#my brain jumps around like a frog

[bkbs-art]

Maybe this is an odd question, but what is it about the lighthouse au that y'all like so much??

genuinely curious, because I just throw lore at y'all and dip, so--I guess I feel like I haven't fleshed it out as much compared to the story I actually have for it in my head, but y'all are so sweet and enthusiastic abt it!! makes my heart swell GINOURMUSLY. I love drawing and adding to it so I really appreciate it, hehe.

[starryhyuck]

pairing: slytherin!jaemin x afab!ravenclaw!reader

words: 10.3k+

summary: na jaemin has asked you out every year since you came to hogwarts. maybe this is the year you’ll say yes.

genre: fluff, angst, smut

warnings: reader is shy, slight corruption kink, penetrative sex, loss of virginity, voyeurism, fingering, cunnilingus, public sex, squirting, creampies, messy sex

You’re in your first year at Hogwarts when Na Jaemin asks you out for the first time.

The both of you are standing in the middle of the courtyard and his ears are blooming red, either from the cold or pure embarrassment. He’s holding a chocolate frog, outstretching his hand to you.

“I think you’re pretty.”

You try to ignore the fact that your friends are squealing behind you. Your eyes are only focused on Jaemin, who’s wearing his signature smile. His best friends, Jeno and Donghyuck, are snickering behind him.

You know you want to tell the Slytherin that he’s pretty too, or at least thank him for the gift, but somehow your brain completely short circuits.

Your eleven-year-old self runs away from the group and back into the Hogwarts castle, breaking Na Jaemin’s heart for the first time.

—

You’re in your second year when Na Jaemin asks you out for the second time.

Your rejection of Jaemin the previous year spread around school like wildfire. Many of your friends asked you why you turned him down, especially when he was one of the most desired boys in your year. You didn’t know how to explain that he made you extremely nervous and his declaration of affection caused you to hate the attention you started receiving.

“Jaemin’s looking at you,” Doyeon giggles in your ear.

Your eyes wander up from your Potions book to see that, indeed, Jaemin is sitting at one of the library tables across the room, focus directed at you. You swallow and return your gaze to your textbook.

“Don’t you want to ask him why he’s staring at you?” Doyeon whines at your lack of enthusiasm. “He clearly still likes you!”

The librarian shushes your table and Doyeon sticks her tongue out when they’re not looking.

You sigh. “I just want to finish my Potions essay, Doyeon.”

You can practically see her roll her eyes in response. Jaemin has tried talking to you since the incident, jumping at any chance to partner with you during your classes together. You’ve only offered him rapid blinks and slow nods in return.

You groan when Doyeon suddenly elbows your side.

“Go and get me the book we need for Charms, please.”

“What? Why can’t you get it?” You frown, eyebrows furrowed.

She sighs as if you’re the one causing a problem. She gives you one of her signature looks and you grumble, pulling yourself away from the table. When you finally find the aisle you’re looking for, you nearly gasp when you see Jaemin there too.

Oh Doyeon, you sneaky witch.

He says your name like you’ve just caught the Golden Snitch. “Nice to see you!”

You smile awkwardly, ignoring the butterflies swarming your stomach.

“Hi, Nana.”

He beams when you call him by his nickname. You falter at his clear enthusiasm. You wish you were just slightly more brave to carry a conversation with him, but you resort to clumsily searching for Doyeon’s book. You sigh when you realize it’s on the top shelf.

Before you can attempt to grab it, you feel Jaemin’s chest press against your back as he easily takes it for you. You yelp at the proximity, ignoring his cheerful smile as he hands the book over to you.

“Looking for this?”

You try your best to steady your voice. “Um, yes?”

He chuckles. “You don’t sound so sure about it.”

Despite the book being safely in your hands, he shows no signs of stepping away from you. You avoid any eye contact you could possibly make with him.

“I should get back to my table,” you whisper softly. “Doyeon probably wants to get started on her Charms homework.”

“Meet me at the Astronomy Tower tonight?”

You blink at Jaemin’s question. He’s still smiling happily, fully expecting you to say yes.

“Um, I have a lot of work to get done tonight. Potions essay and all of that.”

“Oh,” he murmurs bashfully, scratching the back of his neck and taking a step away from you. “That’s okay. Some other night then?”

“Okay!” You squeak, taking your chance and scurrying away from him. Your abrupt departure prevents you from seeing the hopeful look in his eyes.

When you return to your table, Doyeon is smirking mischievously.

“You sure took a long time getting that book.”

“I hate you.”

—

You’re in your third year when Na Jaemin asks you out for the third time.

“Dude, she’s not going out with you. It’s starting to look super desperate.”

Jeno has to physically prevent Jaemin from lunging across the Great Hall table and attacking Donghyuck.

“Hyuck,” Renjun scolds from his spot next to Jeno. “You know Jaemin’s sensitive about it.”

“Whatever,” Donghyuck rolls his eyes. “All I’m saying is that everyone knows you like her, and if she liked you, then moves would have already been made.”

“You don’t know anything,” Jaemin hisses. “She’s just shy, that’s all. She doesn’t like the attention.”

Jeno glares at Donghyuck as a signal for him to shut up. Renjun even shoves a spoonful of chicken into Donghyuck’s mouth to make sure of it.

Jaemin’s focus returns to you as you’re giggling into your hand at something Yoo Jimin says. He fondly smiles at the sight of you looking so happy from across the Great Hall. He wishes you would look that happy whenever you see him too.

His attempts at getting you to agree to a date has been less than successful to say the least. Donghyuck was right — everyone in the Wizarding World knew of Jaemin’s crush at this point, but you still showed no signs of returning his affections.

“I’m not saying Donghyuck’s right or anything,” Renjun timidly brings up, earning a warning look from Jeno. “But maybe you should try crushing on someone else. Who knows? Maybe she’ll get jealous.”

Jaemin scoffs at the idea. As if he could like anyone else but you. It sounded unbelievably pathetic, but you were all he thought about. He wanted nothing but to hold your hand and kiss you in front of everyone.

Even if it made him the running joke to the rest of the houses, he didn’t care. He only desired you.

His blood boils when he sees Shotaro approach your table, cheeks red as he asks to sit down next to you.

“What the hell is he doing?” Jaemin hisses.

Jeno coughs awkwardly. “I heard from Sungchan that Shotaro has a little crush.”

“What?” Jaemin practically yells, causing the rest of his house to shush him.

“Alright, let’s be calm about this,” Jeno says, knowing how irritated his best friend could get. “Jaemin-“

Jeno’s protests are ignored as Jaemin makes his way over to your table. Jeno runs a hand down his face, praying that Jaemin doesn’t make a complete fool out of himself.

You nearly jump out of your seat when you hear your name being called. You glance behind you to see Jaemin.

“O-Oh,” you stutter, not expecting his presence. You fail to notice Shotaro’s shoulders slump in defeat at the sight of the Slytherin. “Hi Nana.”

You pay no attention to Doyeon and Jimin’s raised eyebrows from their positions across from you. Jaemin forces his hands between you and Shotaro, creating enough distance for him to sit in the middle.

“What are we talking about over here?”

Doyeon and Jimin exchange a look before Doyeon speaks up. “Shotaro over here was just talking about going to Hogsmeade this weekend.”

“Oh? I didn’t even know Hufflepuffs went outside,” Jaemin hums. Doyeon and Jimin cover up their laughs with a cough.

“Hogsmeade trips are for all students,” you mention quietly.

Jaemin smiles at you. “That’s right! I was actually thinking about going to Madam Puddifoot’s, want to join?”

Every student knows that Madam Puddifoot’s is where all the couples go on dates. Since this is the first year you’re allowed to take weekend Hogsmeade trips, you haven’t gotten a chance to see it for yourself. However, the thought of going with Jaemin seemed way too nerve wracking.

“She would love to!” Jimin interjects, shooting you a look.

“Actually, I was going to ask her if she wanted to go with me,” Shotaro says, glaring at Jaemin.

The two boys suddenly engage in a heated staring contest, and you shift uncomfortably in your seat. Doyeon and Jimin, on the other hand, are thoroughly enjoying watching the current scene unfold.

“Maybe we can all go!” You say in an attempt to ease the tension.

Doyeon’s head hits the table in reaction to your stupidity. Jaemin and Shotaro turn to you with confused looks on their faces. Jimin decides to help you out.

“Actually, I just remembered we promised Minjeong we would meet her at Honeydukes to grab some sweets. Sorry boys, maybe next time.”

You squeak when Doyeon suddenly grabs your arm, and before you know it, you’re being pulled away from the table.

Once you’re out of sight, Jaemin turns to scowl at the Hufflepuff.

“Don’t even think about it. Everyone knows I like her.”

Shotaro scoffs. “Just because you like her doesn’t mean she likes you.”

“Watch it, Hufflepuff.”

“Game on, Slytherin.”

A few minutes of intense glaring occurs until Jeno and Sungchan both rush over to the table, pulling the two boys apart.

—

You’re in your fourth year when Na Jaemin asks you out for the fourth time.

The only difference this year is that you already have a boyfriend. You’ve been dating Shotaro for a couple of months, and everything seems to be going well.

The only bump in the road so far was your friends.

“Listen, I’m just saying that Shotaro is really sweet and nice, but you clearly took the easy way out,” Doyeon complains. “I know that deep down, you like Jaemin more.”

“Doyeon, I really don’t want to hear this again,” you sigh, trying your best to focus on your History of Magic homework.

Doyeon and Jimin brought Jaemin up at least once a week. Ever since you started dating Shotaro, Jaemin took a hint and spent less and less time trying to get your attention. You still noticed his lingering stares here and there, but Shotaro would always try to initiate skinship with you just to remind Jaemin who you were dating.

“What are we talking about?” Jimin asks, plopping down on the couch in the Ravenclaw common room.

“How Jaemin is better than Shotaro,” Doyeon responds.

You frown. “You know, Slytherins aren’t even allowed in here.”

The two Slytherins ignore your protests. “Oh, Jaemin is so much better,” Jimin echoes. “I think she just likes Shotaro because he’s quiet and shy like her. But Jaemin would show her a much better time.”

“Jimin!” You hiss, growing embarrassed by the second. “Can we not talk about this please? I’m dating Shotaro and I really like him.”

“Whatever you say, sweetheart.”

You try not to let their words get to you since you know Doyeon and Jimin love to tease you. The thought of Jaemin still lingers in your mind, however, and Shotaro starts to notice you distancing yourself a week later.

“Are you okay?” He asks apprehensively, almost afraid of hearing the answer. “You haven’t been yourself lately.”

“I’m fine!” You try to assure him, ignoring the worried look in his eyes. “I’m just stressed with homework, that’s all.”

He smiles and you can’t help but compare it to Jaemin. Jaemin’s smile is a little brighter and more captivating, always causing your brain to malfunction whenever he grins at you.

“You don’t need to worry. You’re the smartest girl in our year,” Shotaro assures.

You laugh nervously. “Thank you.”

A few moments pass while the two of you are walking down the hallway before Shotaro clears his throat. He seems even more anxious than you.

“Did you hear about the dance they’re hosting this year?”

“Oh,” you hum, thinking about it. You remember Doyeon excitedly chattering the details to you, talking animatedly about what kind of dress she plans on wearing and how she’s going to style her hair. Jimin was equally excited, attempting to also raise your enthusiasm about the event. “Doyeon and Jimin have been mentioning it to me.”

He beams. “Good! I was wondering if you wanted to go with me.”

You sheepishly stutter. You were honestly planning on skipping the dance in favor of getting a good night’s sleep. Although knowing Doyeon and Jimin, they would never let you ditch.

“S-Sure. That sounds nice.”

Shotaro’s smile extends tenfold, and he leans down to press a kiss against your cheek. You bashfully stare at your feet, avoiding his gaze.

When you relay the information to the two girls later, they’re so excited you agreed to go to the dance that they don’t even mention Jaemin. They eagerly discuss shopping plans and hair and makeup expectations, all while you panic on the inside.

They help you pick out a gorgeous blue gown that hugs your figure, which initially makes you nervous but with a lot of assurances from Doyeon and Jimin, you grow confident in your appearance. The girls do your hair and makeup for you, giggling about how cute you’re going to look.

“If only it was for Jaemin,” Jimin hums while applying your eyeshadow.

“Hey,” you protest softly. “You said you were happy that Shotaro asked me.”

“I am!” She argues. “It’s just that I know Jaemin really likes this color on you.”

“Is that why you picked this out for me?”

When the both of them fail to answer your question, you huff. Your curiosity gets the best of you, however.

“Is Jaemin going with anyone?”

You miss the look Doyeon and Jimin exchange over your head. “I heard he asked out Yizhuo,” Jimin answers.

“Oh,” you mumble. Yizhuo was a Slytherin girl in the same classes as both you and Jaemin, so it would make sense that he asked her. You remember her being very pretty and sweet whenever you got paired for projects together.

Doyeon smiles, sensing your disappointment even though you would never admit it. She presses a kiss to your forehead.

“Just have a good time tonight, my little flower.”

“You know I’m the same age as the both of you. You don’t have to keep acting like my moms.”

You giggle when they suddenly shower you in kisses as a response.

Shotaro perks up when you finally meet him outside of the Great Hall. He’s wearing a blue tie to match your dress, and he kisses the back of your hand in greeting.

“You look beautiful,” he compliments.

“Thank you,” you manage to whisper, feeling bashful by the attention.

Some of the other houses are stopping to look at you two, murmuring to each other and making you even more nervous. Your breath catches in your throat when you meet Jaemin’s eyes across the room. He’s smiling fondly at you, his emerald green tie matching Yizhuo’s dress.

Your heart sinks a little at the sight of them looking like a perfect pair standing next to one another. Shotaro nudges you out of your trance.

“Ready to go in?”

You nod, mustering your best smile. “Born ready.”

The night, by all means, was a picture perfect fairytale. Shotaro was a perfect gentleman as he led you on the dance floor, with you feeling slightly inferior to his incredible dance skills. You exchanged a few fun twirls with Doyeon and Jimin, giggling to one another in the midst of all the sparkle and flair. Your eyes only strayed a few times to catch the sight of a certain Slytherin boy dancing with his date.

It forces you to excuse yourself to catch your breath. Shotaro offers to go with you but you insist on him staying inside and enjoying himself.

Jaemin later finds you in the Astronomy Tower, overlooking the stars.

He clears his throat to make you aware of his presence, causing you to jump at the sound.

“Sorry,” he apologizes with a chuckle, taking the spot next to you. “I didn’t know I would catch you out here.”

“I just needed a breather,” you murmur, ignoring the fact that his arm is nearly pressed against yours. “It was getting a little stuffy in there.”

“Your boyfriend didn’t want to escort you out?”

If you notice an implication in Jaemin’s tone, you make no show of it.

“No, I told him to stay. He’s a great dancer, I don’t know if you’ve seen it.”

“Oh, I’ve seen it,” he says under his breath, almost with a hint of jealousy.

You two linger in silence for a bit before he breaks it.

“It would be wildly inappropriate for me to ask you out at this moment, right?”

You blink at him, startled by the sudden question.

“I thought you came with Yizhuo?”

“Yizhuo and I are just friends,” he brushes off. “She didn’t have a date and the girl I wanted had a date of her own already.”

He eyes you carefully and you flush in embarrassment, staring down at your hands.

“Jaemin, you know Shotaro is my boyfriend.”

“Yeah, that’s unfortunate, isn’t it?”

“Nana,” you whisper, hoping the nickname will convey exactly what you want to say. To tell him that despite your conflicting feelings, you’re still dating Shotaro and don’t want to hurt him in any way.

He nods in understanding before preparing to take his leave. “Before I go, I just wanted you to know you’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen. You took my breath away when I saw you. Shotaro’s a lucky guy and I hope he knows it.”

You watch pitifully as Jaemin heads back to the dance, ignoring the sound of your heart thumping in your ears.

—

You’re in your fifth year when Na Jaemin’s attempts start to falter for the first time.

You and Shotaro ended your relationship on good terms over the summer, agreeing that the both of you were better off as friends after holding hands started feeling too awkward. When Doyeon and Jimin found out about the amicable breakup, they were quick to get you back on your feet once you voiced your insecurities.

“Maybe it was me? Am I not pretty enough to kiss?”

They both frown, looking more disappointed than you’ve ever seen them.

“You are the prettiest girl at Hogwarts, so I have no idea where this is coming from,” Doyeon shakes her head, combing her fingers through your hair.

You’re sprawled on the floor of their shared bedroom after Jimin found a way to sneak you into the Slytherin dorms.

“You said it yourself that Shotaro and you broke up because it was too awkward. He never told you that you weren’t pretty enough to kiss,” Jimin reminds you.

“I know, I know,” you sigh. “But we just never did what normal couples do, you know? It made me start to think that it was because of me.”

“It could never be because of you,” Doyeon chides. “Besides, if you want to get kissed that bad, I know someone who would be first in line for that chance.”

It rattles you when you automatically know who she’s referring to.

“I heard he got a girlfriend over the summer,” you say quietly.

Jimin scoffs. “You heard wrong. I told you to only get gossip from me, I’m a reliable source. I’ve heard absolutely nothing about said girlfriend.”

The three of you are thoroughly surprised when you catch Jaemin the next day, hand in hand with Hyojung, a fellow Ravenclaw girl.

Jimin curses under her breath and Doyeon scolds her for not being the first one to know this new information. As the couple walk down the hallway, Jaemin’s eyes lock with yours. You both still, almost as if time has stopped in its tracks.

He’s the first one to break it, with Hyojung tugging on his arm and questioning why he suddenly stopped in the middle of the crowd. Your eyes well with tears before you stray from Doyeon and Jimin, finding an empty classroom to wallow your sorrows in.

Why were you so sad? It’s not like you had anything romantic in line for you and Jaemin. After all, you were the one who’s been rejecting him since you first stepped foot in Hogwarts.

You decide to ignore your muddled feelings for most of the first half of the year. Jaemin and Hyojung seem to be going strong and despite Jimin’s endless apologies, you insist that you’re happy for the couple and wish them all the best.

You get paired with Jeno for a Charms project as the winter season approaches. Jeno proves to be a diligent partner, equally dividing work and quietly finishing your portions of the project in the library together.

The question itches at the back of your mind one night, and you can’t stop yourself from asking.

“Jeno, how did Jaemin and Hyojung get together?”

He’s surprised by the inquiry, head tilted in confusion. “Well, their parents are friends and they used to be close when they were younger. They decided to give the relationship a try over the summer to see if it fits.”

You nod and thank him for answering. An hour passes in silence before he bites back.

“Why do you ask?”

You chew on the end of your pencil nervously. “I was curious. They just seemed to get together out of the blue.”

He studies your expression carefully. “You broke up with Shotaro over the summer, right?”

“Uh, yeah,” you reply awkwardly. “We decided it wasn’t a good fit for us.”

He hums in understanding.

The two of you finish your homework session without any more probing questions, and Jeno is fast to locate his Slytherin best friend afterwards.

Jaemin is startled when Jeno almost runs him over outside of the Slytherin dorms.

“What’s up with you?”

Jeno huffs, out of breath from rushing all around Hogwarts in search of him.

“Things with you and Hyojung — they’re not serious, right?”

Jaemin shrugs. “She’s pretty and nice. It’s not a bad relationship.”

“But it’s not a really good one either?”

“I mean, I guess so. Why are you asking?”

“A certain Ravenclaw girl just asked me about you,” Jeno divulges. “She asked me about you, Jaemin. You were far from any topic of conversation and she was the one to bring you up first.”

Jaemin freezes at the revelation. He spent the whole summer trying to forget about you, accepting that you were happy with Shotaro and perhaps Donghyuck was right, he was starting to look pathetic chasing after you. Hyojung’s family came to visit one day in August and after seeing how heartbroken he was, she suggested they begin a relationship to try and get him to move on. He agreed, mainly because his parents always loved Hyojung and he needed to get his mind off of you.

As twisted as it sounds though, Hyojung could never compare to you.

He doesn’t understand why you’ve enraptured him like this, it was just supposed to be a silly crush. He never expected to see flickers of you when he would kiss his girlfriend or think of your laugh when he’s holding someone else’s hand.

He shakes his head from the thought.

“Jeno, I can’t. You know I spent so much time getting over her.”

His friend rolls his eyes. “And how did that work out? You still look like a love struck puppy whenever she walks by and Hyojung is still convinced she can get you to love her. Wake up, dude.”

Jaemin presses the palm of his hands to his eyes, desperately trying to erase the fantasies floating through his head.

“What am I supposed to do?”

“I thought I already spelled it out for you. Free Hyojung from her misery and get your girl.”

When Jaemin approaches Hyojung the next day, his heart sinks in his chest as he registers the devastated look on her face.

“What? What did I do wrong?”

“Nothing,” he assures her. “I just don’t think this is working out. I haven’t been feeling any sparks.”

Her eyes well with tears and Jaemin starts to feel guilty.

“Is this about her? Are you seriously still not over her? We’ve been together for nearly five months, Jaemin!” Her sadness quickly shifts to unadulterated rage, glaring at him and hoping he’ll sink into the ground. “How could you lead me on this whole time?”

“I wasn’t trying to, Hyojung, I swear,” he promises, but they’re clearly empty to the girl in front of him.

“Go fuck yourself, Na Jaemin.”

