#how do you cheat at scrabble you ask

[starman-john-tracy]

How’s my favourite Tracy brother doing 🤗

"I've been teaching Eos scrabble." John grins, "She's much easier to play with than my brothers because we don't just have to stick to one language. If the letters happen to make something in Taiwanese then I want to use something in Taiwanese.” The astronaut shakes his head, “Even when I stick to English, I get a lot of ‘John, there's no way that's a real word’ from Scott, and I have to find it in a dictionary to prove it to him. It's not my fault the man should know what an asterism is."

“I made Eos her take herself offline when we play though, just to make it fair." He adds, "It's more fun for her to learn something from the ground up anyway. When she gets too good, we have to switch games or erase her databank on the subject, or else she gets bored with me... and I’m pretty good at Scrabble, for a human.” John's clearly parroting his AI there. "Besides, I'd take teaching Eos a game over playing one with Gordon any day. Gordon cheats."

[qqueenofhades]

I just feel like even if we all vote and Biden wins, Trump won't accept the loss, and eventually they'll just put him in anyway. And then there won't be another real election. Even if Biden wins and somehow is actually confirmed (which again, I think is unlikely) we're going to have to do this for 30 more years because of the SC, and that isn't at all sustainable.

All this isn't to say I won't vote but I just think people are being way too optimistic about what happens if Biden wins. I don't think him winning will keep Trump out or the horrible fascist future at bay.

Look, I get the fear. I do, I do... but this is also one of the times when you have to ask if it's actually telling you something true, or if it's just preying on that generalized feeling of doom to make everything seem hopeless even if we win again. And that is... there is absolutely no actual mechanism for Trump to be installed as president if Biden wins the Electoral College (since as we have repeatedly seen, the popular vote is immaterial). SCOTUS is horrible and evil and are trying to interfere as much ahead of time for Trump as they can, but part of that is because they can't simply issue an order for Biden to be removed and Trump to become God King By Fiat. That is not how it works. If Biden wins in November, he will be president until his term ends, he steps down, Kamala takes over, or anything else.

Trump tried a coup with all the entire overwhelming might of the US government as the sitting president last time; fortunately, it failed. Reforms to the Electoral Count Act have been made to prevent another January 6. The Department of Defense and the military are still under (and would be on another January 6) Biden's command, not Trump's. That's not to say that Trump won't try some shit with his insane cult followers, but he is just a late 70s conman from Queens out on bail and under sentence for a criminal trial, who is already the biggest and most disgraced loser and asshole in American political history. He is so desperate to cheat his way back into power because in a real sense, this IS the last-chance saloon for him. He can't put off the legal proceedings, however long they take, for another four years. He's losing his marbles at a rapid rate. I'm just saying: we don't know what or when, but there will be (and already have been) real consequences for him. That is why he is scrabbling so hard.

"Even if we vote, nothing matters and Trump will win anyway" is another of those insidious lies that works to make you feel as if the battle is endless and pointless and none of its victories matter. Of course it will not all be magically fixed forever if Biden wins. We will still have to figure some godforsaken fucking way to expand SCOTUS or kick Alito and Thomas off it. But we will have bought ourselves, our democracy, our country, and the world time to do that, and put another nail in Trump's coffin. That matters. It matters a lot.

Fascism wants to present itself as overwhelming, irresistible, inevitable, and ready to happen no matter what you do, and that's what your brain wants you to buy in now. But that's not the case, Trump is not inevitable or some all-powerful monolith (in fact, another of the debate takeaways seemed to be that Biden looked bad but people still hate Trump too much for it to really shift anything). He is a loser, a fraud, a conman, a liar, and a crook, and he WANTS you to fear him like an almighty god. Don't give him or the MAGAGOP the satisfaction.

Frankly, having to endure another four months of this might kill us all, and I know that we are tired and scared (me too). But IT IS NOT INEVITABLE THAT WE ARE DOOMED. Not at all. Let's hang onto that and tell that anxiety doom voice to shove it.

Hugs.

[daisiescomelate]

Love ink

Prompt: Sukuna asks you to get matching tattoos for Valentine's day.

div. cafekitsune

You noticed Sukuna was acting kind of odd. He had been avoiding your eyes all day and scratching the back of his neck enough for it to go red.

"Is everything okay?" You asked him after lunch. He was cleaning the dishes while you were scrabbling the grocery list for the week on the kitchen table. There was no damned pen in the house that wasn't dry, many of them scattered around you. It had taken you fifteen minutes to find a marker that worked properly.

You had been trying to ask him if there was anything else he thought you needed to add and all his answers had being a variation of 'don't know'.

"Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"You are acting... strange today."

"Strange how?", he said and turned around for a second before quickly looking forward again when your eyes met each other.

"That."

"What?"

"What you just did."

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about."

You narrowed your eyes at him. It was the first time in a while that he curse at you like that.

"You did something." It was a statement.

"What?"

"You are anxious."

"I'm not."

"You cheated."

"I did not." That was enough for him to throw the dishes into the sink and turn his full body to face you.

"If it's not that then why are you so scared to tell me." You said, not really believing Sukuna had done anything particularly bad but looking to fire him up enough so he would tell you. It was hard to make Sukuna talked when he didn't want to but you always wanted to hear it, even if it meant you would have to make him scream it to you at your face.

Sukuna clenched his jaw while staring at you from his place next to the sink, then lightly blushed. You blinked.

"'s Valentine's day next week."

You blinked again.

"Yes, indeed."

"You said to do something I wanted."

Oh!

You stood up and crossed the few steps that separated you from him. You wrapped your arms around him and smiled.

"Yes, baby! You always ask me what I want to do for Valentine's day. This year should be all yours. Did you think of something already?" You kissed his cheek and his blush increased. Moving his gaze away from you again to look at a random spot on the wall he murmured,

"Tattoo."

"What?" You looked at him confused, "You want a new tattoo?". You didn't get it. Frowning your eyebrows you asked, "You want me to go with you to get a new tattoo?"

The blushed crept all the way up to his ears and he still didn't look at you.

You sighed. "I mean... I wasn't expecting that but if that's what you want to do, of course! Do you want another big tattoo, is that it? Like a full session of a few hours, is that why you want me there?"

Sukuna cleared his throat and finally, finally looked at you in the eyes. With a little bit of hesitation but pushing his words with intent out of himself he said,

"I want matching tattoos."

"Matching tattoos?" You echoed as if he had suddenly spat some foreign words to you.

"Like a couples tattoo." He clarified.

"Okay, wait-"

"You don't want to." It wasn't a question.

With a strange look in his eyes, Sukuna removed your arms off his neck and turned back around to returned to the task he had abandoned before.

You were frozen in place, eyes wide. The stiffness in his shoulders brought you quickly back, and this time you hugged him from behind, trying to be careful with your words.

"Sorry, love. You just caught me off guard. Don't be sad, please. You know what, lets do it." You hugged him tighter. "I don't have to think about it, I really want to be with you forever and ever, love." You planted kissed on his back until you felt him relax a little bit.

"What do you want it to be?" You continued, "A heart will be cute... or two birds. Honestly I think we should do something a little bit more symbolic, something that would represent us better like-"

"Our names."

Another right hook to your stomach.

"Our names?!" You squiked.

Sukuna was facing you again, this time using the puppy eyes that he had learned by accident made you so weak to his demands.

He pulled you closer to his chest and surrounded you with his arms. Your faces were an inch apart. He moved his right hand so it would slip under your shirt and with the tip of his fingers he traced a line on your lower back. "Mine here", he said in a low, raspy voice. The heat of his touch and the dept of his tone made you knees weak.

He moved so his breath would be next to your ear as he whispered his next line.

"And you can pick where yours goes on me."

Knockout.

You felt like a deer on the headlights in between his touch and his proposition.

He could see how much you struggled with the idea in your eyes.

"Why not?", he said a kiss away from your lips in a pout. Sukuna's manipulative tendencies had never disappeared since you met, they just had evolved into something more dangerous.

"Think about it" he said holding you closer looking down at your mouth and whispering as if he were sharing a secret with your lips.

"Do you want your name over my heart?" He gave a step forward, forcing you to step back.

"On the back of my neck?"

Step.

"On my tight?"

Step.

"Where everyone can see or where only you can see?"

Step. Step.

"Where do you picture it?"

Step.

Table.

He had you trapped.

"I don't know, It-It sounds like a very important decision. Let me think it over for a bit." You stuttered, knowing how dangerous it could be to hold your weight against the table.

Sukuna raised his eyes from your lips and look directly at you. You knew that look. That determination. He had an idea. Oh, no.

"Then why don't we run some tests?" He said. He moved his arms forward consequently pushing you to sit over the table. Closer and closer, his weight falling over you.

You closed your eyes, expectantly.

A moment later, he retreated.

You opened your eyes again but slowly. Sukuna stood straight in front of you with a black marker in his hand right in front of your face.

"See where you like it better." He said with a devilish smile, all teeth.

You stared at the marker as if it could bite.

Damn devil.

With a sigh, you took it from him and took off the cap.

Long story shot, a week later your diabolical boyfriend got want he wanted.

N/A: no proofread, sorry. Where would you put his tattoo? 🤭 Definitely somewhere visible for me 😏 Thank you for reading!

Masterlist of fics

[mousy-nona]

Headcanon that Lucifer and Alastor have two different date nights each week, one is for them to have alone time, while the other is a family date night.

“Uno!” 

“No, Dad, you still have two cards!” 

“Oh.” Lucifer dropped a +4 onto the pile. “Now uno!” 

“Hey, Big Daddy, it ain’t your turn anymore. It’s Tall, Dark, and Creepy’s turn to go.” Angel Dust peered at Alastor who, despite his trademark smile, looked like he was in physical pain. His left eye was twitching rather alarmingly. “You hangin’ in there?” 

