#oh wait if you mean DURING the fic she just mostly feels bad that she didn’t realise chris liked her

[tulipscomeinallsortsofcolors]

you mentioned in the tags of that burnout post that its been 6 years and you still havent gotten to everything you wanted to in laoft, just out of curiosity are there any fics youve had in mind since the beginning/early on that youre still planning on writing but havent yet?

mostly prequels ive referenced but never gotten around to actually writing

the time as young teens/middle schoolers roman fell out of tree, hit his head and lost consciousness and logan had a week-long catastrophic meltdown about it (this is titled 'logan and the terrible horrible no good very bad week' in my documents)

a fic about very early LAMP dealing with/talking out romans habit of agreeing to or initiating things he doesnt actually want to do in order to protect himself from anything he perceives as them being mad at him

midquel during what you choose to put in the ground, were patton and logan discuss roman the day after meeting him and whether or not theyre going to try and be his friend

Virgil misunderstanding a human cultural thing because of movies/tv and assuming its like, Legally Required Of Him to ask permission of LMPs parents to marry them, so he goes to shelley first sweating bullets and shelleys like 'oh sweetheart' and we get a little bonding moment for them

more companions to Wit where i show all of the lamp combos moment of Realization when they fall in love

silly tea leaf reading fic that been languishing 3 sentences long for like 5 years

may and night!roman the first time she teaches him magic

logans flower shop opening

death threat jar.... TWO

gc goes camping

may and roman visiting abby's grave when he's a kid (9-10) and him feeling conflicted about it because he doesnt remember her/worrying he doesnt love her 'enough'

a more bittersweet companion to Requiem with Linda and Remus and their families

i really want to do more guidebook entries but i got a new computer and lost my copy of clipstudio and cant figure out how to get it back XD so i have to wait until i figure that out or buy a new copy

May + virgil hurt/comfort reminiscing about Greta and Trudi.

Dot and Larry romance fic featuring alternating cheerleader and heckler abby

analogical word association games (analogical because logan has a ginormous vocabulay and virgil is hundreds of years old, so the goal winds up being trying to say a word the other doesnt know or doesnt know enough words to play off of)

We've had badass protective LAM but i have one for Patton thats languishing as well

Virgil stumbling up on the Gage's hunting blind, which used to be Greta and Toby's house and is now derelict

fae specific idioms vs wickhills specific idioms

fire poker drama with roman and dot - he finds out about it and is uuuuuh. unhappy, to say the least

roman doing knot/weaving/braiding magic like his mom on his and linda's hair

a day in the life of dr. emile picani the only psychotherapist in a town full of magically traumatized people only he is qualified to treat (AKA So Much Pressure)

Dot and Larry with a very young Logan realizing that they have a child who physically can't lie and that it would therefore be extremely easy for them to violate his boundaries and privacy without even meaning to, and them talking about how to handle that

theres other stuff in the someday file, but these are the once ive had from or almost from the start

[alwaysxlarrie]

50 feel good fics for sad/bad days

alright sooo i meant to post this a while ago but life got in the way so here it finally is!! considering recent....news, maybe it was just a blessing in disguise & the universe had me wait until we really needed some feel good fics. i had a lot to recommend, but instead of making a list that was 545311 miles long, i’m gonna split it into two parts. so here’s part 1! happy (belated) valentine’s day (especially to @lemonade-soul -- hope you enjoy this now that it’s finally here lol) !!!!!

the order: alphabetical !

5 golden rules by ladidah (4k)

look our mans harry is just out here trying his best and ya know what? louis is obsessed with it and him and i am obsessed with them and this fic

you smile like the sun by softspoken (1k) 

i simply do not think i could explain how cute this fic is so i just need you to read it and then you’ll understand

a+ for effort by embro (7k) 

look me in the eye and tell me that nervous harry, protective/supportive louis, shy flirting n banter on harry’s part n innuendos and obvious flirting on louis’ part, and both of them being teachers doesn’t sound amazing to you 

all i need is oxygen (and you) by @lululawrence / lululawrence (11k)

sus writes the cutest slow burns that always leave a smile on your face. harry pining over louis & louis weaseling his way into harry’s life ??? does it get any better ???

anybody have a map? by @2tiedships2 / 2tiedships2 (13k)

the way melanie writes louis’ internal monologue but also just dialogue in general is so *french kiss*. i adore her fics!!!

ain’t that a kick in the head! by keysmashlesbian & @karasunonolibero (22k)

this is such a funny fic but it’s also so cute i could read it 3823748 times and not get bored

all your mates are here by @londonfoginacup / ladylondonderry (36k)

have you been looking for a lovely crack abo lite fic set during christmas? if so, you’ve come to the right place! here she is!

as golden as the coast by softandslow (12k)

the visualizations & descriptions & relationship dynamics written in this are so cute and pure. captain niall always wins baby !!!

back to seventeen by @ireallysawanangel / crimsontheory (26k)

listen, when i say i have a thing for harry crushing on louis before they even interact in the fic, i mean it. this is such a cute and sexy take on childhood crush to lovers. i’ve said it once & i’ll say it again -- i adore the way nicole writes their dynamic & you will too!!

baby thinking of you keeps me up at night by ballsdeepinjesus (9k)

something about the way louis goes from condescending & over it in every way in regards to harry to just like fully in it and infatuated w him soothes my soul sm. and the way harry’s just there, ready for him like ‘oh fuck yeah lets goooo’. i’m obsessed. plus it’s got thigh fucking and we love thigh fucking

breathless for an eternity by cabinbythesea (7k)

i mean ok listen this is essentially mostly just porn w some plot but!!! i adore larry’s’ dynamic and the way you can tell that they clearly have an instant connection and that they care about each other and are so supportive to each other and i just ugh. such a good fic.

charm your pants off by @evilovesyou / 4ureyesonly28 (2k)

look louis just wants to take a cute patient on a date and who can blame him???

darling, can’t you see by @tommokat / tommokat (11k)

this!! fic!! is!! so!! cute!! the way louis & harry’s relationship changes and develops throughout the fic is so heartwarming and cute and the smut at the end???? andi very pleasantly surprised me w the smut and i am so happy about it

everywhere and nowhere by @2tiedships2 / 2tiedships2 (16k)

the way harry courts louis & wins him over is so cute!!! once again, i love how mel writes out their relationships, the banter, the internal monologues, etc. would def recommend 

freeze this moment in a frame and stay like this by @rosesau / rosesau (5k)

niall truly takes one for the team in honor of harry’s infatuation constantly like the good bff he is and you know what? it lands him a no-longer-moping harry and a new bff louis. the way that as soon as they have a bridge to get to each other, larry become inseparable is truly *chef’s kiss*

found my hallelujah by @ireallysawanangel / crimsontheory (34k)

if you were wondering, no i will not shut up about this fic ever. there is some angst in this, but i’d say it’s more hurt/comfort overall than anything. right off the bat, harry & louis are enamored w each other & it’s so cute n lovely (look nicole all i’m saying is that i would pay such good money for a part 2 lemme tell u. speaking of which, i actually just realized that i think i left this comment almost word for word on the fic LMAO)

give a little sing to the singles by @londonfoginacup / ladylondonderry (31k)

look i’m obsessed with emmu’s advent calendar fics & what about it ???? the crack is just written so well while still keeping things realistic and i love seeing harry’s relationship w everyone change & develop as the story goes. not to mention niall’s plotline?? and the ending??? where’s that lady gaga gif when you need it??

gorgeous (it makes me so mad) by @artxghoul / resurrectdead (29k)

i have raved about this fic before & i will continue to rave about it!! no one can stop me!! i adore how cracky but still cute and sweet and hot and wonderful it is from the moment larry meet until the very end it’s got the best vibes. the plot twist at the end makes it 10x better too. 

i made a map of your stars by @brightbluelou / brightbluelou (5k)

not only is this a super adorable popular louis worms his way into shy harry’s life, i think it’s also a lovely fic that touches on making friends who accept you and help you feel comfortable when you’ve got anxiety. it’s such a cute lil fic and i adore it

i’ll be there by @allwaswell16 / allwaswell16 (5k)

as you may have guessed, enemies to lovers can make me a bit wary. but i trust anitra so i read this anyway (i may or may not have read this before we became friends but that is neither here nor there thank u) and i’m so glad i did!!! it’s so cute n cracky n i adore it n their relationship development

i’ve been thinking ‘bout it all day by @kingonafiftymetreroad / lsforever (7k)

she’s a slow burn (techincally. or i’m just impatient. but who’s to say honestly), but she’s so cute. i know i keep saying it about these fics, but the way larry’s dynamic is written!!!!!  larry’s friendship is so cute that you really don’t even notice until they cross the line to more than friends and you’re like ‘oh hell yeah, here we go!’

just one look (and i fell so hard) by @disgruntledkittenface / disgruntledkittenface (15k)

the way louis is just so protective & supportive of harry & their dynamic comes so easily is adorable & like watching a flower bloom. i love this fic sm

just jump by @jaerie / jaerie (9k)

louis helping harry come out of his shell is so cute n sexy at the same time ugh we love to see it

kiss from a rose by @chloehl10 / lovelarry10 (15k)

shy, anxious harry getting secret admirer notes??? louis being a cute lil soft bean with him????? i cry, i really truly do

knock knock, i love you by beautlouis (86k)

if you’re interested in ~90k words worth of fluff & larry falling in love, read this asap immediately!!!

late night talking by @kingsofeverything / kingsofeverything (53k)

lauren knows how i feel about this fic bc i gave her live commentary unprovoked, but like??? it’s so good??? i told her that i think louis is sneak dating harry and she didn’t confirm this but she didn’t deny it either, sooooo. it’s the theory i’m going with hehe. flirty louis and cautious yet yearning harry are written so well. this also appreciates the ‘hey babe’ lyric from written all over your face in the way that it was simply meant to be appreciated.

let our hearts collide by @crinkle-eyed-boo / crinkle-eyed-boo (76k)

ok!!!!! listen!!!! i’m not saying she’s not angsty, b u t !!!! this shit is so good. you’re guaranteed to leave with a smile. kim does such a good job of creating & developing louis and harry’s relationship while (sometimes to my dismay) remembering to also keep up liam & harry’s relationship for as long as it’s necessary LMAO. but it’s just such a lovely, heartwarming fic that makes any tears it might also produce so worth it

lazy days and pancakes for two by @cyantific / cyantific (4k)

ugh this fic is so cute. when i betaed it, my heart was constantly melting at the fluff and i was constantly giggling bc of the banter & humor incorporated. it’s just so sweet and gives you such a realistic vision into what their irl daily life on days off might be like i cry

midnight memories by grand buzz (2k)

i would cry if there were a sequel to this. the author does such a good job at giving you a visual of harry being endeared yet exasperated with louis and louis being unapologetically mischievous as well and i’m here for it !!

masterpiece by rainbowslovehl (11k)

ok so, like. take fetus x factor larry’s dynamic of harry quite literally chasing after louis and just hoping to impress him with every breath he takes but just like. with grown adults. that is larry’s dynamic in this fic and i am telling u, it’s so good and cute and funny and read it asap pls

may we all have a vision now and again by @gaycousinlarry / momentofclarity (4k)

the best way i can describe this fic is bittersweet, but in the best way. louis can and will make harry feel unprecedented emotions in any & every universe

make him want to sin @becomeawendybird / quickedween  (9k)

i mean, harry immediately infatuated and louis immediately being flirty? am i nothing if not predictable? there are some plot twists as well! well. for harry at least. the reader has hindsight 20/20 hehe. i’m also obsessed w the dynamic at the table.

my saddle’s waiting by realitybetterthanfiction (28k)

listen, this fic has a special place in my heart bc it’s based in chicago yes, sure bUT the character & relationship developments that take place throughout the whole thing is phenomenal. i think the subtle things in this fic really make it so captivating

nothing but a little bit of love by cabinbythesea (7k) 

this says it’s not rated but it gets quite steamyyy at some points. but i’m just a sucker for louis chasing and seducing harry and showering him with love and that’s quite literally what this is and we do absolutely love to see it

our lives, non-fiction by @indiaalphawhiskey / indiaalphawhiskey (113k)

ok look, there is actually a decent amount of angst in this, but imo it’s v much hurt/comfort as well. the way india writes smut & dirty talk??? *french kiss* but even more than that, the character development, relationship development?? how louis & marcel support each other once they find even ground??? this fic will leave you w a smile and some tears to go w it and i’m obsessed. it’s on the longer end, but so worth it (i am in fact doing a fic rec list on long fics bc it’s me and who am i if i don’t continue to make fic rec lists in 2023???)

packed lunches, sticky fingers, and accidental levitation by @londonfoginacup / ladylondonderry (10k)

this has such phenomenal writing & like idk if this was intended to be read like a crack fic but it’s got such crack fic enegy and i’m obsessed w that. it’s also such a fucking creative fic it’s actually kinda mindblowing imo

promise not to fade away by you_explode (9k)

one thing i love about this fic is that it could’ve very easily been incredibly angsty and a slow burn. but instead the author decided to have mercy on us and make it short, fluffy, and sweet. and threw in some hot smut as well. it’s just so soft and wonderful and i’m so ?? i think this is one of the first fics i ever read from this fandom & it’s never left my mind since

ready to fall by @crazyupsetter / whoknows (21k)

this is the perfect combo of crack x serious/sweet imo. who is louis if not sneaky, mischievous & a tease and who is harry if not infatuated w louis, persistent & accommodating?? a wonderful pair, we love to see it. obsessed !

stars will align for us by @2tiedships2 / 2tiedships2

since mel mostly writes omega louis (& phenomenally at that!) you better believe i savor the absolute shit out of this omega harry fic. just the way louis does his best to protect harry and weasels his way into harry’s life while he always maes sure he’s okay and that harry knows he enjoys spending time with him and i just ???? my heart melts everytime i read it 

stood up by panda_bear21 (8k)

listen i have a thing for punk louis & harry already crushing on louis before they interact during a fic (i blame the way fetus harry was so obviously obsessed w louis for this) and this fic has both of those things. there is some light angst & mentioning of closeting, but the fluff so v much outweighs it.

staring across the room by @allwaswell16 / allwaswell16 (26k)

harold thinks he can resist the charms of louis tomlinson but really ... he should know better than that. this fic is so cute, sweet, and the sequel???? my heart!!!! this fic has my heart through n through n through

‘sup by @mediawhorefics / mediawhore (6k)

i! love! larry’s! dynamic! in! this! especially when harry puts his foot in his mouth and louis chases him down and is like ‘yeah, no. we’re gonna talk, darling.’ i cry and i laugh. sidenote: louis saying ‘sit your ass down’ is everything to me

single bells ring by @absoloutenonsense / nonsensedarling (16k)

i love this non-traditional abo take !!! the way louis’ attitude changes the second he lays eyes on / talks to harry is the funniest and cutest thing. louis is so mischievous and harry is so coy and the lil plot twist at the end wins you over without a doubt

tell me what you need by @disgruntledkittenface / disgruntledkittenface (2k)

listen. we have mischievously flirting louis. we have always-puts-a-foot-in-his-mouth-but-still-manages-to-endear-louis-anyway harry. we truly do love to see it!

the first time i ever saw your face by sweetrevenge (5k)

this has such a cute plot twist that i didn’t see coming, but adored! this is essentially just harry swooning over louis & honestly?? who can blame him??? not me!!!

when did i first know? i always knew by @panye / eynap (7k) 

stephanie works hard at producing fine shiall content and i am here to recommend her lovely work to you. we’ve got larry, we’ve got ziam, we’ve got romance, we’ve got a proposal, we’ve got smut. what more could you ask for??? read it. appreciate it. love it. 

why’d you come in here looking like that? by @homosociallyyours / homosociallyyours (7k)

i’m someone who doesn’t love it when miscommunication is a plot device so i love that megan had them talk out any confusion that, let’s be honest, can very easily happen when online dating. but the cute, awkward flirting and banter is so good. i love this fic from how soft louis is with marcel at the end and the way louis asks him out as well ???? my heart !!!!

we’re watching a television with no sound by orphan account (2k)

harry and louis’ immediate connection is so sweet and cute. just like the way they’re so tactile and comfortable w each other within minutes of meeting & you can feel the fond so strongly is just *chef’s kiss* honesty. i reread this fic like monthly, if not bi-weekly.

you’ve been taking up my mind by styleandsin (10k)

fanboy!harry/famous!louis ?? on a recommended list of mine ?? who’s shocked ?? absolutely no one. i love the premise of this fic and how their relationship/dynamic changes n develops quickly but in a way that doesn’t actually feel too fast -- just like irl tbh

young hearts on the chase by @polaroidlouis / daffodilsforlou (7k)

i love the spin that this has where the omega does the courting. the way louis just .... lets harry weasel his way into louis’ daily routine is top tier. they’re so soft and fluffy w each other it’s just so cute pls read this thnak u

please remember to leave kudos & comments on any of the fics that you read and/or enjoy!!!! 

[alittlebrownbat]

My Year-End Wrap Up

It's nearing the end of the year and I've read a lot, and I mean a lot of fics this year. Millions of words worth of fics. Refusing to acknowledge I have a problem; that's something I'll face in 2024. It's become my nighttime routine and my favorite thing to do before I fall asleep. I thought I'd do a little roundup of my favorites. They're mostly Wolfstar with a smattering of Dorlene and Jily. These are them, in no particular order:

Let's Play Pretend by MsAlexWp - I had trouble choosing between this and A Potter's Field, which I also highly recommend. I followed this work in progress (now finished) all summer and it was an absolute delight. R/S are both young, single parents and pretend to date to appease the nosy ladies in Sirius's building. It is chicken soup for the soul and will make you both laugh and cry. I can't wait to reread it.

The Fragile House of Black by @fantismal and Jormandugr - This is a series that has a brilliant interpretation of the Prophecy. I don't think it's a stretch to say it's the best magical AU I've ever read. It also has a few Peter POV chapters and gives a backstory for why the betrayal happened, something I feel was undercooked with the original series. Heavy on Black brothers healing. It is perfection.

The Many Lives of Sirius Black by enigmaticblue - A bring back Black treat, also a series. Sirius goes through the veil and meets Regulus, who presents him with a series of doors which will allow him to restart during specific years. We get to explore what it would have been like through each choice.

Honey Honey by @aeoneskova - Marlene is teaching in the muggle world after essentially being exiled for trying to prove Sirius's innocence. That is, until an underfed boy with a scar and glasses ends up in her classroom. This is heavily influenced by Matilda. Marlene is a bad ass loner who can do it all.

The Hand that Feeds by @rollercoasterwords - A canon-compliant Dorlene enemies to lovers fic following the two from Hogwarts through the first war. It gives us an explanation to why Voldemort killed Dorcas personally. This backstory is canon to me.

10 Reasons to Go to Michigan by @greyeyedmonster-18 - Remus returns to his roots in the Upper Peninsula after abruptly leaving a 10 year relationship. This is about finding yourself again, and sometimes finding a little something more. It's just utter perfection. Sirius being a literal potter makes me chuckle.

Just What the Doctor Ordered by @wrapped-up - Sirius finds a stray puppy who he names Padfoot and brings him to the local veterinarian, Dr. Lupin, for help. This is about heartbreak, and finding love, and growing up. It was hard picking just one by wrapped-up because everything she writes is a work of art.

Under a Big Blue Sky by @eyra - Sirius and James, two wealthy city slickers, help out on the Lupins' farm for lambing season. If you liked God's Own Country, I highly recommend this, and if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend both.

