#i was like okay i gotta focus like extra for a second

[bookwyrminspiration]

sat down like okay. gotta be serious for a second to figure out this kink in my story. it might be annoying, it might take some effort, but it's crucial for the end result. and then 30 seconds in I realized I'd actually worked it out a few days ago

[channieschaoscorner]

New Beginnings - Part Two - Stray Kids x female!9th member

Pairing: Chan x Reader

Summary: You’ve made it to the survival show with your best friend but things are changing. You're friendship is turning into something else and its becoming something neither of you can understand.

Genre: Full on angst (I’m so sorry) 💔

A/N: You guys I need to apologise in advance for this one. No joke, I cried at one point writing this. I feel a little bit evil after the first part was a happy ending by my standards.

I also have like 4 more parts planned out for this so it’s turning into its own series (yay for me, not for your feelings.) I really hope you like it and again I’m so sorry but love you all lots 💕

Part one

Part Three

Masterlist

────୨ৎ────

The practice room clock blinked 1:42 AM. The rest of the group had long since gone home, too exhausted to keep going. You on the other hand were still there as per usual. You were sitting on the floor, rewinding a part of the track, while Chan sat nearby, notebook in his lap, tapping his pen against the page. He’d come in a little while ago, claiming the excuse of needing a change in scenery.

“Alright,” you said, standing and stretching. “I’ve got five more counts to fix. You still stuck on that bridge?”

“No…” Chan scoffed, even though he was absolutely still stuck on that bridge. “I’m almost done.”

“Bet you I finish this choreo before you figure out your lyrics.” You smirked, walking backwards toward the mirror wall.

“What’s the bet?”

“Loser buys snacks for a week.”

“You’re on.”

You turned the music up and jumped back into the steps while Chan hunched over his notebook, furiously scribbling. Every few minutes, you’d sneak glances at each other in the mirror — catching his eye, smiling when he stuck his tongue out at you.

At one point, you messed up a step and groaned loudly.

Chan looked up with a teasing grin. “Need me to help you out, or…?”

“Please,” you laughed, walking over. “Like you can even keep up with me.”

“I kept up with you for years.” His voice softened, and so did yours.

“Yeah… you have.”

A quiet moment stretched between you before you both shook it off with matching smiles.

“Focus, Bang Chan. I’m winning this bet.”

“Yeah, yeah, in your dreams.”

You kept working side by side, the night blurring into comforting warmth and quiet music, and the unspoken truth that neither of you cared who won anymore.

────୨ৎ────

The clock had slipped past 3AM by the time you finally gave up.

“Okay, truce,” you groaned, collapsing onto the floor with a dramatic sigh. “I’ll buy the snacks. I can’t feel my legs anymore.”

“Deal,” Chan chuckled, dropping his notebook and flopping down beside you, shoulder bumping into yours. “But for the record, your choreography’s insane. The kids won’t survive this.”

“They’ll manage. They’ve got you, haven’t they?”

You turned your head, smiling at him, and he felt something tug in his chest. Something he pushed away and ignored.

“Yeah, well… I’ve got you too.”

It came out softer than he intended, and for a second, neither of them moved.

Then you grinned. “Damn right you do.”

You nudged his shoulder and sat up, rummaging through the snack pile you’d gathered. You handed him his favorite without even needing to ask.

“You always remember what I like,” he said, teasing, but something about the way he looked at you lingered. His eyes a little too gentle, a little too full.

“Well, someone’s gotta look after you. You’d live off energy drinks and stress without me.”

You sat cross-legged on the practice room floor, trading snacks and teasing each other, swapping old stories from your trainee days. Like the nights you snuck extra practice time, the times you had covered for each other, the little victories no one else had seen.

When you laughed at one of his jokes, Chan found himself watching you instead of laughing. The light in your eyes, the way your legs curled to the side, the warmth you carried like it was stitched into your skin. He didn’t realize how long he stared until you caught him.

“What?” You tilted your head and looked at him curiously.

He blinked. “Nothing. I’m just glad you’re here.”

You offered him a soft smile. “I’m not going anywhere, Chan.”

And you both believed that so easily.

Neither of you ready to admit the way your hearts beat too fast in these small, unspoken moments.

────୨ৎ────

The room was buzzing with anticipation as the Stray Kids members sat in a circle, waiting for JYP’s announcement. The survival show had already pushed you all to your limits, but today felt different, something unexpected was coming.

JYP entered the room, his usual calm presence settling over everyone. His eyes scanned the group, before his eyes settled on you. “Alright, everyone, I’ve been thinking about the next challenge. We’ve seen how you all work as a team, but now, I want to see how the two of you will collaborate.”

You caught Chan’s eye for a split second, your stomach fluttering. You tried not to let the nervousness show.

JYP continued, “So for this next stage, Chan and Y/N, I want you two to perform a duet. You’ll have to work together, not just as friends but as leaders. I want to see how well you can communicate and create something meaningful together.”

A sudden hush fell over the room. You could feel the weight of JYP’s words pressing down on you.

You and Chan.

A duet.

Together.

In theory it made sense. You had worked together as friends for years, as teammates, you shouldn’t be nervous but this was something else entirely. A duet was a performance that required you to put complete faith and trust in your partner.

“This stage is going to be emotional.” JYP continued, oblivious to the shift in the room. “I’m not going for something high-energy. I want to see how you both can bring vulnerability and depth. Show us something more. I believe in you two, so I expect you to deliver.”

The challenge hung between you and Chan, like a heavy weight neither of you could lift. It wasn’t just a performance. It was a test of what you could handle, and, more importantly, how much you were willing to expose. The vulnerability that JYP asked for wasn’t something you were used to. But now, it seemed inevitable, you were going to be forced to bare your soul on stage for everyone to see.

Chan’s gaze met yours, and for a moment, everything around you felt like it was in slow motion. The excitement that bubbled up inside you only added to the strange tension you couldn’t place. Was he feeling it too? You didn’t know. You both quickly looked away, pretending to play it cool, but inside, you were both trying to figure out what this meant.

Chan forced a smile, though you could tell it didn’t reach his eyes. “Alright, let’s do this,” he said, trying to make it sound easy. But his voice cracked just a little, and it made your heart race in a way you couldn’t explain.

“Are you two nervous?” Changbin asked, raising an eyebrow as he noticed your stiff postures.

“Of course not,” you laughed, but it sounded a little forced even to your own ears. “We’ve got this.”

But even as you said those words, you knew it wouldn’t be that simple.

JYP smiled knowingly. “Good. I’m looking forward to seeing what you both come up with. Take your time, practice together, and figure it out.”

As JYP left the room, the younger members began to chat excitedly, their energy bouncing off the walls. You and Chan stayed silent. The sudden, unexpected reality of what had just been assigned to the two of you was starting to settle in and what it could mean not just for the group but for both of you if you failed.

Failure wasn’t an option, you decided.

No matter what was going to happen.

Later on, when you arrived for your first practice, you found Chan already sitting by the speakers.

“You beat me.” You teased, but it did nothing to ease the tension that had settled in you earlier on.

He smiled, but you could tell it was forced.

You opened your mouth to speak again but hesitated, you didn’t actually have anything to say but you desperately wanted to cut through the silence.

Chan’s eyes dropped to your hands, you were pulling the sleeves down, it was a nervous habit that he’d picked up on a few years ago. His stomach flipped uncomfortably at the thought of you being nervous with him.

“I think I’ve found a song for us to do.” He hit play without waiting for you to reply. You nodded along as the lyrics filled the room. It was emotional, filled with words of longing and love but also fear of losing their person. It was…

“Perfect.” You said, when the song ended.

“Do you think so?” Chan’s hand drifted up to his earlobe, twisting the earring that sat in it.

Your eyes narrowed slightly when he did so, was he nervous as well?

“It will be if we can pull it off.” You pushed through the nerves bubbling in your stomach.

────୨ৎ────

Over the next few days, you had settled into a more comfortable rhythm with each other. The initial awkwardness of having to be so emotional with each, pushed aside as the need to perform well consumed you both.

With the rest of the group preoccupied with their own challenge, you and Chan had been spending nearly every hour of your days together. It was a good thing that you were already friends before this as spending this amount of time with anyone would have most people ready to take each other's heads off from the pressure of it all.

Not you two though, thankfully you had become quite used to living out of each other's pockets in your earlier years when you had been each other's only friend.

You weren’t sure how long you’d been rehearsing today, only that it was dark when you arrived and it was dark now you’d seen when you went to the bathroom earlier. It was easy to lose track of time in the practice room. Caught up in the rehearsals and each other's presence, it wasn’t the first time and it wouldn’t be the last.

“You’re going to kill me.” Chan groaned from the floor.

“You’ll live.” You walked over to him holding a water bottle, you nudged his leg with your foot.

He sat up wordlessly, taking the bottle off you with a nod. You ignored his hand brushing over yours, choosing instead to crack your knuckles as if that could remove the tingling sensation left there.

You sat down next to him, too aware that he was still staring at you and you shifted uncomfortably. Desperate to break whatever this feeling was, as Chan takes a long drink from his water bottle, you snatched it out of his hand mid-sip.

“Hey!” he coughs, laughing.

“What? Sharing is caring.” You grin, purposely taking an exaggerated sip.

“You better hope I don’t catch your germs.”

“Maybe I want you to.” It slips out too quickly, too easily, too… too much.

He holds your gaze for a second too long of eye contact.

Your smirk falters.

His gaze drops to the bottle in your hand, then back to your face. Neither of you says anything. You toss it back, and stand up quickly, walking back to your phone to turn the song back on.

“Come on, let’s run this again.”

Chan stands up, ready to jump back into rehearsal mode, ignoring the fact that his pulse is a little faster than it should be.

────୨ৎ────

*3 days until the final performance*

The final performance day was growing closer and closer.

You and Chan have been pushing yourselves to the limit. Only taking breaks from your own rehearsal to check in with the others and help them with their challenges. It took much needed energy out of you but neither of you complained out loud, all too aware of the responsibility on your shoulders.

This responsibility meant that you kept pushing your own practices back later and later until it was almost morning by the time you would finish up, head back to the dorms and get back up to do it all over again.

Tonight was no different.

The fluorescent lights hummed softly above you, casting a gentle glow over the near-empty practice room. It was one of those late nights again. The kind where exhaustion seeped into your bones, where your muscles ached and burned, and yet neither of you could quite bring yourselves to leave.

You sat on the floor against the mirror, legs stretched out, you head tipped back against the glass. A dull, persistent headache throbbed behind your eyes, made worse by the tight pull of your ponytail. You winced as you shifted accidentally catching some of your hair, you closed your eyes in an effort to block out the light for a few seconds of relief as Chan knelt nearby, rummaging through his bag for his water bottle.

He noticed your discomfort immediately.

“You okay?” His voice was soft, almost hoarse from hours of use.

You gave him a tired smile, your hand lazily reaching up to rub the back of your neck. “Headache.”

Chan hesitated for a second, his gaze lingering on you, watching the way your brow furrowed and your shoulders slumped. Without a word, he moved closer, gently batting your hand away.

“Here,” he murmured, kneeling in front of you.

Before you could argue, his fingers brushed against the nape of your neck, tugging carefully at the scrunchie that held your hair back tightly. His touch was careful, a little clumsy. Too intimate for something so simple. You closed your eyes at the warmth of his fingertips.

The soft, worn fabric slid free, and your hair spilled down around your shoulders. The release made you sigh involuntarily. A soft, relieved sound, and Chan felt it like a warm ache in his chest.

“There.” he said quietly, his fingers lingering a beat too long before pulling away.

You opened your eyes, blinking at him. The look between you both was heavy, something unspoken settling in the air around you.

He broke first, eyes falling down the scrunchie in his hand. He hesitated for a second before he tucked it into his pocket without waiting for permission, as if it had always belonged there. And maybe it did. You didn’t object either way, a single thought drifted in the back of your head that you were happy he kept it but you weren’t sure why.

────୨ৎ────

*2 days until the performance*

It was late. Too late, really. The only light in the practice room came from the dimming bulbs overhead which were absolutely going to need to be replaced from how much time the two of you were spending in here. The glow of your phones offered little lighting in the corner of the room. Both of you had been going for hours now, working through every single step, every little move, every note, perfecting it all for the survival show. But your body was beginning to protest, exhaustion creeping in.

You rubbed your arms, trying to get some warmth back into your cold skin. The chill in the air wasn’t helping, and you found yourself shivering, despite how much you had been moving earlier. It wasn’t that you had forgotten to bring a jacket, you had but gave it to Jeongin earlier who had forgotten his even though you reminded him this morning before you left the dorms. Now though in the stillness of the practice room, it was hard to ignore.

Chan, however, was still going, focused on the moves, gliding across the floor with ease, but you could tell his attention was partially on you. He kept glancing over at you, his eyes narrowed slightly in concern as he noticed you rubbing your arms again.

“Hey,” he said, finally turning toward you. His voice was soft, but there was an edge of worry to it. “You okay? You’re shivering.”

You gave him a small smile, trying to brush it off. “I’m fine. Just a little cold. I’ll be okay.”

He didn’t seem convinced. There was something about the way he looked at you, his eyes lingering for just a second too long, that made your chest tighten.

“Hold on a second,” he said, walking over to his bag, pulling out his hoodie. It was oversized on him, the dark fabric a bit worn at the cuffs, but it still had a comforting familiarity to it. You weren’t sure why, but just the thought of him giving you his hoodie made something stir in your chest.

He held it out to you, a gentle smile on his lips. “Here. It’s cold in here. You can wear this.”

You hesitated for a moment, looking at the hoodie. Something about it felt so intimate, like a quiet offering of care that you weren’t sure you were ready for. You had spent years being close to Chan, always side by side, but this was different. There was a subtle tension in the air now, a strange pull between you that you weren’t sure how to describe.

“Thanks.” you said quietly, taking the hoodie from him, your fingers brushing against his for a second. The brief contact sent a jolt through you, and you quickly pulled the hoodie over your head, the fabric swallowing you in its warmth.

As soon as you slipped your arms into the sleeves, you could feel the familiar, comforting presence of Chan’s scent. It was like a shield, like a piece of him that was now wrapped around you. You didn’t know why, but something about wearing his hoodie made your heart race just a little faster.

You looked up at him and saw that he was watching you closely, his gaze soft, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes, something you didn’t quite understand. He looked… pleased? Maybe even a little proud, but it wasn’t just that. There was something deeper, something unspoken, a quiet kind of longing that lingered between you.

“You look good in it.” Chan said, the words coming out softer than usual, almost shy.

You felt your cheeks warm at the compliment, and you smiled, a little embarrassed. “Thanks.”

There was a brief silence, both of you standing there, not quite sure what to say next. But the tension between you was palpable now, the distance between friends blurring. It was still subtle, but it was there, hanging in the air.

“I’m glad it fits.” he added, and you could tell he was trying to make it sound casual, trying to downplay the strange energy that seemed to have settled around you both. But his eyes were still on you, and you couldn’t ignore the way his fingers absently tugged at the sleeve of his own hoodie, almost like he wanted to pull you closer but didn’t know how to.

“Yeah,” you replied, tugging the sleeves down over your hands. “It’s perfect.”

He smiled, but there was something in his smile that felt a little too heavy. It lingered a little too long, and you couldn’t help but wonder if he was feeling the same thing you were — that strange, unexplainable pull between the two of you that you were feeling more and more as these practices went on.

You should have said something, anything, to break the tension. But instead, you both stayed there, silent, and you could feel your heart pounding in your chest but neither of you spoke, the words too difficult, too tangled in the space between you.

You couldn’t explain why, but in that moment, wearing his hoodie felt like the closest thing to being wrapped up in his arms. The idea of that alone made your cheeks burn, and for a second you were scared that he would know exactly what you were thinking about.

As you both returned to your positions without a word to continue rehearsing, you caught him stealing glances at you. Every time you caught his eye, you quickly looked away, feeling the heat rise in your cheeks again.

“It’s just a hoodie.” You kept telling yourself but you knew it wasn’t. It was everything. The way he cared for you, the way he always looked after you. You didn’t understand it, but you knew that it was something you didn’t want to lose

────୨ৎ────

*Final rehearsal*

It had been a long night of rehearsals. Endless runs of choreography, fine-tuning the moves for the performance tomorrow. You could feel your body aching and protesting from the exertion, but the weight on your chest was made heavier by the other person in the room.

You were hyper-aware of the space between you and Chan, of the quiet tension that had been building for days. To say it was confusing you would be an understatement. This had never happened between the two of you before, you’d always felt comfortable with him but now? Every moment alone felt charged, like there was a bigger force behind what was happening and you didn’t know what to do. You couldn’t talk to the one person that you would do normally, how do you tell your best friend that your friendship is starting to make your head hurt?

Chan stood across from you, sweat beading on his brow, his breath coming slightly faster than usual. His eyes met yours for a brief second, and you froze. The moment stretched on, like a pulled rubber band that was about to snap, but neither of you moved, neither of you spoke.

Chan’s gaze dropped to his feet for a second, and you felt an inexplicable urge to break the silence, to say anything to break this strange, heavy feeling in the air. But before you could find your voice, Chan stepped closer, the space between you narrowing.

“Let’s run it again,” he said, his voice low, a little breathless.

You nodded, not trusting your voice, your heart racing as your eyes followed his every movement. He was so close now, too close, but neither of you seemed to back away. It was like your bodies were drawn to each other without your permission.

You forced your feet backwards, ignoring what felt like your own nerves protesting against you and found your starting position. He remained still, watching you carefully, he knew you were on edge and wish you’d tell him why. It was driving him insane, he wanted to ask you what was wrong but was afraid of the answer you would give him.

He shook his head, as if he could shake the stress straight out of it and found his own position. The music kicked in and the two of you began to move. Despite what you both were feeling, you couldn’t deny that you performed well together. Countless months of training as trainees had meant that you were familiar with each other's movements. The only difference in this routine was the meaning behind it, the powerful lyrics about love and longing were dragging up something in the both of you that neither of you had been prepared for, and so you both continued to shove it away and pretend it didn’t exist.

The final moment in the performance was always hard to pull away from. It ended with one of Chan’s hands on your waist and the other holding your face. Your own hands rested on his chest. The more it was rehearsed, the harder and harder it became to force yourself to step out of his embrace.

The music ended and once again, in his arms you felt suspended in time, your body held close by him, the feeling of his chest rising and falling under your fingertips. The music had faded into a quiet hum. Both of you were standing there, breathing in sync, eyes locked for a second too long.

You felt his hand on your waist, his fingers warm through the fabric of your clothes. You stood there, unwilling to move and tired of arguing with yourself that you needed to step away. The moment stretched on, thicker than any choreography you’d rehearsed before. Something felt different. Your chest tightened, and your heart picked up speed, as if it could escape your ribcage at any moment. You were terrified that he could hear in, no idea how you could explain this if he could.

Chan didn’t move, didn’t break the connection. Neither of you dared to speak, both of you caught in the tension that hummed between you like static electricity. His fingers flexed and gripped your waist tighter. His thumb moved ever so slightly on your cheek, so fleeting he could argue that it didn’t happen at all.

His eyes flickered to your lips, and just for a brief moment, everything stopped completely. The air was so thick you felt dizzy, certain that without his grip you’d have fallen in seconds. The closeness, the quiet, the stillness overwhelming.

It was almost too much to bear.

And then, so gently, so slowly, as though drawn in by an invisible force, Chan leaned forward. His lips brushed against yours, like a soft whisper, barely a touch, like a question that didn’t need to be answered. His breath mixed with yours, warm and uncertain, leaving you paralyzed for a moment, unsure if it was even real.

You felt the ghost of his lips against yours, soft and fleeting, and then it was over.

He pulled back, but still neither of you moved. You were both frozen, staring at each other as if you’d crossed some kind of invisible line. The reality of what had just happened hung between you like a dense fog. Neither of you could breathe properly, the weight of the moment pressing down harder with every passing second. You could feel the cracks starting to appear between you.

“I—” Chan’s voice cracked slightly, as though he were trying to find the words, but they weren’t coming.

You opened your mouth to speak, to say anything, but no words came. Your throat felt tight, like it was holding something back, something too heavy to say out loud.

“Sorry.” Chan muttered, his voice barely a whisper. “I didn’t mean to—”

You shook your head, your hand instinctively going to your lips, the heat of the moment still burning.

“It’s… it’s okay. I don’t know what—” Your voice faltered, and you could hear your heartbeat hammering in your ears, loud and deafening.

Neither of you knew what to say.

