#that's a bit of my own fashion taste creeping in

[alaraxia]

finally finished some full body art of vesper and her three main outfit variations

[shenglingyuan]

title: in the heart, there grows flowers and thorns (ao3) pairing: togame jo/sakura haruka summary: A strange feeling creeps up Sakura’s chest as he watches the exchange silently. He rubs at the spot above his heart. Why was it suddenly difficult to breathe? “Is everything okay?” Togame asks him, ever so attentive. At times, Sakura is grateful Togame can pick up on his thoughts and feelings without him putting it to words. Today is not one of those times. “Yeah, of course.” *** for day 1 of wind breaker week 2024! established togasaku meeting the family + a bit of gardening + talking about feelings implied sideships: endochika, suonire

Sakura checks his reflection on the blank screen of his phone for the third time, patting down the top of his hair. Bedhead is no issue for him, but something about this day just makes him extra anxious about the way he looks. After all, Togame has invited him out for the weekend, and Sakura isn’t sure what to expect.

Togame didn’t specify the details, only that they should meet under the tracks early in the morning. Sakura even had to wake extra early today so he can pick up the polo Kiryu was lending him.

They were having dinner last night at Pothos, making plans for the weekend, when Sakura informed the group that he couldn’t join because he has a schedule with his boyfriend. Upon asking what clothes he’d be wearing, and Sakura answering, “Just the usual.” Kiryu raised a ruckus in panic.

“You can’t go on a date with your usual get-up, Sakura-chan!”

“It isn’t a date, though?”

A chorus of disapproval met his response.

“It doesn’t have to be called a ‘date’ to be a date.” Kiryu had added with conviction, confusing Sakura even more.

“Why does it matter?” Sakura grumbled, feeling offended that his very convenient and casual fashion was getting slandered. “We’re already together, I don’t have to impress him anymore, right?”

“And that’s the start of your relationship’s downfall.” Suo commented on the side, with Nirei and Tsugeura nodding in agreement.

A cold feeling settled on Sakura. Even though he and Togame were just starting to go out, he didn’t want whatever they have to be gone so soon. “Then…do you…guys have something I can borrow?”

“Don’t worry, I got you.” Kiryu smiled then, relief flooding his face. “I’ll message you my address; drop by tomorrow before you meet with your boyfriend, okay?”

And here he was, wearing his usual plain white shirt, layered with the plainest oversized jacket he could find from Kiryu’s wardrobe, if one can call faded floral prints simple. The colors and patterns of the other choices were just too bold and striking for Sakura’s taste, hence he went with this one. Kiryu seemed to approve anyway, so it shouldn’t look bad.

“It’s Sakura-chan!”

Sakura hears Tomiyama’s voice even before he sees him. When Sakura looks up, he finds the guy waving both his arms wildly in the air at the other end of the tunnel. Togame is closely following behind, smiling as they catch each other’s eyes.

“Sorry I was late, Sakura,” Togame immediately apologizes upon reaching him.

“No, Sakura-chan. It’s totally my fault. We’re halfway here when I realized I forgot my wallet at home!”

“Ah…no worries.” He didn’t expect to see this guy today. The way energy exudes off his small body always bombards Sakura that he thinks he should at least get an hour’s notice before encountering him just to prepare. “You’re…coming with us?”

“Huh? No way.” Tomiyama grins excitedly. “I’m meeting Ume-chan and Ragi-chan today, they’re treating me to Pothos, hehe! Kame-chan just asked to walk together because he said I might get lost again. As if I wasn’t able to go to Furin on my own before? Hmph. Kame-chan can be soooo overbearing.”

“Choji, I think you should go now. You don’t want to be late, don’t you?” Togame pushes at Tomiyama’s back, a wry smile etched on his face. Tomiyama giggles back, seemingly enjoying teasing Togame.

A strange feeling creeps up Sakura’s chest as he watches the exchange silently. He rubs at the spot above his heart. Why was it suddenly difficult to breathe?

“Right, right, enjoy you two!” Without even waiting for a reply, Choji skips away.

Togame looks after him with a touch of concern on his face.

“Pothos is just along this street. He won’t get lost.” Sakura reminds him.

“Just worried he might knock over something on his way, he’s too excited for today.” Togame shakes his head with a smile. He turns to Sakura then, regarding him quietly for a moment.

“W-what is it? Do I have something on my face?”

“Is everything okay?” Togame asks him, ever so attentive. At times, Sakura is grateful Togame can pick up on his thoughts and feelings without him putting it to words. Today is not one of those times.

“Yeah, of course.”

Togame seems to accept his response. He reaches out to ruffle Sakura’s hair, smiling at him warmly. “Let’s go?”

Sakura decides to bury the weird feeling away and takes Togame’s hand.

Throughout their walk, Sakura tried to guess what Togame might have planned for the day, but Togame neither confirms nor denies any of his guess. Togame leads them to the far end of the town until they reach one of the residential areas. The streets here are quiet, lined with bungalow houses, each with colorful gardens decorating the front. Finally, they arrive at one house which yard doesn’t bear the same liveliness as its neighbors. Togame stops right in front of it and opens the gate.

“Welcome to our humble abode.”

“Y-your house?” Sakura feels the heat rising to his face, his mouth struggling to form another word. What?! Isn’t this too quick of a development for two people who just started going out?

“Don’t get any ideas,” Togame smiles coyly at him as he steps inside.

“I’m not thinking about anything.” Sakura hits him lightly on his arm, his cheeks still burning. “Why’d’ya bring me here?”

“Don’t you Furin guys like to help around town? I thought you could help me with household chores today.”

Needless to say, Sakura has zero experience on anything romantic prior to Togame. He did have some ideas about what “dates” are. And yet, doing household chores together isn’t really a date activity in his limited knowledge bank.

“Were you hoping to go somewhere fancy?”

“I wasn’t.” Sakura pursed his lips. It’s not that he was expecting something grand, but if he knew he was going to do physical tasks today, he wouldn’t have bothered suffering under Kiryu’s critical scrutiny of his fashion choices.

“I’ll bring you somewhere nice next time. But for today, I want you to meet somebody important.” Before he takes another step, Togame faces him with a suddenly serious expression. “I’ll introduce you as my boyfriend, is that okay with you?”

“Oh, Jo, who’s this you brought over?”

Sakura turns to the source of the voice and finds an old man relaxing on a tatami on the front porch. His facial features are similar to Togame’s, as if he’s looking at Togame’s older self in sixty more years, only frailer and with more white hair. He even had the braid Togame used to sport before he had it cut.

Before Sakura had the chance to answer Togame’s question, Togame has already shifted his attention to the old man.

“Hey gramps, this is the person I told you who’s helping with the yard today, Sakura Haruka.”

“My, what a unique name,” the old man stands and strides towards them, his movements even slower than Togame. And yet, there’s a comfortable force in the way he clasps Sakura’s hand and squeezes. “It’s nice to meet you, Haruka. I don’t think Jo has told me about you before.”

Sakura could see where Togame takes his penchant for the slow life after.

“Nice meeting you…sir.”

“Just call me Uncle, no need to be so formal. Uncle Jiro. Now, where did Jo pick you up, hm?”

“A new friend.” Togame answers swiftly, laying a hand on Sakura’s shoulder.

“Really? You made a new friend?” Togame’s grandfather laughs heartily. “Here I was thinking you’re stuck forever with that Choji. Where’s he anyway?”

“Busy as always.”

“Ah, that kid. It’s been so long since I last saw him.”

Right. Sakura still hasn’t answered Togame when he asked if he could introduce him as a boyfriend. Something about the direction their conversation took made him uneasy and eager to stake his claim on his role in Togame’s life.

“Actually…,” Sakura cuts in, wrapping a hand around Togame’s wrist as if to make point. “I’m…his boyfriend.”

Both Togame and his grandfather look at him in surprise. Togame’s face quickly lights up, though, his green eyes almost disappearing behind his crinkled gaze. 

“You heard him, gramps. Sakura’s my boyfriend. I wanted you to meet him.”

“Now that’s a shock.”

“That I have a boyfriend?”

“I thought you were with that Choji?”

Togame’s smile faltered, his eyes darting in panic between his grandfather’s confused face and Sakura’s flustered one. “Don’t be silly, gramps. That never happened.”

At that moment, Sakura has a realization: this is the most mortifying moment of his life.

“My apologies, Haruka. This old man doesn’t know how to watch his mouth. Now, this grandson,” he lands a chastising hit on Togame’s free arm, “I’d appreciate getting informed ahead of time.”

“Sorry, sorry.”

“Hah, this has been a very awkward first meeting. Jo, you go inside and prepare the snacks and drinks, will you? I’d like to talk properly to Haruka here.”

“You don’t have to —"

“I’d like to insist.” Jiro smiles at him so gently that Sakura doesn’t find the heart in him to further refuse.

“Okay then. Oh, Sakura, should I hang your jacket inside? I can lend you another long sleeve to use for the yard work. That isn’t yours, isn’t it?”

Of course, he'd know. In any case, Sakura doesn’t want to soil Kiryu’s clothes either. He takes the jacket off and gives it to Togame. “Thanks.”

“Come and sit with me for a bit while we wait for Jo.”

Sakura follows Jiro to the front porch hesitantly. After that brief awkward moment, he can’t imagine what kind of questions will this old man bring up. Jiro returns on the tatami, and pats on the spot next to him, motioning for Sakura to sit. Left with no other choice, Sakura yields to the old man.

For a moment, they both gaze at the quiet garden with its scattered patches of green, filled with overgrown, unkempt shrubs and weeds.

