#heheh I got a new rat man and I love him a lot

[hysteriak]

Oh you know, just drawing some rodents 🐀🐀

[lazywriter-artist]

🤍✈

List can be found here for any more asks

Heheh funnnn :3

Idrk if you wanted any oc in particular but I’ll yap abt ock some bc I like him hehehe

🤍 - Three of your character’s neutral/questionable traits

Hm, a fun thought experiment for ock bc u haven’t thought about too many in such a light X)

The main one that comes to mind is how clingy he is, it’s not always unbearably so but it can get bad at times. It isn’t often, and it’s definitely not common as ock dislikes strongly using his abilities for ‘bad’ things, but he once used his ability to dominate another’s mind and puppeteer them to prevent the man from leaving his side and being dismissed after a few months aboard Huntsmann’s ship. It took Huntsmann and berny trying to talk him down to have him finally realse the poor man. Ock isn’t a fan of people he loves being put in harms way, since as far as it goes it’s never really ended well for him. It’s a trait he’s definitely trying to make better but it’s very difficult for him.

Next is his shyness I suppose, he’s a very sort of paradoxical character as a reclusive figure too anxious to directly interact (hence why he uses his telepathy for communication most of the time when possible) but one who longs so very deeply for any sort of connection he seeks it in just about everyone willing to tolerate his silent little form shivering behind them.

Finally for this one I suppose is u g h

He can be a bit emotional at times- (sometimes VERY emotional-) so when he’s not being a shivering ball of anxiety his fluctuations have no set ways or anything of doing so.

✈️ - Does your Oc like travel or do they consider themselves a home body?

Ock definitely likes to travel! While it means he’s gotta muscle through some pain if they stumble across some areas with large crowds (telepath struggles for eel) he loves being and seeing new places as well as meeting new friends! (He must be watched or else he’s brining 30 new rats onto the ship smh)

✨☀️✨☀️✨☀️✨☀️✨☀️✨☀️✨☀️✨☀️✨

@ocherednoe-dno asks

💯 - share three random facts about your oc others might not know!

1) ock has a lot of little odd hobbies here and there to kill time when he’s say, experiencing one of huntsmann’s out bursts and finds himself locked in his chambers, of these hobbies ock has two major ones he’s taken a big liking to! Sewing and towel folding! They’re good things to make cuddly little friends and populate his imaginative play families.

2) kind of connecting with the earlier note Ock really likes playing with toys and things (escapism + comfort & hence why he picked up sewing) so it’s not uncommon to find him playing at someone’s feet (normally will’s sometimes Huntsmann’s) with his days plushie of choice or in his room shuffling through his massive plushie collection (some made some gifted!) to rearrange the little friends or play toys

3) Ock Is a very stunted little guy (he’s tiny in stature and build, he’s very naive, ect.) and this is included in his voice. Despite being about 18-20 for most of the ‘recent’ story, he’s got a very young sounding voice (in my mind he sounds like a young Bambi just perhaps with a slight British accent to it as Huntsmann has raised him after all and that man’s got space British thick.) mixed with his small timid stature and his very nervous tendencies those not used to him very commonly mistake him for being a lot younger than he actually is

🖤 - has your oc killed or seriously wounded anyone before? have they broken someone's heart and/or broken someone's trust?

Ig this could also count as a fun fact people might not know but, Ock has killed a man and it haunts him— Ock, unsurprisingly, isn’t a very violent little guy and doesn’t really use his abilities to harm all that much if he can avoid it. So imagine his surprise when, at huntsmann’s demand, he is forced to execute a man with his abilities. He was reassured the man was a heretic and that he deserved the emperors hand, but it didn’t stop the screams of the man or the pleads both internal and external that Ock had to listen to during hurt any less. Broke the poor little guy for months, he was shut down for a while that even Will couldn’t really get him out of it and really still comes back to haunt him from time to time (it was mostly a measure by Huntsmann to A. Really get a feel for Ock’s abilities and B. See how willing Ock was to use them for harming others among other things-)

Mh, I think he’s maybe broken someone’s trust before, mmm I think perhaps a guardsman or acquaintance or two upon the whole being an inquisitor’s psyker ordeal. Definitely has pushed a few people away even if it’s a bit out of his control

💔 - what are three of your oc's negative traits?

U h hm. Honestly a toughie for ock— shockingly I don’t think I’ve given him many negative traits

Or well, I’ve not given him any Ergh, awful traits? Ock has some traits I’ve seen listed as negative in various listicles sure but idrk if I’d personally categorize some of them as negative? It’s a question very strongly endowed with one’s own personal sense of morality ig is the trick here for my brain?

Like- ock isn’t the typical negatively associated asshole jerk man but then again people don’t tend to always be either and they still have negative traits ya do ya know? Idk- it’s a bit hard for me personally to classify things like positive and negative traits as I feel anything taken too far/in the wrong ways ect. Can be labeled as positive or negative-

I suppose for ock, based around various listicles of “negative traits” we can go with

1) Needy (not gonna do this for every one I don’t really see this as a negative bc well ik it comes from a place and so it’s hard for me to place it as negative when I don’t think it’s like— bad? It’s just how ock has been impacted by the world and as such more of an obstacle to be worked around and yadda yadda character’s flaws aren’t errors but merely features to be enjoyed this and that- though ig this also hinges on the interpretation of negative meaning negative for those surrounding him and not just for ock himself too which I mean these traits can be negative heavily for ock as well which might end them up with the label here and dependent on the interpretation that it’s classified by simply flaws that hurt and—) - kind of following with his clinginess guy really tends to take what he can and hoard it up. I will say he isn’t like— complain and whine about not being given something he could grab himself spoiled child levels of needy, but he is again very clingy and will sometimes not realize when he is over stepping and demanding a bit too much of someone’s attention.

2) cowardly - little guy lacks a back bone pretty often- it’s really when he tends to serve as just a little guy wandering around behind huntsmann and maybe sometimes sort of as communication but he’s more huntsmann‘s proof of concept of ‘I can keep it alive and keep it compliant with the inquisitions/imperiums usual bullshittery’ more than a fighting weapon (that’s what his field his for-) so it’s more in personal situations than battle

3) absent minded - while definitely not all the time ock does have a bit of a habit of being a bit locked out in certain times, settings, days, ect. And just be lost in his thoughts (sometimes leading to an anxious spiral-) and just over all leaving him very ditzy from time to time.

🐈- does your oc prefer a wide circle of friends or a few close friends?

He’d really like to have a larger group of friends though that’s hard for him for numerous reasons and he does a lot better with smaller groups anyway.

He kind of had a ‘larger’ group already considering he finds most people he bumps into and grows attached to friends even if they aren’t so or he may never see them again but we ball

And that kind of leads to why he is just better suited for smaller groups over all as larger ones aside from stressing him out (telepath moment) for a number of reasons inside and out, he’s a very easily attached and DEEPLY attached guy so if for whatever reason he holds some level of less close less attached relationship with someone he is very very attached to (not hard to be- breath near the little guy and you’re half way there-) and he doesn’t have that reciprocated he tends to flip out a bit and not feel to great

Which really is another reason of many hunts tends to keep him on a shorter leash.

[faecaptainofdreams]

(Everyone is sitting together. It doesn't really matter where, but they're all outside and having a great time. Lance, Walter, Marcy, Killian, Eyes, Ears, August, Ramsey, Sky, Felix, Gwynn, Jack, and Hiro. Other friends, such as Joy and Tonya [the security lady], aren't too far away. Lovey, Jeff and Crazy Eyes are present as well, calmly strutting around, being petted by various members of the group.) Walter: I remember when I was six, I went to my mom's room and was watching her put on her makeup for the day. She was kinda used to that, since I followed her everywhere. Well, I told her I liked her makeup, and that she was really good at putting it on. So then I'm like "Hey, what's it like to wear makeup?" And she goes, "I don't know, I'm used to it." And she looked at me, because I think she knew that I was building up to asking if I could wear some. I told her I just wanted to wear what she was wearing, just to know. She had to think about that for a minute, hah! Marcy: This feels like a really important part of your flamboyant origin story. (Everyone laughs, Walter included.) Walter: YES, definitely! So like, she was a little thrown, I think? But then she was like "Yeah, sure, okay, you can try on my makeup," and she had me sit in her little chair in front of the mirror. She was telling me that it was gonna feel funny, that I needed to be still so she wouldn't accidentally poke my eye, all that good stuff. My mom was SUPER attentive whenever she tried new things with me, because of the Asperger's. We really didn't know what could trigger that potential sensory overload or what I might be overwhelmed by, so I think she was more nervous about that than anything. Well... Before she started, I asked her if wearing makeup would make me less of a boy. I said, "Only girls wear makeup, and when boys like girly things, they get made fun of." I was really aware of that. I always SO BADLY wanted to take my Unitee to school, as a comfort object, but I was scared to death of the other kids taking her from me and tearing her up or something. So -- anyway, mom goes, "No, some boys wear makeup," and she said, "Did you know that men wear makeup in other parts of the world?" And she told me about the Egyptians, ancient peoples and how makeup was originally for everybody, all that cool stuff. SHE info-dumped on ME! (They all laugh a little.) Walter: It was just really striking to me how...progressive she was, like there was nothing I could do that she didn't support. I told her I didn't think I wanted to wear makeup all the time, and she said "Good, you're too young for it anyway." (More laughs.) Walter: So I sat there, and she started putting the makeup on me. She put on my eye shadow, then eye liner, then mascara... It was exhausting! How do people wear it ALL THE TIME? (They all nod and chuckle and Marcy raises her hand, drawing attention to herself.) Marcy: It's the way of the woman, Walter. Killian: And the very flamboyant, but no-less-masculine man. Ramsey: I tried on makeup once. Turned my rat face into a rat face with paint on it. (All laughter.) Sky: Hah, okay babe, so what happened next? Walter: *giggles softly* Well, then she put a little blush on just for the fun of it, and then put lipstick on me. We both kept laughing, I think she was laughing at me because I kept pursing my lips out SUPER hard! She was like "Just relax a little!" And I would, and then I would purse really hard again! (Laughs.) Gwynn: That's so cute, hah hah. Walter: We had this really long talk about how boys are not boys because they don't wear makeup, and girls aren't girls because some of them do wear makeup. Same with pants, and dresses. She said that if I am a boy, then that's what I am no matter what I have on. I was like... "If?" (Lots of concerned chuckles and a few laughs roll through the group.) Lance: OH shit, she probably didn't count on that one. Walter: NO, NOT AT ALL. I mean, it wasn't that long ago, but honestly transgender, non-binary and all the LGBT stuff has REALLY just been gaining traction in the past few years. Like I said, she was REALLY progressive. Felix: Did she have to explain that? Walter: *nods* A little. She kept it simple, she was like "Well, sometimes little boys feel like they aren't actually boys, and they feel like they're girls, so they choose to be girls and that's who they really are." I asked her how that's possible, because I have to over-analyze everything, pfft. She said she couldn't really explain it, that it was fine that I didn't understand, that she could tell me later. Yeah -- whenever she couldn't explain a hard topic to me, she was always really good about saying it was okay that I didn't understand it. Living in a world where you're expected to just GET everything, whether it's a hard or an easy concept, that was always nice. Hiro: *nods* Jack: Everyone should be told that, you've got a point there. Sky: I could not STAND when teachers were like "Oh ThiS iS eAsY, eVeRyOnE eLsE gEtS iT" LIKE BITCH, SHUT UP. *claps between words* I'M- NOT- THEM. Lance: RIGHT THOUGH?!

