#maybe once they all get to college i can just do some sort of forced proximity love potion situation and they’ll HAVE to like each other

[sungbeams]

WIP DUMP

okay so this is lowkey inspired by @jayparked posting about her wips a bit ago (check them out here she's crazy talented and i can't wait to read them all) and since i've been struggling with writing recently i thought maybe sharing some of my wips could help. also biggest thanks to snail for helping me with the synopses for some of these and listening to me stress over the banners and everything

if you want to talk to me about any of them or wanna get tagged pls don't hesitate to send asks or comment on this post, i'd love to talk about them some more🥺❤️

MIDNIGHT IN MILAN — lhs

⟡ ┆ featuring. heeseung x fem!reader

⟡ ┆ genre and tropes. MDNI 18+ ONLY, smut, established relationship, idol AU (both heeseung and yn)

⟡ ┆ warnings. semi-public sex, unprotected sex, mirror sex, mild choking, creampie, fingering, tiniest hint of degradation (he calls her a slut like once), one singular spank, some hair pulling, not really any aftercare

⟡ ┆ estimated word count. 6k

they say love makes you do stupid things...surely fucking your boyfriend in the bathroom at the prada after party when your relationship isn't even public and neither of you can afford a dating scandal isn't that stupid, right?

(i'm well aware the hype around tipsy heeseung has already died down but i started writing this immediately after the pics dropped and then got hit by writers block so i'm dedicated to finish this)

!! more under the cut !!

HE HATES ME, HE HATES ME NOT — psh

⟡ ┆ featuring. sunghoon x fem!reader

⟡ ┆ genre and tropes. MDNI 18+ ONLY, smut, enemies to lovers, coworker AU, miscommunication (ikik), lowkey past fuckboi sunghoon

⟡ ┆ warnings. hate sex, semi-public sex (in an archive room?), protected and unprotected sex (there's several smut scenes), choking, spanking, degradation, praise kink, oral (m. and f. receiving), handjob, fingering, manhandling, overstimulation, dacryphilia, spit kink

⟡ ┆ estimated word count. 20k

park sunghoon hates you, and you hate him. it hadn't always been like that, when you first joined the company he works at he was friendly, a real gentleman, but over time of working together he turns cold, sometimes even downright mean, and you cannot for the life of you figure out what caused the sudden change in his behavior. however, things between you change yet again when you 'accidentally' get locked in your offices archive room.

HOME IS WHEREVER YOU ARE — lhs

⟡ ┆ featuring. heeseung x fem!reader

⟡ ┆ genre and tropes. MDNI 18+ ONLY, smut, college!au, friends to lovers

⟡ ┆ warnings. there's some talks of depression as well as unhealthy coping mechanism so be aware of that pls, protected sex (be proud of me okay), oral (f. and m. receiving), vanilla af, neither of them are virgins or inexperienced but they just having sex for the first time together after realizing they've been in love with each other for years :')

⟡ ┆ estimated word count. 14k

"distance makes the heart grow fonder." is no longer just a cliche saying. heeseung decided to follow his dreams, but doing so lead him to a different city, leaving you behind. no other friends, no hobbies to keep yourself busy, and no motivation to keep going, the only thing keeping you on some sort of routine is attending your college classes that your parents force you to go to. just when you're about to officially quit and give up, heeseung shows up out of nowhere and manages to pull you out of your slump, upturning your whole friendship in the process.

NATURAL REMEDY — pjs

⟡ ┆ featuring. jay x fem!reader

⟡ ┆ genre and tropes. MDNI 18+ ONLY, smut, physical therapist!reader, patient!jay, probably hipaa violations idk just don't do this irl basically

⟡ ┆ warnings. unprotected sex, oral (m. receiving), body worship (jay receiving bc he deserves someone to tell him or handsome he is), handjob, lots of oil, lowkey massage kink idek what to call this??

⟡ ┆ estimated word count. 5k

when jay hurts his knee while goofing around with his friends, his doctor recommends rest and physical therapy. lucky for him, your office is just around the corner, just that neither of you can make good on the ordered rest by doctor.

HEALTHY COMPETITION — lhs + sjy

⟡ ┆ featuring. heeseung x fem!reader x jake

⟡ ┆ genre and tropes. MDNI 18+ ONLY, smut, college au, non-idol au, and they were roommates (oh my god they were roommates), no romance just fucking

⟡ ┆ warnings. basically no plot, threesome (duh), protected and unprotected sex, anal, double penetration, spanking, oral (m. and f. receiving), multiple rounds, manhandling, they make it a competition to see who can make her moan the loudest...

⟡ ┆ estimated word count. 9k

your roommates bickering should be nothing but white noise to you at this point, but when they both rope you into their little argument of who fucks better things take an interesting turn and a welcomed distraction from studying is provided.

SNEAKY LINK — sjy

⟡ ┆ featuring. jake x fem!reader

⟡ ┆ genre and tropes. MDNI 18+ ONLY, smut, uni AU, frat boy jake (i'm sorry), friends with benefits but no one knows, alcohol consumption (they're not drunk and both consenting !!)

⟡ ┆ warnings. unprotected sex (it's a theme for me atp, don't do this irl pls), dry humping, fingering (it's jake come on now), kinda rushed sex ig, does it count as exhibitionism when they fuck in a spare bedroom idk, oral (f. receiving), breast play

⟡ ┆ estimated word count. 4k

frat parties usually weren't your thing, but when your best friend invites you (with the intention to be her wingwoman) you're not one to let her down. that is until you run into jake, whom you've been fooling around with without anyone knowing ...

© sungbeams — all rights reserved. i do not give permission to copy, repost, modify or translate my works.

[fingertipsmp3]

No one:

Me: does anyone want to hear what my sims family did today

[tigerpeachs]

Bully - Ryomen Sukuna

-`ღ´- tags: 18+, fem reader, pet name usage, grinding, jealousy, non con, nerd/dork, cum shot, choking, nipple play, fingering, multiple orgasms, pwp, alcohol consumption, unprotected sex, praise 

-`ღ´- wc: 4.2K

-`ღ´- a/n: this is sort of part two of a previous work I did a while back. There's a bit of reader x itadori here, but it mainly focuses on Suku ₊˚ʚ₍ᐢ. ̫.ᐢ₎₊˚✧ ﾟ.

-`ღ´- synopsis: After avoiding Sukuna for almost a full year, he finally gets you alone in a hot tub. He does his best to make up for lost time. 

It was your final year of college. It took you a long time to get here. Painful all-nighters and tough conditioning sessions. From years of academia and athleticism, you’d like to say you were different now. You were more confident, funnier, and more social, unlike the shy girl who was just thankful she wasn’t riding the bench all semester. You were no longer the small underclassmen stuck with doing post-game jersey pick-ups and moving goals all by yourself. You even made a few friends! Maki and Nobara helped you express yourself better and build your confidence. 

There was one event that kicked off the semester, Gojo Satoru’s back-to-school pool party. It was set late enough that all students were back on campus, and able to attend the debauchery, but also early enough that there were no concerns about assignments, games, and practices. Everyone was still high off the summer with warm weather prickling at their skin. 

The main allure that brought you to such an event took form in a pretty pink haircut and a bright toothy grin. Itadori Yuuji. You’ve been seeing him… maybe even dating by former terms instead of what Nobara called a mutual situationship or talking stage or whatever trendy term she blanketed over your dynamic with him. The summer was filled with Itadori pressed against your side during movie nights and screaming your name at your summer league games. Things were new. Things are different now. 

You looked down at the mixed jungle juice swishing in your red solo cup. Maki was arm-wrestling men on the island counter while Nobara forced bottles into the mouths of those who lost against her. You could hear their girlish screams and cheers as they popped open another bottle on the table, making shots for the losers. You couldn’t help but laugh as another man sputtered and coughed out from the taste of Pink Whitney. 

“What’re you giggling about over there?” You hear a sweet voice call out. You picked your head up noticing Itadori, looking as handsome as ever. You looked at him through your lashes, wondering if it was the heat of the room or just your skin warming up. You could feel your skin flush and the words die at the tip of your tongue as you took in the sight of him. His muscles pressed through his shirt, and he looked like he did his hair for once, the crazy pattern manipulated in a way that fit him perfectly. 

“Nothing,” You quickly comment, realizing you must have left some awkward pause in the air. 

“Mmmmhm. I don’t believe you.” He leans against the same counter as you, crossing his arms, biceps bulging and he comes close to you. He looks at the scene in front of you both. Maki slams back another cup as she gets ready to arm wrestle Todou. The large male made sure to roll his sleeve up, making a show of each intricate rigid muscle he owned. He rolled his shoulders back and cracked his head, smirking as he slammed his arm down on the island.   

“Who do you have your money on?” You jump. Itadori had leaned down, whispering directly in your ear. When you look over at him, he doesn't pull away. His pink lips and golden eyes looked more tantalizing up close. A weird feeling twisted in your stomach, and it wasn’t the absurdly sweet jungle juice made. 

“Maki,” You say after swallowing down more of the alcohol mix. 

“You really think she can win?” He asks, uncrossing his arm. Both of them rest on the counter, one on free counter space, and the other behind your back, making you move closer to him. 

You sat silent for a second.

“Isn’t that a little sexist?  to assume she won't win?” You accuse. Yuuji quickly looks down at you, trying to recover from the question. 

“N-no, I mean Todou is just a bigger person.” He tries to reason with you but now you got him. A smile graces your face as he begins to blush and stutter about. 

“I mean,” You turn to him, not caring that you were basically pinned to his hip. You gently grab at his shirt, directly above his belt line, hoping it would ground you. “It’s not about the size of a person, but more so the technique…” Your eyes hold his gaze, even though your heart rattled as you did so. “Right?” 

He takes a gulp as your body rubs slightly against his. The cup you held was pinned against your chest and his, the only cooling material between the two of you. Before he can rattle off a response, there are cheers as Maki is lifted into the air by Yuuta and Toge. You look back at the sight, laughing with joy as Nobara forces Todou to chug from a “bitch cup”. 

“Yuuji!” A voice calls out, you quickly step back, looking up at his best friend, Megumi. He points out back to where the party continues to flow. There are screams as girls are splashed by men jumping in the pool. Itadori’s hand that rested behind you now rests against your hip for a second. “Your brother is looking for you,” He states before leaning down to share hugs with Nobara and Maki. 

Itadori sucks at his teeth, running his thumb over the seam of your skirt. He looks down at you and your once confident state has now reverted back to shyness. The mention of Sukuna made your heart thump in your chest and your hand burn. Your head throbbed as images flashed across your eyes whenever they shut for a second. 

“Fuck,” he hissed, resting his forehead on your shoulder. Your body trembled as you gripped him slightly harder. Sukuna ran his nose against your cheek before pressing chaste kisses against your jawline. “So good baby, gonna make me cum.”

Itadori said your name before asking, “Do you want to come with me? I’m sure it’s something dumb.” He pulls you gently but you don’t give in. Instead, you look up at him with worried eyes and he takes that as you not wanting to be without him. He thinks for a minute as he continues to rub small circles into the side of your hip. You swish your cup around, preparing to chug the remains if necessary to avoid this icky feeling. 

“Satoru has an in-ground hot tub gated in the back. Do you wanna wait there for me?” You look up at him with hopeful eyes. If you went there, you wouldn’t have to worry about running into Sukuna. 

“I don’t have a swimsuit.” You whisper, hoping no one else would hear your conversation as though you weren’t inside a large house party. He smiles down at you and leans in a little closer so he can whisper in your ear. 

“That’s okay, I don’t either, so we can just go in our underwear.” You blush at his statement but either from the need to be away or from the surge of alcohol courage in your system, you nod your head.

“Atta girl!” Yuuji grabs your free hand, twirling you around, then using the motion to pull you into him. “The code is all ones!” He exclaims before he starts walking back to Megumi. “I’ll be there soon!” 

And so, you chug the rest of your drink, opting to grab a smooth seltzer from the fridge before you walk back to the hot tub. You try your best to look sober as you walk over to the gated hot tub, hoping not to gain attention, or worse, show everyone you’re a sloppy drunk.

As you get in, you decide not to relock the gate, instead opting to remove your top and skirt before slipping out of your shoes. You almost stumble as you move toward the hot tub. You press a few buttons, unsure of what they all do, but still enjoy the rush of heat and jets pressing against your skin. You nervously drink the seltzer, wishing you took a shot for confidence before you came all the way out here. 

As time passes, your eyes fall shut, allowing your head to lull over the side of the relaxing machine. A second turns into a minute, turns into a while. You knew Itadori should’ve been back at this point, and you start to feel pangs of regret. What if he just wanted to get rid of you? What if he forgot about you and was with someone else already?

Just as you tried to shake away your thoughts, you heard someone else slip into the water. You picked your head up, and put a smile on your face, ready to see and hear Itadori apologize for being late. Instead, a low whistle meets your ears before you can open your eyes. 

Sitting across from you, sprawled out in all his glory, is none-other than the man you were trying to avoid. He wore an unamused look on his face, but regardless, his eyes ran up and down your frame, causing you to cover yourself with your arms. You feel small underneath his predatory gaze. You haven’t spoken to him since that event. You came to practice early and left late. You stopped studying around campus, instead opting to stay in your room to do work. You even made excuses on why you couldn’t go over to Itadori’s place or go to his games. A cocky smirk falls on his face.

“Have you been avoiding me, doll?” You didn’t answer, instead wondering if Itadori would show up and miraculously make Sukuna leave. Seeing him had your stomach twisting in ways the alcohol didn’t. You muttered something under your breath bringing your knees up as if it would make you feel safer. Thoughts of that night crawl back to the forefront of your mind.

Sukuna pulled his cock out, hard, dripping, and quickly grabbed your wrist. Your eyes widened as he placed your hand around his hard shaft. A soft grunt fell from his lips as he bent over you. 

“Too scared to speak to me or something?” He moves in causing you to put your hand up against his thick chest, hoping to stop him from coming closer. His scent - his pheromones cut through your nostrils, and it oddly makes your mouth water and skin flush. The feeling of his shaft moving in the palm of your hands comes back to you, causing you to tense and compare it to the strong expanse of his chest. The way they’re both so smooth yet hard, rigid even. 

He can see how nervous you look. The meek girl from last year is still in there. You may have changed your hair, worn sexier clothing, and even flirted with other men, but he knew you. He knew that you were still a nervous wreck of a girl who stuttered when she spoke, who analyzed the whole room before talking, who gets scared when her panties get wet. Probably still hasn’t even fingered herself open yet, and you’re in college? Pathetic.  

You fall silent as Sukuna palms your waist under the water. His fingers slip over the fabric of your panties, moving upwards to hold your waist. You gasp at the speed of his movement. He manhandles you over his waist and sets you down on his pelvis. You jump as you feel something slot itself against your core. 

“Now why have you been avoiding me, Squirt? Didn’t I tell you to text me?” You brace yourself against his broad shoulders as he whines your hips slowly. The movement causes your core to drag across his covered bulge. “After you made me cum in your hand, I wanted to see how ruined you were. Wanted to see that pretty face all confused.” Your eyebrows scrunched together at the fire rushing up your loins. The pit of your stomach felt heavy, like when Itadori would hold you close or look at you a certain way. 

“I- That’s… That’s disgusting!” You finally whimper while he continued to use your body at his own will. 

“Mmmhm. If it’s so disgusting,” He forces you to lean forward, propping your ass up out of the water. His fingers easily find your wet sopping hole, shoving your panties to the side to run against your opening. “Then why are you so wet?” 

Your skin turned rosy at the words. 

Why? 

You didn’t know… You felt betrayed by your body, letting out soft angelic sounds while the demon of a man played and toyed with your body. Sukuna tensed his jaw at the sound. He wonders if his brother got to indulge in hearing you even though he told the whole damn school you were off limits. His. Only his. 

He felt your nails dig into his skin as he slipped one finger inside your gummy walls. The intrusion caught you off guard. You pressed your body forward, trying to avoid the foreign sensation. It cause his finger to slide slightly out of your entrance, but he pressed forward. Sukuna curled his finger, rubbing that spongy spot inside of you. You whimpered in his ear, involuntarily twitching your hips at each movement. Your heart was racing, pounding in your chest as he pressed another finger inside. 

