#please watch the great pottery throw down!!

[softmakoharus]

makoharu fanfiction - a perfect set

This is the piece I wrote for the MakoHaru zine, Eternal Future! Please check out Twitter@makoharuzine for more information about the zine and how you can get a copy of your own.

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Title: A Perfect Set

Summary: Following their retirement from the professional world of swimming, Haru and Makoto settle into life together with their two cats, a home in a new city, and a love for ceramics.

Words: 2082 Rating: General Audiences Additional tags: Fluff, Married Couple Link: AO3

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Pottery is a curious thing.

Unexpectedly, Haru has come to love the feel of clay in his hands. It’s different from water, of course, rigid and resistant, though soft and malleable before it’s fired. It’s the very earth itself, and Haru likes that, too.

There is, however, a chaos and unpredictability to the process, and he’s still learning to accept this. A vase standing tall and strong can suddenly collapse into a pile on the wheel. A mug crafted so steadfastly can explode in the kiln. A glaze selected with confidence can create a color that had not been part of the plan at all.

Haru wraps his hands around the cylinder spinning quickly on the wheel in front of him as he finishes molding its shape, finally satisfied with the thickness of the walls. Its weight should match the other three cups sitting on the table beside him.

The wheel slows to a stop, and Haru carefully slides the thin wire under this fourth and final piece in the set to release it from the base. Now that it’s in line beside the others, it’s noticeably a little taller. Even though these cups are simply a gift for a friend, Haru can’t help but strive for perfection and considers throwing it again.

Across the yard from where Haru sits in his workshop, a figure in the kitchen window catches his eye to distract him from contemplating any further, at least for the time being. As usual, time has passed quickly into the afternoon, and Makoto has just returned home from work. Haru knows Makoto would insist that Haru’s creations don’t all have to be perfect, that those imperfections themselves can add beauty, too.

Haru smiles watching as Makoto bends down and gets back up, his eyes not leaving the floor. He’s definitely greeting their two cats. Feeling Haru’s gaze, or maybe just knowing he’d be out in the workshop, Makoto looks out the window.

I'm home, Haru-chan, he says with a cheerful smile and a wave.

Haru lifts his hand to return the silent greeting: Welcome home, Makoto.

continue reading on AO3 >>

[minhosimthings]

To bring the Stars down

Synopsis: In which you have a late night stroll with your lover

Pairings: Hyunjin × fem!reader

Warnings: fluff fluff fluff, mention of food, did I mention fluff

A/N: HYUNJIN BRAINROT WOOHOO. Look it's his fault HE JUST HAD TO POST THOSE BF CODED PICS ON INSTAGRAM DIDN'T HE. I'm telling you, they got instagram accounts to make us more delusional. Also I know this is really short but look my brain couldn't write anything more without me giggling every two seconds. This is for my darling @astraystayyh . May this make you as delusion as you make me everyday 😚

The night sky is an interesting thing isn't it? To describe the night sky is to describe a prism. Many sides, one surface, yet a thousand colours passing through it, making it a painting no frame could handle. And yet humanity has been afraid of it, fearing what the dark may bring. Of course it may bring chaos. But hasn't anyone thought about how it could bring calm? Calm as in to look up at the stars and wonder which one loved which? For when you love the stars, why would you be afraid of the night?

"Darling?" Hyunjin's eyes slowly shot open, feeling his legs being attacked by an invisible force, the invisible force being you, fidgeting around and twitching in your sleep. Hyunjin leaned slightly over to you, watching as your eyes were screaming to open up. Your breathing was shallow, and your forehead was covered with cold sweat, glistening under the influence of the soft moonlight coming in through the windows.

"Darling." He shook you by the shoulders gently, "Darling wake up." You could feel Hyunjin's warm hands caress your head as your eyes shot open, your body almost about to fall off the bed. "Nightmare?" Hyunjin whispered into your ear, voice raspy, as you sunk into his comforting embrace, like a ship succumbing to the sea. You hummed in response to him, not being able to get words out of your mouth. Your throat felt dry and all you wanted to do was stare up at the ceiling.

"Would you like to talk about it?" Hyunjin said, keeping his tone quiet, as if he was talking to a broken child. "No." You mumbled, as Hyunjin drew shapes onto your back with his finger, "Just want you." It seemed childish to you, to admit that you needed a person to comfort you when you were upset. It was as if you were a child, throwing a tantrum because her birthday balloons were green instead of pink.

Hyunjin smiled into the crook of your neck, where he has buried himself, like a rabbit burrowing itself into a hole. "Do you want to go for a walk?" Hyunjin suggested, loosening his grip on your waist, "See the pretty stars?" "Please." You sighed, letting out a breath which was trapped in you for what seemed like a cosmic year.

You dressed yourself quietly as Hyunjin stood outside in the living room, having dressed himself at the speed of Helios' chariot. "Wear a scarf my muse." He picked up a scarf of deep red wool from the hat rack, an unusual place to keep scarves, "I don't want you getting sick and missing our pottery date this week." He added as an afterthought. It made you smile softly, the way he would try to cheer you up. It reminded you of the time you first asked him the lingering question, 'why do you love me for who I am instead of who I pretend to be?', and he answered with something that you swore would have been the cause of your tombstone, 'Because you cannot love a rose, without pricking your finger on its thorn." He kissed your forehead, "Because you cannot paint a picture without having a flaw." He moved down to your nose, "Because the stars would never be beautiful without the night sky." Great first kiss wasn't it? A memory you'd hold onto for all of eternity.

The wind was chilly tonight as you roamed the streets with Hyunjin, causally willing away time. The lights from the few shops that still remained open, slightly blinded you, as you could see the owners contemplating whether or not to shut down for the night.

"Wait here darling." Hyunjin squeezed your hand before disappearing round an alleyway, leaving you all alone on the bench. The streets were quiet, an invincible fact considering that it was nearly midnight. Your eyes lingered up to the sky, tracing all the stars which rested on it, quite akin to freckles dotting someone's skin. You spotted a peculiar figure along the far right. No one told you Venus would be visible this late tonight. It decorated the sky well, like the mole on Hyunjin's face, which you would have loved to curl up in, like a cat snuggling up in her bed.

"Ta da." You heard a voice behind your ear. Hyunjin was holding a bouquet of magnolias, with tiny periwinkles gently poking out the corner. "I got us hot chocolate too." Hyunjin put two paper cups down on the bench, slightly adjusting his scarf. You took time in amusing yourself on how his cardigan and scarf made him look like an old suburban grandma, who'd knit the prettiest sweaters for her grandkids for Christmas.

"What's going on in that pretty mind of yours?" Hyunjin interrupted your train of thoughts, stiring his hot chocolate with the plastic stick. "Nothing." You smiled, "Just you and your stupidly beautiful face." Hyunjin raised a hand upto his chest, faking an expression of shock, which made both of you laugh out loud, the sound echoing through the night. The winds of Notus, Boreas, Eurus and Zephyrus ran through time like an expatriate, as you sat and sipped on delicious, gooey, melted chocolate. The best invention man ever made, you thought.

"Want to talk about it now?" Hyunjin quietly mused as you edged closer to him on the bench. You let out a breath and let your head lean on his shoulder. "I had a dream that you fell into a blackhole-" you started to realise how silly it all seemed, "-and that you never came back and your last words were 'How could I ever love you?'" Hyunjin stayed quiet for a while after you said your words. "it's silly." You mumbled, wearing a defeated look on your face. Hyunjin turned to look at you, his face all pink from the chilliness of the atmosphere. "Well I guess I can't go to work tomorrow." He sighed dramatically. "Why not?" You chuckled, sensing that he was about to do something silly. "Because-" his eyes widened, "-I have to find dream Hyunjin and destroy all his paintbrushes! How dare he do that to the love of my life!"

Your face widened into a grin as you laughed out loud, holding your stomach. Hyunjin's eyes crinkled as he smiled widely, his plan of making you happy working. "You wouldn't ever destroy paintbrushes." You gasped for air, loosing too much in the process of laughing, "Even if they were owned by someone you hate." Hyunjin merely shrugged at your words. "When it comes to you, my muse-" he embraced you tighter, "I would destroy the night sky to bring the stars down."

[asparklethatisblue]

Hello!

You seem like a being of great taste, so could you please share your favourite feel good movie and show?

(2 and 14)

Well, might I recommend Some Like It Hot? It’s extremely fun and holds up so well given that it’s a movie from the 50s featuring two men disguising themselves as women to flee from the mafia. It’s so fun and has Gender(tm)

For a show? I usually watch British competition shows because there’s no “i need the price money to keep my life from being shit”. Contestants help each other… pottery throw-down or great British sewing Bee is great. That or hmmm… Leverage. Watch that

[stalactites]

work in progress time ❗️❗️❗️

[homoqueerjewhobbit]

If you're tired of Great British Bakeoff fuckery like Mexican Week but it left a friendly-reality-competition-sized hole in your heart, you can also watch the same format but with flowers 💐 (Full Bloom, The Big Flower Fight), jewelry 💍 (All That Glitters), pottery🍯 (Great Pottery Throw Down), glassblowing 🍾 (Blown Away) and woodworking 🪵 (Good With Wood aka Handmade, which even has Mel Giedroyc on it).

There are also like a dozen other bakeoffs in other countries. Canada and Australia are my faves (I haven't watched the non-English language ones yet bc I can't read subtitles during work).

[Don't watch the 1st season of Australia with Kerry Vincent it is a desecration of the Bake Off name worse than anything Paul Hollywood has ever done. Straya completely course corrects after that though. Do watch the first two seasons of Canada with Dan Levy hosting and channeling all his David Rose energy into it.]

If I'm forgetting any please let me know, I am a bottomless pit of content.

[awanderingdeal]

Happy birthday, Finnegan.

I was writing this in the office at work the other day and my manager asked what I was doing and I answered that I was writing a story for my friend for their birthday because I didn't want to tell her I was writing fanfic. So, in true being friends with Lucy style, this is two days late. Sorry! No matter what, the creation of this character deserves to be celebrated.

This is set in an AU universe where the cubs are out.

CW: Food talk and a brief mention of alcohol

Rating: G

Please message me if I missed any content warnings or you think I need to change the ratings.

All characters (except Bailey, she's mine) belong to @lumosinlove.

“Friday night and the lights are lowwww, Looking out for a place to goooo,” Finn spun around the island, the wooden spoon at his lips providing the perfect microphone for his rendition. He halted in front of Logan, laughing at what he could tell was a disgruntled expression despite most of his face being covered by the hoodie he’d pulled tight around it, his hands covering the bottom half. “It’s my birthday, come and dance with me,” Finn pleaded, tugging at the overhang of Logan’s sleeve.

“Non, it is too early,” Logan grumbled. “Dance with Knutty.”

“Knutty is busy.” Finn threw a glance over his shoulder at Leo, smiling at the sight of his boyfriend humming to himself as he moved gracefully at the stove. Leo turned to meet his gaze, his damp hair forming golden curls that Finn thought made him look like a cherub.

“Here,” Leo tipped his head at the freshly prepared coffee. “Coffee’s ready, you can caffeinate him. Just needs sugar.”

Finn pressed his lips to Logan's forehead. "If bring you coffee will you dance with me after?" Logan huffed but nodded, pushing his hands through the holes in his sleeves to receive the steaming cup.

"Okay, deal, but I'm starting the song again." Finn's grin was met with a low groan. After drawing the drink out as long as he could, technically, Logan did fulfil his promise, standing to reluctantly move his body to the music.

Finn saw the exact moment Logan chose mischief, his bright green eyes lighting up even more than usual. "Catch me and I'll dance with you properly."

Finn raised an eyebrow, matching Logan's fast walk around the island. He was the first to risk Leo's wrath, picking up the speed to a jog, and took advantage of his longer arms to close the gap.

"Got' cha," Finn grasped Logan around the waist, Logan's head tipping back in an uncharacteristically bright laugh as Finn reeled him in. "You are the dancing queen, young and sweet," Finn sang loudly, spinning Logan away from him and pulling him back when their fingertips threatened to split.

Logan placed his palm on Finn's chest, letting himself be rocked to the music. "You should be singing this to Leo, not me."

Finn glanced down at Logan and despite the fact no words were vocalised in that moment, their eyes said a lot. In an almost synchronised moment they turned their gaze to Leo.

"Nutter butter," Finn said. "It's your turn to be serenaded."

"Oh no, what a shame, breakfast is ready," Leo smirked, pouring a generous helping of maple syrup over one of the bagel stacks; Logan's. Finn considered protesting, but the sight of his own plate was too tempting.

"The serenading will recommence at a later time," Finn insisted, grabbing one of the plates and carrying it through to the dining table. They didn't eat here often, preferring either the island or the sofa, but today it had been decorated with balloons and presents had been piled at the end.

***

"That was amazing, thanks Le." Finn already missed the stack of bagels; bacon and a poached egg layered between them, and dripping with hollandaise sauce. "Can I know what you've got planned now?"

"No problem, anything for the birthday boy." Leo swallowed a bite, sliding one of the wrapped boxes towards Finn. "We told you, it's a surprise. You can open presents though."

Finn worked his way through the gifts, too many of them from Leo and Logan. There was nothing extravagant but they seemed endless and each one reminded him how much they knew him. His favourite chapstick. A crate of beer from a craft supplier he really enjoyed. A set of massage oils and a promise to help him use them. Some monogrammed golf balls. And his favourite, a handwritten letter from the both of them that he would treasure forever. He read the cards from the rest of the team through damp eyes.

“Can you tell me the plan now?” Finn asked the question again once he’d worked his way through the gifts and the cards. Logan dragged his lips against his teeth, as if he was physically keeping the words from spilling from his mouth.

“Don’t give us those bambi eyes,” Leo shook his head, throwing a balled up napkin in Logan’s direction, the item hitting him square in the forehead. “Don’t you dare tell him.”

“I didn’t say anything!”

“I can tell you want to,” Leo retorted. “We have to clear up first. Put the music back on. I want to dance now.” It was much later that Finn came to recognise this for the distraction technique that it was, hence the three of them were arguing over the lyrics to Montero when the sound of the doorbell rang through the apartment.

Finn opened the door, a bounce still in his step and swaying his hips to an imaginary beat. He blinked at the figure in front of him, closing the door for a second before opening again. “Alex!” Finn pulled his brother into a tight hug, slapping his hand on the broad of his back. “Sorry, I thought I was hallucinating. What are you doing here?”

