#honey catching up is gonna be a disaster

[shigarosie]

Butterfly, Fly Away (part one)

Aizawa feels out of breath. Despite the fact that he drove to the daycare center, it feels like he ran the whole way. He doesn’t run inside, but he does do an awkward half jog to get in there quickly without looking like some sort of lunatic. 

The room, as expected, is a disaster. Kids are crying. Drawings have been torn up and thrown around, chairs have been overturned. Eri is at the center of it all, with an uninterrupted scream at the top of her lungs that he’s sure has lasted at least a full minute by the way her red face is slowly starting to show hints of purple. 

Eri has been kicked out of another daycare. 

She skips alongside him merrily as he walks back to the car with him, her little purple bag in one hand while the other holds her own pudgy little palm. You would think that she was a perfectly well behaved little angel if you saw her now, no traces left of her hurricane of an outburst mere minutes ago. 

There was a familiar throbbing pain forming like a tight band around his skull. 

Once they were in the car, Eri kicking her feet in her carseat and playing with the straps of her bag, Aizawa couldn’t help but spare glances at her in the rearview mirror when he stopped at all the stop signs on the way back to the high school. His daughter was the best, most important thing in his life. He loved her more than anything, no matter what. He just didn’t know what to do with her anymore. 

As he parked in his designated spot, five minutes left of his lunch break, Eri hurriedly tried to unbuckled her carseat before Aizawa could get to her. It was a game she liked to play, despite the fact that her clumsy fingers hadn’t yet grown strong enough to fully press the big red button that released the clips. But Aizawa didn’t get out of the car to come around and unbuckle her yet. 

“Hurry daddy!” she taunts, grunting as her fingers slip as they always do. “I’m gonna beat you this time!” 

“What happened, Eri?”

She paused, looking up at him with those eyes that look almost too big for her head in the sweetest way. She looked unphased. Unashamed, unapologetic. 

“I didn’t like it there,” was the simple answer she gave. “Daycare is stupid.” 

“But honey,” he sighed, “you know that you have to go. And don’t use the word stupid, please.” 

The little girl starts to shift uncomfortably in her seat, no longer trying to unbuckle her restrictive straps, but attempting to pull them down her shoulders instead. 

“Why?” she asks, an edge beginning to form where a smooth curve used to exist in her voice. “Why can’t I just come with you to big kid school?” 

“Because next year you’ll have to start going to kindergarten, so you can learn new things and make friends. I won’t be able to just drop everything and come get you. Instead you’ll be forced to either sit in your classroom or sit in the principal’s office for hours until big kid school is done.”

Eri slumps in her seat. The tears are welling in her eyes and Aizawa has to look above her head in order to keep talking with her. 

“This is the fourth daycare you’ve been kicked out of, honey. That’s not good.”

Eri turns her face away. “Guess you’ll have to maybe take me to a new one then,” she says. 

“I can’t.” At this she perks up, catching the feeling of excitement in those little hands of hers before it slips from her grasp and runs off when she sees her dad do that thing where he drags his hand down the entirety of his face and then rubs at his scruffy jaw. “This was the last daycare in our area that I can afford. No more daycares.”

“So I’ll have to come to school with you now, right?” she asks, hopeful eyes shining with a few embarrassed tears that hadn’t yet gone away. 

Aizawa doesn’t say anything. He gets out of the car, opens her door, and helps her out of her seatbelt. 

“Come on,” he says, holding her bag in one hand and her palm in the other. “Today you get to watch my students take a pop quiz.” 

Class 1-A loves Eri. They love to dote on her, like she’s their princess and they are nothing but her humble servants. They don’t bat an eye when she shows up during the second half of the day anymore, used to their visibly stressed teacher sitting her down with coloring pages and an old cd player (there’s no way in hell he would ever put an ipad in her hands) in a poor attempt at a fort under his desk. They felt bad for him, really, knowing how hard he’s had it since… 

They also like to sneak little snacks and fidget toys to her when he’s not looking. They get passed down the rows of desks like contraband, making a wide loop around the goody-goodies that rat them out. They think they’re helping, really they do. And it’s endearing. But it makes it more difficult for him, in all actuality, when he’s trying to convince Eri that his classroom is not the place for her to be and they’re doing everything to make it friendly for her. They even stopped swearing when Eri made her little visits. (At least, they tried their best.) 

“They’re like her gang of babysitters,” Aizawa explains to Mic as he pulls out a bottle of scotch from the baby proofed cupboard above the fridge and two glasses. Eri had been put to bed an hour prior, after having her bath and getting her hair braided and insisting on TWO stories tonight; one from her dad and one from her godfather. “It just makes her want to be there even more.”

“Maybe that’s what you two need,” Mic says from the sofa, helping himself to some chips and dip. 

“What?”

“You know, a babysitter,” the blond elaborates. “Or a nanny, in this case.”

Aizawa’s brow furrows. His lips turn down. Mic can already tell this is going to take a lot of selling. “What’s the difference?”

“Nannies do more,” Mic says, his mouth partially full. He gave up on manners around Aizawa sometime around… well, they met in middle school, so he probably never had them in the first place. “Babysitters are for, like, date nights and stuff.” 

“I definitely don’t need one of those,” Aizawa grumbles, handing Mic his glass before settling onto the couch himself. 

“Nannies are more long term,” Mic continues, not addressing the comment, “they would stay with her at home the whole day while you work, maybe do some tidying or run some errands for you. It’s like daycare, but more personal and actually not at all like daycare. You just have someone watching your kid all day.” 

Aizawa groans, gulping down most of his drink in one go. “I don’t want some stranger in my house alone with my kid. That sounds terrible.” 

“Man, they call them nanny cams for a reason. And when you use the websites they do background checks.” 

“How do you know so much about nannies?” Aizawa asks suspiciously. Mic had no kids. He had no nieces or nephews. All he had were a bunch of elementary school students singing the same ten annoying songs off key. 

“Remember the lady with the two kids I was hooking up with while they were with their dad? She had a nanny.” 

“And how long after you stopped seeing the mom did you start sleeping with the nanny?” Aizawa asked, an eyebrow raised. 

“Hey, it’s completely a coincidence that I met her nanny out at a bar one night, okay? Swear on my life. Not like I ever met her before then, I never met the kids!” 

“Whatever,” Aizawa says, downing the last of his drink before pouring another. “I’m not getting a nanny.” 

“You at least gotta think about it,” Mic says, “you don’t have many other choices here. Unless you want to call your mom and have her-” 

“Absolutely not.” 

“Then I recommend you take the weekend to research nanny websites,” Mic says. “You can’t bring your kid to work with you every day. It’s not good for her. It’s not good for you.” Mic leaves his unfinished drink on the coffee table, knowing Aizawa will just drink the rest himself after he leaves. “I should tuck in for the night. Think about it, alright? And I’m right down the street if you ever need anything. And-” 

“Good night, Mic.” 

“Later.” 

Aizawa stays on the couch, sitting in the same spot, staring at the wall in front of him for an hour before he finally sighs to himself. 

“Don’t have many other choices,” he grumbles as he pulls his laptop out of his work bag and starts his google search, Mic’s unfinished glass of scotch in hand. 

‘best nanny websites’

[loveinhawkins]

The birthday gift Robin gets from her parents is that they’re gonna help her fund a three month solo trip to Paris. Steve thinks she should be delivering this news with much more excitement than she currently is.

“Okay, but you’re going, right?” he says, as she bites her nails for the third time. When she doesn’t reply, he lifts his eyes to the heavens, despairing. “Oh my god, are you kidding? Robin, you’ve wanted this for—”

“Years,” she confirms, so quietly. “I want—” She swallows. “I want it so badly, Steve.”

He pauses, drops their usual teasing schtick. “Okay,” he says, a little softer. “What’s going on?”

“It’s just…” She moves her hand away from her mouth, tugs on a hangnail. “What if—what if something… happens. And I’m not…” She gestures vaguely. “Not here.”

Steve slings an arm over her shoulder. “Rob,” he says, “nothing’s gonna happen.”

Robin nods. “I know, I know.”

But then she sighs, and Steve understands: it’s one thing to know something objectively, another thing to feel the certainty in your bones.

He has a wave of gratitude for Robin’s parents, for them knowing that she needs this, for letting her have a year out, maybe even two, without judgement. It’s something they all need, really, in different ways: some time to let the weight of everything settle, to catch their breath.

Steve’s honestly been relishing the mundanity of it all, the comfort of routine—easy days where the biggest ‘disaster’ is him being late for their opening shift at Family Video.

“Keith’s keeping your job open for you, right?” Steve asks, just in case that’s a sticking point.

Robin nods again, laughing. “Yeah, mom arranged that all before she even booked the flights. Well, I think she just basically told him that—”

“So it’s gonna be a super long vacation.” Steve gives her knee a reassuring little shake, before tickling the back of it. “Jesus, Robin, if you don’t go, I’ll go for you.”

Robin snorts and wiggles out of his grip. “Shut up.”

“And I’ll speak French so badly that I’ll just get banned for life, like, right outta the gate, it’ll be tragic—”

“I’ve got the picture, dingus,” she says, and she’s smiling—finally, finally there’s a spark of excitement in her eyes.

And that excitement only grows as her flight date gets closer, as she calls Steve the week before, begging him to be the one to take her to the airport, because, “My dad took one look at my suitcase and burst into tears, please Steve, the man can’t do this.”

And then Steve’s pulling up to her driveway, and she’s already waiting for him, perched on her suitcase. She’s wearing a cobalt blue beret, and Steve loves her so much he thinks his heart might burst with it.

For a while, it’s all grins and laughter, Steve giggling every time he edges out of the driveway, and Robin’s mom stops him, frantically waving, asking if Robin’s got everything, did you pack that other coat, honey?

Then it feels like time rushes forward—they’re at the airport, and Steve gets out of the car to fetch Robin’s case from the trunk, but she’s already got it, is already standing in the parking lot, eyes wide.

“What’s gonna happen now?” she whispers.

Steve’s heart clenches; the last time she’d asked that had been as they sped to the hospital, Robin gripping his hand so tightly as Eddie lay unconscious.

Steve puts both hands on her shoulders. “You’re gonna have the best time,” he says, deadly serious, “and then you’re gonna come back and tell me all about it.”

She laughs, right on the edge of becoming tearful. “O-okay.” She blinks several times.

“Don’t,” Steve says, faux-warningly, “or you’ll set me off, too.”

And it’s only partly a joke.

“Okay,” Robin says again, and then she’s hugging Steve tight, pressing a damp kiss to his cheek. “I’ll miss you.”

“God, me too. Every day.” Steve rocks her back and forth, makes sure her beret doesn’t get dislodged with the force of the hug.

When they break apart, Robin picks up her case—she pauses, then grins.

“Now, if you’ll just point me in the right direction…”

Steve chuckles. He spins her around so she’s facing the airport, then pats her on the back.

She starts walking.

Steve stays right where he is; he knows she’ll look back right at the last second—ah, there she goes. He shakes his head, laughs. Waves.

He drives back alone.

When he gets home, he barely has time to even think about it, because the kids have biked over after school, clamouring for him to order pizza from the moment he opens the front door, and Eddie’s shrugging apologetically with a grin, and it’s only later that Steve realises that the whole thing was probably coordinated beforehand.

And he’s fine, really, he’s absolutely fine until he steps into the hall to use the phone, and he unthinkingly orders the pizza him and Robin usually share: one half with pepperoni, the other half with mushrooms.

And then he has to finish the rest of the phone call with a lump in his throat, and when he hangs up, Eddie is watching him with a sad kind of smile.

“Oh, sweetheart.”

“Don’t. Don’t be nice to me, goddamn it.” Steve shuts his eyes. “I was fine, I was fine.”

“Hey, it’s okay.” Eddie knocks their foreheads together gently. “I’ll miss her, too.”

And God, missing Robin does hurt, but it’s nothing compared to the joy Steve feels whenever he receives a letter from her. He laughs himself stupid the first time, because instead of just using sheets of paper, she’s sent multiple postcards wrapped in an elastic band, her handwriting all squished so she can fit everything in.

She writes like she talks, all rambling enthusiasm, and Steve cherishes every word.

He can tell she’s having so much fun. She enthuses about little cafés she’s found, a bookstore near Notre Dame; she spends multiple pages on art galleries, how she has the time to wander, to look at a painting again and again until the meaning reveals itself, it was like when I solved that ‘crossword’ in the mall, it suddenly just clicked, you know? I need you here next time, you’ll look at it from another angle, I wanna know what you think.

She sends Polaroids, too. There’s one of her in a white shirt with a trilby hat at a jaunty angle—Steve can tell she’s been in the sun, because there’s freckles all over the bridge of her nose. On the back of the photograph, she’s written Had a carefree kiss!

And Steve cries when he reads it, because he knows what it means: that Robin’s often spoken wistfully about how she’s never got to have that fleeting summer kind of love, where nothing is all that serious.

But she’s still so young, and life is finally light, and she gets to have it now.

Other photographs are sent to Eddie, with instructions that he should translate the French Robin’s written on them, à force de pratique, on y arrive, mon cher Édouard!

“I said literally once that French at school wasn’t, like, the worst,” Eddie says, pouting. “Didn’t realise that meant she was gonna torture me from across the world.” He frowns at a picture of Robin petting a grey cat, a bowl of food at its little paws. “And I tried translating whatever the fuck she’s written here, but I can’t work it out.”

“Not even a guess?” Steve says.

“I mean, yeah, but it sounds so stilted, man, I know it’s wrong. Like, who actually says where the silver cat feeds—you dick, stop laughing! What’s so funny?”

Two months pass, and Robin’s back soon, but not soon enough to catch Steve’s birthday. It’s not like he wants to have a huge party, anyway—he goes to Wayne and Eddie’s for dinner, and discovers Dustin leading a not-so successful ‘secretly bake a birthday cake,’ meeting at Max’s.

Everyone’s on their second slice of cake when the phone rings, and Steve knows instantly who it is from the way Eddie shouts, “Huh? What?”, like there’s a delay on the line. Then he beams and shouts, “Steve! Got a long distance call for you.”

Steve’s over in a flash.

“I promise I’ve got you something,” Robin says, slightly muffled—every so often a word will cut out, but Steve gets the gist. “I swear, I’m not awful, I was gonna post it, but then I had no idea how many stamps I’d need, and I didn’t wanna risk losing it forever to, like, the nightmare limbo of customs, so I thought when I come back, I can—”

“Oh my god, shut up,” Steve laughs, “you didn’t need to get me anything. This is the best present ever.”

“Oh, gross,” Robin says cheerfully. “You’re all sentimental in your old age. Happy Birthday, Steve.”

“Thanks,” Steve says, and the lump in his throat is back, but it’s not so bad; he can breathe through it. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

And then there’s a sound that Steve at first thinks is just from the bad quality of the line, but then he realises it’s Robin trying to stifle a yawn; “Wait, Jesus, isn’t it, like, two in the morning over there? Go to bed!”

She doesn’t listen, of course—they keep chatting, everyone in the room wants a turn on the phone, Robin teasing Eddie relentlessly for his French pronunciation.

And as Steve ends the call, he finds that the hurt of missing her has faded away into something else—knowing that there’ll be comings and goings in their lives all the time, adventures they’ll share and adventures they won’t. But they’ll always, always find their way back to one another.

Steve sets the phone into its cradle, pictures Robin doing the very same so many miles away.

Yeah, we’re gonna be just fine, you and me, Steve thinks, and feels the certainty of it right in his bones.

[stuck-in-jelly]

5, 12, and 25 for Corvus👀

YES!! BIG SWING!!!

5. What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them?

Im gonna cheat a little here but only because the first one isnt a song but it is SO Corvus and Soren night-watch coded

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

Vi please you know I have SO MANY headcanons for him I love him so much 😭😭 I’ll just list 3 for the sake of this post

1. If Soren wasn’t there Corvus would be the strongest person in the Crownguard. When the trainees really want a challenge they will go up against Corvus though no one side from Soren has been able to beat him.

2. Despite being a good baker that could rival the likes of Barius if he really tried, Corvus doesn’t like sweets! He avoids honey in his tea, only takes his coffee black, and sugary pastries make him queasy. Everyone feels a little bad whenever he bakes something for them but doesn’t have a bite. However, it is for the best as learned from the disaster of the Belly Full of Jelly competition.

3. Corvus’s bedroom is almost entirely empty. He has his cello, his boots, a blanket and single pillow and thats it.

25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?

When we were first introduced to Corvus definitely thought he was intimidating I remember thinking “these kids better have a GOOD explanation by the time he catches up

Now he got those big doe eyes, the most unintentionally goofy reactions, and I love him

[drawingducktalesducks]

Beakley: I suppose you are wondering why I called you here tonight.

Lena: If it was to poison me then you should've picked something other than sad English tea to put it in

Beakley: ... I wish to understand your intentions towards my granddaughter.

Lena: Well I can 100% promise never to serve her THIS stuff

Beakley: Webby enjoys my tea. It is a family favorite.

Lena: Figures

Beakley: Why are you inviting her out after dark?