Ears: Rude.

Walter: Exactly! Everyone is different. Not even from an Autistic standpoint, just a HUMAN CHILD standpoint, my mom was really good with helping me be okay with my environment. August: Do you think if you were neurotypical, she would've been just as good, or like, less good or not as...paying attention? Walter: *thinks for a moment* Mmm... I mean, she was really good with me before I was even diagnosed, she was really patient and tried to roll with the fact that I was somehow very different from my peers. But no, I think she probably would've been about the same. Maybe less careful, or less afraid of setting me off somehow, but she DEFINITELY wouldn't have loved me less or had been any less kind. She was just...a great mother, plain and simple. (Gwynn reaches across the table and gently takes his hand, silently offering a bit of love. Walter smiles sadly to her.) Lance: So, what happened with the makeup? Walter: *sits up and takes in a deep breath* I told her it felt weird, aaand she said that was normal... *smiles softly* She told me I was pretty... I asked if I could show grana, so we went and found her in the living room and showed her. Ramsey: Oooh, was granny as progressive as mom? Walter: OH yeah, she was definitely where my mom got it from. She loved it! Marcy: *shaking her head slowly in awe* That is so rare, like WOW. Walter: Mm-hm. Yeah, I actually came out to grana when I was 14. I said, "I think I'm gay," and she looked me dead in the eye and said, "Oh, I knew that!" (They all laugh.) Walter: I was like, "Whaaat??" She told me that her and mom figured that out when I was two. Lance: ...What the hell was you doin' when you were TWO to give that away??? (They all chuckle.) Walter: HAH hah! I asked her that, and she said that my mom was just watching me play. I wasn't doing anything special, I -- she just said "I think my son is gay." And apparently, grana felt the same way? It turns out, big shocker, I am not mysterious. Hahahah! Felix: No, no you are NOT. Gwynn: Your family was really cool, Walter. Walter: Yeah... They were... (He nods his head slowly, eyes becoming a little wet. But he smiles, warm memories, love, and a little sadness filling his heart.) Walter: And now I have this cool family, so... I'm really really l-ucky-- (He wipes his eyes, trying not to cry.) Walter: Nnnaaahhh!! I don't wanna cry, aha hah...! Marcy: *chuckles* It's okay. Walter: Gah, I know. I cry enough though, I can go TEN MINUTES without! (They all chuckle, but there is an expression of care for him in everyone.) Walter: So that's the makeup story. *sniffles and wipes his eye one more time* I ended up not wearing it again after that, until the -- *motions to Jack* the mission! Jack: That was some fun, eh? Heheh! Really, Walter, you did make for a lovely lady! Walter: *laughs* Well thank you!! Hiro: I think it's nuts when people can tell their kids are gay. Killian: Yeh, some people honestly just feel that. I've heard about pregnant women being able to feel their unborn child is a certain way, and then years later they figure out they're right. Mind-boggling. Walter: There really is nothing harder to explain than a mother's instinct! Lance: Yeah, then there's MY mom. When I was like fifteen, my mom caught me dancin' in my room to this really fruity song and some dumbass chick flick was on the TV, and... (Everyone starts laughing.) Lance: *waves it off* So she busts in my room and is like *mocking voice* "Lance, you wanna tell me somethin'? Are you gay?" and I got all defensive and was like "NO MOM" in this really squeaky voice. (The laughter continues, and Lance along with them.) Lance: I knew what bein' gay was, and I knew how people made fun of it -- I made fun of it back then, everyone used it as an insult, there was all this misinformation about it flying around. My mom wasn't even being accusatory, she wasn't like MAD about it or anything, but from then on, ALL the time, if I did somethin' kinda questionable she was like "YoU gAy?!" So I'd try to make my voice deeper, like *makes voice deeper* "NO, MAMA. I LIKE GIRLS." (Laughter) Eyes: Did she try to get you for overcompensating? Lance: *claps and points at her* YES, I was just about to say! So I started gettin' pissed off about the gay thing, right? Well, my mom didn't know that I was listenin' to Afro Man back then. Hiro: What is that? Lance: Look him up, he's hilarious! Best song, Colt 45, hands down.

Ears: It's pretty funny, gotta admit. August: THAT SONG. IS SO. GROSS. Walter: When I was in middle school I heard some of the other kids singing it, I was sooo confused! August: Weren't you like FOUR in middle school? Walter: HAH HAH no, I was seven! August: PFFFT, OKAY, well that's still awful. Walter: *nods* Lance: My mom asked me if I was gay for the last damn time before I brought out my little laptop and started BLASTIN' Colt 45. Marcy: What even is that song?? Lance: It's literally just a rap song about the Afro Man having sex with dozens of women and being real vulgar about it, but not like your normal rap song. August: It's kind of like a parody, but it's not? Marcy: *sits back* Ew. Lance: Heh heh heh, yeah, when she heard that she went OFF on me. She was like "WHERE'D YOU FIND NASTY TRASH LIKE THAT YOU DELETE THAT RIGHT NOW" and started whippin' at my ass with the hand towel! (Laughter) Lance: I was running away cryin', screaming "I WAS JUST TRYIN'A TELL YOU I'M NOT GAY" and she goes "THAT'S WHAT OVERCOMPENSATIN' LOOKS LIKE!" (Their laughter is loud, boisterous, and unapologetic.) Ramsey: You get in trouble?! Lance: BIG TIME. Actually -- HA -- yeah, that's how I got into the military, she said "fuck this child and his stupid gay ass, he's gonna be a marine," stuck me on a plane and shipped me off. (The laughter is settling, but still genuine.) Lance: Nah nah I'm jokin', that's a joke. But yeah, I wasn't allowed on the internet for like three months after that. Walter: Hmhmhm! Did she finally stop asking? Lance: Yeah, yeah finally. I think that was the last straw. Marcy: Hey, where was your dad during all this? Lance: Oh god, you know him, he just kinda...stayed out of it, heh. He's definitely the more submissive one. But that's all right, mama's good to him. Killian: I personally adore your mother. Lance: Yeah, 'cos she showed you my baby pictures. Killian: You had the fattest fuckin' face on any infant I've ever seen. Lance: Whatever! You probably weighed like 18 pounds when you came out, you tank! (Walter unintentionally leads into the group laughing fit with a heavy "PFFT!") Killian: *laughing* I was thin as a rail 'til i was 17! Lance: Nah, you was what took down the Hindenburg, 100%. Killian: Bitch your face WAS the Hindenburg! Those CHEEKS! (The laughter only gets harder. The stories go on, the happiness rolls on forever. Eventually, Joy and Tonya join the group. This really is Walter's family, and it's perfect.) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ It's a little cheesy, but we could use some of that right now. I had this idea of Walter and Wendy a couple months ago, but never once even spoke of it. I thought i would do art for it sooner, but here we are -- better late than never. I'm glad it took until now, because i wouldn't have shaded it then. Been feeling sentimental lately, and SiD is a huge part of my heart now. This was actually done on the last page of the first sketchpad i used for SiD! Apparently, i abandoned the drawing pad with ONE PAGE LEFT >8U SO DUMB. So with me being emotional, feeling a need for closure and wanting to add one more thing to the book, i decided this was the perfect subject matter. I don't know when i'll draw for this movie again since Marvel has swept me away, but I think i'll always be paying attention to it. I think this is one of those things that just will forever mean the world to me.

<3

[akaashipogi]

Get the Job Done (Akaashi mafia au)

Request by @weebintheinternet : Hello mamser is it alright if I requested a Mafia!au of Akaashi that's just filled with ✨ angst ✨ ??

Pairing: Akaashi x fem!reader

Word Count: 1.3k

Warnings!!: Some violence, mention of a gun, and character death

The cold, autumn night surrounded Akaashi as he walked towards the location Bokuto had told him to go. Internally, he may or may not have cursed his friend for making him go on a new mission on such short notice, as if he hadn’t just gotten back from his 3-week negotiation trip abroad. Why couldn’t he just send Konoha-san or Onaga to do the job? But what could Akaashi do? Although Bokuto was his friend, he was still his boss, and what he says goes. Despite having a very quirky and dorky nature, Bokuto can be quite terrifying and merciless, if he wanted to be. That is how he got into his position anyway, being one of the most feared bosses of one of the most feared mafia groups throughout Japan.

