#take a shot every time brain grabs pinky’s nose

[gothamsfinestdummy]

*assaults your retina with this*

[sehunniepotwrites]

caught in your web | m.l

🕷SYNOPSIS— in which you can’t stand mark getting hurt anymore, not when you’re madly in love with him 🕷GENRE— mcu!au, spiderman!au, fluff, suggestive  🕷PAIRING— spiderman!mark lee x person in the chair!reader (gn) 🕷WORD COUNT— 1771

🕷WARNINGS— mentions of violence and battles, cleaning wounds, making out (lmao)

 🕷AUTHOR’S NOTE—day two of my mark lee breakdown and i came up with this. i have been in love with the idea of spider!mark ever since i’ve read @xiaomoon​‘s leap of faith and i finally got to write my own version of peter marker ;;; hope y’all enjoy this! (briefly edited, some mistakes may remain!)

—🕸🕷—

You don’t exactly remember how and when it all went down, but to sum it all up, your best friend of all time is Spiderman and you’re his person in the chair. You’re the J.A.R.V.I.S. to his Tony Stark or are you his F.R.I.D.A.Y.? You can’t be his Karen because his Karen is the user interface of his current suit— never mind that, that’s not really relevant. 

The most important takeaways from this are that:

your best friend, Mark Lee, is the newest addition to the Avengers

you’re the mastermind behind the computer that guides him through New York City

And lastly, you’re in love with that dumbass of a superhero. 

At first, you were mad that Mark didn’t tell you. Then, you were quite surprised that he kept a secret from you for that long— that boy has a hard time keeping his mouth shut. 

When you first found out, Mark in full superhero garb entered his room through the window while you were impatiently waiting for him on his bed with a Death Star Lego set in hand. You dropped the almost complete set out of shock and it shattered to pieces. Mark, with his red and black mask in hand and a suit that clung to his surprisingly fit body so perfectly (like honestly, when did he look like that?), made you promise that you would never tell his Aunt May. You linked your smaller pinky with his own, swearing not to tell but on one condition— that you could be his person in the chair.

Being behind-the-scenes while in the chair is extremely thrilling. Sure, you have no superpowers to contribute to the fight but you have the brains and the technology to help Mark in any way you possibly could. You tell him the best possible route with Karen backing you up and Mark will blindly follow. You are his tracker, eyes in the sky, and his safety net—you have his complete trust.

The worst thing about being his person in the chair, though, is watching Mark get hurt in action and knowing there is not much you can do about it without physically being there. Watching the person you love get hurt—no matter how enhanced their body was—is beyond taxing. You never know if he’s going to make it and it kills you inside when you’re barking commands into your headset, calling for Karen to activate the best mode to get Mark out of the battle site. It tears you to absolute pieces and that’s how you ended up here, in your bedroom with violent tears running down your cheeks.

Mark is laying down on your bed with his torso resting against your lap. His mask is discarded somewhere on your bedroom floor while the top half of his suit is peeled off his injured body. You’re crying, hands trembling as he’s gasping for air and wincing every time you attempt to clean a wound. 

“How could you be so reckless, Mark?!” you scold him through a hushed whisper. You press another alcohol-soaked swab onto a cut. He hisses, his hand squeezing your knee to keep him from screaming. “You’re an idiot!”

Mark is groaning, body twisting and turning while sinking his teeth onto his bottom lip. You can tell he wants to scream but your parents are home and you don’t want them to walk into this gruesome sight. They think you’re just up to your usual game playing. 

“I had to!” Mark argues back. His nose is scrunched up and you can just see how much pain he’s in. You want to do nothing but kiss the pain away but there were more pressing matters to attend to, like disinfecting all the cuts scattering his body. “They were heading this way, to this neighborhood. To you!”

God, you hate how headstrong and stubborn he is at times. “And that matters why? I can easily reroute you and you know that! For some reason, you chose not to listen and now you’re badly hurt and you’re bleeding a lot and I can’t even take you to the hospital and—”

“Hey, hey, hey, no, no, no. None of that, okay? It’s fine, I’m fine.” He must’ve sensed how the panic was seeping through your veins with his spidey senses or maybe Mark just knew you well enough. 

“See?” Mark gestures to an arm you had already patched up. The cuts you already tended to look so much better than before and the bruises are healing faster than the normal rate. 

“I’ll be fine in a day or two, bubs,” he reassures you with a pained smile. That didn’t reassure you at all.

“That’s not the point!”

“Then what— ow, fuck, you’re pressing too hard, ow— what is?” Mark tries to wriggle away and you press a hand onto his firm chest (oh my god, seriously, how is he built like this?) to keep him still. 

You’re done dressing his wounds and you take in the number of supplies you’ve used to tend to him. 

The battles out there are getting worse and the teenager just comes up more battered and bruised. You don’t know much longer you can take seeing your best friend like this. You’re so caught up in him and you can’t leave. You feel as if Mark shot some of his web fluid at you and suddenly, you’re just trapped in this ridiculous web of love and you can’t fight your way out of it. 

“If you keep acting recklessly, there will be no more friendly neighborhood Spiderman!” You can’t stand the thought of Mark being gone. The world out there was tough to live in as it is but a world without your idiotic best friend with superpowers? You can’t even imagine it. 

“What if I want to be more than that?” he asks, his voice dropping lower than his usual volume, 

“Well, you can’t be more than that if you’re dead!” you hiss back at him. “And that’s something I don’t want to see!” 

He flinches at your tone.

“No, wait— ugh, that’s not what I meant,” he lifts a hand to run through his hair. “What if I want to be more than just your friendly neighborhood Spiderman?”

“Mark, I really don’t get what you’re saying.” You look down at him, confusion buzzing through your features. “And that’s saying a lot.”

“What if I wanted to be more than just Spiderman to you? Because— I don’t know, that’s all I’ve wanted for a while now? Besides, like doing this whole Avengers-slash-saving the world thing?”

You blink at him, trying to process his words as Mark rambles on, his bare back still pressed against your thighs. 

“Do you even get what I’m saying? I don’t think I’m making any sense. Shit, how do people do this?” Mark continues as you try to make sense of his ongoing rant.

“Do what?”

“Confess to the person they like? Is there, like, a step-by-step guide or something because I don’t think I’m doing this right,” he replies fairly quickly before he realizes what came spilling out of his mouth. Mark’s face turns as red as his suit and his eyes are as wide as his mask’s lenses; you’re sure your face is mirroring a similar look. 

You swallow and clear your throat, trying to organize the many revelations running through your scattered brain. “So, let me get this straight.”

“Yeah, uh, sure,” Mark almost squeaks in disbelief. 

“You almost died in my arms just now and you’re worried about the proper way to confess to me?” You laugh in disbelief. What a typical Mark thing of him to do. 

“Well, uh, yeah, ‘cause dude, I’m pretty sure you know this but I haven’t done this sort of thing before.” He’s avoiding eye contact, clearly embarrassed by the situation. His hands are playing with the ends of his suit, a tell-tale of his nervousness.

You grab his hands, pulling them away from ruining the fabric, and squeeze them gently. “You’re such a nerd,” you tease fondly. 

“Hey!” he yells back at the insult.

“But it’s a good thing that I, um, like nerds,” you manage to cough out, a heat seeping through your cheeks. Your confession is barely above a whisper but Mark’s enhanced senses help him pick up your words perfectly. His body freezes for a second before his head snaps up.

Mark’s brown irises lock onto yours, hope swimming through them. “You—you do?” 

“Yeah,” you let out a breathy laugh. Your hand runs up the side of his neck to comb through his hair. You feel him shiver at your touch and you shyly smile at him. You’re nervous but you shouldn’t be—Mark’s your best friend. 

“There’s this one nerd running around the city in a red and black suit. Ever heard of him?”

He’s laughing at this point and all your worries disappear. “Yeah, I think I have. He’s pretty cool.”

“I think he’s pretty cute, too” you confess, dipping your head down to move a bit closer to him. Mark meets you halfway, his hand wiggling its way to clasp the back of your neck. Your heart is beating so hard against your chest and the butterfly wings are tickling your stomach at the proximity. 

You touch your forehead to his, nuzzling them together and he lets out a deep chuckle that sets your heart ablaze. “I guess you could say I got caught in his web,” you tease. You hear him suck on his teeth.

“Just kiss me already.”

“Only if you promise that you’ll listen to me and be more careful out there,” you reply, boldly pressing a kiss by his mouth. He chases your lips and you quickly pull away.

“Ah, promise me.”

“Promise, yes, I promise,” he groans. “Just let me kiss you.”

The word “okay” barely leaves your mouth before he pulls himself up to press his body against yours. Mark slots his lips against yours and you sigh into him, breathing in his scent. It starts off as innocent but the kiss takes a turn when Mark breaks away to slide off your lap. He keeps his hand behind your head and lowers you down to lie completely straight on your bed.

Mark climbs on top, knees on either side of your hips as he captures your lips again. Your fingers fly to his hair and he lets out a noise as your nails scratch his scalp. “Love you,” he whispers into the kiss. 

“Love you, too,” you smile as you tug him even closer. 

Yeah, you love being Spiderman’s person in the chair but you think you love being Mark Lee’s person a hell of a whole lot more.

[quietlyimplode]

Hi there! :) I have this prompt, but feel free to change it up however you like! Natasha comes back from a mission injured, stands under the shower still fully dressed and cares more about getting the blood out of her clothes than treating her injuries. Thank you so much if you can write something with it, but if not I completely understand.

Hey Anon! Thanks for your prompt, I actually loved writing this one. I hope it’s something along the lines of what you were after. Now a long one shot continued over in Ao3.

Content warnings for thoughts of non con sex (red room prostitution), dissociation; and fairly poor coping mechanisms, red room rememberings. But it’s not all bad when your Natasha has a Clint. (WC 1600)

.

She stumbles through the door to her room.

She wants Clint.

He’s with Thor and Tony, she heard them laughing as she snuck past.

She sucks back a sob as she looks at the blood on the dress and heads straight for his shower. She doesn’t bother to undress and steps inside. She can clean it in there. She lifts up the flowing tail of the dress and rubs it against the blood stains. Natasha’s breath stutters as she’s pushed into deep flashbacks, unable to stop the onslaught of images assaulting her mind.

.

It’s happened again.

Fear and adrenaline pumps through her body, and all she can focus on is, the next step, the next door, all the way to the bathroom. She trips on her own feet, grace gone, pain radiating from between her legs and lower back.

She bites back a sob as she pushes on the door to open it, stumbling through the threshold, cringing at the blood she’s smeared on the door.

The midnight blue dress has blood on it. Her blood. She’s supposed to return it to her handlers tomorrow; they don’t trust her with the $3000 commodity. It’s got to be cleaned.

Panic bubbles and she feels the vomit move up her throat. The punishment will be heinous. Her hand shakes as she remembers her fingernails being ripped off. She doesn’t want that to happen again.

Stop. She has to tell herself, and she shakes her hands out.

She can fix this. She can clean it. Her body is not her own. Tonight just confirmed that. Again.

The voice in her head is angry, mean and tells her that she deserves it, whatever happens she deserves it.

The mission has not failed. She completed the orders.

But.

The dress. They’ll be so angry. If she can wash it, if she can dry it, maybe they’ll be none the wiser. She just has to get to the shower.

Her movements are slow, the adrenaline is fading now. She turns on the shower to the hottest it can muster and waits until there’s steam billowing out. Shaking hands paw at the zip, her fine motor skills are shot. She schools her face and presses her lips together, breathing in and out through her nose, she gets herself together and pulls it down.

She cringes as she pulls the dress off her shoulders and down over her hips. Closes her eyes to the bruises that litter her own body, and her missing underwear. She wishes this was not her life. She wishes she was anywhere but here.. She wishes…

Sighing. Natasha picks up the dress and turns the water down. She steps inside and inspects the blood stains on the dress. They mostly reside on the lower half when the sex had got rough and he’d brought out a knife. Shallow cuts, he’d said, pushing her dress up. The knife had played around her stomach and then he’d pulled the dress down to cut under her breasts whilst he’d sat on her hips. Shallow cuts.

She’d left then, left her body and retreated in her mind, gone to a place a mind had conjured long ago. When he’d finished he’d pushed her dress back down, taking the blood with it. He’d held the knife to her neck; forcing her to come back, and smiled as he took her underwear. He’d signed the forms she presented to him; loyalty to the Red Room and supplier of guns. Missions success at the cost of her dignity. A nothing sum to them, shame she knows she shouldn’t feel runs deep. He’d said goodbye and that he’d see her again. She promptly vomited out the front of the building, away from watching eyes, unable to keep it down, and feeling disgust that she’d have to endure this again.

She rubs the dress hard. Watches as red pours down the sink. Smiles as it washes out at her hand. Satisfied she throws the dress on the floor and turns the water up appreciating the burn in all her cuts and sore body. She wants to sterilise herself from the inside out. Pain is a friend that overrides the shame.

.

Clint smiles. He wonders where Natasha is, she had a quick mission in the Embassy of Morocco and should have been home hours ago. He hums the song in his head and makes his way to his room, he hears the shower running and grins; walking into the bathroom.

He stops still when he sees her, fear dumping it’s ugliness throughout his body. She’s repetitively trying to clean her dress, but it’s a sisyphean task, because the cut on her face drips down onto it and she begins to clean again.

“Nat?”

There’s no answer. He strips his clothes to his underwear and steps in the shower. He sucks in a breath at the cold water streaming. He’d assumed it was hot by how red her skin was. He stands over her, taking the full brunt of the water, clasps his hands over hers and repeats her name and that she’s here with him. It doesn’t seem to help, even touch, not breaking her out of the repetitive task. He’s at a loss of what to do next.

He turns the water off and sits down, pulling her down with him.

She shivers as her dissociative brain snaps her back to the present. She startles feeling his skin against his and pushes away from him. She looks down at her wet dress and whimpers softly. He stands back up and helps her to do the same, her focus on the dress increases, rubbing it, rolling it in her hands even without the water on.

“It’s got to be clean.” She tells him forlornly. He doesn’t understand

“Ok. We can do that.” He says softly.

He points to the zip, and motions for her to unzip it. She follows his cues and steps out of the dress.

He takes it gently from her and puts it into the sink. She stands still with her bra and underwear on, staring at his every movement, as he fills the sink with water and places it inside. She swipes at the blood on her head and he passes her a towel to hold there. She does it without question.

He wraps another towel around her and one around himself, glad the the heater is on.

“Ok. We can leave it now. It will be ok.” He assures.

He has no idea what’s happening,

“They’re going to send me to Psyops. They’re going to take my fingernails.” She says monotonously staring at the dress. “I am a bad girl. I cost them money.” He closes his eyes to her words. How many times he has to tell her that she is not a commodity. Not something to be used; her value is not based on what she can provide.

He recognises that she’s caught somewhere between the past and the present, not rejecting his presence but having no idea of where she currently is. He knows this dissociation when he sees it. He leads her out of the cold bathroom, linking her pinky finger with his. She pulls away and positions herself in the corner of the room, squeezed in with her knees to her chest. Her hand holding the towel to her forehead and the other around her legs, holding herself together.

Clint hates this.

Hates that that’s a safe space for her.

He rummages around for an over sized hoodie, and sweats for her to wear. Places the sweats next to her but the hoodie he squeezes quickly over her head, hoping that his smell permeates into her brain. She doesn’t react, and the thousand yard stare is back. She doesn’t even seem to mind being in wet underwear. He quickly dresses, then pulls the bed covers off the bed and drags them to floor by her side to keep her warm.

Small things. Grabbing a water bottle, and his phone, he settles against the wall.

He contemplates reading out loud to her, but his book is too far away.

He thinks about holding her hand, but she’s hugging her knees.

He decides on waiting. Perhaps the most difficult of tasks.

Two hours he holds the pattern. Scrolling through apps on his phone, and generally entertaining himself. When she starts rocking and hitting her head against the wall. It’s shocks him into touching her and pulling her away from her safe space into his lap. Her overloaded brain no longer able to cope with the disconnect between the past and present.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” She repeats.

“You’re safe. You’re safe. You’re safe.” Clint whispers back.

She’s not entirely with it but he’s able to cover her body in blankets, in warmth, spooning her and protecting her body with his.

“Close your eyes.” He says gently, and she follows his order.

“Think of the beach.”

He starts by describing the slow breath of the waves, in and out. The soft crash to the shore.

“Breathe.” He tells her.

And she does.

He describes the sounds of the sea and sand. The smell and sights, as he hears them.

“Breathe.” He whispers in her ear.

And she does.

He thinks she’s listening, and it calms his heart down as her breathing syncs with his. But then she forgets and her body fixes, flashbacks or caught in memories he doesn’t know.

“Breathe.” He reminds her.

And she does.

They stay in the holding pattern, gentle reminders holding her until the morning light dawns.

Read more.

[ultimatetornshipper]

Steam

A lot of facts could be seen as only opinions. A lot of facts could be seen as flexible depending on one's experiences and perspectives. Facts could change and facts could be more than just the part of it that you're made aware of.

Blossom knew this.

But there was one simple fact that would remain the same for all of eternity.

Blossom Utonium hated Brick Jojo.

And he hated her.

Nothing, NOTHING would change this simple fact. They were natural enemies, opposites made to challenge and contradict one another.

It was simple.

Key word being was.

It's easier to hate and despise one another when your siblings weren't all friends and dragging the two of you along every chance they got.

It's easier to hate one another when your morals are directly clashing on a weekly basis.

Yeah, they still didn't exactly agree on a lot of moral questions but the boys aren't really evil anymore either.

But when the boys stole something the girls would fight them, take it, arrest them, they'd escape and everyone would let bygones be bygones.

By everyone she meant the blues and the greens.

She was pretty sure Brick was the only one who actively wanted to still do that stuff and Boomer and Butch just followed his lead. Or maybe Mojo still had something on them. She couldn't be sure, but the point was that they still committed crimes and that was illegal so it was their job to stop them.

And she wasn't stupid, she knew full well that she and Brick were the only ones who weren't pulling their punches and treating it all like a game.

So like she said. It was simple.

Until her sisters decided to make it complicated by befriending their rivals.

Blossom despised complicated social situations.

In any other context she could handle complicated. Fights? Sure. Science? She adored it. Books? What other kind is there?

But in group and friend dynamics? It annoyed her more than yarn catching on her nail, more than nails on a chalkboard, more than a dirty, uncleanable chalkbo-

It annoyed her a lot.

Why? Because it created situations like the one she was in right now.

Where her sisters and their counterparts were play fighting and joking around while she and Brick maimed eachother.

And it was always followed by a lecture by Bubbles on how she was too hard on him and Buttercup telling her to chill out while Brick and his stupid smug smirk would mock her and wouldn't leave her alone and how his red hair would be messy afterwads and half out of his ponytail and wisps falling into his face surrounding his gorge-

No.

She flew up to dodge a kick and landed behind him, pushing him forward so that he lost his balance.

She was fighting him right now. She couldn't think about his eyes or his pink lips forming a smug little grin and how she just wanted to kiss that stupid little smile off of his dumb face-

She froze in shock.

Kiss Brick?

Since when had that been an option?

She felt him get a hit in her stomach and her bottom collided with the ground.

She shook herself out of it. Later. She could analise... whatever this was... later.

She started getting up but suddenly he was straddling her waist and pinning her hands down above her head.

She stared at him in silence for a few seconds, because he was really close now and she could see the light freckles dancing across his nose up close and-

Bad Blossom! Now is not the time! You hate him, you despise him, he is the enemy! Stop checking out the guy you're fighting!

He smirked down at her victoriously, "At a loss for words, eh, Pinky?"

She felt him lower his guard and loosen his grip and quicker than lightning she flew out beneath him.

What in the name of Einstein was wrong with her?

She flew quickly and as high as the tallest building in Townsville, then she stopped and turned around and the handsome bastard was right there in front of her-

Wait a minute- handsome?!

Blossom needed to lie down.

Sadly, he seemed determined to keep this going.

They traded blows and each time he said something she didn't reply.