“I’ve come to see my baby brother on his birthday, obviously,” Alex laughed, squeezing Finn back until he struggled out of his hold.

“But,” Finn spluttered. “You were in Florida yesterday? I saw your Insta story.”

“I caught the first flight this morning, I’ve got to be back tomorrow for a photoshoot.”

“That’s crazy,” Finn said, shaking his head. “You’re crazy.” He tugged Alex inside, leading him down the hall into the kitchen. “Look who’s here!”

“Hey Alex,” Logan thrust his fist for Alex to bump his fist against. Finn looked between Leo and Logan, both of their faces showing no sign of surprise.

“Did you know?!”

***

It took a while for Leo and Logan to convince Finn they didn’t need to come along and he should spend time with Alex, but now they were alone, he was realising exactly how much he had missed his brother. The conversation flowed easily, Alex having almost an entire lifetime of practise at following Finn’s leaps in topics.

“So, I booked us in for a pottery class,” Alex glanced at Finn briefly before setting his eyes back on the road. “I thought you’d like that. It’s very tactile, y’know?”

“Nice,” Finn grinned. “I’ve always wanted to do that. I hope you brought spare clothes with you, because things are about to get messy.”

It was true. Finn had binge watched The Great Pottery Throw Down, so he knew learning to make even the simplest of things would be more difficult than it looked, but somehow the two of them managed to get the clay everywhere.

“Alex, that's too fast!” Bailey, the instructor warned, but it was too late. The clay sloped to the side, thinning out as it flew off the wheel and hit Finn on the cheek.

“Oops,” Alex grimaced. “Sorry, bud.”

Finn sent a mock scowl in his brother’s direction as he peeled the clay from his skin, dumping it back on Alex’s wheel. However, O’Hara’s were nothing if not perfectionists, and the two of them were determined to create something good. Neither of their first bowls came out right; Finn’s was too tall and thin, Alex’s was short and thick. When they tried again, Finn overcorrected, creating something that resembled Alex’s first. Alex’s second attempt was going well until it spontaneously collapsed.

“Third time’s the charm,” Alex huffed, manipulating his clay back into a lump to try again. He was right, giving a triumphant smile as he watched the grey ball transform. His work wasn’t as good as the ones filling the shelves opposite, their price tags indicative of the skill that had gone into them, but it was relatively smooth and definitely a bowl.

Finn whistled through his teeth, admiring Alex’s work. He laughed as he looked down at his own third endeavour, a small stumpy thing that could perhaps hold five Cheetos. “I tried.”

“Hey, no,” Alex argued. “Give it another go if you want. You’re nearly there.”

Finn rolled his shoulders back, pursuing his lips with determination. Alex watched Finn push his foot on the pedal again, his elbows tucked into his torso as he worked the clay.

“That’s it, apply a little more pressure on the bottom than the top.” Alex encouraged him. Finn smiled, his brother was always his biggest supporter. It reminded him of the time Alex had watched him tie and re-tie his shoelaces over and over again until he’d finally mastered it and could prove to their parents that he was ready for that new pair of sneakers.

“I guess I’m not needed here,” Bailey joked. “ You’re looking good, Finn. How about you two wash up and I’ll get those mugs you wanted to paint. We’ll get these in the kiln later and they’ll be ready for collection in a few days.”

Painting the mugs was a much more relaxing process, both Finn and Alex decorating two mugs each, one for each of their partners. Bailey sat with them and Finn watched in awe as she quickly made stencils whenever they needed assistance getting the designs in their heads onto the ceramic. By the time they’d finished, the three of them had come up with an elaborate plan for Alex to get back at his team mate for filling his hotel room with balloons and Finn concluded that Bailey was the coolest person ever.

“Damn,” Alex glanced at his phone. “It’s nearly 4. Let’s get you back to your boys before I start getting threatening messages from Tremblay.”

“Trust me,” Finn snorted. “It’s Knutty you need to be scared of.”

“Crazy goalies, am I right?”

***

“Wait, why are we at the aquarium?”

“You’ll see.” Alex’s smirk was infuriating. Finn craned his head forward, excitement bubbling inside him. Alex rolled his eyes as the engine rumbled to a stop. “Go on then,” he said, tilting his head towards a modern looking building, all glass and sharp angles.

“You’re coming as well?” Finn asked when Alex slid out the car too, locking the sleek black rental behind him. “Not that I mind.I just thought you had a flight to get?”

Alex shook his head. “ No, I’m not staying for long. I want to see your reaction though.”

“My reaction to what? We all know I love the aquarium but I’m not going to explode or anything.”

“I told you, you’ll see.” There was that smirk again.

Finn held in the urge to stamp his foot. “Urgh! You’re so annoying.”

“Love you too,” Alex laughed, pushing through a set of tall glass doors. A sarcastic quip rested on Finn’s tongue, but it shattered as he looked up to see Leo and Logan waiting in the entrance, backpacks slung over their shoulders.

“Lo! Knutty!” Finn jogged the short distance, “I missed you.”

“Glad to know I’m such good company,” Alex deadpanned.

“It’s only been a few hours,” Leo chuckled, accepting Finn’s hug. Finn smiled, lifting his head for Leo to place a soft kiss on his lips. “Did you have a good day?”

“Yeah, we went to this pottery studio, and then we got burgers and shakes like we used to when we were kids,” Finn nodded. Oh! I made you something.” He turned to Alex who had stepped into place beside him, holding his hands out. Alex grunted, but pulled the tote bag from his shoulder, placing two carefully wrapped items into his hands. “Open it!”

“Alright, give us a chance, Harz,” Logan laughed, tearing at the delicate tissue. Leo was much more methodical, peeling back the layers neatly enough the paper could probably be re-used.

“Did you do this?” Leo looked between the mug and Finn. He ran his fingers over the shiny glaze, a dark blue with tiny white stars scattered over. Inside, a moon phase created a border around the rim.

“I didn’t make the mug. We made bowls, but they won’t be ready for collection for a few days. I did paint it though. With some help from stencils. There’s a little note in the paper somewhere.”

“I couldn’t bring you the real ones, but hopefully these will do,” Leo read, his voice cracking slightly towards the end of the sentence. “Finn.”

Logan whined, the sound curling in the back of his throat. “It’s your birthday, you’re not supposed to give us things.” The mug he held had been painted white and the words ‘sweet like honey’ written over it in Finn’s neatest attempt at cursive along with several bees.

“Do you like it?” Finn rocked on his feet and Alex knocked their shoulders together, a small gesture of reassurance. “Look it’s you,” he pointed out a bee that had a small red cap on its head. The French left Logan’s mouth so quickly Finn couldn’t even begin to parse the words, let alone make any sort of effort to translate them.

“He’s mad that you are making him emotional in public,” Leo provided at Finn’s distressed frown.

“Aww, you do like it,” Finn grinned, wrapping his arms around Logan.

“Be careful! You’re going to break it.”

Alex cleared his throat. “As beautiful as this is, I’m going to have to go soon, so if we could do the big reveal?”

“Alex,” Finn almost growled. “I swear I will phone Nat - wait, what big reveal?”

Leo swung a backpack off his shoulder. Finn only now realised he was carrying two, one of which belonged to Finn. “We’re staying at the aquarium!”

“Well, yeah? Why else would we be here?”

“Non, Harzy, “ Logan laughed. “We’re sleeping at the aquarium. Overnight. Under the shark tunnel to be precise.”

“Oh my fucking God!” Finn couldn’t contain his grin as pulled Leo into the hug too, “Is this a joke? This better not be a joke.”

“Fish, there are children around,” Leo scolded. “And no, it’s not a joke. That would be mean.”

Finn let his boyfriends go, spinning around to face Alex. “Al, are you sure you don’t want to stay? This is going to be so cool!”

“I really have got to go soon,” Alex shrugged, a soft smile on his lips. He jerked his head in Logan’s direction. “Somebody count how many times Finn screams though, please.”

***

“Look!” Finn gasped, pointing up at the glass tunnel above where the three of them lay in their sleeping bags. “It’s a nurse shark.”

Logan rolled over, propping himself on his elbow and looking at Leo. “We’re not getting any sleep tonight are we?”

“I don’t think so.” Leo chuckled, shaking his head. He pointed to the tunnel. “What’s the weird looking one, Fish?”

“That’s a wobbegong, they blend into the sand,” Finn answered, curling into Leo’s side. Logan lay back down behind him, having offered Finn the middle spot for tonight. “This has been the best birthday,” he sighed happily.

“Happy birthday, Harzy,” Logan squeezed his hand through the layers of their bags. “Tell us more about the sharks.”

[fandomlit]

sunshine (percy jackson x reader)

requested by anon “Hey, just found you today! I was wondering if you might do a Percy x reader? Something fluffy and the reader is an artsy, music loving, child of Apollo? Percy sees her and suddenly has a new found interest in pottery or drawing or something. His friends (the seven + Nico, Will, and Reyna) notice he’s spending a lot of time at the arts center and call him out/convince him to ask her out. That kind of seems like a lot so no pressure but thank you anyway!”

summary the seven and friends are sick and tired of seeing you and percy tiptoe around your feelings, and decide to push you two together the best they can.

a/n this is super long and im not sorry in the least,, keep those requests coming y’all !!!

gif cred belongs to @pydiasterek​

“has anyone seen percy?” hazel asked, walking up to her friends with frank trailing behind her. “he said we’d be able to spar after lunch, but he didn’t even come to lunch.”

“probably at the arts center,” annabeth said, smirking to herself as she flipped the page of her book.

“arts center?” hazel repeated, furrowing her brow. “since when has percy been interested in the arts?”

“since he caught sight of y/n l/n,” jason snickered, his friends joining his chuckles.

“who’s that?” frank asked.

“apollo girl,” leo said, wiggling his eyebrows as the two romans joined their friends under the tree were lounging under. “she’s super talented. percy walked by the arts center and legitimately did a double-take when he saw her. i didn’t know people actually did that.”

“are they dating?” hazel asked innocently.

“of course not,” reyna said, not looking up from where she was shining her sword. 

“well, why not?” hazel asked, looking around at her friends.

they all looked around, no one seeming to have an answer.

“maybe we should help them,” piper suggested. they all looked to the aphrodite child, who began to smirk. “you know, push ‘em together a bit. couldn’t hurt.”

and that’s how it started.

“hey, percy!” jason called out. the sea demigod had just entered the arena. jason waved his friend over to him. “you up for some sparring?”

“sure thing!” percy called back, heading toward him. as he approached, he caught sight of you spinning a spear near where jason was waiting. he watched you swing toward leo, who immediately whimpered and cowered. you giggled.

“ready?” jason asked. percy’s gaze snapped back to him.

“yeah,” he said, nodding. they both got into their stances before charging at each other. as they sparred, percy glanced back every now and again to watch you and leo fight, you easily overpowering the hephaestus child. one of those times percy glanced over his shoulder, jason took the opportunity to catch him off guard, making percy stumble as he countered and fall back. but before he could hit the ground, something hard dug into his back.

he opened his eyes to see you standing over him with a smirk. “well, hello, water boy,” you said, shaking your head. percy offered you a sheepish smile. he realized it was the butt of your spear digging into his back, holding him up.

“uh... hi,” he breathed. you giggled, pushing your spear forward to held stand him up straight. he turned to you with an embarrassed smile as you leaned against your weapon. “good catch.”

“thanks,” you hummed. “maybe you should stick to swimming, water boy.”

“maybe you should stick to singing, sunshine,” percy retorted, crossing his arms. you let out a scoff, followed by a laugh.

“sunshine?” you repeated. “now that’s just lazy.”

“and water boy isn’t?” he retorted. jason and leo shared looks as you two continued to tease each other, slowly moving away to leave you two alone. they weren’t surprised when they found out nothing ended up happening.

the next day, annabeth invited you to join them around the campfire after dinner, hoping to at least get you and percy to realize the other’s feelings. when you arrived, they all greeted you warmly.

“who invited you, sunshine?” percy joked as you took the seat next to him on one of the seating logs surrounding the fire.

“someone who doesn’t think of such lazy nicknames, merman,” you tutted, shaking your head. he scoffed as you winked at annabeth. 

you all talked for the longest while, telling stories and jokes and enjoying each other’s company. while you two may have not noticed, the rest of the group noticed that you and percy had gravitated closer together during the time you two sat around the fire, your thighs almost pressed completely together after just an hour.

“im gonna call it a night,” will yawned, standing and stretching. nico had slung his jacket over the boy’s shoulders a while ago. 

“that’s my cue, too,” nico sighed, standing after his boyfriend. will grabbed his hand with a smile before turning and pointing at you.

“don’t get back too late, missy,” he teased, winking at you.

“i know the rules, william,” you scoffed teasingly. he chuckled and the couple waved goodnight to the rest of the group. reyna, hazel, frank, and piper followed soon after. that left annabeth, jason, percy, and you around the fire.

“you’re not tired yet, water boy?” you hummed, looking over at percy.

“no,” he shrugged, looking down at you. “are you?”

you shrugged in return, stifling a yawn. “i won’t go to bed until you do.”

“that’s not a good rule to live by,” percy laughed.

“why not?” you grinned, quirking an eyebrow.

“well, you know how im great at a lot of things?”

“you are?”

“i am,” he confirmed in a soft tone that made you giggle. he grinned down at you. “but uh, the one thing im not very good at is sleeping.”

you hummed. “that’s tragic. maybe you should just sleep.”

“you know, i didn’t think of that.”

“i figured as much,” you tsked. neither of you noticed that annabeth and jason had snuck off, leaving you two to flirt and tease alone. the only evident product of success from that night was seeing you return percy’s sweatshirt the next morning. they took that as a small victory.

the kicker was when you were all playing a game of paranoia in jason’s cabin. you were all sat around in a circle on the cleared out floor when piper had sneakily proposed the game. you were all for it. to make sure they could manipulate the game to go their way, the group had separated you and percy. you rested your head in leo’s lap and draped your legs across jason. annabeth caught percy’s stare when you had first looked into leo’s eyes and grinned as you settled in.

“i’ll start,” piper proposed. she leaned over to whisper in nico’s ear. the boy considered, looking around the circle as piper leaned back with a smile.

