#i'm just being me and if that's not for you that's fine. we don't have to be besties.

[willgrahamscock]

Happy valentines day!! Here are (some) of the most romantic lines from NBC Hannibal.

“I don’t find you that interesting.” / “You will.”

"I see his madness, and I want to contain it, like an oil spill."

"I let you know me. See me. I gave you a rare gift, but you didn't want it." / "Didn't I?"

"You cannot control with respect to whom you fall in love."

"I would have liked to have shown you Florence, Will."

“I don't know if I can save myself. Maybe that's just fine.”

“No one can be fully aware of another human being unless we love them.”

"You were supposed to leave." / "We couldn’t leave without you."

"I wasn't decided when I called him. I just called him. I deliberated while the phone rang. I decided when I heard his voice." / "I wanted to run away with him."

“Hannibal… I forgive you.” / “You dropped your forgiveness, Will. You forgive how God forgives.”

"Do you fantasize about killing me?" / "Yes." / "Tell me, how would you do it?" / "With my hands."

"I have never known myself as well as I know myself when I'm with him."

"Is Hannibal in love with me?' / "Could he daily feel a stab of hunger for you and find nourishment at the very sight of you? Yes. But do you... ache for him?'

“I need you, Hannibal.”

“If I saw you every day, forever, Will, I would remember this time.”

“And the bluff is still eroding. You and I are suspended over the roiling Atlantic. Soon all of this will be lost to the sea.”

“This is all I ever wanted for you, Will. For both of us.” / "It’s beautiful."

[sweaterkittensahoy]

As a dog owner myself, this drives me fucking bonkers. Because, first and foremost, forcing retail workers or friends to put up with your dog when you have not previously agreed to do that is bullshit. It's rude. It's uncaring. And, especially in retail spaces, it makes shit harder for people with service dogs.

We recently went to a yarn store that had previously been welcoming to all dogs. We took Bean because we'd been able to before. There was a sign on the door saying "service animals only."

So, Sean and Bean went back to the car while I did my shopping.

Because we're not assholes, and our dog is not required to be the center of everyone's fucking universe.

I do NOT bring Bean to anyone's house without first gaining permission because that's fucking rude. No one's ever turned us down, but if they did, fine. It just puts a minor limit of how long we can stay since she'll need to be crated while we're out of the house, and we prefer she not be crated for more than about four hours if we can manage it (she has proven she can be crated up to eight hours if necessary, but we would rather not make her do that on the regular as it is not the regular routine).

She is a very dog-reactive dog. We keep this in mind in all places we bring her. She is less reactive if we pick her up, but if she starts barking before we can, we have to make her follow the rules of "You fucking know you're not supposed to be acting like this" before we can scoop her, and it's stressful to everyone. It's why she is NOT allowed in houses with other animals because she will bark at any other dogs and try to fight any other animal. So, we won't even ask if we can bring her if we know you have animals, and we will ask if you have animals and let you know she's an ass if we don't know.

I'm not writing this out as a "Haha I'm so much better at dog ownership than you idiots." I'm writing this out because I think Sean and I do a good job of wanting to be with our dog but also not being dicks to other people, and these are the ways we keep that balance. If you don't want my dog in your house, that's 100% fair. It's your house. She can hang out safe and warm in the crate while we enjoy your company.

If you come to my house, you know we have a dog, and if you don't want her to cuddle up on you, we will do our best to keep her from deciding you are something to sleep on. Yes, it's her house, and she's our pup, but you are also our guest, and it's our job to make sure you are comfortable. We're lucky she prefers to sleep with us when people are staying over, honestly. It takes a whole issue out of the equation.

Also, shout out to @infiniteeight8 who is great at refusing to let Bean do whatever she wants because then it lets us watch Bean go into 'cat mode' in order to get pets. Basically, Bean will do all her cute dog shit to try and get pets, and inf will go, "No. Not interested." and Sean and I will distract Bean away as well. But she will always try again, and Inf will refuse again and make it clear she's not into it, and finally Bean will just lay down next to her, and Inf will go, "Yes, this is good. Be a cat," and pet Bean, and then the rest of the time Inf is visiting, Bean will just go cat mode to get the attention she wants.

But the only reason it works is because Sean and I, as Bean's people, reinforce that Bean doesn't get to do whatever she wants just because it's her house. You are responsible for your dog, and part of that responsibility is not forcing your dog onto other people.

We gotta do something about the way dog owners behave. No other pet owner is just bringin the pet wherever the fuck they go all the time but for some reason with dog owners they think its fine if they bring their dog to the gym and taco bell and whatever. And you invite a dog owner to your house where youve got your own pets youve got your dog and your cats and whatever it is you have and this dog owner shows up at your door like "oh i brought my dog i hope thats okay hes so sweet youll love him" and it is always the most untrained poorly behaved agressive animal that has ever lived. And we all have to pretend like its acceptable behaviour well im sick of it

[dduane]

Erotica and anniversaries

...The big E, first. Here she is. Isn't she lovely?

...Right there upstairs at the Library of Congress, on the second floor. (I noted at the time we passed through some years back—and continue to smile at the memory—that her artist has included his copyright statement right there, to make sure no one misses it.)

...Anyway, where were we? ...Oh yeah: the local takes on erotic writing and smut.

This subject seems to come up every couple of years. What nudged me into revisiting it this time was the notes off a comment to a post earlier today, responding to someone working on an explicit-leaning AU, and discussing the writing of (story) bibles for projects.

Anyway, the notes:

#love that the advice was not just 'stick to porn' or 'don't write porn at all' but 'ah yes; common problem; let me explain to you how to write a series bible'

Well, disclosure here: in my case, it can't really be otherwise. :)

Let this act as everybody's sort-of-biennial reminder (if needed) that I'm not going to be caught condemning people for writing smut, as I've written it myself. (And continue to do so when the mood moves me.)

The post from very nearly two years ago, discussing the issue in more detail, is over here. As you'll see if you read it, there were some folks who experienced brief episodes of cognitive dissonance on learning I was a cheerful writer of explicit material. Some of the surprise was probably due to the fact that a lot of people see me—mostly due to the relatively-higher profile of the Young Wizards books—as primarily a writer for younger readers.

But that's not how I got started. My (1979) debut novel centers a universe where the following exchange between two of the protagonists appears—they then being wrapped up in blankets and afterglow in the wake of a prolonged and enthusiastic post-reunion shag:

A soft chuckle in the darkness. “Lorn, remember that first time we shared at your place?” “That was a long time ago.” “It seems that way.” “—and my father yelled up the stairs, ‘What are you dooooooooing?’ “—and you yelled back, ‘We’re fuckinnnnnnnnnnng!’” “—and it was quiet for so long—” “—and then he started laughing—” “Yeah.”

Nor was this a one-off. This book and its sequels contain a fair number of passages in which human (and occasionally non-human) sexualities, both in the abstract and the experientially concrete, take center stage. And the mode in which they're expressed and discussed is intended for adults. Those sequences can probably be described as at least borderline erotica. (I certainly try had to be as graceful about such passages as I can, when and where it's appropriate to be.)

With this in mind, it's worth repeating what turns up in that earlier post, which came off a query to a ficcer about "how do you feel knowing that people may be jerking off to your work?":

I'm an entertainer. Writing's a form of entertainment. (And not just for the readership: for me, too.) To be aroused by art one's experienced is (almost by definition) to be entertained, I'd say...

Other people's art in these modes certainly is entertaining for me: and I desperately hope mine is for other people. (Almost all my more explicit writing is published only pseudonymously, which from my point of view is just fine. There's a fair amount of writing work out in the world that [for contractual or other business reasons] doesn't have my name on it. This is just more of the same.)

(Per that, adding here again my own tags from that earlier post:)

#and no I'm not going to let on where the smut is#why would i deny anyone the delights of the search#and of being repeatedly mistaken#while possibly finding smut writers who're better at it than i am#:)

Anyway, finally: from that earlier post—on nearly the thirty-eighth anniversary of something happening to me that would, just a year before the event, have seemed wildly unlikely—this note, unusually apposite because of what today is, and what's coming tomorrow.

I consider erotica—and its more casually-dressed (or undressed…) cousin, smut—to be perfectly legit forms of literary expression; ones that can soar to unexpected heights if you’re willing to put in the work. The sexy-stuff-writing muscle requires periodic exercise if it’s to remain viable and/or useful. So I exercise it. And being a 70-plus-year-old person who sometimes creaks audibly when she walks has done absolutely nothing to decrease my interest in the subject—the brain being, after all, the biggest sex organ, and the one least vulnerable to the depredations of time. If anything, nearly fifty years of experience (and more than three and a half decades of marriage to @petermorwood) have added… let’s just say nuance. 😏

So, happy Valentine's Day to all those who choose to celebrate, in whatever mode.

And to the Man Upstairs:

...See you in a few, sweetie. :)

[kisssukuna33]

Can i request a sukunaxreader fic about the reader flinching during an argument with sukuna. Let’s make it a lil angsty but super comforting and reassuring.

"I told you it was not like that!" You said as you stormed into the house nearly slamming the door to Sukuna who was just behind you.

Sukuna let out a huff as he closed the door and followed behind you. "Oh yeah? Tell me what the fuck it was then?" he growled as he searched an answer through your face.

"He was being friendly Sukuna! Friendly!" You said clearly feeling upset about how Sukuna just made a scene at the the restaurant by threatening a random guy.

"Friendly yeah?" He said as he let out a chuckle to hide his darken expression, "Being Friendly while eye fucking you from the top to bottom? You call that being buddy- buddy princess?"

"He apologized for asking my number after you told him to knock it off, He probably didn't know Sukuna" you said taking off your shoes as you ignore Sukuna who's still lingering behind you.

"Bullshit! Who the fuck approaches a girl to hit on her when there's a man sitting right next to her?"

"Sukuna he's a highschool friend! We used to joke around all the time. Don't take it to heart-"

"So I'm supposed to tuck my tail in and watch some fucker flirt with my girl?" Sukuna said grabbing by your shoulders turning you around. You can see it in his eyes, Oh he's pissed

"That's not what I said! You could have handle it way better than threatening to beat him up in front of a whole restaurant!! You said trying to break free from his grip and eventually Sukuna let you go.

"Oh yeah guess I'm the bad guy for wanting to fucking protect my girlfriend, yeah?" A bitter scoff escaped from Sukuna as he said that. "Are you embarrassed of me? Cuz I'm not the perfect guy from your fairytales?"

"You're not listening to me!!"

"AND YOU ARE BEING FUCKING ANNOYING!!"

His sudden change of the tone sent a shock wave through your body, unintentionally making you flinch as you took a step back from him.

It took only few seconds for Sukuna to realize what he did, seeing your watery eyes was more than enough for Sukuna to snap out of that damn mood in an instant.