“I just… I need a minute,” you said quickly, your breath shaky as you stepped back from him. You couldn’t stay in the same room with him, not now, not after that. You were too scared, too confused.

Chan nodded, his hand dropping from your waist, clenching into a fist at his side. “Yeah. Me too. I just… I didn’t—”

You didn’t wait for him to finish. You grabbed your things quickly, your hands trembling as you shoved them into your bag. Every movement felt clumsy, like you were trying to outrun something you couldn’t understand. You didn’t dare look at him, not now. Not after that.

Chan opened his mouth as if he were about to say something, but he didn’t. He just nodded slowly, his face strained, as if he was trying to understand everything just as much as you were.

You didn’t look back when you walked out of the practice room. The cold air hit you as soon as you stepped outside, but it didn’t do anything to calm the storm inside your chest. You felt your heart pounding, your thoughts a whirlwind.The kiss had been so soft, so fleeting, almost like it hadn't happened, and yet, it had managed to change everything.

What had that kiss been? Why did it feel like everything was changing between you two, and why did it terrify you so much? You were scared. You were scared that you’d lost him. Scared that if you let yourself feel what you wanted to feel, you’d ruin the one thing you’d always relied on.

No.

It was nothing, right?

Nothing but a slip-up.

You repeated that like a mantra to yourself, ignoring how your chest ached, your thoughts swirling, your heart tangled in the mess of emotions you didn’t have words for. You couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. You didn’t know if you were relieved that it was over so quickly or terrified of what it could mean. You didn’t know if you’d be able to face him again tomorrow without feeling the weight of what had just happened.

An image of the performance tomorrow in front of the others appeared and you banished it far from your mind, as far as it could possibly go.

The thought of losing him, of messing up what you had. It terrified you more than you wanted to admit. You wanted him so badly, and that terrified you too. You couldn’t lose him. Not like this. Not after everything the two of you had been through but you couldn’t stop going back to it.

How could you possibly stop thinking about it?

He had kissed you.

No matter how hard you tried, how hard you pushed them away, it kept coming back. The closeness, the feeling of his lips against yours. It was soft, gentle but there was something hovering behind it. Something full of longing, full of things unsaid.

And it terrified you.

You didn’t know what that kiss meant but you knew one thing:

You couldn’t pretend it didn’t happen, couldn’t pretend that you didn’t want to kiss him again, that you didn't want to turn around run right back in there to him and despite all of that, you knew you were going to have to.

So for the first time in years, you walked home alone. You kept pushing yourself forward, reminding yourself how much of a mess this would cause if you admitted the truth, admitted how you actually felt, what it would do to you both so you ran.

Ran further away from the JYPE building, further away from that stupid practice room and further away from him.

────୨ৎ────

Taglist: @m-325 @imeverycliche @mythicmochi @hynjnnie @mbioooo0000

Let me know if you’d like to be added to my Taglist <3

[sweetyyhippyy]

Anything for You. Eddie Munson x Fem! Reader. *FLUFF*

Summary: Eddie helps his girlfriend take care of a messy situation

Word Count: 1.2k

TW: Periods, blood.

A.N.: Guess who's back... back again! This is a bit self indulgent because I’m (still) on my period and all I want is for Eddie to hold me and take care of me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The house was pitch black as Eddie tried his hardest not to wake his sleeping girlfriend up.

He wishes he would have been smart enough to keep a flashlight near the door so he could at least see where he was going instead of feeling around the air, hoping not to bump into a piece of furniture or run into the wall like he’s done many times in the past… or 2 days ago.

Work was long today, somehow the past 3 Fridays Eddie has been stuck working 13 hour shifts, guys at the garage who come in after him being sent home before him. Sure his body was tired and worn out, but getting those checks had been nice.

Finally he reaches the bedroom, stripping his work clothes off and leaving them in a trail to the bathroom so he could shower the smell of the grease and sweat off his body before going to sleep next to his girlfriend.

He smiles at her as he passes by, only seeing the back of her head as the light from the bathroom illuminates her. There was nothing better than snuggling next to her after a long day and feeling her relax into his body in her sleep.

After rinsing the suds off his body and drying himself off, he tiptoes back into the bedroom, grabbing a pair of boxers from the laundry basket full of clean clothes that needed to be put away and slipping them on.

If he had to stand up for 2 seconds longer, his knees would surely buckle. The hot shower really emphasized how worn out his body was.

His eyes adjust to the little light from the street, coming through their makeshift curtains. As he grabs the untouched sheets on the bed and pulls them back so he can slide in, he notices a dark patch on the bedding next to his girlfriend.

The longer he tries to focus his eyes better, trying to decipher what he was looking at, he notices a dark patch on the back of her shorts too.

He turns the light back on in the bathroom, not wanting to startle her with the light from the side table near her. The extra light confirming what he had thought.

“Babe, you gotta wake up for a sec.” He gently shakes her shoulder.

She inhales deeply before stretching her body, her arms raising above her head as she only opens one of her eyes to look at him, confused as to what’s going on.

“Hey, I gotta get you out of bed. I think you’re bleeding.”

Both of her eyes fly open, sitting up quickly. “Shit. Oh my god. Shit.” She panics, grabbing the sheets that were in her lap to cover herself. Her head falls into her hands in embarrassment, wanting nothing more than to crawl into her own skin. “I’m sorry, Eds. God this is so embarrassing. I’m sorry!”

Her period had come at least 3 days early, usually she was a step ahead and had something on the night before so this never happened.

He could see the immediate panic in her face as she realized she had bled onto their bed sheets.

“Hey, no. It’s okay. Go clean yourself up and I’ll take care of the sheets, okay? You’re okay, sweetheart.” Eddie says softly, reaching out to rub her back softly. “You need me to get you some new underwear and shorts?”

“Please?” She clenches her thighs together as she goes to the bathroom, stripping her clothes off and opting to jump into the shower to clean herself up.

Part of her wanted to cry from embarrassment. Eddie had never seen her leak out onto her clothes, and now her boyfriend was washing the blood off their sheets.

Of course now she felt the sharp cramps in her uterus and the sensitivity from her nipples as the water hits them.

She groans to herself at the pain, resting her forehead on the tile next to her, knowing she had at least 3 or 4 days of cramps that hurt much worse than this.

“Baby, I brought you some clean clothes. I left them on the counter.” Eddie’s voice calls from the other side of the shower curtain. “You okay?”

“Yeah I’ll be okay, babe. I’ll be out in a second.”

She waits for the door to shut before she turns the water off, grabbing the towel off the hook and wrapping it around herself.

She couldn’t help but smile seeing a new outfit for her laying out on the counter and a pad sitting on top of the pile. He really was the best boyfriend she could ever ask for.

Once she’s dressed and settled, she nervously steps out to the bedroom only to find Eddie struggling to put the fitted sheet on the mattress.

“You need some help there?” She snorts a laugh.

Eddie’s tongue sticks out the corner of his mouth in concentration as he tucks the corner in, smiling in success that none of the other corners snapped back up like they had before. He laughs to himself in victory, hopping back onto his feet. “Got it finally. Lemme just throw the sheet on and you can lay back down. I couldn’t find the heating pad but I got you some water.”

Her whole heart swelled at his thoughtfulness and she felt a small lump in her throat build. There was no way to control the tears that pricked her eyes.

“Why are you crying?” Eddie asks, walking over to her and touching her arms in comfort.

“It’s nothing. You’re just really sweet to me.” She wraps her arms around him, nuzzling her face in his chest as she hugs him tightly.

Eddie kisses the top of her head, running his hands up and down her back slowly. “Anything for you, sweetheart.”

She waits as he fixes the top sheet on the bed, helping him throw the pillows back on and placing the comforter back on the lower half of the bed.

Both of them snuggle into bed, finally together after a long day away from each other.

Eddie pats his chest, motioning her to come lay on his chest. She snuggles happily on his chest, letting her arm drape over his stomach in hopes she can fall back to sleep like before.

Of course as soon as she settles, she feels a tight cramp start, making her whine uncomfortably and scrunch her body up in a ball. “Sorry, it just hurts.”

Eddie shuffles down the bed, laying her on her back again while he rests his head on her tummy, letting his chest be her heating pad. He makes a mental note to drive to the drug store to go find her a heating pad tomorrow. His hands rests on her hips, his fingers gently dancing across the skin to help relax her.

She relaxes against his body, knowing his warmth would help the pain and his weight on her help her drift to sleep. Her own hands find their way to his hair, massaging his scalp.

Eddie moans happily, letting his eyes flutter closed.

This was all he thought about while at work, coming home to his beautiful girlfriend and laying down with her, holding her against his body while he slept.

The faster he fell asleep meant the sooner he would wake up and have all weekend to spend next to her.

“Thank you for taking care of me, baby. I know you were tired after working all day.” She whispers to him.

With the little bit of energy he had left, he turns his head and kisses her tummy, quickly nuzzling his head back against her body. “You know I got you, angel.”

[huhtriever]

Stay a little long - Part 4 Final

main menu - previous

The day of the date had finally arrived, and YN was equal parts excited and nervous. She had planned everything down to the smallest detail but had told Daniela almost nothing—only that she needed to bring extra clothes and a swimsuit.

As she got ready, her phone was propped up on her dresser, Yunjin and Giselle’s faces filling the screen on a video call.

"Okay, I still think you should wear something a little more…" Giselle trailed off, squinting at YN’s reflection in the mirror.

"Sexy," Yunjin finished, smirking.

YN rolled her eyes, adjusting the fit of her black jeans. "I’m not trying to seduce her, I’m taking her on a date."

"Yeah, and you can do both," Giselle said matter-of-factly. "It’s called multitasking."

"You guys are impossible," YN muttered.

Yunjin leaned in closer to the camera, her expression suddenly more serious. "Okay, but really, are you nervous?"

YN hesitated for half a second before sighing. "A little."

Giselle tilted her head. "Because it’s your first real date in a while… or because it’s with Daniela?"

"Both," YN admitted, running a hand through her hair. "It’s different this time. We’re different this time."

Yunjin hummed in thought. "Well, then it’s a good thing you planned a killer date. She’s gonna love it."

"You haven’t even heard the full plan," YN pointed out.

Giselle crossed her arms. "Which is exactly why we’re asking. Spill."

YN grabbed her phone from the dresser and flopped onto her bed. "Alright, first stop: the festival. Her favorite artist is performing."

Yunjin let out a dramatic gasp. "Shut up. That’s actually genius."

"And then?" Giselle pressed.

"After that," YN continued, a small smile forming, "I’m taking her somewhere special. One of her favorite places."

Yunjin and Giselle exchanged a look.

"Wow," Yunjin said. "Who knew you were a secret romantic?"

"I mean, I had an idea," Giselle teased. "But this? This is next level."

YN shrugged, trying to play it cool, but she knew they were right. This date wasn’t just about having fun—it was about proving to Daniela that she meant what she said. That she wasn’t going to run this time.

Just then, her phone buzzed with a message. She glanced at the screen and saw Daniela’s name pop up.

Daniela: I’m nervous. Should I be nervous?

YN bit her lip, trying to suppress a smile as she quickly typed back.

YN: Not at all. Just trust me.

The reply came almost instantly.

Daniela: That’s hard when I have no idea what’s happening.

YN chuckled, shaking her head.

YN: Relax. Leaving now. Be there soon.

Yunjin, who had been looking at YN all smiley, snorted. "Wow, you’re being all mysterious. Love that."

"She’s gonna be so flustered," Giselle added. "I need live updates."

"Yeah, yeah," YN said, rolling her eyes as she grabbed her keys. "I gotta go."

"Don’t mess this up!" Yunjin called before the call ended.

YN double-checked that she had everything before stepping out of her apartment, her heart pounding with anticipation. She locked the front door behind her, taking a deep breath before making her way to her car. The evening air was warm, buzzing with the faint sounds of city life, but all she could focus on was what lay ahead.

She tossed her backpack into the back seat and slid into the driver’s seat, her fingers tapping lightly against the steering wheel. Before heading to Daniela’s, there was one more stop she needed to make.

Pulling out her phone, she quickly entered directions to the nearest flower shop. Roses. Daniela liked roses. She wasn’t sure if it was cliché, but it felt right. A small gesture, something to make Daniela smile before the night even started.

As she backed out of the driveway, she exhaled slowly, gripping the wheel a little tighter. 

Once YN had picked up the flowers and paid, she drove straight to Daniela’s place. The closer she got, the more her nerves kicked in, and by the time she pulled up, she found herself gripping the steering wheel, staring at the front door.

Why am I nervous? It’s just Daniela.

But that was the thing—it was Daniela. And this date meant more than either of them was saying out loud.

After five minutes of sitting there, hyping herself up, she finally got out of the car and walked up to the door. Taking a deep breath, she knocked.

The door swung open, and YN’s younger sister, Yoonchae, blinked up at her in surprise.

“Unnie? I didn’t know you were coming over today. Did we have plans?” she asked, stepping aside as YN entered.

“Uh, no, actually, I’m here for—”

“She’s here for me, Yoonchip.”

Daniela’s voice cut in before YN could finish. When YN turned, she nearly forgot how to breathe.

Daniela stood there in light blue jeans and a white cropped shirt, her hair falling in soft waves over her shoulders. The warm lighting of the living room made her skin glow, and YN had to actively stop herself from staring.

Jaw. Dropped.

“Sorry for the wait,” Daniela said, flashing a smile. “I just need to grab a few things, and then we can go.”

YN cleared her throat, willing herself to focus. “Oh—uh, yeah. That’s fine. Um… these are for you.”

She held out the bouquet of roses, and she immediately regretted how awkward she sounded.

Behind her, Yoonchae and the other girls in the house let out a chorus of giggles, clearly entertained by the interaction.

Daniela’s eyes widened slightly before softening as she took the flowers. “You got me roses?”

YN rubbed the back of her neck. “Yeah… I figured you’d like them.”

Daniela bit her lip to hide a smile before turning toward her room. “I’ll go put these away. Be right back.”

As soon as she disappeared down the hall, YN sighed and made her way to the couch. She barely had time to settle before Lara leaned in with a teasing grin.

“So… where exactly are you taking her?”

YN smirked. “It’s a surprise.”

“Oh, come on, you’re no fun,” Megan groaned dramatically.

“Fine,” YN relented, rolling her eyes. “We’re going to a carnival. Playboi Carti is performing.”

The girls immediately reacted—eyebrows raised, impressed nods, and a few murmurs of nice one.

“And then after,” YN continued, “I’m taking her somewhere special.”

That got their attention.

Sophia narrowed her eyes in her leader-like fashion. “Hey. No funny business, YN.”

YN put her hands up in surrender. “Nothing like that. I promise.”

“Uh-huh,” Sophia said, unconvinced. “Also, don’t be out too late.”

Manon, who had been quietly observing with a smirk, finally spoke up. “I don’t know, Sophia… Daniela did look a little too excited when she saw YN.”

The girls burst into laughter while YN groaned, covering her face. “Can you guys not do this right now?”

Manon grinned. “I’m just saying, maybe you won’t be the one to break the ‘no funny business’ rule.”

Daniela walked back in just in time to hear that. “What are you guys talking about?”

Megan snickered. “Nothing. Just that we hope YN survives the night.”

Daniela raised an eyebrow at YN, amused. “Do I need to be worried?”

YN shook her head quickly. “Nope. Not at all. Let’s go.”

Daniela gave one last wave to the girls before stepping toward the door, but Sophia wasn’t done yet.

“YN.”

YN froze. “Yeah?”

Sophia crossed her arms. “You already know what I’m gonna say.”

YN sighed. “No funny business, be responsible, don’t stay out too late. Got it.”

Sophia nodded. “Good.”

Daniela rolled her eyes with a small laugh. “Okay, mom, we’re leaving now.”

The two of them said their final goodbyes before stepping outside. As they walked toward the car, YN instinctively moved ahead and opened the passenger door for Daniela.

Daniela paused, a surprised look flashing across her face before a small smile formed on her lips. “Oh? Look at you being all chivalrous.”

YN smirked, leaning against the door. “I have my moments.”

Daniela chuckled as she slid into the seat. “Guess I’ll have to see if you keep it up all night.”

YN shut the door gently before jogging around to the driver’s side, her heart beating just a little faster.

Yoonchae, who had been watching from the porch, cupped her hands around her mouth and called out, “Unnie, don’t mess this up!”

YN groaned, shaking her head as she got into the car. Daniela just laughed, clearly entertained.

As YN pulled out of the driveway, she glanced at Daniela, who was already looking at her.

“Ready?” YN asked.

Daniela smiled. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

– 

As YN drove down the road, the hum of the engine blended with the faint music playing from the car’s speakers. The streetlights flickered past, casting a warm glow over the dashboard as she and Daniela made small talk.

“I really can’t know where we’re going?” Daniela asked, her voice laced with curiosity and a hint of impatience.

“Nope, it’s a surprise,” YN teased, a smirk playing on her lips. “Plus, we’re almost there.”

Daniela huffed playfully, crossing her arms as she gazed out the window. The road stretched ahead, but soon, a vibrant glow appeared in the distance. The towering Ferris wheel, flashing neon lights, and the distant sound of laughter and music gave away their destination before YN even had to say a word.

Daniela’s eyes widened as realization hit her. “NO WAY! WE’RE GOING HERE?” she nearly shouted, pressing her hands against the window. But then her gaze landed on a massive banner near the entrance, and her excitement doubled. “PLAYBOI CARTI IS PLAYING TONIGHT?! ARE YOU SERIOUS?”

YN grinned, satisfied with Daniela’s reaction. “Yup. I saw that, plus Manon mentioned you really wanted to go.”

For a moment, Daniela didn’t say anything. Instead, she turned her head slightly, watching YN with a soft smile, her heart warming at the thoughtfulness behind the surprise. YN, focused on finding a parking spot, didn’t notice the way Daniela was looking at her.

As YN pulled into the parking lot, the neon lights of the carnival reflected off the car’s windshield, casting a colorful glow over Daniela’s face. She was practically bouncing in her seat, her excitement contagious.

“I seriously can’t believe you did this,” Daniela said, turning to YN with a wide grin. “You’re the best.”

YN chuckled, unbuckling her seatbelt. “Well, I do have my moments.” She shot Daniela a playful wink before stepping out of the car.

Daniela followed, still grinning as they made their way toward the entrance. The smell of funnel cakes and popcorn filled the air, mixed with the distant sound of carnival rides and laughter.

As they walked, YN felt Daniela’s gaze lingering on her. She turned her head slightly. “What?” she asked with a smirk.

Daniela just shrugged, still smiling. “Nothing… just—thank you.”

YN felt a warmth spread through her chest, but she played it off with a small laugh. “Don’t thank me yet. We still have a whole night ahead of us.”

Daniela nudged her playfully. “And Playboi Carti!”

YN rolled her eyes but laughed. “Yeah, yeah, let’s get going before we miss anything.”

The moment they stepped into the carnival, the vibrant energy of the night wrapped around them like a warm embrace. The flashing neon lights, the distant sound of laughter and screams from the rides, and the scent of deep-fried treats filled the air. YN glanced over at Daniela, whose eyes darted from one attraction to the next, soaking in the scene with childlike excitement.

“Okay,” YN said, slipping her hands into her pockets. “What do you wanna do first?”

Daniela didn’t hesitate, her gaze locking onto the massive swing ride spinning above them. The chains glistened under the bright lights, carrying riders high into the air before swooping them down in graceful arcs. “The swings!” she declared, grabbing YN’s hand and pulling her toward the entrance.

YN chuckled at Daniela’s enthusiasm but didn’t protest. “You’re acting like you’ve never been to a carnival before,” she teased.

“Not like this,” Daniela admitted, her grip on YN’s hand tightening for just a second before she let go. “Come on, before the line gets longer.”

Strapped into their seats, their legs dangled freely as the ride slowly began to ascend. The moment it took off, the wind rushed past them, tangling their hair and making Daniela throw her arms out dramatically. “This is amazing!” she yelled, her laughter carried away by the wind.

YN turned to watch her, amused by how carefree she looked. She pulled out her phone, capturing Daniela mid-spin. “Say hi to your fans,” she teased, making Daniela roll her eyes before flashing an exaggerated peace sign.

When the ride finally slowed, they stumbled off, giggling like kids. They took turns taking pictures of each other in front of the ride, their laughter echoing through the night. Just as they were about to move on, a group of fans recognized them.

“Wait… is that YN and Daniela?” a girl whispered before stepping closer.

“Oh my god, it is them!” another squealed.

Daniela shot YN a look, half amused, half guilty. “Busted,” YN muttered with a smirk.

