision. Partly because he had two of the most important people in his life in his arms and he knew that those futures wouldn’t be his, but also partly because even if the visions did get to him, he had support when he woke up.

His own personal paradise. There was a light at the end of the tunnel and Tommy knew that by the end of this, he wanted both of them by his side and in his life for a long time.

—

I don’t know why this turned into a Tommy Lore/Angst Fest BUT hopefully it turned out alright! I hope you liked it! These three are veryyyy soft and it was sure fun to write! Feel free to send in another request if you want!

[jokertrap-ran]

(少女的王座—The Throne of Girl—) Main Story: Chapter 1 Part 10 English Translation

*The Throne of Girl Masterlist. *Spoiler free: Translations will remain under cut! *Main Story will be tagged under #Throne of Main

Chapter 1-1 / 1-2 / 1-3 / 1-3B / 1-4 / 1-5 / 1-6 / 1-7 / 1-8 / 1-9 / 1-10 / 1-11 / 1-12 / 1-13

Phone Call from Adrian / Lancelot

I groggily woke up from my sleep in the morning. The bright light from outside filtered through the windows into the room; everything was peaceful and quiet.

MC: Doesn't seem like there are any maids here to wake me up today...

I glanced at the time, ducking my head back under the soft covers.

MC: I feel like there aren't going to be any social events today, so I can sleep in…

Just as I closed my eyes, preparing to return to sleep for a second time, my phone suddenly rang.

MC: …Ugh… Why is someone calling me all so early in the morning?

Snatching up my phone a little reluctantly, I forced my eyes open; my drowsiness dying off real quick when I saw just who was requesting for a video call with me.

MC: ...Alex?

Alex Pepsilia was my younger brother, and the youngest child of the family.

MC: (Pepsilia and Hubrigy have a 4 hour time difference.)

MC: (It's 7AM here now, which means that it's only 3AM over there, right?)

MC: Unless he hasn't slept at all?

I sat up and rubbed my eyes, pressing the answer button.

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

Alex: I just knew that you were sleeping in, sis!

MC: Sleeping in is a right that god has bestowed upon us!

Alex: Such a thing didn't exist in the Church's teachings...

MC: Huh… You mean, even God hasn’t said anything like “Make sure to get a good rest everyday and get enough sleep”? Surely there must be something along those lines!

Alex: ... Wasn't it "God's blessing allowed us rest on every seventh day of the week"?

MC: ...Doesn't it mean the same thing?

Alex: No way! They're completely different!

[Alex had been sent to the Vatican to live there for a while, due to his frail and sickly constitution, to pray for God's blessing while he received treatment from the Holy See.]

[And he had become more devout to God upon his consequent return.]

MC: Fine… You’ve caught me red-handed.

MC: But I’ve also found out that you’re still not asleep despite it being 3 in the morning!

MC: Shall I… Tell Father and Brother about this matter?

Alex: !!!

Alex: Sis…

MC: Juuuust joking!

MC: Still, it’s so late; why aren’t you asleep?

Alex: I couldn't fall asleep…

Alex: I mean, Father, Brother, you, and even brother Albert went all the way to the Royal Palace in Hubrigy; and in the only one being left behind... 

Alex: The Castle is so big and empty, and no one pays me any mind… There's no way I'll be able to sleep like this!

Alex: Hey sis? When will you be coming back?

MC: I’ve still got to stay here for about another month!

MC: Haa… I want to go home too...

MC: This Palace has such an overwhelming number of rules; I wouldn’t stay here for another day if I could help it!

MC: But it’s currently the Capital’s Social Season, so Brother has been forcing me to participate in Tea Parties, Balls, blah, blah...

MC: He said that he just wanted me to make acquaintances with more royals. Humph! They’re just forcing me to participate in “Blind Dates”, if I had to be blunt about it!

Alex: Ehh!? Then... Do you have anyone you fancy, sis? 

MC: Not. A. Single. One!

Alex: Really? Thank God!

Alex: —Ahem! I mean, hurry and come on back if there isn't anyone you fancy over there!

MC: I have no common topic with them at all. They all either have their eyes growing on the top of their heads or talk about extremely boring things!

Alex: That's right! There's no way those people will ever be worthy of you, sis!

Alex: Hurry and come back sis! You can just live with me just as we've always done, right?

MC: If only Brother was of the same mind as you...

Alex: It'll be fine! Just leave brother Lancelot to me.

Alex: I'll make sure to convince him not to set you up for any "Blind Dates"!

MC: Really?

MC: It would be greatly appreciated if you can persuade Brother to stop dragging me off to these “Blind Dates”!

Alex: Yup! I'll send a message to him in the afternoon saying, "Looks like sis doesn't like aaanyone at all, so hurry and let her come home already"!

MC: Alex… I now stand firm in my belief that you’re the only one who relates to me best in the family!

MC: Even Albert came along with us to the Royal Palace… Only for him to be on the same mindset as Brother, himself! He’s not helping me anymore!

Alex: What? Even brother Albert? Even him…

Alex: I'm sure he must have been coerced by Father and brother Lancelot! Yeah; I'm sure he was!

Alex: Don't blame brother Albert for it, sis...

MC: You’re not wrong… But...

[I sighed. Alex was right. Brother and father must have specially instructed Albert one way or another for him to be so "respectful" of the rules in the Royal Palace."]

Alex: Anyway, just leave brother Lancelot to me and don't worry about it!

Alex: By the way, how's the Royal Palace? It must be way different from Pepsilia, right? Have you gotten used to the place yet?

MC: It’s really very different here. The Capital of Hubrigy is known as the “Heart of the Empire”; and it really deserves its reputation, for it’s way more prosperous compared to us!

MC: I hear that this place houses the largest Amusement Park and Zoo in the entire continent! Not to mention the famous Aquarium which is said to have every single species of marine life on this entire planet!

MC: There are also many delicious street food, gourmet stores, free markets and so on and so forth… Oh yeah! I think there was also a particularly popular Circus around here...

Alex: Ooooo!! Sounds like there are lots of interesting and yummy things there!

Alex: Sis, I… I wanted to go along with you…

MC: Don't worry! There'll be another chance next time!

[Even though I say that… I'm aware that he's always been of frail health…]

[Let's not even mention anything about him coming together with us to Hubrigy; even normal plans for a short trip out always ended as that. Just a plan.]

[The only time he had a successful long-distance trip elsewhere was only after we went to the Vatican and visited the Holy See, to pray for god’s blessing to see the trip through successfully.]

[I looked at the time and saw that it was getting later and later. It was nearing 4AM back in Pepsilia—]

▷Choice: Chat longer with him

MC: Let’s wait for your health to get better, and for you to get stronger. Then, you can come here with me and enjoy yourself as much as you want; how does that sound?

Alex: Sure, sounds great!! It's a promise then! When that time comes… Yes, let's go there together with only us two!

Alex: Let's skip all those boring social events! I'm sure we'll be able to play to our heart's content with just the two of us!

MC: Uwah, hearing you say that makes me a little impatient for that time to come; I can’t wait…!

Alex: Don't worry about it, sis! I won't make you wait long!

MC: Aw, how sweet of you, Alex!

▷Choice: Persuade Alex to go to bed.

MC: But it’s almost 4AM; it’s not good for your health to be up so late!

Alex: I...

Alex: I… want to talk with you a little longer, sis...

MC: You can’t. I’ll be very worried if you don’t hurry and sleep soon...

Alex: ...Alright...

Alex: I'm gonna prepare for bed then. How about you go outside for a change if you're free?

MC: Yeah! I happen to be free later, so I’m absolutely prepared to sneak out and go fishing.

MC: I hear that the Capital is home to a species of fish that can spit out precious chromatic beads, so I’m thinking of trying my luck.

MC: The people here use them as amulets! Rest assured, for this sister of yours is blessed with super good luck! I’ll definitely be able to show it to you!

Alex: I think I've read about that fish in one of the books on the Church's library. I recall that it's pretty hard to catch, and if it proves to be too much trouble for you, then maybe…

MC: Don’t worry, something as simple as fishing won’t pose a problem for me at all! I’m going off to fish now, and as for you~ Hurry and go to sleep!

Alex: Alright, sis!

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

Having said that, I waved at Alex through the video call before cutting the line.

MC: (I should change and head out.)

I put the phone in my hand down, hurriedly getting out of bed to wash up and change into a fresh set of clothes.

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

MC: (It’s such a rare occasion to be able to go take a breather outside. I should ask Albert to come along with me while I’m at it!)

I stopped in front of Albert’s room, knocking on his door.

MC: Albert!

MC: ...Albert?

I knocked on the door, but it was unexpectedly quiet within the room.

MC: (Hm? What’s going on? Unless… Did he go somewhere?)

MC: (Where did he go off to so early in the morning? Unless Father of Brother needed him for something?)

MC: (Oh well, it’s just fishing; I can go alone.)

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ♔What’s past, it’s prologue♔ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

Previous Part: (Chapter 1-9) | Next Part: (Chapter 1-11)

[taeyongbestboi]

♡ Four Pink Cheeks //// ♡

Pairing: dancer!jeno x dancer!reader

Genre: fluffffffff!!!!

Synopsis:

You and Jeno have been best friends since both of you were delivered to this world, so you guys are basically attached to the hip. Both of you love dancing and made a great dance duo (and by great I mean amazingly awesome geniuses to be exact).

What would happen next, when the routine you both need to dance requires a gesture a bit more friendly than being friends?

Word count: 1.4k ♡

Warnings: none

Author’s note:

This is the firstttttt ever fic I’ve written that I published (or posted on the internet, whatever you wanna call it), so there’ll be grammatical and spelling errors and since English isn’t my native language and I am still a rookie, self-taught fic writer, I ask you guys to be soft on me (teeheee :D). I know my writing techniques are still far from good, so that’s why I ask you guys to please help me improve and give this fic some love on the way ♡ ☾ ☆

Song based:

—

It’s the night before your evaluation day. You and Jeno decided to join a dance company right after you both finished high school, so here are both of you, practicing your duet routine for the company’s evaluation tomorrow.

“It’s been 6 months and I’m still feeling nauseous...”, you said

Jeno chuckled, “don’t be nervous... it’s just another evaluation. Not a thing we can’t handle.”

True, you both are the best dance duo in the company. Your chemistry’s out of this world. Maybe it’s because you’ve been best friends with Jeno for ages now and also have been each other’s dance partner for quite some time.

Your dance journey with Jeno started when he initiated to create a youtube channel to showcase his dance. And instead of doing it alone, he asked you to be his dance partner as he knows how great your potential in dance were. It all happened just like that.

“Let’s try it one more time, shall we?”

You nod at Jeno, got to your feet and make yourself ready to dance another round of the routine. But before any of you could move to the song, there’s a knock on the door and your coach’s head popped out from behind the door afterwards.

“Still practicing eh, kids?”

You guys gave a slight bow. “Yeah, coach. Would you mind watch our routine and give advices for tomorrow’s evaluation?”, Jeno asked politely

“Alright, let me see it one last time. From the snippets that I saw, you guys are doing such great job though...”, the coach smiled at both of you

“Okay, let’s start.”

With the cue, Jeno got the music start and went to his place in a swift move. Right after the music starts playing, you and Jeno instantly move both of your bodies gracefully.

Contemporary dance is a genre that requires swiftness and ability to express deep emotions. Let alone doing a deux, doing it alone has never been that simple. This routine of yours and Jeno was based on one of Lauv’s genius piece, Enemies. The song’s melody, lyrics and overall vibe should’ve been enough to explain the whole concept. Yes, it was a bout a pair of lovers whom turned into enemies, at one point in their lives. Here, you have to position yourself as Jeno’s source of heartbreak and vice versa.

The routine you both made was indeed intense. With all those emotions indulged in that piece, and this concept you both had in mind that you guys wanted tomorrow stage’s costume to be as simple as possible, requiring you guys to act (no, scratch that), dive into the deux’s role as seamless as possible. You guys have to literally become enemies whom still unable to let go of the affection towards each other that it hurts both of you, for tomorrow’s stage in order to amaze the evaluator.

The music has just hit the last chorus of the song, making the intense choreo became even more tense. Lots of yanking, hair and clothes pulling (limbs as well), flying an throwing here and there, frustrated mimics. Then, the music came to an end and you pull your loose practice t-shirt with your left hand by the collar, while doing a move as if you’re trying to approach Jeno who’s standing on the other side, making it as if someone else’s preventing, holding you back from getting to Jeno.

The music ends, and so was the routine. Both you panted and the coach gave a satisfying clap. And then you and Jeno bowed to the coach, as a form of gratitude.

“As expected, you guys did a wonderful job on your routine...”

Both of you smiled at the compliment

“...but,” the coach continues

“you guys could actually elevate the tense even more, you know? Make it even more spicy...”, he said

You and Jeno exchanged looks. What was he talking about again? You guys telepathily thought.

“How about... you guys kiss in the middle of the routine?”

“YES???”, both of you exclaimed

“Yeah, like... the concept was a whole story of lovers turn to enemies right? The song itself holds a great amount of angst, bring it to the rim guys...”

“But, we’ve just turned 19...”, you pointed out

“Well, you guys are legal already. It doesn’t have to be overly dramatic, just a fast-yet-proper kiss on the lips would do. It’ll elevate the expression of lingering affection between you two even when you both had became enemies...”, the coach suggested even more

Again, you and Jeno turn to look at each other’s eyes, only to blush miserably.

“Alright, coach. We’ll try to add that act to our routine...”, Jeno finally said

You turn your head to him with eyes as big as lollipops, you thought you heard wrong.

“Alright! Do it bravely y/n, Jeno. Keep up the good work!”, the coach stand up, “I think I have to go now. Finish the practice quickly and have some rest. Wish you guys best for tomorrow...”, with that, he smiled and left.

The door clicked close, and you turned to Jeno with a puzzled, defeated look on your face. How are you guys supposed to do that thing???

“Y/n, it’s for the sake of our performance...”

You sighed, body dropped to the wooden floor of the practice room, legs outward, both of your arms propping your body. Your head hung low.

“Well first of all, we’re best friends, Jeno. More, a dance partner for each other. We’ve done crazy, ridiculous things together both for the sake of our routines and not. I have nothing against the idea of kissing you, really...”, you confessed

Jeno decided to join you sitting on the floor. Legs crossed.

“But the thing is I haven’t kissed anyone my whole life...”, you admitted

Jeno looked a bit surprised. He can feel heat sensation creeping from his fingertips to his ears.

“Y/n...”

“Yeah?”

“So do I...”

You feel the exact same sensation as Jeno. Little do you both know, you both turned into a blushing mess right there, right then. You look at the other direction of his face, but from the corner your eye you can see him fidgeting his fingers.

“Umm... is that mean that we’ll be having our firsts...”, you stopped

“... with each other?”

“I-I guess so...”

Did you just catch Jeno stuttering???

You took a deep breath and throw it all out in a loud, heavy sigh.

“Okay then, we agreed to take this challenge right??”, you asked Jeno. He nodded innocently.

“How are we supposed to start it?”, your voice became a little bit softer on the end of the sentence.

“Ehm...”, Jeno cleared his throat, “why don’t we try it once?”, his head was hung low, now his eyes looking at you with a small lift on his chin.

“Yes???”

“Can I kiss you?”, Jeno asked softly yet firmly.

The thought of Jeno kissing you??? Okay he did not have to go all firm like that while asking you that question! Not gonna lie, it did made your heart beats 1000x faster.