“Stop,” You whined, pressing closer to him to avoid the foreign feelings festering inside of you. Your mouth hung open as the digits swirled and intentionally pressed against your walls. Sukuna gripped your hip, trying to stabilize you. He would never admit it, but watching you make a mess on his hand, unsure of yourself or what to do, did things to him. He ached for you. His cock throbbed in tandem with your pulsing walls. 

He pressed his tongue out against your shoulder, biting against the soft skin. Your hand gripped his hair, trying to yank him back, only eliciting a groan and smirk from him. 

“You’re being rowdier than last time.” You couldn't help but moan as he began to stroke your clit. You could feel your juices slip out of you, only to feel obscene when Sukuna pressed them back in. “And you’re so sensitive,” His words were lost on you. 

You tried to sit up, bracing yourself against his shoulders in order to leverage yourself. Pleasure flushed through your system as you lifted your hips up and down his fingers, using him to get yourself off. Just as he did to you. He watched with half lidded eyes, grabbing and leading your pace by holding onto the fat of your ass. He leaned forward, nipping and biting at your breast, still covered by the thin excuse of a bra you wore tonight. 

Something felt like it was going to snap inside of you. Sukuna pulled your head down, crashing your lips against his. Your kiss was sloppy and unnatural, but his was so confident and demanding. His lips slid against yours, teasing his tongue against the seam while he curled his fingers once more. The sensitive skin on your lips felt tingly from his attention on them. 

Your stomach lurched, abs tightening up, body becoming rigid as a flush of nerves tingle up and down your spine. You pressed forward into Sukuna, biting down harshly at his neck while groaning. Your orgasm had your muscles shaking as they fought each contraction that rolled through. Sukuna groaned out from your harsh mannerisms but you didn’t care. 

Everything felt heightened. The fabric against your nipples felt too sensitive. The breath coming out of you felt too heavy. Your eyes watered. Tears fell as you blinked a few times for clarity. Your throat felt dry and your body felt like putty. You didn’t oppose as Sukuna bent you over the edge of the hot tub. His hands played with your ass, groping and squeezing the material. He spread your folds open, admiring your pink walls that still spasmed from how well he finger fucked you. You shied away from his gaze,  causing you to press away, still too sensitive from your early orgasm. 

He did another low whistle and ran his fingers over the seams of your panties. 

“Oi, you still with me, Squirt?” You nodded slowly, not sure what he meant by that. The hot water flushing around your skin kept you warm as the cool air bit at your exposed skin. You shut your eyes, taking deep breaths, hoping the worst was over. 

Sukuna let you have your time, he slipped his bottoms over his cock, letting it slap against his abdomen. He grabbed at your hips. You gasp as you tug back against his cock, slick folds parting for his thick veiny cock to rub against you. The man growled from how much cum and slick had slipped out of you. You were coating his cock in your essence, flooding it with your juices with every rut of your hips. 

You let out little moans, feeling his tip catch on your entrance. You don’t want Sukuna. You don’t care how many women would die to be in your spot. You don’t care about the amount of men that want to be him. You hate the damn brute. He left such nasty images in your head from the last time he messed with you. You hate how… 

His fat leaking tip slapped right against your twitching entrance. He pressed in just slightly, moaning at how your walls worked to accommodate his thick tip.

…You hate how… 

How good this fucking felt. 

You gritted your teeth as he continued to press in. You hunched your back over, trying to run from the burning feeling. It felt like he was splitting you open for Christ’s sake. You held tight to the edge of the hot tub, skin losing color from your grip. He bottoms out, lulling his head back from how tight and warm you are. Your cunt is quivering around him, begging him to cum right inside that little nerd body of yours. He palms at your ass and hips, gritting his teeth. 

He doesn’t move at first. He’s breathing heavily through his nose, showing some restraint. Waiting for your body to accept him. You take some time to relax your back, and he takes that as the move to rock forward. His blunt tip rubbed against your cervix, fat veins pressing against your spot. You whined as he rocked an inch out and back in. 

“Aaatta girl” He calls out to you, making you keen at the words. Nerds like you loved getting praise. Perfect 100’s. Amazing score marks. All fucking A’s on a report card. He leans over to get close to you. Your back is arched and he maneuvers your hair over to one side so it’s not in the way. He speaks in a sultry tone, low in your ear “I knew you could take cock well.”

You can't help but clench down at his words. You grit your teeth as he grinds into your pussy, sliding his cock against your walls. You moan as he angels his hips in circular motions, dragging his cock perfectly over that spongy spot inside of you. He grabs at your hair, tugging your head back, forcing your moans to flow out properly. 

“Good fucking girl,” He groans. His eyes roll back as you continue to suck him back in. Every time he pulls out, your pussy works him back in. He knows that cunt wants to make a home for his dick. Yeah. Your pussy was made for him. 

Sukuna stops with the slow grinding, preferring now to rail you like the slut you try to be now. He smirks as he looks down, changing pace. He doesn’t give a warning. You cry out as he pounds into you at a brutal pace. It hurt. It hurt but it felt so fucking good. Little “Ah, ah, ah, ah’s” fell from your lips. He couldn’t decide what looked better, the sight of your ass recoiling against his pelvis, only to leave a white streaky mess when he pulled out, or the cock drunk look in your rolled back eyes with your lips pink and swollen from his bruising kiss earlier. 

He’s made you like this. No one else. No one, not even his damn brother, could come close to making you feel this way. The jealous thought of anyone even trying made Sukuna tense his jaw. He should've taken you from the front for your first time, that way he’d never forget the look on your face when you came on cock for the first time. 

He grabs at your waist, forcing you to meet his thrust. Your insides feel stirred up, your stomach feels full, veins rushing with excitement. You panted between the other little sounds you made, opting to close your eyes. The sensations flooded your system more with no visual context. You could feel Sukuna throbbing inside of you. You could feel your pussy tingling with every thrust. Your clit felt swollen and throbbed whenever his balls would slap aggressively against them. You were gonna cum soon. 

Sukuna reached below and pulled your bra down, making your tits hang over the fabric. The way they bounced while your nipples were so sensitive had you curling your toes for relief. 

“This pussy is like a fucking dream,” He rasp, pulling out with hopes of not blowing his load too fast. The sight of your clenching cunt leaking, aching for something inside of it, it sent his mind reeling. He slotted his dick over your ass, only to feel your hips lift, trying to get him back in. Chasing that feeling from earlier. 

Have you no shame? Aren’t you the one who worked so hard to avoid him? Now you’re bent over a hot tub at one of the biggest parties of the year. Your cunt is open for anyone to see, almost begging for someone to fill it. You can’t even admit how much you want it, want him, but here you are trying to cum on his dick. 

He smacks the fat of your ass, lining himself back up. 

Who knew a nerd could be such a slut?

Sukuna pressed in again, leaning over and reaching for your throat. He forced you up and back. One of your hands followed his, hoping for mercy,  while the other tried to gain some leverage by pushing you up from the hot tub. He continued his rapid bruising pace, watching your body shake with each thrust. Sukuna dropped his gaze to your tits and lifted his hand to play with your nipple, squeezing and pulling it while you moaned. 

“You gonna cum?” The man asks, pressing his fingers harder against the side of your neck. You felt drugged. From the lack of blood flow to the brain, to the heat, the alcohol in your system , and the cock destroying your insides.

“Hnnn!” You let out. Sukuna turned you to face him. You were tightening up and clamping, unaware of what was sure to be your demise. You opened your mouth, pressing your tongue out, expecting his. Sukuna’s skin flushed and he rushed for his tongue to meet yours in a sloppy kiss. His hand dropped to rub at your sensitive clit, forcing you to teeter over the edge. 

Your scream came out muffled against Sukuna’s tongue. Tears pricked at the corner of your eyes as you tried to pull away from his thrust. Sukuna didn’t relent, selfishly chasing his release as well. You fell forward and he followed. You pulled away from his kiss, gasping out as your orgasm started to become painful in its persistence. You tried to press a hand back to stop him, but Sukuna only grabbed it. 

The way you looked back at him, fucked out, hot, needy, sore from the way he fucked you. You pretty pink lips whimpered out his name. “R-Ryo,” You cried, trying to escape his intense thrust. You intertwined your hand with his, clasping it tightly with hopes that it would ease up. 

That is what made him cum. 

Sukuna shoved your hips forward, slipping his cock out. He grabbed at his cock and forced you to stay still as he shot his cum over your ass. Seed spilled over your cheeks, drizzling towards the arch in your back and down over your folds. The sticky wet feeling made you shake in his arms. 

Both of you were breathless from the altercation. The man leaned over, pressing kisses onto your spine and shoulder. The time spent silently in each other's arms felt relaxing. Your muscles began to relax, making you go slack against the edge of the hot tub. Sukuna watched your body intently, before resting his head against your shoulder plane. He hummed as his cock softened against your cunt, still enjoying the feeling of your swollen sex. 

“Don’t ever avoid me again, nerd.” He whispers against your skin. 

Even though you knew you would, you couldn’t help but nod in agreement to him.

[believemedarlin]

The Perfect Man

Aaron Hotchner/Female Reader (3.9k words) Also available on AO3

Summary:

“You know, if you combined all the men on the team… they’d make the perfect man.”

“What?” Emily sputtered into her wine.

Penelope giggled while JJ looked intrigued

***

A drunken night out with the girls leads to some interesting revelations.

***

“Let’s play Fuck, Marry, Kill.”

A round of groans sounded from the table, but Penelope Garcia was not to be dissuaded. 

“Come on, ladies. It’ll be fun!”

Her best puppy dog eyes firmly in place, Penelope implored her friends and coworkers with a practiced look. You were holding strong until she brought out the big guns and pouted at you.

A mere ten seconds later you caved. 

“Okay, fine,” You sighed. “But can we use kick instead of kill? I always hated that option. Why do you have to kill them when kicking would be just as effective in showing your lack of interest? No death required.”

“Ooh, I like that,” Penelope immediately agreed with a nod. “You know I’m a pacifist at heart.”

She turned to the other two women seated at the table, pout back in full force. JJ gave in first, patting Penelope’s hand with an indulgent smile and a nod. 

Seeing that she was outnumbered, Emily shrugged. “Sure. But I’ll need another drink if we’re doing this. I haven’t played this since college.”

“I’ll get us all another round.” Penelope jumped to her feet to join her and they made their way to the bar, weaving through the other patrons.

It was a rare Friday night off and the women of the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit had decided to go out for a much-needed night of ladies-only fun and frivolity. They had happily left the guys to sort out their evenings and escaped the second the clock struck five.

They were all a few drinks in at this point, which is most likely the reason Penelope had suggested the game. She always got a bit playful when she drank.

They returned a few minutes later, fresh drinks in hand. 

Once settled, Penelope leaned in, an eager smile on her face. “Okay. Fuck, Marry, Kick. Henry Cavill, Ben Barnes, Zachary Levi. And go!”

Emily took a sip of her drink and wasted no time in voicing her choices, followed by JJ and you. You took turns coming up with more and more outlandish options, and pleasantly spent the next hour drinking and laughing with your friends.

You had just finished giggling over Penelope’s reasoning behind her choosing to kick Willy Wonka and marry Jareth the Goblin King so she could enjoy a night with Conan the Barbarian when Emily leaned in with a smirk.

“I’ve got a good one. Hotch, Morgan, and Reid.”

The table erupted in a chorus of ooohs and laughter. 

JJ bit her lip in thought. “Okay, since we know them personally and I’m a happily taken woman, I’m going to change mine to kiss, because it’s weird to say I want to fuck any of them. So, uh, I’ll go with kiss Morgan, marry Reid, and kick Hotch. But only barely, because I do not want him angry with me.”

“Easy,” Penelope chirped. “Fuck Morgan, marry Morgan, and kick Reid and Hotch.”

You, JJ, and Emily burst into laughter, with JJ swatting Penelope on the arm. “You can’t double up like that!”

“Can too! My game, my rules. Besides, it’s special circumstances with Morgan as an option.”

Emily snorted, then grinned. “Hmm. I think I’d go with fuck Morgan, marry Hotch, and kick Reid.”

All eyes then turned to you as you stared into your drink, taking entirely too long as you overthought the options.

Eventually, Emily cleared her throat and you looked up to see her watching you expectantly.

“What?” You grinned sheepishly with a shrug. “It’s harder than you’d think!”

The ladies teased you good-naturedly until you finally said, “Okay, okay! Um, I think…” 

You blew out a breath in a long sigh. “Fuck Reid, marry Hotch, kick Morgan. No wait… Maybe fuck Hotch, marry Reid?”

Emily and JJ cackled while Penelope put on a fake offended air. “Why you gotta kick my beloved cinnamon hot chocolate Adonis not once, but twice? He’s the perfect man!”

"I mean, a lot of women would think that, yeah, but not me.”

Penelope gasped and pressed her hand to her chest dramatically. “Why, I never.”

You giggled with a shrug. “Sorry?” 

“You’re forgiven.”

“What I want to know,” JJ chimed in with a mischievous grin, “is why you can’t decide between Reid and Hotch on who to marry?”

You buried your face in your hands to hide your blush. “I don’t know! Both seem like solid choices. I think they’d both make good husbands.”

Emily smirked. “Sure it wasn’t because you couldn’t decide which you’d rather fuck?”

Penelope and JJ burst into laughter again while you groaned into your hands.

“You all are menaces. I don’t know why I spend time with you.”

“Because we’re wonderful people and you love us.”  Penelope teased.

“That’s debatable.” You mumbled.

“Oh, come on,” she leaned into your side and laid her head on your shoulder. “You know you adore us.” Penelope batted her eyes and you couldn’t help but grin.

“Yeah, I do.”

She cheered and called for another round of drinks.

The game wound down and devolved into a rather extensive list of men and women that each of the ladies wouldn’t mind enjoying some personal one-on-one time with.

You had been sitting in a comfortable silence for the past few minutes, chin in hand and elbow on the table, your mind pondering on something Penelope had said earlier. Your voice took on a contemplative tone as you mused aloud, “You know, if you combined all the men on the team… they’d make the perfect man.”

“What?” Emily sputtered into her wine.

Penelope giggled while JJ looked intrigued.

“Okay, just hear me out. Now, granted, everyone’s idea of the perfect man is different but for me… If we go by physical attributes first, you have to admit that each guy is objectively attractive on their own. I mean seriously, was it a prerequisite that everyone has to be outrageously good-looking to be a member of the team?”

The ladies heartily agreed with laughter and nods, but you gestured across the table to them. “I’m including you three in this too. Have you looked at yourselves? You’re all absolutely gorgeous.”

“Damn right, we are,” Emily exclaimed as she high-fived JJ.

You raised your glass to her and took a sip before expanding on your premise. “So by themselves, each man is handsome but combined…”

You tilt your head in thought. “For me, it would be Reid’s hair. I’ve always liked longer hair on a guy and have you seen those curls when he lets it grow out? And then add in Hotch and Rossi’s dark hair and … yeah. Next would be Morgan and Rossi’s facial hair. I don’t know about you ladies but I like a man with a bit of scruff, you know what I mean? Goatee or full beard or just a couple of days growth, hell even a good five o’clock shadow, as long as it’s maintained and not all scraggly, I like it. Oooh, remember when Hotch came back with a beard?

“Yeah,” you sighed, a bit more dreamily than you had intended, surely caused by the late hour and not the memory of a casually dressed, bearded Hotch. “Like that.”

All three ladies shared a knowing look, but you paid them no mind. 

“Though there is something to be said about a freshly shaved face. It’s so soft…” You sighed again.

“And then there’s height.” You knew you were rambling, but with the alcohol fueling you, there was little chance of stopping you now. “They’re all at least 6 foot so the height difference is perfect for both cuddles and forehead kisses.”

At this, Emily snorted. “Forehead kisses?”

“Yes,” you snipped primly. “They are the pinnacle of non-lip-to-lip kisses and they are my favorite thing. They just make you feel so adored. Now shush.”

You shooed her and rested your chin back in your hand. “Let’s see… Eyes. Honestly, I think they all have lovely eyes. I’m not picky on eye color really but I think Hotch’s stand out the most to me. I mean, have you seen his eyelashes? It should be criminal for a man to have such beautiful eyelashes.”

Another round of nods and hummed agreements sounded from the table.

