#is that why people always go 'hm it tastes like chicken' when eating something weird?

[coridallasmultipass]

Has Dirk ever actually eaten steak?

(TW casual animal death I guess, sorry)

Okay, so this is a total shitpost idea I had last night on Tweeter and I said I'd make it a post here, so I'm following through. Bear with me, because if I jump past my thought process, I'll probably sound like a total maniac for even imagining this.

Let me back up.

I was thinking about Dirk (a normal occurrence). Then I start thinking about Nepeta, since they have the same Aspect. And then I start thinking about Tavros' cat allergies. So then I circle back to Dirk, since Dirk has obviously never seen a cat in person before, and therefore has no built-up immunity to cat dander, and would definitely be hella allergic. (Also, it's been my headcanon since, like, the dawn of time, that Dirk would have a shit immune system when it comes to humans, on account of never being around another person in his life, and he probably gets super sick upon meeting up with people in person for the first time.)

Back to the steak quote. Dirk has obviously never eaten like, actual steak from a cow before. Cows probably don't even exist anymore, outside of maybe a scant few super high elevation places on the other side of the globe. He probably wouldn't be able to digest it well regardless, since he's never had red meat. Dirk says he fishes, and he's obviously got seagulls around, so that's probably also on the menu (besides the super expired canned and dry ration shit left behind), and it's as natural as eating chicken is for everyone else (cough chicken of the sea joke cough), and he assumes that's what chicken is supposed to taste like, which leads to a hilarious spit-take for his first time trying actual chicken.

Moving forward to post-game. We're gonna set this scenario inside a neat little anime beach episode setting where everyone is happy and alive, because that makes it hilarious. Everyone's having a chill day at the beach. The seagulls presumably pester everyone who has a shiny bag of chips in their hands. People are playing volleyball. It's lunch time.

Dirk is looking at the seagulls eyeballing his bag of chips like, "Man, these guys are so dumb, watch this." And he calls a seagull over because he knows how to call them in a way they immediately trust him, and just... kills it quickly, and goes, "Alright, that was easy, let's start the barbecue, guys."

But there's a pall that's fallen over everyone. The beach ball blows past like a tumbleweed. Everyone's* mouth is agape in pure horror.

Dirk looks at the seagull in his hands. And back at the group. And he's like, "This is another one of those things I needed to deprogram, isn't it."

Everyone is whispering like, "What the fuck..." But to make things worse, Jade declares that there needs to be a funeral for the seagull, because literally no one else there is okay with eating it (and no one told Dirk beforehand, but someone already brought store-bought and pre-seasoned chicken for the barbecue, which doesn't make sense to him because it's not even fresh, aren't you supposed to have like a 'catch of the day' type of thing? Someone has to tell him that that only applies to fish, however arbitrary that seems). And Dirk has to stand there, living the most embarrassing moment of his life, keeping his cool, while perfectly good seagull meat is being lowered into the ground. People build a fucking sand castle memorial.

Jade like, gives him a hug like, "It's okay, Dirk, you didn't mean to do it." And Dirk has to bite back a 'Yeah, I kinda did mean it. This is stupid, and if anything, even worse to waste its life for nothing.' But he has enough self-awareness to know when to at least keep his mouth shut to prevent further damage.

He never could get over how weird chicken actually tastes, it's like fluffy and weird and doesn't even fit the theme of a beach party.

*everyone, except Jake and Nepeta/Davepeta, is completely scandalized at the image of Dirk just snapping a seagull's neck like it's nothing. They still wouldn't eat it, but they at least don't think he's a murderer for doing it.

[taestefully-in-luv]

The Island | KTH (Three)

Summary: You’re just two strangers waking up in a room on a lonely island where a company in the business of love has placed you. They believe that thanks to their in depth research you two are destined soulmates. What happens when your ‘soulmate’ and you want nothing to do with each other but falling in love is the only way to leave?

Pairing: Taehyung x Female reader

Genre: strangers to lovers, very slight enemies to lovers, soulmates au, roommate au, slow burn, fluff, smut, angst, slight crack, and drama.

Word Count: 10.5k

Warnings: swearing, sexual tension (?)

Notes: Hi everyone! Here’s ch3 of the island, hope you guys like it. let me know if you want to be added to the taglist, or send an ask if just want to chat about the stories!:)

taglist: @ggukkieland @monvieesdaebak @707sblog @peacedreamer14 @dopedreamfireparty @everythingnamjoon @taebae19 @typicalgenzworld @mooniyooni @getmemyfries

© taestefully-in-luv

Previous --- Next

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“Okay here goes…” Taehyung preps himself to read the ‘Request’. “The two subjects,” He pauses, rubbing his hands dry on his sweats. “Are required to experience a first date with at least 3 romantic gestures.” He pauses again, blinks at the screen then turns to face you. “A first date? These people want us to what? Have a romantic dinner?”

“So we just have to like, have dinner together…” you begin, turning away from him to face the screen yourself, “That’s not that bad.” You admit.

“What the hell counts as a romantic gesture though?” Taehyung runs a hand through his hair as he continues to look at you. “Like, maybe I cook for you?”

“That’s not a bad idea for a romantic gesture…but that’s if you’re wanting to go through with the request��we could always check out what the penalty is…” you look at him with tired eyes and he frowns at you.

“Remember you talked about how if a request is ‘pure’ enough…” he begins, “That we could just do it. This request isn’t so bad. Let’s just do it.”

“Hm…” you look down at your feet. “But how do we split up the gestures?”

“I’ll do two and you can do one.” He offers with a strained smile, he takes a step back from you and looks all around the room, “It’ll be fine.” He assures you.

“This is so awkward.” You breathe out, then you notice more words showing up on the T.V screen.

“What’s that?” you ask, squinting your eyes. “There’s more?”

“I’ll read it…” Taehyung inches closer to the TV. “Tip:” he says, “Studies show that women are attracted to men wearing blue.” Taehyung scoffs then starts laughing.

“Well, I know what not to wear.” His eyes slide to the side to look at you and he sighs out. “Do you like blue?”

“I don’t really care.” You pinch your nose in annoyance. “We have 24 hours to do this—”

“Tonight, we can do it tonight.” He gets out in a rush, “It’s really our only opportunity for dinner, don’t you think?”

“Oh that’s true.” You huff “Fine.”

“Why are you in such a bad mood?” Taehyung eyes you, “It’s just dinner…”

“No, it’s not that…I just have no idea what to do for a romantic gesture.” You admit, feeling annoyed.

“Oh.” He starts to chuckle, “I can do all three?” he offers with a smile and you shake your head.

“No, that’s not fair.” You say. “Plus, wow…do you really have that many romantic gestures up your sleeve?”

“Something like that.” His cocky grin tells you everything you need to know. Perhaps Taehyung is quite the player in his real life?

“Let’s just meet tonight…”

“I’ll pick you up at your bedroom door once the sun starts setting.” He says and you nod your head in agreeance.

What even makes something romantic? This will probably just be like any other dinner…and for that you’re thankful. You don’t think you can handle the pressures of a real date. But you suppose you will still put some effort. How fancy does this have to be? Should you ask Taehyung?

“Um…” you bite on your lips and Taehyung looks you over, his eyes falling to your mouth as you chew on it.

“What?” he finally asks.

“How should I dress?” you gesture towards your body and Taehyung’s mouth opens to say ‘Ah’ and he nods.

“Something really nice. Maybe a dress, if you want?” he tilts his head, “I mean, I’m not trying to tell you what to wear.”

“That would be easier for me.” You laugh. “Have someone pick my outfits for me.”

“I could look in your closet—”

“I was kidding, Taehyung.”

~~~~~~~~

You stand in your closet and look at all your options—you have a lot. This place was not messing around…they must have known dates were coming because there is a variety of dresses that are quite fancy to choose from. Your fingers drag over the material of a few dresses when your hand stops on a cute black number. You take it off the hanger and push it up against your frame and eye yourself in the mirror…this is cute, really cute. You decide to try it on when your eyes widen in pleasant surprise. The dress fits perfectly—it’s smooth over your curves and has an open back. You approve.

You have been thinking all day what your romantic gesture is going to be but come up empty handed. You have absolutely no idea…you were never the romantic type exactly. Your ex wasn’t that romantic…and neither were you so it’s okay. But you don’t have too much experience in this field and you’re starting to stress out. Taehyung asked that you stay out of the kitchen while he cooks you two dinner…he wants it to be a surprise. The biggest surprise is that Taehyung is okay with all of this, that he agreed to do the request in the first place. You were sure he was going to want to check out the penalty and avoid spending any more time with you than necessary.

For the first time since being on the island you decide on wearing some makeup. Just some light foundation, mascara, and some lip stick. The look is simple yet kind of sexy—if you do say so yourself. It’s been several hours now…you walk to your window and pull back the drapes, the sun is starting to set. Taehyung should be here at any moment and you have to admit your nerves are starting to spike. But you have to remind yourself this isn’t a real date, this is just a show for the cameras. You’re basically being forced into this. Taehyung is being forced into this…you can’t help but frown. You walk back into the bathroom and look into the mirror…did you try too hard? Is this look too much? You’re about to wipe off the lipstick when you hear light knocking on your bedroom door. Welp, here goes nothing.

You stand in front of your door with the knowledge that Taehyung is just on the other side waiting for you and you feel you stomach feel all weird. You hate this. Is this just anxiety? Then there is more knocking on the door, breaking you out of your daze. You reach for the knob and turn it and begin to slowly open the door. And then you see him. Taehyung is wearing a dark long sleeve button up shirt that is tucked into his black pants…you notice how his hair is slightly parted and not as messy as usual and you internally chuckle. He looks at you with an awkward smile before he’s bringing a small “bouquet” of flowers between your bodies.

“For you.” He says.

You tilt your head to the side with a small smile and reach for the flowers and he sighs out in relief.

“Gesture number 1, complete.” He grins and you laugh.

“Where did you even get these?”

“I picked them around the island.” He admits sheepishly, “Sorry they’re all different sizes.”

Taehyung scratches the back of his neck for a few moments before motioning towards the downstairs.

“Should we go have dinner now?”

“Sure.”

You can smell food immediately as you two make your way into the kitchen, it smells delicious and is that…garlic bread you smell? God, you would kill for some garlic bread.

“What did you make?” you ask as you begin to take a seat at the dining room table.

“Actually,” Taehyung grabs you gently by the arm, “I was thinking we could eat on the patio?”

“Oh?” you rise from the seat as he guides you by the arm, “That sounds nice.”

“Wait for me here, I’ll grab the wine and glasses.” He lets go of your arm and heads to the kitchen island. He grabs the two wine glasses and the bottle and nods towards the entry way where the back door is.

You make your way out to the back when you notice the table is set up with two plates and a lit candle.

“Is this gesture number 2?” you ask, gesturing towards the table when Taehyung scoffs.

“This is hardly a romantic gesture. How low are your standards? This is just a part of the date.” He chuckles and you can’t help but feel slightly embarrassed. Are your standards low? Because this is crazy to you…this feels over the top.

“Then what’s your second gesture?”

“Always so greedy for information.” He says under his breath, “You have to wait and see.” He sets the glasses down and pours a generous amount of wine into each. Then he is pulling out your chair for you to sit, “Here.” He says. You follow his lead and sit in the chair, feeling overwhelmed with the kindness. Is this how he dates? Is this how he usually is?

“Thanks…” you mumble.

“I’ll be back with dinner.”

You watch as Taehyung heads back inside and you sigh out heavily…this is all so weird. So awkward. Why is Taehyung being so fucking civil? He hasn’t complained even once? You stare out at the pool, the water looks so fresh and cool. The sky is lit up in pinks and purples and everything feels so lovely…and nothing makes you feel more nauseous.

Finally, Taehyung makes his way back outside with a bowl of…pasta? Noodles and what seems to be chicken.

“Chicken Piccata” he states, his voice low and hesitant. “I know Italian food is very popular for dates.” He admits shyly.

“You cooked this?”

“I don’t know if it even tastes good but lets try it.” He shovels some of the pasta on to your plate and then on to his.

“It smells really good.” You notice he also brought a bowl of bread. “But I really want this.” You reach for the garlic bread with grabby hands.

“Greedy.” He mutters under his breath with a half smile. “So god damn greedy.”

Taehyung takes a seat across from you and watches you with careful eyes as you cut into the chicken and take a bite.

“Well?”

“Jesus Taehyung, maybe you really should listen to your ancestors. This is delicious,” you moan into the food and he grins excitedly.

“Really? Really?” he starts digging into his own food and groans out when he takes his first bite, “Wow, it really is good.”

“You’re surprised? You didn’t test try it?”

“You were my test subject.”

“Oh thanks.” You deadpan.

Taehyung chuckles as he takes another bite of his food, he reaches for the wine and you do the same.

“Cheers.” He says and you roll your eyes.

“What exactly are we saying cheers to?”

“…Don’t be a brat.” He warns. “Let’s just get through this.”

“Why are you taking it so seriously?” you finally ask and he releases a long breath, his eyes looking all around the backyard.

“Because we need to pass it. What if we half ass it and fail, still get hit with the penalty then the half we did try for was for nothing? Better to just go for it and make sure we pass.”

“Oh…that makes sense. I was wondering why you were being so…”

“So what?” he leans his head forward.

“Decent.” You admit. Taehyung looks at you with wide eyes then he closes them slowly.

“y/n…” he opens them and stares at you with such a serious expression. “I was going to talk about this later…but I guess I can bring it up now.”

“Bring what up?”

“I really have been wanting to talk to you but just didn’t really know how…” he admits softly, “I wanted to…I wanted to apologize. I wanted to say sorry for…”

“For?” you ask with a raised brow, waiting expectantly.

“My strategy was stupid and obviously did not work.” He continues, “We have been here a little over two months, right? I don’t think they’re giving up on us.” he says awkwardly.

“But,” he looks at you seriously again, “I’m still not going to like, fall in love with you or anything but I can see us…getting along.” He says between soft breaths. “I won’t be avoiding you anymore is basically what I am saying.”

“You don’t have to constantly remind me of that, I get it. And same goes for you.”

“I’m tired of forcing myself…I just want to be normal.”

“Normal?”

“I’ve been such an ass to you…” his lips curve downwards and you feel your heart pinch in your chest.

“Yeah, you have.”

“You haven’t been the nicest all the time either though.” He reminds you and you feel yourself grow red.

“Fine, maybe not.”

“But I know that’s my fault.” He takes a sip of his wine, the drink leaving a purple tint to his lips. “I’m not usually like that…it’s just…it’s just—”

“I know.” You bring your own wine to your mouth and gulp down the glass. “We are in a tense situation, everyone reacts differently. I wasn’t the most mature either…”

“I wasn’t the most mature either,” Taehyung mocks, “Yeah, no shit.” He says and you rolls your eyes to the back of your head.

“I get it, you think I am a brat.”

“Because you are.” He deadpans. You two stare at one another before you are both breaking into a grin, laughter leaving your lips.

“I think we could get along.” Taehyung admits. “In a totally platonic way, of course.”

“Of course.” You assure him, going in for more of your pasta. “But what makes you think we can get along?”

“y/n…” he rolls his eyes, “Don’t act like you don’t think you could get along with me.” He smirks. “I know you want to get to know me more for starters.”

You blush at his statement, you twirl your fork in the noodles and take a bite.

“That’s normal.” You say. “We live together, of course I want to know you more.”

“Little bit little.” Taehyung promises. “Let’s eat.”

You two make small talk while eating your dinner and drinking your wine. You observe Taehyung as you two sit at this table, he smiles a lot more and laughs a lot more. The way he speaks…you realize he is a lot more innocent than you first imagined.

“And when I got the flowers I low key felt bad because what if they die so soon? I should have left them, shouldn’t I have?” he pouts and you laugh at his dramatics and he continues, “But I thought it would be considered romantic.” His light blush doesn’t go unnoticed by you.

“We can try to keep them alive as long as possible.” You promise with a slur. Taehyung quirks a brow at you, a face full of amusement as he eyes you over.

“Tipsy already?” he asks, a dark chuckle escaping his lips. “Let’s do the second gesture before you’re drunk.”

“What’s the second gesture?” you question and he stands up from his chair and extends his hand out for you to grab.

“Come with me.”

“What about our dishes?”

“I’ll come back for them later.”

You grab onto his large hand and he holds on to yours tightly as he helps you stand up, then you are quickly letting go. He leads you back inside into the living room and you stand here awkwardly as he messes with the vinyl.

“We’re going to listen to some music?” you ask and Taehyung glances your way and offers you a soft smile.

“Sort of.”

“Sort of?”

Then he’s got some slow, jazzy song playing in the background. He walks towards you and offers you his hand again.

“We’re going to dance.” He says, his voice soft and low like a hum. “Take my hand,”

“What? No way!” you shake your head and he chuckles, “I don’t like to dance!” you take a step back from him.

“You barely have to do anything, just move side to side.” He looks at you, clearly amused once again.

“This is so embarrassing.”

“Pretend they aren’t watching.”

“Even if no one else was watching I would still be embarrassed.” You set your lips into a straight line, “This is so awkward.”

“Just take my hand and follow my lead.”

You give Taehyung a look of defeat before you’re taking his hand…you grab onto it and Taehyung closes his hand around yours firmly as he guides you to the center of the living room. He hesitantly pulls you in closer, your feet clumsily moving towards him.

“You can come closer you know?” Taehyung smirks. You look up at him with doe eyes and he softens just the slightest. “Come closer.” He softly commands, pulling your body even closer to his.

His other hand travels to your bare back, his fingers sliding delicately over your skin and you close your eyes at the contact.

“By the way…Uh, never mind.” Taehyung shakes his head with an awkward smile.

“What?”

“No, nothing.”

“Just tell me, would you?”

“This dress is really nice.” He breathes out, his hand finally settling on the small of your back.

“I thought so too.” You look up at him and he narrows his eyes at you.

“Say thank you.” He pulls you in a little closer, swaying you to the lovely music.

“Fine, thank you.” You tilt your head up more to get a better look at him, “Your outfit is nice too?”

“That’s a question?” he laughs, “You are the worst on dates.”

“It’s not like this is a real date.” You whisper and he rolls his eyes.

“So you’re saying you’re usually better at this?”

“No comment.” You playfully remark, “Is dating like your specialty?”

“Not really, but I try.” He leans his head down. “Do you think I’m good at it?” “No comment.” You say and Taehyung chuckles into your neck, his breaths hitting your sensitive skin. He lifts his head back up and stares into your eyes for a few moments, his gaze lingering for far too long.

“What?” you break contact, looking to the side.

“You’re wearing makeup.”

“Should I not have?”

“No, it looks nice. Different.” He admits, “It’s the first time, right?”

“Yeah.”

Taehyung’s fingers glide up your back, he feels how soft your skin is as he stares down at you with his intense gaze.

“Do you like backless clothing?” you blurt out and Taehyung’s eyes expand in surprise, he’s immediately bringing his hand back down to your waist and clears his throat awkwardly.

“Why? Why do you ask that?”

“You keep feeling my skin.” You tell him shamelessly. “Not that it isn’t nice but it’s a little weird don’t you think?” you chuckle and he starts to turn a lovely shade of pink.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to. I did it mindlessly.” He chokes out and you laugh.

“It’s okay.” You lean up, surprising Taehyung…he starts to panic as he feels you get closer and closer. You peck his cheek, leaving such warmth behind as you lean away from him again.

“What—what was that for?”

“My romantic gesture.” A sly smile plays at your lips, “I couldn’t think of anything else, sorry.”

Taehyung lets go of your hand and takes a step away from you, he hates the blush that creeps on his cheeks, turning him into a tomato.

“So we did all three gestures then?” he asks shyly.

“I guess that means the date can end…” you look at him with a smile. “Goodnight Tae—”

“I won’t be avoiding you anymore.” He cuts you off, “We can hang out whenever.”

“Oh?”

“I’m serious about what I said earlier, I really am sorry.”

“I believe you Taehyung.” You say softly and he can’t help the smile that adorns his face.

“It’s still early…we can play a game or something?”

“How about we start with cleaning up?” you offer, gesturing towards the back. “Our dishes are still out there.”

“Right.”

~~~~~~

You and Taehyung sit on the living room sofa, he on one end and you on the other. You’re still wearing your fancy clothes and makeup, not wanting to completely waste the look. Taehyung is playing some game while you have your book in your hands, you’re barely paying attention to your book as Taehyung yells at the screen. There’s been no sign that you two passed the request or not. Do they not consider the date over? Your mind races…what if you two failed? You admit your gesture was kind of lame…but you truly could not think of anything else. What if it doesn’t count? But man, many things Taehyung did could count as gestures…the meal he cooked, the lit up candle, pulling out your chair…

You watch Taehyung as he plays his game, he’s concentrating so hard it makes you a little soft. He’s like an excited kid…a good look on him, you admit. Is this how he normally is? The bits and pieces you’ve seen of him where he’s kind and playful. Is that the real Taehyung? But you’ve learned first dates don’t reveal how a person really is.

“Come on, let me take you out.” He keeps coming to your desk to pester you as you grin down at the work in front of you.

“I told you no though.” You keep your eyes on your computer screen. “Like, 5 times already.”

“y/n.” he whines, “I know you want to.”

He’s not wrong…you’ve definitely thought about it the last few weeks…but you know, you really know it is not the wisest thing.

“I won’t tell anyone if you won’t.” he lightly teases, “Just one date. If you decide it’s not for you then I promise to leave you alone about it—”

“Good morning sir! I’ll have the report for you by noon.” Layla comes up to him with a smile on her face, she looks between you two and nods.

“Sounds good, thanks Layla.” He stiffens as he speaks.

You know getting involved with someone from work is probably a mistake…but your boss?

Layla nods again and walks off towards her own desk and he relaxes just a bit.

“One date, y/n.” he whispers.

“Fine, just one.” You finally give in, you can’t help the smile that graces your features.

“Great.” He breathes out, “I’ll contact you later.” He leans away from your desk and walks back to his office.

You feel the giddiness in your body rise…it’s been a while since you’ve gone on a date and he’s always been so sweet to you. Hopefully it goes well.

You sit on the sofa, anxiety starting to fill you up. Your breaths become a bit heavier as you stare down at your book and you feel your eyes gloss over. You hate this. You hate thinking about him—remembering him. It brings you down so much that it just hurts.

“Hey…” You hear Taehyung’s voice cut through your thoughts, “You okay?”

You were so lost in your own world you forgot about Taehyung and how he is sitting two feet away from you.

“Yeah,” you sigh out, “fine.”

“You sound…” he bites on his bottom lip, contemplating what to say. “Okay, if you say so. Want to play a game with me?”

“Honestly, I think I’ll get ready for bed.”

“I was thinking we can finally watch that movie…” Taehyung offers, “Or we can watch a different movie.”

“Sorry Taehyung, but I think I’ll go to bed.” You close your book and stand to your feet, the blanket falling off your body. You turn to face him and offer him an apologetic smile and begin to head upstairs. Taehyung hears your light footsteps travel up the stairs and then he’s hearing the soft click of your bedroom door closing. He sighs out heavily. Maybe this was too much for you? Are you overwhelmed?

Taehyung pauses his game, his grip tightening on the controller. Maybe he was previously too much of an asshole to you that you can’t see him any other way now. He would really hate that…he wants to not just be civil with you, but he wants to get along. You two are stuck together, might as well become something like friends.

He leans back on the sofa and groans out in subtle frustration. He doesn’t want to be frustrated…it’s not like he’s frustrated at you but more like this whole day. Did he do too much? He’s starting to feel bad…you don’t seem to use to romance. You must be overwhelmed and it’s most definitely his fault. Maybe he should talk to you? Apologize? Yes, that’s what he’s going to do.

Taehyung sits up from leaning on the couch and decides that’s exactly what he’s going to do. He’s going to go upstairs and tell you he’s sorry, he didn’t mean to freak you out, so on and so forth. He stands from the couch and makes his way upstairs until he’s knocking on your door. He knocks a few times waiting patiently but you don’t come to the door. He decides to knock again and again and again. He’s starting to wonder if you’re okay? Is it alright if he just walks in? He wants to know if you’re fine. You could be crying? You looked pretty choked up on the couch and he felt his heart drop at the sight. Last thing he wants is to make a girl cry.

So, Taehyung does what any normal human being would do—he barges in the room. There’s no sign of you in the bedroom but he does notice the bathroom door mostly closed, only left open a crack. He hears you humming one of his made up tunes and he can’t help but smile. He walks towards the bathroom door and begins to creep it open when he sees you through the crack…his pupils blow out at the sight. You’re wearing nothing but some lacey light pinky panties with a bra to match as you stare at yourself in the mirror, removing your make up. His eyes drag down the curves of your body, stopping every few moments to soak you in. He’s seen you in a bikini so this isn’t any different—so he keeps trying to tell himself. But the lace is almost see through and it has been a while since Taehyung has seen a sight like this.

He blinks at you, gulping down his spit and about to make his presence known when he realizes he looks like a peeping tom. Fuck. He doesn’t know what to do, he’s frozen here just staring at you. His eyes travel up your body until he’s staring at your face and unfortunately, very, very unfortunately, your eyes meet his in the mirror.