They both knew they were supposed to be keeping a low profile, but in the moment, neither of them cared. They stopped to take pictures, chatting with fans and sharing laughs before finally slipping away to enjoy more of the carnival.

After riding a few more attractions and grabbing snacks, the time for Playboi Carti’s performance finally arrived. As soon as the heavy bass rattled through the speakers, Daniela’s energy skyrocketed. She sang along at the top of her lungs, jumping with the crowd, her face alight with joy.

YN couldn’t stop laughing at her. “You’re insane,” she called over the music, still recording Daniela’s every dramatic reaction.

Daniela turned, her eyes gleaming with excitement. “You brought me to a Playboi Carti concert—what did you expect?”

YN just shook her head, grinning, but deep down, she was glad. This was exactly what she had hoped for when planning the night.

As the concert ended and the carnival started to wind down, Daniela spotted a ring toss booth and gasped. “Ooooh, we have to play this one!”

“You’re gonna lose,” YN taunted.

“Watch me,” Daniela shot back, determined. But after a few failed attempts, she groaned dramatically. “Okay, fine, maybe I suck at this.”

YN smirked before stepping up, aiming carefully. With one smooth toss, the ring landed perfectly around the bottle.

The game attendant clapped. “We have a winner!”

Daniela folded her arms, pouting. “Alright, show-off. What are you gonna do with your prize?”

YN barely hesitated before picking out the biggest teddy bear and handing it to her. “Give it to you, obviously.”

Daniela blinked in surprise, then let out a soft laugh. “You’re such a show-off,” she muttered, hugging the teddy bear close. But the way her cheeks warmed said more than her words ever could.

YN shrugged, flashing a teasing smile. “And yet, you love it.”

Daniela shook her head, laughing. “Let’s go home before your ego gets any bigger.”

As they walked toward the exit, the carnival lights flickered behind them, casting a golden glow over their fading silhouettes. The night had been everything Daniela hadn’t even known she needed. She hugged the teddy bear tightly, stealing a glance at YN.

“You really did all this for me?” she asked softly.

YN shrugged, suddenly shy. “Yeah. You deserved it.”

Daniela stopped in her tracks, looking at YN with something deeper than gratitude. “You have no idea how much this meant to me,” she murmured. “No one’s ever done something like this for me before.”

YN felt a tightness in her chest but played it off with a playful nudge. “Well, get used to it.”

Daniela let out a soft laugh before linking her arm through YN’s. “Come on, show-off. I have one more surprise for you.”

– 

As they pulled up to their final destination, YN reached over, gently tapping Daniela’s hand. “Okay, we’re here. But… you have to close your eyes.”

Daniela raised a suspicious brow. “Oh, we’re doing this now?” she teased.

YN rolled her eyes, smirking as she grabbed a blindfold from the glove compartment. “Yes, we are. Now, be a good and put this on.”

Daniela took the blindfold and let out a dramatic gasp. “Woah, kinky,” she joked as she slipped it over her eyes.

YN chuckled, shaking her head. “Only you could make this weird.” She climbed out of the car and walked over to Daniela’s side, taking her hand. “Alright, trust me?”

Daniela grinned. “Always.”

Guiding her carefully, YN led Daniela through the house, making sure she didn’t trip on anything. Daniela squeezed YN’s hand every now and then, giggling. “You know, if you’re kidnapping me, you could’ve at least let me grab my teddy bear.”

YN laughed softly. “Just shut up and walk.”

Finally, they reached their destination. YN paused, taking a moment to admire the setup—fairy lights twinkling softly, a cozy blanket spread across the sand, candles flickering gently in the night breeze. The sound of the waves crashing against the shore only made it more perfect.

She took a deep breath, stepping behind Daniela. “Okay, you can take it off now.”

Daniela pulled off the blindfold and blinked a few times as her vision adjusted. When she finally took in the sight before her, her mouth parted slightly in shock.

A breathtaking picnic was set up right by the shore. A woven basket sat on the blanket, filled with an assortment of her favorite snacks. A bottle of sparkling cider glistened under the moonlight, and a small bouquet of her favorite flowers rested beside it. Fairy lights were wrapped around driftwood, casting a soft, golden glow over the entire scene.

Daniela turned slowly, facing YN with wide eyes. “You… you did this? For me?”

YN rubbed the back of her neck, suddenly feeling a little nervous. “Yeah. I wanted to end the night with something special.” She hesitated before adding, “You deserve it.”

Daniela didn’t respond right away. Instead, she stepped closer, wrapping her arms around YN in a tight embrace. She buried her face into YN’s shoulder, holding on like she never wanted to let go.

“Thank you,” she whispered, voice thick with emotion. “No one has ever done anything like this for me before.”

YN felt her chest tighten, her heart swelling at the warmth between them. She rested her chin on Daniela’s head, rubbing slow, soothing circles on her back. “Well… get used to it,” she murmured.

After a moment, Daniela pulled back slightly, just enough to look up at YN. Her eyes shimmered under the moonlight, filled with something deeper than gratitude.

YN tilted her head. “Are you… crying?” she asked softly.

Daniela let out a watery laugh, wiping at her eyes. “Yes! This is literally the sweetest thing ever, and I just—” She paused, shaking her head as if words weren’t enough. “You make me feel so… special.”

YN smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind Daniela’s ear. “That’s because you are special.”

For a moment, they just stood there, staring at each other, the night air thick with something unspoken. YN’s hand lingered by Daniela’s cheek, her thumb grazing over her skin.

Daniela swallowed, her voice barely above a whisper. “You really are something else, you know that?”

YN smirked playfully, trying to lighten the moment. “Oh, I know.”

Daniela rolled her eyes, but her blush betrayed her. She took YN’s hand and squeezed it. “Come on, let’s sit. I wanna enjoy every second of this.”

As they settled onto the blanket, Daniela took a deep breath, inhaling the salty ocean breeze. “This is perfect,” she murmured, running her fingers over the soft fabric of the blanket. “How did you even pull this off?”

YN smirked, reaching for the basket and pulling out a small container. “I had a little help,” she admitted. “A friend set it up while we were at the carnival.” She popped the lid open, revealing fresh fruit, chocolate-covered strawberries, and small sandwiches cut into neat triangles.

Daniela’s eyes sparkled as she picked up a strawberry, biting into it with a satisfied hum. “Okay, I take back every insult I’ve ever thrown at you. You’re officially a genius.”

YN chuckled, shaking her head. “I should’ve recorded that. I don’t think I’ll ever hear you say something that nice again.”

Daniela nudged her playfully. “Shut up and eat.”

They ate in comfortable silence for a while, the only sounds around them being the gentle crash of the waves and the occasional cry of seagulls. The fairy lights cast a warm glow over them, making everything feel like a dream.

“So,” Daniela said, picking at a piece of bread. “What made you do all this?”

YN took a sip of the sparkling cider before shrugging. “I just… I wanted to give you a night to remember.” She met Daniela’s gaze, her voice softer now. “I feel like you don’t get spoiled enough.”

Daniela let out a small, breathy laugh. “You’re not wrong. I guess I’ve always been the one taking care of myself.” She hesitated, her fingers tracing patterns on the blanket. “I don’t usually let people do things for me. But… I don’t know. With you, it feels different.”

YN smiled, her heart swelling at Daniela’s words. “Well, get used to it. I plan on spoiling you a lot more.”

Daniela bit her lip, her cheeks tinged pink. “You keep talking like that, and I might actually fall for you.”

YN raised an eyebrow, smirking. “Might?”

Daniela rolled her eyes but didn’t deny it. Instead, she grabbed a grape and threw it at YN, making her laugh.

They continued talking, sharing childhood stories, laughing about embarrassing moments, and even diving into deeper topics about their dreams and fears. Daniela told YN about the first time she ever performed on stage, how nervous she had been, and YN shared a memory about her own struggles and how she found her way.

The night felt endless in the best way possible.

When they were done eating, YN stretched her arms, glancing at the ocean. The moon reflected off the water, making it shimmer like liquid silver. She turned to Daniela with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“Alright, Dani, time for part two of the surprise,” she announced, standing up and brushing the sand off her clothes.

Daniela raised an eyebrow. “Part two?”

YN grinned. “Go change into your swimsuit.”

Daniela’s mouth fell open slightly. “Wait. Are we going swimming?!”

YN nodded. “Yup. And you don’t get to say no.”

Daniela let out a laugh, shaking her head in disbelief. “You are crazy.”

YN smirked, crossing her arms. “Crazy fun.”

Daniela sighed dramatically but was already getting up. “If I die, I’m haunting you.”

YN chuckled. “You wouldn’t dare. You’d miss me too much.”

Daniela shot her a playful glare before grabbing her bag and heading into the house to change. As YN watched her go, she couldn’t help but smile to herself.

When Daniela stepped back outside in her swimsuit, YN had already stripped down to hers, standing at the shoreline with her feet sinking into the cool, wet sand. The ocean waves lapped gently at the shore, illuminated by the moon above.

Daniela shivered slightly as the breeze kissed her skin. “Okay, I’m here. But just so you know, if that water is freezing, I will personally make you suffer.”

YN turned around, her gaze dropping for a split second before she quickly looked back up at Daniela’s face. “You look good,” she said casually, though the slight smirk on her lips betrayed her.

Daniela scoffed, crossing her arms. “I always look good.”

YN didn’t answer with words. Instead, she took off running straight into the water, splashing as she went. Daniela’s eyes widened.

“Are you serious?!” Daniela called out.

YN turned back, now waist-deep, holding out her arms. “Come on, it’s not that bad!”

Daniela took a hesitant step forward, dipping a toe into the water. “You liar! It’s freezing!”

YN laughed. “You’ll get used to it!”

Daniela let out a dramatic groan before running in after her, letting out a high-pitched squeal as the cold water hit her skin. “Oh my God! This was a terrible idea!”

YN was already grinning when Daniela ran up to her, shivering slightly but laughing. “Told you it’s not that bad.”

Daniela rolled her eyes but couldn't hide her smile. “You’re the worst.”

“The worst? Or the best?”

“Undecided.”

YN smirked before suddenly splashing Daniela, making her shriek. “Oh, you did not just do that.”

YN grinned. “What? Can’t handle a little—” Before she could finish, Daniela sent a huge wave of water right at her, hitting YN square in the face.

YN gasped, wiping water from her eyes. “Oh, it’s on now.”

They broke into a full-blown splash war, laughing so hard that they could barely keep their footing in the water. Daniela tried to dodge, but YN caught her by the wrist and spun her around, making her stumble into the waves.

“You suck,” Daniela gasped between giggles, clutching onto YN’s shoulders for balance.

YN steadied her, hands instinctively settling on Daniela’s waist. The playful energy between them suddenly shifted, the space between them smaller than before. Their laughter faded into something quieter, softer.

Daniela’s fingers tightened slightly against YN’s shoulders, her breath coming out in short puffs from the chill of the water—or maybe something else entirely.

YN’s voice was barely above a whisper. “Still think this was a terrible idea?”

Daniela looked up at her, eyes flickering between YN’s lips and her gaze. “Mmm… Maybe not.”

The ocean moved around them, waves lapping against their bodies, but neither of them moved away. YN swallowed, her heart hammering.

Daniela smiled softly, tilting her head. “Are you gonna kiss me or just stare at me all night?”

YN let out a breathy laugh before finally closing the distance. The kiss was slow, warm despite the cool water around them. Daniela’s hands slid up to YN’s neck, pulling her closer, deepening the kiss.

When they finally pulled away, Daniela leaned her forehead against YN’s, eyes still closed as if trying to savor the moment.

YN smirked. “So… still undecided?”

Daniela chuckled, shaking her head. “No. You’re definitely the best.”

YN grinned before stealing another quick kiss. “Took you long enough to admit it.”

Daniela laughed, shoving YN playfully before they both collapsed back into the water, letting the waves carry them into whatever came next.

As they stepped out of the water, the cool night air sent a shiver down Daniela’s spine. She was still catching her breath, her skin tingling from the way YN’s hands had lingered just a little too long when they were splashing around. The glow from the nearby lanterns cast a golden hue over YN’s face, making her look almost unreal, like something out of a dream.

YN grabbed a towel and wrapped it around Daniela’s shoulders, her fingers brushing against bare skin in a way that felt entirely intentional. “Can’t have you freezing on me now,” YN murmured, her voice smooth, teasing.

Daniela smirked, holding the towel closer but not stepping away. “Oh, so you do care?”

YN cocked her head slightly, eyes flickering over Daniela’s face before settling on her lips. “You’re just now figuring that out?”

The air between them grew thick, the kind of tension that made Daniela’s heart race. The night had been perfect, every little thing YN had done making it impossible to ignore the way she felt. And now, standing here, wet swimsuits clinging to their bodies, with nothing but the sound of the waves behind them, it felt like the moment she had been waiting for all night.

YN took a slow step forward, closing the space between them. “You know…” she started, her fingers playing with the edge of Daniela’s towel, “we should probably get out of these wet clothes before we catch a cold.”

Daniela bit her lip, eyes flickering with something deeper, something undeniable. “That an invitation?”

YN smirked, leaning in, her lips barely grazing Daniela’s ear as she whispered, “It’s whatever you want it to be.”

Daniela exhaled sharply, her fingers curling into YN’s damp shirt, tugging her just a little closer. “Then I guess we should go inside,” she murmured.

YN didn’t hesitate, taking Daniela’s hand and leading her toward the house, their laughter mixing with the sound of the ocean. And as the door shut behind them, sealing out the rest of the world, the only thing that mattered was the heat between them and the night that was just beginning.

--

hi guys, i hope you guys like this story. i have more coming soon. lmk if you guys have an request!

Taglist - @xochitlisbest @goofymickeyr @ll0s3r

[leashybebes]

if I can be greedy and ask for more: 💭💭💭

of course! an extra long snippet before i turn in for the night and come back to these tomorrow 💕

"Thanks for the ride," Tommy says, squinting a little to bring Hen into focus.

"Anytime. Call us if you need us, okay?"

"Mmyeah," Tommy says, nodding perhaps a little too vigorously. "What's Karen's hangover food? I'll Postmates her when I wake up."

"I'll text you," Hen promises. "Something tells me not much is going in right now."

Tommy laughs and lets his head drop onto the arm he has braced on the roof of Hen's car. "Fair," he admits.

"Tommy," she says a second later, and that's very definitely got the patient tone of the mom voice.

"Mm?"

"You gotta move, bud. I can't drive home to my wife with you attached to the car."

"Shit! Yep. Tell Karen I love her."

Hen rolls her eyes fondly. "She loves you too."

Tommy backs up to watch her drive away and lingers outside for a moment, looking up at the sky. Maybe he can drive out to Sequoia or take a chopper somewhere next time he has a forty eight off. He wants to see some stars, not just the hazy moon and the city lights. He's not entirely steady on his way to the door, but at least he's too drunk to dread walking inside anymore.

Unfortunately, that means he's also too drunk to register the sight of Evan on the couch as though he's been waiting for Tommy to get home. Wishful thinking, Tommy knows. More importantly, it means he doesn't get to brace himself for the way Evan looks at him now. For all the ways Evan doesn't look at him anymore.

"Was that Hen?" Evan asks, and before Tommy can answer, "Wait, are you drunk?"

"Yep," Tommy says, and then holds his hand out, thumb and finger a scant inch apart. "And lil bit. Wine with Karen."

Evan frowns. "I didn't know where you were."

Tommy swallows back the instinct to say something bitchy like I didn't know you cared. Then he swallows back the instinct to burst into tears. White wine is always risky for him.

"Here now," he says with a shrug.

[dellalyra]

𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 - 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨

2 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴 - 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘥.

pixie says: it’s here. this took so long because i was determined to get it just right, since this will be the final ‘pixie’s canon’ chapter of family formations (there will be more extra chapters and side stories, don’t worry! our fav family aren’t going anywhere yet). as always, mdni. request open.

“Akio, baby! Come put your shoes on!” You call into the playroom where your almost 3-year-old son sits playing with his toys. He toddles out toward you, bright smile showing off his tiny pearly teeth and bright blue eyes gleaming with excitement. He sits on the floor and pulls his white and blue sneakers onto his feet (the wrong feet, but you’ll fix it for him). You try to comb the mess of his wild, snowy white hair into a bun but eventually resign yourself to the fact that taming it is impossible.

“Mama, we go party now?” He asks.

“Yeah, baby. We’re going to see Yuuta for his birthday! Are you excited?” You say, slipping on your own sneakers (they match your sons).

“So so excited! Will there be cake, mama?”

“Of course, there will, sweet boy! Okay, you ready? Yuuta’s present is in the car, let’s go.” You take his hand and load him and the bundle in your arms into your Land Rover. Your beautiful baby pink Cadillac sat in the garage, retired - it became a special occasion car after you realised the back seat couldn’t handle a car seat - an issue you never had with -

A thought you’d rather not go through with.

“Mama, Uncle soso be at party?” Akio asks from the back seat.

Of course - his focus is his beloved uncle soso. Not that you blame him.

“He will, baby. He’s expecting lots of cuddles.”

He squirms and squeals with excitement. Clingy, affectionate - just like his dad.

His father.

God, you miss him.

After a while of singing along to the music in the car, you pull up to the school. You spin yourself out of the driver’s seat and retrieve your son, the bundle, and the wrapped box from the back seat. He immediately runs off in the direction of the dorm common room kitchen without a second thought for his poor mother.

It’s okay though.

He’s safe.

He rounds a corner, and you see a pair of arms clad in black scoop him off the ground as he squeals and thrashes around, attempting to escape the iron hold of his captor’s arms.

“Lemme go! Lemme down!” He shrieks and giggles as raspberries are blown into his little belly.

“Never. You have been captured and the only way to be freed is if you tell me who your favourite person is.” The captor demands of the three-year-old.

“You! You, my favourite! Lemme down!” Akio giggles, now being held by the ankle's upside down.

“Well, you paid your ransom. Off you go - I gotta find my next target.” He sets the boy down and he immediately runs off, screaming for his uncle soso.

Then - the culprit sets his sights on you.

“Well, what do we have here? Hey there, pretty lady.” The man says.

“Hey handsome, come here often?” Your reply, batting your eyelashes.

“Oh, between 9am and 3pm on weekdays. You?” He smirks, flashing you a dazzling smile.

“Me too, but I have a few months off at the moment.” You wink.

“Explains why this place seems so dull without an angel like you to brighten it up.” He kisses the back of your hand.

“Well - I have more important things to be doing right now, I’m afraid pretty boy.” You smirk.

“Oh? What could be more important than working with a superstar like me?” He winks, wrapping an arm around your waist.

“Well, nursing said superstar’s child for one.” You laugh.

And with that, your husband laughs. Heartily and deeply happy sounds which warm you from the inside. He bends down so he’s face level with your neck.

“Hey cupcake, you got a smile for papa?” He asks, taking the bundle from your arms.

The bundle - being your 5-month-old daughter.

The baby gurgles in delight at the sight of her dad and smiles a gummy smile - her mood elevated because of her well-timed nap in the car.

“You look beautiful, princess.” He says, kissing your forehead.

“Oh, hush you, you’ll make me blush.” You giggle, but you will admit the blue ripped mom jeans and white cable knit sweater match your husband perfectly, and you always glowed around him. As for him, he doesn’t understand how you get more beautiful every day. When he says your car pull up, and you step out of it holding his baby girl in one arm and leading his little boy with the other - he thinks back to the day he saw you in the courtyard for the first time, all smiles, and shiny eyes.

After 12 years, countless battles, many stray kids, too many heartbreaks and carrying two of his children you still manage to knock the wind out of him by just existing. The pretty girl you were now a powerful, beautiful woman and every curve and inch custom made to drive him insane, especially the view of your jeans as you bend to fix your shoe (part of the reason he’s knocked you up twice). Your strength and courage, and pure devotion to the ones you love, and fiercely bold protectiveness drive him to the brink of madness with the weight of his love for you daily.

You on the other hand, watch your husband pressing kisses to your daughter’s chubby cheeks, as he wraps his arm around your waist and leads you inside. This man, who has almost given everything to protect you all, who has gifted you with a love so pure and whole that you almost lost yourself by almost losing him - you are one person. One without the other just cannot exist, two souls meshed to create a fortress of love, warmth, and happiness. Your eyes trace his face, as otherworldly beautiful as ever, eyes crinkled with a smile at the baby in his arms. His hair but your eyes. You think he’s only gotten more beautiful since you met, all those boyish edges sharpened into those of a man - a beacon of love, and strength. Powerful muscles (part of the reason you now had two kids by him) threaten to pop through his black T-shirt and you attempt not to drool, but he catches it anyway. Smirking, and whispering filthy things about how your ass looks in your jeans making him wanna find a babysitter and skip the party to have your own. You flush and nip his jawline, a promise for more to come later.

