#i honest to god don't even wanna replay it; ever

[koalas-koalas-everywhere]

Do you wanna hear what I think is my most unpopular PJO opinion? (don't get me wrong, I have some that would get me on lists, but this one is likely the one that would get the least traction):

Generally, demigods like quests.

(Insert booing noises here.)

Let me make my arguments:

We've all taken Annabeth's statement that campers train for the opportunity to fight monsters like the Minotaur to be a sign of how naive and headstrong she is. And... it is, but where did we get the impression that she was also the only one who thought like that?

Luke

Ironically enough, Luke's the biggest proof there is for my theory. Let's see how Luke talks about his quest.

Let’s just say I messed things up for everybody else. The last two years, ever since my trip to the Garden of the Hesperides went sour, Chiron hasn’t allowed any more quests.

Two things jump out here. While it's possible that "Chiron hasn't allowed any more quests" refers to putting his foot down and not allowing the gods to demand any, given Annabeth's attitude (and the likelihood of that holding much water with the gods), it's even more likely that it's the campers who aren't allowed to go. Luke certainly believes that he ruined things for the others by causing the ban.

Then, at the forest with Percy:

I trained, and trained, and trained. I never got to be a normal teenager, out there in the real world. Then they threw me one quest, and when I came back, it was like, ‘Okay, ride’s over. Have a nice life.’ “The heck with laurel wreaths,” Luke said. “I’m not going to end up like those dusty trophies in the Big House attic.”

Let me remind you that Luke is 19 here. There's no way Chiron and Mr. D could be holding him against his will at Camp the way they were, for example, with Annabeth and Percy at the beginning of the book. Annabeth also says that other counselors were in college, lending credence to the fact that, especially when they were older, they were free to come and go.

This is not Luke saying that he doesn't want to be stuck at camp. He's saying he doesn't want to end up on the shelf.

“You’re wrong. [Kronos] showed me that my talents are being wasted. You know what my quest was two years ago, Percy? My father, Hermes, wanted me to steal a golden apple from the Garden of the Hesperides and return it to Olympus. After all the training I’d done, that was the best he could think up.”

“Where’s the glory in repeating what others have done? All the gods know how to do is replay their past. My heart wasn’t in it. The dragon in the garden gave me this”—he pointed angrily at his scar—“and when I came back, all I got was pity.

His complaint with the quest? It was not "my dad used me as a tool" or "he put me in danger" — it was "the one he chose showed that I'm an afterthought to him". It was "he gave me no glory or recognition".

Also, "After all the training I’d done, that was the best he could think up"? Sounds a lot like quests weren't so much errand runs as rewards or shows of recognition by the gods.

But that's not the only interesting thing to happen in that conversation!

Percy

After a while Luke said, “You miss being on a quest?” “With monsters attacking me every three feet? Are you kidding?” Luke raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, I miss it,” I admitted. “You?”

Mister "I never wanted to be a half-blood" himself! (Almost as if characters are meant to change throughout a story... huh.) And let's remember this is Luke he's talking to — the only person he revealed his prophecy to. He has a history of trusting him over anyone else. There's nothing in this scene that points to him being anything but honest.

Putting aside Percy's hero complex that will have him harassing the Oracle so it will give him a quest because he's unable to stand by the sideline as his friends are in danger, how other people have pointed out that Percy was the one to propose and sometimes even force himself into most of his quests — I never saw anyone mention his admission that he liked them, at least the first one. Now, of course, it's undeniable that he does eventually get tired of it, but... to what extent, really? In TLO, he says he's ready to kick back and enjoy himself, but that's in reference to the Great Prophecy. It doesn't have both capitalization and the word great in it for nothing.

Then in Staff of Hermes:

If he was delivering a message in person from the gods, it was bad news. If he wanted something from me, it was also bad news. But seeing as he’d just saved me from explaining myself to Annabeth, I was too relieved to care.

