#mutuals don’t look I’m back on my seasonal bullshit

[lemmonady]

I mean this as a totally straightforward statement. I’ve never seen Ilia Malinin skate more his age than in that free

[revasserium]

death before decaf

opla!zoro; 10,414 words; coffee shop/college!au, vague enemies to lovers, fencer!zoro, sports medicine!major reader, slightly ooc zoro (he's a bit more talkative), fluff and flirting, bff!robin, zoro makes the first move, zoro calling reader "princess", mutual pining, both reader and zoro are dumbasses, making out in locker rooms

summary: sanji and nami bet on how long it'll take you and zoro to finally crack over your caffeine-related discourse; or -- that one coffee!shop zoro au that literally no one asked for.

a/n: i keep on saying "this is the longest fic i've written to date" but this really is the longest fic i've written to date. and no, this will not be the only time zoro calls reader "princess" in one of my fics. trust.

one.

“How long did you say?”

“Two weeks, max.”

“Nah… you think?”

“Probably closer to a week. Week and a half.”

Sanji stubs out his cigarette on the bottom of his shoe before tossing the smoking nub into the bin, casting Nami a disbelieving look.

“They’ve been going on like this for like three months… and you think they’re gonna crack in the next week and a half? Nah, fam — I call bullshit.”

Nami shrugs, smirking, “Your funeral.”

Sanji scoffs as Nami pushes through the swinging double doors into the main body of the cafe, hitching a smile onto her face as she greets the customers already lined up in front of the counter.

“Yeah, whatever,” he mutters to himself, dusting his hands off on his apron before pushing in after her, putting on his best customer-service smile.

“Mornin’ folks! Welcome to the Straw Hats Cafe, where the coffee’s hot but the people are hotter — what can I get started for you, sweetheart?” he grins as he shoots you a wink and you flash him your best Colgate smile.

“Can I get a decaf latte with —”

“Oat milk, two pumps of caramel, and whipped cream on top? Oh — and a sprinkle of cinnamon cause you can’t have a fall latte without cinnamon, right?” Sanji finishes for you.

You nod, your cheeks flushed a bright, wind-kissed pink from the cold outside.

Behind you, a green-haired boy in a tight-fitting tee and no jacket scoffs under his breath, shaking his head.

“Yep! You know me so well,” you say, giggling and making a point to speak just a bit louder.

“Course I do, darlin’. It’s what I get paid for,” Sanji jots down your order and pushes it to the side where Nami’s already halfway done with making your drink.

“Ah, if it isn’t my favorite mosshead jock — lemme guess, double espresso, no sugar, no nothin’, right?” Sanji punches in the order just as Zoro makes his way up to the counter, his eyes narrowed.

“Yeah.”

Sanji grins, hiking an eyebrow, “Talkative as always, I see. Alright — that’d be —”

Zoro wordlessly slides a full punch card onto the counter and Sanji pauses.

“Ah — pardon me, I do believe that’s your free drink! You sure you wanna use it on an espresso? Maybe… you wanna try one of our seasonal specials? The maple spice latte’s one of our best —”

Zoro scoffs again, “I’m good. I like my coffee real, thanks.”

Down passed the pastries, you roll your eyes, making an exaggerated face as Nami hands you your drink with a grin.

“Y’know, if you guys just made out I feel like it would fix a lot of this unresolved tension,” she says, even as you nearly choke on your drink.

You’re still coughing when Zoro joins you by the finished drinks counter.

“I’d rather lose an eye than make out with someone who drinks decaf.”

Nami sighs, shooting you a meaningful look as she slides the double espresso toward Zoro.

You wipe your lips with a napkin before leveling him with a glare.

“Well I’d rather gouge my own eyes out than make out with someone who never grew out of his middle school emo-phase.”

“At least I don’t try to use sugar to fill the gaping hole in your life where a real personality should be.”

“At least I don’t make that gaping hole my entire personality.”

“Princess.”

“Edgelord.”

You turn resolutely away from Zoro and smile back at Nami and Sanji, both stealing glances at the pair of you even as they continue to handle the Monday morning rush.

“Thank you guys — I’m gonna be late for class.

Zoro tsks, taking a sip of his espresso.

“I’m gonna be late for practice.”

You huff, pivoting away from him towards the door, purposefully letting it swing shut behind you; Zoro swears as it almost makes him spill his coffee.

Back in the coffee shop, Sanji finishes another order just as Nami washes off her hands to take over at the cashier.

“One and a half weeks?” Sanji asks as he rolls up his sleeves and grabs a few metal cups for steamed milk.

“Yep,” Nami replies, shooting another look out the glass door where they can both still see your’s and Zoro’s silhouettes as you head towards the university campus, “Just about.”

“Alright then, you’re on.”

Nami’s smirk only grows, “Like I said — your funeral.”

two.

You’re fuming all the way to your first morning class — Bio-Organic Chemistry — that you don’t notice your friend Robin until she’s standing right next to you.

“Are you mad at your fencer-boy again?”

You roll your eyes, huffing out a breath, “He’s not my fencer-boy, and no. I’m not mad.”

Robin grins, “Your tone says different.”

You cast her a reproachful look, “I just… bumped into him at the coffee shop again.”

“Ah,” Robin says, her voice saturated with understanding.

You groan, “He just… pisses me off so much! Like, why’s he care how much sugar I put in my drinks or if I drink decaf? He’s just a muscle-head loser who thinks drinking espresso shots makes him somehow more manly or something. Ugh.”

Robin’s grin is amused when you turn to chance her a glance.

“Then… why do you care how he takes his coffee?” Her question is light, but you’ve known her for long enough to know when she’s teasing.

“I didn’t! At least… not until he made fun of my drink first. I mean, who does that anymore? We’re in college! Like, grow up!”

“Mm,” Robin hums, schooling her expression into one of careful consideration and marked compassion, “and of course, you’re just engaging in his… childish antics because he started it first, right?”

You sigh, cupping your very sugary latte between your palms as you both duck into the main lecture building, teaming with students shedding scarves and jackets, shaking off the late autumn chill.

“I know, I know it’s stupid but… he just… pisses me off so much!”

Robin chuckles, her smile distinctly sphinx-like as you press your lips into a pout.

“Well, we can talk about it after morning lecture, hm?”

You sigh and nod, waving her off as she heads down the hallway towards her Ancient Worlds class and you head upstairs for the sciences.

You spend the whole lecture in a mood and by the time you’re excused, your temples have started to throb.

But true to her word, you find Robin waiting for you at the bottom of the stairs, a thick leather-bound book clutched to her chest. You give her a questioning look.

“Just some light reading,” she says. You roll your eyes.

“Just say you’re a gigantic nerd and go.”

At this Robin laughs, falling into step next to you as you both start to make your way towards the dining commons.

“Have I ever denied that I was?”

You let out a noncommittal grunt.

Luckily, the commons isn‘t as crowded as it usually is and you both quickly find a seat.

“So,” Robin says as she slides into the seat next to you, propping up her chin on the heel of her hand. There’s a low, lilting tone to her voice that tells you there’s no getting out of it this time.

You sigh again, pursing your lips, staring down at your açaí bowl.

“So what?”

“Tell me about him.”

You scoff, “Not really much to tell — he’s… one of the fencers on the national team. So obviously, he’s got his own head shoved so far up his ass he can probably watch his own lunch dige—“

“So he’s quite good at fencing then.” Robin keeps her voice neutral, taking a contemplative bite of a banana.

“I guess — I mean we’re the top feeder school for the Olympic team, aren’t we?” You jab your spoon into the yogurt, nearly splattering Robin’s new book. She gently tucks it into her bag and motions for you to continue.

“I dunno, there’s not much to tell after that… he’s an arrogant jock who judges people by how they take their coffee,” and at this, you shove a large spoonful of yogurt and açaí into your mouth, glaring at nothing in particular.

“Doesn’t your practical applications class look after the fencing team?”

Again, you grunt, sinking a bit further into your seat at the thought.

“Yeah, I’ve been dreading that all morning, and the class isn’t till Wednesday.”

Robin’s smile is almost too academic as she carefully finishes her banana and gets started on an egg salad sandwich.

“It can’t be that bad, can it?”

You sniff, swallowing another huge mouthful of yogurt.

“It can,” you say, grimacing, “You should see the number of times I’ve had to hold back from dislocating his shoulder on purpose.”

Robin laughs her tinkling, all-knowing laugh, “Every day, I wake up glad to be on your whitelist.”

Your lips twitch into a reluctant grin.

“I’d be nicer too if I were as tall and pretty as you are. But since I’m not one of god’s strongest soldiers, I’ve gotta find other ways of defending myself, y’know?”

“I’m not sure what you do can be called ‘self-defense’ in a court of law but…” she smiles, “You shouldn’t sell yourself short either.”

You cast her a deadpan look, “But I am short. It’s like where 90% of my rage and spite come from.”

Robin grins, “You know that’s not what I meant.”

You make a rather childish face, but a comfortable warmth spreads from the center of your chest out towards all your extremities at Robin’s words. She cocks her head and continues.

“Plus… I’ve a creeping suspicion that your fencer-boy would agree that you’re prettier than you think.”

You freeze mid-swallow on your last spoonful of yogurt, eyes wide.

“Wait — what?”

Robin sighs, looking at you as if studying a particularly interesting monolith carved with all her favorite dead languages. You sit back, crossing your arms, feeling raw beneath her inquisitive gaze.

“You can’t still think that this little… feud you two have is purely based on a difference in coffee preference, can you?”

You realize you’re chewing on your bottom lip and force yourself to stop.

“I — I don’t know how it can be anything else though…” but even to your own ears, you sound distinctly unconvinced. Robin cocks her head.

“Think about it — when we were all little kids and running around on playground, which girls would get their pigtails pulled the most?”

Your frown deepens, “But we’re not kids anymore and this isn’t a play —“

“Yes, I know. Just humor me for a moment.”

You squirm in your seat, your heart thudding erratically in your rib cage, making you feel strangely breathless.

“It was… always the girls that the boys had a crush on,” you answer, your voice growing smaller with each word as the realization seeps into your skin like sunlight. And suddenly, it's too hot. The thought that Zoro might be doing this because he likes you isn’t something that’s crossed your mind. Or rather, it isn’t a thought you’d allowed to cross your mind.

“You know, boys aren’t technically considered ‘men’ until they’re in their mid-thirties,” Robin says, conversational and satisfied to have driven the point home to you. She leans back even as you reach up to press your face into the palms of your hands.

“But…” you try to grasp for some thread of logic that might be able to refute Robin’s claim but come up empty. She’s always been too smart for her own good. And yours.

When you finally lift your head again, it’s to find Robin still watching you, an oddly indulgent smile on her lips.

“C’mon,” she says, gathering her things, “don’t want you to be late for your next lecture.”

She has the audacity to wink as you hurriedly grab your stuff as well.

“Shut up,” you say, bumping her lightly with your elbow as you walk passed her, cheeks darkening with every step. Your next lecture, you both know, is the Nutrition of Sports — which is one of the few actual classes that you and Zoro actually share.

“Have fun in class!” Robin calls as you split ways outside the dining commons. You consider flipping her off but decide against it and opt to stick out your tongue at her instead.

Robin shakes her head, laughing quietly to herself. Really, she thinks, this is just starting to get interesting.

three.

You walk into Nutrition of Sports fully prepared to see Zoro slouched in his usual seat at the back of the class — except, he’s not there. You blink; he’s always been there, always early despite what others might assume of his punctuality. And yet.

“Lookin’ for me, Princess?”

You jump as you hear Zoro’s voice behind you, dangerously close to your ear. Jerking around, you find him smirking, arms crossed as he stares at you.

“N-no.”

“Tch.” He saunters into the room, his arm barely grazing yours as he drops into his seat, leaning back with a sort of damnable, feline grace, doing nothing to hide a huge, lethargic yawn. When he makes a show of stretching his arms over his head, you pause as you notice the way he winces, favoring his left side over his right.

You narrow your eyes.

“You’d be a shit poker player,” he says, grinning as he turns his eyes back towards you, catching you staring before you flush a deep purple and stomp towards your own seat, just one row ahead of him.

You noisily start setting up your supplies — an endless parade of jelly pens and perfectly coordinated sticky notes in aesthetically pleasing colors — pretending like you hadn’t heard him.

Thankfully, the professor hurries in soon after as the rest of the students file in.

Halfway through the lecture, you’re stifling the third yawn of the hour as you feel a small, crumpled something hit the back of your neck. You jerk around to find Zoro ducking behind his arms even as you spot the small wad of paper that he’d obviously just tossed at you.

You bend down to pick it up, only to find a note scribbled in slanted, uneven handwriting —

Sugar crash? Ha. Serves you right.

You nearly whip around but the professor clicks another slide and drones on. You huff, flipping the paper over to scribble on the back —

What happened to your arm?

You surreptitiously toss the note back to him and grin to yourself as you hear him sputtering behind you. The professor glances towards you. You flash him a winning smile as you continue to jot down notes; behind you, you hear the distinct sounds of Zoro scrambling to appear as if he’s paying attention.

The rest of the lecture goes by uninterrupted, though by the end, you swear that your hackles are raised from the way Zoro’s been staring at the back of your neck the entire time.

“What?” you ask, whipping around to face him.

Zoro, for his part, has the decency to look sheepish as he clears his throat and sighs, leaning back.

“There’s nothing wrong with my arm,” he says as he looks away, a slight darkness dusting the high of his cheeks. It’s not the first time you notice the bone-chiseled features of his face — like some gorgeous, careless god, rendered by the loving hands of a besotted Renaissance artist and preserved for the world to see — the way a constellation of freckles scatter across the bridge of his nose, the way his jaw is sharp enough to sting the imagination.

“Right. Fine. Sorry I asked.” You shove your notes and pens back into your bag, rolling your eyes as you shoulder your tote, “And… you’d be a shit poker player too.”

And with that, you turn and leave the room without a single backward glance.

You’re gone so quick that you don’t see the way Zoro stares after you, his own eyes narrowed into slits. You don’t see the way he frowns as one of his teammates nudges him with an elbow, reminding him that afternoon practice starts in 15 minutes.

four.

Tuesday night finds you slumped over a stack of books on the 3rd floor of the library, your entire body feeling odd and boneless. Hundreds of tiny flashcards are scattered across the top of the desk, each filled with a system you have to memorize before your test on Friday for your O-Chem course, when suddenly, a white paper cup appears in your field of vision, plopping onto the tiny slip of table still available between all your study materials.

“Hm?” you jerk up, blinking blearily up at a vaguely familiar green-haired figure even as he crosses his arms and sighs.

“There. Some real coffee. Looked like you need it,” Zoro says, glancing away the moment your eyes come into focus.

You stare at him for a solid ten seconds before looking back down at the cheap, watered-down cup of unsweetened coffee on the table before you.

Ew, you want to say, but somehow, “Thanks,” is what comes out of your mouth.

You reach for the cup, wincing slightly as you jerk your fingers back from the scalding exterior of the thin paper cup.

Zoro immediately leans down, snatching the cup from the table to blow on the surface. You watch him with wide, wondering eyes. It takes him a second to catch himself before he blushes a deep shade of maroon and clears his throat, quickly setting the cup back down on your desk, tucking both his hands into his pockets, looking anywhere but directly at you.

“It’s — careful — I mean — it’s from the vending machine downstairs so it’s not as fancy as the stuff we get from the coffee shop —”

Maybe it’s because you’re truly too tired, or maybe because Robin’s been right since day one but — you reach for the cup, carefully cradling it between your palms as you take a tentative sip and grimace at the watery, bitter aftertaste.

“Gross,” you say, though without any malice, glancing up at him. Zoro scoffs, dragging out an empty seat across from you, turning it around to straddle the chair, propping both his arms on the back as he looks at you. Your eyes once more catch on the way he’s gentler with his right side.

“What’s wrong with your arm?” you ask again, taking another tentative sip of the truly awful coffee.

Zoro grimaces, “None of your business.”

You sigh, the will to snark back rather feeble as you consider the mountain of vocab you have to memorize before your Friday test.

“Right, sure — keep your secrets,” you drone as you set the paper cup down and nudge it further away from you, “be mysterious for the next —” you check your watch, “eighteen hours before Practical Applications when you’ll have to explain to Coach Mihawk why you've been lying about an obvious injury three weeks before your next —”

“Fuck — okay.”

