#i guess its belated valentines plans?

[floorpancakes]

happy valentine's day i don't have anything prepared rn but i am making heart chocolate cookies and some art so i might show them later for now just take this reminder

[bravewolfvesperia]

It would be late in the afternoon before a messenger from Zaphias had managed to wave Yuri down in order to carefully hand over a tiny parsel into his hands.

By the time the small bag of cookies had made it Dahngrest, a good majority of them had crumbled into pieces. The mail carrier would insist that they had treated the package with care which was probably the reason why the cookies were now just tiny bits instead of being entirely reduced to a bag full of crumbs and cookie dust instead.

Despite the chocolate (?) cookies barely hanging in there, the white parcel had definitely been treated with care and had been tied closed with a silk purple ribbon and a string that had a note attached, which when opened, would reveal neat but familiar handwriting.

"Yuri,

Unfortunately I am unable to leave Zaphias this week due to work piling up but I still wanted to send this to you to let you know that you are in my thoughts always and I eagerly await the next time we are able to see each other. Perhaps we could celebrate a belated Valentine's Day then, if you were interested. Until then, I hope these cookies will suffice. Lady Estellise tried to insist on helping me but I thought it would mean more if I made them myself. I hope you enjoy them.

I miss you and hope to see you soon. -Flynn"

If Yuri were to try one of the cookies, it would be clear that Flynn tried to make the cookies extremely sweet for Yuri but.... truly, it's amazing how someone could make a cookie that's SO sweet that the taste began to circle back around to tasting bitter instead.

... at least he tried?

@mistralxsoul

Talk about having very mixed feelings.

On one hand Flynn was thinking about him even in the middle of all of his work. Things weren't completely smooth sailing yet, so it was probably a whole lot.

On the other hand... Flynn... made this? Without, Yuri would assume, supervision?

Unfortunately Yuri did not have it in him to toss the cookies. Flynn made them with him in mind, and when he considered how stupidly happy Flynn was when he was cooking or baking, Yuri simply did not want throwing these out on his conscience. He would never be able to face Flynn if Flynn asked him about them and he had to lie about it when he'd really gotten rid of them. All he could do was suck it up and risk his life for Flynn's happiness.

Still, at least... Flynn was missing him. That did make him happy. Culinary disasters aside, it was always difficult being so far apart from Flynn. It was especially difficult to deal with after they'd really, truly patched up that array of problems along that journey. Really, it was Alexei who had formed that wedge between them, but the whole time was still excruciating for Yuri.

If the consequence of having his normal Flynn back was a classic Flynn attempt at cookies, he'd take that over all those hurt feelings. He really needed to sit with Flynn and really teach him to cook if he wasn't going to strictly follow recipes... Maybe he would do that one day; once things calmed down or once Ioder officially forced Flynn to take a week off. If Ioder had even a hint of Flynn's feelings, he was probably already making plans for Flynn's next vacation if their shared history together was anything to go by.

And, well, okay, sure. Flynn was right. It did mean more if he made it himself. Even if it was a poison in its own right, at least he happily, loving, carefully, preciously developed that poison without even realizing the damage it would do to Yuri's stomach. It was the least nefarious poison ever concocted.

Might wanna eat those cookies with a panacea bottle on hand... or a life bottle...

Granted, he completely left all that out in the letter he wrote back.

Flynn,

I guess it'll be a bit then. We're busy here too. Our boss found a whole list of jobs he wants to take on. The pay is good too so we'll have extra spending money. You should see the looks on the faces of the people who used to bully him in this town. They practically sulk when they see how tall he stands now. Seeing his success as a guild leader is a nice smack in the face that they all needed.

If you can't get here in a week or so I can probably stop by for a bit on a job at least. We've got our choices for the time being and there were at least two of them around Zaphias. It won't be a particularly long visit, but I can at least pop in.

I miss you too. Thanks for thinking of me.

-Yuri

Man, it was so much easier to write words like that than to actually say them.

And as a present for Flynn, he and Repede got the dog's paw wet just enough to stamp Flynn a little paw mark on the letter. Nothing enough to damage the whole letter, but enough for Flynn to know Repede missed him too. The paper would hopefully dry in the shape of the paw print. Yuri wasn't going to dip the poor pooch's paw into literal ink.

Well, Yuri supposed that meant he needed to get planning for White Day.

[ivyruins]

valentines day with the blooming panic li's!

a/n: HAPPY (belated) VALENTINES DAYYY depending on your timezone!! my #2nd vday fic~ you can find the platonic ver here! i had fun writing this one !!

+ domestic quest and owl, while toast and xyx has slight angst ;_;

Nightowl

your legs entangled with one another, despite the odd hour- thirty minutes past two in the morning, maybe it wasn't an odd hour, considering nightowl's sleep schedule - blaring red digits on the clock by the nightstand, you were still semi-awake. cuddled in his arms, his front pressing on your back as you both scroll through social media. every now and then you can feel him brushing his fingers up and down your arm, sending shivers down your spine in the already cold room.

"oh," you hear nightowl breath from behind, "today's valentines day."

you hum. it wasn't a new thing, after dating him for a while. you feel a gentle kiss on the top of your head, feeling him pull you closer.

"happy valentine's day, cutie. i love you,"

the rain falls outside, the soft pitter patter into the windows slowly lulling you to sleep. your phone falls to the sheets, screen down as your eyes shut, slowly succumbing into slumber in the safety of his arms.

Quest

you smell the aroma of something sweet the moment you wake up, nestled in the sheets of you and your lover’s bed. you hear soft humming from the ajar door as you rubbed your eyes and sat up, wondering why there was an empty, quest-sized space beside you.

your eyes met the calendar that hung on the opposite side of your bed, the double digits with a heart drawn around it that you were certain wasn't there before answers your question.

oh

“good morning, angel,” you turn around to see quest come in the door, tray in hand. you see pancakes, neatly decorated with honey, fruits and powdered sugar along with a steaming cup of coffee as he placed them onto the bedside table. he rakes his fingers into your hair, pushing your hair back to place a gentle kiss on your forehead.

“happy valentines da- hey,” you interrupt him, pulling him back into bed with you and he laughs. it was too early in the morning to object, so he lets himself get pulled back in. “love, what are you doing?” he breathes, collecting himself from the sudden tug, looking down at you.

“happy valentine’s day,” you whisper, slotting yourself into his arms and resting your head in his chest, “and thank you,” you hear him exhale, placing a gentle hand onto your back to rub soothing circles, and you almost fall back asleep.

“of course,”

NakedToaster

“I can’t take this,”

“well,” they smile at your perplexed expression, fond that their plan had worked, “too bad then. I guess I’ll throw it away-”

“wait,”

your lover laughs, gently setting the gift down. when you had met toaster after work that morning for valentines dinner (that you both planned prior, so that wasn’t a surprise) you had stopped by to get chocolates for them, as an additional gift, thinking it would take them by surprise.

but here you were; a designer item that you knew probably costed a fuck ton in your arms, in a neat golden box with a little note stuck on top that read ‘happy valentines day, i love you.’ in the familiar handwriting of the person you loved.

you hoped the ground swallowed you whole right then and there, feeling embarrassed about the chocolates you got them.

“hey,��� your lover calls gently, placing their hand over yours that was hovering over the box, “i got it a long time ago. before it released. so i didn’t have to wait in line for a long time if that’s what you’re worried about.”

you shake your head, that fact just left you feeling even more guilty. they had thought about a gift for that long?

“no, no, its just… i didn’t...” you look from the gift to them, "I didn't get you..."

"you did, though. I love these chocolates," you see their brows furrow, genuinely confused, "and you take care of me. if I had a dollar for every time you remind me to take a break and take care of myself, i could get you ten of those. you love me, don't you?"

you nod, not trusting your voice. since when had he been so smooth?

though by the way toast spoke, you had a feeling they were just being honest. that thought made you flush.

"then that's enough for me." they smile, adjusting their glasses, and you could see the faint red on their cheeks, "and eat your food, already. it'll get cold."

you laugh, feeling light once more.

Xyx

you walk into your house, sighing as you lean against the front door. it had been a long day at work, and you silently cursed how you returned home later than usual. your boss had been more demanding that usual this time, and the traffic was terrible for eleven in the evening. an accident had happened that left you stuck there. you had been so sleepy you were worried you would be the next car that got flipped.

it was already midnight, the day after valentines. fuck

you didn’t cry easily; valentines day wasn’t a big deal to you. you love and were loved by your boyfriend every single day of the year, but knowing how you spent the whole day that's dedicated to love away from him made your heart ache. your already glossy eyes from constant yawning starting to dampen more. you were worried if xyx was disappointed in you, despite the part of your brain that knows he would never be.

“doll?” speak of the devil, “you’re home late. you alright?”

"xyx," you breathed, and he steps closer to you, letting you fall into his embrace.

"hey, I didn't have plans for today either anyway. work's demanding," he tries to joke, fingers brushing away the tears that managed to escape your eyes, "but you do deserve a rest. so what say we have a valentines day some other day?"

"huh?" you asked, confused. xyx chuckles, and without pulling you away from him, he reaches towards your hands and opens up your palms, placing a piece of paper into your fingers.

you look down, wary, and gasp.

a fucking plane ticket

"xyx-"

"happy valentines, doll," he cups your face, thumb brushing your jaw as he presses a chaste kiss onto your lips, grinning, "love you,"

[cooltrainererika]

I should have posted this on Valentine’s, but here’s a Fate/Arthurian fanfic I wrote

I wrote this one day as part of a romance-based prompt list. …And it remains the only one as of now.

It’s a Fate fic I wrote with references from Arthuriania, and a lot of my own headcanon that don’t exactly match up with canon (so this could be counted as AU I guess?). And it will be the first Fate fanfic I post on this profile! Hopefully I’ll be able to get some traction… Also for a belated Valentine’s fic it’s pretty depressing.

Also, general TRIGGER WARNING. I don’t want to say exactly what, but if you have any triggers, I’ll encourage you to turn back!

The Four Loves of King Arthur

Fandom: Fate Series (Fate/Prototype) + some Arthurian Legend

Main character: Arthur Pendragon (Prototype)

Rating: Mature

Arthur forgave Guinevere. He forgave Sir Lancelot. He forgave them all.

Obviously, they had defied the rule of the land and one of the Ten Commandments itself. She had never told him of anything, repeatedly denying any involvement of the sort with her champion, even if he knew it was most likely true.

But he loved them, and he loved her, the first woman he had ever loved as a woman, more than in the mere frivolous, adolescent ways he had known in his more foolish days. And it was clear he, in his dedication to his country, had neglected her needs. Even as it became clearer to him that his wife and best knight were most likely lying to him, he loved them, and he forgave them. As when he had become king, he was to have given up all pretense of selfishness, and even if it were law, it was harming no one but him and his honor. No one was to know. And as king, he was also to love all, much like how the Lord Himself loved all His children. He would not be like King Mark, chaining his beloved to a life of unhappiness and persecuting a loyal knight for giving her what he could not.

He forgave her, for he still loved her. Even if he had postponed innumerable plans with her for the sake of important affairs, he remained faithful to her, despite flirtations from other ladies and the courtesy he showed them; his only lapse was when his own half-sister violated him that terrible night, a memory which still made him taste bile in his throat and feel so utterly defiled and dirty at the mere thought.

He could never hate her, the beautiful, somewhat hotheaded but sweet, even motherly woman he had fallen for all those years ago, even as she continued to age past him, even as she lied to him, even if she became a contributing factor to Camelot’s fall… even if they could never meet again. It was his fault for bringing her into such an unfulfilling position, after all.

While he had tried to made it clear how dear she was to him, it was apparent, in the end, his love was not good enough for her, much like how his love was not enough to save his kingdom from meeting its fated demise.

He forgave her. So why, why, did her memory hurt so much?

When he first came to as a Servant in this odd place, the first face he saw was that of his Lady, her young face so cherubic, so innocent, almost doll-like, her eyes a bright sky blue, her hair lighter than even the pure, pale blonde of his beloved’s, signifying a heritage not completely of this place he had found himself in - Japan, a place far in the east, he knew via the magic of the so-called Holy Grail - and as he later learned, specifically that of the same isles he had called home, that he wished for the restoration of.

Manaka, her name was. A young prodigy, somewhat underdeveloped emotionally, but brilliant, despite her youth already a powerful Magus.

In life, he had always been seen as quite attractive by the women of his realm and beyond; as he became less engaged in knightly quests the main focuses of attraction gave way to his knights, especially Sir Gawain and Sir Lancelot, but yet much ado was still made over the never-aging, perpetually young king. Merlin liked to jest about how if more rulers were women, he very well could inadvertently initiate a war over his beauty much like the legendary Helen of Troy; a match made in heaven with his equally beautiful queen.

And it did not take long until it became obvious that his Lady had taken a fancy to him as well, and very openly so. However, she was not content to merely be his Lady, telling him how he had made her feel in ways she never had before, and as such, she desired nothing but his happiness, displaying her abilities to him like a songbird singing to impress his potential mate. She made him cookies and sweets and everything he asked for and doted over him, even insisting she fight in his stead as if she were his knight instead of he hers, that she would ensure he was not sullied by the brutality of the Holy Grail War as much as possible, innocent to how his hands were already stained with blood long ago, no matter how much he reminded her of this fact.

While somewhat shocked by this behavior, he also found it to be somewhat charming; he may have very well felt something for her likewise, though her childlike nature prevented him from seeing her in such a way fully.

But yet, her behavior whenever he even spoke to her sister, a young lass by the name of Ayaka, unsettled him to say the least. And increasingly, he felt an all too familiar sense of dread creeping upon him, as if edging towards another end of destruction.

Yet, he believed her, her angelic face, her innocent demeanor. Even as her suspicious behavior worsened. Even as her affection became increasingly overwhelming. Even when he had found out about the cruel deeds and her dealings with the first Assassin she had been hiding from him “for his own good”. Even after he woke up one night to find her straddled over him, almost like Morgan all those years ago, caressing and groping at him under his clothing, for she was merely being playful, and all she had done was touch.

He was indeed a fool, and he realized too late whom she had reminded him of; had he not learned anything from what had happened with Mordred?

It shouldn’t have hurt when he stabbed the heartless wolf in sheep’s clothing his Lady had been all along, his Lady who had laughed sadistically as innocent people, including her own father, became nothing but piles of bile, flesh, and blood, as her young sister screamed and cried for mercy, as she threatened to eliminate history itself, under the warped belief that this was somehow what he wanted. It shouldn’t have.

It shouldn’t have hurt as she smiled pleasantly at him, staring back at him with those sky blue eyes still innocent, Excalibur pierced through her black, rotten heart, even with her last breath telling him that she loved him.

The third was none other than the Lancer of the the first Tokyo Holy Grail War, the norsewoman who had seen in him the shadow of her past love. Now corrupted by the grail, her cries and screeches of anguish, her tear-stained face as she professed her love for him, became etched in his mind, her spear, cursed to hurt the ones she loved the most, forced down upon him with murderous intent as he ran with the now much older Ayaka’s hand in his through the dark alleys of Tokyo.

As now, it was that maiden, Ayaka, who was his Lady. Hurt deeply by what she had seen and the life she had lost, a maiden who never wished to be a killer, whose hands, unlike his, were clean of blood not hers, whose less innocent sapphire blue eyes shed tears at the sight of other Magi and Servants dying for this sick game they were forced to partake in by some twisted fate, she saw in him her knight, her champion, her only stability in this twisted world.

And as she saw in him her champion, he was to be her champion. For that was the least he could do for her.

Being a Servant could be such a terrifying prospect. While he was no absolute pacifist himself and had slain countless others with his holy blade, there was something so sick and wrong with how much blood and tears had to be shed for such an ultimately selfish affair. He gained no joy from the first Berserker‘s mad, grieved wailing at the death of his young lord as he succumbed to his inner darkness, or the many lives that had been severed by the first Assassin to sustain her another day, or seeing how his Lady’s vile sister, back from the grave and on their heels like a mutual personal torment, had now turned Caster into even more of a shell of the bright, if cantankerous man he had apparently been in life. But yet, it was also so oddly comforting, in a perverse, selfish way, knowing he was only meant to love and be loyal to one.

This must have been how his knights had felt as they pledged their swords to their ladies, like Sir Lancelot did to his beloved queen. With her, he was not a king, but the knight of this damsel, who was to protect her honor and stand by her side through all her trials. Almost like a courtly love.

It even felt somewhat nostalgic, as if he were falling for his beloved Guinevere all over again, when he had asked her, as a mere humble young man, heart calmed from but still fluttering with the springtime of youth, to take him as he was, to be the one to always stand alongside him for all the future would bring and to show him light when he could not carry on, when they had sworn to love until death they did part.

Even if he tried not to think of it as such.

So, why did it hurt so much?

“Saber…”

A moment of peace. His Lady didn’t look at him, at least not directly, her usual behavior for when she was embarrassed or flustered.

“Yes?”

He said, softly, finishing the last of his bag of stick-shaped sweets, curious as to why she was so bashful all of a sudden.

“…I love you.”

Silence.

It was then he was forced to realize how he had felt.

He opened his mouth to say something; he knew what to say, their time together was nearing its end with every passing moment, and this was his chance, a no more perfect opportunity could have been given to him.

He knew, despite his experiences, and despite what one particular knight of his had liked to claim, love was not always destructive. It could be so powerful, so beautiful. He was not a fool who cynically thought such things.

After all, as he now knew, the evidence was here, by his side.

“…I love you.”

But no. He couldn’t. He just couldn’t. When he attempted to speak, his cheeks flustered, his heart fluttering, her voice lingering in his ears, they were drowned out by the pained cries of the first Lancer and the crazed manic love decelerations of his past Lady, driven mad by him, images of his first beloved and the pain of her memory, all those he could not love enough in life, flashing by in his mind, along with the fleetingness of it all piercing his chest like a blade, and nothing came out, as if he had been rendered mute.

Finally, he smiled sadly, chuckling, him now the one not able to look at her straight.

“Ah… I… I see.”

When the time came, as he faded away, his purpose completed, the words remained stuck in this throat, and he merely embraced his Lady, feeling her warmth for one last time as he once again returned to Avalon, where he belonged.

Thus, King Arthur’s fourth love ended.

Author’s notes:

Well Arthur only loved like half of them back but sssshhh.

The main AU here is that instead of just being Artoria again, I interpreted Arthur as the loving fairytale king who tries to love everyone in his kingdom equally. I mean he acts much different from the stoic Artoria. He makes mistakes, but different ones from Artoria. Also it makes Guin a bit less sympathetic because this beautiful man actually loved him, though the idea is that being queen was still a bit much for her.

Can you believe I haven’t read Fate/Prototype yet so I’m going off wikis and fanfiction? I hope it wasn’t too apparent.

Also yes, I did indeed reference Heather Dale.

[tloujm]

Part XVIII: Tempest

Author’s Notes: Happy belated Valentines day! It took me a while to write this because this chapter contains their wedding night and I wanted to make it special and perfect and I tried. I’m not gonna lie, I haven’t been too down for writing smut lately. I’m more in the mood for fluff, but at the same time, I felt the story needed smut at the moment and, having written smut for a few years now, I don’t like just alluding to it anymore. *shrugs*. So I stopped and came back multiple times to write this. Idk if any of you watch The Walking Dead, but the one that marries you and Joel is inspired by father Gabriel from that show. I also want to take this moment to briefly acknowledge that I fully support HBO’s casting of Pedro Pascal for Joel in the TV adaptation. I’m currently infatuated with this man and his work (another reason why I haven’t been as focused on my TLOU writings) so for these two fandoms to come together is climactic right now and will be even more so when the show comes out. I can’t wait to have more material to go off of. Did you guys hear the news about Pedro’s casting and how do you feel about it??

Genre: This recipe calls for fluff and smut

Summary: Joel saw the stress that wedding planning had put on you and decided to help. At the end of the day, he just wants you to be happy. He comes up with this plan for you two to elope while a storm approaches Jackson. 

Ship: Joel x Reader

It’d been overcast the whole day. As soon as you stepped outside, you could feel it in the air. It all added up to a storm. You just didn’t know when it’d happen. You were sure the others in Jackson could tell as well, but they continued business as usual; even the patrols were not cancelled. Just in case, you spent the afternoon prepping for whatever was to come. You took laundry off the lines, put a tarp over the newly seeded garden, helped your elderly neighbors bring their outdoor furniture inside and so on. 

It was evening and the sun had just begun setting by the time you made it home. That was the usual time you and Joel got back home by, unless there was something that needed tending to. In that case, you’d try to communicate that with each other beforehand. You came home to an empty house and wondered if something had come up for Joel to not be back by now. You peered out the kitchen window, facing the backyard, to look for him. There was no one there, but you noticed that it had just started to drizzle. Soon enough the clouds would open and unleash a wrath of rain. You hoped that Joel would make it back home before then. 

You turned to the fridge to start dinner when you saw a note attached to its door. It was folded and signed by Joel on the front. You ripped it from the magnet and opened the parchment:

Go upstairs to find a surprise on our bed,

Then meet me at the place where the old willows gather.

I hope this note finds you in good timing. 

I will be inside waiting for you.

You smiled at the thought of going on a little adventure. With the note still in your hand, you ran up the stairs and practically glided into your room. Your eyes immediately fell on the two items laying at the end of the bed. Your hand reached out to touch the satin-y, ivory colored fabric of the dress. It was a simple yet elegant slip gown with a slit on the left side. It featured a low cut v-neck trimmed with a floral embroidery. Next to it was an umbrella. 

You allotted yourself 15 minutes to do yourself up. You raced down the stairs and threw on your rain boots before leaving. The place that he mentioned was familiar to you. The settlement of Jackson was surprisingly big. Despite having seen the circumference of it’s walls when you were out patrolling on a high hill, from within, the settlement felt bigger; there was still so much to discover inside its nooks and crannies. In the far southwest portion of Jackson there grew a small conglomeration of willow trees; all of them were willows. It was a stark difference to the usual maple and pine that grew pretty much everywhere else. It was technically too small to be considered a forest, but it was still a significant amount of land and it was left undiscovered by you. The house you and Joel lived in was located on the other side of Jackson, so the thought of making time to visit this place always laid dormant in the back of your mind, until Joel brought it back to the forefront. You stopped at the stable and grabbed your favorite horse, desiring to get to the willows as fast as you could.

With one hand on the reins and one holding the umbrella, you rode across Jackson. The rain was starting to pick up and the sky was getting darker. You regretted not bringing a flashlight knowing that the branches of the trees were going to block whatever light was left in the sky. Gently, you pulled on the reins to slow your animal down as you approached the area mentioned in the note. 

The horse strode past willow after willow. A feeling of being lost overcame your mind. You pulled the note back out and tried to read it again under the fading light of the sky to see if there were any clues you missed. The only thing you could make out of importance was ‘inside’. Joel wrote that you could find him inside. Was there a building in this tiny, little forest? Given the fact that you expected it to rain harder later on, you hoped so. 

You kept riding straight until a flicker caught your eye. It wavered between the blowing branches. You turned your horse in its direction as it entered into a galloping pace. The flicker grew into a growing glow of orange. Inside the small forest was an even smaller clearing that held a quaint brick building. The glow came from a lantern that lit the front steps and grand front door. It had the traditional architecture of a chapel. You looked up and could barely make out the little bell tower and the cross stationed above it. 

You slid off the horse and tied her down under the awning on the side of the chapel. You gathered the fabric of your dress in your hands and walked up the steps and opened the heavy doors. Your presence was announced with the sound of a large creak. It was completely bright on the inside; the pews and altar lit by the glow of dozens of candles.

Joel lifted his head at the sound of the door opening. He was facing the altar next to the minister before turning around to find you at the other end of the aisle shaking the rain off your umbrella. He kept his gaze on you until your eyes lifted to meet his. It was at this point you took in his appearance. Joel was wearing the cleanest button down you’d ever seen him in. A small amount of chest hair peaked out from the top where he left it unbuttoned. It was tucked into a pair of black jeans. 

He recognized a flash of nervousness in your body language, but it soon melted after a few moments of holding your gaze. Joel silently spoke to you in his head. He asked you to stay, beckoning you to meet him at the end of the aisle. As if you heard his voice and not just the light tapping of rain on the roof, you slowly began to walk. You focused on putting one foot in front of the other but for Joel, it appeared as though you were floating toward him. He leaned his weight on one leg and tucked his thumb under his belt as he watched on. Once you made it in front of him, you noticed that he even trimmed his beard and brushed his hair back. The minister settled in his place in front of the two of you. His eyes bounced from you to Joel and back to you. A smile tugged at his lips as he watched the two of you gaze lovingly at each other. 

Joel cleared his throat, breaking the moment. “This is Reverend Gabriel. Rev, this is (Y/N).”

He bows his head in your direction. “Absolute pleasure to put a face to the person Mr. Miller here has spoken so highly of.” 

You smile bashfully in response. “Nice to meet you as well. I’m sorry we haven’t met before. I thought I knew everybody in Jackson.”

“Oh, I don’t live here. I’m from a much smaller settlement right outside Cheyenne. I travel from time to time with our merchants to different places. This is the first time I came with them to trade in Jackson. That’s how I met Joel.” He patted him on the back. “He spotted me in my clerical robes and asked me to preside over this matrimony. I like to think it was divine intervention that led our paths to cross.” His face wrinkled when he smiled. “Now, let's get onto the fun part.” He proceeded to open his bible.

The reverend started by reciting a passage on what it means to love. You took Joel’s hands in yours. They were rough and clammy, but you still loved holding them because they belonged to him. Reverend Gabriel then asked the two of you to repeat the vows that he spoke. The moment seemed so surreal to you; it was almost like you were sitting in one of the pews watching this take place like  a scene in a play. He gave your hand a squeeze as the words flowed from your mouth, grounding you in reality. After reciting his vows, Reverend Gabriel asked to see the rings. You took off the one Joel gave you only a week ago and handed it to him. In turn, he handed it to Joel.

