#might make a better ver of this someday

[cosmicplating]

NEW ARM NEW ME!!

[dynamite124]

Ooo, Taliesin's Gate questions, sign me up. Here's a few (very earlygame only, so as to avoid spoilers): 1. How would you find Taliesin postcrash? 2. How would he react to the knowledge that there's a tadpole in his head? 3. How would he react to finding out what ceremorphosis does, and that he's got 7 days to live? 4. What would his default camp clothes/tent space look like? 5. Are there any companions that would get a "Taliesin disapproves" blip for adding to the roster?

So I'm unable to play Baldur's Gate III due to lack of space on my computer, but I can use my imagination and I have my Astarion replace for Taliesin to fill in the gaps. ;__;

Maybe someday, I'd love to make a Taliesin Tav and do a playthrough as how Taliesin would.

I honestly don't know how to answer this one because I can't play the game so I'm unaware of the maps or names of the land.

2. Oh absolute DRAMA! He would feel VIOLATED to no end, probably constantly taking baths or looking up herbal remedies in a spiral of declining denials thinking it's something simple like the flu. "Maybe...if I take a REALLY hot bath and dunk my head in it, it'll die! Yes that's what I'll do! It's so simple! haha!"

3. Like the Debbie Downer he is during times of crisis where HE'S personally affected, Taliesin immediately vers into the negative side of things. Coming to the conclusion that they're not going to make it and makes a bucket list of things he wants to do before turning. Maybe a new hair cut? Trying something new? Admitting or becoming more forward with his feelings and opinions. Things like that, he lets go of doubt because he's out of time and just does things without a second thought.

4. Even when out on the road, Taliesin really doesn't have a clear definition of "casual" in his dictionary. He might wear something ridiculously flamboyant and not very appropriate for camping! He may need to be taken shopping for something better down the line!

His tent space he'll keep organized. His tent style would probably look like the classic tents you'd see around the War camps of Skyrim, tall with a cot, several boxes set up for makeshift shelves where he can books lined up. A few fur blankets to keep himself warm and comfy, a little tea set on a tiny table, a rug to keep himself separated from the dirt, and another table where he can sit down and work on Berwhale, sharpening and cleaning him to make sure he's ready to do some stabbing! and a little area where Naomi can keep close and rest herself.

5.

Astarion: Remains neutral. Considering his own introduction in Skyrim with the Dragonborn, he has no grounds for arguing about poor first impressions.

Shadowheart: Taliesin Approves

Gale: Remains neutral.

Wyll: Taliesin Approves

Lae'zel: Remains Neutral.

Karlach: Taliesin Greatly Approves

Halsin: Taliesin Greatly Approves

Minthara: Taliesin Disapproves

Minsc: Taliesin Approves

Jaehira: Remains neutral.

[maguro13-2]

The Dark Picture ~ Origins of the Ink Demon : Operation Drawcia Pt.6 ~

"Boston, Two years ago..."

[No Reason - Takahito Eguchi]

Shaula : Hey, uhh, about what happened back there...Still wondering how did we ended up like this. Still...I think that we couldn't think of who we are right now. But, umm...

Medusa : Yeah, I guess that I couldn't feel like being all witchy, I mean...a human face for a...witch is no big deal of how did I ended up becoming this? No wonder it's no surprise that being a somebody that is still be a target after we left those coffins at the museum.

Arachne : But we have no idea who we are...I feel, intriguingly normal as a civilian and we don't know how did a bunch of evil halves managed to escape.

Shaula : So does this mean...we'll able to head the great lands of japan to me the ones we loved? We need a place that is home, but we got the need for our thinking heads to be straight.

Medusa : I'm sure, at least things will be different in Japan, I promise. But still, we're fugitives on a manhunt list by these detectives...Japan will be a perfect place for us someday...the country is indeed no bad place for our existence with a pleasant feeling.

Shaula : Truly. Goodbye old New England City...and hello paradise.

"Two years later..."

[Eruka Frog Residence - Salem, MA]

*Crickets chirping*

[Metro City (Night Ver.) - Yutaka Minobe]

Eruka : I sure not know what happened on that day. It could be a painful reason that all of this would be a worthless thing on how did everything was on the bucket list. It's too bad I would fill in the blanks to get everything done right, could I become a hero...or a villain in the story? Since a girl named Maka Albarn was taken in by a pack of machines led by a reaper, I wonder how I felt that after some circumstances on the public and the city of Tokyo?

Mizune : Haaa...Don't barge the people on anything! I mean look at us in the mirror, there's no way that some fringe up starter pack can cause any trouble with dealing Drawcia about the unveil secrets to the Dark Picture. Needless to say, why the witches think that we're a superior race to them, only demons are and we had some kind weird influence to think that this influence from the devil who was killed 1000 years ago. From where that it's what made us and humans being arrogant to each other. I wonder who that cocky bastard is hiding the truth from all of us?

Eruka : Hmm? Got a good question. But I was never that ridiculous of an up-class witch and there is no hesitation that I would be the villain of story. There's no way I'm never working for the darkside, since those heartless from the world of Kingdom Hearts appeared three years ago decided to make it a return ticket on whether they start something doing with a simple reaction or a simple chain of memories that connects everything to be pieced together.

Mizune : You got that right. It's all about easy living...So, where do you wanna do something on your free time before we hit the showers, got some milk and cookies for the children? Well, uhh, that's on you.

Eruka : No way, that I am doing this for a favor, It's a really fascinating complication that the fact is who cares about being careless or heartles to others, somebody does care about or others that do for their selves. But anyone who tries to hurt, some say that the only ones that are cold-blooded and heartless...are the heartless creatures born from the darkness their selves. I still get no answer of when I get to see Drawcia on telling what will the Dark Picture might be. I need the answers about what's the ordeal with Soul Eater's existence.

[Booming]

Eruka : Mizune? Was that you causing a loud stomp. Or was it some kind of major sound that isn't my stomach?

Mizune : Uhh, that's not me, it's coming from outside. Whether where is that stomp coming from or whether it's sounded like a big being coming to the streets of the city, or perhaps we better take a look. Come on, follow me outside!

Eruka : Right! (the two runs off)

Mizune : Do you know where that feeling of a being heading towards this city?

Eruka : It's probably some kind of creature coming towards the town.

Mizune : Never judge a book by it's cover! I'm getting a major head start from those monster movies that I have been watching. Can you use a spyglass to figure it out what it is?

Eruka : Yes. I got one right here in my hat! (searches something in her hat and pulls out a spyglass) Alright, let's see what this weird being is coming to town. Something that is so big that is...(looks through spyglass to see a Nobody walking in the ocean towards the city) What the hell is that!?

[Tension Rising - Yoko Shimomura]

(Nobody Roaring)

Mizune : Woah! What is that thing!? I hope this is not one of the DWMA's tricks again. Who sent that thing here to destroy this town?

Eruka : And I believe it's going to destroy the whole town, that can't be a good sign!

Mizune : Me neither! That's really going to be an offensive attack, we need something that could easily defend this town!

Ashley : Hey, Rookie. Looks like you would lend a hand for us! It's a nobody from Kingdom Hearts. I believe someone sent that thing to test it out!

Eruka : A test? You want me to test this thing out? Alright, I'm sure that I could test it out! Let's see this nobody would scare off people! Mizune, are you winging it, or you just feel like it?

Mizune : Count me in, but I bet on those that needed to be in action.

Eruka : Can we give it a go, guys.

Kimial : True that! Let's go take down that sucker!

Mizune : Alright, let's get this party started!

Announcer : Vs...TWILIGHT THORN!

Eruka : Let's get it on, somewhere in between!

Mizune : I'm right behind you!

Ashley : No holding back!

Kimial : We got this guys! We just need a little combo that can prove our magic is superior to creature.

Roxas/Ventus : Leave this one to me, this one's mine to deal with. But if you want help, then I suggest that you could do a combo with me by combining your magic and my Keyblade's power as well! Don't you wanna save this town from being destroyed from this thing that we call it a personification to darkness, it's because that thing was only a test of not to you, but to me.

Kimial : What? To you? You sure that we can trust you? You seem like a friendly helper and we just gotta cut back on this nobody stuff!

*FLASH!*

Ashley : Hey! What's going on!? Where are we?

Kimial : Oh no...That ain't right! We...We accidentally dived into the heart!

Roxas/Ventus : But this is where the real battle takes place! Let's go everyone!

(battle begins)

Kimial : You must be one of the Keyblade wielders that I've known before. You have quite the skill of a hero that I must trust.

Eruka : That's quite amazing

Mizune : Not cutting corners, but what's a Nobody doing here of terrorizing our town like that?

Eruka : That thing was like that it's coming towards the city and would easily kill the people!

Roxas/Ventus : I think it's not going after you, it's going after me! I gotta take this thing down before this happens!

Eruka : Don't judge a book by it's cover! Nobody and Nobody does, well it's a Nobody.

Mizune : You have the feeling that this is going to be quite the battle experience! Somewhere in the world of Kingdom Hearts, I believe that this nobody is somehow connected to an organization that wants to test out the fun.

Roxas/Ventus : You don't say?

Twilight Thorn : Do you realize how much is this going for me to take on beating you down? You all going to be turn into shreds when I'm done with this little prick!

Eruka : Ehh? Since when did a Nobody began to talk like that?

Mizune : Yeah, not my best one either.

Ashley : It's more to think about! We gotta beat this thing to death before it could destroy, including our home town.

Twilight Thorn : It shall be the one that will beat you all to death, I'm tired of witches trying to ruin all the fun and make heartless jealous because of the darn devil that created a world full of this so-called hope! Well too bad, because of all of that hope-filled world is nothing but false ideas and making humans and witches like you being arrogant to each other and bring on the many conflicts! You know the law here in the Kingdom Hearts universe. If anyone does not get their hearts and souls straight, then I suggest that the world of Soul Eater shall be nothing to be more than just a fantasy living in a girl's head! Erasing all of it will make the end of his or her tale!

Eruka : Yeah, not a chance! I won't be living in a girl's head if it's really a fantasy that isn't the world of Soul Eater, but despite being us that existed into Real World AU, somethings in the planet doesn't seem to be adding up somehow. Well, let's just say that we call it a day and get ourselves straighten up to the point.

Twilight Thorn : You can't fret now, froggy. I know somehow that a world of a Manga existed from a girl's head, the Ohkuboverse used to be cool and all, but until the Time Eater that came from nowhere that erased half of it, and the last one to erase the remaining half of the universe is not someone to wake up to reality, but I believe that the second destroyer is not Maka Albarn. By the year 2011 A.D., the second destroyer ohkuboverse is a relative to the Time Eater and it's going to be a fun little ride on whether a story of three or a story of two getting on their adventures or journey of becoming the most possible way of why Soul Eater existed in the first place.

Eruka : If that's what you think of it, then yes, the remaining half of the Ohkuboverse cannot be destroyed by one human, but a human that is a relative to the Time Eater. What's the worst thing that could ever happened to planet, no...Darkside will have. Retconned plots and rewritten stories can be a difference in one's fantasy! Homura Akemi, is truly the one that is the second destroyer! So how about it!

Twilight Thorn : Alright! You got yourself a deal! The winner who will obtain information from me is the winner! So pucker up, meatbags. The great Twilight Thorn can't to bunch of kids who wanted to bring some action!

Roxas/Ventus : Hope you're getting into action by kicking your ass! Let's what you're made of! Fire in the Hole!

*DBZ SFX : Energy Ball Impact*

Twilight Thorn : What?!

*DBZ SFX : Loud Explosion*

Twilight Thorn : (yelling in pain) ROXAS! THIS ISN'T OVER YET! I'm gonna get you fair and sqaure! DAAAAAAHHH!!!

*DBZ SFX : Loud Explosions*

Roxas/Ventus : Too bad, that will be the last of you!

Voice : Conflict resolved.

Eruka : Phew! That was close.

Mizune : Almost. Looks like that Nobody was going to ram into this town and I believe that someone or somewhat is trying to destroy this planet. I heard that this Medusa Gorgon lady enslaving a kid to become a god or something.

Roxas/Ventus : Medusa Gorgon? That Medusa Gorgon? Oh no, you weren't talking about someone did you?

Mizune : Yeah, it's this witch that is part of a trio called the Gorgon Sister, a group of three witches are sinister, deadly, and yet genocidal that want to make this kid named Crona to becom a so-called "Kishin" and would bring an end to this planet.

Roxas/Ventus : Oh no! That of course! The only reason of that Crona kid becoming a Kishin because he was enforcer to the heartless that were trying to destroy Real World AU and her strong need for Chaos would make Ansem the fool to all of you witches. That Medusa Gorgon wasn't helping you to make Crona a God of Destruction, she and the heartless are trying to destroy the legacy of the Devil. It appears that the forces of evil that meisters and weapons defend humanity from was only a diversion orchestrated by Darkside Death just lure his creator out.

Eruka : Wait, if the Medusa we knew was not the only one that is cold blooded and heartless, who's the other Medusa Gorgon?

Mizune : and how did you know that the evil forces were only a diversion orchestrated by Darkside Deaath?

[The Accident 10 years - Tai-Hey]

Roxas/Ventus : To tell you all of this, Twilight Thorn gave me information about the Two Medusa Gorgons. The witch that Maka never knew is the good one with human eyes and the other Medusa that Maka and Crona truly knew is the banished half, the one that is cold blooded and heartless.

Eruka : The Medusa has human eyes that is good and the other that we knew is the banished half. So does that mean...two medusas equals two snakes that are separated in half?

Mizune : No way that Medusa's really...My God, what the hell is Medusa really was?

Roxas/Ventus : Since Medusa and the other two Gorgon were imprisoned for about 700 years, they expelled the banished halves from their hearts and started going to wreak havoc, casuing Heartless and Nobodies threatening Real World AU. That's what Twilight Thorn came and tried to attack this 17th century city that was getting the information that I got.

Eruka : But how on earth do we stop her?

Ashley : Wait, I just remembered something. The only way to stop her banished half from putting our world into destruction, we need light to make her go away. But where can we find the Good Medusa whom had her banished half expelled from?

Hiro Hayashi : Perhaps that you would be referring to the Real Medusa that is good and the other that the is the banished half is your enemy, or our enemy. You sound quite noble for a couple of heroes that are needed to get the job done.

Kimial Diehl : Who are you?

"Hiro Hayashi : 2nd Lieutenant of the Hayashi Zaibatsu"

Hiro Hayashi : Now you finally understand what truth is all about.

~ Mission 05 : Twilight Terrorize the Night"

[iamnotkalm]

Karina's First Anniverdiary with Teo 💜

August 13, D-4

4 Songs 4 You

1. Maudy Ayunda - Perahu Kertas

This song is a must. The melody is so beautiful to listen and this part of lyrics fits my situation with Teo.

"I'm grateful

You have born in this world

And you're there

Amongst billions of people

And I am able

to find you

With my radar"

2. Stray Kids - Story that Won't End

(Lyrics translate credits: pop!gasa, colorcoded lyrics)

I remember the day we first met

The shy smiles and the spilling sunlight

I knew, just by looking into your eyes

That we are one, that we are one

You are me

Whenever you smile, whenever you struggle

I’ll always protect you, for you

I can even jump across time to go to you

I believe I believe

Even if the world changes, I won’t change

Will you promise me?

