#i dunno if you could tell from how often i post them

[ssspringroll]

first pass -> current version. woo!

[petalsthefish]

He’s shirtless.

He’s fucking standing there, shirtless.

Lily did not know what to do with her hands, or eyes, or legs, or hair. She’s frozen in the middle of the field where she’d been meeting Marley for a post practice walk back to the castle for the Slug Club meeting. Marley was busy blabbering on about Anna Spinnet getting on her nerves, going on and on about some rule book thing.

Maybe.

To be honest, the words didn’t even register in Lily’s brain. There was nothing going on up there, not a single brain cell firing, not once she caught sight of him. Instead she stood there, mute, wondering if she could die from attraction.

Next to “Fatal Attraction” in the dictionary, was James Potter.

Now don’t get her wrong, she crushed on him everyday. He had many qualities that made him worthy of a swoon.

His hair, for one, was windswept to one side with curls sticking out in places he’d not managed to tap down. She’d once gotten to run her fingers through the strands and they’d felt like sugar candy from the fair, waves spun like thread that might melt from her touch.

His eyes, if she were standing close enough, would be a deep shade of brown with gold and green flecks. Not emerald green like hers, a softer green, like the color of the sea in photos from southern islands. She’d seen it in postcards, almost like diamonds reflecting a green light.

More impressively, he was shirtless.

Rippled arm muscles demanded her gaze as he drank from a water bottle, the water dripping out of his mouth he was so careless with it. It was May, warming up, and the early summer sun had slightly tanned his chest. Curly black hair ran across his chest, and normally she hated chest hair, but this was James Potter. 

He broke all her rules but that only made sense where he was concerned. Lily often wondered if the man had ever followed a rule in his life. He was known for detentions and late night parties with friends. He had no idea how to stay out of trouble, but maybe that’s why she liked him so much.

She couldn’t stay out of trouble either.

Lily imagined if he ever showed up to class like that, she would grab him by the waistband of his quidditch joggers and pull him into her lap. Merlin, he’d tower over her, consume her, on top. His hand was big enough to hold a quaffle so he could handle her breasts with ease. One of those hands ran across his beautiful body, preparing to stretch and—

She swallowed a sigh just as someone side smacked her, making her call out and capturing the attention of everyone nearby.

“What was that for!” Lily demanded with a cry, rubbing the side of her head and glaring at Sirius Black who had his arms crossed and was looking at her like he could read her mind.

“Dunno,” Sirius tilted his head, his grey eyes slightly narrowed, “I couldn’t tell if you were having a stroke or not, your eye kept twitching.”

“So you hit me?” Lily stepped away from the tall Gryffindor, still rubbing her cheek pathetically, her eyes darting back to James who (still shirtless) was now watching them with one eyebrow quirked.

“My house elf taught me to smack my uncle Boris when he was having a stroke,” Sirius shrugged as he waltzed past, cool as could be, in James’ direction. “Hasn’t failed me yet.”

“I wasn’t having a stroke!” She called after him, “I was—“

Sirius grinned wickedly as he turned on a heel to watch her expression momentarily falter as she stopped herself from speaking. “I know what you were doing, but until you’re willing to pay up, gawking counts.”

She shot him a nasty hand gesture at which he laughed before finishing a complete turn to face James who mumbled something to Sirius quietly. Sirius kept in a bit of laughter as he passed James a shirt, not answering.

Lily cursed Sirius within an inch of his life when James took the shirt and covered back up. Sure, she might’ve made a bet with Sirius that she’d never date James Potter, or else she’d owe him twenty galleons, but that hardly meant she couldn’t stare politely when James offered himself up for it.

She just had to figure out how to get him shirtless again.

[agendabymooner]

SOMETHING DIVINE !!! TOTO W. X FEM!READER (18+)

summary: toto shows his appreciation for his pregnant wife. (part two-ish of something intoxicating)

💌 re:moony's planner request: "reader actually getting pregnant after toto fucked her out after a long neglect and him being really exited for this chapter in their life."

content warning: smut under the cut (minors dni!), use of explicit language, insecurities, pregnant!reader, body worship, breeding/impregnation kink, creampie, i did not proofread this lol

note: i am not sure if this was meant to be a fluff or a smut request so i decided to 🤷‍♀️ make it a smut 🤷‍♀️ enjoy xx (also! please don't hesitate to give me your opinion!!!)

something sinful (smut) masterlist

a - n masterlist // o - z masterlist

if you’d like to get on one of my taglists, check this post out

he didn’t think that she could get any sexier than she was before. but alas. 

here she was: her figure, her sweet sweet figure, had a small protrusion on her stomach that indicated a sign of life within her. she was the most attractive woman to have ever existed, and, when they learned that they were expecting, there was a growing sense of protection and primal desire within toto that he couldn’t even explain.

he couldn’t help it; his cock wouldn’t stop from making itself hard after looking at her body. she was growing a life, for fucks sake— and she was doing so in the most amazing way possible. it was making toto hornier than usual. 

but she wasn’t aware of it. in fact, she often voiced out how her skin continued to stretch and showed marks as the baby progressively grew.

her insecurities, ones that continued to grow as much as her baby did, were something she hid away from toto. she didn’t want to make them a big deal considering that he was already stressed enough during this season.

she often spoke to lewis’ physiologist, angela, about this kind of matter and hadn’t approached anyone else as she continued to spend her time at the paddock. if anyone else knew— they’d immediately tell toto. that would mean that she was burdening her husband with this matter. 

toto hadn’t meant to walk in the conversation, but he couldn’t find himself to refrain from listening when she and angela spoke while in the garage.

“the baby’s growing real fast,” angela told the woman with fascination, “i reckon he’d have long legs like his daddy.”

and instead of offering a happy laugh, the woman let out a small pitiful chuckle as angela then asked, “oh no. don’t tell me—?”

toto’s wife sighed, “i dunno. i’m supposed to be happy— and i am! ‘s just—“ she placed her hand over the stomach and rubbed the bulge soothingly. she continued, “i don’t feel like this is me. my body— dunno. it’s silly, don’t you think?” 

“it’s not,” angela reassured the woman. “it’s normal to feel that way. you have to understand that your body is growing a baby and that they require a little more space than food usually does.” 

“i shouldn’t feel bad,” the woman said with a solemn smile, “i’m very excited, really. this is my first kid— this is toto’s first kid. but at the same time i feel like i’d lose his attention the moment this kid pops out and i don’t have the body i used to—“

“hey, hey!” angela gave the woman a warning look, “enough with that. you look absolutely divine— toto would be stupid if he doesn’t appreciate your body and what it’s doing for his son.” 

toto stood behind the door and continued listening. he wasn’t sure if he was upset at his wife for not coming to him sooner to talk about her feelings. but he was certain that he was upset at her for thinking that she wasn’t worth being appreciated because of her body. 

he had to do something. he could still do something as a loving and appreciative partner while she did all the hard work. 

and that’s what he did. he couldn’t help himself when she came out of the bathroom with nothing but a slip dress on that night. the way her silk nightwear accentuated her curves made toto’s cock twitch in his trousers. 

he couldn’t help but sink down to devour every part of her. at first, she wondered what prompted him to act like this— to act so… primal and overly worshipful. but as soon as his mouth attached itself to her tender skin and fragile figure she was long gone, a gasp escaping her lips while she begged for him.

and who was he to deny his pretty, fragile wife? he would be damned if he hadn’t done anything to make her feel loved— he’d give her the world, should she demand it. 

she whimpered quietly as toto thrusted into her cunt gently, her eyes close to tearing up because of how toto treated her like she’s bound to break at some point. 

his hands travelled down her body as he groaned softly, rhythms of his hips slapping against hers were adagio as toto’s thumbs played with her stiff nipples. he hummed, “so eine hübsche frau.” such a pretty wife.

“you should see yourself, schatz,” he growled, his cock bottoming out in her as she let out a loud moan. “you’re growing my baby— our baby. haven’t seen something so beautiful before. fuuuck~ you are so sexy, it makes me want to fuck more babies into you.”

she sobbed desperately, “ngh~ i- toto.” her heels dug into his hips harder as she lifted her hips up to meet his halfway through. “want you.”

“‘m here, liebling,” he murmured, pressing a soft kiss on her forehead as his pace turned up to presto as they both let out endless sounds of pleasure. the tip of his cock reaching her cervix as he began pounding into her relentlessly.

“please fuck me harder,” she begged. “wan’ you to fuck me.”

“i will,” he shushed her, “but i can’t help it. this body of yours- fuck- makes me want to take it slower. you’re so beautiful like this- all pregnant with my baby.” he nipped on her tits as he hummed in satisfaction.

“makes me want to give you more after this one comes out,” he said darkly, kissing her hard as he began to fuck her harder. “gonna give you more and make sure these tits are full of milk.”

“mm, fuck- toto~” she cried out, feeling too overwhelmed by the pleasure and excitement she had gotten out of his words and his actions. 

her cunt clenched around his cock as he chuckled sweetly and said, “oh? you want more kids then? you want to be my pregnant little wife full of my babies?” 

she only nodded frantically. toto continued to fuck her until a loud strangled noise escaped her lips.

“o- oh, fuck. ‘m cumming,” she announced, holding him closer as his thrusts became harder and faster as they both reached their highs. 

“god— fucking hell, schatz,” he muttered hastily, groaning deeply in her ear as he said, “i’m gonna cum. where do you want me?”

“i- inside, toto- fuck!” she cried out, her body shaking as her walls throbbed around him. “cum inside me, please!”

toto’s hips stuttered for a brief moment as he let out a groan, shooting his cum inside her cunt as he thrusted slowly before stilling.

with a breathless sigh, he slowly pulled out of her and watched his cum escape her hole and drip down the mattress beneath her. he looked at her fucked out face lovingly as he gave her another kiss. 

god she really was fucking divine. he wouldn’t be surprised if she was pregnant again shortly after giving birth to their firstborn. 

♡ moony’s reminder 🅶 (general): @hiraethrhapsody @avaleineandafryingpan @topguncultleader @enhacolor @roseandtulips @woweewoowa @magnummagnussen @happy-nico @architect-2015

♡   moony’s reminder 🅴 (explicit edition): @glitterf1 @savrose129

[dzvelinaskebiyars]

hi, hi!! if you don't mind, could you please write some headcanons about how Baji will behave in love (when he is somewhere around 12-13 years old), and also about how his friends will tease him/help him. In one of Wakuya's posts it was indicated that he is not interested in a relationship, but nothing can protect him from falling in love. (female reader please and you can make her anyone you want, someone's sister, friend, classmate, etc.)

Sure! I see a lot of people want Baji content since lot of people requests him and I dunno why but this makes me happy lol. Thank you so much for requesting<333

Baji has never been in love before and he wasn't interested in relationships as well. Rather, he wanted to focus on Toman. Relationship would have gotten in his way. That's what he thought.

But what is this unfamiliar yet nice feeling he gets whenever he sees you? It's like thousands of butterflies fly in his stomach.

When Baji would fall in love, he'd be very confused with what he feels. He's not sure because he has never experienced this before and sometimes, it's hard to say if you love someone romantically or platonically.

He'd definitely tell his mom about you, sometimes even without realising and when Ryoko asked him "Are you in love with her?" that's when he considered the possibility that he might have actually fallen in love.

Gosh he'd look forward to see you every single day. A type of boy who would walk you to anywhere you go just so he could spend time with you. He'd take you anywhere because "he has a bike and it's faster than walking" but what he truly wanted was to spend time with you.

His cheeks would immediately get red if you would compliment him.

Toman was newly formed, hence he needed to fight a lot with founding members to make Toman grow. That's why he thought that confessing and being in relationship at this moment would be troublesome.

He acted normally with his friends but they still noticed slight changes in Baji, though they didn't give that much thoughts back then.

That is, until Pah chin and Mitsuya caught him walking with a girl. With Pah chin's urging and Mitsuya being curious himself, they decided to follow you two a bit. Except then Kazutora popped out of nowhere and now three of them were following you two.

Next day Pah chin immediately started teasing Baji with something like "I didn't know you had a girlfriend, Baji!" and Baji would be confused at first before he'd blush madly.

Kazutora and Pah chin gave him NO BREAK from their teasings and for more, they were urging him to confess already. But Baji didn't want to rush things, he had to think about it all himself.

His personality or behaviour around others wouldn't change, but if you would compare how he acts around you to how he acts with his friends usually, you'd immediately know that he's in love with you. Ofc you didn't know how he was with his friends tho.

Let me name one scenario where Baji was riding with Toman captains and he just saw something from the store that just reminded him of you. He'd immediately stop the bike to buy it and give it to you later. (he'd have to deal with lot of teasings from his friends).

People say that love makes you weak but if it's for you, Baji gladly would be weak and vulnerable, even if he dislikes being such. If it's for you, he doesn't mind.

He has accidentally spoken about you so many times. Like he'd be thinking about you a lot, so often he'd just blub out anything about you.

He took you to his home because "you'd help him with his studies" and Ryoko treated you like her daughter already rather than as Baji's friend. (He never stopped talking about you with her).