Just as you nibble his skin, a loud shout comes from the doorway.

“Hey guys! How are you?! I know I only saw you both yesterday, but I missed you guys!”

A shock of pink hair calls out, and before he can barrel toward you is held back by his collar.

“Chill out, Yuuji. You don’t even know if the babies asleep or not.”

The ever-present raven-haired boy pops up behind him, lurking in the shadow as always.

Your eldest son, your blessing.

“Hi mom. Do you want me to take her?” He asks, and you can see the eager glint in his eyes as he stretches out his arms to Gojo who has your daughter which you know, in Megumi language, means ‘give me the baby or I’ll sulk.’

Gojo is engaged with cooing over her with Itadori who you’ve come to realise is obsessed with babies. Your husband hands your son your daughter, who’s sitting up in his arms, and squeals when she realises it’s her oldest brother holding her, and you melt a little when she lays her head on his shoulder.

“Hey Lil 'miss. Will we go find our brother?” He says, walking off with her and Yuuji, leaving Gojo to take your hand and lead you inside too.

Yuuji has grown, with him being 18 that’s not surprising. His baby face is fading, skin now lined with scars - battle scars well earned by a brave boy. He’s still not as tall as his boyfriend, but he somehow got even more broad and muscly, this was evidenced when he was helping you with the baby's nursery and just… picked up the crib. With one arm. Megumi soon insisted that he and Yuuji were tired and going to his room to ‘bed’ that night, after that show of casual strength.

Megumi - your darling boy, well, man. 18 now and tall and long limbed as ever, all sharp corners and piercing eyes. The months after the culling games were tough, on everyone. But Megumi - he suffered deeply. The mental scaring of almost killing his dad, hurting you and the torture of being trapped inside a psychopath for weeks on end - and most of all, of being in the body that killed his sister. You moved him and Yuuji back into your house, Nobara too because as much as she enjoyed her new relationship with Maki - she couldn’t sleep without knowing the boys were safe and near. She felt immeasurable guilt for not being with Yuuji and Megumi early in the Culling Games and for the injuries that Yuuji saw her almost succumb to. She spent most of her week at the cottage, and the other few days with her girlfriend - healing together.

On the really dark nights, you and Satoru would wake to pained sobs - sometimes Yuuji, who would wake thrashing, and sometimes Megumi would wake frozen in fear. Many nights, they would wake to the same noises from inside your own room. You two had each other, and you tried to stress the importance of relying on each other to all the kids. Recovery wasn’t linear, but it could be helped with love and care.

There were a few nights, you’d wake to being poked by Yuuji, a solemn look on his face and in turn you’d wake up Satoru, you’d nod to Yuuji who would leave the room and come back with a bundle of limbs in his arms. Some nights, Megumi would get so frozen with memories that all he wanted was to be with you and Satoru - so like you did when he was a little boy, you put him in between you both and fell back asleep. You always offered to Yuuji to stay, and sometimes he did - but most times he would go and curl up beside Nobara in her room. He knew Megumi was safe with you two, so he would stay with his platonic soulmate - ever the protector.

Satoru’s wounds healed, leaving scars, pink and shimmering on his pale skin which you took care to kiss every night, grateful for how hard he fought to come home to you.

Two weeks after Yuuji killed Kenjaku, and everything was over - you, Shoko, and Gojo all stood together on the plot of land behind the cottage, a nice, secluded space under a Sakura tree.

The earth was covered in snowdrops, a black marble slate sat on the ground, with gold lettering.

here sleeps suguru geto, our very best friend and deeply loved dad.

You all cried, the three of you the surviving members of your school years. Yet, a part of it was sweet. Finally, after all this time - Suguru was home. He was back where he belonged, the birthplace of the reformation of Jujutsu society, with his family, who wordlessly accepted him and his two girl's home – where he was happy before the darkness became too much.

You three built a bench beside the memorial that day too, with a smaller memorial sign for the twins, they never had a surname – so you wrote them as Nanako and Mimiko Geto. It had been years since you or Satoru had seen the girls, and even then, only Shoko knew about that day. The day you texted his number thinking it would be blocked, two weeks after the village massacre, and after he left Satoru outside of the KFC. You told him you had clothes, shoes, and toys for the girls. Satoru could not face him, so you went alone, a secret kept between you and Satoru and Shoko. You met him and the girls in a nice, quiet park. Most of them were things from when you were a child, collected from your mother’s house (you think she knew). You played with the girls for a while, looking at Suguru with pleading eyes as you introduced yourself to them as their Aunty Y/N - a sign to him that this could be fixed, he could come him – the elders could be dealt with. You knew it was a failure before you said it. If your boyfriend couldn’t bring him home, then you stood no chance. He smiled at you, sadly but thankful for the unspoken offer. The girls didn’t need to hear the anger or the truth. When it got dark, it was time to leave. You said goodbye. The final goodbye, and you knew it. You said ‘goodbye, onii-chan' and he responded in kind, then left. You did not see him again until that day in the alley.

Now, here, at the cottage; Shoko could sit for a smoke with him, Satoru could come to annoy him and so you could bring his nieces and nephews to say hello. Scattering his ashes by the cottage the family congregated within only felt right. You asked him to watch over you all.

There was no shortage of funerals after the war.

You, Satoru, Akio, and Megumi held a private memorial in your home for Tsumiki. There was no body to bury - so you set up a small garden of all her favourite flowers in the grounds of the cottage where you raised her, where she made flower crowns and played with her brother.

After that - was Nanami. You and Satoru and Yuuji warped to Malaysia after his cremation, to scatter his ashes on a quiet, secluded beach. You all drank a glass of whiskey on the beach before it was time to go home. After clearing out his apartment, you found a spare of his tie and folded it, placing it in a box with a pair of his glasses and his favourite whiskey glass - and you handed it to Yuuji. He was so deeply loved, by all of you - but Yuuji was his student, his prodigy.

It was decided that since most of the old Jujutsu Society was gone, it was time to restructure. Utahime took over Kyoto, Todo and Noritoshi now acting as teachers. In Tokyo, the job of principal was between you and Satoru. You quickly told him it should be him, without question, and you would become the lead teacher. Shoko was offered a teaching position but quickly scoffed at the notion, saying corpses were still more her style. You needed another teacher, apart from you and Yuuta, who was still training under you part time. So, you and Satoru mutually agreed that a perfect candidate was one Choso Kamo, who hastily agreed, happy to be able to stay close to his brother. Hakari would occasionally pop in, help out for days - and took over for you on maternity leave. Jujutsu society would change now. A complete restructure.

A reformation.

The new higher ups consisted of Satoru, you, Utahime, Noritoshi Kamo, Yuuta, Maki and Toge said he would step up the the plate in a few years time.

Everyone knew what happened to the old higher ups. Everyone knew who killed them.

Nobody sought retaliation.

Nobody mourned.

In the present, you stepped into the room decorated yesterday by you and Yuuji. A big banner with ‘Happy 20th Birthday!’ Was hung on the wall, with cakes and cupcakes and lots of snacks laid across the dining table. Music was playing from Maki’s speaker, who sat frowning, but letting Nobara place a party hat on her anyway. Panda is sneaking a cupcake in the back corner, and you pretend not to notice.

You look around the room, delighting in the sight of your husband and Yuuji blowing up balloons in a competition of who can get theirs the biggest (they both burst). Megumi is sitting beside them, smirk on his face as he lets his baby sister play with his long fingers and use them as a teething chew. You look around for Akio, who had sprinted inside to look for his ‘uncle soso.’ It didn’t take long to locate him, but it wasn’t by sight but rather by a delighted squeal and a giggle coming toward you.

“Mama! Uncle soso has sweeties! He say ask mama if I can share too?” A voice cries as it barrels into your leg.

You look toward the kitchen door and see a smiling Choso with a plate of mochi, looking fondly at the toddler on your leg.

“Okay, baby. Thank you for asking, and what do we say to Uncle Soso?” You say, picking him up to walk toward the favourite uncle.

“Tank you, uncle soso.” Your adorable little man says, holding his arms toward the man in signal of hoping to be transferred from your hip to his.

“You spoil that boy, Choso Kamo.” You say, not an ounce of anger in your voice.

“Maybe.” He smiles sheepish and shrugs, head peeking around your shoulder to look around.

“Are you looking for your goddaughter?” You ask.

“Where is she?” He perks up, and your reminded of a puppy hearing the word treat.

“Megumi has her. They’re with ‘toru and your brother.” You smile, giving him a kiss on the cheek as he walks toward the boys with Akio and the mochi in his arms.

A fatal mistake really.

He’s about to sit on a sofa with a plate of Mochi and two Gojo boys?

He won’t get any. But you think he’s okay with that.

After what you’ve come to call the war, Choso had become an indispensable part of the family. Loyal, kind, and caring - he fit in like a perfect puzzle piece. Easily making friends with Megumi (who he calls his brother-in-law), living easily as a comrade and trusted friend of your husband and easily melding into the baby brother you never had. Even though he’s about 120 years older than you.

When Akio arrived back in the country with your mother after the fighting had ceased, you and Satoru refused to let him out of your sight for weeks, Akio had protested but you had taken to having him sleep in your room until eventually you both felt safe enough to let the poor boy go back to his star-themed bedroom in peace.

That was until about 3am, when you woke up to the bedroom door opening and your husband coming in with a sleeping toddler in his arms. He needed him near, just like how he felt comforted by the soft snores coming from Megumi’s room. You said nothing, just smiled and scooted over so you wrap your little boy between you.

Megumi joined at 4am.

About 3 months after the final fight, you both put Akio to bed one night. Megumi had gone back to the dorms, recovering, and enjoying the idea of being just a student again. Satoru’s arm around your waist as you looked at his sleeping figure on his teddy bear print bedsheets. Wild white hair sticking in all directions a carbon copy of his dad.

“Princess?” He said, forehead on your hair.

“Yes, ‘toru.” You hoped he was going to say what you were also thinking.

“Let’s have another one.” He said, tilting your chin to look at him with those long fingers.

“Okay.” You smile and let him scoop you up and March you to your bedroom.

Six weeks later: there were two lines on the stick.

This time - Satoru hadn’t noticed. Maybe because his six eyes were still recovering, or maybe because the baby inside you had your cursed energy, so it just looked like yours. The day you did the test, you went to a bakery at lunchtime to grab some treats.

“I got some treats for breakfast tomorrow, since it’s a Saturday. Megumi is going out with Yuuji for breakfast, so he won’t be here.” You say, as Satoru comes back into the kitchen from putting Akio to bed.

You push the box toward him.

“Oh pastries! Are these mine?” He asks.

“Eh! No! There’s one each.” You laugh at him.

“Well then there’s two for me, because there’s four. One for Akio, one for you and two for me!” He claps.

“No, ‘toru. There’s one each.” You smile, wondering when he will catch on.

“But ‘Gumi won’t be here?” He asks, puzzled and eager.

“We still need four.” You smirk a little.

You see him frown and the cogs turn in his head? One for George the Cat? No…

His head snaps up.

“Wait! Princess…?” He takes the kitchen in one stride and kneels in front of you, and you nod, smiling.

“Really? You’re sure?” He asks, staring at your belly.

You think now is time for the best pun of your life. You reach into your pocket and take out the test.

“Positive.” You giggle, tears lining your lashes - and Satoru’s too.

He leans his head into your belly, tears soaking your shirt.

7 and a half months later, you went into labour during movie night. Megumi insisted on coming to the infirmary with you and Satoru in case anything happened. Yuuji and Nobara were on a mission, so you picked up your phone.

It barely rang once.

“Hey, Cho. We um… need a favour.” You speak.

“Is everyone alright?” The perpetually sleepy voice asks.

“Yeah, it’s just we need someone to watch Akio… I - um, well the baby’s coming.” You say, wincing through a contraction.

You all drive to the school, where Shoko is waiting to deliver your second child and Choso comes running out of his on-campus staff apartment, scooping up your son who was delighted at getting to see his Uncle Soso.

13 hours later, there was life.

New life. A beautiful, vibrant, fresh life. A beautiful little girl, perfect and tiny with a shock of pale white hair.

She cried. You cried. Satoru cried. Shoko cried.

Megumi went to collect Akio, and you asked him to bring Choso too after you and the baby were both cleaned up.

The toddler barrelled into the room, Megumi behind him.

“Baby sister! Baby sister! I want my baby sister! Oh, hi mama and papa, move - I want to see sister.” He mumbles - mind singularly focused on what he had been waiting for.

You laughed, and Satoru too. Megumi shrugged, after planting a kiss on your cheek and asking if you were okay (still a mama’s boy even at 18).

“It’s a joint sentiment.” Your eldest agrees with the bouncing toddler.

You scoot over on the bed, and Satoru (teary eyed) places a bundle into your arms. Megumi gingerly sits beside you on one side, and Satoru scoops Akio onto his lap on your other side.

“Boys, we’d like you to meet your baby sister. This - is Mirai.” You smile at them, both looking equally entranced.

“She’s… so tiny, and so pretty.” Megumi whispers.

“Papa - is she sleepin’?” Akio whispers.

As if on cue, the baby opens her eyes.

Akio gasps, looking to his dad for permission to get closer. Satoru nods with a note to be gentle with sister and mama. Your usually boisterous boy crawls to sit on your lap, putting his hand on his sisters.

“Hi baby sister.” He whispers. “I brother. Big brother. Like ‘Gumi my big brother. I keep baby sister safe, and will play with you, and let you have snacks and give you hugs and kisses. I Akio, but mama and papa call me Kio lots. They all things that ‘Gumi and Uncle soso say big brother do, and they are bestest big brothers to me and Jiji. (The name he has for Yuuji, who adores it).’

Holding your little girl in your arms, with all three of your boys looking at you both with so much love - you think that everything was worth it. For this moment, for this feeling and for this family. Every wound, every fight - it was for them. Everyone you lost, you know they’re looking at you all now from wherever they are and smiling and vowing to keep this family safe.

“Is Choso here?” You ask Megumi who has gingerly been passed the baby by Satoru.

“He’s outside, he wanted to wait until he was invited in.” He whispers, not sparing a glance at anything but his little sister.

You turn to Satoru, who nods and goes to open the door and usher the other man in.

You both placed the highest level of trust in Choso. Satoru being eternally grateful to the man for holding you back from running to his injured body when he fought Sukuna, for caring for Yuuji in his darkest days, for being a pillar of strength and support when you both needed it. For you, you felt like the support and friendship, and recognition as Y/N and Satoru that Choso gave you - not just the Six Eyes and the Dryad - was priceless. Plus - he’d never seen a newborn baby. He didn’t even know how babies were born. You and Satoru had to teach him a lot.

“Hi Choso. Thank you for minding this little squirt.” You say, nodding to Akio.

Choso just stood, speechless and slack jawed.

It reminded you of Yuuji when you first showed him an ultrasound of Akio.

Brothers.

“Uncle soso - this is baby sister! Look! She has fingers!” Akio says, crawling across you to point at the baby in Megumi’s arms.

He says nothing.

“D’ya wanna hold her, bud?” Satoru says, smiling at the dumbfounded man.

He just nods.

“Okay - arms out, keep her head secure.” Megumi says side eye and smirk to Satoru as he parrots the words his dad said to him when Akio was born.

The little girl is placed in Choso’s arms.

“She’s… so small.” He speaks.

“Takes after her mama.” Satoru says, kissing your head.

“Everyone is small to you, Jack the beanstalk.” You roll your eyes.

That day, you asked Yuuta and Choso to both be Mirai’s Godfathers. Choso silently took on the uncle role with Akio too - who had lost his own godfather not so long ago, his beloved Uncle Nanamin.

The door to the party room opened, too early to be the birthday boy and the sound of heels clicking alerted you to snap your head up.

“Koko!” You say, running and throwing your arms around you best friend.

“Jesus, you’re almost as bad as Sator - OOF.” Her complaint was quickly cut off by a white haired, 6ft5 man barrelling into her and shouting ‘Yay, Shoko!’ and no less than 5 seconds later her knees were encircled by smaller arms attached to a boy shouting ‘Aunty Koko!’.

Shoko resigns herself to being smothered by the Gojo’s and just huffs a hello.

“Mirai, Megs, you’re the best of the bunch.” She shrugs toward Megumi who’s still holding the baby.

“We love Aunty Koko! Don’t we, ‘kio?!” You and Satoru encourage.

“Aunty Koko!” He parrots, nuzzling her legs as she ruffles his hair.

“Alright kid, I love you too. Satoru, put this on the table.” She says, unceremoniously throwing a box terribly wrapped toward him.

She plonks down on the sofa with Megumi and Choso.

“What’s this, the emo convention?” She smirks and you, Satoru and Yuuji just burst out in hysterical laughter.

Nobara’s voice calls out.

“Guys! They’re here, they’re just pulling up now. Gojo-sensei, find somewhere to hide that you can fit!” She frantically shouts, dragging Maki into a corner with her.

You grab Megumi and Mirai, falling behind the kitchen door where Akio is in Satoru’s arms, both giggling.

The lights are turned off, and you can hear voices muffled from outside the door before it swings open.

“SURPRISE!” You all shout and sing, much to the alarm of the birthday boy who also screams.

“Oh my god! What is this?! What are you all doing here?! Toge, did you know about this?” Yuuta spills.

Toge just shrugs and smirks.

“Happy birthday, Senpai!” Says Yuuji, before almost breaking every bone in Yuuta’s body with a crushing hug.

“Happy birthday, Okkotsu.” Megumi nods, with a small smile and a bro hug.

“Happy birthday, shrimp.” Maki says, hugging her best friend.

“Happy birthday, Okkotsu! Your gifts are on the table!” From Nobara.

You, Satoru, the kids, Shoko and Choso watch as all the students clamour to greet the birthday boy before he somehow manages to make his way over to you all as Yuuji begins to dish out the immeasurable amount of food he’s made for the occasion.

“Sensei? Y/N? The babies too?! Hi babies!” He greets with a wide smile.

“Happy birthday, Yuuta!” Gojo says, wrapping him in a hug and picking him up off the ground.

“Happy 20th, honey.” You say, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“Happy birthday Yuuta!” Says Akio from Choso’s arms, where he doesn’t stay for long as he launches himself at Yuuta.

Mirai is babbling in your arms, and you presume she shares the sentiment of her big brother being an eerie mixture of her parents,

“Happy birthday, kid. Enjoy your 20s.” Shoko says, with a wink.

“Thank you, guys, this is amazing. I went to the arcade with Toge and I thought that would be that no wonder he insisted on playing more dance dance revolution!” He laughed.

After cakes had been eaten and candles blown out, gifts unwrapped and games won - everyone was sat around the room, about to watch a film.

Mirai was asleep on her dad’s chest, curled up with his arm supporting her. You were tucked into his other side, as he pressed kisses into the crown of your head. Megumi had his arm around Yuuji on your other side as he lay his feet on your lap. Nobara and Maki were cuddled up on the armchair, with Toge resting his head on Yuuta’s lap on the floor below. Akio had insisted on sitting with Uncle Soso and Aunty Koko on one of the other sofas, as he ate some cake.

You sighed and smiled, looking at the raven-haired boy, now all grown up on your left - happy, healing, safe and in love. He’s a man now, he’ll be 19 in just under a year and you find it crazy to think that was the age you and Satoru were when you adopted him and Tsumiki.

You look at Akio, curled into a blanket between his aunt and uncle, Shoko on the verge of sleep and Choso smiling at whatever nonsense Yuuji was talking. Your youngest son, your sweet copy of Satoru. You say all the best parts of you both in him, all bravery and kindness and endless love with added strength and loyalty, and every inch as clever as his elder brother too. His Snow White hair is long, tied in a little bun on top of his head and his bright, shiny blue eyes a copy and paste of his dad’s.

Then, there’s your little girl. The life brought into this world reigniting hope and joy in so many lives. The fruit of what you all fought for. Her chubby cheeks, rosy with teething snuggles into her father’s broad, strong chest as she drools all over him as she sleeps soundly. Where Akio is a Mama’s boy, Mirai is her papa’s girl. Her white curls are framing her perfect little face, with matching lashes laying across her sleeping face.

Then, there’s him.

Akio and Miria’s papa.

Megumi and Tsumiki’s adopted dad.

The new principal of Jujutsu High.