“Uh...okay...”, you replied

You swore to God, you can feel your face so hot right now. Bet you looked like a boiled shrimp.

“Stay still, don’t laugh.” Jeno warned

He leaned in, right palm pressed on the floor right besides your left hand that’s propping your body, right arm holding his body’s weight, crossed legs broke out as he lean closer and closer. His brown iris fixed on yours, then your balmed, plump lip. You feel your eyes shutting down, eyelashes batting a few flustered blinks, eyes focused on his lips before completely shutting down. The second your eyes closed, you feel his lips touch yours.

You pursed your lips close together, eyebrows slightly sewed together, tensing on the sensation of your lips’ first encounter with another lips. Jeno, on the other hand, were surprisingly calm and settled. A few seconds in and you started to relax a bit. His lips waited patiently on yours.

The moment you loosen up, he slightly parted his lips, juuuust a bit, to press down your lips between his as he deepened the kiss. His gesture made your lips pucker and move swiftly along his lips. His left hand’s reaching for your cheek, thumb finding its way to rub the corner of your lips.

And after a not-so-brief moment, you guys break free, nose touching each other’s side, eyes fluttering open. Jeno’s hand was still resting on your cheek, not a limb dared to move away.

A pair of laugh broke. Having to process and inhale the fact that both of you just kissed your best friends. An interesting experience, really.

With four pink cheeks, a pair of shy laughters, limbs still scattered on the practice room’s floor, Jeno asked...

“Let’s go practice, shall we?”

[maxrev]

OTP Asks - I'm going to be lazy and ask for all of your boys for the following questions: 1, 7, 10, 17, 22, 36, 43. Thank you!

Putting me through my paces here lol. Whew....Thanks though, this was fun! 

From this list here

1. Who wakes up first?

Knox x Kaidan - Knox. He doesn’t sleep much to begin with, so is always up before Kaidan. He can’t understand how someone who is such a stickler for rules, can’t drag himself out of bed an hour before his alarm lol

John x Kaidan - neither. They both roll out of bed around the same time xD

Jon x Kaidan - Jon but primarily because he’s such a light sleeper and often gets up to watch the sun rise over the water on the beach. It’s his favorite part of the day. 

Niall x Kaidan - Kaidan lol. Niall gives Kaidan a run for his money when it comes to sleeping in. He’s a night owl and stays up late at night. He says he does his best work (winks at Kaidan) at night O.o

7. Who comes up with the cheesy pick-up lines?

Knox x Kaidan - definitely Kaidan. Takes Knox forever to realize he even has feelings for Kaidan, then to even act on them. The pickup lines aren’t cheesy on purpose, it’s just Kaidan being...shy and awkward!

John x Kaidan - John without a doubt. In fact, he purposely comes up with THE cheesiest he can think of in order to make Kaidan blush, the crew roll their eyes, and everyone take bets as to what he’ll come up with next ;) His top used one is ‘come here often’ when he ends up in the same place as Kaidan on the ship. The crew mouth the line behind his back because they always know it’s coming!

Jon x Kaidan - hmmm, not sure on this one. Tbh, probably Kaidan just to get a laugh out of Jon as he tends to be too serious at times. 

Niall x Kaidan - Niall for sure. Kaidan has a few but Niall beats him every time for sheer cheesiness and ridiculousness. It’s a point of pride with Niall after a while lol

10. Who sets the other’s ringtone to something loud and obnoxious behind their back?

Knox x Kaidan - neither. Kaidan knows better, so he’s never bothered to try. Knox doesn’t do ringtones. 

John x Kaidan - equal. John loves to drive Kaidan nuts this way. Usually, it’s some truly obnoxious rock music, heavy or classic, or something from a very old sitcom, John finds hilarious but Kaidan doesn’t. So, in retaliation, Kaidan will find something he can get back at John with, usually with Joker’s help!

Jon x Kaidan - Kaidan likes to shake things up for Jon and often it’s something Jack has picked out, so it’s super loud and obnoxious xD

Niall x Kaidan - Oh, Niall for sure. It’s always something to do with bagpipes and loud drums ;)

17. Who carries all the important documents while traveling?

Knox x Kaidan - Knox. Kaidan tries but Knox is uber organized and will NOT relinquish control. 

John x Kaidan - Kaidan. John could care less and Kaidan even goes behind him and makes sure he’s packed everything he needs. More than once, he’s left something important behind. 

Jon x Kaidan - Equal. They’re both pretty on top of things when travelling, so it’s usually whoever scheduled the trip. 

Niall x Kaidan - Niall will deny he’s not organized enough but Kaidan knows better. To make things go smoothly, he gets to the documents they need beforehand just so everything is ready to go and there’s no mix-ups. In fact, he usually puts them somewhere Niall can’t find them just so he doesn’t get his hands on them!

22. Who texts more often?

Knox x Kaidan - Kaidan! He tries not to smother because Knox hates it but it’s a very fine line. Knox is just...busy and forgets. Also, he just doesn’t see the point in it. 

John x Kaidan - Oh John without a doubt. (I have a...lot of ideas for this) But yeah, silly one liners, ridiculous sayings, anything mundane that pops into his head. Kaidan gets it ALL. 

Jon x Kaidan - Fairly equal, though there are times Jon goes dark and then Kaidan worries. 

Niall x Kaidan - close but I think Niall edges him out...juuuust a bit. 

36. Which one is the secret snuggler?

Well, to me, Kaidan is a snuggler in general, so not really secret in any pairing of mine! 

Knox x Kaidan - Surprising no one...Knox! He is the big spoon and on the rare occasions Kaidan wakes up first, it’s to find Knox wrapped around him. He doesn’t do it consciously and only when he’s completely zonked out. He denies it when Kaidan tells him lol

John x Kaidan - equal snugglers. Touch is comforting to them both and John likes wrapping his arms around Kaidan...and his legs…and draping his body over him xD

Jon x Kaidan - Jon is still processing having someone touch him, so definitely Kaidan when Jon feels up to it. 

Niall x Kaidan - Niall because at first, he just kinda flops around the bed, kicks Kaidan a lot when they start sleeping together, hits him over the head. Niall is a bed hog lol. But overtime, he gravitates to the touch of skin on skin, the safety and security of Kaidan and his warmth, though Niall isn’t exactly cold. 

43. What is the first thing that changes when they realize they have feelings for the other?

Knox x Kaidan - ooooo. So, Knox is kinda poleaxed on Horizon when he hears Kaidan’s voice, then sees him...then devastated when he walks away. Sure, he gets it and would do the same. Just takes him by surprise to feel that way. Knox wants to be a better person for Kaidan and begins to change in little ways, begins to think WWKD, in many situations - even if he doesn’t always change how he tackles a problem. At least, not right away. 

Kaidan tries to get to know the man behind the mask, understand him better, see why he makes the choices he does and meet him halfway in how they process their decisions. 

John x Kaidan - I think they realize it right away at the book store, so John’s just...relentless in his pursuit but still never pushes. Kaidan has to come to him. For Kaidan, he stops...running away. 

Jon x Kaidan - Jon tries to sabotage any budding feelings the minute he realizes he has them. His self hate is very real, very up front and center and it leads him down a dark path. Thankfully, Kaidan is endlessly patient and understanding, so when they’re finally on the same page, it’s awkward but ultimately healing and chock full of feels. 

Niall x Kaidan - Niall is oblivious for a long time. Kaidan knows he has feelings but refuses to act on them. Think...slooooow burn here. But, when they both realize it and quit circling around each other and missing the mark, they are in complete tandem and their dance is beautiful to behold. 

[outrunningthedark]

I’ve got some thoughts to share about the SpursTV Interview where Dele interviews Eric. First of all it's an entirely useless interview as an interview, but the content is glorious. Dele says to him “I’ve got a lot to get off my chest.” and Eric seems to consider what Dele has said for a bit and then just goes for it. Eric's whole demeanor is somewhat worried, as in a bit on guard about what's about to happen and then he just throws out a really seductive and flirty “Ok, Delboy”. 1/3

Dele generally seems so much more composed through that entire process than Eric and iis the one in control in this interview, not just by being the interviewer for sure. Eric tries to go for Dele but it’s not really working, like he tries to rattle him but Dele’s just on top of it. I feel like Eric is starting to be a bit infatuated with dele at this point. Dele is obviously in it a lot deeper, but seems content within himself. 2/3 Also Erics face in this video feels like a summary of their relationship, because he tries so hard to stay exasperated and serious but in the end Dele does (just by being himself) weasel his way into Erics heart because Eric can’t fight it off any longer. In this video Dele makes Eric’s serious mask crack and irl he made his way into his heart! 3/3 Hello, nonnie! 😍 *This* is the kind of content I like seeing in my inbox so thank you! And I’m going to thank you a second time for giving me an excuse to watch that epic interview yet again 🤗 Let’s talk about it, shall we? - “Where’s the actual interviewer?” // “ME.” God, Eric. Dele actually *wants* to be around you. Get a clue.  - “Keep your head there.” AKA “Don’t look me in the eye, I need to focus.” (”You’re not making me nervous, I just need you to leave.”) - Eric trying not to laugh when Dele asks why he’s ‘so upset’ is not talked about enough, thanks. It’s automatic.  - “Be careful what you say.” = “We’re on camera. Watch yourself.” 🤭 - THE WAY ERIC SAYS “OKAY, DELBOY. LET’S GO” !!! Our man thought he was gonna have the upper hand in this, didn’t he?  Oh, Eric. You’re in for a shock. Dele knows how to get what he wants... - “I’m taking this extremely seriously.” (”Nah, be serious.”) [This is actually very cute because you know Eric’s thinking ‘don’t make me laugh, ohmygod’] - CAN WE TALK ABOUT ERIC LEANING FORWARD TO LOOK BAE RIGHT IN THE EYE??? MY MAN KNOWS HIS STRENGTHS AND HOW TO USE ‘EM. - The giggle!!! when Eric pretends he’s walking out!!! (”I just think he’s really funny.”) - Eric getting Spurs TV man in on the banter is A+. That is one person we can say without a doubt is full of secrets. Y’all forget he was in the room for “highlight of my year” AND made Dele speechless from Eric’s praise. What a king.  - Dele said Eric’s name three times in six seconds. That has to be some sort of record? (If only we knew a simple name would hold SO MUCH meaning he’d stop saying it unless he was making a point 🥺) - “I think me and Mousa have a great relationship.” Lying liar who lies. And that laugh from Dele says he knows it, too. - Dele wanting Eric to admit his bestie is “someone from Milton Keynes” = “He won’t say that to my face!” (Have y’all figured out that Dele has a praise kink yet?) - “We’ve gotten a bit off subject here anyway, um...” I LOVE THIS. Dele never looked at the segment as an interview. It was merely an opportunity to do what he does best - rile Eric up. It reminds me of “Mr. Sociable” when Dele realizes Eric’s been staring at him juuuust a tad too long and asks “You’ve got nothing to say?” = “Eric, I put the camera on you for a reason, babe.” - ERIC’S LAUGH  when Dele asks him a legit football question is EVERYTHING. He doesn’t want this Dele. He prefers the goofball. That Dele is *his* and his alone.  - Eric not looking Dele in the eye as he’s talking is a huge tell, idc what y’all say. He’s trying to keep his composure.  - “How’s your neck?” // “Sore from carrying you.” Dele caught on to Eric’s game awfully fast, didn’t he? Papa Dier must have been so proud (and realized his son found the right one...) 😍 (Did anyone notice the cutaway right after that part? Did they get the giggles?)  - This is my opinion and mine alone, but Eric “explaining” why he didn’t mind going into MF is one of the most important statements he’s ever made. He associates playing that position with looking after Dele, as he’s always done, as he continues to do. Taking care of Dele, “saving” him, helping him... none of that is a choice. It’s his purpose.  - “You look like you’re getting a bit hot.” Got him 😉 (This moment is !!! because Dele *knows* that regardless of their ~status~ at that time, whatever’s brewing between he and his bestie is not one-sided in the slightest. It’s why he’s willing to give Eric time to sort himself out.) - “I hope I’m interviewing him afterwards.” Be careful what you wish for, buddy. It’s only gonna get worse. - “I can’t say it on camera.” *obvious edit* Things that make you go 🤔 - The shared joy at the end perfectly sums up what we love about them - they’re each other’s favorite person. A literal friends-to-lovers plot. The dream.  ...idk about y’all, but I had fun. 🤷‍♀️

[franklyshipping]

The Cutest Arrogance (Part 2) - A Markiplier and Jacksepticeye Ego Fanfic

Anti wasn't lying when he decided to get revenge on those who had just watched his humiliating torment....it was time for his first victim. This is a sequel tooooo THIS! Also, this is set in a universe where Silver, Yandere, and Host are in a polyamory because yAS! Anyways....what a poor little hero....LET'S DO IT!!!

TAGGING: @anti-switch-glitch and @silvlee-shepherd

'I need a herooooo! I'm holdin' out for a heeero till the end of the niiiight!'

Ahhhh wild singing whilst doing menial chores, it never gets old, my preference is 'All Star' during hoovering. Anyhoo, this song was the preference held by the one and only Silver Shepherd when it came to drying and putting away dishes; a task, thanks to the snazzy music, that was completed pretty dang quick. Especially when singing along comes into play. Silver had just stowed away a roasting tray before whacking one of the countertops with his dish towel and doing a dance that I can only describe as....well.....y'know.....okay I can't ACTUALLY describe it. Whether that's a compliment or not I'll leave up to you. Even without being able to describe it though, it was still amusing to observe....as Antisepticeye would be able to corroborate. He was smirking and leaning against the counter next to the radio....which he promptly turned off with a small hit of static.

'Someone's full of beans.'

Anti snickered when the hero yelped and, quite unceremoniously, swivelled around to face Anti; as soon as he realised it was Anti though, he relaxed into a happy grin....because he had not yet considered yet that he was utterly doomed.

'It's hard NOT to be when you're listening to the AWESOMENESS that is the Shrek 2 soundtrack!'

.....Anti couldn't disagree there.

'Fair enough.'

Anti snickered as he watched the hero stow away his dish towel, before Silver skipped towards him happily.

'Soooo what's up? I haven't seen you in a while! Are you doing more cryptic stuffs on Jack's socials?!'

Silver's eyes were wide and innocent and puppy-eyed as he looked at Anti....who was honestly so frustrated and how fucking cute this guy was I mean....how? Fucking HOW?! With those fucking soft cheeks and happy skips and relentlessly giddy and happy attitude to existence; precious son of a twat. Ahem....anyway. Anti inspected his blunt nails as he smiled, shaking his head as he mused.

'Nahh, I haven't really had the time....I've been....recovering...'

Silver cocked his head to the side, but before he could question what Anti meant, Anti continued speaking in....colder tone of voice.

'You remember the last time we were in a room together....don't you Silver.'

It was a statement, not a question, and it made the already pale hero go even paler in his face. He bowed his head as a shaky breath left his lips, and he was the victim of Anti's piercing glare as the glitch's lips twitched.

'You remember watching me be humiliated....you remember helping to make that happen....'

Silver whimpered and shook his head, heart pounding as his mind raced and one thought shone in his mind....Anti was out for revenge. Silver knew he should have expected it, he was Antisepticeye for goodness sake of COURSE he'd plan and seek retribution! Anti chuckled at he saw how Silver trembled....and he started pacing closer. Silver's floor gaze soon contained Anti's shoes, so the hero mustered up the courage to look into the determined man's face. Anti's form was jolting and segments of his eyes occasionally flashed black as he growled.

