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#pretty much everybody else it's gonna be one extreme or the other RIP
colourstreakgryffin · 8 months
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hii! could u write headcanons of Alastor x Male (preferly) Overlord Reader who is the opposite of him? Rarely smiles, isn't very chatty and is rough? and since Alastor loves dancing and singing, maybe Reader is shy about it and doesn't like the way he dances and sings?
You know what! I am gonna kill two birds with one stone and make us an Ink Demon! Overlord. So, we’re basically like Baby Bendy from the second BATIM game. Don’t know it? Look it up. One side is harmless and adorable and the other side is monstrous and vicious— however. Here, it’ll just be causal demon form than evil demonic Ink Demon form! Anyway. Let’s goooo. I’ve been doing a lot of GN for Alastor, this time we got a man! I don’t know if you want us to be romantic, I am just gonna guess platonic
Alastor- Follow Me
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You look pretty cute and friendly. Black and white, cartoony, with adorable stereotypical demon features like arch-like horns and a long-thin tipped tail. Most importantly, your entire body is made of ink. Only your clothing is touchable, otherwise, your ‘skin’ is so soft, liquidity and stains anything it touches. For that reason and one more, you harden yourself up and avoid conversation
Alastor, the Radio Demon, is not a fan of making friends with men. He prefers women, they are just easier to talk to. However, you’re not as vile and unlikeable as most men with your personality is. You’re the strict, stern, responsible one of the Overlords, ordering the other Overlords to pay attention to Camilla Carmine
Alastor doesn’t know why but he finds you interesting
Your uncontrollable Ink Demon side is extremely violent and merciless so you had to develop a thick shell, in order to make sure nothing can make it trigger at random. It’s too much of a risk, hence why you behave in the way you do. It’s a self-defence mechanism and it’s a protection method to everybody else around too
Alastor doesn’t even care that you’re untouchable. He will touch you anyway, getting annoyed by the black ink forming your body in a in-fact, solid fashion, getting onto his sleeves or hand but he ignores it to converse with you
Alastor also ignores the gruff warnings you give out when he approaches you. That you’re dangerous and that the Ink Beast will try rip him to pieces if it’s let out. If anybody thinks Alastor would be scared of the Ink Demon, they have another thing coming. He’d actually like to face off this Ink Beast one day
It looks like, to every other Overlord, that Alastor is talking to a brick wall when he talks to you. Since you’re not responding not even looking at him, just focusing on Camilla and her statements with the most bland and rough expression, not a single hint of a grin. You’re the opposite of Alastor and yet, he’d like to befriend you
Alastor keeps trying and trying without even halting. He’s quite the persistent man and when he wants to befriend somebody, he won’t stop until he gets what he desires and at this moment, it’s to make friends with you, rather you shut him down and bark at him to stay away
Alastor finds your overall appearance cute. You look like you were drawn for a kids cartoon in the early 19th century. Possibly around his own time of the 1920s-1930s. You’re bendy and mendable, you defy all laws of logic and have cartoon physics on your side. You’re like if a kids cartoon demon tried to be a big bad mafia boss and ruled a part of Hell itself, and he isn’t filtered when it comes to this opinion. He straight up tells you all that
Alastor, overtime, ends up succeeding like the little I don’t take no for a answer brat he is in getting you to agree in joining him out to the Hazbin Hotel and accompanying him for a nice little tour. Throughout the tour, he notices that some music in the Lobby is blasting and without even hesitating, he drags you over to join him into a dance
“Come, my dear sir. Let us dance this tension away!” Alastor chimes out rather excited, immediately leading you into a half-messy dance performance with him as the head. You just stumble along, slightly gritting your fangs in discomfort but it won’t be acknowledged by Alastor in the slightest. All he cares about is putting a smile on your face
Alastor laughs warmly as you attempt to try keep up with him during this dance he had dragged you into. You’re clearly quite timid, not enjoying the way the Deer Overlord dances and sings but you either don’t care enough to shut him up or you are too kind to try shut him up
Alastor likes to tease you about your behaviour and your looks. He isn’t frightened or intimidated at all by your beast side and you’re too colourless and squishy to be scary, he does actually view you as a wonderful friend. Even whilst you’re cold and dismissive, he can get you to acknowledge him and be polite to him so it’s a win for Alastor in the end
It’s been a long time since Alastor got a male friend so he can be more crude and snarky with you, without actually needing to be sensitive, like with his women friends
“My good fellow. You don’t need to act so broody. Smile now, you’re safe and whatever you are worried about, it’s not going to do anything to you or me or anybody in this Hotel”
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tetradynasty · 6 months
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So, the most recent arc of UU has fired off some sparks in my head.
I think that Nico and Ichico and their whole tragedy mirrors Rip, Latla, and Leila’s tragedy to a fair extent.
The broad strokes are the same in loop 100. The will-be negators are deeply in love with someone who dies shortly after they awaken their Negations. Rip and Latla actually cause the death with their powers, while Nico just gets his incidentally, but it’s close enough.
I think that in Loop 100, both of their arcs are excellent. Heartbreaking and emotional in all the best ways, we’re slowly dripfed information about Rip and Latla’s tragedy throughout the first 100 chapters, while Nico’s gets done in only a couple of chapters. Both work well in my opinion, and the way that tragedy only begets more tragedy sets up the foundation for the complete renewal that is Loop 101.
But unfortunately for me, I think that the Rip and Latla arc in 101 stumbles a fair bit.
I feel like this boils down to one major flaw. Leila isn’t so much a character as she is a plot device.
In loop 100, Leila is the lost Lenore. Her personality didn’t matter, only the effect it had on Rip and Latla.
And frankly, it was fine that way.
I think that spending time and effort on fleshing out Leila’s character in loop 100 would have been a waste of pages, as well as a hit to the pacing. She’s a posthumous character. It’s fine if she’s a bit flat. It’s not like she’s ever gonna show up again.
And then loop 101 comes around. Whoops.
I think Tozuka had a really difficult task here. Rip and Latla have been extremely important side characters throughout loop 100. More time has been taken to examine their motivations and dig into who they are as characters, than pretty much anyone outside of Andy, Fuuko, Juiz, or Billy. And now Tozuka needs to essentially introduce a new character and have her feel just as important and complicated as Rip and Latla, enough to make you think that this duo is actually be a trio.
And he tries his best?
Leila is a sweet love interest, and she adds in a different perspective on how Rip should act as a hero.
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But that’s the problem.
The heart of Rip’s storyline in 100 is not about Leila. It’s about his failure to be a hero.
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It’s hammered in over and over again that he wants to be a hero, but has forced himself to be a villain, all so that he can save Leila. He mutilates himself, makes bad decisions, and only digs himself deeper and deeper. This intertwines beautifully with Latla’s feelings of guilt as she serves as his accomplice, and how it’s warped their relationship in a way they never would have wished.
This storyline continues into loop 101, with the climax being that Latla prevents him from taking that first step down the path of villainy, forcing him to share his pain with Latla, and not simply take it all upon himself.
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And then in chapter 183 Rip says, “no, actually my story was all about me being in a love triangle.”
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And that’s just… wrong?
In Loop 100, the Rip/Latla ship has long since been sunk. They flirt with each other, but it’s with the knowledge that Rip’s real love is Leila. Loop 100 ends with Rip quite literally choosing Leila over Latla, when he kills Latla for the chance to ride the Ark.
In Loop 101, the Rip/Latla ship isn’t even brought up until chapter 183. Then everybody brings up how sad it is that he can only choose one person, and how it has to be one or the other, and so on.
Rip’s decision is fine in a vacuum. My problem with it is that there’s been no build up for it in Loop 101. His sudden resolution that “no, I love them both equally” feels completely out of place. The was a single chapter about how close they were as children, but it didn’t read as romantic to me. It more read as a coming of age than anything else.
I think that the Loop 101 arc could have been better tackled in a couple different ways.
First, just get rid of the love triangle. Leave the Rip/Latla ship as platonic and end it with Rip marrying Leila. Simplest, quickest way to resolve it without changing a lot.
A second way would be to add in a chapter or two focusing on Leila, to try and stop her from being such a flat character. Have her talk with Fuuko about growing up a recluse, have her talk with Rip about what he should do after she dies, something like that. And then, she needs to have a talk with Latla, where she brings up Rip as a romantic interest for her. Whatever conclusion they make, whether Leila says the two should get together when she’s dead, or if Latla says they’ll compete once Leila is cured, it doesn’t really matter. There just needs to be something there to build upon.
Lastly, the real wacky way would be to give Leila her own Negation. Give her Undefinition or Unbalance and induct her into the wider cast of Negators. Have Rip marry her, then over time, broach the subject of including Latla as well. This would allow for more time to handle the development as opposed to just speed running it all in one arc.
And all that brings me to Nico and Ichico and their current arc.
We’re still in the opening stages of the Loop 101 Nico and Ichico arc, but I’m already liking it a lot more than the Rip and Latla arc.
Part of it is because the ground work for it has already been seeded, with Ichico being a full character in her own right from practically the start of loop 101. There’s her development of astral projection, and the effects that has on their relationship, and all the little ways she and Nico interact in the background.
What really interests me is Ichico taking a potshot at fridging.
I’m referring to the trope of killing off female characters, solely for the effect that it has on men, usually their romantic partners. Tozuka is a pretty big fan of this trope. It happens to Billy and his wife, Rip and Leila, Shen and his sister, and of course, Nico and Ichico.
I’m really looking forward to seeing if Tozuka is going to touch more on Ichico refusing to die, and maybe tie it in to how Nico gets his ability in loop 101.
Also, I think there’s something interesting in how in Loop 100, when Nico has to choose between Ichico and the Union, he chooses Ichico, but in Loop 101, Fuuko chooses to put Ichico and Nico’s happiness over the needs of the Union.
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no-warrior-here · 7 years
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     It’s such a funny thing tbh because like. In that whole demigod!Gregor offshoot I have going? This kiddo is stubborn, strong-willed, and he’s not so great at taking orders. If he doesn’t respect you, he’s just gonna shrug and go by what he thinks he should be doing, to heck with the plan.
     Two alternatives; either he’d get along fantastically well with like all the main people from PJO/HOO, wind up trusting and respecting them a ton, and become a really strong, reliable ally... Or, he’d wind up butting heads with Percy and Jason in particular, and probably get #rekt by a freaking hurricane. Let’s get real, Gregor doesn’t know when to back down; if it came down to a fight, he might have to actually be restrained to keep him from doing something incomprehensibly stupid. And that still wouldn’t necessarily stop him from being rude and insulting, which would already be a Bad Move in and of itself.
      Or, option three, it starts off getting ugly, then the other demigods gradually manage to earn his trust through the recognition that he’s really not so different from them. If anything, Gregor’s just too much like them. I mean, okay, it’d be a lot harder to get this guy back on their side after smacking him with gale-force winds, but not necessarily impossible. And seriously who hasn’t lost patience with Gregor at SOME POINT OR ANOTHER ANYWAY C’MON
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himaboroshi736 · 4 years
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IronDad fic recs
Here. I’m a french reader, but I’ve read A LOT (like...a lot) of IronDad, so, eventually, here my fic rec. (I tried to class it by categories, but well...) (it’s gonna be very long, guys)
 Peter Parker has anxiety 
Don’t let me get me, by hopeless_hope 
He picks up his phone and sends a quick text. "hey, happy! i’m not feeling too hot today, so i think i’m gonna have to cancel. tell mr. stark i’m sorry!"
He stares at his phone, waiting for a response. It never comes, and Peter sighs sadly. There was a part of him, a small part, that really hoped he was wrong. His insides burn, and he curls up tighter into a ball and turns off his phone.
(No one’s going to try to contact him anyway.)
or
Anxiety has a way of convincing Peter that everyone hates him. Tony has a way of proving him wrong.
Midnight Oil, by @jolinarjackson
After everything that has happened to Peter over the last year - or five, really - he shouldn’t be worried about something as mundane as the ACT. When he fails it, though it sends him into a spiral of self-doubt, which only gets worse when Peter realizes that he doesn’t seem to be able to fix whatever is broken.
Tony Stark has anxiety 
do you even remember what the world looks like ?, by @iron--spider
Tony’s heart has been working on overdrive since this whole thing started. Friday has a countdown clock plastered on the heads up display, but it feels like hieroglyphics to him at this point, like some ancient language he could never master.
Because when Peter Parker is missing, things start losing their meaning real quick.
“Should be around here,” Rhodey says on the com. May is still on the other line, listening in, because once a certain amount of time goes by without word from Peter, things move into Extremely Worried Aunt territory. They’re already in Tony Is Panicking territory, and when both of those territories overlap it’s never a good time for anybody.
Time? What the hell is time? His mind is blanking numbers out entirely. Minutes are seconds are hours are years.
not like megatron, by @iron--spider
“Hi! This is Peter Parker, I can’t get to the phone right now, so leave a message and I’ll call you back later! Hopefully not too much later, but don’t get your hopes up!”
Tony knows that message by heart. He’s heard it hundreds of times, in a greyer world, and it sends shivers down his spine as he climbs into the car.
He doesn’t think about that place. That half-world. No way, that’s done, that’s over, that’s history.
“Hey, kid, don’t you know it’s bad etiquette to go and disappear on your birthday? Not allowed, really, really bad vibes from the universe. What’s going on with your suit? I wasn’t watching. Nope. Just got an alert. What’s going on? Uh, call me back.” He clears his throat and hangs up like a moron, driving out into the street.
Hypothermia trope (i really like it so if you have any suggestions...)
i knock the ice from my bones, by hopeless_hope
Peter tries to move his legs through the water, dread filling him when they don’t move, and he just hangs there, doing anything and everything he can not to focus on the feeling of ice clinging to his bones. He feels sluggish, the world blurring around him, and he rests his head on the ice, not even registering the cold anymore.
He’s just so damn tired.
“PETER!” he hears someone yell, but it’s all muffled, and he lazily drags his eyes up to see a figure descending towards him.
Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he thinks, This is not how my vacation was supposed to go.
or
While on what's supposed to be a relaxing vacation with the Starks, things for Peter quickly go south, and he finds himself on thin ice. Literally.
Ice Ice Baby, by @wolfypuppypiles
If Tony, Bucky or pretty much anybody that knew Peter had seen him that morning they would have smacked him upside the head. Helping people was great, everyone should give it a go, but when helping people puts you in danger it’s not so smart anymore.
AKA Peter can't get from Avenger tower to the subway without giving his winter clothes to homeless people and ends up with a severe case of hypothermia
Candle in the Window, by @madasthesea
Finals are over and Peter just wants to go home. The weather has other ideas.
Burn This Out, by @ephemeralstark
It's summer and Peter is free to be Spider-Man all day which is great, but it's summer and Peter is out as Spider-Man on the hottest day of the year which is not great.
Or, Peter gets heat stroke because he can't thermoregulate and things could not go worse for him.
(yeah, it’s not an hypothermia, but it’s linked to the fact that Peter can’t actually thermoregulate)
Post-Endgame (really like this trope too lmao)
the first birthday after, by iron_spider 
(Endgame spoilers. But The Thing doesn't happen.)
The rain falls harder and Tony turns, his neck creaking and cracking, and he sees Peter asleep over by the window. He’s holding a small, flat box, and he’s slowly slipping to the right side of the easy chair he’s in.
Tony thinks about letting him sleep, but he finds himself speaking anyway. “Pete,” he says, his voice rough and raspy.
Peter immediately startles awake. “Happy Birthday,” he says, almost like he’d fallen asleep practicing it, planning to say it as soon as he woke up. He blinks at Tony, shivering a little bit, and then he smiles. “Happy Birthday. Happy Birthday.”
Tony snorts, smiling back. “Thanks, bud,” he says.
Second Best, by Rowan_M
Tony had adjusted to parenthood quickly when Morgan came along, and was always conscious of making sure Peter isn't left out ... Almost always. When Peter gets hurt while taking care of Morgan, Tony obsess over his daughter and takes his anger out on Peter, without even checking to see if he was okay. Steve finds Peter later that night in serious pain and in need of immediate medical attention.
Or, Peter gets hurt while taking care of Morgan and Tony basically ignores him.
when you’re feeling empty keep me in your memory, by JkWriter
after everything with thanos he forgets it's his birthday. he just assumed everyone else did too.
All For You, by @ironxprince
Three weeks after the snap that saved the world, Peter learns he was the reason behind it. He learns that Tony risked death, and now has to live with the ramifications, both physical and mental, all because of him.
This doesn't sit right with him.
you save everybody, but who saves you ?, by @iron--spider
Tony doesn’t sleep, because he can’t, because too many things are plaguing him, most of all where Peter is and what he’s doing. Tony has a good view of the hallway through the windows to his room, and he stares and stares until his eyes cross, until he hallucinates, until he knows he’s going insane.
He sees Peter sneaking into the med bay at about four in the morning.
The kid’s mask is off and he’s got two short, harsh slashes across his cheek, and he’s bleeding from a slice across his neck. His suit is ripped in a few places and he’s holding onto his middle, and Tony can see his hands are shaking.
It’s like something splinters in Tony’s already broken brain, like his world narrows and there are hazy edges, both weakness and strength entwining in his veins when he sees Peter struggle up onto one of the beds in the main atrium, starting to tend his wounds without calling anybody to help.
BAMF Peter Parker 
Pizza, a Movie, and... an Attempted Kidnapping ?, by Pogokitten
“Tony. We’ll be fine,” Peter tells the man for what must be the tenth time in the last half hour.
Peter’s sitting on the couch of his and May’s apartment and building Legos with Morgan as they both watch their father’s methodical, yet anxious, pacing. He’s dressed to impress, as is Pepper who is watching the scene slightly exasperated.
“Are you sure? We can ditch the gala, kid. Just say the word,” Tony offers, halting in front of his kids.
Or: Tony and Pepper leave Peter in charge of Morgan while they go to their first gala since the third snap. Peter is expecting a calm night in with his adopted sister, but some thugs throw a wrench in his plans.
he’s good like that, by @iron--spider
“Get the hell outta here, boy,” the man says. “Or you’re gonna watch your boss die in front of you.” Then he grabs Tony by the shoulders hard, and shoves him down to his knees. The gun is louder now, like it’s filled with words that are eager to be shouted, and Tony winces when he feels the barrel press against the back of his neck. His knees weren’t ready to hit the ground that hard, and he tries to keep the pain from reaching his face.
He must fail, because Peter looks pissed.
“You’re not gonna shoot him, mister,” Peter says, somehow still trying to maintain a respectful tone, despite the clear anger written all over him.
stark robotics and technology conference, by @iron--spider
Peter leans against the wall while Tony chooses their floor, and the doors close. “Do you, uh, want me to do some interning stuff? Like go and get you coffee? Make sure the, uh—programs are all ready? Make sure the paintings are straight in the ballroom? Make sure the chairs are—”
Tony snorts. “Kid, I just thought you’d enjoy this. May told me about when it came through Queens but you two couldn’t make it because she was working and didn’t want you to go alone, and I thought, after all the shit you’ve been through lately, that you deserved something fun. No interning for you. That’s just an excuse.”
Peter remembers that. It was six months after Ben died, and he wasn’t gonna bother May too much about the conference. He didn’t know how much tickets cost anyways, or if kids his age could even go.
He really hung onto the idea of Iron Man after Ben died. Peter held him closer than ever.
Peter and Tony fighting 
dinner and a jailbreak, by killerqueenwrites
“I’m not your kid!” Peter shouts.
“Don’t walk away from me, I’m not done–“
“You’re not my dad!”
Peter fitting in after the Blip isn't as easy as Tony hoped it would be. He wants his kid back, but they can't seem to stop fighting.
and then Peter goes missing.
my old man, by parkrstark 
"I just want to help you. I want to help you understand what's wrong here and how to stop it. I used to be the same way until my father showed me how to be a man." He glanced back at Peter to sneer. "He's old enough to know better by now, but it's not your fault you didn't know how to teach him." "Teach him what?" Tony asked even though he didn't want to know the answer.
"Discipline, of course," Junior said with a wink.
--
Tony takes Peter on a weekend trip to try and change his mind about college and things go wrong. Then, they go even more wrong.
Between how it is and how it should be, by @frostysunflowers
''Doesn’t Captain Rogers ever…wonder,'' Peter winced as he fumbled for the right word, ''where you are?''
Bucky smirked. ''Steve’s a regular mother hen. Used to be me that worried about him.'' He gave Peter a pointed look. ''Better question is, isn’t Stark wondering where you are?''
Soulmates trope 
presumed dead, by killerqueenwrites 
Tony gets his first soulmark when he’s fifteen, his second when he's thirty. He's forty-six when his third appears, and forty-eight when it fades to grey.
did you see the flares in the sky ?, by justt-ppeachy
‘hi’  
One simple word was displayed proudly on the inside of his right wrist. Tony wasn’t sure when this word showed up or how long it had been there.
A line formed underneath the word and Tony could almost feel the pressure on his arm from the marker his soulmate was using to push one phrase from their skin into his.
‘i loev yu’
The letters were written slowly and messily as they showed up upon his wrist while he watched in disbelief. Not sure if he was hallucinating or just going insane, Tony rubbed at the writing, wondering if they would disappear once he looked again.
The words were barely recognizable, but they were still the best thing Tony had ever seen.
IronDad Fluff (yeah)
peter wearing tony’s hoodie, by killerqueenwrites 
Tony’s used to his clothes going missing. His MIT hoodie doesn’t often leave his closet, though, which is why he notices its absence straight away. There’s a lifetime of safety and comfort in this old hoodie, for both of them, and that’s all Tony could ever wish to give Peter.
Career Day, by @superhusbands4ever
“Hey, sorry I’m late,” Peter’s enhanced senses picked up the familiar voice from outside the door. “I had a meeting this morning and then I got lost looking for the class… anyway, I’m here for Peter? Peter Parker?”
He frowned at hearing his name, still unsure what exactly was going on. He watched as his teacher continued to stand and stare out the door for a minute before seemingly remembering herself and taking a step back.
“Of course! If you could just go sit next to him until your turn, he’s in the back on the right side.”
The man stepped through the door and Peter gaped with the rest of the class as Tony Stark, in his signature suit and goatee, sporting a pair of red sunglasses and carrying a suitcase walked through the door.
Kryptonite, by forensicleaf 
The kid is acting weird.
Tony tries to figure it out.
father’s day, by @iron--spider 
It’s Father’s Day, and Tony never really had a father. Not in the real sense of the word, not in the way that counts.
Peter Parker doesn’t have a father, either. Not anymore, anyway, not since he was little, and the amount of years that have passed since then outweigh the amount of time he got with Richard Parker.
Tony wouldn’t call himself Peter’s dad. He wouldn’t, he doesn’t, he doesn’t think of himself that way, no way, no way.
He stares at himself in the mirror. He pulls down on his cheeks, makes his eyes water. He runs his hands over the roughness of his jaw and sorta hates everything about himself right now, because he’s acting like a goddamn idiot. It’s Father’s Day and he’s not a father. He doesn’t know why the hell he’s pining for something that isn’t his, shouldn’t be his, can never be his. He isn’t a father, he isn’t Peter’s father, so there’s no reason on God’s green earth for Peter and him to do something for Father’s Day.
ain’t no valley low enough, by @iron--spider (yes, again, ‘cuz she’s the best)
Peter snorts. “You know I didn’t apply anywhere in Florida.”
“Please, kid, you know all you have to do is write a beautiful essay with my recommendation attached to it and you’re in. You’ve got the scores.”
