#mini just watching under the umbrella

[thx-sunsxts-addrxss]

ok but have you ever thought of aru and rudy having the most AWESOME swimming competition ever?

[reverieblondie]

Summer Vacation

Pairing: Miguel O’Hara X fem!reader

Warnings: 18+, NSFW, Smut with Plot, Fingering. You and Miguel have to be sneaky.

Summary: College has been stressful and your finally off for summer vacation... But then you receive a surprise visit...

A/N: Ya'll thought I wasn't writing for Miguel anymore... oh how wrong you all are... If this dose well I will make it a mini series! Just let me know! Enjoy!

Word count: 3,242

So much for your plans for a quiet vacation…

It had been perfect in your mind. Your parents were out of town, and their house was so close to the beach that you couldn’t pass up the opportunity to have a nice and relaxing summer vacation all to yourself. School had been hectic, and you needed some serious relaxing time lounging out under a shady umbrella, cutting down on your TBR list with a frozen drink at your side and maybe a summer fling on the other.

But now... that’s not going to happen, not with the little surprise visit you received…

As you had settled in last night, you heard the sounds of a slamming car door. Your first thought was your parents made a surprisingly short trip, but that’s when you saw him entering through the front door. 

Your brother? What is his goofy -

But before you can finish the thought, you saw him following in. You haven’t seen him in years, but as soon as you see those familiar eyes, you know exactly who he is. Miguel O’Hara, your older brother’s best friend. The last time you remember seeing Miguel was the summer before he and your brother graduated. Lots of people assumed Miguel was a grumpy jerk from his quiet nature. Still, you always found him funny and kinda charming. You especially loved when he gave your brother a hard time: Miguel was definitely your favorite out of all your brother’s friends.

In contrast, the others ignored you, where Miguel was always friendly and looked after you in his own way. Sure, he wasn’t stopping you in the halls to talk to you your freshman year, but you would catch how he would be subtly watching you, and without fail, every time you were doing homework at your dining room table, Miguel would slide in next to you to whisper what questions you got wrong. Okay, sure, you planned it out to be there when he came over, but could you really blame a girl? Miguel was top of his class, plus it also helped that Miguel was quite cute.   

You ended up developing a bit of a crush on him, but he was off-limits, and that was only a silly little freshman year crush. You are way past that. So, as you sit here lounging on your couch, watching him walk in looking taller, buffer, and undoubtedly cuter, okay, he’s actually sexy as hell now…

As soon as Miguel walked in, his eyes met yours. At first, he was equally surprised to see you, but his shock quickly turned to a smile, like he was actually excited to see you. Though the smile was short-lived, as when your brother turned around to grab his bag from him, Miguel went back to his ever-stoic look. 

After your initial surprise wore off, you told your brother about disrupting your plans. He was quick to assure you that he wasn’t going to ruin them as he walked over and ruffled your hair, “Don’t sweat it, sis. Me and Miguel won’t bother you too much.” 

“Too much?”

He laughs as he saunters into the kitchen, “Well, I am your older brother, and I can’t just not mess with you!” 

The audible groan you give only earns a laugh from your sibling. Older brothers… 

While your ruined vacation plans are flashing before your eyes, a clearing throat catches your attention. Turning around, you see Miguel looking down at you with a bit of a smile back to his full lips, 

“Guessing you’re not too excited to see us…” 

Well, if it had just been Miguel….that's a different story… “Let’s just say I had plans for a stress-relief vacation and can’t exactly do now with an older brother lurking around…” 

Miguel chuckles and quickly looks you up and down for a moment. His eyes go to your brother as he leans down and whispers, “You could… if you know how to be sneaky about it…” 

For a moment, you don’t think this is happening, but… is Miguel flirting? You look at him, confused but very intrigued… you haven’t seen him in forever, and this is how he acts? Maybe you’re just reading too much into it; Miguel always gave you homework advice. Perhaps this is just him doing that, but your horny brain is misinterpreting… But just in case….

You look into his eyes, seeing that once warm brown now, has a tinge of red to them. “How do I know you won’t rat on me to my brother? Get me in trouble?” 

“Let’s just say I can keep a secret… troublemaker.” 

Troublemaker? You could be a troublemaker if he’s going to be the one that’s going to spank-

No, No, No! Off limits! Brother’s best friend, I don’t care if he’s built like a god and has a nose that you would pay good money to grind against. You can’t be the one to stick your neck out. Maybe Miguel is just a flirt now; all talk, but it doesn’t mean it. Off limits!

While your brain can still form some rational thought, you rush off to bed before Miguel can notice the blush rising to your face. As you make it to your door, you think you see Miguel leaning back to look down the hall at you with a smirk. Being a sane person you quickly scramble through your door and slam it shut, you go and flop down in your bed, cursing your brother for having brought with him Miguel. Out of all his friends, he had to get the one who makes your insides scream. 

Now here you sit, completely forgetting about the book in your hands as you stare at Miguel, looking so damn distracting! You know you shouldn’t be staring at him, but watching him running shirtless with his bulging biceps, massive chest shining in a sheen of sweat, and his flexing abs. Don’t even get started on his ass and legs in his swimsuit. You quickly slam your face in your book; stop sexualizing him… off-limits…off limits! 

Though you never were one to have good self-control. So, peering up from your book, you look at him. Sweat has never looked so good. 

Miguel just looked so effortless in his movements, and from the looks of the others staring, you’re not the only one to think this. Something in your chest tightens with that thought, the thought of him swarmed by admirers. For as long as you have known him, you have seen how people trip over themselves to fawn over him, but he always remained single from what you knew… you are sure he has had girlfriends before, but every time he was around you… he didn’t bring one up, he always was single, or at least appearing to be.

Then lost in your staring, his eyes meet yours.

You want to blame the sudden rush of heat to your face on the summer heat, but you know it’s from him… that same auburn gaze that always makes your stomach flutter and your insides ache. 

Miguel watches you as he pushes back his sweat-drenched hair before he lets a smile form on his full lips and gives you a slight wave. You work up the nerve to wave back, then quickly hide behind your book again. You’re stuck rereading the same line over and over, trying to hold onto the words, but that smile and those eyes…

Perhaps another peek won’t hurt…

Going for it, you take another look and see your brother, Miguel, and two pretty girls. The girls are all perky and smiles as they chat, something your brother is eating up, while Miguel has returned to being stoic—his ever-trustworthy defense mechanism. 

Looking away, you’re going through a swell of emotions. Well, more like one bitter emotion…

Jealousy…

You have as prided yourself on being a supportive girl; when you see a girl shooting her shot, you always wish silent good luck for them, but right now, seeing them talking to Miguel… It’s making you feel bitter. In no way is Miguel yours, hell he’s off limits for what you’re concerned, but watching this… hurts. This is ridiculous. Jealousy? Really? With a sigh you try to just forget it, though your skin is feeling hot, and you’re fighting the urge to stare.

To calm yourself, you place your book to the side and strip off your cover-up, the material that was once comfortable now irritating. You hadn’t planned on swimming or being out of your cover-up, so of course you make this the day you wear your smallest bikini. It’s funny how things always turn out like that. Stripping off the material, you instantly feel some relief. However, you have that distinct feeling of someone looking at you, watching you. 

With a glance, you see Miguel looking over everyone’s heads to make eye contact with you again…

Getting back to your book and swallowing down your jealousy, you keep your eyes on your book to keep yourself out of trouble. Finally, after a bit, when you're just getting lost in the text, there’s a nudge on your leg. 

“Uhhggg, please tell me you didn’t come here just to sit around.” Narrowing your eyes at the complaining source, you see your brother nagging you. 

You look down at your book, “You enjoy your time your way; I will enjoy mine my way.” 

Your brother rolls his eyes before grabbing his water bottle, “Goes to the beach and doesn’t swim or play soccer with her big bro. Are you depressed or something?” 

More like irritated… and frustrated… 

Before you can give your rebuttal, Miguel silences Your brother by bouncing the soccer ball on his head, “Stop messing with her.” 

Your brother, as dramatic as ever, holds his head and whines, “Ouch! When did you get so overprotective?” 

Miguel looks surprised and almost guilty for a moment before the mask comes back. “I’m not overprotective; just… let the kid relax like she wants.” 

KID?!

As soon as the words leave his lips, they are ringing in your ears. A kid? He’s older than you, sure, but calling you kid? What the hell? Is that how he sees you? You don’t know what’s the worst label: best friends little sister, or kid? 

Your brother pats your head, “Aw, got to be nice to the baby!” 

The words sting deeper. It’s not like you’re not used to your brother’s teasing; that’s actually how you two play with each other and show affection, but today…

You quickly stand, swatting his hand away. Your brother pauses and looks at you, confused. “Wow, what’s your damage?”

“I’m not in the mood…” You bite back, grab your bag, and walk off. 

“Where are you going?!” 

“None of your business!” 

You’re not even sure where you are going, but with your chest burning with embarrassment and annoyance, you just don’t want to be somewhere you’re labeled as a kid. 

You ended up at the concession stand to get some ice cream. Okay, not precisely screaming, mature lady. But your irritation at the situation is reaching a peak, and you need a nice cold comfort snack to cool you down.  

A kid… he sees you as a kid, you’re a woman in college, and he calls you a kid… and here you thought he was staring at you. Fooling yourself to think he’s interested. Looking down at yourself, you feel worse, wearing this bikini revealing your body secretly hoping to grab his attention. Ugh! Maybe you should go home, hide in your room till they leave… And why is this line moving so sl-

Suddenly, the feeling of a giant hand grabbing you close startles you. You’re pulled into what feels like a brick wall. Looking up at the sudden grabber, you see that familiar strong jaw and that dark wavy hair, but not his gaze. No, Miguel is looking off at a nearby table at a group of guys who are visibly avoiding eye contact and sweating bullets. 

You look between them for a few more minutes before you ask the million-dollar question, “What are you doing?” 

Miguel doesn’t take his eyes off the group, “Just... keeping an eye on you…”

This only seems to piss you off more; now he’s watching over you like you can’t handle yourself.

You push yourself out of Miguel’s hold, getting his attention to your huffy face, “What’s your problem?”

“I don’t need a babysitter!” You bite back. 

Miguel furrows his eyebrows at you, “I didn’t say you did!” he says, equally frustrated.

“Then stop treating me like I’m some kid!”

Miguel looks at you, confused, before he remembers what he said. “Look… I didn’t mean it like that.”

Before Miguel can finish, he’s being pushed past, you’re doing your best to show how thoroughly pissed off you are. You ignore him the best you can as he walks after you. Trying to ignore how his voice makes your skin tingle as he says your name. But right now, you can’t focus on that. You’re just wanting to slip away and hide! What you were not expecting as you slipped into one of the colorfully painted private changing sheds was for Miguel to follow behind you.

Miguel locks the door behind himself, and you groan. “I was trying to get away from you.”

“Will you at least listen to what I have to say? And stop acting like a brat?”

You roll your eyes, “Oh, so now I’m a brat!”

Miguel continues to get irritated with you, and you’re not listening, so he has to listen to your ranting. You go one about how you're not a kid, how they ruined your summer vacation, and what was the deal at the concession stand.

Miguels finally had enough. If you won’t listen to you he will just have to take the risk and show you.

So, during your rant, you feel two large hands gently grabbing your face. The gentleness of the touch sends currents of desire through your body. His eyes are steady on yours as he watches you lose your words, and your anger die down. Slowly, his thumb moves from your jaw to trace over your lips softly.

“Can you pause for a minute so I can kiss you?” 

You didn’t have to say yes; all you had to do is close your eyes and stand on your tiptoes to let him know you want it as badly as he does—to kiss him.

Miguel touches his lips to yours; their soft fullness blurs your thoughts. All that tingling turns into a back-arching static as Miguel guides you through the kiss. The intensity of the kiss grows with every second, with every careful caress, and as Miguel finally presses his warmth against you, you’re fully lost in him—lost in each other.

The feel of Miguel’s hands dropping to your hips makes your lips part with a gasp, allowing Miguel to slip in his tongue. The taste of him was completely intoxicating, making your thighs tighten and your pussy get wetter with every pass of his experienced tongue.

 Before he can completely lose himself in your kiss, he quickly turns you around so his chest is pressed against your back, and his hard cock is against your ass.

Miguel brings his lips to the shell of your ear, his warm breath softly panting over your skin, making you lean into him. Reaching behind you, you grab a hold of his dark hair between your fingers.

“I’ve wanted to do that since the second I saw you again.” he whispers in your ear.

Miguel slowly moves his large hand to the hem of your bottoms, his fingers teasing the material,

“Then... I’m forced to look at you in this tiny thing, which is driving me even more crazy.”

You can hardly think coherently as you let out a trembling whine, “Crazy…”

Miguel lets out a low purring hum as he slips his finger under the material, his fingertip softly teasing your slick folds. Tempting you to beg. How badly you want to beg... but the feeling of his rough fingers on your soft flesh as your hips slightly rolling against him. It’s all the begging Miguel needs (or that he can handle...) before he finds your slit and starts to tease your opening.

You can’t help but squirm, sick of the teasing and needing to feel him. With a shuddering pled, Miguel finally gives in to his lust, and your lust, and he sips in his finger. The stretch makes you rise to your toes, and your breath gives, the feeling of that curling pressure making you want more. Miguel presses his lips to your neck, his erection growing harder the deeper his digit goes. Miguel can’t help but grind his clothed cock against your ass as he whispers sweet words into your skin. Then right as your pussy is adjusting to his thick finger, he adds another, pushing in deep, all the way down to his rough knuckles. Your sticky arousal dripped down his thick fingers and pooled into his palm.

A sheen of sweat forms on your skin that Miguel eagerly licks up from your neck. Your core is starting to burn, and right as you think you can’t take anymore, his other hand comes down and starts rubbing your clit. Your legs tremble, and you begin to lose yourself in the feeling. Miguel’s breath matches your own as you start to approach that eye-crossing pleasure…

You feel yourself clenching on him, your whole body quivering. This feels like a dream: Miguel, the man you have been silently pining for, is touching you... kissing you... something he has equally wanted as much as you. The girl who was always so close... but off limits... Though now, you both couldn’t take it anymore how you needed each other…

Right as your bottoms are dropping to the floor and a moan is breaking from your throat, Miguel’s lips are on your rapid plus... then a ringing...

You both pause, gazing at each other, then at your bag thrown in the corner during the start of your rant. The ringing continues. You both knew who it was, but you didn’t want to leave this moment. At this moment, you two didn’t have to hide your wants, but if you didn’t answer, your brother would come looking.

Begrudgingly, you two part, with an irritated groan from the both of you. Bottoms back on your reaching for your bag, but your wrist is caught by Miguel before you can pick it up. Looking up at him confused, you see that classic stoic look,

“Wha-”

“I don’t want this to stop here.”

You’re completely dumbfounded. Here he is, the man you want saying the thing you want. “What if...” You don’t finish the sentence or want to think of any possible consequences.

Your Phone is still ringing, but you’re too entranced by him. Miguel leans his forehead against yours, “Be sneaky with me, trouble...”

Your summer plans might not be completely ruined after all…

“Think about it... and get back to me... Miguel gives you a chaste kiss, and before you know it, your bag is in your hands, and he exits the changing room. 

In your Miguel daze, you answer your Phone, reassuring your brother that you’re no longer mad and that you and Miguel are on your way back.

[adhdduckie]

from the outside. teen!g.s. x reader.

my masterlist

irl mutuals dni

music choice; yo bro wtf

word count: 1.5k

synopsis; your best friend gojo and you through the eyes of shoko and getou.

warnings; not proof read.

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i. geto suguru, gojo's other best friend.

gojo and getou's relationship was a strange one. they had been friends as soon as they joined jujutsu tech high. In the years that they had known one another, they had grown to read each other like a book they had known forever.

ever since riko's death, things have been hard for the both of them. the elders force gojo to work more, and getou is left mostly alone. you're there sometimes to help him if he needs it, and sometimes he thinks it's the only thing that's keeping him sane.