“Yes, fine,” Alastor snapped. “I’m simply at a loss at how such a simple game can defeat Lucifer’s intellect. You would think he would have learned something after a few million years.” 

“Hey!” Lucifer threw the cards in his hand at Alastor – which, being a grand total of one, wasn’t very impressive. The sad little +4 gently tapped him on the nose before fluttering to the ground.

Alastor sighed, very loudly. “Great. Why do we bother with this again?”

“Because it’s game night!”

Lucifer was referring, of course, to the weekly tradition that had started because Lucifer had insisted if you date me, you date my daughter too, and Alastor had shuddered and agreed just so he wouldn’t have to hear him say that atrocious sentence, ever again. Then Charlie had insisted on bringing Vaggie along, because she was her partner, and therefore family.

Then Angel Dust had overheard there was a weekly game night going on, and dragged Husk into coming along. Niffty was the only one that Alastor had personally invited, although none of them knew that (it was their little secret). 

“Can we have just one game night where we actually finish a game?” Vaggie complained. “I actually have a good hand this time!” 

“I don’t know why y’all put yourselves through this,” Husk called out from the bar. Ice cubes clinked as he poured himself another stiff one. “They’re going to start trying to kill each other in five minutes.” 

“We will not,” Lucifer sniffed as he collected his card and sat back down. “And we do not try and kill each other every time.” 

Angel Dust started ticking off incidents on his fingers. “Let’s see. We never got to finish that game of Monopoly, Clue, Yahtzee, Catan –” 

“Family Feud,” Vaggie added, staring hard at Alastor. He sniffed and looked away. 

“You cannot ask a gentleman from my time to guess what you barbarians from the 21st century think about things. That was a poor choice of game.” 

“Scrabble, Secret Hitler–”

“Alastor was cheating that time!” Lucifer burst out.

“I was not,” Alastor said smugly. The rest of them shuddered at the memory. Alastor had been surprisingly good at Secret Hitler – so good, in fact, that it and any other political manipulation games like it had been banned from the halls of Hazbin Hotel.

“Apples to Apples, Sorry!, Hive Pocket–”

“That one was Niffty!” Charlie broke in, desperately trying to keep the peace. “She stabbed the game board, remember?”

Niffty started vibrating and jabbing at things. “Bugs!”

Angel Dust sighed. “My point still stands, toots. These two are physically incapable of ending a single game without flirt-fighting in the middle of it.”

Alastor snarled. Lucifer turned red. And everyone else nodded. 

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

What none of the others knew was that Lucifer and Alastor had another weekly tradition. A secret they kept hidden from the others. 

Every Sunday, after Alastor had finished his script for the next day and Lucifer had put the finishing touches on his latest invention, Lucifer summoned a golden portal and whisked them off to the far reaches of Hell. 

It was a different wonder every time. A hill near the Greed Ring, the toxic plumes of smoke creating a beautiful emerald mist over the dilapidated city. The very top of the skyscraper that towered over the Lust Ring. A relaxing dip in one of the lava pools of the Wrath Ring, which made Alastor hum and stretch like a cat as the boiling liquid lapped at the scar on his chest.

One day, Lucifer took them to a bustling street packed with street vendors and shops selling the exact same merch. The smell of caramel and popcorn and cotton candy was heavy in the air. He looked uncharacteristically nervous, his face paler than usual, and his hands were constantly picking at his hat, his coat, his staff.

Alastor peered at him. “Whatever is the matter with you?” 

“I have something to show you.” 

Lucifer led them deeper into the colorful, fantastic clutches of Lu Lu World. Past gaggles of hellborn children and their exhausted parents, past lines for rides that looped at least ten times before disappearing into the buildings proper, past storybook houses and little animatronic villagers.

“Business must be doing well,” Alastor noted.

“Terrific. Our newest ride is a hit.” 

“Newest…?”

Lucifer stopped abruptly, staring at something above them. He was sweating slightly, his feet shifting this way and that. “I hope you don’t mind,” he said, in a tiny voice. “I got, well, inspired.”

Alastor looked up, and his eyes widened. Towering above them was…him. A flawless version of him. The demon grinning at the top of the ride was perfect in every way, his smile hiding a million secrets that both enthralled and frustrated the viewer. Enthralling. Alluring. The shadow coat he was wearing created a natural barrier between him and the audience, but his outstretched hand seemed to beckon you closer, to touch what was forbidden.

Can you defeat the enigma? Was the tagline stamped at the bottom of the board.

“It’s an escape game,” Lucifer said hurriedly. “I thought of it during one of our dates, and I couldn’t get it out of my mind. You don’t mind, do you? I was so nervous about it, but I thought I’d –”

“He’s a bit perfect, don’t you think?” Alastor said, his voice gruff.

Lucifer squinted at the display. “I don’t know what you mean,” he said, sounding honestly confused. “It looks just like you.” 

Alastor groaned, unsure how to handle the unfamiliar, powerful feelings batting at his too-small heart. This is how he sees me? 

“You don’t like it,” Lucifer babbled. “I’m sorry, I’ll take it down–”

“No, it’s fine.” Alastor said. “It’s…good.”

“Really?” Lucifer relaxed, all the tension leaving his tight shoulders. 

“Really.” 

They stood there a while, simply breathing in each other's company as the muse and the artist stared at the work they had created together.

Finally, Alastor spoke. "May I suggest a game for our next game night?"

"You? Have a suggestion?" Lucifer nodded warily. "Go ahead."

"Secret Hitler."

"No!"

[thegoldencontracts]

Let's Play!

After seeing Azul fall asleep at his desk, you decide it's time for an impromptu game night to relax. Of course, things end up being the opposite of relaxing.

Notes: Just pure fluff, GN reader, some flustered Azul at the end bc he was smug the whole fic and we can't have that hehe

"That's lovely to hear."

"Azul?"

"I barely said anything!"

"Mhm. Exquisite!"

"Wha- are you even listening to me?"

"You're not listening, are you?"

"Truly, fascinating."

"..."

"Azul? Did you just fall asleep?"

"..."

And that was how you ended up calling for an impromptu game night, just the two of you. It'd be fun! And maybe Azul could go to bed at a normal time afterwards.

"You just fell asleep, didn't you?"

"This is entirely unnecessary, you know."

"I do know," you said. "But it'll be fun. Do you even know what that word means, takoyaki?"

"Don't call me that."

"No can do, takoyaki. Now, what game do you want to play first?"

Azul just glared at you petulantly. You glared back. After a while, he gave up.

"Fine, fine," he said. "Scrabble. And don't expect me to go easy on you."

"Like I'll need it," you said.

You quickly regretted those words. He beat you at every single round. How? It wasn't even close! Why was he just so good at this?

"How do you-"

"Heh," Azul said, a smug grin on his face. "It seems as if you're having some regrets."

"Why, you-!" You were getting fired up. "You know what? I'm picking the next game! We're playing Uno! Good luck winning every round of that!"

He did, in fact, win every round of that. Somehow. How? It was a luck-based game, for God's sake!

"I- how did you-"

"Trade secret, my dearest," he said. "I do believe it's my turn to pick our next game, then. How about Monopoly?"

Monopoly. Yeah, that would work. Monopoly was literally about rolling dice! There was no way he could rig that!

He did. Somehow. All the rolls were in his favor. How? You checked to see if the dice was loaded. It wasn't.

"That was just you cheating!" You said.

"Have you forgotten you're playing against a member of the Board Games Club?" He said, then at your deadpan stare, added "I learned to trick throw dice.

"But that's cheating!"

"No, it isn't. There are no rules against it."

You got the feeling he wasn't going to back down on this one. Luck-based games were out of the question, then. And so were skill-based games because he was good at everything. That was all games!

Wait. You had an idea. But you would wait before trying to implement it. You wanted to end things with a win for you. That way, you could pretend Azul was at a loss.

And so, you let yourself get clobbered, over and over and over again. Now, it was the last game of the night, and it was your turn.

"Any last wins to hand over to me?" He said, smug as ever. You were going to make him eat those words.

"Why yes," you said, relishing how what you said next wiped the smirk off of Azul's stupidly kissable face.

"Twister."

Azul glared at you.

"Ah, but dear," he said bitterly, "I'm afraid we only have two players."

"That's okay, takoyaki," you replied in kind. "I have a hands free spinner online.

Azul gulped.

"Are you certain this is your choice?"

"Absolutely," you said.

You could see the bead of sweat that dripped down Azul's face. Twister was a game about flexibility, something that Azul lacked. It also put people into compromising positions, kryptonite to someone who cared as much about their image as Azul.

"I-I see," Azul said. "Let us start, then."

Twister was far more satisfying than the other games. Azul struggled way more than you did, limbs trembling with exertion, and he still refused to give up. He was so adorably stubborn.

By the end of it, you were in an easy-to-hold downward dog position. Azul, on the other hand, was stuck in an arch. Heh.

"You sure you don't wanna give up, Azul?" You asked.

"Hmph. As if I'd- Ack-!"

Azul fell, and before he could hit his head, you caught him, before pulling him into a kiss as a reward for your bravery.

As you broke away, gently lowering Azul onto the ground, he looked away from you, face red.

Cute.

"Hmph," he groaned, mumbling his words, "what was that for?"

"A prize," you said. "For me. I won this round, after all."

"And I won all the others," he said. "And yet I haven't received any prizes."

"Do you want a prize, then?"

You said it as a joke, but he bashfully nodded.

"Well then," you said. "All you had to do was ask!"

As you pulled him into a kiss, you couldn't help but think that your boyfriend was absolutely irresistible.