Still Akaashi cant help, but curse him still. He could be home by now, with his beloved s/o, watching TV while cuddled up on the couch. He could have told them about his recent trip abroad and given them all the gifts he brought home just for them, but no, he just had to do this urgent mission. At this point, Akaashi told himself not to complain any further, the only thing in his mind was that the sooner he finished the mission, the sooner he can go back home to his beloved y/n.

“Where do you need me to go? Akaashi asked his boss.

Bokuto who sat across from him looked at him with very serious eyes, one’s that not everyone, even Akaashi were quite used to, “I need you to go to warehouse 9, by the fishing port.”

Akaashi was confused by his friend’s statement, “That’s awfully near Nohebi’s turf.”

“It’s just by the border, so technically still ours, so that stupid snake can’t say shit. Besides, he got himself into this mess.”

“What do you mean?” the younger male asked.

“There’s a mole amongst us, one of Daishou’s little snakes.” Bokuto stated.

Akaashi was taken aback by his senior’s words. A mole inside Fukurodani? He could hardly imagine it. Nearly everyone in the group was tightly-knitted and close to one another. Each member was even hand-picked by Bokuto himself, making sure they were worthy of fighting by his side and worthy of his trust. 

"How long have you known about this mole?”

“I’ve suspected for quite some time now, the fact that that bastard is suddenly able to be one step ahead of us is quite suspicious don’t you think? Fortunately, a few days ago Kaori was finally able to sniff out our little friend of ours.” 

The silver-haired man handed Akaashi a folder containing instructions and information about his mission, “I’ve set up a little meeting for you and the mole. They’re supposedly going to hand you the files, they have on us. And once that’s done, make sure to get rid of them. I don’t need any more rats scurrying my streets.”

Akaashi nods, listening to his boss’ instructions all while reading the file given to him, and to his surprise, the file does not contain the identity of the mole, “Are you gonna tell me why you didn’t put their identity on here, and why I’m going along? Don’t you think it’s dangerous?” He asked.

“You’ll see once you get there, I highly doubt there will be anyone else but the two of you in that warehouse, but don’t worry I’ve got that covered already, just do what I need you to do.”

Akaashi sighed as he was faced with the entrance to the warehouse.

“Make sure to get rid of them”

Bokuto’s words kept playing in his head over and over. Akaashi wasn’t new to it, and he has long surpassed the feeling of being uncomfortable with the idea of taking someone’s life, but he just feels uneasy somehow, as if whatever would go down inside the four walls of this warehouse would not be in Akaashi’s favor. With no time to think about what the outcomes might be, Akaashi buries his worries and enters the premises.

With only a single light, illuminating the center Akaashi walked further into the warehouse. He silently walked around to see if there was anyone inside, surprisingly no one was inside. You think a mole would at least make it to the meeting on time. After a few minutes of walking around the warehouse, he returns to the center and waits. 

“Well, Fukurodani boys are never late are they?” Akaashi knew that when he would be faced with the mole, he would see a familiar face, but he just wasn’t expecting this one.

Akaashi quickly turned around to the source of the voice, “Y/N?” he asked with so much mixed emotions tied to his tone. 

“Keiji?” He saw her terror-stricken face once he turned around and revealed himself to the mole. He concludes that he wasn’t the Fukurodani member you were expecting to see.

“Y/N, what are you doing here?” Akaashi asked angrily. He had told himself not to swear in front of his girlfriend whenever they were having arguments, but right now he couldn’t bring himself to care, “You’re the mole? What the actual fuck Y/N?

"Keiji, I can explain." Y/N replied.

"Then explain." Akaashi listened to Y/n tell her story of how she was originally from the Nohebi group but was assigned to act as a spy. Apparently, Y/n knew that getting in and working into Fukurodani wouldn't be as easy, so she and Daishou opted for the easier option. Infiltrating the system by means of having a romantic relationship with one of the mafia members. She explained how she did use him to get the information she needed, but as time went by, what started as nothing but fake feelings, bloomed into something more. She started to fall in love with him, as each day went by. With every minute she spent with him, Y/n felt themselves fall deeper and deeper in love with Akaashi.

“You have to believe me, Keiji, I promise you everything I feel for you is real.”

Akaashi, far too hurt and betrayed by his lover, chose not to reply to whatever she stated, "Just give me the files Bokuto-san asked for and go." He stated in the most stoic voice he could muster.

Obviously, shocked by Akaashi's reaction, does as they're told and hands him the files.

He takes the files and looks at Y/n straight in the eyes, hurt ever evident in his beautiful eyes, "Go, before someone finds you."

Just as Y/n was about to run out the exit, they hear a familiar voice, with its signature playful tone to it, "Now, Akaashi, I would never expect this from you. "

"Bokuto-san!" Akaashi obviously states.

"And here I was thinking that out of all the people in our group, you would be the most loyal and obedient," Bokuto chuckled menacingly, "I guess love does bring out a different side of you," he continues as he takes out his pistol from his holster.

Akaashi held his boss by the arm as he finally approached the two lovers, "Bokuto-san please don't," he begged, tears starting to form as he knows what might become of his dear Y/n. He knew just how merciless his boss could be, and once he had made up his mind about something there was no stopping him. Not even the tear-filled pleads of someone he considered as his close friend and right-hand man.

Bokuto easily shakes Akaashi's grip off of his arm, “I told you Akaashi, I don’t want rats running around my territory. And seeing as our not up for the job, I”ll just have to do it myself,” He continues as he points the gun at Y/n's direction, completely ignoring the black-haired male clinging onto him, still begging for his friend to spare her life, "Any last words?" He said to Y/n. 

Y/n raised her head and looked at Akaashi who was kneeling on the ground with tears running down his face, 'I love you' Akaashi mouthed to his lover with his quivering lips.  Unfortunately, she didn’t say it back, instead she simply gave him a soft smile, "I'm sorry, Keiji".

Bang!

Akaashi screamed as he saw his Y/n's lifeless body fall onto the floor, blood beginning to pooling around her body. 

Bokuto sighs as he puts his pistol back into its place and looks down at Akaashi’s sobbing figure and puts a hand on his shoulder, "I know you cared about her a lot, but I highly doubt they felt the same about you. I'm sorry Akaashi,” Although his sympathy was short lived as he retracts his hand from his junior’s shoulder, “But next time please when I say get the job done, you get the job done." The silver-haired man says nothing more and walks out of the warehouse, leaving Akaashi to mourn for the betrayal and the death of his beloved Y/n

Yaay! Damn I only wrote this in one day, its a miracle hehe. Anyway i hope this is what you meant by filled with angst HAHAH. I didn’t really dive into Akaashi and Y/n’s relationship bc it might be too long? Anyway i hope you like it and its what you wantedd,, Thank you again for requesting heheh (um it wasn’t really specified if you wanted it to be fem, male, or gender neutral so i um opted for fem,, but if fem is not whut you meant please feel free to message me!

[pastryglitch]

7 Characters!

Thank you @plumreen for tagging me!! The bad news is I like so many characters so much that I couldn’t ever make a top ten list without feeling like I’ve left someone off, so I’m just making a general ‘7 characters I really like in no particular order’ list.  (I’m sorry for just picking 7!! Picking 10 favorites is so hard!!)

- Tanjiro Kamado yeah I just said this list was in no particular order but this one is #1 fav. I just adore him so much and how much he cares about other people. Willing to sacrifice everything just to help others. He makes me so happy just thinking about him. I love him and just want him and nezuko to be happy. also hes v cute and funny and i miss his ponytail

- Dorothea I said i was only gonna put one fe3h character on here and it was hard to pick between her and Ashe, but I had to go with my OG wife. In my crimson flower playthrough I was going to romance edelgard, but I just adored Dorothea so much I had to go with her in the end. Shes so beautiful and nice and cute and funny and we write LOVE POETRY to each other and shes so sweet in the proposal scene. I married her once and I already want to do it again.

- Luke from HM:AP Luke!!! My First harvest moon husband!! He’s so funny and cute and you can tell how much he likes you from the moment you start courting him. I still quote when he gives you the honey and is like “yeah I had to run really fast- I MEAN,,, I HAD TO FIGHT THE BEES TO GET IT!!” cause he wants to look cool, and his stupid letter that doesn’t make any sense (which is cause it got mistranslated, which is a shame, but without that knowledge it just sounds like him speaking nonsense cause he got nervous about asking you out which is adorable) and how he always yells about everything cause he’s so EXTREME!!!™.(same!) I love and remember him very fondly and at some point I hope I can marry him again.

- Splinter from TMNT 2012 “whhaaaatt emme you like that dumb turtle show made for lil boyz whaa dats fer babies’ YES OKAY ITS MY FAVORITE SHOW AND I CARE VERY VERY DEEPLY ABOUT IT AND I REALLY LIKE EVERY CHARACTER IN IT EXCEPT CASEY WHO SUCKS BUT I LOVE MY RAT DAD SO MUCH OKAY FUCK YOU

-Mob from Mob psycho I didn’t love Mob psycho as much as a lot of other people I’ve seen, But I still really enjoyed it and I love all the characters! Mob is so sweet and kind and cute and I’m so proud of him!! He tries so hard and learns so much and I want him to be happy!!

-Dark Choco Yes I am basic I am sorry. It feels like a sin to pick a favorite cookie since I love all of them so much, but I gotta go with the cursed man. Hes so cool looking and has some of the most development out of any cookie. I really like thinking about his backstory and personality and his relationships with other cookies, like Whip, Yam, and Avocado. I could have put a lot of the cookies on here, But Dark is so interesting and I love drawing him smiling. If the devs won’t make him smile than I will. He deserves it.