In this beautiful place

All of the memories of loving you

Will become a story that never ends and shine

Never say goodbye, because you and I are one

Because we will walk in the same dream

Please just smile next to me like you are now

Farther than tomorrow, longer than forever

I love you

On nights I couldn’t sleep because of my worries

I used to look at you and promise to the sky

Even my dreams that are so far away

I promised I wouldn’t let go

Even if you get lost and get lonely for a moment

Listen to my small breath, my voice

If you call me, I’ll find you, wherever you are

I promised I wouldn’t cry, even in stormy days

I promised to hold you even more warmly

And protect you

The love you gave me remains

That’s how I have the strength to live

You don’t cry

Let’s save the goodbyes for the next time we meet

Never cry

The story we made remains like this

It’ll make our endless days so beautiful

I want to live with bright dreams, always

Forever in you

Never say goodbye, because you and I are one

Because we will walk in the same dream

Please just smile next to me like you are now

Farther than tomorrow, longer than forever

I love you

The words I love you might be a bit typical

But I can’t save those words

Because I love you more than anything in the world

I’m waiting for a tomorrow

That I will live for you

All day, making a story that won’t ever end

The ending is like the title

Please just smile next to me like you are now

Farther than tomorrow, longer than forever

My love

Never say goodbye, because you and I are one

Because we will walk in the same dream

Please just smile next to me like you are now

Farther than tomorrow, longer than forever

I love you

3. ONEWE - Starlight

The whole lyrics is my feelings for you, Teo 💜

(Lyrics translate credits https://onewelyrics.carrd.co/#starlight)

Because of your smile,

more brilliantly beautiful than the stars

I came to know a world

more brilliantly beautiful than the stars

I pray for you

I sing for you

saying all will get better

I pray for you

I sing for you

saying everything will improve

Because of your smile

More brilliantly beautiful than the stars

I came to know a love

More brilliantly beautiful than the stars

The love that you gave me

fills my heart to overflowing

and I forget all the things

that have hurt me until now

Because of your smile

More brilliantly beautiful than the stars

I came to know a world

More brilliantly beautiful than the stars

I came to know your love

I came to know you

4. DAY6 - Thanks to

(I wish I can give this song to my irl Teo someday.)

From the beginning to this day

You’ve given me everlasting devotion

Didn’t matter how I was

You were always by my side

I never thought my heart could be filled

But you have completed me

Now I can share my love with you

Because I have enough to give

You’ve given me

Everything you had, but still

You want to give me more

How can that be possible

(Thanks to)

You always held me in your embrace

When I was covered in cuts and bruises

You gave me happiness

It’s all thanks to you

Now come into my arms

(Thanks to)

Nobody in this world

Is more precious to me than you

You always gave me your love

Now I can give it back to you

Thank you for letting me know

“I love you”, you are the one

Who told me that

Even when didn’t say

You showed me

That this is love

You’ve taught me

I thank you

Still, I sometimes wonder

How you can

Unconditionally

Love and care for me

(Thanks to)

You always held me in your embrace

When I was covered in cuts and bruises

You gave me happiness

It’s all thanks to you

Now come into my arms

(Thanks to)

Nobody in this world

Is more precious to me than you

You always gave me your love

Now I can give it back to you

Thank you for letting me know

(Thanks to)

You always held me in your embrace

When I was covered in cuts and bruises

You gave me happiness

It’s all thanks to you

Now come into my arms

(Thanks to)

Nobody in this world

Is more precious to me than you

You always gave me your love

Now I can give it back to you

Thank you for letting me know

Bye Bye

[gamebunny-advance]

Grab Bag Doodle Dump

Oh, what's this feeling? The feeling of wanting to explode because I haven't posted sketches in a while? Well, I better post something then~

I haven't been as productive as I'd like since work picked up, but it's starting to slow down again, so hopefully I'll be able to work on some more personal stuff. I've almost finished Kun3h0's new model, I just need a little extra tweaking and then maybe making a few extra emotions and I'll be good! We're also only 20 followers away from the next milestone here, so hopefully requests will open soon too.

Anyway, here's the usual notes under the cut:

1-2) Clay Face sketches. I gotta couple more plushies to upcycle, a monkey in a rainbow hat and a purple bunny. I'm actually gonna try to sell these, so I do hope that y'all will consider taking a look and/or spreading 'em around once they're done ^o^! The monkey is gonna be party/clown themed, and I'm gonna try to make the bunny magical girl themed, but they might turn out generic. More info at a later date~

3-4) Potential plushie upcycles. For the first bear, the pallet and theme is Yinu inspired, but I'm taking some inspo from this song too. I want to cover them in yellow roses since I got a few during a Michael's clearance sale, but I've yet to come across a yellow bear for it, so this one is gonna be on the back burner until I stumble across one. The other one is a MikuxNoid fusion to finally use that pink Kpop bunny I got forever ago. This one is just for fun since I actually already have an idea for that bunny, but I still wanted to sketch the concept.

5-6) Kun3h0 x 1010 ver 2. I like the designs I made for both, so I doodled them again. I gave 1010!Kun3h0 her rabbit ears back since they're important to her design, I just changed the shape a little to match the 1010 aesthetics, so they're sharper and don't have the globes at the top. Kun3h0!White is basically unchanged.

7) Soda Shop!Green. I will finish this collection someday. Hopefully. Maybe.

8) "Ghosts". A XIO doodle I never got around to finishing. I'm still evolving the idea, but I'm starting to think of XIO's personalities as their own separate people that just happen to occupy the same body.

9) Kindergaten AU. I dunno, I thought it was a cute idea, and I have some scenario ideas for it, but I feel very silly about it since it's just fluff. I dunno if I'll ever make anything based on it. Maybe someday when I'm less self-conscious.

10) Build-A-Goat: So I never actually set up my tent this year, and I don't think I'm gonna. I'm just too unmotivated~ That said, this was the original plan for my tent rather than the Tamagoatchis.

11) Gemu doodle. I wanna draw him and the retro gang again ;3;

[mrpenguinpants]

Bennett: Affection HCs

I KNEW I HAD THIS ASK IN MY INBOX AND I JUST READ BENNETT’S BIRTHDAY LETTER TO YOU SO I SAID FUCK IT. I’M WRITING THIS. I MAY HAVE 2 FICS IN THE PROCESS BUT I CARE ABOUT BENNETT SO MUCH. 

---

Xiao Ver: Affection HCs

Bennet: Windblume Love Letter HCs

[Masterlist]

—

[taglist]  <- if you want to be added, please read this first.

 @mikeysbike @unionwitch @musekala @sunnshiii @stanzastic @akaasea @xoneaboveallx @adoring-ghost @asheseiler @childelover @dilucsz @dai-tsukki-desu @thicmitten @nonniechan @htnicayh @genshins1mpact​ @morthecreator​ @ aanne2601 @aklxojjk​ @fulltimeventisimp​ @hanniejji​

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Bennett: Affection HCs

Bennett has so much love and affection to share but he’s also so shy and awkward in his delivery. It’s so endearing that you can’t help but but try and stifle your giggles lest he get more embarrassed. He just get’s so nervous since this is his first relationship and he knows his track record on luck isn’t super bright so he’s always fumbling. Trying to force his nerves away when he wants to hold your hand but as soon as he reaches out to lace your fingers, you’ll turn around, and Bennett throws his arm back so hard that he accidently pops his shoulder out of his socket. While you’re fretting over him he’s trying to reassure you that he’s completely fine and that this happens all the time. Which isn’t very comforting, he thinks things could have been worse. What if he accidently slips and drags you down with him or even worse, his pyro vision acts up and he has sweaty hands? He’s screaming internally at that.

Bennett totally reads romance novels to get a better understanding on what a relationship is like but his execution is a bit questionable. He tries to be suave and attempts to wrap his arm around your shoulder but he accidently slips halfway and he’s fallen into the fountain. But when he hears your barely contained chuckles as you try and help him out, he can’t help but feel a flutter in his chest that he doesn’t mind the unlucky accidents that happen to him if it makes you laugh. He’ll shake the water out of his hair and grin at you before he takes your hand in his and you both go back to the church to dry him off.

Whenever he sees you he has to take a couple minutes to calm his heart. Even when he’s out with Fischl and she’s talking in her special way, as soon as he catches sight of you, he’s sighing in adoration with the love-sick puppy eyes. That’s when Fischl knows she’s completely lost Bennett and you’re probably behind her. She sighs out a bit exasperated as she shrugs before she’s dragging him to meet up with you. No matter how red Bennett gets or what he’s yelling, Fischl has a death grip on him and grins smugly before she calls out your name to let you know someone’s got heart eyes for you.

While he’s extremely grateful to the Adventures guild and Mondstadt, having you beside him really hits deep. That you accept and love him despite the unlucky streak he has. You are so special in his eyes and the fact you choose to stay with him makes him sniffle a bit. Somedays he wakes up and can’t help but feel the rush of happiness he feels just being able to see your smiling face. He might get poked fun from his Dads but it’s completely worth it. It’s actually really wholesome when Bennett wants to introduce you to his family since they already know plenty about you because Bennett will literally not shut up about you.

The praise he receives from his dads and Katherine make him grin happily but when you praise him, he ends up growing so shy and pink. Awkwardly scratching at his cheek as he says it wasn’t that big of a deal just because he wants to hear you praise him more. He’s pretty hard on himself so your words really mean a lot to him. Likewise, Bennett is super optimistic. He’s your #1 cheerleader and it’s contagious adopting his positivity outlook on life. Whatever you’re interested in or wish to do, he’s fully on board and supportive.

He’s always coming back from his adventures with scraps and cuts that it really concerns you when Bennett shakes his pain away. He’s always had a head-first battle tactic that’s not easy to change in one day, so instead you ask Barbara to teach your some healing abilities or tips to try and help him out a bit. While you’re a bit clumsy and not as well-versed as Barbara. Bennett still hugs you with so much force as he exclaims he’s never felt so empowered before.

When Bennett feels sad, he’ll lean his shoulder against yours and close his eyes. Slowly moving down until it’s his head against your arm. He stays there before you reach over and place his head in your lap and slowly run your fingers through his hair. It’s a small and ordinary moment but it means the whole world to Bennett.

Bennett always keeps whatever you give him in a special pouch, from a small slip of paper wishing him luck to the small four leaf clover you gave him, it’s always on him whenever he sets out. He knows that despite his best wishes, you can’t spent every waking moment together and he doesn’t want to endanger you with his bad luck on more dangerous expeditions. He actually full on bawled when you said you wanted to join the "Benny's Adventure Team" and actually stuck around even after all the unfortunate incidents that happened. But whenever he’s far away from Mondstadt, away from you, he’ll take a small break and go through the small trinkets you’ve given to him with the softest smile as he handles them with care. They are his treasures after all.

It’s been a rather challenging adventure today. Bennett and you took on a commission to investigate a hilichurl camp on Starsnatch cliff only to run across an Eye of the Storm instead. While you both managed to defeat it, you both got your fair share of cuts from the anemo winds and the hard ground when you had to dive away from the orb crashing down. You’re silently thanking yourself for taking those lessons from Barbara as you’re trying to patch him up. 

“Sorry, I didn’t expect an Eye of Storm to appear instead. I guess my bad luck is spreading again,” Bennett chuckles awkwardly to himself as he winces a tiny bit at the throb of his cuts. You simply shake it off as you try and gently place the cloth back on his cheek to wipe away the small amount of blood. You’re just happy that you both managed to get away from that monster without any serious injuries. 

“Don’t say that Bennett, we defeated it didn’t we? That’s one less problem for the Adventures guild right?” you say as you smile encouragingly at him. He nods in silent agreement but his eyes rake over the cuts and on arms and knees and he can’t help feel sadden. He gently pushes your hands away from his injury's as he opens his own pouch that carries his adhesive bandages to place upon your scrapes.

“Bennett?” you question. You’re so used to the happy go lucky Bennett that this sudden quiet atmosphere looms above you as Bennett quickly returns the favour. It’s only when he takes a small moment to scan your body for anything he missed before he takes your hands in his. Rubbing small circles over your skin, whether he’s trying to comfort you or himself into speaking you’re not entirely sure. 

“There’s a dream I want to tell you about. I want to find the most valuable treasure to give back to Mondstadt and get our Adventures guild to become the biggest branch in Teyvat. That way my Dad’s can take a break and we can go adventuring all over the world. We can go visit Fischl at her home or take Razor to see the ocean!” he grins happily at you as his eyes light up in such a way that it takes you a few moments to register what he’s saying. You can feel such a rush of love pour into your system at his wholesome dream that you can’t help but clutch his hands closer to yourself. 

“I’ll stay beside you the entire time and I promise we’ll make your dream a reality. Benny's Adventure Team will be the greatest adventure team there ever was,” you lean forward and boop your nose against his, “But you need to take better care of yourself first mister.”

“Now come on. Let’s go home together Bennett,” you smile down at him as you stand up and extend your hand out to him. It takes a few moments for Bennett to act as he gazes up at you. The hand that’s been placed in front of him as support in so many of his unlucky incidents, covered in the bandages he carries around from the family he cares about, the hand that is still there after everything. Bennet knows he’s always been unlucky. That’s just the way it is. He’s always running on what drops of luck he can grab and live life to the fullest but right now. Even with the dull stings of anemo winds on his cheeks, the throb of new bruises he’s probably developing, he reaches out and takes your hand. He’s never felt luckier in his entire life.

---

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go gag on the sugar I just wrote. I may have strayed away from the affection hcs but I care about Bennett and his character stories cripples me. I had to re-write this so there are some issues but I’m tired. Either way, Happy birthday best boy 💕💕💕

[twstarchives]

Happy Birthday・Epel

Card: Birthday Attire - SSR Characters: Epel & Yuu. Mentioned: Vil, Leona

Chapter 1

—POMEFIORE DORM - BIRTHDAY PARTY VENUE—

NRC Campus News Interview with the Birthday Student ~Epel ver.~

Yuu: Happy birthday!

Epel: Thank you. I feel a little embarrassed... I’ll get people coming up and wishing me a happy birthday just by walking through the halls.

Did your family do anything to celebrate?

Epel: Yeah, they sent a letter and a bunch of apples.

My family lives on an apple farm that’s been around for generations. We grow all kinds of varieties all year round, so they send me some this time of year too.

But there were way too many for one person to eat, so I’ve been handing them out to people I know around the school...

I passed them out to all my classmates and the magift club, but I’ve still got some left over.

Please let me know if you know of anybody who might want to take a few.

Could you tell us about your family next?

Epel: Mawmaw and Pawpaw—er, I mean! There’s my mother and father, my grandfather, grandmother...

My great-grandma, my uncle and his wife and son. We all live together.

All of us work on the farm. But it’s so huge that we’re still kind of short on hands.

Since the neighborhood’s made up of farmers, everyone helps each other out during the busy season.

We all feel really close because of that, like we’re one big family.

We have a thank-you party for everyone after the busiest harvest season of the year. Everyone brings their harvests, or small dishes...

It’s huge celebration, almost like a festival! Gee, there ain’t nothin’ as fun as—ah! I mean, it’s a lot of fun... I think?

Is it difficult to harvest the apples?

Epel: The apple trees on my family’s farm are really tall, so I guess it is... maybe. It’s real tiring going up and down the ladder.

But not when you use magic. You can hop a broom and fly from tree to tree, which makes picking them really easy.

My grandma and great-grandma can use magic, so they’ve always been the ones in charge of the high-up places.

When I was little, I really wanted to help the two of them, so everyday I got on a broom and jumped up and down...

Then one day, I really flew!

Ever since then the three of us have been doing any harvesting you need to fly for.

Chapter 2

—POMEFIORE DORM - BIRTHDAY PARTY VENUE—

What’s your favorite food?

Epel: BBQ! It’s so darn divine! Gets my mouth waterin’, it’s that good!

Back home we’d round up my family ‘n the neighborhood folk, all the parents, ‘n kids ‘n do a whole lotta barbecues, all of us.

We’d all sink our teeth into the chunks o’ meat we grilled over the charcoal.

There ain’t nothin’ better than wolfin’ ‘em down like that!

Also ‘cause our vegetables are fresh that day, grillin’ them is enough to get ‘em nice and sweet.

So they’re real delicious without needin’ to add anythin’ to ‘em!

I can tell you really love it.

Epel: Ah...! B-But, actually, I love macarons the most...

What do you like about macarons?

Epel: Th-They’re cute, you know? And sweet, and they have all kinds of flavors...

...They’re not really filling, though.

What else do you like besides food?

Epel: Magical wheels... maybe.

They look mighty, and their movements are powerful too. And yet they can make such swift turns...

When I was little, I thought “Those look so cool!” and dreamt about getting one.

Sometimes the people who own one in my neighborhood let me ride on theirs.

The first time I got to go on one, it left me so excited I couldn’t sleep that night.

Ahh... Someday I want to have one of my own.

Chapter 3

—POMEFIORE DORM - BIRTHDAY PARTY VENUE—

What club are you in?

Epel: The magical shift club. It’s so much fun!

It’s exciting going up against players bigger than me, and there’s nothing more motivating than scoring a goal!