♡♡♡

I hope you're satisfied! Thank you for requesting. This was so fun to write!

[antianakin]

hey, just wanted to say that i appreciate you creating this space to discuss more uh....unpopular takes on star wars. obviously fandom is a hobby and i don't want to ruin anyone's fun! but i also want a space to push back against fanon interpretations without treading on anyone's toes, you know?

like the whole obi-wan catholic guilt trope, jedi repression trope at large...i'm being dramatic but as an asian person, sometimes it sucks that this is such a prevalent idea about a heroic group that was influenced by buddhism and is very asian-coded. i'm not wording this well but just like how stories about european knights often reflect *the very best* of western values like chivalry, honor, gentility, i could really see a lot of the best of asian culture (a huge over-simplification) in the jedi.

but all that being reduced to "oh actually it's totally catholic guilt" or a inadvertently a regurgitation of prevalent asian stereotypes (the jedi as a group suppress individuality, they don't express emotions, they are too harsh, too unforgiving, lack compassion) is...frustrating to see, even though it's everyone's right to interpret & relate to things as they see fit.

especially when focused on obi-wan! even if we assume that obi-wan is repressed, secretly attached to an unhealthy degree but hiding it, or whatnot - the man quite literally airs the dirty laundry in front of mace and yoda, perhaps the "highest" members of the jedi. he says that he thinks anakin is arrogant, isn't listening to him. i dunno but a repressed person who hates confrontation and vulnerability probably wouldn't do that. he should've gone "haha nope anakin and i are totally fine masters, totally fine" instead of looking for advice & airing out his frustrations.

people getting angry at obi-wan for putting the jedi order over anakin is still annoying, but at least accurate. like yes! obi-wan does put the good of his culture and the galaxy at large over his old padawan! good for him!

but honestly all popular fanon obi-wan tropes go round on a roulette wheel waiting for me to pick one to be petty about lmao.

I definitely get what you mean about wanting a space to push back on common fanon interpretations without stepping on anyone's toes. That's obviously exactly why I made this blog in the first place. It's why I named the blog "antianakin" at all, it's supposed to be a giant neon warning sign to people that I'm not going to feel ashamed of some of my more negative opinions. It's why I use anti and critical tags as much as possible, and don't use the more general tags most of the time (aside from just... "star wars"). This is my space to put my feelings out there, positive AND negative, and I work really hard to make sure I'm not invading spaces that are meant for being positive.

I also often don't reblog people's posts that I completely disagree with JUST to talk about why I don't like their take. I won't invade someone's Jedi critical post in order to tell them that they're wrong about Star Wars. People have tried to tag me into posts like that, but I'm not interested in doing that kind of thing. If I DO want to say something about what I've seen, I make my own post about the issue.

It's interesting that you mention that stories about European knights often reflect what's viewed as the best of Western values, because so often when I see people talk about what would make the Jedi BETTER (or Legends versions of the Jedi that they think were done better), it's usually pretty clear that the Jedi are being turned INTO your more typical European knight to reflect those exact values. They're often wandering on their own, doing what they personally believe to be right whenever and wherever they want, defending the helpless wherever they find them by just riding in on a white horse and slaying an enemy or a monster. And of course some of those values they uphold are about what love and relationships should look like, too, so they all end up in committed monogamous relationships (even if it's with more than one person, it's still usually monogamous). This is one of the reasons I started getting frustrated with the High Republic novels by the third one because it started having that vibe that the "good" Jedi who stuck to more "traditional" ways of doing things and "traditional" values were so much more like your typical European knight, while the Jedi character doing something more modern and more political was losing his way and struggling with a desire for things he was repressing.

It's a feeling we've seen come up time and time again and it keeps getting tossed out in more recent shows, too, the idea that the Jedi "lost their way" from what they should've been, that they once used to represent something worthwhile and losing those traditional values is what caused their destruction and the only way to keep it from happening again is to go back to that. It's not hard to see where that storyline feels compelling, obviously, but it IS sad to see the values that the Jedi DO have in the Prequels in particular getting tossed aside as unworthy and to see their defeat being rewritten as THEIR failure instead of everyone else's.

I've had people tell me that this story feels like it has more nuance to it than the Jedi simply being the heroic victims and the Sith being pure villains. And I get why people think that, I just think that there's a lot of nuance they're MISSING in the story being told, and that that nuance exists EVEN WITH the Jedi still being the heroic victims and the Sith being clear villains. I am more than happy to help critique some of the WAYS that that story got told in the Prequels, the issues in the structure of the Prequels and how it maybe muddied some of the messages that the story was trying to get across, but I also think that that critique is SEPARATE from my feelings on the intended narrative itself. I don't think that the narrative itself is bad or lacking in nuance simply because it may not have been told perfectly. And, personally, I think that some of the more "nuanced" Jedi critical takes often seem INCREDIBLY simplistic themselves.

As for Obi-Wan, fandom will do what fandom does to its darlings. I've certainly done my fair share of simplifying my faves down to shadows of themselves because I happened to enjoy the shadow sometimes in its own right. But I do think that there's plenty of evidence to contradict a lot of people's more popular interpretation of Obi-Wan as a repressed, damaged, traumatized waif. I don't mind a LITTLE of that sometimes, usually when I read fics set in the early years of his apprenticeship with Qui-Gon following some of the events of Jedi Apprentice, but it comes with the context that Obi-Wan is still VERY YOUNG at the time and is dealing with some fairly specific things that have just happened to him and is still learning how to do that in a healthy way.

By the time you hit The Phantom Menace and ESPECIALLY the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan should no longer be a repressed, traumatized waif of a person. That's when it stops being believable to me because the character we see on screen in that time period never fits that description. Like you said, he's ACTIVELY confrontational to his superiors. He does do it with Mace and Yoda (and he does it in ROTS as well as in AOTC) and he does it with Qui-Gon during his apprenticeship, too.

The one other time I was willing to accept some of this characterization was in the Kenobi show where we do see him being more repressed and traumatized and less willing to stand up for himself when faced with confrontation with people like Owen. But one of the reasons this worked for me is because, much like with those JA fics, it comes with a VERY SPECIFIC CONTEXT, and it's done with the intentional purpose of giving Obi-Wan somewhere to develop. He also doesn't stay particularly submissive or waif-like for long, we see him gain back a LOT of his willingness to stand up for himself and confront people by the second episode. The message wasn't that Obi-Wan had ALWAYS been damaged and traumatized or that he was always "meant" for sadness or whatever, but that he had the capacity to find happiness IF HE CHOOSES TO ACT LIKE THE JEDI HE ONE WAS. The only reason he's struggling is because he ISN'T acting like a Jedi anymore. He's not finally figuring out how to handle his traumas, he's GOING BACK to being the person who can handle his traumas.

Anyway, yeah, I feel you, I have definitely experienced the roulette wheel of petty frustration at fandom interpretations of Obi-Wan lol. I can barely handle the "he drops his lightsaber all the time" joke because I feel like it often makes him come across as childishly incompetent.

[syoish-aot]

"I Found You" - EREN/READER - REVERSE ISEKAI (part 5)

reverse isekai, time travel, memory loss

post canon (ish)

reader/eren

word count: 2450

<- PART 4 | PART 6 ->

*****

When Eren was fifteen he didn’t know much about love.

He did know that he had a fierce desire to protect. To save. To help, not just his friends, but all of humanity regain the freedom taken from them by the titans.

He also knew that Mikasa’s hair was very soft.

That her eyes were pretty.

That her skin looked warm.

That her lips, often hidden under the red scarf he had wrapped around her when they were children, distracted him from conversation more times than he could count.

But there was never time. 

The more they learned about the world- and the more Eren learned about himself in turn- the more that their lack of time became obvious to him.

He told himself it was for the better than he never told her how he felt. That he never properly answered her question:

“What am I to you, Eren?” She asked him the night when they stood on the hill just outside of Liberio.  What am I? She was everything to him, is what he wanted to say; but- “you’re family,” is what he said instead.

Because he knew, Eren knew, that in that lifetime they would never have enough time to be together.

So, when he woke up in a new lifetime, his first thought was that maybe-... maybe this was his chance. 

But, when he opened his eyes,

it wasn’t Mikasa that he saw…

…when he opened his eyes,

all he saw was you.

*****

5 Years Ago

“I think I get why these men are on here.” You told your coworker, Mina, as the two of you leaned against the counter, your phone between you as you idly flipped through Hinge casting judgment on every man you saw.

“Why’s that?” Mina asked.

“Well, here’s my theory.” Tired of the mindless scrolling, you slide your phone into your back pocket and grab a marker from the lip of the register. You uncap it and begin doodling on a cup. “Men on dating apps are there because they give off such ick that they can’t meet women in person without setting off alarm bells, so apps are their only option.”

Mina shrugged. “Okay, so why are the women on there?”

“I dunno,” you replied with a snort, “why does anyone go to a zoo?”

“That’s kinda judgmental.” A customer, who appeared seemingly out of thin air, says at the counter.

“Jesus christ-” You jump and the sharpie in your hand goes flying toward him at a perfect angle to run a black streak straight across his shirt.

“Oh my god!” Your hands fly up to cover your mouth as your eyes widen. “I’m so, so, so sorry! Um- uh-” You glance around for a microfiber cloth (which normally makes your skin crawl to touch, but you can’t think about that right now). You quickly run the microfiber (ew) cloth under the sink. “Here!” You reach across the counter to press it to the front of his shirt. “Maybe it’ll um-” It does nothing. “Uh…” You try again. “O-Okay just…” That’s when you finally look up at him.

You figured you looked pretty pathetic, leaning over the counter and uselessly dabbing his shirt to get permanent marker out of polyester (spoiler alert: that doesn’t work and it never will).

So you’re pathetic.

And he’s gorgeous. 

The universe must have it out for you. Seriously have it out for you because- …holy shit. 

The first thing you notice are his eyes. A stunning composition that reminds you of the night sky on a full moon- swirling blues and greens beautifully illuminated with flecks of golden stars. 

And then his messy-on-purpose brown hair, half tied up in a bun with a few tasteful strands falling against his forehead.

His flawless skin.

His sharp cheekbones.

His adorable nose and-

And his smile.

Woah.

It’s a real “knees weak, arms spaghetti” moment for you ((made even more embarrassing by the fact that the first thing you think is “knees weak, arms spaghetti” but that’s where your mind goes and you’ll keep that secret with you until the day you die)).

“I don’t think that’s working.” He tells you as he gently grabs your wrist and guides your hand away. 

“Yeah um-” You clear your throat and drop the cloth to the counter, quickly standing back on the floor as your cheeks burn pink and you nervously look over his ruined shirt. “I really am sorry I could um- I could buy you a new one?”

“Eh,” he shrugs. “It’s old anyway.”

But it doesn’t look old.

Still, you’re too embarrassed to question him.

“Free coffee?” You offer instead.

He smiles again and you refuse to think about knees and spaghetti for the second time.

“Alright, “he laughs, “free coffee sounds good.”

Dammit.

Knees and spaghetti it is.

*****

He’s back the next day.

And the day after that.

And the day after that.

You think that maybe he’s new in the area and just happens to be the type of guy who likes a consistent schedule, if anything that makes you respect him; but sometimes you wishfully hope it’s because of… something else.

“If you ruin my shirt again, will this one be free too?” He jokes on the fourth visit as you had him a semi-sweet iced coffee.

“Yeah, but you have to sneak up on me or it’s not authentic.” You tease back.

*****

You learn things about him every time he comes in.

First, it’s his name: Eren.

Eren.

And god, now that you know it you spend a stupid amount of time pausing on those ‘roll for the first letter of your soul mate’s name’ tiktoks. At least you have the decency to not post them (except for that one time you accidentally did).

You find out he’s also attending university. That he’s an English major but school is making him lose motivation to write.

You find out his favourite colour is red.

That he’s never lived anywhere but the city.

That his friends are more important to him than anything, and he’s known them for most of his life. 

And then, a month after you meet, you find out something else…

“So,” you say, five minutes to closing as you wipe down the counter and Eren finishes off a donut you’d given him for free instead of throwing out. He has a habit of showing up when you’re closing. You aren’t sure if it’s because he has a night class or if he just likes the free pastries. Or maybe there’s a completely different reason entirely.

“So…?” He asks, when you don’t finish the thought (you’d gotten distracted by the way he was licking icing off his fingers).

You clear your throat and look down at the counter. “Why was I being judgmental?”

“Oh, because not everyone that’s in a frat is just there for the parties. My friend Reiner says he-”

“No not about that,” although maybe your opinions on frat boys are based on a stereotype and that’s deserving of its own conversation entirely, “I mean about the dating app thing.”

“What dating app thing?” He asks as his eyebrows momentarily tighten together with a scowl. It’s an expression he wears a lot and it always makes you laugh.

“The first thing you said to me!” You exclaim. “Mina and I were talking about dating apps and you said I was being judgmental. Honestly, I feel like it was the worst first impression ever.”

“Nah, the bad impression part was when you were feeling me up like three seconds later.”

“I-” Your cheeks burn bright red. “I was not feeling you up!”

Eren throws his head back and laughs.