Don't Panic by redspottywellies - Lesbian Sirius and Remus absconding with Harry after the events of 10/31/81. This fic does action better than any I've read. Pure brilliance.

all the lonely people by superloonyluna - What would you do if a beautiful stranger asked you to join in an all-night heist?

The Archivist by @wanderingbandurria - An author and an archivist team up to uncover the mystery behind the commune in West Godric's Hollow. There is so much thought that went into world building for this fic.

Favorites Under 10K:

Signs of Affection by Kittycargo

Marlene McKinnon is Not a Coward by AllThisandLoveTooWillRuinUs

Never Doubt that It Was Real by @soloorganaas

Basilisks, Boggarts, and Boyfriends, Oh My! by optimisticdinosaur

I Love You A Latte by @jamesunderwater

My favorite WIPs:

As The Worm Moon Dies by @rollercoasterwords

Clear Eyes, Full Hearts (can't lose either way) by @greyeyedmonster-18

Dead to Me by @jamesunderwater

Right Back Where We Started From by @soloorganaas

Darklands by @newsom

Happy reading xx

[im-not-a-l0ser]

The Michie Playlist

Happy Valenties Yall. You may have seen my post about making a Michie Playlist. This is my review of songs already on it, originating from @wildrottingworms michie playlist. Barring Granger Danger (because they told me to) and adding another song, because it fits with another.

Here's the playlist on youtube if you want to follow along, and here it is on Spotify.

Nerdy Prudes Must Die: This is, for me, just on there for the sake that it is literally the song they share. That is the only reason it's on here. Also why it's the first song on here.

Take Me Back: This, however, I have no idea why it's on here! Nevermind, secret relationship michie; I'm an idiot. Okay, yeah, I think I can see it. Especially with them having regrets about keeping it a secret. Like, I'm listening to Tom's verse right now and it's like "oh, Max,, maybe you should've just openly loved Richie back thennn." Becky's verse now, okay. I see it a little less. I like the idea of 'i remember something someone asked me back in school,' being Max saying something like "if we could, would you go to prom with me," because of the following line; I think that's cute. Weirdly enough, I think this'll stay.

First Date/Last Night: Yes, I love this for them. Very cute, very nice. Derek Klena's character for max; perfect.

Blast From the Past: So, uh. I skipped this at first. Because I did not like it. This is the last song of these I've listened to because I am/was putting it off. But here we go i guess. Okay, it's not that bad. It kind of reminds me of Will Wood. But it also makes me realise that the musical Zombie Prom isn't the same as the Wizards of Waverly Place Episode, it seems to be about a single zombie who goes to prom. Which I guess makes sense. I'm keeping it, but it's like. That's all I got from it mostly.

Stupid With Love: So I technically added it, because the reprise was on it, I think it's a little silly to have on here, because I don't think Cady is much like Richie, but I think I'm keeping it for purely after (s)he meets Aron. Like, I've literally put that quote where Cady is essentially fantasising about him in tags about Richie and Max; feels wrong to not include it.

Stupid With Love Reprise: So, listening to it makes me nervous because I haven't actually watched all o Mean Girls the Musical, but it's fine. We're gonna do it anyway. Oh, wait, there's a BMC animatic of this, I've seen this, I'm stupid. Okay. I see why the og put it on here. It is very cute, I love it. I don't know enough about factorials to know if that's actually what you're supposed to do with them, and if it's not then it's hilarious. If it is, then it's like... well, I guess PJ did a good job tutoring Max.

Be Nice To Me: I like this song generally speaking, I never thought of it for Max and Richie, but I'm kind of into it. Like, I might do song fics with some of the songs from this playlist, and this is definitely a high high contender.

Two Birds: Thanks og, you mother fucker. I'm sad now. Luckily, I've already thought of them during this song so I can just skip it.... unluckily, it's already started playing and I can't turn it off now. Thems the rules.

Sex with a Ghost: I don't know why this is on there. It's obviously more of a Jagertity song, but I'm still going to listen to it with their context to see if I can figure it out. Okay, listening. I don't get it. I'll probably keep it because it fucking slaps, but i do not understand why it's on a michie playlist. The only thing I could see is like. 'The only time I ever see her is when she's behind me in the mirror," Because Richie dies in the locker room. But I dunno.

Daft Pretty Boys: I've never heard this song before, so. Right off the bat though, I'm dissapointed that it's not gay. The title makes it sound so gay, but immediately with the she/her pronouns. Maybe I should pull up the Genius Analysis so I can understand better, because I'm just confused. Okay, after checking Genius, I think I understand. I will be keeping it.

Beachboy: Another song I've listened to before, I'm excited to listen to it under Michie context. Like, I could type the lyrics along if I wanted to, I love this song. Yes, this is amazing. Aside from the fact that it's, again, straight, it's absolutely great.

Bloom: We begin the ones where I'm going to have to look up the english translations to these songs. Which I'm fine with, I've listened to all the BSD character songs. It's actually pretty fun to follow along, which is why I'm linking english translations through te name titles, which is why some of the have underlines and others don't. Anyway. HEY SORRY TO BUT IN! APPARENTLY THIS WAS IN SCOTT PILGRIM TAKES OFF! I LOVE SCOTT PILGRIM! ANYWAY BACK TO IT! Okay, upon reading the lyrics, I will say, it makes perfect sense that it was written for Scott Pilgrim, also that I rememer hearing it and taking note of what it was called because I liked it. Basically, on a surface level, it's like 'id like you no matter how many times you change your hair' but I think beneath that, as an overthinker, it's about loving someone even as they're going through changes in their life.

Necromantic: As much as it hurts to face the reality, I am glad that there are some songs on here that represent a realistic relationship for them, and this is definitely one of them. I think I would do a poor job on describing it, just look up the lyrics, you'll see.

Sihouette: Okay, reading the lyrics was a little harder bc I'm listening at home, and my family just got back home from Astronomy Club, so just bare with me. I think it's good, I think we'll be keeping it; I like it I think.

Kuchizuke Diamond: Oh I immediately love the vibes of this. I like this song so much for them that I didn't follow along with the lyrics, I read ahead; I love this. It's so cute for them.

Kawaikute gomen: I'm back and forth whether this applies to them, but it's funny enough that I don't even care. Like Stupid With Love and such. I definitely feel it for them, I just can't explain why.

Zenzenzense: This reminds me of Sonic. Not a bad thing, just a thing. I definitely love this song. It's "Now that we've finally met at galaxies' end, i don't know how to hold your hand so that I don't break it" that got me.

Nandemonaiya: Okay yeah. This got me at Verse 1

Kick Back: Oh my, I'm like flustered reading this. Definitely keeping it for them. Works for whichever pov imo.

Death By Glamour: I do not know why this is here, but as an undertale fan, I'm lowkey here for tho.

Uwa!! So Temperate: Again, I don't know why this is here. But it's like 45 seconds, it's whatever.

Murder On The Dancefloor

You & I: Any song from Bare is gonna make me sad, so I might take them off purely for that reason. But I need someone to cosplay Max with me so we can do a long form tiktok to this song. I'm willing to be Max, actually, yeah.

Best Kept Secret: Any song from Bare is gonna make me sad, so I might take them off purely for that reason. But I need someone to cosplay Max with me so we can do a long form tiktok to this song. I'm willing to be Max, actually, yeah.

This is where the song diverges into songs I've added! To continue, go to the post explaining why I've added those songs! To skip those songs, go to the post about songs that were suggested!

[kaesaaurelia]

Apropos of the last reblog... whenever I have had doubts about the 1926 fic being well-received in fandom (I had a crisis about this when S2 was announced, and also again when S2 happened) [edit: also I'm using "well-received" as a euphemism for "I won't get crickets and will not get more than 5 people telling me I don't know canon"], my therapist is just like "Why don't you just publish it [commercially as original fiction]?" And like... I don't want to, that should be enough, but I foolishly make the mistake of saying "I don't want to do that, because I'd hate the result and it wouldn't sell anyway." But it's true.

First off, I'd have to fundamentally change the characterizations of not-Aziraphale and not-Crowley to be comfortable with publishing it, in ways that would make them much less appealing to me, because I like those characters. I could see myself writing origfic about Vehuel and Nisroc, and have posted some stuff to AO3 tagged "origfic" because people who would like it will find it more easily there than in the GO tag, but I don't think I'd feel comfortable publishing it for profit unless I changed the setting completely so it wasn't Comically Bureaucratic Heaven and Hell -- which I'd also want to do with the 1926 fic, because everyone who's read or seen Good Omens is going to instantly recognize it. It's not bad to be influenced by something, of course, but look, if I have to rework both the setting AND the characters that's a lot of work to make a story less itself. Had I had more interesting-to-me ideas for either story or characters I would have written those instead.

The other issue is I do not think she understands how LONG it is. People who aren't writers hear "1000 words" and think "wow that's a lot of words, that's like 20 pages, right?" People who aren't writers hear "400k words" and think "wow that's a lot of words, that's like a hundred pages, right?" People who are writers understand that 1000 words is the point during an average NaNoWriMo day where you're like "I don't think I can do this actually," and then you're annoyed with yourself because you barely wrote a page and a half, and that 400k words is "oh no the idea got away from them, RIP." No traditional publisher wants to publish something that's 400k unless it's by George R. R. Martin and it is specifically the thing they've been waiting for him to finish for several presidential administrations.

So I'd have to self-pub. Which I don't really feel like doing because, bluntly, I would not get anything out of it. I do not know how to market a 400k book that is a historical action/adventure story with a substantial queer romance B-plot, but also a lot of it is torture porn, but not like that, it's not dark romance, the romance is fluffy. There isn't a good marketing niche for this. I'd either have to take out the sex scenes or rewrite them to be more appealing to the market (which means less appealing to me, a person who has found maybe one explicit sex scene in self-published fiction that I was into, and surprise surprise, the author's webpage linked to their AO3 account) and if I rewrote them I'd probably do better condensing the story down drastically to 15-20k of mostly porn with a light dusting of historical fantasy, which is not what I wrote.

But back to the marketing: I'd have to build a social media following, something I am not good at, on a social media site that is doing well and not in crisis (how??? where???) and all my insecurities about posting things online would be magnified a hundredfold if a. I had to do that and b. money was on the line. If I'm posting on AO3, I won't get money, but I will (very occasionally) get people telling me they liked it, which I will probably enjoy much more.

Anyway, I don't want to go into all of this with my therapist because she keeps doubting any of these assertions -- as if I do not keep up with publishing drama, or know self-pub authors, or understand that fans can diagnose "they painted landlord white over my blorbos to publish this" at 50 paces -- so it takes the whole hour.

But when I just leave it as "I don't want to do that, because I'd hate the result and it wouldn't sell anyway" she hears it as "I don't think my writing is good and I think no one likes it [clearly a symptom of depression]" but what I am trying to convey is "I don't want to take a sledgehammer to my favorite things about this story just so I can pitch it to a commercial audience I didn't have in mind when I wrote it, and I do not want to waste my free time and energy for socializing professionally trying to get people to like me on social media, something you know full well makes me deeply unhappy even at a small scale."

[teddybeartoji]

thinking about

https://x.com/OwwlllY/status/1803550523322507308?t=GeVDL_ljw1j1W0sNVc0aXg&s=19

(love this artist and their lil comics w satosugu they're so!!!)

it's a recurring thing w me but i just love like. horny, down bad people. "slutty" things. or suggestive. sometimes people just exist and it's so hot to me for some random reason like the type of skirt worn or certain movements... or the voice, the tone man idk i just 🫠

okay so i was thinking about this and also how would i imagine different jjk characters dealing with someone with super high libido, a dirty mind and a super sensitive body? i can imagine some taking advantage of it and teasing a lot (suguru)

but really imagine it's like the highest amount anyone could be. like full on succubus level. 24/7. would some characters tap out? i read a toji headcanon where he, bc of his age, didn't have as much energy but still had fun hearing reader pleasure themselves in the room next door before coming to cuddle next to him

often in fics it's expected that the libidos match so i'm rlly wondering how a difference could change things around 🤔 how they/you would adapt to it in order to keep everyone happyyyyy

so yeah ig i'm wondering what your opinion would be :3333

take care as always,

~ ☀️

HAIII HAIII SUNNYYY MY DEAREST!!!!!!!!!!!!

I LOVE OWWLLLYYYYY!!!!!!!!! I LOVE THEIR ART SMM (HERE'S THE LINK BTW)!!!!!!!!! and aaahhh i totally get what you mean by kind of getting turned on by the smallest things - i genuinely love smiles so much those also make me horny lmao, i really love back muscles, i love when people are sweaty!!!!!!! like oh myfukcing god if i saw toji or satoru or suguru working out in front of me.... i am FROTHINGGGG AT THE MOUTH OKAY i will lunge at them!!!!!!!!!!

i absolutely agree that suguru would definitely use that to his own advantage, he is very very patient and he knows how to keep his own please back a little just so he could last longer for you yk? but i do think that satoru the puppy would love it!!! he can get so hyper during sex and his stamina is just fucking godddlyyy i think he could keep up with you really well. aaand i do think that he can be a bit of a horn dog, like the smallest things do it for him too - short shorts, you brushing your teeth, your messy hair, you cooking for him, you bending over to pick smth up - everything goes!!!!! but it's just bc he really fucking loves u ok, it's not his fault you're so sexyy!!!!!!!!!!!!

ahh i know exactly what toji piece you're talking abt i loved it a lot!!!! and i agree with that too - while he does have good stamine and he fucks you so good, he's not as horny overall like satoru is yk? sure he thinks that you doing the most domestic things are hot but that mostly gets his heart racing for Love reasons lmao i love sappy old man toji ok he means so much to me. i also think that kento is gonna have a bit of a problem keeping up with you too. i don't know he just doesn't strike me as an overly sexual guy, he'd just love to relax with you in some other way. don't get me wrong though, he also fucks you so fucking well and he makes you cum plently of times but he just won't wanna go for like hours on hours on hours on hours. kento and toji are also both men that will put their own needs and desires on hold and focus on you!!!!!!!!!!

so yeah the ppl with the highest libidos in my opinion are suguru and satoru (though i don't think this is a surprise lma) aand the one's with the lowest are in fact toji and kento and hiromi (the working men😭😭). actually wait i feel like shoko is on the lower end as well. she's just working all the time and yes while sex is a good way to relieve stress it's also just fucking exhausting lmao she just wants to take a bath with you and have a glass of wine. aaaaaand man i kinda wanna say that sukuna is also here... idk that might just be me but yeah king or not i feel like he has other stuff to do and he's not always thinking abt sex. i feel like he's the most likely to let you suck him off whenever you feel like it though,, i think he's really into cockwarming too.

but i do feel like all of the ppl on the lower sex drive side on the scale feel more than comfortable with you taking care of yourself when they're ready to tap out (ok kuna might try to act a lil pouty tbh but he doesn't really mean it)(he feels a bit old so u just gotta reassure him a litttle lmao) buuut yeah these are just some of my thoughts heheee i love them all sm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[evansbby]

I just read the fic u posted and I feel so bad for the reader and I rlly wanna know how the reader feels abt this bcs it’s mostly from Chris’s POV but ur fic was sooo good

thank you! and she’s happy! she’s dubiously happy but she’s happy lmao.. like reader thinks she’s gonna go back to acting after her babies are a bit older, she doesn’t realise that chris plans to keep her pregnant and keep her from going back..

she obviously doesn’t know or see chris’ dark side at all, she’s quite naive and thinks he’s a perfect and doting husband, who pined for her for months.. she doesn’t have much experience with men so she thinks how he acts is normal and loving

[arkhamknightz]

i didn’t mean it

↳ in which, after a bad week you’re feeling extra clingy and get into a fight with steve

pronouns: they/them

warnings: death mention, angst, asshole steve but he doesnt really mean it, bad written angst, happy ending everyone is happy kinda mostly

notes: i love like hurt fics like this and wanted to make one move over i will probably make a billion of these. also this was rushed Smile

you had been dealing with a lot. a close friend yours hadn’t seen in months had passed away and with everything with the upside down going on you had been stressed out. your boyfriend steve had been busy as well, you hadn’t seen him for the last two weeks getting nothing but short calls whenever either of you had free time.

steve’s smile slowly faded as you cuddled into him for the 5th time in the last 3 minutes, seemingly trying to get closer to him than you already were. (if that was even possible.) he usually wouldve loved the attention, throwing his arm around you and pressing against you. but, he had gotten into a few arguments with some customers today, leaving him upset.

as you went to lay your head on his chest in a different position due to your neck starting to hurt. he pushed away, and you looked at him curiously. “is everything okay?” something inside him suddenly snapped. “why the hell are you being so clingy? god i don’t need you rubbing all over me every 5 seconds.”

the small smile plastered on your face slowly faded, his words sinking into your skin like tiny needles. “what? im not being clingy a-” he cut you off. “oh cut the bullshit. you’ve barely let go of me since you got here. if i knew you were gonna be this clingy today i wouldve told you i was busy again.”

his words felt like venom. “we haven’t spent time together in weeks?” you looked at him teary eyed. you weren’t sure if it was the look in your were giving him or the mention of your lack of time spent together but he quickly spoke up. “that doesn’t automatically mean cling onto me like some sort of lost puppy! god, cant you just stay off me for 5 minutes?”

without speaking you quickly got up off the couch, tears streaming down your face faster than you could notice. you slipped on your slippers and got in your car. steve quickly getting up to stop you. “wait no i didnt mean it-” but you were already gone.

—

“steve hey! whats going on you look like shit.” robin spoke as he walked into work. “nothing don’t worry.” it had been 3 days since you and steve fought, he tried calling your house but nobody ever picked up the phone.

“oh um alright well theres a pile of tapes that need to be stocked- oh, before i forget tell y/n im sorry about their loss, they must’ve taken the news so hard i mean i only recently found out but-” steve furrowed his brow as she spoke. “what do you mean?” robin looked at him. “you didnt hear? um you remember their friend they had invited to their birthday?”

steve nodded. you grew up an hour outside of hawkins, moving in during 8th grade year. you invited your best friend from your hometown to your birthday where they met all your friends. “well um, they passed away recently.” steve’s face fell. “how long ago was this?” robin sat for a moment. “by now? almost 2 weeks id say.” “shit!” robin looked at steve as he frantically paced around the room.

“whats wrong?” steve looked up at robin, guilt flooded on his features. “me and y/n got in a fight 3 days ago. i was really pissed off cause of those customers who came in and they were all over me the entire time they were over. i mean usually i wouldve been fine with it but i was so pissed off i yelled at them.” his voice got smaller as robin looked at him angrily.

“you didn’t think to fix this steve? god you’re such an asshole- ill cover for you. i don’t wanna hear anything come out of your mouth until you fix what you did. now go.” steve nodded in thanks, quickly running out the store to his car.

he stopped in front of your house, quickly turning off his car and walking to your front door nervously. he knocked on the door and took in your appearance as you opened it. your eyes were swollen, tear stains clearly covering your cheeks. your hair had been styled the way you usually had it when you were feeling lazy.

he pulled you into a tight hug. “im so sorry. im so sorry i didn’t mean it. didn’t mean a single thing i said to you.” his heart ached as your shoulders shook, your grip tightening around him as you cried.

“im so sorry. i heard what happened, im so sorry i wasnt there for you. im sorry it took me so long to come see you, i tried calling but i knew you probably didn’t wanna see me.” he rubbed your back as you cried into his chest. he pressed small kisses to your forehead, continuing to hold onto you tightly.

he heard a muffled. “shouldn’t you be at work?” he chuckled. “robins covering for me. i needed to come see you, can i come in?” you nodded against his chest and he ushered you inside, pulling you close to him on the couch letting you cry.

