#still thinking about that time all of the only cheese pizza was eaten and all was left was pepperoni and supreme

[tokruta]

I feel so cheated sometimes bc I fucking hate the taste and smell of meat (I categorize seafood as meat too) and beans

I'm Mexican-American

My Mexican mother is considered the best in the family for Mexican cuisine, everyone loves her food and I can't eat most of it

I can't eat it or smell it without wanting to gag (I don't, but I need to leave after a while to get a break)

Mexican food is considered one of the best food cultures in the world, my mother was born and raised in Jalisco and brought all the recipes she learned from her mother with her

I grew up on fast food and faster/easier recipes because she needed to put more time and effort into cooking for the rest of the family

I also grew up in Los Angeles, one of the best places in the US for authentic Mexican food. We'd go to Mexican restaurants when she didn't feel like cooking (and on one memorable occasion, a house/restaurant that was recommended to my parents at church lol), and if not Mexican restaurants, then some fast food place or seafood buffets. I stopped going out to eat with family often in my teens bc it wasn't worth taking me. I also remember being judged and just hated the experience and would make up excuses to not go

I don't know, I was on my tiktok fyp and I kept getting a lot of stuff about Mexican food and I just hate being reminded of my fucking defects so much. I didn't choose to utterly despise meat and beans and I feel so left out of my own culture. If I could eat it, I would, but I can't.

My siblings grew up on all of these amazing foods, and I grew up right alongside them, eating something else.

[happy74827]

The Calm After The Storm

[Mike Ross x Female!Reader]

Synopsis: A minor mishap sends a stressed out Mike over his breaking point, but thankfully, you're there to bring him right back down.

WC: 1624

Category: Mega Fluff, Slight Lime

It was about time that I wrote another Mike fic. Enjoy! (You best enjoy this @yoursacredqueenmother)

『••✎••』

Mike looked about ready to explode.

"Mike," you said quietly, reaching out to touch his arm. He was clenching and unclenching his fists at his sides. His breathing was coming out in short, shallow bursts. He was trying to look calm, but the way his lips pressed together and the tension in his jaw was a clear sign that he was not.

You weren't sure what was going to set him off. Maybe it was the stress of the case. Maybe it was the fact that Louis had him doing his dirty work again. Maybe it was a combination of the two.

But when he whirled on you, his blue eyes were dark. You had seen this side of him before, but it was only when Louis was being particularly nasty. It was a side that made him seem a little scary. You didn't think he would ever resort to violence, but the rage that was in his eyes now... you felt a shiver go up your spine.

"Of course, the night I planned to make dinner for you, we only have beer and cheese," he said, his voice rising. "I had a whole menu planned and then I get home and realize that my stupid, idiotic, asshole roommate ate all of the food."

"Hey, don't blame me because you don't know how to lock up the food," the aforementioned asshole said. Trevor was lounging on the couch, a beer in his hand and a half-eaten package of cheese next to him. He took another swig from his bottle and continued. "If you wanted something special, you should have hidden it from me."

That ticked Mike off even more. You saw him take a step forward, like he was going to pounce on Trevor and rip his head off, so you placed your hand on his chest. "Mike, hey, relax. It’s just food.”

"I wanted tonight to be special and then Louis decided to dump all his shit on me, causing me to be late a hour, and now when I come home to relax and make my meal. He devours it!"

"I'm a growing boy. I need sustenance."

"Trevor, you are such a—”

"Mike," you said a little louder, cutting him off. You put both hands on his chest, trying to calm him down. "Calm down, please."

He looked down at you, and his face softened. Some of the color faded from his cheeks, and his fists slowly relaxed. The tension in his jaw released, and his shoulders slumped a little.

"We'll just order pizza or something," you suggested.

"But I wanted tonight to be special," he muttered.

"It's already special," you assured him, smiling up at him.

He still seemed upset, but not quite as ready to murder Trevor. So, you pulled him by the tie, leading him towards the bedroom away from the prying eyes of Trevor — who personally, you thought to be a bit of an ass — and closed the door behind you.

You sat him down on the edge of the bed and crawled behind him to give his tense shoulders a massage. He leaned back into your hands with a sigh.

"Better?"

"A little."

You gave his shoulders a squeeze and placed a kiss at the top of his neck, near his hairline. Then another kiss right below his ear, which caused him to shiver.

"Now?"

"Mmm..."

You trailed kisses down his neck, then back up to his jaw. Your hands ran down his arms, squeezing lightly. His breathing was picking up, and you could feel him relaxing beneath your touch.

"I don’t think the fridge deserved that slam," you murmured against his skin. “You almost broke it in half."

He sighed again. “You’re right, I should’ve slammed Trevor’s head instead.

You let out a small laugh, and you kissed his temple. You moved your hands back up to his shoulders and pushed him down gently, so that his back was on the bed. He looked up at you, his eyes a bit brighter.

"So, Louis had you doing his dirty work, huh?" you asked, climbing onto the bed and straddling his waist. You slowly undid the knot in his tie, letting the silk slide between your fingers.

"Yeah. He always has me doing the boring stuff, and he never gives me credit for it."

"I thought you were technically Harvey's associate."

"I am, but Louis thinks he can order me around because he’s “in charge” of all the associates."

"Hmm, and then I suppose he blamed you for something you didn’t do?"

"Oh, you don’t know the half of it," he grumbled, his face hardening again. You ran your finger over his eyebrows, smoothing the crease between them, and his features relaxed once more.

"Well, you can worry about him tomorrow," you said, tossing the tie aside. You ran your hands over his chest, feeling the solid muscles beneath his shirt. He looked good in a suit, despite the tie he had chosen to wear today. Too tiny for his neck, but he looked handsome, nonetheless.

“I still can’t believe you wanted to make me dinner tonight, though," you teased, grinning down at him. "What's the occasion? It's not my birthday."

"No, but you told me a while back that you missed the home cooked meals back home. So I was going to make dinner, but now there's no food, so I can't, so now I'm a disappointment and a failure… again."

"First of all,” You reached out and smacked him lightly on the arm. He looked up at you in confusion.

"That's for blaming yourself. What did I tell you about doing that?"

"Blame the other guy?"

"No. Now, what did I tell you the last time you started blaming yourself for things?"

He sighed. "That it was okay and I'm human and it's perfectly normal to make mistakes, but I have to learn to not let them get the better of me and to focus on the future."

"Exactly. Now, secondly..."

You leaned down and captured his lips in a slow, gentle kiss. He lifted his hands and placed them on either side of your neck, deepening the kiss. His lips were soft against yours, and you smiled against him.

You pulled away slightly and leaned your forehead against his. "Secondly, when did I say that? I don’t remember talking about that.

"September 13th, around 4 o'clock in the afternoon. We were walking to the museum you wanted to visit, and we stopped to get hot chocolate."

"I—” You sat up, your brow furrowed. You stared down at him, wondering if he was joking, but he looked completely serious.

You knew his photographic memory was amazing, as he bragged about it constantly, but to have him remember a conversation like that so vividly and precisely? And on top of that, to have it stuck in his mind because it was important to you? You felt a surge of affection for him, and your heart swelled.

Mike noticed your look, and his cheeks colored. "What?"

A smile slowly grew on your face, and you shook your head. "You're so sweet."

"Well, I'm not exactly a piece of candy," he joked. "Unless you count Sour Patch Kids, in which case, I'm like, super sour."

"You are not sour," you said, laughing. "You're the sweetest person I know."

"Sweet like cotton candy or sweet like apple pie?"

"Hmm," you pretended to think, placing a finger on your chin. You were trying not to laugh, but the twinkle in his eye was making it hard. "Probably more like apple pie. Sweet enough without the cavities."

"An apple a day keeps the doctor away… well, technically, it would be dentist in this case, but still—"

You cut him off with a kiss, and he pulled you down onto his chest. Your noses bumped together, causing you to both giggle, but it quickly turned into a heated exchange of tongues. You were both breathing heavily, and you could feel the blood rushing through your body, making you feel flushed and hot.

Your hands were on either side of his face, your thumbs rubbing circles into his skin, while his were roaming all over your body, feeling the curve of your back, the slope of your neck, and the softness of your hair. He slid one hand underneath your shirt, and his fingers left a trail of goosebumps as they traveled up your stomach.

He broke the kiss and moved his lips to your neck, where he began nibbling and sucking on the sensitive skin there. You let out a soft moan, and you could feel him smile against you.

He rolled the two of you over, so that he was hovering over you. Those blue eyes stared into yours, and you smiled. His mouth curved up into a smirk, and you thought he’d pull your shirt off or start undoing his belt buckle.

But he did neither. Instead, he leaned close to your ear and whispered,

“Want to skip dinner and order dessert instead?"

You giggled, wrapping your arms around his neck. "Depends on what you're ordering."

"A Trevor free apartment for a few hours," he suggested, waggling his eyebrows. “Maybe some fried Oreos on the side?

You smirked as he pushed your hair back. His hand caressed the side of your face, and his thumb ran across your bottom lip.

"How about an appetizer before we get started on dessert?"

"That's my favorite part," he breathed, lowering his head towards yours. His lips brushed yours, and you closed your eyes, savoring the feeling.

Trevor was definitely an ass, but his eating habits sure did have a silver lining.

And, oh, was it delicious.

[hornyfor-redacted-onmain]

Sleepy Affection

Pieces of My Heart - Chapter 8 Stray Kids OT8 x reader, Soulmate AU

Masterlist | Next Part

You and Sophie were still texting when you received the invitation to eat dinner in Hyunjin and Felix’s room. They ordered in pizza. As you made your way to the other hotel room, Sophie sent you videos from the concert and you in turn sent in your own to compare, since you would sometimes film the same moments but focusing on different members.

It made you feel warm inside to see all the little interactions you didn’t notice the first time around, how close your soulmates all were.

You still couldn’t believe how lucky you were.

The conversation switched a bit to a new show you two realized you were both watching, her asking you if you had seen the latest episode, which caused the both of you to discuss it in detail. You only looked up from your phone to knock and looking back down until Hyunjin opened up the door for you.

You lifted your head briefly to give him a smile. And then you eyed his pajamas. “What’s with the pants?”

Hyunjin looked down at his pants with a pout. “I lost dare.”

“I think they’re cute,” You said, although the look he gave you told you he wasn’t convinced. They were a bit hard to look at, being a neon orange color, but they had little doggies all across them. It was kind of cute.

You patted his shoulder sympathetically and as you passed him, silently giving a small wave to the rest of the boys from where they were littered across the room. Most of them acknowledged your wave with smiles or their own waves, except for Jeongin who had his eyes closed and was draped over Seungmin’s lap.

You plopped down onto the empty couch and pulled your phone back out to answer Sophie, who was sending rapid fire messages with memes from the show you had just been talking about.

Minho sat down onto the couch next to you, two plates in his hands. “Who are you texting?”

You beamed at him. “Sophie!”

“Ahhh, problem girl?”

“Not a problem anymore,” You assured him. “I talked to her, sorted the whole thing out.”

“That’s good,” Chan said from where he sat on the edge of the bed. He was holding a half-eaten pizza slice in one hand, tiredly scrolling on his phone with the other.

Most of the boys were in similar positions, silently eating their food.

It was a calm silence, and you settled back against the couch with a soft sigh. You expect Minho to hand you the second plate that he has, but instead you turn to find him holding out the slice to you. Confused, you move to grab the slice, but he taps your hand and shakes his hand, wiggling the slice out to you.

“Open,” he says.

You snort. “I can feed myself.”

You move to grab the slice, but Minho pulls it out of your reach. You give him an incredulous look. He tells you to open your mouth again, and you narrow your eyes at him, wondering just how far he was going to push this.

“Just let him feed you,” Chan sighs from his spot. “He’ll complain about it later if you don’t. It’s practically his love language to feed us.”

“Yah!”

You let out your own sigh, sitting up straight and opening your mouth wide. When the pizza hits your tongue, part of the cheese hits your cheek, and your hands come up to grab Minho’s wrist and move the pizza back a little, allowing you to bite down. You deliberately pulled away slowly, licking away any crumbs that remained on your lips and watching as Minho’s eyes darted down to your mouth. He gulped.

You pulled away with a smirk, dropping his wrist and leaning back against the couch as you continued to chew. Realizing what you had done, Minho gave you a hard look.

“Careful.”

You were tempted to push it, but you were tired, and you could tell he was too. So instead, you let Minho finish feeding you the rest of the slice, and it actually made your body warm with affection at how careful he was not to make a mess, the way he would alternate feeding you and taking a bit out of his own pizza. His free hand rested against your thigh, his thumb brushing circles against your skin.

The next slice you ate yourself, but Minho seemed content with the little you had given him, letting you rest your head against him as the texts between you and Sophie started to dwindle down. She finally let you go with a goodnight, and you replied quickly before putting your phone away.

“Tired?” Minho asked, putting his arm around your shoulders and pulling you closer.

You closed your eyes with a soft sigh. “A little.”

He let out a hum.

You didn’t even realize you had begun to doze off until hands shook your shoulders lightly. You jolted awake.

“Jagi, bedtime.”

It was Changbin, Minho behind him cleaning up the spare plates and Chan herding some of the still awake yet sleepy members back to their own rooms. He didn’t seem to bother with Jeongin, who was now cuddled up against a half-awake Felix. You figured it wouldn’t be the first time someone ended up sleeping in someone else’s bed.

You yourself found yourself stumbling to your feet, Changbin helpfully offering up his arm for you to slump against. Hyunjin came over and gave you a goodnight hug, which prompted sleepy Felix to whine about his own hugs, so you went to give him one. Once in his soft embrace, you were half tempted to crawl into bed right in between him a Jeongin, and you very well might have if Changbin didn’t pull you back up.

“Goodnight Lixie,” You mumbled to him, and he mumbled something equally incoherent back.

Your eyes seemed heavier than normal, and you weren’t sure whether they were already closed or if they dropped shut of their own accord when Chan pressed a kiss to your cheek, whispering his own goodnight into your ear. You then let out a giggle when Changbin insisted he wanted a goodnight kiss as well, and the leader gave you a tired look.

Minho took the opportunity to pull you into a hug from behind, resting his chin atop your shoulder. He squeezed you gently. “Sweet dreams, Jagiya.”

And then he was turning you around and pressing his lips softly against yours, your entire body feeling like it could sink right through to the ground. Your knees might have buckled, but Minho’s hold on you was firm. His lips were soft, his touch gentle, and your head was spinning. When he pulled away, he was smiling, truly smiling, like the stars were shining in his eyes.

You weren’t sure if Changbin ever did get his goodnight kiss from Chan.

0o0o0

For the second night in a row, you were woken up far too early.

This time it wasn’t from an alarm. You weren’t actually sure what had woken you up to begin with, your eyes blinking open to the silent and dark room. For a moment you thought maybe it had just been one of the other hotel guests moving around their hotel rooms, or maybe a car horn from outside, or even just a change in temperature.

And then you felt something move and realized what had woken you up. Changbin was on his side right behind you, his arm having wormed its way underneath your own pillow and his hand curled up against your back. Him moving in his sleep must have jolted you. He shifted again, legs brushing up against your own under the covers, and you closed your eyes with a sigh.

You tried to go back to sleep, but to no avail. Every small move Changbin made, every exhale that blew air against the nape of your neck, the way you could feel his body heat radiating off of him. Every part of you was innately aware of him, and it was all you could think about. You were staring at the wall across from you, counting in your head in hopes of it helping you doze off, when Changbin let out a sigh.

The arm that had been curled against your back moved, landing against your hips. You let out a squeak as you were suddenly pulled flush against the man behind you, his arms sliding from your hip down to your stomach and hugging you from behind.

“You think too loud,” Changbin grunted.

“How did you even know I was awake?” You grumbled in response, settling against him.

“You snore.”

“Wha- I do not!”

“It’s cute.”

“I don’t snore,” You insisted.

“Yes, you do. Now sleep again, it’s too early.”

“Weren’t you awake at the ass crack of dawn yesterday?” You wondered. You were pretty sure that Minho had gone down to the gym with Changbin and Chris.

Changbin sighed. “Gym empty early in the morning.”

“Ahh.”

He buried his face into your neck and you finally settled into a calm silence, allowing your body to relax against his body. You laced your fingers with the hand against your stomach, the heat that had once burned against your back now embracing you.

You fell back asleep pretty quickly.

[wh0re43van]

Just friends- (Peter Maximoff X Reader)

Summary: While staying with the Maximoff family, you admit your feelings to your best friend, and he doesn’t seem to feel the same until you inform him that you’re going on a date with another guy

Word count: 4K

Warnings: angst, sad Peter, a brief mention of Unsolicited groping

I’m so thankful for the Maximoffs. They’re allowing to stay with them for a couple months after getting kicked out of my parents’ home. I’m rooming with my best friend of four years, and I’ve never been happier. As soon as he heard about my situation, he welcomed me into his home- into his bedroom- with open arms.

“Honey, I’m home,” The goofball announces as he walks into our temporally shared room holding two pizzas, a 2 liter of dr. pepper, a bag of breadsticks with all the fixings, and a rented copy of The Exorcist.

“Wow, what’s the occasion?” I giggle, sitting up in our his bed, setting down the book I had been reading.

With a fwp, he’s turned down the lights, popped the movie in and arranged the food at the foot of the bed before sitting beside me, now in his pajamas.

“It’s a party!” he gives me a cheesy grin, popping open the pizza box and pulling out two slices, handing one to me.

“Oh god, Peter are we really so lame that this is what we consider a party?” I laugh before taking a bite of the greasy pizza, still hot since Peter was able to get it here in less than three seconds.

“This is the best kind of party! Hanging with your best friend, piggin’ out on junk food, and watching a bitchin’ horror movie? What else could a dude ask for?” He says as he stuffs his face, licking his greasy fingers. I cant help but laugh at the man child sitting beside me, even though it hurts my heart a bit knowing that he only considers me his friend. Don’t get me wrong, I’m more than grateful for Peter (and his mother) being in my life, but I just always hoped for more. It’s been four years and nothing’s escalated despite my many attempts, so I guess it’s time to accept that. I mean, we’re out of high school now, were adults. If he hasn’t shown interest by now then I guess it’s a lost cause. “Besides,” he smacks his lips, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. “The main thing that makes this a party is the fact that you’re here,” he gives a goofy wink, making my cheeks tint pink- but he doesn’t seem to notice.

“How flattering,” I nudge him playfully before opening the 2 liter, taking a sip out of the bottle then handing it to Peter. He mimics my action, then lets out a loud belch.

‘how in the hell does this man have me absolutely smitten over him,’ think to myself as he shoves an entire breadstick into his mouth.

“Whatever,” he chuckles looking away for a second.

“God damn Peter,” my eyes go wide when I see that he’s already eaten half a large pizza.

“What?” he asks as he holds his head up, his arm extended as he lets the cheese slide off the crust into his mouth. “Gotta fuel my metabolism, these rock hard abs don’t just appear overnight,” he snickers before lifting up his shirt, revealing his toned stomach, then takes another gulp out of the soda bottle.

“I guess your body does look pretty good for someone whose diet is 50% carbs and 50% sugar,” I tease, thanking whatever deity it is above us that the lights are too dim for him to see the blush rushing over my face as I stare at his bare stomach.

“You’d think the chicks would be all over this,” he wiggles his eyebrows before deepthroating another breadstick. “They wouldn’t know charm if it bit ‘em in the ass,” he mumbles through a mouth full of bread as marinara sauce drips down his face. “I mean come on, how do I not get girls?” He snickers as he wipes his grubby hands on his pants. I roll my eyes at the messy boy.

“Peter, I know you very well,” I reach for my second slice of pizza. “The reason you don’t get girls is because you can never tell when they’re flirting with you,” I tease, but meaning every word. He’s the dullest guy ever when it comes to picking up on social cues.

“I know,” he chuckles as he turns to look at me. “Real shame too. Sometimes I realize it after they’ve already walked away. Sucks cause I probably coulda’ lost my V-card by now if I understood the first thing about gals. I really can’t pick up on flirting” he says matter-o-factly as he takes a sip of soda.

“Oh, I know all too well, Peter,” I laugh out, my eyes focused on the tv screen. He gives a soft, almost confused laugh, then he’s silent for a minute before speaking up.

“Wait a minute,” he sits up straight in the bed. “Are you implying that even you’ve flirted with me?” he asks with wide eyes full of skepticism. I take a deep breath, sitting up to be eye level with him.

“Peter,” I start, he’s staring intently at me with his brows threaded in confusion. “The only reason I talked to you for the first time was because I thought you were cute,” I laugh out. How can he be so dense?! He stares at me in bewilderment in silence. I can see the gears turning in his head as he thinks back to our first encounter all those years ago.

“Oh my god!” he comes to the realization. “You were flirting with me that summer day in the arcade?” he asks still shocked. It makes my heart happy that he remembers the first time we met. “How did I not realize. God I’m stupid,” he slaps his palm to his forehead.

“Only took ya four years, Quickie,” I tease before taking a sip of Dr. Pepper. “Wasn’t the very first thing that I ever said to you: ‘You’re really good at that, handsome’?” I say and he repeats the quote with me, smiling and nodding. He remembers it word for word. “Come on man, how did you not know?” I chuckle. His eyes are still full of disbelief.

“I was really focused on the game!” his face turns red as he has another epiphany: “That probably wasn’t the only time, was it?” he asks, rubbing his hand on the back of neck, letting out a small laugh.

“God no,” I chuckle, a bit embarrassed but enjoying reminiscing on our friendship none the less. “Remember, two weeks after that, I invited you out to go roller skating?” I ask.

“Yeah of course, you were wearing that limited edition ‘Eagles’ shirt that you still to this day won’t let me touch,” he laughs. I thought that having this conversation would help me get over him, but hearing how well he remembers all our fondest memories together makes me swoon.

