#not someone in the notes calling this coherent and true. Do you ever go outside

[greelin]

[mylordshesacactus]

OC ask Ihz 1,2, 6, 11,13,15!

Does your OC have a voice claim, if so who?

She doesn't! Outside of, you know. Not Whoever Blizzard Normally Gets To Do Troll Voices, Yikes TM.

If she WERE voiced, it would be by someone with a low, raspy voice, using their natural accent.

Who's your OCs best friend? How did they become best friends?

Thorn, she bought him off his abusive owner ;)

Outside of her animals, honestly, Ihz's best friend is her cousin Vazkri. They grew up together--Vaz is just enough older that they weren't really peers or playmates, but they're similar enough in age that they became close friends as adults. They have wildly divergent personalities, and very different lives; but they trust each other implicitly and will always turn to one another first in a crisis.

If your OC is in a fantasy setting, what profession would they be in the modern day?

Either a farrier or, like, an owner-operator long-haul trucker who drives with her rescue pit bull in the passenger seat (and has spent a small fortune on custom safety harnesses for him).

Modern AU Ihz known mostly for responding to supervisors trying to throw their weight around by letting them scream themselves lightheaded and then going "I'm a Teamster." and then continuing to do things the safe way.

(She has Beverly on speed dial.)

What was your inspiration for your OC?

I wanted to play An NPC (TM), both for fun and also because I'd had the thought that it might MASSIVELY improve immersion if I had a character who had a REASON to go on, and be approached for, fetch quests.

Hence: IHZ! It's not annoying or immersion-breaking for her to be sent on stupid fetch quests while the world ends, because she's not An Adventuring Champion who could be doing something better with her time. The fetch quests ARE her job, and the plot that keeps happening to her is the unwanted interruption.

It also really just...enhances the experience, honestly, when you play a mid-rank character. I think most MMOs would be significantly stronger, narratively, if they would lean into that--you're clearly NOT Azeroth's Greatest Goddamn Champion because there are a bajillion of us, so why treat it that way? You can have your power fantasy without being Azeroth's most special little princess man. Rinda, Talet-and-Vel, Vaz, Levaden, Ihz--they feel like PART of the world, not the artificial center, which is why it's so easy for me to slot them into fic.

So, yeah! Ihz is there because I wanted a character who could interact with the plot from a very specific perspective, without feeling jarringly artificial, and where sidequests would feel more organic and compelling. And I got her!

Does your OC have a rival? How did it start?

Uh, I think her primary rival is [checks notes] Garrosh Hellscream??? This would be news to him, as he was completely unaware she existed at any point.

Ihz's true interpersonal rival is whoever wrote the regulations on approved tack choices for the Horde military.

Will your OC ever retire? Do you see them making it?

In order to answer that question, Blizzard would have to have any kind of coherent presentation of trollish lifespans at all.

I think Ihz will always have SOMETHING she's doing to keep herself busy. If she gets to the point where she can't physically do the mail route anymore she'll pivot--really WILL become a farrier (not exactly a physically undemanding job, but the physical requirements are different) or a stablemaster or a horse tamer or a warg trainer or something. Raise dogs in the Barrens.

There's no reason she won't make it. If she doesn't, though, it'll be because she called the wrong bluff. Though, knowing Ihz--she wouldn't call it a mistake. She's only that bold when there's someone she's protecting, so she'd know the risks and decide she had to try.

[melusinezephyr]

One of Us is Lonely, One of Us is Only Waiting for a Call

thelightofcreation:

Sephiran had no doubts that the words ‘simple mage dragon’ were said with as much sincerity as his own. There was nothing simple about her, even supposing all of her kind were as powerful as she. The entire conversation was a farce, he supposed- should one gather every truthful statement, it would be a miracle to have a coherent conversation. He notes how she did not use the word manakete- there must be other dragonfolk then. There are many different dragons outside of Tellius… due to their power, no doubt. She was proof enough of that.

The magic in her veins was obvious enough, for him. If it were not present, he would hardly have treated this exchange which as much caution as he did. Her pride was similarly displayed prominently- he could hear it in her voice, see it in her posture. There were a good many who were proud of who they were- what they were. He was not one of them, but held no ill will to those who did. After all, sometimes he would wake, wishing to feel the songs of his people on his tongue. But, all the same, could not bear to hear its melody without the power that should accompany it. 

As she continued to speak, he noticed how her reassurances felt artificial- or at least, subject to her whims. She likely had no illusions regarding her honesty, either. Though, what credit could be granted to one’s acknowledgement of their own dishonesty?

If all you say is true… he leaves such a thought out of his words. He may not be afraid, but he still had no desire to make an enemy of one who could make his time at the monastery unpleasant. “To teach future generations the lessons you have learned is a commendable affair. I have no reason to interfere in what you are doing… Nor would I want to.”

She has still not explained what she was doing, so late at night. He wonders if his question is even worth repeating- after all, he had no reason to interfere in her business. Though, the way she still hid the books from him implied something worth hiding. Was it worth investigating?

He let a moment pass, and then another. He was curious, but it was always a hassle to explain his mantle should someone attempt to silence him. She seemed to be one who would attempt to silence those who learned too much of what she hid. He did not wish to go through the same song and dance regarding his Goddess’ blessing, nor was he eager to re-experience another’s futile attempts to kill him.

He sighed. “… I suppose you would not elaborate on your reason for being here, so late at night?”

Zephia clicks her tongue softly, though it is not exactly an annoyance that runs through her. Surprising. She usually found people who asked her too many questions terribly annoying, but rather she finds Sephiran fascinating. Far too fascinating for only a simple late night talk to suffice for her. Perhaps after this, she will have to find him some other day, and question him further on his inhumanness. He certainly didn't seem to be a dragon, and she had not known anyone who was not human other than dragons. How very curious indeed. Perhaps it was the scientist lurking in her that wished to investigate further, but that will have to wait for some other day.

For now, she must continue to hide her own intentions. It simply would not do at all to have such things discovered when she was already working so hard to hide them. It would throw all of the work she had already done out the window, and she so dearly did not want to go back to Shambhala. Such an environment was not at all conducive to her work, even if it was for the Agarthans.

"Why ever would you want to know something that is my business? Can't a woman do some simple research without being questioned over every little thing that she is doing? I am certainly not obliged to share my secrets with you. Nor do I wish to." She supposes if she must tell though, she is allowed to twist the truth just a little.

"But if you must know anything at all, the least I can tell is that there is someone I dearly want to see again. And he cannot be without my help."

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 328: Pandora’s Box of Discourse

Previously on BnHA: DEKU TOOK A BATH.

Today on BnHA: 

Also Naomasa grew a beard. Goddamn. 

please let this be a cool chapter that plays nice with my ADHD lol

(ETA: lol I feel guilty because a lot of people hated this chapter, but I’m just happy there was a lot of stuff to make fun of, and also that I have another week to work on my backlog of meta posts since the kids were MIA.)

around one month ago?? ah, okay, so we’re gonna find out what was in that Tartarus security file huh

I love that they just randomly set the place on fire

was it necessary to do this in order to escape? no. was it a good idea to set the island they were occupying on fire while they were in the midst of still occupying it? uh. was it cinematic as fuck? fuck yeah

wow it’s a pervert!!

that’s so great that the villains set loose this fine fellow who I’m sure is definitely not a serial rapist. truly the LoV is so noble and misunderstood. they’re just trying to free society from its chains people

oh my god??!

SHANKED!!! oh my god I cheered for Stain before I realized what I was doing. time to have an identity crisis I guess

so he’s all “hey what’s going on.” which, while a respectable question, is something I personally would have waited to ask until I had put a bit of distance between myself and the fiery murder island. but that’s just my personal preference

Stain you really are tenacious I’ll give you that

“what’s the point of escaping prison if you’re not gonna be smart about it” well shit. anyways yeah you’re dead right, society is in the process of collapsing and the outside world is in total chaos, good call there

oh shit

I mean it’s not like we really expecting anything otherwise, but still. fucking brutal. I feel like these guys’ fates were decided the minute that one guy called AFO “scum” back in chapter 94. AFO is unmatched at getting long-term revenge

??

ahh, was it the security footage??

fdsdfk he’s still alive??

and he’s immediately launching into an inappropriately theatrical monologue even as the darkness closes in on him fdlfksjdlk. you know, was it ever confirmed that the other guy back in chapter 297 was Seiji’s dad? I’m just saying

very impressed that he’s still coherent enough to weigh the pros and cons before making the decision to gamble on giving this info to Stain, who at the very least has his own moral code and isn’t allied with AFO. it was definitely still a risk, but as we now know it was also the right call

what a weird alliance. so Stain tells him that he’ll give it to a just person, and the guy is all,

okay for real though I’m gonna need someone to run a DNA test on this guy. maybe it was some kind of cuckold situation?? the other guy had the family resemblance, but this guy absolutely 100% raised Shishikura Seiji and you are not going to convince me otherwise

anyway, so Stain is all,

PRISON GUARD: “???? ??????? what the hell. what the fuck does that fucking mean. I’m dying here, jesus christ, whatever man fuck you”

(ETA: I kind of feel like this might have been Stain’s last appearance in the manga, given all the fanfare. there’s not really much else he can do for the story at this point, and he seems to have gotten all the character development Horikoshi was planning on giving him. so if this really is it, hasta la vista and good riddance I guess.)

DWLFDKSLDK MEANWHILE, OUTSIDE

(ETA: I feel like this is meant to be evocative of that Sermon on the Mount painting, but in a really fucked up way lol.)

if it were me stumbling upon this scene I would just shake my head and walk right back into the flaming building. not getting involved in that mess. sorry not sorry. I’ll take my chances with the fire, especially given that it’s half-assed neutered BnHA fire lol

blah blah blah and so he decided to pass the info on to All Might -- HOT DAMN, HOLY SHIT

NAOMASA HOLY SHIT. THE APOCALYPSE LOOKS GOOD ON YOU, BOY

“I really like that facial scruff thing Aizawa’s got going on, I think I’m gonna get in on that” yes sir. “also thinking of ditching the tie in favor of the bulletproof vest look. also thinking of getting totally fucking jacked.” good lord. except I’m pretty sure that’s just body armor, but also I don’t care. anyway I should probably stop staring and actually read the fucking speech bubbles here lol

“All Might first handed this information over to Nao, and then went to see Deku, and then came back to Nao” thanks for that tidy little summary Horikoshi. we are capable of piecing events together in sequential order, I just want you to know that. but thank you

“so has Deku finally gotten a bath? also, sucks that Stain saved the day, but what are you gonna do” Nao I missed you so fucking much and didn’t even realize. how am I just now realizing that you are the perfect man

for a second I was gonna ask why Tartarus’s security systems would be cut off from the outside world, and then I remembered that’s a basic security control, and then I actually got impressed by how sensible that is. like, it’s been a while since I could genuinely say that the good guys (excluding class 1-A) did something smart. not that it helped them much in the end, but still

anyway so they’re talking about how AFO was able to coordinate the attack by communicating between his horcrux self on the outside and his ugly peanut-faced self on the inside

huh

okay you have my attention. I am taking notes here lol please continue

ah okay so he says that prior to Jakku, the transfer of information between him and his Vestige self was only one-way. but post-Jakku when Deku was in the hospital, he was able to tell what was happening inside the OFA Radical Lisa Frank Dead People Book Club Realm when he touched him. I feel like we established that before, actually. but he didn’t talk about how it actually felt, though

boy we already know this lol. yes AFO can talk with his horcrux self. and he can also communicate with his little bro in OFA too, let’s talk about that sometime why don’t we. what exactly does that imply, based on the rules we’ve established here

my god I cannot get over Naomasa and his fucking facial hair

no wonder All Might was in such a hurry to leave Deku and get back here

like I have no idea what this radio waves nonsense is but my god, people

that jawline. also so it’s a quirk, I see. except last I checked Deku didn’t have a radio waves quirk, so that doesn’t really explain his connection to AFO. but whatever, hopefully we’re at least getting closer to some kind of reveal here

(ETA: since I sometimes forget that other people’s lives don’t revolve around my theory posts, here are the two relevant links if you by chance want to know my thoughts about this.

Hagakure is still The U.A. Traitor™ regardless of whether Deku is passing information on to AFO through his psychic link, which he almost certainly is.

speaking of said psychic link, Deku is a horcrux.

just posting these now, because whenever trippy OFA stuff happens I tend to get an influx of theory asks. so hopefully this will be a bit of a time saver lol.)

-- wait, what

THAT’S what the recording was??!? holy SHIT. I genuinely was not expecting that. y’all wiretapped his fucking telepathy. fucking quirks, man. wild

AND THEY USED THAT POWER TO DETERMINE WHAT WE ALREADY KNEW, HUZZAH. GOOD SHOW

-- oh shit wait lol, except I forgot we’re not talking about 38 days from the present, we’re talking about 38 days from the date the conversation was recorded. heh. um

yeah that’s the face I would make too if All Fucking Might just casually told me we had eight days left until the end times

oh, pardon me. three fucking days

r.i.p. anyone who thought we were going to have another band arc sob. I sure hope Deku is enjoying that nap

(ETA: I realize people were hoping for a longer rest period here, but given that the man warned us all the way back in chapter 306 that we were entering the final act, you can’t really blame him too much when that turns out to be true. anyway but I do recognize that we’ve reached the point in the story where this kind of discourse is going to become a weekly occurrence, simply because there’s no possible way for Horikoshi’s actual endgame to line up perfectly with the variable headcanons of millions of fans, all of whom have wildly differing and in many cases contradictory expectations which can’t possibly all be fulfilled. anyway, so I’m already bracing myself for that lol. this coming year is going to be a wild ride.)

damn, U.A. out here looking like the motherfucking United Nations

-- is this U.A.?? I actually just realized, U.A. is four interconnected buildings, not two. wait holy shit is this Shiketsu?

wait holy SHIT

based on the overwhelmingly powerful vibes of bureaucratic incompetence, I’m thinking this really is the (future) U.N., or whatever organization it is that deals with international hero stuff

“just let them handle it themselves I’m sure they’ll be fine” yeah okay, thanks guys. appreciate it

wait oh shit did he say that it’s not just Japan?

soooo, what you’re telling me is that AFO is this close to bringing about the end of not just Japan, but the entire world, and you guys don’t think it’s a good idea to help the Japanese heroes stop him? so, genuine follow-up question: are you guys already planning your rich people exodus into space a la Wall-E, and that’s why you don’t give a fuck?? like, what??

omg international heroes

these guys are from World Hoodie Mission, right? is this Horikoshi’s way of reminding me to buy tickets

(ETA: and it worked too lol.)

WHO??? WHAT???

don’t tell me you’re introducing yet another badass new female character for me to fall in love with only to watch as you dismember them and/or blow them up, Horikoshi. I’m getting tired of playing this game my dude. don’t lie and tell me this time will be different. we’re not doing this again goddammit

noooooooooooooooooooo

god fucking dammit lmao. [sighs and rips the previous paragraph into shreds]

on behalf of Americans I apologize for our superheroes always being Like This

I also apologize because I love her already and I’m gonna be shameless about it. so fucking shameless you guys

is her fucking hair red white and blue. it is, isn’t it

this is the volume cliffhanger, 100% lol. it will take every ounce of Horikoshi’s willpower not to put her on the volume cover. he’ll have to settle for the spine or the inner cover this time because Deku VS his class 1-a superpals takes precedence. but it will be a close thing let me tell you

tbh it’s that smile that does it for me. she’s definitely All Might’s protege. get out there and show them how it’s done girl. and maybe call Salaam and BRD and see if you can’t convince them to play hooky from their governments as well. why not. world’s ending in three days you guys. “sorry, I’m busy this weekend” ain’t gonna cut it lol

so while I am not fully caught up with Vigilantes, I have read far enough to know that there’s an American hero named Captain Celebrity whose superpower from what I recall is being a humongous douchebag. and while I haven’t read far enough to know what happens to this guy, I can’t say I’m very disappointed to learn that he’s no longer the number one hero in the U.S. (actually, didn’t they kick him out and that’s why he moved to Japan to begin with?). anyway, so my thanks to Horikoshi for having a marginally higher opinion of Americans than Furuhashi, even though we have definitely not done anything to warrant said opinion lately, and you may have inadvertently opened the door to a pandora’s box of discourse lmao

(ETA: lol I went into the tags and they don’t disappoint. “why is she dressed like a flag” because she’s an homage to Captain America and Major Victory and literally every other character on this list. again, I apologize for fictional American superheroes being Like This. “oh boy another thicc waifu to make the fanboys happy” look, tumblr fandom never seems to have a problem thirsting over Dabi or Tomura or Aizawa or Nao, lol, I’m just saying. “where is Captain Celebrity” idk, probably murdered by the exploding bee cartel, let’s just be grateful for our good fortune and try not to Beetlejuice the man.)

anyway, so let’s see if Horikoshi’s recent character development with regards to making Mineta not terrible anymore will apply to other aspects of his writing as well. I know I was making light of discourse just now, but I do think the complaints about him introducing yet another new character at the 11th hour to be cannon fodder in the final battle are absolutely valid. and again, it wouldn’t be a problem if he didn’t keep maiming/killing off his female characters one by one instead of developing them and letting them kick ass long-term. but that said, I will never complain about Horikoshi adding another female character to the series, regardless of how clumsy the attempt may be. go ahead and pander away, just give us more girl power lol

anyway so we’ll see how it goes, but I think I’m gonna be optimistic and let myself hope once again, even though I’m probably gonna regret it lol. it is what it is. she is standing on an airplane just chilling for fuck’s sake. I’m only human. anyway fingers crossed

[ailuronymy]

do you think every disabled character in wc is handled poorly? i understand theres def some cases of ableism but at the same time when i hear ppl say that its usually bc the disabled cat wasnt able to become a warrior due to their disability. and i feel like ppl forget, that not everyone irl CAN do what they want after they become disabled. ex. someone wants to be an athlete, but their legs have to be amputated. a cat like briarlight esp i feel is p realistic and could be a source of comfort

Hello there, thank you for writing in. I’m going to reply to this question with a series of questions I think are a bit more useful, given what you’re trying to ask me. I hope that’ll clarify what is a deeply complex, multilayered issue. 