“i didn’t mean what i said about you being clingy. i was having a rough day, customers were being assholes and i took it out on you and im sorry about that. i cant imagine how you must feel and i never thought to ask you what was wrong and thats my fault. i should’ve noticed.”

you went to speak but he cut you off. “i love how touchy you are, i love getting to cuddle you after work. and im sorry i’ve been so busy the past two weeks with my job. i promise ill try to spend as much time with you as i can alright?” he spoke softly to you. he smiled softly as you lifted your head, letting out a small nod.

“i love you.”

“i love you too.”

“im sorry.”

“was i really being that clingy?”

steve looked at you and saw the sad look on your face. it had hit you harder than he had realized and he took your hands in his, looking at you as he spoke.

“i love you. okay? look at me, i promise you weren’t being clingy. not at all. im just an asshole who took my anger out on you and im sorry. i love how much you touch me, i love how in the car even if we aren’t holding hands properly your pinky’s linked with mine. i love all the little things you do.”

you nodded up at steve with tears brimming in your eyes. he pulled you into a hug and you both sat there in silence. “wanna finish that movie?” he looked down at you. “mmhm”

[crymeariveronceagain]

River's thoughts after re-reading Neverseen

NEW! FAVORITE! BOOOOK!!! Neverseen gets all the stars!!! I loved this one so much! There was so much going on and I loved every minute of it! Honestly, there is so little of this book that I'd change if I was writing the series that like I don't even know what to do with myself.

Oh wait I'm making a list of my thoughts.

Dex is irrelevant mostly ig. Poor Dex. At least he's got some things to do and some involvement. He's hanging out with Keefe??? Okay the Dex and Keefe friendship was so much more in depth than I remembered I need to have them interact more when I write fics. Like, I'm willing to bet they grew apart over the following books, but in Neverseen, they're just. So. Friendship??? Like 10/10 I love this for them.

THE REASON I SHIP SOKEEFE IS THIA BOOK. THIS BOOK IS WHERE KEEFE BECOMES MORE OF A MAIN CHARACTER THAN FITZ, MORE OF A MAIN CHARACTER THAN DEX, TAM, LINh, ALL OF THEM. THIS IS THE BOOK WHERE THEY HOLD EACH OTHER'S HANDS AND TELL EACH OTHER IT WILL BE OKAY AND WATCH EACH OTHER'S BACKS AND IM IN LOVE WITH THESE TWO

oh speaking of Tam and Linh, these two are slowly destroying my soul I forgot how they were really introduced I forgot how screwed up in the head they are

Exilium was so much more jarringly horrible. Like people actually said "let's put all the untouchables, the social pariahs, the unworthy, the useless, the bad, all in a prison camp, and make them fight for individualistic survival." How dense can you get? No matter how much budget this prison camp gets, it's core fundamentals aren't gonna change. The unworthy and broken will always go there, and they will fight for themselves, and themselves alone.

Like Tam and Linh weren't allowed to help or talk to each other during the day for years they've gotta have sign language figured out

LINH WAS FORCED TO PRACTICALLY WATERBOARD HERSELF FOR A GOOD GRADE???? WHY IS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT ALL THE TRAUMA THIS GIRL HAS GONE THROUGH?!

Also. Hydrokinesis is water-speaking confirmed. I'll be posting the line later. I have feelings.

Imagine how overwhelmed and horrible it would be to get your face shoved in a bucket of water for 45 minutes when it's literally screaming bloody murder at you.

Also shouldn't Sophie be dead if she held her breath for 45 minutes?! Just saying.

I found the Linh/Fitz ship basis. And it turns out Fitz literally just wants to be stepped on by a powerful, beautiful woman. So does Dex. They want a powerful woman to step on them. They're complete simps and I mean that in the most positive way, when they get married they will ADORE their wives, oh my stars.

Speaking of Fitz. This kid. Has so many issues. Holy frick. This entire book is high-key a red flag for Fitz and his like, general emotional state. He says so many things that are just kind of wrong enough to sound like accurate cover ups for deeper issues. There are so many little scenes where it's implied his family is different than what it looks like on the surface.

He's the perfect golden child and the facade is starting to melt and you just find a kid who needs approval and has to put everything about himself on hold just to get it.

Calla is so old.

Forkle you need to understand that if you let kids into your terrorist organization then you need to stop trying to keep them out of the stuff they need to be involved in. The children are already involved, asshat. Stop saying they're not. They're knees deep in the problems you created. You can't pull them out now.

Speaking of, the Black Swan did a complete 180 on their treatment of Sophie. One of the things that was particularly jarring about Everblaze was the lengths it went to in order to dehumanize Sophie in every way. She was a weapon, a creation, a science experiment, and a freak. Very, very, very few adults actually treated her like an actual person. So this book, when Forkle writes his name down as her family, tells her he cares about her, all that stuff, it hits wrong. Everyone spent so much time dehumanizing Sophie that trying to treat her like a person almost makes it seem like they're lying to her, nearly constantly, about who she is to them.

Also, controversial opinion, give Sophie complete control over her own mind. Give her all her memories back. Don't leave her brain like swiss cheese. She deserves to possess herself, at the very least.

Fitz getting stabbed by a bug should be talked about more

Also the council was from a straight up dystopia this book, gotta vibe.

Keefe distracting King Dimitar heck yeah I love that kid-- also that whole thing oozed self destruction I think we need to get Keefe some therapy ASAP, much of this could have been avoided

The gnomes were like, such a background concern about this because all the emotion in this book was tied up with Gisela, Keefe, Sophie, Fitz, and Tam and Linh. There was none left for the gnomes. And we learned so little about Calla that even HER death didn't make me have feelings as much as the scene where Keefe and Sophie have a window sleepover.

I forgot people thought Fintan died with Kenric

The Alvar betrayal didn't give me anything but confirmation that Alvar might be double crossing the Neverseen with the Black Swan and that Alden might still be Neverseen

Ooh also new idea for the head Neverseen person we'd never see coming: Kenric. Fintan made it out of the flames, another Neverseen member could have, too. Just saying.

Keefe Sencen actually had a rather emotionally mature reaction to grief. And to the trauma. He just kind of felt things, converted it into a desire to do SOMETHING, and then got mad when people prevented him from doing things. Like? That's pretty mature? Fitz practically threw temper tantrums and punched holes in walls. Grady and Edaline self isolated. Alden absolutely crumbled. And Keefe turned his emotions into actions. Good actions, too, if a little reckless.

Speaking of. Keefe's sneaking into the Neverseen plan was better thought out, better executed, and smarter than anything the black swan had implemented up to that point. The only person he endangered was himself, the only one accountable was him, the only person who needed to do anything was him. And he put himself in a VERY advantageous place. Sure, he hurt some people. But this is war. It's not something you can put too much weight on what other people you emotionally hurt with. You need to think critically, and every second you waste not doing something is a second your enemy could be doing something. Keefe Sencen is not and will never be Neverseen. But his plan was smart, well executed, and did what it needed to.

Grady only calls Keefe "that boy" after he goes to the Neverseen. Which means that Grady really loved that kid and got hurt by him leaving. Or he is combining Brant and Keefe together in his head, along with his daughters.

Can we please just trust the Empath with one thing?

[hearts-hunger]

cabin fever — part one

Read on AO3 | Masterlist

Series Summary: During your week away at the cabin, you and Sam make a pact — on the last day, if he tells Danny how he feels, you'll tell Josh how you feel. It's going to be a very long week.

Chapter Summary: Sam finds out your secret, and you find out his.

Pairings: Josh Kiszka x Reader, Sam Kiszka x Danny Wagner

Genre: Fluff, slowburn, friends to lovers, mutual pining

Word Count: 2.7k | Chapter Warnings: smoking

A/N: Me, starting a multipart fic while also doing grad school midterms? More likely than any of us thought, apparently. This fic focuses on you and Josh, mostly, but Sam and Danny's relationship is a major plot point and, of course, so are the ridiculously fluffy and cute adventures you and the boys get into during your cabin vacation. Yes, I went with the most predictable title of all time, and I have no idea when the next chapter will be up. I hope you like it! ♡

“So you’re the one who’s been stealing all my cigarettes.”

You turned to see Jake stepping out onto the porch with you, the pack of cigarettes you’d definitely just nicked from in his hand. You’d been about to take a drag but lowered it, a little shy.

“Yeah, sorry,” you said.

He waved you off with a smile. “‘S ok. I don’t mind.”

He lit one of his own and stood at the railing with you, blowing a thin stream of smoke out into the cool night air.

“You alright?” he asked.

You shook your head. “I don’t know how much longer I can keep up the act, Jake.”

He grinned. “I warned you.”

The worst part of it was that he had, and you’d foolishly believed that you would be able to go through this week acting like everything was normal. But it wasn’t normal — you were spending a week in the mountains with your best friends, and you were completely head over heels for one of them.

You took another drag from your cigarette. “How am I supposed to just... pretend that I don’t want to kiss him every time I see him?”

Jake grimaced. “Graphic.”

You couldn’t help a wry smile. Kissing was one of the least graphic thoughts you’d had.

Jake shrugged. “I don’t know. You could always just... tell him.”

“Oh, sure,” you scoffed. “Let me just waltz right up to Josh Kiszka and tell him I’m in love with him.”

“Tell him what?”

You and Jake both turned at the sound of Sam’s voice, a scorching blush rising to your cheeks. He was halfway out the door, and the stunned expression on his face would have been funny if you hadn’t been so mortified.

“Sam — ” you started.

“Oh no,” he said, cutting off your explanation before you’d even thought of a good one. He leaned his back against the railing on your other side, effectively bracketing you in. “Spill.”

You huffed. “There’s nothing to spill.”

“There’s plenty to spill,” Jake chimed in, giving his brother a knowing look. Sam grinned.

“Aw, look, Jakey,” Sam said, lightly touching a hand to your cheek. “She’s blushing.”

You batted his hand away. “I’m not blushing. Don’t you two have anything better to be doing right now? Writing songs, maybe?”

“We’re all done for the night,” Jake said. “So you might as well tell Sammy all about it.”

“Wait, how do you know when I don’t?” Sam asked. He looked at you. “I gotta say, I don’t feel very loved right now.”

You rolled your eyes. “I love you, ok? Just because I didn’t want to tell you about my stupid, idiotic crush on your brother doesn’t mean I don’t love you.”

“But you told Jake,” he pressed.

Jake laughed. “Yeah, because of that time I caught her looking at Josh like he was her last meal a few months ago.”

“Shut up,” you said, giving his shoulder a shove.

“A few months ago?” Sam asked. “God, were you ever gonna tell me? At this rate, you might as well have just sent me the wedding invitation to let me know.”

Even the thought of being at the point where you would be sending out wedding invitations for you and Josh made your head spin. You really had it bad.

“Well, I’m never telling anyone else,” you said cooly. “So, there.”

Sam smirked. “If you think I’m not telling Danny, you’re crazy.”

You and Jake shared a look. He knew as well as you did that Danny already knew, and that the two of you shared the undesirable fate of being hopelessly in love with a Kiszka brother.

“Oh, come on,” Sam pouted. “Danny already knows, doesn’t he?”

“Yes,” you said, “but not because I love him more than you. Ok?”

“Fine,” Sam said, mollified. He held his hand out to Jake for a cigarette but kept his attention on you. “I still want all the details.”

You shrugged. “There’s not any details.” Josh was your best friend, and you’d been in love with him since the day you met him — it was as simple as that.

“I’ve just... had a crush on Josh forever,” you said. “It’s stupid.”

Jake gave you a sympathetic smile. “It’s not stupid. But I don’t think you can call it a crush any more, honey.”

Sam narrowed his eyes at you, as if just realizing something. 

“Wait — is that why you made me switch seats with you on the way here?”

You blushed. Like the gentlemen they were, the boys had offered you the passenger seat for the road trip, but you’d insisted that Sam have it. You’d been happily squished between Josh and Danny in the backseat for the whole ride.

“Oh, god, and you leaned your head on his shoulder when you fell asleep,” Sam remembered, amused distaste in his tone. He shook his head. “I should have known.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t know,” you admitted. You’d gotten a little out of hand, recently; you might as well have twirled your hair around your finger and batted your eyelashes every time you spoke to Josh for all the good your attempted subtlety was doing.

“I said she should just tell him,” Jake offered.

“No,” you said again, horrified at the thought.

“Aw, come on,” Sam said. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

You put your cigarette out against the railing. “Oh, I don’t know — he could say that he didn’t feel the same way?”

“No,” Jake broke in. “The worst that could happen is if he said he loved you like a sibling or something. Then you’d have to live with the knowledge that the guy you’re in love with thinks of you the same way he thinks of Sammy.”

You and Sam both winced.

“Yeah, that is the worst that could happen,” Sam agreed. He cocked his head at you. “But I don’t think he’d say that.”

You bit your lip. “Why not?”

Both boys grinned at you.

“Ugh, you two are so aggravating,” you said, though you didn’t really mean it. You were glad that Sam knew too, and that you didn’t have to keep your cards so close to your chest any more.

“I’m just saying,” Sam said, one hand up in a gesture of surrender. “I think Jake’s right. You should just tell him. See where it goes.”

You had a brief flash of sympathy for Danny, and wondered how Sam would feel if Danny took that advice too.

Jake’s phone chimed, and you and Sam both looked over his shoulder to see who was texting him at this hour.

“We’re supposed to be off the grid,” Sam said, reading the name of Jake’s girlfriend from the notification. 

Jake smirked. “Yeah, well, some of us fessed up to our crushes and now have beautiful girlfriends to text.”

He put out his cigarette and pocketed his phone. “Do me a favor and keep everyone out of the bedroom for a while, ok?”

Between you and Sam, you managed an impressive amount of fake gagging.

“Alright, alright,” Jake laughed. “But... seriously.”

He gave Sam’s shoulder a light punch by way of a goodbye. “Sam, keep her out of trouble.”

Sam gave him a salute. “Aye aye, captain.”

Jake kissed your cheek. “And you ��� take it easy, ok?”

You hummed, not sure if you could follow his directions. “I’ll try my best.”

Jake headed inside, already calling his girlfriend before he got in the door, and you leaned back against the railing as Sam finished off his cigarette.

“I didn’t tell you because I didn’t know if you’d be happy about it,” you said.

He raised a brow. “Why wouldn’t I be happy about it?”

You shrugged. “I don’t know. I thought you’d be worried about it messing up our friendship, or something.”

“Kiddo,” he said, like all the boys had since you first started hanging out with them. “You’re our best friend. I don’t think there’s anything you could do that would mess that up.”

“Not even if I admitted that I was in love with Josh and he... didn’t feel the same way?” The words tasted bitter in your mouth.

Sam looked like he was actually considering that, and you appreciated that he cared enough to give it some thought.

“You want to know a secret?” he asked.

You smiled. “Sure.”

He stuck his cigarette in his mouth and brushed his hair back, like he did when he smoked on stage. He’d told you a while ago that he only started smoking during shows because he was nervous, but now he liked the air of mystery and broodiness it gave him — at least according to some fans on Instagram.

He met your eyes. “I have a bombshell crush that could wreck the whole thing too.”

Your heart skipped a beat. It was either Danny or you, and you’d be screwed if it was you.

“It’s not you,” he said quickly, a nervous smile flitting across his face. “I wouldn’t tell you to fess up to Josh and then tell you I liked you right after — that’d be messed up.”

You smiled, but you still felt that jittery kind of excitement. “It’s Danny, isn’t it?”

In the hazy light of the moon, you saw his cheeks pink.

“Yeah, it’s Danny,” he said, uncharacteristically bashful. Oh, he had it bad too — Sam never acted like this.

You felt a rush of excitement on Danny’s behalf. Danny had always been a good buddy to you, but you’d grown especially close in recent months. You’d lost count of the times you’d gone over to his apartment at odd hours to drown your sorrows together with his signature margaritas, or snuck out of parties when both of you felt the pressure of your respective yearnings grow too hard to handle. Danny had been in love with Sam at least as long as you’d been in love with Josh, if not longer, and you were thrilled to bits that Sam felt the same way about Danny.

But, it wasn’t your secret to tell.

You nudged your shoulder against Sam’s. “You two would be great together.”

He smiled. “You think so?”

“Yeah,” you said sincerely. You couldn’t keep the smile off your face. “Maybe you should take your own advice and tell him.”

He grimaced. “Yeah... I don’t know. You get it.”

You did, but you also knew that Sam’s love confession wasn’t going to end in rejection. If you had that same assurance, you’d tell Josh in a heartbeat.

“I still think you should tell him,” you said. “I’m pretty sure...”

How much could you divulge without giving away Danny’s secret?

“You’re pretty sure about what?” Sam asked.

You bit the inside of your cheek. “I’m pretty sure it’ll go the way you want it to.”

Sam’s brows shot up. “Why? Has he said anything to you?”

“No,” you lied, quickly trying to patch things up. God, you wanted to tell him so bad. “I mean... I just think that... you and Danny together makes sense. Anyone can see that.”

Sam looked pleased but not entirely convinced. “I could say the same to you.”

“Me and Josh?” you said, trying to tamp down the butterflies you felt. You shook your head. “We’re not... that’s not...”

Nothing about you and Josh together made sense. He was Josh Kiszka, for god’s sake — rising star, charming as the devil, notorious ladies’ man. This time next year he’d be playing freakin’ Madison Square Garden, and you’d still be the small town girl who got to tag along when he was getting famous.

You crossed your arms over your chest. That wasn’t fair, you knew — neither Josh nor any of the boys would treat you any differently, no matter how famous they got. They’d loved you when you were in middle school, wearing braces and failing chemistry; they’d always love you, no matter what.

But that still didn’t change how insecure you felt when you pictured you and Josh together. How could you ever compete with the thousands of beautiful, exciting girls he met? How could he ever see you as more than a friend?

“Hey,” Sam said. It was his turn to bump his shoulder against yours, seeming to know where your thoughts were tending.

“Josh would be lucky to have you,” he said, with such ease and sincerity that you couldn’t help but smile.

“You think so?”

He smiled. “Yeah, kiddo, I think so.”

He put his cigarette out. “And I think if you tell him how you feel... I’ll tell Danny how I feel.”

“Really?” The thought that by the end of this trip, you’d know for sure, and your secret would be out — you didn’t know how to feel. Excited? Nervous? Queasy?

Sam shrugged, but he couldn’t hide his nervous smile. “Sure. What better time to spill our secrets than when we’re all staying in one house with no escape?”

You winced. “Yeah, when you put it that way...”

He slung his arm over your shoulders and pulled you close.

“Ah, it’ll be fine,” he said. “Just a couple of romantics, finally admitting our deepest darkest secrets.”

You leaned your head on his shoulder. “I love you, Sammy.”

He kissed your forehead. “I love you too.”

He stole the hair tie from your wrist and used it to put his hair up. “And if it all goes to hell, Jake can referee.”

“You can write songs by carrier pigeon, huh?” you teased.

He smirked. “Yeah, and you can hide out in the bedroom and wait for the daily reports on how things are going.”

He was kidding, but you would hide out in the bedroom if things went south. You could barely stand to be around Josh when he didn’t know how you felt; you couldn’t imagine how hard it would be if he knew and didn’t feel the same way.

If he did feel the same way, though...

“Alright, fine,” you said, before you could talk yourself out of it. “When are we telling them?”