The man who shouldered the world for love.

Your husband.

Your soulmate.

Your ‘toru.

The light, love, and joy in your life since you were 16 years old. The man who you fall deeper in love with every day and the second part of your soul. Your heart, your lover, the fire in your veins. Two adopted kids, many unofficial kids and two copies of you both later, you’re both still here. Fighting your way to each other and for each other, and side by side building bonds deeper than gold. The sexiest, most beautiful man you have ever imagined existing. The love of your life. The way he looks at you, still flusters you.

You catch his eyes. 14 years, and a lifetime more.

He looks at you. His wife, his best friend, the missing piece of his heart. The most beautiful, hottest girl he’s ever seen with all his six eyes, the mother of his children and his right-hand woman. His rock, his crutch, his confidant and partner in crime. The woman he would shoulder the earth for. The new main teacher at Tokyo Jujutsu Tech. His love grows every day for you, something he didn’t think was possible. His princess.

You whisper you love him.

He replies he loves you too.

You were all chatting as the movie loaded, waiting for it to buffer.

“When the fuck is movie starting?!” Came a tiny voice.

All heads snapped to Akio, hands on his hips, staring at the screen.

“Who taught our son to swear?” Gojo breathes, holding back a laugh.

“Fuck’s sake.” You mutter, smiling - without thinking.

“Fuck’s sake.” Akio mimics.

“Ah, shit.” Gojo groans.

“Shit.” Parrots the toddler.

“Well, jury’s out but I think it might have been his parents.” Megumi smirks.

The room bursts into raucous laughter, and amidst it all the movie starts.

It serves as background noise, a lullaby, a point of focus. A family made of many mismatched pieces - a pool of trust, of reliance, of hope and comfort - created and moulded in the image of a couple, of two sides of one coin, two halves of one whole: her ‘toru. His Princess.

[dadvans]

Short Term Solutions for the wip game! 💕💕💕

for the WIP title meme!

tbh can't remember what i've posted from this one before--

Tommy feels like he’s walking onto another scene when he shows up at Evan’s apartment. There’s smoke, albeit thinning through every open window, and Evan is standing on the table waving a sheet pan at the detector high overhead on the ceiling. “Hey.” Evan doesn’t look down at him. Tommy sees a smothered pot on the stove’s back burner, hallmark of a grease fire. “How do you feel about pizza?” “I love pizza,” he offers, like there’s a monster out there that somehow doesn’t. He tries to hide the worry in his voice and makes his way around the kitchen island to the stove so he can help dispose of the smoldering remains of dinner. “I’ll call Dominoes as soon as I’m not afraid of this alarm going off again,” Evan says. “Don’t worry about it.” Fuck Dominoes. Evan’s clearly had a long day, and Tommy is hungry but he’s not that hungry. They’re doing the overpriced hole-in-the-wall down the street where Ryan Gosling was apparently caught by paparazzi last week. He’s fine paying. “I can call.” Evan gives in without a fight, so he must really be at his limit. “Thanks.” It’s tough to see him like this. His usual spark has been dimming more and more the past month since Gerrard resumed control of the 118, and even on the really bad days, he seems reluctant to talk about it. The first time they did, Tommy tried to pass along wisdom from what he remembered of Gerrard: keep your head down, don’t go out of your way to do anything you weren’t asked to do (especially on a call), stay in your lane, and document every goddamn thing as best as you can the second it happens. But these days Tommy can see it in the dismissive way that Evan will crack open a beer on the countertop and say, “Nothing, nothing, you know, asked me if i moved out here ‘cause California is the land of fruits and nuts again,” that there is something worse and more complicated going on under the surface, something Evan refuses to let him help carry the weight on for a variety of reasons. It sucks. Tommy wants to help, and watching Evan struggle and buckle under whatever is going down at the 118 without him is starting to scare him. Something’s gotta give, and Tommy knows it inevitably will. The best thing he knows he can do until further notice is focus on short term solutions. He can take care of a smoking pan while Evan stands helplessly on his kitchen table. He can order a large Hellraiser, extra meat. He can get Evan so far outside of his head he’s boneless and thoughtless and can temporarily forget. “Delivery ETA is sixty minutes,” Tommy announces as he gets off the phone. “Shit, I’m sorry,” Evan says, gingerly getting off the table and setting the pan down. “I told you I’d have dinner ready, you’re probably starving. I can probably throw a salad together—“ “Don’t worry about it,” Tommy says, and that’s when he notices one of Evan’s hands is loosely wrapped. “Are you okay?” Evan seems to have forgotten about it, and looks down at his own palm when he sees Tommy staring. “What? Oh, yeah, got distracted, burned it. Then totally forgot I left the heat on high when I went to take care of it, and“—he waves his good hand vaguely around at the thinning smoke, a half-laugh catching in his throat clearly directed at himself—“yeah. Just can’t seem to stay out of my own way today.” There’s something unsaid there, some kind of weakness Evan doesn’t seem willing to part with, and it breaks Tommy’s heart. He maneuvers his way over to Evan’s side, taking him by the wrist to gently kiss over the burn. “Well, we have an hour.” He sighs. “Tell you what. Let me take care of you, get you out of your head for a bit. Then, after dinner, can we talk about it?” Evan stares up at him, eyes so big. Some invisible weight seems to slough off his shoulders at the suggestion alone, and he nods. “Yeah. Yeah, okay.”

[egotisticaleverything]

Stand Still - McSummers

WARNINGS/CONTAINS: NSFW, Anal sex, Anal fingering, spit as lube, normal teasing, (obvious) language, feeling up, homoerotic suit fittings, banter, floor sex, minor injury, consent checks

A/N: Gender and sex are NOT the same thing. Gender is what you identify as and sex is what Hank McCoy and Alex Summers had in that training bunker during first class when no one was around. STAY INFORMED.

WORD COUNT: 2.1K

“God would you just stand still for a second-?” Hank groaned, knelt down into the cold metal flooring of the bunker as Alex stood above him, squirming as he attempted to get his vest fitted.

“Yeah well if you weren’t getting so handsy I wouldn’t be wigglin’.” The blonde retorted, continuing to shy away from hanks touches, leading to yet another exasperated huff to escape the brunette’s lips,

“Maybe if you stayed still I wouldn’t have to get so handsy.” He muttered, moving himself to the other side to continue his work, his tone seething with annoyance as his hands grazed over Alex’s frame.

“You biting back today bozo?” Alex laughs, looking down at Hank as he inhales deeply through his nose, presumably calming himself.

“I don’t really have a choice in the matter when you’re this bratty now do I?” The taller man stands up, bringing his hands to the straps on Alex’s shoulders and adjusting them slightly, moving his hands down the others body as he finagled with the vest.

“Bratty? What am I four?” Alex scoffs cockily, his attitude shifting slightly as Hank’s hands made their way to his waist, tugging and loosening the straps in an attempt to even out the compression. The positioning sending a surprising wave of perplexing emotions through Alex’s body, a rising feeling of heat washing over him as Hank’s hands sweep across his figure, ever so gently.

“You sure act like it.” Hank chuckles, his breath brushing the back of Alex’s neck, lingering in his position seemingly purposefully before giving Alex’s shoulder a pat, “all good.” He says stepping back, “that’ll make sure the beam is directed forward, just gotta aim.”

“You’re stayin’?” Alex asks baffled, turning his head towards Hank as he leans on the wall behind him, genuine concern breaking through his voice.

“Unless you’re planning on spinning around to shoot be directly I should be fine.” The brunette shrugs, sliding his notebook out of his pocket along with a pen, flicking through it as he began to scribble down notes, “you gonna shoot or what?” He looks up for a second, a smirk tugging on the side of his mouth,

“You’re extra sassy today ay McCoy?” Alex chuckles, moving his feet to ground himself firmly on the floor, taking a deep breath in as he began to focus his energy onto his powers.

“It’s 4 in the morning, I’m not caffeinated and sleep deprived.” Hank answers plainly, still jotting down notes as Alex continues, “less of a voluntary choice and more of an… automatic psychological response.” He shrugs, fiddling with his pen between his fingers, eyes fixated on Alex.

“Quit talkin’ nerdy when I’m tryna focus Specs.” Alex grumbles, taking in another shaky breath as the heat of the building blast collecting inside him, sitting at his core heavily as it grew, the warmth of his body rising as all of his energy seemed to grow stronger, weighing heavy on his frame. Almost without warning it shot out, one singular beam, all of his intensity in one blast, causing him to stumble backwards, tripping over his own feet. “HANK-! Get down!” Alex squawked in a panic as he plummeted to the floor, his head hitting the hard pavement as his frame collapsed, the beam finally stopping as a jolt of pain stung through Alex’s entire body, from his head down to his spine, causing him to let out a pained cry.

“Alex!” Hank shrieked, lunging forward to kneel by the side of the blonde, bringing a hand up to check his head as the other cupped his cheek, his touch gentle, tender as he ran his hand through Alex’s hair to check for blood. “Oh my god, are you okay?” He spluttered, his voice laced with a genuine concern.

“Yeah- shit… I just didn’t ground myself properly… not used to it being so focused.” Alex says in a strangled groan as he hoists himself up onto his elbows, Hank’s hands moving down his body, one to his shoulder, the other to his chest, as a different type of warmth seemed to rise throughout his body.

“Oh my- I should have thought of that, I’m so sorry I’ll work on something to mellow out the blasts a bit or- or absorb some of the blow-“ Hank began to ramble, his hands moving all over Alex’s body searching for any visible injuries as he did. The sensation of Hanks gently caring touches sent a shiver down Alex’s spine as an expression filled with bewilderment was plastered across his face, now completely red. “I’m so so sorry- Alex?” Hank paused, his gaze meeting Alex’s as he stared at him in a flustered shock, his lips slightly parted as a shaky breath escaped him.

His gaze flickered to Hank’s lips, then back to his eyes, his beautiful blue eyes, were they always so pretty? Even with his darkened under eyes and messy hair from lack of sleep Alex couldn’t deny Hank was devilishly attractive. I mean yes he had stopped to check him out once or twice but not for this long he never-

“Alex are you okay?” Hanks voice snapped the blonde out of his flustered daze, grounding him slightly as Hanks hands rested on his body, one on his hip, the other on his thigh. “Alex what’s going on say someth-“ Hank was cut off suddenly as Alex grabbed the sides of his face and practically smashed it into his, their lips colliding chaotically as Hank sat there wide eyed, a small whimper of shock escaping his lips before Alex pulled away,

“Oh my god.” He huffed out his eyes filled with fear as Hank stared at him, expressionless, lips still parted slightly. “I’m so sorry, we should stop-“ Alex quavered, shakily beginning to move his hands off of Hanks face.

Suddenly, and without a word Hank grabbed Alex’s wrist, moving his hand back to his cheek before he pulled him back in, lowering Alex onto the ground as he positioned himself above him. Their kiss this time more tender, warm, soft even. As Alex melted into Hank’s touch his eyes fluttered shut, a small groan escaping him as the taller boy tugged on his bottom lip with his teeth teasingly.

“Don’t stop.” Hank finally spoke, rushed between kisses, his breath sharp, voice laced with desperation. “Don’t ever stop. Alex, I-… Alex, I want you.” Hank panted, his eyes filled with emotion as his hand came up to stroke the side of Alex’s cheek, “Alex, I need you.”

Alex didn’t need another word. In one moment he slung one of his arms around Hank’s neck, pulling I’m back down into a kiss as his other hand traveled down his body, taking the brunette’s tie between his fingers and tugging harshly, earning a flustered squeak from the taller man. Hank brought his hands back down to Alex’s waist as he slotted their legs between one another, lightly pressing his knee into the groin of the man below him. The teasing contact making the blonde groan in frustration as he ground down, desperate for more friction. Hank pulled away momentarily, his chest heaving, breathing jagged as he stared down at Alex, face still completely flushed as his supple lips glistened with their shared saliva. He soon moved downwards, placing scattered kisses and bites along Alex’s jaw, slowly making his way down his neck as his noises grew more desperate and whiney,

“Hank I swear to god if you don’t rip my pants off and fuck me already-“ Alex complains through strangled whimpers,

“What? Can’t handle a little teasing?” Hank chuckles, unzipping the side of the vest as Alex discards it, moving his own hands to undo Hank’s belt before being stopped by a firm hand snatching his away, “Hey, I’m not fuckin’ you unprepped. I’m an asshole not a monster.” Hank smirks, tugging down Alex’s sweats and boxers in one go, spreading his legs further apart and settling himself in between them. “Spit.” Hank says plainly, holding up his fingers to Alex’s mouth,

“What?” Alex gawks, caught off guard by the others request.

“Quit being such a brat for two seconds and spit on my fingers.” Hank huffs, looking down at the blonde with an expectant glare through messy hair and fogged glasses. Alex complies, spitting on Hank’s hand as he rubs it through his fingers, placing his other hand on Alex’s waist, adjusting his position slightly. “Ready?” Hank asks calmly, his composure still somehow intact.

“Fuck- Yes. Of course Bozo or else I wouldn’t be splayed out on this bunker floor.” Alex throws his head back with an annoyed groan, “I swear if you don’t do something I-“ Alex cuts himself off with an almost ear shatteringly pornographic moan, as Hank jams two of his fingers into him, curling them slightly to hit his prostate.

“You were saying?” Hank nods with a smirk as he started pumping his fingers in an out, moving his free hand all over Alex’s abdomen, down his collarbone, around his pecs, brushing lightly over his nipples and down to his shaft. Running his hand gently along the length before rubbing his thumb over the leaking slit. Causing a slurry of unintelligible sounds of pleasure to escape Alex’s plump lips, “so pretty like this. I could just eat. You. Up.” Hank teases, leaning down to bite Alex’s neck, earning another ear ripping noise from the blonde below him.

“Fuckfuckfuck- Hank wait I can’t I’m gonna cum-!” Alex sputters out through strangled moans, his voice high pitched and laced with pathetic desperation. “I can’t… fuck I want- need you inside me now. Now.” He groans through gritted teeth.

“As you wish.” Hank replies cockily, pulling his two fingers out before starting to undo his belt, the metal clanking against the hard concrete as his pants fall, the imprint of his hardened dick making Alex’s eyes widen, “You know what they say about guys with big feet.” He says simply, shoving down his boxers, letting his cock press against Alex’s inner thigh for a moment before asking, “you okay with this?”

“Yes.” Alex replies instantly, his voice unbelievably certain, his eyes not leaving Hank’s shaft.

“Okay…” Hank mutters, pressing his tip against Alex’s entrance, slowly pushing himself inside as he gives Alex time to adjust. Strangled whines of pain and pleasure escaping Alex’s lips as he claws at Hank’s arms, his head thrown back in ecstasy. “Fuck you’re tight.” Hank groans out lowly as he bottoms out, staying still for a second before staring at Alex in anticipation, the blonde granting him a nod before he starts moving slowly. Hank quickly builds a rhythm, beginning slow, his touches gentle as his hands rest on Alex’s hips, so tender as he thrust into the smaller blonde.

“Fuck- Hank please,” Alex whines, his breath jagged and shaky, “I’m not fucking breakable, just fuck me already. Hard and fast.” He groans, bringing his hand up to grip the brunette’s jaw aggressively,

Those words were all that Hank needed, all he needed before he started to absolutely plough into Alex like a jackhammer, one hand on his hip and the other next to his head, keeping himself balanced as he abused the blonde’s prostate. A slurry of incoherent groans escaped him as his pace quickened, leaning down to leave a gallery of bite marks and hickeys along Alex’s neck. Soon enough Alex felt his climax approaching once again, his whimpers growing more desperate as he wrapped his legs around the brunette, using the leverage to shove himself down onto his cock at full force.

“Hank- shit- I’m gonna cum, don’t stop don’t you fucking dare stop.” Alex spilled through a wobbly groan, his head thrown back in pleasure, “fuuuck..”

“Fuck- no I’m not stopping. I’m never fucking stopping.” Hank huffs lowly, his head still buried in the others neck as he continues his violation of his core, his own climax fast approaching. “Cmon’ cum for me- please, Alex please.” He huffed out, his voice heightening in pitch as he felt himself growing closer, Alex let out a violently loud scream of pleasure, tearing through his vocal cords as he came, spilling out all over onto the pairs stomachs as Hank soon followed. Spilling himself deep into Alex’s core, biting down on the other’s shoulder with a loud groan as they both came down from their highs, before pulling out and flopping onto the floor beside him.

“Oh my god.” Alex wheezes, still catching his breath,

“We’re so fucked.” Hank says, still staring at the ceiling as he attempts to even out his own breathing,

“What?” Alex asks, still half in a daze,

“Charles is so gonna know.” The brunette turns his head to the blonde with a lopsided grin,

“Shiiiiit.”

[movingmusically]

What Are Friends For? - Chapter 21

Word Count: 1.4k

Masterlist

The flat felt too still when I woke up.

No soft hum of music from Austin’s record player.

No quiet footsteps moving around the kitchen.

No warm weight beside me, shifting, reaching—

Just me.

I rolled over, eyes barely open, reaching for my phone.

Austin: Morning. Made my own coffee today. Not the same.

Austin: What time do you start?

A small smile tugged at my lips.

Me: Morning. 9am, it's a training day today. Teachers are in, kids aren’t. Zara (my work wife) and I will be “working” (talking shit in my classroom) most of the day.

Me: How was your morning?

A few seconds later, my phone buzzed.

Austin: Early workout. Going over scenes. Missing my scene partner, though.

I snorted.

Me: Don’t think Callum would appreciate that feedback.

Austin: Yeah, well. He’s not you.

Something warm curled in my stomach.

Me: I’ll text you later, gotta get up.

Austin: Yeah? Can I request a dramatic reading of your lunch options?

Me: Absolutely not.

Austin: Rude.

Austin: Talk later x.

I sighed, stretching my arms over my head before forcing myself out of bed. One day in, six to go.

The training session was dragging. Useful, maybe. But it was hard to focus when I kept replaying the last ten days in my head. Zara and I escaped early to my classroom, coffees in hand.

“You’ve been weird,” she said, narrowing her eyes.

I lifted a brow. “Excuse me?”

She pointed at me, then waved a hand vaguely. “Like… suspiciously quiet. You barely said anything in the group chat.”

I rolled my eyes. “Maybe I just didn’t have anything to say.”

She gave me a look. “Yeah, right. You always have something to say.”

I hesitated.

Zara’s eyes widened. “No. No way. What happened?”

I pressed my lips together.

Then— “I slept with him.”

Zara nearly dropped her coffee.

“You what?”

I rubbed the back of my neck, suddenly self-conscious. “It—kind of just… happened.”

She stared at me. “Angie.”

I groaned. “Don’t make it a thing.”

“It is a thing!” She smacked my arm. “You barely told me anything about this whole set visit, and now you’re telling me you slept with him?”

I sighed. “Okay, yeah. A lot happened.”

She folded her arms. “Start from the beginning.”

So, I did.

I told her everything—about touring the set, Austin arranging for me to be an extra, the first time we kissed. The pub date and him asking me to stay. The past week. The mornings, the nights, the way everything had shifted without me even realising.

By the time I finished, Zara just stared at me.

“Jesus Christ.”

I huffed a laugh. “Yeah.”

Her head tilted. “And now?”

I swallowed. “Now… I’m here, and he’s there, and we'll see each other Sunday.”

Her expression softened. “And?”

I exhaled. “And I already miss him.”

Zara shook her head, muttering under her breath. “Knew it.”

I frowned. “Knew what?”

She sipped her coffee. “You’re all loved-up, aren’t you?”

I choked. “It’s been ten days, Zara.”

“Yeah, but how long have you actually been into him?”

I frowned. “I don’t know.”

Zara’s look was unimpressed. “Bullshit.”

I sighed, tipping my head back.

Because honestly? I wasn’t sure I had an answer.

After Zara finished dramatically analysing my entire life, I grabbed my lunch and sat at my desk, my phone in hand.

I hesitated for half a second before holding down the mic button.

“Alright, Butler, since you demanded it—today’s lunch selection: pasta bake, jacket potatoes, or a ‘seasonal vegetable risotto,’ which was 90% peas. I went for the pasta. Solid choice. Five stars. You're really missing out. Tragic”

I sent it off and took a bite of my food, shaking my head to myself.

A couple of hours later, my phone buzzed with his reply.

Austin: ‘Tragic’ is right. You get dessert?

Me: Sponge cake with pink custard.

Austin: That’s not real.

Me: It absolutely is.

Austin: I need to see it with my own eyes to believe it.

I huffed a quiet laugh, tapping out a reply.

