#i feel like there was a time i didnt care that much about this i could just focus on the fiction literally and take it as is

[unhakies]

i see that ur requests r open… heh… give me a leehan x idol!secretly a marine biologist reader NOW. like reader is a good idol friend thats done a collabd either bnd and leehan really liked her and then found out she does marine biology professionally behind her idol life and he js falls in love THANK YEEEWWW😛😛😛😛

the tides between us. k. leehan (req!)

pairing: idol!leehan x idol!marine biologist fem reader.

word count: 716

genre: fluff, romance, oneshot

notes — i was gonna go to sleep but this was SUCH a good and cute idea that i HAD to whip something up real quick.

you weren't trying to hide anything. well, not really anyways. but in an industry where one can get hated on for simply 'being smart' it's obvious why you would keep that part of your life behind.

nobody noticed.

well, that's what you told yourself.

you met the boynextdoor members during a special year-end stage collab, and needless to say you've been close since. there was woonhak made you laugh until your cheeks hurt, or even jaehyun who dragged you into chaotic tiktok challenges you definitely didnt want to take part in.

but then there was leehan.

he didn't say much at first. but you could always feel his eyes on you.

you sat in the corner of the practice room, cooling down after a tough practice session, tongue poking out of your mouth in concentration as you scribbled away in your notebook.

you were so engrossed in drawing you hadn't even noticed someone was standing over you until they spoke.

"nice whale."

you almost screamed.

"oh my GOD, leehan you scared me." you put a hand over your chest. you breathed out a large breath before continuing. "thank you, it was just a little doodle." you smiled before putting your book to the side.

he sat down next to you, examining the drawing. "you draw often?" he asked, flipping through the pages.

"mhm, sometimes. it helps me think." he just nodded in response, stopping back to your recent drawing. "i think i've seen this species before." he started.

you froze, looking up at him with wide eyes. "huh?"

"the whale. it's dorsal fin, it's head shape. it's pretty easy to tell that its a sei whale." he pointed as he names the characteristics.

you stared at him. you knew he liked fish, but wow.

he gave his signature grin, "i have a knack for this stuff."

you blinked. "well, you're right, it is a sei whale."

he smirked. "lucky guess."

but you knew it wasn't luck at all.

he was reading you like an open book.

days passed by, and it was like he was in a true crime documentary, collecting evidence like his life depended on it.

when he dropped by your dorms to pick something up, he spotted the plethora of sea life books on your bookshelf. he noticed your necklace, the small seashell shaped pendant catching his eye. or even the way your eyes lingered on his fish themed phone case.

the two of you were left in the break room. the rest of the members left to do god knows what. you were doodling in your fish themed sketchbook again, as leehan kept his gaze fixed on you.

you looked up at him.

"are you trying to figure me out?" you chuckled softly.

"a little."

"so, whats your verdict?" you closed your book and sat forward.

"i think you care about a lot of things most people overlook,"

you swallow and look away, you couldn't bare to look at him in the eyes. it's like the room got smaller.

"and i think that's beautiful." he finished. you mustered up the courage to speak. "thank you.." you said, cheeks burning.

he just gave a knowing smile and said nothing else.

the next day, you walked into your break room, your eyes landing on the familiar fish cover of your book. but this time, there was a yellow sticky note on it.

"your whale drawing the other day was really good. ps; i named him seihan." - L

you laughed, startling the staff members who were working on stuff around the room, but you could care less.

leehan found a part of you you thought nobody would see. he didn't just accept it. he liked it.

he liked you.

your staff mentioned something about someone leaving a gift for you in your break room. again.

you didn't need a degree to know it was leehan.

you opened up the small pale blue box. inside a seashell, delicate and smooth with soft blue and pink lines, and a note.

"for when you can't hear the ocean, hold this to your ear. i hope it helps you feel as close to home as it does for me." - L

you bite your lip.

maybe the tide has fully come in

and you might be ready to let it.

perm taglist; @sh0dor1

[kannouo]

Feeling Faint

fandom: obey me pairing: demon brothers x gn!reader warnings: drug mention in satan's part, emetophobia in asmo's part summary: the brothers reacting to an mc with low blood pressure and hypermobility. prompt by anon: hihi! would you write obey me brothers headcannons where the mc has medical issues-but in the sense where they'll be like "oh yeah im gonna pass out rq give me a minute" after standing up, and like hypermobility so they just over extend their joints unknowingly and its more likely to break? just a stupid idea i thought of bcuz clearly if it concerns some humans it would freak out demons A/N: ofc I can do that — to add to the hcs, i went with the idea that the medical issues are caused by low blood pressure and added some other symptoms. i kept the hypermobility and did a bit of research but i didnt go too in-depth in these hcs for fear of getting anything wrong. i dont struggle with either of these things personally and am in no way an expert, if i did anything seriously wrong please let me know!!

