#ooh an excuse to run to Staples...

[theidiotwhowritesthings]

A Fresh Start [5]

Din Djarin x F!Reader

Warnings: use of fake name, reader’s on the run, grogu is a menace, jealousy, pining (is that a warning?)

Word Count: 4,913

Summary: When you made plans for your future they never involved being hired by a Mandalorian to baby-sit his adorable, green gremlin of a child. However, after your life fell apart in the span of one disastrous night,  you found it to be the only feasible option you had left. Nevarro was a  far cry from Coruscant, but the thriving community turned out to be  exactly what you needed. Every day you spend in Nevarro you fall more  and more in love with your new life, but when your past rears its ugly  head you find that perhaps peace wasn’t meant for everyone.

Ch. #05: WIFE MATERIAL

Chapter Summary: Nima thinks you and the Marshal are cute. Cara thinks you and the Marshal are cute. Mayfield just runs for his life.

     "too shy to say, but i hope you stay." -Billie Eilish  

 Two weeks flashed by in a blink of an eye, and Din Djarin and his son had fallen into a new routine⏤ one with you as a staple addition to it. Din had been so sure that their lives had been perfect on Nevarro before you, but you swept in and created a space for yourself that was now essential. The sound of your voice, your laughter, your steps padding across the floor had seamlessly become a part of the soundtrack of his and his son’s life.

 “The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round,” You sung to Grogu who mumbled the repetitive words while miming the spinning motions you made with your hands. His large brown eyes were focused on you with great intensity. “The wipers on the bus go…”

 “Swish, swish, swish.” Grogu mumbled the words in Basic while waving his arms side to side to mimic the motion of wipers. You clapped your hands excitedly, and Grogu giggled and bounced at the praise.

 Din leaned against the wall with his arms crossed as he watched the scene unfold in the living room. Grogu had finished with breakfast and now sat on the couch in your lap. He was half tempted to call Cara and let her know he was taking a sick day. If he wasn’t so sure she’d see through his excuse and mock him for it, he might’ve tried.

 You turned your head to meet his gaze, and Din tensed at being caught staring. He pushed off the wall and walked over. You lifted Grogu in the air, rocking him to make him laugh, and Din scooped him from your hands to curl into his chest. “Are you having fun, ad’ika?” He asked as Grogu buried his face into the crook of his neck. “Are you having fun with Soran?”

 “ ‘lek!” Grogu cooed.

 “Do Mandalorians have any rhymes or songs?” You asked.

 Din titled his head. “I know a lullaby, but it’s not like the ones you sing with him.” He rubbed Grogu’s back. “Thank you for the songs.” Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and Din elaborated. “Grogu has gotten better with some words in Basic. I was worried.”

 “Don’t be.” You rose from the couch and walked around to stand beside him. “The book I’m reading says that kids who are raised in a multilingual home take a little longer in their language development. It’s completely normal.”

 Your words soothed his quiet concerns. To be honest, Din hadn’t been as worried about Grogu’s speaking habits since you arrived simply because he had become more vocal. Add to that the fact that he’d be starting school next week, brightened his mood even further. Grogu would only learn more and more from there. Din began to walk towards the door while still cradling his son in his arms. You stayed one step beside him with a sweet smile decorating your soft features. The warmth in your eyes when you stared at Grogu always brought a smile to his own face.

 “I’ll bring home dinner from the new place that opened up in the plaza.” Din said. “Don’t worry about cooking.”

 “Ooh, yum.” You playfully tugged on one of Grogu’s ears making him squeal again. “Hear that? We’re getting noodles for dinner tonight.”

 The dinner situation had oddly been settled without much discussion. A pattern had just clicked into place. Din would come home and remove his helmet to eat with Grogu while you got some time to yourself, then you would come out to watch Grogu while he cleaned up from his day out in the city. Finally, he’d don his helmet once more and the three of you ended up spending time with one another before Din would take Grogu to bed. Sometimes, you’d even eat dinner with them. Din and you would find a spot on the floor, like a picnic, and sit back to back while Grogu ran circles around you both sneaking food from every plate he could touch.

 “Noodle.” Grogu bounced in his arms and repeated the word over and over as if the chant would bring forth the food immediately.

 Din held his arms out for you to take Grogu from him. “Only if you behave, ad’ika.”

 “Tell your dad that you always behave.” You gasped, as if appalled at his statement. “You’re a little angel, aren’t you?”

 “ ‘lek!”

 Din chuckled with a shake of his head. He loved his son more than life itself, but angel would hardly be the word he’d use to describe Grogu’s menace-like tendencies. It was his mischievous nature that Din loved so dearly. If there were trouble in a nine mile radius, Grogu would find it. And if there wasn’t? His son was hardly hesitant in starting the mayhem himself.

 “Oh,” You said abruptly, “Don’t forget, Grogu’s appointment is at 2 today.”

 Din nodded, thankful for the reminder, and mentally made a note. This would be Grogu’s first appointment with the local physician and he wanted to be present for it. He believed you to be more than capable of taking his son on your own, but Din worried how Grogu would handle being in a medical facility. He wasn’t sure how much Grogu went through while in Gideon’s hands, and Din wanted to be there to support him in any way that he could.

 “Thanks. I can meet you there.” Din replied. He leaned forward to rest his forehead against Grogu’s⏤ smiling when the boy wrapped his arms around his helmet in response. “Be good, ad’ika.” Din leaned back and after a beat he offered you a small nod. “I’ll see you this afternoon, cyar’ika. Call me if you need me.”

 “I will. Bye, Mando.” You replied. As he stepped out the door, you stayed in the doorway to allow Grogu to wave at him. Din smiled to himself and readjusted his gloves to give his hands something to do. He would be lying if he said that he never had the urge to rest his forehead against yours when saying good-bye in the morning. A fact that he tried very, very hard not to think about.

 You sat on the couch reading one of the many books from your past library on the holopad in your hands. As it turned out, after successfully guessing your last used password from a year ago, you were able to access all the books you had downloaded during your training years. Right now, the relevant ones you were reading all dealt with pediatric development and care. It hadn’t been a topic that particularly interested you back then. You learned what you had to in order to properly treat any younger patients, but that was it. Now, you found the topic exhilarating.

 The more information you absorbed the better prepared you were to take care of Grogu. That was your thought process at least. Doing a good job was about more than just ‘doing a good job’. Grogu had quickly become an important part of your life, and you truly cared for the little boy. More than just Grogu, his father had grown on you as well. Living in this house with them, becoming a part of their daily routine, made you feel like you belonged somewhere. It was something you hadn’t realized you missed until you got a taste of it once again.

 “Patu.” Grogu cooed.

 You looked up from your holopad to see him standing at your feet holding up a piece of paper. He had been drawing on the floor in the middle of the living room. “What’s this?” You set aside the holopad and picked him up. The picture he drew was a scribbled version of you holding a mass of green with big arms. “Aw, is this me and you?”

 “ ‘lek.”

 “I love it.” You said with a waver in your voice. A picture drawn in crayons shouldn’t mean so much to you, but you were already making plans to frame the paper and hang it up on the wall where you could see it every single day. “Thank you, sweetie.”

 You pulled him closer to cuddle him in a hug, but Grogu surprised you by lifting his hands to pat your cheeks. The cheek patting was hardly new, but then he lifted his head to press his forehead to the middle of your face⏤ the closest he could reach to your forehead. It was the action you watched Mando do to Grogu all the time. A sign of affection. As if the picture wasn’t enough to send you over the edge. You felt your eyes well up with tears and felt so silly at the notion that you couldn’t help but let out a laugh. Grogu pulled back and tilted his head in question.

 “Happy tears. I’m happy.” You shook your head and lightly bopped him on the nose with your finger making you giggle. “You made me very, very happy.”

 If there was one thing you had learned about yourself in the three weeks you had been here it was how unhappy and alone you were in Tatooine⏤ hell, even in Coruscant this last year. You knew, you understood, but you hadn’t truly realized until you began to make new connections. It was all so overwhelming and it left you an emotional mess.

 “How about we leave the house early?” You sniffed. “We can go say hello to Peli and Nima, and then pick up lunch.”

 Grogu was just as happy as you assumed he’d be at the prospect of leaving the house. It took you only a few minutes to clean up a bit and get Grogu into his pram before the two of you were out and traveling to Peli’s shop. In your time here, you had learned the layout of Nevarro well enough to get around without much issue. There were still a few places you needed instruction to get to, but you were fairly proud of how settled you had become.

 You heard Peli’s shop before you saw it, and Grogu’s pram sped up a bit in excitement to see Peli. He zoomed through the shop with practiced ease and you followed behind at a casual pace. It seemed the shop wasn’t overly busy and Grogu led you through the garage out to the back yard which Peli used more as a junkyard.

 “Green bean!” Nima yelled in greeting.

 She poked her head up from a pile of scrap metal to bounce over to the pram. Peli followed next and both women stood around Grogu cooing and chatting with the small child. You chuckled and lifted a hand to wave. “Hi. I’m here too.”

 “Yeah, but you’re not nearly as cute.” Peli replied bluntly.

 Nima lifted her gaze to you with a shrug. “No offense.”

 “I’ll try to push through the pain, but I don’t know how I’ll sleep tonight.”

 Peli picked up Grogu and began to bounce him on her hip to his delight. Nima tickled his belly once before drifting closer to where you stood. She crossed her arms with a smirk. “Things seem to be going good.”

 “Yeah.” You nodded. “They are.”

 “Well, I am very happy for you,” Nima set her hand on your shoulder, “But I am also incredibly disappointed because now I don’t have a drinking partner.” You let out a laugh and gave her a light shove. Nima decided to wrap her arm around you instead. “Real talk though, it’s good to see you enjoying yourself. You can show me gratitude for finding you the job by joining me at the cantina tonight. It’s singles tuesday.”

 You shook your head. “Okay, first off, why would they have a singles night on a Tuesday? Why not the weekend?” Nima just shrugged. “And unfortunately I can’t. Mando is picking up dinner for us from that new noodle place.”

 Nima pulled her arm away to pout. “Can’t you just take your part to go. Hanging with me tonight will be so much more fun than eating in your room alone, I promise.”

 “I’m not gonna eat in my room.” You shrugged. “Usually when he brings dinner home, we eat together. We just pick a spot on the floor and sit back to back. That way I can’t see his face while he eats, but we both get to spend dinnertime with Grogu.” Her comical pout slowly turned into a mischievous smile. You furrowed your brow at her in mild concern. It was never good when she got that look. “What?”

 “Marshal Mando is bringing dinner home for you guys to share.” Nima repeated what you said, and you weren’t sure what she was getting at. “Together. Kind of like…” You raised an eyebrow at her, and she shimmed her shoulders, “A date.”

 Your eyes widened. “What? No. No, no, no. It’s not like that. It’s not romantic.”

 “You sit on the floor together. Food spread out around you like a picnic.” Nima said slowly. “How much space is there between the two of you? Or do you literally sit back to back?” At her question, you felt your cheeks grow warm in embarrassment. It was literal. The two of you didn’t necessarily touch, but the last time this happened if you had leaned back even a little you would’ve been able to rest against his back. Nima bounced in place. “That’s so cute! Ah, okay, you definitely can’t come to singles night then.”

 “Stop.” You held a hand up to point at her. “You always do this. Remember when you visited me during training and convinced yourself I was having a love affair with my professor?” Nima’s features turned sheepish and she mumbled a response under her breath. “What was that?”

 “I was wrong.” Nima sighed. “But in my defense, the two of you had some very intense chemistry.”

 “We didn’t. He was married. To a man.” You shook your head. “You literally imagined everything. To which, I will commend your active and creative imagination, but you’re wrong.” You reached out and placed both your hands on her shoulders. “I love you, but you’re very, very wrong.”

 “Boo.” Nima dragged the word out, her pout returned.

 You laughed at her disdain and she easily rolled into a rant about a customer she had to deal with earlier in the day. Her claim about Mando lingered in your mind, but you shoved it out of your head with gusto. Your first week here had been a bit awkward, but the last two had been a dream as everything seemed to fall into place. Mando had become your friend. It was more than you could ask for considering he was your employer. The last thing you wanted to do was mess that up by catching feelings.

 “Hey!” You and Nima paused in conversation to see Peli coming over with Grogu. “Bright eyes here is hungry. You gotta get him out of here before he starts snacking on my stuff.”

 You held your arms out and Grogu excitedly leaned out to fall into them. “Are you hungry, sweetie? You wanna get lunch?” He clapped his hands and you chuckled. “Alright. Say good-bye to Peli and Nima. Can you say bye?” Grogu waved his little hand and you decided to continue holding him rather than setting him back into his pram. “I’ll see you guys later.”

 “Message me if you change your mind about tonight!” Nima waved.

 You walked out of the shop with Grogu’s pram following after you. Mando had taught you how to program it to the arm band he had given to you. Nevarro’s streets were busy and you greeted familiar faces and you passed them. Anytime you had Grogu with you, more people stopped to say hello just so they could have a moment with the adorable child in your arms.

 “Hey,” You held Grogu’s hand and his small fingers wrapped around yours, “We were supposed to meet your dad at 2, but should we pick up lunch and surprise him at his office?”

 Grogu squealed in agreement and you were unsurprised by the response. You had learned that Mando was a fan of the sandwich shop owned by a local couple and as you’d have to walk by it anyways to get to the station it seemed ideal. It didn’t take long to pick up some food, and the owners had gifted Grogu with some free, blue cookies.

 It didn’t take long to get to the station from there, but in that time Grogu had managed to gobble down every single small cookie they had given him. You set the bag of food in the pram so you could brush the crumbs off of his clothes. “I’m starting to think you eat this messy on purpose, kiddo.” He giggled innocently and you shook your head. You picked up the bag of food again as you entered the station. One of the two rotating receptionists sat behind the desk as usual. “Hey, Thilxi! How’re you today?”

 “I’m doing well.” The Rishii woman replied. Her feathers were a mix of black, tan, and a pretty shade of orange. “Are you looking for the Marshal?”

 “Yeah, is he in?”

 “Mhmm. Go on back.”

 You thanked her and took the side hallway to get to where the actual office sat. The only person sitting in the room was Cara who was currently reading through a holopad. She lifted her gaze at the sound of your approach and a smirk crossed her features. Before you could speak, she called out, “Hey, Mando. We got some citizens here with a request.”

 You recognized the sound of Mando’s heavy boots. He began to ask what he was needed for, but his modulated words came to a halt, as did his stride, when his eyes landed on you. Mando’s head tilted in question. You held up the bag of food with a smile. “Lunch request.”

 “Buir!” Grogu blurted. “Skraan. Skraan, Buir!”

 Mando chuckled and crossed the space in a few easy strides and scooped Grogu from your arms. “Hey there, ad’ika.” He rubbed his son’s head and tugged lightly on a ear making Grogu giggle and grab at the hand. Mando focused on you. “You didn’t have to do this.”

 “We were already out.” You shrugged. “Figured we could just leave from here to the clinic. You aren’t busy are you?”

