#she's special and has little caterpillar hands

[diseaseapedia]

i'd say the tablet's working

[wileys-russo]

santa's biggest fan II l.williamson

part of the mila-verse and a little belated christmas fic i never finished in time santa's biggest fan II l.williamson "okay mils, time for bed bubba!" you clapped your hands together when the movie finished, the end credits rolling and your wife heaving a sigh of relief as your daughter groaned.

"another one! i'm not tired." the small blonde demanded, curling even more into leah who smiled in amusement, but that dropped the moment you gave her a hard look of warning.

"bubba if you don't go to sleep, santa won't come!" the footballer whistled with a firm nod as mila looked up to her in shock. "he only comes when everyone is sleeping." you back her up with another nod.

"okay lets all go to bed come on!" mila announced, launching herself off the lounge and sprinting off in the direction of yours and leahs room.

"mila babe, mummy and i don't go to sleep yet. remember how we talked about grown up bedtime is different to kid bedtime?" you called after her, footsteps thundering back down the hall as you were grateful you didn't still live in the tiny upstairs apartment you and leah first moved into together years before mila was even a thought.

"then why can't i stay up with you? its a special night, mummy said so! that should mean special rules." mila huffed, bottom lip jutting out into an adorable pout as she stomped her foot.

"it is already an hour past your bedtime little miss, now go on jump into bed and we'll come in and read you a special story. right?" leah chimed in, mila shaking her head and with a resoundingly stubborn no! was off and racing around the house again as you and leah shared a knowing look.

"my love i have a feeling this is going to be a long night."

and safe to say you weren't a betting woman but you were right on the money with that predication.

"is she..." you whispered to your wife as she ever so slowly tip toed back into the living room with a quick nod and you exhaled in relief. "how many stories?" you asked with a slight smile of amusement, opening your arms as the blonde sank down into them with a huff.

"the same one, over and over, seven bloody times. i might just add in the murder of that hungry hungry caterpillar the next fucking time i read it!" leah grumbled into your neck, your body vibrating beneath her with a quiet laughter.

"its not funny! god why are kids like this? first it was that awful baby shark song, then it was that awful show about fruit and friendship or whatever, now its the same awful book on repeat!" leah whined as you merely smiled, hand slipping up her hoodie to scratch your nails gently up and down her back.

"kids just like repetition baby its safe for them, they know they won't be disappointed. almost like a defender i know who has had the same pregame routine for...what is it now? ten? eleven years?" you chuckled, leahs head whipping up to scowl down at you as her taller body hovered over yours.

"that is not the same thing!" she whisper yelled defensively as your smile widened into a grin.

"is too. or should we talk about the rotation of bland beige meals you rotate? our daughter has a more adventurous palette than you, at least she can handle some seasoning and colour!" you teased, poking your tongue out in response to her offended scoff.

"i will have you know-" your hand darted up to cover her mouth with a sharp shut up at her raised tone of voice, peeking your head up to glance over your wifes shoulder, sighing in relief when mila didn't appear.

"you know my girl there is another way you could shut me up thats much more pleasant for both of us." leah smirked once you'd removed your hand, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively as you tried to bite back your smile, her arms planting themselves either side of your head.

"is that mistletoe?" leah frowned looking up at the ceiling but the moment you tried to glance up her mouth connected with yours, your fingers pinching her side. "you're unbelievable." you mumbled against her lips with a slight snicker.

"unbelievably sexy? oh baby, how you flatter me." leah gasped sarcastically, once again kissing you quickly before you could reply, settling herself comfortably on top of you as your tongues fought for dominance of the kiss.

but before anyone could win there was an interruption, leah falling off of you in shock and groaning as her back met the floor with a thump.

"i'm not tired and i can't sleep!" mila repeated, stomping her foot with a scowl that was a near mirror image of your wives from where she sat on the floor muttering about her tailbone.

with a deep sigh you sat up, swinging yourself to push off the sofa and scooping up the tiny blonde, settling her on your hip. "well that's too bad mil, it is way past your bedtime!" you carried her back to her room, protests ringing out the entire time.

"story!" the girl demanded as you tucked her back into bed, sighing again and reaching for the book already sat on the bedside table, making yourself comfortable in the armchair by your daughters bed.

"in the light of the moon, a little egg lay on a leaf..."

~

"-then he nibbled a hole in the cocoon, pushed his way out and-" "-and he was a beautiful butterfly!" your daughter finished excitedly, clapping her hands and nowhere near close to sleep as you exhaled tiredly and snapped the book shut.

"right i've read this three times now and you're a big girl right bubba? well big girls go to sleep when they're supposed to. so you and gunner-" you paused to adjust the little dinosaur plushie held tightly in your daughters grasp.

"-are going to lay here very quietly together, until you fall asleep. or else no santa! you want santa to come visit right mils?" you ran a hand through her mess of blonde hair as she nodded eagerly.

"mama!" her hand grabbed a fistful of your hoodie as you stood and ducked down to kiss her forehead. "yes baby?" you sighed with a small smile.

"cuddles till i fall asleep? pwease?" the four year old pouted, hitting you with the puppy dog eyes she knew worked like a charm on the pair of you most of the time.

"don't do that mil, you know how to do your L's properly." you warned with a look. "please! please, please, please, please-" mila begged as you sighed, seemingly more tired than she was at this rate and knowing the later she stayed up the later you and leah had to stay up to sort out her presents.

"okay! okay okay. but just for a little while, yeah?" you gave in, gently tugging her hands off you and moving to flick the big light in her room off, leaving only the small red arsenal nightlight illuminating a pathway to her door.

"bubba no-" you tried as you laid down beside her, the four year old climbing basically on top of you, her gunnasaurus plushie squished against your cheek as you exhaled, not bothered for the argument.

one hand moving to tangle in her hair your fingers moved rhythmically against her scalp, feeling her limbs ragdoll as her body became that little bit heavier, her breathing evening out against your collarbone.

you waited a few more minutes until you were sure she was properly asleep before very very carefully moving her back into bed, wincing as you struggled to detatch her arms which seemed to be locked around your neck.

though you didn't make it two steps towards the door before she awoke again, tiredly sitting up and wiping her eyes as you exhaled with a shake of your head.

"mama no! more cuddles." "no more cuddles bubba, time to go to sleep. mama will sit by the door for five minutes until you sleep again, okay?" you bargained quietly, your daughter seeming to accept that with a nod as she sank back down in bed right as you sat down on the floor.

five minutes passed though again as you tried to leave her voice rang out for you to stay and you sank back down to the floor with a frustrated sigh, gently encouraging her to lay down and try to sleep.

ten more minutes and you managed to crawl out of the room without interruption, leaving her door open ajar and returning the living room where your wife was still sat up awake, now bundled beneath a blanket.

"come here." the defender smiled knowingly, moving the blanket and adjusting to give you some room to sit between her legs, patting the sofa encouragingly.

though your ass had barely made contact before it sounded again, now both you and leah groaning quietly.

"mama! mummy! i had a bad dream!"

~

"she's down?" you asked hopefully, now sat comfortably beneath the blanket leah once was, your wife tag teaming to go and lay down with your daughter a half an hour ago, only now emerging.

"for the count." leah confirmed with a tired nod, taking a seat beside you and wiggling beneath the blanket, grabbing your legs and moving them to rest on her lap.

"shit its nearly midnight!" leah realised with a huff, tapping her phone and seeing the time as you hummed, your head resting on her shoulder. "she's a night owl like her mummy!" you teased, patting leahs chest who flicked your ear playfully.

"god i love this movie." you hummed happily, the two of you having been watching bits and pieces of the holiday as you took turns popping in and out of your daughters bedroom to try and get her to succumb to sleep so the pair of you could play santa.

and as your movie finished and there'd been no sight of mila for at least forty minutes now, you readied yourself to do just that, the presents all neatly stacked in your bedroom as leah counted quietly to make sure everything was accounted for.

"-so the bike stays here from us, and the new predator boots go out from santa." leah rolled her eyes at that making you grin, alessia having insisted her goddaughter grew up on predators boots instead of phantoms, something which had driven leah up the wall from the very moment the topic was raised, both you and your best friend adidas athletes while she was with nike.

"i'll go check she's asleep and grab the stocking off her bed, mrs claus." you winked, stealing a kiss from the grumpy blonde whose eyes rolled.

you'd grown up doing christmas a little differently from your wife, the stocking always sat on the foot of your bed rather than hung in the living room, a tradition you'd carried on through your daughter much to leahs protests it made everything ten times harder.

and tonight unfortunately, you were about to find out she was very very right.

you ever so carefully pushed open your daughters door, sticking your head in and surveying the room. "santa?" you heard a tired voice call out groggily, quickly pulling your head back and swearing under your breath, waiting by the door for a moment to see if she'd get up.

but it would seem the small blonde was at least half asleep as no footsteps sounded, and you hurried back to the bedroom where leah was nowhere to be seen, found in the living room meticulously organising the presents beneath the tree.

"we've got a problem." you sighed as she looked up with a frown and an eyebrow raised questioningly. "she's awake still? seriously? its nearly two in the morning babe this is ridiculous!" leah whispered as your eyes rolled.

"sort of, she's not quite asleep but she's not fully awake. we could wait a little while longer?" you sighed tiredly, running a hand through your hair as leah pulled a face.

"you and i both know she's not sleeping past five in the morning babe, no matter when she falls asleep, and i need sleep to deal with our families all day!" leah whined, head thumping against the wall.

"what and i don't leah? we'll just wait ten minutes and i'll check again!" you warned, your wife too tired to protest as she nodded, joining you on the lounge a few moments later.

sure enough when you popped your head in a little while later mila appeared to be sleeping, not a peep heard as you waited a few seconds to be sure, though your breath hitched as she tossed and turned suddenly.

"she's restless, i'm worried she'll wake up." you sighed as you returned to your bedroom where leah was waiting. "you're joking yeah? it'll be fine! lets just get it over and done with." the defender scoffed bluntly, trying to stand from the bed as you pushed at her chest and sent her bouncing back down.

"leah. we are not ruining the magic of christmas for our four year old daughter who loves santa." you growled tiredly, giving her a dirty look before disappearing into the en-suite, rummaging around for something.

"well we're also not being held hostage by that four year old for another hour!" your wife growled right back as she popped up in the doorway. "correct. so, time for plan b!" you stood and leahs hardened face fell seeing what you held in your hands.

"oh absolutely the fuck not. i know what you're thinking babe and thats not happening!"

only a few minutes later, it was most definitely happening despite your wives ongoing grumbles and mumbles of protest as you carefully stuck the cotton wool balls to her face.

"this is fucking ridiculous!" leah grunted unhappily, scrunching her nose up as you finished the makeshift beard, the blonde clad in a matching red arsenal tracksuit with a couple of pillows stuffed up her jumper and a white scarf tied around her waist.

"babe i look like a bloody garden gnome not santa!" leah whined as she caught sight of herself in the mirror and winced, a red arsenal beanie with a funnel under it to create somewhat of a makeshift santa hat teetering precariously on her head.

"she won't notice in the dark if she wakes up leah. you'll just crawl in, try not to wake her, get the stocking. we fill it, you crawl in and put it very carefully back, and we're off to bed!" you recounted, shoving her out of your bedroom and toward your daughters.

"go santa go!" you whispered, hand colliding with her ass encouragingly as she jumped in surprise and turned to give you a filthy look.

"oi you better watch it, elf." the blonde pointed menacingly as your eyes rolled, hiding a smile as your wife dropped to her stomach, pushing mila's door open and very carefully commando crawling inside.

you felt as though you couldn't breathe until she returned, a hand over your mouth to stop from laughing as she crawled out again a moment later dragging the stocking with her.

"don't you dare laugh." the older girl muttered, hitting you in the face with the stocking as the air of you hurried to fill it with presents quickly as possible, your breath again stopped as leah began the crawl inside to put it back.

thankfully despite a few tired mumbles and a sleepy roll over that had leah dropping flat to the floor, her mission was successful and a very sudden burst of adrenaline filled her body as she crawled out and ever so carefully pulled the door shut with a soft click.

your own bedroom door closing you squealed as a body hurtled into yours, a few loose cotton balls falling to hit you in the head as your back hit the mattress and your wife hovered over you with a cheeky grin and an all too familiar glint in her eyes.

"now i think santa deserves a little reward for all her hard hard work tonight my darling, don't you?"

[toonice113]

Oh My My My ⋆ ★ J.Hughes

pairings: Jack Hughes x fem!reader (nicknamed Mary)

Genre: fluff

Trope: childhood best friends to lovers

summary: You've been in love with your best friend Jack since you were seven and he was nine, growing up your moms were convinced you would end up together and your dads would joke about it non stop. As you grow up you navigate through life together and figure out that maybe your moms were right all along.

warnings?: they are both in love with each other but can't admit it. I don't like using Y/N but I had to use it once or twice, a longish read?, timeline might be a bit wonky idk?, angst for like two seconds, there’s not a full on description of reader, but it’s briefly mentioned she has freckles, reader is called Mary the whole time but it’s a nickname, mention of bugs, I skimmed through it but didn’t really edit it, specially the ending so there might be some errors sorry.

Word count: 3.2k 

⋆˚࿔ tina's note 𝜗𝜚˚⋆ This is my first time writing in tumblr and about Jack in general hi i apologize in advance if this sucks but i was listening to debut and this idea popped up in my mind. Also English is my second language so there's that. Enjoy!

At seven years old you realized you were in love with your best friend Jack, you have been neighbors for forever and although you were in Luke's class in school, you had always been closer to Jack. Your afternoons were spent following around the Hughes brothers while they played hockey, often finding yourself playing referee when the two older boys wouldn't let Luke touch the ball they used as a puck. Your favorite time of the year though, was summer. Your summers at the lake house were magical, in those years it was you and your parents joining the Hughes two weeks after summer started and after you'd visited your grandparents.

That specific summer your parents had announced they were having another baby and you remember all the fuss everyone made about it and how even though you wanted to be excited about it you couldn't help but feel a little scared of your parents not loving you as much anymore, no one noticed the change in your mood but Jack, he knew something was wrong when he noticed your smile wasn't as big as always, how your eyes weren't almost closed as they usually were when you smiled genuinely. “What’s wrong?” he asked as he sat next to you in the porch swing after lunch. 

“Nothing” your voice came out small and it made Jack frown, he knew you were not okay and he wasn’t about to let his best friend keep feeling down if he could help it.

“Mary…”

“What if they don’t love me anymore?” your bottom lip trembled, tears threatening to spill from your eyes.

 “Who?” the boy was confused, who could she be talking about? How could anyone not love his dear Mary? She was the perfect girl, kind and pretty and nice and smart and he could go on and on about the good qualities he found in his best friend for days.

“Mom and dad, what if when the baby comes they realize they don’t want me anymore?” Jack immediately wrapped you in his small arms

“Mary it’s impossible not to love you” he said “Plus, when Luke was born mom and dad didn’t stop loving me so I’m sure your mom and dad won’t stop loving you” That afternoon you and Jack spent hours sitting in the swing holding each other not really talking much but feeling comfort in each other.

“I dare you to throw this at Jack” Luke opened his hand to show you a small green caterpillar trying to crawl out of his palm.

“He’s going to freak and hurt it” you furrowed your brows, one thing Jack did not play with was bugs. Spiders, worms, roaches, it didn’t matter, they all freaked him out the same, which sucked because Luke was in that stage where he was fascinated by the creepy crawlers as Jack had baptized them and he often dragged you with him to explore the backyard and find new ones. 

“It’ll be okay” you stared at him for a few seconds before sighing and putting your hand out, out of all three boys Luke was always the best at convincing you to do things you didn't want to do, and he found it especially funny when he got the opportunity to mess with his brother without repercussions because Jack could never be mad at you.

Approaching Jack who was on the end of the small pier watching Quinn try to fish you tapped his shoulder, turning around he smiled at you “Oh hi Ma- AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH” he screeched as you flung the caterpillar at him, the poor bug falling on the wooden deck and beginning to crawl away while in his state of panic Jack took one too many steps backwards and fell in the water behind him. Quinn bursted out laughing dropping his fishing pole on the deck and clutching his stomach, behind you Luke laughed as well and you, well you couldn’t help but stare with worry in your face until the boy came up for air flinging his arms and exclaiming angrily, you knew he was angry because he wasn’t using your nickname, “Y/N I’M GOING TO BEAT YOU UP” he, of course, never followed up with his threat though, never seriously thinking about actually hurting you, he did however tell on you to your parents who after lecturing you on how that was dangerous and both Jack and the caterpillar could’ve ended up hurt grounded you for the weekend and you missed out on the trip to the outdoor movie theater, feeling bad Jack brought you back all your favorite snacks as an apology for getting you grounded.

