#im like the opposite of everyone saying 'i'm taking a break to focus on finals <3'

[ausfortheheart]

christmas shenanigans - MATTHEO R.

(mattheo riddle x female!reader one-shot)

summary : the reader convinces her boyfriend, Mattheo, to let her paint his nails christmas themed. But he's in for a surprise..

warnings: sexual references, so much fluff your heart may burst? 14+

a/n: after a 2ish month long break im back!! sorry for disappearing for so long everyone, a lots been going on school-wise, but I just had to come back to release a few works in time for xmas <33 decided to release a mattheo piece, as he is my fave slytherin boy after alll~

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Please?" You gave Mattheo an imploring look, "Just one to practise before I do it on the girls?" Aiming for a compromise you added, "Plus I can take it off straight away."

Mattheo looked at you sceptically. You had been asking to do this for days, especially now that it was finally late December - and christmas was around the corner - you were eager to try out a new nail design idea you'd had.

"You can sleep whilst I do it?" You proposed, and he visibly gave in.

Mattheo shook his head in mocking despair, but his eyes were filled with nothing but adoration, "Tomorrow then? After Quidditch practise?"

You grinned. "Perfect."

❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆

Christmas music played softly in the background as you laid down your nail prep tools on the floor. You'd managed to free up the dorm room for the afternoon much to the girls' chagrin, but once you had explained to Pansy, Daphne and Astoria the reason they seemed pretty supportive of your mission.

There was a knock on the door, swiftly followed by its opening as Mattheo casually strolled inside. His hair was tousled and his face tinged red after practice, and your eyes trailed down the fresh t-shirt he'd changed into. The grey tracksuits he'd changed into hung low, and as he moved towards you his shirt slightly rode up, exposing a brief flash of his toned abdomen.

You swallowed. He leaned down to give you a gentle kiss, then pulled back, his lips hovering by your ear, "I thought I came here for christmas nails, not a shag, love."

Rolling your eyes, you pushed him away.

"Shut up." You mumbled half-heartedly, as you fought the blush threatening to spread across your face.

He smirked as he sat down cross legged opposite.

"I'm not telling you the design, so that it's a surprise," You started, as Mattheo began to apprehensively examine a cuticle nipper, "I'll wake you up when it's done, okay?"

You placed a pillow on your lap, then gestured for him to lay down. He placed his head there, and you took a moment to admire him like this.

Lowering your head you kissed his cheek whilst fiddling with his brown curls. He didn't say anything, just smiled, and you couldn't help the flutter of joy it gave you.

After a second more of staying like that, in content silence, you got to work.

The painting was probably the hardest part, as you had to ensure all of the small intricacies were flawless. Mattheo fell asleep promptly after the first ten minutes, allowing you to really focus as you hummed to your favourite Christmas tunes.

After two hours of hard work, you were prepared to show your boyfriend your final piece of work.

"Mattheo.." You laughed as he slowly woke up, "Yes baby?" He slurred sleepily.

"I'm finished!"

Once he came to his bearings he quickly sat up, his hair matted on one side which you chuckled at.

He immediately looked at his hand, pausing in shock.

Just as you were about to say something he spoke.

"You said one finger nail. One." He scoffed in disbelief, then gave you an amused glance, before continuing to examine them.

"I got a bit carried away." You admitted, "But what do you think?"

He remained silent, then snorted.

Then burst out laughing as you sat there in horror.

Was it genuinely that bad?

Mattheo was now keeled over, his laughter renewing everytime he looked at his hand.

"Darling.." He began inbetween laughs, "I'm never taking this off."

thank you for taking the time to read my work, it always means the world <3

feel free to leave any feedback/your thoughts! id love to hear them :')

i hope you all have a lovely december, enjoying any holiday you celebrate! ❆

[weneeya]

Hiii!!! Omg i read some of your hq fics and im just INLOVEEEE<333

Can i request a fluff office romance with kuroo Tetsuro x fem reader? Ive been so obsessed w/ office romance lately and i just cant get enough of it😭🙏💗💗

idiots in love w/ kuroo m.list | rules

note. OMG thank you sm for the idea it's perfect!! i'm so in love with kuroo i should write more with him <3 pls don't hesitate to request!

You have been working here for almost two years now. You were a simple office worker with not a lot of responsibilities, and it was more than fine with you. You reacted badly to pressure so it was good for you to have a job as basic as this one. Everything could have been easy and perfect, if Kuroo Tetsurou wasn’t your coworker. 

It wasn’t that the two of you hated each other or didn’t get along well, in fact it was quite the opposite. You had a big fat crush on the man working at the desk right in front of yours, and it was making it a bit difficult for you to focus on your work from time to time. 

The thing was that it was more than obvious that he felt the same towards you. Everyone realized that in the building, except the two of you of course. He was a confident man, always so sure about everything ; but it was like he was melting each time he had to talk to you. You faded his confidence away, just as much as he made you flustered with the most simple things. 

It was a bit ridiculous for the people around you. You were two grown adults acting like teenagers too afraid to talk to their crush. At least, it made some entertainment for them as your job wasn’t really captivating. You were blushing from the top of your ears and he was struggling to pronounce a complete sentence. Nobody had the strength to intervene. 

You were currently sitting at your desk when Kuroo arrived just in front of it. He was looking away, and a slow sigh left his lips. Suddenly, his gaze met yours and you felt your heart skipping a beat just at that. “Take your lunch break with me,” he asked, like he was asking you out right now. You looked away, a bit taken aback, before clearing your throat. “Yes, okay.” 

This is how you both ended up sitting at his desk with your lunches. Like usual, the rest of your coworkers were eating somewhere else, leaving the two of you alone in the room. It was silent at first, as you both didn’t dare saying a simple word. Until you decided to break it. You were about to start a sentence, turning your head to him ; but he had apparently the same idea as you, at the same time. You simply looked at each other for a few seconds before a laugh left his lips. 

You didn’t expect this, but you ended up chuckling slightly because of his communicating laugh. He slowly shook his head, a smile across his lips. “I can’t believe it. You really are making me feel like I’m sixteen again.” Your eyes rested on his face, a soft smile slowly appearing. “I could say the same thing to you.” 

He met your gaze and you swore you had never been so comfortable with him before. Not that he was making you feel uneasy, it was more complicated usually. This is how the two of you started to talk about a lot of things, starting with your highschool years. Sadly, the lunch break wasn’t long enough for you to talk freely. 

“Let me take you to dinner tonight,” he asked you, and you couldn’t believe he really did it. You shook your head with a smile before waving at him and going back at your desk when your coworkers started to come back. 

The end of the day finally arrived, and you were more than excited to be able to spend some time with Kuroo out of work. You left the building together as you got back to your previous conversation. You learned a few things about him, and you told him a few things about you. The night went well, even better than anything you could imagine. 

He walked you back to your apartment, and you stopped in front of the door of your building. You turned to face him, a soft smile across your lips and the hint of a light blush on your cheeks. “Thank you for tonight, it was great,” you told him, and he smiled back at you. 

You were about to turn around to enter your building when he moved towards you. A second after, his hands were cupping your face and you could feel the softness of his lips against yours. You were sure that your heart exploded the moment you felt him so close. 

He pulled away, his hands still on your cheeks. His eyes were moving all over your face which was clearly burning. “Sorry, I- '' You didn’t let him finish, cutting him in his sentence. “No, it’s fine, I’m fine. I wanted it too, so…” He blinked a few times, processing your words. 

A chuckle left your lips, and the moment after, you were laughing together in front of your building. You took a step away, doing an exaggerated bowing in front of you before kissing the top of your hand. “I’ll see you tomorrow at work,” he said, and you nodded with this stupid smile which was showing how you felt right now. “See you then.” 

Maybe you were two idiots in love, it was true ; but at least, you were understanding each other so well that there was no more fear.

thank you <3

[what-if-nct]

hiiiii!! i have been dead but its ok bc mental health and college is demanding asf 😭 on a lighter topic (bc im still sad asf) is anyone else absolutely obsessed with the what it is haechan tiktok edits?? like dayum man, how do you move like that?? haechans dancing us sooo smooth and so underrated 😭 also i am having a slight sexuality crisis bc im attracted to literally every pretty girl i see but only like kpop boys or fictional ones :( or the really pretty boys, like i have never had a crush on a dude i knew irl, then again i grew up in a place filled with with white trailer trash. ooh i did just move for college tho so we'll have to see if that changes. rn either im just into femininity or im bi?? or?? im confused, we'll say that. anyways, how are you doing? hows life? i hope you're doing ok <333 lysm 💓💖💘💕💞🩷💗

Hiiii, well it's almost summer so you'll have a nice long break soon. And yes oh my gosh and he looks so good for like no reason, like lately he's been looking too good like him and Renjun, it's too much. But I think I'm just finally out of seeing them like babies. Finally they took way longer than Jeno and Jaemin. And I Iove how every few months there's one song used for everyone but it just becomes Haechan's song cause it's literally perfect for him.

I think it is pretty common to be solely attracted to women but only really be drawn to unattainable and pretty men. I see it talked about a lot. Because I'm Bi my experience is a little different also since after something happened I'm slightly afraid to date women at this moment but I still love women but my main focus has been men for like three years so I can't exactly provide any proper insight. But I do know preferring just feminine people is definitely a thing. That's what it is for me I love women and pretty pretty boys. But I think being in a new environment might change your perception of things. But also it's normal to be attracted to one gender but find people in the opposite gender aesthetically pleasing. There's so many possibilities it will kind of work itself out while you're remaining aware of all of your feelings and putting it all together.

And I'm doing fine, a lot better than I was last week, Mercury being in retrograde really got me, mercury retrograde hasn't really got me like that since I think 2019 but it was during Scorpio season. And last week the moon was in Scorpio. So I wonder. Plus I was expecting my period which finally ended today yay! so ya know the planets, stars, and hormones just got the best of me. But I did start reading oracle cards again and I'm just using them for inner healing more than divination. They're just telling me I did all the hard work already I just need to wait, take care of myself, be nice to myself, protect myself and realize what makes me special. And it's actually kind of calmed my mind and I'm not crying every night. Also read a comment on a psychiatrist reacts to A&W by Lana del Rey video. A&W is already a song that I relate to but that comment was something I really needed to read. because it was exactly what I've been going through and feeling and it was really what I needed to read.