“Well, when I asked you, I meant it as a date,” I admit, watching his face once again fill with bewilderment. “But the whole time you were calling me dude and roughhousing me, I just assumed you either didn’t like me that way or you were to dumb to realize it was a date. Lucky for you, I had a lot of fun and chose to ignore it,” I nudge him playfully. He face palms himself again.

“Y/n, I had no idea. I never in a million years thought a girl as rad as you would be interested in me in that way, so the idea of a date never even crossed my mind,” he flops back on the bed, processing all of this new information. “Wait do you still flirt with me? How oblivious have I been? Oh my god am I still missing stuff?” he shoots back up in the bed once again..

“Peter,” I say flatly. “Just last week I changed right Infront of you. I literally stripped into just my bra and panties right next to the tv when you were playing Space Invaders,” I can’t believe this guy. He blushes thinking back to that moment.

“I thought we were just really comfortable with each other! We change infront of each other all the time,” he chuckles nervously. “I still tried not to look out of respect, but I’d be lying if I say I didn’t sneak a glance or two though,” he admits but looks away, avoiding eye contact.

“It’s alright Peter,” I sigh as I close up the pizza box before laying back to watch the movie. “Once a girl comes along that you’re actually interested in, I’m sure you’ll pick up on her signals,” I say not looking at him, accepting my defeat. He’s quiet for a moment.

“Well, how do I know?” he asks genuinely. I look at him, raising my eyebrow, waiting for him to elaborate. “Like, obviously I know a hot chick when I see one, but how do I know when I’m actually interested. I’m clueless y/n,” he lets out a light laugh after the last part, seeming a bit embarrassed as he intently awaits my answer.

“Well,” I prop myself up on my arm to look at him. “I guess it would have to be more than physical attraction. If you’re genuinely interested, then you’ll want more than her body, but also want more than just her friendship. You’ll want to talk to her, to just be in her presence. You’ll care about what she thinks about you. Stuff like that,” I shrug, not sure how to explain what attraction feels like to someone who claims to have never felt it before. He nods silently, absorbing my words. The fact that he hasn’t laughed in my face yet for admitting to liking him is giving me false hope that he could possibly feel the same way. I need this conversation to end soon.

“So it would have to be someone I can see a future with? Someone that I want to impress? Someone that I genuinely care about? But also someone who’s super smokin’?” he asks, wanting a genuine answer. I smile downwardly.

“You’re getting it now,” I sigh. “I’ll be jealous of whatever girl wins your heart over,” I laugh, holding my breath in anticipation for how he’s going to respond to that, preparing to have my hopes crushed so I can move on.

“Oh don’t worry,” he smirks. Here we go. “I’ll make room for the both of you,” he winks. And there it is. My stomach drops, but it’s out now. Now I know that he’s not interested, I know for sure that I’m going on this date tonight. Part of me hoped that Peter would admit his feelings and I could cancel this stupid date, but I have to get out there. “Oh! No, y/n I didn’t mean-” Peters smile drops, and he reaches for my arm.

“No, I get it. It’s cool, man,” I force a smile, standing from his bed, checking my wristwatch. “I gotta get ready for my date anyway. I didn’t even realize what time it was,” I say honestly as I walk over to my suitcase.

“Woah, what?” he zooms in front of me, blocking my bag. “Date?” he asks, a bit of panic in his voice. I scoff, pushing him to the side.

“Yeah, I went to the arcade yesterday while you were out with your mom, now I have a date,” I smile weakly as I strip, then slip into my dress before I walk over to my mirror that I hung on his wall to fix my makeup.

“No- y/n- i- that’s- who… whos your date with?” his words fall out a stumbled mess as if he can’t sort his thoughts from one another.

“Steve. Ya know, the one from the arcade that’s always trying to beat your high scores,” I explain as I brush my hair.

“Steve!?” He shouts in disbelief. “That asshole? Y/n come on, man!,” he almost sounds angry.

“Yeah?” I shrug as I apply some lip gloss. I see Peter pacing behind me in the reflection of the mirror.

“Steve? Really?” he throws his hands up.

“He’s cute. Plus, you know I have a thing for nerds,” I remind him. His face turns red. Why is he acting like this? He just crushed my dream of being with him and now he wants to act jealous?

“Cute?! You mean you’re not just going to be nice?” He sounds so shocked and almost hurt. I turn around to face him.

“I- of course Peter why would I-,” I’m completely flustered. “No.” I say sternly. “No Peter. You don’t get to do this. You had four years man, and just 15 minutes ago I admitted my feelings for you and you said that you didn’t feel the same,” I’m getting frustrated with him, I can feel my blood pressure raising out of anger and embarrassment.

“But that’s not- I didn’t- no you misunderstood!” he starts to raise his voice, laced with panic. “What if I do have feelings for you?” he asks with pleading eyes.

“Do not do this. Peter please don’t do this to me! You can’t suddenly have feelings for me just because I have a date with you nerd enemy!” I shout as my ears burn red with anger. “Don’t be immature,” I poke my finger to his chest, completely irate. He looks like his mind is running a thousand miles a minute. It takes him a couple seconds to rebuttal.

“No! I never said I don’t have feelings! Y/n I didn’t say that!” he shouts, but his voice isn’t angry, it’s worried as he places a hand on my heated cheek.

“No Peter,” I say calmly even though I’m beyond frustrated as I pull away from his touch. “You’re really hurting me right now. You’re the last guy I ever expected to fuck with my emotions like this,” tears well up in my eyes. I can’t believe what he’s doing. My ego was already bruised when he didn’t respond to my confession and now he’s trying to keep me from a date just because the dude plays video games just as well as him. Peter stares at me, his hand still outstretched in the air where he tried to console me. He doesn’t say anything.

Honk! Honk!

Steves car horn sounds from outside the Maximoff home, beckoning me.

“Please don’t go,” his voice is feeble. “Please just give me some time to think. Just five minutes to figure this out,” he pleads with desperate eyes. I almost give in, but I stay strong.

“Peter, there’s a guy outside this house that already has his feelings sorted. You stay here and figure it out. I’m leaving,” I seethe as I stare at his confused and hurt expression, almost making me apologize, but I’m too hurt and embarrassed. He doesn’t say anything, he just grips his fists so tight that his knuckles turn white, his jaw clenches, and I see that he’s holding back tears. I immediately turn to run up the steps because if I look at him for one more second, I would be holding him in my arms, telling him I’m sorry and letting him cry it out. Not today.

•

•

After Steve picked me up, we went to dinner, then to the drive-in theatre. I’m having… a decent time. He’s a little boring compared to Peter, no one can make me laugh like he can. I’m also a bit distracted at how I left my best friend. I think I may have been too hard on him. Now that I’ve calmed down, I think he really was just trying to sort things out. I know that Peter isn’t the most emotionally mature and definitely doesn’t have a way with words.

‘oh god, what have I done?’ I think to myself in horror.

“What do you say, huh?” Steves deep voice shakes me out of my thoughts.

“I’m sorry,” I smile sweetly. “What was that?” I bat my lashes at him, hoping he doesn’t notice that I’ve been thinking about another guy the whole time he’s been speaking to me.

“I said: Why don’t we move to back?” he smirks motioning towards his back seat.

“Uh,” I know exactly what he’s alluding to. Do I really want to go down that road? “Yeah, okay,” I smile. I guess I do. We get out of the vehicle and hop into the back. He immediately pulls me into his lap. I’m a bit taken back by his sudden grip on my body.

“You ever been touched by a real man?” he asks as he peppers kisses all over my neck as his cold hands slip under my dress without even asking. I’m shocked, disgusted, and confused.

“I-uh- can you stop please?” I pull arm out of his grip and crawl out of his lap.

“Hey, I paid for your food and your ticket. You owe me!” he shouts, grabbing my arm again. I have so much pent up rage from earlier, I didn’t even realize it when my hand shot out to slap him across the face full force. He looked at me stunned before getting out of his car, opening the door and literally throwing me out. He picks me up by shoulders and tosses me onto the dusty, bare, dirt. He drives away without a single word.

“What the fuck,” I mutter to myself as I stand up, brushing the dirt off myself. A young man from the next car over rushes to the scene, asking if I’m okay. I simply thank him for his concern, then take the walk of shame back to Peters house.

Now I remember why I waited for Peter for so long; He’s the only decent guy I’ve ever met. As if the silent, cold, horrifying walk back to the Maximoff house at midnight wasn’t punishment enough, once I arrive and enter his bedroom, the sight I see makes my heart break completely in two. I feel physical pain when I see Peter.

His room is dark as he’s laid on his couch, curled up In a blanket, staring at the starter screen on his Tank video game on the box Television. The flashing light reflects on his blank face, allowing me to see his bloodshot eyes, red nose, and puffy lips from crying. He hasn’t seemed to notice me enter the room. My own eyes immediately fill up with the tears I was trying so hard to hold back.

“Peter,” I let out a somber whisper. He jumps up, looking at me with wide, puffy eyes.

“Are you crying?” he zooms up to me, grabbing my arm. “Did he hurt you?” he asks, putting a hand on my cheek. How can he still care about my feelings after how I left things?

“I’m okay Peter,” I lean into his touch. “I should have listened to you, though. You were right about him,” my tear stained eyes meet his. His face flushes in anger.

“What did he do to you? Is he still here? I swear I’ll kill the guy!” He raises his voice with every sentence, balling his hands into fists.

“It’s- I, uhm, would rather not talk about it,” I look down avoiding his gaze.

“Y/n, did he hurt you, yes or no? That’s all I need to know,” He gently lifts my chin to meet his gaze again but I close my eyes. I can’t look at him with out the guilt from making him cry making me feel sick.

“…Yes,” I Whisper, not wanting to elaborate. With a fwp Peter’s gone. I hear the front door open, I rush out to the sidewalk.

“Where the fuck is he?” Peter screams in a tone that I rarely hear from him. He turns to look at me, his once sad expression now pure unfiltered anger: A look I’ve never seen on him before. I’m almost scared.

“He’s not here Peter, I had to walk home from the drive in,” I sigh. Peter looks at me as if he doesn’t believe what I’m saying. He kicks the neighbor’s trash can in anger. With a loud clang, the metal bin is sent flying down the street, his foot mark now permanently indented in the can.

‘Steve’s lucky he isn’t here right now. Jesus Christ’ I think to myself.

“Let’s just go inside, please. I need to talk to you,” I say softly as I grab his tensed arm. He looks at me, his expression softening before he allows me to lead him inside.

I bring him in and sit him down on the couch, it’s silent for a few beats, neither one of us want to look at the other one.

“I’m sorry,” we both blurt out at the same time, snapping our heads to look at each other. The awkwardness subsides as we smile at each other. We both try to start our apology at the same time, then erupt into giggles.

“Let me go first,” I put a light hand on Peters knee. He shakes his head ‘no’.

“No. I’m going first. I finally got everything sorted out,” he takes a deep breath. “Y/n, I do have feelings for you and I’m sorry. I’m just a stupid boy that never learned how to process emotions. You’re amazing! You’re my best friend and I feel so horrible that I hurt you. When you were explaining what it felt like to be attracted to someone, you just explained word for word how I feel about you. I was just confused, everything happened so fast, and I honestly thought you were joking with me at first. I’ve always kind of had the hots for you, but I never in a million years thought that you could ever be attracted to me, so I locked those thoughts away. I’m sorry that I couldn’t express this sooner. I’m so so sorry,” he says in a rush of words, I almost have trouble keeping up with the words coming out of his mouth. His big brown puppy eyes scan my face for my reaction. I just smile at him, tears once again swelling in my eyes for about the third time tonight.

“Peter, you’re such a sweet guy,” I grin and his face beams with joy. “I was such an asshole to you earlier… I’m sorry. My ego and my heart were hurt and I should not have taken that out on you. The way that you still cared about me when I got back from that awful date even though I had upset you right before I left just shows how amazing of a person you are. You are the best thing in my life,” a tear rolls down my cheek, Peter quickly wipes it away.

“Hey, come here,” he says softly before pulling me into his chest. As he pulls me into his strong arms, the scent of his cologne and the warmth of his body makes me forget about every problem I’ve ever had. The steady rise and fall of his chest and his fingers running though my hair could put me to sleep in an instant. “I don’t blame you for anything. That situion just unfolded really poorly and we both said some things we shouldn’t have, but that’s over now,” he kisses my forehead as I snuggle further into him.

“Thank you, Peter,” I yawn as I wrap my arms around his torso. He continues brushing his fingers through my hair and tracing mindless designs on my back, I feel myself drifting off to sleep, all the stress I had been feeling now completely subsided. I lay in his arms, wrapped in comfort as if he’s a warm towel straight out of the dryer. I hear him whisper,

“Goodnight, beautiful,” as he clicks off the tv with the remote. A small smile creeps onto my lips as I slip off to sleep.

[gabessquishytum]

Hob likes food okay, he thinks cooking is a act of love, so when he's tapped by HFGTV for his own food show, he knows he's going to do it his own way. His show is sort of Guy Fieri-ish -- Hob will happily eat your burger made of 5 cheeses; that corn dip that was a hit at your town's most recent potluck,,, if it's made with love and care... Hob will happily chow down. He gets to travel and speak (and cook) with normal people who love it as much as he does.

Dream is a Michelin Starred chef; with famous, but popular, restaurants with aggressive wait lists. Food is art and craft; and while he still loves cooking (not that he has time to eat any of it) he finds himself bored of his function.

Dream and Hob bump into each other at an industry event:

M (dripping with distainful disbelief): You're that chef that happily eats oreos dipped in marshmallow fluff, covered in chocolate and deep fried?!

H: 😍 I love your food! You watch my show?!?!!! Wanna go a a date with me, snobby Mc'beautiful man?!

Dream hates himself, a little, that he finds the heathen charming.

This is the cutest thing I've ever seen. I'm MELTING.

So maybe Dream is only in Hob’s part of town for the weekend, just for this event. So Hob persuades him - he'll take Dream for a tour around his favourite food spots. They'll have fun, eat, and maybe Dream will find his love for food again. Maybe they'll also do a little smoochin'. Dream rolls his eyes so hard they nearly fall out BUT he agrees.

It's late morning when they start out so Hob drags Dream for brunch at his favourite little hole in the wall cafe. They do a fusion breakfast menu with traditional British stuff plus breakfast foods from all different regions of India, and you can pick and choose whatever you want to eat. Hob knows all the staff and ends up dragging Dream into the kitchen to chat/try little mouthfuls of food. By the time they sit down to eat Dream has a tiny smile on his face (although he seriously objects to how much ketchup Hob is putting on his plate).

After brunch they walk around a bit and go get boba at Hob’s favourite place because he's scandalised that Dream has never tried it?! Hob also can't help but talk about how much he loves Dream’s food and how he'd eat at his restaurant every single day if he could. Dream can't believe that someone would care so much about his food, but he's very charmed. He even says he'll cook for Hob some time.

Next stop is to get freshly baked gingerbread from a tiny food truck. Hob spends the whole time trying to wheedle the secret recipe out of the owner while Dream is like "don't tell him, he obviously can't keep a secret to save his life." They're basically already an old married couple and they get the gingerbread for free.

At this point Dream needs to lie down because he hasn't eaten so much food in forever, so Hob offers to take him back to his flat and they can drink tea and just talk about food. Dream ends up falling asleep on Hob’s shoulder and when he wakes up, Hob has ordered pizza. Its cheesy and greasy and a little bit terrible, but there's something about it that reminds Dream why he became a chef in the first place.

They end up making out on the sofa for a few hours until Hob pulls away with this face like he just had the best idea. "We need to do a show together. Where we do what we did today and I seduce you with good, honest food."

And although Dream wrinkles up his nose like he hates the thought... he's the one calling up the studio in the morning and demanding to be allowed to pitch the show 😉

[writingrock]

let me be numb to you [2]

pairing: aventurine x reader (gender neutral) summary: being bored at some club sucks. but when you meet a charming stranger offering you some fun, you don't say no.

notes: drug use, gambling, addiction, mentions of overdose, angst, implied sex

word count: 4.1k

chapter list

Each time he promised himself he wouldn't meet with you again, he lies to himself. There was never a last time when it came to going out with you. In fact the two of you started to go out more.

Initially, Aventurine was adamant in cutting you off after that night. He’s not someone to be friends with. He’s well aware of what kind of influence he is and is content with walking on this dangerous thread alone. The careless, foolish lifestyle where sobriety could fuck off. Where all he had to do was gamble and consume whatever could get him high.

But, you were irritatingly persistent. The onslaught of messages and calls, catching him off guard and inserting yourself into his life.

Thinking back on it, he wished he was stronger back then to refuse you. To block you and completely cut you off. But he was weak when he met you. Deep down, he wanted to be fucked up with someone and you rose to the role. So bit by bit, you seeped into his life through the cracks of his defences.

All the memories of the gambling sprees and drugs were brought back to Aventurine when he sees your name ringing on the screen of his phone. He's just taken a shower. Water from his damp hair falls onto the screen of his phone, two fat droplets of water fall on your name as he contemplates picking it up. 

Cheese pulls are always satisfying when eating pizza. Your hands held the crust of the slice as you pulled it away to showcase the stretchy cheese. Aventurine was only mildly amused. Or at least, he was pretending to be mildly amused.

The two of you had just finished playing a few games at the casino. He was still teaching you the ways of gambling. You could have sworn he was some gambling god. The fun lasted till the early morning of 4:32 am. Both of you left the casino with the winnings of the night. Adrenaline rushing through both as they got into his car.

Hunger was the last thing on your mind until your stomach grumbled during the car ride. “Are you seriously hungry–” Aventurine’s words were cut off by the sound of his own stomach grumbling.

So since the two of you were hungry after the little games, you brought him to your favourite midnight snack place. A small pizza place sits at the corner of a quiet street. A humble, generational pizza shop with weathered bricks and a retro-style neon sign that read “Juno’s Pizza”. The sign buzzes faintly in the stillness of the night, casting a warm glow onto the sidewalk below.

It looks unassuming but they probably made the best pizzas. They always hit the spot after a long night out. Something about the cushiony, salty cheese and the perfect ratio of pizza dough and toppings. The pizza place is cosy, with a comforting, lived-in feel. The moment you walk in, you could picture all of the memories that have taken place here.

Aventurine wasn’t particularly fazed by the place or the pizza. But he could admit that the pizza was good. His fingers pressed the crust, the remaining bit of the pizza slice he hadn't eaten yet. Eating late night pizza from some corner shop was strangely not bad.

It’s been two months since you guys met and the both of you were getting closer. Aventurine wasn’t a big fan of that. Relationships and people are always complicated. Especially when he was intent on fooling around, putting his life on this thin thread of danger and death.

A part of him wants to keep you around. No one has really stuck around him like this and this often. Is this what they call a friend? In his line of work and general life, everyone is a ‘friend’. There’s no meaning behind that word. Just a way to address someone and be friendly with them. He doesn’t truly understand what a ‘friend’ is. But you’ve turned into something he can’t quite understand. Why would someone continue to spend time with him? Is it because of how he’s teaching you how to gamble? Once you learn, will you leave as well? There’s no such thing as a free lunch. There’s only give and take.

“What’s your next step once you fully understand the art of gambling?” he asked with a slight curiosity in his voice, tossing the last piece of the crust into his mouth. Aventurine expects you to dwindle away from you once you’ve learnt all that you need to learn.

Besides, you shouldn’t be around him. This hellhole of pleasure and pain isn’t for everyone. He jumps into it to overwhelm himself from remembering. Running in blind to forget his past turmoil that haunts him. He doesn’t want to look behind him. The past can stay buried.

“What are you talking about?” You ask, taking a sip of your beer. You’re naturally confused by his words. You weren’t here because you wanted to learn how to play card games or win big. You were here simply because it’s fun being with him. Doing the dumb shit with Aventurine is different than doing it alone.

“There isn’t a next step. I’m here because I enjoy your company.”

Your words are slowed in the replay, the easy smile on your face etched on his mind. The memory rings in his head as Aventurine picks up the phone. Hesitating, he slides the ‘answer’ button of your call. A soft click is heard, his breath is held back as he waits to hear your voice.

“Hey … ” Honestly, you weren’t expecting him to pick the phone up. You hadn’t planned for what you were going to say if he did pick up. Dryly swallowing your mouth, you sniffle before speaking, “could you.. pick me up?”.

The line is silent for long enough that you thought he had ended the call. Just as you were about to pull the phone from your ear to check, you hear his voice pull through. Your heart beats grow heavy at the sound of his voice. The phone call doesn’t do his voice justice, you miss hearing his voice in person. Your hand grips the phone rather tightly, shaking slightly.

“Send me the address, I’ll be there.” Before you could say anything, the line clicked. He ended the call. Removing the phone from your ear, you look down at your phone, taking a moment to look at the ‘call ended’ display.

Despite how coldly he ended the call, your heart felt warm. The warmest it’s ever been in a long time. He was going to pick you up. Promptly, you type the address to him. Sending a text to his phone that detailed where you were at.

Clutching the phone to your chest, you shiver from the cold wind. You weren’t exactly dressing for the weather. A regret you’ve come to accept as you stand by the dumpster in the alleyway. Hoping that the large size of the dumpster blocks some of the incoming wind. He hasn’t always been this cold to you. 

Sprawled on the bed were the two of you. Bare bodies slick in sweat, sticking to the sheets of the bed. A cool air brushes past your body eliciting a small shiver as you recover your breaths. Your chest rising and falling slowly as you absentmindedly stared at the ceiling. Sinking into the effects of the drugs mixed with the lingering pleasure from your orgasm.

What other way could you celebrate winning five million credits than getting high on drugs and fucking? The sex had always been casual. No feelings ever came between the two of you at least to your knowledge.

At some point, between the drugs and gambling plots, you fell for him. His irresistible charms and those strikingly beautiful eyes of his. The rare, genuine softness he shows when you both are alone. How the both of you leaned on each other as you both delved deeper into the spiral of sex, money and drugs. There’s never been judgement. It was easy to indulge and be stupid together.