During the first two weeks of summer when you were ten you had spent lots of time with your older cousin, she was fourteen and had told you all about her previous school year, including the story of her first kiss leaving you curious about it. When you arrived at the lake house you couldn’t shake the story out of your head, your cousin had said the boy she had kissed was one she really liked and that it had created butterflies in her stomach. On your third night there, You and Jack were outside after dinner, sitting in the tree house his dad had built for the kids to hang out in, he was wrapping a stick while you flipped through the pages of a magazine “Hey Jack” he looked up from his stick to you “Truth or dare?” you were hoping he chose dare so you could implement the plan you had been thinking about since the day you’d arrived. You wanted to see if the butterflies your cousin had talked about were true.

“Dare” bingo! 

“I dare you to kiss me” his eyes widened and you stared as he thought about it for a minute debating whether having his first kiss with his best friend was a good idea or not, then your eyes widened as he put his stick down and began walking the short distance to you, and as he was about to kiss you you panicked and ran away leaving poor Jack standing there staring at your figure disappear inside the house feeling embarrassment and defeat, that night Jack realized he might have liked you a little more than as just a friend.

As you grew up things changed, new friends came around, boyfriends and girlfriends, busy schedules creating a distance but never separating you two completely, even with your part time job at the froyo shop and Jack’s hockey you still found time for movie nights, early breakfasts before school, rushed meet ups during breaks and of course, summers at the lake house. 2019 was a specially weird year for you all, Jack had been busy with the US National development team and your parents had decided to buy a new house all the way across town, forcing you and your little sister to move schools. The move had meant that you could no longer just walk to the Hughes house and therefore you hadn’t seen the two younger brothers in a couple weeks, Quinn having already moved to Canada. But as summer approached you got through the two weeks of visiting your grandparents before getting ready for the big day, Jack’s draft was coming up and while your parents and sister were staying behind and spending the summer with your grandparents, you were meeting up with the Hughes in Vancouver. 

Quinn’s apartment was buzzing with emotions, Ellen lecturing the boys about being in their best behavior during the ceremony with Jim by her side nodding but not saying anything, the grandparents looked amused at it while the boys looked bored. Jack lit up when you arrived, jumping up and excusing you both with the excuse that he needed your opinion on his suit, pulling you into Quinn’s guest room as you managed to wave hello to everyone before he slammed the door behind you. “Thank god you’re here” He whispered into your hair as he held you close.

“Nervous?” You ask him basking on the warmth he radiated and the hug you had been waiting for for over a month now.

“No, just tired. Mom’s been going crazy over the whole thing” He pulled away a little, still keeping his hands on your waist but far enough so he could talk to you face to face, that’s when he realized you had changed in the month and weeks he hadn’t seen you, your hair was a bit longer, you were tanner and there were new freckles adorning your face probably from spending your days in the sun while at your grandparents and you had lost some more weight in your face so your cheekbones sat taller in your face, your lips were plumper too and for a second was ready to risk it all just for a kiss, but he quickly came back to earth and pulled you back for another hug pulling you towards the bed where you two laid cuddled up to each other as you told him all about your time apart. 

As he updated you on what life had been for him recently you stared at him and if he wasn't so into the story he was telling you were sure he would’ve noticed the loving glance you were giving him. He hadn’t changed one bit since the last time you’d seen him and you couldn’t help but get lost in his eyes that twinkled under the soft glow of sunshine coming from the curtain that wasn’t closed all the way. The door opening interrupted your thoughts, Luke and Quinn hurrying in and closing the door behind them, Luke threw himself on the bed while Quinn sat down by their feet “I need tomorrow to be over already” Luke sighed dramatically grabbing your hand and putting it in his head so you could run your fingers through his curls.

“Do you think she’ll be this stressed for your draft or will she have it down by then?” Quinn chuckled at his younger brother’s theatrics.

“God I hope she has it down or I might not show up until I absolutely have to” Luke said, you laughed at him as Jack tried to kick him off of you both but it only resulted in Luke slotting between you two.

“Let her be excited, two of her babies will be playing in the NHL next season” You tell the boys “Also I really don’t think she’ll be any different for your draft moosey, if anything she might be worse than right now, you are her youngest after all” Luke groaned pushing you away

The next day went by in a blur and suddenly you were at the Rogers Arena sitting between Jack and Luke after switching places a few times, you were originally supposed to sit besides their grandma but then she asked you to switch places because of the air blaring on her or something like that so you’d moved to sit on her original seat next to Quinn but then Luke started complaining about Quinn manspreading and not having any space which resulted in you and Quinn switching places and finally five minutes before the ceremony started you noticed Jack become a little restless for the first time all day after showing confident to everyone and with a singular look, Luke and you knew you had to switch places. 

That is how you found yourself sitting next to Jack, his hand holding onto yours strongly, the only sign he had given anyone that day of having any nerves. When the Devils called his name as first pick of the draft you all got up celebrating and he hugged you first “I’m so proud of you” you whispered in his ear before moving to the side so he could hug his brothers and then the rest of his family. It goes without saying that your phone was filled with so many pictures and videos of him on the stage the next morning that it kept telling you you were out of space. 

When you finally arrived at the lake house for summer after your stay in Vancouver your parents had a whole celebratory party planned out, a bunch of Jack’s friends joining you for it, and after dinner the parents decided to leave and so the house was filled with loud music and rowdy teenagers, you not being a big fan of small crowded areas retrieved to the upstairs balcony after making your rounds, staring down at all the people dancing and thinking about how this past year you had barely seen Jack and after this summer you would see him even less, the realization hitting you like a train, he was moving to New Jersey in the fall and you were staying behind for at least two more years, there was no way your friendship was ever going to be the way it had been ever again and you didn’t know if you were ready for it. 

“Now what are you doing here all alone?” The sound of the sliding door and a voice stopped you from thinking about it too much.

Turning slightly you could see Quinn walk towards you “Just not in the mood for a party I’m quite tired” but Quinn had known you your whole life, and even though you had never appeared as closed to him as you were with the two younger brothers he had always taken the role as a big brother seriously, that included being your big brother too so he knew something was wrong, but he also knew when to push and when to wait, so he just sat next to you and sipped on his beer bottle waiting for you to say something or decide you were okay to return to the party, he would stay with you all night if he had to “I’m so happy for him, his dreams are coming true you know? But I can’t help but feel sad too” you finally spoke after a few minutes of silence, still looking at the party below “I mean this is the beginning of something great so why does it feel like it's also the end of us?” 

Quinn watched as your eyes welled with tears, quickly setting his beer down and moving closer to hold you “Why do you think this is the end?” he wouldn’t admit it because he didn’t like to meddle, but he agreed with their dad’s idea that Jack and you would end up married one day, eh wasn’t blind, he’d seen the way you had his brother wrapped around your finger since you were six and eight, and even though you had never told him anything about your feelings and you were usually really good at hiding them, he’d seen the way you looked at Jack when you thought nobody was looking.

“We’ve already fallen apart this year and I only moved twenty minutes away I can’t imagine what it will be like once he is in New Jersey” You spoke through tears and sniffles, your thoughts too loud for you to notice the sliding door opening again, Quinn noticed though, turning softly as to not disrupt you in his arms, his brother, the one you were crying for was standing there, a heartbroken look on his face, Quinn encouraged him to come closer and talk to you with his eyes.

“Mary I don’t think I could go too long without you” Jack muttered walking towards you, startling you and making you separate from Quinn who squeezed your arm lightly before going back to the party. You stood there paralyzed feeling embarrassed from Jack finding out you were feeling this way, not wanting to make it seem like you were making it about you when it was supposed to be one of the happiest nights for him. “I’m sorry you felt like we were drifting apart I guess I was too in my head about the draft that I forgot about what was really important” 

By now he already had you in his arms, your head resting on his shoulder as you held onto him tightly, as if you were scared he would disappear “You don’t have to apologize this, I- um it’s nothing I’m just overreacting I don’t know hormones or something” you stuttered out the sentence. 

“But I mean it Mary” he spoke softly “I should’ve never been too busy to call you back or drive to your house to see you”

“You were busy with hockey Jack I understand that” you said looking up at him “It was important”

“And you are important too, god Mary you’ve been the most important person in my life for ten years, who else could I love so much as they were throwing a slimy little worm at me? I even apologized for getting you grounded after you did that” he chuckled at the memory making you smile “And who else could get away with leaving me hanging at a truth or dare kiss? Do you have any idea how much Quinn made fun of me after he found out about it?” This time it was you laughing “All those 2AM snack trips, and sneaking back into the house without anyone noticing, which mom knows about by the way, apparently we are not as sneaky as we thought we were, are my favorite part of summer, because it's just us, and I get to see you, the real you, not you who feel like you have to constantly check up on Luke or sit up straight the whole time so your mom doesn’t call you out on your posture, or like you have to help Quinn with everything because none of us do and you don’t want him to be all stressed out, those nights of just you and me watching mamma mia in our pajamas, you singing to every single song and trying to get me to dance with you, I wouldn’t change it for the world, you are my best friend yeah but I think somewhere along the way I got lost in the road and ended up falling in love with you” His confession leaves you speechless, wondering if it is real, if your best friend who you have been in love with for ten years is really standing in front of you telling you he is also in loe with you, and its only when you feel his hand touch your face to pull some strand of hair out of it that you realize it is all very real, so you reach up and pull him by his neck connecting your lips in a kiss you had been waiting for for too long.

Pulling away after a minute, both of you with smiley faces you speak “It was a cute little caterpillar I threw at you, I regretted not kissing you as soon as I ran out of the tree house and for the record I’ve been in love with you since I was seven after you sat on the porch swing with me for hours when I thought my parents wouldn’t love me anymore” Jack chuckles at your remarks and pulls you back in for another kiss.

[amnignsity]

Why not?...

Lee Minho x Male reader.

Reader is kinda childish when it comes to Minho in a way. >Minho calls reader BunBun while Reader calls Minho minmin.<

You and Minho have been friends since the beginning of kindergarten, always together and never apart.

Hand holding one another and sticking up for each other neither of you guys could ever be separated.

"Look minmin! it's a caterpillar!" You uttered being 5 years old as you point at a caterpillar, 6 year old Minho looks at it before looking at you with a disgusted expression.

"It has too many arms, bunbun..." Minho uttered as I quickly lifted you up moving you behind him while you jsut pouted crossing your arms.

"But it's so cute~" You whined while minho just pulled you away from it like was gonna harm you. Minho rolled his eyes as he huffed having alot of attitude despite being a kid.

"It's poisonous." Minho uttered as he makes you sit down the sand play area - grabbing a sandcastle making equipment, a shovel, bucket, etc...

You could barely remember it - he was your little protector since childhood and while you two grow up.

You couldn't help but notice how everything slowly shifted to place.

"But minmin...you said we could today..." 12 year old you pouted as you sat at the edge of his bed, running your hands through your hair while minho focused on his project.

"I said there MIGHT be a chance we could.." 13 years old Minho said as he grabs the hot glue gun and does his work. You crossed your arms as you pouted.

"Fine then I'll go a-" "No you won't" Minho interrupted you briefly as he sighed, looking at you with his stern gaze that others would be intimidated off but not you.

Never you..

You held your breath as you looked at him with an angry pouty look trying to be angry but the look minho gave you was too cute...cute?...nah funny.

"Pft-.. you look like a gargoyle..." You laughed while minho grumbled a hint of red against his cheeks as he looked at you, briefly frowning before a soften gaze was placed for a bit.

You're voice is like music to his ears...

"But she said she loves me, minmin!" 16 year old you uttered in pure distress as you whimpered sobbing mess as you desperately gripped on his shirt while 17 year old minho softly caresses your back.

"I know..." Minho muttered as you both hid behind a wall away from the horrid scenery of your girlfriend kissing another man.

Minho looked at the ways the bouquet of flowers you bought was now on the ground a mess and thrown easily.

How badly wanted to destroy her life then and there...

Maybe not the best way to act upon or think of when angry but she betrayed and hurted someone who loved her.

Specially someone like his best friend who he cares for alot...

You both laid upon the soft grass, having a picnic as you gaze upon the stars—they shined so brightly against the dark purple-ish blue sky and how the moon was lightning up the way.

"Aren't the stars beautiful tonight, minmin?..." You spoke calmly as you sighed—Minho hums in response as he continued to glance your way.

Look into your eyes as they reflect the stars in the night, laying beside one another as your hands were grazing against each other.

"They are...they look so beautiful..." Minho muttered, you chuckled a bit as it was slightly rare for Minho to speak in such a sweet and soft tone. Mostly quiet and a hint of sass but still...

Minho couldn't help but feel the way his heart slightly flutter at the sound of your voice, the butterflies swirling around his stomach, his ears red and his lips into a small smile.

Looking at the way your side profile looks, he thinks you look beautiful even if you find yourself being insecure about it—the way your lashes flutter with each and every blink, your cheeks puffing up with every smile you make.

You were seventeen now and minho was eighteen...

He was gonna be going away for college very soon—but he'd stop a year just to wait for you...

You sighed softly as you slowly closed your eyes and just feel the wind and coldness of it pass through your bodies—slowly feeling another warmth as minho's hand gently covered yours.

"BunBun...You're shivering, you're cold too..." Minho mumbled as he slowly gets a blanket beside him but he still didn't let go of your hand—you slightly opened your eyes as you look up at him.

His face card was always insane to you, he was adorable but also fierce. He was handsome but also hot?...you couldn't help but admire how his brows were furrowed and how how much he prioritizes you above anyone else.

"I am...minmin...can we stay like this forever?.." You asked as you slowly intertwined both your hands together—sharing your warmth as minho's eyes soften and slowly pulled you into a hug.

You found yourself nuzzled against his neck as you both cuddled underneath the stars, the silence were peaceful and so comforting towards you both.

"Of course, BunBun...Remember always together in forever?.." Minho muttered the same words you spoke when you were little—earning a soft chuckle from your lips as you sighed and repeated.

"Always together in forever..."

You slowly closed your eyes as your breathing steadied—Minho was awake still, holding your sleeping figure as he gently tightens his hold. His chin over your head as he sighed.

Feeling a tear slid down his cheek whilst he thinks about everything...about you..

"You know minmin...If you were a girl...I'd date you..." You uttered being sick and in bed whilst he fed you your soup—hearing your words as he froze a bit.

Minho chuckled nervously as he sweatdrops a bit, gulping the lump forming in his throat as he repeats your words inside his head before slowly parting his lips and speaking as well.

"Why not now too?..." Minho muttered cheekily trying to hide the fact that he was nervous and flustered at the thought—looking down at you, gently moving the little pieces of hair stuck against your forehead.

You were warm, very hot infact due to the fever—slightly sweating as you gaze upon him, you could barely think or register your words. The warm your body was making made you hazy.

"Because you're a boy...and everyone knows boys can't like boys..."

You uttered softly—Minho froze at your words as he felt suddenly sick to his stomach at the way it dropped, eyes brimming with tears as his breath slightly stopped. Looking down at you who looked so innocent while saying those hurtful words...

Minho shuddered as he sniffled quietly remembering that moment...oh how cruel was this world to him. Holding you tightly as he tried to stop himself from crying, maybe trying to comfort himself too knowing the fact he couldn't have you.

Maybe in another life...he can have you...

ᯓᡣ𐭩Mxlist°

Author's note: I'M KINDA BACK Y'ALL, ANYWAYS FOR MY MALE READERS IF THERE ARE ANY. HERE Y'ALL GOOOO!!

[trivialbob]

I was tagged by @mstacobelle and @littlerunnergurl: Name 5 things that really irritate you, and what you do to keep that irritation from turning you into a serial killer, or just slapping people on a street corner in your town.

Let's see.

When the grocery store has a sign that says 4 for $10 or $2.99 each. I am accustomed to that horrible pricing at convenience stores but hate that my grocery store has started to adopt the "or" practice. So I simply refuse to buy one OR four of that item at the grocery store, no matter how much I want it. I have many little personal boycotts. They bring me much satisfaction, even if store managers don't notice it.