LUCIFER

• ...Concerned.

• So, Demons are by no means impervious to illness. But the types of conditions that plague demonkind are much different to what humans experience. A human cold would have no effect on a demon, but a demon cold could outright kill a human — to impact their immune systems, the illness has to be a particularly strong one, you see. Due to this, I imagine none of the brothers have much experience with how truly fragile human bodies can be.

• In preparation for the exchange program, Lucifer had, of course, changed a lot of things around the House of Lamentation to be more human-friendly. He did his research, too. Plants that are harmless to demons but extremely toxic to humans were removed. The literally boiling temperatures that the water in the house could get to was taken care of. He made sure that all food stocked in the fridge and cabinets was safe for human consumption. The entire place was essentially baby-proofed to guarantee as little injury as possible.

• What he didn't predict or account for was that your own body could be working against you.

• The first time you stand up too fast and nearly collapse, he assumes you've fallen ill and asks you repeatedly to give him a rundown of everything you've eaten and everywhere you've been just to make sure he didn't accidentally leave some kind of cursed item out. Is so confused when you explain to him that this isn't a temporary affliction, and it's just something you deal with all the time.

• Not sure if he initially believes you when you tell him it isn't a big deal.

• He obviously does his research and calms himself down. Learns it isn't life-threatening and takes care to note down any treatment options you might need.

• That, and he's surprisingly calm about your hypermobility. If he sees you over-extending your joints without even realising, he points it out quickly and tells you to stop. "I know it feels normal, but it isn't."

• Predictably a stickler about if you're doing strengthening exercises or taking medication if you need any. Every morning, whether you took your medicine or did the necessary exercises is the first thing he asks you, and he cannot be lied to. If you don't set an alarm, he'll be your alarm.

"Good morning, MC." You nearly jump right out of your skin hearing Lucifer's voice as soon as you turned to close your bedroom door. You spin around, but before you can ask how he just appeared without making a sound, he continues, "did you finish your stretches?" You look at him. He looks right back at you. After a beat too long of silence, he sighs and gestures to your bedroom. "Back inside. Do it properly." "Yes, sir."

MAMMON

• Another concerned guy, but... less knowledgeable. The first time you nearly stumbled to the ground out of nowhere he, for just the slightest of moments, thought you'd dropped dead for literally no reason. Scariest fucking millisecond of his life.

• Especially with your hypermobility, Mammon would somewhat struggle to wrap his head around the concept of something that can't just be cured. It can be treated, sure, but you can't get rid of it? Like at all?? I thought you guys had doctors in the human world???

"So you just... deal with this for the rest of your life?" "Mammon, it really isn't that big of a deal." You say, trying in vain to reassure him. He's been staring straight ahead with his elbows on his knees and hands clasped in front of his face for a few minutes now, and you're worried he's having some sort of crisis. "It doesn't even affect me that much in my day-to-day life. It's treatable." "But, like..." He sighs exasperatedly and places his head in his hands. "For the rest of your life, though?"

• Initial confusion aside, he never quite gets over the initial panic he feels whenever you become faint, dizzy or nauseous. No matter how chill you are about it, he makes sure to balance you out with pure blind panic.

• Not that he's any better with your habit of over-extending. Unlike Lucifer, who calmly and politely reminds you to relax your joints, Mammon will freak out at you and ask you how in the fuck that doesn't hurt and even be convinced you've broken something if you're extending far enough.

• On that note, if you do actually break something, he's probably the first one to know because of how he hovers around you 24/7. Expect to never be left alone ever again.

• He tries to remind you to do stretches or take your medicine, but the problem is that he forgets that stuff too. He'll bring it up on the rare occasion that he does remember and then pester you into doing it, raving on and on the whole time about how you're hopeless without him here to tell you what to do.