You pause, looking up from collecting your flash cards.

Zoro digs his fingers into his right shoulder.

“I — I think I pulled it at the tournament last week.”

Your eyebrows shoot up, “Your tournament was on Thursday.”

Zoro shifts uncomfortably, “And?”

“And it’s now Tuesday.”

Zoro doesn’t answer this time, but you have to actively fight down the urge to throw the no-longer-scalding-but-still-very-hot-coffee at his face. You tell yourself that the only thing stopping you is professionalism and sportsmanship instead of an unwillingness to damage his Michaelangelo-sculpted features.

“It’s been five days!”

Zoro’s expression flatlines, “Contrary to popular belief, I do know how to count.”

You bite back a frustrated scream as you push away from your chair and round the table to stand behind him, not giving him enough time to be bewildered before you press a palm to his right shoulder, already focused on finding the tender spots.

“Tell me where it hurts.”

You run an expert palm over the width of his shoulders, focusing on his right, fingers digging into various muscle groups until he winces.

“Ow.”

You grin as you find a tender patch to the right of his spine, almost beneath his shoulder blade.

“You strained your Rhomboid.”

“Gesundheit.”

You roll your eyes and reach over his back for the cup of coffee. You feel his breath hitch as your front presses full against his back.

“Hold still,” you say, pressing the side of the warm cup to the sore muscle.

Zoro makes a choked moaning noise that he tries to bite off, but not soon enough. It sizzles down your spine to curl at the base of your belly, spreading heat through your body in a way you have no urge to examine at this current point in time.

You hold it there for a minute, and then two, till the coffee’s gone lukewarm.

“Here,” you say, tugging the cup away to offer it to him.

He stares at the cup before glancing up at you.

“Caffeine helps with muscle soreness and pain — it’s probably why you’re so addicted to espresso all the time,” you offer by way of an explanation, even as he opens his mouth to ask. He closes his mouth and takes the coffee, downing half of it in a single gulp.

Then, he sets it down on the table before digging a crumpled packet of sugar out of his pants pocket.

“It’s… probably not as sweet as you usually like it but…” he presses it into the palm of your hand, looking anywhere but at your face, “should help the bitterness.”

And then he’s gone, slouching off towards the elevator bank, leaving you gaping after him with the packet of sugar in your hand, your rapidly cooling coffee, and a mountain of revisions you’ve got no hope of finishing tonight.

five.

Wednesday finds you practically sprinting as you reach your Practical Applications course, clutching at your chest as you burst through the gym doors, gasping for breath. Professor Kureha quirks an inquiring eyebrow at you while Mihawk, the fencing instructor, slates you a sharp, rueful glare.

“— as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted,” his bright hawk-yellow eyes flash back over the fencing team, “regionals are quickly approaching and we need you in top form. So — warm-ups stretches, everyone. Pair up and get to it. Zoro, up here with me.”

You duck your head and hurry towards your normal spot along the bleachers, slowing as you notice what looks like a cup of coffee from the Straw Hats Cafe occupying the place where you normally sit. You pick up the cup — it’s still hot to the touch.

On the coffee slip is a single word — Princess.

And though it’s in Sanji’s familiar coffee shop scrawl, only one person has ever called you that.

Heat crests up your chest, prickling at your cheeks. You don’t have to taste it to know that it’s your order — your favorite order. Briefly, you wonder if Sanji made Zoro recite the entire thing before agreeing to put it down, or if he’d spared Zoro the pain of having to say the word ‘decaf’ unironically.

And then you wonder if Nami teased him at all, waiting for his own drink on top of yours.

“Chop chop,” Professor Kureha says, grinning too wide as she wanders over, peering at you over her John Lennon shades, “you heard old Hawk-eyes — time to pair up.”

You hurriedly drop your bag and take a quick sip of our drink, letting out a soft groan of appreciation as the caramel-cinnamon goodness seeps into your blood vessels. Some nameless freshman hopeful from the fencing team is your partner for stretches and you patiently walk him through all the major motions, pushing on his back and laughing kindly when he can’t quite reach his toes.

You feel the faint tingle on the back of your neck that tells you someone’s staring, and you privately think that you don’t need three guesses to figure out who it is. But you don’t give Zoro the satisfaction of looking over till you help the blushing freshman finish all his stretches, giving him an encouraging pat on the shoulder, reaching up on tip-toe to ruffle his hair even though he’s got a solid four inches over you.

When finally, you glance over towards where Mihawk is putting Zoro through his paces, it’s to find him flickering through the motions — flashes of silver, lithe, fluid — and you find your breath held captive in your chest by the sight.

You’ve always known Zoro to be a graceful fencer, but grace has nothing on the way he flows from one move to the next, each muscle drawn like a bow-string, each intake of breath timed and perfect. His arms and legs move in tandem and there’s a bewitching rhythm to the way his body breaks and bends. It is beauty and strength, dance and magic — power and promise and the sword-tip’s whish of premonition.

When he finishes, you suck in a breath you hadn’t been aware you were holding.

You watch as Mihawk murmurs something to Zoro, who winces, looking chastened before Mihawk waves him away and Zoro sets down his epee, making his way over to you.

You open your mouth, about to make some snarky remark but Zoro reaches over his back with one hand and tugs his shirt off in a single, unbroken motion. You gulp, your voice failing you as your eyes settle on the strong ripple of his muscles as he tosses his shirt aside.

Zoro smirks, “Keep starin’ and I’m gonna have to start charging.”

You rip your eyes away, fire licking up the length of your torso as you reach into your bag for a roll of sports tape.

Zoro slumps down in the seat in front of you as you take stock of his sweat-slicked torso, your eyes still catching on the patch of swollen muscle beneath his shoulder blade. You reach forward and run a thumb along it, careful of the way he hisses.

“A hot-patch is only going to do so much,” you say, frowning as you drop the sports tape to focus on massaging the tender bit of skin.

Zoro groans, his eyes falling half shut as you slowly work at the various knots in his shoulders. Your fingers are slow and deliberate, applying just the right amount of pressure. And more than once, Zoro has to bite back what he’s sure would’ve been an indecent moan before it rolls out of his mouth at the way your soft palms press into the planes of his back, the tenseness of his shoulders.

“Keep moaning like that, I’m gonna have to start charging,” you say, much too close to his ear.

Zoro jerks, even as you pull back, laughing. The sound makes his skin prickle up with goosebumps and he doesn’t want to think about the myriad reasons why.

“I bought you coffee, twice,” he grumbles, cheeks pink, his mind still buzzing from the warmth of your palms.

You hum, your fingers flickering over his skin, pulling away for a second before he feels something wonderful and cool pressing against his sore, aching muscles.

“You’re right… you did buy me coffee twice. Even though the first time was horrible vending machine coffee and I used most of it as a heating pad for your injury.”

Zoro grunts, letting you manhandle him as you gently twist his right arm into an array of different stretches to test his range of mobility.

“Still counts.”

You put down his right arm to test his left. Zoro chooses not to think about the way his body tingles where your hands touch him, and especially not where you’re standing too close, your chest occasionally brushing against his shoulder. He chooses actively not to think about the way he can smell the soft, coconut milk fragrance of your lotion as you lean over him, rambling about doing the proper warm-up and cool-down exercises.

He grins as you reach over mid-sentence to finish your drink and you pause, watching him with narrowed eyes.

“What?”

He shrugs, “Nothin’… just that… seems like you liked your drink.”

Your eyes slingshot from his face to the nearly empty cup in your hands.

“I always like my —”

They widen when you realize that Zoro had in fact ordered a double shot of espresso in your usual drink instead of your normal decaf. And, that you’d been too distracted by him to notice.

“I — it — wh —”

Zoro languidly rises from his seat, grinning, “Thanks for the treatment, Princess. I owe you one — lemme buy you a coffee sometime, yeah?”

You stare after him as he makes his way across the room, back to the rest of the team for proper bouts. You force down another blush as you shove the now-empty coffee cup into the nearest trash can, your heart skidding to the rhythmic squeak of feet shuffling against the floors, the bell-like ting of epee blades, the murmur of the watching crowd.

six.

Thursday morning finds you ill-rested and grumpy as you join Robin in the quad, heading for the Straw Hats Cafe during free period.

“Trouble sleeping?” Robin asks, looking you over with mild concern.

You grunt, adjusting your bag, “Had coffee too late in the day.”

At this, Robin frowns, “But you only drink decaf.”

You grunt again, not looking at her, “Yeah, well.”

Robin blinks for a second before a knowing smile splits her lips, “Ah… so. Fencer-boy’s made his move.”

You round on her, fists clenched, “He has not! He just — he just bought me coffee!”

Robin remains infuriatingly unfazed as she stares at you, “Yes. And to most, that would constitute as ‘making a move’. And here I thought you were a fan of romance novels.”

You turn away from her, huffing even as your cheeks fill with color, “I — I am.”

“So?” she asks.

“So?” you echo, cursing yourself for sounding like a petulant child.

“So…” she continues, patient as always, “he bought you coffee.”

You crinkle your nose, your stomach a roiling mess as the pair of you make your way across the quad and duck into the cafe to Sanji’s bright, welcoming voice, your eyes scanning the queue even though you know that Zoro’s got morning practice. This does not go unnoticed by Robin, though she mercifully elects to not question you about it.

“Yes, he bought me coffee. But instead of decaf, he made it a double-shot.” You try very hard to make this sound like a personal affront, but Robin only dips her head.

“Ah,” she says again, and you feel the urge to run out of the building even as the pair of you shuffle towards the front of the line.

“Hi there, oh! I’ve got a special message for you,” Nami says as you get to the registers, her voice silken with glee as she reaches behind the counter to tug out what looks like a receipt. You glance down at the paper, confused, but she only winks as she moves to ask what Robin would like.

You inch to the side, distracted by this strange turn, your eyes dropping to the slip of paper, upon which is scribbled — Good luck on test tomorrow. Evening bout. Gym.

You stare at the cryptic message for a full minute before Robin ushers you toward the counter where Sanji is pumping out drinks, making girls blush as he winks at them each in turn.

“Ah, if it isn’t my favorite Decaf Princess — though… seems like your tastes are a-changin’ these days,” Sanji says, grinning wide as you get to the counter, pushing a steaming cup towards you. You frown at the drink — cinnamon sprinkled atop a perfectly placed dollop of whipped cream, underneath which you’re sure is your favorite drink order. You look back up at Sanji.

“A certain mosshead jock put in an advanced order for you — said to give you an extra shot of espresso for the test you’ve got tomorrow.”

You sputter as Robin laughs beside you, thanking Sanji for her own Long Black.

“You know, you could just be normal and call it an Americano,” you say as the pair of you make your way out of the cafe. Robin grins, sipping at her drink.

“I could… but where’s the fun in that?” she slates you a glance, “More importantly, are you going?”

“To what?” you ask, not meaning to sound so defensive, but you can’t help it, and even as Robin sighs, you know that it’s useless.

“To the bout,” she says, unruffled.

You hunch into your upturned collar and your thick, layered scarf, cradling your drink, the sweet scent of syrup and cinnamon wafting up to tickle your nose. You blush at the thought of Zoro’s voice, full of morning gravel, shy as he lists out all the extremities you like in your coffee order.

“Maybe. I mean… why not, right?”

Robin nods, humming as she takes another long drink, “Mhm — why not indeed.”

You nudge her; she nudges you back. You both laugh as a church bell rings out from across the quad, sending a flock of birds scattering through the misty, morning air.

seven.

Friday evening finds you pushing through the wide gym doors, pressing your hands over the skirt you’d painstakingly picked out, chewing on your bottom lip.

You silently curse at Robin for pulling out last minute, begging off to some Ancient Languages focus group.

“I bet it’s not even real…” you mutter to yourself as you slip into the front row of the bleachers, looking for an empty seat. You somehow manage to look up just as Zoro is about to go on, his mask under one arm, his blade in the other.

You raise your hand in a half wave before catching yourself and shoving it back down, scowling as Zoro’s lips pull into a lopsided grin. You drop into a seat just as Zoro tugs his helmet on and stretches his arms. You tense as you see the slight wince he twitches away as he tests the weight of his blade.

But you needn’t have worried — the bout is quick and decisive, Zoro scoring one point after another, his blade flashing through the air, bright as fish scales. And before you know it, the buzzer sounds, marking his victory. You leap to your feet, cheering with the rest of the crowd as Zoro tugs off his mask and pumps his fists.

You catch his eye and for a moment, the wild rumble of the screaming crowd fades to a dull, thumping baseline. He jerks his head towards the lockers and you nod, swallowing hard as you duck through the still-cheering crowd towards the back of the gym.

When you get there, it’s to find him methodically polishing his blade, his mask set to the side, his thick jacket pulled down to pool around his waist, the rest of his protective wear scattered in heaps on the ground around him. You have half a mind to scold him for being so careless with what you know is expensive gear but you can’t keep yourself from staring at the wide planes of back, curving up to his shoulders, the thick cords of muscle that flex up either side of his neck.

He looks up as you shuffle in, your skirt suddenly feeling a bit too short, too risque for the near-winter weather outside.

You clear your throat and cast your eyes about the empty lockers. You don’t miss the way his gaze skates up your bare legs, pausing at the place where your skirt brushes the top of your thighs.

“Uhm — how’s your shoulder?” your voice sounds too high, echoing strangely along the white-tiled walls.

Zoro licks his lips and puts down his blade, rolling his right shoulder.

“Better but… still not great. Mihawk’s making me to do PT.”

You nod, letting out a soft laugh, “I’m glad. You’d never do it otherwise.”

He scoffs, “You know what that means though, right?” There’s a raw, rolling tension beneath his words, a sort of thickened expectation as he stares at you with dark, meaningful eyes.

You purse your lips, your stomach tightening.

“I —”

Zoro gets to his feet, and you barely register the soft clatter of his blade as it rolls to the side on the bench. He closes the space between you in three quick steps and you find yourself marveling at his speed — wondering vaguely if this is how all his opponents feel when he slips forward, the tip of his blade digging into their shoulder or stomach or the bend of their hip.

“Means we’re stuck with each other. At least till you fix me for regionals in two weeks.”

Your back meets the icy chill of the locker doors and the words are out of your mouth before you can stop them —

“Bold of you to assume that you’re fixable in two weeks.”

Zoro quirks an eyebrow, even as you resist the urge to clap your hands to your mouth, cursing inwardly at whatever the hell made you say that out loud. Your heart thuds an insistent drumbeat inside your chest as Zoro leans casually against the lockers next to you. Like this, you can feel the heat of his skin, the rhythm of his long breaths as he looks you over with sharp, curious eyes.

You think you can taste the sweet, tepid weight of his breath. It smells faintly of coffee and mint and synthetically flavored protein bars.

“Then…” he drawls, propping an arm against the locker door right next to your face, his eyes flickering from your lips up to your eyes and back down again. Your gaze is unabashedly caught on the shape of his mouth, but when you finally force yourself to look up at his eyes, it’s to find them warm and amused.

“How long do you think it’ll take?”

You gulp, “To fix your shoulder?”

Zoro shrugs, “That and… whatever else you think needs to be fixed.”

You purse your lips, an entire kaleidoscope of butterflies erupting in your stomach at his words.

“Who knows? Might take three weeks… might take — forever —” your words cut off as he leans in to graze his lips against yours. And you’re momentarily caught between delight and bewilderment that you’re right — they do taste of coffee and mint and salt — but that they also taste of a dull, throbbing hunger as he leans in to kiss you proper. And then, the blooming realization that you’re just as desperate as he is, pushing in, fingers scrabbling against the skin of his chest as his skim along the sides of your ribs, the dip of your waist.

He kisses you so deep and so long that you’re actually gasping when he finally pulls away to suck a stinging hickey into the smooth of your collarbone, his fingers digging grooves into your thighs as he hoists you up to press you against the cold, hard metal of the lockers.

You let out a clipped moan at the same time he does, and his right arm twitches, though he makes no move to let you go.

Distantly, your mind registers the fact that he’s still technically injured, but the part of you that’s hungry and clawing at the base of your stomach with a fierce, immutable need refuses to listen to reason. It takes more effort than it logically should’ve done to extricate yourself from his grasp, to push him away despite his disgruntled sigh as he stumbles back and stares at you with dark, dangerous eyes.