"shit. I'm so sorry princess-"

"Go away!" You said wiping your tears trying to hide your face from Sukuna's gaze.

Suddenly you feel a big pair of strong arms wrapping around your waist. The moment you try to tell him off you feel Sukuna's face nuzzle into the crook of your neck.

"I would never hurt you doll, you know that right? You're my fucking life" The regret in his voice already making your anger soothe away, little by little.

" it still surprised me" you said finally controlling your sobs.

"Fuck I know, I'm so sorry princess" he said as pressed a soft kiss to your cheek, too soft like it will break you if he kissed you too hard.

Next thing you know is Sukuna picking you up with one of his arms as he sat you down on the bed. Taking your clothes off as he changed you into comfortable clothes while also changing into something casual himself.

He picked you up again as he carried you into to the middle of the bed to settle you down, so slow. Like if he wasn't careful enough you will break like a rain drop.

Next thing you feel is his arms wrapping up around you as he pull you closer into his embrace, you hesitated at first but eventually melted into the cuddles.

"Asshole" you murmured into his chest.

"I know, I'm the worst" he said rubbing your back softly.

"Idiot! Fool! Stupid! Moron!"

"mhm yes I am" he cooed as he continued to leave warm kisses all over your face.

"Are you done princess? Finally let that anger out? If u didn't you can punch me-"

"no it's fine now" you said cutting off his sentence as you finally hugged him back, making Sukuna let out a big sigh in relief.

"If I ever do that again you have the right to slap the shit out of me"

You giggled into his chest. Teasingly hitting his chest. "No make sure there won't be a second time dummy"

"Promise princess" he said kissing your temple and then finally leaning down to capture your lips.

That day Sukuna became a man of his words.

[pretty-little-mind33]

James Potter x best friend fem!reader

Summary: You find your best friend's love letters, and they're addressed to you.

Genre: Fluff 💋

Warnings: none

JAMES POTTER MASTERLIST

VALENTINE'S DAY SPECIAL

You didn't meant to snoop into James' trunk.

In your defense, you were only in there looking for his Quidditch books. The ones he'd asked you to grab for him and Sirius to prepare plays for the upcoming quidditch season.

The paper's were hidden in one large envelope in the front drawer of his trunk. None of them were ready to mail, all of them scattered and unorganized as they peaked from inside the envelope you moved only to see if the books were behind it. They were in a completely different compartment.

You shouldn't look. You know that, but curiosity had won. You sit on your heels, your hair wet from having been swimming in the lake near the Potter's home. Water droplets drop onto your hands and you shake out the papers, accidentally reading the name scribbled on the top.

Y/n.

The letters are addressed to you.

Just as you open the first one, Lily comes rushing up. Her hair is wrapped in a towel and she leans against the doorway. "What's taking so long?" she asks you, watching curiously as you jump and stuff the letters into James's drawer again. You stand up.

"Nothing," you squeak and hand Lily the Quidditch book James had asked for.

Lily hums and sends you a suspicious look but she takes the book anyway and skips down the stairs, hollering to James and Sirius that you'd found it. You stay back, slumping down onto James's bed as you pull out the, now crumpled, letter you had hastily snuck into the pocket of your jean-shorts.

Holding your breath, you open it;

Dear Y/n,

It's been 4 long years now. I still haven't told you how I feel. It's okay. I'm scared that if I do everything will change between us. That we'll stop being friends and if that happens, I don't know what I'd do. So it's better that you don't know.

Yours truly,

Jamesie

"Y/n?" James's voice cuts into the room and you drop the letter, standing up from his bed with a jump. Your eyes are wide and your mouth is dry. James is standing by the doorway, his glasses resting lopsided on his nose, his hair a mess from playing in the yard with Sirius, and your gaze drifted to where a sliver of his stomach is exposed as he rubs his neck awkwardly.

"What are you doing?"

James sees the letter and his skin turns pale. He panicks. "You didn't read that, did you?"

You could never lie to James, he's your best friend.

"I did," you say as calmly as your beating heart could manage as you pick up the letter. You walk over to him and hand him the paper he knows all too well. James looks like he isn't breathing.

"What do you mean by this?" you ask him seriously, looking into his dark eyes.

"Nothing," James says and strains one of his famous lopsided grins. You don't look amused. You've known James since he was three. You know every one of his words and you can clearly see he's lying.

"Tell me honestly," you deadpan and cross your arms over your chest. "What haven't you told me? We promised we wouldn't have any secrets from each other."

James looks even more awkward as he pushes his glasses further up his nose. "Yeah, w-well, this is different."

"Different how?"

"Different because it's personal!" James is becoming more flustered and annoyed.

You narrow your eyes. "James."

"Y/n."

"James!"

"Okay fine!" James throws up his hands and presses his palm into his eyes. "Ithinki'minlovewithyou!"

The world around you goes silent and your heart is pounding. What did he just say?

"What?"

James brings his hands up and pulls on his dark hair, letting out an exasperated huff, "Seriously?! I said I'm in love with you! You don't have to pretend you didn't hear because you don't like me—" he goes into this rambling state, his cheeks crimson. He's too busy being self-loathing to register that you're approaching him. Cracking a smile, you take his cheeks in your hands. James's words die in his throat and his gaze locks onto yours. "W-what–"

You muffle his voice with your lips, kissing him passionately. Your hands dig into his cheeks as you stand on tiptoes to kiss better. James takes only a second to process what's happening because his hands find your hips and he kisses you back.

Fireworks explode in your stomach as the kiss continues and your damp hair skims James's cheeks. He brings his hand up and using his thumb, pushes some hair behind your ear as he leans in and kisses you deeper. You're practically devouring each other, the love letter forgotten on the ground now.

James pulls away and leans his forehead on yours. "Does this mean you're in love with me as well?" he jokes, tasting your strawberry lip balm on his lips. You laugh and cover his mouth with your hand as you look a little embarrassed. You make eye contact with him and those fireworks burst again.

"Shut up, Jamesie" you whisper, knowing he already knows the answer.

You are hopelessly in love with him.

You always have been.

[lananiscorner]

Reblogging this version and stealing the tags as well:

#i realized this when I was following#gen padalecki#she was talking about the garden#and livestock#and book clubs#and doing so many things with the boys#and i realized that if she had to work#like i have to work#and didn't have the money to hire people to do shit#she couldn't do all of that either#and then i unfollowed her#because it wasn't relevant to me#and was just making me feel bad about myself#even though i knew we were not on the same boat#she's in a yacht#and i'm in a rowboat#and you can't compare the two

This is so important, especially when it comes to body image.

If you ever find yourself looking at someone and thinking "damn, I wish I was as slim and toned as that insta model" or "damn, I wish I was built like that Navy Seal dude"... remember that this is literally PART OF THEIR JOB. You can't be an insta model without being slim and you can't be a spec ops soldier without being in excellent, buff shape. And as a result, people like that spend A LOT of hours in the gym. Like, a lot A LOT. And no, not off hours, after already working for 8+ hours a day like you with your desk job. If you are trying to emulate people like that while not being in that job, you are essentially trying to do two jobs at once. And that ain't a sustainable way to live (you can make it work, but good grief, at what cost...)

And any time you look at someone rich enough to afford somebody else to do their cooking and cleaning and child care? Dial your own expectations way the hell down, because those are freaking time sinks. There's a reason rich people hire other people to do that shit for them (because it's work--and unless you are rich it's work you HAVE TO do for free, because cooking is kind of important for eating and cleaning is kind of important for being healthy and if you don't take care of your kids they have a high risk of ending up dead).

I would also add to this that sometimes it really is too late/impossible to strive for something that you would like to be your top priority. I have asthma and I'm nearing 40. Even if I started working out right now, with the same diet and exercise regimen as a soldier, I would not be able to get that level of fitness, because 1) my lungs aren't build for that and 2) aging is a thing and my body's prime days are over.

And that sucks. Realizing that there are legit, unchangeable roadblocks to things you would like to make your priority SUCKS. And it's okay to be angry and frustrated about that for a while, and to grieve the opportunities you wish you had but never will. It's perfectly fine and normal and healthy. So long as you remember that grief is not a place to be forever. Life goes on. There's more beauty to find in the world and so much more to live for rather than wallowing in sadness forever.

So, if you find yourself with something that you want to make your priority, but cannot, for circumstances outside of your control, ask yourself "okay, but how much do I have to dial back the intensity to make it work and still have it be a top goal?"

One of my goals for this year is to go swimming again. I used to do that competitively. I would love to get back to that same level of intensity again, but 1) I am getting old, 2) I have a full-time job, and 3) it's not something I can just do at home anytime I want--I have to take a bus to the city swimming pool to get there and they ain't open 24/7. So no, I will not be swimming again with the same regularity and intensity as before, but I will try to find a time window that will work with my job and the commute and the opening hours and I will take as much swimming as I can get, because good grief, I miss the water.

One thing that has made me a much more well-adjusted person is a clip I once saw of Hank Green saying that anyone can be in amazing shape as long as being in amazing shape is one of their top three priorities.

(This is obviously a generalization that isn't true for everyone. But it is true for most people and I'm proceeding from there.)

This "top three priorities" framing has genuinely reduced my tendency toward jealousy and self-comparison a lot. Now when I feel envious of someone’s spotless, aesthetic home, I think to myself, “Having a spotless, aesthetic home is probably one of their top three priorities. It’s definitely not one of mine, so I shouldn’t expect my home to look like that.”

Or when I see an influencer with a body that takes a ton of work to maintain: “Maintaining that body is obviously one of her top three priorities, because it’s her livelihood. My livelihood is my brain, so I’m never going to prioritize my body like that.”

It also helps me to identify areas that I actually DO want to prioritize more. I realized in recent years that my envy for my friends who prioritized writing more than I did was NOT going away, so I started to prioritize writing more. (Not top three, but higher priority than it has been in the past.)

[ihaznoclue]

Just recently came across your blog and saw requests were open again! I especially love the Sonic fics in the movieverse.

I’ve seen scenarios where there was a teen!Wachowski and is essentially a sibling to them. I thought it would be cute for something like Sonic, Knuckles, and maybe even Shadow (he’d have joined the family, obviously) acting protective brothers over their human sibling since they’re not nearly as strong or durable. Any scenario would do, though I can’t help but think of if it involved dating someone and they would react like: are they cool enough? Are they strong enough? Are they working for G.U.N.???

Anywho, if you get to this, I would like to see how you write it out. Thanks!

Omg yes I was thinking about something like this and I'm all for it!