[galaxysupreme17]

Family Game Night

Y/n = Your Name

AgathaRio x daughter!Reader

The night was quiet and warm, stars twinkling outside as the Harkness-Vidal household bustled with a rare excitement. In a decision that surprised even herself tonight, Rio convinced her family to participate in a family game night. Y/n sat cross-legged on the living room floor, surrounded by a chaotic assortment of board games that she'd dug up from the hall closet.

Looking both amused and slightly skeptical, Agatha watched from the couch, a steaming cup of tea in hand. "Are we really doing this?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at Rio, who was crouched over the boxes, eyes gleaming.

"Oh, we're definitely doing this," Rio replied with a grin that promised equal parts fun and mischief. "It's about time we did something as a family that's not life-threatening."

Y/n laughed, leaning over to pick up a box. "So, what's the game plan? Monopoly? Sorry?" She waggled her eyebrows. "Maybe a little Scrabble?"

Rio snorted, glancing at Agatha. "How about something with a little more... competition? It's not a real game night unless it gets intense."

Agatha's lips curled into a small smile as she sipped her tea. "Just remember, love, it's family game night. We don't need a rematch of the Monopoly disaster of '22." She shot Rio a knowing look, making Y/n laugh.

"Oh, I promise to behave," Rio said with a glint in her eye. "Mostly."

Y/n rolled her eyes but was already setting up Uno. "Let's start with something simple. And no wild strategies," she added, giving her mom a warning look.

Rio chuckled, settling down beside Agatha on the floor, pulling the pillows around them to make things cozy. "As if I'd need strategies to win."

Agatha simply shook her head, sitting across from Y/n and Rio. She was already amused by the energy crackling around them; she knew from experience that this game night would get competitive fast. And that was even before she noticed the slight gleam in Y/n's eyes—the one that said she had a few magical tricks up her sleeve. Agatha didn't plan to call her out on it. Not just yet, anyway.

"Alright, family, deal 'em out!" Y/n declared, shuffling the deck with a flair that was absolutely not necessary for a simple card game. The room seemed to fill with anticipation, each of them sizing each other up like they were about to enter an arena.

The first few rounds went smoothly enough. Y/n pulled a couple of skips on her mom's, making them groan, and Rio retaliated with a few wild cards that sent Y/n's hand spiraling back up in numbers. Agatha played her hand quietly, though she didn't miss an opportunity to gently sabotage whoever seemed to be getting too close to victory. The friendly banter grew with each hand, along with some suspiciously precise plays from Y/n, who seemed just a bit too good at drawing the perfect card when she needed it.

Rio shot her daughter a knowing look. "Y/n, are you sure you aren't? I don't know... cheating?" Her tone was light, but her eyes narrowed with suspicion.

"Cheating?" Y/n replied, feigning an innocent look. "I wouldn't dream of it." And she looked away with just the faintest smirk as she drew a +4 and tossed it down, pointing it squarely at her mother.

Rio laughed, holding her hands in defeat, but not without a glint of competitiveness sparking in her eyes. "Fine, fine, you got me. But next game, it's on."

They continued through rounds of Uno, laughs and playful jabs filling the room as Y/n kept pulling the perfect cards, much to Rio's suspicion. Agatha just smiled to herself, watching her family's antics unfold, her heart swelling as she listened to the sounds of their laughter mixing together.

Finally, as Y/n won yet another game, Rio threw her hands up in the air. "Alright, kid. No more Uno. I demand a game that takes real skill."

"Really?" Y/n teased, tapping her chin. "What do you have in mind?"

Rio's eyes gleamed with a look that was almost dangerous. "Scrabble."

Y/n gulped but grinned. "Challenge accepted."

They set up the game quickly, arranging the letters and the board, each drawing their starting tiles. Rio took an immediate lead as they started to play, scoring high with some suspiciously well-thought-out words, like "quixotic" and "zephyr," earning eye rolls from both Y/n and Agatha.

"Show-off," Y/n muttered, glancing at her measly collection of letters and trying to think of something more impressive than "cat."

Agatha chuckled, adding a respectable score with her own words but staying far enough back to let Rio and Y/n battle it out. She glanced at Y/n's tiles and raised an eyebrow as she noticed that one of them seemed to shift slightly, rearranging itself without Y/n even touching it.

The word "witch" appeared on the board in her daughter's handwriting, complete with double points. Agatha shook her head, hiding her amusement. Subtle, darling, she thought, watching Y/n try to keep a straight face.

But Rio didn't notice. Her eyes focused on her own tiles. She laid down "hexagon" and smirked. "What can I say? I'm just talented."

Y/n groaned, clutching her chest dramatically. "Mom, are you trying to ruin my pride?"

"Just teaching you the value of hard-earned victories," Rio replied with a grin, completely oblivious to her daughter's not-so-hard-earned tactics.

They continued to play, with Rio dominating most of the board and Y/n slipping in magic-influenced plays when she could. Agatha watched, both entertained and touched. It wasn't often that they got to be together like this, away from the rest of the world, their biggest problem being which word would earn them a triple score.

After a few more rounds, with Rio winning by a narrow margin, they decided to take a snack break. Agatha fetched a tray of cookies and drinks from the kitchen, bringing them back with a warm smile as she handed each of them a mug of hot cocoa.

"So," Agatha said, sitting back down and pulling Monopoly out of the stack. "Who's ready to face the true test of family bonds?"

Y/n and Rio exchanged wary glances.

"You know this game can end in disaster, right?" Y/n asked.

Agatha only shrugged, smiling. "Yes, but it's tradition."

They settled into the game, and from the start, it was clear that Monopoly would take their competitive spirit to a whole new level. Rio was ruthless, buying properties the moment she landed on them and securing an early monopoly on the orange section. Y/n tried her best to keep up, using her magic sparingly this time, careful not to overdo it in a game requiring more luck.

But as the game progressed, things became tense. Rio's gaze was intense. Her entire focus was on building houses and hotels, forcing Y/n and Agatha to pay exorbitant rent every time they landed on her properties.

"Are you sure you're not cheating this time, Y/n?" Agatha teased, nudging her daughter with a playful grin.

"Me? Cheat?" Y/n replied, feigning offense as she handed over her last few dollars to her mother.

Agatha chuckled, rolling the dice and landing on one of Rio's hotel-laden properties. She looked at the amount Rio demanded, sighed dramatically, and pushed her money across the board. "I see I'm destined for bankruptcy tonight."

Rio grinned, her eyes sparkling with victory. "It's all part of the game, mi amor."

By the time they'd played through nearly half of the Monopoly board, Y/n was out of cash, Agatha was barely hanging on, and Rio was firmly in the lead, her properties multiplying with each round.

"You know," Y/n said, feigning exhaustion as she leaned back on the couch, "if I didn't know any better, I'd say you rigged this game, Mom."

Rio simply smirked. "I don't need magic to win, darling. Just skill."

Y/n and Agatha exchanged a look, then burst into laughter, the sound filling the room with warmth. They knew it was all in good fun, and despite the losses, they were grateful for the moments spent together like this—moments where they could simply be a family, with all the love, laughter, and playfulness that came with it.

As the game finally ended with Rio's victory, Y/n stretched, yawning. "Alright, you win. I'm officially conceding defeat."

Rio leaned back, crossing her arms with a triumphant grin. "I knew you would eventually."

Agatha gave Y/n a fond look, reaching over to brush a stray hair from her daughter's face. "You put up a good fight. And maybe next time... a little less magic?"

Y/n blushed, caught off guard, and then laughed, nodding sheepishly. "Noted, Mama."

As they began putting away the game, Rio reached over, pulling Agatha and Y/n into a hug. "Thanks for indulging me tonight, you two. This was... perfect."

Y/n smiled, resting her head on Rio's shoulder. "We should do this more often."

Agatha gently kissed Rio's cheek, her eyes soft with love. "Agreed, my love. Though maybe with fewer chances for our competitive sides to come out."

Rio chuckled, holding them both close. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

And as they sat together, cuddled up and content, they knew these moments mattered most. No magic, no battles, just family—together, in the warmth of their home, wrapped in each other's love.

[stardustandash]

Next on the Febuwhump docket: Too weak to move - Jedi Fallen Order for @pennflinn

I've always wanted to write a little Ilum whump, and you picking this prompt got that particular plot bunny going again! I hope you enjoy!!!

Words: 1,525

Tags: whump, hypothermia, no Jedi Survivor spoilers, exhaustion

ao3 link

Can't Go On

Everything is too much. The Force, the endless cold, the cries of the kyber as the Empire drills down into the heart of Ilum. Cal can feel it all dragging at him like the cold that has sunk into his joints and stiffened his movement. Maybe swimming his way through a frozen planet’s cave system wasn’t the smartest idea, but he needed his crystal. And now he has it and all he wants to do is lie down and sleep but instead he’s fighting his way through an Imperial mob.

Then he finds the room full of KX droids. Sure, Cal has a functioning lightsaber now, and he’s hastily modified it to split into two with the help of his new crystal, but he’s still just one rusty padawan against a room full of droids. Droids that have two feet and about two hundred pounds on him. He separates the blades, blocking the first one’s attempt to grab him while fending off a second with a slash towards its middle. The movement is slow, his joints hurt as he tries to get them to move with his usual amount of speed.

It's not big a problem though. At least, it isn’t a problem until the other droids in the room make their way over as well. Cal can usually dance circles around KX droids and their slow swings and stomping steps but this is different. Every move Cal makes is slower than the last, every swing of his ‘sabers falling later than they should. When one of the droids comes up behind him he can’t quite get his feet to move him out of the way before the KX droid has him by the throat. Cal scrabbles at its metal fingers as it lifts him from the ground. There’s a pause, then the droid is slamming him so hard against the ground whatever air is left in his lungs leaves in a strained wheeze. He has a moment of panic as he realizes he just landed on his back. His back where BD-1 usually sits. Then he hears angry beeping and a mechanical whirring noise.