 “No. Not at all.” Mando nodded his head back toward the doorway. “We can sit in my office.”

 “Skraan.” Grogu grabbed at the edge of Mando’s helmet.

 “Call me if you need me.” Mando said.

 Cara, who was still grinning, nodded, “Sure thing, boss.”

 “Nice to see you, Cara.” You gave her a small wave before following after Mando. She returned your greeting with ease. You hadn’t actually been to the back part of this office yet, but through the door was just another short hall that led to a generator room, a storage closet, and Mando’s office. There was also a door at the very end of the hallway with an ‘exit’ side hanging above it.

 Mando set Grogu down on his desk while you glanced around. It was a small and rather plain space. A large window on one side allowed natural light in, which was nice, and there was a desk in the center of the room. The swivel chair behind the desk was olive in color and it matched the double cushioned couch sitting under the window. Behind the desk, on the wall, were a few drawings made by Grogu.

 “What does ‘skraan’ mean?” You asked. “Is it like ‘hungry’? I always notice he uses it around the time I’m about to feed him.”

 Mando let out a short laugh. “No. Fair guess though. It’s slang for ‘meal’.”

 So the green gremlin was just demanding his meal time. That sounded about right. You set the bag of food on the desk and Grogu immediately rushed to grab it. Mando scooped his son up again before he could shred through the brown bag to get to his sandwich.

 “No, no.” Mando said. Grogu let out a soft whine. “Be patient.”

 You began to unpack the bag while glancing over at Mando who was bouncing Grogu while chatting with him softly. As you began to throw away the bag into a bin nearby you heard Grogu patting his hand against his father’s chest repeatedly.

 “Oh. You know what? He hasn’t used the bathroom since this morning. I can take him.”

 “Don’t worry. Start eating, I’ll be back.”

 You watched Mando leave with Grogu and turned back to the food. In the silence, it occurred to you that this was a half planned idea considering it wasn’t like the two of you could just sit on the floor here. You rubbed the back of your neck and tried to puzzle this out.

 Din’s morning had been busy. There had been a mess on the tarmac where scheduled landings got tangled up causing a number of near crashes. The team there should have been able to manage it on their own, but tempers flared and he got called there to witness. Din spent his morning babysitting temperamental pilots and flight crews.

 Needless to say, he really should’ve tried to call in sick.

 Din kept telling himself he’d at least get to see Grogu and you sooner than dinner time because of the clinic appointment. He never expected you to show up at the station with his son and lunch in tow. Din was beyond grateful for his helmet because if Cara saw the dumb smile that spread across his face she never would’ve let him live it down.

 He stepped out of the bathroom with Grogu only to immediately be met with a sly grin on Cara’s face. He slumped with a sigh. “Don’t.”

 “I didn’t say anything.” Cara replied. Din tilted his head in exasperation and Cara just laughed in response. She leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms⏤ preening as if she had just won an award. “It’s just… interesting.”

 Grogu grunted and began to pat his chest again. Knowing exactly what his son wanted, he knelt over and let Grogu down. He didn’t hesitate to rush away back to where his food was awaiting him. Din turned back to Cara and he pointed at her. “No.”

 “Soran bringing you food and a visit from your son in the middle of the day just for the hell of it before you both take him to the doctor for a school registration check up feels very⏤ what’s the phrase I’m looking for?” Cara hummed then nodded her head. “Domestic. Wife material.”

 Din set his hands on his hip and chose to keep his stance as casual as he could. His face felt hot and he knew he was bright red under his helmet. He already knew how attached he had become to the domestic energy that surrounded his home life. From day one, Din enjoyed that. Even back when things were still awkward, the moment he came home that first day to dinner being ready and Grogu calling out to him he had been hooked to that lifestyle. It was after that, much more recent, that Din realized it wasn’t just the domestic nature of things he was growing attached to.

 It was you.

 Din liked coming home to you. He liked watching you sing and dance with Grogu in the kitchen every morning. He liked the moments he got alone with you. It had been an accident the first night he stepped out of his room after putting Grogu to bed and ran into you in the kitchen. He had donned his helmet just to go get water but stayed there for a full hour just to talk with you. Now, he made it a habit.

 You were the first woman he had any semblance of feelings for in quite some time. In the past, any sort of attraction he felt was easy enough to ignore. He’d climb aboard the Razor Crest, fly off to work on the next bounty, and that was it. It was done and over. Din was learning that trying to ignore an attraction he felt for someone he lived with was much, much more difficult. He had to forget it though⏤ had to push it aside. You worked for him, and Din would never forgive himself if he jeopardized the new routine Grogu had become accustomed to. If he made you uncomfortable, chased you off, Grogu would miss you so much.

 Cara making comments with the words ‘wife material’ was only going to make this a million times harder.

 “The two of you are cute is all I’m saying.” Cara shrugged.

 Din grunted out a response which made his Deputy just laugh. He sighed and left for his office. It only took him a few steps in the hall before he heard Mayfeld’s voice. When Din got closer, he could see you sitting in one of the seats parked in front of his desk, Grogu in your lap eating, and Mayfeld was leaning against the front of his desk right beside you.

 “I can’t believe you haven’t been to Jay’s place yet.” Mayfeld chuckled. “Best place to eat in all of Nevarro. No doubt.”

 “Oh yeah?” You asked, helping pinch off pieces of Grogu’s sandwich so he didn’t just inhale the entire thing⏤ a terrible habit his son still had.

 Mayfeld shifted on the desk so he was closer. “They have some great mixed drinks too. Maybe I can take you some time.” Din felt his chest tighten in discomfort. A flash of anger mingled with the new sensation, and his hand curled into a fist involuntarily. “You free this weekend?”

 Din took that as his cue to close the distance. He didn’t like the idea of Mayfeld taking you anywhere at any time. He didn’t even like the idea of Mayfeld thinking about doing that. You let out a light chuckle and shook your head. “Sorry, I’m busy this weekend with, uh, Mando. He said he’d take me to…the…lava plains?”

 “Mando?” Mayfeld repeated. Din saddled up to stand in view and leaned against the open doorway with his arms crossed. Mayfeld’s eyes drifted over to him and Din could see panic settle in the man’s eyes. “Mando!” He scrambled away from you and nearly fell when he reached the end of the desk sooner than anticipated. “Hah, hey, I was just keeping⏤ I didn’t know she was⏤” Mayfeld motioned toward you then shook his head. “I’m gonna go work.”

 In order to leave the room, Mayfeld had to walk past him and Din didn’t make it easy for him. He stayed exactly where he was, following the man’s movement slowly with his visor, as Mayfeld struggled to squeeze past him without actually touching him. When he stumbled out and hurried away, Din looked back to you who stared at him with a wide grin. He felt his irritation melt away at the look on your face.

 “He’s nice.” You chuckled. “Also, sorry I used you as an excuse. I kind of panicked when he asked me out.”

 Din shook his head. “That’s fine. I don’t mind.” He straightened his posture and hated how awkward the next words out of his mouth felt. “Do you… Do you      want to see the lava plains?”

 “It’s on my to-do list for sure.” You nodded. “I feel like every time I walk down the street I hear one of the droids advertising the plains and the hot springs.” You handed Grogu another bite of his sandwich. His child was so enthralled by the food that he was barely aware of anything happening around him. “Besides, anything would be better than going on a date with a stranger. Nima asked me to go to this singles event tonight, and I have no idea how she can go to those things.”

 Din stiffened at your words then scolded himself for growing tense. You weren’t his in any sense other than employer/employee. Din had no claim to you whatsoever which meant he had no right to feel any shred of jealousy⏤ either with Mayfeld or with you attending a singles event. He was paying you to watch Grogu and, by association, paying you to be around him. Besides, it was foolish of him to think this wasn’t something that would come up. You were a ray of sunlight after a dark and stormy day. You were refreshing. A breath of clean air after months of stale hyperspace. Smart, funny, kind, caring. Not to mention gorgeous. Maker, Din would crawl across the sands of Tatooine, under both suns, armorless, if it meant he could just touch⏤

 No. He had to stop. That line of thought was the opposite of helpful.

 Din cleared his throat. “You and Nima?” He tried not to let any disappointment show. He steeled his voice with practiced ease. “Are you going out with her tonight? I know we haven’t talked about it, but if you need a night off…”

 “No way.” You grinned then motioned to Grogu who was still happily settled in your lap. “I told her I was busy. I got a date with this cutie and some noodles.” You tickled Grogu who squealed in response, eager to play. “Don’t I, sweetie?”

 Din was smiling like an idiot again.

 Maker, was he in trouble.

[okami-zero]

So, in addition to Gev's "pep talk" with Akagi (whixh is mostly Gev talking and Akagi humoring him but also listening, because the rogue's not the daft lady's man he oft appears to be), I have gotten an uege to write a bit about my OCs Marshall and Rav. There is a scene in my head of Rav's first actual "mission" that ends up going south (as they do). And the thing is, where it happens is a location made up for another fanfic idea that is locked in my brainvault (quick reminder that Rav and Marshall are themselves products of a wholly separate but also connected fanfic-esque amalgamation that has been percolating in my brain for literal years).

But the setting it takes place in contains some other background characters, some of which are OCs and others are from another series that I aped and tweaked to fit. So I just am a little nervous 'bout it, but also part of me really wants to get this stuff out there. And I mean, I don't have to. Rav can just keep being the self-insert OC I made back in college and Marshall being the fiery, tomboyish sidekick who occasionally has to put a boot to his ass to keep him moving. (LOL She is loads more than that, but that is the Cliffs Notes for her).

Just trying to decide whether it will stay on tumblr, or if I will/should also toss it on AO3. Is it "fanfic enough" for that? Does it need to be?

Those are the big questions, honestly. It would be nice to have somewhere I could point folks to to read about my OCs that is a bit more organized. Because I dunno if I have properly tagged all my writing here... >.>;

Anyway, just a Friday ramble. If the weekend is slpw enough, y'all might see some writings here. Maybe. X3 I just need to go rewatch some cutscenes and then listen to a song on loop.

[karma-vvitch]

Morning Star

Bucky x Fem!Reader

Warnings: None, just some tooth rotting fluff I guess and... kids...

“Alright kids! Single file line please!” A woman said over some rowdy children at the entrance of the compound. ‘These must be the kids Tony told us to welcome’ you thought.

Every year, Tony opens the compound to kids all over the country. Its kind of a field trip staple at this point. This year Tony chose Bucky and me to welcome and tour the the kids around.  “You ready, y/n?” Bucky asks. "I guess so”, I mean they’re just children right?

“Okay kids let’s greet our tour guides a good morning!” “Good morning!” all the kids screamed. Okay, this is going to fun. “Hi kids, I’m Agent Barnes, some of you might know me as the Winter Soldier. Those names feel a little to formal for me so you guys can call me Bucky-” “Hi Bucky” The kids said in unison making you and Bucky chuckle a bit.

“-And this lovely being beside me-” Bucky added a wink making you roll your eyes “-Is Agent y/l/n, you can call her y/n but you may also know her as-” “MORNING STAR!” a boy exclaimed

“Adrien!” The woman behind them, I’m assuming is their teacher, scolded the boy, Adrien. “No, it’s alright” you state as you crouch in front of the now, sheepish boy.  “Hi there, so I’m guessing you’re Adrien”  The boy meekly nodded. “It seems like you were pretty excited awhile ago?” a lilt to your tone. “-And why is that?”  “I-I’m your biggest fan” the boy slightly perked up. “Really?” 

“Really! I-I mean from what I saw you’re super fast, like blinding fast! Like you’re teleporting! a-and whenever you run you glow! like a firefly!” the boy cheerfully exclaimed.  “Wow Adrien, I’m quite flattered with what you said. Honestly I don’t think my powers are as cool as you said they were” You smiled aghast, as the other kids laughed at your dramatics.  “Excuse me, Ms. y/n” a girl chimed in making you turn to her. “Yes?” “Why is your name morning star?” she questioned “It’s quite a long story actually... but have you ever heard the story of the angel, Lucifer?” Some of the kids nodded “Well the story goes that one day god banished Lucifer from heaven since he defied his plan. This made Lucifer a  “Fallen Angel”.  “Were you banished then?” Another kid piped in “No she wasn’t-”  Bucky said, somewhat coming back to wherever he went. “-the reason we call her that is because just like Lucifer, she fell from the heavens.”  “Why not just call her angel then?” Adrien questioned as he looked to Bucky for answers. “Well we do, sometimes, but we thought ‘Angel’ was too common for a code name. So we used the other name of Lucifer, ‘Morning Star’, instead as her code name.” “Oh!” the kids exclaimed “Plus, they said that Lucifer was the most beautiful angel in heaven” Bucky added. At, the kids giggled and ‘oohed’, one of them even whispering the kissing song.  “They did not!” you shoved Bucky slightly on the shoulder, flustered 

Bucky only grinned at you making you roll your eyes again “Whatever, Prince Charming.” You jabbed at him.

“Okay kids, we’re gonna start our tour so please pick a buddy and stay together. We are first going to the common area where we might meet our other teammates!” You exclaimed making the kids excited Meanwhile Bucky just stared at you, content with how happy you were.

Writer’s Note: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND THAT’S A WRAP. This one shot is a little snippet of a new series i’m making which is called ... drum roll please...  ‘File: Fallen Angel’!  EEEEEK i’m super excited for you guys to see it!!! :))) ALSO a small notice. Some of my stories like ‘Strangers in the Night’ will be taken down for rewriting (I can’t help myself but feel CRINGE whenever I look at it) and there will be a new look for my stories (this oneshot being an example) ALSO I’m very sorry for the weird schedule. For the first time in quite a while, my inspiration to write has come back and I really want to right full on stories and not just blurbs (also because my life has no sense of direction).  A n y w a y s, Thank you for reading this story and I hope it fuels anticipation for the series >:)) h e h e Any similarities with any other stories are just coincidences! Comments and Suggestions are always appreciated! Thank you again! and see you soon!

[maki-matsurra]

Now I'm curious, what would Yakko with a Reader who flirts with him without any problems, but turns into a awkward mess when he flirted back be like?

I’m curious about that too, Anon!

I can only image how cute Yakko’s reaction would be 🥺

I’m not the best a flirting, so sorry if the pickup lines seem very cheesy, as I got them off the internet tbh 😂

Hope you enjoy!

Want to send in a request? Start Here!

Oh you better believe that Yakko would be a blushing mess

While he’s smooth at flirting and giving compliments

He’s not very smooth with receiving them

“Hi, I’m Mr. Right. Someone said you were looking for me?” He would smile and wink at you

You would smirk at him

“Well, yes. I wanted to tell you that four plus four equals eight, but you plus me equals fate.”

Ooooh he has never been so shocked at that, shocked and flushed

He honestly would not know what to do or say back

So, Congrats! You did the impossible

You rendered Yakko speechless

Once you guys started dating though, ooh boy

It was a whole flirt war between the two of you

Seeing who could come up with the best pickup line and make the other most flustered

“Excuse me, I think you have something in your eye. Oh wait, it’s just a sparkle.”