“Any experience in gardening, Haruka?” Jiro asks as he hands him the sun hat laying nearby. “Though you really can’t call this yard a garden now.”

“Just a bit. We cleaned someone’s yard some time ago.” Sakura gratefully takes the hat and puts it on. “There’s also a vegetable garden up on our school rooftop we help with.”

“Well, it's just some weeding today. Haven't been able to keep up with it the past few months, what with my back aching more and more. That's old age for you." He looks pensively at the view in front of him. “Look how messy this garden has become.”

“Shouldn’t you be leaving this in Togame’s care, anyway?”

“Well, he used to, you know. Him and Choji. Once or twice a month. Then, something must have happened. Choji stopped coming over, and Jo started carrying himself as if he’s some mafia boss. That’s why I mistakenly thought they had that kind of relationship before.” Jiro shakes his head with an amused laugh. “Young boys these days, really. But I’m glad he seems spirited enough now to pay attention to this yard again. So, Haruka, are you also part of Jo’s gang?”

“No. I’m from a different group. Bofurin.”

“Bofurin? Hanging out with other groups? That’s news to me.”

Bofurin’s name is really known far and wide.

“Yeah, we’re supposed to be friends now with Togame’s group.”

“Supposed to be, huh. I still remember, Bofurin’s reputation isn’t good. When we first moved here, Jo was still a little kid then, the neighbors warned us not to go too far into town because of those rascals always fighting with other gangs.”

“We’re different now,” Sakura finds himself saying, feeling the need to defend Bofurin’s honor. “These days we keep those gangs in check.”

“You’ve duked it out with Jo’s gang, haven’t you?”

“Yeah, they challenged us.”

“And Sakura totally floored me.” Togame finally appears from the house, carrying with him a pitcher of ice-cold water, a plateful of biscuits, and glasses. “He’s real strong, gramps.”

“You lost on purpose.” Sakura glares as he takes the long sleeve Togame brought out with him. “You still owe me a proper rematch.”

“Now, now, fix the yard first before you two go at it. Then you can roll around the grass all you want.”

After a few bites of snacks, Sakura and Togame finally start with the actual task at hand, with Jiro overseeing their progress. Instead of spreading out, they work on the same areas together to finish the process quicker. Prioritizing the weeds overtaking the path, they work their way to the edges of the yard. As a form of entertainment, Jiro tells Sakura of Togame’s exploits as a child, much to Togame’s embarrassment.

By noontime, Jiro calls them inside for lunch. The awkwardness from the earlier misunderstanding has completely vanished, and Sakura is able to even exchange banters with Jiro easily. Sakura realizes he’s not much different than the elderly people that frequent Pothos; in fact, Jiro reminds him of Grandma Sato.

“I’d love to show you Jo’s childhood photos, but I forgot where I put those albums. Do you know, Jo?”

“Even if I knew, I won’t tell you, gramps. You’re just going to embarrass me more.”

“Hmph. I’ll just look for it myself. Then Haruka, I’ll show it to you on your next visit, okay?”

A next visit. Just like that, Sakura finds himself a new place to return to in town. He gives an enthusiastic nod. “Okay, Uncle.”

Orange streaks have started to paint the sky by the time Togame and Sakura finished cleaning all corners of the previously unkept yard.

“Where’s Uncle Jiro?” Sakura asks as he joins Togame on the tatami, crossing his legs, and examining the job they’ve done with the yard. “Sleeping?”

“Nah, he went to his friend a few streets away. They usually play shogi or Othello in the afternoons. He should be back by dinner.” Togame absentmindedly reaches for his hand, weaving their fingers together, rubbing at Sakura’s knuckles with his thumb. “Hey, Sakura.”

“Yeah?”

“Sorry about gramps earlier.”

“About what?”

“When he brought up Choji.”

“It’s nothing. He already talked to me about it, too.”

“You still look jealous, though.”

“That’s—,” Sakura wants to deny it, but the matter of fact is, it’s true. He feels silly, though, feeling jealous over his closest friend. Is it because he never had anyone to call “his” until Togame that his possessiveness is a bit irrational? “That doesn’t matter anymore.”

Togame’s arms snakes around his waist then, pulling him close so that his chest is pressed against Sakura’s back, resting his chin on Sakura’s right shoulder. Sakura can’t help but relax at his touch, his body curving to fill the space in between them seamlessly.

“Of course, it does. I understand if you’re jealous. It’s not entirely baseless. I’ve devoted myself to Choji, to Shishitoren, to the point of ruin. You witnessed a part of it, after all.”

“Yeah, you sure did.” Sakura smiles wryly at the memory of their battles at Ori. They seemed so distant now.

“But at one point, I realized the feelings I held were not for my own,” Togame heaves a sigh. “I regard Choji as the sun – Shishitoren’s sun, that is. I want everyone to bask in his light. I did anything, everything, for everyone to keep seeing that.

“Yet,” his arms tighten around Sakura’s waist, “When I think of sharing you with others the same way, my chest tightens, it’s hard to breathe. It doesn’t feel good at all, Sakura. When it comes to you, I just want to be selfish.

“But I can’t do that. Hiding you away from the world would be a disservice to your person. You’re one of the most selfless people I know. You share your warmth to others as if it’s the breathing, and I can’t deny them of that. Not when it’s the same warmth that saved me.”

Sakura’s breath hitches at Togame’s words. Just a few minutes ago, he’s the one losing his mind over being jealous of someone else. But now, he realizes Togame is harboring the same concerns as him, the same pain, and yet he puts it in such a way that is still able to make Sakura feel so…treasured.

Togame has never lacked in expressing his admiration of him; Sakura didn’t think his feelings can get this strong. They were never overwhelming though, instead, his words always felt like finding the perfect solace in the middle of his own stormy thoughts. His own worries dissipate in a flash. There was never a reason to doubt, after all.

“You were jealous?” Sakura cranes his neck to look at him. “Of whom?”

“Are you really asking me that now?”

“You know I got jealous with Tomiyama. Should be fair enough to tell me a name.”

Togame closes his eyes, as if that hides him from answering. But of course, Sakura won’t let him run away from this. He cups Togame’s chin and pinches the side of his cheeks, forcing his lips into a pucker.

“Thishishabuse.” Togame struggles to say as he opens his eyes.

“One. Name.”

“Fine.” Togame pulls Sakura’s hand away from his chin but keeps on holding on to his wrist. “Where are you learning these tricks?”

“Suo did it to Nirei once. Seemed effective. Well, who is it?”

“…That tattooed bastard.”

“Ha? Why?”

“Because he’s always trying to hang around you, and when you give him the time of the day, he overdoes it with the food and gifts.” Togame finally let go of his arm, shrugging his shoulders as he leans back as if in defeat, “How can I compete with that? I’m just a simple man.”

Sakura looks at him as if he’s crazy. Endo is indeed a bit forward and obsessed with him, but Sakura attributes it to the fact that only he has given Endo a genuinely enjoyable fight, even if it was emotionally harrowing on his side. For this alone, he never really thought of Endo in any special way. Besides, that guy is truly and deeply taken by another person.

“That doesn’t count.”

“Oh, it sure does for that guy, I know those types.”

“No, really, it doesn’t. Every time he comes around Furin, he just mostly talks about Takiishi anyway.”

Togame scratches the back of his ear, his forehead crumpling in confusion. “Who’s that again?”

“…You probably wouldn’t know. Anyway, there was never a competition. Stop worrying about it.”

Togame smiles softly, “And there isn’t a competition with you either. So, you don’t have to feel jealous of anybody, okay?”

Finally, the strange feeling that encroached in Sakura’s mind earlier that day completely vanishes. Sakura leans back, lets out a huge sigh of relief that seems to have been stuck in his chest for the longest time, and rests his head on Togame’s shoulder. Both their eyes are directed at the view ahead of them: a newly revived yard, free from creeping vines and overgrowths. From here on out, it could only be more vibrant and splendid, and they’ll both work on it together.

But that’s a job for next time.

[lala3244]

Heartbreaks: MAMMON

-Got stuck with a cat on my lap and couldn't do my chores so I decided to write Mammon. It's a bit longer I think than the other ones. -

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You started dating them but others had decided they should date demons of powerful lineage not a mere human.

Warnings: Hurt/no comfort

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DIAVOLO - LUCIFER - BELPHEGOR - SATAN

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The first few times, you met the Avatar of Greed you knew he kind of had a crush on you and you didn’t mind as you had one as well. You loved how childish he could get sometimes and how cute he was when it was just the two of you. As the weeks passed, you two became closer and closer. Always touching a part of his body with yours either while you were sitting or walking. You would spend almost every night in your room, watching TV or studying when you had exams or just talking lying down on your bed while you stroked his hair. 

It wasn’t long before he took you on a nice date. He had worked a gig which gave him enough money to take you out and even buy you a nice outfit. Spending all his time with you meant that he knew your taste and got you an outfit that you wouldn’t dream of wearing. When he gifted it to you, blushing and stuttering, you wrapped your arms around his neck and kissed him. He froze and his eyes started to slowly widen. He bolted out of your room, you heard him slam his bedroom door and you laughed while shaking your head. You took your phone still laughing and texted.

You: Mam’s? You didn’t tell me at what time we are meeting? 

You put your phone down and picked up the ensemble. You admired the fabrics, it had golden undertones but you weren’t sure it would compliment your skin tone, though you trusted Mammon’s fashion taste more than your own. Your phone beeped and you looked at the notification.

Mammon: Be ready for 6.30pm.