“You know,” you continue with barely a pause, “I’ve never been a fan of really buff dudes, which sorry Pen, but that’s kinda why poor Morgan got kicked twice.” You shrugged unapologetically at her. 

“I’ve always preferred lean guys. Not scrawny but not bugling out his shirt, you know? Strong but not shoved in your face. But!” You sit straighter in your chair, index finger raised to emphasize your point. “That’s just looks. Personality-wise, I’m drawn to kindness first and our boys all have that in spades. And they each show it in different ways, but it’s always present.”

You met Penelope’s eyes. “And Morgan’s kindness absolutely overrides his excessive muscle mass. He’s honestly one of the kindest people I know, even if he’d deny it. He’s not humble about a lot of things, but he is about that.”

Your eyes dropped to the table as your finger ran along the wood grain. “I also like intelligence and while yes, first thoughts go to Reid, the others are all brilliant too. Like, Rossi is so wise! It seems like he always knows what’s going on with someone before anyone else, and always seems to know just what to say just when you need to hear it. And they each have strengths that I admire. I genuinely like each of them as a person and I’m proud to know them and am honored they consider me a friend. Honestly, I feel that way about all of you.”

“Aw!” Penelope sniffled. “That’s so sweet. We love you too, you know.”

You gave her hand a quick squeeze and took another sip of your drink. 

“What about lips?”

You blinked at JJ. “Lips? I’m not sure. I don’t know that I look at them much.”

Emily tilted her head. “You seriously don’t look at men’s lips?”

“Not really? I mean, I notice smiles. And honestly, how did I not start with that? It’s usually one of the first things I notice about someone. Smiles make everyone look twice as attractive. Oh, and a sense of humor! Gotta love a man who can make you laugh.”

“This one is definitely Morgan,” Emily chimed in and you nodded in agreement while Penelope raised her glass.

“Absolutely. He always makes me laugh, but so do the others. Rossi is snarky, which I appreciate as a fellow snarker. I can’t tell you the number of times he’s made me hold back a laugh during a round table. Reid can be really funny, too. Especially when we’re making Star Trek or Doctor Who references that no one else gets. Except you, Pen, but you’re usually in your lair. And Hotch—”

“No,” Emily cut in. “No way you think he’s funny. The man barely smiles.”

You tsked and leaned in, your tone turning a bit haughty. “First of all, I think it’s a good thing that he holds those back because have you seen how handsome he is when he smiles? His whole face transforms and he has dimples. Dimples . It’s ridiculous and no one would be able to focus on work if he was blinding us with his smile all the time. And secondly, yes. He’s hilarious, actually. He has a dry sense of humor that gets me every time. And he is so straight-faced about it. I laughed embarrassingly loud once at something he said and I had to leave the room because I couldn’t stop giggling. And the man had the nerve to be smug about it later.”

You shook your head with exasperated fondness, not noticing the raised eyebrows and pointed looks the other ladies were sharing.

“Anyway,” You sighed and leaned back in your chair. “Morgan is my biggest supporter, Reid nerds out with me, Rossi gives the best advice, and Hotch makes me feel safe. All things that would attract me to someone. So, with their powers combined…” You spread your hands in a sweeping motion. “The perfect man.”

“Huh,” Penelope hummed. “You know, I kinda see it.”

“See?” You grinned triumphantly. “We really do work with amazing guys.”

A cry of ‘hear, hear’ sounded around the table and the four of you leaned in to clink glasses.

Emily settled back in her chair with a smirk, her eyes focused on you. “Okay, you waxed poetic about the guys. Now, what about us?”

You grinned. “You, my darling lady loves, all hold a special place in my heart. There’s no way I could choose. You are each the perfect woman.”

Another cheer went up and everyone downed their drinks, laughing merrily.

The outing wound down about half an hour later. You each stumbled your way outside, Emily and Penelope deciding to share a taxi.

You stood with JJ as you waved the other two goodbye; you waiting for your own taxi and JJ waiting for Will to pick her up.

“You know,” she said conversationally, her eyes on the street. “You mentioned Hotch quite a few times describing your perfect man.”

You blinked. “What? I did not.”

She turned to you with a wide grin. “Oh yes, you did. No denying it now.”

You sputtered, not sure how to reply.

She chuckled and laid a hand on your arm, just as your taxi arrived. “Seems to me like he ticks quite a few of the boxes for your perfect man.” She leaned in to whisper, “So what are you going to do about it?”

JJ winked as she stepped back to open the door of the car that pulled in behind your taxi and slid in. “Just think about it, okay?”

You nodded numbly, mechanically climbing into the back seat of the taxi while Will and JJ patiently waited to make sure you were safely on your way.

You mumbled out your address and barely noticed the drive home, arriving much sooner than expected, as your mind was focused on JJ’s words.

You shook your head as you entered your apartment, determined to think no more of it. It was just a silly statement born out of one too many drinks.

There was no way you thought of Hotch that way.

No way at all.

***

The rest of the weekend was miraculously quiet and work-free. You couldn’t remember the last time you had so much time to yourself, so you took full advantage of it.

As days off always tended to do, they flew by too quickly and Monday morning arrived before you were ready for it. You greeted everyone when you entered the department, nodding to Rossi and waving at Morgan and Penelope as you settled in at your desk.

No new case had come in, so today would be an in-office day catching up on paperwork and caseloads.

You were productive throughout the day, completing most of the pending work assigned to you, and you were feeling quite accomplished with the diminishing stack in your inbox.

Only a few minutes remained in the workday when you stood from your chair, stretching your stiff back, and made your way up the stairs to Hotch’s office to drop off an armful of completed reports.

You knocked on his door, only having to wait a second before he bid you enter.

He was focused on the open file in front of him and he didn’t look up until you spoke. “These are ready for you to review, Hotch.”

His eyes shot up to meet yours before dropping to the folders in your arms. He gestured to the corner of his desk nearest you and went back to scribbling notes on the report. “You can just leave them there, thank you.”

You set them down next to another stack and grimaced. There were multiple bundles of files littering his desk. While in-office days were great for clearing your desk of work, it unfortunately always added to Hotch’s workload.

“Looks like everyone had similar offerings for you today. Will you be able to leave at a reasonable hour tonight? I’d be happy to help with anything if you need it.”

Hotch finished the line he was writing and looked up at you through his long lashes, a small, shy kind of smile curving his lips. His cheeks were just a touch pinker than usual and you blinked because you’ve never seen that look on his face before.

He looked almost bashful, a word you would never have associated with Aaron Hotchner.

But damn, was it a good look on him. He really was a handsome man, wasn’t he? Kind, funny, successful, and a great father. He was practically the perfect man.

You froze and blinked again at the realization.

“Oh, uh,” his deep voice broke you from your thoughts. “I appreciate the offer, but I’ve got it covered. I shouldn’t be here too much longer.”

“Right, of course.” You nodded and prayed he couldn’t see the blush you knew was rapidly spreading across your face. “Well, good night, sir.” 

You spun on your heel and opened the door, ready to flee as fast as your feet could carry you.

His low, murmured good night followed you out the door and you nearly shivered because holy hell, even his voice was attractive.

You quickly grabbed your things and nearly sprinted to the elevators, not wanting to stay one second longer around skilled profilers who could read you so easily, knowing they would spot your flushed cheeks instantly and want to know what caused them. Or worse, they’d already know, and that was not something you were ready to discuss with any of them at the moment.

You had fully intended on ignoring JJ’s words from Friday night, but after your reaction just now, you knew she was right.

Hotch was pretty damn close to fitting the idea of your perfect man.

Or maybe, the idea of your perfect man came from Hotch.

You sighed as you entered the thankfully empty elevator, finally admitting to yourself the truth that had been staring you in the face for longer than you’d ever care to admit.

You had it bad for Aaron Hotchner.

Oh, you were in so much trouble.

***

Aaron watched as you left his office, your face a delightful shade of pink.

His eyes followed as you rushed to your desk, snatched up your things, and darted out the door.

He hadn’t meant to overhear Prentiss and Garcia’s conversation that morning as they reminisced over their night out last Friday. He certainly hadn’t meant to linger when they mentioned you and your adorable—according to Garcia—rant about the perfect man. And he most certainly hadn’t meant to lean in rather eagerly when they whispered about just how many times his name had come up as an example during said rant.

He had been pleasantly surprised and somewhat stunned by the information. He’d never thought of himself as an ideal for the perfect man. 

Sure, he supposed he had a few attributes that some women might find appealing. He had a successful career and tried to keep in shape, though that was more for his job than vanity.

But he never imagined that anyone would look at him and think that he was a paradigm of their perfect man. Least of all you.

You were a brilliant profiler, exceptional in the field and able to hold your own in a fight when needed, but you were also caring with the victims and their families. You were witty and kind and easygoing. You were someone who smiled freely and laughed readily and did your best to cheer and encourage the team on tough cases.

Not someone who would think of stoic, hardass Aaron Hotchner as the perfect man.

Still, he hadn’t been able to keep his eyes from drifting to the window of his office throughout the day, seeking you out.

He thought back to when you joined the BAU and how quickly you became not only an essential part of the team but a much-welcomed member of their little family. Everyone adored you and Aaron himself had to admit that you had wormed your way into his heart.

He loved the time he got to spend with you when the team got together to unwind after a case and the little moments of levity you all shared in between working. He recalled the times he managed to make you laugh and the occasions where he found himself chuckling as well. You were easy to talk to and more often than not, the two of you fell into conversation whenever everyone else was either asleep or preferred to be left alone on the jet going to and from cases.

He genuinely enjoyed your company and found himself wishing he could enjoy it more often.

His eyes wandered to the bullpen again, zeroing in on you almost immediately. Prentiss and Morgan were standing by your desk when one of them said something that made you laugh.

Your eyes squeezed shut and your mouth opened to release an enchanting sound of delight. Aaron couldn’t look away and had to admit that you really were quite lovely. Inside and out.

He wasn’t sure how long he sat looking at you but knew it was longer than appropriate. He shook his head and forced himself to focus back on his work.

He managed to shove all thoughts of you from his mind for the remainder of the day until a soft knock sounded on his door late in the afternoon.

He didn’t bother to look up from the report he was notating after giving a gruff come in until he heard your voice.

Aaron couldn’t keep his eyes from darting up to meet yours before dropping them to the large stack of files in your arms.

He gestured for you to place them on the corner of his desk next to the ones Reid had deposited earlier and thought that would be his singular interaction with you for the day.

But then your caring side came out again and you sweetly offered to help him, a proposition that both filled him with fondness and nervousness.

After all his wayward thoughts about you throughout the day, he wasn’t sure if being in close proximity with you was a good idea or not. 

Aaron looked up at you again, the late afternoon sun enveloping you, enhancing your features, and his only thought was that he’d been wrong earlier. 

You weren’t just lovely. You were stunning.

In that moment, he was completely captivated by you and his thoughts ran rampant as he cataloged every minute detail of you. Your beauty, your kindness, your brilliance, and all the little things that made you you . Everything that endeared you to him.

But his thoughts came to a crashing halt when he realized that he was staring at you. He felt his face flush and he stammered as he gently declined your help.

You bid him a good night, but Aaron couldn’t take his eyes off the spreading blush on your cheeks. It kept his attention until you were out of sight.

He blinked and dropped his eyes back to the forgotten report in front of him, a slow smile creeping across his face.

He may not have meant to overhear the conversation that caused him to think about you all day, but he was starting to be glad he had. It seemed it was all he needed to face a few truths he had been in denial about for a long while now.

He was completely and utterly smitten with you.

Now, he just had to decide what to do about it. 

Aaron sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

Oh, he was in so much trouble.

[rendy-a]

Meant to Be

Someone liked this old post I reblogged from @writingforatwistedworld today and it brought this writing prompt back to my attention.  This was such a cool idea, and since Veil has chosen not to write it, I thought I’d visit the idea with my own spin.

Confusion was the only thought you were able to summon in your head.  You remembered lights and sounds.  Honking maybe?  And now you were just barely conscious of lying on the ground with your head spinning.  What exactly happened?

Your head feels like it is splitting but somehow voices are beginning to come though.  “Coach, I think they are waking up!” a black-haired boy says as he kneels beside you, hovering over you protectively.  Were you at school?  You can’t remember.  Nor can you immediately place the boy who is so concerned about you.  He is speaking to you but it’s too hard to focus.  All you can do is notice the guilty look in his eyes and wonder what he did.  Suddenly, he stops speaking and looks across your body towards the field beside you.  You turn your head curiously and follow his gaze to see a red-haired boy running towards you at top speed.  Something about this tickles your memory.  You look again at the black-haired boy and notice a strange marking you hadn’t been able to bring into focus before.  It looked like a spade from a playing card.  Then you looked back at the boy coming closer and closer to your location.  Suddenly, you had it.  It was impossible, yet you couldn’t shake the feeling that you’d miraculously transported yourself into one of your favorite phone games; Twisted Wonderland. 

As sort of a test, you hesitantly spoke, “Deuce?”  The black-haired boy, Deuce, looks at you and you think him on the edge of tears.  “Thank Sevens!” he whispers as rubs your arm comfortingly.  The red-haired boy slides the last distance to reach your side in an anxious kneel.  “Ace?” you confirm groggily.  Ace looks at you with what you feel is fear in his eyes, and when he speaks, it is towards Deuce.  “Just what were you thinking?  You know the Prefect doesn’t have magic!”  Deuce looks away, it is certainly guilt on his face.  “I didn’t mean to throw it that hard.”  Ace scowls at Deuce and shouts, “Well you did and see what a mess you’ve made!”  You force yourself to a sitting position and wave Ace down.  “I’m fine, I’m fine.”  Then, still feeling a bit woozy, you amend, “Well, I think I’m GOING to be fine.”

Ace looks at you with concern and says, “I’m taking you to the nurse’s office.  Right now.”  Deuce intervenes, “I’ll do it.  It was my fault for throwing that disk so hard.”  Ace appears ready to retort angrily, so you wave them both away.  “I’ll go myself.  Or you can both come with.  We’re all buddies here, right?”  You watch them cautiously to confirm that this is the case.  After all, you weren’t pulled into a game every day.  Who knows what might be different.  Deuce answers you right away in a relieved affirmative while Ace only frowns mildly.  “Ok, but if you feel bad at all, I’m carrying you.  No complaints.”  You give him a shaky smile and let them guide you to the nurse’s office. 

It’s a little embarrassing, but there is so much that you don’t know about Night Raven College, that you end up claiming selective amnesia from the impact.  Your professors appear suspicious, but no one can offer an alternative reason for why you’ve forgotten so many simple things, like the layout of the school, while retaining such vivid memories of other experiences, like Riddle’s overbot incident.  So ultimately, they accept this odd explanation from you and assign your friends Ace and Deuce to once again play your guide at NRC.  The cast slowly re-introduce themselves to you.  Some find it remarkable and others unbelievable.  Idia finds it amusing, “Khee he he.  This is just like the plot of the manga Ramen Shop Summer where the protagonist gets in an accident in gym and forgets their crush!  But then they end up working together over the summer in a ramen shop, and Boom Badda Bing, romance!”  Then he shyly adds, “Maybe you’ll have your own summertime romance.  All the tropes are right for it.”  You chuckle with him but privately think, ‘If only you knew.’

A few days later at lunch, you were sitting at a table and rubbing your bandaged head softly while eating the sad sandwich you’d been able to cobble together with the junk in the fridge back at Ramshackle when your friends slam a plate down on either side of you, “Here Prefect, eat this,” and “I got something special for you,” come out of their mouths at the same time.  You look up at them surprised.  Deuce looks at your hand on your head and adds in a soft voice, “I feel bad for what I did so I thought this would help make up for it.”  Ace scoffs and interjects, “I know what the Prefect likes best.  Don’t worry about it and let them eat mine.”  You look at Ace’s plate and somehow, he is right, he has gathered one of your favorites to eat.  “Actually, this looks pretty good.”  Then you turn and reassure Deuce, “I appreciate the offer too, but you don’t have to feel bad.  I know it was an accident.”  They both seem happy at the outcome, and you enjoy a nice lunch.

As you are leaving the lunchroom, you pass a floating tablet (Idia you know), and it surprisingly speaks to you. “It’s just like my manga,” Idia comments.  You turn and look at the tablet quizzically and it prompts him to continue, “If this was a story, that would be a flag event between the Male Lead and Second Male Lead for your affection.”  You stumble over your reply, “But..but it isn’t a manga.”  The unsettling, “Kwee he he,” that emerges follows you all the way to your next special lesson. 