He took his hand away for a moment to wipe it on his pants before taking yours in his again. “I give you this ring as a sign of my love. With it, we become one.” He slid it back in its rightful place before turning to the minister. He expected him to carry on with the last part of the ceremony; the part he was most excited for. 

“I give this ring as a sign of my love. With it, we become one.” You repeated as you picked his hand up and held the ring you chose for him in your other. You knew Joel didn’t have a ring for himself. It wasn’t made of any precious metal, but of wood. It was engraved with a simple design and polished over. You requested the custom order from one of the carpenters in Jackson. “I hope it fits.” You whispered as you slid it on his ring finger. 

Joel raised his eyebrows as it slid on perfectly. “I guess I’m not the only one with surprises, huh?” He joked. He had this sudden urge to kiss you, but withheld himself as he waited for the reverend to finish.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now seal the matrimony with a kiss.”

Joel gently laid his hands on your cheeks and reached down for your lips. You met him in the middle by pushing yourself up on the tip of your toes. The one kiss turned into another just as a clap of thunder sounded. You pulled away and looked toward the doors. Joel thanked the reverend one last time before grabbing your hand and pulling you back down the aisle. As you grabbed your umbrella, a flash of lightning lit up the interior of the chapel far brighter than the candles. Joel told you that it was time to go because the storm was less than a mile out. The two of you needed to find shelter and the chapel, as quaint and beautiful as it was, was not the place he wanted to spend his wedding night with you. He told you to wait on the porch as he brought the horse around. You could hear her whine uncontrollably, scared from the deep boom of the thunder. Joel stood in front of her, getting drenched, trying to calm her down before untying her, but it was no use. She pulled at the rope that had gotten tangled around her neck causing her to flail about even more. He pulled out a dagger and risked getting kicked to cut her loose. She bolted past him and into the darkness, almost knocking him down into the mud. He rounded the corner to the front of the chapel and held his hand out for you to take. He told you to come on in his southern drawl over the sound of a lightning strike. He wrapped his arm around your waist as you tried to cover both of your heads with the umbrella. 

All of a sudden, the winds and rain picked up. The only light to guide the two of you came from the strikes of lightning. The umbrella quickly became a formality as the wind seemed to blow the rain sideways, causing it to drench your clothes all the same. It was the beginning of summer but the wind on your wet skin was sending chills up and down your body. Joel was able to guide you out of the willow trees, but the challenge was not over yet. After minutes of running in one direction, you spotted a tiny shelter from the corner of your eye. Immediately, you tugged on his arm and pulled him into its direction. You didn’t care if it was someone’s shed or another stable, you were desperate for a roof to be over your head, even if only to catch your breath. As the two of you got closer, you realized that it was a greenhouse. You knew that the gardeners used it mainly in the fall and winter. You whipped the glass door open and pulled him in before shutting it back against the wind. Your wet clothes clung to your body as your back slid down the door. You began to notice the stark difference in environment as you sat there catching your breath. The air was balmy and sticky with humidity. It was so thick, you could almost cut through it. You got up and walked past a row of plant beds while your new husband picked up a box of matches to light a couple of lanterns.

Impatient and uncomfortable, you peeled the dress off your body. You wrung out the water and hung it on a hook. You were in nothing but your rain boots and he still hadn’t noticed yet. He coughed as he beat the dirt and dust off of a blanket he found hidden in a chest. He turned, expecting to wrap it around you when he saw you bare and all. He was frozen, as if he’d never seen you like that before. You walked up to him, grabbed the blanket and gently laid it on the ground. He watched as you proceeded to position yourself on it. You glanced up at him and patted the space in front of you, waiting for him to come to you. 

Clothes still sticking to his body, he sat across from you on the blanket. He pulled your legs onto his lap and pulled off your boots one by one. You leaned back on your elbows as he began to massage your calves and feet. You enjoyed the sensation but quickly became sick of the fact that he was still clothed. You slipped your foot from his hands and in one quick motion, sat up on your knees and crawled closer to him. Tenderly, you pushed him down until his back hit the blanket. You straddled his waist and reached for the buttons on this shirt. Slowly, you revealed his skin underneath; it glistened in a mix of sweat and rain. He pulled it all the way off as you began on his pants. His hands shadowed yours as you slid them off. You had barely touched him and already he was half stiff. 

Joel pushed himself up to meet your lips but you denied him. You let out a breathy chuckle at his attempt to capture them again. He opened his eyes to give you his famous glare and it was at that point you couldn’t deny him any longer. You slid your fingers behind his neck and raked your nails through his hair before leaning in to kiss him. He pulled your body flush against his, your torsos sticking to each other, giving his fingers room to slide up and down the indent of your back. His touch left a trail of goosebumps on your sensitive skin. Still propped up on your knees, your entrance was mere inches from his middle. You let one of his hands cup your cheek for a moment before you grasped his wrist and moved it away. Joel watched as you licked and sucked at the pulse point on his wrist. You couldn’t explain why, but feeling him pulse against you, regardless of where on the body, made you more aroused. He let out a low, guttural groan at the sight and rolled his hips up to let you know that he was now standing at full attention.  

“Tell me you need me.” You whispered in his ear.

Joel cupped your cheek with his other hand. “You have no idea how much I need you, darlin’.” His eyes grew soft yet still held the same level of lust from when he turned around and saw you naked before him. 

You reached down and gave him one long stroke before guiding it inside you. You rolled your hips up and down, never letting his cock completely leave your warmth. It began as a slow and steady pace because you reveled in the sensation of your walls being stretched out. He hissed when you finally surrounded his full length. His lips and tongue found themselves attached to your collarbone. Your nails drew patterns on his scalp all the way down to the back of his neck, marking him. After a few moments, he leaned back a little, taking your body with him, to angle himself inside you. 

“Right there!” You said after letting out an unexpected moan.

Joel tried out a combination of different rhythms until he heard that beautiful sound leave your mouth. After he was sure he found your spot, he steadied himself with one hand on the ground and the other behind your neck. The sound of sticky, wet skin slapping against each other as he picked up the speed set the tone against the stormy night. Every so often, Joel’s grunts would intermingle with the rest as his desires to go harder and deeper fought with his tired muscles. As much as he loved the position, his arms were beginning to ache. The last thing he wanted to do was give in to the weariness of his body on his wedding night. With a grunt, he shifted his body enough to lay you down and hover over. Only leaving your warmth for a moment, he lifted your hips, causing your legs to naturally find their place over his shoulders. With his hands practically gripping your ass, Joel swiveled his hips, letting his member slide up and down your slit before entering. As soon as he bottomed out, he took no time to pick up the pace. His grip continued to hold you still as he thrusted in and out of your tight entrance. The whole scene was erotic to him. He could barely keep his eyes off of you and the way you reacted to his touch, but he also enjoyed the view below him. Watching his cock slide in and out of you covered in the juices you produced. Under the soft glow of the lanterns, he noticed how everything seemed to glisten, from his cock to your face. 

Joel felt his member tightening with pressure and he was ready to explode, but he knew you, knew your body and you weren’t there yet. You let out a hiss after you began to massage your sensitive bud below. He gazed down at you as your other hand pinched and caressed your nipples. In that moment, Joel wished that he had another pair of hands to do it for you but he had to settle for watching the view before him. A smirk grew on his face as he told you to move your hand away from your clit. You frowned but did as you were told. Joel began to rock his hips in a new motion, allowing his pelvis to graze and push against it every time he slid back into you.

Still ready to burst, he found relief in knowing that you were close too. You didn’t have to say it, even though you did. Your walls only needed to contract around him once for his composer to break, but still he held strong. He was sure that he looked like a starved animal in that moment because of the pulsating veins that popped up across his body. He was right; you noticed his lack of release and knew exactly why. Your thumb followed the line of the vein on his arm. 

You nodded your head. “I want you to cum inside me.”

With your words, he found relief. He let out this long awaited breathy moan that laid dormant in the pit of his stomach. The sensation of him spilling inside you heightened your arousal and caused you to pulsate around him quicker. Sloppily, he continued to thrust into you before stopping completely. Gingerly, he pulled out and watched as a mix of his and your cum dribbled out of you. He laid your legs down onto the blanket and did the same. Your bodies were nothing but a sticky mess and still Joel wrapped his arms around you to pull you in.

[anotherbeingsworld]

Trouvaille

Pairing: Bryce Lahela x F!MC (Casey Valentine)

Summary: An added scene from Chapter 18 of OH:SY where the gang were spending their night at the rooftop. They were revelations made between Bryce and Casey after questioning their decision on their future, something as simple as.. home. 

A/N: This is apparently a late birthday gift for @kelseaaa and @fantasyoverreality98 on their birthdays last week! I wanted to write a fic for both of you since we have been in love with Bryce and, I hope all of you enjoy it! Love you both ! Thank you for being amazing people here in this world <333 Happy belated birthday!!!! 

A/N: I also, may not be writing much for the next weeks since exams are coming for me! But, I will be back sooon afterwards! Thank you so much for reading and understanding! I have plans and I can’t wait to share more !  Thank you @jaxsmutsuo​ for reading it for me and assuring me about it, go check out her first fic guys HERE ! <3 

Tags:  @bitchloveskcbaseball , @storyofmychoices @jaxsmutsuo , @mvalentine , @princess-geek , @lahellacute , @kacie-0156-deactivated20200905 , @this-person-is-busy , @annekebbphotography , @brycelahel  @mrsbhandari , @dcbbw , @choicessa , @choices-confessions , @aylamwrites-deactivated20201016 , @fantasyoverreality98 , @baltersome , @ofpixelsandscribbles , @thundergom  @starrystarrytrouble,  @kelseaaa  , @rookie-ramsey , @bratzlahela , @ohvamsey , @choicesficwriterscreations , @soft-for-drake , @lalizah , @drethanramslay , @arcticlumineer , @choicesstan1 , @aveeiro , @eleanorbloom​

MY MASTERLIST

Trouvaille - Something lovely discovered by chance. 

Her smile was visible as they sat at the rooftop, the final hurrah between them. Casey stares at the view above them, as her friends can be seen taking some momento’s with Elijah’s new camera that  he found while a day of thrifting.

She felt a presence besides her, as Bryce stood on the railing with her. Somehow, their silhouettes overlooking the whole city of Boston. It felt like a farewell, their final farewell to the small part of her life that has become a home to her in the last 48 months being there.

‘I’m glad you suggested this.’ Her hands were in his, as they held onto each other. Their eyes gazes onto the view, as the lights from the city view shines brighter tonight, reflecting her gold attire that made their night brighter in a sense.

‘It felt right for a last hurrah, a last goodbye…’ Her eyes trailed at their friends, who is enjoying their drinks as Rafael was found to be laughing from a joke, along with Sienna from a small reference of a tv-show from Elijah and Phoebe’s recommendation.

‘Hey, tomorrow is still here… It’s never goodbye.’ His voice echoed onto the night sky, a small comfort which unfortunately didn’t gave her the level of comfort that was needed. She smiled regardless, not wanting to ruin their night.

‘I know… have you thought of your next move after… Edenbrook?’ Casey felt her voice cut, as somehow a lump was form on her throat, a question that she wanted to avoid? The fear of the reality, the new future without Edenbrook somehow… is unimaginable? It was terrifying, yet… life was meant to be that way. A bit of terror, and a pinch of sweetness and a cup of bitterness.

‘…I have a few options in mind…you?’ His eyes didn’t felt brave enough to face hers, he sensed this conversation coming. Their futures had been hanged onto a thread, as Edenbrook faces its downfall.

‘I did some searching too, ever since Dr. Ramsey told us about it. I have been searching here and there, maybe somewhere far, somewhere new? But…’ she paused, as his breath stops for a moment.

‘But?’

‘It’s not home.’ Her eyes gazed into his, a small smile was seen on her face.

He remembers his and Keiki’s conversation in between moments, where he talked to her about the possibility on moving somewhere new due to Edenbrook’s fate. Those conversations live in his mind, even after he dropped her off at Connecticut. Their late-night talks brought his perspective. One of the silver linings of having Keiki at home. Somehow, it felt there is someone could understand his non-sense.

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

He recalls, their conversation.

‘I thought you are done with the new hospital talk?’ She stares upon Bryce who is currently stressed out from the amount of searching he has done during his day off.

‘I know, I guess… I still don’t know.’

Keiki took a seat on the couch, as Bryce lets out a sigh.

‘You have been saying that for a while Bryce, you should have made up your mind by now?’ Keiki questions him as a groan was escaped.

‘I am clueless, these hospitals are the ones I have wanted before; ever since I left college. There are openings for residencies, and … I should be thrilled.’

She raised a brow in question, she knew Bryce. He always knows what he wants, but… in this moment. It felt like he was someone new? Someone who has been influenced by a certain human being that she knows all too well.

‘Is it about Casey?’ Her voice is steady, as she didn’t hesitate. She saw their interactions, and she knew that look he gave her. It was the look of adoration and comfort. Somehow, she noticed how his lips curled into a smile as Casey made her way into their apartment for their daily dinner cook-outs. The way he would become a different person around her, the huge smiles as he finishes talking on the phone. The small moments where she saw him happy, and …. Its because of Casey. Casey Valentine.

‘…I don’t know.’ Somehow he wanted to say yes, somehow moving a new territory felt like the past. The past where he wanted to run away, a chance for him to start new. But, during this time… he loved life, he loves his job, he loves helping people, he loves his friends… and he loved her? He loves her.

‘You will figure it out Bryce, you will always do.’ Keiki said, giving him a hug before getting into bed leaving him there. Somehow, a moment for him to figure it out. The new future, or maybe the updated past? A conflict that has been running in his mind for the past weeks.

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

Those countless nights of searching, and he knew where he wanted to go.

‘….I figure out where I wanted to go.’ He started to speak, as the uncertainty left him a smiled followed. In a split second, he saw the future ahead.

He wanted to go home, the one where he felt like where he is accepted and where he belongs. Looking at her, the hopeful look on her face says it all. She was his home, a cliché saying but… after all these months searching, calculating, struggling and living. The future was seen, a small silhouette of the future where it will end up in a good note.

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

All of them are sitting together once again, talking about the possible futures. As the clock strucks midnight, and a million of memories made throughout the night. He was sober enough to make this decision, sending Keiki was a huge influence in this. The essence of change in life, and this is somehow a new change too.

‘…Bryce, where do you think you’ll be going?’ Sienna asked, as the stars above shining brightly on them.

Bryce took her hand in his, giving it a squeeze.

‘Home.’ Her eyes went wide at the sentence, as somehow… visible tears can be seen by them.

The four of them smiled at one another knowing what it meant, as the conversations followed them deep into the night with a rise of a toast, a new road and new destinations along the way. 

The future is unknown, unthinkable. But, deep down. He knows;

He will always be her home, while she would always be his. Forever and always.

[licorescence]

Vanilla Indulgence

Fandom: 終わりのセラフ | Owari no Seraph | Seraph of the End

Rating: T

Pairing: Mikaela Hyakuya x Yuuichirou Hyakuya (MikaYuu)

Notes: Bartender!Mika + eyeglasses

Warnings: Mild alcohol, mild swearing/cussing

A/N: Happy (Belated) Valentine’s Day~ To be honest, I was writing this out of boredom, but after knowing that February 14 was approaching, I thought of finishing this up in order to celebrate the holiday~ And yes, it’s Bartender!Mika, but this time, with EYEGLASSES. >w< I hope this piece is okay since I felt like I rushed it. I might edit some parts in the future to make it better. In the meantime, enjoy, my dear readers. *thumbs up*

———————————————————————————————————

Yuuichirou was torn between feeling two things. There was this side of him that wanted to choke himself to death with his drink to save him from the sheer embarasssment of what he was going to do, and the other side of him - the one that he was suppressing so, so hard - held this urge to murder Shinoa on that damn barstool. He wasn't expecting his friends to plan anything for tonight since it had been a stressful week of almost nonstop work and all he wanted was to let loose in order to relax.

But, no. That wasn't happening, especially with Shinoa feeling so high spirited after having a couple of cocktails.

"Come on, cherry boy, I'm very generous with this dare~ You just have to ask that guy for his number and that's it." Shinoa's voice slurred just a bit as she pointed a finger on a man by the bar counter. "He looks pretty good and he even shows good etiquette. I think you should totally ask him out. When was the last time you ever got laid anyway~?"

The rest of the squad sputtered on their drinks in surprise after what Shinoa just blabbered.

"I-Idiot! Don't ask him that! God, don't you have any shame?!" Mitsuba shrieked as she shoved a hand on Shinoa's mouth to make her stop spouting other things. Her face was red in mortification and she gave Yuuichirou an apologetic look, "Ah, you don't really have to ask him out, Yuu… Maybe asking for his phone number is already enough for the dare. Right, Shinoa?"

"Eh, where's the fun in that, Mitsu-chan~? Can't you see how lonely Yuu-san looks nowadays? He needs a lover!" Shinoa exclaimed, though it was muffled within Mitsuba's palm.

"Be quiet," Mitsuba growled.

"Well, if you don't want to do the dare, you could always say so, Yuu-kun. You don't have to force yourself if it makes you uncomfortable." Yoichi reassured with a smile as he bit on a rice cracker snack.

"That'll make him a wuss, though." Shihou commented offhandedly on the side, which earned him a sudden smack on his gut from Yoichi. "Ow, what the--?! Yoichi!"

"Oh, sorry. My hand slipped." Yoichi apologized but it didn't sound all that sincere, especially with the smile (glare) he threw right at Shihou's direction for the insult  before he turned back to Yuuichiriou, "If it makes you feel any better, I'll treat you to coffee tomorrow."

"Thanks but save it, Yoichi. Coffee won't make me feel any better especially with her around." Yuuichirou hissed as he pointed a finger on Shinoa. "If I do this without humiliating myself, you better have the dare money ready."

"Hmhm, don't worry, Yuu-san. I can bet my entire allowance if you want~" Shinoa slurred in glee and she even gave Yuuichirou a thumbs up. "You have my full support. Now go get some of that ass!"

Yuuichirou swore under his breath at how utterly brazen Shinoa was acting in public, yet he didn't comment on it and just stood up from his seat in order to do his dare. He was slightly disoriented and warm from the drinks he had before, but otherwise, he was still sane enough to know what he was getting himself into. He honestly felt sorry for the poor, unfortunate soul Shinoa wanted him to mess around with this dare. He just hoped the other wouldn’t creep out with what he was going to do.

“Uh, h-hey… Mister...” Yuuichirou started out as soon as he reached the stool near the bar counter. His gesture immediately caught the attention of the bartender present.

“Yes, sir. What can I do for you?” The man at the other side offered with a polite smile while he approached Yuuichirou after he finished cleaning up some glasses. “Do you want another drink? Or perhaps a glass of water?”

“N-No, I’m fine, thank you…!” Yuuichirou refused courteously despite the slur that slipped out of his sentence due to his marginally drunken state. “I, um… I came here to ask for your… your…”

“... My?”

“Your phone number…! Please!” Yuuichirou blurted out with his eyes shut closed as he offered up his cellphone towards the bartender, yet all that responded to him was silence. He quietly thanked the gods that there wasn’t anybody near him at the moment, because if there were, he would most likely dig a hole to bury himself into right now.

Yuuichirou could have sworn that the other guy must think he was crazy to ask him something so personal out of the blue, but instead of a repulsed reply that Yuuichirou was expecting, he could make out soft giggles that were stifled behind a hand. Blinking, Yuuichirou slowly opened his eyes to see what was so funny, only for him to get a good look at the bartender attending to him and his cheeks reddened from something that wasn’t the fault of his drinks tonight.

Holy cow…

There, before him, stood a gorgeous blond man. His wavy locks were tied up in a loose ponytail, his bartending uniform was quite loose yet it snug on his form so comfortably, and his blue eyes sparkled with mirth. His thin framed eyeglasses were a nice little touch to his already handsome appearance. Yuuichirou had barely figured out his name on his vest because of it.

“I’m… I’m sorry. It’s just...” The bartender - Mikaela - was holding back his laughter for a moment before he composed himself. “Forgive me for that. I was actually expecting you to say something like that from the moment you came here, but I wasn’t expecting you to be so cute in doing so. It honestly caught me off guard.”

“Cute…?” Yuuichirou repeated in disbelief before he frowned just a bit. “I’m not cute. You take that back.”

Mikaela snickered while he let his arms rest on the bar counter, looking completely relaxed under Yuuichirou’s presence despite what happened a minute ago. “You know, you’re not convincing anyone with that face of yours. I guess you have one too many drinks tonight. Are you stressed, perhaps?”

Everything about that tone was gentle, almost as if this stranger was one of Yuuichirou’s friends that it inclined him to speak his piece. It was a lovely offer that held no strings attached to it, giving Yuuichirou some form of liberty that he badly needed.

“... You could say that,” Yuuichirou murmured as he slowly drew back his phone and slouched on his seat. “Honestly, my entire week was hell. Every day, I wake at six in the fucking morning, clock in the office, file papers, organize documents, send faxes, type shit on computers and get a paycheck that doesn’t do me justice for all the hardwork I give. Just, ugh…”

Mikaela hummed in understanding and he outstretched a hand to pat Yuuichirou on the head, “But look at you now. It was difficult, but you did well in the face of it. Your efforts deserve praise.”

Yuuichirou blushed but he shook off the man’s hand on him with a light scoff. “Yeah, well, since my company is shit, my deeds don’t really matter to them. All they care about are the numbers.”

“I see…”

Yuuichirou could have sworn he heard disappointment from the other that perfectly matched well with the frustrations he felt during those days. This just made him all the more curious about the bartender in front of him who seemed to understand him far better than his friends do.

“It’s a shame to hear your work go to waste after all that. However, here in my bar—” Mikaela then pointed down on the counter for emphasis while he smirked. “—I’m not one to let such a thing go unnoticed.”

With that said, he straightened up and quickly grabbed his newly cleaned cocktail shaker from its place in order to concoct a cocktail on the spot. Yuuichirou watched in amazement upon being treated to an unplanned performance, mesmerized at each movement that spoke of grace and professionalism. The man was also quick in his job because he already finished the cocktail in mere seconds, and presented Yuuichirou with a creamy drink in a martini glass.

“Thank you for waiting. This is for you, on the house.” He offered proudly and nudged the cocktail towards Yuuichirou with a charming smile. “I hope you like it.”

Yuuichirou unconsciously swallowed just by staring down at the drink, and he extended his hand for it like he was hypnotized before taking a small, experimental sip.

The smooth blend of peach and vanilla slipped down his tongue, gracing Yuuichirou with a heavenly flavor similar to a peach tart dessert. The cocktail immediately brought an expression of wonderment on Yuuichirou’s face at tasting something so rich and luxurious.

“This is so good. Is this really for me?” Yuuichirou asked in a near stupefied fashion.

“Of course. You deserve it, after all.” Mikaela confirmed and he pointed at the drink with his forefinger. “The name of the drink is Vanilla Indulgence, and it’s a cocktail that fuses peach, vanilla beans and bourbon whiskey into one, similar to fruit tarts. In the language of cocktails, it means ‘Reward yourself generously’.”

A light blush made its way to Yuuichirou’s cheeks at the thoughtful gift. He never imagined that this bartender would give him something so heartfelt as a response to his horrible week. Despite being strangers, Yuuichirou was touched by the gesture and he could only offer the man by the counter a genuine smile of appreciation.

“Thank you. This means so much to me.” He confessed softly as he began to nurse his drink little by little.

“The pleasure is all mine.” Mikaela grinned before he slipped a card forward, eliciting a confused look from Yuuichirou. “You asked for my number, right? This is my business card, feel free to talk to me whenever you wish.”

“Oh, that…” Yuuichirou dawdled slowly and shook his head. “It’s okay. I only did it for a dare. I have no right.”

“I don’t really mind. I’m giving this to you because I want to.” Mikaela explained and his grin turned just a little mischievous as he added on, “Besides, you already accepted my invitation by simply drinking this cocktail.”

Yuuichirou frowned, puzzled. “... What do you mean?”

“What I mean is…” Mikaela leaned close so that he could whisper to Yuuichirou. “‘I find you attractive and I want to get to know you more’.”

The blush on Yuuichirou’s face deepened tenfold and he was left with his mouth hanging agape at what Mikaela just admitted. Mikaela, on the other hand, chuckled as he fixed his eyeglasses up, pleased at Yuuichirou’s reaction.

“I look forward to seeing you here again. Have a good night.”

Mikaela gave Yuuichirou a wink before he walked to attend to another patron that just arrived, leaving a dumbfounded Yuuichirou to process what just happened. He couldn’t comprehend why Mikaela found him attractive enough to flirt with him and possibly ask him out on a date in the future, but what he understood from their conversation was that he definitely got more than just a phone number out of Mikaela.

And, after days of feeling like a loser, Yuuichirou finally had something to look forward to.

[ruby-white-rabbit]

1 - 30 all of them

1. Who was your first kiss and what was it like?

His name was Alex. He was my long distance bf at the time and it was at Disneyland. Awkward but sweet.

2. Are you in a relationship and if so, are you happy?

Yup and yup!

3/4. Do you have/who is your crush?

My boyfriend.

5. Are you a virgin.

Yes. I am 28 (almost 29) as well so don't let people rush you. Do it when YOU feel comfortable to do so.

6. What do you think of Valentine's day?

It exactly a week til my birthday.

7. Who is your Valentine?

Last few years it's been my parents and brothers. It's a bit delayed this year cause of work but my bf is my Valentine.

8. Have you ever asked anyone out?

Eh. No. I've asked for numbers though.

9. Celebrity crush?

Depends on the day but Sebastian Stan or Tom Hiddleston

10. Has anyone ever asked you out and you turned them down?

Yes. I was like 17/18 and I was WORKING. Don't be that person.