You find Hyojung crying in the Ravenclaw common room that day. You pause when you see her crumbling on the couch with her best friend, Soeun, comforting her. They scowl when you come into their view.

“There she is, the homewrecker herself,” Soeun sneers at you.

You have no idea why the two girls are suddenly bashing on you. You hold your arms closer to your chest defensively.

“W-What?”

Hyojung stands and approaches you until she’s inches from your face.

“I don’t know why he finds you so special. You’ve never once given him the time of day yet he’ll bend over backwards to have you,” she hisses, expecting the words to sting for you.

You blink. “Who are you talking about?”

She laughs and it’s one of those hollow, maniacal laughs that sends shivers down your spine.

Soeun joins in, crossing her arms over her chest and staring at you condescendingly. “We’re not falling for your little innocent schoolgirl act. You know Jaemin and Hyojung’s parents were already planning their wedding, right? How sick of you to insert yourself into a relationship and break it apart.”

The two girls continue to berate and belittle you until the whole of Ravenclaw is convinced you’re a nasty homewrecker. You leave the common room in tears, finding solace in one of the nearby alcoves.

That’s how Jaemin finds you — sobbing into your hands and feeling the most low you’ve ever felt in your entire Hogwarts stay.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

He tries to pry your hands away from your eyes to talk to you, but you pull away from him like you’ve just been burned.

“Get away from me!” You demand, turning away from him and sniffling softly to yourself.

“I’m sorry,” he says, voice filled with distress. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I just want to know why you’re crying, and if I can help at all.”

You spin back around to face him. Jaemin’s heart cracks at the sight of you looking so defeated.

“Why would you break up with Hyojung because of me?” You question in a small voice, trying to stop your tears.

He stutters. “I-I didn’t break up with her because of that. The relationship never felt right.”

“Well, that’s not what she’s saying. I don’t understand why you’re so intent on ruining my life, Nana.”

“What? I would never ruin your life!”

“But you have!” You cry, not caring how unattractive you are at this moment. “You give me all this attention that I never asked for as soon as I get to Hogwarts, and suddenly everyone is referring to me as the girl who rejected Na Jaemin. Then I get a boyfriend and you’re lurking around every corner, praying for me to break up with him. And then you get a girlfriend, crush her heart, and now she’s accusing me of being a homewrecker!”

Realization washes over his features and he takes a step back from you.

“I’m sorry. You’re right, this is all my fault. I’ll clear up whatever Hyojung started and I’ll leave you alone. I’m sorry.”

You watch him disappear around the corner, throwing you one last sorrowful glance.

After you relay the day’s events while crying in Doyeon and Jimin’s arms, you wonder if you would ever speak to Jaemin again.

—

You’re in your sixth year when you haven’t spoken to Na Jaemin since the start of the term.

Hyojung approaches you when you return from the summer break, guilt-ridden by her behavior.

“I’m so sorry for saying all of those things about you. It was really immature of me to start those rumors, especially knowing that it was Jaemin’s fault, not yours. I was just angry and looking for someone to blame. I hope you can forgive me.”

You smile shyly and nod. “Thank you for apologizing. I’m sorry again for what you had to go through.”

She shakes her head. “You don’t have to say that to me. I’m going to clear up all those nasty things people are saying about the situation so please, let’s just try to move past it.”

The first few months of the term pass by quickly, with all of the rumors about you being squashed by both Hyojung and Jaemin. Soon enough, people are finding new gossip to discuss and your incident fades into the background.

You try to accept that you’ll never speak to Jaemin again. He’s completely turned into a ghost of the person you once knew. He no longer smiles whenever people call his name in the hallway or jokes around with Jeno and Donghyuck in the Great Hall.

He becomes a true, stereotypical Slytherin — emotionless and disinterested.

It concerns you, honestly. However, your friends have ruled it to be none of your business.

“But he’s just so lifeless! I just want to make sure he’s doing okay.”

Doyeon waves a finger at you like a mother scolding her disobedient toddler. “He should be the furthest thing from your mind. You need to be focused more on your studies and less on boys.”

You really start to feel like a rebellious teenager when Jimin places her hands on your shoulders and pushes you down to sit on the edge of her bed.

“One day, you’re going to grow up and realize we are just trying to do what’s best for you,” she clicks her tongue.

You frown. “It wasn’t even a year ago when you two were encouraging me to come out of my shell and date Jaemin!”

“Yes, and that was before he made you cry and got the whole school to believe you were trying to break relationships left and right,” Doyeon says, arms flailing about. “We don’t trust him like we used to.”

“Turns out he really was just a man,” Jimin sighs, shaking her head.

Despite their disapproval, you search for Jaemin that night to try and open a civil conversation with him. You want him to know that you don’t blame him for what occurred the previous year and it would be best for you both to try and move on.

You’re about to turn the corner to the Slytherin dorms when you hear a sharp gasp.

You shield yourself behind a pillar, eyes peeking out to identify the cause of the sound. You nearly choke when you see Jaemin has Lee Seojeong pressed up against the wall, his fingers hidden underneath her skirt.

Jaemin hisses lowly. “Keep quiet. You said you would.”

“I’m sorry,” she whimpers in apology. Her sorrows soon turn into cries of lust, gripping Jaemin’s shoulder tightly.

You’re frozen in your spot, unsure of what to do. Your heart is thumping wildly in your ears and you’re ashamed to admit the arousal pooling at the bottom of your stomach.

You can see Seojeong is finding it harder and harder to muffle her cries and just before she reaches her high, Jaemin’s eyes suddenly flicker over to zero in on you.

Surprise fills his features as much as it does yours, and you both ignore that Seojeong has already tipped over the edge. Jaemin withdraws his fingers from her, still staring intensely at you.

Mortified by getting caught, you quickly turn and run back to Doyeon and Jimin’s room, praying the world will swallow you whole.

Much to your chagrin, the world is not on your side.

The next day, your Charms professor announces a class project, sharing that he’s already paired up the class. And, of course, you find yourself with the Slytherin boy you’re trying your best to avoid. You’re incredibly embarrassed when Jaemin approaches your desk.

“Um,” you say bashfully, trying your best to not look at him. The burn of his stare from the previous night is still ingrained in the back of your mind. “I think we should divide the work evenly. I can start researching the history while you can look into the process of casting the charm.”

Jaemin, on the other hand, is enjoying watching you squirm. Ever since last year’s incident, he’s built up a few walls to shield himself from the lingering stories in the Hogwarts castle. He blames himself for causing you so much heartbreak and promised at the start of sixth year that he wouldn’t let people in as easily as he used to. He really only talks to Jeno and Donghyuck now, ignoring the rest of his classmates who are probably only using him as fodder to feed the lurking gossip.

As for Seojeong, she’s one of the many girls he’s been hooking up with to take his mind off of you. He accidentally slipped up a few months ago when he said your name in the midst of his release with another girl, encouraging even more people to whisper about you and him. Luckily, he shut it down before word ever got to you. He’s been a lot more careful with his restraint since then.

He never expected to meet your gaze while he was fingering Seojeong outside of the Slytherin dorms.

And he won’t lie if someone asked him if he has fantasized about your curious eyes watching him pleasure someone else before.

“That sounds fair.”

You nod at his short response, still refusing to meet his stare. You quickly gather your books in your arms.

“I-I’ll meet you at the end of the week to discuss what I find then.”

You don’t tell Doyeon or Jimin what happened that night. They question you when you return to their dorm a little frazzled and panicked, but you say that you simply saw a bug in the hallway that creeped you out.

They buy your excuse then, but grow increasingly more suspicious when you continue to act on edge for the rest of the week.

“Alright, what in Merlin is going on with you? You heard a chair squeak and I swear you jumped out of your skin,” Doyeon says, eyes narrowed at you.

Jimin leans forward on the library table to get a closer look at your flushed expression.

“N-Nothing!” You stutter, fingers rolling through the fabric of your skirt nervously. “I’m just- um, I’m just-“

They watch you flounder, eyebrows raised as you struggle to find the right words.

“Could I ask you both a question? And you have to promise that you won’t ask me any follow-up questions in return.”

Doyeon and Jimin exchange a glance before nodding hesitantly.

“Go ahead.”

You take a deep breath. “Have you two ever, you know, been with someone? Like on an intimate level?”

A moment of silence passes before questions erupt from the two.

“Is someone trying to pressure you into having sex?”

“Oh Merlin, do we have to go and kill someone? Who’s trying to put their hands on you?”

You swiftly shush them, turning your head to check if anyone in the library is eavesdropping in on you.

“You promised,” you whine.

They sigh, clearly stressed from the idea of you being pressured into anything.

Jimin speaks first. “Yes, I have. It was awkward and not that fun, if I’m being honest.”

Doyeon hums in agreement. “Definitely more pleasurable for the guy than the girl most of the time.”

“Okay,” you drawl, trying to figure out how to ask them what you’re really wondering. “So it was a one time thing? You weren’t in a relationship with them?”

They nod. You huff, pondering over the idea. You would never admit your jealousy, but the image of Jaemin pleasuring Seojeong chilled you to your core. Your mind has been swirling with frenzied thoughts all week — were they dating now? When did Jaemin suddenly start fingering girls in public? Did this mean he really wanted nothing to do with you anymore? And lastly, how did you fall so far behind your classmates sexually?

A tap on your shoulder takes you out of your trance. Doyeon and Jimin’s expressions have suddenly turned stern, lips pursed at whoever has approached your table.

“Hey, you ready to discuss our project?”

Your eyes flit up to catch the boy that has been haunting your dreams. Jaemin’s fingers brush through his hair casually, and you speculate if he knows how attractive he looks.

“Yeah, I’m ready,” you reply nervously, taking your notebook and standing to walk with him.

Doyeon says your name with fervor before you can leave. “Maybe one of us should go with you. Or you can talk about your project here.”

You don’t miss her implication and the fact that the former topic of conversation has them theorizing that Jaemin is the one bringing your sexual awakening to light.

“I think we’ll be fine,” Jaemin answers for you, ignoring their glares and escorting you to another table towards the back of the library.

You avoid his gaze as much as possible when you sit down, opening your notebook and immediately diving into the details of the Bubble-Head Charm.

“The charm can be dated back for centuries, and many wizards believe it was created to help them swim underwater-“

“Did you enjoy the show?”

His sudden question brings you out of your notes, and for the first time in a week, you take a look at him.

He’s studying you fiercely, eyes piercing into the depths of your soul.

“What show?” You ask in confusion, not understanding how this could possibly be related to your project.

“I don’t usually like an audience when I’m trying to help someone on the brink of their climax,” he says unabashedly. Your breath catches in your throat. “I find that I don’t mind it when it’s you though.”

“I think we should focus on the project, Nana,” you whisper, not realizing how easily the nickname has slipped from your lips.

“You’re still going to call me that?” He asks, eyes unexpectedly clouded with fury. “Still going to act like the innocent girl when you played the little voyeur for me?”

“Jaemin,” you say quietly, your body flaring with an equal weight of lust and embarrassment. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude on you and Seojeong.”

He scoffs. “You think I care about her? I bet you pictured yourself in her place, hm? Begging for me to help you cum, looking so desperate for me in a public space,” he laughs, keeping his voice low for only you to hear his crude words. He drinks in your appalled expression. “What? Do you miss when I was the nice boy for you, helping you grab a book when you couldn’t reach it on your own? Chasing after you with my tail tucked between my legs?”

He moves his chair until he’s seated right beside you, hand resting on the inside of your thigh. You jolt at the contact, praying he doesn’t discover your wetness soaking through your panties.

“Or do you like it better when I’m straightforward like this? Telling you exactly how I want you?”

His face is inches from yours, and you can feel his breath hitting your cheek. If you move just a little closer, you could probably kiss him-

Another hand suddenly grabs your elbow, pulling you away from Jaemin’s hold.

“Get away from her!” Jimin growls while Doyeon starts to collect your things, shoving it in your bag hurriedly.

“Don’t even think about touching her again.”

Your friends whisk you away from the table, leaving Jaemin with a raging hard-on and eyes full of determination.

—

You’re in your seventh year when you desperately want Na Jaemin to kiss you.

The tables have turned quite exceptionally. Contrary to previous years, you find yourself pursuing the Slytherin boy.

After last year’s encounter in the library, you convinced Doyeon and Jimin that Jaemin’s advances were wanted by you. You had to sit them down and explain to them that yes, your questions about sex were Jaemin-related and no, they did not have to act like your moms all the time. They still held their reservations when it came to Jaemin and you, and you couldn’t blame them. Your history together was confusing to say the least, but now you could actually say you were starting to recognize the feelings you had for him.

The only problem was that Jaemin seemed to lose all interest in you.

Jimin relayed to you the information about Jaemin ceasing all communication with the girls he normally hooked up with, which you took as a good sign, but was disappointed when he made no advances to contact you again.

You failed your Charms project with him because you two couldn’t find the courage to approach one another to resume the study. Instead, you threw heart eye glances to him for the rest of the term, which he easily ignored.

You shyly approach Jeno and Donghyuck on the first day of seventh year.

“I’m sorry, what? Did you just say that you like Jaemin?”

Donghyuck is incredulous, rubbing his eyes and hitting his ears to make sure he’s seeing and hearing you correctly.

Beside him, Jeno simply smirks in understanding. “I was wondering when you’d finally admit it.”

You cower underneath their stares. “I was just going to ask if either of you know if Jaemin likes me too. I don’t think he does anymore so I want to get confirmation.”

Donghyuck laughs. “Are you kidding me? The kid moans your name in his sleep so I think it’s safe to say-“

He yelps when Jeno pinches his side, glaring at him.

“What this idiot is trying to say is that yes, Jaemin likes you. He’s only liked you since we arrived at Hogwarts and we fear he’ll only like you until he dies. I don’t know why you would think otherwise,” Jeno hums, eyebrow raised in questioning.

“Well,” you drone, twiddling your thumbs nervously. “He hasn’t talked to me at all since last year and he doesn’t treat me like he used to. He’s completely iced me out.”

Donghyuck laughs again. “Doubt that. Remember just yesterday when he accidentally said her name when he was talking to Minjeong?”

Jeno pinches his side once more and Donghyuck whines painfully in exaggeration.

“Again, what this idiot is trying to say is that maybe Jaemin is waiting for you to make the first move. He’s made his intentions pretty clear, you know, so I think the ball’s in your court.”

You ponder over Jeno’s words all week, eyes drifting to Jaemin’s figure more than you would possibly admit during classes. Doyeon and Jimin speak the Gryffindor bravery into you as you proceed towards his table in the library — the same table he cornered you at last year.

“Hi,” you squeak, fingers gripping your books to your chest for dear life.

He looks up at you, facial expression remaining neutral.

“Hi.”

“Can I- um, can I sit here?”

He nods and you take the seat beside him. Your whole body is nearly shaking from anxiety but you push through it.

“I wanted to talk to you because- well, I talked to Jeno and Donghyuck and they made me realize that it was my turn to talk to you first. I know things have been weird since the Hyojung incident and I wanted you to know I don’t blame you for that at all! I know it sounded like I was blaming you but then I realized it was just a misunderstanding and I was so overwhelmed by my emotions-“

He places a hand on your arm, stopping your rambling from continuing.

“Take a deep breath,” he says, thumb rubbing circles on your skin in comfort. “Relax. It’s just me.”

You huff and shake your head. “But that’s why I can’t relax. Because it’s you.”

His fingers move to brush the stray hairs from your face, slowly advancing downwards to caress your cheek. You recognize the slightest hint of a smirk ghosting his lips.

“Yeah? You get nervous because of me?”

You nod sheepishly. “You always make me nervous, Nana.”

His eyes darken at the nickname. “You know, you’re the only one who still calls me that.”

“Oh,” you whisper. “I’m sorry, should I stop saying it?”

Your breath hitches when his fingers trail across your bottom lip.

“You never answered my question.”

“H-Huh?”

“About whether you liked me when I was following you around like a pathetic little boy or when I’m direct with my feelings like this,” he murmurs, thumb resting on your tongue. “Suck.”

You almost moan at the instruction, wrapping your lips around the digit. Jaemin curses under his breath, drinking in your innocent eyes blinking back at him.

You pull away to respond. “I like you. I don’t care what you do — I just like you.”

“Aren’t you the fucking sweetest?” He grunts, no longer able to hold himself back as he lunges forward.

You gasp and place a hand on his chest before his lips could collide with yours.

“I-I’ve never kissed anyone before.”

He pulls back, eyebrows furrowed. “But you and Shotaro-“

“We just held hands,” you say meekly, ashamed to admit your lack of experience. “It felt too weird to kiss him.”

He suddenly stands and begins to gather his things, and your shoulders deflate. He probably doesn’t want to be with you anymore now that he knows you’re the virgin who’s never been kissed.

You’re surprised when his hand wraps around yours and he tugs you along. He pulls you out of the library and you try your best to keep up with him.

“Jaemin, where are we going?”

You seem to get your answer when you land in front of the Slytherin dorms. Jaemin quietly mutters the password to enter and you find yourself being led to a grand staircase, realizing he’s bringing you to his dorm room.

“Hey! She can’t be here!” A voice calls from the bottom of the staircase. You’re about to excuse yourself out of humiliation but Jaemin’s grip tightens on your hand.

“Go fuck yourself, Doyoung.”

“Na Jaemin!”

Once you enter Jaemin’s room, you blink at the sight of Yangyang and Donghyuck sitting on the floor, playing a game of Exploding Snap.

“Get out,” Jaemin barks.

They look up and frown, eyes moving back and forth from him to you.

“But it’s nearly midnight-“

“Get the fuck out.”

They both grumble, taking their card game and exiting the room.

“You didn’t have to kick them out,” you start to mumble, but shriek when his hand wraps around your waist, pulling your body to his.

His nose brushes against yours, and you squirm in his hold. He looks so pretty up close, and you ponder if anyone could be more perfect than him.

“Can I kiss you?”

“You still want to?”

“I’ve always wanted to, sweetheart.”

You stutter. “O-Okay.”

Your first kiss is magical. Jaemin’s lips are so soft against yours, and you melt underneath his touch. At first, the kiss is delicate and gentle, with him holding you like you could break at any second. Then, the kiss shifts into something more carnal and desperate, the weight of his body pressing closer and closer to you. His tongue begs for entrance past your lips and you easily grant it, allowing him to nearly swallow you whole.

You rub your thighs together desperately. “Nana,” you whimper.

“What’s wrong, baby?”

You have no idea how to tell him what you want, so you decide to show him instead. You grab his hand and move it until it disappears underneath your skirt, hovering dangerously close to your core.

He chuckles into your mouth. “Maybe we should take it slow. You just had your first kiss.”

“But I want more,” you whine. “I want what you gave to Seojeong.”

“Fuck,” he hisses. “You have no idea what you do to me.” His head moves downwards to press kisses along the side of your neck. “I dreamed of doing this to you nearly every night. I always wondered what pretty sounds you would make for me.”

“Wait,” you stop him and he stills, lips a few inches away from grazing your collarbone. You timidly ask, “Can I be your girlfriend?”

He smiles, raising his head to peck your lips. “You’re so perfect. You can be whatever you want, baby. I’ll buy a ring for you tomorrow if you want it.”

You giggle. “Quit teasing me.”

“It’s cute that you think I’m teasing,” he hums, voice filled with mischief. “It’s cute that you think I wouldn’t get on my knees for you and do whatever you asked.”

You swallow when he does, in fact, get on his knees for you. He pushes up your skirt so that he’s staring directly at your pretty pink panties, all cotton with a little bow in the front. You wish you had worn a sexier pair today, but you would never have guessed you’d be in this position.

You squeak when his mouth messily envelops your cunt, his tongue desperately pushing against the fabric.

You hear him grunt. “Smell so good, baby. Your pussy’s dripping for me.” His fingers hook onto the sides of your underwear, pulling it down your thighs slowly. “Do you touch yourself, sweetheart?”

You flounder. “I tried once,” you confess shakily. “I didn’t really know what I was doing.”

“Oh yeah?” He purrs, running a finger through your folds, eliciting a sharp gasp from you. “When did that happen?”

You struggle to piece a sentence together. “The n-night after I caught you and S-Seojeong. I couldn’t stop t-thinking about it.”

He clicks his tongue. “Dirty girl. You touched yourself thinking about me pleasuring someone else? You liked watching us, didn’t you?”

You whimper. “You were right — I wanted to be her so badly.”

You cry when his mouth wraps around your clit, sucking tightly. You almost fold in on yourself but Jaemin steadies you, hands gripping the back of your thighs to make sure you stay in place.

“Nana,” you beg. “That feels so good. Please don’t stop.”

However, he does withdraw himself from your cunt, evoking a mewl from you.

“No, no, please-“

He guides you towards the bed and you tilt your head in confusion when he lays down first, gesturing for you to join him.

“Come here, baby. Sit on my face.”

You blink. “W-What? That’s dangerous!”

He laughs. “Trust me, dying while eating your pussy is probably the best way to go.”

You hesitate. “Nana…”

“It’s okay, sweet girl. It’ll feel really good, I promise. And if I drown in your cunt then you can cast that Bubble-Head Charm to save me.”

“Nana!”

You decide to trust him after a brief deliberation, awkwardly maneuvering your way onto the bed and hovering over his face.

“Are you sure this is safe?”