But I really sucked when I first joined, and I’d get hurt any time I tried going in for the disc...

Vil-san would give me an earful for “not taking care of myself” whenever I’d scratch up my nose or cheeks.

Since I was always getting scolded, I stopped going after the disc head-on and instead practised a style where I make surprise attacks on my opponents.

And just the other day, I managed to nicely dodge a player that was trying to stop me...! I was so proud of myself~!

On top of that, Leona-san told me that I could play in our next game!

I don’t get hurt or get scolded by Vil-san as much anymore, so I think I’ve improved a lot since I first joined!

Be careful about getting hurt, okay?

Epel: Thank you, but I’ll be fine. Nobody’s got more guts than me!

I’ve been teased my whole life for seeming “weak” just because of how I look...

But I kept going up against students older and stronger than me without ever giving up... and finally, I turned the tables on every single one of them!

Soon I started getting called “The Poisoned Apple of the Felmier Family” around the school.

It means “despite how he looks, he’s fearsome and persistent.” Ahaha.

Thank you for sharing all of this with us. Once again, happy birthday!

[sparklesparklekoushi]

Choose Your Glucose Guardian! (Ushijima Wakatoshi Ver.)

This is part one of a seven part series based on some of the Haikyuu! Captains.

This was originally posted on my Ao3 here: link

Minor spoiler-ish? Mentions a timeskip! team.

That’s all, enjoy!!

You don’t even know how you got here. You were in bed, in a really really oversized shirt with nothing under it. But no, nothing had happened prior to that. You were snuggled up to none other than Japan's volleyball ace, Ushijima Wakatoshi. A movie was playing in the background, probably The Princess Diaries for the nth time during the week. It was a normal occurrence, at night you would find yourself in one of his jerseys or snuggly shirts that were at least 2 times bigger than you, snuggled up to him watching the same damn movie or some other teen flick until who knows what hour.

He would fall asleep faster than you would, but you wouldn't have it any other way this way, you could stare at him lovingly without having to hide it. This way you could admire his peaceful features in contrast to how cold and stoic he looks when he is awake. He doesn't snore, but sometimes you'd catch him sleep talking about volleyball if you're lucky enough. When that would happen you would giggle and smile at what you would hear. But then again, you shouldn't be feeling this way at all…

After all, these were against unspoken rules…

The unspoken rules of being a sugar baby

Yes, Ushijima Wakatoshi, Ace of the Schwieden Adlers, was your sugar daddy.

Yet why did you feel this way?

Maybe it was the way he held you close, like you were something to protect. Or it was in the way he actually smiled when he was with you. Was it the fact that he wasn’t much older than you either? He was only 27 and you were 21, not much of an age difference there and that made you bond, you could say, even closer.

Another thing is that Ushijima would never do anything you wouldn’t consent to. He knew his boundaries and knew how to respect your space. In fact, he was more of a friend at this point than someone who was supposed to be spoiling you nonstop. He just appreciated your company while you loved his company. You didn’t need fancy gifts or anything lavish, you honestly just wanted him. You, if you were to consider him as a friend, really wanted to take things to the next level.

But then, who were you to be anything but a plaything to get bored of? You were just a university student, an art student at that. You were just an expressive mess who was in love with someone who truly isn’t yours. You weren’t poor, in fact, you had a stable internship at an art gallery and your boss says you would make it big someday. You sell cute art and it's fun and fulfilling, so why were you in this situation.

It was another day at an art fair, but this art fair was somewhat different. You weren’t at some anime convention or anything like that, you were selling your original art at a local art fair. You were all dressed up as this took place at a fancy gallery. It was fun, but then this was sort of a test of how much you would sell. You were honestly scared, since this could be a stepping stone to becoming a recognized artist.

Some people had bought your art pieces and it made you happy, you didn’t really know how to price things at first, but your art teacher at your uni had helped you throughout the whole process, in fact, they were the reason you were here now. You were seated at your table, taking a break from talking to all these people when you were approached by a red haired man who seemed to be in the same age group as you.

Woah, that's cool, wish I was this big at that age… you thought to yourself.

He smiled at you when you met each other's eyes, “Excuse me, but would you happen to know the artist of these paintings?”

He was pointing in the direction of your most prized painting, the most expensive one at that. It was your definition of love at that time, a whimsical, beautiful thing.

You nodded, “Yes, that would be me.”

He smiles a little shocked, “Woah that's cool, how old are you? Aren’t you too young to be here?”

You knew he was joking as you both laughed, “For the record, I’m 20. So no, I don’t think I'm that young to be here.”

He nods in respect, “I’m Tendou, Tendou Satori. I’m actually asking about the painting for a friend.”

“(l/n) (y/n). If I may ask, who is willing to buy my painting?”

“I am.” A deep voice says sending shivers down your spine.

You looked behind you to see a tall man who seemed to be the same age as Tendou. And as much as you hate to admit it, he was really good looking.

You learned when talking to him that he was Ushijima Wakatoshi, and the Ace of Japan’s men's volleyball team. Soon enough he asked you to make him another painting… but that didn’t go that well at first.

Some things had happened and your family disowned you completely as you shifted to a full time art major. You argued with them constantly recently as they never supported you… And I guess going to local art fairs proved that you would not listen to them… so a few days later you were disowned. You didn’t know what to do, but you did have enough money for now, to last through the semester.

Eventually however, you had to call Ushijima to tell him about how you would not be able to produce his painting anytime soon. He had been talking to you for a while now, about mundane things like your lives. He thought you were a breath of fresh air and that was when he suggested it.

You were hesitant at first, but he reassured you that he would never do anything that you didn’t like. So you agreed to his somewhat proposal.

So just like that, it's been a year since that has happened. In all honesty, you could walk away from all of this now as you can stand on your own feet and all that. But Ushijima wouldn't let you go. He would always say that he wanted you to stay with him until you finished college at least or he would make other excuses.

You just wish he would do that out of the fact that he wanted to love you for you, and not because you were some fragile girl.

That night, you couldn’t take it any longer. Your thoughts piling up and eating at you were causing you to think of crazy things, so in the middle of the night, you left his house. You wandered out in his old shirt and some leggings as it was a cold night. You brought your phone but put it on airplane mode so you could listen to music. It was going to be a rough night for sure…

Ushijima stirred awake to find you missing from his arms. He was extremely worried. He tried calling you and giving you some time, but as 30 minutes passed and you didn’t answer, he couldn’t take it anymore, he had to find you. He heard you crying a few nights ago, and he wondered why. He thought that he might not be giving you enough art supplies or something, but he wanted you to tell him. So he hinted these things at you through the way Tendou had taught him.

He was honestly sick of this no feelings and strings attached relationship. He truly wanted to love you, but he was scared that you didn’t see him as anything more than a person to talk to, or dare he say it, a friend. He called up Tendou to help him and his friend sighed over the phone saying; “You better make her your girlfriend after this or I’m going to make her my sugar baby.”

That was enough of a push for him to find you and do what's right.

It was getting late, and both males had no hint of where you had gone. They had checked almost everywhere. That’s until Ushijima had realized that there would be a place you would 100% be in, the art gallery where you first met. It would be open until this time as it was open 24/7… plus, you interned there. He sent a text to Tendou to meet him there as he ran over to the place. And there you were, headphones in, about to enter the building. He came up to you and enveloped you into a hug, a hug that made you feel loved.

“Be mine.” He says as your eyes widen.

You’ve never felt so happy in your entire life, and with that, you shared a kiss under the moonlight.

[whootwhoot]

»»—— 𝘏𝘢𝘪𝘬𝘺𝘶𝘶 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 —««

Haikyuu characters as conversations I’ve had with friends  [this is just how I see it so sorry if it’s horrible tw. offensive jokes, alcohol, pervy jokes etc] (author’s notes: i know i don’t have content out in a long time, but im working on it (i hope) *gulp* sorry its taking so long)

- Karasuno ver;

- : I might buy Vodca by the end of this month

Sawamura Daichi: Focus on your studies and only find me for alcohol after exams

- : That dude’s an asshole

Azumane Asahi: Why do you listen to other people’s advice on who to like?

- : Pm me the link

Tanaka Ryunosuke: *Licks lip* It’s good to satisfy your inner needs.

- : Ey, send dikdik (istg this is not what you think it is, it’s an animal)

Nishinoya Yu: When you're so Asian you even get A in cup size

- : All the banana form 5 tomorrow: "一个风和日丽的早上"

Yamaguchi Tadashi: 今天的天气犹如雪花飘飘，北风萧萧；天地一片苍茫。

- : Why bully yourself when you can bully kids on roblox

Tsukishima Kei: I don’t care I bully all kids

- : Today is the day we see a fat tiger

Hinata Shoyo: Is he pregnant?

- : You disgrace as a Chinese

Kageyama Tobio: You disgrace as a human being

- : I've sin in cooking by putting 老干妈 in italian aglio olio as a substitute for chilli flakes

Ukai Keishin: What the fuck is Lao Gan Ma???

- : You’re my switch because you turn me on

Kiyoko Shimizu: Please only attempt sexual acts after the age of 16 and make sure you are responsible and both sides consent.

[extra, Tanaka Ryunosuke]: I DIDN’T EVEN FAP

- : Bruh change the topic to something more positive leggo 

Yachi Hitoka: 

Yachi Life Pro Tip #15 Once you graduate you're free to make your own life, go your own paths. Don't let these years of hell drag you down because eventually, you will be in a better situation than ever before. Your parents will never understand your trials and tribulations, because generational gap and all that. But it's not their fault. They're just misguided. Someday things will change in here. And if you think they won't, be that change. Rise above.

- : Oh.

Sugawara Koshi: Welcome to another episode of keeping up with the Kardashians, only the Kardashians are replaced by edgy teens

[wosofan14]

Jackie Groenen House Tour Interview - 22/10/20 (Rough English Translation)


Little note - The format of the interview was a little weird. The interviewer guy was very random with what he said, so some things in the translation are very random. But other than that, the video was super interesting. Hope you enjoy the translation :)


Interviewer: Welcome to a brand new episode of “Inside”, a show where we get an inside look into the houses of professional footballers, e-sports players, Youtubers etc... I’m very excited about today’s guest, as we get to go international on this episode. We are going all the way to Manchester, England to get an inside look in Jackie Groenen’s house.

*On screen text*
Woonkamer = Living Room

Badkamer = Bathroom

Slaapkamer = Bedroom

Logeerkamer = Guest Bedroom

Balkan = Balcony

Interviewer: There is an Easter egg hidden in this video, so if you pay attention, then you can spot it, then you’ll have a chance to win some cool prizes. If you’re as excited as I am about this video, don’t forget to like this video and subscribe to the channel to not miss any cool videos. Hopefully after this video, there will be more people that will want to give house tours. Or not, I’d also understand if no one wanted to show me their house. Haha just joking. Now let’s ring the (imaginary) doorbell, or we can knock. Please ignore the huge headphones I am wearing.

Jackie: Hi Matthy (interviewer’s name) and viewers of this show. Welcome to the tour of my crib and welcome to Manchester!

Jackie: Come on inside, this is the hall. I can’t show you too much of the guest bedroom, as my dad is currently visiting. He is also currently filming this video and he’s filming for the first time, so don’t be too cruel on him.

Interviewer: I think your father is doing very well to be fair.

Jackie: Because of the current situation we are in, I’ve frequently had people sleep over and it’s been fun, as it’s meant that I haven’t been alone very often. Now here is my fantastic closet with, if I’m being honest, way too many clothes in it. And I see my father is already looking a little bored behind the camera, as this is his least favourite part.

Interviewer: Yes, I could hear him sigh deeply or take a deep breath behind the camera. You could also see him in the reflection of the closet.

Jackie: This is Mimo (it’s a cushion of a bunny) and he’s my best friend’s bunny. I’ve been able to take this cushion of with me so that I can always think about Mimo and Jenny because I miss them a lot when I’m here in Manchester. I also have a sweater here from training with Manchester United. As most of you will probably already know, I’ve always played with number 14 and I’m lucky enough to be able to play with that number here at Manchester United as well. That’s something I’m very proud of if I’m being honest. I’ve always been a huge fan of Johan Cruyff and I’m always very proud whenever I get to wear the number 14.

Interviewer: Very cool.

Jackie: Alright, here we have the first bathroom. I’ve never actually watched MTV Cribs before, so I don’t really know how people present their bathrooms to the camera.

Interviewer: I’ve never watched MTV Cribs either, but I can tell you that this is a very nice bathroom.

Jackie: People brush their teeth here.

Interviewer: (laughs). I hope that people brush their teeth in the bathroom. People at home, if you don’t brush your teeth, then start now!

Jackie: One of my favourite things about my apartment is obviously my bedroom.

Interviewer: If you have the same bed in your own bedroom as you do in your guest bedroom, then you know that the guests are really well cared for. That is really good to see. I’m adding points on for that!

Jackie: Another of my favourite things about my house is the view. At the moment, you can’t see too much because of the rain. That gives you a good idea about what the weather is like in Manchester.

Interviewer: I was just about to say, that’s typical in Manchester. The view is really pretty though.

Jackie: And here is my very very first guitar. I began playing on this guitar in Frankfurt. I take this guitar with me if I ever go with the girls to the park or somewhere like that. I’m still very careful with it though, as it’s my first ever guitar

Interviewer: I used to play guitar as well. The fact that you have the courage to play the guitar in front of a crowd of in public is very impressive and something I never would have done. I am intrigued though to know how long you’ve played the guitar for.

Jackie: Ummmm I think I’ve been playing the guitar for around 3 years, but I’ve only started taking it more seriously in the past 6 months or so with taking lessons. In Germany, I also had some lessons, but there weren’t very many of them. At the moment though, I play a lot and take a lot more lessons than I used to. I try to have 1-2 lessons every week and I try and play as much as I can before I go to bed so that I can keep improving. I’m still not very good, but I can play some songs. For example, if my dad is sitting on the couch in the evening, or if we are sitting by the heater, I always find it fun to then play a song on my guitar. Slowly but surely, I’m getting better and better at playing.

Interviewer: *says something about the Easter egg in the video and not wanting to spoil anything*

Jackie: Moving on, this is my record player. I’m obsessed with LPs and I find it lovely to put some music on in the evening before I go to bed. Because of my dad, most of my LPs are from the 70s and 80s.

Interviewer: *sees Black Stories in the cabinet* Black Stories is a fantastic game. It’s good to see that you play that game too. But LPs are old music aren’t they? I see and LP of the Beatles, which I like listening too as well. No modern music ever comes out on LPs though, so what do you listen to? Do you only listen to older music?

Jackie: There’s a bit of everything here. 80s music, Beatles, Queen, Jeff Buckley. My absolute favourite LP though is this one of Jim Croce. My dad first introduced me to his music and now I listen to it nonstop. I also love Fleetwood Mac, which is in the record player right now.

Interviewer: I think that most of the people watching this show will have never heard of Jim Croce. This type music is really not something I would enjoy listening to. But I do like that you have such a specific taste in music. You could have also listened to the Top 40 or Despacito.

Jackie: This is something that might be nice to show everyone. I feel like I don’t look at it enough, but I always enjoy holding it. This is the medal from when we became European Champions in 2017. I also have the silver medal from the World Cup in 2019 here where we got 2nd place and lost against the USA. Hopefully now everyone has forgotten about that though (laughs).

Interviewer: That’s still super cool though. A silver medal from the World Cup and a gold medal from the Euros is something that not many footballers can say they’ve achieved.

Jackie: Moving onto my nightstand, I have a picture of all my friends. One of my friends made this painting of us. She’s a very good artist. This is actually my friendgroup, and this painting reminds me of them a lot. And umm... (picks up book of crossword puzzles)

Interviewer: Yes! Zweedse Puzzelboekje (crossword puzzles). Those puzzles are so fun people!

Jackie: I know, I’m old (I guess because she likes doing those types of puzzles that makes her old).

Interviewer: If you’re old then I’m old too.

Jackie: Alright, on to the second bathroom. I think they call this an en-suite. Here is also a place where people brush their teeth.

Jackie: Alright, moving on again. Welcome to my living room/kitchen. This is the room where I study a lot. I also have my Player of the Match award from the World Cup semi-final game against Sweden.