Lena: See, I was gonna ask her to the movies, buy popcorn, catch the newest horror flick- but now I'm thinking, maaaybe she's got enough of that in her home life. You guys live with a trillionaire. How many times have you used this tea bag?

Beakley: You are failing to impress me.

Lena: Nice. Didn't even know I was trying

Beakley: Drink your tea and have a biscuit. I will allow movie night IF it is an educational film AND both I and the boys are present.

Lena: Ever thought about using honey? Mint?? Sugar of any kind????

Beakley: No.

Lena: Guess all the sweetness in this house just comes from Webby, huh.

Beakley: She could crush you like a teacup.

Lena: I know. Blegh. Wish she'd go ahead and crush my teacup...

Webby: HIIIIIIII-YAAH!!!!

Lena: .... wow. Now I wish I had a million dollars.

Beakley: Webby.

Webby: Oh Granny hi! I wasn't spying from the vents! I just fell completely normally from the ceiling and accidently landed on Lena's cup!!

Beakley: You accidentally landed on it... with your... fist.

Lena: Got that punchline all teed up, huh Pink.

Webby: HA HA HA, WHAT FUNNY WORD PLAY, I'M INVOKING MY RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT!

Lena: My hero.

Beakley: I would be foreseeing disaster in the tea leaves of this friendship, if I could be bothered to read them. And if they were not. Well. Everywhere.

[bekolxeram]

honestly idk about you but I loooved the first episode. it was amazing. but I realised I got my hopes up so much in regards to how heavily Tommy is going to be involved in the plane disaster and now I'm pretty sure he's going to be barely in it and icl I'm so disappointed. not with the show and the writers, but with myself 🥲 I guess I wanted to see Tommy in danger a little, perhaps not to the same extent as Athena but in danger nonetheless, ahh 😅 but I'm sure 8x02 and 8x03 are gonna eat either way! I really can't wait to see what they came up with

I absolutely loved it! It hits a nice balance of everything: humor, thrill, frustration, horror, warmth. It's nicely paced and generally a very fun watch. I mentioned last season that the BuckTommy dinner scene in 7x10 felt a bit awkward because they writers seemed to be cramping a lot of information as a setup for S8 in less than a minute. 8x01 managed to catch up with the personal lives of all the mains, foreshadow the obstacles they're going to face, and set up the opening disaster in a few short scenes.

The whole perfume launch call sequence? Chef's kiss. Buck's eureka moment? Buck chasing after Eddie with a few more squirts of perfume? Eddie running in laps around the pool to distract the bees with Flight of the Bumblebee in the background? Monty the beekeeper? Comedy gold.

Don't be so hard on yourself! Isn't part of the fun speculating and imagining what's going to happen on the show? You have your theory, I have mine, the show is most likely going to do a completely different third thing. Think about it, when has the show let us down ever since Tommy's reintroduction? We keep making wrong predictions, but the writers keep giving us something unexpected yet somehow better. Remember we all thought Tommy would rescue Chimney and fly him to the wedding in 7x06? Well, he didn't make his hero entrance, he was just busy fighting a wildfire, but he rushed to the hospital especially for Buck, no one else.

Airport 1975 is very... 70s, I don't think the exact plot would work in 2024 without some major tweaking. The flight attendant managing to keep the plane flying doesn't get nearly enough credit for that, instead the script frames her ex-boyfriend, the flight instructor who repels into the cockpit and lands the plane as the hero. (And everyone from her ex to ATC keeps calling her honey every 3 minutes and talking to her like she's dumb. I'm so glad 8x01 takes a jab at that in its first scene.) Needless to say I'm not a huge fan of the film, other than that big sexy 747 in the classic American Airlines bare metal livery. I hope the 911 remake of that will involve more team work and female pilots.

Such a beauty. Unfortunately I was born too late to see it with my own eyes.

Tommy can still very much be in danger.🙈Whether you believe Tommy can fly a giant airliner or not, he's definitely trained in fighting aircraft fire. It's dangerous, a lot of stuff can suddenly explode. Firefighters have been injured and killed in post crash landing explosions. (Expert in fighting fire with an aircraft AND fighting fire on an aircraft, geez Tommy, leave some expertise for the rest of us.) He might not be the hero who singlehandedly saves everyone in 8x02 and 8x03, but I believe he will be involved in the rescue in some capacity. I mean, it's an airport and the 217 truck is right there.

Feel free to ignore everything I said, anon. Ultimately, we still have fanfiction, so keep playing around with ideas, keep writing, keep reading and have fun!

[astrangerworldandaloverofthings]

Nationals Disaster

Cp. 1 of the "Olympic Hopeful" Series

Warnings: sports injury, light cursing

Pairings: (Eventual) FigureSkater! Steve Harrington x Y/n x HockeyPlayer! Eddie Munson

Summary: An incident at Nationals costs Y/n more than the gold medal, but thankfully someone familiar is in her hometown.

Inspo Credits: Spinning Out (Netflix), being a figure skater myself, Stranger Things.

Word count: 2.7k

AN: This is the first chapter of the "Olympic Hopeful" series. It's a bit of a slow burn, so no romance yet. Find the rest of the chapters here:

Masterlist / Cp. 1 /

After they lost at sectionals, Crissy Cunningham, Steve’s pairs partner for the last 3 years left for what she called “better opportunities”. Which left Steve Harrington without a partner as he and his coach sit in the bleachers at Nationals, watching instead of competing. 

“You’re gonna find a new partner, honey. Chrissy wasn’t a good match anyway. She never did good twizzles.” His coach leans over to say, a handful of popcorn already in her mouth. Steve only sighs, not willing to talk about it right now. Thankfully, the zamboni just got off the ice and the next warm up group skates out, distracting them both. A bunch of names nobody seems to care about get announced, then the team favored to win gold skates out. 

With her beautiful hair in a perfect pressed bun, their outfits jeweled to high heavens, the blue color perfectly complementing her skin… It’s none other than Y/n Harker and her partner Maxim Rotschev. 

Steve can’t help but imagine he was her partner instead. Just as he’s imagining he was the one on the ice practicing lifts with her, his coach leans over, reminding him why they’re here. “You see Yelena McCarschik over there?”

Steve begrudgingly takes his eyes off of Y/n and Maxim to look at the blonde girl in the purple dress his coach is not-so-subtly pointing at. He doesn’t even need to give his coach a half-hearted response before she continues. 

“I heard from her coach that she’s not going to be skating with Michael again next year. You should talk to her, she has all her triples.” Right. And just like that he’s brought back to earth, remembering he has to find a new partner for next season. “Yeah, I’ll talk to her.” Steve sighs, turning his attention back to Y/n and Maxim. He watches them set up for a jump pass, watching as they do side-by-side triple flip double toe combos before skating over to their coach. 

Steve’s coach pats him on the back as she catches him watching the pair. “They’re going to the Olympics this year, honey. No use dreaming of partnering with her.” As she says that, Steve can’t help but feel a crushing sting in his chest when he realizes he’ll never get that.

He can’t think about anything else besides the burning disappointment in his chest, this unrelenting emotional pain that he holds down as to not cry in the middle of the stands. He fully dissociates thinking about the pain until his coach nudges his side when the warm-ups are over and the first team is skating out to their starting position, and it’s none other than Y/n and Maxim. 

And as their program starts, he gets the same crushing feeling. But this time Steve shakes it off in order to enjoy watching the skating. When he recognizes their music is from the ballet of Romeo and Juliet, it stabs another burning pain into his heart. He doesn’t know immediately why that song makes it sting so much worse, he just knows it hurts. 

Their perfect level four twizzles don’t make the burning pain go away either. Even if he did manage to find a partner for next year, how is he ever going to beat their precision timing. Perfectly in-synch triples. He watches their set up, and he knows the throw triple twist is coming. He closes his eyes for just a second, imagining he’s the one getting to throw her in the air. Then the room fills with gasps, the music cuts off, and his eyes shoot open. 

He dropped her. Or rather, Maxim Rotschev had dropped Y/n Harker.

“Shit.” The word leaves his mouth as him and the rest of the crowd surge to their feet. “She’s not getting up. Why is she not getting up?!” The paramedics rush out onto the ice and he sees the tears streaming down her face. Steve doesn’t know why he’s moving, but suddenly he’s running down the stairs of the stands, making it all the way to the door to get off the ice with his competitor pass still on, before security stops him. 

Tears are streaming down her face as the paramedics carry her out on the stretcher. Again, Steve has no idea what gives him the confidence to yell to her over the noise, “Are you okay?”

She looks up, searching for the source of the sound and locking eyes with him. She looks angry as she snaps back “My arm’s broken, you think I’m fucking okay?!” 

He can’t help but laugh at the stupidity of his own question, taking a few more steps alongside the paramedics carrying her out. “Do you know this guy?” One of them whispers pointedly at her. She turns her head back to him. “No. Who the hell are you?” 

Steve smiles, his regular charm returning to him. “I’m Steve Harrington. Huge fan. I’m actually also a pairs skater…. We competed against each other at sectionals?” 

“Look, I clearly can’t sign an autograph right now. So do me a favor and get out of the way.” She groans, holding up her clearly broken arm. 

With that, the medics push past him taking her to the ambulance. It’s another minute later when Steve feels a hand on his shoulder. At first assuming it’s security, he cautiously turns around to find his coach, her glasses pulled off. “Well this just got interesting.”

…..

It’s a week later when Eddie was wiping down the tables at Benny’s. The small tv in the corner flashes sports news and Eddie glances up when he sees skating clips playing. The headline “Nationals Tragedy” flashes across the bottom of the screen as the clip of Y/n Harker being dropped by Maxim Rotschev plays. Benny audibly winces as he watches the clip. 

“Aren’t you glad they give you pads for Hockey, boy?” Benny asks. Eddie looks back at Benny through the window opening to the kitchen, having not realized he was also watching. 

“Yeah. And they don’t even throw me in the air.” Eddie concurs, turning back to wiping down the tables. 

….

Y/n sits on her living room couch, surrounded by packed bags. Her mother, pulling the phone cord with her into the living room, calls out to her “Poppi and Omi said they’ll be here in 20 minutes! They had to stop one more time for gas.” 

Y/n groans, waving her mom off. She instead turns back to the magazine in her hand, where she should have been on the cover winning gold, instead she’s on page 5 in an article titled “Nationals Tragedy.” 

Her mom finishes the phone call in the kitchen before coming back in a few minutes later. “I think a break will be good for you. You know, you’ve been so focused on skating for so long. You’ll finally get a chance to live a normal life.” 

Another groan leaves Y/n’s lips, rolling her eyes.  “I’ve been so focused on skating because I actually had a chance at the Olympics this year. And now I have a broken arm and no partner.” 

Her mother tuts disapprovingly, “And it was so rude of Maxim to abandon you in your time of need.” 

“It’s all part of the contract, mom. He has every right to leave if I can't compete.” Y/n grumbles, she would have crossed her arms, but the tight cast stops her from moving her right arm in that way. 

Her mother chooses to keep the peace by changing topics. “Do you have everything you’ll need to stay with Omi and Poppi for the next few months?” Her eyes skeptically scanning the packed bags surrounding her daughter. “They live six hours away, so it won’t exactly be easy for me to bring anything you forgot down to you.” Her mom adds.

“I’m fine, mom. Really. I’m sure I got it all.”  She sighs, laying back in to the couch. She hears the distinct tutting of her mom’s lips as her mother adds another bag to the pile. 

“If you’ve got everything, why was your skating bag still in the closet?” Her mother practically sings.

“Mom, I can’t skate for another 4 weeks. And even then what’s the point?” She holds up her arm that’s wrapped in a cast for emphasis.

“And in 4 weeks when you can, who knows? Maybe you’ll be over this attitude by then and want to skate for fun. And you’ll give your ol’ mom a call about how thankful you are I sent your skates down with you.” Her mom theorizes, adding her skating bag to the pile regardless. 

…

Six hours in the car with her grandparents later and they pull past the “Welcome to Hawkins Indiana” Sign. Y/n sighs, leaning on her good arm as she looks out the window. 

“It’s been a long time since you visited. I’m sure everything looks different.” Her Grandma, or as they call her, Omi, notes. 

“It’s only been like four years, Omi. It’s really not that different. Honestly It’s like this town never changes.” Her grandparents groan at her response. 

“I’m sure plenty has changed.” Her Poppi adds. “I mean you almost never bring your skates when you visit, so I’m sure you haven’t been to the rink here in over… well ten years…” Her grandfather ponders with uncertainty about the timeline.

“It’s not like that matters now.” She snaps gruffly at the cruel reminder of her injury.

They all sit in a stiff silence as her grandparents hear the bitter spite in her tone, the air growing thick with tension, so much so that Poppi rolls the windows down. 

When they pull in to the driveway, Y/n slings a single bag over her good shoulder, knowing she can’t lift much of anything with her other arm in a cast. As her grandparents realize that, like it or not, she won’t be much help with unloading the car, they decide to send her off. Her grandfather slips her a twenty dollar bill as he takes the bag off her shoulder.

“Looks like you need some cheering up, Kid. Why don’t you walk over to the mall and get yourself a milkshake.” Usually she would protest that she needs to stick to her diet for training. But with the olympics out the window and a return to training weeks, if not months, away…. A milkshake sounds really good.

“Are you sure?” She gives a small curious smile, looking between her grandparents and their rather full volkswagon. Her grandfather doesn’t miss the look on her face of wanting to help, patting her on the shoulder.

“Sorry honey, you’re not lifting even if you want to. Go get some ice cream. You still know how to get there?”

She chuckles and nods, a real smile crossing her face as she trots down the driveway. “Yeah. I’ll be back in an hour!”

…

When she walks into the Scoops Ahoy! At 7pm on a Tuesday, the customer base is a sorry sight. Only one set of preteens sitting in a corner booth sharing a boat shaped sunday. She sighs, walking up to the counter and rings the bell to get the worker’s attention.  

A boy with a familiar face walks out of the back room, but she can’t quite place where she knows him from. Her lack of recognition usually wouldn’t be a problem, but when the guy in his sailor uniform and paper hat walks out, he instantly breaks into a large smile and points two finger guns at her, like you would to a friend you haven’t seen in a long while.

“Oh my god, Y/n Harker! It’s good to see you. What brings you to Hawkins?” The guy starts, her eyes narrowing as she tries to place his face. 

“I’m sorry, do I know you?” She says as kindly as she can, a phase she’s had to get used to with her success in the skating community. Clearly though, that answer was not satisfactory for this ice cream shop associate as he stifles a frown and goes a bit red in the cheeks.

“I’m Steve Harrington? We competed against each other at Sectionals? Then I…”

Before he can finish a look of recognition crosses her face. “Oh my god! You’re the guy from nationals! That rushed the bleachers when I fell?” But this only makes him blush more.

“Yeah…. Yeah, that was me. How are you doing by the way?” He bashfully answers.

She nods, holding up her arm cast. “Broke my arm. But thankfully nothing more serious than that.” 

Steve winces at the thought, picking up the ice cream scooper and absent mindedly spinning it between his fingers. “How long is that going to keep you off the ice?” His question instantly making her smile fall. “At least 6 weeks.” Steve gestures to the ice cream, silently asking which flavor to start scooping while they keep talking. She points to the chocolate, and he starts pulling scoops into a cup as he speaks. 

“So no olympics then?” Which only elicits a sad nod from her. He tries to perk her back up, seeing the sadness in her eyes. “Well there’s always next season. You’ll have your 6 week break, then when you get back on the ice I’m sure you’ll be as good as ever.”

She drags her feet as they walk over to the register. “Doesn’t matter, I don’t have a partner to go back to anyway.” The cash register drawer slides open the same way Steve’s jaw does. A dry bitter “What?!” leaving his agape lips. 

She sighs, having already gotten similar reactions from her friends back home. “Yeah, he won’t be able to take someone else to the Olympics, but if he finds someone fast enough he can use our rank to still go to Worlds or the Grand Prix with a different partner.” She explains, giving a sad half smile at the reality of her situation. 

Steve scoffs, closing the cash register drawer as quickly as he had opened it, handing her the scooped ice cream without taking the cash from her hand. “This one’s on the house.” 

She blushes, timidly retracting her hand with a cash and licking the top of the ice cream cone. “Are you sure?” 

Steve breaks out in a wide smile, leaning over on his elbows on the counter. “Positive. It’s not every day we get a celebrity in Hawkins.” His answer eliciting a small chuckle from her.

“I’m not sure I quite count as a celebrity… but thanks.” She knows now would be the natural point in the conversation to turn and walk out, but her feet don’t move. Steve seems to notice the hesitation to leave too, gesturing towards one of the many unoccupied booths. 

“If you had the time…. I would love to pick your brain about Pairs skating stuff?” He offers up his company, taking an experimental step to come around the counter. She bites her lip, considering this for a minute, before nodding with a small “yeah.” 

“Are you sure they don’t need you behind the counter?” She asks as they slide into the booth. He looks at her skeptically, giving the whole store a once over. “To serve what customers?” 

He smiles as this gets a small laugh out of her. “Alright, fair enough. What burning questions did you want to pick my brain about?” 