“You must be a very important textbook passage because seeing you is the highlight of my day.”

“There must be something wrong with my eyes, I can’t take them off you.”

“So there you are! I’ve been looking all over for you! The toon of my dreams!”

You two would only stop if A, you run out of pickup lines, or B, Wakko and Dot stop you cause the cringe is too much for them to handle

Flirting has become a staple for you two

And you guys wouldn’t trade it for the world

It’s just what makes you guys click

[tempenensis]

Jujusanpo #8

They go to Sendai! Itadori eats too much and get stomachache even though they have mission. Title is “Business trip to Sendai”. Translation under the cut.

Itadori (I) : “Ooh, after long time not going home, this place is nostalgic after all. I’m home, I’m home, I’m home… Welcome home, welcome home, welcome home…”

Kugisaki (K): “Oi, Itadori…”

I: “See? Just like I said, it’s like Tachika—”

K: “Roundhouse kick! How can there are two Parco?!”

I: “Whaat?”

K: “This place is too urban! Never say that you are from countryside again!”

I: “It’s not a countryside! That’s why I said this place looks like Tachikawa when we went there!”

K: “Uugh”

I: “Eh? What is it?”

K: “Nothing here really feels like ‘City of Trees’ (1). This place is just Tachikawa.”

I: “I said only in the front of station. If we walk out a little bit, you can actually feel the ‘City of Trees’. Sendai is a good place, you know.”

K: “What are doing? Boasting? Don’t act like you are city people.”

I: “Then what should I do…?”

K: “By the way, where’s Fushiguro? Is he lost?”

I: “Huh? Now that you say it, he’s not here.”

K: “Oi, look over there. He’s alone messing alone with his phone. Is he playing erotic game?”

Fushiguro (F): “No, I’m not. I’m looking for beef tongue restaurant.”

I+K: “Beef tongue restaurant.”

F: “Didn’t you guys said you want to eat it?!”

I: “O-oh. My bad. You’re right.”

K: “So?”

F: “Ha?”

K: “Did you find the beef tongue restaurant?”

F: “I found it.”

K: “Why are you getting angry?”

F: “You should understand at least that! By the way Itadori, aren’t you one of locals? Don’t you know any restaurant?”

I: “Uhh… I didn’t really eat out a lot…”

K: “Locals actually don’t eat out that much, right? So, how about that restaurant?”

F: “For now, let’s go inside the station. The restaurant is called ‘Gyuutandoori’. It seems to be a famous restaurant and a lot people goes there.”

K: “Eeh? Isn’t better to go to other place that isn’t for tourist? I want to go around the city and feel the ‘City of Trees’ atmosphere!”

F: “Tch. I thought you’d be like that. How about here?”

K: “Ooh, a restaurant founded in ’52..”

I: “Aah, I know this place. It’s famous among the locals.”

K: “The restaurant that said to be the first to started business and the ancestor of beef tongue. Hm. Nice. Then, it’s decided.”

I: “Yes, let’s go!”

. . .

I+K+F : “Let’s eat!”

I: “Delicious! Is this a lie? Is beef tongue really taste this good?”

F: “Even if you say it, I don’t care.”

K: “The strip is fine, the smokiness too, this is a perfect beef tongue. On top of it, it’s simple salt taste.”

I: “Uh oh. I think I can eat twenty bowls of rice with this.”

F: “If you eat too much, you won’t be able to do the mission.”

I: “I’m coming to the mission, too! It’s alright!! Excuse me, seconds please!”

K: “By the way, why is it beef tongue goes with barley rice? It does also come with yam…”

F:  “After the war, when the American army left Sendai, beef tongue and tails was left to the Japanese to be used. For that reason, beef tongue and tail soup were made into a set meal. After that, there was food shortage and white rice was substituted by barley rice.”

I: “The first person to thought of eating beef tongue was a genius.”

K: “The soup and soup stock are nice, it also has meat.”

F: “The misokatsu (2) also seems to be famous.”

K: “I also want to taste the one with strong taste but…”

I: “Well, since we took the trouble to come here, why don’t we try it?”

K: “If you eat too much and can’t move later, I‘m not taking care of you.”

I: “I told you, it’s alright! Excuse me, one misokatsu set meal, please.”

K: “The set meal? Fushiguro, what about the next restaurant?”

F: “Huh?”

K: “Since we took trouble to get here, let’s go to Sendai sweets, too!”

F: “Google it yourself!”

. . .

I+K: “Ooh, three colors!”

F: “This shop was founded during Meiji era, the three-colored mochi with zunda(3), sesame, and walnut fillings is famous.”

K: “If we’re talking about Sendai sweets, it can only be zunda mochi. Zunda is edamame, right? Why do you think sake snack(4) is made into sweets?”

F: “I don’t know.”

I: “But you somehow always end up telling us. Fushiguro is really kind.”

F: “It doesn’t matter if you end up not listening.”

K: “What is that, are you saying I never listen when you are telling me stuff?”

F: *ignore her, eating* “Hmm.. this walnut tastes good.”

K: “Listen to me! Anyway the right way is to eat the zunda first.”

I: “Hm. Hm. The sesame mochi is good too!”

K: “Oi!”

I: “Eat quickly, Kugisaki. Otherwise we won’t be able to go to the next shop.”

K: “Haa? You still want to eat?”

I: “Since we took the trouble to come here. I never eat a lot of local specialties. Oh! There’s also oshiruko (5)! Excuse me, one oshiruko please!”

F: “Kugisaki, you said you wanted to enjoy Sendai gourmet too, right? Just eat it already. We’re running out of time.”

K: “I’m eating!” *eating* “Zunda tastes delicious. The edamame is good, don’t look down on edamame’s potential.” *gulp* “Yosh! Next!”

I: “Wa-wait, I’m still— I’m squeezing it—”

. . .

K: “Eh? Why cold noodles?”

F: “Cold noodles seems to come from Sendai.”

I: “Eeeh?”

K: “You really don’t know a thing about locals. By the way, the place where cold noodle comes from… it keeps getting farther from ‘City of Trees’ feelings.”

I: “Um. Cold noodles is delicious! This taste good! Excuse me, gyoza and shumai, and Mappo too please.”

K: “How much are you eating?”

I: “Well, we ate sweets before? Now that we eat something salty, I’m getting hungry again.”

F: “You… you are really going to hurt yourself when we get to the mission.”

K: “Usually people choose three types.”

I: “I said it’s alright! Don’t underestimate my strength.”

K: “I don’t care.”

F: *sigh* “This cold noodles… eaten with sesame sauce is the most delicious.”

K: “As expected.”

F+K: *eating*

. . .

F: “Oi, Itadori. Oi, what are you doing?! We’re going to be late to mission!”

I: “Sorry.. wait a minute… I ate too much after all…”

F: “I told you so. How stupid can you be?!”

K: “Trying to hold back from buying and eating but finally gives in huh.”

I: “That last Kikufuku zunda with fresh cream now felt unnecessary. Mochi is dangerous— This is the first time in my life my stomach feel this full.”

K: “I thought you are an idiot, but I don’t know your stupidity goes this far.”

F: “I never saw an idiot like this.”

K: “Too stupid.”

I: “Don’t call me stupid too much.”

F+K: “What goes around comes around, stupid!”

(end)

(1)   City of trees (Mori no miyako) is Sendai city’s nickname (2)   Misokatsu : cutlets seasoned with miso (3)   Zunda : edamame cream. The one recommended and bought by Gojo when they went to Yuuji’s school lol. (4)   Sake snack : the snack eaten with sake when drinking. Edamame is a staple drinking snack. (5)   Oshiruko : red bean soup served with mochi

[f1nalboys]

Let The Show Begin

SO the amazing @bisexual-horror-fan has an OC Amber (who is literally the love of my life) and she recently wrote a fic of Amber meeting my Slasher OC Red and god I loved it!!

I had the idea of Amber going to see Red’s band in concert and just had to write it so, here it is!! I really hope you like it Bex, and I hope I did Amber justice!

WORD COUNT: 1569

WARNINGS: none. just Red and Amber being bffs

“Red, man, if you don’t stop pacing I’m going to have to beat you to death with the microphone stand.” Indigo mutters, their leg sticking out in an attempt to trip him. He flips them off but, knowing that they are 100% serious, flops down on the couch next to them. They rest their hand on his leg. “What’s got you so amped up? You nervous?”

Red nods his head. There was no way in hell he was going to tell Indigo why he was nervous. He can feel their eyes on him and he groans. “I invited a… friend to come see us play and I’m nervous.”

“Ooh, a friend you say?” Indigo teases, their eyebrows wiggling. Red scoffs, going to run a hand through his hair before remembering he had done his liberty spikes for the show. “And is this friend a sexy friend?”

“Shut up! And no, she’s in a relationship.”

“A serious one?” Red snorts. He had asked the same damn thing. He nods and Indigo hums, turning and waving at Naveen as he walks in. His drumsticks were sticking out of his front pocket, the paint on the ends chipping. 

Naveen sits next to Red, swinging his legs over to lay on top of Red and Indigo. “Yeah, like, ‘his-initials-are-carved-into-her-skin’ serious.” Naveen whistles, not knowing what the hell the two of them were talking about. 

Indigo grins, clearly loving that. “She sound’s badass. She coming backstage?”

“Yeah, I’m waiting for her to text that she’s here so I can go get her the pass.” His phone chimes and he pulls it out of his pocket and he smiles. Ignoring the ‘ooh's' and ‘Red’s got a crush’ coming from the two, he stands and rushes out of the green room. He had ten minutes before he had to get on stage.

She was easy to spot. She looked beautiful, her red curly hair a neon sign in between the sea of black and blue of the other patrons. “Amber!” Red yells, grinning when Amber looks around until she spots him. Her smile matches his and he can feel his heart skip a beat as she shimmies her way through the crowd. God damn it; she really was something special.

“Red! You’re looking good; the hair is nice,” She says, her manicured hand reaching out and touching one of his spikes. He grins, waving her flattery off. “So, you wanted to see me before you performed? Are you trying to warn me of some weird thing you do on stage? Tell me you aren’t one of those bands that throw up as part of their act.”

“Jesus, no. What kind of bands do you go see?” He asks and she shrugs, smiling again. Her lips were painted red, a staple of hers it seems, and her outfit was surprisingly more punk than he’d have expected from her. “I wanted to give you a backstage pass. There’s another band going on after us and I figured you might wanna come and see me, you know, since you’re totally going to fall in love with me while I sing.”

Amber rolls her eyes, taking the slip of paper from his hands. “A backstage pass for little old me? You shouldn’t have.”

“It’s a pretty exclusive offer, had to cash in a few favors for it.” He says, puffing his chest out slightly. He was obviously fucking with her, but she didn’t realize the extent until she really looked at the paper. She laughs, throwing her head back, and his heart swells. He made her laugh!

“It’s a piece of paper with ‘Let her through, Nathan. - signed, Red’ on it. You might’ve gotten ripped off, babe.” He rolls his eyes, glancing down at his watch and cursing. He has five minutes. She grins at him. “Gotta run?”

He nods, pulling her in for a quick hug before turning and running backstage. Amber chuckles to herself, slipping the paper in her pocket, and begins to make her way through the crowd. She was excited, actually. The last time she hung out with Red she had convinced him to show her one of his bands songs and she immediately wanted to see him live. 

The lights dim as she gets closer to the stage, grinning as the crowd quiets. The sound of microphone feedback catches her attention and she can feel the excitement in the crowd grow. “Welcome to the stage… Sinful Tranquility!” The crowd erupts into cheers and shouts as the stage lights turn on, the stage turning red. 

Amber could make out four silhouettes and immediately clocks Red, his liberty spikes giving him away just a bit. The drums start, and then a guitar, and a bass, and finally Red. The lights flash, the crowd jumps in tune with the music, and Amber realizes she is kind of in the middle of a mosh pit. Red was singing and playing the guitar at the same time and Amber was actually really impressed.

Seeing them live was vastly different from listening on the record Red had. Their sound was a mix of early Napalm Death and Against Me!, which came together to make a unique sound Amber hadn’t heard before. She loved it. She found herself jumping along with the crowd, yelling and cheering with each new song.

“Thank you all! That’s it for us but stick around because Sinners, Saints, and Souls are next!” Red yelled into the microphone, breathing heavy, as his set finally finished. The lights go dim and he and the rest of his band get off stage. He breaks into a grin as he gets backstage, people cheering and clapping him on the back. 

“We were fucking awesome!” Naveen says, throwing an arm over Indigo and Kell, the band's bassist. They grin, turning to Red who was looking around for Amber. “You looking for your little girlfriend, Keiji?” Naveen teases.

Before he can give his snarky response, Red see’s a flash of red and grins. “Not his girlfriend, just a friend who’s a girl,” Amber replies cooly, coming over and grinning when Red slings his arm over her shoulder. He had a good foot on her and his arm completely swamped her. “You guys were fucking awesome, by the way. I’m Amber, though I take it Red’s talked about me?”

Indigo snorts and Red sighs, preparing for the embarrassment about to ensue. “Bordering on obsession. I’m Indigo, that’s Naveen and that’s Kell.” Amber elbows Red in the side slightly as he groans. “So, I heard you got your boyfriend’s initials carved into your skin?”

“So you’re spilling all my secrets?” Amber asks Red who can do nothing but give an embarrassed smile in response. She pulls her collar down to reveal the scar and Indigo whistles. “Told you we were serious.”

“You’re fucking cool.” Naveen says before getting distracted by a tech guy who walks past him with a wink. He excuses himself and runs off after him, surely trying to get his number. Indigo groans. Now they were going to have to wear their soundproof headphones if Naveen got to bring him home. 

Red walks Amber to the green room where the next band was leaving. He says hi, introducing Amber to the members, before getting inside the room and shutting the door behind him. “The lead singer is a dickhead,” He mutters, grabbing a water bottle and tossing one to her. She chuckles, sitting on the couch and patting the spot next to her. “So, you really enjoyed the show?”

“Yeah. I mean, it was a 7 out of 10.” She says, instantly feeling bad when she sees his face drop. He swallows hard, nodding and turning his head away from her. He’d never admit it, but he really was trying to impress her. It’s not even that he wanted to date her, it’s just that she was so cool and he wanted her to think he was too. “I’m kidding, Red. You did great!”

“Don’t fuck with me like that!” He whines, punching her shoulder gently. The two of them break into a fit of giggles. “I’m glad you liked it, though. This was definitely one of our better shows.”

She raises an eyebrow, taking a sip from her water, waiting for him to elaborate. “The last show we did here, Indigo almost shit themselves. The complimentary burritos weren’t all that fresh, if you know what I mean.” 

“Keiji! Don’t tell her that!” Indigo says, standing in the doorway, their face contorted in anger. He hadn’t even heard the door open. “Come here, fucker!” Red jumps up and over Amber, running away from Indigo who follows closely behind him. Amber laughs as she watches them leave the green room and laughs even harder when she hears the sound of Red being tackled.