Pairings -> Sonic the Hedgehog, Kunckles the Echidna, Shadow the hedgehog x Sibling Reader (platonic)

Warnings -> None

Note -> Them being protective over their human older sibling

Genre -> Fluff

Sonic The Hedgehog

I feel like he will be the less protective one out of the three of them

He would probably ask a lot of questions though to get some information about them if you were dating someone

But in all seriousness I feel like he would help you

Since he thinks he's the most romantic guy out there

Sonics just a goof, a dork

"You have a what!?" Sonic screamed out which made you quickly cover his mouth as you shushed him

"Be quiet Sonic, Mum and Dad doesn't know yet, dad would probably freak out if I told him now" You spoke out

Sonic moved you hand as he was awe "Aww you told me before anyone else?" Sonic was so happy that you told him

"But in all seriousness, what are they like?" Sonic asked "Are they cool? Sporty? Popular?"

"Woah calm down, I will tell you everything, just don't tell the other though, I'll tell them myself soon"

"Tell me the details Sib"

Knuckles The Echidna

He would be the protective one besides Shadow

Like he doesn't want your heart to be broken by a weakling

But you reassure him that this person was really sweet and wouldn't do anything to hurt you

"A what now?" Knuckles asked, Knuckles wasn't quite familiar with the term partner so you explained it to him in a simple way

"A partner is where me and that people are together in a relationship where we love each other" You explained to him hoping he would get it

Knuckle just nodded, his face still in a frown while his arms was crossed against his chest

"Are they strong enough to protect you, If not then they are not worthy of your kindness" Knuckles huffed

You just rolled your eyes "I hope they are, but please Knuckles they are really sweet and wouldn't let anything happen to me I promise"

"Have you told the others" Knuckles asked

"I did tell Sonic, but later I will tell Shadow and hope that goes well"

"You should tell him now"

Shadow The Hedgehog

Oh boy

This was going be a long conversation with you and Shadow

Shadow was quite the grumpy and protective type

You knew he was gonna ask questions about them anyway

"Hey Shads" You greeted him while he was sitting down the comfy couch

"Hey" He gruff, as he watched the TV in front of him, "I need to tell you something"

Shadow the turned off the TV then looked at you

"Are you hurt?"

"No! no I'm not I just need to speak to you about something"

"That is?"

"I have a partner"

His ear flicked at that word, he was then processing what you just said than it finally clicked

"You mean that you are in a relationship with someone?"

You nodded "Yep" Nervously sweating

"Are they secretly working for G.U.N? Are they strong enough to protect you? What if they hurt you later in the future?"

"Woah slow down Shadow, No they don't work for G.U.N if they did then I wouldn't be with them"

Shadow stared at you then sighed

"I will be fine Shads, If anything happens I know you and the others will protect me"

-A<3

[makeitmingi]

Asking You To Be His Valentine's

[Let The Heart Love Again Drabble]

pairing: wooyoung x danceteacher!reader (y/n) feat. Yoonseo

summary: after agreeing to go on a date with wooyoung, your relationship only grew and blossomed into something much more beautiful. as wooyoung expected, you've integrated perfectly into his and yoonseo's lives. and despite already being in a relationship, yoonseo insists that wooyoung ask you to be his valentines.

word count: 3.1K

a/n: a little late to valentines day posting but ive been wanting to write something for 'Let The Heart Love Again' and what better time to write for them than valentines day!

"Good work today, everyone! Thank you." The boys bowed to each other and the members of BB Trippin, who bowed back. They all split up to go to their phones or get a drink of water after practicing for so long. Wooyoung grabbed his phone and sat with his back against the mirror, to read a message from you.

'Hey! We just ended class, going for a quick snack before going to KQ. See you~ - (y/n)'

He smiled at the picture you attached of Yoonseo eating and sent you a reply before tucking his phone into his pocket and going to drink water. Wooyoung took out a towel to wipe his sweat.

"So, Valentine's day is coming up soon." San said, wiping his body and downed a whole bottle of water.

"I'm aware..." Wooyoung trailed off, giving his best friend a suspicious look, wondering where he was going with this.

"What are your plans? Did you even ask (y/n) to be your valentine's yet?" San asked and sat beside Wooyoung. The shorter blinked in confusion and shook his head.

"What do you mean? We're dating, I already asked her to be my girlfriend. Isn't it obvious that she's my valentine's?" He frowned.

"Oh, hyung! Poor, naive Wooyoung hyung." Jongho chimed in with a shake of his head.

"So what if you're dating? You could be married and girls still like to be asked by guys to be their valentine's! A lot of guys forget to ask and girls can get upset. You have to ask (y/n) to be your valentine's." San pointed out.

"You make it sound like if I don't ask, she'll accept some other guy's request to be his valentine's. And I know (y/n) isn't like that, she's pretty chill." Wooyoung shrugged.

"Even the most chillest girls like to be asked out." Yunho added.

"Coming from all of you who are single!" Wooyoung scoffed loudly, rolling his eyes.

"If you excuse me, my girls are coming. Put on your shirt." Wooyoung threw his towel at San. San rolled his eyes and pulled his shirt on while Wooyound went out.

"There are my girls!" Wooyoung smiled, seeing you and Yoonseo emerge from the lift hand in hand.

"Appa!" Yoonseo laughed and ran forward, landing in her father's arms. He showered her in kisses. You smiled and headed over.

"Hey." You greeted softly. Wooyoung straightened up and smiled softly, reaching out to hold your hand. He leaned in to give you a kiss on the cheek. He knew that you were still a little shy when it came to PDA, especially at the company when you knew that the other members were around.

"How was practice?" You asked.

"Good. Tiring but good. I'm excited for the comeback, new choreography always gets me excited." He said.

"And how was class?" He asked back. You nodded over to Yoonseo, who began to excitedly tell her dad all that she learnt in class today. You listened to her with an endearing smile on your face.

"That's right. She's almost in a full side split." You said and Yoonseo nodded, happy to have your validation.

"Are you staying over tonight?" Wooyoung asked.

"Please! Please stay over!" Yoonseo begged when you didn't answer immediately, thinking of your schedule tomorrow. Wooyoung held Yoonseo's shoulders.

"Don't do that, baby." Wooyoung looked down at his daughter in slight disapproval, making Yoonseo pout.

"It's fine, Woo. I just have practice tomorrow morning for my upcoming showcase." You said.

"It's entirely up to you but I can drop you off if you'd like. I'm off tomorrow so I'll drop you at the studio then Yoonseo at school." He offered. You thought about it and nodded your head. Yoonseo cheered and hugged your legs.

"Hi, (y/n)~" The other members emerged from the studio. You waved and bowed to them. Your serious relationship with Wooyoung was still rather new so you were still formal with the others.

"Good work today." You clapped.

"You too." Jongho smiled kindly. Wooyoung cleared his throat and wrapped an arm around your waist to hold you to his side.

"Gongju nim!" San scooped Yoonseo up and hugged her, the two were always so excited to see each other, even if they see each other at least every other day.

"Geez, you two are always like long lost lovers." Wooyoung scoffed.

"It's cute." You giggled, seeing San piggyback Yoonseo and march around playfully, making her laugh.

"Alright, you two, break it up. It's time to go home." Wooyoung clapped. He loved his members like his family but right now, he'd much rather spend time with you, relaxing at home after working. San and Yoonseo whined, unhappy that they were not able to spend more time together.

"Why don't you two go ahead? I'm free for the rest of the day, I'll drop the princess off tonight." San offered.

"Me too!" Yunho raised his hand. Wooyoung gave an uncertain look, looking at Yoonseo who nodded her head happily, wanting to spend time with her uncles.

"Fine. But have her back home by 6. She has school tomorrow." Wooyoung said. Jongho, San and Yunho saluted to Wooyoung.

"Bye, baby. I'll see you later." Wooyoung opened his arms. Yoonseo came down and hugged her dad.

"Bye, appa." She kissed his cheek before hugging you.

"Have fun, Yoonseo ah. See you later." You hugged her before she went back to playing with her uncles. Wooyoung grasped your hand with his own and led you to the exit.

"Are you hungry?" You asked, cupping his cheek. Wooyoung shook his head and hugged your waist, resting his head on your shoulder.

"Everything ok?" There was more worry in your voice now as your fingers touched the back of his neck.

"Mmm, just tired. I'm glad you're here now." He mumbled. Reaching the basement carpark, Wooyoung opened the car door for you to enter before running to the driver's side to enter. Wooyoung started the car and began to drive.

"Comeback season is coming soon. I'm gonna be busy." Wooyoung said, his hand reaching to rest on your thigh.

"It's alright, Wooyoung. I understand." You placed your hand over his, knowing that he was worried about not being able to see you with his busy comeback schedule.

"We'll make time." He smiled.

"Of course. And if you need me to come over and help with Yoonseo, I'll be more than happy to." You giggled.

"Thanks. I'm sure Yoonseo will be happy to hear that, she loves you and loves spending time with you." Wooyoung chuckled. You felt a warmth in your heart hearing him say that.

"I love hanging out with her too. She's such an amazing kid." You said, making Wooyoung smile proudly.

"Come on." After he parked, you and Wooyoung headed up to the apartment. Even if you didn't live together, you stayed over often.

"I declare that we spend the rest of the day in bed." Wooyoung said as the two of you removed your shoes. You nodded with a giggle, liking that idea. While you unpacked your bag, Wooyoung bent down and kissed your cheek before going to shower. You began to unpack the items in your dance bag.

You placed your ballet shoes by the balcony, next to Yoonseo's to air them. Then you did the laundry, washing your stuff along with Wooyoung's clothes and Yoonseo's.

"This is what it's like living with two ballerinas." Wooyoung laughed, emerging from the room while drying his hair.

"It's only going to get more, you know? More constumes, more dance shoes, all that." You grinned.

"Well, I'll have you to help me sort those things out." He pulled you in by your waist. You slapped his chest and went to shower, wanting nothing more than to spend time with Wooyoung now.

"I'll prepare your snacks for dance tomorrow since I'm preparing Yoonseo's." Wooyoung said through the bathroom door.

"Thank you!" You replied loudly.

"Wooyou-" You paused when you came out after your shower and drying your hair to see Wooyoung fast asleep. He had one of Yoonseo's stuffed animals on his chest.

"Cute." You tried to muffle your giggles and slid under the blanket, sleeping against his side.

After Yoonseo came back last night, all 3 of you had a nice dinner and you helped Wooyoung with putting her to bed. He didn't want to excite her too much since he wanted her to sleep early since there was school the next day.

"I'll see you, jagi." Wooyoung leaned over to give you a kiss as he pulled up to the drop off of the dance academy. You smiled into the kiss and grabbed your bag.

"Mmm, see you. Thanks for dropping me off. Bye, Yoonseo ah. Have a nice day at school." You wished.

"Bye, (y/n) unnie." Yoonseo giggled and waved. You and Wooyoung decided that Yoonseo would call you 'unnie'... for now.