Sure, he doesn't want a quest, but it's still preferable to a difficult conversation with his girlfriend. It's only when they really start to pile up and interfere seriously with his normal life (by, say, making him miss most of a year) that he puts his foot down.

But his is ultimately an unusual case, because others aren't as affected by their own quests.

"Except for how they're risking their lives!" you say, but...

How dangerous are normal quests?

Because all signs point to Percy's being an outlier. For starters, as a powerful child of the Big Three, he attracts more monsters than your regular demigod, and that's without taking into account the gods who hate him for it.

Then there's the fact that Kronos's rise has stirred up monster activity

“I saw a lot out there in the world, Percy,” Luke said. “Didn’t you feel it — the darkness gathering, the monsters growing stronger? Didn’t you realize how useless it all is?"

As well as brought older, stronger monsters out of the woodwork.

"The stirring of monsters." Dr. Thorn smiled evilly. "The worst of them, the most powerful, are now waking. Monsters that have not been seen in thousands of years..."

Not to mention that most of Percy's quests that we've seen involved jumping straight into a scheme by an ancient, powerful titan by the moniker "the Crooked One".

Compare them to The Stolen Chariot. That was... fun, all in all. An afternoon visit to the zoo. Got him out of class early. What if that's the standard for a quest?

However, the biggest argument for quests being usually pretty simple is, once again, Luke. Let's go back to that first quote.

Let’s just say I messed things up for everybody else. The last two years, ever since my trip to the Garden of the Hesperides went sour, Chiron hasn’t allowed any more quests.

So, quests were more or less normal two years before TLT, before they were forbidden, like the chariot races, because it was judged unacceptably dangerous. So, it could be that Luke's was the last in a recent string of injuries (possible — he said himself that already the world was becoming "darker" by the time of his quest) and/or it was considered to be bad enough in itself to justify ending quests entirely. Whatever the explanation, for all the "yeah, we make a shroud whenever someone goes on a quest" rituals, Luke's injury had to have been grisly by their standards.

Like. Not to diminish it, but. It's a scar across the face. It doesn't even seem to have affected his eyesight.

Everything points to...

That your average camper, before Kronos, would have either volunteered or been selected by the gods (probably their parent) to go on quests as recognition of their skills and a chance to earn glory. OH, and don't forget a chance to be a hero. That's important. After all, you don't wanna end up in the Fields of Asphodel because your life was too boring, do you?

TL; DR: The attitude towards quests and even probably the experience surrounding them are much different than we treat them in fandom.

[alitgblog]

volume XI thoughts

I did in fact have access to this on Tuesday and started to play but then got distracted and didn't finish until like 2am when I couldn't sleep anyway (this was a mistake I was so tired at work)

movie night!!! And fun movie night titles!! ofc MC doesn't get her own custom one bc everyone's got different names but my MC is named Maya and with how things have been going I'm pretending her movie title is Messy Messy Maya 🤭

Emel and Oakley both being unfaithful in casa but finding (forcing?) their way back to each other and forgiving each other feels very much like something in the show so I appreciate that storyline tbh

Felicity is too beautiful of a sprite to waste as a Casa girl that only shows up for movie night.

Sienna going "I don't care if it's egotistical, pick my movies" because no one else is gonna care to pick hers 😬😬 id feel bad for her if she wasn't so mean

Hari and Hazel are so cute together but it seems like it's gonna die out soon 🥲 Like I see why if Hazel is panicking and Hari isn't the most reassuring guy and also not completely over MC but aghhh he's gonna fumble Hazel to LIAM. Hazel, not LIAM plsss

Absolutely awful that Liam is so funny bc he's such a piece of shit (awful in the best way, like he's so Messy Mitch from LI UK s10 coded and while I don't like him I appreciate the fun he brings). Saw someone suggest that he could be a late game LI and if he evolves and changes, sure, but a lot is gonna need to happen, otherwise give him a last minute jokey option like Hamish.