You looked at the time and smiled. You had about two hours to get ready so you took a shower, put your outfit on and did your hair. When you were done, you heard a knock on your door so you opened it. Mammon stood there and looked you up and down. Slowly, you could see the redness creeping up his face. “Mammon! You look nice!” You smiled flirtatiously at him to fluster him even more. He turned his head away “Th-Thanks, you too…” You grabbed his arms, “Let’s go”.

You arrived at the restaurant and once inside, people were staring at you. Some of them looked rather annoyed and you recognised a few as being part of some powerful families. You didn’t really like it but decided to ignore it and to enjoy your evening. Your dinner was uneventful and Mammon was actually of great company with great conversation, not his usual childlike chatter but you could feel the stares and the glares coming from the other customers. He paid and you left the restaurant but before leaving the premises you took Mammon’s arm and kissed him in front of the whole restaurant. He froze for a second but once he realised what was happening he returned your kiss with more passion. You smirked as you took a look inside the restaurant. 

You were in front of the House of Lamentation when Mammon was called over by a demon whom you assumed was a Lord by how he was dressed and he started to talk to Mammon. You saw Mammon nod and came back to you. “What happened?” He looked a bit worried. “They want to have a meeting with me and Lucifer tomorrow.���  You shrugged, “oh okay, I hope it’s not too bad.” Mammon followed you to your bed and you both fell asleep, anxious about the next day. You went to RAD, Mammon following you everywhere until Lucifer called him over to Diavolo’s office. You carried on with your day and after the classes were finished you walked back home with Satan and Beel. 

For the next few days, Mammon would barely talk to you or be near you. You would often catch Lucifer glaring at his brother and when you turned around you could see Mammon walking away. Until one night, he came to your room and joined you under the cover. He grabbed you by the waist and held you close to him while he put his face on your hair. You had just woken up and still a bit groggy but you realised who it was. “Hey Mam’s” He tightened his grip “Hey” You turned around and slowly put your hand on his cheek “What’s up Mammon?” It took him a minute to look at you and when he did you saw tears in his eyes. You scooted closer to him, worried. “Mammon, What’s wrong?” He opened his mouth when someone knocked on your door and before you could say something the door flew open. 

Lucifer was standing there and he didn’t look happy. “Mammon, get out of there.” You sat up, shivering as you were leaving Mammon’s warmth. “Hey Lucifer, what’s going on?” He stared at you “Mammon didn’t tell you?” You shook your head. “Mammon, tell her.” You heard Mammon sob which made you look at him with wide eyes. “Mammon, tell me!” He shook his head and put his head on your stomach while instinctively you put your hand on his hair. He sighed “I-I can’t be with you anymore” You stopped touching his hair. “What do you mean by that?” He finally faced you but still wouldn’t look you in the eyes. “You remember my meeting?” You nodded slowly. “They said that I brought shame to the demon race by going on a date with a human so now I shall date a demon from one of the noble families.” 

You stared at him, tears forming as you slowly understood the implications. You looked at Lucifer who seemed sorry about the situation. You nodded “Oh okay, I understand.” and slowly you started peeling away from Mammon “Thank you for letting me know, I will sleep now. I beg of you to leave me alone now.” Mammon was hurt but understood. He stood up but before he left your room, he kissed your forehead. You lied down and covered your head with the duvet. You waited for the door to close and started crying till you fell asleep.

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THE END

[wannaeatramyeon]

Lookism and their silly lil hobbies

My headcannons of their less obvious interests!

Daniel: now he's in the fashion department and earning some money, he guesses he should take more of an interest in current trends. He's still wearing Jay's castoffs and he's happy with them but he takes a huge interest in women's fashion for his momma. She's worked hard and she deserves nice things and Daniel wants to spoil her 🥰

Jay: his hobby? Daniel. His thoughts? Daniel. His dreams? Daniel. But guns and motorbike? This boy has a thing for Hollywood action films and he has pretty good taste too. Classics-ish such as Matrix, Terminator, John Wick

Zoe: she loves watching animal rehab videos on social media, and even the videos of newtubers helping out homeless or down on their luck people. Most of it may be scripted but the act of kindness (even for selfish purposes) makes her melt

Vasco: you think this man doesn't have a Pinterest account? He doesn't spend his spare time putting boards together? His boards aren't public? He's not ashamed. He's got at least 1 for parties, 1 for golden retrievers and 1 for Hero Man pics

Jace: kdramas, the more romantic with as many tropes the better. He likes a good story filled with miscommunication, lots of crying, scenes in the rain and open eyed kisses 😳

Zack: sneaky little hobby of reading up on supernatural shit. After running into the ghost of J High, he's been absorbed with ghosts and demons - in particular how to avoid getting cursed...

Mira: meditation. Putting up with Zack all the time and the violent boys, she needs her moment of peace before she gets overwhelmed. She's also had some pretty traumatic experiences, so this helps her to centre and recollect her thoughts

Johan: unironically a sneakerhead. Started off researching expensive shoes so he can recognise them but now he's fully into the hobby. Way too tight to buy any for himself when he could be saving for his momma's operation but it's nice to window shop 🥺

Vin Jin: we all know he would be twerking to Dukes music. But apart from obviously his music (cos music is his life yknow), he would be leaving hate messages and death threats on Dukes social media and fanpages. He hate watches Dukes live streams but cant stop the twerk creeping up on him

Mary Kim: she's in the Vocal and Dance department but this girl can shred like no tomorrow. She has a band she's the lead vocalist and guitarist of that she keeps off Vins radar so he can keep the shitty rap to himself

Crystal: hiking and the outdoors. It's a way to keep her second body fit and get away from her desk and all the business bullshit. During the days that Gun acts as her bodyguard, she tells him to stay at least 50ft away so he doesn't ruin the mood

Jake: memelord. Cos at least humour is free. He collects pics and memes, and has so many shitty dad jokes up his sleeve to send to the Big Deal members and groupchats that he often gets kicked out or blocked. Hearing their exasperation at another one of his messages always brightens up his day

Samuel: lol drinking as a hobby. this man should be spending all his spare time in therapy but can't win them all 🤷‍♀️ Doesn't do much on his own time that doesn't advance his goals but enjoys sipping on some smooth expensive shit. Not the best for his health, but he needs something to block out the demons

Lua: not the queen of info for nothing. Spends a lot of her time on social media, forums and the dark web reading up on info (and gossip). Shes also kicked up a gear with her Muay Thai training so the assholes in Big Deal would stop underestimating her

Sinu: all that time being locked up with that little bit of chalk? You know what he did? HE'S A FIC WRITER. Headcannons of Big Deal, Sinu X Yeonhui. What the guys would be doing now, what sort of girlfriend Yeonhui would be (I wrote this as a joke but it's pretty depressing)

Gun: you thought that was a casual notepad and pen he had on hand for brekdaks autograph? No bitch its his actual autograph book. He lives and breathes fighting and fangirls a little internally meeting his fighting idols

Goo: anime and boardgames. Yes yes he's a nerd ok. He watched 1 too many anime shows and in his head he's the protagonist fighting his way to the top, with his sidekick Gun. But who do you think left all the boardgames in that shitty house? Gun is boring and Goo needs entertaining. It's one way to let them get competitive without beating the shit out of each other... Usually

[revasserium]

museums of memory

tsukishima kei; 2,098 words; fluff and the tiniest bit of nsfw

if he were to think of his body as a museum to his life, he thinks the first ever exhibit would be you.

“do you even remember the first time you played volleyball?”

tsukishima blinks as you lounge on the chair opposite his, in the empty desk where he assumes the newest member of the sendai museum faculty will sit one day, but for now, it’s been commandeered by you, grinning at him over the old fashioned lamp placed between his desk and the eventual newcomer’s.

“probably with my brother, why?”

your foxhole grin makes him pause.

“nope!” you hold your fingers crossed over each other as he sighs.

“fine. do you remember?”

you let out a long, overdramatic breath. tsukishima fights to keep his own face expressionless as he watches you, spinning in a chair that is not yours, and will never be yours — but you sit in it like you own the thing anyway.

“yep! it was with me!”

at this, he frowns, quirking an inquisitive eyebrow even as he scours the depths of his own fading memories for something that might confirm or deny your claim. he comes up empty.

“it… was?”

“yep!” and you’re smiling, a smile that he’s long since learned he has a startling lack of immunity against; it pierces his chest like the first ray of sunlight after a whole week’s worth of gray skies and rain — he waits.

“it was in your backyard! do you remember? the third time i came over to play cause my parents weren’t gonna be home till late —”

“ah… yeah — but i’d hardly call that volleyball.” tsukishima grins as the memory resurfaces, the images flashing behind his eyes, the feeling of grass beneath his fingers, the brightly colored, balloon-esque ball bopping between the two of you. he remembers the shape of your laughter, ringing through him like so many silver bells. he remembers laughing with you, watching you dive for a ball only to trip over your own feet.

“it was too volleyball!”

he shrugs, allowing you a haphazard grunt as he returns to his work, sifting through the museum’s backlog of donated pieces, parsing out which ones are actually worth keeping.

he wonders if someone were to sort through his own memories like this, which moments they might deem worthy of being kept, and which ones they might set to the side to toss away.

his first kiss is yours — given on an overcast sort of afternoon, with a sea of worksheets and unread manga scattered between you. your bed’s bigger than his, and the pillows are softer, anyway. he’d been thinking about it — then, and before then too — how it might feel, and he’d chalk it up to pure curiosity (of the scientific sort, you know) after, when you’d looked up at him and asked him what that was all about.

you’d been showing him something in a shoujou manga, squealing about some tall, dark, handsome, broody boy in the pages, about how he’d kissed the main character — just like that! bam!

he remembers the sound of your voice, the taste of your surprised hiccup on his tongue, the way your sigh had felt against his lips when you finally relaxed into him, your eyes fluttering shut, tickling his cheek like moth wings.

he’d pulled back, adjusted his glasses and gone back to his japanese literature notes, swiping a quick thumb across his lips. you’d stared at him for a solid ten seconds before burying your face in your pillow and then promptly whacking him across the head with it hard enough for him to wince.