"Stay safe." Wooyoung said as you exited the car. The father and daughter watched as you entered the building and disappeared from their sights.

"So, appa." Yoonseo cleared her throat.

"Uh oh, what did I do wrong now?" Wooyoung asked jokingly, sensing Yoonseo's sudden seriousness.

"This is serious, appa! Uncle Sannie told me you haven't asked (y/n) unnie to your valentine's! What if someone else asks her? We're doomed!" Yoonseo yelled dramatically.

"We're not doomed, my precious baby. I don't know why uncle Sannie is telling you these things but (y/n) unnie is already my valentine's. I don't have to ask her." Wooyoung said with a soft sigh, looks like he'll need to call his best friend to scold him about the things that he's telling his niece.

"Well, did you ask her? Or do you think she is your valentines?" Yoonseo questioned back.

"I don't think, I know. Why do you think she stays over all the time? We go on dates. That means she's my valentines, my white day, everything." Wooyoung explained.

"Hmm, no. You have to ask her before it's too late." Yoonseo shook her head.

"Do you want me to do it for you?" Yoonseo offered when she was met with her father's silence.

"What? No. I don't need you to do it for me. I can ask her, I just don't know why you and your silly uncles are so insistent on this." He scoffed in disbelief.

"We're just trying to help, appa. You like (y/n) unnie and want her to be your valentines right?" Yoonseo asked.

"Yes, of course. I just didn't think I would need to ask her when we're dating. But if it'll satisfy you, I'll ask her, okay?" Wooyoung sighed.

"Okay! You have to do it tonight. And I'll help! You need to get flowers, everyone likes flowers! And write her a card." Yoonseo excitedly started listing things for her father to do and buy, which Wooyoung will have to do after dropping her off at school.

"Alright, now, you focus on school! Have a nice day, baby. I'll come pick you up when you're done." Wooyoung hugged his daughter and kissed her head.

"Bye, appa. Remember to get everything I told you." Yoonseo reminded sternly.

"Yes, ma'am." Wooyoung saluted.

So, Wooyoung went to the shop and got almost everything his daughter told him to get. Then he got home and started decorating. It wasn't even valentine's day yet.

Honestly, Wooyoung has never done this before. His last relationship was with Yoonseo's mother and they didn't date conventionally.

'Asking my girlfriend to be my valentine's |'

Wooyoung sat on the couch and searched online. Looks like his members and own daughter was correct, many girls liked to be asked to be valentine's dates despite already being together.

"Maybe this is why she left me." Wooyoung said bitterly, recalling how Yoonseo's mother threw insults at him.

"Streamers, flowers, cupcakes." Now Wooyoung wanted to make sure he had everything. This wasn't valentine's celebration, it was him asking you to be his valentine's. By the time he was done getting everything ready, he had to go pick Yoonseo up from school. As he waited, he called you.

"Hey. I'm picking Yoonseo up from school. What time will you be done today? I can pick you up." He smiled as he leaned against his car, keeping an eye out for his daughter.

"Hmm, let me run to check my schedule. I have rehearsals for my showcase... And a costume fitting... I don't think I'll be done so early."

"No worries. I know you're busy getting ready for your upcoming performance." Wooyoung chuckled.

"Yeah, I've been running back and forth. Sorry... I think I'll only be done around 8. Don't worry, I can make my way over to yours on my own when I'm done."

"Are you sure?" Wooyoung waved to Yoonseo when he saw her come out with her class and teahcer.

"Positive! I'll see you and Yoonseo at home?"

"Yeah, alright. Drop me a text when you're leaving the studio. Have a good rehearsal, make sure to drink water and eat something. I love you." Wooyoung wished, his heart warm when you referred to his place as 'home'.

"Thank you. I love you too!"

"Appa!" Yoonseo jumped into Wooyoung's arms. He chuckled and hugged her tightly. Despite only being apart for a few hours, he had missed her dearly.

"Come, let's go." He opened the door for her to climb into her booster seat in the car. Of course, there were people still taking pictures.

He is Wooyoung from Ateez after all.

"(y/n) just called, she's coming back at 8 after her rehearsals so we'll surprise her then. I've decorated the house and got everything ready." Wooyoung informed his daughter as he drove.

"Okay! I can make sure you did it right." Yoonseo said. Of course, she was a kid and meant no malice when she said that.

"Yes, boss nim." Wooyoung teased back.

"It has to be perfect, appa!" Yoonseo exclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah. I hear you." Wooyoung groaned, his daughter was nagging him like he was the child and she was the parent. Honestly, she was starting to sound like Hongjoong, which scared him slightly. His life will not be easy if his daughter starts to nag him and boss him around like Hongjoong does.

"So, how did I do?" Wooyoung asked when he opened the door and let Yoonseo into the house, letting her look around. Yoonseo tapped her chin as she inspected the place.

"You did good, appa." She spun on her heels and gave him an approving thumbs up.

"Come here, you." Wooyoung grabbed her and attacked her with kisses, making her squeal loudly and laugh.

"Here, this is for you. Will you be appa's valentine's too?" He grabbed a smaller bouquet with a small puppy plush attached. Yoonseo grinned and threw her arms around her father's neck.

"Yes! Me and (y/n) unnie will be your valentine's!" She giggled, hugging her dad tightly.

"I'm glad." He smiled softly and hugged her.

"Now, we have to get ready for our surprise. Let's go pick out a pretty dress." Wooyoung held Yoonseo's hand, leading her to her room.

After a long day of rehearsals, you finally made your way back to Wooyoung's place. Your friends spent the whole day talking about their upcoming valentine's day plans. You didn't want anything significant, maybe just dinner with Wooyoung and Yoonseo.

"I'm home~" You announced and removed your shoes in the doorway. To your surprise, the house was dark. You thought Wooyoung and Yoonseo would be home. Maybe they were both sleeping.

"Wooyoung? Yoonseo?" You called out but there was no reply. As you walked down the hall to the living room, you gasped.

"Hi, jagi."

"Hi, (y/n) unnie." The father and daughter were right in the middle, both dressed up, with candles and flower petals around. Each of them had flowers in their hands.

"Hi... What's going on? Did I miss an important date?" Your eyes widened in worry.

"No, you didn't. With valentine's day coming up, I was gratefully reminded that I have not asked you to be my valentine's."

"Oh..." You nodded slowly. Yoonseo giggled and ran up to you. You bent down to hug her, wrapping your arms around her waist as you watied for Wooyoung to finish.

"So, will you be my valentine's?" He asked with a crooked smile.

"Yes, Wooyoung. I will be your valentine's. You too, Yoonseo." You giggled. Yoonseo clapped and hugged you before letting you go to Wooyoung. You received the flowers, cradling it in your arms as you leaned forward to give him a kiss. Wooyoung's hands automatically came to rest on your waist.

"Thank you for doing this. It's really sweet." You smiled.

"I helped!" Yoonseo raised her hand with a proud smile. Your hand came to rest on the top of her head, she was really such a great kid.

"Although, I have to admit, I thought we were already each other's valentine's... Unless you were planning on asking someone else?" You raised an eyebrow, teasing Wooyoung.

"What?! No, of course not! It's just that the other guys said... then Yoonseo said... See! I told you." Wooyoung stuck his tongue out at Yoonseo.

"You're so dramatic, appa." Yoonseo scoffed, as if she wasn't the same.

"So, you didn't need me to ask you to be my valentine's?" Wooyoung checked. You shook your head.

"Yeah, she didn't need it, appa. But like uncle Hwa says, it's not a 'need', it's a 'want'." Yoonseo lifted a finger, quoting one of her uncles. Wooyoung sighed and shook his head.

"You need to stop hanging out with your uncles so much." Wooyoung squinted his eyes. You laughed and hugged Wooyoung. Even if you were not expecting this at all, you were still touched that he did this for you. As you both sat on the couch, Yoonseo sat on your lap.

"What's this? Did you make this in school?" You asked, gesturing the the beaded bracelet on her wrist.

"No. Seojun asked me to be his valentine's and gave me this. See the heart?" She showed you the pink heart bead right in the middle.

"Ah... I see. That's sweet." You nodded slowly, turning to glance at Wooyoung. The poor man looked like he was going to burst a blood vessel, his eye twitching slightly.

"And what did you say...?" Wooyoung asked, strained.

"I told him I'll think about it." Yoonseo shrugged. You pursed your lips to hide your laugh at Wooyoung's reaction.

"The answer is 'no', baby. You tell him no. Wait, don't even talk to him anymore. You're only allowed to have girl friends, no boy friends. I'm telling uncle Sannie you talked to a boy." Wooyoung stood up.

"Wait, no, appa! Don't tell him!" Yoonseo slid off her lap and ran after her father.

~

Masterlist

[finchsflight]

The most important thing, that a lot of people who want this kind of job don't get, is that you have to have an explanation.

And not some namby-pamby 'oh, you see, it was simply up my sleeve, ha ha let's all pretend this didn't happen!'. No, you need a proper, actual, well-thought-through explanation.

(At least, for the kids I show off for. If the parent didn't ever bother getting their kid into the business, or explaining tricks -- eh, you're probably fine. But if they didn't explain the tricks, well, they wouldn't need us, would they?)

The kids -- usually, at least, that I see -- want magic. But half the time they're too smart for their own good, and there's no one who'll think you're a real wizard like a little kid. They want you to be a real wizard. But you need them to think you're just really, really good.

(Y'know. On account of how we don't endanger kids. And if that's an issue for you, then I've got a big stick and you have some fun places I can shove it.)

So that's the first thing. Explanation. Every trick you've got, you better be good and prepared for them to ask you about it, in detail, at the end of the show, and if you don't have good answers, it breaks. Yeah, yeah, a magician never reveals their secrets, but little kids hate being condescended to and they'll have a great time if you show them the props and the 'real magic' behind the magic. Yes, yes, I know, it sounds stupid.

The second thing is, you're showing off, but you're not showing off. Big elemental stuff? Usually a no-no, even if you've got a good and sciency explanation. Partially because, like... if you're doing a science show, you don't need a wand. You can just go buy some liquid nitrogen. World's neat enough as is. And partially because -- look, you're a delight. But listen. You are never as good at lying to small children as you think you are, okay?

If you're gonna need an explanation, well, that means you need explainable stuff. Me, I like kinda theming things off human magicians -- you know, cards, ribbons, vanishing boxes, sleight-of-hand style stuff. A few flashy lights. That sorta thing. They love seeing a card trick that's just impossible enough to be amazing and just possible enough to be explained.

Works to add some things they can actually recognize, too; then they get a little moment where they get to feel like they've got one over on you.

And that leads pretty well to my last one.

Eventually, a kid's gonna ask you how you did something, and you're gonna give your made-up bullshit explanation that you will have gotten really good at delivering, and then either they're gonna say "That's not possible," or they're gonna ask you if you can teach them.