I think the thing stopping me from going full in on this Claudia route is she keeps going back to Theo, and not like she has to be pursuing MC 100% for me to pick her but I'm just getting mixed signals with her trying to save her relationship with Theo when they clearly aren't into each other anymore but there are plenty other people around.

Not on a Theo route and haven't talked to him but ngl his little video clip was cute like I almost jumped ship to be messy but nahh. I wonder how that's like if you're actually pursuing him though like does it feel like pay off or shock or reassurance or anything.

very nice they had Jin spell it out to Sienna in front of everyone. like kind of mean, but if it was gonna happen at any time, Movie night is definitely the time to do it.

Like even MC's movie clip playing, first of all was just if she slept with someone in casa I think (which, it's fair enough considering the game's limitations but I was missing all the other times she hoed around). So for my MC it was with Claudia, and Claudia barely has a response to it. And so I'm kinda just going towards the character actively pursuing and paying attention at this moment and it's Jin.

I guess MC was honest to Jin so he didn't mind the movie night thank God but also I want to replay to see the drama unfold. but in my head for some reason he'd be shocked it was Claudia bc she didn't say anything and like it'd be one thing if it was someone she just met like Max who she's been friendzoning ever since but another thing for it to be her best friend in the Villa. but alas, that is a large amount of branching and coding and dialogue to write so I'll let it slide.

a recoupling so soon after?? it's not like the season feels too rushed, but like I mentioned before, the pack in so many things in each volume you don't get much of a chance to chill out with the characters and pretend it's a vacation for your character lol

the problem with me playing early is I'm so curious how everyone else's game went. like is it only your OG LI or Casa Boy that can pick you?? And the chat you have with your partner after, does that lock your route because after this I feel there was a little bit less attention on MC from the other LI's (which I don't mind, so they can have their own stories now, but I wanna knowwww)

Shower scene, Sienna throwing another fit one last time for good measure

But now MC is back with Jin and they have all the cutesy interactions again yay

And then we have no rest in the morning, just straight into a DAYTIME heart rate challenge??? I just think this challenge should always happen at night idk

I forked over the gems for the cowgirl outfit (partly bc the mermaid dress was awful and bc my MC has red hair so I wasn't gonna make her dress like Ariel) but i wish there was a costume that was free instead of just your partywear dress? Like it can be a shitty costume but I understand people not wanting to pay gems for one outfit for one night of the game.

Hazel's outfit though 🥵

Such a minor detail, but I do love that despite her being so awful to MC, that Sienna canonically is a very conservative dresser. like we all see her churchy outfits. and I think maybe she's a little insecure about her body and stuff. that being said, the dialogue she has when she's in costume about feeling confident, and her costume isn't super revealing, and the girls being shocked at her dance, is all very good to have. like it's nice to have that type of character around and the fact that she's also the villain rn? she contains multitudes (or I'm reading into it too hard 😂)

mentioned briefly before but Hazel and Liam??? tf??

And now Claudia and Bea flirting with each other? Okayyy I mean my fingers are crossed so here's hoping they find each other if not MC. and they have a lot in common but feel like different characters so like pls let them be together (I say this as someone every few months posting about how it shouldve been Cora and Angie not friendzoned Oliver and Angie in the s4 finale)

ok but his entrance feels so overshadowed by other things going on though like I feel like he didn't get a chance to really bombshell to the point where I think he should've been introduced next volume instead. like have him have a normal bombshell entrance with dates or smth, then maybe when they're all chilling the next day and getting to know him someone brings up he missed heart rate challenge and they suggest he dances for the characters he's most interested in, if we really wanted to get his messy entrance in.