Instead of verbally responding, he grabs a handful of your ass and plants you down until your core sits directly on his mouth. You frantically reach for the headboard to steady yourself, unable to stop the moans crawling out of your throat.

He eats you like you’re his last meal, tongue lapping at your folds and sucking on your clit. You’ve never been touched like this before — never been wanted so desperately by a man who’s willing to cut off his source of breathing just to get a taste of you. You move one hand to grip at his hair, tugging at the strands whenever a sensation grows to be too much for you.

Jaemin is locked in on a mission to get you to your orgasm. The idea of him being the first person to help you reach your climax is so incredibly arousing that he could honestly cum untouched.

You gasp when pleasure spreads across your entire body, accidentally rolling your hips to ride Jaemin’s tongue. He moans in encouragement, using his hands to guide you as you use him like a toy.

“J-Jaemin-“

He sucks your clit hard, and that sends you over. Frantic whimpers spill from your lips as you release onto his awaiting tongue. Your thighs tremble from the intensity of your orgasm, all while Jaemin laps at your gushing wetness.

The pleasure shifts to discomfort from oversensitivity and he finally allows you to draw back. You grow flustered when you pull away and see the smear of your arousal covering his face. He eagerly licks his lips and sighs in content.

Your embarrassment multiplies tenfold when you realize what you’ve done, frantically shuffling away and pulling your underwear back up your legs.

“Where are you going, baby?” He murmurs, wrapping a hand around your wrist and pulling you back to the bed. Your back meets his chest and he hums, pressing kisses to your throat.

“T-That was s-so-“

“What’s wrong, pretty girl? Are you feeling dirty now that you let a silly boy eat your little cunt?”

You squirm. “Jaemin-“

He shushes you gently. “Poor baby. You want a little more? I know your pussy’s aching for it.”

Your eyes trail downwards to the bulge in his slacks, looking like he’s about to burst through the seams.

“Will it hurt?” You ask softly, feeling slightly intimidated.

“A little bit, but I’ll help you through it.”

You nod. “O-Okay.”

He starts to move you so that you’re lying down on the bed, but you wrap a hand around his to stop him.

“Can we stay like this? I like it when you hold me this way.”

His arm snakes around your middle and he tugs you closer. “Of course, baby. You’re going to have to be patient, okay? Just take a deep breath and trust me.”

You whine when his fingers dance around the inside of your thighs.

“What are you doing?”

“Have to stretch you first or else it’s going to hurt more, okay?”

You tentatively nod and he takes your panties off for good, flinging them across the room. You’re still sensitive from your first orgasm so you nearly blubber when he pushes a finger inside of your dripping hole. The sensation feels both foreign and otherworldly, almost like an itch you’ve been dying to scratch. You cry when he curls his finger, sending shockwaves up your spine.

He tilts your head to the side so he can plant another kiss to your lips. He distracts you from a second finger joining the first as he slowly thrusts both up into you.

“Doing perfect, sweetheart,” he sighs into your mouth. “So so perfect for me. Going to add one more, alright?”

“Okay, Nana.”

He whispers more praises in your ear while you somehow find a way to fit three of his fingers inside your tight pussy. You roll your hips to feel more of him, completely stuffed full.

“That’s a good girl. Ride my fingers, baby.”

Your body reacts before your mind does, lewdly dripping down his hand as you chase another impending orgasm. Your mind is clouded by a haze of lust, feeling like an animal in heat with the way you eagerly push onto his digits.

“I think I’m gonna-“

“I know, baby. Go ahead, I’m right here,” he coaxes.

All it takes is a few more twists of your hips and his thumb flicking over your abused clit for you to cum. You shudder, cunt pulsing around him as you come down from your high. You whimper when he withdraws his fingers and brings them to his mouth, licking up remnants of your wetness.

“How did that feel?”

You squeak. “It felt good.”

He smiles and kisses you once more. “Pretty girl. Want to take my cock now?”

You nod shyly, allowing him to unzip his pants and unsheath his length. Your eyes widen slightly at the size of him, his cock angrily red and tip leaking.

“That looks like it hurts,” you comment on his swelling shaft as he adjusts your bodies so that your cunt is hovering over him.

“It does, sweetheart. And you’re the only one who can make it better. Now take a deep breath for me.” You obey his command, inhaling and exhaling slowly to prepare yourself. He turns your head again to look at him. “You don’t have to say it back, but I love you, okay? Loved you since our first year here. Want to make this feel good for you.”

Your eyes suddenly well with tears. “I love you too, Nana. And I trust you, more than anyone else.”

His grin is blinding and his lips smack against yours, the tip of his cock slowly pushing into your waiting cunt. You painfully whine and he holds you tighter, reminding you to relax and breathe. He drives you lower and lower until you’re nearly halfway down his cock, and you gasp loudly. His thumb returns to your clit, circling the bud gently to help you along.

“Doing okay, sweetheart?”

You shake your head. “Y-Yeah, keep going, Nana.”

He sings praises in your ear until he’s bottomed out and you were definitely wrong before — this is what it feels like to be completely stuffed full. He lets you adjust to his size until your tiny cries of discomfort shift into whimpers of pleasure.

“Going to start moving now. Tell me if it’s too much, baby.”

He gives an experimental thrust that has you moaning.

“Good, good,” you breathe, encouraging him to keep going.

He starts pushing into you gradually, groaning at the feeling of your warm walls wrapped tightly around his cock.

“I’m not going to last, baby.”

You squeal when his thrusts increase speed, his thumb pressing harder against your clit.

“Ungh, ungh, ungh-“

Vulgar sounds echo in the tiny dorm room with your wetness leaking down Jaemin’s cock and his skin slapping against yours forcefully. You feel like you could easily come again, but your mind screams at you that something’s missing.

“Nana?”

He’s drilling into you now, trying his best to move you up and down his cock at a rapid pace.

“Yeah, baby- fuck,” he hisses, not knowing if you realize how your pussy constantly clenches around him. “What is it?”

“Can you kiss me?”

He swears he’s been blessed by Merlin himself to have a girl as sweet as you. He grants your wish, enveloping his lips with yours and swirling his tongue inside your mouth sloppily.

The simple gesture is enough to serve as the snap to your third orgasm. He moans when he feels your cunt spasm, and he finally releases his warm seed deep into your womb.

You both try to catch your breath as you come down from your high. He kisses you again, and it’s a messy mix of saliva and tongues, but you wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I really liked that,” you confess, and he laughs.

“Good, because we’re going to be doing it a lot from now on. I’m not wasting any more time with you.”

—

You’re about to graduate from Hogwarts when Doyeon and Jimin can’t find you.

You’re meant to be boarding the enchanted boats soon — a ritual that all seventh years take during the end of their Hogwarts stay. All three of you promised to take a boat together, but your two friends can’t seem to find you anywhere.

“Do you think she got kidnapped?”

“Why do you always jump to kidnapping?” Jimin sighs exasperatedly. “I bet you Jaemin just couldn’t take his paws off of her.”

And they would be very correct as Na Jaemin is currently pounding you in the Charms classroom, fingers crumpling your skirt as he watches his cock disappear into your pussy.

“W-We’re gonna m-miss the boats,” you moan, clutching your desk and whining pathetically.

“Don’t give a fuck. You’re the one who wouldn’t let me get my share of this pussy last night.”

“I was hanging out with Doyeon and Jimin! It was our last night in the castle together.”

“Yeah, just like it’s my last time getting to fuck you in this classroom.”

He thrusts into the particular spot that has you keening, back arched as you moan loudly. Usually, your boyfriend would try to keep you quiet, but considering today’s your last day of schooling, he doesn’t see the point.

What could they do, expel you? You already finished all of your exams.

A screech erupts in the doorway and he hears Jimin’s infuriated voice.

“I told you! Jaemin, give the girl a break!”

You cry as you reach your climax, squirting all over Jaemin’s cock and scattering your wetness across the floor. He groans and buries himself deep inside of you, spurting ropes of his cum until his cock begs him for some rest.

“They say when you raise kids that you should expect the day they disappoint you. I didn’t know that this is what they meant,” Doyeon sighs.

You quickly fumble to pull on your skirt and Jaemin tucks himself back into his slacks.

“It smells awful in here! How long have you two been going at it?” Jimin hisses, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“A couple of hours,” he replies with a smirk, wincing when you hit his chest as a warning.

You shakily stand and try to make yourself look presentable. “I’ll be right there!” You call out to your friends, ignoring the perturbed look on their faces. You would normally be ashamed, but that feeling disappeared months ago when they constantly caught you and Jaemin fucking in almost every inch of the castle.

Before you can leave, he wraps an arm around your waist and pulls you in for another kiss.

“I’ll see you on the train, baby?”

“You can’t fuck her on the train!”

You both breeze past Jimin’s comment.

“I’ll see you there. Love you.”

“Love you. And hey, I think you’re pretty.”

You giggle and press your lips to his again.

Doyeon and Jimin take you away before the kiss can progress into another round of fucking.

[giddyfatherchris]

Confidence booster

Pairing: changbin x reader, ot8 x reader

Type: Not requested

Genre: a biiiit of angst if you squint and fluuuuufff

Warnings: none

Requests: open for stray kids and bts

A/n: i thought about this random scenario and it made my heart grow a size or two with fluff hehe hope you enjoy xx

gif is not mine!

Summary: After a little incident while you were shopping with Changbin, he takes matter in his own hands to make you feel better and boost your confidence a little

"Why is this so good?" marvels Changbin as you walk down the mall, drinks in both your hands.

You laugh at his comment. Honestly, he's not wrong, but the childlike wonder Changbin often expresses always makes you giggle. He's basically a very buff and muscular child.

"Alright, so where do you need to go first?"

Changbin had invited you for a shopping day. He needed new clothes since he kept getting bigger by the hour. Usually, he would have asked the stylist for some new pieces, but he also liked to walk around the mall. So, with permission and a few security guards, you left together for a shopping spree.

He wanted to stop by a few stores, and you felt more than happy to follow along and enjoy his company. You had wished for the other boys to join you, but the occasion for them to get a free day was so rare. They all jumped at the opportunity to have a very chill and relaxed day.

You entered your third store your hands already full of bags, which all belonged to Changbin. Immediately, he started rummaging through the clothes. Every once in a while, he got out an abomination of a shirt or dress only to make a funny face to make you laugh. You joined in his game and quickly were almost crying because of the new atrocities you pulled out. Even the bodyguards couldn't hold in subtle smiles. 

You were about to show him a very confusing top when your eyes fell on a beautiful dress. You put back the previous piece of clothing without a glance. It was a stunning pastel color and flowed perfectly with its multiple panels. You let your hand stroke the fabric. Your mouth opened with surprise at how soft it was. Completely lost in your world, you didn't notice when Changbin sneaked up on you with a funny hat and pair of glasses. 

"What do you think of these?" he snickered, finding himself incredibly funny. "Y/n?"

"Mh?"

Pulled from your daze, you absentmindedly giggled when you noticed him, your mind not quite moved on from the absolute dream you held in your hands.

"You're not even laughing," he pouted before noticing your gaze of adoration. "That's really pretty. I'm sure it would suit you very well. Try it on!" he enthusiastically pressed.

And just like that, your little dream fell flat. You backed away from the rack as if it was poisonous.

"Oh no, I don't think so. I just thought it was soft," you mumbled before quickly walking away. 

For the following stores, he noticed the drastic change in your attitude. Your enthusiastic mood was long gone, replaced by a distant gaze. Every time he offered a piece of clothing he thought would fit you well, you looked at him with this tense stare, shook your head, and moved on.

When you got home, you immediately headed to your room. You dropped the bags directly in the entryway and said a dismissive 'hello' to Felix who was waiting for the two of you with a smile. The young Australian gave his older brother a confused look, to which Changbin only answered with shrugged shoulders.

You were lying on your bed, a frog plushie held tight to your chest. You stared at the ceiling as memories you hadn't thought about in months flooded your brain. You were so out of it you didn't hear the light knock on your door. Only the apparition of Changbin in your room brought you back to the present.

"Oh, hi binnie."

"Can I come in?"

You nodded as you sat cross-legged in your little bed, giving him some space.

"Did you need anything?" you asked after he stayed silent for a few seconds. He looked shy, almost awkward, which was rare for him.

"I wanted to ask you about something, and before you say I imagined it..."

"Changbin I-" 

He stopped you with a stern look. "Fine, I may have the attention span of a kindergartner, but I'm not that blind. You look seriously disturbed whenever I ask you to try something on." You examined your hands, ashamed to face his eyes. "And you can't tell me it was nothing. You looked panicked." He searched for your gaze, his head leaning on the side. 

You closed your eyes. "It's just because it's embarrassing to explain," you whispered.

He stayed silent with his brows furrowed, a silent invitation for you to continue, you looked up and winced. "I used to date someone, and when we went shopping he showed little interest in the clothes I wanted. Which I guess is fair, but the thing is whenever I did try something in front of him, he always made fun of me. Or would point out the things wrong with it?" You hid your reddening face in your hands. "Since then, I only go shopping alone. I'm never trying anything new in front of someone."

You sighed, feeling so ashamed, even though you knew your friend deserved some proper explanation for your unusual behavior. 

"So, that's why you wouldn't try that dress?" 

You nodded. He stared at you silently, patted your hand, and left the room…?

It wasn't totally out of character for Changbin, he really had a hard time focusing on two things at once, but you thought after telling him such a personal story, he would have shown some compassion or at least would have said something. 

It didn't help that you didn't see him the next day. The only thing resembling some news you got was a text in your group chat making sure everyone was still on for the meal at his dorm that night. 

You showed up at the requested hour to an almost empty house. Seungmin, Felix, and Lee Know were the only ones there, busy preparing the meal. When you asked about the five missing boys, they gave a vague answer about an errand they all had to run before supper. You shrugged off the bizarre coincidence with a suspicious look before you joined the preparations.

Changbin, Bang Chan, Han, Hyunjin, and I.N finally showed up with a plethora of bags about 30 minutes later.

"With everything you bought yesterday, I didn't think you were still missing some stuff Bin." You laughed until you noticed their conniving smiles and unusual silence. "What's going on here?" you asked after looking at Seungmin, Felix, and Lee Know.

The sweet Australian boy walked behind you and grabbed your shoulders.

"Changbin hyung told us about your thing with clothes." 

You whipped your head in the direction of the culprit, anger brewing in your blood. 

"Please don't get mad!" intervened Chan as he stepped up. "We went to the store and picked some stuff for you." He gave you an adorable smirk, and if you weren't so embarrassed, you could have swooned.

Your strong friend walked up to you, bags in hands. "Try these and then show us." 

Your mouth opened comically. "Is this a joke?" You looked at your friends and their hopeful smiles. "I told you I don't do that, and if you told everyone, you all should know too."                    

"Exactly, and that's why we want to do this. Please trust us?" He gave you the most horrid and cute agyeo look in an attempt to convince you. You pondered the situation and looked at them, hoping they would rescind. 

"I will try ONE thing, and then we never talk about it again," you grumbled as Changbin quickly handed you a bag with a gigantic smile.

Of course, it was the dress. It was magnificent, and if you were honest, you thought it suited you, but self-doubt was never far away. You could never trust your opinion. You were probably not seeing some horrible detail, you reasoned.

"You can come out now. We're ready!" screamed Changbin from behind the door.

Turning to face the doorway, you took a deep breath. You questioned even getting out. Why would you willingly put yourself in that situation again? But then, the answer timidly pointed the tip of its nose.

Maybe, just maybe, because you did trust them? And maybe because somewhere inside, you hoped it would turn out different this time. 

You stepped out, left the door flagrantly open for a quick escape, and faced the boys with your eyes closed. "Okay, I'm out. Here it is. Can I go back in now?"

Nothing. Your apparition met with silence, you slowly opened one eye then the other. They were all sat very neatly on the couch with serious expressions. 

"Uh, guys?" 

They stayed silent for a bit more, looking you up and down before they looked at each other and started absolutely screaming.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA SO PRETTY!!"

"OH MY GOD. HAVE WE BEEN GRACED WITH THE PRESENCE OF AN ANGEL?"

"MY EYES! MY EYES! THEY ARE DAZZLED BY ALL THIS BEAUTY!"

"ARE YOU A CELEBRITY?"

Bang Chan was fake sobbing and muttering about how pretty you were while Seungmin had just 'fainted' in I.N and Felix's arms. Hyunjin was fanning himself like a crazy person.

Suddenly turned MC, Changbin grabbed a hairbrush as a mic and presented your outfit. "Everyone! Here is our first outfit of the night! What would we rate this?"

"A 10!"

"12/10"

"ONE MILLION OUT OF TEN."

"It's PERFECT!" screamed Han.

You couldn't help a fit of laughter from escaping your mouth. Your cheeks were red with slight embarrassment and a healthy dose of happiness. The boys continued their crazy antics, asking you to twirl and do a model walk across the living room as they applauded. The show continued for a while as they encouraged you to try every item of clothing they bought you. 

Most of them fit you like a glove, and you praised their incredible sense of fashion. Even with the more ill-fitting ones, their comments focused on comedy. Not a bad thing was said about you or the way your body looked.

You concluded the night with the delicious meal your three cooks had prepared and a movie. You were cuddled up on the couch, somehow all touching despite your different positions. 

In the middle of the movie, you subtly looked at Changbin, sitting next to you. His gaze focused, face bare, and his natural dark curls giving him the fluffiest and most adorable appearance. After a few seconds of your maintained observation, he turned to you, a silent question mark in his dark eyes. 

"When you didn't say anything after I confessed my story I got scared you were judging me," you whispered. "But after what you did tonight, I just wanted to thank you."   

A satisfied smile illuminated his features as he reached for your hand, squeezing it. He didn't say anything for a while, his gaze back on the screen intently watching the movie, until he brought his mouth close to your ear and ushered in a low tone. 

"You deserved to be shown the proper reaction for anything you would ever put on. That guy was an ass if he wasn't able to recognize what was in front of him." Your eyes turned round like saucers at the words you were hearing. You shifted to look at him, but his eyes were still on the screen. "We didn't have to put on a show or anything. We simply had to be honest and say what we’re all silently thinking all the time."

[selineram3421]

*has a little idea* I've gotta listen to brain commands.

First Day

Alastor and Child Reader

Warning! ⚠

⚠ implied murder, mention of kidnapping, mention of heart attack, shake of head=no, fake crying lol, italic red=Alastor's thoughts ⚠

Alastor didn't understand why some demons worried over the little children that ran amuck in Hell.

That is until he adopted one himself.

Small, wide eyed, and frail looking. Of course he'd worry after a glance. But after seeing the pile of dead bodies beneath their feet, it seemed like there wasn't too much to worry about.

So all he had to do was teach them how to make others fear them. Especially after the whole kidnapping fiasco with Valentino.

And what better timing than their first day of school.

.

You were playing around in the hotel.

Most of it was following Husk around and scaring the other hotel guests. But then Charlie told Alastor the number of complaints from guests about you and your pranks.

"They are absolutely harmless! What's a little scare going to do?", the deer demon said.

"Someone had a heart attack.", Vaggie piped in.

"Nuh-uh!", you popped up out of nowhere, making the two females jump in surprise. "That frog demon croaked! He's just mad that I made him make a funny sound."

The blonde sighs before holding out a flyer to the red dressed demon.

"Look, I know you're just having fun but not all demons think its funny.", she tells you before looking at Alastor. "There's a school for demon children not too far from the hotel, maybe they can meet demons their age and make friends?"

After dinner you and Alastor sat down on the couch in the hotel room and read through the flyer.

"I don't want to go.", you pouted.

"Don't worry my little terror, we'll think of something.", he booped your nose. "Perhaps we can use this as training!"

"Training?", you repeated.

"Yes! We'll use this as an opportunity!", Alastor said as he stood from the couch, turning to hold out a hand for you to take. "Come little one, there's much I have to teach you."

.

"Remember what I taught you little one!", Alastor says, fixing their coat. "Anything can be a weapon..."

"With enough force and creativity!", they said confidently.

"Correct!", his smile brightened. "Now, let's go show the ladies that you are a proper demon with manners so they feel bad for sending you out. Remember to look sad."

"Hmhmm!", the nod again before taking a deep breath, putting on their sad face and looking down at the floor.

"Perfect.", he approved before leading them by the hand down to the lobby.

Both of the girls were waiting by the entrance doors to say their goodbyes to the little demon.

"We are ready!", Alastor announces.

"Hey! We got them a-", Charlie starts before noticing the little demon's sad face. "..lunch box."

Vaggie squints at them but doesn't say anything.

Though the Radio Demon can see that his little one's sad face is affecting her as well, the moth demon clenching her fists.

"Now, what do we say mon petit?", the deer demon pats their back.

"I'm..", they say but don't look up yet. "I'm sorry for being bad and I'll go to school so..", finally they look up at the girls with little tears starting to well up. "Please don't be mad anymore."

Charlie is obviously affected the most and looks over at her partner, receiving a shake of the head from the white haired demon in response.

The princess takes a breath before handing over the lunch box to the little demon. "Its only for a little bit, alright?"

"Ok..", they say, still keeping up with the act before turning to face him. "Bye Alastor."

"It won't be for long, don't worry.", he 'reassures' them. "I'll pick you up when school is out."

They nod before hugging his side.