[novenarius]

ok so i’ve been missing for a while, but some tma fanart is coming soon!!! it’s probably gonna be gerry again because i love him. anyways if y’all have any portrait requests (requests that would be relatively easy to draw) let me know and i might take them if i have time :)

[iwadori]

Haikyu Boys when they neglect you for another girl PT 2(Oikawa)

Part 1  Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

Word count: 2.1K

Genre: angst,fluff

Oikawa:

You Oikawa and Iwaizumi have been best friends for as long as you can remember  

You thought that Iwaizumi liked you, but all thoughts of that left your head once Oikawa confessed to you when you were in your last year of middle school.

You and Oikawa started dating you in highschool in your first year and have been inseperable ever since.

You and Oikawa were as opposite as you were the same making you a perfect match.

It was the first day of your final term of your third year. You and Oikawa were planning to go the same university but to do that you obviously need to pass your entrance exams so you fully immersed in your studies.  

You have been the manager of Seijoh since your first year, but because of how time consuming it is and you now fully want to focus on your studies you decided to step down from your title. However, you still were fully supportive of the team making sure to go to every one of their games and even coming to majority of their practices with your textbooks and notes with you.

It seems someone took your place as the manager, yet you don’t know who as have been so busy all you could do in finding your replacement was stick up some posters telling whoever wanted the job to talk to the coaches. But you hope the new manager is at least half as good as you.

You decide after school, you were going to take a break from studying so you went to go to the gym to see your boyfriend and the guys at practice. When you enter, you see all the boys fussing and fanning over someone who you couldn’t tell who it was.  

You spot Iwaizumi away from the crowd tying his laces, when you approach him he looks up and smiles fondly at you, “Hey Y/N” he says schooching over so you can sit next to him.

“Hey Haji” you say ruffling his hair playfully “Who’s the celebrity?”  

“Oh Ririka-san” he responds “The new manager” when he says this he slightly scowls, but you don’t quite catch it as your focus is on your boyfriend who is being his usual boastful self infront of who you presume is ‘Ririka-san.’

As the group disperses, they all approach you with Oikawa lifting you up and spinning you obnoxiously making you laugh at his action. “Well hello to you to Tooru” you say kissing him on the cheek.

You look in front of you and there was Ririka with her hand extended out for you to shake “Hi I'm Yagami Ririka” she says “But you can call me Ririka, you’re Y/N right?”  

You shake her hand quickly dropping it responding with a dry “hi.” Oikawa notices the awkward atmosphere that you created with your response and decides to drag you away to show you his serves. You weren’t fully focused on your boyfriend, with your eyes occasionally drifting to the new girl who seemed to give you a bad vibe from your first introduction.

Practice ends, and Oikawa walks you home (per usual.) Once you are at home, you decide to social stalk Ririka to see if you can find something to confirm your suspicions on her. You’re claims weren’t based on anything besides a vibe but since she is apparently in your year and always has been you find it weird that you haven’t heard a word about her all until now. You don’t find anything on her, besides her being as ‘perfect’ as she seems.

As you and Oikawa walk home together again from the next day’s practice, you were hoping that he shared your same concerns about Seijohs manager but when you ask “Kawa.. Don't you think Ririka-san is a bit odd?”

He looks at you curiously, smiles and says “No of course not, Rii-chan is fine”

‘Rii-chan’ you think, a slight pang of jealousy surges through you at the use of this newfound nickname  

“In some ways she reminds me of you, you know?” he says chuckling, but you weren’t listening focused on the name he just called her.

“Rii-chan, huh?” you say

“It’s just a nickname Y/N, I give them to everone, you know that Y/N” he says

“Yeah yeah I know Kawa, I was just overthinking that’s all” you lie, you knew Oikawa gave everyone a nickname but this one definitely stuck on your mind then all of others and although you can admit your jealousy but there was something else bothering you.

“Well don’t overthink too much” Oikawa says giving you a kiss on the forehead “Don’t want to heart your pretty head about it.” Oikawa then lets you enter your house before taking off to his own.

Over the next few weeks, you are mainly focused on your studies, barely having any time to be with your boyfriend at all. However, if you did even have the time to spend with Oikawa, he was definitely not available since all his time was now with ‘Rii-chan,’ whenever you asked him to hang out with you or to go on dates he always used the excuse of ‘Rii-chan needs help with the schedule and since IM THE CAPTAIN I have to help’ or ‘Rii-chan has no friends in our year, and since it seems that YOU don’t want to befriend her im doing the nice thing by becoming her friend’ and with that you always wanted to reply with ‘maybe no one wants to be her friend because she’s such a bitch’ but you held your tounge.

Today you were fed up with your boyfriends lack of being around and decided to go to his house in the hopes that you can watch a movie or do something together. When you get there, you knock on his door and you hear him shout “Come up it’s open,” was he expecting you or something?

You go upstairs to his bedroom, where you know he’ll be and to your surprise when you open the door in his room it is basically set up like a movie date with food and snacks and a bunch of dvd’s and blankets set up on the floor. ‘Was he planning on you to be here?’ you think.

“Rii-chan you made I-” says Oikawa, stopping hisself when he sees that it’s not his beloved Rii-chan but only you his girlfriend Y/N.

“What the fuck Oikawa?” you ask  

“It is NOT what it looks like Y/N” he says standing up abruptly to approach you but you step back.

“Umm.. So it’s not my boyfriend of 3 years about to have a movie date with his manager after barely speaking to me, his GIRLFRIEND, for the past month?” you say folding you arms “ Did I get that right or am I missing something here?”

“Yes.. I mean No” he stammers “ It’s not a date at all, it’s just that Rii-chan say’s she never watched *insert your favourite movie here* and I thought it would be nice if I show it too her”

“Whatever you say ‘kawa” you say rolling your eyes, this seem to annoy Oikawa as he then sits back down harshly and says,

“God Y/N, ever since you met Rii-chan you’ve been so hostile for once can you not be a bitch! Me and her are just friends.” His aggressive tone shocks both you and him but he doesn’t seem to stop “All I'm saying is, you always wonder why me and Iwa-chan were your friends, haven’t you thought it was because you’re such a judgemental bitch”  

By now you were fed up, so you turn your back to Oikawa ready to leave the room but first you say “ Oikawa, I love you I always have, but I can’t be with you anymore especially since you can’t even see what’s going on. Remember when we used to have movie dates when we were ‘just friends” Your response leaves Oikawa with his eyes wide open since he didn’t expect you to basically break up with him, he thought this was a minor argument. Before he can speak, the door burst open and in comes Ririka who exclaims “Tooru! Im ready to watch M-….oh”  

“I guess I’d be taking my leave now” you say with tears in your eyes “Goodbye Oikawa this was fun”  

It’s been a while since the confrontation at Oikawa’s house and the school was a buzz since after hearing the news of yours and Oikawas break up the school immediately focused their attention on both Ririka and Oikawa the rumours of them being together spread like wildfire. However, to your surprise Oikawa apparently always combated the rumours claiming that him and Ririka were just ‘good friends and will stay that way.’

But you could care less, you still supported the team going to all the games they had making sure to stay clear away Oikawa and Ririka. You don’t go to the practices anymore since you didn’t want to submerge yourself in sweat and bad vibes anymore.

Graduation came and you were very happy, you could finally get out of this place. Once you get through the ceremony and all the boring stuff you go to the gym for one final ‘goodbye’ but before you have a chance to leave you are stopped by Iwaizumi  

“Hey Y/N” he says “how have you been?”  

“I’ve been good, pretty ‘busy’” you respond

“Busy as in, avoiding Oikawa at every cost” he says making you laugh “Come sit down with me for a second” to which you do sitting next to him on the gym bench.

You and Iwaizumi then spend the next hour reminiscing about all your past antics and stories making you laugh and smile fondly at all the nostalgia. After all your talk you pull out your phone to take a picture and you hear Iwaizumi whisper “He never deserved you” so quietly that you almost don’t catch what he says.  

Before you could respond in comes Oikawa of course panting “Y/N! Thank god you’re still hear I need to talk to you!”  

You look at Iwaizumi expecting him to say something but all his does is pull you into a tight hug and says “Goodbye Y/N I’ll miss you” he gets up and exits the room shouting “Make sure to answer my calls” making you chuckle.

Oikawa approaches you and sits in the spot that Iwaizumi does, he takes a deep breath and begins to stay “Y/N, you were right I was wrong. I am an idiot... Rii- I mean Ririka she tried to kiss me. Im sorry”

“Oikawa, you are right.. You're an idiot, but it shouldn’t of had to take me breaking up with you and Ririka trying to get with you to realise that I was right. Why did you even come here to tell me this, so I knew I was right? You didn’t need to confirm my suspicions I knew all along Oikawa”

You stand up to leave, hoping to find Iwaizumi before he goes home but Oikawa stops you. “Y/N I-I want to be with you, to go back to being how we were … don’t you want that”

“Oikawa...” you grab his hands “I love you, I always have and I always will... but I think we both know we aren’t meant to be.. Things haven’t been the best with us even before Ririka came along, it just took her to make us really notice it.”

“It’s him isnt it?” he says with tears in his eyes

“I think so... maybe it’s always been him I don’t know but we know how he is especially when we were 15 I guess you just got me to me first,” you say with tears in your eyes also

Oikawa pulls you into a hug and whispers in your ear “Go get him Y/N” you look at him and smile and nod you head “We will still be friends Tooru.”

You race out of the gym to look for Iwaizumi and you suddenly bump into him since he didn’t actually move he was there the whole time and it seems your indirect confession made him tear up too. “I love you Y/N” he pulls you into a hug which you return then pulls you into a deep kiss.

In the end, you and Iwaizumi do become boyfriend and gifriend still keeping Tooru as your good friend. You all also end up going to the same University and you and Iwaizumi live the rests of your lifes together as the ‘perfect’ couple with yours and Toorus relationship as a laughable memory.