She was too busy freaking out about the fact that she had not only wanted to kiss him but also mentally referred to him as handsome and what the actual frickty frack?!

"What's wrong Bow Pink? You're awfully quiet today, afraid me and my brothers are finally gonna beat you and your sheep?" Brick taunted.

Blossom's brain with all its genius level intellect then decided that the only way to deal with whatever was happening to her heart was to stuff it in a jar and bury it deep, deep down and pretend it wasn't real.

She hated him.

He hated her.

That was a fact that couldn't and wouldn't ever change.

So she did what she did best.

She riled up Brick Jojo.

"I'm not the one here with sheep, Rock," she said mockingly.

He narrowed his eyes, throwing a punch that she quickly dodged, "Oh now she speaks?"

"You finally said something worth replying to. Though I must say, Rick, I'm disappointed, I can't believe you've been reduced to using puns," she replied, kicking his side and pulling away quick enough that he couldn't grab her leg.

"It's Brick and you know it, and don't pretend you don't pun, Pinky, we both know that's a lie," he said with a small growl in his voice. Dodging her once more.

"I still think your insult was just some good old projecting. Clearly if one of us have sheep it's you. My sisters fight of their own violation," she taunted, smirking. He grabbed her and they wrestled midair, each one gaining and then losing the upperhand.

Suddenly they pulled apart, flying in circles, eyeing one another. They were both panting, clearly out of breath.

Anyone could sense the electricity crackling through the air from a mile away. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed that her siblings and their counterparts have stopped fighting and were now eyeing their leaders wearily.

She'd deal with it later.

She turned her full attention back to the man in front of her as the silence grew sharper.

His shirt had small tears in places, his hair was all over the place and he sported a few new injuries. She was certain she was in a similar state.

"They choose to fight," he broke the silence, glaring at her, "I don't force them to do anything they don't want to. I don't control them,"

The sharp, delicate silence fell apart and she felt her temper flare. The electricity turned to fire and she launched herself at him and felt her eyes heat up.

"The only reason for that is the fact that you're too busy being controlled," she screamed.

She could almost taste his fury at her words and their fight went to a whole new level.

Neither of them held back anything as they shot lazerbeams and went for one another unlike ever before.

She pushed him against a building, trapping him. And for a moment they locked gazes and time froze. The anger and frustration and denied attraction flared between them like a wild electric cable, their faces only inches apart.

"Are either of us really in control, Pinky? Or are we all just the result of someone else's choices?" he whispered harshly as they gazed into one another's eyes.

She felt her guard lower only for a split second before he grabbed her and pushed her against the building.

"But then again," he said quietly, and she felt his breath mingle with her own, "maybe if we want control we need to take it ourselves,"

He closed the distance between them and she only felt his fire approach for a second before she reacted with her ice.

So that's the was he wanted to play this?

She deepend the kiss and poured all her hatred and love and frustration and attraction into it.

She bundled up his shirt in her hands and felt his own get tangled in her hair. She faintly heard his hat fall to the ground not too far below.

Yet she couldn't care less as she kissed him the way she'd never allowed herself to kiss anyone before for fear of their life.

But she could do this with him because he could counter her perfectly.

He really was her opposite, huh?

Then she registered the fact that the air around them was slightly more humid than before.

She ignored it though, because this was the best kiss she'd had in... well, ever, and she was not going to pull away because as soon as she did that it would be over and it wouldn't happen again because now that they knew that it didn't-

Blossom felt him pull her closer and pushed all her previous thoughts away. She'd worry later, for now she just allowed herself to disappear into the kiss.

A few minutes later she became aware of a rather large amount of water hitting her.

They pulled away from one another in search of the source.

She quickly noticed that Brick was in a similar state as her and they turned to find their siblings staring at them.

Bubbles was holding the hosepipe that was likely the source of the water and Buttercup handed Butch 20 dollars.

"Really?" Her black haired sister asked, "You couldn't have waited just three more days for your murder make out session?"

"Our what?" she asked while Brick replied with a simple, "Fuck you,"

"Actually, Brick, you've got the wrong sister, I'm Buttercup, the one you wanna fuck is in your arms, her name is Blossom," Buttercup replied slowly, in a mocking tone of voice.

The red heads turned to look at each other and when they noticed their proximity, they jumped away from one another like the other had the plague.

Brick turned to them, "I was trying to kill her!"

And Blossom followed suit, "And I was just defending myself!"

"Nothing else!" They said at the same time.

Bubbles rolled her eyes and Boomer smirked. Butch waved them away, "Don't worry we have a completely different bet for when you two will acknowledge and accept your feelings for one another,"

"Yeah, and I can still win it!" Buttercup agreed.

"Feelings? What feelings?!" Blossom screamed, "Bubbles, tell Buttercup she's being ridiculous,"

Bubbles rised an unimpressed eyebrow, "Bloss, you're both redder than Brick's cap,"

"And you just spent 10 minutes making out so much that literal steam started surrounding you," Boomer snickered.

No matter how much Blossom or Brick denied it, no one in all of Townsville believed their denial after that day.

Buttercup won the second bet.

Approximately 3 months after what was dubbed their first Murder Makeout session the two finally confessed to one another.

Those 3 months are another story entirely.

But it was this that proved to Blossom that truly no fact was concrete, facts changed and facts expanded. Facts were flexible depending on your experience and perspectives.

And the fact was that while once upon a time, maybe Blossom did hate Brick and maybe Brick did hate Blossom, things changed.

But that mutual hatred melted away into something new, something beautiful, something flexible.

Something a little bit like steam.

Authors note:

Inspired by this post

I don't plan to continue this but if someone wants to continue or expand this idea or world like tag me I'd love to read it

Thanks to @maltrashdump for coming up with this idea, I love it, hope u enjoy my version of it

Also sorry for not putting a read more thing I'm on mobile atm

[howggswouldreact]

⌨️ Non-Zero-Sum Game | Sunmi

Request: Hey can I request a fluffy scenario where the reader is playing video games and Sunmi is bored so she tries to distract the reader? Thanks Plot: Sunmi goes to Reader's apartment after work, but it seems like Reader has something more interesting to do than to give her attention. Words: 1, 859 Genre: fluff Notes: i loved writing this one!!!! have a nice read! ♡♡

You were so focused that you didn't notice the sound of the key in the door, the door opening or even the sound of high heels echoing in the living room and stopping, being replaced by ladybugs slippers extremely comfortable for those white and tired feet, who walked slowly to the room you were in.

Nor could you hear these sounds with a headset at a high volume, with shots of different types of assault rifles and hand grenades exploding.

You also didn't notice the smell of the sweet perfume that took over the room, a smell that you used to praise every time it got stuck in your nose. Almost all of your senses were too focused on what was going on in those three huge screens in the computer desk positioned on the wall opposite to the entrance to that room.

On the screen, you had some goals: to kill members of the opposing team, to keep yourself and your teammates alive and, above all, to arm and activate a bomb in the enemy's defense field. It was not as difficult as it seemed, the hardest was to find a good team - which you, luckily, had already found - and set up a strategy.

Sometimes, these games were not just fun for you, they were a healthy competition and a challenge for your brain.

"On your right, gashinassassin!", you heard the high-pitched voice of your teammate, thej0k3r (or, as you called her since middle school, Sieun), alert you.

Your fingers worked nimbly on the keyboard and mouse, pressing the right keys and buttons to aim and fire at the right time, moving your avatar to the left side in order to hide behind the wall to get out of the opponent's sights. A colorful game with such realistic graphics on screens that size made you feel part of it, as if you were really there.

You felt your headset being pulled from your left ear and, before you could turn around, soft lips landed where the headset had been.

"Hmmm... I just arrived the apartment and this so-called gashinassassin didn't even give me a kiss...”, a sly voice found the tunnel to your eardrums and went straight to your stomach, waking up the butterflies that lived there.

It was her.

You grinned largely at the beautiful woman next to you.

"Hey, bab-"

Your voice was interrupted by the loud gunshot in your right ear and an effect you haven't heard in a while. Headshot. You looked back at the giant screen and blurted out a curse. A shot right in the middle of your avatar’s head!

"Now that you've died in the game, I deserve a decent ‘welcome, love’. Don't you think?", suggested Sunmi, still in the same clothes she wore before leaving your apartment early in the morning for an appointment.

You held up a finger as if asking her to wait a minute and adjusted the headset while listening to your team putting together another strategy. Now, your avatar was at the “starting base”. 15 seconds to "resurrect" and return with all energy in the game.

"Guys, I'll be right back, my girlfriend has arrived.", you said it pretty fast and, before you could hear any mockery from your friends, removed the headset and dropped it next to the mouse.

"Come here.", you called Sunmi, pulling her by the hand.

Sunmi sat on your lap, wrapping her arms around your neck, a tight hug. You sought her lips with yours and she let you smudge her lipstick. It didn't matter now that her makeup was all ruined, as long as you showed how much you missed her.

Ending this long kiss with short kisses, you smiled as you noticed Sunmi's completely smudged lipstick.

"You look like the Joker."

"I hope you're referring to the real Joker and not Sieun.", Sunmi raised an eyebrow and got up from your lap.

"Ewwww! No! Not at all!", you purposefully shook your body from head to toe and made a face of complete disgust.

Sunmi laughed as she ran her fingers through her hair, pinning it up in a bun at the top of her head.

"I'm going to take a shower. When I get back, forget about this game. I’m bored and wanna spend some time with my love.", she didn't wait for an answer and went straight to the bathroom in the suite.

"This is the last one-" you said, your answer being the bathroom door slamming shut.

Ever since she left the bathroom, Sunmi realized that your focus on the game was intense. She was wearing one of her baggy t-shirts and plaid pants, her hair still tied up. After so many hours dedicated to a program and participating in a competition game with other idols, Sunmi just wanted to spend time with you, watching a movie lying on top of you, kissing you now and then and enjoying that comfortable silence that only the two of you had.

Wanting to draw your attention to her, Sunmi grabbed your shoulders and started a massage. She kissed the top of your head, just above the curve of the headset.

"Farther to the right," you said, without taking your eyes off the screen.

"On the right shoulder?", she asked, placing both hands on your right shoulder.

"There."

She smiled, continuing the massage.

"NOW DOWN, DOWN, DOWN!!", you shouted, Sunmi almost fell backwards, startled.

"Idiot, were you talking to the people in the game???"

You took off your headset and turned slightly to the side, facing a Sunmi with her right hand resting on her chest, breathing fast.

"Sorry, it's very difficult around here...”, you pointed to the screen. “Did I scare you?"

Just Sunmi's angry look was enough of an answer.

"Sorry, baby, I'm going to finish here and I'll give you attention. It's gonna be really quick, okay?", you said, pouting.

Sunmi crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

"I'm going to make a sandwich.", and she left the room, without looking back or asking you if you wanted some.

After ten minutes, she returned to the room with a plate of that big sandwich and also a soda can. She placed the sandwich plate next to your mouse and opened the can next to your ear, so the noise would be loud for you.

She was standing, leaning her elbow on your chair, staring at the screen just like you. She picked up the sandwich, took a bite and there was mayonnaise on her lower lip.

"There, there, look!", she pointed at the screen at a soldier with an AK47 in hand. "Shoot!"

"No, no, this is Yeri, she is from my squad.", you smiled.

"Hmm..."

"No, I was talking to Sunmi.", your expression changed to full concentration.

Feeling ignored, Sunmi sat on the bed and turned on the television. On purpose, she left the volume almost to the maximum on a sitcom on Prime Video.

Feeling uncomfortable with the sound, you looked quickly at the screen and then at Sunmi. She pretended that she didn't notice your discomfort. Nothing would change until you turned your attention to her, that's how she thought.

A few more minutes passed and Sunmi started to laugh. It wasn't a natural laugh, you could see. It was a forced laugh, an outrageous laugh, which made you look back again for eye contact with Sunmi. Once again she pretended not to notice.

"Just a little while longer and the game will be over and then finally I will be able to give all my attention to her.", you thought.

The notes of a song you knew very well started to echo out of the headset and you tried to hide a smile. Sunmi was looking like a child in need of attention. Oh, how well you knew her! You would join that game with her. But, in the end, none of you would lose.

You turned off the microphone and chatted to your friends, saying you would need to quit the game. They did not object. However, doing it quickly for her not to see, you played a gameplay on youtube and pretended it was you playing it.

When a specific part of the song arrived, Sunmi sang at the top of her lungs:

"When will hug me and kiss me?"

You held back a laugh and simulated a cough. She danced to her own music on the bed, in a sloppy and completely beautiful way.

"Isn't it a little too narcissistic to listen to your own music?", you asked, swiveling your chair in a movement that would make you face Sunmi.

"Isn't it a little too bad to keep your girlfriend waiting?", she threw herself on her back on the bed and one of the pillows fell to the floor.

You got up and picked it up, put it back on the bed and threw yourself next to your girlfriend. She was angry, you knew that.

But you also knew how to put an end to that angriness.

"Go back to your game. I don't want you anymore.", with her cell phone in hands, Sunmi was looking for another song.

"Oh, so you don’t want me anymore?!", you feigned disbelief. "This is cruel!"

You approached your body to hers and she did nothing. But she also didn't try to move away. And she was starting to pout. How could she be so adorable?

"Cruel is to keep your girlfriend waiting.", Sunmi pressed the play angrily and Gashina started playing.

"Look! There is a very good player who uses the name of this great song as user in games..."

"I don't care.", she shrugged.

You chuckled and hid your face on her neck, stretched out your left arm and held Sunmi in a half hug. You kissed her shoulder.

"Forgive me... I'm here! I promise I won't play again now, I'll do whatever you want and I'll give you all the attention in the world."

Sunmi rolled her eyes.

"Funny... your game is still on the screen."

"It's just gameplay... a trap to see how far you would go.", you confessed.

"You are veeery funny.", Sunmi said, without a hint of truth. "You said you're going to give me all the attention in the world and do what I want. Is that true?", she asked, still pouting.

"Super duper ultra true.", you raised your pinky to her.

"Okay then.", she joined her pinky with yours and then you kissed her, pressing her against you.

After a while on that kiss, Sunmi separated your lips.

"How long has that gameplay been running?"

"A few minutes, why?", you slid your lips over hers.

"All this time you could be just giving me attention?!", she was indignant. “I was about to play the bass!”

"Oh, baby, come here.", you pulled her, laughing.

She would not need to ask for your attention. Never. Your eyes would always be focused on her.

Another kiss started and you both smiled. Healthy love games always ended with Sunmi’s lips’ taste and sincere, beautiful smiles. And the two of you ended up winning. There was no better game.

[joonessence]

Promise // myg

pairing: yoongi x fem oc

summary: The red thread on your pinky is supposed to guide you to your soulmate. When do you finally find yours?

rating: sfw

tags: soulmate au, angst, fluff

wc: 1.5k

Is your pinky twitching or is that thin red thread actually tugging on your finger? You can never tell, but you hope it’s the latter. “Everyone has their perfect one, the one they were made for,” your mom had told you on your 18th birthday, “Now you know you’re always connected to them, you’ve just gotta look for them.”

And look for them you did. At every opportunity, you traveled to a new city in search of the one you were meant to be with. You remind yourself to keep an open mind, to not lose hope and for a long time you didn’t. But, your awareness for their missing presence had grown. Everything around you turned into a confirmation of your solitude and the feeling left you drained. 

Today was the first day of your third month in a new city. Initially, when you moved here you were enthusiastic in your search, constantly looking at the red thread tied around your smallest finger to see if it showed that your soulmate was nearby. After several fruitless weeks, the thread began to feel like a leash around your finger, reminding you of the things that had yet to become.

Sometimes you wish you could take the thread off, wanting to be free of the hold it has on you but you know it’s impossible. You find that pretending the connection between you and the unknown person doesn’t exist, allows you to move in this world as if things were normal so that’s what you do. You train yourself to go for days without thinking about the thread and train yourself to go even more days without looking at it. You don’t feel the best about it but at least you get by. You distract yourself with new friends, soulmate-less friends, and work and it’s okay, you convince yourself.

You get a message from your boss asking you to stop for coffee before your shift. Seokjin is more like a friend than a boss; you know his order by heart and know where he likes it from. His companionship is comforting when you need it most.

You take a short detour to the coffee shop Seokjin likes while thinking of what you want to order. You go back and forth between something hot or iced as you walk inside and find your place in the line. The line is lengthy and filled with people dressed like they’re going in for important office jobs so you’ve still got time to decide. The line moves up a couple people when you feel a soft pull on your finger. You pay it no attention, chalking it up as your brain playing mind games on you again.

But that tugging gets too frequent, too strong to continue ignoring. You whip your head around trying to find where the other end of the thread is. Your heart hammers so hard in your chest you’re almost sure you’ll see a bruise there later. Your phone rings in your back pocket and you know it’s Seokjin calling to scold you for not having brought his coffee yet. 

“Hello?” Before you finish your greeting, Seokjin is on your case. “If I had known it would take this long, I would have gotten it myself,” he jokes. You step up to the counter, hoping you’ll remember your order.

“Will you relax, Seokjin? I’m ordering as we-,” Your voice falls flat as you look ahead of you. You see the hand of the cashier resting on the counter, the thread around his left pinky pulled tight and you follow it a short distance towards yours. 

“Hello?? As we what?” Seokjin’s voice comes through on the speaker but you can barely hear it.

“I’m ordering now, I’ve gotta go.” You hang up, still staring at the man in front of you and taking in his image. His hair is dark brown and wavy. He has a small mole on the bridge of his nose and his lips are parted slightly. You don’t know him yet but you think you love everything about him.

“Hi, what can I get you today?” His voice is so soft and warm. You struggle to make a sound but you clear your throat and eventually find your voice.

“Uh, hey. Can I get an iced Americano with one sugar and a regular latte with an extra shot?” Your rehearsed line comes out perfectly but your brain can’t come up with anything else to say to the man standing in front of you, your soulmate. “Uh, please?”

“Sure,” he says with a gentle smile. He gives you the total and you step to the pick-up counter. He takes the last customer’s orders, giving you a glance or two while you’re figuring out what to say to him. You need to come up with something.

The barista calls out your name and sets your drinks on the counter. You pick up the drink tray and head to the door, taking one last peek to the register. You’re distressed when you don’t find him there, thinking he doesn’t want to see you. Of course, once you find your soulmate he doesn’t want to meet you.

With your mind set on trying to forget everything that just happened, you turn back towards the door but feel a yank on your jacket sleeve. You’re pulled into a corner of the shop by the cashier.

“I couldn’t let you leave without saying anything to you. I have so many things I need to say but I don’t know where to start,” he says nervously. He makes eye contact with you quickly but looks back down just as quick as he looked up. 

“You could start with your name.” You smile, he’s so cute.

“Yoongi. My name is Yoongi,” he breathes out. 

“Yoongi,” you repeat.

He flashes you a small grin and looks over his shoulder at someone behind the counter. “Listen, I really need to get back to work but I can give you my number. Do you wanna get dinner with me tonight?”

“Yes, yes, definitely,” you answer a little too quickly; embarrassment runs through your blood. 

“Okay, cool. Cool. Really cool. Uh… I’ll think of something, okay?” He looks worried as he hands you something, as if he’s scared you won’t like what he comes up with but you’re already certain you will.

You nod and take the napkin with his phone number written on it. “Okay, I’ll see you tonight.” You leave the coffee shop with your head spinning, trying to grasp what had just happened.

You spend the whole day dazed and thinking about everything. Even Seokjin notices your head is elsewhere but after multiple failed attempts at asking you what’s wrong, he’s given up. When your shift is over, you practically run home to get ready. When you step inside your apartment, your phone pings, alerting you that you’ve got a message. It’s Yoongi sending you an address and a time, along with a “see you soon :).” 

The restaurant is small but modern looking. You see Yoongi sitting at a table on the patio with his hands folded in his lap. When he hears you walking up, he stands and walks around the table to your chair and pulls it out. 

“Hi, thank you for meeting me.” He sends you a sincere smile. “I hope you don’t mind me saying, but you look really pretty.” His face flushes and yours does too.