You were used to thinking of special lessons as when Crowley randomly shows up to class and everyone suddenly finds the motivation to pay attention, but apparently, this was a Very Special Lesson that they wouldn’t give the students any prior details on.  The older students seemed to know what it was about as the first year’s had gotten several secretive smiles and leading comments.  Rook passes you right before you enter and remarks with an expression both sly and amused, “It is a fine day for fate, is it not Prefect?”  You look at him puzzled as he continues past you to class, and you shrug as you enter the room and sit beside your friends.  Ace scowls and remarks, “They’ve been doing that all day and it’s getting on my nerves.”  Deuce is fidgeting more than usual, and you raise an eyebrow as thought to ask what’s up.  “What if it’s a test?” he asks nervously before flipping open a notebook.  “A little late to study then,” Ace scoffs before looking at you out of the corner of his eye.  “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.  I’m sure it won’t be a test.”  You smile at his gesture.  Tests haven’t been easy for you these past weeks as you’ve not actually studied any of the curriculum for the classes. 

When Crewel stomps into class and sets a crate of potions on the desk, it startles you out of your thoughts.  You hear gasps from around the class and realize that most students seem to understand what is happening.  It is only you in the dark.  Then the Professor smiles slyly and declares, “It’s Matching Day.”  An eruption of conversation spreads across the room and Professor Crewel, appearing as excited as the students, surprisingly allows it.  ‘I can’t believe its today!’ and ‘I wonder if I’ll meet my pair!’ reach your ears.  You turn to Ace and find him looking at you with an expression you just can’t place.  You nod towards the Professor and ask, “You know what this is about?”  He looks at you startled, “You don’t know?  Its Matching day?”  When you shrug and continue to look at him with questions in your eyes he goes on.  “You know, the day you can take the potion to manifest your red string and try to find your Soulmate.  Matching Day!” 

It hits you suddenly like a blow.  ‘My god,’ you think, ‘This isn’t TWST at all.  Idia was right, there are too many tropes in this story.  I’m in someone’s Fanfic!  This is a damn Soulmate AU story!’  You weren’t sure what to say, but luckily, Professor Crewel had decided he’s allowed the pups to misbehave enough and cracked his whip over his gloved hand, “Settle down you mutts.  Good pups need to know how to behave properly if they are going to impress their mate!”  Silence is quickly restored as the excited students obediently wait for the Professor to continue.  “Come up when I call your name.  I don’t think I should have to explain, but just in case, let me remind you what you can expect.  When you drink the potion, you’ll feel a tug on your heart as your soul manifests your bond to your Soulmate.  After that, you’ll be able to see your red string in the general area of your pinky finger.”  A groan comes from an over-excited student, “We know, we know.” 

Crewel doesn’t take the interruption well this time and cracks his whip again, “STAY!  Pups need to learn to take instruction before receiving a treat!”  The student bashfully looks away and Crewel continues, “Remember to not get your hopes up.  It is very rare to find your Soulmate the first day you take your potion.”  This sobering comment seems to bring down the mood of the students.  Crewel smiles more gently at the students he’s fondly guided, “But be happy you are proud students of Night Raven College.  Many mages find they have Soulmates who are also proficient in magic, so your chances of meeting your Soulmate while in school here are raised.”  You turn to see how your friends are taking this news.  Deuce is looking intently at his hands, as though he will find his courage in the focus.  Ace is only looking at you, again with a look you just can’t read.

“Now, come to the front of the room as I call your name,” Crewel instructs.  It appears the students are being called alphabetically.  You wonder when you might be called as you don’t recall “Yuu” having a last name.  You focus a long time, making sure you don’t miss it but before your turn, your friend gets called.  “Deuce Spade!” Crewel summons loudly.  Deuce gulps beside you and stands suddenly.  Then he holds his hand up as though trying to fire himself up and marches determinedly to claim his potion.  He drinks it down and you wait with interest to see how Deuce would react.  You’d seen several others take the potion at this point, but this wasn’t just some NPC, it was your friend.  He concentrates nervously for several seconds before gasping and grabbing his chest.  Then he looks down at his hand and makes a sound between a sigh and a laugh.  “There it is!” he says and looks out the door where the string must lead.  Then he laughs again and looks toward where you and Ace sit with a smile and makes his ‘honor student’ pose.  You give him a thumbs up and pat his back as he rejoins you.

You want to ask him what it was like but the next name, “Ace Trappola!” breaks your concentration.  You hadn’t realized your other friend would get his turn so soon after.  You turn to Ace and give him an encouraging smile.  Ace looks deep into your eyes for a long moment before giving you a mischievous grin, “Wish me luck, Prefect!”  You give him an excited smile and some jazz hands to cheer him on and he goes happily to the front of the class.  You watch as he takes the potion and waits in a quiet meditation before he makes a gasp and grasps at something that only he can see.  Then he looks up and smiles over in your direction happily, “I knew it!” he laughs happily.  He returns to his seat with a bounce in his step and you look at him eagerly.  “Was it cool?” you ask.  He smiles at you, “It was the coolest thing ever.”  You have a million questions that come to mind, but you ask none of them as Deuce taps you on the shoulder.  You turn to look at him and he nervously tells you, “Prefect, it’s your turn.”

You look up at Professor Crewel who seems none too pleased to have you ignore his summons.  Great.  Somehow, you’d missed your turn being called and garnered his ire.  You gulp and stand to answer his summons.  When you grasp the potion, a question occurs to you and you ask, “Will this work for me?”  Professor Crewel smiles at your worry, “Not to worry, Prefect, even people without magic have Soulmates.”  It was more that you wondered if people from other worlds had Soulmates but you figured that wasn’t a conversation to have right now.  So, you smile at him as though satisfied with his response and drink the potion down.

At first it was nothing but bubbly in your stomach and then you felt giddy.  Like a drunkenness that had nothing to do with alcohol which rose from your stomach to take hold of your whole body.  Your heart beat faster and faster until you feel as alert as though you were running for your life.  Then, it was gone.  Mostly gone.  A tiny tingle remained, and you followed the sensation down to see the bright red string wound around your pinky.  It really worked. 

You looked toward your friends, wanting to share the moment with them and felt the weight of Ace’s gaze.  He was looking at you so intently it was startling.  You couldn’t break eye contact for a moment.  Then you felt a small tug and looked down at your finger.  The red string was tugging slightly, as though wanting you to follow it.  You didn’t have far to go.  You raised your eyes and found Ace holding his red string in his hand and you knew it connected to your own.  Well, that did make sense in a way.  If this was a TWST fanfic, your Soulmate had to be a member of the main case.  And now you knew, it was Ace.  You looked at Ace clutching the red string and thought that he held it like it was a lifeline, something he couldn’t live with if he let go.  Well, that was silly.  You were right here.  Perhaps it was due to the plot of the story, but you suddenly felt like you couldn’t bear to see him worried like that.

You went to him and stood in front of him, “So, you and me, huh?”  He looked up at you and said in a chocked voice, “Yeah, you and me.”  A clapping sound comes from behind you and then all around.  You are embarrassed to find that all your classmates are celebrating your union with Ace.  “What a fine surprise,” Professor Crewel says with a smile.  You don’t know what to do but Ace has no such qualms.  He grabs onto you and pulls you into a side hug with one arm will giving a V with his other hand.  You bashfully wind your arm around him and repeat the gesture yourself.  It seems like you’ve really fallen into the perfect romance fantasy.

The transition from friend to significant other was jarring but anytime you felt unsure about your new ties to Ace, you had only to look at him to feel reassured.  He was always holding the red string.  It was cute in a way, as though he thought about you so often, he had to hold onto the string to remind himself you were there with him in spirit.  You still felt safe seeing the string in his hand back then.

Why is Crowley always at the start of all your problems?  On a late spring day, the headmaster summoned you to his office.  You found it was never good news when he did this, and this time would prove no exception.  “Ah Prefect, how lovely to see you today,” he began carefully, as though sizing up how big a fuss you would kick up this time.  You hummed at him in a noncommittal way.  “Indeed,” he acknowledges your evasion and gets right into his secret business.  “I was wondering what you planned to do over Summer Break.”  You look at him deadpan, “Not do chores for you.”  He huffs at you in pretend amusement, “Ah HA ha.  Uh-hem.  That is to say, where do you plan to go while the campus is closed?”  Now this was actually news to you.  “What do you mean closed?  I’ll just stay here like I did over Winter Break.”  Crowley turns, unable to meet your eye, “Ah-HA hem, its just that we do the annual fumigation over summer so we need all living residents to be off-campus.”  Then much quieter, “The insurance wouldn’t allow it…I checked.”

You left the office not certain which was worse, that the headmaster actually considered leaving you in a poisoned campus over break or the fact that you suddenly had no where to go.  You walked lost in thought, mechanically headed to lunch when you hit something solid, and a hush fell over the room.  You felt a moment of worry until you looked up and into the quizzical face of Malleus and smiled.  This might seem like a dangerous occurrence to the random students around you, but it was nothing alarming to you.  “Hi there Hornton,” you warmly greet your fae friend.  He puts a finger to his chin and ponders to himself, “You seem quite distracted today, Prefect.  Is anything the matter?”  Happy to have someone to discuss it with, you give him a run-down on your situation.  “And so, I just have no idea where I’m going to go!” you finish in a flurry.  “Hmm,” Malleus hums in consideration, “That is a quandary.  I’d invite you to join me in Briar Valley but unfortunately Lilia has decided we are to take a, how do you call it, road trip this break.”  You can practically hear the air quotes in his voice as he says, ‘road trip.’

You give your friend a small understanding smile, “I get it.  I’m fine.  I just need to figure this out.  I’ll find what I’m looking for, I’m sure.”  This seems to perk your friend up, “Why yes, that might work.”  Then he saunters to a nearby table and picks up a vile of liquid.  You weren’t sure if this was part of someone’s lunch or classwork.  Sometimes it was like that at magic school.  As Malleus holds the vile, a green magic seeps from his fingers to engulf it and the liquid inside boils ominously.  Then the magic fades and the boiling stops.  He hands you the vile and instructs, “I will bestow a boon upon you.  Pour this tincture upon a mirror and the knowledge you need will be summoned forth.”  Great.  This was even better than posting an ad online.  You thank Malleus and give him a grateful smile. 

That is when you feel an arm slip over your shoulder and Ace appears at your side, “Say Prefect, what is going on here?”  You merely gesture as thought to say, ‘I’m talking to Malleus.’  Ace gives your friend a look that is downright insolent and you mentally scoff that only your Ace would be so bold as to have such an attitude with Malleus Draconia.  “Thanks for your help,” you offer your friend to give him an easy way to end the conversation.  Regardless of Malleus’s wishes, Ace jumps in and distracts you easily, “Hey Prefect, I heard you can’t stay over break this year.”  It’s a relief to talk it out with another person and you turn to tell your beau all about the chat in Crowley’s office.  By the time you pause to take a breath, Malleus has departed unnoticed.  You grip the flask, resolving to thank him more earnestly later, and slip it in your pocket.  Then you let Ace lead you away to your next class.  He obliges you by listening to all your complaints and agreeing in all the right places.  Not that it solved the issue at all, but it did make you feel better to have someone fully on your side to complain to.

After class, you automatically hold out your hand to walk with Ace to the alchemy lab, but he asks you to go on ahead instead.  It’s an unusual request but the mystery is cleared up before Professor Crewel arrives to begin your lesson.  “Hey Prefect, great news!” Ace shouts as he slips into the seat next to you, “I called my mom, and she says I can bring you home with me over break!”  At first, all you feel is the pressure being lifted.  Then comes the guilt.  “Are you sure I wouldn’t be intruding?” you ask nervously.  “Nah,” Ace assures you, “Mom already knows about this.”  Then he holds up his hand where he is gripping the red string, “So it was easy to convince her.”  Then he gives you a mischievous smile, “Plus my bro has been away since he graduated, and I think Mom is getting lonely.  Won’t you come cheer up a poor lonely old woman, Prefect?” Ace says in mock sadness.  You swat him, smiling and chide, “Don’t talk about my future mother-in-law that way.”  Then you both laugh. 

Things seemed to finally be going smoothly, but of course, that couldn’t last.  The alchemy lesson had barely started when Headmaster Crowley arrives by bursting in through the skylight.  He was just as extra in-person as he was in game.  You chuckle to yourself as the rest of the class appears to become hyper-focused on the lesson.  Then, right before leaving, Crowley stops in front of your caldron and remarks, “Ah Prefect, will you stop by my office after your lesson?”  Ace leans in as Crowley retreats and whispers, “What is that about?”  You can only shake your head, “I have no idea.  Want to come with and find out?”  Ace gives the thread a stroke with his thumb, “Of course.  I can’t let a troublemaker like you out of my sight.”  You laugh at his joke and pat his arm, thankful for his backup.  You are sure you will need it.

When you and Ace arrive in the headmaster’s office, he looks up from his desk and lets out a squawk of surprise, “Ah!  Trappola, uh, I was not expecting you to be here as well.”  You feel like you’ve made the right choice in bringing him along.  “So, Headmaster, what’s this business you have with me?”  He looks away, avoiding your eye.  “Well, that.  So, you see…it turns out that our contract for the fumigation this summer does not include covering important school property with protective sheets.  Can you believe that!  Ah-hem, anyway, I’m going to have to ask you to stay until after the rest of the students have departed and cover the furniture in the classrooms before you go.”  The response from your boyfriend is immediate, “No.”  You pull back a smile you feel forming on your lips, “Well, there you have it.  I also have made plans for break, since you have so cruelly abandoned me.”  You can see the gears in his head turning as he thinks over the situation.

“Well,” you comment over your shoulder as you shake out a sheet over a cauldron, “At least he is paying us both to do this.  Thanks for keeping me company.”  Ace grins at you, “I can’t abandon my darling Prefect to be all by their lonesome right before a family trip!”  Then he sheepishly adds, “Plus I can use some extra pocket money to buy you a treat when we are back home.”  A family trip.  It had a nice sound to it.  You hum as you continue covering cauldrons with the large tablecloths Crowely had supplied.  “There,” you say and clap your hands once for emphasis, “That is the last one.  And…I think that is all the alchemy rooms.”  Ace gets a thinking expression, “Ah…so that leaves the elective rooms in the Senior’s tower and the botanical gardens.”  You shrug, “Wanna split them?”  Ace nods and you agree to cover the worktables in the botanical gardens while Ace climbs the tower to handle the senior’s classrooms. 

There are far fewer tables in the botanical gardens, so while it was a hike to get there, you finished fairly quickly.  When you add that to the fact that the mirror chamber was nearby, it didn’t surprise you that you arrived ahead of Ace.  Your small bag of clothes sat in the corner, ready to be taken through the mirror to the Queendom of Roses with Ace.  Until then, you had nothing to do here.  You circle the room, looking into the various mysterious mirrors.  Make a few faces and poses to pass time.  It was so boring.  You turn out your pockets, just looking for something to occupy your time and find two items inside.  One is the vial Malleus had given you to help you find a place for Summer Break.  The other was a candy wrapper.  You frown as you look at it.  This wrapper was left over from a candy you had on you when you arrived in Twisted Wonderland; one of the last ties to your old world that remained.  You haven’t thought about the old world for a while now.  Not since before you’d found your Soulmate.  Now, a feeling of melancholy washes over you.  Why had you stopped looking for a way home?  You didn’t even remember consciously giving up on that dream.

You hold the vial and consider it carefully.  What exactly had Malleus said this did?  Something about helping you find what you needed when you poured it on a mirror?  Well, there were plenty of mirrors available and you had time to kill.  Maybe, if you poured the potion, it would give you a clue on how you could return home someday.  You walked to the nearest mirror and uncorked the bottle.  The liquid flowed slowly out of the container as though it was molasses.  When it touched the mirror, it seemed to slip inside until a glossy shimmer coated the surface.  It rippled and you were aware that there were words to be seen inside.  You leaned closer and read the message.  Then you read it again.  And again.  By the fourth time, you were shaking so badly you could no longer read it.  It wasn’t a way to get home.  It was the summary of the fanfiction you were in. 