11. Do you think anyone has a crush on you right now?

Jee I hope my boyfriend does...

12. What is your favorite thing to do on Valentine's day?

Make cheesy pick up lines even if I don't get to use them.

13. What's the best Valentine's you've had so far?

I was 13 and my dad sent flowers to my school. He wanted my first dozen roses to be "from a guy who truly loves you" and that's stuck with me. I have yet to receive roses from anyone else, including past dates. (It's the bfs first year so be nice)

14. What's your idea of a perfect date?

Concert. Which is what our belated Valentine's plan is.

15. How do you know when you're in love?

I've never been truly in love but I might be getting there. I think... If I had to guess, that it's when you genuinely don't worry about anything with them. They feel comfortable and you don't have to pretend around them. When they just make you feel better more than anything.

16. Have you ever loved someone on a romantic level?

Past experience I thought I did but that was a MISTAKE.

17. Do you prefer more or less clingy relationships?

Depends on clingy. I guess less clingy? You can still be yourself and have alone time in peace.

18. Do you feel like you're loved on an everyday basis?

To certain degrees. It's not always romantic love but my brothers for sure make me feel loved when I'm home.

19. Are you normally the first person to make a move?

No. But I kinda was just to establish that we were dating this time.

20. Have you ever asked someone out and they turned you down?

Nope. Never asked anyone out.

21. Do you feel like you're the dumper or dumper most of the time?

Hate to say it but I've been the dumper more times than not.

22. What's your type?

Fuck if I know. If it's anime then it's a stoic red or white haired badass with a soft side and a missing arm.

23. What are some of your favorite physical characteristics for your crush to have?

Hm... In the past its been like, eyes? I've never really been able to pin that down cause I've been all over the board.

24. Are you a hopeless romantic?

I'm year of the ram/sheep and Pisces. Those aspects jumped me in an alley and beat me senseless.

25. Do you think that you're a good kisser?

HA. No. No one of my friends tried teaching me once and it didn't go well.

26. What's the furthest you've ever gone?

Uh... Making out? I didn't enjoy it. I couldn't turn my brain off to do so and instead focused on the weird sounds our mouths made and tried picturing what our tongues were doing. Bad. It was bad on my end.

27. Have you ever had a secret admirer?

I got the fake notes in elementary school so if I had a genuine one I never knew about it.

28. Have you ever been someone's secret admirer?

Yeah. I was awkward so we won't talk about it.

29. Do you have romantic fantasies? If so, what are they and who are in them?

I have a checklist in my bucket list for stupid little things. Be given a balloon bouquet, sunflowers, be kissed on the forehead or hand, maybe a proposal fantasy or two... And it's just with whoever I'm supposed to be with.

30. What's something that always turns you on?

Play with my hair or rub my back damn it. I melt.

[bluerene]

don’t think twice [bbrae]

hellooooo friends!! Happy belated Valentine’s Day! 

I had wanted to share a few one-shots for my tumblr valentines earlier this week, but after getting swamped with a paper and a surprise fever, I realized I would not be posting anything in time for the day of hearts :( That said, I still have some gifts to upload so I’ll be staggering these out over the next few days in celebration of my favorite ships and my favorite people on this website and in this fandom.

So, without further ado, my first Valentine goes to @fireflyxrebel , without whom my starx fics + writing presence here would not have existed. Thanks for always being down to chat, Ava, and being the sweetest + most supportive mom friend ever. You’re an astoundingly beautiful, creative, TALENTED human. Love you lots!

Please note - if you’re using tumblr mobile to read this, the formatting will be 100% fucked. I’m not sure why, but there are a lot of random instances of italicization + gross spacing. Sorry <3

Also, not to used cursed terminology, but it’s a tiny bit lemon scented. Or is it lime scented? That’s right, folks, we are BACK on the citrus scale. 

don’t think twice 

How did I live in a kingdom of thieves? 

And people who say things they don’t really mean?

You’re only everything I ever dreamed of.

You must be kidding me, did you really think I could say no?

- Don’t Think Twice, Hikaru Utada

It wasn’t until they had crossed the threshold, their limbs entangled as they landed on the bed, her veil askew and his dress shirt half-unbuttoned, that they realized what they had done.

“Wife,” Gar whispered, nuzzling her neck sweetly. He curled his body around hers, breathing a sigh of relief as they sank into the soft duvet of their bed. 

“It doesn’t feel real, does it?” She mused, studying the silver band on her finger with wide eyes, “after everything that’s happened, I didn’t know if things would ever work.”

He chuckled and pressed a gentle kiss to her temple.

“You had doubts?”

“You didn’t?” 

“Well, I wasn’t sure if you’d make it all the way down the aisle and still say yes.”

She elbowed him sharply, rolling her eyes. 

“Careful, it’s not too late to get an annulment.”

“You’d just do it all over again in two months like we planned,” he said cheekily. 

Raven smiled, raising her hands to cup his face. 

“Yeah,” she agreed, “you’re probably right about that.”

Her cheeks were pink when she leaned in, brushing her lips against his teasingly. He whimpered when she pulled away, catching her palm and pressing his mouth against it, watching her with dark eyes. 

“Help me get ready for bed?” 

The desire that had pooled in his stomach gave way to pure adoration. He nodded and clambered off the bed, bounding over to her side and scooping her up into his arms. 

She suppressed a giggle and wrapped her arms around his neck, allowing him to carry her to the bathroom. 

Gar flicked on the light and whistled, admiring the polished marble and crystalline glow that filled the room.

“Not bad for a shotgun wedding, huh?”

“We owe Kori big time, you know. She was ready to cry when I told her we wanted to elope early.”

“I’m surprised she didn’t follow us here.”

Raven snorted, patting his chest to let her down, “Believe me, she tried. I had to remind her several times that we would still be having a formal ceremony in December. This was her compromise - she insisted on booking the most expensive honeymoon suite in Vegas in exchange for her silence. I have no idea how she’s going to explain that gap in their finances to Dick.”

“Best sister ever,” Gar commented affectionately, nipping his wife’s ear, “okay, where do we start?”

She touched the top of her head and frowned, wrapping her fingers around the band of the veil that was half-attached to her hair. 

“There are some pins here that you could take out. And then start on the buttons on the back of my dress? I can take the choker off myself.”

“Sure.” 

Her hands went to the clasp of the white ribbon around her neck while his combed through her hair, unpinning the purple waves that were contained beneath the sheer fabric. He glanced around the bathroom, his gaze landing on the massive claw-foot tub that sat a few feet away from them. 

“Hey, Rae, how does a bath sound?” He murmured, sliding the veil off of her head and placing it beside the sink.

“Bubbles and all?” 

“I’m on it, can you finish your dress by yourself?”

She nodded, smiling at his reflection in the mirror.

“Just undo the first few buttons and I can do the rest.”

He took his time with them, not missing the opportunity to press his fingers against her bared skin. Her eyes fluttered shut while he did so, her mouth falling open when his breath warmed her flesh. 

“Don’t get distracted,” she warned.

“Me? I would never,” he teased, pressing a kiss to the back of her neck before seating himself on the edge of the tub. He turned on the faucet and placed his fingers beneath the flowing water absentmindedly, his attention fixed on her. 

Gar spent more than his fair share of time wondering how he’d been so lucky. How, after years of fighting and facing the worst of the world, he had wound up tasting heaven and claiming a piece of it for himself. Moreover, allowing himself to be taken time and time again by its allure, ferocity, and wit. 

Even in the weeks leading up to their wedding, a tiny part of him was certain it wouldn’t happen. It couldn’t happen. Arella would withdraw her blessing. Steve and Rita would blow them off in favor of a mission that required their immediate assistance. Something would get in the way. And as the first ceremony neared, Gar began to panic. 

On the sixteenth of October, two full months before their scheduled trip to Azarath and the subsequent white wedding they had planned to host in Jump, Gar asked Raven to marry him again.

She had only raised an eyebrow, shutting the novel in her lap and setting it aside on her bed. 

“I feel like we already had this conversation.”

“I mean, now. Like, now, now.”

She pursed her lips. 

“What about the actual wedding?”

Gar shook his head, bouncing with excitement. 

“Don’t you see? None of that stuff matters, Rae, not when we have each other, not when we want to get married and we’re ready to do it.”

Raven crossed her arms, eyeing him suspiciously.

“Okay, what’s wrong with you? I thought you were excited about doing a bigger thing. The whole Doom Patrol promised to be there, everyone in the Network is showing up, Vic’s been planning the ‘bachelor party of the century’ for ages. My mom’s even convinced the Head Priestess to let us bring the others to Azarath for our binding. We can’t just cancel on these people, Gar.”

“Is there something so wrong with me wanting to be with you for the rest of my life as soon as possible?”

She scowled.

“What is this, do you think we’re going to call it quits five minutes before or something? I planned on being with you for the rest of my life the moment I said yes to you. Isn’t that enough?”

“If words were enough, I wouldn’t have proposed at all.” He snapped, running a hand through his hair. 

“Okay,” Raven said sharply, rising from her seat, “I don’t want this to go any further. We aren’t fighting about this. So you can either tell me why you suddenly want to elope or you can walk away from this conversation, and we can pretend it didn’t happen.”

Gar squeezed his eyes shut and sighed tiredly, rubbing the side of his face.

“Sorry. That was too far, I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I know.”

“You know I love you more than anything in the world.”

“I know that too.”

“I just, ah, I guess I’ve been waiting for something to go wrong,” he confessed, fidgeting nervously, “Vic and Sarah had to postpone their wedding twice because things came up. Kori almost died three weeks before her bachelorette party and Dick broke six bones saving someone else on their honeymoon. I’m so fucking tired of being afraid, Rae. I don’t want to lose you. I don’t want anything to get in the way. I just want you to be my wife.”

Her glare softened immediately and she stepped forward, circling her arms around his waist and pressing her cheek to his chest.

“I’ve been picking up waves of concern from you for weeks,” she confessed, “I just didn’t know if you wanted to talk about it. I’m sorry, Gar.”

He dropped a kiss on her head, rubbing her back soothingly.

“I got defensive. I shut you out. That’s my fault, not yours. But I still want to get married, right now.”

“Gar -”

“We don’t have to cancel our other plans, Rae, nothing needs to change! We can sneak off to Vegas tonight and get hitched and nobody would even need to know -”

She rolled her eyes, snuggling into his form.

“Bold of you to assume Kori wouldn’t find out.”

“- about us at the end of the day, right? I just want to be married to you. I want to call you my wife. No matter what goes wrong tomorrow or next week or the night before our marriage.”

“Okay.”

“So I don’t see why we can’t - wait, what?” Gar blinked and gripped her arms, pulling her away from him to study her face, “You mean it? We can go?”

She smiled and touched his cheek. 

“I love you, Gar. I would never say no to marrying you, no matter when you had asked. I just didn’t want you to make a choice you couldn’t defend.”

“So...we’re getting married? Tonight?” 

Raven nodded, gazing into his bright eyes. 

“Let me talk to Kori and see if she can cover for us. Go ahead and pack some stuff together.”

He morphed into a wolf and let out a loud howl, bounding around her excitedly before knocking her to the ground and licking her face enthusiastically.

“Down - boy,” she managed between laughs, scratching behind his ears. She rubbed her cheek against his affectionately and rose from the ground, adjusting her cloak and heading into the hallway. 

It would be a few days before they managed to slip away, having obtained permission and “the essentials that you must take with you if you wish for me to keep your secret!” that were so lovingly bestowed upon them by their dear sister. But in the end, it was absolutely worth it.

“GAR.” 

A loud shriek from Raven broke him out of his reverie, drawing his attention to the scalding water that was burning his hand. Gar yelped and pulled his hand away immediately, wincing at the stinging sensation on his reddened skin.

“Idiot,” Raven scolded, taking his hand in hers tenderly. She clasped her cool fingers around it and closed her eyes, breathing deeply.

“Azarath Metrion Zinthos.”

A gentle trickling washed over the injury, soothing it until the pain had faded to a faint tingling. 

“Thanks, babe. My bad.”

“Go and change out of your suit, I’ll finish making up our bath,” she ordered, shaking her head.

He obeyed immediately, loosening his tie and placing it with the growing pile of her discarded accessories. His suit jacket, dress shirt, and undershirt landed in a crumpled heap on the floor, his dress pants and socks following soon after. A fluffy robe hung invitingly beside the bathroom door and he couldn’t resist slipping into it.

“Done,” he chirped, approaching his new wife, who was also swathed in a fluffy robe identical to his. 

She smiled up at him, drawing her fingers out of the tub and shaking them dry. 

“It’s almost ready, though I’m tempted to just curl up in bed wearing these.”

“The goal is to get naked, not bundle up.”

“Maybe your goal is to get naked,” she shot back, “but mine is to be cozy.”

He grinned.

“We can get cozy and naked. Let me warm you up -”

“Oh look, the bath is full,” Raven said airily, smirking when his ears drooped, “I’ll add the bubbles, you can light the candles.”

“Do you plan on teasing me all night or...?”

She flashed him a rare grin, her dark eyes glinting mischievously.

“Would I really be your wife if I didn’t?”

Gar pouted and wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his face in her hair. 

“I love you.”

“I know.”

“I love you.”

“I know,” she breathed, placing her hands on his and lacing their fingers together.

“We did it. We’re married, Rae.”

His nose sought out her skin, his tongue tracing the shell of her ear slowly. Her dreamy sighs were music to his ears.

The jewel in the center of her forehead flared black for a moment, the lights around them flickering in tandem with each brush of his mouth against her body.  A growl rumbled from deep within his chest, the echoes of his inner beast stirring to recognize their mate. She smelled sweet and clean, like a burst of fresh air on the ocean breeze. 

“Gar,” she murmured, stepping away from the tub, “wait.”

She pushed him off of her gently, biting her lip as she studied him in the soft lighting. His eyes were a warm, dark, emerald shade of green, filled with desire and happiness and longing. His shoulders had broadened in the last few years, complementing his added height and sharpened jaw. But beneath the figure of a man, she could feel the same boy who had called her weird while never truly minding her weirdness. His heartbeat always quickened at her touch. His gaze always brightened. His ears always twitched.

“I love you too,” she whispered, slowly loosening the belt around his waist and pushing the robe off his shoulders. She turned her head, and he followed her gaze, promptly stripping out of his boxers and climbing into the tub. Slowly, with a quiet hesitancy he hadn’t witnessed in a long time, she raised her hand, sending black flashes of energy to each candle that had been placed in the bathroom. Her eyes glowed, and the dimmer on the light switch lowered, leaving them in darkness lit only by gentle flares. 

He watched unashamedly as the robe slipped from her form, revealing a band of dark blue lace that hugged her breasts and hips tightly. A strip of white lace sat high on her thigh, looking strikingly bright against the smooth grey of her skin. 

“Something borrowed and something blue,”  Raven said shyly, “I figured we could keep things a little traditional.”

“Yeah,” Gar replied, mouth going dry at the sight of his near-naked wife in the candlelight, “Something old and something new?”

She neared the edge of the tub, bracing herself with his shoulder and climbing in. 

“The necklace was my mother’s. I’ll wear it again in December. As for the new...”, she stroked his hair gently, “I plan to keep my new husband on my body for the rest of the night. That counts, right?”

“Works for me,” he mumbled, running his hands up her legs. 

“Careful with the garter, that’s borrowed. Feel free to tear into the underwear as you please.”

She stood before him, sighing with delight when he gripped her hips and pressed a kiss against the curve of her waist. He hooked his fingers beneath the garter and slid it down her leg slowly, tossing it in the direction of his discarded clothes before focusing on the dark lace that curved around her ass.

“Hell yes,” he hissed, nipping at the seams with his teeth. 

Bathwater splashed over the edge as his enthusiasm overcame him. She giggled and thrashed in his hold, her laughter turned to breathless moans and pants and cries, some of which were so animalistic they rivaled his own. Waves rode out into a quiet stillness until there was only her body and his, two pieces wrapped together to form a whole. He stroked her skin gently, lavishing the parts that had been darkened by his relentless mouth. They toweled off and drained the tub, wrapped in their fluffy robes once more, and snuggled into their bed, rejoining their bodies over and over again.

When morning came, it was to bring forward the two lovers into the life they truly deserved. 

I want you for a lifetime, so if you’re gonna think twice, baby, 

I don’t wanna know, baby, I don’t wanna know.

Everything is just right, but if you’re gonna think twice, baby, 

I don’t wanna know, baby, I don’t wanna know. 

If you wanna take it to an even higher level, 

all you gotta do is say the word you know I’ll follow,

If you wanna take it to an even higher level,

I don’t, I don’t bite.

[forjmpanuela]

Hello Jom.

I guess its a belated happy valentines to you. I love you and i always will. Pero these past few months have been so hard to me and i was given the realization na we will never be na siguro. That you are destined to be with someone greater than me. That my love has its own limit.

I was a fool that time. Pero i thought i did us a favor. It really was a toxic time for us. i gave myself some time to heal pero i regret not reaching out to you sooner. But i tried for an ample of time before you left. I did. and i am happy na i still get a chance to talk and be with you even though its less intimate. Im happy na ako nahatag ako anniversary gift sa imo.

Di ko makalimot when i unfollowed you sa twitter kay the last tweet na ako nakit.an is you have suffered and you will make sure na the one who hurt you kay will suffer double or revenge is greater. Dili ni verbatim pero ing.ana ang tumong. Nag wonder ko if it is all about me. Maybe. But yea. I suffered. 7 months. Pero im sure i had enough love for myself pero feeling nako hurot na. I wanted to reach out to you. To talk to you. Sometimes i write in on this blog and sometimes maghuna2 lang ko.

Ganahan ko mu share sa imo sa ako huna2. Ma share kung naunsa ko. Makahebaw kung naunsa na ka. Asa imo places na gevisit. Pero you asked for your space and i respect it. Pero siguro naman wa ka kalimot sa ako birthday pero you chose not to greet me. Grabe di ko makalimot na naghuwat gyud ko until 12 midnight and wala gyud. And gahuwat ko basin nakalimot lang ka. Pero few days after. Wala gehapon. nasakitan ko. Grabe. And siguro nakarealize ko mao to about sa imo tweet. probably heartless lang ka as you wanted me to feel what you felt. Pero ako man puf gasakit sa panghetabu. You didn't even reached out to me like i did. You did not check on how i am. Your only concern was about your debt. I was kinda hoping na mangamusta ka sa akoa. And these past 10 months i always make time to respond to your texts.

That day, it was the latter part of october. And i wrote it here that it started last year na i always thought of having suicide. It hit me again. I called you. I broke down. I did because 1 i miss you 2 i need love that day 3 i wasnt sure if i was worth it. Pero i got nothing but mere words na i cling and hope na it will be okay soon. 4 months have passed i felt like there is no hope.

Your instagram has been on my daily routine. I always check your stories. Your profile. Just to see a glimpse of you. Your stories. Sometimes maghuwat ko mu chika si amor about nimo. Then amor invited me thrice sa iya bday na i refused. I refused kay mauwaw ko seeing your family and i havent had any stories about you. Mauwaw ko na you only responded on my plea na 'okay' That moment. I knew na wa man kay paki sa akoa na gyud. And i get it and you dont need to feel sorry. You said it before i need to consider myself.

Siguro now i am choosing for myself. I have always loved you. I dont know if you are referring to me about your story on chicken wings and samgyup but it gives me so much emotional turmoil in But i think i need to move on na gyud and i wanted to thank you and your family for everything and being so good to me.

I know na i always write like this and muingon ko na last na. Pero i promise na this will be the last of me writing this to you. You are free from me and this is what i originally planned but i am surprised na it finally came to this. i thought everything was gonna be alright pero sayup gyud ko. I just hope na you are truly happy there. I am here but i guess its time for me to look for something that makes me happy too.

For so long. If our paths have crossed again. I do hope i can smile at you and be released from this heartache. Thank you and i miss you always. pag amping kanunay diha!

[melforbes]

the beast, fast asleep

“dick clark’s dead,” she said that morning as she made them both eggs over-easy. “he can’t be on his own show, so why call it dick clark’s new year’s eve?”

though he doubted she had the title correct, there was no point in correcting her, or if there was a point, the point was the same as finding meaning in why some truck cut in front of him when he was trying to get gas or why the measly town nearby had grown so overcrowded that he hadn’t managed to get her belated christmas present, a book he’d completely forgotten she’d asked for, before the end of the year. in the end, he only had to wait for the gas, and after he’d admitted to his forgetfulness and ultimate inability, she shrugged it all off and put the book in her amazon cart, letting him press the purchase button because she knew it would help him keep thoughts of inadequacy at bay.

“tradition, i guess,” mulder gave, taking his first sip of coffee. “i’m out of ideas for plans otherwise.”

at this point, he was so accustomed to such admittances that he wondered when they would start to feel far-out again. at the beginning of the year, he had been fighting back tears in front of his therapist, but now, scully would wake in the early hours of the morning to find him facing away from her, only his position acting as a shield, his cries obvious but gambling: he wouldn’t wake her but would ask for comfort if, through his not holding back, she heard him, woke, and inquired. it would be one thing if he knew he wasn’t trying, but he now had regimens in every part of his life, from the internet to sex to whether or not he was to leave the house, which, more often than not, he was to do. the only time he’d missed biweekly therapy had been when he’d taken scully on an ill-fated ski trip in the adirondacks, a tweaked knee leaving them holed up in a shared cabin airbnb with a pair of athletic couples who left their expensive yoga mats sprawled out on the hearthstones because, apparently, it was all more authentic that way, a spiritual practice next the quintessential introductory biology question: is fire alive, or is it not? 

sometimes, his therapist told him to take into account that simply getting through the day, even if he drank or binge-ate or pushed scully away or hurt himself, was better than the alternative, but it was hard to see everyone else and still understand that his efforts were, in fact, efforts. one notification saying that scully had added a stanford-educated doctor as a facebook friend, and he would find himself dissecting his education, his employment, his pile of dishes in the sink, the dust piling on top of a self-help book borrowed from his therapist. with the internet and with large-scale communication, people became global citizens as soon as they logged on for the first time, and with the depression, the latent post-traumatic stress, and the malaise that had followed him for so long that it had become a constant companion, he found the responsibility of reacting to every piece of news, trying to better himself, and making sure that he left the world better than he found it was a heavier weight than he could carry.

“are you trying your best right now?” his therapist would ask.

“yes, of course i am,” he would defend. “does it seem like i’m not?”

“no, no,” she would say, shaking her head. “i know how hard you’ve worked, and i know your persistence has been challenging and, in the end, productive. i’m more curious as to why you need to defend that you’re doing all you can.”

on that, he would draw a blank, maybe shrug, say, “childhood things, i suppose. perfectionism tends to be the go-to blame.”

and his therapist would give a little tight-lipped smile. he could only imagine how challenging it was to counsel a fellow psychologist, a playmaker who knew her moves possibly even before she did. 

“do you think dana is doing her best?” his therapist would ask.

“yes,” he would say without a doubt. scully was seeing a therapist as well, a different one in the city. every other week, she would come home late on wednesday night feeling sometimes triumphant, sometimes haggard, and he would meet her at the doorway with a kiss and with dinner on the table. he’d watched the shifts within her over time, how she would breathe into their fights or speak her mind with quiet, fearful vulnerability, unafraid of him but terrified of herself. he hoped - and figured - there would be a day when they could share such little tells with each other, a measurement of progress, compassion of spirit, and pure respect. 

“do you think she thinks you’re doing your best?” his therapist would ask.

“yes,” he would say again without hesitation, for scully had expressed that to him enough times to make him feel secure in such an answer 

“if you know that you’re both doing your best, then what else is there that you need to know?” his therapist would ask. “why does it matter what anyone else does or thinks?”

so, it felt like defeat to lack new year’s plans, but he knew that, come the new year, he would need to work on that. he didn’t understand the finite feeling of a year, for midnight would pass, the ball would drop, kisses would be had, and everyone would sluggishly make their ways to work on the 2nd, cast out of the liminal holiday haze, ready for what always ended up being an awkward and uncomfortable january. by february, resolutions would prove to have been pointless to make, and around valentine’s day, he would need to admit that to himself, and all in all, the year’s end was as relieving as the end of a college semester: though introductory psychology i was over, and though he was a hell yeah, winter break! kind of excited about that, introductory psychology ii was only three weeks away. a new year didn’t end his struggles or make his pain go away, nor did it bring him happiness or a sense of accomplishment. he didn’t quite feel dread, but he felt ambivalence, boredom; he didn’t see the point of celebrating a hard year, then finding excitement in the uncertainty of a new one.

“i’m glad we don’t have plans,” she said, plating eggs. “i’d really like to stay home.”

“is there something good to watch on netflix?” he asked, unsure of whether he was making conversation or grasping at straws, vulnerability straws, a sense that he needed to know exactly which title in the horror-slash-science-fiction section would be recommended for them based on his recent rewatch of zombeavers and her eye-rolled agreement two weeks earlier that gremlins was, in fact, a christmas movie in order to be the proper man-of-the-house that she’d never asked him to be. 

“i don’t know,” she brushed off. “want to find something while i finish off some work this afternoon?”

in the end, his task had been meaningless, a title intended to keep them up until midnight leading to them both falling asleep fifteen minutes in, and by the time he woke, the television had long ago dulled its screen, and against him on the couch, she slept, her ponytail tickling his arm, her glasses still on. from where he lay, he could just see the time on his watch, an hour past midnight, and uncomfortably, he tensed. they’d missed the changeover, the first minute of a most uncertain year. they’d missed it in the early 2000s, during their separation, a few times because she’d had to work, but they’d never missed it during a new year’s eve spent together. 

should he wake her? he wasn’t sure he saw the point now that the hour had passed, but he found himself floundering in this uncharted territory, this new place where everything was the same though he wanted it to be so different. against his better judgement, he nudged her, whispered her name, and she shifted awake, nestled closer to him on the couch.