Do I think Erin Hunter handles anything in the series “well”? Not really. I don’t have a high opinion of the work of the collective and, broadly speaking, I think every right note they play, metaphorically speaking, is an instance of chance rather than effort, skill, or intention. Stopped clocks are right twice a day, mediocre writers will sometimes do something cool by accident, similar principle. That’s not to say Erin Hunter hasn’t ever done anything on purpose--just that overall the underlying drive of the series isn’t so much quality as it is quantity, and speed of production, and it shows. 

Do I think Erin Hunter puts any significant research into how they portray disability? No. I do not think it is a priority for this series. They’re not trying to make a meaningful work of literature, or capture a realistic experience of disability, or tell especially impactful or thoughtful stories, or even make a particularly good or coherent fantasy world. Warriors is a specifically commercial product that was commissioned by HarperCollins to appeal to a particular demographic of drama-loving, cat-loving kids. It’s not really trying to do anything but sell books, because it’s a business, so the text in many ways reflects that. They’re not going for disability representation, in my opinion. They’re including disability in many cases as a plot-point or an obstacle. 

Do I think this means that people can’t connect to these characters and narratives in meaningful ways? No. Often I say that a work is completed only when it is read. Before that point, it doesn’t have a meaning: a reader finishes the work through the act of reading, and interpretation, and filling in the spaces and resonance of the story with their own values and experiences. When people talk about subjectivity, this is what they are talking about. What this means in the context of disabled characters in Warriors is that these characters and their stories can be multiple, conflicting, even mutually exclusive things at the same time, to different people, for different reasons. 

Do I think characters have to be “good” to be significant to someone? No. I think genuinely “bad” (i.e., not researched or poorly researched, cliche, thoughtlessly written, problematic, etc. etc.) characters can be deeply meaningful, and often are. Ditto above: for many people, and especially marginalised or stigmatised people, reading is almost always an act of translation, wherein the person is reading against the creative work of the dominant culture in a way that the author likely didn’t intend or didn’t even imagine. There’s a long documented history of this in queer culture, but it’s true for just about everyone who is rarely (or unfairly) represented in media. Disabled people often have to read deeply imperfect works of fiction featuring disability and reinterpret them in the process--whether to relate to a kind of disability they don’t experience themselves but which is the closest they’re offered to something familiar, or to turn positive and meaningful what is intended as narrative punishment, or simply to create what’s commonly called headcanon about “non-disabled” characters who echo their personal experiences. 

Do I think everyone has to agree? Extremely no. As I said before, people will actually always disagree, because all people have different needs and different experiences. What can be interpreted as empowering to one person might be very othering and painful for another. There is no “right” answer, because, again, that is how subjectivity works. This is especially true because marginalised communities are often many different kinds of people with different lives and needs brought together over a trait or traits they share due to the need for solidarity as protection and power--but only in a broad sense. It’s why there is often intracommunity fighting over representation: there isn’t enough, there’s only scraps, and so each person’s personal interpretation can feel threatening to people whose needs are different. You can see examples of this especially when it comes to arguments over character sexuality: a queer female character might be interpreted as bisexual by bisexual people who relate to her and want her to be, while being interpreted as lesbian by lesbians who also relate to her and want her to be like them. Who is correct? Often these different interpretations based on different needs are presented as if one interpretation is theft from the other, when in fact the situation is indicative of the huge dearth of options for queer people. It becomes increasingly more intense when it comes to “canon” representations, because of the long history of having to read against the grain I mentioned above: there’s novelty and, for some people, validation in “canon” certainty. And again, all of this is also true for disabled people and other stigmatised groups. 

Do I think this is a problem? Not exactly. It is what it is. It is the expected effect of the circumstances. Enforced scarcity creates both the need for community organising and solidarity and the oppressive pressure to prioritise one’s self first and leave everyone else in the dust (or else it might happen to you). The system will always pit suppressed people against each other constantly, because it actively benefits from intracommunity fighting. Who needs enemies when you have friends like these, and so on. A solution is absolutely for everyone in community to hold space for these different needs and values, and to uplift and support despite these differences, but it’s not anyone’s fault for feeling threatened or upset when you don’t have much and feel like the thing that you do have is being taken away. It’s a normal, if not really helpful, human response. But until people learn and internalised that the media is multifaceted and able to be many things at once, without any of those things being untrue or impacting your truth of the text, then there will be fighting. 

Do I think my opinion on disability on Warriors is all that important? No, not really. I can relate to some characters in some moment through that translation, but my opinion on, say, Jayfeather is nowhere near as worthy of consideration than that of someone who is blind. I don’t have that experience and it’s not something I can bring meaningful thinking about, really. That’s true for all these characters. If you want to learn about disability, prioritise reading work about disabled rights and activism that is done by disabled people, and literary criticism from disabled people. And as I mentioned above, remember that community isn’t a monolith: it’s a survival tactic, that brings together many different people with disparate experiences of the world. So research widely. 

Finally--do I think there’s only one kind of disabled narrative worth telling? No. For some people, a disabled character achieving a specific, ability-focused dream is a good story. For other people, a story that acknowledges and deals with the realities, and limitations, of disability is a good story. The same person might want both of those stories at different times, depending on their mood. That’s okay. Sometimes there’s power and delight in a fantasy of overcoming seemingly impossible obstacles and defying all expectations. Sometimes there’s value and catharsis in a narrative that delves into the challenges and grief and oppression experienced because of disability. There’s no one truth. 

To round all this off, I’m going to give my favourite example of this, which is Cinderella. I think it’s a great and useful tool, since for many it’s familiar and it’s very simple. Not much happens. In the story, she is bullied and tormented, until a fairy godmother gifts her over several nights with the opportunity to go to a royal ball, where she dances with a prince. The prince eventually is able to find Cinderella, due to a shoe left behind, and they are married. In some versions, the family that mistreated her are killed. In others, they’re forgiven. 

Some people hate the story of Cinderella, because she is seen as passive. She tolerates the bullying and never fights back. She does every chore she’s told. She is given an opportunity by a fairy godmother, and she doesn’t help herself go to the ball. She runs from the prince and he does the work to find her again. Eventually, she’s married and the prince, presumably, keeps her in happiness and comfort for the rest of her life. 

For some, this story is infuriating, because Cinderella doesn’t “save herself”: she is largely saved by external forces. She is seen as a quintessential damsel-in-distress, and especially for people who have been bullied, infantalised, or made to feel less capable or weak, that can be a real point of personal pain and discomfort. 

However, for some others, Cinderella is a figure of strength, because she is able to endure such hostile environments and terrible people and never gives up her gentle nature or her hope. She never becomes cruel, or bitter. She is brave in daring to go outside her tiny, trapped world, and she is brave to let the prince find her. She doesn’t have to fight or struggle to earn her reward of happiness and prove her worth, because she was always deserving of love and kindness. The prince recognises at once, narratively speaking, her goodness and virtue, and stops at nothing to deliver her a better life. 

Depending on the version, the wicked family disfigure themselves for their own greed--or are punished, which for some is a revenge fantasy; or Cinderella forgives them and once again shows her tenacious kindness, which for others is a different revenge fantasy. 

The point? Cinderella is the same character in the same story, but these are almost unrecognisable readings when you put them side-by-side. Which one is right? Which one is better? In my opinion, those are the wrong questions. I hope this (long, sorry) reply is a set of more useful ones. 

[marvelousstevetony]

Okay, so after a stressful few months, I finally wrote a little snippet of something. This was mainly just to get back into writing, but hopefully, I'll get to some of the requests in my inbox very soon!