“Taehyung?” you whisper then your eyes turn into saucers. “What the hell!” you grab a t shirt from the counter and slip it over your body and walk towards the bathroom door. You swing it open and look at him expectantly.

“Want to tell me why the hell you’re watching me when I’m not wearing any clothes?”

Taehyung gulps again, feeling caught red handed. His blush is unimaginably rosy right now, he begins to stutter out a few words but ultimately can’t find the right ones to speak. He shamelessly skims your body again… the t shirt doing very little to hide your pink lacey panties and Taehyung feels himself grow warmer at the sight.

“I was just…” he clears his throat, calming himself down. “I wanted to make sure you were okay.” He states firmly while still growing redder and redder.

“You couldn’t have knocked? Or like announced your presence?”

“I tried.” He defends weakly. “You didn’t answer.”

“Oh.” You sigh out, “Sorry, I’ve just been in my head I guess.”

“I wanted to say sorry…”

“You’ve already apologized plenty of times, Taehyung.”

“No, for tonight. Was it too much?”

“No…” you walk a bit closer to him, “It was nice actually.” You admit. “I’m sorry you were forced to do something like that for me.” The guilt in your voice doesn’t go unnoticed by Taehyung and his lips curve downwards.

“No one forced me to do anything.”

“You wouldn’t have done it if it weren’t for that request.” You bite, “So yeah you were forced.”

Taehyung glances down at your exposed thighs, his eyes lingering on your skin and you start to feel a bit insecure under his gaze.

“I should find some shorts.” You awkwardly chuckle. “hold on.” You turn around and start to walk towards the closet. Taehyung’s eyes slide down to your ass as you walk quite slowly. He watches how your panties ride up between your cheeks and his blush deepens. Fuck, he needs to be careful where his eyes end up.

You walk back out wearing yoga pants and Taehyung sighs in relief. But he also feels disappointed because—no, he will not have these types of thoughts.

“So, are you okay?” Taehyung awkwardly swings his arms back and forth as he waits for an answer.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Great. I’ll leave you alone now.” Taehyung says, he begins to walk backwards until his legs hit the bed. You walk forward until you’re standing in front of him and he swallows down the lump in his throat.

“Try to wear clothes from now on.” He gestures towards your body with a soft smirk, he’s trying his hardest to play it cool.

“Why?” you take a step forward, “Does it cause you trouble?”

“Nah” he says cooly, “But you want these cameras zooming in on your ass?”

“There’s no cameras in here, remember?”

“As far as we know.” Taehyung rolls his eyes. “Still, you should be careful.”

“Yes sir.” You reply and he quirks a brow in amusement. “Oh?” you take another step towards him. “Please tell me that isn’t a kink of yours.”

“And if it is?”

“Good thing I’ll never find out.” You motion your hand towards your bedroom door, signaling for him to leave.

“Right.” He smirks at you, leaving you feeling strange. “Well, goodnight y/n.” he steps closer to you, his eyes boring into yours. You breathe in and out, waiting for him to turn and leave but he continues to stare into your eyes making you feel breathless.

“What?” you finally ask, your tone soft and shy.

“Pink looks good on you.” He whispers and you freeze. He smirks down at you and turns to face the bedroom door.

Taehyung makes his way out of the room and heads back downstairs. He finds himself sitting on the sofa with his head in his hands…the memory of your ass imprinted in his mind. Suddenly, the TV turns white causing Taehyung to look up.

“PASS” written on the screen and Taehyung darkly chuckles.

“Of course.”

~~~~~~~

The switch in Taehyung’s demeanor is strange to you at first. He’s still a smart ass though and loves to annoy you. But he’s mostly kind and playful. You’re the only one who is still awkward and defensive, you hate to admit it.

“My god, woman.” Taehyung groans, “Just open the door and let me see.”

“No, I look horrible!” you yell out, “I’m wearing a hat until it grows back!”

“Just let me see.” He says with a strict voice, and you hesitantly begin to open the door and he’s facing you. You see his lips twist into a troubled smile.

“Oh my god. So it does look that bad.”

Taehyung starts busting out laughing, his laughter rumbles throughout the whole house.

“No!” he rushes to get out, “Okay, maybe a little.” He continues to laugh.

“Fuck my life.” You throw your head back and Taehyung pushes his way through the bathroom.

“I’ll fix it for you.” He offers.

“You’d probably fuck it up more.”

“Notice my hair? It looks decent right? I do it myself.” He gushes over his own abilities.

“I guess that’s true…”

“Let me do it for you.” He says more softly. “Don’t be a fucking brat.”

“Stop calling me a brat.” You pout and he pats the top of your head.

“No.” he says with a grin and you roll your eyes.

“Fine, fix it.”

Taehyung beams at you and grabs the scissors.

“This is basically a trust exercise.” Taehyung points out, “Bonding.”

“This isn’t how I want to bond. Can’t we bond like normal people?”

“Nothing about our situation is normal.” He deadpans, “Plus, this is fun.”

“For you.” You grumble.

“Yeah. Maybe. Don’t be a baby.”

“I’d rather be a baby than a brat.”

“Baby y/n.” he coos, and you swat his arm. “Hey!” he laughs out. “Be nice to your hairdresser.”

“Too bad the company can’t see us in here.” Taehyung comments.

“Why?”

“They don’t see us bonding or ‘undoubtedly falling in love’ as they would say. You know just two soulmates cutting hair”

“How can you joke so easily now?” you frown.

“Coping mechanism.” Taehyung shoots you some finger guns. “does it make you uncomfortable?”

“Not really.”

“Sweet.”

“Hey Taehyung?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for being yourself. I feel more at ease now.” You admit, you look up into his eyes and inch a little closer to him. Taehyung nods his head, taking a deep breath as he inches closer to you as well.

“You just thanked me for being…me?” he whispers.

“Yeah.” You clear your throat. “You know, unlike that asshole persona you had going.”

“I don’t think it was a total persona…I think I really was being an asshole.” He admits, closing his eyes. “I’m really sorry.” He opens his eyes again and looks at you.

“We’re in this together, you know?”

“Yeah, I know.”

“What if we faked it?” you whisper so fucking quietly he almost doesn’t hear you.

“Faked it?” he whispers back.

“Fake fall in love with me…in front of the cameras.” You say in a hushed tone, stepping closer to him. “I’ll fake fall in love with you in return. We get sent home. Bam.”

Taehyung narrows his eyes at you then scoffs,

“You think they would really buy that? Plus no offense, something tells me you’re a horrible actress.”

“I’ll have you know I am great at pretend.” You stick your nose in the air. “What do we have to lose?”

“Our dignity.” He says with a straight face. “I don’t know, y/n…”

“Give it a chance, would ya?” you frown, “it might get the requests off our backs for a while…it might not be good enough to get sent home…but I’m trying Taehyung.”

Taehyung sighs out, he can tell you really are trying. More than he currently is…you are right. You guys need a plan, sitting around all day is getting you two nowhere.

“How do we convince them?” he finally asks, his voice low.

“You’re considering it?” you ask, surprised.

“Yes.”

“Okay, I don’t know.” You admit. “We can start with some innocent flirting. Then eventually move on to sweet gestures…then pet names…then…I don’t know,” you slide your eyes to the side.

“You do know. Continue.”

“We could try being affectionate. You know, eventually. I’m not saying we do anything crazy!” you throw your hands up. “But god, this is awkward.”

“Okay…I’m listening.” Taehyung whispers, “Let’s just start easy. I can flirt. But can you?”

“I’ll have you know I am quite good at acting.” You groan.

“Prove it to me. Right now.” He steps closer to you and you feel yourself blush at the close contact.

“What’s the point? Just wait…”

“No, I’m testing you.” He admits, “I want to know you can really do this.”

You take a deep breath, your big, doe eyes narrowing at him as you step closer, your face tilting up in his space. Your fingers crawl up his chest until they’re gripping the collar of his shirt. Taehyung doesn’t seem too bothered though, he just stares into your eyes.

“How badly do you want to test me?” you ask.

He gazes into your dark eyes, he allows the moments tension to build.

“Pretty badly.” He admits, licking his drying lips.

You lean up until your lips graze the shell of his ear and he gulps, “Come test me in there.” You nod towards your bedroom and Taehyung starts to feel the heat creep up on his cheeks. There’s no way you’re making him feel flustered. Maybe your ass, but not you.

“No?” You lean away from him, loosening your grip on his shirt. “Didn’t thinks so. Don’t test me Taehyung.” You take a few steps backward and grin at him.

“How was I?” you ask, folding your arms across your chest.

“Fine.” He mumbles.

~~~~~~

Month: 3

Today is a beautiful day like many of the days you’ve seen here, but you rarely go out and enjoy them. That should change. So yes, it’s a warm and sunny day, the crash of waves sounds so inviting. And you want to experience it.

“Wanna lay on the beach today?” you are laying across the sofa with your feet put up over the top.

“Why do that when we can,” Taehyung pauses, focusing on his game. You watch as he desperately pushes against the same few buttons. “Shit!”

You roll your eyes, “Come on! We need some vitamin D!”

Taehyung’s hand freezes, he turns to face you with a smirk playing at his lips. God, you know where this is going. He’s so predictable.

“You need some D?” There it is. “y/n…I told you we aren’t like th—” you kick his shoulder with your foot. Taehyung chuckles to himself, “Okay okay fine. We can get some sun, enjoy the scenery blah blah blah”

Feeling pleased, you stand from your spot on the couch. “Great! I’ll go get dressed, you do the same okay?”

“Kay” he replies back lazily, still working his fingers on the controller. You roll your eyes again as you head upstairs.

You make your way to the kitchen when you spot Taehyung standing by the back door. He’s wearing a pair of dark blue swim trunks and a towel draped over his right arm. He’s already so tan, and his body is so…Fuck, it’s annoying how hot he is. Being friends—can you say that? Friends? Well, being friends with him is easy, but the easiest thing to do when it comes to Taehyung is looking at him. Def easy on the eyes. He’s swaying back and forth out of boredom you assume, whistling some made up tune. He’s really getting into it before you interrupt him with the clearing of your throat.

You stand here awkwardly, dressed in a simple black bikini. You have your towel held over your stomach. You notice Taehyung’s eyes widen just the slightest once he spots you. He has one of the most intimidating gazes you’ve ever seen so him staring at you makes you feel even more self-conscious than you already are. He shamelessly eyes you over. God damn it, why does he have to be so obvious? You know it’s to show the cameras he has a growing interest in you. But still, it makes you feel flustered.

“W-Well, let’s go.” you whisper. Why the fuck did you have to sound so breathless, oh my god you are so pathetic.

He smiles and nods his head towards the door, “Yeah, let’s go!”

The last month you and Taehyung have spent every day together…from gaming, to watching shows and movies to watching him paint…god, you even work out together. You two have no doubt crossed over to the friendship realm but things are still a bit awkward every now and then. Like, your god damn hormones wont chill out sometimes. It’s not like you view Taehyung that way but you do have eyes.

Wow, when you say the weather is something else. The sky is a dreamy shade of blue with a few marshmallow clouds painted on. The breeze that escapes the sea rushes through you, reminding you that you are alive. The sand beneath you is warm, the water that greets you is cool. It’s as perfect as perfect gets.

Taehyung and you lay out your towels over the grainy sandy, feeling satisfied with how soft the ground feels beneath you. You two lay out for about an hour in comfortable silence, just enjoying the weather and you know, one another’s company. Or whatever.

“Totally worth coming out, right?” You are rested on your tummy, your arms crossed underneath your head.

“It feels amaaaazing.” Taehyung mirrors your position, his head facing yours.

You decide to finally do it. You are going to ask the question. Just do it y/n. Say it now bitch…’Where are you from?’ it’s that easy, come on.

“Do you live by a beach?” Okay. Close enough.

“There’s some nearby.” Taehyung replies nonchalantly. Oh, you guess it wasn’t a big deal after all.

“I see…” You squint and raise your brows urging him to tell you more. He doesn’t.

“What about you?”

“I don’t live anywhere near a beach…it’s a far drive at least.”

A few moments of silence pass between you two. You watch as Taehyung chews on the inside of his mouth watching you. Then you close your eyes, feeling the breeze.

“Korea”

“Huh?”

“That’s where I’m from.” Taehyung says carefully.

“Cool,” I open my eyes. Then you open them a little wider.

“Well, I kind of figured…” you admit, “Your name.”

“Yeah. What about you? Where are you from?”

“(Where you’re from)”

“Nice…I wonder how they found us and matched us…”

“Yeah…” you open your eyes and take a look at him, “What do you do in Korea?”

“I was going to school.” Taehyung blinks slowly at you.

“Was?…What did you go to school for?” You ask, your curiosity obvious.

Taehyung tenses a bit before letting out a long sigh.

“Haaaa, business.”

Taehyung? In business? That seems hard to believe. Aren’t the business type more stiff and uptight? Or do you watch too many dramas?

“You don’t really strike me as the business type,” you finally say before he’s cutting you off.

“That’s because I’m not. I…”

“What?”

Taehyung looks at you cautiously then rolls his eyes. “Ah, fuck it, I have no shame. I dropped out.” He states matter of fact.

“You dropped—”

“Yup, I wanted to prioritize myself and my happiness, you know?” His eyes find yours. “My dad wanted me to go for business and eventually take over his company,” Taehyung breathes out, defeated.

“Tae…” you reach over to squeeze his forearm. Wait, is that weird? Your hand lingers on his skin. “So then, what do you do?” you rush to bring your hand back to your own body.

Taehyung’s face lights up just a bit at your question. He looks happier, his cheeks turning a nice shade of pink.

“I quit school to pursue making music.” He admits softly. Ah, that’s why. His answer warms your insides. You love seeing him so passionate about his music, he has every right to be. He spends a lot of time in his little music studio, he hasn’t shown you any of his songs yet but you know they mean a lot to him.

“I have a few friends where I live that are in the scene and they helped me a lot…I’ve sold some songs actually,” his smile begins growing as he talks. He speaks fondly over his friends and his music but then his face falls.

“I know what you’re thinking though,” his dark eyes look into yours, “That like, how could I make a living this way…its unstable...and—”

You push your head back in disbelief. “Taehyung, that’s not at all what I’m thinking?” you pinch your brows together, “I know you’ve only known me for a little while but do I really seem like that type of person who would think that?” you laugh bitterly, “I wish you would show me a song but I’ll just have to trust you that it’s good.” Taehyung can’t help but smile at that.

“How can I trust you? I just met you?” Taehyung mocks you from the time you first met and you turn pink.

“Well, I know you a little better now…” you continue to blush.

Taehyung looks at you for a moment, his smile growing wider and wider.

“Just a little?” He finally asks, his tone softer than the clouds in the sky. You only nod, a smile shining his way.

“What about you?” he asks excited. “What do you do?” He’s scooting closer to you, thrilled like an adorable child.

The smile you are wearing begins to fade, never leaving a trace of joy.

“Umm.” you flip to your back, fingers playing at your tummy.

Taehyung senses your shift in mood and turns to lay on his back as well, “Oh…we don’t have to talk about it, I guess.” He offers.

“No, no. You opened up to me so I—"

“So you don’t have to do anything.” He states firmly.

“And if I want to?”

“Then I am all ears.” He smiles cheekily.

You reach over for your bottle of water, taking a few generous sips. Opening up is a bit hard for you, you mean damn, you can’t do it all! Sue you, you got issues. It’s not that you don’t want to open up to Taehyung—you do, you really do. You want to know the person you are living with, and vise versa. But it’s more like…you are embarrassed.

“I live with my parents.” you finally admit.

“Wait…is that what you’re ashamed of?” Taehyung asks with a puzzled look on his face.

“No, not exactly. It’s the reason why and how.

“So, then tell me why and how—if you want, of course.”

You look up at the clouds in the sky, they truly are the perfect shaped clouds, the type a child draws on a piece of paper. You squint at the sun, letting its warmth wash over you. Your eyes begin to gloss over…just a little bit. You’re not that big of a baby. Or maybe you are.

You move to lay on your side, staring directly at Taehyung. Still squinting, as if he is the sun trying to blind you.

“At my old job,” you begin, your voice small. “I got involved with someone. My last boyfriend.” You pause, recalling the memories. “Ugh, I am going to seem so pathetic.” you laugh, ashamed of yourself.

“Only pathetic thing about you is your Mario Kart places.” He teases. “But other than that you’re not pathetic, whatever it is.” He assures you. He turns to lay on his side as well, one hand holding up his head.

“Ha-ha. But no, I really am…or was. He was my boss. He started pursuing me out of nowhere and I knew, I promise I knew that it was unprofessional. But I guess somehow get won me over.” Your eyes dart all around the beach. “He got me.”

Taehyung is listening to you intently, waiting for you to continue.

“Well, I fell in love. Like an idiot. And I wanted to go public with our relationship, so I told a few coworkers. Like an idiot.”

“And then?”

“And then…he got so angry at me. Told everyone I was delusional. Called me a liar, told everyone that I came on to him. And—”

“What a fucking dick.” Taehyung looks at you incredulously, “You’re telling me, he came on to you then totally twisted it and betrayed you?”

“He…he filed an official complaint against me. Got me fired.” you try your hardest to blink back tears that threaten to bubble over and fall.

Taehyung quickly sits up, sitting with his legs crossed. “I’m sorry he—he got you… he got you fired?” Taehyung looks peeved to say the least.

“Ah,” you sniffle, using the back of your hand to clear away any stray tears that may or may not have fallen. “It’s in the past now. I had to move back home and basically start fresh, you know?”

Taehyung’s face is stoic. His lips set in a firm line and his brows set in an angry V.

“How long ago?” he finally speaks after a long moment of just staring at you.

“Just a few months.” To some that may seem like a long time, but the wound is still very fresh.

“Do you…” Taehyung bites at his bottom lip, “Do you still love him? I mean, did you love him?”

Your mouth falls open, then closes, then opens again.

“So you do?” he looks disappointed.

“No! Of course not! I mean, I did. I think I did.” You sit up too, crossing your legs out in front of you. “Maybe I didn’t.” you say quietly. “I think I don’t know what love is. But it hurt like I was in love.” Well shit, this just turned a whole lot deeper than you planned on.

Taehyung just nods in agreement not knowing what to say, you guess, you don’t blame him. Taehyung continues to just look at you, like he feels something for you. And you know what that something is—pity.

“It’s not pity, you know.” Shit, did you say that thought out loud?

“What?” you respond.

“It’s just…I wish that didn’t happen to you. This world is full of assholes y/n, no one’s safe from them. Especially not good people like you.”

“Thanks Taehyung…”

“And as far as not knowing what love is…I think you’ll know when you know. That’s what they say right?” he chuckles darkly. “You’ll have some awesome, epic love story I bet.” He finally smiles. “Because you deserve it.”

“How do you know, you barely know me?” you tease.

“I’ve been stuck with the same one person every day for like 3 months, I know you enough to know if you’re a good person. And you are.”

Your heart soars at his observation of you.

“You’re kind of a baby sometimes and you are the world’s biggest brat but still, I approve.” Taehyung leans forward with his head in his hands. “y/n’s a good person.”

Your breathing picks up a little at his words, they rush through your veins. Each and every word becomes one with your body and you ache for more. You smile for him, but it’s an awkward one and you hope to God he doesn’t notice.

“Coolio.” Why the fuck did you say ‘Coolio’? What is wrong with you for Christs sake. “Uh, anyway…” you rise to your feet, gathering your towel and bottled water. “That’s enough Vitamin D for one day!

Taehyung is still seated in his spot, just staring up at you with his gaze that drives you nuts.

“Taehyung?”

“Huh? Yeah?” He snaps out of his weird daze.

“Wanna head home?”

Taehyung rolls his eyes at you, “We’re calling it ‘home’ now?” he raises a single brow.

“Don’t be annoying.” You extend your hand for him to take, which he does. He’s standing to his feet, he has a few inches over you. You decide they’re a little intimidating after all.

~~~~~~

“What the hell did we do to deserve this?” Taehyung screams out, his loud voice booming throughout the house.

“Didn’t we just have a request not that long ago?” you question with a frown.

“It’s because you suck at flirting.” He whispers in your ear. “They aren’t buying it.”

“Maybe it’s you who sucks.” You whisper back.

“Oh baby, it’s not me. I’m not the problem.”

“Whatever, what does it say?”

“Must snuggle on the couch while holding hands while watching a romantic movie.” He scoffs, “What a childish request.” He says.

“We should be thankful it’s as childish as this.” You point out.

“What? Did you think it was going to say ‘The two subjects gotta fuck on the couch.’ Hm?” Taehyung laughs bitterly, and you roll your eyes.

“What’s the penalty?” you ask, curious.

“Does it matter? We got this.” He runs a hand through his messy hair.

You look at Taehyung, worry written all over your face.

“Wait what does the text say at the bottom of the screen?” you point towards the Tv where small letters grace the bright screen.

“Fact:” Taehyung begins reading, “Oxytocin is sometimes called the ‘love hormone’—you often have more of it in your blood if you cuddle with your partner a lot.” He gulps, “They really want to move this along, huh?”

“They said we have 24 hours to complete a ‘Request’ right? Should we do it—”

“—Tonight. Let’s just do it later tonight. I’ll leave choosing the movie to you.”

~~~~~~~

There was a storm earlier today, but it has relaxed a bit. Soft rain glides down the windows, every now and then flashes of lightning paints bright bolts against the black canvas sky. It’s calm enough to give you a sense of peace…despite your current position. You’re not one to get nervous…at least you don’t think you are. Shit, do you even know yourself? Anyway, back to your nerves. You are currently sitting shoulder to shoulder with Taehyung on the sofa, you are facing the TV with your fingers interlocked resting on top of his thighs. His thick, meaty thighs. Neither of you say a word while the movie plays—the Titanic. An honestly horrible choice. Your choice. See, this is why you don’t like to make decisions, because when you do they usually suck.

“Do you think this counts as snuggling? We are just sitting shoulder to shoulder…” you speak up, hating how your voice comes out a tad bit shaky.

“I told you this wouldn’t count as snuggling.” He huffs out, “You need to get closer to me, touch me more.”

“All the sudden I don’t remember how to cuddle with another person.” You say quickly and Taehyung looks at you with a mischievous glint in his eye.

“When’s the last time you cuddled with someone?”

“Somehow I don’t think that’s any of your business.” You say with a sharp tone. “Okay, would if I like, lay my head on your shoulder?”

“You’re so awkward. Here,” Taehyung detangles his fingers from yours and wraps his arm around your waist, pulling you closer to his body, your legs almost overlapping his. In fact, he takes one of your legs and drapes it over his thigh, then he’s bringing his arm back to his front and grabbing your hand again. He places your hands on top of your thigh, and interlocks his fingers with yours once again.

“Now we look closer.” He says nonchalantly. “And yeah, put your head on my shoulder…get comfortable. Might as well, because you chose the longest fucking movie.”

“Sorry.” You say, you look up at him and eye him carefully. He’s wearing a plain t shirt and some dark sweat pants…his hair is still kind of wet from his shower and the closer you lean into him the more you can smell him. He smells so good. Like, his soap and something else, something deep and natural. It’s filling your senses, causing you to feel slightly lightheaded.

You catch Taehyung looking at you from the corner of his eye and you quickly jerk your head back towards the direction of the TV. Shit. When will this movie end?

“I said you can lay on me…” Taehyung whispers. “We want to make sure we pass this ‘Request.’”

“Right…” you lay your head down on his shoulder, sinking a little lower into the sofa as you get comfortable. Snuggling and holding hands is hardly an issue…you’re an adult. But being watched in this situation feels odd as hell.

“What’s his face is such a dick.” Taehyung lazily comments, pulling you out of your thoughts. He seems somewhat invested in the movie, unlike yourself. God, it’s just you right? You’re the only one feeling nervous. You’re pathetic. It’s like he doesn’t even feel your hand in his, as he is so easily distracted by the damn characters in the movie.

Taehyung then begins to you are assuming, mindlessly, stroke his thumb over yours, still commenting on how Rose should kick Cal’s ass. You go rigid in his grasp but Taehyung doesn’t seem to notice. In fact, this dude just continues to play with your fingers like it’s the most natural thing to do! But then you realize maybe he’s doing it for the cameras? Yes, your nerves are fucking spiking. Your heart is literally on the brink of exploding out of your chest. Yet, you remain calm. And things proceed smoothly. But then the dreaded, yes dreaded, car sex scene comes rolling on screen and you want to die. It’s not even a particularly sexy scene but still, it’s enough to fill the room with tension. But maybe you are imagining it.

“This is so awkward.” Taehyung quietly cries, “I hate this.”

Are you imagining the sweat that’s pooling in Taehyung’s hand, or maybe it’s your own palm that’s suddenly drenched. You can admit, it’s…been a while since, you know. Rose and Jack begin to kiss passionately and you groan, you want this to end. Taehyung stares at the screen, licking his dry lips as he watches the movie.

“Tell me when it’s over.” You bury your face in Taehyung’s shoulder and he laughs.

“What are you 5? Can’t handle a little movie sex?” he chuckles, “Are you not a fan of car sex or what?” he asks and you lift your head up in shock. He did not just ask that.

“What?” he feigns innocence, “You’re the one always trying to get to know each other.” He points out with a sly grin.

“I don’t ask you about your sex life! Just stuff like what you like to do for fun!”