LEVIATHAN

• Like I said, demons don't really get conditions like this. Their bodies and immune systems don't function the way humans do. And that's lucky for him too because, if they did, this guy would be deficient in things we don't even have names for yet.

• But, he's a demon and therefore immune to these human ailments. LMAO sucks to be you.

• Levi is another one who has a panic response. The difference between him and Mammon is that he can logically understand that your conditions aren't life-changing and that they're easily treatable and that he doesn't have to worry, but the illogical part of his mind takes charge in situations where he experiences you feeling the effects of your medical issues.

• You can absolutely talk to him about your treatment plan and the way your low blood pressure and hypermobility impacts you without him freaking out about it. He listens and understands just fine. But then he actually sees you dealing with fatigue and headaches or with your elbow in a weird position and all logic goes flying out the window.

"Your arm's broken." You turn your head at the sound of Levi's voice. His eyes are wide, his entire body stiff in shock, but the way he said it was so matter-of-fact that for a moment you believed he must be right. You look down at your arm, elbow stretched a little too far forward to be normal. "Your arm's broken!" You fix your arm's position, but before you can inform Levi of the misunderstanding, he's already pacing around his room. "W—what do I do?! How'd you break your arm by sitting?! M—my medical dramas didn't prepare me for this...! Oh no, oh no, oh no, Lucifer's gonna kill me... W—wait, that's it! Karon, call Lucifer—!" "Levi stop, don't—"

• While you weren't hurt that day after all, you're about 70% sure that Levi's frantic phone call to Lucifer claiming that you'd broken a bone nearly gave him whatever the demon version of a heart attack is.

• Would really like to imagine himself as the sweet, romantic type who could catch you when you're about to collapse and carry you off to bed. The problem is, though he probably can catch you before you fall, he'll then realise with horror your close proximity and ends up dropping you to the ground in a fluster anyway. He's not built for the anime romance life.

SATAN

• I was going to reference the "chill guy" meme here but realised that Satan is the complete opposite of a Chill Guy.

• Still though, he is overall the most reasonable about this when he first learns about it.

• Also, unlike Levi, he is literally the protagonist of a romance manga. He will catch you in his arms before you fall, lovingly brush your hair out of your face and ask if you're hurt. He's just built different. And he practices this kind of shit in the mirror.

• He'll probably ask you about the specific kind of symptoms you experience. It's likely he's read some obscure book on human illnesses, so he has nothing but good intentions; he's asking to see if he can recall or look for anything written in those books that can serve as remedies. The only problem is that they aren't written by humans.

"I recall reading that fairy dust can be used to ease pain in human bodies, and even as a source of medication in the past." You give Satan a puzzled look. 'Fairy dust'? Used to ease pain, a source of medication?... There's no way he's referring to what you think he's referring to, right? You stare at him for a moment longer. He stares right back, returning your quizzical expression with his own, as if he didn't just say the most disorienting thing you've ever heard. "Like..." You start, tentatively lowering your voice. "...Drugs?" "What? No. Actual fairy dust. Are you insane?" You feel like that raises way more questions than drugs.

• That's not to say he's unwilling to learn. If you tell him his information is outdated or straight up inaccessible to humanity, he'll listen to your explanation of your treatment process and do more research in his own time.

• He will also frequently remind you to do your stretches and exercises and take any necessary medicine. If you have a routine for your exercises, he'll probably actually join you in them. He sits around reading all day, he probably needs it, his fucking back man.

• Like Lucifer, he will calmly but pointedly tell you to stop over-extending your joints when he catches you doing it.

ASMODEUS

• Also relatively normal about it because, out of all the brothers, he's had the most experience with humanity outside of sorcerers and witches. I don't think he's particularly knowledgeable about this sort of thing, but he is at least aware that it exists, and of the simple fact that the human body can be afflicted by many different things.

• You mention the hypermobility to him and he doesn't really... get it at first. "Oh, I'm flexible too! ♡" he says, then you nearly dislocate your shoulder in front of him and it finally clicks that this isn't cool or sexy. He understands eventually, don't worry.

• Maybe a hot take here but I honestly can't imagine Asmo as squeamish. So if your low blood pressure gives you an upset stomach, he has no problem holding your hair back as you throw up in the bathroom. He gets shitfaced drunk with his club friends every other night. It's probably nothing new to him.