-Kirby !!!KIRBY IS SHAPED LIKE A FRIEND!!! He is so cute and sweet and soft and I fell in love with him when I was a little baby. I loved his games and his voice and his squishiness and he was my main in brawl and I WRECKED SHIT!!! (until I switched to Dark Pit in ultimate, who I have grown very fond of, but I can’t put him on this list since I’ve never actually played kid icarus and I don’t actually know anything about him. heheh) but point is kirby was my first ‘favorite character’ from when I was little, so he has a special place in my heart

And I don’t have anyone to tag!! :D

[pops-and-kids]

Hello! Below is a little something I wrote for Lil Red! It’s angst filled, so be warned of that! I plan to do one of these a month, but they wont always be this long or heavy as this one. If you’d like to see more of these please tell me! These will be tagged Redfics, with Lil’ Red either being the main character or the main topic. Please enjoy! (^-^)/

Red scuttled around the halls quickly, her blue and gold eyes blown wide in fear. A bunch of bad men attack the ship again today, but this time they brought friends. Haruta was supposed to take her and hide, but they suddenly lurched forward and tossed her, sending her tumble all over the floor. When she looked back up at them they were clutching their shoulder and told her to run for the bedrooms. The sound of yelling and boomsticks frightened her to her very core. Even Pop-pop was yelling! He never yelled! Red whimpered as she ran down the long hall, now lost on the ship. To her everything looked the same, and her nose was just filled with that icky smell of iron, sea salt, and the grey powder Izou and Curiel stuffed in their boomsticks. Her ears were full of the sounds of everyones yells of anger and pain, sending chills down her tricolour patched coat. She was scared, she wanted Fossa or Pop-pop to hold her! The rocking of the ship under her paws didn’t help, the sea and sky were just as upset as her as storm clouds started swirling above and harsh waves started snapping at the sides of the whale boat.

Her small paws barely made any sound over the fighting, but her heart sounded like it had gotten into her head and was thumping loud in her already straining ears. She looked at the doors next to her, but none of them had the bedroom plates on them. She only recognized Haruta and Kingdews big boy room, where all the weird whirring and beeping machines were with the talking snails. She skidded to a halt and made a helpless jump for the door lever, though it was in vain. All the door levers on the ship were too high for her small body, even if she jumped with her just jump! Red slid down the door, her claws leaving marks on the wood as her eyes filled with tears. Haruta and Kingdew were back on the deck, and she’d get yelled at if she went out there while the adults all yelled at one another. A strong wind crashed into the ship, making it lean to the side and filling her nose with more of that awful iron smell. She didn’t like it at all, but the all-better room and Jirus rooms always smelled of it. The deck did too days after a fight, but today it was really strong.

Suddenly a loud boom shook her entire body and knocked the air out of her, leaving her gasping. Screams were all she heard over the ringing in her ears, the wailing of the wind going through her. Her eyes were full of little stars as she opened them, but all that she was greeted with was splintered wood of the once intact hallway and the fire eating at the whale boat. The whale boat wasn’t supposed to be on fire! Ace wouldn’t set the whale boat on fire! Red fall back onto the floor, jumping up onto her six paws as the ship rocked scarily again. The ocean was really upset now, banging into all the ships around into the whale boat. The wind was howling and tearing at the big sails too, threatening to jab holes in them. She gulped and started running down the hall again, away from the yelling and fire, far away.

“Unf!” While she was looking back at the massive hole in the side of the whale boat she had bumped into something! Or someone.

Suddenly large hands grabs her hard, causing her to yelp in pain as she was yanked up off the ground so quickly and with her legs crushed together painfully. She blinked and looked forward, meeting green eyes. They weren’t happy eyes like Thatchs, but deep and scary. They didn’t have the love and affection he did, but more like a Shaleback eyeing a new meal: her.

“And what the fuck are you?” The man asked, a creepy smile twisted on his face. She didn’t like that smile. Red shrunk back a bit, a whimper escaping her mouth.

The man gripped her even tighter, tears of pain and fear stinging at the corners of her eyes as he looked her over. Red felt a rush of peircing ice go through her veins, and her eyes widened in shock as she remembered what Auntie Ta’Vari had told her.

“If a human corners you, kick them as hard as you can! In the stomach, in the knees, in the throat, anywhere you reach!”

“Aren’t you that thing the marines were freaking out about some time back? Some sort of beast?” The man continued talking, ignoring the glossed over look in the faerie dragons eyes.

With a few deep breaths Red gathered all her strength and raised her hind paws, sending them jabbing into his chest! He gasped and hunched over a bit, but his hands gripped even tighter to Reds horror, making her screech in pain.

“Heheh...feisty little shit...” His one hand let her go for just a second--only to regain grip. Around her neck. “Aint ya?” Red’s eyes went wide as she began to squirm in earnest now.

The man laughed as he slowly crushed her throat his his hand, her thrashing becoming more and more panicked as she got less and less air. All she got loose was one of her front legs, but at the cost of being able to breathe freely. She craned her neck and made eye contact with him, stopping the fighting and merely trembling in his hands.

“I wonder how much your pelt would sell for.” The man smirked.

What did he mean? Did he want her fur? Why did he want it? He couldn’t have it! Izou loved to brush it! Fossa spent a lot of time washing oil out of it! Everyone loved how soft it was, especially Pop-pop! HE COULDN’T HAVE IT!!!

Red bared her teeth like Papa taught her, eyes focusing on nothing but the bad man in front of her. In a split second her one free paw flexed, curved claws unsheathing from their cute and furry toes. She opened her mouth and her paw shot forward.

“NO!!” Her paw went towards his face. Directly into his eye.

His face was blank as her claws went into his open eye, red splattered out and over her paw as they dug in deep. In a single second he roared in pain and let go of Red, letting her fall to the floor. Red gasped for air as she stumbled to her paws and looked at the man. He stumbled back, screaming curse words not even fossa had used before, red iron oozing from between his fingers as he clutched at his eye. The little faerie dragon was frozen on the spot, fear and horror gluing her to the floor.

The bad man looked at her, his other eye filled with rage. That scared her even more.

“YOU LITTLE RAT!!! I’LL SKIN YOU ALIVE!!!” He screamed and yanked out his sword, charging at her.

Red could only stare with wide eyes as the glint of his sword caught the light, it’s aura filled with spite and blood lust.

“GET THE FUCK--” Sword met flaming sword, Fossa’s yell of rage filled Red’s ears as she stared at the swords inches away from her face.

The bad man stumbled back and Fossa went forward. He raised his swords and in a quick motion--

“RED!!”

He brought them down just as large hands scooped her up, covering her eyes and ears. But it was too late. She had saw the swords dig into the man’s flesh, she had seen the red iron gushing from his body, she had heard the start of his scream.

“It’s okay! It’s okay! He didn’t hurt you, did he?!” Dewey cuddled her so tenderly, keeping her pressed against his chest protectively as she shook and let out a sob. She loved Pop-pop, and Marco, and Ace, and Thatchy, and Jojo, and Vista, and Menny, and Mossy, and Namur, and Dewey, and Haruta, and Atmos, and Jiru, and Fossa, and Izou. They fed her and kept her safe, gave her lots of love and naps.

But she missed Mommy and Papa.

[sea-dragon-pride]

☕☕☕☕☕ (KIDDING, 🌟🌼🌗❓!)

 ☕☕☕☕☕ WELL IF YOU MUST KNOW,,, my deepest darkest secret… my BIGGEST shame… is that I can’t get Calico’s cats to like me. I KNOW! I’m a fake druid, but I try talkin to them and I chase them around and they’re not havin’ ANY of it. The cats on this boat are anti-Tiller ghskgh;skgsgds

(ALSO THIS GOT LOOOONNNGGGGG, so I’m putting it under the cut, I’m So Sorry For Getting Carried Away)

🌟When your OC loses all hope, who do they turn to first? What helps make them feel better? What calms them down and reassures them? Why?

I think when all hope is lost, I would always turn to Roy! I know I should probably say something like my real dads but I haven’t seen them in so long and I never want to worry them with things they don’t need to know about…. Roy always knew how to keep up a brave face, and somehow had a plan for everything, even when failure seemed inevitable. All the Sea Dragons for that matter, made me feel that way! I could never stay in a sour mood after an evening meal with Bingo or Codec, or hell, even Skiff! They’re practically my family and I know they accepted all parts of me into their ranks, so I can’t help but feel better if we’re all together. Though nowadays, that’s not an option, so… to calm down I usually like to hang out in the crow’s nest and chart stars. You can see the sky and the ocean for MILES, when everything is so grand and beautiful, things can’t seem so bad. Something about being up there reminds me that life is always moving, like the ocean! So if things are bad now… then they can’t stay that way forever, because that time will have to move somewhere else, somewhere in the past. On a simpler level, I really appreciate hugs and snacks. I’m the perfect form for cuddling! It’s not bragging, it’s a fact!!! So if I’m ever sad, just squeeze the life out of me and I’ll feel better. 

🌼 Write a short drabble from your OCs POV meeting their LI 

I see the red sails being raised at the end of the dock. Black skulls with a sun burst pattern decorates a number of them. The whole ship is made from stained black wood with red trim. The wood even smells burned.

Jeez, these guys are the ostentatious types, huh? 

Everyone looks like they’re bustling about, doing the prep work for an extended time out at sea. They’ll be expecting me anytime now, but when have pirates been punctual?

Okay, okay, new boat, new story, don’t sweat the small stuff. No one can ask you too many questions if you just keep up your overly-friendly small talk. These guys are supposed to be more dangerous than the last crews, which means a bigger haul. Roy’s counting on you.

I look around the main deck and spot an older woman with an intricate braid and a wide-brimmed hat. That’s gotta be her. I run up and say:

“OH! Ahoy there!!! I’ve never been on a ship this big before wOOWW! Love the color scheming, it really brings out the whole ‘murder-y’ vibes you guys seem to be going for haha! You must be Captain Rhea!”

The older woman looks perplexed (like they usually do), and responds: “That would be me, aye. Though I don’t remember ordering for an interior decorator aboard my vessel.”

“Hehehe no! But you DID send for a navigator and that’s me! Tiller Jakobie, at your service! I’ll tell ya where ya are, where ya goin, where ya wanna be, and how to get there! I also brought my own maps!” I lift them out of my bag proudly. These babies took ages to chart, but no one appreciates map craftsmanship nowadays.