When the grocery store has a sign that says 4 for $10. Period. Bob! What's the problem? The problem is when my wife wants to buy all four items even if we only need one. No, no, no. 4 for $10 with no footnote means we can buy one item for $2.50. Yet she still wants to buy four. This is why I never complain if she hands me a grocery list, and I shop by myself. The savings are in my control!

Drivers who disrupt the smooth flow of traffic. Those who drive way too fast or a bit slower or even the speed limit if the rest of the vehicles are going faster. Awful. Or the people who brake on the highway, start to exit, and only then use a turn signal. Isn't there some sort of social contract or state law that says be predictable and don't disrupt your fellow travelers' lives, even if you are hyper-miling in your hybrid or pleasing Gaia by making that turn signal bulb last longer by using it less? I cope by thinking these drivers are someone's lovable grandparents. I wouldn't have lost my shit at my grandparents. When I'm following a slow driver and being tailgated by an aggressive one, I love to simply move over and watch the two jerks annoy each other.

Centipedes. Damn, even if every insect is one of God's creatures, centipedes creep me out beyond belief. Any living thing with more legs than a tarantula is heinous, except those puffy green caterpillars. A centipede in my house makes me shriek. Satisfaction is derived from spinning the monster to death in the vacuum cleaner or feeling a satisfying smush from stepping on it. They're only targets inside the house. Outside they are fine.

"Special" episodes of TV shows. A black and white episode, to be artistic? Ick. A musical version? Yawn. Seinfeld S09E08, with the Indian wedding where the timeline was in reverse? Not for me. Even worse are "Very Special" episodes, often with music-less endings and nowadays a toll-free number appearing on screen. The Bicycle Man episode of Diff'rent Strokes was one of the first. It was a "sit-com" episode about child molestation. Just because a comedy show is (or used to be) entertaining and popular doesn't mean it has to "start a conversation." The remote control, or the round knob on the TV when I was 12-years-old, provided relief.

[rednleafff]

Butterfly yokais

So they are still in the work - B U T I wanted to share their traits and backgrounds a little bit to clarify some parts of Yummi’s story :)

The butterfly start as a caterpillars they are all in different shades of green yellow teal, some grow hair like, but unlike human hair- it’s textur is like their skin, smooth (and not in one piece but several locks of “hair”) some don’t, it’s not effecting anything later on.

They stay in the state until the cocoon stage that can begin around 12-19 years old, usually the yokai will start feeling weak, tired and will eat a lot before hand.

Important to note that they don’t have any mystic abilities so far - and more like a regular human with 4 arms eheh

(- side note, 4 arms only appears in a full butterfly yokai, so a mix child will have only 2 arms. Rare to see a half blood child with 4 arms)

 The cocoon stage can last from 3 months to a full year. If someone interrupts this process, the yokai will probably die or will come out very veryyyy weak. So it’s very important to protect the cocoon :>



(This design may change later on, and the gray scale is only for show and. It a legit coloring for a yokai)

Once the butterfly emerge , he will be gifted a mystic ability based on the color of their wings.

If one has several colors, the poll of possible mystic ability grows BUT it’s also dependents of the amount of colors on the wings. For example!!

This butterfly has a higher chance to get the “blue ability” then an “orange/yellow (they are the same one) ability”

The difference colors ability are still in progress but for now we have:

Blue - future vision

Orange/yellow - past vision

Gray/brown - camouflage/shapeshifters

White - ???

Green - ???

Red - ???

Pink - Yummi is the first “pink butterfly” and for now I’m keeping it a secret (BUT it is related to the blue ability a little bit)

I’m still working on it :)

(Old design)

Because of Yummi’s - special conditions (she’s a mix of a butterfly, Kraangand a human) her caterpillar stage looked like a human, and her cocoon stage was about 3-4 months (which is a whole other story for a different day) and her “butterfly form” is more similar to the Kraang dog thingy-

For now at least- I am re designing her a bit by bit :)

And if you think the cocoon stage looks a lot like this- you’re not mistaken >:)

The butterfly yokais are one of the most ancient yoaki’s, and also it’s beloved that they also have interacted with the Kraang back when they first came to earth and after their creation.

[story-telling]

heyy, mind if i send a request? :p

how would the AIW 1951 cast react if you/s/o had like a really weird hyperfixation/special interest, like animatronics or sea cucumbers or something obscure like that lmao.

Thank you in advance! You don't have to ofc tho :p have a nice day! ^w^

How Alice in wonderland 1951 characters would react to a strange special interest ☕️

Disclaimer: this is solely how I believe the characters would act IF they found it strange. Personally I don’t think the wonderlandians would find anything strange esp not a special interest 💖

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Alice

If you told Alice you had a peculiar interest she would be confused for a moment but would never judge you as she has learnt better than that in her lessons with her sister. She would kindly sit and ask you to explain to her what you find so interesting about the subject at hand. She would most likely make up stories with you about the interest to make it more enjoyable for her and for you <3

The Mad Hatter

The hatter would be taken back a tad but laugh. Not at you, just because he found the situation funny. He will sit at the table sipping his tea and gently listening to you info dump about your special interest and simply enjoy your presence. Occasionally he would interrupt you to make a statement or ask a question, not in a rude way, just being inquisitive and unaware of when it’s deemed polite to interrupt someone. He would most likely make a little song out of it and sing it to you (he’s musically whimsical).

The Cheshire Cat

I know fully that Cheshire would pick some fun at your interest but only out of mischief. He would be more than willing to ask you questions about it and let you talk about the subject but before then he would let out a large chuckle and make jokes every now and again.

The Queen of Hearts

She will most likely not care too much for the conversation and dismiss it unless you keep pestering her until she caves. She would order you to sit next to her and occasionally lose her temper with you due to being impatient and ordering you to talk about the next thing. Or another option would be for her to order you to play croquet while you talk about it meanwhile she keeps interrupting with “OFF WITH HIS HEAD”

The Caterpillar

He wouldn’t be too fond of the conversation as he likes to keep to himself however he would never turn down a nonsensical info dump. He would stare at you, eyes half closed while puffing on his hookah and listening to you rambling on. His face would show a soft grin as he enjoys listening to the words coming out your mouth.

The White Rabbit

Knowing how late Mr rabbit is. He would most likely offer you to speed walk with him while you talk about it. He would however ask questions about it and keep the conversation moving until eventually he would hop off abruptly without another word.

The Flowers

They would offer you a seat on a leaf at first glance but then after some time they would get bored and tired of listening and start singing. To which you find that very rude and they would kick you out for interrupting them.

[pr41sethemoon]

Harlow’s Gift | Dad Josh Kiszka ☾

//: Did my heart clench sadly while writing this…yup. Just a bit. 😭 and I missed Harlow.

Pairing: Dad!Josh x Reader x Harlow

Word count: 1.5K

Warning(s): Lethal dosage of Fluff 🤍

Masterlist

|Sorry in advance if any errors|

You and Josh have been teaching your daughter how to share, which started mainly with toys. Now, your daughter has gotten the hang of it, and she loves to share. With that in tow, she has a big thing with giving random gifts to people. Especially to you and Josh. She loves the reactions, and will continuously bring things to both of you. It wasn’t just toys anymore either, it will be food, books, etc. Anything she can get in her hands, she comes running to give it to either of you.

It’s a sunny day outside, which was perfect because you and Josh decided to tend to the garden in the backyard. Your 3-year-old, Harlow, running around as she usually does. Though, both you and Josh had been so wrapped up in cleaning up some snipping that you hadn’t heard Lo for a minute. It was too quiet.

You look to Josh, “Where is Harlow?”

Josh stands up, searching the backyard before calling out to her. You stand up, and the next thing you hear is her squeaky crocs coming from around the corner of the garden. You both notice that she looks a little disheveled, her overalls a little dirty. You and Josh share a confused look, chucking at the little girl. Harlow has a huge smile on her face sprinting towards you both. She has her lucky orange sand bucket in her hands.

“Well, her crocs are in sports mode.”Josh jokes to you and all you could do was roll your eyes.

The both of you bend down to Harlow’s level, “Well, what do you got there little lady?” you ask smiling at her as you point to her bucket.

 “Look!” She says giggling. She shows you the bucket, and both your eyes widen. The bucket had a few branches in it, accompanied by a single caterpillar, and her favorite, rocks.

Josh gasps, giving her a huge smile “Wow! Are these for me and mama?!” He asks.

Harlow nods her head, her dark curls bouncing. She has a very proud smile on her face due to all the gifts she’s brought to you and Josh.

“Hands!” She says softly before digging into the bucket.

“Put your hands out, she’s gonna bless us with wondrous gifts of nature.” Josh says to you with a smirk as he held out his hands toward her.

You nod, putting your hands out “Ah I see, these gifts are for special people, huh Lo?” You ask as you tuck one of her curls behind her ear.

Harlow nods again, which makes you smile. She begins passing out gifts, giving Josh the biggest rock and a branch. You notice immediately that Josh did not get the caterpillar like you hoped he would. 

Josh gasps again, “Oh my sweetest baby Lo, daddy will cherish these precious gifts forever!” He says with his free hand over his heart. He goes to blow a raspberry to her chubby cheeks, causing her to squeal out. 

Harlow takes a few steps toward you. Your stomach is full of nerves as you hold your hands out to her. Oh you tried your hardest to give her the biggest and sincerest smile. Josh could see the unsure smile on your face, which makes him giggle. Unlike Josh, you were fairly squeamish with bugs. And Harlow being your daughter, you never knew what you were going to get.

You giggle nervously, “What did you get mama, Lo?” You ask softly.

First, she hands you a stick. Josh comments on how nice that stick was, and the three of you nod in agreement. Then she gently places the green caterpillar in your hand. You could’ve sworn you felt your soul leave your body, which makes Josh burst out laughing. Harlow joins in with Josh, but she quickly realizes you aren’t laughing with them. You blush at the laughing from Josh, but you look at Harlow’s face. She’s unsure of your reaction, watching your face with her big brown eyes. 

You give her a reassuring smile, despite your slightly dying on the inside. “Mama loves your gift, baby.” You say softly before giving her a kiss on the cheek.

Harlow gives you a big smile as she jumps up and down excitedly. She runs off to the other side of the garden with her bucket, probably to collect some more rocks. You finally found the guts to look down at the caterpillar in your palm. A wave of ick hits you for a brief moment, but you realize it's hardly moved. You nudge Josh gently to get his attention, “Its not moving much.” You tell him quietly. 

Josh examines the caterpillar, he gently goes to stroke its side to hopefully stimulate it into moving more. It hardly budges. He tilts his head with a slight shrug of his shoulder, “Little guy looks a sick.” he says softly before pouting his bottom lip. 

You hum, you didn’t feel squeamish looking at the bug anymore. As a matter of fact, you felt bad for him. This was Harlows special little gift to you, so you felt you had to care for him. “Should we keep him?” you ask with an arch of your brow. 

A quiet chuckle falls from his lips “A pet caterpillar? Why not, Harlow would love it.” he says smiling at you. You give him a small half-smile before he goes to stand. “I’ll go grab a jar for him or something.” 

You nod to him, watching him walk into the house. Soon enough, Josh comes back with a decent-sized jar. You both work together to create a comfy living environment for the caterpillar. You gently plop the little guy inside, before securing the lid. This was only going to be a temporary place for him as you decided to get one of those butterfly habitats for him a day later. Harlow has taken fondly of him as well. She named him Noodle, which you assumed that's what she must've thought he was. She loved to keep him company too. Whenever she and Josh would feed him, they would sit at the table and sing to him for a while. Jake had even visited a few times throughout the course of caring for Noodle. Harlow and Jake even made a little song for him, Jake called him Noodle the Brave.

After a while Noodle seemed to be in good health again, finally getting into a cocoon. This saddened Harlow, but Josh explained to her that he would come out again and be a beautiful butterfly. 

“Don’t worry baby,” he wipes the tears from her red cheeks. He kisses her cheek with a comforting smile “He’ll come back out, and once he’s out, he’s going to be a beautiful butterfly.” Josh imitates fluttering wings with his hand, which makes Harlow giggle. 

After a few weeks of carefully watching Noodle, he was finally breaking out of his cocoon revealing to us that he was a monarch butterfly. Harlow was amazed, you’d never seen her eyes go so big before. In the end, you knew you couldn’t keep him forever. You explain to Harlow that he had to go out into the world and be with his friends. 

You and Josh hold Harlow’s hand as you walk into the backyard, Josh holding the butterfly habitat with his free hand. The three of you bend down into the grass. Josh opens the habitat, letting Noodle climb onto his finger. “Hold your finger out baby.” He says softly to Harlow.

You rub her back soothingly, watching the focused expression on her face. Noodle is passed over to Harlow, she giggles quietly as he walks around on her tiny finger. His wings flap slowly, trying to catch a bit of the wind. Your heart is melting at the sight. Josh is gently holding her arm out, whispering to her how they were going to help Noodle fly away. 

“Alright, you ready, lovebug?” Josh asks looking down at her.

Harlow hesitates for a moment, but she eventually nods. You and Josh count to three, and on three you gently help Noodle into the air. The three of you watch the butterfly flutter his wings about. He quickly gets the hang of it. He flutters to Harlow’s nose like he’s giving her a kiss before he departs from her. The act catches her by surprise, but she only giggled. He flutters his wings again, lifting off and circling around the three of you before he sets off toward the sun. 

It didn’t take long before you heard sniffles. Hot tears staining her red cheeks. You and Josh are quick to comfort your daughter, arms are around her, kissing her cheeks comfortingly. You whisper to her that he will be okay on his journey, wiping her tears away. Josh is soothing her, running his fingers through her curls. Harlow clings herself to you, her head in the crook of your head, watching her friend fly away. 

“Goodbye, Noodle.” she says softly between sniffles as she waves her hand toward the sun. 

The wind blows softly, the breeze is cool against your face. Josh gives her cheek one last kiss, smiling small as he leans his head against Harlow’s. The three of you watch the butterfly fly high and away to his new life.

“Noodle The Brave.” Josh says softly. His hand finds yours, your fingers lacing together.

Your smile is small, giving a quick kiss to Harlow's head "Be safe out there, buddy." you whisper into her hair.

Fin

| Hey, you made it! Thank you for reading! Happy New Moon ♡|

Taglist: @rhythm-of-space

[apple-stims80]

So this is Love? (3/?)

Frank woke up alone in bed once he noticed this he felt money, like something was missing. He got up walking into his bathroom to get ready for the day. He had to go to Howdy's first thing to buy more jars so he could get butterflies and put them in so he could carefully study them of course he would release them after he was done he wasn't a monster after all, and as for the rest of the day he planned to look at the new insects that came with spring and maybe even have a picnic with Julie, Poppy and maybe Wally, he would invite the rest but they all would be caught up in work during the afternoon till the stars shown. He groaned looking at himself in the mirror fixing his butterfly bow tie before giving up and letting it hang a little loose to the left, his day was too filled to be fixing a tie in the bathroom for hours on end. He walked downstairs and before he left the house he noticed a note on his kitchen table

~Thank you for letting me stay the night we have to do it again.

Eddie~

Frank smiled to himself putting the note in his pocket as he walked out his front door. "Sooooo~" Julie said teasingly getting Franks attention, he walked over to her as she was tending to her flowers, he signed shaking his head making her smile drop "whaaaa, no one came clean" she said pouting, Frank couldn't tell if he was more disappointed or if she was until a lightbulb flickered in her head "Eddie! He has to know, he wouldn't deliver a letter or package if it didn't have who it was going to and who it was from, he would only do that if it was a special request" Julie said smiling. That did make sense "we'll ask him later I have too much to do right at this moment, good talking to you have a good rest of the day" Frank said walking away from Julie, leaving her to her flowers, and headed for Howdy's.

"Hello~" Howdy chimed as he heard the bell ring through out the store "good morning" Frank said to the overly tall caterpillar, how could something so small turn into something so big, that was a main factor the questioned Frank about the man another was "when would he turn into a butterfly" from the moment Howdy came to town Frank had spied on him fascinated by him until Howdy had asked Julie to tell Frank to stop looking at him 24/7. "Ah Frank, what can I help you with? " Howdy asked fixing the apple display "same old same old" Frank said walking to an aisle he knew a little too well, no matter what he did he would always break the jars he got within a few days. "I feel like I should charge you more for those seeing how much you can't keep them" he said to Frank jokingly, Frank would have been worried he would do it but he knew that raising prices on things wasn't in that caterpillar's blood, Frank groaned rolling his eyes "this time I'll be more careful" "uh huh sure you will" Howdy said meeting him at the register "just for you 50% off" he said smiling making Frank roll his eyes, he was thankful for Howdy prices and how kind the tall puppet was but he'd never say it maybe behind closed doors where no one could hear him. Frank handed him 10 cents as Howdy carefully wrapped the jars in paper and placing them in a bag "thank you, came again" he said smiling Frank nodded before walking out the store.