• Asmo is a naturally very comforting presence when he wants to be. He has plenty of remedies for lightheaded-ness and pain relief that he's more than willing to share with you. That, and he's one for words of affirmation, so he turns to praising and reassuring you through the whole process.

"You poor thing. Humans really are fragile." Asmo coos, affectionately threading his fingers through your hair as you slowly sip the peppermint tea he prepared for you. "Hopefully you'll feel better by tonight. I would hate for you to lose out on your beauty sleep." "Sorry," you hoarse out, throat scratchy and raw. You feel disgusting, your stomach still spinning in circles and your body covered in a thin layer of sweat. He frowns at you. "Don't be silly. You didn't choose for this to happen, did you?" He kisses the top of your head and smiles. "Don't worry! Asmo's here to make you feel allll better."

• Joins you in doing your stretches/exercises too, but his motivations are a little different from Satan's.

• Like Mammon, if you do actually injure yourself, Asmo is unlikely to leave you on your own for a long time afterwards. Throughout your recovery, he'll insist on being your personal nurse, and even after that, he'll continue to hover around you as you go about your daily business. This causes him to butt heads with Mammon who does the exact same thing. Whether this is annoying or entertaining is up to you.

BEELZEBUB

• "It's because you aren't eating the right things."

• I don't necessarily think Beel would be dismissive or wilfully ignorant, but there is literally a part in the OG game where he claims that the reason humans are so physically weak compared to demons is because they don't eat enough, and don't eat the right things. At first, this is absolutely what he'd think is causing your issues.

• The reason you randomly feel light-headed or like you're going to faint must be because of how starved you are. Here, he got you an entire pizza.

• Obviously, he will learn with time. But his fixation on this being hunger-related can actually come in handy for your low blood pressure if eating salty snacks can help make you feel better. He's always got something on hand.

• When it comes to your exercises, he also won't realise initially that it's exercises and stretches specifically designed to help with your condition and not just a general workout similar to what he does. He'll try to give you tips, but it's some Saitama-level training bullshit. He's not super familiar with just how much weaker human bodies are compared to his own.

"MC?" You lift your head at the sound of your name being called, your eyes landing on Beel in a black tank-top. By the way his hoodie is nowhere to be seen, you assume he's dressed for a workout. "I'm going for a run. Do you want to come? It might be good for you." "A run?" The idea of a quiet jog all alone with Beel crosses your mind. You're sure he only intends to help you strengthen yourself, but there's nothing wrong with turning it into a little romantic outing, you think. "How far?" "An easy 700 miles should be fine for a warm-up—" "Never-mind."

• Until you tell him to stop, he has a habit of not telling you when your hypermobility is making your joints stretch in unnatural positions, but instead just silently fixing it himself. He'll take your arm and re-position it to rest normally.

• Also, no need to worry about injuries with this guy around. It won't happen. He reacts faster than you can even process. You suddenly feel dizzy one day and nearly fall right down the stairs, only for him to grab you by the back of your shirt and very unceremoniously hold you in the air like that.

• You appreciate it, but you'd appreciate it even more if he could pick you up with any amount of dignity.

BELPHEGOR

• Similar to his twin, he has his own initial assumptions as to what's causing this.

• "You should just sleep more." And to be fair, sometimes sleeping it off does help with the more nauseating symptoms, but it really isn't useful advice for when you need to start on your stretches in the morning. Sleeping won't magically make your bones stronger.

• He's the least likely to be around enough to prevent any injuries if you get any, but he is pretty good for the recovery period. He's just about as much of a stickler for you getting the proper amount of rest as Lucifer is about you doing your exercises. Plus, given his powers of sloth, he can send you to sleep with a single touch and give you pleasant dreams to help you through any pain or nausea you may be experiencing.

• Not gonna lie, I feel like Belphie is a little freaked out whenever he sees you over-extending your joints. He won't voice it or anything, but he does find it creepy. Asmo's hyper-flexibility is already unnerving to him, so seeing you bend your joints in ways that cannot be normal is something he can't look at for too long.

• Don't crack your knuckles in front of him, he will think you just broke both of your hands and is horrified.

• He won't join you in your stretches but he will watch you do them and critique from the side-lines like an asshole. I love him I swear.

"Your back's not straight enough." You look over your shoulder at the sound of Belphie's voice. He's looking at you, exercise reference sheet in hand, the rest of his body still firmly tucked into bed. You swear you feel your eye twitch. "How about you fucking do it?" Admittedly, the balancing exercises had already taken a bit out of you, so your patience was thinner than normal. He didn't seem offended, given that his response was to yawn dramatically and turn over. "Too tired."

