#she is happy to help actually! this was just a fun excuse to draw her again

[a-lonely-dunedain]

The kinship house @hallothere and I are decorating for our rangers is coming together nicely!

...thanks to a little mooching from our rich alts, that is

[nocek]

Some Miguel and Gabriella doodles form last month :) I just hadn't had the motivation to turn them into proper drawings.

But the bottom two actually are part of my headcanons:

So starting with the happy one as in the one on the right:

I headcanon that Miguel actually ended in Gabriella's universe on accident and the multiversal travel didn't exist yet (to be more precise it was invented to look for Gabriella's father because Miguel didn't know that he was dead and just assumed they like switched places or something) and he explained the whole situation to Gabriella rightaway (because there is no way to be able to fit into another dude's life without a hitch even with I was bonked in the head recently excuse).

Gabriella was skeptical but decided to approach whole situation sitcom style. Dad was replaced by awkward but caring dude with superpowers - let's help him but also try the new boundaries. So she approached with hey dad runs twice a week and I ride the bike with him. I can show you our favorite route! And then proceeded to extend the route muuuuuch beyond what was humanly possible for her dad. And then beyond what was possible for her just out of curiosity if Miguel will ask to stop. Well he didn't so now after long ice cream break he needs to carry her home because she totally absolutely is beat and cannot cycle anymore (and also this way is more fun).

And the second separate depressing au headcanon that is not as tied to the picture but I guess I'll share it here:

While the Gabriella's universe was falling apart all the spiders there just grabbed as many civilians as possible and jumped through the portals. So Gabriella and couple dozen displaced people are alive at spiders hq and things are maybe better but also worse.

Since Gabriella is alive Miguel can't go sulk in the corner in his office. He needs to put on a front for her. Which most likely doubles the pressure that he already puts on himself.

Gabriella isn't an idiot and figures it out so she also tries to put on a front.

But to add a little spider whimsy and make the whole thing a bit happier - here comes Gwen.

Miguel was just as grumpy about letting her join spider society as was in the movie buuuuut Gabriela decided that Gwen being the slightly older girl with a little bit of alternative vibe is the coolest person ever and we will be best friends. And you are a ballerina!!!! I want to try ballet too!

Which in turn forced Miguel to be nice like to other Gabriella's friends and maybe be a bit more mindful and realize that Gwen needs more than place to stay and new friends and coworkers. She is too young to just jump into adulthood. She needs her father or better father figure.

And he tries to dump that on Peter B which doesn't work because Peter suffers form serious case of baby brain but also sees Gwen more like a equal adult and friend.

Besides the idea of Miguel trying to be nice and failing at because he approaches it form his experience with Gabriella standpoint while dealing with teenager is kinda fun and I like it.

[shy-taylorsversion]

Want You Back | Dean Winchester x Fem!Reader

Inspired by Want You Back by Maisie Peters

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Fem!Reader

Summary: Over a year ago, Y/n started hunting with the boys. Her and Dean's friendship became more than anything she ever had before. Then he hurt her like never before. The worst part was she didn't really care.

Takes place somewhere in season 6 after Sam got his soul back. Flashbacks are during season five.

Word Count: 4k

Warnings: Cursing (minimal), canon-level violence, few innuendos, and mentions of things. Reader is kinda sad and desperate. Angst. no happy ending :(

A/N: Hi!! After a year of trying to write a complete fic to post, I finally did it. Please excuse any grammar or spelling errors, I relied on Grammarly lol Also I had no idea how to write the action scenes but tried my best. I really don't know if this is worth much but I had so much fun writing sooo I hope you enjoy it!! (gif not mine)

March 2010

  Y/n’s phone buzzed, drawing her attention from the hunter drunkenly blabbering in her ear. They’d just wrapped up a quick hunt, a werewolf somewhere in northern Montana. She didn’t even really know the guy but Bobby had given him her number to ask for help. She agreed, not really having anything more to do. He was fine for a hunter, other than he never shut up and was getting too handsy for her liking, and him being on his fifth drink wasn’t helping. 

She opened the message, not recognizing the number. Bobby had to stop handing it out to whoever.  

           “Hey, Sweetheart. Whatcha up to?”  

The phone fell into her lap. There was only one person she ever let get away with calling her that, or anything really, and he didn’t come around often. 

           “Depends, who is this?”  

    The response was almost immediate. 

          “Don’t do me like that, Y/n”

 She could almost see his stupid grin on the screen and had to look away to control the heat rising in her face. Within five seconds and two texts, Dean Winchester had turned her into a giggling schoolgirl with a crush. 

          “I’m at a bar, what do you want?” 

         “Ah, a girl after my own heart. Which one? I wanna see you.” 

In any other universe, she would have assumed he had ulterior motives. She had the first few times she’d received that text but ended up spending the night hiding her disappointment. He only wanted to see her. He’d meet with her wherever she was. A bar, a motel, a diner.   

They’d spend hours talking about everything. She’d tell him stories of her recent hunts and the hunters she was stuck helping. He’d tell her of whatever they’d been facing. On rare occasions, when it was super late and they were sprawled on her bed, in a half-drunken stupor, he’d tell her about Sam or their dad. He’d mention their childhood and what he was put through. One night, he even mentioned a girl named Cassie, he skirted around details but Y/n understood. 

   They’d fall asleep like that, on top of the covers of a dirty motel bed. The next morning, he’d take her to breakfast, hug her goodbye, and then he was gone. 

     Her phone buzzed in her hand again. 

       “I miss you.” 

Her blood ran cold as she stared at the screen. He’d definitely never said that before. They just never went there and maybe this wasn’t him going there but it was different. Without another thought, she sent him the address. 

Present, April 2011

  “What Dean did wasn’t ok, you know that right?” Sam said through the phone. “He never should’ve left like that. We just really could use your and Bobby’s help on this case.” 

  Y/n sighed in response. What could she even say? That she knew, that she understood. That it still didn’t matter because even through all of the anger and hurt, she’d take him back tomorrow. 

  Not that he’d ever actually been hers. It was only half a spring, barely two months. 

It didn’t matter either way. There was a job to be done and she had to do it. She could put her feelings aside for a few days. 

 “He always left like that, not like I’m surprised.”  

   “Look, I’ve gotta go but please, Y/n, call us if you need anything. We’ll be there soon.“ 

 “Bye, Sam.” 

  The call ended, leaving Y/n leaning against the railing of Bobby’s porch. The early spring wind whipped around her and she hugged her flannel closer, looking out onto the empty road. 

   It had been over a year since she’d seen either of them. She knew of everything that happened to them. Sam going to hell and coming back without a soul. Dean, living a normal life for over a year with a woman and her kid. 

 Y/n didn’t know her, only hearing about the situation from Sam and Bobby in passing. She knew her name was Lisa and that Dean cared for her. Maybe more. She knew that Dean had promised Sam to live a normal life after he jumped into the cage. And she was happy that he got a year of peace. She was. 

   She could picture him helping in the kitchen, wearing an apron with flour smeared across his face. He’d probably set up family movie nights and weekend outings and birthday dinners. He’d been happy and okay. Against all odds, he had gotten out. 

    That didn’t stop the wave of hurt that washed over at the thought of him, all domestic and soft.  

 The click of the door opening pulled her out of her thoughts. Bobby stood there, a knowing look on his face.  

     “C’mon kid, let’s see if we can figure out something before those boys get here.” 

A few hours later, Y/n stared at the book in her lap. She’d been rereading the same paragraph for thirty minutes. Every time she’d get drawn into the book, the house would creak or the wind would blow and she’d be snapped out of it. 

   She kept waiting for the door to open, for footsteps to trail down the foyer and into the living room. She couldn’t even begin to prepare for what the next few days were going to be like. Her only plan was to act as normal as possible, which was already proving to be difficult. 

  A pit formed in her stomach, there was a lump in her throat and her head was clouded. The whole room was hazy and it felt like she was watching herself exist.

    She didn’t even realize she was crying until something wet hit her hands and slid onto her jeans. She quickly wiped her eyes and tried to focus on the book again. The lines blurred together as more tears filled her eyes.  

    God, she was sitting here crying over some guy. She was a grown woman, she had to get over this. It was pathetic at this point. 

   “You know, what Dean did was wrong. Leaving like that, not telling you what happening.” Bobby said, walking into the room, a stack of books in his hands. “I love the kid but he’s a real dick sometimes.”

       He meant well but she swore if one more person said that Dean had done bad, she was going to go crazy. 

    She knew that. More than anyone, she knew. She was the one who spent months hunting with him, helping him and Sam figure out how to save the damn world. They’d spent nights wrapped up in each other, more than ever before. Farther than before.  

  She was the one who woke up to an empty bed with no trace of him anywhere. He never responded to a call or a text. Never even let her know he was alive. 

  He’d left like an assassin. 

   Part of her couldn’t even blame him. It probably had been for the best because if he’d told her what the plan had been, she’d have begged. 

     In the end, he’d got to be a coward and she salvaged some amount of self-respect. 

 “I know, Bobby.” She said, giving him a small smile, “I know.” 

The door creaked causing Y/n to jump, earning her a concerned look from Bobby. 

  She smiled at him again, trying to reassure him. She could tell he’d been worried about her lately. He was justified in it. She’d been on edge and closed off for the last year and a half. 

   She took a deep breath and steadied herself. She’d known these boys for the better part of her life, it wasn’t a big deal. 

     Sam rounded the corner first, entering with a slight grin. His eyes immediately found hers and without warning he pulled her off the couch and into his arms. 

   Y/n let out a surprised laugh as her feet dangled off the ground and the life was squeezed out of her.  

   “I missed you too, Sam.” She said, unable to hold back more laughter, “Put me down now.” 

   Her feet hit the floor and Sam stepped back. She looked him over, still smiling. 

     “I’m so glad you’re back.” 

   “Yeah, me too.” 

A set of footsteps grew louder causing Y/n to look up, only for her to meet two green eyes. 

  The breath was knocked out of her and she was all too aware of the pit in her stomach again. 

Ignoring the pairs of eyes on her, She spun on her heel to face Bobby.   

    “Let’s get started?” 

March 2010 

“I call shotgun!” Y/n yelled as they walked out of the diner and took off towards the Impala.

   She was probably being unfair. She’d barely shared the passenger side in the few weeks she’d been with the boys. Sam was getting huffy about it, she could tell but she enjoyed the view more from the front.  Sitting in the back she’d miss the way Dean’s hands looked gripping the steering wheel, the way his lips moved as he mouthed the lyrics to whatever was on the radio, or the way his eyes would flicker to hers for just a split second. 

 Dean had also finally let her DJ and she didn’t plan on giving that rare privilege away anytime soon.

   “C'mon, dude. It's my turn.” Sam whined, “My legs are starting to cramp.” 

Sam beat her to the car which wasn’t surprising since he was literally the size of one. She was close to giving in when an arm landed on her shoulder. Dean nudged Sam out of the way, ignoring his protests, and opened the door. 

     “Sorry, Sammy.”  Dean’s eyes never left hers as she slid into the seat, “Need my Darlin’ by my side.” 

Present, April 2011

   Cracked wooden planks creaked under Y/n’s feet as she followed the boys and Bobby into the abandoned house. It was pitch black. She blinked her eyes, trying to adapt to the lack of lighting.  

According to Sam, a nest of vamps had been holed up there for weeks. They’d started leaving a trail of bodies, teens who’d come through as a dare or curiosity. She didn’t know the exact numbers racked up in that time but it was enough for Sam and Dean to ask for help. 

   Dean motioned for them to split up, two taking the downstairs and two going up. She went to follow behind Sam who had taken off into the next room but Bobby beat her to it. She would’ve fought back but it wasn’t exactly like she could cause a scene right then. 

   She followed Dean up the stairs, cringing every time the stairs groaned underneath their feet. 

Dean slowed as he hit the final step before a long, dark hallway. Y/n was a step behind him. His body nearly covered her. She shifted to the side to peer around him. 

  Both raised their machetes, trying to keep their breathing quiet as they waited for any sign of movement.