BD-1, the hero that he is, has sliced the KX droid. Cal tries his best to scrabble out of the way as BD-1 pilots his new ride towards the other droids. The carnage that follows mostly comes to Cal as loud, metallic crunching noises. He’s only half paying attention as his highest priority is convincing his lungs that they do, in fact, know how to breathe properly.

Cal’s only halfway back to breathing when BD-1 screeches out a warning. He gets his blade up just in time, and slides between the legs of the KX droid standing over him and uses it to climb to his feet. Then he cuts its arms off for good measure. He spins, trying not to trip over his heavy, clumsy feet and throws himself back into the fray. T

Thankfully, BD has managed to get rid of most of the KX droids with the one he’s puppeteering. It doesn’t take much more effort for Cal to cut through what’s left until he and BD-1 are the only things moving in the room. BD-1 immediately scuttles over to Cal’s side and tosses him a stim. It feels a bit like cheating that he uses the Force to bring the stim to his hand, but Cal knows he isn’t going to catch it without its help. The adrenaline in the stim clears some of the fog from his mind, but it also makes the shrill cry of the kyber around him louder.

BD-1 trills at his side to ask if he’s okay.

“Not really, Buddy,” says Cal. “The Empire, what they’re doing here is awful.”

BD reiterates the question, this time specifying that he meant Cal’s personal wellbeing, not whatever-the-kriff Force nonsense was clearly upsetting him.

“I can get us back to the Mantis,” says Cal. I think, he doesn’t add. “I’m fine.”

His knees and ankles protest something fierce as they set off again. Of course, the door BD-1 manages to slice leads to nowhere but a single rope hanging over a dark chasm. Of course, Cal has to swing across it to keep moving forward. He pauses before swinging across. He tells himself its so that he can inform Cere that the Empire is on Ilum, that he’s been spotted and there could be trouble, but he knows it’s so that he can put off attempting a death-defying stunt while feeling at about half capacity at best for his usual tricks for just a minute longer.

He can’t feel the rope in his hands.

BD-1 whoops with his usual amount of glee as Cal may or may not use the Force to cling to the rope and get them both across with all his joints protesting doing anything other than lying face down on the ground and waiting for either the Empire or Cere to find him. He lands ungracefully and immediately stumbles into an endless fight to get out of the caverns. The galaxy seems to be laughing at him as every time he feels himself slowing down and fading there’s a new, stronger enemy in his path from purge troopers with their electrified weapons to stormtroopers with flamethrowers.

By the time Cal and Bd-1 stumble their way through the frozen over entrance they’ve gone for yet another swim and this time Cal can feel the ice forming in his elbows and knees. He’s exhausted too. The day has been full of heavy emotions and fighting and through it all he can feel the planet crying out through the Force in pain. And yet, there’s still more the empire has to throw at him.

Cal can hear the AT-STs before he can see them. The familiar whirr-thunk of their steps echoes across the snow and ice now that the storm is gone. The sun is almost blinding where it reflects off the snow and Cal has to squint to get the barest detail of the landscape around him. He knows that he can’t face the walkers head on, he can’t even feel his fingers where they are wrapped around the hilt of his lightsaber, nor can he manage anything more than a slow, awkward shuffle. So before the AT-STs spot him he makes for one of the narrower channels formed by the ice and settles in to wait until they decide to go patrol another sector. He leans back against the ice and slides slowly down into the snow. BD-1 jumps down beside him and beeps that they should comm Cere and Greez.

“You’re right,” says Cal.

He fumbles in his pouches for his comm device. It takes longer than it should, but eventually he gets it into his shaking hands and manages to press the right buttons with numb fingers.

“Cal,” Cere’s voice is steady through the comm channel, but her relief is evident. “Where are you?”

“I’m close to the ship, but hiding. There’s walkers out there and I can’t get past them without a fight.

“What if you don’t fight. Can you sneak past them? You could scale a wall and walk over the top back to the ship.”

Cal goes to stand up, just to have a peek and see, but his legs don’t get the memo. He can’t feel them. He can’t even feel the wall of ice he’s leaning against.

“No,” says Cal in a tight voice. “I can’t climb.”

“Cal, are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“I don’t know. I can’t move anymore, it’s so cold and I’m so tired, Cere. I’m so tired.”

“Do not fall asleep. BD, do not let him fall asleep,” Cere orders.

BD-1 chirps an affirmative and fixes Cal with a strange stare. Cal doesn’t know if Cere hears the response or not. It doesn’t matter, she knows BD-1 will look after him, he always does.

Cal slumps even further against the ice. At least he’s starting not to feel so cold anymore. In fact, his fingers and toes are starting to burn a little, and if he could muster up the energy he’d be tempted to rip off his poncho. Cere’s still talking through the comm, and Cal can think of responding, but it’s too much effort to actually form the words.

It’s kind of funny, in a way. Earlier in the caves Cal had been ready to lay down and die after the crystal broke in his hand. But then BD-1, with the help of Master Cordova, reminded him that he has to keep going. Now he wants nothing more than to get back to the ship, to Cere and Greez, and a bunk that’s starting to feel like home and a purpose that is uniquely his, and yet he can’t get up and get himself there. The bright sky and BD-1 are receding away from him down a long, dark tunnel. He wants to claw his way back to the light, but he’s far too weak to move. All he can do is hope that somehow Cere will find him before he becomes another screaming ghost on Ilum.

[banannabethchase]

"Are you sure that's the right way to do that?" / while losing at a board game, HangMoxMatt

Cheater, Cheater

~

This got so dopey

~

Adam keeps glancing over at Matt’s face while they play. He’s got this very focused look in his eyes. Adam figures out what it means at the same time as Mox, apparently.

“You can’t card count in Go Fish, Jackson,” Mox says. He’s seated on the floor in front of the coffee table, one leg slung up on it in a reminder of other ways he can bend those legs.

“You can,” Adam says, putting down another pair. “But it’s hardly card counting when, between the three of us, the only one who can bluff is me. Not to mention the fact that I can see all the cards that have already been used in front of me.” He nods to the pairs in front of Mox and Matt. “See? Not card counting.”

“Fine,” Mox says. “Fine, you get to win. Let’s play something else.”

They argue for about ten minutes about which board game to go for, and, eventually, they end up with Scrabble. It goes about as well as Adam could have expected. They should have put down a rule where you get double points for sexual words.

“There,” Mox says. “Spunk.”

“That’s a word, technically,” Adam says. His letters suck, two As, an O, a Z, and two Ms, but he can probably make something work. And then he sees…something. “Matt, what are you doing?”

“Nothing.” Matt goes back to his seat, like he wasn’t just using his phone and the mirror behind him to sneak on Adam’s letters.

“Are you cheating?” Adam says, at the same time Mox says, “Are you sure that’s the right way to do that?”

“Do what?” Matt says, and it’s impressive how he can continue to pretend innocence when he’s been called out by two different people.

“Cheat off of the Cowboy,” Mox says. “You’re being way obvious about it, man. Next time you get up to go to the bathroom and glance over on your way back. That’s the way to do it.”

“Sorry, that’s why you say you have to piss like a race horse during game night?!” Adam stares at Mox. “Fuck, man, I knew you were cheating at Life!”

“How do you cheat at life?” Matt asks. “I mean, other than, you know. The obvious.”

“I’ll ask you what The Obvious means later,” Adam says. “Mox, I’m gonna kick your ass.”

“You’ll have to catch me first, Cowboy.” He winks at Adam and, before Adam can stop him, he kicks at Adam’s letters. “Oh, look, lots of As.” He grins at Adam. “Just like you in school, nerd.”

“This is the worst bullying since that time I substituted in a kindergarten class.”

Matt snickers. “You got bullied by kindergarteners?”

“I – how am I the target right now?!” Adam gets to his feet. “He was cheating!”

Mox shrugs. “You’re fun when you get riled up.”

“I’m going to kill both of you one day,” Adam grumbles, pulling off his shirt.

“The fact that you’re getting naked and you’ve got a visible boner in your sweatpants says otherwise.”

Adam throws his shirt at Matt and his sweatpants at Mox. “Get in the bedroom, dumbasses.”

[matsuxide]

Headcanons related to board games cuz why not :D (Matsuda x Ide)

(Mostly about Matsuda and Ide but Mogi and Aizawa are also mentioned. Yay, I'm back and I feel like posting. !!SLIGHT N SFW in the end, just skip it if you don't wanna read this <3)

I think Matsuda likes board games because he often played them with his family as a child. At the same time, Ide is not very familiar with them, but he quickly gets the rules and concept of the games.

Matsuda is not good at them but likes playing a lot, no matter how much he loses or wins. Ide beats him a lot but he would try to put it down to beginner's luck. Although he does make comments about Matsuda's impulsivity. Ide would also probably say something like, "Alright, now I know that I'll never let you gamble." after Matsu begged him to keep playing just to win at least once.

Noticing that Matsuda is trying very hard to win, Ide gives up to him in the next rounds. Sometimes he just doesn't draw a +4 uno card on purpose when Matsuda gives him one (so Matsu won't have to pick up 8 cards).  He just takes these cards with no comment and successfully attempts to give Matsuda a chance to win.

On one of the holidays, when the Japanese Task Force decides to get together, Matsu will bring games with him. It will be very difficult for him to convince others to play, but he will manage to. I'm sure Aizawa and Mogi will notice that Ide is doing everything he can to help Matsu win. For instance, he probably tried to whisper a hint for him while they played Scrabble; Ide's vocabulary is very large, which is not surprising since he reads a lot.

Aizawa would probably say that this is cheating, and Mogi quietly chuckled at how Aizawa's sense of justice awakens even during these simple games. Ide will stop helping Matsu instantly, with reluctance.