The four of you are standing outside the halls, while gojo shows you his limitless technique for the first time. it's impressive, to say the least. The rubber thrown at him by shoko bounces off his head, and the pencil stops moving, it doesn't get close enough to him to hurt him.

a couple of weeks later, getou notices that gojo has it on all the time. there is not a moment in the day where gojo doesn't have infinity on. walking through the rain as a group, gojo's the only one that doesn't get wet at all. You're soaking, regardless of having been under a large umbrella.

gojo nudges and laughs at you, but no matter how many times you push him away from underneath the umbrella, he doesn't get wet, and you groan in irritation.

a couple days later, getou's at the vending machines, buying a couple cans of soft drinks for all of you. You, gojo and shoko are sitting around a table, gojo facing away from getou. getou walks up behind, with the cans in hand, attempting to press the cold can to gojo's cheek like he used to do.

but he realises he can't. his hand doesn't pass through the limitless barrier, and instead of saying something, he just sets the can down in front of gojo, as he says something stupid to change the topic. you all see how tired gojo is sometimes, but he takes on all of the jobs he's given, cuz after all, he's the strongest, right?

shoko is unable to touch him, too. a couple days later after the incident with getou, she tries to swat at him after gojo steals a fry off his plate when you're all sitting in the KFC booths. like getou, she can't touch him.

after KFC, you all head to the arcade. it's a rare day where you are all free, so you gotta make the most of it. getou and shoko are staring at some basketball game, and after awhile, they decide to play it.

you're staring at some cute little plushy inside the claw machine. it's a scam, you know. but that little white cat with the black sunglasses reminds you too much of a certain someone, and if you can't have him, you'll take the cat.

since claw games are a total scam, you spend three tokens trying to get that little cat, which you've mentally dubbed as mini 'toru, and when those three tokens are wasted, you sigh, pushing away from the machine and go find something else to do.

unbeknownst to you, satoru has been watching the entire time, and while you're prancing on the dance dance revolution with shoko, he gets it for you. getou watches, not commenting on anything at all, just smirking as he watches from afar.

he walks up to you, while you beat shoko's ass by a substantial amount. he taps your shoulder, and when you spin around, your face breaks out into a wild grin. completely forgetting about the game, you jump, throwing your arms around gojo.

getou flinches in preparation, fully expecting you to slam face first into the impossible barrier. but when he doesn't hear the sound of you getting hurt, he opens his eyes, not really noticing when they fluttered shut.

the sight that meets his eyes is astounding. your arms are wrapped around gojo's neck, and you're grinning at him happily. gojo's got his arms wrapped around you to stop you from falling.

getou hears a gag behind him, and turns around to see shoko being dramatic, gagging at the lovey dovey sight. they catch each others' eyes, and grin at each other, knowing that something more might just blossom between you and gojo, as his infinity was not on around you. i mean, getou's slightly hurt that it's on around him, but he's more excited than anything.

ii. shoko ieiri, your own best friend.

it's been a long, exhausting week. actually, it felt more like a year. you've spent ages doing paper work and killing curses, spent hours inside the infirmary. you've barely seen gojo all week, and you bitch and moan about being busy next to shoko as she patches you up.

"shut up." she tells you, pulling a wrap tightly together, as you let out a soft hiss.

you glare at her, before a notification pings on your phone. shoko watches as your face lights up immediately when you see who sends you the message, and much to shoko's joy, you shut up.

curious to know who it is, she leans over your shoulder, gently pushing your face to see better. she rolls her eyes, noticing satoru's name and profile pic popping up, and she turns around, going back to wrapping you up.

it's an invitation to watch a movie with him, to have your weekly movie marathon. you send a quick, speedy reply, agreeing to meet him, simply stating that you'll grab the snacks and drinks and meet him in a hour.

shoko rolls her eyes again, watching as you stumble quickly off the table, grabbing your stuff, while she yells after you to be careful, and that she hasn't even finished.

"i'll be fine!" you yell back at her. she sighs, shaking her head, glancing back to her monitor, a photo of the four of you up in the background. even in the photo, you're looking at gojo.

in the image, he's staring at the camera, but your eyes are trained on him, a smile on your lips. getou and shoko are laughing, and you have your arm slung over shoko's arm.

she sighs again, stretching her neck out as she thinks. your love for him is so obvious, it's a wonder satoru hasn't noticed yet. she sits up straight again, getting back to her work.

the hours go by quickly as she fills out paperwork. it's dark by the time she finishes, way past midnight. all she can hear is crickets chirping, and the rustling of leaves in the wind.

she stands from her chair, stretching out her long arms, cracking her back. she walks through the school's halls, reminiscing about her past.

at the end of the hall, where the common room is, there's a harsh glow of a light, the tv still playing. shoko walks closer, expecting either you or satoru to have forgotten to switch off the tv when you went to bed.

she's surprised to find you both still there, as she stands in the doorway. from her position, she can only see the back of the couch, yours and gojo's head. as she quietly stalks closer, to remind you to go to bed early, especially after being hurt.

as she walks closer, she sees the food you went and bought still spread around the table, an open box of cheese pizza, several bags of chips, and three boxes of satoru's favourite kikifuku you somehow managed to get despite his favourite store being an hour away.

as her eyes drag over the mess in front of her, mostly satoru's, you would say if you were awake, since there's popcorn all over the couch and on the floor, she notices the spots you and satoru are in.

she slaps her hand over her mouth, forcing the laugh down. the two of you are cuddled close together, like satoru and you can't even bear to be apart while asleep, or as if, while sleeping, there was something pulling you together.

satoru's legs are tangled with yours, his arm over your shoulder, your face hidden in the crook of his neck. she smiles again, pulling her phone out and snapping photos for you, since she knows you'd love having them.

as she tucks her phone away, and switches off the tv, as to not disturb your peaceful sleep, she sees a small movement in the corner of her eye. when she looks, the movement immediately stops, but she sees a smile curve across satoru's lips.

ah. he's been awake this entire time. his eyes flutter open, and they make eye contact. satoru pulls up the hand that's not wrapped around you, and brings a finger to his lips, shushing shoko.

she laughs, shaking her head. the little shit. she bets he's planned this entire thing out. she turns on her heel, walking back to her own room, quickly sending the photos to both you and satoru, and sending another to getou. his response is immediate.

'how much longer do you think this will last?' getou wagers in his text

'not much more pining, i think. it's about time, i believe.' shoko states.

she's right. it's not long before you finally get together, and getou and shoko heave a sigh of relief.

[sashi-ya]

東京 NIGHTS mini event

𝑰'𝑳𝑳 𝑩𝑬 𝑾𝑨𝑰𝑻𝑰𝑵𝑮 ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 𓂃 ࣪˖ okkotsu yuuta x fem! reader

⤹˚ synopsis. some years have passed since the incident; he moved overseas, you stayed... however, you never forgot, and you always waited

requested by: Anon ➡ hi sash, I saw you love Yuta so can I ask for our sweet boy with a fem! reader and the prompt "meet me at Hachiko statue in 3 yeas"? thank you! tw: sfw. sweet, romantic. fluffy. based on Hachiko's and his story. there might be a second part of this story, with 18+ cont. You can tell me if you want me to post it ~ wc: 1.4k masterlist

“Meet me three years from now at the Hachiko Statue” “Shibuya? Again?”

Three years have passed, the incident left your hearts barely hanging from the tiny strings of an undeveloped love.

Waiting, day after day. Night after night.

A light rain plays a soft melody against the transparent surface of your umbrella. Your lips tremble, even if you fight for your façade to look as serious as possible. The doors of the subway station feel like the holy tori of a sanctuary; after all that happened some years ago, looking at the “to Shibuya” signs still makes you dizzy.

You watch youngsters coming back from school, other enjoying themselves as they probably get ready to visit karaoke bars tonight. And you remember that you used to be exactly the same as them… even if from the corner of your eye, creatures of many different types appeared to make you late.

This time, however, there was no creature. No curse. No ghost. But only the feeling of what once happened there. How many of you have lost much more than what you could remember…

You check your phone; no message from Okkotsu still. Will he be there? At least, is he in Tokyo at all?

You swallow and swipe the card on the ticket gate; the “beep” allows you to keep walking, but the sound of your heart beating fast covers it all. Soon enough, the subway train arrives perfectly in time, and letting other people go in first, you find a seat waiting just for you.

Once again, you check your phone. Nothing.

“He is not coming, why am I doing this? he probably forgot about me and this, and I can’t blame him…”

Sweaty palms make your phone get steam marks on its screen, but you don’t mind. Your leg bounces softly, the music in your earphones have absolutely no importance to you right now.

You close your eyes, wondering how he looks like now. Does he still have those dark beautiful circles under his eyes? The little reddish hint that always made him look as he had just stopped crying? The blackest messy hair, or maybe his narrow frame… “I just hope you haven’t forget about me, even if you don’t come”  

It takes very little for the subway to finally reach Shibuya station. Or maybe it was just you lost in time, that you didn’t notice.

As you walk up the stairs of infinite steps, you begin to feel the soft breeze of the busiest crosswalk in the world. It cools off your cheeks, already burning because Yuuta has always been your secret crush.

The rain has stopped, and there are just some pools on the ground reflecting the neon lights of the newly reconstructed Shibuya… this place used to look a lot different a few years ago.

The beat of the traffic lights sounds synchronize with your heart beating; the laughter of young people, the imagery of couples joining after work, the memories of painful and bloody happenings… everything surrounds you, turning your quivering legs a lot more weak than before.

You check your phone one last time before crossing; you need to get to the statue of Hachiko. That was your meeting point. Such a curious choice you had; Hachiko waited for his owner at the station until he died, because he knew one day he would come back…

As you cross, your eyes scan for the place. Looking at the faces of every man you could find, your disappointment grows bigger and bigger. None of them are him; none of them will be either.

You decide to wait for 10 minutes. Nothing more. Nothing less.

A few tourists stop you once you get to the statue, distracting you. They need to know their way to a certain restaurant, so you take your time to help them. But when they are finally gone, you are back to your loneliness.

“I’m going to check my phone one last time…” you think; unblocking your device. Nothing; again. “Yes, you are not coming… I hope you are fine, Yuuta” you whisper, low enough just for you to hear it.

With your head lowered, defeated, you begin to walk away. The rain has started to fall again, but you don’t even care to open your umbrella. It’s ok if your hair gets wet. It’s ok if your make up fades.

You wait at the traffic light to turn to green, you only want to hop on the station of your nightmares to go back home. Once and for all.

As the mass begins to move, and you put a foot on the street, something catches your attention.

A big bouquet of purple flowers covers the face of a tall man asking to forgive him while he opens his way through the crowd.

“Ah… lucky girl. Late but at least with such a big bouquet…” you smile, with your eyes turning a little shiny from incipient tears.

“(Name)!!” he screams, the moment that flower man reaches you. He bumps into you with the flowers, and he has yelled your name. You blink repeatedly, only looking at the hand holding the bouquet. A silver ring shines on his hand, and it makes you shiver…

There, right in the middle of Shibuya cross, under now a pouring rain, the shy face of a man sprouts from in between beautiful purple flowers.

“(Name)! My flight was delayed, but I wanted to buy you this before I came. I’m sorry, I am so happy you didn’t leave” he chimes, with a soft smile that hasn’t changed. He is a man now, stronger, taller, mature… but Yuuta is still the softest little boy you once met at the academy.

Your lower lip shakes like a leaf, and the tears start going down your cheeks. Maybe the rest won’t notice because of the rain, but Yuuta does. You can’t speak, no words come out of your mouth.

Violently crying now, you let yourself fall into his arms. The bouquet hangs from his hand to the side, while you nuzzle on the crook of his neck.

“(Name), don’t cry! I am here! are you ok?!!” he desperately asks, hugging you hard against his chest.

You sniffle and nod, inhaling his sweet perfume. Another thing that hasn’t changed a bit; his skin scent has always been the same. Even if the times you were able to enjoy it were barely twice, you can’t forget it.

“I… I thought you had forgotten” you murmur, as both walk hugging back to the sidewalk.

“Wh-what? I’ve been counting the days to see you again” he whispers, with his lips resting on the crown of your head. “How could I forget? I missed you so much”

You look up searching for his eyes, a sweet beam garnishes your face. He still has those dark circles; he still has that enchanting pouty lips. “You haven’t changed a bit, Yuta…” you whisper, allowing the warmth of his embrace to protect you from anything around.

He giggles, that pure laughter that makes you melt. “And here I thought I was getting older… you did, however, change (Name)…” he says, kissing your forehead after.

You gasp, the old Yuuta would have had a stroke before even kissing you. Or at least his cheeks would have become as red as tomatoes – to say the least.

“You look even more beautiful than before” he finishes, leaving you absolutely breathless.

You swiftly look around him; you don’t want to get killed by Rika. Once you positively check you are safe, you stretch your neck to reach for his lips.

Your mouth lingers closer to his, so close they can even touch but not quite yet. The warmth of his breath caressing your lips, yours doing the same thing to his. Maybe you just wait for him to kiss you, or maybe both want to enjoy the little previous moments of something that you’ve been waiting even before than you two met for the very first time.

“Can I kiss you?” he asks, taking his hand to your cheek. The soft caress, the cold touch of the ring grazing your skin… please do…

You nod, pouting just enough to meet his crashing lips. Both closed your eyes just when your eyes could see into each other’s, just when it was time to feel rather than see…

Your first kiss, and then another, and another. And the tourists taking pictures, because what’s more beautiful than a couple joining after years right by the statue of Hachiko who waited only moved by pure love?  💖

[mikkomacko]

Omg I’m obsessed we need a part 3 of Nico finding out is girlfriend Is pregnant on Valentine’s Day. Maybe like he goes and tells the team and his girlfriend tells all the other wags.

Prev

You and Nico had a deal. Throughout your pregnancy, Nico had to abstain from anything and everything that you also had to abstain from. The wine cabinet in your apartment stayed shut, the Zyn containers from Nico’s occasional indulgence were thrown in the garbage, and any sort of energy drink left sealed in the back of the mini fridge in the extra room.

You both figured it was fair. If you had to give up these things, so would he. And he was happy to do it. Actually, he was happy to do anything lately. For the past three months he’s been nothing but smiles and a good, can-do attitude. The team figured he was cheerier than usual since they know he’s getting laid on the regular, at least they’re assuming since he told everyone they were trying for a baby.

Not that they’re wrong, per se. The baby may be made but the baby making has not ceased.

Within the agreement of the shared sobriety, was also the decision to keep the pregnancy a secret. You didn’t decide until when, but you figured when the time was right you’d announce it somehow.

“Just for the night?”

Nico laughs, digging his fingertips into your thighs to pull you further into his lap. “Just for tonight baby, I promise.”

He seals it with a kiss, soft lips molding with your own and his left hand cups the back of your head, attempting to deepen the kiss. You melt into it, tilting your head to the right as you bury your fingers in his hair.

Knowing the two of you, you’ll need to climb off him soon or you’ll miss tonight’s plans in favor of rolling around in the sheets.

You slide your hands down to his chest, preparing to push your palms into the firm muscle when Nico breaks the kiss himself, a soft and breathy moan leaving his lips as he does so. He latches onto your neck, mouth hot and wet as he suckles at the base of it.

“We need to get going.” You wince, feeling guilty for distracting him. You love having his attention, love how he’s been all over you since New Years.

Nico whines, his hand sliding around to grope at your ass as he slumps against the back of the couch, lips all ruby red and wet.

“I’m hard.” He says as if that’s going to make you change your mind and it almost does, it would under normal circumstances but you’re a bit moody right now. Justifiably so since you now have to spend an evening with a drunk hockey team and drunk boyfriend while you watch bitterly sober.

When you don’t respond he groans, throwing his head back against the couch cushions. “That used to work on you, ya know?”

“Yeah,” you confirm “but you’re hard all the time now. I just assume it.”