    A crash came from down the hall. Dean started towards the sound, Y/n following close behind. The complete darkness put them on edge. Being minus one sense in a house of at least ten fanged bastards, not fun. 

      The floorboard creaked behind her causing her to flip around, just in time to dodge the first vampire of the night. 

       She swung her machete, hitting its arm. Distracted, she brought down the weapon. Its head hit the floor. 

        Dean yelled out from behind her. She flung herself around to hear him fighting off, what she guessed was three on his own. Her presence seemed to catch the attention of one of them because it charged at her. 

   She dodged, the vamp lunged again grabbing her by the arm. She twisted out of its grasp. Using the angle to her advantage, she swiped her leg around, knocking it off balance. Its head rolled away as its body hit the ground. 

     She wiped the sweat from her forehead and turned to try to find Dean. She still couldn’t see him but she could hear him panting a few feet away.

She was yanked forward. Hands gripped her forearms tight enough to leave bruises and slammed into the wall. Her head buzzed on impact and she forced herself to stay upright. Its fangs grazed her neck and then its head dropped to the floor. 

   Dean stood in front of her, so close she could feel him breathing, rather than hearing it. Without thinking, she reached out to him and landed on his arm. She went to pull away but his other hand grasped her wrist, holding her in place. 

“Thanks.” She breathed, “You good?” 

“Yeah, You?” 

She wished she could see him, make sure he was being truthful. He didn’t exactly have the best track record with honesty. But in the dark, she had no choice but to trust him. 

    “I’m fine.” There were definitely bruises forming in her arms and her head was still spinning but she’d had worse.  

   Dean’s hand dropped her wrist. She ignored the deflated feeling in her chest and dropped her arm back to her side. 

  Without warning, he ran his hands over her arms and up her shoulders. She tried to pull away but he didn’t stop. 

    “What are you doing?” She whisper-yelled. 

“I literally heard you hit the wall, Y/n,” He said, running his hands over her head, checking for any bumps. 

“I am fine.”  She tried to swat him away but he grabbed her wrists mid-air and pulled them to his chest.  

    The air was humid around them. She heard him panting. Leather and sweat invaded her senses. Any focus she had before vanished. 

He was here, touching her, after so long. 

  Silence enveloped them. The only noise was their panting. 

 This was wrong. Sam and Bobby were probably fighting for their life downstairs and here they were, doing whatever this was.

  She was about to pull away when a loud yell came from downstairs. 

   The moment was broken. They took off down the hallway and stairs. Staying close to not get lost in the dark. 

  They hit the last few steps as a vampire, charged at them. 

 Dean swung his machete and it fell to the floor.  

 They moved further into the first floor of the home, finding Sam and Bobby fighting off at least four vamps each.  

   They split up, him going to Bobby and her going to Sam.  

     None of the vampires were aware of her yet. She grabbed the syringe of deadman’s blood out of her pocket and plunged the needle into the closet to her. 

  Now they knew she was there.

 Two turned towards her giving Sam time to take down his remaining one. 

   Both charged at her, hissing. She ran in between them.She flipped around, slicing the blade in an arc. The one on her left doubled over at the impact. 

    She swung. 

The right one lunged at her. She pivoted and cut the blade up. 

Its head hit the floor. 

She looked around the room, a slight beam of moonlight flooded the house now. She made out Sam helping Bobby up from the floor, right as Dean took down the last vampire. 

   The room was silent other than everyone trying to catch their breath.  

Dean’s eyes found hers. She forced herself to look away. Sam interrupted the non-moment. 

“Time for drinks?” 

Y/n and the boys decided to go out. They were leaving soon but everyone needed time to wash off and get ready. 

   She dragged the black liner across her eyelid, double-checking to see if it smeared the shimmery brown eyeshadow she’d already put on. The cracks in the old mirror made it kind of hard to perfect the make-up but it would have to do.  She already changed from her bloodied hunting clothes into a clean pair of jeans with a simple tank top. She didn’t own much and traveled with less. 

“Broke mirrors are bad luck, ya know?”  

  Dean leaned against the doorframe, flannel pulled taut around his crossed arms. 

She ignored the pit that had reappeared in her stomach and continued applying her lipstick. She flipped through ideas for a response. She could yell at him to get out or cry about how much he hurt her. Instead, she opted to act like nothing was wrong. 

   “I’m pretty sure you’re the one who broke it.”  She said, shoveling her makeup back into the bag, still never meeting his eye. She stood and gathered the rest of her stuff into a neat pile on her bed. Her back was completely towards him. 

    She heard him walk into the room and the door clicked shut. 

“Y/n, look at me.”  

She turned around and looked up at him. Her eyebrows raised like he was boring her. In reality, she was struggling to breathe. Her hands shook and a lump was stuck in her throat.  

 Her eyes glanced over his face. His jaw was set but eyes were soft.  She knew where this was going. 

  Dean took a deep breath before starting.  

“Look, what I did-” 

“Do not finish that sentence, Dean Winchester.” She spat. 

“I just-”

“No. You don’t get to say anything. You don’t get to say that what you did was wrong or how sorry you are. You don’t think I don’t know that what you did was wrong? Everyone keeps telling me that. Bobby, Sam and now you. They kept telling me how horrible of you that was like it wasn’t me. Like I wasn’t the one who spent months with you, like I didn't help you figure out how to stop the fucking apocalypse. Like I didn’t stitch you up after every hunt or spend every car ride next to you. Like I wasn’t the one who would hold you after you woke up screaming or it wasn’t me who spent every single night in your fucking sheets.” 

 Every ounce of refrain she’d worked to keep was gone. Hot tears were streaming down her face as her eyes bored into his. He didn’t try to interrupt her but his jaw twitched and body tensed. 

  “Like it wasn’t me who woke up two months later to an empty bed. You were gone, Dean. You left without a word. No text, no note. Nothing. You fucking left me. And then I found out you were with some other girl for a year? So yeah, I know that what you did was bad.” 

Somewhere in her speech, she’d moved close enough for their chest to touch. Her finger was stabbing into his chest.  He didn’t move, was barely breathing but she wasn’t finished. 

   “Maybe it was cheap to you, or maybe it was some fling to pass the time but it was real to me. It was all I had. You were all I had.” Her voice broke at the last word and she dropped her hand. Her head fell as she cried. Over a year of built-up heartbreak exploding in one moment was too much. 

     His hand found hers and placed it back on his chest. She looked back up at him, his other hand reaching out to cup her cheek. She closed her eyes as his thumb wiped away the remaining tears. 

    “Do you want to know what the worst part is?” She whispered, eyes still shut. “I’d be yours again if you wanted. If you asked. How pathetic is that?” 

      “Y/n.” 

She opened her eyes to look at him despite her embarrassment.  

  “You are anything but cheap or pathetic.” His voice was thick and his eyes were glassy. She’d seen him in so many different states but she’d never seen so much emotion written across his face. 

   “Ask me then. Ask me to come with you.” 

His expression darkened and he dropped his hand from her face. He took a step back and looked away. 

   “It’s not that easy.” He said, shaking his head. “It's never that easy.” 

She let out a bitter laugh. 

 She wasn’t even surprised. She should’ve been disappointed or furious but she was just over it. She was tired and desperate. And if she couldn’t have him, he needed to go. 

  She wiped a hand down her face and glanced back into the mirror assessing the damage her outburst caused. She started wiping off the messed-up liner before starting to reapply. Dean stood behind her, brows furrowed in confusion. 

    “Get out.” She said without hesitation, her voice as steady as possible.  

He opened his mouth as if to speak but shut it. He walked towards the door but stopped with his hand on the doorknob. 

   “For what it's worth, I am sorry.” 

The buzz of conversation filled the packed-out bar. Sam found them a small booth in the corner and was now talking about a new piece of lore he’d found about some Egyptian god. Most of the time, she loved hearing what he had to say but right now all she could focus on was Dean's hand trailing up and down the woman’s hip. He never even sat down with them, finding himself a spot at the bar, next to a pretty blonde. She’d watched for half an hour now as he grinned at the girl, whispered in her ear, and bought her a drink. 

  She wanted to puke or cry or both. She decided to get drunk instead. 

She went to take a sip of her beer only to realize it was empty. Motioning to Sam she was going to get another, she slid out of the booth and made her way to the opposite side of the bar from Dean. 

   She planned to order a shot of some vodka and another beer but she couldn’t catch the attention of either bartender.

  A body bumped up against hers causing her to stumble. A hand wrapped around her waist to catch her. She almost jerked away but she looked up to find a familiarly unfamiliar pair of dark green eyes and dark blonde hair.  

   The man was by far the prettiest she’d seen all night. 

 “I am so sorry, It's packed in here. Isn’t it?  Nowhere to stand.” He had a slight southern drawl and a boyish charm about him. 

 “It is. Can’t seem to even order a drink.”  She smiled at him.

 “You see, now that had to be fate or something because I was just wantin’ to buy you one.” He grinned and waited, almost seeing if she’d allow it. His hand was still on her but she found she didn’t really mind. 

 The room was fuzzy and she could only make out the man in front of her. Even then, he was a little hazy and she had no idea what he was saying, only that his mouth looked pretty as he said it.    

  Y/n didn’t know how long it’d been since the handsome stranger volunteered to feed into her night of drunkenness or even how many she’d had so far. She vaguely remembered him buying her the first shot and then the second and maybe a third. They made small talk, she gave some bullshit story about what she did for work and where she was from. Somewhere in between she had a fourth, fifth, and sixth one. 

 And somewhere between the seventh and now, she’d lost track of Dean. She didn’t even know if he was still there. She did know that the new guy made her feel ok, at least for now. His hands never left her and the drinks never seemed to end.

  She could barely remember the events of the day. Maybe by tomorrow, she wouldn’t remember any of it, or at least a girl could hope.

But right now, she didn’t feel like crying or throwing up as long as she didn’t think of it. 

   She decided in her drunken haze that maybe this was what she needed. So when the stranger asked her if she wanted to leave, she agreed. And when he leaned down to kiss her, she let him.

[mattypattypinky]

Dude the moment u said that u were able to write reqs for joy as well ?? I started ascending istg

May i req a crush hc for joy plsss 😔

I'm gonna assume this means crush hc's as in, what Joy would be like if she had a crush on someone, or if u would have a crush on her

So I'm going to write both

I got super excited by this ask teehee

Joy Crush Headcannons

(x reader)

If Joy had a crush on you

First off I feel like if she had a crush on you you'd know, or be able to slightly tell. I feel like she'd do this thing where she unintentionally picks favorites.

Or she just gets really giddy around you and excited to be talking or working with you, especially if the crush is a big crush.

I'm talking like, how excited she was to see Rainbow Unicorn excited.

I feel like mooost of the emotions would know.

She wants people to know, she wants to talk about it, but she doesn't want to outright do it herself. Like she'd suggest playing truth or dare in HQ just to rig it so that she can talk about crushes.

she asks other emotions if they have a crush if someone else picks truth and she deliberately picks truth to try and bait somebody to ask her about if she has one, but nobody does because they know she does already and they know who (its you)

She would write notes and sign them as a secret admirer but her handwriting is very recognizable and the way she writes the notes is also very clearly her

She kind of has a superiority complex on accident, she's fully convinced you're going to like her back - I mean who wouldn't she's JOY. - She kind of is just being all secretive for fun, because its silly and she is trying to draw it out.

She'd probably deny having a crush outright if accused, like "PSSSH whaat naah...",

if anyone guessed someone that isn't you she'd make a really grossed out face like how she does to rileys imaginary boyfriend or lance. She's really picky so like if anyone thought she liked someone other than you she'd be like... where did they get that why would i like (person)...

She'd make up excuses to do chores with you, she tries to arrange it so you go on dream duty with her and if anyone accuses her of something because of it she'd be like "Psssh but it's fun with a friend, besides four eyes see waaaay better than two."