But in card games, Hideki attempts to do everything to prevent Matsuda from losing. He will keep cards that could make Matsuda's chance to win pretty low. Aizawa would definitely notice this. 

I also believe that Mogi is quite good at card games. I made that conclusion because, well, we've seen him playing card games with Misa, and it seemed to me like he was interested in that!

If Matsuda offers to play Twister with them ugh.. Aizawa and Ide will start complaining about back and neck pain a lot, and they will name 100 reasons not to play it. These two will simply attack Matsuda with these non-stopable complaints.

When they're done, Aizawa and Mogi will chuckle and whisper on the balcony (on the sly from this couple) about how Ide gives up to Matsuda and makes his best efforts to help the younger one win even when they've agreed not to cheat anymore. This is the only time Ide can break discipline. Matsu will overhear this conversation. I think if he asks Ide about this, he will deny his involvement in trying to help him win in card games by keeping ace cards/some powerful uno cards.

Just a bonus-.. (as I said you can skip it!)

If Ide and Matsuda were in a playful mood, the second one would suggest playing strip cards. But soon they both understand that there is no point in this, because if Ide plays honestly, Matsuda will be naked in two rounds. They give up on this idea, and Ide undresses Matsu without wasting his time.

And here, realization finally hits Matsuda. He is now absolutely sure that his boyfriend was losing to him on purpose. He's not sure whether he is offended by this or touched. But, of course, he finds this adorable.

 

Perhaps if Matsuda manages to win against Ide once during the strip cards, the older one will simply take the watches off his wrist. And Matsuda, who is left in just underwear, threw the cards on the floor out of anger & frustration, saying something like: "You should have taken off some of your clothes! Any other items DO NOT count!". But Ide will shrug and say that they did not discuss this when they've settled the rules.

Thanks for reading this 𖹭

[pimento-playing-hopscotch]

🤹‍♀️ please and as many as you want <3

🤹 - give a hidden talent to every main character-

TK- (may not be hidden) but like they say people never forgets a face- TK never forgets anyone he meets. Everyone he’s talked to for thirty seconds if he sees them again he’s like how is your kids/dog/knitting project going? And if Carlos is with him, people he’s never met are excitedly saying “you’re the famous Carlos? TK told us all about you!!”

Carlos- (may be cheating because I wrote a fic based on this) Carlos is very good at getting someone to sleep- he has mastered the art of swaddling and if his sisters are in town they use him shamelessly to get their kids to sleep- and this comes in handy when his husband wakes up, he can always help him get back to sleep

Nancy- Nancy has an incredible memory- most of what she’s ever read she has retained somewhat and has all the codes they use memorized.

Marjan- Marjan secretly loves finger knitting as something to do with her hands and de-stress. She makes bracelets and belts but doesn’t broadcast it until TK happens upon one and gets excited tk show them off.

Paul- Paul is unbeatable at almost any game- he takes losing in Catan very hard because previously he had never lost a game of scrabble or Yahtzee in his life.

Mateo- Mateo is really good at finding things- like if ever Owen is like okay my phone was right here where was it even if he wasn’t in the room Mateo will come in and find it in nothing flat

Judd- Judd is really good at reading out loud- (like Marjan says with that drawl he talks the slowest) and he finds that he loves reading books to his daughter and doing different voices for the characters

Grace- Grace has remarkable eyes- like she can pick a contact lens out of a shag carpet. If there’s ever a stray piece of plastic or glass from something dropped, Judd would have her scan the area to make sure she got everything

Tommy- Tommy is scarily good at parallel parking- like no matter what car or how tight the spot, she will get it in there with ease

Owen- Through his love of aliens, Owen is a fountain of knowledge for National parks and different places of interest across the US. Anyone calls one out he can name where the natural attractions are in almost any given state and several around areas with a lot of alien activity.

Thank you for the ask 🥰

[traffic-was-a-b1tch]

anthem of the heart

(jake kiszka x reader) 18+

summary: you and your best friend move into a new apartment after college, wanting a fresh start in nashville. however, you come to find that your neighbors are musicians. very loud musicians who like to keep you up at night. especially one, who likes to bother you on purpose. you would hate him… if he wasn’t so hot.

warnings for overall series: eventual SMUT!!!, angst, mentions of past abuse (not jake), abuse (not jake), mentions of past sexual assault (not jake), sexual assault (not jake), enemies to lovers, cursing, let me know if I missed any. (i’m still making this series up as I go along so it might change)

warnings for this chapter: heartache (my b guys it had to happen), arguing, crying, poor communication, cursing, mentions of sex, a certain abusive someone comes back into the picture… (again my b)

author’s note: hello everyone! I just want to say again that I appreciate all of you who have missed this series! and again: it is FINISHED! I will be posting all the parts right after each other! enjoy!

• • •

Chapter Eleven:

it had been four months since he asked you to be his girlfriend, and you were loving it.

you went to his gigs and he supported you at work by bringing you lunch most days. he was always teasing you about how big your office is. not to mention when he brought up how he could easily pretend to be a client and fuck you during work hours. that was a hard pass for you.

you talked endlessly about music, movies, art, work, politics, literally everything. you didn’t even argue a lot. which says a lot about your patience to deal with his band, and about his to deal with your work stress. it made it even better when kaylee and danny became official. you remember the two of you jumping on the bed like little kids in celebration.

it was truly the best summer of your life.

you and kaylee had been invited to countless band game nights, where you crushed them all at scrabble and got beat by sam and josh at charades.

“you’re saying words! that’s cheating, sam!”, jake argued.

“not if it’s just noises! I can make noises, that’s legal!”

you rolled your eyes at the stupidity radiating from the argument. “how do you deal with this?”, you asked danny while kaylee was snuggled against him on the couch.

danny took a long sip of wine and shrugged before answering, “I just enjoy seeing them spiral.” you and kaylee laughed hard at that.

it had been a great four months full of memories. but now, summer has ended and its late october. it was almost time for you to leave for work and you pulled on a coat before heading to the kitchen to grab your keys. you were almost exclusively living at jake’s. it was mostly due to the convenience, but also because danny always at your place with kaylee. let’s just say it isn’t peaceful in there with them.

“hey, beautiful”, jake greeted, flipping pancakes on the stove. “you want any?”

you walked to him, “I would but I gotta go. i’ll grab an apple.” he nodded and you leaned in, kissing him deeply. he pulled away, “don’t start something you can’t finish, baby.”

“who says I can’t finish it?” you reached around his hips to tease his low waistband.

he almost groaned, “the clock.”

you sighed, kissed him on the cheek, and backed away to the door. “fineee. have a good day and i’ll see you tonight.” after grabbing your keys, you were out of there and at work in 30 minutes.

the day went relatively fast, a few meetings and a lot of emails to answer. little bats and pumpkins decorated your office and brought a little halloween spirit to the large space. it was only a day away after all. at lunch you got a text from jake.

jake: i’m making dinner tonight. I have big news to tell you. grab some wine before you get home ;)

you smiled and replied that you would and you were excited. you always wanted to be home with jake, but now you really couldn’t wait to get home.

a few hours passed and you finished up your last bit of work before practically skipping out of work. you drove by the grocery store and picked up some wine, flowers, and candles. the excitement for his news was eating you up and you wanted the vibe to be right.

as soon as you walked back into the apartment, you got a whiff of something delicious. you kicked off your shoes and followed the smell to the kitchen, finding jake there, stirring a pot of sauce. you set down your groceries, work bag, and keys before walking up behind him and wrapping your arms around his neck. he turned and kissed you softly, making you melt.

“hey, baby. how was you day?”

“so much better now”, you answered.

you both smiled and you squeezed him once more before looking in the oven. “what are you cooking?”

he smiled sheepishly, “ratatouille.”

you looked back at him and giggled, “like from the movie?”

he defended it, laughing, “it’s a good dish! so what if it was popularized by a talking rat?” you were still laughing as you left to go change into some loungewear you keep at jake’s. a loose crop top and long comfortable pants were calling your name right now. you were just pulling on the top when jake called to you, saying dinner was ready.

you came back in to see jake plating the meal, so you decided to help. you put the flowers in water and set them on the table before popping open the bottle of wine and pouring two hefty glasses for you both. you gave jake his wine and sat, a beautifully colorful plate of vegetables in front of you. you took a bite and instantly fell in love with it. the roasted squash added an amazing flavor, and you regretted making fun of it.

“it’s good, huh?” jake smiled at you as he took a bite for himself.

“it’s incredible! where did you learn to cook like this?”

he chewed and chuckled before answering, “my mom.”

“I need to thank her”, you shook your head. “but I can do that later. right now, I need to know!”

he looked up at you and teased, “need to know what?”

“ughhh you know what I mean! i’ve been dying for you to tell me all day!”

“fine, fine”, he laughed. “remember the last show we did? the one at that bar, the end?”

you nodded. how could you forget? they were on fire that night. they played two new songs from their unreleased ep and the crowd loved them!

“of course! it was a great night for y’all!”

“well”, he continued, “a representative from lava records was there. they want us to sign with them and go on a small tour!”

you couldn’t believe what you were hearing.

“that’s AMAZING, jake! oh my god!!! this is so great for you!” you couldn’t help it. you got up and tangled him in a hug, your arms and legs wrapped around him. he spun you around, both of you squealing and laughing. when he stopped, you kissed him deeply and looked in his eyes with nothing but pride. you were so proud of him. your hardworking boy. your rockstar.

“well, where’s this tour?!”

“all over the states. josh got all the details but we’re gonna be gone for a few months at least. but trust me it’s a relatively short tour compared to what we’ll be doing in a year or so.”

you felt the wind stop in your sail for a minute.

“wait, what? you’re leaving for months at a time?”

“well, yeah”, he giggled, “that’s how it works, baby.”