“annabeth,” he answered. “for sure.” said girl flipped the coin she held. they all watched it land on heads.

“reveal!”

“the question was ‘who do you think would get away with murder’,” piper snickered.

“yeah, that’s about right.”

“i believe it.”

“honestly, she probably has already.” you all turned to the athena child in question. she shrugged easily.

“that’s a woman’s secret,” was all she said, making you all laugh. the game continued on and more laughs were shared. then, it was time for annabeth to whisper to percy.

“lay it on me,” percy sighed as annabeth leaned over, making you all chuckle. percy bit his lip as annabeth leaned away with a not-so-secretive smirk. he kept his gaze trained on the floor in front of him as he considered. he turned to annabeth and asked, “why is this so hard?” you all chuckled as she shrugged.

“gotta answer, though.”

he sighed, still not looking up as he answered, “y/n.”

you blinked in surprise as your friends erupted in whistles. you watched annabeth flip the coin and your heart dropped as it landed on tails.

“damn,” you muttered. they all laughed and you joined. “i really wanted to know!”

the game continued on until it was leo’s turn to whisper to you. you sat up so he could whisper quietly in your ear.

you shivered as he leaned away. “sorry, i got chills.” you laid back down as you considered and they laughed. you smiled to yourself before answering, “will.”

leo nodded. “flip.” the coin landed on heads.

“i asked who the hottest guy in the room was,” leo grinned.

“sun child vibes!” you exclaimed, throwing up peace signs as will cheered. “no? no one? okay.” you leaned forward to whisper to will as they laughed. percy couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. 

the circle went around again, and when it was back to percy, he braced himself for a similar question to the one he received last time. he sighed as he leaned away from annabeth.

“i gotta go with y/n again,” he said, shaking his head.

“i didn’t know we were playing favorites,” jason scoffed, making you all laugh.

“what can i say, sparky?” you sighed dramatically. “you’ve been replaced.” jason placed an offended hand on his heart as you turned to annabeth. “flip, please.”

percy wanted to walk into the ocean when the coin landed on heads, making the circle ‘oo’ and laugh. “uh, i was asked who the prettiest girl in the room was.” he scratched the back of his neck and blushed. you opted to blush as well instead of saying anything as the group burst into ‘aww’s and leo started cheering.

after another few rounds, you all decided to call it a night before dionysus or some other unfathomable thing came to break up your makeshift party.

“can i walk you to your cabin?” you turned to see percy standing with his hands in his pockets.

you gave him a smile. “sure thing, barnacle boy.” he rolled his eyes at the nickname as you two walked out of the zeus cabin.

after a minute of silence, you broke, “so, you think im pretty?” he blushed.

“i was hoping you wouldn’t remember that.”

“who do you think i am?”

you both laughed as he scratched the back of his neck. “well, yeah, i guess. beautiful is a better word for it, though.” you smiled as you both stopped before the steps of the apollo cabin. you knew will was probably watching from the window, but you didn’t care. you only cared about the demigod in front of you at that moment.

“wanna know the question i answered you for?” you hummed. he nodded. you smiled, looking into his sea green eyes as you recited, “‘who would you kiss out of everyone here?’”

his eyebrows shot up, as did his heart rate. “really?” you nodded with your usual easy smile. he looked away from your prying eyes for a second to nod and absorb the exciting information. he looked back down at you and started, “can i-”

“please,” you answered with a laugh, eyes closed as you cut him off. he smiled and leaned down slowly to press his lips to yours gently. he pulled away after a moment. your eyes met his and nothing was said before he leaned down again, this time his hands settling on your waist as you wrapped your arms around his neck. 

the kiss was more intense this time, both of you spilling all of the thoughts and feelings and tension you had held in since you first met onto the other’s lips. and it was nothing short of euphoric. 

but not euphoric enough to drown out the cheers of your friends from all around you two.

[project-paranoia]

Live Watch: Oh My General Episode One

Oh My General has got it all!  An interesting plot, crossdressing, throwing gender norms on a pottery wheel and reshaping them, humour, love, color coded concubines, and bi representation where the joke is about realising instead of about being. Ye Zhao - the titular general - is good-natured, gorgeous, and unapologetically who she is during the series.

A lot of what we cover are boys crying in the snow and then sword fighting each other - because that's a lot of what there is.  It's important to remember that there is other stories that both are and need to be told as well.  Crossdressing, especially historical crossdressing has long been an excuse to explore what it means to be who you are as well as the rights, privileges, and limitations of gender, sexuality, and social ranking.  Oh My General takes these concepts on with all the vigor of the main character and with so much good humor it can poke around the corners of identity in a way that feels refreshing.

* I assume that's a camel skull because desert, but I don't know how much of that Props has lying around. Everyone better beware, especially of the spoilers waiting below!

* Ye Zhao in full armor on top of a hill - remember to hydrate, summer is coming and it's bring the heat.

* The enemy army has arrived in the desert wearing fur hats so you know who they represent culturally.

* Working that high ponytail fashion.  That full face covering is probably great for switching between stunt person and actor, also when she's riding down the hill it makes her eyes black which is a very cool effect.

* Also, she's been guarding the border for 8 years and he doesn't know who she is? I know functionally that part of the script is for the Hyped by Your Enemies trope, but it still makes me laugh.

* Impressive opening fight scene, great sound design, beautiful shots.

* I should mention if you can't stand seeing animals get hurt you might want to skip a lot of the first part of episode one, it's not gratuitous, but it is a battle with horses. None of the horses are actually hurt of course, they're stunt horses and probably having a great time, but still.

* Dramas usually blow a lot of their budget on the opening fight scene and we don't see anything like it again.  Oh My General carries through to the end though.

* She knocked off his hat!

* Dramatic Sand Fight!

* I'm really into cinematography - as you may have noticed - and I love the camera work. Youku has a habit of using good behind the camera people. Wen Jie and Clarence Fok are both listed as directors but I don't know who did what.

* I honestly don't know enough about Chinese martial arts to have an opinion on the skill of the fight scene, but the filming is excellent.  One of the shorthands the series uses to discuss unusual gender situations is camera movement and angles.  The angle of the camera both makes Ye Zhao heroic, it makes her stand out on the landscape like a doll or action figure.  This playing with size an appearance is interesting and a unique way of teetering on the balance of where she does and doesn't belong.

* The sound design is strong and really sells the blows.

* Beautiful beheading

* Ominous hoofbeats!  Who will it be?  

* Of course it's our hero and she's really got a-head in life! (insert drum emoji of choice here)

* She just hocks that head through the air

* Ancient Chinese golf

* I love how serious she takes the game

* CGI bird is a Delight, and I support him

* There aren't that many good solid emperors in dramas.  They're struggling or malicious, or incompetent. I should do a review but do I have time to watch a lot of dramas and movies?  I do not.

* Love the ministers' costumes.  I often wonder about the people who play all those maids and eunuchs in dramas and movies.  I bet there are people who can make a career of it.  I wouldn't mind that kind of job.  I wonder if it's the same with court minsters, the people to stand around the characters who actually speak.  If anyone knows about the extra process for Chinese dramas please let me know!

* Court shade being thrown

* Ah!  When you see a character you'll grow to love but you don't know them yet. It's just heart eyes all the way down.  Do I have type? Perhaps. XD

* These men just love wearing furry hats in the desert.

* I know a lot of classic martial artists don't like wire work, but I kind of have a fondness for elements of something Extra in dramas.  If I wanted to look at real life I would open a window and accept the inevitable wave of depression.  I want something Bright and Fun

* I don't know that it's historically accurate, but there's something weirdly compelling about the emperor's words being translated into slang

* Elder Ye!

* I love how the servants are really aware of what's going on and know how to manage things.  I love and respect Gong.

* Elder Ye once again making trouble

* The ladies, I love them, I adore them

* Why does this man want to watch the general pee so bad?

* Fox!  I love him.  A good and important gentleman!

* ~their bones will melt~

* The romantic fresco, General Ye is having a moment as they contemplate the sudden appearance of a picture of a pretty young man and what that might mean. As someone who doesn't fit into gender norms evenly, seeing a man depicted in a very different way seems to give her pause to contemplate ways that someone can exist in and outside of gender normativity as well as her ~beloved.~

* Sudden foreshadowing memory.

* You know the Emperor's least favorite part of the day is when he asks the ministers if they have anything to bring up

* That moment when a character asks who would marry me to the person who wants to marry them XD

* "No matter how strong a woman is, she is waiting on a man to appear" Is she though?

* It's one things to marry a "project", it's another to be assigned one. XD

* The Empress is just playing dolls at this point XD

* Finally, we introduce the male lead, and the timing is perfect

* It's nice to see gentlemen dancers

* This slo mo scene is so good! This show understands the beauty in the mundane and absurd

* I love this dance scene so much!  The bi energy is unapologetically so strong and I always love to see traditional arts from anywhere.

* The way this backstory is delivered is so good!  I just love this scene, what a great way to end an excellent episode!

[depressedacadamia]

Calm dow- OOF!

Prompt + Pairing: Time Loop au, ‘Feather’ + FierroChase

A/N: I have officialy posted a fic everyday for an entire week! Can I get a medal please *bows gracefully*- Anyway, I had lots of fun writing this and it was partly inspired by that scene in Loki where he gest stuck in a time loop. Hope yall enjoy and cooment! <3 from me!!

Read on A03       WritersMonth 2021      Masterlist

“Um, Alex, you're walking very fast. Perhaps slowing down would be smart-”

“-Shut up! You broke my newest piece of pottery didn’t you?” She snarled, standing so close to Magnus, he could feel her breath on his nose. He gave a nervous smile and a small giggle.

“You sneaky, lying piece of trash!” Alex yelled. Magnus flinches away from the harsh words that came out of his partner’s mouth. Alex had never spoken to him like this before- Had breaking that pottery really set her off?

He watched as she calmed down, setting both her hands on his shoulders. He let out the breath that he had been holding, in the fear that Alex may have tried to drown him and therefore he would have needed all the oxygen possible.

“See, that’s right- just calm dow- OOF.”

His hands flew to his crotch as he collapsed to the floor, groaning in pain. Alex, satisfied that she had exacted revenge, pranced off as if she hadn't just kneed her boyfriend in the crotch.

As Magnus groaned on the floor, his ears picked up heavy footsteps that seemed like they were full of anger. Quickly he scrambled up, reaching for his pendant around his neck, only for it to be completely missing.

“Uh- Jack? Now is not the time to wander off, you know!” Magnus’s voice seemed shaky, however, when he glanced at the familiar shoes and saw that it was his girlfriend marching towards him, he calmed down, happier to see her rather than a monster or a giant.

“Oh, Alex,” He sighed happily, “ It’s just you!”

“Shut up! You broke my newest piece of pottery didn’t you?” Her voice resonated into the hall in which they stood. Magnus frantically widened his eyes before shaking his head. However, unfortunately for Magnus, it seemed Alex was not one to be easily fooled by his childish lies.

“You sneaky, lying piece of trash!”

Magnus flinched away from the harsh words- Why was this happening again? Didn’t Alex already say all of this?

He watched her set her hands on his shoulders and with great alarm, he remembered what had happened last time.

“Alex, Alex,” He pushed her hands away, trying to spare himself the immense pain he could foresee. “Let’s talk about this- Violence is never the answer you know- negotiating, now that’s an answer!”

She smiled slightly, before wrapping her arms around his shoulder. Magnus relaxed in her arms, letting his head fall to her shoulders and inhaled her scent- right before-

“-OOF!”

It seemed that Alex had lured Magnus right into her trap and she quickly strolled away, leaving Magnus on the floor.

“You didn’t even give me time to recover from the other hit,” he groaned as he kneeled, his hands clutching his stomach and his head touching the floor.

Giving him no time to recover from his previous two hits, he felt more angry, familiar steps echoing into the floor which he kneeled on. He watched Alex march in, the same expression on his face as the two previous times. She stomped towards him in a vigorous manner, her eyes zoning in on him.

He scrambled away from her, locking himself away in the corner, hiding himself and more importantly- his crotch- so as to not get painfully attacked again.

“Stop!” he shouted. But before he could scramble out an apology, Alex barked-

“Shut up! You broke my newest piece of pottery didn’t you?”

“Yes! Magnus quickly confessed. “ And I'm so so sorry. I really didn’t mean to. T-Jeff and I were mucking about and it happened to drop when I bumped into it- I’m so sorry. Please, please don’t hit me.”

Magnus watched as Alex’s expression softened. “ Get up.”

Magnus, not questioning anything she ever said -especially in that tone-, scrambled up quickly. He grasped Alex’s hands as he struggled to get up from his two previous injuries in the same place.

“Oh thank you- thank the gods -OOF!”

Alex walked over her boyfriend's crumpled body on the floor, and threw her hair over her shoulder in a fabulous manner.

“Aww, man- you didn't even warn me this time.”

“You didn’t warn me either when you annoyed me,” A familiar snake-like voice hissed into his ear. Flincing back into his safe corner Magnus looked up at the half burnt face that was staring his eyes down.

“Loki,” Magnus groaned, throwing his head back- Of course. Out of every god he could be dealing with, it just had to be Loki.

“I’m not particularly ecstatic to see your unpleasant face either but I musty seeing you in this time loop is most amusing.”

“Is that what this is?” Magnus looked around frantically, alarmed that any second that Alex may return to attack his precious jewels.

Loki let out an unpleasant laugh, that Magnus was half convinced was actually the sound of blood or snake poison being gurgled in his throat- which it was, he wasn't sure.

“You truly are clueless- I honestly am starting to see why my dearest Alex finds it endearing. Like mother, like daughter.”

“What did I do this time?”

Loki shrugged. “ Good question.”

“Are you going to answer it or not!” Magnus cried as he sensed Alex re-approaching as the time reset.

“Hmmm, no!”

And with that disappointing phrase, Loki prepared himself to leave, just as his fuming daughter began to enter- In fact, he would have left if it weren’t for the desperate cry of wait from his daughter's adorably gullible companion.

“Can you tell her not to hit me as hard this time?”

Once again, Loki tilted his head back and this time, Magnus was definite that this was no laugh and instead a cry of pain as he unwillingly gurgled poison- most likely coming from the snake that was dripping above his face. He had thought Loki was genuinely with him but he guessed the previous events -and hits- had affected his mind more than he thought.

