#i had white powder on my nose after its funny

[dreamsb0u]

hey kids snorting a line of clay dust may be funny but it does not taste good come back for more life tips

[sodadrabbles]

Littleboo for the soul!! I have yet ANOTHER littleboo request in my askbox and will be posting the third installment tomorrow, as I'll be on a very longdrive tomorrow! For now, please hold the line with some Littleboo bakes a cake with Beeduo.

Paring: Ranboo x sibling!Reader (gender-neutral!)

Rating: Fluffy with a side of chaotic

Summary: Littleboo bakes a cake with Beeduo! It's messy, as are most things with those two.

"(Y/N), wait, be careful-!"

You let out a small screech as you drop the cup of milk you were holding, the white liquid spilling onto the floor. You hear a laugh from the laptop across the kitchen as your older brother rushes to grab a towel. "Did they just spill milk everywhere?"

You stick your tongue out at the computer, though Tubbo can only see you from the stream camera. The face makes Tubbo cackle even more, and you prepare to toss the now empty measuring cup at the laptop before your older brother stops you.

For a subgoal, like many things he does, Ranboo decided to do a baking stream with you. Your goal was to have some decent banana nut muffins. To say it was chaotic was a heavy understatement, as there was now a light blanket of flour coating every horizontal surface in the kitchen, as well as in both yours and your brother's hair. Not to mention the failed mini cinnamon challenge you decided to attempt left a cloud-shaped spot of cinnamon on the counter, and a lecture from your brother.

You were currently trying to gather all the wet ingredients- And failing miserably. Ranboo had trusted you to get milk while he mashed the bananas, but you tried to be smart and carry a full measuring cup of milk from the fridge to the bowl on the counter. With you and your shaky hands, that plan did not work out well. Tubbo was breathlessly laughing at you and Ranboo was chuckling as well. You smacked your empty measuring cup against his shoulder, making him laugh harder.

“It’s not funny Ranboo!” You huff and cross your arms, puffing your cheeks out in a pout. This only makes Ranboo laugh more. He tosses the now wet towel you and you snatch it out of the air, sticking your tongue out at him, though chat can’t see it beyond your mask. For privacy’s sake, both you and your brother wear matching masks- And while he has the signature red and green sunglasses, you got a pair of equally shitty purple shades. Tubbo had mentioned at the start of stream that you truly looked like ‘a littler version of Ranboo’.

After more bickering between the three of you, you managed to get your wet ingredients thoroughly mixed. Now was time for the stand mixer, which chat has lovingly named ‘Whir Sir’. Because it whirs. You stood on a small step stool, while Ranboo stood beside you normally. You were to scrape in the dry ingredients while Ranboo steadily upped the speed of the mixer. You held the bowl poised, ready to shake out the dry ingredients…

When it all falls out of the bowl, in a giant puff of powder.

You wheeze and turn your head away, waiting for the cloud to disappear. When you open your eyes, your vision has gone white from the powder on your glasses. The mixer bowl seems to have caught everything that didn’t puff into the air. When you glance at your older brother, he’s waving his hand around to try and clear the cloud. He coughs a bit, and you can hear Tubbo once again cackling at you. In the moment you can’t help but giggle. You were having so much fun despite the mess you were making.

When the dust finally settles you notice you and your brother both look like ghosts- his brown hair now a paranormal grey and his face looking about three shades paler. You hear Tubbo make a fake scream of fear, shouting “It killed them! The muffins killed them! This is just like Skephalo fanfiction!”

Ranboo squawks in laughter as he starts dusting himself off, saying that Tubbo’s comparison is ‘very accurate.’ You decide to ask him what Skephalo is later. You jump down from your step stool and try to dust off your own face and shoulders, coughing when you accidentally swipe flour into your nose like a fool. Ranboo used a spatula to mix the ingredients a bit, and turned the stand mixer to a very slow pace, its groaning whir echoing off the walls.

Getting the muffin mix into the pan was a challenge. Deciding to do it the old-fashioned way, the tins were filled all unevenly and there were drops of mix everywhere. While they baked, you and Ranboo talked with Tubbo about if you would be coming to the UK- Chat had been asking ever since you and Tubbo started appearing together on Ranboo’s streams more often. It felt like your own little podcast- Answering chat questions with your two co-hosts.

The muffins were dry and disfigured from how uneven the tins were, and the nuts all sank to the bottom. They were burned in some places and had air pockets, and the bananas you used were too underripe. And yet, as you munched into your third muffin of the day, a wild smile stretched across your face, overjoyed with all the fun you had with your older brother and his best friend.

[calif0rnia-lovers]

sweet as pie.

a/n: please join me in welcoming sam wilson to the page. first story dedicated to this classic man, surely not the last.

pairing: sam wilson x black!reader

rating: 💙

main masterlist | taglist | divider © @whimsicalrogers

sum: sam is home. although times have changed, his sister’s intentions for him have not. sarah would love for her brother to settle down, and she knows the perfect person to make him do it. but when sam gets caught up with work, he misses the date sarah has set up for him.

words: 2.3K

It’s funny how the human mind works.

How easily certain moments can slip through its cracks. Names, dates, songs, conversations, faces lost to the wind, never to be remembered again. In the same turn, how those same things can be retained, recited down to the last detail in perfection.

Sam Wilson has seen enough in his lifetime--more than most men. No one could condemn him for forgetting the smallest of details from time to time. Sometimes he does. He is human. But, strangely, he can never forget a single detail when it comes to you.

Sam can still remember the first time he saw you.

The coffee-colored, cardboard box you carried in your arms--'living room' written across the front panel in your mother’s flawless penmanship. The dark curls pineappled to rest atop the crown of your head--a last-ditch attempt of fighting the Louisiana heat. The oversized Purple Rain t-shirt faded from too many runs through the wash. The round, black sunglasses sliding down the brim of your nose as you paused to take note of the boy watching you from his front window. Down to the scuffed, worn high tops that could barely pass for white.

He even remembers the soft smile you gave him once he froze--too embarrassed to move from the window after being caught watching you for the third time--before turning to lug the box up the steps of your front porch.

It was the summer of ‘94, and Sam Wilson was running late. He was expected to be at the docks assisting his father. Instead, he was peeping around his mother’s powder blue curtains, attempting to score glimpses of his new neighbors. Primarily their teenage daughter.

It’s not every day that Delacroix welcomes a new resident--let alone an entire family. Later that night, over dinner, his mother shared that you were entering your senior year--same as him.

He still remembers the knotting of his stomach. The strange and unusual experience of being tongue-tied when he’d tripped over his name--his name for god’s sake--that morning, you opened your front door to find him and Sarah on the other side. The kindness of your dark brown eyes as they met his, the soft giggle you released as you ignored his sputtering to accept the chocolate chip cookies his mother sent her children to deliver.

He also remembers the vision of you in your wedding dress. The smile he had to keep plastered on his face the night he learned his skepticism, surrounding death by broken heart, faded. You’ve never felt pain until you’ve seen the woman you love marry another man.

Sam must admit. When he returned, he expected--hoped--that those feelings would have disappeared. That they would have been erased from his life. Only, the moment he returned home, Sam discovered those feelings remained--were stronger even.

Five years later, he found you in the same house. Your parents no lived there. After their return from the blip, they packed up their things. Suddenly, tackling their bucket list was their main priority. You still had your husband’s last name but no husband. He was gone, lost to a younger woman.

Five years later, and Sam Wilson finds himself still frozen by the sight of you.

The long-sleeved maroon shirt he’s tugged on is not his number one choice. It’s all he had in his bag. The time on his watch had forced him into an ultimatum. Either run home, shower, and change into the outfit Sarah helped him pick out and risk being five hours late. Or head straight to your house, and risk being four hours and forty-five minutes late.

Sam opted for the latter.

Flowers in hand, he stands in the gateway of your backyard. His eyes admire the glow of the string lights against your skin. The yard has been transformed. Several tables and chairs, enough to host the entire neighborhood, squeezed into its space. Filled with music and laughter a few hours before the backyard is now quiet. Only the sounds of crickets, and the rustle of the trash bag in your hand, can be heard over the racing of Sam’s heart.

“Hey.” Sam takes a step forward, clearing his throat. “Sorry, I’m late.”

“Late is an understatement.” You don’t bother looking up from the plates stacked in your hands. Dumping them into the black trash bag, you move towards the next table. “You missed the entire party.”

After dumping the trash, you realize that Sam is no longer in the backyard. You find him in the kitchen.

“What are you doing?” You ask, coming to a stop in the doorway.

Sam glances up from the soap-covered glass in his hands. “Helping you clean up.”

You glance around the kitchen, only to find that he’s managed to wash nearly the entire stack of dishes you’ve been dreading the entire night.

“I didn’t realize you still did stuff like this,” you tease. “What with you running off to save the world. Figured you’d just hire someone to do it for you.”

“Guess it’s a good thing I got you to keep me humble,” he winks.

Sam dries his hands with the bumblebee printed hand towel, a satisfied grin on his lips as he takes in the spotless kitchen. He’s too busy admiring his handiwork to realize you’re standing alongside him.

He turns, the snarky comment he’s prepared lost in his throat as he takes you in.

You can’t deny him a smile as you watch his eyes widen, a boyish grin brightening his face as he takes in the plate you’re holding. On it rests a single slice of homemade apple pie, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and perfectly drizzled caramel.

“I think you’ve earned this.”

“You saved me a piece?”

“No,” you sigh, allowing your eyes to roll. “I actually saved it for me. But if I have to look at your pathetic attempt at puppy dog eyes one more second--”

“You were hoping I’d show up.” The grin on Sam’s face has morphed into a trademark smirk, the sight pulling a giggle from your lips. “You and I both know you don’t save, or share your pie with just anyone.”

Sam’s observation is spot on.

You don’t share your pie--or food, for that matter--with just anyone. In the chaos of hosting the neighborhood, you didn’t have a moment to stop and enjoy your own party. Let alone a slice of the apple pies you’d spent the previous night preparing.

Apple pies--specifically yours--were Sam Wilson’s true weakness.

The moment he sees you lugging home a bag full of granny smith and macintosh apples, he’s on full helicopter mode. You’re not sure how he knows, but he’s got a radar. One that somehow allows him to prophesize the exact moment the pies are out of the oven and set aside to cool.

He’ll show up, stopping by to say hi, or to see if you still need the drainpipe your ex-husband never got around to working on fixed, or to “pass along a message” from Sarah--as though your best friend couldn’t pick up the phone and call. Whatever the excuse Sam Wilson always manages to be the one to get the first slice of your apple pie. He’s smart enough to know that once the children of the neighborhood catch a whiff, they’ll show up on your doorstep. And as much as he loves the kids--Sam isn’t letting them steal his pie.

Sam’s words come out muffled through a mouthful of apples and crust. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, Y/N. You should sell these. You'd make a killing.”

“And I’ve already told you, it’s just for fun,” you dismiss his advice, taking another spoonful of ice cream. “Besides, what do you expect me to do? Quit my good paying--although painstakingly boring--job in the hopes that enough people will like my baking to keep me afloat?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Sam nods, a smile growing as he watches your eyes roll.

It’s a conversation the two of you have had for years. Here is the rundown of how it plays out--every single time.

Sam: suggests that you finally open up the bakery you’ve been talking about since your teenage years.

You: dismiss his words of advice, reminding Sam that most teenage dreams are foolish.

Sam: ends the conversation with, “I’d show up every day for a piece.”

You: spend the rest of the night wondering if he’s right, about taking the chance, only to psych yourself out before going to bed.

“I’m just saying,” Sam sighs, sliding the plate to the side. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned. Life is going to pass you by, regardless, no matter what you do. If you give it a shot, and it fails--which is never going to happen--your life isn’t going to end.”

You glance up from the table, a tiny smile on your lips as you take in his soft smile.

“Maybe you’re right,” you shrug. “If all else fails, I’ll just tell everyone it’s the Falcon’s favorite pie--”

“You’ll have people flooding in from across the country.”

“It’s settled,” you giggle. “I’m using you in my business model.”

“Hey,” Sam chuckles. “As long as I get a cut, I’m not complaining.”

A silence falls over the tiny kitchen as your gaze drops from his.

Sam lightly raps his knuckles against the table before pushing his chair back.

“Uh—I should probably head out. You’re probably tired. I just wanted to come by and apologize...again.”

“Wow,” the light laugh you release halts Sam’s act of standing up. “The second you get what you came for you hit the ground running?”

The response is automatic. The chance to tease him is one you never pass up.

Sam’s brow raises as he takes in your smile.

“That’s not what I came for,” he admits.

“What did you come for then?”

“To ask you over to my place for breakfast tomorrow.”

The proposition hangs in the air, Sam nearly squirming in his seat as you take your time studying his gaze. You let out a sigh, your shoulders shrugging lightly, once you finally speak.

“I don’t know, Sam” You shake your head. Picking up the plate, you stand and cross the kitchen to the sink. “You just have so many responsibilities, nowadays, running around trying to save the world--”

“I’m not going anywhere tonight,” he’s quick with the reassurance. “Or any day, until we get through that date you promised me.”

You turn to face him, arms crossing over your chest as he comes to a stop before you.

“Say I show up. You have to promise me something.”

“Whatever you want.”

He knows that promise can end up being a slippery slope, depending on how hard you’re willing to make him work for it.

“If something comes up, in the future, you call me. And you tell me exactly why you can’t be here. Nobody gets to stand me up. Not the Falcon. And sure as hell, not Sam Wilson. Understood?”

Sam’s eyes drop to your interlaced fingers, a soft chuckle escaping his lips as he gives your hand a gentle squeeze.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good.” Standing on your toes, you place a kiss against his cheek. “Now, go get some sleep. You’re making me breakfast in the morning. I’m expecting waffles, bacon, freshly squeezed O.J.--the works.”

if at any point you would like to be removed from the taglist, just message me

sam wilson tags: @missroro @fangirl-swagg

main tags: @crowngold @cant-decide-at-this-moment @wiccanmetallicrose @themarkblues @gemini0410 @binooo98 @the-jer-bear @abbiesthings @trhett21 @trulysuccubus @leahnicole1219 @starrynite7114 @awkwardtayler @toni9 @queenbeered @kaystacks17 @thesandbeneathmytoes @richonne4life @cocotheclown @oscars-wifeyyy @jennisdirtyimagines @ughdontbeboring @myakai13 @linziland13 @sadeyesgf @brattyfics @sincerelykas @ladyofsoa @pearlkitten33 @tian-monique @megapeacelovemusic-blog @rosieposie0624 @appropriate-writers-name @demonquartz @ourlittlesecretsoveragain @beiroviski @chaneajoyyy @frostingguru @seize-the-droid @cutiebubbleboo @siempremamita @awkwardtayler @relaxing-najee @tomhardydallasstarsgirl @inyourbackpocketisbutterflies

[pillow-anime-talk]

mistletoe. {pt.1}

synopsis: A little joke on Giyuu, making gingerbread cookies with Edward and a date with Ryouta.

# tags: scenarios; christmas!au; current relationships; romance; fluff; sfw

includes: female reader ft. giyuu tomioka {kny} + edward elric {fma} + ryouta kise {knb}

part two {click}

author’s note: for @yvsevie​, my precious smol baby. i love you.

— GIYUU

It was the first Christmas you spent as Pillar, as Giyuu’s girlfriend, and as teacher of your first and also last tsuguko. You didn’t mind spending Christmas like this; frankly, could anyone think of feasting at the moment when bloodthirsty demons and other strange creatures were running around each villages or towns? That’s why you spent your time training in your estate with a young boy who would replace your Ice Pillar position in a few next days, weeks, months or years.

“... We should take a short break, right?” You asked, seeing your successor breathing harder and harder. “I’ll go get something to drink and you can sit on the engawa.” You put your katana into its scabbard and then headed towards your home. However, when you entered the small kitchen, you chuckled at the sight of Giyuu who was sitting at the table, drinking his coffee as if he were at his own home. “Well, hello. Why didn’t you say ‘Hi’ to me earlier?” You asked, taking out two glasses.

“You were training, so I didn’t want to disturb both of you.” He replied calmly, setting the black mug on the wooden table. “Are you two finished yet?”

“We’re taking a break.” You poured cool water and then you stood in front of your dark-haired lover. “You would like to sit with us?”

“Yes, why not.” He smiled gently, then walked with you towards the entrance to the pretty, snowy garden.

When you got outside, however, your frowned as you determined that your heir wasn’t in the garden. Instead of his light blue haori and long blonde hair always pinned up in a ponytail, you noticed a little, white note. So, you picked it up quickly and read the content on the paper:

‘Sorry, sensei! I forgot that I had to help my mom bake a cake for Christmas! So see you tomorrow.

PS. Look up :D’

You frowned, and when you looked up at the wooden roof of your engawa, your cheeks automatically flushed a bit at the sight of a small sprig of mistletoe attached to a wooden beam with a thin string. Giyuu glanced at the same place, and seeing the little plant, he only smiled slightly under his breath.

“Your successor is quite funny, don’t you think?”

“Yes. It is true. He will replace me very well.” You giggled, letting your mouth taste the flavor of coffee and something sweet that you couldn’t identify at first.

Nevertheless, this little joke made you feel the magic of Christmas, despite the lack of a Christmas tree or gifts, and you were incredibly grateful to your beloved student for that.

— EDWARD

“... Edward! Stop throwing flour at me!” You looked imploringly at your fiancé, and he just giggled as he looked away at the huge, metal bowl in which he mixed hot water with powdered sugar to make frosting to decorate your cookies. You sighed softly under your breath, then returned to kneading another dough with your hands. After a while, however, you felt the white dust, commonly known as flour spread around you one more time. “E-Ed! Please!”

“Sorry, sorry!”

“Do it again and I swear you’ll sleep naked outside.” You spoke in a serious tone of voice, even though both of you knew you would never let him freeze to death, much less during the holidays, even more the first holidays that were supposed to be full of guests.

Alphonse and Mei with the smol panda were to appear! Also Roy with Rize and dear major Armstrong. Of course, Winry with her boyfriend, her grandmother and their cute dog were also invited. Gracia with Elicia cannot be forgotten. Mr. and Mrs. Curtis too and even Ling Yao with Lan Fan as well. There were supposed to be many of your loved ones, so you had to make just as many food, cakes and cookies. And Edward didn’t make it easy for you, because instead of helping you, he was throwing flour, sugar, cocoa and edible, colorful sprinkles or glitter at you.

Like for example now; once again you felt something hit your head and it turned out it was a handkerchief, rolled in a small but quite hard ball. So, your hands  slowly backed away, then you wiped them on your red apron and you turned just as slowly towards your boyfriend, smiling at him as if you were telling him you were going to break his neck or crush his long legs. Edward, however, only chuckled and then walked closer to you with the same dumb smile he always had on his lips when he knew he had done something silly but funny.

“Sweetheart, don’t be upset. Christmas isn’t the time to fight! Better look up, my pretty angel.” His broad smirk made you sigh again loudly and loosen your tense arms. Nevertheless, you looked up and the first thing you saw was Edward’s hand holding a small twig of green mistletoe. You glanced at him again, laughing to yourself.

“How old are you to still play this?” You rolled your both eyes and was about to go back to your dark dough, but the blonde man grabbed your waist and pulled your body much closer to his more muscular one. He placed a tender, quite long kiss on your lips, and when the caress was over, Edward rested his forehead against yours.

“I’m old enough to still giving you stupid reasons to keep kissing me.”

— RYOUTA

“It’s... It’s so beautiful here.” You whispered under your breath as you looked around. “W-Woah. I...”

Kise took you for a ride in his car, however, two minutes ago he parked the car on the side of the road and then grabbed your smaller than his hand saying he had a little ‘surprise’ for you. Of course you went with him and it turned out to be a breathtaking view of the city, all lit up with colorful lights and sweet decorations. It was also snowing a bit so everything looked even more magical. You were incredibly surprised, of course most positively.

That’s why you turned to smile at the blonde-haired young man, and he only returned your facial expression, but then coughing delicately so that you would open the shiny eyes you closed a few seconds ago.

“You have a gorgeous smile and I love it the most in the world, but I think...” He started quietly, suddenly taking something green from his coat pocket. After a second it turned out to be mistletoe. You chuckled under your nose and your loved one looked at your flushed face again. “I think I deserve more, princess. All the more so because it’s Christmas day... You know.” He said in an amused, but still gentle and emotional voice, at which you only giggled again, standing on the tips of your toes or rather your shoes, to be able to reach his pretty face, and more precisely to his lips which tasted of coffee and chocolate-nut cake.

The kiss was slow, but very warm, and although your lips were cold due to the temperature outside, this peck gave the two of you a lot of heat on your hearts and cheeks. You even smirked during this wonderful caress, grabbing the boy by his soft, pale skin. The fabric of your wool gloves tickled Kise a little, but he didn’t pay much attention to it; instead, he kissed you once more, but this time on the nose that was red from the cold, and on the forehead, covered in the material of the cap, perfectly matching your gray gloves.

“... Thanks for showing me this, Ryouta. It’s really, really amazing.” You whispered, glancing once again at the colorful and white lights that decorated your whole city, including all the trees, buildings and houses. “I didn’t expect to see something like this in my life.”

“Then get used to it, because next year I’m going to take you to many other equally cool places.” The sincere tone of his smooth voice, and another short kiss on the cheek, made you cuddle closer to the side of his massive body.

In meantime, you still watched the magnificent sights and thought about where you both should go next time.

[toomanyfandoms02]

Date Day // Draco Malfoy x Reader

I give you a realistic Draco. I lowkey don't like writing him like this but I think this is just how Draco would be in relationships, realistically.

SEND IN HARRY POTTER REQUEST!! IF YOU NEED A LITTLE INSPO, FIND MY 100 DIALOGUE PROMPTS!!!

Summary - Its the last day of summer before going back to school and you both plan a date day. (They are going into their 6th year before everything went to complete shit ahhaha) Tiny bit steamy near the end.

Warnings - ^^ Little bit of steamy at the end, nothing big.

Word Count - 1.7k

Draco and I had the whole date planned out. We didn't want to waste the last day we had before we had to go to Hogwarts for our 6th year.

Draco planned the first half, which was just beginning, and I would be planning the last half of the day.

Something that I think many of our friends (and even our family) had misconstrued was that Draco wasn't romantic. His tough exterior and demeanor made him seem calloused and ridged. Thought I will not lie to you, he could run quite thin at times. But his mom had clearly raised him right, he knew how to treat a girl.