“so, i’m not going to see you for months?!” you were trying to stop the hot whips of panic creeping up on you. this was a happy moment for him and you didn’t want to ruin it, but you didn’t realize that this was part of the deal.

“well, that’s what I wanted to say to you.” he smiled and grabbed your hands, “you’re coming with us!”

wait, what?

“we leave tomorrow!”

“wait, jake-“

“we invited kaylee, too! she’s packing as we speak.”

“jake”, you interrupted his happy rambling and he looked at you. you shook your head slowly, “I can’t.”

his expression slowly dropped from joy to confusion and he let you go, backing away a bit, “what do you mean? why not?”

“jake, I have work! a career. I can’t just leave.”

“well, this is my career and I can support us for a few months. you don’t have to worry about money!”

“it’s not about money, it’s about it being my job. i’ve worked so hard for this position. I can’t just leave for a few months.”

“why not? i’ve worked hard for this too!” his voice was starting to raise.

“calm down, jake. all i’m saying is that I can’t leave. this job needs me here, and i’m not just gonna let all that go just so I can be with you on tour for a small amount of time.” you reached out for him but he pulled away.

“you don’t want to let it go to be with me?”

“no, jake! that’s not what i’m saying! i’m saying that it’s a huge commitment! I doubt they’ll let me take months off and come back like nothing happened! I need this job, jake. i’ve worked years and years for it; it’s my dream job. I mean, we’ve only known each other for like five months, I can’t just drop everything and leave with you. it’s a huge leap of faith.”

“and? you don’t have faith in me? in us?” he kept backing away. it was like the more you were saying, the further he withdrew from you.

“no, jake. that’s not the point, you’re not listening-“

“no, you’re not listening! I want you there with me! I love you!”

you were left speechless.

you hadn’t said that word yet, even though you’d both felt it heavily over the past months.

“jake, I-“

“I love you. I need you there. please, do this with me.” he was getting emotional, every word dripping with genuine fear. “I can help you find a new job after. or, better yet, you won’t even need to work again! I can support us both with this!”

it was paining you to see him like this, but you knew what was for the better. if only you could make him see.

“jake. I spent four years at college and got a degree for this specific job. it’s my life. I can’t give it up for a relationship.”

he looked like you had shot him in the heart.

“so it’s your life? not me? i’m just some relationship?”

“jake-“, you pleaded.

“you won’t go?”, he asked finally. his eyes were killing you; he looked so sad. but he just didn’t get it.

with tears welling up in your eyes, you shook your head. he scoffed, looking away and nodding.

you grabbed his hand, “jake, see it from my perspective. you don’t understand-“

“oh, I understand plenty.” he swiped his hand out of your touch. “you don’t love me.” his eyes were now filled with anger and hurt, and he let them linger on yours for a minute.

tears fell down your cheeks as he stormed off to the bedroom. you wanted to tell him desperately that it wasn’t true, but he just wasn’t listening to you. this job won’t just wait for you, it will replace you. you’ve worked too hard for that to happen.

he came back in with a suitcase, probably the one he packed for tour, and ignored you trying to talk to him.

“jake, please. listen to me. it’s not that I don’t want to go. I really can’t. please, baby, don’t go right now. you can’t leave mad. what will happen to us?”

you had followed him to the door, and he finally whipped around to face you. “frankly, I don’t care what happens to us. you’ve made it clear that you don’t care either. you’ve made your decision.”

he stared into your eyes one last time, and you saw the brown in his gloss over with tears. “goodbye”, he choked out. he grabbed a pair of keys and slammed the door in your face. the silence was deafening, and you could barely hear yourself breathing. you dropped to your knees, sobbing and defeated.

“I love you.”

you could barely manage it. it was the truth that had been holed up in your throat this whole time. you were just a bit too late. you held your head in your hands, crying so hard your head started hurting.

you laid there, crying on the ground for at least an hour before you had the strength to stand up. you had to use the counter as support as you walked to the table. you collected the dinner plates with cold half-eaten dinner still on them, and took them to the sink. you washed them, dried them, and put them away before wrapping up what was left of dinner and putting it in the fridge. you were on autopilot, taking care of what needed to be done.

you went to the door to grab your keys and go home, but they weren’t there. jake’s were but yours were missing. he must’ve grabbed your keys instead of his own when he left. you winced at the memory, still a fresh wound. you didn’t even care anymore; you left, went the few feet to your apartment, and knocked.

kaylee answered, joy radiating from her smile as she said, “surprise! are you excit-“ she scanned your face and became instantly worried. “what happened?”

you can’t even help it. as soon as you see kaylee, you can’t pretend anymore. you can’t hold anything back. she’s your best friend. you immediately start sobbing again and fall into her arms.

“shhhh, it’s ok. what happened?”

you told her. every detail about the fight made you relive it and cry more. she just nodded and soothed you as best she could. she also tried to distract you from the suitcase laying on the floor, as she was probably in the middle of packing when you showed up crying. she led you to your bed and laid you down, tucking you in.

“every couple fights, babe. this one was just poorly timed. he won’t leave mad, i’m sure of it.” she ran her fingers through your hair, making you calm down. “just go to sleep. our flight leaves around six pm so I promise you’ll hear from him before then.”

you nodded, sniffling.

“plus, i’m going to be at danny’s tomorrow so i’ll talk to him and have him knock some sense into jake.”

you laughed softly and she squeezed your hand.

“thank you, kaylee. for everything.”

she gave you a smile,“I love you, girl. nothing will ever change that.”

kaylee left quietly with one last squeeze of my hand. darkness swallowed the room and you felt sleep tugging you under.

just sleep, you kept thinking. maybe you’ll see him in your dreams.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

the alarm went off and you grumbled. it felt like you had only slept for five minutes. you turned it off and sat up, the silence in your room paralyzing. you didn’t even dream of him. fuck, you were in too deep. you were willing to beg just to see him in your mind.

stop. you can’t do anything about it now.

time for work.

you got dressed in a black pantsuit with thin, white vertical stripes and white heels. you straightened your hair and put on light makeup.

just get through the day, you kept telling yourself. he’ll call soon. he has to.

the apartment was quiet, so kaylee must be with danny already. you weren’t hungry so you didn’t even look at the kitchen before heading for the door.

fuck. jake had taken your keys. you left the door unlocked so you could get back in after work, and left. you’d have to catch the bus.

forty minutes later, you were at work. it was a struggle to ride the bus, with its cramped, cold nature. but you had made it here in one piece. the building was buzzing with people, all clad in halloween costumes.

you forgot all about today.

you opened your office and were met with your boss. “hey, barbara. how are you?”

“oh, there you are! a little late today?” you could tell she was a little concerned, not trying to be rude. you had, in fact, shown up early or on time every day since you got the job.

“yeah, uh, car trouble. had to take the bus.”

“oh ok. I hope it gets fixed soon! I left our new clients file on your desk so you can get started on the paperwork. I don’t want you here after hours! it is halloween after all!”

you chuckled softly, trying to act as normal as possible, “yes, ma’am.”

you moved to sit at your desk and she started for the door.

“speaking of, where’s your costume? can you tell what I am? i’m a zombie!” she made a mock-scary face, and you had to admit that you did see her vision in the shades of green she was wearing and the unkempt hair.

you reached into your bag and pulled out your best attempt at a costume for today: a pirate’s eyepatch. you slapped it on and said, “happy halloween.”

she smiled, laughed, and left without another word.

the eyepatch was a bad idea. it reminded you of jake. it was a small part of a full pirate costume that you got to match with jake as a couples costume. you had planned on going to a halloween party tonight at josh’s and now…

this. what great fucking timing.

you weren’t worth a lick of work today. you tried your hardest to finish the bit of paperwork on your desk, but everything reminded you of him. no matter what you did, you couldn’t run from him.

lunch was unappetizing, so you skipped it. you used that time to catch up on the paperwork you should’ve been doing earlier. in fact, you barely got it all done in time for five pm. time to go home. you left it all on barbara’s desk and took the cramped bus back to your apartment. not jake’s. yours. fuck, that thought hurt so much.

you got up the stairs, and opened the door.

what. the. fuck.

to your horror, there was a man in a purge mask standing in your living room. a man that had the same build as…no. no way. there was no way.

“trick or treat.”, tanner cooed.

• • •

yeah, i’m sorry about this one guys.

taglist: @gvfpal @hollyco @piratejakesgf @sunandthemoontwinflames @kiszkas-canvas-deactivated20240 @jjwasneverhere @anythingforjtk

[lfzyxf]

Game night with the TW pack (S4)

Masterlist The pack being teens Word count: 872

“We are not playing Monopoly again Stiles” Lydia sighed looking at the mentioned boy disapprovingly. Stiles looked at her confused “Why not? It’s fun!” Scott laughed at his comment, shaking his head while Lydia just sighed again. “Fun for you and no one else. You turn into a monster when you play Monopoly. I’m not doing it again.” Stiles pouted before flopping down on the couch, crossing his arms.

“We could play UNO?” Kira suggested softly, she’s sitting at the coffee table crisscross style. She held up the pack of UNO cards, smiling sweetly at Lydia who shrugged in response. Malia moved to sit next to Stiles before she took the packet of cards. “Yeah, I still remember how to play this at least. My sister and I used to play this a lot.” She smiled softly at the memories coming to mind as she placed the cards down on the coffee table.

As everyone took a seat either on the couch or around the coffee table, Kira started to shuffle the cards. It didn’t take long for the game to turn into a chaotic mess. Stiles thought someone messed with his cards, there’s no way he just had luck that bad. Malia was placing as many +2 cards as she could and somehow kept getting them. Kira and Scott just played the game as they were supposed to. The kitsune even apologised when she made someone take cards or skip their turn. So did Scott, at first, but he quickly started turning competitive like the others.

