#hedgehogs are small and cute and they have spines so

[justrambles]

(Beauty and the beast au steddie)

*cw: mention of dead animal (but it's not a lot and pretty similar to what we see in canon st)*

No.4 — Honeycomb

Turns out all the food are definitely inedible. Eddie is quite surprised, really. He's never seen anything so shriveled. There's not even mold on the remaining traces of food; they probably dehydrated or died of old age. Seeing the evidence of years passed by reminds Eddie that the kids should have grown up and got out of here, instead of being stuck here with dried up tomatoes. He wonders what really happened.

Said kids, right now, are debating on what the decay of food means for them. Dustin seems excited by the discovery, making up theories on the differences of food and them. Now, Eddie is just sad and hungry, as he tries to remember what's in the van. He wonders if the kids have an umbrella—he doesn't want to get soaked in the rain again for making the trip to the van.

"Guys, what's going on?" A voice asks from nearby.

Eddie has to consciously tilt his head down to see who's speaking. It's a hedgehog, and she's trotting into the kitchen.

The kids all launch into explanations.

"Nancy, did you know not everything's stuck in time? We just found out—"

"Nancy, we don't have any food! They're all gone!"

"And Eddie doesn't have anything to eat!"

At this moment, Eddie chimes in, "And Eddie probably will be find to find something from the van, no worries there."

Nancy the hedgehog turns to Eddie. "You sure? You know, you might have to stay here for a bit more, the storm's not going away." Eddie gives her a thumbs up. "Well, if there's nothing to eat in the van, I'm sure we'll be able to figure something out."

***

"Honeycomb."

"Yup."

"You carry Honeycomb with you in your van."

"Yes, indeed."

"Why?"

After a thorough search through his belongings, Eddie found his saviour, the cereal. While he was at it, he also brought in some of his stuff, too. So now, he's munching on his Honeycomb while the kids poke through his stuff. And Nancy is staring down at Eddie—he doesn't know how that's even physically possible— disapprovingly. She gives a small sigh.

"I'll talk to Steve. He might know where to find something more... healthy. Or at least sustainable."

Eddie remembers the late night exchange between Dustin and Steve, and how the mysterious Steve didn't seem to like the idea of Eddie staying at the mansion.

"Uh, do you- do you have to? I can eat my Honeycomb you know, I like them. That's why I carry them around. So there's no need to—"

Nancy gives Eddie a weird look.

"By the look of it, I don't think the cereal's going to last long enough, Eddie. If you're worried about bothering Steve, I'm sure it'll be fine. He's nice."

It does not help with Eddie's worries. You can be nice and also hate the guy who's lounging freely in your home. But Eddie manages an "Okay."

***

By evening, there's a knock on the door. Eddie gets up from the bed where he was scribbling down ideas (may or may not have been inspired by his recent experiences) and opens the door.

"Please don't be scared."

It's Nancy, and she's perched on—

Eddie's heart nearly jumps out of its cage. She's perched on a big, possibly predatory feline. Maybe panther? Like the movie the Pink Panther? Eddie is freaking out and Nancy's feline companion just stares at Eddie with an unimpressed look.

"I'm not scared," Eddie croaks out.

"What? I didn't even-," Nancy sounds confused, but she realizes that Eddie's eyes are fixed on her friend. "Oh. No, that's not what I meant. I was going to say that Steve got you something to eat, but it won't be what you are used to eating... So please don't be scared."

The feline (maybe this is Steve?) breaks their staring contest and focuses on Nancy, so Eddie does the same.

"If you keep saying that I might actually be scared."

***

The 'food' does make him actually scared.

It's a rabbit. A dead one. Eddie wants to panic, but Nancy's looking at him with nervous eyes so he just lets out a thanks.

They're in the kitchen now, and the panther is now gone, after carrying the scrap of tarp that had the rabbit inside to the kitchen. Eddie heaves out a sigh.

He's scared, he's hungry, he'll be able to cook ...this.

[frankenkyle19]

Free🦔🍁🍂

word count: 1.7k

Description: Kyle and reader stumble upon a wounded hedgehog in the park one day and decide to take it back to the academy. They get it healed up but when it’s time to let it go back into the wild, Kyle realizes he’s attached and has to learn how to let go.

it’s FINALLY HERE and I’m so happy with how it turned out. It’s so so cute 😭

Teaching the zombie boy compassion and gentleness was no small feat. It proved extremely difficult, much more than you had first intended, and at times you got frustrated. Not at him, of course, just the situation. The problem was none of this should have happened in the first place. Kyle had died, and Zoe and Madison had been selfish enough to bring him back for their own pleasure. You knew Zoe had good intentions but it was still wrong. Because now Kyle was half of who he used to be, confused and in pain and so so scared. It wasn’t fair for him and you couldn’t even begin to try and understand what was going on inside that mind of his. You were worried it would drive you to madness.

Kyle tried his best. He really did. You could see it in his warm brown eyes. He was trying. He was still him. 

It was just a matter of how to coax more of that old Kyle out of hiding. 

Taking him on walks around the town helped. Helped with his cognitive abilities as well as his motor abilities. He walked almost completely normal now, without a limp and with much more confidence. Not slouched down and as scared as he had first been when you brought him outside. He loved the sun and the way it felt on his body, he would stay outside for hours just to feel the sun on his face and soak in its warm, calming rays. 

So it was really no surprise that on this slightly chilly afternoon, the two of you could be found walking in the park, taking in the nature around you and enjoying the feeling of being in such peaceful quiet. Kyle had wandered a bit ahead of you on the trail, leaning down every few seconds to examine a certain leaf or rock. His innocent fascination with nature made your heart squeeze a bit. His innocence was something you longed to have. Like a child, you thought…

You were quickly interrupted by your thoughts when Kyle made a noise of distress, quickly running back to you, holding up his hand to your face. He had what appeared to be a little prick on his finger. You assumed it was just from a thorn but then Kyle pointed at a small pile of leaves just off the trail that was rustling around a bit, making a weird chuffing sound.

You furrowed your brows, quite confused now. Was it a squirrel or a mouse? But no that couldn’t be right, because Kyle hadn’t been bit, it looked like he’d been.. Poked.

You approached the moving pile of leaves cautiously, Kyle creeping behind you, still holding his hand, a frown on his usual soft features.

You bent down and gently brushed the top layer of leaves off the pile to reveal a small little creature. A hedgehog. It appeared peaceful at first before you saw the blood on its leg that led up to a decent sized cut on its little thigh.

Wincing, you leaned down to get a closer look. The hedgehog curled further into itself, spines sticking up defensively. Poor thing must be terrified…

You didn’t exactly know what to do, but you couldn’t just leave it there to its fate. It would stand no chance against the weather or predators that would come across it.

You carefully took off your sweater and wrapped the hedgehog up in it before picking it up, the sweater a barrier between your bare hands and its spikes. 

It was cold to the touch and its breathing was shallow. You weren’t sure how much longer it had but you wanted to get it back to the academy as soon as possible to keep it warm and do some research to figure out how you could help it.

Kyle stared at the sweater intently, still holding his finger as well as a grudge on the little creature. You’d have to explain to him later that the poor thing was just scared. Just like he had been those weeks ago when he was first brought back. They were two in the same really.

Once back at the academy you brought the creature up to your room away from the other girls and placed it carefully on your bed. That wound definitely needed treatment, and soon before it had the chance to get infected.

“Kyle-“ you said gently, giving him a smile to show him it was okay.

“Can you watch the hedgehog for just a second? I have to go get some things to make it feel better. It’s hurt,”  You gently traced the stitched scars on Kyle’s neck and he nodded in understanding. This creature had been hurt, like he had. And it needed to be fixed. 

With Kyle sitting next to the balled up little creature you ran to the bathroom and grabbed the first aid kit. You weren’t sure what you’d be able to use on the hedgehog or not, but anything was better than nothing.

When you came back with the supplies Kyle was just staring at the hedgehog that had begun to root around in the covers, probably looking for food or a burrow.

You grabbed what you needed and began to work on the little thing’s leg. Luckily it didn’t appear broken, but you were curious as to how it had gotten this cut. Maybe a coyote had tried to grab it and got scared off by the spines? Maybe. Who knows.

Once the wound was cleaned you gently applied a layer of ointment to keep out infection before wrapping it up, making sure not to make it too tight. 

Next was research. To figure out how to care for it and what it needed. It wasn’t a domesticated hedgehog so you knew its care would be a bit different.

Once researched you had to drag Kyle back out again, this time to the grocery store. You could tell he was a bit anxious because of all the people and the noise but if he was with you, he was okay. You picked up a few cans of wet cat food to feed the hedgehog as well as some towels for it to use as bedding. 

Once you returned to the academy it was beginning to get dark out and you needed to help Kyle get ready for bed. Once he was tucked in and asleep, you finished up with the hedgehog, feeding it some of the cat food before placing it in a box with the soft towels, watching as it quickly buried itself in them before falling asleep as well.

You then got yourself ready for bed, getting comfy next to Kyle as he snuggled up against your warm body, snoring softly.

You didn’t remember falling asleep but when you woke up, Kyle was gone. He wasn’t next to you in bed which was odd because he loved to cuddle with you and would stay in bed as long as possible.

You looked around panicked for a moment before your eyes spotted him, on the ground next to the box that housed the hedgehog. He was cooing at it gently, making sweet sounds as he peeked at it, careful not to touch it and risk hurting himself again.

“I-It…. It O-OkAy.” He spoke, words broken up as he tried to get them out the best he could. He hadn’t spoken much since he’d come back, so this was a bit of a shock to you.

Maybe this little creature would be good for Kyle.

Over the next few days Kyle helped feed and cleaned the little thing, being very gentle and even giving it a few pets every now and then. The hedgehog seemed to know the two of you were helping it and calmed down, not as defensive as it once was.

Each day you’d check on its wound and each day it was getting better and better until it had scabbed over and was almost completely healed. You knew once it was healed you’d have to release it back into the wild, but what you had forgotten to do was prepare Kyle to say goodbye to it.

“L-leave?” He asked sadly, holding the hedgehog in his lap with a towel, shaking his head. He didn’t want his new friend to leave. He was so afraid of being left alone.

“We have to let him go, Kyle.” You said. It was bittersweet but you’d be wrong to keep the thing for your own selfish reasons when it belonged in the wild. It didn’t deserve to be like a bird trapped in a cage for the rest of its life. Not when it had this second chance at life.

“N-nooo” Kyle croaked, shaking his head once more as he held it a bit tighter. “L-loooOve.” He said, looking down at the hedgehog.

This would be harder than you thought…

You gave Kyle one more day with the creature before the two of you made your way with the hedgehog back to the park where you’d first found it. 

Kyle held it close to him, crying quietly as you made your way back to the spot in which you’d found it a few weeks earlier.

You looked back at Kyle who gave you a sad smile before gently setting the hedgehog down into the leaves once more. He gave it one last pet before standing up, wiping messily at his tears.

“B-bye.” He said sadly, waving at the hedgehog who turned to look at the two of you before wandering back into the leaves where it belonged.

You pulled Kyle into a hug and watched the creature until you could see it no longer, and then the two of you turned to head back to the academy, sun setting.

Hand in hand with the zombie boy, you smiled. He’d learned a lot these past few weeks and who would have thought a little creature like a hedgehog could teach him empathy and kindness to a creature much smaller than him? That every living thing deserved life and a fighting chance. 

Kyle mumbled under his breath and you tilted your head curiously at him, trying to pick up what he had said.

“What, Kyle?” You asked, pausing on the trail as you gave him a confused look.

“F-Fr..Freee” He said, gesturing back to where you had released the hedgehog.

It took you a minute to understand but when you did you smiled at the boy who understood more than he showed. That the old Kyle was still just as there as before the accident.

“You’re right,” You smiled up at him. 

“He is free. And so are you.” 

[ryuichirou]

with the characters who aren’t beastmen (or mermaids or fae) what sort of beastmen would you think they’d be? like deer silver, hare cater, bird of prey rook, etc. i wanna see y’all’s thoughts because there’s a lot of different possibilities that would fit each character :3c

The possibilities are endless…! Even if you decide to make someone a beastman, there are so many different options, so many kinds of animals. I am getting greedy even just thinking about it, but at the same time I am fighting the urge to say that everyone would be catboys and call it a day. I want to shove all of our bottoms in the cat café and spend all my money there…

I’ll try to keep it together, but also to keep things diverse 💪 But my first pick would be to make everyone catboys lol

I’m skipping beastmen/mermen/fae for now, but technically they could have their own list at some point.

Riddle – a meanie in me wants to say that he is a fae, but not the one that we are used to, but the small fussy one, similar to Tinker Bell lol Imagine this tiny thing being the loudest housewarden? It would be funny… But he would also be very cute as a goldfishie merman, sigh. Ironically, I actually don’t think he is either of these things; I think Riddle would be a beastman. Maybe a hedgehog beastman that people keep confusing with a mouse beastman because his spines aren’t very visible.

Ace – fox beastman, just like Fellow. I feel like this is pretty obvious, but still: he is cunning and sly, but also has his cute moments, just like a young fox making weird noises and acting like a playful puppy in one moment, and then biting your hand in the next moment. I think mentally Ace is stuck between being a cat and a dog, and I feel like a fox is a surprisingly good pick here lol He just feels like a ginger menace.

Deuce – of course, Ace’s counterpart would be a jackrabbit beastman; I feel like a fox and a rabbit are a classical combo, plus Deuce already has a rabbit motif related to him in a way. Deuce is specifically a jackrabbit because he is very fast, but also because while he isn’t naturally hostile or aggressive, he has his moments. And powerful legs for kicking.

Trey – definitely a beastman, but which one? Ironically I think a cat would be good pick for him, partially because of Che’nya, but he also feels like something more… bear-like, maybe? Or a badger? Something that could be confused for looking comfy and friendly when it’s just this nice man with cute ears, but actually quite ferocious when it’s needed. I feel like I’m missing something obvious here though.

Cater – I started thinking about hare Cater that you mentioned, immediately thought “well he’s good at multiplying” and had to punch myself for this joke. Now my face hurts so I’ll just day that Cater is a jabberwocky beastman. Alright, jokes aside, I still think he would be a beastman, but maybe some kind of cute and magicammable-looking carnivore. Like a weasel, for example.  

Kalim – a mongoose would be so good, wouldn’t it? But I feel like Kalim would be something fancier and flashier; maybe a bird bestman? I know some people confused him with an animeboyification of Iago at first. A colourful bird that loves to sing and dance and that is at the same time endearing and annoying to some (Jamil). But bird-based beastmen are a bit difficult to imagine… I’ll complain about it in a bit when I talk about Rook lol Kalim could also be some kind of fae that are distantly related to jinns, but don’t have the same amount of power for some reason.

Jamil – I really want to make him a naga, but we don’t know if those even exist in twst-universe lol plus, it would probably be very difficult for his family to be active servants if they had snake tails… I think he would be a black caracal; it’s a desert cat, and apparently they are very good at jumping high – he’s a basketball player after all. Caracals are also known for hissing a lot, so yeah, as close to a snake as one could get while still somehow managing to make Jamil into a catboy lol Just google those ears, it’s so cute!!

Vil – a fae. There is the Blue Fairy from Pinocchio lol It just works with him, both aesthetically and thematically somehow. Plus I am still thinking about him picking Diasomnia if  he was forced to choose any other dorm to join, which is of course not enough of a reason, but the idea of Diasomnia!Vil and fae!Vil still lives in my head. He would also be gorgeous as a betta merman, of course.

Rook – definitely a beastman, and I think it’s only fair to make him a bird of prey kind. I am not sure if that would make any changes to his appearance though; if Zazu’s equivalent is a beastman, then I guess Rook wouldn’t change much. But if he isn’t and we haven’t seen a bird beastman before, then maybe Rook would have some feathers… maybe even wings? But I also easily see him as a hunting dog.