Neither of you ever talked about going sober, it was always about what casino we were going to hit next or how are we getting high tonight. But nothing beats the nights where the two of you lay next to each other, freely spilling all the insecurities and vulnerabilities to each other. Buzzed with whatever substance the both of you abused that day. You remember the nights when he opened up about his past. Aventurine hated talking about it but he needed to get it off his chest sometimes and the drugs gave him the small push he needed. Outside of those nights, that topic is never discussed.

You snap your attention to Aventurine when he starts to speak. “I dreamt of my sister yesterday.” he softly speaks, his voice is uncharacteristically fragile. You keep quiet to let him speak, knowing he would continue. “The skies were clear and we were playing with marbles..” his quivering, soft voice described his dream.

He wasn’t sure why he told you about his dreams or his past. But you made him feel comfortable to be vulnerable with. Something about crashing into the sheets of some random hotel and laying there high on whatever substance they chose for the night. Perhaps it was the drugs that made him more open to talk. Aventurine hated those nights, those intimate moments where he revealed himself. Yet when he was with you, he just wanted to spill everything he buried for so long. Unwillingly and instinctively becoming an open book for you. Something about you emanates with placidity. Your presence comforts him.

Besides that, you were a sight for his sore eyes. The subtle rise and fall of your chest as your breaths created a rhythm, a quiet poetry in motion. Thin rays of light from the window slid over the gentle slope of your collarbone. His eyes marvelled at the subtle dip of your waist, and the soft swell of your hips. His fingers toyed with your locks of hair cascading over the sheets, admiring the texture of them.

But most of all, he loved laying his eyes on your face. Your dreamy expression when you were intoxicated with a subtle flush to your cheeks. Parted lips, curving into a faint smile as you step in and out of the hazy sensations.

What god decided to bless him with such a beaut? Sex with you always felt like a blessing, in a way he was addicted to the way you tasted. The way your body trembled under his touch, the lewd expressions on your face. Your needy whines and moans that sounded paradisiacal to his ears.

His favourite sensation is the warmth he felt when your bodies melted with his. He felt alive when he was being intimate with you.

A part of him knew he desired you more than the casual flings. But he’s never acted on it, he didn’t dare to. You were something he didn’t want to take a chance on. The risk of losing you was something that he didn’t want to play with. He’d much rather be content with casual sex than never have you by his side.

Sex became the tool that conveyed his feelings for you. Because fuck love. He only needed lust. The two of you could continue being together if it was just lust.

There wasn’t a chance he would let time go wasting when it came to you. He slides into the driver seat of his car, shutting the door with a solid thud. Aventurine was definitely worried, simply based on the way you sounded through the phone. It didn’t sound positive. Sliding his fingers across the dashboard, he starts the engine with a low purr.

The car comes to life, the air conditioning unit kicks in and emits cooling air. He sets his car keys aside. Quietly inputting the address into his car’s built in navigation system. He softly spells out the words as he types.

Aventurine wasn’t sure where you were but with one look at his navigation system, he could tell this wasn’t somewhere particularly nice.  A worried sigh slips past his lips as a sense of urgency crawls under his skin. His body is stiff, tense about your well-being after seeing the location.

Both hands stretch to the wheel, gripping it rather tightly as he begins his drive. It’s hard to not be worried about you. He hadn’t always been this cold towards you. But there was no point reminiscing about the past.

He hadn’t felt this worried about you since— he stops for a moment as he pulls out of the driveway. Pausing as he lets out another sigh. He hadn’t felt this worried about you since your overdose.

He hates remembering this particular night. Yet he remembers it in full, excruciating detail. The club was pulsing with energy, neon lights flashing in sync with the heavy bass that reverberated through the room.

It’s as if he’s there right now. Feeling the heavy vibrations under his feet. Dancing bodies with drinks sloshing in raised hands paired the occasional flash of a camera capturing the wild moments.

The adrenaline he felt as he pushed through the crowd, searching for you. Calling out your name, though his voice was swallowed up by the music and the noise of the crowd. Fuck. How did he lose you? His movements are urgent, his eyes jumping to each person in the crowd for your face. Cursing at the flashing lights that blur the faces in the sea of people.

The both of you were unravelling at this party with hard liquor and whatever pills were circulating at this party. Mixing substances is never a good idea but at the time, neither of you really cared. Which is why Aventurine was frantically searching for you that night. The last time he saw you was when the two of you were— yet again snorting god knows what.

Recalling this memory isn’t just uncomfortable, he feels sick thinking about it. And he still blames himself for it. Letting you get involved with him. Not holding back even slightly on that night. For losing you in the crowd.

A shrill scream was what led him to you. The sight of your lethargic body on the ground, your breathing was shallow, erratic. He could hear those loud, uneven gasps that broke through the noise of the crowd. How your eyes rolled back in a similar motion as your body, struggling against the toxic concoction of alcohol mixed with drugs. Sometimes he wonders what would have happened if he didn’t find you when he did.

The ride to the hospital was the most tense experience he’d ever felt. He always felt thankful for the paramedics that stabilised you in the stretcher. He remembers how clueless he was, having zero clue on what they were doing to help you. All he knew was that he was useless in that moment as well as deep regret. Perhaps if he was colder and pushed you away more, he wouldn’t be in this situation. This terrifying situation that he doesn’t want to think about.

Even in the ambulance, he squeezed his eyes tight as if trying to convince himself he was in a nightmare. That this wasn’t real. Reality hit him whilst he was in the midst of staring at your body in the hospital bed.

An oxygen mask strapped over your mouth and nose whilst an IV drip runs through your arm. Aventurine wasn’t really listening to the doctors when they were briefing him on the treatment. What they had done to save your life and all their questions went unheard.

At that moment, all he wanted to do was bring you back. It didn’t matter if it was his place or yours. He didn’t want to see you in this bleak hospital room with the stale air of disinfectant. Haunting his nightmares were the visual of you hooked onto machines— the one memory he tries to erase the most. Hours pass, the steady beeps of the machines reading that you were stable.

He still remembers how his ears perked up at your first croak, the sign of your consciousness. How he practically squeezed you so tight you could have gone unconscious again. Aventurine didn’t let you stay in the hospital for long.

Barely a full day in that hospital before he snuck you out of there. It was dangerous but he hated being there. Hatred burned inside of him each time he saw you in that hospital gown, locked onto the bed being stuck in that stuffy room. It reminded him why you were there. He didn’t want to face these reminders. So, he took you home. 

Pulling up to the address, he slowly stops his car. Peering from the window of the car, searching for you to come out. Was he really going to see you after all this time?

Emerging from the dark alleyway, you stumble out with clear signs of being intoxicated. The sight of you spaced out as you walked to his car made him infuriated. You managed to get into the car, the two of you refraining from making eye contact. The tension was thick, it felt suffocating as it wafted in the air. Wordlessly, Aventurine starts the car, his hand steering the car as he begins the drive. His hand grips tightly on the wheel as his gaze stares ahead. His knuckles pale against the dark interior. Refusing to meet your gaze in the rearview mirror.

The drive back to his place is dead silent, not a single word shared. Not even the exchange of greetings. Why couldn’t you get better? There is a tightness in his jaw, he’s lost in thought, wrestling with unsaid words. A heavy weight on unspoken emotions reeling deep within them both. Every now and then, either of you shifts in their seat, a small, restless movement that seems to echo the silence. The radio is off. Only the sound of tires rolling over the asphalt is constant during this car drive. He left so you could get better. So why are you in this spiral?

The night was quiet. An empty black skyscape with faded clouds. On the balcony, two figures stood leaning against the cold metal railing, one had their arm resting casually on the edge while the other held a smouldering cigarette. Aventurine’s shirt, black and loosely buttoned, flutters slightly in the soft breeze, revealing glimpses of his pale skin beneath. The shirt hangs open at the collar, adding to the relaxed, almost careless demeanour. He’s gotten used to your presence.

It’s been about… two or three years..? Three and a half years since you’ve been fooling around with him. But he often questioned why you’ve decided to tag along. Especially since your overdose, he assumed you’d come to your senses. Your overdose was just last week. Why are you here? Realise how dangerous it is to continue on and get help. Leave his side.

But you were still here, by his side to touch the heavenly high that you both desperately craved. As if nothing had happened.

The light golden brown locks of his hair, slightly tousled, catches the faint light from the city below, adding to his allure. His gaze is distant, eyes half-lidded as they stare down at the floor, lost in thought. Looking down at his worn out, black leather shoes. His arm extends to hand you the cigarette that is held loosely between his fingers.

Gently, you took it from his fingers and pulled it to your lips. The cigarette glowed briefly as you took a slow drag, the tip flared orange and casted a warm glow on your face. Smoke curling up from your lips, rising in delicate, twisting tendrils before it dissipated into the night air. You could feel the cigarette loosely hanging between your lips as you sink into the feeling of the first hit. Easing into the comfort, you pluck the cigarette from your mouth to rest between your fingers.

“Do you regret getting involved with me?”

The question nearly sobered you up. His voice cut through the easy atmosphere between the two of you. You twist your whole body to swing your arm and give him a hard slap on his face.

Now that definitely sobered him up. Straightening up, he held his stinging cheek. The warmth of his glowing cheek contrasted against his cold fingers. His eyes widened with shock. He didn’t expect that.

“What’s your—” “No. Fuck you. What’s your problem?” You cut him off instantly. Your words were firm and solid.

There was anger brimming inside of you. You remembered that particular night, how frustrated you were by that question. It ticked you off. The air around the two of you turned thick. You no longer shivered at the cool tingle of air.

Aventurine was silent, letting you speak. He had never seen you that pissed off, hence why he decided to shut up. Besides that, he could feel the warmth of his cheek from the inside of his mouth. He did not want another slap.

Stepping away from the railings, your searing gaze stayed on his face. Positioning yourself to be directly in front of him. Placing your hands on the railing on either side of Aventurine. Trapping him with your outstretched arms as you step in and close the distance.

Your lips pursed into a fine line as your eyebrows scrunched up in agitation. Your eyes were the fiercest features in that moment.

“I’m not some ditzy girl that happened to fall into this,” you state clearly for Aventurine to listen, “I made this decision for myself. Don’t you fucking dare pity me or ‘blame yourself for my downfall’ because I am far from being a victim.”

It’s silent as you confront him for his question. The dumbest question he’s ever asked. The facts are that he introduced you to this world. But your choices afterwards were your own. You chose this for yourself and you held no regrets. There were always passing comments that all meant the same thing: You’ll regret drowning with me.

A tense silence befalls between the two of you. The only sound is the distant hum of the city, blending with the quiet rustle of the wind as they remain absorbed in their solitary moment, detached from the world around them. The breeze blows past both of you.

“Is this because of my o.d? You need to quit worrying, it was an accident and, look! I’m fine—” 

“You’re fine?” Aventurine’s voice caused you to move back, your hands releasing the railings. A scoff leaves his mouth, not believing he’s heard you correctly.

“You’re delusional if you think you’re fine. Fucking– get a grip! You're going to lose yourself!” Scorching heat flares from his words, his expression twisted into pure, raw anger.

Disappointment, frustration and worry boiling together in the pits of his stomach. All of his thoughts spilling out his mouth which each heated breath. Why were you still next to him? Couldn’t you see that you were slowly killing yourself with him? Did he need to spell it out for you like a child?

You grit your teeth, flaring your own fangs at him. You are capable of making your own choices as a grown woman. So they might be poor decisions but you liked being with him like this.

Being fucked up with him made you happy. No matter how ugly it could get. You reached a different sensation with him. He’s never influenced you to do the shit you do, for fuck sakes, you are not a child that needed to be scolded. He should stick his nose out of your business.

Aventurine is fueled by the deep worry he has for you. You’re probably one of the people closest to him and he didn’t want to lose you. Aventurine wished he could have communicated it better to you. Be calm and sit down with you to discuss getting help. Instead of opening his feelings, he berates you. Regrettably saying things he never meant. But you were the same. Perhaps if you weren’t so defensive or blinded by the serotonin from the substances. Maybe then you would have seen his concern.

The night sky was bleak that night. Raised voices bickering on the balcony with no regard for the neighbours. An argument that dragged both of you from the world.

Aventurine left your place at 5:53am. Slammed the door hard enough for your apartment to tremble. He didn’t call or answer your texts ever after that. Until now.

a/n: what a heavy chapter huh? How are yall feeling?

border credits: @enchanthings & @adornedwithlight

© writingrock 2024 do not copy, translate or repost.

[drpeppertummy]

9 for Morty?

sorry this is a little Hastily Written but i wanted to ride the writing mood while it was still there😭😭😭

[stuffing]

Morty leaned back in his seat, tugging at the waist of his pants. He'd been out on the boardwalk all day with Angela, the two friends periodically stopping for snacks, and while Angela's appetite was still going strong, Morty felt stuffed three stops ago. They were sitting at a rickety little table on an offshoot of the walk beside a restaurant now, sharing a basket of fries. Knowing Angela's love of boardwalk snacks, Morty had dressed comfortably that morning, but not even that foresight could save him now. He had an ice cream cone, a couple of fried Oreos, a wad of cotton candy, some funnel cake, half a bucket of caramel corn, and now a good amount of fries packed into his small stomach, and his once-forgiving outfit had lost its sympathy. The waist of his stretchiest pants hugged his distended tummy tightly, and his loose, baggy shirt could no longer hide the curve pushing out against it.

Angela finished off the fries; Morty gave up trying to eat his share. He doubted it would be their last snack, and he'd need all the space he could scrounge up if he was going to fit anything else. Not that there was any space left--his belly felt tight as a drum, and he was certain it must have been stuffed to its limit by now. He forced up a small burp and inched the waist of his pants a little lower.

"Don't let me forget, we have to hit Mack & Manco's before we leave," said Angela, tossing her napkin into the empty basket. Morty held back a groan. He couldn't imagine how she was still hungry. Of course, she was bigger than him, but surely she wasn't a bottomless pit. Maybe she just has an insane metabolism, he thought, holding his bulging tummy as he hauled himself out of the splintery chair.

He trudged along slowly as they walked, hoping to slow her down a little and put as much time as possible between them and the pizza place. Ordinarily, the thought of the hot pizza would have made Morty's mouth water, and even now on a fuller-than-full stomach it still sounded enticing. He didn't think he had room for a single piece of saltwater taffy, though, let alone an entire slice of pizza. He rested a hand on his belly. It jutted out comically beneath his ribs, his now-snug pants pushing the taut bulge upwards. He wanted nothing more than to go home and tear them off, sprawl out in bed, and sleep off all the junk he'd eaten.

Inevitably, after about fifteen minutes of roaming and window shopping and watching the waves down on the beach, they reached their next stop. The one saving grace was that it would be their last one as well; the sun was beginning to creep down in the sky, and neither of them liked driving home in the dark. They ordered a slice and a soda each. The sodas came quickly and Morty sipped his carefully, hoping it might magically perk his appetite up a little, or at least offer a refreshing break from all the greasy, heavy snacks he'd eaten.

It was only a few minutes before the waitress returned with two large, melty slices of pizza, the cheese already beginning to fuse with the paper plates. In spite of his uncomfortably full stomach, Morty had to admit they smelled pretty good. He clung to that thought as he took his first bite and ate slowly, sipping his soda between bites, trying to pace himself and stave off the raging bellyache he knew was coming on.

Five minutes ago, he didn't think it was possible to feel more stuffed than he already did, but the pizza was proving him wrong, and the soda bubbling up inside him wasn't helping. The button of his pants was digging into his belly now, but he couldn't inch them any lower. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. He set his half-eaten slice back on the plate.

"I can't eat any more," he groaned, wiping his hands off on a napkin and resting them atop his round belly. "You want the rest?"

"What, you're full after half a slice of pizza?" she teased. He looked incredulously at her, and she laughed, giving his tummy a playful pat. "I was wondering how long it'd take for you to tap out. I can't believe how much you fit in there!"

[dannyboy-writes]

Hi! Can I request a euphoria imagine where the reader is Maddies sibling and she helps them through a depressive episode?

Hey! Sorry this took so long, Uni has been a bitch and stole all my time. I'm on break now, so I'll be picking up my wips and dusting off the writing. Hope you like it!

TW: Implied not eating properly

Maddy noticed the piles of leftovers stacked around the house.

A plate left by the counter. Another by the tv. A glass filled with soda you never finished.

Even the dessert she’d bought for you. Especially for you. Half eaten.

She didn’t know what else to do. 

“Y/n…” She started from the living room door. “What do you wanna have for dinner?” 

You hummed, looking to the front. Dried tears resting in your eyelids. “Whatever you’ll have Mads. I’m not hungry”

“How about I order some pizza and we watch a movie together?” Please say yes, please. 

“Hmm, I don’t know. I don’t really feel like staying up long,” you said looking at the clock. 

“Please, for me.” 

You sighed. You could use a movie really. Something stupid that makes you laugh for some time. And some warm food. 

And a warm shower too.

“But only if the movie is stupid. And the pizza has to have extra cheese.”

“You bet it will,” she smiled.

“Imma head to the shower, I’ll be quick.” You said, picking yourself up from the couch.

--

“How stupid would you qualify it?” Maddy asked, taking a sip of her soda.

“I think 7 out of 10,” you said while playing with the pizza crumbs on your plate. “Could have been dumber for sure.” 

“Well, yes but you would’ve said it was way too dumb,” she mocked.

“Oh that’s for sure, yes. I would’ve killed it.” You took a bite out of a slice. “Still might trash it online,” you laughed.

“You’re an asshole,” she smiled, happy you were enjoying some time. 

“You know I’m here for you Y/n, right?” She continued. “For whatever you need.”

“I know,” you said. “I’m trying to open up a bit.”

“Whenever you’re ready.”

[echotoyou]

pizza and packing

pairing: yoongi x reader (no pronouns/gendered language are used for the reader)

summary: you’re moving to a new city and packing up everything you own. It’s a little overwhelming to do by yourself, so thank goodness yoongi knocks on your door to remind you that you’re not alone (plus he brought a smoothie!).

wordcount: 2.4k

what’s inside: fluff, angsty reader quickly followed by comfort, yoongi’s hugs could solve the climate crisis, crying, some overthinking with a dash of spiraling

posted: august 2023 (also on ao3!)

beta read by @theharrowing!!! thank you for SO much i love you an incredible amount 🪿

note: wow this started off as me needing to process some things and then turned into an entire story lol. enjoy!! ALSO this is my first time writing fanfic so please please let me know what you think!!!!!

Moving sucks.

You knew this, theoretically. People always complain that moving is too expensive, too much work, simply too hard. 

But no one warned you about the loneliness. How your home begins to echo as you pull mugs from cabinets and sweaters from drawers, stuffing it all unceremoniously into boxes. The uncomfortable chill that seeps into the newly empty spaces no longer taken up by your rug or TV. Not to forget the bare spots left by taking down the fairy lights circling the ceiling, your wall of photos and art prints, and the whiteboard calendar that still counts down the days to last month’s big celebration. 

Just this morning you cried over a crumpled note found in the back corner of your desk. Rereading your best friend’s well wishes about your new home!, a new start!, a fun adventure! made you realize you couldn’t remember the last time you had deliberately picked up the phone to dial their number.

The doorbell startles you from your thoughts as a rogue tear slips down your cheek. You swipe at it and a quick glance at your phone tells you your fourth take out order of the week isn’t supposed to be here yet. You relax back onto your couch and settle beneath your multicolored crocheted blanket, willing the cheese on your future pizza to melt just a little faster. 

Your stomach grumbles in protest at the thought and you join it, groaning when the doorbell rings a second time. Today’s packing-up-your-apartment uniform consisted of a set of well-loved pjs, with a few holes you are definitely ignoring, and tossing your unshowered hair into a top knot. In other words, you were not in the mood to chat up a solicitor. 

“I’ve already found God! Thank you!” you yell at the door from your fortress of comfort.

A familiar low chuckle paired with a rhythmic knock greets you this time, and recognition makes you roll your eyes and grin. You untangle yourself from your cozy nest of blankets before sprinting over to the door. Flinging it open, you see a familiar sight: Min Yoongi, phone in one hand, thermos in the other, and gummy smirk plastered across his features.

“I thought you were the delivery guy,” you mumble. “Why didn’t you just knock first?”

Yoongi shrugs and holds out the thermos for you to take, “This one is banana peanut butter with kale and…” he stops for a moment, shakes his head and continues, “something else, too, I don’t know. I promise it tastes good though.”

With suspicion only just hiding the smile in your eyes, you open the thermos and take a long gulp, sighing after you swallow. Oof. Had you actually eaten anything today? Yoongi, still in the doorway, laughs out loud, his expression circling between amusement and chagrin as he catches your eye.

“Cherries. It’s got cherries in it. And now your lips are very red.” He chuckles again with a sparkle in his eye and gaze lingering on your mouth for maybe a moment too long.

“Mhm” you wink at him and take an extra swig from the thermos for good measure, turning around to walk into your apartment. You freeze, suddenly seeing the disembodiment of your living room through his eyes and feel him run into your back with a soft ‘oof.’ 

“Um okay so um this doesn’t normally look like this, I–”

“Y/N, you’re moving”

“Yes, I know, but um there’s nowhere to sit and I can’t make you tea or anything, because the pot is packed, and I don’t have any food or snacks to offer, and–” 

Your word vomit dies down as you feel a gentle tap on your shoulder, the slight pressure turning you around to face him. You’re sure he can see the panic in your eyes as he hums a short positive note.

“Do you want me to leave? I wanted to make sure you ate something with greens today and I think I’ve got that checked off the box,” he gestures toward your hands where you’re still clutching his thermos with a death grip. 

With your brain still catapulting headfirst into all of the ways you are currently failing at your people-are-over-must-be-a-perfect-host duties, you purse your lips and sigh, “Yeah, maybe.”

You see something unfamiliar pass across his features, but it morphs so quickly into a sweet smile you can’t decipher it fast enough. 