“Thank you, you look really nice too.” You hope your nerves calm down soon.

The two of you spend the evening talking about everything you can think of. You learn that he just moved here and is working at the coffee shop until he finds a more permanent job and that he produces his own music and hopes to be able to share it with you one day and that he’s been counting down the days until he meets you. It’s the most perfect night of your life, you think. 

When it gets too late, he insists on walking you home. Your arms swing between you and you look down when his red threaded pinky grazes your hand. You chuckle quietly and grab his hand knowing that was his intention. He blushes and smiles to himself and it’s the best thing you’ve ever seen. You’re just as happy when you reach the front door of your apartment building. You both look up at it and then at each other and laugh. You’re not even sure of what’s funny.

When you settle down you sigh, not wanting the night to be over. “I don’t want to leave,” you start “not when I just found you.” Yoongi hears how your voice wavers and rubs his hand on your arm in an attempt to comfort you. 

“I won’t ever leave you, I’ll stay as long as you’ll let me” Yoongi promises. He reaches out to take hold of your hand and brings it to his mouth, leaving small kisses on your pinky, where the red thread joins you to him forever. You’ve never felt something so igniting. You never want to go without that feeling again.

And Yoongi keeps his promise.

[ayatosmlktea]

A/N: The things you think of while cutting tomatoes. @bakugoustanaccount​ this is for you because you deserve some Bakugou fluff. Sorry if it’s kinda shit. Getting back into writing was way harder than I thought. Culinary School Bakugou AU

Word count: 3.1k

Warnings: None, fluff

Pairings: Bakugou x reader

Disclaimer: I know nothing about culinary school. So don’t roast me. I tried my best!

Tags: @babybabydoki​, @thesecretnerd27​

Bakugou was not a man of words, at least not when it came to expressing his feelings. Sure he had no problem giving people a piece of his mind when they pissed him off or when things were not up to his standards. But talking about his actual feelings, like the crush he’d harboured on you for a little over a year? Not a chance in hell were the words coming out of his mouth.

In all honesty, Bakugou wasn’t sure why you stuck around him. He had been such an ass to you the first month of classes, constantly ragging on you for your lack of coordination and time management in the kitchen. In his defense, you were amateur at best and probably shouldn’t have wasted all that money to get into one of the finest culinary schools Japan had to offer.

‘It looked like fun’ was all you had to say. Your reasoning had shook the blond to his core, and he had been certain that you’d drop out within the first week or two if he was being generous. However, much to his surprise you’d been persistent in trying to succeed.

You eventually got fed up with his incessant criticisms and had bit the bullet to ask for his help. Bakugou wasn’t sure what to say, the image of you clearly distressed and face slick with sweat, chef’s coat covered in stains tugged on heartstrings he didn’t know existed. Begrudgingly he agreed, after all it was a boost to his ego.

 He held it over your head ever since, constantly bringing up the cause for your sudden improvement due to his culinary genius. The two of you somehow grew closer after that, more often than not you found yourself over at his apartment until almost four in the morning coming up with new recipes, trying out different flavour combinations and inevitably eating way too much.

“I think this is the best one so far” you manage to get out in between bites of cake.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full, dumbass.” He grumbles, flicking your forehead roughly. Sticking your cake clad tongue at you burst into a fit of laughter as Bakugou cringes.

“That’s disgusting,” he muttered carrying empty plates to the sink and running hot water over them.

“Seriously Bakugou, I think you’ll get an A plus with that cake.” Scoffing loudly Bakugou is grateful his back is turned so you can’t see the huge blush spreading across his cheeks.

“Shut up and help me clean up, brat”

“Always so eloquent Katsuki” you grin unaware of the way the sound of his name rolling off your tongue sent his heart into cardiac arrest.

.·。.·゜✭·.·✫·゜·。..·

You were always clumsy, something that Bakugou knew all too well. The amount of times you’d almost cut yourself trying to catch your knife that was about to slide off the counter was enough to guarantee early heart failure in the explosive blond. 

You shared the same workstation as Bakugou and while he was always one to throw himself head first into their assignments for the day; he was finding it harder and harder not to get lost in watching you bite your bottom lip while you read the day’s recipe.

 The dark circles under your eyes a testament to how hard you’d been working to catch up with the rest of the class. Bakugou probably wouldn’t directly tell you but your pairing skills had drastically improved since the first month of classes.

Your knife work was becoming more seamless and uniform and the smile you’d flashed him when your instructor had complimented you on it made his stomach clench with butterflies.

“Thanks I guess” you smirked later that evening. It was now routine for the two of you to hangout after class, going back to either of your apartments to try and get ahead for the next lesson. Plus it helped that you always managed to whip up dinners that rivaled any pricey restaurant you’d ever been taken out to.

“You guess? If it wasn’t for me your ass would be failing” Bakugou retorts hottily, his gaze watching your fingers as they glide a potato across the madalin a little too carelessly for this liking. Your eyes were focused on him, attention not on the extremely sharp blade that was capable of slicing your fingers in half.

“Watch your fingers dumba-” before he can even finish his sentence you yelp in pain pulling your hand back dropping the potato and cradling your fingers against your chest.

“Fuckfuckfuck”  you hiss repeatedly squeezing your fingers together to try and stop the blood from seeping out.

“I fucking told you to be careful!” Bakugou growls grabbing a paper towel and running it under water before wrapping it around your fingers.

“I was being careful!” You shot back through gritted teeth. It was obviously a lie, but you were in pain and your pride was hurt at being called out on your bullshit.

“Tch you’re bleeding all over my floor dumbass, this is careful to you?” Your recklessness annoyed him, and the fact that you weren’t taking it seriously made him even more angry.

“Okay whatever! I’m an idiot, glad we worked that out” you snapped back, the painful throbbing of your fingers was making it hard to match Bakugou’s sarcastic energy like you usually did.

You didn’t want to look at your fingers as he unwrapped the soaked towel from around them, the sight of all that blood was making you light headed and before you knew it you were hyperventilating.

“Oi, stop freaking out! It doesn’t look that bad! I don’t think you need stitches.” He shouts and while it would have made anyone else freak out more it helped you calm down. If Bakugou was calm, something was definitely wrong.

“Hold this tightly” he grumbled before disappearing into the bathroom.

Against your better judgement you looked at the gash across your pinky and ring finger. They were fairly large cuts but at least you couldn’t see your bone...right?

“Didn’t I tell you to hold it?” Bakugou’s voice makes your shoulders jump, a guilty smile on your face as you press the wet towel over your fingers. It made you squeamish but you knew that bleeding out was far less appealing than a few minutes of pain.

“Since when did you get a first aid kit?”

“Since I became friends with your clumsy ass” he muttered under his breath.

“Did you just call us friends? Wow, I truly have peaked. Thank you God”

“Shut up or I’ll kick you out”

“You wouldn’t dare” you were right, he wouldn’t have. But you didn’t need to know that.

.·。.·゜✭·.·✫·゜·。..·

Throughout the next year your friendship with the blond only grew. You had met his close group of friends who he would never call his family, but you had learned to read between the lines with Bakugou. Mina often commented on you being the only other girl he’d managed to get close to in his life, and while you blew her off every single time it made your stomach flutter with butterflies at the possibility of something more.

Bakugou paid attention to a lot of things, even if it didn’t seem like it. Small pieces of yourself that you revealed in passing casual conversations stuck to his brain like glue. 

The longer you stuck around him, the harder it was becoming to push down the growing feelings he had for you. There were only so many times he could watch you bite your lip without imagining tugging it between his own teeth. It was the last class before you would have two weeks of in between semesters. Two weeks where Bakugou wouldn’t see you on a daily basis, he wasn’t even sure if you wanted to keep practicing together although he hoped you’d ask him to rather than having to bring it up himself.

“My fingers are about to cramp in this position forever” you huff, adjusting the grip around your knife before continuing to peel potatoes. A stray piece of your hair had fallen from your bun and without thinking Bakugou reached out and tucked it behind your ear. 

You stopped mid-sentence as the tips of your ears turned bright red. When his brain finally caught up to his actions Bakugou didn’t speak to you for the rest of the class, the pounding in his chest was almost painful. He had left before you had finished cleaning up your station.

.·。.·゜✭·.·✫·゜·。..·

He ignored your texts and calls, he needed to sort out his feelings. He hadn’t expected to let you this close to him, to worm your way into his heart and become a part of his routine. He didn’t want to fall in love with you, but everything about you that he had found annoying quickly turned into everything he loved about you. 

The crinkle of your nose when you didn't understand something, the way you wandered over to his station to steal extra pastries off of him. Your compliments always made his heart skip a beat, it shouldn’t have been so important to him but Bakugou found himself craving your praise more than your instructor.

Slamming the door closed a little harder than was necessary he dumped his bag on the floor and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. He needed to get your smell off of him, his fingers still tingled with electricity if he thought back to the feeling of skin under his touch.

Bakugou couldn’t deny that he had more fun with you than when he was working alone. Even if you did get distracted every five seconds. It was stupid, you occupied every waking thought he had. He couldn’t even cook without turning to you to get your opinion on a recipe before realizing you weren’t there.

 The empty pit that dropped in his stomach every time he thought about messaging you only grew as the days dragged on. You hadn’t messaged him since last week and it was a little pathetic to admit that every notification ping had his heart racing, hoping that it was you. 

But why would you do that when it was him who had started this war. Bakugou’s pride was going to be the death of him, he would have rather died than admit that he was in love with you. His stubbornness wouldn’t allow himself to admit that he needed you more than he had wanted to believe. So what if time passed slower without you, he’d find things to fill the void. So what if he missed the sound of your laugh, it didn’t matter. He had other friends.

Nothing tasted good anymore, there was always something missing in everything he cooked. He couldn’t be bothered to try anymore, most of his nights ended with the kitchen in a mess and him cursing loudly in frustration. You were missing. He couldn’t fight it anymore, he needed to apologize. Everything felt incomplete without you. Classes were starting in a few days and he knew he needed to fix things before then.

Come over for dinner. At 8. If you’re late I’m not letting you in.

Wow, not even a hello.

It’s free food, dumbass.

Fine.

Bakugou’s hands trembled slightly as he put his phone down, it was far from perfect but it was a start. Throwing on his jacket he felt a surge of excitement and passion that he hadn’t felt for nearly two weeks.

He would make it up to you.

.·。.·゜✭·.·✫·゜·。..·

Your stomach growled as you stepped foot into Bakugou’s apartment. You were still mad at him for ignoring you but God if his cooking wasn’t enough to make your resolve crumble.

“7:59, you’re really cutting it close huh?”

“I was debating whether to come or not” you replied smoothly, hanging your jacket on the coat rack. Your answer felt like little needles poking him in the chest, this was going to be much more difficult than he had anticipated. 

Bakugou noticed that you looked more put together than one the days he’d invited you to come over and cook before and he couldn’t help but wonder if it had anything to do with your feelings towards him. Not that he was complaining, the outfit you had chosen hugged your body in all the right places, not to mention your lips were looking extra kissa-snap out of it. If he messed it up now there would be no going back.

It’s not a date. You repeatedly told yourself, and yet you had still put in more effort than you should have. Maybe you had worn your sheer lacy black top on purpose, it was just a confidence boost after all. And most definitely not because you were trying to give him a sneak peek of what was under it.

It had been far too long since you had invaded his personal space and the smell of his cologne had your body buzzing with nervous energy. You had hoped that after the hair incident something would have happened between the two of you. But you hadn’t expected him to ignore you. You shouldn’t have been surprised, it shouldn’t have hurt, but all the nights you had spent at his place had you feeling like maybe there was room for something more.

“Whatcha making?” You asked peering over his shoulder.

“It’s a surprise” he muttered, turning around to push you out of the kitchen.

“Well I can still smell it” you retort, swerving around him to turn on the oven light but before you could reach it Bakugou grabbed your waist and tugged you backwards.

“I said it’s a surprise! Don’t go and ruin it”

“You’re no fun Katsuki” you sigh, trying to act as nonchalant as possible while his palms burn their imprint against your skin.

“Trust me Y/N! Stop making this harder than it needs to be!” There was no winning against Bakugou when he was in a stubborn mood. Pouting you make your way back to the couch because you weren’t allowed to be in the kitchen until it was time to eat.

 It felt oddly comfortable being in his apartment, you’d never really been left to entertain yourself before. If you closed your eyes it almost felt like he was your boyfr-nope. You were not going to go down that road. Every rational thought was screaming at you that it was stupid to believe he harboured any feelings for you, especially after what had happened two weeks ago.

“Oi Y/N! If you wanna eat, get your ass up” Bakugou shouted from the kitchen and you snapped out of your daydream. Definitely not your boyfriend…

You were ready to whip out a snarky comment but the words caught in your throat at the sight before you. It was...dare you say romantic. Bakugou’s eyes were watching you intently while you struggled to gather your thoughts. The room was dimly lit with a few candles, your eyes glued to the dish of pasta in front of you.

“Are you just gonna stare or are you actually going to eat?” Bakugou pulls out your chair and the cage that were guarding your butterflies was threatening to break open.

“I’ve never seen anyone make lasagna look so...romantic” You laugh, letting him push your seat in for you.

“It’s your favourite isn’t it?” He asks with a smirk tugging on the corner of his lips. Your heart is hammering forcefully against your ribcage, in the entire year you’d been friends with Bakugou you’d only mentioned it a handful of times. To be honest you weren’t even sure he had been listening to you, the reasons behind  his motives for making your favourite dish had your cheeks heating up.

“I didn’t think you’d remember that” you mumbled.

“I remember a lot of things” For some reason the way he says it has you clinging onto a hope you know you shouldn’t. Bakugou was not in love with you, it was purely coincidence that he’d made your favourite meal.

It didn’t mean anything.

At least that’s what you tried telling yourself, until he brought desert out. Conversation had eventually begun to flow easier than it had in the beginning, probably due to the two glasses of wine that you’d consumed. You weren’t tipsy but you were definitely feeling bolder than before.

“Is that what I think it is?” you gasp as Bakugou sets down a pie tin. The surge of pride he feels at your wide eyed stare was comparable to nothing else. You can feel your mouth watering as he cuts you a piece of cheesecake.

“Ohmygod Katsuki this is so good!” you moan as you take a bite of cheesecake. It’s salted caramel, your favourite.  Something weird was happening, something you might not have had the balls to pursue under normal circumstances. Liquid courage igniting your veins, you force yourself to make eye contact with crimson orbs and ask the question you weren’t sure you wanted an answer to.

“Why did you ignore me?” You can almost see the wheels turning in his head, and for a second you wish you could melt into the floor and disappear. The silence was suffocating and you seriously considered just grabbing your coat and dashing out of his apartment.

“It’s okay if you do-”

“I have feelings for you”

His words shock you and for a moment you can’t tell if what you had heard was a figment of your imagination.

“What?” every nerve in your body is on edge, fight or flight system ready to bolt the hell out of his apartment if things go wrong.

“I have feelings for you, dumbass! For a whole year, and I didn’t want to deal with it because I’m scared to fuck it up! I’m not good with words, the only way I can express myself is through cooking.” It takes a moment for it to click in your mind but his amused scoff and eye roll when your eyes light up with recognition are almost endearing.

“Wait, so you did all this...to confess?”

“Isn’t that just what I said?”

“So, what if I said I liked you too?” Your voice was barely above a whisper, your throat suddenly felt way too dry.

“Then I’d kiss you” Your stomach was doing somersaults and you were sure that under normal circumstances the nerves alone would have made you puke.

“I like you too Katsuki” the look Bakugou gives you is almost feral and before you can react he’s already moved to cup your face in his hands. The second his lips touch yours, the cage inside your stomach breaks open and butterflies are spreading throughout your body. Your hands tangle themselves in soft blond locks, angling your face to deepen the kiss. His tongue swipes along your bottom lip and you respond without hesitation. You can taste salted caramel on his tongue and it has your head spinning. Who knew Bakugou Katsuki was such a good kisser. Maybe he was boyfriend material after all.

[themurphyzone]

Nova Ch 10

AN: I think that reunion with Snowball went pretty well!

Ch 10: White Dwarves

AO3 Link, FFN Link

Terran Date 2015.4.26

I’m stuck in a backwater lab with an idiot who believes you can transform a rock into gold by spray painting it. Nothing else worth reporting. 

o-o-o-o-o

Pinky winced as Brain slammed his hand against the computer mouse, saving the oddly brief recording to the computer. He didn’t bother with his usual sign-off either. Just buried his face between his hands and growled to himself. 

Brain had been in a foul mood ever since the tea party, snapping whenever Pinky tried to ask a question and making messes without bothering to clean up after himself. He wasn’t the only one affected by Snowball suddenly leaving. Madame Daisy was still pretty miffed about Snowball’s lack of etiquette when he didn’t say goodbye to the other guests or say thank you to the host. And Brain hadn’t done those either. 

Maybe Pinky should’ve warned them about Madame Daisy being a stickler for tea party etiquette. 

But more importantly, the deadline for RSVPing was tomorrow at 8 pm and they still hadn’t called Lamont Manor. More than once, Pinky brought it up in conversation and left post-it notes as reminders, but Brain always shut the topic down and shredded the notes into confetti. 

It stung when he did that, but Pinky shook it off and saved the itty-bitty scraps. One never knew when they’d need good confetti. 

Pinky’s ears twitched towards the cage at the sound of Brain’s groan. Brain had already drained a full water bottle and was steadily working his way through a second. While Pinky was happy his alien friend had gotten used to water, mostly so they could play Marco Polo and waterski with popsicle sticks, maybe there was such a thing as too much water. 

“Brain?” Pinky called, nearly slipping on a puddle. He frowned. There were several puddles and no sign of Brain at least trying to keep this side of the cage neat. “Er, don’t you think that’s enough? Awfully hard to sleep if you have to keep getting up for the bathroom.”

“Just leave me alone,” Brain muttered. He sipped from the tube again without taking his glare off Pinky. Water dribbled down his chin. 

No, he was absolutely not leaving Brain alone! Pinky stomped his foot, startling Brain when he tried to sneak another drink. 

“That’s it!” Pinky shouted. He tugged his ears and released them with a sharp snap. “I’m gonna give you tough love whether you like it or not, mistah!” 

Before Brain could react, Pinky snatched him away from the water bottle and tucked him under one arm like he was cradling a football. Brain kicked and squirmed in his grip, trying to smack him with his tail, but Pinky had a firm hold. With his free hand, he pulled a fedora off the coat rack as he marched out of the cage and over to the stereo. 

It was a little worn from age, but it still worked alright. 

He dropped Brain, who let out a little oomph when his stomach hit the counter. Smacking the play button with his foot, Pinky kept one hand on his fedora as he counted the beats until the main melody began. 

“Just say narf! Just say narf!

Don’t you know to be glad? Just say narf!

Every day is a joy and so-” 

The music shut off. 

Surprised by the lack of background music, Pinky checked behind him, arms still thrown above his head with the fedora hanging from one hand. 

Brain stood in front of the stereo, his hand over the stop button. “Just what in Orion’s belt are you trying to accomplish with this display?” he snapped, crossing his arms. 

“You’ve been a grumpasaurus rex ever since the tea party! So I’m cheering you up with one of my favorite songs!” Pinky protested.

“You can’t cheer me up by manhandling me and saying nonsense!” Brain yelled.

“I said narf, not nonsense!” 

“They’re synonymous!” 

“No, they’re not! They agreed they could date other people and they still have a trusting relationship! And you wanna know what else? They actually clean up after themselves too!” 

“GAH!” 

“TROZ!” 

Their noses were just a few inches apart, chests huffing and puffing like they were about to blow the Three Little Pigs’ houses down. Brain broke away from the staredown first, clasping his hands behind his back as he sulked.

Pinky counted one Mississippi, five Mississippis, and seventeen Mississippi’s, his hand against his racing heart as he breathed in and out to calm down. And why did they only count Mississippi? Why not Alabama, Georgia, or Papua New Guinea? 

Brain was a closed book at the best of times, it seemed. One of those heavy textbooks with lots of big words, not a happy, colorful picture book like Pat the Bunny. 