Frank walked along the dirt paths that we're made in the forest trying to find some kind of new insect. He looked in bushes, trees, plants, and even under rocks but nothing not even a rolly polly nor a worm. He sighed packing up putting his jars and books in his a bag calling it in early as he headed home unaware of the rushed mailman running his way. Before any of them could react they had already crashed into each other sending mail, books, and jars flying Frank had ended up falling on his own things feeling a jar break under him "I'm so so sorry" Eddie said quickly pulling the smaller one up "it's alright" Frank said taking small pieces of glass out of his hand "your hand! " the tall mailman exclaimed taking Franks hand in his own looking at it before gently and carefully taking the glass out. Frank could've laughed at the man for being so worried but at the same time it was kind of nice seeing someone's face scrunch with worry for you. Eddie looked at Frank's face smiling "all better" normally Frank wouldn't care for Eddie's smiles but this time it made his heart skip a beat "oh uh, thank you" he said pulling his hand back and looking at the ground "let me help you now" he said kneeling down and helping Eddie pick up the mail, they made small talk Eddie did his best at jokes but he wasn't the best and yet it still made Frank smile a little. "Oh" Frank muttered seeing another light pink and red envelope with a heart stamp he went to grab it but Eddie had the same idea their hands met each other Frank couldn't help but feel his face heat up as his heart started to pound in his chest "sorry" Eddie mumbled letting his hand up Frank smiled at him giving him the letter "no need to be sorry" he said as Eddie took it from him.

Frank made the decision to help Eddie with his runs as a thank you for getting the glass out my hands and he would never say it but he wanted to spend more time with the taller man. "Thank you for helping me" Eddie said dropping Frank off at his house "it was my pleasure" he said back Eddie smiled at him before handing him a small pile of mail "here last ones" "thank you" he said taking them from the mailman, Eddie smiled again before tipping his hat and walked away.

"Well are you gonna open it? " Julie said crossing her arms, her and Frank had decided to have a little get together with Poppy and Wally. Frank had brought the letter he knew if he didn't Julie would nag him all night long over the phone about it" "now he doesn't have to if he doesn't want to" Poppy chimed in bring a plate of cookies "but I have to knowwwwww" Julie said pretending to faint "know what?" A small calm voice asked walking into Julie's flower garden in her backyard sitting down with the rest "Frank has a secret admirer and won't open the letter he got" Julie said whining to Wally "why do you want to know anyway? Wouldn't that be considered an invasion of privacy?" He asked Julie as she gasped dramatically placing a hand over her heart "I just care for my friend so much, is it a crime wanting to know their soon to be lover" Julie said pretending to be hurt "you're just nosey" Frank said opening the envelope "excuse me!" She exclaimed looking at him.

~My Dearest Frank,

I've tried to keep my feelings at bay but not matter what I do I fall harder and faster you're just too intoxicating you're like a drug to me if I'm far away for too long I began to long for your eyes, smile, hair, and smell. I've wanted to tell you for oh so long but I'm afraid you won't return the feelings and I'm scared of being pushed away from you until I know you'll absolutely return my feelings I'm afraid I can't give myself away.

Your Secret Admirer❤~

[ouranbutworse]

Anime-Manga Comparisons, episode 13.

Oh boy, the Wonderland episode! Honestly, it’d be easier to write about the similarities between these two episodes rather than the differences, since these two episodes are so incredibly different. But both are actually pretty great in their own special ways, I just find it interesting and confusing why the anime decided to completely change the story.

For starters, in the manga it’s made clear from the beginning that the whole thing is just the hosts playing around. It starts off with the hosts breaking the fourth wall to explain that the theme was requested to them, and that the author wagered it’d be a safe choice since there are so many characters. Tamaki and the twins are excited to see Haruhi in a frilly dress, and she bemoans how the outfit is cumbersome, so the twins take over the role of Alice instead, because Haru just isn’t curious enough to ever follow a rabbit down a hole.

On the other hand, the anime starts with middle school Haru and light brown haired Ranka going to the academy to enrol her, with plenty of establishing shots of the school, inside and out. The painting behind her shows a similar little girl chasing a pink bunny, and before the zoom in we even see Kotoko under the tree on the left. I never noticed that before. It even looks like her appearance from the later Lobelia episode in her pink outfit. Ranka worries about her enjoying herself at Ouran, which is the overarching theme of this episode.

The manga and anime continue to be extremely different, as anime Haru chases Usa-chan as a living (living?) plush until he escapes via high powered motor, but the manga has the twins chasing White Rabbit Mistukuni (Mitsu-buni?) until he goes through a too small door and Nekozawa steps in as a mysterious merchant (who they point out was not a character) to give them a shrinking potion and offer them a Bereznoff puppet, Alice A (Hikaru) and Alice B (Kaoru) offer up Alice C (Tamaki) to drink it instead and then throw him to the wolves (The Roberia flowers) and abandon him.

Going back to the anime (Yeah, this is going to get very confusing, I foresee.) We see more callbacks to the earlier episodes, as Haruhi slips on a banana peel and falls into the hole left by the high powered motor and falls… into the same room to get her butt stuck in the vase. She then has to slither like a snail towards monkey Shiro (presumably the cause of all the bananas) to get help, and instead he eats a banana that causes him to shrink and runs off through a tiny door. Haruhi eats an entire bunch of five bananas, peels and all, and shrinks down, freeing herself from the vase, but not from the host club.

She then walks down a long, dark hallway, where we see the kanji for female in lightbulbs appear again, and then a final banana peel whisks her off to a long fall into a pool. I have Vietnam style flashbacks to the beach episode, and I think the overhead shot of her is meant to be a reference to her in the fountain looking for her wallet. The lack of music and focus on the water effects and the voices is actually pretty soothing. Haruhi and Kyoya both have very nice voices. Also Kyoya has very pretty lips.

I wonder if his warning about how Haruhi will be eaten in the pool isn’t strictly about the crocodiles, but rather about how so much grief can swallow you up. Maybe. Should I be analysing the silly homosexual supporting cast so much?

The roses would have been a nicer fit for the Lobelia girls (I’m using Lobelia as their anime names and Roberia as their manga names, aren’t I smart?) but I can’t deny it’s hilarious that they’re controlling robotic crocodiles rather than just being animals like the rest of the cast. Also hello to Kyoya in what is no doubt his silliest role of all time, and I’m including the live action drama in that.

It’s almost tragic that he looks like that, but honestly it’s still great, and it fits him. The manga just omits the caterpillar character altogether, which is weirder. In the original book the caterpillar is rude and and presented as mysterious and ambiguous, and in the movie he’s even more unhelpful and mean. In the anime Kyoya is presented as mysterious still, but Haruhi is aware of what he does, even if she can’t recall why. There’s ambiguity, but no sense of animosity between them. Also, Nekozawa becomes a baby and Kirimi becomes… ambiguously older. And bigger, in… certain areas. Kyoya forgoes the safety of a baby to flirt with a girl. Disaster bisexual at work. We'll return to him (or her) later.

Back to the manga and Tamaki-Alice. (Talice? Amaki?) he meets the Roberia roses, who are stunning and beautiful and I think I’d rather just stay here with them, but we must press on, unfortunately. Tamaki tells them he’s a man, and they call him a pervert for dressing up like that, which is rude! He looks great! And then they warn him about the black queen. Also they reveal Ranka is the red queen ahead of time, so there’s no big shock there. Even though the roses just attacked him, Tamaki is willing to save them from the black queen, until they show it’s Kyoya and Tamaki tries to chicken out because his gut tells him not to revolt. Finally everyone has had enough and they finally swap in Haruhi to play Alice’s role, and she looks so cute in that dress! So cute that the roses (Rose-beria? There’s so many puns to make here!) tell her to stay with them instead, but Haruhi goes off anyway. She’s not that interested in actually fighting the queen, but she’s true of heart and feels obliged to keep her promise, so she goes anyway. She meets up with some of the host club guests and Dr. Yabu from the physical exam episode to get information on how cruel the queen is, and finally to the well informed duchess, Renge! This is a similarity between the two, because she plays the exact same role in both and even dresses the same! The difference is that she’s going to court in the anime to be executed later, but Kyoya straight up sentences her to death in the manga with no court. Harsh, but fair. Hikaru also reappears here as her butler, and finally we see the biggest host of all: Mori! And he’s a very tiny baby named Moriko. Two guards come to take the duchess away, and her final cry for help to Haruhi is to gather a rescue team of gorgeous men to save her.

Ayanokoji appears here in the anime as a cook for Renge, but I’m not sure she ever reappears in the manga past her first appearance, I’d have to conduct a thorough investigation to be certain. She chucks a bunch of dishware at Renge, who is holding baby Nekozawa. Between her and Kyoya not giving a shit about babies, they should probably get together. Then again the baby turns into the curse doll, so maybe it’s fine he was in danger after all. I find it cute that Haruhi is still gentle with the doll and puts it down on a sofa before she leaves. She walks down another very long hallway while the twins bother her, but she’s quick to suss them out. They sound exactly alike in Japanese, but I don’t know if they do in the English dub. We also see Kanako dressed as a bird, floating in a teacup while staring wistfully into the sky and hoping Toru will come back soon. This seemingly adds nothing, but I like it anyway.

Back in the manga, Haruhi-Alice (Harice?) takes baby Moriko with her (who she says is ‘kinda cute’) on her quest to rescue the duchess, and then she meets the Cheshire Twins. They’re wearing almost the same outfits in each, except the anime gives them sleeves on their shirts, a bandana, and oversized cat paws. They tell Haruhi that they used to be a single person, until the queen split them in two after a prank. They also call the queen a grownup, which either means she’s actually an adult, or it’s a riff on Kyoya for being too mature for his age. Either works, really. Haruhi admits she’s starting to sympathise more with the queen. The twins try to get a reward for inviting themselves along on the adventure, but Mad Hatter Tamaki scolds them. Since Mistukuni is already playing the white rabbit, the march hare role instead goes to Shiro, but he’s called the May Rabbit instead… and he’s white. The twins call the hatter bogus and explain that he’s a fugitive who was jailed for performing some odd stage magic during a croquet game sponsored by the queen, but he broke out of jail. Tamaki offers to protect Haruhi and defeat the queen if she promises to marry him, which Kaoru points out is worse than them asking for money. Then the twins want to marry her.

Shiro then calls Moriko an ugly baby and causes him to cry. Shiro announces he’s going home while the others try to stop the crying, and Haruhi gives him a cookie from her pocket that causes him to grow into a man. A very naked man. The twins quickly clothe him, and he gives Haruhi a hug, and they all settle on whoever defeats the queen will secure Haru-Alice. She points out that there’s no more parallel and that it’s the old pattern remerging.

The anime scene is a little closer to the original, as Mad Hatter Tamaki and March Hare Honey announce there’s no room at the very long dining room table, or at any of the others. Haruhi, being who she is, simply accepts that and goes to leave until they demand she come back. They talk about her appearance, and Haruhi says it doesn’t matter whether she’s a girl or not, and then makes a callback to the last episode about his cavity, where Dormouse Mori wakes up to remind him to brush his teeth and then goes right back to sleep.

Mad Hatter Tamaki asks her a riddle about tuna, which isn’t really a riddle, and then yells at her when she gets it wrong, and the mannequin from the first beach episode returns, wearing the swimsuit Honey preferred, to offer wine. Hruhi points out it’s illegal for them to drink because they’re minors, and Tamaki and Honey say even though she’s not a very good Alice, she is pretty cute. The clocks strike three, and the hatter asks another riddle, how are he and her father similar?

He then asks her what else she’d do at Ouran, besides studying, and she’s confused by what else there is. And then we find out that the duchess is going to be executed.

Haruhi stands in as her lawyer, and a lot more presence is put onto the queen here. I wonder if this argument of a parent leaving their child for work was part of her own feelings, but she didn’t realise it. The king accuses her of breaking the vase, and Tamaki steps in to defend her, while also roasting the shit out of her for being boring. She then calls him by his name and the lights go up to reveal all the guests watching, and the other hosts appear and Ranka unmasks himself. He’s really happy to see her make ‘fine friends’. Until later on when he stands on Tamaki I guess, haha.

Of course, then we get the reveal that the queen is Kotoko, and for some reason it always makes me tear up. The clock chiming distantly as the dream fades out is sad.

And then we see the hosts dressed as their manga counterparts, which just makes me wish the black queen would step on me. I’d say enough about that, but now that the anime episode is over, it’s back to the manga, where black queen Kyoya is calling the team rats.

The team are immediately brought to the queen, to the dismay of Hikaru, who thought there’d be more action, and Kaoru bets it’s because they’re running out of pages. White rabbit Honey reappears with his double personality and dark mode, calling them vermin and telling them that if the queen had let him, he’d have finished them in an instant. The queen also justifies her executions and explains that everyone who’s caused trouble was also costing a lot of money, including the red queen. Haruhi feels the need to apologise for Ranka’s actions. Haruhi tells the queen that executions still aren’t right, and asks if she ever went to kindergarten (what kind of kindergarten teaches kids not to execute?) and the queen says no, she didn’t. The mad hatter then summons a giant griffon and it fights the black queen, and while that happens Haruhi finds a tiny Bereznoff eating a cookie in her pocket, and sends him to fight too. He grows large from the cookie, and presumably kills the queen? It’s not very clear. The last line explains that the queen and castle disappeared, and white rabbit Honey seems confused on where he goes, too. Nekozawa returns to become the White King, the Cheshire Twins, Mad Hatter, and White Rabbit argue over who’s going to marry Alice, only to turn around and find Alice is now Mori, and Haruhi wakes up from her dream to her mother Kyoya taking her home for dinner. The others are trapped in the dreamworld and Duchess Renge is still behind bars. Maybe the White King will save her, eh? Haha.

Episode 13… is a happy ending!

[lunarcry]

anyway i was reading nene & ruis cards from this event ('only now?' yes.<3) but emus voice line at 34:48 always makes me ssooo emotional.......like the way its performed....the 'dakara'.....i tear up every time<//3 (tbh her entire part starting from 34:18...) also how they dont use the Actual happy face expressions for her, so its so clear that shes faking it. ough. something something about the times emu shoulders stuff herself (but also this is about the park and her brothers...also another line she has about not being sure if it was okay for her to try to keep her promise with her grandpa....

ANYWAY THATSB NOT THE POIINT HERE THE POINT WAS their card stories<3

first of all ichika lending nene an ear cuz she notices nene seems down...nene knowing she goes to the same school as emu & doesnt want to worry her, proceeds to go "uhhh someone i know has a friend.." to which ichika ALSO ends up going "my- no, someone i know..." T_TLOL i like nene & ichika a lot and seeing 1) nene talk about emu and how she does it 2) opening up to ichika about it......well "opening up" LOL

Nene: (She always says or does weird stuff, and gets everyone mixed into her antics... But I've enjoyed every minute of it so far... I want Emu to keep doing outrageous things with Tsukasa. I want her to keep concocting crazy ideas with Rui. And... I... I want her to laugh and smile like always...)

the expression the choose for this was unreal btw. so tender. her lil smile...

also rui knowing emu only knows 2 places in their school. nenes classroom and tsukasas classroom (rui's next to it). skull emoji

AS FOR RUIS...the way he immediately goes to the mascot(emus bodyguard) AKDJADBKJ HE RLY GOES STRAIGHT FOR THE PROBLEMSOLVING. they dont tell him anything but

Rui: In truth, I am incredibly thankful for Emu. Her determination to save the Wonder Stage and her will to not give up allowed me to meet the wonderful people I am with now. And we're able to put on shows that deliver smiles to countless people.

Rui: I... No, we, as WonderlandsxShowtime, want to keep putting on the best shows possible, together. Which is why if anything that would rob us of that opportunity were to arise, I will refuse to simply let it happen. And I will not let my friends be openly insulted either. Even if it's Emu's family we're dealing with.

unreal things to say knowing the current arc btw.

emu then proceeds to chase tsukasa with a caterpillar cuz "lets find out what kind of butterfly it turns into". tsukasa runs to nene. nene gets roped into it (does not want the bug near her either). rui just laughs. peak

Tsukasa: It looks like she's back to her usual self, but doesn't something still seem a little off...? I feel like she hasn't been adding Yahohoy! or Zoom! or any other nonsensical words to her sentences lately...