“What if that answer is ‘sex’?” he smirks down at you and you feel yourself grow warm.

“Oh my god, Taehyung.” You hit his leg, “Three months with you and you’re finally starting to show your true colors. Typical man.” You scoff and Taehyung bursts out into his deep laughter.

“Typical man? You mean typical human being? Women like sex just as much. I mean, take Rose here for example. She really seems to be enjoying herself.”

“When will this movie end?” you whine, “I’m tired of holding your sweaty hand.”

Taehyung blushes, feeling a little embarrassed by your statement.

“I thought it was your hand that’s sweaty…” he admits, “Sorry, if it’s me.”

“This position isn’t very comfortable.” You say, struggling to find a nice spot. “Maybe we can try something else?”

“Like what? There’s not much we can do sitting down.”

“Maybe we can lay?” you suggest shyly. “But how do we lay comfortably while holding hands.” you realize. “Ugh.”

“Here.” Taehyung detangles your fingers and moves your leg off of him, “Lay on my lap, like lay your head down. And then this arm can hang over your waist while this hand holds your hand.”

You listen to what he says, following his instructions. You lift your legs up on the couch and lay you head down in his lap…careful of where you lay it. You get comfortable and nod your head, waiting for him to interlock his fingers with yours once again.

“Umm, my other hand will be at your waist, is that okay?”

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

Taehyung hesitantly drapes his arm over your waist, his fingers brushing against your skin where your shirt his ridden up. You tense when you feel his fingers accidently touch your bare skin.

“Sorry.” Taehyung gulps. You use your other arm to bring the shirt back down, his eyes following your movements.

“I wish this wasn’t so awkward.” You admit.

You hear Taehyung release a long breath.

“Awkward because it’s with me or because we’re being watched?” he asks quietly.

“Can I say both?” you breathe out.

“Yeah…” Taehyung gives your hand a light squeeze.

Finally, the movie starts coming to an end. You sigh out in relief, you can finally move on with your lame life. The screen goes white again and after a moment the word ‘PASS’ is shown across. You both relax at the sight.

You continue to sit here, his hand loosening in your grip. You get the hint and let go of his hand altogether, trying not to get all awkward. But fuck, you are awkward as hell. Jesus Christ, help you. Taehyung just stares down at you and then suddenly breaks into a grin,

“We did it!” He reaches for your hand, holds it up and high fives himself with it. You look up into his crescent eyes and shyly smile at him.

“Yeah…” You breathe out, you both stand up.

“Don’t act like you didn’t love being snuggled up with me.” He winks and you scoff.

“You wish.”

“Maybe a little.” He admits, he reaches down and grabs a hold of your hand again. “You can hold my hand whenever you want.” He says and you go red.

“Chill.” You awkwardly chuckle.

Taehyung laughs too, but he doesn’t let go of you.

“Can I hug you y/n?” he suddenly blurts out. “You know, for the sake of human contact?” he saves.

“W-What? Why?”

“I just told you why.” He says with his lips in a firm line. “Please.”

“Fine, get it over with.”

Taehyung grins down at you with an evil glint in his eye as his hands travel to your back. He pulls you in to his chest, your body awkwardly stumbling forward.

“Relax.” Taehyung whispers.

His arms wrap around your waist and you finally return the hug. He somehow pulls you in even closer, your boobs smooshing up against his chest. He groans when he feels your soft breasts against his hard chest and you wish you didn’t hear it.

“I said relax.” He commands in his deep voice.

You release a shaky breath and try to relax in his arms but you’re still tense.

“I’m trying.” You whisper and he chuckles.

He pulls back from you, just until his face is only inches from yours and he gazes into your eyes, his stare dark and intense that you visibly shudder and he chuckles.

“I can think of a few ways to relax you.” He licks his lips with a smirk.

“H-How?” you ask breathlessly.

“Mm,” he looks up and then his eyes are meeting your again. “What comes to mind first?” his whisper hits your parted lips. “Anything you need from me?”

You feel you heart start racing, his words going straight to places you would rather not say.

“I know what you need, baby.” He groans out. He leans in closer until you can feel his breath hit your skin, “A fucking….......drink.” He grins, leaning away from you.

You choke on your spit, you begin awkwardly coughing and he laughs at you. He lets go of your body and starts walking towards the kitchen.

Holy hell, you think. Can you survive Taehyung’s flirting? Your ass thought he was saying you needed a fucking! He is the ultimate tease, you’re gathering that much.

“Yeah,” you clear your throat. “I could use a fucking drink.”

[toxiccaptain]

Bully Oc Quotes: Richard Sinclair

((Gonna go off the actual wiki layout))

Conversing

My father has been getting to eat a lot more, but now he wants me to start working out

I can pay my around this place but i feel like that’s just a waste of money

A lot of people think I’m nice but then get hurt with what I say, so I don’t know what they would like for me to be

My birthmark tends to be very distracting in conversations, but I can’t seem to find the right makeup shade for my skin

Those jocks really get aggressive for the littlest things

Father gave me the key to his garage and my mother gave me the keys to her winery

When wondering around

People always stares at my face like I’ve got some sickness-

I wonder if my parents get bothered that my music taste is far different than theirs

I’m not that small- am I?

I don’t know who’s scarier, the jocks or the townies

Everyone is always tryna hurt me but jokes on them I can’t feel it half Of the time.

Gotta renew these bandages

I hope the bruise goes away soon

Everything is sore, why does it have to be sore

I may hurt myself unintentionally because of what I do but doesn’t mean I’m stupid

Why do the scary ones like me..?

Chasing someone

You’re more of a girl than I am

What’s wrong? You afraid of little ol me?

((No attacking because Richard is the only prep who doesn’t fight physically))

Insulting

Oh what the world has turned you into

You look both lonely and pathetic, not that it’s anything new

It’s a shame this school resorted in letting animals like you in

Real mature, do it again and maybe it can actually get you some attention

I’m guessing you escaped the rat trap

Someone notify the circus that one if their freaks was let out

Oh I feel so very bad for where you came out from

You’re not that pretty

You wish that was charming

You should be sorry for who you are

Out of breath

I need to work out

I shouldn’t be this out of breath at such a young age

When crying

...it hurts so much... why does it hurt this much...

When kicked in groin

OW! You Unfair...Lowlife!

When knocked out

Ah the floor.. my own friend I’ve learned..to love

That didn’t hurt..

I think I’m gonna pass out..

How unfortunate..it is..to be me

That’s.. gonna leave a mark...

Hit with a stink bomb

Someone please take a bath

That reeks more than the locker room after a game

Ally help me

Uh, could you give me a hand with this?!

please help me! I’m not a fighter!

Bumped into (friendly)

Oh, please do forgive me

My apologies

That’s my fault, can’t see from 1 eye after all hehe..

Bumped into (hostile)

Do you mind?

Are you stupid or something?

Watch where you’re going would you?

Move it

Don’t be a bother

I’d watch it if I were you

Don’t make me get the others on your ass

When bumped into other cliques

(Townies) I would ask you to watch it but I’m not trying to start trouble

(Greaser) I know you’re trying to take my money but you’re gonna have to try harder than that

(Nerd) get your glasses fixed cause clearly you can’t see where you’re going

(Jock) I don’t need your sweat on me

Saying goodbye

I must be going, mother is making food today and I do enjoy her cooking

I’ll catch up later, I must head off

I’ve got somewhere to be, we can speak more about this later

I do need to pick up some new clothes, see you.

Grossed out

Um,, excuse me, what is that?

Devilish-

Spat on

You Donkey! Haven’t you heart of having manners?!

Watching a fight

Oh it’s fun to watch others fight

Chicken fight!

My money is on the biggest one

Show them no mercy

When fire alarm is pulled

I wonder where the fire is

Flustered

Oh,, uh- hi

Look we don’t gotta get too ahead of ourselves-

I- I’m sorry if I did something

We..we can sort this out-

Receiving a gift

Oh how cute,for me?

You’re sweet, maybe you’re fitting to be a prep after all

You didn’t have to, honestly

You’re charming, really you are

Greeting

Bonjour

Hello

Good evening

Hi

Flirt

I’m more than just a pretty face

Grooming

Is it really that bad?(referring to birthmark)

Hm, maybe I should cover it up

I’m not that ugly-

Cute...?

I don’t see the resemblance between me and derby

Requesting an errand

Mind helping me out?

Here’s something you can prove to me

I have something I need you to help me with

Unknown

I’m nothing like him

My father is a more hush hush man

I’m average but even then that doesn’t make them leave me alone

I’ve broken 10 bones and I’m fine

I’m not inbred like the others but people assume just because of the birthmark

People always get a good impression of me just by the look but as soon as I talk I’m either weird or scary

I swear I’m nice

What a handsome fellow

What a beautiful girl

Don’t hurt me

Why do people always shove me against the lockers..?

I swear I’m not crazy

My elder brother scares me.. wait I’m not suppose to mention him-

I’ve been called a fruit before

I know more than what the others may think

Watch yourself or else people will end up at your door step

I have a lot of bruises on my body and my parents thought it was from a girl until I told them I fell out of a tree

[haro-whumps]

Group Whumpees 2: Grey

A continuation of the story inspired by @whumping-every-day and @justtorturewhump

CW: modern slavery, referenced abuse, multiple whumpees, aftermath of torture

Tag List: @bleeding-demon-teeth @redwingedwhump @whimperwoods @inpainandsuffering @theycomeinthrees

First

Galo sat at the head of the over-long table, its fancifully carved wood bare except for his spot. He should… invest in a centerpiece. A candle set. Something. Pasta with chicken and braised carrots to the side were artfully arranged on the over-fancy dinnerware his aunt boasted about but hardly used, and Galo had a very large glass of wine set out for him.

He guessed it made sense none of them would eat with him. Or had already eaten. Something, he wasn’t sure, it just, it made sense that he was alone at the table. It was a… very large table, in a very large space, chandelier hanging with a vacant sort of light.

The food was good though, and Galo was pretty sure that wasn’t just his hunger talking. The carrots were a perfect texture, the chicken juicy, the sauce wonderful. And pasta, well, it was hard to go wrong with pasta. 

“Is everything to your liking, Master?” Greyson asked quietly, bowing shallowly as he topped off the wine. Galo briefly considered stopping him, but, eh. Why bother. He could really use a drink or four after the day he’d had.

“Yeah, thanks! Everything tastes great. Did you all make it or?”

“Sasha is your chef, Master.”

“I’ll have to thank her next time I see her,” Galo said with a smile. Greyson hesitated, lips parted, but then he nodded, eyes submissively downcast.

“Hey, Grey,” Galo started, voice gentle. “Or Greyson? Probably rude of me to nickname you without asking.”

“You may call me whatever you desire, Master,” Greyson said, and Galo huffed. Er, whoops, bad idea. Greyson winced.

“Greyson,” Galo tried, watching the man’s adam apple bob in his throat, “You up to take a seat with me? Or would that, like, freak you out?”

Greyson’s eyes barely widened, and he looked between Galo and the chair Galo had nudged towards him. 

“Master?”

Hm. A direct order might help him feel more confident, but it could also box him in, and Galo didn’t want to force him. “Up to you, dude, either way it’s no skin off my nose.”

Greyson slowly sat, and Galo smiled. “Figured we might catch up. Get to know each other. We didn’t speak much when I was a kid.”

Greyson stared at him, expression unreadable but his shoulders drawn in, for a long moment. “Ffforgive me, Master,” he said breathily, “but I do not know what I should say.”

“Ah, my bad, that probably wasn’t a great conversation starter,” Galo said with a rub to his undercut. “How’ve you been? I think the last time I saw you I was… 15? 16? God, it’s been a while.”

“...I have been alright, Master. And--yourself?” he asked hesitantly, still very quiet, face still very blank.

“Good! A lot better than when I was still living with my dad, I’ll tell you that. Moved into my own place, got on T, started working out regularly, and now it looks like I can quit my boring day job,” Galo said with a smile. “Hell, I could probably go back to school, too, once everything is settled. That’d be really nice.”

Greyson smiled, that barely-visible quirk of his lips. “You were always the cleverest of her nephews and nieces, Master Galo, if I may be as bold as to state.”

Galo snorted with a bright grin. “Yeah, well, don’t tell my siblings, but it wasn’t exactly a large feat.”

Greyson actually chuckled along with Galo’s laugh, at that, and Galo was feeling pretty good that he had made himself a friend, but then Greyson convulsed, hand over his mouth, arm tight around his stomach.

“Shit!” Galo cursed, getting up immediately and going to his side. Greyson was trying to stand, something eerie about the way he moved, and wouldn’t meet Galo’s eyes.

“I’m sorry, Master, I’m so sorry, Master,” Greyson whispered, barely audible.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Galo murmured, broad palm settling atop Greyson’s back, other hand hovering in front of Greyson, ready to catch him if he convulsed again. This was moving too fast, Galo needed to slow it down. “Shhh, shh, what’s wrong, Greyson?”

“I…” Greyson swallowed audibly, his adam’s apple bobbing. “I apologize, Master, but I think I was overzealous in sitting alongside you.”

Oh. Okay. Panic response, of some sort. Greyson was… also traumatized. That was weird to think. But then again, Galo considered, he couldn’t imagine anyone living with Auntie Bethany for over thirty years making it out scott-free. 

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. You did what I asked you to, this is technically my fault for pushing you too hard.”

Greyson shook his head. “I apologize, Master. I reacted poorly.”

Hrm. Deja vu. Hadn’t Nyla said that, when he’d accidentally clipped her on the temple?

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Galo assured, rubbing his hand up and down Greyson’s back. Something felt weird about it, but Galo was more interested in helping Greyson calm down than whatever weird ping his brain received. What to do, what to do?

“Hey, Greyson,” Galo said, giving the hand in front of his face a very small wave. “I really like those carrots; could you go get some more for me?”

Success! He guessed right. The presence of an achievable goal seemed to cut into Greyson’s impromptu panic, and he nodded sharply before gliding out of the dining room with a purpose. It would probably help for him to be removed from the situation that had freaked him out, too. 

Ah, yikes. Galo sat back down with two hands in his hair, sighing deeply. Looks like they were all gonna be a delicate touch, after all? He’d had high hopes for Greyson, since the guy had known Galo since he was in braids and overalls, but, well. Guess that’s what living with a real harpy could do to a man. Man, why would Auntie Bethany have even chosen people like Nyla, if this was what she’d managed to do to Greyson? People this skittish couldn’t possibly sate her need for endless complaining and beration, could they?

A weird, half-formed thought hovered on the edge of Galo’s awareness, but he couldn’t quite grasp it. He was tired. It had been a long day at work, a long day with the hospital staff and arranging which funeral home she’d be sent to and the lawyers and a long evening here in this massive castle. It was past bedtime. That, and he really had drunk a lot of wine.

“Thanks, man,” Galo said when Greyson came back, looking his usual calm, elegant self.

--

Four sets of eyes turned to him when he entered the kitchen.

“Grey?” Nyla asked, her eyes haunted. He couldn’t imagine he looked very good, right that moment.

“Master would like seconds of the carrots, Sasha,” Greyson said first, getting the priority information out while he still felt like he could speak. He was sweaty on the temples, and Nyla was staring at him with pinched misery, Lilah clinging to her skirt with a vacant stare into the middle distance.

Greyson took a breath, slow but still shallow, and wiped at his temples. “Master’s games are different than Mistress’s were.” He was familiar with the way the others flinched, the way Evan’s face screwed up with anger before settling into miserable resignation, the way Sasha blinked hard to keep her tears at bay with her hands not pausing in their task. “But he is lenient with failure.”

Greyson vaguely remembered that from when Galo was a youth, too. It had been nearly twenty years, but he remembered Galo being a cheerful, thoughtful child, kindest that Greyson had ever met. He would be better than Mistress had been, Greyson felt relatively confident. But the man differed a great deal from his teenage years, so who was to say what else had changed?

“Did he mention how long he’ll be lenient with failure?” Evan asked.

“He didn’t,” Greyson stated, taking the plate from Sasha, “But if I had to guess, we’re being given an adjustment period.”

Greyson left the kitchen with the plate balanced perfectly on his fingers, spine straight, posture the same as it had been for almost all his life. Master’s plate was empty when he returned, and he wasn’t sure if he should apologize for making him wait or keep quiet. Master ate faster than the Mistress had. This was important; they’d have to adjust to him, cater to his needs personally.

When Master thanked him, Greyson relaxed, a little. He wasn’t sure how Master Galo’s manners played into the game that was currently afoot, but it was nice, to be treated in this way. Greyson stood, hands clasped behind his back, as Master ate, at his beck and call. Greyson bowed low when he announced that he was turning in for the night.

“Goodnight, Master,” Greyson said, voice composed again, and returned to the kitchen with two handfuls of dishes.

Again, four pairs of eyes landed on him when he came through the door, but he offered them a shaky smile, this time.

“Master has gone to bed for the night,” he announced quietly, and the tension in the room palpably dropped. 

“Sasha, take Lilah to bed, please,” Nyla ordered softly. “Greyson, Evan,” she looked between them, and the tension caught its second wind.

One of them would have to go. Usually, Mistress would specify which one she wanted (and it was usually Evan or Lilah), but apparently Master’s game involved them having to make the decision. Greyson hoped nothing terrible would happen if they guessed wrong.

He’d been lenient, so far. He’d been lenient with Nyla, more than they’d hoped, and lenient with Greyson; friendly even.

“I’ll go,” Greyson volunteered. “Master has shown a certain amount of favoritism, so far. And I’ve done this for a long time. I’ll go.”

Evan looked relieved, Nyla, torn. Greyson put his hand on her shoulder and she thinned her lips in a stubborn line.

“You’re the one who leads us,” he reminded quietly, “We need you at your best, tomorrow, while we navigate… this. I’ll go.”

Nyla placed her hand over Greyson’s, nodding reluctantly. “Evan and I will clean up the kitchen. We’ll see you in the morning.”

And so Greyson left the kitchen once again, and quietly, gracefully moved up the stairs, down the hall, and into Master’s new bedroom. The running water of the shower sounded from the cracked doorway of the bathroom, so Greyson settled himself onto his knees in the middle of the room, removed and folded his shirt neatly, and waited.

Next

[imaginesmai]

Jace Wayland- W for Weak (2)

Some of you asked for it, so here it is. I hope you like it! Shout out to @holydream who was the first one suggesting this second part. You can find the first one here.

Plot: Jace’s focus is on your recovery and on the little black box he can’t seem to hide well enough

Alec cared about few things in life. His sister Isabelle who he would die for, his best friend Y/N who always dragged him into the best adventures, and his parabatai Jace who was his anchor. In less than two days, it seemed that he had lost two of them. Jace was the shell of the loving and funny boy he was once. He hadn’t moved from the medical wig since they brought you in, sitting in a chair and sleeping in an uncomfortable white bed. Everyone was worried about him; he didn’t eat, didn’t talk or smile, Jace Wayland was almost as silent as you.

And you, well, you didn’t wake up. Brother Enoch said that your body had taken too many poison and lost too much blood. He had taken away most part of it, yet your body was weak and it was unlikely for you to wake up. From all of them, Jace was taking it the worst. It didn’t matter if he wasn’t the one almost killing you or who sent the vampire after you; Jace was drowning in guilt and sadness.

-          Hey, Jace. -Alec entered the room, finding the blonde in the same place as always. -Clary made some carrot cake with Izzy. It’s not very good, yet it’s not poisoning.

Alec was met with silence, and he let out a soft sigh. His parabatai was sitting on the chair next to your bed, holding your pale hand and looking at your bruised face. The vampire who attacked you had managed to throw you so hard on the ground that he had broken your bone cheek, leaving you with a nasty bruise which Jace couldn’t stop looking at. The hand that wasn’t laced with yours, was holding the ring that Jace had been looking for so long. It almost worried Alec how hard was he gripping the box. Putting a hand on his shoulder, he spoke again.

-          You should eat something, Jace. It has been two days. Go to your room, try to sleep, take a shower. -again, Jace didn’t look up from your face. -Y/N wouldn’t like see-

-          Y/N would like a lot of things, Alec. -Jace said, his voice rough from being unused. -For example, the proposal I had planned or having lunch in her favourite restaurant. None of them are going to happen because she’s unconscious in a fucking bed.

-          Jace, you can’t-

-          You need to stop telling me what I should and shouldn’t do! -he interrupted him. -I really appreciate your efforts, guys. But I won’t be moving from here until she opens her eyes again.

Everytime he closed his eyes, imagines came to his minds. An scenario where you didn’t have a pulse where he found you. How, when he opened them again, you wouldn’t be breathing any more. If he heard a movement and he had his eyes closed, he thought the vampire was after you again, trying to finish what he started. Jace Wayland was scared to even blink.

Alec left eventually, giving up into making Jace say something more. After his sudden outburst, he went back to look at you in silence. He was worried about his parabatai, as everyone else was; his cheek’s were sharper, he had dark big bags under his eyes and his lips were dry and cut. Besides your bed, there were some plates with different foods, from a sandwich from Clary to some chicken from Isabelle: they were all untouched. The only thing that Jace placed into his body was coffee. Simon left a cup by his side the first day, and they watched as, for the first time, Jace moved his hand to get it. Since then, the brothers or Clary made sure he always had coffee in the table next to him.

While they worried about him, Jace’s mind was… chaotic. He played again and again the happy memories you two shared; the day you met, your first kiss, the pranks against the brothers… Sometimes, he got lost in a memory; he really thought he was living again that moment. Maybe it was because of the coffee or the lack of sleep, but it always ended the same way. Jace would be looking at you, enjoying the warmth in your smile when the right side of your cheek would darken slowly. Little bites would appear in your body then, but you wouldn’t notice them, neither would notice Jace trying to warn you about them; and he would have to stay next to you watchin as you bleed out to death. Then, he would wake up to find you still in bed, with that dammed bruised in your cheek that made his nightmares turn to live.

Jace must have zoned out again because, when he came back to himself with his heart-rate wild and his eyes teary, he wasn’t looking at the nasty bruise in your cheek, but at your beautiful eyes which were looking worriedly at him.

-          Baby? -your voice was nothing more than a whisper. -A-are you okay?

He blinked. Once, twice. Jace blinked at least four times, and opened his mouth like a fish out of the water. In the past two days, he had thought about what he would do when you woke up; hug you, apologise, kiss you, propose… Then only thing he did was look at you with a confused glance. He wasn’t the first one to say something; it was Izzy, who came into the room to look for his brother.

-          Alec, you need to come back -her eyes widened when she saw you awake. -Oh my god, Y/N! You’re awake!

-          Izzy. -you said as she hugged you, your body too weak to even make her stop. -Izzy, I can’t-

-          Yeah, yeah, I’m sorry. -she let out a giggle. -I’m so happy you’re awake, Y/N. I really thought I would have to keep your closet to myself.

Your eyes did not leave Jace as Isabelle talked about how happy she was for you. Even if you were fighting for staying awake and discovering what was wrong with your boyfriend, your eyes closed again shortly after you woke up.

-          Y/N? -Jace interrupted Isabelle. -Y/N, you okay?

-          Wh-oh. -Isabelle realised then that you were unconscious again. -Don’t worry, Jace, she’s fine, just tired.

-          Bu-ut she was awake? -he asked. -She was awake, right? I wasn’t dreaming?

-          Yeah, Jace, she was. -she put a comforting hand on his shoulders, watching as tears flooded down his cheeks. -She’s going to be fine again.

Jace let out a breathy laugh, taking your hand again between his and kissing it softly. He decided to believe Isabelle, and hope for you to wake up again.

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

Your recovery was long and hard. You spent nearly a month in bed; you woke up some times, when your body was strong enough to give you your conscious back. Most of that times, however, you were too weak to even talk. Jace was still sitting beside you all the time, giving you soft smiles the first times and talking to you when he found his voice back. It was one of those days when your body hurt too much to even lift your head when Jace thought it was time to apologise.

-          What’s on your mind?

-          Hm? -he looked up from his feet to you.

-          You’ve been quiet today. -you said softly, smiling a little. -More than usually.

-          You don’t have to worry about me, babe. -Jace smiled too. -Do you want me to read to you? Or put on a film?

-          I want to know what are you thinking about.

It was silent for a moment, as Jace looked down to his hands. There, as always, was the little box with your ring. He had managed to hide it from you until then, yet he wasn’t sure how much time would it pass until he gave himself away.

-          When it happened, Izzy told me you thought I was cheating on you. -his voice was low and deep, full of emotion. -It was true that I spent too much time with Clary, I know. But I had a reason, and I wasn’t cheating on you, I swear.

-          Jace, I-

-          No, let me finish. -he interrupted you. -I love you so much, Y/N. You’re the only thing that makes me want to keep going. Just- you know, thinking that I gave you a reason to think I have been cheating on you… I-I

Making a big effort, you moved your hand to his cheek. Jace hadn’t noticed that he had started crying, and by then he was a mess of sobs. You didn’t say anything, because no words could lift the huge guilt Jace was carrying on his shoulders. You figured out the third or fourth time you talked to him; he wouldn’t meet your eyes, always worrying about what you might need and not leaving your side unless it was completely necessary. Between sobs and apologies as he gripped your hand for dear life, you saw the box. It was tiny, black and could easily go unnoticed. It would have if it hadn’t hit the floor with a loud thud. Jace was to busy drowning in incoherent words to notice it, but you did.