He pats them on the head before waving them goodbye as they walk out of the hotel and to the school bus.

Bidding the ladies adieu, Alastor lets his smile widen after turning away from the two, wondering how his little demon will cause chaos.

I can't wait to hear all about it~

*wipes away tears after typing out the fake crying* I was that child huh.

~Seline, the person.

Part 2

Taglist@

@willowaudreykeyes @kiraisastay @c4rved-pumpk1n @stolas-thebirb @scary-noodlesblog @naelys-the-aster @ducky-died-inside @biromanticboba @+?

ML for Alastor🎙

[on-the-clear-blue]

Brain worms struck a nerve once more...

Just? Baby Dick, he is just so smol and full of hate.

I am just imagining this small 9 year old, taking on full aged adults and winning, then turning around and grinning like the devil at the remaining crooks

I just think Gotham Twitter would be like

Gothamite 1: Robin 4 is such angy, most stabby boy

Gothamite 2: He isn't even angry??? Like that boy is just autistic, I talked to him about proper pet care for like 45 minutes after getting mugged, Bats had a fucking 1000 mile stare.

Gothamite 3: If you want real angry Robin, you need to look at n.1 or @ Realwing. I was a goon for a bit out of collage, he broke 3 ribs and my collar bone by pushing me down the stairs and then jumping on me.

Gothamite 1: Can't see it, Nightwing is too pure.

Gothamite 2: He has fucking killed/brutally maimed people? Parasocial much??

And like, also more on Baby Dickie...that boy did not speak English as his main language until he came to live with Bruce, Halys circus tours in Europe mostly? Give me little Dickie just looking at Bruce with uncomprehending eyes as the man tries to explain that Dickie will be living with him.

Give me baby Dick with the cutest thick French accent as a boy (side note, have you seen children speak French? It's so fucking cute, they sound so fancy but still so very baby) Like I feel like he spoke a hodgepodge of languages with the carnies? Maybe that carries over to his Robin ages.

Robin, running up to Batman, cycling through 5 different languages and two dialects, then just holds out a frog to Bruce expectantly.

Bruce, who missed about every 3rd word and had to translate French, then German, then Portuguese and then Romani to English in a matter of seconds, "Yes...You may keep it."

Dick, giving Bruce a very concerned look, then to the frog, then to Bruce again "You...want to... to own it? Is it not...giftig? ruim para comer? " Groaning he flaps his hand trying to think of the right word, "Does not...work well with me? Make feel bad? Is sick?"

Bruce nodded slowly, "Poisonous or toxic is the word you are looking for Chum, no its just a cane Toad, Ce n'est pas toxique, c'est sans danger."

(Dickie does keep the toad, His name is Herr Haly and he lived very well in the gardens, he died not long after Jason came around)

Later when Dick went to do Teen Titans, the reason Starfires English is kinda messed up is because Dicks brain is hardwired for like four other things, and English was just the one she was looking for, he mentally translates every word from another language to English, so the grammar is a bit rough some times.

[sandwitchstories]

Sandwitchstories Master List

I think I am at that point where I need to make one of these!

List will be kept up to date with new links added as I post them!

Fics are sorted by fandom, character, and the pairings are labeled and they are clearly marked SFW/NSFW. Read at your own risk! lol I hope you enjoy your trip into my brain rot!

Fandoms I currently write for: Jujutsu Kaisen (JJK), Demon Slayer (KNY), Fairy Tail and Buddy Daddies

List is under cut as it is over 50 fics now!

Dividers by @xxbimbobunnyxx and @thecutestgrotto

Jukutsu Kaisen (JJK) Fics

Satoru Gojo

Kintsugi (Satoru Gojo x Y/N - NSFW - Winner of 100 shares poll)

Ryomen Sukuna

For Better and For Worse (Sukuna x Y/N - NSFW)

But When It Comes To You (Sukuna x Y/N - NSFW)

Daddy Duty - Series (All of my Dad!Sukuna shorts in one location! Only thing they have in common is Dad!Sukuna x Y/N - SFW)

Daddy's Girl (Head Canons about Dad!Sukuna - Part of Daddy Duty Series - SFW)

Precious Two (Dad!Sukuna Drabble - Part of Daddy Duty Series - SFW)

Becoming Papa (Head Canons Dad!Sukuna - Part of Daddy Duty Series - SFW) NEW- 8/25/2024

Beautiful Dichotomy (Head Canons Dad!Sukuna - Part of Daddy Duty Series - SFW) NEW- 9/23/2024

Demon Slayer (KNY) Fics

Kyojuro Rengoku

Five Seconds (Kyojuro Rengoku x Y/N- NSFW) - NEW posted 8/31/2024

What He Likes (Kyojuro Rengoku x Y/N- NSFW) - NEW posted 8/11/2024

Stress Relief (Kyojuro Rengoku x Y/N - NSFW)

Challenge Accepted (Kyojuro Rengoku x Y/N - NSFW)

Safe In The Arms Of Love (Kyojuro Rengoku x Y/N - NSFW)

Twin Flames (Kyojuro Rengoku x KNY OC, Rengoku Demon AU - NSFW - Multiple Chapters- Ongoing)

Hot For Teacher (Kyojuro Rengoku x Y/N - NSFW)

The Frog(tied) Princess (Kyojuro Rengoku x Y/N - NSFW - Sequel to Hot For Teacher but can be read alone)

Grown Up Birthday Blues (Kyojuro Rengoku x Y/N - Happy Birthday, Kyojuro! - NSFW)

Wildfire (Kyojuro Rengoku x Y/N - NSFW)

Fools Rush In (Kyojuro Rengoku x Y/N - NSFW)

The Queen of Hearts (Kyojuro Rengoku x Reader - Modern AU- Multi Chapter - WIP- Tease)

Forever In Love - Chapter 1 - A Helping Hand (Kyojuro Rengoku x Female OC - Kimetsu Academy AU - Contains NSFW) NEW - Posted 8/12/2024

Sanemi Shinazguawa

Accidentally Happily Ever After (Sanemi Shinazugawa x Y/N Surprise Pregnancy - NSFW - Three Chapters- Completed)

Say It (Sanemi Shinazugawa x Y/N - NSFW)

A Cure for Restlessness (Sanemi Shinazugawa x Y/N - NSFW)

Shinjuro Rengoku

A Father's Love (Shinjuro Rengoku x Y/N - SFW) - Head cannons about Shinjuro getting a 2nd chance

The Shy Guy (Shinjuro Rengoku x Y/N - NSFW)

Buddy Daddies

Bitey Daddies (Vampire AU- SFW)

I'm no hero, and I'm not made of stone (Kazuki Kurusu x Rei Suwa - SFW)

I Choose You (Kazuki Kurusu x Rei Suwa - SFW)

Jump Around (Rei Suwa - SFW)

The Diabolical Grandpa (Kazuki Kurusu x Rei Suwa SFW)

Fairy Tail

Erza Scarlet

A Game of Facades (Erza Scarlet x Jellal Fernandes - Evil Erza AU- Event: Fairy Tail Reverse Bang 2022 - CW: implied sexual content)

3G: Gay Girls Ghost Hunting (Erza Scarlett x MiraJane Strauss - for the Fairy Tail Reverse Bang 2022- SFW)

Laxus Dreyar

The Little Spoon (Laxus Dreyar x Orga Nanagear - SFW)

Electric Love (Laxus Dreyar x Freed Justine - SFW)

Sting Eucliffe and Rogue Cheney - SFW Collection

Lost and Found (Sting Eucliffe x Rogue Cheney - SFW - first meeting - Shadowlight week 2021 Day 1- Prompt- First)

The Story Of Us (Sting Eucliffe x Rogue Cheney- SFW - Collection Link. Individual links are below)

A Bet On Love (Sting Eucliffe x Rogue Cheney - SFW - Story of Us)

There is love (Minerva POV after returning to Sabertooth - Story of Us - SFW)

There will always be rocks in the road ahead of us (Sting Eucliffe x Rogue Cheney - Engagement- Story of Us - SFW)

Groomzilla (Sting Eucliffe x Rogue Cheney - Story of Us - SFW version)

Chaos, Cookies, and Casseroles (Sting Eucliffe x Rogue Cheney - Story of Us - SFW)

Your love is like glitter (Sting Eucliffe x Rogue Cheney - Valentine's Day- Story of Us - SFW)

The Tiniest Tiger (Sting Eucliffe x Rogue Cheney - Proud Parents - Story of Us - SFW)

Stinge Eucliffe x Rogue Cheney - Event: Shadowlight Week 2023 prompts- (SFW & NSFW)

Anything For Love (Day 1 Prompt -Dare- Sting Eucliffe x Rogue Cheney - SFW)

The Monster Mash (Day 2 Prompt - Thrill/Undress - Sting Eucliffe x Rogue Cheney - NSFW)

Showtime (Day 3 Prompt - Watching - Sting Eucliffe x Rogue Cheney NSFW)

Lion Bears, Bugs and Potions OH MY! ( Day 4 Prompt- Monsters/Potions - Sting Eucliffe x Rogue Cheney - SFW)

In Your Love (Day 5 Prompt - Sweet/Spice - Sting Eucliffe x Rogue Cheney - SFW)

Sting Eucliffe x Rogue Cheney NSFW One Shots

A Little Bit Older On This Roller Coaster (Sting Eucliffe x Rogue Cheney NSFW)

Groomzilla (Sting Eucliffe x Rogue Cheney NSFW)

You're the night, You're the light (Sting Eucliffe x Rogue Cheney NSFW)

Totally Worth It (Sting Eucliffe x Rogue Cheney NSFW)

Simply Eerie-sistable (Sting Eucliffe x Rogue Cheney - Halloween - NSFW)

Sex For Breakfast (Sting Eucliffe x Rogue Cheney NSFW)

Feel The Beat Of My Heart As The Count Down Starts (Sting Eucliffe x Rogue Cheney - New Years - NSFW)

Fairy Tail x OC and Honorable Mentions (These are from my very early days in fic writing. I may revisit these someday)

Enchanting Dragons (Rogue Cheney x OC - Dragons AU- contains some NSFW)

Kids, Cats, and Dragon Slayers- Oh my! (Sting x Rogue x OC - poly family, contains some NSFW)

By The River (Rogue Cheney x OC - contains some NSFW)

Magic and Mayhem (Rogue Cheney x OC - Mob AU)

Truly Madly Deeply (Rogue Cheney x OC- NSFW)

The Welcome Home Dance (Rogue Cheney x OC- NSFW)

The Sweetest Taboo (Sting Eucliffe x Rogue Cheney x Yukino Aguria- NSFW)

[sidekick-hero]

(steddie | 7.1k | explicit | for @steddie-week day 2: hands | AO3)

Tags: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Eddie Munson Has a Crush on Steve Harrington, Pining, Getting Together, future Eddie Munson, Threesome - M/M/M, Steve gets it on with two Eddies, Dom/sub Undertones, Sub Steve Harrington, Oral Sex, Anal Fingering, Hand Jobs, Crack Treated Seriously, Self-cest (they're both there for Steve but well you know how it is), Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot

After the events of March '86, Eddie pines for his new friend, the former king of Hawkins High. Too scared to make a move, he has resigned himself to a life as Steve's friend and nothing more. That is, until one hot summer day, a naked guy appears out of nowhere in Steve's bedroom. The naked guy is him from the future, and he says he's here to help Eddie pull his head out of his ass. It turns out that he and Steve are a happy couple in the future. And as if that wasn't enough, he also offers to teach Eddie how to properly fulfill Stevie's needs. Sexy shenanigans ensue.

Snippet under the cut

There's a loud, almost deafening crack that cuts Eddie off mid-sentence. They both jump, scrambling to their feet, their heads whipping around to find the source of the sound.

He can't believe his eyes at what he sees, his brain refusing to register the sight and make sense of it. Because there, in the middle of the room, stands —

Himself.

Eddie Munson.

It shouldn’t be possible. It can’t be possible.

But there he stands, naked like the day he was born. Same height, same hair, same eyes. It’s his face looking back at him alright. But the longer Eddie stares at him, the more differences he notices. This Eddie has a bit more bulk, fills his frame more. The hair is a bit shorter and there are new tattoos on his skin, like the dagger on his rips or the dragon on his thigh. But the rest? Looks exactly like him.

It can't be him, though. This must be some kind of Upside Down trick to lure them into another round of interdimensional fun, and Eddie is having none of it. Not again, nuh-uh.

“Who the hell are you?” he asks harshly as Steve maneuvers his body to block him from…himself?

The near-mirror image in front of him snorts. “I know it took us three tries to graduate, but seriously?”

"Screw you, asshole. Just because you look like me doesn't mean you are me. If the government can open portals to other dimensions, they can very well find an Eddie Munson look-alike."

"Okay, Mr. Smarty-Pants. If I were just a look-alike, would I know that your first crush was Kermit the Frog?"

"Oh my God," Eddie and Steve say in unison, but in very different tones. While Eddie sounds horrified, Steve sounds delighted.

Eddie quickly catches himself, though, because he never told another soul about his unfortunate and very short-lived crush on Kermit. There's no way this guy would know about it unless he was either a Vecna-like mind reader or Eddie himself.

"Okay, let's say you're telling the truth. If you are me, then why are you here? Is it a warning? Has the Upside Down reopened? Did you come from the future to warn us?" Eddie sees Steve tense up out of the corner of his eye, as scared as he is at the possibility that their fight is not over after all. They can't go through another nightmare like that, they just can't.

The Eddie in front of him waves his hand in a casual gesture before sitting down at the foot of the bed, still very much naked. "No, nothing like that. Vecna's toast and we haven't had any trouble since." He keeps glancing back at Steve and it sends a cold shiver down Eddie's spine. The man looks like he's sizing Steve up for dinner.

"Okay..." Steve starts, his brow furrowed in that cute puppy way he has that never fails to make Eddie's heart swell with affection. "Then why?”

His future self’s smile turns feral as he locks eyes with Steve, and Eddie can’t help but look back and forth between them, eyes widening at what’s happening in front of him. “Just wanted to spend more time with you, Stevie.”

Read the rest on AO3

Special shout out to @legitcookie without whom this wouldn't exist. We started this ages ago and it was sitting all sad in my drafts until steddie week gave me an excuse to rewrite it a bit and finish it.

[bowieandqueen11]

Luis Sera Having A Crush On You Would Include...

Request: I don't have anything specific to request but I totally 100% would die for some spicy Luis headcanons!!!

Ngl I would climb this man like a tree so I kind of expanded this into some cute and spicy ones as well, I hope you enjoy as much as I enjoyed writing these! ;)

This takes quite a long time to write, so if you enjoy, please leave a comment/ reblog, it really helps me!!

Warning: some spicy headcanons, some sexual allusions, mentions of guns, mentions of injury and blood, mentions of smoking, some light swearing!

(I do not own Resident Evil or its characters, all rights go to creators. Gif credit goes to @stdismas.)

☆.。.:・°☆.。.:・°

When you radioed Hunnigan to let her know you may drop off the map because you had been tied up, you had no idea that the words would become so literal.

Groggily waking up to a firm back pressed against your own and rapid unintelligible Spanish babbling in your ear wasn't what you first expected when you and Leon had touched down in Valdelobos for the mission, but after the morning you've had you're little surprised. As you feel around your wrists to try and find out if you've been bound or chained to the ceiling of this quaint little sub-room, you're pleasantly surprised that said annoyed person behind you hasn't thrown an axe at you yet. It was only when you pulled at steel chain and the man suddenly stopped talking with a 'woAH' to come flying into your face that events started to become a little more unusual.

'Good morning sleeping beauty, ha!' You finally have full view of the man whose swinging before you, the toes of his dusty boots barely touching the ground and the firm chest held behind his tight leather jacket swaying uneasily against your own. Whiskey coloured curls hide inquisitive eyes, and as soon as he realises you're conscious he abandons whatever futile attempts he was trying in tugging off his cuffs to instead grin fully at you. 'Can I give you a kiss now, and you'll turn me into a prince?' He wiggles his eyebrows at you, wetting his bottom lip with the edge of his tongue as his body bounces against you again.

You yank at the chain, doing your best to keep your face professional as the wheels bounce over the beam and the man comes knocking into your face, held up only by your upper arm strength and a leg you wrap courteously around his quads to keep him balanced. 'You're mixing up your fairy tales. You telling me you're a frog?' You let him drop to the ground with an unceremonious thud as you break free, and Luis has to pretend, with his ass handed to him on the cobbled floor, that as you walk past him he didn't enjoy every single second of that.

When you finally find Leon desperately sifting through your stolen belongings in the next room over, the relief immediately floods his eyes as he pulls you into a tight hug. When he sees Luis following you like a puppy from over your shoulder, though, you can hear him sigh against your shoulder. Said shoulder which soon had Luis' hand firmly pressed against it.

'He won't stop touching my shoulder', you groan to Leon.

'I know. He does that', he replies with a tighter squeeze.

Luis was incredibly good at making your next meeting seem like just happenstance.

It wasn't as if he had scoped you out for miles down the rocky tracks, his heart hammering in times to the bells that rang out from his old church. It wasn't as if he had 'borrowed' a pair of binoculars from his new found friend Ada, and had watched you bring down Del Lago with an embarrassingly loud cheer and punch of the air. It wasn't as if he had been sitting leisurely behind this boat house playing with his lighter for half an hour, brain torn between getting back to his lab, and his heart's plea to see you again.

You're less than astonished when the man jumps out at you with his arms out at his sight, immediately cocky when he spots your magnum raised up towards his face. 'Now now, my princess. If you shoot me now, then how will we ever transform this magical kingdom, ey?' You're even less surprised when he wraps an arm around your shoulder, murmuring into your ear about how he's going to be like some knight in shining armour as you holster your gun and let him lead you further off into the wilderness of the village.

He's constantly asking you questions, though, when the two of you brave a stop to take stock of your ammo reserves and to charter the maps Hunnigan sent over to you. Luis just perches next to you on a free boulder, gently rubbing his pointer finger and thumb over his jawline, and watching you with something akin to enthrallment rising through his weary face. Although he tries to make them sound flirty, you can see the seriousness in his usual light-hearted expressions, beginning to become aware of his subtleties: in the way his eyes crinkle for a moment when the words leave his lip, or the give away of his leather shifting as his fingers clench where they're crossed underneath his armpits.

You shake it off as you answer him honestly, not realising that this is the first time since he was a child that anyone had ever talked to him as him. Not as a runaway. Not as a profit. Not as a monster. Not as a threat. Not as a joke. Just as... Luis. Something tight clenched in his heart, and as he nodded along to your answer, he found himself beginning to flush at how nice it felt.

It becomes a running joke between the two of you that whenever a villager tries to hit you with a lit torch, he asks if you 'have a light?'

Speaking of, when the two of you end up by one of the rundown boathouses littering the lake side, he leans his leg back against one of the boards to light a smoke. With a confused tilt of his head, his eyes suddenly widen when you stop his hand from playing with his lighter, stealing the cigarette out of his mouth. Instead, you cup your hands around the knuckles of his larger ones and lower your head down to light the end of the cigarette.

He fidgets, a knowing look on his face as he tries to hide how turned on he's become, how incredibly tight his jeans suddenly seem to feel when you let go and take a drag. Before he can reach for your lips to steal it back, though, you throw the cigarette into the lake with a wink, leaving him feeling only all the more turned on.

But Luis is also incredibly protective of you!! When you're being surrounded by hordes of angry plagas villagers in a derelict cabin, the man is constantly jumping in your way with all guns ablazing. It starts to frustrate you how, without any formal training or without any bloody protective gear he keeps shielding you from pitchforks with only his pecs to protect him. He just laughs, pulling you behind him and throwing off your aim as he holds a shard of broken bookcase out in front of him like a lance. Whenever you climb the stairs to kick down some of the ladders on the second floor, Luis is hot on your heels like your own personal talkative shadow. Thankfully though, while you were busy trying to lift the bed and shove it back against the shards of a newly broken window, Luis was there to notice a villager's head splat open and tentacles sprout out of it right behind your back. With a cry, he pounces himself at them, narrowly avoiding you getting a lash to the face as he uses his weight to knock them off the balcony.

You repay him by sliding your leg forward and managing, just in time, to stop his arms waving and his staggering legs from falling over the edge as well by grabbing the collar of his jacket and hauling him back onto you.

'See senorita?', he asks between pants, the two of you collapsed down onto the floor with Luis lying between your legs. He lets his head leisurely loll down onto the joint at the top of your thigh, letting his open palm fall over your knee. 'Nothing to it!' You roll your eyes, but even he notices the relief flood through your uneasy body when he uses his free hand to reach up and touch your face. At first you jump, not expecting the warm buzzing feeling of his fingertips holding your chin, but you slowly relax as he tilts your head back and forth. There's an intensity in his eyes that you haven't seem from him before, as he swipes a bead of blood away from the cut on your lower lip without a second thought. A kind of fury, but also... a hint of guilt racking through his head as he makes sure you're alright.

You can bet your ass though that as soon as you heft him back up onto his feet, he refuses to go out the door. Instead, he hops up on top an antique wine barrel, and pouts his lips at you. He whines like a kicked puppy until you agree to fix up his wounds now, and to kiss them all better.