Peter has a list. Of all the places he applied to, all the places he got into. A lot of it was encouraged by the adult role models in his life, some of it by Ned daydreaming about places like California and Colorado. Mostly, Peter just applied everywhere he could think of, because he’s known for a long time that Tony was gonna help May pay for it, and he didn’t wanna limit his options. Thinking about college has been strange for him, strange to the extent that he had a full blown panic attack about it in the middle of Avengers taco night last month. He can’t really understand it, doesn’t get why it feels like the end of the world—because he’s experienced the end of the world, and it’s not which campus has a bowling alley and which school has circus classes. But he nearly blacked out all the same, sobbed in Tony’s arms on the balcony until Tony proposed this. The road trip.
and when it’s hard, i’ll place your head into my hands, by hopeless_hope
“Tony,” Pepper sing-songs to get his attention. “Your mother hen is showing.”
“What?” he snaps indignantly. “I am not a mother hen. This is just... concern. Of the average kind. Perfectly normal.”
“Of course,” Pepper humors him, and he shoots her a dirty look as he types out a quick text to Peter.
or
It's been five days since Tony's heard from Peter, who's away at college, and Tony is not coping well. (Neither is Peter.)
Peter likes cuddles (and Tony too, but he always denies it... until he can’t)
my arms will hold you (keep you safe and warm), by parkrstark 
“So, you’re telling me your body...is going through Oxytocin withdrawals?” Tony asked slowly.
“Cuddle withdrawals,” Peter corrected him. “Mr. Stark cuddles.”
TW : Rape/non-cons
make me strong, by parkrstark 
It all started when Tony introduced Peter to Skip Westcott. He just didn't know until it was too late.
(There is a lot more, but I can’t find it rn ;-;)
5+1 
5 times peter clung to tony, by parkrstark 
... and the one time tony clung to him.
You are my Dad, you’re my dad, boogiewoogiewoogie, by Hittinmiss
“Peter? What’s going on kid?” Tony asked, him popping up on the phone’s screen.
“Hey da-” Peter started automatically before immediately noticing his mistake, the look on Ned’s face proved that yes, he almost called Tony Stark dad. He needed to try recover quickly because the look on Tony’s face seemed confused, especially with his slight pause. “-aaaaaamn Mr. Stark I really like your shirt. Where’d you get it?”
Smooth.
---
5 times Peter called Tony Dad and the 1 time Tony called himself Dad
5 Times Tony Took Care of Peter..., by As_Clear_As_Crystal 
“Think if I coded a sign into your suit that says ‘Baby on Board,’ maybe criminals wouldn’t be so enthusiastic about murdering you?” Tony asks airily, poking at the bottom of Peter’s foot.
Peter halfheartedly kicks at Tony with his toe. (“That’s offensive, Mr. Stark.” )
- - -
aka: Five times Tony took care of Peter, and one time Peter took care of Tony.
5 times Peter is stuck with Tony, by @iron--spider
(...and one time he’s stuck alone.)
“I wonder if Pepper’s reported me missing yet,” Tony says, with an exaggerated sigh. “I wonder if this is some kind of scheme to kidnap me or something.”
“I think the ride’s just broken,” Peter says.
“Today of all goddamn days,” Tony says, exasperation clear in his voice and in his eyes. “Ruining our trip—”
“It’s not ruined,” Peter says. “Look, we’re hanging out."
“Real quality time,” Tony huffs. “Us, a few other trapped members of the general public, and a handful of animatronic pirates. Drunk pirates. Repeating themselves.”
5 times tony forgot peter was just a kid, by @parkrstark
...and the 1 time he didn't.
Or the one where it was hard for Tony to remember that the kid fighting next to him was still just a kid.
can i get a good night’s sleep ? can i PLEASE get a good night’s sleep ?, by peterstank 
The doors open and there’s Peter, perched on a gurney with his shirt gone and a whole lot of blood staining his side. He’s bent awkwardly, clearly trying to feel his way around whatever wound he’s got.
“Um,” Tony says, approaching, “What.”
Peter looks up and—yeah, he’s lost a lot more blood than Tony had originally thought. His face is completely fucking drained. “Hey,” he says, offering a jaunty wave before returning his attention to his side. “I got shot.”
“Oh!” Tony nods. “Oh, okay. What the fuck, kiddo?”
or: five times peter doesn’t sleep + the one time he does
Five Times Peter and Tony Had Each Other’s Back, by Sahiya
... and One Time They Needed Help.
Peter is Tony’s Biological Child
I Had the Dream Again, by Skeeter_110
Peter calls Tony in the middle of the night crying.
Congratulations, it’s a Boy, by capiocapi 
"Sir, I have the results.”
“Okay, Jarvis. Hit me.”
“It’s a match. 99.9% chance that he is your biological son, which is the percentage needed to be recognized by law as a biological parent.”
Tony’s stomach did a funny swooping dance. “Great. Congratulations to me then, eh? It’s a boy.”
You Are My Sunshine, by @iamconstantine
Tony Stark had always been a man of science and he always would be. It was his personal and fundamental belief that everything had an explanation. His eventual encounters with Norse gods, alien life, and sorcerers did kind of quake this a little bit, but still.
One thing that had always confounded him as the one thing that had no scientific explanation was fate. Murphy’s law, Finagle’s law, the butterfly effect, the domino effect, the snowball effect, and the wisest of all: “Shit happens.”
So how peculiar was it that one of the greatest things to ever happen to him began with a tray of champagne?
Serie i love you more than anything, by @iron--spider 
The highs and lows of Tony unexpectedly becoming a single dad at 31– from Peter’s early baby years, all the way past the defeat of Thanos
May’s abusive boyfriend trope 
A Peter Parker Problem, by @spagbol99
Peter Parker was back from the dead. At least that is what everybody told him. He'd been snapped out of existence until some sort of time travel and an active death wish by his mentor had saved him and the universe. Just your average sort of life for a 16 year old from Queens.
Peter comes back to find May has a husband and a kid. A new family he has to fit into. But he has done it before, he can do it again.
The only thing that feels solid is Tony: the Blip and fatherhood have mellowed him and Peter loves the bond they have now. He knows Tony would be there for him through anything. But Tony needs to focus on his own recovery - not small time Peter Parker problems. When things at home take a turn for the worse, Peter decides that he'll handle it himself. He is Spider-man. He's been to space and fought aliens. He can get through anything. After all, if May is happy, he is happy, right? Right?
(again, I’ve read a lot more but can’t find it...)
Peter Parker Whump (everyone’s favorite trope)
Danger Pizza, by alice_in_ink
The window was pushed open, and Iron Man’s head popped into his bedroom. “Here’s where I’m confused—why lock the front door but leave the fire-escape-accessible windows unlocked?” He clambered through said window. “Seems like a safety hazard.”
Peter eyed the metal suit as it straightened to a standing position. “Did you break into my window to kill me?”
The face plate lifted, and Tony’s eyes quickly looked over the teen. “Christ, kid. It looks like you’re halfway there.”
...
A wild night on patrol leaves Peter with a broken back, and boy, does he want to be able to move without dying. (So he calls Anthony Stark, obviously.)
If You Can’t Catch A Breath (You Can Take The Oxygen Straight Out Of My Own Chest), by @losingmymindtonight
"And I would hurry. Little Peter is about to be under quite a lot of pressure, and it might get a little hard to breathe.”
I’ve Got You, by @thedumbestavenger
Peter runs into a Copycat Vulture out on patrol, from there, everything escalates.
Meetings and Migraines, by AllThingsGeeky
Peter has another migraine at an unfortunate time and despite his best efforts he can’t ignore it forever.
The Most Important Thing In The World, by S0lstice
Peter’s door creaked and began to bend under the force of the crowbar and for the first time since regaining consciousness, fear began to press into him. Something very bad was happening and it was happening fast - too fast for his sluggish mind to keep up.
He went with his instincts instead, the first one always being, Help Mr. Stark.
Friendly Fire, by @jolinarjackson
Finding a careful truce with the government, the “rogue Avengers” are allowed to return to the Compound where they are put under house arrest. Peter coming to spend one week at the Compound during his summer break couldn’t have come at a more inconvenient time as the opportunity to bond a little more with his mentor is overshadowed by a conflict he doesn’t quite understand. When he starts to develop a mysterious medical condition, however, the former team is forced to work together – not just to protect Peter’s identity from the DODC, but also to find the cause for his illness before it’s too late.
“He’s my kid,” Tony said, his voice hoarse. “He’s my kid and I failed him.” He covered his eyes and took a few deep, shuddering breaths. “All I ever do is fail him.” Natasha knelt down in front of him and cupped his face in her hands, waiting for him to meet her eyes before she said, “Right now, he doesn’t need you to fix this. He doesn’t need you down here. He needs you over there, in the medbay, by his side.” She thumbed tears from the corners of his eyes and ignored the ones running down her own face. “You haven’t failed him yet.”
alarm bells and panic levels, by @iron--spider
Tony lands heavy on the dock, the wood splintering hard under the metal suit. He’s having trouble breathing, his nose is bleeding, he most definitely has more than the recommended amount of broken ribs. But none of that fucking matters. The sky is clear, the assholes are down, but there’s one thing missing.
He looks over his shoulder when Rhodey lands too. His suit is dented in a few places but other than that he looks alright. His face mask flips up and Tony lets his mask retract.
“Where’s Peter?” Tony asks, his voice rough with the amount of yelling he’s been doing. Fuck these stupid assholes. They were supposed to go mini-golfing today. The kid had been looking forward to it for weeks.
Rhodey looks around, breathing hard through his mouth. “I thought you knew.”
there’s something wrong, by @iron--spider
“I’m sorry, Pete,” Tony whispers. “We should have checked you for something like this when we were resetting your arm and checking on the concussion. Goddamnit. We didn’t think.”
“He poisoned us both?” Peter asks, trying to open one eye to look at him.
“Yeah,” Tony says, brushing Peter’s hair back from his forehead. “He’s dying. He got the brunt of it, a nice fucking cocktail of bullshit, including mercury and a bunch of other toxic shit—”
“Am I dying?” Peter whispers, voice breaking.
Fitting In (Tiny Spaces), by aloneintherain
Peter's trapped beneath a collapsed building during a mission, hurt and unable to move. Luckily, his comm still works. Unluckily, the Avengers don’t realise how bad of a state Peter is in, and Peter isn’t inclined to tell them.
“Spidey, they’ve got reinforcements. We’ve hit a bit of a snag here, and I don’t think anyone will be able to help you for a while. Think you can sit tight while we deal with this?”
The pressure on his lower back and legs was becoming too much. Peter swallowed thickly, fighting down panic. He could handle this.
“Yeah,” Peter said. “I can do that.”
Collections/Series (’cause I could make an inventory of all @iron--spider stories, you know, but you have to read all of her work, if you haven’t yet) (God she doesn’t even know who I am)
iron dad bingo, by @iron--spider
stay at home, by @iron--spider
whumptober, by @iron--spider
Whumptober 2019, by @marvelous-writer
Day in the life of the Iron Family, by @marvelous-writer 
The Tumblr Archives, by @losingmymindtonight
Everything comes back to you, by @losingmymindtonight
Nice work, kid, by @madasthesea
Irondad Bingo 2019, by sahiya 
The Adventures of Spidy-son and Iron-dad, by eva7673
Tony adopts Peter (why everyone kills May, btw ?)
Accepting the Tides, by @emma--anacortes
Tony had dragged Peter from the depths of despair after May's death. It was normal that he'd grown to care a little about him, right?
Yeah, okay. He freaking loved the kid.
So naturally he would feel a little weird when Richard Parker randomly shows up in Peter's life. Naturally he'd feel protective, nervous, and confused because where has Richard been all this time? And why does Tony feel sick every time he sees him around Peter?
All he knows is if Richard hurts his kid, Tony's gonna give him hell.
Series Out of Darkness, by @starryknight09
“Is this Peter Parker?”
“Yes…”
“This is Dr. Nguyen. I’m sorry but your aunt’s been in an accident and we’re going to need you to come to Queens Memorial as soon as you can.”
Peter's life shatters with a phone call. The last person he expects helps him pick up the pieces.
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If you are still doing headcanons, Gil (any or all Gils), Ozy, Iskander, and anyone else you wanna add learning what strip poker is (if this hasn't been done already 😅)
Hello, anon! Thank you and dw this request hasn't been done just yet! Yes, you came just in time! I will be taking a short break soon tho.
LMAOOOOO XDD I love this request omg XDD more chaos in chaldea ensues. There will be a lotta Gilgamesh but i may lead the story from another character's P.O.V if that's ok ^^
Chaldea: Strip Poker Night
- The Chaldea Late-Nite Club. It was none other than a clandestine gathering within the canteen, in which servants would play daring games against one another and unleash their most scandalous confessions...it was the most hard-boiled, exciting arena for gossiping and drinking!
- In other words, it was Robin Hood's heaven. Slinking out of his room, with a cigarette lying lazily out of his mouth; Robin shuffles his cards as he makes his way to the canteen.
-Tonight was poker night a.k.a ROBIN HOOD NIGHT!!!
- When Robin Hood makes his way in the dead of night-with a nice pep in his step-he hopes to enjoy a nice game of cards with Billy, his favorite trio of Lancers and some of his other good friends, he is horrified to see whose gathered around the table on this particular occasion...
- "You certainly took your sweet time, mongrel. That cowboy was just elucidating us on your rather exemplary knowledge of cards!" As Billy mouths a quiet 'sorry' as he is caught in a rather painful headlock by a drunk Iskandar, Gilgamesh all but roars in Robin's face. "HURRY, YOU SHAN'T MAKE YOUR KINGS WAIT MUCH LONGER!!"
- 'Geh...of all the people to be at tonight's meeting...' What the hell was going on?! Reluctantly sitting next to an inebriated Ozymandias, who was speaking at length about his role as the sun pharaoh and his love of Nefertari to Arash (who was pretty sober); Robin Hood took an extremely deep drag of his cigarette.
- He'd be needing it, that was for certain.
- "Billy, 'fess up. What the heck's going on here?" Robin groans at the sight of the three drunk kings- Iskandar, Ozymandias and Gilgamesh- who were around his regular allies- Billy and Arash-and wonders how on earth they heard about poker night. 'So much for my fun...'
"Ah, you know. Just went for a nice drink, and this rootin'-tootin' barrage of kings followed me here when I said that I was gonna leave for some good old poker. And you know how they are. There's no stopping them..." Billy looked rather worn out.
"Who in their right mind would turn down an offer of poker, boy?!! GWAHAHAHAHA!" Iskandar was beyond wasted.
- "I see. Billy, you must've had a real tough time. You did well to survive them for so long." As they fist-bumped in solidarity, Robin Hood thrust his cards onto the table. "Leave the rest to me."
"Robin..." Billy was moved by his act of camaraderie.
- As Gilgamesh declares for them to get a move on, Robin explains the rules of poker to everyone; as he shuffles the cards. However, when he explains the concept of betting with chips; there is a great uproar.
- "How dare you assume that I would do something as pathetic as bet my funds on such a game!" Refusing to bet any money, Gilgamesh complained. "However, this game would be much too banal if we were to bet these fictional chips." He tosses the chips to the side in frustration. Gilgamesh wanted some real stakes to be tested here, not just imaginary coins!!
- Despite his suggestion, everybody is at a loss of words as to what they should gamble on instead. That is, until Iskandar comes up with a rather novel suggestion.
-He explains how during his time in the Fourth Holy Grail war, he enjoyed travelling with Waver to the store to buy new magazines. "In one particular magazine, I came upon a startling new discovery. In there, people play a game named STRIP POKER!!!" Iskandar explains the rules with gleaming eyes.
- As Robin's face pales as soon as the words are out of Iskandar's mouth (but idk why robin is ripped af); Ozymandias cheers with joy; as Gilgamesh slams his hands on the table. "I'm greatly impressed by such a suggestion, Iskandar. You truly are a great King!!!"
- Robin looks to Arash to comfort, but Arash seems well up for it. And when he points wide-eyed at the kings as he spins towards Billy- he catches Billy laughing. "Give it a go, Robin. I can't wait to see them make fools of themselves." Billy wasn't wrong there, however Robin didn't particularly want to make a pratfall against opponents as vicious as them, either!
- All in all, the game is a horrendous mess. Why on earth was Gilgamesh landing a straight flush every other turn? And why the hell was Arash almost naked by the tenth turn?!!! 'Shit...Well, we are up against people with some incredible luck...' Thanks to Robin's B+ luck stat, he was managing to hang in there, even if it was by a mere thread. Sadly, Robin had lost his entire upper layer of clothing.
- At current, Iskandar had lost only his cape...and the toga covering his lower half. Robin wasn't sure why Iskandar was so eager to remove such large pieces of clothing so early on within the game, but then again; Iskandar was quite the force of nature.
- As Billy was the youngest member of the group; he got to play as the banker who would keep a record of the bets. In other words, he didn't have to strip at all! With a wide smirk on his face, Billy basked in the glory of his lucky escape.
- Finally, Ozymandias destroys absolutely everybody's bets on a turn; and even Gilgamesh is forced to remove some of his armor. What is particularly amusing is that despite not wearing many clothes in the first place, Ozymandias has only had to remove his cape thus far.
- "Though I'm enjoying this game," Arash was still smiling despite the position he was in. "When will we stop? I'm not really up for losing all of my clothes tonight."
-'Wait, he's actually enjoying this?' Robin almost chokes on his drink. 'That Arash is one hell of a guy...'
- "FWAHAHAHA, we're not stopping until the cockerel crows! We're going until morning, mongrel. Although I highly doubt you'll last that long. Royal flush!" Gilgamesh was a man on a mission, aiming for the ultimate annihilation of everybody else.
- Overall, it is a rather fun (not for robin) and extremely competitive night that ends in none other than OZYMANDIAS' WIN!
- Somehow, Robin manages to lose in one piece, whilst Arash...well, let's not focus on that. As for Gilgamesh and Iskandar, they were now entirely topless; downing mega mugs of beer.
- 'That was a fucking nightmare.' Robin hoped that he'd never see them on poker night again.
- "You really have the devil's own luck," Billy claps Robin on the back, as he hands him back his cloak. "Your bluffs are top-notch, Robin."
"Well you know. Let's just say that I've met many tyrants in my past life..."
THE END ;3
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Text
Full of shit and in too deep.  A Wildmoore fic
This is a prompt request that I got from @aliyahtheghost : “Sophie and Ryan have been messing around for a couple months when Kate Kane returns. Sophie basically breaks up with Ryan. Ryan is heartbroken while Sophie can’t stop thinking about Ryan while with Kate. What will Sophie do?.” So I didn’t completely fulfill this because I do not want Sophie breaking up with Ryan for Kate and also didn’t want to write Sophie and Kate being romantic. I tired to make it similar to what you asked. <3 If y’all like imagine me and you please read to the end I know it’s long ish but I’m geeked about the ending.
Ryan lets out a soft whimper as she feels Sophie pepper delicate kisses onto her neck. Ryan tilts her head back against the pillow and then drops her right hand into Sophie’s hair to keep Sophie’s head and lips in place against her neck. She runs her fingers through Sophie’s hair while Sophie darts out her tongue against Ryan’s throat. She licks and then sucks Ryan’s skin; leaving wet marks and eventual hickeys in her wake. 
“FUCK, Sophie!” Ryan mutters while biting her own lip to keep from yelling out again. Sophie chuckles against Ryan’s throat and the vibration of her laugh nearly sends Ryan over the edge. Ryan and Sophie were playing one of Ryan’s favorite games. It was sort of like too hot, where they see who can get the other hot before they have to just rip each others clothes off. Ryan always loses and starts unbuttoning Sophie’s pants or trying to take off Sophie’s top within minutes. Sophie thinks Ryan doesn’t even try very hard to win. 
Sophie feels Ryan start to move her hands towards Sophie’s button on her pants. Instead of letting Ryan have her way, Sophie takes Ryan’s hands and pins them over the top of Ryan’s head. Sophie looks down into Ryan’s eyes and Ryan gazes back up at Sophie’s almond hues. When this happens, it’s not just lust, rawness, and sex anymore; It’s passion, love, trust, and care. Sometimes Ryan and Sophie kid themselves. They pretend that what they’re doing is just casual, light, fun. No feelings. No, “where is this going, what are we” questions. When they hold each others gazes in this way however, they both know they are full of shit and in too deep.
Sophie rolls off the top of Ryan and then lies on her side. Ryan immediately rolls over and spoons Sophie from behind, snaking her arm around Sophie’s midsection. Sophie thinks it’s funny that Ryan is so small but loves to be the big spoon. They do this often too. Lie in stillness with each other. Their breathing and heartbeats slowly synch up and dance in a melodic rhythm, and it’s the only sound in the room. 
Suddenly there is a knock at Sophie’s front door. Sophie untangles herself from Ryan and shuts the bedroom door behind her as she goes to see who the visitor is. Sophie is happy that she is still fully clothed so that whoever is at the door isn’t kept waiting. 
Sophie opens the door and her breath catches, she puts her hand to her chest instinctively. 
“Kate.” Sophie says. Sophie looks back to the room that Ryan is currently occupying. Then she looks back to Kate who is standing in her doorway with her motorcycle helmet under one arm. Sophie runs a hand through her hair,  attempting to nonchalantly fix up her appearance so she doesn’t look like she was just fooling around with someone. Not that it would be Kate’s business if she was. Kate left. 
“Hi Sophie.” Kate says. 
Sophie and Kate stand like this for what feels like several minutes. Sophie, not moving to let Kate in, and Kate seeming unsure of what to do as she stands across from Sophie in the doorway. 
“I uh, I would invite you in but now is not a good time.” Sophie says. Sophie doesn’t want to tell Kate that she has company. She prays that Ryan stays in the room and doesn’t come out to see who is at the door. They aren’t hiding their— whatever they are. No they aren’t hiding but now is not the time to tell Kate that she is messing around with Ryan. How would Kate even react. 
“I’m sorry, I should have called first. That was rude of me.” Kate offers. 
“Why are here, Kate?” Sophie doesn’t mean for this to sound so sharp. But she also offers no apology for her tone.
“I made a mistake leaving you the way I did. It was stupid. I don’t know if we can, perhaps, I don’t know, maybe start over? Or we could pick up where we left off? You thought I was dead Sophie, and then it turns out I’m not dead and instead of staying I rush off to go find Bruce. That was a dick move.” Kate finishes. She shifts on her feet. Sophie can tell she wants to be invited in. 
“Yeah.” Sophie says. What else is she supposed to say. Kate ripped out her heart and yeah it was a dick move. 
“Ok... I’m gonna go see if I can stay with Mary for the night. Hopefully it will be ok with Ryan, I don’t want to impose. Maybe we can get coffee tomorrow?” Kate says, seeming to finally get the hint that Sophie is not going to let her in tonight. Sophie’s heart picks up at the mention of Ryan’s name. 
“Ryan’s not over there.” Sophie says quickly. Then she immediately regrets saying anything. Kate gives her a look. Sophie tries to explain. 
“I mean, I uh, I think she said she was gonna be out tonight. Doing bat stuff or something.” Sophie was never that great of a liar. Kate gives her another look. Sophie tries to breathe.
“So you two are pretty close then huh?” Kate randomly says. 
Sophie sputters. “Um oh, yeah, no. I mean yeah, Ryan’s cool. We didn’t get along at first but, yeah. I like her now. I mean she likes me now. I mean like we are friends now because I’m not with the Crows trying to arrest her and she’s well, you know, she’s Batwoman.” Sophie let’s out a forced raspy laugh, feeling mortified at her explanation of Ryan. 
“Ok well, I’ll uh, I’ll text you tomorrow morning when I get up and we can grab that coffee.” Kate says. She hovers at the door and then she lunges forward and wraps Sophie in a hug. Sophie returns the hug. Kate steps back, waves goodbye, and then she is gone. Sophie closes the door and leans her head against it. 