“What —”

“Fuck —” you hiss, even as you let your head fall back against the lockers, the dull thunk pulling a wolfish grin to his lips.

“Yeah, well —”

“Wait — no —”

Zoro cocks his head, “No?”

You reach forward to tug him back, to kiss him as deeply and desperately as you dare, but you pull away before he can properly sink into the kiss and you pin him with a look.

“We — your shoulder —”

“Fuck my shoulder —”

You shake your head, almost delusional with the heat and want and the insanity of it all, “No! We can’t! We — we’ve gotta take care of it first!”

Zoro rolls his eyes, “It’ll get better if we just leave it alone —”

You shake your head again, laughing as he presses back in, slower this time, grazing his knuckles along the skin of your jaw, tilting you back towards him.

“It won’t,” you say, softly, letting him run a thumb along your lips, “but… if you let me take care of it. It will heal faster…” you trail off, letting the implications simmer beneath the surface of all your unsaid words, and it only takes a second for Zoro to consider before he lowers you to the floor and starts haphazardly gathering up his things.

You drag a hand across your lips, watching him.

“So…” you feel yourself blush as you muster up the words but Zoro scoffs, already impatient as he shoves his stuff into one of the larger lockers and slams the door.

“Mine. It’s closer.”

eight.

His, is — in fact — much closer than you’d thought. Only two blocks from the campus, and in one of the most expensive dorm buildings. You wonder how much he must be paying for it before you realize that he's on a sports scholarship, but you can’t even bring yourself to be bitter as he lets you into his spacious dorm, the giant living room scattered with game consoles and opened cereal boxes, leading to a short hallway that opens into his bedroom.

It’s cleaner than you’d imagined, with a set of light green linens drawn neatly over a full-sized bed, and two sets of pillows.

“Sorry for the mess,” he says, sweeping some energy bar wrappers into the trash from his desk as he tosses down his duffle bag.

You shake your head, looking around, your eyes catching on the thick volumes of fencing books, the endless stacks of sports magazines, the huge set of free weights on a rack in the corner by the closet.

“Uh… do you want a drink?” he asks, suddenly awkward as he scratches at the back of his head.

You turn towards him with a grin, “No. But I do want you to take off your shirt.”

Zoro blinks before he smiles and moves towards the bed, tugging off his shirt and tossing it to the side. You fight the urge to roll your eyes as he leans back on the bed, his perfectly tanned stomach flexing beneath the slanted desk-light as he watches you through lazily hooded eyes.

“On your stomach,” you say, your voice light and surgical as you open your own bag and tug out a tub of medicated massage cream.

Zoro stares for a second before the smile slips off his face to be replaced by a dull, knowing scowl. Still, he doesn’t argue as he flips onto his stomach and sighs, pillowing his cheek on his arms as he pouts at the wall.

“Like I told you — we need to take care of your shoulder first. Regionals are in two weeks. We can’t have you performing like you did tonight.”

Zoro attempts a glare over his shoulder as you carefully maneuver over his back and straddle his hips, warming your palms with the massage cream before setting to work.

“I still won.”

His voice is tight and petulant. You nod, sighing as you work your thumbs into the dip beneath his shoulder blade where you know he’s still sore. He hisses, jerking away from you. You pin him in place with your free arm and continue to roll your thumb across the bundle of muscle.

Two minutes in, you press a bit harder and he lets out a pitched whine that makes you pause in your ministrations.

“F-fuck —” he buries his face in his pillow, thumping a fist against his bed as you laugh and continue the massage, though taking care to be a bit more careful around his injury.

Nearly twenty minutes later, you climb off the bed and wipe your hands. Zoro groans, shifting to watch you with half-lidded eyes and color-stained cheeks.

“I know,” you say, holding up your hands, “that really hurt but you feel much better now, right?”

Zoro grins, sleepy as he blinks slowly up at you, “Yeah. Whatever.”

And then, a long moment later —

“Hey,” he says, his voice soft, flipping onto his side and shifting on the bed as if to make room for you, “stay.”

You freeze, almost unwilling to believe your own ears as you finish putting away your supplies. You glance at him with tight lips and hopeful eyes.

There’s a tiny grin threatening the corners of his lips as he sighs, making a show of yawning and stretching.

“It’s late… and I don’t really feel like walking you back.”

You fold your arms, “I could just call campus security to escort me.”

Zoro stills for a second but a moment later, he casts his eyes up at the ceiling, “Yeah… you could…”

You make no move to leave.

“But you still owe me coffee in the morning,” he says.

You frown, “Wait, what? How’s that?”

He glances at you, “I’ve bought you coffee twice.”

“Yeah, but I just gave you a free 30-minute medical massage treatment for your shoulder.”

“You would’ve had to do it anyway on Wednesday in Practical Applications.”

You narrow your eyes, “Professor Kureha might not have assigned me to you.”

At this, Zoro scoffs, “Yeah right. You’re the best, and so am I.”

“S-she might not have!” you say, though there’s no real conviction in your voice. You both know that he’s right.

“Yeah. Whatever.” He turns away from you, making as if to go to sleep.

You glare at his back, dropping your bag with a loud thump.

“If anything, you owe me coffee now. That massage was worth at least two coffees, if not more.” You plop down on the edge of his bed, scowling at the opposite wall.

Zoro is quiet for a beat too long and you chance a glance at him, only to find him peering you with a strangely indulgent look in his eyes. You blush, tearing your eyes away.

“How’s breakfast?” he asks, his voice once again going soft. Your skin prickles with heat.

“What about breakfast?”

“Coffee and breakfast. That enough to pay for the massage?”

You can’t help the smile that threatens to break across your lips as you glance back at him and catch his eyes.

“I…. guess.”

Zoro chuckles, the sound so low in his throat that it makes you shiver. Quick as anything, he reaches over to pull you down towards him, easily looping an arm around your middle and flipping you both so that you’re pinned beneath him. You barely have time to gasp before you find his lips on yours once more, slow and sweet and shockingly steady.

You kiss him back, letting him push you gently into the crumpled linens of his bed. His fingers are light as he slowly works your skirt down your legs, reaching behind your torso to loosen your bra and tug your shirt from you in a single, smooth motion.

You shiver beneath him and he pulls back to stare. You search his eyes, feeling suddenly uncertain.

“God, you’re gorgeous…”

Heat crests into your cheeks as you try to look away. But he tugs you back with his thumb and steals another kiss.

“It’s late…” he says, pulling away to press your foreheads.

You nod, chewing on your bottom lip. “Yeah, I know…”

“Let’s sleep in tomorrow.”

You laugh, shifting as he curls his body around you, tugging you easily against his chest and pulling the covers over you both. A moment later, the lights click off and you’re both thrown into darkness. You let yourself relax into his arms, wondering just how you’re going to explain this to Robin tomorrow.

“Don’t think too hard about it,” Zoro’s voice murmurs into the nape of your neck.

You grin, nodding as you press further back into him and he grazes a soft kiss along your skin.

“That kinda thinking needs breakfast and coffee first,” you say, to which Zoro chuckles, nodding as he lets you hook your ankles between his, your bodies settling against each other, warm and perfect, the curves and bends meeting like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle finally, finally finding each other at last.

You don’t have long enough to ponder on the light, musk-salt-sweet of his skin or the way you can feel his heartbeat as it threads along your spine or the way that somehow, the shape of him doesn’t feel foreign against the shape of you, before you’re already falling asleep. And to him, he doesn’t have time to ponder the lovely silk of your hair, just as soft as he’d always imagined, or the way your waist feels perfect beneath his hands, or how he’s somehow he’s always known the rhythm of your breaths before he too is falling into the warm embrace of a dark, sweet, restful sleep as well.

nine.

Saturday morning finds you both tangled in each other, the winter sun bright and cold as it slates through the slits of Zoro’s bedroom window. He wakes up first, shifting to stretch until he feels the weight of you beside him. And then suddenly, he's somehow achingly awake and aware of his body against yours, of your paced breaths and his own rapidly increasing heartbeat. For one bewildering moment, he can’t quite remember what brought him here, and then the scenes from the night before — the bout, the lockers, the kiss — the way you’d tasted, how utterly irresistible you’d been, blushing in the dim light of his room, your skillful fingers digging into his tender, swollen flesh — his own rash promise of breakfast and coffee — it all comes rushing back. Zoro lets out a long breath and leans in to brush his lips along your forehead.

You let out a light groan as you shift in his arms, and when you turn, it’s to find him watching you.

“Oh… hey.”

Your voice is quiet, almost shy as you bury your face in the crook of his neck, and he finds himself more endeared than he has words to say.

He clears his throat.

“Morning. Uh… sleep well?”

You laugh, the warmth of your expelled breath ghosting across his clavicle in a way that makes him shiver.

“Mhm… pretty well… and you?”

Zoro clears his throat, “Yeah. Guess it wasn’t… bad.”

He resists the urge to roll away, if only because your cheek is still pillowed on his arm, and he can’t bring himself to pull away from you just yet. So instead, he drops his nose into your hair and takes in the milky scent of your coconut lotion. Tiny, pin-pricks of desire shoot through him, teasing goosebumps into the skin of his back and arms, but he forces himself to lie still as you snuggle against his chest with a contented sigh.

“So… breakfast and coffee?”

Zoro grunts, “Hn. I did promise.”

You smile, letting yourself sink into the thick and syrup of his sleep-deepened voice, his moss-green hair even more tousled than it normally is as he adjusts his head on his pillow.

“Hey,” you say, breathless as you look up at him beneath the sweep of your lashes, your eyes so big and dark and wide Zoro wonders if they might swallow him whole.

“Hey,” he answers, just as breathless, uncertainty creeping up the center of his chest as he stares down at you, lying in the glistening, mercurial light, the bend of your shoulder kissed by the morning sun, the shape of you limned in silver and gold.

You lean up to kiss him before he has the chance to second-guess himself, and though he was the more bold, self-assured one last night, you press in against him this morning, the languid sweep of your tongue along his lips making him groan, helpless, against you. He tastes the satisfied grin at the corner of your mouth as he opens his own, his mind frizzing into gorgeous, white static as you spend what feels like hours exploring the sweet depths of each other's mouths — all tongue and teeth and kiss-swollen lips.

When finally you pull apart, he is more breathless than he’d planned for, his body too warm for his liking, an urgent, pulsing something burning at the base of his stomach as he fights the urge to shove you back and sink his teeth into your skin, to hear you hiss, to make you gasp, to leave the indent of his fingers along the soft flesh of your hips and thighs, to mark you as his in every way he knows how.

But instead, he places a lingering kiss on your cheek and sits up, slowly stretching his arms.

“Careful…” you warn, pushing yourself up as well, watching him, “how’s it feel?”

Zoro tests his right side, drawing his arm up and then to the side, and then pulling it across his torso.

“Whoa… so much better.”

You smile, satisfied.

Zoro chuckles, “Guess I really do owe you breakfast. C’mon.”

He slips out of bed, tugging open a drawer to toss you a thick sweater and a pair of sweatpants. For himself, he only tugs on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, even as you frown, squinting at him from where you’re nearly swimming in his clothes.

“You’ll freeze.”

Zoro smirks as he looks you over, reaching over to pull the hood over your mussed tangle of hair, “Nah, I’m fine.”

You pout, jerking open the drawer to pull out a sweater and tossing it at him.

“You have to keep your right side warm so your muscles don’t just seize up again.”

Zoro stares at the sweater in his hand, looking reluctant before you press your lips into an exaggerated pout.

“C’mon… I worked so hard on getting it better last night… please?”

Zoro groans, rolling his eyes as he tugs on the sweater.

“Yeah, yeah — fine. Let’s go.”

He doesn’t wait for you, nor does he extend his hand. But the pair of you walk elbow to elbow, hip against hip down the bright dorm room hallway, into the chilly Saturday morning air.

“Geez, if you’re gonna yell at me to keep warm —” Zoro reaches over to tug on the drawstrings of your sweater, frowning as he notices how much skin he can still see beneath the opening of the hoodie.

You blush, tugging at it as the pair of you make your way across the empty campus quad.

Halfway across the frost-kissed lawn, he wordlessly reaches out to catch your hand in his, tucking your entwined fingers into the depths of his pocket. You bite back a stupid, dopey grin as you duck your head, quickening your pace to keep up, your footsteps crunching in the dew-bitten grass, the freshly raked gravel.

ten.

There’s already a decent line at the Straw Hats Cafe, but when the pair of you walk in hand in hand, both Sanji and Nami pause for a second longer than usual. Sanji’s eyebrows jerk up his forehead while Nami’s lips curl into a much too satisfied grin as she turns back to the humming espresso machines.

You savor in the smell of freshly ground coffee, absently tracing your thumb over the back of Zoro’s hand.

When you both reach the front, Sanji looks between you expectantly.

“Well, well, well — I’d like to say I’m surprised but —” he shrugs, grinning cheekily, “Well then I’d be lying, wouldn’t I?”

Zoro clicks his tongue but you shoot him a sheepish smile, pursing your lips.

“So… the usual then?” Sanji asks, his fingers poised over the register.

“Yep,” Zoro says, curt as ever, though there’s a distinct blush on his cheeks that not even he can write off as anything else.

You nod as well, “Oh, but… I think I’ll try a non-decaf latte this time. Just one shot of espresso though, please and thank you.”

Sanji blinks at you for a second before letting out a startled laugh and nodding, punching in your order.

“Coming right up, sweet cheeks. Right then, that’d be 8.75 for the latte and 5.50 for the double espresso.”

Zoro reaches into his wallet and pulls out a 20, slipping it across the counter. Down the bar, Nami is humming, looking cheerier than you’ve ever seen her this early in the morning as she goes about making your drinks.

Sanji sighs as he shakes his head, handing Zoro his change.

Zoro narrows his eyes but Sanji cuts him off.

“Take it from me, fam. You don’t wanna know.”

You and Zoro share a puzzled look as you both shuffle down to the pick-up counter, where Nami is sliding your finished drinks toward you with a bright, knowing glint to her eyes. Zoro clears his throat and reaches over for a packet of sugar, nonchalantly tipping it into his drink before picking it up to take a sip.

You try not to gape as you grab your own drink, flashing Nami a quick smile before turning to follow Zoro.

He picks a table as far away from the counter as possible, tucked into a corner, nearly invisible to the rest of the shop. When you sit down, he frowns at your chair for a second before reaching out to tug you across the floor till your chair is next to his. He goes back to his drink without a single word.

It’s all you can do to blush and stare at your steaming cup.

“I thought we were getting coffee and breakfast,” you say after a brief moment of silence.

Zoro grunts, “We are. Coffee first.”

You nod, somewhat mollified as you take another sip of your drink. The warmth trickles down your chest to rest somewhere in the center of your stomach, spreading heat throughout your body in waves.

“We could just get a chocolate croissant,” you say, giving Zoro a sidelong look.

Zoro frowns, tapping his finger against the side of his cup, “Dessert isn’t breakfast.”

You scoff, “Says who?”

Zoro’s expression flatlines, “Says me. And I’m payin’ for it.”

You purse your lips, wondering if you should argue more before deciding against it. A few seconds later, Zoro sighs, casting his eyes about the cafe interior.

“We can have a croissant after real breakfast.”

You giggle into your drink, swallowing down the glee fluttering in your stomach, threatening to spill out of your still kiss-chapped lips.

“Kay, whatever you say.”

Zoro rolls his eyes and folds his arms, but his elbow presses against yours and he doesn’t make to move away.

Across the cafe, Nami leans to watch the pair of you, Sanji at her side, looking both stunned and somewhat pained.

“C’mon man, it’s not even been a week!”

Nami grins, rinsing out a few cups and placing them mouth down to dry before pivoting on her heels and holding out an expectant palm. Sanji sighs as Nami’s eyes glitter with mirth and a hard-won glee.

“Right. I think you owe me fifty bucks.”

Sanji narrows his eyes, glancing back at where you and Zoro are tucked into the corner of the cafe.

“Double or nothing on when they’ll have their first fight. I say… not till next week.”

Nami’s eyebrows twitch up. She looks back at where the pair of you are now bickering over where to have breakfast. A smirk teases at her lips.