“Oh of course. I’ll tell her to be as light as a feather,” he rasped, his throat burnt from the poison.

“Oh thank gods,” Magnus sighed as Alex wrapped her arms around him. “ Oh it’s over Alex, thank the Gods tha- OOF!”

“Lying snake,” Magnus weakly groaned as he he curlked up into a ball on the floor and awaited his torturous fate.

[5-seconds-of-bucky]

Never In My Life (Baker!Shawn)

A/N: I haven’t written in like two months and I wrote most of this in about an hour but I love this it! It may be one of my favorites! 

Summary: You and Shawn exchange pastries for books every week. When your boyfriend dumps you, it brings out emotions you two failed to show before. (Best friends to lovers!) (Baker!Shawn) 

Word Count: 2.4k +

Warnings: Swearing, a *fight* but not really. 

“Welcome to Baker Boys Pastries-- oh, it’s just Y/N,” Shawn said as you walked through the door of his bakery. You shake you head. After all these years, you thought he would’ve come up with a better greeting by now. 

“Dang, I was gone for two whole weeks and this is the greeting I get?” you laugh, walking up to the counter and placing your hands on it. 

“I don’t see a book in your hands so I can’t be bothered by your presence.”

“Bold of you to assume I would ever come without a book. All I want is my free pastry. Your face disgusts me.” 

“Shut up,” he mumbles as he walks around the counter to pull you into a hug. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too, ya goof.” 

“Let me get your pastry.”

“Hey, how long ‘til you close?” 

“Half an hour.” 

“I’ll stick around.” 

A smile came to Shawn’s face. It had only been two weeks since he saw his best friend yet she looked like she had a month’s worth of information to tell him. 

“What book did you bring this time?” he asked as he grabbed a cinnamon bun and put it on a plate. You made the plate for him years ago during a pottery class and gave it as a Christmas present. You were the only person he ever let use it. 

“It’s called Running With Scissors. It’s a really good memoir and I think you’ll love it.” You absentmindedly messed with the trim that decorated the counter. 

“If you picked it out I’m sure it’s great.” He smiled even though you couldn’t see him. He knew that the second you got a chance to sit down and talk to him, you would go on forever about how much you loved it. 

He missed the blush that rushed to your cheeks. He was the only person who actually listened to your book rambles. 

“Here’s your cinnamon bun, my dear,” Shawn said, handing you the plate of warm delight from behind the counter, “and I will see you in twenty five minutes.” 

You took the plate and went to sit at a table near in a corner of the bakery. You planned to finish the book you were reading but got distracted watching Shawn baking. You couldn’t help it. The apron he had on was too cute, not to mention his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and his hair was messy from working all day. 

You snapped out of your trance when he came over to you table, pulling out a seat and plopping down with a small huff. 

“Alrighty, tell me about the trip.” His smile was contagious and you couldn't help but smile yourself. 

“It was fun, I guess.” You smile faded. You were kinda hoping you could avoid that subject.

“What do you mean, ‘you guess’?” 

“Zack called to dump me on the third day,” you sighed, drumming your fingers on the table. 

“What the hell?” he asked. His eyebrows furrowed as he reached a hand across the table to grab yours. 

“Yeah. Said he met another girl and he couldn’t wait until I got home to do it so he just called me.” 

“I’m so sorry, Y/N.” He never would’ve imagined Zack doing something so terrible. He was a decent guy and the two of you made a great couple. At least, that’s what Shawn had been telling himself for the past three years. 

“It’s alright. I’m over it.” You shrugged your shoulders. “I don’t really want to talk about it.” Your eyes said something else, but he didn’t push it. 

“Okay. Let’s talk about the book then.” Shawn noticed how the light immediately came back to your eyes. 

“Yes! I read it a few weeks ago and you are going to absolutely love it!” you gushed, pulling you hand from his to grab it from your bag. Shawn’s smile faltered slightly at the loss of contact. You told him about the book and all he could do was stare at you with pure admiration. 

“Shawn.” You snapped your fingers in front of his face and he snapped up. “You’re staring.”

“No, I’m not,” he defended, but you noticed the slight pink tint that came to his cheeks. “I’m just so bored by all this book talk.”

“You’re the only person who’s ever listened to my book rambles. I’m fairly sure you care at least a little bit.” You rolled your eyes as he continued to stare. “You’re staring again.”

“Why do you care so much?” he chuckled. His heart was screaming at him to tell you just how pretty you looked, but he knew now wasn’t the time. 

“Because it’s creepy.” It was his turn to roll his eyes. “But I don’t mind it that much.” 

“Well if you catch me staring at you in your room tonight, you can’t call the cops.” 

“That is not what I meant,” you say through a fit of giggles. “If I find you at my house in the middle of the night, I will call the FBI.”

“You would never.” 

The next two hours consisted of you talking about the most random things. Stories you had probably told a thousand times but couldn’t get enough of. That’s what Shawn loved about you. Yes, you owned a bookstore, but you were a writer too. At least, in his eyes. You had a way with words that he’d never seen in anyone else. 

You helped him finish cleaning up and he walked you to your car. 

“I missed you,” he said with a small smile. You leaned your back against your car and looked up at him. 

“I missed you too. You wanna come over to my house tomorrow and have a game night?” 

“Hell yeah.” 

“Awesome. I close at 6:30 so come over whenever after that.” 

“Sounds good. Night, Y/N.” 

“Night, Shawn.” You got in your car and drove home. Maybe him being over would help you stop wallowing over Zack. 

~

You were closing shop in about 45 minutes and you could not wait to go home and hang out with Shawn. The bell over the doorway rang, signifying that someone had come in. You looked up from your stool to see Shawn with a box of pizza in his hand.

“Hey, you’re early,” you say, typing something on your laptop and closing the lid. 

“Oh, I can leave and eat this pizza if you want,” Shawn says with a grin, turning his body around to walk out.

“No, no need to do that,” you say with haste, throwing your hands out to grab his arm over the counter. They were to short though, and slapped the counter, causing you to grimace. “You can stay, I guess.” 

He smiled brightly and walked back towards the counter, placing the pizza box down and leaning on his elbows. “You can close early and we can go.”

“Yeah, not gonna happen Mr.” A customer approached the counter with a stack of books and you push his elbows to the side to help them.

“Come on. I’ll start cleaning up.” He made a pleading look and you rolled your eyes. 

“Fine.”

He leaves to organize the stack of books by the door when a familiar man walks in. Zack. He looks back towards the counter and sees you’re nor there. You must’ve gone to the back to grab something. 

“Hey, man. Is Y/N here?” Zack asks from the doorway. 

Shawn glares at him, putting the book in his hand down turning to face him. 

“I don’t think you should be here.” You hadn’t told Shawn how you really felt about the breakup, but he saw the pain in your eyes last night and he knew you didn’t want to see Zack. 

“Where is she?” 

“Zack, seriously-”

“Zack?” you ask as you come from behind a bookshelf. “What are you doing here?” 

“Y/N, I made a mistake. I’m so sorry,” Zack said, speed walking towards you and holding his arms out for a hug. 

You step back with a disgusted look on your face. “What are you doing here?”

“I should’ve never left you. I made a really shitty move back there and you need to know that I love you so much. Casandra was nothing to me and you’re so much better. Please take me back.” He tries to wrap his arms around you and you try to push him away. 

Shawn starts to walk over to you the second Zack hugs you. This wasn’t going to last very long. 

“Get off me,” you say, trying to push him away. You only pushed for a few seconds before Shawn ripped Zack off of you. 

“Look, Zack. She doesn’t want to see you. Get out of here.” 

“Oh yeah?” Zack crossed his arms over his chest, trying to show off the muscles he didn’t have. “What are you gonna do about it, baker boy?” 

“Shawn.” You put your hand on his shoulder with a pleading look. 

He gave you a look you couldn’t read and turned back to Zack, crossing his arms as well. “You have no place in this shop. I suggest you get out before I make you get out.”

“Please, I’m not scared of a boy who bakes cakes for a living. You really think Y/N keeps you around because you’re an interesting guy? That bitch just wants the free cake.” 

He couldn’t say anything else before your fist was in his face. He was taken aback, holding his cheek with a surprised look. “What the fuck?” 

“Get out,” you growled as tears made their way to your eyes, a stunned Shawn behind you. “Get out and don’t come back.” 

Zack left with a scoff, slamming the door on his way out. The books on the shelf next to it toppled over and you sighed. 

Shawn stepped up to you with a worried look and put a hand on your shoulder. “You okay?” 

“No.” Your voice faltered and the tears started falling. Shawn pulled you into a hug, one hand holding your head to his chest while the other rubbed circles into your side. 

“It’s okay. You’re okay,” he said softly. You shook against him and he pressed a kiss to the top of your head. 

The bell rang and Shawn was ready to turn around and fight. It was only a new customer though. “Welcome to Book Nook. Let me know if you need anything,” he said and they simply nodded, walking towards a bookshelf on the opposite side of the store.

“Let’s go to the back,” he said against your head.

You nodded against his chest and let him lead you to an area customers weren’t allowed in. 

“Alright, hang out here for a sec. I’m gonna help that customer and then I’m gonna close up and we’re gonna go home, okay?” 

“Okay,” you say, taking a deep breath before pulling out of his grip. 

“I’ll be right back.” He kissed your forehead and left, leaving you with your thoughts. 

How had you not noticed it? He definitely cared about you the way you did him. The affectionate looks, the staring, the way he was always there for you, no matter what. 

He came back ten minutes later, a sympathetic smile on his face. “Ready to go?” 

“Yeah.” You sniffled and wiped a final tear, pushing yourself off the wall and walking towards him. 

“I can grab some ice cream for you if you want,” he says, wrapping an arm around your shoulders. 

“No, it’s fine. I just want pizza and game night.” Shawn chuckles and leads you out of the shop. “And can we make muffins?”

“Absolutely.” 

~ 

“Dude, if you do that I swear I will literally beat your ass,” Shawn warned playfully as he saw you think about knocking his piece out in Sorry. 

“Please. You’re too scared of my punch to even come close to me,” you shot back, knocking his piece out with a smirk and taking a bite of the muffin you made earlier. Well, Shawn did most of the work. You unsuccessfully tried to eat all the chocolate chips most of the time. “Holy shit, this is amazing.” 

His dramatic shocked face was enough to send you into loads of laughter. When you finally calmed down, you noticed how his face had softened. 

“You sure you’re okay about today?” 

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

“Y/N, you had a full on break down. I don’t want to be rude or push you too much but I don’t want you to hide this from me. You push your emotions away a lot and I really think you need to open up about this.” 

Your smile faded and you sighed. “You know me too well.”

“It’s part of the job.” You giggled lightly at this, avoiding eye contact. “For real though, Y/N. I think you should talk about it. You’re not one to punch people.” 

“It’s just . . . I don’t know. He dumped me over the phone and shows up expecting me to just take him back? And then he hugged me and I just felt so disgusted. Like, it’s just disgusting.” You started to tear up again. 

“Hey, hey, it’s okay.” Shawn moved around to your side of the table and pulled you into a hug. “He’s not gonna bother you anymore. I’ll make sure of it.” 

You put your head on his shoulder. “How are you going to do that? Be my bodyguard at the shop all the time?” 

“If I have to, that’s what I’ll do.” 

You chuckled. “You are the best friend ever.” 

He smiled sadly. That’s all he would ever be to you: a friend. 

 You lifted your head and took a good look at him. His eyes glistened in the light and you couldn’t help but notice how beautiful he looked. All of a sudden you felt an overwhelming urge to kiss him. 

Shawn opened his mouth to say something but you cut him off, grabbing his face and kissing him. It was filled with years of built up emotions that neither of you could deny. 

You pulled away with fear in your eyes and Shawn looked slightly shocked. 

“Shawn, I like you so much. I just . . . I needed . . . I needed to do that.” 

“Y/N, I like you too, but are you sure about this?”

“I’ve never been so sure about anything in my entire life.” 

[goth-girlfriend]

Heyy could I get a matchup please? I’m a pansexual non binary person excepting and loving to all, I have short black hair and I am 5’1. Tbh I’m more interested in the 1A boys but I do love all the pro hero’s and the villains too. I can be shy at first but once you get to know me I can be very chaotic and alt. I’m very open minded and understanding no matter what your situation is and I am very patient, I rarely get angry. I also do a lot of art from pairing to potter and photography, I love to try new things. I also love your work so much and I hope your doing well 💕

Thank you! 🥰 It means a lot! I hope your doing week in this time ☺️💙 sorry it took over a month 😅 but! I’ll make it up to you! And! The other four waiting....and the few in my inbox! Well! I hope you like it!

✨✨✨✨🤍✨✨✨✨🤍✨✨✨✨

✨Denki✨

Kaminari, you wouldn’t think five inches is enough for him to look down and bully you about your height. But...honestly? You couldn’t be mad at it considering it’s what made your friendship with the blonde bloom.

Then again, when you first met him you were kind of a wreck and didn’t have the guts to tell him, “I’m not an arm rest stop leaning on my shoulder.” Instead you let it be, fidgeting fingers and looking ahead until her smiled brightly at you, “SHORT FRIENDS ARE GREAT!” he looked down at you eyes closed, “I should keep you around more.”

Well, after that you were adopted by, THE BAKUSQUAD! Bakugo not really caring, but when Kirishima and Denki followed him around he always made sure to grab you and drag you with them, because “I WAS SCARED AND PANICKED! I DIDN’T WANNA BE ALONE!”

So, for the first and second week he treated you like a quiet kid, mostly starting conversation until you got into a comfortable groove, and he almost died seeing how you really turned out. YOU started to bully him, when he entered his short circuit, the jokes you made, but still, you took care of him making sure he didn’t get into trouble or hurt. At times you’d become a bit impulsive and your chaotic side came out.