Epel – another rabbit beastman!! He thinks Deuce is lucky because he is a jackrabbit with long ears and tall body, when Epel’s ears are smaller and way cuter because he is more of a bunny rabbit. His ma’s and meemaw’s ears are floppy, but his aren’t just yet, and he hopes it stays that way. When they’re floppy he looks even cuter… at least he still got those rabbit legs for kicking and angry stomping!

Idia – a merman. Yes, exactly, a firefly squid, who spends most of his life very deep underwater in isolation. I was hesitant to make him a merman at first because he is very tied to technology that is kind of incompatible with water (+ hehe Idia bald jokes), but hey, S.T.Y.X. is located underwater so the motif is there! Plus, the squid’s behaviour really fits Idia (Floyd is very good at nicknames). Plus, his hair being shiny also works with how dark it is in the deepest parts of the underwater world… But catboy Idia would be so cute ahhh…!!

Ortho – real!Ortho would also be a firefly squid merman, AI!Ortho would be a small clione-like creature that Idia crafted himself. Or maybe just a regular Ortho with the gear that is more suitable for swimming + hollow and sparkly. But also, alternatively, I think it would be super unfair not to mention that Ortho is a dogboy lol I don’t know how it works in relation to Idia, but Ortho is too much of a dogboy to ignore it.

Silver – fighting the urge to make him a fae because that would be missing the entire point AHHH, alright I love the idea of him being a deer beastboy! But also a rabbit because of the event… He is a jackalope lol Jokes aside, picturing Silver with beautiful deer horns is very easy. Birds would decorate them with flowers, or just sit on them… He is just like Bambi – the prince of the woods. But also also, Silver works well as a merman. Especially if he isn’t aware that he is one because Lilia made him drink potions ever since he was a baby.

[cure-icy-writes]

There’s something hedgehog like about you. Small. Can fit in random spaces. Generally harmless but can attack if need be. Cute little sniff sounds they do

This sounds weird but I promise it’s a compliment

sneef sneef snarfle snorf

The hedgehog's dilemma, popularized by Neon Genesis Evangelion, is an anecdote used to describe the paradox of vulnerability versus harm. Hedgehogs want to be warm, just as humans wish to experience the joys of being loved, but moving closer to each other means that they will poke and be poked by their spines, just as humans will inevitably hurt each other. Or so the saying goes.

But the truth is, people who study hedgehogs have found that it isn't as dire as it seems. The spines are mostly on their backs, so hedgehogs are able to position themselves in a way that minimized the risk of getting poked while they cuddle.

You don't have to dissolve the bonds between souls to find a cure for loneliness. You just need to learn how to curl up with your fellow hedgehogs.

[thelediz]

Sonic Underground episode 31: Country Crisis

I’m watching Sonic Underground in search of inspiration to finish a fic I’ve been writing forever. It’s a sad state of affairs. See the recap of the first three episodes here, if you're interested!

The plot (for want of a better word): In Southern Mobius, two settlements have been feuding, and it’s keeping them from stopping Robotnik’s latest scheme. Can the Sonic Underground unite the two factions and save Southern Mobius?

Low-intensity parental guidance warning about this episode. This episode very much plays on Country Bumpkin stereotypes. It’s all meant with affection, but it’s still…. -vaguely annoyed gesture-

Oh, we are not starting off on a good animation note, friends. There is no life in these eyes, this does not bode well.

However, Aleena’s talking about weaknesses within the Resistance that Robotnik can exploit, which implies internal conflicts being the primary plot and you know I am always here for that! (I am going to be disappointed)

It’s girl versus obnoxious boys, with Sonic and Manic celebrating after a successful mission and Sonia wanting to move on. I’m pretty sure we’re supposed to be on Sonia’s side here, but I would like to take a break less than a minute in to Real Talk you, anyone who is listening:

Celebrate your wins. Even if they’re small. Don’t let them pass by until you can only focus on the failures and setbacks. CELEBRATE YOUR WINS.

Anyway.

They find a… glowing piece of paper? From Aleena, of course. She tells them about a hydro-electric dam that Robotnik is building (which is surprisingly sustainability minded of him), and more importantly, there’s a feud between two factions of freedom-fighting locals. So obviously their goal is to unite the locals and… stop the dam, I guess? Because the dam will apparently destroy the area? I don’t know, they don't go into how this will hurt the ecosystem, they focus on the human mobian impact (environmental education in 90s TV programming? Nah, not this time!), so whatever.

Once they reach Southern Mobius, the triplets are greeted with a genuine missile launcher in the face, and we meet the Romeo of our Feuding Families Jared (Jarret? Jarryd? Romeo.) and Stereotype One, complete with missing teeth, bad breath, barely comprehensible speech, mostly blind… sigh.

To convince the grandfather they’re the Sonic Underground (“and he’s Sonic” – I admit, that was kind of a cute introduction), Sonic agrees to race the resident speedster Romeo. It goes as you would expect.

Despite how they opened, this episode will NOT have the Sonic Underground bickering with each other aside. Which, I mean, I will give them points for not completely adhering to tropes, it just seems an odd choice given the initial disagreement.

Meanwhile, Sleet and Dingo are very much being Bounty Hunters this episode, watching the hedgehogs and aiming to get ‘big money’ from Robotnik by catching the hedgehogs. I actually prefer this as their motivation, over them being cowed into it, but I really wish the show would pick a lane…

But again, a fun exchange between them (I think I like this episode’s writer) “Yes, retire. You can spend the rest of your life waiting on me hand and foot!” “Oh, boy, wow, thanks!”

But back to the plot. The Feud between the two families began because Aleena gave them a medallion to prove the land was theirs. Don't notice that this apparently happened when the Stereotypes were young adults and Aleena looks about the same age as Romeo and Juliet. But the Mountain people lost their half and blamed the Valley folk. An argument broke out, with both sides thinking the other one is trying to take full control of the land.

The triplets go to see the Mountain folk, and we meet the Juliet, Sera (Sarah? Zero? I legitimately can’t parse her accent and no one will ever say her name for the rest of the episode. Juliet.) and her grandmother, Stereotype Two: only one tooth, strong jaw, bad grammar, spine so curved she’s on a constant 90 degree angle. SIGH.

The Sonic Underground broker a temporary truce between them so they can defeat Robotnik’s dam, but the deal is immediately off when Stereotype Two sees Romeo and Juliet holding hands, and BOTH STEREOTYPES PULL OUT RIFLES. As you do?!!

Sonic gets between them, but apparently requires Sonia to tell him he did so to stop a fight from happening (seriously, his brain is not plugged in today. They even animate the cogs whirring. It’s so weird). They should apparently instead settle their differences with music (I mean… look, I know the series I’m watching but WHAT?! I mean WHAT) which everyone agrees to (SERIOUSLY WHAT).

The stereotypes nominate Sonic and Sonia to battle it out on their behalf, and to start with it sounds like they’re getting into the rivalry, but because these two actually work quite well together, it just leads into

THE SONG: How you play the game. It starts as a competitive “I’m better than you” debate, before the chorus kicks in and points out it’s better to just play together. It’s kind of fun, I legitimately enjoyed it, and their voices are very much more suited to this country-style, so that’s a nice bonus.

So the united factions help the Sonic Underground defeat the dam, and Sleet and Dingo, Manic gets to save the actual day for once by drumming the dam apart, and all is well. Huzzah.

We end with Romeo and Juliet getting married (of course), and Stereotype Two discovering that her half of the medallion has been in her music jug for decades. Because tangible resolution of how stupid rivalries are is necessary.

AND, more importantly, they give the triplets the medallions, who put them together to discover a map. Yes, that’s right, this is a PLOT RELEVANT EPISODE.

Sonic chooses to dance with Manic instead of Sonia, for… reasons. And that’s the ending joke.

Are we all having fun?

Okay, so because I could not figure out these characters’ names and it was bothering me, I went online and discovered that the songs have actual names and I’ve almost definitely been getting them all wrong. WHOOPS. Oh well. This is what happens when you only use the source material, and will continue happening. Forgive me my trespasses, I am a fan having fun.

The counters:

Sonic implying less than 100% American heterosexuality: 6

Sonia in love with Bartleby: 5/37

Sonia in love with someone who is not Bartleby: 3/37

Sonia’s got super strength: 4

Manic’s thieving Is A Problem: 5

Come back tomorrow if you’re interested for more!

[true-blue-sonic]

Any chance we could see a small snippet or sentence of the most recent thing you've been working on?

I have something! I'm working on a fic wherein Silver's various ways of giving people affection is discussed, following from an ask if Silver's methods there would differ a lot from the more conventional ways of the past. And they certainly do! I've thought up like four or five ways with a different 'story part' written about it, with an ending one from Silver's POV where he and Espio discuss this. There might still be a lot to change, since in that ending part I found a nice overarching sentence that I would like to incorporate further into the other parts, but here is the first one! I hope you enjoy🍀

~~~~~

It is almost surprising to Espio how quickly he adapted to having Silver around.

It has only been two weeks or so since the hedgehog decided he would stay in the past forever, and the chameleon could swear this is how his life has always been, happy and content with Silver at his side in a way he had never known was possible.

Of course, there are some oddities both he and Silver are still working on to get used to. Like the hedgehog’s awful sleeping schedule: convincing him to not wake up Espio during the various times he shot awake at night with cuddles and purrs galore had taken some time. Or Espio’s worries about introducing Silver to new foods – what if he doesn’t like it or he has an allergy? – despite Silver’s stomach of steel and willingness to try anything, for better or worse. Or the hedgehog’s occasional skittishness when going out on the streets, eyes flicking around warily as if a monster can jump on him at any moment or the people might chase him away. It’s just minor things in the grand scheme of it all and Espio loves helping his beloved with getting to know this wondrous world of the past, but still, there are some things both he and Silver are still very much exploring together when it comes to the limited knowledge his psychic has about them.

Like giving and receiving affection and grabbing someone’s attention, for example.

With a deep frown Espio sighs, the sound reverberating against the silence otherwise keeping the living room of the Chaotix in its grasp. For a change, he sits not on the couch or at the lockers; he’s found himself the unlikely occupant of Vector’s desk chair instead. The creaky old thing digs in his back uncomfortably, no doubt from all Vector’s roughhousing on the poor piece of furniture, and yet there is one thing causing Espio even more woes.

Their taxes.

Who Vector had been putting off so long Espio has kicked both him and Charmy out of the house to go make them some money while he tried to go budget having a whole new member in their household.

But it has to be done, the chameleon knows as well, and thus his hand swiftly changes between a red and a black pen to make copious notes on their spreadsheet. Even if he has adapted to having Silver around so easily, it does not mean that their expenses stay the exact same. Luckily neither has their income, because Espio – perhaps slightly immorally – has realised that having two cute-looking children at his side does occasionally knock some more dough out of people’s pockets than if he had gone alone. And luckily Sonic and Amy and everyone else are heavily engaged with welcoming Silver to the past and bring over the occasional food pallet or items necessary for hedgehog care as well, which is something the Chaotix then also do not need to pay for, but even when considering all those tiny benefits it does still seem that their financial situation has become quite a bit more-

Something wet trails over Espio’s elbow.

Vector’s chair rattles madly as Espio yelps and flinches, his spines colliding painfully with the seat’s back and a deep scratch of black marring the spreadsheet from his hand shooting sideways. “What-?!” the chameleon huffs out, staring at his right side with comically spooked wide eyes...

Silver, nestled against the side of the chair with a picture book in his hands, merely looks back amusedly.

“Hello,” Espio is the first to speak up, which makes a laugh spill out of Silver’s mouth.

“Did I scare you, Es?”

“Did you lick my elbow?” the chameleon retorts at that, rubbing the offended bit of his body. It’s all... nasty and a bit cold, blegh.

Silver for his part scuffles until he’s half-turned around, chin propping itself up on the side of the chair’s seat and golden eyes peering at Espio lovingly. “I said your name, but you were so busy, you didn’t hear me. But that worked, no?”

“Silver, you can’t just lick people to grab their attention. That is considered rude and gross,” Espio jumps into a lecture, making sure his elbow is wiped perfectly clean. Sure, he’s overreacting, but the idea of just randomly getting licked to give him the shivers.

“But don’t we do the exact same when kissing?” the prompt retort comes immediately... and Espio can’t exactly argue with that.

A fond smile unfurling on his lips at his beloved’s innocent response Espio skitters his fingers behind the other’s ears. “Only lick me, nobody else, and only if you have to,” his final orders come, followed by a pondering hum from the hedgehog.

Espio quickly figures that means said hedgehog will take the ‘only lick me’ part very well to heart there.

But he simply has to admit Silver is right about the kissing, so he truly can’t be too peeved about it.

~~~~~

[ethos0706]

2D Platformer Research

For this task I was told to research three 2d platformers, these being: Celeste, Super Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog.

Sonic the Hedgehog is an incredibly innovative 2d platformer that shifted the entire industry when it first launched in 1991, in the game you play as the titular Sonic the Hedgehog who can run, crouch, roll up into a ball (in this state he can only move via prior gained momentum) and jump. He can also pick up various power ups and rings that help him stay alive and survive the various levels' harzards.

The levels in sonic are dotted with various tubes and tunnels that sonic can only fit into if in his balled state. Other levels elements such as loop-de-loops and sharp upwards turns require momentum gained from the ball state to fully clear.

Sonics character design is incredibly striking distinct, the spines on the back of his head almost resemble speed lines that you would see in an anime or cartoon. The character design of sonic perfectly blends typically cute elements with typically cool elements to create a character that identifies with young teens (the original target audience for the first sonic game.)

Next up we have Mario, arguably the most iconic video game character ever invented, who was created by Shigeru Miyamoto in 1981 for the original Donkey Kong arcade game and later starred in his own game "Super Mario Bros." released in 1985.

Super Mario Bros. essentially invented (or at least popularized) the formula that most platforming games follow today, with side scrolling platforming, level progression, power-ups and level hazards like koopas, goombas and whatnot.

The original small Mario sprite is only 16x16 pixels, but by using an incredibly unique design for its time that makes use of vibrant, popping colours and adorable facial features like a moustache and tiny eyes.

This design eventually evolved from the 16x16 sprite however to make him more appealing and consistent across the different games he was a part of.

Mario developed more features like blue eyes, the letter M on his hat and white fabric gloves (as well as a more expressive face and body in general.)

In Mario games the levels are often designed around jumping, precise platforming and stomping on stage enemies. There are also various power-ups and surprises around the levels to either throw off or assist you in reaching the end (which is marked by a large flag pole.) Because this gameplay loop is so flexible and has such a high skill ceiling this means that players can push this game to the absolute limits and highly rewards skill (seriously, watch some speed-runs of the original game its NUTS.)

Finally Celeste, a pixel 2D side-scroller featuring Madeline, a character who can wall climb (only for a short time though), dash, jump and surf (only through specific blocks found throughout the game.) The levels of Celeste are extremely difficult and madelines move-set perfectly helps her maneuver through the challenging levels.

The games art style is also of note, being a pixel art platformer with many modern influences and detailed art.

[chickenpeep77kirbyau]

Pop star and some critters

Planet Popstar's shape is somewhat different than in the canon. It is a bit rounder with five enormous mountains in a peculiar mountain range that circles the planet almost perfectly. Popstar is an unusual world; not just because of its shape. Its weird, though its not the only planet to have environments so shaped by a high saturation of magic. Its known as a weirdness magnet. For some reason strange things are just pulled towards it, leading to an unusual amount of events happening. Interdimensional portals are unusually common here. The foliage growing here is a range of yellows oranges and reds. It has three native sentient species: waddle dee, cappy, and the woods. Here are some critters that live on Popstar:

As Popstar has a relatively high wormhole density, who knows how many of these are actually native. Earth creatures such as chickens and sheep have settled here.