'There's no Host or Yandere for you to snuggle into for safety now....you're mine.' 

Now Silver's cheeks were less white and more...a startled, flustered pink. Silver knew he only had one option.....to run.

'N-No! I-I won't let you!'

Silver squeaked before swivelling around and sprinting to the nearest door, and Anti took a few seconds to admire Silver's speed and agility....before smirking at his adorable naivety. In the space of a millionth of a second, Anti was stood in Silver's way with his arms outstretched....meaning the hero ran right into him.

'Well that was easy!'

Silver squealed as he was hoisted over Anti's shoulder, cheeks turning a darker pink as he wriggled and batted Anti's back; the glitch merely snickered and crooned.

'It's not nice when someone materialises in your way is it?'

Silver gulped as Anti started walking away from the exit, Silver's heart was pounding as he started to realise that any probability of him escaping was diminishing by the second.

'N-Nononohelp HELP! S-SOMEBODY!!'

Anti giggled amusedly, now THAT was too adorable. Anti would soon make him understand that no one was going to rescue him. He was swift in his pinning of Silver to the couch, and was quick to straddle him and initiate a good grip of his wrists, despite how Silver seemed to have the wiggle capacity of an earthworm on acid.

'No one's coming to help....it's just me and you....with aaaall the time in the world....'

Silver whimpered as he looked up at Anti, then squeaked out of nervousness when Anti spontaneously glitched again....this time, it was for a vantage point. Anti had raised Silver's arms above his head, sat on them, then looked down at him as he raised his hands and wiggled his fingers menacingly. Silver was already giggling.

'Nohoho nononono p-plehease d-dohon't!'

Silver squirmed and tugged at his arms as Anti's devilish fingertips inched closer and closer towards his open armpits; Silver cursed himself for wearing a vest.....his bare underarms were just completely vulnerable. Seeing Silver so desperate already just excited Anti beyond belief....he had to begin.

'Too.....late....'

Anti cooed, his teeth bared ferally as his fingers descended and began a torturous assault of slow scratching and tracing....Silver didn't even TRY to repress his reactions.

'EEEE! G-G-Gehehet o-ohohout o-ohof my pihihits gehehet ohohout!'

After an initial squeal, Silver was the victim of streams of high pitched, squeaky giggles. Let's face it....Silver Shepherd was the MOST ticklish Iplier ego. All of them were ticklish sure but....there was nowhere on Silver that wouldn't elicit some kind of laugh or squeak or giggle or flinch; the sweet hero pretty much defined ticklishness. Anti smiled happily down at him.

'Get out of your pits? But they're so soft and sensitive and.....ever so fun to play with...'

Silver let out a desperate whine as Anti's blunt nails raked up and down and all around his soft hollows, his giggles persistent and never ending as Anti's smug expression filled his vision.

'P-Plehehease Ahahanti!!! I-I-Ihihit t-t-tihihickles!!!'

Silver was looking up at Anti with desperation in his eyes....and Anti leant down so that they were practically nose to nose. His scratching and skittering and tickling didn't stop for a second as his eyes blackened and his voice growled.

'Good. I want it to tickle. I want it to tickle so bad that it makes you beg for mercy and offer up everything you own. I want it to make ''sorry'' the only word you can even think of saying. I want you....'

Anti leant in to Silver's ear and snarled, with a truly beastly undertone.

'....to feel humiliated and embarrassed and weak at my touch....just like I was when you watched....and helped.' 

Silver was trembling....but not with genuine fear. This was the type of playful fear you might feel by being chased by a friend, or being growled at by an evil tickler. Silver shook his head as he descended into sporadic cackles, trying to scrunch his shoulders to escape the extra tickly whispers that Anti had provided.

'N-N-Nohohohoho p-plehehEHEHEASE! IHI'M TOHohohoo s-sehensihitive I-I-I'll g-gohoho ihINSANE!'

Anti rolled his eyes, now THAT was exaggeration if ever he heard it. He knew that Silver was tickled frequently, because....well look at him, wouldn't you? Anyway, thanks to all of this experience of being on the receiving end, Anti figured that Silver knew how to make himself sound juuuust desperate enough to receive mercy WITHOUT making the tickler feel guilty. It was a clever, well developed tactic....that worked on those whose personalities were based on sympathy. Not Anti though....he was based on the ability of being able to break people, and he wasn't about to change now, not even for someone as cute as Silver.

'Yeah, yeah, yeah, exaggerate all you want but I know you've got waaay more stamina than you let on....I bet you could handle hour....after hour....'

Silver was full on laughing and red faced with embarrassment now as he tried to hide his face in his bicep....aka he was hiding from the truth that Anti had just so bluntly stated. He was a damn superhero, of COURSE he had incredible stamina! No one who had tickled Silver before had realised that though...until now. Now, Silver REALLY knew he was screwed.

'NOHOHOHO!!! YOHOHOU CAHAHAN'T!!!'

Anti snickered....then furrowed his eyebrows. Silver....was laughing really damn hard. Anti hadn't hardened his touch or changed his technique, and he wasn't even adding any nuzzles to Silver's neck, so why on earth was he-.....ohhhh. Oh that was golden.

'Oh I can....just like if I stay at these armpits of yours you'll probably end up screaming your head off....I love finding tickle spots that tickle more the longer you stay at them.'

Silver wailed as Anti smirked. It was true. The longer Silver's arms remained immobilised and his armpits tickled, they would get more ticklish the longer you tickled them, which is pretty damn awesome in my opinion. Before Silver could protest however, Anti continued.

'But don't worry, I'm gonna move on....it'd be boring if I didn't try out the rest of you.'

Anti winked as he slid his scratching fingers down and away from Silver's hollows...finally. Silver was taking relieved gulps of air, but soon of course his giggles were just reignited. Anti's fingertips were engaging in a tickly journey. Silver bore the giddiest smile as Anti playfully growled and nuzzled into his neck, making him snort and whine almost like an adorable little baby.

'Y-Y-Yohohou w-wohohon't gehet ahaway with th-thihihiiiiis!!'

Silver arched his back as Anti's mad little giggles filled his ears, since the glitch was most amused by the hero's meek little threat.

'Your empty little threats mean nothing....you're in the villain's clutches now!'

Silver squealed with embarrassment as he turned his head away from Anti, which in hindsight didn't really help since it meant Anti and his stubble could nestle right in the crook of Silver's neck. Along with the fresh scribbling at his sides, Silver was back into flustered laughter.

'EEEE-nohohonono-EEE! Ohohogahahad-IHIHI'M SAHAHARRY!!!'

Anti raised an eyebrow as he hardened his scribbling a little, smirking amidst his nuzzles as he teasingly queried.

'Huh? What was that?'

Silver laughed deeply as he thrashed his body from side to side, half-glaring at Anti as he exclaimed his reply.

'IHIHI SAHAHAID SAHAHARRY DAMMIT!! C-C-C'MOHON IHI'LL DOHO ANYTHING!!!'

......that struck a chord in Anti. The chord of his imagination. The tickling stopped. Silver took in his breaths....and gulped as he realised what he'd just said, and realised that he had most likely just let himself in for the most embarrassing situation of his entire life. And he was right. Silver nibbled his bottom lip as he watched Anti think....and watching such insane glee rise up from inside him in the form of a malevolent smirk sent serious chills down Silver's spine. He whimpered when Anti locked eyes with him.

'Anything huh? Well....in that case....I want you to say.....''I, Silver Shepherd, am a ticklish baby hero!''.'

Silver....was mortified. Just hearing those words come out of Anti's mouth made him want to curl up into a ball of incoherent whimpers and denial. He couldn't say that, he knew he wouldn't have been able to even get the words out!! Merely thinking about that phrase....each word flustering in its own way...no, hell no.

'I-I....but....I-I c-can't! N-No I....I-I-I c-c-can't!'

He stuttered as he looked up at Anti nervously, his heart pounding in anticipation since he knew that Anti would DEFINATELY think of a way to persuade him. And he had. Anti cocked his head down at Silver with mock affection as he cooed.

'Awww, you don't believe you're strong enough to say it....don't worry....I'll make you have some faith in yourself.'

With that, he reached forward once again....and dug into Silver's soft, squishy belly. Anti's fingers dug into the warm flesh eagerly as the glitch smirked deviously, adoring how Silver just instantly shrieked with mad laughter....and expletives.

'AAAAHAHAHA FAHAHACK OHOHOHO FAHAHHAAAAACK!!'

Anti took the opportunity to gasp with a great degree of shock, fingers still wiggling into Silver's marshmallowy stomach as he exclaimed.

'Ooooh! You kiss your lovers with that rude mouth?!'

Okay....now Silver's blush was going down his neck AND up to the tips of his tiny ears as he...belly-laughed....eheh. He was bucking and thrashing, doing everything humanly possible to get those drilling digits away....but it was like they were attached to his tummy now, digging, vibrating, tickling; it was true torture.

'FUHUHUCK OHOHOHOOOOFF YOHOU POHOHOO!!'

Anti spluttered and snickered at the oh so offensive and rude reply that Silver had given him.

'Wohoooowwww, I guess that means you're not gonna say what I want you to say?'

He queried with raised eyebrows, his wiggling fingers still persisting as he waited for Silver to reply. And he did....with a surprising amount of determination despite the utter ticklish agony his poor stomach was being subjected to; I suppose prolonged tickling diminishes your common sense....because if Silver had HAD common sense at this point, he would have submitted....and avoided what was to come.

'HEHEHEHELL NOHO!!'

Anti let out a sharp sigh as he withdrew his fingers, maintaining an expression of disappointment despite how he wanted to smile at Silver's soft, whimpery hiccups.

'Well....I could say that I hoped it wouldn't come to this, but that would be a lie.'

Silver's form was so weak now, he probably didn't need to be pinned, but Anti wasn't going to take that risk, even now. Anti glitched once more, now he straddled Silver's thighs and had Silver's arms down by his sides, pinned under knees. He started tutting at the shivering Silver as he carefully pushed up his vest, properly revealing his belly.

'P-Pleh-hease.....n-noho t-tickles....'

Anti grinned at Silver.....then lifted a single finger. Silver's eyes were fixed on it, and he watched it descend....and Silver's eyes widened when he realised what was coming.

'OhgohohonottherenohottHEREANTI!!!'

That single index finger had taken to carefully tracing around Silver's outie bellybutton....which was one of Silver's most notable tickle death spots. Silver's breath was already hitching and giggles were consuming him. He was frantically shaking his head at Anti and using the last of his energy to struggle as much as he could, he knew this would break him it ALWAYS broke him....which is why Anti didn't tease for long.

'You know what you gotta sayyy....'

Silver....had no more time. He couldn't even get it one last beg before the finger zeroed in on his outie and scratched it and poked it to oblivion. Silver caved.

'AAHHHAHAHHAISILVERSHEPHERDAMATICKLISHBABYHEROOOOOHOHOHOOOO!!!'

Anti stopped and, brace yourselves, was legitimately in shock because.....just.....WOW. For a few moments Anti was frozen in place, mouth agape as he looked down at the hero who was quivering weakly. Then Anti had the sense to shuffle off him, to which Silver reacted by quickly curling up into an embarrassed ball of whimpers. Anti was amazed. He'd NEVER seen a ticklish reaction like that before....it was amazingly cute. As Anti perched on the edge of the couch he thought to himself....then purred with a light grin.

'.....well.....knowing about THAT spot could have saved me a lot of time!'

Anti giggled when he heard Silver whine even louder....but Anti definitely spotted a little smile hidden behind his hands and curled up limbs; he could see that Silver was nervously peeking at him through his fingers too. Anti knew there was only one proper course of action.

'C'mere....'

Anti opened his arms for a hug, but of course Silver was INCREDIBLY apprehensive. He let out a soft, nervous whimper, which honestly made Anti's heart melt a little bit....god he was so precious, he could see why two people were utterly in love with him. Anti did a little shimmy and waggled his eyebrows, since as we all know, goofiness can make practically anything inviting, just as it did so now. The flustered hero had let out a few residual giggles before unfurling and shuffling into Anti's warm embrace.

'Theeere we go....'

Anti crooned as he rubbed Silver's back softly, and grinned at the purrs he ended up coaxing out....and the little mumble.

'S-Suchameanie....'

Anti giggled and stroked Silver's hair in response for a few minutes, just so that he could be sure that Silver was completely calm and okay. Then he pulled away from the hug, smirking mischievously.

'And don't you forget it.....now...'

Silver gulped when Anti leant in close, eyes flicking back to their intimidating blackness.

'Be a good little hero.....and go and let your little lovebirds know that I'm coming for them next, okay?'

Anti winked and gave Silver's side a little tweak as the hero's eyes widened. He immediately let out a flustered squeak, and after one last subtle kind smile from Anti, the hero scurried off hurriedly....with Anti's maniacal cackles echoing behind him as he ran as fast as he could. Silver knew that this was the start of something....ohhh golly.

WOOOOOOOP HOPE YOU GUYS LIKE THIS LEMME KNOW IF YA DO WOOOO LUV YOUS XX

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

Caramel Skin Under A Purple Rain prt 5 full draft

Bar work... was worse than mission work. The constant being polite and smiling when what he really wanted to do was just shoot people... Keith was exhausted by the time he collapsed face first into their bed. Disappearing into their bathroom, Lance seemed in a much better mood. His husband's scent had been all over the place. One tick he was horny, the next he was angry, or suddenly sad. He didn't know how to keep up. Plus, he kept being scolded for glaring at the customers, which wasn't his fault. He didn't like them teasingly asking "how good Lance was in bed", or jokingly saying "I would love to have a piece of that". He wasn't like his husband. He barely spoke to anyone he didn't know about Lance. He didn't randomly brag because he didn't know what would be appropriate and what would be crossing the line. He respected his husband too much to just blurt to some random about how wonderful Lance was... also... he didn't want to share. He didn't want someone taking him away because of how wonderful he was.

  "Keith! Call your mum! I'm going to take a shower!"

 Ugh. That was like effort. Effort that led to him nearly falling off the bed sideways in search of his comms. Giving up to gravity, he "gracefully" slid to the ground, comms in hand as he bothered to check the messages from his mother properly. Most of it was boring coalition crap. He really couldn't be bothered with reading, so opened up the call log and video called his mother.

 Almost as if she'd been waiting for his call, Krolia answered with a smile on her face

"Keith! How's Lance?!"

Snorting at his mother, he tried to look hurt but was too exhausted to pull it off

"He's good. He'd recovered a few quintants ago, so I've had him resting"

"Is he there?"

"He's in the shower"

"Aw. How can I say hi to my two sons if one isn't there?"

"You could say hi to this one? You know, the one you actually produced"

Krolia rolled her eyes at him

"Someone's grumpy. What's the matter?"

"Nothing... Fine. It's just outpost stuff..."

"Mmmm? What's happening?"

"Everyone keeps hitting on Lance"

Having the nerve to laugh at him, he wanted to punch his mother in the arm for it

"It's not funny"

"For you I suppose it's not. What does Lance say?"