Lydia was winning, of course. Stiles had accused her of cheating, but she simply claimed to be good at the game. “You can’t be good at UNO, that’s literally impossible” Stiles spoke loudly. The redhead laughed softly before she shook her head “Maybe for you it is.” As she placed another +2 card she proudly said “UNO” making Stiles grumble as he took two cards to add to his already full hand. After a few more rounds, where Lydia won once more, Kira once and Malia once, they decided to play something else instead.

Malia and Stiles were arguing about game choices when Scott received a text from Liam asking if they were doing anything. He quickly invited Liam to come over and join game night. It didn’t take long at all for the young wolf to arrive and join the argument about what game should be played next.

“What about Scrabble?” Lydia asked holding the game up. “No, you’d definitely win that,” Stiles said, shaking his head. Lydia sighed before putting the game back down. Malia looked at all the options laid out on the table before she picked one up. “This one looks fun,” she said before starting to read the backside of the game's box. Stiles walked over to her, looking at the game she chose “Yeah, actually we could play this one.” “What game is it?” Scott asked from where he was still sitting on the couch, Kira rested her head against his legs. “Clue” Malia read from the box, shrugging before she looked at the people in the room.

Scott shrugged before nodding “Could do, I haven’t played this in ages.” The group moved to sit down again. Liam started to help Malia empty the box, placing everything down as it should be. He handed the instructions to Scott, smiling excitedly. “I love games like this” he said to no one in particular. Scott laughed softly before looking at the character options. He looked at Kira before asking her what character she’d like to be.

She looked at all the options before picking DR. Orchid. “She looks the most like me,” she said smiling. She pointed at the card that read Mrs. Peacock “Malia, you should pick her, she looks like you!” The coyote looked at the card she was pointing at before she nodded in agreement and took the card. A moment later everyone had a character chosen, going with the one they look most like. Well, except Liam, who got stuck with Mr. Mustard.

Scott started to explain the game and the rules, going over it twice so everyone understood. The game started slowly while everyone was figuring out how to play properly. Soon enough it turned into everyone accusing everyone. Liam and Stiles were accusing each other, sure of their thoughts. Scott had a feeling it was Kira or Lydia, the latter thinking it was Malia. It ended up being Kira, who cleverly had almost everyone defending her. Except Scott of course, who was going to say she was the killer but ended up deciding to follow Lydia’s choice.

The night finally ended after this game. In the end, Stiles, Liam and Malia had gotten so heated the pack almost decided to end the game early. Especially when Stiles reached over to try and choke Liam. Who is stronger and easily overtook him before Scott made them stop, sit down and play the game properly. When everyone had cooled down Stiles decided to drive Lydia and Malia home. Kira and Liam deciding to stay over at Scott’s place stayed awake a bit longer before eventually they all went to bed. Already excited for the next game night.

[fisherpiers]

Luz lounged on the couch, reading the latest book in the Azura series. Well, maybe couch was the wrong word. She was lounging on Hunter, but he was on the couch, so basically the same thing. His lap was comfy, alright?

Sure she accidentally dropped the book on her face a few times, but she wasn’t about to sacrifice the closeness she had with him to sit up and read normally.

Hunter himself was engrossed in a video game. Breath of the Wild, if the noises from the tv were any indication. Luz could hear the shrine music, and a lot of humphs, both from Link and from Hunter as he played. But he had gotten quiet. Quiet enough for her to pull her book out of her face to covertly check him out.

He looked spaced out. She took a moment to admire him before he saw her looking at him and turned to meet her gaze. they stared at each other, not immediately breaking the eye contact, like you’d do when a stranger caught you looking. Luz raised an eyebrow in silent question.

Hunter looked away sheepishly. He paused the game, and rubbed the back of his neck. His eyes flitted about just a second, as if he were deciding if he should say anything or not.

“You’re over Amity, right?”

Luz sighed, and found her bookmark on the coffee table.

“Yeah…” she stared straight at the ceiling in an attempt to not see whatever concerned look he was giving her, “I’d say I am,”

“I feel guilty because. We dated for all of high school. That’s like forever!” she snorted, “but I don’t.. I don’t even miss her.”

Hunter turned his head in question, one of his ears cocked. It was adorable, like a puppy, Luz thought.

“You don’t miss her?”

“No. No I don’t,” she fiddled with her hands, “and that’s bad, Hunt. I should be devastated right now. It was a four year old relationship, and I don’t miss her. I think I stopped missing her, like, last year even.”

“Well yeah, she was a major bitch that you held onto because of your fear of loneliness—“

“Hey! I told you to stop analyzing me,” Luz laughed.

“Stop being so decipherable.”

“I don’t think that’s a word,” Luz poked his nose with her finger.

“It is, I promise,” he swatted her hand away.

“You’re just saying that so you can cheat in scrabble.”

“What? How.” Hunter asked incredulously.

“You start using all these big words, and then I won’t question you when you make one up to play on the scrabble board. It’s a long con.”

Hunter shook his head, but smiling too big to imply any actual reproach, “You’re ridiculous.”

Luz stuck her tongue out and Hunter matched it. They playfully pushed and shoved until they got tired.

Hunter went back to gaming, and Luz tried to go back to her book. Emphasis on tried. She just read and reread the same paragraph over and over again, too lost in thought.

“Back to what we were talking about…” Luz sighed, “It’s been a month, Hunter. It’s only been a month. I’ve been single for a month. And I couldn’t give a flying fuck.”

Hunter paused his game again, “So, over her over her, huh?”

“Yeah,” she huffed, crossing her arms, “Wait… Why did you ask? Did I look mopey? Did you think I looked mopey?”

“No, no, its just…”

“Just?”

Hunter before looked behind him, scanning the living room/kitchen and making sure the place was empty. He put down the switch controller on the coffee table.

Before she knew what was happening, he slipped his hands behind her head and shoulders, and quickly pulled her up to crash his lips to hers.

And ‘crash’ is correct, it was rather aggressive. He bumped their noses together, even. Fast, nervous, and sloppy. But electric, all the same.

Luz could feel her eyebrows hit her hairline as he pulled away. Her heart skipped. She couldn’t believe he’d do something like that. And it felt.. Right?

It felt like she had just found the missing puzzle piece she accidentally dropped on the floor. It was like something clicked into place right in that fleeting moment. The mysteries of the universe had been revealed to her.

Hunter stared at Luz, nervous for an answer.

“Oh,” was all she could mutter. Her brain felt like melted ice cream. “Oh.”

Goddammit. She’s read enough fanfic to know that that italicized oh means she’s a goner.

[dreadsuitsamus]

do u have any modern jiraiya hcs (sfw or not)?

he is largely like his canon counterpart tbh but i do have a few ideas for a modern version of him

Modern!Jiraiya Headcanons

big tinder user when he's single

started as a fanfic smut writer and was so good at it that he turned into a legit author (50 shades but better)

gifts custom lingerie to his flames, but only the relatively long-term ones

has a secret unreleased series of adventure novels entirely unrelated to icha icha, and only releases them under a pseudonym once you've discovered them

he likes burger king

he was a frat boy in his college days. he can still do a keg stand even in his fifties. in fact, he beats his record

he's traveled through most of the world, and has a collection of various novelties and antiques from the places he's been. when he leads you into that collection room and starts telling you the backstory of something, you know you're getting dicked down

listens to jazz or classic rock mostly. he does like cardi b tho

does not understand video games one bit, and thinks it's stupid to buy already ripped jeans

is a classically trained pianist

speaks a few languages fluently, but knows enough bits and pieces of several others well enough to get him around if he's in a pinch

works out often, maintaining the ripped body he's had since college

has a small tattoo of a toad on his calf. doesn't remember getting it

teaches a college course that's difficult to get into due to so many students wanting to take the class, and his availability is limited majority of the year as he travels

he takes a liking to a young student named minato, and they remain close long after minato's graduation

he's even the godfather of minato's son, and he'll deny it if you point out that he treats naruto like a grandson. won't stop him from immediately spoiling the boy with presents and treats every time he sees him

is often lonely, though not alone

still keeps in touch with his childhood best friends, and they get together at least once a year for old time's sake

his facebook profile picture is of himself and naruto. he'll post every few months with a random photo, and then go back to being inactive for a while

he started his boomer behavior the very day he turned 30

put his hoe era behind him when he met you

is banned from a beach out in france, won't say why but always get that same pervy smile on his face when asked about it

big guy. big muscles. big ego. scared of spiders

unfairly good at scrabble

cheats in tic-tac-toe (don't ask how)

hates the word undies

definitely likes keeping a pair of yours in his pocket all the time tho

big guy. big muscles. big heart. gave it to you years ago. hasn't regretted it once

[jeonghoneyss]

for the ask game: 10, 15, 20, 22, 24, and 30? <33

hii! i hope you're well, thanks for the ask! <33

10: What fic made you feel the happiest to work on?

I was happiest, I think, when writing my junhao fic! It gave me no end of trouble when I was trying to tie all the loose ends together, but when I was just writing the Vibes I had the time of my life!

15: Rec a fic you wrote or posted in 2023

I am going to recommend my jeongbin gym bros fic. I will be honest, the majority of this was written back in 2021 - but I wrote the last half and finished it up this year, so it still counts haha.

20: Share your favourite ending line

I'm going to cheat and give you three lines, but my favourite ending is the ending of my junhao fic - I had a lot of trouble trying to think of a good way to finish the story, but in the end, I think this fits quite well.

‘Soonyoung brought back a relic,’ Minghao says, carefully. ‘We won’t have to go back for a while. We could — ’ He stops, for a moment, tips his head all the way back. ‘We could do something. Or go somewhere.’ ‘How about,’ Junhui suggests, ‘somewhere very far from the sea.’ And Minghao looks at him, and slips his fingers into Junhui’s, and laughs.