She'd claim she needs help with a really easy task, and if another emotion offers she'd backtrack and say she doesn't need help (She's trying to get YOU to help her... Not anyone else)

She'd probably make you gifts and pretend it was just a 'thing she made for fun' and 'DECIDED' to give to you and then she doesn't make anybody else a gift. She'd feign it as a coincidence because she was making it for fun, not for you, she just HAPPENED to decide to give you the gift.

(It was for you)

Sadness definitely knows about the crush just saying, she's top bunk to Joy, Joy's probably talked to Sadness when she can't sleep. Like, PSST, Sadness, you awake? and she's like... I am now... And she starts talking about her crush in a whisper

This is part of why everyone already knows she has a crush on you. She's NOT quiet at ALL. She tries to be, but she isn't.

If the crush takes place during Inside Out 1, I feel like she'd purposefully not hog the panel from you.

She'd probably know a lot of things and ways to make you happy, just because she pays attention to stuff like that, and she would, especially to you.

I'm gonna be honest I feel like she'd also sleep talk about you. Like nothing is gonna let that woman keep her secret, not even her sleep.

She'd bundle up into her sheets and hug at her pillow, giggle in her sleep and mumble something random that's happening in her dream. You're probably on some date with her in it.

Actually she'd overcompensate soooooo much. Even if you said a joke that was GENUINELY not funny, she'd start laughing and keel over. Maybe she doesn't even like it herself she's just sucking up so hard.

She'd also try to impress you with knowledge she randomly knows about that she can't cite, but she knows it.

Love language is actually kiiind of patronizing, unintentionally. She'd pat your head, pinch your cheek, cup your face, etc. When talking to you.

I feel like if she ever confessed or if you found out she'd be a little afraid and not know what to do, since she didn't think it would get this far and she'd be afraid of commitment

If you had a crush on Joy

... She's oblivious first of all AHAHA

If you had a crush on her, she'd be super duper oblivious, even if YOU made it obvious. Infact it's surprising to the other emotions how much she doesn't notice.

Either that, or she noticed and doesn't comment because she doesn't know how to respond to it yet, but I heavily doubt that.

She thinks kind of self-centeredly, so she thinks since she's so obvious when she has a crush, everyone else will be super obvious. So when you're subtle, she has no idea.

... If someone told her you had a crush on her, she'd laugh and call them paranoid, or accuse them of making some silly theory. 'We're FRIEEENDS!' - Even though it is VERY VERY CLEAR you think otherwise.

If enough people told her they thought you might have a crush on her, I feel like she'd get a little suspicious, but even when she's tuned in she'd have trouble noticing the behaviorisms of you experiencing a crush.

If she suspects you like her, she'll probe and pry. She would do things to try to get you to spill the tea to her. She'd offer to go to chores with her to see how you react.

Eventually she'd probably make some sort of joke, like, 'See you're being so NORMAL, that's so funny because like, the other emotions thought you might have some CRUSH on me - isn't that hilarious???'

She'd do the same or similar things she does when she has a crush in attempt to get you to spill. She'd ask you to do things with her, she'd ask around to see if anyone has been told specifically by you, she'd try to convince you to play truth or dare with her, or some other game to get you to spill.

If you gave her ANYTHING, if she had a suspicion that you like her, she'd over analyze it. If you give her a note, she'll read it multiple times to see if theres any hint or clue. Implied subtext. If you give her a song, she'd over analyze the lyrics to see if it meant anything.

I feel like she'd pull the crush card alot if you're being weird she just starts going 'Ahaha, if I didn't know you well enough I'd suspect you have a crush on me!' (she's trying to pry it out of you)

I feel like she'd be too scared to just ask you herself as I like to think she's afraid of commitment. I feel like she'd enjoy drawing it out and if you actually confessed it would baffle her and I feel like she wouldn't quite know what to say.

another special thank u to my bf for helping me come up w these @fenny-self-ships <3333

[wheels-of-despair]

Can't Help Falling In Love Pairing: Michael (Hoard) x You Summary: You hit it off with someone else's date at a wedding. Contains: Instant attraction, horny thoughts, Elvis covers, ditched dates, and the beginning of a happily ever after. Words: 3.5k

Youths and ageless blogs, Do Not Interact. Writer WILL block you.

"Oh god, she's actually brought the bin man."

"Hm?" you hum, forcing your eyes to slide back into focus.

Charlie, your boyfriend of 3 months, has dragged you to a cousin's wedding. You're seated at a gaudy table in a venue that's probably bankrupted the bride's parents. You're bored, you're sick of smiling politely each time you're introduced to someone who won't even pretend they're attempting to learn your name, and you're seriously considering just walking out and catching a cab and blocking this guy's number. Why are you even here?

"My cousin Chloe," he says under his breath. "She's dating a dustbin man. Mum didn't think she'd be brave enough to actually bring him. But she's such a horrific bitch, perhaps the bin man is the only one who can stomach her. This should be fun. Hello, my darling cousin!" He stands and embraces her. Her date stands awkwardly at her side in an ill-fitting suit, looking almost as happy to be here as you are.

Polite introductions are made, and the couple joins you at your table.

"So Michael, what do you do for work?" Charlie asks. So much for subtlety. Chloe glares. Michael shifts uncomfortably.

"I'm a b--"

"He's a businessman," she cuts him off. Her date stares at the tacky centerpiece.

"Oh? What kind of business?" You wonder if your heel has the power to penetrate Charlie's fancy dress shoes and draw blood.

"Erm…" Michael bites his lip.

"Finance," she answers for him, giving her cousin a chilling glare before turning her icy eyes to you. "And you, dearie? What sort of business are you in?"

You hate these fucking people.

Before you can answer, someone makes a noisy entrance that draws everyone's attention.

"Oh, Aunt Margie's here, let's go say hi!" Chloe exclaims. She and Charlie get up and scurry away toward an old lady, leaving you and Michael at the table alone. After an awkward smile and a moment of silence, you have to break it.

"Been together long?" you ask.

"A few months," he mutters. "You?"

"Same," you answer.

Silence.

"Glad we weren't the last to arrive," Michael says. Good, he's feeling this silence too.

"I was worried about us being late too," you smile. "What's your excuse?"

"She couldn't decide which shoes to wear."

"That's probably a more socially acceptable reason than mine," you laugh. "Couldn't get my door to close."

Michael's brow furrows.

"It sticks sometimes, but today, it just would not close," you explain. "Charlie yanked and yanked and finally got it to shut. If I can't get back in, I'm gonna kick his ass."

"He hasn't tried to fix it for you?"

"Does he look like the rugged handy-man type to you?"

You and Michael both look toward your dates, who are giggling in a crowd of their finely dressed relatives in an attempt to secure their surely sizeable inheritance, then back to each other to share a smirk. He belongs here about as much as you do.

"Any idea what's causing it?" he asks.

"No," you answer. "I keep meaning to look closer, but every time I'm headed out, I'm usually in a hurry. And it works fine when I come home, so I say I'll do it tomorrow… and then forget about it until it sticks again."

"A vicious cycle," he smiles, warm and teasing. You laugh, feeling more relaxed now than you have all night. "I'd start by making sure the hinges and the strike plate are tight. Do you have a screwdriver?"

"The fuck do you know about home repair?" Chloe spits from behind him. The smile on his face fades, and his eyes drift down to the table. It's like she pressed a button and shut him down.

The cousins sit back down and talk loudly about their crazy aunt, but their words don't register. You can't take your eyes off of Michael. The look on his face makes your heart ache. How do you fix it?

"That's a really good idea, about the hinges and the strike plate," you tell him quietly. He looks up at you slowly, caution shining in his big brown eyes. "I'll check those out as soon as I get home. Thank you."

He gives you a tiny smile. You want to crush him in a hug.

Wait, what?

"What are you talking about?" Charlie asks.

"My door," you answer shortly, finally breaking eye contact with Michael to survey the room full of people you don't know.

"And Michael the businessman knows how to fix it?" Charlie asks smugly. Michael's face flushes red, his eyes downcast once again. Chloe glares at her cousin.

"He had a helpful suggestion, which is more than I can say for Mr. I Don't Know, Call A Professional," you quip.

That shuts him up.

"Would every one take their seats, please, so the ceremony can begin!" someone yells from the other side of the room.

Everyone returns to their seats and quiets down, and the ceremony begins. A song plays on an organ, a bride is walked down an aisle in the distance, old ladies dab at their eyes… probably. Your attention is on the bead of sweat rolling down Michael's thick neck.

What if you just leaned over and licked it away?

He looks over at you, as if he knows what you're thinking, and smiles. Now it's your turn to blush. You force your eyes in whatever direction you imagine the vows are being exchanged and hope he hasn't actually read your mind. What the fuck is wrong with you?

When the ceremony is over, everyone stands as the bride and groom leave the room together. Sweat still drips down Michael's neck. The collar of that stiff suit must be drenched.

"Charlie! Chloe!" someone shouts from across the room, snapping you out of it.

The cousins get up without a word, leaving you alone with Michael again. Normally you'd be offended by their rudeness, but right now, you don't mind at all.

"I'm sorry about him," you say quietly. "And her too, now that I think about it."

"S'alright," he mumbles.

"It's not," you argue. "They're both being dicks. And to the only person I even like at this stupid thing."

He smiles, showing off his dimples. Adorable.

"Fuck, it's hot in here," he complains, pulling at his collar.

"Want to go outside for a bit?" you ask.

He looks toward the cousins, who are laughing with a crowd of people you have no interest in meeting.

"I think they've already forgotten we're here," you laugh.

"Let's go, then," he grins.

You grab your purse and follow him out of the crowded building, staying close as you dart past all the mingling friends and relatives, until you reach a shady spot on the backside of the building.

"Thought I was going to die in there," he pants, fighting with his tie. "How do you get this stupid thing…"

"May I?" you ask. He nods. You step closer and begin untying his tie. You can feel the heat radiating off of him. He's pulled it tight, making it harder to get undone, but you don't mind taking your time. "There we go," you say softly, letting it hang loose. He reaches for the top button and struggles in his hurry to get it open. Your hands rise to his collar once more, moving his fumbling fingers aside and quickly unbuttoning several buttons to reveal a simple chain necklace and a smattering of freckles. He gasps for air dramatically.

"Better?" you ask, reluctantly dropping your hands back to your sides.

"My hero," he grins, glistening in the light of the setting sun.

God, what is this fucker doing to you?

The band starts warming up inside, and you both instinctively glance in the direction you came from.

"Should we go back?" he asks, suddenly nervous. "She's going to kill me for soaking this suit."

"What if we don't?" you ask.

His eyes flick to yours, and your heart stops. Why did you say that? He's literally on a date with with someone else! So are you!

"What if we don't?" he repeats slowly.

You stare at each other. Those big brown eyes have a hold on you. You feel like you're falling into them. Like Alice down the rabbit-hole. The smell of him swirls through your brain like a fog; he's sweaty, but not in an unpleasant way. It mixes with whatever cheap cologne he's splashed on to make something unmistakably male. It's intoxicating. You don't realize you're actually moving closer together until your lips meet his. They're so soft. They work with yours, not against them, in a dance that weakens your knees and makes your heart flutter.

A shrill laugh nearby brings you back to reality. You're suddenly aware that you're pressed together, arms wrapped around each other. You take a step back and glance around nervously, wondering if you were seen. You can hear other people talking around the corner, and smell the pungent flowers growing on the walkway nearby. The band is playing something vaguely familiar. You listen closer, and recognition dawns on both of your faces at the same time: "Can't Help Falling In Love" by Elvis Presley.

Without a word, Michael reaches for your hand. You slowly take it, and place your other hand on his shoulder; his comes to rest in the small of your back. You begin to sway with the song, just the tiniest bit, never taking your eyes off of his. It feels like you're moving in slow motion. There's something about the intensity of his gaze that makes you forget everything else. There is only Michael.

And his rock-hard erection that you just brushed against.

"Fuck," he groans and backs away, "I'm sorry."

Your eyes glance downward to the python he's trying to conceal, then back to his eyes.

"You want to get out of here?" you ask.