"He's bragged to everyone about me apparently... it doesn't stop them though"

"Then it's fine. As long as you trust Lance, I'm sure he can handle a few customers"

"It's them I don't trust. He shouldn't have to handle anyone"

"You knew what he was getting into when he started the hotel side of the outpost. Now, what else is going on? You don't exactly look too happy to see me"

"What? No. It's not like that. It's just been a long day, and you're the one who totally spammed my comms up. I have no idea what most of the messages are about"

 Krolia's expression morphed into something more neutral

"Ah... yes. We do need to talk about. The coalition have decided you're receiving an award over exposing what was happening with Kre'el and the others. I know we failed to locate the planet in question, but they feel you conducted a very thorough investigation, opening new avenues and raising new issues"

Ugh. The last thing he wanted to think about was Kre'el. Her stupid photo was even up in the bar. Her, Lance, some other woman named Leah and Helo. Th'al had sent through a bunch from the Gilded Cage's surveillance systems

"That was all Lance"

"I did explain that, several times over actually. Because you've become the face of the next generation, they wish to use the press to push for further peace"

"I don't want an award"

"I'm sorry. We did raise an objection, but the ceremony will be going on about a phoeb after Allura day. They're planning on broadcasting from Altea on the day, then using images from that day during the ceremony. It's mostly celebrating Daibazaal and it's..."

"Mum. I don't want this. Do you know what this is going to do to Lance when he finds out that they want to celebrate the death of his friends?"

"Don't shoot the messenger. We tried to decline, but that only led to tension. We're now being accused to hiding information gathered during the investigation. It doesn't help that the ships now been destroyed, and now that the miner settlements have been reorganised its... well... complicated. The also wish to award you for your humanitarian work"

  Lance was the one doing all quiznakking hard work. With all this he was going to have to head back to Daibazaal and sort it all out. There was no way Lance wasn't getting any kind of recognition. If he had to get up there like a fool, his husband was doing the same damn thing

"Humanitarian work can suck my dick"

"Keith!"

"You know this is crap! Lance did all that work. He traced the leads and followed everything up. You were there for that briefing"

"I know! You don't need to take that tone with me. That's why I was hoping Lance was there so we could all discuss it... Why don't you bring him to Daibazaal?"

"Because he's still recovering. I hope you know all this work is ruining my marriage!"

Krolia sighed deeply

"You can't run away from something you don't like. I'll try and talk to Kolivan. I agree that Lance should receive some kind of recognition, but I also have the feeling he'd turn it down. Talk to him and call me back about it. Oh, Acxa and Krystaal want to know when you're returning too. Acxa's requested leave to go stay with Veronica for a movement or so on the Atlas, I told her once you returned she'd clear to leave"

Unfortunately if he didn't leave, his mother could simply open a wormhole then collect him herself

"I don't know when that's going to be..."

"You did say Lance is doing better? Your time there is accelerated, correct?"

"Yeah. It's time and a half here. Are you trying to tell me you can't do without me for a couple of movements"

"Not at the moment. I should be thanking my lucky stars both of you haven't gone missing for phoebs this time..."

"That wasn't our fault"

Hearing Lance shuffling out the bathroom, Keith closed his eyes as he drew a deep breath

"I didn't say it was... completely. You both still acted recklessly"

Letting the breath out, Keith forced himself to sit up

"I've got to go now. I'll be home when I can"

His mother looked mildly annoyed

"Alright. Tell Lance I said "hello". You're better off getting started as soon as possible with these preparations"

"Mum, I told you I don't want..."

Quiznak. Lance was right there

"I'll call you later. Tell Kosmo I love him"

"I love you, Keith"

His mother stared at him until he finally relented

"I love you, too"

  Annoyed at the conversation, Keith tossed his comms across the room before forcing himself to climb off the floor. Thanks to the magic that was the maids, the washing he'd gathered up from their room had magically returned clean. Lance paid them all enough to keep their mouths shut, and he wouldn't have had them there if he didn't trust them. Whatever was going through Lance's head, his scent had shifted again, back to fear. Great. Juuuust what he needed.

  Stripping down to his boxers, Keith slipped into his side of the bed with a yawn. Shuffling up behind Lance, his husband shifted away from his hold. Pushing his hand away before Keith could even wrap his arm around his waist

"Babe?"

"Not tonight"

That was short and direct

"Are you ok?"

"Fine. How was mum Krolia?"

Lance wasn't acting like everything was fine

"The same as usual. Everything's a mess. It's the end of the world. The coalition wants this. The coalition wants that... it doesn't end"

"The coalition wants to give you medal because Kre'el's dead"

Oh... oh... no wonder his husband was frosting him out

"You heard that"

"Yeah. I was going to ask you something if you hadn't already called her. I heard everything from the start"

"Babe... Lance, you know I don't want anything like an award. I don't see why they'd even want to give me an award. What happened isn't something to be celebrated"

"Apparently it is"

Having dropped his hand to rest right behind Lance's back, Keith walked his fingers slightly up

"I'm not accepting anything"

"You have to"

"I don't"

"You heard Krolia. Daibazaal needs the publicity"

"Daibazaal can jump"

 Pushing the blankets back, Lance moved to sit on the end edge of their bed, burying his face in his hands as he did

"You know it's not that easy"

"Daibazaal isn't a threat anymore. The coalition doesn't know what they're talking about"

"The coalition that we all worked so fucking hard to form when we were Paladins... The coalition that was made up of the people with the biggest Galra issues... If you want peace, you need to keep showing the Galra doing good things"

"Our lives aren't theirs to use"

"They kind of are. Why do you think I like living out here away from all that? We're not even part of the coalition here. Erathus is on the verge because Shiro got the Atlas involved, but that would only be in a name anyway. They couldn't give two shits about the people out here"

Sighing mentally, Keith crawled up behind his husband

"I know that. But I'm serious. I don't want an award. I don't agree with this at all. I know politics is all pretty much a game, but the coalition can't throw this back in mum's face when they're in the wrong"

"You're not getting it. You are the legendary Black Paladin. The first Galra-Human born. The hope for the future. You're young. Good looking. Have combat experience. Helped saved the universe and are the son of the Rulers of Daibazaal. It is also widely known that you and Shiro and tight as fuck. There's a reason it couldn't be anyone but you, because you're the future in the eyes of the media while we're all basically background noise. I wasn't lying when I said you were the future on that stupid game show. You are the future and it means you're going to have to go through with this for the greater good of the Galaxy. Even if you don't agree with it. Besides, your mother also mentioned your team's humanitarian work. I wouldn't be surprised if the coalition requested more half-Galra to accept awards or be present during the ceremony to promote peace"

"These are our lives. Everything you went through is going to be lost and forgotten..."

"As it should be! What are they supposed to do? Show me being fucked on the big screen? Lance is different from Leandro. Leandro did the work. Lance simply provided the body"

  As Lance snapped at him, Keith saw red

"Are you fucking serious right now?"

"It is what it is"

Climbing off their bed, Keith rounded his husband. Crossing his arms as he stared down at him

"It isn't right!"

"You ended a mass murderer in the eyes of the media. The story's already started to be forgotten"

"And you're ok with that? With people forgetting what Kre'el went through?"

"Of course I'm not! She deserved more! She wanted her and her people to survive! But her story won't create sensational headlines. It won't bring peace. How are people going to feel about the Altean's knowing Kre'el was Altean?! It won't just be Daibazaal that the coalition will start questioning"

"If they trusted us, they wouldn't question us to begin with!"

"I know that!"

"Then why can't you see where I'm coming from!?"

"I never I didn't!"

"You're not agreeing with me"

"Because you're being narrow minded! You have to look at the bigger picture here. It's more than us... You were always meant for great things Keith..."

  Lance sounded lost and broken, like he didn't deserve to achieve anything in his life, and thought he never had

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Never mind. It doesn't matter"

"Obviously it does, or you wouldn't be making such an issue out of it"

"It doesn't matter because no matter how it plays, this is something we can't change. For the sake of peace in the future you have to go through with this"

"And what about the sake of the man I love?"

Lance gazed up at him with pained eyes

"When it comes to the fate of the universe, it doesn't matter how much you love someone"

"It isn't right"

"That doesn't matter. If any of the information relating to how I met Kre'el was to come out... for everyone to know... Keith, they'd know the kind of man you married. They'd know what I did to his officers. To him. The judgment of Shiro, Coran, Kolivan and Krolia would all be questioned. Why would they take the word of a man with a brain injury? It wouldn't matter what the truth was anymore. It'd all be about what story they can tell to gather the most support. If you fight this... if it causes Kre'el's comp..."

Lance trailed off, his eyes widening

"If if causes what? What is it?"

"If it causes Kre'el's compatriots to make a move... The could turn the awards ceremony into a public declaration and provoke them. If they over emphasis whatever information they have, things will start moving again. They never found the planet. I haven't been keep in the loop regarding investigations carried out since I stepped back put this marriage first. This could be speculation, yet I'm sure someone with the coalitions staff would have already thought of this"

"That's even more reason to shoot this down"

"Didn't you hear me. We can't. If you go to them and say we can't make this public, they're going to ask why. I'm one tiny spec of insignificant dust"

  "Would you fucking stop putting yourself down! I'm sick to death of hearing it!"

 Keith didn't mean to blow his temper again. Lance was so much more than he let himself believe. He definitely could have worded things better, especially when Lance fled back across the bed and over to the door to their room

"Babe. You know what I mean. You know you're so much more than all these things you think you are. You're my husband. You're my husband and I fucking adore you. You're not insignificant. You're not any of those other words your anxieties tell you you are. I don't want things having to change for you. I don't want you going back to worrying who knows what. I want you to be comfortable, and safe..."

  With his arms wrapped around him, Lance was visibly trembling. Stepping towards him, Lance held his hand up as he pressed himself against the door

"Don't! Just don't!"

"Babe..."

How was this fucking fair? Lance was right. He knew he was right, but that didn't make Keith any less right either

"I'm going to... go be somewhere else. I can't..."

"You don't need to leave. This is our room"

"I can't... I haven't been able to control my moods all day. If I stay..."

Shaking his head, Lance changed tangent

"...no. I can't stay... call Krolia and talk it through. Tell her I understand"

"You're serious..."

"It... it has to be done. Like the briefing. Maybe we'll be lucky and you'll just get some fancy award. Or maybe my spread legs will be all over the galactic media... I can't deal with this right. I don't want to fight you because I love you. And I know you're fighting for what you think is best for me... and I appreciate it. I really do. I'm going to take a walk... I can't be in here when it smells of your anger and hurt"

His husband got it. He understood what Keith was trying to say. The half-Galra knew he should of been relieved, yet at the same time, he'd scared the hell out of Lance who'd admitted he hadn't been able to control his moods all day

"Lance..."

"It's alright. Let's not spend what little time you have left here fighting. Krolia wants you home soon. I'm used to it"

Lance's voice broke with emotion as he slammed his hand on the scanner for the door, disappearing outside and leaving Keith feeling like his heart was shattering. He knew he was being selfish. He hadn't planned to tell Lance immediately. He'd also intended to put off his return with whatever series of white lies he needed to spin. Why couldn't everyone butt out of their relationship? Why did the coalition have to think this was all a good idea? It was their lives. They weren't fucking puppets. Keith felt that instead of putting the issue to sleep, it was only going to bring the lingering embers back to life. If they stuck him in front of the press, the press were going to want the full story. Or they'd put enough pieces together to form a story they liked. Quiznak... If only he could go back in time.

    *

Having spent most of the night tossing and turning, Keith felt barely human as he dragged himself out of bed. He'd gotten a few vargas in, but without Lance there... in his arms, where he was supposed to be, it wasn't right. The bed wasn't right. They had their own spots, and that was where they were supposed to be. No matter what happened.

  Rubbing his eyes as he stumbled over to their wardrobe, his heart was broken all over again. Covered in a thin blanket, blood remained smeared on Lance's cheeks and arms. He didn't need to be a rocket scientist to know Lance had tried clawing his marks off his cheeks. His husband had told him he couldn't deal with things, and this was the end result. Ignoring the temptation to grab his comms up and send a photo of Lance to his mother to shove in her face how much of a bad idea this all was, Keith laid himself down on the edge of the wardrobe, reaching out to rest his hand on lance's chest. More than once he'd done exactly the same thing to escape reality. More than once his wardrobe had been his only source of safety and comfort. His heart pranged at the knowledge he knew what Lance would have been feeling when he climbed in there. Lance would have seen him on the bed and not wanted to disturb him, so chose the next place he felt safe. He didn't want to fight either. Lance was the single most precious person he had. He loved Shiro. He'd go through hell for the man... but Lance... if he lost Lance, he knew he'd lose his mind. Lance was his stability. Lance would never let him down or fall, even if it led to self destruction.

  Stirring under his touch, his husband's bottom lip quivered as he pulled the blankets up under his chin

"I don't want to fight"

"I don't want to fight either"

"I know you love me. I do..."

"I know"

"You haven't even left and I'm already trying to act like you have so it doesn't hurt as much... I'm sorry I'm so selfish... the whole universe needs you"

  Wriggling himself over and under the blanket, Keith pulled Lance up against him

"You're not selfish. You're an idiot. Sometimes I don't know how you can love me as fiercely as you do. But I love you back just as much. You're my family. I was hesitant to ask, even before mum mentioned it, but do you think you might want to come to Daibazaal for a bit? It doesn't have to be long or any longer than you want..."

Lance let out a weird gasped sob

"I can't... I can't... I've lost my... I've lost my support again and I'm still trying to find my feet... I can't say how I'll react... I don't want to embarrass you... and I don't want... want to be sent back to step one all over again because I'm not strong enough. I make so many demands on you..."

"Baby, you can always make demands. Let's face it, I'm probably going to honestly forget half the time. And I've probably hurt you dozens and dozens of times by forgetting as it is. But I don't care how many demands you make. I like it when you boss me around. I like it when you get all excited and start planning things out even though there's ages before it happens"

"I feel like I talk at you too much... I feel like I shouldn't be messaging you at all when you're on missions... I know you turn your comms off and get them all when you come back... but doesn't that make me too needy?"

"Lance, you're recovering. You need to breathe. I love those messages. I look forward to your messages. I appreciate when you keep me in the loop"

"Do you?"

"Of course. Why would you ask?"

"B-because I thought you were going to dump me"

  Keith blinked rapidly as he frowned. Why was he dumping the man who adopted him like it was as natural as breathing?

"Why would you think that?"

"Because I message too much... you tell me a little... and you love me... and I know you can't say everything but I feel so far out on the outside of your life. You're making all these memories with everyone else... that I won't ever know about or be a part of... I... think... you'd be happier if you'd never met me. You..."

"Don't be an idiot"

Lance didn't reply. One moment turn into three very long moments before Keith continued

"You're my husband"

"Who's like this... Who's brain damaged and will probably keep having seizures for the rest of my life... you didn't sign up for this"

"I don't care what I signed up for"

"I do. All I want is you to be happy. No matter what it costs"

"I want the same for you. I can't always answer your calls, but you're not alone. You can call mum, and Shiro, and Coran, and Mami, and Veronica, anytime you need. Mum and Shiro are the two that will probably know my schedule the best"

"I get stupidly worried you're gone forever when I don't hear from you"

"I get worried too. When I see you've signed up for a bounty, or you're off planet"

"I know you do... but sometimes it's nice to hear it... or to read it... I'm being demanding again. I honestly only really care to know you and your team are safe"

"I'll try and work on it. You might need to remind me, but I'll try"

Lance nodded with a loud sniffle

"Thank you... You should... probably leave tomorrow... I don't want to say goodbye, but if Krolia is pregnant, she's dealing with enough as it is"

  Keith bit down the tiny flash of anger at Lance telling him to go

"One more quintant isn't going to make much of a change, let alone two"

"It... it's hard enough to think of you leaving... I need to get back into my routine"

"You're still recovering from your heat. It was a major strain on your body"

"It was on yours too. You always, always get stuck looking after me"

"That's not true. I seem to remember you carrying me around Kre'el's ship"

"Because you had to rush to my rescue to begin with"

"Like you didn't have a plan all along"

"I planned to die"

"I... I know you did. Have... Things are better now, aren't they?"