Two unfortunate things are true in my mind: Logan is very attractive (at least when he's got the hat on) and also he looks like Liam 🫣

depending on how this goes my MC may be hoeing around one last time

cliffhanger being the challenge results is lame

am i,,,, actually excited to replay this season 🫣

[arcanistvysoren]

why andromeda did not feel like a Mass Effect game to me

So I finished ME:A, and around me I see people enjoying the hell out of it. And I hate to be a downer, but I am also bursting at the seams with opinions, so I feel compelled to share my thoughts and be a voice of dissent, because my own experience with the game has been generally underwhelming and disagreeable.

The fact is: I was really looking forward to Andromeda. I was giving them the benefit of the doubt and looking forward to the change in status quo. The problem is: they didn’t sell me the galaxy.

ME:A feels like the illustration to the “look at it, it’s got anxiety” meme. Because, “you fucked up a perfectly good galaxy is what you did.” The only reason we’re in Andromeda is because they’ve made terrible writing choices that have been rehashed a million times by now, but I guess it’s time to bring it up again: the three color-coded endings. That split the galaxy into three alternate futures, so you can’t feasibly continue your franchise here, unless you admit to the fuck-up and say, this ending is actually the only canon one, and we’ll continue on with it. And they didn’t do it. They stuck by their color-coded endings, and instead transposed the entire narrative not only 600 years into the future, but also into a different galaxy altogether, effective cutting themselves off from Milky Way.

Except. They also cut themselves off from 90% of their own lore.

The Milky Way galaxy had a rich history spanning for centuries. We’ve spent years setting it up, curing the genophage, and helping the quarians settle on Rannoch, and both these all-encompassing problems that concerned entire species were introduced as barely anything back in ME1 where it was just part of their cultural background, nothing to be done about it. And by ME3 it was a cathartic resolution for two races. It was poignant. It mattered.

And I wanna see them settle Rannoch with the geth. I wanna see the krogan flourish on Tuchanka. I wanna finally visit Palaven and walk on Thessia when it’s not in ruins. I miss places we’ve visited. I miss the elitist corruption of Illium that pretends it’s classy, and I miss the unabashed, unashamed depravity of Omega that doesn’t pretend it’s anything it’s not. I wanna see more. I miss knowing all the clusters, and opening the galaxy map, and you have a new mission, and that moment of recognition, of “Oh, it’s Argos Rho, I recovered Wrex’s armor there in ME1, and now I’m fighting a geth dreadnought in ME3.”

The Milky Way galaxy had an impossibly intricate history that is important to me. The symbiotic relationship between the hanar and the drell, and the symbiotic relationship between the volus and the turians, and how it affects them culturally, and politically, and financially. There were volus tycoons, and salarians and their STG and how many secret missions they undertook, and asari justicars, and asari monasteries, and asari matriarchs, and all of the turian legions, and all of the Spectres and their shadow assignments, and the human colonies, and the battles between the Citadel space and the Terminus systems. There was a plethora of cultural lore to expand upon.

And it’s gone. It’s buried. Because the devs are never going back to the Milky Way, and they took all of that amazing lore, and just tossed it aside, and for what? The Andromeda is empty. The angara have virtually no history: most of it has been lost to the war with the kett, and they have been recently biologically engineered, so there is barely any history there to begin with. There is no political weight there, no historical weight, it’s just barren. All the races, all the species exist as blankslates. There’s no more turian military, no more krogan wasteland, no more salarian espionage, no more volus financiers, no more asari dominating over other races by sheer political power and their centuries-spanning age. And that was the part that mattered to me, personally. That was the part that made it a Mass Effect universe, and just plucking all the races and transporting them into another galaxy doesn’t cut it, because it’s not a Mass Effect game to me anymore. It may be the same species, but it’s a world state that I, personally, don’t care about. And I’m not telling anyone else not to care, heavens forbid. But I feel robbed of the world that was rich and good. And there is a fair amount of stuff in the game I might have cared about, but against this empty backdrop that doesn’t tie in any way into the history I loved I find myself completely disinterested and unengaged. And, idk, maybe somebody out there feels the same.