-          Jace? -you asked. -What’s that?

-          What? Oh. -he looked at it once and didn’t really pay attention; then, he realised what it was. -Oh! Th-that’s nothing! Nothing at all.

-          If it’s a new med, you can tell me. -you groaned. -God, I can’t believe they taste so bad.

-          Just a little longer, Y/N. -he got up and sat in bed with you, stroking your cheek. -Then you’ll be able to get that horrendous ice-cream.

-          Hey, it’s not that bad. -you laughed softly. -It’s better than mint ice-cream. You know why there is always so much? Because no one buys it.

-          Okay, that hurt. -Jace raised a brow. -Did you just call me weird?

-          We can be weird together. -you said, enjoying the smile at his face. -Maybe you could ask Magnus if I could eat some ice cream already. I’m sick of those soups.

-          Hey, better safe than sorry. -he winked. -But I will talk to him next time he comes, I promise.

-          I’m-I’m going to close my eyes for a bit, yeah?

Everytime you felt too tired or sleepy, Jace understood. He was the first one to tell you to rest, making sure people didn’t bother you too much. But it didn’t make you feel any better. After nearly all morning awake, you were starting to fall your eyes dropping.

-          Whatever you want, babe. -he smiled. -I’ll be here when you wake up, as always.

-          You don’t have to do that. Our room is much comfier than the plastic chair. I’ll be here for a while.

-          Then I’ll be here for a while too. -Jace said. -I’m not moving until you come with me, Y/N.

With a smile and a happy heart, you fell asleep again. You dreamed with Jace, with a world where you didn’t have to be worried about death and horrendous monsters that want to hunt you down.

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

-          Just a little bit longer, come on. -Isabelle told you while she supported more than the half of your weigh. -Until the door.

-          I can’t Izzy, I can’t. -you let out a few tears feeling your knees too weak. -I-I need to sit down, for a second.

-          If you don’t push yourself for a little longer, you won’t-

-          Please, Izzy. I need to stop.

Isabelle scoffed and helped you into a chair, as you let out a shaky breath. A few days ago, Magnus thought your body was ready for a little bit of movement. It was still weak; yet if you didn’t force yourself a little, you wouldn’t be able to be a shadowhunter again. The first day you didn’t make it out of the medical wig before Jace caught your unconscious body in his arms before you fell and shouted to Magnus to hell and back. The second day, you made it to the door where you fell to your knees; and that day, you were trying to make it to your room.

But it felt impossible yet, even worse without Jace. He really wanted to stay with you; but he was still a shadowhunter, and had duties to attend. So you had Isabelle with you.

-          Do you want some water? -she asked, kneeling by your side. -Should I call Magnus? I think he’s with Alec but he won’t-

-          Izzy. -you gave her a small smile. -I just need to stop for a bit, but I’m fine.

-          I thought you could do it Y/N, I’m sorry. -you nearly winced at her words, and she realised that they were a little harsh. -I mean, you’re doing great! I-I just thought, you know-

-          It’s okay. -you interrupted her, and sighed. -Magnus says it will take time, but I didn’t think it would be this slow.

-          You were nearly dead. -she put her hand on your knee. -It’s like rebirthing, Y/N. You have to start over.

-          Yeah but-

Your words were cut off by the sound of the door at the end of the hall opening. Jace walked in with Alec, weapons stained with blood. As soon as his eyes met yours, you knew you were in trouble. He frowned and walked faster, arriving to your side and taking your face between his hands.

-          What are you doing here? And why are you so flushed? You’re-you’re burning, Y/N!

-          We were just walking Jace.

-          You walked here? -he sent daggers to Isabelle with his eyes. -Do you realise that this is fucking far from the med wig, right?!

-          She was fine! -she said.

-          She doesn’t look fine now, does she? -Jace turned his attention to you, smiling softly. -Hey, don’t close your eyes.

-          I really want to take a nap right now. -you said, feeling the energy leaving your body.

-          Yes, of course, yes. -he helped you up. -Come on, I’ll carry you to-

-          We could go to our room. -you shrugged, making everyone look at you. -What? I’ve been without the serum for a while, I can take it.

-          I don’t think that’s a good idea, Y/N. -Alec answered.

-          Call Magnus, ask him. -you leaned on your boyfriend. -Please, I just want to spend one normal night.

After calling Magnus, Brother Enoch and nearly every magic doctor Jace knew, he agreed on sleeping on your old bed. He scolded Isabelle for nearly an hour, screamed at every person he found in his way while he took your toothbrush from the med wig, and mumbled under his breath about being responsible and a good friend; then, he laid in bed with you.

You had almost forgot how good was laying in a proper bed with Jace. He wasn’t only a walking heater, but also soft as a cloud. You didn’t know if it was because of the lotion or because of his skin; Jace Wayland was soft as cotton. And most of the times you had to physically stop yourself from rubbing against him like a kitten. Not like he didn’t know your intentions.

-          When I get older, will you love me the same?

-          What kind of question is that? -you frowned, looking up to his face.

-          I mean, old people have harsh and rugged skin. Between the wrinkles and the skin drying out because of the sun, I won’t be as soft as I’m now. -he joked. -Will you love me then, or are you with me just for my soft skin?

-          I was planning on skinning you alive and making a pillow. -you laughed. -Your skin is just so soft, baby. Like, I don’t think even a baby can be this soft.

-          A-are you comparing me to a baby?

-          A beautiful blonde baby? Yeah. – you said, running a hand through his scrub. -I’m saying that, instead of a boyfriend, I have a cute baby by my side.

-          Wait until you get better, babe. -he winked. -I’m gonna show you I’m far from a baby.

Between laughs and jokes, finally the conversation died down. Your tiredness disappeared when you were between his arms, and you talked about his day. Jace was telling you something about nearly finding Magnus and Alec on it when you saw the box. At first, you didn’t recognised it; but then, you remembered how you had seen it already. That time you suggested it was some medicine, and Jace didn’t prove you wrong; neither right. The more you looked at it, the more intrigued you became. Until you couldn’t hold it anymore and interrupted your boyfriend.

-          What’s that box? -you said pointing it.

-          O-oh. -he let out an awkward laugh before moving a little and putting in behind a photo of the two of you. -Nothing important, Y/N. I’m keeping some shit for Alec. Or Magnus. Yeah, there are some herbs in there. Type of shit he smokes.

-          Magnus doesn’t smoke? -you raised a brow at him. -I saw the box a while ago, it was in the medical wig. What’s inside?

-          I’m telling you, there’s nothing to worry about. -he moved around uncomfortable.

-          Then can I see it?

-          No! -he said too quickly.

Your eyes widened and then saddened; and Jace felt like the worst person in the world. You two hadn’t really talked about what happened before the attack, but he felt he was doing the same thing again; hiding something from you in the wrong way. He had been thinking about giving it to you sooner, yet he didn’t find the right moment. However, no moment would be perfect if he kept hiding things from you. He was a terrible liar, and he was really tired of lying.

-          I got it a while ago. -Jace whispered, and you nearly missed it. -Before, you know, things happened to you. I’ve had it with me all time.

-          What have you gotten? -you frowned, as he moved and took the black box.

It wasn’t the proposal you deserved, he thought. Before shit went down, he had planned everything; music, romantic dinner, even a pigeon. But in that moment, having you between his arms as you had just avoided death, he thought it was even more perfect.

-          I didn’t forget about the lunch, you know. -he talked again, playing with the box in his hands. -Well, I did. But I had my reasons. I-I was not cheating on you, Y/N.

-          Jace, we’ve talked about this. -you smiled.

-          Not enough. I know how it looked, and I’m so sorry. I didn’t thought about it until Izzy made me see it. -he breathed slowly, wanting to forget that moment. -Back to what I was saying, I spent two weeks preparing something nice for you, Y/N. Clary and Simon had to help me. And I just knew that, if I was with you, I would screw it. Because you know I can’t keep secrets.

-          Jace, where is this going? -you asked, not understanding a thing.

-          I-I bought you this. -his hands were shaking. -I wanted it to be special, but Y/N, you’re already special enough. I meant it when I said you’re the only thing keep me going. I can’t imagine a life without you, so I intended to make it official.

Jace tried to open the box a few times with his shaky fingers, letting out an awkward laugh; he hadn’t been so nervous on his life. As it the universe was laughing at him, when he finally opened the ring fell down in the bed. He moved you aside as he looked for it frantically, only to stop when he heard your soft voice calling out his name.

You were sitting on your knees in the bed, with just a big t-shirt and messy hair; and in your left hand, stood the shiny ring. Your mouth was wide open and your eyes were looking at him with a masked hope; praying that it meant what you thought it meant.

-          It can’t go worse, can it. -Jace groaned, blushing like a mad man. -It-it was supposed to be pretty romantic. I can still get on one knee, if you want to, or-

-          Jace. -you smiled, trying to blink the tears away. -You didn’t even asked the question.

-          It can go worse, yeah. -he complained. -Can you just, you know, give it back? So at least I won’t feel such a failure.

-          You’re not a failure, baby. -you laughed, giving him the ring. -If it had went in any other way, it wouldn’t have been us.

He smiled a little before kneeling in front of the bed. Jace made you move until you were sitting in front of him, with your legs crossed and a grin on your face. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he spoke again.

-          I…Y/N Y/L/N, would you like to be Y/N Wayland? -before you could answer, he interrupted you. -God no, that was awful. L-let me try again.

-          Jace, I don’t-

-          Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be. Will you spend the rest of your life with me?

A fit of laugh made it impossible for you to answer. Jace blushed again, looking slightly annoyed; he has asked Simon to help him to write something nice. When he tried the words for the first time in his mouth, he discovered it wasn’t a good idea.

-          I swear, I can-

-          Yes, Jace. -you smiled at him, having recovered from your laughs. -I will marry and love you even when your skin runs rough.

The ring fit perfectly in your finger. It was rather simple; with just a band a three diamonds inside. Covered by silver, it seemed made for you. Both of you kept staring at your hand for a while, letting out little giggles and chuckles every once in a while. Y/N Wayland. It did sound right.

[silver-lily-louise]

A Whole New World - a Shadowhunters fanfic

Chapter 2 - A New (Fantastic) Point of View

Summary:  In which Magnus - with the help of Disney's 'Aladdin' - clears up some discrepancies, and Alec most definitely does NOT get flustered. Credit goes to Disney’s ‘Aladdin’ for all titles so far. A/N:  Towards the end of this chapter, when they're discussing how the genie in 'Aladdin' is a prisoner, there's some talk of past slavery practices regarding genies. I believe I've handled it sensitively, but please let me know if anything needs adjusting.

Chapter 1: AO3 / Tumblr Chapter 2: AO3 / or read it below!

~oOo~

When he wakes up, a part of him thinks that he must have dreamed it all. A genie? A magic lamp? It feels absurd to even consider it. This kind of thing just doesn’t happen, and certainly not to people like him.

But as he stretches, blinking the sleep from his heavy eyes and yawning cool awareness into his brain, the memories clarify, and he knows that they feel too real to be anything but. Still, after he slides on his slippers and shrugs into a hoodie to stave off the chill, he wanders into the living room, and his stomach flips when he catches sight of the lamp on the mantelpiece.

He turns to the kitchen, and Magnus is there, looking just as decadent in teal as he did in scarlet the day before. He’s leaning back in one chair, his legs propped up on a second, a heavy book in one hand and what appears to be a mimosa in the other. When Alec enters the kitchen, his eyes flick over, and a wide smile spreads across his face as he puts the book down. ‘Ah, good morning, Alexander. Hungry?’ ‘Yeah, starving,’ Alec says, feeling the beginnings of an instinctive, wondering smile on his own face.

Magnus swings himself around until he’s sitting up properly in his chair, and waves a hand across the table. Two plates of Belgian waffles, a jug of maple syrup, a bowl of chopped strawberries, and a cup of coffee appear on the table. ‘Your coffee – cream or sugar?’ Alec manages to collect himself enough to answer, though he can’t quite bring his eyebrows down from his hairline. ‘Uh, no – black’s good.’ He takes a seat opposite Magnus, helping himself to strawberries. ‘Wait, is this one of my wishes?’ he asks, mostly as a joke. He doesn’t think it would be, but what does he know about how all this works? Magnus snorts. ‘Please. As if I’d let you waste a wish on something so trivial.’ He looks at Alec, tilting his head in that same assessing way he did the night before. ‘So, you’re convinced that all of this is real now, hm?’ ‘I’m… seventy percent convinced,’ Alec allows, drizzling a thin hatching of syrup over his breakfast. Magnus beams at him. ‘My, my, a thirty percent jump in a single night? You flatter me, Alexander.’ He elbows his book gently to one side as he nabs the bowl of strawberries, and Alec glances at the cover. ‘Les Mis?’ he says. Magnus hmms an affirmative around his first mouthful of waffle. ‘I must admit, I avoided it for a long time – I tend to get a little bored when a story drags on past three volumes. But, you know. When I got stuck, and it became apparent I was in for something of an extended stay, I took the opportunity to catch up on some of the lengthier works I’d yet to read. It’s quite good – though I must say, it’s a lot… bleaker, without the rousing musical numbers to liven things up.’

They eat in a strangely comfortable silence for a while, before Alec’s curiosity gets the better of him. ‘So these… wishes,’ he says. ‘I’m a little lost. How does it all work?’ ‘Fairly much as you’d expect,’ Magnus says with a shrug. ‘You ask for something, and if it’s reasonable, I give it to you.’ ‘Reasonable like… possible? Or reasonable like ‘a good idea’?’ ‘A combination of the two – I can do many things that you may have previously considered impossible, but I have both my limits and my standards. I rarely deny wishes, but when I do, there’s always good cause for it.’

Alec mulls that over. He didn’t even know that genies could refuse wishes. Or travel. Or… well, the point is, every time he thinks he understands the situation here – ridiculous as it is – Magnus reveals something that highlights just how clueless he is. An idea forms in his head, and he clears his throat to voice it before he can chicken out. ‘You know,’ he says, ‘I think I’d feel more – prepared, for the responsibility of these wishes, if I knew more about… all of this.’ He gestures to the breakfast, to Magnus, behind him towards the lamp, before forging ahead. ‘So. With that in mind, it’s occurred to me that the only point of reference I really have is Aladdin.’ Magnus’ nose wrinkles at the mere mention of the film. ‘So I have an idea. It’s my day off, so why don’t we hang out for a while, and you can tell me everything they got wrong? Then I’ll know where I stand.’ He smiles, hoping it doesn’t come across as nervous as he feels.

Magnus frowns a little, humming in consideration as he finishes his drink. The silence stretches long enough that Alec starts to internally berate himself – you idiot, he’s a powerful magical being, he doesn’t want to ‘hang out’ with you and talk about a movie he hates – but by the time he puts down his glass, Magnus’ frown has cleared, a small smile in its place. ‘Sounds like fun,’ he says. He waves a hand, instantly clearing the table, and begins moving into the living room, where he snaps his fingers and an instantly recognisable title menu appears on the T.V.. ‘Oh – we don’t have to actually watch it,’ Alec says, back-pedalling. ‘Nonsense,’ Magnus counters, ‘it’ll be much easier to explain the mistakes as we go along.’ He settles into a corner of the couch which faces the T.V., shifting a couple of pillows behind him to get comfortable. ‘Besides, I may dislike the inaccuracies, but as I mentioned earlier, I do enjoy a rousing musical number.’ His eyes shine, almost hypnotic, as he gestures for Alec to take a seat beside him, and Alec finds himself doing so, finding that he’s suddenly incredibly thoughtful about the exact meaning of the phrase respectable distance.

The movie begins to play, and Alec tries to relax into the familiarity of it, but he’s hyper-aware of the sheer weirdness of his situation. He’s sitting there, watching Aladdin – a movie he and Jace must have seen hundreds of times as children – as a grown man in his own apartment, sitting next to an actual, dazzling, real-life, eight-hundred-year-old genie.

Jace would never fucking believe this, he thinks.

***

The first few scenes of the movie pass without much comment – apparently, Magnus’ issues with the movie don’t concern the worldbuilding. Alec’s first query comes when Aladdin starts to explore the Cave of Wonders. ‘So, question – magic carpets? Is that a thing?’ ‘They used to be,’ Magnus says. ‘They still exist, but they’re not a popular travel option these days. Too many cameras about. Before, if someone outside of the magical world spotted you, they’d likely be called crazy. Nowadays, a shot of a flying carpet would go viral in seconds, and it’s such a pain trying to keep the whole thing invisible while you’re trying to steer, too. I tried it around a decade ago, and I nearly crashed into the Eiffel Tower.’

The lamp comes into shot, and Magnus snorts. ‘Ugh. As if any self-respecting genie would reside in such a plain lamp. What’s the point of immortality if you don’t live a little?’ He waves towards his own lamp; Alec swears that it glows for a moment, and he grins. Show-off. ‘Now that,’ Magnus continues proudly, ‘is a lamp. Tasteful, not gaudy – but still decorative, still interesting to look at.’ ‘Minimalism hasn’t caught on in the magical world, then?’ Alec asks teasingly. ‘Not among genies, at least. By and large, we have excellent taste.’

Aladdin rubs the lamp, and Alec asks, ‘Another mistake?’ Magnus tilts his hand back and forth, in a gesture that says eh, sort of. ‘Technically, that would work. Sort of like how if an earthquake hit, you’d likely jump out of bed. It’s a little annoying for those of us on the other side, though.’ He turns to Alec, raising an eyebrow. ‘As you can probably guess, from how I tried to shake you off last night.’ It takes Alec a moment to remember what he means. ‘Oh, with the – oh.’ His hand moves unconsciously to the nape of his neck, and he feels sheepish. It seems so obvious now. ‘Of course. That was you. I thought it was just some weird, vibrational echo or something. Actually, I thought it might be some sort of damage to the lamp.’ Magnus chuckles. ‘Yeah, I can understand how that would make more sense to you. For future reference, though – if I’m in the lamp and you need me, asking politely works just as well as shaking my whole house.’ ‘Noted.’

Onscreen, the genie gives the rules for wish-making. ‘Two of those are accurate,’ Magnus confirms. ‘Necromancy isn’t possible without dark, dark magic, far beyond even the most powerful genies. And wishing for more wishes isn’t something any genie will grant – we’re not beholden to some sort of magical contract, wish-wise. We make an offer we think is fair, and we stick to our word.’ He rolls his eyes. ‘Most of us, anyway. There are a few rotten apples in every bushel, right?’ Alec nods. ‘Makes sense. So wishes are more like… gifts?’ ‘Exactly. It’s just a way we repay favours, or choose to make life more interesting. It’s nice using one’s powers to give someone else what they want for a change. Try it, next time you’re bored.’ Alec smiles. ‘Huh. Cool idea.’ He pauses, remembering how they got onto this topic. ‘Wait, so you can make people fall in love?’ ‘Of course. It’s honestly not that difficult – a bit of brain chemistry here, a dash of soul-shifting there, et voila. But personally, I’ve only done it once.’ ‘Why?’ Magnus shrugs. ‘It doesn’t feel right to me, usually. I wouldn’t want someone to alter my thoughts that way, to mess around with my emotions. It seems a horribly personal invasion. On the odd occasion that I’m asked to do it, I refuse. I tell the wish-maker to pick something else.’ ‘Except for one time?’ Alec prompts gently. Magnus is quiet for a moment. ‘You don’t have to tell me if you’d rather not,’ Alec assures him. Magnus shakes his head. ‘No, it’s okay, it’s just…’ He sighs. ‘The one time I granted that wish was to a young gay woman a couple of centuries ago. She was due to be wed in an arranged marriage, and she couldn’t bear the thought of spending her life with someone she knew she’d never have feelings for, no matter how kind he was. So she asked me to make her fall in love with him, and I agreed.’ He glances at Alec, briefly flashing a sad smile. ‘She was happy, after that – she went through with the wedding, their families were overjoyed, and she raised three beautiful children with a good man whom she cherished, and who cherished her in return. But I wonder, sometimes, if I made the right choice. If there wasn’t some – some great wrong, there, in helping someone to deny something so fundamental about themselves.’ He settles back on the sofa, attention returning to the screen. ‘I think about her a lot, actually. I can only pray she didn’t come to regret it; that I did a good enough job, so that she didn’t feel like something was off, or like something was missing.’

‘Hey.’ Alec reaches out, places a hand on Magnus’ shoulder. ‘She was hurting, and you did the best you could to help her. You tried to make her happy – and from what you’re saying, it seems to me like you succeeded. I don’t think that’s wrong.’ Magnus turns back to face him, and under the weight of those golden eyes, Alec suddenly becomes self-conscious, quickly removing his hand. ‘Thank you, Alexander,’ Magnus says softly. Alec nods awkwardly, and turns back to the movie, feeling Magnus’ gaze linger for a few seconds before he does the same.

By this point, Aladdin’s genie is confessing that he’s a prisoner. ‘Poor guy. No seafront visits for him, huh?’ Alec asks, trying to lighten the mood. Magnus laughs gently, and something eases in Alec’s chest. ‘No, apparently not,’ he agrees. ‘There are ways to bind a genie to their lamp, so they can only wander a little while summoned, but they went out of fashion centuries ago. Actually, that’s where our be careful what you wish for reputation started,’ he says. ‘Trapped genies couldn’t refuse requests, the same way free genies could. So instead, they started to twist their masters’ words, giving them dark shadows of what they truly wanted. As a protest, it worked wonderfully – once people realised that owning a trapped genie wouldn’t guarantee that they’d get what they wanted, demand for them fell, and the unscrupulous lot who’d been taking part in the practice realised that it wasn’t worth all the danger and effort of the binding ritual anymore.’ ‘Well, that’s good.’ He feels a little bad for making a joke of it, now, even though he hadn’t known. No-one deserved that kind of trapped half-life. ‘Yeah. It’s a lot nicer walking the earth without worrying about slavers lurking around every corner. And without any of that interference, we can go where we like. We just have to take our lamp with us.’ Alec smiles, still feeling a little somber from the heavy topic, but tickled by the thought he’s just had. ‘You’re like a really cool tortoise, then.’

Magnus turns to face him, and Alec feels himself turn red as that beautiful, genuine smile re-emerges, quickly dissolving into a hearty, raucous laugh. ‘I don’t know whether to be pleased or insulted by that, Alexander.’ ‘Hey,’ Alec says, feigning indignation even as he laughs, too. ‘I love tortoises. And I called you really cool.’ ‘You did, you did,’ Magnus acknowledges, sighing deeply as the laughter comes to an end. ‘Anyway – yes, that’s the gist of it. We’re free to wander, but we take our home with us wherever we go.’ Alec turns back to the movie, settling a little deeper into the couch cushions and tucking his legs up beside him. ‘Sounds pretty good to me.’ ‘Yeah,’ Magnus says quietly. ‘It is.’

The rest of the movie passes too quickly, the familiar story interspersed with occasional bouts of warm, comfortable conversation. ‘By the way,’ Magnus says, shortly after Aladdin is thrown into the sea. ‘If at any point during our little agreement, I find myself in a position to save your life, I won’t make you use one of your wishes for it.’ He winks. Alec chuckles, and hopes it isn’t obvious that his heart rate has just doubled. ‘Very kind of you.’

~oOo~

[how-to-survive-a-factory-tour]

How to Survive A Factory Tour - Chapter 10

A Sanders Sides / Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Fanfiction

PREVIOUS

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The best way I can think to describe this wonderful room is this: Wonka took Sugar Rush from Wreck it Ralph, that bit in Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs when it’s snowing ice cream, Sweet Sweet Canyon from Mario Kart, and mixed them all together onto one island. And the result is magnificent.

We’re standing on a dock by the door, and on the other side of a fizzy yellow sea is an island where everything is made from desserts. There’s a mountain which is a large tiered cake, hills that are ice cream scoops, and - if my expert Disney park knowledge serves me correctly - a volcano in the centre that is the volcano dessert from the Rainforest Café.

“Did I die? Because I think I’m in heaven…” Patton mumbles, eyes wide and sparkling.

Wonka hops into a small rowing boat with just enough room for all six of us. The rest of us all join him, and he starts rowing us across the sea to the island.

“Just like before, you are free to roam about yourselves. However, can you head to the east beach after fifteen to twenty minutes? There’s something exciting I want to show you.”

Patton leans over the side of the boat, dipping his finger into the yellow sea. He pulls it out, trying a little. “It’s lemonade!”

“Right you are!” Wonka responds. “The fizziest, tastiest lemonade in the world.”

Almost to punctuate the ‘fizziest’ part, Patton lets out a small burp. “Oops, sorry…”

“It must be rather powerful if Patton burped after such a small amount…” Logan speaks up. “Is it actually safe to consume larger volumes?”

“Of course! Nothing leaves the Inventing Room until it is perfect. The lemonade has been thoroughly tested,” Wonka assures.

I dip my finger to try some lemonade as well. However, as I do, I swear I see a dark shadow in the water…

Eh, it’s probably just the boat creating a shadow.

I sit back up, tasting the lemonade, and letting my own little burp out.

“Wow, Princey, didn’t expect you to be so uncouth,” Virgil smirks.