Scarfy: These things are pests similar to raccoons pigs or small bears; always digging in people's garbage. Trying to shoo them away, however, may result in a frightening surprise. It is capable of illusion magic making its face resemble a freakier version of a waddle doo. This startling mimicry will cause many foes to back off; allowing it time to escape. They wouldn't want to get zapped.

Waddle Doo: This predator has a single eye covered in a protective layer like a bug's eye. It is capable of shooting electrical beams from its eye. Its leaning against a rock with a hole in it. Such odd rock formations are not uncommon on Popstar. There is a sapient one living at Castle Dedede. Its origins are unknown.

Box Boxer: This tough canine ish looking animal has heavy reinforced ears. It can swing them forward to bring down heavy blows against predator or rival.

Bouncy: This cute bouncy thing is actually a scary predator. Its bladed arms are usually folded around itself, but can be used to attack at will.

Bronto Burt: Small four winged animals. Very cute. Bronto Burt is one of the larger species of Burts.

Bun: Has punchy ears similar to a Boxer, but has sacrificed bulk for speed in punching. It is also capable of using them to clumsily manipulate objects.

Chameleo Arm: Its two long tails are used for hanging from branches, and are also used as a third leg for moving on the ground. Its color changing abilities make it hard to spot.

Chip: This small animal is known for its jumping ability. Very cute!

Plugg: Has electrically charged horns to defend against those who would come against it.

Soarar: Cute bug things! Social animals that are attracted to shiny things.

Phan Phan: Big animal somewhat resembling an elephant.

Heat Phan Phan: Smaller than its relative, it makes up for it with ferocity and fire breathing abilities; its fiery markings a warning to would be predators. Capable of brief magic based flight.

Noddy: Has a bad tasting tranquilizing toxin under its skin and hedgehog like spines to deter predators, allowing it to be pretty chill and just hang out. They snuggle together in burrows when they hibernate for the winter.

These were the most fun to design.

Wheelie(s): This group of creatures have four limbs they can move around with using a rotating motion. This species has taken it to the extreme and used its elongated tentacles to form a wheel shape it can use to move rapidly across the landscape. These have special gyroscope like organs in the center of their bodies to allow them to not get dizzy, as well as see things decently as they are spinning. They can also stick to walls and ceilings with a suction cup at the end of each tentacle. They actually have two eyes, one on each side of their bodies. They do have something of a skeleton, similar in form to a starfish's.

Flamer: This one has the ability to shoot flames from its tentacles.

Elec: This one has electrical ability.

Kracko: This large species is gifted in magic allowing control over wind using its pin wheel shaped body. It can pull clouds around itself and create lightning.

Pacto(s): Many pactos are ambush predators; sitting in holes waiting for something to come by. Their strong legs are then used to launch themselves out of the hole to grab the prey. Tend to have magic enhanced mobility.

Maw: A longer narrower species.

Pacloud: This species has inflatable air sacs and large feet that allow it to fly and hide in clouds.

Pacflower: This one imitates a harmless plant and uses its strong claws to anchor itself to sunlit cave entrances and tree branches.

Crimp: This one has abandoned the ambushing lifestyle and is more of a mobile predator; it walks around well and can even climb onto walls. It spits gobs of mucus to stun small prey. Some females have been seen playing a larger role in parental care, using its smol limbs to carry its egg sack around to protect it.

A pacto might briefly chase prey after launching from its hole. With its mouth facing forward its eyes are on top and bottom.

A pacto sitting in its hole seen from above.

1,2. Cerulean and Juckle: Two different species in a third branch of the wheelie/pacto family; they can fly! The vestigial back legs have become fins for steering. Top views of them in flight.

Side view of a flying pacto relative, showing eye placement is on top and bottom.

Walking stance of a flying pacto relative.

Hack: A creature with a mouth that opens from the sides. It wacks dead wood with its hard face and then pulls the wood apart by opening its mouth. It then licks up freshly exposed bugs.

Gip: A flying creature somewhat resembling a pig.

Ufo: Often lives up in the atmosphere. Uses electro magnetism and magic to fly. The mouth is underneath. Uses its limbs mainly for snatching flying things to eat. It only rarely uses them to move on the ground. The thing on its head is a sense organ of some kind.

Mariel: A frighteningly bold creature. Do not worry, it is so because it is poisonous and does not worry about predators. It only eats smaller creatures that it can fit in its mouth.

Water Galbo: Like a regular galbo, but aquatic and non fire breathing.

Galbo: A fire breathing serpent.

Water Galboros: A larger version of the water galbo.

Flame Galboros: A larger version of the galbo.

Glom: A galbo lacking an elemental ability; is an ambush hunter.

Venog: A small galbo that is protected by poison it also uses to subdue prey.

Miasmoros: A medium sized galbo that can create a toxic mist for hunting.

Pengy: A bird like that resembles a quadruped combination of a penguin and a pelican. The neck pouch present on the male can be inflated and used to make noise like a frog. While it can swim, it prefers terrestrial living. Its resemblance to the Palupin on the planet next door is intriguing, and may have a common ancestor brought through an interplanetary wormhole.

Starman: A flying creature known for its phenomenal jumping ability.

Snooter: A ravenous omnivore that often grabs and attempts to eat anything in front of its face. The fin on its head is for display. The female has a smaller duller one.

Putt: A horned serpent that lives in mountainous regions. The males gather and construct an arrangement of stones to attract a mate. Watch out for falling rocks pushed down the mountainside.

Gussa: An aquatic seal like creature with a horn.

Roly Poly: A terrestrial seal like creature that rolls around to move faster.

Slippy: A small frog like predator.

Driblee: An aquatic creature.

Bubblehead: A relative of the hothead. It oozes a foul soapy foam that is unappetizing to predators and doubles as an antibacterial agent.

Hothead: A fire breathing creature that has a fin on its back that can be heated to burning temperatures. A special oil on the fin can be made to catch fire.

Sheld: A creature with a shell on its back. Beware of its stabby horn.

Whippy: A feline like creature that stuns prey with its long powerful tail.

GawGaw: A burrowing creature with big claws.

Schnoz: A boar like creature.

Giant Schnoz: A bigger boar like creature with a spiked tail.

Dice: A large boar like creature with horns and a heavy tail. One species, the Ice Dice, has ice powers.

GaoGao: A large burrowing creature.

Booboo/Hoohoo: A booboo breathes fire and a hoohoo breathes ice. They inflate a pouch on their neck before using the breath attack. Though if you leave their herd alone, they will not bother you.

Gabon: A dino like creature that decorates itself with bones and uses them as tools.

Acchi: A spiny creature that can set its spines ablaze with a flammable oil it produces.

Dale: A creature living in caves. The top of its head can light up.

Bohboh: big fiery bird.

Mite: Flightless diggy mole bird.

Kapar: swimmy dino bird with spike crown.

Birdon: bird.

Snowl: icy owl bird.

Owgulf: owl bird.

Flappy: fancy dino bird.

Pichikuri: spiny bird.

Snoozroot: lures in prey and puts them to sleep with a special sap. Also comes in fire spitting variety.

Lovely: carnivorous plant.

Rosely: another carnivorous plant.

Totenga: carnivorous plant with grabby face fingers.

Gob Chomplin: big carnivorous plant.

Gobblin: Carnivorous cactus plant.

Kacti: mobile jumping cactus; actually jumps.

Beanbon: mobile plant.

Perara: A flat flying creature.

Maiga: A slimy slug like creature.

Posura: An aquatic slug that can spit paralyzing venom.

Kabu: A rocky shelled creature. It and its relatives have a mouth underneath. It uses telekinesis enhanced movement to get around.

Rocky: A rocky shelled creature.

Popon: Resembles a caterpillar.

Needlous: A spiky grub.

Apolo: A particularly tasty grub found under tree bark.

Tick: Pretty much the same as the Earth creature of the same name.

Craby: A sessile sea creature with two grabby mouth arms.

Mosomoso: A fluffy bug that flies with static electricity. This species is unusually large. Usually others of their group are smaller. Pasara and Sootbugs are examples of smaller species. Also here's a cross section to see the body under the fluff.

Slushy: A simple jellyfish like creature.

Glunk: Basically an anemone with eyes and the ability to throw stinging cells at things above it.

Metalun: A larger metallic relative of the Rocky.

Moundo: A larger tougher Kabu relative. What resembles a mouth is actually a bunch of spikes it scrapes trees and rocks with to mark territory. Like its relatives, the mouth is underneath.

Uja: Strangely cooperative bugs that hunt in swarms and can change shape.

Squibby: Sea creature with three retractable spines on its face.

Sparky: A slug like creature that can generate an electric shock if threatened.

Mahal: A slime creature than can hide underground with its top to ambush prey, like this Minny.

Drop: A large predatory amoeba that often ambushes prey from a cave ceiling.

Beetly: A creature that looks something like a large beetle.

Walf: An aquatic creature resembling a cross between a beetle and a sea turtle.

Ice Dragon: A reptilian creature with icy breath.

[kiruamon]

Part 4

Gross! Super gross! Filled with disgust, Damien stared at the twitching and wriggling thing that was held in front of his nose. These losers were completely insane, if they believed, he would want to eat this slimy worm! Never in his life! However hungry he might have been! He rather gnawed off one of his hind paws than eating this thing!

"Come on. Just a bite. For Aunty Vicky." No. "Look. Here comes a flying, super yummy little wormy just for you!" No and no again! His spines raised defensively as he turned his head to the side in disgust. Never ever! "GAAAaaaah! Why don't you eat that crap yourself if you find it so tasty!" he scolded loudly and angrily to himself. It sucked that no one understood him! Stupid transformation! Stupid hedgehog voice bands! And stupid losers with their even crappier slop!

"Ooooooz," Vicky called out, slightly whining, to her roommate, who was busy making dinner for their little apartment community. " I don't think your little friend wants to eat his food." "Still not?" asked Oz, giving the two a thoughtful look. He himself had also tried multiple mealworms half an hour ago without success. According to his internet research, hedgehogs ate insects. Because of the proteins that were important for them. So he had gone to the nearest pet shop and got some fresh food for the little guy. But even Vicky - despite her best efforts to convince him - obviously did not manage to get the little guy interested in one of the supposed "delicacies". Which worried him. After all, the little hedgehog should have been hungry by now.

Maybe it was time to try something different? Pondering, he tapped the floor lightly with one foot. As far as he had read, hedgehogs could also eat eggs and meat. "Vicky?" "Yes?" "Would you be so kind and set the table already? I want to try something else that I hope our little guest will like better." It was worth a try. "Sure no problem!" grinning she let the wriggling earthworm slide back into the small plastic bucket and put the tweezers aside in order to start already bringing the plates to the table. "Thank you! And please tell Brian and Amira that dinner is in 15 minutes," he called to his friend before Oz gave the small hedgehog, who was still in a bad mood, a quick glance. "Well… let's see."

Fortunately, it didn't take very long to fry up a few strips of bacon and scramble some eggs to go with it. Oz watched his spiky guest slowly toddle closer across the kitchen counter, sniffing the air with interest as he approached the plate of cooling crispy fried bacon strips. Oz had just slid the finished scrambled eggs into a small bowl when he noticed how the little guy already wanted to help himself to the meat.

"Wait! Don't!" What the fuck! Annoyed Damien, hissed at the hand and its owner, who simply pushed him away from the good looking and delicious smelling meat! What was wrong with this noob? Damien tried to snap at the cheeky guy to bite him, but the other had already withdrawn his hand and just ignored his angry insults! Huffing, the demon let his tail hammer on the kitchen sideboard. "This is still way too big like this. You'll end up choking." The nerd, to Damien's amazement, began cutting the strips into smaller - for a hedgehog - bite-sized pieces and then crumbling them over the fluffy yellow scrambled eggs. "Here, this should do it," with a friendly - and oh so idiotic - smile, the weakling pushed the small bowl of food towards him. It smelled quite wonderful! Damien decided to dig in before the noob changed his mind.

Oz propped his elbows on the countertop as he smiled and watched the little guy greedily gobble up his specially cooked meal. So unbelievably cute. The animal seemed to notice that he had been watching him, because the little one looked up at him in annoyance before positioning himself so that he could only see the back of the little spiky ball. It seemed that the small animal still didn't liked him very much. But… at least he finally ate.

To be continued!;D

[valleyfthdolls]

Idk if it’s okay to ask but for a writing prompt but I would like to see a short oneshot but it focuses on Amy and how she was often talked about how unusual she looked for a typical hedgehog. I just need some dose of Amy angst.

Ask and ye shall receive, anon!

CW for writing that may be reminiscent of dysmorphia and depictions of children in emotionally distressing situations under the cut, also it's fucking long because I went overboard.

"Are you sure she's even a hedgehog?"

The whispers followed her everywhere. Since she was old enough to process the noises around her, it was all she could hear.

(A frequently heard conversation:

"No, no, we're not sure- but what else could she be?" Missus Bella Rose pointed out, her voice hushed. Amy wasn't supposed to hear. She didn't want her surrogate daughter knowing the things the grown-ups said about her. "Look at her quills. They're a dead ringer for a hedgehog."

"But that's about all, isn't it?" Miss Delilah Mouse, a friend of Bella's asked. "Look at the shape of them. Hedgehog quills don't do that."

Bella furiously motioned for Delilah to quiet down while Amy tried her best not to look over so they wouldn't know she was eavesdropping.

"Keep your voice down, will you, Delilah?" Bella shot back. "...She has to be something."

Delilah scoffed, much quieter this time. Amy's ears twitched as she tried to keep listening in. "Yes, I know she has to be something. But if she really was a different-looking hedgehog, Bell, do you think it would be causing all of this fuss?"

Yes, Amy thought, though she didn't say anything. She wasn't supposed to respond to the commotion, the comments from those around her or even the concern from the ones who'd taken her in. That was the rule she set herself. It was easier that way, for everyone. But she was a hedgehog, and she knew that. Her rosy pink ears, the stubby, thick quills that made up her coat, it all meant she was a hedgehog. She knew for sure.)

She'd read in the books that Missus Bella Rose had around the house that porcupines and animals like that had longer, sharper quills that detached from the body. Amy couldn't imagine her quills pulling out. It sounded painful. And Amy's quills weren't like that, so she had to be a hedgehog. There was nothing else she could be. That was what she told herself over and over, and what she told the other children. She was a hedgehog, and she knew it.

If only she looked like one.

Her least favorite part of getting ready for each day was looking in the mirror to touch up and see how the rest of her looked. Her spines were something she would never be able to get right, because they refused to just stick up like normal hedgehog spines did, but she could still make the rest of her look how she liked. Her wardrobe was full of soft, cute clothing, and she knew her most comfortable green shirt and favorite orange skirt were sure to cheer her up. It wasn't the red-trimmed white blouse and skirt she usually wore, but maybe today it was time for a change.

The soft fabric of her green collared shirt was comforting, immediately. As she slipped on her orange skirt, she grinned at herself in the mirror. She looked adorable.

Her joy quickly faded, though, as she caught a glimpse of her quills, tailing straight down to her shoulders.

Hedgehog quills didn't do that. That was what she had been told more times than she could count on both hands, and probably both feet. She was more than well aware at this point that she was probably the only hedgehog on planet Earth who looked like this.

She looked back at her outfit and tried to smile at her reflection again, but her joy didn't come back. She gritted her teeth, tried to push the corners of her mouth up into a smile again, but it didn't happen. She couldn't force herself. Not while looking right at the one part of herself that she'd grown to hate.

She looked away, her eyes directing to a red hairtie on the ground next to her small bed corner.

...But maybe she didn't have to hate it anymore.

Her smile rose again at the idea. She grabbed the hairtie, wrapped it around her wrist, and got busy trying to push her spines up and back, the way she had seen Missus Bella Rabbit do with the long locks of fur between her ears. It was uncomfortable. She felt her quills shifting to the new position weirdly, her entire body unused to it, but the discomfort was short lived, and Amy continued to persist. She struggled and tugged, until she had the hairtie wrapped around her quills, holding them back the way real hedgehog quills did. And then she looked in the mirror to admire her handiwork.