Interviewer: A Player of the Match award is so cool to get, and especially in the semi-finals of a World Cup. It doesn’t even seem that much smaller than the trophy you’d get if you won the whole competition. Obviously they can’t give the big trophy to everyone though. That award is still super cool though.

Jackie: This is my most recent player of the match award from last Sunday from the game against Tottenham.

Interviewer: I think they have those awards in the Premier League for every game as well. Super cool that you have one of those.

Jackie: Someday I’ll make a nice decoration with all these Player of the Match awards.

Jackie: Welcome to my kitchen! I’ll give you guys a small look at what’s in my refrigerator. There’s not too many interesting things in here. I have some fruit and some yoghurt in my fridge.

Interviewer: I think I see some vanilla yoghurt or honey, one of those two things. There are lots of Dutch foods in the fridge though, which is good to see even if you’re in Manchester.

Jackie: Something that is more fun to tell you about is my guilty pleasure. I am obsessed with beschuit met muisjes (a sort of cake like thing with sprinkles - it’s a little hard to explain, so here’s a link to a picture: https://www.iamexpat.nl/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/strange-and-funny-dutch-traditions-beschuit-met-muisjes). I always have some beschuit and some muisjes here, as my dad always brings them for me from the Netherlands.

Interviewer: I assume that they don’t have De Ruijter (company that makes muisjes and hagelslag) in England, so it’s good to see that there’s still lots of Dutch foods in your kitchen in England.


Jackie: On to the living room, and this is where I relax a lot. I lay on the couch a lot to recover after trainings. For me, this is the most comfy part of the house. I’m always ver relaxed here.

Interviewer: I see another guitar there.

Jackie: Now, this second guitar is one of my most prized possessions. I bought this right before the lockdown and I am really proud of this guitar. I try and play some songs on it as much as I can in the evening.

Interviewer: Now this is the third or fourth time that music has come up on this tour and the second or third time that the guitar has come up. I don’t know if I dare to ask you this, but Jackie, I think that you should play a little bit of a song for the viewers of the show and for me.

Jackie: Now, I don’t play very much on camera because I’m not very good yet.

*plays song and sings*

Interviewer: I did not expect this at all! Jackie can sing! You acted as if you were shy and didn’t want to play the guitar, but then you started singing as well.

Jackie: The song goes on like that for a while, and for the viewers, anyone who can guess that song has a good taste in music.

Interviewer: Unfortunately, I do not know that song. Clearly I don’t have much knowledge about music.

Jackie: Another fun little thing to know is that since the lockdown, I have a Nintendo switch. I must say that I’ve used this quite a lot. Especially when some of my teammates where living with me in my house and we all played Mario Kart. A little secret about that that I have to tell you as well is that we always used the Player of the Match award from the World Cup to hold conversations and give a little speech (thanking your parents friends, etc - think about thank you speeches after awards ceremeonies) thanking people after someone won a game of Mario Kart.

Jackie: This is my balcony.

Interviewer: That’s really high up.

Jackie: It’s really nice to have. I’ll point to some things now.

*points* Here are some restaurants that I would usually eat at frequently.

*points again* That’s one of my dad’s favourite restaurants.

Interviewer: I’m not very familiar with the city of Manchester and I don’t recognize the area that you live in, but is the stadium close to your apartment?

Jackie: *points towards stadium* The Man United stadium is right over there behind that building. It’s about a 10 minute walk away from my apartment. I go there quite a bit as well.

Interviewer: A 10 minute walk?! That’s so nice to have the stadium so close.

Jackie: So, from rainy Manchester, I’d like to say thank you for watching my crib tour. I hope you enjoyed watching, and I hope to see everyone very soon again in the Netherlands. Bye!

Interviewer’s report of Jackie’s crib tour:

Inside Challenge: 5/5. I think that everyone who saw that was flabbergasted by your singing.

Football Factor: 3,25/5. The location relative to the stadium is perfect for a footballer. The fact that you can walk 10 minutes to the training as well is so nice to have as a footballer.

Food: 5/5 I saw a lot of Dutch food there, and you also get some bonus points for the beschuit met muisjes.

Chill area: 2,75/5. The chill area was okay. I don’t think you need much room for a chill area as long as there is somewhere to brush your teeth (laughs).

Final score: 4,5/5

[bbnibini]

persona non grata (satan x mob character! reader)

Summary: You knew from the very start that no matter how much you struggle to feel like you belong somewhere, you will never truly fit in--it didn't mean you couldn't try though. That's what desperation would do to anyone; looking elsewhere with delusions of grandeur---longing for a role that could never be yours. (ao3 vers.)

The new human had an interesting scent--at least that was what you thought before your eyes met with the student council vice president's icy glare. Any semblance of hunger for a pure soul left your poor little demon body at the thought of an early death---a few thousand years too early than Devildom's life expectancy.

If you had a soul of your own, surely it had already left your flesh prison out of fear. Still, there wouldn't be any harm to observe, right? As long as you keep to yourself and blend in the background, you could hear and witness all sorts of things.

For one, the human (specifically, the one without 72 pacts) had a penchant for trouble(although seemingly unintentional) that you almost felt sorry on their behalf. You could only get glimpses of their struggles on the reflection near the glass windows of the school library--a place where you have come to understand, after a few days of coincidental eavesdropping, had served as the human's refuge when they wanted to escape from the student council. They would greet you in a friendly manner when you occasionally share tables. Sometimes, they were with a council member, and oftentimes in those "sometimes", it was the Avatar of Wrath who always had his nose stuck on a book.

"Good day. May I sit with you?"

You always nod, often pretending to be interested on a homework or a reference book so he wouldn't think that you were staring. There were rare times as well when you were both on the table alone, usually when the human exchange student had another headache to deal with that Sir Satan couldn't be bothered to get involved in. It wasn't always peaceful like this though. There was a point when he was cautious of you as well, sensing the hunger in your eyes as a free meal dangled itself in front of you. But unlike the other demons, you had restraint--perhaps cowardice was a better term. One look at the infamous Avatars of Sins' intimidating presences is enough for you to shrivel in your seat and pretend to befriend your uneaten food.

"I know something about you, you know..." you recalled what he said to you back then in the faintest of whispers--conscious of the eyes and ears that could have been spectating from afar. You realised it wasn't really the urgency or the secrecy of his words that drove him to be so cautious; rather it is in his nature to do so. He was always careful, planning several steps ahead with convoluted contingency plans for each possible failure. It just happened that you were entangled in it--an unimportant demon who acted a bit differently from the others.

"...insignificant family tree. Hardly any pacts nor souls collected from humans. You might as well be invisible. However, there is a reason for that, isn't there?" the coldness in his tone didn't match the warm smile he was currently giving the human who sat nearby, thanking him for a fresh batch of lead for their mechanical pencil.

He leaned close to your ear when the human was distracted over their DDD---a seemingly intimate gesture that, in human standards would have at least been romantic. However, reality was far more cruel.

"...a union with an angel and a demon--a cursed bloodline that forced your family into obscurity. I wonder what would happen if everyone here would know you're a hybrid?"

Your face paled in fear--enough for the human transferee to ask of your well-being('corn fashion' or whatever that's called). If he hadn't threatened you under his breath, you would have been fooled by the mask of concern he had worn immediately upon the human's notice. You wondered if they also know of the sides of the Seven Avatars that truly earned them their reputation and Prince Diavolo's trust. You wondered if they knew and didn't care at all.

"Meet me here later when they leave. Mammon will pick them up in a few minutes."

You wondered about the certainty of his orders. Intimidation, you thought--your family wasn't even a part of his domain. That responsibility belonged to His Grace, Barbatos as you are residing in his duchy. Then again, such matters hold little meaning at the threat of his revelations. You adhered to his whims as you had no choice. Your little game began then. He, with cautious eyes scrutinised your every move. Oftentimes, an order followed---usually to keep an eye on the human and to make sure they were safe.

"They hardly have any interactions with other students besides us because of their...appeal. Lord Diavolo has ambitious plans for this exchange program. Its success would surely benefit even you."

Benefit? You wanted to sneer. He had a way to reel a demon in, that's for sure. "Is his lordship asking that I babysit them?" 'Them' pertaining to of course,  the human that all of his brothers fancied. "As you are probably aware milord, I cannot possibly decline you. My personal opinions hardly matter when it comes to an order."

You saw his facial expressions tighten into a smile. The faintest hint of his sin rested there, flickering in his eyes like flames of rage waiting to consume you. He did not speak immediately; of course he wouldn't. Not if it threatened to show weakness--not especially if it meant a lowly peon would gain the satisfaction of being able to ruffle his feathers. Instead, the smile stayed. His words instead were icy and malicious. 

"What do you expect me to do? Accommodate you? Who do you think you are?"

Nobody, you wanted to answer. A nobody who got entangled in their mess somehow. A nobody that the human deluded themselves to being their friend just because you didn't pounce at them or tried to attack them at first sight. Yet a part of you couldn't blame the human entirely, instead it pointed its fingers towards yourself. It reminded you of your cursed bloodline---the faintest of kindness left in your beating apparatus and--hell forbid, a conscience, though a fraction resting in your soulless body. 

"I beg pardon but…I work under His Grace,not you. If you would like to personally request for me...then I would have no say in the matter: Lord Barbatos does."

His gaze penetrated you, cold and calculating---perhaps not expecting to be turned down and in such a roundabout manner at that. If you were any braver, you would have added "I'm only following your example, Sir. Your methods inspire me." Thankfully, you stopped yourself from your inevitable death flag before it was too late. The blond demon Lord's smile never faltered, beautiful yet also ruthless. The tone of his voice clearly expressed his intentions with you… 

"Is your life so trivial to you?" 

…because to him, you were anything but important. 

You carefully weighed in your words; your trembling hands enclosed into fists so tightly that your knuckles turned white. What did he want to hear from you? How will he understand that you aren't someone worth paying attention to? Do you need to harm the human? But what of your family? Your bloodline? What of the angels that helped your ancestors escape a harsher punishment? Will saving yourself cost their own safety? 

You wondered why you were even considering this---a pureblood demon would surely choose to save themselves in a heartbeat. You'd rather do so, but your traitorous conscience wouldn't seem to allow you to. 

"My life belongs to my Lords." you said, trying to convince yourself of your own words---a truth more convenient to you in exchange of your own pride. However, saying so made a part of your chest ache, digging into you and calling out your own hypocrisy. Deep down you knew you were tired of it all--of hiding and of being ashamed of your birth. He will surely never understand how you feel: after all, wasn't he a great ruler of Hell? 

"I only wish for you to follow due process, Sir." You tried not to make yourself small and stared back at him, seeing the seething anger in his emerald eyes. "I am but a lowly servant with nothing of interest but my bloodline. If milord implies I will make good company for His Highness' valued guest because of it, then I worry that my very blighted bloodline will endanger them instead. Even so, if you still wish to employ me under your administration, it would be better to speak with my superior. I apologise for wasting your time."

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

A cold, unreadable gaze.

"...yes, you did. You talk too much for someone so disposable."

Your knees gave out as soon as his retreating footsteps became inaudible. Cold sweat dripped down your face.

You managed to survive, but until when? When will you stop bowing your head and letting everyone walk over you because of your circumstances? 

If a demon gaining a heart and a conscience through forbidden unions meant a life of misery and discrimination, then why do you live at all? Was your ancestors' love a mistake? 

. 

. 

.

.

…were you also? 

You felt something warm dripping down your cheeks as you hid in the farthest corner of the non-fiction section. Weak, pathetic and helpless--

You've always hated that part of yourself.

A few things to note: I wrote this but never got to continue it because of Hamartia 2/PSISLY. Reader isn't MC, but is instead one of Barbatos' underlings--a hybrid trying desperately to hide their birth origins. It's a lot darker than OG Obey Me and has some mentions/scenes of gore and torture(plus a VERY VERY toxic relationship between Reader and Satan). MC and Reader also interact a lot and Reader notices MC isn't as "cheerful" as they seem (MC suffers from trauma from the tragic events of chapter 16). I have never written anything like that before and want to try exploring it someday. Since I'm not sure if I will ever come to continue this because of Hamartia, I thought I might as well share it here. Might turn this into an HC if ever haha.

[musicofglassandwords]

COS snippet #19

right after Xander gets kidnapped by the King

fair warning, this is a VERY long snippet

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Jay stood very still as Lyssa sat down gracefully on the lounge chair; her emotions were currently constructed like delicate sheets of glass, ready to shatter at any given moment.

When they had learned that the King had taken Xander, the entire household had been thrown into chaos, and Jay had found it very difficult to handle the fact that Xander being gone was all on him. Guilt had eaten at him, as well as misery and sorrow, but compared to the Lumens of Xekanzi, his pain had been nothing.

Kai had gone straight to the river, wading in until he was chest deep, and burnt out his anger for days and days, until the river was nothing but dry sandstone. He’d gasped with an uncontainable fury and often, when one looked out of a castle window, one could see fire lighting up the sky as the Lumen expressed his rage in the only way he could.

Iken had taken off on Ennis’ back, and the two of them had soared in the skies for hours and hours, returning only when Ennis had roared out his fury and Iken’s tears had frozen in the sky.

Vera had screamed and destroyed her room, sobbing until restless sleep had overtaken her, while Roze had sat without moving on her bed until Lyssa had gently taken her and Vera and Iken aside, and soothed them until she had convinced them of her own absence of hers.

Jay remembered seeing her head towards the roof where Ennis lay, his tail curled around him protectively and whispered to him until the massive dragon had stilled.

Years of etiquette classes had taught him to be tactful, comforting, and encouraging, but he hadn’t quite known what to do when Lyssa had finally gone and locked herself in the training room for three days straight.

When they had finally pulled her out, her knuckles had been bloody, hair stringy with sweat and her muscles sore from overuse. Kai had picked her up despite her protests, and helped her bind up her wounds.

Lyssa had an spirit harder than diamond, stronger than any heartbreak.

But she had already endured so much. Cracks had been building up within her heart all these years, and finally something in her had broken.

“Do you want to say anything before I tell you how we might go save Xander?” Jay said tentatively, sitting down across from her.

“Yes,” she said, her face tight with pain and sorrow. She inhaled deeply, taking a shuddering breath and building a wall between her tears and reality. “Because there are something you need to know.”

“I never held a grudge against my adoptive parents for giving me up,” she said slowly, her eyes cool when she looked at Jay. “I never hated them, because Xan was always there. His heart was constantly full of anger and bitterness, I knew that, but he still showed me so much love even at such a young age.”

“When I was younger, I had no idea that he wasn’t my biological brother. Everywhere he went, even in the most dangerous places, I begged to go with him. I would have followed him unto death.” she paused, “I still would.”

She was completely still, but her fingernails cut deep into her palms, tiny droplets of blood staining her white skirts.

“If I was with Xan, as long as my brother was with me. I was alright. Even though there were times where he left for days at a time in order to find us food or to get a place for us to live for a bit, I knew, I always knew that he would come back. And no matter what, he always did.”

“When you are younger, you have blind faith and blind belief in the ones you love and trust, but it doesn’t take long for something like that to dissolve when you grow older, and you realize that your heroes are just as sinful as yourself. But with Xan, that never happened. Even though I know he does cruel and ruthless things, I know he is not lost yet, and he has never been anything but loving to me. Every time we are funning for our lives, and he needs to go in order to save us, I know, I know that he will come back to me. I believe that I will hear his voice again, the one that always used to call to me whenever I was lost. And I fear what will happen if I never hear him again.”

Jay was silent, nodding as Lyssa lifted up her bowed head.

“Which is why you need to understand that between choosing the lives of you and your kinsmen and my brother, I will not hesitate to let you burn.”

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

“Here, Lyss,” she looked up from her book, her eyes heavy with exhaustion and took the glass of cold rose tea Kai held out to her gratefully. “What are you looking at?”

“Some tricks for close combat,” she said, sitting up as he sank down beside her on her bed, and showing him the title of the book, “We’re leaving tomorrow morning.”

“I know, Iken spent the last two hours begging me to be able to come,” he said,  flopping onto his back and staring up at the ceiling.

“Oh, I should put him to bed,” Lyssa started to rise up, glancing quickly out the window, where the sky had already turned to a tapestry of black.