Neither of them even notice when over an hour has passed, her ice cream cone fully devoured, and they’re the only one’s left in the mall, let alone the store. Finally, feeling comfortable enough with her now, Steve asks the question that’s really been on his mind this whole time. 

“What does the road forward look like for you? Are you gonna skate solo? Find a new partner?” She looks a bit downtrodden from the question but answers honestly.

“I don’t know. My mom thinks this might be the perfect time to retreat into an early retirement from professional skating….”

“No! You can’t do that. Not over one broken arm…” 

“I don’t know how to give up on skating, especially when I was so close to the dream. But I don’t know how to move on without being the face of ‘Nationals Tragedy’ either.” 

“Well…. If there’s ever a town for starting over…. Hawkins is next to none.” 

[fwitolei]

The Dragon Prince Thoughts 6x08 - We All Fall Down

Previous Episode // Masterlist // Next Episode

Join the Taglist

Spoilers under the cut

Omgg i’m so scared—

AHH

And it starts

Omg sol regem banging into the towers and stuff too this is wild

OH NO THEY’RE TRAPPED

Shit—

OH SHIT

SOREN NO—

Plsbeokayplsbeokayplsbeokayplsbeokay—

HE’S ALIVE WHOO

Omg babeee ur bleeding—

Now he’s really gonna have a scar like corvus

“Get everyone out”

See he learned from the pyrrah incident in s2 he’s prioritizing the people now that he’s not in the whole “xadia is evil” mindset

Hey wait where’s he going—

“Take good care of Hat.”

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN??

SOREN—honey—wHaT aRe YoU dOiNg—

WHAT

AARAVOS IS CONTROLLING PHAROS—

Is this cuz the dark magic infection thingy

Omg viren’s been in there for a long time lmao—

“You have your other way! Dark magic!”

Notice how soren said “your other way” as if he still doesn’t condone it, but he knows it’s the only way to save everyone

Dark magic is so nuanced in situations like these like yeah it’s last resort but if you’re someone who hates it with a passion and then you end up needing it what are you supposed to do

Do you give up your ideals for the greater good or stand your ground and risk disaster

That’s why i love this show so much there’s no clear bad guy

“Take my heart.”

SOREN N O

S T O P

NO

I mean what else is he supposed to do yeah but STILL—

N O O O O O O o o O omg pls—

No not soren

Omg i’m so scared not soren PLEASE—

I’m actually gonna cry if he dies please no—

OH MY GOSH IS VIREN USING HIS OWN HEART—

GAHHH I CAN’T TAKE IT

Just as i forgave him too—

GAHH NO it’s the way he’s ACTIVELY DYING while doing the spell to the point he can barely say the incantation 😭😭😭😭😭😭

“I am a… servant.”

This scene pretty much speaks for itself idrk what to say

This shit is sad like fuck—

“My dad! I need to find my dad!”

CLAUDIA NO

Oooomg she’s gonna lose it if she finds him

Full azula mode

“What happened to your beloved mate who disappeared?”

If he says he ate her imma pop off—

Who even is aithne solaire? Was she mentionedin something?

“In your fury, you buried her.. Alive.”

WHAT THE FUCK—

Like actually???

Not the way aaravos just dies laughing after dropping the darkest most depressing truth bomb ever—

OMG HE ATE PHAROS

“Choke on your own pride.”

HOW THE FUCK IS HE CHOKING ON A TINY LITTLE ELF

Oh my gosh—

This is just brutal

i'm terrified of choking too so it's that much worse

AND HE CATCHES ON FIRE—

“I don’t think you should see him like this.”

Ugh i love terry for being so considerate after everything she’s done

Like yes save the last of her sanity while she still has it

This episode is hard to watch—

The voice acting is impeccable tho like give claudia’s va a raise

OH SHIT SHE FOUND THE PEARL—

Lujanne giving no fucks about the crown is the funniest thing

But wtf is she talking about the diamond don’t tell me it’s fake—

“Her dad just died. Can’t she just take a moment to grieve?”

FINALLY Terry’s talking sense like shit aaravos at least give her a minute—

I KNEW IT

I FUCKIN KNEW IT

VIREN’S STAFF HAS A QUASAR DIAMOND

I literally said it like 2-3 episodes ago too

WAIT THAT MEANS—

“I can only save two of them.”

Oh you’ve gotta be kidding me—

Alright y’all it’s a wrap. Katolis is gone, viren is dead, aaravos is getting out, it’s a whole ass shit show. Ooooooomg i’m scaredddddd. Especially when callum finds out the real pearl was in katolis all along, i guarantee you he’s gonna spiral like he did in kosmo’s vision. This episode was really hard to watch, I was surprised, but in a good way. One more episode to go, then season sevennnnnnnnn whoooo

Time to cry :D

[blucassiopeia]

Falling Stars

the universe grants wishes to selfless hopefuls.

contents of this chap : fluff but not the fluff you expect, bit of angst inc swearing, fem!reader, reader!twin of tsukishima kei, reader has to-be-revealed illness, mentions of shattered dreams, anxious!reader, usage of first names, full names on mention are in lastname-firstname (japanese custom), japanese honorifics and vocabs present, HAIKYUU setting and vball jargons, pre-timeskip [s2 timeline], character build-up

warnings ⚠️ : English is not the author's first language. This fic has a draft Wattpad version. I do not own Haikyuu, its characters, plots and settings. Everything you see different here from the anime-manga is a becoming of my fictional world.

"Blue" for texts and chats. "Green" for calls. "Orange" for memory prompts. "White" for background convos that reader can hear.

wc : 7,003 words

Cassie : sorry for the long-ass first chap of the fic. i was conflicted on where would I cut.. anyways, enjoy! And oh! Theories will be entertained. I love them. ♥︎

CHAP 1 | NEXT [masterlist]

Home

The ball richocheted back to Karasuno's side of the court as you stared at it. The horror in the eyes of the orange-haired boy is too obvious to not notice as his feet fell back to the hardwood floor. Your eyes drifted to your twin as he stared at the same ball too, catching a tinge of shock and sadness and defeat mixing all over his face. But he hides it very well. He's good at it.

"They should have followed it up, don't you think?"

The thick browed stranger seated at the other end of the row commented thick, leaning forward, elbows on his knees and eyes glued on the court. His curly-black-haired-masked-guy company bored his eyes on you, arms crossed on his chest as the former spoke.

"It's a waste." You heaved yourself up, avoiding the eye contact and tugged the strap of your bag. "But a match is not a good match without a loser to learn from the other's win." You bowed at them and quickly left Sendai Gym before Kei catches a glimpse of your shadow. You have to reach home before he can. That would be a disaster for your future schemes if he does.

Dad, can I have my subscription back for Monthly Volleyball?

Sure, honey.

You fiddled on your phone as you watch the nearly empty bus make its way back to those familiar roads home, the summer winds hinting their arrival in an early June afternoon. You gotta try asking to let them know what you want to do, right? There's no harm in asking. But if they decline.. what's gonna happen to you 'til then? Are you gonna be cooped up on those four walls with the other students and walk home afterwards like a good child and student? Can you really..

Dad, I wanna try managing Kei's team?

There was radio silence for the next minutes that made you sick, you wanna barf so bad. Oh.. the nervousness. The heel of your palm made its way to your sternum as you kept waiting, not a sightful mannerism. Is he busy? Maybe he is. The team he's coaching might be practicing right about at this hour. Yeah, that maybe it.

Inform Akiteru that I will be home for dinner.

You bit your lip as you read your Dad's reply. He's gonna personally talk to you about your request, with your brothers. Oh please.. no. The bus was suddenly achingly slow to reach the stop as your tears welled up and a lump of something is in your throat. You forced it in and exhaled sharply as you moved down the bus. People by the bus station stopped and stared at you as you were lost on your horrifying thoughts.

Fix yourself.

Fix yourself.

Shit, fix yourself already.

Taking steady breaths as you walk your way home, your hands drying your face desperately. Akiteru should not see you like this. He'll freak out, added that you forgot to ask his permission that you'll be watching Kei's game today. One that he didn't expect you doing, but did anyway.

"Tadaima..." You called out to him as you removed your shoes in your genkan. Hurried shuffles were heard and the door to your front flew open revealing your worried older brother. "Dad's gonna have dinner here tonight." You blurted out first before he can blabber his worries endless.

"You should've texted me you'll be going out. And to Kei's match, really now?" He huffed, clearly irritated. This is not new, him being irritated, but this is the first sinceー no, no. Don't go there. "I would've come and watched with you. And what if you hーwere you crying?" Fuck, he noticed that? You hurried to the stairs passing him but he grabbed you back by your arm to where he stood. His fingers tilted your chin for you to meet his eyes, scrutinizing at first but turned soft just as quickly. "You were crying. Why?" There's something in his change of tone that you hated. You avoided his gaze.

"It's nothing, Aki-nii." You dodged his fingers that held your chin. Before you took another step away from him, he hugged you oh so tightly.

"I'm sorry. I was just worried, sweetheart."

Worried. Worries.

Visions of that game came flooding to you again, a game that flipped your life 180°, a game that robbed you of everything you worked hard for, and your dreams.. your precious dream. You squeezed your eyes shut, desperately stopping the memories that were reeling on your mind. Aerosol scent. Net. Cheers. Breathless feeling. Yoyogi Gym. Painedー

"Akiteru nii-chan. You hug too tight." But instead, he hugged you tighter and planted kisses on your disheveled hair. You squirmed and broke off, giving him a glare as he chuckled.

"You might hate me but it eases me to know that you know why I'mー." You rolled your eyes.

"Yea, yea." You shrugged him off and went for your room. He sighed and yelled for you to go down when dinner is ready.

Your room was how it was before you left that morning. Gray hues are all over as the bright afternoon seeps in through the blinds, your speckles of stars illuminating the room in an hour or two. Plushies of different sizes but of the same kind nicely tucked against your headboard and on your organized desk. Your haven. You plunged to your bed, dirty clothes and all, and whined for all the stress this day had given you. Lifting your head up, you stared at the very first plushie you bought about three years ago. You crawled to it and held it in your arms, cooing and eventually continued your halted burst before you stepped home.

Dinner was unnerving. Much worse to your annoyance, Kei eyed daggers on you throughout the meal.

But you held out with, "What?"

"You think I didn't notice you there earlier? I have these glasses for a reason or two."

You expected it coming, but not him seeing you at Sendai Gym. Akiteru would've told him, or your Dad. You bit your cheek at the thought and continued on eating after avoiding his piercing gaze. Both your brothers synced on clicking their tongues at you. You rolled your eyes without looking up at them, making your Dad on your left chuckle at his kids' scene.

"What's so funny, dad? That young lady over there often forgets she's important to us, it's so damn frustrating." You cringed at Akiteru who immediately glared at your reaction.

"She's just doing the things that makes her happy, Akiteru."

With that line, you felt butterflies in your stomach, full of hope with the request you made earlier that day. Tsukishima Daiki glanced at you with an ever-so-loving smile, it teared you up without saying anything else.

You composed yourself and let the happy feeling wash over as you finish your dinner, althroughout the excessive whines and arguments of the over reacting seals. You can't help but to sway your hips comically to the happy rhythm on your head, teasing your brothers, as you put your dishes on the sink. You glided over your dad in the midst of their argument, to which you didn't care for all the bliss you're feeling, and kissed his cheek. "I love you the most, Dad. Take care on your way back."

Kei didn't miss the teasing wink you shot at him as you bounded out of their sight.

﹆ ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧.・゜゜・

"Curiosity will kill me. You, why don't you have a club 'til now?" You perked up at your friend that's seated beside you and shrugged, smiling. "Don't you want to join any?"

"Nope", popping the "p" while skimming through the new entry of your Math notebook. You heard Kei snorted, and Tadashi groaned plopping something in his desk at your back.

It's been a week since your Dad had given you permission to do what you want to do, to be happy. You were finding a right moment to do that, but Kei's been on your heels these days if ever you're in the campus and when they aren't in practices. Pretty cautious.

"You're built athletic. It's a waste. Why don't you try our tennis club? Oujiyama Hideo is really eyeing for you these days."

"No." It came out rigid and unapologetic. You both turned to Kei who raised an eyebrow, looking up from his Math textbook. "No."

Your friend scrunched up her nose at Kei. "I really don't see why, Mister."

"Don't push it~"

"And I really don't see why you're asking. Instead of talking, both of you should study. Exams are coming." Kei eyed you a drop the topic yourself or else- look while he's putting his headphones on.

Your friend groaned and turned to you. "I really don't see why your brother's a heartthrob to the other classes." She whispered that gave you a giggle, Tadashi also snorted stiffling a laugh when he heard it.

"Take care on your walk home." Kei and Tadashi gave you head kisses as they were heading out to their club. Homeroom just finished and it's the daily routine now since coming to Karasuno High. You walk home alone when you have nothing else to do. Pretty boring, plain highschool life this is. You badly want a change.

You nodded as they prodded through the hallway, reeling some couple of eyes as they pass. Tadashi gave you one last look before they disappeared to the stairs.

You were about to walk back inside the room when a yell or was it a whisper? echoed through the hallway. You turned to that someone who called for you and you froze upon recognition, feet wobbly on the ground you had to put a hand on the jamb for support.

She had reached your proximity, breathing heavy and ragged, papers in her fingers are scrunched up. Club application forms. "Glad I caught up to you without them seeing." She was beaming. You're not blind enough to not see the heads poking everywhere to just watch the two of you interact. "Please, I really need you, Tsukishimaー"

"Yes." She paused, dumbstruck at you, lips slightly gaped at you. "Yes, Shimizu-senpai. I'm gonna apply as a new manager for the team."

"Hey! You and Kei-kun just said No to me!"

She's still wide-eyed, so you continued. "I know you. You're the manager of Kei's team, right? Glad you made it to me, the knights are really on patrol these days. I really wanted to join too." Her eyes were literally sparkling and she took both your hands excitedly. And you silently admitted that if ever this hadn't happened sooner, you had to barge in and head on just to apply.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"

But you didn't got yourself ready enough for this. You were already walking to the very gym you ever wanted to be in ever since Kei and Tadashi joined. The gym you peeked on everytime you pass by the corridor. The gym where you'll hear the nostalgia of the bouncing balls and squeaking shoes. You took a deep breath and held your bag strap tightly. They won't like this, but to hell with it.

You groaned as you heard an "Ah! Kiyoko-san! You found a new manager?". Kiyoko urged you to join her face the team and you stepped up beside her just barely through the doors.

Tadashi gasped your name through the crowd the team was forming infront of you. Your eyes swept to the sound of his voice but found Kei's angry features. A second later, he materialized to you and grabbed your elbow out of the gym. Collective gasps and 'Tsukishima' were heard before you decided to focus on the issue at hand: an angry Kei.

You winced at his grip, you're sure it'll leave a bruise and Akiteru will be flooding you questions again. He's seething through his breaths, big paces out to the side of the gym where the vending machines are situated. You caught your breath when he stopped dragging you.

"What were you thinking?" His voice is dangerously low, impending, and you knew better not to answer. It'll just get worse when you ride his temper. "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!?" That was loud enough that you can picture poking heads from the windows and from the door of the gym, murmurs evident and Tadashi shushing and ushering them away. You bit your lip in embarassment and fading remorse.

"You knew you can't play anymore, interact with sportsーEVEN WATCH!!" You furrowed your brows as you stared at the lump in Kei's throat when he sinked your 5'9 with his 6'2.

"Is this why Dad told us what he told us that night? Huh?" You can feel his rage coming out, you're about to cry. But no. Stand firm for once. "Is this why?! ANSWER ME!" You jumped at his booming voice and closed your eyes momentarily at the shock it gave you, a sharp pain shot through your torso. But don't mind that now. Hide that for now. Hide it.

"Youー" He raised a finger, closing his eyes in attempt to contain the latter of his rage, harsh bobbing in his throat. "You know he can't say no to you!! You know we can't say no to you!! How can you do this to us?! Why are you doing this to us!? PleaseーJUST PLEASEーgo home, Y/n." His breath hitched and you shot your eyes on Kei's only to find tears streaming down his face.

"Kei." He harshly pinched the root of his nose, getting rid of the coming tears, glasses pushing up as he did and brows too furrowed. You fought your own, too, because you know he don't need that right now.

"You don't know how much we want you protect you. To just stay long LONG as much as you can. You don't know how much we want to spend our lives thinking you'll be fine and nothing's to be worried about. You don't know how much it scares us. You don't know that, Y/n. You don't know that." He whispered it under his shaky and raspy breaths but it thundered through your whole being. The tears you're desperately trying to hold from the moment you saw your twin's tears are betraying you. To hide it, you hugged him tight, nuzzling your head to his shoulder.

"You won't lose me. I promise."

You watched his side-profile as his eyes fluttered shut at your voice followed by a shaky breath. You hugged him tighter and stayed like that for a few minutes. You knew it's hard for them for you to be like this. You knew your limits better than them. You're anxious that they won't understand what's lingering in your thoughts. And you're not ready to share any of it soon.