Nico pats your butt, nudging you up from his lap and you rise to your feet. “You drive me crazy,” he says in defense “pregnancy looks good on you.”

He gets up, moving around you to go slip on some shoes and get his baseball cap off the kitchen counter. You watch him push his hair back over his forehead, tucking it behind his ears before sliding the hat on and it takes everything in you to not drool and strip him of his jeans right now.

“Whatever,” you finally say, gathering the car keys “you can’t even tell yet.”

And you were right because as soon as you entered the backyard party you were being handed seltzers and beers, urged to join in on games and even go make drinks.

Nico covered for you, claiming that tonight was a sober night for you because you drove but to keep from being a fuddy duddy he was drinking for you.

Jack made him drink the cocktail he had made specifically for you and you couldn’t stop giggling as you snapped a photo of Nico with the bright pink drink, a little umbrella hanging out the top as he licked at the sugar on the rim.

“You think this is funny?” He taunted, jabbing at your side. “Well the jokes on you because this is actually so good.”

You sipped ice tea as he finished the cocktail, perched on his lap by the fire pit as everyone hung out for a bit. Timo ended up stealing your boyfriend for a game of beer pong so you reluctantly kissed Nico bye before taking his empty glass to the kitchen. Nicole found you sitting on the counter top in the empty house, scrolling through your phone as everyone outside drank and partied.

Truth is you were upset with being there. You wanted to drink and have fun with the girls, you wanted to team up with Nico in beer pong because he always gets so cute when you do well. And if you win he acts like he’s just won the Stanley Cup, throwing you over his shoulder and running around for a victory lap. But you couldn’t do that and this was first time since falling pregnant that you realized you were the odd man out now.

“Hiding from us?” Nicole teased, pouring herself some Malibu and Sprite.

You tucked your phone away, forcing a laugh. “Hiding from Nico,” you said as an excuse “I like to mess with him when he’s drunk.”

She laughed too, knowing how clingy he gets. Once he’s buzzed, if you’re not in eye sight he turns into the world’s biggest whiner.

Nicole hung out with you for a long time, longer than you thought she would as you just talked about new things on TikTok and upcoming plans for game days. Before you knew it an hour and half had passed and you hadn’t heard a peep from Nico. Which was a recipe for disaster.

Heading back outside, your assumptions were right. Nico was carrying Timo on his shoulders and you gasped in shock at the sight, watching him easily leap around the beer pong table with his friend over him. Not that you didn’t know Nico was strong, but Timo has a lot of bulk on him and you thought he would at least struggle.

A part of you is impressed (and a little turned on) until you caught sight of his face and saw just how drunk he was. His hat was crooked on his head, shirt stained down the chest with alcohol and hanging off his shoulder like someone had yanked him by the sleeve. Those beautifully tanned cheeks of his were bright red, the color crawling all the way down his neck and he was yapping nonsense to Bratt and Marino.

“Oh no,” you say sharing a look with Nicole. She laughs, nudging you towards the table. You approach Nico, smiling when he locks eyes with you and immediately tries to shake Timo off. They struggle for a second until Timo gets his leg unhooked from Nico’s shoulder and then he stumbles to his feet.

“Baby!” Nico cheers, grabbing at your waist and pulling you into him. “I won! But I didn’t see you, where were you? I missed you ya know?”

He’s so cute with his big doe eyes, crinkles at the sides from his toothy smile and those damned dimples that make you melt.

“You won?” You giggle, reaching up to straighten his hat. “I’m so proud!”

His hair doesn’t fall right, so you take the whole hat off. Nico purrs like a cat as you rake it back with your fingers, tucking the long pieces behind his ears before putting the hat back on his head.

“Handsome,” you murmur so only he can hear, pinching at the apple of his cheek. His blush grows at your words, teeth biting into his bottom lip as his eyes sweep over your form and his left hand finds your barely there belly. He strokes over it as if he can feel your child in there.

“Lovebirds,” Bratt interrupts “play us.” You turn to the other side of the beer pong table, finding him and Simon gearing up for another round. Nico attaches himself to your back, arms around your middle to keep holding your stomach.

Neither of the other boys appear to be as drunk as your boyfriend and you wonder how many games him and Timo lost before actually winning that last round.

Not sure Nico should keep drinking, you open your mouth to politely decline but he beats you to it.

“No way, she’s pregnant and I’m plastered.”

For the first time all night, the whole backyard goes silent. Just for moment, enough time for your heart to jump into your throat and Nicole to choke on her drink.

“Nico!” You scold, whipping around in his hold to stare at him. He peers down at you over red cheekbones, eyes wide and lost like he has no idea what he’s done to deserve that tone from you.

You gape at him, waiting for the dots to connect in that pretty little head of his. Finally a look of clarity crosses his eyes and you raise an eyebrow, waiting for him to explain.

Instead he smiles, all dimples and white teeth. “You’re so pretty, ya know that?”

The group around you all laughs and Nico lights up at the sound, his smile growing as everyone squashes the two of you in a hug. You press up into Nico’s chest, his hands pressing into the small of your back and drawing you up to your tip toes.

Timo is pressed to Nico’s back, his arms stretched around both you in a tight embrace. “Congrats little Neeksy!” He cheers, words just as slurred as Nico’s. “We get a cute little Swiss baby!”

Nico gasps, turning over his shoulder to look at his friend. “She will be Swiss! Whoa!” And you have to laugh at that, watching him chatter with Timo about his baby (who he’s suddenly decided is a girl) is a Swiss baby even though she was made in Jersey and will live in Jersey and on and on.

Eventually Timo lets the two of you go and you get bounced between teammates and friends, everyone congratulating you and questioning about the baby. You find your way back to Nico after the party has returned back to normal, him immediately wrapping you up in his arms and pressing kisses to your cheeks.

“Now that you’ve left a lasting impression, ready to go home baby?” You ask, adjusting the collar of his shirt.

Nico hums, nodding as he dips down to kiss you again. “Mhm, let’s go celebrate our announcement.” He says with a cheeky smile.

Rolling your eyes, you agree to his idea but by the way he’s hanging onto you and blabbing goodbyes you know he’ll be asleep by the time you make it home.

[yarasdead]

"hi nonny! i love this so much and i already started writing 513 words in, but i was wondering if you'd like it's to be the bomens guys x reader kinda like a poly situation of if you'd like me to just concentrate on one guy or even do a headcanon thing on how each guy would react to something like this? i just didn't want to post what im writing, since i turned it into a full blown oneshot and not a drabble, so im just wondering :)"

It really doesn't matter to me. You can write whatever you want. I love smut but as you asked and I just didn't think about headcannon from each member acting about this Situation, I think this is very interesting.

hope it's okay that i went with cute little headcanons for each of the boys <3 i had so much fun writing these!

beach day ―︎ ︎bad omens boys.

cw. fem!reader, nothing serious, fluff, reader is described to wearing a bikini; no physical description, flirty reader at times, the boys being boys teehee

𝐍𝐎𝐀𝐇 𝐒𝐄𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐀𝐍.

the bulky guy with tattoos trailing down from his neck to his feet is the person you'd want to protect you and your friends phones. they practically dragged you to the water, quickly forgetting that your phones would be left unattended. so here your are walking up to this random guy on the beach with four phones in your hands so you can deem him the protector of you and your friends phones. a shadow cast over noah and his spot sat in his beach chair, looking up to spot you. you make it quick as you introduce yourself to him and he does to you.

"i know it's weird for me to request this to you, noah. but my friends and i would really appreciate if you were to watch over our phones while he go in the water." noah listens to to your words, leaning slightly past the frame of your body to see your friends standing by your guys' set up watching the interaction. looking back at you. "it's no problem." raising your eyebrows at him. "really? because i get it if you just want to relax and not worry about some girls phones-" he cuts you off "it's really no problem. i can over look over your spot if you'd like? make sure no one fucks with your stuff."

and with much reassuring on noah's part he moves his beach chair to rest beside your guys' set up while you and your friends enjoy your time in the water.

"he looks like a guard dog." one of your friends comments, eyeing his stature and the way he stares down anyone who walks a little to close to the set up. you definitely see the guard dog comparison, but you like it a little bit, "i think he's quite cute."

𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐑𝐔𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐋𝐎.

it's a particularly hot day at beach, not as hot as it'll get later in july and august, but definitely one of the hottest days to kick off summer. everyone on the beach is either tanning, shielding themselves from the sun under their beach umbrellas and tents, or enjoying the refreshness of the ocean water. however, nick is not enjoying this hot beach day. he forgot the one item he told himself to not forget, a hair tie. and he was cursing at himself when he felt the heat starting to get to him and slap at his wrist to retrieve his hair tie to pull his hair back, only it wasn't there. and jolly didn't have an extra one, don't get him started on the mini argument they had on the etiquette of carrying around an extra hair tie. nick tried to escape the hotness of the beating sun by going in the ocean, but now he sits miserable under the beach umbrella, slightly damp and hot, and all he can do his slip his hair to either side of his shoulders. he's desperate for a hair tie or something to put his hair up, and that's how it leads him to you. you have a small set but decently comfortable set up with your friend, the two of you say in beach chairs under the shared umbrella. the presence of a guy next to you not catching your attention as you continue to talk to your friend, until they hit at your arm.

"what was that for?" your brows furrowing at her action, your hand flinging to rub at the painless hit. your eyes catching her pointed finger in the direction next to you behind your sunglasses. turning your head you come face first with a looming figure. his tattooed form stands tall, and his long black hair is pushed behind his ears, but you take notice of his piercing eyes almost feeling a compelling urge to push your sunglasses down the bridge of your nose to get a clearer look at him past the tint of your sunglasses.

"hey, i wondering if either of you had a hair tie? i'm in desperate need of one, it's cool if you don't thought." the last part was a lie, he's hoping you guys have something, but if not then he'd need to go around asking other people if they have a hair tie, and he'd rather not do that. you purse your lips, both you and your friend picking up your bags to rummage through them. "i don't, i'm sorry." your friend says, you hear the guy speak out about it's no problem and now you feel like it's all up to you to deliver this necessary to him. but you frown, your rummaging coming to a stop. "i also don't." you feel bad when you see the way his shoulders deflate. your hand comes down to the strap of your bag to set it back down when you feel a piece of plastic. "but, wait. i have a claw clip." you say excitedly, taking it off the strap to show it off to him.

the wheels go off in nick's head. he knows noah used them a bit when he had his long hair, but he's never used the himself. you push your hand out for him to take it and he does, staring at it, pushing at it to open its teeth. "thank you." he's looking back down at you again, and you smile at him. but you can see the confusion on his face. "i can put it in for you, have you ever used a claw clip." "uh, no. i'm a strict hair tie user." he laughs. "that's okay! i really like claw clips because they're a little more better for no breakage on your hair than hair ties." nick nods along to your words as he watches you stand up from your chair. you put your hand out once more and he places the claw clip in your hand. you're thankful it's a tortoiseshell print and not your other colorful print claw clips, so it can still match his aesthetic.

"is it okay if i put it in for you?" you ask. "yeah, knock yourself out." you take your spot behind him, gathering his hair in your hands, making sure to gather his front pieces as well. beginning to twist his hair to put it up. "all you do is gather it like you're putting it into a pony tail and then just twist." you explain for future times decides to use a claw clip and he hums along. you twist it once more to fit his hair in the claw clip, not knowing if he'd like the look of his hair falling over top of it. "all done." he turns around, "thank you so much. this really means a lot to me. i can return it before my friends and i leave if you'd like it back?" you shake your head at what he said "no, keep it. you look better in it than i do." you're flirting a little at him, but you really couldn't help yourself, it was his problem for looking way too good with his hair back in a claw clip. he smirks at you. "i'm nick, by the way."

𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐅𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐎.

you'd gone to the beach on your day off for relaxation, content that it's a weekday and the beach isn't too crowded so you were able to find a pretty decent spot. setting up your towel, getting a few heavy rocks to set on the corners of your towel so it would blow away in the wind when you were sitting on it. stretching to pick up your sunscreen from your bag, you begin to apply a nice layer of it all over your face and body. and when it comes to get your back you curse at yourself, wondering why you didn't apply sunscreen at home in your bathroom where you could apply it in the mirror. you urgently look around to see anyone that could possibly help you, turning the only remotely close people were a group of guys with their set up behind you. you're eye catching on one of them in a grey wife beater, black swimming trunks, baseball cap, and sunglasses, from your spot you could see the tattoo peaking from out the top of his top and the little dangly earring. but, in a fit of desperation you look around once more to hope that someone else a little less hot was around. when there isn't you take a deep breath and head over to them, stopping a few steps before their set up.

"hi, i was wondering if one of you could help apply some sunscreen to my back?" the same guy you had your eye on volunteers. "i can." he moves from his spot at the small grill they brought, handing the tools in his hand to the guy beside him with even more tattoos littered across his body.

you smile at him, handing him your bottle of sunscreen and turning around. he does a good job at applying it all over your back. "is it okay if i slip my hand under your bikini top strings?" you take a peak look over your shoulder, catching his eyes already looking at you "yeah! would much rather avoid having prominent tan lines." you laugh. feeling his hands slip under the strings that connect you bikini top to stay on your body, you wonder if it's the sun or the hot guy applying sunscreen to your back that's making you burn up. you decide it's the sun.

"all done." you turn around, taking the sunscreen from his hand and smile at him once more. "thank you so much." he smiles, mirror the one you wear on your face "no problem."

the walk back to your small set up, you turn around to give the guy another small smile and a wave before you make it back to your towel and bag. and you can't even try to ignore the lingering smell of their grill as you try and tan, the hunger getting to you as you pull out the small array of snacks you packed with you. you're eating peacefully on your frontside on your towel, book in hand when you notice a figure getting closer. looking up it's him. he gives you a crooked smile as he bends down to your eye level.

"hey, i was wondering if you'd like to join my friends and i. we grilled a bunch of extra food, and i kind of figured it would be better than munching on some baby carrots, you've been out here awhile." you laugh at his innuendo that you must be hungry from only snacking on snacks and not a full meal, and you guess he's right. you've been out for sometime and you don't think your snacks can hold of off on the drive home. peering up at him you can't help but think that he looks extra good right now, the sun rays shinning from around him and his top is now off so you can see the entirety of his chest tattoo. but behind his exterior you realize you didn't know his name. "what's your name?" he lets out a small breath of laughter, bringing his hand up to his face to rub at it as if he had forgotten something. "nick. but everyone calls me folio." you repeat his name and he nods, you introduce yourself. and after that you decide it's enough to make your accept his offer, he's offering your free food after all. "yeah, i think i'd like that." his smile grows bigger at your response, standing from his spot. "alright, let's go. bring your stuff too. i'm not going to invite you to eat and then just send you back to your little spot."

𝐉𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐒𝐒𝐎𝐍.

its sudden when something hits you. you were walking back to your set up where your family resides from swimming in the ocean, when a light ball hits you in your head, stopping it full force as it falls into the sand. you've been hit with things must harder but it just came out of no where so it shook you up a bit. bending down to pick up the beach ball you look around to see who could have been playing with it, eyeing out all the children to see if they're looking around for a lost ball. what you didn't expect was a tatted, 6'1 guy with long hair up in a man bun and sunglasses to walk over to you.

"i'm so sorry that our ball hit you." the man apologizes. you stand in shock for a moment staring at him. "um, it's okay. glad it was just a beach ball and nothing harder." you laugh, feeling a little proud that your words were also able to ignite a small chuckle from him. you watch as he turns around to look back at his friends and throw up a thumbs up. "i let my friends know that you're alright." you nod, leaning slightly to peer past him to see his friends watch the two of you, giggling when they sheepishly turn around to each other to being talking, your face twist in confusion at his friends sudden shift in demeanor.