He stares at you for a few seconds, eyes wide and fearful. Did you blow it? Of course you blew it, you both came here with other people. They may be dicks, and you've been thinking about breaking up with him for weeks anyway, but…

"You're serious?"

Fuck it. You nod. So does he. And then you both laugh at the absurdity of the situation.

"I, er… I rode here with her," he mumbles, chewing on his lip.

A wicked thought occurs to you, and you dig in your purse and pull out a valet ticket.

"Guess who shoved his valet ticket in my face while he was ogling a pretty blonde he's probably related to?"

"He did not," Michael says, taking offense on your behalf.

"It's alright," you smile. "It all worked out in the end."

Michael grins.

"Come on," you laugh, reaching for his hand. You take the long way around and eventually find the valet lot. You hand over your ticket and wait for your ex-boyfriend's car to arrive.

"Woah," Michael says when the ugly sports car comes into view.

"Daaaddy bought it for him," you roll your eyes. "Wanna drive?"

"What?" His eyes dart from the approaching car to you. "Really?"

You shrug.

"You serious?" he asks.

"I mean, you can drive, right? You've got a license?"

"Yeah?"

"Then what's the problem? Scared to defile two of Charlie's possessions in the same night?"

He seems stunned for a moment, then a grin grows on his pretty face as the car comes to a stop.

"No problem at all, miss," he smiles, darting forward to open the passenger door for you. You sink down into the seat, he gently closes the door. He thanks the valet and hands the man a few bills. You fasten your seatbelt to keep yourself from slipping and sliding all over the leather seat.

He gets in and looks around, trying to get his bearings in the strange little vehicle. He inspects the gear shift and locates the turn signals, then pets the steering wheel and looks at you with a child-like grin on his face. You lean back against the headrest and sigh fondly, never wanting to take your eyes off of him. He's adorable.

"Where to?" he asks, straightening and suddenly serious.

You point him in the direction of home, and he takes off. He's a little awkward at first, but he gets the hang of the car in no time. He even grows confident enough to drive with one hand, and rests the other on your leg. The feeing of his rough, calloused hand on your smooth thigh nearly drives you mad. The ride takes entirely too long, and you admire your self-restraint for not telling him to pull over and take you on the hood of this tiny, stupid car.

After what feels like an eternity, he finally parks near your building. He turns off the engine, takes a deep breath, and looks at you with uncertainty.

"You still want to do this?" you ask quietly, praying that he says yes.

"You have no fucking idea."

"Let's go, gorgeous," you order.

He leaps out of the car and rushes around to open your door for you. He helps you out and follows you into your building. You make it up the steps and fumble with your keys, cursing your stupid door that won't open. You're about to offer to let him take you in the hallway when he gently moves you aside, applies pressure on the knob with his hands, and pushes with his shoulder. The door pops open.

As soon as you step inside, his mouth is on yours. You drop your purse and kick the door shut, and he pushes you up against it. You moan into his mouth. You can't remember the last time you wanted anyone this bad. And that includes the entirety of the relationship you've just abandoned.

There's no time to walk all the way to the bed. Hell, there's no time to shuffle to the couch. He takes you against the door the first time, your dress rucked up and his pants unzipped. He ruts into you with such force, you wonder if it's going to break the door in half. And then he reaches a spot inside of you that you didn't know existed, and you stop caring about anything but him.

You lose the rest of your clothes and make it to the couch for round two.

You don't make it to the bed until round three.

That's when it happens.

You'd happily stare into those beautiful brown eyes all night long, but he hits a rhythm that has you both squeezing your eyes shut in concentration. All you can do is grip whatever's in reach and hold on tight as you feel your release build… and build… and build…

And then a blinding flash of pleasure washes over you. You've never felt anything like it before. Is this what writers mean when they say someone saw stars? Michael keeps pumping in and out of you, and the feeling doesn't stop. An ungodly noise rises in your throat, and he buries his face in your neck and comes with a grunt and one final thrust, his deepest yet.

Your ecstasy fades slowly. You can't move. You can't focus on anything but the way he makes you feel. You lie there, panting and sticking together for several minutes, until he finally raises his head to look at you. You both laugh when you make eye contact.

"You alright?" he asks.

"Yeah," you breathe, feeling weak and a little confused.

"Never had that happen before."

"Never had what happen before?" you ask.

"Made a girl squirt."

It hits you like a ton of bricks. You raise your head and see that you are indeed lying in a wet spot on the sheets.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" you laugh as your head hits the pillow.

"I mean, I've tried, but…" he shrugs, looking embarrassed.

You reach a hand into his sweaty curls and pull him in for a kiss. He looks happy, but confused when he pulls away.

"I've never had a guy do that to me before, either."

"Seriously?" His eyes are ablaze.

"Yeah," you laugh.

"That was a first for both of us?"

You nod, basking in the excitement on his face that you helped create. He leans back down for another kiss, which you enthusiastically return. When he pulls back, you can't help but feel disappointed. You cup the side of his face and stroke his cheek with your thumb, not ready to be apart just yet. He closes his eyes and leans into your touch. Will you ever be able to get enough of him?

"Wanna try for a second?" you ask.

"Oh fuck," he moans, coming back down to continue your kiss, already getting hard again.

While you're recovering from another blissfully successful round, someone starts banging on your door.

At 2:37 am.

"Oh, for fuck's sake," you gripe, rolling out of bed and throwing on the first clothes you can get your hands on. Michael looks terrified. "Don't you worry your pretty little head about him," you tease, leaning over to kiss his forehead. "I'll be right back.

You leave Michael in bed and stomp to the door. You know exactly who it is. "What?" you snap through the door, reaching up quietly to engage the chain lock. Just in case he's grown a pair in the last few hours.

"You fuckin' left me, that's what!" Charlie roars.

"And it only took you all night to notice!" you chirp sarcastically.

"Is the fucking bin man in there with you?"

"Don't worry about it."

"I fucking knew it! You nasty whores deserve each other!"

"You kiss your boss's ass with that mouth?"

"Open the door."

"It's stuck."

He groans loudly and kicks it.

"Yeah, that'll help," you deadpan. "What do you want?"

"I want my shit, you crazy bitch! We're done!"

"Ask me nicely."

"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?"

You laugh and leave him to his tantrum as you fetch a paper grocery bag and begin shoving his stuff inside: body wash, deodorant, razor, a few articles of clothing and a shirt that you'd definitely used to sop up some of the fluids you and Michael had leaked onto the mattress.

Michael sits on the bed with the sheet wrapped around his waist, looking fearful. You give him a wink before you leave the room. You pick up some of the clothes you'd scattered across the living room floor, looking for the car keys, and finally locate them underneath Michael's pants. You toss the keys in the bag, fold the top down, and grip the knob. You open the door just enough to slide the bag through.

"There's your shit. Don't come back."

And then you shut the door in his stunned face, lock it, and return to bed.

Michael still looks nervous. You crawl into his lap and kiss the tip of his nose.

"Don't worry about him," you smile, "he's a spoiled brat who throws tantrums whenever he doesn't get his way, but he's harmless. Rich kids can't fight for shit. You, though? I bet you could scrap with the best of 'em."

Michael bites his lip and stares off to the side. You cup his face and stroke his cheeks, wishing he'd tell you what's bothering him.

"You know I'm not really a businessman, right? I'm just a bin man."

You laugh and capture his lips in a kiss, remembering to mumble an "I know, baby," at some point, which makes his whole body relax. You fall back onto the bed together, limbs tangled and mouths hungry.

You ride him 'til dawn.

The pair of you finally begin to wind down as the sun starts to rise. You lie facing each other, satisfied and sticky and too tired to do anything about it. You wish you could stare into those beautiful eyes forever, but sleep is calling you.

"If you want to clear out before I wake up, it's alright. I'll understand," you say softly. Inside, you're screaming and begging him to stay. But what if he doesn't feel the same?

He thinks about it for a minute, biting his bottom lip. "Would it be alright if I stayed?" he asks, almost like he's afraid of the answer. The feeling of relief that floods through you is so intense, you wonder if you're going to pass out. "I can fix your door in the morning," he adds quickly, like he needs a reason to stay.

"You don't have to do that," you smile. Worry clouds his face. "But if you really wanted to, I'm sure I could find some way to repay you," you smirk. His eyes widen. "Would it be alright if I made you breakfast?"

Now it's his turn to be relieved. He smiles and throws an arm over you to pull you closer.

"Would it be alright if I never, ever left?" he mumbles into your hair.

"Yeah," you sigh, getting comfortable in his embrace. "That'd be alright."

[the-insomniac-emporium]

random RL headcanons: game night edition

Mia is weirdly and inexplicably good at charades/any similar games. just anything to do with abstract communication. Poetry With Neanderthals is a personal favorite of hers.

(silly OC addition: Mia and Caldwell have a game they created for parties that's essentially just an alternate version of charades. Caldwell, who is cursed and cannot speak coherently, draws a prompt from a hat, and has to try to explain it. the audience is split into teams and attempts to guess the prompt. Mia, who is an expert at interpreting Caldwell's speech, is usually barred from playing (the exception being themed rounds where the theme is outside her specialties) and acts as a judge/curates the prompt list)

Angie is both very, very good and very, very bad at Monopoly Cheater's Edition. seems to get better the more she's had to drink, of course. gets caught cheating 90% of the time, but usually manages to pull off something insane near the end of the game.

Bela is surprisingly killer at games like Cards Against Humanity. nobody ever expects her to play the cards she does, no matter how many times they've played with her. equally an expert at games where having a good memory comes in handy.

Cassandra excels at games of deception, trickery, and mindfucks. playing a game like Werewolf with her is honestly insane. will attempt to "seduce" (i.e. distract) players she thinks are close to figuring her out. she's also decent at trivia games, but likes to narrow down the categories if the other players are cool with that.

Dani mostly likes chill, shorter games (the kind where you can play multiple rounds in one sitting), especially card games. I can see her enjoying Here To Slay, Muffin Time, and Happy Little Dinosaurs. on a semi-related note I think she low-key went through a magic trick/sleight of hand phase, but these days she doesn't usually do tricks unless she's had a couple drinks and someone brings it up.

Miranda prefers 1v1 games... on the rare occasion where someone (*cough* MC *cough*) convinces her to play. she's decent at actual chess, but is prone to starting out overconfident, only to end up getting flustered towards the end because she overthinks her moves. do not play checkers with her. she will win. you will lose. you will lose by an embarrassingly large margin.

Alcina is only slightly more interested in games than Miranda, and usually uses them as an excuse to socialize. likes big group games where there are opportunities to chat with other players while someone else makes their turn. probably plays the kinds of games that I've seen on TV a lot (classics like Mahjong) but don't personally have enough experience to talk about.

Donna kicks ass at pool, but almost never plays. you (and Angie) would have to talk her into it. totally worth it tho, because she'll have a lot of fun, especially if you're on her team and let her "show you the ropes". if you catch my drift ;) aka that thing where she'll lean a lot of her body against you, her arms alongside yours, helping move you into position. that thing tv shows/movies do to increase sexual tension between two characters.

Mia is also unfairly good at darts. it's honestly really attractive.

[mayajadewrites]

lucky

roomates to lovers–friends to lovers suguru geto x fem reader

synopsis: Suguru Geto is your best friend and roommate. After a year of living together, there have been more than one opportunity to throw away your friendship. The question is, would you get lucky as fall in love for the rest of your days?

ao3

CHAPTER TWO

🎧🌙🧺📖🕯️🧸🤍

"Satoru, could you please be serious for a moment?" You stood on a step-ladder, hanging up black streamers from the doorway.

Satoru turned to you with his round glasses on and a party hat, blowing a party whistle. "Nooooo." He draws out the 'o'.

"Suguru will be back in a half hour. I sent him to the bookstore to find me a book that doesn't exist." You sigh, putting the finishing touches on the streamers.

"Wouldn't he just Google it?" Nanami said from the kitchen. He was setting up the cake and cupcakes, making sure everything looks good.