Kei took one last shaky breath and hugged you back, kissing your head for as long as he wanted. "Okay. Fuck. OKAY. You're not going to do anything without my permission. MY. PERMISSION. Got it?" Your eyes were wide in excitement at Kei's words. He rolled his eyes as he swiped your bag out of your shoulder and into his.

You followed his strides back to the gym excitedly. "Hai Onii-chan~"

"Sorry for being rude, Shimizu-san."

"I'm sorry too, Tsukishima. I didn't expect it to be that complicated and serious."

You saw Kei shook his head timidly as you ghosted at his back. Your eyes wandered through the wary crowd and found Tadashi, finally, who was wearing a concerned smile. But before you can even return his smile, someone from your side exclaimed your name. You found a mid-20s blonde man with an expression somehow between shock and excitement. You have seen him tending the too familiar store nearby, figured him to be the team's coach from last week's match. But to know you?

"Coach, she's the new manager."

"You know her coach?"

"Of course! She's one of the best players in the prefecture, both boys' and girls'. Any of you don't recognize her?" Oh. You blushed at the unwanted recognition, then you figured you have to formally introduce yourself.

"Hi. I'm sorry for earlier. I'm Tsukishima Y/n, twin sis of Kei. Please call me Y/n. Nice to meet all of you." You graced them a bow and a smile, earning gawks at the team.

"Saw her in Tsukishima's house. Thought she was a girlfriend or something."

"Tsukishima's too salty for a girlfriend."

You bit your lip as you ignored the side comments. "Manager, Shimizu? Not assistant coach?"

"Right?"

"Coach? Her?" There's no tone of doubt in Sugawara Koshi's voice as he flickered his eyes between you and Coach Ukai. His eyes were full of marvel and amazement. And you know him, of course.

"Ah, Tanaka-san, Noya-san, you both don't even have a girlfriend."

"Youー"

"Hey!"

"I don't mind her coaching, Coach. But is it even possible?", the captain asked. If you remember correctly from Kei's and Tadashi's conversations, his name is Sawamura Daichi.

"Y/n, try to be my assistant coach. I can vouch for you. I know your skills, you have your father's genes too. You will be great! You can be the manager too. I kinda need someone to assist me and I know you'll be a perfect fit."

"Tsukishima, have a lap of flying."

"Yes, Sawamura-san."

"Ha! Serves you right."

"At least it's just one, Ou-sama, not like yours and the others."

You turned to Kei for a solicited answer at the Coach's offer. He's now at the right end of the crowd having a squabble with Kageyama Tobio. "Kei?" He turned to you, smirk receding as you raised a brow on him at his behavior.

"As long as she won't do excessive work, Coach. She also can't play and do anything without my permission."

Coach Ukai nodded at the conditions, taking it as a yes. Your heart warmed at that instant, can't believe it was actually happening. You were in trance of bliss when suddenlyー

"What's with you, Tsukishima!? Killjoy!"

You grinned at the orange-headed boy named Hinata Shoyo as you recalled reading at the pamphlet of the last game. You grinned at Kei, too, that has his face so contorted at the sight of you grinning. You're happy, and he has no choiceーworry's off the windows at this point.

Padding at Kei's track jacket placed on top your thighs, you stared at awe at the up-close weird fast attack of Kageyama and Hinata. Still not registering in your mind that Hinata's closing his eyes when doing so, except for the normal fast attacks. It felt like a rush, but who were you kidding? You did akin to that when you were in middle school, one that your spikers hated because it hurts their palms.

That attack ended the rally, and the 2nd set of the team's practice game. Groans were evident as Hinata requests for another set. The sun had long gone behind the mountains of the peaceful neighborhood and it's really time to go home.

"How was it? Got any comments?" Coach Ukai turned to you after dismissing Hinata and ordered the rest of the team to clean up.

"Hmm, it was good. Their skills are distinct but still average, for me, considering I've seen more and better through the years. The receives, in particular.. we have to polish these rocks to diamonds by Spring Qualifiers, Coach. And we should ummー" You took Tadashi's ready hand to prop yourself up from the hardwood floor, body shielding you from the stares. "ーmaybe add more weapons or something?ー" Tadashi shielded your bottom half with Kei's jacket as you dusted off your skirt, a protective reflex being a bestfriend of many years. "ーjust to overload the opponents intake of info, throwing them off from the weird fast attack. The more the better."

Coach Ukai smiled smugly at Daichi and Koshi, the latter stared at you in awe. Hm? It's not some awesome of a comment to look at me like that, you thought. Not that you didn't wanted to be stared like that. Especially if it's him.

You were all walking out of the school grounds to have meat buns at Sakanoshita when Koushi walked up to your side, all smiles. Of course. You suddenly searched for Tadashi or even Kei in the crowd without making it known to any soul around.

"We know it's not yet official that you're joining, that, I really hope you would be joining us. Managing and coaching would be a piece of cake, we have Coach Ukai and Shimizu. You will work less, I promise, well just for this year that Shimizu's around, anyway. So hm? Please?"

You tilted your head in mock thinking, it caught large groans in the back. Tohoku region's June evening air is blowing on your hair softly with each step. Your shoulders all relaxed without your bag, and without the worry that's present that afternoon. You breathed in softly, giggling at the next conversations that took place from yours and Koushi's back.

"C'mon Y/n, please join."

"Kiyoko-san's smiling and talking more when you're around."

"OI! That's not how you invite her! Sorry Y/n. Please don't mind them."

"Y/n-saaan! We'll protect you from Tsukishima!"

"BOKE! HINATA BOKE! He's her brother!"

"But he's yelling at her!"

Your body angled briefly at Koushi's direction to address him, "Of course I'll join. I can do multitasking."

You saw how his face morphed from a pleading face to a beaming one in seconds, it made you smile. He brought up his fist up front as both of you continued to walk, prompting a fist bump that you happily obliged. The others at the back pumped their fists anywhere for the brief and candid celebration.

"But not tasking too much~" Kei mused as he passed by your side with Tadashi in tow, your bag scrunching the jacket's fabric on his shoulder, both of their eyes dead ahead.

"Don't overwhelm her." Or not. Tadashi muttered that on a deadpan monotone voice while staring at the flock on your back. It came quiet for a moment, just seconds, and after that, he resumed his walk with Kei.

"This is new to us, y'know, how they act towards you." His eyes are on Kei and Tadashi that's already near Daichi whose face is morphed between annoyance and embarassment for his loud team as he waited for us in front of Sakanoshita.

You smiled ahead, "Well, Sugawara-san, them acting and talking blunt is new to me, too."

"That's Suga-san for you." You mentally noted that for the conversations to come.

﹆ ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧.・゜゜・

Your lips were quivering in happiness and ecstasy as the thick fabric dangled within your fingers. The crowd were beaming in front of you as they officially welcomed you to the team. Kei's faux emotionless face stood beside a smiling Tadashi at the back.

The night before reeled on your mind, met Kei's eyes againーa supportive glint in them. When you both came home to Akiteru, he directly told the older one of what had happened. Akiteru scolded the both of you and Kei's protective counters were seeping through the whole banter. You just sat quiet next to him and under the table, he was calming your popping thighs. When the banter dragged on and venomous, he tapped it in urgency, a prompt telling you to leave them alone.

When Tadashi heard of the news that morning, he ran up to you and lifted you, whirling you around in high spirits. You laughed through his laughs, taking note of the sight you really loved about him, his smiling amber eyes. You tapped his shoulder, still laughing, when he came unbalanced. He put you down ever so carefully and gave you head kisses to curb his delight.

"Can't believe it, Y/n! I'm so happy for you!" You just smiled proudly and turned to Kei who's disgusted at the scene.

"I'm gonna be your plus one! You can't do anything without my permission too!" He proudly puffed his chest that you playfully smacked at his words.

Kei was the who snorted this time, handing your bag to Tadashi as you three walked the hallway to your homeroom. "You'll just tolerate her." Both you and Tadashi laughed at his knowing remark to which he groaned and immediately placed some distance in between when your laughs covered the halls.

"Please take care of us, Y/n!" the team chorused, your heart swelling dangerously in happiness that your quirk surfaced again subconsciously, giving Kei and Tadashi a scare. But your smile stopped them from acting on.

But you never actually meant every small thing that came with that. You feel your eye twitched at the sight of these two breathing creatures in front of you with their unbelievableーwell, not too unbelievableーrequest.

"C'mon Y/n~ Your brother's being an insufferable beanpole asshole again and he does not do business with us beyond his business hours even though we have the whole morning free." Shoyo whined loudly that it gained a handful of glances from your own classmates. The teachers were nowhere to attend classes that morning that supported Shoyo's claims, hence the students' freedom to roam around.

You feel Tadashi's hands on your back as he plays with your hair, easing your pending stress from this encounter.

"Of course. Business terms are business terms, pipsqueak. Though, I don't really mind you both not understanding those. You, being an idiot, and the big lug being so kingly he won't do business terms with commoners. Right, Ou-sama?" Tobio grumbled unintelligently that made Kei smirk at his seat.

"Kei! Stop it!" He rolled his eyes in exchange of your bark. This is really so surprising for you. For the week you're with the team, you saw his and a bit of Tadashi's unusual behaviors and you're scrunching up your nose to how they could be so blunt, not so endearing as they are with you.

"This is one of the reasons why he won't let you join the team, you barking at him." Tadashi chuckled as he twirled more of your hair. You rolled your eyes and curled the corner of your lips.

"Both of you, sit." You ordered to the still standing boys infront of you. Both were exhilerated and took their seats on either side of you. Well, Daichi's threats, failing-the-sem threats and the Tokyo Training Camp seems to be their motivation for this.

"Whose bestfriend are you, Yamaguchi?"

"Yours, of course. But what's yours are also hers, right?"

You and Tadashi both laughed softly as Kei helplessly groaned, propping his headphones on.

﹆ ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧.・゜゜・

"You're kidding me. Ushiwaka made it into World Youth?"

You pursed your lips and kept silent at Koushi's topic. He's staring at his phone, probably a sports news got on his feed. Practice just curbed early that afternoon and y'all were walking to the club room already for the tutor sessions of the "Stupid Quartet", as what Coach Ukai and Daichi penned them.

"World Youth, Suga-san?"

"Basically, he's been picked as Japan's under-19 representative to the World Team." Kei ghosted his palm on your shoulders as he commented to the topic. He rubbed the spot where his hand were before letting it fall on your back as you went up the stairs.

"Ushiwaka's the Japanese Boys' representative to the world?!"

"Ohhh~ you wanted to be the girls' representative to the world when you hit high school huh, Y/n? I'll support you!"

You snorted. "You have to be with me, too, you know."

"Aaahh, no. No. I'm contented with just being Miyagi's bestー"

You wobbled at your fourth step and held on to the railing, a toll to just cut the memory. Tadashi got your waist and briefly looked at you concerned.

"We have to beat him to get to the Nationals." Daichi said, standing next to Koushi at the top of the stairs. Your next step was more determined, Tadashi saw it and let loose at his grip. However, he's still hovering behind you with Kei as you continued to the stairs.

You're fine. You're fine. Deep breaths.

﹆ ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧.・゜゜・

"I'll be in the condo this weekend after practice. You wanna come with me?" Kei's poking head was in your door. It was Friday night and Akiteru's not home during the weekends because of his school stuffs, and you're not allowed to be alone.. soー

"But how about Kageyama and Hinata's tutor sesh, Kei?" His nose scrunched up at your question, you smirking, noting he's too annoyed with his two teammates.

"Who cares about those stupid dumbasses?" You raised a brow at his retort that made Kei groan. "I hate you. Okay, fine. They can come over. To the condo, not here." He grumbled more as he disappeared behind the door, leaving it ajar.

"I love you Kei!" You called him, really amused at his change of behavior.

To: Tobio, Shoyo & Tadashi ; 9:38pm

Study sesh with us after practice tomorrow. Our condo at Sendai. Help me with Kei to turn it to a study night, k?

From: Tadashi ; 9:40pm

I gotchu!

But your family's condo at Sendai? Was that the same condo from years ago?

From: Shoyo ; 9:41pm

AH! Y/NNNNN!! ARIGATOUUU!!!

From: Tobio ; 9:55pm

Okay.

﹆ ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧.・゜゜・

Shoyo's sparkling eyes were dead-set at the building where the grumpy Kei entered mindlessly. Tobio was mirroring Shoyo, minus the noise. Tadashi was just silent and awkwardly smiling from the whole ride.

"Let's go in already?" He finally spoke through Shoyo's and Tobio's excitement. You know why he's like this so to ease that, you just nodded and led them to the building.

Shoyo got a lot of questions as you took the walk to one of the elevators and you diligently answered each one. A man was already in queue for the elevator that's going up the building. When it dinged, all of you rushed in, just in time for you to hear a painfully familiar voice calling you. Really? Right off the bat? Tadashi pulled you fast into the back and frantically closed the elevator doors, jamming a finger at the close button, the plastic full of snacks from the convenience store crinkled at his movement. You looked at his face as his eyes were as frantic as he, staring at the closing elevator doors.

"Fuck." He loudly exhaled as the elevator closed, finally, frantic receding in his system and became aware of his actions gradually. "I'm sorry. It's just her stalker."

You chuckled. Stalker.

"A stalker? From Shiratorizawa?" Now it's your turn to say fuck in your head. Tobio's eyes are fast, alright.

"Yeah." You didn't miss his worried glance at you after he replied nonchalantlyーor what he tried to act like.

"DON'T WORRY Y/N! WE'LL PROTECT YOU!!" Ugh, Shoyo's booming voice at a closed space is deafening. You flickered a worried glance at the man in the elevator with the four of you. "But Kageyama! How did you know the stalker's from Shiratorizawa?"

"He's wearing their track jacket, didn't you see?"

"Ah, no." Shoyo uninterestingly replied and turned to you. "Y/n! Do you have showers?" And continued his endless questions.. You smiled lopsidedly. You may take a while to get used to this.

Shoyo's questions died down when the elevator dinged. Your floor is here. The man who were with you went out first. You just noticed his tall figure, having distanced from your height for a few couple meters. Tadashi nudged you out of the elevator, cutting your observant sense on the man, the duo followed suit.

You slowed as you saw how the man stopped in front of the door that you've been in and out for years, the Tsukishima name plate dangled by the doorbell. "Excuse me? You need something?" You smiled at the man and he looked at you, seemed dazed.

"Of course." That sighing remark didn't escape your ears. "Of course. You're her daughter. Of course." Four head tilts synched as the man continued on his remark.

"You know him, Y/n-chan?"

You tell me, Shoyo. Do I know him?

"I came for your dad. Tsukishima Daiki?"

"Oh." So he came for Dad. "You can wait for him inside, sir. He'll be home in ー " You glanced at your phone screen. "ー20-30 minutes at most." You rounded past him to ring the bell and spoke to the intercom, "Kei, open up." You turned to the man, still staring at you. "Uhm, can I ask your name to inform Dad, sir?"

"I'm Hibarida Fuki." He answered as Kei opened up the door, face grumpy. "This is my first time seeing Daiki and Hiyori's twins." He chuckled that made Kei turn to him and bowed, grumpy face gone.

"Ah! Coach! Come in! Come in! Dad's on his way." Akiteru's voice sounded through the inside halls of the condo, hurried steps approaching. Coach.. Coach Hibarida.

"He's the coach of the Men's National Team." Tobio mumbled at your back. Shoyo gasped at his side as the coach was shuffled inside by Akiteru. Kei made eye contact with you through the shuffles of the guests your family have this afternoon.

You suddenly wanted to die at that moment.

You gulped hard as Tadashi waited for you by the door, soft ambers gazing with unwavering concern. "Hey. You're alright." It took a lot to nod at his prompt.

"Hm. Yes. I'm okay." You steadied your pace towards and into the condo, closing the door behind you.

Shoes were neatly cluttered in your genkan, voices echoed through the left room where your living room is situated. Tadashi waited for you through it all, observing your every breath. You appreciate his actions, felt he's so sweet that you cupped his cheek with your one hand to return the affection. He held it in his, gave it a squeeze before wrapping that same arm around your shoulder.

"I'm okay, Guchi-guchi."

"Of course you are." You felt him smiling through his sarcasm. You elbowed him playfully as he kissed your head before you rounded to the archway of your living room, his hand already sliding through your back, thumb rubbed a few on the small of your back before it went back to his side. You felt his weight shifted away from you as he rounded up ahead to take his seat on the couch beside Tobio that's now politely attentive to whatever Akiteru and Coach Hibarida are conversing about. Shoyo on his other side doing the same thing.

"ーteam's roster."

"Oh really? Coach Ukai's grandson is the Coach now?"

"Yes! And Y/n's the assistant coach!"

They suddenly turned their eyes on you, accidentally locking eyes with Coach Hibarida, you forced a wave and a smile you can't seemingly describe between getting pooped out and embarassed. He returned your smile, full-bearded face stretching as his lips upturned a curve, eyes glazing.

"You look like your mother Hiyori. You got full resemblance, to the hair, face.. The moment I took a good look on her earlier, I thought she was your mother, Akiteru." You blushed from the compliment, gracing a bow to the coach. Kei reached out for your hand, guided you to sit beside him on the couch you're leaning on, opposite to where the three are seating on. Kei brushed his thumb on the back of your hand to project comfort as he felt you stiffen through your feigns.