You toss your microfiber (ew) towel at him and it lands smack in the middle of his face. 

Eren’s still snickering as he leans down to pick it up from the floor. “I said you were being judgmental because you were.”

“Elaborate, please.”

“Well,” he stands back up, cloth now in hand, “there are some genuine people on dating apps just looking for connections.”

You roll your eyes. “Yeah, but it’s all- it’s so fake. How many times can I repeat the same: ‘Hi, how are you.’ ‘I’m good, how are you’ ‘Good. What do you do for work?’ ‘I work at this shitty café and there’s a regular that’s constantly patronizing me to try to get free food. What about you?’.” You let out a short sigh. “If people actually want to get to know each other, they should-”

Your rant comes to a quick end when Eren stops in front of you.

He’s closer than he normally stands, so you immediately notice the flecks of gold in his eyes. The last time you were this close to him, you’d been frantically rubbing sharpie out of his shirt but now-

Now you’re- you’re just standing there…

Just close.

So close that you might have forgotten how to breathe.

“Some people have to meet that way.” He says, softer than normal, but maybe it’s just because you’re close enough that he doesn’t have to speak loudly to be heard.

“...huh?”

Eren snickers. Your heart hammers. He keeps talking: “Some people,” he elaborates, “have trouble getting dates any other way.”

“Wh-” You clear your throat as it constricts, “Why’s that?”

For the first time, you see him blush.

You notice the confidence he normally wears come crashing down.

He looks away.

“Because some people are… pretty shit at asking people out.”

You jump as the cloth he’d picked up meets your hand.

And this time, it’s not even because of the gross sensation of microfiber.

*****

Eren gets over it, apparently, because 6 days later he shows up at your work right before close.

“No free muffins today, sorry.” You immediately tell him.

“It’s fine.” He replies and you can’t help but notice the way he awkwardly shifts his weight from one foot to the other, completely avoiding your eyes as he does it.

“Um… Eren?”

“Yep?”

You snicker. “Are you ok-”

“Do you wanna go out?”

Your breath catches. “...what?”

“With me. Now. Or- Or in like five minutes when you’re off. Unless you have to stay late tonight because the place is a mess. I can wait around though. Or we can go another day I just-”

“Are you asking me on a date?”

“I-...” Eren sighs, but he finds a way to smile through his embarrassment. “Don’t laugh you’ll-... you’ll hurt my ego.”

So you don’t laugh.

Instead, you say yes.

*****

You have a casual first date, just dinner at a local pub.

Your second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth date (although you start losing count towards the end) pass just as casually.

It’s comfortable. Relaxing. There’s no overly awkward tension between the two of you and you slip into a natural rhythm.

Your first kiss is in the park on campus.

You bring him day-old donuts any chance you get.

You meet his best friends and they quickly become your best friends too.

A year passes, you say “I love you”.

Another year passes, you both graduate.

By the third year you’re dating, you move in together.

By the fourth, you can’t imagine life without him.

And by the fifth year you’re dating, you have a feeling that it’s for life.

“Think he’ll propose?” Mikasa’s staticky voice comes through the speaker of your phone. You press said phone harder against your ear out of the embarrassment that Eren might somehow hear you from the kitchen. 

“I- I dunno. Maybe.” You answer, nervously nibbling your bottom lip as you watch your boyfriend from over the back of the couch. He’s in the kitchen making dinner. Shirtless, because he’s an idiot that doesn’t care about getting hot chicken oil on his chest.

‘Sluts can’t get third-degree burns, babe.’ He always tells you.

‘Then commit to the bit and lose the pants too.’ You always joke back.

He doesn’t, for the record. Apparently, he’s okay with hot oil on his tiddies, but his dick and balls are a different story.

“Would you say yes?” Mikasa’s voice cuts through your thoughts. 

You let out a short laugh. “Obviously.”

“Maybe he’ll do it tomorrow.”

“Pfft, that’d be tacky. Tomorrow is Niccolo’s big day, not ours.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s right.” You can hear Mikasa’s yawn through the phone.

“You sound exhausted,” you tell her, “don’t you have to get up early to catch your flight?”

“Yeah, but my hotel is lonely.”

You laugh. “Wanna talk to Eren before bed?”

“Sure. He’ll get mad if I don’t.”

You pull the phone away from your ear. “Eren!” You hold out the phone to him. “Mikasa wants to say goodnight.”

“Can you come stir?” He asks.

You pull yourself off the couch and step up to him in the kitchen, trading him your phone for the spatula. 

He kisses your cheek before pressing the phone to his ear.

“Okay, so did you see the new episode?” He asks as he walks into the living room. “NO FUCKING WAY YOU DID NOT CALL IT!!”

You roll your eyes as the two of them start their passionate back and forth about the latest episode of whatever show they’re both watching.

*****

That night, after a plate of spaghetti, a shared bottle of wine, and a decent amount of time doing R-rated activities that start in the living room but finish in the bedroom; you end up with your arms around Eren’s waist and your face buried between his bare shoulders.

He likes to be the little spoon, even though he’ll deny it to your friends.

But you don’t mind. It means you can pinch his nipples if he says something sassy before falling asleep.

You smile and nuzzle your face into his back.

He smells like Eren.

Nothing distinct about it that you can put a name to.

It’s just Eren and you love it.

You smile as you think about how perfect your life is. Your career is going well, you have an apartment with an amazing view, and you’re dating the love of your life. 

You wouldn’t change a single thing.

“I love you.” You mumble before placing a kiss on Eren’s shoulder.

“...that’s so fucking gay…” He mumbles back.

He yelps when you pinch his nipple, but afterward, he laughs.

Afterwards, he grabs your hand in his (mostly to keep his nipples safe from continued attacks) and pulls it up to his lips.

He kisses the back of your hand firmly.

Then softly.

Then firmly again.

“Love you too,” Eren tells you.

And the lights don’t need to be on for you to know that he’s smiling. 

You just know he is, because you’re smiling too. 

[cosmicobubisi]

Cosmic's Malleyuu Whump vs Flufftober: Day 31

making amends / Make a Wish

Simultaneously posted to AO3 here.

"If you could make a wish for anything in the world, what would you wish for?"

As was so often the case nowadays, Yuu and Tsunotaro were walking through some of the crumbling buildings of Night Raven's campus, just the two of them.

At this hour, most of the lights were off. It made Yuu feel as though the two of them were at the brink of the world’s consciousness, and though it was isolating, it was also somewhat comforting to be alone with Tsunotaro.

Comforting... wasn't the right word.

Comfort could not describe the feeling that had begun to poke Yuu more and more nowadays.

It bloomed like a flower around Tsunotaro, drinking up his rainlike praise with zest.

Like the bud of a delicate flower, their feelings were similarly veritable to be bruised or snapped if the winds blew too sharply.

This is why Yuu refused to investigate the felling any further, afraid if they nudged it too hard, it would die.

Tsunotaro was just so hard to read. On the best of days, he was an open book, generous with the stories he chose to share with Yuu.

On the worst, he was sly, often bordering on duplicitous. He seemed to want to catch Yuu in a trap were they contradicted themselves, the only apparent reason for why being because he could.

"What would I wish for...?" he mused gently.

"Yep! Anything you want! Just one, though," they said, a goofy smile on their face.

It was such a simple question, perhaps even a frivolous one, but Yuu found their own sort of pleasure in drawing the mundane from the magnificent.

"Hmmm. What are the bounds of this wish?" he asked.

"I dunno. You can't wish for more wishes, I guess."

"How many laws of nature am I allowed to break?"

"Uhhh... just tell me your wish!" exclaimed Yuu.

He shook his head. "I don't have one. I was trying to establish the boundaries so I would have more Ideas."

Yuu sighed, laughing just a little at the end.

"What about you?" he inquired. "Do you have a wish you'd like to share?"

A wave of thrill rose up from Yuu's stomach to their spine at the words.

"I think... I think I'd want a way to make my soulmate stay with me forever."

They winced as Tsunotaro laughed.

"What a simple notion," he said, as his chortles died down. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to laugh at you. It's very romantic, is all."

Yuu's brow furrowed, stamping out their hurt feelings.

"I guess," they said, trying to suck the venom out of his words with their nonchalant words.

"It's simply..." Tsunotaro trailed off, gesturing with his hands in the night air. "I cannot imagine finding any one person so alluring, that that's what I'd wish for before anything else."

"Really?" said Yuu, surprised. It wasn't their own feelings they were thinking of- Tsunotaro always gave off such a princely, dare they say romantic, air.

But Yuu wasn't blind enough to think of him as a prince on a white horse in silver armor. No, Tsunotaro was a man of shadows, who loved dearly but sparingly.

"That kind of love," he continued. "It's dangerous, or at least that's my impression."

Yuu hummed. He did have a point.

"But isn't there something so romantic about that?" they insisted, not able to let it go. "Loving someone so hard you lose yourself, being unable to tell where you end and where they begin? I mean, people go their whole lives never finding their soulmate."

Yuu smiled to themselves. "I'd rather have my soulmate and face all the problems in the world, than be able to sidestep a few alone."

Tsunotaro gave them a curious glance out of the corner of his eye.

"There isn't," he replied. "Not to me, anyway."

"A person like that?"

"A feeling so strong that could make me supersede all logic like that," he explained.

His face darkened.

"That kind of love is fleeting. Hoping for it to last longer than a moment would be like catching a wild bird in a cage. It will either fly away or die of despair."

Yuu pursed their lips. "That's pretty grim."

"Ah. I apologize."

"It's ok," they said quickly, wanting to smooth over the situation.

"I see the appeal, but I suppose I'd simply rather live untouched, never knowing a love so deep so it could never leave a hole in my heart."

"I get that."

"But you'd still want that, then? Your wish would be a powerful love, even if it were fleeting?"

"I do," said Yuu with a swell of confidence. "Even just a moment of pure love like that is better than a whole life without it, right? Comparatively?"

Tsunotaro looked off to the side.

"I'd rather not," he reiterated. "I'd rather live in ignorance, and never fear losing what I never had."

They walked in silence, and Yuu sensed they'd upset him with their choice of topic.

"Hey," they said. "What'd you think about the magift game this last weekend?"

--

Encircled in fire, the courtyard burned brightly as Yuu stood in its center.

The smoke was turning the sky an odd color, and the flames cast the serene garden in a macabre light, and it morphed the shadows on Malleus's face, framing him in a grim, desperate way.

At least, that;s what Yuu thought, from what they could see. Their vision wasn't doing so good these days.

The circles under Malleus's eyes were deepened by the grotesque light, and he kept a loose hold on his staff as he held his other hand up in surrender.

"Please," he said, defeated. "Let us discuss this."

"We. Have. Talked." spat Yuu, clipping the end of each word to ensure they'd be emphasized. "You have talked."

"Yes," he conceded readily, head bobbing in agreement. "I have spoken, more than my fair share. That is why I want to listen now."

Yuu said nothing, trying to amp up the intensity of their glare.

He was talking to them like they were a wild animal to be herded. His words were laced with sugary sweetness, trying to get them to swallow the bitter medicine of his words.

"I remember," he said. "I remember what you said back then. About a great love."

It took a few moments for Yuu to remember the conversation. Their walks felt like they were a lifetime ago now.

Why bring that up now, though?

"I see now. I see the value in such a thing," he said, a pleading undercurrent entering his voice.

Yuu remained unmoved.

It was what they wanted to hear, but too little, and far too late.

Their lack of reaction must have confused him as to their receptiveness of his words, because he took a step forward.

Yuu instantly took one too, flashing their weapon, and Malleus took two backwards.

His surrendering stance had reasserted itself, and he kept his hand up.

A stray bit of something tickled Yuu's bad eye, and they reflexively tried to blink it away before remembering that made it worse.

Instead, they reached up to wipe away the copious amount of blood dripping from their wounded eye, hoping this time, it would be the last.

They couldn't quite get it clean enough to see out of, no matter how much they cleaned, and when they dragged their sleeve below where they thought their eyes was, Yuu ended up tugging at something that sent more blood rushing down their face.

The sight made Malleus cringe in disgust, or pity, or something.

It was some victory.

"I want that," he said again, a tremor in his voice. "Please."

Yuu stayed still, and the intimidation tactic worked.

"Between us, you were the only one who wanted to fight for love. Allow me to fight for you. Let me make our few moments last a lifetime's worth of happiness."

Something ran down Yuu's cheek, and they brushed it away.

It would have been romantic, had it been a tear shedding, but Yuu knew that was unlikely, with the tangy smell of blood so close to their nose.

"Isn't it worth it? To taste at the fountain of love, even if you could never drink again?" he said, giving his voice a stamp of triumph.

Yuu was fed up with this. Malleus's hopeless prattling, in an attempt to extend their own life by even a few minutes, had worn out the last shreds of Yuu's patience.

He had no right to do this now. They felt a bit angry, but mostly, hearing what they'd wanted to hear for so long just hollowed them out.

"I'd honestly rather die," they said flatly.

Yuu raised the gun, and pulled back the hammer.