She puts down her hand, “Alright then… but like I said — it’s your funeral, Sanji.”

Over in the corner, there’s the dull scrape of chair legs as you push yourself away from the table to fold your arms.

“— Belgian waffles are absolutely an acceptable meal for breakfast!”

Zoro rolls his eyes, though there’s still an amused spark behind his eyes.

“Breakfast without eggs ain’t real breakfast. And doesn’t count if it’s smothered in syrup either.”

You make an indignant noise, frowning even as Zoro tugs you back to press a napkin to your upper lip, where there’s a faint line of whipped cream residue.

Sanji backpedals immediately, “Uh — right so, I feel like we need to define what really constitutes a ‘fight’, yeah?”

Nami tuts, shaking her head, “Nope! A bet’s a bet. Now pay up.”

feedback always welcome :) reqs are closed.

[hardlypartying]

S4E6 spoilers (in pretty much chronological order)

Okay right off the bat— I’m not loving this rando potentially being JJs real dad. If they wanted to do this storyline I feel like it would’ve been way more fucked up if it were Luke manipulating him/maybe telling the truth about him being a kook. And to make it hurt more he could’ve played into JJs obvious guilt and made him an accomplice in this by telling him about an “inheritance”. We see how loyal JJ is to any family he forges so it would’ve been a cool thing to see how far he’s willing to go. Just don’t understand why they brought Ward 2.0 to maybe be his real dad, it’s way too convoluted. Maybe it’ll make sense later (doubt it).

Sarah walking John B through her theory so he can reach the same conclusion as her… I love them sm <3 This was very early Jarah of them, the mysteries and uncovering it :))

Happy that JJ is finally opening up to Kie! Progress!! Hate how he’s not sharing it with the rest of the group and now looks like he’s been slacking 😭 they need to give him a break, he’s been going through ittt

🔊🔊🔊

Kiara saying Rafe’s name was a jumpscare—I really did not expect that! She never acknowledges him lmao I was so shocked that scene actually exists for her haha, part of me thought she’d just ignore that whole thing but let’s fucking goooooooooo.

So funny to me that for someone who pulled out the knife and was all >:( at him… she’s still relaying the message hehehehe. Is that a little crack I see in her hmmm 🤨 she’s soft launching a potential alliance hmmm 🤔

“Rafe Cameron, CEO” PLEASEEE HES SO PRECIOUS. BUSINESS CARD AND EVERYTHING HES TRYING SO HARD TO BE A SERIOUS GUY LIKE YOUR LINKEDIN IS ENOUGH KING

Sofia side plot with Hollis 😎 love to see it!! Idec if they’re scamming, let them!

RAFE WITH SARAH 😭 MY HEART. He’s so broken he has no idea how to apologize to her. This is such a mess. His love language is so acts of service, he’s trying to bury his guilt by bringing Sarah into this deal as a show of his trust. Maybe that’s mutually exclusive to him, trust being an act of apology. But Sarah is so scared of being there, the part where she flinches when he hits the desk :(( she really just wants an apology. Rafe’s coming at it from a Ward angle and she just wants her brother.

Stop the music. The gold cross was gold plated?! I’m pretty sure they said it was solid gold in s2. PLEASE WHY ARE THEY ALL SO FUCKING BROKE AFTER ALL THE SHIT THEY DID. Rose was the real mvp in all this wow.

Love to see the Pogues getting together and spreading the word abt this bullshit zoning. Super important to mobilize their community for this, and it’ll get them the pay off they want— more voices and support = less the “officials” can do whatever the fuck they want shrouded behind laws that protect them. Love how Kie and Pope’s parents sat with them; but at the same time it breaks my heart to see this— how distant they are from them. At least there’s some effort being put now.

Anyway that riot was necessary. Also JJ is so goneeee, the way the camera keeps lingering on him and his relationship with everyone is shown 😬 It’s giving season 3 of the OC when that happened. But maybe it’s a misdirect 🤞 everyone helping JJ get away was so :’) <3 Anyway Rudy’s acting was amazing here! He’s such a full body actor, always using up the space he’s in— super compelling to watch!

Pls he’s in goblin mode and it’s sending me. Talking to himself. Tearing shit up. Welcome back JJ Maybank but also, it’s so heartbreaking to see him deal with this identity crisis that he might be a full kook when being a pogue is all he’s ever had. Idk I think he needs to pick up meditation or smth his mind is a wicked place for him to be in 24/7. He’s so hard on himself. Doesn’t help that he’s villainized by everyone and if they’re not making him the bad guy, they’re pitying him.

If he actually dies this season I’m gonna be pissed actually. Like this is no way to go 😭 I’m gonna be even more pissed off at Rudy for not being able to handle a fan-serviced ship to do this to JJ. If he’s alive and well by the end of the season I’m gonna be annoyed that I spent so much time stressing out.

Come on, the utinsels in the microwave?? He’s a pogue through and through 🫡

Pope taking the bullet (so to speak) for JJ 😭 brooooo it’s literally them in season one with JJ taking the fall for Pope after sinking Topper’s boat. I’m sick. This is sick.

Rafe is so smart but he’s gotten so bad at trusting his instincts now— I think he’s too nervous about trusting any part of himself that gets a little too crazy after his s1&2 arc. Maybe he’s taken up meditation.

“If you’re screwing me, I’ll come after you” 😎 tell himmmm 🗣️ the best part is that this guy has no idea how fr Rafe is. He’s such a vengeful person, no way he’s gonna screw him over and get away with it. Ugh love this bc it’s really setting up the Pogues + Rafe arc I know is coming. Foaming at the mouth for it. They need someone like him in their group to be the #realist and play bad cop bc they’re all WAYYY too loosey goosey. The pogues have a pocket full of dreams while Rafe’s got a pocket full of cash.

Also where tf is Barry?! Is he not a part of this season at all? I swear to god I feel his absence so bad it’s giving me war flashbacks to watching succession and lighting a weekly candle to see stewy on my screen :’( maybe it’s just the silver spoons story in me and I want to see more of them being crafty little cockroaches

Rafe waving at JJ is so…. More of that pls. I want him to be a little cocky and a dickhead to the Pogues 😋

TLDR; This got away from me and became more of a JJ review than a riara review, sorry! I hope this crumb of riara wasn’t what everyone was going crazy for!! If it is, I’m going to keep thinking about how she’s lowkey encouraging Sarah to reunite with Rafe (kinda just for money) but still, a win is a win. She wouldn’t send Sarah to see Rafe if she didn’t think he was a safe person to be around. That says more to me than the little knife scene earlier hehe. She acts like she’s terrified but then tells her best friend btw your brother came around, yeah the one we all hate and I pulled a knife on him you should go see him to check if he can help us out. Careful Kie :) you’re getting soft for Rafe

Either way I’m livingggg bc she acknowledged him 🥰 without as much venom as she usually has 🥰 #progress

I’m gonna watch the next two episodes tomorrow! It’s going slow because I’m watching it with someone and have to wait for them 👹👹👺

[brightlight-dazzlingeyes]

between the lines | chapter 04

rúben dias x original female character [+18]

synopsis: isabella is a sports journalist covering the premier league. she has sworn to never get involved with a football player. that is, until she meets a handsome portuguese defender. warnings: incorrect journalism references; timeline of events are not faithful to real life; i have never been to england; mutual pining; romantic comedy;  minors dni.

previous chapter | masterlist | next chapter

Chapter 04 — A game of two halves

rubendias hey feeling better?

Oh no. Shit. What did I do? Of course I would end up doing something as stupid as texting him. I should have gotten rid of this crush a long time ago. Should have blocked him on all social media. Should have moved to Turkey.

It takes me an embarrassing amount of time to come up with an answer. ‘Yes, thanks. Sorry for bothering you last night.’ – that’s casual enough, right? He replied with a ‘No worries’, and I tried to move on with my life.

On Wednesday night, I was at my brother’s house, watching football, as always. It was champions league night and City was in Spain playing Real Madrid for the first leg of the semi final. Sienna was sitting next to me on the couch while Carlos was putting baby Lucía to bed.

“Who do we want to win?” She asked me seemingly super interested.

“The guys dressed in blue.” I say, trying to hide my blushing.

It’s been over a week and Rúben and I havent text or run into each other at supermarkets since last time. Which is good, and it’s not making me anxious at all. I’m definitely not constantly thinking about how much I embarrassed myself after just a few glasses of wine, maybe more than a few. The match was incredible, high quality performance from both teams for the entire 90 minutes. I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen for even a second. When the ref blows the final whistle, I have a smile on my face. 

“They should send you on international trips. You covered most of City’s games this season, you should be there for this one too!” Carlos suggests.

“That kind of ruins the whole me being a correspondent thing, if they just send me back to Spain, you know?”

“Bullshit. Free trip to Madrid would be cool.”

He’s right, it would be cool. Instead, I go back to my tiny studio apartment. As I check my phone before bed, my heart beats rapidly and I feel my hands start to sweat. He texted me.

rubendias can i call you if thats okay with you

I replay ‘Yes’ as quickly as humanly possible, not even thinking about what it means or what he wants. I send him my number and after a minute I hear his voice on the other side of the line.

“Hi, Isa.” I can practically hear him smiling over the phone and I can’t help smiling back.

“Hi.” I try to sound cool and interesting, it’s hard to tell if I succeed, especially saying only one word.

“Did you watch the game?” Rúben asks. I’m laying in bed, on my stomach, with my feet up in the air. I’m wearing one of my dad’s old t-shirts, like, older than my brother. Hair is a mess, no make up. I’m in what I call my ‘raw’ state. Just skin and bones. I’m glad Rúben can’t see me now.

“I did, yes. Amazing! Really, top, top performance from everybody today.” I’m truly excited as I speak and he chuckles.

“It really was, I’m very lucky to be a part of something like this.” There’s a pause after he says that. I don’t know what to say, he was the one that asked to call. After a second too long, he continues: “I thought a lot about what you said. That I don't know what you look like when you’re having fun.” He gives a light chuckle again, as if he’s nervous saying that. I’m definitely nervous hearing it. “I want to know.”

“Oh. Yeah? You want to be friends?” I ask, trying so hard not to shove my head under a pillow and scream for two hours straight.

“Something like that. I want to get to know you better.” 

I don’t even have time to answer because right after he says: “Shit, I have to go. But can I call you again? And we could meet up, maybe?”

“Yeah, sure. Yes, call me.”

We say goodbye and I don’t know how to fall asleep after that. This guy is already everywhere I go, how much bigger do I want to make this problem? Does he even know what he does to me? I have work tomorrow and all I can do is stare at the ceiling wondering what the hell does he want from me. What do I have to offer? Is it just sex, is he just trying to sleep with me? And just like that, it’s 3 am, and then 6 am, and I have to get up.

“You look like shit, what happened to you?” Sebastian, as always, so subtle. He’s probably right. We’re doing office work and as a proof I’m not God’s favorite sheep, Seb sits right next to me, staring and evaluating me as a kindergarten would to a baby chick.

“I just couldn't sleep, okay? Fuck off.”

He continues staring at me while he reaches into his pocket and grabs a little bottle, he shows it to me and it reads ‘melatonin’ in big letters.

“I have drops and gummies, which one do you want?” He asks and I sigh, reminding myself that it’s not his fault I couldn't sleep and that we’re actually friends.

“It’s okay,” I wave, denying his offer. “It's not a recurring issue.”

“Oh…” Seb then raises his brow. “I see…”

“Yeah? What do your ‘all seeing’ eyes see?” I laugh at his facial expression, he looks like he just heard the juiciest secret.

“It’s a guy issue, isn't it? A ‘lad’ issue!” Seb points at me and I continue to laugh.

“Nope.”

“No?”

“It’s a ‘man’ issue.” I pronounce each word carefully and it’s Seb’s time to laugh.

“I see, good luck with your ‘man issue’.”

I nod and point at his desk.

“Now let’s get back to work, this is my least favorite part of my day, I don’t want to spend more time than needed here.”

During my lunch break, as if he knew I was available, Rúben called.

“Hi, Isa.” 

I mean, fuck me, right? Will I ever get tired of hearing him say my name?

“Hi. Rúben.”

Does he feel like this too? Should I be calling his name more often?

“What do you think of dinner? I mean, us having dinner together. Tonight.” He gives that nervous chuckle again and the butterflies in my stomach almost make me throw up. Disgusting.

“Well, I was planning on having dinner anyway.” I joke.

"That 's great!” He enthusiastically replies.

“It’s a very important meal.”

“It’s one of my favorites.” Rúben laughs saying that.

“One of? Which one is your favorite?” I ask curiously.

“I really like breakfast. Brunch at second place.”

“Maybe I can change your mind about dinner. Tonight, right? Jump it up a few places?”

“If you can't,” He clears his throat. “Then we’ll have breakfast together tomorrow,” Rúben laughs, joking. “and maybe I’ll change your mind?”

I pause for a second, biting my lips. 

"It 's a deal.”

When Sienna calls me later in the day, I don’t tell her about the dinner. I just listen to her talking about baby Lucía’s shenanigans, and about the new dish she learned using only three ingredients, according to her I will never guess which ingredients it is; when Mel texts me, I don’t tell her about the date either, I mean dinner, shit. Dinner. I don’t tell her. We text about work and how much we hate our bosses, but not really. I want to ask her what color favors me best, what lipstick looks better on me. But I don't, cause it’s not a date. It’s just dinner with a man who’s practically my coworkers and wants to get to know me better. For purely platonic reasons. Because what other reason would he have?

...

join the taglist

@91vhs

[lindszeppelin]

In the press for MOTA (and even a little for D2), Austin often references how out of it and lost he was when he was in London. He even talks in one interview about how he doesn’t remember filming some of the scenes in MOTA.

We all knew he had a tough time “coming out” of his Elvis portrayal, but these interviews I think shed a bit more light on just how scrambled up he really was.

This is the exact time frame when the situationship would have been established. And I bet to him and his camp it seemed like a pretty great idea at the time — low stress, harmless, straightforward. It seemed like it would protect him from questions about V (and it did) and allow him to spend time with someone on mutually agreed upon terms. But…

“When you’re lost, people take advantage.” (Actual dialogue from the Elvis movie.)

Now I am NOT suggesting that he isn’t responsible for his own life and choices. He’s an adult so it’s all ultimately up to him. But based on his facial expressions and body language in the past weeks (months really), it’s quite evident that he is NOT feeling the benefit of being tied to this situation. And I wonder if he had it to do all over again if he would make a different decision. Of course we will never know.

But I suspect he has utterly soured on this aspect of fame and will want nothing more to do with such an arrangement. Or at least not one like this. Apart from the initial shield from speculation about V or another relationship, he’s gotten absolutely nothing back from this. She appears to be too young and spoiled to be anything but a complete drain. In fact, except for Cannes I don’t recall ever seeing her even look excited to be supporting him. I’m not saying I know for sure but from the parts that are visible she just does NOT give off warmth. She gives off needy and self-involved. The most disappointing example of this was Lisa Marie’s funeral. I would bet money that it was not long after that (which was after the Golden Globes), that the whole mess started to feel off to him. Death has a way of cutting through the bullshit. But, of course, the fog of awards season wouldn’t be the time to process that.

It’s so very frustrating to see him stuck in this contract, but I am hoping that when he is finally cut loose, he can actually spend some time in the kind of seclusion/privacy he genuinely wants.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot. But I’m also moving this week so I’m insane and haven’t even had time to watch episode 5. There’s more in my head but I just had to stop and take the time to share this much with you Linds.

💕

god MJ i love you and your messages like these, i enjoy them every single time because you provide so much beautiful nuance and depth to your comments. ugh it's so good. and like always i agree with everything you said. we be on the same wavelength like that lol.

that elvis quote you dropped too was PERFECT. like literally, Elvis himself got mixed up with people who were not good for him but he was trapped. and people come through and try to say austin isn't trapped. then what do you call a man who has had no spark in his eyes for the last year+, looking morose every time he is with her, forced to be her pap puppet while she knows he hates being papped, etc? the only time austin feels happy is when he is with his costars and his friends that he loves. but when with her it's like the soul gets sucked out of him and he's mentally somewhere else while his body just goes through the motions. robotic and predictable.

and yes him and kaia met around that time he had finished filming MOTA. this man was barely in hospital for a week before flying over to London and being thrust into a new environment, new characters, new people. these shippers are too young and inexperienced to know how a person who goes through that much stress and quick change can be in a fog for a long time. plus yes, he didn't have to answer anything Qs about vanessa since he was already dating kaia when they were first papped after a gym session.

also let's not forget that this man was put through award season, grueling and 10x more stress for his oscar campaign. all of the events he attended in 2022/2023 were for Elvis and his Oscar nomination. that's an entirely different kind of PR he would be thrust into that he never experienced before. and yes of course while he agreed to do it in the beginning when it was new and different, clearly their dynamic changed and it's never been the same.

but one day when he is able to walk away from it, we will see an entirely vibrant and new austin. i swear to god this man will be totally reborn. it gives the energy of nicole kidman pumping her fits in the air excitedly after divorcing tom cruise lol.