[king-of-knives]

Lonley

To be honest,

I've always felt this kinda lonely,

Even when everyone is here,

I've felt this kinda non-belongingness all the time.

Then why does this feel so unbearable this time.

I feel like my isolated self again,

Feels like I'm trapped inside a glass box,

Feeling more than just blue this time,

I wanna sit in corner and watch the life pass by,

And rot to ashes in this glass box,

Replaying the memories of you up in my head.

Even tho I hated being held,

Oh my lord I love the way you hugged me,

I miss the way you'd kiss my head,

And touched my hair,

Even tho I hate it when someone else does it.

I'm sick of myself,

I don't eat more than half of what's on my plate,

I don't laugh like I used to,

I hate myself,

How could I didn't see it all,

I let it be I let it be,

Now I'm attached and it's ruining me.

I hate myself,

I hate myself,

I hate my heart,

What a stupid fucking moron!!!

Now I've headaches again,

Now I feel nauseated again,

Now I feel insomniac again,

It took a fucking year to rid of it all,

And you crashed it all in just two and half months.

I lost myself,

I lost myself,

I lost my heart,

I'm such a fucking moron.

Now I'm lonely again,

Feeling more than just lonely again,

I built up a bad addiction which was called you,

And now at the sight of you,

I'm left shaking,

Can't breathe,

Can't Can't live.

Oh I've never felt this dead inside before,

And thank fuck my mind started working,

And I stopped listening to my fucking moron heart,

Fuck I would've ruined myself again,

For you for you,

In the madness of keeping you.

And now sitting in the corner of my room,

Numb and sick,

My friends tell me I'll be fine,

I tell them I'll be okay,

We are all lying,

To ourselves and each other.

I'm never believing in someone again,

Never fucking ever,

I hated love,

I hated it and I knew why,

And the world proved me right.

And now I'm a different level of lonely again,

Cuz I believed all the fairy tales you fed me,

And like always i saw the broken picture,

Which you didn't see,

Like how they didn't see,

God I've a type and it's all wrapped up in toxic.

Now I'm lonely,

Completely lonely,

I don't wanna leave this lonely this time.

-s.b.

[nebula-jazz]

Where Dreams Lie Part II

Note:

I'm going to be completely honest... I was going to leave it as a one shot but my friends wanted more so I am here to provide. I listened to Grace by Luis Capaldi on loop as I wrote this. So I highly suggest listening to it as you read. Enjoy. P.S this will be continued to at least three to five parts. And yes I slipped a few lines in.

Leonardo X reader

He didn't quite remember when he finally gathered himself back up and slunk down into the sewers. Sometime in the middle of the night he had saw you go back to sleep. It gave him comfort that you wee safe. Safe from him. Safe from the danger that you so willingly would put yourself through if you hadn't been hit with the intense amnestic that The Foot had been working on.

He saw Donnie watch him slink into the kitchen.

"You should just bring them back. Eventually it will wear off-"

"And they will remember how much of a monster I am. Raph had better control under the influence than I did." Leo cut him off aggressively. Donnie flinched.

Leonardo honestly felt bad. Ever since the last major attack from the Foot he had been more hostile. Normally he was the one to keep a cool head as he was the leader. But a button had been pushed and none of the brother knew how to bring their calm brother back.

They actually acted like they stood on eggshells around him. The only thing that would both calm and anger him was you. So they would often suggest him to watch you go to school. But only Donnie ever suggested you to be brought back.

There were only a couple of instances where the other two would worry for his life but Splinter would often step in as well saying that the eldest brother was acting foolish and out of control.

So Leo let out a anger filled huff and when to make his drink. He avoided tea now. It never tasted right anymore. He could never get the right amount of honey or milk that you would put in. So he settled with coffee. It was bitter and made his stomach churn and often cause headaches after an extended time without it but it sufficed. It didn't remind him of you.

I can't seem to drown you out long enough.