[jo-harrington]

Corroded Coffin Fest - Day 4 - Eddie

Summary: A Day in the Life of Corroded Coffin's Frontman: Eddie Munson

Word Count: 990 - damn, cut it close

Rating: T

Warnings/Themes: A tiny bit of angst, protective Eddie, probably bad representation of playing guitar--I don't know much music lingo.

Check Out the Main Post for @corrodedcoffinfest here! Even if you didn’t start on Day 1, you can still join!

You can find my masterlist here.

Please do not interact if you are not 18+.

Enjoy!

An average Saturday in the life of Eddie Munson.

It could be the title of a magazine article all about him.

But no.

It was some creative writing exercise that his English teacher assigned. Something about understanding character development? And a chance to know themselves a little better.

“It’s not like I don’t already know how to write about characters,” he grumbled as he scribbled his pencil across his notebook. “The NPC’s don’t create themselves.”

This assignment would be easy.

---

Eddie Munson starts his day with a well-balanced breakfast and some light exercise.

He rummaged through the kitchen for something that tickled his fancy; Wayne had just gone grocery shopping so he had a good selection to choose from.

He could make eggs and toast and have it ready and warm for when his uncle got home from his shift.

Or have some good old cereal and milk while he watched cartoons, and then offer to do a load of laundry that consisted of his band tees and Wayne's work shirts.

He chose the latter.

And the balanced breakfast--juggling several boxes, a carton of milk, a bunch of bananas, and two bowls and managing not to drop a single thing-- was coincidentally also his exercise.

His afternoons are often filled with adventures of varying degrees. Most often, he ventures around marketplaces, perusing the wares of the merchants, and showing his companions how to haggle for the best deals.

"There's an art to it," he explained to Gareth as they strolled aisle by aisle. "You can't just go for the obvious choice. Sometimes you need to see what fate has in store for you."

His friend stopped in his tracks.

"We're sneaking snacks into the movie theater," Gareth stated, voice heavy with confusion. "It's not a life or death situation. Let me just get my damn Raisinettes."

He reached out to grab the desired box off the shelf and Eddie's hand clamped around his wrist to stop him.

"First of all," Eddie got right up in his face. "The raisinettes aren't even on sale, my very young apprentice. So you might as well just buy them at the theater. What are you gonna save? A quarter?"

"It's just a quarter."

"And it's in a box. Not a bag. It's gonna rattle. Old man Miller is gonna catch you immediately and then you can say goodbye to the rest of your money."

"So what would you suggest?"

Eddie's smile grew wide and feral as he directed Gareth's attention across the aisle, where plastic-wrapped pastries were displayed in abundance.

"May I introduce you to the two-for-one Hostess snack cakes?"

Occasionally, he finds himself in dangerous situations...

"Do you think they're going to see Ghostbusters too?"

"I dunno Gare, just ignore them."

"They're looking at us."

Eddie stared at the showtimes above the box office window so he could avoid the stares of the boys in letterman jackets standing at the side of the lobby.

"It's a free country," Eddie's shoulder quirked in a shrug. He kept his calm so he wouldn't scare the younger boy, but he was entirely aware of their surroundings. "That's what my uncle always says, they're free to look."

"What if they say something?"

"First amendment, freedom of speech."

Eddie was about to continue, to tell Gareth that there was nothing to fear, and that they couldn't go about avoiding all the nice things in life just because they were afraid.

...perilous, even...

But he finally looked at the younger boy.

Really looked at him.

Gareth was pale and his eyes glassy. He couldn't stop himself from staring back at the jocks who watched them and whispered and snickered. His one hand was clenched in a fist, and the other was clasped around his wrist, rubbing circles into the joint nervously.

And he was shaking.

...but he knows how to pick his battles, especially to protect his friends.

"Hey," he knocked his arm into Gareth's, pulling the boy's attention from the jocks. "If you don't want to stay, we don't have to. We can swing 'round Family Video. See if they have Monty Python?"

Gareth's eyes strayed towards the jocks again, but Eddie's words stopped him.

"I'm pretty hungry too. I don't think twinkies are gonna cut it," he patted his stomach. "We can order a pizza. Whatever toppings you want."

And Gareth couldn't help but nod and follow Eddie out of the movie theater, grateful for the boon that was offered.

No conditions.

No judgment.

At the end of the day, although his dreams might be fantastic, he is anything but that.

It was late, later than his uncle would be happy to hear about if this came back to him. The neighbors weren't fond of his music but he couldn't help himself.

He had his stereo cranked up, as loud as it could go, so he could hear the intricacies in the recording. The soft, almost imperceptible rasps of fingertips on guitar strings.

And he tried to emulate those notes on his own guitar, as he pressed his own fingers against the fret board along with the music, without strumming. He'd have his chance.

He isn't a hero.

He didn't need to hear it. Not until he was confident he had the passage and the technique down.

He didn't have music lessons or books or sheet music.

This was how he learned. Through sound, and touch, and intuition.

And once he was ready, he slammed his hand against the stereo to silence it, then started playing.

His head bobbed to maintain the tempo as his fingers flew across the frets and he strummed rapidly.

He isn't a rockstar.

He echoed back the bridge almost perfectly, wincing as he heard the mistakes, and then circled back again, fixing those mistakes.

Rewind then play, rewind then play.

Again and again.

Til he could hear the roar of a crowd as he got it right.

He's just Eddie.

[beneathsilverstars]

Dunno if you're only interested in thinking about ISAT related sillies, but I've been thinking of Siffrin's love of plays and poetry mixed with my love of musicals! It's got a script and there's stage settings so people walk the same paths and say the same things every time, but it's still performance art! There's still a magic in every moment and potential for new meaning and change- and that's before you think of how the people times and places also inherently shape things. Do you have any thoughts about what the ISAT party + newly adopted Nille feel/think about traditional plays?

Mirabelle enjoys them as much as any other sort of media, I think! She's more concerned with genre and character than format. It's too bad you can't easily re-experience a play like you can a book, but! That just makes it all the more special to see one! She took an acting class once, and even though she was only a minor background character, being on stage made her so nervous that she messed up her only line. But! That just makes it all the more impressive how brave and talented professional actors are!!

Isabeau loves them as a visual medium. The costumes! The set! The blocking! In the past he would've just said the play was pretty, but these days he will come out of the theater gushing about the visual symbolism. Mira's like "What did you think of the plot though?" and he's like "Oh, the plot? Yeah it was great, it was really clever how they foreshadowed the fall of the prince by tearing his cloak directly through the royal insignia in act one, especially because the blow would have killed him if his servant hadn't intervened; it's just like how holding onto the throne would have led to his death, meaning his servant saved him once again by removing him from power!"

Odile's fine with them. She prefers the private experience of a book, but going out and doing something with friends is a different kind of nice! It's fun to tease everyone about their reactions afterwards. And if she cried at one too once no she didn't. :|

Bonnie likes the action! A story you can watch! Except sometimes Siffrin picks boring ones that are mostly people standing around and talking to themselves and Bonnie isn't even allowed to run around instead. So, hit or miss for them. Every couple of years the kids in Bambouche put on a play, and last time Bonnie got to be a pirate, and it was awesome even though they had to be so careful to not actually whack the other kid with their sword.

Nille likes them a lot! Plays are maybe her favorite way to be told a story; it's so direct and clear and multi-sensational, you really get to immerse yourself in it. She often does gestures and voices while telling stories herself, it just makes it easier to follow! She was so proud of Bonnie when they got to be a pirate and only actually whacked the other kid with their sword for real during practice a couple times.

Siffrin loved the escapism. Stories are so grand, and everything that happens in them is so meaningful. A play ends the same way each time you watch it, yet you're still on the edge of your seat, swept up in the world the actors have conjured! Plus, seeing a play was the best way to kill an evening, sitting somewhere safe and comfortable while getting a little more familiar with the local language and culture. They liked experiencing unique small plays! They liked seeing how a world-famous play would get translated and adapted for different countries! They liked attending the same production three nights in a row and seeing if they could catch any little differences!

Post-canon... He's definitely not going to watch the same one three nights in a row. And not any that he has basically memorized, either. And maybe not the entire thing yet, maybe he has to leave closer to the beginning than the intermission a couple times. But!! Siffrin loves plays, he remembers that about himself, and even after everything, he can't help but love the familiar. So. He's working towards being able to be himself again.

Loop would rather get crushed by the king again than step foot in a theatre~!

[taeraeszn]

i started squealing to myself when i read where zb1 finds you accidentally falling asleep on their team member T^T

would it be possible to request zb1 patting your head/caressing your hair? i think that would be so cute.. thank you !!

when zb1 pats your head/caresses your hair

omg your so sweet anon!! thank you for the nice words about my reaction post <3 i seriously smiled so much reading your request!! and ofc i'll write it!!

warnings: food, cursing, and mention of fear. but nothing else from what i see, lmk if there is any i should add!

kim jiwoong

you haven't seen jiwoong in nearly a month due to the tour zb1 was currently having

you were so proud of him and how far he came, but god you just missed his presence so much. you often found yourself scrolling through old texts and looking back at the pictures you favourited of jiwoong

but what you didn't know was that jiwoong actually came back to seoul! he just wanted to surprise you since he figured just telling you was too boring

you were fast asleep on the couch after binge watching a k-drama on netflix. the door clicked open and jiwoong walked into this scene, immediately chuckling

"of course they were watching a k-drama..." he whispers to himself

he puts his bag down and makes his way towards you, he bends down to the ground level to get a closer look of your face

jiwoong then decides to leave a sweet kiss on your forehead <3 as well as caressing your hair softly

just then you wake up, sight still dizzy as you were deep in your sleep. as you looked around, you met eyes with your partner and immediately engulfed him into your arms

"JIWOONG!" you exclaimed, he gave you that iconic smirk and kissed you gently on the lips

"i missed seeing you." he said. your face was nuzzled into his neck, "me too..."

"i loved the tour but god i wanted to see you again." he mumbled

"i could say the same..."

rest of the members are under the cut!

zhang hao

"ugh why is this so hard?!" you yelled to yourself. you were attempting to cook something new for dinner, something that is a special dish in hao's home province of fujian

but unfortunately nothing seemed to work as you tried nearly every tip in the cookbook, you were growing extremely frustrated and were close to just giving up entirely on this dish and just ordering chicken instead

but just then you saw hao walk into your apartment, damn it, it was too late

"baobei?" he called out. you sighed and made your way towards him. he was hanging up his coat in the closet and noticed you when he turned around

"hi..." you greeted. he seemed excited and clasped his hands together, "so what's for dinner tonight?"

"yeah about dinner...it's..." before you could finish your sentence, hao walked into the mess that was the kitchen

there were plates and bowls everywhere, utensils thrown around, and just overall a mess

"care to explain why our kitchen looks like it's in shambles?" his face giving an extremely puzzled look

you shrugged, sitting on the dining room chair, "i dunno, i just wanted to make a dish from fujian just for you, i guess it didn't work out."

hao then smiled (YK WHICH ONE I'M TALKING ABOUT) and patted your head, pulling you into his arms

"baobei, i appreciate you doing this for me, i really do! but if it's giving you too much stress then we can make it together!"

your eyes lit up, "really?"

"absolutely, we're in this together right?"

sung hanbin

after a year of dating, you were finally getting ready to meet hanbin's parents. he had been waiting for this moment ever since you two first met, he knew you were his life partner and he wanted you to meet them

you on the other hand were extremely nervous and had trouble sleeping the entire night, continuously tossing and turning while worrying of every worst scenario possible

making a great first impression was very important to you, embarrassing yourself was your worst fear and the last thing you wanted to happen

the day you were going to meet them was nerve-wracking. hanbin noticed how you were fidgeting with your hands the whole drive there

when a red light halted his driving, he gently held your hand, he could tell from the look on your face that you were worried

"babe, don't be scared. my parents will love you." he reassured, caressing your hair

you sighed, "i'm not sure bin, i'm just so nervous because i want to make a good impression for them."

"and that's okay! you remember how i was acting when i had to meet yours? but it went fine. i've told my parents about you and they're so thrilled to finally see you. in fact, whenever i call them the first thing they ask me about is you!"

"seriously?" you asked, he nodded, "yes trust me baby, everything will be fine."

you took a deep breath in, "your right."

just then the lights turned green and before you knew it, you reached his parent's house

you had your bag in hand, it was full of gifts for his parents and sister as well as some food you had made for them

"ready?" you nodded and headed to the front doorstep, hanbin then rang the doorbell with you feeling less worried than before

seok matthew

you weren't sure how long you had been at your desk, continuously checking if you knew each definition and fact for your upcoming exam

this exam was huge and played a massive part in your final grade, the last you wanted to do was fail

you had your laptop open, notebook open, and pens scattered all over your desk

matthew sighed as he was sat on your bed, he wasn't expecting you to study for this long and was growing concerned over your health

he had also been there for hours and was excited to just spend time with you only for you to begin studying after informing him about your exam

he couldn't take seeing you like this and got up, the first thing he did was take the pen out of your hands and shut your laptop

"hey!" you said, when you made eye contact, he noticed that you eyes were bloodshot red

"you need to take a break." was all he said before picking you up bridal style and putting you down on the bed. he cuddled up right next to you and covered you two with the blanket

"matthew, i need to study."