"Y-yeah... yeah... they're more tolerable"

"Doesn't that mean I should stay around longer?"

"It's only going to hurt more if you leave later... you should go"

  Keith felt horribly torn. Again, he knew exactly what Lance was feeling. He didn't want to. It already felt far too hard to say goodbye, and he most definitely didn't want to go

"Acxa is supposed to be going to stay with Veronica... I guess that means I'll be training the recruits with Zethrid and Ezor"

"You're good with them"

"I don't know about that. There's some real dumbarses in the group. Krystaal is probably the most competent. You'd really like them. They're not up with your sharp shooting skill, but I think they'd make it with a little more time and dedication"

"You really like Krystaal, don't you?"

"We get on pretty well. Krystaal is a lot like you. A selfless idiot who'd let themselves be blown up to protect everyone... you also have the same sense of weird humour... plus you're both not half bad looking. You're both tall... and smart... and quick thinkers able to adapt in the middle of the battle... buuuut, you're beautiful and my husband"

Nudging Lance at his joke, Keith had no idea the poisonous barbs he'd filled Lance's heart with

"It sounds to me like you have a crush"

Rolling his eyes, Keith stole a kiss

"Who needs a crush when I have my husband waiting all the way out here for me?"

 Driving those thorns deeper, Keith really was an idiot if he thought Lance was going to have the courage to confide in him after being compared to someone Keith was in contact almost all the time when on duty.

[scandinaviacroatiaengbergs]

Saturday: Running, Walking, Crepe-ing

[There are some photos from this day, and the Hensinki Central Library, if you scroll a few posts below.]

On Saturday morning, Rowan woke up at 5:00 a.m., which was, of course, not ideal.  I tried to get  him to stay in bed for a while but after a time, I gave up and told him he could play in the living room, if he was silent. That was also the morning that Eric was intending to run the Helsinki half-marathon, if he’d had a good night’s sleep.  Well, he didn’t either, but he did get up at 7 a.m. and Rowan was still out in the living room, playing! He made some really interesting drawings and a list of the places he wanted to go that day.  In kindergarten, they practice “brave spelling,” and I tell you, some of the spellings on the list were braaaave.  He did want to go to the zoo, the aquarium, and the amusement park.   We didn’t end up going to any of those, since we do plan to go to Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen and the amusement park there, maybe. Rowan did do a pretty good job of playing quietly, honestly, until maybe 8 a.m. (when Cece was still sleeping), when he was playing with some magnetic blocks on the glass coffee table. So, Eric did not end up running the half-marathon, but he did go on an 11.5-mile run – so he basically could’ve done it!  After he got back to the apartment, we did all go out and we walked down to Finlandia Hall, which is where the race ended.  As I mentioned, the weather has been very hot, so much so that the Finnish weather service had an alert for heat danger.  And you know, I thought that was kind of funny at first, but then I also started to worry about the Finns who were running that half-marathon in weather much hotter than they were used to.  They was a really great turnout for the race, but we did actually see someone being carried off by the paramedics juuuust before the finish – poor guy—for heat exhaustion. After we mixed and mingled at the end of the race “corral,” I am not sure the proper word for it, we ended up walking a little farther south to the Helsinki Central Library, which I’d really wanted to see.  I can’t believe I never visited it on our two previous trips.  It is architecturally amazing! Visit the link if you can. It is so swooping, airy, and light in there.  The top floor had the children’s books and play areas, so we spent some time up there, reading and playing. After about an hour, we went out seeking lunch and some shops I’d had on my list to visit (including one record store, which we popped in to), and the first was a lure for the kids’ too, Tingeling Toy Store.  It was super cool! I‘d read about it online.  I also had selected a few clothing shops for children that I was hoping would sell Finnish designers. We went to a few of them, and the first, like Tingeling, was in the Design District of Helsinki, and we got a little map.  If I’d had more time, I definitely would’ve liked to have gone to more stops on their little Design map. The first clothing shop had a very limited range of styles and it happened to be their grand opening party! It was a very tiny shop and they had just relocated to this located from Vantaa, which is where the airport is.  So, they were having a lovely little party—with a gorgeous cake, cupcakes, and fruit—and we got to join right in.  Talk about being in the right place at the right time! From there, we went on to another clothing store and it really had a huge range of toys, too.  It mostly had clothes from Denmark and the UK, though, and all of it was really expensive.  Yet, they had a play area, so that was a win, and Cece spent her time setting up a little tea party.  After that, we started to make our way towards home, and we ended up taking a bus, since we didn’t have it in us to walk the few miles back, not having had lunch and all starting to show the effects of that. So, once we got back to the apartment, Eric and Cece needed to nap in a serious way.  She went right down – and so did sleepy Eric, after his unplanned perhaps jetlag-induced early wake-up followed by the 11-mile run.  Rowan and I quickly pivoted to head out on our next adventure: to the Arabia-Iittala Design Center!  So, I’d planned for us to take the tram, but then I saw that the Design Center was closing at 4 p.m. and it was 3 p.m.  So, I decided I’d take the bull by the horns, or rather, the car by its manual transmission, and go for it!  I’ve driven exactly two manual transmissions in my life: Eric’s old Audi and his more recent Subaru, which we just sold.  I was never excellent at driving either and often burned the clutch or stalled on any incline slightly worth noting.  But, the draw of the Design Center was significant, so I got Rowan all strapped in and then quickly proceeded to stall the car on the first main road I was on.  I quickly regrouped, and did a much better job after that at figuring out where the “engagement point” or whatever it’s called, is.  Rowan made some comments about “what is that awful smell!!!”—about me burning the clutch—but he must’ve fallen asleep like right after that, because the next time I looked back, he was zonked out.  We made it there at 3:45, parked perhaps illegally, and then literally ran to the Design Center.  Turns out they closed at 5:00 – hooray!  So, Rowan managed not to break anything in a store full of glass, though there was one close call, and they even had a Finlayson outlet right in there too, so we saw a Moomin comforter set that we decided Santa might just pick up for Rowan on the way over Finland to New Mexico this coming Christmas.   We got no parking ticket and I did not stall once or burn the clutch once on the drive back in to central Helsinki.  After returning home, the sleeping people woke up and we walked a ton more that evening, culminating in a dinner of crepes and a swim (for the three humans in our family who are not me) at a popular-with-locals beach.  My children swam in their unders, since this was an unplanned outing.  They got to bed late, again, but it is light so late my kids are always confused about what time of day it is.  So, hoping for a really good night’s sleep, everyone turned in – to be ready to head to Moomin World the next day!

[falseroar]

Can You Wake Up? Part 3: Just a Dream

((Links to Part 1: Great Things and Part 2: I’m Sorry, You’re Dying))

Your expression must have answered for you, because Mark moved closer to your bed, pulling up a chair of his own so that he was closer to eye level. “Y/N? What’s wrong?”

You shook your head, ignoring the twinge in your neck as you tried to find the words to even begin to list everything that was wrong here. “I’m not…I’m Y/N, yeah, but I’m not them. That was just a bunch of videos, something you made up, Mark.”

Dark shifted in his chair, as if to get a better look at you. His intense gaze was not making things better. “You know about the Who Killed Markiplier videos.”

“Y-yeah,” you stammered, practically able to feel Mark’s disbelief even if you didn’t understand why he was surprised. You were thrown off by Dark’s stare but you continued, “Why wouldn’t I? I mean, they’re…right there on the first page of his YouTube channel…”

It was hard to just say you were a fan of Markiplier with Dark sitting right there. As much as you might have loved his character, being in the same room as him was…unsettling, like all of a sudden your whole body was sending off alarm bells to just get out of there every time he smiled or his eyes rested on you. Every now and then there would be a ripple in his appearance, a red or blue flash of something else in his dark aura that disappeared before you could really see it.

“Y/N,” Mark said, his voice shaking slightly. “I know your memories are a bit confused right now, you’ve been through a lot the past couple of…but you were the district attorney. You were our–my friend. Don’t you remember any of that?”

“No,” you said, trying to figure out why Mark wasn’t understanding. “I can’t be them, it wasn’t real. Even if it was, all of that took place back in like the 30s or 40s or something, right? I wasn’t even born then!”

You mentioned the year you were born and swore you saw Dark shoot Mark a look as he shifted uneasily in his chair.

“You remember another life,” Dark said, and when you nodded, added, “Dreams from the mirror.”

“No,” you said, feeling a rush of frustration. “They weren’t dreams, that was–is my life. I don’t…I don’t know what’s going on here, if I’m dreaming or what—”

“Y/N, I don’t know what you saw in that mirror, but maybe if you just tried to remember…” Mark trailed off, letting the suggestion rest in the air.

You felt a spike of anger, not something you ever expected to feel toward Mark, not really. A small voice in your head that sounded like you but not quite whispered, Why isn’t he listening? Doesn’t he know what he’s saying?

“Perhaps that dream was more…preferable to your reality,” Dark conceded. “If so, what drove you to break out of the mirror?”

“It…I…” Softly you said, “…It was an accident.”

You didn’t see the shared look between Mark and Dark, the alarm at those all too familiar words.

“The other car came around the corner too fast. I—I think my seatbelt broke, I thought there was something wrong when I buckled it before, but it was supposed to just be a short trip. I went out of the car, I-I-I—” You broke off, your eyes clouding over with the memory of the screeching metal, the crash, the pain, the people who just wouldn’t listen when you tried to move, to prove you were still alive. Or maybe it was just the tears making their way down your cheeks.

“Y/N,” Mark said softly, moving to put a hand on your shoulder to comfort you.

Again Dark grabbed his wrist, but you were the one who felt another flash of anger, stronger this time. The voice in the back of your head, the one calm part of you that wasn’t freaking out over all of this, spoke again: Don’t let them do this.

You sat up so that you could look them both straight on as you yelled, “It wasn’t a dream!”

“Y/N—” They both started to speak, but you were shaking now.

“Believe it or not, but someone telling me that my whole life, that everyone and everything I know and love isn’t real is not helping! Even if all of that stuff I can barely remember did happen, then that means you two are the last people I should ever trust!” You felt the tremor run through your body as what they were saying sank in. “It means one of you is a friggin demon wearing a friend’s face who trapped me in that mirror! Meanwhile, the other one’s the idiot who started all of this instead of just asking for help and who’s now walking around in that friend’s actual body!”

There it was. Because, if they were right, then that meant this wasn’t your Mark, the one you knew, loved, and at times wanted to throw into the ocean. This was Markiplier, Actor Mark, whatever you wanted to call him. The man who ruined so many lives in just three days, including, if they were right, your own.

But of course, none of this was real. Right?

“Wait, barely remember?” Mark asked, once he had recovered from your outburst. “So that means you remember something?”

“Really? That’s what you took from that?” You shook your head, ignoring the now familiar twinge in your neck as you tried to wipe away the tears. “I don’t know, earlier I thought I saw…It was just a mess of stuff, none of it made sense.”

Dark spoke, his soft, cajoling voice setting you back on your edge. “Y/N, please, tell us. It might help to talk about what you saw.”

He’s manipulating you, the voice in your head said, pointing out the obvious. But he’s right, you need to tell them.

“I saw you, and Mark, in the house from Who Killed Markiplier. Not, not together, I mean…” You paused, taking a moment to try and gather your thoughts. “It was different things, one after the other. One minute I saw the colonel crying, and then it’s Wilford, laughing. I saw…It looked like you, Mark, but its eyes were wrong, and its smile…”

Mark looked confused, so you tried to explain. “It looked like that thing from Tumblr a while back, when you changed your profile pic and did the whole mask thing.”

He looked even more confused now. “…What? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He was doing this now? “Seriously, Mark, you know what I’m talking about. All those weird posts when you were coming home from tour, right after you said Dark and Wilford were dead.”

Dark gave Mark the most outraged, affronted look he could muster. “You did what?”

“That was a joke,” Mark said hastily before he tried to turn the attention back to you. “But I really don’t know what you’re talking about. Still, you remember us and the colonel, so that’s a good start—”

This again. Before you could interrupt him yourself, the door to the infirmary burst open and slammed into the wall behind it as Wilford Warfstache barreled into the room.

“Y/N! There you are, you scamp!”

No one had time to react, and Mark and Dark certainly could not have stopped Wilford before he bounded across the room and leapt onto the bed next you, throwing an arm around your shoulders. Thank God he didn’t sit on the other side where all the wires and tubes were.

He grinned at you, his eyes practically shining above that ridiculous pink mustache, and you couldn’t help but grin back even if you still felt like crying. Maybe his smile was that infectious, or maybe it was just a relief to have some kind of distraction from what you were thinking right now.

“How did you know they were here?” Mark asked, rising from his chair. Opposite him, Dark also seemed to be bracing himself for something. “Wilford, do you…do you remember Y/N?”

“Do I?!” Wilford chuckled, giving your shoulder a squeeze. “Best unpaid intern I ever had! Until they went and ran off before I could give them their college credit! How have you been, Y/N?”

“Uh…” You hesitated, aware that both of the others just visibly relaxed. “Could be dead, so…”

“Brilliant!” Wilford looked at Mark as if just realizing he was here. “Why, if it isn’t the handsome, world-famous Markiplier! Back for another interview?”

“Oh, God no.”

“Mark was just stopping by to check on our friend here, Wil,” Dark said, eyeing the other ego carefully. “He won’t be spending the night.”

“Says who?” Mark said, but you were barely listening.

Wilford Warfstache was a crazy, dangerous man, you knew that. He killed people like it meant nothing, because to him it didn’t mean anything. It was all just a joke. If Mark and Dark were right, although you still believed this was just some dream or nightmare, then he was the man who had shot you.

But leaning against him now, you felt peaceful, to the point your eyelids began to droop, your body giving in to the desire to just go back to sleep.

You saw him again, gun in hand, facing the detective who had his back to the door. You reached out, unheard over the shouting, and felt your whole body jolt with the gunshot. You remembered the colonel, holding your body as tears dripped down his cheeks, repeating the same words over and over again.

“I’m so sorry. It was an accident,” he whispered in your ear.

“What did you just say?” Dark said.

“Left a red sock in the station wash, turned everything pink!” Wilford declared. “Poor Y/N got blamed for it, but I think it made all our clothes fabulous! Let me tell you about the time we took the Jims out for some investigative reporting…”

You fell asleep at some point in his story to the sound of his laughter rumbling through his chest where your head lay. While Wilford did not stop in telling one wildly false tale after another, his grip around your shoulders tightened just a bit, as if some small part of him was afraid you might disappear again.

((End of Part 3. Thank you again for reading! Juuuust out of curiosity, if you all were given the choice of getting out of here with Mark or staying in the Ego house at this point, what would you choose? 