“So, Kate’s back.” Ryan says. Sophie jumps and then whips her head around to see a sleepy looking Ryan who has changed into sleep shorts and one of Sophie’s old military shirts. The shirt is too small on Ryan’s shorter muscular frame, it rides up and has turned into some what of a crop top on her. 
“Are you ok?” Ryan asks. Sophie’s heart melts just a bit. Instead of Ryan being accusatory, or being upset with Sophie, her first thought is worry and concern over Sophie’s well being. 
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m ok. That was just, weird.” Sophie says. Sophie walks towards Ryan and stands in front of her. She reaches out and lightly tugs down on the shirt Ryan is wearing. Then she goes to the couch and Ryan follows her. 
“So what did she want?” Ryan asks. 
Sophie sighs. “She wants to get coffee I guess. Says she misses me.” 
“I can imagine.” Ryan says softly. Sophie looks up at Ryan and then tucks a strand of hair behind Ryan’s ear. She brings her hand down and let’s her thumb lazily touch Ryan’s bottom lip in the process.
“Should I go? Should I go have coffee with her? I told her I would but—” Sophie trails off. 
“Why not?” Ryan says. Sophie eyes Ryan. 
“I don’t really have anything to say to her, Ryan. I mean, I can’t have her coming in and out of my life whenever she pleases.” Sophie says. Ryan puts her hand on Sophie’s shoulder and then starts rubbing Sophie’s back. 
“Maybe just see what she wants, get closure or something? I don’t know.” Ryan says. She then stops rubbing Sophie’s back and adjusts her body so that she is lying down with her head resting in Sophie’s lap. Sophie’s hand immediately drops to Ryan’s head to play with her hair. 
“I know what she wants, Ryan. She wants to get back together. I mean I really think she thought she could just waltz back in here and come into my life again; as if I’ve just been frozen in time waiting for her, like some lap dog. Sometimes I think that’s what she thinks of me. The girl who is just going to wait around for Kate Kane to come riding back on her white knight motorcycle and save everybody. I’m not that girl anymore, Ryan. I mean, I quit the Crows. She didn’t even ask me about that. She didn’t ask me about my life at all. Does she care what I’ve been up to, what I’ve been through? What we have all been through?” Sophie waits for an answer from Ryan. When no answer comes, she looks down and see’s Ryan’s eyes are closed and she’s breathing slow, deep and steady. She’s fallen asleep. Sophie smiles to herself and continues running her fingers through Ryan’s tresses. She pulls a near by blanket over them and then reaches for a book that is on her coffee table. She tries to focus on her book but all she can think about is Kate’s impromptu visit and whether or not she should grab coffee with her extremely flighty ex. 
“I’m glad you decided to meet me Sophie. I was worried you would back out.” Kate says as she brings their coffees to a table that Sophie is leading them to. Kate sets the drinks down and her and Sophie sit in their respective chairs across from one another. As soon as they sit, Sophie bites down on the blueberry muffin that she ordered so that she doesn’t have to answer Kate right away. She watches as Kate blows on her coffee and takes a timid sip. 
“Ok Sophie, I’m just going to say it. I want you back. I want us back. I’m really sorry for the way that I left. I had so much on my mind and I didn’t know how to handle it. I had to get away to process everything.” Kate said. 
Sophie takes a deep breath. “I understand that Kate. But, you can’t just keep coming and going. I want closure. I want to move on from this time in my life. I want to close up these wounds and you, you just keep pouring salt on them.” Sophie looks up to see Kate’s reaction to her words. Kate looks taken aback. 
“Sophie–” Kate starts.
“Look, Kate. I know it is not your fault, what happened to you, and what they did to you. And I’d love to be here for you as a, as a friend but I’m not ready to be with— no. It’s not that I’m not ready. I don’t want to be with you in that way, Kate.” Sophie says. Sophie looks apologetic, but she also looks determined, fierce, confident, older. This Sophie was different from the one that Kate knew.  
“It’s Ryan isn’t it.” Kate says suddenly. Sophie’s heart leaps out of her chest. How the hell did Kate put that one together. 
“What’s Ryan?” Sophie says, not wanting to offer anything up and waiting to see what else Kate was going to say. 
“Come on Sophie, you know you’ve always been an awful liar. She was there with you last night wasn’t she.” Kate says. It wasn’t a question. Sophie shifts in her chair and looks out the window. None of this was Kate’s business. 
“Do you love her?” Kate asks. Sophie stays quiet. Her and Ryan hadn’t even discussed what they were yet, no way was she going to be giving Kate this tea. 
“Ok, you don’t have to tell me.” Kate says in that smug way she always says and does everything. Like she knows better than everyone, like she knows people better than they know themselves. “I guess that’s what Ryan meant when she said her and I had more in common than I knew.” Kate says. 
“I’m a different person than I was when I was with you Kate. I’m not going to get into what is going on with me and Ryan because that’s not any of your business, but I’m not going to hurt Ryan, I refuse to hurt her actually, and I would never betray her trust. Even if it wasn’t for Ryan, you and me just can’t work out. We want different things and we are at extremely different points in our lives. I can’t keep living in the past. I want to move forward. You’re my past Kate, and it is something that is part of me, but it’s not my story. You know, you’ve not asked me once about what has been going on since you’ve been gone. It doesn’t feel like you want to know the new me, it feels like you want to hang onto the old me. But the old me wasn’t happy, the old me was hiding in the closet, scared to be out, scared to tell my mom who I really was. The old me was sneaking around, scared to be myself. The old me was stupidly dedicated to the Crows, so much so that it almost got me and my friends killed!” Sophie says the last parts of her speech breathlessly. Kate looks shocked and confused. 
“See, you don’t even know all the things that have happened. And again, I don’t blame you Kate. You came back from the dead, you had other fish to fry. But that’s just it. Us and timing. Even with you coming back now. It was not good timing, and I don’t think it ever will be.” Sophie says. She starts sipping her coffee now that she was sure it had cooled down. She watches Kate. 
“Well that settles it then, doesn’t it.” Kate says.
“Kate—” Sophie tries, she doesn’t want to end on a sour note. 
“No, no I’m not mad Sophie. I appreciate your honesty.” Kate gulps the last of her coffee and stands up. Sophie takes this as her que to stand as well. Sophie cleans up her crumbs into a napkin and crumples it in her hand. Kate takes their empty coffee mugs up to the front counter. They walk out to the parking lot. Sophie looks around for Kate’s motorcycle and then sees it parked some feet away, sun glistening on the handle bars. Sophie puts her hand above her eyes to shield the sun. 
“Ryan is lucky to have you, kid.” Kate says. She regards Sophie with a look and then starts off towards her motorcycle. 
“I’m pretty lucky myself, actually.” Sophie says to Kate and then smiles to herself.
“You always did like your women in suits.” Kate says. She continues walking towards her motorcycle and then turns around and gives Sophie the two finger salute. Sophie smiles and watches as Kate gets on her bike, puts her helmet over her head, revves up the engine and then takes off. Sophie hates to admit it but she hopes it’s the last time that she sees Kate. at least for a while. She wasn’t lying when she said they could be friends, she also wasn’t lying when she said she refused to hurt Ryan and break Ryan’s trust. Sophie jumps into her car and heads back to her place, on the way she calls Ryan to see if she will meet her there. 
******************************************************************************
Sophie enters her place and see’s Ryan lounging on the couch watching some Batman cartoon, she’d figured when she told Ryan to meet her here that Ryan would get there first and let herself in. She gave Ryan a key a couple of weeks ago and it’s been fun to come home to someone that she cares so much about. It’s still blows her mind that only a year ago her and Ryan couldn’t stand each other. And now Ryan was all over Sophie’s place. In Sophie’s bed, on Sophie’s couch, on Sophie’s shirts, in Sophie’s arms.
“Hey Soph! How cool is it that I’m literally watching Batman, and I’m freakin Batwoman bish!” 
Sophie laughs. “Pretty cool, babe.” Ryan looks up and smirks at Sophie and the pet name that just slipped out of Sophie’s mouth. Ryan sits up and pauses the TV. 
“How is Kate?” Ryan asks. Sophie takes off her shoes and coat and goes to sit next to Ryan on the couch. 
“Kate’s... Kate. She’s gone again.” Sophie says and rolls her eyes. 
“Are we, are we mad about this?” Ryan asks. She is not sure how Sophie is feeling but wants to support her in whatever way she can. 
“Gosh no.” Sophie says briskly. Ryan says nothing and Sophie continues. 
“Kate wanted to get back together and I shut it down. She uh, she actually kind of guessed that something was going on between you and I, I didn’t really confirm it completely but she seemed to know anyway. I didn’t give her details.” Sophie says hesitantly, trying to register Ryan’s reactions. Ryan still says nothing, she just looks at Sophie with those rich, deep brown eyes of hers and Sophie has to look away because sometimes Ryan is just... Ryan is so raw and fragile at times that it makes Sophie ache. Sophie swears that one day she is going to drown in a pool of Ryan Wilder’s eyes. 
Ryan finally speaks. “So, Kate suspected that something was going on between you and me and that bitch still tried to shoot her shot!” Ryan says pretending to be extremely incensed. Sophie sniggers at Ryan’s antics. 
“She kept trying to pry but I didn’t want to tell her.” Sophie says. Ryan looks confused. 
“You didn’t want to tell her what?” Ryan says. 
“I didn’t want to tell her how crazy I am about you. I mean I did want to tell her. I want to tell everyone! But I thought you should be the first to know how I feel.” Sophie says. She puts her hand on top of Ryan’s hand. 
“And uh, how do you feel?” Ryan quietly asks. Sophie’s answer comes in the form of her lips on Ryan’s lips. Ryan’s eyes flutter shut and Sophie places her hand behind Ryan’s head to deepen the kiss. They break apart and lean their foreheads together. 
“Sorry, I didn’t catch that, can you repeat it? How do you feel?” Ryan jokes. Instead of another kiss, Sophie wraps Ryan up in a hug, placing her hand on Ryan’s head and pulling her into her chest. They fall back onto the couch. 
“I feel like everything that happens from here on just proves that you have been right in that first moment. When you suddenly realize that you were incomplete and now you are whole...” Sophie says, almost to herself. 
“Not you quoting Imagine Me & You.” Ryan laughs and buries her head into the crook of Sophie’s arm. Sophie laughs and then there is a comfortable lull in the conversation, where their breathing and heartbeats synch up once more. 
“I dare you to love me.” Sophie barely says above a whisper. 
“I just might.” Ryan responds back quietly, her head resting on Sophie’s chest. 
“Don’t forget me, Soph.” Ryan says softly after a few beats.  
“I won’t remember anything else.” Sophie says.
The two of them lie there for a while like that. Ryan drifting in and out of sleep, and Sophie playing with Ryan’s hair. Sophie’s eyes dance around her own living room as if seeing it for the first time. She looks at her coffee table, empty except for the book laying there and she decides that tomorrow she is going to purchase some fresh lilies. Sophie, feeling more content, more alive, and more like herself than she’s ever felt before, glances down at a peacefully sleeping Ryan Wilder on her chest and smiles.
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seijorhi · 3 years
Text
asks :))
what i have learned today is that y’all wanna get fucked by some monsters...
What does nostos mean? What language is it in? 🤔 also I of course loved it, mind blown as usual queen
it’s ancient greek! it means homecoming, the idea of a triumphant return home for the hero after a long journey. i found it through looking at the root of nostalgia. in this fic of course it’s kind of a grim tongue in cheek play on it. the reader’s coming back to the mountains, but she’s running away after a bad breakup, and the welcome she gets is... shall we say less than ideal haha
Just read nostos-
First of all as a person who reads monster shit- hell ya. Mhm. That’s some good shit right there. That was DELICIOUS horror. It actually had me a bit nervous and afraid to read what was gonna happen next 😳
Secondly- omg I wanna know what happened next (at the end) 👀 know what I mean??? 😼
ANYWAY AS ALWAYS you never disappoint and your writing is fantastic (if/when you write horror yandere stuff again I’ll be there- frothing at the mouth. A+++++ work ILY💖)
you want me to write the monster porn, just say it bby ghfjdkshgfjkd but ty
Omfg that fic was so good!
Did the readers mom know about monster kuroo?? Or was she just worried because of the previous murder? And did Kuroo somehow manipulate reader into coming back to the forest or was it just a big coincidence? (👁👄👁 there's no such thing as a coincidence)
Looking forward to your future work <3
ty nonnie!! i didn’t have the right space for it, but after kohsuke was ripped apart and eaten kuroo stayed by the reader’s side until late in the night, only disappearing when he heard the reader’s parents/search party approaching. they found her lying in pools of blood (and scattered half eaten body parts), shaking and unresponsive – they knew no animal could’ve done something like that. so they knew something lurked in those woods, but considering the reader had repressed the memories, her mom couldn’t just come out and say it <33
You are an AMAZING horror writer!!!
The uneasiness I got from the conversations with the mom is just *chefs kiss*
A+++++
ahh thank you!! horror is such a hard genre to write because i’m never sure if the suspense and everything’s gonna hit right haha
I read Nostos before going to sleep last night and at the time I was like “sure hope this doesn’t give me nightmares” and thankfully it didn’t lol. But I think I’m willing to take that chance again because it’s so GOOD and I think I’m just going to have to relive it – @ohno-otome
fhdjgbfhjkdfn i’m glad it didn’t give you nightmares bby!! but i also appreciate that haha, i’m an absolute wimp with scary movies and stuff but i just can’t stop watching them haha
I just wanna say that I was listening to "You're a psychotic villain playlist" on youtube while reading Kuroo's oneshot and I can't explain the emotions I felt, but I'd let Kuroo do things to me asdfghjkl – @itishebihime-samaforyou
ooh nice! sometimes the right playlist makes things doubly as fun haha
OH MY GOD!?!?! Nostos was soooo GOOD?!?!? Like it was so creepy (but in a good way), and scary and suspenseful!! And the ending!?!? Omggg honestly one my fav fics from you!! You did my mans Kuroo justice 🥺💖💕
TYYYYYYY i was genuinely concerned i was gonna scare everybody off haha
Ah! The new fic! Chiefs kiss! Magnificent! Bravo!🧚‍♀️✨🧞‍♀️🦖🦭🌹💫
tysm nonnie!!! <33
i’m pretty sure i’m in the same/similar timezone as you? and i do be staying up late to be one of the first to read your fics (i usually stay up late anyways). so imagine my surprise when i see you post in the afternoon. in conclusion, whether you post to align with your european and american readers’ timezone, my gmt+10 arse will still be one of the first to read your fics. also nostos sjdufigyyjf i have to admit, i recently just found out about monster fucking and nostos scratched the itch😫 i feel bad for kohsuke though
bby i always post at like 2-4 in the morning please get some sleep!! the fics will be there in the morning lmao. i kinda low key forget about my aussie/gmt+10 followers because i think there’s like... 3 of you haha
Honestly if i could give u a dollar everytime i got off to your fics, you'd probably be rich by now
lmao the idea that people find my fics hot enough to get off to still blows my mind lol
your newest kuroo fic was so SO good!! its totally okay if you dont want to answer this so you can keep things ambiguous but is monster kuroo planning on killing the reader after he's...done with them
thank you, bby!! but no, monster kuroo isn’t gonna eat her – he’s had plenty of chances to do that if that’s what he wanted, but he has other plans for the poor reader
RHI, I WANT TO STATE FOR THE RECORD THAT I AM OKAY WITH MORE MONSTER FUCKING IN THE FUTURE. i also want to say im not a monster fucker, but that just feels like a lie at this point. okay, now that that's off my chest, i love it. the mystery, the connections of kuroo to a cat. kuroo's probably gonna go and batter around his prey once they're under his grip like my cat does. hopefully the reader will come out somewhat unscathed, if they are ever allowed to leave 😌 love this, love how different it is, the way kuroo just tries to weasel in. very monster and yandere vibes, very you. have i said i love this yet?? id willingly let him get me drunk on his cock, maybe never leave the peace of the mountains again
‘i want to say that i’m not a monster fucker’ bby the denial will get you nowhere haha. just lean in and embrace it hgfjkdlkfgjnkdl ahh but thank you this is such a sweet ask ILY!!!
Omg omg the monster thing kuroo was in ur latest fic is so familiar to me abdhdmfnjfjf. I remember being told abt a monster with VERY SIMILAR characteristics to it (aka the not being able to go inside a house unless invited and using fire to lure ppl out) AND JFC IT TERRIFIED ME. Esp how when i told ppl around me and they didnt recognize what it was, but it was somehow known to the kid that told me abt it.
(Some ppl thought it was familiar but still didnt know what it was)
Do u know what im talking abt? Hopefully u do
-🥚
GHFJDK so the monster in this is kind of based off the nekomata spirit in japanese folklore - they can appear like people, torment victims by reanimating the corpses of their loved ones, they’ve been blamed for forest fires, so it was just fun to use that as a basis and then go buck wild haha. anyway thanks for the ask bby!
Rest In Peace Kohsuke, you would’ve loved Haikyuu season 5😔✊– @joyvstheworld
poor kohsuke deserved better, i’m just mean to the oc’s i throw into fics haha
Monsterfucking ❤❤❤❤❤❤ a little annoyed you're making me simp for yan Kuroo though (a vibe tho tbh). You're so extremely talented!!!! &
This is probably a stupid question, but how did Kageyama react when he couldn't find y/n? How is life with yan Suga? I imagine probably awful BUT yknow maybe the stockholm syndrome set in fast lmao. Sorry, I'm going on a binge reading your stuff. - @oracleofdin
i will not apologise for making you simp for kuroo he deserves it the man’s a snacc. and as far as your second question, suga’s a very caring, very smothering kinda yandere, so i guess in some ways it’s better than what the reader had with kageyama but... pick your poison haha
That was so good. I’m so shook rn I can’t comprehend anything but how good that was and how good a writer you are
TYSM NONNIE!!! <33
Ok, so, I just read Final Girl and the lil' ticket addition to it and just---
Well, ok I've been playing Dead by Daylight a lot lately? And I'm just picturing Tetsu as the newest killer "The Trickster" and I'm positively RANDY.
Your writing is ALREADY thirst inducing and just as satisfying, but this has SENT ME- If you're not familiar, please...
https://youtu.be/iowkiPobYYQ
Understand my thirst. (I'd also like to clarify, I use a different skin for him that gives him black hair and he looks like Kuroo with an undercut.)
~ @the-casual-hedonist 🌸
i love how feral y’all got for final girl kuroo. like bo and akaashi had his fans, but i put a spiked bat in kuroo’s hands and y’all lost your goddamn minds and i love to see it. fghdjkvhfjdkls thanks for the ask bby
idk why but I love preggo reader as long as I don't pretend it's me 😢✋ I hate babies n pregnancy anywhere else other than horny haikyuu fics
i think that’s a valid thing for a lot of fans. the idea of breeding is sexy, the actual getting pregnant and having a kid thing... not so much. but especially with non-con scenario’s, it’s more about the aspect on control than the actual desire to have kids. but yeah, i feel you
Sorry to bother but uh was just wondering in fracture did Osamu kill his wife or was it actually an “unfortunate event” ? Love your work btw!!
he most certainly did :))
LMFAO RHI i totally get not liking cheating/infidelity fics (towards reader) bc IT HIRTS ME SO BAD I CANNOT HANDLE THOSE.
id be reading fics those fics like: tf you mean my yandere aimt gonna baby me and only want me??🤨🤨🤨⁉️‼️
EXACTLY! listen i get that it’s a fucked up fantasy, but in my fucked up fantasy you damn well better have the decency to be loyal smh
Finders keepers is the most beautiful thing I've read by you: I read it twice like I normally do and here's what I figured out the second time (that's when I analyze it and find the little tidbits of things that are much darker than they appear (: )
To start I LOVE THE DETAILS OF THEM NEVER TEACHING READER ANYTHING- at first I assumed "oh they might see her as a little sister or child or something" but realized thAT WAS THE ISSUE!! they infantilize her and isolate her from everyone but her group. the small details like that are what make the story amazing 😎💅
ahh thank you so much, nonnie!! pls this is making me soft 🥺
I just wanted to stop by and say that I love your writing and I hope you're doing well!!! Drink plenty of water and keep up the amazing work :) but seriously you're one of the best fanfic writers I've seen on tumblr! I read your "Imitation" piece about kuroo and i keep coming back to it, it's so good! I did want to ask if you think it'd be possible for the reader to ever escape with the baby (or at least attempt to). Or if Kenma would "help" at all just to put an end to kuroo's antics lmao
kenma would in no way help the reader, and tbh by that point if kuroo did get her pregnant, she’d be far too emotionally dependant on him to actually even want to leave, but thanks for the ask!
You know who I think would be a perfect Yandere in the JJK world? Choso.
🚨Spoilers Ahead🚨
After being locked in a glass jar for however long he was, and all that happened with his brothers, I feel like he would absolutely never let his darling out of his sight. He would be possessive. Obsessive. And Oh So delusional. Sure he’d be your anything - he truly is a softy - but to what end?🤤
choso would make an excellent yandere, ngl 😌
what au/troupe of your fav character(s) that you have written do you like the most?
(rlly hope this makes sense🙏)
i am always a slut for soulmate au’s :))
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obx-saltlife · 4 years
Text
PAINT
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Pairing: JJ x Reader You want to redecorate. JJ wants to help. Your plans change. Loosely based on the song Paint – Travis Garland Feat. Jojo Warnings: Smut (duh!), unprotected sex (please be responsible and do not do this), inappropriate use of paint (honestly, like what?) 3.2k of absolute filth tbh.
A/N: hoookay, here it is. More JJ smut. Enjoy and let me know how you like it!
“Oh, dude! What! I thought you weren’t gonna start today!”
Jumping from your spot in the middle of your mostly cleared out bedroom, you clutched your chest and held the half-poster with your other hand. Moving forward, you turned around to find the culprit of your almost heart attack.
“Shit, JJ! How did you get in here?” You asked as he moved from his spot by the door of room to approach you.
“Your mom was on her way out,” JJ Maybank replied, kicking off his beat up boots. “Is that what’s-his-name and Mila Kunis?”
Glancing back at the poster you were holding up, you flattened it out against the wall. A small cringe finding its way onto your face, not exactly sure what you were thinking with your previous choice in room décor. “Natalie Portman, actually.”
Nodding, JJ moved towards you and helped you rip the tape off the poster lightly. He didn’t notice the small confused look you shot his way. While you had planned to start the process of painting your bedroom, JJ was supposed to be taking his Touron Girl of the Month on a date. It’s exactly why you had picked precisely that moment to put your mind to something else. So you could forget that he was out and about with someone else – someone who wasn’t you. You’d always been very determined so it was no surprise that if you put your mind to re-painting your bedroom, you were going to get it done but it was definitely a surprise that JJ had cut his date short.
“You want some help?” He asked, moving towards the plastic tarp and other things you had set up to the side.
“I would love some, but what happened to….Lacey? Kacey? Macy?” You started. “uh, your date, what happened to your date?” You said, turning to him.
Glancing briefly in your direction, JJ averted his eyes to the painting supplies at his fingertips. “Oh, you know, it ended early. Stage Five clinger.” He ended mimicking the sound of a walkie-talkie and chuckling.
Cocking an eyebrow, you replied, “You could tell she was clingy in less than an hour?”
Grabbing the plastic tarp, JJ extended it and began setting it up on the floor as he continued, “Well, no. But I figured as much when she started going on about coming to visit during her breaks from school and shit.”
Laughing, you slapped a hand to your forehead. “I told you something was off way back at that kegger, man. I’m never wrong, Maybank.”