“Princey? Hm… I like it. Keep calling me that.”

Virgil just rolls his eyes.

“So we can just try anything like last time?” Patton asks, receiving a nod from Wonka in response.

“Nothing’s taboo, like the river in the last room?” Logan inquires.

“Nothing at all. No accidents have occurred in this room ever, and I trust you to be responsible enough to keep it that way.”

The boat pulls up onto the beach of the island. Wonka hops out, and we follow suit, the sand crunching under our feet. Patton seems to have taken the designated role of taste tester, leaning down and picking up a handful of sand, before pouring it in his mouth. “Crushed up graham crackers!”

“Correct again,” Wonka nods. “Now, go ahead, you five, you can go explore.”

Once again, like the Chocolate Room, we all go running ‍off. Patton’s trying a little bit of everything we come across. Virgil does the same, only going a bit slower than Patton. Logan takes a seat by a bush growing ice cream sandwiches, picking one off and eating. I walk around a little longer, before finding a large angel cake. I use a nearby chocolate shard as a knife and cut a slice, before going back to sit by Logan.

“I saw you getting all flustered over Pat on the boat,” I tell him. “You should really just tell him how you feel. By the end of the day, it’ll be too late. You have limited time.”

Logan sighs. “I know… I was going to earlier, but the flume on the boat ride ruined the moment.”

“You could do it on the beach,” I suggest. “Beaches are classic confession/proposal venues in romantic movies. And Patton said this room is his personal heaven, what could be a better time? Perfect romantic mood for you two.”

“I guess you’re right… Okay. I won’t chicken out again. I’m going to take Patton to the beach and confess my feelings. Surely it cannot be that diffi-“

“LO!!!” Patton suddenly runs over, and I think, based off his wide eyes and inability to stay still, bouncing on the balls of his feet, it’s pretty obvious he currently has a very bad sugar high. “You have to come over here, there’s a milk and cookies lagoon and it’s really really really cool!” He grabs Logan’s wrist, and drags him off before the other can say anything.

I chuckle at the two of them. They are two of the worst disaster gays I’ve ever met - they’re perfect for each other.

“I see Patton’s kidnapped Logan…” Virgil’s voice catches my attention as he comes over and sits beside me, eating a flapjack. 

“Yep. Those two are so cute together… I can’t wait to find my soulmate like those two have…”

“Ah, so you’re one of those kinda of people who believe in soulmates?”

“Of course! Don’t you?”

Virgil considers it, before shrugging. “Dunno. Never really had time to think about romance or boyfriends or anything. I’ve been too focused on work and saving money for that. The closest thing I’ve gotten to a love life is judging my friend, Elliot’s choice in men.”

“Boyfriends? I’m sensing a very non-straight theme with us tour members…”

“We don’t know about Ethan,” Virgil points out, but I shake my head.

“My gaydar is very powerful. He’s definitely gay. I mean, he’s wearing a bow tie and suspenders by choice, casually.”

“True… Hey, about Ethan, I think something’s off with him… I saw him whispering into some bushes back in the Chocolate Room. It was kinda weird.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Kinda? Sounds like a bit more than kinda… Or maybe he was just talking to one of the Oompa Loompas? They’re pretty short, maybe you didn’t see them because they were stood behind the bush.”

“Maybe… I dunno, Ethan just kinda creeps me out.”

“Wow, I wonder why. Maybe it’s because half his face is that of a snake!”

Virgil shoves my arm, rolling his eyes, yet smiling. I grin back at him.

“You do that a lot. Come on, you love me really.”

Virgil crosses his arms, huffing, but still smiling. “Piss off…”

I pout, resting my chin on his shoulder. “I’m sowwy, Viwgwil. Pwease forgive me.”

“Jesus, I’m not going to forgive you when you’re doing owo speak!”

“Actually, I was doing uwu speak. Very different.” I pause. “Wait, how do you know what owo speak is? I thought you didn’t have a phone or internet.”

Virgil shrugs. “I’m friends with Remy. One of the things he does on his daily coffee shop runs is teach me current memes and internet trends.”

“Huh. Remy’s pretty cool… He single?”

“Aro.”

“Darn… Oh well. The process of elimination brings me one step closer to finding my soulmate.”

Virgil chuckles. “You are aware there are, like, over seven billion people on earth. Process of elimination isn’t gonna get you very far.”

“Well, actually, half those people are eliminated because they’re female. Another bunch because their too old or young. Another bunch because they’re straight. Another bunch because they’re looking for sexual relationships as well, which I cannot provide. Another bunch because they’re aro. That leaves a small percentage of people who could be my soulmate.”

“Well, I wish you the best of luck, because it is going to take you forever to find them.” Virgil says, before reaching over and stealing a bit of my angel cake. I glare at him, before leaning over and taking a bite of his flapjack. “Hey!”

“Revenge, bitch!”

Virgil glares at me. I don’t realise he’s picked up a nearby cream pie until he slams it onto my face.

I pull it away and lick my lips. “Oh, it’s on.”

-

Ohmygodohmygodohmygod! I LOVE this room!

I’m knelt at the side of a lagoon of milk, dipping cookies in it and munching on them after. They’re so good! Even better than the ones Ma makes, and that’s saying something, because her’s are amazing! 

Anyway, I keep happily eating the food that graced so many of my childhood bedtimes, and I look down to where Logan is sat on the beach, looking at a small stream coming off the lagoon and going off into the lemonade ocean. “You okay, LoLo?”

“Yeah, I’m just looking at this stream. It’s extraordinary… The milk from the lagoon somehow changes to lemonade as it reaches the ocean, avoiding cross-contamination. How does it do that…?”

Awww, he’s so nerdy and curious, it’s adorable! I just wanna go over and hug him tight, and never ever ever let go, and-

Is it possible to get drunk on sugar? Because I think I might be. Just an ickle little tiny bit.

Anyway, more cookies!

“You know, Logi,” I say between bites, “you should really try that lemonade. It’s sooooo good!”

Logan looks down at the sea for a moment. “I am curious as to the effects of having a larger volume.” He scoops up some lemonade, drinking it from his hands. He wipes his mouth after. “Wow, Mr Wonka was not lying about the fizz… I already feel gassy.”

I chuckle. “You look it too. Look at your tummy!”

Logan looks down, seeing is stomach is distended. Oh! I used a smart word! ‘Distended’!

“... Okay, if that amount did that to my stomach, there is no way higher volumes can be safe,” Logan says, patting his stomach. However, doing so causes him to let out a belch, which in turn makes his stomach go down. He blushes, putting a hand over his mouth. “Oh, um, excuse me…”

I, on the other hand, burst into giggles. “Sorry, I know burp jokes and potty humour are childish, but it always makes me laugh…!”

Logan smiles. He pauses, before shuffling over and sitting beside me. “Are the cookies nice?”

I nod. “They’re even better than the lemonade! Here, try!” I pick up a cookie, dunk it in the lagoon, and shove it in Logan’s mouth.

He chuckles, biting down on the cookie. “Hm. They are pretty good.”

“Pretty good? More like the best things ever!”

Logan just shrugs. “I personally think Crofters is much better.”

“Crofters?”

“It’s a Canadian jam brand, and my absolute most favourite food in the universe. It’s so sweet and delicious, yet is completely organic. It’s even better than the jam Wonka makes.”

“Sounds nice! I’ll have to try it out sometime!”

“You should. It’s to die for.”

We sit around a little longer, eating cookies and just talking. I tell him about my job at the bakery, and different recipes I’ve come up with. He tells me about his college and classes. I don’t understand a lot of what he tells me, but I don’t mind. It’s nice to just hear him talk… He gets so passionate when he talks about learning and school…

God, he’s perfect. Maybe I should just kiss him now… Kiss his soft, perfect lips…

“Patton?”

“Huh? Oh, sorry, I got distracted… What is it, Lo?”

“I, um… I wanted to tell you something…” He takes a deep breath, before reaching over and taking my hand. My own breath catches in my throat. I look back up, and meet his eyes.

“Patton… I know we only met yesterday, but I really really-“

“Excuse me, you two, but it’s been twenty minutes, we need to go meet Mr Wonka on the east beach.”

Logan curses under his breath, before turning and looking up at Ethan, who stands over us. “Thank you for informing us, Ethan. We had better get going.”

Logan stands, pulling his hand from mine. My face falls a little, but I push it aside for now, hopping to my feet and following him and Ethan to the Eastern side of the island.

After a bit of walking, Roman and Virgil join us. Logan raises an eyebrow at their food covered clothes. “What happened to you two?”

“Dessert War,” they respond in unison.

“You mean a food fight?” Ethan asks.

“It was too intense to just be a fight,” Roman replies.

“Who won?”

“Well… technically there wasn’t a winner, we just kinda stopped when Roman got a dark stain on his crop top and screamed that it cost a lot, so we stopped,” Virgil explains. “Which, if you forfeited, actually means I won!”

“Oh, you did not, I landed more hits!”

“Bullshit! That doesn’t determine the winner!”

“Does!”

“Doesn’t!”

“Does!”

“Doesn’t!”

That’s basically the rest of the conversation all the way to the eastern beach.

----------

NEXT

Remember, the ask box is always open!

Taglist: @i-have-n0-idea-what-im-d0ing @clone-number-1 @pumpkinminette @why-should-i-tell-youu2

[bookenders]

11/11/11 Tag Game: 16/17/18?

Back again to spill the tea about myself for all you lovely people.Thanks @cataclysmic-writer, @maybeillwriteit and @aurisadventure for the tags!

My answers are under the cut. 😊

Rules: Answer the 11 questions of the person who tagged you, make up 11 questions, then tag 11 people to answer them. 

Bilbo Taggins: @brittanyisart, @quilloftheclouds, @brittanyisart, @brynwrites, @creatvrae, @elisabethrosewrites, @elizabethsyson, @ren-c-leyn, @yetmorestories, @pinespittinink, @timefire25

My Questions:

What are your thoughts on throw pillows?

Do you have any podcast recommendations? How about TV shows?

What month would you be on a calendar, and what would the picture be?

What is one book that you absolutely love, no matter what anyone else has to say about it? 

What’s your favorite kind of scented candle?

What’s your favorite urban legend?

Would you ever go on an arctic expedition?

What’s the furthest from home you’ve ever been?

What is the best snack?

How purple do you allow your prose to be/get? What’s your purple limit? Is there one?

What’s one word/line/scene/character that you want to put in a story, but you haven’t found the right place for yet?

@cataclysmic-writer‘s questions:

What do you eat or drink while writing? It varies depending on how I’m feelin’. Usually a big giant glass of water. I used to have coffee and/or tea, but it always got cold because I forgot about it. That’s actually how I used to measure my progress, by how cold the drink was.  And coffee got me too jazzed to sit still, so I stopped drinking while writing. Good for academic papers, though.

Best piece of advice you ever received? Like... ever? Okay. People are more interested in themselves/absorbed with themselves to really care what you’re doing. Very empowering for someone with real bad social anxiety (like myself heyooo).

Which book inspired you to write the most? I’ve talked about Laurie Halse Anderson’s Wintergirls before, and I’m gonna mention it again. And that I went to a signing for her new book Shout and I got to thank her and my life has been enriched a thousand-fold.

Which author do you try to emulate when you write? Oh, man, I do not do this at all. Okay, well, not at all, because I find it to be a valuable writing exercise to practice with. But I super don’t. I’ve done projects where I’ve emulated Walt Whitman, Philip Levine, Tolkien, Dostoevsky, Poe (eugh), and Anne Valente. Those were super fun. I like imitating styles and I’ve gotten pretty darn good at it. Sometimes I tell myself to put a Gaiman-like twist on a section, though, or describe something like another author if it fits the tone for funsies. But I like writing like me! 

Where did you get the idea for your current wip? I’ve already talked about Heart to Heart, so I’ll talk about “Fish Food!” This one happened when I was pondering superheroes, James Bond, tropes, evil monologues, and the like. I had the image of a hero tied up and dangling over a pit of piranhas while the villain detailed his evil plan. But the hero didn’t follow the script. And then, like every one of my short stories, it spun way out of control. I started to think of what heroes would inhabit this world that erupted from the fertile soil of my brain and suddenly I had a big complicated story that I was excited about. And it was funny, which is a change for me.

Do you have a go-to beta reader/writing buddy you bounce ideas off of? I do! One of my goodest friends is a fellow writer and she’s my spaghetti wall if I need assistance. We went through the same creative writing program one year apart and had different teachers, so we offer each other pretty different advice, and it’s great. She’s super into fae lore, too, which is ridiculously helpful for me, a nerd who is writing a light fantasy story with fae in it. We operate in different styles and genres, though, so sometimes idea-bouncing is a little tricky.

Which of your WIPs is your favorite? Of the ones I’m working on right now? Probably “Incarnate.” Partly because it’s closer to my usual writing fare, partly because it’s weird and disturbing in my favorite ways, partly because the ending is really cool and surprising in a way that hits you long after you finish it. I also like it because it’s hard for me to write. Yay, challenges!

Tea, coffee, or soda? Tea for chillin’, coffee for workin’, soda for pizza times.

If you could have any fantasy creature as a pet, which would you have? A brownie to clean my house, or a domovoi to act as a weird home security system would be neat. For non-practical purposes, I’d also say a pegasus. I can ride pretty well and it’d be so convenient to just fly everywhere on my awesome horse buddy.

Do you like creepy/scary movies? NOPE. I am a big chicken shit when it comes to spooky things. As a kid, I was terrified of E.T. That’s how bad it was. 

What genre do you have yet to write in, but want to write soon? Hm. Maybe historical fiction? I already play with it a little bit without actually going into the history part of it too deeply. Maybe I’ll give it a shot in the future.  I’ve always wanted to give magical realism a good try, though. It’s always been hard for me to write. 

________________________________________

@aurisadventure​‘s questions:

1. Who is your favorite oc? Why?

Right now, it’s Lithium from “Fish Food.” She’s just so fun. I also just figured out a big part of Jill’s character that I’m excited to add to H2H!

2. What is your favorite thing to do when you’re not writing?

I got into cooking a while ago, and that’s pretty fun. I do yoga sometimes. I read a bunch. I also like putting things together. Honestly, I’m a big giant nerd who likes learning in their spare time.

3. What is your least favoured genre?

Hard sci-fi is really hard for me to get into. And some contemporary stuff, but it’s not as bad as hard sci-fi.

4. Top three favorite video games? (Any console)

DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS (with Awakening DLC, obvs) (except for the goddamn Mage Circle Fade part I hate it and it deserves to burn in hell)

Ori and the Blind Forest (I’m stuck on the last stupid fire volcano level and I’m so mad because it’s hard but this game is beautiful)

To The Moon (so many tears, such good story)

Honorable mention to Assassin’s Creed 2. 

(I love RPGs.)

5. What’s the craziest thing you’ve done for inspiration?

Hm. I don’t really go out and seek inspiration like this. I just consume a whole lot of art in varying mediums. 

I went to a poetry slam one time. Does that count?

6. Buggy or Cart?

Horses, buggy. Oxen, cart. As much as I’d like to be Gandalf...

7. Have you finished any of your wips?

I am so goddamn close to finishing “When Your Song is Over and Done” I can taste it. I’m hoping to write that last stupid scene this week. It’s been the one WIP that’s been kicking my ass lately. How rude.

I’m a short story writer, so I finish a lot of my WIPs. It’s kinda nice. That’s also why longer projects scare me.

8. But like… can I read it?

😉

In the meantime, you can read these!

9. What is your favorite animal? Why?

Highland Cows! Just look at them. 

I’m sure I have a more interesting answer for this, but honestly, cows are all I can think of. I love cows. 

10. Name one place you want to visit more than anything.

Norway! Not sure why. Seems like a really cool place to be.

(I lied I love space and want to go to the observatories.)

11. What is your most cherished childhood memory?

Saturday mornings curled up in my grandfather’s armchair watching TV and eating Burger King before we go visit the animals at the farm.

________________________________________

@maybeillwriteit‘s questions:

1. Which oc would you most like to go for a drink with?

I don’t drink, but I think Treena would be an excellent conversation partner. 

2. Where do you like to write? Bed? Desk? Cafe? etc etc

I have a desk in my room. Not that I usually write at it. I’m good anywhere I can sit up straight and rest my arms.

3. Which of your ocs do you think people are most likely to make fanart for?

Eventually, I hope Mel. I love her character design. Or the superheroes and villains from “Fish Food.” They all have really distinct appearances and cool costumes/uniforms.

4. Favourite piece of writing advice you’ve received?

Probably the time my mentor also admitted he hated writing dialogue, but that sometimes you just gotta. 

5. Which place in your stories would you like to live? (i’ve read this sentence ten times and i ain’t convinced it’s grammatically correct lol)

(maybe: In which place/where in your stories would you most like to live? I dunno this one’s freaking my brain.)

Linsay would be the best place to live, I think. A very chill small town that has everything you need, very supportive soon-to-be friends, an apothecary on stand-by, and lovely weather. Its residents are fiercely protective and are very willing to look the other way where the law is concerned if it helps someone.

6. Do any authors/books influence your writing? Which ones?

Oh, tons. Jim Butcher, Laurie Halse Anderson, George Saunders, Anne Valente, Tolkien, Gaiman, Matt Bell, Aimee Bender, and a whole bunch more authors. And, if you wanna get all heartfelt about it, every single book I’ve read has influenced my writing, whether it’s learning how to do something, learning how not to do something, or finding a new technique that jives with my style.

7. Pick one song that represents your wip.

I’ve done a bunch of song stuff with H2H, so this is for “Fish Food:”

Honestly, my first instinct is “Superboy and the Invisible Girl” from Next to Normal. But it’s not quite right.

I also wanna say “Super Friends” from Holy Musical B@man. 

But in my heart, I know the true answer is “Under Pressure.” How could it not be?

8. Favourite thing about being a writer?

The feels! I love writing things and getting my own feels out, then making other people feel things. It’s so satisfying. 

9. Characters or plot, what came first?

Characters! Oh my God, always characters. And before characters, concept and theme(s). Sometimes a scene just pops into my head and I have to figure out who these people are and why they’re there.

10. Do you like writing prompts?

I do indeedy. They’re pretty helpful when I’m stuck. I only write for the ones that instantly spark an idea in my brain, though. All the ones I’m getting for my 800 followers celebration are insanely good. 

11. Part of your wip that you’re most excited to write?

Oh, man! So many!

H2H: The climax! Well, one of them. The one of the magic incidents and Mel and Gemma’s relationship, to be specific.

Fish Food: When my main two dudes meet Lithium! And figure out what’s going on with her. Or anything about Lithium’s real life. Her story is wild.

WYSiOaD: The goddamn rooftop scene that’s been kicking my ass for a month. It’s gonna be so emotional and poignant and great and I can’t wait for it to be over.

[boueibu-valentines]

Creator: @my-yuujin Recipient: @chuuugs Characters/Pairings: Atsushi/En Comment: I do not usually write fanfic even in my native language, so this may be an embarrassing gift to give🙈 Please forgive any grammar/spellings mistakes and weird sentences you may found in this very short story.

———-

“Wow! It looks delicious, Atsushi-senpai!!” exclaimed Yumoto, sparkling eyes staring blithely at the inside of the lunch box Atsushi showed them. The youngest boy of the bunch cocked his head, deeply breathing in the delicious smell.

“Hey, now! You will drop your drool all over the brownies!” Atsushi drifted away the box from Yumoto’s hungry nose.  “Aren’t we going to eat this with everyone in the club?”

“I guess it’s for Valentine’s Day, is it, Senpai?” Io asked politely. The pale green haired boy unusually tucked away his smartphone, which screen was always full of complicated graphics regarding his activity of trading stocks. “I heard that heart-shaped pink brownies are being popular these days.”

“Yeah…, my sister told me that too,” Atsushi admitted as he arranged the brownies onto the plate. “I’m not really used to baking. She pretty much helped me with this, so I can say I’m quite confident on its taste.”

“Hm! You’re right!” Taking a bite of a piece, Ryuu agreed. “It tastes as good as the ones I received from my girls!”

“I love how it has both strawberry and chocolate flavors at the same time!” Yumoto pointed out. He gobbled up the brownie piece in one bite, and soon craved for another one. “Even though I’m still wondering if someday I can have An-chan’s riceball-flavored chocolate for Valentine.”

“That’s some absurd chocolate you’re fancying, Yumoto,” commented Ryuu with a sweatdrop.

“But still…,” Io talked after he’s done eating one piece. “It’s really a shame that Yufuin-senpai can’t try your chocolate, Kinugawa-senpai.”

“Now that you mention it, Yufuin-senpai is absent today because of cold, isn’t he?” supported Ryuu. “Though it’s sort of rare for him to suddenly get sick like that.”

Atsushi didn’t deny that.

“For someone who’s neither energetic, nor taking care of himself properly, En-chan had always been pretty healthy. That makes him being in bad condition kind of worrying….”

“So you’re planning to give him a visit after school?” reckoned Io.

Atsushi nodded. “I have to give him today’s lesson notes, too. Though…I doubt he’ll read them at all….”

“Rather than the notes, I bet Yufuin-senpai will be happier if you bring him your chocolate!” convinced Ryuu.

“You’re right,” Io complied. “It tastes this good, after all.”

“What is it? Visiting En-chan-senpai?” Yumoto suddenly butted in. “Count me in!”

Ryuu and Io jolted at Yumoto’s idea.

“No…, Yumoto! You don’t understand…! The point is…,” Ryuu struggled to explain, that he and Io wanted both of their senpai to be alone.

“That reminds me, Yumoto. Don’t you have to help Goura-san cleaning your family’s bath house today?” Io cut in

“Ugh…that’s right…. I completely forgot…!” Yumoto sighed in disappointment.

Atsushi smiled and patted the youngest boy’s head.

“Don’t worry, Yumoto. I’ll give En-chan your regards,” Atsushi turned to Io and Ryuu. “How about you two? Do you want to go visiting En-chan too?”

“Uh…we are…,” Ryuu was glancing around, looking for good excuse to refuse.

Io put up his right hand. “I’m sorry, Kinugawa-senpai. I have to spend my evening to arrange my investment strategy and some other stuffs.”

“M-me too!” followed Ryuu. “I have promised my new girlfriend to try some new cafe after school. So….”

“Well, that can’t be helped, then,” Atsushi smiled understandingly. “I guess I’ll go alone.”

“It’s fine, Senpai. Yufuin-senpai must need a good rest,” Io gave another good point. “The less people go, the better.”

.

.

.

Catching cold was always annoying. Especially when you didn’t usually catch one. Headache, sore throat, stuffy nose…. And worst of them, everything would taste terrible.

En buried his face in his pillow, rolling from side to another side of his bed, trying to find comfortable position to sleep. Exhausted, he finally settled by curling his body under blanket, sleeping without any pillow comforting his dizzy head.

En found himself waking up when the sun was almost setting. That meant he had almost slept for almost three hours. His pajamas drenched in sweat, and he felt terribly thristy. Reaching for a nightstand, he clucked tounge as he found the bottles on it were all empty.

In the end I’ll have to walk to get some water… En rose to sit, sighing lazily. How troublesome….

“Hm?”

En’s eyes rounded for realizing something wet fell from his forehead to his lap.

A towel?

He didn’t remember having that being put on his forehead before he fell asleep.

“Ah, En-chan! You’re already up?”

A familiar voice came from the door’s direction. Someone still wearing school uniform, was bringing in a tray with two steamy bowls on it.

“Atsushi?”

“Yeah…, I was asked by teacher to give you today’s note,” Atsushi put the tray on a round low table near En’s bed. “How are you feeling?”

“Not so good,” Eh shrugged. “And I’m hungry.”

“I know,” Atsushi helplessly chuckled.  “Just by looking your miserable figure sleeping on the bed, I knew you hadn’t eaten anything today.”

“Too troublesome to cook and eat,” answered En, which didn’t surprise Atsushi at all. Even when he’s fit, he wouldn’t move too much. Let alone when he’s sick.

“Well, I made you some chicken soup,” Atsushi turned to the tray he had brought in. “Eat up and don’t forget to have your medicine.”

En stared at the dish. Warm rice and simple soup consisting shredded chicken, sliced carrots, green onions, and bok choy. The broth smelled delicious. It was a shame that it wasn’t apparent to En because of his stuffy nose. But since it was Atsushi, En still could bet that it must taste good.

While En was eating, Atsushi remembered that he also brought En some melon.

“I’ll cut it for you,” said Atsushi. “Or do you prefer it to be juiced?”

En sticked up his thumb with his free hand. “I’d have the melon juice.”

So Atsushi walked out and left En alone in his room.  En could hear Atsushi‘s busyness in the kitchen as he cut and blended the melon. It sounded to take some time.

While inhaling the soup, En realized that Atsushi left his bag open in En’s room. At first, En didn’t really mind it, until he noticed a suspicious transparent little package containing some pieces of pink and brown.

En left his food to check on the package, and found out that the pink and brown things were actually some chocolate candies.

Right…, today is valentine, isn’t it? En pondered. Then, this must be for me, I guess….

En had enough reasons to believe that. The candies’ package was too plain to be a special gift from a girl. Even if it was just for obligatory chocolate. Besides, that wouldn’t likely to be one, since their school was all-boys.