"so which one hit the ball?" you as curiously. he turns around, taking a moment to point at the one with short hair and tattoos covering the entirety of his torso. "you're not going to go over there are you?" he ask. "mmh no. do you think i should?" "i mean he did purposely hit you." you furrow your brows at him. "what?" you don't know how to feel about this information, but by the way he flushes red and pushes his sunglasses up onto his head, you think he has something more to say. "i, uh. i think you're cute. and his way of getting me to talk to you was by hitting you with a beach ball." your face of confusion quickly turns into a wide grin at his words. "it probably would've been easier to just ask for my number, y'know. would've given it to you with ease."

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

I think invictius is just pissed off it’s not as healthy of an organization as it was when under the royal umbrella. They clearly relied very heavily on the royal family to excute things which is probably why they re-signed Harry to an ambassador role when he left. Only it became very obvious, that Harry’s priorities changed in the after math of the split and that didn’t bode well for invictius. They’ve spent basically 4 years bleeding themselves dry to support Harry and now Meghan and it’s gotten them no further along.

I agree that I think things have been simmering for a while now. And I think they’re are two fractions inside invictius games. There is the IG team themselves and then Harry and Meghan. Harry and Meghan want Birmingham to force the half in half out narrative. ( though I really don’t think this is going to work at all, no one is coming to this mini event next week and William and Charles have been rather clear in recent weeks about that)

The IG team wants Birmingham because they want to phase out Harry and bring in Mike. It’s UK soil and he’s a huge athlete advocate, it also brings in fresh blood with a sprinkle of actual royalty. (Do I think this will happen-no) but I believe this is why they haven’t kicked harry to the curb. There was a pretty massive turn over pre Vancouver, which alluded to issues with funding and securing the next location. I don’t think those have been solved and we haven’t seen harry attend any charity functions to drum up support. Hell he’s thrown a pretty massive tantrum about security for this small (ish) event, they’re chomping at the bit to see him gone.

What I do think will happen is that Birmingham will win it but the gov will completely swap this next election cycle and the funding will disappear. I think IG as we know it will brake away to host smaller country focused events and eventually link up with the warrior games in the us.

Harry and Meghan by extension are stressed about this, they need something- hence Washington DC coming out of left field. If trump wins, I doubt this is held in the way Harry would want.

Yeah, the Washington DC was really out of the blue. It doesn't make sense to bring Invictus Games to the US when we have the Warrior Games here. So to that end, I can see Invictus folding into Warrior Games, like you think. We've also got Germany hosting their own national set of games later this year, which is also pretty significant in the future of these international games.

And it isn't just the Warrior Games here in the US. I don't know what other countries do, but the US Olympics Committee has a huge program supporting military veterans, able-bodied and not, for the Olympics and Paralympics. So the market here is kinda really oversaturated for veterans-based athletic competition and the only way there's space for a US offshoot of Invictus Games is if they merge with and rebrand as Warrior Games.

And maybe that's part of the goal behind Harry cozing up to the US Department of Defense; he wants the US military and Warrior Games to bail Invictus out.

And y'all, I'm warning you now. I'll be watching the comments on this one. If it starts going off on politics because anon mentioned Trump, I'm turning the comments off and deleting them. I get enough crap of politics with work. I do not want it here.

[blackhairedjjun]

you made my day. ✧༺♥༻✧

pairing: ot5 (individually) x gender neutral reader | genre / tropes: comfort, fluff, slice of life, meet cute, strangers to (potentially) lovers; reader is an intern in yeonjun's and a student in taehyun's | word count: 900 - 1k each | warnings: profanity, food & drinks in all except beomgyu's, getting scolded in yeonjun's, getting lost in beomgyu's

summary: you're having a bad day and things don't go as planned. but a chance encounter with a kind and handsome stranger makes things a little bit better.

author's notes: this was supposed to be posted in time for the release of the seasons of txt: youth photos, but then i got writer's block working on kai's and then i got super busy with work so i finished this only now. this is my first time making a fully ot5 work, and it was a lot of fun coming up with unique scenarios for each member. i hope you enjoy!

(all mini-fics are under the "keep reading" cut! photos are left uncropped to preserve the original uploader's watermark. photos are from bxmgyx_13 on twitter.)

1. soobin 수빈

of all the days for you to forget your umbrella, it’s on a day when it actually rains.

you stand underneath the awning of the convenience store, sighing and clutching your bag of snacks. even as you silently wish for the rain to stop so that you could walk to the subway station, head home, and enjoy your food, the downpour only grows stronger as if the universe is playing a cruel prank on you.

today is supposed to be a relaxing day. maybe the sound of the rain would be calming if you were at home munching on a bag of your favorite chips... outside, not so much.

a few minutes pass. the rain abates ever so slightly, but not enough for you to go home safely. you glance up at the sky still covered in clouds, then back at the street view in front of you, losing hope.

you don’t mean to make eye contact with the tall stranger passing in front of you.

at that moment, two thoughts cross your mind. the first: he looks like an actor, i swear i’ve seen a handsome face like that before. the second: wow, a tall man with a big umbrella, if i were more shameless i’d ask him to cover me to get to the subway station.

the universe, once again, decides to humor you.

the young man stops in his tracks, still staring. then he turns away, bowing his head a little, as if trying to make himself smaller. you watch while he stays like that for a little bit, shifting his weight from one foot to another, clearly embarrassed by your encounter.

your face grows hot with embarrassment too and you bring your free hand up to cover your eyes. what am i doing? you chide yourself. just because he has a nice big umbrella doesn’t mean it’s okay to stare!

but before you can scold yourself too much, you hear a soft voice in front of you.

“do you... want to share?”

slowly you remove your hand from your eyes. the tall man is looking at you, and though he seems shy, you see a faint smile of politeness on his face.

“yes, please!” you nearly shout. “i mean 一 i’d like that, thanks.”

he bows a little as he moved forward and tilts his umbrella towards you. “sorry for staring, you just looked really sad standing here like that一” he stops, realizing what he just said, and presses his mouth shut.

cute. 

“no, it’s okay. i’ve been wanting to go home for a while, so yeah, i was feeling pretty bummed.”

“oh... sorry about that.”

you shrug. “it is what it is,” you say as you stepped under the umbrella. when you tell him that you were headed to the nearby train station, his eyes light up; he passes it by on the way to his dorms. the setup is perfect for both of you.

the tall man, you notice, seems naturally shy; even as you walk together under the rain, he makes sure to keep a polite distance from you, even if it meant one side of him getting slightly wet. his umbrella is slightly tilted towards you to make sure that you’re well-protected, even at his expense.

“hey, you’re getting rained on 一 it’s okay, you can bring the umbrella a bit more to your side.”

“it’s fine, i’m worried about your bag.”

“oh, this?” you lift up your bag of snacks on your free side. “don’t worry, they’re just bags of snacks. the packaging will keep them from getting wet.”

“oh? what snacks did you get?”

you tell him about your bags of chips and your packs of bread that you bought and his eyes start to shine. “i was gonna have a nice day to myself, just watching movies and eating these,” you say. “i picked out some dramas to watch this morning...”

“if you want really good bread, there’s a shop that just opened a few blocks away from the subway station! they make everything fresh, and i’ve been stopping by there after my classes.”

“oh! i’ve passed by that place, but i’ve never tried...”

as the two of you continue talking 一 turns out he has a lot of anime recommendations for you to binge while eating 一 he slowly starts to open up. he still looks handsome like an actor, but he has an adorable smile and a sparkle in his eyes that make him less intimidating and more endearing. he feels like someone you could hang out with, someone you could relax and be yourself around.

it wasn’t long before the two of you finally arrive at the subway station entrance. the rain has stopped, and the young man sets his umbrella down; now that you can see his face better, you take in the shine in his eyes and the dimples on his cheeks. oh, he’s so cute.

“hey, thanks so much for walking me, uh...”

“soobin.”

“thank you, soobin.” you feel your cheeks grow warm at you mentioning his name, and he seemed to blush a little, too. “this was nice of you to do.”

“ah, it’s nothing to worry about...”

“do you want to meet up at the bread shop sometime?”

the words tumble out of your mouth before you can stop yourself. oh god, what are you doing? you start to chide yourself again for asking to hang out with someone you’ve known for ten minutes. all he did was walk you home out of courtesy, and yet一

“yeah... that would be nice.”

he seems to be trying his hardest to look at you straight, but you can tell that the shy smile spreading across his face was genuine. relief washes over you and you can’t help but smile back.

the smile doesn’t leave your face as you hand your phone over to him to exchange numbers. while typing in your contact details, a thought crosses your mind: maybe the universe knows what it’s doing after all.

2. yeonjun 연준

the walk home from your internship feels like a walk of shame.

you messed up a pretty urgent task, delaying your team’s entire project, and your boss had little patience as he scolded you in front of the other interns. even as you make your way back home where you can forget and perhaps drown your sorrows in ice cream, you can still hear your boss’s voice rising and ringing in your ears, and feel the interns’ eyes on you as they watch you get a dressing-down. some looks are ones of pity, others of annoyance 一 but they sting at you all the same.

it’s hard for you to push away the memory as you trudge down the familiar route to your apartment, the sights around you barely perceptible to your troubled mind. you don’t even have the mental energy to pay attention to the pedestrians around you, walking down the same sidewalk and headed who knows where, when一

bump.

“shit!”

you feel the splash of coffee on you and see a stain of dark brown spreading across your work shirt.

“oh shit, i’m so sorry一”

a bit of spilt coffee shouldn’t mean much, but today it’s the final straw. you burst into tears, unable to stop yourself from sobbing in a crowded street of strangers. everything about this day is conspiring against you: you can’t do your job right, you embarrassed yourself in front of the rest of the intern team, and now you can’t even get home without looking like a complete idiot. you want to disappear into thin air but all you can do is cry, which just makes you feel even more ashamed... and then cry harder.

“hey, please don’t cry, i didn’t realize that it was that bad一 did you get burned? i can walk you to a clinic一”

at first you barely pay attention to the young man who spilled his coffee on you, but now it’s hard to ignore the way he looks at you with eyes wide with worry. his hands hover just inches away from your shoulders, ready to comfort but not crossing the boundary of your personal space, and despite your tears your heart softens a bit at his willingness to help.

“it’s fine,” you sniffle, wiping your tears away with the back of your hand. “i一 i didn’t get burned一”

“i’m sorry for making you cry, i wasn’t paying attention一”

you can’t help but burst into a small laugh.

now the man looks confused, tilting his head at you. “wh-what’s so funny?”

“it’s not your fault that i’m crying,” you say, the last of your tears finally falling. “just had... a bad day.” 

“oh.” 

you watch the look in his eyes shift. he was looking at you with panic and desperation, but now his gaze softens. his hands fall to his sides but he leans toward you to listen to you better.

“sorry about your day.” his voice is softer now. “and it’s alright to cry it out, it must’ve been hard for you...”

you simply nod. your gaze falls to the sidewalk and you notice the spilled cup of coffee by your feet.

“s-sorry about your coffee...”

the man stares at you and tuts, shaking his head. “you just had a bad day, and you’re worried about my coffee? it’s fine, it’s nothing compared to what you went through.”

“i guess, i just... can’t help but feel bad.” you chew on your lip. “can i buy you a new one?”

he let out a chuckle and the sound makes you feel light. “will it make you feel better if you buy me a coffee?”

perhaps it would do you good to do something right for someone today, you think. besides, he seems nice, and he does deserve a coffee for trying to soothe you.

“yeah, sure.”

“then i’ll let you if it makes your day a bit better. there’s a cafe across the street, we can just stop by there, yeah?” he shrugs off the open button-down he’s wearing over his shirt and hands it to you. “and here, wear this to cover up the stain.”

“it’s fine一”

“c’mon, you can wear it.”

 you hesitate for a moment, but the young man looks at you with such wide eyes that you can’t say no; you take the button-down and put it on over your shirt. it’s big on you, but that’s good for covering up most of the stain. and while soiled clothing may be the least of your worries, it preserves your pride just enough that you smile for the first time today.

“there, you’re smiling already. you feel better?” he says, returning the smile.

oh, he’s handsome.

your smile widens and a blush starts to creep on you. “yeah... yeah, i do. and i guess some coffee would help.”

“then we can grab some together.” he offers his arm out to you. “i’m yeonjun, by the way.”

you thread his arm around his as the two of you walk towards the cafe. it’s an oddly intimate thing to do with someone you just met, but it feels right.

“nice to meet you, yeonjun. and thank you for helping me.”

maybe today isn’t such a bad day after all.

3. beomgyu 범규

where the hell am i?

it’s the first thought that enters your mind as you step off the train, and it’s the thought that comes back to you again and again as you wander around the unfamiliar station. the whole place is unnervingly quiet; no other trains passing by, no hustle and bustle of the city, not even other passengers chatting and waiting for the next train to come. you open your phone and check your map 一 and you realize that you have gone horribly, horribly off course.

you did everything right; your friend gave you the name of the train station close to their new apartment, and you even looked it up before your trip. you know that the apartment was quite far from your place, but this is too far altogether. sighing, you open your chat with your friend and start texting them: hey i think i’m at the wrong station can you please help. you pace back and forth as you wait for a reply.

nothing.

the cell signal in the station weakens. you can’t even send your friend a follow-up text.

you almost let out a scream until you notice that another passenger has appeared on the platform: a young man bobbing his head to whatever music he’s listening to. he pays you no mind as his attention is absorbed by the earphones connected to... a cassette player?

you squint. does anyone still use cassette players in this day and age?

in between his little listening session, the young man catches at you staring at him. he tilts his head at you, pauses his player, and takes off his earphones. “what’s up?”

“uh...”

should you ask him for help? if he’s waiting for his own train, maybe he’d know the station better than you.

he follows your gaze down to the cassette player in his hand and frowns. “hey, i like vintage things, okay? my dad gave me this and it still works.”

“n-no, it’s not that...” 

your confusion and frustration must be too obvious, because the young man slips his cassette player into his bag and takes a step towards you. “uh, are you okay?”

fuck it, you can’t solve this yourself anyway.

“i think i’m lost.” you head over to him and show him your phone: the station name your friend gave you, a screenshot of the route you took. you explain to him where you’re headed, and he nods along as he listens and examines the map screenshots on your phone.

finally, he lets out a nervous chuckle. “uh, sorry. i don’t know how to get there either.”

your heart sinks.

“but i know where the helpdesk is, maybe we can ask them? let’s go there together.”

“aren’t you waiting for the next train though...?”

“it’s fine, it’s coming in around 20 minutes. let’s go, then?”

he gives you a sheepish grin, and somehow it’s the most reassuring thing you’ve seen all day.

the two of you make your way through a maze of staircases and walkways to get to the helpdesk, which the young man explains is on the far side of the station. all the while he sticks close to you, arms nearly brushing as you walk side by side, and it makes you feel anchored in an unfamiliar place.

“i’m sure your friend must be worried about you,” he says. 

“yeah, and i can’t even text them to tell them where i am.”

“we gotta make sure you get back then. don’t worry, the helpdesk staff are super nice. they’ve always helped me out here, so they’ll surely be able to help you too.”

he smiles and nods at you as he says it, and it makes you believe him. he’s kinda cute, too.

the young man is in the middle of telling you about how he’s visiting his family when you spot the HELP DESK sign in front of a modest booth. you nearly sprint to it, but your companion manages to keep up and get there first.

“excuse me, could you help my friend here? they’re supposed to get to...”

you lend your phone to him as he explains your route to the middle-aged woman behind the help desk. she lets out a laugh as she hears him out 一 it turns out that there are two stations close to each other with similar names, and your friend gave you the wrong station name. “don’t worry, it’s a common mistake,” she says. “you’re not the first person i’ve seen make it. here, i can trace your route for you...”

a few moments later you hold a paper map with a post-it explaining which lines and stations you’re supposed to take. you relax visibly as you scan the instructions, and a new wave of energy fills you to get to where you need to go.

you look up at the young man and he seems even more excited than you. he’s grinning from ear to ear and bouncing slightly on his feet. “we did it!”

“thank you so much,” you say with a bow. “couldn’t have done it without you.”