“what was that for?” he asks, bewildered, his glasses askew.

“y-you can’t just kiss me — j-just like that and… and not expect me to do something about it!”

“well i wouldn’t’ve done it if i knew you were gonna hit me!”

“what’dyou think i was gonna do then?”

“i dunno, kiss me back or something!”

you’d deflated then, a helpless laugh spilling over your lips, making his skin tingle in ways that he’d never really been able to properly verbalize. he twists at his own fingers, feeling an unfamiliar heat creep up his neck and into his cheeks.

“if you wanted a kiss… you could’ve just asked.”

tsukishima crinkles his nose, scowling hard at the bunny-printed bedsheets between you.

“okay then,” he says, his words a bit too quiet, but no less certain, “kiss me again.”

you shift closer, reach over to crumple your fingers into his shirt collar to pull him to you. and it really was an overcast sort of afternoon, but… the memory of it shines brighter than the sum of all his sunlit days.

he imagines walking you through the museum of him, of all the things he’s considered sacred enough to keep, tucked away in the glass cases of his memory, polished, precise — perfect. he might show you his series of firsts, but then again, he thinks you might know them already. most of them include you anyway.

his first time is with you too — when you’re both still young enough to wonder, but old enough to do something about it — on a night when the moon is full and the air is too hot and sticky with possibilities.

he gasps as he pushes you back into the mattress of his bed, both your chests heaving, the world a rumbling ocean of cicada-song and half-drawn breaths.

“t-tell me you want this —” his voice is a shipwreck, and he knows he probably looks like one too, your fingers having made fine work of his hair, his glasses fogged over with the physical proof of his desires — of both your desires. you smile as you reach up to pull it from his face; he tastes the grin on your lips as you pull him down towards you.

“i — i want it — please —”

and it’s this plea more than anything else that pushes him over the edge of that precious, precarious precipice. he leans in, kisses you hard enough to bruise, and even though you’d spent the better part of the last year learning the curves and bends of each other’s mouths, the sweet and spice of each other’s tongues, somehow — this still feels clumsy. somehow, there is still too much teeth and not enough hesitation —

he can’t help the moan that tumbles from him when you arch your body up into his, when he finally, finally manages to pull away all the layers separating your body from his, when he finally sees you beneath him, splayed out like a promise, sweet and ever so willing as you reach for him —

he sinks into you like a daydream.

your nails trail fire and fortune down his back, his inhibitions left at the foot of the bed or perhaps shucked right outside his door because for once, no one else is home. and sure, you’d offered your place, which is empty more often than his place is but something inside him had wanted this — had wanted the first memory of you and him to be here. in his bed, on his sheets.

it’s a strange kind of possessiveness, the kind that he’s always felt roiling in the depths of his belly whenever he looked at you but right here, right now, he’s finally unafraid of letting it out.

he hisses when he feels you tightening around him, neither of you experienced enough in the language of pleasure, but he thinks that you don’t need to be. all you’ve never needed was him and you in the same space — and it has always been poetry.

“kei — kei —”

“c-come — come —”

there is a kind of breaking that can only be described as beautiful. and he has seen it over, and over, and over with you.

neither of you even remembers the shouting, how it all began — but both of you remember the shattered shards of cheap, store-bought glass, the silence that had folded in on itself, thick enough to suffocate. he’d never been good at stuff like this, and to be fair, neither were you.

“it’s not fair,” you’d said, and he’d laughed, a too-harsh, too-loud, too-much of a laugh that had echoed through your shared apartment like a car alarm, set off by the proximity of your bodies, by the resentment hidden beneath your tongues.

“what’s not fair? this? me?”

his voice is almost a sneer, but it isn’t. he can’t muster that strength. the losses his team had suffered still too fresh on his mind, and somehow, your empty words of it was a good match had set him off somehow. because he knows you’re lying — it wasn’t a good match, it was a shit match, and you knew it. so why — why —

“it was a good match —”

“no, it wasn’t — it was my first match — and we fucking ate shit —”

“it wasn’t your fault —”

“stop lying to me! you know i hate it when you lie to me!”

you bite your lips, you twist your fingers.

tsukishima lets out a breath that feels like admitting defeat. he feels his body soften — you never used to toy with your fingers like that. not when you were little, not till you met him.

“fine,” you’d said, looking anywhere but at him, “it was a shit match. but you did the best you could.”

“yeah, and clearly, it wasn’t good enough.”

you scoff, a sound that he’d never gotten used to hearing from you, but he should’ve expected it. you’d been with him for way too long not to pick it up.

“well, then do better next time.”

he finds himself smiling before he can stop himself.

“yeah… right… it’s just that easy, huh.”

you take three steps towards him and close the distance between you.

“isn’t it?”

because if his body were to be a museum to his life, he wonders how the exhibit might end, where he might draw that final line —

“i’ll see you after work for dinner then,” you say, popping up from the chair across from him, flashing him a quick grin.

tsukishima hums, his eyes still resting on the sheafs of paper in front of him — kamuiyaki ware plate set, produced in tokunoshima, during the early 14th century —

“what do you want?” he asks, moving the file to the pile on his right — the things to keep.

“hm… dunno. maybe… tsukemen? it’s hot outside.”

“yeah, sure,” — ukiyo-e depiction of izanagi and izanami, produced during —

“hey, tsukki?”

“hm?”

he looks up to find you standing there, too close, and yet not nearly close enough. he bites back the urge to draw you closer. you smile down at him, reaching out to cup his cheeks, to run your fingers through his hair.

he allows himself a small, indulgent smile.

“kiss me,” you say, leaning down towards him.

he kisses you, and when you draw back, the afternoon sun draped across your shoulders, seeping in from the far window, tsukishima finds himself held still by the sight of you.

“marry me,” he says, with too little thought and not enough hesitation, but really, really — he’s thought about it for far too long, sounded out the words between his lips so many times that the midnight air of his room might be able to repeat it back to him in perfect tandem.

you don’t miss a beat.

“okay,” you say, leaning down to kiss him again.

and this time, when he wraps his arms around you to pull you close, there’s no question and only ever your answer — solid and sweet and still as you press it to his lips, from your mouth to his — yes, yes, a million times yes.

“okay,” he says, smiling when he lets you go.

“see you for dinner,” you say, casting him a wave over your shoulder as you leave, your cheeks flushed high and pink.

tsukishima watches you go, his hand poised in the air in a perfect wave.

“yeah, see you then.”

and as he turns back to his work, he thinks that if his body were to be a museum to his life — the first and last exhibit… well, they’d probably both be about you.

[isfjmel-phleg]

While I'm on the subject of Cassie and fashion, I might as well talk about her civilian clothing (from her introduction through the end of YJ 1998 since that's the comics era I'm more familiar with), as I have with other characters.

Cassie's clothing reflects the changing styles of the decades when these comics appeared, as well as her own personal style, and what this actually is maybe isn't quite what a lot of the fandom would assume. She tends to dress in the casual, everyday clothing of a normal teenage girl of her era, and she seems to be partial to purple!

When we meet Cassie, she dresses very much like a kid of the mid-1990s. Baggy shirts (often with superhero logos because she's very much a fangirl!), shorts of various types (baggy, bike, jean cutoffs), lots of layers, sweatpants, leggings, jeans, tennis shoes worn with folded-down socks. When she's a little more dressed up, she wears a belted tunic over leggings--very similar to something that Donna Troy wears in the same issue--and what looks like a metallic gold jacket. There are a lot of pastel tones of purple, pink, blue, green, and yellow, with the occasional deep red or berry, but purple is the most prevalent! Her hair is in a pixie cut that starts to get a bit longer when she begins her Amazon training.

These aren't clothes that would be designed to appeal to the eyes of male readers, but they do look very much like what the average fourteen-year-old girl of this time might wear as casual or athletic attire. Cassie isn't interested in impressing anyone with her appearance (nor should she need to be!); she's a kid off on adventures.

Cassie joins Young Justice in the late 1990s. Her hair is getting longer, more like the hybrid pixie-bob cut that was popular at the time. Her clothing is a little more mature but still youthful: primarily casual t-shirts or tanks and jeans or shorts. In accordance with current fashions, the shirts are getting shorter, while jeans are high-waisted and straight-legged. She's wearing fewer superhero shirts now that she officially is a hero herself, but some of her shirt patterns echo the stars associated with the Wonder legacy. While her palette still includes pastels, she is also wearing more primary colors like bright blue, yellow, and red that suggest more confidence in her heroic identity.

As the series moves into the new millennium, Cassie's styles continue to shift with the times. She wears fewer t-shirts now. Raglan/baseball shirts in various colors are in, along with blouses of various sorts. Her jeans are often cargo pants or capris (or both!). She's showcasing her interests more with logos on shirts--looks like she's a fan of alternative rock group Barenaked Ladies, which was popular at the time (my dad had a lot of their CDs). Jackets are becoming a more regular part of her wardrobe, making her look a bit more grown-up and put-together. Her hair is growing out into a straight, shoulder-length style in keeping with 2000s tastes. Her palette mostly remains the same, alternating between primary colors and pastels, but especially purple and blue. However, by 2003, black starts to creep into her civilian wardrobe more predominantly, suggesting a darker and more serious tone as Cassie ages.