She grinned proudly, again, for a second. But then, as she looked in the mirror, her little heart began to break, and she could hardly comprehend why. She felt like she was looking at a costume, a costume of someone she wanted to be but wasn't, and she didn't know why she wasn't the costume but just the person in it. She could feel her breath coming in short puffs and gasps, her head starting to hurt from the lack of proper air. She stared at the scared little girl in the mirror. The spines around her forehead started to puff up in response to her distress as she began to click and hiss, trying to regulate her feelings for what she was seeing.

Then she started to weep.

It was worse like this. It was so much worse.

Amy yanked her quills out of the hairtie and dropped it on the ground. Huffing in distress, she looked back at the mirror. It looked like her now. Even if she looked wrong, if she didn't look how a real hedgehog was supposed to, she could at least recognize herself.

She sat down against the mirror on the wall and curled up inside her loose quills.

[sweetestlamb]

Let's Play A Love Game

Author's note: this one is rated 😈 so yeah. There was originally more angst in my mind but once I got to that part I was over it lol I'm the worst at angst I much rather make it naughty. It's more rushed than I wanted but I don't really have time to write 10k fics right now. But hopefully soon.

Summary: it's just pretend, right?

She hadn't meant to push the event in the corner of her mind until she forgot about it completely, so much so that when the e-vite showed up in her inbox she stared at it in wide eyed shock not even noticing Mi-Seon creeping up behind her.

"It's already time for that? I usually know it's coming because you start buying expensive dresses you can't afford and crying at your credit card bill. Maybe country life has really changed you hm?"

False. Inaccurate. Utterly wrong to the every core.

She lets out a shrill scream letting her head fall painfully on her desktop.

"I'm an idiot! Just kill me now, I deserve it." She has nothing to wear, okay the mountain of boxes in her living room, bedroom and some hidden in the linen closet beg to defer but none of that is worthy of this event. The annual dentist convention in Seoul, it's a week long getaway. It's meant to be an opportunity to build connections and attend professional learning classes, but that has long been abandoned. Now it is a fashion show and chance to show off your success and this year more than ever she has to impress everyone. They all look down on her and her cute little practice. Those judgemental snarky bitches.

"Do we have anymore patients?" She absently asks her best friend, only friend already getting up and walking away.

"No that was the last one. Do you want to call it a day?" She doesn't give a verbal reply lost in her phone and the disease that is online shopping, in the span of three minutes she has already added seven dresses to her cart.

"Chief Hong is going to have a long day."

It's just as Mi-seon says the next day the nosy know it all shows up glaring at her over the handful of packages in his arms.

"Don't tell me you're doing this again. What more could you possibly have to order? How much things does one woman need?" His voice is an air warmer than the last time they were in this very same position, but she tries not to think too hard about it. Their relationship is too confusing these days, as temperamental as the sea.

"Are delivery men allowed to complain this much when they're doing a job they are getting paid for?" She snarks back, snatching her packages from his arms with a huff. Ignoring the grin on his face as she disappears into her house.

"That better be all you order. I'm not coming back."

He comes back. At least six more trips, more boxes each time on the last day he doesn't simply leave after making his delivery.

"I'm coming in for tea because of you I've been working too hard." She squeaks indignantly as he pushes past her, their shoulders brushing in the tight space of the doorway.

She should wait until she doesn't have an audience but she's too impatient so while he's making the tea in her kitchen (so rude and intrusive), she starts to open a few boxes pulling out the contents. Dresses, blouses, shirts, hair accessories, lipsticks in all shades and hues, and of course shoes; heels, flats and everything in between.

"Your house looks like a department store." She jumps at his voice glancing up at him, almost laughing at the hedgehog mug that he's drinking out of that Mi-seon gave her as a joke. Leave it to him to pick the most ridiculous mug.

"Hurry up and go so I can try everything on." She starts to take the objects out and organize them, putting together possible outfits lazily.

"Why not have a fashion show?" He slurps loudly at the tea, sighing and smiling down at the warm beverage. Acting like he's never had tea before, such a plebian.

"A fashion show?"

"Yeah, model all that", he motions to the new boxes littering her bedroom floor, "and I'll let you know what looks good."

She scoffs, loudly looking at his lackluster outfit; a simple white tee tucked into dark cargo pants with suspenders.

"What do you know about fashion?" She replies meanly, despite the little voice in her mind that reminds her that while his outfits are more practical than fashionable there is something distracting about the way his shoulders fill out his shirts and the way his long legs sit in his pants.

He shrugs looking down at himself, "I'm the town handy man I have no need to look good. But I'm still a man I can tell you what I think looks good on a woman."

Oh. It's a nonchalant statement said with no real heat but the implications make her skin warm up, she's never once thought that he saw her as a woman; nor considered looking at him like a man. (Lies.)

"I--why woul--why?" She stutters through an answer, tongue heavy in her mouth. He looks back nonplussed, sitting down pointedly on her couch.

"Never took you for the shy kind. You growing bashful now Ms. Dentist?" His eyes twinkle with mischief and she knows that she's being played but she wants nothing more than to wipe that smug look off his face. Slamming her room door, she pulls off her casual house clothes and grabs the first thing that catches her attention- a buttery yellow dress that grazes her knee, pairing them with white heels and a high messy bun. A swipe of lip tint completes the look and she confidently opens her room door.

Du-sik is staring aimlessly at his phone and doesn't notice her reappearance at first, so she coughs loudly folding her arms and when his eyes land on her, a chill runs down her spine at the look that lands on her body. It's been a long time since a man looked at her in this way, his eyes are undressing her even though he was the one who implored her to dress up in the first place. She hates it. At least she should hate it. But she can't ignore the satisfaction that washes over her at his dumbfounded look, that smug look obliterated by her very first look.

"Well?" She pushes harder, twirling to give him the full look. His gasp is loud behind her, she knows exactly why. The deep revealing plunge that travels all the way to the small of her back. There's no way she would wear this to the convention much too suggestive but that's her business.

"Wher-" his voice cracks and this time she can't contain her smile, dimples flashing now at her clear affect on him, clearing his throat he tries again, "Where exactly are you going again?"

She hums turning back around, gleeful at the vibrant blush on his cheeks. So he is just a man after all.

"A dentist convention." She answers cheekily and he guffaws loudly, eyes narrowing at her like he knows exactly what she's trying to do. They stare at each other for a long moment and she ultimately breaks the stand still, realizing what's happening. It feels a lot like flirting.

Collecting herself, she barrels back into the room.

"What the hell are you doing?" She whispers to her reflection, face too flushed for her liking.

A hard knock at the door pulls her from her self chastisement, "You didn't even wait for my rating."

She sighs loudly covering her face in embarrassment at her own action. She doesn't even have alcohol to blame this time.

"I don't care. This was stupid, let's stop."

Of course he ignores her.

"I liked it. But it's too...sexy for convention. You should wear that for someone special. I doubt anyone with a beating heart would be able to resist you."

What the fuck.

This isn't who they are, when did they become comfortable enough for conversations like this? They despised each other, right? Confused and annoyingly flattered, she peels the dress off her body trying her hardest not to think about the fact that only a door separates him and her naked body.

"I would love to see the others. But I have to go, but if you want my opinion. Red is definitely your color."

"What?" She replies, but she can hear the too loud click of the front opening and then closing and just as capriciously as he arrived, he leaves. 

Burying something that feels a lot like disappointment she flops onto her bed, head fuzzy like its been wrapped in cotton.

"What is going on?"

They don't see much of each other the next day and it's unusual given how much they see each other on a regular basis but she refuses to think about it or even consider that he's avoiding her. He's just busy and she doesn't care anyway, they have nothing to do with each other.

The convention is in two days now, she has her overnight bag packed with all her new purchases and the messages have been pouring in their group chat. She's mostly chosen to ignore them but on a whim she decides to check what they're so excited about, only to feel her stomach drop.

Why isn't Hye Jin answering?

Maybe she's busy with her mystery man 😉

Oh! She has to bring him, we need to interrogate him!

Yoon Hye Jin don't pretend you don't see these messages!!

That she had forgotten about.

"Why did you tell them that he's interested in you? Has living here altered your brain, you idiot." She berates herself.

"Who's interested in you? Why are you an idiot?" Mi-seon looks curious from the doorway, without waiting for an invitation she hops onto the bed with two cans of beer. She grabs one, drinking it in a flash.

"Oh it's that kind of night." Mi-seon says excitedly running to grab more beers.

"So let me get this straight, you told them that Chief Hong is interested in you and that he's been chasing you but you're not interested?"

She nods meekly, wishing the floor would swallow her up.

"Why did you lie?"

That's the brunt of the issue, she's a liar. She should have sent her initial message and told them that there was nothing between them but how could she when they were all calling him handsome and acting like she finally did something right? She'd spent that entire dinner feeling like her teenage self on the outside looking in, wanting nothing more than to be someone worthy of being included.

"I know I should have told the truth."

"Yes, you should have told them that you're interested in him too."

Huh.

Time stops as she processes the words that her best friend just uttered. There is static in her head as she tries to make sense of it.

"What are you talking about?"

Mi-seon looks at her unimpressed.

"You can both keep lying to yourself but the rest of us aren't as stupid. You're both interested in each other. It's mutual."

She wants to ardently deny the accusation but the words are caught in her throat and all she can manage are refusing sounds.

"You've been wearing red all week." Mi-seon says accusingly and she jumps up in huff, "So what? I'm allowed to wear colors!"

"You hate wearing red. You said it makes your skin look too pale. You hardly ever wear it. So color me surprised when I learned that red is the favorite color of a certain part timer."

That damn town chat. There has to be a way to get Mi-seon out of it. Maybe it was a mistake letting her live here. She was learning too much.

"Don't even bother to deny it. I won't believe anything you say. But I think you should ask him to go with you, you'll get some time alone to figure this out."

There's nothing to figure out. They are..... acquaintances who can admit that the other is vaguely attractive at times. His face isn't all that bad and she's pretty, so it's natural that there is tension at times, like he said they were still humans.

So she doesn't tell him about her fib, pretending everything is fine until it's the day of the convention and her anxiety has all but smothered her and her hands have a slight tremble in them as she starts to drive.

"It's going to be fine. Everything will be okay." She doesn't believe a word she's saying to herself, her heart is thumping in her heaving chest. She doesn't want to go alone. Convincing Mi-seon to leave was a failed endeavour, her and that police officer becoming inseparable. She knew what that smile meant when her best friend had realized that she would have the house to herself. She could barely get a word in as Mi-seon started frantically shaving her legs then pushed her out of the bathroom to "shave her wild cat".

With a sigh she starts driving, the car too quiet despite what she'd told Du-Sik and the Gongjin grannies. Uncharacteristically she turns on the radio, kpop blaring from the speakers. She recognizes the tune, never before has something as mundane as butter seemed so interesting but the kitchen essential was given new life by the song. She bops her head to the catchy beat, trying to ignore the fact that she's driving to the lion's den.

Some time later, she pulls into the hotel a valet already coming over to get her car. Grabbing her overnight bag, she exits the car handing her keys to the waiting hands of the valet.

Everyone is here and none of them had come alone, she was the only one without a plus one. They haven't noticed her yet so she watches as they all laugh at a joke she can't hear, unnecessarily stroking at their husband's chests as if to show off their exorbitantly priced wedding rings. Everything was always a competition here.

She shouldn't have come. Their was nothing about her life that they would be envious of. She was going to make a fool of herself. Impulsively she starts stepping back but it's too late, Hong In-A spots her and points her out and immediately all eyes are on her, they all start walking over to her and she wants nothing more than to run far, far away. Get on a bus and go to the beach and never see any of them ever again. But she's no longer a child, no longer that scared little girl; worked too hard to shed that skin.

Fortifying herself she puts on a fake smile. Ready for war.

"Hye-Jin ah, there you are. We were beginning to think you wouldn't come. You never responded in the group chat." Ye-Ri states with an attitude, looking around her as if searching for someone and eyes brightening when she sees no one. "Did you come alone?" This makes all of them perk up, looking around like chickens with their heads clucking. She swallows the shame the question elicits, "Who would I be with? I told you in already, it's not like that."

They all look at her with pity, it makes her want to slap them all across the face. Who were they to make her feel like shit, she didn't need anyone that didn't make her pathetic.

Finally one of the husbands cracks the awkward tension by introducing himself, she tries her best to ignore the pervasive way his eyes run down her body. Instinctively she crosses her arms, feeling naked under his stare. Nobody else notices her discomfort and after all the introductions, they all walk away as if she's no longer worth their time.

Lump in her throat she walks into the hotel, determined not to show them that they've gotten under her skin.

There's a scheduled lunch and she tries to find a new table but Sung-Mi waves her over and she doesn't see anyone else she recognizes or wants to sit with.

He hadn't been wrong, she has no friends besides Mi-seon.

"You were looking around, were you looking for someone? Are we not good enough to sit with?" The question is asked with a bite and sneer as if the idea is laughable that she would ever be better than any of them.

She swallows her pride, "No nothing like that. I was merely looking around."

Sung-Mi looks satisfied as if putting her in her place has righted her world.

They begin a conversation that completely excludes her, regaling drama that she knows nothing about and doing nothing to bring her up to date or invite her to join. It's the polar opposite of her experience in the countryside and with shocking clarity she realizes that she wishes she were there, it's only been a few hours but she misses it. Nobody looks down on her there, no usually she's the only doing that she notes with shame.

"I'll find the restroom." She says to no one because none of them are paying her any mind except the husband with the wandering eyes and she would much rather not have that attention.

Thankfully the bathroom is empty and she has to stop herself from splashing water on her face, her make-up was done perfectly it would be a waste to ruin it. Pushing her hair behind her ears she takes a deep breath and then another until her head is clearer, the noise lessening.

"It's only a day and a night. You've suffered far worst."

With that lacking pep talk she exits the bathroom, almost colliding into a wall. Wait, no it's just a person- a chest to be specific. She looks up ready to apologize when a familiar face stops her in her tracks.

"What are you doing here?" She stares flabbergasted at him, more dressed up than she's ever seen him. In a white suit with a white vest, the tee-shirt peeking under the only thing that feels like him to her. And his white sneakers. She can't hide her surprise at his sudden appearance and without thinking she starts to pull him to the side, to avoid being seen but she's not fast enough and soon they are swarmed by her colleagues, before she even has a chance to talk to him.

"Aren't you the man from the picture?" Yoo-Jin asks blushing way too much for a married woman if her husband's cold stare means anything.

"The picture?" Du-sik replies, clearly confused.

"You're the guy that's chasing after her. She told us that you liked her and you were courting her." Sung-Mi answers for her, she wants to vanish. It would be better if she had never existed. Even non-existence would be better than this embarrassing moment. "I got a picture of you two last time, when you followed her."

His eyes ping-pong between the group and her and she realizes this is his chance to ruin her. After everything she's done, all her rude comments and snobby remarks about the town and people he cares for so much, this is his chance for revenge. He can laugh and deny any feelings for her, tell them all that she's a liar and he's never been interested in her, not even once. This is what is going to happen. She prepares herself for the fall out, surely after this she won't be able to show her face in Seoul again.

He starts to laugh and her stomach tightens, her palms are so sweaty.

Here it goes.

"Oh I guess she wanted to keep me a secret."

Wait. What. That doesn't sound like denial.

"We're together now. I finally bulldozed those walls and made her mine. Nice to meet you all I'm Hong Du-sik, Hye-Jin ah's boyfriend."

Her eyes widen as he bows and starts to shake hands with the husbands, the one that stared at her looking disappointed. Their handshake goes on for a second too long, eventually with the latter pulling away with a pained look. She's too confused to consider what that means.