Sam thought for a moment. “Not before breakfast, because Danny’s making french toast, and I want him on my good side. And not before the hike tomorrow, either, because I’d hate for you to get left out for the wolves to eat.”

You laughed. “You think Josh would rather leave me out for the wolves than be around me, if it doesn’t go well?”

“I’m just trying to cover all our bases here,” he said. He rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know... I don’t want to screw up this week if it goes bad. I can handle sitting around the bonfire with Danny with my secret crush, but I don’t know if I could handle it if he rejected me.”

You felt the same way.

“Well,” you said. “Let’s do it on the last day, then.” That would give you five days to get your heads on right and think of what you were going to say, and it would give you time together that wasn’t marked by anything unhappy. 

“Five days,” Sam said. He met your eyes. “Are we really going to change... literally everything in five days?”

You smiled. “Yep.”

“Okay,” he agreed, smiling back at you. “I guess we should get Jake in on the plan, huh?”

“Yeah, but not right now,” you said. “He’s... busy.”

“Bleh,” Sam said. “I forgot.”

He gave you a sly grin. “Okay, then — I guess we’ll go find out what Danny and Josh are doing.”

“Fine, but we have to be normal,” you said. “No... giggling. Or whatever.”

Sam laughed. “Cross my heart. No giggling.”

He held the front door open for you, and you smiled to yourself as you both went in search of Danny and Josh. You were excited for Sam and Danny — they were going to be great together, the classic best friends turned lovers, and you were so happy for them.

But you and Josh? You didn’t have any such certainty about the two of you. You knew you couldn’t allow yourself to think of how wonderful it would really be if he loved you too — you’d go crazy. You’d do something stupid, like kiss him or ask him to marry you.

You felt your heart jump when you found the boys and Josh gave you a beaming smile.

Oh, this was going to be a very long five days.

Read part two!

tagging @punkgeekcryptid and @tv-saved-the-teenage-girl​, as always ♡

send me an ask if you’d like to be tagged in this fic, or in my other gvf fics!

[lilxberry]

That’s My Girl - Scott Lang

Requested by: @bnhaxreaderquotes​

Could I have a Scott Lang x longterm girlfriend fic?? Where she’s like super strong but super dumb?? Like she’s Thor but human and female XD bonus if she lifts Thor’s hammer to get to something and everyone’s like 👀 and she’s like ??? And scots like 🥰 “that’s my gf”

I loved this idea, I just really didn’t want to use the word stupid so much lmao I mostly referred to reader as “slow” I believe but like, this whole thing is kinda cute asf so I’m happy with it. I hope you’re happy with it too

Warnings: Like, a singular swear. Sweet ass Scott. Upset!Reader? IDEK ANYMORE.

Words: 1,645

Pairings: Scott Lang x Reader (female reader) (super strong reader?)

Unplanned sequel; That’s My Wife

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There’re many words to describe you.

Sweet? Yes. Kind? Yep. Selfless? Definitely. Beautiful? 100%. Strong? No doubt.

Stupid?

No, just…slow.

It’s not that you lacked intelligence, just, your brain worked at a different pace to that of others. Your fellow teammates could tell you that. Especially your partner Scott.

Scott, the sweetie pie that he is, certainly tries his best to help you catch up, to understand things that hadn’t really made sense to you at first. He’s no stranger to defending you either, no matter who or what it’s against.

Including your teammates.

“So, like C-3P0?”

Your head was tilted in confusion and your face was scrunched up as you tried desperately to understand what Tony was talking about.

You had walked into the lab finding all of the Avengers surrounding Tony rambling on about his newest creation, engineering some crazy new robotic tech. The others that had been subjected to his showcasing had explained to you that he’d called them in, forced them to watch the unveiling of Frankenstarks newest monster.

When you had asked why you hadn’t been called in, you’d missed the way Tony and the others tensed up. They knew that you wouldn’t understand a word Stark was speaking, as if the man were speaking some foreign language to you, but they didn’t want to explain that it was because you were ‘dense’.

The heaven-sent that is Scott stepped forward, a big, bright smile on his face as he entwined his fingers with your own as he came up with an excuse for the billionaire, saving Starks’ skin and sparing your feelings.

“He thought you’d find it boring. We all do to be honest honey but only so many of us are lucky enough to have an out,” was the sugar-coated explanation he conjured up on the spot.

You bought it easily, nodding in understanding with the sweetest of smiles before reaching up on your tiptoes to plant a kiss on his cheek. The others visibly relaxed, though you were oblivious as you stared up at Scott with a love-sick expression.

You had then gone on to ask what exactly it was that Tony had been working on which had led to a longwinded explanation with wild gestures and a heap of words you certainly didn’t understand whatsoever. Truth be told, he’d lost you within the first sentence.

Tony heaved a sigh. “No, not like C-3P0. The design is completely different and the level of A.I. being used it higher than that of C-3P0,” he spoke exasperatedly, a mocking tone taking over his tone near the end.

Feeling even more confused that what you had originally felt, you tried once more to understand.

“So…like Vision?”

Sam snorted as majority of the others smirked or tried to supress their smiles, Vision unsurprisingly seemed stoic as ever. Tony, on the other hand, had a look of genuine surprise. Almost looking proud.

“Uh, yeah, actually. You worked that out a lot faster than I thought you would honestly,” Tony said as an off-handed comment causing the others to still and Scott to tense slightly beside you while your brows furrowed.

“What’d you mean?”

Scott once again interjected to save the day, dragging your attention to him instead. “None of us really got it, that’s all. I’m pretty sure Thor still doesn’t, honestly.” He whispered the last part as he pointed his thumb towards the towering, blonde Asgardian.

Although your heart fluttered at the thought of Scott trying to be so sweet and kind to you, you couldn’t help the hurt that spread through you. You knew how the others viewed you, how they thought you were stupid, how you don’t understand anything.

Rather than show it affected you, you forced a smile on to your face and a tiny giggle to pass your lips.

Glancing at the others before allowing your eyes to fall back on to your boyfriend, you kept the feigned smile on your lips as you spoke. “I just remembered I gotta load of stuff to do. I’ll see you guys later.”

Scott flashed you his pearly whites in a wide smile before pecking your forehead and giving you a quiet “Sure babe.”

Walking backwards, you called out loudly to the group before exiting the room. “Have fun with Vision 2.0.”

Usually, when the team unintentionally commented on you in such a way, it would never really affect in such a negative way but today, it was just a series of failure after failure, your day all-round being bad.

From the comment in the lab, to the accidental breaking of a trainee’s arm due to you forgetting the strength you held over others, to Steve and Bucky taking the last of the coffee in the pot of the coffee machine which you had no idea how to work.

You had even bumped into someone in the hallway, the file you had been carrying falling to the ground and the papers inside scattering across the floor in disarray, leaving you to try reorganising the lot, taking a whole hour and a half.

It’s unfortunate that the person to be at the end of your disgruntled mood would be someone who you strongly considered a friend.

The Avengers who were currently residing at the compound were all scattered within the main living area and the open kitchen when you walked in, looking dishevelled as you frantically searched for a package that you had been notified had been delivered.

Walking through, you looked to see if the damn thing was atop any table you passed. Hell, you even lifted one of the chairs slightly to see if someone was cruel enough to hide the thing under it.

Although everyone had opted to watch you curiously, it was your sweet Scott to break the silence.

“Hey honey, whatcha’ doing there?” he asked curiously.

You grumbled out your answer, honestly ready for the day to be over with. “I’m looking for my delivery.”

Sam snorted before pointing towards the island in the centre of the kitchen. “You mean that massive package right there?”

Low and behold, there sat your package on top of the cool, marble surface, just with an added feature. You scowled, storming over towards the thing. You turned your fiery gaze to Thor, who was overall minding his own business chowing down on the entire contents of a Pop Tart box.

“WHY DID YOU PUT YOUR HAMMER ON MY FUCKING DELIVERY?!” You roared out, everyone’s eyes widened in complete and utter shock, Thor even jumped at the sudden loud booming. As he opened and reclosed his mouth repeatedly in a pathetic attempt to say something, anything, you continued.

“There could’ve been something really important in there! Or-or super fragile or something! What if you broke it?!”

During your explosion at the poor Asgardian, you happened to grasp the handle of Mjölnir and lift it with ease, causing everyone’s eyes to widen further and even a few mouths to drop open, gaping at the sight in front of them, Tony choking on his drink that he had been taking a sip of. Although Scott was just as shocked as those around him, he more so looked like a small child who’s completely wonder-struck, a twinkle in his eye.

“Never, and I mean NEVER, put your hammer on my damn things again. GOT IT?!” You shoved the hammer into Thors’ chest harshly, causing him to fumble to get a hold of it.

Once certain he had a tight grasp on the thing, you released your hold and spun on the spot, now becoming witness to everyone’s flabbergasted expressions. “WHAT?” you asked in exasperation and confusion, today completely tiring you out mentally and emotionally.

A pregnant silence befell you all before Scott suddenly jumped out of his seat, face ecstatic, arms raised high into the air above his head, hands balled up into fists, a loud and excited shout escaping him.

“YES!”

“You-you’re worthy?” Thor asked quietly to no one in particular.

Your brows furrowed deeply, now entirely confused and ever so slightly self-conscious. “What?”

“You’re worthy babe! Hell yeah! Up top!” he had made his way over towards you, now one arm raised with his hand now relaxed, waiting on you to give him a high five.

“I’m not following…”

“Only Thor could lift the hammer ‘cause he was the only one who’s worthy or whatever. It’s like impossible for anyone else to lift it,” Clint started to explain before being cut off by Natasha.

“Until you, that is. You’re the only other one whose been able to lift it.”

“Oh,” was all you said before shrugging your shoulders and waddling your way past Scott and towards your package on the kitchen island, picking it up and beginning to walk away.

Before you left though, you thought this to be the perfect opportunity to finally boast about something that you had been able to do that the others couldn’t. “Well, I may be stupid but at least I don’t put my back out by trying to lift a little hammer.”

You smirked as you continued to walk away, your destination being your room, package what would be heavy to most in your arms. Scott laughed loudly, something you could hear as you continued to retreat to your bedroom.

Meanwhile…

“HELL YEAH! THAT’S MY GIRL! WOO!” Scott began to follow after you, still shouting out every single word he spoke. “HONEY! THAT WAS LIKE THE COOLEST THING EVER! DID YOU SEE THEIR FACES?! Oh man, I can’t wait to tell Cass. SHE’S GONNA FREAK!”

The Avengers were still suck in their retrieves of shock, all unmoving, all trying to process the newfound information that you could lift the hammer.

Thor seemed to be taking it the worst, looking ever so slightly frightened, gulping loudly.

“I believe I have new matters to discuss with my father...”

_______________

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I love any Paul Rudd character just as much as him

I even have a t-shirt with his beautiful ass face on lmao

If you want to be added to a taglist lemme know

Anywho, I hope you enjoy

As always, constructive criticism and requests are welcomed and greatly appreciated :D

_______________

Marvel taglist:

@thanossexual

[noteguk]

white lies | teaser 2: jungkook | jjk | m

[ ! ] this is one of the two teasers for my upcoming fic (white lies), which will be posted July 5th. You can check out the first teaser here. 

— contents and warnings (for the teaser); athlete!jungkook x reader, college au, childhood best friends, fake dating (in the actual fic), idiots to lovers, mutual pining, heavy simping content, Jungkook lies because he loves you and he is also a dumbass 

— words; 1k 

~ 

Jungkook probably told lies more frequently than the average person. 

Continuously, he would convince himself that they were mostly harmless, just tiny little changes in reality or minor omissions that would make someone else feel better, or magically get him out of trouble. And, for the most part, that was what they were. But there were also the ones that he told himself, the ones that suffocated him from the inside out — ones that protected him from the truth, because it was better to live in his own made-up world than to deal with his problems once and for all. 

During those last few months, most of those lies involved you in some way. 

“What do you mean? So she just didn’t show up?” You asked, a deep frown forming on your face. You were attacking the small box of Chinese food like there was a treasure waiting to be found at the bottom, your following words coming out muffled, fighting through the food in your mouth. “What a bitch.” 

“Yeah.” He chuckled, nervous. Jungkook didn’t have the guts to tell you that he was the one who cancelled at the last minute. His reasoning was simple: he was tired of leading other people on when he knew he only had eyes for you, and, well, because he liked when you paid attention to him — which was a bit sad, but, yeah, he managed to convince himself he just missed his best friend. “It happens,” he shrugged, a faux expression of disappointment falling over his features. “I don’t mind as long as we’re eating something, honestly.” 

But you weren’t relenting. Jungkook had to admit that he loved when you got overprotective like that, it sparked a flame of appreciation inside his chest that he couldn’t put out easily. It almost (almost) made him think that he had a chance. “No, she’s so dumb. Who in their right mind would stand you up?” You continued, sauce splattered all over your chin, trickling down in a greasy disaster. “I really don’t have faith in the universe anymore.” 

The boy smiled, leaning back against the uncomfortable kitchen chair — no matter how many times people complained, you were adamant on not spending one single cent on new cushions. “Thanks for the support, ___. But it’s fine, really,” Jungkook guaranteed. “You saved my night anyway. I’m probably having way more fun with you than I’d have with her.” 

Not a lie, surprisingly. 

“Always ready.” You winked at him. The table before you was a complete mess, with napkins thrown around, but unfortunately not as used as they should be. Jungkook was about to reach out for one, but your eyes lit up before he could do that, sidetracking him instantly. “Hm! By the way, tomorrow is Friday the thirteenth and I’m free all day. You know what that means.” You wiggled your eyebrows. Jungkook did, in fact, know. “Wanna join me in a marathon?” 

Jungkook had been expecting your offer ever since his calendar changed and he noticed the fateful date. You were extremely avid when it came to horror movies — especially the bad ones — so it wasn’t exactly a surprise that you’d clear your schedule for such an important event. Lucky you, Jungkook had already done the same. “You don’t even have to ask,” he said, cheerful. “What time?” 

“Eight.” You had that maniac expression on your face when you decided to do something stupid, one that Jungkook had learned to love a long time ago. You two probably knew every line from those movies already, but he wouldn’t pass up the chance to see you again, to make you happy. Besides, he could handle a few slasher movies after you made him watch Human Centipede — one and two — and Tusk back to back. He simply couldn’t stand body horror. “Be ready to sleep late. Or not sleep at all. It’ll change us.”

Jungkook laughed, almost choking on his food. “Yeah, hope it changes you enough to learn how to use a napkin.” He reached out for one, deciding to clean the mess on your face before it started to drip down to your miraculously white shirt. “Here. I’ll do it.”

You hesitated a little, body tensing for a millisecond as he started to tap the napkin around your face. Jungkook asked himself if he made his crush too obvious, if he made you uncomfortable. “Thanks,” you mumbled. 

“No problem.” He cleared his throat, moving back and lowering his arm. It wasn’t awkward, was it? You two were best friends, there was nothing wrong about that. So why was he feeling so strange? “You were saying?” 

You blinked a few times, seeming to search around your brain a little. “Oh, yeah, movie marathon,” you beamed. “I was thinking about watching The Fly again too. Are you up for that?” 

Once again: Jungkook probably lied more often than the average person. And most times, his white lies came from the fact that he couldn’t handle the idea of letting you down in any way. It was stupid, yes — and kind of emotionally dependent, according to his friend, Yoongi. But that was the tiniest glimpse of control he had in the midst of the chaotic, overwhelming, earth-shattering crush he had on you. One which (he was sure) you clearly didn’t reciprocate. 

Jungkook was also probably stupider than the average person. But that’s a tale for another time. 

The boy sighed, reaching for his soda and avoiding your expectant gaze. “Sure,” he responded, faking excitement. “You know I love body horror.” 

[watchmegetobsessed]

Don’t Worry - Harry Styles

a/n: i’m so excited about this!!! this fic is my take on the song Don’t Worry by The 1975 for @harrystylescherry ‘s Playlist fic challenge! it took me a lot longer to finish this one, mostly because i chose to write about a topic that’s painfully close to my heart and life and i hope to help those of you who are struggling with similar problems. it’s a touchy subject and i really hope i can at least help just for a little by putting this piece out! also, huge thanks to Nat for this challenge and i can’t wait to read all the other fics!!

warning: eating disorder, lots of self-hatred but even more fluff and love!

word count: 3.8k

masterlist

Your teeth sink into your bottom lip a little harder than they should, it’s starting to feel painful but you don’t even realize. You’re way too fixated on the Instagram post in front of you, swiping through the same four pictures over and over again, crippling anxiety crawling up your spine, clouding your every thought.

Oh how you wish you could say that you’re not the jealous type. Well, in a way, you are not. You don’t think your boyfriend would ever cheat on you or leave you, that’s just not him as a person. Your jealousy roots in your insecurities about your body and it creates more of a confusion in your head about why Harry, your boyfriend of three years is really dating you when he could have anyone, any model or super gorgeous singer, actress out there, yet he settled for… you.

Your thumb swipes across the screen again as you keep staring at the bikini photos Kendall Jenner has recently posted. She is stunning, the perfect model type with her long legs, skinny torso and snatched waist. Hell, she could make you question your sexuality on other days even, but today she is feeding your burning insecurities.

The thought that at one point in life, your boyfriend was with her makes you feel sick, because you are simply nothing like her. In every sense, you are what others like to call curvy, however you often use other terms, some not too nice ones on your worse days. Your hips are wide, holding quite some meat on them, your full thighs never heard of such thing as thigh gaps, not even when you were a kid. Your tummy brings you a headache sometimes when you want to wear something tight, the urge to hide it stronger than your fashion sense. It’s been ages since you last dared to step out of the house without a bra on, your full breasts always need the support if you don’t want them to sit a little lower on your chest than what you prefer. There are rolls, extra skin, stretch marks and all that jazz on your body and has been for a long time. No model looks like this and you are more than aware of that. But if your boyfriend can get any of them, why did he settle for you?

Tears are threatening to roll down your cheeks when you finally close the app and stop staring at Kendall’s perfect body. You ball your hands to stop them from shaking as you make your way to the bathroom in need of some freshening up. The cold water in your face feels nice, but the moment your eyes fall on your reflection you almost cringe at your own sight, as if it’s a reminder of everything you thought about in the past hour.

What is Harry doing with someone like me? The question keeps playing in your head on repeat and you wish you had a relevant answer, but your tainted thoughts keep bringing you back to the same point: He surely will realize it himself and leave me.

You try your best to shake it all off your mind, but it’s not easy. Sitting at the dining table you busy yourself with some work you brought home, hoping the files will keep your wandering thoughts at bay, however the attempt is not quite successful. And then you hear the front door open and close, followed by Harry’s sweet greeting.

“I’m home, baby!” he calls out and you can tell he is in a great mood just from his voice. You force your best fake smile to your lips, not wanting to ruin his mood with your petty party. He walks in, eyes falling on your sitting figure at the table and though you don’t know it, his heart flutters, like always, even after three years together.

Harry is obsessed with you, to say the least. Every little thing about you fascinates him, he loves everything about you, inside and out, just the way you are and he vowed to never stop telling you how much he adorns you.

“Hey there, wha’cha doin’?” he asks, kissing into your hair as he scans over the papers on the table.

“Oh, just… some extra work,” you shrug, chewing on your bottom lip again, the skin is about to break soon for sure.

“Baby, you work too much. Take some time off,” he tells you, shuffling around before he disappears in the bedroom for a moment before reappearing. “Fancy taking a bath with me?” he offers with a cheeky smile.

Bath, for that you’d have to be completely naked in front of him. That cannot happen in this state of mind.