AUTHORS NOTE: Please don’t hate me for this ending!! I had a bad day sooo I decided to switch things up please give me feedback on what you think !!

[overflowing-with-words]

komorebi 

[The aftermath and recovery of Lloyd falling from a coma, and is hospitalized after using too much energy in the Tornado Of Creation.

 Or, the Green Ninja is tired of fighting, and picks the happier place. For a while, at least.]

A/N: this fic is way too long help it’s supposed to be 500 words it’s now like 3.5k words also it’s kai centralized im sorry i'm partial to kai and lloyd’s brotherly relationship you know that ; anyways i did not do that much research drawing from my own experiences in the hospital which are actually a lot i should be a great reference yeah

• • •

komorebi: beauty in life, the space in between the canopy and branches that allows sunlight to gently filter through. 

the opaque patterned light this creates is called komorebi, created of the kanji characters for tree ( wood), shine through (水れ), and sun (日).

• • •

There’s a day when Lloyd Garmadon closes his eyes, and does not open them.

There’s a day where he weighs living with the new beginning that goes by the name of death, and picks the easier one.

There is a day where he takes the First Spinjitzu’s Master’s hand, and doesn’t look back. 

 • • •

It’s 2am when Wu’s resolve breaks from worry, and lets them bring Lloyd to the hospital. 

The green ninja is lying across their couch, a makeshift bed as Sensei Wu exhausts his supplies of magical teas and incense. Bruises flower against his skin, blood painting his gi crimson, and they try their very best to fix what they can; but the fact still remains that none of them is a doctor, besides Zane and his knowledge of medication scraped out from the internet.

 It’s a few long, painful hours of waiting and hoping until Wu finally relents and says there is nothing more he can do here. 

There’s a few long moments of unnerving silence, where everyone is trying to digest the question of where the hell did that leave them?

Kai is the first to snap into action, having been through too many close calls already. 

The car ride is quiet, and Kai wonders if it’s because everyone has too much on their minds or if they’re just all thinking about the same thing. He wagers on the latter; there’s nothing else really to consider at the moment. The highway runs past his window, cars and bright colored lights blurring into one. 

Hospital rooms are almost just as quiet. Squeaking medical carts are wheeled past the door, and quiet sounds of people talking spill in through the cracks. The constant sound of the heart monitor beeping is the only thing they can focus on steadily, the only relieving sound through all their worries. 

Kai glances through the room, at Nya and Jay, the former curled up in the latter’s arm, eyes closed in an impromptu nap. They’re all tired from the earlier fights, energy sucked completely and exhaustion sinking into their bones, but no one else can seem to find the time to spare for sleep.

 Zane is flipping through pages and pages of eggshell white documents, occasionally scribbling down pieces of scattered information about their medical history. 

Cole stares blankly at the wall opposite him, phone left abandoned in his lap. The screen flashes up with notifications every few seconds, but he doesn’t seem to see them. Or if he did, he couldn’t care less. 

The next few hours are a blur of waiting anxiously by glass walls of a MRI room, watching Lloyd disappear into machine after machine, trying to figure out his extensive injuries. Cuts, bruises, burns, and fractures pile onto the growing list, and Kai’s heart sinks, realizing just how much the fight had cost them all. 

Zane eventually manages to wrestle everyone into getting a check up themselves, forcing food and hot drinks into their hands.

It’s several more hours of waiting, a thick blanket of anticipation and worry clawing into Kai’s lungs until he feels like he can barely breathe. 

“Lloyd Montgomery-?” The nurse calls, and squints at her board as she tries to make out the last two names, but the ninja are at her side in the blink of an eye. 

“Garmadon. We’re, his, uh-” Cole glances around at him awkwardly, recalling that they’d never really officially signed any documents for the blonde. “Adopted family.”

“Oh.” The nurse lowers her pad, eyes full of uncertainty flickering down to the list of names jotted down. “The ninja, correct?”

“Yes, that’s what I put in the form for ‘occupation’” Zane cuts in, and she gives them a small wry smile. 

“Could you follow me to a more private area to talk about his situation?”

Five minutes later, they’re all squeezed into a little starch room, walls blindingly bright with whitewash. 

“Coma?” Kai repeats slowly, heart stuttering at the thought. The word fills the room with a heavy uncomfortable silence, digging its way into everyone’s thoughts. It feels like a metal hand is crushing his chest, shattering bones into a million little pieces. 

“Yes, Mr. Smith. It is unknown whether it is caused by his elemental powers or a brain injury, and it could even be his hereditary dragon blood causing an effect on it…” The rest fades into buzzing background noise, and Kai can only think about one word amongst them all. 

Coma. Coma meant not waking up, meant someone sleeping forever, meant possible death. 

• • •

A week flies by them, fast yet slow. Hours seem to disappear into nowhere when Kai’s away from the hospital, But sitting by the hospital bed, with nothing to do but sit and listen to the several machines humming away, every second weighs heavier on the fire ninja’s chest. 

The door closes quietly behind him, a quiet click echoing through the room, and Zane steps into the room, hands grasping two cardboard cups. 

Kai accepts a steaming cup of coffee from the ice ninja with a mumbled ‘thank you’, and sips at the lukewarm liquid gratefully. 

The nindroid drops down on the seat next to him, carefully balancing his drink on the armchair. 

“Are you okay?” He asks, after a second of quiet drinking, and Kai gives a bitter laugh, shaking his head. 

“Me? I’m fine.” He says resentfully, glancing over at Lloyd’s small figure, surrounded by beeping machines and drip lines. He wishes he was the one there instead. 

“I do not mean physically, even though you have also acquired several injuries in the fight.” Zane says quietly, following his gaze to the hospital bed. 

“I’m okay.” Kai insists, voice hard, and almost instantly regrets it, watching the ice ninja reel back from the response.

There’s a few more moments of silence, and Kai looks back down at the paper cup in his hands, the dark brown liquid melting down white paper. 

“Sorry. I-” Kai stops, suddenly feeling hot tears building. “I’m—”

“Do not worry,” Zane says softly, and brushes a hand across his shoulder in comfort. “I am worried, too.”

“I just- I wish it’d been me, y’know. Not Lloyd.” Kai gives a sniff, and takes another mouth of the cooling coffee in an half-hearted attempt to hold back his tears. Zane is silent, and the fire ninja suspects he’s busy trying to take apart what he just said. 

“It wasn’t your fault, Kai.” The nindroid tells him, 

Dammit.

“I shouldn’t have let him do it. I should’ve found another way.”

“We had no other choice. Lloyd knew what could happen, and he did it anyways.” Zane points out, and Kai laughs tonelessly, swiping the sleeve of gi across his eyes.

“He’s always like that. Battling you for the most self-sacrificial team member position.” 

“All of us are, I suppose. ” The ice ninja gives a small smile, and nods. Kai doesn’t think he has enough brainpower at the moment to unpack that sentence, and settles for leaning his head onto the nindroid’s shoulder.

Zane doesn’t say anything, but shifts closer to him, cautiously tucking an arm around the fire ninja. 

“Do you think he’ll wake up?” He asks, and suspects that he just voiced the thought that has been weaving in out of everyone’s minds. Saying it out makes it even more terrifying, though, and Kai hates the possibility that Lloyd will never wake up more than anything else on earth. 

“I have the utmost faith that Lloyd will come back to us.” Zane reassures him quietly, and Kai is silent. 

“The doctors said he might never wake up after two weeks.”

“It has not been two weeks, yet. We just have to wait.”

Kai nods slowly, and a feeling of despair sinks into his chest. 

Wait. He just had to wait. 

• • •

Another week passes in no time at all. And then another. And another. They all subconsciously note down the date, the date that if passes, marks the day Lloyd may never make it back to them. 

Kai reaches up to touch a multitude of cards making its way onto the wall above Lloyd, bright colors and designs, all wishing him ‘get well soon’s’ and ‘we miss you’s’. News leaked out about the coma through hospital staff, and well wishes in the form of letters and gifts had been pouring in by the hundreds. 

He hated it a little. 

Cole’s careful sketches end up buried in the pile, dark pencil lines shading out beautiful scenes from their memories. Jay’s molded figurines sit on his bedside table, delicately painted clay glass dotted through ledges in the room. 

Nya leaves pictures, pinning them up on space left empty. She leaves old polaroids and prints out new ones, and Kai avoids them as much as he can, because it reminds him how much they might lose any second now. 

Zane brings new experiments to try, claiming extensive research from coma patients. Swatches of perfume through the room, currently accompanied by flowers and soft toys, and Kai wrinkles his nose at the odd scent of flowers and fruits mixing together. 

They’ve all left little parts of themselves in this room, spending hours and days here on end, and Kai just wishes Lloyd would wake up and see it all for himself. 

“It’s been a month, Lloyd.” Kai murmurs, glancing down at his pale pale, now long blonde hair fanned around the pillow. It hurts that he looks at peace asleep, happy almost. The fire ninja faintly wonders if it’s nicer there, wherever he is. 

“When are you gonna wake up?”

Lloyd doesn’t respond. He never does. 

• • • 

Kai always visits during the night, talking with soft words as he watches the lights of Ninjago City outside, wink like stars in the sky. 

The area is far too populated and cloudy to see much more than a stray star every once in a while, but if he squints hard enough he can pretend apartment lights and electric towers make up a constellation of burning suns. 

Sometimes he goes several times a week, whittling the time after his training by quietly reading in the hard plastic chairs all hospitals seem to have. Sometimes, he’ll play music, or sing or talk or hum, trying anything Zane recommends to all of them for waking coma patients up. 

It’s worth a try, more than keeping silent, and it helps to take his mind off things. For a little while, anyway. 

Cole comes in with him, once, different from the early schedule the earth ninja usually keeps. He usually prefers to drop in for a visit early in the morning, and keeps his claim that the sunrise is more enjoyable from the hospital room. 

“Do you think he wants to go?” He asks, voice distant and quiet, a far stretch from the usual confidence and calmness he holds in everything. Kai looks over at him from his place across the room, eyes narrowing. 

“What do you mean, ‘go’?” He questions, and rests the book down on his lap, quietly wishing it isn’t exactly what he thinks. 