"And this tall man right here is a perfect mixture of both. Hm! What's your position on your team?"

"Middle blocker, coach."

And swarms of questions about the team were heard. Shoyo and Tobio were actively talking with Coach Hibarida as Tadashi, you and Kei offered some comments and infos to him. You were dejectedly leaning at Kei that has his arm around your waist, the other's elbow propped on the arm of the couch, chin resting on his palm.

"I wanna be on the National team someday, coach!" Shoyo enthusiastically said as the topic went on the National team.

"I'll be a setter of the National team too, coach!" Tobio, as Shoyo's eternal challenger or is it the other way around? followed up.

Coach Hibarida can't help but just laugh at these claims and turned to you and your twin for the same claims after Tadashi offered nothing but indecisiveness.

Straightening in your seat, "Uhm, I'm afraid that's long gone in my list of what I wanna do?" and sheepishly smiled at the coach.

"I can, but too lazy to do travels. I just might be staying here in Sendai with Dad."

"Well, it's still too early to decide for things for the future so work yourselves out first. If ever one of you gets on the team, I'll be welcoming you with open arms.", and he laughed like the old ojii-sans in a store nearby your house.

National team. You smirked at the thought as the discussions went on, head swimming in those endless thoughts. The familiar sense of sickness slowly upping to your chest, and you pushing it down to contain it just for a few more.

Practically waiting for all of this to end, you were the first one to hear your Dad's steps outside the door. You never thanked someone so vigorously in your mind. You jumped up and rounded the couch to your genkan as the door opened. Daiki saw you immediately and offered you an apologetic gaze and a small "I'm sorry." just enough for you to hear. You hugged him to relay your "It's okay. I love you, Dad." to him, receiving head kisses that you love the most. You helped him with his things as he made his way to living room to greet the guest.

It was flowing just right and you're on your way up the stairs following the boys when you heard Coach Hibarida said, "I was in the area, Shiratorizawa for Ushijima. The kid will be with me next week for the World Camp in Poland."

You gulped hard and hurried after the boys that's scuffling and squabbling already in one of the rooms.

﹆ ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧.・゜゜・

The first thing you felt was the slow and comfortable inertia coming to a halt. Second was the slow breaths of the owner of the shoulder your head is leaning on. Third was the yawns all over the place, followed by the ones beside you. Fourth was the soft sshh he managed to someone not you followed by hurrying murmurs and soft steps out to somewhere.

You fluttered your eyes open, his grabby hand was the first you saw, then he chuckled and peeked at your face, his hazel eyes still sleepy but sparkling nonetheless.

"Had a nice sleep?"

You straightened up at the closeness of his face that he gladly withdrawed quickly and you took a yawn while scanning the place your bus had stopped at, rubbing a knuckle against your eyes to get the sleep off it.

"C'mon, they're already outside."

You groggily stood up and he got his things. "'am sorry for your shoulder, Suga-san. Kei and Guchi-guchi were already sleeping when I got in and noー"

"It's okay." You pouted as he led you out of the bus. Tadashi was already waiting for you on your way out, offering a hand.

"Suga-san, is your shoulder wet?" Tadashi snickered and you hit him hard in his shin and yielded an Ow what was that for look.

Koushi laughed, "It's dry.", catching on the joke Tadashi offered. You grumbled and walked towards Kiyoko without your thingsーtaking note that Tadashi or Kei has it as usual.

Kiyoko found you shuffling towards her and as soon as you're in her space, she fixed your hair that made your cheeks grow hot. She smiled at your reaction. My bed hair!!

Both of you jumped when you both heard a hyena-like laugh in Daichi's direction. Kiyoko chuckled, "That's Kuroo. The rooster-headed one. And Kai. They're from Nekoma. The captain and the vice-captain." You nodded, eyes still at Daichi's direction.

"Y'know, Tokyo doesn't look much different than Miyagi."

"Hang on a sec, Sawamura-kun. I think you're missing people here."

"Maybe coz we're in the suburbs, Asahi."

"Ah, Kuroo-kun. About thatー"

"Stop yawning and start walking Tsukishima! Yamaguchi!"

Kuroo and Kai led your team to the side entrance of the building. It's not as big as it looks in the front, though you know it's big when you get through those doors. And you saw a soccer field when your eyes rounded the area minutes ago.

When you and Kiyoko reached the glass door, you were spooked by a "Noooo!!".

Your eyes widen and Kiyoko instinctively protected you with her body despite the fact that you're taller than her, an arm spread. You felt your heart constricted momentarily, you gulped hard at the sight of a blond mohawk guy groveling by the doors.

"Ugh! Yamamoto!"

"They have two managers now!! Both pretty and gorgeous!!" The blond mohawk guy cried, still on his knees. Intense, your brows shot up.

Ryuunosuke casually walked infront of you and Kiyoko. "Do you see now, Tora?"

"Let's go, Y/n-chan." Kiyoko whispered to you, savagely ignoring Ryuunosuke of what he'll be saying. You nodded but eyes still at the conversing hot-spirited men.

"This is the true power of Karasuno." By the time he said that, you and Kiyoko were through the doors along with the others.

"Sorry 'bout that loud one." You accidentally snorted and hid your face behind Asahi's shoulder, too embarassed about how you snorted at Nekoma's captain. You saw him glance at you for a millisecond before smiling at everyone else.

"Once you've changed, the gym is right thereー" He pointed to the other end of the hallway where bouncing balls are heard. "ーEveryone else is already here." He sighed. "Yamamoto! Let's go! Kai, please."

"Hm!"

The team followed this Kai upstairs, but you heard a groan that made you look back. Kuroo's figure is turned against your walking team, his hands clearly rubbing his face continuously in exasperation(?) You don't know. You pursed your lips at the thoughts and hurried your steps towards the others ahead.

The gym was steps away. You were clinging hard to Tadashi's shirt as you walk with the team. The sounds makes you feel so nervous and excited and you think you might cry from the emotions.

This will be your first time seeing many teams playing in one place after a year. You missed it. You gulped a large lump as Daichi opened the doors that revealed the court and the people responsible for the sounds you've been hearing.

And it all became silent and still, for you. It was calming. Your grip on Tadashi's shirt loosened and your hand found its way back to your side, eyes trailing at the players and the nets and the ballsー

"Welcome back, Y/n." You looked briefly at Tadashi that's beaming at you, Kei at his side also staring lovingly at you but face still stoic.

Yes. This is home.

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CHAP 1 | NEXT [masterlist]

FUN FACTS ::

1. Y/n is in just one issue for Monthly Volleyball. That was in her 3rd year Middle School whenーwill be revealed

2. Tsukishima Daiki is Sendai Frogs' coach.

3. The Tsukishimas has a full-court at their backyard. The team had already played there once sometime after the first Nekoma practice game. That was when Noya saw Y/n. (event detailed at Wattpad version)

TAGLIST: @wolffmaiden @koushiwarrior @avygale

☆ send an ask or msg me if you want to be in the taglist. thanks for the supporttt.

☆ Reblogs and interactions are appreciated. Theories will be entertained. ☆

[atinylittlepain]

Part One

climbing expeditionist!steve harrington x f!oc

series masterlist

Past, present, and future dance and daunt in the shadows of Mount Everest. He just wants to get home. She just wants him home.

chapter warnings | 18+ angst, pregnancy, commentary on eco-tourism, steve is a little depresso at 17,000 feet

word count | 3.4K

a/n | this fic is pure self-indulgence, as a climber who thought they'd one day summit everest, and then realized it's been ruined by eco-tourism! anyways, parts of this fic closely follow the 1996 everest climbing disaster, with many key changes. thanks for reading, there's a fun little treat at the end too.

..............................................................

March 1996 - Colorado

“You’re gonna be late if you stick around any longer.”

“Don’t worry about that, honey. I’ll run if I have to, just give me a few more minutes with you.” He doesn’t get nervous, she knows, not about these things. He gets charming, all slanted smiles and soft touches, sneaking kisses as he rocks in the soles of his boots, plane ticket tucked between index and middle finger. 

But she gets nervous. Even when they do these things together, let alone now with her staying behind and sending him off. Like watching her heart slip from her ribcage and tiptoe out onto a highwire with no net. With no net. So she gets nervous, and she tries to hide it from him, though she can feel her smile starting to slip the longer she stands here in the airport, throngs of people passing by in cloistered chaos. 

“Did Robin make it out there alright?”

“Yeah, got a fax from her this morning, she’s already at basecamp getting stuff set up with the local guides. Hey, you’re doing it again.”

“Doing what?” 

“You’ve got that look.”

“What look?”

“Jo.”

“Steve.” Her arms crossed over her chest, and his hands curling over her forearms, leaning in, and in, and in, until his forehead is pressed against hers and she can no longer see the arrivals board, the people rushing by with suitcases and backpacks. Just him, and his smile that is everything, long hair like a curtain around them. She takes two deep breaths, smelling him, the badger balm he rubs into his hands and good clean soap from the shower he took that morning. And she wills herself to hold onto that scent, to tuck it somewhere safe in her mind, and this too, the soft warble of his voice when he asks her can I get one more kiss, please? Never saying no to that, a sweet simple one, followed by another with a little more want, little more ache behind it. He’ll have a beard the next time she sees him, she knows, but for now there’s just the slightest scratch of stubble when she presses her lips against his. 

“Please don’t worry too much about me.” And that makes her laugh, though it tightens and changes into something bordering on a sob, a high, clipped sound, shake of her head, her forehead still against his, and she has to, she has to take the step back, create that space, has to let go for now. He doesn’t abide by that, hands curling around her biceps, come back, come back, one more minute. He’s wearing his wedding ring on a chain around his neck, too many close calls losing it in the snow, in pulling off a mitten, in the chaos of what he does, what they do. She hooks her finger through it and pulls, a young part of her wishing that’d be enough magic to make him stay. 

“I don’t care what time it is there or here, you call me when you get to Kathmandu, and to Lukla, and to base, okay?”

“Of course I will, and you have the fax number. Gonna send me the scans?” His hand coming to rest over the slight swell of her stomach, still new, the small, hard curve of it, but there, but there. She feels like she might be sick, though she’s not sure why, not sure if it’s the pregnancy, or something else. 

“Yeah, baby, I’ll send them over. But seriously, you better go.” They both sigh, both say love to each other, quiet and close, and then it’s catch and release, him walking toward security, beautiful boy, beautiful world of a person in his corduroy pants rolled at the ankles and a new fleece that she stitched a stupidly sweet heart into the tag of, a little thread of luck, and his pack that he prides himself on keeping so light. She snuck a few extra clif bars into one of the side pockets, a different kind of nesting, preparing for a departure instead of an arrival. He looks over his shoulder at her one more time, wire rimmed glasses glinting, one more smile, and then he’s gone in the push and pull of the crowd. 

She knows the trip he’s about to take well, after all, she has done it five times herself. This will be his sixth. He’ll spend a night and a day in Kathmandu, gathering up the group of people who have enough money to pay him to be their guide. Eddie will be there too, his usual self, aviators and absurdly underdressed, and if there’s a woman in this season’s group, she'll swoon and yes, recognize him from the cover of Outside Magazine, climbing’s resident bad boy, according to the journalist that wrote the piece. They’ll be brilliant together, Steve and Eddie, capable, holding court over a shared dinner before their flight to Lukla the next morning, the group listening in quiet reverence as Steve talks about the death zone, and Eddie’s favorite line, when we hit 26 thou, we will literally be dying, so remember how much you paid to be here. 

He calls her that night, a day ahead now, catches her mid-afternoon and tells her that he has a good feeling about this group. No bullshitters, no brass either as far as I can tell. Brass, the big talkers, usually Americans that have decided this trip, this thing, is their self-given right. Brass, usually the first to turn around. She tells him that the crib was delivered, and he asks her if she’ll wait to put it together, he’d like to help when he gets back. Of course, she says, of course she’ll wait for him.

A week and a half goes by before she hears from him again. She doesn’t know whether to be pissed or utterly paralyzed with fear. Robin faxes her, tells her he’s bringing the group to base, and that he asked her to tell her he’s sorry he didn’t call. And later, when the phone rings in the middle of the night, the petty part of her briefly considers letting it go to voicemail. She picks up and the first thing he offers her is an apology.

“I couldn’t find a fucking phone where we were staying.”

“I didn’t know what was happening, Steve, I can’t– you promised me.” The sentence fizzles out, she feels small saying it. What did he promise her? What can be promised in an environment, in a place that stands upon uncertainty? But still, he promised her a few things before he left, promised communication, promised coming home, and promised never doing it again, shutting down the outfit, no more of this. And she’s not sure he knew what it meant to make those promises, ones that can be so easily broken. 

“It’s not gonna happen again, Josie, I promise. We made it to base, by the way, all good, all safe.” As if on cue, she hears Robin first, hey, Jo! Followed by Eddie’s not the same without you, Joey! Tinny voices made small by all the distance, and she realizes that while part of her misses the place, the process of it all, it’s the people she aches for, good people, good friends, a little crazy, but in the same way she is, and the same way Steve is. But he doesn’t seem too interested in sharing her with them, and she can’t blame him when every minute of this phone call costs twenty-five dollars. 

“I’m glad you made it, how does it look this year?”

“Crowded, I swear there’s more outfits every year. It’s gonna be a cluster summiting with all these bodies.”  

“Hmm, you’re always good at getting the jump though.”

“I try. How– how are you feeling? Doctor next Friday, right?”

“My Friday, your Saturday, yeah. We’re doing alright, they’ve been kicking actually.”

“Really?” Pure wonder crackling over the phone, his voice lifting and breathless, making tight heat curl up in her throat, behind her eyes. Of course, she wishes he were here, and of course, she thinks of the stories every year of wives leaving their husbands because they won’t stop chasing mountains. 

 When she told her friends, her family, that he was still heading out to lead another group, they had looked horrified at the idea. But she also knows it’s a particular situation they’re in. Unplanned, unexpected, but decidedly wanted, by the time they found out she was pregnant, payments had already been made, plane tickets booked, nonrefundable. Clients that know how to throw all of their weight around, very important people with very important wallets giving him their very important money to take them on this very important trip. And so they had to decide some things. Decided that two months out of nine wasn’t all that bad, that five successes couldn’t have just been luck, and that a sixth couldn’t be asking too much more. Thinking these things is different than feeling them, she is now realizing, listening to his voice get caught in static and wind as he tells her how much he loves her and that he’ll talk to her again soon, get some sleep, honey, I love you. 

Yes, different to think about it, plan for it, than to feel it. The bedroom is dark, perfectly silent, perfectly still. She begins to cry with the catch of the phone in the receiver.

…

March, 1990 - base camp

“Who’s that?”

“Who?”

“That chick with Art’s group.” 

“Don’t point, Steven, we’re all friends here. And that’s Jo Taylor, I met her at the airport, real nice, real cool. Also, requisite reminder that fucking at altitude is contraindicated.” 

“Thanks, Rob, yeah, thank you for that reminder.” Robin’s already off as he grumbles, already introducing herself to other strangers weaving in between brightly colored tents and packs. It’s not lost on him that she and Jo are the only two women at base camp, and he’s having a hard time not staring at this woman he’s never met before. Close-cropped hair and flickering hands, sharp, and she seems to have no trouble holding court with her crew, checking over gear, tanks of oxygen, things he should be doing right now, though he’s still stuck staring at her. 

Up here, it’s somehow both bitingly cold and quick to heat with the sun bouncing and bending over the snow, prayer flags pulled taut on lines in the thin air. Everyone has stripped down to base layers, faces whipped raw by the wind, Eddie walking around in a bright orange pair of Patagonia baggies and little else, steaming thermos in hand. And this girl, woman, person, Jo, in a Talking Heads t-shirt and an unzipped shell and leggings, and even with her reflective sunglasses on he can tell the exact moment when she catches him staring at her, her head tilting to the side, slight pull of her brow. He’s walking toward her, crunching over rocks and snow before he can think too hard about how she doesn’t really look interested in making friends with him.

“Hey, I don’t think we’ve met.” He gives her his name with a hand extended, and she takes it, if not a bit stiff, skeptical, offering him her name in return with her hip popped to the side. He watches his own nervous smile in the reflection of her sunglasses. 

“You’re here with Art’s team, right?”

“I am, yeah. And you’re here with Robin?”

“And Ed, he’s, well, you’ve probably met him.”

“Oh yeah, we all know Munson. No oxygen on Mont Blanc is pretty impressive, or maybe stupid.”

“I’d say both.” Her smile glints in the sun, a little stunner of a thing and he knows he’d like to see it again. 

“Both is probably accurate. I knew who you were too, by the way, you didn’t have to introduce yourself like that.” 

“You did?”

“Of course, men’s speed record for El Cap. That’s just impressive if you ask me.”

“Men’s? As opposed to–”

“Women’s.”

“I didn’t know there was a women’s speed record for El Cap.” Her smile slants and she pushes her sunglasses up into her hair, eyes crinkling and squinting in the wind and the sun. 