'Absolutely not', you say through a smile, coming to stand in between his legs. He goes uncharacteristically still when you reach up to cradle his face, an almost imperceptible huff of air hitching through his nostrils when you tilt his cheek further into your palm. He rests his head heavily, the corner of his lips twitching up as he rubs his stubble against your skin and tickles you. 'Cut it out or I'll be sewing your eyelid to your ass', you warn him, pointing a needle you managed to worm out of your side pack at his nose. He just smiles, watching you work as if you were made of pure starlight itself. As you finish off by crushing up some green herb, you can feel his thick thighs begin to move tighter against your legs, effectively trapping you against his hip.

'I-I'm going to need you to open your mouth', you state, trying your damn best to not give Luis the satisfaction of hearing your voice go hoarse.

'If that's what you've wanted me to do, mi amorcito, all you had to do was ask.' Although he cocks his head at you, he can't help but drop his eyes, desire burning through every electric inch of his body as he drops his bottom lip open. It feels like an eternity as you gingerly press the stalks of herb down onto the point of his tongue, not helped by the way Luis' irises are trained solely onto your own for every second. You don't mean to, but your pointer finger brushes against the plumpness of his lip as you pull away, and you turn your head away with a furious blush when Luis swipes at the spot, leaving a wet trail against it.

You turn to pack up and leave, but he suddenly stands up and grabs onto your arm tightly. He leans sideways until he's almost over you, his brow furrowed as he searches your eyes for an answer he's terrified to find. 'Hey, I won't leave you here, you know? I promise, I'm not going to leave again.'

'Why are you doing this?', you ask tensely. 'Why are you following me?'

He swallows thickly, weighing up whether to confess his truth to you or not. After a moment, he sighs, too afraid at what you might do. 'You are a guest! It would be rude not to take you on a tour of all the hotspots in the village.' Although you roll your eyes, you can't help the way you start to smile at his cheesiness. He begins chuckling too, but you don't notice the way the tips of his ears burn with a crimson flush as he spins his pistol and places it back into his holster, looking up at the ceiling uncertainly.

When it starts raining, he immediately offers you his jacket, quick to unzip it and place it over your head. That is, until you elbow him in the ribs once he asks for 'some of your clothing in return, of course ;)'.

Since you've grown to warily trust the man, you believe him when he leads you into a dank smelling cavern underneath some of the huts, telling you that he miraculously knows of a way to move underneath the monsters undetected. Which is how you found yourself climbing up a well in a densely shrouded area by an incredibly sticking looking altar, running away from a man wielding a chainsaw, and sitting on a very content looking Luis shoulders as you clambered into the musty attic of what used to be the village chief's manor. Flicking your torch through the gloom, you were surprised to step on a cracked frame. Picking it up, you were even more surprised when you ran your thumb over the grime to clear the image of a young boy sitting next to his grandfather. A young boy, who even at that age had such strikingly distinctive... familiar characteristics. A young boy who, as you placed the photo down on a cabinet and began to flick through the pages of a withered journal lying next to it, had been through such grief and horror that you were amazed he was so nonchalantly peering through the rafters next to it.

No, no. That wasn't it. He was good, you had to give him that. He must have spent a long time projecting this image. Perfecting this façade. Wrapping himself up so tightly in his fairy tales of knights and princesses and magical lands, that he almost believed it himself. Almost. But it seemed almost innate with you: the ability to notice his giveaways. To notice the real him. The way his shoulders were slightly hunched, as if guarding himself from bad memories: the way his eyes flitted just ever so minutely around the room, as if a cold grip of fear was squeezing at his lungs: the way, that in all the time you had been standing there watching him, he had noticed the photograph and now refused to look your way.

'You-', you start, not entirely sure what to say. 'This is you? You're from this village? You, you-'

He looks so desolate, so horrifyingly sad as he deflates onto the edge of a desk that you can't even finish the sentence, let alone get to the accusations of his work with Umbrella. Instead, your eyes sweep over the last page of the diary, feeling your heart breaking at the loneliness and confusion this poor man must have felt for so long.

'You were trying to help', you finally murmur out through clenched teeth. 'You are trying to help', you soften, turning your body to face him with furrowed eyebrows. 'That's why you're following me.'

'I might have been', he shrugs, but even that motion seems to take all the energy out of him. He feels different now, more clear, more truthful as he folds his hands out in front of his lap. 'Maybe, at the start. But it's not just that. I'm a selfish man, senorita. Look!'

He throws an arm out towards the window with a faux smile, pointing an accusatory finger at the lingering hoards of torch wielding villagers that are stumbling through the fallen cast iron gates. 'See how well I did at saving them! No, no.' He rubs the bridge of his nose, before glancing crestfallen at the picture frame behind your arm. 'I'm no hero. I'm selfish. I decided a long while ago, mi amor, that I enjoyed your company far too much. If I can't save my village, I'm going to be selfish enough to save you.'

His eyes drop, and his nose sniffs, and you do the only thing your mind can piece together at that moment. You walk forward, and with a tentative face you wrap your arms around his torso and hug him. It takes him a moment to realise that you're not rightfully furious with him, before he lets his head droop down into the curve of your shoulder. You don't say a word when you feel his arms shake, sliding around your ribcage until his hands are clenched fists in the back of your shirt. He's so tall he's almost smothering you, but you don't care a jot. Instead, you just stay a moment in your perfect isolation, allowing the man in front of you the comfort and vulnerability to break.

You thought that was as bad as you would ever see him, but this man gets SERIOUSLY worried when he realises that you've been infected with las plagas too?? He curses himself with an incredibly frantic and incredibly rude string of Spanish curse words, realising it must have been around the same time Leon was infected, and you've been struggling with the pain of it alone this whole time. He goes into Serious Scientist Mode and does his best not to freak out when, in a flash, you've gone from idle chatting to flashing a boot knife at his throat. His adams apple bobs against the serrated edge of the blade as he slowly reaches his hand out to reassuringly squeeze your shoulder once again.

'It's alright, you do what you have to do. I told you, I'm not leaving you again, si?'

Your face crumbles in agonising pain as the black tendrils begin to flood away from your eyes to be replaced by blinking tears, mustering the strength to fling the knife until it sticks firmly into frame of a painting. You fall to the floor, writhing in pain, and it takes all of Luis' strength not to cry out as he falls down beside you like there are firecrackers nipping at his heels. He legit carries you bridle style out the door and onto one of those velvet cushioned chairs in the castle's corridor. He stoops down next to you, and you finally come around to his warm thumb rubbing just under your bottom lash line as he checks the white of your eyes for any lingering signs of infection.

His fingers are incredibly gentle as he unfurls your other intertwined hand to check the pulse on your wrist. The wrinkles on his forehead are so shoved together that he almost looks like he's folded in on himself, and you can barely make out the slight shake of his fingertips as he steadily counts with bated breath. He lets out a whistle of relief through his front teeth once he's reassured, falling backwards onto the gilded frame of the staircase's banister and stretching his legs out in front of him in blissful solace.

He nearly jumps out of his skin when you whisper a pained 'hey handsome', gripping your side and stretching out your neck as you sit up fully. He doesn't even speak, his eyes wide and terrified as he flies forward and pulls you into a desperate hug, so tight against his chest you feel like you might pop if his biceps pulse any more. He seems almost sheepish when he pulls back, until you pull him down by the lapel of his jacket to kiss his cheek and whisper a 'thanks for not leaving me' into the shell of his ear. Like a lightning strike, like life breathed back into his lungs, he's grinning like his old self. The lovestruck dope. You really have wrapped around your pinkie finger.

Him screaming WHEEE and climbing onto your head the whole time you're in the cart mine lmao.

When you guys reach the garden maze, he just can't keep his feelings in any longer. He doesn't quite know if it was you nearly being mauled by the dogs that reminded him of his grandfather, and all he's lost, or if it's just the thought of him not getting you to his lab in time that makes all the frustration and love and pure adrenaline fear slam against his ribs. Before you can even wipe the blood off your forehead, peering around the next corner to see if you can catch sight of an end to these stupid ass hedges, Luis struts forward and cages you in his arms. He's kissing you so fervently, effectively pinning you between his groin, lower legs, and the bristles of the bush behind you that you nearly fall through with the intensity of it.

This man is definitely the type to nearly knock you on your ass though tbf because he's thrusting up against you, so desperate for you.

Smug bastard is smirking the whole time, until he feels your nails scratch lightly against the stubble by the pulse point on his neck. He winces, closing his eyes and turning his head towards the empty air at your side that you think you've hurt him, until the bastard starts groaning.

Without even realising it, Luis has shoved you down onto the grass, breaking your fall by landing you on top of his arm. He crawls between you like a ravenous tiger until he's hovering over your face. He bites at the side of your neck, leaving a few wet marks as his tongue eagerly glides across your skin as your hand desperately reaches up onto the stone side of the fountain. Your chest rises and falls in quick succession as the man leaning his weight eagerly on your stomach ravishes you, only for your grasping hand to be met with his own heavily landing on top of it, interlinking quickly with your fingers. He growls as he pulls at the bottom of your thighs, raising your lower body further up towards him whilst also pulling your raised legs around the bottom of his back.

His other hand is aflame as it holds tight against the side of your pelvis, effectively holding you in place as he grinds against you, teeth nipping at your top lip as he kisses you like the world might end around him at any moment. His breath pants against your tongue, hand wandering like smooth butter down the sides of your hip, making sure you experience every inch of pleasure that's been pent up over the last few days. Making sure, with each swirl of his tongue against your own, that you finally realise how much he adores every inch of you. Ensuring, as he pulls you down by the hips to rest against the belt buckle of his jeans, that you're safe in the knowledge that he's never felt this in love: this safe, this devoted, so like himself again with anyone else.

Thankfully you're there to look out for each through thick and thin, and even more thankfully you're there to stop him being attacked and grievously wounded by Krauser. He swears, as the two of you finally come running hand in hand into his lab, and he holds onto your fingers with a grip tight and sweaty enough to bend metal, that he's going to make the most of this chance at redemption he's been given. He's going to be your knight in shining armour, for as long as he may live.

[bleucaesura]

STOLITZØ - FORTY TWO

Everyone but Octavia was back at the hospital now. Back from food, shower or laundry runs. And they all sat in awkward silence in Blitzø’s room, waiting on the doctor.

Stolas paced back and forth anxiously.

“I’m sorry everyone. He said he had something important to discuss so I felt we should all be here.” Stolas poked his head out the door and looked up and down the hallway. “I don’t know what could be taking so long.”

“Don’t worry, you’re Highness.”

Stolas threw a eyebrowed stare at Moxxie.

“Stolas, Sire…” Moxxie threw up his hands and blustered nervously.

Millie shook her head, chuckled and patted Moxxie on the shoulder.

“What Mox is try’n to say it that we understand.” Millie smiled warmly at Stolas. “We’re in this together.”

Stolas smiled apologetically and nodded.

Loona hugged her knees and stared blankly at the doorway.

Fizzarolli and Asmodeus sat together in the armchair talking quietly.

Minutes ticked by. Each second feeling like a stab in Stolas’s brain.

Do I have to go and get that little

“My apologies for my tardiness.”

Stolas almost jumped out of his feathers.

The little goat doctor walked in, past Stolas, and poked at Blitzø, checked his machines and scribbled in his charts.

Loona was growling under her breathe and with each second’s delay, her growling grew louder, until…

“WELL?!” Loona snapped.

“Oh!” The little goat startled as if he’d forgotten anyone else was there. He turned and looked at everyone. “So sorry. So, um… An update, yes?”

Stolas looked around the room at all the angry faces.

Oh dear… Hurry up you fool or I think they’re likely to tear you limb from limb… If I don’t do it first.

The doctor seemed oblivious. “Mr. Blitzø’s condition is stable. But is also unchanged.”

Silence.

“And that f*cking means, WHAT?” Loona snapped.

The doctor was startled by her hostility. “It uh… It means his condition hasn’t changed. But he isn’t any worse?”

“AND?!” She snarled, standing up and advancing on him.

“Oh! Um…” He shrunk low. “You mean prognosis? Well um… While his condition is stable, the fact he’s been comatose for almost two weeks isn’t ideal…”

Loona snarled.

The doctor yelped and covered his head with his arms. “That’s not to say he can’t or won’t recover! You definitely shouldn’t give up hope!”

Stolas could see Loona was about to break. He rushed over and held her shoulders, looking her in the eyes, cooing softly “Hush now, sweetheart. It will be alright. He will be ok. I’m here. Your father will be alright…”

Stolas glared down at the little goat and mouthed “GO. NOW.” The doctor shot out of the room like a bolt.

With coaxing Stolas and Millie got Loona to lay down on the coach. As soon as she did she began to cry and eventually cried herself to sleep. Millie laid Loona’s head in her lap and stroked her hair. Poor Moxxie got too close and Loona grabbed him in her sleep and pinned him to her like a plushie.

“Guess you’re stuck, hunny,” Millie giggled.

Moxxie dangled from Loona’s arms and sighed in defeat. “Why me…?”

***

Fizzarolli clung to Asmodeus.

“What do I do if he doesn’t wake up Ozzie?” He sniffled, tears running down his cheeks.

Asmodeus tenderly wiped his tears away and kissed him on the forehead. “Don’t think like that, babe.”

“But…”

Asmodeus tilted Fizzarolli’s chin up so he had to look in his eyes.

“From what you’ve told me, Blitzø is a tough bastard. A fighter. So I don’t see him giving up the fight when his got this,” Asmodeus gestured to everyone in the room, “Waiting for him.”

Fizzarolli looked at him with tear filled eyes.

“So don’t go underestimating him now, Fizzy Frog.”

“You’re right…” Fizzarolli snuggled into Asmodeus. “He’ll be ok… He has to be.”

***

Stolas didn’t know what to do with himself. He watched as the others all found their places. Their own little bit of home in this hell.

Where exactly do I belong…?

Stolas looked over at Blitzø.

He pulled up a chair and sat at his side, taking his hand.

Stolas looked longingly at Blitzø, tears filling his eyes.

Here. I belong here… I’m yours for as long as you’ll have me, Blitzø…

*****

[thevioletcaptain]

🩲😳🫦

Dean’s not staring. He’s definitely not staring.

He’s so consciously and deliberately not staring that he sinks down a little lower in the driver’s seat of the Impala, just in case Cas happens to glance over and see him from where he’s standing like some kind of calendar model on the opposite side of the Smith Center Public Swimming Pool.

Not because he thinks he’s doing anything wrong, though. Cas is hot, and Dean knows that Cas is hot. He's long past having a crisis about the fact that he wants the guy. But he's off limits. He can't quite remember why he'd decided that he was off limits, but he's sure he had a good reason for it.

So he's not staring. And he's not hiding, either.

It's just that Dean doesn’t want Cas to see his face through the windshield, all distorted by the glare of the summer sun, and mistakenly think that he is staring.

Because he’s not.

But. Well. It’s kind of hard not to look, is the thing.

And looking isn’t staring. It’s just — seeing. With his eyes. Which he kind of can’t help but do. And is that a crime? Is it a crime to see?

Anyway, Cas is the one who decided to buy himself a neon green Speedo for the adult swimming lessons he’s insisted on taking now that he’s human again, and it’s hardly Dean’s fault if his eye is naturally drawn to bright colors.

That’s just… evolution. He thinks he read that somewhere, once. Survival instincts, ingrained over countless generations and hardwired into his monkey brain, so that he won’t accidentally put poisonous tree frogs in his mouth or whatever.

Not that he's letting his monkey brain take control right now. Not that he’s thinking of putting his mouth anywhere near Cas’ —

“You can’t park here.”

He jumps, his forearm pressing hard into the horn, and half a dozen people — Cas included — all turn to stare at him from the poolside.

Now they're staring. Not just looking. Definitely staring. Dean knows the difference.

Cas lifts his hand and waves.

It’s probably Dean’s imagination, given the distance, but he’s pretty sure he can see a bead of water — maybe sweat — trickling down his side. It starts near his armpit. Trails down over his ribs.

As Dean watches — looks, really, just happens to see — Cas pushes his fingers through his hair, and shakes his head, and an arc of droplets sparkles through the air around him before he drops his hand back down and wipes it off on his thigh. And now his thigh is wet again.

Who gave him the right to fucking glisten like that? Who the hell does he think he is?

“Sir?”

Dragging his eyes away from Cas, Dean glances up at the woman ducking down to peer in at him through his open window. She’s wearing a navy blue polo with the pool’s logo, and she’s missed a spot with her sunscreen, so there’s an oddly shaped patch of red in the middle of her forehead. The pinched-mouth expression on her face suggests that perhaps she's spoken to him more times than he’d noticed. He shakes his head a little.

“Huh, sorry, what?”

“You can’t park here,” she says, tone harsher than before, and points up at the staff only sign he’d missed when he arrived.

In his defense, the sign is kind of dull, and decidedly not brightly colored, and by the time he’d been pulling into the space, he’d already been kind of distracted by Cas and his glow-in-the-dark-and-the-daytime-too crotch.

Some part of him — the monkey brain, probably — desperately wants his eyes to flick back over toward the pool to see if Cas has decided to do any more post-swim stretching. He valiantly fights it. The effort uses enough brain power that he barely remembers that he's probably supposed to respond to the woman talking to him.

“Oh,” he says, finally.

She waits. Raises her brow. He figures he should say more.

“I’m not actually— I’m not staying. I’m just here to pick someone up. I mean, heh, that sounded wrong. I’m not trying to pick someone up, like, trying to score. I’m just here to pick up a guy. My friend. In my car. To drive him home.”

The woman’s eyes narrow a little, and she half opens her mouth like she’s not quite sure how to respond to his rambling but fully intends to, but before she can get a word out Cas is there, pulling open the passenger door. The hinges creak.

The scent of chlorine and sunscreen and Cas floods Dean's senses.

He glances over, no longer able to force himself not to, and has to bite down on his own lip to keep from letting out a deeply embarrassing noise when he finds him spreading his towel out on the seat so he can sit down, still wearing his Speedo. He drops the string bag with his change of clothes into the footwell and grins at Dean as he climbs inside.

"Don't worry, I won't get your car wet," he says.

Dean's brain is making a strange buzzing sound.

"Uhuh," he says.

“Sir,” the woman cuts in again.

Dean doesn’t even look at her, this time. Just waves a hand in the air and starts the engine as Cas buckles in. Pulls the seatbelt taut across his lap.

"You need to move."

"Yeah, we're going," Dean says.

“See you next week, Doreen,” Cas tells her cheerfully.

“Yeah,” Dean says, but his eyes don’t leave Cas. Maybe he is staring, just a little. “Maybe I’ll come, too.” [written for this prompt game] [find me on ao3 as imogenbynight 💚]

[adore-laur]

CRYSTAL SHOP BOY

— harry works at a crystal shop & falls hard for the sweet girl in a sundress 🔮

——

WEDNESDAY

It's a sun-drenched afternoon in St. Helena, California. Jade is visiting the quaint town for two weeks and staying with a friend she hasn't seen in a while. She decided to lodge at their place for the duration of the trip so she could spend more time with them before they went back to college for the fall semester. It's her second day here. She spent the entirety of yesterday unpacking and unwinding inside, since the August heat left her deadbeat tired. 

Currently, she walks through the downtown area with her friend, looking for places to shop. Her mother's birthday is coming up at the end of the month, so she plans to find a special gift for her. She keeps an eye out for a spiritual shop that might hold remedial treasures.

It's unbearably humid, and Jade's frog bucket hat on her head does a mediocre job shielding her face from the sun's scorching rays. She readjusts the straps of her overalls as she strolls, regretting wearing denim since her sweaty skin is digging into the rough fabric. 

Her eyes squint into painful slits due to the sun directly facing her, and after another minute of thigh chafing and upper lip sweat, her sight lands on an intriguing shop with a purple and white striped roof. The letters pasted on the window read: The Crystal Shop.

Bingo. Right up her mother's alley.

Jade's mother has always been fascinated with the spiritual side of life, with her brain full of astrological facts and drawers full of crystals that all have a specific purpose. Jade supposes it's only natural for herself to be interested in it, too. Her name is a gemstone, after all.

Grabbing her friend's arm, she stops them both in their tracks. "I need to get my mom something for her birthday," she says, nodding toward the shop. "This place seems cool."

"Sure, let's go," they reply while already halfway through the front door.

Jade jogs to catch up while admiring the shop's exterior. There's a huge display window with various expensive-looking necklaces, rocks, and crystals. She begins to worry that she might be unable to afford a single item. If so, she'll just have to buy the cheapest thing available. She knows her mom will appreciate the thoughtfulness that went into it.

The door is already propped open with a wooden wedge to provide easy access for customers and allow the summer weather to waft in. Jade suddenly feels a prickly wave of anxiety wash over her. She realizes that she has absolutely no clue what to look for. She just hopes a snobby employee who judges her lack of knowledge about crystals doesn't own the shop. She's been in that situation far too many times before with her mom.

Her friend is already inside, so she follows closely behind. They've always been more fearlessly outgoing than her, while Jade prefers observing instead of talking. She makes a mental note to have her friend ask an employee to help her find something worth buying.

Jade instantly feels the coolness from the air conditioning once she's inside, and it feels heavenly. She glances around, overwhelmed by the endless shelves and boxed displays of crystals, books, and tiny bottles of unknown liquids. This is way too advanced for her brain.

"Hello."