Rhea sighs: “Ah, I did put Beremy in charge of recruiting didn’t I? Remind me not to do that again…. But yes, unfortunately, our last navigator has seemed to desert us for his own misadventures. If you’re the best we can do for such a short time, then so be it. Boys, get her set up in a room, I have business to attend too.”

Yeah… the misadventures of their old navigator mostly involve spending the next few weeks in the brig of The Quick Silver. If Franz is on guard duty, the poor guy will have to listen to him while he practices new songs. Hehehe that’ll make him WISH we threw him overboard!

I turn to my new alleged crew members: “SO! Miss Captain said something about accommodations? Do you guys have room service?? OH! What about those complimentary little soaps??!! Where am I stayin!! You’ve got a five star suite for me, right?”

Most of the reactions are as expected; a couple a furrowed brows, eye rolls, a few smirks and chuckles. I’ll have em head over heels for me soon enough, I mean, come ON! I’m adorable!!! They look around at each other, and one pipes up:

“Well I know someone who don’t have a bunk mate right now…”

The group kind of snickers and mumbles to each other. I hear some whispers - “That’s a lil mean for her first day, ain’t it?” “With HER, are you serious?” “Well, I ain’t gonna be the next one with a fresh scar for waking her up by accident!” They talk back and forth some more and come to an agreement of some kind? “Alright, we got a room for you, follow us!”

I trail behind them, trying to note down the layout of this ship. It IS bigger than The Quick Silver, more in width than in length. The mizzenmast is fortified and I can see spots for snipers to sit up by the topsails. That’ll be a problem to deal with later… We continue below deck and I’m practically pushed towards a room at the end of the hall. My welcome party already starts backing up toward the hold and they shout: 

“Alright, get cozy in there!” More repressed laughing. “Dinner’s served around dusk, see you then!”

Okayyyyy… whatever these guys think they got against me, I’m sure it can’t be that bad. What’s a little hazing between new crew members, right? I’ve faced worse.

“Uh hello?” I knock and open the door.

Oh Fuck. It is that bad.

In the room, there’s a girl, sitting on the lower bunk, sharpening a pair of swords. She doesn’t even flinch when I enter. Her hair is covering a lot of her face, since she’s looking down. It’s so long… Golden hoops dance under her ears. She has bandages around her hands and scars up her arms. Who IS she???

“Are you lost?”

I jolt back. SHIT, I’ve been staring!!! “Wh- huh?”

The girl looks up at me and her hair falls back. Oh NO, she’s PRETTY,,,,!!!!! My face feels hot, WAIT, is this room hot? DON’T tell me you’re blushing right now, Jakobie,,,

She asks again: “Are you lost? This is my room. What are you doing in here?”

Your mission. Remember your mission, dumbass.

“AHAHA OH RIGHT! N-NO WAY! In fact, it’s my job to be Not Lost! I’m Tiller, the new navigator aboard the ship, it’s SUPER nice to me you!!!”

She puts away her whetstone but doesn’t say anything.

I close the door, as I default to rambling over silence. “Well... ANYWAY, your friends said you needed a roomie so here I am! They seem like a fun bunch huh? They mentioned something about you stabbing someone, not that that’s important to me haha! D-Don’t answer that! Those are cool swords you have there!! Where’d you get them? Can you fight with them at the same time!!?? That’s CRAZY! But in a good way! Not that you’re crazy!! Also, I didn’t seem to get your name??” I take a seat on the chest across from her.

She starts to polish her swords. “I didn’t give it.”

Ohhhh one of THOSE types.

She glances up briefly and squints at me. “Why are you wearing a sleeve on only one arm?”

To hide my tattoo.

“OH haha! THIS??? It’s uhhh… to cover a… birthmark! It’s- It’s really gross and ugly and I, uh- hate it so I don’t like looking at it.”

She furrows her brow and kind of scoots further away on her bed after hearing that.

Smooth.

I start putting my stuff away. “Sooooo, I heard someone on the boat is named Beremy?? What’s up with that? That doesn’t sound like a real name.”

“Tiller doesn’t sound like a real name.” She mumbles.

“OHHHH SO SHE HAS JOKES!!! Miss Mystery over here has jests and japes for the the new girl, okay, I’ll take that one. I’m glad comedy is allowed in this room.”

She seems to eye me more closely now as I empty my backpack. She responds: “Just don’t touch my things and you won’t be sleeping in the galley with your namesake.”

“The other crew members seem to be kind of scared of you. Should I be worried, or are you all bark and no bite?”

I feel a whoosh of cool air whip past my ear. One of her swords is suddenly embedded in the wall behind me, inches from the side of my head. 

Whoa…. she’s Perfect.

She sounds a little irritated when she says, “I like for people to make their own judgements about me and not listen to rumors from people they’ve just met.”

My heart is racing. (Probably from the sword, right??) I yank it out of the wall. “That… was SO COOL!!! I didn’t even see you throw it. You’ve gotta teach me that!!!””

She looks a little taken aback.

I continue, “Also have you ever thought about pulling your hair out of your face with something??? Then maybe you can aim better!! Plus… I think your eyes are really pretty...”

“I-” 

Suddenly, there’s a bell ringing down the hall.

The girl looks away to the side. Was her face always that pink? She stands up and makes for the door. “That’s the dinner bell. You can… come with me if you want. It’d be weird to just stay in here.”

I hop up. “Alright Miss Mystery, if you INSIST!”

“It’s Mayday.”

“What?”

“Mayday. That’s my name. If I am stuck with you, then you at least ought to know what to call me.”

Mayday.

Aw man… how am I gonna figure out this one…?

🌗 Early mornings or late nights? What do they spend their time doing during these hours?

Early mornings all the way! As much as I LOVE sleepovers and gossiping over pillow talk, there’s something AMAZING about seeing the sunrise and getting to run around before the rest of the crew has woken up! Usually, I like to sneak food from Mr. Biscuit while he’s still making breakfast and I try to hide stickers in Selim’s armory. I chat with all the animals around the boat too! You know, catch up with the seagulls and dolphins following along side. I usually find a rat or two, and they always have the best jokes!!! Miss Shih says I should get rid of any rats I find, but what she doesn’t know, won’t hurt my loyal subjects. And then my favorite, I GET TO WAKE EVERYONE UP!!! Miss Shih’s always awake, so she’s the exception! You really bond and get to know a person once you’ve seen them at their most annoyed and delirious state, A HA I LOVE IT!!!

❓ A random fact or short drabble! Or make up your own question to ask the OC!

My question of choice: If you had a personalized Captain Hat, what power would it grant you?

THAT’S A REALLY HARD ONE!!! Part of me almost wants to inherit Roy’s hat because his power is really cool and he’s never let me USE IT!!!! >:///

But part of me also feels like it would be fun to just enhance the druid powers I already have! Like basically just become a water-bender and control the weather when you’re out at sea!! OH! Or maybe it could be a shape-shifting animal hat!!! (But how would that work in animal form?? Would they all get little hats?? That’s not intimidating!!!) Maybe it could be navigator related, and I would always know where I am and never be lost! OR MAYBE! It could track the thing you desire most!!! That seems kind of heavy for me though haha! Regardless, I can’t make up my mind! I want them all! The solution is that all captain’s should give me their hats and that’ll be the end of it!!! It’s only fair, and I deserve it of course!!!

[chetchetchetchet]

A request for anxiety

"You sure you don't want a flower? We got twenty percent off silversage. Twenty-five since I like that butt."

Chet cast himself languidly over the store counter of the Stormwind flower shop, dragging his fingertips just-sensually-enough across parted lips as he zoomed in on the guardsman’s hips. In a hurry, he had cast off his armor and stuffed it in a bundle behind the counter, throwing on some of the shopkeeper’s own clothing he’d found upstairs. Being slight of physique, he found he was just able to truly succeed at wearing her skirt; one of the shopkeeper’s shirts that was too small had been done in a tie-up to flaunt his smooth belly. The likeness of a rat was burrowing in to his belly button as though to hide a precious score. The tattoo was one detail of his body he didn’t have time to disguise in his outfit and looked all wrong on a flower shopkeeper, so he drew attention to it instead, rolling his abs at the guard.

The guard was tired. “That’s really not why we’re here, m--sir. Just call to us if you hear of or see anything suspicious.”

“Well okay, but I think I’ll be seeing -you- tomorrow.” The man cooed, dabbing his fingertip on the air in a come-hither fashion as the guard, not coming hither, turned and left. “Call me!” Chet chirped after him, and was ignored as the door swung shut.

“Heheh. How we doin’?” 

“We need to go.” Came the voice of Lucille from beneath the counter. “The shopkeeper’s almost always back by 8:30.”

“And what do we got?”

“8:35.”

Chet glanced at the ceiling, giving himself the same one second to process that information he gave himself to process any. He looked towards window; a man and a woman were talking. Shadows moved and iron footsteps headed back towards the door.

One broken window and eighteen complicated alley turns later, Chet counted dried herb pouches on the floor of the barn. Lucille paced back and forth, eyes fixed in blazing intensity on the ground, fingertips desperately clutching her forehead and temple, in case shielding her face from the world could give her some solace.

“That went terrible!” Lucille complained.

“That was hilarious.” Chet dismissed. 

“He’ll know our faces now! Forever!” 

“He’ll know my face. It’s a good face.” Chet grinned, looking up from his work to tap the bone of his eyesocket, calling attention towards and taking the usual needless pride to his favorite genetic quirk. “Now I’ll run a more convincing distraction.”

“He’ll remember you for the rest of his life!” Lucille stressed, turning squarely upon him and clutching the empty air emphatically. Her needful hands told Chet of the concern and seriousness that he should have been filling her arms with.

Chet tipped his head. Something emotional was happening, but too much practice entertaining and not enough practice listening got the better of his lips before he could process it. “Maybe that means he’ll call me.”