Rui: Ah, I see... Some time did pass before we heard her trademark Wonderhoy! again as well. Tsukasa: Exactly. The last time she said that was... When we all put our hands together and shouted that on stage, right? Nene: Now that you mention it, she always said stuff like that every day... Rui: Yes... Well, this is just me speculating but... She has a tendency to emote using her unique vocabulary when she feels absolutely compelled to do so... Tsukasa: Hm? Wait, that means she... Rui: Hasn't been able to feel that way lately. She may be choosing her words more carefully than normal.

-> they then put on a special show for her that essentially just bullies tsukasa and she starts saying nonsense again but ughhhT_T this group... when she says wonderhoy again nene & rui comments on it too... but in general things i will think about for the next ten years

[atlasifyllm]

15 character questionz!!!

got tagged by @kudzucataclysm ! tysm

uhhh tagging @writing-is-a-martial-art @whileyoureinschoolidothisallday

doing this for ruby and cobalt, pretend this takes place at the beginning of arc 2

1 - Are you named after anyone?

Ruby: All of my family's names all have alliteration in them! I'm Ruby Raleigh, and both my moms have pretty alliterative names too!

Cobalt: I don't think so. It's just Cobalt Azure Zaffre. I don't really think I named Turquoise in any particular way; it just seemed like a suitable alias.

Ruby: ...You have a middle name???

Cobalt: ...Yes??

Ruby: ...Dude, NO one has a middle name!

Cobalt: Well I do. "Azure".

Ruby: But that's AZURE and you're BLUE??

Cobalt: Ruby. I have heterochromia. I'm BUILT DIFFERENT.

2 - When was the last time you cried?

Ruby: Pshh, when I was like, 5! I... accidentally crushed a caterpillar. :(

Cobalt: D-Don't ask.

3 - Do you have kids?

Ruby: HELL no. I'm fresh into tourney fighting! I don't have the time to take care of kids. ...Also I'm pretty bitchless.

Cobalt: ...No, but it'd be nice to have one. Someday.

4 - Do you use sarcasm?

Ruby: Only when someone is being a little BITCH. When they DESERVE IT.

Cobalt: It's a little hard to tell. I'm veryyy bad at making it obvious. So I don't really try too often.

5 - What's the first thing you notice about people?

Ruby: I AM the person you notice. NOTICE ME. PAY ATTENTION TO ME. I just like talkin' to people!!

Cobalt: Their eyes. I want to know what a person's intention's are first, before interacting with them. It's very difficult to be comfortable within crowds.

6 - What's your eye color?

Ruby: Azure blue! My soul color is red though, so my eyes glow red with strong emotion! Or Paladin powers. 'Cause that's a thing I have to handle now.

Cobalt: ...It's complicated.

Ruby: ...Why would it be complicated?

Cobalt: My eyes are naturally turquoise, but that's not my soul color. Sometimes they'll glow cyan, sometimes they glow blue. Sometimes they glow both. So in total, I can have four different eye colors.

Ruby: ...Your eyes are strobe lights.

7 - Scary movies or happy endings?

Ruby: I love scary movies! Me and Turqbalt used to watch horror movies together, but he'd get too scared. So I stopped.

Cobalt: ...What she said. Happy endings, please.

Ruby: He used to hide his face and cry into pillows during the scary moments!

Cobalt: ENOUGH.

8 - Any special talents?

Ruby: I love parkour! I'm already SUPER fast as a hare fighter, so doing parkour is my daily excersize!

Cobalt: I'm like a hueman freezer. My ice powers make my body naturally cold, so lots of my friends will just tell me to hold their drinks for them so they'll still be cold.

9 - Where were you born?

Ruby: Right here in Neocity! Born and raised!

Cobalt: It's one of the border cities between Celestia and the Hyperion Republic. We moved to Neocity when I was about 8.

10 - What are your hobbies?

Ruby: Music-making! I'm pretty good at guitar and ukelele, I have some experience in piano... me, Blaze, Rina, and Turq used to play gigs at the Silver Spade! We get free drinks there too! ...None of us are of age yet, so I typically just get coffee from there.

Cobalt: I collect knives and swords.

11 - Have you any pets?

Ruby: No :( Me and Jay are too lazy to cook, let alone own a pet.

Cobalt: he’s so cute it’s shiro my dog being such a cute baby prince 😍 he’s a samoyed!

12 - What sports do you/have you played?

Ruby: Track! Also, technically tourney fighting is a sport I guess?

Cobalt: Yeah, I'm not one for typical sports. Tourney fighting is a little more dramatic.

13 - How tall are you?

Ruby: 5'9!

Cobalt: 5'11.

Ruby: Jay, Blaze, and Tarum are all 6'0! Rose is 4'11 though.

Cobalt: Tiny hands... my only weakness.

14 - Favorite subject in school?

Ruby: I'm assuming we can't say "field training".

Cobalt: Yeah, no. Field training's basically tournament fighting beta.

Ruby: I'm not much of the school type. Cs get degrees! Hmm... Maybe art? I enjoy designing clothing for all my friends, and my moms are pretty supportive in all my creative endeavors!

Cobalt: ...Lunch I guess.

15 - Dream job?

Ruby: Tourney fighting, obviously!

Cobalt: Well, I thought it was tournament fighting. I think. But then I got my arm cut off, so I had to stop for a while. Lots of people can be mean to champion tournament fighters... I'm not sure if I should be coming back. Can I even come back? I mean, I lost a bit of my lightning powers... God, I wouldn't even know-

Ruby: AAAAND THATS ALL THE QUESTIONS WE HAVE FOR TODAY BYEEEE <3

[sarcasticsciencefictionwriter]

At first, you didn't even notice. You were too busy recovering.

You had been to hell and back, through the process of becoming a fairy. You had thought it would be like a butterfly. You had never imagined that a butterfly remembered when the caterpillar became a primordial soup in a cocoon of silk.

But you did. You remembered. The thought of it made you want to throw up, except that your starved body had nothing in it to throw up.

And unlike a butterfly, you weren't ready to go just a little while after emerging from the cocoon.

You fell out of it weak and feeling near death, laying damp and shivering on the platform in front of the entire village, who had come to watch your rebirth ceremony, which was a lot less fun than your wedding ceremony.

Your new wife, who looked so delicate herself, scooped you up and took you back to the treehouse you now shared, tucking you into bed and promising you that you would get better quickly, that humans who went through the change always did.

She brought you the freshest water you had ever tasted, a nurturing broth made out of something you couldn't even begin to guess, but so good that you would actually feel the energy returning to your limbs.

She stayed by your side in the days that followed, when you were still too weak to get out of bed, cuddling with you, telling you stories, flaring her ruby-red wings in excitement as she spoke of all the things that you could now do together.

You liked the sound of that. You had never felt more at peace with yourself than you did now and you had never loved a person like you loved her. You listened to her talk as her wings threw little red lights against the walls, like gems. You dreamily thought it was a reflection of her heart, because you could hear how much she loved you in her voice.

By day five, you could out of bed. Your wife excitedly grabbed your hands and gently pulled you to your feet.

"Look at your wings!" she exclaimed with a brilliant smile. "Look how beautiful they are!"

You had nearly forgotten the wings, in truth. They had stayed folded on your back, out of the way, while you had been ill. You were both excited and nervous to spread them for the first time.

It took a few tries and gentle coaching from your wife until you were able to raise them and spread them in front of the mirror. She wanted you to see the full effect instead of twisting to look.

Instead of being delighted, you let out a cry, clamping your hands to your mouth.

Her smile faded.

"What's wrong?"

You couldn't speak at first. Why had you gotten this color? The one color in the world you couldn't stand? The one you had to urge to cover up and deface every time you were encountered with it in your personal space?

"Darling. What's wrong?"

She put her hands on your shoulder, looking concerned and worried by your reaction.

You lowered your hands, swallowing hard, feeling tears in your eyes as you stared at your image.

"They're white."

It came out as a whisper. Small. Without the true hatred you felt for the color laced through it.

"They're beautiful." she soothed, rubbing your back and tracing one of your wings.

"They're white."

This time, your voice has your emotions laced in it.

White, to humans, is the color of purity. And you are anything but pure.

When you were a child, you were forced to wear nothing but white. Your parents wanted to enforce that you were pure, that you were good, that you were special because of that pureness.

No matter what, you were clothed in white, punished if you soiled a dress. Punished worse if they suspected you were even thinking of soiling yourself.

Your purity was supposed to be your most precious possession. That had been drilled into your mind since birth.

And you had lost it to someone who had tricked you, said they loved you, and then abandoned you when you gave them what they wanted.

You were punished for that, forced to wear even more white to hide your failings, while your parents wondered who would take you when your purity was gone and were just as soiled as everyone else.

When you had run away, finally, you had vowed you would never wear white again, even going so far as to make sure that no pair of underwear or socks was white.

Color was something that had been denied you and were taking it back. Color was yours.

It was of the things that had attracted you to your wife. Her wings, so vibrant, so indicative of emotion, had drawn you in, made you brave enough to introduce yourself to such an ethereal being.

And now the white was back.

For the rest of your now very long--perhaps unending--life.

You told this to her in a staggered confession. She stroked your cheek. She had known about your past, but not your aversion to the color.

"White is not the color of purity to fairies."

You looked up, shocked.

"Purity is a fickle thing, easily changed and lost and regained. Purity of the mind." She kissed your forehead. "Purity of the soul." She kissed you between your eyes. "Purity of the body." She teasingly squeezed your hips. "Purity of the heart." She placed her hand on your heart.

You had no idea what to say, but felt yourself tearing up more.

"What is white?"

The word was a terrified whisper from your throat.

"White is the color of bravery."

You never would have imagined that, not in a million years. You had never seen a fairy with white wings, but you had seen them adorn themselves in white. You had thought it was so show off the colors of their wings.

Tears welled and spilled down your cheeks and you turned into a sobbing mess. She stroked your hair and rubbed your back until you stopped, then gently straightened your wings and took your hand.

You followed her, heart pounding, but with anticipation and excitement now.

On the deck of the treehouse, which dropped off to nothing, you had a view of the fairy village, full of people in vibrant colors, who were unapologetically themselves and accepted others as they were.

You had lived a comparatively little time to them, and all of it the human realm, unloved and unaccepted.

You could start over here, never knowing these things again. After all, you already had a beautiful wife who loved you despite everything, and an entire village that saw the contents of your soul spread behind you.

With an eager, giddy laugh, you tightened your grip on your wife's hand and leapt off the platform with her, spreading your wings for your first flight.

You married a fairy and experienced drastic physical changes. Enduring intense hunger, constant salivation, and even the strange sensation of your body dissolving inside a cocoon. But you hate the color of your wings. You are sorrowful and disappointed, despite your partner consoling you.

[sarasapen]

Among the Blues and Greens

Another installation of the Little One series.

Summary: Meditation often allowed for Jedi to discover and learn about their thoughts and feelings, aiding them in solving their problems. This meditation session unfortunately reveals more than you’d like.

Or the one in which Obi-Wan’s Padawan realises she loves him.

Warnings: Language, meditation, slow dancing, yearning, revelations, forehead kisses, Past Obitine relationship mentions

Word Count: 3k

Star Wars Masterlist

-------

 You were a fraud.

 Whenever you felt particularly emotional, you meditated, as any good Jedi was supposed to do. Before daybreak, the gardens at the Sundari Royal Palace were relatively uninhabited, at least by people. You didn’t mind the plants and animals. Their energies were soothing, incorrupt, they just were. That’s how you find yourself there, for the third day in a row, trying desperately to calm the tempest that’s seen fit to take up permanent residence in your mind.

 Why were you a fraud? A fake? A poser?

 Because here you were, years of training under your belt, pretending to meditate. Fraud.

 It was an old ‘trick’ that young Padawans- very young Padawans, you added- resorted to when they were made to meditate. Sitting there with your eyes closed, trying to keep your breathing even. No actual self-exploration or deep diving into your mind, just putting up a facade that any force insensitive being wouldn’t see through.

 Unfortunately for you, Obi-Wan Kenobi was Force sensitive.

 “You’re pretending,” He muses, lowering himself beside you and crossing his legs, assuming the same position you were in. You keep your eyes closed, forcing your breaths to remain even as if he hadn’t even spoken. He sees right through it, amusement weaving into the deep blues that were his signature.

 Oftentimes you wondered what it was like, to be in the middle of all that was him. Observing one’s signature from the outside was very much different than actually experiencing it. Each individual’s signature was different, and his signature was always so wonderful… You wanted to learn more about it, about him. But you knew you wouldn’t ever dare to be brash enough to even brush your signature against his, let alone delve into him fully.

 His signature morphs, from the vibrant, rich hums to a gentle, soothing wave. He’s meditating.

 You scowl.

 He’s barely been sitting down for a minute, and he’s already accomplished what you’ve been trying to do for the past three days.

 “Focus your thoughts on something,” He suggests quietly, sending out a wash of calm over your prickling irritation. He’s guiding you, as he used to do years ago when you were a young and distractible little thing, and you let him.

 You’d let him do anything.

 You’re swept backwards into the deep abyss that’s your mind, and you fall freely, watching Obi-Wan’s signature withdraw slowly from yours. It’s like watching waves upon the shore, gently sweeping backwards and away, taking with it such tiny, essential parts of you while simultaneously shaping you into a thing to behold. It was always, before anything else, soothing.

 He didn’t like studying others’ energies too closely. It was a common trait amongst blue sabers, whilst reading people's energies were crucial for the Jedi, studying them at great lengths could often prove to be uncomfortable. But yours, he had said. He wouldn’t mind spending days traversing the inside of your mind if you’d let him.

 When you were younger, you’d asked him what your signature looked like to him. He said it was a mass of shades of green that were so beautiful he doubted the mere names of the colours or any other descriptive words would be able to do them any justice.

 Beautiful, was the word he’d always use.

 And he was…gentle, and kind, and smart. You exhale slowly, no longer stiff in your posture. He’s always been so patient with you, even with his occasional sarcastic comment. The perfect Jedi.

 Even as a youngling, you’d hear exaggerated stories from Padawans slightly older than you, or, at least, he insisted they were exaggerated. A few years into your training with him, you began to think that maybe the far-fetched stories weren’t so far-fetched after all.

 You’re so lucky, younglings would say shortly after you had become his Padawan. After all, Master Kenobi’s previous Padawan was the Chosen One. You’d have to be something special to attract his attention.

 And you were lucky. But not for the glory and the awe that sparkled in people’s eyes at the mention of his name. It was for his undivided attention on you, his genuine interest in the things you enjoyed, his efforts to shift your training to aid in what you wanted to specialise in, even if it was wildly different from what he was good at.

 Not that there was much he wasn’t good at.

 You loved the way he carried himself, not with arrogance or pride (both of which you thought would have been deserved), but with a humble sort of almost shyness. You loved that he pushed to do better, to be better, not for himself but for you and Anakin. You loved the way he conducted himself with people, even those considered to be the lowest of the lows, he treated them with so much respect and kindness.

 Perhaps it was just that he was a decent human being, but that didn’t mean you loved him any less.

 You loved the way he’d throw in a sharp remark when facing an adversary, or the way he’d stand tall even in the face of-

 Hold on.

 You loved him.

 You loved him. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck-

 “What are you thinking about?” Obi-Wan calls from beside you, his voice no louder than a low murmur, and it still makes you flinch. “You’ve grown tense.”

 Play dumb. You could do that. Just… blurt out something random and leave it at that, and then you can-

 “She seems nice.”

 FUCK. Not that fucking dumb oh stars above you were so fucking screwed-

 “She… The Duchess?”

 “Yeah, your Duchess.” Oh kriffing hells, if you could just. stop. talking.

 “Duchess Satine is not my Duchess,” His force signature dips suddenly, as if he’s reeled everything back into himself. It pulls you along with it, and you can no longer pretend that you’re meditating. Not with the way your Master turns to face you, studying your features with a concerned curiosity. You tense up again, keeping your eyes trained on a lone tree, a distance away. There’s a caterpillar crawling on one of the branches, and you focus on that. You can tell that he can tell. He’s always been so good at reading you.

 “You…” He starts, but stops himself, straightening and regarding you once again.