"No, because he trusts me." You smirk as you took a step back and observed the room. There were 'Happy Birthday' balloons and a few gifts on the coffee table. You lit his favorite marshmallow candle and put on a party hat.

You hand one to Nanami, Shoko, and Haibara. You had a few minutes before Suguru would be back.

"So, you guys are just roommates?" Satoru raised an eyebrow.

"...Yes? Why are you asking this?" You turn your head to Satoru, who was sitting on the couch with his arms across the back of the couch and his legs spread.

"You're a woman, a hot woman at that, and you live with Suguru, who is a handsome ass man. You sure you haven't fucked?" His glasses went to the bridge of his nose.

"I think I would remember if that happened."

"Well, we all have bets for when you guys will have sex." Gojo shrugged.

"Excuse me?!" You looked at the rest of the group.

"Don't take it personal." Shoko waved her hand. "We're just having a little fun."

"Haibara?!" You turn to him next, watching his large eyes blink.

"Satoru said the prize would be huge, so I had to!"

"Even YOU Nanami?"

"No. Not me." Nanami crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't participate in Satoru's games. Especially when it comes to peoples LIVES."

You heard footsteps outside of your apartment, along with with the clinking of keys.

Then you heard a laugh.

It wasn't Suguru's laugh.

The door opened and there was Suguru, with the girl from the bookstore.

"Surprise!!!" Everyone else cheered, while your mouth hung open. Hopefully he didn't notice.

This wasn't part of the plan.

Anxiety hit you like a cement block in your abdomen. Suguru's eyes wandered to yours. You looked away immediately.

"Happy birthday!" Satoru hugged Suguru, putting a party hat on his head. "You old ass man."

"Thank you guys, I wasn't expecting this." He moved the hat to the side, looking at the girl from the bookstore. "Oh, this is Mikayla. She was helping me find your book, well, now I know that the book doesn't exist."

"Hi everyone!" Mikayla had long, brunette hair, voluminous as if she had loads of extensions in her hair. She had brown eyes to match, doe-eyed. Her skin was a shade of caramel and her frame was petite.

You nod, walking to the kitchen to grab a water. "Welcome." You say flatly, taking a sip.

"Well let's get this party started!!" Satoru turned on the music, dancing in the middle of your living room, dragging Haibara in his dance circle.

Nanami saw you standing by yourself, knowing you were all in your head. "Hey," He leaned back on the counter, crossing his arms. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Kento." You have your eyes glued on Suguru, who is deep in a conversation with Mikayla and Shoko.

"I know I'm friends with Satoru, but I'm not actually stupid."

"Hm?" You turn to look at Nanami, his eyes peering through his green glasses.

"I can tell you're hurt by what Suguru is doing. But don't be stupid."

"What do you mean?"

"Suguru isn't a mind reader. If you like him, you need to tell him. If you don't want to, then you're going to have to get over this. He is a man, with needs, so obviously he's going to bring women home."

"I don't like him like that." You dismiss the idea. "I just, didn't know we would have an extra guest is all."

"Mm." Nanami nodded, watching Suguru and Mikayla. "Well, I'm here if you need me." Nanami put his hand on your shoulder, giving you a warm smile.

Nanami is right. You have to get over him bringing women home. You know you can bring men home, but you're not the easiest to date, or so you've heard. You're headstrong and refuse to accept the bare minimum from any man, which results in 0 dates.

"Psst." Shoko interrupted your thoughts. "You dating anyone?"

"Not at the moment." You take the last sip of your water.

"Good. I have someone I want to set you up with," Shoko smiled, digging through her purse for a cigarette. "His name is Choso. He's really sweet, and I feel like he'll respect your whole 'strong woman' thing you got going on." She scanned your body up and down. "And that ass helps."

You have no reason to say no, even to a blind date right now.

"Tell me when and where, and I'll be there." You nod, taking a deep breath before looking up into the living room, where Suguru was already staring at you.

"Sweet, I'll text you the details!" Shoko finds her lighter in her purse and walks out to the patio to smoke.

"Can you please think about quitting someday?" You beg.

"Maybe." She shrugged, sliding the door closed behind her.

"I don't think we met, my name is Mikayla." The brunette made her way over to you, holding out her hand.

"You've seen me. Plenty of times." You look at her blankly. "I'm in the bookstore you work at every other day, and you've said maybe a whole sentence to me."

Satoru couldn't help but snicker watching the interaction.

"Maybe if you bothered to, I don't know, be a nice person, you would've known me by now." You tell her your name, shaking her hand. "Nice to... meet you." You look at her, watching her eyebrow raise.

"I'm sorry, that doesn't sound like me." She pulls her hand away, smiling.

"I think I would know since there's only 3 people that work there, and 2 of them are men."

"Okay, okay." Suguru walked up to the both of you, putting a hand on each of your shoulders. "Mikayla, this is my best friend and roommate." His head leaned to your side.

"Happy birthday." Your tone was monotone as you looked at Suguru. You wanted to sulk in your feelings, that you shouldn't even have, so you grab a bottle of champagne from the counter.

"Hey," Nanami helps you open the bottle. "Don't do anything stupid, ok?"

"Kento, I got this." You nod, pouring the liquid into your glass. You peer through the glass and watch Mikayla shameless flirt with Suguru, but he doesn't seem too interested. Then again, he doesn't seem too interested in anything these days.

Shoko finally came back inside with a huge smile on her face. "Guess what! Choso wants to go out tomorrow night. He said he'll make the reservation for a Mexican restaurant since I told him you love Mexican food."

"Thanks, Shoko." You smile, sipping your cup.

"You have a date?" Suguru entered the conversation.

"Yep, she does. I set her up with this guy from my job. Choso Kamo. He's super sweet, and I think she needs some sweetness in her life."

"I do have a sweet tooth." You raised your eyebrows, giggling.

"Where?" Suguru persisted.

"God, I don't know the name of the restaurant, I'm sure she'll tell you tomorrow." Shoko looked at Suguru up and down. "Is that okay, dad?"

Suguru ignored the 'dad' comment and turned his attention back to you. "Since when do you go on blind dates?"

"Since when do you bring women from the bookstore home? The answer is the same." You chugged the rest of your drink. "I need to have some fun, I haven't gotten laid in a hot minute."

That sentence stung Suguru in the same way seeing him with Mikayla stung you.

But you don't like Suguru like that.

You don't love Suguru like that.

Right?

[ithseem]

Drawing Henna Tattoos On the Consorts' Hands (Royals and Headmaster edition)

"Why are you writing this?" Because no one else will. And because it's fucking fun

Saligia is full of wack flora and fauna, and since you've finally found something resembling a henna plant that can actually leave a stain and doesn't make you hallucinate or some other odd shit, you decided to crush some of the leaves up and make a batch. There was an upcoming festival in a few days, so this is a good opportunity to put those skills to use

Warnings: none

Sherry

What a fascinating and beautiful custom! She'd love if you'd draw one for her. And since there's an upcoming festival, she'd love to wear a design made by you

She made sure her hands were extra clean and hydrated. Her excitement was that palpable.

You saw the look of sheer curiosity and fascination on her face as you drew your design in your peripheral vision, and you couldn't help but smile.

She couldn't help it. You looked so cute while you're so focused.

Several hours later, she was looking at the stain pattern at nigh every angle, really taking in the beauty of your work.

And since the paste has been cleaned off the hand, she can now hug you.

Lance

You're gonna need to do a lot of puppy-eyeing before he'd cave and let you draw something.

There was an upcoming festival, so why not?

He can sit down for an hour for you to do your work.

He can't say he doesn't like the sight of you so focused.

I hope you're prepared for him to tease you when you lift the tube from his hand.

Let's be real, he just wants an excuse to spend as much time with you as possible. And he would not be upset at all if you flirted back.

Several hours later: "Not a bad design at all"

The design:

Dia

He has to admit, this is a fascinating custom, and he would not object to letting you do a design for him.

His hands and forearms are clean and hydrated, and he is ready for you to work your magic.

Dia will definitely tease you once you lift the tube of henna from his hand. What can he say? He finds your expression changing from focused to flustered is cute.

And if you flirt back? He would be so happy.

And this is an excuse to spend time with you, so this is an absolute win on his part, and yours.

He must admit: he likes the design

Aquia

It's no secret that this boy loves his plants, and using crushed leaves to make tattoo designs is an idea he can get behind.

And since he also enjoys art, he'd be more than happy to see you make something with a medium he likely never used before.

After he finished washing his hands and moisturizing them, you got to work on the design.

You did catch a couple glances of his eyes sparkling with awe and wonder at your skills. He finds you and your work that captivating.

If tease him once you finish your work, he'll get a bit flustered before he regains his composure and flirts back.

Fast forward several hours and the stain looks like this:

Lou

A temporary tattoo with crushed leaves? Count him in.

Phinny and Nix correctly assessed that skin has to be clean and hydrated before you can draw with the henna.

Wearing your artistry to the festival is a great honour to him.

He wore some of his old clothes instead of his robes so the henna doesn't stain them.

He couldn't help but smile as he watched you draw on his hand

Several hours later the henna(?) dried and the stain pattern made him smile

"This is gorgeous, thank you"

[hello-there-world]

dunno if that ask i was writing got sent or not, but here we go again:

since you like my Fnaf Rewrite, here are some Fun Facts about the Aftons and Emilys!

to start, the Afton Family:

so, i've heard the debate. "was William a good dad or did he fucking suck?" well...i've come up with a middle ground that i haven't seen people explore: William Does Genuinely Care For His Kids...But In An Unhealthy And Abusive Way.

like, i explain it one of two ways: imagine Mother Gothel from Tangled, but tone her down several notches, and if she had "good" intentions with protecting Rapunzel (of course, we've all heard the saying: The Road To Hell Is Paved With Good Intentions). the other way i'd explain it is by saying William Is A Toxic And Abusive Helicopter Parent.

he doesn't hit his kids. he doesn't yell at them. it's more emotional abuse and manipulation. like, most examples of emotional abuse with parents that i've found when looking it up have things like yelling and ignoring the kid, but uh. I Think Convincing (or trying to convince) Your Kid That Disobeying Your Orders Will Have Severe Negative Consequences, Such As An Injury Or Dying, As Well As Being Condescending About Your Children's Negative Emotions About All Of This ("you'll understand/thank me when you're older", for example), Still Counts!

William has five children! Alexander (who is "foxybro," so to speak), Michael, Evan (middle child, not the Crying Child), Elizabeth, and Cassidy (Crying Child).

Mrs. Afton (Claire) died over a day after giving birth to Cassidy :(

William is terrified of losing his children, which is why he's Like That (not an excuse, obviously).

why isn't Michael foxybro? listen, i want happy Mike and CC interactions...which is difficult to do with canon.

Michael and Cassidy have the unfortunate combination of anxiety and autism, which. Isn't Great To Have In This Household.

the Fredbear Plush was a gift from Charlie :] technically from Henry, but Charlie’s the one who gave it to Cass :]

Not A Single Person In This Family Is Neurotypical

Alex is actually the Fnaf 1-2 phone guy!

while Cassidy is a pretty quiet and anxious kid, That Doesn't Mean He Doesn't Have Some Bottled Up Anger. That Kid Is RESENTFUL.

Michael, Charlie, and Sammy were born a few months apart.

Alex doesn't really hate Cassidy, but, in his mind, Cassidy’s birth was what caused their mother's death, so in a sense, he thinks that everything that's happened is Cassidy’s fault to an extent. the problem is that his siblings heavily disagree with this and it doesn't help their dislike of him (because he's a jerk).

Mike is trans!!

Elizabeth is the only child who isn't (outwardly) traumatized. that isn't to say that the abuse hasn't screwed her up...it just means that no one's noticed that she's screwed up too, yet.

William has some bunny features!! his hair has some strands on top that look like bunny ears and bunny teeth (which Are a thing people can have. i'm just not able to draw them too accurately, so they look like Actual rabbit teeth). the only two kids that inherited those traits were Mike and Liz.