But he wasn’t a good actor, though he pretended to be above happiness, fear, and sorrow.

“You know you can talk to me, right? About your feelings or world domination or secret crushes. Anything you want,” Pinky said, wringing his tail in his hands. It looked like a very sad, wiggling worm under his fingers. The smooth surface under his fingers helped a little, but it didn’t replace a full snout hug from Pharfignewton. “I...I was just trying to help.” 

“World domination is the only topic worth discussing out of everything you said. Emotions are irrelevant,” Brain said. There was still a bite in his tone, but not much. He rubbed his arm, feet shuffling uncomfortably. “So you were truthful about wanting to...assist during my period of inactivity?” 

Pinky tilted his head. “Why would I lie about wanting to help? That would be mean, Brain.”

“Helping is just another way of ensuring someone owes a favor. Or it would be mutually beneficial to all parties involved,” Brain replied. His sharp gaze snapped back to Pinky. “Our deal is just one example out of many.” 

“What about helping you cause I wanted you to feel better?” 

Didn’t that count? He didn’t know why Brain was making it all so complicated. 

“As I stated before, your song was nonsense and your method was invasive.” Brain shot a disdainful glare at the stereo. “But I can’t entirely fault you for your intentions, however misguided, though I suggest having a concrete reward in mind next time.” 

Pinky grinned and let go of his tail. “Oh, that’s easy! Lemme grab a chunk of concrete off the street!” 

Brain sighed, stomping over to a top drawer, perching on the edge of the counter as he slid it open. “That won’t be necessary, Pinky.” 

“Looking for something, Brain?” Pinky asked. 

“I can find it on my own!” Brain tried to wave him off, but overbalanced and fell into the open drawer, landing on his stomach with a muffled oomph. He spat a scrap of paper out of his mouth, kicking a red pen aside as he rolled onto his back.

Pinky’s fingers drummed on the counter as he peered down at Brain. A light cherry color coated his sagging cheeks. 

“I’d rather direct my focus somewhere else for the time being.” Brain wasn’t making eye contact with Pinky. Which was a shame, because his eyes were the prettiest shade of pink. “I don’t require anything else after you point me to the cleaning supplies.” 

Pinky blinked at him in surprise, but they were getting somewhere now! He could do a cartwheel, kiss a cockatoo, and dance the Macarena! Maybe not in that order, or all at once, but there’s a first time for everything! 

A smile spread across Pinky’s face, and he couldn’t help but laugh when Brain’s head began to resemble a lumpy tomato.   

o-o-o-o-o

Several hours later, Pinky yawned as the first rays of sunlight gently crept across the bed. The distant sounds of cars caught in traffic on the nearby bridge combined with the gentle thrum of lab technology formed the usual background noises, greeting him with a new day. Freeing his legs and tail from the blanket, he dipped into a luxurious, catlike stretch, arching his back and raising his rear end and tail as high as they would go.

“Wakey-wakey, Brain! Narf!” Pinky exclaimed as he shook Brain’s shoulder.

Brain mumbled to himself and buried his head into his pillow, curling into a very tight cocoon to block out the light. If Brain wanted to hatch into a pretty butterfly, he needed all the rest he could get, so Pinky left him alone.

But it was worth a shot, even if Brain wasn’t a morning mouse.

Pinky ate a plateful of food pellets for a quick breakfast, then washed it down with water. The area around the water bottle was puddle-free and mostly clean, save for a stubborn stain on a cage bar by the floor. But that spot gave Pinky plenty of trouble too, so he didn’t hold it against Brain.

He coaxed a drop of water out of the tubing and splashed it on his face, then squeezed through the cage bars, hands behind his back as he strolled over to the cap Snowball had given him.

He’d spent most of his time decorating it with whatever he could find for the past few days. Glittery, colorful letters that spelled Pharfignewton were glued across the brim, give or take a few letters. Her name was so long that it didn’t fit and the ‘ewton’ was on a separate row beneath the rest. Feathers, ribbons, and encouraging messages on sticky notes covered the blue fabric.

It was coming along nicely. Pinky backed up a few steps, sticking out his tongue and placing his fingers together like he was taking a picture.

“Just needs a little something,” Pinky murmured, tapping his chin to get the idea muscle in his head working. It usually worked best after he ate, so coming up with something should be a cinch!

Then he snapped his fingers together, a little lightbulb flickering overhead with a satisfying click. Wait, no, no. That was just the light turning on cause a sleepy scientist trudged in, dragging his feet to the kitchen. He didn’t see Pinky waving good morning to him.  

Hopefully the man liked decaf, because they were all out of regular coffee.

Pinky folded red tissue paper into a rose, then repeated the step with purple tissue paper. “Thank you, DIY craft videos on Youtube!” he hummed.

He needed more roses to go all the way around. Kentucky Derby hats were always decked out with pretty roses. Oh, he could arrange the roses into a pretty red-purple-red-purple pattern!

And toss some glitter onto the roses too! Can’t go wrong with glitter!

He dumped a generous amount of pink glitter on his rose and glued it to the hat.

More scientists trickled in, shuffling off to the kitchen in search of coffee and once again ignoring Pinky and his pretty hat. They didn’t seem too keen on coming today. He couldn’t imagine why. Monday was such a lovely day and it never got the appreciation it deserved.  

Since they had a bad habit of moving items around so Pinky could never find them, he hid his unfinished hat in the back of a large drawer. Nobody ever looked there anyway.

He hauled himself out of the drawer. As he climbed back to the counter, he paused to admire the calendar picture of Mickey Mouse giving flowers to Minnie. Beneath it, the box for April 27 was circled in glittery blue.

Right, wasn’t there something they were supposed to do today?

RSVP BY 8 PM! NARF!

Right, they still had stuff to do if they were gonna have the best weekend ever! They still had to find costumes for the masquerade ball! Especially the masks! Masks were the most important part!

And they had to call soon, or they wouldn’t be able to go.

“Brain!” Pinky shouted as he ran inside the cage, snatching up the invitation card from the corner. Brain was out of bed and trying to eat a food pellet, though his expression was pinched from the dryness of his breakfast. “Oh, that brand is pretty dry. That’s why I saute it in three-and-one oil first. Anyway, you’re already up?”

Brain scowled and swallowed his morsel with difficulty. “How can I possibly sleep with all this racket?”

A cupboard slammed down the hall, followed by loud profanity that would’ve made Pinky’s grandmother clutch her pearls and faint.

Apparently, nobody wanted decaf.

Pinky held the invitation close to a scowling Brain. “See? We’ve gotta call now or they won’t let us in! Then we won’t be able to swim in the chocolate fountain or admire the ice sculptures!”

Brain shoved the card away from his face. “Heaven forbid we miss those banal activities,” he replied, pressing two hands to his cheeks.

“Exactly!” Pinky’s tail twitched in anticipation. “And we still need fancy outfits and masks!”

Brain took another food pellet, grimaced, and tossed it back into the bowl. Then he sighed and rubbed his temples. “This is a rather asinine plan, Snowball,” he muttered. “Come again?” Pinky asked. He could’ve sworn Brain said Snowball’s name.

Which was weird, because Snowball wasn’t even here. Unless Brain named the food bowl Snowball. That made more sense.

“Never mind, Pinky,” Brain sighed. “Forgive me for my reservations.”

“But we haven’t made those reservations yet,” Pinky said. Brain didn’t reply, too focused on valiantly keeping his breakfast down. Then Brain drank from the water bottle, careful not to splash too much. Once he finished, he headed to the cage door, and Pinky dutifully followed. He hopped from toe to toe as Brain unlocked the door with a bent paper clip. “Can I place the call, Brain?”

“This is a delicate operation, Pinky,” Brain replied. “We must use our given aliases so that we won’t be found out prematurely. I can’t risk you blabbing our true identities, so I’ll speak to our less than gracious host myself. Now, hand over the card.”

It was true.

He wasn’t a good liar at all.

Pinky held out the card, but before Brain could take it, a balding man with a bad combover and rumpled labcoat tried to yank him out of the cage by his crooked tail. The scientist yelped in pain as the orb sparked in his hand, leaving red marks on his skin. Startled, Freed from his grip, Brain leapt forward and tripped over himself. Pinky dropped the card and caught Brain by the shoulders before he could slam nose-first into the metal floor.

The red orbs on Brain’s antennae glowed for several seconds before fading away. Then Brain regained his footing and gave Pinky a brief nod as thanks, quickly pulling away to recollect himself.

The contact ended all too soon.

The man flicked his hand to get rid of the shock, muttering to himself as he pulled on a pair of rubber gloves.

“What’s going on?” Brain snapped. “We have important business to conduct!”

“Don’t worry, Brain. It’s just Maze Monday!” Pinky said, fixing his messy tuft as best he could without a mirror. He had to look his best for maze running! “We’ll call afterward!”

The scientist reached in again. Though Brain defiantly stood in the corner away from him, it was no use and he was pulled out of the cage. He dangled in the scientist’s gloved hand by the tail, grumpy at his current position.

Pinky was next. He swung from the scientist’s other hand as he was lifted into the air, pumping his legs back and forth like he was on an upside down swing. Giggling, he reached out and tried to touch Brain’s ears, though he was several inches short.  

With one mouse dangling from each hand, the scientist walked out of the room and carried them down the hallway. They passed the college interns who were more interested in selfies than work, the security guard who was always shouting about evil rodents and their master plan to hoard the world’s entire cheese supply for themselves, and a bored female scientist who looked like she’d rather be anywhere else but here.

The scientist entered a room on his left. Along the wall, several guinea pigs rested in their cages. Pinky waved to them, but since he didn’t have any food, the guinea pigs weren’t interested.

They were dropped at the start of a large cardboard maze. The scientist adjusted the cameras mounted above the maze, then left the room.

Just him and Brain now.

“Your scientists display a disturbing lack of regard for our tails,” Brain grumbled, rubbing the soreness out of one zigzagged bend. “Not that Selenians were any better.”

“But if they hold the tip just right, you can swing around like a little monkey!” Pinky said. “I mean, my rear gets a bit sore too, and sometimes you might crash into a wall, but it’s still loads of fun! Haven’t you ever tried it, Brain?”

“While that activity is suitable for inane creatures, it doesn’t befit a future world emperor to behave in such an embarrassing manner.” Brain dusted off his jumpsuit, though it was recently washed and wasn’t particularly dirty. “But I digress. We must focus on surviving this perilous maze so that we may RSVP to the event in time.”

Perilous?

But he didn’t see any pearls anywhere. It was just cardboard and metal as far as the eye could see. Pearls would’ve brightened this drab maze a lot.

There were four directions to pick from. Pinky scratched his head. Which one?

The left path looked fun, but the one behind and in front were dimly lit. Which left the right path. And since it was right, that meant it was the right way!

“Let’s go! The right path is always right! Zort!” Pinky exclaimed. He walked to the right path, but Brain hauled him back by the elbow.

“Don’t assume the direction and the certainty of success are one and the same, Pinky,” Brain said firmly. “We have to take precautions.”

Pinky didn’t think they had to be careful though. There wasn’t anyone else here. Unless the guinea pigs counted, but they weren’t in the maze.

His usual strategy was to run around silly-willy until he found the snack at the end. But in all his years, he’d never actually found the snack. Usually he just ran into walls and daydreamed about cheese until a nice scientist got him out.

And cheese kept the spookiness away.

“There’s nobody here but us,” Pinky said.

“There’s nobody visible in this maze but us,” Brain corrected. “If we’re not careful, we could fall victim to traps. Enough arguing, Pinky. We’re taking the left fork.”

There weren’t any forks to take, nor anything to eat using a fork, but at least Brain was nice enough to drag Pinky down his second choice instead of the dimly lit paths.

Brain stuck close to the walls, grabbing Pinky’s wrist to ensure he did the same. As they came upon a T-section where they could either turn left or right, Brain carefully held his antennae back with his free hand and poked his head around the corner. Pinky tried to lean over Brain to see what was so interesting, but a sharp nudge kept him back.  

“Whatcha looking for?” Pinky asked. “Besides cardboard.”

“Bright, confined areas are the safest,” Brain said. “It’s not a complete guarantee, but you can at least watch for disturbances on the floor or wall. We’ll head right. I can’t see the end of the left corridor from here.”

He let go of Pinky’s wrist, but gave him stern instructions to stay along the wall. It was just like giving the wall a really long hug, and Pinky licked the wall to thank it for hugging back.

Huh. So cardboard tastes like cardboard then. Not bad, but it could definitely use some parsley.

Halfway down the corridor, Brain’s breath suddenly hitched. He stared at the floor in front of them, where one edge of the cardboard was a little higher than the other. The line spanned the entire length between the two walls.

“Don’t get too close,” Brain said, pushing Pinky back before he could step on it. “Remember, strange patterns in the structure might reveal the location of a trap.”

It looked like a normal ledge though. Completely harmless.

But if the trap only worked when they stepped on it...then the trick was to not step on it!

Brain let go of Pinky’s wrist as he pondered their next course of action. Taking his chances, Pinky backed up several paces, keeping his eye on the line he couldn’t touch.

Then he sprinted forward, ignoring Brain’s shout for him to stop.

Pinky leapt as high as he could, easily clearing the line. Though he couldn’t quite stick the landing and toppled forward as soon as he touched the ground.

Still had to work on his weak ankles.

Hopping to his feet, Pinky turned to a flabbergasted Brain. Ha! He loved that word. Flabbergasted! Too bad it was a bit long for a catchphrase.

Instead of being impressed, Brain glared at him.

“Do you have any idea how dangerous your stunt was?” Brain shouted. “You could’ve been severely incapacitated!”  

Pinky stretched his legs to test his ankles, but they felt alright. No harm done.

“Narf! But my ankles are fine! See?” Pinky shook his ankles so Brain could see they weren’t hurt.

“And if there was a motion sensor?” Brain snapped. “Did you consider the possibility of spikes, projectiles, or electrocution?”

“Um…”

The scientists wouldn’t be mean enough to put those in a maze. Of course, sometimes they’d forget to take him out when he couldn’t find the exit, and he’d lay in the maze alone and listen to the lab’s scary nighttime noises, but he’d never seen spikes during these tests before.

“Thought so,” Brain said. There was something odd about the way his hand twitched towards his tail.

Like he had personal experience.

“Have you ever been caught in a trap before?” Pinky asked before he could stop himself.

Too much?

Brain folded his arms and lifted his chin, pink eyes narrowing at Pinky. Probably not then. Brain was too smart for that.

And definitely clever enough to find his way to the exit and not get stuck overnight.

Then Brain turned around so Pinky could see all the zigzags in his tail.

“Electrocution trap,” Brain said, his ears lowering. “An overload of electricity can be fatal for my species, though we’re naturally resistant to smaller shocks. I was...less experienced back then.”

There was more. Brain wasn’t telling him how much it hurt.

But Brain tensed, a silent warning not to push any further.

“They didn’t leave you in the maze overnight, did they?” Pinky asked. Brain went dangerously still.

Oh, there he went running his mouth again! Why couldn’t his mouth be good and stay zipped?

“Sorry, Brain. You don’t have to answer. It’s fine, really!” Pinky hastily corrected himself. “But if they did-”

"No, they didn't," Brain said, surprising Pinky with how much he was revealing. "They kept a strict count of all their test subjects, and preserving them was far more preferable to losing a valuable limited resource. Small mercies, I suppose.”

“Oh. Well...that’s good.” Pinky rubbed the back of his neck. He was glad Brain never had to deal with that. He wouldn’t wish it on anybody, not even that stubborn stain he could never rub out from the cage bars. “Poit.”

Brain turned back to Pinky and looked at the line between them. Then he hopped over it, bracing himself for a shock. When no electricity appeared, he seemed surprised, though he immediately tried to school his expression into a neutral one. He walked past Pinky and refused an invitation to hug it out.

They had to turn left at the next intersection since the right led to a dead end. Then they reached an open room with a cardboard path and a metal path. Brain chose the metal path, but stopped where the rough paper met cool metal. Pinky stopped behind him.

“Pinky?” Brain said. He didn’t turn around. “Were you left in a maze overnight?”

“Sometimes,” Pinky admitted. Was he worrying Brain? He didn’t want Brain to worry! “But it’s not so bad when you imagine all the cheese you’ll eat at the end, even if you never reach it. But cheese keeps the ghosts away, you know. They don’t like the smell.”

If he imagined cheese, he wouldn’t imagine long, crooked witch fingers trying to pluck him out. Or the loud air conditioning system which clicked on and off every few minutes, the ghostly breeze echoing down the hallway. Or how he called for his parents and Sis to come share a yummy feast with him, though they never came.  

“That’s horribly negligent on the humans’ end.”

And that was all the talk Brain allowed on the matter.

o-o-o-o-o

The maze was a lot longer than they thought. Just when Pinky believed they’d reached the cheese, there was always some new twist that set them back.

What time was it? Though he couldn’t see the clock, it had to be around lunchtime right now. Pinky’s stomach growled, sounding a lot like Brain in one of his moods.

He’d give an arm and a leg for a few food pellets. Or some cheese. Even a leaf.

Brain was tiring out too. His footsteps were heavier and slower. But he kept at it.

Right, focus on the goal. Focus on the yummy cheese.

What kind would they get? Moldy? Blue? Provolone? All of those sounded pretty good, but Pinky thought his stomach was calling for pepperjack. Oh wait, no, maybe it was gorgonzola.

His stomach grumbled again. Okay, it was definitely muenster this time.

They came across a path with a thick sheet of metal on top. So dark that they couldn’t see a thing in front of them. Brain took a deep breath and stuck a hand in the darkness. They only saw his wrist.

His fingers were completely swallowed by the inky, hungry darkness.

Brain took his hand out.

Oh. Not swallowed then. All his fingers were still there.

“We’ve exhausted all our options,” Brain said, pounding his fist into his hand in determination. But even that gesture couldn’t hide how he stuck to the wall like glue. Pinky didn’t blame him. It was awfully dark in there. What if they went in and were never found again? “Taking this path is absolutely necessary if we’re to make it out of this labyrinth in time.”

But they couldn’t see the traps. It wasn’t safe.

Unless…

“Brain, your orbs!” Pinky exclaimed, gently tapping an antenna. “If you make ‘em glow, we won’t get lost or fall into a trap!”

Brain didn’t look so sure. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Not a terrible suggestion for once, Pinky. Unfortunately, it’s not something I have voluntary control over. It’s a hormonal response that occurs when I’m...well, happy.”

“So we’ll just have to make you happy enough for your orbs to glow,” Pinky said.

With what? Brain raised an eyebrow, the silent question obvious. 

Then Pinky snapped his fingers. He knew what to do! He'd sing Just Say Narf! 

Except he was trying to make Brain happy, not himself. 

A no-go then.

Cream cheese and blueberry bagels? Out of reach. 

Pinky tapped his chin. This was harder than he thought. 

Brain sat against the wall, eyes squeezed shut and hands rubbing circles into his large forehead. “Statues, parades, my jewel-encrusted cummerbund…” he murmured.

He was doing one of those smartypants things. Too smart for Pinky to understand. 

Brain growled and opened his eyes in irritation. “Cease your staring at once, Pinky. I’m trying to concentrate.” 

“On what?” Pinky asked. 

“World domination of course,” Brain said, smacking his ear like he was dumping extra thoughts out of his chubby head. “Accomplishing a goal would naturally bring anyone contentment.” 

Pinky zipped his lip and threw away the key, then sat against the wall across from Brain and waited. 

Yet Brain’s orbs didn’t glow. 

Pinky drummed his fingers against his leg. When he drummed all the songs he knew, he tried to lick his elbow. Except his elbow didn’t want to be licked. He leaned in and stuck his tongue out as far as he could, but it was a very stubborn elbow.

After an eternity, Brain finally spoke, his voice full of cautious hope. “Are they glowing now?” 

Pinky shook his head, and Brain slumped against the wall in defeat. 

The clock ticked on.

“There’s gotta be other things you like besides world domination,” Pinky said. It made sense to have a lot of likes and favorites, and not just on social media. 