"you can rest for today and study tomorrow, i just can't stand you pushing yourself this much and not prioritizing your health."

you noticed how matthew's expression darkened, you could tell that he was very worried

"i know..i think i've been so distressed about this exam that i haven't been thinking about myself."

matthew caressed your hair lightly and pressed his lips against your forehead, "don't think about it right now, forget about it."

you nodded, "thank you matt, i love you."

"i love you too."

kim taerae

"babe!" you heard taerae call out, you looked up from your book at saw your boyfriend at the front door

you haven't heard him call you babe in person for the last three days and it was a huge refresher hearing it again

your face immediately softened as you put your book down

taerae quickly pulled you into his arms, his grip being tight and not wanting to let go of you

for context it had been a few days since you'd seen taerae, he was busy filming a new show that required multiple days of shooting since it was outside of seoul

but taerae had been texting you everyday, sending you an update for everything the group did, as well as some handsome selfies you got to keep to yourself

"how was it in paju?" you asked, he giggled, "so fun! we went to the countryside and did some missions for money and just got to relax." seeing him talk about it this excited made you smile, but seeing taerae always made you smile

he noticed you were still reading the book you picked up the exact day he had to leave with his members

"oh how far are you in the book?" you showed him and he noticed that the bookmark you previously had was gone

"i finished it!" his eyes lit up

"that's great! i love seeing you do the things you love such as reading." he said then patting your head

your face was stuffed into his chest as you wrapped your arms around him, "and i love seeing you spending time with the other members. i'm so happy you got to debut..."

"me too."

shen ricky

"ready to go to bed love?" ricky asked, you were writing in your notebook and ricky was ready to fall asleep after your busy day together

you had a habit of writing inside your notebook. it became a regular thing after you randomly decided to one day and you didn't stop after that, the writing usually consisted of what you did during the day

ricky had always wanted to take you to his hometown of shanghai and when your schedule was empty, he thought it was a great idea

you were in the house that he grew up in and you two had just travelled around the beautiful city today

it's safe to say that you now have enough souvenirs to cover your entire room in, and of course the young and rich man offered to pay for everything despite you telling him that he didn't have to

just then you finished writing and closed the book, putting it on the side table, "yup."

ricky smiled, finally able to shut the lights off and cuddle up next to you in the comfy blanket

the room fell silent for a while until you spoke up again, "you know ricky, i just wanted to say thank you for showing me shanghai, i know how much you've been wanting to go."

he caressed your hair lightly, "of course! it's so nice to be back and i knew i had to bring you as well."

"you're amazing shen quanrui." he giggled after hearing you say his real name.

"so are you (name)." you looked at the cat man full of love then kissed his cheek softly

"so what's tomorrow going to be like?"

"hmm not sure, let's see wherever our minds take us."

kim gyuvin

"(name)! come here!" gyuvin shouted, you excused yourself from the conversation you were having with gunwook to see what your boyfriend was calling you for

"what is it?" you said, sitting next to him on the dorm floor, he began caressing your hair lightly and held your hand

"oh nothing i just wanted you to come near me." you rolled your eyes playfully

"y'know i was talking to gunwook about something really interesting." he side eyed you

"more than any conversation you've had with me?"

the little puppy pouted causing you laugh, "of course not."

yujin then joined you guys on the floor, he was observing gyuvin for a while in the kitchen and wanted to expose his hyung

"hey (name), you know that gyuvin hyung was staring at you for the last ten minutes every since you began talking with gunwook hyung?" gyuvin eyes immediately widen and denied this claim

"WHAT? no i wasn't!" you raised your brow

"really gyu?" he shrugged, "okay fine, yeah i'll admit i was staring for a bit."

"more like a lot" yujin rebutted.

gyuvin then nudged yujin playfully, "YOU STAY QUIET!"

yujin began chuckling and left the scene to go back into his room, you then turned to face your boyfriend

"it's cute seeing you jealous." you said, he nuzzled his face into your neck, "oh stop it.."

park gunwook

(sorry everything i do for the maknae line is school related, i don't really know what else to do for them 😭)

you and gunwook were sitting in the field together eating your homemade lunch, you weren't actually planning on even coming to school that day because you were sick

but nonetheless you still decided to because you had an exam today and couldn't miss it

gunwook was clearly worried as you kept coughing and sneezing, he even offered some medicine to you but you kindly refused since you had already taken some

"i think you should just go home now, (name)." he said, eyes filled with concerned

you shook your head, "no, no, i'm fine."

"no you're not. the whole exam period you were trying to hold in your coughs!"

"well yeah because i didn't want our classmates to be grossed out by me."

"don't worry, i can provide you notes for the other classes." for a minute you forgot that gunwook was the class president of your homeroom and realized that he was right

"you're right. i'll take the bus home." he patted your head gently, "make sure to have lots of fluids and medicine okay?"

"i will, don't worry. thank you for being there for me babe."

"i'm always here if you need me."

gunwook decided to walk to the nearby bus stop with you and he even held your hand the whole time while you were waiting for the bus to arrive

when it did arrive, you hugged him goodbye and headed home, ready to get a good rest

han yujin

you were coming home from the after school academy and didn't realize how dark it got outside

like it was pitch black outside and you could barely see anything ahead, it didn't help that you had a fear of darkness

so you turned your phone's flashlight on and began heading home

but after a few minutes you felt as if someone was walking behind you and began thinking of the worst

"who the fuck is that?" you whispered, stopping in your tracks

you somehow got yourself to point the light behind you to reveal... yujin?

yujin didn't go to the same academy as you so you were surprised to see your boyfriend there, he had a black hoodie on with some jeans

"what are you doing?" he chuckled

"oh i thought someone was following me, turns out it's just you."

"uh it's not just me, i'm your boyfriend."

"yeah yeah boyfriend." but you couldn't hide the fact that you were terrified to walk home

yujin sensed this and caressed your hair, "want me to walk home with you?"

you were so grateful that your boyfriend happened to be strolling around the area your academy was in

"yes, please, i'm so scared." you admitted. he held your hand and you two began walking together

"it's really not that dark, but i can understand why you might be scared." his voice didn't have a hint of fear in it, making you feel more safe around him

"thank you yujin." you hugged him

"let's head home hmm?"

[gingerylangylang1979]

Does Carmy die in the end? Don't hate me.

Ok @thoughtfulchaos773, here's the post.

I've been thinking for a while that Carmy may die in the finale. I may not be able to write this post as intelligently as it deserves but here it go.

You know how shows tend to end how they begin? The pilot begins with Carmy on a bridge with the bear in a cage. This is a dream and seems like a final showdown with his nemesis/alter ego. They are about to battle and then a car horn and swerving sound breaks the dream state and Carmy wakes up in his reality. We also get a scene of a body in a morgue. We assume it's Mikey but what if it's Carmy. We also hear voices from Micheal as if him and Carmy are in the same realm.

All throughout the show driving is a theme. It always seemed noteworthy to me because it's a show themed around cooking. Why is driving so important?

In "Hands" there is a lot of emphasis on who can drive and who can't. In "Dogs", there is confusion on where Cicero lives. Cicero later discusses a dream about Carmy's dad driving and what seems to imply Carmy is the little boy flying forever in the air. Sounds ominous. Syd names her catering company Sheridan Road. In season two Carmy and Claire make random trips out to the suburbs and needing a ride is central. Why do either of them really need a ride to do these errands? Donna crashes her car into the family home. Syd tells Richie to drive friends and family night.

Now back to it all coming full circle. There has been a lot of speculation of Carmy leaving for a different career or not. If we fully accept that he doesn't leave by choice, he could leave due to death. Why does everyone from the health inspector to Mr. Sirsky (sp?) confuse Carmy as the dead brother?

Carmy seems to be gradually handing the place over and disappearing but it doesn't seem to be conscious. That would make him seem suicidal like Mikey. But it's not that, he has no idea he's setting up his departure. He gives Tina the knife. His new whites have his initials in san serif white font, not the pronounced blue cursive, like he's a ghost. Syd's scenes parallel his as if she is meant to take over. He tells her it's her ship and I'll dial business you are everything else. Syd and Carmy are often shown in ethereal light, like Mikey looking back at Carmy in 1.8. Do they both pass on and Syd is the new hope/destiny?

And then, again there is the reference back to the pilot if this all comes true and full circle. Anybody who watched Six Feet Under gets it. I always found these two stories very similar. In the pilot Nate (Carmy) has an aneurysm. We kind of forget about it because the story shifts to him coming back home as the prodigal son and the whole family dealing with the death of the patriarch and the passing over of the family business. The brother who stayed (Richie) is resentful. He stayed. He didn't really want to be a mortician but it was how he stayed close to the family and tried to bond with the dad. The business is in shambles and they have to "change the chemistry" to make it work. A new talent (Sydney) comes in that makes it all better and offers a different perspective. I won't go into the entire plot but in the end what happens? Nate dies. Aneurysm. Full circle. This is often how shows end. There are often clues.

My theory is that somehow Cicero and his dad tie into some sort of trip to the suburbs. I honestly think Cicero is Carmy's real dad. I feel somehow this will come to light and he makes a trip to see one of them. Why was Carmy confused about where Cicero lives? I don't think that was a throwaway line.

Does Carmy die in a car accident in the suburbs?

I may have left out a few things but I dunno, thoughts?

[criminalamnesia]

hi how's it going?? can you write an angst fic with a fluff ending with ser harwin strong. where:

harwin is the reader's sworn protector

reader likes him but is yet to confess

rhaenyra beds Harwin despite knowing her sister's attraction towards the man

and like after seeing the birth and resemblance of the third child, Joffrey, to Harwin, the reader has had enough of the pain of seeing that the rumours and indeed true and that they are having an affair she kind of does what laena did and orders her dragon to kill her but was saved by ser criston

but then after that incident despite the care given towards her, she then shares her reason as to why she'd done it to ser criston which was later on heard by harwin and rhaenyra which has pained the both greatly.

which was soon revealed that is really was not unrequited love but the Harwin's fear of being rejected by the reader has blinded his love which became the reason of him bedding rhaenyra.

oh and harwin does try to tell reader his feelings and was cut by queen alicent but the reader did know what he was about to say so they like spent their time trying to gain eavh other's trust back

soooo i dunno if i want them to just be friends as the reader is still hurting after many years or to finally be a couple after many years of pain and longing, uhmmm uo to you iguess.

yesssss kind of a long description but that's what im thinking sooooo if you ever do this thank you OMG!!!

Strangers

warnings: angst, mentions of suicide, suicide attempt, not proofread, she/her pronouns used, no use of y/n

summary: harwin was with rhaenyra, and there was nothing you could do.

author’s note: hiiii so sorry it took me so long to get to this request; college has kept me busy and I haven’t had inspiration to write. this definitely isn’t my best but I just needed to get something out there to try and break through writers block. I hope this is what you wanted :))

“Princess,” the voice of a servant startles you out of your reading. You glance up, finger falling to the word you’d ended on to save your place.

“Yes?” You asked, cocking an eyebrow in curiosity.

The servant smiled, taking an excited step forward as they spoke again. “Your sister has just given birth. Another boy, they say. She requests your presence immediately.”

“Alright, thank you.” You inhaled deeply, giving a small nod. You moved your finger from the page and gently shut the book. The servant turned and left the room without another word.

Once alone again, you gripped the edge of your desk, knuckles turning white with the force. Rhaenyra’s had another boy with Laenor.

Or so that’s what she would like the keep to believe.

You took another deep breath, releasing the table and smoothing down your skirts. You abandoned your books as you made your way into the corridor. Unsurprisingly, your sworn protector was nowhere to be found.

You didn’t have to ask. You knew where he was, even if you really didn’t want to believe it. You desperately didn’t want to believe it.

Ever since he had been named your sworn protector years ago, you had been in love with Ser Harwin Strong. You had thought he felt the same way– catching stolen glances, subtle touches, longing gazes. But apparently, he hadn’t.

He had grown distant a year after Laenor and Rhaenyra’s wedding. You didn’t understand why. The pair of you had been close– even closer than you were with your own sister.

You had guessed it was because he knew you fancied him, and he didn’t feel the same way. He was trying to but space between the two of you and let you down slowly.

You almost hated him for it.

And then you heard the rumors begin to swirl around. Rhaenyra, bedding another. Harwin Strong, too often at her side.

Harwin missing from his post at your door, or by your side. Rhaenyra sneaking glances at him. Her giggling to you as she spoke of him– oblivious to the fact that you were in love with him.

But you couldn’t say anything– couldn’t confront the heir to the throne. You would ruin her. How could you do that to your sister?

So you sat and watched from afar as the rumors grew and Rhaenyra became pregnant. You had been there at the birth. The boy, a brown-haired beauty.

A coincidence, right? The pair of you had Baratheon ancestors. Perhaps the brown had come from them.

The second child– brown and curly haired.

You could hardly stand it.

And now, a third. You suspected this one would look just like the others.

You made your way to the King’s quarters, hands clasped tightly together in front of you. People nodded to you as you passed, but you paid them no mind.

As you ascended the stairs and rounded the corridor to your father’s rooms, you heard a distinct, snide remark from Alicent.