So here we were, sitting on a picnic blanket behind the Malfoy manner. Draco had brought all of my favorite things to snack on. Cauldron cakes, Treacle Tarts, and Sherbet Lemons. Along with a little bit of fire whiskey that he snuck from his parents, which were not home at the moment.

We filled our stomachs with sweets and got ourselves tipsy on fire whiskey. (Draco insisted our next activity would be more fun if we weren't completely coherent.)

"One, two, three." And we downed another shot, I chased it with some water and shook my head from the strong alchohol.

"I think if we drink anymore we will be more than tipsy." I laughed, putting the bottle back in the basket. "Onto whatever you have planned next, yeah?" I grabbed Dracos hand and watched a smile creep onto his face, squeezing it to get another reaction out of him. His smile grew wider as he looked into my eyes.

"What are you doing lovely?" He squeezed my hand back with the same grin. It was so nice to see him smile, he seemed much more glum this summer than usual.

"Nothing at all." And with that I stood, bringing him with me. We quietly entered the house, making sure his parents were truly not home still. He set the fire whiskey back in their cabinet with a clink and entered one of his fire places, a fistful of floo powder in one hand and the other outstretched to me. I took it, stuffing myself next to him and holding onto his torso. He shouted a place I had never heard of before and we were suddenly in a shop.

"You know of muggle fairs." It came out more as a statement than a question, so I just nodded. "Well they've started a magical one." He pushed the doors open to the shop, revealing a bustling area filled with happy kids and adults alike. I could feel the fire whiskey hitting me now, and I could tell Draco was right.

This will be more fun when you're tipsy.

We ran around for hours playing clearly rigged games and completely failing at them due to our state. I hadn't seen Draco so giggly since we were kids.

And I loved it.

He was much more lovey and loosened up when he had a little bit of alchohol. He didn't think so hard. He would come behind me and hug my shoulders, kiss my neck softly when we were waiting in line for something. And when I was lucky, he would kiss me hastily on the lips. These were things he would usually do in private, where no one could see how soft he actually was. But when he was careless, PDA was nearly a priority for him.

After playing loads of games and winning only one tiny stuffed bear, we were off to my part of the date.

Any time it was my turn to plan a date, I tried to make it like this. To bring out a part of him only I could see, so we were watching movies at my house.

Now, my house was by no means the size of Dracos, he was born into a far more fortunate household. But we were fortunate enough to have a movie room. A simple room with a big tv and long couch to lay on. Or in our case, cuddle on. Draco had told me in the past how warm I was, and how much he loved that about me because of the contrast of his cold body. I laid a blanket on the leather couch, bringing two pillows and another much larger blanket along with it to drape on top of us. He lay down on the couch, his long legs outstretched. He opened his arms to me with a smile, patting his chest. I started The Breakfast Club and came to lay on his chest and across his body lazily. He stroked his hand through my hair and kissed my head multiple times as I pulled the blanket up to my chin.

"You really are warm you know." He said, his arm snaking mindlessly up my shirt. He traced patterns on my tummy with his cold fingers.

"Yes, I can feel that." I giggled, taking his other hand and kissing the back of it. "Maybe you should wear warmer clothes." I craned my neck back with a smirk to look his in the eye. He rolled his playfully and kept on with his pattern making on my stomach.

"I'm just cold-blooded darling." He stated. We watched through the first movie and I changed it to another, climbing back onto Draco differently this time, considering I was tired. I laid on my stomach, legs tangled with his. Wrapping my arms around his neck softly and setting my head on his shoulder into the crook of his neck. A planted a kiss there just to tease him, knowing he likes it when I do that. I felt his chest raise a little faster after the kiss, so I planted another, innocently.

A small huff could be felt from his nose on my neck. He brought his hand up to scratch my back, knowing it would stop and distract me from whatever I was doing, and it always worked. I would never not love these days. Days where we could sit in comfortable silence and enjoy eachother.

The second movie had ended and I stood with a stretch. I had been sitting for far to long.

"Okay, theres one more thing but it doesn't really count as the date. Do you wanna see me try on some new outfits I got? I had to get a new uniform, my old one was becoming a bit small." Draco nodded eagerly at the statement, letting me drag him upstairs to my room.

I shut the door firmly and picked up the pile of clothes and spread them out a bit, it wasn't much.

Now if this had been us a year ago, I would have told Draco to turn around. But for obvious reasons, this would not be the first time he had seen me with minimal clothes on.

"Now don't get all worked up." I pointed at his accusingly and with a small playful glare. His hands shot up in defense and he sat in the chair in the corner of my room.

I removed my shirt and slipped on the new sweater I had bought. It was dark green with a big white stripe in the middle on the chest area. Inside the line it read Slytherin and it had a collar. It was also clearly too big for me.

"I was hoping you would wear it sometimes so I could wear it after and it would smell like you." I told Draco, taki0ng it off and handing it to him. Slipping on my new white button up and vest, I slipped off my jeans to put the skirt on. Draco averted his eyes, he told me this was out a respect, for I did not ask him to look at me. He had told me that a few months ago. I found it incredibly sexy how respectful he was, what can I say, I find respect amazing.

But immediately as I put it on something felt off. This seemed even *smaller* than the one I had before. Maybe I was wrong?

"Draco, is this skirt suppose to be this short?" His eyes scanned up my legs, eyes widening slightly until he reached my face. I could see a clear blush reach his cheeks. It was quite amusing seeing Draco blush because when he did, it was so obvious on the contrast of his pale skin.

"I-I don't think so." He replied, flustered to all hell.

"I think they gave me the wrong one, damnit." I laughed, trying to make the skirt go as far down as possible but miserably failing when it didnt go any further than right past my butt. I looked back over at Draco with a pouty look, just to see him with his eyes nearly closed and addams apple bobbing in this throat. "You okay there Malfoy?" I teased.

"You're making it awfully hard not to get worked up when you look so beautiful." He said barely above a whisper, not helping that his hands slightly muffled the words.

"Oh you like this?" He looked at me with a look as if to say *No shit Sherlock*. I then made the decision to walk over to him, placing myself on his lap lightly. I ran my hands through his hair slowly, starting at his forehead.

"Must you tease me like this woman?" He complained with a whine, a thing you also don't hear much from Draco, any kind of begging or whining.

So I kissed him, pulling his head closer to mine and deepening it immediately. He kissed back with force, we hadn't done anything like this in a while. His hands wandered my body until they rested next to my butt. He grabbed at it and began moving my hips against his, I caught on and began doing it myself. We had done that for two minutes before I heard the front door slam. I jumped from his lap, yelling hi to my parents.

I looked down at Draco to see a *problem*.

"I'm going to distract them and say you're in the bathroom. Go take care of that." I laughed, my hand covering my mouth so I wouldn't burst into tears giggling.

"Very funny Y/n." He replied sarcastically, walking himself to my bathroom.

This date day went even better than I anticipated.

[mythicamagic]

In the Company of Wolves: Inukog oneshot

Summary: Every place feels like a temporary home for a Hanyou. Kouga offers Inuyasha a welcome respite within his wolf pack. Inukog oneshot

Written for @gaykagome​, who has been a lovely, encouraging commenter and fandom friend ^^ thank you for your support bud.

Rated T

7,000 words (you can also read this on ao3 via the same username)

In the Company of Wolves

Leaping through sprawling trees, thick white hair flew out behind a red figure. Inuyasha landed on a sturdy branch, legs bent, muscles coiling and springing free as he leapt forth again. He smirked, a fang hooking over his bottom lip.

"Nice try, but you ain't got a hope in hell."

The deer fleeing for its life beneath the branches had skittered to the left, racing through dense undergrowth. Perhaps it hoped to lose him, or maybe it was running scared. Either way, this would be over quick.

Stepping from branch to branch, long fingers flexed, claws catching on sunlight. Pushing off from a tree trunk, Inuyasha sprang down with every intent of landing atop his prey.

He fell within range, closing in- only for his foot to collide with a mass of thick black fur.

Inuyasha's eyes flew wide, crashing into the beast and hitting the floor in a tumble of limbs. The deer merrily pranced away out of sight.

Snarling and lifting his head, Inuyasha cradled his throbbing skull. "Damn it, what the-!"

A large bear-sized wolf staggered to its feet, rumbling a noise of complaint. Two cobalt blue eyes glared at him.

Inuyasha stopped, "Kouga?" he rose a bushy brow.

There was no mistaking that smell. He'd never seen the mangy wolf's true form before though. In all honesty, it was kind of surreal. Hell, the guy even looked a bit more dignified.

Kouga tilted his head, standing. As he shook himself, yellow, static powder fell from his fur like gold dust, swirling into a whirlwind of youki. In a matter of moments, Kouga's humanoid form stepped out, hands on his hips.

"Why'd you get in my way?! You lost me my meal!"

White triangular ears flicked and pressed back against his skull. Fuck taking that. Inuyasha stood, hands balled into fists.

"Your meal?! I've been tracking that deer for at least an hour! You weren't even in the picture, I didn't smell ya chasing it once!"

Kouga tilted his chin up, flashing a cheeky grin. "Tch, that's what happens when you track from downwind, Dog Breath," he muttered, ignoring the pissed off Hanyou and looking around. "How come you're out here huntin' anyway? Isn't Kagome with you? She always carries some goodies to chew on. Tastier than venison too."

Inuyasha glanced away moodily, crossing his arms. "Shaddap. Like it's any of your business."

Kouga hummed, scratching his jaw. Odd. There was no bite in his tone. Sniffing a little, Kouga picked up the faint scent of sadness clinging to the robe of the fire rat.

Inuyasha's face heated. He quickly bared his teeth, "quit with that! She's just busy, alright? Besides, I can still hunt for myself. Ain't you a little far from your territory to be hunting out here?"

Kouga blinked, mildly concerned despite their history together. "Uhh… where do you think you are, Dog Breath?"

Frowning, Inuyasha glanced around. Clearly no answers were forthcoming from the forest, so leaping up, he climbed a tree, digging claws into rough bark to hoist himself up. Minding the tallest branches aside, Inuyasha gaped as he surfaced from the sea of greenery. Sprawling, picturesque mountains met his startled gaze.

How far did I chase that deer?

And why'd it have to lead him to Kouga's turf, of all places?

Dropping down to solid ground again, Inuyasha avoided eye contact. "I just got caught up in running, that's all," he answered the silent question hanging in the air.

Kouga tilted his head slightly, "… right."

A rumbling sound rang out between them. Inuyasha grit his teeth, ignoring the impatient gurgling of his stomach and swiftly turning. "Whatever. See ya," he started walking.

"Hey-" Kouga called, causing him to nearly trip in surprise and frown over one shoulder.

The wolf winced, looking awkward and weirded out to even be asking. "We got leftovers. If you want some," the offer was casual. "Don't want you keeling over on the way back, Kagome would kill me."

Inuyasha stared. Maybe he'd hit his head or something because for some reason, the offer sounded like a tempting one.

"Keh," he grunted, pivoting on one heel and trudging towards Kouga's territory instead. "Better be good," he complained with no energy behind it.

"Its free food! Be more grateful to your host," the wolf snarked, jogging to keep pace with him.

---

Mutters echoed throughout the cave, causing white ears to twitch and swivel atop his head. Inuyasha ignored the curious wolves, digging into tough boar meat. Uncooked. Miroku and Kagome would've called it ghastly. His lips twitched at the thought, soon wiped away. Something squeezed his chest instead.

"Hey, blabber-mouths! Keep it down!" Kouga's booming voice caught his dazed attention.

Ginta and Hakkaku quickly shut up, apologising. The rest of the wolf pack fell quiet, though their eyes blazed with questions.

Inuyasha rose a brow and glanced at the Wolf Prince. Did he think the gossiping bothered him or something? Weird guy. He should know a Hanyou would be used to it.

Kouga's tail flicked as he strode through regular wolves, minding some beasts aside. He then threw himself down beside Inuyasha on some soft furs, stealing a rib. Not having the energy or inclination to snap at him for it, Inuyasha merely flashed his teeth, grunting and continuing to eat.

"So what brings you to us, Inuyasha?" Hakkaku asked bluntly. Ginta gasped and fretted, clearly having wanted to ask more delicately.

Inuyasha drew into himself slightly, noticing a hush fall over the atmosphere within the damp cave.

"Was just in the neighbourhood is all. If ya wanna blame someone for dragging me here, look no further than your precious leader," he snorted, sidestepping the question.

Kouga elbowed him and chuckled in a deep, rich baritone. Triangular ears flicked upon hearing it. "Aw c'mon! You practically tripped over yourself getting here you were so eager," glimmering blue eyes swung to his pack, giving a shit-eating grin. "He's just too proud to say 'thank you for the meal' because he lost his prey and is still being a sore loser about it~"

Inuyasha blinked, noticing his verbal diversion and change in topic. Kouga was... helping him?

Sure enough, the wolf demon gazed at him, brows raised in challenge, trying to encourage a rebuttal.

Relief touched Inuyasha's face for a moment, before snorting loudly and thrusting his nose up in the air, turning away. "Me? You're the one who got in my way, Mangy Wolf."

"Dog Breath!"

"Flea Bag!"

The wolves glanced back and forth between them, noticing the lack of malice in their nicknames. Their scents were calm, giving them away. A touch of humour and enjoyment radiated from them as they bickered.

"Alright, prove it-" Kouga suddenly threw out. "Hunt with us tomorrow. Then we'll see who's better at it," he jabbed a thumb at his chest. "Obviously, it'll be us wolves! I've provided for my pack as leader for tons of years and I'm faster than you."

Rolling golden eyes, Inuyasha picked up a stone, hollowed out cup of water, taking a sip. "Keh, wouldn't be the first time people have underestimated me. Won't be the last," easing slightly closer to get in Kouga's face, he bared sharp fangs in a feral grin. "I'll beat you just like I've beaten everyone else who figured a half-breed couldn't measure up to a full demon."

Kouga stared, a funny look crossing his face- both palms shooting up to wave slightly. "Huh? Nah, you've got me wrong," he grunted, straightening his spine. "I was just trash talkin' you as competition, not because you're a Hanyou. I honestly wasn't thinkin' of that," his voice trailed into a musing tone.

A stab of surprise and disorientation swung through Inuyasha. There was no time to recover, however, as the demon kept talking. "Though now that you mention it, you're probably used to hunting alone, right? We'd call you a Lone Wolf if you were one of our kind. My pack will win through sheer teamwork."

Inuyasha huffed. So clearly it was more like 1 vs 30 rather than a fair fight. Coward.

Ah well. Looking down at the bones he'd picked clean, he gave a rough shrug of his shoulders. Not like he had anything else to do. He could stick around a little longer.

"You're on."

----

Many hours after the sun had gone down, taking its vibrant colourful sky with it, the moon had opened up her blanket of stars. Inuyasha sat at the mouth of the wolf pack's cave, hands thrust inside his sleeves. Tetsusaiga rested against one shoulder.

The wolves had finished singing their melodies to their mother, the moon, so they'd settled down.

Golden eyes slid towards their sleeping forms. They'd packed themselves tight against one another to retain some heat. Only a few had broken off in pairs to cuddle by themselves. Ginta and Hakkaku were well and truly wrapped around one another, swathed in furs.

They all looked comfortable. Trusting, together. A family unit.

Inuyasha stared. The most annoying part about it was that he could never pinpoint exactly what he was feeling, looking at groups like this. It made him uncomfortable, a reminder that they had something he didn't. Maybe he had, for a time, but his friends had all split off to live their own lives. Shippo was growing up. Miroku and Sango had their own family now.

Kagome…

He wasn't needed anymore. Their quest had been over for a long time. He should be over it by now.

Staring at the pack was like looking into a store window in Kagome's time. Unseen glass forever separated him from what they possessed.

Kouga lifted his head from where he lay, noting a chill in the air. Inuyasha met his gaze, quickly turning to face the other way and pretending to look at sprawling scenery. A snort sounded out in the cave before sharp, static youki fanned into the breeze.

Transformed, Kouga stepped around his pack and lay down towards the entrance, blocking out the night's chilly breeze with his thick fur and large form.

Inuyasha glanced behind him with mild surprise.

Kouga was maybe, actually, kind of…

... a good leader.

---

It started at midday.

The pack immediately flooded the forest, racing through it like droves of rats. Inuyasha shared a look with Kouga, before smirking and starting to leap from tree to tree.

Hunting with wolves nearby started to look next to impossible, considering how eagerly they dove and ran through the undergrowth, loud and clumsy. However, the second they caught wind of a herd, they split off into different, smaller groups. Inuyasha watched them from his vantage point above.

Scouts ran on ahead. Kouga kept towards the back of his pack, signalling orders with mere grunts, growls or gestures of his hand. Inuyasha followed the scouts, dropping down to run alongside them. They were slightly younger demons, teenage boys and girls, lithe and built for running. They stared at him but gave tentative grins.

Inuyasha blinked and offered a slight smirk, soon powering on ahead and leaving them behind.

Sniffing out a herd of deer that the wolves intended to close in on, Inuyasha kept to his vantage point in the trees. He rounded one side of a large clearing, heart thundering.

It had been a long time since he'd hunted seriously. It took him back to old times. Kagome had spoiled him with ramen, and complacency softened his body. But now rusty instincts were awakening, shaking the dust away. His fangs ached. Demon senses kicked in, blood pumping. He could hear and smell everything, down to the blades of grass, fusty scent of deer and pungent odour of wolves.

As predicted, Kouga's scouts halted at the opposite side of the treeline. Lower-ranking wolves and wolf demons alike burst through into the meadow then, causing the herd to take off running.

Right towards Inuyasha.

Dumbasses. Didn't they figure they were leading them right to him?

Grinning, Inuyasha's clawed nails elongated slightly. Waiting as a few deer ran beneath his position- he suddenly lept. Free-falling and spreading both arms wide, he tackled a stag around the neck, yanking it down with him using his weight.

Grabbing it by the antlers the second he recovered, Inuyasha gave a quick jerk, snapping its neck cleanly.

Panting and grinning, he raised triumphant eyes-

Only to see Kouga bent over a felled deer not too far away. His mouth was bloodied. His prey lay dead on one side. It was obvious from the number of adults mid-way through their meal that they'd taken it down much quicker than Inuyasha. They'd had the same idea, flushing out prey and leaping upon them from the opposite direction. Somehow they'd evaded even his detection.

Younger wolves looped around, waiting pensively for their turn.

Kouga licked his lips, maintaining eye contact. Dark hair hung loose from its typical ponytail, claws stained crimson. Inuyasha's heart skittered. His breath halted.

The demon drew bloodied lips back over his fangs when a lower wolf sniffed too close to his food- a loud, powerful snarl thrumming through the clearing.

An answering rumble built in Inuyasha's throat, unbidden. Blazing, twisting heat hooked low in his stomach, cock twitching.

Golden eyes snapped wide, realising just what the fuck he was reacting to.

Kouga's feral expression softened back to normal, shooting him a surprised grin and happily digging into his meal, none the wiser.

Shaken, Inuyasha grimly started tucking into his own, busying himself with eating. He then offered some scraps to some salivating teens, ignoring the amused demons watching. He wasn't above dining with pups. Especially if it meant never confronting what had just happened.

---

"So you and Kagome broke up, huh?"

Inuyasha jolted, wondering how obvious he'd been about it. Frowning at Kouga, who seemed content to laze within the den after the hunt, he gave a long exhale. "Have been for a few months now."

"Gotcha."

"We're still friends though, so don't even think about sniffing after her again."

"I ain't about to, Dog Breath," Kouga flashed him a wolfish grin, slowly sobering, "you wanna talk about it? Only it seems to be eatin' at ya."

Running a hand through his hair and giving a dusty sigh, Inuyasha stared blankly at the forest down below. With no other wolves around, he felt somewhat better about talking so plainly.

"Nothin' much to talk about, she's with someone else now. Seems happy."

Kouga made a noise of affirmation, showing he was listening while picking at his teeth with a pinky.

"I've got a crappy track record with relationships."

"You've got a crappy track record with women, yeah."

Inuyasha whipped his head back to stare at Kouga, wondering what he meant by that. If he meant what Inuyasha thought he meant.

Kouga remained in a reclining position, meeting his gaze easily. The late afternoon sun touched his skin, giving it a warm glow, hooded eyes seeming to darken. "You ever think about trying to be with someone else, rather than pining after the same soul over and over?"

Inuyasha's lips thinned, cheeks heating.

"I dunno. I was with Kikyo and then after being sealed to the tree- I woke up and met Kagome like no time had passed," he grunted. This would usually be the part where he clamped up. He didn't like talking about something so vulnerable. Self-preservation had taught him not to divulge too much, even to friends like Kagome. Kouga could easily mock him. However…

Looking over, no sinister motivation seemed to compel the wolf. He was genuinely interested. Inuyasha's insides screamed at him as he reluctantly continued. "It was like… it made sense to be with her, but I barely had a chance to process losing Kikyo. Things just kinda happened," he shook his head slightly. "Startin' fresh? Sounds like a fairy tale."

Kouga chuckled deeply, causing Inuyasha's ears to twitch again. His stomach did a nervous flip, but there was no cruelty in that rich tone. "Kinda set in your ways, huh? You're like a human in that respect."

"Keh, well what about you? Been with anyone recently?" Inuyasha asked flatly. He wasn't fishing or anything.

Kouga stretched languidly, yawning and exposing sharp-pointed canines. Blunt claws flexed wide, before curling into his palms again. "Nothing permanent. My last 'relationship' was with a guy for a couple of weeks. Just casual stuff. Heh, bet that's unthinkable to you, right?"

Inuyasha bristled, cheeks reddening. He tossed his head and huffed in answer.

"Oi, I don't mean anything by it. I think it's great you're such a loyal pup and have soul-consuming relationships instead of flings. Still, it sounds kind of exhausting to me," the wolf shrugged.

"I thought 'wolves mated for life', you sure tried that line on Kagome."

"We do," Kouga muttered, looking at him, "but only after we find someone special. We got an expression, us wolves. It basically translates to 'my heart and liver.' You gotta find someone that really fits your needs, who you pursue like they're a missing organ inside you. Till we find our chosen one, we're free to pursue who we want."

Inuyasha snorted, "and Kagome was that person to you?" he drawled sarcastically.