En heard Atsushi ‘s sandals rubbed against the floor, heading towards his room. The blond quickly returned the chocolate to its place and fixed his position back to holding his chopsticks and rice bowl.

Well, it’s no good to take someone’s belonging from their bag, even if it’s actually a gift for you. I’ll pretend not to know and let Atsushi himself to give that to me.

Atsushi came with a glass on his hand.

“Here, the melon juice you wanted, En-chan,” he said, setting it on the table.

“Thanks.”

Atsushi approached his bag and put it on his shoulder. Good thing that he didn’t realize that En had zipped closed the bag he’d left open after getting En’s notes out.

“You wanna go already?” En held back his surprised tone.

Atsushi nodded. “I have to change my clothes and take bath after all. Don’t worry. I will be back here soon…, if you think you’ll still need me. But I guess your parents will be home tonight, won’t they?”

En didn’t answered. Instead, he quietly asked, “Say, Atsushi…did you get or give something for Valentine today?”

Atsushi blinked. That’s sure not something that En would usually ask. 

“No, I didn’t receive anything,” Atsushi replied honestly. “What’s the matter with that?”

En put his still half-filled bowl down, followed by his chopsticks. The next moment, the blond crawled back to his bed.

“Hey, what’s wrong, En-chan? Why didn’t you finish your meal?”

“I’ll soon finish it when I get my appetite back,” En’s voice was heard from under the blanket he’s engulfing himself with.

“And you’re still not taking your medicine either…!”

“I’ll take it after dinner.”

“En-chan…!”

“My parent will be home early,” En said flatly. “You don’t have to accompany me tonight. I’ll be fine by myself.”

Atsushi, of course, with En being like that, didn’t just buy what his best friend told him.

“Are you alright, En-chan? Did the soup taste bad? I can make the new one for you, while it’s still not too late to buy groceries…”

“No, the soup was fine,” En replied quickly. “I just wanted to be alone.”

“You’re acting weird, En-chan! Is it because of some monster again…” Atsushi walked closer and yanked the blanket off En’s head.  The eyes behind those glasses widened as they found tears on the corner of En’s cerulean eyes.

“En…cha—“

“Geez, just leave me alone, would you?!” En snatched his blanket from Atsushi, and covered his whole body with it.

Atsushi stared silently at the bulge under the blanket.

“Are you mad about something, En-chan?”

No answer.

“I won’t leave until you tell me what is wrong,” Atsushi stated as he took a seat on the bed’s edge.

Still no answer.

“Did I do something that makes you angry?”

The bulge of the blanket didn’t even move—

“Actually…, about chocolate, I did make some brownies for Valentine’s Day.”

—until Atsushi said that.

“I brought some to school, but Yumoto and the others ended up eating them all….”

The lock on En’s lips got loose.

“But I found a package of chocolate in your bag.”

“Eh, really?”

Atsushi immediately checked inside his bag. He jolted in surprise when he found exactly like En had said.

“This is…?”

“Is it for Kusat—“

“It’s the chocolate candies my sister made herself yesterday!” Atsushi exclaimed. “She made these using the leftover chocolate we got after making the brownies. She told me it’s obligatory chocolate for her friends. So why was it inside my bag?”

En quietly peeked, “Your sister?”

“Was my sister trying to prank me?” Atsushi mused in suspicion. Even though his sister did give him obligatory chocolate every year, she always gave the chocolate directly without warping it.

This year, Kinugawa siblings had made their chocolate together. Naturally, Atsushi himself had eaten some of the chocolate, and regarded it as his yearly obligatory gift. He’d never expected to get another one from his sister.

“Atsushi,“ En came out from his hiding, cracking Atsushi’s musing. “Stay here.”

Atsushi blinked at the sudden change in En’s behavior. “Didn’t you tell me to leave some minutes ago?”

“I was wrong. Sorry,” En’s reply was quick. He’s now sitting on his bed, lowering his head toward Atsushi in apology.

Atsushi rounded his mouth, before trying to guess, “Don’t tell me…, you was restless because of the chocolate candies you found in my bag?”

En pouted a little, and shifted his gaze. “No, i just thought that you were lying to me about not getting any chocolate. That’s all.”

Atsushi smiled to hide his chuckles. “Well, I’d be glad to stay. But you do understand that I need to change clothes and take a bath, right? I’ll be back here after I’m done with―”

“Take your bath here.”

“Eh?”

“What? You have once had bath in my house when we were in middle school, right? Our bathroom doesn’t change that much, to the point you can’t use it anymore.”

Atsushi waved his hand in denial, “No, no, that not the problem. I still need to change clothes and―”

“You can wear mine.”

“But, En-chan…! Your parents will be home soo―”

“Ah. I was lying about that. They won’t be home until tomorrow. Sorry.”

“What?” Atsushi raised his voice a bit. “You’re worried about me lying to you, but you too were lying to me?”

“Like I said, I’m sorry….”

Atsushi sighed, “You’re so helpless En-chan…. If anything, isn’t that you who need to take a bath and change clothes right now? Your pajama’s drenched with sweat.”

“Then we can take bath together,” En rose from his bed and shrugged off his pajamas. The next moment, the blond lifted Atsushi from the bed’s edge onto his shoulder.

“Wait! En-chan! I thought you’re sick?!” Atsushi struggled. Where did he get so much strength to lift me around?

“It’s because you’re too light!” shot En, as if he could read Atsushi’s mind.

“Wait, if we take bath together, you’ll end up passing your cold to me!” Atsushi still tried to convince En.

“Then we will have cold together.”

“En-chaaan!!!”

“You’re the worst, En-chan. If I really end up getting cold because of this―”

“Are you gonna sue me?” En replied as he rubbed his nose against Atsushi’s naked nape.  “I can sue you for not providing me some Valentine’s chocolate too, you know.”

The shorter boy who wasn’t wearing his glasses now, sighed, as he was tracing his hands against En’s wet arms enveloping him from behind.

“That’s not my fault. I actually planned to go home, to fetch the leftover brownies I have in my fridge and give them to you. But since you forced me to stay here….“

“Well…,” En moved his chin onto Atsushi right shoulder. “To be honest, it’ll be pointless if my chocolate is just the same as the ones for Yumoto and the others.”

Atsushi chuckled as he felt En’s lips marking a kiss on him. “So… En-chan want to get a serious chocolate from me, huh?”

The kiss changed into a light lick, as En whispered deeply.

“You are my serious chocolate, Atsushi.”

[esseastri]

Megan Reads Oathbringer (part last)

I said I’d finish this book before it had been out for a full year, and that’s the 14th, iirc, so I have tonight and tomorrow, but I will finish this book tonight if it kills me, I s2g, I’m ready to be done.

Part 13 encompasses pages 1054-1233 (previous parts)

WE ARE SO CLOSE, GUYS

OH, I wanted to talk a lil bit about the end of part 4, now that I’ve had a sleep and some time to think about it. I still don’t really like it, but I think I can better articulate why.

I feel like a LOT of it is personal preference for Really Not Liking It when my Heroes Turn Out to Have Been Bad Guys All Along. that’s. not fun for me. I don’t find it appealing in any way. 

and I know that Brandon is a big fan of his lil ~Sanderlanches~ of emotion, but tbf I think the Recreance bombshell got a little lost in Taravangian’s deluge of bad news. The major impact of that reveal SHOULD have been--yeah, the humans are and have been the aggressors all along. But instead it gets a little undermined and rolled up wholesale into Dalinar Has Been a Bad Before and We Guess He Is Now Too. It feels like it should have been a separate moment for everyone--for ALL the monarchs in the coalition--to realize that...THEY are ALL the bad guys. All of humanity is the bad guys. But it gets overshadowed by their belief that Dalinar has betrayed them and gets dumped squarely on his shoulders so that it’s less about Humanity and more about One Human--who has been our hero for 3,000 pages and now just utterly crashed which is ALREADY upsetting enough without everyone else ignoring THEIR part in it all.

So what I’m saying is that I still feel like the end of part 4 was really badly handled as there should have been two, separate focal moments that got overlapped badly (worldbuilding vs character moments). But I’ve talked to Lisa and Alyx about stuff and I’m a lot chiller with the actual CONTENT of the reveal, and actually looking forward to seeing how that plays out. 

tl; dr: feeling better about the content, still very unhappy with the execution.

ANYWAY:

INTERLUDES

“Her people couldn’t be completely gone....could they?” Ah, Venli has reached the Denial stage of grief. that’s. good?

or rather, I suppose...she’s been there all along.

mmmm, I wonder if the different rhythms were created because the Parshendi don’t really do facial expressions, right? like they are crustaceaous, regardless of which form they’re in, so it’s not like shells do a good job at. smiling. Idk, I just wonder if the different hums are bc they don’t really interpret body language the same way humans do.

“The strongest and most skilled of our number are yet to awaken” YOU MEAN THERE’S MORE AND WORSE OF YOU? Great.

You know what I want? An Edgedancer size “novella” about Rysn.

wait, I thought larkins were bad?

aren’t larkins bad?

nvmd, I asked Lisa, they eat stormlight, so Bad For Spren, but not inherently bad. I like having Lisa here to remind me of things I Knew At One Point But Have Since Forgotten Due To Reading So Many Other Things heheh

I love these two Thaylen nERDS

Vstim is a GOOD DAD AAHH

you know, that’s something that’s always sorta bothered me--how do Rosharans go around wearing jewelry that’s giving off enough light to see by? How is that not...overbright and distracting and uncomfortable?

WHOA WHAT

I WAS NOT EXPECTING MURDER 

omg the larkin is eating the gemstone that’s been glowing for 200 years, CHIRI-CHIRI NOOO

o_o

right

it makes sense that the voidbringers would have lightweavers, the fused are basically windrunners, but tbh I didn’t think about. you know. evil people that could disguise themselves as ANYTHING #YIKES

yeEAAHH MY GIRL

COME ON BRANDON, GIMME A RYSN ADVENTURE NOVEL. RYSN AND THE LOST TREASURE OF SOMEWHERE-WITH-TOO-MANY-CONSONANTS! PLS.

anyway, on to the main event for the evening: Megan Sobs Her Way Through the Teft Interlude i’m SURE

“the men of Bridge Four would tire of digging him out of trouble” NEVER.

HE HAS A SPREN

SHE’S BEEN THERE A WHILE, APPARENTLY!!??

HELP

uh oh

no

hold on

WHY IS THERE SOMETHING WRONG AT THE BRIDGE FOUR BARRACKS

WHY IS THERE SOMETHING WRONG

NO

NO

ABSOLUTELY NOT

WHY ARE THERE BRIDGEMEN WHO ARE BLEEDING

I REFUSE

I SWEAR TO FUCKING GOD IF HE KILLS ROCK I AM NOT FINISHING THIS BOOK

I’M NOT EVEN KIDDING

HE KILLED ETH???? AFTER HE KILLED MART IN THE LAST ONE HE HAD TO GO AND KILL OFF THE OTHER BROTHER? FUCK OFF, BRANDON

NO

I’ DON’T WANT THIS

PART FIVE, LET’S GET THIS DOOOONNNE

........there are thirteen, maybe (probably) more POVs in this part?

fuck, Brandon, if I wanted to hop around that much, I’d suck it up and read Martin. Uggghhhhh, I hate this.

HAHA whoops, I didn’t realize it was a flashback chapter and I was like “why is present!Dalinar in a stormWAGON?” and then I realized

“wild chickens range this far east” and I KNOW they mean crows or blackbirds or starlings, but. chickens. is still. such a good worldbuilding note.

“felt both an anxiety to be finished and--at the same time--a reluctance to progress.” B I G M O O D

Brandon: *describes the Nightwatcher* Me, whispering: “yiiiikes”

“What is your boon?” “Forgiveness.” CAN YOU IIIIMAAAAGIIIIINNE

OH SNAP

is that...actually Cultivation?

“I didn’t get what I wanted.” “You got what you deserved.” OOF. OOF. How does fifteen points of damage taste?!

“I control all things that can be grown, nurtured. That includes the thorns.” HM

OKAY

I like her.

HA I WAS RIGHT

EVI WAS THE COST NOT THE BOON. HA

tbqh, I’m still not entirely clear on the boon. I guess...she took away the guilt? or the memories that made the guilt? hm.

HE HAD NEVER DESERVED HER.

AAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA DAMN FUCKING RIGHT, DALINAR. GOD. YUP. AMEN

merrgghhhh pov shits within chapters grumble grumble grumble

oh dear

big battle time.

yaassss

ok, but the army of spren at the Oathgate might be friend spren. have you checked?

I’m still hung up on Kholinar, ngl, someone, for the love of god, tell me if Skar and Drehey are all right. alive. s o m e o n e pls care about these bridgemen as I do.

(and don’t say Kaladin cares, I KNOW HE DOES BUT HE HASN’T MENTIONED THEM IN 200 PAGES/FOUR WEEKS OF TRAVEL TIME, MMKAY?)

heh, Jasnah being all “Amaram’s bad guys can soak up the arrows while the rest of us escape” and usually, I’m very against the lil foot soldiers getting slaughtered for the misdeeds of their commanders, but if people are still following Amaram, they have Bad Priorities and I’m with Jasnah on this one.

I’m confused

Renarin’s spren is weird?

Jasnah thinks he’s a traitor?

I’m??? CONFUSED AND UPSET???

LET! THE BOY! LIVE!

WHICH ONE OF THEM IS CORRUPTED, IS IT JASNAH? MAYBE IT’S JASNAH?

Me: “Maybe it’s Jasnah???? She spent a lot of time in Shadesmar!” Lisa: “Maybe it’s Maybeline.”

She’s rude and I love her.

OH WHAT HOLD UP

VENLI IS IN THE KNIGHTS RADIANT CHAPTER?

or is it just...anyone listed at the beginning can be in any chapter?

SHE IS NOT LISTED SEPARATELY. HO SHIT

WHAT

YEAH THAT’S THE THING THAT BOTHERS ME: The fused just. sending in regular parshendi parshmen signers whATEVER TO FIGHT. THEY DON’T HAVE TRAINING. THEY’RE GOING TO GET MASSACRED. THAT’S NOT! GOOD! MILITARY! STRATEGY!

ugh, I’m still just. mad about the Recreance reveal.

The humans are the bad guys, fine. But the FUSED ARE DEFINITELY, ABSOLUTELY NOT THE GOOD GUYS??? so what was the point?

SEE SHIT LIKE THIS: “You are here to do as you’re told. In return, you are rewarded with further opportunities to serve.” what the fuuuuuuucckk

like, they’re still BAD GUYS

Here’s the thing--the Recreance reveal doesn’t really change anything. The human heroes are still going to choose the options that are “good” or “right”--Dalinar was already suing for peace, Kaladin was already making friends with the listeners--so saying “these humans in the past were evil” doesn’t change their choices. It doesn’t change the Fused’s choices either--saying “these guys were good in the past” doesn’t make them good guys now--OBVIOUSLY, just look at that dialogue.

So why bother?

The whole series is about choosing to be better, to do better, but the characters were ALREADY DOING THAT, they didn’t need an extra, super depressing motivator to do that. It’s just there to....reinforce the idea? That’s already pretty solid?

idk, I’m still REALLY struggling with this

sigh

back to Venli

hm

so, Odium can CHOOSE what he looks like when he appears--obviously he doesn’t REALLY look like a parshendi, bc he’s not actually their god. If the humans were the voidbringers originally, then he’s theirs, no?

also, # y i k e s, there he is

TEFT IS IN THE RADIANT POV HELL YAH

“You don’t want me. I’m broken.” YES, DARLING, THAT’S THE POINT.

I love him so much I just want to hug this sad uncle of mine

AAAHHH FUCK  THE KHOLINAR GATE

WAIT, MAYBE SKAR AND DREHY WILL SHOW UP FUKIN FINALLY

“This is winnable” IS IT THO

BECAUSE LITERALLY NOTHING ELSE IN THIS BOOK HAS BEEN AND AIN’T THAT JUST FUCKING DEPRESSING

oh fun! the thing from the cover! finally!

Here’s the thing: three years ago, I would have loved this book. Three years ago, overwhelming odds and impossible battles and the downward, angst slide of all my favorite characters would have been SO MUCH FUN to read. But now? This year? I’m fucking over it. I’m done. Give me optimism or give me death.

I’m exhausted enough in the real world, I don’t need to be exhausted by the books I’m reading.

“You mind holds firm” UH HUH SURE. P SURE NONE OF THE FUSED ARE SANE, bUT THAt’S FINe

“Could he defeat six? Did he need to?” THE IMPLICATION THAT: IF HE NEEDS TO, OF COURSE HE CAN. I’M LOVE KALADIN SO! MUCH!

DO WE FINALLY GET TO STAB AMARAM!!!!!!!????? FINALLY!!!

DOES KALADIN GET TO KILL HIM? BECAUSE I WILL BE REALLY, REALLY MAD IF KALADIN DOESN’T GET TO KILL HIM

OMG I’M SO HERE FOR THIS

MY BOY

KALADIN RECOGNIZING HIS PROGRESS AND KNOWING THAT HE’S GOT SYL AND BRIDGE FOUR, AND PURPOSE AND THAT HE’S GONNA STAY ALIVE FOR THEM, FOR IT. THAT EVEN THO LIFE SUCKS HE’S GONNA STICK AROUND BC THERE’S GOOD PARTS TOO. KALADIN REALIZING HE’S STRONG AND STRONGER WITH HIS PEOPLE. I’M SO

MY HEART IS SO FULL AND I LOVE HIM SO MUCH

OOOHHH NOO THAT”S HOT

where’s my Kaladin alone in combat stance facing down 6 fused and GLOWING ART BC I NEEEEEEDD IITTT

my soul

I love him

my soul

You know what? Kaladin never gets the Thrill. I bet it’s because he’s too good for this world.

ahhh fuck they got the thing

at least Rysn and Vstim are still alive! for now.

why do they want the thing tho

whose heart is it

WORRIED ABOUT RENARIN 2K18

heheheh Pattern, “I do not like being stabbed” no, you are usually doing the stabbing, huh? heheh

ADOLIN KISS SHALLAN! ! AHH!! YAY!!!

SOFT BEFORE BATTLE THIS GOOD

god, yup. “Um, hello.” SPEAKING TO THE OATHGATE SPREN WOULD BE SO SCARY

the Argonath spren. Oathgonath? Argonoath? Argonoath. heh

I’ll take Bad Lord of the Rings Puns for 300, Alex

COME ON, VENLI. SPEAK ME SOME WORDS, GIRL.

Oh hey it’s Gawx! Wacky fun.

aahhh shit, it WOULD look like the Alethi were betraying everyone else for real. SIGH.

come on, Lift, get them to help. come on, come on, come on

can we unforbid it? esp since Honor is fucking dead and doesn’t care what’s forbidden or not?

“A man can rule his lands until the citylord demands his taxes. The citylord controls his lands until the highlord, in turn, comes to him for payment. But the highlord must answer to the highprince, when war is called in his lands. And the king? He...must answer to God.” BUT DARKNESS--WHAT IS GOD TO A NON-BELIEVER?

“Don’t be stupid. Let’s go fight those guys.” AMEN, NIGHTBLOOD.

“But it had always been nothing more than a rock.” YEEEESSSS OMG. SZETH!!! FINALLY UNDERSTANDING.

KALADIN NO

goddamnit

UH??? WHY IS NAVANI POV IN THE RADIANTS CHAPTER???? BRANDON??? WHAT DO I NOT KNOW?

Dalinar continues to be an extra son of a bitch, and I love him.

ok, I’m betting it’s just anyone’s POV can be in any chapter, ‘cause the symbol hasn’t changed. so nevermind. I retract my questions about Venli and Navani.

HI LIFT

I LOVE YOU

“Did you forget to feed them?” I’VE MISSED HER WHY ISN’T SHE IN ALL THE CHAPTERS

“Wyndle doesn’t like hurting people” I !!!! LOVE! THEM!

PLS BE CAREFUL ADOLIN AAAHH

NO???

NOOOOOOOOO??

DON’T?? STAB THE SUNSHINE BOY????

I’M?

his sord

w

swor

d aah

she protec hiom

uuuuuhhhhjfghmgdh

hmfzngrsmkdc

oh snap hold on

Hello Darkness is gonna swap sides? Not that he was really ever on our side, but like. “will make the transition to obeying the Dawnsigners easier” OBEYING? I’m.

that’s Not Great.

“Leave me”? ????? EXCUSE?? NO!!!?? ABSOLUTELY NOT, SUNSHINE BOY, WTF

he has more words

WORDS

GASP

AAHH

LISTEN, DALINAR, ADOLIN IS THE DUELLING BOY. IF YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE A CHAMPION FOR A ONE-ON-ONE DUEL. YOU NEED ADOLIN. AND HE’S BUSY BEING STABBED AND ALSO NOT HERE AND I’M

YELLING

UNEXPECTED SZETH FALLING FROM THE SKY TO SAVE LIFT??? I’M HERE FOR IT

oohh szeth. honey bunches of oats. one day--one day--you will realize that you don’t actually need a master. and you will become something more.

even if you’ve picked dalinar as your new master, which is good, bc following good men is better than bad ones, buT STILL

also, how come we didn’t get to hear his Words??? I WANT TO KNOW ALL THE WORDS. BAD POV SWITCH MADE ME MISS OUT ON SKYBREAKER IDEALS. BOO.

UGH, STAB HIM, NAVANI

ah. ShalASH, got it

there’s Too Much going on, tbqh.

*quietest of wimpers*: taln

help

aahhh darnit, ok. it IS Renarin that’s corrupted. someone PLS let this boy have, like, A MOMENT of peace

oh for fuck’s sake

Let Dalinar fucking have a moment

COME ON

HE’S THE G O O D G U Y, PLS

I’m suffering

RESIST, DALINAR

AAHH

genuinely don’t think you should just be waving Nightblood around

sheathe that motherfucker

pls

also, if Szeth said his words, shouldn’t he have bonded a spren? Doesn’t have have a sprensword? so maybe he....could stop? using Nightblood? 

somebody help Taln, I AM TOO FAR AWAY TO HUG HIM PLS HUG HIM

THIS IS WHY YOU DON’T USE NIGHTBLOOD

JUST SAYIN’

BLESS NAVANI. SHE HAS INVENTED THE TAZER

or possibly weaponized the Cruciatas Curse, but EITHER WAY: NICE.

“Dalinar pulled the Way of Kings close to his chest, clutching it like a child with his blanket at night” MOOD ALSO SAME I FEEL THIS ABOUT MY COPY, TOO

STOP KILLING BRIDGE FOUR

I WILL YELL AT YOU, BRANDON

I WILL SEE YOU ON THURSDAY AND I WILL YELL AT YOU

“Dalinar Kholin is no more” UH HUH, SURE

That would be boring. We’ve already seen the Blackthorn. It’s boring unless we get something new.

fuck off amaram

gross? not recommended.

don’t swallow foreign objects

something GOOD HAS TO HAPPEN SOON OR I’M GONNA FUCKING SCREAM

I’M TIRED GIVE ME HOPE

IT’S BEEN, LIKE, 300 PAGES SINCE ANYTHING GOOD HAS HAPPENED

BRIDGE FOUR KEEPS DYING, ADOLIN GOT STABBED, DALINAR IS BEING TORTURED, FOR FUCK’S SAKE C O M E O N

(purposely forgeting Lift showing up and Navani tazing people in her assessment of how many pages it’s been since good things have happened)

NO FUCKING SHIT, KIDDO!!! THE FUTURE IS MALLEABLE!!! IT CHANGES!! OF COURSE IT CAN BE WRONG

oh

duh

even I had that wrong--the NEXT step, not the first

GOOD

STAND UP

AAAAHHH

“If I didn’t do those things, it means that I can’t have grown to become someone else.” AND YOU DID! YOU DID GROW! LOOK AT YOU! FINALLY YOU ARE REALIZING IT ONLY TOOK 3FUCKINGTHOUSAND PAGES AAAHHH

YAAAS

YOU’RE MY FAMILY

AAAHH

GOOD SOFT JASNAH!!! NOT A THING I EXPECTED BUT HERE WE ARE

“Maybe it’s time for someone to save you.” *MEEP*

hel p

that’s intense

AAAHHHH

EVI IS A GOOD AND I LOVE HER AND SHE DESERVED BETTER ALSO SOFT AND GOOD AAHH

# yikes

but like, a good yikes

yeah, you fucking better apologize to him

Taln deserves an apology form every single person on this planet, and that includes all the Heralds, and the Heralds owe him, like, a hundredbajillion apologies extra

I have emotions

and opinions

HE’S SO GOOD

AND SOFT

MY GODSON

OH MY GOD

OHHHH MYY GOOODDDDDD

HE’S SO GOOD

oh no I love him so much

TEEEEFFT

FINALLY

YES

GOOD WORDS I’M CRYING OH NO

HE’S

SO MUCH

all my soft boys

best boys

dominoes with crystal transformation? MORE GOOD YIKES

YEESSSSS

KALADIN!!!!!

VS

FUCKFACE!!!