“There is, I hold it.” 

“Oh, oh, I didn’t– you– I didn’t mean to–” Foot in his mouth and it might as well be down his throat with the way he’s stumbling over his words. She grins, gives his shoulder a squeeze and a shake.

“You’re fine, man, really, just teasing you a little. Is this your first time on Everest?”

“Yeah, you?” He’s not even standing that close to her, but he still notices a freckle somewhere between the round of her cheek and her eye, watches it jump with her smile. She nods, a glance over his shoulder to what awaits them in these next few weeks. A slog, a perfectly graceless suffering. A climb, a brilliant, beautiful thing.

“I’ll see you out on the Icefall, Harrington. It’s nice to meet you.”

…

March 1996 - base camp

“That reporter packed out a fucking espresso maker, can you believe this shit? It’s like goddamn Disney world up here.” Eddie says it just loud enough to garner him a few turned heads as he slumps down in his chair next to Steve, making quick work out of a mug full of instant ramen. 

“I wouldn’t worry about her, Art will get her sorted out before they make it to camp two. I’m just worried there’s gonna be a jam up there. You ever think you’d see the day there’s a line to summit? Because right now, it’s looking like that’s exactly what we’re gonna have on our hands.”

“Any thoughts on how to avoid that?” He hums, pinching off another bite of his clif bar and working his jaw around it, looking out on what seems to be a veritable sea of tents. At least fifteen outfits this year, and all the ragtag debris they entail, lost-looking group members that probably have no business being up here, already hacking into the elbows of their expensive-looking jackets, camping chairs getting knocked over in the wind, boots tucked outside of tents, the sound and smells of human intervention in an otherwise silent landscape. 

“I do, Rob’s not gonna like it though.”

“What am I not gonna like?” A hand on his shoulder, and then a face leaning upside-down over his, almost alien in her round, mirrored sunglasses. 

“Do you know if the other outfits are planning for May tenth?”

“Yeah, as far as I know, same as us. Why?” Easy, all of them easy together, Robin sits down between their chairs, carabiner hooked full of keys jangling at her belt loop. She takes a bite of Eddie’s ramen when he offers her the fork and Eddie grins over the top of her head at Steve, cheshire bright in his thermal and leggings, and suddenly, he thinks, they’re sixteen again, driving cross country to go climb in Yellowstone with a few months worth of part-time job savings split between them. 

“Stevie here wants to be first in line on the Everest Express.”

“It’s not about being first, it’s about not wanting people stuck up there longer than they need to be. If we could just get a couple days–”

“No.”

“Rob–”

“No, Steve. Everybody wants May tenth for a reason. The weather is looking good–”

“The weather is unpredictable and you know it.”

“And, these people need those days to get ready. You start shaving off days and that’s less time they’ll have been at altitude for the last push. This is just the way it is this year, I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, and it’s getting worse every year. I really think we’re getting out at the right time, you know, picked the right year to have our last season.” Robin huffs, unfolding her legs and standing back up, shading them from the sun for a moment as she brushes off her cargo pants and runs a hand back through her hair. 

“Look, I’ll take another pass at the weather. Maybe, and that’s a big maybe, we could swing May eighth. But I make no promises.” And then she’s off, wielding her walkie-talkie like a scepter, already rearranging plans in her mind as she ducks back into their comms tent.

He knows he’s frustrating her, bitching about everything, scowling about everything. Eddie had said as much during the first night at base, why are you being such a downer? We’re on a fucking mountain, at least sell it to the customers, man. And he’s right, they’re on a fucking mountain, and it’s beautiful, and it’s brutal, and it’s all the things he’s loved since he started backpacking as a kid. And there are good moments, there are, moments of looking out onto the landscape, the steep tumbling snow and gray slate crags, witchery in the dance and daunt of ice, the near painfully blue sky that can turn dark and mean in a breath. Moments of true awe, and still, still, he knows that he shouldn’t be here, not really. 

Last year, there was a man in their outfit from Texas, brass. Steve can’t remember his name now, but what he can remember is what he admitted to the night before they headed out from base. Everyone had laughed except for Jo and the one other woman who was in their group, when the man confessed that he had forgotten to tell his wife he’d be gone for two months in the spring. And it had been Jo who had plainly asked him if he had any kids, her chin jutted, arms crossed over her chest, her usual all-smiles-all-jokes-but-all-business-lead-guide facade slipping away into something steely, something cold and unamused. Yes, the man had said, two, a boy and a girl. He doesn’t remember much more of that conversation, just that Jo excused herself early from dinner, and when he returned to their tent a little while later, she was already asleep with her back turned to him. 

“You alright?”

“I don’t know, Ed. I’ll be good to lead though, that’s not a problem.”

“I didn’t ask if you’ll be good to lead, I asked if you’re alright.”  Something tight turns in his chest, he keeps his eyes down on his hands, folding and unfolding the empty clif bar wrapper. 

“Yes, no, I knew it was gonna be hard, but this is fucking– something else.” Eddie leans forward, elbows on his knees, brow furrowed, and he’s nodding, and it’s a look of concern. Steve hates it, never the one needing concern, never the one to be concerned about. The leader, right, level-headed, right, no need for concern.

“You talk to Jo today?”

“Last night, she asked if you packed out sticks of butter again this year.” 

“Pfft, of course, a little American comfort at seventeen thousand feet goes a long way. How is she?”

“Doing alright, I think. Had the twenty-week scan on Friday.” He can’t help but smile thinking about it, and Eddie mirrors him, grin spreading and brows raising, oh yeah?

“She found out if it’s a boy or a girl, but she said she’s not gonna tell me until I get home.”

“Well, how about that for a little motivation, huh? I have to admit though, I miss her this year, not the same without her.” Eddie’s smile softens, slighter, sadder, a hand on Steve’s shoulder, and he feels his own face slacken, the ache returning. 

“No, it’s not.” Not letting him fall for long, Eddie gracelessly shrugs his chair closer, arm hooking around Steve’s shoulders, cheek to cheek as he starts pointing out their clients.

“But, think of it this way–” He points to one man, him, another, him, one more, and him.

“Add those three up and you got yourself a nice little college fund.” At the very least, it feels good to laugh, resting his temple on Eddie’s shoulder, letting the sun be the sun, and the moment be the moment. 

“Can’t argue with that.”

“We’re gonna climb that fucking thing on the eighth, aren’t we?”

“Yeah, I think we are.”

“I’m with you all the way, man.” He holds his hand out for Steve, and it’s a relief, he finds, to clasp his hand, to hold onto something. And Eddie’s one last send? His smile turning young and slanted, a little wild. Steve nods. One last send.

[fogsrollingin]

Time for some more Good Omens fic recs! These are the most recent fics I've read and loved. For all of them, nav to https://fogsrollingin.neocities.org/recs/goodomens 😈🪽 Cheers and happy readings! 📚🥂

Ocean of Secrets (illustrated) by magicbubblepipe. Explicit, 16k words, Aziracrow. Summary: When Crowley uncovers a plot to sink a so-called unsinkable ship, he decides to take credit for it and collect a commendation from the safety of his London flat. That is, until he spots a certain flaxen haired angel with a weakness for expensive creature comforts boarding the ship. He's forced to take action, lest his beloved be horribly discorporated. TL;DR Crowley and Aziraphale were on the Titanic. https://archiveofourown.org/works/23713294 The Titanic one - this one really stayed with me. It was such a lovely read, and I loved the epic horrifying proportions and backdrop of the Titanic. The author described the disaster very well.

Slow Show by mia_ugly. Explicit, 95k, Aziracrow. Summary: In which temptations are accomplished, grand romantic gestures are made, and two ineffable co-stars only take four seasons of an award-winning television program to realize they’re on their own side (at last, at last.) https://archiveofourown.org/works/20395261 Okay as someone who generally dislikes celebrity AUs, but I love drug addict redemption stories, I gave this one a shot (with over 12k kudos, it wasn't a hardship). Very well-written (you just know it's gonna be good when the author starts with a Richard Siken quote). Some terrific heart-wrenching angst that I adored. I appreciated the way the author mixed scenes from Good Omens into the fake TV show they were in. It worked really well for extra visualization.

A.Z. Fell Cooking (aka vlogger au) Series by MostWeakHamlets. Rated General Audiences, 35k words, Aziracrow. Summary: Aziraphale has a cooking show on the internet. It started out with three viewers, but now he's known as the happy grandfather that blew up overnight. Crowley occasionally makes cameos, has dedicated his garden to giving Aziraphale fresh herbs and vegetables, and struggles with living after the apocalypse. ___ “Taste this, my dear,” Aziraphale said. He held a spoonful of jam to Crowley’s lips with his free hand cautiously under it, ready to catch any dripping. Crowley leaned forward to wrap his lips around the spoon. Most likely his shyness came from the small tender moments Aziraphale was not afraid of showing the world. It had been the topic of many long conversations after Aziraphale took Crowley’s hand in St. James Park, causing Crowley to freeze and break out in a cold sweat. Being discreet had always been their top priority. For 6,000 years, someone would have surely seen them if they embraced in the middle of London. But now, Aziraphale had assured Crowley, things were different. They no longer needed to hide, but Aziraphale would go as slow as Crowley needed him to. It was almost funny how their roles had switched after the apocalypse. https://archiveofourown.org/series/1610359 Oh man I loved the first chapter of the second fic installment where it's written like we're voyeurs watching the heart-wrenching reality of Aziraphale caring for Crowley, who's super sickly and frail in the winter (is usually back to normal in the spring and summer). The amount of love and trust that goes into the relationship depicted in this fic is sooooooo This is mainly a South Downs curtain fic btw. It sounds like a social media AU thing, but the YouTube vlogging aspect is a side quest / cool awesome vehicle to give us some fantastic hurt/comfort

Honey, You’ll Survive by HotCrossPigeon. Teen+, 12k words, Aziracrow. Summary: Crowley only popped into the bookshop to say goodbye. He might not have been thinking straight, due to that bloody great big hole where his stomach used to be. Aziraphale, quite rightly, refuses to let the demon pop his clogs in his bookshop of all places, thank you very much. https://archiveofourown.org/works/20790638 Aziraphale saving a fatally hurt Crowley and being super straightforward about wanting cuddles was the best thing in the world. Crowley was written really well in this fic - doing his best to be snarky and sarcastic, anything but sincere and vulnerable (but he gets there. Oooo how I love that 🥰🥰🥰)

Untouched by Etaleah. Teen+, 3k words, Aziracrow. Summary: A demon's life is a lonely one. What Crowley wants is so simple, yet he can never have it. https://archiveofourown.org/works/20505689 Touch starvation. When Aziraphale finally hugs h Crowley and basically breaks him 😭 literally the best

Someone Reaching Back For Me by lorenzhellmangloucester. Teen+, 1k words, Aziracrow. Summary: Aziraphale tries to soothe, tries to rock him, completely unsure if he’s helping or not; he’s never seen Crowley lose control in quite this way. Sometimes Crowley lashes out in anger or hurt, and he’s seen him vulnerable before, but nothing like this. Nothing this fragmented, nothing this… shattered. It’s like watching Crowley break, this shivering, terrified creature clinging to him like he might disappear, and oh. Oh, Aziraphale thinks, feeling very small and fragile himself all of a sudden. In the immediate wake of the almost-apocalypse, Aziraphale realizes he's not the only one who was afraid of being left alone. https://archiveofourown.org/works/19241956 I really adored this - I love the concept of Crowley going snakey when he's upset & panicking, and especially that Aziraphale would just wrap him up in hugs and cuddles no matter how monstrous he's looking 🥰🥰🥰 I *love* it so much.

side effects by darcylindbergh. Explicit, 7k words, Aziracrow. You don’t have to do this, you know, Crowley said, somewhere around Aziraphale’s stomach. His hand was rough around the hem of Aziraphale’s jumper, tugging a little, like he was trying to convince himself to let go. I’m fine on my own. I know. Aziraphale touched carefully—he was learning how to touch, like this—searching out the place right above Crowley’s left eyebrow where the migraine lived, pressing on it. You don’t have to be, though. You can just consider me a side effect. https://archiveofourown.org/works/35166532 This was super emotional and so well written. The amount of hurt/comfort and nonsexual intimacy was amazing. There was a bit of sexual intimacy but it was... it was lovely. Definitely going to reread this one.

Recompense by Flywolf33. Mature, 21k words, Aziracrow. Summary: At first, he didn’t realize anything was wrong. They’d had a row, which wasn’t entirely unusual, and Crowley had stormed off with a few harsh words he didn’t mean flung over his shoulder. Aziraphale had flung a few of his own untruths, though he always knew they hurt the demon far more than either of them would admit. To his everlasting shame, Aziraphale didn’t start looking for another two years. By that time, the trail had gone cold and he couldn’t sense Crowley’s aura anywhere. In which Hell gets hold of Crowley and Aziraphale has to try to put Humpty Dumpty back together again - if Crowley will let him. This has nothing to do with my other GO stuff at all. This has been bouncing around in my head and I finally got it on paper. https://archiveofourown.org/works/21471934 Aziraphale barging into hell 50 years later to rescue Crowley. The slow burn of recovery and angst (the scene where Aziraphale says he'll let Crowley go forever if that's what he wants and needs to feel better and recover) and love. The device-pulsifiers family supporting them was so brilliant too. Fantastic fic.

[phantom-of-the-501st]

Episode 13 Thoughts

Spoilers for TBB Season 2

I very nearly spoiled myself for this episode because the clocks in America changed and it meant that this episode came out earlier than expected. Managed to scramble off Tumblr quickly enough this morning that I missed anything major. 😅

But let's get into my thoughts!

I forgot that Phee existed. How did I forget Phee existed??? 😭

Cute ceramic tree.

Love Phee teaching Omega how to bargain. 😂

Hunter grabbing the guys wrist when he tries to steal the credits. 🤣

Hunter's senses have had a little more attention this season and I love that. A lot of it is just for small moments but they're nice little additions that actually give us a chance to see how he uses his mutation.

Fun fact, centipedes can actually be venomous! Not so much to kill a person, but they can be carnivorous and use venom to catch prey. So these centipede-y things that they set after people are actually not too dissimilar from what we find on Earth! (Just more dangerous).

BAR FIGHT!!!

Where's Tech at? 🤔

Okay, Phee pushing herself off the table like that was very cool. 😄

OMEGA DROPPED A BELL (-shaped thing?) ON A GUY??? Well done. 🥰

Tech's just playing a game by himself???

"It is the only time this game is a challenge" TECH 😭

Phee's right, Omega needs more friends her own age.

Tech pointing out that they didn't have any. 😭 Tech, honey, I can't say clones are the most socially adept group of people and there's a reason for that.

OH FUCK OFF CID

I'm definitely concerned that she's gonna dob them in to the Empire. 😬

Pabu's pretty!!!

Looks like we were right about it being a safe place for the Batch to camp out.

Wrecker has my heart this entire episode. 😭

"You've got some competition" WRECKER OMG 😭🤣

After everything that happened last week, I needed this episode. It's so wholesome. 🥰

"I have not heard her laugh like that in some time" IT'S STILL GONNA MAKE ME CRY THOUGH 😭

ALSO MOON-YOS?! THAT NAME IS SO CUTE! 🥰

Hunter's dad vibes are strong this episode.

Wrecker being appreciative of different cultures is so sweet

Wrecker being full and Tech making a note of it. 🤣 Ffs, I love them all so much.

They weren't kidding. This episode is so pretty! 🩷

I'm not one for unnecessary romance but I gotta say that the whole thing going on between Phee and Tech is so wholesome. 😊

Is there some island monster that we don't know about???

Oh great. It's a tsunami. 😨

Avalanche last episode, tsunami this episode. WHAT'S WITH ALL THE NATURAL DISASTERS??? 😭

I love moments where we get to see the Batch help people without the need to shoot a place up.

Wrecker carrying Mr Eenta! 🤣

OMEGA! LYANA! RUN! RUN VERY VERY QUICKLY!!!

I was very concerned that something was going to happen to Shep for a second. 😭

All the lights from earlier compared to all the dark rubble...

These poor people are all refugees. They've already lost their home and now their safe place has been destroyed too.

And to be taken out by an uncontrollable force as well. It brings up the question of whether or not there is a place anywhere that is truly safe.

But I love how Sheb says that they are resilient. These people can keep on fighting, even after they've been through so much.

(Reminds me of a very specific cyborg, who I am missing very much at the moment 😭).

But after the defeats we've seen this season, I love that we have an episode that is so strongly grounded in hope. That even in the face of tragedy, they can keep on fighting.

And hope is a key concept in Star Wars which is why this episode works so well thematically.

Aaaaahhhh!!! So I really liked this episode. After the absolute misery that was The Outpost, I really enjoyed having a much more wholesome episode. Even though the middle wasn't particularly action heavy, there was some nice exploration of themes in Star Wars. It was super sweet and I loved it. 🥰

No doubt that there's gonna be "it's filler" comments but it really isn't! It's a deeper look into the Batch and stuff that's happening in parts of the galaxy that people don't think about. I love it for that.