“I mean, do you think we’re holding him back? Keeping him alive?” Cole gives a vague wave at the faint machines, medical tubes and lines tying themselves to Lloyd. Kai’s heart skips a beat, and he pastes an expression that he hopes looks determined onto his face. 

“Lloyd wouldn’t want us to give up on him. You know that.”

“I know that.” Cole echoes, after a long pause. “Yeah.”

They resume their activities at hand, Cole looking back down at his sketchbook, sharpened pencil in hand, and Kai picking up his book again. There’s a different silence this time, though. 

The question sits in both their minds, itching for an answer: What if he does?

    • • •

There’s a time whe Lloyd Garmadon looks back at his old life, one where there was pain and hurt and betrayal all the time. 

This time, he remembers the family waiting for him, and remembers the happiness and memories and joy that came with it all. 

He looks at the choice kept open for him, all through this time, and steps through the doorway of life and death for the second time in his life. 

• • •

Spring and summer come and go, leaving in it’s wake golden leaves and soft sunlight across the skies. 

And just like clockwork, Lloyd wakes up to meet the first snowfall. 

Kai’s watching the flakes flutter to the ground softly, like shattered white on the ground, when he gets the call. 

The car ride to the hospital with Zane is just as quiet as the first time, both thinking about the possibilities that they’ve been prepared for. There’s too many open endings and ‘maybe’s’, possibilities that Lloyd will not remember them, or suffer from severe memory loss, or even forget basic skills. 

All too fast, Kai’s standing at the bright ICU door, breathes coming short. 

After so long of waiting and hoping and staying, finally reaching the end of the journey is…terrifying.

The door cracks open with a small screech, and Kai steps through the hold, 

For the first time in what seems like forever, he sees Lloyd, jade eyes bright and alive. 

“Kai?” He croaks, voice broken and cracked with months without use. The fire elemental barely notices, though, and Lloyd is tackled in a suffocating soft hug.

“I missed you.” Kai tells him, familiar tears prickling at the corner of his eyes again. Only this time, they’re tears of joy, unlike the other, and he smiles. Lloyd grins back at him,  a hint of the cheekish humor spilling back into his expression. 

Zane steps in at that moment, metallic smile shining, and Lloyd is engulfed into another hug, one of the first few amongst the many to come. 

The others arrive at the room in a matter of minutes, a rainbow colored blur spilling into the room. Zane has to peel a half-shrieking Jay off the hospital bed, shooing the others away to give the blonde a little space to breathe. 

Months worth of news and updates and gossip fills the room, and Kai suspects Lloyd will remember nothing, but the green ninja looks so elated he can’t bear to do anything but go along with it. 

It takes a few weeks of learning how to coax spoonfuls of food into the blonde, propping him up on pillows to watch lame tv shows together, and making routine trips back and forth between the hospital and the ship, before life returns them a semblance of normalcy. 

It’s a bright Sunday afternoon, and Lloyd is lying on the bed, Kai next to him as they binge The Big Bang Theory. 

“How long have I been out, actually? I forgot to ask.” The blonde says, eyeing the amazing collage of cards and letters pinned onto the walls, the team’s additions buried through the sheer amount of fan mail. 

“...Three months?” Kai says, eyebrows creasing as he tries to pin down an exact date. 

“Give or take about two weeks.” He confirms, fingers fumbling with the duvet as he counts the days. 

“Three moNTHS—” Lloyd’s jaw drops, and he attempts to push himself into a sitting position, only to have the fire ninja push him back down with a disapproving expression.

“Geez, don’t do that, I’ll have a heart attack—”

 “—How many Starfarer episodes have I missed?” He wails loudly, and Kai gives a short laugh, face breaking into a wide smile. 

“Don’t worry, Jay recorded them all for you. Said you’d two would have the biggest marathon of your life once you woke up.”

• • •

Recovery is a slow and painful process, and Lloyd gets to learn the extent of just how much he has lost in these few short months. 

He relearns walking through Cole supporting him on a walker, as Jay runs around them snapping pictures. Lloyd frowns at him, a facade of annoyance, but doesn’t try to stop the lighting ninja, either. 

It takes many long physiotherapy sessions to get him to function normally on his own, and Kai discovers that this leads to some awkward experiences on bathroom related topics. 

And there’s also first time they return to the Destiny’s Bounty, Zane wheeling him along the deck as the only one trusted enough, as Lloyd asks about new things they’ve added to the ships in that time, rambling so fast Zane is forced to warn him to slow down before he faints. 

Slowly, the recovery gets easier and easier. Kai books them all for therapy sessions, and it takes to the point of literal threats to make Zane go, through his protests of being a nindroid. 

After almost losing so much, everyone finds it easier to appreciate what they do have. They have each other, and Kai thinks maybe, just maybe, they’ll be fine with just that. 

They go out more often, pushing Lloyd around on a wheelchair Jay creates when he’s too tired to walk, and wheedling Zane out to laser tag and shopping trips. 

Cole never really complains when Jay drags them out for a night filled with crappy horror movies, and Kai changes his constant criticism into more compliment. Even Sensei Wu joins in on the trend, and doesn’t tell them off nearly as much when they oversleep on training, or miss a day or two. 

There are bad days, when Lloyd sinks into a depressive episode, over his father and his limited movement and everything gone wrong over the years, and there are days when Kai is always angry, at something or the other. 

Days when Zane lingers on a sentence too long, smiles a little too mechanical, and when Nya fumbles with her machines and tools a little more, wincing at a pain or a touch that isn’t there. When Cole’s hands shake from memories of his fall, or curls up on the sofa a bit longer, recalling his time as a ghost, and when Jay’s smile isn’t as bright or not there at all, electric energy disappearing for a makeshift mask. 

But recovering and healing is a road filled with relapses and accidents, and they always get back up on, in the end. 

As long as they’ve got each other, they’ll find a way, and Kai figures nothing could ever really change that. 

Waiting was worth it, in the end, and he’s willing to do it as many more times it takes. 

[lelenoir]

characters;; wong kunhang, wong yukhei [ft: yuna and sejun (ocs)]

word count;; 4.8k

warnings;; hallucinations, implied character death, hendery discreetly trying to kill you

part of @starryqian & @takitaro 's stephen king collab,, this is very late im so sorry :(

shoutout to @jenoir for proofreading this messy baby :')

sorry if comes off as a bit rushed :(( i was ✨struggling✨ and i wanted to get this out soon

NIGHT SEVEN

Run. Run as fast as you can. Run till your legs burn. Run till the sun dies out. Your life depends on it.

The woods were an unforgiving place. Especially at night when the lights turn off and the mind is at its all time high. The sounds you were hearing were unmistakable. The footsteps and the chunk of leaves cracking beneath them told you they were close. And they were coming in fast.

Your breaths came out in pants while your legs begged you to stop. But you couldn't, not when you came all this way. Suffered days in the harsh wrath of mother nature. No, you couldn't afford to die now. And as if things weren't worse enough, you tripped on an overarching root. A wild thorn grazing the skin of your ankle, making you hiss.

The sounds were getting closer now but your legs had already given up. Already turning to jelly as soon as you'd stopped running. You huddled yourself against a nearby tree in hopes of its protection. The low growl that erupted from whatever was out there echoed around the trees like a villain toying with its prey.

Your instincts were telling you to gather whatever you could. To pray to whatever higher being was up there for one last miracle. But you knew better. There were no gods that could hear you within these woods.

So you count to ten like Hendery taught you and braced yourself at the mercy of whatever being was on the other side of the trunk.

Five… four… three… two… one.

DAY ONE, TWO HOURS BEFORE

Friends. You love them. You care for them. And you'd do pretty much anything for them. Right now you really hated that concept. And you really hated the way you'd fallen for it.

Sitting in the backseat of a car with your friend and her boyfriend arguing in the front was not how you expected your Friday to go. You grumbled under your breath, looking out the window as you watched landmarks pass by. You were such a great friend. And in your greatness as a friend, you let yourself be strung along to what you've just declared as 'the worst weekend of your life'.

"If you want to stop then stop! I'm just saying that with all the places you want to stop by we might not get to the one place we actually want to go in time." She argued, putting air quotes on the words 'stop by' with an over the top eye roll. That's your friend, Yuna. She wasn't like that most of the time, the opposite actually. In your friend group she was considered as this huge ball of sunshine. Her current boyfriend just brings out the worst in her, which, in your book, is reason number one on why she should break up with him.

"You say it's okay but then you always add something like that. If you don't want to just say it! No need to act like such a saint." And on the left corner was, you guessed it, her boyfriend Sejun. As an individual, he was okay. A little douchey but everyone has a bit of douchiness inside of them in your opinion. However, pair him up with Yuna then that's a different story. They were like monsters, only acting up when close to one another. It makes you wonder why they're still holding on to each other. But, alas, humans are very complex creatures. You'd rather read a book than try to understand them.

So you do. You whip out 'Alice in Wonderland' off your bag and start reading. You didn't like butting into other people's relationships, much less going on weekend trips with them but Yuna, your sweet amazing friend, managed to convince you to go with them. How? Through bribery. Yup, after promising you that you were free for this and next month's rent, you were quick to settle your belongings. You were a simple girl with simple priorities and at the top of that list of priorities is surviving college.

You'd read at least two chapters when they'd decided to stop at some mountain. Being the sporty and outgoing couple that they were, they weren't here to take pictures nor eat at the local diner. No. They were here to hike.

You sighed in defeat when Yuna visibly beamed at you. You reluctantly placed your book down next to you before grabbing your small bag of food and water.

The two were now giving each other the silent treatment while Yuna held onto you like a leech. It was awkward to say the least, especially with the side glances they keep giving each other and you were in the middle of it. Like a small child in the middle of their parents' divorce all over again. You hated it.

You could already feel the energy getting drained away from you and you hadn't even stepped on the mountain yet. That's how intense they were. You never voiced it out. Too afraid that they might gang up on you instead of each other. They may be worse against each other but together, they're a nightmare. You much preferred them going at each other's throats rather than yours.