“Those ‘other things’ are frivolous at best and distractions at worst,” Brain replied. “Taking over this world would make me happy, so there’s no logical reason as to why it’s not working.” 

Maybe it was happy, but they had to think happier. No, they had to think happiest! 

Brain said ‘this world’. Right, he was a Selenian. Funny how it seemed like he’d been here forever instead of just a few days. 

A Selenian. Brain never revealed much about where he came from. Just that he wanted to leave it all behind. And he only spoke about their technology. But there was more than that, right? 

“Narf! It’s funny, Brain,” Pinky said, holding his toes as he rocked back and forth. Brain looked at him, confused. “You’ve gotten to know a lot about this planet, but I don’t know much about yours! There’s gotta be something about New Selene that makes you happy!” 

“Nothing about that desolate wasteland sparks any joyful feelings,” Brain retorted. “Snowball and I are much better off here. Terra’s knowledge of space is much less advanced than Selene’s, but once we’re co-rulers that’s a problem easily rectified.” 

“But there has to be something you did for fun.” 

Brain looked away. “You’re prying. But if you’re truly interested…” 

“I am!” Pinky exclaimed, nodding eagerly. “Please tell me!” 

Brain’s ear twitched as he listened for signs of anyone coming. But none appeared. “I’m going to regret this...but fine. However, everything I’m about to tell you does not leave this maze. Promise me.” 

“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my-ow!” Pinky jabbed his eye a little too hard. 

Brain watched him for a moment longer, so Pinky tried to make himself look like a captivated audience. Finally, he gave in with a sigh. 

“Selenians have an oral storytelling tradition called Lor Altal. The loose translation to your language is ‘swapping hearts’, and given their predisposition to sordid, melodramatic affairs, I’d say it’s an accurate name,” Brain explained. “On the mother planet, it’s normally performed on the last day of the month. But explorers and scientists, including those of New Selene, often turned it into a weekly session as a way to remind them of home.” 

“Didja hear any Lor Altals on New Selene?” Pinky asked. He laid on his stomach, propped his head on his elbows, and kicked his feet in the air. 

“...yes.” 

Why so hesitant though? 

“Snowball and I...we used to sneak out of our cages for the weekly Lor Altal. When we were younger. Before they abandoned New Selene. The ones we’d listened to were...well, they could become very elaborate with song, dance, and costume. New Selene’s were more basic, but interesting.” 

“Ooooooh,” Pinky said. This definitely sounded fun fun silly-willy! “You know any good stories, Brain? Can you tell me? Please please please?” 

Brain scratched his head. “Well, there’s one that I...no, perhaps I shouldn’t be thinking about these things. Lor Altals don’t matter in the pursuit of world domination.” 

“I don’t mind!” Pinky said. Brain was so silly, insisting that he couldn’t like stuff outside his goal. He liked cream cheese and blueberry bagels, didn’t he? “I wanna know your favoritest out of the lot!” 

“You do?” Brain asked in surprise. He didn’t seem to believe Pinky. 

“Of course!” Pinky grinned. 

Brain’s cheeks flushed, but he accepted that they weren’t going anywhere. Besides, if Brain really liked these Lor Altal stories, then his orbs would glow and they wouldn’t have to be scared of the dark!

“...alright. This Lor Altal tale is called Heikro var Silda. It’s one of the most well-known stories, starring Selene’s historical figures,” Brain said, gaining more confidence with every word. “The characters were embellished from real life, but the background is mostly the same.”

There was a spark in Brain’s pink eyes now. It intrigued Pinky. 

“Three thousand years ago, before Selene’s industrial and technological revolutions, the entire planet was embroiled in a long and bitter civil war, spearheaded by two rival households, alike in prestige and influence.” 

“If they add honey, maybe it wouldn’t be so bitter?” Pinky suggested.

“Try not to interrupt, Pinky. Setting the mood is important in these stories,” Brain said, breaking out of his narrator voice. And boy did he have a lovely narrator voice! 

Pinky rezipped his lip and let Brain continue. 

“The eastern hemisphere was the domain of the House of Syar'i, of which the fair maiden Silda belonged. The western half was controlled by the House of Alkair, of which the handsome lad Heikro was selected to rule. Caught between the two powerful households, the Selenians were fearful of the violence that ensued whenever they clashed, for both commanded large networks of armies, assassins, and spies. Now, on one fateful day…” 

Soon Brain was completely engrossed in the story, just as Pinky was enthralled to hear Brain give the performance of his life. Well, Brain wasn’t the best actor Pinky had ever seen. Sometimes he was a bit flat and sometimes he was a bit hammy, but the passion in his voice made the story absolutely thrilling.

It was the type of passion someone only had when they truly loved something. 

Some breaks were necessary for Brain to rest his voice for a few minutes, others so Pinky could get a translation for the Selenian language when Brain accidentally used a different tongue after getting caught up in the story. 

Brain’s voice grew softer as he laid out Heikro’s plan to sneak into a banquet thrown by the House of Syar’i to scope out their plans for an invasion of an Akair-controlled port city. And poor Silda, having to marry someone she didn’t love but doing it for the sake of her parents! That poor girl oughta be happy! 

Pinky clasped his hands together at the moment Heikro laid eyes on Silda’s beauty and was instantly smitten, forgetting that he needed to report his findings to his council. And Silda was taken in by Heikro’s broad shoulders and sturdy build. It was love at first sight! How romantic!

“Then Silda bid her parents and their guests good night, and retired to her chambers. But Heikro, who longed to see more of the maiden’s ethereal charm, could not bear to stay away for long. Under the cover of darkness, he crept around her residence, where he found a restless Silda on her balcony. She couldn’t slumber peacefully, for her maidservant revealed the man she kissed was none other than an esteemed member of the House of Akair.” 

Pinky pounded his fist against his knee. “She needs to elope with him, that’s what! Narf!”  

“‘Nova suprhi li ihmin var altal’, he called to her.” 

“Oh, there’s that altal word again. He’s saying something about hearts, I think. That’s so sweet!” Pinky exclaimed. Realizing his mistake, he covered his mouth. “Sorry, Brain! Continue!” 

But instead of continuing, Brain leaned against the wall. Oh. He must’ve gotten tired.

“I’ll let it pass this time, Pinky,” Brain said as he rubbed his throat. “I might’ve overdone it anyway. Next time, I’ll pick a better stopping point.”  

His voice sounded a little raspy. Though Pinky really wanted to know what happened next, keeping Brain’s voice in working order so they could make the phone call was more important. 

“What did that last sentence mean?” Pinky asked. 

Brain regarded Pinky for a long moment. “It’s a favorite quote among many Selenians. But it’s rather saccharine, I’m afraid.”

“I’m not,” Pinky said. 

“If you must know, it means ‘new stars shall be born from our minds and hearts’.” Brain’s voice was so soft, Pinky had to strain to hear it. “As I said, it’s saccharine.” 

“It sounds so poetic!” Pinky smiled. And romantic too!

Brain didn’t say anything. His orbs cast a gentle red glow over his shining pink eyes.  

Egad, his orbs! They were glowing now! Even the one on his tail!

“Brain, you did it!” Pinky cheered, trying to do a cartwheel. But he landed flat on his face instead, though he popped right back up. “You found what made you happy!” 

Brain touched the orbs on his antennae, awed by their appearance. Then he turned towards the dark pathway, gesturing for Pinky to follow.

They didn’t have to worry about traps or getting stuck anymore! Pinky skipped along behind Brain, who walked at a brisk pace.

A soft red glow lit up the metal walls around them as they plunged deeper into the maze. But there were no lefts, rights, or confusing turns. Just straight ahead.

“Thanks for being here with me, Brain. It’s not scary anymore,” Pinky said gratefully, taking Brain’s hand in his own.

“Keep walking, Pinky,” Brain replied, keeping his eyes forward. If anything, the light grew a little brighter. “We should be nearing the end of the maze.”

Pinky sniffed the air. He could’ve sworn he smelled cheese.

Hold the phone! He smelled cheese!

And there was an opening ahead of them!

Pinky’s stomach growled as they stepped into the light, and lo and behold, there were two lumps of cheddar right in front of them!

Even Brain was smiling as he chomped down on the cheese.

Pinky dug in. And it was the best cheese he’d ever tasted in his life!

o-o-o-o-o

It took a long time for the lab to clear out after they finished the maze. The scientists were shocked by Pinky clearing the maze for the first time. He couldn’t blame them. 

He astounded himself too. 

Brain’s light had dimmed long before the lab closed, annoyed by the constant poking and prodding. They wanted to know who spliced him with butterfly DNA because of his antennae, though multiple people thought he was spliced with a mosquito since he bit any curious fingers that strayed close to his face. 

“Those ignorant fools will be bowing to me soon enough, Pinky,” Brain proclaimed as he dialed the number on the invitation. “Hold the card up.”

“Hurry, Brain!” Pinky urged, shooting a fearful glance at the clock. They only had thirty minutes left! 

Brain punched the number into the phone, then hit the call button. 

“Please work!” Pinky begged the phone as it rang. He wanted to wear fancy clothes and mingle and swim in the chocolate fountain so much! 

The phone rang once, twice, then the call finally went through. 

“Hello, this is Harold, butler of Lamont Manor,” a voice with a charming British accent said. “May I ask who I’m speaking with?” 

Pinky bounced from toe to toe in excitement, though he tried to curb it when Brain held up a hand for him to stop. But he couldn’t help his tail twitchies. 

“This is Mr. Clarke,” Brain said, using the name on the card. “My spouse and I will be coming to the ball on Sunday.” 

“I see,” Harold said, his tone changing into one of disgust. That was a little odd. “Another new spouse then, Anthony?” 

New spouse? Brain mouthed in confusion. 

Pinky shrugged. 

“Mrs. Clarke is on the invitation. She’s allowed inside too, correct?” Brain asked.  

“Assuming she’s still your wife by Sunday, yes,” Harold said. “I’ll put your names on the guest list. Try to do something about that awful rasp of yours, will you? Good night.” 

The call ended. 

“The real Mr. Clarke sounds like a delightful fellow,” Brain muttered. 

“I’m sure it won’t be so bad, Brain!” Pinky grinned. Now all they had to do was find fancy stuff for the ball! “You’re gonna be wearing a mask anyway!” 

“I suppose,” Brain sighed. 

“No supposing!” Pinky shook his finger at him. “Besides, you haven’t finished your Lor Altal story yet! You know, it’s funny how it reminds me of Romeo and Juliet. With the feuding families and star-crossed lovers and all! Except much happier, cause Reikro and Silda will help bring about peace to the planet of Selene and live happily ever after!” 

Brain didn’t make eye contact with Pinky for the next few hours.

My original plan was to have them mistaken for feeder mice after they finished the maze, and they would’ve been plopped into a snake enclosure with a snake named Gladys. Pinky would’ve been caught in the coils (Gladys is nonvenomous and would kill by constricting rather than venom), and Brain would rescue him. 

Ultimately, I decided to cut this idea out and have them run a maze instead, which is tedious but not life-threatening. Since the maze is light on danger, I decided to focus more on Pinky and Brain interactions here, and include the Lor Altal oral storytelling tradition, which has been mentioned in previous chapters as an aside. Plus, I believe this story would benefit from Pinky learning more about where Brain came from, since previous chapters have placed the focus on Brain learning about Earth. 

The storytelling is an aspect of Selenian culture Brain likes but never got to fully enjoy. Since Brain seems to have a hidden interest in acting and theatre, given the number of his schemes that involve cinema, broadcasting, and in one case, Broadway, I decided to incorporate that bit of his character here.  

Brain’s story is just an abridged Romeo and Juliet IN SPACE!

[autistic-singer515]

The ending of the Pinky and the Brain quarantine episode before the Julia surprise ending version one.

This is part 1 of the opening I want in Animaniacs season 2 or 3. That’s when Pinky and the Brain planned a fake pandemic and a fake death of Pinkfert aka Pinky to automatically lock every people of the world until they swear fealty to the Brain. That would foreshadowed Pinky’s Disney Death in my previous fan comic. But it all failed when Pinky popped up in front of the camera obliviously and cried, still wearing his Pinkfert wig and costume. It’s very similar to the one Pinky and the Brain episode, Pinkasso where Pinky faked his own death and then blew his cover when he obliviously cried for his alter ego in front of the mourners. As a result, everyone realized the pandemic and Pinkfert’s death were all fake and they were understandably ticked off. The ones who successfully escaped their houses or was accidentally locked out or had a auto lock malfunction found Pinky and the Brain after they found out they didn’t get sick from going outside and then they unlocked everyone else’s houses and then everybody chased after the two lab mice and then that’s where we jump to Julia watching them on her game boy in my recent previous mini comic, The Julia Episode of Pinky and the Brain Opening Part 2.

Transcript:

Somewhere in the suburban house, the father tried opening the front door. But it was still locked.

The Father: “Oh, great! It’s still locked!”

But his daughter didn’t take it so well. She bursted out crying out of boredom.

The daughter: “But I wanna get out now! Daddy, I wanna go outside and play now!”

The father sighed disappointingly.

The Father: “I’m sorry, sweetheart, I’m afraid we have to stay inside until the piggy flu pandemic subsides. Professional Doctor Brain says so.”

But the daughter was still bored. She threw a temper tantrum and jumped up and down and pulled her dad’s hair.

The daughter: “I wanna get out! We can’t stay inside forever! I wanna get out! This is so dull! I’m bored out of my skull!”

The father knew he would have to deal with his daughter’s temper tantrum while being in a lockdown. He would have to yell at her until his voice wears out. It could take forever for all he knew. He looked up at the ceiling in disbelief.

The Father: “Help me.....”

Then suddenly their flat screen tv automatically turned on, revealing the Brain’s usual stoic face and he was wearing his tuxedo with a red tie and black shoes.

The mother joined her husband and daughter to watch the Brain make an announcement. Hoping it could mean that they could be finally free and safe from the flu pandemic.

The Brain: “Dear people of the world..... It is with great sadness that my partner Pinkfert has died from the piggy flu today.”

The family looked at him pityingly. Even the spoiled daughter. Tears filled their eyes.

The Mother: “Poor Pinkfert....”

The Father: “So sorry about your loss...”

The Daughter: “That’s so sad...”

The Brain: “To commemorate my partner.... You will stay home unless you will swear fealty to me. And I will sanitize the world. And when you’re all safe to go out again, you will worship me as your leader!! But if you go outside now, you will end up like Pinkfert. So just wait a little longer. Keep grocery shopping online until I give the word.

The family and everyone else watching the Brain on tv: “Yes, Doctor Brain!”

The Brain: “Yes! I am the Brain! Your worlds greatest dictator and hero!”

Everyone who watched the Brain knew they had to rely on him. They couldn’t stand the thought of making other people sick if they go outside.

The family and everyone else watching the Brain on tv: “Yes!!! Please save us, Doctor Brain! You are our only hope for humanity! Save us!”

The father was so impressed with the Brain’s bravery. He doesn’t seem like the type of person to cry about stuff like this. He knew he didn’t have time to get weepy eyed. He was on the job!

The Father: “Wow! That little guy is so brave and strong despite the piggy flu fiasco! I wish I was that strong like him! No weakness in sight! He never whines about stuff!”

The Brain grinned.

The Brain: “Yes.... At long last.... Worl d domination is finally coming to fruition!”

The Brain chuckled rather maliciously.

But suddenly out of nowhere, a lanky mouse with a red wig and a hospital clothing popped at the screen. It was Pinky disguising himself as Pinkfert. He was sobbing his heart out. The Brain jumped back with annoyance. He was supposed to still pretend to be dead in the hospital bed.

Pinky: “BWWWWWAAAAAAA!! POOR PINKFERT!!!!”

The family and everyone else watching this incident stared at Pinky and the Brain suspiciously.

The Brain shook his hands to get Pinky to stop and return to bed.

The Brain: “Pinky, you idiot! No! Stop! What are you doing?!”

Pinky blew his nose on his handkerchief.

Pinky: “I wish I could’ve met him sooner! BWWWWWWAAAAAAA!!!”

The Brain pushed Pinky down onto the floor just so nobody watching this could see him. The wig fell off of Pinky’s head. The Brain smiled and sweated nervously.

The Brain: “Oh... Um.... (Laughing)! You see... It’s Pinkfert’s twin brother, Pinky!”

Then out of nowhere, the people who either escaped their house, have a malfunction with the auto lock and being locked out ran behind Pinky and the Brain. They weren’t happy with they saw the whole thing with Pinky faking his sickness all along and realizing that they didn’t get sick from going outside with people.

Crowd #1: “LIAR!! THERE’S NO PIGGY FLU!!!”

Crowd#2: “We didn’t get sick! Nobody did!”

Crowd#3: “Let’s get them!”

The one crowd stepped on the Brain’s remote control that locks people in their houses. The Brain saw hopelessly.

The Brain: “No!”

Every house that still have the auto lock function unlocked the doors itself. People were finally free. They ran out of their house happily.

The crowd: “We’re free!”

The family growled at Pinky and the Brain after their doors unlocked. They ran out of the house to get revenge on them.

After seeing the crowd running after them, the Brain decided they should run away. He grabbed Pinky’s hand to pull him up.

The Brain: “Run, Pinky!!”

Then Pinky and the Brain ran for their lives form the angry crowd. Then after a while, the crowd was catching up with them. But Pinky and the Brain saw Acme Labs ahead. The Brain pulled Pinky away from the crowd and hid behind the lab. They took off their clothes and watched the crowd still running. Then they watched them pass. They were safe again after they were gone. Pinky and the Brain were relieved.

The Brain: “Good! They’re gone!”

But then the Brian’s anger fueled after his plan for world domination ended in disaster yet again.

Will this failure ever end?!

Why won’t the world let him succeed?!

The Brain knew Pinky was the one to blame again. He was always foiling his plans!

The Brain turned to Pinky angrily with bared teeth and angry blood shot eyes. He growled like an angry lion.

The Brain: “PINKY!!!! COME HERE!!!!!”

Pinky shook in fear. He knew he messed up very bad again. But he knew the Brain’s behaviour was getting worse and worse after all the failures. He knew this was going to end pleasantly. He tried to reason with him.

Pinky: “I’m sorry, Brain! I couldn’t help it! You see, losing Pinkfert is so depressing I get teary eyed!”

But the Brain was still angry with Pinky. He was growling again. He shook his hands like a maniac, ready to hurt Pinky. He walked towards him angrily.

Pinky stared at him in fear. He knew his reasoning wasn’t going to work.

Pinky: “Yipe!”

The Brain jumped up and bunked Pinky on the head really really hard.

POW!

Pinky: “OW!”

The Brain: “Pinky, you imbecile! You ruined my plan yet again!”

Pinky felt very bad pain and dizziness in his head. He twirled around like a drunk mouse.

Pinky: “Sorry, Brain......”

[baemy624]

Brain-napped

Hi! This is the ending of what would be my ‘first episode’ idea! I have a dozen patb story ideas, so I ordered them like a season (13 episodes, aiming at 12 minutes or so)

Please let me know your thoughts (in or ooc, ‘stage directions’, etc) 

Thank you! :)

Scene 6:

[Pinky finds his way to brain’s phone from the help of his animal friend(s)] 

[He then finds his way into Julia’s lair; it’s creepy and then completely goes dark; We only see pinky’s eyes and a screen turn on staticky w/o video appearing yet; 

There are audio clips of Brain insulting Pinky repeating all around him; They eventually stop and suddenly change to the presidential night when brain is controlling Julia and she’s going more insane; she lets pinky watch the clip for a bit then starts to talk over it]

Julia: Oh, yes, he has said some rather (*despicable, awful/mean) things, hasn’t he? Hmm? Say, well would you take a look here, Pinky? It’s the presidential debate! Oh, wasn’t that a fun [her brain shocks] night! 

Pinky: Oh, uh, yes… I guess it was… 

Julia: Guess? Take a closer look, Pinky... at what’s happening to my mind.

Pinky: You...you.. Aren’t looking so good, Julia… Poit. Did you eat some spicy food?