“UGH.” Lucille punched Chet just as hard as she could on the arm. When he laughed, she swatted him. “I mean it! Listen. Chet, you -know- I’m not talking about what happened at the flower shop. Why don’t you -worry- ever? You can get hurt, you know.”

Chet supposed that laughing in response to genuine distress reminded himself too much of the kind of man he hated the most, so he at least slacked his smile and made a face that went with revving up the part of his brain meant for listening. From that effort alone, he forgot the question.  “Why don’t I worry?”

“Why don’t you? I’d just feel a lot better if every once in a while, you seemed concerned that you put yourself in such danger.”

They’d had this conversation before. Lucille was an unusually passionate advocate of Chet not killing himself. She had a point, and he respected her, so the conversations had a way of making him self conscious without changing much. Why didn’t it ever change much? 

Emotions poked up like seedlings in his chest. He loved failing. It fascinated him. Every moment of seeing something go wrong was like seeing a new side of the world--and a chance to use the skills that made him feel the most important: his adaptability, his wit, his resilience, his resourcefulness. But putting it in to words made him uncomfortable. In Thalassian, at least, he knew the words exactly, and some approximation of it could be suitably referenced in street common. Yet, by his own vice, he found it more compelling to fail miserably at expressing what he meant.

“Failing’s hilarious.” 

Lucille gave him a bedraggled, accusatory look and slumped down, pulling her knees to her chest. “One night after acting, you came home bragging about how that Caterina lady said--’his lack of anxiety might be a disorder’. All the other girls in the troupe were trying so hard. Their hearts must have been pounding before the play. You like girls and I know it. Weren’t you concerned about letting any of them down?”

“Haha, what was I--” Chet began, but the laugh earned a commanding glare from Lucille. He stretched his jaw in embarrassment, bowing his head. “Still, what was I gonna do? Even if I goofed it, that’s flavor for the play.”

“What if you ruined the scene? What if they were all mad at you?”

“Then I guess they wouldn’t’ve liked me. Guess they wouldn’t’ve wanted to be my friend.” Chet grinned, and meant it.

“What if -no- one wanted to be your friend?!” Lucille harped, and now a certain moisture was welling in her eyes.

“Then I wouldn’t have anyone to disappoint by indulging myself until I died.” Chet showed still more of his teeth, thumbing at himself.

“What if I don’t want to die?!!”

Chet paused, hanging his hand. The personal question had led to a realization. Tonight, she wasn’t mad at him for his daring. She was self conscious of her own struggles living up to the same. Oh. So it wasn’t always about himself being a scumbag.

“Oh. Shit. You look up to me, don’t you?”

“Of COURSE I look up to you, you JERK. Are you absolutely dumb? Don’t answer that, I know you’ll say yes and smile about it for a week!”

Chet glanced off to the side, pinching his lips hard. He was trying not to smile. Lucille appreciated the effort; it meant he was thinking about it. He took a deep breath and looked back at her. “Okay, okay. You’re right. I...Look, I don’t know.” And now Chet took a turn massaging his face. His brain felt like it was trying to stretch its way out of his skull. He could feel the pressure against his ears. He was thinking, which he did occasionally.  “I’m not afraid of anything.”

“How?”

“Like...Not in a good way,” he laughed.

Lucille shook her head. “How is that not good? Everyone wants to be that.”

“Hey, thanks.” Chet beamed. Lucille pumped her fists against her knees. 

“Yes, I know, you’re very clever, but we are talking about me right now, so forget it for a second!”

Nothing got by her. Playing her for compliments could wait, then. Chet took a longer moment before speaking this time, to Lucille’s satisfaction. A whole ten seconds past. Ten full Chet-cycles of taking in the entire world, deciding what it meant, and coming up with a plan. Maybe if enough were put together it could all become more than an impulse?

“I’m pretty fucking proud of how fearless I am.”

“I know you are. I want to do it too.”

“I’m scared of you being like me.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m ready to die.”

“I know. Teach me how to do it without dying.”

Chet blinked, then broke in to an enormous, sunny grin. His whole body lit up with an excitement and purpose that he hadn’t had since the morning. “-Fuck- yeah. Okay. I’ve got a plan.” He didn’t. “We’re gonna clear my name again, and you’re gonna play the lead actress this time. Here’s how we’re gonna do.” 

And so, inspired, he set to work describing to her a plan he hadn’t even thought of yet. He spoke faster than he could think, and one by one her criticisms of his nonsense led to the formation of an actual plan and not just the bluff of one. Later that week, Lucille would have a chance to practice her confidence--but that’s another story.

[funkymeihem-fiction]

A Perfect Valentines Day for Some Meihem

(I struggled to get all this done today while moving, so I’m sorry if it seems a little rushed! Happy Valentines!)

***

Roadhog was sitting on the closed lid of the toilet in the junkers’ crowded little bathroom, reading another of his old paperback novels. His drooping gaze scanned it as hurriedly as he could, knowing full well that this was likely the only chance to get to read this particular novel before it was ruined. The book was already burnt on the edges and starting to bend and break from the elements, and now it was discentigrating before his very eyes, spattered with water and wilting from steam. As another splash arced his way, he lifted the book up towards the ceiling and tried to keep reading.

“She’s gonna love this, Roadie! A clean, fresh bloke for Valentines Day! You know how many kisses I’m gonna get today? Yeah, she won’t be able to resist all them primal lady urges when she sees all this!” Junkrat sat on his plastic stool in the middle of the shower, bombarding himself with scalding water as he leaned to fill his up his purloined tupperware container and dumped it over his head. He was looking a bit more like a drowned rat than a junk rat, wild swathes of blond hair now sopping wet and drooping all over his head, stuck in a rather grotesque manner across his eyes and face. He was hunched over like a gargoyle on his chair, using his remaining limbs to awkwardly maneuver himself as the water flowing down his body came away black and gray, swirling down a drain that was already bubbling and threatening to clog. Again.

“She probably won’t recognize you,” Hog grunted, lifting his book again as Junkrat filled up his container and missed as he tried to douse himself.

“That’s cause I’m a new man! This is gonna blrlrb-” He doubled over in a fit of coughing as he threw water directly into his own face whilst trying to talk, sputtering loudly before continuing on. “This is gonna be perfect, a real gentleman’s-type holiday. It’s gotta be classy. Okay, hand me all them bottles. We’re gonna turn this Junkrat into a Hunkrat. Okay, how do I… Oi, Roadie, what’s the difference between shampoo and conditioner?”

Hog shrugged.

“Okay, guess I better use both. Oi, Roadie, there’s a whole bunch of them. Where’d you even get all these? Okay, we got melon, we got lavender, coconut, tea tree, dandruff, pear…ooo, this one says it’s ‘musky and sensual’, that definitely describes me. Lots of ‘em smell good though. I dunno, what do you think she’d like most?”

Hog shrugged.

“Yeah, you’re right, better use ‘em all just in case.” He began emptying out the containers onto his head, coating what was left of his hair with multi-colored pools of pearly goop before he began rubbing furiously with his one hand, mixing and lathering until nearly his entire head was lost in a sphere of foam. “I’ve been doing me research, seeing what the sheilas love most. It don’t seem that hard; jewels, candy, flowers, little stuffed thingies…so I get Mei all of that, we get real romantic, and then we’re in for a real ripper of a night, ya know? Oi, you got time to help me nip down to that jewelry place on the mainland? I think they got necklaces and diamonds and whatnot there, we can knock it down easy.”

Hog turned a wary eye to meet his employer’s gaze- or what he guessed was his gaze, his whole head was nothing but a mess of white bubbles- and frowned. “She doesn’t wear diamonds and won’t like you stealing them even if she did.”

“Pffft!” Bits of foam went flying away from his lips. “Okay, yeah, no diamonds. Chocolates though! Like the good kind that are worth more than the jewelry, with those little swirly drizzles on them? Get a big heart full of those. Jellybeans! Who doesn’t like jellybeans? Gotta get some of them. I hear they make lady’s underwear but you can eat it, you think that’s true?” He chortled to himself at the thought. “Just saying, I’d eat the panties right offa her, hehehe. And I’ve seen folks what buy a bunch of those little candy hearts with words and letters on ‘em, can spread like a romantic message out on her bed. Like ‘Dear Mei, I love you lots, can’t wait to root you harder than a-”

“No. Also, she doesn’t eat a lot of candy. You do.”

Junkrat made a little noise of irritation as he continued to massage the unholy mess of shampoo around his head. “Arroight, you got me there. Guess I probably would eat all the jellybeans and panties by myself. What about a stuffed thingy? You and her both like them cutesy shits. Didn’t you just get some kind of new pinkie Pachimari thing last time we were out and about? How about I give that-”

Roadhog reached up one massive arm and grasped the head of the shower, twisting it up and blasting the smaller man in the face with water.

“WHARRGARBL!” Junkrat coughed, waving both hands and shielding his face as the bubbles over his head were washed away in the deluge.

“Don’t touch my things,” the larger junker rumbled dangerously, and he meant it.

Junkrat finally bowed his head against the onslaught, and began sullenly rinsing his head free of soap once more, blowing water out of his nose and sniffling dramatically. “Just fuck my shit right up, Roadie, blimey. Howsabout flowers? You gonna shit all over flowers too? Ain’t flowers too basic?”

Hog thought for a moment, then nodded slowly. “No. For a first Valentines Day that should be good. Flowers are good.”

Junkrat’s grin returned. “You think? I mean, I know she likes pretty things, and all lady-types like flowers, right? I mean they smell real good, almost as good as me! I smell like a florist shop fucked a perfumery and I’m the baby! Okay, I think we’re done, help me up out of here.”

Roadhog just nodded without really listening, as he often did when Junkrat started talking strangely, which was nearly all the time. Holding out one enormous hand, he let the sopping wet smaller man latch onto it, the high-strung junker grasping onto it with his remaining hand and curling what remained of his other arm around it. He managed to stand, but his foot slipped wildly until he snapped aloud, “Oi, bathtub, give me some bumpies.” There was a long pause as Athena attempted to translate his command into one that made sense, before the bottom of the tub basin shifted tactile structure, ridged bumps rising into a more easily-gripped texture. With that and Roadhog’s assistance, he managed to struggle out the side of the tub.