Jade jumps at the deep voice that comes from somewhere behind her. Spinning toward the back of the clustered room, she notices a boy with his back turned behind the cashier counter. He must work here. In fact, he's the only other person in the shop.

"Hi!" her friend says, smiling at the boy who has turned around.

She gets a full view of him. He's tall and has tousled brown hair that looks professionally styled to make it look like he just woke up. He has a child-like smile, his lips pulling into his mouth as tempting dimples dent both sides of his cheeks. His bright, green eyes dart between Jade and her friend before he looks down and fidgets with some loose crystals next to the cash register, with slender fingers adorned with several bulky rings.

With a delayed reaction, Jades politely smiles back at him, even though he's not looking anymore. She then turns back around before embarrassing herself by staring at him for too long. But he's so cute! And was that a cardigan she saw him wearing?

Jade takes a quick peek at his outfit. He's writing something down on a piece of paper now, his tongue poking out slightly in concentration. She surveys his cardigan. It's thin and black, with two yellow flowers stitched on one side and a snake, a star, and a heart with an arrow through it on the other. Underneath it is a white graphic tee. The whole ensemble is oddly endearing. The boys Jade knows from college never dress like that.

She realizes that when the boy speaks, it sounds like he has a British accent. Now, there's really no chance she'll be able to talk to him without making a complete fool of herself. So, she joins her friend in the back of the shop, looking at what they have their eyes on. Their head is tilted as they read the titles of books snug together on a tall, mahogany bookshelf.

"I have no idea where to start," Jade mumbles, still overwhelmed by the amount of stuff in such a small shop.

"Just get her something she doesn't have yet," her friend replies while distracted by a book that seems to be about witchcraft. "Ask the employee what some good birthday gifts are."

"I am not asking him for help," she whispers tightly. She's trying to avoid embarrassment at all costs.

"Dude. Here, let me ask."

They walk to the counter before Jade can process what they just said. Her stomach drops. Sometimes, she wonders how she became friends with someone so unafraid of social interaction. It makes her envious. Meanwhile, she gets nauseous when ordering at a restaurant.

Swallowing hard and facing away from them, Jade distracts her nerves by running her fingers along the book's spines and pretending to be interested.

"Hey," she overhears her friend saying to the boy. "Sorry to bother you. My friend over there needs a birthday present, and she's struggling with what to get. She needs something for someone who's into spiritual stuff."

Jade continues to purposely act nonchalant, but it only lasts so long before she turns around out of sheer terror that she's being watched. The employee's eyes are on her when she looks up. He smiles shyly before walking around the counter and toward her. She's going to hurl.

She puts her hands behind her back, nervously fiddling with her fingers and trying to appear calm even though she's on the verge of passing out. The humidity coming in through the open door isn't helping her case. The man walks in long strides toward her, and he eventually gets close enough so that she can see a name tag pinned to his cardigan: Harry.

It's written with messy handwriting in black marker. There's even a smiley face, leading Jade to believe he wrote it himself. Can this guy get any cuter? He stands next to her right, with her friend on her left. Being in the middle is making her tense.

Jade decides to be confident and peer up at him. "Hi," she says, barely audible. "Thanks for helping me."

"Yeah, of course," he replies kindly, rubbing his hands together. The slight clinking of his rings has Jade subtly glancing down at them. She notices a small cross tattoo on his left hand.

Pushing down her nerves, she bravely chooses to start speaking to him. She can't stand awkward silences, no matter how much she dreads being the one to fill them. "Um, like my friend said, I don't know much about this stuff. I'm looking for something nice for my mom's birthday. If you could just point me in the right direction, that'd be great."

Harry nods and taps the front of his shoe on the wooden floor twice. "Well, usually a nice gift is something homemade, you know? And this place has tons of things like that, so I guess we could head over to the naturally-made section to see if anything sticks out to you."

Jade puts her hand out for him to lead the way. He clears his throat before walking over to a shelf by the window, and she stops next to where he stands, taking in the wide range of lip balms, essential oils, and candles organized neatly in front of her. The smell is overwhelming, but in a pleasant way. She reaches out to pick up a random bottle of what looks like an essential oil and turns it around in her hand to read the back—frankincense.

"My mom would like this," she says, skimming the lengthy list of complex ingredients. "Maybe a type of oil to put in a diffuser or something. She has sleeping problems, so is there an oil that could help with that?"

Harry picks up a tiny bottle with a purple label and twists the cap. "I would say lavender is your best bet. It's scientifically proven to help with relaxation and sleep. Smells lovely, too."

She moves her nose to the bottle and takes a sniff. "Wow, that's really nice. I think she'd love that. Thank you."

"Not a problem." He fiddles with the sleeves of his cardigan. He must be sweating in that thing. "Is there anything else either of you needs help with?"

Jade looks at her friend, and they casually shake their head. "No, I think that's all," she says, fixing the strap on her overalls that slid past her shoulder. "I'm ready to check out."

"Cool," he whispers, quickly shuffling over to stand behind the register.

"I'll be waiting outside," her friend calls out, already out of the shop. "I want to look at the stores on the other side of the street."

Jade lightly rolls her eyes at their antsy nature. Harry releases a breathy laugh while scanning the lavender oil and putting it in a brown paper bag. He writes his name on it with a permanent marker, then adds a small smiley face. He must do that for every customer. That's sweet.

He taps a few things on the register screen, scratching his jaw. Jade hasn't even noticed his nails, which are painted with chipped red polish.

"That'll be $8.23, please."

Jade takes nine singles from her pocket and slides them across the counter, admiring the crystals and stones on display.

"Thank you," he says while gently grabbing the money from her and opening the register.

He skillfully takes out her needed change, shaking it a little before holding it toward her. She cups her palms so he can place the loose change in them. His hand briefly brushes against hers as the coins fall into her grasp. One corroded penny accidentally drops onto the counter during the transaction.

"Oops," Harry murmurs, picking it up and pinching it between his fingers before handing it to her again. "Sorry 'bout that."

"That's okay," Jade assures while putting the loose change in her pocket. "Thanks again for the help."

"My pleasure," he says, rolling up his sleeves. "Um, before you go, is this your first time shopping here?"

"It is, yes. I'm not from around here. I'm staying with my friend, and we're checking out all the downtown shops today."

Did that count as flirting? Is having a normal conversation with a boy she'll never see again considered flirting now? She's reached a new low.

"Oh, cool. So... there's this thing we do if someone's a first-time customer. We give them a free crystal with their purchase." Harry removes a shallow cardboard box filled with translucent crystals from under the counter. "You can pick one out if you'd like."

"That's so nice! I'd love to." Jade grabs a random, pink-colored one. "This place is so cute, by the way."

"Yeah?" Harry says with a surprised smile, putting the box away. He flicks his finger under his nose before saying, "Um, I really like your bucket hat."

She watches him point his finger at her head. She reaches up, suddenly remembering she's wearing a frog bucket hat. Her cheeks grow hot. He complimented it, though, so why is she getting embarrassed?

"Thanks," she says meekly, pulling her hat down further. "I like your cardigan."

Looking out the window, Jade realizes she should get going. "I'm going to go before I lose my friend." She takes the paper bag and the crystal. "Thanks for the oil and free souvenir. I'll try and come back again this week sometime to buy something for myself."

"Cool, yeah. I'll be here. Well, I'm always here. It's my job, obviously. I work here almost every day, so you'll probably see me. I'm rambling, sorry." Harry glances down with a pink tint to his cheeks. "Uh, have a good day."

Her face warms as she nods and waves farewell, walking out the door and into the sun.

When Jade arrives at her friend's apartment a few hours later, she sets the paper bag down on the kitchen island. She opens it and takes the lavender oil out to wrap it for her mom, but she feels two extra items at the bottom when she reaches inside. Her heart pounds as she lays them in her palm.

A 20% off coupon redeemable for any book in the shop.

And a tiny green frog sticker.

——

SATURDAY 

Harry arrives for his weekend shift at six in the morning, an entire hour before the shop even opens. He does it to give himself time to set things up and have a few peaceful moments.

After unlocking the front doors, he leaves them open for another beautiful summer day. He picked out a pastel yellow cardigan with dark, horizontal stripes to wear this morning. It's a little itchy, but it was a gift from his aunt, so he doesn't mind it too much. It's thrown over a plain white shirt, and he tops the look off with a pair of black sunglasses atop his head, knowing he'll be done working when the sun is at its prime brightness. He also wants to walk down to the beach for ice cream before visiting his mother for dinner at her house.

His eyes are still puffy from a rough night's sleep, so he heads to the back room and starts making himself a coffee. He sets his black leather purse down and starts the Keurig machine, looking at the array of flavors he can choose from. He decides on the lavender and honey and inserts the cup in the slot. He grabs the mug he keeps under the counter, a baby blue one with a chick hatching out of an egg on it, then sets it on the machine's tray. While his coffee is brewing, he returns to the front to set up the register and ensure nothing was left a mess by whoever closed the store last night. He scratches his stomach, feeling full of the vegan donuts he ate before he left. He needs to stop buying them from the lovely old lady who works at the bakery a couple blocks away. Otherwise, he'll need to start working out.

Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Harry slowly walks back to collect his steaming mug of aromatic coffee. He enjoys the quiet mornings when it's just him working. His manager is more behind the scenes, handling the financial and promotional aspects. It's early, so usually it's pretty slow and only gets busy in the afternoon. Luckily, he gets off at one-thirty, so he won't have to suffer through the tourist rush.

Most days, when he opens the shop, it can take over an hour before the first customer comes waltzing in. That means he can do crosswords or read one of their stocked books. There are also instances where his cousin will bring her three-year-old daughter to the shop when she needs a babysitter for the day. Harry gladly watches her, letting her roam the area. He lets her scribble drawings in the back room on stray pieces of paper he finds lying around the shop.

He genuinely likes his job. It's peaceful, and he meets kind people every day. And what better way to feel safe than to be surrounded by thousands of crystals?

Harry whistles a tune, holding his mug in one hand and a No. 2 pencil in the other, when he suddenly hears footsteps coming through the front doorway. He turns around in curiosity and feels a bizarre mixture of emotions when he sees the girl who stopped by with her friend last Wednesday—the one who wore a frog hat, complimented his cardigan, and made him feel like a teenage boy again.

Closing his crossword book, he says, "Hi. Sorry, I wasn't expecting anyone. We don't open for another"—he checks his leather wristwatch—"half hour."

He begins clearing everything off the counter. He's got the daily newspaper spread open, a container of blueberries that he bought from the farmer's market down the street to snack on throughout his shift, and a cardboard box of rose quartz that was delivered last night that Carol, his most forgetful co-worker, didn't stock like she was supposed to.

"Oh, my bad," she says quietly, a slight rasp noticeable in her voice. "I was up early and decided to visit before my friend woke up. I can leave if you're still opening."

"No, you're fine. I find things to pass the time when no one's here. I'm glad you're my first customer of the day."

He's desperately trying to come across as confident and unfazed, even though a pretty girl is in front of him wearing a sundress.

"Okay, good." She nervously laughs and looks around. "Um, I'm just now realizing I don't know what to buy. I came because, I don't know, it's really comforting in here, and I didn't know if you'd be working today, but you are, so I think I'll hang out for a bit before I have to go back to my friend." She releases a heavy exhale of air before sheepishly adding, "They don't know that I left."

Harry stares at her, hopelessly mesmerized. She came to hang out because she felt comfortable. Harry thinks he might be in love.

"No worries." He pauses before laughing, lightly smacking his forehead with his palm. "I just realized I don't know your name."

"I'm Jade."

What a coincidence! It's the perfect name for charming someone in a crystal shop.

"Jade," Harry repeats, smirking and turning around to secretly grab something. "You wouldn't perhaps know anything about this little thing right here, would you?"

He holds a green gemstone between his fingers. Jade stifles a smile, knowing exactly what he's doing. She may not be an expert at identifying crystals and gemstones, but her name is Jade. Thanks to her mom, she obviously knows what the gemstone looks like and basic facts about it.

She matches his sudden confidence by replying, "I believe that's a jade stone, Harry. Symbolizes luck, I think? Also increases love and nurturing."

Harry blows a low, impressed whistle while putting a hand on his hip. "I mean, shit, do you want to switch spots and take over the rest of my shift?"

Smiling amusedly, she quips, "That was the extent of my knowledge about gems, so probably not the best idea. I think I'll leave it to the expert."

His tired eyes brighten as he looks at her. "Well, the least I could do to thank you for keeping me company is give you this," he says, sliding the jade stone across the counter towards her. "I think it only makes sense for you to have it.

Jades takes it, feeling how smooth the surface is, before putting it in the breast pocket of her dress. "Trust me, my mom has given me plenty. You would think she's a dealer or something."

Harry sputters a boyish laugh before taking a sip of his coffee. "Consider that one special, then."

She can smell a familiar scent from his coffee but can't quite place her finger on it. She checks the time on her phone, seeing that it's almost eight. She doesn't want to bother Harry, especially if customers are going to start coming in. She also needs to get back to the apartment in case her friend magically wakes up earlier than expected and calls the police because she decided to talk to the cute crystal shop boy she's only just met. Oh God, she's going to sound crazy.

"Thank you. I'll make sure to keep it safe."

"You're very welcome, Jade."

She perks up, suddenly remembering the extra stuff he put in her bag on Wednesday. "By the way, the coupon and sticker you gave me were thoughtful. You didn't have to do that."

Harry flushes under his cardigan, completely forgetting about his spontaneous decision to give her additional goodies because he thinks she's lovely. He's also scared he'll never see her again; if that's the case, he wants to leave an impression.

And speaking to her now, he realizes he quite likes her company.

Clearing his throat, Harry scratches the back of his neck and says, "I, uh, I don't know. You were a nice customer, and I just wanted to give you something nice back." He's only partially lying. "I have animal stickers I keep here when my niece visits, and I happened to have a frog one. I figured you would get the reference."

"I did. You're adorable."

Lord above, did she actually just say that out loud?

Harry inhales sharply in shock, rolling his lips inward so much that his dimples pop out from trying to hold back a smile. His tongue pokes his cheek, and he can't help but break out into a full smile. He feels a rush of giddiness that begs him to be bold and seize the opportunity.

"Sorry—"

"Hey, I—"

They both start talking and clamp their mouths shut at the same time. Jade nods for him to go first, not wanting anything stupid to come out of her mouth again.

Harry fidgets with his necklace and says, "I get off work at one thirty today, and I know you need to get back to your friend, but if you're not busy, I was going to walk down to the beach and get some ice cream. Do you... would you like to come with me?"

Jade almost chokes. This attractive boy wearing a fuzzy cardigan in ninety-degree heat wants to take her for ice cream. Her friend would be deranged to be mad at her for going.

"I would love to. I'm sure my friend wouldn't mind." She anxiously nibbles on her bottom lip before continuing, "Um, I can meet you back here at one o'clock? I could get some lunch from a nearby restaurant if you want."

"That's perfect. A couple of stores down to the right is a nice sandwich shop called Gott's Roadside. I can text you my order before you get there."

"Yeah, great! Here, let me write my number down somewhere."

Harry doesn't hesitate to lift the cash register to grab a loose-leaf sheet of paper he keeps under it for emergencies, then tears a small section off. He picks up the pencil he used for his crossword and hands it to her. Jade scribbles her cell phone number, adding a smiley face at the end, before sliding the paper scrap back to him.

"Cool," he says, his hands clammy with anticipation.

Jade smiles. Is this a date? Is she dreaming? "I'll see you in a few hours with our sandwiches. I'll bring my frog hat."

"I can't wait," he replies, pushing his hair back. "And tell your friend I said hi, yeah?"

"I will. Have a good rest of your shift, Harry."

"I have sandwiches, ice cream, and a frog hat on your head to look forward to," he says, cradling his chin in the palm of his hand. "I'm pretty sure it's going to be good."

She feels her heart speed up as she waves goodbye and walks outside with a skip in her step.

——

When noon rolls around, Harry decides to text Jade his order. When she left, he put her number on his phone and refrained from texting her about the strange customers he had encountered earlier. He doesn't know if she'll think it's annoying of him.

He waits until there's no one in the store—everyone is most likely out for lunch—before sending a text.

Hi, it's Harry. I would like the grilled pesto chicken sandwich with a side salad. There's a fridge with drinks in the back room, so don't worry about getting me one. Thank you :)

Locking his phone, he resumes his crossword puzzle, but his mind drifts. He thinks about changing his outfit before Jade comes back, knowing the cardigan he wears now will make him sweat bullets under the sun. He obviously can't leave the shop unattended, so he texts his mother and asks if she can bring him his white tank top and patchwork cardigan from the house as soon as possible. It'll be breezy by the beach, so a loose cardigan will be better. He also asks her if she can bring his Polaroid camera. He wants to capture some memories of how beautiful today is.

Once his string of panicked texts is sent, he starts thinking about Jade again. She mentioned she'd wear her frog hat, which he really likes. He realizes he's whipped when he considers buying one for himself. There must be a store around here that sells them. Or is that too weird of a thing to do? Now he's panicking tenfold.

Harry likes her. He likes her so much that he says screw it and picks up the company phone without a second thought. He begins flipping through a free pamphlet for tourists listing the shops downtown in St. Helena, looking for nearby accessory stores. After four phone calls with managers, he gets the answer he wants. A souvenir shop two blocks away says that they have some in stock. He plans to run down there quickly when his mother comes with his clothes. She's visited enough times to be able to handle any customers.

It's a quarter to one when she rushes in with his clothing and camera. She doesn't question why he needed them so suddenly. Harry lies to her and says he needs to pick up a store delivery, and she lets him go after telling him she'll help him finish his crossword while she waits.

He's speed-walking to the accessory shop, his eyes glued to the directions pulled up on his phone. When he turns the final corner, he gets a text message from Jade.

Hi, sorry I didn't get back to you right away. I was swimming, so I wasn't on my phone. I'm leaving in about five minutes to get our lunch! I'll bring sunscreen and a blanket so we can eat by the beach <3

Harry grins and replies with a casual See you soon.

After five minutes of looking for a frog hat in some dingy souvenir shop, he buys a green one that looks just like her yellow one. He stuffs it in his purse so his mother won't see what a hopeless romantic he is, then quite literally jogs back to the crystal shop. Once he's inside, his mother leaves with a kiss on both of his cheeks. Harry goes to the back room, and since no customers are lingering around, he changes into his tank top and the other cardigan. The sporadic green patches on it will go nicely with his new bucket hat of the same color.

It's a little after one o'clock, and he assumes Jade is getting the sandwiches. In the meantime, he goes into the employee bathroom to double-check how he looks. His denim flare jeans and white sneakers are sticking to his skin because of the summer heatwave, but he doesn't have time for an outfit dilemma. With a deep breath, he tousles his hair and tucks his sunglasses in the front of his shirt.

He's ready.

Harry returns to the front and cleans up for when the person working the next shift comes in. It's helping distract from his nerves. He just wants this to go well. They'll eat, get ice cream, talk, and maybe hold hands. Right? Is that how dates play out?

Okay, he's not ready. He needs some good luck.

Opening a glass display case under the counter, he grabs a tiny citrine crystal that can be attached to a necklace chain. Citrine is known to strengthen self-esteem and bring about positive energy, so he takes a stray chain, hooks the golden crystal on it, and then pulls it over his head.

"This better work," he murmurs to himself.

His phone suddenly vibrates, and he sees that Jade texted him that the food would be ready in another couple of minutes. That's okay. He has time to hype himself up and daydream about her. Will she be in a different outfit? Will her hair be damp from swimming? Will she still have the jade stone he gave her in her pocket?

It's a little after one when Carol walks into the shop to start her shift. She may be forgetful, but she comes in early sometimes so that Harry can get out a few minutes early. She smiles at him and heads straight to the back. Harry stuffs his Polaroid camera in his pocket and puts on the frog hat. He feels foolish now that he thinks about it. How does one pull off a frog hat and rainbow cardigan? He prays that Jade will appreciate his efforts.

Kissing the citrine crystal for luck, he grabs a water bottle and his wallet and clocks out. He prints off the sales receipt for the morning shift and signs his name. After that, he passes Carol, who is sweeping the floor and humming to herself, and sends a little wave before leaving and standing against the wall outside to wait for Jade.

Ten minutes pass until Harry hears a gasp come from his right. He looks over to see Jade holding the food bag in one hand and her bucket hat, sunscreen, and plaid picnic blanket in the other. She's wearing a different dress than earlier, this one with tiny blue flowers on it. Her hazel eyes are fixated on the hat atop his head, and he can't stop himself from blushing like a blooming rose.

"No way!" she says, walking up to him. "I didn't know you had one!"

He smiles awkwardly, feeling a smidge better now that she seems to like his last-minute decision. "Um, I really like yours, so I thought I'd get one for myself to match. I bought it at a shop around here, like, thirty minutes ago."

Jade pouts at the sweet gesture. "You're so adorable." She holds out the plastic bag. "Here's the food. It took forever, but it smells delicious."

"You're just on time," he replies, offering his elbow to her. "Shall we? I can carry everything."

She hands him the two bags and carries the rest by herself. Putting on her bucket hat, she loops her arm around his elbow to start walking. She looks him up and down, taking in his outfit. She had been so caught off guard by his hat that she didn't even notice his colorful, oversized patchwork cardigan.