“Alrighty then.” He nods, “best of luck with the rest of your packing. Let me know if you need anything else, and I’ll see you later.” He turns and walks out the door, down your front steps and disappears around the corner. 

You push the door shut and rest your forehead on the cool wood for a moment, the slight chill relieving you of your hosting concerns when the next set of concerns sidle in. 

Wait, did he want to stay? Better question, did you want company? Being alone for the past three days had been making you feel stir-crazy, but there was still so much to do, and it was exhausting directing other people. But he’s not your normal ‘other people.’ Did he drive away yet? Maybe you can still catch him. Ah shit, did you even thank him for the smoothie? 

Your thoughts tumble and jumble with the force of a second spin cycle – UGH you also still have laundry to do. Pulling yourself from the door, you give up on trying to catch him and head back to the safety of your couch. You sip from his thermos and pull out your phone to text a quick thank you. 

A few minutes later, your phone pings with the notification that your pizza has been delivered. You open the app to double check the photo the driver sent as your doorbell rings. 

You break out into laughter as you pull open the door for a second time and show the grinning man on the other side the photo on your phone: Min fucking Yoongi outside your door holding two pizza boxes with a shit eating grin on his face and giving the camera a thumbs up. 

“Someone order pizza?” 

—

An hour later, you’re not sure who convinced who to stay, but you’ve both been fed and watered with cheesy nonsense and warm conversation. 

Remarkably, he wasn’t bothered by the stacks of boxes and piles of items yet to be packed. The other half of your brain reminds you that he’s seen your apartment – and you – through all levels of disarray, some messes 100% yours, like when laundry day lasts a week and takes over your bedroom, the living room, and somehow the bathroom. Other messes were more of a group effort, when you would join forces to make the biggest mess in your kitchen possible while learning a new cooking technique from your subscription meal kit boxes.

Paper plates thrown into a garbage bag and half a pizza wrapped up for tomorrow’s breakfast later, you plop yourself on your carpet, back leaning against your couch, and sigh. You had been trying your darndest to separate the mountain of boxes in front of you into “give away” and “keep” before Yoongi had knocked on your door the first time, and they had now snuck from the ignorable periphery back into your sight. 

All at once, the previously easy chatter catches in your throat and you feel yourself trail off, whatever you had just been laughing about suddenly dying on your lips. 

“Hey,” a soft voice pierces through the bubble of your thoughts.

“Where did you go, just now?”

You turn to see Yoongi sitting cross legged next to you. He cocks his head at you, his voiced question clear in his soft eyes and slight frown. You avoid his eyes by looking down at your hands in your lap, and realize you are clutching your nearly empty water glass as if it was a life preserver. Raising the cup to your lips, you shrug and gesture loosely at the boxes, the white walls, the furniture marked for people who had messaged you on Facebook Marketplace. 

This room would no longer be yours in less than a week, the items in it in even less time. It was more full than it had ever been and yet you felt the emptiness of each drawer and closet echoing with something akin to grief. 

“Can I touch you?”

You nod, and immediately feel a warm hand touching yours, gently prying the cup from your clutches and setting it aside. He stands and ignores your protests as he tugs you to your feet. He wraps your arms around his waist and encircles your shoulders with his, pulling you into his chest and squeezing gently. You turn your head to the side so your cheek presses against the soft fabric of his shirt. The pressure of his chin sitting on top of your head feels overwhelming and wholly correct at the same time. Tears prick your eyes for the umpteenth time, and the comforting weight of Yoongi’s hug can’t keep them at bay.

“I just…” the words fade as you sniffle. “I just don’t know how to do this and I feel like I’m doing it all kinds of wrong.”

He hums, and his arms squeeze you a little tighter. Melting into the hug, you allow yourself to bury yourself face first in his soft tee and inhale deeply. His gentle scent of freshly laundered clothing with a hint of citrus is all it takes for your breath to turn into shorter, shuddering sobs, wracking your body.

You feel him gently rub the small of your back. Wave after wave of emotion floods your system, ping ponging between frustration and sadness and anger and fear. Each time you let yourself recognize and validate one thought, another sneaks in, bringing a new wave of tears.

One thought in particular stands as a concrete tower above the rest: you had been its architect for the past few months, placing stone after stone higher than the last until it was magnificent in its largess and painful in its stability. Ignoring it had become normal practice until now, when you looked up and realized you had built the tower around yourself.

You were choosing to leave. You chose to move thousands of miles from your family, and now you were choosing again to move hundreds of miles away from the family you had found here. There was no one to blame, no mystical forces of nature to shift the attention to. It was all just you.

A small noise breaks the paralyzing stillness of your thoughts, and you release a breath you didn’t know you were holding. The sound blankets your spiral in a layer of sweet, comforting darkness. You grab at the tuneless melody like a rope and as the rumbling within his chest begins to center you back in your living room, safe in his arms again, you realize he was humming. You squeeze his waist a little tighter and as you release, his humming trickles off.

“If it’s any consolation, no one knows what they’re doing.” He whispers into your hair. “Especially when packing up a home they’ve lived in for a while. This place is stocked with things, yes, but also memories. You’ve grown and changed a whole lot since you moved in.”

“So then why am I leaving?” your voice cracks on the last word as you hiccup it into the void.

He shrugs, “We both know I can’t answer that for you. I do hope that whatever answer you decided on when you started this process is still true, and if it’s not, then this is just one choice. And you can make a new one in the future.”

You ‘hrumph’ back at him and take another deep breath.

Your breathing soon begins to match his small, rhythmic motions, inhaling and exhaling as your brain clears. You pull back from where you had smushed your face on his shirt, grimacing at the snot left on his shirt, and wiggling to escape his embrace in search of a tissue. He seems to have a different idea as his grip strengthens and you look up to see his concerned eyes searching for yours. Suddenly, a cat-like grin breaks out across his features and out of nowhere, the man laughs.

“How could someone look so beautiful after sobbing like the Titanic was sinking?”

You groan, for likely the fiftieth time today, and swat at his chest. With another smirk, he releases you from the hug. You shiver from the immediate loss of body heat and quickly look around the room for something resembling a tissue that had not been packed yet. You hear him clear his throat, and you look back to be met with a tissue dangling right in front of your face. 

“Thank you” your voice sounds small and gravely and you blot your eyes and nose before making eye contact with the spots on his shirt again. “Oh gosh, I’m so sorry… your shirt…” your voice fades as you unconsciously reach out toward the stains, your only focus to assess the damage. He gently catches your wrist before your hand hits his chest, and places a butterfly light kiss on your knuckles.

“Don’t worry about it. This is my designated moving t-shirt, eligible for dust, stains, and tears – bonus points if you get all three in one go,” he winks, fluidly moving his hand from your wrist to your fingers, and spins you around in circles until you can’t help but give him a watery grin. Pulling you in for another hug, he gently squeezes you once more before letting go and heading toward the kitchen. You hear the squeak of the faucet before he reappears proudly brandishing your glasses now full of water. 

You accept the glass he holds out and let your eyes scan the pile of things in front of you. The boxes in the corner pull your attention again and you start to feel the overwhelm teeter you back over the edge. Taking a deep breath, you sip at the water and move to sit on the couch, seeking the comfort of your blanket once again.

“Let’s do something easy tonight, okay? No thoughts, just blankets.” 

You nod, and he plugs in the TV that you had moved into a corner for ‘safe keeping’ while you sold the table it stood on. He settles next to you on the couch and you spy a slight knowing smile on his face as he navigates to your favorite show, the one you started over to watch with him, and the one that makes you happy cry every time.

He slides his hand into yours and it doesn’t leave for the entirety of the first, second, or third episode you watch. Neither does he when you fall asleep on his shoulder.

[old-schoolgenz]

Chapter 2: Scaredy Aph

She nearly throttled him, her mouth gaping at the menu like an awestruck toddler, a whine escaping her lips and her face alighting in past embarrassments.

"Aaron... no. Please." She pleaded but it fell upon deaf and uncaring ears, he had to drag her by the arm to get her to sit down on the couch.

"Happy April Fools." He chuckled out, seeing the relief wash over her face.

"We're still going to watch it." anger replaced relief and she lunged at him, only for him to catch her wrists and grin from underneath his red bandana.

"No violence." He whipped around and started the movie, only for Aphmau to respond with " It's a thriller!" In indignation. But it didn't matter, the movie had begun.

It didn't take long for Aphmau to begin to grip Aaron's arm like a lifeline, and her body rolled up in the smallest ball imaginable. Every noise made her jump and it started to extend to everytime Aaron moved.

"Are you alright? I didn't think you'd be this bad, your almost on my lap." Aaron spoke softly but it still made Aphmau jump about a foot in the air. She nodded but refused to move from her position, curling deeper into a tighter ball.

The movie went on, only for Aphmau to get more and more jumpy, but it was almost over now.

"No don't stop to make out you idiots!" Aphmau shouted from the inside of her own personal shelter made from her own body and lots and lots of pillows. Aaron just chuckled.

"Love doesn't wait." He replied, sleepiness knawed at him, but Aphmau was more awake than ever.

"Love is going to wear their skins on his face." Almost as if listening, the revving of the chainsaw exploded from the TV, as well as screams from the lead actress and Aphmau.

The credits rolled, leaving poor Aphmau in a state of abject horror, none of her food eaten, and refusing to let Aaron leave the room.

"Aph let me go." He half laughed at her desperate grabs and easily brushed her off, leaving her alone in the living room.

Every shape was a creature in the dark, every noise was the intrusion of a stranger, peering, waiting to skin her alive.

She needed to calm down, she was a grown adult, she shouldn't be afraid of the dark like this, and shouldn't let some movie scare her into submission.

In a surge of bravery, she arose from her pillow fortress, being proud at her ability to fight through fear. Unfortunately it was foiled by the darkness if the room playing tricks on her. Making dark moving shapes that moved around the room.

She felt chills crawl up her back despite the fact she knew it wasn't real. Still, she couldn't help but stare into the swimming blackness.

"What are you staring at?"

She jumped out of her skin with a shocked scream, flailing her arms like an inflatable tube man, causing Aaron to catch them before he was backhanded across the face.

"Aphmau chill out." He laughed, handing her a plate of recently nuked pizza, as the cheese was still bubbling like hot magma.

"There's no way I'm letting you go home like that. I'd feel bad." Aaron spoke between sips of carbonated diabetes. Leaving time for Aphmau to be frustrated.

"You should already! You know I get like this!" She screamed angerily, with a smile on her face, but angerily all the same.

He did, a little bit, maybe.

Nah, he didn't.

"Yeah but it's funny when I'm the one scaring you."

Aphmau did not find it funny.

Not even a little bit

"Look I'll put on some Pup Rescue, Eat and I'll be here until you fall asleep, deal?"

Aphmau grumbled but bit into the now soggy pizza.

"Yeah I guess"

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #237

I think I might have eaten too much pizza yesterday. Or maybe the pizza I ate had been left to out in the pizza shop for a little too long. I've had vague gastric discomfort all day, and not a whole lot of appetite. I ate an awesome breakfast this morning, but it doesn't seem to have moved anywhere, and it's like 9PM. Very weird. I wonder if it'll be worse tomorrow.

On the bright side, I don't seem to be in a funk today, so that's pretty cool! I did some adulting right after waking up, and then, as a small reward, made myself a tea for the first time in a while now; the very same tea that I left with those very important people. Did they send it along to you? Are you enjoying it? Here's how mine turned out...

...I seem to have put a perfect amount of milk and honey into it this time. I can only hope that your cup of tea was just as perfect as mine was today.

After M and J had their daily meeting at their remote job, we were finally able to try out this place called "Pretty Alright Breakfast Club". I got the Irish Benedict Bowl. It was really good; there were seasoned potatoes, cheddar cheese, corned beef hash, eggs with runny yolks, and hollandaise sauce!

M got basically the same thing I got, except in burrito form. And J got a strawberry french toast:

I also took a picture of the flowers in the hanging baskets outside of the building; I thought you might like them...

...Hey, Sephiroth? What do you like for breakfast? I'll eat just about anything, from eggs to deli sandwiches to cold pizza to chocolate cake and anything in between. But some folks are really particular; some folks, for example, balk at the idea of eating anything other than eggs for breakfast. I wonder what you think.

My guts felt pretty awful today, to the point that it's kind of hard to focus. I thought I was going to do some Dead Cells, but instead I just did some leisure writing. I got to thinking about various things, but I'm not sure I've got the brainpower right now to write them down.

...I hope you're safe. Sometimes I wish I could see you and talk to you for just a few moments, just so that I can know you're breathing and alive. And I know that that's silly. But maybe for today, I won't pretend that I didn't write that, regardless of how I know others will think of me for thinking this way.

Hey, Sephiroth? My guts feel pretty awful right now, and it's kind of hard to focus, and I don't have much to say anyway because of all that. So I think I'll end today's letter here before I start to ramble. Still, I wanted you to know that someone out here is thinking kindly about you.

I love you, so please don't die, okay? I'll write again tomorrow. Maybe by then, I'll feel a little better.

Your friend, Lumine

[teaberrii]

Chapter Twenty-One: The President's Burden

You and Cyno can’t be more different. He’s Akademiya’s perfect student council president. You’re a labelled, cursed delinquent who changes into a cat for eight hours when kissed.

When Cyno gets a complaint about you, he’s forced to take action, only for it to lead to unexpected circumstances.

Cyno/You

Notes:

Cross-posted on Ao3

Chapter index at the end of chapter one

"I'd rather not," you say flatly as Cyno takes your hand. If you're scared, you aren't showing it. Instead, you keep your eyes on the men as if challenging them. "But you can tell Scaramouche that he's not the only one with a few tricks up his sleeve."

When Jebrael steps toward them, one of the men nudges his companion. "Let's go. We're done here."

"And don't come back!" the goon shouts behind them.

Cyno puts his arm around you. "You did well, Catnip."

Jebrael walks up to you and Cyno and asks, "Will you join us for dinner?"

"I'd love to," Cyno says, "But my cousin is waiting for me at home."

"Is it Nahida?" you ask. Cyno nods. "The girl with the iron grip."

Cyno chuckles. "I guess she hugged you too tightly that day."

"You have no idea. But she seems like a nice girl. I'd love to meet her in person one day."

"Why not this weekend?" Cyno suggests. "Alhaitham is taking me to meet his friend, so she'll want someone to hang out with."

"She didn't want to go with you?" you ask.

"I told her about it earlier today," Cyno says," And I quote… that sounds kinda boring."

You laugh. "I can keep her company. But, who's the friend, then?"

"He's a lawyer." Then, Cyno looks at Jebrael. "He's the one who handled your case."

"Ooh, wasn't that guy like your only friend, Jebrael?" the goon laughs.

All it takes is one look for the goon to look the other way innocently. Then, Cyno's phone dings with a message.

Nahida: PIZZA'S HERE!

"Everything okay?" you ask. Cyno shows you the text.

"The classic pepperoni and cheese. A solid choice." You and Cyno look at the goon, who awkwardly clears his throat and looks away from Cyno's screen. "Sorry. It was food. Couldn't help myself."

"Maybe I can save you some."

The goon gasps and nudges you. "He's a real keeper!"

Cyno slips his phone back into his pocket just as Jebrael says, "We'll take her back."

Just before parting ways, Cyno kisses your hand. Then, he heads into the car and tells Nahida that he's on his way back.

◆◆◆

As soon as Cyno enters the house, he smells something delicious. Nahida comes out of the kitchen, holding a large jug of juice and smiles at him.

"If you were any later, I would've eaten the entire pizza myself!"

"Yet, you still got me a plate," Cyno says.

"So, you better make it up to me!"

Cyno joins her at the table and puts a slice of pizza on a clean plate. "Well, what if I told you that Catnip's going to spend the weekend with you?"

Nahida gasps. "Really?"

"Didn't you say you want to meet her?"

"Well, yeah, but… I don't know. It's not every day you hear someone wanting to spend time with a kid."

"That makes you sound more mature than you are."

Nahida's about to bite into her food when she says, "Don't make me throw my pizza at you."

"You wouldn't waste food."

Nahida takes a bite. "Not good food." Cyno and Nahida eat in silence for a little while until she wipes her fingers on her napkin and asks, "Do you want to hear some gossip?"

"About what?"

Nahida reaches for another piece. "One of my classmates is acting a little strange." She puts the slice on her plate and sighs. "I overheard him talking about something the other day… and I think it's why he's been skipping classes."

"What did he say?"

"... He'll stop at nothing until he gets the money. That's who Scaramouche is." Cyno almost drops his pizza. "I heard some people saying that his father got into debt, but I don't know…."

"Don't get involved," Cyno says sternly.

"Oh, of course not! I don't have that much time on my hands to get involved in someone else's business. But it's just… sad, I guess."

"Is your teacher doing anything?"

"Well, because he's always been late lately, she talked to him a few times. But he doesn't seem that comfortable with her." She scoffs. "Let me rephrase that. No one really seems that comfortable with her."

"Why not?" Cyno asks. "I thought you said you liked her before."

"You never know what you had until it's gone," Nahida sighs. "We got a new teacher halfway through the semester. And she doesn't like teaching. It's pretty obvious." She takes a bite. "Okay, maybe that's going too far. But she does the bare minimum, which I'm trying to get at, I guess."

Just as Cyno finishes the rest of his pizza, Nahida looks at him. "You turned kinda pale when I said Scaramouche," she continues. "Do you know him or something?"

"He's a student at Akademiya."

Nahida drops her pizza onto the plate. "You're joking, right?"

"I wish I was," Cyno says.

"Then… have you met him?"

"I wish I didn't," Cyno answers quietly. "Let's just say he's not someone you should mess around with."

Nahida finishes the rest of her pizza and puts her plate down. "What's a person like him doing at Akademiya…? Heck, how did he even get in?"

"Well, according to Alhaitham, the school wants to be less discriminatory."

Nahida rolls her eyes. "And do you believe that?"

"It's not like we can do anything about it," Cyno sighs.

"I guess." Nahida stands and picks up her plate. "You be careful. I don't want to hear about how he's giving you trouble."

If only she knew.

After dinner, Nahida says she's going to work on her assignments. Yet, Cyno can easily hear her singing a pop song in the living room. He's about to put his earphones in when his phone goes off.

As soon as he answers it, he hears Nilou's voice.

"Hey, Cyno. Are you busy?"

Cyno spins around in his chair. "What is it?"

"It's… about Catnip," she says quietly.

"What about her?"

"I… well… Scaramouche told me something that I think you should know."

Cyno frowns. "Is this about her being part of some criminal organization?"

"How do you know?"

"What else did he tell you?" Cyno sighs. "And… why didn't you tell us Scaramouche talked to you?"

"I couldn't just accuse her like that with everyone around. It's… awkward. Besides… it might not be true. That's why I went to see her. The three of you have become such good friends after all."

Her last statement makes Cyno raise a brow. Is she jealous of your friendship with them?

"It's like she replaced me," Nilou finishes quietly.

While he and Nilou have been friends for years, he's never seen this side of her before. The Nilou he remembers is always so cheerful and energetic. Yet, it's like she's changed… and not in a good way. Is it because she's forced to give up on her dreams? Maybe she's looking for comfort, and finding out things have changed while she's gone must've rattled her more. Regardless, Cyno doesn't want to deal with this. Does that make him a bad friend?

"You don't need to focus on Catnip," Cyno says. "How have you been doing? Your performance got cancelled because of your injury. Weren't you also going to start teaching at a studio?"

"... I got rejected."

Oh. Well… "Keep trying. I'm sure you'll find something."

"Would you believe me if I said Scaramouche said he'll help me?"

That doesn't sound suspicious at all. "With what?"

“Sumeru Studios is looking for a ballet master. I’m a little underqualified, but he said he could help me get the position.”

"And you believe him?"

“He knows the owner… He showed me proof.”

There are so many things wrong with this that Cyno doesn't know where to start. "I doubt he's helping you without getting anything in return. So what does he want from you?"

“He just wants to warn me about Catnip,” Nilou says quietly. Cyno almost scoffs. Right. Okay. “She lied to me that day at the library.”

“Her business is none of your business, Nilou. Leave her alone.”

“I’m worried about you, Candace, and Tighnari. The three of you have become such good friends. I just don’t want any of you to get hu—”

"None of us will get hurt," Cyno says sternly. "If you keep badmouthing her, let's not be friends anymore."

“But I’m not! I—”

“If you truly have good intentions, you wouldn’t go about it this way. Also, the Nilou I used to know wouldn’t use cheap tricks.”

"Cheap tricks?" Nilou asks incredulously.

Cyno sighs. "Scaramouche helping you is your business. Not mine. But stop trying to 'warn' us about Catnip. I know everything, so your good intentions are useless."

"... You really hurt me, Cyno," Nilou says quietly. "Fine. I see they aren't appreciated." Cyno rolls his eyes. "But, if you know everything, then did you know that she killed his mother?"

Cyno doesn’t get a chance to ask when the line goes dead.

◆◆◆

Should Cyno be surprised that Scaramouche isn't at school? Maybe Cyno expected too much. Surely a criminal like him has better things to do than be a proper student. Cyno never thought he'd want to see Scaramouche. At least Cyno can somewhat keep an eye on him.

Cyno can't get what Nilou said out of his mind. Of course, he knows better than to blindly believe what she or Scaramouche says. But that's a very… strong accusation regardless of who it's coming from. Surely Scaramouche knows better than to blindly accuse someone like that, as it can have legal consequences.

So… does that mean it's true?

Cyno's on the school rooftop, looking out at the city when someone covers his eyes with their hands.

"Guess who?"

Cyno takes your hands and spins around. He pulls you to him, and you end up flush against his body.

"No fair. You didn't even guess," you say.

"I missed you, Catnip." Cyno nuzzles your hair.

Eventually, Cyno ends up hugging you, and you and he look at the view together.

"Nahida is excited to spend time with you this weekend."