“Ow! Get off me, you fucking heathen!” Red yells, his voice muffled by the floor. Amber settles back into the couch, taking another sip of her drink, and grinning. She liked him. He was funny, cool, definitely interesting, and he liked her. And despite the constant flirting, she knew he wouldn’t ever try to go further than that even if she gave him an in. 

“Damn, I’m guessing Red told you about the shit-show last year?” Naveen says, flopping down next to Amber and she snorts, nodding. “They’re gonna be fighting for a while. Want me to order some pizza?”

[empyreanwritings]

Better Together

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x fem!Reader (Mob Boss AU)

Word Count: 2k

Warnings: language, minor character death, mentions of an explosion

Summary: You were the most feared mob boss in New York City, and you didn’t need anyone to take care of you, but that didn’t keep Nat from helping out when she could.

A/N: This is a continuation of my Mob Boss AU drabble that was requested by @xoxolmj ! I’d put the link here, but apparently Tumblr hates links cause they’re dumb. It can be read as a stand-alone one shot, though, so don’t worry about trying to catch up! If you would like to read it, just search through my Natasha Romanoff drabble tag, and it should be one of the first! (: x

"I don't know anything else, I swear," Johnson sobbed. "Rumlow asked me to deliver the package, but I didn't know it was a bomb!"

You paced at the end of Johnson's hospital bed. Ash still covered some of your body, and your outfit was torn in more than one place. But you didn't care. All you cared about was Johnson being a rat. All signs pointed to it now. He had to have more information on Rumlow, and you would get it out of him. No matter what it took.

"Five of my men are dead," you seethed, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "Because of you! So, you better start talking before I cut your tongue out and staple it to your forehead."

Johnson began to sob again. Tears and snot dripped from his face, and you grimaced. You wanted to scream at him to pull it together, but there was no use. The man knew he was screwed.

"Rumlow approached me a few weeks ago. He offered me a lot of money to spy on you and report back to him every day. I swear, though, I never planned on hurtin' anybody!"

You pinched the bridge of your nose and sighed. You were getting real tired of Rumlow. He wanted to be as powerful as you, but he didn't have the man power. His circle was too small, and they obviously couldn't be trusted. His own rat caved in quickly at the sight of trouble. He must have thought attacking you would somehow shake your confidence, but he was wrong.

Your men were your family. This attack ignited a fire in your belly that you hadn't felt in a long time.

The nurse that checked his vitals gave you a knowing look as she passed you. You slipped the wad of bills into her hand, and she made a quick exit.

It paid to have a hand in the hospital. When Steve first suggested you start making sizeable donations to them, you never really understood why, but you did it nonetheless. You donated so much money they were able to expand and build more research wings to help find groundbreaking cures. And now, they were willing to cover up the murder of a man for you. It paid to be generous.

"Five of my men are dead, Johnson. Whether you wanted to hurt anyone or not, you did." You moved towards the side of his bed and kept your hands firmly on the railing. "So, I need you pass on a message to Rumlow."

He nodded. His whole body was shaking. "I'll do anything! I'll tell Rumlow anything you want me to! Just please give me another chance."

You tutted and tenderly placed your hand on the side of his face. "I have a policy in my business: blood must have blood. It's a darker way of saying an eye for eye. But anyways, I don't need you to tell him anything. You are the message."

"Wha-"

You ripped the pillow out from under his head and held it over his face. He was too drugged up to fight back properly, courtesy of the nurse. He slapped at your hands and clawed at your wrists, trying his hardest to get you to let up, but you never did. You kept the pillow in its place until his hands fell limp to his side. The heart monitor flatlined, and you let out a relieved sigh.

One less rat to worry about.

The nurse walked back in and began removing any wires from his chest. You excused yourself, quietly slipping through the door without another word. The adrenaline running through your veins disappeared, and the impact of your day suddenly crashed over you. You wanted to collapse, but you refused to seem weak. Not to them. Not to anyone.

A flash of red caught your eye, and you whirled around in surprise. Nat pashed herself off the wall she was leaning against and made her way towards you. Her eyes were full of concern, and she gave you a once-over to make sure you still had all of your limbs.

"I'm fine," you sighed. "I'm fine."

"Like hell you are. The fire department is still trying to get everything under control over at the office." She turned your shoulder to examine the burn on your upper arm. "And that is blistering."

She brought you to an empty exam room as she snapped at a nursed to get a doctor to check on you. You tried to protest, but she wasn't having any of it. She made you sit on the bed and wait until a doctor could treat your wounds.

"Steve called. If you were curious." Nat was pissed. You could tell by her tense shoulders and the way her jaw was set. You should have been the one to call her, but you had gotten so caught up with everything that you didn't think about it.

After your first date with her, you both noticed how well you clicked. One date became another, and now six months later, you two were going steady. The merger with your weapons exchange and her strip clubs had been monumental in the underground circuit. Everyone feared you two would be unstoppable now that you had each other.

It was probably another reason why Rumlow attacked you, and Nat recognized that. He felt threatened, but you would make him regret it - together.

"Did you take care of the rat?" You nodded slowly. "Good."

She saw your face drop and quickly made her way towards you. You were born into this life. You watched your father kill as many people as he needed to make a name for himself, but you weren't like him. You hated taking someone's life. You never hesitated to do so if you needed to, but it always weighed heavily on you. Nat learned that early on in your relationship.

"Let me take care of Rumlow." She kneeled in front of you and gently grasped at your hands. "I'll make sure they all pay. I promise you. You take your time to mourn your men."

Your lip quivered, but you fought back any tears that threatened to spill. "I want him dead, Tasha. He killed my family. I want him to pay. You know the rules."

Nat nodded. "Blood must have blood."

You looked down at your hands and traced small circles in Nat's palm. She'd kill whoever it took to make sure your men were avenged. You were her life, and an attack on you was an attack on her. She wouldn't rest until she made it right again.

"I will take care of it, my love," she whispered.

You were about to respond when the doctor finally walked in. Nat backed away to give him some room, and she watched you put your mask back on. You never let anyone see you cry because you didn't trust them. It was safer to assume everyone was an enemy until proven otherwise, especially after this event, and you never let an enemy see you at your weakest.

Nat stayed silent as the doctor treated your wounds. You didn't even flinch when he began stitching a cut on your cheek. You were the strongest woman she had ever met, and it was just one of the reasons she admired you so much. No one needed to take care of you, but she would. She would do anything for you.

----------

Rumlow groaned loudly as he came to. His head pounded. He slowly opened his eyes and smirked when he saw Nat standing in front of him with her arms crossed over her chest. She wasn't here to play games. She wanted answers, and she intended to get them.

"Ooh, did I push the wrong buttons?" Rumlow asked sarcastically.

Nat brought her hand down on his cheek, relishing in the satisfying smack! that sounded through the air. "I wouldn't get cheeky, if I were you. You're hanging by a thin thread as it is."

"How many people did I get?" He chuckled. "I wish I killed that bitch of yours. Tearing down an entire empire? That would have been great."

"You do realize you're going to die, right? The more you piss me off, the slower it will be."

Nat was good at a lot of things - torture was one of them. If she promised a world of pain, that is exactly what she delivered. She had no issue with taking a life if they didn't deserve to live it. She'd put your life over anyone else's. It wasn't even a contest anymore.

"Why the attack on Y/N?"

Rumlow shook his head. "You don't even get it do you? I was sending a message to you! You merged your business with hers over mine! You screwed me over for a woman you're screwing, and I had to retaliate."

"Everyone knows she's the top mob boss in New York City. Why would I even think of merging my business with yours over hers? That would make me look stupid." It had nothing to do with you two sleeping together. Your first date had really been a business dinner. You mulled over the details and benefits of merging with Nat, and then yes, you two slept together. But that was besides the point.

"There's talk that she's only merging with you because she's getting soft. She doesn't belong in this world anymore, and the more people realize that, the more they'll come for her."

"Then let them come," your voice echoed through the abandoned warehouse. Nat smiled when she heard the sound of your heels approaching her.

You glanced over at her. "Tony called. If you were curious."

Nat rolled her eyes playfully. Of course, you'd use her words against her at some point. Clearly, you both needed to talk to your right-hand men about ratting you out to the other. They were just trying to keep you safe, but man, they were quick to tattle on you.

"You should know that as we speak, my men are storming your precious mansion and slaughtering all of your men." You smiled down at him. The fear in his eyes was evident, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. "They'll tear your home apart until there is nothing left, and no one will ever look into it. You know why? Because you're no one. You will always be a nothing in this city."

Rumlow strained against the ropes and shouted curses at you until his face turned red. You smirked and looked over at Nat, who had the same expression as you. She held back a joke about pushing all the wrong buttons. For someone who dished it out a lot, he didn't know how to handle it.

You pulled the gun from your holster and aimed it at his head, but Nat placed her hand over yours and forced you to lower it. Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"I'll do it," she murmured as she removed the gun from your hold. "Turn your head."

You complied, turning the other way almost instantly. One shot. You knew there would be a bullet hole perfectly in the middle of his forehead. Nat never missed. She was just too damn good with a gun.

"Maybe I am getting soft," you joked.

Nat stepped towards you and gently gripped your chin, forcing you to look up at her. "You know better than to believe what a man has to say about you."

"I know. I'm more powerful than anyone in this city besides you. I will always know that." You pressed a quick kiss to her lips. "But what if what Rumlow said is true? What if there are others who want to try come for me?"

"Then we take care of them. Together. You know we're our strongest when we're at each other's side."

You smiled and wrapped your arms around her neck, pressing lazy kisses to her face. "Together."

Marvel Tag: @killcomet @stuckysheart @steampowerednightvaler

[beckywiththegoodaim]

🎄 – a kiss under the mistletoe

   Fuery happens to be the only one still in the office when Catalina strolls in, which is perfect: no witnesses. Intent on whatever's playing out in his headphones, he acknowledges her only with the barest of nods. Probably doesn't even process the grin she can't quite contain, much less the nailgun and fistful of greenery she's carrying. Which makes her grin all the wider as she just clambers up on his desk, stretches out to her full height, all the way up on her toes, and just barely succeeds in affixing the greenery to the ceiling without losing her balance. As she hops down, Fuery tugs his headphones off and looks from her to the ceiling like... well, like she had just climbed on his desk and stapled plants to the ceiling.

   "Hey, what... what are you doing?"

   "Oh, just a little favor for the girls down the hall." This does not shift his perplexed look one bit, and she can't help but laugh. "Come on, you've heard of mistletoe."

   "You mean the Cretan tradit--" he snaps his gaze up to the ceiling in sudden, horrified, understanding. "THAT's mistletoe?" Leaping out of his chair like the plant was a live snake, he takes a pleading step in her direction. "No, Becca, please. You know how this'll-- take it down."

   She flashes him a smile full of mischief. "Take it down yourself, if you can reach it. Or..." she steps in close, very close. He stiffens, but didn't pull back. (Hm, does he have a bit of a crush on her? Well, who doesn't.) She murmurs, "Leave it up, and discover how many ladies have been dying for an excuse to kiss your cute little face."

   He looks up at her with wide eyes: confused. A little scared. A little more excited. The whole picture is really just maddeningly adorable. She had only meant to tease him, to get close and then walk away, but something in those stupid puppydog eyes of his... oh, what the hell. She leans down and meets his lips with hers, kissing him softly. Just as she's about to pull back, he gets over his frozen shock and leans in, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her closer, kissing her harder. 

Well now, this is unexpected. ...and... really nice, actually? 

She runs a hand through his hair. He runs a hand down her back. Her pulse pounds in her ears, and they're both breathing hard.

   The part of her responsible for self-preservation suddenly whispers hey what if Roy walks in and she practically jumps away from him. (What are you THINKING, girl?) Slightly dizzy, she picks up her nail gun and tries to play it cool. "Ooh, you're good. I can't wait to tell the girls." Throwing him a wink on her way out of the room, she adds, "Happy Solstice, Kain."

[master-sass-blast]

The Sleepover Fic

WELL, THIS ENDED DIFFERENTLY THAN I HAD PLANNED. GOOD LORD.

Summary: You enjoy a sleepover night with the X-Force at the X-Mansion --but partway through you get hit by a wall of depression. Fortunately, Piotr’s there to help you through it.

(Maybekindaprobablydefinitely inspired by the depressive episode I’ve had this week.)

Pairings: Piotr Rasputin x Reader and Nathan Summers x Wade Wilson (sorta).

Rating: T for language and depression.

@marvel-is-perfection

The idea, admittedly, is ridiculous. And that’s why you love it so much.

You’re camped out in the rec room with the rest of the X-Force, perched on the couch next to Piotr in your best set of pajamas --which, admittedly, were just a pair of pants that said ‘bacon makes everything better’ over and over and a random t-shirt. “Okay. So how does this sleepover thing work?”

The rec room’s been completely transformed, floor covered with various sleeping bags, cushions, air mattresses, blankets, and pillows. A pile of snacks covers every inch of the coffee table, along with a few soda bottles.

“Watch and learn, young padawan,” Wade says theatrically, waggling his nonexistent eyebrows for emphasis. As the self-appointed ‘party planner,’ he’d taken it upon himself to make sure that you and Russell checked off another box on the ‘well-rounded experiences’ list. “If you’re good, I might even let you try a little cocaine later.”

“No,” Piotr says automatically, acting as the self-appointed-but-also-kinda-volun-told adult of the night. “Absolutely not.”

“I was kidding, Russia’s Greatest Love Machine. Geez. I don’t share my coke with anyone.”

Yukio giggles while Neena --who’s only staying for a few hours, citing ‘having an actual life to get back to’ for why she’s leaving early--braids her hair. “So, what do you have planned, Wade?”

“Since when does Wade plan anything?” Ellie fires back, deadpan, while she continues beating Russell in Mario Kart.

“Well, I figured we’d hit all the sleepover staples,” Wade chirps. “A little Truth or Dare, some never have I ever, ooh, maybe some Seven Minutes in Heaven--”

“Several of us are minors, douchepool,” Ellie interjects, still deadpan.

“Okay, not that, then. And, when the night starts to wane, we’ll wrap everything up with a massive movie marathon. First person asleep gets pranked!”

“Nyet.”

“Oh, come on, you silver buzzkill! Pranking the first person to fall asleep is a fundamental part of any sleepover!”

“I would allow it if your pranks weren’t so destructive.”

“Okay, name one thing I’ve destroyed in the past twenty-four hours!”

“We’ll be here longer than a night if he does that, dipshit,” Nathan grumbles; he’s also only hanging around for a short period of time, but unlike Neena, his reason for leaving early amounts to ‘not sleeping in the same damn room as Wilson all night.’

Which, admittedly, given Wade’s tendencies to cuddle like an octopus, makes sense.

“Well, I think it sounds like a blast!” you say.

“Thank you!” Wade cheers. “Finally! You think I’d get more respect, considering this is my fucking franchise!”