Throwing his head back in a lazy laugh, he groaned. “Yes, I know. I should have listened to my best friend, but I have needs okay? I’m a young boy, so weak…” He drifted off, laughing at his own joke.
Smirking, you turned back around and helped him finish extending the tarp all over the floor. “You say that as if you’re not already sex on legs to all the other Tourons, hanging on all the stupid shit that you say.” You threw the poster on the ground with the tarp, really seeing no use for it anymore.
Clicking his tongue in the obnoxious way you hated, JJ reached over and pushed you gently. “Do you want me to help you or not? Wouldn’t wanna interrupt all the hard work you’ve obviously already done all by yourself.”
“Of course I want your help,” Rolling your eyes, you moved to grab the paint cans you had picked up from the hardware store earlier that morning.
Walking back to the center of the room, you heard JJ shuffle and follow. Lifting the top of the can open, you made sure it was still the right shade of blue that you wanted to use for your own little space in the house. You sighed and stirred the paint a bit before pouring it onto the tray in front of you. You let it air out before standing up and leaning against the previously plastic-covered dresser. A comfortable silence fell between both of you as the paint aired out.
“Do you think it’s possible?” JJ finally asked, eyeing the poster in the corner of the floor.
“Do I think what’s possible?”
“Casual sex, you know, like, with a friend?”
Shrugging, you looked towards the poster again. “I don’t know. It depends on the people and their situation, I guess. Feelings can be a pain in the ass.”
“But it worked out for them, didn’t it?” JJ pressured, moving closer to where you had started dipping the rod in the paint.
You giggled, “Yeah, but it’s a chick targeted movie. I’m pretty sure if I had someone directing my life, I wouldn’t be painting inside on this beautiful day with you.”
Mocking offense, JJ retorted, “And what exactly would you be doing instead?”
Raising your eyebrows, you turned back around to the bare wall as you started applying the first coat of paint.
‘You, for one’ You thought with a smirk as you continued slathering the paint on the wall. Shrugging, you barely turned in his direction, “Just…other things.”
Repeating the process of dipping the rod into the tray, you continued painting the wall in front of you before turning back around to JJ who was watching you intently.
“Cheer up, JJ! We can watch the movie again later and your dick can live vicariously through Ashton’s as he does Natalie Portman.” You said, turning back to the task at hand.
You both fell into a rhythm as JJ shed his cut-off tank and grabbed the spare rod before helping you add color to your dull bedroom walls. It wasn’t hard for you to work as a team; your friendship went back a few years now, when your genius wit helped him get out of some trouble with Officer Shoupe.
Your friendship only grew from there, even after all the dumb shit you and JJ did (and there was a lot of dumb shit), you remained best friends; always together, for better or for worse, through thick and thin. Pogues for life. Your relationship had always been platonic, up until six months ago.
It started at a bonfire in the middle of the summer. After downing a couple beers and taking a nice long walk along the beach, you confessed to JJ the disaster that your first kiss had been. In his drunken stupor, JJ demanded to “fix it” for you. As you continued to ramble on, JJ swept in and kissed you.
The kiss was sloppy and the distinct taste of cheap beer, weed and a very far off hint of mint kind of ruined it, but from there, a new can of worms had been opened. Feelings weaved in and it had all been extremely confusing to say the least. His naturally flirtatious attitude with everybody put a sour feeling in the pit of your stomach and you could hear the irritated tone in his voice when you mentioned another guy friend from work. The sexual tension was definitely there too and despite neither of you making any move for more, it only increased.
JJ liked to play it hot and cold so there was no telling how he’d reach to his friend suddenly making a move to rip his pants off.
Pushing your thoughts to the side, you returned your attention to the now half-finished wall. You dipped the rod in the tray once again and a sly smirk spread on your face. You scooted towards JJ and turned inconspicuously, throwing him a smile when he turned and looked down at you.
You both remained quiet as you worked for the most part, only the odd sigh or grunt here and there, the music playing at a super low volume. JJ was completely focused and surprisingly taking it all very seriously. That is until you heard him snort when you bent over in your shorts to fix the dripping rod.
Feeling his eyes on you, you looked up at him. “What?” You asked as he looked down at you.
He motioned with his hand to your bent over body and playfully rolled his eyes. “Don’t…don’t do that.”
Cocking your head to the side, you played it off like you didn’t know what he was talking about before turning back to the problematic dripping rod.
You were almost done, a triumphant look making its way to your face when you felt something cold against your thigh. You felt paint drip as JJ slapped his hand on your exposed thigh before gasping loudly.
“What the hell, Maybank!?” You shrieked before dipping your fingers into the tray of paint in front of you and flicking it in his direction.
The ocean blue paint splattered over his defined torso before he let out a loud laugh. Looking over to your best friend, you noticed his eyes had intensified in color, contrasting against their usually hazy appearance. His eyes were trained on you, capturing your full attention. While his head remained still, he ran his hand over the rod, scooping up excess paint and copied your flicking motion right back at you. Never had you seen JJ in this light before and it intrigued you, to say the least.
“Don’t start something you can’t finish,” JJ spoke up; a smirk on his lips and a glint in his eyes.
“Oh?” You smiled coyly, stepping forward and straight up planting your hand on his chest, leaving a paint mark on it.
You bit your lip, “Do you want me to?...finish it?” Inching closer, his hand gravitated back to your exposed thighs. Holding his eyes contact, the right side of your mouth tugged up in a smile.
JJ swallowed hard. “Painting? You want to uh, finish painting?”
‘I’d rather finish you’ You thought, biting your lip again. You simply nodded, knowing your thoughts would make their way out of your mouth if you did otherwise.
Smirking at you, JJ leaned towards you and whispered in your ear. “Then why don’t I believe you?”
He parted his lips to speak but you brought his head back up and crashed your lips together. You could tell he was stunned by your abruptness with his lips staying completely still but JJ was quickly brought into the mood when you felt him nip at your bottom lip. Gasping at his teeth nipping at your lip, you placed your hands on his warm chest, pulling him closer to you. Grabbing the back of your head, paint taking residence in the strands of your hair, he pushed your face closer to his.
Your right hand, still with some leftover paint, traveled to his neck. Your fingernails ran lightly along his neck, leaving traces of the blue pigment. As your nails left his mark on his skin, JJ’s mouth left your own and his tongue ran shyly along your jawline, leaving wet kisses along it before moving down to your neck. You felt his free hand leave a trail of the blue paint alongside your chin and the rest of your neck as he sponged kisses down your throat.
The t-shirt you were wearing was much too big for your frame, allowing JJ to easily pull the shirt up and over your head without much effort. Your mouth dropped, forming an ‘o’ shape, you gripped the nape of his neck, the rest of the paint on your hand finding its way onto the hairs on the back of his head. You guided his head down towards your chest. Feeling you trying to take over the situation, JJ inadvertently reached into the nearby paint can and stepped away from you briefly. A sly smirk donning his face as he flicked his fingers towards your body once more; specks of blue littering your chest before he waved his fingers in a disapproving manner. You gasped in surprise.
“Not tonight,” JJ said, pulling you down to the floor with him. “I’m gonna make you a believer.” You both laughed as he playfully flicked some more paint in your direction.
As he took in your body in front of him, your eyes traced his own. His chest was a little broad and well defined, the clear outline of a ‘V’ defined his hips and disappeared in the waistband of his boxers and his cargo shorts. You pulled your body up so your elbows were resting on the plastic tarp covering the floor as JJ busied himself with his belt buckle. You dipped your fingers into the paint tray and ran two digits down his abs with a smile on your face. With only his belt unbuckled and pants unbuttoned, JJ crawled his way back to you before spreading his legs and bending back down to your chest.
Kissing the hollow space between your collarbones, he moved his head to trail his wet lips along your sternum. Your breathing picked up when JJ moved his head to the left, kissing along the swell of your breast. As his mouth ran along the curvature, his other hand moved to the waistband of the old shorts you were wearing. As JJ undid the button with ease, he ran just the tip of his tongue from the outer part of your breast to your nipple, tracing the areola. The combined sensation of his wet tongue, drying paint and talented fingers rubbing against your underwear, had you curving your back; pushing your chest forward towards him.
Picking up his head, JJ looked at you with his signature shit-eating grin. “Enjoying yourself, are ya’?”
While your body might have given in to JJ, you weren’t ready to verbally admit it yet. Steadying your breathing, you let out a quick, “Not yet.”
Raising an eyebrow, JJ asked, “Not even when I do this?” before lowering his head back to your chest and pursing his lips to take your right nipple in his mouth before sucking it hard.
You pressed your lips together to prevent the moan that vibrated against your vocal chords to escape. You weren’t about to give JJ the satisfaction. You shook your head again as you watched JJ look up at you again.
“Hmm, shame,” JJ replied, bringing his mouth back up to your neck. “Because that little moan you just tried to stop was so fucking hot.”
You could feel his fingers slipping inside your underwear and towards your wet center.
“You don’t have anything you want to say right now?” JJ asked, as his fingers drummed against your clit.
Your breathing was ragged and you struggled to suppress any noises. You shook your head as JJ continued to play with your clit before moving down to your entrance. You were losing to his touch. Wanting to keep an upper hand, you composed yourself fast enough to reach for the zipper of JJ’s cargo shorts.
As JJ continued to whisper dirty but incredibly arousing things in your hear, you slipped your hand in his boxers fast enough so he wouldn’t notice. Feeling he was hardening, you wrapped your hand around him, throwing him completely off-guard. His fingers stopped teasing you, his voice was hitched in his throat.
Moving your hand up and down, you smiled, “Problem, JJ?”
As your hand reached the head of his cock, you ran your thumb along the slit, spreading the first drops of pre-cum around. Gasping, he composed himself just as you shifted your bodies around so that you were now sitting up and JJ was awkwardly hunched over.
JJ groaned your name.
He moved his hands to your back, running them from your shoulder blades to the small of your back. He stopped just at the edge of your underwear. Looping his hand around to your front, he slipped his hand fully into your underwear. Finding your core, he inserted a single finger, curling it upwards and aiming for your g-spot.
With the feeling of his finger pumping into you, you let out your first moan of the afternoon. Your sound caused JJ to pump faster before adding a second finger. You too, continued to pump his length in your hand, the pre-cum oozing from the tip, soothing any friction. Every so often, you would run a finger along the underside of the head, where it met the shaft, causing him to jump.
JJ’s gasps became more frequent and you relished every single one. They hinted he was getting closer to his impending orgasm. Not wanting him to find release in a hand-job, you pushed him down onto the floor. JJ fell back onto the floor with a semi-shocked look on his face. You stood up on your knees and slid your panties all the way down your legs before kicking them off. Now, being fully naked in front of him, you crawled over to JJ, pulling his shorts and boxers down his legs, leaving them in a pool of fabric at his ankles. His length fell back against his stomach and as you positioned yourself above his hips, you took his cock in your hand, guiding him into you. Once JJ filled you completely, you let out a sigh of relief before placing your hands on his chest to steady yourself.
JJ’s own hands moved up form his sides to grip your hips as you found a pace for you both. Using his hands to guide you along his dick, you grinded your hips into his pelvis, causing to blurt out all sorts of profanities.
“Fuck! Oh yeah,” JJ’s eyes rolled back in bliss.
His fingers pressed tightly into the skin of your hips as you felt him moving his hips to meet your own.
“Oh god, JJ” You gasped, quickening your pace. You switched from grinding yourself to moving up and down on his cock.
JJ’s hands traveled down from your hips and rested on your ass. He then began to help you move on top of him, his thrusts becoming harder. You could feel yourself growing closer and closer to your release as JJ’s thrusts had your insides tighten.
As you squeezed around him, your muscles clenched and JJ’s moans grew louder. “Fuck, I’m so…so close.”
Knowing you had brought him to the edge, you clenched your muscles tighter once more before you felt your orgasm explode inside of you; a tight coil, springing loose from deep inside. The evidence of your arousal coating JJ and it wasn’t too long before he followed. The spasm of your walls sent him into a state of ecstasy. His thrusts soon ceased and you felt his head twitch inside you.
With JJ softening inside of you, you leaned down and placed a delicate kiss on his cheek before sneakily dipping two fingers in a nearby paint can and smearing them on his nose. His chest was rising heavily as he tried to regulate his breathing and laughed. He grabbed your head and brought your forehead to his own. Stretching his neck somewhat, he kissed your lips softly and smiled.
“Maybe we should finish painting?” His voice gruff and raspy.
Smirking, you replied. “Dunno, I kinda like what we’re doing right now.”
Returning your smirk, JJ wrapped his arms around you. He pulled you close to him for a repeat of your actions; the painting (at least on the walls) long forgotten.
230 notes · View notes
denimbex1986 · 4 years
Video
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“Hello Anthony and Sebastian.”
Sebastian: “Hello.”
Anthony: “How are you?”
“I’m good, how are you?”
Anthony: “Good, thank you very much.”
“All right, IDN Times from Indonesia. Okay, we would like to ask questions. The first question would be; the first episode has been released last week - did you two watch it, and if you did, how did you feel about it?”
Sebastian: “We did; I think pretty good, pre - it was pretty nice to see, uh, the episode you know, in, in, edited in its entirety, and, and, and have everything there, and it was surreal too because, again, it felt like we were only - we had been making it for over a year, so just to have it finally out there, you know, it was exciting.”
“Yeah, agreed. What about you Anthony?”
Anthony: “Uh, it was great, I mean - um, I always felt like we were doing something special and doing something different. Uh, to see it all put together and people’s response to it was, uh, really humbling and amazing.”
“Okay, cool. Uh, what about your fellow cast members; how’d they react to this? Could you share with us if there were any personal messages they shared with you after the first episode was released, maybe from your fellow Avengers cast friends?”
Sebastian: “Wyatt Russell will still not return my texts so - ”
Anthony: “Or calls.” (interviewer and Anthony laugh)
Sebastian “ - I’m wondering.” (laughs)
Anthony: “Nah everybody just, uh, congratulated us. We congratulated each other. Um, you know it’s a - Marvel is a small little community so you know, uh, everybody was very happy because they know, you know, what we all went through to get this show done - they were very happy to see it finished and out.”
“Okay. Alright. So um, in the first episode and in the next episodes are coming our way, uh, we saw that you did a lot of action including fighting scenes. We were actually curious about your preparation for the - these scenes, and which part of your body that you focused on most during the exercising and why?”
Sebastian: “Erm, well, you know, there’s always, there’s always those, those scenes sometimes, you know, can kind of like, when you keep doing them over and over again, it can get a little bit, uh, exhausting, so I - I always try to, you know, figure out a way to, to kind of hang in there for as long as I can, so, uh, it’s a lot of cardio stuff too but - yeah.”
“Okay. Well you nailed it anyway.”
Sebastian: “Aww, thank you.”
Anthony: “Thank you.” (interviewer laughs)
“Cool - uh, let me ask, for Sebastian, what does it feel like to play Bucky with a fresh new haircut, and could you please share with us what do you like most about his new style?”
Sebastian: “It was uh - I could finally feel the breeze and the wind on the back of my neck, uh, that was a liberating experience and, uh, uh, you know, just happy that he - that, that, that he looks a little bit more like his old self and you know, after all the - all that’s happened so, you know, kind of find - finding the old Bucky back again, you know?”
“Okay. Now for Anthony and Sebastian. I want you to choose quickly between these two. Would you rather leave your legacy in style by having an heroic death like Iron Man or going for retirement like Captain America?”
Anthony: “Oh, retirement.”
(laughs) “Okay.”
Anthony: “I want to enjoy old age and play golf and go fishing every day.”
“Okay. What about you Sebastian?”
Sebastian: “The retirement sounds like a good plan - sounds like a good, good way to be present every day.”
“Okay. I like that, cool. Retirement to be present every day, good one. (laughs) I’m gonna go back to Anthony. Anthony, Sam Wilson was known as Captain America’s trusted sidekick, and now Falcon is taking the center stage in the series. What do you love most from Sam’s character development in the movie and in the series?”
Anthony: “Um, you know I just love the fact that he’s a normal guy and he just got pulled into this situation, um; you know if you watch Captain America, uh, Winter Soldier, he was literally in his kitchen after a workout, and Cap just showed up and was like ‘Yo, you’re my dude.’ So, you know, he’s just like anybody else in the audience, he just happens to be thrusted into this extreme situation.”
“Oh, okay, now - you two have known each other and played the characters for years, and I believe there were a lot of fun moments on the set between the two of you. I would like to ask who’s better at doing ad-lib performance during filming, and any ad-lib scenes you want to share and the story behind it?”
Sebastian: “Uh, I think Anthony’s definitely much better ad-libing than I am for sure, um, and uh, hmm - ”
“Any stories you guys would like to share?”
Sebastian: “ - any funny stories, uh - anytime anybody, uh, you know, cracks through a new pair of pants, it’s uh, it’s a good story.” (laughs silently, interviewer laughs aloud)
“Okay, okay, can you tell us more Anthony?” (laughs)
Anthony: “Nah, there was - there were two times where I was doing stunts and I ripped through the crotch of my pants, so Sebastian likes to make fun of me because my pants couldn’t handle the round brown.” (interviewer laughs)
“Okay. Alright then, that sums up all our questions, now you two can promote the series, where can we watch it, and thank you for your time.”
Anthony: “Definitely - thank you.”
Sebastian: “Thank you.”
Anthony: “Don’t forget to mark your calendars and watch Marvel Studios The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.”
Sebastian: “Every Friday exclusively on Disney Plus Hotstar. Bye IDN Times.”
Anthony: “Bye IDN Times TV.”
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infinitegalahad · 4 years
Text
Falling For High School! Snafu Would Include...
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This is going to be apart of a series. Just an idea I had roaming in my head! It’s pretty bad but I just had to get this out here. High School! Snafu is an interesting concept...✨✨
You met Snafu in your French class sophomore year
You originally knew him as Merriell since the teacher would always call him that (or call him out for not paying attention)
He’s the only junior in a class full of underformers
At first glance, you’re kinda weary of him because of all the rumors you had heard 
I mean, his nickname had said it all for you 
Everybody knew him as the “werid” older student 
Just seemed like nothing more than a weird dude
It’s like any other day and your in French
You get assigned to work with Snafu on a project 
Great, not only your with the older werido, but he also most likely won’t do the work
He moves to your desk with a cheeky smile on his face
“Y/n, innit?”
“Yeah, and you're Merriell?”
“You can call me Snafu, darlin’”
Snafu to say the least was very unpredictable 
He was fluent in French and did his fair share in the project
You guys actually got an A+ on the project
It had sparked a sudden friendship between the two of you 
Hanging out during your free blocks, exchanging numbers, etc
Heck, he even came over for dinner
Your mother absolutely loves him since you convince him to put on a goody two shoes act so he doesn’t give your poor mother a heart attack
He would hang out in your room as you guys made tik toks and played Among Us
But the more you guys became “friends”, the more you noticed his long stares and sleepless nights you would spend texting
It was pretty obvious that Snafu had been not so subtlety flirting with you
Burgie, a friend of Snafu and you, even notices but doesn’t say because he likes to watch all the drama unfold from a distance 
He would call you cher, pat you on the head, and be way too nice to you
“Why don’t you go poking around with some girl around your age?”
“None of treat me like you do, cher.” 
“Ah, the sympathy card. Try your luck next time, Shelton.” 
He was a cigarette smoking Cajun while you were a goody two shows with straight a’s
Snafu could have have anybody else but yet he puts all your attention on you and only you? 
So anyways, there’s this bully in your Latin class named Lukas
He’s overall an asshole who especially loved to harass you
Since Snafu became your friend and possible crush, he had been leaving you alone-ish
But the harassment still didn’t stop and the comments would get even worse
“Whats the matter? Gonna cry about it to your fuck buddy?”
“He only likes you because he feels bad for you. Look at you.” 
Lukas wasn't entirely wrong since nobody ever paid attention to you except Snafu
It was a dirty confession, but you sometimes liked the attention he gave you since you had never expiernced it before
So it’s the end of class and you’re packing up all of your stuff 
You stayed after to talk with the teacher so your all alone
Wanting to fill up your water bottle, you walk to the nearest water fountain and fill it
Returning to the classroom, your in absolute hororr
All of the books in your bag had been spilled all over the place and your phone screen had been smashed 
The notes you had done for an important quiz had been all ripped up
Down the hallway, you can hear Lukas and his friend snickering 
Not knowing what to do, you burst into tears 
Snafu had forgotten one of his books and walked in on you, sobbing your eyes out
He walks over and sees the mess
In an awaked manner, he bends down and pats your back as you let it all loose
“Merde sacrée! Y/n, you good?”
You shake you head as you can barley breathe from all the tears
Snafu furrows his eyebrows as he shakes his head in disgust
“Who did ‘dis, cher?”
“L-Lukas...but please don’t interfere.”
“Only because your sayin’ it, I won’t. But let me drive you home.”
Snafu drives you home and he’s there when you explain it to your mother
She calls the school and wants it sealed with immediately 
Snafu gives you a hug before going back into car
Throughout the night he’s sending you funny Tik Tok’s and memes because he’s such a himbo
So it’s the next day of school and your kinda shaky but know it’s going to be dealt with
As you grab your books for Geometry, you hear students running to the Cafeteria 
Curious, you follow and are in absolute shock
Snafu was on top of a whimpering Lukas, beating the living shit out of him
“Think it’s funny to bully other’s to jazz ya cargo pants boo?”
“G-get off of me, bug eyes!”
Lukas was begging for him to stop with a bloody nose, crying 
It gets split up and both of the boys are dragged away
So after you finish your classes you wait outside of the nurses office and see Snafu walk out with a bruised eye and bloody lip
He smiles at you, acting like nothing bad at happened
Walking over, you slap him really hard
“What the hell is wrong with you!”
“Whaddya mean?”
“I told you not to confront him, and yet you do!”
“He was hurting you. What the hell did you expect me do? Let him kick yah around?”
“It was none of your buisness!”
You were right up in his face, your rough breathes being the only noise
Digging throguh his pocket to find his car eyes, Snafu says “Fuck it. Let’s go.”
“What?”
“We’re outta here. Fuck this prison.”
“But I have a test in Phy-“
“Just Get in my damn car, y/n.”
There went your perfect attendance. Your mother was going to be worried sick but Snafu, despiste his insane judgement, was right
You and Snafu drive around in his Jeep in utter silence
Bringing you into a forest area, you guys stop as you overlook a cliff
Pulling out a box of cigarettes, he begins to smoke. You look over and admire the way his calloused fingers fiddle with the lighter. The way the cigar caseually hung from his lip.
Your staring was a little too obvious as Snafu looked over, offering a Cigarette
“No thanks. My mom says they kill your lungs.”
“Doesn’t you mama have a lot to say about everythin’?”
“She does. But those nicotine sticks give you cancer.”
“Are you gonna let her control you for da rest of ya life, Cher? Swear to god, you’ll be livin’ with her right by ya side. Even when ya married she’ll try to give you the birds and bees talk.”
A chuckle escapes from your lips. Snafu laughs along with you. He was right. For the few hours you were away from your overprotective, might as taste freedom. What was the harm in doing so?
“You know what? Fuck it. Hand one over, please.”
“Be careful, darlin’. Don’t get too cocky.”
Handing you a cigarette, you place it on your lips. Snafu brings a lighter close to your face. He grabs your chin gently to pull you close in order to lite the cigarette and suddenly my pants are wet
It took you by shock. His hands were dry, yet soft. As he lite your cigarette, his hand didn’t leave your chin. The two of you looked at eachother with a long gaze. There had been so much tension between you. Snafu had truly cared about you more than anybody in the world. There was something innocent about you that he simply adored.