“i didn’t mean to fall asleep,” she gave groggily, eyes still closed.

“we missed the new year, scully,” he said anxiously. “we missed it by a whole hour.” 

peeking down at his watch, she admitted, “we did.”

“i didn’t mean to-”

“you owe me a kiss.”

tiredly, she scooted up against his chest, her face coming so close that their noses could almost touch. her glasses started slipping down her nose.

“first one of the year,” she said, a soft smile on her lips. “make it good.”

without thinking, he cupped her cheek for balance, kissed her without poise or grace or anything else that adorned the new year’s kisses of every hallmark movie she let play in the background of their holiday festivities. by the end, he figured her glasses had left a scratch on his cheek, but in the dark, he knew she wouldn’t be able to tell. 

“happy new year, mulder,” she said softly, nestling back into her spot against his chest. “i love you.”

“love you too,” he gave, and when she managed to fall back asleep, glasses still on, uncomfortable couch cushions be damned, he figured one awkward kiss an hour after midnight was more than good enough. 

[ackbang]

happy (belated) valentine’s day, @autiacora. i hope this is canon fluffy enough for you (but you know, with a touch of ack flavored sadness(tm) snuck in there too). thank you for being here and contributing to such a great community. you’re a joy. <3

lemons and bellflowers

The Survey Corps had been traveling for several days. They were meant to subjugate an abandoned castle between Utopia and Karanes Districts, however it had fallen out of too much disrepair from wandering titans that they had to move onto one that sat on the outskirts of Utopia. It must have been over half a decade since it was last used, but its stone walls still held up strong against years of weathering. Some rotten doors had to be knocked down, and mounds of decaying leaves had to be shoveled out, but in the end they had all worked together to get it into good working order. And all up to Levi’s standards, nonetheless.

However, Levi wouldn’t let anybody, especially Erwin, enter the commanding office until every cobweb was cleaned from the corners of the room and every finger print washed away from the windows. It smelled like lemons and vinegar, both considered luxuries in the Corps, but ingredients that Erwin managed to sneak into the quarterly budgets. A happy Humanity’s Strongest brought along with it positive scout moral, after all. And keeping a clean working space for his commander was one thing that made him very happy.

Or as happy as Levi could ever appear.

Erwin entered the office, satchel slung heavy at his side. He deposited the bag onto the desk, mission maps, death certificates, and expense reports spilling from the open mouth. Falling heavily into the desk chair, he leaned his head back against the back and let out a long sigh.

“Oi, I’m not done yet.” Levi said, as he pulled the handkerchief from down around his mouth. He had been sitting on the back of his heels behind the bookshelf scrubbing away dirt that had been there probably before the beginning of time. “Get out.”

“Too tired.” Erwin groaned

“You have your own quarters that I’ve already cleaned for you. Go take a nap.”

Erwin shook his head. “Too much work to do.”

Levi stood up and pulled the bandana off and put it in his pocket. The eye roll was apparent in his voice. “The work can wait.”

“No, it can’t. I need to send these reports with a messaging squad before the sunset. The capital needs to know that we have arrived at our destination.”

“And with no casualties,” Levi chimed in, making his way toward the desk. “So that means less paperwork, which means get out.”

Levi smelled of citrus and old wood, and it made Erwin raise a curious eyebrow at his captain. “What if one of my tasks is to keep you company?”

“Then I’d call bullshit.” Levi huffed, sitting on the desktop next to Erwin. He folded his arms and looked down at the taller man, acting as if he would ever win a contest of will over the quick wit of his superior. He leaned forward and took Erwin’s chin between his forefingers, tilted it from side to side before scoffing. “Not at all how a commander of the Survey Corps should be looking.” He swayed off of the desk and went toward the large bay windows lined behind the desk.

Erwin ran his hand along the stubble of his cheeks. They had such abrupt changes in plans, that they had little time to rest in the past three days. Naturally, shaving had fallen to the bottom of his to-do list. “You wound me, Levi.”

“I’ll actually wound you if you don’t leave.” Levi said, coming back to the desk with a flower in his hand. But everything was an empty threat now. Erwin had won, and they both knew.

“What is that?” Erwin said, leaning forward to try to plant his nose into the cup.

Levi dashed the petals against Erwin’s nose and pulled the flower close to his chest. He moved behind Erwin’s chair and placed the flower on the commander’s shoulder before running his fingers through golden hair. “Your hair is getting so long too.”

“We have no barbers on staff, unfortunately.”

“We left headquarters a week ago.” Levi pulled at a long string of hair before shaking his head. “You could have done it before we left.”

“What is this?” Erwin asked again, changing the subject from Levi’s egging to the flower twirling between his fingers.

Levi hummed. “It’s a bellflower. Found a few along the way here and picked some up. They smell nice.”

Erwin dipped his nose into it and sniffed lightly. “Yes, indeed it does.”

“They stand for honesty and obedience.”

“And endless love.” Erwin added with a smile.

Levi’s cheeks grew red as he pulled apart three strands of hair. He pulled on it lightly as he began braiding the hair. He wasn’t even phased that Erwin had played dumb. “If you believe in that shit.”

Erwin held the flower up, Levi taking it and placing it in track with the strands as he weaved his hair. “Where did you learn to do this?”

“My mother had me do it for her sometimes before a ‘client’ would show up.” Levi pulled the hair tighter, running the French braid tight along Erwin’s head.

“Was she beautiful?”

Levi’s mouth twitched into a smile. “I dunno… As pretty as any other mother, I guess. I bet yours was.”

“Why do you say that?”

Levi tied the end of the braid with itself, gave it an admiring pat down before pulling his body around to face his commander. He ran a thumb along Erwin’s cheekbone, allowed himself to ghost a smile at the man. They were both in rare moods today. It seemed to be a thing they craved when they hit new and unfamiliar places. “Because you’re so handsome it’s almost disgusting.”

“I believe in it, by the way.”

“Believe in what?”

“Endless love.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake. Shut up.”

Erwin leaned up and connected their lips. They smiled at each other, soft chuckles escaping through their noses as if they were teenagers. As if they had ever been teenagers. Lemons and bellflowers--mixing into an intoxicating aroma that allowed them to get lost in each other. A rarity; a blessing; a perfume that promised freedom, hope, and success.

Endless perfection.

[burkesandborgin-blog]

A short fic for @thesniffler as your belated Valentine’s day present! It kind of grew on its own, but I hope you like it :) 

(Inspiration of the mossy dragon is from the movie Pete’s Dragon) 

Of course Neville Longbottom gives you a pot of flowers instead of a bouquet on Valentine's Day.

"I grew it myself," he explains with bright, excited eyes. "You could leave it in your room - it glows in the dark, really pretty, it's a hybrid between snapping daffodils and firefly grass, and then I asked Pomona how to charm flowers so that they bloom all year round. You know there are at least two dozen types of flowers in her backyard, right? None of them have the same flowering season! It's amazing, how ---"

He rambles when he's excited, or nervous. You let him keep talking while you try to lift the ridiculously large terracotta pot off his arms. It must be at least two feet in diameter, filled with dark, moist earth, and three heads of green plant fits snugly in a triangle. The tip of each thin stem is covered in delicate butter-yellow flowers, sort of like the baby's-breath you see in Muggle flower shops,  and they give off a very faint, sweet smell that reminds you of the nameless little wildflowers around Greenhouse 2.

You lifted your face to ask Neville a question when he finally finishes his speech: "--I know you stay up late at night, and erm, thought they could keep you company."

You aren't sure whether the smile stretching across your face is from the flowers or from his thoughtfulness.

"What's its name?" You ask. "It's a new kind of plant, so you get to name it, right?"

He carefully levitates the pot, and almost trips over himself when he tries to simultaneously walk and cast a spell to have it follow the two of you. The pot refuses to budge from where it currently sits midair. He sighs.

"Alright, you do it," he says to you. "I don't have a name for it yet - though I've kind of been calling it Lex the whole time."

 You grin at him before casting the right spell. The bunches of yellow petals bob up and down as the flower pot starts to skip and hop behind you to keep up, much like your giddy heart.

(More under the cut, because boy I could not contain this cuteness) 

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

The witch sitting next to the botanical garden's entrance squints at Lex, and then at you and Neville.

"Outside plants not allowed," she points at her little desk that actually says pets not allowed, but you agree that a plant with its own name and magic to help it move around is pretty much a pet.

"I can hold it? It's not dangerous," Neville tries to argue.

"Yes, but what we have inside the garden might eat your flowers for dessert," the witch says matter-of-factly. "We don't recommend children under the age of ten to enter without parental company."

The garden is shielded by a glass dome, not unlike the greenhouses in Hogwarts, but not all the plants in its collection have practical uses, nor are they neatly organized by species and grown in individual pots. There are trees, vines, bushes, flowers, and clumps of weed all grown into each other, tentacle-like roots waving at passers-by, pixies making nests in thickets of leaves, and bowtruckles making faces at families of mouse-like creatures trying to sneak up their trees. Nothing looks too threatening, until you notice a little mound in the middle of the garden that seems to be slowly rising and falling every ten seconds or so.

"Is that … a dragon?" You grabbed Neville's hand, equal parts excited and horrified. "What kind of botanical garden keeps a dragon?! You took me on a date to a garden with a dragon for Valentine's day?"

He blanches a little and grips your hand a little tighter, and gingerly sets Lex down next to the witch's desk. "I thought … it would be romantic? I didn't know …"

But the dragon is of a breed known to protect a specific orchid called Dragonfloss, and even in full adulthood they are unusually tame, so much so that you can walk up to it and sit next to its furry, moss-green wings. Neville is beyond himself, squatting next to a dark purple tree examining "its usual spotting pattern". This date isn't quite as you imagined it would go - but the grass beneath you is warm and soft, the sky above the glass dome is a clear, pale blue, the sounds of bird chatter and Neville's low murmuring (mostly to the plants, sometimes to you) are soothing, and you find your eyelids getting heavier by the minute.

To fight off sleep, you say, "let's play a game?"

"Hmm?"

"You ask me a question, I try to guess the answer, and then I ask you a question," you propose with a yawn. Neville chuckles from where he is, then gestures at a patch of flowers sprouting next to where the dragon is curled up. "Ok, how many types of flowers are there?"

You glare at him with disbelief. "Professor Longbottom, I graduated from Hogwarts a long time ago! This is probably the lamest question you could have come up with. Besides, they all look like roses."

"They are roses. Eleven breeds," his ears are a little pink when you called him Professor. "Damask, Landora, Arthur's Roses, Giggly-scarlets--"

"Okay, next question, what am I thinking right now?" You cut him off before he can continue listing out all eleven. He makes a face at you. "I'm hopeless and ruining the mood?"

"Close - I'm thinking that we should grow roses. The singing kind, like the ones Professor Sprout used to put in the Hufflepuff Common Room to cheer kids up during final exams."

His eyes brighten at that, and proceed to come over to hug you. You have to fight him off so that the dirt on his hands (you plan to get him new gardening gloves first thing tomorrow) doesn't transfer onto your coat.

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

"Guess a number between one and ninety-nine," you ask on the way home. It's not quite spring yet, and the chill gushes in from the collar of your coat as soon as the both of you stepped outside the garden's heat-insulating charm. You shiver a bit at the same time he did, and while he breathes in the crisp, sharp coldness in the air with delight, you bury your face in your scarf.

"Mm," he mumbles absentmindedly, reaching to adjust the scarf so you wouldn't have to take your hands out of your coat pockets. You are acutely aware that this was the same scarf you stole from his room, and it still smells like the hot cocoa he spilled a while ago, even after washing. "You know I’m terrible at these. Thirty?"

"Nope."

You grin at him from under the scarf. The outline of his face is incredibly soft and fuzzy against the sunset, and it reminds you of the first date he asked you out to, on your birthday, but of course you aren't going to tell him that that is the correct answer.

Neville brushes his fingers through your hair with fondness before holding your hand, carrying Lex - now faintly glowing with a warm golden-yellow - with his other arm. A few petals fall on his shoulder and catch in his hair, but he doesn't notice, and you thoroughly enjoy seeing the little yellow dots on him, like he was dusted with sprinkles of the setting sun. Little, fine laughter lines are starting to form around his eyes now, and every time he smiles at you, you fall in love with him all over again.

"I love you." He says gently before you part ways at the floo station at Hogsmeade. You are still holding hands, you and him, and your palm is starting to get clammy but neither of you want to let go. You have never known someone more kind, more selfless, and by now you can imitate his voice in your head, and you know every nervous quirk he has by heart, the way his fingers curl and rub against themselves.

"I love you," you say, and he locks eyes with you before leaning down to kiss you.

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

You find a little rolled up slip of paper tucked between Lex's fuzzy leaves after you got home. In darkness the small flowers glow as bright as a candle, and you're starting to wonder if you need to put a lamp shade over it to dim the light.

Neville's handwriting has improved so much over the years, maybe because he finally has to write legibly for his students. But he still isn't good at love letters. You're not complaining, though.

"Happy Valentine's, my love," it reads.

Your dream is filled with pulsing, warm light, swelling your heart and humming quietly in your ears, and you can almost smell the wildflowers outside the windows of Greenhouse 2, where you first kissed him.

[shirohibiki]

well, folks, here it is. a month late and ~18600 words, my new record for longest fic to date. i’m sorry it’s so crazily long and crappy like everything else and i’m REALLY sorry it took so long, but… i hope y’all like it anyway, lmao i spent an UNGODLY fucking amount of time slaving over this. note: there are some explanations that are repeated because this is technically a standalone fic so it’s there for those who don’t read the others, but i’m actually putting some things in a loose timeline of sorts now. not all fics are in it or may not be listed, just the major stuff i guess idk

written for my spongebob human AU, timeline: [1] | [2] | [3]

spongebob is hosting one of his famous christmas parties, and sandy hatches an evil scheme: get spongebob drunk and encourage him to go kiss squidward under some mistletoe, in an effort to perhaps jump-start some progress in their relationship. she persuades him easily, and one totally smashed spongebob goes to give squidward the wildest smooch of his life. this causes all sorts of Feelings within squidward, but before he has the chance to confront spongebob about it, it’s apparent the next morning that spongebob has entirely forgotten the affair. squidward definitely isn’t going to remind him, and nobody else does either, so he must suffer in silence and try to deal with all of these foreign emotions.

merry belated christmas, everyone. i love all of you so much. <3 this is my gift to the beautiful squidbob community; thank you for being such a bright spot in my life!

Once Spongebob learned how to properly host parties, a Spongebob party was the best party in town.

This Christmas party was no different – and it was only the first one of the month! For every weekend in December, up to and including Christmas itself, he threw a festive shindig.

He’d gone all-out, as per usual fashion – the entire pineapple was decorated inside and out, chock full of jolly holiday cheer. Wreaths, garland, ribbons, lights, mistletoe, stockings, ornaments, candy canes, snowglobes – you name it, he had it. On the front of his snow-covered pineapple hung an inviting banner that read, ‘Mele Kalikimaka!’ A herd of glowing reindeer lounged about in the front yard, accompanied by a snowman family. His Christmas tree was stunning – he’d picked out the biggest coral tree he could find and made sure it was perfect in every way, with every ornament hung with care and every strand of lights threaded with precision. His fireplace roared welcomingly, providing an incredibly cozy heat for people to snuggle by. Glistening multicolored lights and garland were run along the walls of every room with red bows accentuating them. Countless other decorations adorned his household which inspired great holiday spirit for all. The banquet provided was nothing to sneeze at, either. His grandmother and Squidward’s mother both baked their famous cookies, and combined with the other various desserts, those sweets were a force to be reckoned with. Spongebob home-cooked a lot of the meals; the ham, the turkey, the kielbasa, the bean salad, the roasted vegetables, the mashed potatoes, the baked ziti, and so much more… The pepperoni bread was from a nearby Italian joint, but it was a must-have. His parents often came to help him, along with Sandy – Patrick was banned from the kitchen. As in he wasn’t even allowed to be in the same house while they cooked. If nothing else, Spongebob was a perfectionist. That meant every spread, like the rest of his house, looked like it was straight out of a Christmas magazine with how neat and ornate it was… Until people started eating, of course!

Spongebob loved Christmas. Ever since Sandy told him all about it that fateful day… And the day he met the real Santa Claus… It had easily become his favorite holiday. He adored everything about it! The shopping, the decorating, the snow aplenty! The gifts, the love in the air, the chestnuts roasting! The mistletoe~… Oh, Christmas… It was the most wonderful time of the year indeed.

By 5 PM, almost everyone had arrived and the party got underway. Joyful holiday music and the sound of chatter filled the well-lit rooms while the host flitted about, checking on everyone just to make sure they were having the Best Party Ever™. The very picture of adorability, Spongebob wore a beautifully gaudy reindeer themed ugly sweater that hung off the shoulder, a headband with reindeer antlers, and tight black slacks. Along with his rosy freckled cheeks, captivating cerulean eyes, fluffy flaxen hair and gap-toothed smile, he dazzled all of the partygoers. Since things had now settled down, he was finally able to go relax for a moment. He trotted over to a table and sighed in relief as he seated himself. “Oh boy…” Being host sure could be tiring! He loved it, though. Everyone looked so great in their sweaters and button-downs and dresses, and they were all enjoying themselves.

Blue eyes roved around the crowded room – where was… Ah. There he was. Squidward was sitting on a couch across the room, appearing to be quite a bit less grumpy than he usually did, sporting a charming ugly sweater like always. It was snowman themed this time! He was actually talking to someone, too! It was so nice to see him having a good time… Spongebob sighed again, more wistfully this time, propping his arm up on the table and resting his cheek in his palm. Gee… What he wouldn’t give to be sitting in his lap with one of Squidward’s arms around his waist. That’d be swell. If it were possible, he managed to become even more romantically charged than he already was around holidays like Christmas or Valentine’s. It was just – it looked so nice for couples, with the hugging and the kissing and the scarf-sharing and the cuddling by the fire and the…

Gosh… It’d be real swell.

“Howdy, Spongebob!” A familiar voice pulled him from his melancholy-tinged thoughts. One Sandra Cheeks had approached him – he smiled up at her.

“Hiya, Sandy.”

“Takin’ a break? Neptune knows you deserve one!” She said, clapping him on the back as she pulled up a chair next to him.

“Hehe. Naw, I’m okay. I don’t mind the work!” She looked gorgeous tonight too, which came as no surprise. Makeup wasn’t something she wore too often, but tonight, she’d used some glittery gold eyeshadow with a deep plum lipstick and it was absolutely incredible on her. He could also see that she was wearing a wonderful ugly turtleneck sweater under her aquatic suit – such a shame she couldn’t take that dang old thing off. It was always so in the way. Curse their differences in oxygen intake. She had her thick brown curls pulled into pigtails like usual and a pretty burgundy bow on her tail that even lit up! And boy, that fur was fluffy today! “Ooh, I see you took extra care to fluff up your tail today!” He complimented, reaching over to pet through the soft pelt, marveling at it. Sandy chuckled.

“Yup! I brushed it for ten whole minutes! Gettin’ the bow perfect was kind of a challenge, but I managed it!”

“You sure did!” They shared a laugh before Sandy silently observed him for a moment or two. His expression had fallen – he seemed a tad distant, and, looking down, she spotted him continually squeezing some of the fabric of the hem of his sweater. Occasionally, his grip flexed so hard his knuckles went white.

“So, Sponge… Feelin’ kinda lonely, are ya? You’ve been quiet tonight.”

“Wh—“ He whipped around to gape at her. Jeez, she was way too astute! “I… No, I’m fine! I’m just really happy that everyone’s here, and that they’re all loving my party.” She tapped her fingers against her helmet thoughtfully, glancing to Squidward. Soon, a grin spread across her face.

“Maaaaybe y’all should go talk to ‘im.”

“I will in a bit, when he’s not busy.” Spongebob shifted uncomfortably, averting his gaze. The cloth he’d been toying with was now clutched in a firm, unforgiving hold.

“You suuuuuure put up a lotta mistletoe.” Sandy was ruthless in her attempts. She could tell Spongebob was sort of upset – not to mention anxious – and wanted to urge him to at least go and be near Squidward to put him more at ease. To her amusement, he flushed.

“Wh—it’s just decoration! I mean, I definitely encourage kissing for anyone who wants to, though.” Spongebob was a lover of romance, through and through. At that moment, an idea wormed its way into Sandy’s head. That grin of hers turned a shade more devilish, but to her best friend’s surprise, she relented, rising from her seat.

“I’m gonna get you a drink, okay? Wait right here, don’t you dare go on gettin’ up. There are others people can go to if they need somethin’.” She wagged a finger at him scoldingly. He pouted, but didn’t bother to argue because he knew he wouldn’t win that one.

Passing by numerous talkative revelers, Sandy skipped gleefully over to the beverage table in the kitchen. It was time to liven up this party. Larry, who was chilling out nearby, greeted her. He wore an ugly sweater too – but his was sleeveless. Had to show off those guns somehow!

“Hey, Sandy! How’s it hangin’?”

“Great! Just gettin’ our hard-workin’ lil’ Sponge a drink, heh.” Larry had been taking a sip of his water, but paused with the cup to his lips upon hearing her tone. His eyes narrowed suspiciously. He saw her reach for the cranberry juice from behind the fountain of punch.

“… Yeah? What’re you getting him?” The pineapple juice was next. Oh no, he knew what she was up to… She was so obvious about it too! She didn’t even bother to hide her smile!

“A Sponge’s lil’ helper~.” Sandy’s expression went downright sinister then. The vodka was next to be added to her beautiful cocktail. Hopefully there were cherries or limes around! Frowning, Larry stepped forward.

“Whoa, hey there, now wait a sec. What are you planning? We all know he loves baybreezes, but somehow, I don’t think he was the one who asked for it.” He had a very strong suspicion. It was confirmed by her cackling maniacally.

“HA! I think he needs to loosen up a bit! He gets wound up tighter than a snake ‘round a rodent it found for dinner when he hosts parties.” Larry placed his hands on his hips as she mixed it into a beautiful sunset – Spongebob’s favorite part of the drink. She was admittedly quite good at it blending the colors together.

“Loosen up, yeah. But you’re trying to get him all over Squidward. Are you sure this is a good idea? What if he does or says something he regrets?” His personal hangups with Squidward aside, he was mostly worried about Spongebob getting hurt in some way.

“P’SHAAAAWWW! He can just blame it on bein’ drunk, ain’t no thing!” Sandy’s evil laughter only continued. Her brew was now COMPLETED! The lifeguard pinched his brow.

“… Dude, it’s only 6. We can’t get him drunk this early.” She opened her mouth to speak, but went no further. Her brow creased. It would be a problem if the host passed out too early.

“… Hm. Well… Dinner’ll be served soon, right? Then he won’t need to supervise as much.” Be that as it may, he would try to regardless, knowing Spongebob. “So I mean, I don’t see why not, once all the food’s ready to go.”

“Oh boy,” Larry groaned, dragging a hand down his face. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

Sandy returned to Spongebob but instead of giving him what she’d made, told him he should probably help serve dinner first just to get it out of the way. It wasn’t like much had to be done – they just had to uncover the platters and make sure everything was warm and ready, mostly. He hadn’t even seen what she’d made him, but agreed nonetheless – his guests were of the utmost priority, they came first! Unsurprisingly, he went out of his way to make sure every single partygoer had everything they needed and that Patrick was not permitted to inhale all of the food. Frank, who was sitting at the table in the dining room, noticed him still buzzing about even after everyone had been served. “Spongebob, go eat already! We’re all fine, take a breather!” Others around him nodded in agreement. Spongebob turned, having been fussing over one of the M&M bowls.

“Wha? Uh, are you su—“ Sandy interrupted by walking right up to him and holding out his drink, beaming. It was a bit diluted now because she’d had to put in more ice to keep it cool, but she could certainly make more.

“Here. You need to sit yer butt down and spend time with us rather’n the candy dishes.”

“Yeah! We wanna talk to you, Spongebob!” Abigail agreed. “You always do this! You get so worried, but we’re all able to help ourselves, and there are other people we can go to if we need something. Just sit and hang out, okay?” Spongebob fretted a bit, feeling bad – he’d not realized he was that obsessive. He just wanted to throw a good party, so he spent a lot of time worrying and fixing things – at least in the beginning of the night. No matter what, as the party went on and fewer people needed him, he allowed himself to participate more. This time, though, they wanted him the whole party, not half of it. It wasn’t fair to him if he couldn’t have fun too.

“Gee… I’m sorry, I…” Finally regarding his beverage, he paused. His pupils dilated. A baybreeze… “It’s SO PRETTY,” he gasped, marveling at the way Sandy layered the liquids and how the glass glimmered with the reflection of the Christmas lights around them. Out of their close group of friends, she was the best at making mixed drinks. “AND A LOOPY STRAW?! WITH AN UMBRELLA AND CHERRIES?! OH, SANDY!” He pulled her into a tight hug, thrilled. Patting his back, she laughed.

“Yer welcome~! Drink up!”

“Oooh, already breaking out the alcohol, huh?” Evelyn asked, which gave Spongebob pause. Wait… Should he be drinking this early? The clock read 6:30. The party hadn’t been going on for very long… What if he drank too much and blacked out? He didn’t have a very strong constitution, and people needed him! He appeared as if he was going to protest, but he knew Sandy wouldn’t allow him to.

“… Okay, but just one!” He sat himself down at the table next to Larry, who wondered if Spongebob noticed that incredibly ominous grin on Sandy’s face.

“Drink! Drink! Drink!” Frank chanted. “You sure know how to make them, Sandy. Think you could teach me sometime? It always comes out muddled when I do it.”