[michelleelizabethtanner]

how do you think the song whole life applies to brio?

Aaa, Anon, ty for the ask. How romantic was this song, amirite?? Like, poor Rio. He very reasonably was so upset with Beth for her attempted murder – so much so that he killed an innocent young woman to show Beth who’s boss – but then was just like, “I can’t. I’m too mentally unstable to fight this so let’s just get married.” How funny is this whole premise of him forgiving her, seemingly without anything on her part to earn it. Not really. She brought him Boomer. Ooooo. She bought him a spa shop to wash his money. Why was Rio so excited about that? She gave him crumbs and he kept coming back.

This show gave Beth a lot of outs and it made Rio so deliciously out of control about her. And don’t get me wrong, I love it all. But sometimes the humor of the implausibility of it all hits me and I can’t help but laugh. Like, sure, this aloof and calculating gang leader is such a fool for this woman that he’s screwing up everything, including risking his life and family. And yet, here we are with these fools. Rio is just damaged enough, and Beth validates him in just the right ways for him to actually risk his entire kingdom for her.

The song choice is just 🤌. This music department wanted to make SURE we all knew that Rio forgives Beth and is back to pining.

The mark where [s]he left me

A clip on my wing

Oh, let it soften

I forgive everything

I once hummed the seasons

Now, I'm whistling

Half of my whole life is done

Let it drift and wash away

Shadows soften toward some tender light

In slow motion I leave them behind

Essentially, translated to, “I’m too old for this bullshit. Let’s start fresh and be friends.”

I keep looking for ways in which this song can be mutually applicable for them, and I’m just not finding it. Beth was nowhere near forgiving him and letting it all “drift and wash away.” She was still in the process of her incremental softening to him. She was still guarded and nowhere near the place where Rio was here. Not even in the final scene. It’s maybe one of the many ways Beth and Rio have a disproportionate relationship and power dynamic. It’s the one consistent thing about them. She never sees it, and to him nothing is more obvious. Her audacity to shoot him and cry victim. Her privilege to move in society in ways he never can. Her demand to matter in his world while never offering him the same privilege. And he’s the one always having to bend. Always having to forgive. So I view this song and their whole relationship as pretty one-sided in that way.

Yes, she chooses him in her own ways. Yes, she has great feeling when it comes to him. Powerful feeling. Frightening feeling. But she uses her own lack if emotional intelligence as an excuse to never be the one to give. We saw her try, in the final moments of the show. We saw her offer him protection. But it cost her nothing. (Well, nothing except her marriage. Nothing except her old self.) She basically won. She self-actualized at his expense. She propped herself up on his strength. She made a joke about it even. And Rio, in true tropey-love-interest fashion, was happy to do it for her and loved her all the more for it. “You got it, boss.”

As you can see, I have conflicting feelings about it. About this song. If pushed, I’d say that season 4 gave Beth forgiveness too quickly. She could have earned it. I wish she would have ended the season and series as a better person. As someone more empathetic and self aware. Which is why I love 4.08. I like to see her cry for him. Watch her watch him suffer. Beth being honest with herself is rare and redeeming. But my feelings about this fluctuate with my mood, so maybe tomorrow I’ll be more forgiving of her frustrating selfishness when it comes to Rio. Don’t come for me. I still love Beth. I’m like Rio – I forgive her everything. If he loves her, then so can I.

[juls-writes]

find the word: combined edition! this time tagged by @legiomiam for needle, thread, grin, and toast (no luck), and @awritingcaitlin for plan, blink, swore (no luck), small, and run

tagbacksies to those who want to play again, and also tagging @celestepens, @samplewriting, @ceph-the-ghost-writer, @svpphicwrites and anyone else who sees this and wants to play!

this time it's a meta edition and your words are word, character, letter, writing, and page (feel free to sub for paper or parchment)!

needle

He’s aged since I last saw him. Dark hair has given way to salt and pepper, and his once youthful eyes have settled in – well, I wanted to say grief, but now that he’s come closer it’s clearly some sort of tragic rage. A few years post mid-life crisis is where I’d put him. Even when we were teaching together, he was an accomplished master of lightning – I imagine he’s only gotten better.

“Ivos,” I say with a smile, and he glares back at me. "Staying sharp?”

“Needle,” he replies. He hasn’t blinked this whole time. Ivos was never a particularly excitable person, but there was a time when my straightforwardness and his blunt attitude got along. In the process of growing older, however, I also gained a sense of humor, something Ivos noticeably still lacks.

thread

The sky is a spiderweb. Pieces of my spell fall like broken thread, mirroring the world around them as they rain down through a sherbet sunset. I don’t let myself feel anything as I engulf the house in flames.

“What are you doing!?” Delano yells, his voice faraway over the roaring heat. My hands are licking tendrils of fire, pulling, consuming, and grabbing. I don’t let it burn out – I take the form of the spell and swallow everything: the bookshelf, the kitchen table, the sink, my mugs. The bed we slept in. The delphiniums, the ponds, the chamomile. Every frog. Every sleeping bee. Every tree.

grin

Finally I have to catch my balance on the bannister beside the wheel. It’s spinning the opposite direction now, free-wheeling amidst an increasingly restless sea. Delano’s grin widens – he looks far more awake than moments ago – and I don’t even have time to question whether or not he’s enjoying this.

He is. All too much.

plan

“You had a plan, right?” I ask suddenly, forcing myself to maintain some sense of concern for our – my – wellbeing. “Somewhere to go?”

“I have friends everywhere,” Delano says, annoyingly cryptic.

blink

“It was a prophecy.”

For any sorcerer, anyone in the search for knowledge or trying to make something for themselves, this would be answer enough. But Delano blinks.

“A what?”

We stare at each other in mutual confusion.

small

Our quick-fire rapport has fizzled. I fumble for small talk. “Bad season?”

“Bad crop,” Nora bites back. “Petty crime bullshit. You’re the only bounty right now worth anything.”

“Ah,” I reply uselessly, and sink back into the couch. I want to throw back something sarcastic, like don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll start committing heinous crimes again, really, but I don’t have it in me today, and it’s not even something I can pretend to want.

run

His calloused hand runs over my shoulder and I flinch. My breath catches, and I remember how I sounded the night before. I can hear myself. I feel sick.

“Yero,” he says, his voice smoother than last night. Last night he’d sounded hungry, honest, present. But now I can hear the sound of bartering in his voice – the soft edge of negotiation – and I want fucking none of it.

His thumb rubs the back of my shoulder. “Are you hungry?” 

[foxy-not-pirate]

YOU KNOW WHAT I'M GONNA DISTRACT YOU SO THAT I CAN ATTACK YOU WHILE YOUR BACK IS TURNED.

A-Z FANDOM RELTAED QUESTIONS (YOU DON'T ALLOW LINKS): ALL OF THEM. IN OTHER WORDS: A, B, C, D, E , F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, AND Z!

Sweet baby Jesus what have I gotten myself into

Ok let’s go!

Otp: i have a special place in my heart for Lumity

a pairing I just can’t get behind: I actually don’t have one. I either really like a ship or I don’t like (at least in toh)

my very first fandom contribution was on here! I just saw people making posts that were half fic, half au and idea collaboration and just kinda. Joined in?

I have never made a crack fic

The longest I’ve ever been in a fandom might be toh, I remember reading fics right around the end of season one, but otherwise probably gravity falls

My first fandom was definitely gravity falls. I continue to love thinking about the shenanigans Pacifica and the twins could have gotten up to if they were friends earlier on when I’m bored. I prefer animated tv over live action

I don’t think tumblr has ruined any fandom for me, but I love the block button

I didn’t particularly care about any game fandoms until I saw them on tumblr, but I bought hollow knight today and I bought Stardew Valley a month or so ago and I’m having lots of fun

I feel pretty good about the people I choose to interact with in fandom, but like I said earlier, the block button is a good friend of mine

I actually did have someone I really like make a fic I wanted, but that was more a we put together an idea together and then he wrote a fic for it. (Hi, Teddy, if you’re reading this, I’m talking about you)

An irl friend of mine, @fizzywizzard, (their Christian parents found their tumblr, rest in peace) peer pressured me into watching the first anime I ever watched, so thanks dude

my favorite fandom to interact with is my single pjo mutual (hi again teddy) and their mutuals circle, whom occasionally enjoy my deranged bullshit

I know it says pick a song at random but I don’t care I think the song I do adore by Mindy Gledhill is pretty Solangelo

Invent a random au: hoo au that’s a typical uni au except that every character is a different type of nonhuman: Will is a med student vampire, Nico is a mortuary student ghost who’s been trying to pass one of the core classes for the last decade, Leo is your basic demon while Jason is your basic angel and they are studying engineering and architecture respectively, Percy is, obviously, a Mer studying marine preservation, Grover stays the same and is studying nature preservation with Percy, Piper is a Siren (which is different than a Mer) studying business, Annabeth is a harpy (she looks like an owl) and is studying architecture with Jason, Reyna is a witch studying politics, Frank is a shapeshifter studying psychology, and Hazel is a Fae studying archaeology. Hedge is a staff member who is fed up with their bullshit.

I’m going to stop here because I’ve been writing for about an hour but if you made it this far feel free to send me an ask from the list. A single letter though, or I’ll just delete it

[quarterdollar]

gabrielagresteofficial ultimate swag reveal

mmmmhey guys it’s meee i’m the one making all those poasts :)🦋 my name is victor and i ❤️ insane old people

i had this whole insane melodramatic idea to wait until season 5 ended to go public but i forgot show hiatuses exist and i’m starting to feel like an asshat letting everyone’s kind messages and tags go unacknowledged so here i ammm. i just want to say thank you to everybody who’s gotten a kick out of the blog, it really is fantastic to hear that i can make people laugh and that’s what i love to do most so i just wanted to let you all know that i appreciate everybody so much. it’s actually been an insanely bad year for me LOL but goofing around on the internet and having people enjoy the jokes and jests has been a net positive. you guys have been so sweet and it really does mean a lot.

i also just wanna say that there are a lot of you (2300+ like holy shit) and you guys send a lot of asks and i Love And Appreciate Them All. and if i don’t get to yours i PROMMY it is NOT personal i probably just couldn’t think of an in-character response that was as funny as the original question OR i was tired OR tumblr ate it. alas i am but one man roleplaying as a different, animated, much worse man

WHAT ELSE. uh. i’m constantly rotating gabriel’s hysterically flat french ass in my mind i do love him so much legitimately but i’m not really involved with the greater fanbase beyond like, talking to myself and tagging posts about him with the most insane bullshit the ops have probably ever read. my main fan thing is actually Pokemon, and surprise surprise all of my favorites from that are the various insane dad-aged fantasy terrorists. i have a type and it’s stupid as fuck and i’ve accepted this <4 please don’t think i’m an apologist though i’m just addicted to studying sillay cartoon freaks under a microscope

that’s all i really wanted to sayWait I just remembered i have 3 acknowledgements:

@wanderingaviator for being the blog’s first follower all the way back last year when i made it on a whim as a goof. THANKYOU for investing in small businesses

@sunfoxfic as i need to thank you for your endless enthusiasm and incredibly kind comments But Also i must now officially turn down your various marriage proposals. alas i am already happily committed to someone else but i am flattered nonetheless

@dupainchengisthenewblack for being my swag mutual. stay winning

okay now i’m done xoxo. thank you again everybody for your continued support of gabe’s tumblrina era i cherish you all immensely. this will be the first And last time gabrielagresteofficial breaks kayfabe so look forward to more erratically scheduled and incomprehensible evilposting in the future (i’m a lil burned out atm but he never leaves me don’t worry). ok thank’s bye

[sushirens]

It’s Mutual

Had this idea at 1:52 a.m., decided to write it. [Dedicated to @blooming-mushroom ]

•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•

Fandom: Hermitcraft Characters: Ren/Doc

THIS IS A SHIP FIC ! TW: Slightly suggestive? There's a lot of flirting, maybe some intense hate-flirting more specifically.

============================

“I told you already, man, it’s a mutual agreement.”

“Oh, so you and Doc just mutually benefit from suddenly moving in together when you claim to hate each other? Fat chance, Ren.”

“Bdubs, bro, I know you’re jealous that you’re losing your roommate, but Doc and I have a seriously huge project this season and we figured it’d be easier if we based together.”

Bdubs was having none of this. He knew Doc, and he knew Ren, and they never got along. Ever. He took a small swig of his beer, giving the werewolf across from him an incredulous look.

“I’m not jealous, I’m just calling what I see. And I see a lot of bullshit.”

The door creaked open, the pastel pink unmistakably Xisuma. “Hi fellas,” X smiled, “Ren, thanks by the way. I know you two don’t always see eye to eye, especially after the whole revolution thing a few seasons ago, but it means a lot that one of our most talented redstoners and builders are working together on this project. People are gonna go nuts over it, I can just tell.”

Ren quirked an eyebrow towards Bdubs. “Told ya, B. All in the name of X’s moon project.”

“Fine, whatever.”

•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•

A few weeks passed, Season Eight kicking into full gear as the two strong-headed Hermits got into a groove a fake friendship. All smiles and jokes on camera, all hateful off camera.

Ren and Doc had built up such a convincing fake friendship, even some of the Hermits began to believe they'd really turned a corner. But they hadn't heard what went on within the walls of their base.

"Keep your shitty 'Renstone' on your side of the island."

"Oh please, your raw building skills are the only shitty thing here. Without your precious "Motherboard", you couldn't build more than a dirt hut."

"Fucking werewolf."

"Dumbass creeper."

•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•

The disdain the two held for each other hadn't dissipated, it just became more complicated and ludicrous. Wels had been the first to notice the shift in the two headstrong builders, and he decided to have a bit of fun with it.

"So, how're things Doc? You seem less pissy all of a sudden."

"Mostly because I'm getting a break from Ren. Thanks for the collab, I needed to take my mind off him."

"Uh-huh, I'm sure. We were all in Team S.T.A.R. together, but even then you two could barely stand the sight of each other. Somethings changed now, you seem to be a lot more agressive towards him."

"Because he keeps overstepping his boundaries."

In the past weeks, Ren had seriously and truly begun to grate on the scientist's nerves. The more hateful and spite-inducing comments Ren made on the sly, the more Doc found himself hating the hybrid.

"Something's different though, don't you agree?" Wels smirked, taking a long sip of his drink.

"How do you mean?"

"Hate flirting, obviously. The more you two talk the more fruity you two get."

Doc's eye twitched. Ren? Flirting with him? That sent him over the edge. Without another word he flew off towards the Octagon, mechanical eye scanning the ground for the stupid werewolf. He landed gracefully, marching over to his idiotic base mate.

"What the fuck man?" Doc yelled, shoving Ren's back against the wall of chests.

Ren grunted from the sudden impact, throwing his hand up in a poor attempt to shove Doc away. "What the hell Doc? The fuck are you on about?"

"Fucking hate-flirting is what. All week you've been annoyingly close, always bothering me for the most meaningless things."

Ren's face flushed. Had he really been so obvious? The stoic doctor hadn't realized until just now, so maybe that was a plus?

Ren tried to keep up the facade. "Dude, who's putting these ideas into your head? Nevermind, must be some faulty wiring."

A screaming match started between the two, both men shouting profanities and insults through the small gap between their faces. Their faces were flushed, but neither of them realized how close they'd moved together.

"Fuck you!" Ren spat.

"Then do it!" Doc screamed back.

Silence enveloped the two. Doc's face flushed as he stammered, trying to find the words to correct himself.