“Already did it,” Kai said, running a hand through his hair, “Roze and Ver are asleep as well.”

“Thank you, Kai,” she said gratefully, tugging on the end of her braid, “I haven’t been as attentive as I should have been to them. Poor babies.”

“It’s alright, Lyss. I can handle them.”

She smiled at him, for real, her heart warm with affection for him, “Of course you can.”

His grin was lazy as she curled next to him, her book forgotten on the floor, and his hand gently brushed her shoulder.

“You’re my favorite, Kai,” she murmured softly.

“I know,” he said, an echo of a sigh in his voice, “You’re my favorite too.”

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

The boy drowning in flames lay awake in the weak moonlight, hands fisting at his sides as pain tore through him again and again.

He never got better at handling the pain, and he swallowed a gasp as it burned in his veins.

He shifted but immediately froze when he felt Lyssa stir next to him.

“What’s wrong?” she whispered sleepily.

“Nothing,” he pulled the blanket back over her head, “Go back to sleep, kejan.”

“Is the pain really bad?” she yanked the blanket back down, pushing a pillow into his face, “I’ll go get you some water.”

“No, I’m fine,” he said stubbornly, biting back a cry as it seared his insides, shredding his nerves to bits.

“Okay,” she said, wrapping an arm around him and drawing him close to her.

And that was so much worse.

What I wish I could tell you, he thought, what I wish you could know

That you are so good and worthy of being loved, and I wish, I wish you could be joyful forever.

And forgive me

For being there for you.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

(During the battle with Arid, the king’s general)

Fierce, the wind whispered to her, fight.

Break or be broken.

And you will break someday.

But not today.

Her fingers curled over the slippery handle of the knife, and she stood up, blood streaming from her face, like poisonous tears.

“Who are you?” Arid asked boredly, “Stand down.”

His voice was uncaring, as he directed a pair of soldiers to pin her down. Behind their glittering armor, she caught sight of her brother being held up by Arid’s lieutenant, his eyes defiant.

He glanced up despite his injuries and caught sight of Lyssa, his eyes flashing black with horror. He shook his head, making a muffled sound through his gag, crying out.

Despite the cloth wrapped around his mouth, the words were audible to Lyssa.

Don’t touch my sister!

And time stopped for a moment.

She could see Xander, gagged, blood watering the earth, his eyes black and haunted. His brilliant white hair greasy and smeared with soot and red.

And she saw the little boy who had reached out to a girl barely older than a baby and protected her for years and years, until he was finally strong enough to let her go.

She saw her brother leaving her.

She saw her only family leaving her because she was too weak to chase after them.

And in the deepest recesses of her memories, she remembered sobbing her heart out after their adoptive parents had thrown them out, and Xander, barely seven years old had clumsily wiped her tears away.

“You’re still my sister,” he’d assured her, “I’ll take care of you, I promise.”

I’ll take care of you.

She remembered being eleven years old, dragging Kai along with her as she followed Xander into the steel market, remembered his look of horror as he saw her behind him, saw her staring at the blood and weapons and poison around them.

Remembered him pulling her behind him, later demanding why she’d followed him.

“I wanted to go with you, bije,” she’d smiled then, the feel of the Veyan word for brother sweet on her tongue.

Her eyes burned, blood sticky on her face, pain fracturing her sanity to bits as she leaned on her broken leg.

Pain is nothing, she muttered to herself, it is nothing.

And she drew her weapon.

Stepped forward.

Her aim was always true.

And her brother was worth dying for.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Tagging: @writingqueensworld @dowings@joyful-soul-collector @thescholarsninja @stuffaboutwriting @panic-at-my-sexuality @nomadian-novelist @waterfallofinkandpages @tragedyshow @onthewingsofwords @writingonesdreams @stories-by-rie @qlpwrites @sunlight-and-starskies

Let me know if you want to be added/removed from the tag list!

[star3yed]

The Chat Who Stole Christmas (MLSS 2019)

Hi @mizuminojosei​ I’m your @mlsecretsanta​ this year! I’ve had this story ready for a while and just wait until christmas to finally post it! I saw you liked the Antihero AU and I decided to jump a lil outta my comfort zone a write you one with action! This story has everything from frienship, to a lil angst and lots of fluff. I hope you’re having a happy holiday season and you enjoy!

Also thanks to my betas @sadrien​ and @tombombadilcankickyourass​ for making my ramblings coherent!

Summary: 

When Ladybug thought of how she would spend her night before christmas eve, she never would have suspected robbing a bank would be on top of her list. When Chat Noir had to buy presents for his Lady, he never suspected he'd have to break and enter. Follow them in their adventure being teenagers and antiheros. Antihero AU.

Ao3

Word Count:7268

————————————————————–

Ladybug was a heroine, she’d been put in many different situations, many of them difficult, yet none of them compared to the nerves she felt in her stomach doing this. She never once imagined she would end up in this position; her partner so quiet she could hear his accelerated heartbeat. He was nervous too. Ladybug’s head was flush flat against the cool metal surface, her eyes closed, and her hands otherwise occupied. 

“Are you sure about this bugaboo?” her golden-haired partner asked; bless his heart, always making sure she was ready before going ahead with something new.

 “Well, we wouldn’t really be in this position if I wasn’t 100 percent sure,” she retorted, her nose scrunching up. His concern was appreciated but she didn’t need his worry alongside her own 

“I just want to make sure you’re comfortable, this could really be a game-changer if we aren’t safe.”

“Everything we do is a game-changer if we aren’t safe enough.”

“My lady, I would never be able to live with myself if you ever felt unsafe. Unless, of course, it was with my hands.”

“Are you implying you’re dangerous Kitty?”

“Did you fur-get? I’m purr-haps the most dangerous cat on this side of the Seine.”

“Are you two done flirting or should I get the hose?” A voice cackled from behind them. “Al-” Ladybug stopped herself before exposing the secret identity of her best friend. “I want to make it clear that this is not flirting.” she grumbled as Rena Rogue laughed. Ladybug frowned and bit the inside of her cheek to avoid making it a bigger deal than what she knew it could become.

“My lady, we should let the cat out of the bag” Chat Noir purred “We should tell them about our history, how we are pawsitively more than fur-riends”

Marinette wrinkled her nose and opened her eyes long enough to give him a look, so he’d understand the excruciating pain he was putting her through with his dreadful puns.

“I think that would be a cat-astrophic idea, Kitty,” she teased, before closing her eyes and focusing on the task at hand. Had she kept her eyes on him she might’ve seen his cheeks brighten up.

Although they had been partners for the better part of 4 years Chat Noir couldn’t help the way his heart skipped a beat when Ladybug would rarely return his puns, or whenever she still called him kitty. He admired the blue-eyed heroine, and as time passed his feelings for her only increased, and even though through the years he had other girls he dated or was involved with, he never really got very far; his feelings for the polka-dot clad superhero prevented him from forming any real romantic connections, until he had met Marinette that is. The other blue-eyed girl had captured his heart and only her smile could make his heart skip a beat the way Ladybug’s did.

 Yet, as suave as he had become over the years he quickly quipped back.

“What is that Feline? Am I fortunate enough that purrhps the pawsibility has arisen that my purr-incess is finally warming up to my claw-ver puns?”

“Ugh, unless you want to do this Chat, I require the utmost silence!” Ladybug groaned, finding it impossible that Chat could find a cat twist to every other word, still a small smile found its way onto her face.

“Ladybug give me the word and I’ll shut him up for you!” Queen Bee exclaimed, with genuine enthusiasm. Although Chloe had grown closer to the team, she still couldn’t help herself with the dig at the leather clad boy. She was a tough cookie and her mean girl spirit never seemed to leave.

“Hey! What do you mean by that?” Chat cried before Queen Bee hit him with her spinning top. 

“She asked for silence!”

 “I KNOW I HEARD HER!” Chat spat back as Carapace laughed at both blondes while they fought about Ladybug.

Ladybug tuned out the rest of her team members, focusing on the task at hand, twisting the dial and slowly changing directions with every click. 

‘Crap, I might not be able to actually crack this’ she thought before letting out a loud sigh. If she didn’t concentrate, she wouldn’t be able to open the safe and their whole plan would be ruined. The last thing she wanted to do was use Chat’s cataclysm this early in the plan. Master Fu had been fairly certain that this individual possessed a miraculous and all the other places he could’ve stored the miraculous were empty. This was the last public place he could’ve hidden it, so if it wasn’t here, they’d have to break into his home. 

The vault door clicked three times, and suddenly it was unlocked.

 “Are you sure about this Chaton?” she asked, opening her eyes and stepping to the side. Blue eyes met green, and her companion smirked.

“You realize this will be the biggest one yet, right? I wouldn’t miss this for the world!” 

She smiled and let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding in. Running around, stealing stuff and wreaking havoc was fun, sure, however Ladybug always feared that her partner would someday get tired of running away from the law. Although Chat Noir was far from a saint, he had a certain softness to him. She feared that softness would someday over take him and he would regret all the criminal activity.

She let the vault door open fully, exposing the white cold room, transparent shelf upon transparent shelf piled with gold bars in the center of the room, security deposit boxes of different sizes lining the other three walls, which contained precious jewels, euros, and documents. Unlocking those security deposit boxes was much easier than unlocking the vault door; they were all well versed in picking locks after all. 

“Ohhh, shiny!” Queen Bee gasped from behind them. Out of instinct, Chat Noir held his arm out and stopped his impulsive teammate from entering the room. Ladybug sighed and analyzed the room. Obviously, the room would have some backup sensor and if they didn’t want a quick interruption from anyone, they would have to be careful. Although part of the fun was kicking some private security details ass, if they could prevent any more notoriety than what they already had, it would be great.

“Rena, what’s the status on this vault?” Ladybug asked her companion. Say what you want about Alya, she was a tenacious reporter and very good at finding the dirt on everything and anything.

“The floor is pressure-sensitive, light lasers that will trigger an alarm if the connection is interrupted between their two plates and there is a door sensor on each security deposit box. You have about 5 seconds before an alarm is triggered.”

“Basically, don’t touch the floor or the lasers and don’t open doors. Chill,” Nino responded squatting as he looked at the vault. He knew that the lasers wouldn’t show up with another light source on. “Is there any way we can, like, turn off the lights inside the vault to see the lasers?”

“We can try to fry the power box but we risk getting locked inside this bank and alerting authorities that way,” Alya responded, “but if we fry it we have about three minutes of uninterrupted snooping before all the backup security comes back on.”

“How big of a possibility is it that we get locked in?” Marinette asked, trying to decide if it was worth it. 

“About fifty-fifty. They are between changing security systems because this one is faulty. We can get unlimited access as the backup security warms up, or it might already be on and the vault closes up again.”

Marinette exhaled loudly in frustration and looked at her partner. Although she called all the shots, Chat usually had good insight.

“I think those odds are good. Worst comes to worst I’ll just cataclysm our way out of here.” 

Marinette looked inside the vault; all three walls were filled with security deposit boxes. There was a light fixture she could swing upon, but once he used cataclysm, they would have to find a different place to swing on. 

“What’s above this again?” she asked the others and Queen Bee pulled out some blueprints from her jacket handing it to the girl in red. Being the mayor’s daughter had its perks. The blonde girl pointed to where they were, “Okay, so like we’d have to get past 2 floors of stairs to reach the front of the bank, but most likely police will have arrived.” She tapped her chin. “But I know helicopters take a bit longer to come so if we manage to find the stairways that lead to the rooftop, we can escape through there.“ 

“But won’t they use floodlights to illuminate every side of the bank?” Carapace injected, looking at the girls before Chat Noir smiled. 

“Not unless we escape down,” he offered.

"You mean through the sewers?” Rena asked.

“No offense cat, but aside from that being ridiculous and gross,” Queen Bee huffed crossing her arms, “it would also limit our escape route and if they decide to go through the sewers, they will immediately catch us. Besides it will probably take longer for them to set up floodlights anyways.”

“Look, there’s a mall right across the street and behind it is the Seine, I think going through the roof is best since we don’t have any map of the sewers or know it. It feels like we could be exposed if we get lost, especially if any of us end up using our powers.”

Queen Bee smirked as Ladybug spoke, happy Ladybug was on her side. The rest of the Antiheros agreed, “But I think if time is just too short, we might have to go through the sewers. But we don’t have much more time to change the plan.” She beckoned the others towards her and the blueprints on the floor

All five huddled around as she laid the blueprints on the floor. “Ok so where exactly is the power system?” Marinette asked.

The team managed to pull the robbery almost miraculously. Having lady luck on their side, things went better than expected. Carapace was able to cut the wires of the vault, and banks’ power grid. Luckily the backup generators weren’t up, so the bank was completely unarmed for a good few minutes, giving the Antiheroes some time to snoop around and take some souvenirs. Although they had very little time, they were able to open a good portion of the wall security deposit boxes, and they took some very valuable documents, cash in different currencies and jewelry. As Queen Bee, Carapace and Rena Rouge were distracted with the gold bars and Chat Noir seemed deep in thought while looking at something in a security deposit box, Ladybug slipped something in her yoyo. Then suddenly an alarm blared above, signaling that something was amiss. They decided to cut their losses and get out of there before any more attention was brought to them. With everything secure in their miraculous tools, they ran towards the roof of the building, and saw the lights of the patrol cars closing in, they were about to cross the busy highway when suddenly they saw a huge iron man grow from one of the patrol cars. 

“An Akuma!” Carapace called out.

“Well crap.” Ladybug groaned. “Let’s get rid of it.”

⛄❆❅☃⛄❆❅❄☃⛄❆❅❄☃⛄❆❅❄☃⛄❆❅❄☃⛄❆❅❄☃⛄❆❅❄☃⛄❆❅

Adrien threw his backpack into his room and collapsed in his bed arriving home after a long fight with an Akuma. This one had been rough. The steel man had been the bank director,  and he had previous boxing experience so it was a doozy. He groaned as Plagg started to complain next to him, how many times he had gotten hit as Chat was uncertain but Adrien lifted his shirt and saw an angry purple welt forming near his ribcage. He was certain it had been way too many for comfort. Another of his concerns was a certain blue-eyed girl’s reaction to seeing his bruises. Although the antiheroes were always careful to never get hit in the face or anywhere visible, an Akuma had once hit Chat straight across the face, leaving a nasty black eye. Marinette berated him about being reeekless and not putting his own life before Ladybug’s and the team’s. He felt her love but at the same time it was too much. Marinette’s reaction was really overkill for him, he knew his girlfriend cared but not to this extent. She took care of him, was so gentle and kind, Adrien felt a bit uncomfortable not getting that at home. She worried, and he was very touched that she did, but it also made him worry about not worrying her. 

His girlfriend had obviously known it was Chat who was hit, but Adrien had to make an incident happen at home so his black eye was explained as well. Luckily there were cameras in every crevice of his house, so him slipping and hitting himself on the bannister was more than enough of an excuse. He sighed and put his shirt back down. Plagg floated next to him holding a piece of cheese bigger than his entire oddly shaped head. “Worrying about baker girl?” he offered. 

“If my shirt rides up and she sees this, I’ll be toast.” He sighs.  

“Then wear a girdle,” Plagg said nonchalantly inhaling the cheese, to Adrien’s dismay. 

“I should really lower your cheese intake for the amount of sass you give me.” He narrowed his eyes at the cat god, before laying back down in his bed. 

“Don’t you even joke about that lover boy. Remember I am the god of destruction and I might feel inclined to destroy some of your favorite anime DVDs.”

“I can download them again online.”

“Not your limited edition, uncut Naruto DVD, signed by the voice actors in Japan.”

Adrien sat back up and looked at his Kawamii “You wouldn’t dare do that.”

“Don’t test me.” Plagg laughed before flying back to his cheese.

Adrien groaned and threw himself back on his bed, putting an arm over his eyes and sighed. “I bet Ladybug’s Kawamii wouldn’t threaten me as you do.”

“Sugarcube? HA. She would’ve killed you by now because you wouldn’t be able to give her sweets so readily like cheese. Might I remind you of the long-standing sugar ban in your house?”

“Might I remind you I have a baker girlfriend who’s parents own the best bakery in all Paris.”

“Of whom you’ve been dating for less than a year. How long have you been Chat Noir?”