Kouga shrugged, not catching it. His earnest, blunt disposition was somewhat refreshing, if Inuyasha were being honest. "I figured so. But after three years of thinking about it, I kinda dove headfirst into loving her without really knowing her. I pursued her so hard that I forgot to think about why I was even running."

Unbidden, a smile came to the Hanyou's mouth, a fang hooking over his lip. He chuckled, eyes warming. Something heavy lifted from his shoulders. "We're both dumbasses," he said, golden eyes dancing. It felt kind of good to not be alone in that. To know they both should've done better.

Kouga blinked, gaze roving over his face. Slowly, he gave an answering, amiable smile. "You get a snaggle-tooth when you grin," he pointed out teasingly. "It's cute."

"Don't think you can flirt with me just because we bonded for a second, wolf," Inuyasha rolled his eyes and forcefully snuffed out his grin.

"No I'm gonna," Kouga chuckled, tail thumping beside him.

Something dissuaded the Hanyou from hotly shutting this down. His heart sat a little lighter in his chest, shoulders relaxed. If the dumbass wanted to keep saying stupid shit, who was he to stop him?

----

After that day, Inuyasha resolved to stay- at least until he caught a kill quicker than the wolves during a hunt.

Kouga became somewhat more shameless and flirty. It started out subtle. Well, subtle for Kouga.

One time, Inuyasha had leisurely taken a sip of his drink, setting it down and not noticing the wolf sit beside him. Kouga then proceeded to pick it up.

He crooked his wrist as he lifted the cup so that his lips landed squarely over the same place Inuyasha's had just occupied. He'd performed the manoeuvre so quickly that Inuyasha wasn't sure at first of what he'd seen. But as Kouga drank, he glanced at him, and Inuyasha knew then that the move had been intentional.

There were other small, maddening things. Kouga's tail brushing against his hip in passing. How he always brought over a slab of meat from a fresh kill to Inuyasha first during evening meals. How he offered over and over to take a 'friendly' dip in the waterfall together.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes at the attention. It never strayed too far into 'Miroku' territory, but it also wasn't something to take it seriously. The other wolves by now had caught on and sometimes teased their leader. Kouga laughed it off yet continued undaunted. When he next offered Inuyasha a pot, the Hanyou blinked.

"Are those stingers?" he grunted.

Sure enough, bee stings dotted bronze skin. The idiot hadn't removed the stingers from his hand.

The wolf chuckled, gesturing to the covered pot. "Ya mentioned that honey goes well with meat, so I got some for you."

Staring and feeling weird again, Inuyasha heaved a sigh and grabbed Kouga by the wrist, tugging him to kneel beside him. "Hold still, idiot. Do your feet run away with your brain or somethin'? You have to take these out," he bent over his hand, clawed fingers grasping a stinger.

"I was just eager to get it back to y- OW!"

Huffing, the Hanyou continued in his task, ignoring the whimpering demon. Despite his gruffness however, he leaned Kouga's arm over his knee, one hand gripping the back of the wolf's to keep it steady. He could feel Kouga's sharp inhale close to his cheek.

Finally removing the last of the stingers, Inuyasha's dog demon side betrayed him. As natural as breathing; he'd bent his head and swiped a careful tongue over a red sore to soothe the wound unthinkingly. Human embarrassment kicked in then, and he dropped Kouga's wrist like a rock, lurching back and standing.

"There! Tend to your own damn hand now!"

A ripple of laughter washed over the pack as Inuyasha stormed away, leaving Kouga to stare at the spot of saliva on his hand like it were a dewy jewel.

---

When next hunting, Inuyasha set off on his own under cloudy skies. He didn't keep track of the mass of wolves flooding the forest. Closing his eyes and removing the robe of the fire-rat to leave him in his white underlayer, he sank into a crouch. Burying Tetsusaiga somewhere safe at the base of a tree, he exhaled. The hanyou then began the process of shedding.

Shedding didn't entail fur. Rather, for him, it meant shaking off the layers of bullshit that weighed on his mind. He even stopped thinking about himself as a person. His mind turned blank, running through the forest like an animal.

He hadn't hunted via pure instinct in so long. He forgot how to speak with a human tongue, letting out grunts and growls. Saliva pooled in his mouth. Unknowingly, golden eyes tinged red. Faint markings cut across his cheeks. Fangs and claws elongated, youki pounding through his system with every thunder of his heartbeat.

A hare darted out from the bushes- and Inuyasha lunged.

He was barely aware of Kouga looping closer until he jogged out from the trees. "Hey, mutt- no luck for us today. Think that last hunt scared the herd too far awa-"

The creature hunched over spun around, a mangled kill hanging limp from his mouth. It hit the ground with a sickening thud as long white hair bristled, puffing up. A deep, rumbling snarl deafened Kouga's ears.

Inuyasha gazed at him, unblinking, panting with ragged breaths.

Kouga stopped and stared. Unbidden, the wilder, fiercer side of his nature reared its head. Teeth and claws gleamed, interest piqued.

However, something was wrong.

Inuyasha gasped and grunted, bending low and whimpering with pain. His body began fighting with itself, his demon blood coursing too strong for his hanyou form to withstand.

Kouga didn't really know anything about hanyou kind. However, he knew enough about the situation to realise a particular sword was missing from Inuyasha's hip. Turning tail and hurrying away, it was a simple matter of tracking Inuyasha's scent all the way to the base of a tree.

The fog cleared from crimson eyes, and Inuyasha blinked, panting. He flexed his shaking hand around a muddied Tetsusaiga, the partial transformation leaving him worn and ragged.

Kouga was squatting next to him. Concern probably wasn't the right word for it, but he gazed at him seriously for a moment before standing.

"Don't do stupid stuff just to win bets, Mutt Face."

Coughing, Inuyasha slowly adjusted back into his old senses, gripping his sword so tight his knuckles bled white. "Yeah... fine, whatever... Mangey Wolf."

----

The 'incident' as Kouga called it was not an isolated one in terms of throwing him for a damn loop. After bathing at the waterfall in a nice, refreshing midday dip, Kouga noticed an absence immediately.

"Where's Inuyasha?"

Ginta looked up from polishing some armour.

"I'm not sure. He started getting fidgety and sniffed around- then he looked at the sky and took off without a word to anyone. I think he looked a bit pale."

Kouga frowned. In a few hours, it would get dark. Tracking him would be more difficult.

Wasting no time, Kouga lept from their den, sailing down the side of the rocky mountain face. His black hair and wolf tail flew up to flutter in the breeze. "Be back later!" he called, ignoring Ginta's confusion.

Bursting into a mini tornado of power, Kouga started running, lifting his nose to scent the air. Locating Inuyasha's unique smell, he sprinted into the gloom of the trees. It seemed the Hanyou hadn't wanted to be found. His scent zig-zagged everywhere, even travelling upriver, perhaps intending to lose anyone tracking him.

Kouga smirked. As if that would work on a full demon.

By the time dusk settled in, however, Kouga felt antsy. Still no sign of the mutt, and it was getting dark. Even his scent had become strange and diluted.

Stopping beneath the canopy of trees and frowning, Kouga shifted his attention to the waning light above. The moon was out, but faint.

Kouga's eyes widened slightly. A new moon.

Hearing a sigh and the crunch of weight shifting on dried leaves, Kouga turned, nose twitching.

A willow tree sat relatively still and serene, located near some stretch of water. Weeping, draping branches were parted by Kouga's rough palms. He peered into the shadows behind the sweeping curtain, finding a familiar face.

Inuyasha stood, eyes incredibly dark. Midnight locks of hair split down broad shoulders. He stood weary and watchful, gripping a useless Tetsusaiga.

"What are you doing here?" Inuyasha muttered.

Kouga gave a look, as though it should be obvious, stepping into his private space beneath the darkening tree. "I came here to find ya, obviously."

Dark eyes widened slightly at his blunt honesty. Sighing anew, Inuyasha rubbed at his forehead. "Dumbass. I'm guessing you forgot what night I transform despite seeing it yourself before?"

"Kinda," the wolf demon shrugged, resting both hands on his hips and walking around the tree, glancing at the fresh kill of a rabbit. "Glad ya fed yourself at least. C'mon, let's go back before we lose any more light. Unless of course you wanna stumble around in the dark, forcing me to hold your hand?" he teased.

Inuyasha gazed back soberly, causing the mirth to leave Kouga's eyes. Both fell quiet.

As a human, Inuyasha lost many things. Animal ears, a keen sense of smell, golden irises that gleamed like a treasure trove. He also lost a certain harshness. The thick wall of defence usually built up around his heart had crumbled.

Like this, Inuyasha looked much softer. In more ways than one.

"I don't want to go back looking like this," Inuyasha muttered. "And neither do you."

"What're you yappin' about?"

Bushy brows pulled down, and he backed up slightly. "Listen, you've had your fun little charity experience including a Hanyou in your shit, but I know how full demon society works. I'm not stupid. You're all fine with me hanging around as some little project to measure yourselves against, but when it comes down to it, you don't want to confront this part."

Kouga's heavy brows pulled down, a sneer marring his lips. "Ah, I get it. Ya think my pack will mock you because it's your human night? You're a fucking idiot," he sighed. "I was in love with Kagome. Ya think anyone's gonna say shit? Admit it, you just feel vulnerable because you got baby skin and no fangs."

Inuyasha's expression flickered; an open book. His hands balled into fists, stubbornness setting his mouth into a thin, grim line.

Kouga gave an exaggerated sigh, grabbing his arm, "quit bein' stubborn-"

Yanking himself free, Inuyasha gave a poor imitation of a snarl, exposing blunt teeth. "Get lost!"

Growling, Kouga blurred in the air- appearing behind him and grabbing the failing human around the waist- lifting so that his kicking feet left the ground. "We're going back, it's cold out! Your baby skinned, barely furred ass will catch a cold, and I ain't dealing with that!" he started walking.

With a yowl of outrage, Inuyasha swung his elbow back into Kouga's face. With a grunt, he was released, only for the two to snarl and grapple once again. Heels dug into mud- foreheads smacked, palms clasped and muscles strained on Inuyasha's end to match the power of a demon, failing. Kouga licked at his bleeding nose, before giving a hard shove. Landing on forest ground and losing themselves in senseless scrapping, sharp teeth closed around a curved ear.

Inuyasha yelped, dark eyes flying wide. Did he just?-

He had! Kouga had reprimanded him like a damn pack member.

Sensation burst within his chest, boiling over, consuming. He didn't know how to react to it. Therefore, Inuyasha didn't stop to think about his actions. When drowning in feeling, his mind turned blank, and he acted on impulse.

Curling coarse fingers in dark hair and latching tight- he yanked Kouga down by the back of the neck- mouths colliding.

Teeth knocked. Lips strained against hard pressure. Inuyasha's grip tugged Kouga's hair tight against his scalp. It was painful. It was uncomfortable. It was brilliant.

The wolf demon reeled, inhaling hard through his nostrils. His senses flooded with Inuyasha's human scent.

There was a reason Kagome's slap had cemented her into Kouga's head as a potential mate. He wasn't used to being opposed. Everyone listened to him, and he talked freely. But a push back, a stubborn, fierce 'no!' made his world tilt on its axis. It was exactly what he needed. Someone to raise their voice and get his attention. An opposing view to clash with his own. That was what leaders primarily looked for in partners, not meek obedient types.

And Kouga couldn't say he personally disliked it either.

Releasing him, Inuyasha panted. His face suddenly paled, realisation dawning. "Shit," he muttered, drawing back and falling silent.

Kouga opened his mouth, then closed it. There were no words he could scramble together in his currently fried brain. What he did know- was that the weather still felt chilly, and Inuyasha needed a place to sleep. He kind of felt the desire to prod for more, but judging by Inuyasha's closed off, guarded look, that wouldn't be happening anytime soon.

They picked themselves up, standing. Inuyasha wiped some mud from his ashen cheek.

"You won't come back to the pack tonight, right?" Kouga asked.

Mild relief seemed to touch his features as he nodded glumly.

"Gotcha, well, don't kick up a fuss. I'll take ya somewhere else for the night," the wolf demon stepped away, youki swirling around his form, tumbling faster into a fierce gust. Inuyasha watched as a 10ft tall dark-furred wolf eventually lept out of the whirlwind. Kouga then knelt down as best he could, jerking his head to indicate Inuyasha climb on.

"You've got to be kiddin' me?" he grumbled. It didn't take much prompting for him to give in, burned out from nerves and high tension. The new moon always messed everything up.

Grasping onto thick, feathery fur, Inuyasha climbed onto his back, sitting behind Kouga's shoulder blades. The wolf demon flashed him a toothy smile, pushing off starting to run.

Gaping and swaying from the momentum, Inuyasha ducked down and gripped his hackles. Kouga talked a lot of shit, but he got one thing right; he was fucking fast.

Muscles coiled and shifted, prowling through dense undergrowth with quick footfalls. Kouga panted softly, paws thundering over chilled forest floor, scattering leaves.

Inuyasha ducked to avoid a few low-hanging branches, feeling the wolf's sturdiness and warm form beneath him. Despite being in human form with his dulled, dim senses, the silence of the forest combined with Kouga's rhythmic noises made him feel strangely wild yet lulled. He was a creature again, not a man nor demon. It comforted him.

Kouga's breath fanned out in visible puffs of curling smoke by the time they reached an abandoned cave beneath a slightly upturned tree- it's hanging, frozen roots slightly obscuring the entrance. Snowdrops littered the ground- crunching under Inuyasha's feet as he dismounted and quietly entered.

More snowdrops awaited him inside the mouth of the cave, and he sank down exhaustedly into the flowers, cheek cushioned by soft petals.

Kouga huffed, staring down at Inuyasha's near motionless body. Shifting, he settled beside him, acting as a shield against the elements.

Inuyasha's feet were turning blue. Knowing he'd probably be insecure about holding onto him in inhuman form, the wolf shifted closer, bumping against his side.

Making a tired noise, a dark brown eye cracked open. With a sigh- Inuyasha's coarse hands met Kouga's fur, settling closer into the mass of warmth. "This means nothing," came his muffled voice.

Resting his head upon enormous paws, Kouga ignored this, tail thumping slightly behind him.

"Thanks for... coming to get me."

At that, Kouga stiffened with surprise, lifting his head to look at him.

Inuyasha's breaths evened out, and in the quiet hush that followed, it was difficult not to notice how his dark hair seemed to mesh and meld so naturally into the wolf demon's own black fur.

In the morning it would be harder still not to stare at sprawling wisps of long white hair blending into the snowdrops.

Kouga's blue eyes blinked, nose twitching. It was then he realised he was probably in danger of something much larger than either of them could've expected.

----

Predictably, Inuyasha acted as though nothing had happened.

He stuck around the wolves for a few days longer, before finally approaching Kouga, arms thrust inside trailing sleeves.

"So… gonna be headin' out soon."

Kouga continued sharpening his knife. He then stood, rolling one shoulder and keeping his tone casual.

"For good?"

"Yeah," Inuyasha muttered, face guarded. "No point in sticking around here any longer than I need to. Keh, I ain't in the habit of getting in people's way."

Kouga heaved a sigh, putting the knife away and folding his arms, walking from the cave and out into bright sunlight. Rounding one side of the mountain and following a rocky trail, his tail swished with agitation. "You ain't in the way, Dog Breath. I made that pretty clear. You wanna talk about the kiss or not?"

Inuyasha made a noise behind him. He then scrambled for something to say, "we don't gotta talk about it! Weird shit happens when I turn human! Stuff I wouldn't usually do-"

Kouga cut him off with a dramatically loud groan, turning on his heel to face him. Inuyasha jumped, feet skidding to bring him to a stop- rocking forward with momentum and ending up nose to nose with the wolf.

Cobalt blue eyes remained flat, "dunno how Kagome put up with your damn wishy-washy ass. I ain't about to listen to that crap when my nose can sniff out lies unlike her. Since you're so bad at this, I guess I'll be the mature one; and that's how ya know you're being an idiot, stupid mutt."

Inuyasha blinked, opening his mouth with an irate expression.

"I want ya to stay," Kouga said bluntly. "The kiss didn't bother me. In fact, I kinda liked it and I'm open to doing more of that stuff, weird as it sounds saying it out loud. I was into it," he shrugged broad shoulders. "But if you're too busy getting yourself worked up about feeling like an outsider, that's up to you. As pack leader, I'm telling you you've got a place here, dumbass. You can quit being a lone wolf if you want to. My group won't mind."

Inuyasha stared at him, completely stunned. He put a little distance between them, ears pressing flat.

His expression rapidly changed with a multitude of conflicting thoughts. He opened and closed his mouth, eyes flickering to the scenery, to the rocks, to their bare feet. Heavy brows drew down.

Kouga sighed and scratched his pointed ear, figuring he'd be stubborn about it. Not like he could force him to stay. But still… an odd sense of disappointment weighed in his chest. He'd had fun. He'd had a lot of fun with him around.

"I don't do casual," came Inuyasha's reluctant reply.

Kouga's brows rose. Oh. That's what he'd been having reservations about?

"Fuck- I'm bad at this," the hanyou gazed stubbornly at the horizon, cheeks heating. Hands curled into fists at his side.

Blinking, Kouga let out a rasping chuckle, shoulders shaking. It immediately won him Inuyasha's attention. "You really are," he agreed, tone turning into a teasing one. "I didn't know you were that into me."

Growling and bristling, Inuyasha seemed to assume he was laughing at him, so Kouga held up a hand. He then used it to grab hold of the robe of the fire rat, bridging the distance between them.

Inuyasha's breath rushed out of his nose, exhaling sharply. He froze, becoming completely still. Kouga's mouth remained against his in a firm kiss, before shifting into a yielding one, eventually drawing away.

Kouga grinned, "if you wanna get stuck with me, then I'm totally capable of being serious too."

Inuyasha slowly relaxed. He snorted, lips quirking as golden eyes warmed. "Dumbass," he mumbled, tugging him back in again. This time Kouga's ensuing chuckle came out muffled against his lips.

"Heh, you really do have dog breath."

"Do I gotta keep shutting you up?"

Kouga lifted a shoulder, flashing him a wolfish grin, tail thwacking his thigh. "If that's the method you're going with to do it, I guess so."

Inuyasha's gaze flattened, feeling large hands slide around him to rest on his shoulder blades. Oddly comforting. The warmth of a wolf was a strange, foreign thing, but one he could get used to. Kouga had a strong scent. He could feel it saturating his clothes. The robe of the fire-rat would reek for weeks.

And that was okay too.

Their noses bumped, and they huffed with amusement, teeth nipping. They'd be clumsy for a while, but sticking around suddenly didn't sound so heavy. Inuyasha resolved to stay for a few more weeks.

And then maybe he'd linger for a little while after that too.

---

The wolves always howled in their true forms, conveying their love, heartbreak, hunger, stories and other things into their haunting songs. They were beautiful, powerful, twisting, waxing poetic about nothing and everything.

Inuyasha stepped out onto the summit of their mountain that they gathered upon. When he threw back his head and howled suddenly, it startled the others out of their songs.

His voice strained, held back by untrained vocal cords. It wasn't wild enough and held no finesse, too tempered by humanity. Imperfect.

Kouga beamed upon hearing it. He then transformed, black silky fur receding.

Throwing his head back, he let out a loud howl, hair dancing in the breeze. Inuyasha finished and looked at him breathlessly, heart drumming loudly. His throat hurt, cheeks stinging from the cold bite in the air. It felt fucking fantastic.

The rest of the wolf pack demons followed suit, transforming into their mockery of human appearances. Their inhuman forms joined in, baying with hoarse, powerful voices.

If someone had happened upon the pack that night, they'd have found the wolves packed in close, huddling for warmth in their cave. And at the very centre of the pack would be one hanyou, nestled amongst their slumbering, monstrous forms, nose buried into windswept fur, heart in sync with theirs.

---

It would be a few weeks later when Inuyasha would return to Kaede's village. It had been two months since he'd left.

Kouga jogged around him on the trail, sniffing the air and chattering animatedly. He loved travelling. Inuyasha grunted a few replies but was content to listen to him. It kept his mind off inevitably seeing a certain someone again.

That person seemed to spot them almost immediately as they approached the village.

Kagome came rushing over, causing Kouga to grin and call a greeting- his words going completely ignored as the miko drew back her hand.

Inuyasha blinked at the ensuing slap. His cheek stung like hell.

Salt peppered the air then, causing guilt to sink heavy into his gut.

"H-how dare you!" Kagome's watery eyes blazed. "You disappear for months- without a word to anyone?!- and then just swan back here like nothing happened? I searched for you! Do you have any idea how WORRIED I was? You jerk! You're such an absolute JERK!"

Inuyasha slowly stepped closer and brought her into a hug just as she burst into tears.

Kagome thumped her fists weakly against his chest, shuddering and prattling nonsense.

"I just… needed to get away," Inuyasha muttered, ears pressed back tight to his skull. "Didn't feel right being here."

Letting out a rush of hot air, Kagome drew back slightly to look at him. "N-nothing had to change. I told you that," she hiccuped. "Just because I'm in a relationship with someone else- it doesn't affect us. We're still friends. Your place is here. Miroku, Sango and Shippo were worried too."

"They were?"

They'd seemed so busy with their own lives before. Too busy to hang out with him- or maybe he'd been alone in thinking that? Had he put distance between them unknowingly because they'd all changed but he'd stayed the same?

"Idiot," Kagome and Kouga sighed together.

Noticing their wolf companion, Kagome wiped her tears and turned to Kouga. She gave him a much gentler reception, hugging him tight with gratitude.

"So he was with you the whole time? Thank you for looking out for him, Kouga."

"Heh, no worries. It's actually been pretty fun."

Kagome pulled back and rose a brow, glancing between them. "Really? You two haven't been fighting?"

"Sometimes," Inuyasha scratched his nose, combing some claws through his hair. "That hasn't been so bad either, though."

Completely lost, Kagome tilted her head. She then located a hickey on Inuyasha's neck, the skin bruised and red. She reddened herself, meeting Inuyasha's awkward gaze.

"Oh," she put the pieces together slowly. "So… are you just visiting?" she asked quietly.

Inuyasha nodded slowly. "Yeah. I got…" he took a breath, words faltering. He then continued, voice full of conviction. "I got a place to return to now. The wolves ain't a bad bunch to stay with now that my nose has adjusted to their damn smell."

"Hey-" Kouga scoffed.

"I'll keep coming back here though," he continued. "I'm just-"

"It's okay," Kagome soothed. "That makes me really happy to hear. Sometimes new things are good. Different, but good."