William would get very pissed if you so much as Imply he's hurting his kids with what he's doing. in his eyes, he's only doing what he's doing out of love, so could it really be that bad? (it is. it Very Much is)

and now, The Emily Family!

Henry’s a good dad in the Rewrite. both to contrast William and Because I Want To.

Henry’s ex-wife, Annabeth, and him got divorced because she discovered that she was a lesbian, and Henry didn't want her to stay in a relationship where she wasn't Happy. this isn't to say that don't care for each other, they just don't really love each other Romantically.

Charlie and Sammy are biracial!! Henry is white and Anna is black :]

y'know Charlie’s toy rabbit in the books, Theodore? fun fact! in the Rewrite, he was a toy shared by her and Sammy! (although Sammy was the one who played with him the most) he was actually the improved version of one of Henry’s own childhood toys: he actually calls it "Theodore 2.0"

both of the kids take after Henry's personality in some way: Charlie has Henry’s general temperament (calm and mature usually, but if they're Really pissed/stressed, You Will Know), whereas Sammy is socially awkward and quiet, typically preferring to keep to himself and work on his projects. both of them share Henry’s interest in robotics, though.

Charlie and Sammy dealt with...a Slight bullying problem, but were both generally well-liked. (< foreshadowing)

while Charlie is more associated with greens (especially bright green), stars, and stripes, Sammy is more associated with oranges and browns, fire/burning/the sun, and plaid.

Charlie is older than Sammy by seven minutes.

and two extra things!

1) the Emily and Afton kids viewed each other as siblings, pretty much.

2) there are only two murders William has any sort of real regret for (even if it isn't much): Charlie's and Cassidy’s :)

Oh! This is so cool! I think the way you're doing William is great, too, especially since there is this weird middle ground in some stuff of "William does seem to have genuine care for his kids, but also, who would send their kid to a place like Sister Location knowing it might kill them?"

Love the stuff with the relationship between the Afton and Emily families a lot, too!

[pillowspace]

I want to draw the door people as the subway masters from pokemon but since you don't have any idea on who these guys are I've decided to phrase it in dca terms

who would be more like Sun HW2 and who would be more like. erm. I guess Moon. SB ? Ingo is hard to describ.e in DCA terms. he's """calm"""" but in terms of his facial expression and I think body language meanwhile his voice is LOUD and he gets happier over more things than Emmet (HW2 Sun personality) does

sorry for throwing so many different fandom words at you I was just trying to explain how the train guys work via our one method of communication

I can't believe after all this time, I see the acronym HW2 and still say homeworld 2

This is actually really difficult because Michael and Helen are very similar in a lot of ways, plus it's harder for me to differentiate the two considering I am yet to meet Helen Distortion in my relisten of TMA. So it has been awhile since I last properly saw Helen

I keep wanting to go "Michael's colours are better for Sun, and Helen's fanon colours are better for Moon" then reminding myself that that's entirely irrelevent, this is about your subway guys. Uhhhhh. UHHHHHHHHH

Helen expresses more happiness than Michael... but Michael also laughs a lot-- I'm going to blow up

Michael and Helen are hard to describe in MICHAEL AND HELEN terms

I'm sorry, this is so hard to answer. I keep finding reasons why Helen would be better for Ingo, then finding reasons why Helen would be better for Emmet. I don't know your blorbos well enough for this. So here's some help if you still want to choose:

- Helen generally expresses happiness over things more frequently than Michael would. She's often having a lot of fun and taking enjoyment from things

- Michael is probably louder than Helen if my memory serves me right, he laughs a lot

- Michael is more aggressive than Helen. Her whole deal is being symbolic of a fake friend, so she doesn't get much out of... stabbing... her friends

- I'm very hesitant to say this because I haven't seen Helen in awhile, but I think she's more... judgemental than Michael? I need to relisten to my wife. Again, symbolic of a fake friend, she's... unfriendly-friendly

Excuse me if that's unhelpful :sob: if I stopped thinking about your subway blorbos and had to choose someone for HW2 Sun specifically, I think I'd choose Helen, and give Michael to SB Moon. I've compared Michael to SB Moon in the past

[matcha-kisses]

IV

wordcount: 2.1k+

≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

"Bai, your grandfather is looking for you. I can take you to him." Leang offered , interrupting Zuko and Bai from their conversation.

Bai looked up and noticed how the sky was turning orange and pink. Zuko and Bai spent most of the afternoon in the royal courtyard. Bai told Zuko how she thought the courtyard looked so pretty the night of Azula's party. So, he decided  to give her a closer look. Yes, he may have been trying to impress her, but what was he suppose to do? Their afternoon with filled with such fun activities like playing games, asking questions about each other, and feeding the turtle ducks. That was actually Bai's favorite part; they're so cute! So, it made her disappointed knowing her day with Zuko had come to an end. She knows she spent all day with Zuko, but it still didn't feel enough. She wishes she could've spent a little bit more time. But there's always tomorrow, right?

"Oh, okay." Bai pouted.

Zuko couldn't help but to have the same pout Bai did. He wishes she didn't have to leave. He loved having her around.

Bai rose to her feet and walked to Leang. But before she made it, she felt a certain young prince grab her sleeve.

"Bai!"

"Yes, prince Zuko?"

"Um... I will see you tomorrow. And... I had fun today."

Bai felt her heart swell and her tummy do a round of flips. It made her happy knowing that the feeling was mutual.

"As did I, prince Zuko." Bai said, bowing.

Bai felt Leang's hand softly grabbing her own. She knew it was time for her to leave. Besides, Papa was waiting for her. Bai waved one more goodbye to the prince before she was completely out of Zuko's sight.

As Leang and Bai walked to the front of the palace, Bai couldn't help but to smile. She had a wonderful time with Zuko. She thought about how sweet and understanding he was to her. Even if she would say something boring, he'd act like it was the most interesting thing he's ever listened to; He was totally focused in on everything she was saying.

≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

"So, you've never traveled outside of the kingdom before?" Zuko asked.

The truth was Bai's family couldn't because Ming didn't feel safe leaving her home unless it was absolutely necessary. Both Yao and Ming feared that people would gaze upon Ming and know she is of Water Tribe decent. The Fire Nation heard the rumors of a waterbender escaping prison easily, and the couple didn't want to draw any unwanted attention. It would be awful for Ming and Yao if they knew the truth.

But of course, Bai makes up a random excuse. She couldn't tell Zuko this. Although, she believes she could. She knows he'd keep a secret; he says he's very good. But she didn't want to even go down that path.

"Nope! My Papa is very dedicated to work, and it's hard to travel with my Gramma."

"Oh... I'm sorry about that."

"It's okay," Bai cheered. "I like it here!"

"Well, maybe... nevermind."

"What?"

"No, it's stupid." Zuko said. How could he even mention it to Bai!

"No! Tell me."

"Well," Zuko started nervously. "Maybe one day we could go to Ember Island. It's a really fun place! My family used to go all the time!"

Bai couldn't believe what she was hearing. Zuko wanted to go somewhere special with her?"

"Really? You mean that?"

"Of course I do." Zuko said, smiling brightly.

≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

"There's my happy girl!" Yao bellowed.

Bai snapped out of her thoughts and saw her Papa. She hopes he doesn't ask as to why she was smiling.

"Papa!" Bai cheered- running to her Papa and giving him a tight hug.

"I've missed you today button!"

"And I've missed you too! I can't wait to tell you about my day!"

"Well, it is a walk from here to the palace. I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to tell me." Yao said, grabbing Bai's hand and starting their journey home.

"And I won't miss a single detail!"

≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

Zuko's POV:

"Oh, Zuzu!"

I rolled my eyes at Azula's voice. Of course, after having the perfect day, Azula has to come in and ruin it somehow.

Let's just get this over with. Fast.

"What do you want, Azula?" I griped.

"Wow, you haven't seen me all day, and this is how you talk to me? I thought you were better than that Zuzu."

"Stop calling me that!"

Azula smiled sinisterly. She loved that she was getting to me.

"Well, I was just seeing how was your day with Bai. I overheard some servants and found out you spent all day with her!" Azula sneered.

"Yeah? And what's the big deal." I wasn't going to listen to Azula talked down on Bai. She hasn't did any wrong.

"Well, the big deal is that you obviously have eyes for her! I've never seen you get like this before- not even around Mai."

I wanted to scream in Azula's face, and tell her how wrong she is. But I couldn't bring myself. I think I do like Bai... a lot. She's just all around perfect, and I didn't want someone like her to slip from my grip that easily.

"Aha! I knew it! You do have eyes for her! Which, it's understandable. She is a pretty like-able girl. Ty Lee and Mai like her. Well, not Mai, but I don't have to explain why-"

"Is this going somewhere? And why do you care?" I snapped. I wanted to get away from my sister as fast as I could.

"I'm just saying be careful."

"What are you talking about?" Why would I need to be careful I'm sure Bai isn't the type to hurt other people.

"Father wouldn't be happy if he finds out you like some servant girl. It wouldn't be a good look for the Fire Nation. Oh, I know! Maybe she could be the royal concubine! Father may have an easier time seeing you with a nasty girl than a poor one."

I felt my blood boiling and felt my hands heating up. But I won't snap. I won't give Azula that satisfaction.

"She isn't just some servant girl, and she's not some future concubine. Her name is Bai, and she happens to be one of the best people I've ever met! You're just jealous because you wish you were at least half the girl she is!" I screamed.

"I understand that, Zuzu! All I'm saying is father may not. I'm just looking out for you- no reason to get snippy, brother."

Azula whipped her head and walked in the opposite direction. I let out a sigh of relief. Finally, she was gone.

But I thought of what she was saying. It kept ringing in my mind- over and over again. As much as I hate to admit it, my father would probably have something to say about Bai. It's not that I care of her status because I don't! She's more than just a "servant." She's intelligent, kindhearted, funny, and not to mention beautiful. Which, I guess she was beautiful enough to be a concubine, but I don't want her to do that! I don't want her getting caught up in tag life! Don't even think like that Zuko. The point is that it shouldn't have to matter what Bai does.

But I know that all my father would think about the image of the Fire Nation.

I shook my those wretched thoughts from my head. I won't worry about that- not now at least. I'm just going to back in the joy I feel right now.

≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

"Ming? Sweetheart?"

"Gramma?"

Bai and Yao has just made it home from work. Usually, Ming would stand at the door, and wait for Yao to come. So, it was a little strange not to see her.

"I wonder where she could be at, Papa."

Yao suddenly noticed a note on the table. He figured it was for Ming. It was probably a note saying she went out to the market or either she took a nighttime walk.

"Bai? Why don't you get a bath and change from those clothes? I'll look around the house to see where Gramma is." Yao offered.

"But, she's here, right?"

"Yes, I'm sure of it my sweet. And she might've just taken a walk. But she's here. She couldn't have gone that far."

Bai nodded her head in agreement and then ran to the bathroom, leaving Yao alone. He walked over to the table where the note sat. He noticed the note was too long for Ming to say she went out for a walk. His hands began to grow cold and sweaty.

It's fine. I'm sure everything is fine.

But everything wasn't fine. Nothing could've prepared Yao for what he saw on that note.

≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

Bai slipped on her nightgown and took a deep breath of satisfaction. She always love the feeling of getting out of the bath and putting on her soft nightgown.

She walked back to the kitchen- expecting to see Gramma. Surely, she should be back by now, she thought to herself. But when she entered the kitchen, she didn't see Gramma. She only saw saw her Papa- who looked completely heartbroken.

"Papa?" Bai asked nervously.

Yao looked up at his granddaughter. He tried swallowing the lump he felt in his throat and hold back the tears that were begging to slip from his eyes. He wanted to stay strong for Bai. He didn't want her to see that he was breaking. But he couldn't do it; He wasn't strong enough.

Bai started to panic. She's never ever seen her papa get upset like this before. He was the family's rock... but he seems to be breaking.

"What's wrong, papa?"

While Bai was in the shower, Yao tried thinking of ways to break the news without crushing her. However, he couldn't come up with any. He knew that would hurt her no matter what he said. This isn't easy news to tell anyone- especially a child.