“MOVE! IM GONNA DO IT!” You screamed “Y/n! NO! I LIKE YOU BETTER ALIVE!” He screamed. Silence, you moved your head, trying to pull back, but no luck, your eyes moved in panic looking at Denki, his own eyes wide before he started laughing. You tried to move your head regretting it instantly. Your right hand came up, forefinger and thumb pulling at your tongue that was now stuck to the pole you had made victim to your weird antics. “mm thuck.”

you have great goofy moments together, but the moment he hears Bakugo screaming and silence, and then he hears you screaming? Hah, no. All relations are canceled/expired/rejected/blocked/denied/gone. He likes being alive, and right now, you were a threat to his life, so “Oh, uh yeah I got a thing to do in the other ro-“ RUN

he’s more than great full to have you around, your patient with him when he just can’t do something but he’s determined to. Like the month he dragged you of the dorms every night, because “IM GOING TO GET THROUGH THIS HAUNTED HOUSE WITHOUT SCREAMING.” The haunted house opened the first of October, and ended on Halloween, it was terrible, at one point he passed out, another frothed at the mouth, his screams were priceless, he clung to you more than a few times crying about being scared. Decked a few jump scare people, and at least twice went into Pikachu self defense mode and electrocuted the groups of workers around the two of you at least twice. Honestly, you were surprised they let you both keep coming back. But the last day, he managed to only let out squeaks and squeeze your arm and hands but he did it. Thirty one long nights of walking the same halls, jump scares, and voids, mesmerizing the right way of the maze, you mad wit out fine, he was only slightly shook.

Art? Denki doesn’t get it, claimed he can’t draw to save his life and when you watched him try you believed him, BUT THE COMPLETE AND UTTER SHOCK WHEN YOU FOUND OUT HE WAS BASICALLY AN ART MAJOR WHEN HE SHORT CIRCUITED..... you started saving his drawings and sketches, and then you’d show him and he’d be impressed, but completely denies that he ever did it. “Nope, you got the wrong guy, you’ve seen me, I can’t draw a circle.” But he loves to watch you paint, and take photos, but don’t take him to wildlife sets with you. He will get hired of waiting for birds and throw himself on the grass and start sighing loudly and rolling around, “Nothings coming y/n!” “MAYBE IF YOU SHUT UP THE BIRDS WOULDNT FLY AWAY LIKE ITS THE END OF THE WORLD!” Silence, you can definitely feel him staring you, “Well that’s just rude.... you scared off the only bird that was actually here.” Pottery? He watched you, and he wanted to try, the first time he ended up slinging clay everywhere, second he can’t keep his hands still enough, the third time you took pity and ended up like the cheesiest movie scene, but, you were behind him guiding his hands, he became a flustered mess and crushed the almost pot when you spoke to him and he felt your breath on his shoulder. He was blushing and flustered and then started apologizing for ruining the pot... in the end you both together did make a lopsided pot, it now sits in your room, home to your shared black prince succulent. When you brought it home he made anyone who would listen come see his first pot and new child.

⚡️✨✨⚡️⚡️✨⚡️⚡️⚡️✨⚡️⚡️✨✨⚡️

“Y/n?” You heard knocking and groaned getting up off your bed to open your door.

“I brought someone else to meet prince...” the look you gave him was one of ‘Are you sERIOUS?’

You closed your door a bit to look at the digital clock that was hanging just above your desk, 1:37 in the morning...

“It couldn’t wait till sun up?” You asked eyes kinda squinty as the hall light started to flood into your room now that you opened the door wider to let whoever in.

“It’s important everyone knows my new son!” He stepped in and you moved and plopped onto your desk chair.

“Alright, but be careful, you bruised one of his petals last time.” You stretched and looked at your abandoned school work, you looked at it reading the question you had struggled on, and by some miracle, being half groggy and half awake, you read it and the answer came to you. You started to write it down before you forgot. And you were so proud of yourself, until you heard the feminine voice.

“Kaminari, you’re an idiot.” And then a slightly muffled laugh.

You didn’t have a problem with Jiro, in fact you liked her as a friend, she was nice, had good taste in music, bullied Denki with you sometimes, friendly and you’ve never seen her angry or get snobbish with anyone. She was laid back and cool.

But, one thing you didn’t like, was the fact she was slowly becoming the center of Denki’s flirting. Jealous? Nahh....well....no.... maybe a little? Nope, nah that’s not it.......okay yeah.

“Y/n Chan! Jiro is bullying me.” He came and shook you by your shoulders pulling you from staring at your school work.

You turned your head to look up at him. “What?” You asked.

“She called me an idiot.” He pouted and closed his eyes.

You laughed and dropped a hand onto his head, after he kneeled to plead you defend him, “Oh Denki, if you want me to disagree it’s gonna be a long night.”

He pouted at your words but sighed in defeat, until the next words came, “So (y/n), if Denki’s son is in your room does that make you the mother of his son?”

You looked at Jiro a faint blush tinting your cheeks as you registered what she said. You gave a few quiet laughs but before you could say anything Denki became a stuttering flustered mess. Catching both of you and pulling you both out of the conversation that almost started.

“Well! (Y/n)! Well go! A Princess does need her beauty sleep!” He winked at you as he left in a hurry, Jiro just quirked a brow before she told you good night and you returned it as she left. You yawned and got back into bed, before your phone buzzed and you cursed, but the blush on your cheeks wirsned at the flirty text you’d gotten from Denki, you’d think you’d gotten used to it already, but maybe the feelings you thought you’d pushed away never really left the surface.

‘Good night princess 😉 Don’t forget to dream about me 💛’

Cringe yes, but that’s literally the best flirting line he has. Apparently getting comfortable with Denki meant he was comfortable flirting with you 24/7, no hesitation. And you enjoyed the attention and flirted back with him, but things kinda changed when Jiro started to give him attention too.

******

“Mornin’ babe,” you yawned at Denki’s greeting and gave a wave and small smile as you walked to a table and plopped down. You didn’t get much sleep, you finished your homework so now you had the weekend free, but what were you going to do? You stared at the empty table in front of you thinking about nothing, head empty, until Mina came and sat across from you, “So babe huh? Is it official!” She whisper screamed.

“Pfft, just about as official as me being All Might.” You had a small smile, small but genuine. “Boooooooo.” She pouted, “I have my own theories but I really want to tell you this one, soooo! Bakusquad girls day! But... just you and I. Get ready let’s go!”

So, after deciding you’d buy something to eat instead of cooking you got ready and then both you and Mina set off to talk theories and what’s really going on in her head. “So, I think he wants something serious but since you guys joke so much I think he thinks he’s in the friend zone and don’t even deny it I know you like him, I’ve seen the way you smile at all his stupid jokes even I don’t laugh at all of them and I try to be nice. Plus the way you loook a Jiro is enough to show your jealous but he doesn’t see that, I’m pretty sure he thinks you just don’t like her humor or something, but from what I’ve seen your good friends with her when Denki isn’t around so that lets me believe your jealous of his attention going to someone else. Soooo, what do you say? What do you think? And I think he’s trying with Jiro because you guys kinda have similar personalities and hair cuts? Well not really but you know? When your in love you call broccoli Midoriya and a grenade Bakugo but that’s a different story, so? What do you think?” You just stared at her, the takoyaki had with your toothpick just to far from your lips as you wondered if she was right. A shot smile pulled at your lips as you looked down and closed your eyes to let out a sigh, “Well, I won’t say your wrong, I’ve done lot of things but being in denial has never been one of them. I’m not going to confess or anything but I do have one question.” You looked at Mina through the corner of your eyes while your face was still pointed to the ground. “Yes!” She cheered and nodded looking at you with a big smile, “If this is about a plan I’ve got it all figured out so don’t worry!”

You shook your head and faced her completely, “Nope! Keep the plan well use it later but, if I do something about this Denki thing you have to so something about tape boy.” Mina became flustered at your words but nodded, “well, your first lady she smacked you back causing you to slightly choke on the Takoyaki you’d finally started to eat, after catching your breath and wondering around for a bit you both talked it out and it’s go time.

****

The next morning you started the plan (titled by Mina) “Seducing Pikachu” Taking a deep breath you readied yourself to take your flirting next level, he called you babe you had to call him daddy, he gave you a hug you pulled his face down to peck his cheek, he draped an arm over your shoulders you had snuggle closer and hug his waist, he tried to tease you by taking your hand you can’t pull away, in stead you interlock fingers and squeeze, if he leaned into your ear to whisper something you can’t push him away. And we’re you ready? No, in fact you felt queasy, and like you had to bathroom, but with a shove from Mina you entered the kitchen and like usual “Good morning babe!” And the usual flirty wink, but this time instead of getting flustered or yawing you locked eye contact and with everything you had, “Mornin Daddy.” You smiled at him and walked to the fridge to try and occupy yourself. In the background you heard Mineta screaming about the name daddy. You looked at Denki with the same smile after grabbing a juice and he was flustered, red cheeks and it looked like his hair had fluffed up a bit. It’s working! You waved at him and walked to the common room and sat down on one edge and looked at the tv, it was playing some show about volleyball. Jiro came and sat across from you on the other sofa joining you and a few others in watching this show, right now, the only empty seats are the spot next to you on the love seat, or the two seats beside Jiro. He sat by you and was strangely quiet, oh gave him a smile when he turned to look a you, he smiled and looked at the tv, after an hour or two your hands began fiddling with the juice in your lap and you felt a tug at your hand, you felt Denki place his hand on yours usually you’d pull away and punch his shoulder, but this time. You didn’t take your eyes of the tv when your intertwined your fingers and squeezed his hand. You brought your other hand and squeezed his hand between both of yours and snuggled closer to his side and laid your head against his shoulder, he tensed a bit then relaxed quickly. He laid his head on yours and you eyed Mina real quick, you gave you a thumbs up and you motioned to Sero with your eyes and she stopped and pouted. After another hour you started to get up and pull away from Denki. You felt a hand pull at yours and you looked at Denki, “Where are you going?” You titled your head, “Gonna go buy lunch maybe.” He looked up at you still holding your hand, “Don’t leave me.” He said, “Come with me then.” You gave his arm a tug and without second thought he jumped up outside you were cool, but inside, you were going ballistic, inside you were nothing like usual, you were honestly so surprised that this plan was working, with your attention he didn’t even pay attention to Jiro,,,, were you really jealous?

Getting to a ramen place you both sat down and filled our sheets with your orders, casually sitting in silence your phone dinged, “So.... did he confess? Or do women really have to do all the work, 🙄, Sero didn’t understand what I meant until I- never mind, how’s it going?”

You smiled at the message and shook your head.

Denki being curious why you were smiling tried to peek, “Mina is trying to confess to Sero and she says he’s an idiot.” You smiled and turned to Denki explaining before he could see.

“Yeah, I didn’t wanna say anything sometimes Sero isn’t the smartest.”

You felt a smile pulling at your lips, “Yeah, I know someone else who is just the same.” You propped your elbows on the table and placed your chin on your palms. He did the same and pushed his cheeks so they looked chubby against his palms.

“Kaminari,” you called his name in a chirpy tune with a smile, he closed his eyes and smiled before he said your name in the same way.

****

“How good are you at noticing small things?” I asked and tilted my head. “Hmmm, did you grow out your hair?” His head tilted, and he smiled.

“No? It’s been this short for a while.” I dropped my arms flat against the table palms up, “try again.”

“Yooouuuu,,,, are wearing contacts?” He asked. “I’m not blind.”

“Yoouuuuu.....are trying a different Boba?” “No... well yes, but not what I’m talking about......try one more time and I’ll give you a hint if you can’t guess.”

He nodded and squinted at me looking like he was concentrating hard.

“I know!” He took my hands in his and squeezed them, I felt my heart start to race, “You’re fingers are cold, the tips are turning reddish.”

I smiled and looked away and licked my top lip trying to not laugh, “That wasn’t it but a good guess.”

“Then what is it?” He asked pouting.

“Close your eyes.” I said and waved a hand, he nodded and then closed them, I placed my finger tips on the left side of his jaw and tried to pull him closer, after getting him halfway across the table I leaned forward and lightly pressed my lips against his cheek.

I pulled away, and moved my hand away from his jaw.

“I...so think you should try again, I didn’t get the hint.” He looked away with a bush slowly becoming prominent on his cheek.

I smiled and shook my head, silence fell over us as I shifted around, “Another hint huh?”

“Maybe just one... or two... or a few....” he still didn’t look at me hands now fiddling together.

“You know, for a flirt you sure do get nervous when someone actually makes a move on you.”

“Heh, yeah.” He was smiling but not looking at me, “Sooo, when?”

“Do you remember the day, you got sick and made me baby you for a whole week? It was that Thursday, you feel asleep on my chest, and I held you and had to pull the blanket off, I realized then, how much I cared about you, and how much I’m willing to do to make sure you’re okay. I realized how much I love your terrible jokes and cheesy pick up lines, your warm hugs and the face times late into the night, and the movie nights passing out at three in the morning and rushing to class when we woke up late. Holing your hand when you were scared, and bullying Bakugo, honestly, I wouldn’t wanna die at the hands of Bakugo with anyone else. I’m not saying I love you or anything, but if this is what falling for someone feels like...I don’t not like it, especially when it’s you.” I looked out the window we sat by and could feel his stare, I looked at him through the corner of my eye.

“I wouldn’t want to be murdered with anyone else.” He held his hand out and I tilted my head to look at him, I took placed my hand on his and he smiled, before he shifted his fingers and closed them around mine. I smiled and closed my fingers squeezing his hand.

“So? Are you going to ask?” He said.

I felt my brows furrow, “Ask?”

“Ask me to be your boyfriend.” His smile widened.

“You’re supposed to ask me!” I scolded and shook our hands.

He tucked his head between his shoulders, “okay okay, fine.... now you’re going to wait because you yelled at me.”

***

“Y/n!” I turned to look for the person who called my name, “yeah?” I asked and pulled my blanket tighter, the Christmas season was here and I was freezing on the sofa.

“Come look! The snows falling again! And the it’s pretty on the blossoms that are still around.”

“Fine.” I grumbled and stood up, I walked to the second floor windows and looked out. Sero, Denki, Kirishima and Bakugo were all outside, I could hear Katsuki screaming at them while the ran around dropping things on the floor.

They all stopped and moved away as Bakugo screamed at them and took off his gloves, it looked like he was grumbling something until Denki slung an arm I’ve this shoulders, Bakugo brought up his hand causing sparks and Denki to smile nervously before patting his shoulder and moving his arm off.

Mina tapped on the window and they looked at us, we waved when three of the four waved. Denki turned to Bakugo and with a simple blast a chain reaction started and lit up a circle, inside the circle were the words made in very sparse but still pretty blossoms, “will u be mine?” Your phone began to ring and you answered it.