 “Sometimes I find myself having to meditate more than usual. Even up to a few times a day, if I’m…” Obi-Wan’s gaze flickers down from your eyes for just a split second, a movement so quick he doesn’t even realise he’s done it. “Distracted.”

 There’s a stutter in your signature, one you try to hide by slamming up your walls, but the brush of Obi-Wan’s hand against your arm has you faltering. The waves of him approach slowly once again, waiting patiently beside the storm that’s your signature.

 “What’s gotten you so tense?” He probes gently, the weight of his hand against your shoulder mirroring the gentle reassuring taps of his signature against yours.

 “Do you love her?”

 You know what. There’s a ledge. Right there. You could just jump off. If you were dead you wouldn’t be facing this amount of embarrassment.

 “...I used to,” Obi-Wan reveals, and his admission surprises himself more than it does you. Not that he wasn’t aware of what the extent of feelings for Satine used to be, but admitting it, out loud? It was something he had never done before.

 “Used to?”

 “It was a lifetime ago, when I was still a Padawan.”

 It’s strange. Neither of you want to continue talking, to keep delving into dark and murky uncharted territory, between the blurred depths of what’s allowed and what’s forbidden. It scares you. It scares him too. 

 “So… what? You decided to give her up?”

 He should say something about the way of the Jedi, that attachments were forbidden, and that had anyone else known, they would’ve expected him to leave Satine. If it were anyone else asking him this, he would’ve said it, accompanied by a deserved lecture on subtlety and manners.

 But you’re the exception.

 You’d always be his only exception.

 So, instead, Obi-Wan says, “The Duchess, while a remarkable woman, has a very different outlook on life than I do, even back then.”

 There's a stretch of silence that he feels like he needs to fill. “Besides, it gave me the chance to meet people even more remarkable.”

 “Not many people can compare to the Duchess of Mandalore,” You mutter, closing your eyes to block out the sight of him when he gets to his feet.

 “No,” Obi-Wan agrees. “Although the Duchess couldn’t come close to comparing to you.”

 And with that heart-stopping revelation, he leans down and presses a lingering kiss to your forehead.

 “Focus,” Obi-Wan whispers in your ear, and then he’s gone.

 Now you really couldn’t concentrate.

——

 “Breathe,” Obi-Wan had instructed you, sitting beside your fidgety body with his own long-since perfected form.

 It was the second week into your Padawan training, and it had taken Obi-Wan twenty three minutes to get you to sit still. Not including the sixteen minutes it took to get you past the normally three minute walk from library to your room, or the seven minutes it took for you to pad over to him and sit beside him. Not for your lack of trying, Obi-Wan mused, watching you fidget once again.

 Your eyes fly open at his words.

 “If I stop breathing during meditation will I die?”

 Yeah, okay, that one was on him. It takes a lot of control for Obi-Wan not to choke on his overwhelming surprise at your words.

 “Meditation can only occur when you stop speaking, little one,” He hints, keeping his posture straight. Thirty two minutes now, he’s been sitting in this position, not meditating, but focused on your wild little signature.

 “Oh, yeah,” You concede, shifting again and screwing your eyes shut.

 Master Kenobi, the whisper-shout in his head very nearly startles him, and Obi-Wan can’t keep pretending his focus is impeccable. He turns to regard you with wide eyes and raised eyebrows. If I stop breathing during meditation, will I die?

 Again, to your credit, you weren’t exactly… speaking.

 Perhaps that’s why, with a self-indulgent smile, he sends back a quick no.

 Okay, you accept happily, shifting again in your seat. Your early days were so much like Anakin’s. Both of you, filled with a curiosity and outlook on the world that only children could view, and it baffled him to no end that both of you viewed him in exactly the same way.

 You just accepted everything he said without much thought, readily eager to believe that your Master was always right, because what else could he ever be? It was perhaps that specific period of time during both his Padawans’ training that Obi-Wan was the most stressed. The first few years were the years he felt as though he could disappoint you the most, to fail to protect you and teach you and nurture you.

 He didn’t fail. He didn’t even come close. You’d tell him if you could. Anakin would tell him too. But it just wasn’t a conversation Jedis had.

 And…there.

 You’re not meditating. Obi-Wan opens his mouth to say something, but the words die in his throat when he feels you oh so carefully reach out your signature. He follows along at a distance, careful not to alert you, and he watches as your signature gingerly approaches the plant situated outside your apartment door.

 The plant. You were connecting with the plant.

 You’re calm, he realises. Nearly ridiculously so, if he didn’t know any better he’d think your signature was that of a fully trained knight. The spurts and bursts and branches that were usually your energy flutter gently down, acting obedient and serene.

 It’s… for lack of a better word, beautiful.

 So with your thoughts centered around that little plant outside, all Obi-Wan has to do is give you just a little nudge that blocks out all other distractions for you- maybe it’s cheating, but he wants to see what will happen.

 And then you’re meditating.

——

 “It’s the first time I’ve worn a dress!” Swishing the fabrics of the skirt around you, you’re easily entranced by the movement. It’s a pretty dress, courtesy of the Mandalorian court, floaty and airy with barely there off-the shoulder sleeves. It reveals more of you than Jedi robes would ever, but you’re so enraptured with such innocent curiosity that Obi-Wan doesn’t even try to suppress the affectionate smile he gives you.

 “You look lovely,” He responds honestly, pushing himself off the couch and taking slow steps towards you.

 “I feel like a… like a…” You pause, glancing up from your skirts to fix your eyes on him, mind racing.

 “Like a?” Obi-Wan prompts.

 “Like a cloud!” You settle for, twirling around as if to emphasise your floaty feeling.

 “A cloud?” He confirms, voice laced with amusement. He takes your hand, twirling you around once more through your giggles.

 “Yeah.”

 “Well, you’re the prettiest cloud I’ve ever seen,” Folding his hand over your own, he steps into your space mid-twirl, his other hand coming to press flat against your back. He doesn’t know what propelled him to do this, to press you against him and pull you into little steps around the room. The giggles he gets from you are enough to diminish any second thoughts he gets, so he hums softly, pressing his cheek to the top of your head.

 Your little impromptu dance session is made to end as quickly as it started, a knock on his door reminding the both of you the reason for such fanciful dressing.

 A dinner.

 It was exciting to you, as most off-world mission events were, so different from the usual routine of your life on Coruscant. Your excitement is blindingly obvious, and yet Obi-Wan, who’s long since tired of having to accept invitations lest the Jedi be perceived as discourteous, Obi-Wan says nothing at all. He gives you a warm smile and gestures for you to move towards the door.

 And oh, what a dinner it was. The food was marvelous, the company a little less so, but the moments you’d glance up at your Master to find him already watching you made up for it. If only he weren’t seated so far away… and so close to the Duchess. You don’t turn your head in their direction again.

 Apparently a royal dinner on Mandalore was not just dinner, so after an hour of sitting at a table several seats away from your Master and surrounded by boring politicians, you’re ushered into a ballroom. Several ask for your hand to dance, but you turn them down with a polite smile and even politer excuse. You want to dance, you do. Just… not with them.

 Then you see her.

 She had changed her dress, and she was gorgeous. Elegant and beautiful and carrying herself with such grace even on the dancefloor, she looked every bit the Duchess she was. You sort of hated her.

 “The prettiest, huh?” You mutter bitterly under your breath, taking a moment to try to calm yourself. You take another breath when you turn to face Obi-Wan, expecting his eyes to be on her. Everyone’s eyes were on her.

 He’s looking at you.

 You immediately curse yourself out for the snide comment, hating that you’ve revealed yourself, your insecurities, that he’s going to admonish you for a silly little comment that just slipped out.

 Instead, he holds his hand out towards you, and bends down a little in a bow.

 “If I may have this dance, my dear?” The words come out as a low murmur, and even with the loud applause of everyone around you signalling the end of the Duchess’ dance, you hear him perfectly. Your cheeks are flushed and you’re trying impossibly hard to keep your breathing even as you slide your hand into his, letting him lead you to the middle of the dance floor.

 It’s strange, you think.

 The two of you have been in arguably far closer quarters than you were in now, with a decent amount of space between your bodies, joined only by your hand in his and his other hand on your waist. You’ve trained together, sparred together, been forced into close confines in the middle of missions and on occasion even slept in the same bed together.

 Obi-Wan’s grip on your hand tightens, the tips of his fingers skimming up your back and brushing tantalisingly against the skin that’s uncovered by the dress.

 No, this… this, in front of a whole room of people from all over the galaxy, this was far more intimate than anything ever before. It’s almost as if you’ve been transported back in time just a couple of hours ago, when it was just him and you in the privacy of your quarters.

 “The prettiest,” he confirms, voice low in your ear. Your breath hitches at his statement and all its implications. “It’s not even a competition.”

 Good things, as all things do, must eventually come to an end. Obi-Wan guides a slightly tipsy and very giggly you back towards your room, laughing despite himself when you trip over your own two feet. The last thing he wants after a successful mission is for you to get concussed by falling.

 He bends and effortlessly sweeps you into your arms, letting you swing your legs in the air. It’s not the first time he’s been in this position with you. Perhaps he’s carried you like this a little too often. His thoughts don’t linger on that topic for long.

 You change out of your dress and sit cross-legged in front of him, letting him brush out your hair and pull it back into a braid for you to sleep in, actions so practised that they’re not even spoken about.

 And on the floor of your room, discarded almost carelessly at the end of the bed, lay two weapons beside each other, one green, and one blue.

-----

The next one will be Obi-Wan’s revelation ;)

-----

Obi-Wan taglist:

@allinmymind @ginger-swag-rapunzel @mugoi-usagi @babymango-writes @fluffyhales @whinsical-ash @filthy-thots @altarsw @mando831 @ruleroftides @soft-and-lush @softlikefairydust @bumblegadget @stafskislava @torihester @shedobeclownin @satikryze @buwnni @mando-amando @mrskenobi19 @butch-medusae @fandomtrxshh @a-c-lee @neji85 @reejero @silverpuppi @thereluctantherosrose @shinybananapastanickel @hey-there-angels @grumpymuffinmama @hufflingpuffling-blog1 @kyle9no @qt-ane @arsowon @aesthelliec @lovelyweepingrebel @marvelranger @lovelylostminds 

[wri0thesley]

A Well Rounded Education (4): Equality Statement (Fem!Reader x Naoya Zenin, 7.5k)

series synopsis: you are a teacher’s aid to teacher Gojo Satoru, training to be able to take over your own class next year by shadowing and helping him out. gojo, unfortunately, does not make things easy for anybody.

chapter synopsis: you make the mistake of crossing naoya zenin at a sports festival and are forced to apologise. but as you well know by now, nothing ever seems to go to plan where any of your student’s fathers are concerned. 

NSFW. MINORS DNI. AFAB reader, fem pronouns. misogyny, weird power dynamics, hate-sex, piv sex, blowjobs. naoya.  

(a well rounded education m.list and navigation)   ♡  (jujutsu kaisen masterlist)

1.

The Saturday morning that your first ever undokai is scheduled for dawns bright and early, and you can’t help the little thrill that goes through you at the golden fingers of dawn lighting up your room. There’d been talk of the weekend bringing rain, and things needing to be rescheduled – but it’s perfect weather, as you put on a comfortable tank top and shorts instead of your neat pencil skirt and suit jacket combination.

This will be your first event of the kind, and you’re excited about it. The kids in the class have been practising all of their cheers and routines and the like constantly, whilst the ones involved in the competitive sports have been cheering one another on and snatching time when they can to race against one another in preparation. It’s been nice to see all of the camaraderie between them – even some of the quieter ones have seemed to come a little bit out of their shell, with so much team spirit in the air.

Well. Most of them have. You’ve noticed Junpei still hanging back, face sad, uncomfortable when other boys crowd him and tug him off to who knows where – probably to get him involved in their own practises or rehearsals.

It’s been long and hard preparing for it, but even Gojo has been focused on something for once.

“There’s just something about events like this!” Gojo chirped to you, once, as he’d held up a megaphone he did not really need and called his class back into formation in front of him. “You know! The joy of youth! I want them to have the best time possible! They deserve it.”

Seeing Gojo’s mischievous eyes sparkle with determination instead of humour had made you smile at him, and you’d felt a strange pull in your chest when he’d smiled back, needing to pull your gaze away to ask Yuuji to stop poking Megumi in the back to get him to look at a weird caterpillar he’d found on the ground.

As a junior high undokai, things are a little more competitive than they might be if this were an elementary school or even a middle school event, but there’s still a big emphasis on the teamwork and the cheering on portion of the day. You’ve watched and applauded what feels like a hundred practises for the cheering section, confiscating whistles when they’re sneakily blown whilst you’re trying to teach a mathematics lesson.

Still, you’re not surprised to see that Gojo’s class have been corralled into his classroom whilst your vivacious teacher and mentor gives them a rallying encouragement that seems to contain a lot of bigging up the fact that they are, in fact, his class.

“I thought the pep talk was for them,” you say, as heads turn to you when you walk into the room. It’s strange to see all of the faces dressed in their gym uniforms instead of their school uniforms – and it’s even stranger to be wearing an approximation of it yourself.

“You look nice!” Yuji pipes up, and you smile at him.

“It is for them,” Gojo brings a hand to his sunglasses to push them down a little, giving you a charming smile and the full force of the galaxies swirling in his eyes. “I’m just reminding them that as Satoru Gojo’s class, of course they’re going to do well! We’re going to be the strongest, and win!” He looks at all of them – bright shining faces turned to him, all lit up with the excitement of competition. There’s something in him that you rarely see right now – something encouraging and bright and compassionate. He genuinely seems to want them to do well. “I believe in all of you!”

The warmth spreading through your chest at Gojo’s words is a new experience. You’re far more used to exasperation and frustration where he’s concerned.

But now, you can’t help the infectious smiles of the children and the determination in their face to do well enough for everyone to be proud of. Maybe Gojo isn’t so bad after all, you think, as he bids the children in the class farewell and tells them to go and join everyone else outside in preparation for the day’s events.

“What d’you think?” He asks you, as Junpei leaves the room, still dragging his feet a little. You can’t blame him. He’s involved in the cheering section, as so many of the less athletic kids are, but the undokai is not optional and you think that Junpei is the kind of boy who hates being looked at. “Are we gonna win?”

“I don’t think that’s quite the point of the exercise,” you say, eventually. “We’re supposed to be fostering team spirit and co-operation--”

“Yeah,” Gojo wrinkles his nose and grins. “But we’re still gonna win, right?”

You sigh.

“With Yuji and Maki? Probably. But that’s not the point!”

Gojo stands up and stretches his arms out above him. He’s in a shirt that clings tight to a surprisingly muscled abdomen,  and dark grey sweatpants. He’s never been the ‘formal wear’ kind of teacher, but it’s still jarring to see him dressed so casually – and even more jarring to realise that he’s handsome, despite the fact you’ve spent most of the last few months rolling your eyes and sighing and cursing the world that you’ve ended up having to endure Satoru Gojo so much.

“I know, I know – but it’s nice to think about, right?” His grin is infectious. “Did you have time to have breakfast this morning? I know it’s an earlier start than usual, I’ve got a spare blueberry muffin in my bag – hope it didn’t get crushed too badly by my stretches--”

“I’m fine,” you tell him, already dreading the idea of him pressing a crumbled muffin into your hand. “I had a healthy, nutritious breakfast.”

“So did I!” He says, hotly. “The blueberry muffin had fruit in it, croissants are glazed with egg so that’s protein, and I had a slice of honey on toast too just because I felt like I’d have to keep my energy up today--”

You are constantly impressed by how he manages to consume all of this sugar without going into overdrive – then again, maybe that does explain a lot about him.

“I don’t really know what I’m supposed to be doing today,” you admit to him. “I mean, I know I’m here to cheer on the kids and stuff, but I don’t know what my role’s supposed to be--”

“Oh!” He comes around and begins to walk out of the classroom, beckoning you to follow him. “Didn’t I tell you? They told me ages ago--” He did not tell you. You don’t know why you find this a surprise. “You’re gonna be in charge of the refreshments table for the first half of the morning – Yuta, you know, the other teacher’s aid, he’ll relieve you for the second half so you can cheer us on and help me a bit. Not that I’ll need it! It’s not a hard job, just be polite to anyone who needs to use it, most of ‘em bring their own lunches and snacks but we find that it’s always good to have a table with some extras – especially when it’s so hot outside!”