• Lowkey, and this is a little mean so only if you're up for it... use your condition as a ploy to get out of things. Pretend to faint in the middle of gym class and he'll so kindly volunteer to take you to the nurse's office himself. Act like your joints are in a lot of pain on a day where you have to take a test and ask Belphie to stay home with you because he's the best for your recovery.

• It's not like Lucifer can accuse you of pretending, you literally have diagnoses, asshole.

[sebmindbreak]

Angst request..? User has Hanahaki Disease and is trying to hide it from Azure? (Idk sorry :,3)

OOO

user/you with an hanahaki disease , you got it! >u<

now you didnt precise if you wanted one shot or headcanons

SO FOR A CHANGE I DID HEADCANONS!

i had to do some research , i hope i did okay!

LIKE ALWAYS IF YOU SEE ANY MISTAKES TELL ME!

i alwas reread myself , but a mistake can escape me..

i hope you like it!

TYPE: ANGST

TITLE : flower bearings

AZURE

-He's incredibly perceptive, especially when it comes to you.

-At first, he notices your behavior changing how you flinch when you cough, how you always excuse yourself when you feel something rise in your throat.

-You try to smile it off, pretending you’re just tired or sick with a cold, but Azure isn’t convinced.

-He tries not to pry at first, giving you space. He respects boundaries.

-But every time he hears a stifled cough behind closed doors or sees the petals you failed to clean up, it gnaws at him.

-When he finally finds out it's Hanahaki, he panics internally.

-He hides it well, but inside, he’s terrified. Terrified of what it means, of how much pain you've been enduring alone.

-He demands to know why you didn't tell him. Not out of anger, but out of hurt. "Why didn't you trust me? Why did you think I wouldn't care?"

-Once he understands the disease is rooted in unrequited love, his tone softens.

-Azure refuses to let you suffer alone. He becomes more attentive carrying tissues, checking your pulse, making tea (if you like tea), even brushing petals out of your hair gently.

-He doesn’t leave your side unless he has to.

-He starts researching obsessively, desperate for a cure, a treatment, anything.

-When he realizes the disease is about you loving him, he freezes.

-"...It's me, isn't it? The one you... feel for?"

-If he realizes he loves you too, he won't waste another second. He’ll confess, with shaky breath and teary eyes, and hold you tightly.

-If he doesn’t feel the same (or isn't sure he does-), he still won’t let you go through this alone.

-He'll cradle you like you're fragile glass, quietly crying when you sleep, cursing himself for not seeing it sooner.

-Azure is soft with you, even when he’s scared.

-He brushes your hair back after every painful coughing fit, whispers encouragement, and makes sure you feel cared for.

-He might not have all the answers, but he makes sure you know: he isn’t going anywhere.

-Even if it hurts him too.

I HOPE YOU LIKED IT!

i kinda did a mix of past and present azure for fun too <3

[mrsdickey]

max epilogue edit

i am so very bad at editing but i thought it would be cute and tried 😭😭

anyways umm yapping about my headcanon for me and bills family 🤭 read more if you wanna cringe

ive decided to retcon my story for my ocs, i originally wanted to make it edgy and "canon-like", as i felt bill just wouldn't be a family guy

but lately, ive been so insanely in love with epilogue bill, probably more than i have been ever, and now, i just cant imagine my old story/headcanon to fit with what i want. bill is a soft family man now, but only towards his family. and that's how i want him to be if we ever actually had a family, lmfao (WHY IS HE NOT REAL 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😥😥😥😥😥😥😥😭😥😭😭😥😭😥)

of course i really want to keep the grunge of max and bill. hes soft to spencer and their daughter lila but he was very very strict on max, only because he didnt want max to turn out like he did. max grew up thinking it was because bill hated him and favored lila, and no matter how many times that was proven false or told it to him, he still thought bill just hated him and that he was a mistake. yeah max was a mistake, and they didn't celebrate him before he was born because bill really just...didnt want max nor was he excited. but that didnt mean bill doesnt love him. bill knew spencer really wanted to have this kid, but bill was worried that he couldn't be a good father. he never ever brought up getting rid of it to spencer, even though it lingered in his head for a good while

until max was born, bill was completely in love with him, but he struggled with actually taking care of him and even looking at him, thinking he looked too much like himself. he wanted to help spencer raise him, but his insecurities and fears that he'd be too soft or too harsh got to him. spencer wanted to get counseling for him but he thought therapy was for pussies

max took all of their attention but spencer got pregnant again when max was 2. it was a girl, bill desperately wanted to get rid of it, asked her, but spencer told him no.