The week slipped into a new kind of normal after that. We texted through the day. Nothing dramatic. Just small things.

Austin: Barry says hi. And that he misses you. Mostly because you’re the only one who’ll listen to his theories about the moon landing.

Me: Tell him I miss him too. And that I fully support his research.

Austin: Call time got pushed. Wanna FaceTime later?

Me: Yeah. Call me when you’re home. x

It wasn’t the same as being there. But it was something.

One evening I was curled up on my sofa, laptop open, when my phone buzzed. Austin’s name lit up the screen, the familiar FaceTime ringtone cutting through the quiet.

I answered, and Austin’s face filled the screen—hair damp, hoodie on, stretched out on his bed.

I smiled. “Hey.”

He exhaled like he’d been waiting all day for that. “Hey.”

I tucked my legs under me. “Long day?”

He nodded. “Good, though. You?”

I shrugged. “Yeah. You know. Changing lives, shaping young minds, confiscating Rubik’s cubes. The usual.”

Austin smirked. “Sounds heroic.��

“Oh, incredibly.”

A beat of quiet.

Then—

“I miss you.”

The words were easy, slipping out like they belonged.

Austin’s expression softened. “Yeah?”

I swallowed. “Yeah.”

A small pause.

Then he smiled. “Me too.”

And somehow, that made everything feel just a little bit easier.

By the time Friday night rolled around, I was officially done.

The first week back had been fine—busy, sure, but nothing I couldn’t handle. Even so, by the time I made it home, all I wanted was to get into pyjamas, make a cup of tea, and not move for the foreseeable future.

Which was exactly what I did.

Now, curled up on the sofa, laptop open but mostly ignored, I half-watched some mindless TV, letting the voices blur into background noise.

I checked my phone instinctively.

Nothing new from Austin.

Not that I was waiting.

I stretched, rolling my shoulders, reaching for my mug—

Then my phone buzzed.

Austin: Still awake?

I smirked, sinking deeper into the cushions.

Me: Barely. You?

Austin: Yeah. Night shoot.

Austin: Sitting in a freezing hangar, waiting for them to reset the shot. Callum is monologuing about the ‘psychological toll of war’ to a very tired grip.

Me: That poor grip.

Austin: That poor ME.

Me: You love it.

Austin: Lies.

Austin: What are you up to?

Me: Not much. Just crashed on the sofa with tea and some mindless TV.

Austin: Sounds unfairly good.

Me: Unfairly?

Austin: I’ve been standing in the cold for an hour and a half. This is inhumane.

Me: Would it help if I told you what was for lunch today?

Austin: That depends.

Austin: Was there pink custard?

Me: No.

Austin: A travesty. I regret asking.

I grinned, shaking my head.

Me: You’ll be here Sunday. I’ll make sure you’re well-fed.

Austin: Careful. That almost sounds like a promise.

Me: Maybe it is.

There was a pause.

Then—

Austin: What time should I come?

I chewed my lip, considering.

Me: Whenever you’re here is fine. You can come straight to mine if you want.

Austin: You sure?

Me: Obviously.

Austin: Alright. I’ll head over once I’m back in London.

Me: Good.

Austin: Yeah.

Another pause.

Austin: Looking forward to it. x

Me: Me too. x

I let my head sink back into the cushions, eyes slipping shut for a moment. My body had been heavy with the kind of exhaustion that only came after a full week of work—the early mornings, the endless to-do lists, the sheer energy it took to be switched on all the time.

But now? Now, I wasn’t tired at all.

I glanced at the clock without really meaning to.

Two more days.

I hadn’t meant to count. Hadn’t meant to be aware of it at all.

But I was.

I locked my phone, exhaling slowly as I stared at the ceiling.

I stretched out, pulling a blanket over me as the TV murmured in the background, but I wasn’t really paying attention to it anymore.

My phone sat beside me on the sofa, screen dark now, but the weight of his last message lingered.

Looking forward to it. x

It should’ve been simple. Just another Sunday. Just another visit.

But it didn’t feel like that.

Not anymore.

Because seeing him this time wasn’t just seeing a friend.

It was seeing him.

And I already knew—

One day wasn’t going to be enough.

Taglist:

@slowsweetlove @thefallofthedamned @saturnsdaughtr @bellesdreamyprofile @myradiaz @butlerrizz @chocolatetree222 @richardslady121 @ilovereadingfanfics

[flyingwargle]

atsumu is a morning person. he loves the quiet of the early hours, the drowsiness that sharpens into focus, the peace that follows the rising sun. although it pains him to separate himself from his partner each time, the drowsy, soft smile on sakusa's face when he sits at the breakfast table is worth it.

he quietly slips out from bed and into the kitchen. it's their first weekend off after rigorous training to prepare for their match against vc kanagawa, but not even off days is enough to shake atsumu from routine. he rummages through the cupboards for ingredients to make pancakes, an indulgence they definitely deserve. putting on his cooking playlist at a low volume, he gets to work.

it surprised him to learn that sakusa is not a morning person. it takes him at least three snoozes before he could be persuaded to get up, and no morning is complete without coffee. he's also much more receptive to physical affection while half-awake, although atsumu prefers to keep this tidbit to himself, if only to steal a few kisses from his usually reserved partner.

the pancake batter is done in minutes, measurements engrained in his muscle memory since childhood. sakusa likes his pancakes simple - a dollop of cream and butter. atsumu, on the other hand, goes all out, dressing them with fresh fruit and syrup, topped with a crown of cream. he slices the fruit, chills a bowl for the cream to whip once sakusa is awake. pan left to warm on the stove, he ventures down the hallway, knocking lightly on the closed bedroom door. "omi? ya awake yet? i'm about to start cookin'."

he hears shuffling, but nothing else. it's still early, according to his partner's standards, but hey, an extra hour awake just means more time together, right? atsumu enters, adding, "we can check out that park 'samu told me 'bout, said there were geese or somethin'."

sunlight strains against the curtains. a vague human shape is tucked beneath the blankets, unmoving as atsumu approaches. he peels the covers aside, greeted with a glare. "mornin' to ya too, omi."

"do you know what time it is?" sakusa's voice is much deeper after waking, harsher but without any of its bite.

"just after 10. c'mon, omi, yer burnin' daylight. we have tomorrow off too, so we can cuddle or whatever. oh, but we gotta get our cardio in." atsumu dismisses the thought. "that can come after cuddles. pancakes?"

sakusa sighs, low and heavy. "fine. just give me some time to get up."

"i'll get the cream whipped, then." atsumu leans over to kiss his cheek, smiles at his drowsy expression. he retreats, heading back to the kitchen to continue his work.

soon, the cream is chilling in the fridge, the batter is left beside the stove, pan warm and ready. atsumu knocks on the bedroom door again. "omi?"

he hears grumbles this time. pushing the door open, he sees his partner is still in bed, covers pushed aside from where he left it. when he meets sakusa's eyes, it's tinged with pain. "is somethin' wrong?" atsumu asks, worried.

"just pain in my hips," sakusa mumbles through gritted teeth. "sorry."

"don't say that. i'll grab yer heat pad. ya need painkillers, too? best ta take one with food."

"i think i'll be okay. just need some heat on it."

atsumu nods, slipping in and out within seconds. he helps position it under him, his partner letting out a tiny sigh. "there was pain in my knees too after practice," he admits quietly. "i'd rather not move much today if we have to do cardio tomorrow. sorry."

"s'no problem. just relax, 'kay? when ya feel better, let's move ya to the couch so i can feed ya breakfast and we can watch somethin' on tv." atsumu sits beside him, reaching over to squeeze his hand. "the geese can wait."

"i didn't know japan had geese."

"right? 'samu has to be lyin'."

it takes time but eventually, sakusa is coaxed out of bed and into the living room, supported the entire way. he settles on the couch, heat pad shifted to his other hip, massaging his wrists as atsumu makes pancakes, returning to his side with two plates. "want me to feed ya?"

"i can handle it." sakusa takes a fork, uses it to slice off a piece from atsumu's plate. he pops it in his mouth. "it's good."

"what's a man gotta take fer ya to say it's delicious?"

"a michelin star."

atsumu rolls his eyes. "those aren't measures fer good food an' ya know it."

sakusa chuckles, but it ends with a hiss as his hand jerks, fork falling from his grasp, landing with a clatter. atsumu puts his plate down, snatches the fork in an instant. "are ya okay?"

"yeah. just felt a jolt of pain." he sighs, hand lowered to his lap, using his other hand to massage it.

"guess i'll hafta feed ya now," atsumu jokes. when he doesn't get a retort, he blinks, notices the deep frown on his partner's face. "omi?"

"you shouldn't have to deal with me on your day off," sakusa mumbles. "i'm just being difficult."

"if i see my partner's in pain, i'm gonna do what i can to make it better. i hate that i can't make it go away completely, but i can help care fer ya and make life easier fer ya." his tone is serious, eyes bright with a cocktail of love and determination. "yer never difficult, omi. now shut up an' let me feed ya."

sakusa stares at him, incredulous. then, "you better get a clean fork."

"obviously," he retorts, standing.

"and a dishcloth to clean the floor. we don't need ants in the apartment."

"'samu dropped an entire pot of curry once an' we never got rats or anythin'."

"add to that sentence, and i'm revoking your kitchen privileges."

"are ya gonna cook? we both know ya suck at it."

sakusa rolls his eyes. "no, i don't. i learned from the best."

"aw, thanks."

"i meant your brother."

atsumu pouts, and sakusa simply laughs, a light chuckle that fills the room with light. floor cleaned thoroughly, atsumu sits beside him, feeds him bites of pancake in between conversation, checking in with his pain. dishes left aside in favor of watching tv, atsumu rests his head on sakusa's shoulder, simply enjoying his company.

the geese can wait another day.

[amyispxnk]

Be strong like you should've been.

Summary: You're grieving already and you almost lose Joel. You're not gonna let that happen.

A/N: if I can be bothered and people care enough I might make this into a multiple part slowburn thing

Joel Miller x f!reader, platonic!Ellie Williams x f!reader

Word count: 2009

DO NOT COPY THIS WORK IN ANY WAY PLS AND TY.

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Frankly it was embarrassing.

Embarrassing when you would be walking through the forest, Ellie's puns from that dumb book becoming muffled as your thoughts clouded your mind once more, and the two of them noticed you were crying before you did, the realisation making you quickly wipe away the tears you pretended didn't even spill.

Embarrassing when you bolted upright from your sleep in the early hours of the morning, panting heavily and feeling the dried tears on your face as you saw her staring at you awkwardly, averting her gaze as soon as yours met it and staring into her can of food. You didn't miss the feeling of his gaze burning holes through you either.

Embarrassing now as you sat before Joel, fumbling for a med-kit or anything of use in your bag.

"Shit!" You cursed as the latch on the box came undone by itself, causing the roll of gauze to unfurl across the floor.

Ellie was scrambling to help get it back together as he groaned in pain, fingers digging into his palms.

"I'm so sorry, fuck, okay it's gonna hurt. I'm sorry." Your voice quivered at the end of the sentence as you choked on a sob, willing the tears away as they gathered at your waterline.

"You gotta hurry up!" Ellie said in a panicked voice, hands already reaching for your pistol as you tried your best to tend to Joel's wound. It wasn't anything detrimental, but they got him in the leg with a bullet and thats why he was currently on the floor, feeling useless since he genuinely couldn't move or get you both away from the danger.

"No, Ellie listen! Just give me that. You stay here, okay? I'm gonna get them away and then you-"

"Absolutely fucking not." He gritted, already reaching for his rifle.

"Joel, you can't move. I need to get them away." You argued, handing Ellie the supplies as you got up. He couldn't really stop you now and you all knew it.

She nodded slowly at your instructions, feeling a little weird since she was going against Joel's order by doing so, but taking the med-kit anyway and accepting your pistol as you told her it was 'strictly for an emergency' and to 'just focus on getting out of here'.

You waited until the pair had safely made some distance before you left the barricaded room, sneaking outside the other way as you hid behind a crate. The gunfire had quietened down when the raiders lost you, so you figured the best way to go about this was to kill them as quietly as possible.

You listened out for their voices and footsteps and crept up behind your first victim, jumping up and clasping a hand over his mouth before driving the blade into his neck, laying him on the ground and quickly moving on.

You did the same with three more, until you got to the fourth one. You had just stabbed him and you were holding him up until he died when another one of the men came behind you, foolishly stepping on a bottle and giving you just a split-second extra of time to evade his attack. You quickly moved to the side and dropped the man, leaving him to choke and gasp on the floor as you reached for your gun, firing it rapidly at the man across from you. He fell to the floor as you heard the shouts of at least a dozen other men once they'd heard the gunshots. So much for being quiet.

You darted out the door, running across the outside of the building and quickly looking around for Joel or Ellie, seeing neither of them. Good, you thought. That means they got away.

After ensuring they were safe and far enough from the building, you made a break for the forest nearby, praying that that was where they went. It would be the most logical decision, as Joel couldn't get much further fast enough.

You fired blindly at this point, just wanting to hit anything to slow your attackers down, barely even stopping when you got to the forest until you noticed a marking on a tree. It was a little design that Ellie noticed on a patch on your backpack one day, asking you about it. It was something from before the Outbreak even, an old design on it which lead to a long enthusiastic conversation about life before the world ended. She had remembered it and wanted you to be able to tell they were nearby without anyone else knowing. Smart girl.

You concealed yourself behind a few trees as you waited for the sounds to dissipate, reloading your ammo and wiping your knife.

It must've been almost 2 hours before you finally got back to them, immediately going back to worrying over Joel, and Ellie now too.

"Did you get hurt when I was gone? Did you stop the bleeding? I should've told you to clean the wound too, did you do that? Fuck." Words spilled out of your mouth as you frantically checked the two of them for injuries, until you felt Ellie's hand on your shoulder.

"It's fine. We're fine. I stopped him bleeding and neither of us got hurt. Chill out, man." She chuckled slightly at the end as you finally calmed down.

"I'm so sorry." You sighed, standing up and going to get some food out of your bag.

"If he can't move, then we'll have to stay here for the night. Can't say it'll be very safe, but I'll stay up and keep watch, okay?"

"I can walk fine." He countered, getting up with a heavy groan of difficulty before leaning against the tree.

"You sure about that old man?" Ellie teased, finding his struggle kind of amusing now that you were all out of danger and okay.

He gave her a look before turning to you.

"C'mon, gimme that." Joel reached for his bag, making you swiftly pull it away from him.

"Absolutely. Not. It's gonna make you even slower, and if you want to move we have to do it quick." You said, gesturing to the sun which was already making its descent to below the horizon.

--------

After that you got quiet. The three of you found an empty house which you barricaded before giving Ellie and Joel some food before she went up to bed and it was just the two of you in the living room.

"Y' should eat somethin'." He muttered, breaking the silence which had enveloped you after Ellie left.

"And you should get some rest." You argued, your back to him as you stared through the window, hands ready on your gun to shoot at anything you didn't like the look of.

You had been too weak lately. You let it get the better of you, and you got distracted. Now you were paying the price. She would've been disappointed in you.

You had lost your older sister almost 2 months ago now, and it still hurt just as bad as it did on the day. It was right before you left the QZ when you had snuck out with her to go watch the snow by your lake, wanting to enjoy it without the sound of gunfire and the bothersome guards on your ass every 5 minutes when you were outside and not doing something useful.

She had taken you there spontaneously, normally you would have planned a little better for this trip but neither of you expected it to snow so beautifully and she really wanted to take you.

But it was truly amazing, and definitely worth the risk, you concluded. The lake was still slightly frosted over as January was just coming to its end, tree branches and bushes had dustings of snow adorning them, and you both had a lot of fun building snowmen and making snow angels that night.

On your way back, you had to go through an old town which you had cleared last month.

It wasn't clear anymore.

One second you were creeping through a house and the next rotten teeth were sinking into her flesh as you watched in pure horror. Horror which quickly turned to rage as you raised your gun and shot the clicker once, twice, three, and four times in the head, watching it twitch before crumpling on the floor.

She had forced you to kill her so she wouldn't end up like that.

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

You shook your head, shuddering at the memory before getting up and walking over to him.

"Let me check it." You told him before slowly pulling up his left pant leg and undressing the wound. Ellie had clearly done her best at patching him up, but it needed to be fixed up a little.

You worked quietly as he watched, tying the final bit of gauze and cutting off the excess before standing up again. You looked down at him.

It had been too close. Too fucking close. He literally fell whilst you were running away and you had to pick him up again, dragging him to the nearby room whilst shooting at the hunters. Blood poured out of his leg and you thought he was really going to die. You fucking blinked and he was on the brink of death. Just like she was.

"What's up with you lately?" He asked, having noticed the clear change in your attitude. You had known him before this whole adventure began, having done deals with him a few times and him having known your sister too. He didn't actually know she was dead though, having asked where she was when you turned up at his place one day and all you responded was that she had to leave for something, leaving it at that.

Then Ellie came along and you set off for the Fireflies, almost halfway through your journey now.

"I'm fine. You should honestly get some rest Joel."

"You're not fine." He said, grunting as he got up and walked over to you, placing a gentle hand on your shoulder.

"You can talk t' me. I don't know if you're scared or what, but don't be. 'm here for ya." He assured you. He wasn't great at this whole comforting people thing, but he'd try for your sake.

"Cassie, she-" you began after a brief pause and he immediately tensed. Of course he sensed something was wrong all those weeks ago when you turned up without her, it wasn't like you to go anywhere alone but there you were, alone at his door.

"She's gone, Joel." Your voice cracked again as you finally let yourself cry, your entire body shaking with sobs as he turned you round and pulled you tight into him, rubbing your back soothingly and shushing you.

"Oh, sweetheart.." He didn't know what to say. You and Cassie were as close as sisters could be, he knew that. He knew how much you loved eachother and how you had stayed so strong these past 8 weeks amazed him.

"I'm sorry." You choked out. "I should've been faster earlier, I- I let you down."

"Shh, you didn't. You were so amazing out there. Don't say that." He said softly, moving back slightly from you and brushing your tears away with his thumbs. "You did the best you could, and that was enough. You didn't do anything wrong sweetheart, okay?"

You nodded slightly, gaze moving to the floor before he tilted your head upwards and looked at you.

"You should really go to sleep." You mumbled.

"I'll stay up with you." He offered.

"It's not gonna do us any good if both of us are tired tomorrow."

Joel sat back down on the couch with that. "Well I'm gonna stay up until you fall asleep, 'cause I know you will." He teased, making you let out a watery laugh before wiping your face again.

"Okay, I'm gonna go clean my face then."

"I'll be waitin'." He responded as you walked up the staircase.

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Thank you SM for reading, I hope you liked it! Likes, comments, and reblogs are always appreciated and requests are open. 💞

[felixcloud6288]

Dungeon Meshi Chapter 24

I like this little detail on the title image where the dragon's talons dig slightly into the stone.

I noticed Marcille biting her lip in this panel and had to check if this is a nervous tic of hers.

I didn't find any panels with enough detail to tell if that's what she's doing, but I did find several panels where her lip quivers when she's nervous or distressed.

And of note, I found that she grits her teeth a lot during her fight with the undine when she cast spells. She's definitely biting her lip in the second panel here.

I'm surprised Senshi is okay with Laios using his cooking utensils to bang on his pot.

Dragons use their tongues as an igniter to make flame. I guess the process to make fire breath is something like

regurgitate fuel

ignite with tongue

let fire build up in mouth

spit

I will not idly stand by and let them get away with this Namari slander!

She never said adamant can block all dragon attacks. She said it could block their fangs. She never once talked about dragon fire. And she also burned herself killing that undine by keeping the pot over the fire. The others just didn't listen to her.

This is an actual technique that can slightly improve your ability to see at a distance.

If I remember correctly, by putting your fingers to your eye like this, the light hitting your eye becomes more concentrated and it lets you focus your vision better. It's the same thing your iris does.

Although you'd have to curl up your finger until the hole is barely there to get any noticeable effect.

Where are Marcille's pants?

Oh, right. Her outfit got coated in frog blood at the end of chapter 21.

Honestly, the plan wasn't bad. The dragon is just tougher than they thought. Maybe if that corridor had fallen in larger chunks or had more weight, it would have succeeded.

"It really is just a monster" is a dark callback. Back in chapter 14, Laios warned Senshi against thinking Anne was friendly and sure enough, she tried to kill Senshi the first moment she got.

At that point, Kensuke had previously reacted to the Treasure Insects and Laios assumed it was warning and helping him. But really, it was just acting out of self-preservation.