"Well... it looks like... it's just going to be us for a while." Yao croaked.

What is he talking about? There's 3 of us! Me, Gramma, and Papa! There can't be just two of us.

"I don't understand. Where's Gramma?"

Yao couldn't say anything. He could only hand Bai the note Ming had left. The note that crushed his soul:

Dear Yao,

I'm so sorry, but I can't do this anymore. It's nothing to do with you or Bai. You are my world and I love you both very much. But I can't live in a here anymore.

I've always felt a longing to be reunited with my people, but I loved you too much. I put our family first and tried thinking what was best for Bai. However, these last few years of war has truly wore me down. I hear the stories you tell me of how Fire Nation soldiers come in and wipe out towns that are full of innocent people. And the worst part is that they have no good reason.

I've been very good and suppressing my feelings and have tried my best at doing so. But I couldn't stand any longer when I found out Bai was getting involved. That's not a path I want to see her go down, but I wasn't going to stop her.

But I couldn't just sit by any longer. So, I have returned back to the South Pole where I hope I can find the internal peace I'm searching for. Please understand I love you and Bai so much. And please tell her to never stop waterbending; it's how I feel connected with her, and how I hope she would feel connected with me.

Your loving wife,

Ming

Bai couldn't say anything. She didn't even feel nothing. The only thing she felt was the tears welling up in her small eyes. She wrapped her small arms around Yao's neck. He pulled his sweet close and held her in his large arms. Bai started sobbing into his neck and couldn't stop the tears from rolling.

"I know. I know." Yao softly spoke.

They didn't say anything for a long time; Yao and Bai just sat in silence, feeling a great amount of lost and sorrow.

And the worst part was, it could never be fixed.

≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

A/N: I know this chapter was shorter than normal. It’ll go back to being longer, but given how this one was written, it had to be cut a bit shorter.

I really hope you guys are enjoying this story so far! If you’d like to read more of it, it is also available on my Wattpad: matcha_kisses

I am also planning on making an ao3 account, and putting this there as well!

[archivomeow]

Secret Santa

TW: knife (lmk if anything else should be added)

relationships: Yelena Belova & Maria Hill, Natasha Romanoff/Maria Hill (mentioned), Natasha Romanoff & Wanda Maximoff, Natasha Romanoff & Yelena Belova, Maria Hill & Wanda Maximoff

additional tags: fluff, christmas fluff, domestic fluff, post-red room, christmas presents & shopping.

read on ao3

Yelena could say all she wanted how lame Christmas was, but that was a lie. She couldn’t wait for it all, for the presents, the food and the time she will get to spend with Natasha. It was a week till’ Christmas now, they decorated the tree - it was all going well. Until Natasha came up with another idea, so called “Secret Santa”.

This year the group was smaller, most went to their families or had other activities, leaving Natasha, Yelena, Wanda and Maria all to themselves.

“Okay, so…” Natasha started speaking, she sat on the floor in her red and black pyjama. “You have to draw a card, with a name. That’s who you’re buying the gift to and vice versa.” She explained, as Yelena was unfamiliar with the tradition.

“I go first!” Wanda jumped in her seat as her hand went into the small box, she drew a card and looked at it for a moment before speaking.

“Natasha! I have you, so I guess you have me…” Wanda was more uncertain now, she knew it would be tough if she drew Natasha’s name, as Yelena was unfamiliar with her or Maria, so the gift buying is harder.

Yelena just glanced at Natasha, unsure to what she is supposed to do now.

“I-I have you then?” Yelena turned to Maria.

“Yes…Don’t worry, it’s most important to have fun, I’m sure you’ll do your best.” Maria smiled lightly as she glanced at Natasha.

“Okay, so two days for gift hunt and I will get us matching hats!” Wanda clapped her hands as she tried to keep the atmosphere far from uncomfortable.

***

Yelena browsed in different shops in the area, she felt uneasy alone, but at the same time didn’t want Nat to intervene in her shopping, as she was literally dating Maria.

She walked into millions of clothing stores, food stores and ones that are a mix of everything. Until she found a place she actually enjoyed being in — a store full of weapons.

It felt close to what she knew — knifes, guns and even bows. She was familiar with most of the weapons, but her attention was caught by one specific object, a small knife, it handle was made specifically to be more comfortable, also it had a small heart carved in it.

Yelena’s eyes scanned it for a moment before she was rudely welcomed by the store employee.

“Hey there…” A middle aged man approached her, stood way too close with his hands on his hips. “What can I do for you, sweetheart?”

A small grin creeped up onto his face, Yelena scoffed. Entitled men was everything she had to deal with her whole life, not anymore.

“I don’t need help.” She mumbled, making her russian accent even more thick.

“Oh, come on! You like the knife? I can show you how to use it.” The stupid smirk did not leave his face for a second, Yelena just grabbed the knife and headed to buy it, losing the guy in the crowd.

She left the store happy, she finally had her gift, but it didn’t feel like enough. She felt as if Maria deserved better, she should buy more.

So she did. Yelena entered one of the clothing stores as she looked though the shirts, she didn’t quite know what Maria style was, so she just looked for something simple.

Her eyes got stuck on a plain shirt, with four letters on it — BAMF. What the hell is BAMF?

“Excuse me…” Yelena approached a short lady, a worker in the store, she looked harmless and kind, so Yelena picked her. “What does this mean?” Yelena pointed at the shirt she took.

“BAMF?” The woman smiled, she didn’t laugh or scold Yelena, she smiled as she had a sympathetic look on her face. “Bad Ass Mother Fucker.” The woman’s face turned slightly red as she spoke the vulgar words quietly.

“Thank you.” Yelena nodded and glanced at the sticker on the woman’s shirt. “Thank you, Olivia.”

***

It was the day of gift giving, Yelena was nervous, she barely slept and only coffee helped. So many scenarios crossed her mind — What if Maria hates her gift? What if it’s a terrible gift? What if they pull a prank on her and what if her box is empty?

But she had to shove all that aside and packed her gift, the four were seated in the living room, all in matching Santa’s hats, which Wanda had bought them.

“Alright, who opens their gift first?” Wanda glanced around, waiting for either Maria or Natasha to take the wheel and decide.

“How about us?” Natasha smiled and

glanced at Yelena, her and Wanda exchanged their boxes.

Natasha was eager to prove Yelena it was fine, the presents weren’t perfect and the boxes weren’t empty.

Both of the redheads opened their boxes as excitement grew on their faces. Natasha got a new leather jacket and a photo in a frame — a picture of her and Maria on their first date.

Wanda on the other hand was given socks, red ones with white stripes on them, like a candy cane. To that was a book, which Yelena was unfamiliar with, but the cover was colourful.

The two hugged, which made Yelena scream internally… Did she have to hug Maria too?

She just glanced at her box, now her gift doesn’t seem enough. She didn’t think twice about what she bought, maybe she should’ve asked Natasha for help after all.

“Yelena?” Natasha’s voice was warm and gentle as she encountered her sister to hand over the box to Maria. “Now it’s your turn.”

Yelena glanced at Maria, but she didn’t hand her the box, she instead got up with it and left the room.

How could she think that gift was good for even a second? It was embarrassing.

The three were left in silence for a moment, uncertain as to what they were supposed to do now. Natasha was planning on going, but as she got up, Maria stopped her.

“I got it, you guys can…make some popcorn?” Maria was improvising, but she felt bad for Yelena, like it was her fault that the girl got scared off.

“Masha—“ Natasha started, but seeing the look in Maria’s eyes she just nodded and went in silence to the kitchen with Wanda.

***

Yelena was alone, in her room. It was pretty small, she kept almost everything packed in boxes, she never unpacked in case Natasha got her own flat. In case she wanted to take her too. Besides the Tower never felt like home, she sat all day long in her room, didn’t know anyone that well, except her sister.

A gentle knock on her door made her jump as she slid the gift under her bed.

“Yelena? It’s me, Maria…” The door was still closed, Maria didn’t want to invade Yelena’s privacy, she had a choice to let her in or not.

“What do you want?” Yelena’s voice was low and cold, but it was all a facade, a facade Maria knew too well, she have seen it before, in Natasha.

“To talk, that’s all… You don’t have to let me in if you don’t want to, we can just talk though the door.”

The door opened soon after, Yelena looked up at Maria who was slightly taller. Maria gave her a reassuring smile as she walked in and the door was shut after her.

“What’s wrong?” Maria glanced at Yelena before sitting on the bed. “Why did you run?”

“Why do you care?” The blonde scoffed, almost mockingly.

“Yelena…You can talk to us, to me. I just want you to know that.” Maria sighed. “Natasha trusts me, you trust her, right?”

Yelena sat on the bed next to Maria as she breathed out loudly.

“I can’t give you my gift. It simply…sucks.”

“It…sucks?” Maria frowned.

“Yeah…I’m sorry…”

“Don’t be sorry, come on, I’m sure I’ll love it.”

Yelena sighed, Maria had a determined look on her face, so she gave up, too tired to banter with her. The blinde pulled out the box from under the bed and handed it to Maria.

Maria looked at the box curiously and opened it slowly, as she took out a small black box - there was a small knife in there, that fits right into Maria’s fist.

“See? I told you.”

“What? The knife? It’s a great gift, very…”

“Practical.” Yelena finished her sentence.

“Yes, practical.”

Maria nodded with a smile as she took a notice of a folded material in the box. It was a folded shirt, with four letters on it, four letters she did not understand.

“What’s BAMF?” Maria glanced at Yelena.

“The lady in the store said it means Bad Ass Mother Fucker.” Yelena said with zero expression, even though she was giggling on the inside.

“I- You think I’m Badass?” Maria raised her brows as she looked amused at the blonde.

“Yeah, I mean, you’re the right hand of SHIELD.” Yelena smiled lightly.

Maria placed the shirt back into the box, she didn’t intend to make Yelena uncomfortable so she kept her distance. She remembered well how jumpy and anti-touching Natasha was.

“So, are you ready to open up my gift?”

Yelena glanced at Maria nervously as the woman handed her the box, smiling encouragingly.

Yelena took a deep breath in as she opened her box, inside was a green vest, similar to the one she owned and gave to Natasha.

The vest she was looking at had more black details in it, the green color was very much toned. Yelena couldn’t hold back her smile as she looked at the vest.

“I gotta say, Natasha helped me out a bit, she talked a lot about how the vest was the first thing you got yourself, but you were willing to give that up to her.” Maria smiles lightly at the memory. “So, you like it?”

Yelena nodded with a smile on her face, she tried to tone her emotions, but it was like a wave of excitement washing over her. She moved closer to Maria and wrapped her arms around the woman. Maria was slightly shocked at the sudden touch, but she hugged the blonde back.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

[zyuna-arts]

XYZ SIBLINGS INTRO

I'm happy to finally introduce the XYZ siblings in art form after brainrotting for so long through writing about him and his siblings in my original story/spin-off of Code Lyoko, Project UNCIA 😭

I introduced concepts for their species earlier on here!

I took part in the #sgoctradingcard event which gave me an excuse to draw the siblings, though I could've done a better job with the graphic design and everything had I started much earlier 🤣 Deliberately kept the art style simpler after spending so long working on Cinthya and I have the tendency to overcomplicate things 🗿

ZOL:

He's energetic and curious and will steal your snacks if you leave them unattended 👀 Despite his playful nature, Zol knows when it's time to have fun and time to be serious. He is incredibly smart for a rynka but with intelligence comes mischief - not everyone can handle him and he gets labelled 'stubborn' or 'untrainable' sometimes. There are times he decides he wants to do his own thing so you must know how to negotiate with him.

He loves working together with his rider Aria (who I will formally introduce via art soon) and is very loyal to them, and by extension whoever Aria is close to. Zol likes to retrieve and gift things, where his gifts can range from a single rock, a branch, food, tools... Anything he thinks is interesting or useful!