It was the same thing she'd said when trying to talk to him about her new relationship. Inuyasha nodded slightly, rendered mute by the heaviness of her words. Change was inevitable. It had freaked him out enough to run from the only real family he'd ever known.

Sadness flitted through her gaze before acceptance gentled matured features. Ageing had changed her too. That was partly why they'd broken up as quickly as they had. They were too different now than how they'd been at 15, swept up in a whirlwind teen romance. There was a sadness in never being able to return to their glory days, but it wasn't necessarily a bad thing to move on.

Kagome scrubbed at her eyes and smiled for him. She always smiled when he needed it most. Grabbing both of their coarse hands, she tugged. "C'mon, everyone will be wanting to catch up. There's also some ramen I saved with your name on it."

Inuyasha's slack fingers twitched in her hold. He then adjusted them, squeezing her hand. Something brazen, fragile and guarded in his heart soothed and healed. His shoulders relaxed. Finally, he felt a sense of peace sweep over him that he hadn't experienced for some time; ever since they'd been flung out of orbit from their romance and back into friendship.

Meeting Kouga's amiable, enthusiastic gaze, Inuyasha bit back a snort. Golden eyes danced, lips twitching- before tilting up. A fang hooked over his bottom lip, snaggle-tooth peering out.

---

End

[kotsuvi]

LIGHTEN UP

suna x f!reader

words: 3.1k

warnings: swearing, drinking, drugs (cocaine), smut

a/n: this was actually a fic i had for another blog, but i changed it to a suna x reader cuz... well... suna. also i have never done crack in my life so this is probably super inaccurate but like oh well. also this is my first time writing smut on this blog so... yep.

You were not having a good fucking night.

You hadn’t wanted to go to the stupid party in the first place, but after a long contemplation in your room, you thought that getting high with a shitload of people was better than getting high alone. You were just frustrated, and you knew you needed to listen to some good music, smoke some good weed, and maybe have some good sex. You would be fine after that.

You had been fighting with your friends. It was nothing big, just the usual relationship banter, but it seemed like they were increasingly driving you crazier and crazier. Everything was always about them, and they needed shit to perfectly follow their little schedules. It was exhausting keeping up with them sometimes, and you just wanted one night where you could be fucking spontaneous without their judgement.

So when you spotted the boys in Kageyama’s den, your eyebrows raised, and you were taken over with curiosity. You knew that they were up to something, and by the looks of it, you guessed drugs. You had already hit a blunt and taken a couple shots, but it was doing nothing to take off the edge of annoyance that you were feeling.

“What’s this?” You asked, kicking the door open wider, your brows coming together as you looked at the boys. You recognized all of them: Atsumu, Kageyama, Tsukishima, Osamu, and then there was... Suna. Your eyes lingered on him for a briefly longer second than the others, and a smirk tugged at the corners of your lips.

Back in your sophomore year you and Suna had a slight thing. You had hooked up one night at some party when you both had had just a little bit too much to drink, and you thought that you were being all bold and scandalous. One time turned into two, and then three, and then five; seven; countless nights. The first time it happened you were sixteen and he had just turned eighteen, and it went on for a solid six months. Now you were the one that was eighteen, and you knew his twentieth was close.

“Y/N?” Atsumu asked, chuckling uncomfortably, one hand coming up to run through his hair. “Can’t you see this is a little… private?”

“Private?” You snorted, making your way over to where they stood, hovered around Kageyama’s dad’s desk. “You shouldn’t have left the door open.”

“Doesn’t mean you’re allowed in here,” Osamu scoffed, lighting up a joint as he watched you, one eyebrow raised.

Your eyes dropped down to the desk, and a look of curiosity took ahold of your features. Coke. Cocaine. It was lined in thin strips along the desk. There were two in front of Atsumu, and one in front of Suna.

You clicked your tongue. “Whatcha boys up to?”

You tilted your head at them as you placed your palms down on the desk. You could feel Suna’s eyes on you as you did so, but you didn’t look up. Instead you glanced at Atsumu, then at Osamu, and then back down at the lines.

“It’s none of your business Y/N,” Atsumu said, narrowing his eyes at you. Typical. You had blown him off the year before, and he still had hard fucking feelings. Too bad.

You gave him an irritated look, and a pair of hands grazed your hips.

“Let her stay Atsumu,” Suna said, taking a seat in the chair behind the desk. His eyes met yours, and he winked, tapping his fingers against the wood beside his lines. “She obviously wants in on the fun.”

“Well she’ll be paying for this shit,” Osamu said, taking a long drag on his blunt. From the rest of the house you could hear the roar of music and laughter, and you could feel the pounding vibrations through your socks. The party was wild out there, but you knew that in that one office, things were just getting started.

“Let me do a line,” you said, taking a card right out of Atsumu’s hands.

“I don’t think so,” Atsumu started, and he tried to reach back for it, but Suna stopped him by stealing it out of your fingers first.

“You sure you want to do this, baby?” He asked, his voice low and taunting. “I think you’re a little young for the big kid games.”

You snatched the card back from his hands. “Funny.”

He swiped his tongue out over his lower lip, and a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. Slowly, he brought one hand up to his face, and he pulled at his lower lip with his index finger and thumb. You were already definitely buzzed, and the action made your stomach flip.

He had always been hot, even when he was in his mid-teens, but now that he was creeping up on twenty? No doubt, he was one of the hottest guys you knew; you weren’t denying it. You hadn’t really made it your mission to get laid that night, but you had made it your top priority to have a bloody fucking good time, and if that meant sex with Suna Rintaro, then you were all for it.

“Shit,” Kageyama muttered as he watched you seperate your own line from Suna’s. You then lowered your nose to the table, and in one swift motion, you sucked it up. The coke burned the inside of your nose, and then the back of your throat, but you shook your head, clearing it slightly.

“Fuck!” You hooted, and Atsumu exhaled sharply, rolling his eyes as he turned away from you, hands on his hips. He shared a knowing glance with his twin. He clearly wasn’t impressed, but you knew someone else was.

When you turned back to look at Suna he was watching you carefully, still toying with his lower lip. As he caught you looking he flicked his head, then patted his thigh. You grinned back at him, then slowly you situated yourself on his lap. The rough material of his shorts rubbed against the bare skin of your legs, and you let out a soft sigh. Suna noticed, and his hands made their way to your hips, pulling you in closer to his chest.

“Haven’t seen you in a while,” he mumbled in your ear, and a shiver shot down your spine. His voice was just how you remembered it; low and raspy, and always slightly smug, with a hint of curiosity.

“You haven’t been looking hard enough,” you whispered back, locking eyes with Atsumu. He gave you a disapproving glare, swiping one finger under his nose as he turned in a slow circle.

“So we’re just letting anyone in here then?” He fired at you, and Suna clicked his tongue.

“Atsumu, calm down,” he said, then he gestured to Osamu. “Smoke something, would you?”

Atsumu clenched his jaw, then he glanced over at Osamu, who held out the blunt. Angrily, he snatched the joint from Osamu’s fingers, and he took one long drag before falling into one of the other chairs.

The one that Suna was seated on spun, and he rocked it lightly side to side, his hands still on your hips. They dug lightly into your sides, just to let you know that you weren’t going to be leaving him anytime soon. Tsukishima and Kageyama exchanged glances, and Osamu passed the blunt over to them. Tsukishima rejected it, but then pulled out his own bag of the little white powder. Carefully, he sprinkled it out onto the desk, then made two thin lines, side by side. He glanced behind him, frowned, then pulled open one of the drawers of the desk.

“You need this?” Tsukishima asked Kageyama, holding up a stack of papers.

Kageyama shook his head. “Dad won’t miss it. Just scribbles.”

“Good,” Tsukishima said, then he tore a strip off and rolled it up. He hovered one end of the paper in his nose, then he leaned down and snorted it all up. Suna lifted his hands from your hips to clap at him, long and slow.

“You’re getting better,” he whistled, and then adjusted himself in the chair so that he was sitting more upright. He pulled your body in closer to his, and his chin rested on your shoulder as he reached for his card, which you had left on the desk.

“Lighten up,” Tsukishima said, nudging Atsumu’s leg with his foot.

“He’s just jealous,” Suna whispered, his breath hot against your neck. You leaned back into him further, tilting your head to that your lips were closer to his. You knew that you were playing with fire, but you didn’t care, it was a night to be reckless. You would probably forget about everything in the morning, so it was go big or go home.

“Why’s that?” You mumbled, and Suna’s lips tugged into yet another smirk.

“You’re here,” he said, tapping your thigh with his index finger. “And he’s there.” He looked up at Atsumu, keeping completely still. Atsumu’s jaw flexed, and he let out a heavy breath.

You turned your head away from Suna, and you felt a wisp of air against your neck as he scoffed a laugh. “Well lucky you.”

“What does that mean?”

“You see,” you breathed. “If I wanted to fuck him, I would be on his lap.”

Suna shifted underneath you. You could feel his boner against your ass, and you smirked to yourself.

He cleared his throat softly. “Is that so?”

“Maybe.”

You could feel him getting harder beneath you, and he placed one hand on your hip again, squeezing it tightly. His lips grazed your neck, and his teeth quickly nipped at your ear, which you giggled at, feeling a heat begin to grow in your core.

You could also feel the effects of the crack beginning to take its toll on you. Your heart rate was starting to quicken, and your anger was fading; soon replaced by a surge of confidence. You looked Atsumu right in the eye, and he kept breaking away from your gaze to shake his head. You were making him uncomfortable, and although you were right there on Suna’s lap, you wanted to taunt Atsumu as well.

“You feeling okay?” Suna asked, his voice hoarse.

“Absolutely,” you said, and then you twisted your body around to face him. He took his hand off of your waist, and when you got settled he placed it on your thigh. You were still on his lap, but your legs dangled to the side. You swung them lightly, and you hadn’t realized that Suna had his beer sitting right there; it clinked to the ground, and then you heard a slow guzzle as it leaked from the neck.

“Shit,” you muttered, furrowing your brows.

“Jesus,” you heard Atsumu mumble, but you ignored him as you picked the bottle back up. You set it on the desk, and then a quiet giggle escaped you.

Suna licked his lips.

“I’ll get you another one.” You were trying to fight back your laughter as he watched you.

“I think I’ll take you instead,” he replied smoothly, the words rolling off of his tongue like silk.

Your stomach twisted. He knew exactly what he was doing, and so did you.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Atsumu hissed from the across the room, and you looked back over at him. “Just get a fucking room.”

Suna snorted. “As a matter of fact.” He nudged you lightly, and you stood up, pulling your skirt down slightly. “We will.”

At his words you reached up, wrapping your arms around his neck as you pulled him down to you, connecting your lips in a long, passionate kiss. It was fiery and hungry, and you let out a soft moan as Suna’s tongue swiped along your lower lip.

Atsumu let out a groan of frustration, but you didn’t care. You had forgotten all about Kageyama and Tsukishima and Osamu. You just wanted Suna.

He broke the kiss, and you stepped back, a smirk toying at your face as you watched him stoop over the desk. Before you even could process it Suna had snorted two lines, and then his hand was in yours, and he was dragging you out the door.

As soon as you were out of the room he slammed you against the wall, his lips finding yours hungrily. He placed one hand to the right of your head, and the other slid down your side, tracing your chest, then your stomach, and then settling on your hip again.

Your breathing was heavy as Suna pulled his lips away, but only to graze them over your jaw. His hand moved up your shirt as he kissed down your neck, and you dropped your head to the side.

Down the hall you could partially see into the living room, where teens laughed and shouted and threw things across the room. The music pounded in your ears, and you could feel the vibrations of the bass against the wall at your back.

You let out a low moan as Suna sucked on the skin just above your collarbone, and you could feel him smirk against you.

“Suna,” you whispered, and you brought your arms over his shoulders to play with his hair. You pulled lightly on it, and he grumbled something that you couldn’t quite make out. “Suna, we should-” You cut yourself off as he sucked on the skin just above your right breast. It pinched slightly, and you let out a raspy breath, tugging harder at his hair.

“C’mon,” he breathed into your neck, then he pulled you away from the wall, walking backwards. He brought his lips back up to yours, and you kissed him long and hard before he broke away to open one of the other doors. It was to a guest room, and Suna shook his head smugly as he kicked the door open, then closed it quickly behind the two of you.

He walked you over to the bed, then shoved you down, instantly lowering his body over yours. You let out a giggle as he pulled your shirt over your head, pressing a kiss to your stomach. He placed one, then two, then three, each one getting lower and lower.

You felt a warmth at your core, and you dropped your head back, your fingers finding their way into his hair once again.

“Jesus Suna,” you mumbled, and your whole body tingled. You were definitely beginning to feel the effects of your high, and it was fucking amazing. Your whole body felt warm, and the little light that was in the room seemed exceptionally bright.

“It’s been a while Y/N,” Suna rasped as he brought his lips back up to yours again. Your arms instantly wrapped around his neck, and you pulled him closer. His tongue slipped into your mouth, and you brought your legs up around his torso. Slowly he began to rock his hips against yours, and you could feel the hardness of his dick against your tender folds.

His hands roamed your torso as you continued to deepen the kiss; he only broke it for a moment to pull off his shirt. You helped him yank it over his head, and he let out a raspy moan. Your fingers trailed along his chest, which heaved heavily, and you let out another giggle.

Your whole body tingled, and you knew you couldn’t resist him much longer. You were undeniably turned on, and that mixed with your high was damn fucking close to an orgasm.

“Suna,” you whispered hoarsely in his ear.

“Mm?” He hummed back, sucking another hickey on your neck.

“Fuck me.” It slipped out before you had any other chance to think, and he pulled back, hovering above you. His brows raised up smugly, and then he swiped his tongue along his teeth, looking you up and down.

“You sure about that princess?”

“Now,” you urged, and you didn’t have to tell him again. He wasted no time in ripping off your skirt, and then pulling down your panties. His fingers situated themselves between your legs, and you dropped your head back as he rubbed them in slow circles. Your breath hitched as you heard the distinct sound of a belt clanking, and then you saw as his shorts and boxers fell to the floor.

With the hand that wasn’t touching you, he spread your legs, your knees dropping down to the bed. His fingers were calloused and rough, and you could feel the neediness of his touch as he dragged his skin along yours.

You gasped when he slid himself inside of you, the pressure making your stomach twist. He filled you up so nicely.

Your hands grabbed his shoulders instinctively, and you let out a quiet moan, your breathing beginning to quicken yet again.

You had been waiting for that moment, and suddenly it seemed as if all your worries just faded away. You and Suna had made out before, and you had even given multiple blowjobs, but that was nothing compared to the way that you were feeling in that moment.

Suna’s hands were placed at either side of your head, and he thrusted in and out of you slowly, but then his pace began to get quicker and quicker. His hair fell into his eyes as he pumped, and you pressed your legs down further, attempting to shift his cock slightly deeper. You wanted more. You needed more.

“Fuck,” he muttered, and you dug your nails into his shoulders, pulling him closer to you. “Fucking hell.”

The tension in your core was building, and your breathing was getting harder and harder to steady. Everything tickled and tingled and itched, and you let Suna’s name slip through yours lips again and again and again.

“Oh god,” you breathed, and you slid your nails down Suna’s back, then dragged them up again, trying desperately to grab ahold of something.

You were almost there. Almost there. Fucking almost there.

Suna dropped his head slightly, and his hair tickled your cheek and neck, causing you to let out yet another whimper.

“Fuck Y/N,” Suna whispered once more. “I-”

With that he released, and you followed soon after. It was the most euphoric experience you had ever had, and you knew it wasn’t just because of the drugs. You had waited ages for that. Waited ages for him. Every inch of your body ached, and you let Suna collapse on top of you, his breath hot against your skin.

“Holy,” you whispered, dropping your neck to the side. Suna panted lightly in your ear, and then he shifted off of you, turning to face the ceiling.

“Holy is right,” Suna mumbled back, and you heard as he swallowed tightly. “I’ve missed you.”

general taglist: @amberalisa

[sinkix]

~ Haikyuu!! Boys baking with reader - Ft. Ushijima, Tendou, Oikawa, Hinata & Nishinoya ~

YO! SO UHHHH... I’M BACK??? I GUESS?? MAYBE??? After a little break I had this in my drafts for a while and realllyyy wanted to complete it since it’s such a cute concept. Honestly at this point my posting frequencies are so sporadic and random pls forgive me lmao.

@deathcab4daddy​ gave me the inspo to include Ushi and it was so funny coming up with ideas for him, he is no.1 country boi chef 

Dude I’m listening to the Mario Kart soundtrack ‘Coconut Mall’ while I continue writing this someone save me. Like u think I’m joking. UR WRONG.

Ushijima:

The most straightforward yet idiotic baker you will ever come across.

Before you even THINK about performing step 1, he will read the entire fucking leaflet like it’s a Shakesperean monologue.

INGREDIENTS INCLUDED.

LIKE SIS I DIDN’T NEED TO KNOW IT CONTAINS  MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE THANK YOU.

I’m surprised he doesn’t count every single particle in the brownie mix.

You bought him a frilly cupcake-printed apron stating ‘best wife’ not expecting him to actually wear it

But since he’s secretly a big softie and treasures anything you buy he wears it proudly.

His stoic and dignified disposition is a comical contrast to the words printed on the front lmao.

Ushi best wifey bro.

The tight fit of the apron is pretty hot since it outlines every ridge of his pecs and tightly toned torso.

Gotta resist groping your mans while stirring the brownie batter.

tbh he’s more likely to grope you, he can’t resist that a$$.

And let’s face it he’s def an ass/thigh kinda guy.

Can and will try to casually initiate some form of unholy activities by lifting you up onto the kitchen counter, goading you to slowly lick the spoon and locking gazes before pulling you in for a deep, open-mouthed kiss to get a taste of the incomplete creation himself.

Ushi’s lips and brownie batter are a knock-out combo js.

Literally has the most serious face when he’s cracking the eggs into the bowl

The amount of concentration is equivalent to that of when he’s performing a serve at match-point.

HAS to set the temperature to the EXACT degree stated on the box

Everything is done by the book if you do one thing out of place he will pull you up on it lol.

“(Y/N) you were supposed to stir it for 5 minutes, not 7.”

When its done you feed him some and he can’t help but smile its so ADORBALE AHHH.

You end up eating most of it since Ushi doesn’t strike me as much of a chocolate/junk food lover.

STILL A VERY FUN BUT F R U S T R A T I N G EXPERIENCE.

Tendou:

The complete opposite of Ushi

Does everything wrong and the unconventional way.

Absolute disaster but doesn’t even sweat it since Tendou basically thrives in chaos and the disorderly.

To him instructions are purely equivocal, will read them for five seconds then toss them away.

Step aside Gordon Ramsey, Chef Tendou is here.

Despite doing everything the unorthodox way it still comes out amazing.

Like??? how???

Will cheekily place a dollop batter on your nose then lick it off fh3jkeffefds

Or if he’s feelin’ a lil freaky, he’ll swipe it off with his long ass finger and make you suck it clean, smirking at your submission as you coat his finger with your saliva.

oop-

Constantly cracking jokes and shitty food puns, pretending to drop the bowl to make you go into preemptive cardiac arrest before you can swat him with the spatula.

While you’re waiting for the timer to ping, Satori being the schemer he is will use this as an opportunity to pull some fuckery and tease you in any way he can.

u better be praying like bodhisattva TanaNoya rn because he is MERCILESS.

Suggestive comments, the brush of his fingers against your thigh, it’ll leave you A C H I N G in frustration by the end of it.

Unholy activities aside, once your baking session is completed you finish it off by feeding PHAT forkfuls of brownie to each other and giggling like dorks when it gets all over your mouth.

The jackass actually got a fingerful and SMEARED it over your cheek and forehead, drawing a little cross and snickering when the crumbs fall onto your nose.

Tendou was smart to draw a cross bc he gonna need jesus with the ATTACK you launch on him after that, which promptly leads to an all out food war in your kitchen that neither of you want to clean up after ward.

Don’t worry though it’s Tendou, he’ll somehow find a way to make such a mundane activity fun.

Nishinoya:

stirs WAY TOO VIOLENTLY

IT’S LIKE AN ELECTRIC WHISK ON OVERDRIVE.

IT WILL SPLATTER OVER THE COUNTER, CUPBOARDS AND EVERYTHING YOU HOLD DEAR WITHIN A 1 MILE RADIUS.

You best believe he will try and eat some of the batter and you have to swat the spoon away from his mouth since he has NO REGARD FOR THE FACT HE COULD GET SALMONELLA.

Plus you know what Noya’s like once he starts eating something the whole thing will be gone in a matter of milliseconds.

He somehow managed to get Baking powder EVERYWHERE and even gave him self a little moustache with it.

The white substance kinda looked like something else but you didn’t really wanna say lmaooo.

could explain why he has so much energy all the time oK ILL STOP-

While you’re putting the mix on the tray he is SO extra and will do fancy lil swirls and over extend his arm like a swan to gracefully spread the batter

until he nearly fucking knocks it over.

During processing time since he is so excitable and impatient you best believe he’s gonna suggest a game of ping pong or something because my guy can well and truly never sit still.

ping pong match with the spatulas, kitchen island and a hard boiled egg.

Pls be careful he will rolling thunder that egg and pimp slap it so hard with the spatula it’ll damn near give you a concussion, not intentionally, but like protect your noggin. Wear a helmet.

For the remaining 5 minutes of baking time y’all just sit like kids in front of the oven and watching it rise like starved hyena’s observing it’s pray before demolishing it into sad particles of cocoa.

And lemme tell u, once the timer pings, that baking tray is free real estate for Noya. Half of your creation will be devoured before you can even put it on a plate and marvel at your handiwork. 

He kicked your ass at spatula ping pong btw I’m sorry sweaty but short kings stay winning.

Oikawa:

Such a dramatic bitch like he got the whole she-bang going on.

Strapped with a pink apron, a whisk at his side and standing proudly with both hands on his hips.He is prepared like a greek gladiator going into battle.

You better believe he gonna make some snarky remarks and tease your method of doing things. 

“Ah-ah-ahhh (Y/N)-chan you’re doing it all wrong, let me show you how a PRO does it.”

Proceeds to drop entire bowl on his foot and yelp like a little girl in pain.

Well and truly embarrassed with himself, you put a band-aid on his toe and he piped down after that.