Adrien groaned in exasperation, knowing the kawamii made a good point. He decided that instead of fighting with his Kawami he should focus his energy on something else, like the present for his girlfriend. He walked over to his desk, where he had already put all his gifts in a box, yet he still hadn’t wrapped. He looked over everything when his eyes landed on a small blue box. He had bought Marinette a bracelet, from that really expensive store Chloe always gushes about, yet it felt impersonal, and wrong to some degree. His girlfriend wasn’t much about jewelry and fancy things, and he knew she appreciated when he made things himself, much like he enjoyed her handmade gifts. He had the feeling that she would still wear the lucky charm he made her more than the fancy bracelet. He let out a long exhale and looked up at the ceiling. What else could he give her? It was too late to buy something at a store, and he definitely couldn’t gift her something he had stolen from the bank yet suddenly his eyes landed on the picture of his mom.  Why hadn’t he thought of that before? His dad was away in the USA, making sure the Agreste line was sold overseas and wouldn’t be back until after Christmas. Nathalie was with his father and Gorilla was fast asleep. He snuck down the hall, careful to avoid any of the camera’s and stood in front of his parents’ bedroom. He hadn’t been in his parent’s bedroom for the longest time, and it seemed his father hadn’t either, as he slept in one of the various guest rooms around the house. He took his unlocking tools from his pocket and worked the keyhole, and quickly stepped inside the dark and dusty room, glad that the door hinge hadn’t made a sound after all these years of neglect. He was surprised to smell his mothers’ perfume amidst all of the dust. The hairs on his arm went up as he realized he wasn’t alone in the room. 

“You okay kid?” He heard Plagg’s voice whisper to him, and Adrien calmed down.

“Thanks, Plagg” Adrien whispered back and smiled, feeling somewhat better after the assault on his sense. Plagg landed on Adrien’s shoulder, nuzzling next to his chosen neck, to give the teenager some sense of calm. He knew how hard it was for Adrien to remember his mother, even after all these years, the boy couldn’t get over the presumed death of his mother; Plagg realized once Adrien left where he was going and followed him, just to make sure the boy was okay. Adrien let his eyes adjust to the darkness before venturing further into the room. He could see the fine layer of dust on his mother’s vanity, where albeit organized had some things out of place where she used them the day before she was gone. He smiled and ventured closer to their closet, a huge walk-in with a variety of colors. He went towards his mother’s side, remembering how she used to go through her things, him sitting on a bench in the middle of the closet. He knew exactly where to go. He opened one of the drawers and found many scarves yet carefully pulled them out, to find a small safe. Even his mother kept some secrets from his father. He put in his birthday as the safe combination and the light turned green and he heard it unlock. He smiled and opened the top of the safe to find an assortment of jewelry boxes, documents, and pictures. Deciding he would never be able to come back, he took the documents and pictures with him, putting them next to the scarves before looking at the jewelry boxes. He found delicate yet fine jewelry that he knew his mother had a sentimental attachment to, her favorite pieces she only wore around places she knew, with the fear of losing them. He opened a small box and smiled brightly. His mother mostly wore what was in the box when it was just the two of them. His father didn’t let either one of them out of the house much and his mother made the most out of their time together. He was suddenly flooded with memories of her; his mother in jeans and a t-shirt the jewelry she wore catching the light and reflecting as she played the piano in their living room, his mother laughing with him as they cooked in the kitchen together, his mother running around the house looking for him as they played hide and seek and then hugging him when she found him, his mother singing him a song about kitties on rooftops following childhood nightmares, his mother hugging him goodbye before a photoshoot promising her son tea later that day before he never saw her again. 

He felt plagg purring on his shoulder bringing him back from his sudden memories, wiping a tear from his eye. He pets his kawami, took the box and put it in his pocket, before closing the safe and putting the scarves back as he found them. He grabbed the documents before heading out, the memories of his mother too much for him. 

He sneaked back into his room, careful to lock the door again and leave everything as it was. He put all the papers in a random drawer in his desk and put the jewelry box inside the gift box for his girlfriend. Plagg, floated away from Adrien as he went back to his bed, flinging himself on it, belly first and buried his head on his pillow. Plagg brought a blanket from his chosen’s sofa and draped it over him, before laying on Adrien’s head in complete silence. He had more experience with his chosen and learned when Adrien needed to be distracted and when he just needed support, this occasion was the latter. They stayed in silence for a while before Adrien lifted his head, pale face red and warm, eyes also red and his cheeks wet. He sighed before going to the bathroom to wash his face. 

The holidays have always been a hard time for him, yet seeing all his mother’s stuff was putting more of a damper on him. He let the sink faucet run before letting the cool clear liquid splash onto his hands. He looked at the water, seeing how it flowed freely, given no pressure, and the sound it made cascading from the faucet onto his hands and then trickling down onto his porcelain sink, carefree. He splashed his face to clear his mind. Reminding himself of things that made him happy. The way Nino moved around when the beat was ‘way too good bro’; the way Alya’s would smile mischievously whenever she had a lead on whatever case she was researching, the way Chloe would buy small things for Sabrina because it was ‘totally out of fashion’ for her, but her best friend would love jt; how ladybug would always pound his fist when they defeated an Akuma; Finally he thought of Marinette the way her blue eyes sparkled brighter than any star in the Parisian night sky and the melody of her laughter when she let herself be carefree with him, the way her body moved with fluidity and confidence when sewing details on her commissions, the curve of her lips when she joked around with him and the unwavering strength of volition in her voice when she spoke those three words that he could hear her say over and over again. He smiled, water dripping from his chin, his miraculous might have been an omen of bad luck, but he felt like the luckiest boy alive. He turned off the faucet feeling much better and dried his face with a towel. He walked towards his desk when he suddenly felt his pocket vibrate. He tapped his phone unlocking it with his face before smiling at the text he received. 

‘Hope the Akuma didn’t interfere with you Iron Man fanfiction.’

‘My princess you underestimate my love for my Iron Man self insert fiction.’

He didn’t have to wait long before his girlfriend texted back and his phone vibrated once again in his hands. 

‘Damn I don’t know if you are a weaboo

or a nerd.’

‘I haven’t mentioned anime ONCE

… Since our last convo.’

‘Nope, I was mistaken you ARE a dork.’

‘Working on my body pillow girlfriend as a Christmas present?’

‘Ah…

I suddenly have something else to do than participate in this conversation’

‘😿‘

‘😂 JK Dorkzilla

But hey are you okay?

Did the Akuma do any damage?’

‘ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMESRatAG04 ’

‘That cat looks terrified

But are you okay? Are you injured?’

‘ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5R5jG_5N5ZU ,

but if that doesn’t convince you then you can come over 😽’

‘Alright

I’ll take it Dorkus Suprimious

I do have to sleep tho

Love you Chaton

Sweet dreams.’

‘Thanks for checking up on me Princess

Rest well and see you tomorrow

Love you bunches’

“Well, you seem to be in a better mood.” Plagg teased, hovering in front of Adrien again. 

“Thanks, Plagg,” Adrien said, putting his phone down. “You helped me back there.”

“It was nothing kid.” 

Adrien smiled and pet his Kawami, deciding that this was all he needed for the holiday season.

“Well, are we going to unpack what you stole from the bank or what?” Plagg asked and Adrien laughed.

“You realize curiosity killed that cat right?”⛄❆❅☃⛄❆❅❄☃⛄❆❅❄☃⛄❆❅❄☃⛄❆❅❄☃⛄❆❅❄☃⛄❆❅❄☃⛄❆

The following night Chat Noir ran across the rooftops in the quiet cold Parisian night, Christmas joy felt pouring out of their house, the dreams of children asleep with the hope presents delivered the following day. He glanced among the lights until he found the one he was looking for. There on the corner, on top of a small bakery, was a balcony emitting a soft glow. He ran with more vigor, feeling almost entirely carefree. There stood Marinette wrapped in a blanket looking at the night sky, deep in thought. 

To think that it was just yesterday that they had pulled the biggest heist to date, fought an akumatized bank director, stole about 6.2 million euros in combined assets of gold, jewelry, and cash. As Marinette stood there deep in thought, in her hand she held the most prized possession from the heist. An inconspicuous seeming black pendant. When she found it inside one of the safety deposit boxes, hidden behind more precious jewels, she knew it was the miraculous she was looking for. The mouse miraculous. She hadn’t had time to properly admire it and let the kawami free of its holding. Now that she was the Guardian, she was a bit more lenient with the kawamis than Master Fu had been, letting them free of their confinements. 

Chat Noir shot his staff from a rooftop over so he could walk over to his lady. “Penny for your thought Princess?” he asked, sauntering over. Marinette blinked and looked at her sudden companion. 

“Damn and I thought that buying that Valerian plant would keep you away,” she smirked, gesturing toward the flower. Chat smirked and walked towards the tall pink plant, bending over to smell its sweet aroma. Something inside him felt even more blissful if that were possible. 

"Princess, whoever told you that was way wrong. I’m pretty sure this plant is calling me more towards here. Oh, I’m so attracted to this plant, Mari, I could just about leave you for it.” This brought forth laughter from the girl and he couldn’t help but smile. 

“To think that it would only take a plant to get rid of you! I would’ve bought it years ago.” 

“Oh, you wound me princess! Would you really get rid of this amazing body and even better puns?” 

“I might’ve just kept the puns.”

 Chat Noir held a hand to his forehead and sighed dramatically. “Your words are like daggers tonight!” 

Marinette laughed again and opened an arm covered in a blanket, inviting her boyfriend to join the warmth. “I have to keep you alley cats on your toes.” She giggled as Chat Noir took her invitation, wrapped his arms around her torso and resting his head on her shoulder. She took this as an opportunity to pull the blanket over his shoulder and kiss his forehead. They remained in silence for a while, admiring the view from her balcony before Marinette felt Chat Noir shifting, the height difference between them finally getting in the way of their cuddling. “Too uncomfortable Kitty?” she asked as he pulled his head from her shoulder.

"Nothing is more comfur-table than your arms,” he purred. 

“I swear if you start with those cat—” Marinette was suddenly cut off as he moved his arms from around her and swiftly lifted her into the air. 

“Chat!” Marinette exclaimed as the blanket fell from their shoulders, her frame hovering a good foot off the floor, nestled between black claws and a leather-clad chest. Thankfully she was holding the pendant tightly in her other hand, if she hadn’t been, it would have surely dropped onto the floor, or worse, off the balcony and onto the street. He wordlessly carried her over to the loveseat she kept near the trapdoor leading to her room. 

He gently dropped her onto her side before going back to get the blanket. Marinette took advantage of this to slip the pendant in her pocket. “You know there are easier ways of shutting me up.” She said, moving her legs over the side of the bench to give the leather-clad criminal some space to sit. 

“I know of at least one other good way,“ Chat retorted, looking at the girl and wiggling his eyebrows. She threw a pillow at the laughing cat, her face bright red. "Okay! Okay! Truce! Damn, my girlfriend has a pretty strong arm,” he said chuckling a wide grin on his face. She stuck out her tongue in response. He picked up the pillow she had thrown at his head as well as the large pink wool blanket. “You know I’m glad you agreed to change your chair to this bench,” Chat said walking back towards it, but instead of giving her a chance to respond he put the blanket on her head. He smiled as he watched the petite girl struggled to find her way out of the blanket. 

“You realize I’m the cat, here right?” He laughed as Marinette pulled the cloth away from her face. With a newfound determination, she stood from the couch and walked up to the tall leather-clad superhero with a bit more sway to her hip. Chat smirked; green eyes focused on her entirely. 

“Oh, I know you’re the big cat here,” she said, flicking his bell with the tip of her fingernails. Chat swallowed loudly. “Which is why I am the strong bug here.”

 Chat looked at the girl quizzically yet had no time to really think as Marinette shoved him towards her trap door. He fell with somewhat of muffled thud onto her bed. Marinette laughed as he stared up at her from his position on the bed, wincing in pain get quickly changed his face to not worry his girlfriend. 

“Long live the king I guess,” he said, making the girl laugh with more vigor. Chat groaned and turned around trying to get up, his foot getting caught on one of the many pillows Marinette had on her bed and proceeded to fall face-first onto the bed again, prompting the girl on the balcony to howl with even louder laughter.  He groaned with pain, why was his little lady so adamant on hurting him today?

“You wish you were Mufasa,” she said, between gasps of air, bent over holding her stomach. in the time she had been distracted he popped his head through the trap door looking taking in the beautiful sight that was his girlfriend. 

"Why don’t you come here and say it to my face?” he quipped ducking back into her bed. 

She smiled and grabbed the blanket off her bench and went down her trap door stairs before closing it to keep the winter air out. She put the blanket over her boyfriend before settling on her knees as she heard the words, “Claws off” come from inside the blanket. She pulled the blanket off and There sitting on her bed was Adrien Agreste, holding his hands behind his back and a Santa hat perched on his head. “Ta-da” he whispered. 

She smiled and blushed, still not used to the model being her actual boyfriend.

“Hey Chaton,” she said softly, before he grinned.

“Nice to know you can practice magic princess.”

“I could say the same,” she said, gesturing towards the hat on his head. He had bought one with a small bell at the end and she dinged it with her fingers. “How is it you go around the world all in one night spreading presents?”

“Well you see princess, as you know I am a world-renowned criminal, infamous even, you might say, so I know my way around breaking and entering,“ he said with a wink.

She couldn’t help but roll her eyes a little. "Without you being a renowned,”- she put air quotes around the last word- “criminal, you always seem to be able to break into my house." 

Adrien couldn’t help but laugh, a faint blush gracing his cheeks. "Don’t you mean I break into your heart?” he said before moving closer to the girl. 

“Humph,” was all her response, her cheeks tinged a bright pink. 

“Merry Christmas, Mon Amore,” he said kissing her cheek before producing a box from behind his back. He had hidden it inside his baton and taken advantage of the amount of time it took her to get down to retrieve it. 

“Chaton, thank you,” Marinette said, eyes widening. She gently took the present from his hands. It had been hastily wrapped, and obviously contained more than one object inside. “I see you still are terrible at present wrapping,” she chuckled. 

He laughed, taking it lightly. “It took about three tries to get it looking not so bulky. Why are the corners so hard to fold?” he mused. 

“It takes years to become a master at gift wrapping!” she replied, winking. “Although I am more surprised you managed to contain yourself and get me only one box.”  

“I knew you wouldn’t let me give you more than one present, after what happened the last time I tried showering you with celebration gifts” he said sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. A few months after they started dating, Marinette had to make Adrien stop with the grand gestures every other day and limited him to only one present for celebrations. One time he went overboard and got her 50 presents, one of every kiss they had given each other since they started dating.

“I’m glad you know me so well kitty,” Marinette said as she started to unwrap the box and gently take the top off. She took out the tissue paper from inside the box and found three objects, a jar, a jewelry box and a picture frame. “Adrien…” Marinette trailed off as she took a good look at the frame. It was the picture Alya had taken of them on the train ride to London years ago. She had only heard of the infamous picture, never actually getting to keep it, her red-headed friend vowing it would be a great wedding present when Marinette would finally get the guts to confess to the blonde. “How did you get this?” she asked picking up the frame gingerly. 

“I have my ways,” he said, winking. 

In reality he had broken into Nino’s phone to get it, since no one could know they were dating. Even though Marinette knew his secret identity, finding out only after she helped him escape from one of their many heists, it was better if no one else knew. And to keep Marinette safe he had to make sure no one knew who he was really dating. Being a criminal for so many years only made Chat Noir, along with all the other Miraculous holders, more notable. And even though they lived their civilian lives normally, there was still a risk if they were ever unmasked, and he could not have any of the various enemies they have stolen from even catch wind of Marinette. It was also particularly risky given the fact that Adrien was a public figure, so it wouldn’t be hard to pinpoint the people he cared about. That meant he had to keep their relationship out of the public eye and from their friends, with the risk of them being akumatized. Thankfully Marinette understood and was a bit too on board with it, he had his suspicions as to why. 

She smiled and put the frame down on her bed and took out the jar. The sound was enough to shake Adrien from his thoughts. “Take one out whenever you miss me, or you feel angry or sad,” he prompted after she looked up at him quizzically. It was full of paper stars, and she suddenly realized he probably wrote little notes on them and then folded each slip of paper. He really was the most thoughtful boyfriend. 