And you're gonna not be able to dismiss it, or you're not gonna be able to say 'sorry, I need to go', and there's gonna be a little kid who figures out that you're a wizard.

Remember what I said? How we don't endanger kids?

This is the part where that gets important.

Feel free to remember them, bookmark their name for when they grow up 'cause you think they might be a good apprentice, whatever. But you do not recruit kids.

And you already know that. So you're not gonna like what I'm about to say, because yes, it's gonna feel icky and terrible and it is, technically, about as illegal as anything can be when you're behind the -- what's the word for it these days?

Masquerade? Oh, man, that's so much better than it used to be. Nice.

Anyway.

Learn how to muddle a kid's memories.

Yeah. I know.

No, I don't like it either.

Only a few times. Thank God.

There's a trick I use, though -- and also makes it a lot less icky -- build a time limiter. Make a spell up, on your own, that is inextricably tied to a time limiter. Make it so it breaks when they're... remind me, what's, like, an age where kids are allowed to make bad choices?

Jesus. That's too young.

Well, let's say, uh... twice that? Twice that. That seems fine.

Don't make it something flashy. Just... let the memories fade back in. And after that, if they find you, it's not a kid, and they can make their own bad choices.

Yeah, I know.

I said it wasn't always a fun job. Wasn't just talking about the bodily fluids -- oh, yeah, that too. They're totally gonna get things on you. Snot, vomit, blood... small children end up bleeding a surprising amount, honestly?

Sure, yeah, I can teach you some cleaning cantrips.

When normal people throw a birthday party for their child, they call in a magician. When magicians throw a birthday party for their child, they call you.

[lycheeloving]

Second chapter!! Happy Valentine's day <3

Bruce finds you at work and doesn't leave you alone.

< first chapter

The next day at work, it all feels like a fever dream. Did you really meet Bruce Wayne? And talk to him all night? You feel a bit nauseous just thinking about it, but you just remind yourself that you'll never see him again. Even if you did get along really well...

Whatever, you'll just daydream about kissing him in the moonlight, that's just as fun as the real thing, right? Not that you could compare it to the real thing,  you'd have to kiss someone at some point to know what it's like.

Maybe you should have kissed Bruce yesterday, he certainly seemed like he would have been ok with that, but that was probably just wishful thinking anyways. Oh well, too late now.

The bell that lets you know somebody entered the store rings and rips you out of your thoughts. Fuck. You hate when there's costumers, which is why you chose to work at the shittiest bookstore in Gotham. And are hiding in the back.

You're supposed to say something like "I'll be right with you!", but you're not going to do that. You hate talking loudly. Especially to strangers, especially when you can't even see them. But you never even say anything when you're out in the front and making direct eye contact with them, so whatever. You just hope they won't ask you for help with finding anything, just having to ring them up is bad enough...

Why do you have to get costumers at all? Fuck, you should really look for a job with less contact to people, but this is the best you've been able to find so far.

You reluctantly leave the safety of the back room, only to find a guy in an oversized hoodie and sunglasses absolutely beaming at you. Why is he looking at you like that? Should you know him?

Only when he takes the sunglasses off do you realize that it's Bruce. No way, how did he find you? You feel your palms getting sweaty.

"Finally! I found you! Do you know how hard it was to find this book store with the minimal description you gave me?" 

Not hard enough, apparently, considering that he was able to find you this soon. It hasn't even been a full day!

He's still smiling at you. "I've been to multiple book stores this morning! I'm so glad you told me you'd be working today, or I would have had to ask everyone if you're one of their coworkers!"

"Yeah, well, if I had wanted you to show up here, I would have given you more details, probably." You deadpan, hoping your voice isn't shaking.

He's not deterred, he just keeps talking as if you hadn't said anything: "Wanna get lunch with me? When's your break? We could go to that café around the corner that I saw on my way here!"

Is he not getting that you don't want him here? Well, you do want him here, but you don't. You want him to think you don't want him here so he'll leave before you can embarrass yourself.

"I can't leave for my break, I have to stay here. I'm the only one working right now, I can't just- just lock up and get something to eat." Your boss actually allowed you to do just that, but when you came back from doing it the first time, an angry costumer was waiting for you and yelled at you for 10 minutes about how it's rude to just close the store in the middle of the day. You don't want a repeat of that, so you started eating your lunch at work whenever there were no costumers. Which is almost always, luckily.

"I could go get you something and we can eat here! It doesn't seem like you get a lot of costumers so we won't even be disturbing anyone!" Why is he so persistent? Can't he go talk to some supermodel or something?

"I'm not hungry." You kind of are, actually.

"That's fine, we can just talk! I just wanted to spend some time with you. You know, I haven't clicked with anyone like this in a long time, I couldn't just let you go."

Wait, is he serious? Well, why else would he go through the effort of looking for you... But still, you can't quite believe it. Are you being pranked?

"You should go. What if costumers start showing up? I'm sure you don't want some weird fan to recognize you."

Bruce ignores what you say and stays. He talks to you for about half an hour, well, mostly he talks at you, until he has to leave because his lunch break is over. You just stand there, perplexed. Does he really want to hang out with you?

He returns the next day. And the next. And the next. Every day, always during his lunch break. It takes a few times until you stop trying to ignore him, a few more times until you start actually talking to him, and a few more times until you agree to eat lunch with him. Not go anywhere else, just eat your own lunch at the bookstore.

You can't stop yourself from trying to push him away a little bit, though.

You put down your fork. "You know, it's rude of you to keep visiting me at work, where I can't just leave. This is basically harassment."

"If you want me to go, I'll go. Just say so, and I'll never show up here again, I promise."

You don't want him to leave. Well, you do, because you don't want to get even more attached, but you don't, because, well, you're getting attached. You can't bring yourself to make him leave.

You huff and roll your eyes. "Whatever." You pick your fork back up and continue eating.

He tries to suppress a smile. Gross. He's so cute.

Whenever he catches you playing a silly game on your phone (which is basically every time he enters the store, as you love slacking off), he insists on befriending you on it if possible, so when you're not hanging out he'll send you a booster on your candy-crush-esque game, or play against you on a quiz app.

Sometimes he uses the chat option there to tell you to go to sleep when it's late and he catches you playing, even though he's obviously awake as well! Hypocrite. It makes you smile every time. 

One day while you're eating lunch together, a few months after he first showed up, he puts down his fork and says: "I think I need to make this more clear. I am interested in you romantically. I want to date you."

You almost spit out your lunch, but manage to swallow it without choking. "H- Wh- Huh? What?"

"We can just be friends, I'd love to be friends, we already are friends, in my opinion, but I would also love to date you. So if one day you decide that you want to date me, please let me know."

You already want to, but you will absolutely not be informing him of that, thanks. Asking for what you want? What are you, a well adjusted person? You blink owlishly at him instead of saying anything. That should suffice as a response, right? No, you should probably say something.

"...Look, even if I was interested in dating you—", which, again, you literally are, but why would you tell him that;

"—you're famous, and at some point it would come out that I was dating you, and the paparazzi would publish one single picture of me and I'd immediately panic so hard I would pass out and die. This—" You point your fork between the two of you. "—is already risky enough. Whatever this is, anyway."

Bruce, as always, chooses not to address the parts of what you were saying that were clearly your anxiety speaking and simply grins.

"So you do want to date me? It sounds to me like you're just looking for excuses. Don't worry, if I don't want anyone to know about you, noone will! People don't tend to recognize me when I'm not wearing a suit, especially in environments where they're not expecting me, so anywhere outside of my workplace and fancy parties. It's worked so far, hasn't it? Not a single person has recognized me here! Dating won't change that. So, if you do want to go on a date with me, just say the word. Please."

What word? Wait, he means that metaphorically, right? No, but seriously, what would you say, how would you say that without sounding totally weird?

"That's not what I was saying. At all. Stop misinterpreting me." You roll your eyes at him. He changes the topic, but he keeps smiling until he has to leave.

Lying awake that night, you think about what he said. Does he actually like you? Or is he just pretending, because he likes a challenge? Knew you'd be difficult to get close to, and he gets a kick from being someone's first relationship, kiss, everything, and then leaving them? You feel nauseous and you suddenly feel cold. How are you supposed to figure this out? You try to tell yourself that it's only your anxiety speaking, that Bruce is actually a nice person and wouldn't do that, but you can't quite convince yourself.

The next day, your way home after work (and after pretending your conversation with Bruce yesterday didn't happen, which luckily he played along with), you see something on the ground that reflects the light in a way that catches your eye.

What is that? It's kind of hidden behind a trash can.

You take a step closer, hoping it's not some kind of trap, but you can't think of a villain who would hide shiny things on the floor to kill civilians. At least not in that color, the Joker would make it colorful, and this object appears to be... black?

Oh, it's a Batarang! You've never seen one up close, but they can't be super rare with how often people online post about having found one, there's even one guy who collects them and has an entire wall plastered with them. Allegedly. People online are saying that most of them are probably replicas, but you can't tell, as you've never seen a real one. Until now.

That makes you think, just how many Batarangs does Batman have? More than enough if he let's random people keep them. You think about picking it up and taking it with you. It would be really cool to have a Batarang...

You reach out towards it, but stop right before you touch it. Is it stuck in the floor? Fuck, just how sharp are those things...?

Maybe you should leave it here, you'd just cut your hand open on it, trying to get it unstuck.

Plus, maybe Batman will find this one if you leave it here, and then re-use it! Reduce, re-use, recycle, Batman!

You leave it where you found it, after taking a few pictures of it as proof.

The next day, Bruce asks you if you did anything interesting yesterday, like he does every time he sees you. Usually you'd say no, but you did find that Batarang... Would Bruce care about that?

While you're contemplating, Bruce says: "You'd have said no by now if nothing had happened! Come on, please tell me?"

Fine! Whatever! You'll tell him, even if he'll probably think it's boring.

"Ok, so, on my way home yesterday... I found a Batarang. And, um, it got me thinking, well, first of all, how many of those does that guy have? If he's just leaving them lying around like that, right? Oh, and, it was so sharp, it was stuck in the floor, though I guess maybe that just means Batman is really strong? Either way, I thought he doesn't kill, right, but considering what he's working with it's a miracle no criminal has ended up dead yet, right?" You stop rambling, realizing that Bruce hasn't said anything yet. At least he appears to be amused.

"You have a lot of thoughts about Batman, huh?" He grins. "Yeah, he must have tons of those things, I've seen the posts. Did you take it with you?" He didn't respond to your killing thoughts... Oh well, you did give him a lot of information all at once.