You chuckle. "I hope she won't be disappointed."

"She'll love you."

You hold his hands and say, "Did you talk to Nilou? I saw her earlier today, and she didn't seem that happy to see me."

"She called me yesterday, and"—Cyno sighs—"it didn't go so well."

"What did you talk about?"

Cyno tells you about the conversation with Nilou but doesn't tell you about what she said at the end. At least… not yet. He isn't even sure if it's true, and the last thing he wants is for you to stress over something that's potentially not true.

"Replaced her?" you ask. "That's… I actually don't know what to say to that." Then, you sigh. "But I wouldn't be surprised if Scaramouche knows the director. With his connections, he might even know the President of the country."

"That's a scary thought I'd rather not entertain," Cyno says. "But… Nahida's classmate apparently knows Scaramouche, too."

You turn around with wide eyes. "You're joking, right?"

"One of her classmates has been skipping classes. She overheard him saying Scaramouche would stop at nothing to get the money. So I told her not to get involved."

"He's like a worm," you say flatly. "Just… worming his way into everyone's business everywhere." Cyno chuckles. "It sounds like Scaramouche's doing his usual with Nahida's classmate. As for Nilou… he's using her, which I guess, is also his usual tactic."

Cyno sighs. Is Nilou playing along because she's jealous? He puts his chin on your shoulder. "Do you remember anything else about your parents?"

"About that…"

Did something happen?

"Hey, Cyno, Catnip!"

Tighnari's voice makes you turn around. Cyno looks past you and sees his friend walking up to him.

"I thought you'd be here."

"I thought you'd be with Candace," Cyno says.

"Ah… yeah, about that…"

So, Tighnari tells you they bumped into Nilou while coming. Then, he adds, "She didn't look so happy, so Candace went to talk to her." You and Cyno glance at each other. "Do you two know what's wrong?"

"We… got into a fight, I guess," Cyno says.

"A fight? Over what?" Tighnari looks from Cyno to you and back to Cyno. "Uh… is it about Catnip?"

It's obvious you don't know what to say, and Cyno doesn't blame you. "I told Nilou to stop meddling in other people's business," he says.

Tighnari sighs. "Well… I guess she took it more harshly because, well, she probably still likes you, Cyno."

"I already turned her down," Cyno says just as you turn to him. "But... how did you—"

"She's liked you for a long time!" Tighnari says. "I think you're the only person who didn't know." But, then, he looks at you. "Ah, but they never dated, Catnip."

"Well, I guess that also explains a lot of things," you say.

"She probably just needs some time to get over it," Tighnari says. "I wouldn't worry about her."

While Cyno wants to believe it's true, a part of him is still afraid. What if she starts spreading rumours? Working with Scaramouche? It will be easy for him to take advantage of her vulnerability.

"Anyway, onto a happier topic… What do you guys think about going to the hot springs for our trip?"

"Ooh, that sounds like a great suggestion," you say.

"... Cyno?" Cyno looks up and sees Tighnari looking at him. "Hot springs? Yay? Or nay?" 

"Sounds good."

"What are you thinking about?" 

"It's nothing," Cyno says.

Tighnari narrows his eyes. "You sure?"

Cyno takes your hand. "We can share a room," he says, looking at you. You blush slightly and nod.

"That's what I was hoping for," Tighnari laughs. "Save us some money! But, woo! Hot springs, here we come! I hope you don't mind that Kaveh and Alhaitham will tag along."

"Let me guess," you say, "Did they say they're coming as supervisors?"

"So, I'm not the only one who thinks they're using that as an excuse, right?" Tighnari asks. "I bet they just want to come. We don't need supervisors.”

"The person saying that is usually the one who needs them," Cyno says.

"Very funny," Tighnari deadpans as the three of you walk back inside.

◆◆◆

Cyno is reading in an open area, waiting for you to finish your classes, when Candace plops into the armchair across from him.

"Hey, have a minute?" she asks. Cyno closes his book and looks at her. "It's about Nilou."

"What about her?"

"She told me about what happened with Scaramouche," Candace says as Cyno narrows his eyes. "... And, she won't talk about Catnip anymore."

"Why doesn't she come to talk to me herself?"

"She's afraid you're still mad at her."

Cyno is about to open his book again when Candace says, "Listen, I don't want to doubt Catnip. But has she told you anything? I mean... Scaramouche's literally accusing her of murder."

Will it sound like an excuse if Cyno tells Candace that you don't remember? That you have gaps in your memories?

"If he is, isn't it strange he's going about it this way?" Cyno asks. "Where's the evidence?"

"I don't know what to believe at this point," Candace sighs. "But, I did see Scaramouche yesterday night." That's interesting. Could whatever happened yesterday night be the reason he's not at school? "Of course, I didn't talk to him, but he was with someone."

"Who?"

"No idea. I think he goes to Nahida's school, though. The uniform looks the same."

"Do you know what they were talking about?"

Candace shrugs. "I don't. It didn't look like a friendly meet-up; that's all I can say. But… I did hear the guy say Nahida's name." Why? What were they talking about? "Has she mentioned anything to you?"

"She did say a classmate of hers got himself involved with Scaramouche."

"Geez, why does it feel like this guy is literally everywhere?" Candace sighs. "It's not just Catnip I'm worried about. I'm worried about the rest of us, too."

Cyno doesn't blame her.

Candace looks past him, smiles, and says, “Hey, Catnip.”

Cyno turns around and sees you give a small wave as you walk up to them. As he walks with you and Candace to the school parking lot, Cyno's glad that Candace isn't grilling you with everything that's going on but instead talks about the upcoming hot spring trip. Eventually, the three of you part ways, with you and Cyno getting into his car and Candace going to hers.

On the way to your house, you say, "I'm thinking of telling Candace and Tighnari about my family." Cyno glances at you. "I don't know what Nilou told them, but… It will make me look even more suspicious if they don't know."

"What did your family say?"

"I… haven't told them yet. But what do you think?"

“It would prevent any misunderstandings,” Cyno says. He takes your hand. “But, whatever you and your family decide, I support your decision.”

You take his hand tightly. “You asked me if I remember anything about my parents… I do.” A pause. “I was there. Scaramouche was there.” You take a small breath. “It was some kind of gathering, and my mother was wearing the pendant around her neck.”

“Did this all come back at once?”

“Yeah…” A soft sigh. “But, that’s all that came back.”

You entered the kitchen and saw Jebrael making something for his son. When Jebrael saw you, he asked, “I thought you’d be sleeping.”

"I guess my lack of memories keeps me awake," you said half-jokingly.

“Give it some time. It’ll come back.”

You come up next to him. "If Scaramouche never appeared… would you have told me about my missing memories?"

Jebrael looked at you. “I don’t know,” he said honestly. He sighed. “I… don’t even know if I want you to remember them.”

“You’re scaring me,” you said quietly. “Could you just tell me? What am I forgetting?”

Jebrael put his hand on your shoulder. Then, his son rushed into the kitchen with Rahman.

“I was a little relieved,” you say. “Not gonna lie. I… wasn’t sure if I was ready to hear what happened.”

Nilou's words suddenly come flooding back to him, and Cyno is really debating on whether to tell you what he heard. It's killing him that he's keeping this secret from you, but, of course, he's curious. Your grandmother and Jebrael obviously have their reasons for keeping this big secret from you for so many years. Whatever happened that day traumatized you, and the only reason Cyno can think of is that you're the one who buried it all away.

Just when Cyno pulls into The Red Sand, his phone goes off. “Could you check who it is?” he asks.

"It's Nahida," you say.

Cyno gives you a nod, and you put the phone on speaker. Before you can say a word, Nahida says, "Cyno, help me!"

Chapter Twenty-two

Tag list: @lxry-chxn @suoshiii @seirenspinel @lordbugs @bennytheghost @ch0c0shortiie @iwishitwas @sketcheeee @thetwinkims @chaimkko @whorerificstuff @sakiimeo @riylvx

[wishchthumblr]

on todays episode of "mental health issues that could easily be solved by one single thing that i dont have", GET A MICROWAVE!!!

i just know SO many of my eating related issues (not all obviously but a LOT of them) would be solved if this house just had a goddamn microwave

today i ate like... 1/4th of those small frozen pizzas, 1/3rd of a grilled cheese, and 1/3rd bowl of macaroni and meatballs. and yall wanna know why i didnt eat the whole thing of any of them? its cause my stupid adhd ass took too long to eat and the food got cold. and then i Cannot Eat That anymore. so even though i was still hungry i didnt eat the rest of it and just went back to rotting on youtube shorts and being too hungry to do anything and feeling dumb and unproductive and being guilty of making food that i dont eat. just... feeling like a big ol' waste

but the thing is, if i just

✨owned a microwave✨

i could just reheat the motherfucking food and still eat it and not feel like ive wasted that food. ((because since that food is wasted i feel guilty about making it, so i dont make any more food until next meal time, but then i didnt finish that either cause im stupid and eat too slow.))

but we dont have a microwave. only an oven. and yeah maybe i couldve reheated the 3/4th pizza or the grilled cheese in the oven, but then again the oven uses a lot of electricity. and my mom is always complaining that i turn the oven on, forget that its on for a while, and that im wasting electricity. and i was too tired and hungry to deal with that possibility. plus with the oven theres a chance i forget it too long or have it too hot and burn the food and that would just make me feel worse

but we dont have a microwave, because my mom thinks having a microwave leads to "eating more unhealthy foods that you just heat up" instead of "real food". so i didnt reheat any of my food. so i didnt eat it. it got to the point where it got cold and gross so i just threw it in the trash and hope my mom or grandma doesnt notice.

but if i had a microwave, i couldve reheated that food. and i couldve eaten it. ((and yeah, maybe i wouldnt have ate the whole thing, but maybe half at least? that counts right? well it dont really matter if it counts or not cause it didnt happen.))

and then maybe i wouldnt have been feeling like im gonna faint the whole day and maybe i wouldve gotten literally anything done instead of just scrolling on pinterest and youtube shorts for hours and feeling worthless. and maybe if i ate i wouldnt have hurt myself today

but nope. no microwave. it leads to "unhealthy" habits. i guess not eating enough to count as even ONE full meal is healthier since its not "microwave food"

thanks mom

[miss-andromeda]

All's Fair in Love and Science

Chapter 6: Instead of Just Invisible

~

After Andi's birthday, things seem to be going back to normal - or at least, that's what the boys think until they meet an alienated scientist that gets a hold of Donnie's latest invention.

~

Hope you enjoyed that little chapter about Andi's sweet 16! I don't have plans for another interlude in the near future - or at least, in this part of her story 😉

But regardless, back to normal episodic chapters for right now! Special thanks to the wonderful @tinkabelle19 for her endless support and help as always! Plus, I received an amazing piece of art of Andi on AO3 from a super kind user by the name of ScribbleBee; if you'd like to check out the piece, click here 🩷

And with those shoutouts, on with the show! 🩷

~

After putting away the groceries in the kitchen, Andi found herself hunched over in her chair in the lab. Back to work on the laser gun. She had been seriously neglecting it as of late; whether it was spending time with the boys, celebrating her birthday, or both, she was kicking herself for not getting back to work sooner. 

To be fair, the gun wasn't exactly doing any favors for her - the thing was still not functioning properly, regardless of the many adjustments she made, ranging from changing the thermal detection device to a plasma container, or tightening the trigger to make it fire a split second after squeezing. 

She sighed and put it down on the desk. Another waste of time, it seemed. Maybe she would ask Donnie for advice - as much as it was a blow to her pride, she wanted to have some level of a weapon with her if she needed to walk the streets without April. And Donnie was the smartest person she knew, surely he would have some ideas for her?

And chances are he would have advice and questions for her - and they would stay awake until 2:00 am, ping-ponging ideas off each other until they felt satisfied and bid goodnight, or more realistically until one of them fell asleep over video chat. Most likely her, since her brain wasn't nearly as hardwired to stay awake all night like Donnie's was.

She glanced down at the necklace and smiled to herself; she could tell this was an example of Donnie pulling multiple all-nighters in an effort to finish it in time for her birthday. And she could tell he didn't skip on the quality either; it was titanium silver like he promised, and the details he included (the stars on the arms, the diamond smaller than her fingernail) only sealed the deal on how she couldn't fathom how he could have achieved something beautiful like this in a week.

Actually, yes she could, it was Donnie.

And he never stopped trying to amaze her.

~

Meanwhile, Splinter was deep in thought as his afternoon meditation commenced. It was commonplace for him to do so at least twice a day, but with how often the boys had been leaving the lair as of late, he needed more than two sessions to ensure that he didn't lose his composure whenever they left. Everything was going as planned; he practically imagined himself in the deep vacuum of space, where no noise could reach him. Just where he wanted to-

"Guys, guys, get in your spot!"

-be.

He was interrupted by Mikey yelling to his brothers in the living room, followed by protests and similar sounding yelling from the others. Raph yelled that it had better be the last time that they did anything like this, Donnie warned Mikey that he had better not be flipped like the last time, and if Splinter listened closely, he could hear Leo complaining about the fact that he had eaten too much cheese pizza. 

Walking into the commons area, he could see exactly what was going on; Mikey was holding his skateboard on top of a giant makeshift ramp next to the wading pool, overlooking his older brothers, who were in child's pose in front of the ramp - and all three of them looked bothered and disgruntled. 

"And now the kid goes for the world record!" Mikey announced, just like a sportscaster would. "He will attempt to jump three mutant turtles!"

"I can't believe he talked us into this..." Raph muttered to himself. The things he and the others did for Mikey sometimes...as much as they loved their brother, they had their limits with him. And posing as obstacles for Mikey to jump over...well, jumped the line of the limits they had, pun intended.

"Booyakasha!" Mikey cheered as he skated down the ramp without a hitch. Things were going great, it seemed; he'd make this trick, beat his own record of how many of his brothers he could jump over, and-

"WHAT IS GOING ON IN HERE?!" Splinter got their attention quickly, and as all three of them stood up and Leo tried to explain themselves, Mikey screamed in panic (making all of them scream) as they collided, Mikey landing on top of Leo, Donnie and Raph as his skateboard went flying by the couch, as all four of them groaned in agony. 

Major failure.

"How many times have I told you not to skateboard in the lair?" Splinter demanded from them, his eyes crinkled and paws behind his back. He knew that it was inevitable that as their father, he was going to deal with them making rash decisions like this, but this was another level of rash.

"None, sensei." Mikey admitted sheepishly, still on top of his brothers and upside down.

"I shouldn't HAVE to tell you!" Splinter yelled again. Seriously, he assumed they would have the common sense not to skateboard in the lair - not only was it dangerous, it was just a majorly stupid idea.

As they got back up, looking guilty and regretful, Leo began to apologize - what he would've done had he not been interrupted by Mikey ramming into them with his skateboard. "You're right, sensei. We definitely should've known better-" He looked directly at Mikey as he said that, then led all four of them into putting their heads down in regret. "-and we deserve to be punished." He then cocked one eye open as he looked up at Splinter. "Eh, some." Whether he meant only one of them should be punished or their punishment should be light, who was to say.

Splinter walked over to him and bent down to match his eyes, stroking his beard in deep thought. "And what do you think would be a fitting punishment?" He asked with a slightly terse tone. Leo was, after all, the eldest and the most responsible, so if anyone was meant to know what punishment suited something as intensely stupid as this - aside from Splinter, of course - was Leo.

The eldest quickly turned to his brothers for help, but all three were busying themselves to not contribute - Raph was reading a comic, Donnie was whistling, and Mikey was pretending to think while humming at the same time. "Well, uh, we-we should..." He stammered, trying to think of something fitting, but light. "...clean up our mess?" He asked, giving Splinter a sheepish smile. 

When Splinter didn't seem satisfied, Leo tried to think of an additional punishment. "And then...think about what we did." The others agreed, adding things like, "Sounds about right," "We were wrong," and "Wouldn't want to do too much," and Mikey finished the hasty agreement with a relaxed "No worries."

They really could be children when they wanted to be.

But Splinter still didn't look satisfied. "What about being grounded for a week?" He asked, and as he expected, the boys immediately started to disagree. "Oh, I'm not sure that's-" 'I'm cool with the thinking." "Really, that's not necessary." "Maybe next time."

Well, that gave Splinter his answer right there. "You're grounded for a week!"

The boys groaned in exasperation, clearly not excited about being stuck in the lair. But to add insult to injury, it seemed, the ramp toppled over with a loud squeak and fell to pieces, leaving a trail of dust and debris, as well as four shocked faces from the boys, in its wake.

Well, they certainly knew how to start their time being grounded, it seemed.

~

It was nighttime now, and after the debris and dust were cleaned up and the parts were properly discarded, Mikey, Leo and Raph were in the living room. The youngest was reading a comic without a care in the world, while the oldest was looking dejected on the couch with his head in his hand (either from being scolded earlier or from simple boredom...or both), and one of the two middle children was pacing frustratedly across the living room floor - while also growling and practically stewing in his own anger. 

Eventually, Raph couldn't take it anymore. "Gah! This bites!" He yelled, rubbing his hands across the back of his head. He always hated feeling cooped up - he needed something, anything to do on the surface! Now that he had experienced what it was like up there, it felt criminal to spend time anywhere that...wasn't up there. And that included the sewers! "I can't believe we're stuck down here for a whole week!" Seriously, why did Mikey have to insist that they build that stupid ramp in the first place?

"Guys! Guys!" Donnie cheered, running into the living room from his lab. "You wanna see what I made?" He asked, an excited gleam in his eye. Knowing Donnie, it was something incredibly nerdy, something that had such a niche use that only he would find practicality in it...or maybe it was something actually cool? Something that could help them get out of the lair without Splinter knowing?

Still bothered about the feeling of being cramped, Raph turned to Leo for a split second. "This is how bored I am." He explained, then turned to Donnie and practically did the impossible. "Yes, Donnie, I do."

"Okay, okay, okay!" Donnie tried to calm himself down, but it was hard when he was this excited. It felt like he had made a breakthrough in terms of his technological prowess - and raised the bar in the process. "Remember the other day when I was scrounging through that military junkyard?"

Only Donnie would be excited about searching through a junkyard. And the only one to do so, as the others only responded with 'no' in unison.

"Well-" He completely ignored the 'no' as he got more animated about the project - his voice got higher, his hands changed to fists from glee, and the gap in his mouth was on full display. "-I found an incredibly advanced AI microchip, made from-" He then made a little click sound with his mouth - a rarity in itself. "-get this! Self-assembled, chain-linked copolymers!"

If only Andi were here, she was probably the only other person who would know about something like that, let alone be as excited as Donnie about it. 

Mikey, not wanting to let Donnie's excitement deflate, decided to play into the joy - even if he didn't even know how to spell copolymer, let alone know what it was. "That's my favorite kind of copolymer!" He smiled before simply going back to his comic. 

Donnie was practically oblivious to the fact that Mikey clearly didn't know what he was talking about. Or maybe he did, and he was just too giddy to call him out on it. "Mine too!" He squealed. "And I used it to make this-" He then pulled out a highly advanced device - it looked vaguely like an MP3 player, except much more innovative and more like it had Donnie's touch, instead of a corporate touch. "-the most advanced music player in the world!"

All three surrounded the device and mumbled out a 'whoa' as they stared in awe. Maybe it was because of the blue light emanating off of it, but the chip that was inside it must have been powerful, because the device looked like it could do more than just play music. 

Once again, Donnie outdid himself this time. 

"So who wants to try it?" The genius smiled as he pulled it away from prying eyes, tapping an icon on the front to enable it for playing music. All it would need were a pair of headphones (which Donnie also found, in a separate junkyard and fixed up), and the listener was good to go. Much like a real MP3 player.

"I do!" Mikey volunteered with a massive grin. He was arguably the biggest music lover out of all of them - and any opportunity he took to jam out to some awesome music, he was on it like all four of them were when getting a pizza. "Toss me the tPod!"

"The...tPod?" Donnie asked in confusion. He didn't really get why it had to have a name like that; wasn't it serviceable enough to just call it a music player and be done with it?

But no. It was Mikey. 

"Turtle? Pod? tPod?" Mikey reasoned with a little chuckle as he held his hand out expectantly. "I am so good at naming stuff." At that very brief explanation, Donnie had placed the...tPod into Mikey's hand and all three watched as Mikey put the earbuds into his ears (which was jarring in its own right because they didn't have ears. But he managed it, weirdly enough.)

Raph, however, wasn't entirely convinced that this was a fantastic idea - just another case of Mikey getting excited about something new and Donnie not thinking about the circumstances. "You're really gonna plug an advanced piece of military technology directly into Mikey's head? What if it melts his brain?" While it wasn't directly into Mikey's head, Raph had a point - the military had some majorly advanced pieces of equipment, and while Donnie could be trusted with it (for the most part, to be fair,) Mikey was a different story entirely. 

Donnie brushed off the concerns with a dismissive hand wave. "It won't." And then he followed it up with another explanation. "And even if it did, who'd know the difference?"

The tension and eagerness built from the device became too much for Mikey, and after he eagerly pressed a button, he howled in pain as some music started playing. It was like a thousand knives being jammed into his skull - it was torturous!

Donnie immediately leaped into action. "What?! What's wrong?!" He asked, about to start panicking - was the device really bad? Did he just subject Mikey to some type of mental torture that would break his spirit?

"It's polka! Make it stop! Make it stop!"

Oh.

Donnie rolled his eyes and walked over, pressing the skip button on the music player to go to the next track. And right after Mikey smiled in relief and said 'thanks,' he noticed the new music that was playing. - and immediately hummed in glee. A classic techno/hip-hop song - something to dance to. 

And that's what he did. He got off his knees and imagined himself in a music video - a power pose with one hand on the hip, the other resting on his side, then bringing his hand up and past his head, then back to another power pose, and then a classic shimmy, and then ending his sequence with what looked like a simplified version of the Charlie Brown.

It was just another example of Mikey getting lost in his own world. 