You can’t help but laugh as Piotr cuts Wade off while Nathan presses his water bottle to his nose, looking endlessly annoyed. New experience or not, tonight was definitely promising to be a fantastic ride.

Truth or dare, as it turns out, is the best game ever to play with Wade Wilson.

First, he thinks of good parameters to keep things from getting boring; case in point, the first rule he establishes is that you can’t pick the same option three times in a row, thus keeping people from sticking to the --arguably safer--truth option for too long.

Second, he actually took the time to write down a bunch of suggestions from a website beforehand, thus preventing the inevitable ‘everyone’s run out of good ideas’ drudge.

Third, he mandates that all dare must be filmed for posterity’s sake. They can be deleted afterwards, but everything has to be caught on camera and reviewed by the group first.

Which is exactly how you find yourself watching a video of Piotr doing a traditional Cossack dance.

“This is amazing,” you giggle as you send the video to your email account.

Piotr simply shakes his head as he sits back down next to you. “If you say so.”

Things get better from there. You get to watch Ellie do a very flat rendition of ‘I’m a Little Teapot’ --which is funnier than it has any right to be--and watch Russell do a solidly decent lip sync to Beyonce’s ‘Single Ladies.’

Funnier still is watching Wade try to bust Neena with truths and dares, only to somehow draw the most benign options from the bowls each time.

“How?” Wade screams when Neena does an effortless set of cartwheels. “I wrote these! There wasn’t even a cartwheel option in there! What sort of fourth wall, author interference bullshit is this?”

“Well, that’s another dare done for me,” Neena says, purposefully cheerful for the sake of pissing off Wade even more. “I guess it’s my turn. Cable --truth or dare?”

Nathan rolls his eyes, mutters something under his breath that is most definitely a string of profanities, and grumbles, “Dare.”

Neena fishes around in the dare bowl before selecting a piece of folded Hello Kitty stationary. “Ask a neighbor if they have a condom you can borrow.”

Ellie lets out a snort. “Do it to Scott. Ask Scott.”

Nathan’s face goes deadly blank --and then his techno-organic eye flares as the corner of his mouth turns up in a vicious grin. “Yeah. Wade, I need your help for this.”

“Hey, you have to ask--”

“I’m asking. I just need you to stand next to me while I do it.”

Ellie practically falls off her air mattress as she cackles. “Fuck yeah. Wait, I’m coming to watch.”

All of you wind up following Nathan to Scott’s room, standing in various positions in the hall while Nathan knocks on the door with his human hand.

(For the record, the look on Scott’s face when Nathan asks him for a condom while Wade waggles his fingers at the bespectacled man is absolutely priceless.)

After that, Truth or Dare is declared ‘done’ on account of the fact that nothing will ever top that moment.

Things detour to a Mario Kart tournament, in which Ellie proves that Neena’s lucky powers have limits.

“This is the best thing ever!” Wade cheers as Neena comes second to Ellie’s first --again. “I take back what I said about you, author! You’re amazing!”

You shoot a confused look at Piotr, and opt to settle back against his side when he shrugs, expression easily confused. “Hey, Wade, you’re good at Mario Kart, right?”

“Well, I don’t want to toot my horn, but my skills in Mario Kart come in second only to my skills at Skee-Ball.”

“Do you think you could beat Ellie?”

Wade’s eyes narrow when Ellie barks out a laugh. “Oh, you think you can win?” He swipes a controller off the coffee table and plops down next to her. “Bring it on, Negasonic Soon-To-Be Loser.”

The match is over sooner than you ever would’ve expected for two reasons.

First: Ellie and Wade decide to jump straight to the hardest option possible --Rainbow Road in Mirror Mode.

Second: No one has the stomach to watch anything on the TV afterwards.

(For the record, Ellie wins, and Wade isn’t happy about it).

Never Have I Ever doesn’t last long, either. Mostly because Wade’s done just about everything anyone can think of, or has had just about everything happen to him.

It does result in some awesome story-telling, though. After a certain point, the game completely tapers off in favor of telling stories entirely. Wade and Neena both have the best, hands down, but Piotr and Yukio come in at a close second thanks to their unique backgrounds and heritages.

You quickly realize, though, that you don’t really have anything worth contributing to the story-time session. There’s nothing from your childhood that’s really worth repeating, and your friends already know everything that’s happened to you here.

Suddenly, you feel completely detached from the room, from your friends, from everything. It’s like someone’s cut the cords keeping you tethered to the world and you’re drifting away from reality.

You get up abruptly, managing a smile and citing some sort of excuse about needing to use the bathroom, and get the fuck out of there.

The bathrooms at Xavier’s, unfortunately, aren’t designed for one person at a time. They’re built like locker room restrooms --albeit much cleaner--with multiple stalls and sinks.

You take the stall furthest from the entry, lock yourself in, tuck your legs up as you sit on the toilet lid, and hope that no one comes looking for you.

You aren’t sure if you want to cry. You can feel the sensation tugging at you --grief, rage, pain--but it seems just as distant as the rec room, numbed by your unwitting ejection from reality.

A larger part of you just wants to disappear for a bit. Slip upstairs, get in bed, hide in the darkness of your room.

They probably wouldn’t even notice I was gone, you think --even your internal voice seems dulled in the face of this sudden shut down. It’s not like I was really contributing anything anyway.

A different part of you doesn’t want to leave your friends, if only because you don’t want to have to explain what’s going on; fuck, you barely even understand it yourself.

That, and they’d probably come looking for you if you did head up to your room, and as much as you love them you just want to vanish right now and get away from the noise that’s always everywhere--

You let your forehead rest against your knees. Fuck. The fuck’s wrong with me?

By the time you manage to uncurl yourself and stand up --and it takes a while if the stiffness in your legs are anything to go by--you’ve made up your mind. I’ll just say I wasn’t feeling well and decided to go to bed if anyone asks tomorrow morning.

You don’t get too far with your plan, though, because Neena and Piotr are waiting for you just outside the bathroom door.

You flinch back, startled. “Everything alright?”

“Yeah,” Neena says with a sunny smile. “I’m heading out for the night. Wanted to make sure I said good-bye.”

The ‘need to disappear’ feeling only gets worse, more grating and jarring, when she wraps her arms around you. Fuck. This is hell. You manage to eek out a ‘good night’ and let out a shaky breath as she walks away.

Because you’re not out of the woods yet. Piotr’s still here, watching you with gentle concern.

He brushes his fingers against your upper arm. “Are you alright, myshka?”

Your brain completely cuts out, leaving you adrift and barely able to stay upright. Talk. Say something, for fuck’s sake!

Instead, you just let out a breath and sag against him.

He kisses the top of your head and wraps his arms around your body. “How about we step outside, just for moment? I think fresh air would do you good.”

You let him steer you towards the front door, moving without thought. You suck in a breath when the cool night air hits you, rattling your brain a little from whatever’s come over you.

Piotr, to his credit, doesn’t leave you. He keeps his arms around you, rubs his hands up and down your back, kisses the top of your head, lets you lean against him like he’s the only thing in the world keeping you upright.

He kinda is, if you think about it.

He stays quiet, though, just letting you suck in breath after breath of fresh night air, letting your press your face against his chest and just breathe.

“You gonna ask me what’s wrong?” You ask after a while, voice a little too sharp, a little too acidic in the face of your unwelcome melancholy.

Piotr just kisses the top of your head. “Do you want me to?”

He’s gentle, not passive aggressive in the least, genuinely giving you an out if you don’t want to talk about it.

I don’t deserve him. “I just wanna disappear. Everything feels... like it’s too much.”

“Did not having happy stories from your childhood upset you?”

Bam. Right on the money. Whoever’s said that Piotr Rasputin is an idiot is dead wrong --blindly optimistic at times, yes, but never stupid.

“The fuck am I even contributing to the group?” You let out a bitter laugh. “Shit, I’m such a downer. Can’t enjoy everyone else’s happiness, can’t contribute my own.”

“Nights like these aren’t about equal contribution,” Piotr murmurs as he kisses your forehead. “And it’s okay to be sad that you don’t have similar tales. Besides, not everyone contributed equally. Cable was mostly silent as well, as was Russell.”

You let out a frustrated huff. “Yeah, but --I just-- Piotr, what’s the point of having me around if I can’t keep up with everyone? What’s the point of me being a part of the X-Force if I can’t contribute outside of fights? We’re supposed to be a team --a family.”

Piotr clasps your upper arms gently as he crouches in front of you so you can see his face in the dim light of the moon and the lights from inside the mansion. “Myshka, family means we take ups with downs. You do not have to be happy all the time --especially if something upsets you. And aside from your many valuable skills --and there are many--we keep you around because we want you with us. You, as you are, is enough.”

Your throat constricts at the thought, and you bury your face in his shoulder in an effort to hide your tears. “I just wanna be good enough.”

“You are,” Piotr croons gently in your ear. His arms wrap around you, shielding you from the chill of the night and bathing you in warmth and love. “You are more than good enough, myshka.”

When you finally come down from your grief --pain, anger, sorrow, everything--who knows how much time later, you find that your brain’s turned back on.

Not all the way. But just a little. Just enough.

You slump against Piotr’s shoulder and chest. “I dunno if I wanna go back to the group. I kinda just wanna go back to bed.”

“Do you think that’s what would be best for you?”

“...I don’t know.”

“Khorosho. That’s fine. How about this: come watch one movie with us. If you still want to go to bed after, you can. If not, you stay with group.”

You let out a shaky sigh and nod. “Okay. That works.”

You almost chicken out as you walk towards the rec room. You can feel everything shutting off again, and you don’t want to suck a night of enjoyment away from the group.

But Piotr’s hand is a comforting, solid presence on yours, a tether to reality that you can’t bear to let go off.

The warm light of the rec room almost seems too bright as you step over the threshold, and you grip Piotr’s hand tighter.

Yukio greets you with a bright, sunny smile and pulls you in for a hug. She doesn’t mention your red eyes or puffy cheeks or the fact that you were gone for so long. “We need someone to break a tie on the first movie choice.”

“Listen, Negasonic-My-Name-Won’t-Age-Well, ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’ is a literal, actual classic. It deserves to go first.”

“And ‘Get Out’ is both cutting edge and critically acclaimed. I still don’t see you making any points that actually tilt the argument in your favor.”

“Will someone just make a damn decision?” Nathan growls as he pinches the bridge of his nose.

You manage to smile, buoyed by your friends’ enthusiasm, as everyone looks at you. “‘Get Out’ first. I have a feeling we’ll need Monty Python to cheer us all up after.”

“Go to sleep, lyublyu.”

You blink wearily, the images of ‘Robin Hood: Men in Tights’ blurring before your eyes. You’d made it through the first three movies just fine, but you were barely holding on now. “I don’t wanna fall asleep first. Wade’s gonna prank me.”

Piotr lets out a gentle, quiet laugh and points surreptitiously across the room. “I do not think that will be problem.”

You manage to lift your head and clear your vision long enough to see that Wade’s long since passed out, slumped against an equally dead to the world Nathan. “They so like each other.”

Piotr chuckles and tugs you back down against his chest. “Da. Now rest, moya lyubov’. Everything will be fine.”

You lay your head down and finally let your eyes close.

You wake up on the couch alone, carefully tucked under a quilt and head propped up on a pillow.

It doesn’t take too long to figure out where Piotr went thanks to the sounds and smells coming from the kitchen --and the tone deaf humming; Piotr’s many things, but a naturally gifted singer is not one of them.

You sit up and stretch, rolling your shoulders and neck to work out the stiffness that came from not sleeping a proper bed with a proper pillow.

Nathan and Wade are nowhere to be seen; presumably, they’ve gone back to their rooms --or room if Wade managed to invite himself into Nathan’s bed without getting punched.

Ellie, Yukio, and Russell are still asleep on the floor, cushioned by air mattresses and blankets. Russell’s sprawled out like a starfish, and Ellie and Yukio are holding hands even though they’re sleeping on separate mattresses.

There’s a notification on your phone --a text from Neena.

Neener Wiener: Hope you’re feeling better this morning.

And you...

You are feeling better. Not completely, but a little.

It’s something.

You smile to yourself, just a little, and get up to join your boyfriend in the kitchen.

[17mounteens]

Could you do a 50's diner AU with Seungcheol please? Like he's in a biker gang and you're very girly?

alright so my hands were a bit too free considering I don’t know too much about the era and I’ve got no clue what “very girly” actually entails (and I might’ve gone wrong with the biker gang part too) so while I think this might actually be a passable 50′s diner AU in some way (idk if it actually is oops), I can only hope it’s not completely different from what you wanted in the other aspects?

otherwise I’m quite happy with this and it was a lot of fun to write, and heY if there was something you were expecting but I didn’t manage to get in or didn’t write well enough, hmu and I’ll be more than glad to write a part 2 with those things included better! ♥

+ this is 5.5k words and I don’t want to completely flood everyone’s dashboards so this will be under a cut - if there’s a problem, send us a message and I’ll help ^^

You twirled your pen in your hand, your elbows resting atop the counter and your head leaning on your other hand. It was a quiet day at the diner, with only a handful of customers seated, so you weren’t all that thrilled to be working. It was nearing 4pm, so you still had a few hours left before you’d get to go home.

When the bell above the door chimed, you straightened your back and grabbed your notebook, getting your professionalism back to the top only to have it almost crumble when you saw who it was that had just cime in.

It was the gang of 6 young men, all of whom had bikes and dressed accordingly. Your nose scrunched a little in distaste - perhaps it was a bit too obvious that they weren’t exactly your favorite customers - but waited behind the counter nevertheless while they found a booth for themselves. A few of the guys were still going through the menu, so you didn’t have to approach them just yet, no matter how much one of them was, as per usual, staring at you while running his fingers through his greasy hair.

Frowning, you pouted a little to yourself before walking up to the group of guys and clicked your pen on the notebook so that it was ready to use. “So, what can I get you?”

You felt like squirming at the way that one guy let his eyes go up and down your legs shamelessly, and you shifted on your feet uncomfortably. He grinned.

“Five cheeseburger meals, one salad and six milkshakes, two of each flavor, and your number, sweetheart,” he said cockily, raising his eyebrows in what he probably thought was a suggestive way but only came off as jerkish. You clicked your tongue and resisted the urge to roll your eyes while scribbling down their order, which luckily wasn’t all that complex. It never was.

“Coming right up,” you said as cheerfully as you could muster and began walking away, leaving behind a group of chuckling guys. Turning back, you could see that the one who gave you the order, like he did practically every single time, was following you with his eyes. “But you can forget about the number today, too. It’s just not going to happen.”

Your lips almost, almost twitched into something resembling a smile when you heard all the “Ooh!”s coming from the table, and then the guy’s attempts to shut his friends up while obviously a bit miffed. Once you had taken the orders to the kitchen, you returned to your position by the counter and looked at the group of guys while shaking your head. They were all the same. Unkempt, cocky, lacking in manners. Sure, most of them had quite nice facial features but… eh, you were in completely different leagues, on so many levels.