it was a girl, and they named her lila (its pronounced ly-lah). lila was born 2 months premature, so bill and spencer had to put 90% of their focus onto her. which made max feel upset. he was only 3 at that time and he celebrated his 3rd birthday during the worst of it, causing them to be unable to have a party for him.

growing up, max and lila never had a good relationship. max despised her and bill for taking bill's attention away from him. bill was soft to lila and gave her what she wanted, but max had to work for whatever he got. it created tension within the family

lila at 21 is a spoiled brat and takes any chance she gets to talk down to max or make fun of him. she's really into comic books and super heroes, bill wanted to raise her right if he was gonna have a girl after all. she got increasingly bratty as she got older and always used her vulnerabilities against max

her orange flannel is bills when he was a teenager (THAT SHIT STANK)

[aroaceleovaldez]

because in TKC most Eyes match the gender of the god they host (and just in general in-universe it seems most immortals and hosts in possession/possession-like scenarios are the same gender) this implies that the two outliers we know of - Zia (rejected hosting a goddess but was able to host a god instead) and Percy (Eye of Nekhbet) - may be trans. so uh happy pride to Zia and Percy specifically

[arrowheadedbitch]

Thinking about the episode where Nessie Jr hatches and how Colonel Baird assumes that Ezekiel is goofing off so she gives him a job to do and he keeps trying to get that job out of the way as fast as he can so he can go back to the very important job he was doing.

There's so much to be said about that part of the episode!

The way colonel baird assumes he's goofing off, the way he doesn't even try to defend himself until after he's already finished the thing she was stopping him from doing, the way he only explains why he was on his phone after she's already scolded him multiple times, the way he HACKED a GOVERNMENT SATALITE from his CELL PHONE, the way he genuinely cares about the egg despite it being dumped on him because of the assumption that he isn't working on something worthwhile, the way he's genuinely upset that he almost killed the egg by accident, the way he doesn't realise a bunsen burner will kill the baby but knows how to HACK a SATALITE from his CELL PHONE, the way he doesn't really care that Baird kept him away from his important work because of an assumption, the way he never tries to curb her assumption, the way he's only annoyed and really only mildly scolds her for making him take longer to figure out the other's were in big trouble, the way that this episode deeply effects how Baird sees Ezekiel, there's just so much to be said

[kitkatstu-dies]

Back to school inspo ✨📚

[flow2024]

I wish you would write a fic about irreconcilable artistic differences on a movie set between Joe and Nicky.

not really irreconciliable as in not solvable at all but you know i had fun with this

Joe squeezes his eyes shut, covering his face with both hands, and leans forward. His shoulders tremble uncontrollably. He takes a short, sharp breath, and another, and another, but he can’t quite seem to get enough into his lungs. There’s a lump in his throat and a weight in his stomach. He leans forward with a low, wounded sound and–

“Cut,” Nicky says softly. Then, because it takes Joe a second to hear him: “Joe, stop.”

Slowly, Joe raises his head. Wipes at his eyes and takes a few deep breaths to steady himself. Nicky’s already up, frowning ever so slightly as he looks at the camera. 

“What is it this time?” Joe manages. His voice is hoarse; he has to clear his throat once or twice. Nicky doesn’t look up. The clock on the nightstand reads 01.34, but Nicky’s changed it a few times over the course of the shoot. He has no clue what time it really is, only that it’s dark outside.

It’s just the two of them in the room. Nicky had wanted to keep this one small, just him and Joe and the camera. The apartment they’re in is nice, if a little empty, though Joe supposes that’s the point. They’re in the bedroom, Joe sitting cross-legged on the bed, shirtless, sheets bunched up over his lap, a phone lying on the nightstand behind him. One entire wall of the room is taken up by a floor-to-ceiling window which lets the moonlight in, though there’s a few low lights set up behind Nicky to send bars of silver light across the bed, because the natural light hadn’t quite been strong enough for the effect Nicky wanted. It’s otherworldly; it’s beautiful. 