“don’t get lost again, okay?” he says with a laugh. “or else i’ll have to come pick you up or something.”

“i’ll be fine, don’t worry. what, do you want me to text you when i get there?”

you’re joking but you freeze. what on earth were you even saying?

the young man goes from excited to sheepish, though he hasn’t stopped smiling. “i mean, yeah, that’s a good idea.”

“yeah...”

you find yourself exchanging phones with him, and when you get yours back, you glance at the new contact. beomgyu. there’s a little teddy bear emoji next to his name.

“text me when you get to your friend’s place, okay?”

beomgyu’s gaze softens, and you feel yourself growing warm.

“okay.”

4. taehyun 태현

you shouldn’t have checked how much progress you’ve made.

in the middle of your study session you flip through the pages of your chemistry textbook to see how much you have left to read... and you still have three-fourths of the chapter left. after that you have two more chapters to go. you flip through your own notes and realize that, as dense as they already are, they aren’t even halfway done. then you check the time on your phone: it’s been forty-five minutes.

oh, it’s going to be a long stay at this cafe.

you can feel the worries rising in your throat, but you take a sip of coffee to try to wash them down. it doesn’t work, but you don’t have the time to self-soothe right now. you only have so much time before it gets too dark and you have to return to your dorm.

your head is spinning with chemical equations and diagrams when the empty seat across you shifts. the muffled noise is enough to make you look up, and you notice a stranger hovering near the seat. the rest of the cafe is full.

“may i sit here?” he asks.

“sure.”

you pay him no mind as he settles down, and you continue studying.

half an hour and one finished coffee later, and you still aren’t done with that first chapter. your notes started out neat but have since devolved into a half-legible mess of symbols and equations that might as well be ancient runes to you. the last ten minutes were spent scrolling on your phone because you would rather distract yourself at this point. groaning, you throw down your pen and rub your face into your hands.

i’m not understanding anything.

the soft thwack of your pen against your textbook catches the attention of your table-mate, who has finished his pastry and is sipping his drink while typing some notes on his phone. you glance up at him and see the name scrawled on his coffee cup: taehyun.

he glances at your pen, then at your textbook, then up at you. “is this for a chemistry class?”

you nod.

taehyun examines the textbook again, then your notes. “oh, i took the same class last semester. do you want help?”

you want to yell oh my god, you’re a fucking lifesaver, but instead you say, “yes, please!”

you allow taehyun to flip through your textbook, even your messy notes. his eyes widen as he takes in every detail, and when he looks up at you he gives you a tiny smile. there’s a little sparkle in his eyes that washes down just a bit of your worries.

“this is pretty good progress you’ve made. you got the fundamental parts right.”

“oh, i… did?”

and here you thought your mind was just flailing around.

“yeah. you’re doing great.”

“but i’m slow.”

“it’s better to be slow and understand everything well than to be fast but not absorb anything,” he says. “do you have an exam coming up soon?”

“uh-huh… tomorrow. and i’ve got two more chapters after this.”

“oh.” taehyun blinks and goes quiet for a few moments, pondering what to do. at last, he picks up your pen. “you could probably go faster with some help, then.”

a wide smile spreads across your face.

taehyun guides you through each lesson, pausing once in a while to check if you can follow him. you resume taking notes and they’ve gotten neater again, and all the strange symbols and diagrams and equations start to make sense. the panic in you starts to fade away little by little, and the fog in your mind from all your worrying starts to clear. with that gone, you find yourself understanding each lesson much more quickly.

“you’re good at this,” you say as taehyun finishes drawing an example chemical structure on a napkin.

“i am?” he lets out a small chuckle and you blush a little. he’s sweet. “well, i did enjoy my chemistry classes last time. but it only really counts if you got to learn something.”

“i did, i honestly did,” you say, eyes scanning your notes.

taehyun follows your line of sight and once again you see the sparkle in his eyes. “that’s good, then. and i can tell from your notes too, you already figured a lot of it out. you’ll do fine in your exam.”

“you think so?”

“yeah, really.”

“well...” he’s right, you admit. you exhale slowly and allow your shoulders to slump a little bit. “thanks.”

in the end you manage to finish just two out of three chapters before it gets dark outside, but taehyun makes a cheat sheet to help you. you watch him as he scrawls his notes on a loose sheet of paper 一 oh, he’s a lefty! you note 一 then tucks it in between the pages of your textbook. as he slides the textbook over to you, he gives you one more look with wide eyes.

“good luck tomorrow. you can do it!”

“thanks! and, uh 一 thank you. i couldn’t have done it without you.”

taehyun lets out a little chuckle. it sounds tiny, but to your ears it could fill the whole cafe. “you should let me know how it goes. i’ll be here tomorrow too, same time.”

“oh...”

there it is again, the twinkle in his eyes. you feel yourself grow warm at his words as you look at him. you still have your exam to get through, but now you have something to look forward to tomorrow.

“sure, i’ll be here,” you say. “see you.”

5. huening kai 휴닝카이

perhaps a little ice cream will put you out of your misery.

the line for the ice cream truck in the park is long, as expected on such a hot day. one part of you understands this rationally, but another part of you is antsy, an inner five-year-old grumbling and stomping their feet on the verge of a temper tantrum. sure, everyone in this line is sweating under the sun as much as you are, but your patience is wearing thin and you just want that ice cream now. 

you would have been more patient if you’re getting that ice cream with your friends as originally planned, but your plans fell apart at the last minute. one by one, they texted you their reasons why they couldn’t make it: they have to work overtime at their job, their boyfriend suddenly showed up for a surprise date, their cat got hurt and had to be taken to the vet... by the time you read the last ones, you were already waiting at the park, your carefully planned outfit wasted and slowly being stained with sweat.

if it happened to someone other than you, you would have laughed at the unfortunate string of coincidences. but instead the sheer bad luck taunts you, and now all you can do is take out your handkerchief and wipe the sweat off your forehead with a sigh.

you don’t know how long it takes 一 perhaps a few minutes, perhaps an hour 一 but you finally make it to the front of the ice cream truck. you bounce on your heels as you turn to face the ice cream man, ready for a little bit of ice-cold, sweet comfort on an otherwise terrible day...

“sorry, we just sold out.”

“WHAT?!”

the ice cream man flinches. you didn’t mean to scream so loud, but the frustration building in up in you is just too much to hold back. the people in line behind you start to disperse, a few of them stopping to stare at you. you apologize for your outburst  but slink away in defeat, head bowed from resignation and sheer tiredness.

just then you feel a tap on your shoulder.

“uh... y-you can have mine...”

you turn around and see a young man with tousled black hair holding out a popsicle still in its packaging. he smiles sheepishly as he hands it to you. “sorry, i got the last one...”

with one look at him, whatever irritation and frustration you feel melts away. you can see the sweat around his forehead and the slump in his shoulders, then your eyes fall to the gym bag hanging by his side. he must have been exerting himself under the sun, you think, and there’s no way you can take an ice cream from someone like that.

“no, i’m 一 i’m sorry for shouting like that. you can have it.”

“no, it’s okay, i promise!”

“really, you don’t have to give it to me.” you start to walk away, hoping to deter him, but he only follows. “keep it, it’s gonna melt if you don’t eat it soon.”

“take it! please?” he steps to your side and you notice how much he towers over you. his face betrays his height, however 一 he glances at you with big, pleading eyes, and your resolve softens.

“okay, okay.” you take the popsicle from him and unwrap it.

the two of you sit down on a park bench. you taste a little bit of the popsicle, now soft from the heat, and the fruity flavor instantly gives you a little burst of energy. you smile as you dig in to the rest of it, trying to savor it before it melts.

you pause for a moment to look at the young man who handed you the popsicle. he looks content as he gazes out at the park scenery, without a hint of bitterness that you took his ice cream from him. he turns to you with a smile, and you can’t help the little flutter in your heart when he does.

“that looks so good,” he says.

“it is! uh, sorry i took it from you.”

“nah, it’s okay. they ran out of my favorite flavor anyway so i’m not too sad.”

“oh.” you finish the popsicle and place the wooden stick inside the packaging. “it would’ve been nice if we both had one, though. it’s really hot today.”

“yeah, dance practice was extra brutal today under the sun...”

“dance practice? oh my god, that sounds exhausting.”

“yeah, everything hurt so much! but i finally figured out our new choreo, so it’s okay.” he glances over at you and opens his mouth to speak again, only for him to look confused and turn away. oh, he’s a shy one.

you decide to fill in the silence. “do you want to hear something funny?”

“sure!”

you tell the stranger about the slow thwarting of your plans for the day: the sudden overtime, the surprise date, the cat at the vet. your companion’s eyes widen with each new detail. when you finish he starts out a high-pitched laugh, and the sound makes you laugh too.

then he realizes he’s laughing at you and he stops. “oh一! oh, i... that’s so unlucky... and the ice cream running out too... i’m so sorry.”

you shrug. “today’s just not my day.”

“i’m glad i gave you that ice cream, then. you needed it.”

“yeah... thanks.” you glance down to fiddle with the edges of the popsicle wrapper, and you feel your lips curl upward in a smile . just then an idea enters your head, and you look up to meet your companion’s eyes.

“do you want to meet up here again next week? maybe we can get an ice cream for the both of us next time. my treat.” you tilt your head at him. “i’m y/n, by the way.”

slowly a wide smile forms on your own companion’s face, and his eyes start to twinkle with giddiness. “y/n... ah, i’m kai. and i have outdoor dance practice here every week, so i’ll see you after?”

“that would be nice, kai.”

[journalofimprobablethings]

following the echo down

Jon looks up at Tim, whose eyes are fixed on the road, two fingers tapping out a rapid tattoo on the steering wheel. Who, Jon realizes, hasn’t actually looked at him once this whole time.

“This is real,” Jon says. His voice is hoarse with disuse.

Tim’s fingers go still on the wheel. He finally looks over at Jon—just a quick glance, before he returns his gaze to the road.

“Yeah, Jon,” he says. He sounds exhausted. “This is real. Put your seatbelt on.”

--

Anyone in need of some Circus-related JonTim angst?

Tim rescues Jon from the Circus in this one, and Jon isn't quite sure why. They both get a hug. It doesn't really fix things.

Full fic is below the cut, or you can read it on ao3 here.

-- It takes until Tim dumps him unceremoniously in the passenger seat of a battered Mini parked outside the wax museum for Jon to realize that this might actually be happening.

When Tim first appeared, kneeling in front of his chair to undo the ropes on his ankles while hissing at him to wake the fuck up, Jon, he was certain he was hallucinating. 

He’d long given up on the idea that anyone was coming for him. Georgie at least might have wondered where he went, but since he’d told her he was moving out, he wasn’t sure even she would notice anything amiss. And the others…well. He supposed they were probably grateful he was making himself scarce.

And even if one of them had thought to wonder, and cared enough to look—it wouldn’t have been Tim. Not now. Not after everything that had broken down between them.

 So he simply watched with a detached kind of interest as Tim picked at the knots at his ankles, then his wrists. He panted with relief when Tim pulled the gag from his mouth, but still made no effort to move on his own–if this was a hallucination, or a dream, he was afraid any movement he made would disrupt it, and he would be back where he’d been for weeks: shivering against the cold metal chair, trying to ignore the ache in his shoulders or the prickle of rope on his wrists.

He didn’t respond when Tim asked if he could walk, and he didn’t resist when Tim huffed in frustration and lifted him out of the chair, hefted him against his chest, and started for the door. 

When the mannequins finally appeared at the other end of the room to give chase, Jon closed his eyes, hoping he could somehow keep this from becoming a nightmare by sheer force of will. Even in a dream, he didn’t want to see Tim get torn apart. 

And so he didn’t see how close their pursuers might have gotten, or how Tim got them out of the museum. He only knew that suddenly, he felt the cool air of an early summer evening against his skin, and heard the sound of a car door opening, and now—

And now he’s sitting in the passenger seat of Tim’s car, with a soft, slightly pilled blanket on his lap, and Tim is slamming the driver’s side door and growling at him,

“Put your seatbelt on. I don’t need you flying through the windscreen.”

 He doesn’t wait for Jon to do so before he slams the car into gear and screeches away from the museum.

The details of it all are too real and specific and irritating for his mind to have conjured. There are crumbs on the seat under him, pricking at his thighs. The car smells of stale coffee and damp, like maybe someone left a wet umbrella in the footwell too long, and the water seeped into the carpeting. Jon looks at the blanket in his lap and  realizes that he recognizes it—Tim made it years ago, when they were in Research and he tried out crocheting to see if a handicraft would help soak up some of his endless, restless energy. It was the only thing he’d actually finished.

Jon looks up at Tim, whose eyes are fixed on the road, two fingers tapping out a rapid tattoo on the steering wheel. Who, Jon realizes, hasn’t actually looked at him once this whole time.

“This is real,” Jon says. His voice is hoarse with disuse.

Tim’s fingers go still on the wheel. He finally looks over at Jon—just a quick glance, before he returns his gaze to the road.

“Yeah, Jon,” he says. He sounds exhausted. “This is real. Put your seatbelt on.”

Jon does what he’s told. His hands are shaking so much it takes a couple tries, and by the time he succeeds, they’re on the motorway, the museum long gone in the distance behind them.

–

They don’t speak again for the rest of the drive.

At first Jon steals glances at Tim every few minutes, waiting for—he’s not sure. An explosion, maybe. A torrent of blame for forcing Tim to risk himself to rescue Jon’s useless, scrawny ass. In another life, he might have hoped for—even expected—some concern. Soft questions about how he’s feeling; whether he wants to talk about what happened (he doesn’t). Assurances that he’s safe. 

He knows better than to expect or hope for something like that now.

Jon pulls the blanket up over his shoulders and tucks his knees up against his chest, grateful for the novel sensation of being completely covered and warm. When it’s clear that Tim has no intention of talking, he leans his head back against the headrest and stares out the window, watching the headlights and night-time shadows streak past.

It’s hard to believe there’s a whole world out there, a world that kept on going the whole time he was trapped with Nikola. Kept right on going, perfectly fine, without him.

He pulls the blanket tighter around himself, and closes his eyes.

–

It’s not a surprise when Tim pulls up to the Institute. Jon doesn’t have a flat anymore, after all, and Tim doesn’t know Georgie’s address. And there was never a question, really, whether Tim would want Jon to stay with him.

Getting out of the car is an awkward shuffle, as Jon first tries to pull himself out under his own steam, keeping the blanket wrapped tightly around himself, but quickly discovers that his legs can’t hold him up just yet. Before he can say anything—an apology? a request for help? He’s not sure which—Tim is there, scooping him up just like he did at the museum.

Luckily, it’s late enough that there’s no one there to see.

When they make it down to the Archives, Tim deposits him on the break room sofa and disappears before Jon can find any words to thank him.

He supposes it doesn’t matter so much, in the end. Tim rescued him, brought him somewhere safe. It would be too much, surely, to ask him to stay.

At some point he’ll have to get up, find something to put on. For the moment, though, he can’t bring himself to move.

Jon pulls the blanket closer and looks around. The break room looks the same as it always has: the battered table with a wad of paper underneath one leg to keep it level, the mismatched chairs, the pile of old crossword-puzzle books that Jon is pretty sure were here when they all arrived. The corkboard by the door is covered in curling notices of workers’ rights and old post-it doodles. They’ve been there so long that Jon doesn’t remember who drew them. He wonders if any of them are Sasha’s.

It’s all so mundane, and familiar, and Jon doesn’t entirely know how to process it.

He knows this is real. It is.

But he doesn’t know how to reconcile a month of ropes and invasive plastic hands and constant, low-grade terror with the brightly-colored mugs sitting in the dish rack by the sink.

After everything that’s happened, you’d think he’d be better at this—handling the cognitive dissonance of eldritch horrors existing alongside the mundane details of daily life. But somehow it still surprises him.