“Um, I want to finish this. Maybe next time,” you tell him with a faint smile.

“You sure? I could massage your shoulders the way you like it so much, we could try that new bath salt we bought.”

“I really want to get this done, H. You just go and enjoy your bath,” you insist, the stern voice catches him a little by surprise.

“Everything alright baby?” His eyebrows pull together as he watches you from across the room.

“Mm, everything is fine. Just… working,” you tell him, eyes on the papers in front of you, pretending like you’re reading the lines, but in reality you have absolutely no idea what the words are saying. You hear him mumble a soft alright before he disappears again, leaving you alone.

A shaky breath leaves your trembling lips once you hear the water running in the bathroom. You bury your face in your palms, feeling so defeated and lost, the only thing that would comfort you would be Harry, but he cannot know what’s been going on in your head. He would never understand the struggle.

These thoughts usually only last for a few days. You always manage to forget about them eventually and return to normality, but not this time. Days turn into weeks and you find yourself sinking deeper into the hole you created for yourself. It starts to effect more parts of your life too. You’re having a hard time sleeping, always waking up several times during the night and sometimes you don’t even fall back asleep after one point. You lose your appetite, your mind tells you that you don’t need the nutritious food, that you need to lose the fat because that’s the only way you can keep Harry. You stop wearing your favorite clothes, always opt for the looser ones that hide every inch of your body and spend way too much time zoned out. You keep catching yourself completely lost in your thoughts during the day, thinking about how Harry might be comparing you to his exes every time he sees you, especially naked.

It’s been long since the last time you were intimate with Harry and you feel so bad for it, but you haven’t been able to bring yourself to bare your body in front of him. You always blew him off with some lame excuse and though there’s a chance he didn’t catch onto whatever was going on, now you know he is suspicious.

And you’re right. Harry notices every little thing, all the changes you’ve been going through. How you leave half your plate uneaten at dinner or how he finds you lying awake next to him in the middle of the night. He also notices how your favorite dresses and shirts remain untouched through the weeks even though you always wear them whenever you have the chance. Instead, he only sees you in big hoodies and loose pants, hiding the delicious curves of your body. But what truly pains him is how you’ve been ignoring all his tries to get close to you, the way you move away from his touch.

The last straw however happens on a Friday afternoon. You are sitting on the couch, mindlessly clicking through Netflix on the TV, trying to find something to watch when Harry is roaming through the cabinets in the bathroom, looking for the lotion he only uses when his skin feels extremely dry. He is going through every drawer and shelf, not finding what he is looking for, but then something odd catches his attention. Some weird named pills are sitting at the back of one of the shelves, hidden behind your perfumes so he hasn’t noticed it, but as he takes it out to have a better look at them, he almost throws them across the room. He has heard of similar pills before, they do more harm than help in weightloss, ruining your digestive system so badly you can actually get way more serious health problems if you use them too long. He frantically tears the box open and see that one third of the pills are gone, meaning that you’ve been taking them for a little while now behind his back.

With the box in his hand, he marches out to the living room where you are still and holding the pills up, he needs everything in him not to flip immediately.

“What the fuck are these?” he grits through his teeth. Your breath gets caught in your throat, he was never supposed to find those, but the cat’s out of the bad and now you can’t think of anything to bring up to your defense, knowing well he very much does not approve these kind of stuff.

“They are… I’m doing a cleanse,” you say, but there’s no use to lie.

“Drinking juice is for cleansing, this shit ruins your body,” he spats, throwing the box to the couch and you bite into your bottom lip, feeling the tears building up already. “Why would you even think about taking these?”

“Why?” you chuckle bitterly, your vision blurry from the tears. “Oh come on, don’t be so oblivious.”

“Y/N, these stuff are dangerous!” his anger turns into despair and concern as he sits beside you on the couch. “Baby, why did you take them?”

“Because I’m desperate, Harry!” you snap at him, the hot tears running down your cheeks. “You have no idea what I go through every fucking day!”

“Then talk to me! I want to know everything, I want to help you!” he pleads, reaching for your hand but you move away from him. “Please talk to me, baby!”

“So you can feed me lies? I’m not naïve, Harry,” you shake your head vigorously.

“What are you talking about?”

“Me! I’m talking about… this,” you growl gesturing at yourself. Harry runs his gaze down your body, but he still can’t figure out what this is about. You look beautiful, you always do in his eyes, he has no idea what the matter is. “I’m not one of your exes and all those models you’ve been rumored to date, Harry.”

“Okay and why is that relevant?”

“Because how am I the right person for someone like you? I’m not skinny, I’m not pretty and I’ll probably never be anything like the girls you dated. Why are you even wasting your time on me?”

By the time you get to the end, your tears are flooding and it breaks Harry’s heart to see you like this. Feeling so unworthy when in his eyes, you deserve everything. You’re perfect.

“I’m not wasting anything on you, baby. Why do you even want to look like them? I love every inch of your beautiful body!”

You flinch at his words. Deep down you know he means them, but there’s this barricade on your mind that tells you he is not serious, that he is only saying those things because he feels like he has to say them, not because he means them. That evil little voice in your head keeps telling you not to believe anything he says.

How could he love your body? How could a man like him be okay with someone like you? He doesn’t want to be with you. He’ll realize it and leave you!

You wish you could turn it off, you wish there was a switch that would shut out all these thoughts, but they just keep coming and coming. Harry watches you break right in front of his eyes and he has no idea what to do, panic is setting in. He feels like a failure that he let you reach this point.

“Baby, I fucking love you. Everything about you. Please don’t feel like you have to change for me. I love you no matter what, I think you are the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen. If you want to change, do it because you want to do it for yourself! You don’t have to change for me!”

He is practically begging, desperate to get you to understand that you’re perfect to him just the way you are, that he is in love with every inch of your beautiful body. He reaches out to your face again and though you move away again and it pains him so much, he still goes through with the action and cups your face in his hand. His clammy palm meets your wet cheek as he turns your head so he can look into your eyes, but you are relentlessly keeping your gaze focused anywhere but him.

You can’t bear looking at him or yourself, you just want to disappear, vanish into nothing, existence right now feels like just too much.

“Love, please look at me,” he quietly begs and you shake your head no. “Please, let me see those beautiful eyes I love so much.”

You wince at his words and try to turn your head away, but he cups the other side of your face with his other hand, keeping it in place. Your eyes are wired shut, you just can’t look at him, it would break you.

Harry is kneeling next to the couch now where you are curled up, your arms wrapped around your knees as you try to hide yourself. You feel so lost, so miserable and you wish he didn’t see you like this.

“I can’t, Harry. I can’t,” you tell him shaking your head vigorously. Part of you feels so stupid for acting like this, but you just can’t help it. It’s not you anymore who is in charge of your mind and actions, you feel more like just a witness who sees herself from the outside and she doesn’t like what she sees, not even a bit.

Harry pushes himself up from the ground and takes the thick blanket from the back of the couch, draping it over you as he shimmies himself next to you, arms wrapping around your frame as he pulls you to his chest, covering you with the warm blanket as if it was some kind of shield from the world and that’s exactly what you need. A hiding spot.

You let him pull you to him, face buried into his chest as you sob into his shirt, his strong arms holding you so tight, you feel like nothing can hurt you with his hold around you.

“I love you, baby. I really do. And when I tell you I find you gorgeous and that how pretty I think you are, that’s the truth. I love everything about you. Fell in love with you the first time I saw you and I’m not even joking. Please don’t ever think that you have to change for me.”

“But I can’t stop thinking about how I’m so different from the people you’ve dated,” you whimper shaking your head. His hands squeeze your upper arm as he kisses the crown of your head.

“Different is not bad, baby. I didn’t date my previous girlfriends because they looked the way they did. If I’m thinking about it, I should feel a little offended you think I’m so shallow to care about these stuff,” he jokes, earning a faint huff that’s somewhat a laugh from you.

“I just think that you’re not blind.”

“That is correct,” he chuckles. “I’m not blind, that’s why I find you so incredibly sexy.”

“I really don’t see how you can use the word sexy to describe me,” you mumble closing your eyes as a headache is starting to form from how hard you were crying just a minute ago.

“What do you think there is on you that I shouldn’t find attractive?” he prompts the question in all seriousness.

“Please don’t get me started because we’ll never get to the end of the list,” you huff bitterly. It might have come out as a joke but there’s just plenty of the truth behind your words.

“No, seriously. Tell me what you think I don’t find attractive on you,” he nags and you give up with a sigh.

“Okay, I… I have fat rolls on my stomach,” you start off with the first thing that’s on your mind.

“Everyone has them.”

“But not as big as mine. Yours aren’t as big as mine.”

“So what? I love your tummy. It’s soft, keeps your organs safe, especially the ones that will help us start a family at one point. For me, your tummy means that you are enjoying the wonderful foods of the world, that you are well and have a great appetite. I fucking hate it when girls are just poking around their salads, complaining about calories and all that stuff. Do you have any idea how much I enjoy watching you eat? I think it might be a fetish at this point,” he chuckles, making you laugh as you hide your face in his chest.

“Please don’t say that.”

“Why? I love it when you enjoy the food, I love trying new food with you, cooking with you, see you satisfied when you’re full, you have no idea how happy that makes me.”

“Really?” you ask in a whisper.

“Absolutely. I love your tummy, it’s just even more of you to love on,” he hums kissing the top of your head. “Okay, what’s next?”

“I have so many stretch marks,” you whine with a scowl. “They are everywhere, on my thighs, my ass, my stomach, fucking everywhere!”

“I literally have nothing else to say than… I couldn’t care less. Honestly, most people have them, baby. It’s natural, your body is changing, it’s just trying to keep up with the pace. But you know what I’m looking forward to?”

“What?”

“I can’t wait till you have marks from pregnancy, Love,” he huffs dreamily and you can’t help, but smile at his words. “Those marks will be a reminder to me how much you’ve gone through for our family. I think those are just so wonderful.”

“Why are you linking everything with having babies?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” he asks chuckling. “Because I can’t wait to have babies with you. I can’t wait to see you with a big belly, so I can love on you, take care of you and that our babies, I’m so excited for that.”

“You want all of that… with me?”

“Have I not made it clear to you?” he asks, looking down at you and moving your head your eyes finally meet his. “I’m not just saying all those things for nothing, Love. I see my future with you.”

Closing your eyes you let his words sink in and for the first time in a while, your mind is not trying to convince you that he is not telling you the truth.

“Okay, next,” he mumbles, his fingers dancing up and down your arm as he holds you tight.

“My boobs are weird,” you say out loud, cringing at your own words. You hate talking about this.

“Excuse me? What’s wrong with my girls?” he gasps, making you laugh.

“They are not as round as I would want them to be, a little saggy because of the weight gaining.”

“But they are boobs,” he points out, making you furrow your eyebrows.

“Yeah?”

“Okay, so that’s all that matters. Boobs are great, nothing else matters. Men are simple, baby.”

“I can’t believe you,” you laugh swatting his chest playfully.

“What? I mean it! Do you think I think about all that stuff when I see your boobs? My mind goes: Oh my God, boobs! And that’s it. I just get excited to see your tits.”

“You are such a pig,” you laugh, snuggling closer to his side.

“Are you shaming me for my preferences now?”

“Your preferences?”

“Yeah, you are my preference,” he remarks smugly, kissing into your hair again. “I literally don’t know how to say it differently, and I’m sorry for being so vulgar in advance…”

“Oh God,” you mumble, already fearing what he’s going to say.

“But you have nothing to worry about until you see my dick getting hard at the sight of you.”

“That was highly inappropriate.”

“Yeah, but it’s true. I find you sexy and there’s evidence. I can’t really hide it,” he chuckles and when you look up at him you see a dirty, twisted smirk on his pink lips. “Please don’t ever doubt any of my feelings for you, alright?” he asks in a more serious tone. “And if you feel like this again, I want you to tell me. Those pills and bottling it up inside you don’t help. I don’t want you to risk your health just because you have doubts about me. I love you, and when I say that I mean that I love all of you. Everything.”

“Okay,” you answer in a faint whisper.

“Don’t just say okay because you want me to get out of your hair. Promise me that you won’t keep it to yourself. I want to help you, I want to be there for you like you are always there for me.”

“I promise,” you nod, sinking your teeth into your bottom lip.

“Alright. Have you eaten today?” he softly asks and you fear to give him an answer, because you haven’t been able to push anything else down than just your morning coffee. “Okay, then let me make you something.” “I don’t… I’m not hungry…” you quietly tell him.

“Mhm, then I’ll make something for myself and being the romantic boyfriend that I am, I’m gonna share it with my lovely girlfriend as a cute gesture,” he says, rephrasing what he said earlier. You don’t argue with him, just let him slip out of your hold and go to the kitchen to make something for the two of you.

It’s a tiny step on a lifelong journey and you know that. You know that your feelings and opinion about yourself won’t change from one day to the other, but you slowly start to accept it. You have a lot ahead of you, the road might get bumpy sometimes and maybe other times you’ll have to take a few steps back. But at the end, you know it’s all going to be alright, because you will never be alone. Harry will be your greatest support through it all and now you can finally see that.

Don’t Worry - The 1975

When you're in love but you don't know what to do with it When blackness hangs overhead like a cloud

Don't worry, darlin' 'Cause I'm here with you Don't worry, darlin' The sun will shine through

When you wake up and you don't know what day it is When the pain flows through your heart and your bones

Don't worry, darlin' 'Cause I'm here with you Don't worry, darlin' The sun will shine through

When you feel no one knows just what you're goin' through When your insides feel much colder than snow

Don't worry, darlin' 'Cause I'm here with you Don't worry, darlin' Oh, don't worry, darlin' Don't worry, darlin' I'll always love you You

Thank you for reading, please like and reblog if you enjoyed it!

[darks-ink]

Spark

Prompt: How does being constantly exposed to high amounts of ectoplasm affect the citizens of Amity Park? Prompt by: @robotbeowulf Word count: 2,487

[AO3] [FFN] [more Phic Phight fics]

---

Danny shrugged, shifting his backpack to lie a little more comfortably on his shoulders, and pretended very hard to be a regular student. It wasn’t easy, but it hadn’t been easy for the last two years. The constant secret-keeping from everyone was wearing on him.

Not to mention the constant ghost attacks, of course. He was pretty sure all of Amity Park was covered in a thick film of ectoplasm by now, considering how much of it he and the other ghosts spilled and fired during the almost-constant battles. Sure, his parents said that the stuff evaporated and then returned to the Ghost Zone, but his parents also said that humans couldn’t have ghost powers, and Danny was the (mostly) living proof that that wasn’t true, either.

He was jerked from his thoughts—literally—by a fist, grabbing him by the shirt and slamming him against the lockers he had been walking by.

“Hi, Dash,” Danny muttered, trying to hide away his weariness with apathy. “Good morning to you too.”

“Fentonia,” Dash growled back, leaning in close to Danny’s face. A little too close, thank you, ever heard of personal space? “Finally.”

Danny bit back the automatic reply—aw, were you waiting for me?—and settled for grimacing at Dash.

Not that that went over well, of course, because Dash’s other hand found its way to Danny’s shirt as well. With Danny well in his grasp, Dash lifted him, slamming him against the lockers again, this time with his feet off of the ground—no easy way of getting out. Not without using his powers, at least.

“What’s wrong, Fenturd?” Dash asked, pressing Danny against the lockers even harder. “Ghost got your tongue?”

Ha ha, how creative. How funny. Danny was sure he’d come up with funnier jokes in his sleep. “Fuck off,” he grunted at Dash as his back was slammed against the hard metal behind him again.

“Ooh, he’s got bite today.” Dash leaned back a bit, a vicious grin on his face, then crowded Danny against the lockers again. “Oh, no, never mind. Looks like he’s all bark.”

Danny snarled back at Dash before he’d really thought about it—before he could stop himself, really. It wasn’t even words, really, just an animalistic snarl and the pulse of his core that meant his eyes were glowing.

Oh, fuck. And Dash was way too close to miss that.

“Hey, there you go!” Dash… cheered? The fists clenched in Danny’s shirt released, and his feet thumped down on the ground before he’d really caught on to what was happening. Dash was already turning away from him, nudging Kwan. “See, I told you Fenton could do it too!”

That… was not the reaction he’d expected to get to ghostly glowing eyes. What the fuck?

Kwan laughed audibly, and Danny wrenched his eyes away from Dash and towards the other boy. The… the laughing, visibly cheery boy.

Seriously. What was going on?

“So, uh… No bullying anymore today?” Danny asked, and then felt like he could kick himself. Absolute moron. Who asks that sort of thing?

Dash snorted, apparently amused (amused???) by Danny’s idiotic question, and waved a dismissive hand. “What’s the point? I got what I was after.”

Okay? Good? That explained absolutely nothing. If anything, Danny felt even more confused. Had Dash seriously been bullying him trying to get him to glow eyes his? To snarl at him?

What???

Apparently he vocalized that last thought, because Kwan’s eyes turned back to him, a hesitant grin on his face.

And then Kwan’s eyes flashed a bright, glowing, cyan.

Danny, still leaning against the lockers he’d been pressed to, froze up automatically. He knew what that meant. Had spent enough time combing through his parents’ research—and with his own experience—to know that briefly glowing eyes couldn’t be caused by ordinary ghostly causes. An overshadowing ghost altered the eye-color of their host, but that was constant.

And, if there had been a ghost, Danny would’ve felt them. He’d grown more than strong enough to sense ghosts even if they were hidden in a host.

“He’s had them for a while.” Dash spoke casually, like this wasn’t a big fucking deal. “We couldn’t find anybody else with that brand of ecto-contamination, y’know, so Kwan was feeling super down about that.”

“Dash,” Kwan groaned, sounding put-upon. As carefully as Danny listened, the only thing he could hear was the undercurrent of care Kwan held for Dash. For his friend.

“Shut up, man.” Dash nudged his friend, then picked up his explanation that didn’t explain anything. “See, but I knew I had seen you do them too. The glowy eyes, I mean.” Dash underlined the latter with a vague gesture at his own eyes. “So I just had to push you into doing them while Kwan could see, to prove that he wasn’t the only one.”

“Uh.” Danny blinked at them, feeling like he missed everything Dash had said after the words “ecto-contamination”. What?

No, seriously, he knew he’d uttered that word a lot these past five minutes—even if only in his head—but what?

“You had to get him angry, though,” Kwan muttered, bumping shoulders with Dash. “You know that’s not the only way to make them glow.”

“Yeah, but it was the easiest to push him into,” Dash easily admitted.

And then, while Danny was still reeling, feeling like he’d missed at least seven steps in this conversation, Kwan stepped in closer and shot him a bright smile. “Thanks, Fenton. I feel a ton better.”

“Uh, yeah.” Danny blinked, watching the two of them wander off like nothing happened. “You’re welcome?”

“Man, what was all of that?” he muttered to himself, staring at the empty hallway for a moment before pushing himself away from the lockers. He desperately needed to talk to Sam and Tucker, see if they had any idea what all of that was about.

Somewhere, he kind of wished that Jazz was still in Amity. She would definitely know what the hell all of that was all about.

Seriously. Dash had just casually muttered the words ecto-contamination, and then suggested that it was common enough for there to be accepted variants of it.

How had Danny missed all of that?

!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-

“There’s Val,” Sam whispered, leaning in closer. Danny followed her gaze and, indeed, there was the girl they’d been looking for all morning.

Well, it figured that they wouldn’t manage to pin her down until lunch, but it was frustrating nonetheless. Sam and Tucker hadn’t known what the stuff with Dash and Kwan had been about, either, so they had decided to ask the only person they could reasonably ask: Valerie Gray.