Shattered big toe and mixing bowl aside, actually a really good baker??

He is a PRO at decorating, y’all decided on cupcakes since its literally his forte to make them look aesthetic and pretty.

You almost don’t wanna eat them from how good they look.

jk almost

You take it in turns breaking bits off and placing pieces into each others mouth with a loud “aaaaaahhh!”

Places a piece in your mouth, leans forward and locks lips with you in a soft, passionate kiss before pulling away and uttering the words “It tastes even better coming from your mouth ;)”

hnnnNNGGGGGGggGg.

You both whine and bicker over who cleans up after.

“You cleaaannnnn!”

“no Toru YOU clean!”

“but I made the cupcakes look pretty :(”

“not as pretty as you <3″

He did the cleaning after that.

Like just stroke his ego with some compliments and he’s whipped with a smug grin on his face for the next 30 minutes.

You decide to save the rest and bring them to his next practise.

Literally on the verge of tears when he sees you beaming and holding the platter of treats, Kiyotani mauls half of them in a matter of seconds to which Oiks gets salty over LMAO.

Hinata:

So excited oh my god he’s so precious please protect him I will CRY-

Has a little sunflower apron on and JBJKNDDDKDW IM SMILING JUST IMAGINING HIM FIDGETING IN EXCITEMENT OVER THE THOUGHT OF BAKING COOKIES.

Yes you decided on cookies bc he goes rabid for some choc chip biccies.

You have to guide him v carefully because of how easily confused and clumsy he is.

Cannot for the life of him crack the eggs without getting a quarter of the shell in the bowl so you have to do it instead.

Has a surprising amount of strength and forearm power bc holy shit boy can stir FAST.

Hums a little tune while he does it and bobs up and down with a wide grin on his face it’s so adorable, he has such a gentle singing voice I can’t-

Attempts different shapes with the batter when pouring it onto the tray but fails pretty miserably lol.

he tried ok???

Once they’re done he takes the tray out of the oven and since it was heavy, subconsciously propped it with his knee and nearly dropped the entire tray from the pain. (I’ve actually done this before when making chicken nuggets I do not advise being that brain dead)

Had to put some burn cream on the bbies knee :’((

When you decided to dig in, he handed you a cookie that looked like a crooked circle and said he tried to make that one a heart and insisted he feed it to you.

Blushed VERY hard at the moment of silence and intense eye contact while he fed it to you.

Nearly short circuited when his fingers brushed against your lips.

Moe moe x100000000000000000000000000000

You offer to do the cleaning after because he hurt himself and you didn’t wanna make him do any work, but he still offered to wipe the surfaces for you bc he’s an angel <333

literally just wanna marry him.

[esperwatchesfilms]

Clue (1985)

This is one of my all-time favorite films. I have no clue why. It might be the nostalgia factor. But I’m absolutely obsessed with it. I’ve seen it a million times, but I have never looked into the interesting trivia on its IMDB page, so this will be fun!

Awesome Fun Fact:

The color of each character's car is the same color as their playing piece in the game, and is introduced as follows: Colonel Mustard drives a yellow 1954 Cadillac Series 62, Mrs. White drives a black-and-white 1950 MG TD convertible, Mrs. Peacock drives a blue 1952 Packard 200 Deluxe club sedan, Mr. Green drives a green 1951 Plymouth Cranbrook, Ms. Scarlet drives a 1946 red Lincoln Continental, and Professor Plum drives a purple 1949 Pontiac Streamliner Station Wagon.

Prof. Plum: It’s frightened.

Something I Already Knew But Maybe You Didn’t: When Wadsworth cuts the power to the house during his solving of the mystery, it represents the point of divergence of the three endings.

Amusing Fun Fact: Professor Plum indicates at dinner that he works for the World Health Organization, part of the United Nations Organization. This means he works for UNO WHO.

Wadsworth: Professor Plum -- you were once a professor of psychiatry specializing in helping paranoid and homicidal lunatics suffering from delusions of grandeur. Prof. Plum: Yes, but now I work for the United Nations. Wadsworth: So your work has not changed. But you don’t practice medicine at the U.N. His license to practice has been lifted; correct? Miss Scarlet: Why? What did he do? Wadsworth: You know what doctors aren’t allowed to do with their lady patients? Miss Scarlet: Yeah? Wadsworth: Well, he did. Miss Scarlet: Ha!

Mrs. White: [after Mrs. Peacock swears that the reason she's being blackmailed is a vicious lie] Well, I am willing to believe you. I, too, am being blackmailed for something I didn't do. Mr. Green: Me too. Colonel Mustard: And me. Miss Scarlet: Not me. Wadsworth: [surprised] You're *not* being blackmailed? Miss Scarlet: Oh, I’m being blackmailed all right, but I did what I’m being blackmailed for.

Miss Scarlet: Well, to be perfectly frank, I run a specialized hotel and a telephone service which provides gentlemen with the company of a young lady, for a short while. Professor Plum: Oh yeah? [pulls out pen and a pad of paper] Professor Plum: What's the phone number?

Wadsworth: The double negative has turned to proof positive. I’m afraid you gave yourself away. Colonel Mustard: Are you trying to make me look stupid in front of the other guests? Wadsworth: You don’t need any help from me, sir. Colonel Mustard: That’s right!

Wadsworth: Mrs. White, you've been paying our friend, the blackmailer, ever since your husband died under, shall we say, mysterious circumstances? Miss Scarlet: Ah! [laughs] Mrs. White: Why is that funny? Miss Scarlet: I see! That's why he was lying on his back, in his coffin. Mrs. White: I didn't kill him. Colonel Mustard: Then why are you paying the blackmailer? Mrs. White: I don’t want a scandal, do I? We had had a very humiliating public confrontation. He was deranged. He was -- [points to head] Mrs. White: -- a lunatic! He didn't actually seem to like me very much.

Miss Scarlet: Why would he wanna kill you in public? Wadsworth: I think she meant he threatened, in public, to kill her. Miss Scarlet: Oh. Was that his final word on the matter? Mrs. White: Being killed is pretty final, wouldn't you say? Wadsworth: And yet, he was the one who died, not you, Mrs. White, not you! Miss Scarlet: What did he do for a living? Mrs. White: He was a scientist, nuclear physics. Miss Scarlet: What was he like? Mrs. White: He was always a rather stupidly optimistic man. I mean, I'm afraid it came as a great shock to him when he died, but he was found dead at home.

Mrs. White: I had been out all evening at the movies.

Wadsworth: But, he was your second husband. Your first husband also disappeared. Mrs. White: Well, that was his job. He was an illusionist. Wadsworth: But he never reappeared! Mrs. White: [chuckling, admittedly] He wasn't a very good illusionist.

Prof. Plum: Maybe he was poisoned!

Wadsworth: He decided to put his information to good use and make a little money out of it. What could be more American than that?

Col. Mustard: You lure men to their deaths like a spider with flies! Mrs. White: Flies are where men are most vulnerable.

Mrs. Peacock: No, I just want to powder my nose. Thank you.

Wadsworth: Sorry!

Wadsworth: The key is gone! Professor Plum: Never mind about the key, unlock the door! [smacks Mr. Green on the shoulder] Mr. Green: [grabs Professor Plum by the collar, throttling him] I CAN'T UNLOCK THE DOOR WITHOUT THE KEY! [releasing Plum, Mr. Green rattles doorknob] Mr. Green: LET US IN! LET US IN! Colonel Mustard, Miss Scarlet: [on other side of locked door] LET US OUT! LET US OUT!

Mrs. Peacock: Our lives are in danger, ya beatnik!

Communism is Just a Red Herring Fact: The line "Communism is just a red herring" is said in all three endings (twice by Wadsworth and once by Miss Scarlet). Not only is it is a pun (particularly after World War II, the Russian Communists were frequently called "reds", for example, the anti-Communist slogan, "Better dead than red."), but it cleverly refers to a MacGuffin (or a real "red herring") implemented by the screenwriters, because none of the murderers motives end up having anything to do with creating political conspiracy. There are various visual red herrings on-screen, such as a hammer and sickle on the shelf beside the torch Colonel Mustard finds, and a bust of Lenin in the attic.

ESE: 125/100

50 +10 for Tim Curry +4 for the dogs +2 for the dog poo shoe +5 for Mr. Green’s obedience (”Sit! No, not you, sir.”) +1 for Mrs. Peacock’s glasses +5 for amazing one-liners +5 for the discussion about why Mrs. White’s being blackmailed -10 for homophobia -5 for The Three Stooges antics when Mr. Boddy’s secret is revealed +5 for not shouting +5 for confusion +5 for most hilarious pairings +10 for secret passages +3 for the ironing board +10 for singing telegram +10 for Wadsworth walking through the whole thing +6 for 3 different endings -10 because the timing makes no sense for Mrs. White to have killed Yvette +10 for Mr. Green going home to sleep with his wife +4 for Clue card credits

[vermilionwinds]

11. Preaching to the Choir

A continuation of 4. Baleful

The Southern Front was quiet that night, save for the chirp of insects and the far off rumble of engines.

The air was like breathing in hot syrup, though. Remeraux could feel it sticking to her skin, turning the inside of her armor into a swamp. Perspiration collected on her shoulders in rivulets, to trickle clear down the small of her back and right between her asscheeks. Unpleasant. She squinted her one good eye (her swollen eye came pre-squinted, and it smarted something fierce when the rubber eyepiece bumped against it) through her binoculars as she made another sweep of the battlefield. Leaning her elbows lazily against the burlap sandbags that made up their post, she drummed her fingers against the binoculars with one hand while the other went to fiddle with the focus. Her gaze settled on a squat little warmachina, creeping over a muddy ridge on its four flat discs of feet. Remeraux always thought those ones looked a little like ducks, at least in the face. A glowing blue lens made for an eye on either side of its 'head', and a perforated dark metal barrel for a beak. It was scurrying a little too close to camp for her liking.

“Nimrod. Eleven bells. Roundabouts… two malms out, I reckon.”

Remeraux’s voice was the first sound to break the silence.

“On it.”

The second sound, another voice, in reply.

The crack of a rifle, ringing a little in Remeraux’s pointed ear, was the third.

Through her binoculars, Remeraux watched the bullet find her target. Right through that shiny blue lens, exploding that glass into powder. It sputtered sparks and blue flame from the jagged impact crater, and like a puppet separated from its strings it ceased to move. The coast looked clear enough, after that. Remeraux kept her vigil for just long enough to check for any moves of reprisal. It was a relief to find that their enemy was fine to let them take a pawn of their own, for the time being. She lowered her binoculars and withdrew for the moment, sliding down the wall back down into their foxhole.

Remeraux fiddled in the pocket of her thick, armored coat for something as she watched the woman next to her take her knee off its perch on the edge of the sack wall, exiting her perfect rifleman's stance. Joining her within the confines of their cozy little pit, she lowered the butt of the rifle, rich woods and dull metals, to the ground at her side. Remeraux found herself having to crane her neck up ever so slightly to look at her, despite how similar they were in height. It was probably because, unlike her, Misija wasn’t leaning against the wall.

Now that she thought about it, Remeraux wasn't sure that she’d ever seen the woman so much as slouch.

“Chocolate?” Remeraux asked, as she produced a foil-wrapped square from her pocket. She put the fingertip of her padded gauntlet between her teeth and yanked the whole thing off. She wasn't fussy enough to not just open her mouth when she'd pulled her hand free and let the gauntlet just drop right to the floor (just a series of planks pressed into the wet earth). Freshly dexterous, Remeraux unwrapped the foil with grimy fingers. She broke off a messy square of the pitch-black bar with a snap, and held it out to the pale Roegadyn, who just gave a nod in the affirmative and took it first into her hand, and then her mouth. The corners of those equally pale lips turned up, just a hair. Remeraux nodded, smiling in return. She didn’t manage to get many of those from Misija, although to tell the truth they'd only started spending time together recently. But, she had taken plenty of opportunities to glance at her: from across the sands of Gangos, from the other side of Utya's Aegis when she was busy with the Ironworks staff and Remeraux should have really been focusing on taking inventory.

Something about the quiet intensity she radiated, steel eyes like searchlights, gave her the feeling smiling wasn’t something she did often. The few times Misija's own gaze settled on her, though, always made her stomach tie itself in knots. It was definitely doing so now. She distracted herself from the sensation by breaking off her own hunk and shoving it in her mouth. It was shitty chocolate, bitter as sin, but it was better than anything they’d had to eat in a while.

“How’s your eye?” Misija inquired, crossing one arm over her other. Remeraux waved her off nonchalantly with her free hand, as her jaws worked through the dense matter. She swallowed.

“Better than his, I reckon. Fer a soldier, bastard couldn’t throw a punch ta save his life.”

The two women shared a chuckle, briefly flashing teeth smudged with dark chocolate. It was funny, Remeraux thought in the moment before the expression faded from Misija’s face like a snowflake that just touched ground. Usually teeth were the only thing that shone white in faces turned to a sea of brown grime, out there on the Front. For Misija, it was the opposite. Grey hair on grey skin on grey eyes on grey lips. The chocolate on her teeth was the only splash of color present on her face.

“You really didn’t need to get involved, though.” Misija exhaled through her nose, those searchlights of hers scanning Remeraux’s face as if they'd find their answers by scouring them from her skin. “My honor is not a thing that needs defending.”

Remeraux rolled her shoulders. She can’t help but inevitably brush against her ears with her shoulderpads with the gesture, they were just that big. The ears, kind of, but mostly the shoulderpads. “Ain’ just fer you. Don’t stand fer that kinda talk around me. Learned ta punch ta get it to stop a looong time ago.” She chuckled, just a few sharp exhales out of her nose, and popped another square between her lips. She extended another to Misija, who broke off one of her own.

“...The Star may have its depths of cruelties, but few of them are novel, it seems.” Misija mused, her eyes appraising the chocolate as she tilted it side to side between two fingers, before putting it into her mouth.

“Ye’re tellin’ me….” Remeraux just sat in the evening's silence, for just a moment. “Ta find it true o’ Bozja though... that was a bit of a shock, I gotta say.”

The corners of those pale lips dropped back down to a line. “Well. Consider yourself informed.” It was a level response, matter-of-fact and cold. More silence. More chewing. Remeraux couldn’t stand the quality the silence had taken on forever, and was the first one to break it.

“...I know, I know. A mite naive, I s'pose” She shrugged, apologetically. She ran her tongue across the front of her teeth, picking up stray bits of sugar. “Jus’... grew up on folk tales, about it. Bozja, that is. From me mum. An’ she was the child o’ refugees, so I guess the truth got a bit stretched in the tellins." Remeraux scratched the back of her head awkwardly, dragging her nails through short-cropped hair drenched in sweat. "But a kingdom under the sun an’ sand… A goodly queen, loved by her people… An’ a 'fine republic' af’er that.” She sighed, looking around at the wasteland of a countryside. What few structures remained, south of the old ruined capital, still half-melted into crystal at their tips, blasted back and frozen in a photograph of the devastation. ”Even if it was over before my time, it was a nice thing ta hear tell about.”

Misija just took the words in, providing nothing in the quality of her expression to act as commentary. “A nation’s truth is never the stories that it tells about itself." She said pointedly, before turning her eyes back on Remeraux. "Judging by the way you responded to those soldiers, I wouldn’t guess you exactly believe in Ishgard, the good King Thordan and his knights twelve, and the mandate of the Archbishop, blessed first among Halone’s Children…”

Remeraux cocked an eyebrow. Misija just shrugged.

“Unless my intuition is mistaken.”

“Is there somefin’ about my face that just screams Ishgard?” Remeraux gave Misija a playful punch on the shoulder, and got another smile, however slight, out of the woman. "Izzit the ears? The teeth?"

“Mostly just your name. Although I’ll freely admit to having no firsthand knowledge of the place. Imperial education may be broad, but it was rudimentary in some areas.”

Another pause for chewing.

“...Imperial education?” Remeraux asked, as neutrally as she could make the words sound.

Misija gave those silvery eyes a roll, and held out her hand for another break of the bar. Remeraux obliged.

“Don’t look so surprised. Basjalsen himself was a Legion field medic for years. You’ll find that many members of the resistance first lived under the Imperial yoke before turning against their masters.”

Remeraux just shoved the last bit of the chocolate bar in her mouth. The bitterness of it made her salivate something fierce. It was welcome relief from how quickly her throat dried out nowadays, in the moon since... since the gassing.

And it was a better thing to put into her mouth than her own foot.

“...What was it like?" Remeraux mumbled the words from around a cheek full of the candy. "Imperial schoolin', I mean."

“It was… a lifeline.” The way Misija looked at her when she said that… it was as if she left no room for argument. As if it was fact that Remeraux had no choice but to accept. “The fortunate children of Bozja enjoy claiming their homeland of old was a bastion of equality… but, tell that to those not born to the privileged few, eh? You were either born high…”

“Or low.” Remeraux finished the sentence. She spat onto the ground. The chocolate in her spittle made it blend nicely with the mud. “Don’t I know it, sis.”

Misija nodded.

“When the IVth legion took control of the country, they implemented a policy of universal education. I was fed, clothed, taught a trade. I can’t imagine I would have survived, otherwise…" Remeraux recognized that look on her face, suddenly less impossible to read. It was a face she'd seen in herself in mirrors. "...It is hard to not be grateful even. For the occupation.” She exhaled through her nose, and scowled. “The Bozja I knew as a girl deserved what it got, in the end.”

Remeraux mulled the woman’s words over. “...Honestly? I wouldn't hold that against ya.” She gave a sigh as weary as she felt, and rubbed her hands together. One bare, one gloved, crumpling the now empty foil into a ball that she continued to roll between her palms as she spoke. “The Brume, they called it in Ishgard. The ‘wrong’ part o’ town, anyways. Cute little name, ain' it?" Remeraux sneered, choking on the faux saccharinity. "An' a righ' brume it was... stuck us wif all the fog and smog an’ run-off from a city that’s far too vertical. Spent me childhood suckin’ up smoke an’ fumes, as our folks barely could afford us bread on th’ table…” She tossed the ball underhand, caring not where in the foxhole it landed. “Knew I’d go mad if I kept livin’ like that, if I didn’t jus’ starve one day. I jus’... I dunno.”

She could feel those words creep up onto her tongue. They were words that were always rattling around the inside of her chest, until they had to try and climb out of her throat. They tasted acrid, caustic, and had grown in her like bile since the day she returned home for the first time, to a life frozen solid. The day she’d seen what had become of her sister. And every day it seemed, at some point or another, she had to swallow them down hard, and they scratched the inside of her throat as they travelled back down.

Remeraux looked at Misija, and something about the way she returned that gaze, as if appraising her anew, made the core of her being flare hotter than the air around them. Not for the first time, the thought of pressing her lips against Misija's own came unbidden to her mind. She could almost imagine what it would be like for the woman to explore her mouth. How small she would feel in the light of the woman's intensity. But now... she bet she’d taste those same words on Misija's tongue as she took it between her lips. And with that thought... for once, she let them spill.

“Ishgard deserved a hell of a lot worse.”

The corner of those pale lips turned up. Just one of them, enough to show a flash of teeth. Like a lion reminding you of the quality of its jaws. Something about the sight sent a new thrill through Remeraux. It was a dizzying thing, to let lose with words she'd nearly choked on and still be met with approval. A hungry approval. And for once, it was Misija to push through the space between them. She put a hand on her shoulder. It was a simple thing. A simple touch. Even through her armor, her palm seared into Remeraux’s skin.

“...We should get back to our posts, no?”

"...Righ'."

Remeraux swallowed, her mouth dry all over again, and clambered back up with her binoculars.

“...’Nother nimrod. Two bells. Jus’ over the ridge.”

“On it.”

Another crack of Misija’s rifle, as her bullet found its mark.

[thegracelessfaceless]

₴ØɄ₦Đ Ɇ₣₣Ɇ₵₮₴ ₳₦Đ ØVɆⱤĐⱤ₳₥₳₮ł₵₴ (₮ł₵₵ł ₮Ø฿Ɏ Ӿ ₦ɄⱤ₴Ɇ ₲Ɽ₳₵Ɇ) 19.

Link to Chapter One! Thank you for reading, I hope you're enjoying it. Do you have any thoughts? Input? An OC that you'd like to make an appearance? Let's talk!

Triggers: briefing of events, "human husbandry"/ mention of procreation,

The room I came out in was not a room I'd seen yet, but then again, that applied to most of the mansion. The walls were painted a soft powder blue with eggshells white trimming. A Louis XV era couch and chairs took up most of the middle space with a danity white coffee table topped with red hydrangeas. The white couch had red pillows. Tasteful paintings hung on the walls between tall white French oak bookshelves, edged with gold paint, which took up the majority of the wallspace. An antique desk made of the same white wood sat at the head of the room in front of more bookshelves. It had spindly legs and was slightly taller than modern desks. Gold painted filigree lined the edges of the desk in ornate lines that were cornered in leaves and flowers. More wood rose from the sides of the desk, creating an effective block as it stretched across the front of the desk, leaving the desktops contents a mystery. I realized the wooden span blocking my view was a sort of bureau when I saw the familiar curve of the top of an antique clock bulging out from the top and heard its ticking.

After I'd taken in all of the room, I turned to Toby, who was gracefully sprawled in one of the dainty white padded chairs. "Please don't tell me that this is your office."

A funny look came over Toby's face and he laughed, a warm, deep belly laugh, "No, gods!" And then laughter overtook him again. I waited as the laughter died down, becoming chuckles. Chuckles faded into giggles and I waited as Toby regained composure, wondering just what was so funny.

Toby finally stopped laughing, wiping tears from his cheeks. "This is- wait till you hear this, it's great- this is Slenderman's office. I've called him here so we can tell him everything."

Mu eyebrows popped up and I wrinkled my nose at the dainty, almost feminine decor, "I guess whatever Slendy likes. But personally? I hate it."

Toby burst out laughing again, barely controlling himself when Slenderman walked in, finally not having to duck under the vaulted doors and ceilings. He still technically wore his suit and white dress shirt, but he'd left its jacket elsewhere, and a light green sweater vest, closer to chartreuse, was pulled over the dress shirt with a matching tie, arranged to perfection.

'Hello Grace, Tobias' he said in our minds as he settled into the tall backed desk chair behind his desk. It was the only modern furniture in the room. I saw now why he used the dainty French desk. The desk's higher clearance accommodated his long, long legs so he didn't have to sit with his knees in his ears or crammed up against the desk's underside. 'Tobias tells me that the two of you have made an advancement in the investigation.'