Taking out the cigarette to blow smoke into his face, he leans in more to connect with your lips
Instead of rejecting it you happily accept the kiss. It was your first kiss and it had to be the Cajun bad boy. Not that you are complaining. His lips were like heaven. It was passionate and lasted for over a minute before you separated to breathe. Some of the saliva ran throguh from tongue. There is obvious regret on your face.
“You know why I like you, y/n?”
“Why, Snafu?”
“Because your a smart, and extremely hot person. Someone who’s decent in this fucked up place. Take that as a compliment.”
“That was a lot to take in. Thanks, I guess?”
There was a silence, before Snafu broke it
“Would you wanna do this again by the way? Y’know, except without the fight. And when your not studying.”
A smile appeared on your face as you blew out cigarette smoke, “I’m free on Saturdays.”
“Then Saturday it is, darlin’ .”
87 notes · View notes
makeste · 4 years
Text
BnHA Chapter 270: Harry Potter Rules
Previously on BnHA: Present Mic punched Ujiko in the face! It was awesome. I’m thinking about getting a tattoo of it. Meanwhile Endeavor saved Mirko’s life by setting her on fire (reason #15 why I will never become a superhero), and Aizawa did some sexy Spider-Man poses for our viewing pleasure while fighting the rest of these Noumus which are still annoyingly refusing to die. Anyway but back to Present Mic, the undisputed MVP of this chapter. Because you see, in addition to the punching, he also used his Loud Voice attack (literally the actual attack name; Horikoshi will steal all of my jokes and leave me with nothing) to smash open Tomura’s Noumutank! Which I really thought was going to immediately lead to Everyone Dying, but apparently I was wrong! Anyways so yeah, right now Tomura’s just lying down all heart-stopped and not-breathing. Which seems very anticlimactic, BUT I JUST HAVE THE CRAZIEST FEELING that maybe, just maybe, the super powerful villain lad who just spent the last three arcs slowly upgrading his bad self just in time to wage war on the world as the story reaches its climax, might not actually be dead though.
Today on BnHA: DON’T MIND THAT OMINOUS ORGAN MUSIC PLAYING IN THE BACKGROUND, IT’S NOTHING, IGNORE IT. Ahem. So first of all, as some of the bolder among us dared to speculate, Tomura is not, in fact, dead. He’s still very much kicking it with his nipple-less pecs and truffula tree hair, putzing around in his mental landscape filled with crumbled buildings and disembodied Theatrical Gesture Hands. For some reason he doesn’t have shoes or a shirt in his mental landscape, which was a very interesting choice on Horikoshi’s part, but we will speak no more of it. Anyway so to sum things up, Tomura’s family is all “TENKO WE LOVE YOU” and he’s all “oh hey” and then AFO fucking appears and he’s all “COME HERE MY BOY” which is exactly as creepy as you would expect, and for some fucking reason TOMURA ACTUALLY DOES COME HERE. And lol it turns out Ujiko gave him AFO. Like the quirk. Yes, that quirk. So long story short, Tomura is about to be possessed by AFO’s evil soul or some shit, and to put the cherry on top, fucking Deku out of fucking nowhere, MILES AWAY, is all “HE’S COMING.” Because of course he can sense it, because AFOFA IS REAL, AND FUCK ME THIS IS ALL HAPPENING TOO FAST, FUCK.
I know this chapter has been out since like 1pm, but I’m not getting to read it until 5 hours later because for once in my life I was trying to be responsible and actually get some work done on a Friday. I thought this might lead to less oh-god-I-still-have-to-get-that-done anxiety hovering over my weekend, but instead it just led to oh-god-I-have-to-get-the-chapter-recap-done anxiety hovering over my now! anyways so this might be a bit rushed lol
(ETA: yeah turns out this wasn’t exactly the kind of chapter you could just read quickly and get on with your life lmao. so, then!)
what a nice panel of Present Mic taking out the trash
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you heard ‘em fellas. the doctor is secured. good job everyone we did it, manga over, congratulations. now to cut away to a two-page spread of Dark Shadow comically smothering Dabi’s flames with a giant stock pot lid, and that’ll be that! what a wonderful, extremely short and strangely underwhelming arc in which we haven’t even seen the actual main characters do anything yet. but I guess we don’t need them since the main bad guy is lying dead on the floor! everything is just so fucking dead and secured!! do you think if I keep repeating it enough Horikoshi will finally be like “okay geez I get it” and reveal his hand already
Mic is now ordering Ujiko to power down the Noumu, which again, I’m sure he will definitely do without a fuss since after all the good guys have clearly won the day
OH SHIT OH FUCK
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rip X-Less. gonna just take a moment here to imprint your beautiful face onto my memory before it turns into a pile of ash. your face, I mean. not my memory. well my memory more or less already is a pile of ash but that’s neither here nor there ANYWAYS
:’)
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what are these little sound effects. I think that’s supposed to be a buzzing noise?? anyways whatever it is PLEASE STOP IT, I AM NOT HAVING A NICE TIME SO STOP
ffff Horikoshi sure has done an excellent job of setting the mood in such a way that all of these panels of X-Less doing incredibly mild things are sending my stress levels through the roof. like is anyone else reading his lines more or less like “WELP, TIME FOR ME TO DIE, ANY SECOND NOW, WE’RE REALLY DOING THIS, THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING, HERE IT COMES”
(ETA: when is this poor sweet innocent man going to fucking die already.)
LET’S CUT BACK TO MIC ESCAPING THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY
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I have the clearest mental image of Horikoshi standing by with a walkie talkie in one hand and one of those remote bomb detonation clicky switch thingies in the other, patiently waiting to receive the go-ahead once all of the important characters have gotten to safety
anyway so now Ujiko is talking again
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no fear everyone this is just the beginning of his verbal noumu deactivation sequence. nothing to worry about. everything is fine
yes for some reason his code phrase to put all the noumus back to sleep involves going into rambling detail about his work researching quirk singularities and shit. it’s fine. it’s not a big deal. code phrases are just like that sometimes all right
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just ignore the increasingly panicked look in Mic’s eye as he slowly realizes he was way too fucking keen to just leave the “dead” Tomura back there with his laser-eyed hero buddy. anyway so let’s continue learning all about the Quirk Illuminati or whatever the fuck
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okay so... he faked his own death? 70 years ago, at age 50 or thereabouts? I mean, that’s interesting and all I guess. not saying I wouldn’t be thrilled to spend the rest of this chapter learning all about Ujiko’s boring evil life. I don’t need to say it because it’s implied on account of Ujiko sucks and is the worst. so yeah can we get a move on though
oh shit?!?
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WHOSE NARRATION IS THAT IN THE BOXES TOMURA IS THAT YOU OH GOD OH GOD
also, comparing AFO’s smile to a buddha’s really sent an actual shudder of disgust down my spine for some reason lmao. I personally would have steered that comparison in a different area, maybe less to buddhas and more to Norman Bates from Psycho, but to each their own
oh shit wait up
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okay but this is actually a pretty big revelation though, isn’t it? because it’s been hinted for a while now that AFO and Ujiko had some method of duplicating quirks (the fact that all the Noumu share the same regeneration quirk was the biggest clue, but there was also John-chan’s quirk, as well as Hood’s Muscular-esque quirk), but as far as I can recall, this is the first time we’ve had it confirmed. though to be fair I wasn’t joking when I said my memory really has been shit lately sob
anyway so for real though, can you really call it a BnHA chapter if you’re not spending a good chunk of it being hopelessly confused over the ownership of some ambiguous thought bubbles. WHO IS THIS. I do seriously feel like it’s Tomura, because he’s the wrathful one, but another hallmark of a typical BnHA chapter is me constantly questioning everything I know as I muddle my way through
(ETA: yeah I’m pretty sure it was him. still impressive how vague it is though! it could also potentially be Ujiko, Mic, or even Deku. hopefully Caleb’s translation on Sunday can shed some more light on this. though he wasn’t really helpful last time this happened lol.)
SOMEBODY PLEASE TELL ME WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON
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didn’t... you just... say that “preservation” was your quirk?? what do you mean that you wanted it?? CAN YOU JUST FINISH YOUR SENTENCES LIKE A NORMAL PERSON
anyway so here’s a summary of this chapter thus far
present mic: okay goodbye forever x-less
x-less: what a strange thing to say! :) also is it just me or is this machine fucking staring at me
present mic: turn the noumu off please
ujiko: seventy years ago... society... singularity... he’d be 120 years old now...
??: [REPULSIVE FEELING EW WHO’S TOUCHING ME]
ujiko: all for one has the smile of an angel...
??: [SON OF A BITCH I’M SO FUCKING WRATHFUL]
ujiko: my quirk... preservation... the truth is... my quirk... preservation... the truth is... my quirk...
all caught up?? grand. also btw is anyone else super disturbed by the fact that Ujiko recognizes Mic as being “Kurogiri’s friend”, like holy shit though? how would he know that. I can’t think of any implications of this that aren’t super disturbing tbh
anyways back to -- LOL WHAT THE
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Horikoshi Kouhei: [furiously scribbling notes to himself at 3am] BUT WHAT IF THE FOLDING CITY FROM “INCEPTION” HAD MORE GIANT HANDS
jesus christ. is this like some mental representation of what shit is currently like in Tomura’s mind? lots of crumbly destruction and traffic lights and the house his father built (isn’t it? I feel like it looks familiar), and SO MANY HANDS, HE JUST LOVES HIS HANDS
anyway so at this point it’s a coin toss whether or not anything in this fucking chapter is ever going to make any kind of fucking sense! but here I am voluntarily along for the ride while Gene Wilder sings that creepy boat song right in my ear!
DSFKLDSJ
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ACCURATE REPRESENTATION OF SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN FLOATING IN A JAR FOR THREE MONTHS TBH. that is some luscious quarantine hair
SDFLKJSDLFKJSLKFDHLKSDJFLKJLKSDJL:FKJSDL:KJ
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(ETA: that Tomura in the top left may be my new favorite panel. look at him. all he is is a nose and chin and ~*~HAIR~*~.)
HANAAAAAA AHHHHHH OH MY LORD OH MY LORD! OKAY I’M FINALLY PAYING ATTENTION NOW FOR REAL! NO MORE JOKES! EVERYBODY SHHHH!!!
FFFFFFFFFF
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“LOOK AT ME I’M A MAIN CHARACTER I CAN HAVE STRANGE VISIONS AND TALK TO DEAD PEOPLE IN MY DREAMS, SOUND LIKE ANYBODY ELSE YOU KNOW?” TOMURA SHUT UP I DON’T HAVE TIME TO ANALYZE THIS SCENE THEMATICALLY RIGHT NOW I’M TOO BUSY BEING SAD ABOUT YOUR DEAD SISTER WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY CALCULATING THE ODDS OF THIS SOMEHOW BEING FORESHADOWING FOR HER NOT REALLY BEING DEAD. OH GOD, OH FUCK YOU GUYS, I’M FREAKING OUT
WHAT KIND OF YOUNGER BROTHER DOESN’T CALL HIS OLDER SISTER “NEECHAN” TOMURA WHAT KIND OF ANIME CHARACTER ARE YOU
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AT THIS POINT HIS HAIR IS ITS OWN INDIVIDUAL CHARACTER WITH THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS WOW
HORIKOSHI PLEASE STOP SHAKING THIS CHAMPAGNE BOTTLE OF SIBLING FEELS SO VIGOROUSLY I AM SO TERRIBLY AFRAID OH GOD
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“BY THE WAY TENKO I JUST HAVE TO SAY, YOUR MAN BOOBS ARE SERIOUSLY IMPRESSIVE AND YOU SHOULD BE VERY PROUD.” YES HANA I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY. HOW ASTUTE OF YOU TO POINT THAT OUT. BOY HAS BEEN HITTING THAT BOWFLEX
WTAF IS HIS HAIR THOUGH SERIOUSLY??!
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IS IT JUST ME OR IS THIS DIALOGUE BUBBLE ACTUALLY COMING FROM THE HAIR ITSELF. TOMURA. TOMURA BLINK TWICE IF YOU ARE IN DANGER
SJJKJSKJSW
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TENKO IT’S ME YOUR GIANT MOM I’M BEHIND YOU HONEY TURN AROUND AND LOOK HELLO HI I LOVE YOU DO YOU STILL WANT TO BE A HERO
ffff why is he so pretty all the time lately
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you are very handsome with your billowy hair and ken doll abs, you. sure are having a lot of trippy visions for a dead guy too there
HEY!!!!
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WHO SAID YOU WERE ALLOWED -- DO YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST -- ffffffffff I need to be alone with my thoughts for a few minutes fuck
okay well. but since it is getting late I guess we’ll just pack these feelings up real quick and put them inside a box and neatly label it “feelings I have about Tomura having a vision of his mom and immediately turning back into his innocent little boy self in said vision as soon as he sees her.” not too sure about the contents of this box yet but I will have to explore them thoroughly at a later date
oh hey it’s this asshole
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“THAT WAS TWENTY YEARS AGO, DAD.” jesus Kotaro. get over it
and also guess what, if you go and get Tomura all riled up so he wakes up grumpy and disintegrates the first hapless guy he sees, I will hold you solely responsible for that poor man’s death. I’m just warning you now
oh my
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I remember this conversation going a bit differently the last time, but hey
LOOOOOOL
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HIGH FIVE. PUT ‘ER THERE
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WHY WOULD YOU LOOK SO SURPRISED LOL DID YOU NOT JUST TURN TOWARDS HIM WITH A SINISTER MURDER FACE LIKE TWO SECONDS AGO. LIKE WTF DID YOU THINK WAS GONNA HAPPEN
OH NO OH SHIT
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FUCK ME, GUESS IT WOULDN’T BE A DRAMATIC BNHA DREAM SEQUENCE IF THIS ASSHOLE DIDN’T MAKE AN APPEARANCE AT SOME POINT OR OTHER NOW WOULD IT
-- HOLY SHIT?!
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RECORD SCRATCH, FREEZE FRAME??
holy shit. holy shit. holy shit. holy shit. holy shit. holy shit
holy shit. fuck
...okay so
is this implying that AFO has been Noumufied? but that doesn’t make any sense, does it? he already had multiple quirks. what other advantages could there be to him becoming a Noumu. well whatever I’m just typing out all of my thoughts real fast for the time being and I’ll try to make sense of them later
or is it because he sees Kurogiri as a father figure? and AFO also?
or is he using Kurogiri’s quirk????? IS HE SOMEHOW WARPING INTO TOMURA’S DREAMS
because that third one, to me, is what this panel most looks like? Tomura says he looks like Kuro, but he doesn’t though. Kuro has a very distinctive face which this is very much lacking. instead it looks to me much more like one of Kurogiri’s portals, with AFO’s buddhaesque smile sticking out. so yeah. I got nothin’. except, again, fuck
(ETA: yeah I obviously have more thoughts about this now, but we’ll get to those in a bit.)
...
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.......
-- !!!!!!!!!!LKJLK!JLKJ
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oh shit oh shit oh shit 
OH SHIT
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NO BABY NO DON’T DO IT
GASP
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THEY’RE TRYING TO SAVE HIM AHHHH
I HAVE LIKE TEN THOUSAND THOUGHTS IN MY BRAIN RIGHT NOW YET SOMEHOW MY MIND IS ALSO STRANGELY BLANK?? I DON’T EVEN KNOW?? I’LL JUST KEEP READING
KOTARO ARE YOU TRYING TO HELP HIM OR ARE YOU PULLING HIM TOWARD AFO??
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OH HE’S PUSHING HIM BACK!! OH SHIT IT’S A WHOLE FAMILY EFFORT
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THEY’RE TRYING TO SAVE HIM AFO IS GOING TO TAKE HIM OVER AND THEY’RE TRYING TO PROTECT HIM OH GOD OH JESUS
BABY TENKO EYES OH MY GOD HE LOOKS SO MUCH LIKE DEKU THAT I THOUGHT IT WAS DEKU FOR A MOMENT
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NO TENKO!!!
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FUCK -- DOES HE NOT CARE? HE ACTUALLY UNDERSTANDS WHAT’S ABOUT TO HAPPEN BUT HE DOESN’T CARE?? IS HE TRULY SO PROFOUNDLY MISERABLE THAT HE’D GO AHEAD AND ACCEPT THIS FATE WILLINGLY
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NO SOUNDS. NO WORDS. YOU COULD HEAR A PIN DROP IN MY ROOM RIGHT NOW
except that I have the most incredible, chilling, disturbing, electrifying feeling that my mental soundtrack is about to start blaring AFO’s theme from the anime on full blast...!
LOOOOOL SOB OH FUCKK
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THE MOST TERRIFYING, DRAMATIC KIP UP YOU’VE EVER SEEN IN YOUR LIFE!! THIS IS IT, IT’S BEEN REAL FRIENDS, THIS IS WHERE WE DIE
-- ARE YOU REALLY, TRULY, GENUINELY SHITTING ME RIGHT NOW
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NOW OF ALL TIMES IS WHEN WE FINALLY CUT TO THE TRIO, I’M CAN’T, I’M FUCK
AND THAT’S THE END AHHHHH
holy shit holy shit holy shit. wow
okay so. I don’t really have any sort of neat and tidy way to wrap up this hot mess of a recap lol. so, just... have a whole mess of all of my stupid whirling thoughts
those first four pages really did nothing to brace me at all lol
okay, so. here’s my understanding of all this, I guess. basically we’re going full Harry Potter rules here. AFO horcruxed his quirk, and from the looks of it, a piece of his soul (perhaps even the main piece) along with it. he then passed it on to Ujiko to implant into Tomura
horcrux!AFO then wakes up, and takes over Tomura. so then my understanding is that he’s going to be possessed by him. and I also got the impression that he’s fully aware of that, but just doesn’t care at this point. he knew his family was trying to warn him, but he didn’t care. and that look in his eyes when he disintegrated them just seemed so fucking resigned to me, though. jesus
but now the more interesting thing! so we can liken Tomura to the resurrected Voldemort from book 5 and onward, reborn after transferring his power into a new vessel. which would go a long way toward explaining how AFO was able to sense what was happening from all the way in Tartarus; because if we liken it to Voldemort and his horcruxes, it would mean that he still has a connection to them (similar to the connection between Voldemort’s mind and Harry’s)
but so now comes the really interesting thing -- what does this then imply about the connection between AFO and Deku? because you’ll recall that AFO alluded to a similar mental connection back when Deku first activated SIXQUIRKS. and now we have Deku somehow being magically aware of AFO’s sudden resurgent presence in this chapter. but why?? if the reason AFO and Tomura share a psychic link is because of a shared quirk, why would Deku also be experiencing the same link? the answer is, he wouldn’t -- unless he, too, had the same shared quirk
in other words, I think All for One for All is fucking confirmed you guys. I can’t think of any explanation for this other than that OFA is also a horcrux quirk. a little piece of AFO broken off and embedded in his brother, and then passed along through the generations. and now residing within Deku
anyway. so that’s a hell of a lot to ponder lol. I guess we can at least be grateful for the fact that we’re not waiting two weeks for chapter 271 like Hori originally planned. can you fucking imagine. what a fucking asshole lol
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ziracona · 4 years
Note
Hi! I just realised I havn't popped in in awhile. Do you have any headcanons u feel like sharing about the newer survivors?? (I love them all, they're so cool but I think imma have to say cheryl is my bby gurl. she's tired. let her rest.) also. i am. going insane. from a toothache :) - Sleepy
Hey! Hope your tooth pain clears up! I’m so sorry—that’s one of the worst. : /
Hmmm, I do, but I’m trying to think of ones I haven’t said in asks before. 😬 Unfortunately my memory of fictional characters is great, and my memory of what I said in asks is shitty. :’-]
I don’t know the newer survivors—except Nancy and Steve—as well as I do the older ones, because I’ve never written them, and I haven’t played Silent Hill. I like Zarina, Yui, and Cheryl a lot though. Poor fkn Cheryl can join Quentin in the “Please God, just one good day?” Existence. Rip to them both. 😭
Poor kid gets out of hell once, and ya throw her back in. :’-]
Let’s see—headcanon I am fairly sure I haven’t already shared. I think Yui and Min would get along really well, and Jane and Zarina would too.
Yui hates the serial killers especially, from her own personal experience, and goes to bat hard against them every time.
Ash flirts with everyone to a point it’s even more than Ace does, and for a while it becomes a competition between them to see who can flirt more and better than the other (not in a shitty way—everybody knows they have the competition going on and it’s more a ‘I can act better than you’ than a ‘I can win more hearts’ one.) Ace is declared the winner in class, Ash the winner in sheer quantity he’s able to churn out, and they agree to call it a semi-draw. It’s actually a really fun week for everyone, because they’re all constantly being complemented and flirted with in a way they know is performative and seeks 0 real actions from them in return, so essentially they are just showererd with ‘drunk girl in a bar bathroom’ levels of praise for seven days.
Felix and Nancy are the only two with significant others waiting back home, and they bond over talking about their wife/boyfriend and sharing stories and having someone around who understands that specific brand of pain and can encourage them that they’ll make it back home.
Tapp is a dad, so he gives Felix a lot of advice on stuff since he was an expecting father. Not so much “do this” advice, since his relationship with his family didn’t go so well, and he feels like he’s in absolutely no position to teach—more like “It’s okay. Women have been giving birth for thousands of years. She’s gonna make it just fine even if you’re not home yet, and you’ll get back to them. And I’m gonna teach you some of the tricks so you’ll be ready when you do. You can even surprise her by already knowing how to change a diaper and warm a formula bottle. I’ll show you how to do it,” and talking him through some of the stuff he would have been able to learn from infant care books. It’s sweet, but Tapp almost dies when Jane says its “Very heartwarming” and teases him, so they cut him some slack. Felix is really appreciative. Laurie has taken care of a ton of kids, and gives him some advice too, and so does Nancy, who had two younger siblings.
Steve is a disaster who suffers from “I like you and you are a girl, so *pigeon meme* Is this falling in love?” syndrome. Gets shot down hard by Laurie, who is ridiculously pissed at him for bringing it up during a trial when their lives are on the line, but after he gets over being super awkward around her, and she reaches out to be like, ‘Look, dumbass, why did you even like me?’ And he’s like ‘...because you’re, uh, really cool? A-and pretty? And...’ and eventually she’s like ‘Buddy, you don’t even really know me. You’re just lonely. You’re not in love with me, you just want to be, because you want to be in love with somebody, and that’s not gonna cut it, for me, or anyone. Be in love with a person—not with the concept of being in love. And for that to happen, you have to know them first.” And since Steve is good af self-improvement, he realizes she’s got a real point, and tries to find his worth outside of needing a girlfriend, and becomes both a lot happier, and one of Laurie’s closer friends. (Side note—this extends probably only to my initial Steve ideas. I had the idea batted around that in that universe, Stranger Things /is/ an existing show, but it’s based on a mix of urban legend and history from the 80s, and Nancy and Steve are the version from the actual 80s, and I think in that pitch Steve is dating Barb, who is still alive, and already worked through this specific issue, because many things happened differently for wild comedic ‘But in the show’ effect, becuase both them repeatedly going “WELL REALITY WAS A LITTLE DIFFERENT” when like, monster hunting shit from the show won’t work on the Demogorgan, and *Spit take* “THEY HAD ME HIT ON ROBIN?” “Ewwww” “YEAH ewww! She’s basically my lesbian little sister! We’ve been best friends since grade school! What the fuck :’-]” make for amazing joke potential. )
Cheryl starts having nightmares where she sees things from the Entity’s eyes she was never meant to see, and finding out dangerous amounts of information this way. The Entity decides at some point this is too big a threat, but because it’s proud, it doesn’t want to just kill her, as that would be admitting a human is a threat, so it starts having killers gun for her mercilessly to try to get her to give up, and the poor girl is in agony.