Her style is distinct from that of the other girls. Cissie is more fashion-conscious with more overt athletic influences; Anita wears a wider range of colors, as well as styles that are more "grown-up" or overtly "girly" (and I will probably do clothing analysis posts for both of them eventually). Cassie tends to prefer casual, practical, no-fuss clothing, although what that looks like varies with the times, and she seems to have definite favorite colors that have nothing to do with the colors of her costume. This establishes that she can maintain a balance between her personal and heroic identities (unlike, say, Kon, who often seems to be trying to stay in the Superman colors even when he's out of the suit).

Anyway, she's endearing and I love her and I want her purple/berry tunic.

[mocolococoffeesimp]

Can we have Testament relationship headcanons? :)

Ah, another one of my favorites. Let's see what I can come up for them.

-Your first meeting was at a cafe, as they were trying something new, a new kind of tea that is. You just happened to be the server for them. And, you immediately took interest in them. Their appearance was like something out of a fairy-tale, which made you approach them, as your shift ended.

-Their attention turned to you, as you sat down on the opposite side of the booth. They were intrigued by this stranger approaching them. You weren’t sure how to start off without sounding like a total creep, so you just greeted them.

“Hey.”

“Greetings.” Testament waited for you to continue, but words got stuck in your throat. They noticed how you were, bit embarrassed so, they continued the discussion.

“So, what brings you here, stranger?”

“Oh, I just.. Really like your outfit. It’s so cool looking.” Testament was a bit taken aback by this as people rarely approach them, but to compliment their fashion sense, was just all the odder to her. 

-After some talking, Testament found enjoyment in your company, which made this little chit chat into weekly chats. And, soon they turned into daily ones.

-With Testament there is always something to do. The amount of hobbies they have makes you think that they don’t even sleep at all. Which isn't that far off from the truth. They really don’t sleep. Which means your bed is usually reserved for one. But, they still lie somewhere nearby, doing their own thing. 

-Their familiars love you, they also like to mess with you. Testament tells you that is how they show affection. On date nights, the familiars leave Testament’s side, to go to you. They want to make sure you look your best for the evening. They have different takes on what would look good on you, so they often bicker in front of you while holding different accessories.

-Your date nights vary in activities, sometimes it is just a simple restaurant date, sometimes it is a walk around town and sometimes a paintball match.

-Testament suffers from dark thoughts. From the time being under Justice's control. You have to assure them that it wasn't their fault. They just were at the wrong place, wrong time.

-There are only a few things Testament doesn't like, but whenever that is present, they won't sweet coat it.

"Did you have to be so rude to Sol? I know you don't like him, but still. That stung what you said."

"I was simply telling the truth, besides he is a big guy. He can handle it."

"I sure hope so."

-Testament will praise you for everything you do. You cleaned up the dishes? Good job. You made sure no one was coming after them? Great. They want to make sure that you feel comfortable in your relationship. They would hate themselves, if someone that made them feel so special didn't feel like the relationship was special.

-You borrow their clothes, and in turn they borrow yours. "It is an opportunity for both of us." Testament had claimed the first time they had worn some of your clothing. You mix and match both your clothing. Sometimes, the outcome is less than appealing.

-You aren't sure how Testament had gotten hooked on B-films, but they shared it with you. At times you wondered if this was the same Testament with such refined taste in other things. But, seeing their enjoyment you silently watched the movie with them. Oftentimes you found yourself enjoying the movie, even if it was bad. But, Testament's presence alone made the movie better.

-You have tried to use their scythe. It did not go well. The end of the scythe was the heavy part, which was difficult to control. You managed to get in a couple swings at the practice dummy, before the blade almost cut your leg. Testament hurried to you as they took the scythe to their other hand.

"Are you okay?" They asked from you. You nodded to them, as both of you looked down where the scythe had cut. There was a clean cut on your pants, implying the blade hadn't been many cents off from your skin.

"Well, that was close" You exclaimed, which got a chuckle out of them.

"Indeed it did. Let us find a better weapon for you to handle." You spent the rest of the time trying to figure out a good weapon for you to use.

-They have tried to paint you, to varying degrees of success. It's not, that they aren't trying, its just... They aren't that good at it. The first time you posed for them, you were excited to see how turns out. But, when you saw it, you cringed a little bit. Luckily, Testament took that as a smile.

"Do you like it? I do think it looks quite like you."

"Yeah, I do, it looks great." You told them, somehow managing to keep a straight face. Testament was glad you liked it, they went as far as to put it on a showcase in their room. Every time you go there, you are reminded of that.

-You visit bath houses often, those without a roof are the best ones. That way you combine all three, stargazing, bathhouses and Testament cuddled next to you. 

As you step into the warm water, you can feel your muscles relaxing from a long day of walking. As you sat down in the bath, you heard the water moving around, turning your gaze around you saw Testament entering the water, looking glorious as usual. They come near you with a smile. You cuddle to them, as you place your head on their chest listening to their heartbeat. Neither of you say anything, until they break the silence.

“Do you want me to tell you about the stars? They’re looking quite radiant today.” You decided to be a bit sappy, as you gazed into their crimson eyes.

“Not as radiant as you.” Testament chuckled before giving you a forehead kiss. They rested their forehead against yours. 

“That makes two of us then. Both being radiant and magnificent.” With that you made yourself comfortable in their lap, as they started to explain about the star signs and such. As you listened to their voice, being enveloped by the warm water and their hands, the moment felt perfect.

[night-unfurls-its-splendour]

Top 10 Favorite Performances of "Music of the Night"

Honorable Mentions: Laird Mackintosh

I have an affinity for Laird that I can't quite explain. I love an understudy/alt/swing who's been with the production and just lingers for years and years (this is borne out in the rest of the list, as you'll see), I love that he started out in ballet, and I love how energetic he is. Though he falls short on the high notes, he plays the reaction to Christine fainting very well

Honorable Mentions: Dave Willetts

He's so smooth and creeping, and he's one of the especially good Phantoms who catches Christine before she falls (I'm a sucker for that, as will also be borne out in the rest of the list). He's been accused of "Copying" Michael Crawford, and I do see where that criticism is valid, but I think it's understandable given that he took up the mantle very early in the West End run.

Honorable Mentions: Cris Groenendaal

Cris is a really underrated Phantom. Another Alt/Understudy (who, like Laird, spent a lot of time in the role of M. Andre), I think he's got a wonderful power in his voice. His MotN is melodic and seductive. His pitfall is that he does tend to get a little bit nasal for my tastes.

Honorable Mentions: Ramin Karimloo

Honestly I think Ramin lands in most people's top tens. Certainly the 25th Anniversary at the Royal Albert Hall has made him on of the most ubiquitous Phantoms out there. Now, frankly, Ramin has taken a while to grow on me, and while my viewing of the 25th was the thing that pushed me to include him on this list, that performance is not the one that I chose to include here. Instead I went back, to his West End run. While I think Ramin's performance is a bit broad whenever he's actually in character, I do see what people mean about his emphasis on Erik's vulnerability. He does (with slightly less refinement) what I will later in this list praise Earl Carpenter for (and that's high praise from me, as you'll see). Still while I like Ramin's Erik a lot more now than I did, say, four months ago when all this brain-rot started, he's just not one that feels personal to me, which is why I hesitated to put him in the top ten proper.

10. Paul Stanley

I mean of course I'm fascinated by Paul Stanley's whole Phantom saga, so of course he's in here. He's far from the most technically proficient, he struggles with the high notes, but he really does a good job otherwise, and I have to admire his moxy.

09. Brent Barrett

Emphatic and sexy with compelling body language. So underrated.

08. Howard McGillin

Spectral, Resonant and controlled; a legend.

07. Hugh Panaro

Hugh is one of those that I feel like is a pre-requisite in a top ten list. My favorite thing is how he plays heavily on the phantom's fascination with Christine, and not solely on making her fascinated by him

06. Michael Crawford

Another prerequisite. He's ghostly, coaxing; the OG OG. The man who said, "No I want them to be able to see how lustfully he's touching her in the back row. I need to show more skin: make my sleeves shorter." This man understood the assignment and he set the tone and God bless him for it.

05. Anthony Warlow

The original Sydney Phantom, another beautifully strong, clear vocal quality. He has a very old-fashioned style of singing, I think which has a particular charm. If I had to name a fault it would be that he is quite theatrical, which I don't mind, though I tend to prefer an understated phantom. He never undersells a single line. I think his phantom is one of the most "hopeless romantic" interpretations. A particular standout for me is how he conveys that Christine's reluctance tries his patience, but he holds it together and his "touch me, trust me" is beautifully reassuring, while many phantoms choose to portray lust or longing in this moment, his is an appeal for understanding which is very attractive in its own way.

04. Ben Lewis

The power! The gravitas! Ben Lewis is truly one of the greatest blessings in PotO history and his high note? Off the charts. Also, since this is the whole first lair, I just want to say that this is one of my favorite versions of "Stranger than You Dreamt It" I've ever heard.

03. Ted Keegan

Refreshingly sharp and clean. I just love how powerful he is without being overpowering. He's strong, sensual and smooth. *sigh* ~,~ If only he caught her...

02. Earl Carpenter

So pleading, so gentle--holy hell I love Earl so much. Watch him show Erik's inner struggle with his desire for contact and his fear of his deformity throughout this entire scene! Watch him think to himself "Yes, let her touch you! Why shouldn't you?" And then lose his nerve at the last moment! I could go on for hours. Find me a sweeter Phantom. Go ahead.