"No, I didn't... But I thought about it! I mean, it seems like that's what everyone else is doing, but with it being stuck in the floor like that I was worried I would cut my hand open trying to get it unstuck! And with my luck there would have been germs or poison on it and my wound would have gotten infected, like, immediately, and I would have died. So I left it there for Batman to hopefully find again. I mean, he should probably be reusing the ones he already has, right? Reduce, reuse, recycle, I'm just helping Batman be more climate friendly!" There you go, rambling again.

Bruce seems almost too amused at all of this.

"Well, do you want it? I can come with you when your shift is over and help you get it unstuck, if you want. If nobody else has already taken it. I'm sure Batman won't mind. And if it ever comes out that he's not trying his best to be climate friendly, I'll personally go kick his ass, I promise."

"Uh. Um. You don't have to do that!"

"...Kick his ass or go get the batarang for you?"

"I meant getting the batarang, but also please don't fight Batman. He'd wipe the floor with you. No offense."

"Well, first of all, I think I'm just as strong as Batman-" You roll your eyes at him. Dork.

"And second of all, I don't have to get it for you, but I want to. Please let me?"

Ok. Fuck. Whatever. This is the first time you'll be seeing him outside of work, excluding your first meeting.

"Uh. Ok? I, um, my shift ends at 8."

"I'll pick you up in front of the store, then. It's a date!"

"Uh! No, well, yes, but, it- um-"

"I'm just teasing you." He winks at you. Winks! Is he trying to kill you? You turn your face towards your food so you don't have to look at him. Asshole. Stop being so hot.

Later, at 8, he's already waiting for you in front of the store while you're locking up.

"Ready to go?" He smiles.

"Uh, yeah! Sure!"

You start leading the way to where you found the batarang, talking about whatever comes to mind on the way.

Finally, about halfway on your way home, you reach the place where the batarang should be. You hope it's still there, but somebody else could have taken it. You push the trashcan it was behind to the side, and...

There it is!

"Look, it's still here!" You turn around to Bruce, smiling. He smiles back. You fight the urge to giggle or hide your face behind your hands, he needs to stop being so cute.

"Didn't you say it's stuck in the ground? Why wouldn't it be here anymore?"

"Uh, you said you'd help me get it out? Somebody else could have done the same thing!"

"Right. But they don't have my getting batarangs unstuck from the ground skills."

You roll your eyes. How often could Bruce have come in contact with a batarang? His only advantage compared to you is that he's stronger and not afraid of cutting his hand open. At least that's what you think.

You watch as he grabs the batarang and gets it unstuck in seconds. Seriously? It was that easy?

"Woah. I think I would have been able to do that myself, that looked super easy. Sorry to have made you come all this way..." Apparently it wasn't stuck in there as much as you thought? Even if a considerable part of it disappeared beneath the ground. Hm. Weird. Maybe there was a batarang shaped hole there before it landed there? Or Bruce is just a lot stronger than he looks.

"No, I'm glad I came along! I wouldn't have wanted you to cut yourself accidentally." He wraps the batarang in a piece of fabric. Some kind of rich people tissue, maybe.

"Let me carry it home for you?" He looks at you in a way that makes you melt a little bit. Ok, fine.

"Oh, uh, sure!" You did enjoy walking around with him. And not just because walking with someone in Gotham is safer than doing it alone.

"Also we could maybe order dinner? And eat together at your place?" And let him into your apartment that's not cleaned up? That looks shitty even when it is cleaned up?

"Don't push it."

"Or we could go somewhere? I'll pay, of course."

And absolutely embarrass yourself and make him never want to see you again and talk about you to journalists that you're a horrible person, which gets published in every newspaper ever so you have to move and change your name? Ok, maybe that was a bit dramatic.

Bruce can clearly see the anxiety on your face.

"It doesn't have to be a date, if you don't want that."

Be brave! Be brave! You can do this!

"Uh." You almost choke on your words. "And... if I do... want that...?"

You might actually pass out, this is horrible. If he doesn't respond in less than a second, your flight response is going to win and you'll run away. And quit your job, so he can't find you again.

"That would be wonderful! We can take it slow, ok? Absolutely no pressure to do anything you don't want to do whatsoever, I promise."

You nod, not feeling brave enough to say anything. Maybe those were your last words ever.

"So... Dinner at your place? As a date?"

You nod again. Shit, fuck. Are you actually going to date Bruce Wayne? What were you thinking? Wait, does going on one date even mean you're 'dating' him? What's the definition here?

You start walking again, leading Bruce to where you live. If he hates your apartment and leaves and you never see him again that's fine and you'll be able to handle it, right? But that won't happen, so calm down. But if it did happen, you'll be fine and ok and fine. It's fine! Oh fuck, what if you misunderstood him? Did he even mean dinner tonight? Are you embarrassing yourself by assuming he'll come with you right now?

Bruce walks right beside you and starts talking again.

"I'll order. What do you want?" While saying this, he puts an arm around your shoulder. You tense. Woah.

"You said you'd take it slow!" Look at that, you can talk again.

"Too much?" Yes. But also no. But yes. But no.

"I don't know! Maybe?" He takes his arm away and you can breathe again, but somehow at the same time you miss his warmth.

"Don't worry, I'll take it so slow. The slowest. You won't regret dating me, I promise. This'll be so much fun, you'll see." He smiles.

You don't know about that, but you do know that at the very least it'll be interesting. You hope he won't notice you looking up what the definition of dating is on your phone while he's ordering food later.

[drdemonprince]

a lot of people approach BDSM as play pretend games, which you know is fine. where it becomes a problem is when you are one of those people who really wants it for real, and you tell them over and over again no I want this for real I mean it for real this is for real for me I am treating this as real, and because they are pretending, they say it is all for real too, until you cross some unanticipated line or you take one thing too seriously and suddenly they jump back and say what the hell, we were just playing pretend games. It is a heartbreak I have experienced so many times. and I really don't know how to communicate my way around it, when I'm the one being very literal and direct, and they're the one thinking that no matter what I say about it being real, it must just be play pretend games. very few people take shit as seriously as I want to take it. okay fine. I understand I'm in the minority and I might be searching for what I really want the whole rest of my life, and would prefer to keep searching rather than to settle for something that feels so incredibly hollow. but damn. what can one do other than be openly very intense and openly very insane early on to scare away the people who are just looking to get a vaguely themed nut off.

[jazzthatonewriterchick]

DRABBLE: Dancer!Geto x F!Celeb!Reader (18+)

Warnings: Smutty Smut; 18+; Work Married Couple; No Curse AU; Work Hubby!Geto x Work Wife!Reader; Friends to Lovers; Work Couple to Lovers; Sexual Tension; Lowkey Flirting; Requited Crush; Exhibitionism; Public Sex; Mirror Sex; Tattoo & Piercing Kink; MDom!Geto x fsub!Reader; Cum Play; Creampie; Cuddling

Writer's Note: This is heavily based on THIS SEXY ASS DANCE VIDEO FROM TAEHYUNG'S FINE ASS ABOVE (from BTS if you don't know him). Idk what the hell he was thinking trying to kill me like that. If we were dancing, the entire studio would have to witness some very nasty stuff....enjoy! -Jazz

***********

I'm thinking extremely hard about Dancer!Geto who you already know would have the girls, the gays, and the theys losing their minds once he stepped onto the scene.

Dancer!Geto who started making a splash when he started posting on Youtube and later, TikTok, but his true shot to stardom and the celebrity world was when he posted his viral video of him dancing to "What's Your Fantasy" by Ludacris.

Dancer!Geto who was aware he got the entire internet wet over him...including you, a renowned singer, dancer, and songwriter. Who has won awards including two Grammys and is in Rihanna's Apple Music library.

Dancer!Geto who was down with the chance to dance for you in one of your music videos and was such a joy to work with that you kept him around.

Dancer!Geto who becomes your personal dancer, choreographer, close friend, and..."work husband".

Dancer!Geto who laughed at the title that his and your fanbase started giving him since you both work so well together and have so much chemistry on and off stage.

Dancer!Geto who takes the title and starts calling you "wife" while you jokingly call him "hubby".

("Bye, hubby!" you shout as you leave the studio to meet your personal driver. "See you tomorrow, wife," he calls back, watching your ass in your yoga pants as you leave.)

Dancer!Geto who takes his role as your work hubby VERY seriously, such as massaging your sore muscles or fetching you extra water during dance practices ("You need to hydrate," he firmly says. "Now stop playin' with me and open your mouth. I'm not about to have you pass out on me.").

Dancer!Geto who is absolutely smitten over you and everyone on your dance team sees it, but the only one who doesn't seem to is you despite the little touches he gives you on your shoulder, waist, or back. Despite the fact that he's always beside you about 80% of the time. Despite the fact that he always yearns to be close to you.

Dancer!Geto who is aware that he is fine as hell with the ink littering his skin, his many piercings, and toned, cut body from years of dancing and disciplined workouts.

Dancer!Geto who can get real cocky when it comes to dancing because the guy can fucking move, his movements perfectly matching whatever song is playing and becoming so memorizing when he dances.

Dancer!Geto who has stolen your heart, but you don't want to say anything in fear of ruining your friendship and work relationship, so you laugh off any prying questions that you and him are dating. "We're just good friends," you always giggle.

Dancer!Geto who silently simmers at constantly being friend zoned by your cute but oblivious ass and regrets not taking the chance to kiss you during your private dance rehearsals where it's just the two of you rehearsing and joking around.

Dancer!Geto who jumps at the chance to have another private rehearsal with you when you hit him up one random night and nearly fucks up his ankle trying to rush out of his apartment on time to meet you.

Dancer!Geto who knows your body and reads it like a book when he steps into the studio and sees you looking tense, wired, and absolutely in need of some relaxation. "It's just a deadline problem," you sigh when he asks what's up. "My label wants my new single out by the end of the month even though we have a show in a month too."

Dancer!Geto who hates your label for stressing you out so much and would gladly blow the motherfucker up for you...but decides that dancing works too.

Dancer!Geto who helps you do warm-up stretches, gently instructing you to do certain poses in ways that don't hurt your muscles. Whose fingers are so gentle yet firm as they press into your thigh or angle your hip, making your skin flush and your hairs stand on end.

Dancer!Geto who makes you giggle and laugh as you dance side by side in the wall-length mirror in front of you, the both of you moving in tandem with one another, becoming one force as you move to the beat.

Dancer!Geto who looks so sexy when he dances, his long hair moving like a curtain in his face and his feet so quick and light as if this is so easy for him. Whose arms glisten with sweat in his loose tank top. Who is starting to make you flush and throb from below as his eyes peek out at you from behind his mask.

Dancer!Geto who shouts "Whoa!" when you suddenly teeter-totter to the left and he catches you before you hit the ground, the both of you panting and staring into each other's eyes, your leg hiked up over his hip and his hands firmly gripping your waist.

Dancer!Geto who allows you to pull down his mask to see his full, pink lips and the snakebites protruding from his bottom lip that feel so cold against yours when you suddenly kiss him.