"And you were so cold earlier saying you had no one. Did you want to make a fool of us?"

He answers for her, "It's nothing like that, my honey is still getting used to us. I'm sorry I'm so late I had something to take care of."

Her head is spinning too fast to keep up with everything happening and she's grateful when he excuses them and guides her outside with a large hand on her hip.

Fresh air is much appreciated and she takes in huge heaps of it as soon as they're free.

Then reality crashes down on her.

He knows about her lying.

He had called her bluff.

But he didn't out her.

"Why didn't you tell them the truth?" She finally manages to say, head still reeling.

But instead of answering he's staring at her legs, then slowly his eyes swivel upward cross her thighs curving around her hips, past her breasts (a bit too slow there) before moving to her collar and settling on her face.

"You look great."

She feels the heat rushing to her face. What was he doing to her?

It hadn't been in purpose but she finds herself in red again, an a line dress with criss crossing straps over her shoulder and a middle slit. It was conservative without being too formal or professional. She'd felt comfortable in it but now seeing that look on his face, comfort is the last thing she feels.

He was distracting her and she couldn't afford that with those harpies inside waiting for her downfall. They needed to get back on track.

"What are you doing here?" She tries again, but he responds with his own question, "Why did you tell them that I was chasing you?"

"It was a mistake. They thought we were together and I just....said that for no reason." It's half the truth.

"They don't seem like your friends. You looked like you needed someone on your side, so I just found myself saying we were together for no reason."

She looks at him blankly, heart pounding now. In her moment of weakness instead of kicking her, he'd lended a helping hand. What kind of person did it make her for expecting the former?

"So what now?" She asks still in disbelief that he's here and that he'd told people that there were dating, she would be angry and offended later that they had readily believed it. Perhaps it didn't seem too farfetched now with him looking like that right now.

"Well, don't look but they're watching us through the glass."

This time she finds herself turning to look and he's the one that has to stop her, he does so by suddenly grabbing her hand and tugging her into his body. She squeaks at the collision. Leaning down so his lips are level with her ear, he speaks, "We can give them a show. I'm happy to be your pretend boyfriend."

Why?

She yearns to ask him why he's willing to go this far for her? Why was he even here when she had never told him where the convention was taking place? But his words were hot on her ear and she's tired of being their source of entertainment so she nods looking up at him, "Just this once. I'm going to lean on you. Let me borrow your eraser and copy your homework."

He stares before a blinding smile graces his handsome face.

"Let's go then." His hand is heavy on her waist as he walks back towards the hotel, taking his role very seriously it seems.

He fits in perfectly. Able to talk about a plethora of topics to anyone he's introduced to and even she's impressed by him. Be it travel, philosophy or poetry he seems well versed in everything things that even she is ignorant to and it makes her regret the way she looked down on him before, he was anything but a country bumpkin.

She leaves him to his conversation to get a drink, a whiskey on the rocks. Needing something hard tonight.

Not that. Down brain.

"Yoon Hye Jin? I would recognize that face anywhere."

Twisting to face the voice, she sees a familiar face- old classmate. Rung Do-Bae, they weren't anything more than classmates despite his many, many attempts.

His eyes sweep over her hungrily. She swallows her drink, painting on a shallow smile.

"Sunbae, how nice to see you here."

Invading her space he grabs her hand, "There is no need for such formalities. You can just call me by my name, Hye Jin ah."

As if she ever would.

Gently she tries to extract her hand but he won't let go and she doesn't want to make a scene.

Suddenly she's warmed by a body pressing into her, she knows who it is without even looking, her body relaxes immediately.

"Sorry I got lost in conversation honey. Who might this be? Another friend of yours?" He thrusts his right hand out and Do-Bae has no choice but to release her hand to return his handshake. Scarily enough she's starting to become used to his nickname, barely reacting to him using it again.

"Yes, this is my sunbae from school. Sunbae this is Hong Du Sik my....."

She knows that this is all an act, they were doing this to help her but she can't bring her tongue to form around the word, boyfriend.

"Her boyfriend." He finishes for her, pulling her tighter to his body.

But Do-Bae looks suspicious now.

"Boyfriend? I thought you were still single. You never changed your status on SNS. I've checked."

"Why are you so curious about that?" Du-sik challenges in return, doing a great job of sounding like a jealous boyfriend. She's almost even convinced.

"Hye Jin ah and I have always had a very special relationship. Beyond that of a hoobae and sunbae. Isn't that right?" He directs the last bit to her and she feels Du-sik stiffen next to her, seemingly believing these lies. So she clears that up.

"I have no idea what you're referring to honestly. We have never had anything that would constitute as a "special" relationship. I would appreciate if you didn't spread such lies, especially to my boyfriend. Enjoy the rest of your night."

She tugs Du-sik away, not waiting for a reply from the other man. The conversation was over anyway.

When they get far enough he speaks, "You have a lot of admirers."

She raises an eyebrow at the non-sequitur.

"Are you surprised?"

He brushes a hand across her cheek, making her freeze.

"No. It makes sense."

She blinks slowly before laughing, it sounds fake even to her ears.

"You should have been an actor. Your acting skills are incredible." He doesn't laugh, doesn't move before they're pulled into another conversation and she tries not to think about how tightly his body is pressed against her own.

"How is he in bed? He hasn't left you alone all day, I bet it's passionate." As soon as lunch had ended they had invited her to a spa, she'd considered saying no but she knew they would talk about her even if she wasn't there so it was best to at least know what they were saying.

Du-sik looked sad to see her go, but she told herself that she wasn't good at reading his faces. They hardly knew each other.

"I can't remember the last time I had a passionate night of sex. Kids and a full time job, leave no time for that. I'm pretty sure he's cheating on me and I'm too tired to even care." Sung-Mi confesses and she's shocked when the others nod in agreement instead of threatening to castrate him, as she'd done when Mi-seon told her about her ex boyfriend cheating.

"I have no complaints. He's... attentive. He's always touching me and pushing his way into my space. He's gentle but passionate, and I like...that he's so much bigger than me." She knows she should stop, this is definitely taking the lies too far. But that night bleeds into her thoughts, making everything she's saying feel true. He'd been so gentle with her, those huge hands cupping her face. She wondered how they would feel on other parts of her body.

"Damn. Look at you getting horny just from remembering. I'm so jealous."

Jealous. There were envious of her, it was all she'd been hoping for but the happiness she expected to erupt never comes. Instead she feels cheap, like she'd used Du-sik for her own benefit. She had tainted that night. This wasn't what she wanted.

As the day had gone on she found herself looking at him too much, he'd come all the way just for her and regardless of her brain trying to minimize that, it was huge. He hated snobby people like them who based a person's worth in their monetary success and yet he put on a smile and chatted with everyone, letting them mock his way of life and call people like him useless dreamers. All while she did nothing to defend him and drank wine, happy that they were being accepted.

He was the perfect gentleman all day and he was getting nothing in return for this. It was all just to help her.

Would a friend truly go this far to help? Was she being naive or was it like Mi-seon said, was she lying to herself?

"I'm such an idiot."

Without another word, she flees the sauna rushing to the locker room and changing back into her clothes. Nobody follows her because they aren't her friends. Why had she wasted so much time trying to impress these people who aren't even truly happy in their own lives?

The drive back is long, and she doesn't know what she's going to say but she knows that she's tired of being scared.

Leaving the key in the car she rushes past the valet, into the hotel elevator pressing their floor and waiting impatiently.

It takes three tries to get into their hotel room but once the door opens, he's right there. Sitting in the seat by the window reading a book.

"You're back early. I thought you would be gone until three?" He looks up, dog earring his book and giving her his full attention. Her heart skips a beat.

"Why did you agree to do this for me? Why go through all this trouble for me?"

It's the same question he's been asking himself since he first met her. Why was he was interested in her and why did he keep wanting to save her?

It was the desire that led to him being here.

He had accidentally overhead Mi-seon talking to Eun Chol about being worried about her, the convention was overnight and everyone would be bringing someone and she'd be all alone. The thought of her alone and isolated, made him race to her without a plan. Only stopping at a store to buy his outfit so he would fit in with her crowd, he'd spent more in that shop then he usually did in a week. But it was worth it for her.

It was a miracle that she hadn't questioned his presence more, he knew it was shameless and deceiving but none of this felt like pretending to him. His jealousy had been real, he'd had to strangle the urge to kick the pervert husband with the wandering eyes and then the insistent sunbae who wouldn't take a hint. She was a vision in the red dress and it wasn't a surprise that men found her enchanting, he just didn't like them looking at her. But she wasn't his, never would be because he couldn't confess.

They weren't right for each other.

"Do you like me?"

That question again. Last time he had laughed it off, called it absurd. But it wasn't. Not liking her would have been absurd.

"I don't know why you're asking me that."

"Because I'm tired of us lying to ourselves. Don't laugh and don't you dare say it's absurd again."

He can't respond, he's stuck on the word "us". It wasn't just him, they were an us?

Hearing that gives him courage he had long thought had been most forever.

"I wasn't pretending today. Nothing was fake to me, I meant it all." It's terrifying, unchartered land for them and he waits to see which one of them will chicken out first. It's sure to happen.

"I'm going to kiss you." She says instead of running like he expected and secretly wished for.

And then she's crossing the room and leaning down to grab his face, she watches him giving him a chance to pull away but he does the opposite, this time he meeting her half way. As soon as their lips meet the kiss is already too much, she's sliding into his lap and he wraps his arms around her tugging her closer until their chests are squished together.

He hasn't kissed anyone like this in a long time.

Hasn't been this close to losing control in a longer time.

"You're dangerous." He whispers into her mouth and she giggles at the statement, wiggling in his arms and rolling into him forcing a punched out groan from his lips.

Carefully he lifts her shirt watching her face closely for any signs that she wants to stop but finding nothing but her palpable lust.

Her skin is unbelievably smooth and soft and he can't stop himself from stroking her, rubbing at her back his hands resting right above her butt.

"How long have you felt this way?" She asks softly seductively nipping at his neck and running a hand over his shirt to caress his stomach, he physically aches for her.

"I wanted you the moment I saw you. But I didn't feel this until you convinced grandma to get her implants. That was when it became more for me."

She looks surprised and he is too, that they're speaking so candidly about feelings they've always denied.

"What about you?"

She stops licking at his neck to look him in the eyes. He's nervous to hear her reply.

"I.... don't know."

He tries to hide his disappointment. Maybe she was starting to retreat back into her shell. Maybe he shouldn't have been so honest.

He's about to untangle them when she continues, "It wasn't at first sight but one day I found myself looking for you. Seeing you become the best part of my day, I started to count on you to be there for me. To expect it. Just like this, I've been scared to lean on anyone until I met you."

Now that's a confession.

Impulsively he stands with her still on his lap, forcing her to to latch onto him so she doesn't tumble to the floor. Not that this would ever happen because he would never let her fall.

"I could have fell!" She cries, clinging to his shoulders and wrapping her legs around his waist. Her half naked bra clad body so close to him is causing another biological crisis in his pants.

Walking to the large bed in the middle of the room he falls backwards, enjoying the view of her on top of him a little too much.

It's all probably too soon and they should probably slow down, but his body is strumming and he wants nothing more than to break her apart.

"I'm all sweaty. I should take a shower."

Instantly an image of her wet and naked under the downpour of a shower flashes in his mind and he has to twist away from her.

"Pervert." She accuses but he can hear how satisfied she is with his reaction. Damn tease.

"Do you want to join me?" She teases some more, having fun now that she knows her power over him.

He looks at her helplessly.

"Are you having fun? Remember what I told you before? I'm still a guy. You're sitting here in your bra taunting me, do you think I'm that much of a good guy? Do you think I don't want to throw you down, rip your clothes off and eat you alive? I'm so hard right now just seeing you naked would be enough to push me over the edge. So don't make propositions you can't follow through on."

She looks dizzy from his words, eyes hooded and glossy. He watches her gulp and then stagger off to the bathroom, without a word to him. It's probably for the best, everything is too charged right now.

A shower for her and many glasses of water for him later, she's back and it's almost time for dinner.

"I think they said dinner starts at 6. Should we head down?"

She glances at him, while opening her bag and pulling out skin creams and some fuzzy socks.

"Would you be opposed to ordering room service and staying here?"

It's the best offer he's heard all day, only second to her asking if he wanted to join her in the shower.

"What about your colleagues?" He asks to make certain that she's really okay with this.

"What about them?" She replies with a shrug and he grins picking up the room service menu.

They order too much food and not enough alcohol but neither of them want to forget this night. She tells him stories about her time in dental school and he's happy to get to know her better, chuckling at the funny stories and commiserating at the sad ones.

Before he knows it night has fallen.

And he realizes that they'll be sharing a bed. Unless she wants him to sleep on the couch.

She's wearing a big shirt and loose shorts and he still can't believe he gets to see her like this.

"Are you coming to bed?" She's already getting under the sheet and that answers his question, this is really happening. He starts to follow her lead, getting under the sheets but keeping a respectable distance between them.

"I'm cold." She announces suddenly and he starts to look for a thermostat in the room or an extra blanket, before realizing that she's looking at him over her shoulder, he stares back confused before she lifts an eyebrow and oh, he gets it. Carefully moving closer he feels her warmth surround him as they meet, forth to back.

"Took you long enough." She grumbles, pulling his arm over here body and settling back into him moving until she's comfortable.

She's so close and warm and her smell is all around him and he feels his restraint dissolving and when she presses back into him, her hip rubbing against his crotch he bites down on his bottom lip.

It's too much for him to resist and without warning or preamble, he's turning her to face him and swallowing her moan of surprise eagerly. He grabs her head firmly holding her in place and slips his tongue into her open mouth, her unique taste exploding on his taste buds. He's hungry for more. So he starts to tug down her shorts, heart beat thundering in his groin. She kicks the shorts away, and he groans at the sight of her panties she was trying to kill him, he was certain.

"You're the devil." He chokes out staring at red lace, he'll never be able to see the color again without getting a raging hard on.

"You haven't seen anything yet. Honey." The word drips from her tongue just like the real thing.

Forgetting all reason and logics he lunges at her, devouring her mouth and sticking his hand in her panties. She's so warm and fuck, wet drenching his fingers.

Simultaneously he thrusts his tongue into her mouth and his fingers in her wet folds, groaning as she melts like butter under his touch. There's no resistance, as he plunges two fingers inside her experimentally before picking up his place when she clutches onto him and grinds back on his fingers, begging the whole time.

"More, more, please!"

As if he could ever deny her anything, with one hand he grabs her ass and the other he thrusts into her opening over and over until her voice gets breathy and she starts to stutter, squirming wildly in his arms and he knows exactly what's coming: the beautiful end. So without warning he pulls back the sheet and slithers down her body, throwing her legs around his head and pushing his tongue in to the brim, hungrily drinking at her until she shakes and combusts in his arms. Sweet on his tongue, he swallows it all greedily.

He strokes her as she recovers from her high, climbing back up her body. So much for taking things slow, but he can't even think about regretting it when he sees the blissed out look on her face. He wants to imprint it in his mind. Nobody else will ever get to see this face but him.

"It's your turn." She says sounding loopy like she's drunk and he laughs as she reaches for the tent in his pants but misses his bulge and instead falls into him.

"You're tired. Go to sleep. That was enough for me, seeing you like that fulfilled every fantasy I've had. "

He truly means it. He's a giver. And it's not like he can't tug one out later in the bathroom with her face and moans playing on repeat in his brain.

She starts to argue, but her phone vibrating on the nightstand distracts her. Reaching over she picks it up before chuckling and flopping back into the bed.

"What?" He asks curious, jealous of whoever is making her smile like that.

Ignorant to his inner thoughts, she thrusts her phone into his face. The room is so dark it takes a moment for his eyes to adjust to the bright lighting of the phone, but once he can see he reads the message on her phone and starts to laugh too.