YSRI:

Ysri [pronounced 'is-rri'] is anything but the stereotypical "forgotten middle child". With a heart of gold and dignified loyalty, her royal blue and red coat is coincidentally apt as "people's Prince" Faros [pronounced 'fah-rros'] of Rodron is her rider.

Although she isn't the easiest rynka to get close to, she is a reliable ally and dependable friend you can count on if you gain her trust. Ysri cares for her brothers deeply and looks out for them despite the occasional sibling squabble, as well as her rider Faros and by extension anybody he's close to.

I found myself gawking while designing Ysri's card frames (idk maybe I was high from lack of sleep) and it gave me Star Wars vibes for some reason.

XILIM:

Xilim [pronounced 'si-lim'] may be docile by nature, though he dozes off when he gets a bit too relaxed and isn't much help saving you unless you give him detailed instructions on what to do... He will just stand there or idle like an NPC and lacks natural guarding instincts - something his rider needs to keep in mind. If you do tell him to keep watch and be firm about it, only then will he fulfil that task. But he is good for hugs! He's also a popular choice among his drift for public meet-and-greets when there's open houses since he's one of the calmest around strangers.

Fun fact: The notch on his 'ear' is natural and doesn't cause him any issues. What may look like ears on rynka are actually akin to whiskers, helping them sense and pick up vibrations in their surroundings! Their actual ears are hidden behind those appendages and look similar to bird ears.

You may have first heard of Zol and Xilim as the name of my pigeonboi and crowboi plushies by @berry_winkle_ if you follow my Instagram but the reality is the plushies were named after the OCs and not the other way around hehe 👁️ Zol and his siblings mean a lot to me and I hope to share more about them 🥺

SOCIALS: Linktree

Original Art © zyuna

(DON’T REPOST/USE)

[recurring-polynya]

Writing/Art Update 3/14/2023

So. The fanfic.

Man, when I started writing fanfic, I would just think up a story and write it, no plan, only write. It was fun. I think most people write fanfic this way. Anyway, I don't know if my brain broke, or if I just used up all my good material, or what, but the more fanfic I wrote, the more work it takes. I am now a regular outliner, even though I hate it. Anyway, I have reached a new level of Using Things I Learned in English class, in the sense that I think I'm going to actually make a second (third?) draft.

I hate this for me.

Anyway, the upshot is that I've got, like, 90% of the scenes written. There are still 4 that need endings (including the final one), and I think I might need a few more scenes, but I'm not sure exactly what they should be. I have some notes for what they might be. I realized while writing this that the penultimate scene/chapter of a fanfic is often the most important one, and I'm not happy with the one I have, so I gotta figure that out.

In any case, though, the problem I have at the moment is that, partially as a consequence of writing this thing one sentence at a time, is that it's not necessarily coherent. The first thing I need to do is actually read it, top to bottom. Some of the scenes need to get moved around chronologically (I knew this when I wrote them). I need to figure out if this thing has any sort of trajectory or arc to it. If I can do that, I think it will help me figure out what scenes I still need, and how to end the ones I need to end. I am mildly embarrassed, but I think I am going to start yet another doc for this, but maybe if I call it a "draft", it won't be so bad.

I feel like once I get to the other side of this process, I'll have the end in sight and I'll feel a lot better about this thing, but it's very intimidating at the moment. Among the worst writing feelings I have is "there is something wrong with this story and I don't know how to fix it" and I know I have to pass through that valley.

Weekly numbers: Current word count is 15,457 (which includes a few hundred trash words). I guess I didn't write down my exact word count last week, but that somewhere on the order of +2000-2400. I guess that also includes some that were pasted over from the original doc. It doesn't really matter, a lot of those words were hard fought, and I feel okay about the amount of effort I put in this week, especially considering I had other stuff going on. I also wrote 500 words on the spicy fanfic.

I said I was going to draw this week and I didn't do a lot, but I did do a couple of Mike Mignola skull studies. Little P said these were "some cool skulls, Mom", which was nice, since she hated my Menos ("I don't like the hands. I don't like the witch nose. I don't like them.") Anyway, a lot of improvement between sketch 1 and sketch 2 and I finally found an excuse to use my "photocopy error" brushes. Gonna try to do a few more of these, maybe even see if I can manage to do an actual drawing in this style.

Hrrrnnnngggh, did I promise you a preview this week? This would be easier if I had already read the fanfic, the thing I have been dreading.

UGH, brb.

Okay, I'm back, I found one that'll do. If you missed it last week, this story is about the time Rukia and Renji spent at the District 70 Consolidated Shinigami Recruitment Station, trying to get pre-approval to travel north and take the Shin'ou Entrance Exams. The title is either going to be Go Places or Stay with Me, Go Places, I haven't decided yet. Either way, it's after the New Pornographers song that I listened to incessantly while writing this.

They have each been given a set of practice clothing-- sturdy cotton kimonos and hakama. Even though she’s wearing the smallest set Mr. Mochida had, Rukia’s hakama are pulled up under her armpits and still drag on the ground. This is somewhat humiliating.

Renji, on the other hand, looks perfect in his, like whoever invented hakama did so with him in mind. Furthermore, he’s holding an actual wooden practice sword like he died with one in his hands. Renji has been habitually picking up sticks and swinging them around the entire time she’s known him. It is obvious to Rukia that he belongs here, that he was meant for this. His face looks like all his dreams have finally come true.

Mr. Mochida holds his own sword expertly and calmly. “Go ahead,” he says, patiently. 

Renji runs at him swinging.

Mr. Mochida blocks the blow, pushing Renji off to one side. He shakes out his sword arm. “Good. Again.”

Renji has no skill at swords, but he has a lot of enthusiasm, and he has a lot of strength. Mr. Mochida doesn’t seem to have even broken a sweat by the time Renji is panting and exhausted, but he claps her friend on the shoulder and tells him he has a lot of talent.

Don’t tell him that! Rukia wants to scream. He’ll be unbearable!

“You’re next, Miss Rukia.”

Renji comes to take her place on the sidelines as Rukia takes up her own sword. It’s puny compared to the one Renji carries, and it’s still too long for her.

“You can do it,” he tells her. “You just have to push part of yourself into the sword, make it stronger.”

She nods, as if that makes any damn sense.

Rukia tries to imitate Mr. Mochida’s stance, knees slightly bent. She contemplates the weapon in her hands. It’s not a rock or a shard of glass or even a shiv. It’s just for practice, but it’s the size and shape of a weapon and you can certainly hurt someone with it. You and me, Rukia thinks at the sword. We can do some damage, you and me.

Push part of yourself into the sword. Maybe that’s not such nonsense after all.

She charges.

[dailygamtavyuri]

day 12

bloodswap! i thought way too much about these so:

GAMZEE NITRAM:

-doesnt get on very well with the animals he tries to keep, and him not having psionics doesnt help. favours insects because theyre the easiest for him to handle

-does his own facepaint..!!! usually to resemble animals like the type kids get at funfairs

-has taken up more artsy interests like drawing and painting. also embroiders clothes for fun! his flowers and tavroses stars are his work.

-clumsy...

-also likes gardening

TAVROS MAKARA:

-still has her canon psionics, uses them to help train animals... has them do tricks n shit

-perpetually in that state she was just pre-murderstuck where shes insisting shes Super Confident, Actually. you get used to it.. eventually...

-has good intentions. this does not excuse The Horrors

-likes decorating her horns

-usually the one to help gamzee patch up when he inevitably bites off the scabs on his hands. then the bandaids fall off again and he bites them off again. one must imagine tavros happy

[motownfiction]

fountain pen

In seventh grade, all three homeroom teachers – Ms. Dupont, Mr. Pelka, and Mrs. Chapin – decide to do Secret Santa. There are sixty-four students in the seventh grade, an even number, and it seems like a fun idea. They put a three-dollar cap on the presents, which seems fair. They’re just kids, after all, and allowance only gets you so far after you buy your bubble gum and Coca-Cola at the corner store. Will is more than happy with the three-dollar cap, especially since he’s pretty sure he’s going to get someone he doesn’t know very well.

And then, like God is smiling down on him, Will draws Lucy’s name out of Mr. Pelka’s hat.

Maybe God is actually frowning down at him.

At first, being Lucy’s Secret Santa sounds like a dream. They’re already friends. Will is already buying her a gift, and this is just an excuse to buy another one. If he buys her two gifts, then she’s twice as likely to thank him … to smile at him, to maybe even hug him if she feels like it. But it’s not a hug he’s after. It’s not a confession of her undying love, though in his dreams, Will’s pretty sure he’d like that. Really, he just wants to make her happy. And he thinks he knows how.

So he buys a fountain pen at the mall.

It’s above the three-dollar cap, but it’s for Lucy. When Lucy is on the line, there’s no such thing as a price limit. Will’s going to spend anything – anything his parents will let him. He’s kind of surprised they’re so willing to help him out with the fountain pen. His sister, Sarah, jokes that the reason they’re so supportive of the gift is because they hope it finally convinces Lucy to feel the same way about Will.

“They’re tired of listening to you pine,” Sarah says, and Will shoves her, though he doesn’t disagree. He’s tired of pining, too.

The last day of school before Christmas vacation finally rolls around. It’s time for the Secret Santa exchange. Will’s heart skips a few beats as he picks up the bag from his lap … and then it falls right out of his chest and straight through the floor.

See, the night before, he thought it would be a good idea to put ink in the pen already. That way, Lucy could just get to writing – her favorite thing in the world.

But the ink bled right through the gift bag.

And it bled right through to Will’s uniform pants.

He knows people are laughing at him, but he doesn’t have time to care. He runs right out of the classroom, lungs burning. There are footsteps coming up from behind him. It’s probably Mr. Pelka, about to yell at him for leaving the classroom without a hall pass. But when he turns around, it’s not Mr. Pelka. It’s not a teacher at all.

It’s Lucy.

“Hi,” she says.

Will snorts.

“Hi,” he says. “What are you doing out here?”

Lucy shrugs.

“I wanted to check up on you,” she says. “It’s not everyday you bolt out of a classroom.”

“Yeah. No kidding.”

Lucy twirls a lock of her hair around her index finger. Someday, Will won’t be able to believe he never took this as a sign she might have had a crush on him, too. But for now, he’s as oblivious as ever.

“Sam told me it had something to do with my Secret Santa present,” Lucy says. “He said you were supposed to be my Secret Santa.”

Will rolls his eyes.

“Sam,” he mutters. “He can’t even let me have my own Secret Santa.”

“He’s just like that,” Lucy says. “But, um, anyway. What … what was the present supposed to be?”

Will sighs loudly.

“It’s a fountain pen,” he says. “I tried to put ink in it the other night so you wouldn’t have to worry about it, but apparently, that’s not how it works.”

Lucy laughs. It’s a warm sound, and Will thinks he could fall asleep right beside it.

“Guess not,” she says. “Do I … do I still get it? Once I help you clean up?”

“Oh, sure,” Will says. “I don’t know anybody else who’d want one of these things. I guess I get why they went outta style.”

“Yeah. Not too good with pants.”

She laughs again, and Will sighs again. Lucy grins and holds out her hand. She’s leading him to the bathroom. Will’s not sure if it counts as truly holding hands, but for now – with ink on his pants and doubt in his heart – he’ll take it.

“For what it’s worth, I really like the idea of having a fountain pen,” Lucy says. “You know, since I’m kind of a writer.”

“You’re a writer,” Will says, and because she’s a writer, he knows she can hear the difference and understand.

“Yeah. Why are you always doing such nice things for me? I don’t deserve it.”

Will takes a beat. He’s not sure either of them really believes that, but he’ll play along.

“You deserve it,” he says. “I don’t deserve this, but you deserve it.”

Lucy’s grin is brighter than the Christmas lights strung up on the doorway to the bathroom. It’s the boys’ room, and Lucy’s not allowed in. But she muscles her way in, anyway, just like Lucy always does. Will thinks he loves her a little more that day.

Thank goodness for exploding cheap Christmas gift bags and exploding fountain pens.

(part of @nosebleedclub poetry month challenge -- day xxiii!)