Nicky still isn’t looking at him, so Joe says again, “What?” It comes out a little harsher than he means it to, but it gets Nicky’s attention.

Nicky runs one hand through his hair. Joe can’t see him well, not with the light behind him and the shadows in the room. “I don’t know,” Nicky says. “It’s missing something.”

Joe has worked with Nicky enough times before. It’s not that he doesn’t like working with him - they’re friends - but he can’t fucking read him, and so after the sixth take of the same scene he can’t help but take it a little personally. 

Joe reaches for the bottle of water hidden just under the bed and takes a long drink, mostly to keep himself from snapping. What time is it? “I can try again, but I can’t do this indefinitely, Nicky.”

“I know, I know,” Nicky says, fidgeting again with the camera, “it’s not you, it’s just–” 

“What else could it be?” Joe interrupts. He’s not stupid. This scene doesn’t work if he can’t get it right, which means the entire film doesn’t work if he can’t get it right. More than anything else, this one depends on him. No music, no camera movement, no dialogue, nothing but him and the camera. And he wants to do it right, he loves this project almost as much as Nicky does, but there’s a hollow feeling in his chest and he’s spent the last however-many-hours having a near-complete breakdown over and over again and it’s still not right. And Joe doesn’t know what it is he’s doing wrong.

“I don’t know,” Nicky says quietly. Now he is looking at Joe, and Joe can’t tell if he’s disappointed, or angry, or – or what. He’s perfectly expressionless, as always. 

Joe loves this job. And he wants to get this right. But it doesn’t mean it’s not one of the hardest things he’s ever had to do, and he’s tired.

“I don’t have much more left in me, Nicky,” he says, and this time he does snap. He wipes at his eyes again, can’t look at Nicky. He’s supposed to be making himself vulnerable, above all in this scene, but suddenly he can’t stand the way Nicky’s looking at him. “Pass me my hoodie.”

“Joe–”

“I can’t. I can’t keep doing this.” He kicks the sheets off and gets tangled trying to do it, grabs his hoodie when Nicky offers it, pulls it over his head in one fluid motion and gets out of there as soon as he can. Thankfully, there’s only Andy and Nile in the other room, Andy lying back on the couch with her feet up and Nile perched on the arm of it. They both look up at Joe as he enters, both look like they’re about to ask, and Joe can’t stand it, can’t be in here a second longer, can’t–

“We are done for the day, I think,” Nicky says behind him, startling Joe. He hadn’t realised Nicky was there.

Andy raises an eyebrow, but doesn’t argue. It’s already the second day of trying to shoot this scene: they’re running the risk of falling behind schedule. 

“We’ll find something else to do tomorrow,” Nicky says. “I’ll look over everything tonight. We will try this again on Monday.”

Andy and Nile look at each other. Nile shrugs. 

“Get some rest, Joe,” Nicky says. 

Joe shoves his hands in his pockets and doesn’t say a word.

–--------------------------------

He doesn’t get called in the next day at all, and he doesn’t interrogate it too closely. Takes the day off, pretty much, because they’ve only really got one scene left to film, and there’s not much more he can do for that. Nicky had wanted to leave it to the last, and Joe had agreed, at the time.

At about nine pm, someone knocks on his hotel room door, which is unusual on a day where they don’t have a night shoot to do. When he opens it, Nicky is on the other side. Joe lets him in without a word. 

“I wanted to apologise,” Nicky says, standing in the middle of the room and looking as uncomfortable as Joe’s ever seen him. “For last night. I was pushing you too hard, and I should not have done.”

Joe closes the door behind him. Nicky fidgets with the sleeve of his hoodie. 

“Sit down,” Joe says. 

Nicky does, settling himself on the edge of Joe’s bed, not quite looking him in the eye. Joe joins him, after a moment. 

“At the risk of sounding cliche,” Nicky says, “it’s not you, it’s me.”

Joe laughs, mostly because the phrase sounds so strange coming from Nicky and also because out of everything he’d thought Nicky might say, he hadn’t expected that. 

Nicky smiles slightly, too. Then he gets up and heads for the minibar. “Mind if I have a drink?”

Joe shakes his head. Nicky gets out a little bottle of wine, glances at the label, and takes a swig straight from the bottle without bothering to get a glass. 