"Yes" I replied aloud, "Tommy came to us saying Nina had contacted us and she sounded afraid. She said that Jeff had 'brought some new souls'. Apparently, the Little Smiles have been helping Jeff reach a goal of one thousand souls by Halloween."

'A thousand souls, you say? And All Hallows Eve?' He sighed, the sound buzzing through my mind as Slenderman raised his long, bony fingers up to his temples and rubbed in circles. 'I was worried that an occurance similar to this would happen, and it seems I was correct to do so.' Another sigh, sounding like static wind in my brain, almost tickling, 'Tobias, Grace, I am afraid that my little brother has begun the process necessary for him to rise to his full potential. We must do everything in our power to stop that.'

"I've heard Toby say that Zalgo is your brother" I said, "but could you tell me a little more about him? I'd like to understand what we're going up against."

'Ah, yes, Tobias' ever practical Grace' he intoned affectionately 'Tell me the rest of your business at the monastery outside of Forest Lawn, and then I will tell you all about my baby brother.'

Toby continued the report about Jeff, including the part about Jeff's disrespectful remarks about me, and their fight. He didn't miss any details, but he left out the dialogue. 'He wouldn't understand' Toby told me, 'Human emotions confuse him' and patted my hand as he held it.

"And then it started storming" I told Slenderman, "but when I put my hand outside, the wind that had come up was hot and whipping at the trees. And the rain scalded my hand where it touched."

Slenderman nodded, 'Yes, Zalgo is very fond of recreating the environs of his father's realm, the Realm of Nightmares. But, more of that soon. Tobias is there anything else?'

"Yes" Toby continued, "Grace and I returned home. Grace was dealing with the shock of shooting her first person, as well as the pressure of having to shoot Jeff while he used me as a shield." He flicked his hair from his eyes, "After she recovered, we returned to the monastery to find all evidence of Jeff's collection was completely gone. The only sign of our earlier altercation was Grace's bullet hole in the wall. Even the blood and bullet were gone."

I hadn't known the bullet was missing and figured it had been taken because Jeff's DNA was on it, and said as much.

'Grace is likely correct. It wouldn't do for the human police to start investigating Jeffery again.' Slenderman thought for a second before asking, 'What of the storm? Did it persist?'

"Yes" I told him, "In fact, it was worse. The wind was howling and I could hear the lightning streaking across the sky. Then the door came open and Natalie came in. She was scalded by the rain too."

'What business did Natalie have at the monastery?' Slenderman inquired, head cocking curiously, 'Or was she still stalking the two of you?'

"The stalking" Toby sighed.

I nodded and said, "Then she attacked me." Slenderman leaned forward on the deaktop, seeming to study me, scanning for wounds, but it was difficult to say with only impressions of sockets instead of actual eyes, "Don't worry, I subdued her. And threatened her." Slenderman sank back into his chair and Toby chuckled lightly, running a finger along the veins in my inner wrist, tracing them.

'Oh?' Slenderman asked, sounding curious, 'And what did you threaten Miss Ouelette with?'

"Her death" I said softly, "I told her that if she runs into Toby in the future, that she's to go about her business as if she had never seen him."

'And what of you, Grace? Surely she inquired what she should do if she were to encounter you again?' He sounded amused.

I saw Toby smirk from the corner of my eye and he squeezed my hand lightly as I got to his favorite part. "I told her to run," I said seriously, "that if I ever saw her again, or she messed with us again, I'd kill her."

Slenderman stood suddenly and started applauding, 'Wonderful! Tobias, what a beautiful mate you've picked for yourself! I am very proud and anxious to see if you two procreate. Your spawn could be the perfect mixture of love and caring, and cold cunning and practicality. A heady mix, if not the perfect vessel for my mark.'

A black tendril came from Slenderman's back and wrapped itself around mine and Toby's joined hands. I fought not to shake it off, its scaley feeling skin cold. I was reeling from what I'd just heard. Me? Toby? Procreation?

"Slender, I thought we talked about this." Toby sighed, exasperated, maybe embarrassed a little too, "The other proxies and I told you not to just randomly bring up the subject of us having kids, remember? It squicks us out."

'Oh, yes. I apologize, Tobias' he chuckled like he was placating a child, 'My deepest apologies to you too, Grace. Human husbandry is just such a fascinating topic.' His tendril patted my hand and then withdrew, retreating back into his back.

I blinked slowly as my mind processed that Slenderman had called human reproduction 'husbandry' as if he were talking about the specifics of purebred dogs or horses. It raised the question: did Slenderman view his proxies and their "mates" as people, or did he view them as pets, or something like them? The thought was as terrifying as it was odd.

'What do you think enraged Natalie to the point that she felt the need to attack Grace?' Slenderman asked Toby.

Toby sighed, a guilty expression creeping over his face, "I accidentally lost my temper with Natalie" he admitted, "and in my anger, I let it slip that Grace and I recently got engaged. It was my fault that she attacked Grace." Toby hung his head in shame and fidgeted with my thumb, flicking the nail with his own, short thumbnail "I'm still sorry, sweetheart."

"It's okay, Toby. Really" I said, squeezing his hand a little, "You needed some closure and I'm glad you got that. Do you feel better about it?"

"What happened before us doesn't matter anymore" Toby said, "It was all so much like a nightmare, that I'm going to treat it like one. I woke up as soon as I met you, that first day."

That was honestly what had made Natalie so mad. She had wanted Toby to suffer, it was part of her game, her entertainment. It seemed Natalie's favored abuse form was love bombing. She had lost it completely when she learned that, instead of suffering, Toby had experienced the fabled "love at first sight" feeling, and with somebody new. Someone that wasn't her.

I had intended to either scare some sense into Natalie, or scare her off, discouraging her from seeking us out again. I hoped it worked, either way, because I'd meant it one hundred percent when I had told Natalie that I'd kill her. Toby seemed to be bringing out my Machiavellian side. After all Niccolo Machiavelli was the one who said, "It is better to be loved than feared. If you cannot, be both."

'Well, if the two of you have become betrothed, then congratulations on my behalf are in order' Slenderman said and stood to pull open a small cabinet in the bureau of the desk and a tendril came around from his back to remove a rectangular crystal decanter made of dark red glass, topped with what looked like the biggest square cut garnet I'd seen in my life. Another three tendrils reached onto a shelf behind him and brought back three tiny brandy snifters and sat them in front of Slenderman on the desktop. Two of the tendrils hung back, waiting as the remaining one pulled the garnet topped glass cork from the bottle with a quiet pop, and then then tendril that had gotten the red bottle picked up the bottle and poured. The two waiting tendrils scooped up the small glasses and brought them to me and Toby, while the last one picked up Slender man's glass and brought it up to his face while the others corked the decanter and put it away.

'Don't freak out.' Toby thought as the two of us raised our glasses as well and I looked at him for a second, confused.

'Congratulations to the general of my proxies on your betrothal to your beautiful mate' Slenderman said in a Proud Papa™ tone, 'May your union be lifelong, happy, and fruitful!'

Then Slenderman's lower jaw seemed to sink to his chest, detaching and elongating. As it did, my eyes widened as row after row of long, viciously sharp teeth covered in viscous black goop were revealed, and then a long snakelike bifurcated tongue, black and purple striped stuck out of the gaping maw. Slenderman threw the liquor back neatly into it and his tongue curled around multiple teeth individually as his jaw started pulling back up and closed. There was no evidence of a mouth having existed on his head at all. I had forgotten to drink to the toast Slenderman had made, but at least Toby had noticed, and was waiting on me. I quickly drank it, finding that it was indeed brandy to go in the miniature snifters.

'I must beg your pardon, Grace' Slenderman apologized smoothly, 'I realize that me inbibing can be shocking to see for the first time.'

"S'okay" I said hollowly as my mind played catch up once again. Today seemed to be the day for it.

"She did a lot better than Tim did" Toby quipped as tendrils came and gently took the glasses back from me and Toby, sitting them on the desktop. Toby's smile sobered some and he said, "Thank you, Master. That you approve means a lot to me, to us."

I nodded, still holding Toby's hand, "Yes, thank you. And while I'm at it, thank you for the knives. They're beautiful."

'It is nothing, child' Slenderman said, 'but I thought it was human tradition to exchange rings for a betrothal? Have traditions changed once again, Tobias, without my noticing?'

Toby and I looked at our hands, only adorned in black fingernail polish. I'd asked Toby if I could paint his nails when I'd put on a fresh coat the night before as I'd been getting ready for my date with Elsie. Gods. Had the day really been this long? I stole a glance at a clock, 6:45 pm. I sought Tommy out with my mind and knocked when I found him, telling him that Toby and I were in a meeting with Slenderman and couldn't make it to dinner. Surprisingly, he was fine with it, having met a female employee named Myra. They were going to eat together tonight.

"No, we just haven't had time" Toby said, "I proposed in between my fight with Jeff and when we went back to the monastery."

'Will you allow me to gift you with rings for the occasion? As a betrothal gift?'

"You don't have to, Slendy" I said, not wanting to be an annoyance.

'Slendy. I like that one. But Grace, I wouldn't offer if I didn't wish it. Tobias is akin to a favored child to me. I wish him and his mate to only have the best. Please, follow me.' And then he used his tendrils to nudge ys from where we stood, finally wrapping one around a wrist each and pulling ua to the doorway. In the void, he slowed enough to say, 'I know I am late for dinner, Mother, but Tobias and Grace have become betrothed!' and then he pulled both of us through another door and I blinked into the brighter light of the room.

The lighting in the room was actually the same golden oil lamps as all of the other rooms, bathed in butterly light. But that golden light reflected off of a plethora of glass, crystal, or gem surfaces. Glass cases held jewelry spanning multiple centuries of craftwork. Faberge eggs, lamps, crystals, bowls and figurines lined shelves behind more glass cases. Mannequin busts sat with heavy, exquisite necklaces of different shades of gold, silver, and even brass and copper. Wooden chests I'd only seen in pirate movies and storybooks sat on the floor, laden with treasures and trinkets. There was really too much to focus on, my brain going into overdrive trying to see it all and Slenderman let an amused chuckle roll through my mind. 'Come, Grace. You can explore this room at your leisure another time. But for now, let us pick out the necessary jewelry, and return to my office so I may familiarize you with my baby brother.'

Slendy led Toby and me to a case that was long and seemed to hold every type of ring imaginable. 'The more feminine fashions are on the left end. Masculine pieces lie at the right. Androgynous selections are in betwixt them.'

Toby and I leaned over, studying the cases. Toby's was the most simple, once he had insisted that he wear a ring too. He chose a simple band made of smooth black gold.

I thought it would take ages to find my ring, but I saw one, well part of a set, really, and seeing it was all it took. The metal it was the set was made from was highly polished silver or white gold. But the engagement ring of the set is what grabbed my attention. Two large teardrop gems, one black onyx, the other a bright blue violet gem sat situated so they were diagonal from each other on my finger, a thin silver weld connecting the settings, the metal of the ring wrapping around the back of the wearer's finger. The gems themselves had to weigh at least two karats each (200mg). Smaller round gems in the same colors lined the stem coming from each teardrop. As mentioned before, the ring came in a set, two other thinner rings in the same precious metal, one lined with small onyx gems, the other with those vibrant blue violet gems, and were meant to be worn on either side of the engagement ring itself.

(But with onyx and tanzanite 😍 (Victorian engagement ring, circa 1898))

"I think this is the one, sir" I said, pointing at the rings but not touching the glass, not wanting to smear it.

Slenderman viewed my choice and I felt immense approval transmitting from him in my mind, 'Tanzanite and onyx in platinum, stunning, absolutely stunning' as he pulled them out on the display finger that wore them. 'I believe they'll even fit you without needing alterations.' He slid them off and turned to Toby, placing them in his hand along with the ring Toby had picked cute himself and curled his fingers closed around them. 'I will let you do the honors, Tobias.'

Toby came to me and put his ring in my right hand. Then he took my left and slid the onyx ring on first, pushing it to the base of my ring finger. Then he started the second, larger violet and black ring on my finger, slowly sliding it down so it met the first ring. He kissed me sweetly as the platinum of the onyx ring kissed the platinum of the teardrop ring.

"I'll hold on to this one" Toby told me as he slipped the third ring into his jeans pocket. Then he held my hand with your my pressed to it so I could both look at the new additions to my daily wear. They fit perfectly, just as I suspected they would. I'd decided that Slenderman's belongings were all at least slightly magical in some way.

"Your turn" I said, holding up his ring so light could shine through the hole. Toby gave me his left hand, which was much more scarred, as it was his dominant hand, at least for writing. In everything else, Toby was ambidextrous. I slid the ring over his black polished fingernail and slid it to the base of his finger. It also fit his long, thin finger perfectly. "Let's go learn about Zalgo really quick" I said with a bright smile.

Slenderman led Toby and me back towards the door and instead of either taking my wrist or hand to pull me through the doorway, Toby said, "Focus on Slenderman's office. Think about us standing in his office, waiting for you to join us." He gave me an encouraging smile and followed Slenderman through the portal, leaving me alone in the treasure room as the door shut.

I thought about Slendy: tall, pale, and much more compassionate than I'd given him credit for. I thought about his formal speech patterns and his refusal to use contractions, his old fashioned way of speaking. I thought about his ridiculously soft office, his devotion to his Mother, and the fact that he was about to fill me in on Zalgo.

Next, I thought about Toby and felt a pull on the other side of the door. I followed it, opening the door and stepping through. Mother met me in the void, like she had been waiting. Her fog enveloped me, feeling like a hug as I followed that pulling sensation to the door across the way. Emotions, but not mine flitted through my mind. Excitement. Motherly pride for Toby. Curiosity about me. Willingness and patience to find out. I realized that just as Slenderman spoke in my mind, this was Mother's way of communicating with me. She knew I had to go, though she wished I could stay longer, so she wouldn't keep me. I promised her that I would come and visit her soon.

I opened the door in front of me and Toby was standing on the other side in Slenderman's office.

"That was quick!"

I stepped into the room and shut the door behind me, "Yeah, I kinda just... Followed you?"

'Splendid work, Grace' Slenderman, in one of the delicate looking armchairs in the center of the room, 'You are a very astute study. Now, come and make yourselves comfortable. I will start from the beginning, millennia ago.'

[padfootagain]

A Very Rose Mistake (III)

Part 3 : How You Told Your Parents

 Here we go with a new chapter! I know that today is Golden day as the music video dropped this afternoon, but I had planned to post the chapter, so let's go anyway! It just means more Harry for today, and who can pretend like there is something like too much Harry? Certainly not me!

So here is another cute and light-hearted chapter! I hope you all like it! No warnings of any kind!

Please, tell me what you think of this new chapter!

Pairing: Harry Styles x Reader

Word Count : 3535

                                                              I

                                              Holmes Chapel, 2003

 "HAAAA!"

"HARRY SLOW DOWN!"

"I CAN'T!"

"WE'RE GONNA CRASH!"

"WE'RE GONNA CRASH!"

The next second you were disappearing into a pile of fresh snow.

You shuffled away from the sledge and out of the snow to stand on your feet again. You looked for your best friend in the messy white powder, but couldn't see him anywhere.

"Harry?" You called. "It's not funny! Come on, we need to bring it back up the hill. We need to move out of the way or Gemma is gonna crash into us!"

But you were met with silence, and started to be properly worried.

Was he hurt? He could have hit his head on something... what if he had broken one of his bones!? Your friend Daniel had broken his arm a few months before and he had spent weeks wearing this cast around his arm. It seemed very serious. What if Harry was hurt and would need one of these too?

"Harry? You're okay? Come out now, it's not funny!"

And then something coming out of the snow was grabbing your ankle, and you cried, jumping away in fear.

You would have recognized this ridiculous laugh anywhere.

"HARRY!"

He finally crawled fully out of the snow, laughing so hard he had to hold onto his painful belly.

"You scared me! It's not funny!" You protested.

"You should have seen your face!" He replied between hiccups, unable to stand for now because of how much he was still laughing. "And you shouted so loud!"

He doubled in laughter, and you noticed how his lisp was coming back as he wasn't making a conscious effort to repress it. You thought it was rather cute. And Harry's laugh was contagious. These were the only reasons why you were smiling then, because you were still mad at him for playing this trick on you.

"You're so annoying!" You shook your head, crossing your arms before your chest.

"Oh come on! Even you have to admit it was funny!" He replied, eventually calming down a little more.

"Not one bit!"

"It was. It was hilarious. Didn't know you could jump so far!"

You huffed, offended. No matter if you were still little, from the top of your nine-year-old self, you still turned away from him and pretended to refuse to acknowledge his presence.

Instead, you leaned down, as if to tie your shoes.

"Y/N... are you really mad?"

This time his tone was a little more uncertain. After all, if there was one thing that he hated, it was seeing you sad or upset. And especially so when it was because of him.

"Don't be mad! It was just a joke!" He went on, this time being the one who sounded annoyed, when in reality he was more worried than anything else.

But instead of hearing your reply, he was hit straight in the face with a snowball, while it was your turn to be laughing at him.

He chased away the snow dripping over his face with his gloved hand, a mischievous smile appearing on his features as he did so.

"Oh... are you sure you want to play it like that?" He asked, quirking up an eyebrow.

You let out a giggle, shrugging.

"You're the one who started it!"

"Alright, then!" When you saw him bending to scoop some snow in his palm, you let out a shriek and ran off towards the nearby tree where your mother and Anne were keeping an eye on all of you, chatting and trying to stay warm in the cold weather while you played.

"HAAAA! HELP ME! I'M BEING ATTACKED!" You dramatically called the parents, while Harry ran after you.

You got protection by hiding behind your mum, gripping at her long coat, making her laugh.

"Alright, alright! Calm down you two!"

While Gemma was sliding down the hill over the outskirts of Holmes Chapel, laughing on her sledge, Harry was trying to aim at you but you kept on running around the adults. Until he took his shot and hit you on the knee, the cold sensation making you cry through your laughter.

"Alright, calm down! Both of you!" Anne tried to admonish, but she was laughing as well at how silly you and Harry were.

As Gemma was joining the group pulling her sledge behind her, you and Harry were lost in an intense battle, your mothers sometimes getting caught in the crossfire.

"Gemma! Help! Team up with me!" You called while Harry was managing to grab your arm and shove some snow in the space between your scarf and neck, making you shriek.

And the older girl didn't need to be asked twice. Soon enough, both Gemma and you were chasing after Harry, who was now the one hiding behind the two mothers.

"Mum! Help! It's not even fair! They're two against one!"

"It's true that two against one is hardly fair," she agreed through her giggles.

"Then help!"

As she got caught in the crossfire again, Anne gave in and started to participate to the fight too. When she accidentally hit your mum right in the face, she also joined in. And then there were no teams, just three children and two mothers having a snowball fight and laughing too much for their stomachs.

Later that afternoon, you got home to change into dry clothes and get a warm and well-deserved hot cocoa at your place. You reckoned that the last thing you would need to make the day perfect was building a snowman, so you teamed up with Harry to build one in his backyard and make it as big as you could.

"We need eyes for him!" You noticed with horror that he was still missing those as you wrapped your scarf around the snowman's neck.

You had used a little twig for its nose, and Harry had found pebbles for its smile, but you just had the best idea.

"I know! Hold on!"

You ran off to your house and Harry patiently waited for you, placing his beanie on the snowman's head.

When you reappeared, you had two green marbles in your hand, that you planted in the snow to give your new friend eyes.

"It looks nice!" Harry agreed with a professional nod.

"Like that, he has the same eyes as you do!" You told him with a grin, and Harry wasn't sure why he was blushing, but he was.

"I like it," he nodded.

Your mother called for you, and you had to part with Harry for the rest of the holidays as you would both be travelling to see your families during the rest of the break.

"Today was so much fun!" You smiled.

"Yeah! The best!"

"I can't believe we're leaving tomorrow to go to my grandparents' for Christmas," you sighed with a sad pout.

"I'm gonna miss you."

"But you'll spend tons of time with your dad! It's gonna be great!"

Harry shrugged, clearly saddened now.

"Still gonna miss you. It's not as fun when you're not around."

You hugged him, promising to tell him everything that had happened during the holidays when you would be back.

"I'll get your scarf and your marbles once the snow has melted. No worries!" He promised, and you gave him a smile again, but this one was a little shy.

"You can keep the marbles if you want. They really do look like your eyes. Feels like they should be yours."

"You sure?"

You nodded, walking backwards towards your house, and waving at him.

"Merry Christmas, Harry!"

He waved back at you, laughing, even though he wasn't so sure why. He guessed it was just because of you.

"Merry Christmas, Y/N!"

                                                           II

                                            Loch Lomond, 2020

 Seeing your parents in the large hall, you suddenly weren't so sure if this whole ordeal was a good idea or the worst piece of madness that had ever flashed into your brain. But you were leaning towards the second option as you stepped in the room.

You took in deep breaths, and tried to calm down. One quick glance at Harry told you that he was just as nervous as you were.

For a moment though, all your fears vanished as your mother spotted you, her lips breaking in a bright grin, and she moved away from her spot by the window, abandoning the gorgeous view in favour of hugging you tight.

"I've missed you so much, my baby!" she squealed, hugging you so tight you could barely breathe, but the gesture only made you cackle, and you hugged her with the same urgency.

"It's so good to see you, mum!"

"You live way too far away! When are you coming back home?"

"After my PhD, promise."

"You'd better. Cause I'm tired of being alone dealing with your father."

"I heard that!" your father complained, and both you and your mother laughed at him, before you would break the embrace to hug your dad instead.

"Your mother is right though, we've missed you," he told you, kissing your cheek.

Your mum only then seemed to notice that Harry was standing a few steps away, unwilling to disturb your reunion.

"Harry!" she exclaimed, hugging him just as tightly as she had done you. "I didn't know you were invited to the wedding too! I mean… of course Cassie knows you, but she wanted a small venue and very few guests…"

"Uhm… No, I… I wasn't invited. I came with Y/N."

She blinked a couple of times at him, her expression blank, before realization glowed across her features.

But… not realization of what was actually happening…

"Oh, she asked you as her plus one! But why? I mean… it's just our family, you wouldn't have been alone, Y/N! There was no need to bring a friend along!"

Harry and you exchanged a glance, as you freed yourself from your father's embrace.