Ren stood quietly, completely shocked. His tail had stopped wagging long ago, but now every inch of fur stood up on edge.

"Doc? Bro, you okay?"

The pair had become acutely aware of how close they were, the heated breath of each other dancing over their lips. The fatal mistake Ren had made was letting his eyes glance down to Doc's lips for a moment, before continuing the awkward eye contact.

Doc sighed, breaking the silence. "Forget this."

He closed the gap between their faces, locking their lips into a heated kiss.

•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•

The end.

Maybe I'll continue, maybe I won't.

[oviids]

pls share some of your spn fic recs 🥺🥺

ok, a few things first:

followers and mutuals who do not have supernatural brainworms, kindly avert your eyes

i don’t normally rec or even read much fanfic any more but this is a CRISIS ok (cont.)

there is so. much. content for deancas out there and i have incredibly high standards, several ancient ao3 bookmarks, can speedread, and want to spare you guys the experience of wading through it all.

i also have a section for spn femslash since I was pretty into that back in the day (sadly a lot less fan content for this :/)

I don’t really like au’s or pure smut (I honestly usually just skim or skip those scenes) so if you’re mainly looking for that kind of thing this probably won’t be very helpful to you. jsyk.

i’m not great at describing stuff but i’ll do my best, i’ll also try and add tw’s when neccesary.

i wil try and keep updating this with any other decent fics i find, feel free to rec stuff too since i’m like 7 years behind.(edit 1/25/21) this is getting looooong so i’m going to start making another list on my spn blog rather than update this one

(edit 1/3/21) since this has gotten pretty long i’ve added rating/approximate word counts and marked my particular favorites with an asterisk.

Dean/Cas fic:

So Says The Sword*** - explicit/85k. FUCK its good...au/time travel where dean is not pulled out of hell by cas and says yes to becoming the michael sword. honestly could serve as an alternative to actually watching the show, if you want to get into dean/cas without actually doing that to yourself.

Fata morgana.*  - teen/6k, pst s9 finale. very bela centric and i love it, she finds cas looking for dean in hell.

Redemption Road -misc/600+k. an incredibly long fic from a collaborative writing group back in the day. canon divergent from the end of s6 on, has a cool take on godstiel and the leviathans, as well as the lovecratian mythos connection. ngl when i reread it i only made it about 28% in but imo the casual reader can actually stop around there, the rest concerns a lovecraftian apocalypse that is still good (i think i don’t remember it very well) but not required to enjoy the first half. if you prefer i have an ebook version i can send you on gdrive.

Someone Who's Feeling For Me* - mature/45k, s12. they run into lisa braeden and dean thinks cas is into her while cas thinks dean still likes her. treats lisa way better than the show ever did and the miscommunication is pretty funny rather than annoying.

a turn of the earth - mature/95k. time travel fic where cas from s10 keeps showing up in deans life from a few years before s1 to right before the hellhounds take his soul.  slow burn, good character study, and at one point cas punches the dad in the face and it rules.

On the Wings of War - teen/85k, canon divergent s5. dean accidentally becomes the Horseman of War. plays fun, fast and loose with biblical lore, michael has some rights.

Named - mature/95k, alternate s5. EXTREMELY blasphemous in a fun sexy way. manages to predict metatron almost to a T. there’s one major character death and its literally jesus christ, everyone is very sad about it and it sets the rest of the story rolling. an alternate interpretation of cas’ mission to raise dean from hell which had me on the floor. ngl its kind of misogynistic at points, but its from 2010 and tracks with late oughts-2010 spn (sorry anna the author did you dirty here:/).

The Girlfriend Experience - explicit/15k. uhhh i don’t normally rec or even read smutty stuff unless someone i know is specifically asking for it but this has stuff like sam trying to be a good ally and dean thinking holding hands with cas is ‘kinda gay :/’ minutes after having gay sex with him.

i crippled your heart a hundred times - explicit/19k, s8. cas confesses his feelings and dean spends a long time getting his head out of his ass about it. truly hits different after the actual confession, despite being written six years early it feels like its actually what could have gone down more or less if the writers weren’t talentless demons who hate us.

My Roots Take Flight** - mature/125k. reverse au where cas is a hunter and dean’s an angel...OR IS IT???? an alternate retelling of s4. tw for briefly being set in a psychiatric hospital/the hospital being mentioned somewhat frequently throughout the fic, plus more references to torture in hell and heaven than usual.

The One Thing You Can't Lose* - teen/4k.you know those posts about how cas is a super-strong super-tough ancient warrior but he just lets dean tug him around because he likes it? thats it thats the fic.

Hands, From Which All Things Are Built - teen/14k, post s8′s ‘goodbye stranger.’ cas is on the run with the angel tablet but keeps in touch with sam and dean by text, he and dean still manage to be terrible at Actual communication.

Autrement, Danger - or, The Account of an Exceedingly Long Day - mature/30k, post s11. a monster that takes the appearance of your soulmate leads to some wild miscommunications and dealing with years of repression, also dean gets to see cas’ true form which is always cool. tw for non-graphic mentions of underage sexual assault/sex work.

Down to Agincourt - mature/explicit/900++++k, endverse continuation. endverse!cas survives his encounter with lucifer and discovers another time-displaced dean from s7. i’ve only read the two of four parts but its really good, veeeeery slow burn, has a lot of fun oc’s and takes a rather surprising but (imo) entertaining and intriguing turn into Hellenic history and mythology. usual tw’s for endverse/endverse!cas but nothing graphic, it’s actually pretty light-hearted (relatively speaking of course).

Nothing Equals the Splendor** - explicit/8k, THEE finale fix it fic you’ve been waiting for! posits that the entire final episode was just a (very bad and lame) djinn’s vision.

like moses and batman and james dean - explicit/31k, post s8. explores dean’s trauma and internalized homophoba from his technically canon experience with sex work and its impact on his relationship with cas. the sex work itself isn’t really shown in any detail but it’s still a relatively heavy fic.

Crazy Diamonds - explicit/25k, s4/alternate s14. fresh-out-of-hell dean and dean from 10 years in the future are displaced from time and sent to each other’s present.

where the weeds take root - explicit/30k. au where the men of letters kick them out of the bunker and they accidentally move out into the country, get over their codependence and semi retire. featuring chicken coop building, sam volunteering at a dog shelter, gardening, and blissfully mundane domesticity.

No Resting Place - teen/6k. djinn dream fic, switches back and forth between cas’ dream of being married to dean and retired from hunting to the aftermath when he wakes up. tw for brief mention of suicide since, y’know, djinn dream.

any port in a storm - mature/52k. post s8 finale. cas and dean have to pose as a couple going through a rough patch for a case and actually deal with their emotional baggage, cas struggles with being human and metatron is up to stuff.

all this and heaven too* - explicit/7k. in the author’s own words ‘...a love letter to every trans person who ever projected onto Dean Winchester.’ absolutely unzipped me emotionally and theologically, its just. so good. tw for very brief mentions of internalized transphobia/dysphoria.

Because it is* - mature/6k, finale fix it. killing chuck does not bring back anyone back and the winchesters spend a very long time dealing with what they’ve lost, cas and dean SOMEHOW still manage to have signifigant communication issues even after the confession. tw for suicidal thoughts/brief attempt.

Vena Amoris and Other Old-Fashioned Bullshit* - teen/4k, s6. when cas fell for dean it automatically soulbonded/angel married them, shenanigans ensue when dean finds out during the angel’s civil war. funny and actually written back when s6 was airing so cas is still (or at least pretending to be) kind of an OP asshole which is fun.

Rinse, Repeat - teen/3k, s8. angsty character study of cas as he’s reprogrammed and trained to kill dean. not really dean/cas since its just cas’ pov of canon events but its beautifully written and ends with him snapping out of it through the power of love (also now a canon event!).

Emergence - explicit/59k, canon divergent after s11. dean meets a hunter he only recognizes as their friend claire novak’s missing father, but soon realizes he might be the answer behind the mysterious void in his memories and feelings (aka everyone’s memories of cas are completely wiped away for three years).

Cuckoo And Nest - explicit/10k, early established relationship/character study, cas tries to figure out how he fits into dean’s life and space in the bunker.

Build a Home* - teen/20k, canon divergent s12. sam and eileen are cute and turn the bunker into men of letters/hunters hq and everyone but cas moves in, mutual miscommunication issues and pining ensues.

Down in the River - teen/5k, early s8, cas prays to dean in purgatory while sam and dean try to figure out a way to get him out.

Teaching Poetry to Fish* - mature/52k, ?? BC through the entire series/canon divergent s14 and 15. retelling of crucial scenes throughout the shows timeline from cas’ pov, feat. actual fish and poetry.

the minor fall, the major lift - gen/4k, post confession/finale fixit. dean goes into the empty to save cas and runs into several old friends (and enemies).

With the Kisses of His Mouth* - teen/3k, gen later seasons. dean and cas keep kissing by accident.

Remaining Grace - explicit/109k, alternate s6. au where cas asks dean for help with raphael and dean, of course, does. tw for temporary major character death/semi-graphic depictions of alcohol withdrawal.

The face of heaven.* - teen/10k, au, dean is a regular guy and cas is a fallen star (think ‘stardust’, kinda).

Stories Are Made of Mistakes*  - teen/5k. newly human cas has trouble getting used to a human body and humanity in general, but still figures out that he and dean are A Thing before dean does.

Hurry Up And Wait - mature/21k, canon divergent s12. a fairyland and quite possibly LOTR related case comes up and dean goes full fanboy, mary is introduced to the wonders of the peter jackson adaptions, many references and comparisons (including between cas and dean’s ‘friendship’ and arwen/aragon). also charle is still alive and has just been doing fairy stuff this whole time.

There Are Many Things - explicit/28k, s9. cas is extremely lonely/touch-starved and trying to figure out this whole human thing, as well as where he and dean stand after being kicked out of the bunker.

It's A Long Life to Always Be Longing - teen/40k, post s11 finale. amara helps dean by putting him in a magical coma so he can finally get some much needed rest and show him possible futures for him, sam and cas. meanwhile sam and cas go on a roadtrip (or several) to find componets for a spell to wake dean up. really good sam and cas friendship, they actually talk about their shared lucifer trauma and stuff.

Non-Photo Blue - gen/2k, s4/5/alternate s5. fifty moments from cas’ memories of dean.

Tall Grass - explicit/57k, canon divergent post series. cas becomes the ultimate plant dad. feat the wayward sisters gang, cathartic character growth, fun oc’s, domesticity, and lots of actual botanical info-dumping.

on vessels - no rating/gen/2k. established dean/cas, cas tells dean about how he used to imagine what it would be like to have him as his vessel.

search for tomorrow on every shore* - teen/11k, post-finale (extremely derogatory). some angels in jack’s new heaven act out and dean gets temporarily resurrected in 2003 and runs into his younger self.

Architecture of the Minotaur’s Heart - explicit/45k, very canon divergent post s1. dean’s new house seems to have a life and mind of its own, while in his dreams he sees glimpses of a world and apocalypse that never came to be and an angel that looks strangely like his mysterious neighbor, cas. loosely inspired by the book house of leaves (which i highly recommend for fans of weird horror).

The Distance Of The Setting Sun - explicit/17k, post s5. established dean/cas relationship, team free will finally takes advantage of cas’ abilities to go on vacation around the world.

diamond star halo - teen/5k, s11. dean lets cas use him as a temporary vessel while he recovers from rowena’s spell, sam is a long-suffering third-wheel.

Make Known** - teen/16k, s6/7. dean struggles to understand how cas could have become his enemy and whether he ever truly knew him in the first place.

blunt little instrument* - mature/1.4k, post finale. dean finally confronts his father in heaven, very cathartic.

my heart a compass*** - teen/10k, post confession. the empty forces cas to re-experience his most regretted moments while dean tries to snap him out of it and bring him home.

A Crash Course in Someone Else's History - teen/11k, s6. cas from the very start of s4 is brought forward in time by s6!cas to distract the brothers from his and crowley’s plans.

The Cuckoo Father - mature/8k, s7 au. the woman who found cas in the river post-leviathans does not marry him bc he was sent to her by god or whatever, but actually identifies him as jimmy novak and sends him back to claire and amelia.

The Dead Dean Clause* - teen/5k, post alt s5 ending. team free will celebrates surviving taking down lucifer by getting blitzed, cas lies to a cop and gets an impromptu driving lesson. title/description sound dark i know but it’s actually very funny and light.

Suck It, Judy Garland - mature/20k, s12 (after the ‘i love you...i love all of you’ episode). cas and sam have to pretend to be a couple for a case and dean is NOT happy about it.

By Daylight and In Dream - teen/16k, s5. pre-dean/cas, dean invites cas to use his dreams to hide from the other angels. tw for very brief mention of a memory/dream of alastair sexually assaulting dean.

The Five People You Meet in Heaven - mature/22k, post-canon. an actually happy (if sometimes bittersweet) heaven endgame written several years ago, though some details are rather eerily similar to the show’s ending.

heaven is a place on earth* - teen/2k. dean’s pov of some of the times cas left him behind throughout the show, and one alternate ending where he finally gets to stay.

I Cleanse The Mirror - teen/20k, alternate s6. dean’s body is stolen by an ancient elemental and his soul has to hitch a ride in cas’ vessel.

an exploration of gender; angelic*** - mature/4k. *oscar isaac voice* lets get into angel gender politics!! aka cas is trans.

Zenith - explicit/33k, s9. after 9x06 an angry witch curses cas with the ability to see supernatural beings and human souls.

La cucina. - gen/3k, alt s9. dean goes wild helping a newly-human cas find out what kinds of food he likes, or the early s9 domesticity we deserved!

Dean Winchester, Cocksucker at Rest***** - teen/7k, post-finale. john and mary finally come over for dinner and john reacts to dean/cas in a rather predictable fashion. SOOOOOOOOO good omg, its so funny and a little sad and very very cathartic. part of a series that has a few other really good short fics.

The Way You Didn't Go - teen/5k, s15. coda to 15.09, dean has nightmares about the moc!cas timeline.

On Drowning - teen/28k. dean saves cas after he nearly drowns, they both try and deal with the physical/mental fallout (aka the fic where thee iconic “you only touch me when you think I’m dead or dying” originates). tw for realistic depictions of drowning/triage/misc medical information.

The Thirty-Six Questions That Lead to Love* - mature/13k. claire has dean and cas pretend to be her gay dads for a case and they play the titular 36 question game, get mistaken for swingers, and birdwatch, among other things.

Assorted F/F stuff:

Deep Breaths* - mary/ellen, au where mary said no to azazel’s deal and let john stay dead, still becomes a milf.

Like Rebel Diamonds - krissy/claire, they become hunter gf’s on the hunt for cas to kick his ass for taking jimmy. not-so-stealth dean/cas as well.

To Ash and Bone - anna/ruby, same author as the previous fic (p much all of her stuff is good from what i recall). au where ruby is a witch and helps anna when she’s cursed.

Holy Clockwork Angels - jo/ruby, STEAMPUNK au with very cool worldbuiilding.

At Day's End - jo/anna (my fucking KINGDOM for more jo/anna content, the dean/cas parallels are allllll there), au where they are both at the camp in the endverse and gfs.

these posts - ok so not actually a fic but i’m now obsessed with this hannah/meg dynamic.

Tagelied - mary/ellen, the true story of how ellen got into hunting before angels interfered.

Hell's Bells** - meg/abaddon, alternate s8/9 where meg survives crowley’s attack with sam’s help and teams up with abaddon (who she has a sk year old crush on) to take back hell.

The Ecstasy of the Rose - anna/ruby, anna travels back in time to escape heaven and becomes a signifigant part of ruby’s old human life.

Angel Underground - anna/jo, kind of an urban fantasy au with a very intriguing premise (sadly its very short, i’d love to see more if this ‘verse).

Clover, Flame - billie/mary, billie was always the reaper that showed up to take mary after her death(s) over the years.

Drag Me To Heaven - anna/ruby, a variant on the ‘last night on earth’ thing with dean.

Come Home* - jo/anna, canon-divergent au where anna is the new waitress at the roadhouse and helps jo set up a (probably not really) haunted house for halloween.