Zarina documents stuff form the realm constantly, and has a careful scrapbook collection of all notes and paraphernalia from past survivors. She also keeps conspiracy pages tacked together trying to figure out who they were becuase they deserve at least the justice of people somehow knowing how they died and what they went through. Laurie is a big help with this, and so is Claudette, who has been keeping stuff for a long time.
Yui is very no-nonsense, and protective. She gives off strong big sister vibes. She especially also loves board games/puzzles/other games like Shogi or Go and such, and Dwight and Adam create game pieces for her to play Go with when she mentions how much she used to like that kind of thing, and Yui is incredibly touched, and makes several other ones for people to play with too, and it becomes a very enjoyed pastime between trials. It’s engaging and competitive, but much more relaxed and low energy than sports or training or going for a run, so it’s a great alternative. Meg gets super into making puzzles, and all the artists do too, and take turns painting pictures on boards, cutting them into puzzle pieces with extreme painstakingly slow care, and then doing puzzles together. Jake is invaluable in the actual cutting pieces out area, but actually enjoys to do it.
Felix knows a lot more than anyone else about the Entity when he’s taken, so he spends a bunch of time with the research team trying to recall whatever he can from his childhood and sharing any information he has, then just stays on it because he wants to. He’s desperate to meet Benedict Baker someday himself, becuase that man seems to get around, and he really wants to know what happend to his father.
Everyone becomes protective as fuck of Cheryl when the Entity starts targeting her, and someone—I think Kate and or Meg—probably both together—as a one-off joke call themselves her knights at some point, becuase they’re running such dedicated protection detail, but it becomes a whole thing, and several more start to do it. They’ll like ‘fist clasped arm across chest at attention, quick bow’ when they see her, and it’s goofy as fuck, but it helps a lot making Cheryl’s reality more bearable. Plus, it’s really sweet. Nea gets in on this and comes back one day with a little daisy chain she made cause she was bored, sees Cheryl, it clicks, runs over and offers it as a ‘favor’. Zarina sees and comes back later that day from a trial and kneels and presents Cheryl with a rescued toolbox with a brand new part. This becomes increasingly common and extravagant, and Cheryl /cannot/ deal, but it’s like, genius, becuase it takes exactly this level of surreal goofy friend bullshit to distract from the hell she is living. She ends up just regularly having someone come back from a trial or trip to the woods, salute with an arm across their chest, bow, and present her with anything from a pinecone or pretty rock, to flowers or a medkit, to a salt statue or key, to a painting or hand made bracelet, to a makeshift weapon or a pillow. Everyone always tries to outdo each other, so the gifts tend to be extravagant. Zarina considers herself Cheryl’s righthand woman/personal knight by chocie, because she wanted a cause to fight for and has found one she truly loves, and she makes Cheryl her favorite gift so far, coming up to her at the end of a long day, after a very bad trial where Cheryl was mercilessly and slowly killed by the Pig, kneeling, and offering a thick shard of stained glass from the chapel, made sturdy and held in place with a few chunks of soldered and wrapped iron along the blade and down the grip, forming a razor sharp and reinforced stained glass knife.
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dayas · 4 years
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1,3,20 and 25 for the writing ask, I wanna know it all!
First off, I wanna say thank you for giving me this ask because now I have something to think about instead of just being in a sad cloud ❤️ it’s nice to have a little break 💞
1. Tell us about your current project(s)  – what’s it about, how’s progress, what do you love most about it.
Not to expose myself but I have like 5 WIPS 😂
War Of Hearts (jiara reincarnation au), a not so secret combination Dimya fic (flower shop + mob au), an angsty gotham/the batman (fc wise djdjsjsn) BatCat one shot (selina meeting bruce after he left in a slightly unexpected way), and I’m trying to draft/spin ideas for a POTC Klonnie au (calypso and davy jones’ story). With WOH, I’m filling in the second chapter which is taking FOREVER (sorry y’all), but I’m actually super excited for it to drop! With the work entirely, I definitely love all the little hints and breadcrumbs. It’s gonna start coming together more in the second chapter and I’m super pumped to see what y’all think! I’m on Chapter 1 of the Dimya Fic and searching for my inspiration but I know how it’s gonna go and that makes me happy. I love the combo aspect of the fic and how it’s a mashup, plus there’s some not so subtle underlying themes that I think are cool to explore! With BatCat, I wrote some yesterday! It’s a songfic and I love that about it, but also just the angst and flashbacks included, I think it’ll be really cool! And for the Klonnie fic, I haven’t even started 😭 Someone was basically like ‘write this!’ so I was like ‘okay!’ but I don’t know them that well yet writing wise so I need to explore 😂 tbh it’s just a concept that I really, really love and I have some ideas for the melody that goes along with it. Unsure if it’ll be a multi chap or a realllyyy long one shot once it drops but I’m thrilled either way! The technical “fifth” wip is for everybody who asked me when Kie would find out JJ is Sarah’s bf’s friend so watch out for that 👀 y’all ask, I answer 😂
3. What is that one scene that you’ve always wanted to write but can’t be arsed to write all of the set-up and context it would need? (consider this permission to write it and/or share it anyway)
GOD! THIS! Okay okay okay I’ve ALWAYS wanted to write a Jiara break up scene but there’s SO MUCH WORK THAT GOES INTO THAT LIKE THE SET UP AND THEN BUILDING INTO AN EXPLOSION SO here’s a no context, cliche, dramatic af breakup scene for jiara thank you for giving me the freedom to write this 😂
“We need to talk.”
That alone stops what she’s doing. JJ and Kiara don’t usually ‘talk’. They can have serious conversations, but they tend to reserve getting deep for when they’re either really really high, or the issue around them has to be resolved. They’re not in high school anymore, but old habits die hard. Still, she shakes off the pause, drying another dish as she says,
“About?”
“... stuff.”
“Stuff. Real eloquent there, JJ.”
His eyes are practically heating the soapy water up themselves. The kitchen at the Chateau isn’t exactly prime real estate as far as cleanliness goes, but since they’re around here more often than not, Kie decided to make an effort to spruce it up a little bit and dragged JJ into it.
Something’s wrong. He’s fiddling with his rings underneath the water at a faster pace than normal, leaning heavily against the lip of the sink.
“Dude, are you okay?”
Her voice is soft as she dries her hands off, coming up to him and slipping her arms around his chest, cheek pressed into his back. He tenses underneath her, shrugging her off and backing away.
“JJ,” Kiara’s voice is concerned now, “What’s going on?”
“Weneedtobreakup.”
His sentence is a blur that knocks into her, rattling around her brain as it spins like a top. As all tops do, the spinning eventually stops, leaving her with the capacity to space out the miniature word flood that left his mouth a few seconds ago.
We need to break up.
“What?” Kie says, panic creeping into her system, “Why?” She begins to think of what could have gone wrong, what could have prompted this.
“It’s not you, it’s — ”
“If you try to feed me one of your bullshit lines that worked on the ghosts of hookups past, don’t.”
He has the decency to shut up then and there, turning instead to lean back against the cabinets, hands gripping the edge of another counter.
“Is this about what my cousin said?”
A few weeks ago, they’d been invited to a formal family gathering on her mother’s side. Some crazy expensive week in Hawaii. Well, Kiara had been invited, and she brought JJ for two reasons. One, he’s her best friend which legally obligated him to help her out in a spot. Two, they were getting pretty serious (or so she thought), and she couldn’t hide in the OBX forever, so why not kill two birds with one stone? At an extremely over the top event, one of Kie’s drunk cousins approached JJ and started spewing some nonsense. Kiara intervened, of course, but later, she remembers, another one approached. Completely sober. She hadn’t been paying attention to that conversation, occasionally glancing over to make sure JJ wasn’t floundering. He’d been restless the entire night and a few days afterwards. But when they’d come back home, all was well. Or, again, so she’d thought.
She should’ve just chucked the damn stone at herself.
He grimaces, and it’s to her horror that she realizes it’s true.
“What the fuck did she say?”
Her voice is low and dangerous, a tiny sliver of a hint as to what’s hiding behind her eyes.
“Doesn’t matter,” JJ shrugs, eyes everywhere but her.
“Of course it fucking matters, JJ! What did she say?”
“Nothing!”
“That’s a lie.”
“I already told you it doesn’t matter.”
“If it doesn’t matter then just tell me!”
“Fine!”
They are two powder kegs on the verge of an explosion. Kiara lit the spark, jumping the gun to shouting. He followed, and and now they’re at a precipice.
“You really wanna know what she said? Fine. She said that I’ll never be good enough for you, and you know what? She’s right.”
They tilt on the edge, still caught in the middle, unsure of where to fall.
“No. She’s not.” How can he even say that, let alone believe it? Kie isn’t always a fan of the cheesy, but it’s a cold hard fact that the man standing before her is one of the best things in her life.
“She is, Kie. You know she is. You’re not a Kook, but your family... they can give you so much more than I can. Opportunities and shit, the chance to get out of here. What do I have going for me?”
“Everything! You know I don’t want any of that bullshit or the baggage that comes with it — I want you.”
“I’m not gonna be enough. One day you’re gonna look up and realize that you want out of this place. Or I’m gonna look up and realize I turned into my dad.”
A bitter laugh leaves him, slicing them both to ribbons in the process.
“You’re not him, J. You’re not your dad and you never will be your dad.”
“You don’t know that! I don’t know that!”
They step closer at the same time, spark relit on the fuse to destroy them.
“JJ — ”
“No, Kiara. We can’t keep doing this. I’m stuck, and I’m not dragging you down with me.”
“You’re not dragging me down if I want to be here!”
Four more feet and they are two steps away from each other. They’re both tired, oh so tired, yet neither one is willing to give up the fight for their cause. The frustration builds, coiling tightly around them as JJ steps forward and shouts,
“I’m gonna ruin your life!”
“Then ruin it!”
Kie’s scream is passionate, every emotion inside of her escaping in those three words as she steps up to meet him.
“Ruin my life, JJ Maybank. Because I’d rather be in ashes with you than anywhere with anyone else.”
He takes one look at her and the pause between them could stop a train. Then, his head ducks down and his lips crash against hers. She reciprocates, sinking both hands into his hair. He picks her up and she wraps her arms around his waist as he sets her against the counter. Dishes crash onto the floor but neither of them are even remotely half assed to care. His lips attach to her neck and she exhales sharply.
“Stay,” Kiara whispers. And she wishes he did. If she would have been controlling their story, they would have taken this to Big John’s room and the breakup talks would cease. But she put everything in his hands, as he’s making the decision here. So when she tells him to ruin her life, she watches him grapple with himself. For a second, she sees his head tilt ever so slightly forward. He reels himself back in a second later, and the fire in his eyes burns out.
“I’m sorry,” JJ whispers, shaking his head and backing away from her.
“JJ,” Kiara calls after him, “JJ!” She’s immobilized, feet stuck to the floor.
This isn’t happening. This is not happening.
Something inside her breaks and she runs, tearing through the house. He’s already on his bike as she gets to the front porch, and curse him, he looks back. He puts the helmet in his hands on (she bought him that for his birthday — “You’re not getting fucked up on my watch. Put the damn helmet on.”) and drives away.
Kiara doesn’t know what happens next. When her faculties return her knees are scraped up, blood trickling down. She’s still on the porch and her face is wet, cheeks marred by liquid pooling in her eyes. Someone is crying, loudly, like their heart was ripped from their chest. No, she thinks, like someone else’s heart was ripped from their chest, someone the person crying loved. Because if her own heart was ripped out, she would not be able to feel. What Kiara wouldn’t give to not feel a goddamn thing right now.
She calls Sarah. Her friend comes and picks her up, and they go to her place. Kie can’t bear to be in the Chateau or her own room. Sarah’s is devoid of memories, for the most part. She explains what happened through her tears as her friend holds her, gently carding her fingers through her hair comfortingly. They light up, and then get a little tipsy and Kiara doesn’t know if it’s better or for worse. But it’s something. She’s reminded of after the Phantom went down, that night on the beach when she discovered the freedom to be. In this moment, Kiara’s free to be something. Anything. Whatever she wants. But the one thing she wants removed himself from her life, so she settles for being a mess instead. Sarah settles in with her when they’re all worn out, falling asleep quickly. Kiara’s vaguely aware that the person next to her is not who she wants it to be, that this is wrong in the sense that someone else should be here. She’s too cold, unraveled.
“Stay,” she whispers, but this time to herself. If she can stay for tonight, she can stay for tomorrow, and the day after that until she eventually finds her way back to who she is without him in her life. She’s not the same Kiara as she was this morning. She’ll be a different Kiara when she wakes up tomorrow. The Kiara she is wraps her arms around herself to keep whatever’s left from pouring out. She will do what he refused to. When the morning comes, she will face the world. While the moon is out, she is free to dream.
She dreams one last dream of him.
20. Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?)
Okay LOOK 😂 there’s so much I wanna say on this but it would be so spoiler-y BUT for War Of Hearts, do some scanning! There’s a lot to unpack there, some obvious, some not! It becomes more evident in the chapters to come. I wish I could say more and I totally would if all of it was published 😭😭😭 OOO but I do enjoy referencing my works in other works (literally did that in the mini scene above lmao) so there’s a good chance that I riff off of previous concepts or something else across the stories/one shots that I write! There’s so many references I throw in too. For example, the ‘I hope you care to be recalled to life’ part in It Wasn’t Special Til I Met you is from A Tale Of Two Cities. I definitely love exploring concepts in my work, which I guess is why it kind of reads as flowery when I dig into it 😂
25. What part of writing is the most fun?
To me, I really love when I’m able to come up with good dialogue or a good scene and I’m like ‘OOO YES THIS IS IT!” It’s super fun to explore the underlying themes and symbolism in pieces; I totally love and live for weaving stuff together like Blues Clues 😂 I also adore dropping references to various works or songs because people will catch them and be like ‘wait is that xyz?’ and I’m like ‘yeah! yes it is! you get it!’ And that’s just a wonderful feeling 😊🥰
That’s all for me! Thanks for asking!
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04. The Apex Begins
AU Grace and Simon story. Takes place in the instance that they never got on the train, but crossed paths and became friends. But, for the sake of anyone who wants to view it as a series, I’ll number them. 2468 Words TW for violence, mental health discourse, unresolved trauma
NOTE: I wanted to sort of put the concept of “the apex” into the story without actually having a cult of children. I think that the circumstances of the train led to the philosophy going that far, but I still think that in real world situations, both of these characters would both 1. be prone to violence and 2. develop an us vs them mindset.
Previous
This was who they were together. Grace and Simon. She would venture into town, figure out some excuse, and he would meet her. They traveled the city together, taking whatever they wanted, because rich people sucked and if you owned a business, you were rich and deserved whatever happened. They got into scuffles with people who seemed to disrespect one or both of them. They instantly went into defensive mode over each other. 
Neither was afraid to resort to violence, because that’s just what you did for friends. You did anything that they needed. You did whatever you had to do. That was a good sign of survival of the fittest. That was the proof that you were better than everybody else - that you were the apex of human evolution. 
If you had to answer to people and were afraid to challenge them and fight for yourself and your loved ones - you were less than nothing. You were a “null.” Grace and Simon had decided that they would never be like that, and they didn’t have to be, because they had each other. He thought she was a true queen, and she trusted him with her life. 
She lost her driver over it. That was one of the things that she did hate, because he sort of had to suffer for her to be able to have this solid friendship with Simon, and she loved her driver and everything...
But he wasn’t Simon, so he could be sacrificed. He had to be. She had come back to the car with a huge plug of her hair missing and she laughed it off and said that she had gotten caught on something on the train and accidentally ripped it out. That was actually partially true. 
A woman on the train got herself into a fight with Grace. She was some college lady, making faces whenever Grace and Simon were talking too loud and practically snarling at Grace. Simon began to imitate her, and she sat there growing red in the face, obviously noticing them, but whenever Grace joined in to make fun of her as well, she got irate. They called each other names and Grace dared the woman to hit her, so... she was willing to sort of take responsibility for the fact that the woman came through on the dare and slapped her right in the face. Grace laughed, but also charged towards her...
The woman had taken a handful of her hair after an argument that escalated into violence, into her punching the woman in the gut while she clutched Grace’s hair trying to get her off, and it didn’t end until Simon had dragged the woman off of the train in a choke hold and threw her down on the terminal, ready to stomp the life out of her. The woman shielded herself with both of her arms, praying that this boy didn’t kick her. Fortunately for her, he didn’t. He wanted to and definitely would have after the way that she’d attacked Grace, but Grace stopped him. 
She pointed to a surveillance camera, with her other arm blocking her face from it.  She and Simon took off running, leaving an almost passed out (obnoxious) college student with a bruised midsection and holding a plug of hair in her fist. Simon stole Grace a mask not too long after. He had nothing to lose as far as he was concerned, but her family was well known in this place and she did worry about them knowing about this part of her life.
The driver had been going through months of covering for Grace, but this missing plug of hair - he had to take action. She’d told her lie and her mother stressed over all of her beautiful hair that they had to shave off, but she spun in that Grace was doing “the big chop” and going natural… Grace was kinda into that. She often had curly styles, but her hair wasn’t that type of curly, so work went into her look. Work that she hopefully wouldn’t have to go through for a while, now that she was starting her hair journey over. In her video chat with Simon afterwards, he thought it was an amazing look for her, so she quickly got over it.
The driver spoke with her parents, admitting that he allowed her to spend time with a friend in town sometimes, (he didn’t give them details about Simon specifically), but that he honestly thought that she might need some professional help, because she always came back banged up or covered in something suspicious. She’d freshen up and change in the car and clean out the backseat with extreme diligence and tell them a lie about where she had been. Well… This was not only news to them, but HAD to have been fake news.
They weren’t sure why he would LIE this way about their perfect child, but they knew he was, because there was no way Grace would EVER stand up against them. 
“I think that she may need some serious help.”
“You are the help,” Mrs. Monroe told him.
“I’m not the kind of help that Grace needs…” He started.
“You’re right,” Mr. Monroe told him. “You’re obviously useless. Expect your last paycheck in the mail. We no longer require your services.” Whenever Grace was sent for, she passed the driver on the way to the living room. He looked sad and wished her well as they crossed paths. “Grace!” Her father called. She jumped and ran into the room. “We’ve let your driver go.”
She gasped and placed her hand over her heart, “Oh my God! What happened, Daddy?”
Her mother spoke, “He suggested that you need help. We gathered that he was insinuating psychiatric help, from the tales he was spinning about your behavior in the city.” Grace froze and touched the spot where the missing plug of hair had been. That must have been it. The thing that was about to lose her everything that she had formed with Simon… “Of course, we know that he is mistaken. We didn’t raise someone that weak or lazy.” Grace’s eyes were large and damp. She nodded. “IF you needed help… that would be very unfortunate. A lot of work would be down the drain.”
Grace’s throat was dry as she said, “I’ve told you everything that happens whenever I go into town. I;m not sure why he would say that I’ve done anything wrong. I would never embarrass you.”
Both of her parents advanced on her and she was frozen still, unsure of what would happen next. They both gave her a hug and told her that was the perfect response. “Imagine! Our daughter needing help, aside from the likes of the staff? I never thought that I would ever hear something so ridiculous,” her mother said, then quickly grabbed her by the chin harder than she knew was out of love and the threatening look in her eyes confirmed that much as she said, through the teeth of her smile, “And we’d better not ever hear such a thing about you again.” She nodded, terrified. 
Mrs. Monroe let go of her face and Mr. Monroe simply gave her a look, the look that told her he knew that she was lying and he was disappointed in her. At least he wasn’t saying so. But, Grace was both relieved and shaken up. 
So, they gave Grace a new driver, and Grace explained to him straight out of the gate the way it was going to work for them to function and him to keep his job. He was younger than her last driver, and didn’t mind letting her sneak off and enjoy herself. Her parents were total hardasses,so he understood her desire to get some time away sometimes. Plus, he had no idea the kinds of things she got up to whenever she left the vehicle. He didn’t know that the last driver was absolutely right and that she probably did seriously need some help. Unfortunately, she didn’t know it either. She just knew that she had to be more careful.
A mask helped, and because she had the body of a dancer, some counter culture street wear and a shaved head, people often seemed to think that there were two boys terrorizing them. Simon shaved the back of his head in solidarity, but she thought he did it to look “even more broody.”
Any time that Grace and Simon engaged with someone in conflict, Simon had a habit of taking something off of them and giving it to Grace. Her collection was getting pretty big. She kept all of the trinkets in her hope chest. The thing was just symbolic, anyways. She was never gonna get married and she wasn’t sure that her parents honestly expected her to.
Compromise only went so far with the Monroes. Grace had become brave enough to make suggestions in her sweetest voice without paralyzing fear, but she definitely still felt afraid whenever she did speak up. Being 14 and old enough to go to high school, she REALLY wanted to finally be able to go be with other kids! She wanted to meet other people and find out things that they had in common or whatever else teenagers did when they got to high school. And, fortunately for her, her father was sure that another recession was coming and didn’t mind saving a little on private instructors… 
HOWEVER, she definitely wasn’t going to be allowed to go to Simon’s school (the school she’d suggested). So, they enrolled her into the most prestigious private school in town. 
Whenever she found out that she would be going, she asked Simon if it was at all possible for him to go to that school too. After two full minutes of him laughing in her face, to the point of belly ache and tears, he cleared his throat, wiped his eyes and reminded her, “That place is for rich kids.”
It just so happened that she had read about this school and there were multiple programs in which less fortunate students could earn scholarships. She had known Simon for almost 4 years and had seen him be very good at many things that required mental intelligence and/or technical skill. He was good at creating things, building stuff, writing, photography.... There had to be something he was good enough at to gain a scholarship.
“There is literally nothing that I’m good enough at to get a scholarship into a school like that,” he said, while she was pacing and talking to herself about all of the things that Simon was great at, going down the list out loud to come up with a plan to get him into school with her. He rolled his eyes and went back to typing on the hand me down laptop that he’d gotten from her whenever her parents bought her a new one. Simon really appreciated that Grace thought so highly of his skills, but he knew that the school wouldn’t share her affinity for him or any of his skills. 
She sputtered air through her lips - a habit that she’d had for many years, and then she looked up and said, “Write an essay about your family.” He tensed up, frowned and stared at her. 
Grace smiled, put her hands behind her back and sauntered over to him. “It sounds painful right now, BUT this will not only give you a chance to get out some of the stress that you hold inside, keeping it all in, it’ll ALSO be just what those stuffy adults on the board need to have some mercy on us and let you into the school. I’ve read somewhere that it doesn’t help to hold things in. Think of it as... journaling, but for your future!”
Simon did journaling, sort of. He definitely wrote about his life, but translated it into fantasy, outside of his manifesto, of course. But, that wasn’t the point right now. “You think that telling people that I accidentally let my baby sister die, which caused my mom to become so angry at me that she devolved into this abusive and suicidal phantom that lives in our house, and made my father neglect me and her, up until he reenlisted in the military and left me to take care of somebody who absolutely hates me - is a good thing to tell a place with an upstanding reputation?”
She winced with every word he said. She had been around for most of that and had been the only person to see him through most of it. But, now, she was telling him exactly this. “I think that this kind of stuff, while atrocious and painful to US, is like a drug to them. They wanna take you and say, look how I’ve fixed this up. They want to take your pain and make it into a story that they can brag about.”
“And why would I want them to do that?” he asked, shivering at the thought of anybody else but her and Samantha to ever learn about his family issues. Journaling was one thing, but this was something different and it felt extremely uncomfortable.
“It’s not that you would want to do it. It’s that it would be a way for us to be in school together,” she said. 