---

The Chain That Binds

When the Prefect of Ramshackle dorm is invited home with their Soulmate to visit the family, they never suspect the plan Ace has in store for them.  Sometimes the chain that binds you to a partner also binds you to a darker fate. 

TW Yandere, TW Imprisonment, TW Kidnapping

---

Just what kind of sick story was this? 

A click sounds behind you as the door closes.  Never had you heard a sound so ominous.  “Something wrong, Prefect?” Ace says carefully.  You notice he is gripping the string of fate tightly.  It no longer felt comforting but more like the hold a master would have on a dog’s leash.  “You seem kind of agitated.”  You try to downplay it, “Oh no, its nothing.”  He tilts his head, attempting to see past you and into the mirror.  You sidestep to make sure the view was blocked.  He gives you a cold smile, “Are you sure because I can feel your fear through the bond.”  You meet his eye for a moment and then bolt.  Ace is so much faster than you that you never had a real chance.  You scream out for help and Ace laughs and shouts with you, “Help! Help!”  You look at him in horror.  “Who do you think is left here to hear you, Prefect?  Its only us now.”  Then he pulls out his magic pen and casts a binding spell on you. 

You can only lay limply as Ace steps over to the mirror and reads what is inside.  “Hmm,” He finally says, “I don’t know where you get these ideas from, but I don’t think they are healthy for you.  You should stop consorting with people who put these things into your mind.  I’ll talk to my mom when we get home.  I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if you stayed there instead of coming back to school.  That will take care of all these intrusive thoughts you have.”  His grip on the red string was so tight that you were beginning to feel it like a phantom pain in your heart.  “Don’t worry about a thing, Prefect.  I’m going to take care of you.  I know what you need,” then he turns and looks coldly into your eyes, “you were made just for me after all.  You’re supposed to be mine alone.”

Then as you struggle against your bonds, he lifts you up over his shoulder and drags you and your belongings to the central mirror.  He gives the mirror the destination as you take one final look at the place you’d considered your second home.  Then Ace carries you over the threshold of the mirror into the beyond. Unfortunately for you, this wasn’t the ending.  Your story was just beginning. 

[conundrumsofphilosophy]

hi!! how do you think each merc would react if they got stuck on an elevator? maybe reader could be there too and started panicking, how would they deal with it? ^^

ANON I LOVE THIS. this is such a fun prompt im obsessed. sorry this took literally months . college is hard

scout

- he's immediately mad. kicking the wall and repeatedly pushing buttons

- ends up pacing and freaking anyone else in the elevator out

- when he starts yelling for help it's over

- if you start panicking it'll just make him panic because he doesn't know what to do to help you, he just gets louder

soldier

- slamming on the doors with his entire body weight. does NOT realize the doors will open to an elevator shaft and not a safe floor

- SCREAMING for help. he's not panicked really just very impatient. it's very un-american to get trapped in an elevator.

- if he's in there too long he'll wear himself out and sit on the floor and pout for a while. sad sad puppy dog man

- if you're freaking out he'll just yell in your face which will not help but he is yelling reassuring things. he just has zero volume control.

pyro

- definitely just saying what the hell over and over again. not yelling just muttering to themself and being mostly unintelligible

- kicks the door a little bit but doesn't get overly violent

- mostly just dismayed at the situation. will sit down and fiddle with whatever they have on them, tinker with whatever weapons anyone has. patient

- will sit there in silence with you and help you breathe deep if you're panicking. mutters kind things which you can't understand but he's trying

engineer

- pops open the panel immediately and starts fiddling with wires and trying to fix it himself. not at all worried that he might break it worse

- throws stuff if he can't get it working again. very much with the dangits and dammits and dagnabbits

- starts yelling for help but gets bored of it pretty quick and just huffs and puffs

- if you're freaked out he'll calm himself down though. he'd hate to be part of the reason you're freaking out

demo

- he doesn't even notice at first. he's just drinking and smiling.

- once he realizes it's been a loooong time in the elevator. he'll sort of just poke at some buttons, kick at the door a little bit. surprisingly nonchalant about it

- if he's drunk enough he'll start to prepare to blow the door open you gotta make him not do that. because it would most certainly not help

- if you're freaking out he'll stare at you for a while before he even says anything because he doesn't know what would help. he isn't helpful at all

heavy

- so normal about. he is chilling. if someone else has an idea that requires brute force he will contribute but won't initiate it himself he's perfectly content to just wait it out

- i like to think he brings a little paperback with him all the time and he will just sit down and read

- might even fall asleep. his snoring would make anyone else in the elevator want to die though

- probably the best person to have with you if you're freaking out he can provide anything you need. need to be grounded? bone crushing hug. need reassuring words? might be a little broken in english but he's got em.

medic

- gone into hysterics i think. especially if there are more than three people in the elevator he needs out right now

- snaps at anyone that tries to get him to help with anything he's like. sitting in the corner rocking back and forth

- he's literally completely 100% normal the second you get out it's like nothing happened

- he's not helping you if you're freaking out unless staring at you menacingly is helping

sniper

- doesn't care literally whatsoever he's used to being in enclosed spaces for hours at a time

- you better believe he's pissing in jars if he has them.

- will help with the Escape Plan if he deems it smart enough

- if you're freaking out he'll just sit there but he thinks it's helping

spy

- soooooo frustrated there are much better things he'd rather be doing than being trapped with You People

- filling the elevator with cigarette smoke much to the chagrin of everyone in it. he does not care whatsoever

- gets bored quickly and will sit and flip his knife endlessly while still chainsmoking

- if you're freaking out he'll probably just say something he thinks is kind but just makes you feel worse

[ryker-writes]

I just read your *Azul as a sibling (Broken relationship edition)** and I had an extra angst thought. Just like a second route. But extra extra angst.

⚠️Death mentioned⚠️

The moment the twins stopped his bullies it went to the sibling. They got bully for how they looked, acted, eat just anything and everything they did. Well he seem to gain self-confidence, they lost their own self-confidence. Once they were in same dorm maybe that will change! They thought maybe their brother would still love them! But… if he’s there, brother, why can’t they call him that? Why, when he sees how they’re being treated.. walks away? He could tell her being bullied right? But when they were forced to work at the lounge, they just excepted it. Maybe it’s best to just accept how life is… meaningless. No one would notice if they were gone? No no if they do that, it would just cause more inconvenience for their broth- right Azul. So they can’t, they just have to help Azul by not making trouble for him.

After Azul overblot, they didn’t think anything would change for them. At first it didn’t. But slowly the bullying stopped and they started getting less work hours more… free time. Azul seemed to always be around them but it’s probably just a coincidence. He wouldn’t want to hang out with someone like them. They aren’t anything special. So why is he trying to talk to them? Why does he seem to care? He’s not supposed to care for them! He’s trying to get close to hurt them isn’t he?! To hurt them… To watch them cry just so he can laugh. Wait… why are they crying black… tears? Oh… ha they’re overbloting… in front of Azul… they just caused him a ton of inconveniences didn’t they? Maybe if lucky they won’t wake up. That would help Azul wouldn’t it? Then he doesn’t have to always stop people from calling them his sibling… and just dealing with them all together.

Can I be 💜 anon?? If not that’s fine! Sorry my first inbox interaction is hmm… angsts hah. I just had to share.

Yes! I finally got to your request my dear 💜 anon! I hope you can forgive me if I end up bending it a little bit to not make this as dark. While I don't mind it being dark, it sort of sounds like the reader is a bit suicidal, which I don't want to write about. So the story might be bent a little bit to avoid that.

Request rules and Masterlists

If you missed the other parts you can find it on my broken sibling masterlist

warnings: angst, reader has low self-esteem, thoughts and mentions of death

Azul as a sibling (alternate broken relationship)

you and Azul used to be close

he would always get picked on when you two were kids

but you were always there to defend him

for a long time, you were his best and only friend

until he met the Leech twins

they became his friends and started defending him from the bullies

and while you're happy that Azul got some actual friends, he started hanging out with you less

you wouldn't have minded it as long as he made time for you somewhere

but he didn't even hang out with you at home anymore

to make everything worse, the bullies realized they couldn't target Azul anymore

but now that you were alone, they could target you

and they were ruthless

being alone made you vulnerable every second of every day

everything you did, every step you took, and every part of you was made fun of

it made every day difficult

and you watched from the side as Azul started to get more confident in himself

at times he wouldn't even rely on the twins to help him with things

Azul was shining just like you always knew he would

and you were left behind in the background to be picked apart every day

years went by, and it was finally time for the both of you to attend Night Raven College

Azul and you both got placed in Octavinelle too!

so you had hope that things would be better

and maybe you could talk to Azul again

but the second you walked up to him and called him brother, he was nearly shouting at you not to call him that

why?

why couldn't you call him brother?

you couldn't understand

things got worse too

being at Night Raven College means that the bullies were always there

and there was no escape from them

even in your own dorm, with your classmates and brother there

they still made fun of you and tore you down

everyone just turned a blind eye, even Azul

like you weren't there

like you didn't matter

surely he could tell you were being bullied right?

but he didn't seem to care

Azul barely even spared you a glance during the day

even when he made you work for him, you never got to meet with him directly

instead, Azul would send Jade or Floyd to talk to you

so you worked every day and dealt with the bullies everyday

and you just had to accept that this was the way things were

you couldn't get out of it unless you were to run away from it all

but that would only cause more problems for Azul

that's the last thing you want

so you stayed, and you worked through all the pain

eventually, Azul overblotted

thankfully, he was fine and things continued like normal

at least, they did at first

and then one day, the bullies didn't show up

it was strange, but surely they would be back to normal tomorrow

...but they weren't

the bullies didn't come after you

in fact, when you saw them in one of the hallways, they avoided you

and on top of that, you started getting less work hours

you even saw Azul around more

almost like he was following you

but then he tried talking to you and asked how you were

why was he asking?

did he actually care?

there was no way

you were probably misinterpreting it

why would Azul want to talk with you?

you weren't worth his time

maybe he needed something from you

perhaps a contract to make your life worse

that's probably all he wanted

he never wants to help you

he's only here to make things harder

your cheeks started to feel wet

were you seriously crying?

reaching up, you wiped your tears only to see black

you were overblotting

and Azul looked panicked

you were seriously overblotting in front of him

you were only causing him more problems now

since you were overblotting there was a chance you could die

would that be better for Azul?

would that help him?

you didn't want to die

but does he want you to just go away?

would he want this?

you didn't know, but the black stains only grew

and eventually they clouded your vision

when you woke up next, you were in the infirmary

Azul was sitting in a chair next to the bed, and looking very tired

he noticed you were awake and looked up at you

no words were said between the two of you

but you cried again

this time, with real tears

[made-my-peace-with-all-the-bad]

And what if I said Darrel and Paul are “I love you, I’m sorry” and “I miss you, I’m sorry” coded??

Darrel first.

“You’re in your Benz, I’m by the lake” because Paul has money and Darrel doesn’t. “I like to slam doors closed” is how Darrel reflects on his life and closes doors to certain opportunities because of his brothers. “I push my luck, it shows” is quite literally just Darrel blaming everything on himself. He had Paul, pushed the barrier of friendship into some unknown that they could never keep and eventually lost him.

“You were the best but you were the worst” is how Darrel used to view Paul as the greatest thing in his life. Then they fell out and all of a sudden Paul is hurting his younger brother. “As sick as it sounds, I loved you first” is Darrel’s resentment of Paul’s future relationships. Because Paul forces himself to think he likes girls and gets a girlfriend and Darrel hates him for it. “I’m making amends this shit never ends, I’m wrong again, wrong again” is more of a reflection of Darrel’s relationship with his brothers. He and Pony made up and are closer now, but their problems aren’t over and probably never will be.

“Joyriding down our road” is Darrel’s reflection of how he and Paul used to be. They’d have fun because the weight of the world wasn’t so heavy and was even less prominent when they were together. It wasn’t a greaser and a Soc, it was Paul and Darrel. “Lay on the horn to prove that it haunts me” is how Darrel feels now. He can’t go certain places without thinking about everything he used to have. Because 17 year old Darry would never imagine that he would be a college dropout, have two dead parents, be raising his little brothers, and doesn’t even has his main supporter and best friend (maybe more but that’s not important) with him.

“Hope that I don’t, won’t, make it about me” is how Darrel feels when he sees Paul in town. It’s how he felt seeing Paul at the rumble (I have a whole other ramble about Paul and Darrel seeing each other the night before the rumble but that’s for another time). It’s Darrel getting asked about the Madras shirt and answering bitterly because the truth is, he does still have it. He sometimes bundles it up and holds it when he sleeps because he likes the idea that maybe, eventually, he and Paul can be friends again. That what they had wasn’t a teenage fling, but something more real.

“I love you, I’m sorry” is Darrel’s apology. He desperately and hopelessly loves Paul. He always has and probably always will.

Paul now.

“Do you remember, happy together? I do, don’t you?” Is Paul trying to logic that he and Darrel just weren’t happy and Darrel responding with the fact that they were always happy right up until their falling out. “You said forever, in the end I fought it. Please be honest, are we better for it” is Paul after he and Darrel drifted apart after the Curtis parents died. They used to be together all the time and Darrel swore it’d be that way forever. And Paul who always joked that they couldn’t be together forever, they’d have their own lives eventually. Paul who desperately wanted Darrel to say that it was true and Paul was never that important to him, so that Paul could move on.

“Thought you’d hate me but instead you called and said I miss you, I caught it” is Paul going back to college after Darrel drops out and thinking Darrel must hate him for it. But he doesn’t. The first night Paul is back in what used to be their shared dorm, the phone rings. It’s Darrel. Darrel who didn’t realize how much he needed Paul there to help him sort out things until Paul was gone. It was Darrel, quietly crying so as not to wake his brothers and he tells Paul that he needs him, loves him, and misses him.

“But I only saw you once in December.” Is post rumble. It’s the winter afterwards and Darrel is struggling. He’s drowning in hospital bills, needing to heat the house and pay for food, and all of this while being the middle of winter when less people need their roofs done. It’s Paul driving past and seeing Darrel trying and work in the freezing cold. It’s Paul going and getting Darrel’s coffee order and taping some money to the bottom. It’s Paul dropping it off when Darrel isn’t looking and Darrel coming back to his stuff to see a piping hot drink with $40 taped to the bottom with his name written out in handwriting he’ll never forget.

“Nothing happened in the way I wanted, every corner of this house is haunted” is actually about Paul’s house. Paul’s house that was never a home except when Darrel stayed over. Because normally it was a house that had three people in it. Three people who may as well have been strangers to each other. Then Darrel came. Darrel who came to Paul’s house and hummed and snuggled up with Paul in his bed as they just talked. Darrel who ran his fingers through Paul’s hair and just loved him. “I know you said that we’re not talking, but I miss you, I’m sorry” is what Paul said when Darrel called him the night after the coffee incident. Paul picks up the phone and hears a quite mutter of his name in a much rougher tone than he’s used too, but still, there’s something else in his voice. It’s what Paul says because he doesn’t know what else to say.

“Everything I know brings me back to us” is Paul seeing Darrel in every car drive with windows down, every football game on TV, every time he looks at his damn football jacket that he knows has a message from Darrel written on the inside, every single time a song Darrel used to hum is on the radio, and is the Darrel that Paul sees in himself and how he still wears the shirts Darrel told him looked good and still styles his hair how Darrel used to love.

“I don’t wanna go, we’ve been here before, everywhere I go leads me to you” is Paul telling himself there’s no way Darrel will ever love him again because I mean, how could he, Paul has done every single thing that makes him hate himself and would make Darrel hate him. It’s Darrel offering to meet up for lunch and Paul accepting that whenever Darrel asks, Paul is willing to try again.

And I rest my statements with that claim that Paul Holden is the most Gracie Abrams coded man ever.

[maskedemerald]

Weaving Webs CH8

Here is chapter eight of my Invisobang fic! Almost done with the editing so by Friday the whole fic should be up!

The wonderful @pricklenettle did some fantastic art that you'll see embedded through out the first half of the fic so if you haven't seen it go check out their blog now!

You can check out the fic here or on AO3!

If you like this consider dropping us both a follow!

Warnings: Body horror, manipulation, Spectra is her own content warning, Burns, Spider - for like 2 chapters then it goes away.