Anyways; a short no-powers au, stevetony, coffee shop meet-cute. I might continue if anyone wants to read more of this, lol.

~~~~~

Tony downs the last of his coffee as he closes the file that’s sprawled upon the table of the coffee shop.

He neatly places it back in his briefcase, humming contently to himself, the notes of his favorite medium roast dancing on his tongue, and he lets out a sigh of relief at the thought of going home after another stressful days.

As he’s packing up, his pocket vibrates, and Tony quickly pulls out his phone and looks at the caller ID.

“Hey, Pep,” he answers, his voice ragged from running board meetings all day.

Pepper says something in return, but it’s unintelligible as the buzz of the coffee shop drowns out any other noise.

“Hold on a sec, I can’t hear you,” he says, getting to his feet, and grabs the empty cup as he heads for the door. “I’m just leaving the coffee shop.”

“Tony? Do you hear me now?” Pepper asks once Tony’s gotten outside. He confirms that yes, he can hear her, then she continues and starts running Tony through his schedule for the next couple of days.

“I swear, Pep, I’m one board meeting from handing the company over to you,” Tony grumbles, pressing his phone closer to his ear and stops the other with his index finger to block out the honks and boisterous pedestrians. “I can’t do it anymore. I’m going on vacation.”

Tony can all but hear Pepper rolling her eyes at him. She always tells him how dramatic he’s being, which… fair enough.

“You’re being dramatic, Tony. Besides, the— wait, what’s that sound? Is someone shouting in the background?”

He hadn’t noticed, but when he distances the phone from his ear, he does hear a Hey! Being called from somewhere behind him.

“Yeah, well. We’re in New York, someone’s always shouting,” Tony states, but then he feels a something heavy grab his shoulder, and he quickly spins around to see who has the audacity to lay their hands on Tony’s very expensive suit jacket.

“What the—“

Oh. Oh.

“Pep, I gotta go. I’ll call you back, okay? Bye.” The words rush out of his mouth before Pepper even has the chance to form a coherent reply.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt or- or startle you,” Tall, Blonde, and Handsome says in hurried voice and instantly withdraws his hand from Tony’s shoulder.

Tony casts a quick glance at where Blue Eyes’ hand had been and finds that, despite the touch lasting less than two seconds, he already misses the warmth and heaviness of it. Trying to come up with a reply, he opens and closes his mouth a good few times, but all that escapes through his lips are a few confused noises that must make him seem like a right fool.

“You, uh, you forgot your briefcase. At the coffee shop,” Blondie explains and smiles wryly as he holds up the black, leather bag.

Tony blinks at him, still unable to get his brain to function properly. For a second, he imagines the look on Pepper’s face as she’s yelling at him for losing yet another briefcase full of important files, but his mind is soon infiltrated by the stranger in front of him.

There’s a weak indent on his left cheek, one that probably deepens into a small dimple the wider his smile gets. His nose is covered by a light sprinkle of freckles that Tony guesses have come as a result of New York recently being graced with the Sun’s presence. And good God, his eyes — Tony could spend hours, days even, trying to figure out what shade of blue they are.

“I just- I saw you leaving, and it was still there, so I figured…”

The man looks a little uncertain, as if he had gotten it wrong and it wasn’t actually Tony’s briefcase but someone else’s entirely, and that’s when Tony realizes he still hasn’t said a word.

He gratefully accepts the case and nods at the stunner, who he notices is shuffling his feet uncomfortably.

“Right. Thank you,” Tony says, opens the case and reaches for his wallet.

The man’s eyes widen as Tony starts looking through it, then rushes out, “I didn’t steal anything, I promise.”

It occurs to Tony that it definitely looks like he’s checking if everything’s still there, which is surely not what Tony intended. “Oh, I didn’t— I was just,” Tony tries and fails to articulate, instead opting for just waving the $100 bill in the air between them, gesturing for the man who just saved Tony from another earful to take the money and saying a final, “thank you.”

The bluest eyes Tony has ever seen grows impossibly wider when he understands, then holds up his hands, palms facing Tony and the money. “Oh, no, I can’t accept that.”

Tony sighs internally. Of fucking course. Not only is the guy hot as hell, but he’s also as polite as can be. Figures.

“Please, it’s the least I can do.” He pushes the bill closer to the man, then, with a smirk, adds, “You just saved me from a whole lotta trouble, so.”

The chuckle that slips through those luscious, pink lips is so low and sultry, it’s actually kind of offensive, Tony thinks.

“Well, I’m glad I could be of service. Anyone would’ve done the same, though,” he says and gently nudges Tony’s hand down, smiling sheepishly.

“We both know that’s not true,” Tony quips with a raise of an eyebrow.

“Anyone decent, then,” he amends and this time, when he beams at Tony, Tony catches a glimpse of the perfect, pearly white teeth that are hidden behind his lips.

If Tony wasn’t so distracted and preoccupied by daydreaming about his rom-com worthy meet-cute, he maybe would’ve asked for the guy’s number, or even just his name, but all of Tony’s composure has apparently left the building.

“Are you sure?” Tony asks, frowning. “I insist—“

“Absolutely sure,” he assures. “Just being a decent human. Have a good day, sir.” He flashes Tony one last, soft smile as he pockets his hands and walks away.

Tony stays still for a minute, watching as he makes his way down the street. He can’t help the warmth that rises to his face and the blush that colors he cheeks when the most gorgeous man in New York City glances over his shoulder and looks right at Tony with a similar fond expression and cheeks tinted crimson.

A good day indeed.

[farfromsugafanfic]

Dance Lessons

Genre: Hogwarts AU, friends to lovers, fluff

Pairing: Hoseok/Reader

Warnings: drinking, mentions of bullying, tooth rotting fluff

Synopsis: Your friends are absolutely stunned when you say you’re not going to attend Yule Ball. When they find out it’s because your embarrassed to dance, your friend Hobi offers to give you a lesson. If only he knew he was the reason why.

Note: I’m not really satisfied with this but I’ve been blocked lately and it’s the best I can do at the moment. I’ll probably write him another Hogwarts AU eventually with a better concept. Regardless, I hope you enjoy this fluffy mess of a one shot

vVv

"So," Taehyung said. "Does everyone have dates for Yule Ball yet?" His cheeks were stuffed with hot dumplings, but he didn't seem to notice as steam escaped his mouth. 

You tried sinking into the bench and took a bite of your mash potatoes, hoping that by stuffing your mouth no one would pry further. Luckily, someone else piped up before you. 

"I'm going with Hye-jung," your best friend, Hoseok said. 

Your heart dropped and you shoveled another spoonful of potatoes into your mouth. Bangers and mash is your ultimate comfort food--the magic of Hogwarts and the house elves somehow knowing you needed it.

"It's so unfair that the two best dancers always go together," Jinjoo said. She glanced over at you. You imagined that your red hair resembled a lion's main and your cheeks matched the color. "You always steal the show."

Hobi shrugged. "We just dance well together." 

"It's not like you like Hye-jung though," you said, finally swallowed the potatoes and carefully used a cooling spell to quell the heat that had risen in your cheeks. "What if someone asked you otherwise? Would you go with them?" 

Hoseok looked down at his bowl of ramen and stirred it before looking back up. "I don't know. It would depend on who it was." 

A moment of silence passed over the four of you. Despite the mass chatter of the rest of the Great Hall, the quiet passed between you like a dense morning fog. 

"What about you, Taehyung?" Hobi asked. "Who's your date?" 

"Oh, uh," Taehyung squirmed in his seat. "I asked Jinjoo."

Jinjoo smiled and bit back a laugh. "And I said yes. Goodness Tae, there's no reason to be so shy." 

You caught the small way Jinjoo continued to smile, even after she returned to eating. While it came as a surprise that Taehyung and Jinjoo were going together, the two had always seemed to click in a way you didn't seem to understand. Much like you and Hoseok. 

"What about you, Y/N?" Hobi asked, turning to look at you. His large brown eyes bore into you like a hungry puppy's. "Have you found some poor soul to take you yet?"

"I, uh," you glanced between your friends. Jinjoo shot you a sympathetic look and Taehyung watched you blankly, waiting for you to continue. "I'm not going." 

Your friends all paused and three pairs of eyes looked at you with concern and pity. This is exactly what you were afraid of and you had to hold yourself back from sighing and letting your face fall in your hands.

"You don't have to have a date, you know? You can come with me and Tae," Jinjoo said, looping her arm with Taehyung's. 

"No, no," you said. "It was my choice, really. I would just drag down whoever I'm with." 

"What do you mean?" she asked. 

You turned away from Jinjoo because you felt another pair of eyes on you. Hobi was still looking at you, a small line forming between his brows as his eyes looked you up and down.

"It's not that I don't have a date. It's that I can't dance."

Your friends were silent before breaking out into laughter. "Is that really why?"

"Y/N, we've all seen you dance before. What's the big deal?" 

You were certain none of them remembered and you knew you shouldn't have let it bother you so much. You shook your head, trying to change the subject. 

vVv

It was the last party before the summer. Hufflepuff had won the House Cup for the first time in twenty years. Fire whiskey and spiked butterbeer were making the rounds. Being close to the kitchens meant that the Hufflepuffs were closest to the stash of alcohol for the professors and house elves.

"You know, it's ironic we're breaking all these rules after we won the House Cup," you said, simultaneously stuffing three bottles of Fire whiskey into your bag with an extendable charm.

"We were good all year," Jinjoo said, miniaturizing bottles and putting them into her sweatshirt pocket. You laughed and quickly zipped up your bag, careful to leave a few bottles behind so that it wouldn't be obvious that students had swiped some from the stash.

The majority of Hufflepuff House barely remembers the rest of the night. Most of the first through third years had fallen asleep or drank so much they passed out, the mid-years were barely coherent and keeping the party going, and the sixth and seventh years had either called it a night or sat in the corner pretending to keep an eye on the younger ones.

Your friends were a mix. Jinjoo had fallen asleep on Taehyung's shoulder and Taehyung pretended not to be absolutely charmed. He didn't drink, but had eaten enough that night that he might as well have been in a stupor as well. Hoseok--despite normally becoming a depressed and tired version of himself--was out on the dancefloor with the fourth and fifth years. His eyes wore dark cloaks and he looked nearly ready to collapse at any moment, yet he still stayed perfectly on beat.

"Y/N!" he called to you from the dancefloor. He held up the half full beer bottle in his hand as an invitation. "Come dance!" 

Your body stiffened. It wasn't that you didn't like dancing, it was usually just something you did on the rare occasions that you had the dorm room to yourself. Hoseok, though, dance was practically his life. He might be at Hogwarts studying magic, but before that he'd been at a fancy muggle arts school studying dance. Hoseok even took dance classes over the summer. 

It seemed somewhat stupid to worry about what Hoseok would think. He was one of your longest friends, having met on your first day of Hogwarts after you got sorted into Hufflepuff directly after him. His smile never failed to let you down and there was nothing in the world--you thought--that would ever dim the brightness Hoseok made you feel. 

Yet, much of his sun set when he drank. While he still ruled the dancefloor, you could see the chemically induced exhaustion and depression weighing under his eyes. As you approached him, he wore a small, forced smile. His hand reached out for your wrist and you felt electricity spark through you like you'd been hit with a hex. 

You started bobbing up and down like you'd watched the other kids who didn't know how to dance do. You felt awkward, all of the movement coming from your knees. You imagined that you probably looked pretty awkward too. 

Hobi, on the other hand, was moving flawlessly to the beat. Popping and locking in a way that looked fluid and clean, like a well oiled machine. His natural talent was always something you'd admired about him. Yet, you couldn't help but compare yourself with your best friend. Why did he want to dance with you when he was so good and you were just--well--bad?

Hobi let out a small, half hearted laugh. "Looks like you could use some dance lessons." His hands reached out and lightly took your hips, something he never would've been bold enough to do sober. If the small touch to your wrist was a hex, this was the Cruciatus curse. "Come on, just move your hips in time with the music."

When you failed to do so, not exactly sure what he meant by 'time', he let out a full belly laugh this time, though it was interrupted by a Butterbeer induced belch. "You really are bad. Didn't think they knew what they were talking about?"

Your body froze and your face fell. "Who didn't you think they knew what you were talking about?"

Hoseok pointed to the opposite side of the room from where you had stood earlier. "Mary and Perri. They bet me a galleon that you'd make a fool of yourself if I invited you to dance." 

At this, your heart sank. Hufflepuff--despite its value of kindness overall--still had its bullies. And they were Mary and Perri, a pair of twins who loved to torment you and flirted with Hoseok any chance they got. Normally, Hoseok was polite to them, but would generally avoid their presence. A sober Hoseok never would've made some stupid bet and told the twins that he loved your awkward little bend at the knee dance.

Knowing this wasn't the true Hoseok didn't stop your chest from constricting and the words from slicing through your chest. You wanted to cry, but more than anything wanted to get out of the party. Hoseok--even in his drunken state--paused when he noticed the pained look on your face. 

Before he could ask what was wrong or say anything else idiotic, you said, "I just remembered I have a lot of packing to do before we leave tomorrow. I'll--I'll see you in the morning."

Heading to the room you shared the rest of the fifth soon-to-be sixth years, you changed into your pajamas and threw your clothes into one of your already packed suitcases. It didn't take you long to find sleep.

vVv

You were positive that Hoseok doesn't remember that night. In fact, based upon his fuzzy recollection that he was the one who received the last few points needed to win the Cup, you knew he barely remembered anything after three pm that day.

As you came out of your thoughts, it felt like you were breaching the surface of the water. Like someone pulled you out before you could lose consciousness and drown.

"If you're really so worried about it, I bet there's like a potion or a charm or something that could make you dance better."

You paused with another scoop of mashed potatoes halfway to your mouth. You'd never considered that possibility. Leave it to Jinjoo--the smartest girl you knew outside of Ravenclaw--to so blatantly put it out there. 

"Or, I could teach you," Hoseok said, his voice holding a different quality than normal. "You don't need to do anything fancy." 

You were about to politely decline in favor of Jinjoo's idea when she spoke up. "Actually, I like that idea better. Hoseok could give you better moves than any potion." She glanced over at Taehyung and they seemed to share a moment.

"We could use the Room of Requirement too. That way no one would find us and you won't be too embarrassed."

You could hardly argue with his logic and there was something about the look in Hoseok's eyes that had you agreeing. He was one of your oldest friends, yet, you'd never seen him look at anyone with his eyes softened like they were.

"Meet me there tonight then," Hoseok said. "Just after curfew."

vVv

Casting the Disillusionment Charm, you crept down the corridor towards the Room of Requirement. You and your friends had done this many times when you wanted to hang out after curfew outside the dorms. Never once had you been caught. Still, you felt your heart racing as your turned down the correct corridor. 

Entering the Room of Requirement, you let down the charm and saw Hoseok standing near the middle of the room. The room had transformed itself into a small dance studio with mirrors along one of the walls and shiny hardwood floors. 

"Hey Y/N," Hoseok said, his heart-shaped smile not allowing your heart to slow. "Ready?" He approached you and his hand came to your wrist. His thumb running over the delicate skin of the inside of your wrist, it made you shudder. "You seem nervous."

You shook your head, denying the obvious. He didn't push you further, simply turning on some music. "Just dance," he said, beginning his own fluid movements. He played some muggle music that you'd never heard before, but you liked the beat. No matter what he did, it seemed to move perfectly to the beat of the music. 

You tried your best to follow along, moving your hips in small restricted movements. Occasionally, you tried to bring your arms into it, but would quickly drop them back to your sides when you realized you didn't know what to do with them. 

Hoseok laughed, but unlike before where his drunken laugh cut through your skin and bone, this time, it seemed to rise with the crescendo of the music. 

"You're cute," he said. "I don't need to teach you anything."

You stopped and the music stopped too. As if controlled by your thoughts and actions. Hoseok's gaze returned to the one from earlier in the cafeteria, soft but also penetrating. Like a dull knife through butter. 

"But, people make fun of me," you said, pouting. This only made Hoseok laugh again and he moved closer to you, lightly grabbing your chin and making you look up at him. His other hand lightly grabbed your wrist. You swore that the room's temperature rose.

"Who makes fun of you?" Velvet was the only way to describe his voice. 

"Mary and Perri."

"Since when do you care what they think?"

"Well, they're not the only ones."

"Mm?" Hoseok arched an eyebrow, but otherwise, his face stayed static. The emotions you could read sitting somewhere between content and provocative. 

"It was also--"

"Me?"

You felt the blood drain from your face and your whole body stiffen. When he felt you go rigid, Hoseok loosened his touch on your wrist, but didn't pull away. 

"You remember?"

"No, I don't."

"Then, how do you--?

Hoseok pointed up to his head, an amused look on his face. "I'm practicing Legilimency, remember?"

He read your mind. Jung Hoseok read your mind. Nothing made you want to crawl into a ball and disappear into a far corner of the Room of Requirement more. 

"I didn't really mean to, but your mind is so easy to walk into. You really should work on that." He winked at you and pulled you into his chest. He'd noticed the way you brought your hands to cover your face and let your hair fall in from of your cheeks. His hands wrapped around your back and held you softly. "I am sorry, Y/N. The alcohol isn't an excuse for what I said or did, even if I don't remember it. It was stupid and untrue."

You pulled your head from the warm embrace of his chest to look up at him. "I forgave you a long time ago, Hobi. I know you didn't mean it."

"So, if I tell you that I think it's cute when you dance and are a little offbeat, will you go to Yule Ball with me?"

"Aren't you going with Hye-jung?"

"There's been a change of plans."

[ramp-it-up]

Sundancer

Pairing: Rafael Casal x Reader

Word Count: 4.2k

Warnings: Minors DNI, Some pictures, Angst, Pining, drinking, explicit language, oral sex (female/male receiving), love fluff. All errors my own.

A/N: This an ask from @honeysucklechocolatedrippin​ from the 100 smut prompts ask list. I got caught up with this one because I went back to the Show Runner AU.  I kinda love these two.  Hope you enjoy. Read Show Runner.

-------

This press tour was going to be all work. No play. 

Those were the strict rules that you were given.

This was the premiere film and television festival and January in Park City could be a fun, wild place and time, but you were on the clock. 

There would be no open flirting, touching, or even covert fucking while the cast was there. 

You listened to the lecture and smiled and nodded when appropriate.

Truth be told, you really weren’t paying attention, just waiting on your knees, naked and wet, to suck the shit out of his dick. 

When he gave you permission to of course.

You were determined to suck all those stupid ideas out of his brain along with all his cum when he gave you the chance. 

And Rafael was, indeed, without much coherent thought when you were done.

_____

Wednesday 

That conversation was of no consequence to you four days later when you landed in Park City. 

Daveed and Rafa had been there for two days and the rest of the cast was trickling in. 

You gathered your bag while answering a few questions from the paps and headed to your hotel alone, following the driver who held your name up outside baggage claim to a luxury suv.

You texted Rafael that you had landed, to which he just replied, “Good.”

No, ‘how was your flight,’ nothing. 

You sighed, assuming he was busy. 

He had been texting you nonstop for the past three days and now he wanted to play you. 

That was cool.

You relaxed as you took in the snowy scenery of snowy Park City. 

You were taken to a stunning tiny little chalet at the edge of the city and halfway up the mountain. 

The views were spectacular, the cute cozy kitchen fully stocked, and the fireplace was bomb.

As you took in all the antler decor, you texted Rafa again, hyped at the accommodations.

This is dope!

You made sure your cleavage was right in your v-neck sweater and took a selfie of you from above in the bedroom. 

I can’t wait to be on my knees for you later.

You saw the thought bubbles, but no response.

Cool cool cool. 

If that’s what he wanted. That’s what he would get. Ice.

You shook your head and looked in the refrigerator for water. You also found your favorite snacks. 

Production thought of everything. You’d thank Gwen later.

You relaxed on the couch until it was time to get ready for the mixer. 

The car was ready to go at 6:45, in time to get you fashionably late to the Television mixer at the Waldorf Astoria at 7.

Because of all the traffic, you didn’t arrive until 7:30, but you were chilling. You spotted your crew immediately, partly because they were the loudest. 

You loved this new family you made.

“Ayyyy! What’s cracking! We thought you’d never make it. Late flight? You want a drink?”

You laughed at Daveed, seeing that he was on his way to getting lit.

“I’ll have what you’re having.” 

He raised his cute ass eyebrow at you. “This grown folks shit. You sure?”

“Yes. I’m grown. I need to catch up to you! I misjudged the time to leave my chalet. What time did you all leave yours?”

“Ummmm. I walked downstairs like 20 minutes ago. The whole cast is staying here. You’re the only one staying on the other side of town.”

“Oh.” 

You didn’t know what to say as Daveed turned to go get your drink.

You looked around and saw a lot of actors you’d love to work with, some you already had, and some you knew to stay away from.

You spotted Rafa’s golden hair on the other side of the room. 

You weren’t going to go after him, and you didn’t need to, because some of your cast mates enveloped you and Daveed brought you a drink.

You were having too good a time to worry about Mr. Artistic Integrity.

You two circled the room, never really ending up in the same place. You finally saw him with Gwen and got a chance to talk. Rafa saw you approach. He nodded.

“Hey, Long time no see. You make it in ok ?”

You looked at Rafael for an extra beat. He’d seen you up close and personal three days ago when you’d ridden his face. 

But you were an actor. You could play this game.

“Hey Casal. Yeah, I got a few hours ago.” 

You turned to the logistics producer. 

“Gwen! My chalet is so dope!”

She raised her eyebrow at you. 

“That’s great! So, you wanted peace and quiet and away from the rest of us, ay?” Gwen laughed as you and Rafa smiled politely. You were seething. 

“Trying to avoid all the parties. I get it now, although I thought it was weird that you declined accommodations.”

“You know our girl, always a loner.”

Rafael took a sip of his drink, looking at you over it. Your blood boiled but you turned and smiled at Gwen.

“Yeah. On my INFJ shit. What’s the lineup for tomorrow?”  

You made small talk to avoid cussing Rafael the fuck out. He stood there for a minute, listening and being an adorable muthafukin asshole. 

Other people came up and you didn’t even notice Rafa step away. But you spotted him, in a corner with that little twat Ava with the tight little body. Just his type.

He saw you stalking out of the mixer as he chatted her up.

—-

Two hours later, you were cozy in the hot tub, smoking some kush to relax, scrolling your phone. 

A TMZ post from your explore page caught your eye. 

There was a picture of Daveed, next to Rafa and Ava, who looked pretty close and fucking beautiful together. 

The gossip site gushed over the picture of the Bay Boys, noting the ‘adorable couple’ and their mingling at the mixer and somehow sneaking in a not so subtle hint that they were staying at the same hotel.

That was the final straw. You saw it all. Rafa wanted you far away from him while he fucked this little miniature Bratz doll. Bet.

It was only midnight. You were going to get your own plastic action figure for the night.

——

Thursday 

The next morning, you met up with the crew at the suite which was set up for the series press day. 

You went straight to Chelsea who was set up in the bedroom of the suite.

You gave her a hug and took off your sunglasses. Your eyes were puffy.

“Damn girl. You did have fun last night. I got just the thing for those circles.”

You breathed a sigh of relief and let her work her magic.

You emerged ten minutes later and went and got something to eat and a bottle of water from the catering station set up in the kitchen. You watched D and Rafa charm the interviewer. 

You took a deep breath. You could do this.

Ten minutes after that, you find yourself sitting in a chair with the cast lined up, somehow seated next to Rafael.

As the first interviewer was setting up, you got comfortable in your chair. Being a professional.

“I see you had fun last night.”

You looked over at Rafael as if surprised to see him there.

“I’m sorry?”

He smirked at you.

“I said it looks like you had fun with Michael last night.”

He held up his phone and you squinted at a post of you and your new friend, a highly sought after actor who had been in one of Rafa’s favorite movies. 

The pic was from after you went back out to the club last night. You were hugged up close.

You looked in his eyes and saw that he felt some kinda way. He had some fucking nerve.

You smirked. 

“Yeah. He’s really truly a dope person. Not just beauty, but brains too. I love an intelligent man. We… talked all night.” 

Rafa’s smile slipped. You sat back and put on a megawatt smile for the reporter.

The entire day was filled with your secret shots and animosity toward Rafa. 

You couldn’t wait to talk to him in private and tell him not to call your cell phone ever again.

Reporter: “This show has many complex relationships, and you are at the center of two of them that are just developing as the series begins. What do you do to ease into a new relationship?”

You leaned back and crossed your legs.

“That is a great question. Let’s just take an example of, say, meeting someone at... a club?”

Daveed leaned in front of Rafa and said, “This is not a true story from last night by the way.”

“Of course not,” you quickly replied and winked. Everyone laughed, everyone but Rafa.

“What I’ve found recently that works wonders is: ‘Oh my god you’re so much better than the last person I was with.’”

Everyone was dying laughing.

Rafa choked on his water. You leaned over and patted him on the back. “You good?”

He just glared at you. You shrugged and kept it moving.

“No, but really. You should start off in a relationship where you can be open and honest. There’s really no relationship if you can’t have that.”

Rafael cleared his throat, but you refused to look at him.

The press day continued.

After eight hours of interviews, you were ready to get out of there, so while Rafa and D were playing host, you managed to get out and to the car. 

You were exhausted of the tension.

On your way to the chalet, Rafa texted you.

‘We need to talk.’

You huffed. Now he wanted to talk. 

Well, tough shit. 

You blocked his number. 

You couldn’t function like this right now. You and him could break it off next week in LA. He was right, you were on the clock.

That night at the Midnight showing, you sat with Michael. 

Might as well try to have some fun. The paparazzi were snapping lots of pictures with you two.

While Mike took a quick interview, you made your way to the bar alone.

“You’ve not answered any of my texts. Or my calls.” 

You rolled your eyes at Rafael.

“You’ve texted and called?” 

You shrugged and took a drink.

“Look. We can do all that back in Cali next week. Gotta keep it professional here, isn’t that the deal?”

You downed your drink and walked back over to Michael, Rafael boring a hole in your back. 

He left you alone after that.

——

Friday

The next day and night were much the same, a cast interview and screening of two episodes during the day and another industry party at night. 

Rafa being so busy made it easy to stay away from each other.

You got back to your place with a bottle of tequila about midnight. 

You were flying out the next day and you should have some fun, even if it was not what you’d envisioned before you arrived in Park City. 

You hated Rafael Casal. 

But you refused to cry. Again.

An hour later, you looked up from your drunken haze to see Rafa standing over you. 

He looked so damn good in this dream.

“You shouldn’t drink a whole bottle of tequila in a hot tub, especially alone.”

“What the fuck do you care? You’re probably fucking Ava ten ways from Sunday right now.”