HERE WE GO

LOOK KALADIN, YOU DID SAVE HIM!!! YOU PUT THE SYLSPEAR IN JUST THE RIGHT PLACE TO BLOCK THE SWORD AND YOU DID SAVE DALINAR, LOOK AT YOU

NOW PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE STAB THE EVERLIVING FUCK OUT OF AMARAM

STAND UP AND DO BETTER

LOOK IT’S WHAT i’VE BEEN SAYING THE WHOLE TIME

yes good, heal Adolin, thank you

GOD FUCKING BLESS

LITERAL ORDERS TO STAB THE FUCKFACE

THANK YOU

ofuck he did swallow it

Not Great

every time Adolin talks to his sword, my heart leaps. he actually apologizes and also thanks her and I just! want her to know! how much he loves and appreciates her!

WAKE UP, SWORD! MAKE HIM RADIANT!

COME ON

FUCKING

YOU ABSOLUTE HOOKWORM I CANNOT BELIEVE

TWO SHARDBLADES. OF FUCKING COURSE HE NEVER GOT RID OF KALADIN’S. FUCKING

PIECE OF

ROTTEN SHIT I’m. hate him.

so

much

ooohh Shallan!!!!!! I’m proud of her!! She’d created them to be strong when she wasn’t but she doesn’t need them now aahh!!

OH HEY, FEN’S SON DOES HAVE A NAME and it’s a garbage Thaylen name. Kdralk? all right then

“Life could not be lived making decisions at each juncture.” Szeth.... Szeth that’s. that’s...exactly what life is??? That’s. how you do, actually, live life? I’m ???? ??

‘at the top, they found a jumble of Sadeas troops chipping at a door with hand axes. “I can probably get through that a little easier.”’ HEHEHEH

Lov me a sunshine boy

GOD FINALLY

LET! NAVANI! GRIEVE! THANK YOU

ADOLIN IS SUCH A GOOD COMMANDER, GOD

EXCELLENT TACTICS

I’M SO PLEASED

It’s very satisfying to get Kaladin fighting Amaram and Dalinar fighting the thrill Unmade at the same time

fINALLY something SATISFYINg in this book

listen, I love having the visual of Jasnah’s effortless airsteps from the cover, but I’m still REALLY Disappointed that the covers don’t match up with the flashback character.

It’s Dalinar’s book, it should be Dalinar on the cover, but WHATEVER, WHELAN, ugh.

THANKS FOR ALL THE BROKEN BONES, I HATE IT

It’s never fair when the bad guy brings so many friends to the party.

SHE FINALLY HAS A NAME YES

MAYA IS A GOOD SWORD AND I LOVE HER

eeyyyy GOOD JOB, VENLI!!!

PETITION FOR SUNSHINE BOY TO STOP GETTING HURT

ngl, his is the battle I’m actually most invested in rn, other than Kaladin, I just.

want him to be okay

“half expecting Skar and Drehy to be there to pull him to his feet. Storms, he missed those bridgemen.” ME FUCKING TOO, ADOLIN. WHERE ARE THEY ARE THEY OKAY 

AAHH!! Renarin gets to protect Adolin THAT’S SO NICE GOOD

I ADORE that Lift and Dalinar are besties. It’s the BEST dynamic, such an interesting combo, and I LOVE IT.

“Amaram was screaming in pain.” GOOD.

WONDERFUL. AMAZING.

BRILLIANT.

FRAME IT.

Overconfident fuckface took his own helmet off, bless hiS HEART

“I hurt, once...after I killed your squad, I hurt.” OH BOO HOO, POOR BABY FELT A TWINGE OF GUILT FOR A HOT SECOND I DON’T FEEL BAD FOR YOU, YOU ABSOLUTE FUCKWEASEL

oh, gross

thanks

THE SPEAR THAT DOESN’T BREAK AAAHHHHHH MY SOUL

OH FOR FUCK’S SAKE, WE WERE SO CLOSE

it’s ok, we just need one more good solid hit on that gemheart and we’re DONE WITH THIS LOSER

A DOZEN

RENARIN CAN’T FIGHT A FULL DOZEN BY HIMSELF? OH MY GOD

not good

uugghh fuck Malata, I DON’T TRUST HER

Renarin is very brave. A Good.

OH WAIT, TEFT CAN OPEN THE OATHGATE

YAAASSS

YAAAAAAAASSSS

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASASSSSSSSSSSSSS

I’M SO HAPPY

TEFT OPENED THE OATHGATE

LOOK AT MY BOYS

*SCREAMING CONTINUES*

PHEW ROCK IS ALIVE, I CAN KEEP READING

“YOU LOOKED LIKE PERSON WHO NEEDED HUG” ROCK IS THE BEST I LOVE ROCK I’VE MISSED HIM SO MUCH

Oh right, Dalinar’s still, like. doing stuff. I forgot, ‘cause it’s. Nothing’s happening with it.

Should be focal, but there’s. So much going on.

COME ON, KALADIN, YOU’VE GOT WORDS WEIGHING DOWN YOUR TONGUE.

COME ON, DARLING, PLEASE.

ok that’s acceptable

not ideal

but beautiful

a good, solid Rock.

I will accept this end.

Bridge Four is so, so, so important, I cannot express in words.

oh, quiet screaming:

Moash chapter

oooohhhh buddy

One day, you’ll wake up.

Until then, my very garbage brain will write fic, and it will be glorious.

how do people not ship this

he literally helped her remember herself

he recognized her in her sea of selves and pulled her out, cOME ON

THIS IS THE SOFTEST OF SHIPS AND I’M CRYING

AAHH VENLI!! PROGRESS!!! also what order, I must know

whoo Braize IS Damnation, called that shit, like, a book and a half ago.

“only Ishar survived with his mind intact” A RE Y O U V RE Y SU RE AB T T H A T? ???

oh. those are boring Words, but okay. makes sense, the Skybreakers are kinda. Meh.

ugh, we still have to deal with Hello Darkness My Old Friend? He’s going to come oversee training? ugh.

BEST KISS BEST KISS BEST KISS

OTP: NO MATING

OTP

BEST

KISS

YES

“You mentioned something about kissing me until I can’t breathe, but here I am, not even winded--”

B E S T K I S S BEST BEST BEST KISS

“I don’t think I loved her, Syl. I felt...something. A lightening of my burdens...” THE FEELING WAS FRIENDSHIP BUT NEITHER OF THEM HAD EXPERIENCED IT BEFORE.

“I knew you’d come for me.” brb crying forever

I don’t know if you know this, but I really love Bridge Four.

“We lift the bridge together, Teft. And we carry it.”

[cries quietly into that sentence for the rest of eternity]

TARAVANGIAN IS LITERALLY CONFESSING, BUT WHO WANTS TO BET DALINAR FORGIVES HIM AND STILL TRUSTS HIM

i s2g, Dalinar’s pure goodness is going to be the thing that kills him, in the end.

MOASH WHAT THE FUCK

JEZRIEN

I KNEW Ahu was a Herald, HA, but JEZRIEN HOLY FUCK  

actually dead or just bound in the sapphire bc it IS glowing, so. hm.

hm

god

Moash, plllleeeaasseeeeeeeee ugh

ahhh YAY LOPEN!!!

but it. should have been Moash. It was always supposed to be Teft and Moash and Skar and Rock.

And I love Lopen, really, I do. b ut.

I’m also:

~*~GARBAGE~*~

mmmmm ACTUAL FATHER? OR? HMM

I’M WORRIED ABOUT MY ANCIECT GODCHILDREN OKAY? HELP THEM.

OH THANK FUCK

SKAR AND DREHY ARE OKAY

SKAR AND DREHY PROTECT THOSE WHO CANNOT PROTECT THEMSELVES!!!!????

THAT’S!!!! THEY DID THE THING???!!! THEY’VE GOT THE WORDS!!!

LOOK AT MY BOYS GO! LOOK AT THEM ALL!!

TEFT AND LOPEN AND SKAR AND DREHY!!!!

I’M SO PLEASED

oh yeah they saved the kid that’s good

LOOK! AT! MY! BOYS!!!!!

Taravangian might be the ONLY fictional grandpa that I dislike

I always like the grandpas.

but noT THIS ONE

hm

by becoming king of the world and then asking odium to spare everyone he ruled, he was going to save everyone.

Not

actually a bad plan

Not a great one, obviously. but. not a terrible one.

Too bad it was NEVER GOING TO WORK

oh fuck off, he stole the Honorblade, which means Malata probably killed Eth, so GOOD NOW I HAVE A SOLID, CONCRETE REASON TO HATE HER, GOOD.

“Why would [Taravangian] work with the enemy? Everything he’s done so far has been to secure a safe Roshar--if through brutal means. Still, I have to wonder. I can’t afford to be too trusting.” I CAN’T BE TOO TRUSTING, EXCEPT TARAVANGIAN, I’LL DEF TRUST HIM OF COURSE, Dalinar, pLEASE

I’m dying, you gotta. ugh

he’s EVIL COME ON

ppppssssssst

*put Jasnah on the throne*

we need someone who’s good at diplomancy, who can inspire people and command them! GEE WHO’VE WE GOT WHO CAN DO ALL THOSE THINGS AND LOOK SHARP AF DOING IT?

I W ON D E R

oh holy shit, they actually did it

they actually did put Jasnah in charge

holy fuck

YEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSS

EXCELLENT

really moash

the stolen honorblade

HE WHO QUIETS --admittedly a great assassin epithet, but

Mooooooaaaaaaaassshhh

S I G H

okay, so we figured out that Sja-anat is anti-odium, that’s good. but HOW do we know that Renarin bonded one of her spren? just...’cause it’s corrupted and that’s what she does? or did I miss something more specific?

oh huh

ok

cool

OH!, he went to get Elhokar’s baby spren. interesting.

does that make Wit a Radiant? ‘cause I bet that’s not going to go over well heheheheh

WHOOOOOO I’M FREEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

Defo not my favorite, but it did pick up at the end there. Part 3 was A TRIP that I enjoyed and I’m still pumped that Bridge Four got 1. POVs and 2. SPREN that was really nice. I’m ~*~GARBAGE~*~ and there was some good garbage Moash content, so I loved that. The roadtrip was Sure A Thing. I love my sunshine boy, Adolin Kholin with all my heart. Aaaaand I’ll circle back to Part 4 and the beginning of Part 5 when it’s NOT 4am!

[silverfootstepswrites]

Butterfly [45]

summary It’s not exactly point a to point b...

“Well.... I’m not... hm...” Sakura trailed off as she really considered the question. She reached across the table. Kiba turned the bag of chips around so she could dig a few pieces out. He opened his mouth before her hand could retreat. She stuck one in his mouth before her hand returned with the rest of her chips.

“Inuzuka-san?” 

“No way,” Kiba said right away, still chewing. 

“Not even for 100,000,000 yen?” Sakura pressed. 

“Hell no,” Kiba said to that. 

“Okay. Nara-san?” Itachi went on to ask. And Shikamaru sat cross-legged, cushion hugged to his chest as he thought everything over. 

“That’s... I’m out,” sighed Shikamaru, giving a little shrug. 

All eyes fell on Sakura. She plucked a chip out of her palm and took her time biting it in half. She looked up as she weighed the options.

“How many worms are we talking about? Also, am I required to chew them or can I just gulp them down like medicine? Because that wouldn’t be so awful,” Sakura asked.

“Gross!” “Haruno!” Kiba and Shikamaru complained in unison. 

“Have you had lunch yet?” 

Sakura tucked her left hand into the pocket of her jacket, the one that wasn’t holding her phone. Her duffel bag banged against her right hip with every other step. She twisted her wrist to check the time. 

“No. I was just on my way home to cook something,” she replied. 

“I accidentally got extra-hot curry when I went grocery shopping. Do you want to try it with me?” asked Itachi. She laughed.

“You just want someone to suffer with you,” she accused.

“Yes,” he said right away. 

Sakura considered his offer for a movement. While a free meal was always tempting, she recalled the chicken breast she had left thawing in the sink. She let out a sigh. 

“Promise not to laugh at me?” she asked.

Itachi stood in her kitchen with her. His hand on his hip as he paged through the cookbook Shizune had taken such meticulous notes in. On some of the pages, she had even drawn little diagrams in the margins. Like how to hold food when chopping it.

“Why did you think I would laugh at you?” Itachi inquired, glancing over at her. Sakura crossed her arms across her chest. 

“I don’t know,” she replied. 

Itachi leaned his forearm on the counter as he held her gaze. “I wouldn’t,” he told her. She managed to look him in the eyes for a couple seconds before she broke eye contact. Clearing her throat, she crossed the kitchen to flip to one of the pages she had marked. 

“I’ve been trying to get through two or three a week,” she explained. She went back a few pages. “Fried rice was an utter disaster. I did yakisoba the other day. It was.... food-like...” As she spoke, Sakura was very aware of the fact that Itachi was looking at her and not at the recipes. 

“So what’s the menu for today?” asked Itachi. 

“Oyakodon,” she replied, flipping to the next page. 

He took some time reading through the list of ingredients and then the steps. He touched his thumb to his lower lip, mouthing some of the words as he went.

“This doesn’t sound too difficult,” he finally commented. 

“That’s what I thought about the fried rice,” Sakura sighed. Itachi smiled as he looked up at her. 

“How about this? Try your best to make some delicious oyakodon. And I’ll make my extra-hot curry. It’ll be back-up,” he suggested, holding up the box of instant curry roux. And then, looking at the box, Itachi added, “I’m really hoping you succeed. Because I’m kind of afraid to eat this.”

Sakura did some digging in one of the cabinets to find an extra pot Itachi could use. In the process, she found an apron. Blue with white ties. Sakura set it in her lap, recalling how her dad looked wearing it. Standing right next to her mom, their backs to the door. Mom chopping scallions while Dad peeled potatoes. 

“Do you use these cutting boards for different foods?” asked Itachi behind her. 

Sakura got to her feet, holding out the blue apron to Itachi. 

“Here. You don’t want your clothes to get dirty,” she told him.

But Itachi wasn’t looking at the apron. He was looking into her eyes. Cutting boards still held up in front of him. 

“Are you okay?” he questioned.

She felt herself smile a little. “Yeah. Promise.”

The oyakodon was a failure. She undercooked it the first time, so they stuck it back on the stove. What emerged was a dry, bland catastrophe deemed unfit for human consumption. Itachi’s curry singed the inside of their mouths instead. They tried drinking water and then milk. Panting and fanning their mouths as their tongues continued to burn. The afternoon ended with them running to the convenience store to buy ice cream. 

“Your lips are red,” Sakura laughed as they left the store. 

“So are yours,” he retorted, smiling just as hard. 

Itachi was back the following day when she tried udon. The noodles ended up being somehow soggy and undercooked at the same time. Sakura and Itachi alternated between giggling and making faces as they somehow managed to get through their bowls. 

“I don’t think udon is supposed to be crunchy,” she commented. 

“At least you didn’t burn the noodles,” he tried to comfort her. 

On Tuesday, Sakura bravely attempted to make omurice. 

“This egg didn’t deserve this,” Sakura whispered, poking at the blackened crust. 

“I feel like we should light incense for it,” Itachi agreed in a solemn voice. He mimed praying for the egg’s soul. Sakura burst out laughing as she dumped the food in the trash. 

On Saturday, Kiba sat at the kitchen table, squinting at the both of them as they bent over the cookbook. Akamaru lay at his feet like a lumpy shag carpet. 

“How have neither of you gotten food poisoning?” he wondered out loud. 

“Dumb luck,” Shikamaru retorted, sitting at the other side of the table. 

As Sakura and Itachi read over the recipe, Shikamaru waved his hand in Kiba’s direction. When his friend didn’t notice, Shikamaru picked up a chopstick and threw it. It hit Kiba on the arm. 

“You know, maybe I should only cook stuff that doesn’t require actual cooking,” Sakura mused. 

“Like sashimi. Steak tartare,” Itachi suggested. They chuckled together.

Behind their backs, Shikamaru pointed at the door. 

‘We should go,’ he mouthed. 

‘But I’m hungry,’ Kiba mouthed back. Shikamaru threw the other chopstick at him. 

‘Let’s go!’ Shikamaru mouthed.

“Go where?” Itachi asked out loud. The two men jolted. They looked up to find Itachi looking over his shoulder at them. Sakura was still engrossed in the recipe. 

Shikamaru’s gaze darted to Kiba, who was absolutely frozen. 

“Uh... the convenience store. For snacks,” answered Shikamaru. He gave Kiba another look. 

“And I think I’ll take Akamaru for a walk. He looks like he really has to go,” added Kiba. Akamaru yawned.

“Great. Could you pick up some beer while you’re there?” Sakura requested. Her head popped up over Itachi’s shoulder. Just in time for her to glimpse the odd looks on her friend’s faces. She watched them scramble to grab their wallets and phones before they hurried out of the house. 

“Was it just me or were they being weird?” asked Itachi as he pulled out a cutting board and handed a knife off to Sakura.

“They’re always weird,” Sakura replied.

When the duo returned, dinner was finished. A slightly-charred teriyaki that actually sort of tasted the way it was supposed to.

As the days in January passed, the residents of Konoha began to see the decorations going up. Red and pink hearts in store windows. Banners that urged people to buy chocolates and other gifts. Genma’s bar advertised half-priced drinks for single people on February 14th. 

“I got an idea. Let’s go around throwing rocks at couples for Valentine’s Day,” grumbled Kiba. Shikamaru tossed a pillow across the room, hitting him in the back of the head.

“You’ll go to jail, you idiot,” he pointed out.

And then they both looked at Itachi. 

“So,” Kiba said. 

It took a moment. And then Itachi looked up from his phone. “Me?” he asked.

“What’re you going to do, Uchiha-sensei?” Shikamaru inquired. 

“About what, Nara-sensei?” asked Itachi in return. There was no sarcasm in his voice. That made Kiba’s eyebrows jump up. 

“About Valentine’s Day, my dude,” Kiba chimed in. 

Itachi looked back down at his phone. 

“I hear Genma-san is doing discounted drinks. We should go to that,” he replied. 

“You’re not going to ask Haruno to do anything?” Kiba blurted out.

Itachi fumbled with his phone. It slipped past his fingers, clattering noisily across the floor. Shikamaru and Kiba both eyed the phone for a moment before they looked at Itachi. 

“You meant like the four of us. All hanging out together, right?” said Itachi. 

“No. Like you two. Candles,” Shikamaru spelled out for him. 

“Sharing one long piece of spaghetti,” added Kiba. 

Shikamaru looked at him. “You’ve been saying that since we were kids. Is that a fetish or something?”

“No, dude! It’s from that movie. With the two dogs!” Kiba retorted.

“Don’t watch that movie so much. It’ll make Akamaru sad. Since he’s single too,” chuckled Shikamaru. Akamaru’s ear twitched at the sound of his name.

Kiba saw Itachi’s phone still sitting on the floor. It reminded him of the original topic of the conversation. When he picked it up to hand back to Itachi, they saw that Itachi had gone a little pale. He sat with his hands folded in his lap. Kiba placed the phone on the coffee table. Ever-polite Itachi didn’t even thank him. 

“Uh... you alright?” Kiba queried. 

There was a long pause. And then Itachi let out a deep breath. 

“Has it been that obvious? That I like her?” Itachi questioned.

“Yeah.”

“Nope.”

He lifted his chin. 

Kiba laughed a little. “I had no idea. This guy figured it out right away, though,” he said, jabbing his thumb at Shikamaru. 

“Do you think she knows?” Itachi worried. 

“She’s almost as dense as Inuzuka. I doubt it,” Shikamaru snorted. Kiba began nodding before he stopped. He turned to glare at Shikamaru, who only shrugged in response. 

“So what’s the plan?” Shikamaru questioned. 

“Plan?” Itachi repeated. He squeezed his hands together. “Any advice? You’ve known her forever, right?” 

Kiba scratched his chin. “She’s a girl.... I dunno. Flowers?” he mused. 

“Chocolate?” Shikamaru suggested. 

Then Kiba shrugged as he confessed, “Nara’s never even had a girlfriend before. And I haven’t had one in a while. We’re probably not the best people to ask.” He reached across the coffee table to put his hand on Itachi’s shoulder.

“But good luck, dude,” he concluded. 

“We’re screwed,” Shikamaru sighed, turning onto his side.

“Where’re Dumb and Dumber?” asked Haku. His eyes darted all around the computer screen. Sakura smoothed the sheet mask over her face. She made sure that the holes for her eyes and mouth matched up before she rubbed the rest of the essence into her neck. 

“Not here,” replied Sakura. And then she leaned back in her chair. 

“So you withdrew from Four Continents?” she then inquired. 

“Yeah. I think I’d be too tired to do that and Worlds too,” Haku told her. She didn’t protest. He knew his own limits best. 

They chatted about other things instead. About how training had been and how their coach was doing. And of course, Haku caught her up on all the gossip. Including who was injured, who was changing coaches, and things of that nature. 

“And get this, he said that he would consider doing pairs if you were his partner,” Haku said. 

“Please. He’s so tiny. I’d have to lift him,” Sakura retorted. She peeled her mask off, rubbing the leftover into her skin as she spoke. 

“Is that the one I sent you?” Haku inquired. She glanced down at the packaging. 

“Yeah. It smells really nice,” she commented. Haku grinned. 

“We use almost all the same skincare products. Someone’s gonna notice that we smell alike one day,” he warned. Sakura rolled her eyes.

“What reporter is going to come up to you and first thing start smelling you?”

“Some of those reporters are aggressive. It could happen!”

They laughed at the very idea. As Sakura tossed the used mask into the trash, her phone began buzzing. The name flashing across the screen killed her laugh mid-breath. 

“What?”

“Uh... I should take this. You okay hanging out for a bit?” Sakura asked. Haku nodded, eyes following her as she walked out of the room. 

Lifting the phone to her ear, Sakura swiped her finger across the screen.

“Hello?” she said.

“You’re going to be so angry with me. So I’m sorry in advance,” Kimimaro warned her.

Sakura let out a long breath, pinching the bridge of her nose between her fingers. 

“What did you do? Tell me,” she ordered.

End Part 9

[umiwomitai]

sorry i didn’t sent an ask in the last two days but i was pretty busy 😅😅

i still want to learn french, i just guess that i will have to learn it by myself. and thank you! will definitely ask for help!

bro i don’t know. like the 8th is national holiday and this dumbass will have lesson??? from 8 to 10am???? like dude???? you really think i’m going to wake up at 8 to follow your lesson? during an holiday??? lol no

exactly!! i think it’s normal. like if you pick your favorite artist i bet that there’s at least one song that’s not really you vibe, and i think that is such a normal thing, but soo many people keep forgetting it 🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️

same for me! if i know that i won’t like a food, i won’t even try it lol. and ew meat with prune sauce… i’m— ew

yooo you don’t like sweet potatoes???? i love them???? i mean i only ate them twice, when i was abroad, but i remember liking them so much, but they don’t have them here so i never eat them :((

i never tried avocado, but i see everyone eating it now bc it became a trend food and idk if i really wanna try it.

for me… a food that i regretted eating is tomato. i really can’t stand it. i like tomato sauce, but the tomato ew no. i really don’t like it haha. also sauces like ketchup and mayo or bbq sauce, in my opinion they taste so bad and i still don’t understand how people can like them???? i remember trying them bc everyone around me like them, but i was soo disgusted.

for ending up liking, idk i guess coffe. can you count coffe as a food? let’s pretend we do, and i basically never drank coffee in my entire life even if everyone around me liked it/was addicted to it, then i guess last year? i drank an espresso and i really liked it!! now it’s something that i always have after lunch or as a break in the morning

what about your favorite food?

good luck w it!! learning a wholeass language by yourself is far from easy x')) lmaooo what. is he even allowed to put a class on a national holiday?? doesn't have things to do too like. leave students alone dude u_u

it's actually so rare for me to like all the song in a one album, i can count those albums on one hand XD so the whole concept of "you have to love everything your faves produce" is so foreign to me. u_u like sorry you all have no taste but i do XD

it's the texture 😭 and i mean. they do taste sweet and that's disturbing. but really every time i see a meal w sweet potatoes i'm like :(( bc. potatoes are the best thing in the entire world. why don't i like the sweet ones? 😭 tbh avocado has a weird texture too, but it's very tasty. definitely worth trying imo :')

noooo tomatoes ;o; tomatoes fresh from the garden w just a bit of salt is just. something else. ok ok i get it about ketchup tho u_u mayo i only eat it if it's homemade, the pre-made one tastes so weird to me. oooh coffee. tbh italian espressos are usually really strong XD so i get not really being tempted by it at first.

hm favourite. i love everything w chicken tbh! tho i'm trying to become vegetarian so XD i love apple desserts! which is funny bc i don't exactly love apples themselves that much, but like. apple pies? apple cake ? apple sauce ? every single thing that has apples in it u_u also love croissants! but good luck trying to find dairy-free ones here x)) you said you love food, so what are yours??

[lovemesomesurveys]

[created by: -ily-ylm]

We meet again, what's one of the best things you did today? Well, well, well. We meet again. ha. Anyway, it’s only 4:17 and so far I’ve just  ate ramen, watched YouTube videos, and now I’m doing some surveys, which  are all things I like to do.

Does your pet ever harass you when your eating food? She’ll sit by you and just stare. 