She leans into him and confesses, "You look really handsome, by the way. I love your style."

Harry glances down at her, smiling softly. "Thank you. You look so pretty."

Jade shyly scrunches her nose at him before peering out at the street. As the beach comes into view, she boldly moves her arm out of his hold and wraps her hand around his, the coolness of his rings feeling nice against her skin. Harry's eyes fall to where their hands meet, and he squeezes them together. His red nail polish contrasts with her baby blue polish, and he admires how small her hand feels in his. He rubs his thumb over her knuckles as the pavement turns into sand, and he guides her to where they have to pay to access the beach, his hand slipping from hers to reach into his pocket for his wallet. Jade doesn't try to argue about him paying since she willingly paid for lunch. It's only fair.

After Harry pays, he takes her hand in his again and leads her through the entrance to find a spot to sit. It's a little busy with the weekend, so he takes her to an area away from the water where the long grass and coastal flowers grow. Jade begins unfolding the picnic blanket and then spreads it out. She sits with her legs crossed and starts putting sunscreen on. Harry gets comfortable beside her and removes his shoes before rolling the hem of his jeans up slightly.

"Do you mind getting my shoulder blades for me?" Jade asks, passing him the bottle of sunscreen.

Harry makes a twirling motion with his pointer finger to get her to turn around. She faces away from him and shifts her hair to one side, waiting for his hands to touch the bare skin of her back, but it takes a while, so she turns her head to glance at him. She sees him remove his rings one by one before putting a dollop of sunscreen on his palm.

Then, unexpectedly expected, she feels his hands on her shoulder blades moving in soothing circles. The warmth of his hands and the coolness of the lotion are almost erotic. His hands are so big. Only one of them takes up half of her upper back.

After another few tension-filled seconds, Harry lightly scratches the top of her spine to indicate he's done. She thanks him before settling next to him and sliding her sandals off. She then grabs her bag of food and unpacks the sandwich that she got, along with a side of fries. Harry does the same, already diving into his salad. The sound of people talking and waves crashing is peaceful.

Jade is fully aware that her legs are almost touching his, and she desperately wants to make some type of flirty move. Well, there's nothing quite like the art of subtlety, so she casually reaches up for his bucket hat to switch it with hers. She puts his green one on and then puts her yellow one on his head, feeling more content around him with each second that passes. Harry just smiles cutely while shoving a crouton in his mouth.

Feeling even more daring now, Jades picks up a fry and holds it to his lips. He gently grabs her wrist as she feeds it to him, feeling his fingers squeeze her pulse point. He chews slowly, his jaw flexing attractively.

"Good?" she asks while scooting a little closer.

He hums an affirmation, smirking at her. Reaching over his lap, Jade steals one of his croutons, her arm brushing against his stomach. She swears she feels it tense. Harry notices she's getting more comfortable with him, so he takes his Polaroid camera out of his back pocket. She gasps, nonverbally asking if she can use it by wiggling her fingers towards it like a toddler. He laughs and hands it to her. One of his arms rests behind her, the other resting limp on his thigh.

Jade starts by taking a picture of the sparkling lake in front of her. The camera spits a Polaroid out, and she sets it face down on the blanket to dry. She then aims the lens at an arguably even more beautiful view. Harry throws up a peace sign with a closed-lip smile, dimples carving his reddened cheeks. After setting that one down to dry, she turns the camera around to aim at their faces. She leans in and presses her cheek against his as best she can with a bucket hat on. They both smile widely as she captures the moment.

Harry takes the camera from her after it develops and mimics the same position, both their faces hopefully in the frame. Before he presses the button, though, he turns his head and presses the gentlest kiss to Jade's dewy cheekbone. His lips feel warm and plush as the flash goes off, and he quickly takes the photo to look at it. Jade rests her head on his shoulder, pressing a light kiss on it. He wraps his arm around her and puts his leftover salad in the bag with her garbage. His other hand faces up on his leg, and she doesn't hesitate to play with his slender fingers.

"I haven't felt this relaxed in a while." Harry softly breaks the silence, looking ahead at the water.

"Me too," she says. "You're a really calm person. Like, your energy relaxes me naturally. And you're not too shabby of a person to look at."

He playfully scoffs and pinches her side. "Excuse me, I didn't run to the nearest store and buy a froggy hat to match you for you to say I'm not too shabby to look at."

"I kid, I kid. You look like an absolute dream, Harry."

"Yeah? You're looking like a dream yourself, Jade."

She pecks his cheek and stands up to grab the garbage bags and sunscreen. Harry also stands, putting his rings back on and folding up the blanket while putting his camera back in his pocket. He dusts the sand off his jeans and picks up his shoes, opting to walk barefoot to the ice cream shop not too far away.

Standing behind Jade, he bends down to dust the sand off the back of her legs. He then grabs the pictures and her sandals, giving her a look that asks if she's going to put them back on. She shakes her head and reaches out to grab them, but he pulls them out of her reach and simply interlocks his fingers with hers instead. He guides her back up the path where they came from, swinging their arms dramatically to get her to laugh.

Jade sneakily grabs the Polaroid camera from his pocket and aims it at him. "Smile like the dream you are." When he looks at her and smiles naturally, she brings the camera close to photograph his left dimple. "I'm framing this," she says, waving the Polaroid.

"Give me that," Harry says, letting go of her hand to pull the camera from her grasp. "I need something to frame too."

She complies, wondering what he could have up his sleeve. He stops walking and puts two fingers behind her head to make bunny ears. She gives him a flat look with narrowed eyes while he joyously clicks the button, and then he hides the developed picture in his cardigan pocket.

"You are so funny, you know that?" Jade says sarcastically. "A true comedian. You should do stand-up at the shop."

Harry walks ahead of her and boyishly laughs twice, the second one slightly higher-pitched and longer than the first one. It makes Jade's heart flutter.

"Honestly, mate," he says, "I think you're right. You'll never meet anyone funnier."

"Do not call me mate!"

"No? What about lad?"

"Stop."

"Bro?"

"Absolutely not."

"What if I called you another gemstone? Amethyst? Topaz?"

"I'm getting ice cream," she says lightheartedly, striding ahead to the blue building just off the beach. She takes off the bucket hat on her head, feeling hot.

"We were already on our way there, darling."

Jade stops dead in her tracks. Darling.

Seconds later, she hears him behind her, his hands dropping everything so he can tilt her chin. She's looking at him upside down now, his fingers cradling her face as his thumbs stroke her temples.

"Liked that one?" he murmurs softly. Jade nods in his gentle grasp. He smiles, pinching both of her cheeks. "I'll keep that in mind," he says before sauntering toward the ice cream shop.

Jade grumbles behind him, feeling flustered. Harry tilts his head back to look at her and gives her a smirk. In return, she gives him the middle finger, and he makes a heart with his hands. With a huff, she sits under an umbrella at a nearby table, trusting him to order something she'll like. After a few minutes, he sits across from her, holding two cones—one blue moon and one cookies and cream. She takes the blue moon scoop from him and takes a lick. A shiver runs throughout her body.

Harry bites down on his, and she cringes. It also makes her strangely endeared to him. "What?" he asks with his mouth full.

"Nothing. Stop being annoying."

"What did I do?"

He's not understanding her frustration with his apparent cuteness.

"You're just... different. I hate saying that, but you're so sweet and funny. And cute. It's annoying."

He stares at her longingly before saying, "Thanks, mate. Cheers."

"You know, I've had enough of your British humor."

That's a lie. Jade could listen to him talk about the ingredients in a salad, and she would listen on the edge of her seat.

"I'm kidding," he says, nudging her foot lightly under the table. "That's kind of you to say. I think the same things about you; however, I don't find it annoying. It makes me want to kiss you, actually."

Leaning across the table, Jade plucks the hat off his head and sets it down on the table. Then, she reaches her other hand out to wipe a small remnant of ice cream on the corner of his mouth. Harry clears his throat. There's no one around them, and he'd be a fool to waste his chance.

"I know almost nothing about you," he starts, his voice gentle, "but I would really like it if I could take you out again sometime. We can learn more about each other, talk about anything and everything, and go anywhere you'd like."

She feels like she's in a summer fantasy with her dream boy, and she has to pinch her arm under the table to make sure it's real and not a figment of her imagination. Setting down her finished ice cream, she stands up to slide around the table and sits beside him. She cradles both of his warm cheeks and kisses his forehead. She does it again, for good measure, pushing back the curls falling over his eyes.

He blesses her with that same frog-like smile that makes her heart falter. She pokes her thumbs into his dimples and says, "You're so cute. Stop it. Stop being cute."

Harry moves his head slightly to kiss her palm. "I can't help being an absolute dream all the time," he says dramatically. "It's exhausting, mate."

She rolls her eyes and tickles his sides so that he squirms. "If I recall, you said you'd remember that I liked it when you called me darling."

"Gotta kiss me first."

Jade purses her lips to keep a massive smile from taking over her face. "Seems fair," she whispers. "Come with me."

Standing, she takes his hand and heads towards a more private place, throwing away their cones. Harry stumbles behind her, still barefoot and riding the high of flirtatious affection. Eventually, she leads him to a flower field past the beach that's completely empty of people. A cypress tree shades the area, so they go behind it, shielded from everyone and everything.

Harry leans his back against the trunk, setting down his shoes and the blanket. He holds his hands out, waiting for Jade to step into him. She puts her stuff down, too, and wipes her clammy palms on her dress, then slowly takes both of his hands and moves toward him. He's taller than her, so she reaches up to cradle his face again, her new favorite thing to do, and guide his face down to hers. She stares at his green eyes, her lips brushing against his. Softly and with ease, she captures his bottom lip in her mouth. Harry lets her take the reins; the only movement he grants himself is his hands gravitating to her wrists that hold his blushing cheeks. He grips them not too tight, rubbing his thumbs along the inside.

When Jade pulls back for air, Harry chases her lips for another kiss. He initiates it this time, kissing her top lip before delicately enveloping her bottom lip. He inhales through his nose when she kisses him back, and a weak groan crawls up his throat. Six seconds go by before she pulls back again, only for a moment, and then takes him by surprise by using her tongue to dive into his mouth, parting his already swollen lips even more. His tongue fits over hers, kissing her deeply for a little longer. She tastes sweet from the ice cream.

Harry needs to breathe, so he stops before getting too far ahead and blissfully smiles at her. They inhale and exhale heavily, glancing between each other's lips.

"Fuck's sake," he says, pulling her in for a hug.

Jade giggles. She sticks her hands into his back pockets and sways with him while he kisses her hair and sets his hands on her shoulders.

"Can I walk you home?" he asks, brushing his thumb along her collarbone.

"Of course."

Harry kisses her again before intertwining her fingers with his. He slips his shoes back on, and Jade does the same. They pick up their remaining belongings. Once everything is packed, they walk away from the beach. She tells him where her friend's apartment is, and it takes ten minutes before the building comes into view. Harry walks up to the front door, and they stand across from each other.

"I had so much fun today," Jade says, taking her bucket hat off. "Everything was perfect."

"Yeah?" Harry scratches under his eyebrow. "Well, I don't work Sundays, so we can text and make plans for next week if you're not sick of me yet."

"I'm not sick of you yet. Text me tomorrow. I've got nothing going on."

"Sweet. I have to go to my mom's house for dinner, so... I have to leave, unfortunately."

"Go ahead. I won't keep you any longer."

"I'll see you soon," he tells her. "Thanks for today. I had a wonderful time."

"Here's your hat back," she says, holding it out.

Harry shakes his head with a smile. "Keep it. I'll keep yours. We can give them back when we see each other next."

She laughs. "What a clever way to keep me around."

He hands her the blanket and the pictures he put in his pocket. "Are you sure you don't want them?" she asks, taking them and seeing the one of his dimple on top.

"We can share," he says, rolling up the sleeves of his cardigan. "The next time I see you, I'll take them for the day."

Jade bites her lip before saying, "You're on a roll today. And I was serious, by the way. I'm framing the dimple one."

He beams at her, and Jade sets everything down on the bench by the door so she can kiss him. "I'll see you very soon," she whispers.

"Bye, Jade." Harry leaves with one last kiss before walking down the sidewalk. Once he turns the corner, he rubs the citrine crystal against his chest with a giddy smile on his face the entire way back.

——

FIVE YEARS LATER

Harry has been at the shop for an hour, setting things up for the day. Coffee is brewing, and the smell of peppermint wafts to the front. Candles are lit, and delightful whiffs of cinnamon are in the air. 

It's November, so it's always chilly in the morning. His baby blue sweater with a hatching chick on it keeps him warm. He got it as a gift when he was promoted to shop manager since the previous owner knew he had a mug that looked just like it.

It's definitely going to be slow since it's a random Tuesday in the autumn. The streets are quiet, and a gray gloom darkens the sky. The shop doesn't open for another forty-five minutes, but he still likes the extra time, so he grabs his hot coffee and takes out his crossword puzzle book. Sitting on the rickety wooden stool behind the register, he blows away the steam from his #1 Dad in St. Helena mug.

He's whistling "Wild Heart" by Stevie Nicks to himself while rhythmically tapping his pencil against the counter when the bell above the front door suddenly chimes. He doesn't need to look up to know who it is. Baby babbles give it away, and he softly smiles as he finishes filling in the answer for 9-Across.

"Someone's talkative this morning," Harry murmurs, turning to his wife and sipping his coffee.

Jade is wearing a beanie and one of his many cardigans. She holds a coffee in one hand and a box of donuts in the other as she walks around the counter to greet him, giving him a kiss. His precious baby boy, Sterling, is secured in the baby carrier strapped to her front.

"Good morning," he says, tasting an unfamiliar trace of something on her lips.

"Hi. Try this." She raises her coffee cup to his mouth. He takes a sip and immediately smacks his lips while shaking his head disapprovingly. "It's the new pumpkin pie latte they have down the street," she explains.

"Not a fan, love," he admits truthfully, kissing her forehead and then carefully lifting Sterling out of the carrier.

"I thought as much." She takes the carrier off and sets it to the side. "How's it going? Did you get all the math out of the way?"

Now that Harry is the shop manager, he's taken on the accounting aspect of the job. It's not his favorite task, so he gets it out of the way in the mornings. He'll put on his reading glasses and hunch over the table with complete focus, feeling his wife's eyes ogling him whenever she visits. He's been told she finds it attractive.

"Finished not too long ago," he replies, cradling his sleeping son against his chest. He's still dressed in his pajamas with a brown beanie snug on his head. Harry sits back on the stool to continue his crossword, and Sterling stirs a little, fisting his hand around his sweater. "Morning, little man," he says gently, his knuckles stroking his chubby cheeks.

Jade opens the box of donuts, and Harry squeezes her hip in a silent gesture of gratitude. She begins eating a chocolate one as she peers over his shoulder. She hums thoughtfully while swallowing a bite and tapping the boxes on the page. "Coated is the answer for 21-Across."

Harry's eyes move to the clue and then to Sterling, who is slowly waking up. "What do you think, mate? Do you think Mommy's right?"

"I'm definitely right. Covered in sugar, it has to be coated." She excitedly pokes the pencil that's in his hand. "Write it down!"

"All right," he says teasingly, scribbling her answer down. "Sharp thinking at seven in the morning isn't usually like you, honey. You can't blame me for being hesitant."

She lightly smacks his shoulder before taking a sip of his peppermint coffee. Apparently, she's not a fan of the pumpkin one, either.

After a few peaceful moments, Jade takes Sterling into her arms, much to Harry's disappointment. She smears kisses on his cheeks before setting him on the ground to crawl. At eight months old, he's constantly on the go. The floor is carpeted, so she sits on the ground with him. Harry can't help but join them while grabbing a donut on his way down. He groans when he sits—his back is not in the best shape lately.

Jade scoots closer and begins massaging between his shoulder blades, causing him to let out a soft, relieved moan as he closes his eyes. She's badgered him countless times to replace the stool he sits on with an actual chair, but he's stubborn and has trouble getting rid of sentimental furniture.

"What time do you get off again?" she asks, moving her hands to his neck.

"Three," he murmurs, wiping drool from Sterling's mouth. "It's my last week before Thanksgiving break, so that'll be nice."

"Yeah," she agrees while kneading his lower back.

Harry's work schedule is perfect. He's at the shop Monday through Friday until three. He's home for dinner and weekends, and he even gets paid holiday breaks. He became manager shortly before he got married to Jade. Currently, she owns a flower shop just down the street. She absolutely loves it there. It's a two-minute walk from the shop, and she always tries to visit if she gets off work before him. She has Mondays and Tuesdays off every other week, so she brings Sterling to visit for a few hours in the morning. They stay in the back most of the time, but sometimes customers come in when they're up front and fawn over their baby boy with dimples and cute sweaters.

Harry eventually stands and cracks his back by twisting side to side. Jade stands as well and picks Sterling up, handing him to Harry. He cradles him in one arm, the other wrapping around his wife's shoulders.

"I love you," he whispers with a kiss to her head. "Thanks for always keeping me company with the little bugger."

She hides her face in his chest, the jade necklace he wears daily pressed against her cheek. She kisses the stone before puckering her lips in request. He obliges, meeting her halfway to take her top lip between his. She then leans over to kiss Sterling's head, his eyes sleepily shutting.

"My boys," Jade says, smiling fondly. "I love you guys more than anything."

Harry can't help but find it remarkable how everything started in the place he's standing now.

——

[extinction-arts]

Rayfrog wip..

They're so silly I love them so much. They have been jumping around my brain like fleas for months.

I STILL cant draw Bullfrog right and it pisses me off so much, I js wanna draw these little homos all day and forget ab my commissions, but NOOO I cant draw a fucking frog right. 😭

[totallynotokguys]

Lego Monkie Kid Rewatch: Special

Embrace Your Destiny 2/4

Can I just say how frustrating it is to be busy. To have a life that you have to focus on even in the middle of a fixation! How rude!!! Can't I just enjoy my lego movie in peace!

And this is almost exactly what happened the first time too! Let's just say there's a reason a lot of stuff is taking me by surprise with this special. I remember being so confused about the whole reincarnation 'we just might be the past pilgrims' stuff because I think I was trying to get work done and watch this at the same time. Not a lot made it into my brain apparently.

I'm not even sure I know how this special ends. Like... I know conceptually where all the characters end up thanks to the next season... but how they got there is fuzzy.

Is this special cursed? Am I going to never be able to enjoy watching 'Embrace Your Destiny' all in one sitting?

Anyway- ON WITH THE SHOW!!!!

Last time: Mei burst into flame and flew away from her friends because she didn't want to hurt them, MK and Ne Zha went to try and help Wukong fight LBD (with sneaky Macaque hiding in the corner), Mei started training under resident favourite spice boy, Wukong got possessed, Macaque portaled MK to safety, and who knows what happened to Lotus Prince. Guess he's dead :(

Froggie!

You're okay! And look! Froggie made a friend!

Interesting that Macaque happened to portal him right to Mei.

He's been keeping tabs on all the important pieces, huh.

Froggie! You're coming along?

I'm excited. I love my frog child. Please be okay Froggie. This is why I should have payed more attention the first time. I don't remember if Froggie is okay. You don't understand. I've emotionally bonded to this frog. This frog must stay safe.

Oh Sandy! Your poor T.E.A.!

You don't deserve this torture!

"Maybe I'm crazy, but -ah- dose are us, right?" "Oooh, we're finally getting into it, uh. Hey so, what do ya think? I got some theories!"

How long as Sandy been thinking about this? Are those all his theory notes? or has he just been compiling evidence from research of ancient text and modern history books? And has he been lugging that around in his T.E.A. this whole time waiting for someone to bring it up? Or has he been studying during their down time?

"And you literally have da same name as Taang-s-anne-jaang." "Tang-san-jang!"

I love when the characters correctly pronounce the Chinese names. It always sounds so satisfying! Like it tickles my eardrum in just the right way that settles something warm and happy inside of me. I think Zhu Bajie is my favourite to say. The zhu (jew) punches out quick like while the ba (bah) raises your voice up naturally only for you to slide down for the jie (j-yeah). When you succeed in getting the sounds out in a smooth quick manner it is immensely satisfying. Just watch 'Amnesia Rules' to hear Wukong saying it. So good!

"Good job dragon girl. It's been nearly 5 minutes since you're last explosion."

Positive encouragement. Very important.

Look at my little Froggie off to destroy people!

Love that Red Son can tell its MK under that mud, but not Mei.

Mei jumps to extremes.

Froggie!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Oh, and Red Son too I guess.

I love seeing their friendship.

Look how happy Mei is, and relieved MK is. I'm so happy for them.

"She's after the Samadhi Fire!" "Whaaaat! And you came here?!"

Red Son proving that he is the only one with the braincell in this trio.

Okay… that is just creepy.

And it just keeps getting creepier.

What- did she steal some of Macaques shadow powers when she half possessed him?

Love that Red Son understands the severity of the situation. Lady Bone Demon is doing everything she can to goad him into anger. Taunting, mocking, thanking him for her success in front of his new hero friends. And what is his response?

"We have to get out of here, now!"

He keeps a level head in the most dangerous of situations.

I know he didn't succeed here, that Lady Bond Demon still had her way. But for a second, Wukong stopped. He held back his fist.

And when he did attack again… it was not to hit MK. It was to toss MK aside.