Finally, the small jewelry box stared back at her. “Wait!” Marinette exclaimed, suddenly remembering something. 

Adrien looked taken aback as the girl scrambled down her lofted bed and disappeared underneath the bed, towards her desk. She returned towards the steps of her bed holding three neatly wrapped presents. She tossed them on top of the bed, nearly missing Adrien’s head and ran back up the loft stairs. She collected all of them and gave them to her boyfriend, with a small smile on her face as he had a wide smile on his face. 

“I think there was an easier way of doing that princess." 

“All the best things happen spontaneously and in threes.” 

“The best thing that happened was that you managed to do all that without tripping,” he teased his girlfriend.

She rolled her eyes. “Joyeux Noël, Cherie,” she said as he tenderly accepted the gifts. Although he adored his girlfriend he was still surprised whenever she gave him gifts. 

He took the top gift and unwrapped it viciously, excited to see what was inside. He found a pair of knitted gloves, with four accompanying smaller ones. “Wait you made this for plagg too?” He said with wide eyes. She nodded. 

“And he’s probably busy with the camembert croissants I made for him,” she said, lying to cover that Plagg was probably with Tikki and the other Kawamis. 

“God you really are amazing,” he said leaning over to kiss Marinette, making the girl blush red. 

“It wasn’t such a big thing…. But open the rest!” 

He complied with her request putting the smallest box aside and opening the other one that accompanied it, being just slightly bigger than the previous one he just opened. He smiled and tore the wrapping paper again. “Mari…” he trailed off as he looked at the picture. It was a collage of pictures, both from his Instagram as well as candids that seem to be taken by Marinette himself, framed in a beautiful frame. He smiled a bittersweet smile as he saw she had included a picture of him and his mother. “This is just… it so thoughtful I don’t think my present can ever compete with this,” he said looking at his girlfriend. She hugged his frame and laughed 

“Kitty, you can’t ever compete because this isn’t a competition. Just having you here beats this whole thing,” she said reassuring leaning over the gifts to hug him. “Besides you had to do some serious hacking to get this picture so if it is a competition you have me beat, because even I wouldn’t go behind Ayla’s back.” He kissed the top of her head, deciding not to argue, but looked back at his hand and the collage. 

“Wait you haven’t opened my last present!” he said as she took her arms away from his shoulders. 

“That you are about right,” She said. “And you need to open mine.” She said gesturing to the large rectangular box.

 He nodded and started to unwrap his as she gingerly took the velvet box out of the present box. He stopped unwrapping and looked up at Marinette wanting to gauge her reaction. She opened her mouth as she opened the container. “Adrien, this is too much. I can’t accept it,” she said, looking up at him worriedly. 

“It used to be my mother’s,” he started to explain, taking the gift out of her hands. He looked down and saw the small golden heart pendant, lined with diamonds, a smaller heart shaped ruby right inside, with the accompanying stud earrings. “I saw it buried hidden with all her other jewelry; I know she would have loved for you to have it,” he said smiling brightly.

“You really do love me, don’t you?” she whispered in disbelief. To have given her something that special, that meaningful it meant Adrien saw a future with her, with Marinette, clumsy and normal Marinette.

He smiled sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck in a nervous way. “I do love you Mari, I just hope it wasn’t too much…” he trailed off. She shook her head and took the box from him. “I just saw it had studs and you always use those black ones and it looked like something you would really like…” he trailed off as he saw her gingerly take the necklace our of its packaging. 

“Can you put it on?” He smiled as she handed him the small necklace. He nodded as she turned around and lifted her hair. He clasped it on and kissed the back of her neck gently. “All done my lady.” He smiled, wanting to see if the name would bring forth a reaction from his girlfriend, yet she was too enthralled with the earrings. 

She couldn’t take off her miraculous, but she also couldn’t not put on the earrings, it would hurt him. So, she decided to change tactics. “You still haven’t opened my present, even though it isn’t as beautiful as yours…” she said putting her hair back down and moving away from her boyfriend. 

He smiled. “Anything you give me, my darling, is so special to me,” he said, ripping the neat wrapping paper almost instantly. 

“Sure you don’t need a cataclysm with that?” Marinette joked, trying to lighten the mood as she played with the pendent with her fingers. It felt expensive, no doubt since both Adrien’s parents were loaded it was probably real gemstones, she most definitely could not wear it every day. 

He laughed before opening the box. “A leather jacket?” he exclaimed, ecstatic. He had always wanted to wear one, yet it wasn’t in accordance with his public persona according to his father. 

“I made it myself, I thought it’s time to show the world how good Adrien Agreste looks in black leather.” She winked. He kept looking at the jacket dumbfounded when Marinette suddenly started to explain, nervous she had done a bad job stitching, “I know it’s not your dad’s brand but…”

“I love it! Marinette it looks incredible! It’s a Marinette Original.” He took the jacket out and immediately put it on. 

“How did you get my measurements?” he asked, "it fits like a glove”. 

“Seamstress magic!” she replied not wanting to admit she snuck into his room as ladybug, measured one of this tailored suits in his closet and then left. “I made it incase you ever felt you need a boast of Chat Noir in your day to day life,” she said smiling “And I was this close to making you kitty ears,” she said holding her fingers up very close together. He laughed and pulled Marinette towards him. “How did I get such a great girlfriend?” he asked her, peppering her face with kisses. 

She smiled. “I don’t know, kitty, how did you?” she teased back. 

Adrien pushed their presents to the side so they could lay down on her bed. He hugged her tightly and kissed her head before looking at her smiling. “Marinette, I’m so happy we are together, you really are the most open and kind person in my life, you are my everything.”

Marinette couldn’t help the weight that fell on her, the pendant in her pants felt almost burning, she had a whole side of her that Adrien didn’t know, and she had to find a way to tell him, she couldn’t keep that a secret from her companion, her best friend and her boyfriend. “And you are mine,” she replied smiling.

“Merry Christmas, my Lady.” 

“Merry Christmas, my Kitty.”

[sellyoursoulforagoodfic]

Just Another Soldier Chapter 2

Yon-Rogg x reader

Summary: You finally get to sleep in . . . right before you have to leave again. Vers learns some stuff, and some sparring is done.

Word Count: 1329

A few days later, the couple got to wake up on their own terms—what with having Vers bang on the door every other morning. They were in the same position as the first time when Y/N woke up to the warm—almost scalding—fingers gently trailing along her side and back. It was the kiss to the middle of her back that prompted her to open her eyes.

“No Vers today?” she asked, rubbing the back of her wrist on her eye.

“Good morning to you, too.” A glance over her shoulder showed mirth-filled golden eyes and a hand settling on her hip. “I may or may not have lightly drugged her dinner last night. Girl needed the sleep.”

“I knew there was a reason I loved you.”

“I should hope you love me for more than that,” he chuckled.

“What did I say about doubting me?”

That sent the man into an honest bout of laughter. The room rang with the sound she’d missed as his head fell back down to rest on her back once more.

“Get up here, so I can kiss you.”

Of course, all good things had to come to an end, and Y/N’s shore leave was only for two weeks. That last morning saw them both in uniform headed for the hanger with a respectable distance between them for once. They were soon thankful for that extra space when they saw Vers—who’d been running through a parallel corridor—jog into their path.

“Who’s this?” she asked, smirking.

“This is none of your business,” he laughed.

“The None-of-My-Business? How nice to meet you! I’m Vers.”

“And I don’t have time for pleasantries,” Y/N stated bluntly, brushing past the blonde. “Some of us aren’t infiltrators and are needed on the warfront. Yon, next leave is in six months.”

“Don’t get killed out there.”

“Don’t kill your student while I’m gone.” Y/N tossed a grin at both of them over her shoulder. “I want a spar with her when I get back.”

“That’s … weirdly nice,” Vers commented as the Y/H/C rounded the corner.

“No, it isn’t,” Yon-Rogg chuckled. “Knowing her, you’re going to get the shit beat outta you for waking her up every morning.”

“Oh I don’t like the sound of that.”

“If you knew who she is, you’d be terrified.”

Well, he wasn’t wrong. Vers liked to pretend she had half a chance against the stranger, but as her back hit the floor for the tenth time she realized that’d been a pipe dream. As it turned out, the woman was even better at hand-to-hand than Yon-Rogg; though, if Vers thought about it that made sense because the woman saw more direct combat.

“Alright, darling,” inwardly, Yon-Rogg winced at the term of endearment that slipped out uninvited in this public space, “let the poor girl go. I still need her in one piece.”

She gave a mock sigh. “If you insist.” Vers’ surprise at the offered hand that followed must have shown on her face. “I’m not a complete dick. You actually did pretty well.”

“Thanks!” Vers stuck her tongue out at her teacher once she was back on her feet, earning a roll of his golden eyes. “Why don’t you two go a round?”

“Great idea!”

“Now, Y/N, you know how this ended last time,” he warned even as they started circling one another.

“Just because you’re a sore loser …”

“You cheated last time.”

“Oh, come on that was not cheating. I just happened to have inside knowledge of my opposition.”

“Cheated.”

The ensuing fight proceeded to make any match between Vers and Yon-Rogg look like child’s play. He was still every bit as strong as he always was, but it seemed o be speed that was his downfall this time. Normally, he was just fast enough to dodge Vers’ attacks; with Y/N—as Vers now knew her name was—it wasn’t enough. She was more than quick enough to escape from holds and throws that Vers knew her teacher favored. Instead, Yon-Rogg found himself tossed around the room.

“Come on, baby,” her voice taunted as she rolled her shoulders, hands up and ready to strike. “You’re getting slow in your old age.”

“We’re the same age!” came the indignant protest.

Y/N laughed even as she launched her next attack. “And yet I’m winning.”

It was as if he concentrated all of his speed into one attack based on what happened next. His hand struck out lightning quick to grab her wrist. The next two seconds saw her being whipped around and thrown to her back only to be pinned beneath him.

“You were saying?” He learned forward, putting his weight onto his leg that was sitting with his foot on the ground rather than the knee of his other leg in the kneeling position he’d adopted.

Their positioning—he was only straddling one of her legs as he pinned her arms with his—left him open to her next move. She used her free leg to flip their positions. The full switch was too quick for Vers to really see, but it ended with Yon-Rogg having Y/N straddling his stomach with his hands pinned by hers above his head. His attempt at retaliation (a mirror of the move she’d just pulled) ended with him getting a love-tap to the jaw and a forearm across his throat.

“Yikes,” Vers breathed.

“Do you yield?” Y/N chuckled. She was quite comfy in this position, and she was enjoying being able to smirk down at her partner smugly.

“Don’t think I have much choice, darling,” he scoffed.

Y/N released his hands and neck as she sat up. Automatically, her palms rested on his chest and his moved to grip her thighs, positions that were purely instinctive at this point. “Don’t be a sore loser, Yon. I didn’t even cheat this time.”

“Fair enough,” he admitted.

Much like she did with Vers, Y/N helped Yon-Rogg to his feet. “You might beat me someday,” she teased.

“You know you guys still haven’t told me who you are to each other,” the blonde pointed out.

“You’re supposed to figure it out for yourself,” Y/N countered. “Oh yeah. I know about your assignment.”

The group started to leave the training room, none of them bothering to put on shoes. They fell into a triangle formation with Vers following behind the other two.

“Go wash up, Vers,” Yon-Rogg ordered with a glance over his shoulder. “You’ve got sniper training with Minerva in an hour.”

“As you command,” Vers said with a mock-bow.

Little did the couple know, but the blonde decided to take advantage of the relatively empty hallway and hopped up into the utility ducts to creep on them. Considering the fact that she never saw the pair together last time, this might be her only chance to spy on them: when they thought they were alone.

Pretty much as soon as they were theoretically alone, Yon-Rogg’s hand drifted down to hold Y/N’s. “I trust that everything went well at the front?”

“In a manner of speaking. Jaarl was killed on a raid last month, and I was shot at some point I think. It all became a bit of a blur towards the end. There was talk of disbanding my team for a few months to give everyone a break.”

“Where would they have you go?”

“Your squad probably given how well we work together.”

“I’m … not sur that is the best idea.”

“Neither am I. Harder to keep emotions out of combat when you’re intimate with the CO.”

“Is that what we’re calling it now?”

“Well I can’t make it too easy for our little tail.” The knowing glance her Y/E/C eyes made towards the grate Vers had been watching through prompted the trainee to retreat.

Yon-Rogg chuckled. “Come on, love. Something tells me that you could use a massage.”

“Well if you’re offering …”

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Magia Record 4 | Uchitama 3 - 5 | Eizouken 5 | Iruma-kun 17 - 18 | BnHA 76 - 79 | ID: Invaded 5 - 7

Magia Record 4

There’s a fish behind Iroha. Also, I was confused about the ketchup cake thing Jenn mentiond in one of her posts until I saw it here.(On a related note, ketchup cake seems to really exist…but only in Canada.)

Ah! Tsuruno. I’ve heard of her from reading around about this mobage.

The coding of the episode went funny again…

I feel like despite this being everything Madoka was, this seems to have lost some of the charm somehow. I’ve been reading that others are having similar experiences, though. Update: I think I know why now…although there are magical girl events fuelling the entire thing, the show is currently more bent on being a CGDCT. That’s why I’m not so happy with it…I dunno about others, though.

I suspected Séance Shrine was Mizuna Shrine…I mean, it was right behind Iroha and co.

Who was that blonde girl…?

I thought I just saw face-stealing aliens swoop in (i.e. someone didn’t bother drawing in the girls’ faces). I thought that was just a Bones thing exclusive to BSD.

“Olibe oil” (sic). Also, there are creepy blue (green?) figures walking the aisles…

I notice Iroha needed an extra bounce to get over the gate.

What’s that orange marking on the girls’ faces…? Update: Reading the wiki reveals it’s the Witch’s Kiss, or something similar to it.

Uchitama 3

Well, it says “chome” but gets translated to “street”…which is a bit weird. A chome is a city district, which functions much like a street but isn’t the same.

I just realised the title card has a dog’s face on it. Maybe next time it’ll be a cat’s face…

Oh my gosh, it’s a Yu-Gi-Oh duel! Teenager-ness…(?) What is that (LOL)?! *squints at screen* Oh, chuunibyou. That makes sense.

They even materialised the (Gon’s) chair! (LOL)

At least this matchup isn’t Bull vs. Momo…thank goodness(!)

I seriously love how much skin they make Bull show…(LOL…?)

Well, if the race to the top is exciting then the race to the bottom should be humiliating, no? That’s how these things work.

LOL, just seeing a badass dude that’s meant to represent a wolf howling like one is hilarious. (But seriously, are any of these neighbourhood dogs a Bad Enough Dude, to paraphrase an old game meme?)

Don’t Naruto run, Pochi! It’s dangerous!

Ahhhhhhh, so that’s why people call Pochi “Shiro” and feed him tofu…

The video got encoded funny again…

Uchitama 4

This is like Wakasa all over again…

The “My Name is Gon” title is a reference to “I Am a Cat” (Wahagai wa Neko de Aru). It actually doesn’t have the word for “name” in there, which is a bit weird…Update: It’s about the day-to-day introspection and life of a cat and the wagahai suggests the cat thinks rather highly of himself, so I’d assume the former (applied to a dog of course), if not both of those things to be part of this.

The fact that Gon doesn’t move his mouth while telling us weird things (such as how Bull’s sweater reminds him of an old lady in Osaka) is hilarious. It’s almost like a play with Gon as narrator.

See? That titlecard has a different dog’s face now! (I believe it’s Kuro’s, actually.)

This series is actually really informative about cats and dogs!

The Detective Conan parody cat is pretty interesting in regards to how the series wants to play with the human/animal dichotomy.

Now the titlecard has a cat’s face.

This song is so energetic! The banners are pretty funny too – I mean, “trying to get a ripped body” is impossible for a dog, right?

Yyyyyyyyup, Ume is singing this song (Sanchome no Hoshi* or The Star of 3rd District*)! I’m being spoilt!

Eizouken 5

Iron Giant…I thought the name sounded familiar. Turns out it’s a Brad Bird-directed movie.

This episode is very Scott...LOL.