His thoughts are interrupted by the break room door opening–it’s not loud or violent, but nevertheless Jon startles so hard he almost falls off the sofa. He clutches the blanket and breathes deeply, trying to calm his rabbiting heart.

“Sorry,” Tim says, though he sounds like he doesn’t know if it’s true.

“I-it’s all right,” Jon says. “I—” he takes another breath. “I thought you’d gone.”

Something undefinable flits across Tim’s face.

“Just went to grab your clothes. Here.”

Tim holds out a neatly folded stack that Jon recognizes. He’d taken to stashing a spare outfit in his desk, for the days that he stayed at work too late to catch the Tube home. 

He hadn’t realized Tim knew about it.

“I—thank you.”

He takes the clothes, expecting Tim to leave again immediately—but instead Tim just turns his back and studies the old doodles on the corkboard, clearly giving Jon space to get dressed.

It should make him feel embarrassed or awkward, but instead he finds that he’s oddly grateful not to be left alone.

Slowly, Jon begins the painstaking process of putting on clothes for the first time in a month. His joints are stiff and his fingers clumsy, and it takes about three times as long as it normally would. But still, he manages, and the relief at finally being clothed loosens just a little bit of the tension in his shoulders.

He takes the blanket from where he’d laid it on the couch and begins to fold it.

“All–er—-all done,” he says.

Tim doesn’t turn around straight away. Instead, he puts his hands in his pockets and studies his shoes.  “I need to tell you something. Before—before we talk more. And I think—” he hesitates. It’s the first time in months that Jon has heard him sound so uncertain. “I think I need to make it a statement.”

Jon blinks in surprise.

“Are you sure?” Jon asks. “I just—you—”

“Yeah, I know. You don’t have to tell me.” Tim huffs an angry sigh. “I don’t want to—to offer up this story to some spooky eldritch power. But I—you need to hear it. And I think—I might not be able to tell it any other way.”

Jon hesitates.

“Okay.”

Then Tim turns and holds out, of all things, a tape recorder.

For a second Jon just stares at it. It makes him think of that first time, back at the beginning, when Tim unearthed an old recorder at his request. When none of them knew what it meant, or what was coming.

It’s ironic, he thinks, that Tim was the one to bring the first recorder into the Archives, when now out of all of them, he’s the one that hates them the most.

“Tim, are you—”

“Don’t ask me again.” He shakes the recorder at Jon. "Let’s just do this.”

“All right.” Jon takes the recorder, goes through the motions of checking the tape inside by rote. He’s not looking at Tim when he starts the recording, but out of the corner of his eye he can see Tim stiffen at the click and hiss as the tape starts up.

“Statement of Timothy Stoker,” Jon says, “regarding…” He looks at Tim, questioning.

Tim takes a shaky breath. “The disappearance of… of my brother, Danny, four years ago.”

Right. God. Okay.

Jon looks once more at Tim, searching his face for…what? Hesitation? Fear? Tim catches him staring and glares back.

“Get on with it, then,” he says sharply.

Jon looks quickly back down at the tape recorder in his hands.

“Right. Um. S-Statement begins.”

–

They stand in what feels like an infinite stretch of silence once Tim finishes. 

Jon had offered none of his usual follow-up remarks, simply waiting to make sure Tim was done before saying quietly, “Statement ends,” and clicking the recorder off.

The ticking of the break room clock seems suddenly loud and insistent in the silence left behind.

Jon remembers when Tim first arrived in Research, the intensity with which he pursued sources about Robert Smirke and his architecture. He’d wondered, at the time, if Tim had had an experience like his own, a reason he’d come to the Institute beyond curiosity about the paranormal. But it wasn’t something that you could bring up in casual conversation, was it? And so he’d never asked.

He wonders if anything would have been different, if he had.

They’re still standing awkwardly in the middle of the break room, Jon clutching the recorder in both hands. He finally moves to set it down on the table, and it’s like a spell breaks over them—Tim takes a ragged breath and turns his face away, scrubbing angrily at his cheeks with the heel of his hand. Without the recorder to hold, Jon twists his fingers together into anxious knots. Even before all this, he was never much good at giving comfort. 

“I’m so sorry, Tim,” he says.

Tim lets out a short bark of bitter laughter. “Yeah. Well.”

“Is that why…?” Jon lets himself trail off. He realizes he’s not sure he wants to know the answer.

The question seems to hit Tim anyway. He tenses, his arms crossed, his hands clenched tight on his upper arms like he’s trying to hold himself together.

“I couldn’t—I wasn’t about to let them take someone else I—” 

He stops himself, and Jon can’t help looking up at Tim’s face, meeting his eyes for just a flash before Tim looks away.

“Someone else,” he finishes. “Not if I could help it.”

Jon nods. It helps, in an odd way, to know that there was a reason Tim came. To know that Tim still thinks of him as enough of a person to be worthy of being saved, the way he couldn’t save Danny. 

“I’m sorry I’m not him,” Jon says. “I’m sorry you couldn’t—”

“Don’t,” Tim says. “Just don’t.”

Even from several feet away, Jon can see the tension in Tim’s jaw, the taut bunch of his shoulders. Every instinct he’s developed over the past few months tells him he should stop talking—but he needs to say this. If he doesn’t say it now, he doesn’t know if he’ll get another chance.

“I know it can’t fix—I know it’s not—” He stops, trying to find a way to phrase what he wants to say without hurting Tim more than he already has.

“You saved me,” he says finally. “I didn’t think anyone would—” 

Tim flinches, and Jon stops again.

Oh. He hadn’t thought that would—

Hm.

Another try.

“I-I don’t want to think about what would have happened if you hadn’t come. You saved me, Tim.”

Tim says nothing. He doesn’t move, still turned partly away, carefully not looking at Jon the same way he’s been not looking at him all evening.

Conversation over, then, Jon thinks. He’s said his piece, and Tim heard it. That’s all he can do. And he’s tired; his legs are starting to tremble with the strain of standing. 

Jon starts to turn to go, to retreat to Document Storage and his sad little cot.

Then Tim moves towards him so fast that Jon flinches back on instinct. But instead of the expected blow, Tim pulls him into a fierce hug, so tight that it momentarily leaves Jon breathless.

It’s a strange hug. There’s no tenderness in it; Jon gets the sense that it’s not a hug for him at all, not really. It’s Tim’s way of assuring himself that Jon is here and real, that he succeeded, that at least in this one small battle against the Circus, he won.

Jon falls into it anyway. He lets himself bury his face in Tim’s shoulder, wrapping his arms up around Tim’s middle as tightly as he can manage, as if to say I’m here. Tim shudders, but he doesn’t let go.

“I’m still so angry with you,” he says into Jon’s hair. “I don’t know if I ever won’t be.” He takes a breath. "But I’m glad you’re okay.”

Jon can’t find any words to reply. He just tightens grip a little in what he hopes is a clear enough expression of acknowledgement, and thanks.

They stay like that for a moment, holding each other fiercely, a warm, steady anchoring in this strange moment.

Finally Tim’s grip loosens and he pulls away. Jon lets him go.

“For what it’s worth,” he says, “I am sorry. For everything.”

Tim’s lips twitch in a tiny, bitter smile. “I know,” he says. “Me too.”

After that, it doesn’t seem like there’s much more to say. They stand again awkwardly for a moment, not looking at each other, before Tim finally clears his throat and hooks his thumb towards the door behind him.

“I’m gonna–”

“Oh, yes,” Jon says. “Here, don’t forget your—” he grabs the blanket from where he’d left it neatly folded on the sofa, and holds it out to Tim.

Tim looks at it for a long moment, then glances up at Jon.

“You hang onto it,” he says. “It gets cold down here.”

Jon hesitates, then lowers the blanket.

“Right. I—thank you. For—” There are so many ways to end that sentence, but Jon finds that he’s run out of words. “Well. Thank you.”

Tim nods, and for once, Jon feels that they have actually understood each other.

And then Tim’s gone, the door hissing gently closed on its hydraulic hinges behind him. Jon stands for a moment, holding the blanket close to his chest.

Tim’s right. It is cold down here.

Jon makes his way on autopilot back to Document Storage. He doesn’t bother taking off any of his clothes, even his shoes. He spent too long with nothing to wear, and the idea of undressing—

Not tonight.

He curls up, fully clothed, on the creaky old cot. With Tim’s blanket wrapped around him, he actually manages to be warm.

Within minutes, he’s asleep, and for once, he doesn’t dream.

[f10werfae]

Baby Doctor

pairing: Husband!Dad!Henry Cavill x Doctor!Reader

summary: Fans retell the events of what’s going on in the Cavill fam, especially with two new arrivals, the twins Poppy and Lucy

Requested by @stormcloudss

- Requests are open!

Likes, Comments and Re-blogs are appreciated♥️

Henry Cavill Masterlist🌟

Full Masterlist✨

Taglist Form💫

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

@/hensvavyvirl: Y/n is absolutely glowing after just having two baby cavills, just saw pap pics of Henry tying her hair up for her🫣🫣

>> @/marveldcgirl: Henrys new post about Y/n going back to work after giving birth is so emotional, he just loves her so so much

-

@/pieceofmind: Poppy and Lucy are such cute names, I just can’t contain myself after Y/n announced her and Henry are moving to the UK. I REPEAT THEY ARE MOVING BACK TO THE UK. They said in an interview that they want to raise their kids where they grew up

-

@/Atlasgiver: Y/n said she can’t wait to start in a new hospital, HENRY POSTED A VIDEO OF HER POSING IN HER NEW SCRUBS AND HE WAS WHISTLING AT HER 😭😭

>> @/winstonwho: I GOT DR Y/N AS MY CONSULTANT IN A&E AND SHE WAS SO SWEET AND NICE, FELT LIKE A MOTHER FIGURE

-

@/poppyrose: Seeing Henry as a girl dad makes me wanna cry out of joy. When I saw pics of him tying up the twins hair into mini pigtails, while Y/n got their baby booties on😭

>> @/lizziebet: I’m pretty sure I saw them at a park in my local estate, they were on a family walk. Kid you not both Poppy and Lucy were the ones holding onto kal's leash, and he is so gentle not to pull on them. THEN HENRY AND Y/N ARE HOLDING HANDS AND SHARING KISSES WHILE BEHIND THEM OMG

-

@/DChabes: Y/n and Henry on date night is the sweetest thing, bro I jus want what they have

-

@/HenryCavill: Glad i’m doing life with @/Y/nCavill♥️

>> @/Y/nCavill: Baby stop tryna butter me up and go change the girls' diapers😭😭 Dinner isn’t making itself

-

@/DailyTelegraph: Henry Cavill seen getting affectionate with wife Y/n Cavill by Hyde Park, babies Poppy and Lucy also in tow in prams beside them!

-

@/Listjaet: I remember watching Y/n's pregnancy on her youtube channel, and now I can’t believe i’m watching her go through motherhood

>> @/bobbyjo: I still remember her video when she first found out, and she surprised Henry by giving him a rugby ball with the words “Future No.1 Daddy” sewed into it 🥺

-

@/Bettieboops: According to Y/n, Henry can’t keep his hands to himself when it comes to her☠️ He’s constantly on her or annoying her whenever the girls are put down to sleep

>> @/HenryCavill: Well she never seems to complain when it’s happening so…

-

@/buttercuppuckerup: I just know Poppy and Lucy have Henry wrapped round their fingers, I’ve witnessed this man build a bookshelf for his wife, I can’t imagine what he’d do for his kids

>> @/Y/nCavill: He literally bought a sewing machine and is learning how to make yarn dolls😭 Then he is adamant that their bassinets are in our room for at least two days of the week for “bonding time”

-

@/truthberolled: Ok but Miss Y/n post pregnancy 🫣 That woman is fine asf, Henry care to share?

>> @/HenryCavill: No can do

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@/peppersaor: Seeing how far they’ve come as a couple genuinely makes me tear up🥺 We lit watched them from the very start too when they first announced they were dating

-

@/freedi: Y/n in scrubs can step on me any day of the week, smart and beautiful?? Damn Henry got lucky

-

@/luckofdirish: Just saw Henry and Y/n on the beach with their babies. Each of them had one between their legs while they played with the sand, and both of them were wearing pink suits with tiny baby bucket hats. I swear I saw Poppy try to eat sand at one point because Henry had to keep pulling his hand out of her mouth

>> @/luckofdirish: Then when Henry went into the water, EACH BABY HAD THEIR OWN SUN CHAIR, it was honestly the cutest thing. Mama Y/n and her babies chilling under the umbrella while Henry played about in the ocean. Poppy and Lucy were very much jus sipping on their juice boxes while Y/n read them a book

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@/user2586478: Omg that insta photo Y/n posted of Henry holding Poppy and Lucy’s hand against the sunset😭 Wtaf they’re such a cute family, i’m so glad they’re pretty open about their family for the most part, with us fans

>> @/dettypig: I totally get what you mean! I love how we basically get to see their family grow, without seeing the most intimate parts of their lives, because of course everyone deserves privacy. I can’t wait to see Henry building PCs for Poppy and Lucy when they’re older, Henry will be heartbroken if they’re not gamers like him🙃

-

@/legend69647: Dr Y/n just took my appointment at the hospital and she’s so much more beautiful in person, pics of Henry and the girls are literally everywhere

>> @/HorridHenrietta: Don’t even. I had her as well and she was blood amazing, she was so gentle when she had to examine my broken arm and she even gave my son free stickers even though he wasn’t the patient

-

@/Y/nCavill: Please can people stop trying to bombard our family home to get pics of the girls!! We are the only ones allowed to share pictures of our family and we’d appreciate if the paps respected that.

>> @/HenryCavill: I’d like to follow this by saying our girls are scared, legal action will be taken if this harassment doesn’t stop. Thank you for our fans who understand our situation♥️

>>> @/boompower: right which one of yall are attacking this poor family☠️ Don’t yall know basic respect and privacy? The girls are barely 3 and yet all they are getting is cameras shoved in their faces. Do Better.

-

@/pearpotur: Seeing Henry go all protective on the red carpet over his girls is so cute. He always has one arm around his wife’s waist, Poppy on his hip and Lucy on Y/n's or the other way round♥️♥️

———

Taglist Tags (Form is up there^^): @princess-paramour @stormcloudss @uwiuwi @marvelgurl @taramaria @mysticfalls01 @kebabgirl67 @fdl305 @madebylilly @dumb-fawkin-bitch @vrittivsanghavi @beck07990 @kimhtoo17 @thereisa8ella @pandaxnienke

[fridayth13]

Hi! Can I request one of my favorite tropes: getting caught in the rain with Simeon and Diavolo?

—when you get caught in the rain

↳ diavolo and simeon × gn!reader (separately)

↳ genre: fluff | wordcount: 400+ | warnings: physical touch, playing in the rain (simeon)

↳ notes: sorry this took so long hdshkfdjdfhj but hi, thank you for the rq ^^ it was really fun once i actually got around to it hgdgjgdhhdh

—diavolo: he gives you his jacket

"....oh dear."

he only wanted to walk you home :(

diavolo had worked tirelessly for the past week to get all his paperwork done so he could see you

this just happened to be the lucky day he finished early and found you before you left rad

well. it was lucky

and he supposed it still was.. besides the rain

really, he didn't mind so long as he got to be in your company.. but he wasn't entirely sure if you felt the same

you seemed to notice the disappointment on his face

"hey, it's alright. let's go find a cafe to take cover in for now. how about it?"

it was amazing how you could do that so easily, he couldn't help but think. you just seemed to take bad situations and make them better wherever you went

the smile that appeared on his face as he looked at you comes easily

diavolo chuckled to himself, quickly shrugging off his jacket as the rain started to grow a little heavier

he placed the jacket around you, pulling the collar over your head to cover you

his large hand finds the small of your back as he briskly walks you towards town

"that would be delightful, mc."

and now you have a happy diavolo <3

—simeon : he asks you to dance

well, simeon can't say he expected this, but he isn't too bothered

"rain certainly has its own timing, doesn't it?"

you and simeon found yourself stranded under a bus stop on the way to the library for a study session

thankfully, you didn't seem too perturbed about the situation either

"i used to want to play in the rain as a kid"

simeon smiled. "oh?"