The mountain was as green as you expected it to be. There was a clear path set out at the foot of it with little to no people standing by. It was higher than most you'd climbed and a vast forest enveloped it. The place was quiet and it looked like one of those towns that rarely had anything bad happen to it but on the off chance that something did happen, it was bad. Really bad.

"Okay so we have like an hour here before we continue on our trip." Yuna said, looking at the map in her hands. "This should be fun."

Really? You wanted to ask. But oh you were such a good friend. You scoped the mountain once again, already dreading the experience as Yuna gestures you to come forward and Sejun already walking up the path. You sighed to yourself, opting to give yourself an internal pep talk as your legs carried you to the start of a very begrudging journey.

You can do this. You can do this. You can do this.

An hour had passed. And you know it had, based on the watch you'd carried on your wrist. The small diner at the bottom of the mountain had already left your vision minutes ago.

On your way up, the ground diverged into two paths. The right side leading towards a secluded resort while the other pointed towards an upward slope. The couple opted to take the left. Your frown deepened.

One hour, my ass! You screamed in your mind, throwing a mini tantrum as you glared at Yuna's back. Your feet stomping on the (thankfully) dry ground, lips pursed and brows stitched together. You hated being a good friend.

In the midst of your childish antics, you heard a chain snap off your bag. You quickly turned around to see your treasured key chain on the ground. It was a gift from your late mother, a small remembrance of the time you both went to Disneyland. The first and last time. You bent down to pick it up when a sudden flash of white tore through your line of sight.

A white rabbit stood in front of you, your keychain tucked in between its mouth as it stared at you. As if waiting for you to chase it. Its red eyes bore into yours.

They say when your eyes focus on one thing, everything around you blurs in the distance. Nothing but muffled background noises and subtle outside forces. That should've been your first warning.

"Why are you even yelling at me?" Sejun complained, snapping your attention back. They were back at it again. You hadn't even heard Yuna yell at him during your short daze. You held back for a while, watching them argue as they walked. That should've been your second warning.

Like a magnet, you felt your gaze shift back to the rabbit. Indistinct whispers emerged around you. That should've been your third. You glared at the small creature still holding on to your precious trinket before it suddenly dashed in the woods. You clenched your teeth, unable to stop yourself as you followed after it. Strike.

DAY ONE

You cheered in triumph as you retrieved your belonging, smirking at the rabbit as it looked up to you. The rabbit cocked it's head on one side, as if to question you, before hopping away from you. You furrowed your eyebrows before finally looking around where you were. Your eyes widened at your surroundings. The green scenery of the trees covered your vision as you cautiously stepped forward. The path was nowhere to be found and dead silence engulfed the air.

"Yuna?" You called out anxiously. "Sejun?" You tried once more. "Yuna!" You say louder but there was no reply. You looked up to the beating sun. It was noon. You couldn't tell which was east or west.

"Yuna!" You screamed. A flock of birds flew in the distance. The loud crows and scampers of the forest animals harmonised with your echo. "Sejun!"

You gulped. You looked in between the trees, trying to decipher even a small silhouette of a clearing. You narrowed your eyes, loosening up your shoulders and hands before taking another step. Then another. And another until you're finally walking towards god knows where. You were slow but you weren't really in a rush.

You pulled your bag closer to your body.

The slightest of sounds rang in your ears making you snap your head to every direction only to see that there was nothing there. That never eased your paranoia. You can feel its eyes trail along the fabric of your jacket. Feel its breath on the back of your neck. Hear its growls close to the shell of your ear. You clasped your shaking hands together, your nervousness evident as your legs began to turn jelly.

"Y-yuna!" You called out helplessly. Tears began to tickle the sides of your temples. "Anyone!?"

It was like that time you went to an amusement park with Yuna. The loud thundering rhythm in your chest, the strong rush of adrenaline leaving your body as soon as it entered, not to mention the growing anxiety constantly increasing as every second passed. It was almost hard to breathe. Almost difficult to take another step.

You collapsed on the ground, spent and shaking. Your hands stayed close to your chest in an attempt to keep warm as the air seemed to have gotten cold---despite being scorching a few moments ago---vision already hazy as you began to slip out of reality.

Just then, a figure emerged from the trees. His tall stature crouched down to get a better look at you. You couldn't even muster up a smile in relief at the stranger. Too tired to feel the cold hand on your cheeks, lightly slapping you back to reality.

Then you let yourself be engulfed in darkness.

DAY TWO

You jolt awake at the impact of his toes on your knee. Your eyes, still blurry from exhaustion, had a hard time adjusting to the harsh light of the afternoon sun.

"You're awake." A voice sighed in relief. You turned your attention to the sound, unsure and terrified as you drew your arms in front of you. "Woah, no need to fight there, little one."

"I'm not a child." You tell him but the stranger merely cocked his head to the side. His gaze curiously fixed on you before smiling.

"Then why are you here?" He shot back. The question seemed to hang in the air and an unsettling ominous feeling creeped up your spine as you mustered up your answer.

"I got lost." You say, face almost a breath away from his as he leaned in closer before prompting his head to nod.

"Exactly." He grinned. "Surely an adult wouldn't get lost within these woods. Especially for a silly trinket such as this." He holds out an object engulfed in his hand. There lay your keychain, dangling in the air and close to your face. You lifted your hand to take it until the stranger dropped it on the ground. It was not much of an action but it was humiliating as you tentatively picked it up from the soil.

"You must be hungry, aren't you?" The stranger lifted his body off the ground.

"Who are you?" You asked, voice still weak as you struggled to support your weight.

He smirked, staring down at you in utter confidence. "Hendery will do for now." You furrowed your eyebrows as he crouched down, once again, in front of you then putting your bag on your lap. "Eat up, little one."

Meanwhile…

"I didn't even notice. God what kind of a person doesn't notice her friend has gone missing." The girl sobbed for the nth time that day. Only a few of the officers paid her any mind while a boy, he assumed to be her boyfriend, sat next to her with his arms engulfing her in a comforting hug.

Lucas sighed at the pitiful sight, there was really nothing much he could do now. The map splayed in front of him was scribbled with a small 'x' within a large circle. He stared menacingly at the location.

"Detective," one of his subordinates came up to him. " What's our course of action?"

He sighed, closing his eyes as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

The subordinate couldn't understand his superior's reaction. Why did he look so distressed? It's only been a day since the victim has gone missing. They could be weak or injured, but that's about it. Throughout his time here, a handful of people got lost and all of them have been found.

"Sir?" He succeeded in getting Lucas out of his reverie. The detective then moved his fingers to rub at the lines on his forehead.

"Have everyone search in pairs around the perimeter." He finally ordered.

The subordinate nodded before scurrying off to relay the command.

It was futile. Lucas wanted to say but then that would make him look lazy. He never liked the word, but it was one that described his opponent greatly. He's been lazy. It was suspicious that he managed to find those lost tourists so easily, often they were found by their companions if they searched hard enough, but somehow this search has now stretched for a day.

The missing person, L/n Y/n, was last seen by her two friends yesterday, November 15, XXXX. It has been a day since then. The longest search in five years.

Lucas narrowed his eyes at the small x located at the north east side of the map.

What are you playing at, Kunhang?

xxx

"Keep up, little one. We have a long way ahead of us." Hendery calls out, walking a few feet away from you. His strides, quick and wide, has you picking up your pace. You couldn't help but pant as you trail behind him, the food in your pack weighing you down a bit but you couldn't afford to leave them behind.

"Why are you doing this?" You askes in between heavy breaths. Relief washed over you when he paused.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Why are you helping me?" You finally caught up to him. You splayed your arm out to the nearest tree as you calmed your breathing.

"Isn't this what you wanted?" He shot back as if it was stupidly obvious.

"Yes but--"

"You hear a person desperately calling out to someone for help and they sound incredibly in need. Wouldn't you help them?" You stared at him in shock, both of you quiet for a moment before he spoke again. "Isn't mankind built to be rational and compassionate? Do you doubt me as a person?"

"N-no I was just curious." Hendery narrowed his eyes at you, pursing his lips as he thought deeply. Not long after, a smile stretched on his face.

"Right, curiosity does come from rationality. I can't really blame you for being human I guess… but you must understand, little one, curiosity is a double edged sword. Once you wield it recklessly, the consequences may be severe." He looked away from you, eyes focusing on whatever was ahead before assuming his previous trek. "Keep up, little one, the sun won't last forever."

"Where are we going?" He smiled at that and you noticed that he had gone at a slower pace than before, walking side by side with you.

"You've used your curiosity well I see. We are going to find shelter. It's been hours now so the police are probably already looking for you. I don't know where you started running but let's hope this area of the forest is still part of the search. Daylight is slowly dying and we need to find a safe place rather than that clearing you passed out in."

"Why are you here then?" You asked. "In the forest, I mean."

"One thing about mankind is that they don't recognize chances." He whispered under his breath. A sound of confusion escaped your lips, he either ignored it or didn't hear it. "Some things are better left a secret, little one. Use your curiosities wisely."

DAY THREE

"If an animal comes rushing at you, what do you do?" Hendery asked one morning as he sat at the edge of the small stream you'd found.

In the years you'd watched documentaries and survival movies, one thing always played a vital role in human survival: water. So when you happened to come across the stream, the both of you couldn't say no to the opportunity. During your walk yesterday, the both of you came across a small shack hidden by the trees: its wooden walls looked old and were infested by moss; however you weren't really picky. It was the only shelter you could find and you lacked the supplies and skills to even attempt making a tent. There was a small window on one side and a few empty shelves on the other.

You thought for a while about his question before telling him the first answer that comes to mind. "Dodge it, I guess."

He stood up from his seat, walking towards you before sitting next to you. In a flash, you felt his hand push against your collarbone, sending you back on the ground.

He looked down at you and hummed. "Seems pretty ineffective."

You glared. "I wasn't ready."

"And what makes you think that you'll be ready when the attack comes?" He raised an eyebrow. You opened your mouth to retort but no words came. "I thought so."

He pushed his body off the ground once again. This time, to inspect the plants behind you.

"What would you do then?" He smirked.