"Dusik is missing! Nobody has seen him all day!! We started a search party."

[ikeromantic]

Fake It Til You Make It

A Mitsuhide Akechi fanfiction - approx. 2200 words. This scene takes place post-romantic epilogue. Fluff and a little spice.

First: Mitsuhide and the Maiden

Previous: Adrift

Kyubei watched the innkeeper through narrowed eyes. Though the man was clearly nervous, he didn’t seem to be lying. His story hadn’t changed in the last three tellings, so either he was an accomplished liar or he was telling the truth.

“L-lord Akechi and the woman left with one of the Akechi warriors. Right after we saw the fire across the lake,” the innkeeper said for the fourth time. “Then the storm came and after that, no one saw him.”

“Do you remember anything else? Did anyone else come in after they left? Did you see anyone acting strangely?”

The man shook his head. “No, I mean, not really? Everyone was a bit strange after we saw the blaze. Wondering if Azuchi was still standing.” He frowned. “You think it might have been Lord Akechi? Him disappearing like that right after -”

Kyubei cut him off. “No. That was the work of the Mouri clan.” It wasn’t the first person he’d spoken with that suspected. And why wouldn’t they? Mitsuhide was only just back from his misadventure at the shogun’s side. An ally in disgrace. A man not to be trusted.

The worst part of all this was that Kyubei really had no idea what his lord wanted him to do. Should he quash the rumors? Encourage them? Mitsuhide’s instructions from his last letter said nothing about an attack on Azuchi - not like this - and nothing about disappearing. Of course, he pretended like he knew exactly what was going on. He had to, until he received additional instructions.

“So . . . am I free to go?” The innkeeper was frowning now. His nervousness replaced by a desire to get back to making money at the inn.

“For now,” Kyubei said. He gave the man a hard stare. “If I need anything else, I will send someone for you.”

The innkeeper bowed and left, leaving Kyubei alone with his thoughts. It really seemed that in the storm, his lord had simply vanished into thin air. And Miyake too.

Perhaps they'd left with Ranmaru, who was also missing. But if so, there would be a letter. A message. Something!

The castle staff had no idea where he was - they’d waited for him to return for hours. Miyake’s squad couldn’t find their commander either. Both men were expected.

And the chatelaine . . . his lady. Kyubei worried that he had failed to protect her again.

***

Morning came with pale light through a high window. It fell across four careworn, sleeping faces. Sasuke and Miyake lay in a tangle of blankets on the floor, and in a bed, Mitsuhide clung to his little mouse. He woke with the first notes of bird-song, but kept his eyes shut. He wasn’t ready to confront the strange world of 500 years in the future just yet.

His little one stirred in his arms as the sound of morning birds turned into a hum of outside activity. “Is it . . . are we really . . .” She opened her eyes and looked around Sarutobi’s flat. “We’re really here.”

Mitsuhide nodded.

“I want to be happy about it, but . . .”

He shushed her with a kiss. “It will be fine. Worrying won’t return us faster.”

She sighed and buried her face against his chest. “I know. I just hope everyone is alright.”

“They will be,” Mitsuhide reassured her. He didn’t think of it as a lie - simply an assumption he based on his past experience. Nobunaga would handle this threat as he did others that came before it.

And Kyubei would see to what the left hand needed to be doing.

Sasuke sat up, rubbing his face. “I apologize for the accommodations,” he told them. The same apology he’d given the night before.

“At least we had somewhere to sleep.” The chatelaine sat up and wiggled out of the blanket. “I should probably check on my flat and see if it’s still mine. If so, we won't have to impose on you a second night. Although,” she sighed. “I don’t have my ID or my keys or anything.”

“I don't mind,” Sasuke replied. “You are welcome to continue crashing here. Although, we may not be here for long. Weren’t there activities you wanted to do in this time? While you can?” His left eyebrow lifted almost imperceptibly.

Mitsuhide gave her one of his slow, warm smiles. His fingers traced a path down her spine. “Yes, you did mention some things I would like to see, since we are here.”

His little mouse arched like a cat against his hand. “I did . . . yes. Alright. Since we’re here, we might as well try to enjoy it!”

Miyake rolled over on the floor and pulled the blanket over his head.

“I take it that means you plan to stay here for the day?”

Sasuke answered for the half-asleep warrior. “Actually, I would really appreciate it if Miyake would accompany me. I need to go to my university and make some arrangements.”

Miyake groaned and sat up. He blinked as his gaze went around the room, taking in all the strange objects. Finally, he settled on the ninja. “You need protection or something?”

“No. I don’t think anyone will attack me.” Sasuke felt around for his glasses and slid them on. “But I expect to be moving some heavy equipment in the lab. And I may have a friend who can help us out with those arrangements, if you're there to corroborate my story.”

“Corr what?” Miyake frowned.

“Authenticate. Like a two factor security key.” The ninja grinned.

The warrior looked to Mitsuhide uncertainly.

“If Sarutobi believes you can assist him today, then that is what you will do. I am sure my fiancée and I will be fine.”

The chatelaine looked less certain about this, but she nodded agreement.

The four of them took turns dressing in the ‘washroom’ to give each other privacy. His morning was one of surprise as the . . . toilet . . . squirted him with water. And warm or cold water came from a metal spigot at the turn of a handle too, spilling into a porcelain basin. There were more smokeless lanterns - electric lights they were called - and other wonders.

Had Mitsunari been there, he was sure the scholar could have spent weeks studying every device but Mitsuhide just needed to know how to use it.

In this place, he was the naïve child, and his little one, the wise teacher. Such a shift in their positions was hard to take. Mitsuhide didn’t think of himself as arrogant but this situation was humbling in the extreme. Thankfully, he managed to get through dressing and breakfast without any serious mishaps.

Sasuke and Miyake left to the university. The flat was silent in their wake. Mitsuhide and his little mouse sat on the edge of the bed. She was tapping away at a . . . tablet . . . to get access to her accounts. The electronic scroll was interesting, at least. With pictures and writing all lit up so you could read it even in the dark.

Mitsuhide stood and stretched, trying to get used to moving in his new clothes. They were Sarutobi’s and didn’t quite fit. He was dressed in a pair of pants that clung tightly to his legs and ended short of his ankle. The top was a soft weave, dyed black. It sported an odd blue character on it and the word Sonic. Sarutobi said the picture was a hedgehog, whatever that was.

He would have liked to wear something without a picture on it. He’d had the choice between this one and something with a lizard that walked on two legs and shot fire from its mouth. Those were the only two shirts the ninja had that were long enough to cover him to his waist. And there was no way he was walking around with a bare midriff. Even if his little mouse looked interested in the idea.

Her midriff was bare afterall, she’d laughed. And it was - sort of. She tied one of Sasuke’s shirts in a bow under her breasts and had a pair of his shorts on. Though Mitsuhide wasn’t familiar with the clothes of this time, he thought she looked like a child trying to fit into her father’s clothes. Endearingly cute, but ill fit. Some of the clothes they saw women wearing on the way in the night before would have looked much better on her.

She looked up as if she knew he was thinking about her. “Ok, I think we’re ready to go.”

“Where to, my love?”

“Well, first to my apartment. It looks like my rent payments have all been made. And the building manager knows me so I should be able to get a spare key.” Her smile was all relief.

They arrived to the apartment, a small space in a tall building that reminded Mitsuhide of a castle, if the castle was robbed of all charm and beauty. Her room was utilitarian and sterile, and while there was still the wonder of technology, he could see none of her personality in the space. He said as much.

“Hm, yeah. I didn’t really have time to decorate. The apartment came furnished. I moved in and then, well,” she laughed. “I ended up in Azuchi with you.”

Mitsuhide pulled her into a hug. “A fate worse than death, little mouse?”

“You know it wasn’t,” she giggled, laughing harder as he ran his fingers down her sensitive sides. Holding her like this felt like home, even if nothing else was familiar.

After several slow breaths, they let go of each other.

“I must confess, I cannot see you living in this place. It doesn’t seem very safe. And you don’t have much room for your sewing.” Mitsuhide couldn’t help but poke into her cabinets, shelves, and drawers.

She nodded. “Yeah, it’s pretty small but it was a place I could afford on my own.”

Mitsuhide heard the pride in her voice. He smiled. “I can imagine you coming here, determined to make it on your own.” He turned from the cabinet he was inspecting to see her stripping off her shirt.

Her pert breasts were a pleasant surprise, but she crossed her arms over them as soon as she saw him looking. “I’m just changing clothes! I didn’t want to wear Sasuke’s basketball shorts all day.”

“Please, continue.”

“I - I can’t while you’re staring at me!” She turned so that all he could see was her back.

Mitsuhide laughed. “Are we not lovers? How many times have I kissed, nibbled, caressed every bit of your skin from head to toe?”

She shivered, skin dimpling with remembered touches. Slow, nervous, she turned back around. Her arms lowered, revealing her chest again. “You can watch if you want to.”

He wasn’t sure if it was nerves or mischief that made her voice squeak at the end. Either was amusing. “Mmm, I’m a lucky man to get a show.”

“You are,” she smiled. Her fingers went to the tie on the shorts. They fell away, pooling around her feet. Underneath, she wore nothing.

Mitsuhide sucked in a breath.

Her hips swayed as she walked to her wardrobe. She glanced over her shoulder at him and fluttered her eyelashes, trying to be saucy. The effect was a little spoiled by the blush that ran from her cheeks to the tips of her ears. From within the wardrobe she pulled out a little twist of cloth. It was light blue and made of some embroidered material.

He didn’t realize he could see her skin through it until she slipped it on, slowly pulling the fabric taut over her curves. Though she was technically covered, it was somehow more tempting than just skin alone. “What . . . is that?”

“Panties.” She giggled. Then she pulled out a matching bit of cloth and wrapped it around her chest. The rise of her breasts were restrained by this new piece of clothing as she reached behind her as if to tie it.

“And that?”

“My bra.” She turned right, then left, letting him get a good view.

The sight made Mitsuhide want to simultaneously rip the clothing off her and still enjoy looking at her in them. It wasn’t possible to have both . . .

“To be honest, it’s been kind of nice not wearing these the last few months. But I think I would feel weird if I didn’t wear them with my modern clothes.”

“I like them.” Mitsuhide smiled widely. A grin that brought heat to her gaze before she looked away, suddenly shy. He knew this ground well. Even here in a world where everything was strange, his little one was the same.

He stepped forward, reaching to cup her cheek. His other hand settled lightly on her hip, fingertips stroking the skin just above the fabric of her panties. She inhaled sharply, lips parting. Mitsuhide took the invitation.

The kiss was, at first, gentle and sweet, but the press of their bodies built heat between them. Their breath mingled, tongues entwined. Hands grasping, stroking, pulling. Tearing.

Mitsuhide stopped at the sound of fabric ripping.

His little one gasped and reached down to feel the damage. Her eyes widened. “You . . . tore my panties.” Then she started to laugh.

He laughed too. Never in his life had he expected a woman so wonderful. A woman he would want badly enough to - literally - tear the clothes off her. This kind of passion he’d always believed was fake. Yet here he was. It was unthinkable. Incredible. “I love you,” Mitsuhide told her, smiling so widely that it hurt.

“I love you too.”

She gestured to the wardrobe. "I should probably, you know. Finish." It took only a moment for her to shimmy into her own clothes. Then they headed out into this strange world that was his home 500 years after death.

Next: Kitsune's Day Out

[radiantsunburst]

Todoroki, Bakugou, and Midoriya (HCS)

Requested by @fujimoribaby : *Cracks knuckles* Might I request hc’s for Izuku, Shōto, and Katsuki poPPIN a bOner whilst cuDDlin with their siGniFicAnt other👅💦💦💦💦

Warnings: Slight!NSFW

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

TODOROKI SHOUTO

• Class 1-A came back to their dorms, tired and injured from classes and hero trainings provided by All Might. Todoroki and his S/O walked in hand-in-hand as they made their way toward their rooms.

• His S/O would ask him if they could stay at his room to rest and have a cuddle session.

• Todoroki would hesitate at first (knowing that he respects a person's privacy) but agrees once he sees his S/O being all pouty and cute.

• Before they could cuddle, they decided to take a shower individually before hitting the lights up.

• Once they're in their sleeping wear, they both plop down on the bed. He would pull on the sheets to cover them.

• Spooning position where Todoroki hugs you from behind and pull you close to his chest, he would also use his fire quirk to keep you both warm.

• You tried to shift your body to get you into a more comfortable position, however, Todoroki accidentally let out a moan when your ass accidentally grazed his crotch.

• "Sho I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-Wait did you just moan?"

• He kept quiet, feeling embarrassed from the sound he made. Although your question was answered when you felt something poke behind your butt.

• He's having a boner.

• You slightly smirk to yourself as you tried to move your hips again, trying to get a feel on his clothed hard cock. He buries his face onto your neck, feeling his warm breath as he tried to contain his groans.

• His hands would place itselves on your hips giving it a firm grip. Slowly he'd begin to move in sync with your movements. Unable to control yourselves, you'd both release small moans as you both enjoy the delicious friction.

• "F-fuck, Love... You feel so good"

• You decided to tease him by stopping your movements and he wasn't happy. He let out a low growl as he looked at you intently with a clouded gaze of lust, he licked his lips before giving you a smirk that sent shivers down to your spine.

• "Tease me and I'll punish you, Love" He whispers to your ear before pinning your arms above your head, giving your neck a long striped lick.

• Needless to say, you both couldn't sleep for the entire night.

BAKUGOU KATSUKI

• Katsuki and his S/O had plans for an outing, they planned on visiting an amusement park near the beach, while enjoying the rides and eating by the food stalls.

• But it all became unsuccessful when dark cumulonimbus clouds took over the skies. Moments later, lightning flashed, thunder roared, and rain started pouring heavily.

• Just now the weather forecast stated that there's a huge storm coming, with thunderstorms and heavy rains. People were advised to stay within their homes for safety.

• Pomeranian Hedgehog was pissed.

• He's aggressively yelling at the weather for sabotaging their date.

• You chuckled at his tantrums, and decided to ease him up by suggesting something.

• "Katsu, it's alright. How about we play video games and cuddle up on the couch?"

• Boi sighs exasperatedly before agreeing.

• Once everything was settled down: playstation setup, food, drinks, pillows and comforters. You both situated yourselves on the couch with you sitting on top of Katsu's lap. You both decided to take turns in playing.

• Katsuki was holding the controller while you decided to open a bag of chips and started eating.

• One particular chip fell down on Katsuki's crotch, but you being the oblivious c(s)innamon roll you are, decided to grab the fallen soldier. Unaware that your fingertips lightly touched his crotch causing him to jolt and get distracted from the game, causing him to lose.

• "What the fuck?! Oi Dumbass, did you do that on purpose?!" His face was flushed both in embarrassment and surprise.

• "No, stop assuming things Hedgehog. I was only picking up the fallen crumb" You say before moving off of him but he grabs you by the wrists and pulls you to sit back on his lap, this time, you were facing him.

• You could feel his hard-on underneath and you felt yourself get damp.

• "Don't think you can run away from me Babe, you better take care of this" He whispers before slamming his lips on yours. The kiss soon grew heated, as your hips started to grind down on his aching cock. Losing the fight for dominance as Katsuki overpowers you.

• "Yeah that's it Babygirl, feel Daddy's hard cock? "

• Katsuki firmly grips your hips whilst rutting his hips to meet yours, loving the sounds you're making. You both continued your "heated" session until you couldn't walk the next day.

MIDORIYA IZUKU

• Today was Saturday, a time to be free from classes and hero stuff. It was a perfect day to do recreational activities or just laze around. Midoriya and his S/O stayed in the pillow fort that they constructed last night, still sleepy from staying up until 3 am watching vine compilations that his S/O recommended for them to watch.

• They were both huddled up close, arms wrapped around each other. They could hear their heartbeats beat in unison.