“It’s asking a lot, Grace.” He set the laptop aside and shook his head, “I wanna be with you. You know I do, but it’s really asking a lot.”
She lowered her head, nodded, and flopped down on the seat next to him on her cushioned reading bench. “You’re right. I’m so sorry that I suggested that. I guess desperation made me weird. I don’t see the point of even going to school and meeting other people if I don’t have you there with me. You’re kinda like the other side of me that my parents never let bloom. Me in a new school surrounded by all those strangers without you… That’s gonna be like me navigating life chopped in half. I know that I can't be my best there without “us.” I guess I panicked and didn’t think about what it would mean for you to have to think about the way your adults have done you.” She clasped her hands together, sputtered out some air, and rested her lips against them, silently praying for some type of plan or something.
He didn’t like the condition she was in and now he felt guilty. “Okay,” Simon said. He reached over and covered her clasped hands with one of his own and pulled her into a hug with his other arm. “I’ll do it.” He was shivering and she wanted to tell him not to worry about it, that it was too much to ask and if he didn’t want to, not to do it for her benefit. But, she was 14, and very selfish. So, all she did was smile at him and push some strands of hair from his face. Their faces were really close, but she didn’t really ever think about stuff like that. There wasn’t any “personal space” between them. He was her other half and that meant his personal space was simply an extension of hers. He had other thoughts about it, but he certainly wasn’t going to say so.
He blushed and grabbed his laptop. “I’m gonna work on it at home, though…” They told each other everything, but he didn’t necessarily trust himself to be presentable as he relived some of these things about his life. He didn’t want her to see him crying or having a tantrum or tugging at his own hair to redirect his pain. He wanted privacy to dissect his heart this way. He wanted discretion. He didn’t want to look weak. You couldn’t extend to the apex by being weak.
She was looking in the mirror and admiring her face, seemingly oblivious to the turmoil he was facing by agreeing to this. He understood. He often admired her face too, though he didn’t know how to tell her that the rest of them were a little luckier… She looked even prettier in front of you than she did in her reflection. She smiled at him and squinted her eyes, “What?”
“Nothing! I’m going now. Bye.”
“Until later!” she cheered. She had no idea how hard his night was about to be. She didn’t even ask… but he also didn’t tell her...
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Text
Your Dance
Pairing: Hyunjin x Reader
Word Count: 8k
Genre: Fluff
Summary: Hyunjin doesn’t want to be seen as a shallow, good-looking man, but a hard-working dancer. It’s an ideal goal that he becomes obsess with a bit too much.
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“Me?” Hyunjin points at himself.
You and the nine members are in a conference room, talking to the producers. While Hyunjin looks surprised, you look excited, jumping up and down from your seat, waiting for his reaction that he has his very own performance. This is a great opportunity for Hyunjin to show off his dancing capabilities. It was difficult giving any members from Stray Kids an opportunity to show off their skills outside the band, so this is perfect to start the year.
“Mm-hmm! You’ll also be sharing a stage with another idol, but you’ll still have your solo dance.” The producer restates.
Despite everyone else’s excitement, Hyunjin doesn’t seem to be sharing the same emotion. His eye twitches, looking down at his folded hands on the table. “But…shouldn’t Felix or Minho-hyung get the chance? I mean, they’re good at dancing too. I still have a lot to learn.”
You understand the frustration and unfairness for Minho, Felix, or any of the other members who aren’t given the chance to show off their talent, but as much as you tried to fight for that suggestion, the producer was stubborn, insistent on Hyunjin only. Not wanting this chance to go away, you had no choice but to accept it.
Hyunjin looks around at the other members, unsure of how he should feel about this. Of course, he’s appreciative of having a solo performance, but to have this before the other members is a little unfair. Seeing how painfully obvious Hyunjin is, Chan stands up, approaching him from behind and wraps his arm around his neck.
“Don’t look so bitter! Our manager fought hard for this! Even if it’s just you, I’m sure we’ll all get the chance.”
Hyunjin nods his head slightly, relieved that, so far, Chan is alright with it. He looks around, waiting for the other members to say something.
“It’s alright. You’re definitely a better dancer than me.” Seungmin comments.
“If they want you, then it’s you.” Minho plays on his phone.
“You worked the hardest among us dancers, so it’s fine.” Felix cheerfully replies.
The other members seem to agree as well. It takes some weight off of his shoulders, but it still isn’t enough for him to be content with this chance. You thought that he was going to be just as excited as you were, if not, more.
Changbin catches on the atmosphere that you’re giving off. “Hey! Hyunjin, at least say thank you to our manager. She fought hard to get you this spot.”
“I-it’s okay! I'm just doing my job...”
You could see the guilt in his eyes, so you attempt to give him assurance to celebrate. However, it doesn’t work for him since he seemed bothered by it. Not realizing the guilt that Changbin put on him, Jisung elbows him.
“Ow! What the—”
Jisung flicks his head to Hyunjin, and Changbin finally reads the mood, looking down with an apologetic expression. But the damage has already been done, and Hyunjin raises his head up.
“Okay, I’ll do my best for this performance.”
You aren’t sure whether he’s declaring that out of his own accord or if it’s because he doesn’t want to drag everybody’s mood down. Whatever the reason, Hyunjin seems to fully accept the role he’s been given, but something about his acceptance feels as though he did out of guilt.
==========
Once the conference ended, you go your separate ways from the boys. The older members plus Jeongin are heading to the gym and Jisung walks to their music studio. The other members are going to the dance practice room. As everybody heads their own way, Hyunjin chooses to follow you from behind.
You’re in the lobby, making yourself a cup of coffee as he peers his head from the corner of the room. He hides behind the wall, twiddling with his thumbs and bites his bottom lip. He clearly wants to say something to you, but he’s too timid to push through with it. He closes his eyes, exhaling heavily before stepping out of the shadows and appearing himself before you.
“(Y/N), I—”
But his sudden presence scares you, causing you to jump as you were inches away from the corner. You spill hot coffee all over your blouse and hand, the boiling temperatures sizzling over your knuckles. The brown liquid seeps through your white shirt, making your white tank top visible.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!! Hyunjin scurries around the room, panicking as his head goes all sorts of directions.
His frantic shouting causes a scene, the employees nearby staring and whispering in each other’s ears. He rips some paper towels and pats down your shirt.
You laugh, pushing his hand away gently. “I’m fine.”
But your assurance doesn’t ease him. “But…”
“It’s a little hot, but nothing that I can’t handle.”
He sulks, looking down at your red hand. He holds it tenderly, rubbing his thumb over your burn mark, causing you to flinch slightly. However, you pretend that you didn’t feel anything.
“See? Nothing,” you force a smile. “Anyway, was there something you wanted to talk about?”
But his pout doesn’t go away. It isn’t like he’s upset at you, but at himself for harming you. He shakes his head, stepping away from you. “No, I’m sorry for not watching where I was going.”
“It’s not your fault. I wasn’t watching either,”  to lighten the mood, you elbow him in the ribs. “ Don’t worry about me and go ahead and practice with the rest of the guys.”
“R-right…” And without another word, he strides off.
You stare at his back, wondering what all that was. However, you go back to making another cup of coffee, your hand still burning a little.
==========
He bangs his head on the wall repeatedly. He can’t believe that he failed to do something as simple as talking to you. He’s able to do so under normal circumstance, but today he just can’t. Thinking about the solo dance is eating up in him, and he hasn’t even started rehearsals yet.
From the other side of the hall, he sees the other staffs who were also in the room. One of them is the producer of the upcoming awards ceremony, and the other is his secretary.
“Don’t worry so much about the event itself, Miss Kim.”
“I know but…will he be able to bring in more views?”
They continue their conversation, and Hyunjin can’t help but overhear.
“Their manager was really persistent on giving those boys more publicity, but they’ve already had more for your average rookie group. Honestly, she’s a little annoying.”
Hyunjin was about to step forward, knowing that they’re talking about you.
“Hey, be quiet.”
But Hyunjin stops.
“I don’t have to be afraid! She’s a manager, alright, but she should still know her position.”
“It’s fine. He’s an idol from JYP, after all. He’s a popular boy with pretty decent-looking visuals. Just put him in tight clothing and have him do some raunchy dance and the crowd will go wild, I guarantee it.”
As they walk off, Hyunjin leans on the wall, disturbed by the producer’s comment. Even though he’s wearing two shirts underneath, he feels like his skin is exposed, insects crawling up his skin, so he buttons the top. That statement alone brings back unwanted memories of when he was a trainee.
“You’re fit to become an idol. Look at yourself, you’re hot!”
“If he was going to be in the band anyway, then why bother with training?”
“He can easily cheat his way to the top with those looks.”
He holds onto his arm, scurrying away to the practice room. Those voices from the past return to haunt him.
==========
With their comeback drawing near, the boys have been working nonstop. This period is the most crucial in maintaining clear skin and their weight, meaning that they have to be extremely careful with what they eat. You dislike this phase the most since it hurts seeing them refuse to eat. It’s during times like these that you can’t help but slip in some tasty food for them to eat every so often.
You walk down the halls with three grocery bags, heading to their dance studio. Even though you’re feet away from their room, the blasts of their title song makes even the floor shake. When it’s this loud, you know they’re immersed in their practice.
You open the door, peering inside to see them dancing in unison. Most of them have their face masks on, drenched in sweat, and focused on their reflections. Normally, you would wave at them, but not wanting to break them from their trance, you tiptoe to the corner of the room. Nobody else is in the room but them.
Once the music ends, the nine of them sigh at the same time, some falling to the ground due to exhaustion. As they catch their breaths, you sit on the ground, organizing the food that you bought. Chan is the first to jog to you, his mouth watering from the sight of food.
You open the meal to reveal styrofoam packages of steamed vegetables, kimchi, brown rice, seaweed, and steamed chicken. You tried your best to find the most fulfilling meal for them, so this was the best that you could do. They don’t seem to complain, since they’ve been starving the entire day. Anything looks delicious to them.
Felix takes a seat next to you, leaving no space in between. “Wow, thank you so much, Manager!”
“I know you guys should be dieting…but I promise that after your comeback, I’ll buy ramen!”
“This is already enough.” Woojin states, taking off his face mask, revealing a little stubby beard.
As you pass the food around for them to take, Felix notices white bandages over your hand. “What happened to your hand?! Are you okay??”
Hyunjin overhears this and turns his head. You glance at him before going back to Felix in a millisecond. “Yea, it’s not that big of a deal.”
“Did you get into a fight?” Jeongin asks while stuffing food in his mouth.
You laugh, shaking your head. “Look at me and tell me if I look like I can get into a fight. Of course I didn’t. I was being clumsy and ended up burning my hand with coffee.”
That reminder makes Hyunjin raise his shoulders up.
“Geez, you gotta be more careful. Who’s gonna take care of us if you’re not there?” Changbin whines. “These pigs don’t know how to take care of themselves.”
“You’re not much different…if anything, worse.” Seungmin mumbles.
“What did you say?!” Changbin raises his voice, about to grab him by the collar of his shirt.
“Please, no fighting! The bandages make it look dramatic, but it barely did anything to me. It was just the easiest to use to avoid getting dust on my ointment.”
“Tell us if it hurts. If it does, then let me kiss the pain away.” Minho flirts, to which it makes you chuckle.
Everybody sits in a circle, passing paper plates around to begin their dinner, having a great bonding moment. Well…almost everyone except for one person. Hyunjin is by himself, staring at himself in the mirror as he rehearses his dance for his solo performance.
“Hyunjin, come eat.” You wave your hand.
“It’s okay, I’ll eat after I practice some more.”
“It’s alright to take a break…you should eat to get some of your strength back.”
But he shakes his head. “Thanks, but I’m okay.” He doesn’t look away from his reflection.
Even though he says that, it doesn’t calm your nerves. Whenever it comes to dance, he always gets like this. If no one is there to stop him, he would probably keep dancing until he’s broken all his bones.
Chan pats you on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. He gets like this in the beginning, but I’m sure he’ll come around.”
You gaze at Hyunjin, practicing as if none of you are in the room. He already learned the dance to his solo, it’s the minor details that he’s working on, like his facial expressions and the movements of his fingers.
“Okay…just make sure you don’t overwork yourself.” You pass out the chopsticks but not letting your eyes off of him.
“Yup.”
==========
Time has flown by, and everybody has finished practicing for the day. When they finished eating, you cleaned up the trash and decided to stay and watch them. They end at one in the morning, ready to return to their dorms and finish the day.
They grab their bags from the counter, checking their phones while you grab water for them. They thank you, taking the bottles and gulping it down. You do a head count, and there’s one more water bottle in your hand. Dancing across the other side of the room is Hyunjin, still practicing.
You walk toward him, standing in between him and the mirror. “Hyunjin, it’s time to go. The van is waiting.”
He blinks profusely, standing stiffly. “Oh, is it time already?” He glances at the clock on the wall. “…It’s okay. I just need to practice a little longer.”
But his persistence is beginning to bother you. You understand that he wants to make sure that every step is near perfect, but not at the expense of his health.
“No, you really need to get some sleep. You have a recording to go to early in the morning.”
“Just a little longer.”
He steps aside from you, but you get in his way again. If he’s being stubborn, then you’ll be persistent.
“You have a long time before the performance. Just get some sleep. Otherwise, it’s going to bite you back.” This time, your voice has gotten lower and more serious.
Still, Hyunjin remains adamant on training. “What’s wrong with practicing just a little longer?” He sounds slightly annoyed.
Seeing how the shift in tone is becoming less light-hearted, the other members don’t know what to do. This is not the first time you and Hyunjin got into disagreements, but it’s not common either, at least, not common enough for the members to know what to do when situations like these.
Chan is the first to do something, holding you by the wrist and dragging you to the side. “It’s okay, let him practice more. I know how it feels like when you’re not satisfied with today’s outcome.”
You look at Hyunjin, but he doesn’t look at you. He goes back to dancing, the anxiousness crawling up his skin if he doesn’t hurry back. You don’t like this, but you have no choice but to abide by Hyunjin’s request. Although you worry about their health constantly, you’ll probably never know the amount of passion they have for performing.
“Okay…okay, but if I see you go overboard, then I’m gonna have to put a stop to it.”
“Thank you.” Hyunjin replies.
It doesn’t feel satisfying letting him continue. That’s when an idea pops up in your head.
“But in exchange…”
“Hm?”
“Let me stay up with you.”
“What?!”
“I’m going to make sure that you don’t overwork your body again.”
There have been multiple times when Hyunjin trained overnight with very little sleep. He isn’t the only member either, since the other members have done it as well, but your instincts tell you that he’ll go overboard with this solo.
Chan is about to refute, but seeing the determination in your eyes, he holds back. He knows not to do anything when you get like this.
“Just go home! You already have to deal with us for the whole day. Get some rest.”
“I can say the same to you.”
Hyunjin opens his mouth to retaliate, but he can’t retaliate because you’re not wrong. Now that you’re putting your health at risk, he’s hesitant about staying up. However, his obsession with practicing is overriding his concerns for you, so he gives in to your deal.
“Okay, but make sure you eat. Don’t stay up too late and if you’re tired, don’t fight your sleepiness. If the floor is uncomfortable, then I’ll take one of the sleeping bags in the equipment room and give it to you. If you want me to dim the lights, then let me know. If you’re feeling cold or hot, then tell me so that I can—”
“I think she gets it.” Woojin laughs.
Hyunjin is conscious of what he was saying and blushes, accidentally letting his soft side slip out. “Okay, if you need anything, then don’t be afraid to ask me.”
He’s practically saying everything that you were going to tell him. You exhale through your nostrils, letting him get away with it. He already knows what you were going to say and said it before you got the chance.
With that situation dealt with, you turn around and look at the rest of the members. “You guys can get back safely, right?”
“Of course! Who do you think we are?” Changbin asks with sarcastic annoyance. “We can take care of ourselves.” He claims with confidence, even though just earlier he said that they were going to be hopeless without you.
“Okay! Then I’ll see you guys tomorrow. I’m not gonna wake you guys up this time.” You tease.
The boys leave the room, saying their farewells to you and Hyunjin. While you’re smiling and waving goodbye, Hyunjin waves his hand with a serious expression. Whenever you see his face, you can’t help but think that he sees you as bothersome.
==========
In the dimly-lit dance studio, you lean against the wall, shoulder pressed against the counter as you watch Hyunjin rehearse the same dance over and over again. You’re sitting in a fetal position, curled up into a ball with a clipboard on your lap.
Other than the song blasting with surround-sound stereos, Hyunjin’s rhythmic stomping echoes throughout the room. Every so often, you would look down at your papers, looking through their schedules and reading contracts in getting them involved with variety shows once it’s their comeback phase. You have a thick stack of it on your lap, rubbing your eyes after reading every paragraph, and this is something that Hyunjin catches notice of.
Taking a break from reading, you stretch your arms, yawning as you check the time on your phone. It’s almost four in the morning, and you’re amazed that you managed to stay up this late. This isn’t the first time you had to stay up since there have been crazier times when you and the boys got through the night due to scheduling and traveling abroad. You glance at Hyunjin, and he does not look tired whatsoever. He’s no different now than he was earlier in the day, no ounce of exhaustion. Sometimes, it makes you question if he’s even human.
His eyes dart to you in the mirror, making a brief eye contact before he turns away, his cheeks turning red. You aren’t sure why he’s so shy all of a sudden. Even though he tries to hide his face, you can see his ears turning as red as a tomato, but you assume that it must be because his face is heating up from the excessive workout.
When he turns off the music, you take this cue to make a conversation. “Are you tired?”
He shakes his head. “I still have a few more things to cover.”
As per usual, he isn’t giving up so easily. The song that he’s covering is entirely in English—a song from the United States. Pop music from that country has been gaining popularity these days, so it’s not a surprise that this is the song chosen for him. What’s more interesting is that he even sang the cover himself.
Out of nowhere, your nose feels ticklish, and you sneeze. This makes Hyunjin jolt, turning his head and giving you a stunned look.
“Are you okay? Are you getting cold? Do you want me to raise the room temperature?”
You sniff. “No, I’m fine! It’s nothing to freak out about.”
Ignoring your claims, he rushes to you and gets on his knees. Even though it was just a sneeze, Hyunjin is taking it too seriously. “I can get you some blankets. Just sit here.”
He stands up and is about to run out the room, but you grab him by the sleeve. “I said I’m okay! I think you’re being too overly dramatic about it.”
But he gives you a disbelieved expression. His eyes go down at your bandaged hand. Making you conscious about it, you hide it under your sleeve. Even though you mean anything rude about it, but Hyunjin was still offended.
“Hey…be honest with me.”
“Hm?” You look up from your hand.
“Do you think I’m handsome?”
That question came out of nowhere, but your answer isn’t going to be surprising. “Of course I think you’re handsome!”
Despite your exclamation, Hyunjin is silent.
Because it’s an answer that he was hoping you didn’t say.
“You’re impression of me hasn’t changed since we first met…” He trails off.
“…Hm?” You’re beginning to get the gist of what he wants to hear. You see him every day for a few years, so you know what he’s conveying through his body language without asking. “Well…my thoughts about you being attractive didn’t change…but there have been some traits that I’ve added.”
He scoffs. “Added?”
“Yea! You’re attractive, and charismatic, and hard-working, and friendly, and funny, and cool, and all-and-all, a fun guy to be around,” after the long list, you inhale. “Honestly, it was because I thought you were only good looking that made it hard to talk to you!”
“Really??”
“Yea, did I never tell you? I’ve always thought you were intimidating because of the way you glared, and seeing somebody who looks really handsome made me feel insecure, so I avoided you.”
He never knew that you thought of him that way. Everyone always approached him because they would do anything to be near good-looking people. You’re no different from other people who thought of him as a handsome fellow, but it’s how you see him that differs.
You pat your hand on the empty space next to you with a giddy smile. “Take a break and sit with me. Let’s chat for a little.”
Hyunjin is antsy about it, but he can’t say no to you after getting you comfortably into a chat. He takes a seat, making sure to leave a gap in between.
“Also…” You begin. “Wanna tell me why you’re getting shy suddenly?”
“What do you mean?”
“You won’t even look at me when you’re practicing. I’ve seen you dance a million times before.”
Hyunjin’s cheeks turn slightly red. “Don’t you think…the dance is a little too much?”
“Too much as in…?”
“You know…”
He doesn’t want to go on, but you have no idea where he’s trying to get at.
“A bit too…raunchy?”
These are problems that Hyunjin has never brought up before. He never worried about the maturity of his appearance. If anything, he even practices to enhance it. What is it about this solo dance that is making him question himself?
“Why, what’s wrong?”
He fixes his shirt, zipping up his jacket even more. “I dunno…when I see myself do the choreography, it’s hard looking at myself in the eyes…like it’s not me who’s dancing, but somebody else.” He hugs himself.
People who aren’t familiar with Hyunjin generally see him as a young man with a cool demeanor, and this is the sort of image that he portrays very well on stage. But what people don’t actually know is that he’s no different than your average teen. He gets shy when he’s being put on the spot, he loves playing video games and hanging out with his friends, and there are moments when he’s socially awkward. It only makes you wish that people see more of this side to him—that in reality, even someone who enacts sexual behavior doesn’t mean that they’re confident in it.
There’s more to being a manager than taking the idols from one place to another, but also mental support is vital to taking care of them. When they’re feeling down, it’s your job to help them get back up. You get on your feet, stretching your limbs after sitting on your bottom for hours.
“What are you doing?”
You extend your hand out. “We’re gonna dance.”
“What?? You?”
“Yea. I’m confident in the basic of the basics to your dance. Let’s do it together.”
“No offense but…why are you dancing?”
“To loosen your muscles. Come on, you’re not gonna leave me to do it myself, are you?”
Begrudgingly, Hyunjin decides to dance with you, although he’s not sure if he, a more experienced dancer, thinks that dancing next to you is going to make you confident in yourself.
You jump up and down, breathing heavily and shaking your hands. You do some exaggerated warm-ups, turning side to side and attempting to swing your legs as high as you can. You rotate your waist until you hear your bones crack.
“Okay, okay, I’m ready. Turn it up.”
He doesn’t turn on the song yet, but the tempo. Unfortunately, you lack the knowledge of music, just what you know from the members. What you do know is that their movements are based on the beat being played right now.
You get into the feel of the beat, counting one to four and repeating it until you begin the dance. You tap your feet, already messing up with the first move. Hyunjin creases his eyebrows like he’s questioning why you’re doing this. You attempt it for a second time, failing at the exact same move. Again, but the failure repeats.
To save your pride, Hyunjin decides to enter the picture. “You’re not doing it right. Here.”
Hyunjin counts the tempo, doing everything step by step, slow enough for you to imitate. You try to copy him but fail miserably, only doing a half-assed imitation of it.
Once you get the gist of the beginning, he moves on to the next phase, beginning with the hip thrust. This is the part of the dance that he felt mostly uncomfortable with. His face turns red, insecure about it, but when he looks at you, you do the thrust as well, but it wasn’t as sensual as it was originally intended to be.
You make an animalistic roar, making a goofy face worth censoring. But rationality hits you real hard, embarrassment overwhelming you as you fall to the ground and hide your shameful face. Hyunjin bursts into laughter, falling to the ground as well. He wasn’t expecting you to fool around and thought you were actually serious about it.
“Ah…I just wanna throw myself out the window.” You mutter, curling into a ball like a hermit.
“No, no, it was great! Do it again, I wanna record it.”
“No!” You raise your head up. “I know you’re gonna share it to the others!!”
“No I’m not!” He sarcastically says as he stands back up.