Dancer!Geto who can't think about anything but your taste and how hard you've made him in his sweatpants as your soft lips move against his. Who grabs you and keeps you close when you begin to profusely apologize and try to separate from him.

Dancer!Geto who exhales, "I've wanted this for so long" before he kisses you again, quickly becoming heated and more passionate as you two suddenly hit the floor and start touching, kissing, grinding, moving with one another.

Dancer!Geto whose hands feel so good peeling you out of your sweaty clothes and roaming across your body. Whose tongue piercing tickles you as he licks across your skin, grunting as you complain about your sweat. "I don't give a fuck," he growls. "And neither should you. Just enjoy this, baby."

Dancer!Geto who bends you over the dancer bar and uses those big hands to spank your soft, jiggly ass as he sloppily eats your pussy. Whose tongue is so good that you whine and moan as you grip the bar for dear life, your knees shaking and every muscle in your body tense from the pleasure.

Dancer!Geto who whispers, "Cum for me, wifey" when he feels that sweet pussy tightening around his tongue. "Give it to me, mama. Give it all to me." Who moans and feels his cock twitch when you finally cream around his tongue.

Dancer!Geto who lets you palm at his hard dick in his sweats and soon strip him out of them, revealing his long, thick, beautiful, hard cock to you. Who laughs when you ogle at the silver hoop dangling from the underside of his dickhead. "Like it, baby?" he asks, quirking a brow at you.

Dancer!Geto who has never had anyone make him sweat the way you do when you use that mouth on him, gently sucking on the head before slowly taking his length in your pretty, wet, sloppy throat, gulping and gagging as he groans at how good you are for him, his hand in your hair.

Dancer!Geto who has to resist busting in your mouth, filling your mouth with his spunk, and instead holds out until he's inside of you.

Dancer!Geto who fucks you stupid against the bar, making you grip the metal pole as he plunges his big cock into you again and again. Who asks you "Who's that pretty girl?" and "Why the fuck are you so sexy, hm? C'mon, lemme hear you sing for me" as he fills your cunt and makes your eyes roll back.

Dancer!Geto who scoops you up with ease and fucks you against the wall, his hips alternating between grinds and piston thrusts that make your toes curl and your heels dig into his firm bubble butt. Who lets you pull on his long locks and swirl your tongue nastily with his.

Dancer!Geto lets you cum first, grinding his pelvis against your needy, buzzing clit until you unravel on his cock, your nails digging into his broad, tatted shoulders. Who lets out an echoing "Fuck!" as he spills his spunk inside of you, groaning into your tits as he fills you up.

Dancer!Geto who fetches you water and puts his hoodie on your naked body as you both lie together in the afterglow, limbs tangled and bodies panting as the music continues to play in the background.

Dancer!Geto who gives you soft kisses on the forehead and strokes your hair as he makes you giggle. "How's that for a work hubby?" he whispers.

Dancer!Geto who has now become your boyfriend and sends the internet into a frenzy when you both step out onto the scene holding hands out in public for the first time.

Dancer!Geto who is as good of a boyfriend and a lover as he is a work husband and a dancer.

[spidori]

Interesting wrinkle to this, normal human poop is actually brown largely because of blood related reasons. The iron complexes from red blood cells provide a lot of browns and reds, and the liver provides a green compound called bile which helps dissolve oily stuff, and you get the basic pallet of normal colon color.

Not sure what effect this would have on vampire excrement, but I'll take a stab in a sec. (Coming back after writing my conclusion, I ended up with the possibility of vampire poop possibly being actual thermite) Most importantly though, it seems likely that they would poop. Iron doesn't turn gaseous easily, so it has to be excreted as either a solid or dissolved in a liquid. And Vampires seem biologically hyper-efficient, only needing blood and all, which really isn't very nutritious. So I'm guessing they hold onto water like dessert creatures, and probably don't pee.

As to pooping though, it seems super unlikely that they have a normally functioning liver, so there goes any green shades. And if we're going with hyper-efficient biology, they probably pull out pretty much all the water similar to how birds can...

I literally just realized this while writing that last sentence, and I'm sticking to it. I'm going to make the claim that it makes the most sense for vampires to use essentially everything in the blood so efficiently that only things which can't be off-gassed are left at the very end. That means no biological compounds, those can be converted to a gas for some energy or biological process, just minerals and mineral oxides, completely dessicated. In other words, a vampire dump would be basically pure packed ore dust, the large portion of which would be iron oxide, aka rust.

Two things that jump out to me from this. One, we probably shouldn't tell the dwarves that the vampires can excrete pure ore dust, otherwise we'll probably have a dwarf fortress level scenario on our hands.

Second, if your vampire ingests some sort of aluminum-based blood (not too absurd, the same structures that hold iron in human blood hold plenty of other metals in other places) alongside normal blood, they might be able to excrete extremely high-grade thermite. Because that's just aluminum and iron oxide powders, ground into fine powders, mixed, and ignited with something hot enough to get the reaction started. The finer the grind, the better it burns, and what the vampire is excreting is likely fine to the molecular level, probably to the point it looks more like a liquid than a dust.

Our entire DnD party is engaged is trying to decide if vampires poop.

The DM desperately doesn’t want us to be inquiring. But our newly mortal ex-vampire NPC is engaging in mortality for the first time in a century and has forgotten how to do things. She called cheese, “as good as eating people.” We are explaining things like, no, you can’t jump off that tower, you’re not dying it’s just sunburn, don’t take that many drugs you will literally die.

And then we’re all out of character discussing possible vampire anatomy and digestion. I posited that if they’re anything like vampire bats they probably pee a lot but don’t poop. He evaded as much as he could but then we got onto the topic of having a period again after a century of no periods. And how upset we’d all be after a century of freedom and that’s only once a month.

Imagine the indignity of having to resume pooping.

[amphibiahawks321]

Female HSR boothill X Male Reader?

[Boothill leans on the bar counter with a drink in hand, eyes locked with Y/N with a smirk, showing him her shark like teeths]

M!Reader : Sighs... Boothill you really need to be more careful with your aim, It's always gonna start some trouble

Fem!Boothill : Chuckles... My aim is just fine little lamb, But then again, Sugar, I've seen a lot of tough men in my time, but you...?

[She starts trailing her fingers along Y/N's chin and move it to the side to make eye contact, voice dropping low]

Fem!Boothill : You somehow make it real fun to see 'em turn so red, red suits you so much~

[She began caressing Y/N's cheek, Y/N already blushing from her gentle touch, Y/N just glad no one is around there area right now or he'll already be blushing redder]

[Y/N clears his throat]

M!Reader blushing : I—I Uhh... Glad you think so...

[Boothill tilts her head, clearly enjoying his flushed expression]

Fem!Boothill : That little heat creepin' up your face, Lookin' all pretty

M!Reader blushing : I-I wouldn't say... "Pretty" perse but–....!!!?!?

[Boothill starts leaning in a bit closer and gripping his face a bit tighter]

Fem!Boothill : Such a pretty face yet such a bad liar, Chuckles... Ain't no shame in gettin' a little bit flustered, darlin'~

M!Reader blushing : Y-You... You really enjoy messing with me...

Fem!Boothill : Oh I can do somethin' way better, some say it's really breath taking...

[Boothill stands up from her seat, still gripping Y/N's chin]

Fem!Boothill : Now how about we find ourselves a bit more of a... Private space?

......

[Y/N getting his left hand pinned down onto the soft mattress while the other is gripping on Boothill's jacket tightly, Boothill placing her hat on the bedside table, Y/N's shirt half way being undone as Boothill's tongue and teeth being inlove with Y/N's neck]

Fem!Boothill : Now don't get shy on me now pretty boy~ we're just getting star–....!!!?!?

Rappa : Yo, Have you seen my–

[The door unlocked, Rappa half way through opening the door and Boothill out of panic immediately gets up and uses her strength to close the door, Y/N staring at her shocked and disbelief while still blushing]

Rappa : Woah what the!?–What was that for?!

M!Reader(whispering) blushing : you didn't bother to close the door!!?

Fem!Boothill(Whispering) : You were gripping me while I was carrying ya' I can't think straight!

Fem!Boothill : Don't come in Rappa! I'm Uhhhh....—Tryin' a new outfit!

Rappa : Okay damn! You didn't have to slam the freaking door on my face!

[cheesycatz]

Parasitic worm pretends to be your valentine so you don't notice that they're the reason you have 24 days left to live

Wormton AU fic is 190k words now! : )

Nothing crazy new plot wise, more bonding and found family stuff. Obligatory fluff after how much these guys had to go through. I like describing all the sounds he makes when isn't trying to suppress them; chirps, warbles, trills, chirrs, chitters, screeches, snarls, and that weird computer whirring sound he makes that may or may not have the same connotations as purring (sorry I couldn't resist)

I'm excited to go through revisions! It's been so long since I wrote some of this stuff that I don't remember the fine details, so it's genuinely fun for me to read through. Also, I had fun making disguised wormton seem as cursed as possible without actually describing his real form until post-reveal. Blue was probably the only one who didn't think he was some deranged serial killer at first sight, which, fair enough. I was kind of worried about a few very minor original characters I added not being accepted, but then I remembered that Trashy the trash can probably has more speaking lines than any one of them and it probably isn't that big of a deal. I hope you enjoy the one chapter with these three kids putting their LPS animal dolls through the most traumatizing, heart-wrenching, dark story as we all did as children (I promise it's plot relevant and contains symbolism).

Drew some non-canon wormton stuff for Valentine’s Day. I mean, I don't know how you would send a valentine to an elusive homeless man with no official documentation of his existence. The asexually reproducing computer worm guy can't feel anything romantic, but he would love to take advantage of you—gladly accept your lovely gifts. Bro’s just teasing haha he would never inject parasitic worm larvae into your abdomen just don't go to the doctor in the next 24 days please he definitely loves you and not the worms hypothetically eating your organs

“worm.vbs” is a reference to the file type used by the ILOVEYOU worm and other old malware. I only know this because I realized that one of the official spamton valentines from last year contains its exact file name “LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU.TXT.vbs”. sharing this trivia because it was like the one reference in those valentines that I didn't see anyone mention back then and because it makes me feel smart

Food for thought:

Honestly, he'd be pretty scary if it weren't for his justified fear of the antivirus forces. Malworm safety is all about avoiding disembodied voices trying to lure you into alleys, so the fact that you can physically see his relatively humanoid disguised form would make him seem dangerously trustworthy. I was thinking about what would've happened if he would've gotten help from the person on the phone (probably gaster I guess? idk). He could've totally been like a cult leader manipulating people into willingly becoming hosts because it was honorable or whatever. And that could combine with the fact that their venom slightly influences the brain. And the followers would've thought he was simply dressing up as a malworm and his fall from grace would've been when they realized he was just a malworm in disguise infecting them and prolonging the invasion. I prefer what I have now; lonely hypothetically-murderous wormton is a lot more redeemable than very-murderous cult leader wormton would be. The addisons, or anyone really, would want nothing to do with him. Fun to think about! And only to think about; I'd rather focus on the version I have now.