And while I'm really not a fan of unnecessary romances, this thing going on between Tech and Phee is adorable. Even if it doesn't go anywhere, she's still helping him open up a bit and appreciate things in life from a slightly less analytical perspective. It's cute and I can't be mad about it. 🥰 (Although I will start having an issue if it starts getting in the way of the story but I think we're good for now).

Saying all of that, it's been another week without Echo. 😭 That man would've been in top form this episode as well. We know how he is when it comes to helping people. AND WE COULD'VE HAD WHOLESOME MOMENTS OF THAT MAN ACTUALLY GETTING TO RELAX FOR ONCE IN HIS LIFE! Hopefully they get to come back here and bring Echo along because he really needs a vacation.

But overall, solid episode! The animation was beautiful and the soundtrack was great as always. 🥰

[sulky-valkyrie]

happy dadwc sulky! for Sigrun, perhaps, and characters of your choice: “ hey, come on now… you’re okay. you’re good, right? “

Happy Friday!! This is from my world state in which the HoF followed Anders to Kirkwall. for @dadrunkwriting

An unnatural shriek made Carver sit up in a panic, heart pounding.  Where the void am I?  

He pressed a hand to his chest and listened carefully.  Had the noise been real?  Or part of the awful dreams?  A quick glance around showed he was in some kind of infirmary: five small cots were arranged around the room - six, actually, counting his own.

It started to come back in bits and pieces as he took measured breaths and rubbed the back of his neck.  Between tunnel collapses, losing the Bodahn kid, Bartrand fucking them over, and Carver apparently catching the Blight, Varric’s expedition had been a disaster.  Then, of all the most unlikely things, just as unlikely as the Witch of the Wilds saving all their asses outside Lothering, the bloody Hero of Ferelden had swooped in, dragged him off to the Wardens, and pressed something disgusting into his hand.

“Hey.”

Carver jumped, eyes bouncing as he searched for the source of the voice.  It sounded familiar, but that didn’t make any sense at all.

A dwarf was sitting on the floor, obscured by a chest nearly as large as she was.  She waved at him.  “Feeling less Blighty?”

“I-” a deep racking cough cut him off.  Once he started, he couldn’t stop, and each breath he sucked in just seemed to make it worse.  He covered his mouth and doubled over, trying to be polite, not even sure why other than habit, but when he felt wetness on his palm, he pulled it away.  Too-dark blood speckled his fingers, and he looked up at the dwarf in fear as the spasms finally subsided.  “Am I dying?”  Maker, how many times am I going to ask that?

“We all are, honey.”  She frowned and pushed herself off the floor, then grabbed a waterskin.  “Let me see?”

He held his hand out as she neared.  She wrinkled her nose as she took it and sniffed, then dragged a bowl out from under the cot with her foot as she opened the waterskin.  A quick splash was all it took to make the blood disappear, and the water in the basin wasn’t even pink when he looked down.  Had it truly been so little?  Carver pulled his hand away to wipe it on his trousers, realized they were filthy from weeks in the Deep Roads, then just let it fall.  “Sorry.”

“What for?”

Everything.  For getting sick, for needing to be dragged through the Deep Roads, for coughing up blood, for panicking.  It all sounded so stupid when he made the list in his head.   Like he’d had any control over any of that.  “Don’t know,” he mumbled.  He folded his hands in his lap and focused on his breathing.  Not on his partially commuted death sentence.  Not on his family struggling in Kirkwall without him.  

Her fingers brushed his cheek gently, tilting his head .  “Come on, now, you’re good.  It’s Carver, right?”

He swallowed and nodded.  “Carver Hawke." Suddenly it clicked. "And you’re the one who carried me?”

“I’m Sigrun.”  She patted his shoulder.  “And you’re gonna be okay.  Promise.”

[magic-multicolored-miracle]

The Witcher S3 Ep 1: Shaerrawedd AKA Oh we're coming straight for MY EMOTIONS?! Rude.

If the rest of this season carries along the same kind of route as this episode, I'm very concerned for my emotional state. This was a beautiful rollercoaster.

Who the fuck in the unnecessarily long words are these bitches?

Oh, never mind they don't matter, cool.

Ooh, I like this narration/the "Dear friend" letters. But I think there are less aggressive ways to "send" them...

Is Geralt just using Continent AirBnB? Where does he keep finding full ass houses with conveniently 2 separate living areas?

Yarpen's got a point, disguises are great for hiding

The pining, the bonding. I love this tiny disaster family

Also this loose fluffy hair and casual look for Yennefer is 👀 10/10 (as always, but perhaps especially?)

Subtle Yennefer, real subtle

Okaaay Dara. Growing up and glowing up

Is that Stephen Robbie Amell?

So they're actually called The Squirels, it's not some slang/insult?

Oh no. He's a Redanian prince-spy...my baby's gonna get his heart broken

😂 rock-paper-scissors over who gets the shitty job. I love it

Ooh, Philippa, what are you up to? Because that was both sexy and incredibly sinister

Don't worry Ciri, Geralt has a chronic case of foot-in-mouth, just ignore him. You look fantastic

Ohhhh, that's why she was dressed like that again. It's a new party and a reminder for Geralt 👀👀

Ciri, timing *sigh* Also, I've got a bad feeling about this...

Well you're an ugly roly-poly...I'll take 6

I like the false-start music to match the false-start fight.

"Seemingly" innocuous. I like that

Also, this is a good look Jaskier 👀

Nice catch princeling

He did not know. But I love their friendship. Is it friendship? I think it is

Ooh good, we kept the coat. I love that coat

Also this stitched jerkin-style leather armor is 100x better than the moulded shit Geralt's been wearing the last two seasons

Aww, Mom and Dad storytime. But damn Geralt, way to bring down the mood

Oh Honey. That's a good dream. But a lot to take on alone. I believe in you though. And want to give you a great big hug.

Ah yes, follow the mage alone to who knows where, where he has has the upper hand. Genius idea.

Oh shit. Not the confrontation I was expecting

The scream I just screampt. I swear to god, I cannot take Jaskier in danger

Aww, look they do love him 🥺

Ok but ma'am this is kinda your fault? You could have prepared better, or told your people the truth, or picked anywhere else for your ambush

Ominous. Who's even left to get dragged into this shitshow?

Aww, she's worried about her dad.

I'm excited for the return of "Geralt and Jaskier adventures"

🥺🥺

Jaskier...honey no...baby...I just...my heart...

Why does Aratuza seem Extra Creepy?

Aww, Geralt. That was actually really sweet

Ah right, Emperor Creepy Dad...I was hoping I could pretend to forget about you.

[romancevsreality-blog]

the bachelor, season twenty-two, episode one: call me a private detective on a hbo comedy because i am bored to death.

Admittedly, I don’t know many things.

I really know a lot of things about the things I do know, but the things I don’t know I don’t care about. There are things I want to know but haven’t had the time or patience to learn - looking at you, crocheting.

But I do know that Arie Ludenchyksdjkfds, Jr. has the personality of low-fat mayonnaise. You know Lay’s Lightly Salted chips? Arie was the inspiration for those. Arie is massively boring and I kind of love him for it. Then again, we were last treated with Nick Viall and Ben Higgins before him, so we’re realistically just dealing with different shades of beige at this point.

Arie is our Little Engine That Could1 who so badly wanted to be the Chosen One - both by Emily Maynard and for the title of The Bachelor. It’s been five years since his turn on La Bachelorette2, and in that five years, he hasn’t dated and he’s stopped racing cars and now is in real estate! HOW SPLENDIDLY BORING. But now he’s ready to settle down. Because the race is over, but it’s really just beginning.

I hate what this show does to me.

Sean and Catherine roll up with their baby, and Sean salts the would that he was picked to be Bachelor over Arie in some weird way of attempting to convince us all this process works for people. See? They have a baby! They get to do other reality shows now! It’s all great! Arie does his obligatory photoshoot and moves into the Bachelor Fuck Pad.

And away... we... go.

We’re greeted by Chris Harrison, who’s back to being my Mortal Enemy once again after the disaster that was last season of Paradise. He’s all skeevy telling us that Arie’s the best kisser the show ever had and how they’ve collected a great group of girls that all thought they were going to get Peter as The Bachelor and now they’re stuck with Arie!

We meet Chelsea, who’s a single mom from Portland, Maine3 who’s pumped that Arie’s the bachelor because Emily Maynard was a single mom, and so is she! Relationship connections be damned, they have something in common. Next in Caroline, a realtor from Fort Lauderdale. She’s my age and has already sold $5 million in sales and I want to jump from a bridge. Caroline is boring.

Next is Maquel, which is not a fucking name, and she’s a professional photographer, which means she may own a Canon Rebel she bought in high school. She’s like, 23, and said she watched Arie on The Bachelorette. 5 years ago. That’s just gross, imo. Nysha’s a big fan of adrenaline rushes - she’s a nurse and likes skydiving.

Oh my god, they’re all so boring. I can’t be witty when I’m half asleep.

Tia is 26 and from Weiner, Arkansas. Cue weiner jokes all around this podunk town. Oh, and we get to see Raven from Nick’s season! She’s the reason Tia’s here. If it doesn’t work out, their friendship is over. Hell, it’s over if it does. Raven would lose it. Kendall collects taxidermy and plays the god damn ukulele4 and lives in Los Angeles. I hate Kendall. That’s all. I bet Kendall has a Pinterest page called “wanderlust”.

Bekah reminds me of my friend Jordan with her cute short haircut. She’s a nanny, but considers herself gentle and exciting. Next up is Marikh, who needs to be the center of attention and be pursued. She runs an Indian restaurant with her mom and Marikh is my favorite.

Krystal is 29, lives in San Diego, and Krystal reminds me so much of Kristen Chenoweth I can’t handle it. She’s like a taller, more deluded Kristen Chenoweth. She’s very into nutrition and helping others, she donates to the homeless because her brother is homeless and refuses her help. I didn’t cry.

Fuuuck I cried with Krystal help me.

THE LIMOS ARE ARRIVING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chris Harrison greets Arie and they pretend like they like each other for a bit. Arie’s nervous because realistically he never really expected it to happen. Chris Harrison is essentially like “what’s wrong with you?” and Arie’s like “Emily was it for me and that’s it so it’s time to find someone like her.” Or some nonsense. I can’t figure out what Arie’s narrative is going to be this season. Meanwhile, Chris Harrison tries to hide his horns.

Caroline is the first out of the limo in a white sequined gown. She makes a hilariously bad “off the market” job in reference to them both being realtors. It’s so bad, but it works. Chelsea is next, and there’s nothing worth commenting on except she's trying to be mysterious and failing. Kendall is nervous as hell. Then Seinne comes out and I scream because I love when black women arrive on this show in any capacity. She gifts him elephant cuff-links with such a well thought out response, I died.

Next is Tia, who’s there to continue her weiner jokes. Bibiana doesn’t know that blue eyes are a recessive gene. Krystal gets a big reaction in her red dress. Krystal’s vocal fry is so real. Bekah arrives in a classic car and all the girls are incensed - it’s going to be a long night and it’s only just beginning.

Jenna is 100% arms and hands when she talks. Jessika gives him a rock. None of the girls expected the competition to be as tough as it is on night one, but it’s like they’ve never seen this show before. Becca K basically convinces Arie to get on his knee for her, and I like her immediately.

There’s about a baziilion Laurens this season, and Lauren S. is the first one. Then comes Lauren J. ANOTHER LAUREN B. and another Lauren J,, then Lauren G. oh my god. They should have done what Tyra Banks does on Top Model5 and made thse girls go by nicknames. God damn.

Cue the “we’re trying too hard to impress” montage. One woman is too tan and owns a spray-tan company and has seen a lot of dicks. One woman asks Arie to smell her. I need to nap.

Okay, I’m awake again.

We do get Annaliese, who arrives in a mask because i LOVE WHEN PEOPLE WEAR MASKS ON THIS SHOW. We never learn your face. Maquel whips her head after she takes her helmet off like she thinks she’s in Talladega Nights. Maquel is 23 years old, and Maquel needs to focus her priorities elsewhere, in my humble opinion.

Then Chris Harrison comes in and reminds us all of the First Impression Rose, aka the You Gave Me My First Non-Viagra Boner In Years6. All the girls scream when Arie walks in and reminds us that it’s be FIVE YEARS since he was on this franchise. Five fucking years he just sat around and waited to be picked as Bachelor.

Chelsea is the first to swoop in and grab Arie, barely after their arms have fallen after the toast. All the girls are shooketh at how quickly Chelsea ran up in there, but guys - that’s the name of the game. Get in there quick, figure out if it’s right, and if it is, coo, if it’s not, bye. Go back to your normal lives. He literally has two-and-a-half baker’s dozens of women waiting to meet him over the span of basically three hours.

Arie thinks Chelsea’s mysterious after meeting her for 30 seconds. I guess her trying to appear mysterious worked for him, and now I’ve confirmed that likely Arie is one of the reasons Family Guy is in its sixteenth season. There are just some shows where I just wonder “who is still watching you?” Arie’s still watching Family Guy. He’s that kind of person. Chelsea talks about making a sacrifice and Arie’s like I’M INTRIGUED and I’m just like, bitch, tell him you have a kid and get it over with. Do not keep your kid a secret from someone you want to be your future partner. I don’t understand the looooogic. Chelsea is pissed when Maquel comes and interrupts them.

I love when people get upset at the general conceit of this entire show like it hasn’t been running since Arie was born (i.e. 850 B.C.). Chelsea is salty as hell that Maquel, who arrived in a racecar and is twenty-three years old, had the gall to interrupt her. She’s like, “Of course it’s the girl in the LOUD CAR that interrupted me.” Is there any girl you wouldn’t have been upset with, Chelsea? “Baby Christina Ricci over there interrupted me with her flat chest and baby face.” “One of the MILLIONS OF LAURENS interrupted me by being a Lauren all over the place!”

Quit it, Chelsea. Quit it7.

Maquel, who is still twenty-three trying to date a thirty-six year old8 takes a selfie with Arie, and god, he is so boring. Even his “goofy” faces are boring. Meanwhile, Khelsey is still complaining about how bad it would look for Maquel to interrupt them, and Maquel admits that she and Arie talked about pretty much nothing during their conversation.

These people.

Arie talks to some girl who doesn’t even get a chyron so clearly she’s a NonFactor of the moment, and we learn that 36-year-old Arie came back because he’s a Man now, instead of 31-year-old Arie, who was Just A Boy. We infantilze white men so easily in this country, ain’t no way in hell a 31-year-old is a boy. He still can’t stop mentioning his connection with Emily, though. He doesn’t know why it works better for him on The Bachelor than it does in real life other than it’s a completely isolated situation where your only focus is on one other person the entire time, so it’s just easier. Arie sounds lazy AF. Basically he’s telling us it probably didn’t work for him in real life because he moves far too quickly too easily and at least on The Bachelor it’s socially acceptable and actually praised.

Arie joins Marikh on an outdoor couch and he literally looks like a little boy talking to his therapist. I firmly take back every complaint I had about Nick last season because Arie is SO BORING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He has nothing to say. At all. Everything is “I’m just as nervous as you,” and “I’m looking to meet someone, too.” There’s this amazing moment on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills where Mauricio Umansky is talking and Camille Grammer is basically repeating everything he says to him back to his face “So sad,” “It’s so... sad.” and that’s what I imagine dating Arie is like.

If I wanted that, I’d get a parrot.

All of the black girls (and Annaliese, still wearing her sparkly mask) talk about if they’ve dated interracially before and honestly this is probably the most screentime at least two of them will have until they’re eliminated. I cannot tell any of these women apart - and they’re giving so many little cutaways of the girls just being hopeful that they’ll get a 1/30 chance of being picked or realistically, a 1/909 chance of being picked at The Bachelorette.

Brittany takes Arie aside and they race like, minicars and all she wants to do is kiss him. Brittany wins and gets a kiss, and I’m just thrilled a black girl got the first kiss of the season. SO PROUD. All the other girls are like, “wait, it’s been fifteen minutes and he’s already kissing?” Khelsey is mostly mad that she feels she had thirty seconds with Arie and everyone else got like, ten minutes or an hour or five years10.

Oh, Kendall brought her ukulele. She sang a song about fish. I am sitting here with just a stank face on. I can’t help myself.

There’s a lot of girls feeding Arie, including one girl who confesses that “pineapple” is her safe word. Jenna gives Arie a foot massage and she’s very in tune with her senses so her being 100% arms makes sense. Jenna’s a little drunk already and I love it. I love the first drunk girl. Annaliese is unsure if she wants Arie to see her face behind her mask, and she’s already my favorite becuase she’s “not a nickname kind of person.” Me either. My name has three syllables. Annaliese also has my favorite dress of the night - the teal gown with the cutouts, gorgeous.

Becca K. and Arie have nice, if not bland conversation, but it’s the conversation that two people who are comfortable have. So many of the girls are freaking out because they haven’t talked to Arie yet, and of course, here comes Human Toenail Chris Harrison to drop the First Impression Rose down. Having the First Impression Rose is both a good thing and a bad thing - clearly he likes you, but the girls already know you’re a threat.