Roadhog tossed him a towel and set his battered paperback aside, starting to disrobe for his turn at the shower. Others in Overwatch might have thought that bathing together was a strange behavior, but the junkers came from a world of scarce water and nonexistent privacy. Seeing nakedness was hardly noteworthy. Junkrat didn’t bother to cover himself as he dried off, smoothing back his dripping hair. “So you seeing anyone for the holiday? Gonna have a romantic night of your own?”

The elder junker  awkwardly turned sideways to sidle into the tub before making a lewd gesture with one hand, which sent his younger partner into another fit of giggles.

“Rosie Palm again! You two’ve been together for too many years, mate, ain’t it time to branch out? Give someone else a go?”

“She hasn’t let me down yet,” Hog deadpanned, fumbling with the shower controls.

“Well, you enjoy your self-handy. I’m gonna go romance the fuck out of the most a-mei-zing lady in the world!” Junkrat declared with no small amount of confidence, pulling the straps of his leg prosthetic tight around his thigh before hobbling back into the room to find his shorts. “Hope I ain’t forgetting anything…”

“Brush your teeth,” Hog’s voice echoed after him.

“Already did, mate!”

“All of them.”

“Er…”

Junkrat turned around and headed back into the bathroom.

***

Mei was standing in front of her mirror, holding up two dresses to her chest over and over again. “Blue or pink? I know pink is more Valentines-y, but I just bought the blue one and I got a nice shawl and tights to go with it, but then the pink one has little cute polka-dots and I love polka-dots! But then again, the blue one-”

“Is just going to get dirt and soot on it,” Zarya grumbled, rummaging through her box of nail polish. “I would not wear anything nice around him. Choose a color, I have blues and pinks to match. You are trying to impress the rat? What does he like?”

“You know how someone will say ‘You look good in anything’?”

“Da?”

“He actually means it. I really could wear anything around him, but I still want to look nice! It’s a special day.”

“I do not trust that skinny man. Or the pig man.” Zarya frowned, slamming one fist into her palm. “If the rat tries anything…”

Mei coughed gently. “Well actually, of all days, I kind of hope today is the day he does try something…Well! It’s Valentines Day! I mean, it’s a good day for it!” She quailed slightly at the look she received, cheeks turning pink.

“We did not celebrate this Valentines Day in Russia.”

“We didn’t celebrate it in Xi’an either,” Mei admitted. “But we sometimes used to exchange little cards and candies at some of the eco-stations I was at. I’m willing to bet the junkers didn’t celebrate Valentines Day back in the wasteland either but Jamison seems really excited about it. It’s a harmless little holiday about chocolates and poetry and love, I think it’s nice.”

“Hmph.”

“You might try talking to them a little more, you know? I won’t say they’re not a handful, but they can be surprising in ways you don’t think of. Give them a chance?”

“I make no promise. Also, blue dress. You always look good in blue. Blue dress and cute little shawl.” She held up one of her bottles of blue polish and shook it back and forth. “Put it on, I will do nails for you. Do you have special plans? It seems everyone is going out tonight.”

“Mm, yes! I am going to bake a lamington cake to surprise him. It’s a type of cake back in Australia, he was telling me about how much he loved them and missed them back when…well, back when he was robbing places in Adelaide…” She coughed and continued on as if Zarya was not giving her an extremely unimpressed look. “But that’s in the past! So! I’m baking a lamington cake for him, and I’ve got coconut and cream for it, and then I’ll let it set for a few hours while we go out. I’ve got reservations at a really nice Korean barbecue with both meat and vegetarian options, then we’re going to go to a really nice boba tea place I’ve heard about, then a romantic walk on the beach, and then we can come back here and…you know…hang out?…” Another awkward cough.

“Hmph.”

“I’ll save you a slice, if he doesn’t try to eat all of it. What are your plans for tonight? Anyone special you have your eye on?”

“Free weights and leg day. Maybe I punch training bots if I feel frisky?” Zarya smirked down at her.

Mei wrinkled her nose, as it did not particularly sound like a romantic evening to her, but didn’t challenge her friend. She held up the blue dress one more time, nodded, then set it aside for later in the evening, flouncing back towards her bed where Zarya was already preparing undercoats and topcoat varnishes and color layers and other things Mei never usually made much time for but always admired. She settled onto her knees, holding out a hand while the larger woman took it with her always surprisingly delicate touch, starting to file and round the edges of her nails, silent as she focused on her work.

“I…hope things work with you and the rat. If it makes you happy,” Zarya begrudgingly remarked out of nowhere several minutes later as she was putting another layer of blue onto Mei’s nails. “It is hard to find anything happy these days.”

Mei smiled back at her. “It really means a lot that you would say that. And don’t worry, I’m sure we’re all going to find something happy, especially you. You never know when you might find it. Maybe tonight, even!”

“Hmph.”

***

Junkrat had hitched a ride to the mainland with Ana and Reinhardt, and had tried to ignore their syrupy little giggles and glances at one another the entire way there. He hadn’t been entirely successful, and when Reinhardt leaned over to nuzzle Ana’s cheek with his beard and was making noises that were entirely too cutesy for his liking, Junkrat couldn’t help himself from pulling a face and sticking out his tongue with a disgusted “Blech.”

Romance was so much better when he was the one partaking in it.

He bailed out as soon as he was able, nearly tumbling out of the backseat as he stuck his hands in his pockets and shuffled towards the nearest florist shop, a vintage vine-covered brick building with a cheery display of mannequins holding bouquets of roses and chocolate baskets. That looked promising, so he ducked inside. The shop was bustling about with other last-minute Valentines shoppers all huddled around the roses, though several of them glanced up, looked rather uncomfortable, and scooted out past him towards the door.

The shop owner, a short fat man in a green apron, seemed to notice the sudden exodus, and quickly pinpointed the source as being the impossibly tall lanky young man with a mechanical arm and a janky peg leg, half-naked save for a pair of patched shorts and a skull tattoo, and missing most of his hair. Smiling nervously, the little shopkeep approached the strange creature and gestured to the flowers around him politely. “Ah, good day sir, are you looking for anything in particular?”

“Yeah mate, what flowers you got?”

“Er…Well, this is a flower shop. We have all kinds of flowers here. I’m assuming you’re looking for a last minute bouquet for someone special?”

“Yeah! Yeah, she’s the specialist. So I gotta get something real perfect for her.”

The florist smiled in relief. “Well, you’ll find we only sell top-quality blooms here. May I suggest one of our rose bouquets, specially tailored to the holiday? We have white, pink, red, mixed, and even blue and purple varieties.” He gestured to the large window displays, but his smile faded when the strange young man seemed disinterested. “Or perhaps you’ve something else in mind?”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s nice and all. But none of these are us. Everyone’s got roses. Gotta get something with a bit more kaboom to it, ya know?”

“…Kaboom?”

Junkrat snorted and skulked about the aisles, trailed by the concerned little man as he passed by shelves and displays full of roses, carnations, tulips, daisies, sunflowers, daffodils, gerberas, orchids, irises, lilacs; nearly every popular flower available, when he stopped at the back of the store and his eyes lit up, lifting his mechanical hand to point excitedly. “That one there! That big’un with all the colors! That’s got some kaboom!”

“The wildflower bouquet? That’s generally less Valentines, but- Okay, do you need me to wrap that up for you?”

“Sure do, mate, also can you like staple the receipt on the flowers?”

“Wait, what?”

Some minutes later, Junkrat was marching out the door with a wide grin, holding a giant bouquet of cheerful multicolored flowers in both arms, with several copies of the receipt printed out and stapled to all sides of it, signed by the shop owner and notarized by one of the nearby employees, along with a card in calligraphy script that read ‘I LOVE YOU MEI AND I PAID FOR THESE’ in elegant curling letters.

“Oh yeah. She’s gonna love this.”

***

Mei was having a bit of trouble with the baking. She wasn’t much of a baker to begin with, and the lamington cake was proving a bit more difficult to deal with than she’d first expected. Even worse, there was nobody really around to help her out. The more experienced cooks like Ana and Satya were absent, and Zarya had already vanished into the gym and didn’t wish to be disturbed. She followed the directions to the best of her ability and readied the station for later, setting up the cream and sugar and coconut that she’d read were necessary ingredients for a true Aussie lamington. She had struggled through mixing and measuring, but now had the sponge cakes in their respective pans and the oven was fiery hot. It had taken a little bit longer to make than she’d thought, so she set the oven just a tiny bit hotter to quicken the baking time, so it would be done before they had to leave for dinner. By her calculations, everything was going quite well.

Her phone chimed, and Jamie’s portrait flickered onto the projection above it. Mei flicked it on, and spoke up politely. “Zhou Mei-Ling speaking!”

“Of course it’s you, darl, who else would it be? Less you got kidnapped or something, it’s always gonna be you.”

“It’s polite!”

“Yeah, arroight. You wanna come meet me out by the transport when you got a sec. I’ma be there in about ten. I got you something!”

Her cheeks flushed a little, hiding a smile in one hand despite nobody being around to see it. “Oh my gosh! I’ll be right out, I’ll meet you as you come in. See you soon!”

Shoving the cakes into the oven and turning the dials, she set the timers and threw down her mitts, hurrying down the hallway towards her room.

She emerged a bit later wearing her new blue dress and shawl, complete with new white stockings and matching heels, her hair done up in a double loop with her favorite snowflake pin already in place, flouncing a bit as she click-click-clicked her way down the halls toward the transports. She arrived just in time to see the door hiss open, and Junkrat poke his head out curiously. He grinned when he saw her, loping out and opening both long arms, wrapping them around her and swinging her in a little circle.

“You’re looking even more a beaut than usual, lovey. I love seeing you fancy.”