He avoided the mediation room unless Splinter flat out told him to go and would sit with him, something he hadn't had to do since he was a toddler as it usually was Leo's safe place.

Leo drank the scalding hot coffee quickly before rushing out of the lair into the dark morning, leaving your worn book behind. Donnie picked it up and slowly flipped through it as Raph and Mikey warily walked into the makeshift kitchen. Donnie saw the notes and dogears that you had left behind in black ink and Leo's responses in a light blue.

I fell victim to the sound of your love.

He sighed and looked at his brothers. Mikey looked down and away as if he was at fault for something and Raph shook his head bitterly before leaving quickly and to his gym.

I got nothing but you on my mind.

You had now started searching the web for humanoid Turtles on the streets that mostly were associated with blue. You came up with sparse descriptions and even fewer writings on them, all of them taken down for fake news by the New York police. Irritation now settled into your stomach as you looked and came back with nothing for your time. You were certain that there had to be something.

Don't wanna let the pieces fall out of place.

You were sure that, that dream was not a dream and was a memory. I couldn't have been just a dream. You weren't going to allow it. After endless hours of searching you found a hint in one of April's old writings. Mentioning that there were vigilantes in the cities that she was certain were not human.

The article provided blurry pictures and other grainy photos that most critics called photoshopped and a hoax. But to your sleep deprived and desperate brain you it was proof. A little bit of light at the end of the endless and painful tunnel. And you were running, running and grasping for that light. Begging it to come to you. You smiled as you stared at the rain coming down heavily.

When night fell and the rain had stopped you grabbed what few supplies you needed and shoved them into a a raggedy backpack that your family said that you would take every time you left for the weekend. The supplies included an extensive diary of all of your dreams/memories, a detailed drawing of the person that you often called 'Leo' in your dreams, and other essentials.

'til I found salvation in the form of your....

You ran through the streets, the slash from puddles were soaking the cuffs of your jeans. The hoodie barely protected you from the chill of the night and the fresh rain fall.

I'm not ready to be just one of your mistakes.

You stopped in front of a very familiar tunnel. It was a passage that you walked down many times in your memories. You bit your lip as you dug out a flashlight and walked down the tunnel. Searching.

"I can't be wrong. Please..." Was the small prayer that you mumbled as you entered.

I was just a breath removed from going to waste.

You heard a familiar sound of footsteps. You swore how many times you replayed the sound in your dreams and waking you could recognize it from anywhere.

You held your breath as you felt as every cell in your body was anticipating him to come around that small corner.

Are we too wounded now to ever come down?

You saw him step around the corner and you nearly burst into tears right then and there.

"I was right!" was your choked out response. He finally looked in your direction and you melted seeing the piercing blue eyes from your dreams.

Your grace...

He looked confused as to why you were there. You wanted to run into his arms and feel as safe as you did in your memories.

"I remembered! Albeit fractured and full of holes I remember you Leo."

Your grace....

You didn't know what reaction you expected when you found him. But it certainly wasn't anger. Anything but anger. You dealt with anger on a daily from your Mother and classmates. But you scrambled in your fractured memory

He stormed up to you and growled.

"Why are you here?"

You felt your heart stop for a split second as you stared up at him at a loss for words.

"Answer me!" Was the loud shout. You yelped and flinched, stumbling away from him.

"For you..." Was the whimpered reply.

I'm not ready to be just another one of your mistakes.

"Why." you could hear his teeth grind together. That one memory of those blue eyes soft like a gentle sea and those large hands, now clenched into fists, held your face so lovingly and stroked your cheeks.

"Because I thought.." You breathed out in a scared whisper.

Don't wanna let the pieces fall out of place.

"Do you ever remember me loving you?" He bellowed. his voice hurting your ears and you coved your ears as he did.

'til I found salvation in the form of your....

"No.." You spoke softly as if speaking to your very angry ex stepfather. walking on eggshells. you voice still begging. You knew what was coming next. God please no. Your inner voice plead.