“You didn’t,” you say, but you follow him anyway. You have learnt by now that the most you’ll get from Gojo is a shrug and an airy ‘sorry’. And you suppose, in the grand scheme of things, this isn’t so bad. It’s not like you needed to have time to stop and prepare yourself to give people a polite smile and ask them if they’d like you to pour them a glass of water.

The two of you spill out into the grounds of the school, which is already full of excited students and proud parents. You recognise a few of them – your face heats up as you see Nanami forcibly pressing a bottle of sunscreen into Yuji’s hands, and as the two of you walk past Geto who is tying back Mimiko and Nanako’s hair, ensuring the team hats that the students are all wearing sit neatly on their heads.

There’s a man stood with Maki and Mai who you assume is their father; a blond with a sneering face and a presence that makes you feel like you shouldn’t even be looking at him. Maki has her arms crossed, her chin jutting forward – the two of them are clearly involved in some kind of argument. Even as you watch, some other men are walking towards him with their heads bowed, like he’s something special.

You vaguely recall that you’ve heard some tell about the Zenins being a very rich, very old, very respected family. Judging from the way he carries himself and the way people keep looking at him, you think that must be it.

“Is that Maki and Mai’s dad?” You ask, curiously, as you’re pushed past him towards a collection of tables beneath a bright yellow awning. Gojo makes a noise that sounds like a sigh.

“Yep,” he says, sounding short. There’s some kind of history there, you think. “That’s Naoya Zenin. Better for you to avoid him, if you can – he’s not the kind of guy you want to cross, y’know?”

“But Maki’s--”

“Absolutely nothing like him,” Gojo deposits you in front of a table heaped with water jugs, ice cubes and plastic cups. “Really.”

You wrinkle your nose as you look around. At least everyone else seems happy – excited, buzzing with energy and the promise of an exciting day ahead. You can’t help but worry about Maki’s expression, though. She had looked like her and her father were having an argument that had been going on for months--

Gojo waves at you as he jogs across the field, moving surprisingly quickly for a man who ate nothing but sugar for his breakfast. You watch him go, unable to stop a smile forming on your face as he pauses by Maki and Mai. He slaps a hand onto Maki’s shoulder and says something with a bright grin that she seems to respond to with a smile, turning to follow him. Her father’s eyes narrow, as he spits something that even you can work out is venomous at the retreating backs of one of his daughters. He sighs as he says something else to Mai, a smile almost tugging at the corners of his mouth as his attention shifts back to her.

It’s clear who the golden child is there, then.

You try and shake your thoughts away from Naoya Zenin and his two girls and concentrate on the place that you’ve been given, reminding yourself that even if it doesn’t seem like a big role, you all have to work hard to make sure that today is a success. Your students have been practising and getting excited for this event for weeks, and you want all of the parents to be as proud of their students as you are.

You have a good view from the refreshments table of everything that’s going on. You watch a few of the races, a few cheering displays from the other classes to the beat of the drums – and when kids run up to you, sweaty and panting, you hand them a plastic cup full of cool water and they thank you as if you harvested it from a spring yourself instead of merely pouring it out.

Some parents ask you politely who you are, and you tell them with a smile and a bright look, hoping that you being friendly and polite will get back to other people. A few of them exchange looks when they hear that you’re attached to Gojo’s class; the man has a reputation that follows him everywhere. You give out oranges and other pieces of fruit to some of the students who need an extra sugar boost, or the ones who have a bandage wrapped around their knee or grazes from falls that have recently been cleaned. Shoko is busy today, and you often see her direct these injured children to you as a rest stop, and so their parents can find them easily.

You pause for a moment as the names are called for a relay race, and you hear Maki and Mai being summoned. This is the first race that they’re taking part in – if their team wins this one, they’ll qualify for the final this afternoon. You can see Gojo lifting his arms and hollering and hear his loud, excited voice even with all of the other people crowding into the school grounds to watch, and despite yourself you feel a smile spread over your face.

You’re still smiling when you hear a scoff.

You turn around to see what the fuss is – only to see Naoya Zenin, holding a plastic cup of water as if it’s offended him mortally. Seeing you looking at him, his lip curls.

“Is this tap water?” He asks you. He has a curious accent; slow, drawling, and clearly much superior to your own. It’s not an accent that Maki and Mai have inherited – and as he raises one eyebrow, the sun catching the rings in his ears, you find yourself glad of it. “Well?”

“I think so,” you say. You are on edge. He peers into it, and sighs.

“Don’t you have anything better? Cell-gen or Tennensui or even I LOHAS, at least?” He speaks to you slowly, like you’re a child, or as if he’s not sure whether a peasant like you would even know the names of any bottled water brands. You can’t stand being talked down to, and you curl your hand into a fist as you say, trying to keep yourself polite;

“I’m sorry, Sir. There’s just this.”

“You’d think with the money pumped in-- fine.” He sighs, taking a sip of the water, his face scrunching in displeasure at – you don’t know. The disgusting taste of tap water, you suppose. You try not to look at the bob of his throat as he swallows. Everything about this man seems to be unpleasant except the way he looks.

You take your own cup of water, just to quell some of the dryness that has made itself known in your throat at interacting with him.

The cheering gets a little quieter, and you turn to see what’s happened. As it turns out, all that’s actually happened is Gojo has stopped putting forth his own shouts to the fray, his eyes focussed on you and Naoya, a look that you think is almost sympathy spread across his face. You see that the race is about to begin, and you don’t look at Naoya as you say;

“You’re Maki and Mai’s father, aren’t you? Their first race is about to start. Maki’s been training really hard, I think she’ll pip it for us—”

A dark presence at your shoulder, and a sneering, uppity drawl.

“I gather you’re the teaching aid I’ve been hearing so much about from everyone.” he says. It does not sound like a compliment. “Maki has really found you . . . encouraging.” He says it like it’s a dirty word.

You force yourself to remain cheerful, and not ask him what the fuck his problem is.

“Maki’s really talented,” you say. “Mai’s fast, too – they’re both really good representatives for the class--”

Naoya snorts.

“They should be on the sidelines,” he says, coolly. “Supporting the men. Not running. Not getting all sweaty and hot and messing up their hair and their pretty faces.” He shakes his head. “It’s unwomanly, and if Maki listened to a word I’d said, she wouldn’t be doing it.”

“Mai is doing it too,” you point out, hating yourself for getting involved in this. But you just can’t let him stand there and be such an asshole, spewing his narrow-minded ideas when there are impressionable girls around.

“Mai’s already agreed that if they win this race, she’ll ask one of the boys to switch in for her. I’ve sorted it with the principal. It’s not ladylike for her to do any more than she has to. She’s not going to get a husband in good standing based on her athletic prowess--”

Oh, this is too far. You’re seething, though you’re trying to keep your respectable face on. You’re at work, you’re at work, you’re at work--

“Perhaps there are some other things they consider more important than finding a husband, at the age of twelve?”

Naoya’s laugh is nasty, mocking – and you hate that there’s something in it that sends a curl of heat right through you, blooming between your thighs.

“The younger a girl learns her place,” he says, his voice very slow. “The better it is and easier it is for a man to be assured she’ll do her duties. I don’t see a ring on your finger, Miss – I’d hate for them to end up working some dead-end little job just because they don’t have anyone to cook and clean for--”

Nope.

You can’t take it any longer.

You turn and you throw the cup of ‘shitty tap water’ in your hand right over Naoya Zenin’s stupid, smug, asshole face.

2.

Gojo, for what you think must be one of the first time in his life, looks uncomfortable.

“I didn’t know you were going to throw water on him,” he tries to say, weakly. “Look, we all hate him, but . . . ugh. This is so frustrating! I hate all of this bureaucracy bullshit--”

It turns out that Naoya Zenin’s family – and Naoya Zenin himself – donate rather a lot of money to the school for such functions as the one you’re all currently attending. It turns out that nobody wants to piss off the bank-roll that’s keeping their gym maintained, their events fancy and expensive, the library well-stocked – and you get that! You really do! You know that school budgets are overstretched already, and that donors like the Zenin family are something to be gently courted and kept around for as long as humanly possible.

You just wish that the big donor for this school was anybody else.

“I didn’t know all of this,” you say, reasonably. “I know I shouldn’t have thrown a drink over him, but Mr. Gojo--”

“How many times? You can call me Satoru.”

“If you’d heard the way he was talking--”

“Oh, believe me,” Gojo’s full lips press into a thin line. “I know exactly what Naoya Zenin’s modus operandi is. Let me guess: he was all on at you about how Maki’s not a proper young lady, how the boys should be doing the hard work, how he’s trying to make sure his daughters get a proper start and a rich husband – ugh.” Gojo tugs at his shirt, clearly frustrated. “I’ve had it way too much.”

“Yeah,” you say. You find yourself sighing too.

“The Vice Principal’s in his back pocket,” Gojo says, taking a seat on top of the desk that you’re currently sat behind, cooling off some of your anger – Principal Masamichi had sent you inside to calm you down, and Naoya himself had been escorted into the building by Vice Principal Gakuganji to dry off, all the while saying placating things to calm down the school’s meal ticket. “They want you to apologise to him.”

“I suppose I should,” you say miserably. “But it’s gonna feel like swallowing gravel.”

“I certainly don’t blame you,” Gojo says, with a smile, trying to cheer you up. “Hell, I know some of the other staff members have been dying to do it--”

“Ugh,” you bury your face in your hands. “This is a horrible impression in front of the whole school.”

He pats you gently on the shoulder.

“Hey,” he says, “when this is all over, I’ll take you out for ice cream. I know the best places in the city, and they all know me too!”

You summon a smile for him. He’s not so bad, really – sure, he’s chaotic and thinks too highly of himself for his own good, but . . . at least he’s nothing like Naoya. You stand up and pull down your shorts, wriggling your tank top down to cover you as much as you possibly can. You feel a bit exposed, not in heels and stockings and a blouse.

“I should get this over with, then.”

Gojo has too much to do back on the field to escort you to Naoya himself, so he tells you that Naoya’s in the Vice Principal’s office and gives you another friendly squeeze on the shoulder.

“Good luck,” he tells you. “Remember: ice cream at the end of this!”

“Ice cream at the end of this,” you repeat, as you watch him jog out of the corridor. You’re almost tempted to tell him off for running in the halls – Gojo moves so fast that sometimes you lose track of him entirely – but you push back the urge. Gojo is being decent today. You’re thankful to him for sitting with you and helping you calm – and also, evidently, for being one of the things that keeps Maki’s fighting spirit inflamed.

You stand there for a moment, in front of the door to the office, balling up your courage tight and hot in your stomach. You do not want to have to apologise to Naoya, but you know it’s for the best. The sooner you can put this sorry incident behind you and try and avoid Naoya at every single function from herein, the better – so you tap hard on the door and wait until you hear his slow, drawling voice.

“You can come in.”

At first, you’re surprised to see that he’s alone in there – sitting in front of the desk in a comfortable chair, clearly at ease with everything. His arms are sprawled over the back of it, his legs wide apart. You chastise yourself for thinking it immediately – of course the vice principal is busy right now, of course he trusts someone as well-known to the school as Naoya to be alone in his office.

It’s hard not to think about every other time you’ve found yourself alone with the parents of your students, though. A heat crawls onto your face at the very thought of it. You find Naoya repellent, disgusting – but then again, he’s also (and you’re not being glib about it) handsome. You’d be lying if you’d said you sometimes hadn’t ignored a man’s personality for a night in favour of a face and a body that had drawn you in.

Not now.

You close the door behind you, clasping your hands together so you don’t clench your fists, and bow your head so that Naoya can’t tell that you’re grinding your teeth.

“I’m sorry for letting my emotions get the better of me, Sir,” you say, though it really does feel like you are gnashing ice to get the words out. “I should have been more polite. I can assure you it won’t happen again.”

“Mmm,” Naoya says, and you peek up at him through your lashes to see that he’s clearly enjoying having you at his mercy, his lips tilted into a smirk. His hair is still a little wet at the ends, but all that you throwing the water over him seems to have actually done is made his shirt cling tight to a surprisingly chiselled chest and stomach. Asshole. Fuck him. “Yes. I should hope not.”

You straighten yourself up, still a little stiff.

“I hope you can forgive me,” you say. “I . . . I am still learning my place in the establishment.”

He laughs, low and soft.

“Your place?” He asks, the words dangerously sweet on his tongue. “Yes. I can see you still need some help on that one.”

His eyes crawl over you slowly, dragging up and down the length of you, lingering over where your shorts cling to your hips and the tank top hugs your chest. You resist the urge to shift – you don’t want to let him know that he’s making you uncomfortable. You know, though, that he can sense that you have gone hot and prickly all over. He has that smug air; the one men who know what they do to people always seem to have cultivated. The knowledge that they are good-looking.

You suppose for Naoya, it’s the heady combination of knowing he is good-looking and powerful and rich, and you breathe through the force of all of his attention concentrated on you.

“Seeing as you’re still . . . new to all of this,” he says, bringing an arm forward to tap his long fingers on the desk. “And you did apologise prettily, I suppose I can forgive this transgression – just this once, darling.”

The pet name crawls up your spine like ice. He’s still staring at you, enjoying the view like you’re a piece of meat on a market stall he’s considering purchasing.

“Th-thank you, Sir,” you say, hating yourself a little bit but hating him all the more.

“You know,” he says. “You’re not exactly bad-looking.” He stands, rising to his full height, stretching out, frustratingly comfortable in this environment when you feel like a deer who’s about to turn tail and flee at any moment. “You’d be much better off at home raising children than here.” He wrinkles his nose. “Working for a living.” The way that he says the words makes it clear that he considers this a task far beneath the likes of him.

He’s moving towards you now, and your breath seems to get stuck in your throat as he’s suddenly in front of you, stalking elegantly. You want to snap back something about how you’d rather work for a living than have to rely on the whims of a man, much less a man like him – but as he grabs your chin to tilt it up to the light, you find that the words seem to die in your throat.

“Hmm,” he says. “Not bad at all.” He makes an approving noise that sends a flutter right through you, making you dully aware of a pounding ache between your thighs. He leans a little further in, until he’s so close that you can see the pale colours dancing in his eyes, the way the light hits his high cheekbones. “You’re trembling with rage, you know. It’s adorable.”

“You’re very easy to be angry at,” you half-breathe, half-hiss, and Naoya’s smirk is going to be burnt into your memory forever and ever.

“If you’re so angry,” he murmurs, “I can certainly think of a way I wouldn’t mind helping you work out your aggression.”

You shouldn’t do it. But your heart is beating a frantic rhythm against your ribcage and your breath is short, and part of you wants to wrestle him to the ground and dominate him so that he can have a taste of his own medicine. You grab a handful of his hair and drag him down into a bruising kiss.

3.

Oh, and he kisses back. His mouth is soft against yours, but the kiss itself is rough – both of your tongues fighting for dominance, both of you trying to nip at one another’s bottom lip and seize the victory. You’re practically shoved backwards so that your ass catches the edge of the Vice Principal’s desk, even as you tug hard on Naoya’s hair to tell him that you’re not going to be overpowered by him so easily. You feel the feral curve of his grin as he pulls back just enough to whisper;

“Oh? You really think you’re going to get the better of me? You’re cute--” and then you push his shoulders hard, and he stumbles and falls back onto the chair he started this whole escapade sat in. You reach down to tug off your shirt, dropping it onto the floor beside you – Naoya looks for a moment like he’s going to stand back up and resume trying to wrest back the situation into his favour, but as he sees the slight bounce of your breasts in your bra he seems to decide it would be more interesting and beneficial for him to stay exactly where he is and watch you disrobe.

So you do, wriggling your shorts down past your hips – he lets out a low groan at that, as you stand before him in nothing but your underwear with your fists clenched on your hips.

You feel surprisingly powerful like this. It definitely makes a difference from all of the other ways you’ve felt when you’ve been alone with somebody’s father--

“Take off your shirt,” you tell him, and you’re almost surprised at the imperious tone in your own voice. “It’s your turn--”

He raises an eyebrow at you, but he does as you ask. Long fingers curling around the hem of his shirt, taking his sweet time pulling it off his body – and yes, it’s a nice one. Nice, too, are his thighs as he undoes his trousers that probably cost more than you make in a year and pushes them down, sitting before you in nothing but his equally as expensive-looking underwear – an impressive looking bulge outline pressed against the fabric. Even as he looks at you, he takes hold of himself through it and squeezes it, his grin crooked.

Your body does a throb of need.

“Oh,” you say, feigning surprise. “I didn’t realise you were so needy already--”

“Like you’re not dripping,” he says sharply, his eyes zeroing in on the space between your thighs. “Don’t flatter yourself. I can see the damp patch from here.”