Eventually, Raph had enough. "That's it. I gotta get out of here." He surrendered, hands up and everything as he walked to the entrance of the lair. Leo immediately chased after him. "Where are you going?" He asked in an exasperated tone, while also reminding him that they were grounded. 

All the while, Mikey was still dancing and Donnie was watching him with as much of a confused face as he could muster.

"I don't care!" Raph simply told him, before turning around to face him for a second. "I gotta do something or else I'm gonna go nuts!" He then saw his skateboard and stepped on it, making it flip up into his hands. "Let's find a skate spot."

"Skate spot?" Mikey practically yelled in excitement, still listening to the track. "I'm totally in!" It was somehow a marvel that he heard Raph, especially considering that the others could perfectly hear the music blaring from the earbuds.

"But what's Splinter going to say?" Leo asked - always the teacher's pet. 

In a bad Splinter impersonation (complete with exaggerated facial expressions), Raph hypothetically answered Leo's question for him. "'I don't know what's going on, because they snuck out while I was asleep.'"

Leo slightly scoffed to himself - while the others were willing to risk their necks and go above ground, he wasn't about to agree. "Real mature. But I'm your leader. And as your leader, I say no one is going."

"Well, as your followers, we're going anyway." Raph simply replied, Donnie and Mikey going to stand with him as he spoke. And judging by the tone in which he spoke, he was not about to listen to Leo - or really take no for an answer. They were going no matter what.

And Leo knew that. "Well, as your leader, I am going with you! To lead you...away from...bad stuff." He clumsily explained. At least if they all went, then he could do his best to make sure they didn't get into any major trouble. And if they got caught by Splinter, they all went down together. 

"Ahh!" Mikey screamed as he held his head, falling back to the floor as all three brothers surrounded him. When he was asked what was wrong, he simply replied, "It's back to polka!" He then grumbled at the device, "We gotta get some more tunes on this!"

Later. Right now, they were more focused on just getting out of the lair for a night.

~

And as soon as Mikey's...polka dilemma was taken care of, the boys were off. 

It was a beautiful, crisp night; the wind was blowing in their faces, and they were running on the rooftops without a care in the world. It felt like they didn't have any responsibilities...and it was almost like they weren't grounded. It was a bit weird, but an amazing feeling nonetheless. 

And as they crossed rooftops with skateboards in tow, Donnie noticed something. Andi's apartment was only a few hundred feet, and her light was on. And if he looked closely...yes! She was still awake, reading a book in her bed. 

He knew what he had to do.

"Hey, I'm gonna make a quick detour!" Donnie called to his brothers, then took off towards her apartment - completely ignoring Leo's protest of staying with the group and Raph and Mikey making fun of him for going to see his "girlfriend." Whatever, he didn't just want to see her. He had questions - and ideas to run by her. 

Though, to be fair, seeing her was always welcomed as well. 

He started running to her apartment with an odd sense of adrenaline, wanting to catch her before she went to bed. It wasn't a necessity, so to speak, but he had started to see Andi as his right-hand woman when it came to new creations in the lab. And because of that, the new idea that he had in his head couldn't really wait until the morning. 

Well, he supposed it could. But he didn't want it to. 

He breathed a sigh of relief when he made it to her window; she had hardly moved from her spot and if he looked closely...yep, still reading Tolstoy. He lightly tapped the window with his knuckle, smiling bashfully when she jumped and looked around, a slightly startled look in her eye. When she saw him, though, she playfully glared at him for scaring her, but put her book down and got out of bed. 

Now that he was seeing her in full, he had to admit that she looked adorable. She was wearing a loose black top with a scribbled pink heart design on the front and white shorts, and her hair was up in a loose bun - a stark contrast to how put-together she always looked with her sweater dresses and hair bows. 

It was sweet to see how she looked when she was winding down for the night. 

She pushed up the window and smirked lightly at him. "Is there a reason you're blessing me with your presence?" She asked, lazily leaning against the side of the windowsill. "At-" She then turned around to glance at the digital clock next to her bed. "-11:24 pm?"

Donnie chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, sorry for the unexpected visit. The others and I snuck out." He admitted, laughing to himself when Andi gave him an impressed nod, but took her silence as a gesture to let him continue. "And I figured, since you were still awake, I, um...wanted to run something by you."

"What's up?" She asked as she started to fiddle with some stray hairs that had fallen out of her bun. 

He smiled at the endearing mannerism, but cleared his throat to avoid the risk of getting distracted. "So, there's this idea that I have. What if we create an alternative for fighting traditionally, you know, like close combat?" 

The look that she gave him said that the gears were turning in her head - and he loved that. "How would we do that?"

"What if we create an awesome robot that can fight battles for us? Kind of like a battle mech, except more compact and it can be controlled with a remote? Doesn't that sound cool?" He was getting more excited with each detail that he threw in, and the smile growing on Andi's face told him she was interested. 

"I like it." She agreed. "I would suggest AI, but that hasn't really...developed yet. Tons of kinks that still need to be worked out. But if we used an antenna, not only do we ensure a stronger and more efficient signal, but we still have control over it." She was now smiling brighter than before as she nodded. "Yeah, I'm in."

"Awesome!" His grin was nearly blinding at this point.

Just as he was about to take his leave, though, she called out for him. "Wait, I need to ask you something too!" She then snatched her unfinished laser gun off her lab desk and held it in front of her. "Um, I'm having some issues getting this stupid thing working. Got any tips?" She then followed up by explaining what she had already tried; thermal detection and now a plasma container. And still, nothing.

Donnie hummed as he started inspectingthe prototype "What about lithium-ion technology? You can install lithium batteries in the storage, then convert the energy into a strong charge beam." He suggested with a smile, which only grew when Andi took the gun back and started to think it over - while also mumbling to herself. 

"Good idea...lithium batteries are not hard to acquire...I'd just need to connect a fiber optic wire from the stock to the muzzle..." She told herself, then started smiling. "I can do that." She told him with a newfound excitement. She might finally have this thing finished before she turned 30! "I can absolutely, 100%, completely do that."

Donnie laughed at her intentional redundancy. "Well, with that idea in your head, how about I let you go to sleep?" He suggested, then pointed back to the rooftops. "Knowing my brothers, they probably already ditched me when I left to see you."

Andi snickered to herself. "If that's what it's like to have siblings, I'm almost glad I'm an only child." She admitted, but nodded in understanding and gave him a fond look. "So, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Of course. You have to help me with this robot, after all. And I want to see if the gun ends up working." 

Andi chuckled to herself. "No promises on that last part." She joked, then thought of one more thing to add as he was beginning to ascend the side of a nearby apartment building. "Thanks, Don! You're the best!" She called out with an excited smile as she closed the window, then went back to her bed to finish the chapter she was on - as well as write the idea on a sticky note and put it on the gun. 

Donnie was so relieved she did that because he knew that if she saw him at that moment, she would see the hearts rising out of his head, as well as the lovestruck sigh and dopey smile that formed.

When he finally made it back to his brothers, all three were giving him a knowing smirk. 

It was Raph who ended up breaking the silence; he put his hands into fists and put them to his temple, and in a high-pitched voice, said, "Oh, Andi, I love you so much! What's that? You want to get married right now? Okay!" He then started making kissing noises with his lips to finish, making Leo, Mikey and himself laugh and Donnie roll his eyes, his lovestruck trance being replaced by a scowl. 

"Are you done mocking me?" He asked, and once the three of them finally stopped laughing, Leo gestured forward. "Yeah, let's go. We're probably gonna end up burning the candle at both ends, and besides-" He then started snickering to himself as he started running again. "-we've got more than enough time later to talk about Donnie's girlfriend."

Raph snickered and Mikey chuckeled as they started to run after him (or rather, Raph did while Mikey jumped on his skateboard), while Donnie ran after them, yelling about how Andi was not his girlfriend (admittedly, despite the fact that he really wanted that to be the case,) and that the fact that he went to see her did not constitute the idea that they were together. 

Partly to block his brother out, partly because he was more intrigued than ever about the music device, Mikey put the earbuds back into his ears and started playing some music, this time a classic rock tune that was perfect for just mellowing out, the wind against his face and feeling how awesome it felt to do something like this.

And the music started to inspire him; he started doing kickflips off the different apartment buildings (and even did a hang ten) before incorporating his ninja training in as well; he started to kick off the wall, then did a flip onto a higher apartment building, then a high jump (along with a slight spin for flair's sake) and hopped back onto his skateboard. He then did a grind against the edge of an apartment roof, then did another kickflip and a spin onto another roof, then decided to end the flashiness and skate normally against the lining of an apartment. 

He felt exhilarated, alive - especially when another rock song flooded his senses. And when he saw that Donnie had seemingly stopped ranting about Andi, he decided to yell to him his appreciation. "Hey, Donnie! Thanks for all the new songs!" Completely forgetting that they were out in the middle of the night, and yelling was an absurdly dumb idea.

"Wait, what new songs?" Donnie asked, mostly to himself. He only added two songs as a test drive - that polka song that Mikey vehemently expressed despising, and the hip-hop song that he had an abridged dance party to. And he programmed it so that the user had to add new songs themselves if they wanted more - like a proper MP3 player. 

But Leo wasn't necessarily interested in what was going on at the moment - all that mattered was that they weren't spotted - again. "Keep it down, you guys!"

But Donnie immediately wanted to investigate the issue. He flipped onto Mikey's shoulders, doing an impromptu handstand on the younger turtle's shoulders - and peeked at how the...tPod was running. But what he found worried him. "What the...? It's got thousands of songs and it keeps downloading new ones every second!" That was likely a form of music piracy - and Donnie was not about to have that on his hands. 

"So?" Raph asked as he sidled next to Mikey, not necessarily understanding the severity right away.

So Donnie spelled it out for him. "So I didn't program it to do that!" He explained as he hopped off Mikey's shoulders, his hand going to his chin as he went into deep thought. "It's reconfiguring itself somehow." But then it hit him - the piece that was completely different from every other piece of equipment or material he had ever used!

"It's that chip!"

Mikey, however, was much more focused on how great it was that he could finally listen to music while skating. And tons of songs being included all at once, and for him to listen to with no issues whatsoever? "Whatever it is, it's AWESOME!" He cheered, using a skylight as a ramp and jumping off the board (almost like a hippie flip). The wind was blowing his bandana straps in the wind, and in that moment, he felt invincible. Nothing could touch him, nothing could go wrong.

It was an amazing feeling. 

But it was loud enough to catch Leo's attention. "Guys!" He yelled in a harsh whisper to them. "We're ninjas, remember? We move swiftly and, here's the important part, silently!"

In a twist of dramatic irony, though, Leo lost his footing and yelled in fear, falling through the skylight of what looked like a greenhouse and stumbling across the tables like a child that had just learned to walk. What only added injury to injury was the beehive right at the end of the greenhouse, which Leo frantically tried to avoid - but failed miserably. 

Colliding with the beehive, Leo fell through the other side of the skylight and tumbled helplessly down the three flights of apartment stairs (all while making so much raucous noise that the entire state of New York could've heard the commotion,) before finally being put out of his misery by landing with a harsh 'thud' on a pile of trash that was waiting to be thrown out in the morning. 

All the while Raph and Mikey were smiling at the irony of it all, while Donnie looked like he couldn't comprehend how such a feat of idiocy could be accomplished so effortlessly. 

And to add a cherry on the utter humiliation of it all, Raph called down to him, "That wasn't very silent, Leo!"

~

After Leo had recovered from being humiliated (and nursed some bruises that had formed from the tumble he took,) he and his brothers had found themselves on the edge of a building, overlooking what looked like the typical New York office complex. It was modern and chic, with trees growing in little gardens in the front and (what caught Raph's eye) two sets of stairs that led up to the walkway of the building - complete with handrails. "Check it out!" The red-masked turtle remarked, specifically pointing out the rails. 

It was perfect for skateboarding - and besides, who would suspect four mutant turtles as the ones that caused some minute damage to a company's property?

Once Mikey had diverted his attention away from his music player and looked at what Raph had pointed out, he picked up what his brother was putting down. "Let's grind it!"

Rather than agree, though, Donnie had overheard a noise from nearby the building - and following the source of the noise, he saw something (or rather, someone) weird. "Who the heck is that guy?"

There was a man that was walking towards the locked door of an adjacent building - but what was concerning was the clunky armor he was wearing over his fuchsia sweater. And considering that he was walking like he had 20-pound weights attached to his legs, it must've been really heavy armor. It especially didn't help that he was a lanky-looking man. He was probably the type that had created the armor (which was impressive,) but didn't take his body mass or weight into consideration and assumed that the heavier the armor, the more effective it would be. 

"I don't know." Raph admitted, but his eyes quickly turned steely. "But he needs a beatdown." Nothing good could come out of a man walking to a locked building in armor, at night, and alone. And personally, he wanted to crack at least a few skulls while he and his brothers were out. If they were grounded, he wanted to at least take pride in the fact that he took down at least one scumbag while they were out on the surface. 

But Leo wasn't about to permit that. "Hold on, Raph! We don't know that he's gonna do anything wrong, he-he could be on his way to-" He then started to rack his brain for a viable solution, but nothing was coming up. And admittedly, he wanted to keep Raph from doing anything stupid and beating someone up - and being spotted in the process. 

So he bit the bullet and came up with what he considered the most plausible idea:

"-church."

The amused smile on Raph's face told Leo that he wasn't convinced - in the slightest. And to make Leo feel even more stupid, he decided to indulge him in such a ridiculous idea. "Wearing powered battle armor? What kinda church is that?"

But Mikey didn't get that the question was completely rhetorical - and answered it completely straight. "A really awesome one!"

Okay, now Leo didn't feel nearly as stupid. He facepalmed at the comment, then looked back at Raph with a stone face. "Look, it's my call." He affirmed as he went back to watching the man. "I decide who gets a beatdown."

But he was proven wrong when the man started using a laser beam to break the lock on the door. 

"That guy needs a beatdown."

They immediately dove into action (Raph noticeably being the first to jump off,) ready to stop this guy from doing...whatever it was that he wanted to accomplish. 

But that seemed to already be the case when the laser beam he was using stopped working out of nowhere, putting a major damper on his plan. "Are you kidding me?" He grumbled in frustration, starting to hit it in hopes of getting it to start back up. "Oh, come on...!" It was working fine when he left, and now when he needed to use it, it didn't work. 

Just Baxter Stockman's luck.

When the laser didn't seem to be working, he started to resort to more...primitive methods of breaking in; he started kicking the door and then resorted to trying to push it up like a window. Which was exceedingly difficult, as the door was locked tight and he had barely made a dent in the door when he kicked it. But with a little more elbow grease, maybe it would work.

Meanwhile, the boys had snuck up behind him, with Mikey and Donnie specifically noting how...pathetic the whole scene looked. This guy clearly wanted to be a supervillain, and yet his arsenal had failed miserably and now he was resorting to trying to push open a locked door to commence with a B&E.

"It's just...kinda sad." Donnie admitted, with Mikey agreeing (with the earbuds still in his ears.) "Yeah...I don't know if we should pound him or buy him an ice cream cone." 

However, Leo was more focused on the idea of this guy being a criminal, to begin with. Unsheathing one of his katanas threateningly, he decided to channel his inner Captain Ryan to apprehend him. "Halt, villain!"

Startled by the noise, Stockman turned around with a resounding 'Huh?'

Raph wanted to laugh at the idiocy of the line, but he was more blown away at how cheesy and 1980s it felt. "'Halt, villain?' When did we start talking like that?"

Leo was quick to defend the line. "We're heroes, that's-that's how heroes talk."

It actually wasn't but to each their own. 

Stockman wasn't really interested, to be honest. He pointed his laser-laden wrist at the boys, trying to look intimidating. "You will feel the fury of my powered battle-" But then he realized who he was threatening; it wasn't the police, or a samaritan trying to stop him. "Holy cow! You guys are turtles!" Well, at least he possessed a brain and could tell the difference between frogs and turtles. 

"That's right!" Leo exclaimed, still in the mindset of 'WWCRD?' - also known as 'What Would Captain Ryan Do?' "We're the turtles of justice!" He added, his katanas at the ready and assuming a pose that he felt made him look cool, confident, and intimidating. 

But it only fueled the 1980s sentiment from before, as Raph facepalmed at him and just muttered, "Wow. I mean, just...wow." Even Leo could outdo himself with how cheesy he could be. 

Brushing off the weird approach to a battle yell, Stockman charged at them and yelled a fierce battle cry, ready to take them on. Leo, Raph, and Donnie did the same, getting out their weapons and about to strike. They were geared up to take this guy down; even he wasn't a major threat, he was still a threat, and they weren't going to stand for any villainy in their city-

"WAIT!"

-unless something stopped them. 

Right before the three and Stockman were about to strike, Mikey realized something. He couldn't go into battle and risk getting his awesome new music player broken - or worse, the headphones broken! So, humming a little ditty to himself, he wrapped the headphone wire around the player and tucked it safely in his belt, then brandished his nunchucks, swung it around a few times for good measure, then held it in front of him for protection. "Okay." 

He then jumped into the fray to help his brothers out. 

And he got the first hit, jumping directly on Stockman's armored head, causing a loud 'clang' from the flimsy metal, then jumped onto a nearby trashcan as Donnie rode in on his skateboard, using his staff to disconnect some of the main wires connecting Stockman's head armor to his body armor and causing him to stumble. 

Donnie then passed the torch to Raph, and while riding his skateboard as well, disconnected more wires in Stockman's body armor with a sai, making him look at his disheveled armor in horror.

These guys were...surprisingly good, albeit weird-looking. 

Leo was the one to deliver the final blow, and using the now-popular skateboard method, swooped under Stockman's and used his katanas to slice at the sensory panels on his elbows and knees.

With a feeling that was suddenly like whiplash, Stockman began to stumble again and accidentally bashed his elbow into an alarm system, causing a loud bell (almost like a school bell) to go off, making the boys (with the exception of Raph, who just looked disgruntled) start to panic. If they got caught, they would likely end up on the news - again - and Splinter would find out they snuck out in the first place!

And the last time they disrespected Splinter's orders...it wasn't pretty. 

With Stockman still stumbling around (and even knocking over a trash can,) Raph thought up an idea. He opened the top of the dumpster he was standing on and gestured to it like a suggestion, making Leo nod in approval. 

This was a fitting end to a battle against such a loser. 

They picked up Stockman immediately, and upon seeing where they were going to toss him, he started yelling out 'no' and struggled even harder for them to let him go. But they didn't, and he ended up headfirst in the dumpster, his robotic feet sticking out from the top. "You're not the first to ever throw me in the trash!" He yelled, which was even more of a sad statement than anything. "But I swear that you will be the-"

But before he could finish his oath of hatred towards the boys, Raph slammed the dumpster closed, trapping Stockman inside. 

And then they saw the flashing red and blue lights. Great, the siren had gotten the attention of the police. 

Before they could even be spotted, they bolted for the rooftops, with Mikey rhetorically exclaiming "Oh snap, it's the po-po!" as all of them scrambled out of the scene, skateboards on their shells. 

It was perfect timing, as a police car skidded to a stop and two officers got out with flashlights to investigate the scene. But upon finding nothing, they only glanced at each other with confusion. The perp must've ended up getting away.

~ 

Meanwhile, the boys were skating across the empty streets of New York, cheering for each other - on both taking down Stockman so effortlessly (even if he was a loser and an easy fight,) as well as the various tricks they were performing along the way. While none of them were as skilled as Mikey was, admittedly, it was fun to let the adrenaline take over and be teenagers for a little bit. 

Even if they did forget that they were supposed to be grounded - and making such noise was a significant risk in the deadened city. 

As they made it to the manhole, Raph and Leo decided to end the fun by skating across a building wall and grinding across the end of a dumpster, respectively. Mikey and Donnie cheered for them, with the latter letting out a "Nice!" as they skated right in front of the manhole. 

They pushed it open and started to jump in, skateboards on their shells again. Leo was first, then Raph, then Mikey, and Donnie was the final turtle, pushing the manhole back into place - probably because he was the only turtle tall enough to perform such a feat with minimal effort. 

They were home - and no one had spotted them. 

Epic. 

~

Being as quiet as humanly possible, the boys swam through the little wading pool in the lair (underneath the tire swing set up), with Leo leading the charge. As he observed the scene, it looked just the same as they had left it. Splinter was still asleep, so the only sounds were from the pinball machine set up and the occasional chirp from the arcade machine. 

"All right! We made it home!" Raph cheered as the rest of the boys joined their blue-masked brother. 

Leo immediately shushed him, a death stare on his face. "Shh! It's 2:00 am!" He harshly whispered. Now the guilt was starting to set in. There was something about being home that bothered him. Even if Splinter never knew that they had snuck out, it was the idea of going against his wish that irked him.

Nevertheless, he was not about to risk the idea of Splinter catching them because Raph wanted to brag about making it home without being noticed.

Mikey, however, felt the same way as his red-masked brother. "And Splinter's still asleep. This is epic!" He whispered excitedly, sharing a smile with Raph as the latter tossed his skateboard aside.  

But Leo continued to try and convince them of their wrongdoing. "It's not epic! It was a really bad idea!"

"No, it wasn't!" Raph immediately countered, before flipping onto the beanbag chair next to the couch to rest. "We got out there and stomped a sleazeball! So what's the problem?" Considering Leo had no argument, he considered that a win as he closed his eyes and smiled proudly. Man, it always felt good to beat the fearless leader in an argument - and especially after beating such a loser like Stockman. 

However, there was a problem on their hands. 

As Mikey was about to use the tPod again, he realized...where was it? It wasn't in his belt like he put it, and after a brief search across his body for it...he realized it was gone. 

Oh no. 

~

Stockman had finally gotten himself out of the dumpster, tired and feeling like his organs were completely shuffled around inside of his body. Those guys were tough, and it was clear to him that the armor was not doing him any favors whatsoever. 