“Keep trying, Ser Laenor. Sooner or late you might get one that looks like you.”

You fought back a frown as you stepped into the room, plastering a smile on your face.

“Rhaenyra, I’ve just heard. Congratulations.”

Rhaenyra, who had been sitting in a plush chair, smiled up at you. The baby was in her arms, sleeping peacefully. Your father stood proudly behind her, his hand on her shoulder. Laenor gave you a nod before he slipped from the room. Alicent gave a small smile.

“Thank you, sister. Would you like to see?”

“Of course.” You moved towards her, reaching down and gently taking the child into your arms. You looked down at his sleeping face and resisted the urge to cry.

This one was an exact image of his father– Harwin. There was no denying it. The rumors– the painfully obvious rumors– were true.

You cleared your throat, eyes darting back to your sister. “What’s his name?”

“Joffrey,” she replied, giving a small smile.

“I’m sure Laenor is very happy,” you replied.

Rhaenyra nodded.

“As are… others.” You added quietly, earning a frown from your sister.

You held the baby back out to Rhaenyra, who carefully took him back into her arms. She looked up at you, brows furrowed in confusion, but you just shook your head.

“If you’ll excuse me, I’m to be at the dragon pit soon.”

“Of course.” Rhaenyra said, but you were already moving swiftly out of the room.

Once far enough away, a tear fell from your eyes. You quickly reached up and brushed it away, aware of the many eyes of the keep. You just had to keep it together until you got to your dragon.

“Princess, are you alright?”

A man called out to you as you passed, but you said nothing. You kept moving, almost jogging as you made your way to the dragon pit.

“Myrax,” you called as you stepped into the dark pit. None of the dragon handlers were to be found. That was for the best.

“Myrax,” you said again, moving towards where you knew her enclosure to be. The darkness of the pit almost felt comforting to you as you made your way to your dragon.

As you entered the large room, you spotted your dragon sleeping soundly. She was curled up on the ground, her breaths coming out in quiet huffs.

You smiled, your pain momentarily forgotten. Your dragon would always bring comfort to you. You moved forward, reaching a hand out to caress her snout.

“Myrax, wake up,” you spoke softly, gently rubbing the dragon’s scales.

Myrax’s eyes blinked open, the large yellow pupils staring right at you. You gave her a small smile, retracting your hand as the dragon rose and stretched.

“I’m not here for a ride, Myrax. I need you to do something for me,” you told her, watching as she looked down at you curiously.

You inhaled shakily, clenching your hands into fists at your sides. You almost couldn’t believe you were doing this.

Your eyes shut tightly, trying to work up the courage. Tears pushed past, flowing freely down your cheeks now. The dragon nudged you with her snout, giving a soft whine.

You almost didn’t want to leave her– it was a horrible thing, to break a dragon’s bond. But you could stand this no longer.

Constantly in Rhaenyra’s shadow. Having to watch from afar as she took the man you loved, as she had children with him, started a family with him. As she laughed with him and pulled him farther and farther away.

As she stole not only the man you loved, but your best friend.

You opened your eyes, taking in a steadying breath.

“Dracarys, Myrax.”

The dragon huffed loudly, her head moving back and away from you. You looked her in the eyes, silently pleading with her.

“Please, Myrax. Dracarys.”

The dragon whined loudly. You shook your head.

“Myrax, please do this for me. Dracarys, please. Dracarys.” You were sobbing, struggling to see the dragon through the tears in your eyes.

The dragon watched you for a moment longer, as if deciding, before reading back, opening her fanged mouth, and–

“No!”

Just as the dragon’s fire left her mouth, a body was tackling you out of the way.

“Princess, what are you doing?!” It was a man’s voice. The one who had spoken to you on your way here. He must have followed you.

He pulled you up from the ground, looking at you with concern. He held your arm tightly– but not enough to hurt. Just enough to be reassuring.

You blinked through your tears, finally able to see the man who had stupidly risked his life to save you.

Criston Cole.

“Why did you do that?” You asked him, pulling your arm from his grasp. He let you without a fight.

“Why did I stop you from killing yourself?” He gave a disbelieving huff, his brows furrowed. “Are you mad?”

“What do you even care?” You spat back, stepping around him and making your way back to Myrax. The dragon had lowered her head again, watching closely. “You hate my family.”

“I do not hate your family, Princess,” he said, which you gave a dry laugh to.

“Oh, alright. Whatever you say.” You reached out to your dragon once more, smoothing a hand down her neck.

“You have always been kind to me. We were friends. I still hold love for you in my heart,” he told you, slowly approaching you as if he was scared he might run you off.

“Besides, you and I share certain… animosities.” He added quietly, and you dropped your hand from your dragon.

He was talking about Rhaenyra.

You turned to face him. He was watching you intently.

“I do not hate my sister,” you said.

“Did I say that?” He replied.

You huffed, moving towards the exit. He stopped you, his hand shooting out to wrap around your wrist.

“Why did you do it?”

You didn’t say anything for a moment. You didn’t owe him any explanations. But he was right– you were friends, once. You were almost as close as he and Rhaenyra had been, before her wedding had happened.

He had kept his distance since then, but you remained civil with him, as he to you.

So that’s why you found yourself suddenly telling him this.

“The child. It’s Harwin’s, I know it. The others, too. I’m tired, Criston. I– he was my closest friend, my sworn protector. You remember? I thought he fancied me, as I did him, but he–”

You stopped yourself, shaking your head. “It doesn’t matter. None of it does. I was just tired, and making a mistake, and you saved me. So, thank you. But all is well now, and I’m going back to my chambers.”

He didn’t try to stop you again. He watched you go in silence, the gears in his mind turning.

—

The news of what had happened in the dragon pit reached the ears of Rhaenyra and Harwin only hours later. They had been sitting in Rhaenyra’s rooms when the man walked by, speaking too loudly to be a coincidence about what had occurred.

Rhaenyra and Harwin had shared a glance, and without another word, Harwin was moving out of the room and heading straight for your quarters.

When he reached the door, it was ajar. You were sitting at your desk, nose deep in a book. You didn’t look up as the door creaked open wider.

“Oh, thank you Lyla. I appreciate you getting me the tea–”

You looked up then, your words stopping at once. The presence beside you had not been your handmaiden, but Harwin Strong.

“What are you doing here?” You asked him, quickly turning back to your book. You hadn’t spoken to him in days– there was no reason he should be here. Especially now that his third son had been born.

“I heard about the dragon pit,” he said.

You didn’t look up, but your heart skipped a beat. How had he heard about that?

“You don’t know anything,” you told him, playing it off as you tried to go back to reading your book.

His hand came down to gently rest on your shoulder, and you stiffened.

“I know what happened, Princess. And I know why.”

You sat there, suddenly frozen. Who had told him? Criston? Criston hated him, why would he–

“You know nothing,” you said again, moving to close your book.

“Princess, please,” he said, his voice full of worry. His hand moved from your shoulder to your chin, gently taking it to make you look at his face. “I know.”

You took a deep breath. You didn’t want to have this conversation with him. You didn’t want to even look at him, in this moment. You didn’t want his pity, his comforting words. You wanted none of it.

“Leave, Ser Harwin.” You told him. The man didn’t move.

“Leave.” You said again, sterner this time. You pushed his hand away from your face. He still didn’t move.

You were standing now, pushing at his chest. “I said leave! Go!”

He still didn’t budge– just looked down at you with worry and hurt.

“Get out! Harwin, leave!” You cried, hitting his chest. You hands clanged harmlessly on his armor.

He took your wrists into his hands and pulled you into his chest. You sobbed freely now, giving in to the gesture. There was nothing you could do to make him leave. He had always been stubborn.

“I’m sorry, Princess. I- I didn’t know.” He was speaking to you softly as he held you close. “You didn’t say anything, and Rhaenyra was there, and I– I didn’t know.”

You sniffled, shutting your eyes tightly. Harwin released your wrists to wrap his arms around your middle. You didn’t reject the embrace.

“I’m sorry,” he said again, and you knew he meant it.

“This can’t be fixed,” you told him. He nodded, sighing sadly.

“I know,” he whispered. “But I’d like to try.”

You said nothing for a moment, swallowing down the rest of your tears, before slowly nodding.

“You can try.”

[saytrrose]

Someone reblogged your Kinger and Queenie comic and I saw your reblog on curious anons, so here I am.

Anyways, dunno if ya have done this before but ya got headcanons on Kinger's relationships with everyone on TADC?

Like, besties with someone in specific, we get along even if he doesn't know we get along, that kind of stuff.

Ooh!! I really love this question eee

Kinger Headcanons! With.. EVERYONE! (Im including the abstracted characters, they are so so silly in my brain rn and i have a strong perception of them)

—————

Queenie:

- Queenie and him started out with a mutual.. dislike? Dislike from Queenies side, and general uncomfort from Kingers side.

- From the start their relationship was more so small bickering, mutual pining even, They both possess a sarcastic side to them, (I personally believe before Kinger went crazy that he used to be rather analytical and in control, a lot smarter yk.)

- They both were constantly compared for their likeness, which of course gave them a sense of need to.. prove themselves better? To stand out? Saw eachother as an obstacle until FINALLY they tried actually having a conversation.

- Their relationship dynamic is very much golden retriever x black cat.

- Once they actually were in a relationship, Queenie definitely keeps her sassy personality but she’s very soft spoken around Kinger.

- Kinger also changes, they act more differently around eachother than anyone else. Their general idea of “we are different” changes to “we are the only ones that truly understand one another”

- Oh they bickered SO MUCH it’s so silly, Queenie loves to tease, seem like she has a large ego but in private around just him she’s very very vulnerable and relies on him for comfort. She doesn’t feel like she needs to act a specific way around him or ever get really defensive.

- Kingers personality doesn’t change as much as Queenies does around people, however he does lean into feeling more vulnerable around her as well. He tries to seem calm and mostly friendly, but in private with just her he feels like he can actually rant and get emotional.

—————

Wriggle:

- Kinger and Wriggle have a very funny dynamic, as Wriggle is Queenies “best friend is the whole wide world” (quoted by Wriggle, not Queenie)

-They often like to wriggle in between Kinger and Queenie, (hahaha look at me I’m so funny I love puns please don’t unfollow me) they are bit clingy towards Queenie which Kinger doesn’t particularly mind in the slightest.

- Putting Queenie aside, those two I’d say are good friends too. Wriggle loves to ramble on and on to Kinger about things they enjoy or made or did- the list is endless and it’s usually Kinger when it comes to this because atleast Kinger looks like he’s paying attention, whereas Queenie has that.. blank stare.. (autism, your honor)

- Think of Wriggle as a wingman also, They know Queenie well, and things she wouldn’t tell Kinger? Thats Wriggles job. For example, Queenie talks about how it’d be cute to receive flowers but doesn’t want to outright ask for them, Wriggle goes to Kinger and keeps jabbing him in the side with their tail until his attention is gained, and tells him “you know what you should do!!” you get what happens fr

- The wingman job was specifically asked of by Kinger, to which Wriggle, being the snooty little “hmmm idk if I like you enough” worm they are.. obviously decides not to share Queenies private words. (I’m still deciding if Kinger persuaded Wriggle into the idea that it’d make Queenie happier in the long run or if he just dropped to his knees like PLEASEPLEASEOLEAZEPLEASE-)

—————

Slinky:

- Slinky and Kinger have a good relationship, they aren’t really friends that hang out on their own time, but if they are ever in a group then they’d interact.

- Slinky loves to knit and crochet, and she made a task to knit everyone a tiny plush to have. She gave Kinger a tiny stag beetle plush, and he adores it so much, it’s right on his bed. ☠️ (perhaps I could make another post listing all the plushies Slinky made for everyone but idkkk only if it’s inquired about)

- They are the two shyest? Of the whole group, not inherently shy but the most quiet unless spoken to and definitely most anxiety filled. They have an unspoken code of certain looks they give eachother that they can instantly understand.

- In Kingers full honesty, if he was given the chance to choose a person to be in his team for an adventure and Queenie was taken, he’d choose Slinky. She’s just a very patient individual and he thinks he goes well with someone like that.

—————

Kaufmo:

- Their friendship is like trying to combine oil and water.. they don’t mix easily… They have respect for one another, an extent of it and Kinger probably has more than Kaufmo but they have very different conflicting personalities.

- Kaufmo is prickly and pessimistic most of the time, however I do want to think around Kinger he hold back a little. These two ended up being the last of the old cast, they’ve been through alot together…

- Kaufmo hates lovey dovey stuff, god forbid Kinger even rests a hand on Queenies side or something- he WILL point it out like a toddler grossed out by seeing their parents kiss.

- I think after Queenie abstracts it really changes. I want to assume that is when Kinger finally fully lost every marble he was hanging onto and Kaufmo.. well he realized how much he really missed those two together.

- Post Queenie, I think their relationship evolves from annoyance to much more understanding, not knowing eachother too personally as one would hope, given their circumstances but they would still go out of their way for a quick “are you okay?”

—————

Peepo:

- Peepo is a super sweet guy, and I’d say he was a good acquaintance of Kingers just for the fact there wasn’t too many guys and they were both very friendly.