• "Princess, are you still sleepy?"

• "Mhmm.... Maybe"

• He smiles at your cute sleepy face before pulling you close to him, his face leans onto the crook of your neck and he relaxes.

• When he inhaled, he takes in the smell of your scent. Your sweet, flowery and vanilla scent that always drove him crazy. He just couldn't help but feel addicted.

• Which is why, when you're not around, he takes your huge oversized hoodies and wears them. Your scent helps him calm down after a stressful day, and he loves how you remind him of home.

• Slowly, his thoughts about you changed into something more lewd. Izuku blushed at the provocative thoughts of seeing you writhe beneath him as he makes fucks into you.

• Your moans would be music to his ears, your flushed face as if you're practically 'begging him to pound you harder' made him more riled up.

• Izuku starts to notice that something was growing on the lower part of his body until he looks down and sees an evident bulge on his boxers.

• In his thoughts, "S-shit! Oh no, if s-she finds out about t-this then I-I'll be done for!"

• He tries to move away carefully but fails to do so as you notice his weird behavior.

• "Sunshine, are you alright?"

• He squeaks.

• "Y-yeah! Why w-wouldn't I b-be?" He stammers. (Poor baby boi is so flustered and shy)

• Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion, you swung your leg and anchored it on his hip before stopping as you felt something hard brush your thigh. You hear Izuku gasp in surprise before biting his lip to contain his moan.

• You look down in awe as you can see his large bulge from his boxers. You gulped and blushed.

• "O-Oh"

• You suddenly felt energized right now, so you decided to push him flat on his back, running your hands all over his body, loving the sounds he was making before going down on him.

• "Princess, w-what are you doin-Oh!"

• He let out a loud moan as you cupped his growing erection. You smirked at his reaction before rubbing it up and down.

• "Look at you, so cute and flustered... So vulnerable" You teased.

• He gave you a look filled with lust and want, his desire for you caused his erection to ache more and drip. He craves for your touch, he wants to taste and feel every inch of you.

• "P-please... Princess, d-don't tease me.."

• "As you wish, Baby" You whisper seductively, gripping the waistband of his boxers before pulling it down slowly to get to the fun part.

A/n: Feel free to request guys! You can drop it in my inbox. ✨💕

[timmy-the-madfox]

This is the first part of a SonAmy short story that I'm in the process of writing. It'll probably be four or five parts long. Fair warned: this will probably be cheesy, verging on cringe.

As Yet Untitled – A SonAmy short story by Madfox_Timmy:

It didn’t happen so very long ago, though it’s true this story did happen in the past.

In a small village, located a few miles to the south of the big city, there lived a cute young lady named Amelia Rose. She was a cheerful person, full of energy and always happy to help her friends. But the one thing she hungered for was adventure.

Amelia, or Amy as she was affectionately known in the village had no shortage of admirers in her village, but she only really had eyes for the handsome youth whose heroic adventures were legendary the world over. That youth, known for his blue spines, cool trainers and his ability to run at insanely high speeds, went by the name Sonic.

The story begins on an ordinary day in the village. Amy sat at her dresser running a comb through her quiff while pondering what particular errands she needed to run that day. Setting the comb down on the dresser and placing her red hairband on her head, she thought back to a meeting she’d had with Sonic in the village the day before.

***

“Hey Ames!”

“Oh, Hi Sonic!” Amy waved, and walked quickly over, “How’s it going?”

“Pretty good. I just got delivery of my car from Planet Wisp.”

“You mean the car you won in that Team Racing event you entered with Tails and Knuckles? Cool!” Amy’s tail started to wag excitedly, as it always did when she got into conversations with Sonic, “I wish I could have been there with you guys. Team Racing sounds like great fun!”

Sonic chuckled and scratched an imaginary itch behind his right ear, “Tell ya what Ames, you’re too young now, but when you’re a little older, how about I teach you how to drive? Then maybe you could join our racing team one day.”

“F…For real?” Amy’s eyes went wide and her tail started to wag furiously, “You’d do that for me?”

“Well…” Sonic’s chuckle turned a bit nervous, “…I can hardly say no to my biggest fan now, can I?”

“WAAAAHH!” Amy leapt at Sonic and pulled him into a hug, “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”

“Ames! Ames! Chill! Ok?” Sonic laughed.

At that point, anyone in the village square spectating would have seen a blue male hedgehog and a pink female hedgehog laughing together.

***

Smiling at the memory, Amy returned the comb to its place on the dresser and stood, straightening her red dress. With a sigh that not even the freshness of her happy memory could prevent her from expelling, Amy left her bedroom mentally creating a list of what she had to do that day.

‘Get some fresh fruit and vegetables in. Check in on Sonic to make sure he hasn’t got his big toe stuck in the bath tap (again!). Pick up old Mr. Lightfoot’s library books and return them. Oh, and I owe Cream’s mother 5 dollars, don’t I?’

Amy picked up her basket from her table, and checking the contents of her purse, left her home to pursue her errands.

A little while later, having repaid Cream’s mother, returned old Mr. Lightfoot’s library books and purchased some fruit, vegetables, bread, butter and, because she occasionally liked to treat herself, a nice piece of fish from Big the Cat’s village store, Amy was returning home with her basket of shopping, when she ran into Sonic.

“Hey Amy!”

“Oh, Hi Sonic!”

“Heading home with your shopping, huh?” Sonic took the basket from Amy, “Let me carry that for you.”

“Th… thanks!” Amy blushed slightly, but a massive smile found its way onto her face.

Walking into Amy’s house, Sonic set the basket down on the table and was looking at the contents with a slight degree of confusion, while Amy set her purse down on a small set of drawers. Without even turning to look at him, she started to talk, “The bread goes in the breadbin in the kitchen, the butter and the fish can go in the fridge for now, there’s a bowl on the table there for the fruit, I’ll handle the vegetables.

In the time it took Amy to turn around and walk to the table, a blur of blue motion ceased, causing her curtains to gently sway, Sonic stood on the other side of the table grinning and the bowl in the centre was now full of fruit.

Amy mock pouted and stuck her tongue out, “Show off!”

“Lady Amelia, you wound me!” Sonic replied with a feigned winch, and within moments the pair of them were chuckling.

“You dork!” Amy smiled and carried the now much lighter basket into the kitchen. “Wanna stay for lunch?” As soon as the words had escaped her lips, Amy wanted to suck them back in, ‘Baby smooth Amelia!’ She thought to herself, but any embarrassment she felt was quickly quashed by Sonic’s hesitant response.

“I’d… love to Ames, but I can’t.” after a short pause, “I’ve been called to the city. Princess Sally has a mission for me. That’s what I was coming to tell you.”

Amy felt a pang of frustration, but quashed it as she finished storing her vegetables and turned to face him, “Jimbotnik’s causing mischief again?”

“She didn’t say, but… who else?”

“Well… guess it can’t be helped. You’ve got to answer the call.” Amy walked over to Sonic, “Be careful. Be safe.” She pulled him into a hug, “and come back to us in one piece.”

Sonic surprised her a little by planting a small kiss on her cheek, “You know I will.” And then he disappeared, the only sign of him being in Amy’s house at all being the slight movement of a drinking mug that had happened to be on the kitchen countertop.

Amy stared at the space Sonic had been standing in for a few seconds, and decided that it might be a nice idea to head to the park for lunch.

[latin-dr-robotnik]

you’re a combo of uwu and too many thots lolol thot and thot solidarity 🤝

Y E S

I thought of where I could fit in best, and too many thots felt like a personal callout so yeah why not haha but uwu? aww thank you! ♥

So... since we're thots... may I interest you in my latest uwu wip I was surely gonna forget about in a few days anyway? It came to me last night during a chat with @dizzydennis 👀👀👀

Prompt goes: Sonic agrees to take Cream out on a small adventure, but Vanilla is completely unaware of that and actually called Amy to come over and take care of Cream while she was out for the day. The end result is Sonic and Amy both fighting over Cream’s care, as Sonic’s proposal might not be as chill as he originally thought.

"He should be here any moment..."

Shortly after their last adventure in Music Plant, Sonic promised to take her out again, this time to a less dangerous yet still adventurous place. The 23rd day after the leaves started falling down was chosen as the date for their next meeting, and Cream waited patiently... until now.

Today's the day Sonic will return, and she's been waiting all day long, leaning on the open window from her bedroom.

"I probably should've told mama about it, don't you think Cheese?"

Her Chao Cheese flew outside and stood in front of her with a concerned look, "chao..."

"Yes, I know... I shouldn't hide things from mama, but I assumed she would be fine with it anyway... maybe I should tell her now, right?"

Cream stepped away from the window, and took a moment to pick up courage to leave her bedroom and talk to her mom. But as she was just about to reach for the door, a voice startled her from downstairs.

"Cream, sweetie, I'm going to be out for a bit." It was Vanilla, ready to go open the front door with one hand, and carrying a bag with the other.

Cream gasped, then opened the door just enough to squeeze her head out the bedroom. "What!? Whe-where are you going, mama?"

"I need to go to the city, buy some things... do you want me to buy you anything in particular?"

Cream hesitated for a second, thinking if she should tell her mom about Sonic right now or not, at the risk of upsetting her or worse... "no... no! I'm fine! Thanks, ha ha!"

"Oookay..." Vanilla opened the door, revealing someone else standing right outside, "oh, by the way, Amy is here to join you while I'm out. Have fun, girls!"

Cream closed the door immediately and held it shut with her body, looking back at Cheese in complete panic, "AMY?!"

Amy entered the house carrying a bag, and slowly walked towards the sofa, "hey Cream! Your mom told me to bring something so I picked up some movies and popcorn for us! I think you're gonna love this!"

Cream didn't say anything, still looking at Cheese, which prompted Amy to leave her things on the couch and come upstairs.

"Hey, you okay?" Amy said, knocking the bedroom door, "something's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing, Ms. Amy!" Cream replied from the other side, refusing to open. "I need to put some things back in place and I'll join you in a bit, don't worry!"

"Fair enough, call me if you need help, though!"

Cream sighed in relief, then jumped right onto her bed, "what are we going to do, Cheese?"

Cheese looked outside the window, confused.

"We got ourselves into this, we need to make up some sort of plan or something, before Mr. Sonic arrives!"

Cheese nodded, and they spent the next 10 minutes thinking about something. Meanwhile, Amy set everything up for the movies, wondering why Cream isn't coming down.

Soon, that feeling of wonder became concern, and Amy went upstairs once again.

"Cream, open this door, please. You're worrying me."

"Okay Cheese, let's hope this goes well..." Cream took a deep breath, then opened the door only to see Amy with her fists on her waist and with a very serious look on her face. "Oh, hey Ms. Amy... I'm so sorry!"

"What was all that about, anyway?"

Cream was clearly uneased by the situation, scratching the back of her head and avoiding eye contact, "Amy, there's something I have to tell you..."

Suddenly, the wind started picking up outside, and Cheese started to fly around the window, weaving arms in panic, "chao! Chao! Chao! Chao! Chao!"

Amy looked extremely confused, but Cream knew exactly what that meant. "Oh, no..."

"Oh no what, Cream? Cream!"

Cream ran downstairs and straight to the front door, Amy chasing after her. A few seconds later, the doorbell rang.

Amy froze in place, "huh? Who's coming now? Cream, stop! Don't open the door to strangers!"

Against her wishes, Cream opened the door, only to reveal a familiar blue hedgehog standing outside.

"Hey Cream, sorry for the delay! There was a bit of traffic, haha." Sonic joked, but noticed Cream was looking down, as if embarrassed by his presence. "Hey, don't tell me you're gonna back out of our plans!"

Cream didn't say a word. Amy, on the other hand, couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"...Sonic?"

"Huh? Amy? Wha-what are you doing here?"

Amy's face suddenly turned to a furious red, "I should be the one asking that question." Then, she grabbed Cream by the shoulder, "CREAMMMMM!"

"Okay, okay!" Cream broke out of Amy's grasp, "Mr. Sonic agreed to take me out today on an adventure, and I... I forgot to tell mama about it!"

Sonic felt a chill running through his spine, "oh, dear..."

Amy facepalmed. "Oh, Cream... why didn't you tell Vanilla that?"

Cream jumped right to hug Amy, tearing up, "I... I was afraid she would say no... I guess I wanted this adventure so so much..."

"It's fine, Cream." Amy comforted her, "but you can't hold things from your mother, you know that... you don't know if she would let you go out or not, but she'll certainly will not let you if you start hiding things from her."

The two stayed hugged for a bit, as Sonic awkwardly stared at them.

"That being said..." Amy broke the silence, "I haven't said no to it yet, and I'm in charge of you today."

Cream's eyes lightened up, "you... you are serious?"

"Yup, I could use some fresh air, and I guess you too. C'mon, go get yourself ready."

Cream stopped hugging Amy, and then happily nodded to her. "Yes! I'll be right back!"

Cream ran back to her bedroom, but Amy stood right where she was, leaning on the door frame with her arms crossed and looking directly at a Sonic sheepishly smiling back.

"So... an adventure, huh?" Amy fired. "You know that can get a bit dangerous out there."

"Well, yes... and no..." Sonic scratched the back of his head, "this adventure... is an amusement park... Adventure Park is its name, off the Golden Bay Zone... should be a pretty chill place."

"A PARK?!" Amy lost her cool for a moment, feeling incredibly upset that Sonic never picked a place for them to go out before.

Sonic took a step back, well, actually, two steps back before Amy calmed down again.

"It's fine, it's fine. I was getting tired of asking you out to the same places anyway."

"Amy..."

Just as the conversation got a lot more awkward, Cream returned from upstairs "Ms. Amy! Mr. Sonic! I'm ready! Uh... Mr. Sonic...? Are you alright? You look a bit pale..."

Sonic shook himself back to his normal cocky self in a super Sonic second.

"Pale? Ha... must be the breeze!" He gestured around, then at a nearby tree... that was completely still. "Alright, you ready for the adventure?"

Sonic turned around and Cream immediately jumped on his back so he can carry her. "Yes! ...hold on, a park?"

"The Adventure... Park." Amy added, still crossing her arms.

"Wait, a park? Mr. Sonic, I wanted to wreck some Eggman robots, you said that's the best thing in the world!"

Sonic raised a finger and gestured negatively, "no no, I told you that was way too dangerous! We're gonna do the second best thing in the world, play some dangerous yet controlled amusement park games!"

Cream let a frustrated sigh out, "okay... but what about Amy? Are you gonna carry her too, Mr. Sonic?"

Sonic turned around nervously, and looked back at Amy then down to his hands, "I... think I can do it."

"I can run there by myself."

Amy closed the door just after Cheese, and so the four of them began their way to Adventure... Park.

The sunny afternoon was the perfect set up for this adventure. The park was spread around the bay coast and offered an amazing view of the entire city from its dedicated looking spot, a massive tower sitting on the westernmost point of the bay.

Down on the ground level, Cream was totally amazed by the park's rollercoasters, bumper cars and many, many green spots surrounded by shops and carts. One cart in particular grabbed her attention.

"Oh, oh!" Cream exclaimed, holding on to Sonic's hand while pointing to a cart with the other, "I want some cotton candy!"

"No, Cream." He said, trying to be a bit more strict than last time they went out together, "Vanilla won't appreciate the fact I allowed you to have sugar before your vegetables!"

"Nah, it's fine. Go grab some, Cream." Amy replied over Sonic, still arms crossed, scanning the place around with her look.

"Yay!"

Cream and Cheese dashed to the cotton candy cart, as Sonic approached Amy a bit upset.

"Excuse me, I think I'm doing a good job taking care of Cream on my own." He pointed out.

"Excuse YOU, I'm the one left in charge by her own mother!"

"Yeah but I'm the one who told Cream about this adventure first!"

"And I already had plans for both of us before you came around, hmph!"

As they argued, Cream came back overjoyed holding her giant cotton candy as Cheese directly jumped into it, overjoyed as well.