“Hey dollface, could you get us some water?” one of the guys from the table asked. He was the tallest and most tanned one, who admittedly had quite a charming grin, which you purposely never focused on. You frowned a little, unimpressed.

“Dollface?” you asked unamusedly while tapping your painted nails against the counter. The guy was obviously about to start explaining, but it seemed like he got a kick to his shin, or at least that’s the conclusion you came to after he let out a cry, which was followed by a whiny “Seungcheol, can you not? You know my legs are still bruised from falling on the bike last week.”

The one who had asked for your number and could barely tear his eyes off you - who you now, after all those weeks of just thinking of him just as the leader, could assume was named Seungcheol - turned to look at you with a wide smile. His dimples were in such contrast with the rest of his appearance that it almost took you aback.

“Could you just bring some water, sugar?”

You stared him straight in the eye, possibly a bit intimidated by the intense look of his, and with a quick bite of your lip went to get a jug that you filled with cold water, which you then placed on a tray with six glasses. As soon as you had placed them on the table, you excused yourself, knowing full well that you’d still have to bring them their orders soon.

In all honesty you weren’t sure why you resented them so much; it wasn’t like they had done anything in particular, if you didn’t count in the catcalling and obviously trying to will the hem of your dress to rise enough to show your thighs, which it never did, naturally. Other than that they seemed nice, you could admit, you just were very different from each other. You were from a good family, whereas the gang… most likely not, really.

And okay, it was quite distracting to have Seungcheol’s eyes on you so much and you didn’t exactly enjoy it, but you weren’t fully sure if that was because you didn’t like him or because there was something charming about him. Then again, you most likely wouldn’t have enjoyed the staring even if you had liked him. He was wearing dark blue jeans and a black shirt under a black, worn-out leather jacket that had staples at the back and top of the sleeves, and a chain was hanging from one belt loop to another. Like most of the others, he had a few piercings on his left ear, too..

It was too soon that you were told that the order was ready, and so you picked up three of the plates and brought them to the table before bringing the other three, followed by the six milkshakes that you brought with a tray.

“Okay, so forget about the number,” Seungcheol said as soon as you had arrived to the table and started handing out the milkshakes, and you turned to look at him with a quirked brow. His eyes were twinkling with something very playful and were, now that you looked into them up close, of quite a nice shape and encircled by dark, long lashes that any girl would envy. “But wouldn’t you get on my bike sometime? I want to show you around town.”

“Listen,” you sighed and got the tray between your arm and side when you had moved all the milkshakes to the table, your other arm hanging down and pressing the hem of your work dress a bit better down - nothing would ever make you more self-conscious than having six pairs of eyes staring at your legs. “I’ve lived here all my life, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen enough.”

Seungcheol sucked on the straw of his milkshake - you took quick mental note that he had gone for the chocolate one - his doe eyes still aimed at you just like everyone else’s, only that he was actually looking into your eyes. When he let go, he licked his lips. “But have you seen the outskirts? It’s really pretty out there.”

No, you hadn’t, but you weren’t about to give in to him just because of that. “I don’t really–”

“Come on, I’ll show you a good time,” he went on, grinning as his eyes scanned your tense posture. “You could use some loosening up, baby doll.”

With your cheeks heating up despite your furious attempt not to blush, you clenched your teeth. “No, thank you.”

Seungcheol nodded, but it looked more like “Oh, we’ll see about that” kind of a nod rather than one that would mean that he’d finally give up.

“Enjoy your food,” you said with a forced smile and left the table as fast as you could. Most of the others had already started eating, but that wasn’t exactly your concern.

The gang stayed at the diner for over an hour, like it usually did, and during said hour your patience was very much tested. You had your standards, and having a bunch of motorbike gang members, with their ripped jean jackets and worn-out leather jackets and greased hair calling you with whatever pet names they came up with wasn’t exactly your number one desire. That, and the fact that there were only so many times you could take said pet names without slamming your hands into the table, especially when it had only gotten more frequent during the past weeks.

So, when you went to ask them if they wanted a check, you looked at Seungcheol in what you could only hope was an intimidating way. “If I get on your bike, will you for the love of God make my life easier and stop with the ogling and pet names?”

He had been sucking on the straw of his milkshake, but upon hearing your voice he let the straw fall off his lips and lifted his face, while his friends seemed like they were more or less holding their breaths. You had finally given in to their leader? How? Seungcheol’s grin and quick raise of eyebrows made you feel some type of way, but you didn’t exactly want to dwell on what. “Sure thing, baby doll.”

Rolling your eyes quickly, you sighed. “So, can I get you a check?”

As you had predicted, the answer was yes, and once you returned with the check and they had paid and started getting up, Seungcheol was left behind, watching you while you began piling up their dishes.

“What time do you get off work?” he asked, looking nonchalantly out of the window. When you turned to look at him, you could’ve sworn you sensed a hint of nervousness in him, which made you quirk your eyebrow a little, although you didn’t say anything.

“In two hours, why?” you inquired and turned towards him so that you were leaning a little on the table beside you, your arms crossed. Seungcheol licked his lips slowly and moved his gaze from the window to you.

“Do you have time when you’re done? We could go on that ride today,” he said, and if his suddenly more serious way of speaking didn’t catch you off guard, the softness of his voice and the slight hint of pink on his cheeks did. He was speaking quietly and the diner was practically empty anyway, so it wasn’t all that difficult for you to figure out that maybe, just maybe this was closer to what the guy was like, when he wasn’t with his friends.

You thought about it, and clicked your tongue lightly when you started getting the dishes in your arms. “We definitely could go today. You can wait for me inside or outside, whichever works for you.”

Seungcheol’s face brightened immediately, and you had to admit that he was rather charming, at least in that situation. “I’ll be there. I’ll go get you a helmet–” You almost wanted to elbow him when his eyes fell to your chest, but refrained, and you were glad you did. “– Y/N.”

Looking down, you saw your name tag, which he had undoubtedly been checking (of course it wasn’t just that, but you ignored that fact), and you giggled while shaking your head. “Sure.”

Those remaining two hours you spent working with your mind full of what you had gotten yourself into. You and Seungcheol were so different, and in all honesty you weren’t sure how proper of you it was to get on his bike. But then again… you had seen what you considered to be a new side of him, and you would’ve lied if you had said you weren’t intrigued to find out more, even if the main reason you were going was to end the pet names.

Must’ve been the long eyelashes and pretty eyes and those damned dimples and–

“Y/N, you can go now. It’s so quiet here anyway,” your boss said with his usual small smile. You took a quick look at the clock, noticing that it was half an hour before you were supposed to be let out. A glance outside of the window told you that Seungcheol most likely wasn’t there - apparently you’d get to do the waiting.

“Thank you,” you smiled at your boss and went to the back room to switch your dress into a black skirt that fell well below your knees, a T-shirt and a pink sweater. While taking a look into the mirror, you squinted and tilted your head: you were most definitely not all that well prepared for a bike ride, but you considered yourself lucky that it was only early fall. Maybe you wouldn’t freeze too badly.

When you stepped out of the diner and looked around, you were surprised yet definitely pleased to see Seungcheol leaning against the corner of the diner, holding a helmet with one of his hands. The only thing you weren’t as much of a fan of was the cigarette dangling between his lips, but you merely scrunched your nose.

“There you are,” you said as you walked closer. Seungcheol jolted, and as soon as he saw you, hurried to drop his cigarette to the ground and smile at you.

“Here I am,” he said a bit dumbly, taking a couple of extra looks at you, now in your regular clothes.

When he remained quiet, his eyebrows furrowing a little with his gaze locked on your skirt, you sighed dramatically and kicked your foot around. “Yeah, not much leg to look at now, huh. What a shame.”

“Indeed,” he sighed exaggeratedly, but snickered right afterwards, which made you chuckle and shake your head in amusement. It was kind of cute, really, the way Seungcheol looked when he smiled as brightly as he did then, but you pushed such thoughts out of your mind. After all, wasn’t it all only out of politeness, in hopes that he’d leave you alone?

Seungcheol spent another moment just looking at you with a smile on his lips, until he realized that you had agreed to do things other than just standing around. “Oh yeah, here’s your helmet.”

You took it from him with a quiet thank you, but before you could put it on, you had to open your hair, which had been on a high ponytail. Seungcheol looked so mesmerized at that that you couldn’t help but giggle. “Never seen a girl with her hair down? Can’t believe that.”

He shook his head and tried to hide at least some of the awe on his face, masking it with the toughness he showed when he was with his gang. “I have, many times. Just… not you.”

For some reason his words made your heart do a thing, but you only nodded and put the helmet on. “I see.”

He got on the bike and you looked at the seat behind him, then moved your gaze to your skirt.

“Uh… I think you might have to drive a bit slower, because I’ll have to sit sideways,” you stated before sitting down behind him, your legs hanging from the left side of the bike. You could hear Seungcheol chuckle, and then saw him turn his head to you so that he could see you.

“Can’t promise much about the speed, but hold on tight. Think of it as the tightest hug of your life.” You grinned at his words and wrapped your arms around his waist tightly, your cheek resting on the leather of his jacket, the numerous dull staples pressing lightly against your cheek.

“I won’t take responsibility if this hug of yours gets too tight, then,” you said a bit playfully, which earned you a chuckle from Seungcheol as he started the bike.

“Whatever you say, sweetheart.”

Seungcheol laughed at your scream when the bike started moving, and you were somehow able to hear him shout “You don’t need to be scared” even with the noise coming from the bike and the wind making it even more difficult to hear It.

You felt like you were on the edge for the whole time Seungcheol drove you, although it was fairly soon that you started finding even more comfort and safety in the back of his leather jacket, as much as the faint smell of cigarettes disgusted you. Perhaps it was the broadness that made you feel assured that you were safe, even on a motorbike, even though you were sitting sideways and even though you were frightened.

For Seungcheol, the trip was a series of “Oh my god, she’s hugging me” and “No, gotta focus on the road” coming and going in his mind, while his heart beat faster than he’d want to admit. If his friends ever asked, he had been as cool as the finest cucumber for the whole time, which of course was quite the opposite of the reality. But as the leader of a motorbike gang, and a tough one at that, there was no way he could tell them the truth.

When Seungcheol finally stopped the bike, you loosened your arms around him, but kept them wrapped either way. He ran his fingers through his hair and looked around. “We’re here.”

That was when you paid attention to your surroundings, too, having kept your eyes closed for the last minutes of the ride, and you couldn’t help but let your jaw drop in awe as you got off the bike and took the helmet off, with him following you. “It’s beautiful.”

“Just like you.”

You froze at the words, which were obviously said without a second thought, and turned to look at the flustered, blushing young man who had just uttered them. It amused you how much Seungcheol looked how he really had wanted to keep those words in his mind.

You grinned and turned to the male, hoping that your cheeks weren’t actually as red as they felt, although in all honesty they probably were, if from nothing else, then the way the wind had been hitting them. “You think I’m beautiful?”

At that, Seungcheol seemed to try to re-gain his composure and confidence. “I mean, of course. Who doesn’t?”

Still smiling and your chest feeling pleasantly warm, you rolled your eyes. “Well, most people definitely don’t blurt it out like that.”

“It was intentional,” he insisted, but fell silent when you turned to look at him with a happy smile on your face, which he found to be the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.

“We can agree it was, but we both know the truth,” you stated, and got a chuckle and a slow shake of his head from Seungcheol, after which he agreed with you.

You took a better look around. He had taken you pretty much where he had promised to - the outskirts - and it seemed like he had chosen a cliff, more or less. There were patches of grass and flowers here and there, and from the cliff you could see a stream far below you, surrounded by trees and everything that came with them.

The most breathtaking part to you, however, was the setting sun in the horizon, perfectly visible from the spot you were at.

When you turned your gaze from the horizon to Seungcheol, you could see him smiling serenely,  his hands tucked into his pockets.

“So, do you come here often?” It wasn’t all that difficult to figure out that in order to know what you’d be seeing upon arriving to the cliff, he’d had to have come there more than just a couple of times, and he’d have to have had paid attention to the scenery in particular.

Seungcheol moved his eyes to you, the same smile still on his lips, and he nodded, not even trying to come up with yet another lame excuse for something. “Quite. I like watching the sunset, there’s something really calming about it. And my gang sometimes comes here to drink.”

He was leaning against his bike lightly, and you moved to stand next to him, leaning on the bike as well.

“Who would’ve thought,” you said in wonder, half as a joke and half seriously. He looked into your eyes, his own reflecting the smile that was spread on his lips.

“I bet you thought I was the exact opposite,” he said, his voice growing quieter as the sun continued setting and his eyes briefly falling to your slightly parted lips.

“I mean,��� you giggled, “taking into account that you’re the leader of a motorbike gang, it’s not that much of a surprise, is it?”

“Mm,” Seungcheol merely hummed, his smile slowly disappearing and leaving him looking breathtakingly beautiful yet handsome with his intense eyes, long lashes and teeth showing through his lips that weren’t fully closed as he looked down into your eyes.

You swallowed and hurriedly turned your gaze back to the sunset before your heart could pick up any more speed - or before your mind started playing any kind of tricks on you involving the thought of him kissing you. That would never happen, and even if it did, would you let him? Of course not.

The two of you started talking quietly, about whatever came to your minds. Contrary to your belief, Seungcheol wasn’t… well, anything you had thought him to be. He wasn’t full of cockiness, he wasn’t mannerless, and he was by no means dumb. It was shocking how much of the toughness he had with his gang had disappeared during your outing, too. Sure, he was about as flirty as you had feared, but even that feature in him portrayed itself in a much better light with just the two of you there.

The breeze had continued to get stronger during the time you had been at the cliff, and eventually you couldn’t help but shiver. Seungcheol noticed that and hurried to take his jacket off.

“Oh no, you really don’t need to,” you said worriedly, especially when what was revealed underneath the jacket was what was clearly a T-shirt turned into a sleeveless shirt. You pouted. “Won’t you catch a cold?”

A cocky grin made its way to Seungcheol’s face, and there was something painfully attractive about both that and the way he was putting his jacket on your shoulders. “I don’t mind. What kind of a man would I be if I let a girl get sick if I could prevent it?”

You were unable to answer with much else than a mumbled “Thank you” while you pulled the jacket better on yourself. Seungcheol assured you it was nothing, but you couldn’t help but feel guilty when he stroked his arms - which you now noticed were rather toned - to warm himself up a little.

“See, you’re cold,” you muttered and moved a bit closer to Seungcheol, who merely chuckled.

“I told you, it’s fine. It’s not the first time,” he assured you, turning his playful eyes to your worried ones, and smiled. “Earlier you were ready to kick me out of the diner, yet now you’re worrying about my health. Isn’t that adorable.”

Your face contorted a little at how true his words were, and you could feel your cheeks heating up. “Let’s just say that my impression of you has changed quite a bit.”

He raised his eyebrows briefly, grinning. “Didn’t take much, did it now.”

“Shockingly enough, no,” you giggled and, feeling comfortable enough around Seungcheol, dared to lean your head against his shoulder. “You’re alright.”