Dream Rafa raised his eyebrow at you and shook his head.

“Why would I want to fuck Ava?”

“Right? Especially when you could have all this.”

You stood up, almost falling and showing off your wet, naked body.  You giggled as he appreciated you, his eyes sweeping down your body.

Dream Rafa moved closer to you and grabbed your hand as you wobbled. 

“Let’s get out and get you some water.”

He helped you out and wrapped you in one of the huge white fluffy robes that you’d found in the closet.

He led you to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator.

You drank, your head clearing, but just a bit.

You kept staring at Dream Rafa, who was regarding you steadily, a weird look on his face.

When you finished, he walked you to the bedroom and watched as you lay down. You looked at the clock on the bedside table. It was 1:30 am.

You opened your robe and turned to see Dream Rafa in bed with you.

“How convenient. I’m so so horny Dream Boy. Haven’t had any dick since last week.” 

You untied the robe and grabbed your breasts, squeezing them and rolling your nipples, arching your back.

Rafael watched you hungrily.  

“Help me to get off. Fuck me, Dream lover. The real Rafa doesn’t want me anymore…”

You moved your hand down to your core and started playing in it, moaning and watching Rafa watch you.

As he licked his lips, you brought your hand up and let him taste the wetness on your fingers. He hummed, then took your hand in his.

“Not like this. I want you. Fully present and clear headed. But I want you. And we need to talk.”

He kissed the palm of your hand and covered you with the robe again.

You groaned and turned away from him.

“Even the Rafael of my dreams reject me? I can’t believe I’m in love with such a jackass.”

You didn’t feel Rafa pull you close as you started shoring.

—

Saturday

You woke up alone, mad at the sunlight. Your head was pounding. 

Your mouth was parched, but you found a bottle of water on the bedside table. 

You grabbed it, grateful that you got it on the way to the bedroom last night. 

As you sat up and drank, you groaned as you thought back to your dream. 

You had to get him out of your system.

You got up and went to the kitchen, halfway expecting to see him there. 

You sighed with something that must have been relief when he wasn’t there. 

You took your water and some grapes to the little kitchen bar and sat there, eating and drinking slowly with your head in your hand.

You jumped when you heard a key in the front door and stared when Rafa let himself in. 

“Look who’s up. Bet you’ve got a doozy of a headache.” 

You just continued to gape as he put his bags down on the counter. He handed you a bottle of aspirin.

“You’ll need these.” He put some pedialyte in front of you. “And this.”

“Wait. Did you just let yourself in? With a key?”

“Yeah. This is my chalet. I own it.”

Your mouth dropped open. 

“I thought you had a hotel room.”

“I do. This is business so production put the cast up there. D and I decided to join.”

Your heart clenched at the fact he did not want you there too. What was this reality? Then you thought about the dream.

“Wait. Were you really here last night?” 

You were confusion.

Rafa smiled at you. 

“You want something to eat? Gotta get something in your stomach besides tequila and grapes.” 

You groaned and held your head at the realization that last night was not a dream.

“Fuck. Did I say all that? Did I do all that? Out loud?” 

You peeked at him through your fingers.

That smile. “Yeah.” 

You were mad. He looked to fucking happy. 

“Well, don’t take it personal. I was zooted. When I’m sober, I hate you Rafael.”

He frowned. “Are you sober now?”

You opened the bottle of aspirin and drank some pedialyte. 

“Unfortunately, yes. Very sober.”

Rafa moved next to you.

“I’m going to come closer so I don’t have to yell.”

He tipped your chin up with two fingers.

“I can’t believe I’m in love with a fucking brat.”

You were ready to fight.

“I’m a brat? I’m a BRAT?” 

You leaned back, your hands on the counter behind you to get some space from the electricity bouncing between you.

“You ignore me as soon as I land in the same city as you, and then you put me out here in this secret hideaway so you can fuck with that Ava chick.” 

You closed your eyes because you’d be damned if you cried right now. 

“I thought we agreed that we’d talk to each other before we tired of each other and got with other people?”

Rafa leaned close to you, caging you in with his arms on the counter beside yours. 

You could barely breathe, the emotions were getting the better of you. You just wanted to kiss him.

“Who told you that I fucked Ava?” 

This time you raised your chin on your own.

“No one had to tell me. I saw the pictures of you two together. I can read, Rafa.”

“Not very well in this situation, I’m afraid.”

Rafa shook his head and looked down. Then looked back up at you with those damn eyes.

“You also don’t listen. Did you even hear what I said? I just said I love you.”

You just stared at him.

“Wait… what?”

Rafa brought his hips closer to yours, standing up tall. You wanted them on you.

“I love you, you fucking brat. Why would I want Ava when the woman I love has all this.”

And he reached for you, opening the tie on your robe. He sighed as he moved his hands on your brown skin. He was home.

“I want you to listen. Listen before you jump ahead and try to argue.”

You were about to say something and clamped your mouth shut at his warning glance.

“I told you, this was work. And we agreed not to go public with our relationship yet.”  

He saw you wanting to protest.

“We agreed.” 

His hands spread against your stomach, thumbs on your warm nipples.

“I wasn’t ignoring you, I was controlling myself. I wanted to meet you at the airport, but the paps are swarming.”

Rafael's blue eyes were now dark.

“And I didn’t stash you away because I wanted to fuck Ava, but because this is my home and I wanted you in it.” 

Rafa finally kissed you, and you took his tongue in your mouth, wanting to own a part of him.  Your moan while you kissed was getting him even harder.

“And when you sent me that picture of you in the bedroom, I wanted to run over here and take you in every room,  but I couldn’t. Still working. Just had to jack off when I could. To that picture.”

You moaned as his words made you drip down your thigh.

He pressed his pelvis to you and you could feel how hard he was. You took a ragged breath and forced your hands to remain on the counter. 

But you looked up into those burning blue eyes. You were wet and ready.

“It was killing me knowing that you were so close, sleeping in my bed without me, naked in my hot tub without me, and that I couldn’t touch you, hold you. Fuck the shit out of you. Hear you scream my name.”

“Tire of you? God, I wish I could get tired of you. I want you all the time, I can hardly function when you’re not around.”

He kissed across your collarbone to the other side of your neck. You were definitely weak.

“I was coming over that first night, but I saw you going out. To the club. Where it seems you hooked up with Mike.” 

Rafa bit down on your pulse point.

“Rafa, I…”

Rafa licked the spot he just bit. 

“Shhh. I know you didn’t get with him, but you were a bit of a bitch at the Q and A day. And then you took him to the midnight screening.”

Rafa was appraising your body possessively now.

“You tried to make me think that you were with him; that he was touching you like this.”

Rafa grabbed your breasts and squeezed your nipples between your fingers. You arched into his hands.

“It was like you were teasing me.” 

His hands moved down your torso and around to your ass, squeezing and pulling your cheeks apart and ghosting your intimate parts with his fingers.

“You know I don’t like to be teased.”

He released you and took two steps back, leaving you feeling bereft.

You were panting in the middle of his kitchen. You felt what it was like to be teased.

“Rafa, I’m sorry. Please…”

Rafa was two steps ahead of you. He was pulling his Oaklandish hoodie over his head. Then he shook his head at you.

He bent his head to your breast as he lifted it roughly to meet his lips. He drew your hard bud between his lips and grazed it with his teeth. 

Rafa nipped and sucked your flesh roughly as he licked the fingers in his other hand and reached between your legs.

“Did you want Mike to touch your cunt like this?”

“No...only you Cash…”

He traced his fingers between your wet lips, causing you to shudder and moan. Then he started to tease your clit.

“Tell me what I want to hear. Tell me you love me.”

“I..I…” You didn’t know when it happened, but it did. “Fuck it. I love you Rafael.” 

You sigh in relief and with desire as he pushed his fingers deeper into you.

He moaned softly in your ear as he pressed you back against the island.

“Good girl. Now tell me more. Tell me you love what I’m doing to you right now. Tell me you love this shit.”

“I love it so fucking much,” you squeaked, holding on to his shoulders for dear life, your nails digging in.

As he pumped his fingers, you wriggled and started to grind against his hand. As you wriggled more, he cursed under his breath.

“Fuck! Stay still.”  

His tongue licked up and down your neck as his hand went faster and faster, playing you like an instrument.

You were getting so close, and Rafa could feel it. So he stopped and stepped back again, panting while he tasted his fingers and leaving you quivering and emotional.

You refused to beg, but he knew what you needed.

“I want to punish you for not listening to me and your heart, but I can't because I’d be punishing myself.”

He walked toward you again, put his hands on you and slid down your body as he knelt before you.

Rafa looking up at you like that made you fall in love all over again. 

He leaned forward and kissed your lower lips oh so tenderly. Then, he licked them, and you had to hold on to the counter again. Then he started talking.

“I’ve been hard for you ever since you texted me that you touched down.” 

He kissed each of your thighs and lifted one up and rested it on his shoulder. You were not ready.

“I was so pissed off all day. Until I saw you that night.”

Rafa lightly licked a long stripe between your legs.

He pulled back and looked at your pussy, as if entranced.

“But, I stayed away from you at the mixer because I knew I would drag you to a bathroom and bend you over the sink…”

Rafa slowly rolled his tongue over your slit. You held your hand over your mouth as you watched him.

He looked up at you and chuckled. 

“No close neighbors. Let me hear you.” 

He sighed as he looked at you again. 

“I wanted to take you in the bedroom at the suite during the press day and put your ankles around your ears to dig out that attitude.”  

Rafa licked you again, making you tremble and moan loudly.

“I decided to come and give you an ultimatum last night, but I get here and you were so cute and drunk and said that you loved me.”  

He graced you with a smile. You smile back and brush his hair out of his eyes.

“I know you said that I don’t own you. But you own me. Body and soul. I’m starving for you.”

And then he dove in, making you gasp as he eagerly parted your lips with his tongue and started to flick it back and forth over your clit, grasping your ass and your leg to support you and keep you in place.

This time he didn’t stop. He licked and sucked and swiped, his head moving back and forth as he ate. He did it until your eyes rolled back into your head and you were screaming his name. He increased his pace and intensity until you were a quivering, moaning mess. 

You come on Rafa’s face in the middle of a ski chalet in Park City, Utah.

You were still quivering as you watched him stand up, take off his shirt and wipe his face with it.

“So, you can take your flight back to LA in a couple of hours, or you can stay until Monday and we can be seen together tonight. In public.”

Your face lit up as he led you to the bathroom. You were catching on.

“And we will be ‘good friends’ for a few weeks until we let on.”

“Now, you’re listening.” Rafa was smiling wide now.

“Wait, does Diggs know about us?” Rafa started taking off his pants. You needed what was inside.

“Nevermind. I know the answer, Jackass.”  

You ignored Rafa’s laugh as you began to make up for lost time.

-------

Read the next part, Scene Stealer Tagging: 

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[chaosprince-apollo]

I find it poetic that in some ways Iroh's greatest defeat is ultimately his greatest triumph.

Like I'm not talking directly obviously. We know he was considered to be a great general and after his defeat he was ridiculed and broken because of the death of his son, he had no real place in his own nation due to his failure and outside of his nation he is a war criminal which he is undeniably aware of and he regrets because he knows he wasn't the good guy and his son died in vain. He may act like a buffoon at times but we know and the people in the avatar kingdoms know he is extremely capable and an expert stratergiest (a testament to this fact is people are wary of him and he STILL manages the convince them he's harmless even when the KNOW he's a dangerous man.)

Now to get to my point about why it becomes a triumph. Simple. It's his big turning point or his first big turning point. This failure and subsequent ridicule breaks him away from the expectation of being a great general. Breaks him away from being a model of what a fire nation soldier should be. Iroh is shown to always be a caring father and I truly believe he knew he was doing wrong but that he also loved his nation and the firelord (his brother) and wanted to bring glory/honour not just for himself but for his son. Failing at Ba Sing Se was a blow sure but if he'd succeeded a) more people than had already died would have and being enslaved by the fire nation. b) he'd have never become the man who became one of the cities protectors c) he'd possibly not have been the one to be with Zuko during exile and d) certainly wouldn't have been someone helping protect the Avatar.

Now I say this is one of his turning points because it's also extremely obvious his relationship with Zuko is his other important factor as to WHY Iroh is such a nuanced and well fleshed out character. There's no way Iroh WOULDN'T love Zuko, but his failure and death of his son drives Iroh not only to adopt Zuko as his own but also to understand that Zuko's mission is wrong and is the road to ruin.

Iroh has first hand knowledge what being on the wrong side gets you. He's also one of the only people around Zuko that acknowledges he is literally a 13 year old child (when exiled, 16 during the show) the gaang also make acknowledgement of this but considering they themselves are like 12-15 approximately this acknowledgement doesn't have the same impact as GROWN ASS ADULTS thinking it's okay for the firelord (a powerful force) to fight agni kai against a 13 year old and then exile him for having....an opinion? Like honestly do these people actually know what the agni kai was about and just accept that or are they told Zuko did something terrible...which like even so pretty poor form here y'all (anyway I digress clearly from my point but I have FEELINGS and probably there are other people with in the fire nation that have enough empathy and critical thinking to know that what happened to Zuko was wrong but my point remains) Uncle Iroh is one of if not the only ADULT character that seems to actually be shown as thinking Zuko is a child with feelings instead of that he's dishonoured his family or that he's evil.

(Side note, I know he calls Azula crazy but I also don't think he thinks she's actually evil either but he has no way to help her and even if he tried there's no way in her current mind set she'd ever listen. She wants to be strong and powerful and whilst she's incredibly smart she can't tell she's being manipulated because she's only ever gotten by on manipulation herself and being rewarded for that so it's difficult for her to see her father doing it to her. It's really enforced into her that her brother is weak and worthless because he doesn't have it in him to be like her. In her mind Iroh isn't just a failure as a soldier, he's a failure because he stood by Zuko. Why would she listen to someone so weak and stupid.)

So in conclusion after several tangents. Iroh's failure to take Ba Sing Se ultimately leads to his role in it's liberation and the defeat of the fire nation under firelord Ozai. His defeat helps put him on the side of the people and the avatar and gives him chances to make amends for his true failures (besieging the city in the first place leading to deaths including his own son and the failure to bring a stop to his younger brother's ambition and cruelty)

Another tangent fuck sorry, it's being a little while since I've watched and I'm thinking of things as I type and I am totally aware I might be missing stuff or misremembering things or that maybe I just have a different interpretation of certain events or characterisations. ANYWAY Iroh as the older brother was the one in line for the throne and Ozai tried to convince Azulon that Iroh was weak using Ba Sing Se as the reason (Azulon's reaction to this is entirely unfair, and it's hard to feel empathy for his fate at the time of his death even if, like other people of fire nation royalty, he has potential not to be a FUCKING COLOSSAL WANKER.) [Also a pause here to say there's a solid 11 to 12 hours between my thoughts here cause my friend called for me to pick her up from somewhere cause she finished waaaaay earlier than we were expecting so coherency who knows her lol]

I think the point I was making essentially comes down to Iroh's defeat leads Ozai to confront/try to reason with Azulon that Ozai would make a better firelord than Iroh (whether Ozai was wrong or right is a matter of perception ultimately) Azulon didn't like this and demanded Ozai kill Zuko, which I actually don't remember clearly but I looked at the wiki to jog my memory and it says that's what happened. Which was my point earlier about being a wanker, and sure maybe it was actually going to be some kind of test a la abraham and isaac etc but of course he got murked and also like firelords tend to have this follow through of becoming batshit at some point. Or at least the last few the precede our boy Zuko certainly have questionable levels of empathy for anyone outside of their immediate family and even then ... anyway who remembers Zuko's scar? Anyone, anyone at all. Yeah....

So Iroh defeat = Ozai trying to usurp the throne = Azulon's piece of shit death to Zuko demand = Azulon gets murdered, sorry assassinated = Ozai usurping the throne anyway (although I'm not sure Iroh really fought him on that at all? Someone please clarify) = Ozai being firelord when Zuko spoke up = the whole agni kai business = Zuko having his face burnt by his own father and told he's weak and is given a frankly impossible task = Iroh watching on and feeling shame, disgust, guilt, and honestly I ultimately think he felt fear for Zuko and fear of having to acknowledge more than ever before that his younger brother and even the nation he loves are on the wrong path and that power isn't worth the amount of pain and suffering caused, like I'm sure previous to this he knew, he had to have known because we know how incredibly intelligent Iroh is, and we also know he is part of white lotus (which again someone might have to tell me a timeline on that because the white lotus thing seems to have being going on a while so was he white lotus during the ba sing se seige? The first one I mean? OH THOUGHTS BUT I'LL COME BACK = Iroh and Zuko's pirate adventures uh, I mean Zuko tries to capture the avatar and Iroh drinks tea = Iroh having to watch Zuko struggle at an impossible task to regain honour he never actually lost = Iroh being a scheming old man to achieve the goal of giving Zuko a loving father = Iroh going on the journey with Zuko to befriend the gaang = Iroh participating with other white lotus members to liberate ba sing se = leading to help the downfall of an oppressive regime = Zuko taking the throne in a state of empathy and acceptance.

Like let's be real. Even though Iroh probably would have made a formidable firelord he possibly wouldn't have become the Iroh we know even though that man would have been in there and whilst he'd have remained a role model to Zuko it may not have had the same impact as the journey they DO share.

Okay I know I had more thoughts regarding white lotus things but this is so long and it's midnight and exactly 0 people will read this

Anyway I love Iroh thanks for coming to my Ted Talk

(Any mistakes are because my brain just dumped a bunch of thoughts and proofread absolutely nothing)

[ticklishtypings]

True Quirk (Todoroki x Midoryia)

A/N: This took me TWO days to write :’) do forgive me if it doesn’t seem coherent lol. Here it is though! I hope you enjoy <3

Disclaimer: This is a sfw tickle fanfic (I do not do nsfw for any fandom)

Summary: Todoroki has been noticing that Midoryia has been acting strange lately, specifically when tickling is involved. He decides he wants to figure out why. 

Word Count: 1,517

Todoroki and Midoriya had been dating for about 5 months now, and frequently spent time together outside of the academy. Recently, Midoriya has been acting strange around his boyfriend. While he is usually a little awkward, it seemed to be at an unusual rate. 

“Midoriya, what is your problem?” Todoroki questioned, when the latter’s face got tightened and red in the middle of class. 

“Oh! Nothing! Nothing!” He freaked, covering his face in a horrible attempt to hide his expressions. 

While Todoroki thought it was odd, he let it go thinking Izuku was just being weird in thought like he usual is. But eventually, it happened again when they were hanging out. His face turned a familiar shade of crimson, gently squirming in his seat. He decided to ignore it, for the sake of his boyfriend, but he wouldn’t forget it. 

The third time was when he pieced it all together, the class of 1-A had been in the lunch room together. They were all engaging in small talk, before Kaminari and Kirishima got into an argument, they all peered over at the developing. 

“Take that back Kirishima!” He growled. 

“No way! You know damn well I exceeded in that test and got a better score than you ever could!” 

“Take. That. Back.” Was Kaminari’s final warning, before pouncing on the blonde haired boy. 

They all thought there was going to be a fight involving quirks, and weren’t expecting laughter to come out of the boy. Peering over the table, the scene was hilarious. Kaminari was on top of Kirishima, fingers wiggling all over the poor boy’s sides, causing him to let out little giggles. 

“Dohohon’t do this!” He pleaded, face reddening. 

“Then take back what you said.” 

“I dohoho! I tahahake it bahahahack!” He pleaded, little sparks zapping off of him. 

The tickling halted, and they joined the others back at the table as if it was a normal occurrence to them. 

“Wow, who would of guessed Mr. Electric was ticklish.” Todoroki snickered, looking around at the table to unconsciously see if his boyfriend laughed. 

He didn’t see him laughing though, instead he saw him covering his face with his book. Why was he hiding? Nothing bad had happened, just a small tickle fight between..OH. It made so much sense now, thinking back to the other times Izuku had freaked out as well. The class was learning about weak spots, and someone snorted about just tickling the opponent. The night when they were hanging out, there had been a tickling scene on during the movie, and that’s when he got all spazzed out. Why did tickling cause him such embarrassment? 

“Midoriya.” He walked over to his side of the table, and tapped his arm, causing the boy to jump. 

“AH! Uhm, yes Todoroki?” He started stuttering, face still flushed from earlier. 

“Wanna do homework at my place?” His voice remained steady, he wanted to figure out why he reacts the way he does.

“Oh, sure thing!” And with that, Izuku grabbed his backpack and said goodbye to the rest of the gang. 

The walk there was silent, Izuku kind of thought he upset him based on it, but Todoroki was actually planning how he wanted to go about this. Was he going to be blunt about it? He didn’t actually know how he wanted to approach this, especially since it makes his boyfriend embarrassed. His intent wasn’t to embarrass him, he just wants to know what tickling makes him feel. 

After what seemed like an eternity, they arrived at his house, and they made their way to his bedroom. The silence between them was awkward and unbearable before Izuku finally spoke up. 

“Are you mad at me? Are you going to break up with me?” Worry coating his voice, avoiding eye contact. 

“What? No. What made you think that?” 

“You didn’t talk to me the whole way here. We always talk about our day walking over.” He fiddled with the hem of his sleeve. 

“No. I was just thinking.” 

“Do you swear?” His voice was a bit smaller now. 

“I do.” But his worry didn’t seem to leave him, and now was his opening. 

With one swift movement, the bi-colored hair boy straddled Midoryia’s waist, causing a small yelp from the boy. 

“T-Todoroki! W-what are you d-doing?” His face seemed to flush a small bit, nervousness in his voice, but also a hint of excitement. 

“Tickling you.” He responded calmly, watching the now squirming boy’s eyes widen in realization. 

“Wait! waHAHAHIT!” Fingers descended upon his sides, causing his to squirm harder now. 

“EEP! COHOHOLD!” He tried to escape the evil fingers, half heartedly grabbing at his arms, to no avail. 

Todoroki noted the fact that his boyfriend didn’t seem to ask him to stop, or even attempt to truly get away. A smirk grew on his face at the thought of him possibly liking being tickled. 

“Tell me, why does tickling make you embarrassed?” He stilled his fingers, awaiting a response from his panting lover. 

“I-it. No. It d-doesn’t.” Cue the blushing. 

“You’re stuttering.” He pointed out, causing Izuku to shrink down a bit, “I’ve noticed the way you react when tickling is involved, you blush, you hide. Why?” 

The only response he got was him covering his face, and in his defense he felt like he was going to explode with flusteredness. Was he that obvious? If Todoroki knew, did the others? He was brought out of his worrisome mind but gentle scribbling against his ribs. 

“Plehehease!” He giggled out, his face contorting into a smile again, this time not bothering to pull at the torturous hands. 

“You know it’s fine to be ticklish, everyone’s ticklish.” He began skittering all over his stomach, making the tickling unpredictable. 

“Dohohon’t sahahay thhahat wohohord!” He cried out, his face a new shade of pink. 

“What? Ticklish? Why?” Todoroki smiled, so it was true, tickling made him flustered because he liked it. 

“BeheheCAUHAHAH-” His words were interrupted by his boyfriend squeezing his thighs, causing him to began kicking his legs wildly. Even at such a spot, he he never once asked for it to stop. 

“Oh, this seems to be an extremely sensitive spot.” He halted his tickling, looking at the boy below him, a stream of drunk giggles flowing from his mouth. 

He bent down real close to his ear and whispered, “If you wanted to be tickled this badly, you could of just asked,” hearing an audible squeak come from Midoryia’s mouth. He tried to mutter out objections, but nothing coherent could come out. 

“Arms up.” Todoroki commanded, gesturing his finger upwards. 

“Shoto-” He protested, but obeying, slowly putting his arms up. 

“Don’t let them come down, or else you’re dead.” His voice was ice cold, but Izuku could tell there was playfulness in it. There was no real threat in the tease other than to cause flusterness. 

He began to spider down starting from his wrists, slowly and tortuously making his way down to his underarms, but stopped right before. Midoryia let out a tiny whine out of impatience. To his dismay, his underarms didn’t even get any attention, they were totally skipped over and his ribs were attacked next. 

“Nohohoho!” The sensation was weird, somehow Todoroki’s ice touch made it tickle ten times worse. 

“No what? No tickles? Okay.” He looked almost smug as he stilled his fingers, watching Midoryia’s face look like a kicked puppy. 

“I didn’t mean that..” He whispered, still refusing to make eye contact, grabbing Todoroki’s hands shyly and placing them on his sides before putting his arms back up. 

His heart almost melted, but he remained composed, moving his fingers once more to please his boyfriend, who began giggling and squirming again. His laughter started to get higher-pitched and louder the closer Todoroki got to his navel. Curiously, he traced it, watching the younger boy start to thrash harder, before dipping his finger inside. 

“WAHAHAH! NAHAHAHA THEHEHEHERE!! ANYWHEHEHERE ELEHEHESE!” He begged, thrashing his head side to side, continuously arching his back to escape the single finger in his navel. His arms still not coming down, but strongly gripping the sheets above head. 

“Anywhere you say?” And with that, he shoved his hands into his underarms, causing the boy to shriek and clamp them down.

“SHOHOHOHOTO!!” He got so red in the face that Todoroki thought his face was gonna pop. 

“Midoryia~” He mocked back, gently scratched at the soft skin, resulting in the cutest snorts. 

“NAHAHA! NOHOHO TEHEHEASES!”

“No teases? Like if I were to call you the most ticklish hero in all of class 1-A?” The laughter got louder, and then decreased. 

Todoroki realized he should probably stop once Midoryia’s laughter went silent and tears of mirth flowed down his cheeks. 

He sat on his waist as he calmed down, post tickle giggles coming from his mouth, hands protecting his tickle spots. 

“Mehehean.” He tried shooting an evil glare to his boyfriend but came off harmless with the smile attached. 

“You’re the one who likes it.” he stated, “Maybe that’s your true quirk Midoryia, wait until the pro’s hear about that.”  

[robinrunsfiction]

A Long Way Back - Part 1 of 2

Pairing: Gerard Way x Female Reader

Rating: General

Requested By: Anon

Word Count: ~7,900 total, ~3400 in part 1

Author’s Note: This request asked for current Gerard with a singer who is younger and to be honest, I started this request immediately when I got it, but I’ve been picking it up and putting it down on and off since then. I was inspired by His Smile Will Keep You Safe by @xxfanfiction-emo-trinityxx and I Know I’ll Lose by @sunsetinmyvein ​and while this story is nowhere near as long as their stories, I hope that you guys enjoy it regardless. I’ve also thrown together a playlist if you’re interested as well

“We are Garden of Woe and don’t you ever forget it! Thank you Milwaukee!” (YN) shouted as the band hit their final notes and the lights went out. The crowd was cheering and (YN) felt that addicting mix of adrenaline and exhaustion that she always felt after an amazing show.