Julia: No, you dimwitted, little-- [clears throat]. No, Pinky. That little mishap was caused by a mind control device implanted in my brain by no other than your [sarcastic] dearest/trusted and most loyal friend--

Pinky: --The Brain? [looks speechless; voice cracking; some tears coming to his eyes; taking a few steps back] No, no. The Brain wouldn’t do this. H-He always told me--

Julia: HE LIED TO YOU, PINKY! ALL HE DOES IS LIE AND CHEAT HIS WAY TO VICTORY! [Screen moves closer to his face] DON’T YOU SEE, PINKY? BRAIN IS JUST USING YOU FOR HIS OWN SELFISH REASONS! HE WANTS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU! HE’LL MANIPULATE YOU INTO HELPING HIM, BUT AS SOON AS HE SUCCEEDS, HE’LL JUST THROW YOU AWAY LIKE… Like me… [steps out into the light a bit]

Pinky: [Looks at her with concern; holding his tail but inches closer a bit]... Julia?

Julia: Don’t you see, Pinky? You can’t deny the truth. Brain is just using you, just like he used me. What’s stopping him from controlling your mind? Or any other mice? Or the entire world?!? You can’t trust him.

Pinky: But, Brai--

Julia: FORGET BRAIN, PINKY. [offers her hand]. Stay here, Pinky. We can destroy Brain and take the world for ourselves. [steps a bit closer] We can take our revenge for all the time’s he hurt us…

Pinky: [stepping back slowly; speaking slower then quicker as he is holding and shaking his head with tears going everywhere] No…. NonoNONOno! I can’t--I won’t do that, Julia! B-Brain would never hurt me like that. H-he wants to make the world a better place! Narf! Oh-Ah-ah-ahhh!! [starts crying more; and whimpers a bit; then after a few moments he looks up and takes the remote from Julia] 

Julia: Pinky?! [tries to tug the remote back] Hey, what are you--

Pinky: [sniffing and whiping his face] Hmm. Look here, Julia. [fast-forwards the screen to after the end of the mouschiarin episode where they’re in the cage reflecting on the failed plan and julia]

[Pinky and Brain on the screen following the last scene from ‘Mousechurian

Canidate’]

Pinky: Gee, Brain, why do you think Julia ran away? [gasp] Did you two break up?! [pupil/dilated eyes]

Brain: What? No, nothing like that.

Pinky: Then why?

Brain: I-I-I don’t know Pinky..erm.. [sighs; says quietly] Maybe I shouldn’t take over the world…

Pinky: [stops making the tea/coffee and looks over] Hm? Now why would you say that, Brain?!

Brain: Because...cause… [snaps] Ugh! For years I’ve been trying to take over the world! Every single night! Plan after plan after plan. And NONE OF THEM HAVE WORKED!? Maybe the world is playing some trick on me… right! Haha. Maybe I’m just some insignificant, stupid, little chess piece just moving back and forth but never really succeeding in anything I set out to do! [thinking about how he hurt Julia] I-I-I do want to make the world a better place but MAYBE THE WORLD JUST DOESN’T WANT ME IN IT?!... [quieter] and-and I just hurt everybody, just like the world has hurt me… maybe that’s why I’m such a failure... [looks down; holds himself in the same fetal position with his arms around his legs and head looking down; ears droop] 

Pinky: [gently taps brain on the shoulder] You are not a failure, Brain. [sits besides him] Sure, we might plan and go alllllll over the earth trying to ‘take over the world’ [scooches closer], but even though you don’t always win, you still write your plans and we get up every night and try over and over and over again. Troz. [Puts his hand on brian’s hand/shoulder/head] And I will keep following you all over the world for every plan you come up with. Do you know why, Brain?

Brain: [Looks at Pinky sideways] Why, Pinky?

Pinky: Because you’re my best friend in the whole, wide world. [grabs his cheeks] And there’s NOBODY else who I believe can make the world a better place. [grins; and hugs Brain] 

Brain: [Bit shocked, but subtly snuggles his head under Pinky’s head a bit more] Thank you, Pinky. [closes his eyes] 

Pinky: [wider smile and heart eyes; snuggles himself while hugging brain; whispers] I love you, Brain.

Brain: [eyes open; caught-off guard; bit flustered] I-I-uh… I really don’t know what I’d do without you, Pinky/my friend. 

[Pinky pauses the clip; Pinky in the screen and irl starts to tear up again

and whimpers with heart eyes; then turns around to look at Julia and takes

her hands]

Pinky: See, Julia? Brain isn’t as much of a super meany-bigheaded-sour mouse that you think he is. Troz! He’s my best friend! [holding his hands together and tucking under his chin; heart eyes looking at Brain on the screen]

Julia: [bit shocked for a moment; but shakes it away and tries to steal the remote back from Pinky] No! I don’t care what kind of trick you’re trying to pull on me, but it won’t work. Hmmm. I don’t need you, Pinky. I will defeat Brain all on my own---

[remote bumps into the light and brightens up the room, then hits where the memory download thing is on Brain’s head--thus setting the memory download thing down to 0%, then the remote hits itself into the screen]

Pinky: Ah! Brain!! [He immediately unties? Brain and jumps out of the window into the snow] Waaahhh!!?! [Woompf!]

[Pinky hits his head on a rock/tree and temporarily unconscious; Brain awakens from the snow and rubs his head while looking around at his surroundings]

Brain: [Dizzy; confused; hurt] Oh-Ah-Ah! [touching his face and looking around] I-I’m alive! Haha! I’m-- [sees Pinky; concerned and runs over to hold him] Pinky!?! Pinky, are you alright! [shakes and slaps him a bit, but not too hard]. Pinky, wake up this instant!! [wait a beat and his voice cracks]... Pinky? [hugs him and starts to tear up a bit]

Pinky: [Coughs up some snow comedically; takes a few deep breaths] Aah! Poo, poo! Disgusting [rubs snow off his tongue] No wonder people say not to eat snow off of the-- [notices Brain hugging him; gasps] Brain! [embraces tightly back] Oh, Brain! Troz! I’m so glad you’re alright. I-I was in this dark room and there were all of these big and s-scary screens and j-julia was saying all of these b-bad and terrible things about you, and-and-and--

Brain: [eyes moving subtly and very concerned at Pinky; bit thrown off by the Julia thing; but he hears some footstep behind him; whispers to Pinky] Shh, Pinky… [puts finger over his mouth] I sense someone is approaching us… 

[They look around then to their left as a mind-eraser beam shoots them from the top-right; they are briefly shocked then turn to face each other eye-to-eye before screaming and falling backwards]

Brain: [Brain bumps his head into a rock; we see a spark go off from the mind-control chip in his Brain; he rubs his head] Oww!

Pinky: Ah! Egad, Brain! How did we end up in the middle of this c-cold and s-s-swirly whirly blizzard! I don’t think we’re in the lab anymore…

Brain: [sits up] Of course we’re not in the lab you imbecile, we’re-- [looks up but only hears the snow and wind] … I have no idea where we are. [hears footsteps again and tries to protect Pinky] Be careful, Pinky. There might be a deadly predator approaching us…

[they hear a rustle in some grass then the creature jumps out towards them; they scream for a moment while holding onto each other; Brain is more afraid than Pinky]

Pinky: [chuckles to himself] Oh, look, Brain! It’s a deer! Narf! Hello there little red-nose deery friend! Do you know the way back to our cage-home? [maybe talking w/ some big gestures like a tourist lol]

[deer nods enthusiastically and pants like a puppy]

Pinky: Oh, yippee! [clears throat] May we have your help for di-rec-tionss? [also big gestures]

[the deer agrees then picks them up w/ their teeth and toss them onto their

back then starts running towards the lab]

Brain: AAAaaaAAHH!! P-PINKY! We should definitely get back to the lab before t-tomorrow night!

Pinky: Weeee! Ahhhh! Why Brain? W-what are we gonna d-d-o tomorrow night?!

Brian: [eyes getting misty from the speed and holidng onto the deer] Brrr.. The s-same thing we d-d-o every night, Pinky. Try to take over the world!

[‘Camera’ shot then pans above with the deer running closer to the lab]

[But then then final shot is julia turning off her mind-eraser beam and walking towards her screens]

Julia: Hmm, that oughta do it. Pinky may have refused my offer for now [checks her screen says the mind-control chip is 100% completed/installed] but perhaps we should start again on a clean slate….heheh.

[myforeverforlife]

three’s a handful!

For @itsbaekhyunsbutt​ Parent Baekhyun and 68. "He's four years old!!" + 74. "You're a dork, just like your father." + 76. "Daddy!" + 77. "I lost our child." (I hope you enjoy it! This was so much fun to write, I almost felt bad for Baekhyun 😂)

Pairing: Baekhyun x Fem reader

Word Count: 2,389 

Masterlist

For the past couple of weeks, all you heard about was the school festival. It was a family tradition to go every year, as stressful as it got sometimes with three kids. But seeing how your children were always ecstatic at the thought of going, you and Baekhyun couldn't find it in your hearts to say no. 

Tonight, music filled the school grounds, people drawn to different food stalls, game booths, and ever the usual favorite — the inflatable obstacle courses.

You smiled to yourself as you watched Baekhyun walking further up ahead with the twins, Kiyeon on one side and Kisoo on the other. Eun, the baby of the family, walked beside you with a skip to his step. While the twins were nearing the end of third grade, Eunnie was finishing up preschool. All of your children were growing up too fast for your liking, and you longed to keep them like this forever. 

Kisoo looked over his shoulder before pulling at Baekhyun's hand. "Dad, wait! Mom and Eunnie are behind us." 

"Oh, but the lines for the games are getting long," Kiyeon lamented, staring at the crowds of people waiting beside the booths. 

"We still have time, Kiyeonnie." Baekhyun ruffled his daughter's hair, laughing at the small tufts sticking up as a result.

Much to your daughter's relief, you and Eun finally caught up with the rest of them. You could practically feel the anticipation radiating off of each kid, eager eyes and fidgety feet barely keeping them in place. 

"What do you guys want to do first?" Baekhyun asked. 

Eun perked up. "Face-painting!"

"Can we eat first?" Kisoo looked wistfully over to where food was being sold, the promise of savory treats awaiting him. He folded his hands over his stomach, trying to keep the hunger pains away. 

"Mama, I wanna do face-painting!" Eun exclaimed, tugging at your shirt even as Kisoo continued to pout and clutch at his stomach. 

"Okay, how about this," Baekhyun spoke up. "Eunnie, Kiyeonnie and I can go do games and face-painting while Mommy and SooSoo eat." 

"Yes!" Kisoo jumped up and down, ready to run over to the food stalls until you laid a hand on his shoulder. 

"Okay, but stay together," you warned. All three children grew serious as they recognized that tone in your voice. "Don't go walking off by yourself, and stay with Daddy, okay?" You stared pointedly at your youngest, remembering all of the times he'd slipped away while at the store or library, scaring you and Baekhyun half to death. 

Kiyeon immediately grabbed hold of Baekhyun's hand while Eunnie nodded, eyes bright with excitement. "I'm gonna be Ironman!" he squealed, feet doing a little dance. 

Baekhyun flashed you a wide grin, winking before taking Eunnie's hand. "Say bye to Mommy and SooSoo!" 

Kiyeon and Eun barely got the words out before they were pulling Baekhyun away, your husband laughing as he tried to talk them into walking. 

You shook your head with a smile, knowing that by the end of the night, the entire family would be tired out. But for now, you might as well enjoy yourself. Kisoo didn't complain as you held his hand, although he had recently been complaining about being overly affectionate in public — especially around his friends. "What do you want to eat?" you asked him. 

"Pizza! Mom, I bet I can eat more than you." 

That earned a chuckle from you. "You're a dork, just like your father. And I'm pretty sure that's where you got your pizza obsession from, too." With your free hand, you lovingly smoothed down the stray hairs poking up at the back of his head. "Alright, Pizza maniac. Let's go get some food in you."

Eun frowned as he waited in line for the ring-toss booth, his father and sister standing patiently beside him. "Daddy, hurry. I wanna do face-painting." 

"I know, Eunnie. But this line is long because there's a lot of people, so we have to wait. After we do this game, we'll do face-painting, okay?" Baekhyun squeezed his son's hand, rubbing his thumb over the tiny fingers there.

Baekhyun was relieved when it was their turn, more for his kids' sake than his own. "Alright, Eunnie! Are you going to play against Kiyeonnie?"

Eun shook his head fiercely, nose in the air as he looked away.  

"Are you sure?" 

"It's fun, Eunnie!" Kiyeon added. "You can win toys!"

"I don't want to." Eun pouted, hands crossed over his chest. Kiyeon shrugged. "Daddy, play with me!" 

Baekhyun shot a worried glance at Eun, feeling guilty about disappointing his son. "We'll go right after this, okay Eunnie?" He picked up the stack of rings on the counter, Kiyeon eager and ready to play.

The person running the game gave them the cue to start, colored rings immediately flying through the air. Baekhyun cried out in disbelief as ring after ring failed to fall onto the bottles. Kiyeon was doing better, even giggling at her father's misfortune. By the end of it, Baekhyun had managed to throw a couple of rings on the bottles, losing easily to his daughter.

Baekhyun grinned as Kiyeon picked out a small plush toy. "Eunnie, are you sure you don't want to try?" he asked, turning around. But where Baekhyun had been expecting to see his son, was only an empty spot. 

"Oh my God," he gasped, eyes scanning over the crowd of people close by. "Eunnie!" 

"Daddy?" Kiyeon came closer, nervous at the growing fear in Baekhyun's voice. 

"He was right here, oh shi— shoot," he corrected quickly, heart dropping to his stomach. He immediately reached for his pocket, pulling out his phone and calling you. 

"Baek?"

"Baby, I lost our child," he said, panicking as he continued to look through the crowd. Still no sign of Eun. 

"What?!" you asked, voice high. "What happened?!"

"Kiyeon and I were playing a game, and we thought Eunnie was next to us, but he must've walked away," Baekhyun said in a rush. 

"Where are you right now?”

"The ring-toss booth, it's in the first row from where we came in." 

"Okay, we'll be over there." Then more firmly, "We'll find him, Baek." 

Baekhyun nodded, forgetting that you couldn't see from your end. "I'll look around here with Kiyeonnie," he replied before hanging up. Kiyeon was already trying to peer through the groups of people nearby, standing on her tiptoes. 

Baekhyun reached down to hold Kiyeon's hand, determined not to lose another child as they widened their search. Both of them made their way through the booths, looking over each person as they passed for a familiar shock of black hair. Baekhyun's hands were trembling, heart beating fast in his chest as his anxiety grew with each passing second.

"Dad," Kiyeon suddenly shrieked. "Eunnie's over there!" She pointed frantically at a booth a few stalls down, the line much shorter than the one they had previously been in. Baekhyun spun around quickly, frantically searching until his eyes settled on a figure seated in a chair much too large for him. Baekhyun laughed in disbelief, a hand coming up to rest on his forehead. "Of course — face-painting." 

Eun's legs swung back and forth excitedly as the artist covered his face with red and gold face paint. His face lit up when he saw Baekhyun, a large smile on his face that was perfectly identical to yours. "Daddy!" Eun's voice chirped up. "I'm Ironman!"

Baekhyun forced a grin onto his face, although he felt like he could've passed out in relief. “Wow, you are!" He pulled his phone back out, chewing down on his lip as he waited for you to pick up.

"Did you find him?" he heard you ask worriedly, picking up on the first ring.

"Yeah, he ran off to get his face painted."

You sighed into the phone, and Baekhyun had never agreed more in his life. "Is he okay? Kiyeonnie too?" 

"They're fine. Eunnie's the only one not freaking out over here." Baekhyun glanced down at Kiyeon, the eight-year old keeping a protective watch over her brother. "I can't believe he's already acting like a teenager, running away from us as soon as he can." 

"He's only four years old," you replied with a relieved chuckle. "God, I'm so glad he's okay. Baek, we’re almost there."

"Okay. We'll be here." 

With his face completely transformed into Ironman, Eun came running over. "Daddy, look!"

"It looks great, Eunnie! But," Baekhyun squatted down, hands on his son's narrow shoulders. "Do you remember what Mommy said before?" 

Baekhyun could see the gears turning in the four-year-old's brain, his son finally shaking his head no. "Mommy said to stay together all the time, to stay with me and Kiyeonnie."

"I'm sorry, Daddy." Eun stared back at his father with those innocent puppy eyes, unaware of the effect he had on Baekhyun. Even with years of trying to build up resistance to the adorable expressions of his children, Baekhyun could feel his resolve weakening. 

"I need you to stay with me, okay? Pinky promise." He held up a pinky finger, a finger almost half of its size coming up to wrap around it, sealing the deal. 

"Eunnie!" 

Baekhyun looked over his shoulder — he would recognize that voice anywhere.  

You moved around a few people standing close by, Kisoo following right after with his slice of pizza in his hand. "Oh, my baby," you exclaimed upon seeing Eun safe and sound. 

"Mama!" Eun laughed, running into your arms as you crouched down to hug him. "Look at me! Look at my Ironman face!" His chin bumped into your shoulder, and you knew that there would be a splotch of paint on your shirt. But that was the least of your worries right now. 

"Eunnie," you said firmly, moving away slightly to look him right in the eye. "You scared me and Daddy. We didn't know where you were!"

The smile fell from your youngest's face, his droopy eyes staring back at you. "You were scared?" 

Nodding, you cupped his tiny cheeks, face paint and all, the baby fat pillowing in your hands. "Very scared. I didn't want you to be lost, or alone and hurt."

"But I wasn't!" 

"But Daddy and I didn't know that. Daddy didn't know where you went because you didn't tell him." Eun's eyes started to gloss over with tears, and you cooed in sympathy. "I know that you wanted to go do face-painting, and that it was really hard to wait." 

"I waited forever," Eun pouted, sniffling pitifully.

You looked up to exchange a grin with Baekhyun, both of you secretly thinking about how cute Eun was.

"Well, what do you want to do now? We can all go together this time," you told Eun. 

The boy hummed in thought, eyes setting on his older brother. Kisoo, relieved upon seeing that Eun had been found, was finishing up the rest of his pizza slice. "I'm hungry," Eun stated. 

"That makes two of us," Baekhyun said. He scooped Eun up, carrying his tiny son in his arms as the boy giggled, all traces of sadness forgotten. 

"What about you Kiyeonnie?" you asked your daughter, her hand easily slipping into yours. 

She tapped a finger against her chin, something she had recently picked up from watching Baekhyun do the same. "I want pizza too, like SooSoo's." 

"It's so good!" Kisoo gushed. "Mom's pizza was better, so we traded." 

Baekhyun quirked an eyebrow up in amusement. "Wow, Mommy gave you her Hawaiian pizza? How come she never gives me any? Hawaiian's my favorite," he said in an exaggerated whine. 

"Dad, I'll share with you!" Kisoo lifted his half-eaten slice to Baekhyun. 

Chuckling, Baekhyun thanked his oldest son before taking a tiny bite. "Mm!" he exclaimed. He grinned mischievously, leaning in for another bite of his son's pizza while Kisoo laughed and pulled it away. Eun tried leaning in for a bite too, erupting into giggles when Baekhyun only held onto him more tightly. 

"Alright," you broke in. "Let's go before we start fighting over pizza." 

"Pizza, pizza!" Baekhyun started to chant, the rest of his children joining in with their tiny voices. You could always count on your husband to brighten up the mood, especially after a stressful moment. He led the way, Eun in his arms and Kisoo at his side, with you and Kiyeon close by. 

You let out a deep breath, the worries finally tumbling from your shoulders. Kiyeon stared up at you, her eyes a reflection of yours. "What's wrong, Mommy?"

"Nothing, I'm just glad that we're all safe." A fond smile found its way onto your face as Kiyeon snuggled up against you, her long hair tickling your arms. "Thank you, sweetie." 

As tough as parenting was sometimes — okay, most of the time — you wouldn't change a thing. When it had just been you and Baekhyun, both of you were content with what you had. Neither one of you could imagine how much more life these three children would bring to your home, how much your lives would be changed for the better.