“Alright?” he snickered almost adorably, and you could feel his hand fishing for yours. You let him take it into his, and even squeezed it back. “You’re letting me hold your hand, and you say I’m alright?”

You shrugged with a grin. “I don’t want to say anything you could use against me.”

Seungcheol groaned jokingly. “Come on, I’ve been so lame with you that if my gang knew, my position as the leader would be long gone. You owe me an honest opinion.”

“Do I now?” You quirked an eyebrow, but continued with a smile nevertheless. “Well, that’s just what you are - lame. But in a good way. You’re pretty great, actually.”

He laughed heartily at that. “Now that’s better.”

Another while was spent by the two of you joking around, but when you could see Seungcheol shiver more obviously than before, you took his jacket off yourself and handed it to him. “I think we should go before you turn into an icicle.”

“It’s not winter,” he laughed while putting the jacket on and started getting on the bike, you following suit and putting the helmet back on.

“You look like you could still turn into one.”

Wrapping your arms around Seungcheol’s waist tightly again, you pressed your cheek to his back and let your eyes fall shut and your hair flow as you drove, the wind piercing cold and only made worse by the movement, but oddly enough you felt rather warm. Whether it had to do with the man you were more or less hugging, you didn’t want to speculate, but the butterflies in your stomach and small smile on your lips told enough.

Although he was, at least outwards, very different from you, Seungcheol was feeling those very same things, his eyebrows knitting as he thought about how he had never felt that way before. You weren’t the first girl in his life, but as it turned out, it was just how he had told his friends all along - there was something different, special, about you.

Back in town, you stood at a red light when Seungcheol turned his head. “Wanna give me directions to your place?”

“And let you know where I live?” you asked with a raised eyebrow, but only hugged him tighter. “Of course.”

You told him the directions, and a few minutes later he stopped by your house, and you got off the bike. He turned on his seat and dug up his pack of cigarettes, and was about to light one when he saw you squinting your eyes. “Not a fan?”

“Not really,” you said with a shake of your head. Seungcheol grinned and shook his head, putting the cigarette back into the packet before shoving it back into his pocket.

“Then I’ll do that when you’ve left.”

You nodded and shifted your weight from foot to foot, your arms crossed by your chest. “What’ll happen now?”

Seungcheol blinked in surprise, his eyebrows raised a little, which prompted you to continue your question with between us. “Well, you wanted the pet names to stop, so that?” He could see a hint of disappointment on your face, so he smiled, his dimples showing under the street lights. “Unless you want something more?”

Your face brightened in an instant, but you were quick to hide it, although it still showed oh, so obviously, much to Seungcheol’s amusement. “And what if I do?”

He reached for one of your folded arms and beckoned you to get a bit closer, which was when he got his arms loosely around you. You were standing between his legs, looking down at his serious yet playful expression, and you placed your hands on his shoulders. Seungcheol chuckled quietly. “The feeling would be mutual, so we could definitely figure something out.”

“Oh, yeah?” you asked, your smile only growing wider and your heart beating faster.

Seungcheol nodded, and if you had expected him to kiss you, you were only half correct, because what he did next was take one of your hands off his shoulder and press his lips to the backs of your fingers. When he let your hand down, he gave you a small smile. “Yeah.”

You swallowed, the feeling of his lips against your skin still making you tingle. The hand that you still had on his shoulder moved closer to his neck, and you giggled when Seungcheol shivered under your touch.

The last thing he had expected was for you to bring your lips to his, shy and experimental, and take his breath away, yet that was exactly what you did.

A few minutes later, you walked through your gate, almost humming nonchalantly as you strutted home with your hands locked loosely behind your back and the rosiness of your cheeks more prominent than ever. Seungcheol watched you with a disbelieving smile, his lips left tingly after the kisses you had exchanged and his left ear still burning after you had whispered him something with your lips touching it slightly.

Oh, he was a goner.

You had a morning shift the next morning, which proved out to be quite a challenge after you had stayed up until 2am, just because your mind wouldn’t allow you to think of much else than Seungcheol and the evening with him. Either way, you somehow managed to get to work on time and look decent, although your boss did raise his eyebrow at your barely tied, rather messy hair, loose college shirt and denim overall on top of it, which wasn’t exactly your usual attire.

The shift was quite a bit busier than the evening one you had had the previous day, which might have had to do with people coming in for breakfast and lunch. You found your heart beating a bit faster whenever the bell above the diner door chimed, but when you lifted your gaze, the excitement was replaced with a pang of disappointment when it wasn’t Seungcheol.

When you only had 20 minutes of your shift left and there was a new group of customers, none of which was Seungcheol, you sighed. It was dumb to expect him to come, really - it wasn’t like you had agreed on anything. Heck, you had barely even agreed to see what the two of you could be - to get to know each other - yet you were expecting him to come see you the very next day.

The bell rang again five minutes later, and you already braced yourself to be disappointed when you lifted your gaze from the register to the door, and were met with a now very familiar guy and his gang. Your lips curved into a smile, and you could see the corners of Seungcheol’s mouth tugging upwards, too, when he raised his hand a little in a greeting and you pointed at an empty booth, where the gang then moved.

You walked up to them, this time a lot more cheerfully than the day before, while holding your notebook and pen. The others clearly took note that your face wasn’t in a frown this time, at least judging by the way they were whispering to each other (while Seungcheol leaned his head on his hand and looked at you with a smile).

“I’m getting out soon so I probably won’t be able to bring your food, but what can I get you?” you asked and looked at the guys, all of whom looked impressed. Seungcheol straightened his back and placed his arm on the top of the backrest of the seat.

“I was actually thinking, perhaps you’d like to join us?” he suggested, looking into your eyes with his big ones almost looking like they belonged to a puppy instead. You smiled and gave it a thought, the quiet “Has he gone mad? Why would she ever…” from the tallest one reaching your ears.

You let out a quiet, carefree sigh. “Why not?”

The clamor in the table was worth seeing, and you laughed while Seungcheol gave you their order.

“…and some onion rings. And if I got your number this time around, I wouldn’t mind, baby doll.”

Grinning while writing the order down, you shook your head. “What was it about the pet names again?”

Seungcheol laughed and turned to his gang, all of whom looked more or less stunned. “I’m paying today.”

Everyone rejoiced while you took the order to the kitchen. You leaned on the counter afterwards and looked at the sight, Seungcheol smiling so widely that his gums were showing - although you had noticed that in his case the smile didn’t even need to be all that wide for that to happen - and the others attempting to nudge him.

If you hadn’t realized it until then, it was in that moment that you understood that they weren’t exactly like the usual motorbike gangs around. Sure, they tried to be tough to an extent and you were certain none of them had a clean record, but despite everything, they were essentially a group of fools. The element of masculinity and showing off was definitely there, but they didn’t seem too obsessed with it.

“Wow, Cheol, it must’ve been quite a ride on the bike yesterday,” you could hear one of the guys say teasingly, and felt your cheeks heat up a little at the memory. Seungcheol moved his gaze to you and melted into a warm smile when he met your eyes, and he knew he’d never live the moment down, but he didn’t care anymore.

“You bet.”

Admin Scooter

[dietaku]