Link to Part 4: Warning Signs

Tagging @silver-owl413 @determinedrevolutionary @cherrybomb-jaguar

Also super sorry to the person who messaged me earlier to be tagged, whose username I forgot to write down before I replied. I promise I didn’t forget you, I just have no clue what I’m doing.))

[imbeccablee]

Title: The Long Run

Summary: It’s Izuku and Ochako’s anniversary and Ochako has a BIG surprise.

ao3

Ochako considered herself to be a careful girl. She wasn’t one to take life-changing risks, nor was she one to rush head first into a problem. She could plan, strategize, pick her battles, just like many others she knew. She may not be as analytical as Deku, or as knowledgeable as Iida, but she was a cautious person who could learn from her environment.

Basically, she knew to take precautions for situations that required it. Like her friends, she was careful. Both she and Deku were.

Which is why the little positive symbol on the tiny, insignificant piece of plastic Ochako held in her hand absolutely stumped her.

Now that Ochako’s class had all graduated and went on to become sidekicks (and in some cases, actual up and coming heroes) in multiple different hero agencies around the globe, getting together regularly had become rather difficult. Many of her classmates had decided to stay in Japan like herself, if only because Japan was home, but some had gotten opportunities in different countries. They would come home when they could, but the life of a sidekick/hero is a busy one.

Still, the ones that stayed local were sometimes able to catch a break, and Ochako was able to have some much needed catch up time with her old schoolmates. If only the weight in her stomach‒both metaphorical and literal‒would go away enough for her to enjoy it.

“Say, Ochako… You’ve been really quiet this morning. Something wrong?” Tsuyu broke Ochako’s line of thought, effectively stopping her from spiralling back into the hole of worry and stress that had frequently surrounded her as of late.

“Huh? Oh, oh yeah, I’m fine. Just a bit preoccupied, is all,” Ochako evaded, and tried to come up with a reasonable excuse. “C-Cuz, you know, Deku and I’s anniversary is comin’ up soon, aaand I wanna make this one very special.” Yeah okay, that works.

“Ooooo, special you say?” Mina purrs and leans toward Ochako. Her lips curled into a promiscuous smirk that made Ochako’s face burn with the implications.

“Oh, you know what I mean, Mina!” Ochako waves the other girl away and sips at her latte with a pout. Mina only giggled and returned to her drink as well.

The outing between the three carried on, the other two talking about the current happenings of their lives. Ochako mostly listened, enjoying the stories her friends gave her. It’s nice, just getting to catch up like this. It’s been too long, and Ochako says as such.

Mina nodded in agreement. “Yeah, who knew heroing could take up so much of one’s time?”

“How do you and Midoriya do it, Ochako?” Tsuyu asked. “You two must barely see each other, even with working for the same agency.”

Ochako shrugged. “We make time. It can be hard, but we try.” She smiled, and the other two share a knowing look. “It's… It’s pretty easy to find time when you're… Well, y-you know.”

The two nodded. “Yeah we know,” Tsuyu said.

“You’re so lucky, Ochako!” Mina exclaimed. She leaned over the table and grabbed onto Ochako’s forearm. “To have the man you’ve been crushing over since your first year in high school! And for so long! It’s near impossible! Unthinkable! It’s like we’re in some shounen manga!”

Ochako laughed. “Yeah, yeah, I’m… I’m a pretty lucky girl, to have him…” Wonder how long that will last, with this new development. Ochako shook her head at the sudden pessimism. No, she shouldn’t be thinking like that. Deku loves her, has told her so many, many times over their many years together. Something as small… okay, it’s not small, it’s a pretty big thing to just drop on him, but either way, this won’t change a thing between them. It’ll be fine.

“Ochako?” Tsuyu once again brings her back to the conversation. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

They can help, is what she thought, and Ochako makes her decision. “Actually… There is something that happened…”

She revealed her secret and the remaining part of the minute is spent in silence. Tsuyu and Mina openly stared at her with what is plain shock on their faces, and Ochako suddenly felt that this was the wrong course of action.

“You’re… You’re kidding. You’re… You’re….” Mina trailed off.

“When are you telling him?” Tsuyu asked, touching her chin with a single finger.

Ochako rubbed her arm and looked to the side. “I wasn’t sure. I wasn’t even planning on telling you two right now, it just happened. I mean… I-I guess… I could tell him tomorrow? On our anniversary? ‘Cause he said he had this huge dinner planned out for us to celebrate.”

“That’d be a good time,” Mina agreed and leaned over the table again to put her hand on Ochako’s shoulder. “Hey. It’s gonna be okay. Okay?” She smiled. “He loves you. He’s gonna be absolutely ecstatic.” Tsuyu grinned and nodded.

Ochako let out a relieved breath and nodded as well. “Yeah. Yeah, he will!” She put a hand on Mina’s and smiled gratefully at both of her friends. “Thank you both so much.”

“Anytime, Ochako!” Mina said and hummed as she grinned toothily at the other girl. Tsuyu hummed as well, her eyes closed as she smiled.

“Well. I’ll see you both later,” Ochako said as she stood. “I’ve gotta prepare myself for tomorrow.”

“Of course, of course! Bye Ochako!”

The next day rolls around and Ochako found herself dolled up, hungry, and completely without a plan for how to break the news. The anxiety taking up the remaining part of her belly is something she hadn’t felt since the very beginning of their relationship. It’s probably the most unwelcome thing at the moment.

Ochako took a deep breath. Okay, okay. It’s gonna be fine, see? Calm down. He loves you. He loves you. This won’t change that. It’s okay. Ochako knows this. She knows this. It’s something that Deku has ingrained into her through their many years together. He loves her. He wants to be with her. Nothing on this earth could change that, he’s said. And still…

Ochako shook her head and slapped her cheeks with her hands. No, it’s going to be fine. You’ll tell him, he’ll cry, and everything will be okay. He’ll love both you and it with all of his heart because that’s what Deku does, he loves and loves and loves with no remorse or quarrel because he’s such a good frickin’ person and oh god what did you do to deserve him.

“Nothing,” Ochako answered herself, clasping her hands tightly to her chest. Her heart aches with all of the things she feels about him, the most prominent being the pure, unadulterated love she’s felt since their graduation. “You’ve done nothing to deserve him, but here we are, about to celebrate your anniversary with him. If he’s stayed here for this long, then he’s here to stay.” Ochako breathes out a slow breath and straightens from where she’d hunched her back. As she did, someone knocked on the door.

Grabbing her purse and slipping into her heels, Ochako walked to and opened the door. Deku stood there in an expensive-looking three piece suit with his hair slicked back. She smiled. He really knew how to dress up well.

“Good evening, Ochako,” Deku said, grinning, and Ochako giggled at his seriousness.

“Hello to you too, Deku.”

“You ready?”

“Yep!” She took his offered arm and they ventured out of her apartment.

They arrived at the restaurant in record time, and was seated in the near center of the dining area. Quiet music came from a ways away as a pianist played classical. The lighting was dimmed enough to fit the mood, but bright enough that one could see. The other diners were just as dressed up as Deku and Ochako were, and they were conversing quietly with their partners. It created a soft hum throughout the restaurant that only added to the mood. It was nice.

“Nice place,” Ochako commented quietly over the table.

Deku hummed in agreement. “Yeah, it is. I was hoping you’d like it. Kacchan had once taken Kirishima here and had told me that it was…” He coughed. “‘Less than shitty.’”

Ochako laughed. “Yeah, that sounds like Bakugou.”

“But anyway, I wanted tonight to be extra special…” He grabbed the hand that rested on the table and smiled at her. Her heart clenched at the adoration plain on his face. “You mean the world to me, Ochako, and I need you to know that. I would do anything to ensure you remained happy and okay forever and I…” He swallowed and looked at their intertwined hands. His thumb stroked the back of her hand for a few moments before he looked back up at her. “I’m just so in love with you, Uraraka Ochako.”

Ochako squeezed Deku’s hand and smiled so wide her cheeks hurt. “I’m so in love with you too, Deku.”

They stared at each other with identical smiles before their waitress came over to ask about their drinks not long after.

The evening went on as if it were a normal date between the two. They talked, laughed, ate. Ochako nearly forgot the main thing she had needed to tell him. For once, the intrusive thoughts she received frequently nowadays aided her.

She took in and let out a deep breath. She can do it. It’ll be okay.

“Hey… Deku…” Ochako began as the waitress set down in front of both her and Deku a beautiful piece of cake. It was picturesque, as if someone had drawn it, but also as if nothing would have been able to capture its beauty. Ochako didn’t think she’d ever had such a beautiful desert. Even the fresh strawberry atop of it looked unreal.

“Y-Yeah, Ochako?” Deku looked as nervous as Ochako felt, which was weird, considering. Why would he be so nervous? He glanced down at her piece of cake and then back at her multiple times. What was wrong?

“Are you okay?” Ochako asked, only prolonging the inevitability of her reveal.

“What? Oh-Oh, yeah, yeah, I’m fine, just.” He paused. “Juuuust, not wanting to, uh, end the date, I guess, heh. I want to keep spending time with you.” He smiled, and it was genuine, but the way sweat slid down the side of his face and the drumming of his fingers on the table still made Ochako suspicious.

“No seriously, something’s wrong. What is it?”

Deku shook his head and took a breath to calm down. “I’m serious, Ochako, I’m fine, just-” He swallowed. “Eat your cake?”

Ochako sighed and nodded. “Fine, fine, if that’s what you want.” Her fork slid into the cake easily and the cake tasted just as delectable as it looked. Indescribable, the taste of it. A single slice would hardly be enough to satisfy her. But anyway, back at the matter at hand.

She rested her hand on the table, fork still clutched, and stared at the cake. “Anyway, uh, Deku?”

“Yes, Ochako?” He stared intently at the cake as well.

“I have, um… Something to tell you…” She looked up.

“Oh?” He met her eyes in surprise. “What is it?”

“Nothing, just… Okay, it’s not nothing, but….” She gulped, closed her eyes, and opened her mouth. “I’m pregnant.”

His silence was what she expected, but it didn’t stop her heart from beating as hard as it did against her ribcage. She kept her eyes squeezed shut and let him process what she said, a constant mantra of he loves you he loves you he loves you repeating through her head. It’ll be fine, it’ll be fine, he loves you, it’ll be fine.

“Y… You… You’re…” He finally stuttered. “Y-You’re… hah….”

Ochako felt a pressure behind her eyes as tears began to accumulate and she opened them slowly. The picture she saw was also what she expected, but once again, did not stop the anxious beating of her heart.

Deku had tears freely falling from his eyes as he stared starstruck at Ochako. He looked like he couldn’t believe what she was saying, and looked genuinely at a loss for words. Ochako’s own tears gathered and blurred her vision. C’mon, say something, anything, please!

“You’re… Y-You’re pregnant… It’s.. It’s mine? Right?”

Ochako nodded quickly, to assure him. “Yes, yes, it’s all yours. There’s nobody else’s it could be.” He let out a watery laugh and wiped at his eyes quickly. “What… What do you think…?”

“What do I think? Oh, Ochako, you don’t even know.” He laughed again, looking ecstatic and Ochako felt her heart swell. “It, oh man, it makes this whole evening ten times more worth it. This-This makes things so much easier, I…”

“Easier? What do you…?” Ochako tilted her head in confusion. “The-The cake, continue eating.” His smile and laughter pulled her in, and she did. She didn’t know what it would accomplish, but there was a small inkling in the back of her head that made her tear up further. He watched her eat the cake excitedly, his mouth covered by both of his hands. There were still tears in his eyes, but it was obvious that they were happy ones, good ones, the kind that you only get when something extremely fantastic has happened to you.

The thought that she could have made him so happy as to cry makes her tears fall as well and he begins to fret over that, laughing as he does because he must also realize that they are just two big messes that are too in love for their own good.

In the middle of her telling him that she’s fine, there’s a glint from below her. Her eyes flit down and see the light from above bouncing off something small. Her heart leaps into her throat and she paws at it with her fork. She sticks the mouthful of cake passed her lips and lo and behold, she tastes metal. After a moment of cleaning it off with her tongue, she retrieves it from her mouth as elegantly as she can and stares at the small ring of gold in her palm. Her other hand comes up and covers her mouth, and the tears continue.

She looked up in disbelief and when she does, Deku breaks again. He laughs and cries, and when she asks if he means it, he nods and she breaks again as well.

They both get up at the same time and collide against each other beside their table. They hug each other tightly, and Ochako nearly sobs, “I thou-I thought you would, like, like, be so upset, or something! I-I thought you-you’d stop seeing me, or-or stop loving me, but you’re so so happy and I just-!”

Deku pulled away and cupped her cheeks with his hands. His thumbs brush away her tears and he laughs as she hiccups past them. “Nothing could ever make me stop loving you, Ochako. Sweetie, sweetie, you-you’re stuck with me. There’s no getting rid of me. Not now, and not ever. Honey, baby, Ochako, I’m in it for the long run.” Ochako half sobs, half laughs and nods along. He laughs as well and stares fully into her shining eyes. Once again, Ochako’s chest aches with the amount of love and affection that completely radiates from him. “Ochako, Ochako, will you-will you keep fighting by my side as we climb the hero ranks? Would you keep patching me up after every fight? Would you allow me to clean you up as well? Would-Would you?” His voice caught and began to shake as he continued asking her to marry him. “Would you continue to keep my bed warm? Would you continue joining me for dinner? Would you? Would you please-?” He huffed out a watery laugh. “Would you please allow me to be the father of your child?”

“You-you already are,” Ochako whispers, and Deku lets out another sob before he wraps himself around her again. Distantly there is clapping, but all Ochako can see and hear and feel is Deku, Deku, Deku, and the cold that is the ring as it slides onto her finger, and that’s all she really cares about. Because, to quote what he’d said, she was stuck with him, and he was stuck with her as well. She, too, was in it for the long run, and all that that included.

Izuocha Week Day One: Firsts

First kid/First marriage/First proposal/First embarrassingly emotional and romantic moment in public, take your pick

[chimericarchitect]

Two to Tango

(( In which Saness tries to be sneaky about helping her friend-not-friend and it backfires spectacularly when An0n gets directly involved, resulting in the death of Eri. ))

Eri: You lean on the railing, looking out over the night. The ocean is dark, and relatively calm. Over in the other direction, the city is more properly lit up. You guess it looks nice. It doesn't really help your mood, though. The Angel moves up from where it was resting, curls around your body, head up into your hand. You gently pet it, while it whispers to you, and you just keep looking out into the night.

Your phone buzzes, and you look to it. Oh, god. You text with one hand. While you're dealing with Sol, another notification pops up. Saness. She...  Oh fuck.

Saness: Nothing better than a little breaking-and-entering to make someone forgive your earlier transgressions, right? You're kinda scared to appear on the cliff though, because he might try to shoot you... Even appearing here in the ground level of the lighthouse, you've got a thick barrier of protective unseen psi around your person, and you've used your disguise amulet to look like a cat. There's nothing weird about a cat using a transportalizer, surely. An0n told you that they're the one who gave Eri the angel, and that they fed from his sanity... Eri will heal, supposedly, but you can't just abandon your friends, even if he doesn't see you as one.

Eri: You put your phone away angrily. It's fine, it's fine. She stopped responding, so she got the message, Sol and Kar are fine as well, you can help them out soon. Why did this go this way, god dammit. The Angel rubs against your hand, and it reassures you. It's alright, you're fine, you're a prince, these issues will be far below you soon enough. 