“Hmm… Maybe I could host a workshop sometime, sure! It’s not too hard. Actually, Sponge, I can make another that’s real pretty like that, but has peach n’ orange juice in it! If you like yer baybreezes, you’d like this one.” He already seemed intrigued – hook, line, and sinker. He was sipping his current drink through his straw, thoroughly enjoying the mix of cranberry and pineapple. Alcohol itself wasn’t his favorite taste in the world, but he liked it with fruity things. Orange juice did sound good…

“What else is in it?”

“Like I said, pretty similar. Vodka, cranberry juice, peach schnapps, and orange juice. Or, at least, that’s one version of it. It’s all orange and red like these, but the orange is brighter.”

“Ooooh…” His eyes shone with wonder. He was such a sucker for the pretty colors, he couldn’t help it! He might have to have one now, it was so tempting… It would be fine, that was only two drinks! He didn’t even have to drink the whole thing! “What’s it called?”

Smirking, Sandy leaned forward a bit. “Sex on the Beach~.” There was a chance he wouldn’t get flustered, but… The way his countenance lit up rivaled the cranberry juice! Success! Larry tried to choke back a laugh and the others could be heard giggling. Spongebob quietly sucked his baybreeze through the straw, staring down at it, cheeks red. Unfortunately for him, whatever was swirling around in his mind eventually flustered him so much that he drained the entire glass in one go and then shouted, even redder than before,

“I WANT A SEX ON THE BEACH!” He pounded his empty glass down on the table. He wasn’t even that intoxicated – it had been fueled moreso by embarrassment. Those around him hushed for a moment before many burst into laughter. Larry couldn’t help it – oh, that was priceless! The delivery was perfect! Merely huffing, Spongebob crossed his arms. “There’s nothing funny about it! It’s just the name of a drink! Don’t be so lewd!” Sandy was chortling away as she got up to go make it for him. She’d have abs on top of her abs by the end of the night at this rate!

“Hoo doggie! Comin’ right up, Spongebob! One Sex on the Beach!” And back to the kitchen their squirrely friend ran.

“What happened to ‘just one?’” Evelyn teased, poking at his arm – this earned her another huff.

“It IS just one! It’s just one of – of a different kind! And it’s the only other one I’m having,” the blond insisted. Mr. Krabs noticed the commotion as he walked by with a plate of food in hand. Their host had already broken out the liquor? Hmm… He leaned over to whisper to Plankton, who was beside him.

“Think I should charge people fer the impendin’ Drunken Spongebob Shenanigans?”

“This is his house, Eugene,” Plankton replied flatly whilst picking a crumb off of his ugly sweater that matched Mr. Krabs’s.

“… Right, but… It’s like dinner and a show! People pay fer that!”

“In his own house, yes. If anyone could even attempt to use it for monetary gain, it would be him. Honestly, Eugene. You’re shameless.”

“Don’t you roll yer eye at me, Sheldon! Fine! I’ll just enjoy what we get to see, then.”

“Oh, Neptune. I think I’m going to need a drink…”

Sandy soon came back with another one of her beautiful concoctions. Deep orange and red, complete with a cherry, an umbrella, and a loopy straw. Everyone currently around them ‘ooh’ed and ‘ahh’ed. Spongebob squealed – it was so BEAUTIFUL! He held out his hands to take it from her, admiring at its sunset-esque gradient. Upon him taking his first sip, applause sounded.

“How’s it taste?! I might need one, Sandy!”

“Wow!! I love it!! The orange juice is so good with cranberry!” He honestly couldn’t tell if he liked pineapple and cranberry or orange and cranberry better… Both? Both. Both is good.

“That’s some good Sex on the Beach, eh, Sponge?” Sandy was out for blood tonight! Good lord! Sadly, she didn’t get the reaction she wanted – Spongebob merely nodded, contentedly drinking away.

“Mmhmm!” She knew he’d start getting tipsy quite swiftly – she’d added a biiiit more vodka than the recipe called for since the orange juice helped in masking it. She also wondered if she could get him to try another…

“I’ll make a round of drinks for y’all, sure! I know you aren’t done with that one yet, Spongebob, but how do ya feel about tryin’ somethin’ blue?” Oh, how easy it was to entice him. His wide eyes moved to her, the straw still between his lips.

“Blue..?” Ohh… Ohhhhhh… He loved blue… Anything blue Sandy made would definitely be good!

“As blue as yer pretty eyes.” She poked his nose. He mulled it over, but Frank made his decision for him instead.

“Yeah, we wanna see that one! If he doesn’t drink it, I will!”

“No no I’ll drink it I’ll drink it!” Spongebob said hurriedly, ditching his ‘just one’ policy in favor of pretty colors. Sandy couldn’t have been happier. He’d be smashed soon enough… And then… He might need a little push… And the pieces would fall into place. Larry shot the scientist a glare, but she ignored it and went skipping back to the kitchen.

“Hey, Sponge, maybe you should slow down a li—“ Larry stopped dead in the middle of his sentence and his eyes bulged upon seeing that HE’D ALREADY FINISHED IT. “Whoa—have you even eaten anything?! You should really take it easy, buddy!” Hearing Spongebob’s giggle made his stomach drop. Oh no. It had begun. If he’d not eaten anything to absorb it, with how fast he was downing those he’d be a goner in no time.

“Hee… Umm, I dunno. Maybe? Hey, Pat, did I eat anything?” Spongebob asked, leaning forward to see his friend who was three seats down from him, devouring the mountain of food he possessed. Hearing his name, he looked up, mouth stuffed with chicken.

“Uhhhh… Ahh…” Patrick had to swallow before he could speak. “I think I saw you eating some veggies and dip earlier?”

“Ohh, okay! Thanks, Pat!”

“Anytime, pal!” And right back to eating Patrick went. He wasn’t messing around – he’d already finished two plates. Spongebob’s smile returned to one unamused Larry Buffington.

“… Yeeeah. I mean, it’s something, but you should really have some turkey or mashed potatoes. Want me to get it for you?”

“Well…” The blond pouted down at his empty glass. “I wann’another… It’s all gone.” Larry was exasperated already. Sure, it was funny at first, but… He just – he wanted to protect Spongebob from doing something he’d really regret! Being drunk at a party was one thing. It happened. It wasn’t a big deal… But when you threw Squidward into the mix, things got risky, and Sandy pushing them together was a recipe for disaster. You could only blame so much on being drunk. What if he confessed his feelings in a sloppy and careless manner? Oh Neptune, the lack of a filter would lead to some really awkward professions. Just the thought sent a shiver down his spine – they might never see Squidward again after something like that. To his vexation, before he could speak further, Sandy brought a dream of a cocktail that indeed matched the cerulean of Spongebob’s irises as well as the water around them. It shimmered in the light enticingly. Drooling, Spongebob reached for it.

“Heeeeere y’are!” She chirped, but before she could hand it over, Larry snatched it from her.

“Sandy. C’mon, man. Let him take a break – you don’t want him getting sick, do you?” He held it up high so Spongebob couldn’t reach it, though that didn’t stop him from trying.

“Nngh—gimme—“

“Larry, why are you being such a party pooper?” Abigail whined. “What’s the problem? He’s cute when he’s drunk! Let him have fun! It’s a Christmas party!” The lifeguard soon found that the others were also chiming in to agree. Was he the only sensible one around here?! Squidward was the problem here, not Spongebob just being tanked! But… He reasoned that it wasn’t like Spongebob had never been intoxicated at a party Squidward was also at. It had gone alright then (even if Spongebob became clingier or flirtier), so why would it be any different now? Sandy, that was why. She had a specific goal in mind and it wasn’t just to let Spongebob flirt with Squidward on his own. No, she wanted more than that. She knew how tricky this situation was, why was she doing this?! Trying to force a change could go really badly… There was a possibility of success, but Larry wasn’t sure he wanted to bet on that.

“I hope you know what could happen,” Larry muttered to Sandy through a clenched jaw. This was serious stuff… She knew that. He understood that she wanted some progress – they all did, for Spongebob’s sake. But was this the way to go about it? Sandy’s demeanor shifted to that of uneasiness for a split second before she hid it.

“I’ve got it under control,” she said. Larry merely arched a doubtful brow and gave Spongebob his drink.

“Hm. Alright then, bro. Here you go. But take it slow this time, and eat something with it.”

“YAY!” Spongebob grabbed it right up and took a drink to see how it tasted. He wrinkled his nose a tad at first – this one had a stronger taste of alcohol. He was already buzzed, though, so it wouldn’t bother him too much. The cocktail kept him quiet while he savored it. Sandy served drinks to a few other people who wanted them, and things were relatively calm until Spongebob finished his third – probably quicker than he should’ve, but not as fast as the ones prior. “Ahhhh… Wowie, that was great! Thanks, Saaaandy~.” Looking down, he noticed a plate of some food Larry had gotten for him at some point. He scrutinized it, squinting – his vision was kinda… Blurry. What was even on this plate? Where had it come from? “Izzis… Bread?” He picked up what was indeed a piece of bread, sniffed at it, then took a nibble. Yes, this was probably bread. Maybe. Larry slid him some water as he snacked.

“Remember to always be hydrating, bud. It’ll help later when you wake up from this.”

“Thaaaaank yoooou~,” Spongebob sang, doing as he was told. Always be hydrating!! Yes!! He could do that! He’d make Larry proud! He downed his water, afterwards calling out for Sandy. “SANDY! LARRY SAID ALWAYS BE HYDRATING! CAN YOU MAKE ME ANOTHER?”

“I sure can, Spongebob! Whaddaya want?” Spongebob giggled giddily into his hands, swaying a bit. Larry didn’t bother to say anything, instead slapping a hand to his face. It was out of his control now.

“Sex~…” He didn’t finish saying the name of the drink for whatever reason.

“Oh, I’ll bet!” Evelyn laughed, and Abigail swatted at her.

“Oh my gosh, stoppp! Don’t be weird!” One more and he’d be utterly and completely wasted, even if Sandy skimped on the alcohol… Which she wouldn’t. Oh, she did hope he would forgive her in the morning… The brunette fetched him his desired Sex on the Beach, then watched him chug it aaaand…

“WOOOO! NOW THAT IS A DRINK! SEXIN’ ON THE BEACH IS RIGHT!” He stood suddenly then, slamming his hands onto the table, “PATRICK—Whoa…” Standing so fast disoriented him for a moment, but he recovered just as quickly. “PATRICK! LET’S TAKE IT FROM THE TOP, BUDDY! ARE YOU READY?!” Patrick’s head jerked up.

“Wha?”

“CHRISTMAS!”

“Oh—YEAH! Let’s do it!” Patrick eagerly jumped up as well and jogged over to his best friend. They took one another’s hand, both taking a step back in preparation.

“Here we goooo!” Frank grinned, leaning back to appreciate the show. The pair burst out into theatrical song and dance.

“IT’S SHAPING UP TO BE A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY! NOT YOUR NORMAL, AVERAGE EVERYDAY!” Squidward wasn’t in the room to sing his part (not that he would anyway), so someone else did it for him, as was tradition for every Christmas party. Poor Squidward.

“Sounds like someone felled my old coral tree! Spongebob, Patrick, why’d ya do this to me?!”

“THE WORLD FEELS LIKE IT’S IIIIIN LOVERLY~!”

“Go away before I harm you bodily!”

“THIS CHRISTMAS FEELS LIKE THE VERY FIRST CHRISTMAS TO MEEEEEEEE~!” Spongebob was a bit off-key – he was unsurprisingly having trouble controlling his cadence. He and Patrick pranced around, a spectacle for all to see that was only enhanced by Patrick’s snazzy light-up sweater. The crowd was going wild! “THERE’LL BE SHOPPING, DECORATING, AND PLENTY OF SNOW! HEY, PATRICK, WHO’S THAT UNDER THE—“ Spongebob stopped abruptly, leaving Patrick to tumble and narrowly miss colliding with a nearby end table. “… Mistle… toe?” It was as if something connected in his mind at that moment – he stared at a nearby doorway in which mistletoe hung. No one was there, but it seemed like something was processing – perhaps a revelation of sorts. Plankton and Krabs had even stood in preparation to sing their parts, but everyone was left hanging, watching Spongebob.

Bingo.

“HEY, WAITASECOND!” Spongebob began to search the room, distraught. “WHERE’S SQUIDDY?!” It was as if he’d just noticed, even though Squidward hadn’t stepped foot in the room once. The others looked around too. Not everyone was in the dining room – there were many guests littered about the house, all having their own fun, so Squidward could’ve been anywhere. The only real restrictions were the bedrooms upstairs; every other room in the house was open.

While nobody else seemed to know, Sandy did. She’d gone to find Squidward – he’d actually been hanging out upstairs with a book to get away from the noise for a short while. He’d not been there for too long when she’d investigated, so he was likely still there. “I saw him earlier, Sponge,” she said, to which Spongebob rushed to her and grabbed her shoulders.

“Where?! We need ‘im here! How can—how can he do his part?!” He shook her as if it were the direst situation in the universe. It wasn’t like he would do his part anyway, so others did it instead, but that didn’t seem to matter.

“I know! He needs ta stand under the mistletoe, right?” Larry watched as this unfolded before him – she’d planted the seed. It was all over now – they could only guess what might happen. Spongebob stared at her owlishly for a few moments, a little more color filling his cheeks to add to what was already there. Mistletoe… Yeah… His gaze moved behind her to a doorway where he’d hung the festive plant. He missed Squidward… He wanted to cuddle up to him… Why wasn’t he here? Maybe he was busy… But surely he’d spare a little time for his bestest friend in the whole world, right? Mistletoe…

“I wanna…” Spongebob took a very deep inhale. “… Wanna go get ‘im. He needs to join in on the fun! It’s not a party without Squidward! Patrick, buddy, can you cover for me? Make—make sure my snail doesn’t get eaten by the pineapple, okay?”

“Oh—you bet, Sponge! I’ll take real good care of him!” Patrick hadn’t had a single sip of alcohol, but hey. At least he understood it.

They all watched Spongebob run off ungracefully, stumbling and tripping on his journey upstairs. After he’d left, the people at the table began to discuss amongst themselves. “Fifty bucks they kiss,” Fred wagered.

“Ehhh, I dunno. He hasn’t tried it before, has he?” Frank asked.

“Well, who knows, but there’s mistletoe involved here!”

“What if he confesses?”

“That would be a mess. I think he is close to doing it, though, one of these days.”

“Okay, guys, rev up those bets! Let’s see if our boy finally gets some tonight!” Cheers were heard all around. Of course, everyone knew by now – if you saw the two of them interact with any regularity, his crush was plain as day. It had been like this for years; everyone was just waiting for something to happen.

So far, Spongebob had found nobody on the third floor, because it wasn’t a place guests usually went. The first and second floors were the main hangouts, but he wanted to be thorough. Geez… He felt kinda dizzy. His eyes weren’t entirely focused… “Squiiiddyyyy? Are you up heeere?” He called, checking each room. Where could he be? Spongebob needed him, for a lot of reasons! … Should he take his shoes off as a defensive maneuver in case of emergency? OH, but what if Squidward wanted to polish them? He’d better keep them on then, just in case. You never knew if your friend was going to want to polish your shoes. “I—whoa! Pardon me, miss, ah—“ He’d run into a lamp, not a person. Just as he was reaching one of the last rooms in the hallway, none other than Squidward was leaving it. “Oh—!” Spongebob skidded to a halt, and Squidward greeted him upon noticing him.

“Oh, hey, Spongebob. How’s the party going? I must admit, your library only gets more impressive as it grows.” Squidward stopped in the doorway, hooking a thumb in his pocket while shifting his weight to the opposite hip. He slouched just slightly, holding little tension in his shoulders. There was a certain warmth in his normally weary carmine eyes and the corner of his mouth twitched upwards in a half-smirk as he regarded Spongebob. Draped over his lanky frame was a sweater that was a little too large, contrasted by snug jeans. The other stared at him, gaping – he seemed so relaxed! And he was so… Handsome… That sweater looked marvelous on him… Spongebob swore he was blinded by the sheer beauty of it all. And… Wait a second… He was standing under mistletoe! Unless that was a set of keys hanging from the doorframe. But that wouldn’t make any sense. Or would it? But it was totally mistletoe, and… Sandy said… And… Mistletoe…

“Oooh, wow, Squiddy, you sure are lookin’ good tonight,” Spongebob slurred, taking a wobbly step closer. “I just looooove that sweater… I’ve been lookin’ all over for you…”

“Oh? Why-- … Wait a minute.” Squidward squinted down at him – he was sort of acting like… “Are you drunk?” Oh boy. Great. “Already? It’s only 8 o’clock, Spongebob.”

“Nnnoooooo~… I’m not drunk, heehee…” He was nearly salivating – Neptune, Squidward was so—mmph. Squidward simply shook his head.

“You’re hopeless. Anyway, you’ve found me, so we can go back downstairs now.” He’d had enough time to recharge from the social interaction. He wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to deal with an inebriated Spongebob, but eh, he would see. Maybe he’d stick around. It was entertaining to watch Spongebob while he was drunk sometimes. When Spongebob didn’t move aside, Squidward blinked. “Well? What are you waiting for?” Why was Spongebob looking at him like that..?

In Spongebob’s hazy mind, the fact that Squidward hadn’t moved out of the doorway and away from the mistletoe told him that he was definitely interested in making out. It entirely ignored the fact that he was standing in Squidward’s way and that he’d either have to retreat back into the room or push past him to get out from under the decoration. “Ooh, Squiddy,” he purred, “I’d love to… I’m so glad you want it too…” He never said anything of the sort, Spongebob.

At first, Squidward had been about to question why his neighbor was getting breathy over… Going downstairs. Soon, however, he found himself in absolutely no position to ask that question – or any other, for that matter. Before he could speak, the blond had advanced, stepping right up to him and leaning up on his tippy toes to press their bodies together. He ran a hand down Squidward’s chest, blatantly feeling him up, his free arm hooking around his neck to tug him down a little. Squidward was paralyzed with shock – what—? What was happening? Whoa, those bedroom eyes – holy SHRIMP, what was going on—?! Before he knew it, Spongebob had pivoted them a little and backed him up against the doorframe. “I’ll make it good, I promise…” A deep and sultry tone was not something Squidward heard from him often. Before any of this could register, he was met with an entirely new and even more startling sensation.

Spongebob had roughly fisted some of his hair, the other hand clutching his sweater, and yanked him down into a crushingly needy kiss. Squidward’s mind went completely blank, any and all thoughts evaporating instantly. His entire body went rigid and the wind was knocked from his lungs. He didn’t return the kiss – the world around him had disintegrated and he was lost in a sea of nothingness. Time ceased to exist. Was he dreaming? Had he himself gotten drunk and passed out? Where even was he? What was he doing? Who was with him? Who was… What was…

Unrelenting, the blond tugged again at teal locks to tilt Squidward’s head a little more for better access. With the sheer force of the kiss, Squidward had no choice but to kiss back but was entirely unaware of his doing so.

“Mmmm… Mmh… Mm…”

It was only when Spongebob’s muffled noises reached his ears that all at once, reality came crashing down onto him at warp speed. Time went into hyperdrive instead of standing still. Squidward’s heart gave a sharp lurch and his eyes flew open in astonishment for a brief second before they screwed shut once more. Opening his mouth to gasp had been an involuntary mistake – he was then electrified with the feeling of tongue. Not much, though – just a gentle and questioning lick that went no further.

What…

… In the NAME OF DAVEY JONES’S LOCKER WAS GOING ON?!?!

There was… This was… It… Spongebob…

Spongebob…

SPONGEBOB!!!

Spongebob was kissing him! Not just on the cheek, nose, forehead, head, shoulder, or wherever else… But… The LIPS!!! Was this a nightmare? Was he in hell? Had he gone mad? It—

IT STILL WASN’T OVER!

Squidward’s frantic thoughts were now interrupted by the exceedingly prominent physical sensations. He could hear himself panting – his body was boiling up. His face was on fire. He was sweating and his knees were weak. He felt so lightheaded – a feeble noise escaped him while Spongebob’s desperate whimpers filled his ears. He was just now noticing how nice Spongebob smelled – his shampoo and cologne surrounded him with something he didn’t often give much consideration to. The strongest thing he could taste was the alcohol – eugh. There was an underlying fruitiness, however, and beneath that… An indescribable taste that was none other than Spongebob’s own. Spongebob had gotten a little braver with that tongue of his, and oh… The hair-pulling, gah—the hand running down his side—

Why did it feel…

Good?

It was sloppy, it was forceful, it was wet, and it was mindblowing. It was driven by such brazen passion that it was enough to make anyone’s head spin. He just couldn’t refrain from making sounds, which was humiliating, but he didn’t really have time to worry about that when Spongebob was grazing his lower lip with his teeth. He didn’t bite – at least, not yet. Squidward clawed at either side of the wall connected to the doorframe behind him, having needed something to grip onto, although it wasn’t much.

“Squidmmmph…” Spongebob moaned between fervent kisses, relishing in the sweet and heavenly taste of the person he so dearly adored. This was a dream come true! He was so lucky! He never, ever thought he’d get a real chance to kiss Squidward! (And technically, he hadn’t.) This was everything he’d ever wanted… Apparently, all Squidward needed was a little bit of mistletoe to be interested in doing this! Maybe he should carry some around in his pocket!

Why was each enthusiastic and energetic kiss leaving Squidward positively breathless? Why did he kind of sort of maybe not want to stop? Why was this happening in the FIRST PLACE? Why was… Why…

WHY WAS SPONGEBOB A GOOD KISSER?!?!

Who had he been able to PRACTICE with!? It certainly wasn’t Sandy, for obvious reasons! So why wasn’t this more awkward?! Why wasn’t this a pathetic, laughable attempt?! Why was this one of the best kisses he’d ever—NO, DAMNIT! THIS WASN’T—THERE WAS NO WAY IT COULD BE ONE OF THE BEST, NO SIR! It was just heat of the moment! The moment that was NOT GOOD, it was – it was a pitiful display really – he was… He was so amazing with his tongue and lips and teeth and—

Squidward was about ready to collapse. Or scream. Or cry. Or vomit. Or die. Or all five. He’d legitimately just thought of Spongebob Squarepants as being a good kisser. Unironically. Maybe because Spongebob Squarepants was still making out with him. His gut seared with shame and something else he really didn’t want to acknowledge. Every last shred of his sanity had shattered, hadn’t it? Was he hallucinating? He was surely tripping the fuck out, right?

… No.

No, this was the real king of geeky, aggravating losers in the flesh, demonstrating his apparent prowess in the art of French kissing that he’d picked up from literally who knew where. The real Spongebob Squarepants turning Squidward’s mind into a puddle of mush. He was livid for so many reasons, but he was also…

Oh, Neptune, he wasn’t ready for this to end.

To his delight displeasure, Spongebob delivered on that, continuing to treat him to a wild, heart-stopping ride of passion. He loved hated the way Spongebob was tugging at his hair and squeezing his hip. The warm weight of his tiny body pressed against his own proved to be really comfortable detestable. He wasn’t at all attracted by his refreshing unremarkable scent. The sounds he was making were enticingly adorable extraordinarily inappropriate and not something Squidward ever wanted to hear in his entire LIFE.

The day Squidward Tentacles enjoyed a hot makeout session with Spongebob Squarepants was the day he declared himself officially insane beyond all repair. He was a lost cause and he was so disappointed in himself. How could he stoop so low? His mother would be ashamed. It—it was just the pheromones! That was all! He wasn’t really reveling in it – that was DISGUSTING!

… Why did he get the sense he’d recently been through a similar experience of questioning his soundness of mind due to Spongebob? Hadn’t he thought some of these exact same things not too long ago for some other reason?

After what seemed to be eons, Spongebob finally withdrew with a groan. A trail of saliva followed him that he broke by licking his lips. Squidward literally heard himself whine at the loss, and was ready to die of shame in that very instant. They were both gasping for breath, exhausted from their tryst. Squidward could feel Spongebob’s small frame shaking too. “Oh, Squiddy,” the blond breathed, feeling even more intoxicated from the divine taste of his friend’s mouth. Lidded eyes met wide ones. “Thank you for the Churrsmurs… Chr… Mmf…” His voice cracked as he spoke. Squidward noticed how messy the other’s hair had gotten and how it was sticking in his face… How scarlet his cheeks were and the way it lit up his freckles… How his eyes held such endearment and were glazed with desire… “Churrsmurs press’nt… Polishin’ my shoes…” Spongebob tried again, very obviously having great difficulty regaining his composure. “I hope y’liked it… Was good fer ya…” A loopy titter left him. Gee, the room had been spinning for quite a while now! “Mmmph… We can go stairs, uh… Down… Nnuh. Kay?” He had no idea where the stairs were and if he did he’d likely have to crawl down them, but he’d cross that bridge when he got to it. He gingerly took a dumbfounded Squidward’s cheeks into his hands and gave him one last tiny, affectionate peck on the lips before pulling away.

Of course, he stumbled a little, squeaking as he hit the other side of the doorframe – whoa. “Oof…” Gotta be careful with those dresser drawers, their teeth could be sharp sometimes… He recovered, though, and managed to sloooowly stagger down the hallway, until he eventually found the stairs – there they were! Ooh, where did they lead to? Boy, he was so dizzy. He was not going to make it safely down those stairs if he tried to walk. Instead, he merely laid himself on his stomach and dragged himself down, having absolutely zero problems with doing so. He was surfing down the stairs! Shoot, he forgot his boogie board… It was perhaps a sad sight to see, but what else would you expect from someone who was absolutely drunk off their ass and high on pheromones? He was the happiest guy in the whole entire universe. Nothing could bother him. Sandy happened to find him halfway down the second flight of stairs and yelped in alarm.

“Spongebob! Are y’all okay?!” She asked, racing to him and picking the poor sot up in her arms.