“That show was sick!” Liam the guitarist raved and (YN) nodded enthusiastically as she took a swig from her water bottle on the way backstage.

“Hey guys, great show as usual,” their manager Clark grinned when they walked in the dressing room. “Can I get your attention for a second?”

(YN) looked at her bandmates, a look of confusion shared amongst them. “What’s going on?”

“I didn’t wanna tell you guys before the show and have yall be in your heads, but” he paused. “You’ve been asked to open for My Chemical Romance on their US reunion tour.”

(YN) thought she was about to either faint, puke, or die on the spot. “Clark don’t fuck with us.”

“I’m not fucking with you.”

“Oh my god, this is, oh my god,” Jake the drummer muttered, a far away look in his eyes as Rebecca the bass player just stood there with a shocked look on her face.

(YN) sunk down on the couch, legs unable to support her anymore. “I had just hoped to get tickets to one of those shows,” she said with an astonished laugh, holding her head in her hands.

“Well if you accept, you’re gonna be going to every show, getting paid to be there, and getting more exposure than you ever could dream of,” Clark replied.

“I think I speak for everyone when I say hell yes!” Liam exclaimed, the rest of the band agreeing instantly.

“Then it’s settled, I’ll get in touch with their management tomorrow morning and you better get ready because you’re about to go on a wild ride.”

~

To (YN) it felt like an instant and an eternity at the same time before Garden of Woe departed for the first stop of the MCR reunion tour. A lot of buzz had been building around their band since it was announced that they, along with Taking Back Sunday for the first half of the tour and Crystal Lake Cemetery for the second half, would be opening the shows.

“Are you so stoked Becs? Are you? Are you?!” Liam shouted, shaking Rebecca’s shoulders excitedly as their bus rolled down the highway.

“If you keep doing that I’m going to barf on you,” Rebecca snapped back. 

Everyone’s nerves had been on edge since Clark had told them the news and arguments had been erupting about things like the setlist, or what their merch would look like, and the tension only seemed to grow the closer they got to the start of the tour. Rebecca wouldn't even return (YN)'s calls for a week over a debate about what they should be wearing on stage. 

“Oh my god Liam, I say this with all the love in the world, but please shut the fuck up,” (YN) muttered.

Liam, with his endless energy, bounced across the tour bus to where (YN) was sitting and climbed onto her lap. “You! This is literally what you’ve been talking about since you were 16 years old! This is why we formed Garden of Woe, why we’ve been struggling and starving for a decade!”

“I know, but you’re never gonna see the stage if you keep bugging everyone like this,” (YN) retorted to her friend in her lap.

“What are you gonna say when you finally meet them?”

“Will we even meet them?” (YN) asked, trying to sound aloof. She had been trying not to think about actually meeting the band that she had been obsessed with and saved her life when she was a depressed teenager back in 2004. When she and Liam founded Garden of Woe, she modeled her stage presence on Gerard’s after watching hours of live performance videos. When My Chem announced they were getting back together back on Halloween 2019, (YN) cried tears of joy for hours and they did an extra encore of just MCR covers at their show that night.

“We’re gonna be on the road with them for two months, of course we are,” Jake replied.

(YN) groaned. “I can’t deal with this right now,” she grumbled, pushing Liam off her before climbing into her bunk.

A while later Clark was calling her name to come out as they had arrived at the first venue. “Alright, here is the itinerary: you guys have soundcheck at 5:30, doors are at 6:30, you’re on at 7:30. After your set, you should get to the main merch booth to sign things for the fans, but you can watch Taking Back Sunday and My Chem if you’d prefer. Then two hours after My Chem finishes, we load back in and it’s on to the next stop.”

(YN) glanced at her phone, it was just before 2 PM, which meant they had hours before their soundcheck. Hours to build up more nervous energy, to possibly run into My Chem or Taking Back Sunday, another band she’d looked up to for just as long.

The bus rolled to a stop and they grabbed the things they’d need for the show that night and headed inside. There were other big black busses already parked outside and roadies moving things around.

“This is real, this is really real. This is the biggest thing we’ve ever done and we’re really here,” Rebecca said, totally astonished as (YN) linked arms with her. 

“I’m really trying not to think about it,” (YN) replied. Even from the back of the stadium they could hear the crowd already waiting out front. When they got to the door, they flashed their badges and were escorted to their dressing room.

“Do we just wait here? Can we go walk around? I wanna go check everything out,” Liam babbled excitedly.

“How much coffee did you drink today, dude?” (YN) asked, trying to keep the nerves out of her voice.

“None. Come on, let’s get out there and meet our tourmates! Who is with me? (YN), Jake, Becs?”

Rebecca rolled her eyes. “I’m gonna try to calm down and center myself and not piss off the people who are employing us.”

“I’ll go,” Jake replied.

“Yea me too, get it over with,” (YN) mumbled. She’d met so many people touring and opening for bands she looked up to that it shouldn’t make her nervous, but Gerard, Mikey, Ray and Frank were legendary. The three bandmates started to wander the halls, peeking in doors until they heard people talking. 

“Is this happening? Are we about to meet them?” (YN) looked at Liam, her heart hammering.

“Come on,” he said, grabbing her elbow and leading the way. “‘Scuse me, sorry to interrupt, but we wanted to introduce ourselves. We are Garden of Woe.”

“Hey, nice to finally meet you guys, I’m Gerard,” Gerard said, getting up to shake their hands. Jake and Liam introduced themselves like normal humans, but (YN) was screaming internally.

“I’m (YN),” she squeaked, and Gerard gave her an amused smile and she was certain her brain melted. Then all the sudden she was introducing herself to Mikey, Frank, and Ray as well and it was as if she had transcended to another plane of existence. She listened as they easily made conversation with Jake and Liam, but she couldn’t put together a coherent thought to join in.

“Are you ok?” she heard someone asking. Shaking her head to pull herself out of her thoughts, she realized it was Gerard.

“Yea, yea, thanks, just kinda overwhelmed by everything that’s going on,” she admitted.

Gerard nodded. “Yea, being back in the tour life has been kinda weird. Overwhelming, like you said.”

“For sure. And I don’t wanna seem like, I dunno, a crazed fan, but I have to tell you, I’ve been listening to you guys since I was 16 when Three Cheers came out. It got me through so much and your performance style inspired me so much and how I perform and yea. Sorry to ramble, I just had to get that off my chest, I won’t bug you about it again,” (YN) said with another shake of her head as she put her hands over her face. She didn’t know why, but tears were stinging at her eyes. “So sorry.”

“Don’t be,” he replied and he reached out and rubbed her arm. “We saw you guys performing and that’s why we asked you to come out with us. You have a lot of talent.”

“Well thank you, this is literally a dream come true,” (YN) blushed. Receiving a compliment like that from Gerard Way himself was mind blowing.

“My Chem, you’re up for soundcheck,” someone with a headset called from the doorway.

“We’ll see you around,” Gerard waved as they made their way out the door. After the band was gone (YN), Jake, and Liam stood alone in the dressing room silently for a moment.

“Holy fucking hell we just met My Chemical Romance!” Liam shrieked.

“I know!” (YN) shouted in reply, throwing her arms around her friends in a celebratory hug.

~

"(YN). Earth to (YN)," Liam said, pulling her from her thoughts. "You ready?"

"No, not at all," she replied and Liam could see the fear in her face. It had been a long time since he had seen her that nervous before a performance. 

"You got this," he said to (YN). "We all got this, come on!"

Just then the stage lights dimmed and the crowd roared like she'd never heard before. The other three took their places on stage. "Fuck it," she muttered to herself and ran out on stage.

45 minutes later Garden of Woe was taking their bow and hurrying off stage so the roadies could switch out their equipment for Taking Back Sunday’s. The four bandmates were wrapping each other in sweaty hugs and jumping up and down, as the set had gone better than they ever could have hoped. After cleaning themselves up a bit, they went to the merch booth and signed autographs and took photos for a while, but the line cleared out again once Taking Back Sunday went on. After they finished, there wasn't much time before MCR were going to take the stage, so (YN) hurried backstage and found a crate to sit on and watch while the greatest band of their generation took the stage.

The show was absolutely awe inspiring; to watch the way Ray shredded on his guitar, the way Frank and Mikey moved around the stage, but most of all watching Gerard. He was a natural on stage, even after all this time away from it. While she had watched enough interviews on youtube to know that he was soft spoken, the way he turned that off and started to just command the stage and the crowd was incredible. What she couldn’t believe was that no one else was with her watching the show. Did they not realize what an opportunity they were missing she wondered.

"Enjoying the show?" Gerard asked when they came off stage before the encore.

"So much! You're kicking so much ass out there!" She beamed and the guys all laughed in appreciation.

Once the show was over and everyone was cleaned up, the bands all came together to celebrate a little before it was time to reboard the busses. The drinks were flowing for everyone that partook as people talked happily, but (YN) found herself without a place to sit until she decided to crash on Liam's lap.

Ray smiled as he walked over to them. “Hey, how’d the first show go?”

“Amazing!” Liam grinned.

“So amazing, but you guys, holy shit!” (YN) gushed. “I suppose when you’ve played together for so long you don’t just lose that, even after a break.”

"That’s true,” Ray nodded. “How long have you been a band?”

“About ten years,” (YN) replied. “We talked about it in high school, but neither of us could play an instrument, and life was so hard back then. We couldn’t get our shit together until after he graduated from college. It's only really been in the last few years we've been able to find some success with it.”

“So are you two together?" Ray asked, looking between the pair.

"Oh nooo," (YN) laughed. "Liam's practically my brother."

"And I'm gay," Liam interjected.

"And there's that," (YN) nodded.

“Well you guys have a real dynamic that works,” Ray shrugged. The way he treated them as if they were equals to everyone else on the tour was exactly the confidence boost (YN) needed as the tour got started.

~

The next few days of the tour were very much the same. Rolling into town, hurry up and wait, getting to know the guys in the other bands, and then finally getting on stage. After signing for fans, (YN) would rush backstage to watch MCR perform, and after that everyone would gather again until it was time to load back into the busses to the next town.

Each day was a little less nerve-wracking than the last and (YN) finally felt like she was coming out of her shell. She’d hoped that Rebecca would be her right-hand woman, since there were so few other women out on the tour, but Rebecca had been heading straight to the busses after the shows, instead of hanging out with everyone else.

“Do you have any idea what’s up with Becs?” (YN) asked the other two members of the band after their soundcheck.

“Nope,” Jake replied quickly before heading back behind his kit again.

“Just go talk to her,” Liam suggested.

(YN) grumbled before nodding and heading back to the dressing room. “Hey Becs!” (YN) said as chipperly as she could muster. “Are you gonna hang with us after the show tonight? I miss hanging out with you, and the guys are all super fun to talk to.”

“I dunno, maybe,” she replied, but (YN) couldn’t get a read on her mood.

“What are you gonna wear tonight? I was thinking my Mikey Fuckin Way shirt that I cropped,” (YN) said turning to their wardrobe rack.

“I’m gonna go to the bathroom,” Rebecca said before quickly turning and almost running out of the room. Moments later Liam came in.

“What the hell was that about?”

“I have no idea dude, I tried though, I really did.”

Despite the weirdness between Rebecca and the rest of the band, the show went well. (YN) again ducked out early from their signing to catch the MCR show from her favorite spot at the side of the stage. She couldn’t help but wonder if she was imagining things, but it seemed like whenever Gerard looked her way, he’d always smile just at her.

“Still enjoying the show?” Gerard asked when he came off stage before their encore.

“I’ve got years of not seeing you guys live to catch up on, I’m never gonna get sick of it,” she laughed.

Gerard nodded. “I caught your show tonight, you guys are really killin it.”

(YN) could have sworn her soul left her body for a moment. “R-really?”

“Yea, I really-”

“Gee, we’re back on,” Ray said tapping him on the shoulder.

(YN) waved him off as he went back on stage and the crowd roared again. She tried to keep from screaming herself, but for an entirely different reason.

At the end of the show, everyone convened as usual for the post-show celebration. (YN) was glad to find that Rebecca had joined the group, even if she was mostly just talking to Jake. She had meant to talk to her, but got pulled into a conversation with Adam instead.

“Ok, but can you teach me to swing the mic like you do and not kill someone?” (YN) asked with a laugh. 

“Sure thing, how ‘bout after your sound check tomorrow?” Adam offered.

“Perfect, can’t wait!” (YN) grinned, but in the corner Rebecca was rolling her eyes.

From the other side of the room Mikey was trying to talk to Gerard, but he was noticeably distracted. Following his brother’s line of sight, realized Gerard was watching (YN)’s animated conversation with Adam. He bumped his shoulder into Gerard’s. 

“You really are into (YN) aren’t you?” Mikey asked with a knowing smile and Gerard just shrugged dejectedly. “Why don’t you just ask her out or something?”

“I can’t,” Gerard replied.

“Why not?”

“Because.”

“Because why? Why? What good reason do you have?” Mikey argued.

“Because I’m older than her, because I don’t want her to feel obligated to spend time with me just because we’re on this tour together. Because I’m not… I’m not the Gerard Way I used to be.”

"What the fuck does that mean?" Mikey asked sternly.

"I know I'm not a sexy rock star anymore, I'm a divorced dad with grey in his hair and," he sighed. "You know what I mean."

"Gee, you know you're in a better place now in so many ways than you were before. Stop talking yourself out of it.”

Gerard just grumbled in response. He knew his brother was right, he was better off now than he was ten years ago, worlds better than he was even longer ago than that. But he couldn’t help but worry that (YN) wouldn’t be interested in him. At least not the current version of him. 

But that didn’t change how he felt about her

~

The next stop on the tour was Riot Fest, but Garden of Woe would not actually be opening for My Chem and Taking Back Sunday. They had been relegated to one of the smaller side stages earlier in the day. (YN) and Liam were hanging out on the curb outside their bus in the warm, mid September Chicago air when Frank and Gerard came by.

“Hey, when are you guys on today?” Frank asked.

“At 4:30, why?” Liam answered

Frank climbed in between the two and pulled out his phone. “Gerard is always talking about how awesome your show is, so I was gonna promote you guys.”

(YN) looked up at Gerard who smiled shyly. “Well Gerard, why don’t you get in on this too then,” she smiled.

“Sure,” he nodded and sat down next to her as Liam took Frank’s phone and held it out so he could get everyone in the shot.

“Hey guys, we’re at Riot Fest, and before we play tonight, you gotta go check out our friends Garden of Woe," Frank said to the camera.

“4:30 on the Riot Stage,” (YN) added, flashing a peace sign before Liam finished recording. “Thanks guys, we really appreciate it. I don’t know how many people would be stopping by our set without the promo.”

“Well they should be, like I said before, you’re amazing,” Gerard replied as (YN) looked over at him with a soft smile. Over (YN)’s shoulder, Liam and Frank were exchanging knowing looks.

Hours later the band was waiting off stage, a few minutes before they were due to go on for their set.

“Holy shit, I didn’t expect the crowd this big,” Jake said after peaking out.

“I guess Frank’s post worked,” Liam shrugged.

“What post?” Rebecca asked.

“This one,” (YN) replied, pulling out her phone and pulling up the post she’d bookmarked. She let the video play, smiling happily at the four of them on the screen.

“Look at you all cozy with My Chem, what a surprise,” Rebecca deadpanned.

(YN) shot her a confused look and was about to open her mouth when Liam interjected.

“Ha, look at these comments,” Liam said, snatching the phone away. “People are totally shipping you and Gerard, (YN).”

“Shut up, no they aren’t,” she replied, but could feel her cheeks burning red.

“Yea they are, look!” He said pointing them out. (YN) scrolled through and couldn’t help but feel honored that people would think that she and Gerard made a cute couple. She could only imagine what it’d really be like.

“Don’t we have a show to play?” Rebecca asked snidely, snapping her from her thoughts.

“Becs is right, come on let’s get ready.” (YN) nodded, putting her phone away.

The energy of the crowd was great, and the fans that were up front were actually singing along, which brought a smile to (YN)’s face. An even bigger smile crossed her face when she glanced at the side of the stage and saw Gerard and Frank were there watching the show too.

Part 2

[rouiyan]

𝘚𝘏𝘖𝘞 𝘔𝘌 𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘓𝘖𝘝𝘌 [ 𝘭.𝘫𝘯 ]

⧏ part of the before i met you collective ⧐

synopsis: after an accidental leak, the news of you and jeno’s relationship becomes the talk of the world. to satiate the incredible curiosity of fans and news outlets alike, the two of you take on a variety show, knowing brother. will this bold move prove to everyone that your relationship is more than just a publicity stunt?

✧ lee jeno x (fem.) reader ✧ idolverse au, knowing brother au, established relationship au

✧ genre : fluff ✧ word count : 1.9k ✧ disclaimers : minor swearing, i talk about eyes a lot lol

✧ author’s note — was supposed to be a short drabble but i got carried away and ended up going into so much unnecessary detail. super fun to write; this idea expertly fought my incoming writer’s block.

you let out a suppressed laugh as jeno profusely denies the apologies that come his way from the girl that just recently joined the makeup team. she had used a much thicker brush than needed on his lips and in turn, they’ve grown almost twice the size, the natural mauve color spilling over the edges. he gives you a pointed look but it’s taken with less seriousness than he’d like, his lips clearly making the expression funnier than intended.

“stop, y/n,” he mumbles, though his face is more of a pout as you crane your neck to watch him, the same girl now fussing with makeup remover blocking your view of him. as she leaves to grab a thinner brush, jeno turns to look at his reflection in the mirror and you make your way across the room to stand next to where he is seated. the both of you stare at each other’s reflections in the mirror, smiles filled with soft adoration. “you nervous?” he speaks, eyebrows shifting up ever so slightly. you swear the way the lights of the vanity reflect off his pupils make it look like he holds the stars in his eyes (and you're sure he does). nodding, you express to him the pressures you’ve been facing, “i hope we do well.”

he hums and removes his stare from the mirror to the actual you, looping his arms around your waist loosely. “we will, babe. we’re unstoppable when we’re together, you know?” he feels more than hears the soft chuckle that you let out and he raises his head to look you in the eyes. “i guess you’re right.” 

it’s been a little over a year since jeno asked you out, right outside the convenience store a few blocks down from the nct dream dorm. a chilly two a.m. snack run where jeno had spontaneously been gifted with the confidence to tilt your head up with his index finger and swoop in for a kiss after his heartfelt words were received with tired enthusiasm. he thinks about that night a lot more than he’d ever admit. 

he also thinks about a similar night, only three weeks ago from now, outside the same convenience store, this time at three a.m., when his hands intertwined themselves with yours on instinct and when you looked up at him with that pretty little smile of yours. he can still hear the shuffling of feet behind him, the click and flash of a camera following. he can still feel the way his heart stopped as he drew his and your hats lower, turning over his shoulder to be face to face with a camera peeking through the shadows. he can still remember the way his hand unwinded from yours, instead wrapping around your whole frame, bringing you closer to his chest and further away from view. he could still hear your heartbeat against his, erratic, and he still remembers praying to dear god that they didn’t catch your face. he stills feels the guilt gnawing at his gut when he found out that it was too late. what was supposed to be a simple first anniversary was turned into a day of phone calls, pr meetings, frustrated managers, and even worse, angry sasaengs camping outside both of your dorms.

he knows it’s not exactly his fault, though he did admit that to the higher ups much to your dislikes, but he can’t help but feel responsible for all his desperate fans going after your reputation, your job, group, family and friends, and most importantly, you. in all honesty, he also received plenty of backlash from your fans as well but it aggravated him much more than it should’ve that people would dare talk shit about his girlfriend. 

making headlines, your relationship with jeno was widely labeled as sm’s bid for attention and monetary gain, however untrue that was. most fans were in denial because of countless other situations where a rumored couple would be later revealed as a publicity stunt, especially since you and jeno were of a big company and from popular groups. of the many game plans that were presented to the two of you, he found this one the most effective. to go on a variety show together and show the compatibility and chemistry between the two of you, to verify your relationship as real and deserving of humanly respect.

jeno is brought back to reality as a colored brush is applied to his lips once again. he looks up to gauge what had happened whilst he was spaced out and sees that you are talking animatedly to the manager that had accompanied you here today, a bright look on your face as your fingers fiddle with a water bottle lid. after getting his makeup done, properly this time, he stands and stalks over beside you, half listening to the conversation about mic settings. with a pout, you hand the water bottle to jeno and he immediately unscrews it, neither of you looking at each other, the act seemingly a casual exchange. 

jeno corners you before going on set, hands on your shoulders, to tell you that, “we’re going to do great, princess.” the nickname rolls off his tongue with ease and leaves a pink dust across your cheeks, blooming under the blush that’s applied on top. he gives your shoulders a reassuring squeeze and slips in a few more encouraging compliments (“so pretty,” tucks strand of hair behind your ear, “i got quite lucky didn’t i?”) before the two of you are called on set to start filming.

the cameras start rolling and as the hosts go about their usual introduction banter, you slip a finger into the indent in the door and on cue, slide it open, revealing your smiling face, jeno’s secure hand on your back, reminding you that he is there with every step into unfamiliar territory. the hosts turn and gape at the pair, having not met backstage to save the guests as a surprise. hodong, is the first to talk coherently among all the commotion, “wah, the power couple of the century is here today!” chuckling at his comment, you and jeno take your places behind the podium at the front, wary of their stares on you. for a second, you feel as if you are in an actual classroom, introducing yourself on the first day of your transfer with an uneasy feeling settling in your stomach. 

“hi, it’s nice to meet you, i’m y/l/n y/n, from sm high! please take care of me!” your nose scrunches at how cringy the school name sounded in comparison to when you and jeno were making it up back in the dressing room. jeno follows with his introduction after you politely bow, “hi, i’m lee jeno, also from sm high! please take good care of us!” a chorus of applause echoes around the three-walled setup and you feel jeno’s hand move from the small of your back to rest upon your shoulders; unconsciously you lean into his frame, his warmth inviting you in ways you don’t even process.

“so the rumors are true, huh?” you look over at soogeun, one of the hosts that you had chosen to sit next to. he’s kind from what you can tell, and almost exactly like the person you see on tv. the other hosts are busy chatting with jeno and you look over at them before settling on the man speaking to you. “yeah,” your voice is soft, “they’re true.” a smile adorns your face as you say this and the little moment that’s caught on camera is enough to melt the audience, (or so the editors think as they go through the tape after filming). 

the hosts inform you that instead of the ‘ask about me’ segment they’re going to, instead, ask the two of you questions, more or less about your relationship. you figure that this has a lot to do with the whole reason you're here and you feel comfortable knowing that you get a chance to explain, to clear the air of assumed rumors. 

the first to ask is janghoon, a simple question to start the segment off, “how did you guys first meet?” jeno and you take turns answering the questions, jeno taking the lead on this one. “it was… january of 2015, i think. like, one year before i debuted and y/n was new to the company. i remember that she was chosen to be in a debut group almost instantly after she joined and some of the other boys in my group were talking about how talented she was.” he takes a second to look over at you, seeing the way your eyes light up when they meet his, “i first talked to her at a showcase, i think. she was already pretty close with mark and haechan, from my group, because they trained together for a bit. even then, i remember her being probably one of the prettiest girls i had ever met. and it wasn’t just the looks though, she- y/n’s always been a kind girl and i guess that i always thought she was too good for me… i still do, for the most part.” 

your eyes are slightly wide when he finishes and he gives you a questioning look. “wow, i don’t remember talking to you until that one halloween party…” the room falls to silence before everyone laughs at jeno’s bewildered expression, clearly baffled at how you didn’t even remember when the two of you first met.

the show moves on good-naturedly before heechul pops the big question, “do you guys love each other?” he says it rather sarcastically, in case you are uncomfortable in answering, but you take it upon yourself to make this situation into a bit of a turning point in all the fun. “of course, jeno’s a big part of my life. whenever i’m not onstage or working, he’s always the one i’m with. this job, it really isn’t the easiest. besides getting to do what we love we also have to be watched constantly, but it’s okay for me at least, having someone like him by my side makes it all okay.” you can almost imagine the cameras showing jeno’s face at this moment, the little hearts edited into the frame of the captured scene, his expression a mix of shy smiles and lovesick eyes. it’s easy to say when you mean it and you know that it’s also easy for jeno when he simply wraps you up in his arms, with content coating his embrace and without care as to the cameras shooting in all directions.

it’s safe to say that the episode went viral, only a few hours after its airing. most fans gushed over your relationship with jeno, sharing screenshots of you in his arms. jeno loves how some fans are even shaming those who look down upon your relationship and he's even happier that he’s allowed to take you out on dates, to add you as a plus one to special events, and to finally be able to call you his, loud and proud.

(bonus: jaemin is beyond excited to watch the episode right when it comes out, popcorn and lights dimmed in preparation. he even dragged a poor renjun to watch it with him, claiming he needed a shoulder to cry on if you guys were being too sweet. he didn’t actually cry, but renjun practically vomited as he watched jeno hoist you up upon his shoulders to reach the basketball hoop during the game segment. he hurled towards the trash can.)

copyright © 2020 rouiyan all rights reserved.

[ugly-crying-over-bucky-barnes]

The Name Written on My Heart

Sequel to Name on a Coffee Cup  requested by Anon. Happy Valentines/Galentines Day my darlings! 

Modern!Tommy and Ava continue their relationship outside the cafe.

             After his first date with Ava, Tommy felt like his heart was slowly being restarted. After Grace passed, he assumed that the rest of his love would be given to Charlie. But even then, he felt like he was failing.

            Oftentimes his son would much rather go spend the day with his aunts or uncles or have playdates with friends. Polly assured him that it was natural for the young boy to want to be independent as he got older. But still, Tommy felt like he was always the second pick for Charlie and he was afraid it was because he just wasn’t enough for the boy. 

            When Ava began to spend time at Tommy’s flat, Charlie gravitated toward her like a magnet. Not that Tommy could blame him. She was much better at interacting with him. She wasn’t afraid to get down to his level to play and go along with his wild imagination. Still, Tommy was a bit dismayed he wasn’t the kind of father Charlie needed.

            Until he subconsciously took cues from Ava to relax a bit. He wasn’t as strict and felt like his relationship with Charlie was getting better and more natural.