- Peepo was the first to arrive of this old group, so he was much like in Kingers place with the current crew. However he’s not crazy because this is likely to beginning of when people started to get trapped in the game still, and not too much time had even passed. Aka, more people were entering than abstracting most definitely.

- Anyway, to touch up on the above one, because of this he has a sort of natural leadership over everyone, people seem to seek him out on information about the world just because he’s been there the longest. This includes Kinger! To Peepo, if he needed a right hand man he actually really relied on Kinger.

- There’s a small place by the digital lake that no one knows about except Peepo. When the sun starts to set he almost always likes to just.. go outside the tent and walk to it, and the only person he ended up showing was Kinger. It became sort of a spot for just them to talk, which is likely what made them closer. Kinger later would use this exact spot to ask Queenie out…Jumping to canon, the only person who knows of the spot now is Kinger, and he often goes there to seclude himself.

—————

Moppsy:

- Even though I put her here, I can’t really come up with anything! I use Moppsy as the first abstraction Kinger would witness, and likely didn’t really know her or have a relationship with her. Putting her here to include this though!

—————

Pomni:

- Woo!! Og cast now!! I think Pomni and Kinger will get along well given time. While Kinger is certainly.. eclectic in his personality at this point in his stay in the circus, I think Pomni would be comfortable talking to him about things more than Jax or Zooble, who knows! Just based on what I know from the pilot.

- Kinger used to invite anyone and everyone into the pillow forts he made, but once majority of the old cast abstracted I’d assume he stopped completely, instead using it as his own safe haven. However, Pomni is the first one that he very awkwardly asks if she would like to come inside, which leads to him feeling more inclined and comfortable to invite the others.

- Kinger notices and thinks Pomni is very different than the others, anyone he’s known so far infact and he probably outright tells her this because he lacks the ability to really filter his thoughts anymore. She doesn’t quite understand the nonsense he babbles out about it, but in the series if Pomni finds the exit or changes the circus for the better or WHATEVER goes on as she’s the protagonist, I’m just gonna say Kinger had a gut feeling from the start.

- Pomni seems to care the most when Kinger wants to show someone a bug, and that can be left up to the interpretation that the others just got tired of him doing it all the time and Pomnis not used to it yet, or she genuinely just tries to nod along and it makes him very happy to get a response.

—————

Ragatha:

- I think during the whole old cast abstracting and being replaced, if we look at the lineup of how everyone entered, I think Ragatha was the only one to actually know Queenie. Atleast see in person for a while, perhaps.

- I think those two would have gotten along SOOO well but!! This is about Kinger,, and I think Kinger and Ragatha also get along very well. She reminds him of Slinky…

- They both know they don’t talk or vent about their own problems at all, atleast anymore for Kinger. They are both bad at keeping it bottled up inside and while they both understand this about eachother, they don’t pry.

- If anything they have tea together often, and only they know alot about tea and really really enjoy it so it’s like their own bonding thing in a way.

- Ragatha came out to him first as a lesbian for some interesting strange reason, though if we follow my beloved trans Queenie hc I like to apply to things sometimes then she likely did it because she knows Kinger isn’t judgmental on lgbt topics.

—————

Zooble:

- I enjoy thinking of Zooble as an angsty teenage child compared to Kingers senile old dad energy

- I think in Kingers eyes they seem to get along a little bit but he’s just a tad intimidated. In Zoobles eyes they wouldn’t let anyone know how much they really like Kinger, afterall he’s nothing but sweet when being spoken with. It’s a nice break from.. Jax or Caine, even the others who are very emotional. Yes they can be kind too, but it’s like you don’t have to try with Kinger because he’s so finicky that he doesn’t remember every detail of your interaction to judge you on it anymore.

- I like to think whenever Kinger needs help with something Zooble lets out a dramatic sigh and goes to help him (no one asked them to and anyone else could’ve volunteered but okay Zoob we know you just genuinely like his company)

- Zooble gave him a weighted blanket as a gift to include in his pillow forts once and he had a panic attack while under it once because he couldn’t move (he loves it so so much I promise)

- Again hhh Dad Daughter vibe I really enjoy it I think Queenie would’ve adored Zooble like a mother too plsplsplsolsolsols

—————

Jax:

- Jax would call Kinger a boomer a lot and it stresses Kinger out so much because he doesn’t know what it means and when he asked Zooble to explain it to him they convinced him it was slur and so Kinger got Caine to censor the word boomer

- Kinger is like genuinely terrified of Jax and how much of a menace he is, he’s never known anyone that acts like this mf its insane

- Kinger does infact has some pet bugs in a large terrarium in his room and because Jax has keys to everyone’s rooms he with steal Kingers bugs (an example, the centipede he put in Ragathas room? Probably Kingers..)

- Kinger honestly tries his best to avoid Jax hhshs

—————

Gangle:

- Kinger is probably the closest to Gangle of everyone in the current cast.

- Gangle likes to draw and write and ramble and everything to Kinger, even when she has her tragedy mask on, he seems to cheer her up a little just by hanging out near her. Kinger really enjoys it.

- When Gangle does have her happy mask on, it irks something inside Kinger. She really reminds him of Wriggle. And he was much closer to Wriggle than Slinky so.. it bothers him a bit unlike Ragatha being similar to Slinky in few ways.

- She introduced him to anime and while she has a giant ass list of ones she enjoys he’s.. just quite fixated on ghibli movies… he finds them neat.

- They are.. autism buddies.. More so it’s well aware with everyone that Kinger is diagnosed with Autism but Gangle isn’t diagnosed, and Kinger is the only one staring HARD like “hhh ik what you are” fr fr anyway because I hc them both as autistic that’s another reason they tend to group together and get along more.

[wubbowrites]

signs

Fandom: Sonic the Hedgehog

Relationship: Sonic/Shadow

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Warnings: Minor swearing (in sign language)

AO3 Link

Sonic discovers that Shadow was taught sign language during his time on the ARK.

Written for Sonadow Week hosted by @starlightzonee on Twitter. Uses the prompt, “Silence”.

(A/N: This was originally posted in December 2021 for a Sonadow week I found on Twitter! I remembered that back then, someone had posted a rec of it on Tumblr that got some notes, so I decided I’d cross post it myself if people here liked it ^_^ Not sure how many other older fics I’ll post here, we’ll see how I feel)

(ALSO the method of writing the sign language here is describing the hand motions. Translations of them are at the end of the fic)

As Shadow complained about his last mission with Rouge, Sonic noticed his hand motions.

It was unusual for Shadow to be so expressive when he spoke…At least, Sonic thought it was. It was only recently that the two became close enough to have casual conversations like this. Sonic wondered: Did he always move his hands this much when he talked with Rouge and Omega, for example? Did he only do it when he was frustrated like this, or did he do it during other heightened emotions too? Why did the motions seem so…specific? Practiced?

It suddenly clicked.

“Shadow?”

Shadow bristled at being interrupted. “What?”

“Do you…know sign language?”

He blinked. “Where did that come from?”

“You’ve been moving your hands around this whole time! I thought it was- Wait, did you not even notice?” Sonic asked.

Shadow looked down at his hands. He shook them a bit, pointedly avoiding eye contact all of a sudden. “I…suppose I didn’t. Yes, I know some sign language.”

This caught Sonic off guard. “Huh! When did you pick that up?”

“I learned it on the ARK.” He paused, waiting for a sign that he could leave it at that. When Sonic kept watching with expectant eyes, Shadow tensed some more and pressed on. “At times, when testing got particularly stressful, Maria would have nonverbal moments. She found it easier to communicate in these moments with sign language rather than writing or typing, so some of the scientists learned it to communicate with her better. Then when I was created, they taught it to me as well. Signing while speaking was an easy way to practice…but it seems the habit didn’t go away,” Shadow said.

Sonic grinned. “Teach me.”

“Excuse me?”

“Teach me some! Teach me some sign language! Even just a couple words, c’mon!”

“Why do you want this so badly all of a sudden? None of your friends know any, do they?”

“Our friends, you mean,” Sonic said. Shadow rolled his eyes. “And, well, no, they don’t. But like, it’d still be useful! Every once in awhile, I end up saving someone that can’t hear or can’t speak. Doesn’t happen too often, and I think I’ve done an okay job finding ways to communicate with ‘em, but it’d sure be easier if I knew some basics! Besides, it could be like a secret code if we’re around people that don’t know it!”

Shadow sighed. “Alright. The first answer I understand. But what use would we have for a secret code? There’s nothing I would have to say to you that I can’t just say aloud.”

“I dunno! Maybe for stealth missions?”

“Please. Your hopeless with stealth. A secret code isn’t nearly enough to save you.”

Sonic glared as Shadow huffed out a laugh. “Whatever! Maybe I do have secret things I would tell you! You’ll never know until we do it.”

Shadow sighed. He thought for a moment. Then, he decided: “Alright. I’ll teach you some. But for the record, your weak attempt at piquing my curiosity did not affect my decision.”

“Alright!” Sonic exclaimed as he pumped his fist in the air. “So…How do we do this?”

“Well…Perhaps the alphabet would be a good place to start.”

—

Slowly, over time, the other mobians began to notice the hand motions Sonic and Shadow would point at each other. It wasn’t often enough to be obvious. It was just something they did every so often. There were indeed a few times they would be battling Eggman together and would send each other a sign that the villain didn’t understand. Or they would happen across each other, and Sonic would smirk and swipe his finger under his nose. Shadow would reply back with a scowl, and he’d curl his index finger and thumb into a circle. Then Sonic would laugh and they’d go about their days and Tails and Rouge would be at their sides wondering what in the world was going on.

Frankly, though, a lot of Sonic and Shadow’s friends were pleased by the development, if only because it cut down on the loud arguing and boasting the two would get into.

—

On a clear, cool evening, Amy hosted a barbecue. Teams Sonic and Rose were invited, along with Rouge, who dragged her two boys with her. Everyone scattered throughout Amy’s yard. Amy herself stood at the grill with Knuckles, the two making food together. Shadow and Rouge sat at one picnic table just chatting amongst themselves, Omega standing beside them. Sonic and Tails sat at a second table a few feet away. Sonic watched over Tails’s shoulder as he played a game on his handheld console. Cream and Big had a blanket laid out that they shared, along with Cheese and Froggy of course. Everyone was relaxing in their own ways. It was already a lovely time.

Big couldn’t help but notice it when Sonic began to steal glances at Shadow. Big wasn’t always the most observant, but he was quiet. And being the fisherman he was, he could be very focused when he wanted to. For some reason, that focus fell on Sonic. The blue blur’s hands fidgeted as he tried to silently get the other hedgehog’s attention. Shadow was too distracted by one of Rouge’s stories to turn his head.

Eventually though, Shadow noticed. He stared at Sonic with a cocked eyebrow.

Sonic grinned back. He pointed to Shadow. He brushed his index and middle fingers down against his chin. Shadow kept staring as if expecting Sonic to take it back. After a second, Sonic chuckled and did it again.

Big had never seen Shadow blush before that moment. It was only the tiniest bit. He gave Sonic the middle finger and quickly turned away. He hid it as fast as he could. Nobody else seemed to have been watching anyway. But Big saw.

“Aw.”

Cream looked up at him. “What is it, Mr. Big?”

“Sonic and Shadow are really sweet.”

“Hm?” Cream looked up. The two were back to what they were doing before, not even facing each other. “What were they doing?”

“Sonic just gave him a nice compliment. But I don’t think anyone else knew it.“

Cream smiled. “Oh! That makes sense! Mr. Sonic is very kind! But…” She scratched her chin, suddenly rethinking. “I thought they didn’t like each other as much.”

“They must have made up,” Big said cheerfully. “That’s nice.”

“I guess so!” Cream nodded. “I’m glad we can all be good friends then!”

“Mhm.”

Froggy croaked and began hopping away. Big watched him go down the yard. He slowly rocked onto his feet and followed close behind. And with him suddenly leaving, so too did the secret message between Sonic and Shadow.

—

Translations of the ASL. I did my best to research these, but please let me know if something isn’t right! I’ll happily edit in corrections ^_^

“Sonic would smirk and swipe his finger under his nose” = fake, meant to invoke “faker”

“he’d curl his index finger and thumb into a circle” = asshole

“He pointed to Shadow. He brushed his index and middle fingers down against his chin.” = you’re cute

[what-the-dark-has-foretold]

Hello again!! I was wondering... if you have the time, could you make a post about which type of yandere Akai and Furuya would be? I kind of already think it might be a little ooc for them, but just a small what if that was at the back of my mind. Honestly, I kind of think Furuya would be a more of a Harmless yandere. I dunno about Akai, though... I kind of think they'd be possessive 100% of course, a little more than normal. But that's all I think. Also, hope you're doing well :)

Ooooh I actually never thought about them as yanderes, but this had me wondering immediately. I do think Furuya would be relatively harmless - he wouldn't hurt you, however, he would still be slightly delusional: he does stalk you (although not typically following you, unless he knows you'll be out late and he'll make extra sure you won't notice and get scared - he just wants to make sure nothing happens to you). Usually he keeps tabs on you through trackers and cameras (but not intruding in your intimate moments - he is still a gentleman). The furthest he would go violence-wise would be killing someone who has seriously harmed you. It's a bit weird. He has his moral code - and yet is delusional enough to believe obsessively tracking you is a crime that is alright to commit. He is, most likely, however aware that it is a crime. It's a weird mix of awareness and delusional. A relationship would still include the stalking (or him being overbearingly worried), but other than that "relatively" normal. (If you could say thay)

Akai is very much aware and doesn't care. But, lucky for you, he doesn't really have the time/is too emotionally distant to actually "commit". Compared to Furuya, he is more likely to go the kidnapping route, but that is still more of a fancy of his than anything he would actually do. Where would he put you? He's often away - who would feed you? He keeps tabs on you, but doesn't check on you obsessively like Furuya. It's more like a...nice evening activity, if he has the time. Sitting on the couch or his desk with a bourbon, just watching you - or even just a dot on his phone - move around.