He needed some new upgrades - and now. 

But then he saw this...invention laying directly across from him. It emanated a blue light, and while he disregarded the headphones attached to it, the source looked intriguing. Maybe, if he took this thing apart, he could use what was inside.

Or maybe...

After taking off the headphone pieces and being left with a plug on both ends, Stockman connected it to the mainframe of the armor. The second he did, his armor started to have a red tint instead of a blue one, and it started to advance itself; adding more to the metal exterior, connecting the shoulder panels to the back panels, and creating a bright red siren-shaped beacon on top of his head. 

He felt stronger immediately. 

And as he chuckled excitedly (and a bit evilly,) he had the perfect idea to test out this new armor:

Get revenge on those boys for making such a fool out of Baxter Stockman. 

~

And suddenly, the morning rolled around, and it was time for training - to the boys' utter misery. 

As Spinter watched in a meditative pose from afar, the boys struggled with their moves, having barely any finesse or strength, and yawning constantly. Thanks to the sneaking out the night before, they had gotten next to no sleep. 

And with the exception of Donnie (who was used to running on fumes at times,) they were all exhausted.

Leo groaned as he tried (and failed) to do a proper handstand before falling directly on his face - to which Splinter demanded, "Knees higher, Leonardo!"

Mikey tried to do a vaulting jump and ended up falling directly on his tail with a groan and Splinter instructed, "Extend, Michelangelo!" He then sluggishly tried to do another vaulting jump and failed pretty spectacularly. 

Meanwhile, Raph was trying to do a handspring but just ended up rolling in a ball across the floor with a muffled groan. "Raphael! You call that a koho tenkai? Because I do not!" Splinter was getting more aggravated by the minute. These moves should not have been difficult for them, and had they gotten a proper amount of sleep-

Sleep. That was it. 

The boys had always been good about their sleep schedules (again, with the exception of Donnie, but he was used to it at this point,) so they were always alive and alert for morning training. So something must've happened the night before - or more realistically, they did something. 

And considering they were teenagers, it all clicked in Splinter's head - but he didn't say anything to make the boys realize the error of their ways through intense physical training. 

Training abruptly ended when Donnie fell to the ground with a panicked yell, letting out an 'ow' and holding his head as he shook off the dizziness. He made a note to himself; to see if it was possible to genetically enhance their skulls to avoid potential fractures. 

"Yame!" Splinter called out to them and jumped from his seat, making all four boys kneel in front of him respectfully. He hummed to himself at that immediate change in appearance but then decided to cut to the chase. "Is there something you want to tell me?" He already knew the truth, but he wanted to see if any of the boys would admit to sneaking out.

Mikey, however, didn't entirely catch on. "Something we wanna tell you?" He asked, then tried to brush it off with a chuckle. "Nope."

Splinter scowled ever so slightly at them. "You all seem tired." Once again, he was trying to see if he could get a confession out of them, and considering the way their eyes widened from fear, he knew he was on the right track. 

But immediately, they refuted such a claim:

"We're not!" Leo. 

"Wide awake!" Donnie. 

"Fresh as daisies!" Raph.

But Mikey ruined the illusion with a well-timed yawn, falling to the floor and snoring away. 

Spinter subconsciously raised an eyebrow; if this didn't show them the consequences of their actions, this absolutely would. "So you would not object to a little...randori?" He rhetorically asked, holding up a wooden beam (that looked vaguely like a tanto) and staring the boys down. 

As the boys shared worried looks (and Mikey gulped in fear,) they knew what they were in for. 

Raising the beam, Splinter only needed one hit on each of them to make them fall to the ground; first Raph, then Donnie, then Mikey, and finally Leo. 

And as all four of them were lying on the ground, groaning in pain, Splinter decided to end their suffering with a back-handed lesson: 

"I hope you have learned, turtles, that truth isn't the only thing that hurts."

~

After the disaster that was morning training, Leo (with an eager smile) had tuned in to the next rerun of "Space Heroes." Captain Ryan and his team were currently exploring a planet, but one of the members of his crew, Crankshaw, was panicking about them needing to get off the planet because of how dangerous it was. 

But Ryan refused, slapping Crankshaw and going into a monologue - that Leo imitated verbatim, holding a finger up and everything. "'We may have started this rebellion by accident, but by the rings of Nebulon, we are going to finish it on purpose!'"

While Ryan's team obeyed his word and proudly exclaimed, "Aye, sir!", Raph commented on how unhealthy Leo's obsession with such a dated cartoon was, all while reading his comic. "Seen this enough times there, Chief?"

But Leo wasn't about to let his brother dampen his spirit. "Would you-shh! This is the best part!" The action was finally about to start as Ryan powered up his blaster; they were going to take down the rebellion and be victorious once again and-

"We interrupt this program to bring you breaking news." The logo for Channel 6 appeared along with 'BREAKING NEWS' in huge letters, making Leo let out a dejected 'ohh.' 

But then footage started being rolled, depicting a crazed lunatic in a powered mech suit, completely destroying the interior of an office building. "We've received shocking footage of an assault on the TCRI office complex in Brooklyn." The anchor reported, and what made Leo freak out was...

Double oh no. 

It was the same guy that they took care of the night before. Except now, he was doubly powerful. 

"At last!" Stockman exclaimed with a bitter, scorned face. "I will have my revenge!"

"Who...who are you?" A civilian asked in a scared voice, and considering he was close to the camera getting footage, he was either the one holding it or he was close to the actual person rolling. 

Still trying to be as intimidating as possible, Stockman decided to indulge in his question - sort of. "You'll never know! I'm the thing that haunts your nightmares! I'm the nameless shadow who-"

"Baxter?"

But considering the suit only gave his voice a robotic tinge, Stockman's voice still wasn't perfectly concealed. "No!"

But the man hiding behind the desk (who asked if it was really Baxter) asked again. "Baxter Stockman?"

When Stockman's voice got louder as he yelled another "No!", that was all the proof he needed. "Hey, everybody, it's Baxter Stockman!" Some of the responses garnered were shocked gasps, while others started to laugh - apparently, this guy must've been a next-level laughingstock if he wasn't even intimidating in a powerful mech suit.

Raph commented sarcastically as Mikey and Donnie now joined to watch the footage, "I think his name is Baxter Stockman."

Another voice, this one much gruffer, was heard in the footage. "Is this because I fired you?" Oh, that was his motive. Pretty dumb, but he obviously felt insulted at such a move from the company. They didn't know what they were missing out on! Clearly someone with his intelligence and skill deserved some level of revenge!

"That copy machine was already broken when I-" 

Okay, or maybe it was for a stupid reason like that.

But then Baxter realized he was getting distracted - and his voice was no longer robotic and cold - so he resumed the modulation and continued on his tirade. "-I don't know what you're talking about!"

"How did he upgrade his armor so fast?" Leo asked himself with a hand on his chin, but his question was answered as Stockman went to attack something - or someone - and the footage glitched for a second, focusing on the pod that was now part of his armor...and had become the source of it all. 

Oh. That explained where it went. 

"He has the tPod?!" Donnie exclaimed, turning towards Mikey with a stormy expression. Seriously, did he have to be so irresponsible with everything?

To try and minimize the damage, Mikey came clean - but sugarcoated it heavily. "Oh, uh, heh...I might've dropped that during the fight."

But it didn't help Donnie's mood - if anything, it only escalated it further. "You dropped it during the fight?!" Soon enough, he was going to strangle him. "Nice going, Mikey!"

But Mikey quickly tried to defend his mistake. "It's your fault!" When Donnie only responded with why, Mikey's reasoning was, "You know I can't be trusted with nice things!"

Now Donnie was going to blow a gasket - and Mikey knew that as he started to shrink out of fear of being destroyed. 

And as he started to crawl away, Leo turned and started to reason what was going on with Stockman. "So the AI chip is upgrading his armor the same way that it upgraded the tPod?"

Donnie silently agreed with him, continuing to offer more of an explanation. "And if it keeps going, there's no telling how powerful he'll get!"

Okay, this was getting really bad. Nothing worse than fighting a villain who only kept getting stronger. 

"This has gone way too far, we have to tell Splinter." Leo suggested. Despite the fact that they would probably be grounded into the next century with how colossally they screwed up, it was better than continuing to lie to him. And besides, he would probably know of a way to assist them.  

But Raph immediately saw faults with that reasoning. "What? That we turned some nutjob into a supervillain? Do you know what he'll do to us for that?" He then started hitting his fist against his palm to prove his next point. "I mean, he pounded us into the ground just for bein' sleepy!"

Seeing Raph's point, Donnie decided to interject. "Look, we beat Stockman once, we can beat him again. We track him down, grab the tPod, and get back here before Splinter knows anything." It was an incredibly simple plan, and while Donnie did have his doubts about if they could beat Stockman with how powerful he'd gotten, it was better than letting him roam free and destroy the city. 

Still knowing he was in trouble, Mikey tried to inject his own thoughts into the discussion - while also reading a comic and lying upside down on the beanbag chair. "If my opinion counts for anything, Donnie's right."

And while Donnie did appreciate the sentiment, it changed nothing. "Hey, thanks, Mikey! But it doesn't."

Mikey only meekly replied with a, "Didn't think so..."

Well, can't say he didn't try. 

~

As they maneuvered their way across the ledge of an abandoned warehouse, the boys finally caught Stockman sitting alone on a circular platform on the floor. And if you squinted enough, it looked like he was...talking to himself. 

"I'm not Baxter Stockman...I am the Bax-Man!" He exclaimed. Oh, he was trying to think of decent villain names so that he wouldn't have another incident like what happened before. Stupid Mike, blowing his cover like that. 

But then he realized how dumb of a name that was. "No, no...I am...I am the Suitinator!"

Somehow it got even worse. "Ah, that's terrible!" He grimaced, then tried to think of any other names that sounded threatening. "Captain...Punch-You-Hard!" Realizing that name was just as bad, he groaned and put his head in his mechanical hands. "Why is this so difficult?!" He cried. 

His vision was averted enough so that he didn't see the four shadows sneaking up to him - until Mikey broke the silence with, "I kinda liked the Suitinator."

"You guys again?!" Stockman exclaimed amidst the whispers to Mikey to be quiet. His gaze snapped upward, and he was met with all four boys surrounding him, ready to fight. 

But Leo wanted to negotiate first. "All right, Stockman. Nobody wants to hurt you." He reasoned - but Raph immediately commented, "We don't? Did I miss a meeting?"

Ignoring his younger brother's want to attack, though, Leo made it clear what they wanted. "We just want the tPod."

But Stockman wasn't about to give it up so easily. "Give up my source of power? Why? So you can laugh at me again? THROW ME IN A DUMPSTER?!" He yelled, his pose getting more and more threatening. It was clear that he was done feeling like a pushover and a laughingstock. His coworkers did it, then the boys, and then his coworkers again when he tried to get revenge and destroy the office. 

He was sick of it, and he wanted some type of penance from the world. 

The boys looked shocked for a second at his sudden change in demeanor - but then Raph gave in and gave a cocky smile towards Stockman. "Sounds good to me." He simply replied, then was the first one to charge at him with a fierce battle cry. 

However, Stockman could see exactly what he was about to do. He geared up his mechanical fist and right as Raph was about to strike, he punched him directly in the abdomen, sending him flying into the wall and making him lose his sais in the process. 

Oh, he really wasn't messing around this time. 

Immediately, the others jumped into action, running at Stockman in a perfect triangular formation. But once again, Stockman was prepared. He retracted his robotic arms and grabbed Mikey and Donnie, slamming them both into the warehouse walls as he did with Raph. 

And now there was Leo. Running towards Stockman, he jumped onto one of the arms and dragged his katana along the metal (causing quite a few sparks along the way), and flipped upward, successfully slicing off one of the arms. When Stockman tried again with the other arm, Leo sliced that part off as well.

But considering it was a mechanical suit, it had no issue growing back new arms - much like Snakeweed did forever ago.

"What the..." Leo breathed out as one of the arms transformed into a little robot, with bug-like legs and a bright red beacon like Stockman had. It chirped to life, then jumped up, deciding to exact its revenge on Leo by latching itself onto his head, making him scream in pain and run around like a headless chicken while screaming for it to get off his head and for someone to help. All while Stockman was watching the (frankly ridiculous) scene with a bemused laugh. 

Suddenly, Raph and Donnie emerged from the rubble and focused on the...let's say, predicament Leo was in. However, when they came back up, the robot honed in on them and started firing - but both missed with ease, gracefully flipping out of the way. 

But when they landed back on the ground, the robot immediately shot their weapons right out of their hands, and they both started to panic. 

However, Leo was in arguably a worse position. Trying to struggle to get the robot off of him made it end up shocking him, red volts coursing through his system and making him scream in pain. And without knowing where he was going, he started running towards Donnie and Raph, the robot continuing to fire at them.

Thankfully, Mikey had also emerged from the rubble, glaring at Stockman evilly. "Hey, Stockman!" He called out. He then jumped from the pile, bouncing on his shell and being as fast as he possibly could - all while Stockman watched the scene with his robotic arms on his hips. Mikey then brandished his nunchucks and swung them around threateningly, then revealed the blade and gave him a smirk.

He then swung the chain towards Stockman, wrapping it around his bulky frame and pulling hard, making it nearly impossible for him to escape. 

Rather than break the chain, though, Stockman swung his body to the side a few times, making Mikey spin around him helplessly - and scream along the way. 

Meanwhile, Leo was still unwittingly chasing Donnie and Raph - and eventually backed the pair into a corner, making them dive behind a pile of cardboard boxes. "What now, genius?" Raph asked as both of them held their heads to avoid the laser fire. As Donnie looked around, he saw a glass pane sitting nearby, and that got him thinking. The Law of Reflection stated that a light beam that hit a flat surface would bounce back, and considering that it was a laser beam...if they aimed it right, it would bounce and hit the robot, getting it off Leo!

They grabbed the pane and angled it carefully, and as Donnie predicted, the beam bounced off the glass, bounced off the metal infrastructure in the warehouse and hit the droid, slicing it in half and making it fall off Leo's head. 

Perfect. 

As he adjusted his bandana, Leo groaned for a moment. "Thanks," He told the two with a slightly dazed look in his eye. 

But that faded as the three of them glared over at Stockman, who was still swinging Mikey around like he was a yo-yo and making him scream his head off.

The man caught their stare and smirked at them, swinging Mikey much more fiercely - and this time on both arms.

The older brother instincts in Leo, Raph, and Donnie kicked in; much like when Bradford and Xever kidnapped Mikey for ransom, Stockman was going to pay. Nobody messed with Mikey on their watch. 

Grabbing their weapons, they jumped back into battle - but Stockman was faster. Still using Mikey as a projectile, he swung him directly into Raph and made them fall, but Leo sliced the chain.

Donnie leaped in with his bo and was about to use the blade included to grab the tPod, but Stockman grabbed it and smashed it with his fist. "Hey!" He yelled, doing a backflip to think about his next move. The bo was essentially useless at this point, so he tossed it aside and opted for classic hand-to-hand combat, while an armed Leo, Raph, and (dazed) Mikey joined him. 

But Mikey quickly recovered, making the first charge - and his brothers followed him. Stockman followed suit, letting out a similar battle yell. And the second that they clashed, a large, blinding light filled the room of the warehouse. 

Truly it was the battle that settled things between Stockman and the boys, right?

Well, that was what Stockman thought as he busted through the wall of the warehouse with a chortle and an "Oh yeah!" as he held all four of the boys in his grip and marched out of the building. He knew exactly what he wanted to do. 

After all, this was meant to be revenge. 

Which is precisely why he threw them in the dumpster outside - and proceeded to laugh in their faces at his victory. "Foolish turtles! Did you really think you could defeat me?" He asked with a sense of arrogance in his tone. He felt invincible in this new suit - not only did he barely have a scratch on him, they were the ones tasting the bitterness of defeat! It was amazing!

With a pot on his head from the dumpster, Mikey commented, "Well, yeah." They had entirely underestimated Stockman, it seemed. The suit was the source of his power, obviously. If they removed the suit from the equation, he would be just as easy to beat as last time. But the problem was, the suit itself made it virtually impossible to have it removed. 

Combine its sheer power with Stockman's intelligence...it was a dangerous combination. 

Stockman sneered at them; that was just the response he expected. "All my life, people have laughed at me. The other kids in school, my coworkers, the woman who fixes the copy machine! How was I supposed to know you don't pour toner in the top?"

Okay, so maybe his reasoning was a little dramatic - and a little bit dumb. But it didn't matter; he was a force to be reckoned with, and the boys knew that now. 

"But when they behold the power of this suit, they won't be laughing anymore! They'll tremble in TERROR!" Stockman exclaimed with glee as the suit began to transform again. Red lights now appeared at his shoulders, and he seemed to be...growing a few extra inches.

"What's happening?" Leo asked, his voice now becoming much more cautious - and fearful. 

"Stockman and the tPod..." Donnie explained, his voice as weak and shocked as ever. 

His arms reformed, this time with much more powerful robotic appendages, like sleek and modern cranes. 

"They're-" Donnie's eyes then got wider as he frantically watched the new additions as they occurred.

On Stockman's back, little stubs that looked like they could be a sort of high-tech jetpack formed.

"-merging-"

And then his abdomen was clear, red and like the interior of a hard drive, but this time the tPod was exposed. 

"-they're becoming one single entity."

And as a large red searchlight focused on them and created a monstrous-looking face, Mikey could only give the name to this new villain:

"The Stockmanpod..."

Triple oh no.

~

And as soon as...the Stockmanpod started firing, the boys scrambled out of the dumpster and started to run into the street, screaming hysterically as they did. But Stockman was behind them the gigantic red light hunting for them. Now that he was part of the technology, his normal vision was impaired - but not enough so that he couldn't still see. There was a glaring red tint in his field of vision. 

"The Stockmanpod's right on top of us!" Mikey screamed, his hands in the air like he was about to surrender. Though he was a bit of distance away, Raph rolled his eyes at the name. "Stop calling him that, that's a stupid name!"

But then Stockman started closing the gap between him and the boys, and Leo had to think of a plan. "Split up! He can't follow us all!" It was true; while the suit was powerful, its walking speed was incredibly limited, so he could only catch one of them if they went in separate directions. 

"No way! He's gonna follow me!" Mikey frantically explained, his voice gradually getting higher from fear. 

"Why would he follow you?" Leo asked.

"They ALWAYS follow me!"

Leo internally groaned; he wasn't about to have them all be killed because Mikey refused to split up. "Stop being paranoid and just do it!"

Donnie was the first to branch off, turning right at Eastman. Raph then did the same, turning left at Madison. Leo was the final one, turning left on Douglas. Considering Mikey was the only one left, and it was much easier to just keep going straight, he did exactly what Mikey predicted (arguably for an entirely different reason than just 'it's always the case,') and kept following the youngest. 

"Ahh! I told you he was gonna follow me!" Mikey screamed, making a left turn and searching helplessly for a saving grace - a place to hide, a weapon, something. But he sensed Stockman getting closer (and the light was a dead giveaway,) so he ran faster, latching onto walls to cover more ground. 

But Stockman wasn't giving up; somehow he had gotten past the slow walking cycle in the suit and was now keeping up a steady jog. 

This was bad. 

Still trying to cover more ground, Mikey flipped onto one wall, then another, then flipped off of the second wall and back onto the street - he jumped on a roundabout (which Stockman tore out of the ground,) then flipped off of it and continued running. When he reached a dead end, he did a nearby wall kick and hopped over it, seeming to have gotten rid of Stockman-

Until he burst through the wall again. 

But thankfully, Mikey's saving grace finally came in the form of a kid making a few late-night pizza deliveries on his moped. "Pizza? Alright!"

Now, normally he would've taken a box to enjoy later with his brothers - or enjoy by himself. 

But this time, he had an idea. 

He stole the boxes from the back of the moped (without the kid noticing, thankfully,) and waited for Stockman to approach - which he, of course, did, screaming, "I've got you now!"

"Oh, yeah?" Mikey asked with a cocky smile, opening the boxes. Admittedly, it took everything in him not to eat all four of the pizzas he had - but this came first. "Well, I've got hot cheese!"

Two of the pizzas hit Stockman directly in the small window he had to see, making him stumble about and temporarily lose his vision. When he pulled them off, he glanced around with a furious glint in his eye. "Is that the best you've-"

But when he looked around, Mikey was completely gone. 

He didn't even realize the soft rattle of the manhole cover as the boys made it back into the sewers. 

~

As they tried to find their way back inside (as the lights had, unfortunately, been turned off,) the boys whispered amongst each other to keep quiet and just look for solid ground to stand on. They could patch up their wounds - and the last thing they wanted was Splinter catching them, especially like this. He couldn't know about them screwing up this badly, he couldn't!

When they found ground and felt the descending nature of the stairs, they felt like they were almost home-free. Just a little further, and they could sneak into Donnie's lab for the first aid kit and-

And the lights were on. And Splinter was standing at the top of the stairway.

Quadruple oh no. 

"Ah! Sensei!" Leo exclaimed, trying not to look as panicked as he felt. 

"And where have you been?" Splinter asked, a disapproving look in his eye.

"Nowhere?" Raph asked more than asserted. 

"And how did you get so hurt?" Splinter added, noticing all of the bruising - and judging by the way they were standing, they probably had at least a few broken bones. 

Now this they couldn't deny. 

"Oh, that! Um, well, we were-" Leo frantically began, his broken katanas immediately going behind his back. Raph continued the "explanation" with "-hit-", to which Donnie followed it up with, "-by a-", and Mikey finished it; along with a hopeful smile that Splinter would buy it, he said the only word that came to mind:

"-bus?"

 When Splinter only cocked an eyebrow at the awful lie, Mikey tried to widen his smile to try and make it more believable - but some of his teeth fell out upon doing so.

All right, that confirmed it. Something was going on. 