Now that I think about it, Kensuke would hold a very unique position within a normal Living Armor colony. As the sword, it doesn't actually have any role with moving the body. But when it detected Treasure Insects, it reached out to connect to Laios's hand. So maybe Kensuke's job within the colony was to detect threats and transmit signals to the colony's sword arm that it needs to begin swinging.

As an extra note, every Living Armor kept their swords unsheathed, meaning the sword would normally be connected to the colony at all times.

Kensuke fleeing from Laios's grip is strong evidence to me that individual Living Armors operate similarly to how the cells of The Thing do. Kensuke wants to flee from the fight but its "colony" isn't moving so it opts to abandon the "colony" to save itself.

In it's mind, Kensuke is probably shouting "We need to run! We need to run!" to a colony that isn't there, and it not getting any feedback that the colony is moving has made it conclude that the colony is dead or heavily damaged so it has to save itself.

The dragon was about to breathe fire but stopped when the party ran under it's body. Noticeably, it slammed it's mouth shut when it stopped. Since fire needs oxygen to burn, the dragon probably can just smother the fire it's producing by closing its mouth and cutting off airflow. This would also mean the dragon's jaw is airtight.

Every character Chilchuck is using requires you to draw a circle. Gotta wonder what cursive in that language looks like.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, somewhere along the way this whole fight turned into a comedy of errors. Laios lost his sword, Senshi's axe is broken, the party is running around under the dragon trying to not get squished, and the only thing that has actually been effective was stabbing the dragon in the toe with a cutting knife.

It's turned into your typical D&D final battle.

back

[verosvault]

🚨SPOILERS FOR FANTASY HIGH JUNIOR YEAR EPISODE 7🚨

Dimension20 "Fantasy High Junior Year"

Episode 7 "Stress Tested"

Timestamp: 00:25:07

Video Length: 4min. & 58sec.

The Salsa Jump (Pt. 1 | ‣Pt. 2)

Kristen: "But you passed, right?"

Kipperlilly: "Hm?"

Kristen: "You don't even have to take classes."

Kipperlilly: "Studying student government."

Kristen: "Oh, I see. 'Cause I thought that teacher found you so you don't have to take any classes."

Adaine: "Right."

KIPPERLILLY/BRENNAN'S EXPRESSION!!! 😭😭✋✋

THE AWKWARD SILENCE HERE! 😭✋

Gorgug & Fig: *eating chips with Kristen's salsa hat*

Brennan: "You see that"

Kristen: *eats chips from her salsa hat*

Brennan: "she..."

Kristen: *rubs the salsa chip all over her face* 😭✋

(Brennan's laugh! 😭✋ & Ally's laugh! 😭✋)

Brennan: "She looks at you and says,"

Kipperlilly: "It's nice to be able to focus. How are things going with your goddess?"

Kristen: *scoffs* "It's been a lot better. Did you hear? She passed."

The awesome caption team: (all laughing)

(LOU HIDING HIS FACE! + THE CONCERN ON ZAC'S FACE! 😭✋ I CAN'T! 😭✋)

Ally: "I actually meant that seriously."

Brennan: "Yeah."

Ally: "Yeah."

Kristen to Riz: "Is this going well?"

Riz: *shakes his head* "We're gonna head out."

Kristen: "We are gonna head out. I can't move too fast."

Riz: "Good contest."

Ally: "I'm trying to run, but I'm-"

Brennan: "As you walk away, it's like five seconds later, and you see that Kipperlilly now let's you get a little bit away so she can say,"

Kipperlilly: "Your goddess passed?" *echoing* "How can you cast spells?"

Brennan: "And the whole campus hears it."

Riz: "Passed the test."

Kristen: "Passed the test...to give me extra spells."

Ally: "And then I try to Spider-Man web." *laughs*

Murph: "Can I prestidigitation?"

The awesome caption team: (all laughing)

Emily: "I also prestidigitation."

Lou: "I'm gonna cast Pyrotechnics. And I'm just gonna shoot off a 💩 ton of fireworks."

Brennan: "I'm gonna say right now that all of you do whatever you need to do. I'm gonna say the difficulty of covering that is a 40. And you may add all of your checks together."

Murph: "You in a salsa hat."

Siobhan: "I'm gonna cast Nondetection on Kristen so nobody can tell that it's not coming from her."

Zac: "I cast Jump on..." *laughs*

Ally: *laughing* "On the salsa?"

Brennan: "Okay, Nondetection, Jump, you're casting Pyrotechnics."

Lou: "Pyrotechnics, just" *waves his hand in the air*

Emily: "I'm casting-"

Murph: "Prestidigitation."

Ally: "But do we have any Bardics going around that we can try to..."

Emily: "You don't want mine."

Ally: "Okay."

Emily: "I'm gonna cast Fear because it creates an image and I'm just gonna create an image of a huge nefarious spiderweb."

Ally: *spiderweb-shooter noise*

Brennan: "So what everyone sees is Kristen shoots spiderweb that also produces a elephant-sized spider that begins to run amuck on the campus as Kristen ejects from a Jump spell straight over the school into another field."

The awesome caption team: (all laughing)

Lou: "Through fireworks."

Brennan: "Through fireworks."

Lou: "Through fireworks."

Brennan: "Everyone starts screaming."

Ally: "Passed the test to gimme extra spells!"

The Bad Kids chanting: "Kristen! Kristen! Kristen! Kristen!"

Adaine: "Wow, I'm voting for her for sure."

Riz: "You've seen the shrimp jump, and now have you seen the salsa jump?"

Brennan: *laughing*

Adaine: "I'm so wet, it's burning my face."

Brennan: "Food trucks peel out from the ****ing giant spider."

Gorgug: "Get outta here, losers."

The awesome caption team: (all laughing)

Brennan: "And with that, what better not to engage in our very first downtime."

Gorgug: "Phew!" *wipes forehead*

Riz: *laughs*

Fabian: "We gotta get it together." *laughs*

Kristen: "Yeah, I'm so sorry."

Riz: "Kipperlilly knows that your other god died but didn't know that this one just died."

Kristen: "*** **** it!"

Fig: "Well, I actually liked that you played it honest, though. 'Cause she's telling us lies and you just told the truth."

Kristen: "That's true, but-"

Fig: "Well, until you didn't."

Kristen: "Until I lied big time. But you guys really covered it up. Okay?"

Fabian: "Passed the test."

Gorgug: "Hey, do we need to lock it in?"

Fabian: "Yeah, we lock it in."

Kristen: *takes off her hat* "You guys, I'm really sorry."

Riz: "Let's all never talk to Kipperlilly ever again."

Fabian: "Throw this hat away."

Ally: "Can I do an insight check on when I confronted her about the teacher finding her and her not finding the teacher?"

Brennan: "Yeah. Yeah."

Ally: "Did she give me any- Like, did I ice through one little barrier?"

Brennan: "Give me an insight check."

Ally: "Okay."

Ally gets a 14 on the insight check.

Brennan: "Once again, she didn't say anything in response to it, which feels like a confirmation of it to you, but you didn't see it rattle her. You didn't see anything... Like, in other words, on a 14 you can't get any insight into it. But fundamentally, I think maybe Kristen would feel on some level that if you were to say, 'Hey, that was a ******** technicality,' she'd almost be more proud. Do you know what I mean? Like, literally if someone were like, 'Hey, the spirit of that rule is you're supposed to find the Rogue teacher, not have the Rogue teacher find you. She would be like, 'A success against the spirit of the rule is actually more enticing to me.'"

Ally: "She thinks she gamed it and that's actually more impressive."

Brennan: "Yes, precisely."

Ally: "Okay, got it. *** ******."

Siobhan: "I wonder if the Rogue teacher found her to say, 'Hey, grinding is not the way to do this and you actually have to study and you're in trouble.'"

Ally: "Or she like put herself in danger and that's why that person died. The Rogue teacher had to step in and-"

Siobhan: "Oh, 💩."

Ally: "-like try to save someone-"

Siobhan: "Yeah, either way, she sucks."

Ally: "Yeah."

[dlamp-dictator]

Okay, I know it's been awhile since I've been into Arknights, but I gotta' talk about this real quick, because it really does feel like some actual insanity that Lappland has something like this. I know the developers tend to make some weirdly cracked modules, but this is some madness that's almost on par with Eyja having Res-shredding on her first module.

But first, a not-so-quick disclaimer. It's recently come to my attention that Lappland's name is a known slur in some Scandinavian circles, and while I've read a handful of things that imply her name is meant to come from a specific location/region in the Nordic/Scandinavian area I will play things safe and refer to her as Saluzzo from this point on in this little analysis/discussion out of both recognition of the above and to be mindful of others reading this as I believe this is still a hot-button issue in some areas of the fandom. With that said, I'll only be doing this in deeper discussions like this, as... well, frankly, I've neither the time nor energy to police people on the internet and until Hypergryph actively changes the name themselves we'll all be very confused if I suddenly start talking about a character named Saluzzo off-handedly in a random post I make.

With that said, onto the craziness.

So, Saluzzo here's a Lord, a sub-class of a Guard, which specializes in (usually) physical DPS, High HP, and some minor laneholding depending on the archetype. Lords specifically deal physical ranged damage on ground tiles, which tapers off the further away the enemy is. But that's not important. For Saluzzo, the main thing is her talent: Spiritual Destruction, which silences enemy abilities. This disrupts a handful of the more annoying quirks that some enemies have like exploding on death, having some sort of passive shield/resistance barrier, passing through blocking units, stopping those damn Artificers from summoning the artillery shell, so on and so forth. Combine this utility with her already good damage and stats has given Saluzzo a very vital role in almost any new event or chapter. Namely, neutering some of the more... interesting quirks that come into certain chapters and event maps and made her a cornerstone for any new content.

And I feel I should mention that Saluzzo is a game launch unit. She's been here since the start and still has a place in modern Arknights' meta. The only other units I could say are comfortably in this position are Ejyafjalla and Saria, and those are Six-Stars.

Her module, by extension, is just as nutty. Combined with her already good physical damage, she can now deal a minor amount of arts damage with her base attack. This makes her ability to already shred through physically tanky enemies even better. But the true nuttiness is that additional fragile debuff along with her silencing when upgraded, letting enemies take an additional 8% of damage from all sources.

Including true damage.

For six seconds.

In a tower defense game.

Oh, and her Skill 2, her main skill, can attack two enemies at once to inflict the debuff.

Yeah, this chick is insane, both in lore and in game. She's so cracked that the only way to powercreep her was to make an alter of her even nuttier.

But yeah, that's Saluzzo. Looking forward to the coming 5.5 storyline. I don't keep track of Arknights' story nowadays, but I do keep up with the handful of extra chapters that focus on characters I like, and I like Saluzzo and the Siracusa storyline a lot. Here's hoping things keep moving up from here.

Now to finish Chapter 14 this week... and catch up on Wuwa afterwards.

[anotherjheastan]

This Will Be Our Year - A Jey Uso x Rhea Ripley FanFic

CW: none (let me know if I missed any)

Chapter 2 | Chapter List

Chapter 3: Waffle House "Hang Out"

August 23, 2024

Rhea groaned and flopped down on the bed, settling on top of her outfit choices. She didn’t really like anything. She didn’t want to try too hard and she didn’t want to be too casual. But Jey knew her style so why was she stressing? They were just two friends grabbing breakfast, right? But she couldn’t deny that this didn’t feel anything like grabbing food with Priest. She rolled her eyes as she thought about Damian. They had caught up yesterday and he had given her some unsolicited advice that was still ringing in her ears. 

“I’m glad you seem happier. Kind of like you’re moving on from Dom, but it’s still early. Don’t use Jey as a distraction. You need to be careful with your heart.” 

“So what? I should stop talking to Jey?” 

“No, but just make sure you stay friends for now. Until you’re over Dom.”

“I am over Dom.” 

“Rhea, why were you drinking on Monday?” 

Rhea’s breath caught. She closed her eyes, trying to push away the anger she felt building up. Dom and Liv’s kiss at SummerSlam replayed in her mind. She felt her heart shatter again. A whirlwind of emotions overtook her: sadness from missing Dom, anger because she missed him, hurt from the betrayal. She exhaled slowly and opened her eyes, wet with tears. 

“Okay, Priest,” Rhea said through gritted teeth. “I get it.” 

“I’m sorry, Rhea,” Damian said gently. “I’m just looking out for you. We’re already working on our revenge for the Judgment Day. I don’t wanna add Uso to the list.” 

“I don’t think he’ll be a problem,” Rhea said.

“Good. Let me know how it goes,” Damian said. 

“I will,” Rhea said.

Rhea stood up. She grabbed her low rise, light blue jeans and pulled them on, the band of her underwear peeking out the top. She pulled on a dark grey shirt that had the words “Be Still” on it and an anatomical heart underneath it. She put on her platform Converse and looked in her full body mirror. She nodded and went to the bathroom. Rhea decided to not put on makeup. She did put on moisturizing lip gloss. She fixed her hair from having flopped on the bed. She pushed Damian's advice out of her mind. She would heed what he was saying, she just couldn’t focus too much on it. She was already overthinking this whole thing. It was just breakfast with a friend. A really cute friend who was into her. What could go wrong? 

For starters, she was late. Ten minutes late. She had tried to distract herself playing with the dogs and had lost track of time. She took a deep breath before getting out of the car and walked at a normal pace to the Waffle House door. Jey waved her to the booth once she was inside. 

“I’m sorry,” Rhea said, sliding in across from him. 

“No worries,” he said. “You did warn me you might be late. Nice outfit, by the way.” 

She blushed, glancing down at the menu for a second. “Thanks.” 

She looked at him. He had on a black t-shirt, a gold Cuban link chain. She had seen his dark blue jeans and black and white Nikes when she slid into the booth. 

“You look nice too,” she said.

He smiled, shifting his eyes to the menu and rubbing the back of his head. Was he nervous too?

“Thanks,” he said sheepishly.

Yep. He was also nervous. Rhea sighed. 

“So what’s good here?” 

“You gotta get the chocolate chip waffles, hands down,” Jey said. 

“Okay, I’ll be getting those. Ooo hashbrowns.” 

“I get mine scattered and covered, which is basically with cheese.”

“Oh no thanks. I like mine extra crispy.” 

“Crispy hashbrowns?” Jey asked, wrinkling his nose. “Really?”

“Mushy hashbrowns?” Rhea replied, also wrinkling her nose. “Really?”

“Yeah, I like mashed potatoes so hashbrowns can be soft.” 

“I also like mashed potatoes, but if you’re going to put hash browns on the grill, you might as well crisp them up.” 

Jey narrowed his eyes. “You’re full of surprises already, Rhea. What’s next? Pineapple on pizza?”

Rhea snorted. “Pineapple on pizza is good!”

Jey shook his head. “I will show you the way, don’t worry.” 

Rhea giggled, shaking her head. The waitress came and they placed their orders. Rhea gasped at Jey’s suggestion of trying mayo on pizza. 

“Maybe we should stop talking about food,” Rhea said. “I’m starting not to like you.” 

Jey laughed. “Oh but you do like me?” 

Rhea shrugged, smiling. “Maybe.” 

The waitress dropped off Rhea’s coffee and Jey’s lemonade. They thanked her and quietly sipped their drinks. 

“So you know all about my love life,” Rhea said, placing her coffee cup down. “But I don’t know anything about yours.” 

“What do you wanna know?” Jey asked. 

“How long have you been single? When did your last relationship end?” Rhea asked. 

“I’ve been single for about three years now. We broke up in December 2021. She said she didn’t mind my work and traveling, but we started dating in 2020. And when WWE started traveling again, it was hard. She was busy with her job too. We kind of just drifted apart.”

Rhea nodded. “No one since then? Not even a fling?”

Jey smiled. “Naw. I just focused on work. I mean, someone at work caught my eye, but it took a while to get her attention.” 

Rhea rolled her eyes, a smile on her lips, and picked up the coffee, taking another sip. They looked at each other, both slightly leaning in.

“So what do you want this to be?” Rhea asked. 

Jey shrugged. “I just want to get to know you and take things slow, like I said. We don’t have to rush into anything. I don’t think we should. SummerSlam wasn’t that long ago…”

Rhea sighed and nodded. “Yeah, yeah everyone’s worried about me and my heart…” she mumbled, mostly to herself. 

“What did you say?” Jey asked. 

Rhea sighed again. “What you said about SummerSlam…reminded me about something Damian said. He told me to be careful with my heart.”

“You should,” Jey said.

“What? You gonna break my heart too, Uso?” 

“Naw, I would never do that to you,” he said. 

The seriousness in his voice struck a chord with her. Warmth bloomed in her chest. Rhea smiled, unsure of what to say next. The waitress saved the day by dropping their food off. They reached for the syrup at the same time, Rhea’s hand on top of Jey’s. They both laughed nervously and pulled their hands back. Jey encouraged Rhea to go first and she did. 

They ate silently for a bit, stealing glances at each other every now and then. 

“These waffles are pretty good,” Rhea said. 

“See? Told you Waffle House was good.” 

“I’m glad we got here before I heard some of your other food takes,” Rhea said, smiling. 

“I’m telling you, mayo on pizza is worth trying,” Jey said. 

Rhea wrinkled her nose. “If you say so. I guess we’ll be getting pizza next time.”

“Oh there’s gonna be a next time?” Jey asked.

Rhea blushed, but still met his eyes. “Yeah, I still like you. For now.” 

Jey leaned back and put his hand over his heart. “I’ll take it.”

They ended up talking about TV shows while they ate. Rhea was rewatching Grey’s Anatomy and Jey was watching Jujutsu Kaisen. Jey also mentioned watching the Goosebumps TV show.

“I forgot about that! I need to watch it,” Rhea said. 

“Maybe we can watch together,” Jey said. 

“We could try,” Rhea said. “I hate cliffhangers. I’ll just binge it.” 

“I feel you,” Jey said. “I’m down for a binge watch.” 

“So is that another date?” Rhea asked.

“Sounds like it,” Jey said.

They smiled at each other again, staring into each other’s eyes for a bit before going back to finishing their food. Rhea wasn’t sure where their relationship would go, but in this moment, her heart felt anything but broken.

Jey paid for their food. Rhea offered to pay her half, but Jey refused. 

“So this was a date?” Rhea asked. 

“We’re just getting breakfast,” Jey said, smirking. He put his card back into his wallet.

Rhea stood up, shaking her head. “Whatever you say, Jey.” 

Jey stood up. He didn’t tower over her, but she still had to glance up. He took a step closer to her. She bit her lip, trying not to smile. 

“Let me walk you to your car,” he said. 

“Okay,” Rhea said. 

He gestured for her to go ahead of him and she did. He touched her waist to stop her from reaching for the door. He pushed in open from behind and she ignored the butterflies she felt. 

“A Jeep? Nice!” Jey said as she leaned up against her driver door.

“Thanks. I love it,” Rhea said.

“Well, I had a good time,” Jey said, swinging his arms behind his back, holding his hands.

“Me too,” Rhea said. 

She stood up straight and he leaned in just a little. 

“And we have two more dates planned,” he said. “Pizza and binge watching Goosebumps.” 

“Oh so you weren’t just getting breakfast?” Rhea asked, grinning.

“Whatever you say, Rhea,” Jey said with a wink. 

Rhea giggled instead of rolling her eyes. She wanted to playfully push him and get into her Jeep. But the way he was looking at her was making her wonder what kissing him would be like. They both leaned in a little more, his desire for her turning her curiosity into something more. 

But as Jey leaned in more, watching her intently, Damian’s words replayed in her mind. She put her hand on his chest to stop him. Her curiosity and desire faded, worry etched on her face. Jey leaned back and Rhea’s hand fell.

“Sorry,” Rhea said quietly. 

“It’s okay,” Jey said. 

His sincerity made her heart ache. “It’s not that I don’t want to…”

He held out his hand and she took it. He smiled. “It’s okay, Rhea. Still on for pizza and Goosebumps?”

Rhea gave him a small smile. “Yep.”

“Looking forward to it. Let me know when you get home,” he said, giving her hand a squeeze before letting go. 

“I will,” Rhea said, unlocking her Jeep. 

Jey gave her space and she opened the driver’s door. She hopped in the seat and pulled the door closed. Jey gave her a final wave before heading over to his car. Rhea smiled and waved back. When he was out of sight, Rhea leaned her forehead on the steering wheel and groaned. 

“Thanks Damian,” she grumbled as she started the Jeep. 

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

[karatekels]

KarateKels watches Season 6 Part 2!