"yeah.. i mean, who doesn't? seems like it'd be fun."

simeon hummed in agreement. then you watched as his expression lit up. the angel only laughs when you raise an eyebrow at his demeanor

"aha.. don't worry, don't worry. i just had an idea, is all."

"oh. what is it?"

"depends. do you still want to go out dancing in the rain?"

most angelic blessings don't really work on himself, but simeon was happy to give you a temporary shielding halo to act as a mini-umbrella

though simeon didn't quite enjoy his clothes sticking to his skin with the rainwater, he found that the excitement in your eyes was more than worth it

especially as he took your hand in his and pulled you into a twirl

why, he was so enamored with you, he couldn't bear to hide his delight when you decided to twirl him back right after

dividers from @clutteredfun

[slugtranslation-hypmic]

In osaka dreamin' night, there's a line rosho says like "I'll become a disciplinary top breeder", and I have no idea what he means 😭 do the jp lyrics/translation mean something specific?

Haha, I had that exact same question fairly recently, so I did some Googling to try and figure out what the heck a "ブリーダー" (breeder) really entails. In short? "Educator."

If anyone's ever watched the Pokemon anime, you know how Brock is called a Pokemon breeder? It's not because he literally breeds Pokemon together to make new Pokemon--instead, he focuses on raising his existing Pokemon to grow up happy and healthy. Pokemon breeders focus on keeping their Pokemon well-groomed, like particularly invested pet owners. In Japanese, the notion of keeping/raising a pet is intertwined with bringing up and teaching kids (same verb, 養う). Then in the verse the "top breeder" line appears in, Sasara and Roshou are doing a mini manzai act themed around teaching in a nod to Roshou's teaching career. Through the use of some of the images in the song, he compares the slapstick used in manzai to physical violence associated with training (think a lion tamer with a whip) and ties that back into the universal "Yeah, yeah, I'm so cool, I'm the best rapper ever and I'm beating you with my sick-ass lyrics!" thing that's in every Hypmic rap ever. That's the マイク握れば容赦はしない 教育し直す恐怖の一夜 part: "Once I have my mic, you're a goner. Watch out, I'm going to re-educate you so hard!" sort of feeling. The しつける ("disciplinary") is part of that too--"disciplining" or teaching or training. Which in turn falls under the same umbrella of 養う, bringing up or teaching kids. To make a long story short, it's tying together several ideas that usually aren't associated in English, which is why this line causes such confusion with English audiences. But he's essentially saying "I'm an amazing teacher, and I'm just as amazing at 'schooling' you with my mic." That's my understanding of it. This rap is definitely one of the more obtuse ones, though.

[babydollmarauders]

DRINK — JACK HUGHES

jack hughes x fem!reader

FAITHLYNN’S 500 CELLY!

🌷: "I'm too sober for this." "You don't even drink." “Maybe I should start.” & “how drunk was i?” with Jack.

notes: i’ve run out of ideas for the first prompt so i’m glad this is the last request with this one lol i think i’ve done this prompt like six times

with the all-star break starting, Quinn has flown into New Jersey to spend some time with Jack before we all go down to Florida to watch Jack play. which means Jack and Quinn have decided we must go out tonight. which is why i currently find myself tucked under Jack’s arm in a booth at a club.

“another beer?” Quinn asks as he stands up. Jack nods in agreement and Quinn heads toward the bar, leaving Jack and i alone. my boyfriend looks down at me with a goofy smile, stretching his neck down to press a kiss to my forehead.

“how you doing, baby? you’ve been quiet.” his words are barely audible over the music thumping through the speakers.

“i’m good, babe!” i grin up at him. “i just feel sorta out of place. you guys are all drinking and i feel like i’m too sober for this.”

“babygirl, you don’t even drink.” Jack chuckles, and i shrug.

“maybe i should start. it’s not like there’s a reason that i don’t. i just never have.” i tell him. he hums in thought.

“well i’m not saying you should; but if you decide to, i can go grab you a cocktail. i don’t think you’d really like beer.” he offers and i give him a soft smile.

“you’re so sweet. i would really appreciate that.”

“okay, i’ll go grab you one.” he rises from the booth and i call out a thank you as he walks toward the bar as Quinn returns.

“where’s he going?” he asks me, sitting back down and sliding Jack’s beer over in front of his seat.

“to get me a drink.” i inform him.

“you’re drinking?” he questions, raising a brow, and i nod.

“yeah, i’m gonna give it a try.” i tell him. we sit in silence on our phones as we wait for his brother. it’s about five minutes before Jack returns, holding a cocktail with a mini umbrella.

“one tequila sunrise for my beautiful girlfriend.” he announces, setting the drink down in front of me as he slides back into his seat.

“thank you, baby.” i tell him. i eye the drink cautiously, making the boys chuckle, before i take a sip.

“oh, that’s dangerously good.” i speak. Jack laughs, wrapping his arm back over my shoulder.

“just let me know if you want another one.”

**

i wake in my bed, a heavy weight pressed over my stomach and my head pounding. i groan, stretching out my limbs, and the weight on my tummy shifts. i open my eyes and i’m unsurprised to find Jack next to me in bed, his arm being the weight wrapped around me.

he stirs from my movement and groans as well.

“babe, go back to sleep.” he mutters, burrowing his face into my neck.

“i’m trying, but my head is killing me.” i whine, raising my hand to cover my eyes. Jack huffs out a laugh.

“yeah, that’ll happen when you drink as hard as you did.” he tells me.

“oh god.” i cry out. “i didn’t do anything embarrassing, did i? i can’t really remember much.”

“nothing out of the ordinary.” he says. “we danced some. we played some pool. you asked Quinn if you could set him up with your sister so that he could become your brother. and when he denied that, you asked me if we can get married instead then. and then you may have cried a little when i said we couldn’t get married last night but to talk to me again when you were sober.”

“oh my god. how drunk was i?!” i question.

“uhh, very. but, hey, at least now i know you’ll say yes when i propose some day.”

-

[thiccpersonality]

Do you, mayhaps, mean Ramadan?

It was a beautiful morning in Gotham, surprising every individual of the usually smoggy and dull city. Today the weather decided to treat all Gothamites kindly with a very spring feeling day! The sun was out, the weather was warm enough to feel comfortable and not too hot while the breeze blew just enough to feel a pleasant kind of cool, and the Wayne family has decided to take advantage of such gorgeous weather.

Bruce and his cousin Kate Kane sit under a large umbrella, the woman sipping on her ice cold lemonade while she gets Stephanie to slather some sunscreen on her.

Bruce himself sipping on his strawberry lemonade while watching his children have fun, his youngest child curled up next to his chair while sitting on his pool towel and finishing up homework so he can-in his own words-"demolish his siblings in pool games."

Bruce sighs in contentment while situating his sunglasses on his nose and reaching a hand down to gently pat Damian's head, the boy unconsciously leaning up into his hand while writing down more stuff into his workbook. Bruce is just glad that his youngest was able to enjoy himself today, the young boy was disappointed at not being able to go to boxing classes today, his two teachers couldn't make it today.

The small, peaceful moment is interrupted by Damian gasping softly as if he's remembered something. The boy sending a quick glare Jason and Richard's way when they start splashing water the youngest boy's way. Bruce quickly lowers his glasses so he can look at his baby son properly and look at him curiously, "What's wrong? Is everything alright?"

Damian finishes up the last of his homework and looks up at his dad while nodding. "Oh, yes father. Everything is just fine. I just realized the reason my two boxing teachers couldn't teach me today."

Kate sips at her drink and waves her hand at Stephanie, signaling to the girl that she can finally leave to play in the pool, the redhead ignoring Bruce's small glare at her for using his kids as personal servants. The woman focuses her eyes on Damian and smiles, "Oh, yeah? And what reason is that?"

Damian looks up in intense thought, "It's because they are celebrating Muhammad-uh...Muhammadan? Muhammad Ali day!"

A loud burst of laughter comes from the edge of the pool, the three turning to look at Tim-who has leaned over the edge of the pool-curiously. "Damian, do you mean Ramadan?"

Damian blushes and looks down embarrassed while his siblings bust out laughing at his cute mistake. Bruce holding in his laughter long enough to wait for his baby son to dive into the pool and out of hearing range with the threats of drowning his siblings for daring to mock him.

(I totally head cannon that Kate Kane uses Bruce's many children to help her as personal servants 😂. Not in a mean way, but she takes advantage of the free help since he has so many, she gets annoyed at how he keeps such good track on them though...it makes it more difficult to steal them away lol.

And this was based off of something me and my twin's baby brother said. He was trying to think of and say Ramadan, but he said "Muhammadan" and "Muhammad Ali Day" instead. We had a good laugh at that one.

You darlings please stay safe, happy, healthy and of course lovely as always and I hope all and any were able to enjoy this short and simple mini-fic thing? 💛)

[bbyquokka]

Drive ♡*.✧

➥ pairing: Lee Minho x F!Reader

➥ genre: smut, 18- DNI

➥ synopsis: after a sudden change in weather, minho picks you up to drive you home. however, you had other ideas

➥ warnings: smut, unprotected sex, car sex, public sex, blowjob, throat fucking, riding, pet names [ kitten, babe ], creampie – if i missed any, lmk

➥ words: 4.1k

➥ a/n: i haven't been feeling motivated lately, self doubt and all, im doubting whether to post this tbh. but here is a little something. im going to go back to jamming to MAXIDENT. hopefully i'll be feeling like myself again but in the meantime, enjoy. [ repost bc i fixed my tags. ty for being patient & understanding ]

Feedback and reblogs are highly advised and appreciated!

➥ m.list  

Strolling through the freezer section, you hummed softly to yourself. Your eyes darted along the various frozen foods until they landed on your favourite section – ice creams

You grinned, doing a mini hop to the freezer and opening the tall door. The ice cold air hitting your face creating goosebumps along your skin. you let out a small 'brr' as you grabbed your favourite flavour of ice-cream, letting the door spring close.

You beamed, happy that you were finally able to get what you have been craving for days. As you walked to the cashier, the pet aisle caught the corner of your eye

You walked down it, the shelves decorated with dog and cat food, treats, litter, toys and accessories. You stopped at the accessories, eyes scanning along the various collars. Red, white, black, pink, orange. Some with bells and bows, some without.

You hummed to yourself thinking of what to choose. You settled on one black with a bell and two orange, one with a bow and one without

"Perfect." You grinned. You walked to the cashier, paying for your items before walking out of the store. As soon as your foot hit the concrete, a downpour of rain started.

'Oh no!" You whined. The smell of wet concrete hitting your nostrils as you watch the rain become heavy, bouncing off the concrete. A burst of cold air flowed through you making you shiver.

With your apartment being a one hour walk and the next bus arriving in thirty minutes, there was no chance you would brave the rain, not without an umbrella at least.

You put the cat collars in your pocket, fishing around for your phone in the process. You opened up your messages, opening up your conversations between you and your boyfriend – Minho

you: helppppppp 😭

my love 😻: What's up? Are you okay, kitten?

you: It's raining and i don't have an umbrella 😭

my love 😻: bus?

you: it arrives in 30 mins 🥺

my love 😻: hide under a bus shelter or something?

you: 😑 can't you like, pick me up?

my love 😻: now?

you: duh! yes now!

my love 😻: im busy, kitten

you: then become unbusy! what if i get sick? then you will have to look after me and we won't be able to do anything 😉😇

my love 😻: what do you mean?

you: 👉🏼👌🏼💦

my love 😻: fuck.. okay okay. I'll come get you. where are you?

you: the grocery store

my love 😻: okay. stay there. I'll be there in 5

True to his word, Minho arrived in 5 minutes. You ran to his car, hands above your head in a makeshift umbrella. The rain was heavy, indicating that a possible storm was approaching. You got in the passenger side and smiled at your boyfriend.

Minho was wearing blue denim jeans and a matching jacket. His jeans were tight, showing off his dancer thighs extremely well, a white t-shirt underneath with tanned coloured boots and freshly dyed black hair styled with curls, he looked so divine to you – it took all your willpower to not pounce on him there and then.

Minho looked over at you, keeping one hand on the wheel. Your clothing was soaked, sticking to your skin. Your face was shiny from the rain water as your hair was wet, droplets of water dripping from the ends of your hair.

Minho raised his brow, slowly checking you out. You shifted in your seat feeling small from his piercing gaze.

"Are you just going to stare at me or?" You questioned. Minho chuckled.

"Well, the only time I ever see you wet." Minho smirked, emphasizing the word wet "is when you're in the shower. So seeing you like this is a turn on."

You blushed a deep shade of red, putting your seatbelt on and placing your ice-cream by your feet. "Shut up and take me home." You mumbled. Minho smirked and laughed, driving out of the parking lot.

A silence fell upon you both, one that didn't feel awkward but comfortable. Being in Minho's presence is enough for you to feel love and wanted – he didn't need to express it through words

The way Minho shows his love is different from what you're used to. Many people show it through words and gifts. "you're the best thing that's ever happened to me." "Here, I bought you roses." but Minho has a subtle way of showing his love.

Although you weren't used to it at first, you soon learnt that it was the littlest of things that count. You were sick? Minho would be the first person to be at your door with a bag full of remedies. He would scold you for not taking care of your health, telling you it's important.

You once questioned him why he never bought you chocolate or roses or even a teddy.

"You'll eat the chocolates in 5 seconds, the bear will just sit on the bed and be useless and roses die too fast. If I wanted to give you a gift, I would take you somewhere where we could make memories together, something that feels more precious than some cheap shop bought roses."

That's when you learnt Minho has his own love language and even though it's not what most people are used to, you are and you wouldn't have it any other way.

You love Minho and you know he loves you too – he doesn't need to prove that with some cheap roses.

The sound of the rain hitting the car roof was comforting. The windscreen wipers at max speed. It was rush hour so many people were getting impatient, beeping their horns and shouting at others. You shivered, goosebumps rising on your skin as the rain water began to dry up.

"You cold, kitten?" Minho asked, noticing the way you shivered. You nodded slowly. Minho turned on the heating, the warm air warming you up slowly.

"Thank you, babe."

"No problem Kitten. You can always turn it on, you know. I know it's my car but you know that what's mine is yours." You smiled softly at him, heart swelling with love and admiration for him as you looked at his soft features. His eyes focused on the road, one hand on his thigh whilst the other was on the wheel.

"I know babe." You put your hands in your pocket, feeling the collars you placed in there earlier "Oh!" You shouted excitedly, making Minho jump and blink, his eyes flickering to you for a split second.

"I found these!" Minho stopped at a red light, looking over at you as you pulled the collars out of your pocket, holding them up and beaming brightly. "Aren't they cute!"

"they're a little bit small for you, kitten." Minho winked. you playfully punched his arm, cheeks turning a bright pink.

"They're not for me silly! For soonie, Doongie and Dori!"

"Kitten, they're so sweet but you know they don't like collars all that much." You pouted, placing the collars on the console before sitting back in your seat

"I know but I instantly thought of them when I saw them."

"I know kitten. It's very sweet and thoughtful of you, so thank you." Minho placed his hand on your thigh, stroking it softly with his thumb whilst occasionally squeezing the flesh.

His touch sent electric shocks to travel all over your body. It was embarrassing to how, with just one touch, you're putty in his hands. You couldn't resist him, no matter how hard you try and especially today, when he looks so divine to you.

Minho's focus resumed back on the road, his hand staying put on your thigh. You pressed your lips together in a thin like, looking out of the window watching the water droplets travel down the window.

Minho's hand travelled further up your thigh, his fingertips ghosting your skin. A simple, innocent action it may seem to him, but to you, he was getting dangerously close. Your mind starting whirling with thoughts, thoughts about his fingers pumping inside you, curling against your walls.