01. John Owen-Jones

Without a doubt in my mind THE strongest vocal performer in this role. I just love to hear him booming out in his great, Welsh way. He strikes an exquisite balance between his acting and his singing. His vibe in general is amazing, like he really leans into the idea that he's been Christine's teacher as much as her muse. He has guided her through music and he wishes to be her guide into romance as well, and that manifests in every aspect of his performance. Such as the fact that he doesn't walk away from Christine for the second verse, so he's leaning close when he sings "Let your spirit start to soar" and almost always gestures with his hand over her diaphragm. If I'm completely honest, he's the only Phantom (except perhaps Michael Crawford or Gerard Butler) that I can actually imagine giving Christine singing lessons. So few actually inhabit this music obsessed weirdo like JOJ does.

He, perhaps the ultimate gentleman phantom, also catches and carries Christine before she falls. (Special shout out to my girl Gina Beck for also REALLY leaning in to the romanticism of the moment; she looks just so utterly in ecstasy through this whole sequence and that's exactly how I would want to play Christine).

I need to tack a caveat onto the end here:

Gerard Butler's Music of the Night is my actual, number one favorite rendition.

But I wanted this list to be stage versions only.

I think I can put my feelings on this most succinctly like this:

I love JOJ's confidence, his command and his sensuality

I love Earl's gentleness and vulnerability

I love Anthony's patience

I love Ted's crispness

I love Paul's humanity

I love Ben's power

Gerard Butler somehow manages to crystallize ALL of those elements and ramp them every one of them up to 11 with an added element of wholly smitten wonder at Christine that makes me so weak.

[axvwriter]

💉 How do they feel about needles

✏️ Do they write

🛍 What is their fashion taste

Can I ask these 3 about Bobo, please?

(Sorry about the laziness. I'm still waking up, lol)

💉 - How fond are they about needles? (Op of the oc asks really used the word fond? Who's fond of needles?? I would think at best one can tolerate or is indifferent to them... unless I were to say Xia-lin loves needles but only in sticking them in other people /j)

Bobo's indifferent to needles. She doesn't care too much for them, but she has no issue with them if she does need a needle for any medical reason.

(Probably lucky and doesn't even feel needle injections which apparently everyone around me irl but me has such luck. I hate needles. Though a couple of years ago I found the best way for me to not feel/minimize feeling anything is to have it shot-gunned into me. Like just done really fast.)

✏️ - Do they write? If so, what kind(s)? Creative, journaling, etc.

The format of this question makes me want to think the question is asking if the oc writes for any fun manner; or even doing something like calligraphy, again for fun.

Bobo does not journal or write creatively or anything like that. The closest she gets to it is when she has to handwrite letters to the kingdom above her own. They insist that Bobo handwrite them and it sometimes takes longer than she'd like as she makes sure her handwriting is super neat and easily readable. Because if it isn't, the royals from the other kingdom will basically nag her about it.

Usually Bobo types things on a device with the occasional screen-touch written/drawn? signature. Though she also does at times write, her handwriting is readable, but a bit messy and rushed looking. With all the paperwork she reads through, Bobo has no interest in any creative form of writing. She's tired of looking at blocks of text.

🛍 - What’s their fashion taste(s)?

(I know like the name of some fashion styles, but not enough to actually name any of them for any of my characters. Unless it's business casual or lolita or gothic.)

Bobo has a preference for bright, cheerful clothes like blue and yellow. She often wears a red-orange color though as that's the Mycelind royal color. Not really a necessity for their royalty to wear, but she takes her job so seriously that she chooses to wear it anyway. If she can, she'll never wear a majority of the color white as that's the other kingdom's royal color. Her gloves do tend to be white as that's her personal preference on telling how clean her gloves are.

Bobo prefers dresses, skirts, and skorts. She often wears light-weight shorts or something similar underneath her skirt for modesty. Though really the chances of seeing under her skirt would usually only be in battle I would think and I'd think the fight itself would be too distracting to even notice. Just in case though.

Due to her kingdom's climate, Bobo does go with shorter wear, like short-sleeves and/or no sleeves. I'm actually a bit torn on how to dress her during her childhood as while I know what modesty would be like for the kingdom, I'm concerned of it coming off as inappropriate for kids. Like in-universe it's probably no big deal, but online irl I worry about gaining the attention of creeps.

So childhood Bobo's probably dressed more modest, while adult Bobo might not be? I actually haven't experimented with what adult Bobo's outfits may look like now that I think about it. Like I've decided what adult Bobo's hairstyle will be and I'm sure her outfit will be similar to her childhood ones. Anyway-

Bobo quite likes frills and cutesy looks. Her preference for skirts doesn't mean she hates pants though. She's willing to wear pants and prefers pants that has some frills or a semi-skirt to it.

Twst Bobo is a bit different as she's in a different climate that she's not used to. In Twisted Wonderland Bobo is constantly feeling cold so she's usually in full uniform to try to fight the coldness. She's also limited in clothing options so she doesn't get to show off her style much. I have her tie her tie as a bow like Riddle and Epel do as partially as that's what she prefers and partially because she's never tied a tie before.

I also gave her a grey shirt instead of white as Vil has a grey shirt which suggests to me that school uniform shirts don't have to strictly be white. If Bobo has options, she will avoid white. Only her gloves get to be white. (So of course the fairy gala outfits are basically majority white and I do plan to draw her in one of her own at some point.)

While Bobo does prefer skirts, Twst Bobo won't even look for them. She's used to mid-length/short skirts which would be too cold for her liking. She leans more for pants in Twisted Wonderland.

I do have a fan oc for twst named Lance that I've made mostly as an excuse to give Twst Bobo some more clothes. Though Bobo just takes whatever she can have, not feeling like she has much right to ask for any specifics. Especially as Lance doesn't seem to know how to take proper breaks along with him giving her stuff for free.

[orieriee]

Going on a date with one piece men + their wardrobe!

Author's note: it has been a long time since I posted but I have these random date hcs I like to imagine from time to time for a thousand notes/reblogs special! Thank you liking and supporting my work! Also sorry for the cringey outfit edits, it's for visual purposes only.

Pairings! Ace, Zoro, Sabo, Law x GN! Reader. Fluff.

Portgas D. Ace:

Probably wears an old white T-shirt, an outer (specifically yellow for this one) so that when you're cold he could give that to you, and jeans with a pair of old sneakers.

He doesn't own that many sets of outfit but he's giving me very chill but extroverted, casual skater boy vibes. (And yes, I headcanon he does actually skate)

Spring is the season of love so it is spring every day with Ace. Man is a clingy golden retriever boyfriend

It's a good day today so he's taking you to the nearby park to feed the swans and the geese! His favorite part of the date is getting to hold your hand ofc!

Don't forget the picnic basket, he has been planning on going picnic with you in his favorite park for WEEKS

He didn't cook the meals because of how clumsy he was in the kitchen but still wanted to help so behold his messy strawberry jam sandwiches

Wipes the corner of your mouth because there's some strawberry jam and then eats it

Or better, you're wiping the corner of his mouth but instead of wiping it with a hand/handkerchief, you kissed the corner of his mouth, tasting the strawberry jam

Ace would be so flustered and turns as red as the fresh strawberry jam

Tries to kiss you back on the cheek but missed because you move to lay on your back

Still flustered but joins you anyway, spending quality time staring at the pink and orange-yellowy sky

Oh look! The swans!

Roronoa Zoro:

Tbh, his closet's color palette is a mess but there's definitely green. He usually wears sport jackets with nothing underneath but sometimes he does wear sweater underneath when it's cold

Loves to collect sport shoes so you know how he is, sport is his passion on this one. Or should I say fashion? Get it? Passion and fashion? Nevermind.

Let's you wear whatever you want, feel free to borrow his clothes

The chill but protective boyfriend

You wanted to go to the skating rink but since he's terribly bad at it and doesn't want you to see him make a mess out of himself, he's taking you to the bowling alley instead!

He's not bad in bowling but he's also not that good either. It all depends on his throwing skills... But mostly luck he says

Wear your sportwears, something a bit tight. That'll get him distracted for sure. Although he tries to be respectful.

But when someone decided to do the same (aka, staring), he'll make sure the other person does not anymore by shooting death glares and sending them threat*ning aura

"What's up, babe?" you took the bowling ball from his hands while he's looking to the other person

"Nothing. Just some creeps." he said as he's tying his jacket around your waist, covering your bottom

He says that he's sorry for bringing you to the bowling alley, saying that he should've bring you to another place for the date so that you can be more comfortable

Honestly a gentleman behavior

Sabo & Law under the cut!

Sabo:

Definitely academia aesthetic. He likes shirts, with the collar and all. Also coats. The colors may vary but an outfit put together has to be from the same palette so it looks more neat and, well, put together🤷‍♀️

Actually collects hats but only wear them on special occasions

He may seem like a funny and chill going guy but behind your back, he's kinda possessive

Like, if you're talking to another person (where the other person shows interest in you but you're just trying to be friendly), he'll appear behind your back quietly and shoot threatening glare + smile to the person in front of you

Speaking of him appearing, he promised you to go on a full planned out date so the first thing he did was taking you for lunch at a cozy cafe that belongs to one of his friends!

He kept asking whether you find the food delicious or not and making sure to take notes on what you like and don't like so that when you two decide to come back here again, he'll order it for you

After the delicious lunch, he's taking you to the cinema to watch his/your favorite movie! He likes documentary types of movie and a bit of sci-fi and historical. You'll see him geek out about it after the movie. It is even better if he gets to geek out with you

But if you don't like these types of movie, he'll pick your favorite to watch and eventually learn to like it and geek about it with you

Exiting the cinema while holding hands, both of you walk down a few blocks to the amusement park

The highlight part of the date was enjoying the sunset from the top of the ferris wheel

Usually you two have deep talks, sharing about each other's day or confessing love to one another while the sky's the color of cotton candy

Who knows, maybe you two might share a kiss or two in the ferris wheel ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Trafalgar Law:

Mostly black aesthetic with a touch of silver or gold. He likes turtlenecks, coats, and long sleeves. Sometimes he wears glasses to read but not usually. Also belt is a must.