Don't take it away.

"Good. Because I. Never. Did." He spat. Your heart broke into little pieces along with that vision of that loving smile. Broken like glass with a sledgehammer. The sound of tinkling of those broken shards played in your ears like a sad music box. Silence along with your tears filled the space between the two of you.

Salvation in the form of your grace.

"Y/N?" was a call from down the tunnel. You looked up and saw a vaguely familiar turtle with a purple bandana. Not wanting him along with Leo to see you so broken you turned on your heel and ran. Leaving the dropped flashlight and backpack behind.

"Y/N!" was the desperate call behind but you didn't stop, and you didn't hear pursuit.

Your grace!

Leo knew what he did was wrong. He knew as Donnie yelled at him. A temporary heartbreak would heal soon. You were safe from him and the Foot now. He ignored Donnie as he headed back to his room. He would leave you alone now. That was for the best.

Don't take it away.

[h0rnyshakespeare]

Good morning/evening/night ❤

If you don't mind could you do a denki x shinsou oneshot where they go on a date to watch a movie And for brunch (with jirou caz denki was too scared to go alone with shinsou) And he's very conscious about how he looks and stuff

Later during brunch denki obviously starts flirting with shinsou, shinsou flirts back as well and jirou is just confused why denki thinks shinsou doesn't like him back

And later jirou leaves them and encourages denki to confess to shinsou

then denki asks shinsou if he wants to have ice cream in the park and while they're in the park he's just like hey I have something to tell you and he tires his best to confess to him but in the end he's just too scared of being rejected and loosing his friendship with him

So they go back to the dorms and denki says good night and then shinsou just kisses him and says "I like you" and just runs away

Denki is just completely dumbstruck for the whole night then he gets ready to bed and gets a message from shinsou saying "sleep well I'll see you tomorrow 💜💛 "

Also if you don't ship denki with shinsou it's completely fine just ignore this <3

Have a nice day 😊

His Pikachu

Pairing: Hitoshi Shinsou x Denki Kaminari (implied MomoJirou)

Genre: Fluff

Word Count: 952

Warnings: none

A/N: I live for shinkami, dear anon😌💜💛Also, I changed it up a bit so Denki texts Jirou for advice rather than her thirdwheeling if that’s ok with you. Hope you enjoy!

Denki paced around outside the Heights Alliance entrance, feeling extremely nervous. He pulled out his phone to distract himself.

Denki: I can’t do this

Jirou: Don’t be an idiot, I’m sacrificing my chill time for u

Denki: Have I told u how much I love u

Jirou: Tell that to Shinsou

Denki: Oh no Shinsou

Jirou: Relax dummy. he obviously likes u

Denki: What if I go into whey mode??!!!

Jirou: He’s seen u in whey mode b4

“Kaminari, I hope I didn’t keep you waiting,’ a familiar voice spoke, startling him. “Oh, uh, hey, Shinsou! Yeah, of course not, I just got out,” Denki said. “We should get going, don’t wanna miss the movie!” “Yeah. I was surprised you were into horror, to be honest,” Shinsou replies as they started walking, the cinema only being a few blocks away. Denki chuckled nervously. In truth, he got scared pretty easily from horror movies but since Shinsou was a fan he did not mind going to see one. “Yeah, it’s cool I guess.” “You sure you won’t get scared though?” Shinsou smirked. Denki shoved his arm playfully. “I’m a hero-in-training! Of course I won’t.”

Denki’s words backfired on him at the first jumpscare. He clung to Shinsou’s arm impulsively, popcorn spilling all over their laps. Shinsou smirked at him lazily. “You good?” Denki let go of him just as quickly as he had grabbed on, almost as if he had (ironically) been electrocuted. “Y-yeah! I’m good! Pfft, that was nothing.” Shinsou shrugged. “Ok.”