Even later, as you watched your children cheerfully eating their slices of pizza, you were touched by the realization that there was nothing else you could wish for — not when you had everything you already wanted. 

As if reading your mind, Baekhyun leaned closer to you, his knee bumping against yours under the picnic table. "I love you," he murmured into your ear, only for the two of you to hear. 

You turned to place a chaste kiss on his lips, ignoring the giggles of your children. "I love you too, Baek." 

Baekhyun's face lit up, diving in for another kiss. You laughed as his nose bumped into yours, both of you sharing in the silliness of the moment before he tried again. You had years of kisses from Baekhyun, but each one always felt new, reigniting the flame he had lit long ago when you first met. 

And now here you were, married for a decade and with three special children that you wouldn't trade the world for.

With your family, things tended to be noisy, messy, full of energy. There was never a dull moment. 

You wouldn't have it any other way. 

A/N: this was so much fun to write?? this was the first thing that came to mind when reading the prompt (especially because this is something that would happen to my brother all the time, even at amusement parks 😅) the hardest part was coming up with the kids’ names?? since I kept picturing the youngest kid as being the most similar in appearance to baekhyun, I named him after baek’s character in moon lovers. and then going off of that logic, I looked for other roles that the exos have played and picked kisoo (ksoo’s swing kids character) for his other son. and then since kisoo had a twin (lol I just really wanted to write twins into the story), I wanted to look for a name similar to kisoo’s. honestly, although I imagined eun looking the most like baekhyun, I think kiyeon would be most like him personality-wise? but anyways I’m rambling about fictional kids LOL 😂 it was really important for me to make sure that I included small bits of baek with each of his kids, and it was so much fun to imagine the special relationships he’d have with each one 🥺🥺🥺🥺

[gothamsfinestdummy]

New drinking game: take a shot every time Brain grabs and crushes Pinky’s nose you will die

[ccatskies]

flashspruce | ❝chirkut❞

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MF @smallcrystals

★━━━━━━━━

— CHIRKUT is bengali for passing notes during class aka the mischievous shit we all do :)

Timber swallowed his lip, staring down at the paper on his desk. It was torn — from the back of his Science notebook — and half of it stuck out from the corner while the rest of the half was neatly tucked under the hard cover. It was small, blank and so ready to be smothered with a bunch of jumbled words that he'd have to cut out and go over again.

That's exactly what he's been doing for the past twelve minutes. Trying to process words. He was usually good with it — speaking was his specialty, so he was really smooth, but not now. Of course, not now. Not when he really needed to get his shit together and tie a few random words together.

He suppressed a groan, tapping the head of his pen over the desk, the noise almost inaudible yet as pestering as a ticking time bomb. He looked down, hand stilled over the surface, letting the pen slip through his fingers down to his lap. Silence. He blinked at the blue pen lying on his thigh.

The boy tilted his head, eyes trailing up to the person right in front of the guy next to him. His powerful brain sending him mixed singles.

Pause. Should I? He poked his tongue against the inside of his cheek. Well, at least he'd look at me.

Timber grinned, leaning in a bit and aiming his pen at an angle — definitely ignoring the skeptical look the guy next to him was shooting him every now and then — and oops.

It landed right where he needed it to be. 

Timber mentally prepared himself for the moment. He had it perfectly planned out (even though he usually didn't need to) — how he was gonna smile at him, tell him that he dropped the pen on purpose and swiftly sneak in a pick up line that no matter how cheesy it was, it'd definitely make his crush giggle. He was so ready to see his adorable pink cheeks and shoot him his signature charming smile and then—

He malfunctioned.

Flash turned around, that cozy glow around him never seeming to fade, eyes blue and pretty, cheeks soft and squishy, hair slightly messy from their PE session earlier this morning — nothing new. Just him stealing the Resident Tease's breath away.

For the third time today and they hadn't even reached lunch break.

Flash had initially turned to the student behind him — next to Timber — with the most delicate smile, "hey, did you drop something?" He reached out to the pen prior to gripping it between the gap of his fingers and waving it mid-air.

Fuck, he sounded pretty. Maybe, it's just the way his voice was as soft as jazz tunes. The top of his nose aglow as if someone had put a slight pinch of glitter on it. His hair was a radiant blue, just like his mesmerizing eyes. Blue, smooth, silky — Timber was dying to learn the hair routine — and irresistible to touch.

The guy cleared his throat, awkward in a way, "n—not really."

"Hm," the shorter boy's smile lightened, before he turned to Timber, "you?"

Timber's breath hitched as he bit on his lower lip, fiddling with his fingers. Wait, what was I gonna say— ?

"N—no." He blurted out.

Flash tilted his head to the side, eyes blinking twice, mouth pulling into an unintentional cute little pout, "huh? It's not yours? Then—" he was about to turn away.

"WAIT no, it is!" He instantly corrected himself, voice a little high pitched.

"Then, take it—"

"No, wait, I—" he cut himself off mid sentence, cheeks burning red, "uh, um."

Flash blinked twice, wetting his lips, "I'm really confused." 

God, God, GOD, what is wrong with you all of a sudden? He mentally slapped himself three times in the face, and physically pinched the fabric of his pants, holding in the will to cringe at what he just put himself through.

Timber lowered his head, pulling himself up and reaching out his hand to retrieve the item.

Flash chuckled, his eyes forming crescents underneath as he stretched out his body a bit to put down the pen on Timber's desk, brushing his hands against his.

The green haired boy blushed as the simple touch lingered on his pinkie finger, the feeling of butterfly kisses hugging his skin tight. Timber also noticed how small Flash's hands were for his jacket sleeves as the hem of the cloth extended to only a few centimetres under his knuckles. Ugh, cute.

Flash retracted his arm, tugging onto his sleeve and pulling it back to reveal his hand. He got back to writing whatever he was writing on his notepad, pausing for a moment to think before getting right back on it.

Timber muttered something under his breath. Today's failed attempt #7.

The last six weren't even this unnerving.

He wondered why he was at a loss for words every single time. He's seen Flash around. A lot, actually. Internally cried over how beautiful Sentry was and freaked out as well although he wouldn't openly admit it yet. But still, why is it that every time Timber tried to make the lead move on Flash, did his mind, body and flirting hacks give up on him? — he'd never know. He wasn't even this nervous around his last crush.

He was so sure his confidence wouldn't fail him.

And. . . well shit, he stupidly believed he'd wing it with this one.

He stole a glance at the corner of the classroom, choked, and instantly regretted it as he found twilight's eyes on him, a smirk on her face. She must've seen it.

Timber squeezed his eyes shut, puffed his cheeks out and wondered how he turned into such an A Class Dork around him—a fumbling mess even. He remembered being just as much infatuated with Twilight before they broke up, but Flash had a strange way of luring him in, considering they had barely shared a proper conversation before.

After all, it was his job doing the charming, not being charmed by a pretty boy doing the bare minimum.

Timber played with the edge of the paper he had torn previously, a little scruffy around the sides, and took a deep breath. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. His eyes lit up at the thought. Maybe, this could work.

He sucked in his lip, concentrating on the blank piece of paper, before writing down the first thing that came to his mind. He let out an easy grin, feeling the little rush of courage surge through him.

He folded the paper into a tiny note, letting it rest on the table as he drew a itsy bitsy tiny — very miniscule — heart over the top.

Timber turned to the boy next to him, an innocent smile on display, as he whispered, "hey."

"I seriously have no idea what you've been up to for the past twenty minutes." Micro Chips let on, "or should I say, three hours because I've literally had every single class with you."

"Well then, you should know what I'm doing."

"Trust me, I've been trying." 

"Okay," Timber heaved a sigh, a little shy, as he passed the note to him, "here. To Flash Sentry please."

Micro blinked.

"Please?" Timber bit his lower lip, puppy dog eyes on show, to which Chips' eyebrows shot up.

Micro exhaled, doing as told. He tapped on his friend's shoulder and let out a cough to grab his attention. Flash had turned around for the second time, oblivious, while Micro slipped the paper into his palm, mouthing "for you" and then getting back to his work — work that didn't involve Timber's continuous attempts at trying to make a move on the guitarist.

Flash had already caught onto the hint but made sure not to assume anything just in case. He smiled amusingly, eyes twinkling at the cute heart that was impossible to go unnoticed, and opened the note.

He stared at the paper, baffled.

তুমি এত সুন্দর কেন? আমি তোমার জন্য পাগল হয়ে যাবো  T^T

— timber :)

Huh?

Timber hooked his chin over his clasped hands, a content smile on his face while he watched his crush squint at the paper in confusion. Flash turned to him, blinking twice. Timber giggled.

He got back the note.

What does that mean? :0

Ahh, he was so cute.

Timber folded it back, licking his lips before flying it back to his crush.

It is directly demanding you to sit in lunch with me. You in? :D (A lie, that's not what it meant).

Flash chuckled, sparing him one last glance before writing down his answer. Sure, I guess.

━━━━━━━━━★

[werezmastarbucks]

Blunt hook

Kai Parker x fem!reader smut

gif not mine

that’s like the first and the last smut I ever write ugh yeet

also I wrote this very cool thing on psychological analysis of Kai’s head bugs. check it out, it’s on my main blog. I love it.

word count: 2788

choking (light), fingering, dom!Kai, female reader

The reader had helped Kai escape hell, so now he’s trying to get her to side with him in everything else, too. However, Y/N is too stubborn, and not afraid of physical pain. Thank f*ck Kai always has a plan B.

The sky was full of Perseids and sound. Kai was taking his time and never hurried himself, but still found it was rather curious how long it takes to get used to a new form of living. Every. Damn. Time. It’s been a couple of months since he got out of hell, and every single day now he was amazed, unmistakably, by the air. I mean, can you imagine? It actually flows right into your nose and then down your throat or whatever. And it tastes so good! Being a vampire sure enhanced all the sensations, too. He was practically happy every day, agitated, even. The only thing was…

He shrugged, distracting himself from the stars and the comets flying ahead in white blinding flashes. What a beauty, he thought, what an unexpected beauty he thought he could never appreciate.

Then he saw her. And the idea came to him. All he needed at this point of being out of hell was a tiny little detail for the ascendant. It was maddening to think that virtually everything he needed was in his hands, except for this teeny-tiny metal hook less than a pinky nail in size, shiny and blunt. Without it, he could not travel back to the prison world. Without it, he could not get the reaper out. Without it, the devil would not let go of him and let him be. And the Boring Faces took it away from him. How insensitive of them not to take his lust for life into consideration.

But her. She might be of use and help. She went out of her way to open the gates of hell to let him crawl out. She went through being tortured, which means he won’t get anything out of her by inflicting pain. Kai had something on his mind though; she was wearing a dress.

Y/N was standing with her head tilted back, almost falling, looking at the cluster of the burning comets shooting through the horizontal line.

A light gust of wind brushed her hair, and then a hand grabbed her by the forearm. Y/N swayed, but managed to stay on her feet, and then she was pulled aside. Kai shot her a mad glance and walked, casually but fast, and she had nothing else to do but follow him, trying to move her feet as quick as possible.

Stalling would take a considerable amount of wit, so she started thinking right away, clutching her purse out of nervousness. Nobody considered her feeling for this nut job. Nobody. N/Y, hold him off as long as you can, but no sweat. Forget what you’ve gone through for him and lie to his face while we betray him yet again. Just stay here between the two flames, nothing special.

She sighed, trying to wiggle out of Kai’s grab, because his fingers bit into her flesh like burning coals. Kai looked back at her, dropping speed a little bit, but his eyes said nothing.

“What?” she gasped, trying to loosen his fingers. Kai didn’t give in, dragging her on towards the shade of trees. People were stepping away politely as they walked, like none of this seemed strange to them. Y/N finally levelled with Kai, but he still didn’t let go of her arm, clutching on her like she could vanish in thin air.

“Talk”, he commanded, throwing her to the side of a tree. He looked out from the shadow, making sure all the lights and the babbling people were left aside, blind to their conversation here. Their noise was still nearly unbearable, but Kai was getting better at focusing every day.

She caught herself, pressing her back to the trunk of a birch tree, and held onto it. Kai’s face as white in the shade, silvered by the faint moonlight and the rare specks of golden light from the bonfires. His eyes seemed completely black, the pupils enlarged, like he was on the verge of screaming form all the smells, and sounds, and the most of all, impatience.

“Start talking, Y/N. Where is it?”

“I don’t know what you’re on about”, she tried to make her smile seem innocent and failed, unable to hide the slow excitement that was rising in her. That. That is why she’s completely useless in things like that. She already forgot where they hid the dam detail even if she knew.

Kai grabbed on her purse, pulling on the strap. She barely managed to bend her head to let it slide off her shoulders. One second later, and she would’ve been choked, or beheaded. The vampire opened her handbag, thrashing it with sharp movements. She let out a giggle as he threw it aside, half empty.

Blood ran to her face as the vampire stepped up, closing a shadow on her. His arm flew up and rested on the trunk just above her head, and she felt comfortably caged. Kai licked his lips, trying to hold from acting right away, trying to come up with the most gracious way to get it out.

“Damon and his brother, they hid the last detail from my ascendant”, Kai elaborated,

“Come on, Y/N you know well what I’m talking about. Don’t make me hurt you”, he stared deep into her eyes like a snake charmer.

“I don’t actually want to hurt you”.

“I don’t know where it is, Kai. They don’t tell me. They know…”

Y/N paused, wondering if he could hear her heartbeat. Of course, he could. Irregular, quick, like a little puppy jumping and twisting in her chest, sending bright sparkles to her eyes, because she just can’t hide how much fun this all is. When fear goes away, there’s just fun.

Kai felt, this was the moment she could say something. He shifted; stooping above her, cupping her face with his palms. Soft hair was brushing the backs of his hands as he held her, pleading:

“They know you don’t want me to go back. Right? You don’t want me to go back to hell, do you, Y/N?”

She smiled sheepishly, thinking, what a bastard. He is one manipulative bastard with his blackish eyes and his perfect American chin. He tilted his head like a robot, knowing that was his best angle. Nothing worked. Kai felt her warmth, the hot spasms coming out of her skin, her desire was so obvious it was ridiculous, and yet she stood there, immovable like he didn’t matter. She was good, this one, stamina like a real fighter. Well, he guessed, torture and being alone for some time does that to people. Their skin touched and yet nothing happened, although he could practically hear her insides warming up, he could see the pupils of her eyes widening hungrily, and it made him feel weird, like he was hungry, too.

Y/N kept silent, thinking that would drive him mad enough out of a simple reason. She didn’t really have a plan. After all this is done, she thought, I’m moving the hell out of this cursed hole. She was as tired of the Boring Faces as Kai was, she just hid it better.

“Well”, his face hardened as his hands let go of her face. Kai looked at her, familiar violent glimmering dancing in his eyes. It was hard to tell in the dark whether he was smiling or grimacing. Maybe it was time to run, she couldn’t tell. Before she could decide anything, his whisper cut her ears like a razor.

“Maybe you’re hiding it somewhere here. Under your dress”.

Then his hand slid down so quickly she only felt it when it already was on her left thigh. Warm finger caressed her skin lightly, tracing its way up, until his palm lurked under the skirt. Y/N’s brain screamed: that feels not bad at all. Evident attractiveness of this undead heretic was burning her eyes. She was torn between staying prideful and keeping him at her side – for whatever reasons.

“Why aren’t you fighting me?” his voice brushed her face, she could almost taste its timbre. She bit her lower lip from the inside not to blurt out anything. Let him entertain himself, she’s not going to do his work. This man, this crazy type in front of her, manipulative, always with a plan, awoke a feeling in her, a desire to stand up to him, even if in this weird, submissive way. Well, she’ll figure that out, she thought. It’ll all unfold by itself. Right now, she just knew, she wouldn’t brush his arms off, no matter what he does, or how hard he does it.

Kai gasped comically.

“Are you my distraction?”

A boyish, excited smile brightened his face. It lit with amusement and anticipation.

“What am I supposed to be distracting you from?” Y/N asked in a thin voice.

“Bae, everything”, he blurted readily.

His palm moved just as his eyes narrowed again. There was a shift in his mood. Like a kitten, that’s too young, he really did get distracted. The ascendant detail is important, sure. But there’s this one, propped up against a tree, and he’s curious as to why she’s not running, not giving in. She’s just smirking, almost brave enough to show him what she really wants. Fortunately, he can almost read her mind.

There was hunger inside of him, not only for blood, but an eerie sensation of dryness in is throat; the light-headedness when he realized he’s watching Y/N, but she doesn’t see him. When he’s just an invisible observer, and all she does is his by all means. Being in the crowd, really stop seeing people. Kai did the opposite, and he chose her. If you rid yourself of self a little bit – excuse the pun – you’re free to watch whoever you want. Kai’s seen way more than anybody else. The tip of her tongue snaking in the corner of her mouth, and the curves of her hips as she walked, the wild glimmering in the corners of her eyes. The slender fingers crooking on her cheeks, caressing her own neck. The softness of the earlobe pierced by the golden earring. The thin delicate skin on the inside of her elbow. Her cocky posture, ever-ironic grin letting out deep sigh of her tired, unamused voice.

The hidden soul of that girl was not pure. She was not pure. Kai was wondering if he’d contributed to that.

His hand touched the fabric of her underwear, and he felt comfortable. He pressed his thumb on her pubic bone, wondering, how hard would be too hard.

“Hands on the tree”, he ordered, and her palms were glued to the trunk in a second. Y/N pushed her back against it, trying to move as little as possible. Her thighs moved forward as she leaned backwards, the wings of her shoulder blades colliding with the tree. Kai towered over her like a leopard over a cheetah cub.

“Let’s see if it’s there, do you mind?” he murmured, and Y/N bumped the back of her head against the hard trunk. His fingers pulled her panties down and pressed on her clit persistently. Y/N neck went hot. Kai watched carefully as her nostrils flared a little, like he didn’t know what he’s doing, like it was something alien he was touching. He was trying to figure out the connection between the hunger he was experiencing, and the warm, welcoming wetness of the inside of her. Y/N was thinking about how smooth his skin was. It was so fucking smooth, seemingly perfect to touch. She opened her mouth to say something, but Kai’s other hand immediately pressed on her face, covering her mouth.

“Nah-uh. Keep quiet. Do as I say”.

He made himself horny saying that. He didn’t expect these words out of his own mouth, just as his fingers slid inside of her, and he felt Y/N sucking on the air from underneath his palm. She tried to bite the skin lightly, but swayed, obedient, never looking away. Kai’s eyes were dark and calm, like oceans of Malivore, hypnotizing, eyes with a trace of tragic smile deep inside.

Y/N wanted so bad to raise her hands and weave them around his neck, to hang herself onto him, shifting all the weight, and ride his hand. Keeping still made all her muscles sing a tense melody of pain, making pleasure all the more even, sending it like sharp flashes of color all down her body. She begged to god that she wasn’t shaking, because she really couldn’t tell anymore; she was throwing all her might into not moaning as his three fingers were moving inside, rubbing the sensitive skin, sliding in and out, pinching and pulling. Her right knee gave in, and she swayed again, nails clawing into the bark; Kai took his palm off her mouth and wrapped it around the girl’s throat; her whole neck went into his fist like it was carved for it. He propped her up and squeezed her throat, lightly first, then tighter and tighter, until her mouth opened a little, and his own jaws separated as he looked inside. His tongue pressed against his canines violently, bursting the tip of it and bleeding into his mouth. The hot blood pumped into his face and nose, and he grabbed her by the clit, immersing his fingers inside down to the first knuckles. He was fucking her, they both realized, with his hand, and that was one way to do it. Y/N propelled her hips, giving in to her own screaming body, because that movement was the only one she could think of. The ultimate goal of that one moment was to string herself onto his hand, deeper, deeper, harder, so that he could destroy her, tear her apart.