But that, in turn, meant that they had to just sit on the knowledge until lunch.

At least she had picked a distant enough seat that they could talk in private. Small blessings.

“Let’s hope she actually knows what’s going on,” Tucker muttered, before nudging Danny forward. “You go first, dude.”

So quick to sacrifice him to the ghost huntress. Danny shook his head but walked over, slipping into the seat opposite of Valerie. “Hey, Val.”

“Danny,” she greeted him back, raising an eyebrow at Sam and Tucker, who sat down on either side of him. “Well, this feels like an interrogation all of a sudden.”

He shot Sam a meaningful glance, but she just grinned back, pushing herself to sit more squarely on the seat. Rude.

“Danny had a weird interaction with Dash and Kwan this morning,” Tucker started explaining, breaking the tension before it could really go anywhere. “We were hoping you could offer… I dunno, some clarification, since you know them better than we do.”

She snorted, leaning back slightly. “They’re Dash and Kwan. Every interaction with them is weird.”

“Well, yeah, but they were…” Danny paused, briefly hesitant to mention it—what would Valerie think of ghost-powered humans?—before powering through. “They were talking about ecto-contamination, and known variants of it.”

The look they got in response was flat. Flat, and clearly confused.

After a long and exceedingly awkward moment of silence, Valerie cleared her throat and asked, clearly hesitant, “None of you noticed?”

“Noticed what?” Tucker frowned, glancing between the three of them and Valerie.

“That pretty much everyone in Amity Park has ghost-like traits?” She raised a questioning eyebrow at them. “Everyone, but especially the kids here at Casper High, has ecto-contamination so bad that we’re all, well. Becoming a little ghost-like.” She paused, shook her head, then asked. “None of you seriously noticed?”

Danny drew back, considering his words, but before he could really think about it, Sam had already flapped a dismissive hand. “The three of us spend so much time in and around Fentonworks that we’re already contaminated to hell and back,” she dryly explained. “And honestly, Valerie, how much time do we really spend with anyone outside our direct circle?”

“Fair enough,” Valerie allowed with a shrug. “Right, so, it mostly seems to be caused by the Portal and the constant ghost attacks. I mean, obviously, right?”

“Right,” Danny agreed, ignoring the way his stomach was turning. He’d tried so hard to keep everyone safe, but had the presence of ghosts been endangering them all along? Had the spilled ectoplasm really affected people, and so badly too?

“Now, what we started noticing pretty early on is that people generally only display a single ghost power, once they become contaminated enough to actually have a discernible ghost power. Some people consider them distinct variants: people with invisibility, with intangibility, flight, etcetera.”

Sam and Tucker both hummed, thoughtfully. Valerie raised her other eyebrow at that, then shook her head and continued on.

“Generally people don’t get contaminated enough to display more than those basic powers, but exceptions exist, I guess. And your contamination is probably way worse than anyone else’s, except maybe actual ghost hunters like the Fentons.” She made a face. “And that’s assuming their jumpsuits don’t protect them, which I doubt.”

“I’m pretty sure they do,” Danny mumbled, trying to inconspicuously watch both of his best friends from the corner of his eyes. The more Valerie explained about the ecto-contamination that apparently haunted all of Amity Park, the more their expressions twisted into something they usually called “suddenly understanding weird shit that had been happening”.

It was, unfortunately, a somewhat common expression these days. What with ghosts becoming a common thing, and all that.

“I… Some of the plants in my greenhouse grow unusually well whenever I’m near. Some even seem to react to my presence…” Sam admitted, her voice quiet, uncharacteristically reluctant. After a moment of hesitation, she tacked on, “And sometimes, when I really really don’t want to deal with my parents, they just… overlook me, like I’m not there at all.”

Like she was invisible, they all heard, despite the fact that Sam didn’t say the words.

Seemingly encouraged by Sam’s admission, Tucker added on, “I rarely, if ever, charge my tech. Their batteries just don’t seem to empty as long as I have them on me. And sometimes when I’m digging into code, it feels like… like I can alter it directly, like I’m tapping into some inner world that doesn’t—shouldn’t—exist.” Just like Sam, Tucker also paused for a moment. “When I’m running from a ghost or whatever, sometimes I run into an alley that I know has a dead end and never hit the wall.”

Like he was just phasing through it, going intangible before he hit it.

Danny swallowed through the clog he suddenly found in his throat, watching Valerie turn a meaningful look to him. She wanted him to tell her about his— his ghost powers. But he couldn’t just pretend all of his powers came from the contamination of living at Fentonworks, could he?

And he definitely couldn’t pick certain powers as acceptable and others as not.

“I… I guess weird shit has happened to me too, yeah,” he finally admitted, cautiously, hoping she guessed the source of his reluctance wrong. “But I never really thought about it, to be honest. Anything I could blame the ecto-contamination for could just as easily be caused by actual ghosts.” And in a way it was, of course. Anything caused by his ecto-contamination was caused by an actual ghost: Phantom.

“But,” he tacked on, knowing Valerie wouldn’t just let that lie. She was far too stubborn not to investigate. “Dash and Kwan apparently saw me with glowing eyes?”

Valerie hummed, then nodded. “That makes sense, I guess. I know Kwan has the glowing eyes variant as well, so that would explain why they’ve been targeting you.”

“It’s been around that long?” Sam asked, leaning forward, clearly curious despite herself. “I figured it would’ve taken longer than that to show up.”

“Oh, no, that was long after I got kicked out of the group,” Valerie said dismissively. “But Kwan saw me with a ghost scanner one day, and he begged me to scan him. I guess he was seriously worried that he had been overshadowed, even if overshadowing doesn’t work like that.”

“I don’t think he got rid of that fear, to be honest.” Danny shrugged, uneasy. “At least, he seemed pretty cheered-up when I, uh, glowed my eyes at him and Dash.”

Tucker snorted, and Danny could see Sam crack a grin as well, probably at his word choice. Well, fuck them. What did you call it, if not “glowing your eyes at them”?

“Anyway, I can’t help but notice that we all told you, but you haven’t said a word about what you can do,” Sam prodded, nudging Valerie. “Come on, Val.”

“Yeah, that does seem a little unfair.” Tucker leaned forward as well, an expression of genuine curiosity on his face.

And, honestly? Danny kind of wanted to know as well. Her ghost hunting suit probably hadn’t protected her, and her new suit definitely didn’t. If anything, the Technus-made suit probably had just worsened it.

“I…” Valerie visibly hesitated, then gave in. “I can fly, a little. It’s not really all that great, but at least I won’t break anything if I ever fall out of a tree or something.”

She said it with a light tone, like it was just a casual joke. All Danny could think of, however, was all the times he’d seen Valerie fall off of her hoverboard, especially at the start.

He carefully does not wince.

“That’s pretty neat,” he forced himself to say instead. “Less lame than glowing eyes, at least.”

Valerie grinned back at him, but before she could say anything the bell rung.

“Guess we’d better head to class,” Sam said with a grunt, pushing herself off of the bench.

“Yeah.” Tucker got up as well, then nodded at Valerie. “Thanks for the explanation, Valerie.”

Danny followed suit, shooting her a smile. “Same. Thanks, Val.”

She had given him a lot to think about.

[softspideys]

The Perfect Date

summary: tom makes it his mission to take you on the perfect first date. the only problem is, you have no idea. 

warnings: none

word count: 3.6k

pairings: tom holland x reader

a/n: this was supposed to be a valentine’s day fic but then I forgot about it. oops. plz enjoy anyway

Tom had just started the last lap of Wario’s Gold Mine when he heard Zendaya ask, “Got any plans for Valentine’s Day?”

He tried not to pay attention to your answer, focusing on keeping his lead, but he couldn’t help it. His eyes flickered over to where you were sitting at the kitchen table, absently circling your finger around the rim of your wine glass.

You straightened up at her question, scoffing. “Are you kidding? When’s the last time you saw me date anybody, Z?”

“Hey,” she said, pointing at you accusingly. “Don’t even start with me. I set you up with people all the time, it’s not my fault you’re so picky.”

“It’s called having standards,” you fired back. “Sorry I’m not interested in pretentious jerks who insist on mansplaining Tarantino films to me over their venti-soy-no-foam latte with a triple shot of espresso.”

Zendaya cackled, and though he couldn’t see your face, Tom could tell you were smiling too; your words had no real bite to them.

“Seriously though,” you continued with a sigh. “I think I might just give up dating for a while. Lately it feels like my only options are either crappy blind dates or going through a sleazy hookup app for some mediocre sex. I can’t remember the last time I got properly asked out and went on, like, a nice date.”

As soon as you said that, the gears started turning in Tom’s head. And then he got an idea so good he almost forgot about the race entirely, until Harrison hit him with a red shell and passed him, sailing over the finish line in first place.

“Yes!” Harrison cheered, causing you and Zendaya to look over, startled. “Finally, I won!”

“Wow,” Zendaya said, amused. “I think that’s the first time you’ve ever lost in Mario Kart, Holland.”

“Yeah, what’s gotten into you?” you asked teasingly as Harrison got up and did a victory dance.

Tom normally hated losing, but he was too preoccupied at the moment to care. “Nothing,” he said quickly. “Just . . . a little rusty, I guess.”

You raised your eyebrows, but then Zendaya challenged Harrison to a rematch, and the two of them immediately started a new grand prix while you called dibs on the winner. With the distraction in place, Tom had plenty of time to come up with a plan.

The four of you had been friends for years, but he’d always harbored something of a crush on you. He’d never tried to push the boundaries or pursue you because he liked your relationship as it was already, and didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. But this would be different. This was harmless. He was simply going to show you how you deserved to be treated, give you a good date to remember among the bad ones.

Nothing else. Right?

* * *

You eyed the huge bouquet of roses your coworker had on her desk and tried not to feel too envious. She’d made a big show of bringing them in this morning and inviting everyone who walked by to smell them, going on and on about how her girlfriend had surprised her for Valentine’s Day yesterday.

So what, you thought to yourself. I can get myself flowers whenever I want; I don’t need a holiday to have an excuse to do it. It really didn’t make you feel better though.

“Hey,” a familiar voice said, making you jump a mile. You looked up. Tom was peering over the wall of your cubicle, which was . . . unexpected. He hardly ever visited you at work.

“Oh, hi,” you said. “I didn’t even see you come in.”

“Yeah, you were totally zoned out,” Tom said. “Good thing I brought caffeine.” He placed a to-go cup from your favorite coffee shop on your desk. You saw the order written on the side; he’d gotten it exactly right.

“Wow,” you said, surprised but grateful. “Thanks.” You’d already had coffee this morning, but clearly it was shaping up to be a two-cup type of day. You took a careful sip and felt better already.

“No problem.” Tom followed your line of vision to your coworker’s desk. “Pretty flowers.”

“Yeah,” you agreed, a little quietly. You cleared your throat. “So, what’s up? Did we have plans today or something?”

“Oh, no,” he said, shifting from foot to foot, “but that’s actually kind of what I wanted to talk to you about.” He seemed nervous, which in turn made you nervous.

“Okay,” you said, giving him your full attention.  

“So . . . are you doing anything this Friday night?”

It was only Monday. You thought for a second before shaking your head. “I don’t think so.”

“Would you like to have dinner? With me?”

You furrowed your eyebrows. That was it? “Oh. Sure.”

You could’ve sworn you saw his eyes widen the slightest bit. “Really? I mean, great. Cool.” He scratched his nose. “So, Friday at six o’clock, then? I’ll text you the name of the place?”

“Sounds good,” you said. He seemed excited, though you couldn’t figure out why. You got dinner with him, Harrison, and Zendaya at least once a week.

“Alrighty,” Tom said, swinging his arms a little and nodding. “Well, I’ll let you get back to work. See you Friday.”

“See you,” you said. Did he really come all the way to your office to ask you this in person instead of just texting you like he normally would? Maybe he’d been nearby or something. You watched him leave, mostly confused but also kind of endeared.

“Was that your boyfriend?” your coworker asked, subtly adjusting her flowers again.

You quickly shook your head, turning back to your computer and taking another sip of your coffee. “Oh, no. Just a friend.”

As Tom left your office, he allowed himself to do a small fist-pump. Getting you to agree was the hardest part. Now came the slightly-easier-but-still-hard part: making sure he gave you the best first date ever.

* * *

Something strange was going on with Tom. You first realized it when you brought up the dinner on Friday to Zendaya and she had no clue what you were talking about.

“Tom didn’t invite you?”

“Nope.” She popped the “p.”

“Huh.” You chewed your lip. “That’s . . . weird. Maybe he figured I’d just tell you about it. And I guess you don’t really need an invitation anyway . . . do you think he invited Harrison?”

“I don’t know.” You were on the phone, so you couldn’t see Zendaya’s face, but it kind of sounded like she was trying not to laugh. “Maybe he wants it to be just the two of you.”

“Maybe.” It was rare, but it wasn’t like you never spent time with just Tom or Harrison.  You couldn’t remember the last time you had dinner with either of them one-on-one, though. This seemed . . . different. “But I’m sure he won’t mind if you guys show up,” you said with a shrug.

Now Zendaya did laugh. “No, no, it’s fine,” she said. “I think I’m supposed to babysit my niece and nephew anyway. You guys have fun.”

Then there was Tom himself. You hadn’t seen him in person since Monday, but he’d been texting you random questions all week:

Do you prefer a casual or an elegant ambiance?

How many candles on a table is too many? Or do you think overhead lamps are better?

Oyster bars . . . yes/no?

You answered all of them with increasing bemusement, but any time you asked why he would mysteriously change the subject. You couldn’t help but feel like there was something you were missing here.

Finally, he sent you the name of the restaurant on Friday morning: Soul & Persona.

You’d never heard of it, so you decided to look it up. One glance at their website told you this place wasn’t like the casual restaurant-and-bars you and your friends usually frequented. This was fancy. Clicking over to the menu, you inhaled sharply at the prices written next to the items. Luckily, today was payday.

You arrived at the restaurant shortly before six. Another person was already standing outside, and as you got closer you realized it was Tom. Two things about that were already weird: one, he was normally notoriously late to everything; and two, he was holding a bouquet of roses in one hand that were so big they nearly obstructed his face.

He didn’t notice you approaching, busy frowning at something on his phone. “Hey,” you said at last, making him jump.  

“Oh! Hey!” He cleared his throat, shoving his phone in his pocket. “I mean—good evening.” He did a strange little bow before thrusting the flowers at you. “These are for you.”

“Wow,” you said, taking them carefully. “They’re beautiful. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. You look really nice.”

You were glad you researched the restaurant in advance, because the jeans and t-shirt combo you’d originally planned on wearing would definitely not have been appropriate here.

“So do you,” you said. He did: he was wearing slacks and a nice dress shirt under a jacket, his hair neatly combed.

“Thanks. Should we go in?” he asked. You nodded, and he hurried to open the door, ushering you inside. It was crowded, which made you a little worried. How long would the wait time be?

But Tom went right up to the hostess stand. “Hi,” he said, “we have a reservation for two at six; the name is Tom?”

She looked at her book and nodded. “You can follow me right this way.” She led you to a quiet corner of the restaurant and seated you at a table by the window. “Enjoy your meal.”

“Here,” Tom said, pulling your chair out before you could sit down. Again, you couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

“This place is crazy nice,” you said, looking around as the hostess placed a wine list on the table.

“Yeah,” Tom agreed, a little distractedly. “Um. So. Do you prefer to work in a team or alone?”

You blinked. “What? Where’d that come from?”

He shrugged, fidgeting with his collar like he was nervous. “I—I dunno. Just making conversation.”

“Oo-kay,” you said with a laugh. “Well, I haven’t seen you since you blessed my office with your presence on Monday. How was your week? Didn’t you have to give a presentation yesterday?”

“Yes, and one of the board members literally fell asleep during it,” Tom said, wrinkling his nose.

He seemed to loosen up after that, and the conversation flowed naturally from then on as you talked about your plans for the weekend, your friends, your families, and any other random thoughts that occurred to you.

For dinner you tried a pasta dish while Tom got steak, and you each had the soup of the day for an appetizer. Your knowledge of wine was limited to whatever was cheapest when you went to the liquor store, but Tom had apparently become an expert overnight: he asked the waiter all kinds of questions about their reds vs. their whites before finally ordering a bottle for the two of you to share.

All in all, it was an enjoyable dinner. You always had fun with Tom, of course, but you rarely got to spend time with just him. And though you normally stayed away from expensive places like this one, you had to admit the food was delicious and the ambiance made you feel very sophisticated.

“Can I get either of you some coffee or dessert?” the waiter asked as he cleared your plates. You’d never been one to say no to that, but Tom jumped in before you could open your mouth.

“No thank you,” he said quickly. “Just the check please.” Then he looked at you. “I thought maybe we could walk to that bookstore you like? The one with the bakery in it? We could—we could get dessert there and browse.”

“Oh,” you said, surprised. “Yeah, that sounds great.”

“Cool.” He sounded relieved.

The waiter brought out the bill and Tom grabbed it as soon as he set it on the table. “What are you doing?” you protested. There was normally an agreement among your friends that everyone paid for their own meals when you went out to dinner.

“I’m paying,” he insisted, waving you off as you fruitlessly tried to put your own debit card down.

“At least let me Venmo you for my half.”

“Nope.”

“Tom!”

“Seriously, it’s fine.” He wouldn’t even let you see how much the meal cost.  

You could tell he wasn’t going to budge for whatever reason, so you had no choice but to relent. “If you’re sure,” you said, watching him smugly sign the receipt. You made sure to grab your flowers before you got up and followed him out of the restaurant.

The bookstore you liked was a few blocks away, but you didn’t mind the walk. The air was warm but balmy, refreshing on your face. “That was amazing,” Tom said.

“It was,” you agreed. “I’m convinced they put actual crack in that pasta sauce. It was otherworldly.”

He laughed before he asked, a little hesitantly, “So are you . . . having a nice time?”

You looked over at him questioningly. “Of course I am. But I always have a nice time with you.”

“Good,” he said quietly, nodding. “Good.”

“Are you?”

“Yes,” Tom said immediately. “I just wanted to make sure. So, what are some of your pet peeves?”

“What is it with you and these questions?” Thankfully, you arrived at the bookstore and were spared from answering.

One of your favorite things about hanging out with Tom was that you didn’t necessarily need to be attached at the hip or in constant conversation in order to have fun. As soon as you entered he made a beeline for the True Crime section while you went to look at the new releases.

It was nice to just browse on your own for a while, and you ended up buying a book you’d been wanting to read ever since it came out. Tom was still perusing the shelves after you checked out, so you sneakily went up to the bakery counter and bought some dessert.

He found you sitting at a table in the cafe, reading your new book. “What’s this?” He gestured to the two pieces of cake and cups of decaf coffee on the table in front of you. “You should’ve let me pay!”

You’d been anticipating this, so you merely rolled your eyes. “Cry about it. You paid for dinner; it was the least I could do.”

“That’s not how this works,” Tom objected, but he reluctantly sat down and pulled his cake towards him anyway. The two of you discussed your books while you ate, and you tried not to act like you were eyeing his slice the entire time.

He noticed, of course. “You wanna try?”

You nodded sheepishly. You expected him to push the plate towards you, but instead he scooped a piece up onto his fork and held it out. “Here.” A little surprised, you opened your mouth and allowed him to feed it to you. For some reason it felt oddly intimate.

He was watching you expectantly as you chewed. “Good?”