The girls who haven’t had a moment essentially start lining up one by one and waiting in a corner to start interrupting Arie and trying to get their time in. And Khelsey, fueled entirely by the notion that She Was Robbed, decided now it’s time for her second go-around. She regrets going first because she’s worried about being forgotten. Krystal, my emotionally fragile broken bird, is with Arie, and he’s like, “I want to get to know you.” And the first thing out of her mouth is, “I’m a Libra.”

KRYSTAL STOP IT. Tell him you like health and fitness! Tell him you do work out videos or whatever! Hell, tell him you really like lipstick. ANYTHING BUT YOUR ASTROLOGICAL SIGN, PUH-LEASE. Khelsey comes in when Arie is complimenting Kelsey’s voice11 and asks for more time. She doesn’t care if it makes her unpopular, getting a second round. Effectively, this is Khelsey pissing on Arie’s leg. She just wants to remind him of who she is and make sure that he knows she’s there for him. They kiss, and she’s nice enough to be like, “okay, go be with the other girls.”

How kind of you, Khelsey. She immediately runs to the other girls what she did and they’re all like, “oh, that’s who she is.” Because the house has zero clocks and they only have a rose to stare at, the girls are already going stircrazy. Khelsey’s literally like, “Oh, I didn’t know a few of you had never talked to him,” and pretending like she really cared. Arie wants to make sure the girl he picks is honest and truthful and really shares with him, which... god. It makes these women sound like peanut butter, and not in the RuPaul kind of way12. One girl is even like, my dad met you once and he just passed away but he approves, which is basically what everyone wants to hear on a first date.

Bekah, who is twenty-two years old and needs to get away from this franchise immediately, repeats her opening line over and over while Arie talks about three things that make him excited to be alive.

Excitement - Arie is excited about excitement and I am actually crying, he really is Lightly Salted Lays

Adrenaline - ... How is adrenaline any different from excitement? I’ll wait.

Pizza - It’s official, Arie is the personification of the Basic White Dude Starter Kit.

Bekah’s answers are straight fire. And she’s twenty-two years old. Arie’s a dweeb.

Arie comes in for the First Impression Rose, and he grabs Khelsey. Her re-return worked in her favor, and Arie appreciated her going after what she wanted. Krystal is especially pissed because she felt like she was in the middle of something with Arie when Khelsey came back.

We head into the first Rose Ceremony of the season, and the sun is rising. This entire experience seems exhausting. I’m one of those “I need a vacation from this vacation” kind of people - my time off is usually jam packed with all the shit I didn’t do because I was working, so I can only imagine that this would be my personal hell. I’m always tired. If they told me my call was 11:30 PM I’d be out. There are very few occasions where going out that late has ever ended well for me.

THE ROSES ARE GIVEN AWAY IN THE CEREMONY OF ROSES.

Becca K., Kendall, Lauren G., Koach Krystal, Bekah, Lauren S., Seinne, Caroline, Brittany T., Bibiana, Annaliese, Jenna, Valerie13, Jacqueline, Jenny14, Lauren B., Ashley, Tia, and Maquel all get roses. Maquel has the indecency to be like “Arie, why’d you do that to me?!” and that seems like quite the insensitive joke to be making at that moment, Maquel.

We’re saying goodbye to Ali, Amber, Bri, Brittane J., Jessica, Lauren J., Nysha and Olivia, of course, because we got to know them so well. Then again, Nysha did get an opening segment. Nysha, we barely knew you.

The girls are ejected into the daylight and while they’re upset now, they feel a heavy, boring burden lifted off of their shoulders. Arie’s in the driver’s seat now (eyeroll). It’s gonna be more like a Subaru than a racecar, though.

This Season on El Bachelor: We’re in Tuscany! We’re in Paris! Bekah making out in front of the Moulin Rouge! Making out in the snow! Tia’s in love! Krystal’s in love! My queen Sienne is in love! Khelsey thinks she deserves more time with Arie because she’s a mother and that means she gets more time. I don’t understand that logic, but okay. Bibiana’s not here to fuck around and tells the cameras to get out of her face. Krystal’s facade has broken. Everyone thinks Bekah’s so young (she is). Teary montage! Arie’s caught the feels! Someone’s ex is back and there to get his girl back.

... So, basically, your standard Bachelor season.

See you soon.

Random Assessments from the Desk of Amanda:

Jessica looks like just Jessalyn Gilsig. So many people on this season are just versions of other people.

I’m so sorry this blog is so late. I’m catching up. I swear. I’m not going to be that behind. ONWARDS AND CATCHING UPWARDS.

How tired of the race car puns are we going to get and how quickly?

God damn it, even this show has me making stupid racecar references. ↩︎

They made out against the John Lennon Wall in Prague! I did that! ↩︎

I almost said the “white Portland” and then I realized they’re both the White Portland so, you decide. ↩︎

Why does everyone want to play the ukulele and no one wants to play the goddamn harmonica? ↩︎

Something something podcast something something. ↩︎

Arie is basically as old as Jax Taylor, who invented dating. ↩︎

I’m genuinely shocked that her name is spelled the traditional way, and not the millions of phonetic variations. I weirdly want to call her Khelsey. I keep typing Khelsey. ↩︎

YOU TWO HAVE NOTHING IN COMMON. I dated someone ten years older than I was and that to me was a fine line, I’m just lucky I had two older brothers who treated me like I was their age. Let me put it this way: Arie’s still using Snapchat and you think Instagram Stories are “old school”. ↩︎

My early predictions for The Bachelorette? Tia. I think if Raven had wanted it last season, it would have been hers - but for the first episode out, I’m just calling Tia my front runner. ↩︎

That’s Emily. ↩︎

Manic Pixie Vocal Fry tbh ↩︎

MUST BE JELLY CAUSE JAM DON’T SHAKE ↩︎

WHO? ↩︎

Along with 100 Laurens, they had a Jenny and a Jenna? Nothing is good in this world. ↩︎

[that-sarcastic-writer]

Lost Time (Soldier Boy)

Mind games til we lose control drabble

Pairing: Soldier Boy X FSupe!Reader

Summary: After the disaster at Herogasm, you and Soldier Boy blow off some steam, and make up for the loss time. Takes place during that one scene at the beginning of ep7, but like not that. Just same place. This is just porn without a plot I'm sorry.

Warnings: 18+, minors dni, unprotected sex (pls children wrap it before you tap it), p in v, oral (f receiving), fingering, creampie, dirty talk bc its Soldier Boy, praising kink, bit of degrading, drug use, brief mentions of stormfront, allusion to attempted sexual assault (NOT from sb). Slightly occ ben, I make him slightly less horrible. This is one is kinda heavy so strap in.

WC: 2k

A/N: pls I'm sorry, I know I'm bombarding yall with soldier boy (smut) I promise I was gonna take few days and post something else, but I was just sitting here thinking how I havent seen any fics of sb eating pussy so I wrote it. I promise I'm not turning into a sb blog, i have a dean winchester fic coming, I just so happened to finish this one in one sitting in like 2 hours. Dont unfollow me pls kay enjoy the sin love yall. Ps I know this is too long to be a drabble but idk what else to call it so just accept it.

Soldier Boy Masterlist

Comments and reblogs are highly appreciated!

"And you remember that chick Liberty?" You asked Ben absentmindedly, an arm behind your head as you held a joint to your lips with the other. You heard him hum, his face pressed to your stomach as he left sloppy kisses on your skin, "So turns out she was like a nazi." 

"What the fuck?" He snapped his head up to look at you with a twisted look on his face. You looked down at him and nodded, taking a long drag of the joint before placing it on the ashtray next to you. 

"You didn't know?" 

"Fuck no. I was a soldier during World War II, you think I would've been in the same room as that bitch had I known she was a nazi?" He scoffed and shook his head, looking like he was questioning his life choices. "Fuck, and to think I founded Herogasm with her." 

"Yeah well," You shrugged, watching him with a raised eyebrow as he laid his head on your bare thigh. He was a surprisingly good listener. And since you were pretty much catching him up on all the supe and Vought business he had missed, he was particularly attentive, as well as he could be with you naked and him between your legs of course. "Her and Homelander were fucking, like they were public and everything. And honestly it doesn't surprise me, that motherfucker is a weirdo. And that's saying something." 

"You know the fucker? He recognized you at Herogasm." He raised an eyebrow at you, you could hear the slight bit of possessiveness in his tone. Funny how some things didn't change. He would always throw a fit if he found out you talked to other men, he was the only man in your life. Yeah as if. 

You snorted at him and shrugged, running your fingers through his long honey strands, "Some. He wanted me to join The Seven years ago. I thought about it, and then the motherfucker tried to get me to fuck him in exchange of joining the team. And you know exactly how well that went when you tried it the first time. Told him fuck off and he didn't like it. And of course Vought didn't give a shit when I told them what he did, so I left and they got Noir instead." 

"At least I took no for an answer," He scoffed with both a mixture of disgust and anger. "And for the record, I didn't ask you to fuck me to join the team, I wanted to fuck you, and after that I wanted you to join the team, but those weren't mutually exclusive."

"Oh right, you were such a gentleman." You rolled your eyes at him and chuckled, hoping to humor him, but he still had a hard expression on his face. 

"But he didn't—" 

"No Ben, he didn't do anything. It was a long time ago, I haven't seen him since. Well, not before Herogasm." You reassured him, fingers threading to his scalp, making him close his eyes and hum lowly. 

"I don't know what I would've done if he had laid a fuckin' hand on you when I wasn't there to protect you." He mumbled, his lips pressed against your thigh, you barely heard him, but you did. You sighed softly. 

"Yeah well you're here now. So relax, relax before we have to go fuck some more people up. Enjoy this while you can." You emphasized, biting your lip softly. You saw the way his expression changed, and his pink lips twisted into a smirk. 

"Yeah I'm gonna fuckin' enjoy this alright." He bit his lip, positioning himself so that your legs were on either side of his broad shoulders and he was laying on his stomach. 

You watched with glazed eyes as he drew a line on your stomach and pitched the side or his nose before he dragged it across your stomach, the white substance lingering in his nose. He sat on his elbows, eyes closed as he sniffled and hummed. 

"Christ, that's some good shit." He chuckled, wiping his nose with the back of his hand and looked up at you, pupils so dilated that you barely see the green in his eyes. But you didn't know if that was from the drugs or lust, maybe both. "But this is better." 

You gasped, body jolting when he dipped his head and dragged his tongue over your clit, suckling on the bud for a second or two before he lifted his head up again, leaving you whimpering. 

"Best goddamn pussy I've ever had the pleasure of eating," He rasped, teeth digging into his bottom teeth as he threw your legs over his shoulders, pulling you closer to his face and dived back in, but not before he muttered, "Can't get enough of it." 

He had you like this for hours. Alternating between fucking you with mouth and fingers, and actually fucking you. Ever since you got back from Herogasm, your failed attempt at killing Homelander and pretty much hijacked The Legend's place, you had been in this room, with Ben all over you. He had always been insatiable, but even back then he would get tired too, and would take breaks. But now, he wouldn't keep his hands off you, he was relentless. You pretty much had to beg him to stop and give you a break. To which he surprisingly agreed. But that was maybe fifteen minutes ago, and he figured it was time to continue, while he still could. Make up for the lost time, you guessed. You weren't complaining though.

His long fingers eventually joined the rhythm of his expert tongue. The second you felt two fingers slip into you you began to feel an ache in your stomach. You gave up on words a long time ago. You were nothing but a mess of whimpers and moans by then. Something that definitely fueled Ben's ego, he loved watching you fall apart for him. He knew your body perfectly, and the second one of your hands flew to pull at his hair, he knew he found your trigger. And his fingers curved over that spot, over, over and over until he had you crying out and he felt warm sparks on his scalp. 

Your juices coated his tongue and fingers as you shuddered, your shaky thighs clamping around his head. You were panting, and you could hear your heartbeat thump against your head so hard it made you dizzy. You closed your eyes, hissing softly when you felt Ben's fingers leave you, but his tongue was still drawing slow figure eights on your clit. 

"Such a sweet girl. So fuckin' sweet," He coaxed as he pulled his face away from you. You were still shaking from your high when you felt his lips trail up your stomach until he found your neck, and he was attacking that too. "Now that I got you nice and wet, I'm gonna fuck you real good before those fuckers come in and spoil all the fun. I can hear Butcher outside." 

You half nodded, still a bit blazed from both the weed and your orgasm, but you still helped him shrug off his ridiculous robe. He unraveled it and tossed it aside before taking his already hard cock into his hands. He grabbed one of your legs and held it over his shoulder as he sat back on his knees and positioned himself at your entrance. He slipped in with a groan, his face twisted into a pleasured expression as he watched the way he slid inside your walls with ease. You were already so cock drunk and fucked all you could do was moan. 

"I don't know what I love more, eating this pussy, or fuckin' it." He was drawing back and slamming back in with enough force to make your body slide on the mattress. God, Soldier Boy fucked like he fought, ruthless and with purpose. 

Your head was thrown back, eyes screwed shut and your hands were clutching the sheets so tight you thought you were going to rip them. Though by then the whole room was tossed, somehow some pillows had been ripped in half and you were sure the brick wall had dents in it. It was absolutely messy, filthy and absolutely intoxicating. He was intoxicating. Everything about him. 

"You're squeezing the fuck outta my cock, you wanna come my pretty Violet?" He rasped and panted, his forehead and chest glistening with sweat as he watched the way he fucked himself in and out of your tight walls. And fuck did he love it. "You need me to make you come again? Is that what my pretty slut needs?" 

"Yes! Fuck Ben, please." How you were speaking, you had no idea, but you screamed it, overstimulation and the aching need for release making your vision blurry with tears. 

"Fuck, yeah give me what I want. Come for me, do it now." He ordered, sneaking a hand between your bodies and rubbed quick harsh circles on your clit until he had you crying out and your eyes flashed violet. "Fuck, shit, that's it." 

Your leg hung over his shoulder as he leaned down and held himself up on his forearm as he snapped his hips quickly but more shallow like he was trying to get himself over the edge. You were so drunk on your high you barely noticed when be grabbed your hand placed it on your lower belly, his own hand right of top of yours, and you sure noticed when he pushed down on your belly with the slightly bit of pressure on it and spoke in your ear. 

"You feel that? That's exactly where only I fuckin' belong. Not Homelander, not fuckin' anyone, me." He rasped, a groan leaving his lips when he gave you one final thrust and spilled inside you. 

He kept himself braced on his forearm so as not to crush you with his weight, but his body still laid on top of you, still inside you. Hazily, you threw your arms over his neck and ran one of your hands through his damp hair. His heavy breaths and your own filled the room, but other than that you laid in silence, simply soaking in the feeling of each other. Fuck did it feel right. Too bad it didn't last. 

"Oi children!" You heard an unmistakable cockney accent as the doors suddenly opened, followed by a pair of collective groans. 

"Fuckin' Christ. Can't even fuck my girl in peace." Ben groaned as peeled himself from you and sat up, naked as the day the boys found him. 

"Oh Jesus, please put that away." Hughie muttered to Ben, face red as it could get at the sight of you two naked. 

Despite your still hazy state, you were quick to pull the sheets over your naked body as you sat up. You inhaled sharply as you brought your legs to your knees, muscles already screaming at you for your reckless activities. You eyed the three men in front of you. Legend was going on a rant about the room you destroyed, Butcher was berating Ben for his shitty Intel on Mindstorm, and Hughie just stood there mortified. 

"It's not like you've never seen a dick before. You do have one right? Or do you just have a pussy down there and that's why you act like one?" Ben chuckled, looking directly at Hughie as he stood up, cock half hard and with no urgency to grab his robe from the ground. 

"Ben, stop harassing the kid and put your dick away." You scolded him, being pretty much the only person on this earth that could tell Soldier Boy what to do without being threatened with bodily damage. He glared at you, but complied nonetheless and wrapped the robe around himself. "And you two could learn to fucking knock, save yourself the trauma." You sighed as you looked around the bed for your clothes but they weren't on sight. Until you felt something hit the side of your head and fall on the bed. 

"Asshole." You glared at Ben as you grabbed the hoodie sitting beside you and slipped it on, the smirk on his face making you roll your eyes. 

"Anytime sweetheart." He winked at you before turning his attention to Butcher and Hughie who were going back and forth about Mindstorm. Guess they could find an address after all. 

Well off you were. At least you were able to make up for lost time. 

[rayshippouuchiha]

Is it weird that I can also see it with winter/Ironman (I forgot the ship name) like Tony is just a disaster and just so happens to be a vampire lol and then James is all like 'oh, oh honey nooooo you need someone to make sure you're not gonna accidentally impale yourself'

Ray? Raaaayyyy please?

Oh no this would work perfectly for WinterIron, especially with Tony as the vamp. Bucky is despairing of this vamp he's ended up hanging out with, like how has he managed to stay alive this long???

But the catch is that Tony's absolutely a disaster except for in those surprise moments when he shows all the ways he's not. Man can go from being just a grubby little creature to A Threat(TM) at the drop of a hat.