“And you look…clean! Really clean! And you smell like…everything?” She looked confused for a moment, but Junkrat puffed his scrawny chest up and ran a hand through his remaining tufts of hair.

“I told Roadie you’d like that, I did. I even got some real pants and everything so we’ll look all…chic, or whatever. Now that’s romance! Speaking of romance, thought I’d better bring ya these!” He reached behind him back into the transport, and whipped back around with the enormous bouquet, holding it out with a proud grin.

She looked genuinely surprised as she accepted the giant bundle of colorful blooms, sniffing them appreciatively. “Oh my goodness, they’re so lovely! So many colors! I’ll have to make sure to put them in water before we leave. Oh, they left the receipt on the- Oh here’s another one. Why are these all notarized? Here’s another one! What?”

Junkrat preened at himself once more. “That’s right! I had them make extra for you!”

She opened the card and bit her lip to keep from laughing. In true Junkrat fashion, it was simultaneously ridiculous and kind of sweet once she got her mind around his version of logic. He had been proud of legitimately paying for a gift for her because that’s what she’d want him to do, and by god he was going to let her know it.

“That’s really nice, Jamie, it is.” She sniffled, wiping at her eye as she took in the bouquet’s lovely floral scents.

Junkrat’s grin only grew. This whole Valentines business was shaping up nicely, and this was only the beginning of what promised to be an extremely pleasant- and hopefully later on, extremely carnal- evening for them both. He draped an arm around her and kissed the top of her head, leaning down when he saw her cheeks redden and a few tears start to slip down her cheeks. “Aw, Mei darl, they’re just flowers. I mean, they’re nice flowers, probably the best flowers ever, but these are just the beginning!”

More tears slipped down her cheeks, one arm clutching the bouquet as the other clutched at her chest, clearly overcome with emotion. “I can’t breathe.”

“Hehe, aw, you don’t gotta flatter me anymore, I know th-”

“Jamie…I can’t breathe…”

“Huh?”

She dropped the flowers suddenly with a loud cough as the bouquet crashed to the tarmac. He released his hold around her, dancing around to her front and tilting her face up at him. Her face was red, too red for a blush, and her eyes and nose were watering steadily as her gaze creased shut, doubling over to cough and sneeze wildly.

“Were there chrysanthemums or marigolds in the bouquet?” she choked.

“What are those?!”

“The flowers…”

He looked down helplessly at the abandoned bouquet, picking it up and looking frantically side to side before turning to the escarpment and pitching them off the side of the nearby cliff like they were a live grenade, watching them flip through the air in a very pretty manner before tumbling into the abyss of the ocean below. “Fuck! Oh fuck, I’m sorry! I didn’t know! I swear I didn’t!”

“Oh doh…I’m addergic to chrysanthebubs and barigoads…” Her voice became thick and rasping as she wiped at her running nose, trying to keep her shawl clean. “Take be to Bercy?”

“Huh?”

“Bercy! M-ercy! Dr. Ziegler! She has pills!”

“Roight! Roight! Uh, yeah, this way!” Wrapping an arm around her, he started leading her down the hall, only to become irritated with her slower pace in her high heels and scooping her up in both arms to hurry them along their way towards the clinic. It might have looked rather gallant were it not for the fact that the weepy-eyed and runny-nosed Mei was coughing and sneezing repeatedly all over him and protesting their journey with stuffy cries of ‘I tode you I cad walk!’

They caught Angela just as she was preparing to leave the clinic, with the doctor looking a bit startled but not entirely surprised to see them. She managed to swiftly translate Mei’s garbled speech, presenting her with two pills, a glass of water, and an injection. Junkrat sheepishly explained the flower situation to her as they waited for it all to take effect. Angela shook her head, more amused than alarmed.

“You’d be surprised at how often this sort of thing happens. Though it seems Mei has a bit of a more severe reaction than most,” she said, presenting her patient with another packet of tissues to stem the tide of tears and mucus.

Junkrat grumbled from a chair nearby, putting his face in his hands. “This ain’t how I thought this was gonna go.”

“Things rarely work out so well, Mr. Fawkes.” Angela replied soothingly. “Ah, you seem to be doing better now, Mei. That’s right, now try breathing in, then out, in, then and out…”

Junkrat, without really thinking, took up the breathing exercises as well. Angela remarked something about how well he’d do in a ‘lamaze’ class, whatever that was, when he lifted his head and sniffed suddenly. “Hey, you smell that? Something’s burnin’?”

Mei’s eyes widened, sliding hurriedly off the exam table as she fought to get past Ziegler and into the hall. “Oh doh! By cakes! By cakes are burding!”

Sensing the chance for a heroic redemption, Junkrat was off like a shot towards the kitchen, hobbling as fast as his peg leg would allow. “I got it! I got this, darl, you’ll see! Are you watching!”

“Mr. Fawkes get back here this instant!”

He ignored Dr. Ziegler’s angry yelling, running into the communal kitchen where wisps of gray were seeping from the ovens. Grabbing a nearby mitt and pulling open the door, he was enveloped by the very familiar and almost comforting presence of thick black smoke, reaching through with his metal hand until his fingers clicked against the side of a cake pan. With a triumphant grin, he seized one and pulled it out, holding it aloft just in time to spy Angela and Mei in hot pursuit as they made their way through the dining area. He stood straight, his upper body no longer clean, but smoky gray and dark with ash just like he’d been before, the tips of his hair smoldering slightly from the heat.

“I saved ‘em! Mei, I got your cakes! Lookit!” He shook the pan slightly in triumph but found the slick surface of the pan hard to grip as it started to tip to one side. Without even thinking, he brought up his flesh hand to steady it, and both Mei and Angela stopped short when he let loose a shrieking howl of agony, dropping the pan with a clatter onto the floor as he grasped the wrist of his now burnt hand, the palm quickly turning a painful looking mix of red and yellow.

Angela leapt into action, grasping him by the hand and physically dragging him to the sink, turning on the cold water as she held the burnt skin under. “Athena! Turn off kitchen ovens, unlock the security door to the clinic again, and please contact Genji and let him know I’ll be running late.”

A pleasant voice chimed from above them. “Right away, Dr. Ziegler. Do you have a specific message for Mr. Shimada?”

She looked between Mei and Junkrat with a sigh. “Tell him there’s a situation.”

***

They were released over an hour later, with Mei still blowing her nose and wheezing while Junkrat wore a heavily bandaged left hand and a miserable expression. Side by side, they walked back towards the dorm areas, leaving the frantic Angela to rush out the door with her coat only half on, wishing them both a pleasant night. Neither of them seemed to think it was a very pleasant night at all.

“I just wanted to get you pretty flowers, love. Thought you’d like flowers. Didn’t know it was gonna…I dunno.”

“I was going to make you a lamington cake…I thought it’d be nice to come back to after we’d had our dinner and tea and walk and just…everything.” She pulled another tissue, blowing her nose as she glanced to her phone. “Our reservations are gone by now.”

“Yeah. Sorry…Thought this was gonna be a real good Valentines, but it’s all fucked up, I always fuck it up.”

“You didn’t mess anything up, Jamie, honest. We can still salvage Valentines Day! We can have barbecue any old day, that’s fine. Teas and walks too. We’ll just save all that for later…Do you want to order takeout instead? There’s a Thai place that still delivers. And I don’t really feel like going out anymore. We could watch a movie?” She offered him a smile, sniffling loudly.

He brightened slightly at that. “You sure that’s okay with you? Even if it ain’t romantic?”

“We can make it romantic. We can order in, watch a movie, and then…if we get really bored with the movie…” She glanced about, then leaned up towards his ear, whispering.

His eyebrows shot upward. “Crikey…Yeah, yeah, that sounds real good to me. Oi, you mind if we stop and ask the big lug if he wants to order anything with us? Feel sorta bad for him stuck in that room givin’ himself a…I mean, ya know, alone on Valentines. Ya mind?”

“That’s fine. Oh, we should ask Zarya too, since she’s still around.” She tapped at her phone. “Hm…Strange, she’s not answering.”

She followed after him towards the junkers’ shared quarters, and Junkrat was just about to approach with his key when she suddenly grabbed onto his arm, eyes widening as there was a noise from inside. Junkrat leapt back from the door as if he’d just been burned a second time, clutching onto Mei as there was a loud crash and a fading rattle, followed by a yell.

“Here’s the one-man apocalypse!”

“Da! Da! Break me, Big Man! Break me or I will break you!”

There was a loud groaning bellow that seemed to reverberate their very bones, and then what sounded like the breaking and splintering of wood and metal and the sound of gruff, thunderous laughter. Something slammed against the door from inside, causing them both to jump back.

“H-hooley dooley…” Junkrat squeaked, eyes bulging, looked a mixture of impressed and terrified. Mei glanced up at him, her expression much the same.

“My room?”

“Your room.”

The two practically fled back to Mei’s dorm, where she slumped in front of her computer and looked up the take-out order menu, while Junkrat collapsed onto her bed and began flicking through the selection of movies, shaking his head wryly. “Well, at least someone’s enjoying their Valentines Day to the fullest. Even if it ain’t us. Oi, get me one of them curry rices, will ya? Get comfy, darl, I think we’re in.”

Mei put in their orders and then dutifully pulled off her new blue dress and evening outfit, sighing as she hung it back up on the clothes hanger and pulled on her pajamas instead. Crawling across her bed to join Jamison, she propped up several pillows behind them and snuggled up under his arm, being mindful of his burnt hand. “You know…It’ll still be an hour before the food arrives and the movie hasn’t started yet…I’m starting to get bored.”

Junkrat grinned down at her. “Ya know, I was just starting to feel real bored myself. Probably should entertain ourselves for a bit.” He winced slightly as he leaned on his hand, adding, “Just, ya know, carefully. Happy shitty Valentines Day, lovey.”

She leaned up to kiss him, arms wrapping around him and drawing him down towards the bed. “Happy shitty Valentines Day.”