“So, after two months of non official dating, will you be mine?”

You smiled, “Yes, Kaminari, yes.” You swallowed and over the phone you heard cheering and watched to em high five minus Bakugo who was pulling his gloves back on. That night, you spent under the blue keys you two piled high, his head on your chest, and you kissed his head running your fingers through his hair, “I love listening to your heart, it’s pretty, like you.” Your take his face in your hands and kiss his lips or forehead, and eventually would change spots, still cuddling to keep the warmth and love between you while the rest of the world was slipping into sleep or madness.

✨🤍🖤🤍🤍💙🤍🤍🖤🤍✨

I hope you have a good day, and remember to stay hydrated 💙

[inosuketingz]

the sheets are stained with blood [p.1]

( gif not mine )

[ PART ONE ] PART TWO PART THREE PART FOUR Victor Zsasz x fem!Reader Warning: Some swearing and mentions of violence. Spoilers for Birds of Prey Word Count: 1482 Summary: Zsasz survives the ending of BoP and somehow snaps even further after finding out what happened to Roman. Desperate to find a new obsession, he latches on to the reader while meeting her on a heist. A/N; Thought about this after watching BoP and decided to write it for my new tumblr acc. Also posted on my Ao3. Its gonna get smutty in future parts of course but this first part is quite mundane lol. Future parts will also feature some Helena x reader bc I’m a whore for Helena Bertinelli. Reader is a witch-y metahuman and is a part of Wonder Woman’s rogue gallery.

The TV plays the latest news report as you stuff a spoon of cereal into your mouth. The reporter stands in front of some nightclub near the city reporting on yet another death by stabbing.

"... she was found in the back alley of the nightclub last night, her body purposefully positioned in a life-like stance. Due to CCTV evidence from the previous stabbing murder, the Gotham police are suspecting ex-businessman Victor Zsasz to be the wicked man behind these crimes..." An image transitions onto the screen, showing a low quality image of a man with almost paper white hair and dark bags under his eyes. The reporter continues to drone on about the twisted results from the autopsy report.

"Yikes," you say to yourself before you grab the remote from the coffee table and switch to another channel playing reruns of Martin

You came to Gotham a few months back since Wonder Woman never let you have any fun in Boston, even though she's currently stationed all the way in London. You assume you’ll be able to keep away from the Bat's radar while he’s busy dealing with psycho clowns and knife-wielding serial killers.

A soft ping rings from your phone and you glance at the screen. Shipment's called off is all the text on your lockscreen reads. It's from an unknown number, but you know that it's another henchmen of the crime boss you’re working with for the time being. Putting down the bowl of cereal, you pick the cell up and tap in three letters before pressing send: Why.

It only takes a moment for you to get a reply. Got reports of the Birds of Prey being in the area. Better safe than sorry.

“Fuck,” you curse and throw your head back in anguish. You were relying on the cash you’d get from the heist for rent.

The phone dinged again. Meeting at the mansion to re-work the plan. In an hour, be there on time bruja, the new message reads.

Great. You thought all you were going to to tonight was show up at the docks, use your powers a bit, and run off with your share of the money. But no. God forbid you get your way for once.

With an annoyed groan, you force yourself off the couch and into your bedroom. You kick off your plaid pajama jogger as you push open the door. Your closet is over piled with clothes and you immediately regret not picking out an outfit earlier. You are a strong believer of wearing revealing outfits for yourself, and the amount of bodycon dresses you want to wear was overwhelming. Then you remember it’s winter and inches of snow are already forming outside.

To be a hoe or to care about your well-being. It is a conflicting life that you live.

~ ~ ~

You decided to go for a pair of black cargo pants and a turtleneck. The weather won this round. The mansion’s already filled as you park your car based on the amount of luxury vehicles filling the house's driveway. You hated working in big groups- it only led to problems. But, you’re down to do anything for the amount of checks you would be cashing with this entire heist.

Two burly men guard the front door of the mansion. One of them smirks as he watches you approach.

“Look, it’s the witch,” he tells the other and you roll your eyes. “Where’s your flying broom?” He teases.

“Shut the fuck up,” you mutter as you pass the two, pushing the heavy doors with a grunt.

The other guard laughs at your reply. “Careful, Hermione. It’s all fun and games until Wonder Woman comes and drags you out of Gotham.”

You don’t bother to look back as you retort “It’s all fun and games ‘til I cast a spell that leaves you two without your dicks tomorrow morning.” The silence as you continue down the dark hallway tells you they stopped smiling.

Are you actually going to bewitch their genitals away? No. But most people knew better than to assume you wouldn’t.

The corridor is dark, tinted red by the only source of light- an open set of doors leading into a grand meeting room. Expensive pottery and paintings lined against the walls of the mansion, all what you’d expect from Hernando del Rey.

Originally, you actually meant it when you decided to lay low in Gotham. You’d find a nice apartment, steal from the rich, and stay off the news until the end of time.

Then, you were contacted by Hernando del Rey, a Venezuelan crime boss straight out of a mob movie. Though you’re not necessarily a bad person- you define yourself as a chaotic neutral- you are dangerous. Del Rey wanted your powers, and you wanted the money- so here you are now.

You shove your hands into your pockets and swagger into the open doors. A group of about 20 people, men, women, and all those in between, sit at a long table. Some of the faces you recognize, either from previous meetings you’ve had with del Rey or from news reports.

One such face belongs to none other than Victor Zsasz. He immediately stands out from the others with his snowy hair and scruffy beard. He also looks like he hadn’t slept in days, so there’s that. Plus, ever since the CCTV recording of him at the last stabbing was leaked, his face is all you saw on the news.

His tired eyes watch you as you enter the room. You can’t tell if he’s giving you bedroom eyes or staring you down like a predator does a prey. Quite frankly, you aren’t in the mood to find out.

“My bruja!” del Rey, who made his seat at the end of the table, cheers when he sees your face. “The most important member of my team!”

You stretch your lips into an awkward smile “Hi.”

“Please take a seat.” Hernando motion towards the table. “Then we’ll begin.” You glance over in the direction of all the seated guests. Powers or not, way too many of them look like they wouldn’t mind killing you.

“I’m fine standing, thanks.”

Hernando shrugs and begins lecturing about the game plan with the new threat of the Birds of Prey. You only pay half of your attention, catching a few words here and there. You never listen carefully at times like this, since your job is usually to just show up, cast some hexes and head out.

“I didn’t know they let witches in on heists.” You look down and see Victor Zsasz in front of you. His head is leaning back, since he sits facing away from you. Now that you are closer to him, you can see his features more clearly. From the silver teen in his mouth, to his token scars that cover his body- the nastiest being one on his neck that you assume wasn’t given to him voluntarily.

You bend down slightly so you can whisper in his ear, “I didn’t know they let mass murderers in on them, either.” He scoffs and straightens his neck and you straighten your back.

“-Y/N and Victor Zsasz will be the ones going to Hyunwoo Kim’s estate tomorrow.”

Yikes.

“I’m sorry, why do I get put with him?” You confront the boss. “I don’t think our attributes really compliment each other, to be honest.”

Hernando del Rey sighs, like an annoyed parent dealing with a bratty child. “Zsasz will be doing all the work, Y/N. You’re only there to make sure he doesn’t act out. If he does, just use your brujeria to kill him.”

The inside of your cheek starts to bleed due to how hard you bite it to refrain from arguing any further. You’ve never seen del Rey angry and you want to make sure to keep it that way.

From the corner of your eye you see Zsasz is back to looking at you. The wicked smile he wears tells you that this wouldn’t be any good.

~ ~ ~

A tired sigh leaves your mouth as you enter your apartment. The lights are off, just like you left it. It’s pitch black, leaving you blind against the darkness.

You begin to take off your pair of pumps when you notice the energy is off in here. The voice in your head yells that you are not alone. Immediately, you begin to mumble a Haitian spell you learned while in Port-au-Prince once summer- one that allows you to find a foe before they find you.

You’re not even halfway through the first line when a strong force pushes against you and your neck is pricked by a sharp object. Using your elbow, you hit the light switch.

The lights flicker on, revealing Victor Zsasz staring at you with the same look from earlier.

“Hello, witch.”

[illfoandillfie]

Hello! I was wondering if I could get a Month Ahead Reading please? These past couple of months have been very challenging, and I graduate at the end of next month and honestly I am just hopeful for any form of positivity. Thank you!

Here you go love, apologies its so late! 

Week 1: Ace of Coins + Page of Cups + Broccoli (Leadership)

So the aces are symbols of beginnings and just staring out on something new, and the suit of coins (pentacles) is tied with the material - things like finances, and work and that kind of thing. Which means that the ace of coins indicates opportunity, prosperity and a potential new venture. This new venture may be related to your school work or a job/career situation. The Page of Cups is a bit of a dreamer. He represents happiness, surprise, sensitivity, and imagination come to life. This says to me that whatever this new opportunity is, it’s related to something you’ve been thinking about, maybe hoping will happen. If you’ve been thinking about applying for a job in a particular field or starting your own business or maybe continuing your studies, now is a good time to look closely at that and make a start on it. 

The Broccoli card really ties into this with its message of leadership. One interpretation is that you could find yourself in a leadership roll, perhaps within a group work setting or as the organiser of an event/celebration/whatever. It could also be read as an encouragement to take the initiative and throw your hat into a ring (or many rings) that offer possible opportunities for you. There is certainly a lot of potential here so don’t be afraid to take whatever chances are offered to you. 

You may even start to see some of these opportunities appearing during the end of March as well as into early April. 

Week 2: The Sun + Reconciliation + Commitment 

I love seeing the Sun come up in a reading because it’s such a happy and positive card! It’s symbolic of success, joy, celebration, contentment and peace. Early April will bring energy and optimism. Two oracle cards jumped out as I was shuffling so I took them both. Reconciliation of course may refer to a reunion with someone so if a trouble relationship has been on your mind, you may find peace in burying the hatchet. But this card may also refer to just connecting with loved ones, spending time or celebrating with the people you’re closest to. Commitment with The Sun may refer to reaping rewards for hard work and dedication. It could also be a call to refocus on your dreams and figure out what your next steps will be. Of course, I should also mention that commitment could be a sign of someone committing themselves to you, potentially with a proposal, but if that doesn’t fit then ignore it. Because monthly readings can be kind of vague I try to include as many different interpretations as possible and not all of them will fit your current situation. 

Week 3: Queen of Coins + My Backyard (Home is where I make it. I can find sanctuary every day.)

The Queen of coins represents practicality, financial security, generosity and opulence. She is a down-to-earth woman who is loyal to those she loves, who takes care of her family, and is often seen as motherly. But she also has business savvy, and financial intelligence. Which is why she can also be surrounded by luxury and wealth. This Queen of Coins may represent you and your position around the middle of April - the self-made woman, independent and wise. She may also signify a person of importance in your life, possibly an older woman, who desires to help you. She will show you love and/or care, as well as help guide you if you feel stuck or unsure. 

In this context, the My Backyard card could indicate that the Queen of coins is someone you know, possibly someone related to your home. It may also be encouraging you to make a space of your own where you can draw the queen like wisdom and energy from. The guidebook entry says: “No matter where you live and no matter what you call your backyard, place loving energy into it. That can simply mean keeping it litter free and clean. It could mean adding plants of a sculpture. It could mean creating a herb garden or even adding bees. Even if you share this space with others you could create a spot that is yours energetically. One way the ancients did this was to bury a charged crystal or an object they owned in that spot.” Perhaps having somewhere you can return to, even while things are changing for you, will help you stay on the right track? 

Week 4: Seven of cups + Stargazing (When you gaze at the stars you give yourself fairy-focus. Your intuition will flow more freely and reveal what you need to know about your situation.) + Wish Wisely (Use your wishes wisely to manifest your heart’s desire and take practical steps towards making your dreams come true.)

The seven of cups has a couple of different meaning. One one hand it can represent dreams or fantasies, on the other it can be about choices. I feel like it’s a bit of both for you. Earlier we had the Page of Cups card which relates to dreaming or fantasising about possible futures, so it may be that you’ve got that sort of daydreamy energy around you. But, with this being around the time you graduate, it may also relate to the choices in front of you. Finishing your studies is great but the question is what do you do next. This card may be saying that you have a lot of options in front of you but its also a warning that not all of them are good. This is where the Stargazing card comes into it. Listen to your intuition, or that inner voice telling you what you really want, and pay attention to what it’s saying before you make your final decisions. The Wish Wisely card also talks about dreams coming true but it reminds you that just dreaming and wishing for them isnt enough. You need to take practical steps too. Funnily enough, in the rider waite smith deck, the first meaning listed in the guidebook for the seven of cups is “Fairy favours” which I didn’t realise until after I’d pulled the oracle cards from the fairy deck. Perhaps this week will be a bit of a magical one with the fairys on your side, trying to help you see where to go next. 

Week 5: Page of Wands + 8 of Wands + Mystery + Peace

The 8 of wands is a card of rapid movement, quick decisions and breakthroughs. I can see this as an indication that the next month is going to feel as if its moving fairly quickly and before you know it you’ll have graduated. The Page of wands represents exploration, excitement and freedom. I think it makes sense for such traits to appear around that particular event. But this is a card of opportunity and adventure. Although, interestingly, this page is also described as somewhat of a dreamer. Pages are also messengers so it may be that this week you’ll receive news about something important, or related to one of the opportunities you saw at the beginning of the month. 

The mystery card represents the idea that it’s okay not to have all of the answers all of the time. Embrace the various mysteries of life and let things unfold as they need to. And peace is an invitation to bring a sense of peace into your life. It might be with meditation or by taking some time off from everything, or just by spending time doing something you enjoy. You’ve worked hard though and you deserve the break. It will help you find the curiosity and excitement of the page of wands. 

I also drew some more oracle cards as a way to try and get a sense of the overall energy of the month. 

I got you 2 ice cream oracles: Mint Choc Chip (endurance / determination / fortitude) and Pistachio (emotional healing / independence / responsibility) 

It seems as if the lead up to your graduation won’t be completely easy but you have the strength within you to keep pushing forward. The emotional healing part I think could tie in with that peace card and I think this is a reminder to look after yourself as best you can. 