“Yeah,” you managed to say, swallowing. “Really good.”

It was getting late and the store was closing soon, so you left after finishing your coffees. Usually this was when you’d call it a night and go home, but this time you felt no strong desire to. So when Tom started walking along the river instead of heading back towards the restaurant, you didn’t mind at all, falling into step beside him.

The night sky was clear, giving you a breathtaking view of dozens of stars. Hardly anyone else was around, and the river below was quiet and calm. It was like you were suspended in time. You couldn’t remember ever feeling so peaceful.

Tom’s hand bumped yours as you walked. You didn’t think anything of it at first, but then it happened again, and this time he laced his fingers through yours.

For some reason that was what made everything suddenly fall into place, for you to finally put two and two together and realize what was going on.

Oh my God.

“Tom,” you said hesitantly, shattering the comfortable silence between you.

“Yeah?”

“Is this . . . a date?”

He stopped walking, forcing you to do the same. Under the soft glow of the streetlights you could see he was staring at you. “Wait,” he said slowly. “This whole time . . . you didn’t know?”

Now that he’d basically just confirmed it, everything started to make sense: coming all the way to your office just to ask you to dinner, bringing you coffee, making reservations at a fancy restaurant, paying for the meal—

You were on a date and you hadn’t even realized.

“Oh, God,” was all you could say. You almost wanted to laugh, though nothing about this was even remotely funny. It was like you’d been hit over the head with a brick.

How could you not have known? It should’ve been obvious when he paid for the meal; no, when you realized you’d be eating at such a fancy place; no, when he showed up randomly on Monday, brought you coffee, and fucking asked you to dinner.

You both seemed to realize at the same time that you were still holding hands, and he quickly dropped it and stepped back. For the first time since you’d met, the air between the two of you was awkward. “I—I’m so sorry. I thought you knew.”

“I should’ve known,” you said, shaking your head. “I’m so stupid, I just didn’t think—” You didn’t finish your sentence. You honestly couldn’t figure out why you didn’t realize it sooner.

Because he’s your friend, a voice in the back of your head reminded you. He’s your friend and he’s never expressed any interest in you before, not like this.

That was true. You’d always thought Tom was handsome, and maybe early on in your friendship you’d fantasized about him once or twice. But he always treated you normally, never outwardly showing any sign of wanting more.  

“You’re not stupid,” he said immediately. “I should’ve made it more clear.”

“I’m just confused, I guess,” you said carefully. “I mean . . . why now? And why . . . me?”

He exhaled. “I overheard you the other day when you and Z were talking, and you were saying something like . . . you hadn’t been properly asked out and taken on a nice date in a while. So I guess I just wanted to do that for you. Make you happy.”

Your brain felt like it was short-circuiting. You didn’t know what to say to that, but he seemed to take your silence as a cue to keep going.

“That’s why I came to your office, to ask you in person instead of doing it over text or whatever. And I saw you looking at those flowers your coworker had, so I bought you some. And I picked this restaurant because it was nice but also because it was near the bookstore. And I memorized some first-date questions in case our conversation got boring, but I think that probably wasn’t necessary.” He sucked in a deep breath. “And now that I’m saying all of this I realize how weird it sounds. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”

“Oh,” you said dumbly. His previous words were still echoing in your head. I guess I just wanted to do that for you. Make you happy.

He’d taken the time to think about all the things you liked and used that knowledge to plan the Perfect Date. You couldn’t remember the last time anyone had done something so kind, so thoughtful, so . . . romantic. Did this mean what you thought it meant?

Of course, the only way you were able to translate all of this was with, “Wow.”

But then he added, “And—and I didn’t do all of this because I thought it would lead to a second date or anything like that. I only—”

“Wait,” you interrupted, your stomach plummeting. This conversation was giving you whiplash. “So you . . . don’t like me?”

“Huh?”

“You did all of this . . . just because? You don’t actually want to go on a date with me?” Now you were more confused than ever, and a little hurt beneath that.

Tom’s eyes widened. “No! Well yes, but . . . no. Wait.” He took a deep breath. Now or never, right? “I do like you, but this was separate from all that. I only meant that I wasn’t expecting anything from this. I just wanted you to have a good time.”

You nodded slowly, exhaling. “Okay. So . . . what if I told you that I did have a good time, that I like you too, and I want go out with you again?”

Tom blinked at you owlishly for a second before his face split into a huge grin, one you were sure your own was mirroring. “Then . . . I’d say . . . same. To all of it.”

“Good,” you said, stepping closer. “In fact, I think this has almost been the perfect first date.”

He paused. “Wait, almost? What would make it perfect?” He furrowed his eyebrows, looking a little panicked. You laughed, reaching up and cupping his jaw.

“It has to end with a good-night kiss, doesn’t it?”

Tom relaxed, his hands finding their way to your waist. “Oh. Yes, you’re absolutely right.”

The two of you were still smiling as you kissed, and Tom lifted one of his hands to do a silent, sneaky fist-pump. 

Mission: success.

[bokettochild]

The Worries and Woes of Heroic Hair

Y'all were busting out hair headcannons before I left, so I saved a few and wrote a fic for them.

Featuring:

Pre-maturely grey Twilight

Curly haired Legend

Long haired Four

(As well as a reference to long hair Sky)

Warriors had gained the unfortunate title of ‘pretty boy’.

In a group of beautiful men and boys that literally sent women swooning, no matter what world they were in, he’d somehow been labeled the “pretty” one. Never mind he was more mature looking than half of their number. Never mind that Legend and Hyrule looked like a pair of porcelain dolls hand painted by a master artist. Never mind that Wild literally had half of his world falling heels over head for him. No matter how many women in the War of Ages had gushed about the adult Hero of Time (much to Mask’s annoyance). And sure, let’s just forget that Wars had heard not one, but two princess’s complimenting Twilight’s ass.

Yeah, okay, he was the pretty boy, sure.

Maybe that was because he was the only one in the group that actually had any understanding of a little thing called personal hygiene! Honestly! Had no one introduced the vet to a bathtub when he was younger? Or Wild to a hairbrush? And Hyrule... oh Hyrule...

Honestly, it was a pain, trying to not say something to his brothers that might be taken as rude or offensive. At least his own two boys were a bit better. During the war he’d pounded some sense into their heads after scrubbing their ears clean enough that they could actually hear him when he spoke, and Time and Wind both showed some (although not much more than the others) level of personal grooming, even if it was the basic wash and brush that Wars had required of all of his soldiers.

The others though? He had been beginning to think they might be hopeless, but then he’d had a chance to do something about it.

“Wars?”

“Hmm?” Bright blue darted up from the journal Warriors had been writing in, meeting Wind’s pout with a soft chuckle at his baby-faced brother. One day, Wind would be as grizzled and scruffy as his grandfather (would be his grandfather) but for now he would take him time teasing the kid for his baby-face. After all, it wasn’t like he’d be getting another chance to get revenge on the man who’d teased him up to his wedding day for his “lack of masculine charm”.

“My hair is knotted. In the back.” Wind didn’t even bother waiting for a signal, instead just plopping down in the captain's lap and dropping a brush by his knee. And really, with how the war had gone, Warriors should have expected that.

Any injury that impeded movement meant Wars was helping his two boys with whatever was needed during the war, and near the top of that list had been brushing hair. Broken arm or sprained wrist or whatever Hyrule had diagnosed it as (he’d been a bit too wrapped up in helping hold Wild still so he and Legend could treat the kid’s crushed hand to hear the healer’s final word), he was always happy to help the younger hero sort out his problems.

At least Wind let him help, instead of sending him scandalized looks and rude signs at the mere mention of a bath, like Legend did, or simply darting away like Hyrule.

“Wind,” Sky frowned slightly. “You didn’t have to disturb Wars, any of us would have been willing to help.”

The sailor cocked a brow, leaning back into his touch as he worked over the knot with nimble fingers well accustomed to working through tangled golden curls. “Says the Hero of Eternal Bedhead.”

Crystal blue eyes darted up to messy bangs. “Is it really that bad?”

“Yes.” Sailor and captain deadpanned together, matching grins on their faces as they stared at the Skyloftian.

“Oh feathers.” Sky huffed, running his hands through his hair and looking at the two expectantly. “Is that better?”

Wind snorted. “Sky, you need a hairbrush for your bird’s nest.”

“But,” Sky cocked his head like a confused puppy. “I don’t have a bird’s nest?”

“He means that your hair is a mess.” He chuckled, pausing in his work to pat the ground at his side. “Here, I’ll do you next, ‘kay?” And bless Sky for being a patient and reasonable person, because at the very least the Skyloftian just sauntered over easily and sat hot-cross-buns on the ground beside him, watching lazily as he worked at the sailor’s messy hair.

“It’s not that bad,” The Sailor huffed. “You can’t honestly be taking this long.” The kid wasn’t fooling him though, Wind was leaning into the touch, almost slumped against his chest in a boneless pile of teenager.

“You’re dry as a desert.” He scolded softly in response, rubbing some of the bristly hair between his fingers. “I’ve told you salt water dries your hair out, you need to take care of it or it’ll never grow out properly.”

Wind shifted awkwardly. “I didn’t have time. I did try, I mean it! It just... We’re always so busy and...”

His hands were already reaching for his pack. “You’re lucky mine dries out too. I’ll need to get more in the next town, but I think this oil can last us both long enough to get you some again.”

“Oil?” Sky frowned thoughtfully. “What for?”

“Split ends and dry hair.” Came the practiced answer as he rubbed the substance in question over his hands and began to card it through the sailor’s parched curls. “I suppose you could say it’s like with birds. They have to oil their feathers to stay healthy, right?”

“Oh! Okay, yeah, that makes sense.” The Skyloftian mulled over the concept for a moment. “We need to do that to our hair?”

Long fingers stopped mid stroke, royal blue blinking slowly in the clueless sky child’s direction. “Oh, you poor, clueless bird-boy you, your hair must be parched!”

Wind’s giggles shook them both, but Sky simply looked hurt. “I try. How was I supposed to know?”

Fingers slick with hair oil curled to point at the other hero. “I am massaging this stuff into your thirsty scalp right now. Wind, move.”

The sailor tumbled, giggling from Wars’ lap, leaving Sky to stare down at the captain’s crossed legs. “I’m- Warriors I am not sitting in your lap.”

“I don’t expect you to.” Brush in one hand and bottle of hair oil in the other, Warriors moved to stand behind the Skyloftain. “Just stay right there and let me work, and I swear if someone else tells me to my face that they’re not taking care of themselves- Sky! Look at this!”

The Skyloftian shifted, trying to look for only a moment before huffing. “Warriors, I can’t see the top of my own-”

“When’s the last time you trimmed this?” Brittle tips crinkled under his fingers as he stared at the mess that was Sky’s hair. “Your split ends are horrible!”

“Crimson usually trims it for me.” Came the softly mumbled response, and Wars had to hold back an affronted squawk at the words.

“You’re entrusting the care of your hair to a bird? Sky, my lovely, my dear friend, my brother, what the actual Ladies?”

“He does a good job!”

“If you call this rat’s nest a good job! Honestly, it’s no wonder Legend finally agreed to let you cuddle him, he must feel right at home with this mess!”

“Ouch.” Sky huffed, crossing his arms loosely and pouting.

“That aside,” He began working the first knot out, fluffing Sky’s hair lightly in his fingers. “It’s a good color, nice volume too. Have you ever considered growing it out? Without the split ends?”

“Huh?”

Caramel hair parted easily in his hands, springy and soft despite the brittle ends. “You’d look fetching with long hair, Chosen One. My, imagine what Sun would say if she saw you!” Sky stiffened as the soldier ducked down, voice lowering and eyes glinting with mischief as he whispered in his friend’s ear. “If she wasn’t already swooning at seeing you again, she’d be dizzy at the sheer beauty.”

“Wars!” Long ears twitched, tellingly red as the Skyloftian battled a fierce blush.

But the captain was already lost in his rant, taking pleasure in making Wind continue to giggle as Sky whined softly in protest at his teasing. “I can see it now! You arrive fresh out of battle, sword in hand and hair whipping in the wind, cape swirling like the wings of the goddess herself! She sees you. Your eyes meet. You shoot her one of your dashing smiles and she stumbles back, breathless, and you have to dart forwards to catch her before she swoons away altogether, so bedazzled she is by your handsome visage!” He flourished with a smile, letting oiled locks fall over Sky’s eyes with a laugh as the Skyloftian blushed brighter, not bothering to shift his bangs and instead hiding behind them, trying and failing to hide a pleased smile.

Wind didn’t stop giggling until Sky had had to punch the captain in the leg to make him finally cease the teasing.

“Smithy,” Twilight’s laughter rung through camp as he brushed long bangs out of the smithy’s eyes, the younger hero still smushed against the rancher's side sleepily, headband askew and half hanging in his eyes. The boy’s hair curtained his face, falling back into place the moment Twilight lifted his hand again, producing rumbling laughter form the farm-hand. “Four, you- when in Ordonia’s name did you last trim your hair?”

“’s not that long.” Came the murmured reply as Four pressed his face further into Twilight’s side, nestling closer with an irritable huff. “Leave ‘lone, Twi.”

The smithy might have denied it but... his hair really had grown out.

It wasn’t really that apparent with the headband keeping it back, and Four was decent enough at keeping his hair out of his face. But headbands, no matter how trusty, didn’t stay up forever, and when one was as active as a Hero of Courage, it wasn’t uncommon to find one’s self with their hair swinging loose in battle. Not that most of them minded, Wild kept his hair tied carefully and Legend tucked all of his under a hat, meanwhile the others all had shorter locks that, other than the swishing of their bangs, mostly stayed out of their faces.

Four on the other hand...

Four’s headband had fallen loose into a mud puddle, and until he was able to clean it the smithy had been walking around like a sheepdog, bangs fluffing into his eyes and making the shortest hero huff in an annoyed manner as he kept swiping his bangs aside. Unfortunately, they weren’t long enough to tuck behind his ears, only to hang in his face and send him stumbling over and into all sorts of things with sharp yelps and soft swears as the hero closest to him would have to offer a hand or scoop up the small smithy again.

Wars didn’t say anything, but when Four finally approached him one evening, eyes flickering icy blue as he dashed his bangs out of the way and tugged at the scarf draped around the captain’s neck (the others’ favorite way of getting his attention he had found).

“Hey there, smithy, what’s up?”

“Cut them.” Four huffed, pushing the loose hair back again only to have them drift back over his glinting eyes, and then, as if an afterthought, he tacked on ‘Please?’.

Royal blue darted up to Sky, who smiled on the edge of the campfire, a knowing look in his eyes. “Did Sky tell you I could help?”

“No. I figured that out myself. He just... pushed me.”

Laughter bubbled up in his chest. “Ah.”

“So, can you help? Or do I need to wander around looking like a Mogma?” Sky could be heard muttering across the camp at that, and Four’s ears twitched as he huffed, clearly having taken offense at whatever had been said.

He nodded, a bit unsure why Four glared across the fire at Sky, but willing to help. Oh goddesses, was he willing to help; Four’s hair bugged him nearly as much as Wild’s did, and he had been dying to fix it for the smithy. He wasn’t sure what Sky had said, but he was thankful for the other knight’s willingness to aid him in his battle against poor hygiene, and if he could turn another hero with the power of a good haircut, well! “Anything you have in mind? Just what you had before, or...?”

“Bangs.” Four dropped down hot-cross-buns, just like Sky had the other day, in front of him, arms crossed and expectant as he huffed at his long bangs.

“Right.” His brush and scissors were already sitting at the ready as he reached out to gently push the hair out of his friend’s eyes. “You good?”

“Annoyed.” Four sulked. “I can’t see anything and Twilight has been called me a sheep-dog.” Accurate. “I just want my hair short again, but the last time I cut it, it looked like I was attacked by a cat.” The smithy shivered, clutching at his sleeves as he shook his head, hair falling back into his eyes as he did so. “I just let it grow after that, but the bangs bother me if I can’t push them back.”

“Noted.”

Four’s hair was a bit silkier than the others’, but similarly brittle, although that was likely due to the heat of the forge rather than sea salt and extended time in the sky. He didn’t even bother asking about oiling the locks as he worked, brushing out all of Four’s hair with care and sectioning out the bangs with the same amount of agonizing detail Legend put into his paintings or Wild put into his cooking.

“Hair cut?” Twilight called from across camp.

“You could use one too,” Four huffed, unmoving save for his eyes darted to glance over his shoulder. “Your hair is beginning to look like wolf ears, rancher. Wolfie might take offense that you’re stealing his look and come maul you.”

Chuckles sounded around the camp, Legend wheezing lightly while Time and Wild shared a look. Wars didn’t know what that was about, but he smiled as he worked, humming lightly under his breath as he clipped a bit here and a touch there, releasing the hair to stare at it, adjusting it a bit, taking another section in hand and snipping it, and repeating the whole process.

Four was still as a statue the whole time, occasionally humming along to whatever tune happened to be on Warriors’ mind at the moment, but otherwise as poised and picturesque as a statue as the captain worked over the smithy’s blond locks.

This close up, Warriors was beginning to wonder why they never met any lovely admirers of the smithy, Four was certainly not lacking in the looks department, and had the kid lived in his time he’d find himself having to beat off girls with a stick. Honestly, how was he the pretty boy here?

“Nearly done?” Came the patient hum, and he snapped himself back to reality as he brushed Four’s bangs back into place, trimmed and tidy, along with the rest of his short hair.

“Yep.” The scissors finally came to rest in his lap as he whisked away the cloak that he’d used to catch the trimmed hairs. “My, my, smithy, you almost look as if you were going courting! Legend, lend a man your shield for a tick, would you? Four needs to see his new cut.”

The veteran rolled his eyes, but the shield was offered readily enough when Four trotted his way over, and while the smithy looked a bit surprised that Wars had bothered to braid most of his hair out of the way during the cut, he didn’t look at all displeased.

Wars counted that as a win.

He’d run out of oil a few days ago, and already his hair was beginning to frizz in this thrice-forsaken heat.

Being born with curly hair was nothing of the blessing his mother had made it out to be, no matter how she liked playing with her ‘baby boy’s’ hair. Of course, his beloved liked it too, but he was going to chalk that up to being a woman thing, curls were a pain if they weren’t on kids, especially if they were eon him.

Thank Hylia that Lilith had taught him to straighten it all out, he would have been driven half out of his mind if he hadn’t been able to control it on his way through basic, and the teasing would have been so much worse than it actually had been.

As was, the captain was only too happy when they next came to his Castletown, and after he’d made sure the others were settled in the castle with his cousin, he’d gracefully made his exit and headed out to the town. Getting through the streets was a pain, his armor and scarf giving him away as the hero and practically inviting the whole market to start competing for his attention, along with the hundreds of shoppers who surged close with questions and thanks and admiration. Not for the first time, Warriors found himself thankful that he handled crowds better than many of his fellow soldiers, and even if all the attention was a bit much, he wasn’t overwhelmed like poor Wild would have been.

Oh heavens, the day they finally figured out how to explain the portals and heroes nonsense to the public to excuse the sudden aging of the Hyrulian Hero’s child, Wild was likely going to have to start wearing a hood or something when they went into town.

The dye shop was a way into the market, and it had taken quite the bit of fancy footwork to avoid stepping on anyone as he’d answered questions and received thanks from the enthusiastic, if not slightly push, people of Hyrule. If he closed the door of the shop after him with a sigh of relief though, that was between him and Gyssel, the shopkeeper.

“Back again, Link? Same materials as the last time?”