~~~~~~~~~~

            On the other hand, Tommy was easing back into a serious relationship. There were a few roadblocks along the way. Around Halloween one year, Ava came over to carve pumpkins and bake some sugar cookies in the shape of bats and ghosts. Charlie had a ball and demanded that Monster Mash be played over and over again as he darted around the living room on a sugar high. When he finally crashed, Tommy carried him to bed before helping Ava clean up the mess in the kitchen.

            “It’s late.” She noted.

            “Yeah, I’ll drive you home. Don’t want you taking the tube this late.”

            “Oh.” Ava glanced by the door where she’d left her bag. The bag that she had packed a change of clothes and her toothbrush in. Her face went red as she realized how stupid it was that she thought it would be the first night she might sleepover.  

            Tommy read her expression and paused. They’d been dating for quite some time. Almost two years at that point. He was even beginning to think that maybe they would spend the rest of their lives together. He could certainly see it happening, even if it was a bit soon to know for sure. And yet, there was always that hesitation that he felt. The protectiveness he had for Charlie. The thought that Tommy didn’t deserve love. The fear that he would lose someone else that he cared so deeply about.

            “I understand, it’s alright,” Ava said as if she could read his mind.

            Tommy didn’t move for a moment. Half of him wanted her to stay, half of him wanted to just drive her home so he could be by himself. Something he thought he deserved. She was far too kind and forgiving for him. Far too sensible. Far too sweet. Far too understanding.

            “Stay.” The word came out before Tommy could realize what he’d said. “I want you to stay. You belong here…you’re perfect with Charlie and you get him better than I do. I know I don’t deserve you but I would do anything to have you here, even if it’s just for a night.”