The Fenton parents were there when the accident happened, they saw Danny die in an act of sabotage. Now they’re just trying to go on with the strange ghost that is all that's left of Danny. While their old college friend is wondering where the subjects of his revenge are.

[First] [Previous] [Next]

Chapter Eight

Jazz paused in front school, she took a deep breath. She needed to steel herself. Since the moment she had gotten out of her car, eyes had been on her. Gossip was flying around her, even when she couldn’t hear them. Almost a month gone, of course it was going to draw attention.

She eventually forced herself to walk in, making a b-line for the school office. She didn’t know what her parents had told the school about what happened but she knew that it was protocol to have a return meeting after such an event. They’d be putting things in place to support her. They’d arrange sessions with the school counselor.

“Jasmine? It's good to have you back. Should we be expecting Daniel soon too?” the secretary said looking up.

Jazz froze, tears pricking at her eyes. They were expecting Danny. They didn’t know. Her parents hadn’t said. What had they even said? Did the school even know there had been an accident. That realistically Jazz needed to talk with the counselor.

“Jasmine? Are you alright?”

She was crying, Jazz blinked away tears. “I… I don’t know.”

“That’s okay dear. He can come back when he’s ready. I was told to give you a light schedule today and to see Mr Lancer for some catch up work. Do you want me to sign you up to speak with the counselor?”

“Please.” Jazz didn’t know how it was going to work when they didn’t know but she still needed it.

“Okay, take it easy today Jasmine. If you need a break then take it.”

“Right.”

Jazz breathed deeply to settle her nerves once outside the office. It was worse heading to class. People asking how she was, how Danny was and she couldn’t answer. Not truthfully. She got through one class before having to slip into the library for most of the rest of the day.

It was there that Mr Lancer found her.

“I won’t bother you for long. I know it's been a hard day. I have a couple of work packs for you and Daniel. Take your time with them though. No need if you’re not up to it.” He said sliding two folders across the table.

“Right… thank you…. I don’t know how much he’ll manage…” She said, awkwardly trying to explain while knowing that she can’t say anything.

What could she even say? What would happen if she said Danny was dead? Would they understand he was a ghost? What would happen to their parents? It wasn’t a good look to have not reported it.

“However much he can do is fine at the moment.” He reassured. “Maybe go home for the rest of the day, I’ll sign you out.”

“Thank you.”

She slammed the front door behind her.

“Hey Jazzy! What’s wrong? Had a bad day?” her Dad asked getting up from the sofa.

“Bad day? Bad day? Everyone kept asking about Danny! They didn’t even know he was… Why didn’t you tell them what happened!” She snapped.

“We couldn’t,” her Mom insisted.

“Why, he’s dead. Just because his ghost is still around doesn’t mean we can pretend nothing happened. They’re expecting him back at school. How’s he supposed to do that? Sooner or later they are going to notice he’s not coming back.”

“We’ll withdraw him. Say he needs special care?” Jack suggested.

“We can’t just isolate him. He needs some sort of normal. Maybe at least have Sam and Tucker…” the lights flickered at the names. She couldn’t see him but it was clear he was listening. The fact that he remembered his friends meant he needed to see them even more.

“We can’t… if people find out we risk losing what’s left of him.” her Mom defended.

“What are they going to do? He can literally go through things.”

“It's not that simple Jazz, there are people out there that will take him if they find out he’s here. People we’ve supplied. We know how they think… how we thought. They won’t understand that this is different because they don’t know Danny.” Her Mom explained, a guilty look on her face.

Jazz dropped into the seat outside the counselor’s office, her head already turning over what she was going to say. What she couldn’t say. One wrong move and she’d loose Danny. Still she needed help. They all did. Psychologically it had to be damaging to not be able to grieve properly. Danny was still there but he was different. He needed it too. She’d have to help him but her books didn’t really go into how to give therapy to your dead brother’s ghost. She couldn’t even ask about it hypothetically!

“Ah and you must be Jasmine!” Dr Spectra greeted her with a chipper tone.

Jazz plastered on her best coping smile, she knew it was shaky and fragile. She was fairly certain Dr Spectra saw right through her.

“Yes, that's me.”

“Come on in and we’ll get started,” she let Jazz into the office and paused by the thermostat dial to turn it down, “I hope you don’t mind the cold too much. I find it helps keep the mind sharp.”

“Oh um that’s fine,” she was used to the cold by now. Danny was cold. Being around Danny was cold. She was sure they were using more energy at home just to counteract the chill he produced.

Dr Spectra sat on the desk and gestured for Jazz to take a seat. She sat and looked up at Dr Spectra, still not sure what she was going to say at all.

“So where shall we start? I hear there was an incident at home?” Dr Spectra said with a pitying look. Or was that just the angle.

Jazz nodded, “there was an… accident, Danny… he got hurt,” hurt was an understatement, accident was also an understatement. She didn’t know if her parents had noticed that she had overheard them talking about that.

“Oh the poor dear, and who do you think is responsible for that?” There was something about the tone that just raised Jazz’s hackles.

Or maybe that was just her making assumptions. Jazz was probably reading in the accusation. Dr Spectra probably thought Jazz blamed herself. That was a normal problem according to her books.

“Responsible? I don’t blame myself if that’s what you’re asking,” she replied, cutting off the avenue of questioning. That wasn’t the help she needed. She wished that she could just ask for the help she needed.

Help coping with loss and the complication of Danny still being there. Even if she could say something without getting her parents into trouble for not reporting what happened to Danny how would anyone believe that he was really still around as a ghost. Well without seeing him for themselves but she didn’t think Danny was ready for strangers yet. And that wasn’t considering her parents' employers who might take him away.

“Accident implies mistake, someone had to make one,” Dr Spectra pushed.

She probably thought Jazz was lying. Being cagey about her feelings of guilt. She was avoiding saying too much so didn’t blame Dr Spectra for having that deduction. She wished she could just be honest.

Once she was home she settled at the kitchen table, it was a fight to get Danny to join her. Jazz flicked through the work packet for Danny, she glanced over to him where his glass face chewed on the old phone that he had been given to help him communicate. The thing had been bricked the moment it was in his hands. It was her old one. It at least still crackled out his speech.

She frowned, she wasn’t sure if he could handle it. His comprehension had not been good. Her parents said that not a lot of knowledge would have been copied over. That it would have been more emotional than actual memories. He could listen and talk but he didn’t really understand the point. What was the point when he wasn’t going to get any older?

She shook her head. She wasn’t helping thinking like that. Just because he was different and wouldn’t get older that didn’t mean he couldn’t benefit from learning. And maybe this would help him reach a sort of normal. Jazz tapped the table again drawing Danny’s attention back to the worksheet.

“How is Danny doing? I hear he hasn’t been getting through those homework packets Mr Lancer put so much effort into,” Dr Spectra asked as she settled into her seat and picked up her notepad.

“He’s managing, focusing on school work is hard for him right now,” Jazz explained.

It was as close to the truth as she could get, though it was frustrating that she wasn’t able to get Danny the help he needed to get through it.

“Oh? Maybe you should be helping him more?”

“I’ve been helping him every night,” Jazz insisted, maybe a little sharply.

She took a deep breath, Dr Spectra was just trying to help. She didn’t know how bad Danny’s situation was. She didn’t know how hard helping him was. How hard it was to keep him focused, especially once it got dark. Jazz many times had to drag him from the roof. He still loved the stars, she was grateful that he hadn’t gone any higher than the roof.

“If you worked harder he would be coping better.”

That hurt. Both of them were trying their best.

“Your parents are scientists, right?” Dr Spectra asked as she flicked through her notes.

“Yes, they are.” Jazz replied wondering where she was going with this.

“Where do they work?” She looked down at her, the question curious.

“Oh in the basement actually. They have a lab down there,” It wasn’t like it was a secret. Pretty much common knowledge. She’d be able to find out with just a question to pretty much any of the teachers.

“Isn’t that a bit reckless of them?” She didn’t look surprised, “not exactly the safest thing. Oh and poor Danny’s accident was down there, right? Honestly, good parents should be more careful.”

Jazz frowned, did she already know. What was she even trying to do? Did she still think Jazz blamed them and was just trying to get an admission before trying to help her through it? Dr Spectra was the expert, no matter how irritating, she had to know what she was doing. Maybe it wasn’t Dr Spectra, maybe it was the fact that Jazz couldn’t tell her the truth of what happened. How could she really know how to help if Jazz kept lying?

“It wasn’t their fault,” Jazz insisted.

Dr Spectra raised an eyebrow, “really? I doubt they had nothing to do with it. All the staff have been talking about it. They say your father isn’t exactly the smartest man.”

Jazz saw red. Her Dad wasn’t stupid. Easily distracted, yes but not stupid. He knew how to manage his distractions. He wasn’t a danger in the lab. She’d seen the safety level in the lab, the only reason the incident had happened was sabotage.

“He’s not stupid! It wasn’t his fault!” She yelled.

“Oh dear, Jasmine breathe. I didn’t say he was stupid, though it can’t be easy with others thinking that. Thinking that it was his fault,” Dr Spectra soothed her hands up.

Had Jazz misunderstood. Had she really only been bringing up a rumor that she thought Jazz might have heard to try and deal with the hurt from it. Surely she could have phrased that better.

“If that bothered you so much I can’t imagine how you’d feel about what they are saying about little Danny,” it was so off hand.

Jazz scowled, anger still simmering, “what are they saying?” she shouldn’t even be humoring this. It was terrible counseling. Dr Spectra shouldn’t be bringing this up unprompted but she had to know what they were saying about Danny. Danny didn’t deserve anyone talking crap about him.

“Oh I shouldn’t…” she didn’t linger long, “however, surely Danny shouldn’t have been playing around down there. Not the smartest thing to be doing but then again teenage boys will be teenage boys.”

“Danny wasn’t playing around! He was helping them, he’s been studying with them for years,” Jazz snapped.

“And they agreed? You didn’t stop them? Surely you would know that’s not safe. I thought you had more sense than that,” Dr Spectra looked at her with a pointed look.

Jazz’s eye twitched, “MY parents knew what they were doing! Danny knew what he was doing! It wasn’t either of their faults!”

“Maybe you distracted them? Him even? You do talk a lot,” Spectra needled.

“I… I wasn’t even down there!” Jazz gave an exasperated shout.

“If you’d been down there maybe he wouldn’t have gotten hurt,” Spectra said not even looking fazed by the shouting.

Jazz stood sharply not even caring that the chair clattered to the floor, “that’s it, we’re done! I’m sick of this. I don’t know what your goal is ‘Dr’ but it sure isn’t helping.”

“Jasmine? What are you talking about? I’m here to help,” Spectra hopped to her feet with a clack of her heels.

“Then you’re not very good at your job,” Jazz bit as she slammed the door behind her.

She stormed through the corridor, each step an echoing stomp through quiet after school halls. That woman was completely unprofessional. A counselor wasn’t meant to behave like that. At first she thought she was just misunderstanding ‘Dr’ Spectra’s methods but now it just seemed like the woman just wanted to kick her down further instead of lifting her up. Was she even a qualified doctor?

By the time she reached her locker to grab her bag tears of anger were streaming hot down her face. A strangely welcome change from the grief based tears that she had been dealing with so much. She was looking forward to the safety of her car to calm down before driving home. She slammed her locker door.

“Hey Jazz, wait up!” she flinched at the sound of Tucker’s voice.

She couldn’t face them, not now. She hated lying to them. They were Danny’s friends, he needed them but she couldn’t. How did someone even tell someone else that their friend was dead but not. She kept going, trying to ignore the hastening footsteps squeaking on the laminate.

“Jazz! Stop avoiding us! You can’t keep doing this!” Sam snapped, grabbing her shoulder and forcing her to turn round.

“Yeah we just want to know how…” Tucker trailed off, “Jazz, you alright? Did something happen? Danny’s okay, right?”

Jazz looked down, she couldn’t look him in the eyes, “I’m… fine…” she winced, that was a Danny line, “he’s fine, just a bad session with Spectra.”

“Ugh, shrinks,” Sam rolled her eyes, “they’re all a bunch of quacks.”

“Maybe we should walk with you to your car to make sure you’re okay,” Tucker started and then quickly finished, “and then we can come over and see Danny.”

Jazz had been about to say yes. She’d wanted the company. She paused, her mouth open. He’d been trying to trick her into agreeing to something she’d been avoiding. She didn’t have any right to be angry at him. He was trying to trick her, badly she might add and meanwhile she was lying to them and avoiding the Danny situation.

“Sorry… you can’t… he’s not up to…” she awkwardly tried to brush them off.

“No! I’m sick of hearing that! That’s what your parents keep saying. I want to hear it from him,”  Sam shouted.

“Sam…” Tucker started.

“No! I don’t care how upset she is Tucker! She’s not the only one dealing with all this! What about Danny? He’s not answering his phone! He could at least text or call!”

“He can’t, his phone broke,” it was the only thing that was easy to say. Easy because she wasn’t exactly lying to them. Broken was an understatement. It had burnt up in the portal along with everything else.

“It's been almost a month Jazz, he can get another phone! Hell I’ll buy him one if he just uses it!” Sam pulled down the weak excuse, “you can’t keep doing this, all of you. I want to see Danny and if you don’t do something I’ll find my own way!”

“I… I’ll see what I can do,” Jazz surrendered, she doubted her parents would agree but Danny needed some sort of normal and she couldn’t let Sam and Tucker face this without some warning.

[First] [Previous] [Next]

[lilac-hecox]

i'd love to request some jealous anthony! smut or non-smut, just anthony feeling incredibly jealous about ian. happy 800!

Ian/Anthony - Jealous - Ianthony

--

Anthony has worked very hard to not be a jealous person. He wanted to give people their dues who earned and deserved it. He wasn’t the type of person who got uppity about his partners having close friends, spending time with people who weren’t him, he felt he didn’t need that kind of negativity in his life or that energy to be created around him. 

He tries very, very hard to not be jealous, but all that careful mediation and letting go of his jealous thoughts seem to leave his head when it comes to Ian. 

Anthony’s always been maybe a tad possessive of his best friend. That part of him has only been made a little worse once they separated and reunited. Now, he and Ian were lowkey flirting like crazy seemingly all the time, a thick and real attraction between them, yet nothing has happened to shift them into the next level of their relationship. 

And because Ian is single and handsome and hilarious. It’s only natural he gets flirted with. 

Ian and Anthony are out on a walk in Ian’s neighborhood and they hit up the small cafe that Anthony knows Ian takes his dates to so he can often walk there and walk home afterwards. It’s Ian’s usual haunt and he has that sort of easy confidence that comes with his natural lack of social anxiety. 

The man behind the counter takes their orders, and it’s when he and Anthony move to the side to wait for them, that the woman working one of the blenders notices him. 

“Ian!” she says brightly, tucking a strand of dark hair behind her ear as she smiles, “I haven’t seen you in a bit.” 

“Hi, Carrie, it’s nice to see you,” Ian says, his smile real and not forced. “I’ve been busy with work.” 

“Ah, Mr. Creative. Hope it’s going well.” 

Ian nods, “Yeah, it is. It’s really well. How are your college classes going?” 

“Ever closer to graduating!” she chirps, and smiles at him sweetly. 

How much do they talk to each other that Ian knows that she’s in college? Anthony feels the little tug of jealousy in his belly and he tries to will it away. It’s silly. Ian is here all the time, of course he knows the barista’s and they know him. 

He stares at the side of Ian’s face and silently nudges Ian with his thoughts to notice him or at the very least to freaking introduce him. 

The girl is pretty, and talkative, and she’s in college so she’s likely smart too. She looks around their age give or take a few years, and she laughs at Ian’s quips, smiles a fraction too softly as she hands Ian his drink from behind the counter. 

Her smile is nowhere near as soft, but is still kind when she hands Anthony his own drink. 

“I’ll see you later,” Ian says, sipping his matcha, “Mm, Carrie this is spot on.” 

“I know how you like it,” she says, winking at him. 

Anthony’s belly burns with jealousy. Is Ian that dense he doesn’t notice the blatant flirting? Or maybe he does, but he likes it. He wants her to flirt with him. 

Anthony sips his own soy, vegan, coffee as he and Ian sit together at a little table in the back of the shop. 

“Thanks for introducing me,” Anthony says sarcastically. 

Ian’s eyebrows go upward. 