Amazing Quest 2: Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Going Back to School, or How I learned to not worry and love Diamonds~! And, since my associate didn't really explain this, here is PotatoCanon1171 once more, with this excellent analysis on Kylie's abilities. “Kylie is my favorite character in 2, not only for her flexibility, but also because her origins, which we learn later, show one of the earliest hints to the origins of Chimerae and the Puddings themselves. The important thing to remember is the armor sections, Head, Body and Legs, are the important bits for Kylie. True, her tail is important, but it doesn't affect her skills any, just increases her stats like weapons do for other characters. To acquire skills, you have to experiment with combinations until something comes up. As said earlier, any gene can be placed in any slot, so, experimentation is key here. For instance. Head: Womanticore Body: Munchkin Legs: Jelly nets you the excellent Wabaru Wabaru skill, or “WoblBobble” in English, which hits for regular physical damage, and ensures a counter attack if hit in the next round, and costs nothing. However, should we rearrange these same genes.... Head: Munchkin Body: Jelly Legs: Womanticore We get Blue Sweaty Spurs, a magic attack that deals non-elemented damage, but also has a high chance of inflicting Drunk. Apparently, Kylie can get venom glands filled with booze. More importantly, it's worthy to note that not only the gene combinations are important, but also the order. Once you find them, you can retain skills by meeting their experience costs. Once you're accumulated enough exp in battle with those genes, you'll retain that skill no matter what genes Kylie has equipped. ...” And since my dear friend, PotatoCanon doesn't give any gene combinations for skills, I'll throw you, dear reader, a bone, and give you some to get you started, but I also feel like PotatoCanon is on the money here, and the real fun with Kylie is experimenting to find what you can. Anyways, here they are: Head: Munchkin Body: Womanticore Legs: Ostrich Nets you the SktrScatter Skill, which allows you to run from any non-boss fight. Head: Tyrazaurus Body: Frog Legs: Ostrich Nets you the Jeffbirdr skill, which deals massive physical damage, but also cuts your LP by 33% of what its current value is. Head: Jelly Body:Frog Legs: Jelly Nets you the Spnfl Sugar Skill (Called “Roll with the Changes” in Japanese), which grants you LP regeneration and the one I'm sure you're begging for, you little power-gaming schmucks Head: Tyrazaurus Body: Jelly Legs: Munchkin Nets you the terrifying “Beam Gaze” skill, (Burning Smile in Japanese), which allows you to use the Beamchisaurus' from AQ1's eye beams, dealing massive light-based damage to all enemies. However, the trade-off is this skill sucks MP harder than your gamewatch does batteries, haha! “But where do I get all these genes?” I hear you ask. Return to the Coliseum area, and now that July is dead, there is a merchant to the left which offers the Munchkin, Frog, Ostrich, Jelly and Tyrazaurus genes. The latter will cost you some serious currencies, but it is very much worth it. If you want to get one more, return to the usher, and he'll mention that the fights are starting up. If you join in, you'll be pitted against three random encounters with just Kylie, and if you beat those, then, you'll be allowed to move on to the next boss.... Announcer: And, the opening match in the newly re-opened Coliseum, reigning champ Balzac versus....some girl named Kylie! Dudu: Hey! We won that fight! Balzac: The International Monster Girl Battling Judges deemed the fight invalid due to the sponsor being a demon, so I keep my title! NYAKNYAKNYAK! Enki: Now, I know we're all feeling a little tense now, but, we need to remain calm and collected. But, Kylie.... Kylie: Yes? Enki: I'll give you a candy bar if you win. Kylie: (Eyes glowing) Roger, MA'AM! Dudu: Whoa! Even Enki's fired up! --Boss Fight!-- Cat-Oblepas LP: 1800 MP: 600 Balzac must've been main-lining her energy drinks since you fought her last, as she's much tougher. She still has her Cat Eye skill, she also has the Cat O Nine Tails, which deals 1-9 hits of light physical damage, and her Cat Man Du skill allows her to heal. Ugh, deal with her as you will. If you have even the most basic genes, you ought to find some way of dealing with this Cat-astrophe of a boss. --Boss Fight!-- Cat-Oblepas: Meow you did it! You scratched my hand! Ballzy~! I can't fiiiiIiiiIiight! Balzac: Wha-HUH? We've been training and practicing? How did they beat you! Kylie: A diet of candy bars and masochism. Also, about 5k in monster girl genes. Announcer: You heard it here, folks! Eat whatever you want and spend money to become a champ, just like KYLIEEEEEEE! Kylie: Thank, you, thank you! Balzac: Oh, fuddly, I guess I ought to try to rank up in Southfort Monster Girl Monster Association Kylie: But that spells out-- Announcer: SHOW'S OVER FOLKS, GET OUT! Now, you can go to the OTHER attraction in Corset, the Magic School! The students here are probably why the Coliseum is able to stay afloat, financially speaking, as many of the magical lessons you can listen in on concern magic for seduction, magic to make yourself more attractive or the infamous “Magical Group Tactics” classroom, where a nondescript female professor describes in increasingly uncomfortable lengths tight formations, long combined thrusting assaults, and other various innuendo. That classroom is, thankfully, empty. Remember it, though, as it is important later. Anyways, once you're done horsing around, head to the large office on the third floor. There, you'll find an old man sighing loudly. Indeed, he even has a snuffly MIDI sighing effect with his sprite. Dudu: What's the matter, old guy? Enki: Dood! Erm, Dudu! That's not polite! Um, sir, are you alright? Old Man: Oh, hello, children and homonculus, I'm sad. Kylie: We can see that. Anything we can do about it? Old Man: Well, maybe about my sadness. You probably can't do anything about what's CAUSING me to be sad. Enki: Ah-huh... Old Man: See, I'm the Headmaster of Corset Magical Academy, and therefore responsible for the Academy's fine wealth of magical treasures. However, I got this letter with my tea, and it's ruined my entire day thus far! I'm not sure if I can even muster up the strength to teach my afternoon ,” Use Magic to Increase your Beard Power” class. Dudu: Wow! Magic must be amazing! Enki: Let me look at this letter. “Dear Mr. Bearderson, I am the infamous cat thief known throughout the land, and I will be vising your Academy this evening. I'll be stealing your most precious pieces in your collection, the gemstones known as “Queen Ozma's Tears.” I'm sure they'll go well right next to my Nu Waa Egg and Philosopher's Stone. Cheers, Genki Sake. “ Ooh, that's awful! Dudu: Yeah, if only there were some people who could help you.... Headmaster: That's it! You all clearly have nothing better to d—I mean, are surely expert anti-theft personnel! You could ensure Genki Sake can't get to the jewels! Enki: And how do you propose we do that? Headmaster: I dunno? Traps? I gotta go. Oh, thanks, kids! I feel a lot better now! (The Headmaster walks off, whistling) Enki: DOOD! SERIOUSLY! Dood: I'm sorry, Deliost! Kylie: Wait....Those aren't your names... Deliost: Eh-heh, well.... (Deliost comes clean) Kylie: I see. Well, that's a lot to take in, but I can't very well abandon you now. Plus, you helped me get stronger. So! I'll stay with you and protect you, at least until you go back to your families! Deliost: Thank you, Ms. Kylie! (The two hug, and Kylie gives Deliost a peck on the forehead, as Dood looks on, mystified) Dood: Is this...Love? Kylie: What? I'm sorry, I didn't hear that. We need to get to work! Dood: Okay! You now can wander the halls of the school, finding items that can be used as traps. You have ten minutes of real-time to find items and set them up after talking to the Headmaster before a new scene interrupts your child-like whimsy of domestic terror. (A black shadow zips through the halls, past the traps, moving like a flash, laughing in a flute-like voice.) You now have to hunt down the intruder. Be wary, though, the traps you put up will now trigger, inconveniencing you. Looks like setting up traps willy-nilly wasn't the smartest plan, eh? While this seems like a fool's errand, you can ascertain what level the intruder is on by the fact that she'll laugh in her flutey voice if you're on the same floor as her. When you manage to catch up to the dark shadow... Dood: Hey! Give it up, thief! (The shadow disappears into nothingness) Deliost: Magic? Dood: We need to check elsewhere! (He turns around, running right into a white-haired woman in a catsuit. Since Dood is so short, he runs right into her cleavage, with comedic “Boing” sound effects.) Cat Burglar: Oh, my~. Such a bold gentleman! I think I might fall in love! Deliost: Dood! Are you alright! Dood: UWHAAAA! COULDN'T BREATHE! Kylie: Excuse me! But that's highly irresponsible! Adults shouldn't fall in love with children! I'm sure there's some lovely man out there for you, Miss. Or woman, if you're into that, I guess. I really don't know you, so.... Cat Burglar: Oooh, and the Chimera nanny thinks she can lecture me when her pups are out and about so late? Kylie: I'm a womanticore. Cat Burglar: Eh? I don't care if you're Queen Toruble herself! I won't let anyone get in the way of my elegant burglary! --Boss Fight!-- Genki Sake LP: 2100 MP: 700 Genki is fast, so the first course of action is to lower her speed. If you have it, WoblBobble works wonders here, as does the GluShoe spell that Deliost can learn at level 12. If you can lower her speed, then she's not much of a threat. While she does have “Mana Staple” skill which cuts your LP whenever you use spells, focus on regular attacks to bypass this situation ally punishing move. --Boss Fight!-- Genki: Urgh! You may have beaten me, but I still have the jewels! Now, I, Genki Sake, will bid you cute kittens and a slightly older kitty, adieu! Dood: Excuse me! Do you mean these? (He presents two large aquamarine gemstones) Genki: (Her face turns white with shock) How did you get those? Dood; Your shirt is zipped down so low, they fell into my mouth when you bumped into me. I guess we won, AND we got the jewels. Genki: URGH! (She teleports away) Return to the Headmaster in his office, who is smoking a bubble pipe. Headmaster: Aw, you return. Tell me, did you catch the thief? Dood: No. We beat her up and got these, though! (Dood presents the gems) Headmaster: Oh, I see! Well, good work, my boy! The Tears of Ozma are a great treasure indeed. However, I wish to give them to you all, for a job well done! Kylie: Is that really okay, Mr. Headmaster? Headmaster: Of course! They have no intrinsic power themselves, and all they seem to do is attract evildoers seeking to steal them. Therefore, my best option is to pawn them off on some su--, I mean, give them to pure-hearted people, like yourselves! Deliost: Thank you, sir. We'll take care of them! Headmaster: Yes, yes, now, run along, I have a seminar I need to attend on the Seventh Space Fold. Kylie: ...Let's go, children.... Dood: Is he going to be alright? Kylie: As long as he doesn't eat his own beard during his trip, I should think so. (The party exits the Magic Academy, as Genki Sake reappears) Genki: I heard everything! Dood: UWAGH! Deliost: So, you're back to steal the Tears of Ozma, are you? Genki: Non! I'm merely here to help! You all are on a journey across the world, are you not? I could help you! I have many skills that will assist you! Kylie: I'm not so sure... Genki: I heard you speaking to the children. A caretaker who is but two years old? How dreadful! Why wouldn't you want the help of someone who is old enough to drink in most countries? Dood: Aw, she's okay, Kylie! She was just grumpy from being too hot, before, right? I mean, why else would you have your shirt unzipped so low? Genki: Oui! You are truly a intelligent boy! Dood: Hehe, she said I was a tent! Deliost: … Genki Sake joins! She is fast, and has a variety of ninja skills and tools to assist you! I found that, with her, Deliost has much more time to focus on healing, as Genki can assist with her elemental prana skills. With her in the party, head east from Corset to the sleepy town of Geed Wulld. There, you can see a large church, along with a rather expansive inn. Apparently this is a pilgrimage site for a new religion. (A rather large man in a priest's alb appears, bowing to the party) Priest: HELLO, MY LITTLE LAMBS AND LICHENS! THE CHURCH OF ST. SETHAN IS OPEN TO ALL! DO YOU WISH TO GAZE UPON THE VISAGE OF ST. SETHAN? Kylie: Um, no, thank you. We do require a place to stay the night, though. Priest: THE INN THERE IS QUITE THE REPUTABLE ESTABLISHMENT! TELL THEM PADRE SLAB SENT YOU. THEY WILL SURELY ASSIST YOU AS THEY CAN! Deliost: Thank you, sir! Slab: TAKE CARE, MY SLABOTRONIC CHILDREN! Sure enough when you mention to the innkeeper that Padre Slab sent you, you get to spend the night for free. The party eats and drinks their fill, well into the night, until you can hear a knock on the door, and Genki's face turns sheet white when she sees who enters... (A pair of beavers in blue suits with black glasses both enter) Beaver 1; 'Ullo, Miss. I had heard through the duckvine that a certain no-goodnik thief-lady was spending the night here, yup. You wouldn't have seen her, would you? Beaver 2: She upset our poor, undeserving superior, you see, and we, being the upright beavers we are, yup, we cannot let this stand, yup. (Genki slowly hides behind Deliost, as the party stares at her) Deliost: What did you do? Genki: I may have sort of been hired by the Beaver Mafia to steal the Tears of Ozma. Now, they probably think I stole them... Kylie: So, you tricked us to help you hide from them? Genki: ….Yes, but I really do like you all! (The beavers slowly amble to the party) Beaver 1: We can see you, Genki, yup. Beaver 2: Yup, yup! You really shouldn't hide behind a young girl when you're a full grown woman! Just hand over the gems, and we can be on our way! Dood: Haha! She can't do that! Because she doesn't have them! I do! Also, even if she did, then Genki could escape by flying away! Genki: (Kneads her brow) That's a stereotype, Dood! I can't fly! Deliost: Dood! That's not nice, please apologize! Beaver 1: That's right, apologize to her, now, boy! Beaver 2: Yup! That way, we can kill her all proper, yup! Kylie: Let me get this, straight, though, Mr. Beaver. Racism is bad in your book, but murder in the name of your Don is-- Beaver 1: A-OKAY, YUP! Kylie: Oh, I see (Sips her tea thoughtfully) Genki: Can we PLEASE just fight them off now? --Boss Fight!-- Beeba LP: 2400 MP:340 Beebo LP: 2400 MP: 230 This fight isn't so hard if you're strategic. Beeba (The tall one with a hat) is fond of brute force attacks, using both his regular attacks, Waffle Iron, and Qualer to stomp his opponents, while Beebo (The shorter one with a pompadour) is fond of status magic and healing, raising Beeba's attributes and healing him as necessary. I recommend taking out Beebo first, as he can drag out the fight with his healing. --Boss Fight!-- Beeba: Ugh! This is no good, yup! We need to get more help, yup! Beebo: Good thing we set fire to that church beforehand, yup! Dood: Eh? (The party rushes outside as the Beavers flee, finding Padre Slab unconscious in front of the church, which is now a giant bonfire) Dood: Mr. Slab! Is he okay? Kylie: (Bends over him, as her tail feels his neck for a pulse) He's still breathing, although, I recommend wee take him away from the fire! Genki: Look! (A figure rises from within the church, eyes glowing far greater than the fire, as a smile spreads across its face.) Deliost: I smell evil magic within that building. Oooh, I can't take it! Dood! Please, do something... Dood: I...I....I... (A new scene where Dood sees this scene, and turns, to see a horned girl in front of him, where she pokes his forehead) Horned Girl: Be the hero I know you are, Dood. Remember, both in body and soul! Deliost: Dood! Dood! Are you alright? Dood: (His body erupts into a brilliant white light, growing into a powerful white pudding form) GO! PUDDING THE GREAT! Figure: So, it happens once more. HAHAHAHA! Come! Show Alpbara, the Herald of GeoTerror, your progress, Pudding Saint! --Boss Fight!-- Alpbara, Herald of GeoTerror LP: 5400 MP: 1000 This fight might seem daunting, considering his masive LP count, but it's really there to show how overwhelmingly powerful Dood's pudding forms are. His default form the Vanilla Angel Food, is the form he's using, and has a passive LP regen, so even if Alpbara's cornucopia of flame and darkness attacks manage to hit, they won't do much to him. Finish Alpbara as you see fit. I'd also be remiss to mention that Dood's theme song, “GO! The Pudding Saint Overflows!” Blares throughout this fight to pump you up. --Boss Fight!- Alpbara: I-Impressive! But know that GeoTerror has you in his palm, boy. Nothing, not even the legacy of your blood and that damnable traitor will save you! Deliost: Dood! You did it! You beat that demon! Alpbara: (Explodes) Dood: I...Ooops... (The entire party is blasted away, to the far-off kiwi woods, on the far continent. What will they find there? Find out...NEXT CHAPTER!)

[anneedmonds]

The Eating Dress

Rejoice, rejoice, the Emanuelle dress from Hush is – I can declare – the perfect garment for eating in. And I don’t mean any old eating, obviously; eating is rarely an act that’s impeded by your clothing.  You can eat in virtually anything, really, except for a deep-sea diver’s suit or maybe one of those rubber fetish one-pieces that have the head totally enclosed, a bit like the Blue Man Group costumes but, er, shinier. They might be hard to eat in, because there would be no hole to poke the food through. Although some of them have zips over the mouths – apparently! – so I suppose you could always sneak a quick morsel if severe oxygen deprivation/being spanked on the bottom with a ping pong bat/being chained to a kennel/etc was making you peckish. Pop a handful of salted peanuts in or quickly chomp through a Kit Kat.

“What are you doing, Dog?”

“N-nothing, master!”

“I can hear crunching down there. Are you gnawing your way through the crate? You know what happens to bad dogs who gnaw their crates…”

So yes; when I say that this dress is good for eating in I don’t mean the run-of-the-mill, pain quotidienne, sustenance kind of eating, I mean full-on, banquet-style scoffing. Gorging. The type of eating that requires all clothing from the chest downwards to be heavily elasticated. The sort of eating, then, that I tend to do with Mr AMR every time we go out for dinner, because – dear readers – we can never make head nor tail of these confusing menus with their sharing boards and their “little plates” and their stupid, stylised pricing systems that say 8.5 instead of £8.50 and in our bewilderment (“excuse me; how many dishes do we need between the two of us, please?”) and in fear of ordering a disappointingly sparse meal (“are you sure the satay will be enough?”) we often end up over-ordering. And then, when it all arrives on the extra table that they have to dust off and wheel in from the store room to serve it all, creak, creak, we are forced to finish every last speck. Because Mr AMR cannot and will not waste food. And I just do it because I can’t bear to lose face – “of course we meant to order enough for eight people!”

Last week we went to an excellent Thai restaurant and mistakenly ordered around three times what we would normally eat at home. Just one of the starters would have provided more than our usual protein – for two of us! – and we had three starters. Then two mains. I think maybe a spicy side salad. A waffle with coconut ice cream. Granted, the dessert was totally my bad – it just felt wrong not to finish off the meal properly – but the rest of it was mis-ordered out of total and utter confusion. “Don’t think of it as starters and mains!” proclaimed the menu. “Order lots of dishes and share!” So we did. Oh, we did.

Anyway, to cut a long story short (and I must say at this point that it’s an absolute blessing that we have two small kids, therefore rarely go out for proper dinners); the Emanuelle dress came in very handy. As it has done on numerous other occasions, because I have it in other prints from past seasons and it’s one of my “staple” dress shapes. The relaxed fit around the waist gives great opportunity for girth expansion, but at the same time, that’s not because it’s elasticated – never does it look stretched or straining, even at full capacity – it’s just a very clever cut. A dropped waist, I suppose you could call it, that skims from boobs down to hips. The eye just assumes that there’s a waist beneath it, when in fact there’s a Pad Thai-stuffed torso that’s as round and hard as a barrel.

But I’d be doing the Emanuelle dress a disservice if I didn’t mention that it’s also unutterably chic – this isn’t just a dress to go eating in, it looks brilliant at all times. To be quite honest, if it only looked good when I was eating up dishes that should never have been ordered in the first place I’d be wondering whether it was just a too-big dress. I mean, there’s a massive difference between a dress that’s far too big and only fits you when you’ve eaten your own bodyweight in tacos and a dress that is cleverly cut so that it allows for expansion. One’s a mistake, the other is a feat of engineering that should not be underestimated. A service to mankind. Well done Hush.

Another excellent thing about Emanuelle, apart from the fact it’s a) the subject matter of one of my favourite sing-along hymns and b) a very racy film (different spellings but what’s a slip of the pen between friends?) is that it looks great with trainers. The cut is actually very girly and pretty, with the twirly skirt, so trainers look like an intentional juxtaposition (hark at me) and not just laziness. I particularly like plimsolls, fresh from the box, but I think mostly because the smell of the rubber makes me nostalgic.

Buy Boden Classic Trainers*

(Nostalgic for school days, I hasten to add, in case you really do think I like fetish suits! True story, I once had to be fitted for a full body latex suit because I was going to play a superhero in a TV ad. I felt sick with claustrophobia. I had to be talcum-powdered into it (otherwise the latex sticks) and as soon as I was in, which took about three months, I needed the toilet. It was awful. And I didn’t even do the job because I got ill.)

I’ve gone on numerous diversions in this post when it was supposed to be just a quick little ditty outlining the many merits of a very comfortable, yet very chic, dress. So let’s wind this up with some facts: I love that the top half is like a shirt dress (adore shirt dresses) and that the bottom is twirly and feminine. I love the animal print, though they do different prints each season and they’re always great, and I love the length, which is not too short.

(Though warning: it will reveal knickers if you wear it to ascend or descend the escalators at Holborn tube station, where there’s always this weird, near-apocalyptic wind that’s so strong it blows people’s hats off and has them struggling, hunched, to reach the safety of the ticket hall level. It’s a weird old weather dynamic down there – has anyone else noticed? It’s like you’ve entered another world, one that’s currently experiencing gale-force winds, yet there’s no sky. You’re just in a series of tunnels. Very odd. If anyone from TFL is reading and can shed light on the matter for us…)

Yes, then; it will reveal pants if the gust is strong, but I always find that tying a lightweight cardi around my middle helps to anchor things if I’m rushing around the capital. Ooh – it’s also breastfeeding friendly, which I just confirmed by pretending to nurse a sack of Braeburn apples. There’s nothing not to like about this dress.

You can find the Emanuelle (REJOICE! REJOICE!) at Hush here* – it’s £65. I wear a 10, and I’d say that it’s true to size but generously so. I’m a large 10 – I tend to order a 10 and a 12 for everything I buy and send back the wrong one, because I’m really sitting right on the cusp – so if you’re dithering between sizes then probably go for the smaller of the two.

Buy Emanuelle online here*

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The Eating Dress was first posted on May 26, 2019 at 11:15 pm. ©2018 "A Model Recommends". Use of this feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this article in your feed reader, then the site is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at contact@amodelrecommends.com The Eating Dress published first on https://medium.com/@SkinAlley