While Furuya might seriously try and integrate himself into your life, Akai would be more like a looming shadow you'll never (and I mean never) know about. Because he'll most likely never reveal himself. He treats it like a passing fancy or a nice hobby to pass the bit of free time he has - kind of like how some think about getting a pet even though they travel a lot.

In a relationship with Akai he honestly doesn't go incredibly overboard. He still treats the stalking etc. as more of a hobby. Maybe there's a bit of an intimidating vibe emanating from him - at least other ppl will tell you that - but he (seems to) treat you pretty well. He's amused by you and your behaviours and reactions; seeing you perhaps a little bit as a pet here and there, but other than that he's a..."decent" bf.

[custardcrazy]

sugar, sugar

summary: You’re Ted’s history tutor. After a study session in the library, he offers to buy you a slushie to thank you for your help - things happen from there. (gn!reader) 

wordcount: 2.2k 

A/N: please forgive me for somewhat ridiculous pacing on this one. also, my requests are open for bill and ted!!  (please help i’ve been stuck in writer’s block for god knows how long. also i love them) 

“And who’s the patron saint of France?” You asked, showing the notecard to Ted. 

It was after school on a Friday, so hardly any other students were still in the building. The librarian had vacated her post a good hour ago - you weren’t sure if that was allowed, but she hadn’t returned thus far. The only other people- or, person - in the library was one kid in the corner, poring over a ridiculously thick book.

Ted took a moment, face scrunching up a little as he thought over your question. “Uhh,” he began, “is it Joan of Arc?” His brow furrowed as he absentmindedly brushed some of his hair out of his face. He didn’t sound sure of himself in the slightest. “I dunno, dude. Or is it Napoleon?”

“Joan of Arc,” you corrected gently, giving him an encouraging smile as you showed him the answer. “That’s six in a row, Ted. You’ve really improved!” 

Since you were one of the top students in the honors-level class, Mr. Ryan had basically forced you to help out Ted with his studies. Things had been awkward at first, as you hadn’t thought much of him, having heard less-than-flattering things from your fellow honors students about him and his friend Bill. But Ted, being himself, had quickly endeared himself to you, and you could gladly consider yourself friends with him now. You’d met Bill a few times as well, but since he was being tutored by somebody else, you didn’t get to see him as often as Ted. 

At your compliment, Ted tilted his head downwards, hiding beneath his bangs in a move that could only be described as bashful. “Thanks, dude.” 

Amused, you shuffled through the cards again. “No problem. Just one more to go, don’t space out on me just yet.” 

“ ‘Kay,” he answered meekly, looking as if he was attempting to regain his composure. Though, as he peeked at you, you could still tell that his face was a bit pink. He was pretty much an open book; even if he tried to hide his feelings, anyone with basic knowledge of human emotion could tell what he was thinking. It was kind of refreshing, actually. And also kind of cute. 

“Alright.” You dispayed another card to him. “Who was the creator of the Mongol Empire?” 

This time, Ted brightened up. “Oh! I know this one, it’s easy.” The embarrassed look was gone in an instant, replaced by a grin. “Genghis Khan, right?” 

Flipping the card over, you nodded. “Yeah, that’s it! Nice work.” 

Seemingly happy at his small victory, Ted’s smile persisted. You couldn’t help but return it; his attitude was contagious. Brown eyes met yours, crinkled up at the corners. And abruptly, time seemed to still. 

You were aware that Ted wasn’t exactly ugly, but. Had you actually looked closely before? Not like this. He was kind of -- 

pretty?

Wait, since when had you -- 

“That’s all for today,” you said, after a beat. You focused your attention down at the table, suddenly feeling self-conscious, as if he could read your thoughts. “Like I said -- you’ve improved a lot, Ted. I think you’ll do alright on the final, at least.” Aware of the fact that you were speaking just to hide your own increasing awkwardness, you began to clean up your notes, paper rustling as you did so. 

“You really think so, dude?” Ted beamed, and you could practically hear the smile in his voice, even though you weren’t looking at him anymore. (But you wanted to.) 

“Maybe I won’t flunk after all! That would be totally mortifying, after all the effort you’ve put into helping me out, dude.” He was so genuine, as always, but it somehow felt more special now. Of all times. “Thanks again, dude.” 

“It’s no big deal,” you insisted, tucking your stuff into your bag before closing it. Finally, you glanced at him -- his eyes had been on you the entire time. “You’re not nearly as bad as some of the guys on the football team, y’know. One of my friends got stuck with one of ‘em.” You lowered your voice as if you were telling him a painful secret. “This guy in particular has terrible hygiene.” 

“Bogus.” Ted made a face. “I seriously hope that your friend is okay. That sounds odious, having to deal with unsanitary sports dudes.” 

“Oh, I’ve heard enough to know how it is.” Standing up, you swung your bag over your shoulder, before pushing in your chair. Mostly on reflex. You shivered to remember being yelled at for forgetting to ‘leave everything as you found it’... Maybe it was a good thing that the librarian was conveniently absent. 

Ted did the same, and you walked side-by-side out of the library. 

It was perfect outside, and the parking lot was pretty much empty. You checked your watch - 4:30 PM. Ted stilled next to you, and you looked over, meeting his eyes.

“Well,” you said, somewhat stiffly. “We actually ended a bit earlier than usual. Did you study on your own time?” You didn’t say it out loud, as it would probably come off as rude, but your expectations were pretty low when it came to Ted. He was a hard worker when he wanted to be, sure, but that was hardly ever. Most of his brain was occupied by Led Zeppelin and various other bands. Which was delightful, but not when trying to get him to memorize other things. 

The boy shifted where he stood, looking sheepish. “..Maybe a little,” he answered. “The flashcards you gave me really helped, dude. The little drawings on the back, too. The stuff you said about me being a ‘seeing learner’ was right, I think.” 

Huh. He actually studied? “Oh, I thought so -- wait.” You looked at him quizzically. “ ‘Seeing learner’?” 

“You know, uh.” Ted floundered for a moment. “Like, um, learning stuff faster if I see, like, pictures of them? I think?” 

It took you a second to figure it out, but then it clicked. “Oh. Ted, that’s a ‘visual learner’.” 

“Oh,” he said. “Yeah, that.” 

You couldn’t help but snort, which somehow seemed to bring a smile to his face - the reason why being unknown to you. “Right. Keep it up, then. Like I said, I’m pretty sure you’ll pass the final, as long as you have a general idea of what the historical figures did.” You’d already informed him that basically paraphrasing the textbook would probably work, as long as he loosely stuck to the theme. 

Ted nodded, his shoulders bobbing with the movement. “Stellar.” 

“So, uh, you heading home now?” He asked, shy once more. 

“Probably.” You shrugged. “It’s not like I have anything else to do.” 

“Then,” he said, and you quickly took notice of how he was beginning to rush his words. “Do you wanna -- I mean, if it’s okay with you -- I can buy you, like, a slushie or something? At the Circle K?” You opened your mouth to answer, but he kept talking. “If -- if it’s okay with you, dude. Even if you are acting most indifferent about helping me out, I wanna, like. Thank you properly.” 

... You had to admit, you were kind of touched. 

Also, did your heart just skip a beat? What was going on? 

“Sure, if you’re offering,” you said, mentally patting yourself on the back for how nonchalant you sounded, despite the fact that you were also really confused at the same time. 

“Excellent,” he replied, pretty much instantly perking up. If you had to describe Ted in as few words as possible, you’d probably call him a golden retriever. Was that degrading, though? “Let’s go, then! The walk isn’t far, I go from here to there with Bill all the time.” 

Ted ambled off, and you followed after him. 

-- 

As he’d said, the walk wasn’t long, and before long, you were sitting outside the Circle K, on the curb. Ted had paid for both of your slushies, and though he hadn’t mentioned it, you were flattered that he did, despite the fact that he didn’t exactly have a lot of money to his name. 

The way that he’d frantically rustled through his pockets for a five-dollar bill said it all. 

The plastic of your drink was cool against your hands, and you took a sip from the straw. You’d picked your favorite flavor to be safe, as you hadn’t had a slushie for a decent while - but you still enjoyed it all the same, thankfully. On the other hand, Ted had chosen a mixture of flavors that you still weren’t sure if they were safe to combine. 

“Is that edible?” You asked him, after taking another sip from your drink, and gesturing to his. 

“Sure is, dude,” he proclaimed proudly. “After loads of experimentation, I believe that I have found a magnificent combination of slushie flavors.” He smiled at you brightly. “It took all of last summer! Bill still thinks that it tastes gross, though.” 

“Huh.” You couldn’t even remember what he’d put in it. “Mind if I try, then? To see if Bill’s right.” Also, to sate your own curiosity. You weren’t quite sure if Ted’s slushie was radioactive, but even if it was, there was the chance that it was as good as he said it was. Even if the chance itself was slight. “You can have some of mine, too. Fair trade.” 

He gave you one of his jerky nods, and you exchanged slushies. 

You hesitated a little, before trying his. 

It... 

It wasn’t half-bad, actually. Maybe you could even call it good. 

You turned to face him to say so, about to give the drink back to its rightful owner. But you found him, just. Looking at you, like he had while you were talking back in the school library. He was still holding your slushie up, as if he’d just taken a sip from it. 

“What?” You asked. “Do you really hate that flavor or something?” 

Your voice seemed to snap him out of whatever reverie he had been held in, and he shook his head, dark hair flopping around. “Nah, it’s not that, dude, I just --” A pause, in which you waited for him to continue, now feeling somewhat apprehensive. 

“I just realized, like. Sharing the drinks and all...,” He trailed off, and okay, he was going red, you realized. “Sorry, it’s stupid.” 

“What, are you sick?” You urged, now more worried than anything, moving to give the slushie back to him. “Hey, it’s alright, just --” 

“It’s not that either! Like I said, it’s dumb!” Ted interrupted, and now you were officially confused. It probably showed quite plainly on your face, as he hurriedly focused his eyes on your slushie in his hands. Part of you wanted it back, but now you were mostly just concerned for your friend. 

“What is it, then?” Hoping that you weren’t coming off as harsh, you frowned, lowering your voice a little. “If it’s bothering you like this, then it isn’t stupid, Ted.” You’d finally gotten through to him, and his shoulders sagged. He mumbled a few words that you couldn’t hear. 

“Ted?” You asked, hoping he’d speak up. 

You had to strain a little to hear his next sentence. 

“ ... The whole, um, ‘indirect kiss’ thing,” he muttered. “With sharing straws.”

Wait, what? 

“What do you mean by that?” You pushed, and okay, he was hiding behind his hair again. This was new. You were suddenly aware that your heartrate was increasing. “Is there.. something wrong with that?” 

“ ‘M sorry, dude.” He took a steadying breath. “You’re a very intelligent and  helpful tutor, and you’ve really helped me a lot -- wait, you already know that, I’ve told you that before - But that’s all to say that --” Ted ceased his rambling, eyes snapping up to meet yours. 

“Now that I’ve brought up kissing, dude, I just gotta say that I have been most infatuated with you for the time we’ve known each other.” A beat, in which you merely blinked, stupefied. Ted kept talking. “And I.  I’d, like, really like it if we could actually, like. Kiss. And stuff.” His face was a pretty pink. 

It took a moment for it to sink in. And suddenly, it all clicked. It all made sense now -- how Ted always seemed to become shy when you complimented him. How he always turned his full attention on you when you were talking, even about stuff he found extremely boring. And how when he made you smile, he returned it tenfold. 

Had you really not realized this before? Maybe you were the one who needed tutoring, you thought.

Ted was still looking at you, though, awaiting an answer. He was beginning to shrink in on himself, and you couldn’t have that. Even if his confession was pretty sudden and completely out of nowhere. 

So you delicately placed his beloved drink on the curb next to you. 

Ted’s breath caught in his throat as you moved closer, taking a moment to cup his face, his skin warm against your fingertips. As soon as you made contact, regardless of how soft it was; he folded, maybe a bit literally, eyes automatically fluttering shut as you leaned in. 

At first, he was tentative. Unsure. But after the first kiss, which was rather short and cute, he was much less tense. Your hands carded through his hair, and he pulled you closer.