I like how they showed the back of the guy to correspond with the back of the robot.

Iruma 17

Gap = sukima, as you might know from a post I made re: Mairimashita! Iruma-kun puns.

“Yes, boss!” in English.

Why do people being questioned  at a koban always have katsudhum? (Hataraku Maousama reference)

Ooh, this long-haired demon from the Game or New Magic battler is hot!!!

That's the 1st time Acchan and Bakemi appear...

I'd assume the ga in Gabuko means gakkou (school).

Now it's ki su ma...(instead of sukima)

Iruma 18

Aw, Kiriwo's so cute...

...and he's now a sadist. (Good job, me...I don't like sadists much.)

The cyclops girl's name is Dosanko, huh?

Hanabi are "fire flowers" (translating somewhat literally), which is why they "bloom" in the translation.

Update: Oh, I accidentally skipped ep. 17. I was wondering how Sabro got to hold up Comecome's stall…

BnHA 76

I’m not sure how the subbers got “Go entropy! Plus Chaos!”, although it might have something to do with Saikou da! (which I made out from listening to the audio).

Okay, now you can hear them say “Plus Chaos”.

Note Overhaul’s eyecatch background is purple, which contrasts Deku’s green. By the way, the eyecatch says that Overhaul belongs to the Shie Hassaikai and not the League…the guy’s always been picky about not being associated with the League.

The one time I turn the volume off, I don’t need it (LOL).

Dame da is closer to “It’s useless” or “You’re useless” than “Naughty girl”, subbers.

The coronavirus has taught me that masks make people seem less human, especially those with weird mouths like Overhaul’s plague doctor/bird one.

BnHA 77

In one of the Discord servers where Mudamaid appears, I decided to take Chronostasis. Why? He isn’t that bad-looking when he hasn’t got his mask on, to be real with you.

Froppy uses “senpai”, not Tamaki’s hero name.

I believe Tamaki calls Tsuyu “Kero-chan”, hence “Miss Ribbit”.

I wanna cry…I know Nighteye won’t see All Might again until All Might himself dies…(and this is because I’ve read the manga – thanks Viz and Shonen Jump for doing that!)

Shigaraki makes me beg the question…where do those hands of his come from??? Update: Ewwwwwwwww, those hands come from individuals affected by Tomura’s Quirk! (I think that’s a spoiler though…)

I almost got to the point of crying. I mean, I knew it would happen, but seeing it animated…makes it worse, y’know??? (Also, I accidentally might’ve stuck my finger in my eye when I was trying to wipe away tears, so either way, I teared up.)

BnHA 78

Huh? This OP is awfully cheerful after Nighteye’s death…I think it’s called Star Maker? Update: Star Marker by Kana Boon.

Well, you do realise I don’t know about anything after this point…all over again. So your surprise will be mine too.

LOL , it’s a Titan! (Apparently – according to the wiki pages I read – Gigantomachia is based on the Titans of lore, so…that’s true in more than one sense when you take into account Attack on Titan.)

The birbs are so cute!

That was just a few solid minutes of recap. Not as bad as Detective Conan where they frontend it, but still bad.

Hmm? I thought I saw black hair on Kurogiri…?

“He’s a walking disaster.” – That’s what I’d say about Bakugou, LOL.

Shouto “Daddy Issues” Todoroki taking the stage again…not that I mind, but…isn’t this Midoriya’s story?

I think I saw a Funko Pop All Might in the ED…?

You can see someone with a red wing Quirk. Based on what I’ve read around, that guy is Hawks.

Deku’s shirt at the end says “sheets”, not “shirt” (it’s missing a small ya).

BnHA 79

“…and I like udon better!” - *facepalm* That’s not how you make friends, Yoarashi.

Gang Orca’s like the Gordon Ramsay of heroes…with much less swearing.

*laughs behind hands as kids spill out the door* Welp, this is going to be real good.

This blonde kid is basically Monoma ver. 2!!! I hate him already!!!

Oh…that’s surprisingly strategic, Bakugou…*shows image of kid being dangled by a rope* Uh…or maybe not.

Who’s this guy with the bolo tie, anyway…?

Uchitama 5

I seriously thought this cat was Nora…(Sakura)

Does “big sister” refer to Lilly or another cat…?

Oh, I was wondering why Sakura didn’t have a cat tail…turns out she’s a pig. (Huh. It reminds me of a kinder version of the Africa Salaryman mixer joke.)

I like how open the series is in regards to interspecies love. Then again,…bestiality is an absolute no-no in my books, so maybe not.

Is it just me, or is there a slight bruise around Nora’s left eye…?

It’s like a Boueibu reunion! Shirai and Ume at the baths! Yay~!

There’s something absolutely silly about seeing anime boys hide in cupboards like cats. It puts a stupid smile on my face, like Eizouken does.

“I told you to get in the bath already!” – Gaddammit, Koma!

How do Gon’s glasses not fog up in the bath? (MST3K mantra required)

Oh, Nora does have a bruise around his eye! What’s it from, though?

Way to upsell Koma’s services, Kuro. (partially sarcastic…?)

“Can I say we’re having a doggone good time?” – Remind me to check what that sounds like in Japanese later. Update: Kuro says something that sounds lik izoizo in the line beforehand and then matches it in this line. In order to match the puns, there’s a pun in the English translation too.

ID: Invaded 5

Matsuoka’s glasses thing reminds me of Kanamori (Eizouken)…

“hole experience” – Is that a pun…?

Never ask a woman her age.

Hmm…”maidenly innocence”…

Why do some people believe “never mind” is one word???

I just noticed there’s a differently coloured bar on the title card…maybe that’s how far into the episode you should be. Also, is this well a pun on “falling for you”?

I noticed the blood had a weird texture to it. Also, I noticed the woman had heterochromia bfore it was pointed out she’s not real.

I have a theory. See, John(nie) Walker is an alcohol (sake) brand, right? This is Sakaido (as opposed to Anaido, who’s the Perforator and ana = hole). It’s the same character, so (I suspect) Sakaido’s crime has to do with alcohol…

Hmm…this ain’t gonna pass the Bechdel test after all…

Oh! Post-credits segment! Keep watching.

ID: Invaded 6

“Matsuoka was injured” – Er, he still has the knife in him…?

Ohhhhhh…this has gotta be Hondomachi!

I predict Hondomachi and Sakaido are going to go head-to-head someday. Update: Or those two vs. Johnnie Walker.

There was a cut-off footprint…

Isn’t it possible for a person to kill someone without knowing their name?

*cries* Sakaido! I’ve never seen you so emotional before…!

ID: Invaded 7

So Narihisago did look like Sakaido at one point…when his daughter was murdered.

The thing that reads cognition particles has “Back ground. Rad. Lev.” on the bottom of its screen.

I don’t have the sound on right now, so I dunno what Matsuoka was reacting to specifically…(aside from the guy owning up to whatever was done.)

Interestingly, Katsuyama has the character for “win” in his name. However, this is the only link I’ve found between the serial killers and their names.

There’s a character which appears in both the word for “martial arts” and one of the (dead) professional fighters – Takehiko Fujita. It means stuff like “war” and “military power”.

Oh! There’s a bar on the titlecard and this one is up to 900 of 1200…I wonder what that means? Is that an indication of time, perhaps? Also in the bottom left, “CAM 025”.

Miyo Hijiriido?! Oh my gosh! This is new, indeed!

Okay, so the characters for Miyo look like this: 聖井戸 御代 The first character in “Miyo” is the same one that denotes “go” in goryoushin (formal way to denote “parents”) and similar words in keigo. The characters which aren’t “well” (water well) are the character for “saint/holy” and “age” (as in the period of time, alternatively “generation”), aside from the one I’ve already discussed. Therefore, I’d suggest Miyo is actually “the great detective [who ushers in a new] age” or “the great detective [of the current] age”. Update: Apparently Miyo means “age of a ruler”, as in the period of their reign (specifically referring to the emperor if it needs to be). I’ve heard there’s specific words in the Japanese language used only to refer to the imperial family…this is probably one of them. That specific name combo (as “odai”) is also a very polite way to refer to spare change, although that doesn’t seem very useful to know.

What’s that thing on Tamotsu’s wrist…? (A watch? Wouldn’t that be illegal in a prison like this?)

Interestingly, all other killers wear white. Narihisago is the only one in black (or brown…or whatever colour that is).

What would Miyo need a key for? The key to the mystery, or a physical key?

I don’t think you can see Narihisago’s face in any of the pics he has of Muku or his wife.

Ooh…Sakaido’s pretty ripped. (Me likey…not that I would like a killer…)

Why is Sakaido…or I should say Narihisago…dead in his own imagination, huh?

Hmm…Miyo wears a black singlet or sleeveless top of some sort under that cape...poncho…Holmes cosplay thing. She still has a gun in her detective form, too.

Notably, no detective wears a skirt in this world…*sigh* So much for Nancy Drew and Miss Marple…

Muku has smiley faces on her hair decs.

Does that mean you’ve met the real Muku…? (I think this is Momoki speaking about Muku.) Update: It might be Habutae, actually. I never really got a grasp on the names of the peanut gallery.

Hondomachi’s never seen the cockpit in real life, right?

Well-ception! (It’s a bit of a joke that when there’s something in something, I call it [X]ception as a homage to Inception.)

Table flip! That meme hasn’t been around for a while, come to think of it…

I find it interesting that they point to the circles of the roof when talking about pi. As you know, the circle and pi are related.

Hmm? I don’t remember seing the quote “Let us try to make this world a better place” in this episode…

[ryuukia]

[Translation] Tsukiutaya Tokuten Short Stories - Koi Wasuregusa ver.

Happy Birthday, Hajime~! I was thinking days ago what I could do for his birthday then I remembered I had these short stories. 

They’re some tokuten you could get if you bought the smartphone case/bag/pouch from Tsukiutaya. Each item has a different short story, and even on the original paper they’re marked as vol.1, 2 and 3, but I put them together here. The first one is from Hajime’s point of view, second one from Haru's and third back to Hajime. Look forward to a short story each month, because I’ll do it until December.

Assistance and proofreading: @moonlit-manifesto and @ryota-kunstranslations. Rui also helped me a bit with some lines~

Please don’t repost/reuse my translations.

Koi Wasuregusa ①【Hajime】

“ーThis is a new song about you.”

Or so I was told yesterday. Ever since I had been handed the lyrics of my new song, I’ve been continuously gazing at them.

There’s heavy usage of unusual kanji which, paired up with the riddles hidden between the lines that require a careful reading, turn the song into something with a rigid narrativity.

The person in charge of composing my songs is determined to imbue every single word written on the paper with emotions.

With that in my hand, I’ve been thinking all along.

(In this song, a heavy, profound, and passionate love is being painted.)

Unfortunately, I’ve never thought about someone in such a manner until now.

I wonder if I can ever deliver this song perfectly the way I am now.

“Forget love, there’s only passion[1], huh?”

“Eh?”

Unaware I was muttering, I ended up saying those words out loud unconsciously.

Haru, who was on the other side of the room, tilted his head almost as if he was asking “What?” to which I answered “Nothing” and waved my hand dismissively.

“Eh, you made me curious.”

“I said it’s nothing.”

“If it’s nothing, then tell me more. Even though Hajime's the type to just say words as he thinks of them, in reality, there's actually a deeper meaning to those words!”

“Is that so?”

“It is. Aren’t you aware?”

“Not really.”

As Haru smiled in his attempt to figure out what was so intriguing for me, I suddenly asked him the question that’s been on my mind.

This new song is my duet with Haru.

Haru also knows about these lyrics.

That’s why……

“Have you ever fallen in love in such manner?”

It was a topic rarely brought up and would normally go ignored, but I brought it up anyway.

They say singing means experiencing new emotions and expanding your horizon.

(Ah, that’s right.)

Sometimes, having this kind of conversation is also good.

Koi Wasuregusa ②【Haru】

“Have you ever fallen in love in such manner?”

At hearing that question, I was at a loss for words, which is rare for me.

ーTalking about love.

(In this case, the conversation is not about Gravi’s mood maker, Koi[2], but rather about romantic ‘love’, right?)

My thoughts scrambled at such an unspoken thing. The shock was that big.

(A conversation about love. Discussing romance. Love talk, lo-, love talk!?)

It’s one of the most common topics for people our age.

However, I was surprised to see that the other party consisted of my combi partner, who always brushes off these topics.

(No way this is coming from Hajime! Love talk!)

It’s probably hard enough to talk about this with regular people.

But in any case, I want you to understand this is something very, very unusual. That’s why I was so surprised, and in that moment I felt some puzzling emotions.

After all, this is a conversation about love with the king.

“...Haru?”

“Ah, yes, yes. Love, huh, love…”

(Whaa, I’m talking about love with Hajime. About love! Talking about romantic love with Hajime...)

To be honest, the impact of that question was too big, and my brain stopped responding.

However, as that gradually faded away, curiosity unexpectedly took over soon after.

Unconsciously, I leaned forward.

“Since you asked me… Of course you will respond as well, right?”

“Me? … I don’t have any significant memories of love that I can talk about...”

“Now, now! I think you’ve been confessed to a lot of times, right? It must have happened at some point when you were secretly working part-time, too? There should be a dramatic story at least?”

“Aren’t you getting worked up over nothing?”

“Then I’ll get even more excited to talk. When do I ever get to have a conversation about love with you?”

“Conversation about love? …... Is that what is it?”

“......Then Hajime, what on earth is this talk supposed to be about?”

“About my song. We’re talking about music.”

“Still, it doesn’t change the fact we’re talking about love.”

“Don’t say it flatly like that...... Okay, well, I’m still asking you more about it.”

“Sure, sure. If I talk about it, you also have to do the same.”

Alright, let’s talk about love as well.

Koi Wasuregusa ③【Hajime】

I took in the glory of the shoot setup, my body wrapped in an extravagant costume that could dazzle the eyes.

And in one corner of the studio where they were showing us around, a tatami room with red walls was recreated.

(Is this where we come in wearing these outfits? That is…...)

“How should I put this…it’s flashy in many ways.”

“Indeed, isn’t it?”

Standing beside me, Haru laughs with ease.

As our outfits are being worked on, the two of us are side-by-side, looking at the set.

The part of the room brimming with various set pieces created an eccentric atmosphere beyond my imagination.

They don’t look cheap, and they actually aren’t cheap.

My eyes fell on the deep red fake wall for a few moments.

(The art is also fairly well-made, too.)

While thinking about those things my eyes shifted to my side, and there stood a profile of Haru you rarely see.

“You forgot your glasses.”

“Today I won’t need them. I’ll be wearing contacts to fit the world view.”

“That’s unusual.”

“It’s been a long time, so my eyes might hurt a bit.”

While we were talking, it appears the costume check had ended.

I was passed a flower branch and Haru received a pipe.

“Passion daylily[3], huh?”

“I understood something from that strange[4] conversation about love we had the other time: we have yet to experience a love as passionate as the one from the this song, don’t you think? Or rather……”

“Yeah, I understand, Haru. It’s impossible for us to comprehend it the way we are now. That’s why it’s better to devote ourselves to solely getting into this world, without thinking too much.”

“Right? …… Well, in fact, I think love is not something you feel with your head to begin with.”

“...... You say that as if you understand what it is.”

“I wish that were the case.”

“Is that so?”

“It is.”

Even if Haru laughs so nonchalantly about it now, I wonder if someday he’ll fall in love that intensely.

(...... And how about me?)

Maybe one day I’ll be able to give myself up to love, just like in this song.

ーOne day.

T/N:

“Forget love, there’s only passion”[1]  = lyrics from their duet song (”Ai wasure, koi dake”)

Koi[2] : There’s a thing here. Koi’s name (恋) means ‘romantic love’ in Japanese, so if I have to be more literal, Haru said “the conversation is not about Gravi’s mood maker, Koi, but rather about ‘koi’ as in renai” (恋愛/renai→love; love-making; passion; emotion; affections). I think it's understable even without this note so you can ignore it, this is aimed more for those interested in the Japanese part~

Passion daylily[3] = the title of the song, Koi Wasuregusa (恋忘れ草)

strange[4] = Haru uses 慣れない (narenai) which can also be translated as ‘unfamiliar’ or ‘unaccustomed to’