[babytaes]

†hê Ðêmðñ (the beauty of sin)

𝖘𝖚𝖒𝖒𝖆𝖗𝖞: You're a guardian angel who's never been tasked with protecting anyone. Since you've been here since Creation, sitting around in heaven hasn't brought you any rewards. You were looking forward to the day when you'd be assigned a human to look after. When that day finally arrives, things take an unexpected turn when you are assigned to Heeseung, a demon from the underworld.

𝖕𝖆𝖎𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖌: heeseung x female reader

𝖌𝖊𝖓𝖗𝖊: angst, suggestive/smut

𝖜𝖔𝖗𝖉 𝖈𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖙: 4k

𝖜𝖆𝖗𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖘: profanity, smut scenes, bad boy heeseung (lol), 

𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖗𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖙𝖗𝖆𝖎𝖙𝖘: click me before reading!

➳ part of the drunk & dazed series

☆ ҉ ◢▅◣

Sin is a spiritual virus that invades the whole being. It makes you morally and spiritually weak. It’s a deadly disease that infects every part of you: your body, your mind, your emotions, and your motives—absolutely everything. Nobody has the strength on their own to overcome its power.

Nobody should ever commit sin, never giving in to their worldly and sinful impulses. It's unjust and wrong. However, what is it about sin that makes it so fascinating and enjoyable?

It gave you joy to see it in his smile or the way his hands caressed your body. What a lovely thing sin is!

Even though some sins are innocent and enjoyable, sometimes regulations are supposed to be broken. Everyone, after all, is a sinner.

“WHAT!?,?” You began to sweat as you worriedly communicated your concerns to your overseer, “You must be mistaken, High Lord.”

“I understand the protocol; angels are supposed to serve as "guardian angels" to beautiful or broken souls on Earth. You know we're expected to look after them and keep an eye on them to make sure they stay on track. With all due respect, ma'am, I don't believe I'm qualified for this position; at the very least, someone of level 10 would be ideal.”

Her cream-colored wings swept her off her feet as she chuckled and waved for you to follow her. You sighed as you flutter up and away with her, trailing behind her, feeling a twitch in yours.

As you eventually caught up to her, dodging angels left and right, you apologized to random angels in your path, uncomfortably smiled at the people you bumped into with your wings.

You retracted your wings closer to you and walked uneasily beside your overseer as you carefully stepped down on the golden road.

Before you could say anything, she quietly took your hand in hers and gently kissed it, assuring you that everything would be alright. As you approached the center of the commotion, you bit your lower lip and remained silent.

Looking around at the community, it warmed your heart to see so many people, young and old, out here. Some you've known since the beginning of time, while others were born only last week. Everyone had gathered to witness the masterpiece that would emerge in an instant.

“You know Y/N I have complete faith in you that this first expedition will be a breeze,” you smiled, looking up at her with excitement and a tinge of fear in your eyes. “We wouldn't have suggested you for the job unless we knew who you really are, and you've earned it.” Don't worry, you were expecting this; now have a look.”

With her finger pointing to the stage forward, you were treated to yet another spectacular show. They're known as the "Grand Turning" in Heaven. This is where a new or seasoned angel has completed his or her training with a human or demon and earned their proper place in the community.

It could be a badge, a ribbon, or something more unique, such as the opportunity to talk with the all-powerful, our God.

Despite the fact that you were assigned to him, you were determined to get those jobs because they were the only way for you to ever get that honor. You weren't going to allow Mr. Unperfect take away that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Nobody could and will ever be able to make you fail this assignment; you were meticulously prepped. You were taught the correct and only way to do things, and now was your opportunity to shine. You were not going to be a Lucifer, cast from Heaven

“I'll do it,” you said to your supervisor, a smile on your face and confidence in your eyes. She turned to face you and hugged you passionately, rubbing your wings with a motherly devotion.

“I knew you could do it; now it's time to get you ready.”

---

When people have a near-death experience, they always remark that life flashes before their eyes. Unfortunately for angels, it's the contrary; when we're approached with a high-alert danger or warning, it's more of a gentle whisper in our ears. Normally more attentive while traveling to Earth.

The best place to be humans say.. What is with these fickle minded words?

You take a deep breath and turn to face your overseer, who is polishing her wings to ensure that they are kept in order. When having wings, a routine is taught from the beginning to keep them in a good up do. Nobody wants to look simple when you can look stunning.

She took your hand in hers and walked toward the end of the route, issuing some documents to the Pearl City Gate guards. You noticed the circular orb while glancing around.

"How can some humans believe in the world being flat, we literally have an air-like view. To me, it's definitely round.” She chuckled as she pinched your cheeks and turned your puzzled face to her.

“When you get down to earth, you'll see a lot of that, people with a lot of opinions. But what did you learn in your training?”

Standing up and smoothing your wings, you calmly shouted out the words as if they were written on the back of your palm.

“Although humans are the destroyers of their own precious planet, everyone's opinion matters, regardless of race, gender, or identity.”

“Well, not all,” you began scratching your head, “I've seen some harsh individuals in our study books, God should strike them down-“

“Um no ma'am, let us put it aside for the time being and focus on what needs to be done.” She started going over a list of laws and regulations for your descent to Earth. As you gave her a thumbs up, you were attentively listening and mentally bookmarking everything in their designated area.

I believe I have a good understanding of everything, and I think I am prepared.” She offered you a short hug before letting you go, showing her affection for you. You were going to miss her, despite the fact that it was a mutually-surface relationship.

“Last but not least, this ordeal will be different in that people will be able to see you. But if you have to use your wings, the lad is the only one who can see you. When you arrive, he will be waiting for you. My child, best of luck and may God bless you.”

You let go of her and moved toward the road's edge, gripping your bag as you turned to face her and waved farewell as you stepped over the brink.

“Wait a minute, what if-“

When you felt a push from behind, you tumbled off the ledge and spun around in the sky, where you saw a smiling face as you glanced up. They didn't tell you that you'd have to be pushed. As you plunged to Earth, you closed your eyes, terrified. Oh, how nice.

Screaming, you descended into the atmosphere, your narrowed eyes seeing glimpses of land here and there. Not letting up you let your wings cover your whole body as you plopped down onto soft green grass.

You peered out from your wings, gasping for air, and glanced up.

“Oh, Heavens”

His physique was slender, active, and well-groomed, with a trace of bad boy behavior in his scent. The first thing that struck your eye were the rips in his jeans. How could a man-made mistake seem to be so appealing? As you raised your eyes, you noticed tattoos splattered across his arms and up to his neck. His black velvet-like wings fluttering in the breeze, he raised his palm to his hair and stroked through the old curls, deconstructing the pattern they had once formed.

“Did you just pull a Lucifer or was this all planned?” he coughed as he put out his hand to you, taking a good look at you.

Stuttering in your words you quickly got up and patted yourself off and finally looked him in the eyes, noticing his dark eyes.

“Well, that wasn't supposed to happen, I hoped to fly down here and appear more Angel-like, but I think my overseer had other ideas.”

He said, "Ah," with a bored expression on his face.

“My name is Heeseung, and if you don't mind, I assume you don't.” I guess my name is well-known in Heaven. You're probably the fifth Angel who has appeared in the last year to “assist me.” What a load of bullshit; you can't hide what's already there, you know.”

He made a pouty look as he smirked closer to you before covering his hand with his mouth and saying, “oh forgive me, I suppose I have a potty mouth.”

Panicking at this new light, you smiled and coughed loudly and suddenly, “Before you say anything else, I'd want to inform you that I'm not like those angels we don't talk about. I have a holy standard that I adhere to.

He rushed to your face, rolling his eyes at your innocence, and murmured to you, "well see about that little Ms. Purity."

As you moved back and shook your head, spurring out prayers, you tugged the strings of your bag close to you, seeming irritated. Looking up, you noticed him hovering in mid-air with his arms crossed, waiting for you.

“Whether you're coming or not, I'm in the mood for a cup of coffee. Allow me to go fetch you one so that this whole ordeal between us may be over soon and we can both return to our respective worlds.”

You instantly snap open your wings and shot up into the sky, scoffing at his rudeness, and dash by him, racing to the left.

“It's this way, dummy,” he cackled as he immediately shot out. Embarrassed and annoyed, you flipped over to his side and flew alongside him, praying to the Lord for peace as your rage subsided.

“Lord, so help me”

---

 “So, what's on the agenda, Ms. Purity? There are a lot of things I'd want to do with you. You know, if you just ditch this whole act, we might be able to have some fun. He winked at you as he sipped his drink while peering across the table.

You shook your head and chuckled, gagging at his remark, "You must get all the girls, you appear really, what's the word, competent" I'm astonished since I assumed everyone down under was inept.”

He smirked and crossed his legs as he lay startled in his chair, cocking his head to the side. It's not that you were trying to be mean; it's just what you were taught. There are no hard feelings.

“Well, as much as I'd like to keep this delightful little date going, I have a commitment to fulfill. You know, duty calls.” You quickly got up and hurried after him, confused as to where he was going, as he shot up in the air and chuckled, waving farewell to you.

“Wait, Heeseung, you can't just go away like that. We need to figure out how I'm going to find you. You're being impolite by getting up and leaving.” You made yourself look insane since you didn't realize no one could see him. You wouldn't want to be labeled as one of these Earthlings.

You beckoned him down, mentally terrified, “Please can you just come down for a damn second.” Your jaw dropped as you hurriedly covered your mouth. Heeseung's jaw dropped when he appeared in front of you, stunned.

“Gasp, I'm hearing a term I'm sure they don't say in Heaven. Hmm, I suppose the Earth changes people.” He went closer to your ear, his warm arm bouncing on your skin as he giggled, his lips inches away from yours.

“I've already entered my phone number into your phone; you do understand what a phone is, right?” Doesn't matter,  I have to get somewhere, and you can locate me later. Okay, I'll see you later.” He swept up in the air and rushed over to the bridge as he vanished into the horizon, rushing out in a haste once more.

You sat back in the coffee chair, wiped your brow, and focused mentally and spiritually, pleading with the Lord for help and forgiveness. You had a feeling this mission was going to be a disaster.

Whining, you threw your hands in the air and sat face down on the table, groaning as you realized this trek. It's no surprise that these honors are well-deserved; it takes a lot of effort.

You cautiously lifted your head and faced the barista after hearing a soft tap on your table. She smiled at you as she set down a piece of paper. You scowled as you inspected the weird set of paper.

“What a jerk, he didn't just leave me to pay for both drinks.” With a shake of your head, you reached inside your bag and drew out a wallet. Your overseer informed you that many people like flaunting and spending their money, so she provided some for you just in case.

As you cleaned up, you began to mentally map out your route through town, mentally picturing the locations and navigating your way home. As you walked over to the cashier, you handed her some money and thanked her before heading out the door.

At the very least, you landed in a fantastic location. It was in the heart of South Korea, and the city was called Seoul, a wonderful metropolis to be sure. You were taught to master specific languages for specific tasks, so communicating wasn't a problem. Despite the fact that you were new in a strange place, you were determined to make the most of it. The first step was to return home and examine the situation.

How to manage Lee Heeseung. 

Arriving at your small abode was an adventure in itself; it didn't take long for you to connect your GPS and get going. It was actually fairly pleasant and provided a change of scenery to enjoy. It's not quite Heaven, but it's still lovely. When you finally arrive at your destination, you look up to see a little, charming apartment in front of you.

They really went all out for you, and it's very much in your style. You'd felt right at home as soon as you stepped inside, as it was more modern and sophisticated.

To be honest, you had no idea what you were doing, but it felt good to have your own little place to do anything you wanted. You could get used to this, no wonder why humans never leave their house. Who would want to leave when you have everything here. Food, entertainment, and a BALCONY!!

As you finished exploring the apartment and basked in its magnificence, you laughed to yourself as you made your way to the couch, sinking into its coziness as sleep took over your mind and body.

*Crunch, thud, bang*

As you lurched forward, you flew up your wings in defense mode, trying to understand what you'd heard.

“Who's there? I have a weapon, and I'm not afraid to use it.”

When you hear a familiar giggle, you look up and see the attractive intruder. Walking over to you and snatching the pillow from your grasp he took your hand and pulled you over to the island where he had prepared some food.

As you took it all in, you smelt familiar scents and smiled, completely forgetting about it until you were reminded again.

“Wait, what are you doing in my apartment, and how did you get in?”

He began to remove some pots and pans from the stove while he placed some food on a platter, saying, "I have my methods."

“I'm not sure what you eat up there in Heaven, but I'm guessing it's all healthy and nutritious food.” You laughed and shook your hand in disbelief while shaking your head.

“I don’t think out of all places we would be eating so strictly. It's basically whatever you can get your hands on.. It's guaranteed to be better food than what you'll find in Hell.”

Pulling the dish away from him, you began to pick at the fries, popping one into your mouth and savoring the flavor, “not bad.”

He bowed in front of you, wiped the sweets from his brow, and returned to sit next to you, grabbing a dish and feeding himself some. As the night progressed, you told him the rundown for the next three months.

“So, despite the fact that you're definitely one of the worst jerks I've ever encountered. For this to function, we'll need to create certain ground rules.” Aiming a finger between you and him. “I'm not sure whether you've ever had to do anything for anyone else in your life, but it's all about serving people around here, and that's why I accepted this assignment. Even if you don't want to help yourself, I want to help you.”

As Heeseung shuffled around in his chair, avoiding eye contact with you, the atmosphere became tense.

“Harsh, but keep going.”

Smiling you continued as you tried to wrap your head around this complex creature.

“I understand that we are supposed to protect and guide you to do good, but it appears that we have progressed far beyond that, and we need to start at the source of your problem, which is most likely your heart or mind. What's going on in both?

As his words danced across your lips, he smirked and drew you closer to him.

“Now there's a secret.” 

Smirking as your face felt warm, you cocked your head to the side and touched his shoulder before getting up and setting your dish in the sink, cleaning up as piercing eyes stabbed your back.

“I understand what you're thinking, and I've got it all under control.”

He approached you and said, "If you say so," as he put his head against your ear.

2 months later 

Everything was certainly out of hand, and he was to blame. Your strategy not only failed, but it was only a matter of time until your overseer found out. And you didn’t want to end up like the last guy tossed from Heaven.

It wasn't all that bad, but who were you kidding, it was a disaster. It wasn't a major shift; rather, it was a series of modest changes. Things like accidentally cursing or hanging out with him at ungodly hours. You convinced yourself that everything was OK.

He drew you into your room and sat you down while hovering over you, gently caressing your body and kissing you.

You smiled and drew him closer to you, wrapping your legs around his waist and bringing him down on you, closing the distance between you.

Heeseung has been on a mission to damage your "innocent demeanor" for the past two weeks. He intended to show you that it was all a charade and that no one is actually perfect. Despite not knowing what he was going to do, you were up for the challenge. That core part of you didn't take long to succumb to his immoral impulses.

What was the problem as long as you were both happy?

“Heeseung,” you say as he draws you closer to him and unclasps your bra with his free hand. As you slowly rise to assist him, you toss the material to the ground and reach for his sweatpants.

“Someone a little needy, but we are not doing that today. Today is all about pampering my lovely angel. Is it all right?”

Nodding your head, you keep an eye on him as he goes between your legs, halting at the bottom as he eyes your breast and grasps softly as your body adjusts.

“Hurry up,” you grumble as you stare at his sinister grin. As you moan, he places gentle lips along your folds, leaning down to your core. As you twitch under his touch, his finger makes a fast dive between your folds, inciting dampness.

As you whine from the pressure, your eyes flutter shut as he switches his finger out with his tongue, softly licking up your surface.

“mm, close,” you exclaim, your lips wide open as he notices your clit, tongue flicking lustfully against it. As he presses harder on your sensitive region, he laughs as you break apart under his power.

“Oh God, right there.” 

“Please don't involve Him in this.” He hits a place as your high comes crashing down on you, chuckling at your reaction. Heeseung is holding you down and watching you quiver wildly as you release juice, which causes him to swallow it before wiping his mouth. As you fall onto his body, overwhelmed and still sensitive to the sensation, he pulls you up.

He lays your exhausted body next to his and wipes any excess arousal from his mouth before kissing your lips.

You both lay in a comfortable stillness for the remainder of the night, your breathing slowly returning to normal as you sign into his arms.