You've had enough sightseeing. You tell the Angel that you're going back inside, and it stays curled around you just a moment longer before slinking off to give you space. It'll be alright, always waiting for its Prince. You smile, then head on down. You'll get something to eat, maybe.

Saness: It takes you a moment to work up the nerve to ascend, listening for Eri or sounds of outrage. Upon hearing nothing, you go, though it takes effort to keep your footfalls quiet in a lighthouse stairwell; you only look like a cat to others and are actually a normal troll walking in an upright position. 

Eri: Down here, and it's time to look through your fridge. What garbage can you get out of here tonight.

Okay, fine, you'll go with that, that doesn't look too old. Pizza out, a few slices put onto a plate, shoved into a microwave. You lean against your counter, and just wait, listening to the hum of the machine.

Saness: Up the stairs, all the way to the kitchen, and you know he's there. The sound of shuffling and the ping of a microwave promises such. What should you do? You peer around carefully to watch him, heart a wild thing in your chest. You have the flower anon gave you to cure him.  Wait.  Why are you a cat?  Cats can't talk, or do things like convince people to put flowers in their mouths. .....  You have a picture of An0n.  You could just as easily look like him. 

Eri: Ding! It's done. Open it up, get out your now heated meal, and walk over to sit down and get on that. It's quiet. It's far too quiet. You should do something, like put some music on, or something. ... Are you alone? You think you're alone.

Saness: And then An0n in troll form walks boldly into the kitchen, leaning cockily against the doorframe and wearing a fiendish grin. Holy fuck, you're sweating.

The Magic An0n: > Seduce Eri. Do it.

Eri: You're not alone. "Wasn't expectin' you to come around so soon."

Saness: Your grin widens as though the two of you were sharing a joke, and you oh-so-slowly lift a finger in front of your sharp maw in a shushing motion.

Eri: You give a little head tilt, but remain silent. What's going on with him?

Saness: Oh god, don't be suspicious. You stand upright off the wall and take a step forward, using your bracer to blink out of reality and back into it only a few feet away from Eri. You're guessing; you've never met An0n, but if you were a spooky chaos-and-mischief entity, you would totally pop in an out of existence to startle people. In your palm is the four-petaled flower, though you have yet to present it to Eri. When you do, it is with a flourish.

Eri: A gift, it seems. Or a trick. Almost certainly a trick. He really thinks you're going to fall for that? You laugh, and stand, having a final bite of pizza before you walk to lean on the counter again. "Are we going to, uh.. talk about what happened last time?"

Saness: You roll your borrowed cyan eyes, incorporating a tilt of your head into the motion so that when your gaze comes to rest on Eri again, you can disappear and dramatically port comfortably in front of him, using your psi to sit with one leg hooked over the other in the air, just slightly overhead. Your arms are crossed like you are bored.

Eri: God, he's trying to get to you by not saying shit. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. "Look, I'm- I'm sorry about doin' that to you, it was sudden, an' you clearly weren't comfortable. But I, uh. Still think what I did back then, I guess."

Saness: Oh god no, he's talking to you about something An0n would know and you would not. Which is a lot of things, come to think of it. Your eyes narrow over your smile as though you were considering his words, though in fact you are fumbling.

Eri: "So, uh, I hope maybe we can work somethin' out for that, if you're comfortable."

Saness: You grin wider, slowly, as though your actions is in response to his question (to which you have no context), and you present the blue flower once more, uncurling your fingers around it for him to take from your palm, head tilted forward juuuust slightly.

Eri: You look down at the flower, and... something about this seems off. He was offering this before you brought it up, so is he just ignoring you? Why is it blue, when everything involving An0n has been monochrome before now? "What is this, An0n?"

The Magic An0n: > Technically, An0n's eyes are blue, and everything he accents with is blue.

Eri: >That's true, but the rat wasn't.

The Magic An0n: > At least on his blog, the rat wasn't.

Karkat: > Rats don’t come in blue Eri.

The Magic An0n: > Also that.

Saness: Not that it matters, really. You feel the walls of the trap closing around you and decide that now is probably a good time to call this all off. One last gambit. You close your hand around the flower before floating down to stand on the ground. What would a chaos god do when scorned? You have no idea. "You won't accept my gift, then?" You definitely don't sound like An0n, but you're banking on ~chaos magic~ being a thing. For your part, you don't sound like yourself, at least. Or, you're trying not to.

Karkat: > Roll for deception.

The Magic An0n: > From the corner of the kitchen, a black rat lounges. It appears to be watching. It's eyes glow blue.

Eri: That is absolutely not his voice. Alarm bells start properly going off in your head. Didn't talk before now, when he's always so wordy and wanting to get in a few words to rib at you. Coming by without warning, when he would either allude to doing it first, or asking. Disappearing and reappearing, when normally he wisps around like he's made of darkness. What's going on? You do a roll for perception.

Saness: > Time to die.

Eri: Your roll is low. You tell yourself it's fine. It's him, things are just weird at the moment. You're on edge because of Saness, and Sol, and Kar, and even though he's acting so weird, it must be him. Maybe something was going on you didn't know about. You deflate a bit, look away. "I'm... fuck, I'm sorry, An0n. I'm just on edge at the moment."

Saness: You don't know what to say. You can't properly impersonate someone you don't know, and you know Eri will not be so forgiving if he finds out that it's you here. Not that he's intent to forgive you anyway. You're just going to have to accept this as mission failure, flower hidden by your hand returned to your 'dex, cyan eyes watchful on Eri. You just need to make an appropriate escape.

The Magic An0n: The rat sits on the counter's edge like a person, feet dangling, ankles crossed, staring eerily at the pair with burning cyan eyes. He's behind Eri, but Saness could easily spot him.

Eri: "...Yeah, I get it. I should have just accepted it. But I know you. That would obviously do something weird. Yes, yes, not bad, just weird."

Saness: Oh fuck. Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck. Though you notice An0n (whose appearance in the room sends a panicked chill down your spine), you keep your attention rather fixed on Eri. Wouldn't want him turning around right now! An0n could give you away any number of ways, and you are forced to trust that they won't just... ruin you. The game must go on. "Not everything I do is bad, or weird. Maybe I'll come around again later to give you my gift, when you're feeling more... interesting." There. A jab. Just a teeny insult to assert yourself.

Eri: "Oh come the fuck on, I'm plenty interesting. You've made me plenty interesting." Just to prove what you mean, you let your horns spark a little with violet psi. "You're not even going to tell me what the gift is?"

Saness: "Now where's the fun in that?"

The Magic An0n: The rat hops down from the counter, and it's a cat before its paws hit the floor. A soft, quiet landing. Casual, graceful padding towards Eri's legs, sitting on his haunches just out of sight behind the seadweller's legs. He's absolutely riling Saness up intentionally. That cheshire grin sure looks at place and surreal on a cat's face, all at once.

Eri: "You want fun? We could go to the arena again, that was a lot of fun."

Saness: Sweating intensifies beneath the veneer of An0n, for you could not possibly provide this arena and you know An0n is being a fuck to mess with you. Maybe they're going to toss you under the bus anyway; you are at once the obstacle in the road and the driver of the bus poised to run yourself over, of which you are very well aware. "Not the curious sort, are you. How disappointing." Can you goad him into anything? You doubt it. You doubt everything. You stick your hands in your pockets, unblinking, intent in your gaze.

Eri: "I was already askin', you can't call me curious for shit." He's trying to fuck with you, you get that now, you won't let him. Instead, you move, turning to head towards the cage where that rat he gave you is.

The Magic An0n: An0n also looks towards the cage. While Saness cannot provide, he can.

Saness: You are completely clueless toward the significance of the rat in the cage, turning your attention coolly and calmly toward Eri as he heads that way even as you remain certain that maintaining such an elevated pulse for such an extended period of time is bad for your health. "You don't even want to try it? Clinging to the tested, when what I'm offering you could be so much better."

Eri: "I know you'll come up with something different. And combat chaos is always good, right?" Of course, you need to go up to the bedroom, since that's where the cage is, since that's where you last put it down.

The Magic An0n: Oh boy. The cat rises to pad along after him.

Saness: You're going to follow him with a sinking sense of dread, because the jig is almost up and you have yet to convince him to put this darn plant in his mouth. What can you even say? Nothing.

Eri: You arrive up here, heading over to the cage immediately, looking into it at the little rat fella. From the other set of stairs, the one you didn't just use, the head of an Angel peers.

Saness: Oh fuck, what is that? Luckily Eri didn't just see the incredibly surprised expression on your borrowed face when you glance over the angel.

The Magic An0n: Soft padding of a cat. He waits for Saness to arrive, then moves to her, climbing up her illusion to rest blended into the shoulder, as if it were solid. Cyan eyes close to mere slits, watching in silence, closed-mouth still curved up wide.

Eri: The Angel looks back at Saness. It says nothing, and does not move. You reach into the cage, retrieving the rat, watching it for a while as it scurries around your hand. "Ready to fight again, An0n?"

The Magic An0n: "Quite," he says, right up by the head of the illusion so it sounds natural, regardless of Saness's feelings or response.

Saness: !!!!! This is very bad. Your expression is one of natural alarm, eyebrows lifted slightly on a face too shocked for any real expression. You probably look very neutral, beyond An0n's smoky-dark eyebrows.

Eri: You nod to yourself, take a deep breath, and squeeze.

The Magic An0n The rat squeals its pain, then white blood coats Eri's fingers as usual. Likely gruesome to Saness.  Of course, after that, no one is here at all. All three bodies, where they stand, are now suspended in a void of black. 

----------

Sollux: You arrive at the ground level of the lighthouse with your matesprit filled with dread and foreboding just moments afterward. You're practically dragging him to go up the stairs with you. Unfortunately, you will find nothing.

----------

The Magic An0n: World of black where they can only see each other. Feel free to respond to that sudden change before I start the reveal of location.

Eri: For you, this is expected. You turn back towards An0n.

Saness: You are stunned, frightened, and very much rigid with that same neutral expression of shock. This is not what you'd intended at all. Arena? Arena? You're no fighter. Your cyan stare looks over Eri impassively from head to toe. Good job, Saness. Really nailed it this time.

The Magic An0n: The floating "trolls" fund themselves landing in a soft thump on their feet on the ground. It feels hard and only mildly forgiving, and moments afterward, the light radiates outward. The ground is dark earth, with scattered sprouts of grass. In front of them, trees, trees so tall they block out the sun with their combined branches even in this clearing. It's a forest. Animals gather at the perimeter, pastel-pale with white eyes.

An0n stands up on Saness's illusion's shoulder and stretches in a curl, revealing himself.

"You should have listened to her~" he teases, almond-shaped cyan eyes locked on Eri. "She was trying to save you."

A kick backwards with the cat foot, and the entire illusion's head dissolves into black smoke. He jumps onto the ground with sinking impact for the distance, straightening himself on four paws. Saness's entire illusion melts away in that smoke, revealing the limeblood for what she is. A giggle, and An0n starts bounding off between them, behind them. When they turn around, they'll find themselves faced with a triangular opening in a mossy cliff face, thirty feet tall at its peak and fifteen wide at the base. Clawmarks around the edges and the ground indicate that something very large lives here, and the small black cat bounds in. Nothing about this situation implies that he should be followed.

Eri: You don't think to follow him anyway, considering you don't watch which way he goes. No, you're too busy staring at An0n-- Saness-- first with wide eyes, then, for just a fraction of a second, a feeling of deep hurt and betrayal, before it's washed away with pure anger, and you sneer. "YOU!"

Saness: It seems that you are having a technical malfunction, too utterly wrecked to really react when An0n leaps away and dissolves your disguise. You racked up the cost with your gambling, and now you have to foot the bill. Betrayal, again. This time though, you knew what you were doing. "Me."

The Magic An0n: A loud noise comes from the cavern. There's bigger things to worry about at the moment.

Eri: "You-- You fuckin'--" You look over, just for a moment, at the noise.

Saness: You turn to see that claw-scraped cavern, distracted from Eri in that instant.

The Magic An0n: Heavy footsteps from within start making their way out, not loud but easily felt by the trolls at the mouth.

Eri: Again, for a moment, you turn back to her. "I'll deal with you in a moment. Stay out of my damn way." And so, you turn and start storming towards the cave.

Saness: Gulp. Those tremors belong to something big, but it's Eri's motion that makes you snap to reality, following him immediately. "Wait!! You want to fight it in an enclosed space??"

The Magic An0n: Giant cyan eyes burn out from the darkness, and a roar sounds to warn Eri to stay back. The arena is the clearing. Stepping halfway out of the opening is a massive dragon, cyan eyes and ebony black scales. The wings are folded, but by it's movements, it's easy to see that this beast is specifically a wyvern. Large claws connected to heavy wings step forward and curve into the dirt, just the right size for the clawmarks in the stone. Its mouth opens, white-blue flames in its throat. It's wearing glasses, clearly, it's An0n.

"Perhaps the two of you together can try this beast on for size, hmm?"

When the black smoke dissolves away, a white dragon is left behind with the blue flames, and it roars.

Eri: Your steps stop once the beast comes into view, and you instinctively retrieve your cutlass from your Sylladex, entering a fighting stance. You're not afraid. You can do this. A fight's chaos, but you're a tactician. You can do this.

Saness: Together? Is An0n mad?? You're all about teamwork, but Eri... He won't work with you. Not before, and not now. You're not a fighter, you're not, but you trot up to be parallel with Eri, a few feet away for maneuverability, and change your specibus to Make-Believe-Kind. Your other weapons are useless here, but you can't sit back and do nothing.

The Magic An0n: A distance away, An0n manifests as his typical Chu form, floating pleasantly on his tail to watch the hell that's about to go down. Hope Saness has good reaction time with those barriers, because they're both about to get bathed in flames.

Eri: You don't have enough time to dodge out of the way. You still do, of course, but things get very hot for you. Yeah you're burning.

Saness: It would be over pretty quickly for you if you weren't quick with your barriers, because you are not agile and not a trained combatant. Eri can't burn when you're building walls for the both of you though. You'll stay closer next time to keep the heat off, so to speak, since he seems a little singed. "Sorry!"

Eri: You're too busy crying out in pain to respond to Saness, but you eventually get back onto your feet, and just try and charge this thing with your sword in hand.

The Magic An0n: It comes forward and tries to swipe at Eri with a large claw from its forelimb. It sees and recognizes the Sharp thing as a shiny. Its scales are too sturdy for the sword to have any effect, Eri will soon find. At best, he'll be able to damage the wing membrane or some delicate facial features.

Saness: Fuck, okay. It's going to be an on-off game with your barriers with an attack strategy like that; they have to come up to block things and go down to allow him to strike. You take to the sky so as to split up the target range and (sorry dragon) play interference by yanking viciously on its claws to derail the swipe into the soil. There is no barrier on Eri presently.

Eri: You hit scale, and it does pretty much nothing, and you end up hit by a claw. It doesn't cut you too bad, but it does pierce, and send you flying back, hitting the ground hard, and losing your sword.

Saness: Wow, he still managed to be hit by the claw even as you'd moved it off course. Maybe you moved it into his dodge, who knows. What you do know is that apparently Eri is shit at fighting, because he looks like a damned mess. The barrier goes back over him while he recovers and you focus on bodily shoving the dragon around. "Hey!"

The Magic An0n: The dragon is distracted successfully! It tries to reach out and snap at Saness with its teeth. Nom!