“Uh huh~…” Spongebob closed his eyes and curled into her, drooling on her suit. “Squiddy wuz real nice’n polished my shoes fer me… Dinn’t even hafta take ‘em off…” Brows raised as Sandy stared down at him. Polished his shoes… SHE KNEW IT! She KNEW they’d been smooching harder than two rabbits in a den in the beginning of April! SUCCESS! SHE’D DONE IT! SHE HAD FINALLY GOTTEN SQUIDWARD AND SPONGEBOB TO KISS! (Assuming that didn’t mean something else entirely, but that was unlikely.)

… Now to hope Squidward didn’t move out or something crazy like that. But she had a feeling… She could sense it, and she had been able to for a while now. She didn’t think Squidward would be going anywhere. Huff and puff as he might, she could see some inkling of emotion there – it was just buried deep, deep down. Even if she was wrong, hey, at least they tried, and she sincerely doubted Squidward would do anything drastic either way. Hopefully, though, this would give his thoughts on it a little jump start. She also hoped nothing else had happened, like an… Accidental confession. Oh, she prayed. Larry would kill her if that happened. And so would Spongebob, actually. Aaaand probably Squidward. So. She hoped it was just a kiss and nothing more. “Did y’all shine ‘em good?” She tucked Spongebob close and carried him downstairs into the living room, where she then sat herself on the couch and kept him curled up in her lap.

“Mmmhmmm… Reeeal good… This Churrsmurs feels like th’very firs’ Churrsmurs t’meeeeeee~…” Sandy gestured to nearby onlookers to be quiet. Spongebob promptly fell asleep, his mewling snores beginning almost immediately. He was completely conked out. A shame since they didn’t get to see too much of Party Sponge, but they could always give him more drinks later! Hearing Spongebob was back, Larry ran into the room, silently questioning what had happened. Sandy gave him a wink and a thumbs-up. He seemed surprised… And uneasy. But instead of making a fuss, he went to go get a blanket and some water for Spongebob. Hopefully he wouldn’t have too much of a hangover when he awoke. The other partygoers began to either celebrate or lament their loss – money had been on that kiss, and that kiss had happened!

Meanwhile…

Squidward had slid down the doorframe slowly the minute Spongebob left, gawking, staring blankly ahead, a hand over his mouth. He just sat there, flabbergasted and white as a sheet, unable to swallow any of this. There was literally nothing in his head. He was in a state of pure shock.

After a solid two minutes of static, a brief flash of a memory hit him and that was enough to flush his cheeks with a bright crimson and get him onto his feet. Having risen too fast, he reeled, but was able to orient himself and surveyed the area frantically.

He needed to leave. He needed to go home right now. He was going to just leave through the back door – better yet, he could jump out the window and hope for a concussion. However he did it, he just needed to go, before anyone saw him or talked to him or even thought of him. He thanked Neptune that he lived right next door – he didn’t have far to go. Squidward made a break for it, running as fast as he possibly could for the exit. His path was luckily clear until the last hallway, but he ignored whoever was standing there and hurtled the hell out of the cozy pineapple of a house, bubbles forming in his wake.

Upon arriving home, Squidward locked every single door and window in the Moai head, and, quivering slightly, just sat on his bed, head bowed, that same shell-shocked expression on his face.

He was having a great deal of trouble thinking. Five minutes passed and he hadn’t moved, nor processed any sort of thought. It was all just white noise. After a few more minutes, he lay down on his side, wriggling under his plush periwinkle blankets so he was at least… Sort of comfortable. It was then he spotted his teddy bear on the pillow across from him – Spongebob had won that for him when Krabs had bought a crane game to keep at the Krusty Krab.

Spongebob…

Tremoring fingers lifted to trace over his lips and the color ultimately surged back into his cheeks.

Spongebob… Kissed him…

The words now echoed in his head.

Wait; was he positive that had been real? It could’ve been a dream! Hold on, WHY WOULD HE DREAM ABOUT THAT?! EW! NO WAY! But—hold on. If he hadn’t dreamt it… That meant it really happened, right? He knew he wasn’t drunk… So… That could only mean one thing.

He’d actually made out with his neighbor, coworker, enemy, rival, definitely-not-friend. They had exchanged… Saliva. Touched tongues. Speaking of TOUCHING, Spongebob had totally groped his chest! Squidward had felt that! HOW HORRIFYINGLY IMPROPER! And then he’d felt up his side and hip. Squeezed, even! And how roughly he pulled on his hair! How dare he?! How dare he… How dare… How…

Squidward continued to ghost the tips of his fingers over his lips in remembrance.

… Why?

Was it just because he’d been drunk? There was no mistake he’d known who he was kissing, but… What had spurred it aside from the drunkenness? He’d never done that before and he’d been plastered at plenty of parties. Not to excess, but just in general. He was a pretty fun drunk, all things considered – though he did get… Flirty.

Wait.

That was right… Usually he became (even more) clingy and bolder in his flirting. But Squidward wasn’t the only one he attempted to woo! He went for Patrick, Sandy, sometimes Larry… On rare occasions, lamps… But usually, he went for… None other than Squidward. But it didn’t mean anything, right? He was just… That was just how he was, wasn’t it? The fact that he sought out Squidward for the kiss was merely a coincidence. He probably tried to kiss the entire party downstairs! It didn’t mean a single thing!

… That gleam in his eyes… That husky and seductive tone… Squidward shivered. He didn’t think Spongebob had it in him, but apparently… Not that he found it attractive or anything outrageously vile like that! He was simply stupefied by it, seeing as how much of a dork the guy was.

Spongebob had said it was his Christmas present, oddly enough. What did that mean? Why was a kiss from Squidward his Christmas present? Did that imply a kiss with everyone else was, too? Perhaps he meant kissing in general…

“Oh, puh-leeze, Squiddy, you know what he meant,” he growled at himself. Of course he’d meant Squidward specifically. There was no mistake about that. ‘Why’ was the only question to be answered. Maybe there was no reason, though – maybe it was just the booze talking, especially taking into account that he’d followed it by saying ‘thanks for polishing my shoes.’

…

As much as Squidward really didn’t want to contemplate it, he realized there was a very simple explanation to all of this. He wasn’t stupid. He knew it was different with him – even if Spongebob DID kiss everyone at the party, it would be different with Squidward. It would be different because his neighbor so very obviously had a crush. Anyone with half a brain could see it – and it wasn’t new, not by any means. Spongebob had been dropping hints left and right for… Squidward didn’t even know how long. A long while. He didn’t pay too much attention to it because it wasn’t his business. Spongebob had never straight up said anything about it so he had no reason to address it. He didn’t know how deep it ran, nor did he particularly care. It was just there, and he chose to ignore it. But… Because of the crush, that kiss… Meant something.

That passion had been a product of Spongebob’s feelings for him and he knew it. Squidward’s stomach churned. Oh, that was revolting. He would NEVER let it happen again. EVER. Who cared about Spongebob’s feelings anyway?! Eugh, how GROSS! So what if there was meaning behind it? It wasn’t like it mattered!

… How long had Spongebob wanted to do that for?

Squidward recalled their very first Christmas. The song they now held as tradition, much to Squidward’s irritation, originated there. Even back then, Spongebob had been oddly interested in Squidward being under the mistletoe. Jeez, that was years ago… Many years. Had he wanted that all this time? Had he held onto his little crush that long? Unless the infatuation was more recent and that incident had just been him being his weird self…

“… WHY AM I THINKING ABOUT THIS?!” Squidward shouted, clawing at his face. There was literally no reason to mull this over because it wasn’t important! Who cared if Spongebob liked him in a ‘more-than-friends’ manner?! Aside from that notion making him ill, it wasn’t of his concern! It wasn’t like he reciprocated those feelings in ANY way! It was what it was – it wasn’t being addressed and therefore it didn’t matter. It was really, really, really, really insignificant. It probably wasn’t even that big of a crush! WHATEVER! Even if it spurred the action, that wasn’t the important part. The important part was that he had just been kissed by—

Another wave of realization smacked him in the face.

He, Squidward Tentacles, had not only been just making out with his dreaded foe Spongebob Squarepants – he, Squidward Tentacles, had been making shamefully needy noises as he (unintentionally) returned the kiss. He, Squidward Tentacles, had squirmed under Spongebob’s touch as they kissed, and had maybe sort of enjoyed it a little.

He’d. Kissed. Spongebob.

Squidward began to scream at last. It had taken him long enough! So, to the shower it was! Time to wash away the impurity and the sin!

Nearly falling out of bed, he scrambled to the bathroom and dry heaved into the toilet until the nausea passed. He then proceeded to scrub his teeth SO HARD his gums bled. He didn’t care about the pain, SO LONG AS HE CLEANSED HIS MOUTH OF THIS FOULNESS! Afterwards, he paused to take a breath, accidentally thought about the situation, and then resumed his screeching. Those screeches soon devolved into sobs as Squidward hurried for the shower, stripped, and immediately began to scour his body with the soap. “NO! NO! NO! H-HE IS NOT A GOOD KISSER! HE IS NOT A GOOD KISSER! H-HOW DARE HE?! DISGUSTING, DISGUSTING, DISGUSTING!!!” Everything was a blur now. He’d lost his self-respect, his sanity, and his lunch from this debacle. A whole slew of emotions raged within him, some of which he had to desperately try to disregard.

Two hours later, one enervated Squidward hauled himself back to bed sluggishly after his purging was complete. He was going to have ONE HELL OF A TALK with a CERTAIN SOMEONE tomorrow. But wait – how could he even face him? How could he look Spongebob in the eye after such an exchange? How could he acknowledge what they’d done? He couldn’t! He couldn’t, it was too humiliating and – NO. He needed to. He needed to be firm and tell him that… That it should never happen again. And that he absolutely hadn’t liked any of it. And that would be that. Nothing more, nothing less. Or, okay, maybe just a little more yelling and telling him how awful it had been. Yes. That would work. He could do it. He was mortified, but he had to press on. He could only pray that no one else had heard about it… After their talk, he’d pretend this NEVER EVER happened and move on with his life. All he had to do was not think about it. How hard could that be?

The next morning, Squidward was a nervous wreck – one glimpse of his ghastly pallor would tell you that. For reasons beyond his comprehension, his hair would not cooperate today – no matter how much he brushed it, it refused to stay put, as if it wanted to spite him by adding to his disheveled look. Reddened eyes and deep facial lines of fatigue implied quite a few things. His anxiety announced itself emphatically by way of making him run his tense, shaky hands up and down his arms then around his sides and back repeatedly in frenzied motions. Getting to work had been an extremely taxing process – he’d struggled the entire way, and it wasn’t just due to the wintry weather. What if people knew? What if Spongebob said something? What if he wanted more? What if he thought Squidward enjoyed it? WELL HE’D RECTIFY THAT ONE! Because he DIDN’T! And he could look Spongebob straight in the eye and TELL HIM THAT WITH UTMOST SINCERITY! (Hopefully.) It was fine. He’d be fine. It would all be fine. Nobody else knew. It had just been a mistake and would never happen again – he’d make sure of it. Spongebob probably hadn’t even noticed the noises Squidward had made, so there was nothing to be ashamed of! IT WAS FINE.

The worn-down mess of a cashier crept to his station cautiously after forcing himself to enter the double doors, wringing his hands while his eyes darted to and fro. The Krusty Krab was quiet and still. No customers were around yet… Mr. Krabs was in his office… Where was Spongebob?

His question was soon answered by a yawn that caused him to jump.

“Ohh boy…” Speak of the devil – Spongebob toddled along on his way to the kitchen, rubbing at his eyes. He didn’t look as terrible as Squidward did, but he certainly wasn’t at his best. He seemed tired, but otherwise okay. All… Cutely bundled up like that in his snow gear. With his gloves and his hat and his scarf and his coat and his booties… “Morning, Squiddy,” he said, offering him a sleepy smile as he passed. The other was thrown off-guard when Spongebob walked right past him. Without a single mention of the party. What the HELL?! Newly enraged, Squidward called after him.

“SPONGEBOB!” He snapped. The blond pivoted on his heel a few steps away from the kitchen door, blinking.

“Wha huh?” Whoa, Squidward was mad already? What had he done?! Squidward faltered under Spongebob’s inquisitive stare that penetrated his very soul. He took a harsh inhale to steel himself.

“LAST NIGHT…”

“Ohhh! Yeah, some party, huh?” Spongebob nodded with a soft chuckle. That was probably why Squidward looked so rough – he must’ve had a LOT of fun! He was so glad. “I’m just tired ‘cause I kinda drank too much and stayed up a lil’ too late… But it was a good time, right? Were you there when we played Christmas Mad Libs? And then Christmas charades? And then ‘dress a person up as a Christmas tree?’ And then Christmas carol-oke? That was lots of fun, hehe.”

“WHA—No, I—!” Why was he being so casual?! Did he just not care about what had happened?! How could he even think to act this way?! “No, I meant earlier—“

“Ohh, earlier? Umm…” Spongebob’s brow furrowed contemplatively. “Like… Earlier as in… When we marathoned Christmas movies? Oh man, I wanna watch more tonight! I need to see Elf again!”

“NO! Earlier than that, you dunderhead!” Jeez, how long had they partied for?! “Right after dinner or—or whatever!” Squidward noticed Spongebob’s expression turn into that of bewilderment and his blood ran cold.

“… Right after dinner? Ummm…” The Krusty Krab’s star frycook scratched at his head, thinking as hard as he could. “Gee, Squidward, I… I think I remember Sandy gave me a drink during dinner… And then… Uh, I dunno. I think I got tired and took a nap and when I woke up a little later, the real party began! Let me tell you, she makes some killer baybreezes. And the best part is I don’t even have a hangover because Larry helped me keep myself hydrated!” How much Spongebob had imbibed was anyone’s guess – though it likely wasn’t much after he woke up from his nap. He only really drank at parties every now and again, so it was pretty easy to bring out the Party Sponge and put the Anxious Host Sponge to rest.

Squidward gawked in stunned silence. He’d… No way. No way. He’d… Forgotten? Spongebob had entirely forgotten about their encounter?! How… HOW DARE HE?! THIS ASSHOLE HAD THE GALL TO WALTZ IN, KISS HIM SO HARD HE QUESTIONED REALITY, LEAVE, FALL ASLEEP SOMEWHERE, AND FORGET WHAT HAD EVEN HAPPENED?! “Y-yuh… You… You…” Concern crossed Spongebob’s face as Squidward began to twitch.

“… Uh… Squiddy? Why are you twitching like that?”

“Yuh—you—y-y—I—gghh— AAAAAAAGGGHHHHH!!!” Squidward voiced his frustrations once again, yanking at his unruly hair. Spongebob flinched and, with a squeak, instinctively raised his arms to shield himself. Before he could inquire any further, the other stormed off with long strides, seething. Right out of the Krusty Krab and into the mounds of snow that blanketed Bikini Bottom.

“I CANNOT BELIEVE HIM!” Squidward shouted at a nearby snowman, who did not reply. “WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS?! HE—WE—I— DIDN’T IT MEAN SOMETHING TO HIM?!” Cheeks blazing, he covered his mouth with a gloved hand.

Had he really just said that? He just got done insisting it didn’t MATTER what it meant to Spongebob! And it… AND IT DIDN’T! It was just that..! It was downright INSULTING! So Spongebob kisses the guy he likes and FORGETS?! Who would forget about something like that?! Even if the guy he likes hates him, the guy he likes is still super beautiful and fabulous and NOBODY should be able to forget the sizzling experience he’d gift to them! It was a PRESENT, all right! (Oh, don’t be full of yourself, Squidward.) All of that – all of that moaning and biting and licking and grabbing – ALL FOR WHAT?! FOR NOTHING?! HE’D HAD TO ENDURE THAT HELL FOR – FOR NOTHING?! HE HAD TO BE TORTURED BY IT AND SPONGEBOB COULD JUST GO ALONG WITHOUT A CARE IN THE WORLD?!

It was true that Spongebob had forgotten – that part of the night was completely blanked out for him. He was under the impression he drank too much and passed out… Which was precisely the case give or take a few details, and it probably wasn’t the greatest idea to drink more after that, but hey. While he was clueless, their other friends weren’t. Oh no, they most certainly knew. They didn’t tell Spongebob for a specific reason – they really did not want him having a meltdown because they knew what he’d done hadn’t caused any lasting damage, and… It was fun to watch Squidward squirm. Especially in situations like this. So, if asked, they’d all pretend they had no idea either and just enjoy the show. It was a shame, though. Spongebob had his first kiss with the man he loved… And had no recollection of it.

Squidward spent a few minutes kicking at snow while yelling incoherently and snorting like an angry seahorse. Powdery crystals of ice sprayed in every direction during his rampage. The snowman sat there, a motionless observer. It was FINE! He didn’t care! Why would he care?! GOOD! This was GREAT, actually! He didn’t want Spongebob to remember! Because that meant he could just throw the memory away without issue! Without being reminded of it or pestered about it! He could pretend it never happened just like he wanted! He didn’t have to suffer – he could just ignore it, no problem! “Stupid Spongebob! Moron! IDIOT! BARNACLEHEAD!” He was only angry because he’d been subjected to torment and it had all been for naught! It was so RUDE! That guy was a real piece of work! “’I’ve been lookin’ all over for you, Squiddy!’” He mimicked bitterly, still stomping around. The darkened water overhead easily paralleled his mood. “YEAH, WELL, YOU’D BETTER NOT ‘LOOK FOR ME’ AGAIN! EVER! I WON’T ALLOW IT!” He never, EVER wanted more! He never wanted to feel the rushing warmth created by affectionate touches, or breathy sighs against his lips, or hair tickling at his jaw, or arms wound tightly around him, or…

He finally stopped and released a distressed wail, burying his face into his hands. HE WAS SO LONELY! He’d been single for such a long time! Far too long, really, and – wait a second…

It suddenly dawned on him that the only reason he sort of maybe (DIDN’T) enjoy that kiss was because… He was just so deprived of physical contact. Squidward didn’t want it to be Spongebob, he wanted it to be someone else… But Neptune hated him too much to grant him that. He’d almost forgotten what it was like to kiss someone… The reminder was painful. Maybe he should try finding a date again? That way, he wouldn’t have to feel so weird about this kiss with Spongebob, because he knew he was just lonesome and unused to such interactions! Yes… That was it! While it was horrifying to think he’d sunk so low and become so desperate he would even slightly savor any sort of contact with his neighbor, it made some sense given his current relationship status. He sank to his knees, reassured, a hand over his pounding heart.

“Oh, thank Neptune…” Squidward sniffled while rubbing at his face, some tension lifting from his stiff shoulders. “M-maybe I’m not so crazy after all… Just—just pathetically desperate. I… B-but I never want to experience that with him again! I’ll try to – to find someone. And then the joke will be on HIM! HA! He’ll still be a single loser and I won’t be!”

Desperate indeed, Squidward. That’s precisely why you’d been haunted by sexual fantasies of Spongebob masturbating when you found his collection of adult items some months ago. Desperation. That had been repressed, though, as this too might be. At the time, he’d been unyielding in his assertion that there was no way he was needy enough to daydream about Spongebob and the fact that he had was only due to his discovery forcing the repulsive imagery upon him. Now, he was relieved by the fact that he had ‘only liked it because he was lonely and needy.’ An interesting development, to be sure.

He’d run out of steam – it was time to go back inside. Eased by his realization, he would put all of this behind him and forget about it just like Spongebob did. The snowman, having grown tired of Squidward’s antics, turned and slid away, leaving him. A scoff sounded. “Puh. Some help he was. Snowmen are always so flaky.” He paused, and was then unable to prevent himself from snickering at his fortuitous pun. “Heh. Flaky. Snowmen, hahah. Oh, Squiddy, you are a true genius. You may be a deplorable pile of garbage, but you’re a damn genius.”

Spongebob watched his friend return through the kitchen window, his head resting in his arms which were propped up on the sill. To his astonishment, Squidward seemed to be in a much better mood now – his shoulders were no longer up to his ears and there was a swagger in his step. “Maybe he just needed to vent,” the blond mused, having seen his tantrum outside. What about last night could have possibly invoked such wrath? It was hard to tell just why he was upset sometimes, because what he said wasn’t always the truth. Even if there was obviously more to the story, it didn’t mean Spongebob would be able to figure it all out. It was distressing because all he wanted was Squidward’s happiness… He just had to keep trying his best to provide him with love and care.

“Spongebob.” He was wrenched back into reality by Squidward marching right over, placing his hands either side of Spongebob’s elbows, and leaning down just slightly with a triumphant smirk on his face. The other jerked back a little.

“Ah—?”

“You know that I hate you, right?” Squidward asked in a voice as sweet as honey – a tone that didn’t match his words in the least.

“Uh… Oh, uhm… Yeah?” Spongebob managed, feeling just slightly intimidated by such a direct approach paired with – well, you know. Hearing ‘I hate you’ wasn’t always that pleasant.

“And you know I’m not interested in ever doing anything of any sort with you, right?” Squidward had to be careful with what he said – he didn’t want to mistakenly lead Spongebob to believe something happened last night that he’d forgotten about.

“Uh huh?” Spongebob squirmed in discomfort. Satisfied, Squidward turned around to man his post.

“Good. I just wanted to remind you.” Ahhh, there! All better! Now that was cleared up! All he had left to do was destroy the memory. Spongebob sighed and padded back to his station as well. Squidward had been in such a good mood last night, too… He wondered if something happened. He had tried to make that party perfect, but perhaps he’d screwed up somehow. He sure hoped not. Either way, Squidward seemed okay now..? So it was likely best to leave it be.

The rest of the day went by without incident. Patrick swung by the Krusty Krab to invite Spongebob to go sledding with him to which he happily agreed – at the end of their shift, he donned his stupidly cute winter outfit and waved to Squidward before leaving. Ignoring him, Squidward headed home to relax and revitalize. That would henceforth be the motto: ignore Spongebob. Over the next couple of days, his attempt to do so was actually going decently well – he kept himself distracted, paying no attention to Spongebob and trying not to think about the thing until one afternoon when Sadie Asbury and Jennifer Millie walked into the Krusty Krab…

The pair entered holding hands, and they initially didn’t quite approach the counter – they stood back, studying the menu. “What did you want, sweetie?” Sadie asked. Squidward’s gaze flickered upwards from his magazine – they were huddled awfully close… It was cold, but…

“I don’t know, babe… I kind of wanted to try something different today…” Squidward’s brows rose steadily. Since when were they dating? That was news. He was a total sucker for gossip, so he paid attention to these things just in case something juicy was going on. Still, it wasn’t all that fascinating until a few moments later when Jennifer took Sadie’s face in her hands, giggling.

“Heehee! Do you know how red your cheeks are? It’s so cute!”

“Wha—hey, it was cold out! I’m trying to decide, c’mon!” Despite her protests, Sadie laughed in kind. Squidward couldn’t help but watch as Jennifer leaned in and kissed both of Sadie’s red cheeks, her nose, and then her lips. It was a brief gesture of endearment, but it caused Squidward to twitch and blush all the same. A sigh from behind him took him by surprise.

“Awww…” Spongebob, who had come to deliver an order, was looking on from the window with a dreamy expression, his cheek smushed into his palm. “How cute… So she did end up asking her out! Gosh, I’m so happy for them…”

“GAH!” Squidward’s cry attracted attention from not only Spongebob, but the women in question. “Spongebob what—“ He whipped around and, after taking one glance at his coworker, made a strange choking noise that stopped his sentence in its tracks. He had been avoiding looking at Spongebob for more than very brief periods for days now. In failing that, and making eye-contact to boot, he was instantly reminded of the thing.

For some reason, the sight of him just – something about – was his tie looser than normal? His hair seemed shinier too… And was that shirt tighter and more form-fitting than the others he owned? Was he hallucinating or—? Holy shrimp, was that cologne? Or was that his soap? Or maybe it was his natural aroma?! Why did it smell so AMBROSIAL now?! It wasn’t like Squidward never actually noticed the way he smelled; it had just become so oddly prominent since the thing! And WHOA, WHOA, WAIT A SECOND. HOLD ON A MINUTE. Glasses?! Since when did… Glasses—! DORKY, GEEKY, thick, black square frames that illuminated the stunning blue of his irises. That was—they were—he knew they existed, but Spongebob rarely wore them to work! He used his contacts more often than not! But wow, they looked really… Maybe he should wear them more often… The guy wasn’t doing anything but standing there, and yet—!

What Squidward is seeing: “Oh, I’m sorry, Squidward, I was just so distracted~… Did you need something~..?” Sparkles float about the kitchen while sexy jazz music plays in the background. Spongebob has cutely knocked his glasses askew with the hand that was pressed to his cheek. His spatula dangles daintily from the hand brought to his chest. He bats his long eyelashes as he speaks in an airy and teasing manner. His smile is demure, but there is a veiled playfulness that flickers within his cerulean depths. Half of his shirt is unbuttoned his tie is undone for no explicable reason.

What is actually happening: “Um, Squidward? Is everything alright?” Spongebob asks, concerned and terribly perplexed. He stands up straight, tilting his head just slightly as he waits for an answer. His shirt is of normal tightness and his tie is correctly drawn to his neck. Nothing is out of the ordinary. He is not about to start dropping patties ‘accidentally’ in order to flaunt his rear whilst picking them up or anything of the sort. He is simply standing there.