22: Share an excerpt from your favourite scene

So this is another excerpt from my junhao fic because I had it open and it was the only thing I could think of haha. In this scene, I like the way Minghao's Oddness is expanded on, a bit, and the way they both know what they saw, but are pretending they didn't because it's safer that way. I don't know. Mostly it's the vibes.

And it’s — really nice, actually, standing here in the kitchen with Minghao, getting dinner ready and talking about nothing much, and Junhui is finally feeling like Minghao might be softening towards him, just the slightest. And then Minghao’s knife slips. And it goes deep into his finger. And he pulls it out, and Junhui scrabbles for some bandages, but when he finally finds some, Minghao’s finger is fine. It’s not bleeding. Or — there’s no blood, but there’s water, a lot of it, and Minghao’s shoulders go up to his ears when he takes the bandages from Junhui and tries to sort his finger out himself. Junhui feels faint. ‘You’re bleeding,’ he informs Minghao. Informs his mind, his traitorous mouth. He knows what saltwater smells like. ‘You’re bleeding, there’s so much blood.’ And he takes Minghao’s finger and keeps his eyes studiously on the floor as he dips it into the basin and bandages it up. ‘There was so much blood,’ Junhui insists, once he’s done. He doesn’t want to think about it. He won’t. Minghao looks at him, once, quickly, searchingly. He’s pale. Junhui does his best to drain the seawater from his eyes.   ‘Blood everywhere,’ Minghao mumbles. He turns away from Junhui. Lets Junhui nudge him out of the way and wash the herbs. ‘I saw it,’ Junhui tells the pans, and they finish cooking in silence.

24: What's something that surprised you while you were working on a fic? Did it change the story?

So this year, Versity and I wrote a fic together. I've never collabed on a story before, and I was pleasantly surprised by how well our writing styles meshed, and how fun (and funny) she was to write with, and how smoothly the whole process went! Our finished story was very much something I wouldn't have come up with by myself, so I suppose you could say it changed the story?

30: What's something that you want to write in 2024?

Allow me to tell you about an idea I had a few hours ago, after we talked about Descendants earlier haha. Jafar briefly turns into a genie at some point in the original movie, and I thought - what if Jay was a little bit genie, too? He wouldn't necessarily know, on the Isle, since the barrier blocks their magic and all. So in 2024 I'd like to write a fic exploring that, how Jay might discover his genie magic in Auradon, how it might work. Also - I don't know if you've read J M Barrie's Peter Pan, but good form/bad form is a huge thing to his Hook (his Hook went to Eton, if my memory serves me correctly), and I thought it'd be very interesting to see what that might mean for Harry Hook, especially given the general lawlessness of the Isle.

[ninjadeathblade]

Moulin Rouge Discotrain AU (part thirty one)

Summary: (Post-game canon) The Conductor and DJ Grooves agree to finally work on a movie together. They come up with 'Moulin Rouge', a musical drama filled with romance. Over time the two directors grow closer and discover that maybe they don't hate each other as much.

Beginning | Previous | Next

Word count: 1,179

Warnings: Snatcher says half an actual swear *gasp* (don't blame him though, in context there is reason for it)

Author's notes: Games night is here. Fun fact: don't trust Snatcher to play Monopoly. He does cheat, despite his claims. Anyway, enjoy!

Grooves let out a sigh, staring at the finally clear guest room and the hallway outside of it, which was now cluttered with boxes.

“You didn't have to help,” Grooves commented to Conductor as the owl walked past into the guest room.

“I did.” Conductor shrugged, beginning to make the bed.

“No, no, don't-”

“No. I will. You should sit down and rest. You've been cleaning this place since way too pecking early this morning,” Conductor interrupted, walking back over to Grooves and putting a hand on the penguin's chest. “Take a break.”

“Run away with us for the summer, let's go upstate…?” Grooves joked and Conductor shook his head gently at the Hamilton reference.

“You'll never let me live down my musical past, will you?” Conductor chuckled, pressing a quick kiss to Grooves' cheek before he went back over to the bed.

“Never.”

“At least sit down while you do then.” Conductor threw a pillow in his direction.

Grooves caught it, walking back through to the living room.

“That, I can do,” he called back to the owl, lying down on the sofa.

It felt like only a few minutes when there was a knock on the door.

“Grooves, I'm sure your nap was nice but you should probably wake up,” Conductor teased as the penguin opened his eyes, staring around the bleary room.

Conductor passed him his glasses before heading over to the door. “You said you sleep without them.”

“How long have I been out?” Grooves questioned, getting up and following his partner once he'd put his glasses on.

“Only a couple hours,” Conductor answered. “But you needed it.”

He opened the door, staring up at their guests. “Hey.”

“Hi!” Empress and Snatcher walked through the door.

The two of them almost matched; Snatcher in a dark purple hoodie and Empress in a dark purple version of her previous coat.

However, Snatcher looked incredibly different to before.

His right eye was a light blue, matching coloured scars striking across the right side of his body like bolts of lightning. A couple streaks of the same blue tainted his dark curls.

“What happened to yer?” Conductor asked the ghost bluntly.

Grooves subtly jabbed the owl in the side, hoping he would take a hint.

“Just a little accident. Nothing serious,” Snatcher bluffed, laughing nervously.

“No, that's very clearly not-”Grooves elbowed Conductor in the ribs. The owl frowned at him but stayed quiet.

“Let's just play some games,” Empress stated, carrying boxes of games through to the living room, Snatcher close on her heels.

“What was that for?” Conductor hissed.

“He clearly doesn't want to talk about whatever it is,” Grooves whispered, concerned gaze following the ghost's retreating figure.

“Sweet apartment,” Empress stated.

Grooves looked back at Conductor, gaze imploring him not to ask further questions.

“Fine. But you owe me one,” Conductor grumbled, walking into the living room.

Something made a crashing noise. “Oops.”

“You better pay for that!”

“Okay, okay! I will!”

“You cheated! You shouldn't have had enough money to afford that!” Empress accused, glaring at Snatcher. The ghost shrugged as he looked at the Monopoly board.

“I have no idea what you're talking about,” Snatcher said, voice lilting slightly.

Grooves put a flipper around Conductor as the owl curled up against his side.

“I feel like we should've chosen a less competitive game,” Conductor laughed quietly. “I did say about Scrabble.”

“Diamond, I hate to tell you, but Scrabble is also a competitive game,” Grooves replied.

“Not if yer smart. Then it becomes a game where you always win and no one else beats you.”

Grooves chuckled, pressing a quick kiss to the owl's head. “We'll have to play some time soon. I'm sure I can give you a run for your money.”

“Empress is a sore loser!” Snatcher announced, picking up the cat's money and throwing it in the air.

"No, I'm not! You're just a lying cheater!” Empress growled, pushing the ghost onto the floor. “I want to play something else!”

“Sore loser!” Snatcher repeated, earning a swipe at his face.

“Cheat!”

“Loser!”

Empress and Snatcher began playfully taking shots at each other.

“I’ll go check what other games we've got,” Conductor sighed, standing up.

The owl pressed a quick kiss to Grooves' cheek. “Be back soon, love.”

Grooves smiled at him before returning his attention to their friends.

Empress and Snatcher wore matching smirks, even with the cat holding the ghost in a headlock.

“Go on then Grooves. Spill the details,” Empress prompted.

“You two are older than me, how are you so childish?” Grooves questioned.

“You've got to have some fun after dying!” and “You're childish!” mixed together.

Empress let go of Snatcher, ruffling his hair before leaning back against the sofa.

“So…?”

“So what?”

“So, what's it like now you two are dating?!” Snatcher all but shouted.

Grooves mulled over the question.

“Not that different to before actually. We're more affectionate and have nicknames for each other but that's about it. Not that much has changed,” he mumbled, face heating at the way his feathers ruffled as he spoke.

“That's it?!”

“It's none of yer business,” Conductor stated, walking back into the room with a stack of boxes. “Now pick another game.”

“Oooh, oooh, oooh! We should play truth or dare!” Snatcher suggested, looping an arm behind Empress' shoulders. “C'mon Empress! Tell them how fun it is!”

“He's right, we should play truth or dare,” Empress agreed.

"Empress, truth or dare?” Conductor suddenly asked, putting the boxes down and leaning into Grooves.

“You know what? Truth.”

“How did you get your scar?”

“Dare.”

“Tell us how you got your scar,” he pressed.

The cat scowled.

“I did it myself. I had to look like I could command respect,” Empress admitted, paws fidgeting in the lap.

Snatcher wrapped an arm around her shoulders, glaring at the owl.

“Truth or dare, peck neck?” He spat.

“Dare.”

“Stop being such a di-!”

“Hey, no, there isn't any need for that,” Empress said quietly, shrugging Snatcher away.

Snatcher let out a huff of air. “Fine. Tell us what was the first musical you did.”

“Newsies,” Conductor answered.

“Shut up you liar. The first musical you did was Cinderella,” Empress scoffed, tail winding round Snatcher's back. “Grooves, truth or dare?”

The penguin's face screwed up slightly as he tried to decide. “Umm. Truth…?”

“You didn't sound too sure. But fine. You've seen The Conductor in musicals. Which was your favourite performance of his?” Empress questioned.

Grooves felt flustered as his three friends looked expectantly at him.

“It's hard to choose just one,” he mumbled, hoping to take attention off of him.

“My turn, I pick dare,” Snatcher exclaimed, drumming his hands on his lap and continuing to look at Grooves.

Grooves shrugged, uncertain of what to say.

Conductor stepped in for him. “Don't hug Empress for the rest of the evening.”

The ghost looked appalled, mouth hanging open.

He slowly obliged, shuffling away from Empress.

“I'm sick of this game,” Snatcher pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Let's play something else.”