"Hit by a bus?!" Donnie angrily whispered at the absurdity of the lie. Mikey justified it by responding, "Well, what was I supposed to say? Meteor? Cow? Flying building?" What ensued was a hard staredown between the youngest brothers, while Leo facepalmed at it all. There was only one thing to do now.

"Enough!" Splinter hit the jade staff against the metal flooring of the lair, making the boys stand instantly. And then he asked one thing of them:

"Tell me what happened."

~

Now they were in the dojo, as Mikey was finishing the story of how he got away from Stockman. "And then I threw hot cheese in his face and...ran away." 

"Very resourceful, Michelangelo," Splinter commented, giving credit where it was due - but that didn't make him any less upset with them. And the boys knew that as they bowed their heads in shame. "But I am still highly disappointed in you all. The first rule of being a ninja is do no harm." But then he realized the datedness of that rule. "Unless you mean to do harm, then do lots of harm!"

Leo was the first one to speak up - no surprise there. "You're right, sensei." He admitted with a resigned tone. "I guess we did make a mess of things."

"So, what do you think would be a fitting punishment?" Splinter asked. He knew exactly what the boys needed to do - and Leo knew this too as he simply replied, "We need to clean up our mess."

Splinter agreed with that sentiment for the first time. "Yes. You must stop this...Stockmanpod."

However, it wasn't as easy as it sounded - and Donnie knew that. "But sensei, that guy's already kicked our shells! And now he's even more powerful...how are we supposed to stop him?"

Raph came up with an idea - albeit a pretty primal one. "I know! I'll hit him really hard!" And potentially break his hand by hitting pure, unfiltered metal, but that wasn't necessarily his first priority. 

"Brute force is not the answer." Splinter simply replied. "You will need to rely on your ninja training." While being stealthy wasn't exactly going to stop Stockman, Splinter had seen many a ninja fight with armor. Shredder had sometimes used it during their sparring matches while Splinter was still human - and when they referred to each other as Saki and Yoshi. 

But Mikey didn't necessarily get that point off the bat. "Excuse me, sensei? But ninjas never had to go up against guys in armor." A furrowed eyebrow to him and Mikey shifted his focus to the left. Upon seeing the murals on the sliding doors, it showed ninjas fighting a man with chain-mail armor and a helmet similar to that of Shredder's. "Oh...I mean, ninjas always had to go up against guys in armor." Trying to play off his very obvious mistake, he chuckled nervously while Raph mumbled to him, "Nice save." 

But Leo was more focused on how to defeat Stockman. "Sensei, what was their secret?"

Splinter gave them the key they needed, what they had been failing to do during their first fight with him. "They understood that you do not fight the armor, you fight the man inside."

Easier said than done, but if they worked together...then maybe it wasn't impossible after all. 

As Raph, Leo, and Donnie looked at Mikey, the same idea formed in their heads. However, Mikey didn't catch on...again. "Why are we all looking at each other?"

Was it a dumb idea? Yes. Risky? Also yes. But could it work in taking Stockman down?

Potentially.

~

And now it was going to come to life, as Leo, Raph, and Donnie all stood on a rooftop of an apartment, waiting for everything to be put into motion. 

"Are you sure this is gonna work?" Donnie asked as all three of them were perched like birds. Leo only gave him a knowing smile. "Like sensei said, don't fight the armor. Fight the guy inside. And one thing we know about bad guys-" He then went back to looking forward, his smile growing along with Raph's. 

"-they love chasing Mikey."

"Guys! Stockmanpod's got-" 

Mikey's scream could be heard practically from Houston as he flipped onto the rooftop. 

"-missiles!"

Indeed, a barrage of missiles was being fired directly at them, and considering the red ends, they looked to be as dangerous as missiles could possibly be. Great. 

All of them split up to avoid the barrage - but considering Mikey was the one the missiles were gunning for, he climbed up the water tower and barely made it to the top before the missiles hit it, making it blow up and him fly into the air, using his nunchucks to cling to the telephone wire hanging above the building. Too close for comfort.

But then, through the fire and flames, came Stockman, ready to take all of them down once and for all. 

The elder trio surrounded him, using chains to secure him into place, much like Mikey tried to do before. But considering there were three turtles instead of just one, there was definitely a better chance that it wouldn't end horribly like last time, and no one would be swung around again. It also helped that Leo used his feet for extra strength, while Raph and Donnie were pulling hard enough that Stockman couldn't easily get away. 

Mikey had jumped down from the wire and, seeing Stockman nearly helpless, decided to be a bit cocky. "Now who's trembling in terr-whoa!"

But it was quickly short-lived when Stockman broke free of the chains, and seeing Mikey as distracted (and admittedly, wanting a bit of penance for such an insult,) he grabbed the youngest turtle by the face and threw him directly into the side of an adjacent building. 

That was absolutely going to leave more than a few marks. 

"Mikey!" Donnie screamed in fear, and Raph sparked the rage in all of them by yelling, "That's it! You're goin' down!"

Much like last time; if anyone messed with Mikey, they were going to meet the wrath of three older brothers. 

The trio charged at Stockman again, with the latter's attention being caught and making him run towards them as well. 

Donnie was the one to make the first move, using his bo as a vaulting stick to kick at the small window of the suit, then push him further towards Raph and Leo. The latter was the second, using his katanas to get some solid hits on Stockman's armor. But the more important thing was that he just kept getting pushed back. Raph was finally able to get a bit of revenge on him, attacking the armor to try and weaken it - and even getting his sais stuck in the armor itself and causing him an unintentional piggyback ride on Stockman's mech suit. 

It would've been funny - if they weren't fighting a crazed villain who was bent on revenge. 

But when Stockman tried to grab him (and likely cause him the same damage that he did to Mikey,) Raph jumped down from the armor and went in for another strike - but missed when Stockman swung at him and sent him flying into a vent on another building. 

Two down, two to go.

"Raph!" Leo screamed, and he and Donnie immediately jumped in to strike at Stockman. But using his mechanical arms, he grabbed both of them, smashed them together like action figures and spun them around, before tossing them off the rooftop. 

But then a pair of green arms reached out and grabbed their hands. "Gotcha!" It was Raph.

Pulling them back on the roof, the three groaned slightly as their pain was starting to kick in. And it especially didn't help that Stockman was now standing over them menacingly, ready to finish them off. "Any last words?"

"Just one." Leo simply replied. Finally, the plan was coming full circle with this. "Bees!"

It was so dumb, that it had to work.

"Bees?" Not the words Stockman would have expected from three turtles about to die. Maybe "I surrender, please don't hurt me!" or "I'm sorry for everything I did and said to you!"

But...bees?

How stupid could someone-

"BEEEEEEES!" Mikey was using the same wire as a zipline, and holding the beehive that Leo ran into the night before, zoomed right up to Stockman and jammed it directly into the small window that he had. 

Stockman screamed as he desperately tried to swat them away within the suit - and as he did, the tPod was completely exposed, and was practically begging to be back in the boys' hands. 

With him still distracted, the boys lined up, ready to finally take this guy down once and for all. 

They only needed one hit, just like last time. Mikey was first, then Donnie, then Raph, and finally Leo. And with the strike from the katana, Stockman fell off the rooftop and landed on a much shorter building right next to it. 

And judging by how much he was groaning and how the suit felt like it was powering down, Stockman knew he was defeated. 

But when he saw Leo standing over him menacingly, he panicked, thinking he was about to lose his life. However, the turtle simply took aim at the tPod, stabbing it out of the suit and causing a huge downgrade in the process. 

And now it was dead and gone.

Stockman weakly climbed out of the suit and glanced up at Leo as the others joined him. "So...we'll call it a tie?" He weakly requested with an embarrassed smile. He wasn't necessarily willing to lose his dignity by living his life knowing that he was beaten by four mutant turtles (especially with such an epic suit like that being...defeated so easily,) so a tie was really the best he could hope for. 

"Wanna call it a tie, Raph?" Leo asked, looking at his younger brother with a knowing smile. 

Raph only smirked and cracked his knuckles. "Not yet." He knew there was only one way that this entire battle could end properly; the same way it ended the first time. 

And that was precisely why Stockman ended up in the dumpster for the second time. 

"Now it's a tie." He smirked as he shut the lid on Stockman's head.

They cheered as they started making their way back to the sewers, eager to tell Splinter about how they righted their wrongs - and, of course, that maybe they didn't need to be grounded anymore.

If only they realized the starstruck kid who had watched the entire scene unfold from his windowsill and was now sketching up his own idea for an awesome costume as they had. 

~

And now they were back in the dojo, with Splinter giving them much-deserved praise for taking down Stockman. "You all showed wisdom and great skill in defeating the Stockmanpod. I am proud of you all." He admitted with a genuine smile. 

Deciding to say what they were all thinking, Leo decided to just pop the question right there. "Does this mean we're not grounded anymore?" He asked curiously, not wanting to be too pushy - but at the same time, they deserved to be free of their punishment, right?"

Splinter stroked his beard in thought for a moment. They did deserve some level of reward - but what fun would that be if they got it with no strings attached?

"Yes." He agreed with a smile, watching the boys smile in delight at the news.

But again, where was the fun if there were no strings attached?

"But first, randori!" He proclaimed, taking out the wooden beam that he used before on them. 

And as soon as they saw it, the boys started to scream and frantically tried to get away, not wanting any more brain damage like last time. 

While Splinter would put away the beam and not subject them to another round of randori, it was the principle of the joke that was the point. 

After all, what kind of father would he be if he didn't mess with them once in a while?

~

Want to be tagged for any future chapters or updates? Just let me know!

@tinkabelle19 @happymoonangel @m1dnyt3-w0lf @jasminarts01 @android-cap-007 @thelaundrybitch @eveandtheturtles @red-phoenixxx

[marvelmaniac715]

This is part two to that fic I wrote where Chucky possesses his human body. I was initially going to write this about Tiffany, but I decided to target the long-suffering Andy Barclay instead, because why not? Fear not, Tiffany fans, a part three to this au may be coming soon…

————————————————————-

Nica had called him in quite a panic, sobbing her way through a mostly nonsensical explanation about some nightmare she’d had. At least, Andy assumed it was a nightmare, because Nica was talking about Chucky as if he were still alive - and the last time Andy checked, he was definitely dead. Still, he cancelled his plans for the day and decided to stay inside, arming himself with a gun, just in case. 

But Andy was still relatively calm. So calm, in fact, that he decided to order a pizza and put on a movie. When the doorbell ran, for the pizza delivery guy (hopefully), Andy got up and walked to the door without fear for the first time that he could really remember. That fearlessness vanished when he opened the door to be greeted by an older man with piercing blue eyes and curly white hair. If the eyes didn’t give his identity away, the bloodstained pizza boy uniform that was way too small for him made one thing very clear to Andy - this was Chucky. To add insult to injury, his pizza box had been opened, with his pizza half-eaten.

Andy had no words to say, he just stood there, arms hanging limp at his sides, jaw clenched, eyes widened in mild panic. Chucky wasn’t rushing to attack him, but he had that look on his face, the look that promised a great deal of trouble, relatively soon. After what felt like an eternity, Chucky broke the ice with a casual:

“The pizza was kinda shitty, the cheese doesn’t even ooze, so, tell whatever pizza place you ordered it from to fix that.”

The word ‘No’ left Andy’s mouth before he could process the fact that he was speaking at all. In response, Chucky laughed, shrugged and said sardonically:

“Well, damn it, here I was thinking we’d sit down to have a pizza together someday, I guess not.”

Beginning to realise that Chucky didn’t seem in a particularly bloodthirsty mood at present, Andy decided to lean into the lighthearted tone of this conversation and joked:

“If you made me eat pizza with you, I’d be sure to put pineapple, anchovies and live slugs on it.”

Chucky didn’t bat an eyelid, he merely flinched and commented:

“Weird taste in pizza, but alrighty, pal.”

By this point, both men had been standing for quite some time, so Andy decided to reenter his living room and sit down. Entirely uninvited, Chucky followed him in and sat down on a chair opposite him, shoulders tensed. It was then, and only then, that Chucky decided it was necessary to clarify:

“Oh, I’m Chucky, by the way-‘

“Yeah, I know. The eyes and the bloodstained stolen uniform gave you away. You’ll never change, will you?”

Chucky smirked, before asking:

“Do my eyes really give it away? Is it the colour, because I can get contact lenses, or is it just my eyes in general, because I could probably make sunglasses work if that’s the case.”

Andy thought about it for a moment, then leant back in his chair as he began to explain:

“Just your eyes in general. They just have a certain… expressiveness, let’s say. A certain killer gleam that gives you away every time. That’s how I always know when I’m near you, no matter which form you take.”

This actually made Chucky laugh, which made Andy feel uneasy. But as Chucky laughed, a question gnawed at the back of his mind. He felt compelled to ask it, so he did.

“So, did you steal another body, or…?”

Predicting the end of the question, Chucky leant forward and answered:

“Oh yeah, let me explain. This is my original body, a couple of my doll vessels dug me up in Chicago - at my request - and transferred their fragments of my soul into the body you see before you. There wasn’t any flesh left, just bones, so the magic did its job and aged me up to the age of my soul, any other questions or are we good?”

That actually made a lot of sense: this was exactly the sort of thing that Chucky would do, so Andy wasn’t even surprised. But he did, in fact, have one more question. Much more tentatively, he asked:

“Do you have a purpose for being here or are you just gonna kill the pizza guy, eat the food I paid for and then leave? Because if it’s the latter, that’s kind of a dick move, even for you.”

Again, Chucky laughed, and he stood up. 

“I actually do have a reason for being here, I’m not just here to piss you off - although that is a lot of fun.”

For a long, agonising moment, Chucky said nothing. Feeling slightly scared, and having vivid flashbacks of his past encounters with Chucky, Andy stood up and tried to make his way to the front door, or to his gun… only for Chucky to push him to the floor and press his own gun that had been hidden in his pocket against Andy’s temple. Heart racing, Andy desperately struggled to stand up, only for Chucky to push him down again and again, gun pressing further into his temple with each desperate escape attempt. Chucky was laughing again, but it sounded more mocking, and threatening. He pressed the trigger and… nothing. Just a hollow click. 

Chucky placed his gun down on a nearby coffee table with a soft chuckle before flipping Andy onto his back and keeping him down with a foot on the chest. The man was grinning now, making it clear for anybody who doubted that Chucky was alive, exactly who this was. Andy tried to choke out some form of protest or question, but he was drowned out by Chucky cackling in his face, mercilessly taunting him with a sneering:

“Oh, I’ve seen that face before. When did I see that face, I wonder? Oh, of course, a big strong man trying to fight off the scary serial killer, when deep down, he’s only a scared little boy who misses his mommy and big sister. But they’re not here to protect you now, are they champ?”

Andy gathered enough strength to spit in Chucky’s face, but this only earned him more mockery.

“Didn’t mommy ever teach you that it’s rude to spit? Oh yeah, she couldn’t, you were only six when she got taken away for insanity.”

This comment fuelled Andy with enough anger to wriggle out of his position and stand up, shoving Chucky with all of his might. But Chucky the human was stronger than Chucky the doll, so he barely moved. Wordlessly, Chucky forcibly pushed Andy into his chair and loomed over him, arms crossed.

“Let me tell you a story - you like stories, don’t you? When I was a little boy, about eleven or twelve, I had the strangest fascination with hunting. I had a large supply of food at my disposal thanks to the Boy’s Home I was staying at, so it wasn’t for sustenance, I just did it for the joy of seeing life leaving an innocent creature’s eyes, as so many boys fantasise about doing at that age, y’know? Anyway, one day, I checked some of the traps I had left out, and I saw this tiny little brown rabbit with a stuck leg. You remind me of it actually, small, brunette, kinda twitchy…”

Andy cut off this brief tangent with a hissed ‘Get on with it’, so Chucky continued as if he hadn’t heard him:

“Anyway, like I said, this little rabbit was there. It wasn’t a fatal wound, so I decided to nurse it back to health. I stitched the wound, gave it food, all of that, and after about a week, it was ready to be set free. When it was ready to leave, I went to visit it. The silly thing saw me as it’s saviour, it nuzzled its nose against my palm, with it’s eyes gleaming with such love and loyalty. It was enough to make a grown man cry, but I was no man back then, Barclay. I was just a heartless kid.”

Andy wasn’t sure if he wanted to know this ‘charming’ little anecdote ended, but he had a horrifying feeling that he already knew. All he did was gasp slightly, and that brief moment, that barely noticeable flinch, was all that it took for Chucky to realise that the point of his story had gotten across. But still, he continued.

“The rabbit thought that I was going to set it free, but of course, I didn’t. I gathered it in my arms, stroked its soft fluffy ears for a second, then I grabbed them and twisted, as hard as I could. It didn’t even try to kick, that’s how scared it was. I took that rabbit to the Boy’s Home with me, cooked it and ate it. It was the best catch I ever ate after a hunt.”

That was a… stomach churning story. But remarkably, Andy was barely surprised. All he did was stare up at Chucky in confusion, not quite sure why he was even being told this story. Seeing his confusion, Chucky grinned and summarised his story’s ‘moral’:

“That’s the day that I learnt that fear can season the meat of a kill. The long con, in particular, makes the final kill so much more satisfying. Remember when I compared you to that rabbit? Well, the comparison doesn’t end there, friend. You didn’t even notice, but I’ve been playing the long con for years, subtly dropping your guard- hell, I mean, you didn’t even say anything when I walked into your house today! Because I’ve known you since you were a little boy, a tiny part of you associates me with familiarity, no matter how much you insist you hate me. You’ve seen me more than you ever saw your father, or Mike Norris. I’m not your dad, or even your friend, but I certainly fill that paternal role in your life in a way, don’t I bud? Think about how much I’ve taught you about survival, exactly what a father’s meant to do.”

This was what finally made Andy cringe. Chucky’s view of the world had always been warped, but that particular sentiment was just… wow. Gathering some of his stockpiled courage, Andy mockingly asked:

“Well, if you’re my father, am I in your will?”

Chucky shook his head:

“Nah, I’m not gonna die, so I don’t have a will, but you probably wouldn’t be in it if I did have one.”

Andy pouted as he replied:

“Aww, I thought you loved me.”

This comment made both men laugh uproariously at the irony. Then, Andy asked on a much more serious note:

“So you didn’t come to kill me, you just came to… stoke fear and tension? Is that it?”

Chucky nodded. 

“Well yeah, I also kinda wanted to show off. I’m taller than you now.”

Andy nodded.

“I noticed. Good for you, is it weird to not have to crane your neck upwards all the time to look at people?”

Chucky nodded again, then there was another silence. Finally, Chucky began heading to the door.

“Well, I’m gonna head out now. This has been fun, don’t forget to order another pizza and maybe call the police about that pizza guy.”

Not quite comprehending the fact that Chucky was just leaving casually after telling such a horrific story, Andy just barely managed to splutter out a confused:

“Wait, what am I even supposed to tell the cops?”

Chucky looked Andy right in the eye, gave him a shit eating grin and said something that it seemed as if he’d been waiting to say for years:

“Just tell them what you tried to tell the cops when you were six. Tell them that Chucky did it.”

[pizza-pie-in-the-sky]

Pizza Hut - American Pizza

Hey there! This week I come to you to write about Pizza Hut and my thoughts about American pizza. As per usual, more under the cut <3

~ Alex.

The restaurant we visited on January 10th 2024 was part of probably one of the biggest restaurant franchises in the world - Pizza Hut. As I already mentioned, it's a restaurant franchise with over 1000 places all over the world. Hence, it is easily accesible, with multiple locations in Warsaw. You'll find it easy to visit one! As for the one that we went to, this was exactly the case <3.

As for the kind of pizza, the history of American Pizza is younger than that of other pizza's we've already eaten - pizza came to America at the beginning of 20th century, along with Italian immigrants, and developed with time it spent in this country! It's characteristics are crust (it can be made with either thin or thick one, and it can be filled with some ingredients too!), it usually uses vegetable oil or so-called shortening, which make it different from Italian Pizza, uses different cheeses than mozeralle as well (such as: cheddar, provolone, parmesan, and more!), and has many popular ingredients, e.g., pepperoni, mushrooms, olives, onions, peppers, pineapple, and more! Sadly, this kind of pizza is very high in gluten, so if this is something that concerns you, you should be careful with it!

Hence, to no ones surprise, we ordered American Pizza, and, in particular, made the pick for farmerska (farmer's) and carbonara pizzas!

The wait for the pizza's felt only a little long to me, but maybe I'm overreacting, as always-hungry me (well, maybe all of us, haha)! As you can see in the photos below, the pizzas looked really good!

Buuut did they taste the same? Finally, here are my thoughts on the pizzas we ordered <3:

Farmerska (farmer's) - a pizza with San Francisco dough for its base, tomato sauce, and ingredients of mozarella, chicken, champignons (mushrooms), red onion, and green pepper. Oh, and its crust wasn't filled with any additional ingredients! I liked this one, it was tasty, basic, but good; I'm surprised green pepper didn't bother me that much, as I'm not a huge fun of it. Overall, I found it acceptable for my hungry stomach, a regular pizza holding a certain standard.

Carbonara - a pizza with American dough as its base, pizza crust filled with cheese, white sauce, and, as it was carbonara, ingredients such as mozarella, bacon, cherry tomatoes, champignons, and red onion. I have to be honest, I didn't like this one much, or even at all. Looking at the ingredients, I should've liked it, but I think it was just waaay too cheesy for me, and then just felt like too much and too tough for my stomach. Well, what can I say, maybe It's just not for me.*

So yeah, you don't get the before-after comparison this week. I knowww, we just didn't make as many pictures this time, I think we were so hungry we forgot about that lol. Still, I hold my ground that it's not my kind of pizza, for sure. Like, it was good, but I didn't go crazy over it, I think its popularity might a bit overrated, sue me. So, thank you so much for reading this post! You'll hear from me next week, and probably something a bit more interesting, lol.

~ Alex.

*All ingredients come from the website of the restaurant.