On that note, I also pulled you 3 sacred self care cards. Originally I intended to get 2 but the first one that came out was Connect with your Womb and I wasn’t entirely sure how relevant that would be lmao. That being said, the guidebook does say it could be a mother’s womb OR the cosmic womb and I think it’s more about connecting with your potential for creation, whatever that looks like to you. All the same, if it doesn’t resonate, ignore it lmao. 

Your other 2 sacred self care cards are: Use your hands and Watch a movie. Use your hands relates to creating something physical, be it artistic like pottery or painting, or something more practical like fixing a broken tap or planting a herb garden. It could even be as simple as repainting an old piece of furniture or hanging some nice art on your walls. Whatever you choose, doing something physical with your own two hands that has a tangible result will give you a feeling of accomplishment and a boost of confidence which will help you tackle bigger and more complex problems. Watch a movie is really just as simple as it sounds. Pick a movie or tv show you enjoy or one you’ve been wanting to see, sit down and watch it. Of course, you can turn it into a fun movie night, getting cosy in your PJs with a few favourite snacks, and maybe a few friend (irl or over discord or whatever). If you live somewhere where movie theatres are open it could also be a chance to treat yourself to a solo date night! However you decide to do it, watching a movie can be a great way to slip into fantasy and indulge when you need some time out!

Next we have 2 destiny cards: Courage and Compassion. These are both keywords that will be relevant during the month of April. Compassion especially draws to mind the Queen of Pentacles, so keep it in mind during the middle of the month. And courage is similar to the traits displayed on the mint choc chip ice cream card too. 

And finally 3 Queen songs. I must admit, I originally couldn’t find my destiny cards desk and so figured I’d throw it back to when I first started doing these readings and draw a couple of Queen songs for you and then, right as I was about to take the photo I found the missing deck lmao so I just included both. 

Anyway, your songs are: Get Down, Make Love / Dead on Time / Good Company. 

I definitely suggest listening to these songs a couple of times during the month and seeing how they resonate for you or if there are any messages you can pick up in the lyrics. A few quick thoughts though. Dead on Time has quite a fast pace to it and this immediately made me think of that 8 of wands card and the rapid movement it suggests. Get Down Make Love is a slightly odd one maybe. Initially I thought it might have to do with ~connecting with your womb~ but looking through that deck theres another self care card which is literally just “Sex” so maybe not lmao. Good Company made me think of the Queen of Coins if she is another person who you can turn to for advice and guidance. It may also just be an indication that keeping up relationships and friendships will be beneficial this month. But, like I said, have a listen and see what they make you feel. It might just be that these are all bangers that will help get you moving or feeling pumped up!

[dawnfromzero]

33. a kiss that shocks the receiver ✨ ✨

(originally from this post )

What had started out as a good day had turned great when Erend wrapped up a patrol through the city (had to keep the Vanguard on their toes even in peace time, after all) just in time to run into Aloy, freshly returned to Meridian from the wilds to restock and check in on a few friends (himself included, he was pleased to be informed). Great had turned to excellent when the huntress had immediately agreed to his suggestion that they grab a meal and a drink (or two, or three) and fallen into step with him, a smile on her lovely, freckled face, as though there were nothing in the world she would rather be doing in that moment.

It was enough to make Erend’s stomach flip and his heart flutter, but then Aloy always had that effect on him. One smile was all it took to have him wrapped around her finger, and a single word to bring him running. Better men had been ruined by less, but for all her strength, Aloy was a gentle hand with the people who loved her, thank his lucky stars. The Oseram were well known for the durability of their armor and the strength of their weapons, but Erend had no defenses when it came to the huntress that had so easily snared his heart, and he’d rather bare his throat to her than ever raise a hand in her direction.

The sun fell and as the night finally brought a reprieve to the blistering heat of the day, Erend coaxed Aloy into a walk along the canals. It took surprisingly little effort on his part, and the man wasn’t sure if that last pint of ale had given his already silver tongue an extra edge, or if it had simply made his lovely companion more amenable to distraction; he wasn’t about to question his good luck either way.

Conversation flowed easily as they walked side-by-side under the pale light of the moon, and Erend’s heart felt lighter than it had in ages as he watched Aloy throw her head back and laugh at his latest tale, red hair cascading down her back in heavy waves the man longed to run his fingers through. He knew he was grinning like a besotted idiot, but he allowed himself the luxury of watching her for a moment longer, at least until she got herself back under control and looked at him again, tears of mirth in her bright eyes. Erend turned his face from her in hopes of schooling his expression into something less obvious, one hand absently smoothing his mustache to disguise the infatuated curve of his lips.

Distracted as he was, Erend was caught off guard when he turned back to look at Aloy and found her significantly closer than she had been the moment before, scant inches between their bodies. The shock of it made the man inhale sharply, filling his nose with the scent of her; the ale they’d just drank, the leather of her tunic, and a pleasant blend of herbs and flowers he couldn’t begin to identify. Rattled, heart pounding frantically behind his ribs, Erend tried to ask what she was doing, but the words wouldn’t come, seemingly dried up at the source, and only retreating further when he saw her gaze drop from his eyes, to his lips, and then back up again.

Aloy closed the remaining distance between them, hands lighting on his chest for support as she went up on her toes to catch his lips with hers and Erend wondered if he hadn’t had too much to drink after all and was passed out face down in his pillow at home. That’s usually the sort of circumstances he wound up having these dreams in, after all. But then, he didn’t think he had the imagination to fabricate the way her fingers felt as they curled into the fabric of his shirt, or the pleasant solidity of her body pressed flush against his.

The kiss was forthright and sincere as the woman herself was; inexpert but tender, and completely breathtaking. So much so that Erend forgot to breathe at all until Aloy broke contact, settling back on her heels once more, flushed and pensive as the vanguardsman finally managed to take a ragged, unsteady breath. He opened his mouth to try and speak again, but only managed a croak, making the pretty redhead lift a brow and purse her (wonderfully soft) lips in an attempt to school her expression. She withdrew her hands from his chest and Erend immediately missed them, kicking himself mentally to say something, say anything before she wound up with the wrong damn idea-

“I-… why?” he finally managed to say, voice rough, but a long sight better than the croak that had escaped him a moment before. It wasn’t the question he wanted to ask, but it was the one ricocheting most violently around his, ecstatic, if bewildered, brain like a charger in a pottery shop.

Aloy’s other brow went up to match the first, then relaxed again as she studied his face, seeming to search for the reason behind his question. He had no idea if she found her answer, but after a moment, direct as ever, she answered,  “I like your mouth.”

Erend blinked. “You… like my mouth,” he repeated dumbly, completely thrown by her unexpected answer.

She nodded, the blush across her freckled cheeks deepening under his regard and, possibly for the first time, her gaze darted nervously away from his. “You know-” Aloy tried again, gesturing helplessly towards his face as she glanced back up at him from under her lashes. “-the shape of your lips. The way they move when you talk. How you, uh… smile. I like it.” The huntress recovered enough then to lift her chin in silent challenge and met his gaze once more, as if daring him to laugh at her.

He didn’t of course. Erend was too busy marveling that Aloy had somehow managed to make him love her even more, though if you’d asked him five minutes earlier, he would have claimed that such a feat was impossible.

Still, he was mischievous by nature and, despite feeling like his heart might give out at any moment, Erend couldn’t help but ask, “Oh yeah? What about the rest of me?”

Aloy scowled and he smiled, unable to resist doing so any more than the sun could cease rising in the east. He half expected her to call him a chuff, but instead, she went quiet for a moment, then crossed her arms over her chest and said, “I like that too. For some reason.” Erend’s smile widened into an outright grin and she quickly added, “All-mother only knows why, th-”

This time, it was the huntress caught off guard as her would-be prey stepped in close and silenced her with another kiss. Erend didn’t wrap his arms around her out of concern that he might scare her off (or get punched), though that didn’t stop him resting one hand along her jaw so he could sweep the pad of his thumb across the swell of her cheek. Aloy was totally still for a moment, long enough that Erend nearly pulled away, worried that he’d misread her, but then her lips were moving against his, mimicking the gentle coaxing movement of his own. He’d long suspected Aloy was inexperienced, but as in everything the woman put her mind to, she was a quick study, and it wasn’t long before Erend found himself questioning his initial assessment on the matter.

They parted after a minute and Erend knew he was grinning like a fool, but he couldn’t bring himself to care, not when Aloy was smiling right back at him; sweet and shy but thoroughly pleased with herself.

“I like your mouth too, just for the record,” he informed her.

Aloy laughed, then got an impish look in her eye that made Erend’s heart leap alarmingly and beat a frantic tattoo against the inside of his chest. “Good thing,” she said, then planted her palms on his chest and pushed gently so the man was forced to take a step back, and then another, until he found himself pressed up against the nearest wall. Erend swallowed thickly, all his funny, clever words leaving him again as Aloy regarded him almost hungrily, and he wondered at his good luck as her hands slid up to his shoulders until her arms could wind around his neck and pull him down into another kiss. It was deeper this time, more demanding, but as he slipped his arms around Aloy’s waist and pulled her in flush against him, she found Erend was more than happy to give the woman he loved everything she wanted and more. 

[enbyleighlines]

What about if nhs had a Little exhibit of his photos? And it's still early days for qingsangcheng (is that right? Or I guess it's more sangcheng & qingcheng right?). Anyway. It's early days for those three, and nhs only mentioned it off hand to jc but the two of them show up to support? 📸

Awww, so many wholesome prompts! Thank you, anonymous, for sending me a request. I love writing about my fav head-shaker~

—

It’s the first night of the nature photography exhibit at the local art center. The building used to be a wool mill, and half of the rooms are either in renovation for various tech companies, or still waiting to be bought. But the basement has been turned into an art studio, which hosts both pottery classes and the occasional art exhibit.

It’s not a high honor, to be included in this haphazardly prepared exhibit. Nie Huaisang knows this. And yet they can’t help but be nervous.

Nie Huaisang stands in front of the folding panels that display their photographs. They’re primarily shots of different local birds, with the occasional deer, fox, or raccoon. Nie Huiasang’s favorite photo is enlarged and framed. It was taken near sunrise, with a great white heron dipping its beak into its own reflection in the river. The colors are especially vibrant, due to the early morning glow.

When people stop to stare at it, Nie Huaisang feels the pride all the way down to their toes. They’re standing nearby, to answer questions about their methods and equipment. And, of course, to try to sell their work.

That last bit turns out to be harder than Nie Huaisang expected. They eagerly chat up any passerby who lingers at a particular picture, describing the story behind it, and dropping subtle hints about where it might look the best hanging up in their home. But though most people laugh and listen with interest, very few actually buy anything.

Even the heron kissing its reflection, Nie Huaisang’s magnum opus, remains unsold.

At least Nie Mingjue stops by around noon, which lifts Huaisang’s spirits. Though their Gege doesn’t possess a single artistic bone in their body, he pointedly gives each individual photo a long look.

“You did good,” he says, and pats Huaisang on the head.

Nie Huaisang chuckles into their hand. They will never stop being amused by their Gege’s stilted attempts at being supportive.

But then Nie Mingjue has to leave for work, and Huaisang is left alone once more.

Another boring hour passes without much to comment on. Nie Huaisang manages to sell a couple of postcards with songbirds on them, but they’re not exactly wracking in the dough.

Money isn’t really a huge concern for Nie Huaisang. That is, they come from a comfortably well off family. Huaisang’s parents and Gege would happily pitch in if Huaisang ever needed it. After all, it was Mingjue who convinced their Fuqin to pay the entirety of Huaisang’s college tuition. But Nie Huaisang doesn’t want to need their help, now that they’ve graduated. They want to prove that they can survive off of their art, that their BA in Photography was worth the heavy investment.

Unfortunately, so far Huaisang has not been able to live off their photography alone. They also have to work part-time at an arts and crafts store, which so far has been less exciting that Huaisang had expected.

That’s just how retail works, Wei Wuxian often said. He and Wen Ning also had to take on customer service jobs.

But maybe that was just a necessary part of being an artist. Perhaps all artists had to struggle before they could blossom. At least, those are the type of thoughts Nie Huaisang tells themself, to make the frustration more bearable.

Nie Huaisang is just starting to go down that mental rabbit hole again, but they hear their name being called.

“Huaisang, hey!”

Huaisang whirls around, surprised to first hear and then see their boyfriend Jiang Cheng.

They’ve only been dating a little over a month at this point, and Nie Huaisang had only mentioned the exhibit in passing. Again, it wasn’t exactly a high honor, to be included in such a rinky-dink exhibit. So there was no need to ask Jiang Cheng to come.

Yet there he is. And he brought Wen Qing.

The two walk arm in arm. They are a good looking couple, though they still avoid labeling themselves as such. Jiang Cheng is all sharp edges and tightly coiled muscle, while Wen Qing has soft curves, with a relaxed, confident posture.

Nie Huaisang, meanwhile, feels like a gangly stick bug in comparison.

“You came,” Nie Huaisang says, brushing aside that unwelcome, unnecessarily self-deprecating thought. Jiang Cheng seems to like the way they look just fine.

“Of course I came,” Jiang Cheng replies. He sounds offended at the idea that he wouldn’t come.

“Are these yours?” Wen Qing speaks up unexpectedly. She detaches herself from Jiang Cheng to get a closer look at the photos. “All of these?”

“Everything on this side of the panel, yes.”

Wen Qing stares down a deer that is facing the camera. “Look at that,” she says, “How beautiful. This deer lives around here?”

“Yes,” Nie Huaisang confirms, “All these pictures were taken locally.”

“Talented, aren’t they?” Jiang Cheng says, throwing an arm around Huaisang’s shoulders. He points off to a picture of a fox. “I was there for that one.”

Nie Huaisang tries to stifle a giggle and winds up snorting. “You mean, you were asleep in the tent.”

“Oh,” says Wen Qing, understanding, “is this from that time you two went camping together?” She studies the fox photo, even bending down to get a better view. “Maybe I should come next time. I want to see a fox.”

“That was a rare chance encounter,” Huaisang rushes to tell her, “I can’t guarantee any fox sightings in the future.”

But Jiang Cheng latches onto the more important aspect of Wen Qing’s words. “Wait, you’d go camping with us? Seriously? I thought you said you hated camping.”