"Like you said, I'll dodge." He starts, swaying his body slightly for a moment before suddenly running towards you. "Then attack." He whispered, just by your ear and you felt a chill run down your spine. A small shadow rose above you and it's then that you saw a large rock in his hand, parallel to the skull of your forehead. You sensed the object pick up its pace and you barely had enough time as you moved your head away from its course.

Hendery smashed the rock to the ground. His body slanted forward and you took this chance to stand and land a hit directly at his nape with the side of your hand. He jolted forward at the force and you started to distance yourself away from him.

"What the fuck, Hendery?" You watch in slight horror as he chuckled lightly before turning to you with a smile.

"No need to worry, y/n." He picked up a piece of the rock. "It's shale," he held it up with his fingers before breaking them, "practically harmless."

You let him walk past you before making your way towards the remnants of the stone. Looking back, you see him occupy himself with some berries on a nearby bush. You gently picked up a small piece of the rock, imitating what Hendery just did with his fingers.

It wouldn't budge.

You furrowed your eyebrows, this time using both hands to break it. The sheer force of your finger tips made your skin slip. A small cut was drawn on your thumb and you narrowed your eyes on it.

You looked over to Hendery who was now picking out some berries. You glared at his back. This fucker was trying to kill you.

You decided not to voice out your concerns. It was smarter to observe him for now and run away later.

Use your curiosities wisely. The words echoed in your mind as you gripped the strap of your bag tighter.

It'd been a while since he's had this much entertainment. From a human, no less. Usually they would've been dead by now or begging for their pitiful lives. But you? You were something special.

Hendery couldn't help but smirk.

DAY FIVE

"You don't trust me." You flinched at the sound of his voice. All of the forest seemed to have stopped moving for a second as you scramble for your thoughts.

You whip around, ready to deny the accusation before he lifted one finger up to silence you. "I don't really blame you about this but then why are you still here?"

Why were you still here?

You had an answer to that of course but admitting it out loud would've exposed you further to the man in front of you. You were afraid, weak and very fragile at this point. Your body was growing unbearably hot and your head has been in pain since yesterday. You didn't want to inform him of your state.

"There's safety in numbers. I don't know what's out there and frankly, I'm not prepared to face them either." You answered curtly. The response heightened Hendery's interest and he couldn't help but wonder: why would you lie?

Fortunately, he let it go. Being as he was, he asked you another question. "If an animal stalks you while you're powerless, what would you do?"

"Another one of your hypothetical scenarios?"

He shrugged, "you'll never know."

"Guess I'll die."

Hendery blew raspberries at that, unable to contain his laughter at your blunt reply. "You really are amusing, aren't you?"

"What do you suggest I do then?"

"Good point," he thinks for a moment, resting his chin on his fingers in a childish manner that made you slightly confused about the different sides he held. He sighed in defeat, "it really is a hopeless case!" He groaned, "the least you could probably do is count to ten and hope for the best."

You raised an eyebrow at him, holding back a humoured smile. "Thanks for the tip."

He grinned, "you're welcome!"

xxx

That night, a low rumbling growl awoke you from your slumber. You jumped up from your position, the thin blankets of leaves rustling below you as you looked around the dark room. The dim glow of the moon didn't help much but you could faintly see a huge silhouette of a figure standing right outside the window. Its back was turned in your view and you couldn't identify what it was.

You looked to your side to see Hendery gone. You panicked, the adrenaline spiking up to your lungs as you began to panic. The figure was still out there and it was not going anywhere.

You take a cautious step forward, the floorboards creaking as you did so. You tensed at the loud sound. Your whole body froze, keeping an eye at the window when the door of the shack suddenly opened.

"Did I wake you?" Hendery asked, rubbing his temples while he stood at the door. "I needed to pee."

"N-no?" He only nodded his head before groggily walking to his spot on the floor.

You were now wide awake. The will to sleep abandoning you as you hesitantly lay on your back.

The shadow was still there.

DAY SEVEN

"Hey y/n," you looked up from your seat to the man next to you. The slight flinch of your shoulders didn't go unnoticed by him.

You'd been exceptionally jumpy since yesterday and Hendery knew why. Fear was a cord that humans could never cut off. Once you're introduced to an unknown being, your whole body freezes as you desperately try to make sense of what you've witnessed, just to ease your irrational mind.

"We don't have any food left." Hendery says, holding out the empty wrappers of the bread you ate the night before.

You thought for a while, the image of the shadow pushed to the back of your head for a short while. "I guess we need to start looking for something to eat? I think there are some edible berries and plants we can collect."

He appeared to be considering it before nodding his head. "Okay! I'll go look for something to eat. Go start up a fire y/n to keep us warm while I go in the woods."

You nodded your head, already preoccupied with the grass, thoughts wandering back again to whatever it was that you saw.

With the way you were going, it almost felt like Hendery had only been gone for a few seconds when he came back just to see you hunched over; the same stance you had when he left. He sighed.

"You okay?" And there you were again, jumping a few good centimeters away from him. "I told you to start a fire."

Your eyes widened in shock before sputtering out multiple apologies. Hendery pressed his lips to a thin line.

"I'll start it, don't worry y/n. Just stay here." You nodded, eyes focusing on the ground that you failed to see the smirk on your companion's lips. He handed you a leaf filled with mushrooms, berries and some nuts.

"I hope they find us soon." You huffed, lifting a few of the food to your lips. Hendery watched you intently, smiling to himself before picking at the edibles on his makeshift plate.

"I hope so too. It's already been a week."

Suddenly, you felt your vision turn hazy. You furrowed your brows, concentrating on a specific tree as it morphed with its surroundings. "H-hendery?"

You lazily turned your head to your side, the weight felt light on your neck that you whipped faster than you've anticipated. Thus, your brain began to ache. You focused on Hendery's features, his expression unreadable as he, too, became a blurry mess of lights and shadows.

Once your eyes finally closed, Hendery let out the chuckle he's been holding in. He lifted your body off the ground.

Thus the game comes to end.

NIGHT SEVEN

Four… three… two… one…

You opened your eyes when you realised your limbs were still intact. The animal was nowhere in sight. Still, you couldn't shake off the overwhelming presence you felt all around you.

Looking around, it was pitch black. No shine of the moonlight peeked through the leaves of the trees, no sound of the whistles of the wind as you stood up from your terrified stance. Cautiously, you took a step forward. Your bag slumping down your shoulders before falling to the ground.

Your whole body felt weightless and you didn't find enough care in you to pick it up. Not even when the gleam of your treasures keychain sparked your vision.

You were tired.

You fell forward, a flash of bright white lights shocking your eyes as you squinted. A hum of a familiar lullaby and a chorus of footsteps neared your fragile body. You allowed your eyes to close as you finally relaxed, feeling the warmth of an embrace wrap around you. The smell of mint and chocolates killing you to sleep as gentle hands lift you up.

The soft song never faltered, vibrating across the person's chest and to your warm cheek.

You were going home.

xxx

In the shadows, Hendery watched as multiple police officers circled your body. One of them, Wong Yukhei, lifted you off the ground. He shakes his head in disappointment and regret at the state you're in: head bloodied, limbs bruised, and skin already blue.

Cold hands and feet already limp from the games he played, strumming your chords throughout the week until you eventually snapped.

Hendery hummed, a sweet lullaby in contrast to his wicked deeds. There was no shadow, no animal, nor a Hendery to begin with. It was all a byproduct of the scared, fragile and lonely human mind.

"How unfortunate, little one."

[prince-septimus]

When the first suicide sqaud movie dropped I was just so happy to get Harley content (props to Margot she kills it) and there's a lot I like about that movie. Although looking back I can't help but see that they did Harley dirty? and honestly did not seem to value her, at least to me it seemed she was just there as jokers shadow like thats all a backdrop to the joker

I get her origin/creation in the animated series and that originally her character is tied to his purely because of that, but there's literally no reason the movie had to use that. her backstory simply could have been she saw a lot of shit as a therapist in ARKHAM and ending up trying to give treatment to the joker was just the icing on the cake so she decides screw it I'm gonna go have fun in Gotham and embrace a little bit of the crazy. Orgins and comic storys change in slight ways all the time. because of Ayer Sqaud BOP had to try break her away from joker (love bop no complaints about it) but Ayer Squad she's jokers shadow/backdrop/doll/thing then bop have to try break her away from his character so that she stand on her own as a character and then we get tss (yayy) and harley is finally 'free' to use as her own character and portray her own stories she's not all wrapped up in the jokers story. DC/Warner Bros don't seem to have much planning and thought into what way they're gonna lay future movies out and that's fine they don't need to have thier version of an mcu and dc movie directors get to put thier own spin on it and be creative without really having to worry about long term continuity but it seems like they maybe get over excited and end up not listening to fans/caring about anyone elses view of the character except their own and yeah it's thier project but the characters are important to everyone not just them

And I can't even with her 'suit/costume' in the Ayer Sqaud, jokers property plastered all over her, I liked her hair and the bat and the jacket was okay i guess, I really don't think costume wise it was a decision of 'oh harley would think the tiny sparkly shorts are cool and that's why she's wearing them' it blatantly seemed like 'harley is jokers trash and hey everyone let's look at her ass cuz she ain't worth much else in the movie and she doesn't have much else to offer'? It just sucks to me that Harleys first movie appearance was primarily Jokers accessorie and the sex appeal of the movie

Sorry for this unasked for rant but I am so grateful for BOP and TSS and her costumes/suits in those movies felt way more like harley is wearing that cuz she thinks it's cool compared to Ayer squad where it felt like harley is wearing that so we can attempt to get more views on the movie via harleys backside

I mean for all I've said there i dont hate the ayer suicide sqaud it sounds like I do but I don't 😅 and I don't hate DC movies tbh DC is my favourite just cuz I care more about their characters cuz of the cartoons I watched as a kid and comics and I've only literally read one marvel comic so because of that I do have more of an attachment to DC this is so long winded opps

To summarise my bullshit I like dc I like all the movies even ayer sqaud but Harleys character was handled poorly in the beginning

im putting this under the cut bc i also made a long rant djgsgjsg

i think harley quinn in the dc movies is the best example of male gaze vs female gaze, while also showing what it's like when you let the actor themselves have a say in the character.