Poseidon help him, Spongebob’s lips looked so soft… The worst part was that Squidward now knew they actually were. Try as he might to bleach his brain, the knowledge remained. So pink and full… Slightly parted… Given a slight sheen from the lights… Just begging for a ki—

And at that point he’d had about enough. Squidward clasped his hands over his mouth with a look of sheer mortification. He’d gone a nice rich shade of crimson. With no hesitation, he leapt over the side of the cashier’s boat and ran for the bathroom. By some miracle, it was empty. He stumbled over to the sink and used it for support, wheezing, a tremble surging through his body. “C-c-calm down Squiddy, calm— calm— pull yourself together—“ He splashed cold water on his face to combat the scorching heat. “What am I THINKING?!” What method of sorcery was this?! What spell had Spongebob cast upon him?! Perhaps it was how utterly bewitching his gaze could be? Or maybe… “NO. Stop – enough.” He took the deepest possible breath he could to cease the downward spiral of his tumultuous thoughts. It was alright. All that happened was that he saw a couple kissing and there was NO need to freak out. The incident was still fresh so naturally, he’d be reminded of it. Everything was cool. He wasn’t thinking weird things about Spongebob and if he were, he didn’t mean it – his brain was just… Mixed up! He’d be okay. Easy. Deep breaths.

He felt weak… Oh, and FISHPASTE, he’d made a huge scene! He could hardly believe how badly this whole thing was fucking him up. He really had lost it and he could only wonder how he’d managed to sink lower than he ever imagined possible. Inevitably, Spongebob had been overcome by worry for his best friend, and his dramatic entrance of calling out the other’s name created another kerfluffle and poor Squidward ended up on the floor. “SQUIDWARD?! OH MY STARS AND GARTERS, ARE YOU SICK OR SOMETHING?! WHAT’S WRONG!?” Spongebob knelt down beside him and gripped his shoulders, panic-stricken. Rather than answering, Squidward merely dropped his head and panted, struggling to regulate his system. “Squid—guh—I’m—what…” Spongebob stuttered a few times, but in seeing he was getting no responses, instead forced himself to do the same to reduce the sky-high tension in the room.

The pair soon quieted themselves, and after a few moments of silent recalibrating, Squidward smacked Spongebob’s hands away and stood up, blinking away the unbidden tears in his eyes. “Don’t touch me,” he growled. “I’m fine. It’s none of your business. Leave me ALONE. I just have… A bit of a fever or something, and it’s making me feel weird. It’ll pass, and I DON’T need you mollycoddling me over a silly little flu. And if you dare say one word, Spongebob, so help me. Do. Not.” Gods above, HE needed a drink. A lot of them, actually. Or maybe he didn’t, since he was already fucking horrendously delusional. He half-wondered if he really did have the flu or if someone was secretly spiking his food or something. Gee, this all felt REALLY familiar for some reason… Though he wasn’t looking at Spongebob, he could hear tiny sniffles, but he was too furious and baffled by it all to care. Of course he was crying. What a shock. … Oh well. At least humiliating himself in front of customers was nothing new… And at least Spongebob was listening for once.

Squidward turned to leave, hoping the customers would shrug off what they’d just witnessed, but to his ever-present luck, he was met with their boss.

“Hold it RIGHT there, Mister Squidward! WHAT is goin’ on with you boys?! Yer leavin’ the customers by themselves out there! What’s all this fuss? Why’s Spongebob cryin’ on the floor? Why’d yeh go scarin’ me customers, Squidward? What is the problem here?!” The burly blue-clad man stood with arms crossed and foot a-tappin’. Eugene was none too happy – their antics were interfering with the flow of money! If only it weren’t so expensive to hire extra employees for when his first mates went AWOL…

“There is no PROBLEM, Mr. Krabs.” Squidward forcefully pushed past him, hands balled into fists at his sides. He refused to look at anyone, instead choosing a nice spot on the floor to stare at, wishing his cheeks would stop burning. “I think I’ve come down with the flu. That’s all. I was feeling a bit faint. I’m fine now.”

“The flu?! OH no, no employee of mine is gonna be contaminatin’ the food, the money, or the customers! Get yer hindquarters OUTTA HERE, Mister Squidward!” Eugene instructed, pointing to the front doors. He didn’t have to tell Squidward twice, that was for sure. In all honesty, he knew that it wasn’t a flu that had his employee all ruffled… But he’d begrudgingly allow it to run its course rather than say anything about it. If it was stirring things this much, maybe it would lead the two closer to an answer for their relationship. Maybe they’d finally get together and stop wasting so much damn time on this song and dance – then they’d make him more money since they wouldn’t have to keep disrupting things with it!

Squidward was slightly surprised by his boss’s allowance, but wasted no time in taking flight. Any and all stares and whispers were disregarded as he trudged right out of the restaurant to his boat while trying not to cry, his boots crunching loudly in the snow. It was fine. He hadn’t just made a complete imbecile of himself. No, no, NO. Time to go home. Time to take the week off and sleep the entire time.

Still sitting on the bathroom floor, Spongebob shuddered in distress – why wasn’t he allowed to help? Was Squidward really sick or was it something else? This was scary! He sniveled. Eugene helped him up and offered him a handkerchief. “Don’t worry about it, lad. It isn’t really that serious. He’ll be alright; he just needs some time to ‘imself. Try lettin’ him come to yeh when he’s ready, okay? It ain’t personal – he just ain’t feelin’ well and you know how that goes.” Krabs rolled his eyes. How crabby Squidward could become was astounding at times. His opinion was that the guy needed a good smack or five to set him straight, but he doubted it would work.

“Bu—bu—is he… D-do you know what’s going on..?” Spongebob wiped at his face with the handkerchief, still giving quiet hiccups and shaky sighs. Squidward ignoring him wasn’t all that shocking, but today’s reaction was so strange, and combined with the day after the party… He just couldn’t figure it out. He wanted to know!

“Well, I haven’t heard of any flus goin’ around, but with this blasted weather, I don’t doubt it,” Eugene said, glancing over at Spongebob. There was a pause when green met blue.

“… Are you sure?” Spongebob asked in a muffled voice from behind the handkerchief that he’d pressed over his nose and mouth, his watery eyes trained intently on the other. Eugene opened his mouth to respond, but at first, nothing came. He could tell… Spongebob knew. The boy was fully aware that it wasn’t a flu that was plaguing Squidward. He wasn’t stupid – okay, well, at times he could be, but he could also be very insightful and incisive. In that moment, Eugene wanted to tell him – he felt bad for him, and just… Oh, what a fine mess this was. Telling the truth would only worsen things; while it would explain Squidward’s moodiness, Spongebob would just be so utterly destroyed knowing he’d done that and even more wounded by the reaction it got and it just… It wasn’t worth it. It wasn’t worth breaking the poor thing with anxiety because it really wasn’t that big of a deal. If Squidward told him, that would be handled accordingly, but the chances of that were slim to none. Squidward could take care of himself. His hissy fit would fizzle out soon. And maybe, just maybe, he’d learn a damn thing or two from it. This whole ‘not-so-secretly in love with Squidward’ situation would eventually hit a turning point… It was certainly ramping up. He hoped that it would wind up being beneficial for Spongebob. If only he could persuade him to chase anyone other than Squidward! Ah, but attempts at that had failed so far, and would continue to fail so long as Spongebob held out hope that there was a prospect of being with him.

Exhaling, Eugene reached out and gave Spongebob’s shoulder a solid squeeze, compassion gracing his features. “… No. I’m not sure, Spongebob. It could be anything. But, whatever it is, just let it be. It’ll pass.” Clearly, Spongebob wasn’t happy with this answer. He clutched the kerchief as he lowered it, his lip wibbling again.

“But—“

“No.” Eugene pressed a finger to his lips to shush him straightaway. “No, Spongebob.” A whine. “No. I know yer worried, but you need to stop. Go read a book or watch TV or whatever it is that you kids do. Just go clear yer head and stop tryin’ to fix something that doesn’t need to be fixed! Let him do it on his own.” Spongebob tried to protest no further. He only wilted – that wasn’t what he wanted to hear, but… Maybe Mr. Krabs was right. Maybe it was just something he had to let go of. It was hard because he was afraid he’d done something wrong, but… Squidward probably wasn’t going to tell him, so there was nothing he could do no matter what.

“… Aye aye, sir…”

“Good boy! Now off with yeh, go make me some money! And it’s Christmastime y’know – go look at lights or go ornament shoppin’ after work! Do something fun, treat yerself! Forget about that old stick-in-the-mud!” Eugene guffawed then, thumping his employee on the back so hard it knocked him off-balance.

“Wah! Uh—I…” With the force of the gesture, his glasses were knocked slightly down the bridge of his nose – after adjusting them, he chewed on his lip thoughtfully. Well… That did sound pretty fun… He did love going around the city to see all the lights! As long as he bundled up, he could window shop and maybe buy some presents for people! “I… Yeah. Okay, yeah, you’re right! I will!” A resolute nod. He just had to put his mind to something else – he could go see the FAKE SANTA! Those were like the real Santa, except they were just his helpers and they were all over the world! They looked similar to him but you knew it was a helper if he was working at someplace like a mall. The real Santa only had time to visit peoples’ houses on Christmas Eve, after all! He gasped. “MR. KRABS! Did the helper Santa set his workshop up at the mall yet?!” Eugene watched in relief as life and enthusiasm returned to Spongebob.

“Err, I dunno. I think so! You should go check later! Just finish rakin’ in the dough for today first. And if yeh see Pearlie when yer there… Please tell ‘er to stop spendin’ all me money!” He groaned at the mere thought of it. She had her own job and she was STILL using his money! Little bloodsucker… Took after her father, she did. He was proud, but his wallet sure wasn’t. Spongebob gave a little laugh.

“Will do, sir! I’M READY! ORDER UUUUUUUP!” He cheered, jogging back to his post to turn those customers’ frowns UPSIDE-DOWN! The thought of talking to Santa (or in this case, Santa’s assistant) was totally revving him up! He couldn’t WAIT! He was grateful to have Mr. Krabs to lean on for advice. He was feeling better already!

“I can’t believe this. I can’t. What was I doing earlier? Why was—was his shirt really unbutto—OF COURSE IT WASN’T, YOU ABSOLUTE KELP-FOR-BRAINS! What is the MATTER with me?! WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME?! I’VE DONE NOTHING WRONG! I don’t deserve this! This agony, this woe – it’s ENTIRELY unjustified! I have been nothing but a compassionate and kind person, and THIS IS THE THANKS I GET?! Thoughts of—of SPONGEBOB OF ALL PEOPLE?! And not only that, but having to endure a KISS from him!? I’VE GOT A REAL BONE TO PICK WITH YOU, KING NEPTUNE! His—he—it’s HIS fault for wearing those GLASSES and for being so IMPROPER as to UNDO HIS SHIRT AND TIE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WORKDAY! POLISH HIS SHOES, WHY I NEVER! AND THEN HE FORGETS! WHAT AN ASSHOLE! I HATE HIM SO DAMN MUCH! I HATE HIM, I HATE HIM, I HATE HIM! HE DOES NOTHING BUT CAUSE ME ANGUISH! HE’S SO FUCKING INFURIATING AND RUDE AND IGNORANT AND IMBECILIC AND DISMISSIVE OF FEELINGS AND DISRESPECTFUL OF BOUNDARIES AND CLINGY AND PUSHY AND ATTENTION-HUNGRY AND SELFISH AND EGOTISTICAL AND PRESUMPTUOUS AND FUCK!! FUCK HIM! I DESPISE EVERY FIBER OF HIS BEING! SOMEONE LIKE HIM DOESN’T DESERVE ME! I’M TOO GOOD FOR HIM! I SHOULD HAVE ONLY THE BEST! HE’S NOTHING BUT A BOTTOMFEEDER AND HE ISN’T EVEN WORTHY OF BREATHING THE SAME WATER AS I DO! HOW DARE HE MAKE ME FEEL THIS WAY?! HOW DARE HE RESORT TO UNDERHANDED TRICKERY TO MAKE ME—TO MAKE ME FEEL—AND SORT OF THINK HE’S—AGH! NO! Don’t fall for it, Squiddy! He’s not—it’s FINE! IT’S SO FUCKING FINE THAT I’M GOING TO FUCKING, JUST, FORGET ABOUT IT! IT HONESTLY NEVER EVEN HAPPENED AND I CAN JUST GO ON HATING HIM LIKE USUAL! I WON’T NEED TO DISGRACE MYSELF IN FRONT OF OTHERS BECAUSE I WON’T HAVE ANY WEIRD ASS THOUGHTS! LOOK, I’LL EVEN PROVE IT RIGHT NOW—“

Squidward was ranting and raving at the top of his lungs, doing anything to try to expel this unspeakable sickness that poisoned his body and mind. He was storming about his house, throwing anything unbreakable he could find. Upon making his eighteenth lap around his home, he circled back to his television whilst evading fallen objects, plopped his ass right down on the couch, and in some crazy, desperate attempt to prove that this wasn’t at all affecting him, turned on a romance movie. In order to calm his blistering blood, he panted harshly, bubbles forming each time his chest heaved. His teal tresses were completely ruffled and wild from him running about and pulling at them. He was so unkempt and out-of-sorts and it was so damn hot he was this close to running outside and faceplanting in the snow. … In all honesty, that was actually a good idea.

The beginning of the movie was mild enough that Squidward was able to ease his ragged breaths and fall into a stoic stillness. The main characters met one another and blah blah blah falling in love blah wacky antics blah blah. It was when they started getting closer that he became nervous. It was okay. Just two characters realizing their feelings for each other and going out on a date. Nothing wild or crazy here. “T… Take it easy, Squiddy old boy… Perhaps doing this today wasn’t the best idea…” He was still jittery from earlier. Soon, the time for the first kiss came, and he held his breath – here it was. The moment of truth. Carmine eyes were glued to the television as the pair embraced, running their hands over one another’s bodies, crooning affectionately in each other’s ears… The main character first kissed up their partner’s neck, then along their jawline to their chin… Their lips met, and Squidward swallowed thickly. It was a sensual, romantic kiss. It didn’t last for too long, and when they pulled back, they smiled, laughed, and held each other tight. This one was definitely more intimate than what he’d seen at the Krusty Krab.

His gaze gradually lowered after the scene ended. Trying his best to prevent himself from blushing, he stared down at his lap, hands clenched into fists. He breathed a puff of water. Unfortunately, his efforts to stop the heat were wasted – he reddened significantly as he processed the scene. Breathe… Calm… Breathe…

…

His kiss with Spongebob had been more of the needy, frenzied and passionate kind rather than the slow and sensual… What would it be like if..?

Naturally, Squidward began to shriek at the notion. This was becoming such a frequent occurrence that it was a wonder Neptune didn’t hear him all the way from Atlantis.

WHAT WAS THAT THOUGHT JUST NOW?! He’d FAILED! He’d utterly and wholly FAILED! Such a simple test – FAILED! WHY WAS IT SO DIFFICULT TO STOP THINKING ABOUT THE DAMN KISS?! WHY HAD HE JUST IMAGINED ANOTHER?! He had TOTALLY just envisioned what it would be like to have that sort of serene and languid kiss with Spongebob! Oh, NEPTUNE! He’d legitimately imagined HIMSELF… Holding Spongebob tight… Running his hand down his back to rest just above his tailbone… While Spongebob’s hands roam aimlessly around his torso in turn… And Spongebob smiles and giggles softly against his lips between kisses… Then Spongebob moves to kiss lazily at his jaw and neck, and then nuzzles his collarbone…

This ended in him flopping onto his side in defeat and merely bawling into his hands. This was too much. It was EXCRUCIATING. He hated this – hated every second of it – hated the person causing it, hated that he couldn’t stop these invasive thoughts, hated that he was so weak, hated that he’d stooped so low, hated that his mind had apparently deteriorated altogether, hated the sick part of himself that seemed to like it, hated the fact that he was single and craved affection, hated the fact that he couldn’t fucking control himself in any capacity and repeatedly made an utter buffoon of himself in public, hated the nightmarish visions his mind conjured up, hated the fact that Spongebob had dared kiss him in the first place… He needed to call his therapist. Pronto. She’d know what to do. Maybe she could hypnotize him into forgetting? She likely didn’t have any specialization in that, but it was worth a shot to ask…

Squidward’s overdramatic and excessively volatile reactions to the subject of Spongebob would seem outlandish to anyone. They were unnecessary and unreasonable. They were undeserved and unfair to Spongebob. They were unhealthy for the both of them. Yes, Spongebob could be incredibly annoying, and disliking him was one thing – savage hostility and resentment that was expressed so consistently, even sans provocation, was another. While there was no excuse for his behavior, there was a reason.

An obvious reason would be how persistent Spongebob was – not only could his personality be entirely grating, but he also didn’t always know when to quit. He could be sort of oblivious and had trouble distinguishing boundaries. If someone was already cross with him and he kept on pestering them, it would only cause more issues. He had improved over the years, but he still had work to do in that area.

There was a deeper reason than that, however.

Ironically, Spongebob reminded Squidward of himself; everything he’d been taught to hate within himself. While perhaps difficult to believe, it was the truth – he had once been similar to Spongebob. He had once been unashamed in feeling and expressing enthusiasm and exuberance. While he did still hold passion for things, he forced himself to taper a lot of his excitement.

His mentor had been Squilliam Fancyson III. They’d dated back in college, and Squilliam refused to be seen with Squidward if he acted in what was considered an ‘embarrassing and uncool’ manner. No longer was he allowed to jump for joy – instead, he had to construct a pretentious and ‘adultlike’ persona. He could not enjoy things that were deemed as childish or lowbrow. He was not allowed to do ‘cringeworthy and immature’ things such as talk loudly with excitement over something, hop about in delight, or act in any way that wasn’t cool, collected and sophisticated. If he did anything of the sort, he’d be reprimanded. He had to be an adult, and adults didn’t show such emotions.

Spongebob proudly flaunted everything Squidward had been forced to conceal. Spongebob was permitted to be juvenile and carefree and jubilant and passionate and energetic and…

Squidward resented it. It roused a lot of negative feelings within him that were extremely hard to deal with, and thusly presented as anger, reinforced by the ingrained adult façade. At the same time, however, he secretly found it refreshing and endearing and… He longed to feel that way again. To break down these harmful ideals and to stop hiding his emotions. To stop hurting people. To be happy again. To live again. Maybe being a kid, a goofball, a wingnut, and a Knucklehead McSpazatron wasn’t all that bad.

Spongebob Squarepants was a good person. He was sweet, kind and caring. He always did his best to help others and prioritized them over himself. He strove to make people smile and brighten up their days. He was talented, entertaining and driven. While naïve and exasperating, he was still lovable – he had flaws, just like anyone else. Underneath it all, Squidward knew that he cared for his neighbor a great deal and was truly grateful for his generosity and devotion… And he really was so sorry for being such a despicable asshole to him. A friend who wasn’t a friend. A loser who didn’t deserve anything he was given. He kept repeating the same mistakes and he wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to make up for it. He hated Spongebob, but he loved him too.

That being said, that was all… Mostly… On a platonic level. Going any further than that reactivated his defenses and suppressed those feelings – though to be fair, they were usually suppressed regardless. Romantic was a step too close and it would turn his entire world and everything he knew upside down. Liking him in a platonic way was hard enough to accept – how could he even ATTEMPT to think about anything else? Squidward had denial on top of his denial and it was bundled up in rage and depression. Spongebob was annoyingly immature and he hated him, and those were the facts. He’d never been interested in him and never would be, and those were the facts. He’d always just see him as a moronic coworker and neighbor that he perhaps inwardly appreciated, and those were the facts. It had been this way for many years and it wouldn’t change, especially not from some stupid kiss.

There was no possible way he could feel something like that for someone he despised so much! It made absolutely zero sense. Imagining a relationship with him was nauseating – why would he ever want to spend time with him or touch him or share a bed with him or go on dates with him or ANY of that garbage? If others wanted to, whatever. While he questioned their tastes, it was neither here nor there. As for HIMSELF? Oh no, absolutely NOT. Spongebob’s desires be damned – it wasn’t going to happen. Ever. Not in this lifetime, not in the next lifetime, not in the one after that. Never. He would surely get over his little crush and move on when someone else came along – it wasn’t worth it to make himself queasy by contemplating the notion.

Squidward cried for a good hour, overwhelmed, confused and consumed by the ravenous maw of self-pity. He couldn’t handle this; he wasn’t ready. There were too many things to face… Not only did he have to work through and decipher his feelings with Spongebob, but also his feelings with himself and his past. It was all tangled up in a forebodingly gargantuan, gnarled knot that he had to try to dismantle. There was no sense in getting into it… Spongebob had forgotten about this kiss and he sure as HELL would not be reminding him, ever, at all. It was best to just bury this and never address anything. That way, so long as Spongebob never brought anything up, they could all continue on their merry ways and everything would stay the same and he’d never be required to face that knot.  

The television, left unattended, pulsed with a soft glow, giving off restful background noise. The unintelligible chatter drowned out his heavy-hearted sniffles and sobs – only the blowing of his nose rose above it. By the time he’d exhausted himself, used tissues littered the area and the blanket he’d gotten drooped off of the couch and pooled on the floor near his feet. Everything hurt. The box of chocolate was now empty. He pushed himself up and staggered over to the front door. White flurries greeted him when he opened it, clinging to his shirt as they pleased. He could barely see due to how swollen his eyes had become, but he figured the snow looked deep enough…

He promptly allowed himself to fall facefirst into the pristine drifts.

While Squidward locked himself up at home to brood, Spongebob preoccupied himself by going shopping and seeing Santa after work. This continued for the next couple of days. Staying inside didn’t seem to hold a lot of relief for Squidward – while at least he didn’t have to suffer through going to the Krusty Krab and seeing Spongebob, it was just… Nothing helped. He was miserable for so many reasons. Not even his fuzzy bathrobe, chocolates and foreign dramas were working! Numerous things were tried, but not a single one assuaged him. He eventually decided that he should go outside and get the flow of some fresh currents, even if it was just for a short while…

It was flurrying. Flakes fell gingerly from above, enveloping the vast expanse of the seafloor in a soft silence. Such a silence was almost resounding. The currents rustled some leaves of kelp every so often and animals hid away in their homes. There was a satisfying heaviness in the water. The scenery was truly picturesque and it was… Soothing. Things were still and tranquil… He got a little lost in staring at all of the glowing lights strung on nearby houses. Since he had first made sure Spongebob wasn’t home before he ventured outside, he knew he was safe. He wanted to… Go into town though, maybe. Go shopping. A shopping trip would do him some good, yeah? He could look at art supplies and new clarinets… Yes. Shopping it was. He’d treat himself. Lord knew he needed it. He spent a little while cleaning off his boat and taking in his surroundings. As Squidward slid into the driver’s seat, he prayed he wouldn’t encounter too many lovey-dovey couples lest his fragile mind shatter more than it already had.

The city was hustling and bustling as per usual. Everyone was bundled up, head to toe, to shield themselves from the cold weather. Many folks were struggling under the weight of gifts, hailing taxies for their endless bags of presents. Others seemed to prefer window shopping, and were significantly less burdened. The streets and sidewalks were slushy and wet from snow, and salt crunched beneath many a passerby’s shoe. Christmas decorations were everywhere – lights and garland were hung on numerous buildings and trees, café signs had little gingerbread men and snowflakes drawn on them, and holiday music floated out between the opening and closing of store doors. Squidward headed straight for the music store – perusing the instruments would cheer him right up! It always did! The little bell on the door chimed as he walked in, and the shopkeeper greeted him from behind the counter. “Heyyyy! Zere he is! Squidward, où étais-tu passé, mon ami? It has been three weeks, I was getting worried!” A tired and crooked smile was Squidward’s response.

“Sorry. I’ve been terribly busy – you know how it is,” he said in a low voice, ambling over to one of the display cases, hands in his coat pockets. He’d known Julien for a long time now – he frequented the art and music stores in the area and had familiarized himself with the workers there. He enjoyed their company whenever he went, as they all had good taste and provided interesting conversation.

“Oh, oui, je sais. Ze holidays are always so hectic – it is difficult to get anything done! I am telling you, it is—AH! Squidward – you look terrible! Oh la vache de mer, have you been doing alright?!”

Squidward blinked – did he really look that rough? Yikes, how embarrassing… He’d better cover up some more. He pulled his scarf up to his nose, but not before daring a peek at his reflection in the glass of the case. “… Oh,” he unwittingly said aloud. Yes, yep. Uh huh. Mmhmm. He had absolutely left the house without taking much a look at himself and without making himself even remotely presentable enough for being in public. Why, again? Luckily, his hat covered his wild hair, but his face was an entirely different story. His cheeks seemed more sunken than usual. His nose was red from not only the cold, but very plainly from blowing it so much with how the blotchy color formed around his nostrils. His eyes were the true offender; they were bloodshot as could be and puffy to HELL and back with the skin around the corners being quite irritated. He honestly looked as if he’d been punched more than once. There was a pause as he inwardly panicked, searching for an excuse for his woebegone countenance, before he found an easy one: “… I’m, ah, sick.” Smooth. Nice. It was the easiest and yet the most believable coverup in the book, and it lined up with what he’d told Mr. Krabs! … Not that Julien would know that, but still.

“Zhen why are you out of bed?!” Julien chided, placing his hands on his hips. “You should not be wandering about, exposing yourself to Neptune knows what else! You need rest, not clarinet reeds!”

“I-it looks worse than it actually is, I promise!” Squidward held up his hands defensively. “Listen, I’m fine. I took some medicine and I’ve been in bed for days.” Both statements were actually true. “I’m finally feeling a little better and wanted to go out for a bit.” A lie; more like he wasn’t feeling better and was trying to by going out. Julien scrutinized him skeptically.

“… Hmph. So stubborn, you are. Just remember to look after yourself. Dans ce cas-là, while you are here, were you looking for something in particular?” Whew. Safe. Squidward cleared his scratchy throat.

“Not really… I might buy another instrument soon, though…” Maybe he should try something new. He’d never give up his clarinet, of course, but he wanted to try some other instruments too.

“Oh, oui? Do you know what kind you would like to try?”

“It might be time to get myself something in the piano family. I won’t buy it today – I’ll come back later in the week.” An early Christmas present? Yeah, his mood was improving already! He’d learn how to properly play the piano, and it would be FANTASTIC.