Wen Qing shrugs. “I hated camping as a kid,” she says, without tearing her gaze away from Huaisang’s photographs, “But that was mainly due to the fact that I’d be forced to interact with Wen Xu and Wen Chao. Also, the adults would stay up late drinking and then spend the days in their beds with horrid hangovers, so I’d be left babysitting all the younger kids. Neither of those factors would come into play if I went camping with the two of you.”

Jiang Cheng hums, a short sound to acknowledge the weight of Wen Qing’s words without making a big deal out of them.

Huaisang throws in a cheery, “We’d love to have you tag along,” to lighten the mood.

Jiang Cheng presses a kiss to Huaisang’s temple. “We would,” he agrees.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Wen Qing says. She moves to the great white heron, in its magnificent frame. “Wow,” she breathes out a sigh of wonder, “This is yours, too?”

“It is!”

Jiang Cheng squeezes Nie Huaisang to his side. Presumably, it’s to show his pride.

Nie Huaisang finds themself melting into the one-armed embrace. Leaning against Jiang Cheng’s warm, solid torso always fills Huaisang with a strong sense of comfort. Jiang Cheng’s fingers curling into the fabric of Huaisang’s shirt provokes a different, equally pleasant feeling. Huaisang feels desired. And being desired makes Huaisang feel like they’re capable of moving mountains.

Wen Qing slowly, almost reluctantly, turns away from the photo. “How much are you selling this one for?”

A shard of hope pierces Nie Huaisang’s heart. They attempt to ignore it as they answer, “Forty-five, with the frame. Thirty without the frame.”

Wen Qing arches a brow at Jiang Cheng. “What do you think?”

Jiang Cheng’s face scrunches. It’s adorably evident that he doesn’t understand the question. “What do I think about what?”

“Do you think I should buy it?”

That shard of hope wedges deeper into Nie Huaisang’s chest.

Jiang Cheng steps away from Nie Huaisang to get a better look at the photo. “You should,” he answers, “if you want to.”

“I do want to.” Wen Qing’s gaze is back on the heron. “I’ve been looking for something to cover that nasty hole in the bathroom wall.” Then, without prompting, she tells Huaisang in an aside, “It was already there when I moved in.”

Nie Huaisang nods wordlessly. They’re more focused on the possibility of making a sale, though they try to keep the greed from showing on their face.

“I’ll take it,” Wen Qing decides, “With the frame, please.”

“Of course!” Nie Huaisang rushes to their large canvas bag, where they have several copies of the print stored. Then they take a frame from a nearby box, and summon all of their focus so that they can slide the photo within the frame with steady fingers.

Huaisang can feel two pairs of eyes on them, but that doesn’t phase them. Over the two months they’ve been dating Jiang Cheng, Nie Huaisang has grown incredibly comfortable around the both of them. Of course, Jiang Cheng has been a casual acquaintance of theirs since high school. So, to a certain extent, Huaisang was already comfortable around him. But Nie Huaisang wasn’t expecting to get so close with Wen Qing. Especially since they were sharing a lover. And yet here they are.

“Finished,” Huaisang announces once they’re done. They gently transfer it to Wen Qing’s care.

In return, she gives them the cash. “Thank you,” she says, “I can’t wait to hang it up. In fact, I think I’m going to go home and do that now. Jiang Cheng, are you sticking around?”

Jiang Cheng looks at Nie Huaisang and nods. “Yeah, I think so.”

“Alright.” Wen Qing gives them both a wave. “I’ll text you later,” she tells Jiang Cheng, “We should go out to dinner tonight, the three of us. I’ll pay.”

“Okay,” Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang respond in unison. They share a look.

Nie Huaisang giggles. “I’d like that,” they add, but while facing Jiang Cheng, “And then we can watch a movie at my place, if no one has to get up early tomorrow.”

Jiang Cheng’s face softens a bit. “That sounds nice,” he admits, almost like it’s an embarrassing confession.

“It’s a plan, then.” Wen Qing steps forward and tugs Jiang Cheng by his collar into a passionate farewell kiss. She makes it look like they’re parting for weeks, and not just for a couple of hours.

Then again, Jiang Cheng isn’t any better.

One thing Nie Huaisang has noticed from watching Jiang Cheng kiss Wen Qing, is that he tends to look like he’s in pain. Or maybe he’s just concentrating really hard. Huaisang doesn’t know why it happens, only that it’s super cute.

Finally, the two part, and Wen Qing strides off with her framed photo.

“You don’t actually have to stay,” Huaisang tells Jiang Cheng, “It’s pretty boring, just standing here all day. I promise I won’t hold it against you if you leave.”

But Jiang Cheng shrugs his shoulders. “I want to stay, at least for a little while longer,” he says, “Keep you company.”

It’s said so softly, so cutely, that Nie Huaisang has to squee quietly to themself.

Jiang Cheng must hear the sound, because the skin beneath his eyes turns a purplish red color. “It’s not that big of a deal,” he scoffs.

“Still,” Huaisang says, “Thank you.” They pop up on their tiptoes to give their boyfriend a kiss. “I love you.”

That makes Jiang Cheng choke, as it usually does. One day, Huaisang hopes, Jiang Cheng won’t look so taken aback every time he hears the L word. But, even in his shock, he manages to echo back: “I... I love you, too.”

[onlycags]

Mutlu Noeller (Merry Christmas) | Çağlar Söyüncü

Christmas Day

It was Christmas Day and the whole team was coming over to James’s flat in thirty minutes. The coffee that you had brewed over an hour ago was already gone, and the second pot was brewing. You were glad you had convinced him to let you spend the night last night so you didn’t have to pace around your flat for two hours. You had been up since six, unable to sleep because of nerves and excitement.

You were mostly nervous to see him - Çağlar Söyüncü , your best mate James Maddison’s teammate and your current crush. He was your closest mate on the team, aside from James, and, while you didn’t want to ruin your friendship with your feelings, you also wanted to drag him under the mistletoe and kiss him senseless.

The oven dinged and you jumped, jolted from the fantasyland in your head. Finally! The oven had preheated and it was time to put the cinnamon rolls in. You popped both trays in and set the time for fifteen minutes. Grabbing powdered sugar and the peppermint schnapps, you started making the icing.

The sound of the door opening got your attention, and you looked up just in time to lock gazes with the man you couldn’t stop thinking about.

“Merhaba,” you greeted him in his native language. “Mutlu Noeller!”

You had taken up learning Turkish for fun - Czech and Hungarian were already in your language arsenal and you got bored - but seeing Çağlar’s face light up whenever you spoke to him in Turkish made you keep learning. It was almost like it was your own secret language, as very few people in the U.K. seemed to speak it.

Çağlar smiled back at you and the nerves returned. “Is anyone else here?” He asked in Turkish, and you shook your head. James had texted saying he was on his way, but you figured he would be late like he had always been to holiday gatherings when you were growing up.

You turned back to mixing the icing, trying desperately not to watch the six-foot-two footballer who was standing in your kitchen looking more delicious than the cinnamon rolls you were making. Coming around from behind the countertop, you stood face-to-face with him. Before you could say anything, he wrapped you up in a hug. Instinctively, you wound your arms around his neck, wishing you could thread your fingers through his soft hair. You were average height for a woman, but you secretly loved how Çağlar’s large frame made you feel safe and protected.

The hug ended, much to your disappointment, but when the two of you broke apart, he kept his hands on your waist. You knew you were blushing like crazy, but you didn’t care.

“Senin için,” he whispered, his use of Turkish sending shivers down your spine no matter how many times he spoke it. “Mutlu Noeller, [Y/N].” He handed you a small, wrapped gift and your fingers brushed.

“For me?” You whispered in English, your voice the same volume as his. He nodded, biting his lip. “Teşekkürler, Çağlar.” He ducked his head and looked away from you, seemingly shy.

You unwrapped his gift to you and gasped when you saw what it was. Inside was a jersey with his name and number on it.

As James Maddison’s best mate, you had both his Leicester and his England NT jerseys that you wore to matches for both, but you didn’t have anyone else’s. You had the biggest smile on your face as you picked the jersey up from the box, letting the packaging fall to the floor. You couldn’t quite put it into words, but the significance of it had your heart racing. “I love it!” You exclaimed in Turkish, pulling him in for another hug.

The hesitance in his voice was evident as he explained in Turkish, “You don’t have to wear it, but I wanted to give you something to show my appreciation for everything you’ve done for me this year.”

By that he meant the fact that you had somehow become his de facto translator over the past year. Sure, the team was giving him English lessons, and there was a translator on hand during matches, but if he ever wanted to speak Turkish, you were the first person he came to. “Of course I’ll wear it,” you replied, meeting his gaze. Chances were you would wear it to bed, pretending that the body pillow you spooned every night was him. “I have something for you, too, hold on.” You walked away from him into James’s bedroom, feeling a bit cold at the loss of contact. The piece of pottery you had made in your class felt much less significant now that Çağlar had given you his jersey. You held the aforementioned garment up to your face and inhaled. It smelled like him, and you couldn’t help but smile to yourself.

Realizing you were keeping Çağlar waiting, you grabbed the pottery and ran back out to meet him. Your face fell when you saw James chatting with Çağlar - you hadn’t heard your mate come in, and while you were glad to see him, you had missed the opportunity to give him his gift in private. “[Y/N]!” Madders greeted when he saw you, pulling you in for a hug.

“Hey, Madders, you’re back early! Merry Christmas!” You laughed as he spun you around. “Where did you go? You were gone when I woke up.” The puzzled look on Çağlar’s face made you pause, but you brushed it off since you couldn’t tell if it was jealousy or just English confusion.

“I went for an early jog. Is this for me?” He asked, spying the piece of pottery in your hand.

“Nope!” You responded, flicking your gaze over to Çağlar. “For you,” you said, switching to English since Madders had arrived.

The look on his face took away all your doubts about your gift. “You made this?” He asked in Turkish.

“Evet,” you confirmed, switching back to Turkish for this personal conversation that you didn’t want Mads to understand. “When it was finished, it made me think of you.”

He smiled at you and the butterflies returned. You turned your attention back to the kitchen to avoid giving away your feelings about the Centerback to your best mate. There was still ten minutes on the timer, and you wanted to get everything ready. After all, about twenty more footballers would be descending on James’s flat in the next twenty minutes.

You and James worked in tandem, him getting the plastic utensils and you grabbing the plastic plates - there was no way you were going to use anything that needed to be washed, other than the pans holding the cinnamon rolls. A couple times when you looked up, you caught Çağlar watching you with something in his eyes that you couldn’t quite place.

Twenty minutes later, the flat was filled with rowdy players, and you smiled as you looked around at the group of guys that had welcomed you as one of their own. Ben Chilwell and Kasper Schmeichel were horsing around while Evans and Vardy played an intense round of FIFA. You got up to get more coffee; when you realized it was empty, you started preparing another pot. As you were impatiently waiting, you felt a familiar pair of arms wrap around your waist. “Great party, Love,” James complimented, giving you a friendly kiss on the cheek.

“Thanks, Mads. Thanks for letting me work my magic.”

He released you, his focus shifting to the rapidly-filling coffee pot. “You always did throw great parties - why wouldn’t I let you crash my kitchen?”

The coffee finally made, you poured yourself and Madders cups. James gave you another kiss on the cheek as a thank you, and as you turned your attention back to the room, you didn’t miss Çağlar’s hard gaze before he turned and stalked out the side door that led to the balcony. You seemed to be the only one who thought that something was wrong, and you quickly followed the Turk outside.

It was colder than you had expected, around 8 or 9 Celsius, and you shivered involuntarily as you stepped out on to the balcony. “Çağlar!” You called out, both hands gripping your mug.

“[Y/N]?” He asked, turning around to face you, his features hard. “What do you want?”

His use of English surprised you, rendering you speechless for a moment before you regained your head. When you spoke, your voice shook and you hated how meek you sounded. “I just wanted to check on you. One minute, you seem to be enjoying the party, and the next, you’re storming out here, angry. What’s wrong?”

He muttered something in Turkish that you were too slow to catch and turned away from you again. In a brief moment of confidence, you set your mug on the outdoor table you had convinced Madders to get when he had first moved in, and enveloped Çağlar in a hug from behind. In a last-ditch effort, you switched to Turkish, muttering, “Konuş, lütfen.” Talk to me, please.

In a flash, your hands were ripped from his waist and he turned to face you. Hurt and anger etched across his face, and you wanted to do whatever you could to make it all go away. When his spoke, his Turkish was rapid-fire, and you struggled to keep up. “Talk to you?! Really? Why would I talk to you about this so you can go run back into your boyfriend when this is all over like nothing happened?!” The fire in his eyes burned you so badly you were no longer cold.

“Boyfriend? What the hell are you on about, Çağlar?” You shouted back, getting angry.

His jaw clenched and he looked off somewhere before muttering. “Maddison, obviously. I saw the two of you together just now. You don’t have to hide it, you know.”

“Madders and I have been friends since primary school, you idiot! We have never been interested in each other like that,” you huffed, out of breath as though you’d just run a marathon. “Besides, it isn’t him I’m interested in.” Your eyes widened as you realized what you had just said, but you decided not to back down. You took a step towards him, your hand reaching out to cup his cheek. You mentally catalogued the feel of his stubble underneath the pads of your fingertips, thinking for sure this was the only time you would ever get the chance. For a second, you contemplated telling him your feelings in English, but thought better of it. This was something you wanted to share with just him, and you were sure the rest of the team was probably glued to the window. “Seni istiyorum - sadece seni, Çağlar.” I want you - only you.

Before you could register what was happening, his lips were on yours; his hands on your waist holding you in place. You thread your fingers through his hair the way you had wanted to the past few months, swallowing his moans of approval at the contact. His calloused hands slipped under your jumper, goosebumps erupting over the flesh he touched. When you finally broke apart for air, he rested his forehead against yours and whispered, “Ben de seni istiyorum sadece sen, [Y/N].” I want you, only you, too.

The two of you stayed outside a bit longer, wrapped up in each other, speaking Turkish in between kisses. When you both walked back inside, you slipped your hand in his. You would both be answering plenty of questions over the next few hours, but you would savour the moments until it was time.

Çağlar pulled you into his lap as he sat down in a chair at the table. “Mutlu Noeller, [Y/N],” he whispered, pressing a kiss to your temple.

“Mutlu Noeller, Çağlar.”