Hello everyone, and welcome to the KarateKels masterpost of me screaming about Season 6 Part 2! I was initially going to record some live reactions, but I think it would encourage me to scream myself into an early eviction (given that I’m currently starting my watch at 6am). I’ll be updating this as I go, and labeling each episode, but ANYTHING AFTER THIS CUT IS GOING TO BE FULL OF SPOILERS SO IDK MAYBE DON’T CLICK IF YOU’RE LIKELY TO BE UPSET BY THAT KINDA THING.

Initial hopes:

Terry Silver, past or present.

…

End of list.

LET’S GO!

6. Benvinguts a Barcelona (Gesundheit?)

Mr. Sekai Taikai whose name escapes me has great fashion sense.

I just love how we’re immediately starting out with adults glaring at each other. I hope they kiss <3

Robby’s lil ponytail is very silly to me.

So, to recap, we’ve decided to let the kids run around without adult supervision and the adults that hate each other are going to go get drunk? WHAT COULD GO WRONG?!

I love Johnny’s theatrical whirlaround to face Daniel he’s so silly.

Kreese is a dead man… foreshadowing?

Daniel + Johnny + “There was only one bed” trope?

I hope that Cobra Kai always gets this badass music when they walk into a room.

I LOVE KWON THE VILLAIN HE’S SO FUN AND EXTRA.

Yes Amanda, please go.

JOHNNY LAWRENCE IN A ROBE? AND THERE WAS ONLY ONE BED? HELLO?

Oh, Kim is being THE WORST. Nice sassy walkoff, though.

Poor Tory, she’s all alone.

HEHEHE GET HIM JOHNNY YOU WERE RIGHT TO BRING UP THE CHARITY AUCTION.

…Wolf and Johnny fighting over meat? WHAT COULD BE THE SYMBOLISM.

Johnny wearing the classic red jacket though…

Wait did I see someone with a worse hairstyle than Hawk?

Zara’s first lines are about wanting Robby TO Tory? Oof.

Okay why is everyone sexualizing these MINORS.

…wait did Johnny just imply he almost did porn? Hello? Can we go back please?

VERY subtle, Kreese, what with the whipping out a blade and such. This poor salesman.

Okay, this aquarium set up is AMAZING.

Kwon mocking American patriotism is my new favourite thing this show has offered me.

Master Serrano can do nothing good for Daniel. PLEASE stop looking into this.

THAT’S NOT HOW THE LAW WORKS, KREESE. THAT BETTER NOT BE HOW THE SHOW THINKS THE LAW WORKS.

…Oh no, drunk Chozen. I don’t like this.

Don’t you both have IDENTICAL ROOMS?! WHY DO YOU NEED AN EXTRA ROOM?

Oooh, nice whale shark.

I really wish Devon hadn’t done what she did to Kenny because I liked her as a character and would like to continue to do so but how can I respect you when you went and did all that.

WILL SOMEBODY HUG TORY PLEASE.

Oh my god Dimitri SHUT UP ABOUT MIT.

Oh hell yeah Kwon. (Sorry Robby)

…How did Chozen get to Spain drunk?

SHOWER MAN WAS PROBABLY A BROTHER OR SOMETHING, IT’S LIKE THE BIGGEST CLICHÉ EVER.

Way to ruin the dojo’s reputation, man. Don’t ruin my favourite characters, please.

Kwon sleeps like me (surrounded by a fortress of pillows)!

Awww, Robby’s eyes light up when he sees Tory and it’s really cute and sweet. Also Peyton don’t sleep in a full face, dear. WAIT FOCUS THEY’RE BREAKING UP.

9 minutes left in the episode? Setting up for the tournament? PERFECT TIME FOR A CERTAIN SOMEONE TO EMERGE THEATRICALLY.

Kwon don’t be a dick when she’s RIGHT.

Oh HELL YEAH what a first fight!

Oh damn the Dragons just sat back and watched while they destroyed each other.

OKAY WE’VE SEEN THIS FIGHT BUT IF ZARA WAVES AND WE SEE IT WAS TO TERRY UP ON THE BALCONY I’M GOING TO SCREAM.

Awww, tribute to Dutch! RIP.

No Terry in the first episode, but overall I’m pretty happy with this!

7. Dog in the Fight

I love the height difference between Axel and Zara.

ROBBY WOULD YOU GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME?

…I am the crowd, chanting for Zara. MY QUEEN.

Miguel fucking KILLING it!

Beach scene? CUT TO TERRY SUNBATHING (just kidding us Irish folks have no chance in the Spanish sun).

…I’m with Johnny, Daniel. They gotta strike FIRST.

Johnny’s not scared of Wolf, he says, while they get closer to making out with every second.

IF THIS MYSTERY PACKAGE IS NOT SENT FROM TERRY SILVER I WILL BE SHOCKED. Luring his beloved Danny-boy into a Spanish castle/sexy trap.

Influencer Zara is a queen, and a bitch. She’s Queen Bitch. I will die for her.

…Amanda is also a queen in her robe and her reasonable reactions to things. I will die for them both.

Daniel prioritizing his Mr. Miyagi quest over his students is ridiculous.

HELLO THIS CASTLE IS THE MOST TERRY SILVER THING I’VE EVER SEEN HE’D BETTER BE IN THERE.

…okay look at Wolf’s Iron Dragons swag. I WANT IT.

“Why you gotta be such a pain in the ass at every buffet?” is my new favourite Johnny Lawrence line.

Wolf is right about Americans a little bit (the loud ones anyway; sorry to my American friends)

So if/when Daniel is kidnapped by Terry, Johnny will be able to lead the kids to greatness. Everyone wins, right?

Jesus can’t help you now, LaRusso.

AND A CROWBAR.

Oh Jesus, Wolf. Why must we beat a child (a giant child, but technically a child)?

Oh I’m sure this platform competition won’t trigger some PTSD for Miguel at all. Oh, this isn’t the high one, nevermind.

Omg he’s in a cage. DANIEL’S IN A CAGE. THIS IS AMAZING.

LET’S GO MIGUEL. GET YOU A WIN AND A COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP. THATTA BOY!

…oh Johnny. So mean. I mean, the locker room talk has a point, but give Miguel his flowers.

OH SAM SHUT UP. YOUR DAD IS JUST AS BAD.

YES HAWK, HE SHOULD SHUT THE FUCK UP ABOUT MIT.

Everyone is fighting ☹

BACK TO THE DOGS. I MEAN DANIEL.

NO COME BACK I WANT TO SEE WHAT’S HAPPENING.

Kreese and his damn apples.

Okay but Johnny where was this compassion like two minutes ago, for everyone including Devon?

OCCASIONAL GIRLDAD JOHNNY LAWRENCE.

If Silver picks up Daniel’s phone and calls Johnny I’m going to be cackling so evilly.

Omg he needs him <3

OH SHIT DANIEL LET’S GO! I hope the dogs don’t get hurt though.

Okay why does Goon #3 speak perfect English?

OH SHIT A COBRA KAI TATTOO.

…He doesn’t work for Kreese does he? He works for Silver. LET IT BE TRUE.

Is he hiding behind the conveniently placed curtain?

NO GOD DAMNIT CAN SOMEONE PLEASE BRING OUT THE SEXY GIANT MAN?!?

How can it change your life when you’re throwing the opportunity away, Robert?

You can beat the Irish, guys.

THIS is the platform that’s going to trigger Miguel.

God I love Zara. GOD.

Oh jeez Tory, fucking GET IT girl. A TOOTH??

Good guy Johnny trying to make up for everything. I don’t think it does, but I appreciate the gesture. HYPE MAN LET’S GO.

CAN YOU STOP LOOKING FOR TORY YOU DUMBASS.

Unleash the Hawk please – okay Devon, I like the strategy.

…uh oh. Demitri is in trouble.

LET’S GO MIGUEL. GET EM OFF THE PLATFORM.

…feels like we’re making fun of the Irish a little bit with these caricatures. But I’m not mad.

Okay there are less than 5 minutes left, this phonecall better be Terry.

NO NOT ROSA. IS CARMEN OKAY? IS THE BABY.

Hey, KREESE. Only Terry can call him Danny-boy.

No, wait, Miguel is leaving and THAT’S why Kenny comes back? WHAT?!?

AND WHERE THE FUCK IS TERRENCE.

...still happy with this episode, with one 6'5" gaping hole as an exception (don't take that out of context).

8. Snakes on a Plane

IF THIS EPISODE DOES NOT INCLUDE SNAKE GETTING OFF A PLANE TO REJOIN TERRY IT IS A MISSED OPPORTUNITY. Also, a grown man continuing to go by Snake would be hilarious.

Alright. If Terry doesn’t show up in this episode I’m going to start to panic.

And if Terry did something to this baby I’m going to be very cross.

So the real play to make is going to be for Devon to drop out and let Miguel come back when everything is fine, right? Maybe? Please?

Hey, Kreese, that’s another one of Terry’s lines. Get your own!

THOMAS IAN GRIFFITH, IN THE CREDITS, LET’S GO!

Damnit Chozen. Go find them kids.

Anyone else wanna go to Spain? We should do a Cult of TIG group trip.

They should really be sticking together, this is a terrible idea.

CALLING TORY THE TOOTH FAIRY IS AMAZING.

…Johnny as a flat earther confirmed?

Chozen please stop going into clubs “looking for teenagers”.

…I don’t ship Kim and Chozen but I will say there’s some fun tension here.

…Do I ship Tory and Zara? DO I SHIP TORY AND ZARA?!

BOOOOOO DIMITRI.

And Robby’s path to alcoholism begins tonight.

Scary Amanda is extra hot. I’m into all these women today – my bisexuality is off the charts this season LET’S GOOOO.

…oh my god I love Kim. And Chozen. I love all of this.

NOT THE SCOOTER I’M DYING THIS IS HILARIOUS. And Kim being like “hate to see him leave, love to watch him go.”

Oh my god Axel. No, my poor baby. Sensei Wolf may be an attractive slimeball but that’s some bullshit.

Is Hawk going to show Moon Dimitri dancing with another girl. OH AND YAS IS THERE TOO. I’m not mad at him tbh. DIMITRI DON’T BE SCUM.

Kwon is a master at pushing buttons. Terry Silver 2.0. SPEAKING OF WHICH, WHERE IS HE.

Also didn’t Devon wear that same hoodie Anthony is wearing?

“Fucking karate” AMANDA YOU’RE THE BEST.

Omg Johnny in the giant hat is perfection.

“You’re my son too” I’M CRYING.

Johnny please don’t end up on a no-fly list.

Oh SHIT I wasn’t expecting it to be Miguel.

…okay a brief interlude – I foolishly opened Twitter and have seen Terry Silver shirtless and am now distracted. OKAY BACK TO THE SHOW WHERE COBRA KAI IS COMING FOR SAM AND AXEL.

Damn that kick to the chest barely moved Axel that dude is a beast!

Oh poor Axel. He is love-starved and jumped to the wrong conclusion. My poor baby.

Devon’s gonna call Kenny. DO IT.

Is Anthony about to chug laxatives to make up for something he didn’t do?

THANK GOD FOR CALLING, DEVON.

…I’m weirdly here for sexual tension fight. OH DAMN GET IT YOU TWO!

Oh fuck you Zara. I don’t blame you but also you bitch! (Maybe nothing happened)

OH MY GOD PLEASE TELL ME SHE’S OKAY OH THANK GOD.

…this jetlag whiplash is gonna be insane for these two.

Damn Carmen okay, show up for 2 seconds and be a badass.

OH MY GOD THEY FUCKED ON THE BEACH?! GET IT, KIMZEN. MY NEW FAVOURITE SHIP.

Kim looks great with those beachy waves, though, regardless of if you agree about how she got them.

…so I was right and the goon was working for Terry?

IF HE IS IN A BATHTUB I’M GONNA LOSE IT.

OH HELL YEAH WHAT A TRIBUTE TO KK3. AMAZING. WHAT AN INCREDIBLE RETURN ALSO I AM AROUSED.

9. Blood in Blood Out

3 months earlier?

Okay Terry that hair is a choice but I’m loving the leather jacket on you.

FINALLY they explain how bs that arrest was.

…Snake is dead? RIP. Weird to call him a friend but whatever.

We’re going full villain and I’m here for it.

I will happily “get into bed with the wrong people” if “people” is Terry Silver.

OH MY GOD I LOVE THE AGGRESSIVE RETURN OF THE VILLAIN.

LONG HAIR GUY IS DENNIS WHAT A TWIST.

…Please fight in the bath.

TIG SPEAKING SPANISH I AM SWOONING.

Johnny says “screw Silver”? I WILL TAKE ON THIS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE GOOD OF THE TEAM.

They think Kenny is working for Silver?

HANG ON, THAT SUIT IS INCREDIBLE. A bit loose, though. Please don’t let him be sick.

God the fighting in this has been amazing.

Poor Kenny.

SOMEONE, SCREW SILVER INSTEAD OF JUST TALKING ABOUT IT. HE IS TOO FINE TO GO UNFUCKED.

Brothers supporting brothers. We love to see it.

Zara is such a biiiitch.

Ohhhh the eunjangdo is missing what a move.

OH SHIT TERRY LAUGHING AND BLEEDING FROM THE NOSE NEW KINK UNLOCKED.

Oh shit THEY stole it – let’s gooooooooooooooooo!

I do hate that they broke up the Silver/Payne mentorship. BUT DON’T DO IT KENNY.

LET’S GO KENNY!

OH MY GOD FLIPPING OFF SILVER DRAMATICALLY IS SO FUN.

We’re finally a team, at the 11th hour.

AWWW BINARY BROS HUGGING IT OUT.

…Does Kwon have the eunjangdo?

Awww Kim is hurt by Chozen calling it a mistake, poor bb. I THINK HE WAS JUST PLAYING IT COOL THE WAY YOU WANTED.

Kwon is such a douche and I am nowhere close to sick of it.

I’m a fan of all the flipping off going on this season, We’re being petty and crass and that’s exactly my speed.

GOD I love the music in this damn show.

Even Chozen knows the Binary Bros!

JUST GET THE POINT YOU THEATRICAL BUFFOON.

Holy shit what a win!

…But I think I heard something about one of the other teams getting eliminated because of doping or something so I’m gonna bet Cobra Kai is back.

Daniel can you not just let something happy happen for once without being a smug little prick?

Oh my god I love Silver so much. Take the bait, Danny-Boy.

Aaaaand we’ve just sent Daniel into a spiral. WHY ARE YOU SO EASILY MANIPULATED BY TALL SEXY MAN, DANIEL? …Not that I blame you.

“Did Silver just serve you papers?” Johnny Lawrence, I love you.

…Kreese gonna commit murder? WHOMST?!

Y’all when I tell you that these 5 episodes have more than made up for everything in Season 6 part 1 I mean it.

10. Eunjangdo

Last episode. Let’s go.

Daniel stop having a nightmare please I want to get to the real issues in present day, not you realizing that humans aren’t all black and white. You’re a grown man.

Although tbh who’s to say that Terry didn’t just forge those records? Why would Daniel choose to believe him? He’s really stupid.

…Okay but poor little Daniel missing his mentor does hurt – he’s got the childlike innocence in his eyes. Poor baby.

THAT MIYAGI LINE IS MY ISSUE WITH DANIEL LARUSSO IN A NUTSHELL. NOT WILLING TO ACCEPT.

…HOLY FUCK IT’S MR. MIYAGI. Not terrible effects imo.

Oh he actually took it to Gunther and got confirmation. Doing something smart for once. Okay.

Also Miyagi fought in a war? Are we to believe Daniel never realized that he’s killed people before?

Oh Zara you’re kind of a little bitch. ACTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES, MS. MALIK.

Nice bruise on your face, Mr. Kwon Douche. (I still love you though)

TORY/ROBBY FOREVER.

KICK HIS ASS TORY. Damn, Kim interrupting my fun.

Oh… we’re getting a Cobra Husbands arc this episode. FUCK ALREADY.

Terry with his sleeves rolled up is just *chef’s kiss*

Of course it’s the Russians with the doping scandal.

Gunther is a scary mofo and I’d love to see him fight.

So only one of our girlies will go on to kick Zara’s ass. And I really hope that it’s Tory, for her sake.

GOD TERRY WITH HIS BARE CHEST AND HIS SMIRK. I’VE MISSED YOU SO MUCH, MY LOVE.

Miguel is being so adorably supportive of his boy. I still think it’s too fast, but I’m in a giving mood today because the rest of this has been SO. MUCH. FUN.

I also kinda like that Devon is still there as a non-competitor.

“Must pull heads out of asses?” CHOZEN YOU SHOWED UP DRUNK AND CLASSLESS MERE HOURS AGO.

Okay but Johnny is right, Daniel? Why are you being a little bitch? Stop prioritizing your own bs when your daughter is about to get her ass kicked by 1-2 bad ass women! BE THERE FOR THE KIDS, DANIEL-SAN, LIKE MIYAGI WAS FOR YOU.

Kreese talking about war? GIVE US BARRETT AND NICK IN A FLASHBACK, YOU COWARDS.

Kreese is a sonuvabitch but I do think there’s something there with him and Tory.

Miguel parenting these grown men – HE IS A BORN LEADER TOO. AND SAYING EXACTLY WHAT NEEDED TO BE SAID.

I love a good training montage to 80’s music. It’s my lifeblood. Also wasn’t Chozen going to train them? Is he…otherwise occupied? ;P

GOD I’M SO PUMPED UP LET’S GO TO SPAIN EVERYONE.

Okay it’s fighting time, where is my man? OKAY I SAW HIM BLURRILY IN THE BACKGROUND AND WOULD RECOGNIZE HIS SILHOUETTE ANYWHERE <3

Anthony you’re such a fucking asshole. SHOW YOUR MOTHER SOME RESPECT.

So if there’s unlimited scoring then when does the match end?

I want Tory to win – girl needs it. Sorry Sam.

DAMN KWON.

Wait is this Spanish chick the one that was hitting on Dimitri and Hawk?

Zara is so fucking arrogant I love it and I hope she gets KILLED by Tory (not for real).

Omg Tory telling Kim how it is – THE STUDENTS HAVE BECOME THE SENSEI THIS EPISODE.

LET’S GO ROBBY. (Sorry Axel, I hope you find love and happiness and the opportunity to be more than a killing machine)

HOLY SHIT AXEL. I worry what he’d be doing if Miguel had been captain.

Omg he’s doing the same move that Terry did to Daniel in Stingray’s apartment… <3

OH MY GOD THE RUSSIAN SENSEI TOOK OUT GUNTER.

HOLY CRAP THEY WEREN’T LYING ABOUT AN ALL OUT KARATE BRAWL.

I GUESS I’LL BE FINDING OUT WHAT AXEL WOULD DO TO MIGUEL.

TERRY PLEASE DON’T GET INVOLVED I WORRY ABOUT KREESE.

THIS IS CHAOS AND I CAN’T STOP SCREAMING.

…Is Chozen gonna defend Kim and make her reevaluate her life decisions? HELL YEAH. GET MARRIED AND MAKE TERRIFYING KARATE BABIES.

Terry’s taking a phonecall he’s at risk of Kreese.

WOLF VS JOHNNY LET’S GO.

Kreese you leave the love of your life alone. You stop this foolishness right now.

Are Hawk and Diego gonna share a weird hair bro moment?

Hell yeah Gunther knock that guy OUT.

I don’t know about y’all, but I’m having the BEST TIME.

If Johnny Lawrence stops Kreese from killing Silver, I’m going to have a lot of feelings to process.

Terry, baby, don’t.

He dropped it. Someone else (Kwon) is gonna pick it up.

Oh god the lighting I am TURNED ON.

Terry fighting in a suit let’s goooooo!

Pulling the curtain down, what a damn showman. <3 Our man loves theatricality THIS IS WHAT THE CULT OF TIG IS ALL ABOUT.

Aww, Keenry for life.

…Sam/Tory for life?

Axel acting like King Kong over here “UGGA UGGA SAVE GIRL WHO DOESN’T LIKE ME BACK UGGA UGGA”.

Oh no, Kwon found the knife. I KNEW THAT WAS HIS HAND IN THE TRAILER AND YET I AM STILL SURPRISED.

OH TERRENCE THAT LINE.

…JOHNNY SAVED KREESE?! YOU FOOL.

But also if they’re gonna fight I’m also happy.

Oh DAMN Johnny kicked Silver’s ass. (I still love you baby)

…Congratulations Kwon, you played yourself.

Even Terry’s like “oh damn”.

MY LOVES ARE ALIVE AND THAT’S ALL THAT MATTERS.