“If you please.” He nodded with a smile. “Though I might have a bit of a glance around, I’ve a friend in need of a few things.”

The old woman nodded with a chuckle. “Right then. Oh, and if you see those two lovely gents who popped in here earlier, would you be willing to lend ‘em a hand? Poor dears looked lost as two minish in a fairy pond when they stumbled in here, but I’ve been batting a thousand with the customers all day and haven’t had a chance to pop over and offer help. You know the shop same as I do, so, if you have a moment, could you check in on them while I wrap your things?”

“Of course.” He nodded, smiling his best as he moved towards the back wall.

The other voices in the shop were mostly those of tittering ladies and mischief making pranksters, all too young and too high to belong to the ‘lovely gents’ that Gyssel had been speaking of, and it wasn’t hard to trail the rumble of a man’s voice to the back of the store where the hair dyes were. He grinned as he rounded the corner, but froze when he found himself face to face with a startled, and maybe somewhat abashed rancher.

“Twilight?”

“Warriors?”

“Shit, Wars is here?”

Royal blue darted down to meet the snapping violet of the veteran. “Legend? What are the two of you doing in here of all places? Are you lost?”

“No.” Legend huffed, foot tapping agitatedly at the floor as he gnawed his bottom lip, a sure sign of awkwardness if one knew the vet.

“What are you doing- oh.” Twilight’s face faded from confusion to understanding. “You’re the city boy, of course you shop in joints like this.”

He cocked a brow, hands coming to rest on his hips as he stared down the two other heroes. “Says the guy who’s been wandering around looking for something long enough the owners worried. Honestly, what could the two of you even need?”

Midnight and violet glanced warily at each other, and to his surprise, twin flushed lighted his friend’s faces as Legend had crossed his arms and Twi had rubbed at his neck.

“Hair dye.” The rancher admitted softly.

“And shampoo.” Legend had tacked on.

Warriors let his eyes blow wide an overdramatic gasp sounding in the small corner of the shop as he rested a hand on his collar. “Why, vet, you don’t mean to tell me you’re planning on actually taking a bath, are you! My heavens, what next? Will Hyrule somehow produce a wedding cake in time for Time and Malon to announce they’re having a baby?”

“They’re what!?!” Twilight yelped, sounding, ridiculously, like a dog that has just been kicked.

“I’m teasing, rancher.” He chortled. “Trust me, if Time knew of such a thing, he wouldn’t have shut up about it. Miss Malon’s still trim and terrifying as last we saw her; I have little doubt.” At the rancher’s breath of relief, he shook his head. “Honestly though, soap? Vet, last I checked-”

“It’s hot.” Legend interrupted, avoiding meeting his gaze by rolling his eyes.

“And?”

“And in case you didn’t know, our resident vet is a-”

“Don’t say it!” Legend huffed, glaring at Twilight and tugging his blue cap tighter over his head.

Come to think of it, Legend hadn’t taken the baby-blue cap off in ages...

“Is a what?”

Twilight looked down warily at the seething veteran, face twisted up between a playful grin and a wary frown, as if he didn’t yet know whether he wanted to tease and face the vet’s wrath or hold his tongue and avoid making a scene.

“Look,” Warriors sighed, glancing between the two country boys with a sigh. “I won’t tease at all, alright? But the sooner you own up to whatever nonsense you did to yourself, the sooner we can find you what you need and get ourselves out of here.”

The flush on Legend’s face darkened, eyes darting down as the vet shuffled his feet, and Wars found himself being reminded that for all the vet’s snark and sass, he really was as much of a kid as Wild and Wind were, just more accustomed at having to act otherwise.

Thin fingers rubbed at the rings on the vet’s pale hands. “Well, you see- that is- augh!”

Something inside him blossomed with warmth, a smile stretching across his face. Golden Three, Legend really was just an awkward teenager, wasn’t he? He even stumbled over his words when he was embarrassed, just like Time used to. Of course, Time had been twelve and Legend was nineteen, but that was beside the point.

“So-” The vet was nearly pouting as he struggled with his words, fingers rubbing steadily at his rings as he avoided Wars’ gaze. “You know how Ravio has curly hair?”

“Yes.”

“And you know how Ravio and I are- uh, each other's- reflect-”

A laugh bubbled out of his throat unexpectedly as he reached out to ruffle what could be seen of the vet’s frizzy bangs. “You’re a curly top! Why didn’t you say sooner?” Legend glared at him with a huff, but violet didn’t shift to indigo, so he knew it was all just an act. “Wind and I are too, I was actually in here to get some things for the two of us, and Sky too. I can help you as well if you don’t mind, just let me-” He motioned to the blue cap that was pulled snig down to Legend’s ears.

The vet huffed, but reached up to finger the blue fabric. “You won’t laugh, right?” Stern eyes met his own.

“Of course.” He smiled reassuringly.

Legend’s gaze searched his face for a moment, wary, but open, and even if it made him uncomfortable (the odd glint of gold at the edges of the vet’s eyes was a bit unsettling) he withstood it until Legend nodded, seemingly to himself, and pulled off his cap.

Pink curls spilled down to the vet’s shoulders as a bright blush colored pale cheeks. Twilight didn’t make it any better by reaching over to ruffle the vet’s head, chuckling soft and warm and surprisingly fond as Legend hissed back at him.

“Can I- that is- do you mind if I touch? I can help you find what you want better if I know what you need.”

A stiff nod.

The pink hair was just like fairy-floss, but less sticky (still dirty though) and he had to remind himself what he was doing once he got his fingers in it. A quick check at the texture and ends of Legend’s hair, as long as a quick check of the scalp and roots told him all he needed.

“Whatever dye you used to do this messed you up, vet. Honestly, I don’t know what you were thinking, but you’re dry as a mulduga’s arse. Did you bleach your hair before dying it or something?” There was a murmur in reply, but not anything he could really make out. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I said that’s me natural color.” Legend huffed, tensing under his hands. “I bleached it blonde a few months back, but no, I didn’t dye this shit, it just happened.”

Twilight, very unhelpfully, giggled.

Warriors blinked. “You have pink hair?”

“Yes.”

He fought the chuckle that built up in his chest, but it did little good as he ruffles the frizzy curls and let Legend replace his hat. “Alright then! Well, I’d avoid bleaching again if I was you. The pinks out and it’s healthier if you give it a rest between dyes. I have to admit though,” He settled his hands on his hips and looked between the two other heroes with a smirk. “I never took either of you two as the sort to dye your hair.”

“Throws off the guards.” Legend huffed, tugging his cap back over his hair and making Warriors wince. Ah yes, Legend’s Hyrule’s guards.

“Fair enough. I can find you something to help with the drying out and dye damage. Twi though...” He frowned, stroking his chin in thought. “Why do you even need hair dye? Trying something new?”

Now it was the rancher’s turn to look embarrassed, rubbing at his neck and ruffling his hair. “No, actually. I jist need- rather- want? I guess? I-”

Legend huffed, patting the rancher’s arm in a rare show of compassion. “He’s been greying early and it’s making him self-conscious. I told him we could look for a dye to hide it, since he didn’t want to go about stealing Time’s position as the resident Old Man.”

Oh. Well, that made sense. “Right! Fair enough. So, you want your natural shade, yes?” At the rancher's nod he pressed on, clapping his hands as he listed what they needed. “So, hair oil, some dye, and shampoo for Legend, preferably meant for damaged and curly hair. Anything else?”

Even though the two shook their heads, they all walked out with a bit more than what Warriors had listed, but despite the fact that Legend complained about it all, no one seemed to mind too much when he pulled the three of them together after the others had gone to bed and helped show them had to use the various toiletries without making too very much of a mess. It cost a pretty penny to get them all sorted, but Legend was clean, Twilight was a brunette again (the silver streaks were rather fetching though, and he’d made sure to make sure Twilight knew that before they dyed it all away) and Wind and Sky had what they needed to prevent their hair drying out again.

And even if it made a sizable dent in his wallet, he’d refused to be paid back. It was worth it anyway, since now he and Legend both had straight hair again (and the vet had actually washed!).

He could see now why Wild and Hyrule liked playing with their respective mentors’ hair though, it was almost addictive.

Time took one look at the three youngest and groaned, and Warriors almost echoed the action.

“What were you three even doing?” His now-eldest huffed, pinching the bridge of his nose with a heavy sigh as he tried not to look at the three teens, all of which were covered in mud and grass stains, and only looking slightly remorseful, despite their horrid clothing and scraped faces.

Had it been anyone but Wild and Wind, Wars would have sat back and watched as karma paid her long overdue visit to the mischievous mask-loving hero, but since it was his kids that caught up in paying back the silver in his own hair, Wars had to stand with Time and try his very hardest not to chuckle at the sight before him.

It took no trouble at all to picture Mask sitting, unrepentant, amid the other youngsters, a challenging look on his face as he dared the captain to even try and ground him for running off again.

“We were exploring.” Hyrule grinned sheepishly, rubbing at the mud that had dried on the side of his neck. “We um-”

“We fell in a swamp.” Wild snorted, wrinkling his nose and shaking some gunk from his hands with a pout. “Even I think we stink.”

Time’s lips twitched, brows struggling to remain in a scowl as he answered, voice wavering with a hint of laughter that made Wars smile to himself. “Is that so, Cub?”

“We smell like boko guts.”

“Or boko crap!” Wind cackled, the only one not soaked in swamp goo but instead spattered with ordinary mud that came from likely tripping and falling in the dirt from laughing too hard.

“Bathe.” Time chuffed, shaking his head fondly. “All three of you. Rivers there and I’m sure Wars has soap aplenty to help.” Hang on, what? Time’s eye met his own, blinking- winking? with a bright and shit eating grin. “Have fun with you sons, dad.”

Oh Ladies, Karma messed up again, didn’t she?

“Mask, I swear-” He growled, glaring at his- was Time his eldest now? His middle child still? The youngest since he’d been the last to join the family?

“Don’t, you’ll set a bad example.” The overgrown forest gremlin chuckled, walking away with a condescending pat of the shoulder.

Some things really never changed, huh?

“Right then.” the captain turned to glare stillness back into the three youngsters, two of which were already trying to sneak away, and the third- of thank Hylia for Wind, the kid was standing at perfect attention with a smirk on his face that screamed ‘I’m the eldest and I’m about to watch my little brothers get scolded and I’m going to enjoy every second of it’, snotty little salt-bathed brat. “Jump in or I punt you.”

Hyrule and Wild exchanged a look, a sure sign of danger, and both sprinted in opposite directions.

He huffed a laugh. Amateurs. Mask and Wind had run him ragged during the war, but once you’ve fought to pre-teens on the daily, there's nothing a pair of teenagers can pull on you that will truly surprise you or throw you off. It was the work of moments to have Wild slung under one arm (wolf pups, honestly, Mask was the same way) and Hyrule by the back of his collar (Wind’s customary position).

“H-how?” Both boys stammered.

“Experience, mud moblins.”

“Do I weight anything to you?” Wild stammered, staring up at him with wide blue eyes.

The grin on his face was easier than usual in situations like these, but then again both teens had given up fighting against him sooner than the last two had ever done. “Hardly. You’ve always been a lightweight.” And with those words he promptly administered a light kick to Hyrule’s lower back, knocking the kid floundering into the stream, and following up with a well-practiced toss that send Wild rocketing in after.

Wind, already stripped down to his shorts and standing waist deep in the water, raised his hands with a shit eating grin. “Six out of Ten, Wild.” The little sea monster called to a spluttering Wild as the kid surfaced, only his face peeking above the surface as he treaded water with a pout. “You need to work on your form, but otherwise- ack!”

A wave splashed up from Hyrule’s direction and Wild sent an appreciative grin the other boy’s way while Wind’s grin melted into a playful one, eyes glinting dangerously.

“Oh, that’s it! You’re just asking for trouble now! Never start a water battle with a pirate, you two, you won’t like how it ends!”

Another, mischief filled, glance was exchanged and both feral heroes descended on the young sailor. It was like watching cucco’s descend on a bokoblin, and Warriors watched with laughter bubbling in his chest as he stripped off his gunk-stained tunic, courtesy of the mud-covered boys he’d wisely decided to pick up, and moved on to his chainmail. The sound of the three youngest heroes' shrieking and shouting sweet music to his ears as Time and the other older heroes made camp just off of the riverbank, teasing each other and generally messing around.

“Wars, why are you- are you joining us?” Wild cocked his dripping head with a curious look as he watched him.

The undershirt slipped off easily as he waded into the stream’s center. “Of course, you two got me muddy too after all, and it’s not like I trust y’all to actually clean up by-” At the slowly spreading grins on the faces of the three, the captain realizes his mistake. “I don’t trust you all to clean up properly, so I’m-”

“Warriors said ‘y’all’!” Wind chortled, eyes glinting madly as a grin stretched over his face. “Oh boy! Just wait ‘till I-”

“Slip of the tongue.” He clipped back, hands settling on his hips as he stared down the three teens. “You tell Twilight about this and I will personally wash your mouth out with soap.”

“You’re the one who said it!” Hyrule pointed out.

“And whoever tells the rancher is committing a verbal atrocity that will only lead to far more in the future.” He huffed. “No one tells, you hear me?”

Wild looked between the others, brows furrowed and lips pursed as he took in Wind’s triumphant grin and Warriors’ scowl. “What’s wrong with saying ‘y’all’?”

The captain staggered back dramatically, hand on his chest and a horrified expression on his face as he stared at his son. “No! Never say that word! That word is an abomination!”

“What word?” Hyrule cocked his head, eyes glinting knowingly, but the captain failed to recognize it in time.

“’Y’all’!” He spat with contempt. “We do not say ‘y’all’ in this house! ‘Y’all’ is a cursed word and the next person who says it is-” - ‘Is on Mask watching duty’ was his go to consequence, but that wouldn’t exactly work right now; Time was a bit old to actually need a supervisor- “is on clothes washing duty with Legend.” He settled on at last, choosing the chore that everyone except, surprisingly, the veteran minded.

“Say the man who just said it four times in a row.” Wind teased, darting out of his grasp with a wide grin.

“Wind! I was trying to see how many times I could make him say it!” Hyrule huffed, pouting at his brother adorably.

“I still don’t get it.” Wild grumbled. “It’s a word? There’s nothing wrong with it as far as I know, ‘y’a-” The captain’s hand was clamped around the kid’s mouth before he could finish his sentence.

“Let's just not.” Warriors huffed; he was beginning to mourn Twilight’s mentor position at the moment. Fortunately, Wild was willing enough to still in is hands and not push the topic, unlike the other two who just egged each other on with ever widening grins. “Right.” He rolled his eyes. “First one with a clean face gets the strawberry scented soap; go.”

Silence fell as nothing save splashing rang over the stream as faces ducked beneath the water, all three boys falling for his favorite trick of all time. Heck, even the old man would probably still cave to the offer of strawberry soap, even now that he was an adult, and Wars couldn’t blame him at all; strawberry scented bubbles were the best bubbles and Twilight and his goat-milk soap could go sniff a skunk if they wanted to contest that.

It took hardly any time at all for all three to emerge, fresh faces and glowing, three sets of eyes al sparkling up at him as a warm chuckle blossomed in his throat. Naturally, he gave the promised soap to all three, citing the ‘I can’t tell who finished first so you all win’ excuse that Grandfather had taught him ages ago.

Wind dutifully set about scrubbing himself clean, and in the meantime, he guided the less experienced duo. “Take so much,” He dolloped a generous potion into Hyrule’s cupped hands. “And rub your hands together, yes, just like that, work it up to a nice lather and just scrub it all over. Take care you get the smelliest bits first so you don’t run out of soap before you get there, yeah?” Both forest children nodded, dutifully following his instructions as he moved to help scrub the traveler’s sopping curls.

It was an easy pattern to fall into, scrubbing the two heads with especial care to remove any sticks and twigs he found along the way. Hyrule was the easier of the two, but Wild held still better while he worked, almost melting under his fingers as he messaged suds into his son’s long locks, a light smile playing over both their faces as he worked, content to sit in the cooling water of the stream as the sun began to set, hands buried in his kid’s long hair as he worked out mud and filth and who knows what else.

Rinsing the sweet-scented bubbles started out innocently enough, but Wars was given a front row seat to watching an accidental splash descend into a full-on war on the water as he scrubbed his own hair clean, and well, if he joined in once he was finished, well, someone had to show Wind that he wasn’t the only hero with some experience on the water.

Wars sighed as he watched Time stirring quietly on his bedroll.

Honestly, his middle kid (he’d finally settled on letting Wind retain his position on oldest, since there was no way Time could be the eldest brother with his gremlin behavior) was something of an idiot. Oh, he loved all three of his boys dearly, but Time was an ass and everyone who knew him well knew it (except maybe Twilight, but that guy was an ass too).

Time hadn’t been sleeping recently, and it was easy to see in the dark bags around his eyes and the almost drifting expression on his face at nights. It was for lack of trying either, the kid- man? - the hero would settle down on his bedroll every night same as the others, but even with sharp eyes shut tight and blanket pulled to his ears, the ‘Old Man’ couldn’t lie still for more than thirty minutes, constantly shifting and fidgeting on his bedroll even as the other heroes steadily dropped off to sleep.

It was just the two of them now, the captain on watch and their leader trying to pretend he was asleep with a scowl on his face.

He was scratching again.

“Alright, that’s enough of that.” war clapped his hands against his knees and pushed himself p, staling over to stand over the largest of the bedrolls and staring down at the lump within. “What’s up, Sprout? You normally snore like a hinox all night long, what’s eating you?”

A single blue eye stared up at him wearily. “If I knew, I would have killed it by now.”

Oof, bad night then. “Do you have any idea what it could be?” He was already settling down next to the group leader’s head, hands reaching to grasp Time’s own and bring them down from where he was, likely unconsciously, clawing at the sides of his face.

“No.” Came the frustrated huff.

“Missing Miss Malon?” He suggested, running his fingers through short blonde hair thoughtfully, mind miles away in a two-story house at castle town as he fell into the all too familiar trap of playing with one of his boys’ hair.

“I thought so at first, and while I do, it doesn’t usually stop me from sleeping.” Time grumbled, staring up at the night sky with pursed lips. “It’s not nightmares or visions either, if anything my dreams have been normal for once.”

“Anxiety perhaps? Are you worrying about the others? Twilight, maybe? Wild?” At the questioning glance he received he shrugged. “Kept me up enough nights, even if you two were there. A bad thing happens once and you're not likely to forget it.”

“Hmm.” Time hummed, leaning unconsciously into his hands and settling on his bed-roll, shoulders falling lax as his single good eyes fluttered softly. “Maybe.”

Whatever it was, it wasn’t bad enough that War’s fingers didn’t put it to rest, and time was asleep in mere minutes, soft snores rumbling over the camp as the captain continued his ministrations, eyes and ears sharp and alert for any disturbance near in within the camp, but body relaxed as he kept the steady rhythm of his fingers through short and silky hair.

When his watch was over though, and it was time to wake the veteran to take his, Wars found himself stuck. Time's fingers were curled tightly in his blue scarf, the man’s head resting easy against his thigh, and any motion small of subtle, would likely send majestic blue fluttering open again with an exhausted air.

Ah well, time to be creative.

Legend grumbled, as usual, at being woken by having his feet touched, and the captain echoed his discomfort as he wrings is sore and likely sprained hand. Time was still asleep though, so there was that at least. Now just to figure out how best to position himself so he could sleep.

Soldier’s experience won over logic, and Wars was asleep in seconds, leaving the camp under Legend’s watch and Time snoozing blissfully at his side.