See you next time at the big 200k 👀 chapter 3 might actually come out before my multi-book-length spamton fanfiction but don't worry I would never abandon my favorite freak of nature

yappin complete B)

[captain-bubble-wrap]

Jumping on this early!! Bedsy v-day date!🥰🎁

...and I'm late getting it done! ( ´-｀) I had to work late! Sorry! 💔

He didn't have a clue what he was doing. Hockey was his forte, not planning dates and whatever.

Connor had just gotten off the phone with his sister, for pointers as to what he should and shouldn't do when it came to taking you out. She had given him the standard dinner and flowers sort of expectation, but that seemed too boring. Connor was guilty of putting off making plans with you until the very last minute, but Valentine's Day fell smack-dab in the middle of the season, and he had bigger things to worry about than making dinner reservations.

Y|N: Is there a dress code for tonight? 🤔🤔

Bedsy: Um I mean just wear something warm. Were not going anywhere fancy srry

Y|N: Aw, okay 🥺🥺

Bedsy: I know I kind of let you down Ill make it up to u later

Y|N: So, like leggings and a hoodie?

Bedsy: If u think youll be warm enough yeah Ill see u around 7

Y|N: okie dokie ❤️❤️

Texting with Connor left a lot to be desired, but you got enough from the short conversation to make you excited about the evening. If you were being honest, the fact that he had asked you to do anything was more than you had expected -- a pleasant surprise. Since he said that you just needed to be warm and casual, you wasted no time trying to figure out what to wear. You still had four hours before he would be picking you up, but you wanted everything to be perfect! Well -- you wanted to look perfect! His gift was already packaged up and waiting on the table. You didn't really know what to get him, since he was known for getting anything he wanted when he wanted, but you tried to find something useful.

"So, what kind of hot date do you and Connor have planned?" One of your roommates asked as you checked your hair one more time in the bathroom mirror. "You can't be wearing that!"

You'd try to avoid making eye contact with her, but she persisted by sitting on the counter right next to you; getting as close to you as possible. "C'mon! Tell me!"

"No hot date, Chloe. I actually don't know what we're doing. He said it was just something casual."

Chloe rolled her eyes, obviously hoping for something much more luxe and romantic. "He's not taking you to Ever or something like that?"

"Pfft! Like he'd even have the thought to take me to a place like that!"

"Yeah, but he's this superstar hockey player, Y|N! He can afford it!"

Now it was your time to roll your eyes, "Like we fit the aesthetic of Ever! Yeah, okay..."

Your roommate hopped down from the bathroom counter in a huff. It was like she was trying to live vicariously through your date with Connor. "I still think he should take you out somewhere nice! I expect full details!"

You sighed as she finally left the room, "Of course you do."

Bedsy: Hey i forgot to tell u make sure u wear or bring some thick socks just n case

Y|N: Oh? Okay! Thanks for the heads up ❤️❤️❤️

Bedsy: ur welcome

Connor picked you up slightly after six-thirty, which you didn't mind given that your roommates were still on your case about your plans with him. You hardly said goodbye to them when his text arrived in your inbox. They probably meant well, but whatever he wanted to treat you to was your business and they could just wait until you got home to voice anymore of their opinions.

"You alright?" Connor asked, as you hurried down the front steps of your apartment to his awaiting car. He was leaning against the passenger side door, looking comfy in his beige hoodie and black pants; his hair was tucked under the hat he was wearing, leaving cute, little wings over his ears.

"Yeah-- yeah, I'm fine. The girls were just getting on my nerves. Happy Valentine's Day, baby." You smiled against his lips before sharing a tender moment against the cool, February air. He wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you into his body for a tight hug. You nearly dropped his gift feeling yourself shift off balance against him.

"Happy Valentine's Day," He mumbled, placing another kiss on your lips before letting you go. "I managed to get us a last minute dinner reservation."

"How?"

He laughed, looking down out of pure embarrassment, "I may have..."

"Did you name-drop?"

Connor's face flushed bright red, and it wasn't from the iconic Chicago wind. "It's possible, yeah. Look, I'm not happy about it... They said they didn't have anything at that time, but took my name just in case there was an opening. After I told him, he said he'd make sure there was something open. So, technically, I didn't really do it...on purpose!"

Shaking your head as you smiled, you'd let him open the door for you, "It's okay, I won't tell."

- - -

The sushi had been amazing and a wonderful surprise to start the evening off with. You had a quaint little table, tucked back in the corner where the two of you had been free to enjoy each other's company without fear of being gawked at and you weren't interrupted by anyone but the wait staff. You didn't have a problem with fans approaching Connor, when the two of you were out in the city, but no one wants their dinner being disrupted.

You hadn't yet exchanged your gifts, but once you got back to the car, it was Connor who insisted you open yours first. The box he handed you was heavy, and proved to be a little difficult to drag up from the back seat, but he managed after a little bit of a struggle.

"Oh, this is heavy!" You commented, once the box laid in your lap.

He laughed, "I hope you like it."

Tearing through the hastily wrapped gift, you discovered that Connor had given you a pair of hockey skates! "You got me skates?"

"Yeah, I thought I could give you that skating lesson you've been asking for."

"Aw, baby! Really?" You were smiling from ear-to-ear. They looked like something an NHL player would have, not someone who had never had skates on before, but you were thankful and excited nonetheless. "These are really nice!"

"I reached out to Bauer for a favour, and they came through pretty well, I think."

"So, this is why I needed the extra socks?"

"Ha, yeah. I hoped you wouldn't figure it out," he grinned, blushing in the dim light of the parking garage.

Reaching down, you'd retrieve the gift box you had for him, but you knew your gift couldn't compare with his. "My gift isn't as flashy, sorry."

"Huh? Anything you've ever given me, I've loved. I'm sure this is no different."

He had the sweetest smile, and always knew how to reassure you, in his own subtle way, that just being around you was worth more than any boughten thing. Carefully, he unwrapped the box, and upon flipped the lid, was grinning. Inside, were a dozen pairs of hockey laces, all lined up in their individual plastic boxes.

"Thanks, babe! I can always use these."

"I just wanted to get you something you could use. I'm sorry it's nothing more than just some laces."

Connor leaned over the center console to cup your right cheek, pulling your gaze to him. "You could have just given me a candy bar or something, babe, and it still would mean as much."

You didn't know what to say, so you said nothing. He was just too sweet.

"No sad face," he teased. "Ready for some skating?"

"Promise you won't let me fall?"

He laughed, "I'll try my best."

- - -

The park's outdoor rink was bustling with giggling couples enjoying the company of their partners during the holiday. White lights twinkled overhead, hold-overs from the Christmas season, and somehow brought a warmth to the area, despite the low temperatures. Connor took your hand as you walked, giving you a little squeeze that made you smile every time he did it. It took a minute before the two of you found a place to sit down and get your skates on. As was expected, he got his on first, as you put on your extra socks and loosened the laces of your new gift.

"Here, let me get them for you."

Connor bent down and placed your right foot between this legs while he laced everything up tightly. The whole time you sat there patiently, you wondered how you were going to even walk towards the rink, let alone skate!

"Will you carry me out there?" You asked, half joking.

"You'll be alright. We'll go slow."

"Promise?"

He smirked, "I promise."

After a few minutes, it was time to see just how wobbly you were. "I'm scared."

"You're fine, babe!"

"Don't laugh at me!"

"I'm not trying to! You're just making too big of a deal out of it. Just relax. Gimme your hands."

Reluctantly, and with a sigh, you put your hands in his and so very carefully, pulled yourself to your feet, using Connor for balance. He let you stand there for a moment to find your center before stepping backwards while leading you.

"You're okay," he cooed, holding your hands tightly, keeping an eye on your steps. "Almost there. Now, watch your step, okay? You've gotta step down here."

On shaky ankles, you followed his advice and followed after him. Connor kept you close, and you had to restrain yourself from digging your nails into his skin.

"Babe, you've gotta breathe," Connor laughed.

"Right, right! Sorry!"

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

Biting your bottom lip, you looked him in the eye, but you were unsure of how to answer. You wanted to skate around with him --if you could consider what you were doing skating-- but the fear of getting hurt (or making a fool out of yourself) was getting really heavy.

"Yeah, I'm okay."

"I'm going to let you go for a second, okay?"

"What...? Why?"

Without another word, Connor spun around and put his back to you. "Put your arms around me."

"Oh...okay."

With your arms around his waist, you felt more secure which was a good thing, because shortly after Connor began skating around the outer edge of the ice, at much more speed than you had ever expected. You just kept your feet together while he skated like normal. It was fun being so close to him, feeling his muscles tense beneath your hands. Keeping your head against his shoulder, the two of you went into a turn and you gripped him tighter. Connor placed a hand on your crossed arms, giving you a silent reassurance that everything was still okay.

"I'm not going to skate off without you," he said, keeping his pace as you both stayed along the boards. "You just let me know when you're done."

Three laps had been enough for you, and Connor seemed content with getting you off the ice. He didn't want to stress you out anymore than he feared he already had, and more and more people had decided skating on Valentine's Day was a cute idea, making the ice congested.

"You didn't fall down," Connor said, walking you back to the bench. "I'm going to go get our shoes, okay? I hopefully won't be too long."

His kiss could have lingered a moment longer, but it was enough to make you wait quietly for him to return. You'd watch everyone else on the ice while he was gone. Seeing little kids out-skate you stung a little, and you hoped you wouldn't waste Connor's gift. Maybe you could secretly get some lessons and ask him again for another skating date.

After about ten minutes, Connor returned, apologizing for having taken longer than he expected. "Sorry, babe. I got stopped."

"It's okay! I figured you might have." You smiled, taking your sneakers in shaky hands.

Connor noticed and frowned, "Are you cold? You're shaking."

"I'm a little chilly, but I'm okay."

"Well, here, let me get your skates off and we'll go get warmed up."

Even though you could have managed on your own, Connor seemed adamant about helping you so you'd let him. He worked so diligently, and you wondered if it was because he knew you were cold. You did fear that he'd be taking you home after this, and selfishly, you weren't ready to let him go just yet.

"Are you going to take me home now?"

Connor looked up from undoing your second set of laces, "Not if you don't want me to."

"I just want a little more time with you," you lamented, looking away from him.

His laugh made you snap your eyes back to his face. "That's fine with me. Wanna go get a coffee or something?"

"And donuts?"

His smile warmed you through completely. "And donuts."