"Hee hee, I'm back! Where to, now...? Oh... are you fighting?"

Both Sonic and Amy stood still for a moment, side by side, both with their arms crossed.

"Oh? It's nothing, Cream! Ha ha!" Sonic tried to look for something to talk about, "we're just... discussing what attraction we should head to first... yeah!"

"Aww," Cream lowered her cotton candy, searching for Cheese somewhere inside it, "don't you think they look cute when they fight, Cheese?"

"Chao! Chao!" Cheese gleefully replied.

Suddenly, Sonic and Amy lost their cool at the same time, letting out a big "WHAT?!" before turning away from each other, upset... and blushing.

"Yeah, they do! They look together, hee hee!" Cream continued, before setting her sights on the next attraction, "I wanna go to the bumper cars next!"

They followed Cream and Cheese, but keeping their distance from one another.

"We don't look cute together," they murmured.

Back to latin-dr-sonamy-trash: Okay okay, this is a very rough draft - written exclusively for this post, and not even spell-checked! I feel like there’s still sooooo much more to this one, but I’m already 1800+ words into it and I need some sort of self-control (well, not only that one lol) or else I’ll never post this ask haha

Also, I would not be a too many thots thot if I finished this one right here and now~~

But seriously, I think I have a solid grasp for this one, and I could actually return to it and finish it! There’s still the bumper cars bit, the rollercoaster bit, Eggman actually coming in and storming the place, and Sonic and Amy’s final reflection on the day (and maybe more? 👀), so, yeah, we’re just halfway done with this little SonAmy trash piece where our emotional support hedgehogs are a bit... grumpy at each other? 👀

[charming-2d-boys]

I'm so happy to hear you write for female characters. Could you do some headcanons for Paku, Machi, and Shizuku in a relationship with a female reader? >:3

Of course! I honestly can't wait to write for so many characters and try understanding them better, so thank you for this opportunity! 🙇

Man, Shizuku is so hard for me to understand... And I thought Illumi would pose a challenge for me...

Also, very, very long, you’ve been warned!

I hope you'll like these! ❤️

Pakunoda

you’ve definitely met somewhere on the street when you stopped walking to pet a cat and to your surprise, it actually started rubbing against you and purring loudly

yeah, enjoy this chance

how many cats that you stopped to pet either came to you or let you pet them for a long time?

so when you hear a meow and the cat stops and goes towards the sound, you’re disappointed because you wanted to pet it some more

you probably thought it was another cat that meowed, but surprise! It’s Pakunoda, who smiles as the cat hurries to her and rubs against her legs

she feels your eyes on her and sees your pout because the cat just... up and left you with your hand in mid air and it’s not fair how some people attract them so easily

Pakunoda will think you’re so cute so she beckons you with her hand, telling you that you can still pet it

if she stays, the cat stays and it loves the attention you both give her

you offer the cat the remaining bit of sandwich that you had prepared that morning and didn’t get to eat

it purrs happily as it eats and then looks up at you and Pakunoda expectantly, probably wanting some more

I’m sorry, little guy, that’s all I had left

it just meows before bumping its head against your hand and then going back to rubbing against Pakunoda’s legs

you sigh because it doesn’t look as if it’s going to come back to you and you get up, ready to leave

but Pakunoda gently grabs your wrist, stopping you

Don’t be upset, this little guy is a little glutton. Aren’t you, hm?

she says as she scratches the cat behind its ear, making it meow and purr in satisfaction

when you tell her that you really like cats and feel relaxed around them, she suggests you go to a nearby cat café that she sometimes frequents when she’s in town

it’s a pretty sudden request and you’re a bit hesitant, but when she introduces herself and you do as well... you decide to give this a shot

Pakunoda seems harmless enough and no one who likes animals that much can be such a bad person, right?

the whole day is spent playing with and petting the cats while talking with Pakunoda about yourselves

she really does seem like someone you could probably get along with very well

she’s beautiful and has got a nice personality and you love the way she talks, it’s like music to your ears

Pakunoda seems to think pretty much the same thing about you

you seem to be different from other people and you’re so friendly, kind and funny that she almost wonders how she hasn’t seen you around before

you'd been swamped before with work and/or classes and just now had a day off when you decided to go out and get some fresh air after being cooped up with all those papers and documents

so you wonder if Pakunoda will be in town for a bit longer so you can hang out again

and when she asks you if you want to meet up again in a couple of days, you're immediately smiling and telling her that you can't wait

you two start frequenting pretty much every cat café that the city has to offer, and when you’ve been to all of them at least a few times, start looking after other cafés where you can see other types of animals: dogs, parrots, hedgehogs, owls etc.

you always end up spending entire days in those places, always talking and always having fun

one such night, after leaving another cat café that you managed to find hidden somewhere between some tall and narrow buildings in an alleyway, you’re both walking on the street, just getting ready to go your own separate ways

Pakunoda stops you as you’re ready to cross the street and you look up at her questioningly

you can barely see it, but her cheeks and the tops of her ears have a very faint pink tint to them

you were so curious as to why she stopped you that when you opened your mouth to ask, Pakunoda quickly asked you out... on an actual date

the surprise quickly faded before you happily agreed, making Pakunoda’s shoulders sag in relief

she insists on walking you home that night and of course, you let her, just to spend some more time together

after that, things get progressively more intimate and romantic

Pakunoda often comes over to your place and you two often cook together

she loves teaching you new recipes

when you decide to surprise her by cooking something for when she comes home late one night, she hugs you really tight and thanks you for being there

always gives you a hug and a kiss when she comes over to your place

she’d love to introduce you to the others if you were to accept her as who she is fully

Pakunoda often cuddles with you when you’re both done with everything for the day

whether you’re on the couch or on the bed, she’ll often pull your head on her chest and play with your hair

you always giggle when you tell her you love her and feel her heart beat faster

arguments? pretty much none

Pakunoda is not really the confrontational type and you just... easily discuss whatever might come up between you two

you’ll definitely get a cat and take care of it, maybe even the cat that brought you two together, who knows?

you always reassure her that she’ll have a place to come to and call home, even when she tells you that you don’t need to tell he because she’s fine

Pakunoda definitely appreciates it, though, because she’s always dreamt of having somewhere and someone to come home to

Machi

you were frantically looking for a really old book at the local library because you were so close to finishing your paper

and this book would be one of the last ones you needed to use and then you’d finally be done

the old librarian was currently helping someone else so you started going in-between bookcases, searching by yourself

and there it was!

on a shelf barely out of reach

you started jumping, trying to grab it by the spine, when you finally managed to pull it out a bit from the other dusty, old books

just a bit more and you’d finally get it-

whoosh

there goes the book

you just blink because... what the hell was that? where did it go?

you look to where the book was, still seeing specks of dust flying around, before looking to the ground

nothing

and when you look to your right, you see a small girl with pink hair and... shinobi clothes?

she holds several books in her hands and is quickly walking away

 Hey! Excuse me, I need that!

you’re almost yelling because you’re so close, you can’t have someone else take the book, the due date is in two days!

when she turns around, you’re left speechless

she’s adorable looking and even that serious look on her face almost looks like a pout to you

she’s looking at you expectantly, as if waiting for you to just say what you have to say so she can leave

I need that book... *hard stare*

For my paper... *hard stare*

That’s due in two days... *hard stare*

Please?

...

she sighs as if it’s a great effort and takes it out of the little pile in her arms, handing it out to you h she’ll tell Chrollo that she couldn’t find the book and that she’ll go and look for it in the coming days

and as she turns around to leave, you actually say a loud wait! that attracts several glares and a few shushes

you quickly apologize before jogging up to her to introduce yourself and tell her that if she still wants it, you can meet up with her here and give the book to her

she still stares at you, a bit of apprehension readable in her eyes, before telling you her name is Machi and that we’ll see before leaving

it didn’t even occur to you that she literally picked up the books and walked out with them without even stopping by the checkout desk

that night, you read and used to book as fast as you could so you could finish writing up your paper

and the next day you were waiting at a nearby table in the library, trying not to fidget so much because you had already been waiting for an hour and there was no sign of the pink-haired girl yet

you felt a little tug on your hand and shook it a bit, thinking it’d gone numb from how you were staying

only that you felt the same tug again, only stronger, and you looked up when you felt as if you were pulled by an invisible force, only to see the girl from the day before

you finally got up and walked to where she was, between bookcases, before taking the book out of your bag and handing it to her

she took it without a word and it almost seemed as if she was going to turn around and leave, but you stopped her and asked her what her name was, before introducing yourself

Machi

it was a cute name and apparently, your mouth was faster than your brain because you saw her blue eyes widen and a bit of redness cover her cheeks before she looked to the side, avoiding your eyes

why you felt the need to ask her to hang out if she had time was beyond you, but it was too late to take your words back

only that then you thought how rude and weird that sounded and started fretting over how to apologise and explain yourself, but to your surprise, Machi accepted (she was surprised that you had the courage to ask her as you didn’t really seem to have it in you, but apparently, she was wrong)

it was a simple hang out as friends situation

you actually did most of the talking, with Machi contributing only a little bit

you actually felt a bit upset, thinking that you’re bothering her or boring her

but when you stopped talking and apologized for talking, she only told you to keep talking because she enjoys what you were saying

she wasn’t going to tell you that she loves how enthusiastic you look when you talk about something you like or that it’s funny how much you gesticulate or what a good storyteller you are

and it was actually fun hanging out with you

Machi had a good feeling about you and because she trusted her intuition, she surprised you when she asked if you could see each other again

let’s just say that the relationship between you two’s been getting better the more you saw each other

Machi’s made it a habit of bringing you flowers from time to time

and you do the same because you like that little blush on her face when she receives them and thanks you quietly

loves hugging you and breathing in your scent whenever you see each other

she thinks that she could see you as her home

Chrollo and Pakunoda will definitely notice a positive change in Machi’s attitude, as much as she tries to hide it

when she tells them about you, they slowly become your biggest supporters

Chrollo will want to meet you at one point, just to assess you and your intentions with Machi

he almost seems like an older, protective brother and it’s adorable

when he’ll tell her that you’re a good girl and that he hopes you’ll be happy together, you can’t stop smiling

and honestly, neither can Machi - although her smile is smaller, it’s still there

loves it when you wake up after her and come into the bathroom, only to hug her from behind while you greet her sleepily

for your birthday, she’ll cook you something that she learnt as a kid in Meteor City

when you tell her you love her for the first time, she’ll hug you reeeeeally tight and whisper it back, telling you that she’ll always protect you

on your first year anniversary, you’ll take her to the beach and spend the day together playing in the water, volleyball and eating ice-cream, while at night, you’ll go to a restaurant and order whatever the two of you want and then walk on the beach while holding hands

you will insist on taking photos of the two of you and even ask others to do it for you

Machi will take one of those photos that she liked the best - the one where she put a bit of ice-cream on your nose and your face was confused and adorable - and keep it in her wallet or in a special little compartment underneath her pincushion

always looks at it when she misses you or can’t call or text you

no one tells her that she smiles every time she looks at that photo of you

Shizuku

Shizuku is... forgetful, to put it nicely

so when she dropped her phone and you saw it, you hurried to give it back to her

only that you were pretty much blocked off by two men, one very tall, with scars on his face and huge hands and another one who was really short and had half of his face covered by a bandana with a... skull?

you’re intimidated enough that when the shorter man asks you what you want while glaring at you, you can only show them the phone

a short and monotone oh from the girl is what makes the two men move out of her way as she comes and takes the phone from you before thanking you

you can only nod before you both stare at each other for maybe a second or two

the little cough you hear from the larger man makes you both end your staring contest and stare at him instead

We have to go he says plainly as they all turn and start walking away from you

you can only stare at them, feeling a bit confused

and, as if feeling your gaze, but not really caring, only Shizuku turns around, curious about why she can still feel your eyes on her

and you just wave at her, because you don’t know what else to do when she’s staring at you like that

you keep seeing her from time to time in different places, usually really crowded ones, along with the two men from before, still flanking her on both sides

you always wave and smile at her whenever she looks at you - she always finds you even in the biggest of crowds

Shizuku can’t really remember you all the times and while the other two always tell her that yes, we’ve seen her before and no, we don’t know her name, she sometimes wishes she remembered you and know why you always wave and smile at her when you see her

you’re acting as if you know each other

so, one day, after you do what you always do, she tells the Franklin and Feitan that she’s going to talk with you

they don’t try to stop her, but they are ready to defend her if anything were to happen

when Shizuku does finally ask you why you smile and wave at her, you just tell her that you thought she was really pretty and wanted to get to know her, but her two friends kind of scare you and you didn’t want to trouble them, since they always seem to be in a hurry or on an errand or something

when she only tilts her head a bit, as if still confused, you smile and ask her what her name is, then introduce yourself

looks like you’ll have to be the bold one today

you ask her out, as friends, just because you’re curious about her and want to get to know her

if she wants to, of course

Shizuku is still a bit confused by the sudden turn of events and almost feels herself drift away before she says yes

and just in time, because her two intimidating friends come and tell her that they have to leave, while looking at you apprehensively because, well... you’re a bit of a pretty, weird little girl, aren’t you?

still, all three of them leave and when Franklin finally asks Shizuku what you’d talked about, she finally told them

well, that was... unexpected, to say the least

you were definitely weird - but so were they, so they had no right to judge, right?

he asked her if she planned on going and she said yes

they had nothing important to do for the next few days that would follow, so it would be okay to take some time off

Shizuku does have to be reminded several times about her promise and you, mostly by Franklin, since Feitan couldn’t really care any less

your hangout is fun, at least you think it is

Shizuku is pretty... calm and doesn’t really show much, if any emotions

but at the end of the day she does say that she had fun and that you’re cute when you’re happy

so you ask her if she’d like to do this again some other time

and when she accepts, you exchange numbers

you go out several times and you feel like you’re getting closer to Shizuku, both emotionally and physically

and when you shyly hold onto her hand during one of those times, you almost deflate when she doesn’t really squeeze back or let go and just glances at you

pretty much ready to let go of her hand and abruptly end this hangout and leave before you embarrass yourself any more, you’re taken by surprise when your hand is finally squeezed back before Shizuku laces your fingers together

you almost loudly sigh in relief and find yourself talking again, about whatever just comes to your mind, happy and just filled with a newfound energy, while Shizuku quietly listens to you and feels herself absorbed into this little bubble of joy you created and trapped her in

the next few months see the two of you getting closer and opening up more

she’s quiet for the most part and even appears cold, especially to others who don’t know her

but behind closed doors, she just loves having you in her arms, either watching TV, cooking, sleeping, washing the dishes etc.

plays cards with you and almost always lets you win because she likes your smile more than your pout - even though you’re cute no matter what

the others are dying to meet you when they see Shizuku meeting up with them and wearing a shirt that’s definitely not hers

oh, I took (Y/N)’s shirt again

yep, they really wanna meet you

they all treat you nicely and Shizuku holds your hand throughout the entire meeting

which they think it’s adorable because they can actually feel that Shizuku is happy

she loves giving you massages, especially when she sees that you’re really tired

will sometimes forget to do chores, but she does write them down somewhere or has you remind her

whenever you two can, you really like going window shopping

she could steal everything for you, you know?

just say the word and it’s all yours

writes down on her hand and wherever else she can so she can remember your birthday and anniversaries

you surprise her by baking her a cake from scratch for her birthday

and Shizuku’s even happier when you bake another one so she can celebrate it with her friends as well - she insists on you joining them and actually have a lot of fun listening to them tell funny stories about Shizuku and what her memory problems did (nothing too bad and that everyone remembers fondly)

will take you on the rooftop of the building and stargaze with you

also tells you she loves you because she really does

you definitely proved that you loved her, so it’s only fair she returns the favour

loves kissing you under the stars and it’s one of the few memories that Shizuku actually remembers and holds onto dearly