Have you ever looked in the mirror and thought, "Oh God, Ew." I avoid looking in the mirror as much as possible for that reason. I keep it short and only when I have to. Otherwise, I avoid looking at myself. And I sometimes use reflective surfaces that don’t make the best mirror because it doesn’t give a clear reflection or I keep my light off when I can see just enough. I’ve become very self-conscious these past few years. More so than ever. 

Name a song that gets stuck in your head now and then:: Random songs get stuck in my head all the time.

Do you have a pair of those big sunglasses? Do you wear them at all? I don’t wear sunglasses.

What’s your favorite flavor or kind of cough drop? The minty ones.

Peanut butter goes best with what one: Honey, jam or chocolate? It goes really well with all 3. Do you like sour candies? What's the most sourest candy you've ever tried? No, not at all. I don’t enjoy the sour taste for one, but also it irritates my mouth.

Is there something you really want, that a friend has?

FREEZE FRAME! Your five years old again...!! - You wake up, and your hungry. What do you want for some num-num's? Probably a chicken mcnugget happy meal.

You're done eating, what toy do you go play with? Barbies.

Your mom is taking you out to go to your favorite place, where is that? Chuck-E-Cheese.

You start crying, what's the reason? What/who made you cry? Probably just from being tired.

It's your 6th birthday! What was the present that made you crazy happy? All things Barbie.

Back To Random Reality... - When two family members are fighting, what do you usually do? Nothing.

Are you good at doing your own makeup? How about others' makeup? I was never great it. I didn’t mess with it too much, I just kept it simple. I definitely wasn’t good at doing someone else’s. 

Do you usually have to or want to drink when attending a party? I felt that way when I was younger and used to drink. My friends were doing it and I wanted to keep up with them. And I was like, I’m in my early 20s this is what you do. Bad way of thinking, but it’s true. Are you a fire-bug? What's something you've lit on fire before? No, I don’t mess around with fire. I’m a scardy cat.

What do you think would happen if you drank coke and then ate Mentos? Wasn’t that myth debunked?

What’s better, mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes? I loveeee mashed potatoes and gravy. I like sweet potato fries, but I don’t eat just sweet potatoes. 

Do you like the smell of men's perfume, such as Axe or Tag? I love the smell of a lot of colognes, but definitely not Axe or Tag. Ew. 

What's your all time FAVORITE freezer food? Do you eat that a lot? I used to love stuff like Pizza Rolls, Hot Pockets, chicken nuggets, pizza, Eggos, and those microwave meals like Healthy Choice and Smart Ones. I ate that kind of stuff all the time, but not so much anymore.

Name one reason why you wouldn’t be friends with someone: If they were arrogant and cocky.

What's your all time very least favorite cereal? I don’t like Special K or “healthy” cereals like that. 

Do you like documentaries? Have you ever watched one and found it boring? Yes to both. 

Did you ever used to make cookies, cakes or pie with your grandma? Sometimes.

Have you ever went into depression just because of one REALLY HORRIBLE day? Depression doesn’t work that way.

Are you easy to get along with? Are you a people person/social butterfly? I think so. No, I’m definitely not a people person or social butterfly. 

What is the one all time most scariest movie you've ever seen in your life? Hm. I don’t know because I’m not scared of horror movies anymore like I used to be. I used to be such a scardy cat. There’s been some I rewatched and I’m like wow, I was scared of that? There are some that are creepy for sure, but I really enjoy horror movies now. And I’m not effected by any of them, like they don’t stick with me or give me nightmares.

We're you ever a fan of macaroni & cheese? Do you like kraft dinner? Yeah. More so when I was a kid, but it’s still good.

Do you and your mom have that motherly daughterly loving relationship? We do. My mom is my best friend.

Do you always like to have a drink with your food? I don’t need to have one, but I usually happen to have something.

Are you scared of online predators, molesters and rapists? Thankfully, I haven’t encountered any of those (that I know of), but I certainly wouldn’t want to. I definitely would be scared.

You have the option to visit Canada!: What place would you like to visit? Lane, where do you recommend? 

Isn't it unfortunate when you get SO sick of a song that used to LOVE? That doesn’t happen much. And if it does, then I just don’t listen to it for a bit but then I go back to it.

What's better, Vodka or Kahlua? Why? Blech.

Do you like Chinese food? What's one of your fave Chinese dishes? I like chow mien, egg rolls, pot stickers, and crab rangoon. I used to love orange chicken, but I can’t eat spicy stuff anymore. :/

Does your tummy make stupid and weird sounds sometimes? Yes, even right after I eat, which completely defeats the purpose. <<< Ugh, same. Or it’ll growl when I’m almost finished and I’m like wtf?? Or it’ll make noises at random times when I’m not eating or feel hungry. I have stomach issues. :/

Do you and your siblings have different colored eyes? My younger brother’s are a lighter brown than mine.

Did the jingle of the ice cream truck annoy you or excite you? I always got excited about it.

Do you think some things are just unbelievably expensive nowadays? Like...? Apple products for sure. I’m such a sucker, though. 

Do you drink to get drunk, or just for the flavor? When I used to drink I drank to get drunk. 

Can you pull off short hair? Do you know someone who can't? I don’t know, but I had really short hair (a “bob” cut) for a few years. 

What's one thing you DON'T have in your purse that you wish you did? I have the things I need.

What do you think of people that talk like a trucker? (Swears profusely): Ehh. It can get to be too much.

Have you ever met a fat man that smelled like a dirty cigar? Uh...

What's your favorite kind of pepper: Green, Yellow, or Red? I can’t spicy stuff anymore. 

When driving, what does the yellow light mean to YOU personally? It means to slow down.

What's the coolest thing you made in sewing class? I’ve never taken a sewing class.

Fave chip brand & flavor: Doritos, Lays, Old Dutch, Ms.Vickies or Cheetos? Doritos Cool Ranch or Nacho Cheese. I used to like the Doritos Fiery Nacho and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, but again I can’t eat that stuff anymore.

Does your cat have a really nice coat, or really nice eyes? Why do you assume I have a cat?

Do you like to have ice in your drinks? Doesn't it dilute the drink though? No, I don’t. 

Is the smell of cigars absolutely DISGUSTING? Yes. Cigarettes and cigars make me feel really sick when around them. The smell and smoke give me a headache, make my heart race, and give me nausea. 

Do you get more bad luck, good luck, or a nice portion of both? I don’t believe in luck, but I’ve had my share of hardships and struggles.

Do you like the bands Paramore, Yellowcard and The Acadamy Is...? I DO! =] Yeah. I was really into them back in the day.

Do you like whip cream and chocolate sauce on top of your coffee sometimes? Whipped cream with like mochas and lattes. 

Do herbs, salts and spices seriously make a difference in your meal? Absolutely. Especially garlic. We add garlic to a lot of our foods in my house. It’s just so good.

[your-rose-highness]

Cherry Blossoms.(ch.6)

Pairing :Baekhyun & Reader.

Chapter 6

“Baekhyun?”

It was Kyungsoo.

“What are you doing here?” He asked puzzled.

“Y/N said she wanted to learn the piano.” Baekhyun replied bluntly.

Kyungsoo moved his gaze at me, it looked half hurt and half mad.

“I just wanted to hear him play.” I said with a quiet voice.

“Hm. Okay. I need to close the room now though. It’s past time and cannot keep it open. So if you don’t mind..” he began closing the windows.

Baekhyun looked back at me and gave a small apologetic smile. We were just leaving, when Kyungsoo called me.

“Y/N, can you stay? I need to talk to you about the preparation for your vocal lessons.”

“Ah, yes.” I looked at Baekhyun, “bye then, I’ll learn from you some other time.” I smiled.

“Sure. This was fun. Should do it again sometime.” He said. “Kyungsoo, drop her back.” He told him bluntly.

“I will. Obviously.” Kyungsoo and Baekhyun looked at eachother.

“Yeah. Okay.” Baekhyun said and left.

Kyungsoo locked the room and suggested we sit outside while we talk.

“So, have you had training before?”

“No. Absolutely nothing. And that is why I think it’s a mistake that you’re taking me.” I laughed.

“If only I personally thought that, I would have considered what you said. But Chanyeol and Jongdae seemed to agree with me that what you need is some polishing.”

“Hmm. I’ll try. If I can’t, you must allow me to stop.”

“Okay. I’ll leave that open for you. But I really think you won’t regret this.”

After a  brief moment of silence, he asked, “ may I ask why you are so doubtful of yourself?”

“ Am I?”

“It certainly seems that way.”

“You’ve got a knack for this then. Yes, I’m a little insecure.”

He nodded and then said, “ why is that? Did someone put you down?”

I didn’t want to talk about this, but somehow I continued. “ My past relationships were toxic. Demoralising,even.”

“Then you’ve just haven’t found someone who loves the real ‘you’.”

His words were invoking every word, every action that had inflicted pain. It’s been awhile since I’ve thought about it. I had let the dead past bury its head. I hadn’t realised that the wound was still existing, just numb. The hollowness was still there.

When I hadn’t spoken for sometime, Kyungsoo sensed something was wrong.

“Are you okay?” He asked worriedly.

My eyes were brimming with tears already. I didn’t want to cry in front of him.

“Y/N! I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you! Did i- did my words hurt you?” He stammered.

Great now i was making him uncomfortable too. My mind was blank. I didn’t know what to tell him.

“ I’m sorry sunbae.” I began walking.

Why was I still hurting? It felt difficult to breathe. I wanted it to stop. My legs weren’t moving ahead, if I keep walking I’d fall. People passing by were staring at me…

BAEKHYUN’S P.O.V.

“Why was he getting all hyper over using the club room?” I asked Chanyeol.

He wasn’t listening. He was writing a melody and just shrugged his shoulders instead of answering me.

“She’ll match me well though. Her voice. Don’t you think?”

“Either that, or you’re just happy we finally found a girl singer who’s shorter than you.” Chanyeol chuckled.

That’s it, he’s asking to be hit.

I was trying to mess up his melody when his phone rang.

“Haha… hello? Yeah Kyungsoo?” Chanyeol answered. He looked at me. “Yeah he’s here. Do you want to talk to him?”  he held the phone towards me.

“Hello?”

“Baekhyun. She’s crying. I don’t know what happened. We were talking about her feeling a little insecure about things and suddenly she’s crying…”

“Where is she?” I asked.

“… Hye Jin isn’t here either. She didn’t look good. She was shaking…”

“WHERE IS SHE?”

“… walked towards the library.”

I hung up.

I ran to the library. She wasn’t there. I don’t think she’d go inside in that state. I’ll call her. My phone. Where’s my phone!? Great.

I walked towards the music department to find Kyungsoo instead.

Then, I saw her. Sitting on the pavement, staring at the ground.

I walked to her. “Y/N”.

She looked up at me. Crying? That’d be an understatement. She was wailing.

READER P.O.V.

“Y/N.”

Familiar voice. I looked up; Baekhyun.

“Yah why are you sitting here crying? In such an ugly way that too.”

“Sunbae please.”

He sat down beside me and patted my head.

“ Can I hug you?” He asked suddenly.

I looked at him.

“No? Yah. Don’t look at me like that. I’m not a pervert! You look like you need one. I’m huggable. No?”

I stayed silent. He was talking, but my brain wasn’t registering anything.

“Okay.”, he said, “how about this?” He tilted my head to rest on his shoulder.

He was trying to help.

After a couple of minutes, he stood up.

“Yah. Let’s go.”

“Where?” I looked at him. He was blurry, or maybe my eyes were half swollen shut.

“Somewhere. Come. I’ll take you.” He put his palm in front of me.

When I didn’t respond, he scoffed, “ Don’t you trust me? I didn’t even hug you. I’m not a pervert. Yah! I even dropped you home last time…”

I stood up and took his hand. “Let’s go.”

My actions cut him off, he looked at our hands linked together and smiled at me, “I’ll take you to my favourite place.”

Turned out the favourite place was an ice cream place, Häagen Dazs.

He ordered for both of us. While we waited he looked at me.

“Your eyelids will drop to floor. They’re so swollen.” He said making a gesture with his hands to show how big they seemed.

Soon, the ice cream was placed in front of us. It was so good and cold, it seemed like it was washing away my pain.

“Yum no?”

“Yes” I nodded. “What flavour is this?”

“Mint chocolate chip.”

“It’s good.” I said.

As I ate, I could feel his eyes on me, as though checking if I’d cry again. How did he find me? Was he curious why I was balling my eyes out? But he never asked.

“Sunbae, how did you find me?”

“Hmm?” He seemed taken aback with my question. “ I was… I was going to the library to check something. That was when I saw you.”

“Okay! What next shall we do?” He said as we stepped out of the ice cream parlor.

“You must be tired, let’s walk back to the dorm.”

“No! Let’s go get a drink? Have you tried Soju?” He said beaming.

“Sunbae, I can’t drink.”

“You’ll change your mind once you try Soju.” He pulled my arm.

“I can’t drink sunbae. I never liked the taste. Makes me want to puke.” I pulled him back.

“Ah. That kind of ‘can’t’. Okay. Hmm. Then let’s go shopping. Then we can have dinner and head back!”

“I don’t really need anything.”

“Aye, girls always need something. Let’s buy shoes. Yours look worn out.”

He dragged me to a shoe shop, made me try all sorts of weird shoes. I had to stop him from trying to get me the weird boots and settled for walking shoes. I figured I’d be walking around the uni all the time, it’d be good for my feet.

“Happy???” He asked.

I couldn’t help smiling. Somewhere between yelling and arguing about which kind shoes would be comfortable to wear, I’d forgotten the ache in my chest. He helped numb the pain. The Baekhyun that I was seeing today and the Baekhyun a  week ago were so different.

“See! I told you! Nothing there is that ice cream and shopping can’t fix.”

“Yes. Don’t brag.”

“Let’s go have dinner. Today we shall feed you Korean food. Anything I need to look out for?”

“ Something spicy. And if it involves meat, chicken.”

He stared at me, “So many restrictions. Let’s have kimbap today!”

We entered a small restaurant and he ordered the food, explaining my needs to the aunt there. His Korean sounded so good.

He turned to face me, “what?”

“Your Korean sounds so good.”

“That’s because I’m Korean.”

I rolled my eyes at him, “I know that.”

Suddenly I realised something. “Omg Baekhyun sunbae!”

“What?! What?!”

“ I don’t know how to use chopsticks!”

He relaxed, “yah! Why do you have to say that being so hyper? Sheesh.” He glared. “It’s okay, they have forks. But try the chopsticks. What fun is kimbap without chopsticks? It’ll be like eating naan bread with a knife and fork.” He giggled.

I laughed, “ Waah, you’re even cracking indian cuisine jokes.”

As expected I couldn’t pick up my food with chopsticks. After trying to teach me how to hold them and me breaking the rolls trying to hold them, he resorted to placing the rolls on my spoon for me.

They were delicious.

Around 8 we started heading back. Sunday made the University roads even more deserted.

“ See. How it is, NEVER, go out on Sunday late alone. Okay?”

“It won’t happen again sunbae. And I guess once I register the night look of the roads I won’t get lost.”

“I don’t believe you.”

I stuck out my tongue at him.

“yah! What was that?” He laughed.

We stayed quiet for a couple of minutes, when he said, “Don’t cry again.”

I looked up at him. He squeezed my hand.

“Oh by the way, what’s your height? You’re even shorter than me! Haha.”

He just had to spoil it.

“I’m not that short!!!”

“What are you even talking about? Look at you! Tiny being!”

“158 cm isn’t that short!”

“Whaaaat? You come up to my neck! That’s short!”

He began measuring. “Not even neck, somewhere near my chest. And I’m not even tall.”

He teased me all the way back. This was just the start. Lord, help me.

[gutterballgt]

@susan-25 said (for the drabbles prompt): Love me love me love me!!!!!

Leave a “Love Me” in my ask, and I’ll write a fluffy drabble about two (or more) characters.

Your wish... is my command! I mean... in my day, drabbles were 100 words, no more and no less. But screw that. We want fluff, dammit!

When the (possibly radioactive) dust settled and everyone finally got out of medical -- well, not Stacker; the brush with a nuke had a weird effect on the cancer already brewing, and the doctors couldn't figure out if it had helped or hurt -- Chuck found himself at loose ends for the first time in his life. Well, for the first time in memory, anyway.

Just... he'd always had The Next Thing to do. The next repair on Striker. The next kaiju alarm. The next fight with his old man. The next game of catch with Max. The next food fight to start with the Weis.

Not that the Weis were up for a food fight these days. They were all out of medical, but there was oh, so much physical therapy to be done before the wankers had that much mobility.

Anyway, Chuck Hansen was a doer, not a sit-and-think-about-things-er. If he was honest -- and he was trying to be now that there was nothing but time to regret the ignorant shite he tended to spout in anger -- he was... bored.

And more than a little scared.

What the hell did people... just... do? For the rest of their lives?

Oddly enough, on his worst possible day, just when he'd given up trying to soul-search and decided to punch the big bag until all the sand fell out, Raleigh Has-Been Becket showed up. With a vengeance.

Suddenly, there weren't enough hours in the day. Chuck had a sneaking suspicion it all started with a prompt from Herc, but it wasn't long -- a week; a month, tops -- before Chuck didn't care. He was having too much fun.

They hit the mainland almost every day for take-out or to watch new buildings go up on the bones of the old or, once, to take one of the junks out to the islands for an honest-to-fuck picnic. The silly bloke said it was up to their teamwork that the traditional boats were out again for the first time in a decade, so they ought to be one of the first to enjoy them. With that rationale, Chuck was hard-pressed to argue and found himself, for the first time in his life, kicking back with a gentle breeze in his face, lulled by the subtle rocking of the junk, idly watching their particular island draw closer with no urgency to get to The Next Thing.

Admittedly, The Next Thing this time was a frankly embarrassing array of foods that Raleigh had insisted on cramming into a massive picnic basket he'd haggled off a street vendor. It's nostalgia, Chuck, the silly sod insisted. It's not a picnic without a basket.

Again, Chuck had been hard-pressed to argue. He was having too damn much fun.

It had been a damn long time since "fun" was in his vocabulary.

And then, there were movie nights. Sometimes just the two of them, sometimes everyone still mobile. Sometimes with pizza or Chinese food, sometimes just with popcorn and beer. Sometimes comedies, sometimes action flicks, and just the once... a romance.

He couldn't remember what it was called, but Raleigh said it was based on an old book, it was long as hell but seemed to go ridiculously fast, and Mako (and, weirdly, Herc) fucking loved it. Chuck had to admit that the oppressive atmosphere while the naive young governess discovered that the evil in the attic wasn't anything supernatural but just her cranky boss' addled wife was impressive. And he pretended not to see Herc wipe his eyes during the governess' flashbacks of her brief love affair with the cranky boss.

In fact, he rather understood. The poor sheila just wanted, for once, to be seen as an equal. To not be a drudge or a colorless creature to be pitied or ignored or looked down on. Of course her memories of the one person who treated her like a human being would be full of pain and longing.

Dammit.

Because there was a downside to all the fun and running about. Raleigh, that giant wanker of a has-been, would probably never know, but Chuck had come to... depend on it. Like it. Love it, even.

And at any moment, it could just... stop.

He didn't want it to stop.

"C'mon, Chuck." A foot nudged him under the rather sticky table. "You've been brooding all day. Out with it."

They were at some rank-looking hole-in-the-wall, eating mouth-watering Indian food that would taste like heaven if Chuck could manage to eat a bite. He'd never know how Raleigh kept finding these places, but he wasn't exactly complaining.

This time, though....

Sighing, he shrugged with an elbow on the table and his cheek leaning on his fist, toying his fork through his butter chicken sauce.

"Chuck. Seriously. Do you not like the naan or something?"

Another shrug. He couldn't stop thinking about how echoey and heart-wrenching the poor girl's sobs were as she fully remembered all she had left behind, all she felt she couldn't have.

He could relate to that last bit.

"Hey, c'mon. You're starting to worry me. There's still food on the table."

That got at least one side of his mouth to twitch in a half-ass grin, and he put down his fork to sit up a bit straighter. "Dread days, indeed."

But Raleigh finally cracked a smile, which never failed to lift Chuck's spirits.

Dammit.

"So lay it out for me. What's going on in that complicated head of yours?"

Nope. Not for all the Indian food in Hong Kong.

"Chuck."

Never.

"Chuuuuuuuuuuck."

Goddammit, Raleigh.

"Chuck chuck chuck chuck chuck chuck chuck ch--"

"Do you think you could ever love me?"

What. The. Fuck.

Appalled at himself, he slapped both palms on the table, sitting stick straight in the creaky chair, eyes wide and jaw clenched tight, ready to leave at the first hint of a punch. Raleigh stared at him, those crazy blue eyes at least as wide as his own. For a breathless eternity, neither of them dared to breathe.

Then... Raleigh sighed.

Oh, fuck. Oh shit oh fuck.

"Got some bad news for you, kid."

Oh, fuck, Raleigh was straight, or the gorgeous wanker remembered all too well how big an asshole Chuck had been at first, or... fuck, Chuck was just plain unloveable.

Why the fuck did he say anything? He should've just--

"It's too late."

--kept his big, stupid, impulsive mouth shu--

...what?

He blinked, then focused on the menace to his sanity that had become such a huge part of his every day. The menace who was currently smiling softly, those blue eyes warm and soft.

"I already love you, ya big jerk." A snort. "I mean, I thought that was obvious. I found us a picnic basket, Chuck." A nudge under the table. "In Hong Kong."

Oddly appalled, he pointed accusingly at the wanker. "You fucking ratbag! Why the fuck didn't you say anything?"

Blue eyes rolled, and the irritating bloke lightly kicked him under the table. "Yes, because you're so warm and cuddly and welcoming, Chuck."

He opened his mouth to protest.

"Outside of naptime."

He closed his mouth, then shrugged. "That's fair."

He wouldn't trade naptime-in-a-pile for anything in the world. Max would never forgive him for the sudden lack of cuddles from two of his three favorite people.

But he couldn't hold the grin back anymore. "So... you really love me?"

Unfortunately, though the smile remained, the bloke suddenly looked a bit... fidgety. "Mm-hm."

Frowning, he leaned forward over his plate, which suddenly smelled almost irresistible, though he'd never been further from eating in his life. "Oi, Raleigh... mate, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." Okay, that was definitely not Raleigh's warm, bright smile. "My tandoori chicken's a little dry, is all."

And that was patently untrue. The chicken was juicy and fucking delightful. Raleigh had offered him a piece earlier and -- oh, shit.

Here, Raleigh had been making all the gestures and had just said--

"I love a man who can't lie for shit."

Oh. Well. Not how he'd meant to say it, but dammit, he couldn't leave the bloke hanging like that. Chuck really wasn't the most approachable guy on the best of days, but Raleigh had told him he loved him anyway, and Chuck hadn't reciprocated, and dammit, that was just fucking rude.

Chuck Hansen had always been and would always be a jerk, but damn if he'd be rude to the man he loved.

Plus, the stupid blurt was worth it for the slight perking up hidden behind narrowing eyes on the silly bloke's face. "I'm not sure if I should be offended or not."

Blushing a bit, he shrugged and prodded his chicken with his fork. "Offended because I love you or offended because you can't lie for shit?"

Aaaannnnd there was the bright, happy, doofus grin he'd fight another kaiju just to see. "Offended because you can't tell me you love me without an insult for good measure."

Jesus, the butter chicken was fucking fantastic. And because he wasn't a goddamn grunt, he chewed fully and swallowed before responding.

"But you love me anyway."

It wasn't a question. He absolutely was not holding his breath whilst waiting for an answer.

Thankfully, Raleigh was a good bloke and didn't leave him in agony. "Yeah, yeah. I'm a glutton for punishment."

Relieved but hiding it, he pointed with his fork. "And that, mate, explains your whole goddamn life."

Snickering, the silly sod shook his head. "Can't even argue." The pretty wanker took a slow, savoring bite of his tandoori chicken. Then: "So... are we both okay with this?"

As if it was even a question. "More than."

"So we can start making out in the evening?"

He did not waggle his eyebrows. He didn't. He just... had an itch on his forehead and his hands were full. "Why wait for evening?"

Luckily, the bloke didn't take him up on the half-assed offer but just shook his head. "I really am a glutton for punishment." But the smile came back, slow and warm and fond. "Guess I picked the right guy to fall for."

This time, he actually managed to not waggle his eyebrows, though he nearly got butter sauce on his shirt as he leaned over the table again. "I'll punish you all you want, love."

One eyebrow rose, and Chuck blushed and sat back in his seat.

"Sounded better in my head."

The wanker nudged his foot under the table again. "I didn't say I wasn't into it."

A chunk of chicken sucked back into his throat, and he choked, eyes watering and fist thumping himself on the chest. Raleigh, that rotten sod, just grinned and watched, unconcerned.

Weak, he swigged water, gasping between gulps. "You'll be the death of me, ya wanker."

"Oh, no." That smile was positively evil. "I'm not done with you yet."

He blinked, then practically inhaled the rest of his excellent meal, then hurried through Raleigh's leftovers, too. He had better things to do than eat. In public. With clothes on.

And maybe, if he was lucky, after he got lucky, they'd watch that movie again. He doubted he'd puddle up at the sad part this time.

He might, though, when that final family portrait was being painted of the governess and her cranky boss husband and their huge, happy family.

Yeah, he might cry a bit, then.

He couldn't wait.

THE END