Eri: Okay, you're injured, and mad, and god dammit. You get to your feet again, shakily, and clutching your chest.

Saness: You yelp when jaws snap against your barrier, reshaping it to have sharp spikes of force protruding from it. Bleed, fool. Biting is rude!

The Magic An0n: Exactly one spike gets inside its mouth, and pearly white blood flows from that new wound between its teeth. The scales are tougher, and this just makes it mad. It rears back and spreads its wings, looks like it's about to fly after her. Right now, she's the bigger threat.

Eri: You need to do something, here. You equip a much better weapon, and with Ahab's Crosshairs in your hands, you open fire on the beast.

Saness: > RIP Saness The Magic An0n: The force of the weapon sends the beast toppling into the cliff face. It's not injured, but it's clear that Ahab's force is enough to send it reeling. Target changed. Eri is now the bigger threat. It lunges forward, throwing its tail like a scorpion's sting to hit the weapon.

Saness: > Oh wait, there was a barrier on Eri. Wouldn't it have blasted him too before breaking through? > Saness, two for two.

Eri: You essentially just fired at a wall right in front of you. You're blown back, whole front hurt from the explosion, and you're on the ground injured when the tail comes. It hits you dead on. Something inside you cracks.

Saness: The familiar sound of Ahab’s firing and the sharp mental ache of your barrier being destroyed stuns you for a moment, makes you lose altitude and prevents you from acting when the dragon lashes out at Eri. You can see the strike hit home, see him laying there bleeding. That could be a corpse. Right now. He might be a corpse. He could be dead, right now, and it would be your fault. You panic. No no no! What are you doing?? You slam into the dragon with your psi, using sharp edges to shred at its wings. "Come on!!"

The Magic An0n: The dragon is distracted by the pain of its wings shredding. It flaps them, spraying white-hot pearly blood at her, then turns away from the prey to screech, grounded from the damage. Successful interference of body eating, it is now standing over Eri's body.

Eri: You are currently not in a position to get up, what with all the pain you're in. Honestly, everything is a blur. Did your glasses get knocked off?

Saness: Okay, not enough to really do anything, but at least the dragon isn't- isn't attacking Eri.

But Eri isn't moving. Maybe the dragon doesn't need to attack him anymore.

"Come on!!" you repeat, scared and teary. Tears don't help, coward. You slice at the dragon's face with your psi, aiming for that maw opened in a screech, prying at the jaws to keep that mouth open. If Eri would only get up, and fire into that mouth... You don't want to believe that he could be dead.

The Magic An0n: It snarls and shakes its head viciously, drool splattering. How strong is Saness's barrier? Because the soft peeps coming from inside the cave seem to refuel the dragon's rage, and it's lunging after her, trying to crush the barrier holding its jaws open with impressive power.

Eri: You try to get up, find out that's really painful, and proceed to K.O.

Saness: !! Eri moved! Even if you were strong enough to hold the dragon's jaw open (probably not for any extended period of time), that movement is enough to distract you, and the barrier shatters in that sharp mouth. Another yelp as you lose several feet of altitude, again, dizzy with the effect of that blow.

The Magic An0n: Teeth click together loudly and it cries at her, trying to fly but failing thanks to tattered membranes, it does not lift. Instead, it tries to slap Saness out of the air with long fingerbones.

Saness: You manage to throw up a barrier in time to prevent yourself from taking damage, but the swipe brings you down to the soil, grounding you. You need to get to Eri, so you grab those fingerbones in your barrier and attempt to engage a crocodile death roll with the dragon.

Eri: Zzzz.

The Magic An0n: The dragon does not roll with her psi, and instead those fingerbones break. Instantly, it tries to bite. Animal that it is, it's not afraid of trying to bite the limbs off to survive, even if that would mean death later.

Saness: Oh god, you feel immediately sickened, releasing the dragon and darting farther away from Eri, hoping to lure the dragon and distract it while you lift Eri in your psi. You just have to grab him and then you can both leave, that's all you have to do. Come on, surely An0n sees that you've both lost! Do they seriously intend to kill you??

The Magic An0n: An0n is watching in delight the whole time. The blood though, the scent of burning blood attracts it. With broken fingers and an injured mouth, it decides that Saness isn't worth chasing. It turns back to Eri instead. Throwing a heavy claw down on the troll's chest with enough strength to shatter his ribcage, it curves its head around to get its teeth under his head, lifts its claw, then sucks his whole torso in before picking him up. Gonna do the bird thing to swallow him whole by lifting him up in the air.  This is a good time for Saness to try pulling him out, cause he'll get bitten in half in an attempt to keep the prey.

Eri: Welp. You don't got much more to contribute here.

Saness: To have smashed Eri in that manner was to smash your psi that held him as well, and you fumble helplessly as the dragon consumes your friend-not-friend, staggering in place. You are now momentarily frozen in horror.

The Magic An0n: Swallow! Down the troll goes effortlessly. If he wasn't dead from the chest smash, he will be momentarily. The dragon turns to Saness now. It looks ready to go eat her, too.

Saness: You can't just leave Eri.

But he's dead.

But you can't just leave him-

But he's dead!

But-

You watched the dragon eat him.

You turn your gaze away from the dragon and up to An0n where he floats, defeated and weary, too stunned for tears. Is this what they wanted? This isn't just chaos, it's so much worse.

The Magic An0n: In her defeat, the dragon closes in, about to clamp its jaws around her torso sideways. Right before the teeth make impact, the dragon freezes like stone. Three baby peepers make concerned noises at the mouth of the cave.

Saness: You stagger backwards out of the stony mouth, part of your mind screaming about how you almost let yourself die, but the rest of you is sad and wretched and awful. You deserve it, if Eri remains dead. Will he remain dead? You don't know. Would An0n really kill him? You don't know. A glance at the frozen dragon, then up to An0n, and then you're sullenly making your way around the rigid reptile in order to better see the source of the peeping concern. Babies? Baby dragons?

The Magic An0n: They are indeed baby dragons. They run out to their frozen mother, before they too freeze. An0n comes to a drop on top of the dragon's head, the mother, who begins to disintegrate slowly into the air like magic from her highest point.

"I think it's about time I sent you back."

Saness: "What? Wait, what about Eri?"

An0n has your undivided attention, some modicum of clarity returning to you for being addressed, and for the promise of going back, hope and dread warring across your features.

The Magic An0n: An answer is not provided. Instead. He floats again once the head beneath him disintegrates, and the baby dragons turn to dust too. Eri's body crumples to the ground where the dragon's stomach was, clear damages to his clothes and flesh from the highly acidic environment in combination with the burns and lacerations he'd already received. Before Saness can even go to him though, An0n's voice echoes through her very soul.

"Go back."

She doesn't get a choice, for when she blinks next, she'll find herself standing in the middle of the hive she'd built for herself and Ringleader.

[condensed-theorem-shop]

Lotuses in Amenta

Templates shown, top left to bottom right: Reuben, Emu, Zari, Jean(ne).

For those not familiar, Amenta is @luminousalicorn’s latest setting.

As usual, all facts subject to change, especially if I end up being informed that the setting does not work the way I thought it worked.

Reuben and Em appear as reds in Amenta (and not just because that way I can get Em icons without having to photoshop them).

Their backstory transfers with only slight variations from the standard. Their father (yellow) has a discreet affair with their mother (red) when both are of-age-but-barely-so; there isn’t much deep love lost between them, but both are teenagers and idiots and think this is a good idea.

Come spring, their dad knocks their mother up in a dubiously consensual fashion -- they hadn’t been planning on it for obvious reasons, he suddenly decides he wants a baby (as Amentans with poor impulse control tend to in the spring), she isn’t a fan of this idea, he pushes, she gives in from some combination of “teenage crush” and “babies are cute” and “better not piss off the yellow who can probably get me killed.”

The morning after, Future Mom remembers why this was a terrible idea, goes home and cries to her family; they reinforce the Don’t Piss Off The Yellow plan, and coordinate to pressure Future Dad into at least doing the decent thing and covering the baby credit and helping with other baby-related costs. Future Dad, not being a completely terrible person, steps up to the plate and provides for his new secret family.

And hence, Reuben. Red hair, red caste, no father on record.

Dad keeps up the support and makes an effort to be present in tiny Reuben’s life at least to some degree; this is however a pretty significant strain on the ill-conceived-to-start-with teenage relationship, which deteriorates quickly. They both make an effort -- Dad feels responsible for the baby (and also doesn’t want Mom’s family blackmailing him if it comes to that), Mom doesn’t want to be left a single red parent with no source of support, neither of them want to admit just what a terrible idea this whole thing was.

Unfortunately, they keep up the denial just long enough to, the following spring, go with the ancient tradition of Maybe A Baby Will Fix Our Relationship. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t. Things go downhill, and by the time the baby is born they can’t even agree on a name for her. They’ve managed to agree on a first letter, though, and Mom puts that down on the birth certificate for her new red-haired baby.

And hence, M.

Dad is at this point super unhappy. He is not an idiot teenager anymore, this whole secret family thing sucks, but for the aforementioned reasons he can’t bring himself to just call it all off.

So he starts semi-deliberately letting things slip to his own parents. And pretty soon they inevitably figure all this out, and are horrified at the Secret Red Family, and hold an Intervention and basically whisk him off and throw away all his stuff and throw him in a bathtub and set him up with a Nice Yellow Girl.

All this of course leaves Mom in the lurch, with one-year-old (= 4 in Earth years) Reuben and infant M and no more side income from Dad. She picks up even more work, and leans on her parents, and they juuuust about scrape by though at poor-even-for-a-red levels.

As adults/teenagers, M and Reuben have little contact with their father but not quite none; he irregularly sends cards/money/some combination of the above, not every semi-yearly Hallmark Holiday but once in a while. M, who doesn’t remember him at all but knows the story, wants nothing to do with this dude and at minimum burns the cards and sometimes comes up with more creative responses. Reuben, who can just barely remember him, is somewhat more sympathetic and generally writes back, but there’s never any sign in the following messages that Reuben’s were actually read.

Reuben, as an adult, ends up doing the standard trash-handling red job, and also being the main person-who-does-things-around-the-house for a largish group-house-for-extended-family-and-also-people-with-nowhere-else of the kind that reds tend to do. (That latter part he finds very fulfilling; it’s one of the occupations that Reubens slot into really well.)

He also gets picked a lot by the local red community to go do dangerous clean-castes-interaction stuff, because despite being a gentle protective caretaker sort of person he’s also six feet tall and built, which is at least something when you’re hoping not to get beaten to death. As a result, he’s reluctant to marry or have kids, since he really doesn’t want to die and be The Absent Dad for them as a result.

Eventually, if nothing intervenes, one of the people he puts up in his big house for while they’re in a bad way and don’t have anywhere else to stay is a young woman with a baby -- possibly dad died, possibly a case like Peka -- and he is absurdly sweet with the baby but of course Reuben is always absurdly sweet with babies, and then eventually he realizes that oh wait he has the most enormous crush ever on the young woman, and they get married and he adopts the kid and it’s sickeningly adorable.

Em ends up doing plumbing officially, I think -- they need reds to deal with the sewage pipes -- and general handyman-work within the red community. And making out with All The Red Girls, and having Absolutely No Interest In Non-Red Girls Even When They Hit On Her Because What Assholes, Really, and also having even more of an interest in explosives than Emus usually do.

Em will get involved in any kind of Fuck The Clean Castes movement given half a chance; she’ll jump at an excuse to blow some shit up. She is really not happy about the red situation. Reuben, on the other hand, is the social worker’s dream; he’s not, like, happy about how reds get treated, but he basically subscribes to the whole cleanliness theory, and someone-needs-to-do-the-dirty-jobs-and-I-guess-it’s-me, and of-course-I-shouldn’t-go-around-contaminating-clean-people. He just wants the clean castes to stop, like, murdering reds.

Faith is blue. Her dad is a wealthy green social scientist who married up; her mom is blue, fairly politically active but in a way that’s largely “march to raise awareness of minor social injustice” and “save the cute endangered animals” rather than anything particularly serious or controversial or effective.

Smol!Faith, being a Faith, eventually gets tired of being told to stay out of red areas and runs off to investigate one. The reds are of course terrified; Faith, on the other hand, notices that this gets a great rise out of her parents and starts making a habit of it.

The reds continue to have no idea what to do with the tiny blue who keeps popping up in unexpected places. Eventually someone shoves smol!Reuben in her general direction, on the grounds of him being about her age and also very well-behaved and sweet and maybe able to convince her to stop without upsetting her enough for her to go announce that they lunged at her.

Reuben successfully befriends her, but this has rather the opposite of the intended effect; Faith starts sneaking in even more often so she can hang out with her new friends. Her parents are continually horrified but have no idea how to manage their impossible child.

Faith decides pretty promptly that the whole cleanliness thing is Just Wrong, because no one can give her explanations that are Satisfactorily Consistent on it. Being a Faith, though, she expresses this less through carefully planned political maneuvering and more by blatantly ignoring cleanliness laws in a “what are you going to do about it, I’m a blue” sort of way.

(Her parents are so horrified.)

Jay is a red.

You can probably figure out how this one goes.

Jeanne also gets something pretty close to the standard backstory. Terridad is a terrimom here, for logistical reasons which will become clear momentarily, and hence Jean is a Jeanne; their genders tend to match absent compelling narrative reasons otherwise.

Terrimom, then, is green, with the typical template career track: failed actor, somewhat less failed director. She eventually meets through some circumstances or other, and falls for, Jeanne’s in-this-case-dad-since-genders-are-switched -- who is red. (Of course.) They get along, they hook up, it’s a reasonably happy relationship.

And they mess up with the birth control and terrimom gets knocked up. And the dad goes “you’re getting an abortion, right,” and terrimom goes “....no, actually, I’m going to keep it and raise it to be a Perfect Actor” and dad goes “.....I don’t want anything to do with this” and terrimom goes “that’s okay!” and they part ways amicably.

So terrimom scrapes together money for an aftermarket green credit, and claims she doesn’t know who the dad is she was sleeping with a lot of people but they were all definitely green okay, and crosses her fingers that the baby comes out with green hair, which she does. And so she raises her little green perfect actor, and eventually tells her about her genealogy, to which Jeanne goes more or less “...okay,” since she lacks the purity intuitions along with, like, fifty percent of the rest of normal human intuitions.

Jeanne of course also meets Zari, who is green (green physicist mother, wealthy yellow computer scientist father) and very happy about it. (Zaris and Jeans: both Such Greens.) Zari takes the purity rules seriously, but thinks that hereditary uncleanliness is ridiculous, and also that the treatment of reds is horrifying, and that people should do a lot more of just dealing with things and then taking a shower.

(Jeanne eventually reveals her parentage to Zari, when they’re both still fairly small. Zari hugs her.)

As adults, Jeanne and Zari can have exactly the day jobs they’d want -- Jeanne acts, Zari does cryptography/theoretical comp-sci/math/linguistics/a little bit of weaving on the side. Secretly, of course, they’re working on Plotting Revolution Or At Least Radical Social Shift In Favor Of Reds, as they do.

(Jeanne being half-red definitely helps with this, once she manages to track down her dad’s side of the family. Zari, among her many projects, puts out a series of free online instructional programming videos -- hey, she’s not making income off it -- aimed at a “smart but no background” audience, which are definitely not transparently “dear reds: here is how to hack things and get away with it.”)