“Shit, sorry. I know you hate small talk so I was sparing you.” 

Anthony shrugs and sips at his coffee. 

“You two seem close.” 

“Me and Carrie? Not really, we just talk when I come in for coffee.” 

“You knew she was in college,” Anthony points out. 

“She was reading a textbook one day when I ordered.” 

Anthony feels his face go a little pink. 

“She knows where you work?” 

“She knows I'm a ‘creative’ but we’re in Silver Lake, dude. Creatives are a dime a dozen.” 

Anthony is quiet and Ian sips his matcha. 

“She’s pretty,” Anthony points out. 

Ian gives him a look. 

“You think so?” 

“Yeah.” 

His stomach hurts. He needs to be a good friend to Ian. He can’t let his jealousy get in the way of something good for Ian. 

“She seemed like she was flirting with you.” 

Ian snorts into his drink. Anthony frowns. 

“What?” 

“I highly doubt she was flirting with me,” Ian says. 

Anthony’s frown deepens. “Why do you say that? Seems obvious to me.” 

“Maybe because she’s married? She also has, like, a one year old…a girl I think.” 

Anthony stares. He hadn’t seen a ring. Almost as if Ian was anticipating this he continues talking. 

“She takes her ring off while she works so it doesn’t get caught on the coffee grinder. I was here when she was showing the other barista wedding photos.” 

“Oh,” Anthony says, feeling very silly and embarrassed. 

Across the table Ian smiles into his matcha. 

“What?” Anthony asks, willing his face to cool down. 

“Seems like you were a little jealous,” Ian says. 

“I wasn’t. I-” 

“You sure? You got all quiet and your face got all red, like it is now.” 

Anthony drinks his coffee and he can feel his face burning at this point. 

“Well,” he says, fiddling with the receipt stuck to his cup. “I mean, you’re a good looking, dude. Of course a cute barista is gonna flirt with you.” 

“So,” Ian says, his voice even. “Are you jealous of me or her?” 

Anthony lets out an embarrassingly high laugh. Ian waits for an answer. 

“Okay…maybe I’m used to you flirting with, ah, with me lately,” Anthony mumbles. 

Ian’s smile grows wider.

“Don’t smile at me like that!” Anthony mutters, covering his face with his hands. 

“Hey,” Ian says, reaching out and touching Anthony’s wrist, “don’t be embarrassed. I have been flirting with you…and uh…you’ve been flirting back, right?” 

Anthony lowers his hands. Of all the places to have this conversation it’s in public in a coffee shop near Ian’s house. His heart is triple speed in his chest, but they are addressing it, this tension, the one that he knows even the Smosh cast senses based on the relentless shit they get over it and have since he returned. 

“Yeah,” Anthony says. 

Now, it’s Ian’s turn to smile like a dope, to wear a slight blush on his face. 

“So, I know I’m really no good at this whole relationship thing,” Ian says, “but I should let you know I’m having coffee with the person I like right now.” 

Anthony’s heart goes impossibly faster. He can’t help the grin that spreads across his face nor the bashful feeling swelling in his chest. 

“I…uh, same…same here,” Anthony says, licking his lips and looking at Ian. 

“So,” Ian says cooly, and fuck him for even thinking he’s not good at this shit, because Anthony feels like putty in his hands, “Why don’t we take our coffees to go and head back to my house to further discuss this, you know, where people can’t overhear us?” 

Anthony nods, a little breathless. He stands a little too quickly in his eagerness to leave. 

“Yeah, sounds good.” 

Ian laughs as he stands and nods towards the exit, leading Anthony out the door and back towards his place.

[goodluckclove]

Migration Patterns Excerpt (Weird Exposition Drop)

Hey so like this is pretty huge spoilers to Migration Patterns so if that'll ruin things for you skip this. But I'm very happy with how fucking chill Katy is about learning some crazy shit so I had to share. Enjoy?

Honestly it's not even a full spoiler. It's like the beginning of the spoiler. At this point I can't tell.

Songbird tag hop on hop off

@kuebiko-writing @cartoonghosts 

@atlasthecactus @aroaceghosties 

@booksntea6982 @xarrixii 

@mushroommanchanterelle @whoevenknowswhatimwriting

@fukurouonthesea

Pretty quickly Katy realized she had no real plan for what she was about to do. By the way Tenzin reacted it looked like things could potentially be catastrophic. If there was actual danger, it made a lot more sense to send in the trained martial artist as opposed to the dual college drop-out on day two of a hangover.

Her mind just fractured for a moment, glitched from worry over Tenzin’s expression and forced into Fix It Fix It Gotta Fix It mode.

It’s still Edgar, Katy reminded herself while creeping around to the side of the Lounge. It’s still Scott. I took Scott down once and I bet I can do it again.

One more step and Katy accidentally snapped a particularly loud twig. The rustling stopped suddenly. Everything was still and dark.

Katy grimaced hard, but still forced herself to call out. “You good?” She said.

A pause. Then Scott answered. “Bigfoot?”

She relaxed slightly and turned the corner fully. “No, it’s…”

Through the dim illumination of the aged floodlight nearby, Katy could make out Scott and Edgar standing on the outskirts of the woods a short distance away. They were holding hands. They were outside.

Edgar looked appropriately guilty. Scott appeared indifferent, maybe even slightly relieved.

“Oh Katy!” He said. “You scared me. I thought you were Bigfoot.”

“What the fuck,” Katy whispered, an observation more than a question.

After a quick look over her shoulder she darted closer to them. It was hard to keep her voice low when she was still rattled and only spiraling with greater intensity.

“How did you –?” She pressed her hands to her face and groaned through her fingers. “Did you fucking teleport? Did you no-clip? How the fuck did you get out here?”

At this point Edgar was holding onto Scott’s arm, notably huddled slightly behind him. Katy saw this and forced herself to calm down, remembering then that they were both still in the thick of a drug trip.

“There’s a window, Katy,” Scott said. “We climbed out the window.”

“Great! Now why don’t I help you climb back in through the window so all of this doesn’t go completely to shit.”

Edgar finally spoke up. Their voice was – different, somehow. The tone a little lighter. “He closed it,” they said.

“Why – why..?” Katy paused, took a breath, and leveled her tone. “Why did you close the window, Scott?”

Hearing that, Scott had the nerve to react as if she were the one acting irrationally. “Can’t just have a window wide-open when we leave. It’s a security risk. And objectively?” He pointed out into the woods. “There’s little creatures in there, I bet.”

Katy just stared at him. There were no words in her. She was the entirely wrong person to handle this sort of situation.

Then again, she reminded herself, Ten would be way worse.

“Sneaky guys,” Scott affirmed, nodding.

While Katy struggled to figure out what to do next, Edgar took the silence as an opportunity to step forward and pull Scott to be slightly behind them. They looked at her with a strange and eager hesitance.

“You’re, um…” their voice, Katy noted again, felt foreign to their vocal cords somehow. The same, but not the same. “You’re Katy?”

Edgar said that like they weren’t sure. Scott recognized her immediately, and yet he definitely wasn’t acting like any version of him that she recognized.

She decided to go along with it. Who was she to harsh another person’s high? “I am,” she said. “Who are you?”

The question lit up Edgar’s eyes with gratitude. They brightened visibly and stood straighter with increased confidence. “Oh, you already – that’s perfect!”

“What do you mean?” Katy asked.

“Maybe you already knew something like this would happen,” Edgar spoke quickly with new ease. “I’m Eddie, but I’m a different Eddie from the past. Doc says that there was this sort of tangential split in my consciousness a long time ago, so most of me ended up here, in this reality, while I ended up continuing in a partial, metaphysical state of semi-existence,” Edgar made a small, bashful laugh. “I think that’s really hard to wrap my ahead around, but – have you seen Donnie Darko? It’s kind of like Donnie Darko, I think.”

They smiled. It didn’t last. Their enthusiasm tapered off before falling down a sudden pit.

“O-Oh,” they managed. “Did I misunderstand the question?”

Katy stared at them. She looked past him at Scott, who wandered to the a nearby shrub while Edgar was rambling and was now cautiously examining a spiderweb. He did not seem to pick up on anything they just said.

“I’m…” Edgar crossed their arms tight around themselves. “I’m lying? No, that’s not...I don’t really know what to do now.”

Well isn’t that the theme of my entire goddamned life, Katy mused in dark bemusement.

She had to gather her senses. Katy had to be the one to figure this out before things went any further. Her head throbbed and she definitely didn’t drink enough water today.

“I’m sorry,” she heard Edgar say.

Katy motioned dismissively. “No, hang on, let me just…” she fumbled through her pockets for her vape and took a hit, dragging until her throat burned. “Okay, so – you’re like an alternate universe Edgar? That’s what you mean when you’re talking about a Donnie Darko situation – some sort of tangential timeline shit?”

“Um,” Edgar smiled apologetically. “I'm pretty sure? Essentially.”

“Assuming this isn’t – I don;’t know – a manifestation of everything you think you could’ve been. Assuming this is literal – is it literal?” Edgar nodded, an action Katy mimicked in response. “Cool. So you’ve spent the last however long where exactly?”

“It’s got a lot of different names. Cassus. The Witch Eater,” Edgar paused, then added. “Doc calls it Buddy sometimes but when I asked why he got really sad and quiet.”

Katy took what felt like a solid minute to parse all of that information. Then she turned her attention to Scott. “Hey,” she called out. “Scotty.”

He looked up at her. “Yeah?”

“Is it the same story for you? Are you having a Donnie Darko situation?”

Scott blinked. “Who’s that?” He said.

Edgar piped up again, a little softer. “He thinks he’s nine years old,” they said. “Or – or he’s deciding to be. I can’t really tell.”

“Katy, do you want to come over to my house and have bagel pizzas?”

Scott was speaking pretty loudly and intensely. It provided a pretty good mental image of what he was probably like as a kid – someone Katy could easy describe as a fucking handful. She rubbed her eyes and sighed heavily.

Then, suddenly, something occurred to her. “Where’s Edgar?” She whispered to Edgar.

They frowned lightly. “I’m right –”

“No, I mean OG Edgar,” she raised her brow, thinking further. “Or, I guess you’re OG Edgar, and they’re AU – fucking hell. You’re Eddie, they’re Edgar, so if you’re here then where’s Edgar?”

Edgar lowered their head for a moment. “Oh,” they said. “We – um. We switched.”

“You switched.”

“Uh-huh.”

“So you’re here and Edgar’s stuck in the Ghost Zone?”

“Is – is that what people call it now?” Edgar quickly moved past their confusion. “It’s not forever! I wouldn’t do that. I couldn’t do that, I don’t think. The Fog Bank was my first chance so I’m pretty sure once this wears off…”

They didn’t finish the thought. They stared longingly at Scott, who was now bent down in the dirt and digging carefully though the soil. Katy observed this pining and thought about how long all of this had been going on for.

“Does he know?” She said.

Edgar shrugged. Then they shook their head. Katy sighed one more time and approached Scott, working herself in a kneeling position to get on his level.

“Lookin’ for worms,” he explained without breaking concentration.

“Nah, you don’t want to do that. It’s late. They’re sleeping.”

Scott stopped digging. He scrunched his face up in thought before proceeding to put back all the dirt he moved. “You’re right,” he said. “Good point.”

That forced a smile out of her. “Hey, do you know my cat Wilford?”

“I like that he’s fluffy – but he’s also silly,” Scott smiled at her. “It’s a rare combination.”

“Absolutely,” Katy pulled her phone out and began to swipe for her photos. “The other day I took a video of him wearing his cowboy hat. It’s really funny. He was so comfy in it that he fell asleep. You wanna see?”

Scott drew in a breath. “More than anything,” he whispered.

Katy smirked triumphantly and handed him the phone, the video already playing. Scott wiped the dirt off his hands and onto his dress, huddled up against the wall of the church, and cradled the phone in both hands. He watched – immediately and absolutely transfixed.

She stood up to face Edgar- Eddie, she reminded herself, and motioned with her head towards the parking lot.

“Come on,” she said. “We have ten minutes to explain this again in a way that sounds slightly less insane.”

[karizard-ao3]

At fourteen, the pilots haven't matured yet and are going through that difficult period of being teenagers. Can you imagine what Shinji's relationships would be like if they didn't need to pilot the evas and came to know each other for a longer time, like from 14 to 18 years old?

You know, it's kind of hard to picture because they got to know each other due to becoming pilots, so I guess I'll start by putting them in a different setting where they can be coworkers of sorts but without all the trauma.

Okay, let's see. This is also tricky because most 14 year olds these days don't have jobs.

A school club, then?

Lol let's do Lego robotics. They don't pilot mechas. They build little Lego robots and program them to complete tasks. It's like a tiny, non-traumatizing version of the Evangelions.

In fact, Evangelions can be their team name and their chief rival is the Angels. Misato is their advisor, with the help of Ritsuko, who teaches science at their high school.

Gendo forces Shinji to join the club because it will look good on his college apps. Rei, Shinji's cousin or young aunt, was also encouraged to join by Gendo, but they have a good relationship so she's okay with it. Asuka transferred to their school from Germany and believes that she is the superior Lego builder because she grew up in a closer geographical vicinity to Denmark. She has been to the Danish Legoland.

So I think freshman year we can anticipate that their relationships will be pretty similar to canon. They're 14. They're brimming with hormones and irrational feelings. Shinji's got severe daddy issues. They do not function well as a team, particularly him and Asuka. Shinji accidentally befriends Kaworu online, only to discover when they meet in person that he is a memeber of the Angels Lego robotics team. Tragedy ensues.

I remember 15 being an absolute clusterfuck of a year. Like, peak teen angst. So I think they're probably all going through some stuff but maybe this is what starts to bring them together? Not at first. At first they are all real shits, but then I think they might start to develop some empathy and be able to see themselves in each other. It all comes to a head during a high stakes Lego robotics competition they're holding out of town. For whatever reason, they have a lot riding on the line. Maybe we can borrow from the ballroom dancing au and decide that Lego robotics is going to get axed as a school program if they don't start getting some wins (they did really bad the year before). Or maybe they'll lose funding? Anyway. The team bonds when, at the competitions, they each take turns having breakdowns and comforting each other. They begin to learn to work together and realize that team work does indeed make the dream work.

By age 16, they're starting to calm down. One of them gets a car so they drive to get snacks or whatever after Lego club pretty regularly. Shinji and Asuka are starting to figure out how to talk to eachother without triggering Armageddon while Asuka and Rei are starting to do girls activities with each other.

Oh, gosh. This is getting long and my mind is also wandering because it's getting close to my bedtime. Anyway, I think basically they just, over time as their wee little brains finish developing, start to be able to collaborate and see things from each other's perspective and they become a formidable Lego robotics team and go to nationals and then onto worldwide events. Gendo is happy with Shinji for once. Rei and Asuka go on Lego Masters together after they graduate and then Rei gets a job at Lego HQ in Denmark.

I feel like that didn't really answer your question. I don't really know why it turned into being about Lego robots, but here we are. I think, in short, the answer is, they start out butting heads and having conflicts because they are thrown together into a teamwork situation that they are not ready for (and also they are not good at team activities). Over time, they learn to work together and accept each others' differences and flaws. Eventually, they are able to collaborate and kind of learn and grow from each other's influence. They make up for each other's weaknesses by offering up their strengths. I think we get little bits of them trying to learn to work together in NGE but, unfortunately, they don't get the opportunity to succeed because they run out of time and must each face the end of the world almost entirely on their own.

God, I am tired af. I don't even know if I'm making sense. Stopping while I'm mostly ahead.

[hannahssimblr]

Chapter One (Part 2)

“Look at this picture.” I’d said to Claire one day in January as we hung out in my room trying to study.  She’d turned my laptop around to examine the screen. “Yeah, it’s Jude and his friends at some restaurant.” She then sighed. “I can’t believe you’re still checking his profile.”

“Yeah but look at his right hand.”

“Okay. He’s just resting it on the seat.”

“Against that girl’s thigh.”

“That doesn’t mean anything, he’s probably just accidentally touching her. That’s barely even noticeable.”

“They’re together.” I’d concluded. “I just have a feeling.”

“There’s no way you can know that just by looking at his hand.”

“I’m sure I’m right.”