"No, actually… uhm… we're…" Harry began but fell silent as your father slowly turned to him.

"You're what?" your mother asked, completely lost.

"We're together," you announced as fast as your lips would allow. "He came as my boyfriend."

Harry offered your parents a bright smile.

"Together? What… what do you mean 'together'?" your mother stuttered upon her words.

"I mean that… he's my boyfriend now. Not… just a friend."

Her glance travelled back and forth between the two of you, and you were certain to have broken her brain by now.

It seemed impossible for her to process the news.

"So… you two are a couple?" your father asked, turning fully to Harry, who nodded in response.

"It's quite new," the young man explained. "We just… realized that we both wanted to try to take our relationship a step further."

"I see…"

Your father finally offered Harry his hand to shake, which your best friend hurried to take. You noticed the wince that distorted his features though, as your father crushed his fingers.

"We're going to need to have a talk, young man."

"Yes, sir."

"Dad!" you admonished, pulling him away from your frightened friend, who seemed terrified by now. "Stop it! What are you doing? It's just Harry!"

"Yes… it's Harry. Harry who used to spend entire nights in a sleeping bag in your bedroom when the two of you were children!"

He turned towards your fake boyfriend, waving a threatening finger at him.

"If you think I've forgotten about that day you closed her door when the two of you were 14…"

"No, I promise you, nothing happened!" Harry defended himself, absolutely terrified by now as he took a step back. "We… nothing happened for years, it's only been a few months, and nothing had ever happened before that. You have my word."

Your father huffed, not buying it, despite your friend's words being the truth.

"Oh come on, honey!" your mother forced her husband to calm down. "Y/N's right, it's just Harry. We know he's a respectable young man. So quit the tough act, would you?"

Your dad still mumbled something unintelligible under his breath, but your mum was shaking her head, amused.

"Ha… we knew it would happen eventually," she affectionately patted Harry's shoulder. "And if I'm being honest… it took you long enough!"

"Darling!" it was your father's turn to admonish your mother.

"What? I'm perfectly right, don't play innocent! By the way, who made the first move?"

You looked at each other… you… hadn't really discussed that…

"Well… uhm… I… did?" Harry answered with much hesitation.

"I mean, we were a little… inebriated," you started to explain, but your father quickly interrupted you, glaring at your 'boyfriend', and if a glance could have killed, Harry would have been violently murdered there and then.

"Inebriated?! What happened?!" he snapped, but Harry raised his hands in a soothing gesture.

"Nothing happened between us, don't worry. I would never do that!" he replied, a little offended that your father would think him able to do something like this. "We just… confessed things we wouldn't have discussed while sobber."

"I swear to God, son… if anything happened between you and my baby girl while she was drunk…"

"No, dad, nothing happened! Relax, would you! And even if something had happened, trust me, I would have been wholeheartedly all for it!"

"Really?" Harry asked with surprise, clearly slipping out of his acting role, and it was your turn to glower at him in response. He caught your idea quickly, but you were the one to speak first again anyway.

"Look, we just… realized that we both… wanted to take our friendship to the next level. We went on a couple of real dates, and here we are!"

"Yes, but who made the first move," your mother asked again. "Who kissed who first? Who confessed first?"

"I did," you both answered at the same time, sharing a panicked glance.

This whole thing was a disaster and was just getting worse and worse by the second…

"I mean… I… confessed first," Harry clarified, but his tone was a little too hesitant as he kept on staring at you, waiting for validation, and you gave him a small nod. "And she… she initiated the first… physical… contact…"

"Physical contact?!" your father interjected, and your friend was burying his face in his hands in embarrassment this time.

"No, I mean… she kissed me first. I meant kissing, just kissing."

"Look, dad, please, stop being like that!"

"Oh, so… now I can't take care of my daughter anymore?"

"It's Harry!" you replied. "Can't you trust him?!"

"When it comes to you, I don't trust nobody. And he's lucky we're not alone in this room," he replied between his gritted teeth, making you roll your eyes, and Harry lost all traces of colours all over his face, going as white as sheets.

"Look, you know I would never do anything to hurt Y/N…"

"Son, for your own good, you should stop talking now."

"Yes, sir."

"So… Harry made the first move, in a way," your mother considered your story.

"I guess, yeah. Why?"

Your mother beamed at you.

"Well, that means Anne owes me a 20!"

"What?"

"I was sure Harry would make the first move, but Anne has always thought that he would be too slow with his emotions and you would be the clever one to figure it all out first. So, I've just earned 20 pounds!"

"You… bet with my mum about Y/N and I getting together?" your fake-boyfriend asked in confusion.

"The bet has been on since you were both 14, sweetie!" your mother laughed, making your father roll his eyes. "It sure took both of you long enough to realize that you love each other! We've known for over a decade."

Both you and your best friend exchanged a confused look.

Were your two mothers… rooting for you… being… a couple?

"What?!" you both exclaimed at the same time.

But your mother merely let out a chuckle, pinching both your and Harry's cheeks.

"It's about time that the two of you finally come to your senses! I need to call Anne and tell her the news!"

You both stared at each other with wide eyes, panicked once more.

"No, please," Harry stopped you as your mother reached for her phone. "I… I haven't told her yet, and I'd like to be the one to tell her. I… it's important to me."

Your mum gave him a disappointed pout, but obliged nonetheless.

"Alright. But tell her I haven't forgotten about our bet and she owes me 20 pounds!"

"I will. Promise."

You were interrupted though, by your grandmother entering the hall and calling for you. And both you and Harry welcomed the chance to escape your parents.

"Gran! How are you doing?"

"I'm so happy to see you, darling," the old woman gave you a warm hug. "It's been too long."

"Me too, gran!"

"I'm relieved you could come for your cousin's wedding! I was afraid you wouldn't get a flight. Or wouldn't take the time to come."

"Of course, I came! It's Cassie's wedding!"

"You're spending too much time working…"

"Gran," you tried to interrupt her, your voice full of warning.

"You are forgetting everything else in your life. Including your love life, even though it's important!"

"Gran…"

You had barely said hello, and she was already diving in this topic.

"You know, I'm sure there will be some lovely young men at the reception…"

"Gran!"

"I'm just saying that weddings are the perfect place to meet new people."

"Well, I don't need to meet new people, because I came with my boyfriend!"

Her eyes grew round, and yet a smile formed on her lips.

And you were reminded all too well why you had asked Harry to come in the first place. Some members of your family really weren't interested in anything but your love life…

You silently asked Harry to come closer, and he approached the two of you with a shy smile.

"Hi!"

"Do you remember my friend Harry?"

She gave both of you a suspicious look.

"I do. You lived next door. Always the mischievous type!"

He chuckled, shrugging.

"I was a child, for my defence."

"So you two are together? Or you just came as a friend?"

"No, we're together," you answered, standing a little closer to him.

But she didn't seem convinced.

"If you say so…" she mumbled under her breath. "And is it anything serious?"

"Yeah, it is," Harry nodded with a smile, but again, your grandmother looked at him with eyes full of doubts.

It was hard to tell if she was unsure of your taste in men, or if she doubted that the two of you were together at all. All the same, she didn't seem so happy about the news.

She was distracted by your mother behind you, and you released a shaky breath as she walked away.

"We're not doing so good, are we?" Harry asked even if he knew the answer to his question already, in a shushed whisper that would allow no one else but you to hear his concerned words. "We haven't even talked to five people yet, and one of them doesn't seem to believe us, and another wants to murder me."

"Well, perhaps if you weren't acting so stiff around me, they would be more convinced!" you snapped back at him under your breath.

"What do you mean?"

"You're not acting like you're my boyfriend at all, Harry!"

"I am doing my best! What would you have me do?"

"Touch me? At least a little bit. I don't know, hold my hand or touch my back, or whatever."

"Well, you could do the same, babe."

You gave him a fake smile, before wrapping your arm around his waist.

"I am."

He threw a scared glance at your parents, and indeed, caught your father glowering at him, and he moved away from your touch as a consequence.

"Well, I'm sorry to be a little 'stiff' when your father looks at me like that! Besides, PDAs aren't my thing, in case you didn't know."

You rolled your eyes at him.

"My dad won't do anything, you know him. A lot of talks, but in the end, he's a teddy bear."

Harry heaved a sigh in response, and took another look at your family. They seemed lost in conversation, and judging by the glances they threw at the two of you, Harry guessed that your new relationship ought to be the main subject of gossips.

"Maybe you're right though."

He reached for your hand, and you were surprised that his gesture was slow, a little shy. His cheeks were flushed and he turned away from your family so they wouldn't notice his burning skin. You intertwined your fingers together, standing a little closer to him.

"You don't have to, if it makes you uncomfortable," you reassured him.

"No, it's… it's nice, actually."

"What is?"

A smile appeared on his lips, but he didn't look at you. Instead, he watched as your aunt and uncle entered the room, bracing himself for the next introduction. His smile didn't falter though as he whispered his next words.

"Holding your hand. It's nice… holding your hand."

**************************************************************

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[cheri-translates]

Hi can you please give the spoiler of Shaw's karma card story in which he pin mc down on the ground (it's from season 2) by the way, I'm fan of your translation keep it up 💗

Hello! 🌸 That karma occurs in Chapter 1 of S2. I usually don’t do main storyline spoilers, but it’s a very short segment and I miss Shaw, so...

Basically, MC returns home and finds that the air-conditioning is on, but shrugs it off as her accidentally leaving it on when she headed out

When she’s about to sit down on the sofa, she stumbles into a pile of warmth

Shaw: Hey, where are you sitting?

MC: Shaw?!

She loses her balance but Shaw holds her, and this is where the karma appears:

Shaw: You came back really late.

MC notices that his complexion looks different - his face is flushed and there’s sweat on his forehead. She places her hand on his forehead and realises he’s running a fever. 

MC: What are you doing here? How did you get in?

Shaw: Your password is too easy to guess. Also, didn’t I send you a message?

MC: I was too busy today, so I didn’t see it... no, what are doing here?

Shaw: Power outage at my place, so there’s no air-conditioning. 

Shaw pulls off the blanket. He raises his eyelids, as though finding it funny.

Shaw: Tch, I’m hungry. Hey, how do you plan to settle dinner? Bring me a serving.

MC: You’re sick, so you should go to the hospital now.

Shaw: Am not. Not going.

MC: You’re sick and you’re still denying it. Hold on, I’ll bring you some anti-fever medicine. 

Shaw: No need for such trouble. I’ll be fine after sleeping. 

He lets out a soft “hmph”, and his voice is slightly lower than normal. Yet, the words from his mouth infuriates people as usual.

I ignore his words, placing anti-fever medicine and warm water in front of him.

Holding up the medicine bottle and giving it a glance, insuppressible distaste is written on his face. 

Shaw: Hey, this medicine expires tomorrow. 

MC: Is that so? Then hurry up and eat it today.

Shaw: I’m a sick patient. What if my sickness gets worse if I eat this close-to-expiring medicine? 

Suspicious, I take the medicine bottle from his hands and look at the information on the bottle carefully.

MC: There are still three days left till its shelf life expires... Also, I heard of people whose brains got fried because they refused to take their medicine. 

Shaw casts me a look of contempt.

Shaw: Could that person be yourself?

MC: ...since you’re sick, I’ll take a look in the kitchen to see if there’s anything you can eat.  

MC: Once you’re done eating, go to the hospital.

Shaw: [sighs] Got it. Troublesome. 

Watching him reluctantly lifting up the cup on the table, I turn around and head to the kitchen, satisfied. 

When Shaw sees that the figure has vanished behind the door, he puts down the cup, his lips pursed slightly. 

Suddenly, a wave of severe pain shoots up his brain, as though gripping all of his nerves.

He controls his panting, forcing himself upright. He takes the pill on the table and holds it up to his nose, giving it a sniff.

The electricity in his fingertips quickly turns this pill to white powder, disappearing in the air. 

He lifts his head, once again looking towards the light coming from the kitchen. He mutters softly.

Shaw: I’m off. 

-

When I return from the kitchen, there’s nobody in the living room. 

I look at the surroundings and don’t see Shaw’s figure anywhere. There’s only an empty can of cola on the table. 

MC: This person really comes and goes whenever he wants to...

I release a sigh, taking a seat on the sofa. My line of sight travels to the can of cola on the table, and I enter a trance for a moment. 

I recall the final prophecy in the notebook, recall what he said I had to do right before the end of the world, and recall our farewell at the rooftop.

[Note] This is a reference to Ch 37 of the S1 main storyline. Please don’t ask me about it - I don’t talk about S1 main storyline spoilers at all :’D

That... seems to have happened a very long time ago. 

The path of history right now is really how I said it that day - it changed, but we did meet again. 

Letting out a soft sigh, I retrieve the cup, discovering that the pill on the table is gone. 

This person said he wouldn’t take medicine, but his actions are very honest.

[settersprouts]

꠵ look at me : chapter six ꠵

カレー。

"Oomph." Oikawa sighed, inhaling the crisp, freshly washed scent of the plain grey bedsheets that covered Iwaizumi's mattress. He grabbed a fistful of the fabric, just breathing in the fumes. He heard the faint pitter patter of rain splashing the windows. The sun had long since hidden behind the clouds, no longer illuminating the planet, instead casting a greyish hue over Japan. It cast sort of a miserable feeling; Iwaizumi and Oikawa were planning on hanging out with Matsukawa and Hanamaki after watching the matches, but the plans were cancelled due to the shitty weather. "Shit. Shit. Shit, shit, shit." Oikawa grumbled, grabbing one of Iwaizumi's pillows and screaming into it. "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!"

"That's, what, your ninety-seventh shit today?" A muffled voice wafted its' way through to the chocolate-haired boy's ears, as they were currently covered tightly with the soft pillow. Oikawa sat up on his elbows, blinked, and let his face contort into a pout.

Wiping the tears from his eyes, which hadn't streamed down his cheeks yet, he turned away from the latter, huffing. "Yeah, well. You swear all the time. Why can't I?"

"It's not that you're not allowed to. It's just that you don't." Oikawa felt the bed dip as Iwaizumi sat opposite from him, letting out another puff of air as the green-eyed third year leaned onto his back. Bara arms snaked their way around his somewhat thin waist, reminding him that he hadn't eaten anything, except for the milk bread Hanamaki had bought him earlier today. To prove his point, his stomach growled. Iwaizumi leaned over, propping himself up on one elbow, an eyebrow raised as he looked at his best friend.

Oikawa sighed, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry. Forgot." He already knew what the other was thinking. Iwaizumi's way of communicating with Oikawa was mainly with his eyes. Those little green orbs that stood out in contrast against caramel skin, connected with honey-brown ones, a wavelength passing through. Unspoken words made a conversation.

Breaking eye-contact, Iwaizumi rolled off the bed, hopping to his feet. "I'll get you something to eat. What'd ya want?"

"Milk bread?"

"You're addicted. I'm cooking you some curry." The door clicked as Iwaizumi closed it behind him. Oikawa groaned, flipping the latter off once the door had shut.

Iwaizumi knelt down by the cabinets, opening the oak doors and peering inside to look for a pot. A hand reached past Iwaizumi's, grabbing the pot that the latter couldn't find. "Here." Oikawa handed him the pot, and went to sit on a stool at the island counter.

"Huh. I thought you were gonna take a nap." Iwaizumi started, grabbing the curry powder from the top cabinet above the marbled counters. Oikawa shrugged, stretching his arms out and resting his head on the counter.

"I wanted to watch you make my food. I can't have you poisoning me now, can I?" Iwaizumi scoffed at this, his smile decreasing slowly as he heard Oikawa mutter under his breath, "That and I can't sleep without you there with me, nowadays." A blush slowly rose to his cheeks, and the ace slapped himself with both hands, internally groaning. "What, can't find something?"

Iwaizumi quickly shook his head, grabbing the rest of the ingredients. "No, I got it. Don't mind."

Oikawa nodded, pulling out his phone to pass the time. A finger hovered over the photo album app he had on his phone, and he clicked it, scrolling through the countless of photos so he could start looking at them at the very beginning. The first picture was the one his teacher took of him holding his award from Kitagawa Daiichi, with Iwaizumi standing behind him, a smile on both of their faces. Oikawa snorted, he never noticed Iwaizumi's smile in the photo before.

"What's so funny?" Iwaizumi asked, while stirring the curry together in a bowl. Padding over to the other side of the kitchen, he leaned over the counter to look at Oikawa's phone. The latter turned it so it was facing Iwaizumi, showing him the iconic memory of their younger selves. "Oh, I remember that. You actually smiled."

"What do you mean? I always smile."

"Not sincerely." Iwaizumi deadpanned, walking over to the stove and turning the knobs. "I said that back in Kitagawa, right?"

Oikawa pondered over this for a moment, before smiling and giving him a kurt nod. "Yeah, you did."

"Anyways." Iwaizumi poured the contents into the pot on the stove, taking out a wooden spoon to scrape out any remaining ingredients. "I've been meaning to ask you."

"Mhm?"

"How long have your parents been hitting you?"

Oikawa stiffened, unable to give him an answer. Iwaizumi turned the knob to low-heat, so the curry wouldn't burn as he gave his full attention to the setter sitting before him. "I'm not stupid. This has been going on for a while, hasn't it?"

"Iwa, it's nothing like that."

"Oikawa." Iwaizumi looked into the brown pools of color, giving him a little smile. "It's okay if you don't want to tell me just yet, but I need to know eventually. I want to help you in any way I can." Oikawa looked down at his slippers, unable to meet his friend's gaze. All he could do was helplessly listen as Iwaizumi assured him he wasn't angry with Oikawa for not being able to tell him, and that everything was alright.

He didn't look up from his slippers until he heard the knob turn, and the familiar sound of a spoon scraping the side of a pot. Letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding, Oikawa watched the muscles in Iwaizumi's back flex as he stirred the curry into a bowl, slicing up some bread to go along with it. "Hey, do you want some lemon as well?"

Oikawa nodded. "I can make it." He padded over to the fridge, pulling out a lemon. Iwaizumi nodded, passing him a bowl and a knife.

"Don't cut yourself."

"I know, Iwa-chan. I'm not completely helpless in the kitchen, you brute." Oikawa rolled his eyes, slicing the lemon in half and squeezing the juice into the two bowls. He reached up to grab the salt in one of the cabinets, swishing the bowls around once he had added the substance in. He set them next to the curry that now rested on the island counter, the juice inside settling as it stilled. "Ooh, it looks really good."

Iwaizumi nodded. "Yeah, whatever." He shoveled a couple spoonfuls in his mouth as he watched Oikawa clasp his hands together, thanking Iwaizumi for the food before actually taking a bite himself. Oikawa winced as the sudden motion of him opening his still bruised jaw sent waves of pain through his nerves, but the curry sitting in his mouth and sliding down his throat made up for that.

"Whoa. What did you put in this? It's almost like it's healing me." Oikawa smiled with his eyes closed, clearly in euphoria. Iwaizumi shrugged, lopping another spoonful of curry into his mouth.

"It's a recipe my mother made. It has some herbs and spices that are supposed to relieve pain and stress, so I added some extra into it. It's not too spicy, is it?"

Oikawa shook his head, breaking off a piece of bread and dipping it into the lemon sauce, then into the curry. "Nope, tastes amazing."

"Good."

The two sat in silence as they ate, finishing the curry in under fifteen minutes. Oikawa had offered to wash the dishes, but Iwaizumi sent him a glare before grabbing the bowls out of the latter's hands and started to rinse them himself. As he washed the curry off the bowls, Oikawa collapsed onto the couch, mindlessly scrolling through TV channels. He tuned in to an extra-terrestrial documentary, watching profusely as Iwaizumi continued washing the dishes. Once the latter had finished, he dried his hands and plopped down next to Oikawa, grabbing a fluffy off-white blanket and flinging it over them. Both boys subconsciously snuggled closer to each other, their body heat combining.

Iwaizumi looked over at Oikawa a couple times as the documentary played. Occasionally, when an especially interesting moment popped up on the television, the setter would let out a small gasp between his pursed lips. He did that a couple times, and Iwaizumi couldn't help but grow fond of the facial expression the latter made in that moment. The sheer excitement vibrating off of Oikawa's face brightened Iwaizumi's mood, making the corners of his lips tilt upwards slightly.

⊱ ─ ‧̥̥͙⋅. ♔ .⋅‧̥̥͙ ─ ⊰

"Mattsun, I just don't know what's going on." Iwaizumi pinched the bridge of his nose, Oikawa sound asleep beside him as he conversed on the phone with the other third-year. "I- just- what the hell?"

Matsukawa let out a breath, lips pursed. Iwaizumi could almost see the smirk forming on the latter's face, even if he was about a couple neighborhoods away from him. "Yeah, man, you're completely and utterly whipped."

chapter 7 !

[iforgotmypreviousaccountlol]

Starting Line

Happy Holidays, @carson-asmo-lover 

This is your Secret Santa gift. I hope you like it!

AU: Asmo is a uni student who just moved into a new apartment unit, Solomon is living next door learning how to bake. Every day, Asmo would smell the sweet aroma of baked goods from his room and in the hallways. One day, after a hectic day from uni, he stops in front of the door trying to guess which baked good is being made for that day. The door opens, cue awkward silence, Solomon invites Asmo into his apartment, and into his life.

ASMO

There, there it is again. Asmodeus glanced at his wall clock. Right on time: 2 o’clock in the afternoon. The sweet smell of sugar and pastry permeated his room. His next-door neighbour is baking again. He closed his eyes and inhaled, trying to take a guess which pastry his neighbour decided to make today. It has been a good past-time for whenever he found himself bored on some days when he doesn’t have uni classes. Not that he had nothing better to do, he had to catch up on a lot of schoolworks but he isn’t in the mood to do them right now.

He moved in just a few months ago so he could be closer to school, but now that he enjoyed the new-found freedom that is living alone, he realized he missed the constant presence of his brothers. Sure, having his own place meant that Lucifer wasn’t around to nag him when he goes out to party most nights, or if he brings people back to his place for some night escapades (He never did bring someone over though. Maybe he should.) He made a mental note to go home for the weekend if the workload permits.

“Cinnamon rolls,” he finally said, propping up from the couch. The sweet smell of the cinnamon powder that contrasted with the slightly sour cream cheese made Asmo’s mouth water. He groaned. “If you’re gonna make pastries, at least offer some to your neighbours so we don’t get hungry from the smell.”