david ayer is a great director and i would love to see what he had truly set out to do with suicide squad by seeing his cut of it, but there was so much i disliked about harley's story in that movie. at the end of the day i've come to accept it because it leads into the character she becomes in bop and tss, but this was definitely harley being seen in the male gaze, something that her character has all-too-long dealt with in the comics.

bop was directed by cathy yates, a woman of color, and this immediately meant there was going to be a change in harley's character and her design. this is the female gaze and it meant that harley is actually going to be seen as a character that we love bc we can tell she was written by a woman (christina hodson) and directed by a woman. (this can also be seen by the small action of canary putting her hair up in the middle of the big fight scene at the end). overall bop was very much meant to be the opposite of suicide squad in terms of how they deal with harley. it's basically the recovery stage for her character.

and tss. my dear sweet tss. i love how james gunn handles her character and i love that he gave margot some creative control with some of it, like the removal of her rotten tattoo. i think tss is great in those moments where we see harley being her usual self (when she has sex with the dictator) but james gunn doesn't just focus on harley like that, he gives us scenes like when joel kinnaman is found shirtless and sweaty or when john cena is straight up in his underwear and takes up half the screen. where david ayer spent half the time focusing on sexualizing harley quinn, james gunn switches it up. and i love that.

and im in the same boat - i love suicide squad. i think its a decent set up to bop and tss and i would love to see the ayer cut, but in terms of harley's character, it sucked. but when bop was released and started to kind of fix harley and put her on this path of recovery, it made what ayer did in suicide squad work better. i still dont like how harley was sexualized in suicide squad, but im not as mad anymore now that it can be explained better with 2 other movies backing it up.

this is a long way to say that you're absolutely correct.

[black-streak]

Saturday night's alright for fighting (but Sundays are meant for rest) - Curious New Hobbies

Part 11!

My god this took a while to write! Special thanks to @st0rmy-w1th1n and @mysnis (hope this is your correct Tumblr) for bouncing ideas with me and @kceedraws for giving permission to use her breakdancing au as inspiration for this!

Tagsss: @persephonebutkore @emjrabbitwolf @mystery-5-5 @worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry @fandomkitty8 @dast218 @silvergold-swirl @shizukiryuu . @my-name-is-michell @kurogaya913 @elspethshadow @thecatnipmademedoit @shamefullove @ladylucina28 @crazylittlemunchkin @rayray384 @cassiejaydee @yuulxd @ladysblackcat @naclychilli @caffeinetheory

~---~

They had meant to go the arcade for their date tonight. In fact, they'd even walked in and started scoping out games to play, but alas it wasn't to be.

Within moments of arriving, who else but Damian would single Mari out and immediately tell them to leave.

And of course she protested. In response, Damian only pointed at Jon over at the pacman machine (how dare he, that's the game Marinette was searching for!) and mentioned his lack of ability to keep secrets and suddenly she turned and dragged Tim right back out the door.

Walking down the sidewalk, he side eyed her, considering the best way to start his interrogation.

"So. You trying to keep me secret then?"

"No! Of course not. Just might've forgotten to mention something like… over a month ago."

"And it involves not letting Jon know we were there?"

"Only because he's a nark who would've ruined the fun. And heaven knows Damian and I wouldn't be satisfied with a void bet."

"You made a bet about our relationship with Damian?"

"About your family," she partially corrected.

"Do I even want to know."

"Was supposed to tell you a bit ago so you wouldn't ruin the stakes, so probably not, but im telling you anyways."

Sighing with false exasperation, he gestured for her to continue.

"We have an ongoing bet over how long it'll take everyone to figure out that you and I are together and not Dami and me."

With that, she relayed all the details of their bet and his part in it, manic grin spread across her face as her gait gained a small skip to it. Tim couldn't help but shake his head at her antics, amused despite an itch in the back of his mind saying this wouldn't end well.

"Alright, I'll play along. Honestly, I think you'll both lose. Your predictions are too specific. Too many potential outlying factors."

"True, but we did give set time frames. So at least one part of the bet will absolutely be clear on who won. Plus, I find victory in the fact that Damian didn't think of that possibility. That we'd both be wrong."

"On another note, we need to find a plan b. Anything in mind?" He asked, reaching out and snagging her hand to draw her closer. 

Shrugging, she looked about them, seeing if anything caught the eye. Suddenly Tim stopped, accidentally yanking her back when she kept walking. She let out a sound of protest only to see his eyes locked on the building across the way with a considering look. 

The building was gray brick with no windows, however a neon purple sign to the right of the black wood door declared it "The Underground", a well known club amongst Gotham dancers and while neither were necessarily that, word had gotten around enough for both to have heard of the place before from word of mouth.

"How do you feel about checking it out?" Tim asked, a curious look about his eyes, studying her.

"I'm not opposed to the idea. Little surprised you're interested though," she commented, letting him lead the way inside.

A quick ID check and they were in, the room dark with neon tube lights flashing across different surfaces and strategic spotlights placed to bring attention to the various raised platforms. It was strange actually. The wall directly to the left of the hall they entered from held the bar on a raised level only to slide into a ground level dance floor which was normal enough, however in the opposite corner was a raised platform where different people would hop up to take advantage of the spacing to show off both freestyle and blatantly choreographed moves. Another few spotlight platforms raised up randomly in the floor, but the main focus was a rather large circular one in the center of the place, raised just enough to make it easy to see from anywhere in the place, but not so high as to block the view across the way. These places were the most lit up, allowing the anonymity to the dancers below while allotting the attention to those who choose to step up. Beyond that, there were many crevices and alcoves holding tables into the walls and a small hallway across the way presumably heading to the bathrooms. An upper balcony held only the DJ.

While Mari took in her surroundings, she felt Tim lead her out into the crowds, before turning back to her with a questioning look. Leaning in she spoke into his ear, a spark gleaning her eyes, "You've been before, haven't you?"

"A few times. It's the perfect place to destress without the nonsense of keeping an image. As long as you stay in the crowd, no one cares who you are," he replied, spinning her around before stepping in so her back pressed to his chest.  His hands ghosted down her sides to grasp her hips, starting to guide her into the beat.

For a while, they stayed like that, separating slightly and coming back together to follow different dances as the music flowed and changed around them. Turns out Tim was a surprisingly good dancer. 

Cheers broke out as a new song turned over, the first beats of Bum Bum Tam Tam coming over the speakers drawing attention towards the main platform as a pair jumped up, starting to get into the beat, working around each other only to burst into perfectly synced choreography at the first breakdown, resulting in more cheers. The two dancers would break away after that into a more freestyle, only to flow back into more rehearsed moves once more.

"Wait is that," she trailed off to a groan pressed to her shoulder.

"Yeah. That's them. Didn't know they came here."

As the song came to an end and the two on the platform jumped down, they could only stare as none other than Dick and Kori unknowingly made their way towards them. Tim pulled back from Mari subconsciously, not quite comfortable being so fully on display in front of people who actually knew them. Which made exactly zero sense when considering how much they cuddled in the manor. 

Finally the two spotted them, their grins widening and a new energy emerging as they rushed over. 

"Timothy! Starshine! You guys are here!" Came Kori's exuberant greeting, grabbing them both up in a hug.

"Hey, Mar, Damian not like dancing enough? Had to drag Timmy out?" Dick teased.

"Dami's at the arcade with Jon. And actually, coming here was Tim's idea," she answered amicably, conforming to the rules of the bet and not correcting Dick's obvious assumptions. "That was amazing by the way. You two looked great up there!"

Tim smirked down at her, seeing through her antics, especially now that she'd let him in on the rules of her game. Doesn't mean he couldn't play into it himself, he thought as he wrapped an arm around her waist and placed his chin atop her head.

"She's a great dance partner," Tim mentioned after both Kori and Dick had thanked and waved off Mari's compliments. "Considering learning something more structured with her, myself. Maybe give you two a run for your money."

"You definitely should! I can help with figuring out a style for you two if you'd like!" Kori offered immediately as Marinette turned to look at him in excitement.

"She has to agree first. Who knows, maybe this was a fluke and Mari will never dance with me again," he sighed in defeat.

Marinette turned, practically bouncing in anticipation, "Are you kidding? I'd love to! I want to come here again too."

"Even if you don't take my help with the dancing, I can record you two so you can look back and see for any needed improvements? That's what Richard and I do," Kori further offered up, Dick jumping back in right after.

"Oh yeah, it helps immensely. Especially if you were wanting to perform it on the platforms here."

Tim and Mari met eyes, before coming to an agreement, "Yeah, we'd appreciate that actually."

"Great! We'll set up some time here soon. In the meantime, I could definitely use a drink," Dick stated, looking back towards where he'd originally been headed. Kori grabbed onto Marinette instead, leading her back into the fray of dancers.

"We should invite Stephanie next. She would make a most interesting dance partner," Kori rattled on, suggesting a girls night that Mari agreed to immediately before getting back into the music with her new dance partner of the moment, Tim and Dick rejoining them shortly after. 

The night continued on this way, the four trading off between them, two not aware that it'd become a double date by this point. Eventually parting ways from the two, Tim and Mari made their way back towards his apartment, breathless and happy despite the unexpected interruptions to their night.

"How come we never end up at your place?" He asked suddenly.

"Because my apartment has become workzone number 2. Seriously, the place has essentially become a studio for my work that just so happens to have a kitchen and bedroom. Among other secrets not meant to be divulged… yet."

"Is that pertaining to the mystery of your magic."

"Perhaps."

"Mmm, whenever you're ready, I'll be happy to keep them for you. Though I can't imagine anything bigger than holding two technical gods in your pockets at all times."

"Shhh, don't let them hear you say that!"

He only chuckled, leading her into the complex and up to his penthouse. Silence overtaking them until the door had clicked shut.

"You staying the night, sweetheart?" Tim asked, toeing off his shoes and walking towards his room to get changed.

"Mm, think I might," she replied, following him in and stealing a shirt before wandering into the bathroom to get first dibs on a shower. She still found it lucky that while he might be the shortest of his brothers, she was still small enough to be buried in his clothes. Made it easier for night like these.

Finishing up, she plopped herself on his bad as he went to shower as well. 