Sometimes wear something grey or navy. Own some colors but never too bright

This man might appear cold on the outside, but the type to immediately melts the moment he's with his spouse--No, not the mushy type but you can definitely feel the temperature difference ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) (get it?)

Law is actually very protective if he really finds the right person, so if you are one for him, you'll soon find him and yourself having a heart-warming conversation about your future house and how many cats/dogs you would want to have

So he's taking you for a ride to see the beautiful estate with gorgeous mountain/sea views

But before that, he's stopping by at a bookstore to pick up some new books to read, his house has a corner dedicated to his medical books as well as some sora;warrior of the sea comics hidden in the shelf

The bookstore has a cafe nearby so both of you warm up with some coffee before heading to the estate

The estate is a little far from here since it's a countryside estate, but the views are amazing so both of you figured that buying a house there would be nice

And Law's driving skills, oh gosh, imagine his one of his tattoed arms on the steering wheel while the other grabbing the persneling-- sorry I have a thing for Law's smexy arms ✋😔

Arriving there, you two talked with the estate agent before they're taking you to one of the houses to see the interior

The house itself is pretty big, with the backyard immediately faces the sea views with mountains surrounding the area. Law's already thinking about living the rest of his life here with you if you don't mind, he's quietly having butterflies in his stomach

Man who plans ahead with you in their future >>> 😩

[cherry-writes-yanderes]

Yandere La Unita Speciale Headcanons

Warnings: gender neutral reader, yandere behavior, physical abuse, mental abuse, claustrophobia triggers, blood, torturous experimentation, starvation, Secco being cute (in his own way), graphic depictions of biting

Doppio my beloved 😩 I’ll leave now-

Note: I didn’t write anything about Carne, just because he creeps me out- sorry ^^” I also wrote Tiziano and Squalo in a more platonic fashion towards the reader, since they are already together and I would like to keep it that way~

Ha, you thought that the creepy-ass mad surgeon and his weird pet dude who likes sugar cubes was all you needed to worry about?

Oh honey, you ain’t seen nothing yet

The rest of them were on your tail as soon as they heard word from the green-haired psychopath about how cute and “responsive” you were to his many experiments

Secco seemed to like you too, sharing sugar cubes with you and snuggling you whenever Cioccolata was done with you

But that’s surely not how all of this started, no.

Cioccolata told the tale to the Boss of how they met you

They saw you once, walking the streets of Venice and nibbling on a sugar cookie that you had gotten from a shop a few minutes before

Of course, Secco instantly fell in love (with the cookie or you, Cioccolata wasn’t sure)

They decided to take you home with them and, shall we say...

Test you out.

Ignoring your screams, Secco would hold the camera up and record while Cioccolata poked and prodded at you

He laughed whenever you screamed out in pain and fear

Secco didn’t like your crying though, and would whine at Cioccolata for more treats to calm him down

The surgeon complied for the first hour, giving him sugar cube after sugar cube

Soon enough, Cioccolata was too distracted with his pure delight of seeing you in pain to notice Secco was even there

Lemme tell you, Secco did not like that one bit.

When the madman was finally done with you for the night, he wiped off his hands and left you alone

However, Secco stayed

Shaking with anger and jealousy, he stalked over to where you were, leaning down close to you

You shook, whimpering and sore from the previous events

How could Secco possibly be worse than him?

You took that back when Secco swiftly leaned down and bit into your shoulder, hard.

He sat there, holding you still and grinding his teeth into your flesh as you screamed

You were almost louder than when Cioccolata had his fun with you

He giggled manically and detached himself, coming up to stare you in the face

He smiled, blood coating his teeth and dribbling down his chin

You only cried louder, overwhelmed and scared

Secco licked at the blood left on his face and he slowly realized that you tasted...

Sweet.

This is what prompted Secco’s cuddly nature, Cioccolata enjoying seeing him being lovey dovey with another

The story Cioccolata told intrigued the others in the gang, prompting them to ask where you were and if they could see you

Cioccolata agreed

This is what started your own personal Hell on Earth

Congratulations.

-------------------------------------------

Diavolo won’t reveal himself until you get acquainted with the others, so the first few days of this would really only be spending time with the more lower-rank of Unita Speciale

Squalo and Tiziano find you interesting, doting on you as if you were a child

They’d sit down with you and talk, although half of the time if seemed as if they were about to make out right in front of you

You were always very confused about how their relationship worked

Are they together??? Or not???

You didn’t wanna ask

You felt slightly more safe with them, since they seemed mostly harmless unless you piss them off

THEN you have a problem

When it’s their turn to take care of you and you did something to tick them off

They’ll ignore you, touching and doting on each other instead

Which doesn’t seem too bad at first

Until you realize that they’ll “forget” to feed you

They’ll ignore your grumbling belly in the quietness of the room, you just sitting there and silently begging for one of the others to come home and realize that you’re starving

Depending on how long the two need to take care of you, this tactic of ignoring you could go on for days

Only when you’re crying and begging on your knees for them to forgive you would they finally give you something to eat

They’d pet your head and shush your sniffling as you bit into whatever they gave you

It’s almost as if they see you as their child with how they treat you

You should be grateful that they don’t hurt you like Cioccolata does

He’ll ease up on his experiments when you get settled into the routine

(As well as the fact that Squalo and Tiziano complain that you don’t look as good bruised up)

You like to think that Secco had something to do with Cio’s newfound mercy over you

Secco enjoys bothering you

He likes to poke at you for head scratches and kissies, the latter being something he’d never asked for from Cioccolata

The surgeon’s pet knows you’re a softer kind of love, different from his master

One thing that I think he would enjoy is putting a sugar cube between his teeth and make you take it out with your mouth

You better enjoy it too.

Do you want to get bit again?

I didn’t think so.

Just go with it and then you can crawl into Doppio’s bed when he gets back~

Doppio is honestly the softest of them all

He is baby-

He’ll let you sleep in his bed, he’ll show you Mr. Froggy

He even used your hairbrush when the Boss called him

While you were actively brushing your hair

That definitely did not go over well when he finally hung up and gave it back

He has the most gentle kisses ever, istg-

That definitely helps after you come crying to him after an unusually pain-filled day with Cioccolata

You have obviously misbehaved, but he was always patient with you

The first time he had to punish you though-

Oh boy,,

That wasn’t just painful for you

Doppio didn’t want to hurt you, but you had tried to jump out of a window that Squalo had accidentally left open

Why would you try to do that?

Doppio was sitting right there, petting your head and giving you gentle kisses

And all you give him in return is showing that you’re still not behaving?

Diavolo whispers in Doppio’s ear

He tells him that you need to be punished

Right now.

Doppio doesn’t want to, but he can’t refuse the Boss.

He drags you over to a small closet

He struggled with it a bit because you were kicking and screaming the entire time

“They’re just being fussy, my sweet Doppio~ They’ll learn after you do this.” Diavolo whispered sweetly

The pink-haired man shoved you into the closet, shedding silent tears

He doesn’t like seeing you this upset

You scream and bang on the door as a sobbing Doppio stands against it to keep you in

Soon enough, you stop

Only soft whimpering inside the closet could be heard

Diavolo finally decides it’s time to reveal himself to you

Almost as if it is a reward to see him

After a few hours of letting you stew on what you’ve done, the door opens and the light blinds you

You instantly run out and hug the person you see in the doorway, expecting it to be Doppio with his arms out, ready to hold you

But who you hugged was different, taller and more muscular

You tried to back up but the figure held one hand on your hip and the other on the small of your back, resting his chin on your head

When your eyes finally adjusted, long pink hair dangled in front of your eyes

Whew!~ Sorry this was so long! I enjoyed writing it though! Thanks for reading!~ <3

Be ready for La Squadra next ;3

[deathbyjoong]

ATEEZ Honeymoon HCs

Summary: I wrote a few thousand words on what I thought a honeymoon would be like with each member of ATEEZ. I hope you all enjoy ✨

Many many thanks to @bfyunho​ for beta-ing and generally being my favorite person 💕

Warnings: fluff and smut. 18+ ONLY!

Seonghwa

Y’all already KNOW that a honeymoon with Seonghwa is just gonna be two weeks of him exercising his duality

Constant love-making? Absolutely. But also! Lots of interesting things to do and many opportunities to make memories

Where’s he gonna do that? A large resort suite all to yourselves in Mediterranean ItalyIt’s warm, sensual, fun, perfect--everything you ever wanted

Days spent wandering the town, swimming, finding museums and restaurants

Seonghwa insists on taking selfies at every single location--he wants to know every single one of these moments long after his memory has failed him

Sunbathing on a private sailboat on the Amalfi Coast, soaking in the vitamin D 

The ship’s captain finds a beautiful, unoccupied spot in a shallow cove, and drops anchor

He then heads into the cabin of the boat to give you and your husband some privacy

Seonghwa sits on a lounge chair behind you, rubbing sunscreen on your shoulders

He’s letting his hands move just as slowly and sensually across your skin as he wants, taking his time in listening to your breath hitch in your throat

Eventually ducking his head down to press his lips to a spot on your neck he hasn’t covered yet, while his thumbs still rub circles on your shoulders

Giving all his attention to that one area, biting lightly then sucking the skin to soothe it

You lean your head back, giving him all the access he could want, and a soft sigh escapes your parted lips

His hair tickles your shoulder, but Seonghwa doesn’t linger long before he’s turning you to face him so he can kiss you properly

He’s got the ties of your swimsuit undone in seconds, and you throw your legs over Seonghwa’s hips as soon as it’s off

You grind yourself on him, abusing his swim shorts in your pursuit of a little friction

Hwa grips you by the waist, firmly but not enough to hurt. Just enough to get you close--enough to help you rise and fall on him

Something occurs to you, and you break the kiss to breathlessly murmur in his ear

“You need sunscreen, too. You’re gonna burn.”