“Perhaps you're right; we're all just horny, messed-up creatures; I mean, even though what we're doing is completely wrong, it was fun to break the rules. My entire life has been focused on doing the right thing and being this upstanding angel. It's fun to deviate from the norm.” As Heeseung witnessed you erupt in rage, you became agitated.

“You’re cute when you’re mad, also I told you.” You both chuckled as you pushed him to the side before coming to a halt in the middle of your conversation, looking concerned at him.

“However, I leave tomorrow and I don't think I'll be ready to see you off, and this was not in my plan.”

“Shhh, I figured it out; just stick to my plan and we'll both come out on top.”

You sat closer to him, nodding your head and clasping your hand in his as you allowed sleep to take over your body.

As you may know, angels and humans have quite distinct punishments; some humans are never punished for their wrongdoings, whereas angels' actions are usually discovered one way or another.

And you were terrified that they would find out. The person who fell from the edge was not the same person who was returning back and everyone was going to know it. Just not right now, you had to maintain your composure as you approached your overseer.

As you were greeted with the overseer and some guards, you held Heeseung by his chains and whispered something into his ear.

“I see you were having a good time?” You shook your head and looked down, worried. You looked up at her with sad eyes.

“Yes, High Lord, I am aware of my error and what needs to be done in order to be purified once more. I accept complete responsibility for this assignment, but I crack him first, and we have all the secrets we need.”

As he observed you return to the opposite side with the overseer, Heeseung's gaze shifted up in fright. Fearing for his life, he flailed his wings in an attempt to flee.

“What the hell, Y/N, I thought we were on the same team.” How could you betray me in such a way?” You walked over to his trembling body and pushed him down so you were above him, laughing loudly. You patted his shoulder as you cackled.

“And they said angels could be trustworthy. I know what I'm worth, and it has nothing to do with you. Heseeung, please accept my apologies. Get him out of here.” The guards grabbed his chains and dragged him to a chamber across the room from you.

As she began to compliment you on your efforts, the supervisor wrapped her arm around your shoulder.

“I'm proud of you, Y/N, even though you used some terrible techniques. I knew you'd be able to pull it off.”

You grinned joyously and thanked her for her faith in you as you looked up at her face. You cast another peek at Heeseung as she stepped forward, and he winked at you. Smirking before he disappeared into the room you chuckled at his behavior.

Everything was going swimmingly, and no one had a clue. I suppose taking over Heaven would be a simple task; if you can blow up the inside, everything will fall apart on its own.

"How could you hide this from all of us?" "Oh God, you underestimated me."

The Beauty of Sin.

☆ ҉ ◢▅◣

➳ Navigate to the Maze

[kwonhoshi0]

𝐛𝐚𝐤𝐮𝐠𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞��𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 | h.c

navigation | requests : open | 24th feb 2021 | part 2

pairing : bakugou x fem!reader [separate]

genre : fluff, angst

warnings : season 4 spoilers, near death, blood, violence

themes : mutual pining, bestfriends to lovers, insecurity

request : heyy can you do a todoroki and bakugo, bestfriends to lovers troupe ? fem reader please >:)) feel free to decline or anything !!

note : i’ll do part 2 with todoroki !!

quirk : telekinesis, you get lightheaded when you use too much and your nose bleeds

[ bakugou ]

> as soon as you joined UA he knew he didn’t hate you as much as everyone else

> your relationship consisted of you being bestfriends for months and months and i think the only way you admitted your feelings is in a near death situation

> like bakugou thinks he might lose you or if he’s already been close to losing you so he just tells you

> he knows he’ll regret it if something happened even if he didn’t want to think about it

> you gaming together is funny as fuck, bakugous yelling curse words and you’re either laughing uncontrollably or yelling as well

> you both like playing against others rather than 1v1s since you work better together

> partners in crime

> you bet you have a survival world together and a creative world

> before you started dating you always played with his hair

> like he’s just sat down on the sofa either watching something or on his phone and you stand behind the sofa and put a hand in his hair scratching a little

> he knows it’s you because he heard you walk over and the way you play with it

> the first time you did it man dId not understand he was like ‘the fuck are you doing’

> but the more you did it the more he relaxed into it and let you

> the more time went on the more you realised your feelings for him but you knew that if you told him things would never be the same

> you were certain he doesn’t like you back clown

> so you just kept it to yourself

> idk how you didn’t notice him staring at you whenever he has the chance but other people did

-> scenario

> ‘bakubro are you an y/n dating?’

> ‘NO? WHY WOULD YOU EVEN SAY THAT’

> as much as you didn’t want to admit it, that kinda hurt you, it felt like he was saying ‘why the fuck would i date her’ which is not what he was saying

> but 💆‍♂️overthinking😫

> you avoid him for a little bit because you don’t really want to act off with him if that makes sense? like you avoided him because you knew you would act weird

> you just made up excuses like homework or hanging out with mina

> the first one he knows is bullshit since you always do homework together

> he wants to talk to you about it but you aren’t in the dorms the next day and he noticed kirishima and midoriya not there either

> ‘oi losers where the fuck is everyone’ 

> ‘i was looking for y/n earlier, asui and ururaka aren’t here either’

 > ‘and why were you looking for y/n icyhot?’

> ‘she asked if she could study with us but midoriya isn't here either’

> he scoffed, a tiny bit hurt but he would never admit that, he was about to leave you a message until someone turned the tv on

> ‘nighteye is injured! two students from UA are holding back the villain, H/N and deku’ 

> he turned around at your name and panicked watching you fight overhaul, you were overusing your quirk a lot, you had blood on the back of your sleeve from wiping the blood from your nose

> you flew up once more and finally slammed overhaul into the ground with the help of midoriya, just as bakugou thought everything was okay the ground rumbled and the force flung you into a nearby building 

> his heart dropped hearing the deafening crack of your body hitting the building

> without a second thought he ran out of the dorms and blasted his way to the scene, he was angry at you for being so reckless

> when he got there the ambulances hadn’t got there and he looked around before spotting you limping towards eri and midoriya

> eri wasn’t in control and he could hear midoriya in pain but you were way too close for him to stop you

> he tried running over to you but aizawa stopped him telling him to get him to eri to stop her quirk

> he listened since he had no other way of helping you

> ‘y/n i have no idea what’ll happen to you if you touch eri!!’ midoriya yelled to you over the electric noises of the quirk

> he was clearly in pain and if your theory is right then not only will your wounds go away but you’ll be sharing the pain with midoriya so he won’t feel it as much

> you ignored him and touched her levitating to the air next to midoriya and yelled out in pain as your wounds disappeared

> after a couple seconds of the pain it went away and you all dropped to the floor groaning

> ‘DUMBASS!!’ you looked up to see bakugou standing over you with his arm extended

> you grabbed his hand and squeaked as he pulled you into a hug

> you sighed into the hug placing your arms around his neck and your head in his neck, after a couple seconds you heard a cough from someone and pulled away laughing at the blush evident on his face

> bakugou wasn’t allowed to come with you guys to the hospital so he got dropped off at the dorms

> while you guys were getting checked on for injuries bakugou knew he needed to tell you how he felt

> the feeling of never being able to talk to you again fucking terrified him

> you guys got back from the hospital pretty late since it took a while to fill out all the paperwork

> you opened the doors to everyone yelling at you guys for not telling them

> your eyes scanned the room for the blonde until you felt a hand pull you from the crowd

> you faced the angry boy, your eyes lit up seeing him

> ‘hey’ you smiled at him as he glared at you

> ‘what were you fuckin thinking’

> ‘i chose to go, our agencies teamed up for this i couldn’t tell anyone and i’m sorry, it’s okay i would’ve been fine’

> ‘you didn’t fucking know that, imagine if something happened i can’t- i just-’ you wanted to make the first move you really did but if he doesn’t like you back then it could ruin so much

> so instead you smiled understandingly ‘i know’ you turned to go back to talk to everyone

> before you could he cupped your face and brought his forehead to yours ‘today.. scared me, losing you scared me and i mean that’ he had his eyes closed

> you knew how hard it was for him to say this

> ‘i was thinking about you the whole time’

> he smiled but you couldn’t see and hummed

> you nudged his nose with your own and brought your lips to his, his hands automatically fit around your waist and you both sighed relaxing into the kiss

> you both pulled away and you said ‘i’ve wanted to do that for so fucking long’

> humming in agreement he nuzzled his nose into your neck breathing in your scent

> you’ll always feel safe around eachother even if it took this long it will always be worth it

A/N :

there are tears in my eyes, hmmm therapy sounds good right about now

taglist : @todoroki-shoto-is-life @blazedbakugou @luluwiie @blue-gold-demigod-clouds

[inglorious-purpose]

Marvel is talking up the Moon Knight series as being much darker and brutal than typical MCU fare, which sounds ... intriguing, if it’s true. (Given Marvel’s track record of hyping things up and then failing to deliver, I remain skeptical, but we’ll see.) Gives me a very, very tiny glimmer of hope that Benson and Moorhead might give Loki the serious treatment he deserves in s2. Maybe? 

It might seem that Loki is a lost cause. His personality has changed, his sympathetic backstory has been reconned to make him a spoiled, arrogant narcissist, and he’s been reduced to a pining love interest for a callous, selfish female version of himself. But in theory, it’s possible to salvage this mess with a decent script and direction in season 2. Walk back some of the more cringey stuff. Stop humiliating Loki for laughs. Restore his prior characterization. I mean, I do kind of like some aspects of the softer, squishier Loki, but I think they took it too far. He can be mischievous without being a clown He can be silly and sweet without being a buffoon or a lovesick puppy. He’s smart, he competent, and he’s stylish -- get him out of that goddam filthy shirt, I swear to god if he doesn’t conjure himself the best outfit ever in s2 I’m gonna scream. Yeah, clothes don’t “make” a Loki but his affinity for fashion is part of his character. It’s part of his dignity. One could even speculate that looking good is his method of self-care, and one of the few things he takes pride in. Let Loki have nice things!

Ahem. Anyway, here’s my fantasy version of s2: bereft of Sylvie and Mobius, Loki finds the strength within himself to deal with obstacles and do some serious hero shit. He learns to value himself as he is -- a powerful Jotun god -- and stops seeking validation from people who bully him and bring him down. If he meets up with Sylvie again, he comes to realize that he deserves better -- someone who truly accepts him and doesn’t just use him when it suits her. (And he dumps her ass.) If he finds “his” Mobius again, Mobius acknowledges that he mistreated Loki and teams up with him in a mutually respectful friendship. And they burn the TVA to the ground and get on a jetski and ride off into the sunset. Or something like that.    

But who am I kidding? With Eric Martin at the helm and Waldron as producer, we’ll probably just get more of the same bullshit. So I’m keeping my expectations low. Like, subterranean low. Down in the depths of Hel low. It’s just ... Loki has so much potential, and these fools just squandered it in season 1. Such an incredible waste. Do better, guys.

[lower-east-side]

I really enjoyed Our Flag Means Death, and have been recommending people watch it. But other than scrolling past the fanart and saying aw that's cute, I don't find myself compelled to seek out fandom content? And I think it's because I liked it for what it is and am willing to wait for a second season to see where it goes.

It's not the first time I've watched, liked, and said ‘OK that's that’ about something - everyone and their brother got into The Untamed and I gave it a shot and enjoyed it (ok I kinda skimmed thru the middle) but it satisfied and there wasn't any drive to look it up afterward. (Other than adding sex scenes where there were none in the show, I found myself a bit confused as to what people were even doing with the story.) 

It has me wondering - not for the first time, and I may have mentioned it before - if I really only look up content for things that were in some way flawed, or perhaps just things that are more mutable, where I wonder what changes to the canon would produce. I mean, my first forays into transformative* fandom were in BtVS and there are a lot of annoyances there in the canon, and multitudinous ships. With writing I really cut my teeth in Drarry and I don't have to tell you how much bullshit is in HP that requires fixing. (Much of it done out of outright spite.) There are then things like LoTR, TES, and ASOIAF** where I will read fandom stuff but most of my engagement has been looking into canon lore through maps encyclopedias etc.

I guess when it comes to consuming/creating fandom content, I like a vast universe with many characters and a lot of nuts and bolts world building that can easily be fucked with, and need some kind of dissatisfaction with the canon. Also let's not forget it's fun to queer otherwise not-overtly queer canons. If it's already well-written and queer, what's there to do with it?*** A rhetorical question, as y'all are obviously finding things to create! Godspeed to you all!

So there's an actual question for my mutuals: do you find yourself compelled to read/write/otherwise engage in transformative fandom content for things you enjoyed and wouldn't really change in canon? Why?

*I say transformative because I’m not really counting just posting a screencap or GIF of the actual canon

**the reaction - or non-reaction, as it were - in the wake of the GoT ending has always amused me. You’d expect massive fix-its to flourish, and maybe they did in corners I didn’t see, but the top pairings on AO3 that year didn’t reflect that, IIRC. I haven’t much checked back since, because navigating ASOIAF fic is a nightmare due to overtagging.

***Not sure how this explains my deep descent into Devilman, as I love the 1972 manga: the ending is tragic, but that's the point, and it works, and the canon is already queer. Trying to move it toward a happy ending is fun, and I am currently trying my hand at it, but it's not because I think the ending is 'bad.' Later installments like Lady are their own can of worms, but it doesn't look like other fans really mess with that, either; I've never seen a novel length DML fix-it, for example. Ugh, don't fucking tempt me.

[lessonforwholelife]

back from the dead (sort of) and back on my cobra kai bullshit for like two seconds.

i watched the new season. and i liked it! there was a lot - a lot! - of good, and it was tons of fun. 

there were also some things that i was very strongly meh about, but since this felt - to me - like a set-up season in some ways (if those even exist this late in the game?), i’m willing to swallow my reservations until I see S5. 

some rambling, ill-formed critique under the cut.

four seasons in, one thing that i’m increasingly despairing of is that we’ll get any sort of significant, centered POV for daniel related to his very real traumas. i’ve seen a few people point out that every time he references some critical damage point from his past, it’s almost immediately played for laughs or followed by a joke. and look - i’m aware this is par for the course for the show and i truly don’t need them to cry and hug it out for 35 minutes straight (ALTHOUGH.....). but just ONCE, in one scene, i would like them to give breathing room to one of those moments, in the same genuinely moving way they did when kumiko read miyagi’s letter last season. i just want them to have whoever he’s dialoguing with seriously acknowledge how objectively awful the events in question were.

because there WEREN’T two sides to daniel getting the shit kicked out of him in high school, and i don’t think it’s that funny that johnny doesn’t appear to have made measurable progress in recognizing that. ignoring this is, for me, a huge failing on the part of the show thus far, and it’s getting harder for me to excuse it away.

like i get that daniel can be an obnoxious, self-righteous asshole who needs to be dumped off his high horse sometimes. i do! this season was not especially kind to him in that regard. he did/does deserve to be called out on some of his bullshit, and there was a lot of it in S4 (to the extent that it felt like character regression at times, for both johnny and daniel).

BUT the caveat to this is that he has also always been shown to be innately good, and in the big moments i do think he has been willing to swallow his pride and apologize/make amends (FELLOW TWO-TIME ALL VALLEY CHAMPION). twice now this season (to my recollection), he has been the one to reach out to johnny and apologize for their conflicts (strike first!) - even if he does bungle it the first time. the scenes where he and johnny both separately contemplate and reject the idea of reaching out/apologizing are played parallel for laughs, but still - daniel does eventually follow through.

i do appreciate that once daniel makes the overture johnny is willing to sincerely reciprocate. that’s huge progress! so maybe i’m just being impatient and oversensitive. maybe this is still something they still plan to address in S5 and beyond. CK isn’t always great about balancing storylines between the adults and the teens from season to season, and since this go around the writing for the kids was (IMOP) a bit stronger and more complex than for the adults (silver/kreese being the exception), i’m hopeful we’re due for a POV shift in S5. 

i just can’t help but feel that until we reach that moment of denouement between johnny and daniel - until johnny acknowledges, sincerely and unreservedly, that he WAS the aggressor in TKK and that he was WRONG - there won’t ever be enough mutual trust there for them to move forward and TRULY escape the cycle of making up and breaking up. 

and if i’m wrong - if they keep them together in relative harmony (lol) after S4 without ever confronting any of those truths - idk how i’ll feel. maybe i’ll be too apathetic to care by then, but right now the idea is deeply disappointing.