And I was. That’s how I found out about his new girlfriend. Her name is Astrid and she’s from Denmark. She has very light, white blonde hair and is always wearing something black with a flattering cut, putting together trendy outfits with items that you can’t get in the shops in Ireland. I know all about her. They go to college together, she studies ceramics and she’s twenty, a whole year older than he is, and two years older than me, which makes her seem tenfold more threatening. Sometimes when I’m feeling particularly masochistic I’ll scroll through her social media and take note of all the things about her that make me feel bad. Her skin, her eyelashes, her lips, her hair, her boobs, her nails, the fact that her boyfriend has his arms around her in her profile picture when those arms could have been around me instead.

‘She’s not that pretty.” Claire reassures me once we get to Starbucks, because once again, like a broken record, I’m talking about Astrid. We’d only settled into our seats with our coffees when I’d come across yet another photo of her, sitting on a carousel shot in monochromatic 35mm film. Very arty. 

“I think she is.” I say mournfully.

“She’s not. She just has nice hair.”

“Unlike some of us.” I reach up to touch the nape of my neck where my hair now abruptly stops. I had to have six inches chopped off on account of my split ends and heat damage, and I’ve never gotten used to how plain the cut makes me look and feel. My mam insists that it makes me look French, but I know it actually makes me look five.

“Come on Evie, what does it matter? She’s a random Danish girl and I bet she’s really pretentious and boring.”

“She can’t be boring. Not if he likes her.”

“Maybe he likes her because she drops her knickers for him.”

I frown, disturbed by the thought of that. I look at my iPhone 4 and scroll to the next photo of her. “Look at her here, you can see her better. She is actually just objectively pretty.”

“I don’t need to see her, you’ve already forced me to look at her enough times.”

“Do you think I should wear more black? Like do you think this is the look for me?”

Claire confiscates my phone. “Stop looking at her. It’s bad for your brain. You’re fine the way you are, now can we please stop talking about Astrid the boring Dane and talk about the exam instead?”

“The exam!” I cry, putting my forehead onto the table. “I’m doomed.”

“If you’re doomed, imagine how I feel! That whole paper was bonkers.”

“English Paper Two will be worse.”

“And let’s not even think about the rest of them.”

“I wish I could be put down.”

She puts her hand on the back of my head and smooths down my hair. “No, look, we’ll be fine. You were right, we can’t fail.”

“And if we do?”

“Well, you already sorted with your NCAD pre-offer, and as for me, whatever. My dad will sort something out.” By that she means he will enrol her in a private university where nobody cares about how much you got in the Leaving Cert, only how much money is in your dad’s wallet. 

“We still need to pass.” I moan. “For like, the principle of it. Imagine how humiliating it would be to open up that envelope in August and see a complete shambles.”

“Yeah, and Christ, imagine what Kelly would say. I’d never get over that.” I glance up to see her smirking, and then I smile too, and before we know it we’re in peals of laughter over our coffee. Claire does an impression of Kelly’s smug face, perfectly emulating the way that she flicks her hair and pushes her chin out, and then I join in too, doing my best Kelly voice, imagining her in all kinds of insane scenarios where she’d be trying her best to make us feel bad, but failing hilariously. After a few minutes we’re in pieces, shoulders shaking, tears rolling down our cheeks, not even caring that people are looking at us. 

“God.” She says between gasps of laughter “I love you, Evie.”

“Same.” I say. “I dunno what I’d do without you.”

We survive the rest of the Leaving Cert, and after I hand in my final paper I don’t think about any of the exams again. I can’t face the uncertainty of it hanging over me, even though I know I probably did alright, but I’m not going to make my parents proud with my results. 

I work in a café for the summer, spending my days serving coffee, even learning how to create hearts and flowers with the foam. The women I work with swear that I can do it so well because I’m an artist, but I’m not convinced that’s true. I think it’s more to do with focus. I find that when I’m working, when I’m really truly immersed in something that’s physical, like loading up the dishwasher or wiping down the fridges, I don’t really have time to get lost in my thoughts, and it suits me. I don’t have to spend the long summer days mourning last year, wishing I could be in the water every day again, picturing the feeling of the warm sand under my feet and the possibilities of what was ahead of me. Now my days are just routine, endless polishing of cutlery, mopping floors and tossing frozen scones into the oven again and again until my back aches, my feet hurt and I’m too exhausted to worry about anything else.

On slower days I get carried away and imagine all sorts of fantastical things, like what I would do if one day I looked up and Jude was in the queue, ordering a coffee from me. I wonder what kind he would get. An espresso? Americano? Does he even drink coffee? There’s so many things I don’t know about him. When I start wishing he would talk to me, I know it’s time that I find something to keep me busy.

I’m blandly content here, working, serving, waiting for August to come. Waiting to get my college offers so that I can leave Tullamore and move to Dublin and start all over again as a new and improved version of myself who isn’t obsessed with a boy who doesn’t like her. 

Prev // Next

[wanderlustmagician]

More Modern AU stuff because I’m too jazzed from getting off work an hour ago Anywhoozle -

Thinking about their styles? Like personal styles and their like careers/lifestyles.

Sky would be all soft hoodies worn under like a bomber style jacket (Sun totally got him that, it’s brown leather with the Hyrulian shield emblem on the back, patches on the front and sleeves of like a Loftwing, a cloud, a copy his pilot wings pin, etc). Baggy pants with lots of pockets, sweatpants, yoga pants, or anything very comfy. Combat boots. Sometimes a beanie, sometimes no. Always looks super soft and comfy, very unintimidating, and squishy. (Misnomer, Skyboi will throw down if you burn through his patience fast enough).

Sky is NOT an active pilot, but he did earn his wings. Skyloft is home to the only Military school that’s solely focused on one branch, it’s their Air Force. So by graduating from Skyloft Academy, he earned his wings. He is considering going to college for a Mechanical Engineering degree. Maybe. He hasn’t decided.

Hyrule is all things that are good to move in. Loose jeans, yoga pants, good hiking boots, loose graphic tees, windbreaker type rain coat. It’s all practical things. He likes the colors red, brown, and green for his clothes. Occasionally orange, if he’s feeling spicy. All his socks are patterned and are in general very silly.

Hyrule is a landscape photographer, but currently in a non professional capacity (to himself). He’s enrolled in online courses for Photography and Photoshop Editing, so he can better himself at his craft.

Wild is that one guy who everyone knows has a lot of clothes, who wears said clothes, but is always seen in the same outfit. He’s a cryptid and loves it. Generally seen in a blue graphic tee, brown pants, and brown hiking boots. I will not go into the contents of his closet at this time, it’s too vast. No.

That said, Wild currently works as a tour guide for the local Dueling Peaks National Park. He takes tourists to the top of the Peaks safely and back down again. He’s currently deciding between a degree of sorts (undecided) or culinary school.

Twilight is (in public) generally in some combination of work clothes. A plain t shirt with either overalls or jean work pants. Everything is stained, ripped, and patched to all hell. He doesn’t care, just rolls with it. When he knows he’s going to be going somewhere with friends, he’ll clean up nice with some good, unblemished by work jeans and a nice shirt (especially if they’re going out dancing). When at home he’s in the few comfy clothes he owns, sweatpants and loose tees, a pair of overalls that Uli gave him once that are soft and patched with cutesy patterns for aesthetic purposes (he knows she gave it to him as a gag, he doesn’t care it’s soft) and Ordon wool sweater. Things like that.

Twilight is in Veterinary school and currently works for the local farm in Hateno. So he’s usually going to school and coming home in his work clothes, doing that school and work grind. It’s not sustainable how he does it, but hell if he’ll stop yet.

Wind is graphic tees with jokes on them, layering shirts on shirts, and cargo shorts. He absolutely wears socks with sandals and crocs unapologetically. If he could wear swim trunks to school, he would.

Wind is still in middle school, so nothing really affects his sense of personal style other than maybe girls.

Four is going wear whatever is most practical for working in the smithy. Other than that PJs. Not in between unless he has to be plussed to find one. It’s very rare when it happens though. I’ll be honest, I definitely have to do more research on smithing and all that.

Time, being retired, tends to wear whatever is comfy and doesn’t require him to keep it clean. He helps out around the ranch and often just wears work jeans and plain shirts. Malon has gotten him a couple of sweaters and when the boys are around, they’ll get him some silly graphic tees.

Time is a retired Ambassador. He mainly is around the Ranch and enjoys making the “trophy husband/wife” comments about himself.

Warriors and Legend both are very into their looks and I’ve only combined them here because I’m still looking into WHAT I want them in. Like Warriors is an Ambassador, he has to look semi presentable all the time and I need to figure that style out. Legend on the other hand just likes to look good all the time but it needs to be practical. He’s a travel blogger, so he needs clothes that hold up to both his standards and what he’s putting them through.

[celestie0]

what do you think about grad school and maybe getting a masters or phd? like for you😭 i’m curious what more do you feel about academia

hiii bb!! ouu yeah i think with the way things are in job market rn, at least for a science degree, having a masters is a MUST and phd too if you want to teach or go into research...just an undergraduate degree for any STEM job i have noticed doesn't suffice unless you're like a comp sci major or have hella connections or something lmfaooo (or if you're a trust fund baby)

i'm actually going to med school so my four years of undergrad were spent working towards that goal, and not really with thoughts of phd or masters, but i did think about doing a masters during my gap year (which would've been this past year) since my school offered a few one years masters programs that i was interested in. it was gonna be a sort of back up plan for me in case i didn't get in anywhere, but ultimately i just had faith in my application n didn't want to spend money on a year of masters tuition haha

but it's hard for me to say for other fields, such as humanities, on what i think of the necessities of masters/phd programs...i'd imagine it's the same though, you'd probably need to pursue a lot of higher education to be qualified to teach or publish etc. in premed, you've got options of going to nursing school, PA school, med school, so i guess there are ways to pivot that don't involve masters programs if you still wanted to be a healthcare provider

i did watch an interesting video recently about the whole trap of the phd/masters pipeline, where students get a degree and think they'll be able to land a decent job post grad from wishful thinking, spend lots of time unsuccessful in the job market, then scramble to apply to grad school, and then even if they feel as though the phd program they're in isn't really giving them what they want from it, they don't want to quit because at that point it'll feel like sunken cost, and it damages their mental health and motivation and is basically this recurring loop where the system forces students to continuously stay in school and do excessive amount of research/work for criminally low compensation, just to become overqualified candidates for barely minimally paying jobs. ofc all in the name to benefit the insanely rich and wealthy. honestly most grad students i meet are stressed and so incredibly jaded, i can't imagine that it's easy on them at all. a lot of universities hardly pay them any sort of livable wage for the work that they do

as for academia in general, i think it's worth it to become educated, as it can open doors. obviously there are different paths for all people, some people choose not to go to school, some people go to trade school, others go to school much later in life. i remember i worked w this one doctor who was a mechanic for thirty years and he went back to school to get his undergrad degree and then went to med school, all while he was in his 50s, and now he's a practicing physician! i thought that was really incredible and inspiring. school is something that's there for you whenever you want it, need it, or feel ready for it. i think it's worthy to invest in your education, but you have to go into it knowing that you're going to make the most of it. in that, pursue higher education if you have a plan of why you're there and what you're going to do when you're there, and not just for the sake of earning a degree or putting off working because you'd rather just stay a student. the reason why someone from harvard might work at the same job as someone who went to community college is ultimately because the person who went to CC might've made more of their experience n harnessed connections/skills n probably had a much more clear idea of what they wanted to do with the education they were earning compared to someone who might've been coasting through a reputable school because once they got in, that was all they cared about (lol i sound bitter saying this, no hate to big name schools, but it's such a common misconception that just because you get a degree from like an ivy league, you'll be set for life. and same applies vice versa. some of the smartest ppl i know are people who did CC for two years and then transferred to a four year university. they saved hella money and got the same degree in the end, with the same exact if not better job opportunities. similarly, i've worked at clinics/hospitals where some of the doctors went to UCLA and others went to caribbean med school, but they all ended up at the same place in the end)

GOD THIS BECAME SO LONG i swear whenever i answer asks on my computer it becomes an essay loool but yea these are just my general opinions about college, higher education, and academia in general? i hope this answers and that i didn't misinterpret the question hahah but thank u for the ask bb!!

[tainoidiot]

Just a random idea that I thought would be cute, if you don’t mind writing for it. So y’know how in Btas Jonathan and Harley are shown to have a sort of friendship? Well, I could imagine Harley learning about Jonathan’s relationship with the reader and pestering him about it to no end. Can’t really blame her considering Jonathan is, well, not the easiest to close to.

I like to imagine she find out about the relationship by pure accident too, since Jon doesn’t seem like the type to openly discuss his personal business like that. You can add on to this if you want, this is just the basics since this just popped into my head lol

WAIT THIS IS SO FUNNY

Also heyyyy I'm back in class I hate college

Secret Secrets Are No Fun

BTAS!Johnathan Crane x Reade. Plus Harley!

----

It was pretty late in the day, yet nothing had happened. Gotham was quiet, not a rogue to be heard. Hell, even the batman decided today he'd take the day off to do.. whatever that guy does. Bruce Wayne seems to be having fun though, maybe he should take a page from his book.

This wouldn't sit with Harley. With Ivy taking the entire day to manage her garden, and the Joker basically kicking her out for the day, what was a woman to do? She'd get kicked out any restaurant, and museums are so boring when you're not particularly in the mood. So a walk will do just fine, "You two want some walkies? Let's see if we can snag some hotdogs for ya!" Harley giggled, Bud and Lou excitedly rushing toward the door and crying in anticipation to begin. They're more like dogs now than Hyenas, she swears..

The funniest thing is, though they don't mean it, some rogues stay in touch. That's definitely the case with her and Johnathan, or as the citizens of Gotham know him as that fucking creep with the potato sack costume the Scarecrow. So why not stop by for a visit? Company is always nice! And Bud and Lou are the sweetest babies, who could say no? Once the trio finally stopped at the corner of his residence, Harley noticed the front door open. Before she went to walk, she saw someone unfamiliar walk out. Probably just a henchman or something, nothing to freak about.

"I'll be right back, okay? I'll pick up dinner for tonight, and if you haven't put down your work before I get back I'm gonna force relaxation on you!" The figure giggled, grabbing Johnathans hands to hold softly in theirs. "I promise, just after I write this one reaction down. I'll have it all put away once you're back." And then, Harley covers her mouth so they don't hear the gasp. THEYRE KISSING? WHAT THE FUCK, IS THIS ALLOWED?

After the stranger walks off, not really even noticing the bright blonde and two giant "dogs", she hops out the bushes and giggled "Johnathan Crane! I didn't realize PDA was on the menu for tonight?" She teased. Johnathan looked at Harley and groaned "Hello, Harley.. it's nothing to concern you." He grumbled, pretty embarrassed that she saw everything. "Oh really?" Harley giggled, waltzing right into the dilapidated room. "What did I say about the Hyenas?!" Johnathans gasped as Bud and Lou pushed past him. "Nothing to concern you." Harley laughed, sitting down on a ripped up couch. "Now, tell me everything! They're such a looker too! So kind and really looks at you the way that softens a cold icy heart." Harley fawns, Johnathan blushing "You think so..?" He quickly closes the door and continues writing in his already cramped journal.

"So.." Harley sprawled herself out "Who was that? I didn't realize you were seeing someone, do they know about your work?" She pestered, Johnathan groaning in annoyance "just a significant.. other" He replied, trying to be as vague as possible. Harley screamed, jumping up and going over to the red head to grab his shoulders "Oh my god! You are dating! For such a long time I thought you had a stick up your ass." She laughed, Johnathan now burning red with embarrassment. "They're awfully attractive, how'd you pull them even? No offense, you're just kinda-" "Don't continue that sentence." He growled. Harley shrugged, grabbing an empty box "Come on, let's clean up. I don't want to be the reason why your Significant Other gets on your ass."

With everything cleaned up and ready for Johnathan's date night (minus the vials Bud may or may not have eaten), the duo plopped onto the couch in exhaustion. "Alright.. Lab is clean. Now would you-" just as Johnathan got up, he heard a few knocks at the door. As the door opens, Harley sees the stranger in all their glory, whistling like a cartoon wolf. "You are quite a looker. Ciao, Johnny!" And just like that, she's off.

".. Was that"

"Yep."

"You know her?"

"I do."

"Huh.. I learn new things about you every day."