“OH~! MAGNIFIQUE~! Ici, ici! I will show you what I have!” Chirping in delight, Julien pranced over to his customer and tugged him along to eagerly show him the displays.

Meanwhile…

“… And Mr. Krabs wants another pony with saddlebags full of money. I know he got that last year, but he says he wants another. Okay, next, Sandy wants a HP Proliant ML350 G9 server – the uhh, one with Intel Xeon E5-2640 v3 Octa-core 2.60 GHz 16GB DDR4 SDRAM. Whew. That was a mouthful. Okay. Ah, Pearl wants front-row tickets to a Boys Who Cry concert with backstage passes. Larry wants a new—“

“Kid, could ya hurry it up a little? I hate to rush you, but there’s a line.”

Upon being interrupted, Spongebob looked up from his list to a slightly exasperated Santa. “Huh?” He turned his head a little to scan the amount of people waiting to see good ol’ Kris Kringle. “Oh, oops! I’m sorry! I’ll go for today! I made sure everyone already sent their letters to Santa, but I like telling you too, just in case. You got all that, right?”

“Yes, son,” Santa sighed, “I got all of it.”

“Great!! Thank you so much!” Spongebob hopped out of Santa’s lap, pleased with what he’d gotten done. Going through the entire list took a little while, so he’d been visiting the mall every day to see him! He still had gifts to buy too, oh… He really had to get on that! He hustled out of the mall, deciding he wanted to go check out the pet store first and window shop along the way. It was still snowing, but it had slowed down a bit. Something about the twinkling lights made his chest ache longingly.

He began his journey, strolling leisurely with his hands stuffed into his pockets and his eyes trained on every storefront he passed. “Maybe I should drop by one of the music stores in a while to see what I can get Squiddy this year…” Speaking of, he sure hoped he was okay… If not, he’d just have to cheer him up with the Best Christmas Present Ever™! “Ooh~!” Some attractive sweaters in a store window gave him pause, and he halted his trip to admire them. Once done, he resumed his walk, only to repeat the process as he made his way down.

Squidward, on the other hand, had left the music shop to go elsewhere. While pleased with his newfound knowledge of pianos, he now found himself surrounded with the thing he most wanted to avoid…

Love.

The streets were crawling with couples. Advertisements oozed romance and love of all kinds – after all, the holidays emphasized spending time with loved ones. He could visit his mother all he wanted – it was the ads with the kissing and the cuddling and the proposing that bothered him. Not to mention the mistletoe hanging all around – oh Neptune, he was getting flashbacks! He was beginning to grow flustered – his mood worsened with each display of affection he passed. Damnit, there went his progress. He’d anticipated this, but it still felt shitty… He just had to make it to the arts and crafts store. It wasn’t too far away now. He could do this – focus, Squidward! Eyes straight ahead! Think of the doilies! THINK OF YOUR DOILY COLLECTION, SQUIDWARD!

It would soon be apparent that this was the wrong time for a romp in the city.

Up ahead, he spotted someone positively glued to a store window, which at first, he didn’t think much of. They were bouncing on their heels with their hands and face pressed against the glass, making noises of delight and—wait a minute… That outfit sure did look familiar… The colorful teal, yellow and white wool hat, complete with pompom and earflaps… The matching striped scarf that had fringes at the end… The black peacoat that flared out a bit at the waist and went down to midthigh… The maroon leggings and the black snow boots with the straps on the sides… Squidward stopped dead in his tracks, which caused the person behind him to run into him.

“’Ey, buddy! Watch where yer goin’, will ya?” The stranger sneered as he shoved past him. Squidward didn’t have time to retort – he was too busy staring at the figure in front of the toy store. He couldn’t quite see their face as it was smushed against the window. It couldn’t be… Surely not—no, there were certainly others who owned an outfit as such! Still, though – and – oh no. Were those… Blond wisps of hair poking out from under his hat? Without realizing it, he had walked closer, and when the person pulled back enough that he could see their profile, the beating of his heart ceased.

As if that blue couldn’t get any brighter – his eyes were sparkling with wonder and amazement over the humongous tree cleverly adorned with toys in the store’s display. That smile was going to split his damn face in two one of these days. His cheeks were warm with joy, and his long nose nearly touched the glass that was fogged by his visible puffs of breath… To his credit, he had every right to be in awe – that tree was stunning.

Almost as stunning as the person standing before it.

When Spongebob began to pull away from the store, Squidward realized it was more than time to make himself scarce. He frantically ducked into a nearby alleyway, managing to get out of line of sight moments before the other waltzed on past. He watched him leave, probably looking like a total fucking creep as he was peering around the corner of the alleyway to do so, and all he could think about was… Just… Spongebob. Why was it always Spongebob?!

Shopping spree = bad idea. Very bad idea. Back to the house it was.

By the time he got there, Squidward had gone numb. His brain had utterly shut down in exhaustion from the multitude of intense emotions. The lights were left off when he entered his home. He grabbed his Teddy from the couch and brought him upstairs – curiously enough, he’d been clinging to that thing more often as of late… One could only wonder why – it certainly had nothing to do with the fact that it was a gift from Spongebob. It was just a stuffed animal, and stuffed animals were comforting. Right?

After undressing, Squidward lay in bed with Teddy close to his chest, staring at the ceiling vacantly. He could feel no emotion – that could potentially be considered a perk of full mental shutdown.

Spongebob was… Something else. He really was.

He didn’t know what to make of this. He didn’t understand his feelings, he didn’t know what sort of potion he’d drank to cause this, he didn’t know why Spongebob had a crush on him, he didn’t know why everything was throwing him for such a loop, he didn’t know… Anything, really.

Time for sleep. Before long, he’d recover from this, and hopefully forget about it. Spongebob would no longer have to worry about him, and things would go back to normal. With luck, Squidward would bury and forget about this incident. He’d forget he ever felt weird things for Spongebob fucking Squarepants and continue on hating him. Never again would they find themselves under mistletoe while Spongebob was drunk. Squidward would not have to face his inner demons.

… He was going to skip next week’s Very First Christmas™ party. Just to be safe.

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1251

Monday, February 25, 2019

 It was so windy last night that it blew over our amaryllis flower that was inside the house. That was the crash I heard overnight. Actually, this amaryllis bulb produced a mutant flower stem that was the tallest I've ever seen. We got two stalks, each almost 2 feet tall, topped by three huge red blooms each. I had rotated the pot regularly so that they wouldn't grow at an angle but there was enough of one to make them topple. I should have supported them sooner.

 Black Widow #2 - Jen & Sylvia Soska (writers) Flaviano (art) Veronica Gandini (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). I like this new Natalia who doesn't have to hold back like she has a license to kill now. Her mission to shut down a torture porn site based in Madripoor is a good story but a couple of things bothered me about this issue. Clayton Crain's cover is very nice but you couldn't tell that one of the women was the Black Widow in disguise compared to what's shown inside. I thought the veil Nat wears was dumb and the next issue teaser spoiled the last panel. A better match on the hair colour would have fixed the cover problem and a different image for issue #3 in the next issue ad page would have been nice.

 Catwoman #8 - Joelle Jones (writer) Elena Casagrande & Fernando Blanco (art) John Kalisz (colours) Josh Reed (letters). Something Smells Fishy part 2. We find out what the Penguin wants Selina to do and she goes and does it. This story isn't too complicated and I expected better. I didn't like the facial expressions that the artists used when Selina was puling off the heist. I thought that it was an amateur imposter trying to steal the artefact. Catwoman should never look like she's afraid. I hope the next issue is better.

 The Unstoppable Wasp #5 - Jeremy Whitley (writer) Gurihiru (art) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). This is a wonderful issue dealing with mental health. Nadia needs help but will she reach out before it's too late? Read this great issue to find out.

 Stronghold #1 - Phil Hester (writer) Ryan Kelly (art) Dee Cunniffe (colours) Simon Bowland (letters). Meet Michael, just a cog in the wheel of life. Or is he? The Stronghold is a sort of cult and their mission is to protect Michael from the Adversary. The mystery of what Michael really is and what happens if he is awakened is more than enough to make you want to keep reading. This is a good comic book about people with super powers without the spandex posturing.

 Auntie Agatha's Home for Wayward Rabbits #2 to #4 - Keith Giffen (writer) Benjamin Roman (art). I fell in love with the art and the quirky characters after reading the first issue and I want to thank my Jee-Riz partner Chris for lending me his copies to read so that I can finish this story. There aren't many funny animal comic books on the racks other than the Disney stuff so this one is a rare gem. It's a great David versus Goliath story.

 Hulkverines #1 - Greg Pak (writer) Ario Anindito (art) Morry Hollowell with Andrew Crossley (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). It's good to see Weapon H back on the racks and a classic Hulk villain being their evil self. This new book is blatantly targeted at die hard old Marvel Zombies like me but it's well written and well drawn. Read the title page to catch up with what's going on in Clay Cortez's life and then jump right in to watch as Hulkverine and the Hulk duke it out in a battle to the death. The last page surprise made me pine for the next issue.

Naomi #2 - Brian Michael Bendis & David F. Walker (writers) Jamal Campbell (art) Carlos M. Mangual (letters). I like how the mystery of Naomi's true self is progressing naturally. There aren't any leaps and cuts in the origin story that I find annoying. Please give this book about an adopted daughter looking for answers a try. You won't be disappointed.

 Sharkey #1 - Mark Millar (writer) Simone Bianchi (art & colours) Peter Doherty (letters). I can't pass up a comic book with those names in the credits. This sci-fi series is about an interstellar bounty hunter. The art is out of this world. Sharkey is going after a huge bounty but the competition is fierce. It's going to be fun to see who wins.

 Love Romances #1 - This $3.99 US anthology of "love stories that can only be told in a comic book" should have hit the racks February 13 in time for Valentine's Day but it's still worth reading. All stories were lettered by VC's Travis Lanham.

"The Widow and the Clockwork Heart" by Gail Simone (writer), Roge Antonio (art) & Jim Charalampidis (colours) takes place in a Steampunk future where robots mend broken hearts.

"Heartbroken from Beyond" by Margaux Motin & Pacco Dorwling-Carter (story & art) & Lee Loughridge (colours) is a haunting ghost story of love and loss.

"French Quartered" by Dennis "Hopeless" Hallum (writer), Annapaolo Martello (art) & Jim Charalampidis (colours) is about an overprotective father in old New Orleans.

"Gone Like the Wind" by Jon Adams (story & art) & Tamra Bonvillain (colours) is a love lost and found story.

Each story has a clever twist that makes them special. Give this to your sweetie as a belated gift.

 Guardians of the Galaxy #2 - Donny Cates (writer) Geoff Shaw (art) Marte Gracia (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). The Final Gauntlet part 2. Team books can be unwieldy but this isn't a real team book anymore. There are many factions trying to either stop or facilitate the resurrection of Thanos. This involves either killing or saving Gamora. There are many good guys and bad guys to keep track of but Donny and Geoff do a great job of keeping everybody straight. I'm happy to put this book back on my "must read" list.

 Batman #65 - Joshua Williamson (writer) Guillem March (art) Tomeu Morey (colours) Steve Wands (letters). The Price part 3 of 4. This story is all about Gotham Girl wanting to resurrect her dead brother. I didn't read part 2 in the Flash and didn't feel like I missed anything. I don't care what happens to Claire Clover/Gotham Girl so I'm not going to read part 4 either. I'm sure some of the buying public doesn't like being coerced into picking up a couple of extra comic books off the racks that they don't normally read to get the full story. DC should have spun this story off of the Heroes in Crisis books instead of interrupting the Tom King story. I can't wait to get back to that.

 Wolverine: Infinity Watch #1 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Andy MacDonald (art) Jordie Bellaire (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). These new Infinity Stone stories hurt my head. I read the first one where Thanos got them all with the Gauntlet and the Avengers stopped him from killing everything but after that, every time these gems showed up things got more confusing. Now the stones all have souls thanks to Adam Warlock and they are inside humans. The Time Stone is still on Earth and that's not good. A big bad alien named Warbringer has landed and wants the stone for himself. Cue Logan's involvement. He's supposed to protect the hapless human. The appearance of Loki and Phoenix Force Wolverine was fun and since Logan was dead during the Infinity Wars, this will be a way for him to get caught up with Marvel continuity. If you're a fan of Wolverine being the best at what he does then you'll want to get in on this 5-issue mini.

 Doctor Strange #11 - Mark Waid (writer) Jesus Saiz with Javier Pina (art) Jesus Saiz & Rachelle Rosenberg (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). The Dread Dormammu, what a doofus. Stephen defeats the demon again and all is well. The Doc had a little help from his friends with one friend returning as a big surprise. I'm looking forward to the bad guy on deck in the next issue. He's big, he's red and he's hungry.

 Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #3 - Tom Taylor (writer) Juann Cabal (art) Nolan Woodard (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). Mother of Exiles part 3. Wow, talk about an underground society. Welcome to Under York, miles below New York City. Spider-Man and the Rumor mount a rescue mission which is sort of successful. I can't wait to find out what happens next.

 Avengers #15/LGY #705 - Jason Aaron (writer) David Marquez (art) Erick Arciniega (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). The team is caught in the middle of a Vampire Civil War and one of their own has been forced to switch sides. Can the Ghost Rider break his evil bondage? I'm guessing yes. I loved the devil dog riding in the ghost car with its head out the window. It's artistic touches like that that adds enjoyment to reading a comic book.

 Miles Morales: Spider-Man #3 - Saladin Ahmed (writer) Javier Garron (art) David Curiel (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). The team-up with the Rhino and Captain America ends with fighting a new super villain. Snatcher is a lame super villain name but the good guys still have a tough time taking him down. There sure were a lot of expletives deleted in this issue.

 Avengers LGY #709: No Road Home #2 - Al Ewing, Jim Zub & Mark Waid (writers) Paco Medina (pencils) Juan Vlasco (inks) Jesus Aburtov (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). It's the big fight issue with Voyager and her team trying to beat Nyx, goddess of darkness. She just killed all the gods of Olympus so good luck with that. Fortunately for the good guys, Nyx reveals her plans, which saves the heroes from certain death. This issue has a running narration by Hawkeye and it takes a surprising turn in the last few pages. This twist makes me glad that the next issue hits the racks in a week.

[anotherbeingsworld]

vegas adventures

Pairing: Bryce x F!MC (Casey Valentine) , a pinch of Ash Tanaka x MC (Melanie)

Book: (BP x Open Heart crossover, rewrites of Chp 15 Book 2)

Summary: The rewrite of their trip to Vegas with an extra helping hand.

A/N: this is a belated birthday gift to the one and only @robintora ! We talked about this fic before, and this is my best attempt at bringing it to life. It was a tough one, but I'm satisfied with it! And Tanu, happy (belated) birthday, and I hope you enjoy this! Love you! <3 // I did manage to add some bryce x mc fluff along the way, which I hope again you enjoy!

-

The workload has been released upon her shoulders, as she arrives at Donahue where the others have been seated. She took a seat besides Bryce, as he placed his arms around her in the booth.

“Okay, so what’s going on here…” Her eyes made its way to Jackie’s somehow questioned about the text that was sent earlier.

“It is something important -..”

“But, don’t worry – we got some good loaded fries to entertain us through the briefing right Jackie?” Bryce interrupts as he take a piece of it with a happiness planted on his face.

Aurora breaks the silence, ‘Since we are all here – so spill.”

Jackie took a deep breath explaining the whole situation on Declan trying to leech onto some doctors from Mass Kenmore, followed by the partnership to push Panacea drugs onto MK’s patients as well.

Realization dawn to her face,

“Hence, the perks that made the others join then.”

Jackie nods, with an angry expression on her face.

“That’s why we need to stop them.”

Elijah looked at her with shock, “Wait…I thought you were in with the perks. What changed?”

Casey’s eyes, meet with hers somehow both knowing what happened the other day at the gas station has somehow a connection with her sudden revelation.

Jackie clears her throat suddenly upon the awkward silence that follows, clasping her hands together.

“I guess – it's not worth it anymore if it costs others misery. I don’t think I want to be part of it anymore.”

A surprising look was painted on Casey’s face which disappears in a second as Elijah interrupts with a resolute nod.

“So, how are we gonna bring the monster down? Technically Declan Nash is the kind of person who can get away with anything.”

Jackie looks resolute, as she lays out the plan which involved a company retreat in Vegas which will be happening during the weekend.

“…They have extended the invitation to doctors they’ve worked with…including me.”

Casey nods, “I am officially intrigued, count me in.”

“The situation is gonna be sticky, but a few drinks in and we can stop them. As a fact that he and his scumbag friends will be bragging about the ways they are scamming the system – all we gotta do is a tape and we can catch them.” Her tone is commanding.

The whole table went silent, as Bryce replies.

“And then what…blackmail one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world?”

There was silence, as the others were contemplating the pros and cons of the situation but, in the end, they decided to stick together.

“If something happens to me while I’m gone, I at least wanted you all to know where I am.”

The others looked at her in surprise before Bryce breaks the silence,

“You mean – what happens to us.”

Casey nods,

“You don’t think we will let you go alone right? We are with you all the way Jackie, the group who heist together, stays together as we are should.” Casey said before Jackie can protest. The night ended with possibilities of the implication as Casey gets on the phone with a friend from afar that could help her with the situation.

-

A few days later.

The bright lights of Vegas were the reason for their wide smiles – as they stepped into the suite that was provided by Mass Kenmore. All of their jaws dropped in an instant – as the lights of the strip sparkle outside of the panoramic windows.

“This is the single coolest room I’ve ever been in, like legit.” His eyes wander in awe along with the others.

Jackie snickers, “Just remember that this luxury is from blood money.”

They all nod in agreement as they started to form a plan, as Casey finds herself texting a mysterious friend.

“Let’s get dressed shall we,” Bryce stated as the others get ready to dazzle for their night at Vegas.

As the others get ready, Casey finds a message from Rafael – wishing them good luck. She smiles at the message, as she took the phone call from the familiar number.

-

“Hey! We are in Vegas already – getting ourselves ready for the night.” Her voice is slow, as she stood facing the strip.

“That’s good! My friends and I had arrived yesterday, and we will meet you at the lobby! I brought a very special helper for you.” A knowing smile occurs on the caller’s face through the phone.

“Let me guess – it's your famous magician boyfriend Mel?” Casey raised an eyebrow at the statement – disbelieving but kinda curious as well.

“That’s right! He decided to join us tonight – plus, he is actually a vegas master. All of you will be lost without him.” Melanie replies from the other line.

Casey just shakes her head, but the smile remains.

“I’ll see you soon, say hi to the girls for me!” Casey ends the call, to be met with Bryce looking dashing in his suit.

-

“You look nice Lahela.” Her eyes are equivalent to the heart-eyed emoji as he models in front of her, making her chuckle happily at him.

“I always look nice, Casey! It's my specialty, but – why aren’t you dressed?” He asked as he loops his arm around her, eyes falling upon the Vegas scenery.

“I was making a phone call, but you definitely look stunning. You are gonna beat everyone here Bryce.”

He laughs at the comment, but somewhat smiles – “Thank you, now get yourself ready – we shall be the good-looking couple here shall we?” She looked at him in shock but brushed it away. The word ‘couple’ caught her somewhat off-guard but she somehow adores it.

“I will” She replies placing a kiss on his cheek before moving on to change.

Moments later, she walked out to a room, as all of their eyes fall onto her.

“You look…beautiful.” Bryce walks in front of them, as he pulls her in her arms – as she blushes furiously by the compliment.

“The lovebirds are at it again, let's move on before they hog the spotlight with their PDA,” Jackie said sarcastically as they walked out of the room – meeting with a specific group in the lobby.

-

The lobby was filled with people, yet the familiar pink hair caught her eye.

“Guys, I brought us some help – and, they have an expert for it.” She said as the others follow her, meeting a group of friends.

“Casey!!!! HI!” Melanie a.k.a the woman with the pink hair, pull her into a hug – as they were finally reunited.

“Hii, have you been waiting long?” She asked gesturing to the other familiar faces, Aisha, Courtney, Diana, and a mysterious guy who she assumes as the one and only infamous Ash Tanaka, the guy Melanie won’t stop gushing about to her.

“Casey! We have just arrived earlier – it's good to see you again!” Diana pulls her into a hug, as Courtney and Aisha did the same.

“Also, this is my friends! Bryce, Jackie, Elijah, Sienna and Aurora.” Casey introduces them to the group, as they all exchange introductions.

“Nice to meet you all, this is the men of the hour – Ash Tanaka, he will be a huge help as he knows the deep unknowns of Vegas itself.” Melanie introduces him to the gang, as he and Bryce ended up bro-hugging one another.

The reunion was cut short as they began to devise a plan, which went out smoothly, as Ash leads Declan to a game where he was surrounded by the group. They went in randomly, as it would avoid any alarms from Declan himself, and with the help from Melanie’s buddies – they were undetectable.

The information that was received, was priceless – as they found out upon that Solomon Health is making moves into vertical integration – however, it didn’t help their issue at the moment as they regroup once more to create another plan.

In the end, it went well, as Declan Nash was confronted – and he was captured on tape. The group manages to bring their best together – and the satisfied look on Jackie’s face is a very good sight to see.

“Payback’s a bitch, isn’t it?” it erupts the cheers of victory, as the air from the rooftop makes the winning of the night felt much satisfying. Sienna, Aurora, Elijah, Aisha, Diana, and Courtney were found socializing at the dance floor, as they recapped the whole situation again – somewhat like a televised situation that made Casey smile.

Jackie stood there, letting out a breath – somewhat feeling the calmness in her lungs again.

“How are you feeling Jackie?”

She met her eyes, and somehow – she was met with a hug. Jackie hugged her, and it feels like they did something incredible at the moment.

“Thank you…I feel like, tonight – I think I can sleep really well tonight.” She said happily, as Jackie joined the others.

Casey felt her heart in happiness – somehow, seeing Jackie in peace is such a sight. Her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar presence, Melanie who smiled at her.

“You did this tonight – and, I couldn’t even be more proud.”

“Hey, all of your friends and ehem…your boyfriend helped as well.” She gestures at Ash and Bryce who are having a conversation that follows a series of laughter.

“We love to be here – and, it's actually where I met him.”

“I remember the story. It involves mobs, a missing suitcase and a lot of chaotic stuff am I right?” Casey recalls their meeting before, as Melanie laughs in agreement.

“Yeah, that’s about right. It's an adventure, and being here with my girls – meeting Ash; it doesn’t feel real sometimes. But, I’m grateful for it.”

Casey nods, as they took a sip upon the drink they were holding.

“Thank you again for coming – I know it's such short notice.”

Melanie shakes her head, with a wide smile.

“It's okay, you helped us years ago – it's our turn to repay back. A silver lining too, I got to see Ash for the weekend.”

At the mention of his name, Ash appears at the scene.

“I heard a mention of the magician here?”

Both of them let out a hearty laugh, as he placed an arm around Melanie.

“I wanna thank you – it means a lot for your help,” Casey said, as he smiles at her.

“It's no problem at all, and if all of you ever hit vegas again – just give me a call; I can show you some of the best-secret locations here.” He winked as Melanie nods in agreement.

“It's true – he knows this place in its depth and, you will not regret it.”

Casey nods, excitedly as the others join them – somewhat looking panic suddenly.

“We don’t want to end this party yet, but the flight back home is in 4 hours.” A panic Diana stated, as the widening of Melanie’s eyes brought her back to reality.

“Oh crap, we have to get going.” She stated as all of them walked out of the club.

It’s a farewell with the whole gang, as they left for the airport.

“I’ll call you when we land? But, it's definitely a good time seeing you again Cas.” Melanie stated as they hugged once more, along with the group.

“Definitely, I’ll see you guys soon.” It was somehow an emotional farewell in a short amount of time.

The car vanished in a second, as they decided to make their way back to the suite after the success of the day.

-

The suite was quiet – as it was past midnight. However, the bright lights of Vegas are still shining brightly as ever. The room was dimmed, as the others had fallen onto slumber, leaving the pair to be awake.

She was dressed in her pyjamas as she settled down upon the squishy couch from the hotel. With a cup of coffee in her hand, as there was someone who decided to join her. She smiles at his sight, as she filled the gap as Bryce pulled her into his arms, both of their gazes fall upon the neon lights of the city that filled the dimmed room.

“What are you thinking about?”

He smiles softly before answering,

“Jackie. She did an incredible job tonight – but the grudge she held against Declan on what he did. It felt like someone else that we were seeing tonight.” He paused biting his lip, a pinch of anxiousness can be sensed from him.

“I just – I cant help to think about all the anger I am carrying around for my parents. I wonder – what its done for me?” His gaze falls onto her, somewhat pleading for an answer.

It was followed by silence for a few moments – before she spoke again.

“Are you ready to let it go?”

He shrugs, somewhat confused upon his decision too.

“I honestly have no idea, I don’t like to see them in myself – especially the times of arguing with Keiki. It feels like the past has repeated itself.”

“So, are you ready to forgive them?”

His stare falls upon the view in front of them – as he stares wistfully as his mind is filled with thoughts.

“Forgive feels like a huge action – but, maybe for now…I’m ready to let go and, start a new book with those who actually love me.” A smile appeared on his face, as he kissed her on top of the head.

“That sounds very healthy, for you and Keiki.”

He laughs as he nods in agreement, “I hope so too.”

They sat together in silence, as she stayed in his arms closing her eyes against the bright lights of Vegas, a beautiful ending of the day.

“Bryce, I’m proud of you.” She said as they lay upon the bed, her eyes looking at him in wonder.

He looks sleepy, yet the smile didn’t leave his face – today was a good day. A start of new beginnings for all of them – as he replies before both of them fall into another slumber once more.

“I’m proud of you too.”

THE END.

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