Kai loosened his hand on her throat just a little, to hear her whimper as her eyes rolled. Biting shiver shot through Y/N’s body, but she was glad to see she stood; trunk of the birch tree was hurting her head, so she tilted it forward a little and gasped for air as Kai’s hand let go of her. Both his hands, to be precise. He rubbed his right hand on Y/N’s thigh, leaving a hot trace of cum on her skin in gentle touches. He couldn’t help tracing the sharp bone of her hip, drawing circles around the tip absent-mindedly. The only way he could now relieve himself was to grab and squeeze her hip possessively, making her groan softly. There was supposed to be hurt. He usually hurt someone as a result of… the process. The normal pattern of events was him standing with his hands covered in thick dark blood in the end of the picture, gratified deeply by the seizing screams, calming his beast down. Pain. Was it something like that? Kai looked deep into her face and read her. He saw that orgasm was pretty much like physical pain, only, it made her show her teeth in a smile.

It was over, Y/N figured; blood was pumping in her ears, and even if he said something, she couldn’t hear. She wrapped her hands around Kai’s neck and rested on him, locking her fingers on the short, soft hairs on the back of his head. Just for a moment, he’s going to belong to her, while he’s whispering his hot threats in her ear. His voice, the scent, the breadth of his shoulders – all hers, just for now, as he’s holding her against this very tree.

“Come on now, Y/N”.

Kai knew he had like three seconds to slither inside of her mind while she’s fragile. While she’s messed up, sweet smell of pleasure and indolence pouring out of her like a syrup; he could as well just lick it off her skin.

“Where is it? Where is it”, he pressed his face against hers, listening to her deep, erratic breathing. He was keeping up with his own noise, confused by the sudden outburst of eagerness and a boner. He had to be focused, but he couldn’t but admire a little this oily, feminine beauty. Her wrists pulsating with blood were so close to his face the smell flooded him.

The bravery of her, though, as she lifted her face and looked him in the eye. Pupils expanded, glistening with lust and mischief. She said:

“I really don’t know. Why don’t you try it with you mouth next?”

The smile curling her lips made the groan wake in the depths of his chest. Kai let the hot air out of his nose, clenching his jaws. He brushed off Y/N’s arms, pushing away, and stepped out of the shadows with an audible roar. The sound of her laughter was ringing in his ears.  

[memory-mortis]

Hello! I saw your requests were open, I hope they still are! I was wondering if you could do a scenario with SDC Polnareff x fem!reader where they’re sharing a hotel room and the reader has a bad nightmare and Polnareff comforts them?? Thank you in advance!!

Hiiii ❤️ Thank you so much for the request! I had fun writing this one as well! I hope you like it :)

Polnareff comforts s/o after a bad dream

TW: light violence (just a dream though!)

WC: 1,054

TAGS: comfort, fluff and a bit of angst

“Good grief, what a day!” you exclaimed, tossing your bag next to the bed and stretching. Not that it was any different from the last 30 days or anything, Stand users were still coming after you all the time, although you did notice that they had been getting harder and harder to beat. It was a miracle that you were all still alive… but you didn’t want to jinx that.

“Please don’t use that phrase, you sound like Jotaro, ma cherí,” Polnareff teased as he wrapped his arms around you from behind. You giggled when he pressed a kiss to your neck.

“Hmm, maybe he’s rubbing off on me. Next thing you know, I’ll be wearing all black and a cap that’s blending into my hair,” you grinned and the Frenchman looked genuinely disturbed. “I’m just joking, Jean, don’t worry,” you reassured him, planting a kiss on his cheek, which made him blush.

“I’m sorry, the thought is just really scary,” he said, pinching the bridge of his nose, but smiled at you once he heard you laugh again. You freed yourself from his grip and crouched next to your bag.

“Can I take a shower first tonight, please?” you asked as you dug through your belongings.

“Of course, mon coeur! You don’t even have to ask!” Polnareff replied as he sat back on the double-sized bed.

The shower was amazingly refreshing. It felt like a great weight had been lifted off your shoulders, and as soon as you flopped onto the bed and Polnareff closed the bathroom door behind him, you were out. The world of dreams, however, was not as pleasant. It had always fascinated you, the way dreams worked. They were a door to your unconscious, the part of your brain that you did not quite recognize. This time, it seemed, the fears that you tried so hard to push to the back of your mind came back to haunt you.

It began with a chase. You did not know who or what you were running from, all that mattered was that it could not catch you or it would be game over. Your heart was racing, your legs felt heavy and tears stained your cheeks, yet you carried on running through the dark forest. Every now and then you would trip over a tree root, but each time you managed to scramble back onto your feet. Finally, you managed to get to the end of the forest, only to end up on a ledge - and in front of you stood a big wooden cross. What truly made you turn pale in terror was what pinned to it. Polnareff. Dead. He was dead. He was- You took a few steps towards him, legs shaky.

“Jean,” you sobbed, “Jean, wake up, Jean! Jean!” You held his ankles and tried to shake him awake but he did not respond, resting motionless against the wood.

“This is your fault,” you heard a deep, dark voice from behind you. Upon turning around you saw a dark shadowy figure with a sword in their hands, and with a swift swing-

You let out a short scream as you shot up in your bed. Unable to take a deep breath, you let out a mixture of a choke and a sob. Your trembling hand reached over to the spot beside you to find Polnareff while the other rested over your mouth, tears spilling freely over it. Dim light filled the otherwise dark room.

“Y/N,” you heard a muffled voice, when a familiar face entered your vision, albeit very blurry. “Y/N, what’s wrong, what happened?”

“Jean,” you managed to say at last, throwing your arms around his neck and holding onto him like your life depended on it. Polnareff remained frozen for a moment before hugging you back, running his hand up and down your back.

“Take a deep breath, mon coeur,” he said calmly, and you attempted to do just that. It took you a few tries, but finally the shock had subsided and you weren’t sobbing uncontrollably anymore.

“I had a nightmare,” you whimpered as you pulled back, rubbing your eye. “You were… You died. And it was all my fault, somehow.”

Polnareff’s big warm hand cupped your cheek, thumb wiping away a single stray tear.

“It was just a dream, Y/N. I’m here and I’m not going anywhere anytime soon, mon coeur.” He gave you a smile and you returned it, though yours looked more sad.

“But… you know… This whole mission is dangerous, I can’t help but worry… What if I lose you?”

This time, Polnareff grabbed both of your cheeks and squished them, leaning in close to your face. “Non, non, non! Y/N, I love you, but you need to stop saying nonsense right now!” he said, letting go of you and pointing a thumb at himself. “This guy right here? Jean-Pierre Polnareff? Yeah, he’s immortal! I’m not going to die anytime soon, ma chéri. I’m not leaving you behind. We still have a lot of things to do! Travel around France, get to see the Mona Lisa, maybe even get a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower, then grow old together and get sick of each other like every married couple!”

You giggled, “Jean, it’s impossible to get sick of you.”

“Oh just watch, mon coeur, I will drown you in so much love you’re going to want to take that back,” he grinned, sending you a wink. All your worries were gone in an instant.

“Yeah, I think you’re just too stupid to die, sweetie,” you teased and he faked a shocked expression.

“A shot through the heart!” he exclaimed theatrically and grabbed onto his tank top. You giggled once more and tackled him into the bed, nuzzling into his chest.

“No, but seriously,” he said after the excitement died down, running a hand through your hair, “I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying right here by your side. Not even death can separate us.”

“Pinky promise?” you asked, glancing up at him.

“Pinky promise, ma cherí.”

And with a quick kiss on the lips, you drifted off to sleep once more, this time brave enough to face any creature your brain would throw at you. Who wouldn’t feel confident with this knight in silver armor by their side?

[karasuno-chaos]

Summer Heat (Noya x Reader)

I just survived a heat streak that felt like it lasted FOREVER so have some fluff with Best Boy Noya trying to beat the heat. -Giz

Word Count: 2,601

“It’s sooo hot,” your boyfriend complained for the fifth time since leaving the convenience store.  You had gone to buy more popsicles to try and beat the heat.  Noya had eaten his in two bites.  You were desperately trying not to let what was left of yours melt all over your hand.

It was ridiculously hot and had been for the past two days.  The forecast promised the heat would continue.  You weren’t sure how your boyfriend would survive.  Noya naturally ran warm, but he was also incredibly tactile.  This heat made it too hot to hold hands and cuddle comfortably, and you could tell that was part of what bothered him so much about this weather.

“Want another popsicle?” you offered.

“No,” he sighed.  “I’d just like this damn heat to go away.”

“Me too.”  You stuck the now-bare popsicle stick in your mouth to suck the rest of the flavor out of it.  “It’s so hot I don’t want to do anything but sit in front of the fan all day.”

“It makes life boring.”

He looked so disappointed that you took pity on him and slipped your hand into his.  He shot you a brief, bright smile.  Something of his normal bounce returned, and he swung your arms gently as you walked the last few blocks home.

A few minutes later, you were both lying on the floor in front of a fan pretending the blowing air was effectively counteracting the heat.

“We could watch a movie,” you suggested.  You were trying to brainstorm things to do with minimal discomfort.

“But we can’t cuddle,” he pouted.  He had hooked his pinky with yours to appease his need for physical contact.  You chuckled.

“We don’t cuddle for half of the movie anyways because you get so into things.  You’re always jumping up and yelling at the TV.”

“That’s not true.”

“It’s okay babe.”  You shifted a bit to kiss his cheek.  “Besides, I’m not sure I’m in the mood for a movie right now.”

“It’s hard to be in the mood for anything because it’s so damn hot,” he sighed.

You lapsed into resigned silence, the hum of the fan on high a constant reminder of nature’s rebellion against acceptable temperatures.  You wanted to do something more than just complain.  Noya would be leaving for a training camp in Tokyo tomorrow, and your parents were visiting friends out of town for the night, so this was prime date time.  If only you could ignore this insufferable heat.

“Too bad we don’t live near a beach,” you sighed, attempting to stretch away the discomfort.  “Then at least we could go swimming.”

“We could go to the pool.”

“It’ll be super crowded on a day like today.  Besides, last time I went to the pool, I got kicked in the nose by a kid.”

“What?”  Noya sat up quickly to look at you.  “When was this?”

“The end of last summer.  I wasn’t paying enough attention and got too close to the back end of a flutter kick.”

“Are you okay?”

“It was nearly a year ago,” you laughed.  “Of course I’m okay.”

“Did the kid apologize?”

“I don’t really remember.”  You saw your boyfriend’s eyes narrow.  “I’m sure he did.”

“He better have.”

“Babe, it’s cute that you’re so ready to defend me, but we’re not going to track down some kid who accidentally kicked me a year ago to make him apologize.”

“I wasn’t going to track him down,” he grumbled, though you were sure the thought had crossed his mind.  “You just never know if kids these days know what proper respect is.”

“Those darn kids today,” you grouched in an impression of a grumpy old man that may have sounded something like his grandpa.  That wiped the scowl from his face.

The silence lapsed between you again, and you went back to wracking your brain for something to do.  Time passed slowly in the heat, but it was still ticking away.  Eventually Noya would have to leave to finish packing and sleep before his early morning departure.  You were excited he’d get to train and play against strong opponents, but you would miss him while he was at training camp.  Even if you weren’t doing anything right now, it was more enjoyable than being apart from him.

“I’ve got it!”  Noya sat up again with such speed he blurred momentarily.

“What?”

“I know how to beat the heat.  Maybe.”  He turned to you with an excited glint in his eyes.  “Sit tight babe.  I’ll be right back.”

Before you could ask where he was going, he had dropped a quick kiss on your lips and taken off.  You sighed, but his spontaneity was one of the many things you loved about him.  You would just wait and see what grand idea had struck him.  Either it would be brilliant or stupid, but it was guaranteed to be amusing.

You spent the next twenty-five minutes trying to ignore the discomfort of the heat.  You scrolled through your favorite social media feeds, thought briefly about what you wanted to do for dinner, and debated sticking your head under the faucet to cool down.  For a while, you lay in front of the fan making noises into the fins to amuse yourself with the distorted feedback.  There were only so many things to occupy you in this heat, especially when you were curious to know what your boyfriend was up to.

You were debating texting him for an update when you heard someone call your name from outside.  You hauled yourself to your feet and went to investigate.

“You’re back!” you greeted, discovering your boyfriend holding a large cardboard box.  “And you found a Tanaka.  Hi Ryuu.”

“Hey Y/N.”  He was also holding a large box.  You weren’t particularly surprised to see him as you had been best friends with him since your first year at Karasuno.  Even after you and Noya became official, it never felt like Tanaka was a third wheel when all of you hung out.

“Babe, go change into your swimsuit and meet us in the back,” Noya instructed.

“Why?  What are you up to?”

“You’ll see.”

You trusted him enough not to demand further explanation.  A few minutes later, you were grabbing some towels and heading to meet the boys in the back.

“Alright, I’m here,” you announced, dropping the towels in the doorway as you stepped onto the grass.

“Think fast!”

You shrieked in surprise when something collided with your side and burst, splashing you with water.

“Too slow,” Noya chuckled, already arming himself with another water balloon from one of the boxes.

“Wait, you have to give me a chance to put up a fair fight!” you laughed.  “I’m not prepared!”

“All’s fair in love and war,” he quipped.  He launched another balloon at you, but you were able to jump away so it burst on the ground instead.  Before he could take aim again, Tanaka nailed him in the middle of his back.

“Go Y/N!  I’ll distract him!”

“Bro, the betrayal!”  Noya threw his next one at Tanaka who was already armed for a follow-up strike.  His efforts distracted your boyfriend enough for you to grab a few water balloons and jump into the fray.

The three of you ran around your yard pelting water balloons at each other.  Even though it was still oppressively hot, it was a lot of fun, and getting splashed repeatedly with water did a lot to cool you down.  You cackled when you hit your target and yelped when you got nailed in return.  There was always a chance to get back at them because you had a seemingly endless supply of ammunition.  You didn’t know where they’d gotten so many water balloons, but they were effectively keeping you cool and entertained.

Suddenly you heard a surprised shout from Tanaka.  An errant balloon was making its way towards a glass garden decoration that was an anniversary gift from your father to your mother--definitely not something you wanted to break.  You rushed forward to try and intercept it, but you were on the opposite side of the yard.  You wouldn’t get to it in time.

“Rolling thunder!”

Noya reacted immediately, flying into his signature receive.  You were always in awe of his reflexes, and you were particularly thankful for them now.  He rolled into position, prepared to bump the balloon away only to have it burst against his forearms.

The three of you blinked, processing the last few seconds before you and Tanaka burst into relieved laughter.

“Wait, wait, I want to try that again.  Toss me another one.”  Noya crouched in his ready position.

“Really?” Tanaka asked.

“Yeah, I want to see if I can actually receive one.”

“It’ll probably just burst in your face again,” you warned.

“That just makes it more fun.”

“Okay, but maybe we should move away from breakable things first.”

After picking a less dangerous part of the yard, you and Tanaka took turns tossing balloons.  The next few minutes were filled with shouts of “rolling thunder” and bursting balloons and laughter.  Every once in a while, Noya managed to send it back, but it burst as soon as someone else touched it.

“They’re too unstable for a proper volley,” Tanaka sighed while wiping some water from his face.

“Come on, there are a few balloons left.  Let’s keep trying!” your boyfriend insisted.

“Ryuu, try spiking a few at him,” you suggested, tossing to your friend instead.  The failures were more spectacular when they were spikes instead of receives.  Water cascaded in sparkling arcs and tickled all three of you.  When Tanaka did get a spike in, the balloon usually burst against Noya’s forearms.  There were a few times he managed to get it airborne again only for it to split before you could get to it.

You could see the bottom of the remaining box of balloons.  Now that you weren’t the target, you were drying off and starting to feel the heat again.  You were getting thirsty.  You remembered that you had a watermelon in the fridge.  Maybe you’d cut it up after this and share some with the boys.

“Y/N!  Set it!  Set it!”

Suddenly both Noya and Tanaka were shouting to you.  A water balloon was travelling in a graceful arc toward you, sent on its way by your boyfriend’s successful receive.  You had just enough time to throw up your hands and get your fingertips under it to try and send it back to Tanaka.  Of course it chose to burst the moment you put pressure on it, dumping all of its contents on you.

“No!” Tanaka cried.  “We were so close!”

“You good babe?” Noya asked, stepping toward you.

“Yeah,” you laughed, wiping your face.  “I just wasn’t ready for it.”

“We’ve got seven more balloons,” Tanaka announced.

“Let’s see if we can get it with the next one.”

Seven balloons later, you had attempted another set which burst in your face.  The other attempts had ended well short of getting to you.  You were a little disappointed you hadn’t succeeded, but if you were being honest, you hadn’t expected any of the balloons to hold up to both a spike and a receive.

“Argh, we were so close!” Tanaka griped.

“We could go buy more balloons,” Noya suggested.

“Or you two could pick up all of the bits on the ground so we don’t murder any birds.  I’m going to cut up some watermelon.”

“Sounds like a fair trade.”

You rubbed yourself down with one of the towels and picked bits of grass off of your feet before heading inside.  A few minutes later, you reemerged with a tray of watermelon and glasses of water.  The boys were just finishing the cleanup.

“You missed one,” you teased, sitting down in the shade.

“We were getting to it.”  Noya grabbed an orange scrap before scanning the yard for others.

“That’s probably good enough.  I can grab whatever’s left later.”  You gestured to the tray of snacks.  “Come get some watermelon before it warms up.”

The three of you munched in the shade, chatting and competing to see who could spit their seeds the farthest.  The sun had started its descent, alleviating some of the brutality of the heat.  It was fun to hang out with the boys after an afternoon of activity.

“So Ryuu, are you ready for Tokyo?”

“Hell yeah!  We’re going to show those city boys how volleyball is really played.”  He spat another seed a respectable distance.

“Yeah, we’re going to kick their asses!” Noya whooped.

“I wish I could go with you guys.  It sounds like a lot of fun.”

“Nah,” Tanaka scoffed, “it’ll just be a lot of sweaty guys hitting balls, talking smack, and complaining about the heat and sore muscles.”

“It still sounds more fun than staying here.”

“You could’ve joined us if you’d become our manager,” Noya reminded you.

“Yeah, yeah.”  It was a conversation you’d had quite often at the beginning of your first year and intermittently since.  “I have to look after you two all day at school and half of the time when we’re not at school.  Someone else can watch you for a few hours during volleyball.”

“Are you saying you get tired of us?”  Noya pouted comically.

“You, no,” you reassured him with a kiss on the cheek.  “Ryuu?  Maybe.”

“Hey!”

“I’m kidding,” you laughed.  “You know I love you Ryuu.  I just love Yuu more.”

“Okay, if you’re going to get all couple-y then I’m leaving.”  Tanaka stood and stretched.  “I have to get ready for tomorrow anyway.”

You said goodbye to your friend before bringing the empty glasses inside, depositing the watermelon rinds in the compost along the way.  Your boyfriend delivered the used towels to the washroom before joining you in the kitchen to help with the cleanup.  You paused in your washing to give him a kiss.

“What was that for?” he asked, a bright grin spreading across his face.

“Can’t I just kiss my boyfriend if I feel like it?”

“Of course!”  He wrapped his arms around your waist to pull you in for another kiss.  You leaned in for more.

Half an hour later, the dishes were finally done and you were walking Noya to the door.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay here alone?” he asked.  “You could come over, at least for dinner.”

“I’ll be fine,” you reassured him.  “Besides, if I joined you, you’d never pack or get enough sleep before your trip, and I don’t want you to be wiped for your first day of training camp.”

“I don’t want to leave you, though,” he whined, pulling you into a tight hug.  “I’m going to miss you.”

“I’m going to miss you too,” you sighed.  “But it’ll only be for a week.”

“Don’t forget about me, okay?”

“I could never,” you promised, giving him a kiss before stepping back.  “I’ll get more balloons for after your trip, so practice your receives.”

“I’m going to get so good, I’ll bump every balloon back to you.”

“I look forward to it,” you called as he started heading home.  About three houses away, he turned back to look at you.

“Hey Y/N!”

“Yeah?”

“I love you!”

“I love you too!” you shouted.  He laughed and did a happy little leap before continuing on his way.  You watched him until he was out of sight.  When you turned to go back inside, you were feeling warm from something other than the heat.