“Who’s to say that’s for you?” You walk towards him. You can’t help but feel powerful and in control at how his eyes follow you with rapt attention, how his tongue darts out to swipe across his bottom lip as he drinks in your form in front of him.

“Please,” he says. “As if there’s anyone here more deserving.”

He reaches forward and his hands settle on your hips, dragging you closer to him – hot fingertips brushing your waist, the bare skin beneath your bra before he’s unclipping that too and your breasts are bare. He breathes in deeply.

“Pity,” he says, though his voice is thick with his own arousal. “You’re such a cute little thing, if only you didn’t open your mouth--”

“I’m sure you wouldn’t mind me opening my mouth to do something else,” you breathe, and you reach down to ghost your fingers over his cock through the tent in his underwear. He hisses through his teeth, his eyes half-lidded.

“Don’t just say it, princess,” he says. “If you’re going to run your mouth, the least you could do is make it do something useful--”

“I’d rather die than get on my knees for you.” Your mouth is very close to his neck – to punctuate the statement, you give his earlobe a tug with your teeth, and he practically groans. You’re almost straddling him on the chair, and you do not miss, either, the twitch that his cock seems to give at the tug.

It seems like for somebody who really wants to be in control, and wants women to know their place so badly, Naoya actually is rather enjoying somebody giving him a taste of his own medicine.

He grabs your underwear and pulls it down, clicking his tongue as it bunches about your knees.

“Just give into what your body wants,” he says, all saccharine sweetness in that slow, deep voice. “You’ve made a mess.”

You know you have. You can feel slick when your thighs press too close together, hot and wet between your legs. You really are practically dripping. But it’s not just from Naoya, you don’t think – it’s from the sudden power you’re feeling, the rush of being an equal participant in everything, in feeling like you have the upper hand. And not a small part, you think, is because of the adrenaline that’s coursing through your veins at the thought of putting Naoya Zenin in his place. You tip your head to the side innocently.

“What about you?” You ask, with a mean shade to the pitch of your voice. “You’re so hard it’s a wonder you’re not in pain--”

He grabs a hank of your hair with one hand whilst spreading your legs further with the other, so strong that the breath’s knocked out of you. The tip of his finger skims the outer lips of your sex, gathering your slick arousal on the pad as he growls;

“I’m still a man, darling. I see a pretty cunt to fuck and a pair of nice tits and I want to bury myself into it until the bitch remembers her place--”

“Good luck,” you breathe. “I think you’ll be the one remembering his place, here.”

He laughs breathlessly.

“Oh,” he purrs. “You’re going to be singing a different song when you’re begging me to fuck you harder.”

You give him a smile with your teeth bared; the challenge is obvious. It’s a smile that says ‘we’ll see’, even as you both tug at his underwear to pull it down and reveal what he’s been hiding beneath it.

You don’t want to admit that he’s got a pretty cock, but he has. He’s not the biggest you’ve seen, but it’s still impressive; a slight curve giving it an elegant angle that you realise with a clench will hit you exactly in the right spot when you take it inside of you.

He’s slick with his own pre-come, bubbling from the reddened slit – and as you shift forward and trap it between your thighs, he groans aloud again.

“That’s right,” he grunts, as the tip catches on your entrance and you begin to sink down upon it. “This is what you were made for, princess--”

“What?” You pant. “That would be disappointing. You barely fill me up--”

He grabs you and pulls you into another kiss as you finish off sheathing his cock inside of you – perhaps to save his pride, perhaps to muffle the noise that comes out of him, transferred into your mouth instead of his own. Whichever it is, you hate that you were right about the angle of his cock – you can feel it pressing snugly against the spongy G-spot even now, threatening you with a better time than you’d like to have.

You break the kiss to pull yourself off of him and sink back down, forcibly taking the lead and setting your own pace. You know it’s fast, you know it’s greedy – but fuck, if you aren’t boiling over with need.

You splay your hands across his shoulders, nails digging into his skin with little care to how you might mark him. You need him for leverage, as you continue to bounce up and down on his cock. Naoya tips his head back and groans, enjoying the feeling, before he remembers that you two are engaged in a battle of wits and attempts to get the better of you once more.

“I-is that,” he groans, coming to cling onto your waist and force you down on him with even more strength, helping you along in the too-fast rhythm of your thrusts and bounces. “The best you’ve got?”

“Come on,” you say breathlessly, as his cock continues to stroke that spot. You can hear the sounds of him sliding in and out of you, shamefully loud – too, you can hear the sounds of your skin slapping against one another, echoing and mixing with the breathless pants and the attempts to trade barbed insults. “Y-you’re making me do all the work?”

“Fucking pity you’ve got such a nice cunt,” Naoya snarls, his hips flexing, somehow managing to hit you deeper even as you’re bouncing on the balls of your feet and straddling him on the chair. His words are starting to sound very far away. “You should be in my fucking bed, keeping it warm, better off than wasting away here--”

Both of you are running your mouths, overwhelmed by how close one another’s bodies are and the intense heat radiating from you. There’s a frisson of electricity in the air, showering sparks, as the two of you continue to snatch words in between moans and groans and pants and whimpers--

“You’re pathetic--”

“You’re so fucking tight, I shouldn’t be surprised when you’re such a bitch--”

“F-fuck, harder, c-can’t you even keep the momentum going? You’re weak--”

“Baby girl, you’re fucking shaking – you gonna come first? Women are so predictable--”

You can feel your release hovering on the edge of your vision, blurring it as your eyes squeeze shut and you feel tears threatening to roll down your cheeks. There’s a heat inside of you that’s close to overspilling – and as you come down on him particularly hard, the head of his cock rolls over your g-spot just right, and you feel a dam inside of you break as your nails dig hard enough into his shoulders to draw blood. You bury your face into his neck so he doesn’t get the satisfaction of hearing you cry out his name, teeth worrying into his neck to leave a love-bite reminder of exactly what transpired between you two in the Vice Principal’s office.

You feel yourself twitch and tighten around him as your orgasm rocks your body, heat running through you like veins of marble. You can’t breathe – all you can do is bite, your hips chasing the final aftershocks.

Naoya is still hard inside of you as you lift yourself off him, letting his cock slip out of you as easily as butter. His own hands clench around your hips.

“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” He asks, his voice rough and hungry. Despite that, though, you can hear the thread of some other emotion sewn in to them – and with a shiver of delight, you realise it’s neediness. He’s been left wanting, and you’ve been handed all of the cards. “I haven’t finished.”

“And you won’t finish inside me,” you snap at him, enjoying the longing in his voice. “Ask me very nicely and I’ll finish you off with my hand.”

“Mouth,” he demands – and he grabs your cheeks, squishing them, pulling you down and reminding you of all of the power that he has even though it’s your body that’s got the advantage of the high ground. “You don’t really think I’m going to be satisfied with your hand, princess--”

“You don’t deserve it,” you spit at him, but you sink to your knees anyway.

You’re not entirely lacking in manners. You suppose you did get to come. It would be rude to just leave him like this. Especially when the whole reason you’d ended up in this office in the first place was to apologise to him politely.

“This is the perfect position for you,” he sneers, as you open your mouth and envelope the head of his cock within it. You can taste yourself on his shaft. “Fuck, that’s right – put your mouth to good use for once--”

You give him a mean, slow lick along the slit of his cock head that makes him groan in the back of his throat. He wraps his hand around the back of your neck, fingers digging into the nape so he can control you at least a little bit, pushing you a touch too far so you almost choke. You pull off it, drooling.

“Choke me again and I’ll bite,” you snarl, and he pats your cheek like you’re an obedient dog.

“You wouldn’t dare,” he says – and you narrow your eyes at him in a way that says ‘try me’ before you return to sucking at him, hollowing your cheeks. You want to do a good job. A part of you wants to make him come so hard that he regrets being an asshole to you, even though you know that’s ridiculous and not going to happen.

Still. You’re not going to back down from a challenge, so you use your tongue to play along as much of his cock as you can.

“Fuck,” Naoya breathes. “Good . . . good fuckin’ girl—”

You’ve been hearing that low, polite drawl swear and curse for what seems like hours, but that one sends another pulse of heat through you – at your heart, you can’t argue that you love being praised. You whimper against his cock, glad that the fast pace you’ve managed to establish and the wet noises of your mouth around him muffle the noise so Naoya can’t dangle it over your head.

The hand on the nape of your neck jerks, so that you’re forced to look up at him and meet his eyes proper. His hips are slamming to meet your bobs now, the noise of him fucking your mouth filling the room. His teeth dig into his bottom lip and you feel him twitch, his voice pitching--

Salt coats your tongue as he fills your mouth.

But he doesn’t let himself finish there.

He pulls out, and he pumps his cock himself two, three times – coaxing out the other ropes of come, that hit your neck and chest and breasts hot and white and glistening. You’re too surprised by it to do anything – you’d expected him to keep your mouth on him, make you swallow down everything he gave you. He seems the kind of guy who gets off on that sort of thing--

But instead, he’s sighing, relaxing back into the chair as he looks at you with lazy eyes.

“You look cute like that,” he says, his voice low and sated. “I should take a picture.”

“Fuck you,” you breathe, getting off your knees. You are so fucking thankful for the box of tissues on the Vice Principal’s desk, as you reach across and grab some to dab at yourself so you’re not sticky and disgusting for any longer than necessary.

If you leave them in his pedal waste-bin, you hope that the cleaning crew will dispose of them before the Vice Principal is even aware that they’re there. Your lip curls as you wipe your mouth. You wish you had a mint – or at least a glass of water. Even tap water would do.

For what it’s worth, Naoya seems a little agitated as he puts himself to rights too. Evidently he was not expecting you to fight back so much – he places a finger on his shoulders and scowls when he sees that you made him bleed.

“I should sue you for assault,” he says. You tap your own body, at the curve of your hips and waist.

“I’m going to bruise,” you tell him. “So I guess it would be self-defence.”

“You’re too smart for your own good,” he tells you, with narrowed eyes – and you give him another smile, one that is clearly fake, as you pull your tank top and shorts back on and re-tie your shoes.

You’re surprised as you go to leave the room and he sets a hand on the small of your back in a mocking echo of polite manners. As the two of you walk down the corridor towards the exit, he does not remove it. To the assembled crowds, you hope it will look entirely innocent – like the two of you have merely had a little chat and come to an agreement instead of heatedly fucking one another’s brains out.

You blink as you emerge out into the light, your eyes taking a moment to adjust. You see Principal Masamichi give you a sympathetic smile – and there’s Gojo, immediately charging towards you like an overprotective bear. He slows down as he sees the way that Naoya is still touching you.

“I hope everything’s alright,” he says, sounding stiffer and more formal than you usually hear. Naoya’s smile towards him is cold.

“Everything’s fine,” he says, “Perfect. You apologised beautifully, didn’t you, Miss?” Naoya looks down his nose at you, a conceited smile on his mouth. “I’ve decided to overlook this little transgression.” He leaves a pause, and you swallow as you realise what he’s waiting for.

“Thank you so much, Mr Zenin, Sir,” you say. Again, it feels like you have to force the words out through a mouthful of marbles – but they make it out of your mouth.

“Oh, don’t be so formal, Miss,” he smirks. “You can call me Naoya. I look forward to seeing you again – soon, I hope.”

“You’re just in time,” Gojo says coldly. “Maki just won the final race of the day for our team.”

Naoya’s gaze is sharp as he looks at him. His lip curls. You can tell that both of them want to do something – maybe have an out-and-out fist fight on the field. But Naoya manages to get a grip (you’re glad about it; you’re not entirely sure whether Gojo would have been able to hold back) and turns on his heel to stalk away.

He does give your ass one last squeeze, though, that you desperately hope that Gojo doesn’t notice.

Gojo’s shoulders stay set, his chin thrust proudly forward, until Naoya has been swallowed up by the crowd at large – and then, he turns to you. For the first time, you see his normally humorous eyebrows draw in with worry.

“You look upset,” he says. “Sweaty. You smell terrible. Do you need a minute?”

Your shoulders fall. Gojo gives you a sympathetic pat on the back.

“It’s a rite of passage to deal with someone from the Zenin family,” he says. “You’re just unlucky it happened to actually be Naoya today. He usually sends an underling or an uncle or someone to pretend to care about the girls.”

Wow. You sure hope the rite of passage has gone differently for everyone else.

“Why d’you think he came here today, then?” You ask Gojo. He looks at you strangely, a spark of something you can’t quite read in his eyes.

“Well,” he says, “he’s related to the Fushiguros, you know. I heard he and Megumi’s father have met up recently for drinks – it ended in a fight, of course, it always does. But maybe he expected Megumi’s dad to be here too?” He shrugs. “He can never resist an opportunity to relish over someone in his family winning, even if he doesn’t want Maki doing anything unladylike. Megumi’s dad isn’t here, though, so looks like that backfired on him--”

Your face feels like it’s on fire as you think about Megumi’s father fucking you on Gojo’s desk – and the lingering way that Naoya had said that he’d heard so much about you from everyone.

[ellitx]

And now to interrupt the brain rots for a random wholesome hc/scenario from me for once haha

One day I really want to draw papa!Xiao with his little baby on his back ;v; though he's incredibly reluctant to be around his own child due to his fears over his karma affecting the baby, one day his s/o falls ill with a bad cold and she doesn't want to be around the baby in case they get sick as well, so she asks if Xiao can look after them which he hesitantly agrees...secretly he was hoping he could ask Verr to babysit but unfortunately she wasn't there and was out on errands and he doesn't know or trust anyone else so...Xiao is stuck with the baby. Now, It's not he disliked being a father or the baby for he loved his child very much, but his anxieties over his parenting abilities and his karma often got in the way, and he was kinda low-key intimidated by his own kid xD

But anyways before I get off topic, I can see him recieving a baby sling/carrier from one of the residents when they notice him awkwardly holding them xD and since it's kind of chilly out the baby is dressed in many layers of clothes and a blanket topped with a fuzzy cap on their head. They end up looking a lil caterpillar ;v; and they babble and coo at their surroundings, loving the scenery from high up at the Inn.

I like the idea of Xiao wanting to show the baby the scenes around the place he calls home, (also because he has no idea what else to do??? How do you take care of a baby??? Playing? What's that???) and at one point during the walk Xiao feels wiggling coming from behind him and he notices the baby trying to touch a crystal fly that drifted by them, a toothless grin on their chubby face as they try to reach out for it with their little arm, and Xiao feels his heart warming at the sight, and catches one for them.

- teyvat-wanderer

Soft papa xiao 🥺🥺

Also!! What if madame ping happens to visit them in wangshu inn and gives their child a gift? Maybe a handmade garments for them or accessories or another baby carrier for xiao to bring lmaooo

Now what xiao didnt expect to see was zhongli. Xiao immediately bowed down before him and zhongli really has to tell xiao he doesnt need to be so formal around him.

“Ah, my apologies. It seems like I forgot to bring my gifts for you and your child. But I did happen to bring this book with me. Childe said these are good stories to tell to these young ones.”

Xiao is frantically telling to him that it’s fine and he’s already grateful for his blessings to his wife and child.

The baby on his back happens to see grandpa Zhongli and they stretched out their short arms towards him, cooing and babbling.

“Oh? Eager for a story are we?” The man chuckled and looked at the yaksha for a permission if he can carry the child. Xiao nodded his head and carefully and gently he does hold them between his hands and pass them to his master.

“A-ga...” The little one mumbled, clutching on Zhongli’s shirt to touch the book he was holding. The green-haired male turned his head when he heard a soft laughter beside him.

“My, your child seems to be an energetic one. A trait they inherited from their mother, hm?” Madame Ping commented as she took a seat on a nearby chair.

“Oh, I almost forgot,” she rumbled to her clothes and took out a familiar teapot.

“That’s...”

“You guessed it. I’ve made another Serenitea Pot specially made for your family.” Another peal of laughter slipped from her lips.

“You can’t let your child wander around in the wilderness if there’s monsters around, no? No worries, it’s already been furnished— in and out.”

Xiao feels bad to receive so many gifts from these adepti and yet he can’t bring himself to deny them.

“Th-thank you...” he awkwardly muttered under his breath as he bowed at her in gratitude. He felt the tips of his ears warming up and he peered from the corner of his eyes to see his baby slamming the book with their small hands whilst Zhongli softly reads a line from it with his usual calm and gentle voice.