How his eyes would be on you at all time, dark and full of lust. Dirty words escaping past his lips, making you squirm. You caught your bottom lip between your teeth, biting hard as your skin got hot to the touch.

"You okay, Kitten? You feel a little warm." You dared look at him because you knew he knew what he was doing and the effect it has on you. You knew just as much as he did that one look was all it would take for you to melt.

"I'm okay." You tried to convince Minho, not letting him have the upper hand and knowing the current hold he has on you. You looked at him, placing a hand on his thigh.

This time, it was Minho who bit his lip, his eyes glancing down at your hand. You mimicked his own movements, stroking up and down his thigh, traveling further and further up until you was dangerously close to his crotch.

"Kitten." Minho spoke sternly, warning you. You looked at him with innocent, doll like eyes.

"What's up, Minho?" You asked, innocently. You ghosted your fingertips across his crotch, feeling his cock. Minho swallowed, his adams apple bobbing up and down.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Touching you." You said, nonchalantly. Minho groaned softly, struggling to maintain his eyes on the road ahead. You squeezed his thighs, feeling how thick they are beneath your hands

"Gosh Minho. I love your thighs." You mewled

"You do?" His eyes cocked up

"Mhm. I love how thick they are. They're so muscular and sturdy. They feel really good when I ride them, grinding my pussy along them slowly. Bucking my hips as you tense your thighs. It's so – blissful." You mewled, smirking as you felt his cock twitch against your hand.

Minho let out shaky breaths, his hand gripping the steering wheel. his jaw muscles visible clenching at the sides.

"Kitten, you know the rules."

"Do I?" You looked at him with your innocent doll eyes, fluttering them. Minho glanced at you and let out a shaky sigh. It was clear to you that he was struggling to maintain his composure.

"Don't start something if you're not going to follow through with it." Minho growled. You mewled softly at his growl. You pressed your legs together, rubbing them to create friction.

You unzipped and unbuttoned his jeans, pulling his cock out of its restraints. Minho sighed softly at the release. You licked your lips as you eyes his cock up and down slowly. A good length with thickness. His tip was red and shining due to the pre-cum spilling out of his slit. His veins prominent on the sides, fading at the tip.

You swallowed, wrapping your hand around him. His skin felt hot against the palm of your hand. You let out a shaky breath, eyes fixated on his throbbing cock. Your breathing slowly became laboured as lust ran straight to your core.

You rubbed his tip with the pad of your thumb, smearing the bead of pre-cum over his tip. You hummed in satisfaction as Minho let out a throaty groan, hips bucking slightly. You ran your fingernail across his slit gently and slowly before wrapping your hand around him, pumping him slowly.

Minho was slowly losing his patience. Your small hand on his cock, fingers barely wrapped around him. He loves it so much. His hand gripped the wheel tightly, his knuckles turning white. His hips bucking in your hand, his lips in a thin line as he struggled to focus.

"Ah shit." He mumbled under his breath taking a sharp turn on the road. You continued to rub your thighs together, pining softly.

Minho pulled up at a busy car park, turning off the engine and slouching in his seat. His gaze turned to you and you shivered. His eyes were so dark with lust, it almost scared you. The change in atmosphere made you shift in your seat.

Grabbing your wrist, he brung your hand to his mouth, kissing the palms before kissing each finger individually, his eyes locked onto yours.

"Well, are you going to finish what you started or am I just going to sit here with my hard cock out?"

"Of course not. You should know by now that I always finish what I started, Minho." You winked. You unbuckled yourself and leant over to him. You started of by kitten licking his tip, his salty flavour coating your tongue.

You hummed at the taste, wrapping your hand around his base. You have him gentle and slow tugs as spat on his cock head. A string of your saliva slowly falling and detaching from your mouth, landing on his cock head. You licked your lips, watching it roll down the sides.

Minho hummed softly, the palm of your hand coming into contact with his tip as you used it to smear your saliva, rotating your wrist. You gently squeezed his cock head, rubbing his tip with your thumb as you applied pressure to it.

A throaty grunt left Minho, his hips bucking at the feeling. He kicked his head back against the car seat, his fingers finding their way to your hair. He tucked it behind your ear gently, his gaze never leaving you.

You looked up at him through your eyelashes, your mouth opening slowly. Minho caught his bottom lip between his teeth, anticipating your next move.

You wrapped your soft lips around his cock, the warmth and wetness of your mouth encapsulated Minho making him shiver at the feeling. You lowered your head until you had half of him stuffed in your mouth.

You hummed around his cock, loving how stuffed your mouth felt. You bobbed your head up and down slowly pressing your tongue flat against his sides. You wanted Minho to slowly get lost, to embrace the feeling of your warmth.

Your hand alternated between squeezing and massaging his balls to stroking the other half of his cock. You closed your eyes slowly, feeling yourself getting lost in pleasuring your man. Sweet groans and hums rippled from Minho's throat, his gaze never leaving you.

"C'mon kitten. I know you can take more in the little mouth of yours." your eyes fluttered open, gazing at him through your lashes. You hummed, the vibrations tickling Minho's cock.

You removed your hand, halting all movements. You flattened your tongue before slowly lowering your mouth further down. Soon, your nose hit the pit of his stomach, his cock so deep down your throat, it threatened your gag reflexes.

"That's my girl." His compliment ran down your spine and straight to your core. Compliments and praises are your weakness. Something about hearing how well you're doing made you quiver with need.

You bobbed your head up and down, allowing Minho's cock to stroke your throat. Throaty moans left your boyfriend's lips, his eyes slowly closing as he allowed himself to bask in the feeling.

"Such a pretty girl with such a filthy mouth."

He bundled up your hair in his fist, his hips suddenly thrusting upwards on their own. You whined the best you could as his cock stroked your throat, tip hitting the back over and over again.

Drool pooled at the corners of your mouth, tears lining your lower lash line. You dug your nails into his thighs as you let Minho use your throat. Strained, breathless moans rang through your ears. Minho was struggling. Struggling to keep his composure. Struggling to not shoot his load down your throat.

At this point, your panties were uncomfortably wet, sticking to your folds. The amount of lust and need you were feeling was slowly becoming unbearable. Sure, you love it when he fucked your throat, but it's not your cunt.

You pulled away from his cock with a pop. Drool coated your chin and gave his cock a light shine. His eyes slowly peeled open as he looked at your rosy cheeks.

"Minho. Please, I need you." You whined

"Need me where, kitten." His thumb grazing across your bottom lip, collecting some of your drool.

You took your pants off before sitting back in your seat, back against the car door. Your gaze never left Minho as you parted your legs giving him a full view of the large wet patch that had formed on your cotton panties.

Minho swallowed slowly, nostrils flaring as he panted slightly. Your hands travelled down your stomach to your clothed pussy. You grazed your fingertips lightly across your folds, feeling your wet patch against your fingers

"Here Minho. I need you here." You pined. The amount of lust you were feeling was making you feel sick and dizzy.

"Back seat. Now." Minho instructed. You crawled over to the back seats, Minho following shortly after. You knelt, sitting on your feet as Minho pulled his jeans and boxer shorts further down so they rested at his knees. He sat on the seat, legs spread as he lazily stroked his cock.

"Clothes off." You nodded, slowly peeling your clothes off until you were naked. Luckily for you both, Minho's car had blacked out windows but the thought of being in a busy parking lot made you quiver with lust.

"Look at you. You look oh so pretty and delicate. I cannot wait to corrupt your pretty mind, kitten." You whimpered, his hand reaching out and cupping your breast. He squeezed and massaged the flesh, occasionally rolling your hard nipple between his fingers.

"M-Minho. Please. I need you inside me so bad, it hurts! I've been needing you since I got into this car!"

Usually, Minho would tease you. Take his sweet time in sending your senses into overdrive. As much as he wants to see you squirm and beg for him to fuck you raw, he too, is also at his limit.

"Come here, kitten." you crawled over to him, straddling his waist as you held onto his shoulders. You core hovering over his cock, his tip threatening to enter you.

"Help me Minho. It's unbearable" You begged. Minho captured your lips, kissing you sloppily. There was no coordination in the kiss, just teeth and tongue crashing against one another and the feeling of hunger for one another mutual.

You reached behind you, grabbing the base of Minho's cock and guiding it towards your entrance. You slowly lowered yourself, hissing at the burn as his cock stretched you. You lowered yourself until all his length was deep inside you.

Minho pulled away from your lips, attaching them to your neck. You shuddered at the feeling as he sucked and kissed your delicate skin. Purple bruises slowly forming as you lifted your hips up and slamming yourself back down. You both moaned in unison, Minho's hands flying to your waist, holding it tightly.

You picked up the pace as you felt yourself getting used to his size, your pussy loosening with each bounce. The burn subsided, pleasure taking over. You gripped onto his shoulders, using him as leverage as you picked up the pace.

"Fuck me. So good. So deep!" His cock stroked your walls, tip hitting deep inside you. Minho kicked his head back, basking in the feeling. He licked his lips at the sight of you riding his cock. Your cheeks rosy pink, mouth hung open as your breasts bounced freely.

"Your pussy is so tight, kitten. I can never get used to this feeling."

You hummed before halting your movements. Minho gave you a questioning look as you smirked. You leant back a little, slowly moving your hips back and forth. Minho let out the most delicious, sinful moan making your core quiver with lust and excitement

"Fuck, fuck. Kitten, fuck!!"

"Feeling good, babe?" You smirked, knowing full well what his answer will be. He squeezed his eyes shut, his hands still on your waist helping you with your movements. His lips parted as he panted softly. A thin layer of sweat coated his forehead, his hair sticking to it.

It's a beautiful sight to see and you thank the heavens above that only you can witness this beautiful man crumble beneath you.

You rocked your hips back and forth faster, moaning at the feeling as Minho was losing his composure – slowly but surely

"Fuck, kitten. I can't. I'm sorry." His eyes peeled open slowly as you looked at him confused

"What do you have to be so–" You didn't get a chance to finish your sentence because before you knew it, you were pinned on your back on the cat seat, Minho towering over you.

He gave you a seductive and dangerous look – a look that could kill a man. He took his jacket off letting it fall down his arms and onto the floor. His t-shirt soon followed. Your eyes scanned his chest and abs, practically mewling at the sight.

Grabbing your legs and parting them wide, Minho pushed himself inside you, bottoming out. You moaned loudly, his hips moving in powerful and relentless thrusts. His cock stroked your walls with each powerful thrust, tip hitting your deepest parts.

You moaned loudly, not caring that the outside world could possibly hear you. You were so lost in the pleasure that you almost wanted to be heard. You wanted people to know how good you was being fucked, you wanted to make people jealous.

"Good. So good."

"M-Mhm. I'm not going to lie kitten, but I don't think I'll be able to last for much longer."

"M-Me neither, Minho."

Minho let go off your legs, leaning over you as his hands planted against your head on the car seat. You wrapped your legs around his waist, keeping him close to you. His hips making quick work on you.

Your slick coated his cock with each pull and push. Pants and moans mixing together with skin slapping against each other harshly. The wet sounds coming from your pussy rang in Minho's ears, making his cock twitch inside you.

You gripped onto his biceps, digging your nails into the skin. He looked so beautiful and out of it. His hair wet with sweat from sticking to his forehead, beads of sweat rolling down his temples. The air was thick and humid making it impossible to breathe whilst making you feel dizzy. The car windows steaming up from the humidity.

"I can't. Kitten, I can't. I'm so close." Minho whimpered, his movements becoming sloppy. You felt it too, the knot in your stomach tightening with each thrust. "You look so perfect to me, kitten that I can't hold it no more. I'm going insane for you."

"Me too Minho. I've been wanting you since i got in the car. Everything about you drives me insane. Your looks, your cute little habits that you have, your scent, your voice – fuck, you're driving me insane, baby."

Minho hummed, nodding slowly in agreement. His head hung low as his hands balled into fists beside your head. His thighs shaking and burning from tensing so much.

"Kitten, I can't–" Minho looked at you with desperation.

"It's okay, baby. Don't hold back." You cupped his cheeks, connecting your lips together in a slow and passionate kiss.

A whine came from the back of his throat as his movements stopped. His cock buried deep inside you as he shot hot ropes of cum. You curled your toes, feeling your own orgasm washing over you. You moaned Minho's name against his lips, your cunt clamping down on his cock.

Minho shallowly thrusted inside you, your cunt clenching and releasing around him, milking him some more. Minho pulled away from your lips, soft pants hitting them as he pulled out of you slowly. He rested his sweaty forehead against yours, panting softly as he came down from his high.

"Fuck." was all he managed to choke out making you laugh softly. He gave you a delicate kiss before pulling away from you. You sat up slowly, whimpering as you felt some of his cum slowly trickle out off you

"Sorry, kitten." Minho said sheepishly, feeling somewhat guilty. You shook your head slowly

"Don't be sorry, babe. I loved it." Minho gave you a soft smile, kissing your forehead gently before getting dressed. You did the same, crawling back to the front and sitting in the passenger side as Minho sat in the drivers side again.

You picked up your ice-cream, pouting as you looked at it with a sullen look.

"What's up kitten?"

"My ice-cream has melted." Minho laughed softly, his perfect bunny teeth on display

"Don't worry kitten. There's plenty of ice-cream back at mine. That is if you want to stay over" You beamed brightly, nodding your head fast, causing Minho to chuckle.

"Absolutely!!"

[ladyvialana]

Very much enjoyed the first season of The Dead Boy Detectives.

It was fun, with great characters, interesting storylines, good pacing, and a fantastic ability to balance light-hearted storytelling with some pretty fucked up content at times.

Episode 1 was a little clunky and exposition heavy, but it's only really in that first episode (unlike fucking Wednesday!) and it's pretty easy to look past once they get into the main story. The rest of the episodes are much smoother.

Character interactions are great and all of the characters feel rounded with an actual backstory that influences their interactions and distinct personalities and traits that affect their actions. They're not just plot devices or vehicles for narrative.

Before going into any more detail, I'll just say I really enjoyed it. It's probably not as sophisticated or polished writing or style-wise as The Sandman, but it's still a really good spin off. I'd almost put it in the same vein, tone-wise, as The Umbrella Academy, though perhaps not as irreverent. Much better than similar Netflix teen supernatural dramas like Wednesday or Sabrina (and probably more mature and sophisticated, storytelling-wise than those shows).

I really enjoyed it, am looking forward to/hoping for a second season, and will definitely be watching again.

*

More detailed spoilers under the cut for those interested in my opinions about a few specific storylines/characters/episodes:

*

SPOILERS:

I am honestly surprised we don't have more people hitting on Charles. He is genuinely charming and charismatic as well as kind of open and sincere. Like, Edwin's a standoffish Edwardian public school boy with weird interests and zero people skills. I adore him. But he has negative charisma, especially compared to Charles' eyeliner and grin. Like, why is everyone chasing after Edwin? It's a role reversal I can definitely get behind, but no one is trying to get up into Charles' personal space aside from Crystal? Really??? And even she probably wouldn't have gone for it if he hadn't made it obvious he was interested in her first. Like, I really do get what the writers were trying to go with here, but it's one of those choices that kind of stretch narrative believability a little.

In saying all of that, I'm kind of a sucker for queer pining arcs that could go either way. So the not-so-subtle reveal of Edwin's feelings was both beautiful and painful in the best ways.

Episode 7 was a highlight for me. I'd been waiting for the pay-off from Edwin's backstory and the hellfire sword hanging over his head. But the flashback to Charles' death was probably my favourite scene in the series. Everything about that episode was fantastic, from the tension to the individual mini character arcs in the episodes (Nico coming in clutch with her reading comprehension skills! Crystal finally kicking David's ass!), to the beautiful release of the confession in Hell. I loved all of the insight we got into all of the main characters, knowing the truth of the kind of people they are. Knowing that, yeah, these are all good people who would do anything to help, and who love fiercely. But also, that doing what you can for the people you love sometimes involves meat cleavers and Molotov cocktails.