            Ava hugged him close and kissed his cheek. “I think you’re selling yourself too short.” She murmured. “Charlie adores you and so do I.”

            Tommy took a deep breath and held her for a moment before she slipped away.

            “C’mon, let’s take care of this mess so we can go to bed.” She smiled at him.

~~~~~~~~~~

            It was what Tommy loved about her so much. She made having emotions so much easier. There was no big spectacle of it, she never called him out for feeling upset or depressed. She always knew exactly what to say.

            The next year, once Ava’s lease was up, she moved into Tommy’s flat. Charlie was overjoyed that he had there every day. And she meshed perfectly with their schedules. On the days that she was opening the café, she woke up early, around the same time Tommy did. They went about their morning routines and welcomed in Charlie’s nanny who would wake up the boy for school. When Ava worked later shifts, she took care of getting Charlie to school on time. It worked exceptionally well.

            Almost to a point where Tommy expected things to go wrong. Everything was going too well and he became very suspicious. About a year after Ava moved in, Tommy self-sabotaged.

~~~~~~~~~~~

            One night, Ava had gone out with friends from uni that she hadn’t seen in a while. Tommy was up late working at the flat when she came home. Although a little tipsy, she was coherent as she kissed his cheek and wrapped her arms around him from behind.

            “I take it you had fun then.” Tommy chuckled.

            “It really was. Of course, we didn’t close the pub like we did back in those days. My ex-boyfriend wanted to stay but we were all so tired.” She laughed softly.

            It set off a trigger inside Tommy. “Didn’t know your ex would be there.”

            “Our whole friend group was. We’ve been planning a little reunion like this for a while.” Ava didn’t immediately pick up on his icy tone.

            Tommy set down his pen and leaned back in his desk chair with his arms crossed over his chest. “Just something I thought you’d tell me.”

            “I didn’t think it would matter.” She frowned and withdrew her arms. “It doesn’t bother you, does it?”

            He didn’t answer, looking ahead at his laptop on a home screen.

            “Tommy, honestly.” Ava tried again to make him talk with no avail. “We dated years ago. I’ve been dating you longer than I’ve ever dated anyone else. You really think I’d throw that all away?”

            Tommy simply shrugged.

            She scoffed at his attempt to be blasé to the issue when she knew he was stewing inside. “You’re impossible.” With a huff, she stormed out of the room and went to the bedroom, locking the door behind her.

 ~~~~~~~~

            The next day was even worse. After spending the night on the couch, Tommy felt like an ass for what he’d done. Although it wasn’t an argument like they’d had before, it still cut deep. He had basically spelled out that he didn’t trust her. It wasn’t entirely true. Tommy trusted Ava because it was unlike her to be unfaithful. But he didn’t trust the world. He’d seen what could happen to good people. In his eyes, Ava had a target on her back because of her tendency to be so warm-hearted and vulnerable.

            That morning, Ava had left before Tommy could even get a word of apology in. She didn’t answer his texts throughout the day and it drove him insane. He had to settle for the breakroom coffee because he couldn’t gather up the courage to go down to the café and face Ava.

            The rest of the office picked up on the fact that he was in a sour mood. All but Arthur, who walked in whistling to himself.

            “So, what’ve you got planned for Valentine’s Day?” The eldest Shelby asked.

            Tommy looked up from his paperwork, then to the calendar on his desk. Indeed, Valentine’s Day was that weekend. He’d ordered a custom bracelet for Ava and had it hidden in his desk drawer. But other than that, he’d completely forgotten. “I’m not sure.” He mumbled. “I upset her last night.”

            Arthur sighed. “Tom, we’ve talked about this. You don’t think you deserve happiness so you ruin your own life. You can make it up to her. Just put on the ‘ol charm, aye?”

 ~~~~~~~~~~~` 

            Ava was giving Tommy the silent treatment for most of the week. He felt it was deserved and just prayed Arthur was right and that he could redeem himself.

            Come Sunday, Ava came home from work. She still felt hurt, especially since Tommy appeared to have forgotten it was even Valentine’s Day. But then Charlie rushed to the door.

            “Ava, Ava!” He was bouncing up and down. “C’mon!” He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the kitchen.

            Tommy was chopping up vegetables. He glanced up and smiled sheepishly.

            Ava looked a bit confused. “What’s all this?” There was an array of items all laid out on the counter. Balls of dough were resting on cutting boards next to little bowls of toppings.

            “I asked Charlie what we could do special for Valentine’s Day.”

            “And I wanted pizza!” The little boy piped up. “Look, he climbed up onto a stool and patted the dough.

            A small smile formed on Ava’s face. “Well, that looks fun.” She said and walked over.

            “Here, Charlie,” Tommy handed his son the rolling pin. “Try to flatten it, but not too thin.” Then he turned to Ava.

            “So, you were scheming today, huh?” She asked.

            “Av, I’m sorry.” He took her hands in his. “Whenever I have a good thing, I never think I deserve it. And you’re one of the best things I’ve ever had.”

            “I don’t want you pushing me away.” She replied quietly. “If you have an issue, tell me. I’m here to be your confidant.”

            Tommy nodded and took a deep breath. He kissed her softly.

            “Daddy, s’a square pizza!” Charlie exclaimed.

            The two pulled away and chuckled. Indeed, the little boy had rolled the dough out into a square.

            “I guess it’ll taste the same.” Ava smiled and went over to help him.

            Tommy lingered to the side a bit, watching her with Charlie. The two laughed as they made a mess with the sauce and cheese.

            This was a good thing. He would hold onto the good and keep it close to his heart. Everyone deserved love. Tommy was just thankful that he had Ava and Charlie.

            “Daddy, look,” Charlie called.

            Tommy chuckled when he saw a smiley face made of pepperoni on the pizza. “Why don’t you make it a heart? It’s Valentine’s Day.”

            His son made a face. “That’s yucky.”

            “Oh, Charles, you won’t be my Valentine?” Ava pouted.

            “No, gross. Girls are gross.”

            “Are they, then?” Tommy raised an eyebrow then went to give Ava a big dramatic kiss.

            “EW!” Charlie pulled his shirt over his head to hide his face.

            They laughed. “Alright, alright. I guess your dad will be my Valentine. And maybe we can add a nose to the smiley face.” Ava put another piece of pepperoni on the pizza. “Go on and add some peppers and onions. I’ve got to get your Valentine gifts.” She washed her hands and went down the hall.

            Tommy took the cue and grabbed Ava’s necklace from his briefcase.

            Ava returned with two wrapped gifts. “Charlie, love, this is from dad and me.” She gave him a box which he happily tore into to find an art supply kit.

            “Wow, cool! Thanks!” He beamed.

            Ava and Tommy exchanged gifts as well. He opened his to find a photograph of his newest racehorse with his name, Kingsman, carved into the silver frame.

            “To add to your collection.” She smiled knowing that Tommy kept a photo of all of his winning horses in his office.

            “I love it.” He remarked at the stunning picture of the pure black stallion.

            Ava didn’t answer. She had opened the jewelry box to find the silver necklace with a teardrop diamond pendant. She had never owned anything so beautiful before. “Tom…” Her eyes welled up with tears.

            “D’you like it?” He asked hesitantly.

            “Of course.” Her voice shook. “It’s gorgeous, thank you.” She touched his cheek and kissed him deeply.

            “Daddy, I don’t like mushrooms, I’m not putting mushrooms on the pizza.” Charlie interrupted them.

            “Alright, it was worth a shot.” Tommy sighed and went back over to the counter.

            “That looks very nice, Charlie.” Ava praised. “Why don’t we let dad put it in the oven and we can check out your new art supplies.”

            “Okay!” Charlie hopped down from the stool and carried the box to the kitchen table.

            Ava kissed Tommy’s cheek. “Happy Valentine’s Day.” She said softly.

//It felt so funny writing the tube. Like I feel like it’s some sort of slang that Americans think British people use but they don’t? In my city we call the subway the T. That’s also stupid but our subway lines are bastards who don’t deserve full names or loving nicknames. Fuck you T. 

Permanent Tag: @papa-geralt-of-cirilla @biba3434 @kimmietea @karmezii @enrapturedbythemoon @vampgirl1997 @tarafaithe @evelynshelby

PB Masterlist

[lysissisyl]

Happy Fake Birthday

To @patricia-von-arundel, because I’m smitten. 💜

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Byleth was spending that day like any other day. She had trained in the early morning and now she was looking for Edelgard to offer some help with papers, strategies or anything else she was working on.

The emperor had always been very busy since the end of the war. They had won, but there were so many things left! TWSITD were still out there, as weakened as they could be, and haunting them down was a priority. There were still nobles attempting rebellions and scheming. There were offices that were still vacant. Then Empire, and the Kingdom and the Alliance even more, were still repairing all the damages, adapting to the new system. Edelgard always said she could take care of it all, but she was clearly overwhelmed, even with all her Eagles helping. Byleth was the only one she actually allowed near the most delicate and personal documents. She was the one she shared her strategies and battle plans with. So Byleth did her best to help and remind her El to take a break and take care of herself too. That day, though, Edelgard wasn’t in her study. Odd.

That day wasn’t like any other, not for Edelgard. She had decided it herself, but this didn’t make it any less special. When she had told Hubert that she needed a free day, he had looked at her like he was wondering if a slitherer had killed his emperor and secretly taken her place. She couldn’t blame him. She couldn’t remember taking any before, not a full day. Luckily for her, he decided she wasn’t suspicious enough to require further questioning. She had planned everything in advance. She had sent letters to Petra in the Bridgids, to her former professors, to all the Eagles and other schoolmates currently far from Enbar.

She had challenged herself in ways that would have made Byleth laugh. (She was sure Mercedes would’ve never let her near the kitchen again.) She had planned everything, like she always did, but she was still nervous. Was it a good idea? She knew the truth now. Was she being ridiculous? But she had missed so many! Did she do it all right? Not that Byleth had any previous experiences for comparison, but she truly wanted to make it right. She was walking to the window and back, pacing. Were they late? No, they weren’t. She was early.

Were they now? No, still early.

She sighed.

Byleth found a note on the desk: “I have some errands. Go fishing. I will stop there on my way back to help you carry the fish home.” She frowned. Odder.

Well, odd or not, she really wanted to go fishing now, and she wanted to meet Edelgard there and walk back together even more. She found her fishing rod and baits already packed and ready to go. Another note was on the side: “ I hope you will enjoy this wonderful day, my love.”

This was going from odd to suspicious. It was also very lovely, especially since she could see how Edelgard’s hands trembled writing those last two words. She had started calling her that after she proposed, but she was clearly not used to it yet. Her voice got half a tone higher every time and she still occasionally stuttered. Lovely (even if she would have probably argued about that word).

They were late now. Where were they? She had told them the time many times, she has made sure they all arrived in town in advance. They were there, so why weren’t they there?

A knock. A familiar one. Hubert.

She stopped in front of the window and turned around. “Come in.”

Hubert barely took a step in. “Your guests are here, Lady Edelgard.”

She almost sighed in relief. “They’re late.”

“Two minutes late, lady Edelgard.”

She sighed this time. “You know what to do, Hubert. Go.”

He nodded and left.

Edelgard walked straight to the gardens, where she knew her guests had been led. She got past the fancy flower beds and hedges, to a more secluded area. It wasn’t one of the greenest, but it was the perfect place for fires. Some had been prepared in the gravel, surrounded by blankets, benches, big pillows and swings. She wanted to roast the fishes there, like Byleth used to do with Jeralt as a child. Her ex classmates were there, chatting happily in small groups. (Manuela and Hanneman were arguing happily.) They were having fun all together for the first time after their Garreg Mach days. Someone softer would’ve cried.

Byleth had filled two baskets and was working on the third one when she heard the footsteps. Quiet, very controlled, almost sneaky. Definitely not Edelgard’s, but almost as familiar. Hubert waited respectfully for her to pull the fish out. She freed it from the line and threw it in the basket.

“Lady Edelgard sent me to help you with the fish. She apologizes for not being here in person as expected.”

ODD.

“I can carry the fish.” And Edelgard knew. She knew she could probably carry the fish and Hubert.

“I am aware, but you know her as much as I do. She would have never accepted not to be here without doing anything to make up for it.”

Byleth took the half filled basket and handed it to Hubert. “I know.” Then she grabbed the other two.

It wasn’t a long walk back to the palace, but Byleth spent it all wondering why she was sharing it with him. He was calm, now and when he approached her. That meant that Edelgard was perfectly fine and he knew. Byleth knew Edelgard was too much of a workaholic not to stick to her schedule and she wasn’t even in her study that morning. Maybe a meeting that required some extra time? But they usually handled them together. Talking to a problematic noble? She usually used the throne room for that and Byleth had checked it. Most of the errands outside of the Palace were taken care of by servants, the Eagles or Hubert. If any required Edelgard’s presence, Byleth was usually with her. It was always her or Hubert. Or both. Something personal then? Likely, but...why didn’t she know? She obviously respected Edelgard’s privacy, but she also knew that she had shared everything with her in the last few months. Was she overthinking it? No, she knew Edelgard and all that was suspicious.

The atmosphere in the gardens was cheerful and made Edelgard smile, but nothing warmed her heart like seeing Byleth there, the look on her face when she saw her and all her students. The Byleth who fought by her side during the war would have acknowledged it all with a brief, faint smile and a sincere “thank you”, but things had changed so much from then! She could see the surprise, then her brain putting all the information together, and making the joy emerge in her eyes. The smile she offered her wasn’t faint, nor faded. Edelgard could feel the emotion in her voice when she looked into her eyes and said “thank you” at least three times. She could feel how her hand squeezed hers when they turned toward their friends together.

“El?”

“You thanked me enough already, my love.”

“I just wanted to ask you something. Did you send Hubert because you’re a bad liar?”

Too unexpected not to make her flustered. She started complaining, but she changed her mind. “ I can’t lie to you, my love.”

“I’ll take it as a yes.” Byleth grinned and Edelgard’s protests lost the few coherence they had.

Then Byleth got serious again. She looked at all the students reunited, then at the wonderful woman who clearly reunited them for her. “Can I ask why?”

Edelgard blushed. It suddenly seemed very stupid, but she still said it. “Years ago I asked you about your birthday and you told me you didn’t know the day you were born, that you and Captain Jeralt had never celebrated it. I told you you could just choose one. You chose today. I know we learned your true birthday on Jeralt’s diary, but...” she stopped. That really sounded stupid.

“El?”

“If you plan to tease me more, my love, I may threaten to cook the fish too.”

“ No, I...” Hesitation was unusual, new, the sign she was dealing with emotions she was still learning to know. “ I just thought that I haven’t thanked you enough at all.”

The words surprised her, but the kiss that followed completely took her ability to think away. It lasted an instant and forever. For a long moment Edelgard forgot about the war, TWSITD, all the responsibilities, worries and duties. She was just El again, and El ran to her friends, with the brightest smile they had ever seen.

It was only minutes later that Byleth remembered Edelgard’s words. She took a deep breath and turned to face her, a rare veil of fear in her eyes. “ What else did you cook?!”

“ The cake...” Silence. “ Don’t worry. Mercedes helped.”

[uwua3]

hi! i really like your work, your sakuya oneshot made me emotional ;w; may i request headcanons for sakuya with an s/o who likes to make things for him? stuff like... knitting sweaters, making friendship bracelets, etc? i think he deserves to get spoiled !

aaaAAAAAAA thank you so much!!! i hope you’re feeling calm n collected now~ hopefully, it didn’t overwhelm you too much! but THANK YOU FOR REQUESTING THIS !!!!! sakuma sakuya is my favorite boy ever so writing for him makes me soft 🥺 best boy deserves to get spoiled ugh your galaxy brain i love it!!! ♡

summary: sakuya had everything planned and figured out, but everything still went wrong...

author’s note: today is the LOVE TRAIN!!! choo choo!! i love ~ love ~ so this was super fun even if it’s outside of my comfort zone for so much fluff! this definitely got off the rails at the beginning, but i swear your prompt is fulfilled half way through! i just love LOVE!!! i love sakuya!!!!! i love ♡ LOVE ♡ that’s it

word count: 2,716

music: some – soyou & junggigo, say so – doja cat (to me, sakuya is the embodiment of the jpn 80s city pop vibe)

spoiled!

🌸🌷 sakuma sakuya

sakuya started from nothing and worked hard for everything that was his, never giving up and always persevered against all odds

so it wasn’t a big surprise when the moment sakuya realized you were the person he thought of when reciting his romantic lines, he made it clear he liked you

(luckily, masumi had quick reflexes and caught the script before it fell into the river. sakuya was too busy having the most lovestruck, dreamy smile as he started off into the horizon, saying, “i like them. i really like them.”)

(“about time, you big sap.” masumi handed the packet back, but he looked just as content to see his best friend come to the realization. if only director felt the same way... sigh)

sakuya started being more direct in the most sakuya way possible, initiating planned dates that he just called “hang–outs”

(yeah, they were all definitely dates)

it wasn’t until sakuya asked you to come over at a very specific time to the dorms that you felt like something was going

you wouldn’t find out why until it was operation: ask you out, you got this sakuya! (abbreviated to go sakuya!!! on the labelled binder he had)

he finally asked you out when his heart told him the timing was perfect! sakuya had every tiny detail planned and laid out, presenting it at the very urgent scheduled meeting to his spring troupe members

sakuya was a true leader, he had prevented anything from going wrong and took extreme measures to make sure tonight was perfect

so when you confirmed you would come over soon, sakuya felt his nerves kick in as he launched himself into the living room, ordering everyone to get out (but very politely)

“hi, um. guys? could you leave? for the night?” sakuya shyly requested (he was so impatient though, he wanted to tell you he liked you already! it had to be the best for you!)

confused, everyone halted their afternoon activities as tsuzuru’s big brother instincts made him take over and explain the dilemma at hand, although, not well

(everyone got even more confused, what the hell was tsuzuru talking about? something about the perfect violin music? the 90s disney movie ambience? taking every comforter in the residence for a fort?)

itaru sighed, stepping up to the plate. he wasn’t taking time out of his video game time for nothing

“in other words, sakuya needs to ask someone out before he explodes from his lovey–dovey feelings. he needs the room for his date.”