He walks backward to the counter, playfully hiding his hands behind his back, curling his lips inward as he reaches to grab his phone. It doesn’t take long for you to catch on with what he’s doing, so you get on your feet and rush to him.
“Hey! What are you gonna do?”
“Nothing! Just…do the dance again. I didn’t see it that well.”
You blush. “No!”
He turns on the camera. You try to grab it out of his hand, but using his height to his advantage, he raises his arms up, making it impossible for you to reach even after jumping.
“Hey! I told you that I’m not going to do it again!’
“I know, so that’s why I’m just going to text them instead.”
You jolt, knowing full well that the boys won’t let you live until you reenact the dance in front of them. You continue jumping to get the phone, but no matter how many tries, you just can’t reach it. Seeing your adorable attempts in getting the phone, it makes Hyunjin laugh again.
“You used to be so shy. I never thought how wild you actually are! It’s so cute.”
“It’s not funny!”
“Alright, alright, I get it. It’s a secret between you and me.”
You cross your arms, not letting your eyes off of him until he sets his phone down. Once he does, you finally loosen up a bit. “Do you…at least feel better?”
“Hm?”
“You’ve been down lately, so I thought that I should make you laugh a little.”
Did he make it that obvious? It makes him feel bad that you had to humiliate yourself to cheer him up.
“I’m sorry I can’t do anything about the dance. As much as I can try advocating that the dance is too much for you, especially since you barely became an adult, they won’t listen,” you sulk. “But then when I thought about it, out of all idols, they chose you. Even if they don’t see the potential and only your looks, then prove it to them.”
Those words...feel nostalgic. In fact, this setting is very familiar. You and him sat here before, the atmosphere ten times more awkward since it was the first meeting.
“Ah...I’m tired...” You sit down. “I don’t know how you guys can stand all day long. I’m already tired from jumping.”
Without warning, Hyunjin sits next to you, his thigh rubbing against yours, and his over-sized body leaning closer to you. He rests his head on your shoulder, nudging it until it’s comfortable, wrapping his hands around your arm. Across from you and him is the mirror, reflecting back what you two are doing—sitting with no space in between, Hyunjin clinging onto you, your legs touching ever so gently, but it’s enough to spark fire in his chest. He would’ve never thought that there’d be someone who he’d be nervous when touching, and yet still want more.
“Remember when we first met?”
You stare at him, confused. “Of course. Why bring that up all of a sudden?”
“You kept following me around, spying on me like a stalker.” He laughs.
You blush. “O-okay...well...! It’s because I get all worked up when I talk to strangers!”
“You can’t handle talking to strangers, but you used to work in the casting department...?”
“Yea, well...!!” You look away, flustered.
He snickers, enjoying you stumbling with your words. As the mood softens, he feels like falling asleep.
“We met when I was a strong candidate to debut, but it wasn’t for the reason why I auditioned in the first place...Nothing will hurt more than being told that you have the potential only because you’re good looking, not for your skills.”
He holds onto you tighter. He looks back to those faceless people, glaring down at him. Like a deuce in the corner of a classroom, Hyunjin stood out like sore thumb, isolated from the rest his back to everybody else because he’s oh-so handsome. If he complained about it, then he would be criticized for not taking the compliment; the creation of a vicious cycle for being stuck in a box without being given the chance to sprout.
“This whole time, I didn’t want people to judge me only because of my face, and it dictated what I did. I was so conscious of every little thing I was doing, making sure that people know that I’m not just an object. But now I know not to let this dance take over me, but I take over it. Thanks.”
You have no clue what you did to make him change his mind. But what you don’t know is that your goofy dance made him realize that a dance is a dance, but it’s the dancer who interprets it. He’s been too focused on people judging him that he forgot why he became a performer in the first place: to express his love for dancing.
==========
It’s the day of Hyunjin’s performance. Behind the stage, the staff members are running around like rabbits, making sure things go well for the current performance with the idol on stage. The loud volume buzzes throughout the back—the bass causing the floor to vibrate. Even then, it doesn’t overshadow the audience’s cheers. The staff in charge of sound helps Hyunjin put the mic on. It’s very clear that he’s nervous, no one giving him words of encouragement. None of the members are here to cheer him on, and you’re not there as well.
A few rooms away from the stage, you and the boys are in the auditorium, sitting in their private sector with wall dividers. The television plays the idol’s solo, the eight of them, including you, anticipating Hyunjin’s performance that’s next. Each and every one of you knows how much he practiced for this moment, and this is his time to shine.
“Did you see Hyunjin’s outfit? He looked very cool.” Felix unconsciously speaks in English.
“Seeing him in those tight jeans reminds me of why he has so many fans…” Chan mentions.
They continue their conversation in English, and right about then, the idol finishes his part, and it’s Hyunjin’s turn. As he walks across the stage with the back up dancers, you hold your breath.
==========
Hyunjin stands in front of hundreds of people—some of them are fans, others having no idea who he is. He has no time to face the audience hidden beneath the darkness, as the stage lights blaze against his face. His song turns on, but his vision turns black.
~~~
“That girl’s here again.”
Hyunjin and his friend are sitting together in the trainee cafeteria, his friend pointing at the entrance and spotting a girl peeking her head out from the door. When they make eye contact, the girl jumps, running away. This isn’t the first time he’s caught her spying on him, and initially, he thought that she was looking at somebody else, or his friend, but as time went on, he’s beginning to suspect that she’s his stalker.
“I don’t think she’s a trainee. I don’t see her during practice,” his friend munches on his rice. “Maybe she’s an employee from another department and has a crush on you. You gonna do anything about it?”
Hyunjin shakes his head.
“Why not??”
“I don’t want to start any rumors.”
“If you leave it alone, then she’ll keep following you, and THAT’S what’s going to start rumors.”
“Well...she’s a girl. If I talk to her, then it’s going to spread gossip like she’s my girlfriend or something.” Hyunjin brushes this off, finishing up his bowl of vegetables.
By the door, she returns to the cafeteria. At first, he thought that she was going to spy on him again, but it turns out that, this time, she’s waiting for someone. Chan, a pretty well-known fellow among the trainees, approaches her, and they have a conversation.
“Oh, maybe they’re in a relationship!”
This is the first time he’s seen her talk to somebody else, so it makes a little more sense why she comes to the trainee department often. However, Hyunjin doesn’t agree with his friend in that she and Chan are dating. Based on their body language, they’re not flirtatious in the slightest—their expressions are serious, and she’s even sharing some papers with him.
“I overheard that Chan-sunbaenim might debut.”
“Really?” He turns to his friend.
“Yea, that’s probably why he’s talking to that girl. I guess he was tired of waiting, so he’s taking things in his own hands.”
To Hyunjin, that’s actually admirable. Unlike him who’s waiting for someone to pick him for the next boy band, Chan is taking responsibility and doing it by himself. It’s the sort of courage that he respects but also envies.
“Do you think he’s actually going to form a band?” Hyunjin asks.
His friend shrugs his shoulder. “Dunno. Even if he does debut, I bet he’s just using his excuse of being friends with idols to gain fame. Fans absolutely go wild when idols are friends with people from other bands.”
He isn’t sure why, but the way his friend said that annoyed him a little. “You don’t know. Just because he has friends who already debut doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have the potential of debuting himself.”
“If he has the potential, then why didn’t he debut along with his other friends? Obviously because he doesn’t have what it takes to be an idol,” he states blatantly. “I’m not saying this because I’m your friend or anything, but I think you have a better chance than that Chan guy.”
“What makes you think that?”
“I think you’re pretty good-looking. I overheard some people from the casting department compliment your looks, and they said something about picking you as the visual for next their project. Isn’t that cool??”
However, Hyunjin doesn’t share the same excitement as him. Instead, he plays with his soup, his spoon splashing up and down. He sulks, making it apparent that he doesn’t want to talk about it.
Hyunjin stands up, picking up his tray.
“Hey, where are you going?”
“I’m done eating. I’m gonna head back to practice.”
“What?? But we literally just finished it earlier, and you’re going back?”
“I’m not going to get any better if I keep sitting around. I’ll see you later.”
“Geez, and it’s making me look bad…” his friend whines as he continues eating.
Ignoring his comment, Hyunjin heads to the double doors where the girl and Chan stand. He puts his hands in his pockets, keeping his head low as he tries to look cool in front of her. When she notices him, she flinches, hiding behind Chan. Making him feel conscious, Hyunjin picks up the pace and rushes out to the halls.
----------
Hyunjin is the first to get back to the practice room, but he’s also the last to leave. Most of the trainees have returned to the dorm, but he stayed behind, feeling as though he hasn’t practiced enough. Even the coaches have long since gone home, and the only adults that remain are the janitors.
The practice room is dimly lit, but it’s so dark that Hyunjin can only see the reflection of his silhouette in the wall mirror. An American pop song is playing on the overheads, a song that has very distinct beats, making it easy for Hyunjin to hear. He doesn’t know the name to the song since it’s in English, but he grew a liking to it after the dance coach kept playing it.
As the song reaches the loudest crescendo, Hyunjin attempts to step it up, moving his arms and legs from each eighth note to now every sixteenth-note. But as he tries to keep up with the pace, he finds himself slowing down a lot, his aching muscles locking his movements. Before the song reaches its ending, Hyunjin takes a misstep, stepping over his own feet and falling down.
“Shit!” He accidentally slips out.
He rubs his buttocks as he gets up, but his legs are so sore that he falls back down. Instead of falling on his butt again, he’s so weak that he lands on his back. His heavy breathing is louder than the song itself, despite being put on the highest volume. He takes a few seconds to stare blankly at the black ceiling, almost questioning his life choices—every decision he’s made to bring him to this point.
He rolls to the side before sitting up straight. He scoots to the counter, grabbing his phone and a towel. He dries his sweaty hair with the cloth, leaving it on his head. He turns off the phone, checking the time and seeing that it’s four in the morning. He sighs in frustration since he has an hour before his alarm clock goes off for school. It’s burdensome having to go to school and interrupting his practice time.
What his friend said still bothers him—about how he has the potential of becoming an idol simply because of his looks. Idols who have the position of being the visual are easily overshadowed by the other members, being defined only as the ‘nice-looking statue’, not judged by the characteristics of their performance. Years of training only to look good on camera is exactly what Hyunjin doesn’t want to be known for, pushing his obsession for practicing to become more intense.
“What’s the point…” He mumbles to himself in a defeated tone.
He’s still a trainee, but it already seems like he’s become the designated visual. Most trainees and employees compliment him a lot for his looks rather than his dancing skills. He isn’t even sure if he’s going to debut either, so no matter how much he practices, there’s still a chance that no one will know how hard he’s worked, and that’s what lowers his spirits.
“Excuse me…” a timid voice comes from beside him. “Are you okay?”
He looks up, and to his surprise, it’s the girl who’s been stalking him. She has a water bottle in her hand, crouching over with a concerned look on her face.
“You…you were practicing a lot without taking breaks in between, so I got a little worried.”
“You don’t even know me, so why worry?” Hyunjin bluntly states, though it was unintentional.
That wasn’t what he wanted to say. He’s just exhausted that it came off that way. Luckily, his tone doesn’t scare her away and she remains.
“Sorry...if I’m annoying you, then I can leave. I just wanted to give you some water since it looks like you didn’t have any.”
She sets the water bottle down and is about to leave. Is she actually leaving? He thought. After days of watching him, when she finally approached him, she’s already leaving. It makes him disappointed, almost as if he wants more from her.
“Wait.” He calls out without thinking.
She turns out, seemingly a little happy that he isn’t pushing her away, but she tries to hide her smile. He doesn’t know why, but he just had the urge to call her.
“Uhm…are you a trainee?”
She shakes her head. “I just got hired in the casting department.”
“Oh…it makes sense then…” He mutters.
“Sense?” She tilts her head, curiously.
“N-nothing…! Just…I happen to see you talk to Chan-sunbaenim, and people are saying that he’s planning to debut.”
She nods. “Yes! Wow, the rumor spread so fast. But we are. I’m helping him scout some trainees.”
“Really? That’s cool.”
“Yea…and…” She becomes flustered again. “I was…uhm…wondering…”
He looks at her curiously.
“If…you would like to join?” She looks away, squeezing her eyes shut.
It’s so strange that she’s giving him the option to join, not whether or not he’ll pass. Usually, trainees don’t have a say, so it’s almost strange that he even has a choice. Even though it’s a simple yes-or-no question, he doesn’t know how to answer.
But that’s when he remembers what his friend said. Everybody likes Hyunjin because of his looks, not because of his talents. This woman probably chose him because of his visuals. Besides, she stares a lot, so it makes sense. Thinking about this, the pessimism claws at him again.
“Why would you ask me of all people? I’m sure there are others who are better than me.”
“Ah…you’re right.” She trails off.
He was almost expecting her to retaliate, to make herself seem like a good person who isn’t shallow. Even though he’s the one who said that, he’s a little saddened that she agreed with him, but what does he expect?
“But out of everybody else, I chose you because I see potential in you.”
He raises his head up, puzzled.
“You work harder than anybody else. I watch you dance a lot, and I can feel the energy in every movement of your body. You were just so cool that it sort of intimidated me, so it took me days to muster up the courage to speak to you!” You slap your own cheeks. “I heard that counting backwards before approaching a stranger is helpful, but after I counted down to zero, I kept going down into the negatives...”
Hyunjin chuckles. “How far did you go?”
“I don’t know…I stopped keeping track after negative two hundred and fifty-three…”
He laughs again. “Really??”
“Anyway! I just wanted to ask because I’ve never seen anyone so dedicated to dancing! I thought it would be a shame if your hard work fell into deaf ears.”
She gets comfortable on the ground.
“While I was watching you dance, I imagined millions of people being inspired by your story. Also...don’t take this personally, but maybe one day, I’d like to see you dance not for others, but for yourself.” She finally smiles.
His jaw hangs open, amazed that she hit the nail. That is the problem that he’s been having all this time: his love for dancing faded, and it became an unhealthy obsession toward perfection—the sort that appeases others. That’s why absolute perfection doesn’t exist; just as you can’t be perfect, you can’t appease everyone, and that’s what Hyunjin has been hopelessly trying to accomplish.
“…Are you serious…about wanting to see me dance?”
She nods.
This is the first time a compliment in relations to his dance felt authentic. She doesn’t seem like she’s lying either. Life as a trainee is tough—so tough that he can’t explain it properly in words. Every day with endless training makes every second feel like torture, but at the same time, his integrity is at play when people see him as a potential idol for his looks.
But to hear from somebody else that he’s more than objectification, it makes him feel…hopeful. It might be because he’s been craving acknowledgement of his training, but he feels like he could break down into tears at any moment. He didn’t realize how low his spirit was that all he needed was a meaningful compliment.
“I’ll…think about it…Maybe after you tell me your name.”
“Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t introduce myself!! My name is (Y/N), and it’s nice to meet you!”
==========
With a blink of an eye, the performance that he’s been practicing for months has  ended. Those long hours have paid off, and the audience is impressed. The screams from fans makes everything worth it, and he can’t help but smile while walking off.
At the back of the stage, the staff rush to take off his mic and cool down his body. He can hardly breathe, but despite his exhaustion, he can’t wipe that smile off his face. Throughout the entire dance, he couldn’t stop thinking about you. You really have changed since the first day you two met, and it makes him wonder how much he’s changed through those years.
Behind the staff members surrounding him, you stand from afar with the brightest grin on your face. Even though you look like your typical self, he thought you looked particularly gorgeous today. It might be because you were in his mind the entire time that he unconsciously missed you, and he can’t wait to be with you.
He walks forward with only you in mind. You catch on that he’s moving right toward you, so you prepare to congratulate him. Before you’re given the chance, he drops his entire weight onto you. Hyunjin wraps his long arms around you, pressing his face against your neck.
“Hyunjin...??” You murmur.
But he doesn’t respond with words; he does so by wrapping his arms tightly around you. His skin is usually soft, but you can distinctly feel his lips being matted against the nape of your neck, and it’s making you flustered. Your heart is racing, timid by the intimacy, but it makes you wonder what happened to make him act like this.
Hyunjin trails his hand down your arm, running down your skin and giving you goosebumps. His long fingers search for your hand, his index finger stroking your knuckle as if he’s asking permission to hold it. You’re no longer wearing bandages for the burn marks, but a Band-Aid. You wrap your hand around his, and he raises your small hand up, pressing it against his pounding chest. It must be the adrenaline, his heart racing from moving his body too much. You aren’t sure what the purpose is for him to hold your hand, but it’s making your face turn redder.
The staff gaze at this awkward scene. It makes you embarrassed, lowering your head as you can’t take Hyunjin’s boldness anymore. “People are staring.”
But as a way to taunt the people who are watching, Hyunjin hugs you tighter, so much that your chest is pressed against him. He raises his head, glaring at every single person who dared to judge them. Intimidated by him, they continue with their work.
“I-I came here to congratulate you. The other members are waiting for you.” You gently push him away.
He looks a little disappointed, but he pulls a smile. “Okay.”
==========
“CONGRATULATIONS!!” The group shouts altogether.
They scream and shout, bouncing up and down as they surround him. They jump on his back, messing with his hair that took hours to be made. Chan and Woojin slap him on the back, and there’s a loud whack. As chaos unfolds, you stand by the side, more than happy to not be participating in that mess.
“Hyunjin, you snake! Who knew that there was a man in you?” Changbin jokes.
“Be quiet, Hyung…” his cheeks turn red.
“Look at him getting all shy. He secretly enjoyed showing off his body to the crowd.” Minho pats him on the back.
“Well…I didn’t like the dance at first because I felt like I was an easy choice for my face…but…” His eyes follows you, helping the employees clean up the area. “I learned that you don’t let others fog the effort you put into training. I wasn’t going to let dance define me, but I define the dance.”
The group awes in unison.
“Such mature words from a high school graduate. I don’t know this hyung anymore!” Jeongin shouts in blatant exaggeration.
Hyunjin laughs. “Stop it.”
While the group are focused on Hyunjin, Minho turns his attention to you, minding your own business. He keeps staring at you, cocking his head to the side and squinting his eyes. He steps toward you, getting in your way on purpose.
“Did you need something, Minho?”
And without warning, he pulls down the collar of your shirt.
“M-Minho!” You shout.
“I knew it.”
There’s a peachy lipstick stain imprinted on the nape of your neck. Everyone’s jaws drop, silence befalling the room as the shock takes over. Minho glances at Hyunjin who has the exact same shade of lipstick on right now.
“No wonder you guys took so long to get back here. You two were going at it, weren’t you?”
“What?!” you and Hyunjin exclaim at the same time.
“What the heck are you saying?! Nothing like that happened!” You shout, your ears turning red.
“You bastard!” Changbin grabs Hyunjin. “You pressured her into it, didn’t you??”
“I didn’t!”
“W-wait, don’t fight!” You get in between. “It’s not like that!”
“Hyunjin might be adulting a bit too much…” Woojin trails off.
The boys continue to fight, believing one thing over the other about the kiss mark on your neck. As you try to stop them, you attempt to wipe it off to no avail. When you and Hyunjin make eye contact, he doesn’t necessarily look annoyed about the misunderstanding. Rather, he winks at you, making your heart skip a beat. That wink alone made you think that the mark on your neck might be on purpose.
[End]
A/N: Hello! Thank you for reading my first Stray Kids fanfiction. If you made it to the end, you have my praise. Anyways, if you’re reading this, then I hope you have a wonderful day :)
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squeiky · 4 years
Text
UNDERWILD- possible spoiler territory!(hehe) its just some info of Tori And flowey. Along with some character desgins i doodled.
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Feel free to guess how UNDERWILD is gonna play out.
Heres a bit of info (not to spoilery) on how these characters are designed to be.
Ps: UNDERWILD is EXTREMLY and HEAVILY inspired by horror tale and underfell. So you'll be see alot of... Similar attributes, along with my own. Even the designs might look a bit similar, so dont go bashing on me okay? You've been warned.
Flowey-
 kill or be killed motto, but cant decide on which one he wants to go with. He believes he's Leaning more towards "kill" but tbh, look at that freindly smirk, and teary eyes, messed up face and drooly leaves. Does he really look like a sadistic killer too you?. Yeah, flowey thinks he does. He thinks he looks just as crazy as every other monster does. 
his LV doesn’t support his belief that he kills mercilessly. he can barely kill a child, neither less anyone else. (during his resets he did kill only a few monsters. regretted it alot.)
smug
due to papyrus’s encouraging words, he has a bit of confidence.
he almost always uses his creepy face. though, its not as scary as the other faces around the forest.
turqouise pupils.
on the left, is complelty ripped petels. on the right, is slighty wilty petals.
he alwasy has sad eyes with a big (fake) happy grin. (he’s not the happiest.)
his threats never get backed up.
hums his own theme song. and rocks a lullaby. but can’t sing other things. so he’s pretty much a hummerbird lullaby flower baby.
bruises/dirt/scratch marks on his cheeks and forehead
afraid of froggits. (will kill them on sight, if he fears for his life)
hes a impatient little brat.
not afraid to toss insults at you.
has a little goat like snoot. (a slight asriel apperance)
likes napstablook! by alot actually! and nice-cream! and pie! and chara! (platonically)
dislikes frogs, bees, bugs in general, sans, being a flower, and eggs. (no apparent reason, he just doesn’t like eggs. like a cat to cucumbers but flowey to.. egg...)
tried to eat froggit’s leg. honestly, he hangs around papyrus too much. he’s pretty sure he tried eating a mushroom too. and a snail. and a- im gonna stop there, or this list of weird things- FLOWEY DONT EAT DIRT WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! NO STOP THAT!! - are never going to end. o and there he goes again
EXTREMEY curious. (almost reckless childlike curiousity)
Toriel- 
i like to call her TORE-IEL hehe.
 Her robe/dress is all torn up.. Her eyes have bags from the crying alone in her room.
a dirty red robe/dress, with a greyish sleeve. and a symbol in the middle.
extremely isolated. (literally locked up in her room like 24/7. alot worse than og toriel. similiar to horrortale’s toriel.)
“who’s sans?”
yellow-ish horns and teeth (has many rows of sharp teeth)
red eyes whites (pitch black pupils)
a tad bit hunched.
goat hooves!! and big old claws.
she isn’t such a good mom figure. she been so alone for so long.. a itte too long... she tries everything to keep frisk down there. 
....”where is everybody?” they are hiding. from toriel. (in case she goes “wild”. and plus she’s powerful)
got that dragon breath yo. (fire breath, instead of flying flames.)
afraid of herself, because of that she is more distant to the children than a og toriel is. (she doesn’t even hold their hands :( )
“burnt pies anyone? or.... chocolate? or... we have some lettuce in the back you can eat. oh, yeah i see. your right, you can’t eat any of this, can you?” toriel is a bit... lacking in practice. 
gives you a soft, weak smile. 
she loves you, has trouble showing it.
sometimes drools when she stares at something too long. ( a cute little drool. not to excessive.)
a tad selfish.
q-questionable m-methods....
BOOKS FOR DAYS YAY!!! and facts about snails... she reads too fast.
on rare occasions, when she hiccups she might do a goat noise.
the worst jokes get her going, that is sad. like im talking worse than og sans’s. to the point of “why did the chicken cross the road? to get to the otherside!” makes her go absolutely high on laughter. instead of a petite giggle or a snort, she acts like she hadn’t heard that in a millennia.
“hi. umm.. greetings?.. hello?...goodday?” she hasn’t had a conversation in... awhile
“ugh, tori what are you saying?! your suppose to say-” she talks to herself in public. alot. calls herself nicknames too. (she likes her made up nicknames, like tortor or tori. or tutu. she even called her self butterscotch, or sweetpea. its a little weird with the nicknames.)
[Link to papyrus and sans info]
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