Now it could be LBD playing with her food, enjoying giving MK false hope. But she just got done saying she's waited long enough and wants that power and its about time her destiny was fulfilled. So no, I don't think this was LBD doing. I think this was a crack in her possession of the great sage. She could not force Wukong to attack MK.

And what happens when MK is hanging precariously off the edge? LBD has to command Wukong to focus back on the girl. Because otherwise, Wukong was just staring off intently where MK was in danger. There was a battle going on in Wukong's mind, I'm sure of it.

Love that Mei is able to keep her cool here. Control and wield the fire despite having a day at most to train with it.

But of course Wukong just casually walks through it like its a simple summer heat haze.

Wait- wha- NO! Why'd she get iced?!

She looked like she had a plan, like she was about ta do something awesome!!!! I can't believe what they just did- They Zelda-ed her!!!

The disrespect! Lady Bone Demon! As a fellow female and recently escape of your own magic prison, I expected more from you!

Red Son: 'You're right. We should make a plan before we rush off anywhere.' MK: Immediately yeets Red Son off the edge to rush off somewhere without making a plan.

Granted, he was just going off to meet up with the others, but he could have explained that first!!!!

"If da Lady Bone Demon has Monkey King, Mei, and da Samadhi Fire… Eeeeugh, I don't know. I'm not really feelin' much confidence."

Love that Pigsy includes Mei as her own powerhouse. He's not just attributing all of her past prowess to the fire. He sees her as her own force to be reckoned with outside of the inter-dimensional flame of destruction that possesses her.

"What we need is a plan… I'm open to suggestions. What we got?"

I'm so used to Jack DeSena voicing the plan guy that this threw me for a loop.

We're just doin' da same thing over an' over again. I'm losin' my mind ova here!" Ah Pigsy, if only you knew.

I love that Macaque is offering to help, I really do. But… why? Why now?

Like, seriously. He didn't step in to whisk Mei and the Samadhi Fire out of blue-Wukong's reach. Or help fight LBD when Wukong was battling her. So why is he stepping in now? Has he just realised there's no way for him to stay hidden somewhere safe and he should probably help out the heroes? Or is he stepping in because he sees MK is going to keep throwing himself in dangers way no matter what so since he's already stuck his hand in the bear trap once for the kid he might as well keep it up?

Wait… wiat wait wait wait wahihiahait!!! Look at this framing! Look!

See that strange gap? Everyone is huddled together except right there? This is art, this is poetry. These people who animate and write this show are just so brilliant.

One, Red Son is the one with the most distance from everyone. He's in the frame, he's 'on their side', but not quite. He's helping but still doesn't see himself as a hero or as one of them and neither do Pigsy, Tang, and Sandy. MK is the closest to Red Son because he's kind of the bridge, the one trying to graft Red Son into the noodle team.

Two, the dragon. The green dragon. The noodle gang is all together accept Mei, but the artists left a perfect gap to see her ancestor in the background as a kind of- she's supposed to be here. Mei is important to the team and they are feeling her absence.

Three, the symbol of the green dragon stands between Red Son and MK. MK her best friend. The two scamps that support each other through everything. Red Son her teacher. The one who understands her the most right now and was pivotal to pulling her out of her despair so she can keep fighting. Its a foreshadowing to what will be after this fight.

(I really believe that if not for the upheaval that happened to the show in season 5, Red Son was supposed to play a larger part. He is meant to be a true part of the team noodle.)

Ah I love details like this! The ability to read so deeply into something because artists and writers just hand it to you on a silver platter! This is just so awesome!

[ilovelosersandshortmen]

Hear me out-

The X-Men with a reader who can cancel out mutations, like when they're near someone, let's say Cyclops for example, he can take off his glasses and his eyes don't shoot out lasers.

I think it'd be funny to have it so the reader isn't even aware of their mutation, like one day one of them slips up or tries to use their powers around the reader but nothing happens 💀

Having a mutation that stops their powers (X-Men and The Brotherhood)

I LOVE THIS I'm actually going to do this with the X-Men and the Brotherhood because there's so many possibilities.

TODD (I'm just putting him first because he's my fav):

• You and Todd hang out a lot. For some reason, he just feels calmer around you (little does he know, you actually take away the stressful parts of his mutation, like the sensitive skin and everything)

• I feel like he still eats flies because he's used to it, so he doesn't notice that you took away the frog part of his brain that actually needs them for nourishment

• He doesn't actually realize that you have that mutation until he goes to jump and just.. falls on his face.

• He freaks out at first, but he does appreciate not being so slimy and all of that

• Sometimes if he wants to shower (check out my headcanons on why he can't use soap), he'll call you over

PIETRO:

• He. Hates. You.

• Not actually, because I don't write angst very often, but he doesn't appreciate the power you hold over him.

• You're like a more annoying Wanda in his eyes.

• He always gets on your nerves (because he obviously will, I don't care how cute he is), and you always end each argument by taking away his powers.

• "Very funny! Now stop."

WANDA:

• You think she can't kill you without powers?

• Just kidding, ofc. She loves you.

• But, she's very used to being controlled and her powers being held back, so I actually think she wouldn't appreciate you using it against her.

• If you don't know about your powers yet, then she's obviously not going to get mad at you.

• Actually, she's very sympathetic. She knows what it's like to have uncontrollable powers.

FRED:

• Would he really notice? I don't think his body would change. Maybe he'd lose some strength though, but he'd probably just think he's getting sick or something

• Or he would freak out and feel useless without his powers, leading to a breakdown (think Luisa from Encanto idk)

LANCE:

• (I don't know if anyone else noticed this in the show, but HE MAKES THE STUPIDEST FACES WHEN USING HIS POWER ITS SO FUNNY)

• I imagine he goes to use his power and nothing happens so he just stands there like 🧍

• LIKE ELEVEN IN THAT ONE SCENE OF STRANGER THINGS LMAOO

TABITHA:

• She'd probably be really chill about it, but after a minute she'd really miss using her powers.

• So she freaks out a little, but she plays it cool in front of everyone.

• Hey, she's a complex person!

SCOTT:

• He's so confused, he just stares blankly at everyone and no one knows what's happening

• like this: 😨

• After everyone found out about what happened, he actually kind of loves it.

• Imagine always having to wear sunglasses, I would get so sick of those powers. So, he enjoys the little break

• Just make sure to tell him when you leave the room, because he's used to keeping his eyes open when you're around

ROGUE:

• Yeah, we all know she needs this.

• She would get really excited, going around and poking people's shoulders

• Getting surprised when nothing happens and just being like "okay, just checking!"

• She finally gets to hug her friends and high five people and all of that fun loving stuff

• A bit disappointed when it ends, but she doesn't blame you

• Yes, she's a bit closed off. But deep down, all she really wants is to be able to live her life without fear.

KURT:

• As much as he would like it to, I don't think the mutation would take any physical traits.

• So the beautiful blue boy would have to stay looking like the dude from Avatar </3

• Which obviously isn't a bad thing, because he's perfect just the way he is, but Kurt is severely disappointed.

• The teleportation was the only good thing about his powers! And that's all that went away.

• He's not angry at you, just angry at himself for.. existing, I guess.

• HE DESERVES SO MUCH LOVE I CANT

• Your powers don't really do much, expect keeping him from running away during arguments. Which could be very helpful.

JEAN:

• Another one that I believe would appreciate your powers

• Jean has to deal with a lot of things, including the involuntary mind reading (which I'm guessing absolutely sucks, because who would ever want that power!?)

• So, until she controls that, it can be a bit overwhelming.

• Then, you come along. And it's silent. For once in her life, the only voice in Jeans head is her own.

• She obviously goes into protective mother mode during the chaos, making sure no one else is panicking while they try to figure out what's happening

• But she's honestly really relieved the entire time.

KITTY:

• Unfortunately, she finds out right when she's running into a wall (because I think that's funny comedic timing)

• I think she'd be a little relieved too, since we learned her worst fear is her powers trapping her underground and things like that

• So sometimes I think using her powers makes her really nervous, thinking she'd accidentally get trapped and suffocate or something.

• So, whenever she needs a break from that anxiety, she knows exactly who to turn to

All in all, I think this is a really cute idea and I loved writing about it. Thank you for the request, I had so much fun with this!!

[galebrainrot2024]

GalexTav Enemies to Lovers Part 21

A short one because my brain is a little toasted :( I have guests coming this weekend and will be traveling again for work next week so I will be cranking out as much as I can in the mean time or weird inbetween! I appreciate you all <3

I’m also going to stick with Gale’s POV - this story isn’t about Tav (it is, but you know what I mean lol) thanks @laserlope for helping in the brain room 🤝

EDITED TO GALE’s Perspective | Read on Ao3 | Master List

“Ah,” Gale said, leaning over Tav’s shoulder to point towards what appeared to be an alter. 

They were exploring the cellar of Last Light after fighting off a particularly difficult gaggle of meanlocks. During their explorations they found a journal, and decided to have a gander at finding the resistance at Last Light. 

“A hidden shrine…” he murmured, “Dedicated to the Moon Maiden herself. Even amidst the darkness, Selunites are stubborn enough to cling on.” It was a sentiment he understood. Despite everything that Mystra forced him to endure, he still cherished magic because it was what he adored and had known so long as he’d had memory.

“Pretty beautiful, isn’t it?” Karlach mused, brushing her fingers over the lacy cloth of the alter and cold, forgotten statues. Gale loved watching her experience the world around her - it helped him maintain perspective, to see the world through fresh eyes. To remember what wonder there was in simplicity.

To grapple with life’s end is no easy feat. There are many who avoid the task entirely, choosing instead to delay the inevitable. Gale felt the crushing weight of finite time and couldn’t bear to ignore his deepest desires. It had been so long since he felt these delicious emotions. What he felt for Mystra.. it was nothing like this.

“If you have a fondness for paperweights,” Shadowheart crossed her arms and inspected the arms of her armor, disinterest evident. Gale internally scoffed, mumbling about how deeply entrenched she was in Shar’s vile, false prophecy.

Karlach snorted and gave Shadowheart a salute. “You’re a funny frog, you know that?” 

“Excuse me what?” Shadowheart bristled and glared at Karlach, though a curl tugged at her lip. “If anyone here is a frog, it most certainly isn’t me. If anyone, it would be Lae’zel.” 

“Why, because she’s green?” Karlach poked, egging her on. 

As the two volleyed back and forth, Tav turned to Gale. She was shifting awkwardly, something he flagged to secure and unwrap later. “Sometimes I can’t tell whether or not those two like each other.” 

“Oh, I’m sure most of our companions could say the same about us.” Gale grinned and flashed his teeth, the corners of his eyes scrunching. His cells surged from their proximity. 

“Well,” Tav chewed on her bottom lip and pressed a finger to his chest. “Perhaps they wouldn’t have the wrong idea if you were better at admitting defeat once in a while. I know it’s hard for you, to be around someone so much more charismatic, intelligent, funny…” 

“Scratch undoubtably stakes his claim to the limelight and acclaim that I have no chance competing with.” Gale rose a brow as if in challenge. He knew she was talking about herself, but he needed to see if she’d indulge him. To test the waters.

Gale had been testing the water for weeks now, to the point where Karlach told him that if he didn’t get on with it soon she’d jump Tav’s bones before he got the chance.

“You wouldn’t dare,” he said, half joking and mostly serious.

“I can,” Karlach shot him a look, pointing a finger cockily, “and I will.”

Although Gale thought she was kidding there was still a part of him that chewed on her seriousness.

She returned his look, a wildness spreading through him as he continued to neg her and at how wonderfully she responded. “Are you comparing me to our camp dog?” 

“Ah!” Gale’s hand flung to his forehead and he tapped his fingers against it before resting on his hip and then twisting to point at her. “You know what, you’re right, I should have known you were talking about yourself. An honest mistake. Scratch is quite popular amongst our merry crew of miscreants and scoundrels, you’ll have to forgive me. Had I known you were talking about yourself,” Gale’s fingers wrapped around her wrist to lower her finger from his chest. Tav’s breath caught and that little sound, an otherwise innocent, unremarkable noise gave Gale’s body everything it needed to know. “I would have said that is woefully untrue and I wonder if that tadpole has eaten through more than a fair share of that beautiful mind of yours.” He whispered haughtily. Tav exhaled sharply and rolled her eyes which made his cheeky grin somehow more smug. He loved watching her get more and more flustered by him, though if he felt her feelings were hurt he’d learned well enough to stop. Lately, though, she seemed to relish in it.

“This place is hard to bear. I hope we’re able to continue on our way soon..” Shadowheart interrupted their banter and Gale looked to Tav who seemed delighted by their delay, unbothered by the impatience of their most gothic comrade. 

“I know what you mean. Everything is so… dark, and musty.” Karlach’s nose wrinkled and she nodded towards the exit, shifting from foot to foot.  

“Oh, well I meant more the idols to a false goddess,” she gestured and then took off her glove, inspecting her hand. “but yes, the mildew and must leaves something to be desired.” 

“Hopefully I’m not contributing to the smell too much,” Karlach gave herself a quick sniff and rose her arm. “What do you think?” 

Shadowheart laughed and shook her head, “Hush you, stop fishing for compliments. I’m sure Dammon showers you with plenty already.” 

Karlach stuck out her tongue and grinned. “You know it, baby.” 

Gale admired how, despite learning of her almost guaranteed fate, Karlach was a formidable optimist. He was trying to mirror her attitude, though despondency chewed at his robes. “Alright, alright,” Tav said, gesturing. “lead the way.” 

“I love a nice secret hideaway, don’t you?” Shadowheart mused, glancing around the damp enclave. “Even if it’s dedicated to,” she shuddered as if eating bad fish, “Selune.” 

“I mean… I guess.” Tav and Karlach shrugged in unison. 

“You can just fill it with supplies, seal up the hidden entrance, and tuck yourself away from the world…” Shadowheart said this as if she were asking a djinn to grant her wish. 

“Whatever you say, squirrelheart.” Gale chuckled at his own joke and the two groaned at his joke and Tav surprised him with an earnest giggle. He grunted as he hoisted his pack. “Where are we headed, m’lady?” 

Tav blushed. Another clue. Gale knew when he spoke to her in that voice, although it was playful there was an undercurrent of words unspoken. He knew it was beginning to affect her concentration because she let more than a few errant spells slip anytime they locked eyes in combat. He’d give an extra flourish, put on a bit of a show, and then she’d get a little smile and forget to cast her ward. Gale felt guilty, of course, but it was a little endearing.

Still - What if she wasn’t receptive? What if it was all in his head relationships? He didn’t remember overthinking past relationships quite so much. Perhaps he did. Well, he nearly immediately admitted the fib to himself.

He also worried that if he acted impatiently, Tav would slip through his fingers like quicksand. There was a nagging in her gut, that he would somehow mess up.

Tav - apart from his mother, and Tara - was the person who knew him best - which wasn’t saying much. She had seen so much of him, though, had been invited into more intimate moments while he held everyone else at an arms length. It was easier than seeing them hold him at an arms length. He tried to find solace in the stars instead of substance on solid ground. Terrified of letting people past the well-crafted fortress to his heart. 

For the past few weeks as he tried, and failed, to teach her simple recipes he felt his resolve grow weaker and weaker. He thawed her, little by little the layers of herself peeling back to welcome him in. Jokes that once would make her gag in annoyance now evoked bubbles of laughter. They rarely spoke at first. Only a few snide comments here and there. 

As the days progressed, however, Gale started to ask her more questions, which he sensed annoyed her to an extent. Once that emotion passed due to his persistent verbosity and monologues about his own answers would she open up and reveal tidbits of herself - what foods she liked to eat, the flowers she noticed, how she liked to spend her time - the latter earning him a withering look, implying him to back away from the question, to which he smirked at and held up his hands.

“Hello?” Gale waved a hand in front of her face, realizing he’d been waiting for her response for quite some time. He noticed she laughed unintentionally and licked her lips before she pressed them together. It made his core simmer. 

“Sorry?” She said, tilting her head and scrunching her face a little. 

“Good! We were worried we lost you there - you just,” Gale pursed his lips and his eyes narrowed a little with excitement. He leaned forward and Tav’s lips parted as she inhaled. He tried to steady his wicked thoughts. He noted the soft red brushed across her cheeks, how her iris’s were swallowed whole. His voice slowed, his tone smooth and mellow, “Blushed a smidge, ah… just as you are now….and then froze, faster than you could conjure an ice storm.” 

The silence lingered, the hairs on his arms stood up and he felt magnified. And then she spoke. “No, regrettably you’re stuck with me for now. Don’t get too excited.” 

He did. She returned the retort exactly as he wanted. “Oh, if this adventure has taught me anything it’s that I’ve grown rather fond of you. I would be rather miffed for our paths to part so soon… there’s so much more to do.” 

Karlach and Shadowheart’s whoops of laughter drew a scowl from her and started walking. 

“Don’t be shy!” Karlach yelled to her and Gale laughed.

 Fine. He thought to himself. Tonight. Tonight.

[miloscat]

[Review] Legend of Kay Anniversary (Wii U)

An unremarkable PS2 action-adventure.

After immersing myself in Avatar media for so long I looked around for any other games set in Asia-inspired fantasy worlds but made by Westerners. This let me knock one off my Wii U backlog, the 2015 remaster of the 2005 PS2 game Legend of Kay. Neon Software, the German studio behind the original game, are known to me for their Amiga Sonic clone Mr. Nutz: Hoppin' Mad, and it's somewhat fitting that their final game before closure was this other furry platformer. Some of the Neon cofounders went on to form Keen Games, which seems to have morphed into a new Kaiko... the original Kaiko being the company that the Mr. Nutz Hoppin' Mad team left to form Neon in the first place! Who knows how long they'll survive now under the aegis of the troubled and layoff-happy Embracer, but it's been four years since their last remaster...

Anyway, this game is a sort of 3D Zelda-like-slash-3D platformer filled with anthropomorphic animal characters, which as a Rare fan sounds up my alley. Comparing it to Starfox Adventures may be a little generous though: this is very much a B-tier PS2 action game, and a graphical revamp for new generation consoles can't magically fix the mediocrity.

To get the plot out of the way: it's extremely Normal. Kay is a "plucky" (read: obnoxious) protagonist, using his martial arts training to fight back against the occupation of his cat village by evil gorillas and rats. He travels his island to settlements of rabbits, frogs, and pandas to free them from oppression. I think it's telling that there are no credits given for story or writing; anything story-related is constantly undermined by overly shallow characterisations, completely functional video game progression (go here to get key to open door to go there etc.), and the most brain-dead "banter". For example, Kay thinks the height of action hero quips is to call a rat "cheese-breath" about a hundred times.

The latter issue is not helped by some misguided voice acting choices. It's a fully voiced game but you'll wish it wasn't with Kay's bland sarcastic schtick and almost every other character uncomfortably presenting as a borderline racist caricature. Mostly it's white people doing faux-"Asian" accents, although apparently crocodiles are Eastern European and frogs are... Jamaican, for some reason? I was glad to find a setting that let me skip any dialogue scene with a quick tap of X, because there's no other way to speed up the tedious exposition and pointless back-and-forth when you meet enemy groups.

There's only a handful of what you might call "puzzles", and the platforming ranges from "not bad" to "OK", serviceable but doesn't excel. The biggest strength and biggest weakness of the game is its combat, which is pretty involved. You can swap between three weapons which have different attributes, you often have to get around enemy blocks so there's a Wind Waker-style roll around move to hit their back, but you can also zip between targets during a combo, or use rolling, crouching, or jump attacks. You can carry up to 5 usable items which sometimes are used to explore but you have to rely on them for combat encounters late in the game when they start throwing waves at you with hordes of armoured enemies. When the difficulty spikes like this, it all just becomes too much and goes from an exercise in creatively using moves to keep your combo up to a struggle to survive (and if you die, you lose any consumables you used in your last attempt, also there's a lives system for some reason??).

I said combat might be the game's strength and it was clearly a focus of the project, but I had the most fun exploring the little worlds. There's lots of goodies to collect, mostly in the form of chests and pots containing money. You quickly end up with more than you'll ever spend but I still liked finding it. The point multiplier mechanic may seem superfluous but when you get accustomed to the flow of the platforming sections, grabbing coloured crystals to keep this combo going to make your fights and coins worth more points becomes addictive. The level design may be nothing special but the zones you traverse have some character to them.

It should be noted that this is a semi-linear game, in that the levels are mostly open to explore with events and sub-dungeons within them, but you progress from one field to the next with no way to go back. This bit me on more than one occasion when I blundered into the story trigger to move on before turning in one of the rare sidequests or going down a side path to find a health extension, making it permanently missable. This frustration prompted me to occasionally consult a Gamefaqs guide with maps during each subsequent chapter. The game does give you a minimap in the corner of the screen but it can't be expanded to a full map so it's less useful than it could be.

Legend of Kay would have felt middling even at release but rereleasing it just makes its deficiencies even more obvious. It's still got some charm for being "of that era" (I was often reminded of The Hobbit's action-adventure game from the same generation, but with fewer instant death pits), so I got some enjoyment from it. And it has some ideas that work, like the acrobatic combat and combo system. While some of the environments look nice there were just as many drab areas, and the repeated character model reuse got old. Oh, and sometimes you ride an animal and it's not fun. On the whole, I can't recommend this one... even if you ignore the cringey cultural stereotypes!!