(citron burst into tears, dramatically sinking to the floor as sakuya hurried over with hugs, genuinely worried for his friend. “sakuya~ you are growing up so fast! you are such a good boy!!!”)

even though he didn’t want to ask for help, the whole company automatically ignored him and went to go assist him in decorating

with a couple of funny comments here and there about why he was going out more and his literal heart eyes

(“oh look at sakusaku in love~” azuma pulled on sakuya’s cheek, everyone gushing over sakuya’s blush and his bright eyes as he thought about you. he was so passionate about you, just like acting!)

but the jokes were reserved for another time because their leader needed their help. it was time to repay back the favors sakuya always did for them, he did deserve a night of just romance!

he deserved the world for being such a good person

the main lights were turned off. twinkling fairy lights were pinned up to the top of the walls. red tablecloth was put over the main table. food was placed on a silver platter sakyo only reserved for very special occassions. proper plating was set up with every type of utensil possible (even a salad fork, there was no salad). the projector was set up behind the sofa. a comfy, elaborate pillow and blanket fort took over the whole sitting area. rose petals decorated the entryway and aromatic candles filled the room with love. tonight was going to be perfect

spring troupe raided the costumes department to quickly make waiter–styled outfits for the night (banri wasn’t allowed to help the moment he held something animal print up). sakuya let taichi clip on his bowtie and yuki check the measurements of his new formal wear. running by, homare dropped a fresh rose into a vase in the middle of the dining table before going into a verse about young love. omi finished up the delicious spaghetti, due to muku giggling about lady & the tramp and sharing a noodle. everyone put in the effort to get the volunteers ready for the biggest act of sakuya’s life

“everyone, three cheers for sakuya and his potential partner tonight!” tsuzuru led the group chant as sakuya stared at himself in the mirror, grinning as he willed himself to take a deep breath. he had this in the bag, tonight was going to be perfect

as sakuya stood in the corridor after the preparations, it felt like he was backstage before a major performance. the butterflies in his stomach were going crazy, he was so excited to see you

food? check! music? check! decorations? check! perfect outfit? check! everyone ready for their cues? check! flowers? che—wait...

before sakuya could have a minor, tiny meltdown over forgetting a very essential part of his plan, tsumugi ran back inside covered in dirt as he gracefully passed a sweet boquet with a light pink ribbon tied around the stems. it was so thoughtful, sakuya almost teared up right then and there

“this one means confessing a crush,” tsumugi said, pointing to the abundance of daisies before taking his leave, whispering good luck on the way out. tasuku waved, sporting a thumbs up

juza held hisoka up with a serious, but supportive nod. tenma winked, enough said

sakuya smiled, he had such good friends!

the common room in the dorms was evacuated as the other spring troupe members were hiding in the kitchen, acting as servers to the very exclusive mankai restaraunt. the clock struck 8pm as kamekichi flew by, closing the curtains in the process just like they discussed

sakuya heard a knock on the front door. that was his cue; sakuya moved to stand by the classy table as he heard itaru’s business voice greet you professionaly. he almost giggled at the confusion in your voice before itaru led you to the kitchen, a shocked look on your face as sakuya pulled your chair out

“you look beautiful.” sakuya honestly admitted, feeling his cheeks flush when you looked away with a smile. sakuya pushed your chair in as he went back to the other side, gently taking your hand as he tapped on the table three times. at the sign, he heard masumi start playing his classical violin in the background

phase 1: get you to sit down (check!)

“thank you, i don’t know what to say!” you stammered, looking around at the transformed scenery as tsuzuru walked in, bowing at you two before placing two menus down. there was really only one thing on the menu, but it was in some fancy cursive font so it was acceptable

“would you like to get started? or should i give you a few minutes?” tsuzuru questioned, having his notepad at ready with a black pen as he followed the script without problems. sakuya watched as you stared at the menu, unaware of what to do next

improv time! sakuya immediately ordered two servings of spaghetti, knowing it was the only thing he had planned with two cups of water (tsuzuru almost broke character when he almost reached a hand out to ruffle sakuya’s hair, pretending to stretch instead)

“certainly, sir. enjoy your time at mankai!” tsuzuru took his leave, going to wait his specific allocated time of 5 minutes before coming back. you looked at sakuya, his face starng back into yours with a fond smile

“thank you for coming—” sakuya started but was cut off by a very loud scream. a very citron–sounding scream. following the shriek, the sound effect of glass smashing on the floor and the wet slap of noodles was very clear. the violin cut off with an awful note, making you wince as you pulled your hand back

phase 2: eat spaghetti (oh, crap)

silence. then—

“OH MY GOD, CITRON!” tsuzuru yelled, shuffling open the script sakuya handed out. citron began apologizing profusely, not realizing you and sakuya were sitting in disbelief and uncertain about what was going to happen next

“ah, this was not GJ... press f in the chat.” itaru commented monotonously, offering a very sarcastic clap. “shut up!” masumi tried to salvage the situation, but the damage was already done

it wasn’t until you heard a muffled sigh that the boys stopped fighting. sakuya tried hiding his face as he sunk lower in his seat, holding his head in his hands

“i’m... i’m so sorry!” sakuya apologized, trying to form a coherent sentence without his voice cracking from embarrassment. the spring boys felt awful, quickly trying to clean up the mess and turn this date around the right way

but you smiled, standing up to put your hand on his shoulder as he tensed. were you going to leave? this had to be the worst date ever! you were too nice, you were trying to spare his feelings—how embarrassing!

“saku, it’s okay.” you comforted, bending down to look him in the eye. sakuya nodded, wiping his nose as he blinked away his frustrated tears. i must look so immature, sakuya pouted, trying to appear as calm as possible. but inside, he was screaming. how could have this happened so early on? he did everything!

“no, i wanted tonight to be perfect because i wanted to ask—” sakuya felt your hand guide his face to look at yours, your fingers gently holding onto his chin. you smiled

“will you be my boyfriend, saku?” you asked, seeing his face go blank before shooting out of his seat, almost knocking you down as he started jumping up and down

“yes, oh my god, of course!” sakuya composed himself, rubbing the back of his neck as he settled down from your laughter. sakuya instead picked you up, spinning around as he couldn’t help but laugh along with you

“oh my god, do you really like me?!” sakuya couldn’t believe his ears, you liked him even after this whole disaster of a date!

(this would be the start of the best dates ever as long as sakuya was there)

“no one has put so much effort into something for me like this before, you’re one of a kind.” you truthfully said, putting your hands on his face as he lowered you to the ground after losing the adrenaline rush

before you could connect your lips to his, you smelt a floral scent in your face and leaned back to see him panicking with a boquet of daisies

(you would soon learn sakuya was planning something very, very special for the first kiss. it didn’t go wrong, that time)

“uh... this is for you! please accept them!!!” sakuya thrusted the boquet into your hands and the rest of the night was yours to share

(sakuya kicked the spring members out, pushing them out of the door and promising to give them a huge rant later on. it wasn’t much, though, just a “i’m not angry, i’m just disappointed” speech that had no merit since he couldn’t stop smiling)

after that, you accepted sakuya and all of life’s mishaps, disasters, and unfortunate events that seemed to follow him despite his best efforts to do everything right

even though he loved just as much to spoil you rotten by spending quality time together, you always looked forward to getting the upper hand and surprising him thoughtful gifts!

sakuya hated it when you spent money on him, always taking the gift but trailing after you like a lost puppy trying to pay you back

(the kid even tried sneaking in cash when you weren’t looking. sakuya’s acting skills were useful when he pretended like he had no idea where a random $20 came from!)

(he later got excited seeing the same lucky bill on the sidewalk during a park walk, not noticing it was the same exact one he tried giving to you)

once you realized pricey, store–bought presents weren’t the way to go and only made sakuya feel guilty, you resorted to hand–made items that had your name all over it

you loved sewing! you even stole sakuya’s worn white hoodie with “SPRING” on it, embroidering lovely cherry blossoms around the words and at the end of the sleeves

you hid your initials + S.S. on the inside of the spot right over his heart (sakuya wouldn’t find it until one day, he was about to flip it inside out for laundry and was found cradling the fabric with happy tears sitting at the base of the washer)

(he wouldn’t move and masumi had to send you a picture of what a wreck your boyfriend was — “come get him already, he doesn’t have clean clothes”)

when you gave it back to him after he accepted it was gone forever, sakuya nearly passed out from how overwhelmed he was with your kindness! he wears it even more now, running his fingers over the texture of the flowers and feeling your love in every stitch every time he thought of you

(he started doing it subconciously, it became a comforting habit for him to do now)

acting like his professional stylist, you even knitted this super cute puff–ball beanie that was pink, silver, and white

the word “BLOSSOM” across the top became your new pet name the moment he received it (your contact was now blossom *insert every pink heart emoji ever*)

(unrelated but yes you two cosplayed as blossom and brick from the powerpuff girls for halloween)

your largest gift ever was a quilt blanket of patches you sewed of memories you shared!

(even the spaghetti disaster you now laughed about later on! sakuya realized wearing all white eating tomato sauce was a very bad idea)

countless movie nights, walks in the park, picnics by his favorite river, playing cute 3ds games together, decorating for school–wide events, and visiting the aquarium for the adorable clownfish were all apart of a blanket he would definitely save first in a hypothetical fire

yet, sakuya’s favorite gift ever was always on his person: a beaded promise bracelet you made

(you even got one back, although he definitely needed your help so it wasn’t much of a surprise)

it was during a community service event where sakuya signed up to take care of the little kids running around at the library center. it was art day, so he was happily painting a blank sculpture in the colorful room surrounded by a bunch of children who were concetrated on painting the best pokémon ever

you loved sakuya’s big heart and how he always dedicated time to helping others, so you made an effort to join him in his altrustic hobbies

(couples who care for the community stay together, obviously)

it had been a week after you noticed how sakuya’s famous pink watch was off his wrist. he downplayed it, just saying it wasn’t his favorite anymore even though he wore it for years

(but citron blabbed and confessed it was broken and he had never seen sakuya so upset except on spaghetti night)

(citron shuddered. no one speaks of spaghetti night around sakuya)

so when you slipped the pink beaded bracelet with his name and a small heart around the pikachu’s ears as a crown, sakuya looked up to see what would be his favorite piece of jewelery of all time

sakuya’s work ethic never went away and he worked twice as hard to have you happy to be with him, but it was nice to take a break and be spoiled every once in a while

(more like, spoiled every day as you always had something new to give. they would all become his lucky charms and it seemed like his accident–prone fortune went away)

sakuya was glad you worked just as hard to be with him; he loves you very, very much!

[sushiandstarlight]

Cookies: Chapter 15

This chapter contains today’s prompt “expectation,” sort of, if you squint. lol

Previous Story: Of All The Beds In All The Hotels In All The World

Chapters 1-3 / Chapter 4 / Chapters 5 & 6 / Chapter 7 / Chapter 8 / Chapter 9 / Chapter 10 / Chapter 11 / Chapter 12 / Chapter 13 / Chapter 14

Read this chapter on AO3

Rated G, Light Teen for suggestions but nothing explicit

Personal note: I’m somewhere in the realm beyond tired from working over night.  What day is it? What year is it?  Here, have some fluffy husbands.

That afternoon it began to snow in earnest, flurries turning to flakes that worked together to blot out the grey landscape. They traveled in the whirling winds, sticking to the trees and the garden and the walls. Inside the inn it was still cozy and warm, perhaps more so than before. Edie and Gladys spent the afternoon in the kitchen doing prep work for the inn's Christmas feast. Two days away, there were already foods they could prepare ahead to be popped in the oven in time for dinner. Crowley was given reprieve from this, though he offered to help.

“You should spend some time with that boyfriend of yours, dear,” Gladys was being particularly nice to him and it was making him even more nervous than he had been- and he'd been getting pretty keyed up as Christmas approached anyway.

“It's allllllmost time,” Edie was absolutely no help as far as anxiety went, but she only giggled when he glared at her.

So, they wiled away the snowy afternoon playing with a chess set Aziraphale had found on a bookshelf in the sun room. The pieces and the board itself were wooden and old, polished to a shine by decades of games. Crowley cheated which made him happy. Aziraphale noticed, and let him with a small amount of squawking, but still managed to win which made him happy, too.

Edie brought in a tray of coffee, pastries, and sandwiches later in the day. The two of them were curled under a blanket on the love seat, lights out but for the tree, watching the snow swirl outside the window as the sun set. Edie winked at Crowley before she left, earning her a tongue stuck out in response and then she was gone back to the kitchen.

“Really, the pair of you.”

“She's riling me up on purpose.”

“She wouldn't do that.”

“Oh, she would. She is!”

“Over what?”

Crowley shut his mouth with an audible click and looked back out at the snow.

Aziraphale's hand crept up his thigh, just a tickle of fingers.

“Getting handsy with me, Angel?”

“I have ways of making you talk.”

“Do you really want to spoil Christmas?”

“Is that what has you so tense?” He was gently stroking Crowley's thigh now and even Crowley could feel one kind of tension trading spaces for another in his body as he leaned towards Aziraphale, “Darling, I'm sure whatever you've picked out of me, I'll love it. It's from you.”

“That's what Gladys said on the phone when we first talked,” Crowley chuckled.

“Well, it's true.”

“Are you nervous about what you're giving me?” Crowley could play this game, too, and he moved his hand to rest near the angel's knee, barely tracing it with a finger. He delighted in watching a small shiver quiver through Aziraphale's shoulders.

“The thing itself, no. Not really. The presentation, maybe.”

“Gonna put on a show for me,” Crowley leered at him, leaning in closer and squeezing his thigh right above the knee, “Might scandalize the ladies of the house.”

Aziraphale laughed and it was a high and precious thing, shot through mostly with joy but a little bit of nervousness of his own.

“Hardly. I doubt there's anything that could truly offend them at this poi-int,” Crowley's hand had crept higher, “Except maybe the thoughts I'm having right now.”

“Having randy thoughts? Pssh, naughty angel,” Crowley's fingers were most definitely teasing him through his trousers, “I think we'll have to put you to bed early for those kinds of thoughts.”

“I think I'll need supervision,” Aziraphale was staring at him with rapt attention now, color rising to his cheeks and ears, down his throat, a lovely shade of pink, “To be sure I behave myself, stay put.”

“Oh, I would be the wrong one of that,” Crowley pressed into his side, slithered into it, really, “I'll only encourage misbehavior.” He stood, offering his hand and Aziraphale took it, following him to the hall and up the stairs.

-

The first thing Crowley noticed the next morning was that Aziraphale was wrapped so completely around him, he couldn't possibly escape even if he wanted to. He didn't want to, though. For anyone else, it might have been uncomfortable warm under the blankets so wrapped up in a radiating angel, but for Crowley it was just right. He was perpetually cold, it was the snake in him, but especially so in the winter. The snow was beautiful to look at it, but the very vision of it made his body shiver and lock up. Some part of him wanted to find a burrow and sleep until it was over. His current situation was a perfect burrow.

The next thing he noticed, and he felt stirring in the arms around him as he did, was the smell of cinnamon and fruit.

“Someone's baking pies,” the words were slurred against the back of his neck and the lips moving there sent a delightful jolt down Crowley's spine.

“You're not even awake yet,” he stifled a laugh so as not to jostle his angel and possibly make him move.

“I know things.” The words were slightly more coherent.

“You can sense baked goods at 50 paces.”

“Damn right I can,” Aziraphale's arms closed in more around him, his legs, too. The angel hummed happily. Crowley echoed back with a happy little noise.

“Alright, smarty pants, what do you smell?” He felt Aziraphale take a deep breath behind him, let it out, then take another.

“Apple pie, surely. Crumble topping. Oh, that'll be divine.”

“Blasphemy!”

“Cherry,” Aziraphale ignored him, sniffing some more, “Mince? That might be mince. It's been ages since I had a decent mince pie. Maybe I should go have a look.” He made to release Crowley, but Crowley wanted none of that. He rolled over and pinned him down, hugging him around his chest.

“Nope, no can do. Sorry.”

“Why not?”

“Because you've been tempted to the burrow of a demon snake and you're not going to be used as a warm body for the rest of eternity,” his words, he knew, were muffled into the skin of Aziraphale's chest, but the angel would get the jist of it.

“Is that so? No way to vanquish the demon? Save the day? Be rewarded with tasty treats in compensation for my good deeds?”

“Afraid not. I don't make the rules. You're just stuck here now.”

“Well, the pies aren't done yet anyway.”

“I see where I stand.”

“Yes, on a timer,” Aziraphale chuckled, combing his fingers through Crowley's hair, “I'll know when they're done.”

“Because of your special magic sense?”

“Sure, my sense of smell. They'll smell even better when they're done.”

“What ever will you do to while away the minutes?” Crowley placed a kiss on his chest and then another before smiling up at him.

“I think I'll have a snack.”

“You did not just call me a snack.”

Aziraphale laughed and Crowley felt it in his whole upper body, splayed as he was across him.

“Where on earth did you learn that?”

“I talk to people!”

“When? Who? Who explained snacks to you?”

“Gladys' grandson,” Aziraphale sniffed, “He helped me find the Christmas lights the other day. Oh, you really should come outside and see them tonight.”

Crowley shivered at the thought.

“I'll warm you back up when we come inside,” Aziraphale wheedled, “It's Christmas eve, you should see how pretty the inn is with the lights. Besides, I want to see what it all looks like in the snow. We won't be long.” Puppy eyes, his angel was giving him puppy eyes.

“Yeah, alright,” he grumbled, “but you are responsible if I wind up sleeping in a hole somewhere until spring.”

Chapter 16 is now up!