“I can’t seem to get it right,” Nicky says. “You know I wrote almost fifteen different versions of that scene?”

The scene in the script itself is barely a page long. “No,” Joe says. 

Nicky nods. Rubs a hand over his face. “I wanted it to feel real. I thought if I could get it right, it would… help, somehow. I don’t know.”

It’s the exact same reason Joe said yes before he even read the script, when the whole thing was just an idea in Nicky’s head, when they were talking about it over drinks at Andy’s and Joe was in love with the idea almost immediately. He knew exactly why Nicky was writing it; he knows, now, exactly why it needs to be right. But at the same time – “I don’t know if that’s possible, Nicky.”

Nicky sighs. “I know.” He crosses back over to sit beside Joe again, takes another drink from the bottle. “But there is something missing, and I cannot seem to find it. And so it does not feel real. And I know this is not easy for you.”

“It’s not,” Joe says plainly. 

“But you know,” Nicky continues, “I could not have trusted anyone with this but you. If you had not said yes, I would not have done this.”

That, Joe didn’t know: he knows he’d been Nicky’s first choice, but he’d assumed that’s because they know each other well enough already. But it makes sense: the reason Nicky wrote the script is the same thing they’d bonded over. 

Even still, it’s a lot. “I don’t know if I can do it the way you want,” Joe says. 

Nicky looks up at him from where he’s been running his fingers over the label on the bottle absentmindedly. “If you want to stop, I can–”

“No,” Joe says quickly. “But I don’t think it’s ever going to be exactly the way you felt.”

Nicky looks away. “It is a lot to ask,” he says. “I know this.”

Joe doesn’t think; just reaches over and takes Nicky’s hand. “I know,” he says. “Trust me.”

Nicky takes a deep breath. Then he nods. "Okay."

[dadvans]

love language.

like so much love and affection and support for tommy getting to know buck and then watching buck describe every single way he's tried to chase love in his thirty years alive on earth to never be loved back in a way he needs or wants, like give me THAT moment of TV, give me the dawning moment of horrifying awareness on tommy's face when he realizes his boyfriend 1. needs to be loved and 2. has never been loved and 3. so readily accepts anything that even comes close that he'll die for it and 4. has ZERO self awareness about any of this to the point that he thinks he's been loved before, plenty of times

[biblicalhorror]

Has anyone addressed the fact that laszlo and nadja had matching hair highlights AGAIN in the finale but this time they were blue

[quietwingsinthesky]

journey’s end au where the doctor tries to kick everyone off the TARDIS and they just go, ‘???? no?’ and won’t leave. can’t be stupid and think everyone will leave you when they won’t get out of your house.

[ghost-bard]

something has possessed me i think bc why am i in the year 2024 thinking about merlin/gwaine but also merlin/lancelot but also gwaine/merlin/lancelot. what have i done to deserve this

[fridgevespidae]

perpetually pissed about how the internet treats the circus show and i dont mean the fandom rn...

[bunnyboy-juice]

i have had such an urge to pamper a girl for a full day. like. planning an entire day just for her with activities i know she'd love starting with a special breakfast just for her. picking outfits for her to choose from, all highlighting my favorite parts of her body. showing her off in public while we go pick up toys or clothes or something she's been wanting for a while. constantly putting my hand on her hips or waist or looping my fingers with hers. the route planned perfectly with multiple stopping and resting points. sitting with her on benches, in cafes, wherever when we end up - holding her close and making sure she knows just how much i love her and how happy i am to be here with her. taking her home and helping her undress, get cozy and comfy. maybe even give her a bath. letting her relax while i grab anything she wants so she doesnt have to lift a finger. cooking her favorite dinner, feeding her her favorite desert, watching her favorite movie with her. just. all about her.

[br1ghtestlight]

genuinely get sad whenever i remember the next time we hear microphone and soap they'll have new voice actors </3 like there isn't anything we can do anyway it just sucks

[ulteri0rm0tives]

WORST part of replaying this game. Is that i actually *have* to progress through (most of) it to see Kerry again... Like having to wade through little chocolate gold colds to get to the real shit that ACTUALLY matters.

It actually sucks you meet him so late in the game and only get so much time with him :( especially because I (personally) find his romance and plotline to be one of the more developed slash more enjoyable ones and I just :( wish they gave us more time with him ugh I jUST MISS HIM OKAY GUYS I MISS THIS OLD MAN!!!