Eventually, the door reopened, Tim entering in only pajama bottoms, hair still damp and in his face. She hummed her appreciation, enjoying the view and reaching out to tug him closer.

"Is it weird how comfortable we've become in so little time?" 

"Only if you're uncomfortable with it."

"I'm not."

"Good."

With the affirmation, he picked her up only to lay her out further up the bed. Stretching out at her side, he pressed kisses to her cheek and down her neck, hand trailing against exposed skin, clearly enjoying having her in his home, in his bed, in his shirt.

'Hmm, what were two raging insomniacs to do with the rest of their night?'

… 

Bonus:

Not a week later, after a long discussion with Damian to ensure that Kori was not included in the bet and swearing the alien to secrecy, they asked her to film something for them. A dance they had come with that was just for them. Not anything that could be performed in a club or for anyone to see. Maybe one day they'd post it somewhere or show Dick, but for now, it was theirs alone.

[olivenight17]

Liv I feel like sending in a matchup!! Pls don't worry about rushing it!! Aside from things you already know about me, I'm bi, an aggressive 5''2 shorty, INFP with a 100% on the introvert, I'm lonely and can't make meaningful connections, short temper, can get distant, I seem cold but I can be a sweetheart, I put others before myself all the time, really insecure abt everything, the rare times I talk I want it to be meaningful, im a gemini and finally, I'm dead set on sth once I make it my goal!

Ahhhh, I’m so happy you decided to send one in! Firstly, you’re a mood because ooooof same, our only differences are I’m an aries and I tower over you at 5′8 lmao. Now, I could have gone with Keigo... but that’s the obvious choice and who would I really be if I made things easy for myself?

Also, remember sea anon? Twas me, I was really debating who to match you with and Sirius, for some reason, struck my mind. But then I went “Hey, she is one watery lady and would probably be the type to go all romantic walks on the beach or want to go sailing and not everyone likes water. I don’t know if Lily likes water, I know, I’ll just anonymously ask her cause I sneak!” And, for other reasons as well as the one that you’re not the biggest fan of water, I decided against matching you with her in the end anyways.

For now though, I give you... well actually your other favorite character lol and best girl Nejire!

- Oh wow, opposites truly do attract, don’t they?

- While you’re 100% an introvert, she’s 100% an extrovert and I hope you can handle it!

- But in all seriousness, she gets that you’re an introvert and she’ll try her best not to rope you into extremely draining social situations. And she’s usually pretty good with it, the most you have to handle is just the big three all at once lol

- She saw you probably standing a bit away from the others and in her mind went “Wat. She’s too adorable to be standing alone like this, this needs to change.” And then went bouncing over to you, all friendly and smiles.

- Honestly, all of those negative things you think about yourself and how lonely you are? Straight up prepare to never feel that way ever again.

- She will be your personal cheerleader from this point forward and she won’t take self deprecation as an answer because she knows you and how wonderful of a person you are!

- You say you can’t make meaningful connections, well that’s about to be hecka false because Nejire is all about making those meaningful connections, so not only do you have one with her, you’re gonna have some with the rest of the big three and on top of that, Nejire’s just gonna help you make connections. The great thing about having a social girlfriend is that she can actually help you with social things! (And now I’m jealous because ah that’s what I need crap-)

- She can help you with the distance thing too, if it is a thing that you want help with. Just simply because she... won’t let you. She tends to keep the ones she loves close to the heart and it’s honestly really hard to shake her off. I mean, you’d have to go detective levels to be distant and remain distant because she just doesn’t let it happen.

- But if it’s a case of “I’m really drained socially please I need a break.” She’ll get you, and she’ll back off. Though she’ll text you every few hours to see if you’re still in charging mode, unless you specifically say that you’ll tell her when you’re feeling a bit better.

- And, while at first I thought Nejire might not be the best with short tempered people, I realized she’d probably handle it like a champ! She’s just such a bright person the anger doesn’t really affect her, so if you snap she just tilts her head like “Hey, you seem upset. Are you okay?” She’s more concerned than anything, unless you’re getting angry over something small like... I don’t know, losing at Mario Kart? That’s trivial enough I think lol, if it’s something like that she just laughs because she finds the anger hilarious

- Oh, oh, and you wanna know the best part about this matchup?

- She can’t technically make fun of you for being short!

- I mean granted, she is still two inches taller, but if she teases you for it, you can shoot right back because you’re both in the same boat. Also, I mean, more convenient for the both of you when you wanna kiss, no one needs a ladder, we’re good here. (okok, no more short themed sentences, I love you, and any of these kinda jokes are an example of my love!)

- Though Nejire is quite bubbly, she does know how to have a meaningful conversation, it’s usually when you’re both having quiet time somewhere and cuddling. The mood is just so relaxed you both can really get to talking. But let’s be honest, anything Nejire says, is what she means. If she didn’t believe in what she was saying, she wouldn’t be saying it, she’s too honest for that.

- Loves your determination to get things done! She’s quite the determined person herself, so really, you two make the greatest go-getter couple ever!

- Really, your INFP personality is kinda perfect for her.

- On one hand, your ability to focus and see the bigger picture is great, while she’s serious and focused with villains, it’s a bit harder for her to have that same focus with other aspects of life. You being her anchor is great and she’d really be appreciative of the fact you can keep her steady.

- On the flip side, she loves your caring personality. You genuinely like to help others and every time she sees you doing so her heart gets a little more soft because wow did she fall for one amazing and sweet person... even though you like to hide it at first. You’re both very loyal to each other and wouldn’t betray the other’s trust.

- Overall, you have a very well balanced, understanding, and just really loving relationship because you value the other so much and you would both honestly do anything for each other.

I hope you enjoyed, Lily!

[what-if-nct]

hiiii today's reminder is all three of the nct units coming back within the next two months, and the new unit might be debuting soon, and I'm having a hard time being excited for any of it

127, i just want them to take a nap. esp with the J line being injured enough to cancel smtown recordings, i would feel super weird enjoying a new song knowing that it was prepared in between nonstop concerts while three members were hurt. plus i REALLY don't want a 2 baddies part 2, i still don't understand why that song happened

wayv, they seem straight-up cursed at this point. I'm not gonna believe there's an album until the album is actually out. plus part of me is braced for the possibility of a rehashing of the incident from last year that we don't speak about, or at the very least knowing a lot of the discussion about this comeback will be centred around that, which I'm really not looking forward to

dream… i feel like every time i hear about them outside of teasers, it's just another case of them "playfully" making fun of Haechan, especially Jeno and Jisung, to the point where i just… dislike them, as people. i get that they were raised with the expectation that they'll be famous in a society that places a lot of weight on this shit, and I'm sure that's fucked with their heads a lot, but that's no excuse for grown ass adults not to have basic decency yk? it's turning me off the group, even though i love the rest of them. well, most of them, Jaemin and Chenle also give me those vibes, though i don't remember if they've ever explicitly said anything like that on camera

so… idk it's weird. I've spent more than two years with nct being my main hobby (idk if that word applies but it's the only one i could think of), and now it all feels a bit icky. I'm just holding on because i think new wayv content will bring me back to them

Hiii! And first of all I feel exactly the same way about everything that you've said. Every single word of it. Like 127 has been touring nonstop and are about to go out again plus a repackaged album after three members being injured. Like it's the kpop industry Skz is also extremely overworked. But like imagine the overall well being of them if they just released one album a year with multiple music videos, promote for like a month and one full and complete tour then, then they rest for at least 5 to 6 months. Or do their own obligations to brands and stuff. I know it's nothing like western pop music cause they run off of high engagement but it's just such a ridiculous system that is doing nothing but harm. They need rest. Sleep, and FOOD!! They're overworking on extreme diets. Like something has to give before it breaks

Then we have the complete opposite with Wayv where it's been two years since an album and despite there being a rightful reason for the delay right now. it's just so unfortunate that they're not getting to do anything. And I think we all know why wayv's comeback has been put on the back burner till now. I'm happy they had a break and they've been just having fun. But you see it in them they want to work, they're so excited for this album. Which I'm buying the moment it's released. But I just want everyone to focus on the boys for their comeback and not the situation around them. I'm sure it's been harder on every single member of Wayv then it is for us and we just gotta keep it a joyous occasion when it finally happens.

And yeahhh, like before I get to how I feel I just want to say before anyone says its part of their culture. Being Fatphobic and Colorist are bad things!!! It's a toxic part of most cultures! Colorism runs rampant in every single non white culture. And it's fucking bad! As a black person I can acknowledge the colorism in my culture is bullshit. And I have never thought that shit was funny. Im always disgusted seeing how dark skin women are treated. And don't get me started on fatphobia. I just want to know why we don't expect grown ass men who have access to the internet and global knowledge to go against societal norms like most of the Younger generations all over. Like why can't we expect better from them. Like Jeno saying why does Haechan have so much flesh after Haechan complimented his muscles like thats a strike. But when he said Haechan fits black panther..........my eye is twitching. And Jisung also always saying something. Sure we don't know they're dynamic. But Jisung was saying do you think Haechan will ever get paler alone out with Chenle. Like that's just not a joke like that shit effects Haechan who is gorgeous and perfect and beautiful. And I remember Haechan wanting a regular coke and Renjun insisting he get diet coke that rubbed me the wrong way for awhile. If my friends joked with me like that uh we're not friends anymore. Like it's toxic behavior like. It's bad no excuses. It's just bad. It's not okay to joke about esp in public spaces do they not understand their words effect Haechan and fans bigger and darker than Haechan. I think I have the most hope in Jaemin cause I just get that from him. Luckily I am a grown ass woman and it doesn't effect me the way it did when I was 16 and 17. It's why I took a break around 19, like kpop really fucked up my self esteem that I had just acquired. I totally feel you. Sidenote the skz thing with Changbin isn't apart of this. Felix and Chan were obviously talking about Changbin's muscles, he's a little beef cake they've both expressed envy of his physique. So Chan and Felix are cool.

I really don't want a 2 baddies part 2 either. Love 127 but thats one 127 song I can't defend. But when Wayv blesses us with their talent and beauty it'll be the best day.