Denki: I grabbed onto Shinsou like 10 times during the movie help

Jirou: If he’s still with u rn he was prolly fine with it

Denki bit his lip, feeling self-conscious. Why had Shinsou decided to go on a date with him? Did he even consider it a date? Was it just out of pity? “Hey, there’s a great brunch place nearby. Wanna grab something to eat?” Shinsou asked, breaking his train of thought. Denki smiled at him, putting his phone away. “Sure!”

They arrived at the diner Shinsou was talking about, sitting together in a booth, talking about nothing in particular as they waited to order. Denki, being ever the flirt, could not help but throw some pickup lines towards Shinsou, who, much to his surprise, flirted back, causing his heart to do little leaps in his chest. After they ate, Shinsou excused himself to the bathroom while Denki texted Jirou in the meantime, giving her an update.

Denki: Holy shit he flirted back

Jirou: Wow shocker

Denki: Why must u be so sarcastic

Jirou: :)

Denki: I really like him tho tbh

Jirou: I’m gonna leave now

Denki: wAIT WHAT NO DONT GO-

Jirou: Why? U didn’t text me for like two hours straight

Jirou: U got this

Jirou: Now I’m gonna leave, I miss Momo

Jirou: Pay for his food too ;)

Denki: Thanks Jirou 😭

Jirou: Anytime u idiot<3 don’t forget to confess

Denki found himself grinning stupidly. “I’m definitely going to confess to Shinsou today,” he thought to himself. He saw Shinsou returning from the bathroom and stood up. “Wanna go get ice cream?” “We need to pay for our food first, though,” Shinsou reminded him. Denki smirked. “The bill has been covered by yours truly.” Shinsou’s eyes widened. “I was gonna split it with you.” “No, no, it’s fine. Now let’s go get ice cream!” Denki smiled, causing Shinsou to grin along with him.

Denki and Shinsou sat on a bench in the park, eating their ice cream in comfortable silence. Shinsou had insisted on paying for Denki’s as well as payment for brunch. Denki had protested, but then found out how stubborn Shinsou was and had given up.

“How’s your ice cream?” Shinsou asked, breaking the silence. “It’s really good,” Denki replied, his mind a mess as he tried to come up with words to tell Shinsou how he felt. He took a deep breath. “Just go for it, you idiot.”

“Hey, Shinsou?”

Shinsou hummed in response. Denki’s palms started sweating. “Um, I just wanted to say…” His voice trailed out as he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. “I, uh, I had fun today.” “Goddammit.”

Shinsou broke out into a rare grin. “Yeah, me too.” “Really?!” Denki yelled, sounding much more excited than he had planned on. Shinsou chuckled. “Yeah. We should probably start heading back, though.” Denki sighed as he checked the time. “Yeah, you’re right.”

Shinsou insisted on walking Denki back to his dorm, which he secretly enjoyed. They stood in front of the entrance, gazing at each other. Shinsou cleared his throat. “Um, thanks for today,” he said, smiling softly. “I enjoyed it.” Denki was processing the fact that Shinsou was actually smiling before answering him. “O-oh right, me too!” he managed to stutter, causing Shinsou to chuckle. “Alright, then, good night!” Denki said, turning to go in, when a hand on his shoulder prevented him. “Shinsou-?” was all Denki managed to get out before Shinsou silenced him by placing his lips upon his. Denki’s eyes widened in shock, before he sighed with satisfaction, melting into the kiss. Shinsou pulled away reluctantly. “I like you, Denki,” was all he said before running away, leaving Denki dumbstruck. “He... he likes me? Holy shit he kissed me oh my god-” Denki was so excited he nearly short-circuited himself. He walked to his dorm room in a daze, trying to believe what had happened. A ‘ping’ from his phone snapped him out of his dreamlike state.

Shinsou: Sleep well pikachu boi. I’ll see u tomorrow🖤

Denki: You too! I’ll see you<3

Both boys grinned at the other’s message before going to bed, replaying the day’s events over and over in their heads.