Now he has no choice but to go down and buy something sweet to satisfy his craving. He put on a peach sweater and wrapped a white scarf around his neck. He stared at his reflection for a moment. His champagne-colored hair was longer on one side, stylishly swept to frame his face. His diamond stud earring reflected light when he turned his face in a certain angle. “Alright, enough. I look stunning, as always.”

He wrinkled his nose at his neighbour’s door when he passed on his way out, the smell of cinnamon is much stronger in the hallway. He hadn’t even met the mysterious baker, given that he’s almost always out to some party when he isn’t in class, it’s strange that they never even once bumped into each other in the lobby or the elevator. He shrugged and went on his way to hunt for some cinnamon rolls.

 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 Asmo was almost dragging himself back to his condo unit after a hectic morning. He had a 3-hour lecture for Fashion Marketing and he had to pass a 10-page essay on Fashion Theory (which of course, he crammed last night. He even skipped a campus party!) and he’s just about ready to pass out and is determined to take a long nap for the whole afternoon. That would have been a solid plan, except it’s 2 o’clock in the afternoon and the scent of baked sweets wafted from his neighbour’s room and into the hallway.

He stopped on his tracks and inhaled the scent, his brain immediately fell to its routine, trying to discern which ingredients are being used to create what pastry. “Milk, definitely. What else? Eggs? And oh—”

The door suddenly opened. Asmo jerked back in surprise, his hand latched to the strap of his sling bag. He blinked once, twice.

A tall man with silvery-white hair with stunning blue-gray eyes, wearing a black turtleneck with sleeves rolled up to his elbows and white apron, came out of the room carrying a small trash bag. Asmo was never one to be at a loss for words, especially not in front of attractive people, but his tongue refused to make an audible sound.

“Oh, hello. I suppose you’re my neighbour? I believe this is the first time we’re meeting each other?” The man continued, “I’m Solomon.”

Asmo shook off his surprise and cleared his throat. He wore his usual disarming smile and nodded at him. “Asmodeus. I just came back from school, I was just, uh,” he said while gesturing to his unit’s door.

“I see.”

Awkward silence filled the space between and around them. Asmo noticed a faint sprinkle of flour on Solomon’s right cheek, he clamped down the urge to reach in and dust it off.

The fire alarm started beeping causing the two to jolt in surprise. Solomon raced to the trash chute, dumped the trash bag and raced back inside his room to turn off the oven. Asmo stood unmoving to the doorway. He wondered if he should offer help.

Thick smoke came out of the oven when Solomon opened it, he fanned the oven with a mitt. The fire alarm hasn’t stopped beeping so Asmo mindlessly stepped inside and grabbed the nearest flat object (which happened to be a pan of piped cream puff dough) to fan the alarm component on the ceiling. He honestly had no idea what he’s doing. The piped dough from the baking pan fell and scattered on the floor, one even hitting him right on the cheek.

“Oh. It stopped,” he commented, the pan still raised over his head.

Asmo glanced at Solomon who was still kneeling in front of the oven and saw that a bunch of dough pieces is now strewn around the kitchen floor. A solitary piece of dough stuck on the baking sheet finally gave up and dropped on Asmo’s forehead. He blinked slowly, unsure on how to react.

Solomon snorted, obviously trying but miserably failing to hold back a laugh. Asmo flicked away the dough which earned a chuckle from Solomon, which in turn triggered Asmo to burst into laughter.

“Sorry, that was… not funny.” Solomon said in between laughs.

Asmo doubled over. He wiped a tear that escaped his eye from laughing and said, “It kinda was.”

“Listen, why don’t you sit and clean yourself up. I’ll just tidy up for a bit and we could enjoy the successful batch I made earlier. Think of it as a welcoming present.”

Asmo considered it for a moment. Sleep or… this? “Sure.”

Solomon smiled, and started cleaning up the mess.

Asmo pulled out a chair and sat. His rose and gold eyes followed Solomon’s movement. It mesmerized him; the grace in his movements, certain and self-assured. He stared so hard he didn’t even notice that Solomon was already standing in front of him asking something.

He shook his head a tiny bit. “I’m sorry, come again?”

Solomon chuckled. His chuckle sent a shiver down Asmo’s spine.

“I asked if you would like tea or coffee. To pair with the cream puffs.”

“Tea, please. With milk.”

Solomon nodded and proceeded to the kitchen counter to make the tea. Asmo wanted to face palm and cringe. Why is he acting this way?

“So… tell me about yourself,” Solomon said.

Asmo paused. In any other instances, he would’ve already started talking about himself without even needing to be prompted. Why is it that he can’t think of something interesting to tell this guy?

“Why don’t we talk about you first?” Asmo deflected the question.

That earned another smile from the fair-haired man. He brought the cooling rack containing the cream puffs and a tray of tea and cups.

“What do you want to know?”

Everything, Asmo thought. Instead he asked, “What’s your major?”

“Chemistry. You?”

Huh, that surprisingly fits him. “Fashion design. Why are you always baking?”

Solomon sipped his tea. “I promised my little brother Luke I would teach him how to bake. You see, a friend of mine, Barbatos went overseas for a job. He was the one who was supposed to teach Luke. But since he can’t, I decided to give it a go.”

“That’s incredibly nice of you.”

“Thank you. For now I still need to watch videos and study the recipe but I think I’m starting to get the hang of it. Well, except for the incident earlier.”

Asmo nodded. The cream puffs looked so good he wanted to pull out his phone and post it on his Instagram but he stopped himself. He reached for one and popped it into his mouth.

The milky taste and the slight crisp of the puff blended well, it tasted divine—Asmo’s thoughts stopped at the same time he stopped chewing. WHAT IS THAT? It’s bitter and spicy and sour, flavor after flavor assaulted his taste buds faster than his brain can process the actual taste of the pastry.

He looked at Solomon, the latter clearly expecting a comment or reaction from him. Good thing he quickly managed his expression. He smiled, the cream puff still stuck on the roof of his mouth.

He was saved by the ringing of Solomon’s phone. When Solomon turned his back to reach for his phone, he quickly spit out the pastry on his handkerchief and stowed it on his bag’s pocket.

Solomon’s eyes widened slightly at him when he saw him gulped down his tea as a desperate attempt to wash out the aftertaste. “You sure are thirsty. More tea?” Solomon offered.

“I am. Yes, please.” Asmo nodded vigorously.

“So, what can you say about the cream puffs? It’s my first time so I can understand if they didn’t turn out perfect.”

That would be the understatement of the year, Asmo thought. He also dreaded the question. To tell or not to tell? “Do you have any more of the strawberry tart you made the other day?”

“How did you know I made some?”

“Please. Everyone on this floor probably knows what you’re baking every day.”

Solomon chuckled and proceeded to get a strawberry tart from his fridge.

Asmo swallowed, bracing himself. Just a small bite. A chaos of flavors.

He placed his palms flat on the table for 10 seconds then rushed to the sink to spit out the tart and gargle water. “What the hell was that?”

Solomon raised an eyebrow at him. “What do you mean? It tastes normal to me.”

Asmo’s jaw fell when he saw Solomon eating his tart with no problem, enjoying it even. He can’t believe he spent his days craving for sweets his neighbour baked when in reality they taste this atrocious.

“That’s it, Solomon. You’re not allowed to bake anymore,” Asmo said, shaking his head.

“Huh? I thought I was doing fine. I really need to learn though, I can’t disappoint Luke.”

Asmo bit his lip, considering. He sighed. “Fine. You can bake all you want, but never without me. I’ll oversee whatever you’re doing to make sure you never end up making those… those unidentifiable monstrosities again!”

Solomon smiled; in his grey-blue eyes, Asmo saw wonders, and potential, and… a future. “Deal.”

SOLOMON

Solomon checked his watch. It’s Friday and Asmo will be coming over in a minute or two. It’s already been more than a month since they started their “baking lessons.” Granted, it’s not every day; it’s only twice a week, thrice when their schedule permits. But would it be a stretch if he admitted to himself that the highlight of his weeks are the days when Asmodeus comes over to watch him work?

A knock interrupted his thoughts. He should just give Asmo a spare key, he thought while walking towards the door.

“You’ll never guess what happened in class today! So see, I crammed a paper again last night so I almost came late for class. Our professor for that class was Professor Simeon, you know? He’s wonderful but can be very strict so I didn’t want to be late and be scolded but then, on the way to the classroom…”

Solomon’s lips tugged at the corner as he watched Asmo lament about his tiring day at school. His strawberry champagne bangs swept stylishly, slightly messed up by the wind. His gold and ruby eyes sparkling along with his words and gestures. Asmo always looked alive to him. No, not the usual alive as in living. Really alive. Maybe that’s what happens when you know to find love in everything.

“Anyway, what are we making today?” Asmo finished, hanging his white coat on the rack near the door.

We. It shouldn’t have sounded as nice as it did. “We,” he said the word with maybe a bit more excitement than warranted, “are making red velvet cake.”

“All right! That’s great. I love red velvet.”

“I already prepared—”

He stopped because of the irritation that flashed in Asmo’s eyes. He bit his lower lip to suppress a smile.

“Throw it out.”

“That would be a waste. At least try out the batter before rejecting it.”

Asmo put both his hands on Solomon’s shoulders and looked at him seriously, emphasizing his words, “Solomon, I know for a fact that you are an amazing and smart chemist, but you’re hopeless in the kitchen.”

Solomon laughed which earned a chuckle from Asmo. “No, no, I didn’t add any suspicious ingredients this time. I swear. I followed the instructions word for word.”

Asmo begrudgingly took a spoon and tasted the batter.

“Good?”

He shrugged. “Surprisingly.”

It was two weeks ago when Asmo finally figured out what he was doing wrong all this time. Solomon had a bad habit of experimenting with ingredients, most likely because of his chemistry experiments. But even after figuring out what’s the problem, Asmo continued supervising his baking. Not that he’s complaining, and not that he would ever ask the arrangement to be over. He would never admit it out loud, but he liked having Asmodeus over.

Solomon started whipping the frosting with a hand mixer while Asmo stayed close to watch him. It took a lot to focus and not glance on his side.

Asmo said, “Hey, you got a little something—”

His eyes met Asmo’s in time as Asmo’s fingers dusted something from his cheek. They stayed frozen in time for a moment; staring at each other, Asmo’s fingers barely grazing Solomon’s cheek.

The moment would’ve lasted longer if the mixer’s whisk attachment hit the side of the bowl in a wrong angle and sprayed both of them with frosting. They blinked at each other before bursting into laughter.

“Kitchen blunders for the nth time,” Solomon joked.

Asmo pulled out his phone and suggested they take a picture, Solomon let Asmo take their “selfie.” After Asmo was satisfied with the pictures, Solomon reached for a paper towel to wipe frosting from Asmo’s usual immaculately beautiful face.

After the cake cooled, Asmo helped design the frosting. He also took pictures to post on his Instagram. Solomon made an account last week just to look at the pictures occasionally. The photo of the cake earned hundreds of likes and comments in minutes. Well, that can’t be helped, Asmo is a popular guy. Solomon would be too if he actually bothered to socialize, but he found it rather exhausting to deal with people he’s not interested in.

“Hey, could you send me our picture from earlier?” Sol said.

“Oh yeah, sure.” Asmo fiddled with his phone. “…And sent.”

“Thank you,” Solomon replied.

They settled down on the table to eat the cake they made and have some tea. They talked about their days and their upcoming exams. Eventually, the sun started setting. Its golden rays streaming from the window, dyeing the room in a soft orange hue.

“I think you’re okay now, Solomon. Remember to just always follow the instructions and don’t add any unnecessary ingredients to whatever you’re cooking or baking, and it’ll turn out fine.”

Solomon raised an eyebrow. He pushed away the idea that Asmo will now stop coming over because they already eliminated the cause of the weird taste (which isn’t actually weird for him).

“It's a force of habit. I’m always curious so I can’t stop myself from experimenting with things.”

“I guess…”

“Why, am I eating up too much of your time?” He asked.

“Of course not. I like spending time with you, Solomon.” Asmo’s cheeks flushed a bit.

Solomon sipped his tea.

Asmo took the small window of silence to change the topic. “Anyway, I got a call from Mammon the other day and guess what? He’s appearing in a mag—”

“Me too,” he interrupted.

“Hmm?”

“I like spending time with you too.”

Asmo was caught off-guard but eventually smiled. He reached for his bag and pulled out a silver box with a champagne-colored ribbon. “By the way, here.”

Solomon’s brows wrinkled. “What’s this?”

“Happy Birthday, Solomon.”

“How did you—”

Asmo winked at him. “Information comes easily when you have a lot of friends.” Asmo laughed and continued, “Kidding. I’m in the same class as Meph, he works in the registrar’s office as an assistant so I asked him. I had to do him some favours, but eh, it’s worth it.”

“Thank you, Asmo. Really.”

Asmo’s phone beeped, he looked at his notifications. His eyes widened a fraction.

Solomon smiled. He had an idea why Asmo was surprised. He glanced on his own phone, notifications pouring in fast. He clicked on a post, his first one ever.

It’s a photo Asmo took of them earlier. Asmo, lively as always, was throwing a peace sign while winking, his ruby and gold eyes full of wonder; Solomon, his blue-grey eyes a pool of mystery, was smiling a bit, looking at him contentedly. The caption? Best birthday with ‘that special someone.’

His phone chimed, a notification appeared on top of his screen: Asmodeus liked your photo.

[asmileyoucouldbottle]

She’s Only Angel- Osby

It’s been so long since I wrote for them 🥺💕 I got an anon ask on my main blog, @phobidawg to write Oscar and Ruby baking ages ago, but I had ~ no motivation ~ (ew.) Sorry it took so long, but it’s here! Enjoy :D

Reblogs super appreciated <333

Word Count: 1758

~*~

Throwing open the door, Ruby welcomed Oscar in. He held up his bag of supplies, and she whooped, giving him a bright smile. 

“I have very little experience cooking, just a warning.” Ruby cautioned as Oscar settled his bag on the counter.

“Cooking?” Oscar’s eyebrows furrowed in slight worry. 

“Yeah-”

“I thought we were baking…” Oscar trailed off. 

“I told you my mom would be using the oven for bread, so we’d have to work with the stovetop.”

“Uh-oh.” Oscar pulled out the supplies for lemon shortbread cookies out of his bag. He noticed Ruby couldn't help but look touched, even if he was completely incapable. 

She held up the bag, squinting at it. “Maybe we could…. cook them on the stove?” Ruby suggested dubiously. 

“Fried cookie dough!” Oscar exclaimed. He was like, 92.36 percent sure that’s how they did it at the fairs. The salt-and-peppered girl brightened and gave a little hop. “Oooh! Great idea!” His stomach did a little leap at its own, and he ducked to hide the effect she had on him.

With renewed purpose, Ruby took the bag of flour and poured it into a big bowl. Oscar peered over her shoulder, and they were both met with a faceful of flour.

Eyes closed and mouth open in shock, Oscar stumbled back from the bowl. He rubbed at his eyes as Ruby expertly wiped off the flour with a cloth beside her. Noticing him struggling, she turned to wipe the flour off his eyes as well, and he was suddenly struggling with trying not to notice how close their faces were. 

“Uh, sorry- I should’ve warned you about that.” She laughed, cheeks tinged pink. Oscar looked at her incredulously. “That’s a normal occurrence?” He exclaimed. She nodded, and he caught the slight teasing glint in her eye. 

“Don’t you use cups to measure it in or something like that?” He asked. 

“Umm… nope. It’s all just a gut feeling you know?” Oscar did not  know, and he was pretty sure didn’t either. He caught her eye, expertly raising an eyebrow, and she batted his shoulder with her flour covered hand. He jumped back. “Okay, okay captain, whatever you say! Just don’t flour my shirt.” 

“I say…” Ruby considered, before picking up the sugar.

“Incoming!” Oscar leaned back as she poured some into the bowl. It didn’t poof up like the flour, though she still got a few flecks on her lashes. Oscar though it looked kinda pretty. Actually, despite being covered in flour, Oscar thought she looked great. Impulsively, he leaned over to kiss her cheek. 

Surprised, she turned at him with an abashed smile. “Now your lips are all white” She pointed out with a giggle, and Oscar could see her flush a tiny bit where the flour was thinner. He pursed them like a fish, and she giggled again, before giving them a peck. Oscar grinned, incredibly pleased. 

“Focus!” She snapped her flour covered fingers in his face for emphasis, sending a cloud over his nose. He sneezed, inhaling flour as he laughed. 

“I present to you the baking soda…” Oscar showcased the little tin dramatically before handing it to Ruby. She took a pinch and sprinkled it in, and proceeded to take five more. Oscar raised his eyebrows once again. “I can’t tell if that was another one of those ‘gut’ things or actually pre-determined.”

“Well it’s normally 3, but I think I may have added a little more flour than usual.” Ruby explained. Oscar was now entirely certain she did not know what she was doing.

“Baking powder!” She demanded, flourishing a hand in his direction. He plopped the little container in her hand as requested.

“Thank you.” She took two pinches, and tossed it to the side. 

“Now we mix.” Oscar cheered, and grabbed a whisk. Ruby got a wooden spoon, and together they mixed it, bumping elbows and giving each other teasing shoves.

The wet mixture went on similarly, though cracking the eggs was a sight. Oscar gave it a go, and cracked it very well… in his hand. Then came take two, where for some unfathomable reason the yolk ended up outside of the bowl and the shells and whites in  They had to put the operation on hold to pick out as much shell as they could, and Oscar had a suspicion that Ruby was tossing little pieces in his hair when he wasn’t looking. On his third try he managed to get it in with a limited amount of shell added. He wanted to take it out, but after spending 10 minutes removing all the pieces from the second one, Ruby insisted that some shell adds “delectable crunch.” “Hold up!” 

Oscar looked up from where he was throwing out the egg shells. He looked towards Ruby, who had shouted. “What’s wrong?”

“I think we were supposed to add the sugar to the egg mix, not the flour.” Ruby was frowning at the bowls, and Oscar had a sudden sinking fear. “Are they ruined?!” He ran to the counter, desperately looking for a sign. If there was no hope for them, Oscar was certain he wouldn’t survive the heartbreak.

A bit alarmed, Ruby put a hand on his arm. “I’m sure it’s fine, they’re all going to the same place anyways.”   

Together they combined the bowl, with Oscar slowly adding in the wet mix while Ruby mixed it all together. There was a crease between her eyes, squinted in concentration, and her eyebrows were dusty white with flour. He felt a little bit of happiness settle into his chest, just from being here with her.

When he’d finished pouring, Ruby nudged him and gestured to the bowl with butter and eggs.  “This is your chance to show off your impressive muscles.” 

His elated grin melted away into a slight look of disgust. “You mean I have to knead that… like…” He imitated a squishing motion with his hands. 

“Um, yeah.” Ruby looked at him quizzically, and his face was grossed out.  He recognized the twist of her features as they resisted the urge to laugh, and slid the bowl back towards her. She gave him a look, and he felt reluctant to admit that he was in fact a tiny bit uneasy with the thought of kneading the dough. 

Sighing with exaggerated drama, she rolled up her sleeves. “I supposed I’ll have to show off my incredible strength first.” Oscar was more than happy to let her squish the bowl of egg, butter, and flour, and everything else for him, and he could tell that she didn’t mind the chance to exhibit her muscles. Though Oscar was partial to his own upper body strength, he had to admit that she was very fit as well. 

Ruby jabbed at the bowl with the wooden spoon a few times, attempted to mix it with the whisk, and when none of it proved effective, stuck her hands to squish it all together.

Not envying her one bit, Oscar fiddled with the radio behind them. He heard what sounded like a choir, made a face, and went to change it.

“Wait go back!” Ruby called excitedly. Oscar, confused, skipped back to the choir- which was rising in pitch. 

“Ohmyskies this was like my childhood.” She held up a finger, telling him to wait, when suddenly the crescendo stopped. Ruby, and the sudden man, let out an enthusiastic “HEY HEY!” 

Oscar suddenly recognized the song. “Only Angel!” Ruby explained, as he grabbed a spoon and started jamming. “Harry Styles was my pre-teen obsession.” She laughed, a tiny blush on her nose, starting to dance. “He was an old singer from before the Age of Anarchy.” Oscar nodded, vibing. The blush on her nose was also distractingly cute, and he was sad when she turned back around.

“Only Angel- woohoo!” They sang together, Ruby shimmying her feet while continuing to occasionally knead. 

He couldn’t decide whether his spoon was a mic or a guitar, so it ended up being both. Ruby watched him from the corner of her eyes, muffling laughter as he sang out of the rounded part of the spoon while “strumming” the stick. Oscar thought he actually sounded pretty good in the moments that he tried- though most of it was exaggerated for the ‘funny factor.’

The mix was now completely doughy, so she rinsed her hands and dried them with a hand towel while Oscar continued to sing into his spoon. 

As soon as her hands were dry, Oscar threw his spoon over his shoulder and reached over to pull her in a spin. Ruby yelped in surprise, but it quickly turned into a laugh. One hand on his cane and the other in hers, he started to lead some sort of swing dance that was completely inappropriate with the music, but fun all the same. Ruby couldn’t stay steady on her feet for her life, and tripped every other second, but Oscar flawlessly led them on. 

They swung, spun, and shimmied across the kitchen, bubbling laughter and the squeaking of converse on tiles merging with the music. Their eyes met, and faces complete with matching grins, and Oscar felt a rush in the pit of his stomach.

“She’s an angel, woohoo. Only angel, woohoo-” Oscar couldn’t help but agree, as he swung Ruby in a circle. His own complete happiness was reflected in her gaze, as they turned in circles and moved their feet with enthusiasm making up for lack of skill. As the song reached its peak, Ruby tilted up on tiptoe and kissed him. 

Though he hadn’t realized it, this was what Oscar had been waiting for the entire day. He settled his cane against a counter and slid the arm around her back, their other hands still intertwined. Ruby smiled against him, and he was momentarily concerned that he’d swallowed one of Danna’s lepidopterans and it was having a party in his stomach. As the last chords of the song faded out into the echoing choir, Ruby lowered back down to standing, fingers still entwined in his.

Oscar looked at her with a heartsick grin, and Ruby couldn’t help but return it- even as she stepped back. “Remember, we still have cookies to fry!” She announced, turning on the stove. Oscar brought the bowl over to the stove, his step complete with a new bounce. The two of them shared a grin, and Oscar was left wondering by what luck of fate he’d ended up with such a good lot in life.