Hwa chuckles, dangerously low, flashing his teeth as he reaches down with one hand and picks up the bottle he’d set on the deck

“My wife is so considerate,” he coos, handing it to you

You take it, rolling your eyes. But Seonghwa’s arms tighten around you once more, and you’re brought close to the tent in his shorts again

“Will you put some on me too, then?” He looks up at you with puppy dog eyes that are completely betrayed by his pupils, blown wide

You squeeze some of the lotion into your hands and let the bottle fall down as you spread it over his shoulders

You’re consumed by his kiss again, gripping his shoulders, arms, neck, wherever you can reach

His skin rubs slick against yours because of the sunscreen, and all you can taste is the salt on Seonghwa’s lips as he does away with his shorts and finally pushes into you

It doesn’t take more than ten minutes of soft moans, grinding, and his mouth against your neck for you to come, head thrown back and facing the sun

Your husband isn’t long after, burying his face in the crook of your shoulder as he loses himself in you

When you’ve come down from your high, Seonghwa stands slowly and pulls you with him

“Let’s go swimming.”

You spend the rest of the afternoon wading in the shallow waters of the cove, soaking in the sun and kicking up the white sand with your toes

When the sun starts to slide down the sky, setting everything aglow with orange and gold, Seonghwa stands behind you and holds his lips to the back of your head

His arms are around you, and your joined form sways gently with the waves until the sun falls away completely

When you get back to the resort, you both shower off and Seonghwa presents you with a beautiful dress to wear to dinner

He wines and dines you every single night, even making an effort to learn some Italian to more easily place your orders and interact with locals

And each night, he lifts his glass and toasts, “To you, Mrs. Park.”

Hongjoong

It took exactly zero convincing for you to get Hongjoong to agree to Paris

He loved the idea right away, because it’s a city known for its art and fashion

You reserve a penthouse room in the heart of Paris, with floor to ceiling windows and sheer white curtains

The two of you arrive in Paris decked out in the most impeccable airport fashion, ready to paint the city red

Unfortunately, the jet lag hits you both a little harder than expected

So you spend the rest of the first day sleeping and eating in bed, to the backdrop of sultry French soul music playing over the radio

The next morning, you wake up just as the sun is beginning to peek over the rooftops

It sends gold rays through the blue light of the morning

You slept with the windows cracked, and the soft breeze blows through the curtains

He’s sleeping next to you, and you curl up against him, perfectly content to get a few more minutes of sleep

His t-shirt smells like him--like home-- and you smile to yourself

But something less wholesome is going on his head

Hongjoong’s eyebrows tilt and his lips part as he whimpers in his sleep

It’s an expression you recognize, although he’s only ever made it while he’s very much awake

Usually as you take him, nails grazing down his stomach, watching his head fall back against the pillows

You have to wonder if that’s what he’s dreaming about, but you’re not about to sit by and let the dream version of you have all the fun

Throwing a leg over his hips, you rest your hands on Joong’s chest and slowly kiss his neck

He moans softly, eyes opening as he wakes

His hands find your hips, pulling you against the growing hardness in his sweatpants, and there’s a sheepish smirk on his face

“Sounded like a good dream,” you whisper against his lips

Hongjoong smiles in the dim light, his eyes flicking to your mouth

“It was,” he replies

His hand is creeping up your back, fingers purposely snagging on your t-shirt

“But nothing compared to this, and nothing compared to you,” he says, and kisses you firmly

You’re not usually one for morning sex, but this lazy love is exquisite in its own way

It’s all slow touches and kisses that are soft but not lacking in passion

Hongjoong shifts to be on top of you and your noses bump, causing both of you to giggle a bit

Joong hides his face in your neck, but takes the opportunity to place a few kisses there

The pair of you take your time in climbing the mountain, but you reach the peak at the same time, hands clasped and legs tangled

You tilt your head a little to watch his face as he comes because the sight of him, and the sounds he’s making, are nothing short of gorgeous

Following an equally slow comedown, you shower off together and clamber back into bed for another couple hours of sleep

When you’re both a bit more rested, you set out on foot to explore the city

Munching on croissants with Hongjoong at an outdoor cafe, and sipping espressos before setting off again

You stop at a small flower stand, and Joong buys you a handful of roses

As you walk on, he has his hands in his pockets, and you loop your arm through his

The content smile playing on his lips gives you a high, and you bask in the moment

The following day, you drive to the Musee du Louvre, and stay until closing time

Joong looks at the art, and you look at him, admiring your own masterpiece

You’re thankful you ended up here because it gives you a perfect, constant view of his profile, from his starry eyes to the tip of his nose to his lovely mouth

He catches you staring at him, and blushes while trying to suppress a smile

You do another day trip to the palace and gardens at Versailles, holding hands as you stroll through the ornate, golden halls and endless paths adorned by flowers

And, of course, it’s not a trip to Paris, or a trip with Hongjoong, if there isn’t shopping for clothes at some point

You pick outfits out for each other in the city’s best boutiques de vetements, from sleek luxury retailers to some of the more underrated shops in the art district

The two of you end up having to buy another suitcase for all the clothes you bring back, but this turn of events is shocking to no one

It’s the most fun you could have on a vacation, and your only consolation for having to go home at the end of the week is getting to start the best adventure of all

Being married to your best friend

Yunho

You’ve always wanted to visit Austria

What better occasion than your honeymoon to spend a week in Salzburg?

It’s all wonderful-- the music, scenery, history, and dancing!

It’s a series of beautiful moments from the very start of your trip

You and Yunho watch Harry Potter together on the plane there, sharing earbuds and mouthing the spells together

At one point, Yunho moves the armrest so the two of you can comfortably hold hands

You doze off together, heads resting against each other, and are only awoken by the captain announcing that you’ve landed

You were worried about jet lag, but your Energizer bunny husband has an abundance of contagious excitement

You drop your bags at the hotel, change clothes, and immediately set off on your first adventure

It’s a sunny, breezy day and the sweet aroma of flowers on balconies is everywhere

You’re strolling hand in hand down a cobblestone road in the historic district of the town when you and Yunho hear the music at the same time

You’re drawn like magnets to the sound of a small band playing on the sidewalk

Yunho pulls you in for a dance, just like you knew he would, one grasping yours and the other pulling you close by the waist

As he swings you in circles, you think to yourself, this is why you married him

His carefree nature, spontaneity, and the joy his spirit radiates

And the laughter in your ears that’s just as much music as the instruments being played on the corner of the street

Though you don’t know the steps, and you’re pretty sure Yunho is making them up on the spot, you never once stumble over each other

He ends the dance by twirling you around, tickled pink at how much fun you’re both having

Next, you find a little outdoor cafe, and insist on feeding him yourself

Yunho is blushing and acting like he thinks it’s ridiculous, but when you finally give up, he picks up the fork and hands it back to you with a sheepish smile

You giggle and scoop up a piece of the chocolate cake you’re sharing, watching his cheeks turn pink as he accepts it

By the time the cake is finished, you’ve got a bit of chocolate icing on the corner of your mouth

Instead of just pointing it out to you, Yunho becomes Yunhoe

There’s a mischievous glint in his eyes as he reaches across the little table and swipes his thumb across your lip

You thought he was just being cute, until he brings his hand back to his mouth and sucks the icing off his thumb

As you watch with a smirk, Yunho gives you a look that makes it clear he’s doing the math in his head of how quickly you can get back to the hotel room

He throws a handful of Euros on the table (more than the bill would’ve been) and grabs your hand

Twenty minutes later, you stumble backwards out of the elevator, arms thrown around Yunho’s shoulders

His mouth is hot over yours, and you have to laugh at yourself for not even making it one day before jumping each other

But hey-- what are honeymoons for, right?

He breaks your kiss only to swipe the key card at the room door, but his lips are right back on yours as soon as he can

Yunho picks you up, wrapping your legs around his waist, and blindly pushes the door open behind you

You’re not sure whose idea it was, or if either of you even thought about it, but you end up bent over the balcony railing, your lower half shielded from pedestrians below only by flower boxes

Yunho’s got one hand around your waist, and the other hand braced on the railing

He’s groaning softly between kisses against the side of your neck, thrusting into you from behind

At one point his hand drifts from your waist to press into your clit, causing your head to fall back against his shoulder

Yunho puts a hand over your mouth to stifle the moans that you can’t keep in

You come shortly after with a muffled cry into his palm, and Yunho bites into your shoulder as gently as he can to muffle his own noise when he comes a moment later

You take a few moments to come down before Yunho walks you inside to clean off

You collapse onto the bed together for a much-needed nap, dozing off peacefully in your favorite place in the world-- your husband’s arms

Yeosang

You had to reason with Yeosang just a little to get him to agree to go to Greece for your honeymoon

But once he realized why you picked it out of all places, he came around

It offers food, sunshine, fresh air, and many adventures in a place made for exploring

Getting excited on the plane ride in, giggling with each other and looking out the window at the islands like a couple of excited kids

You go searching for the best views in Santorini, climbing through the endless maze of steps between white and blue buildings

So many selfies--Yeosang smiling shyly with his cheek pressed to the side of your head

After a while, he really starts to relax and have fun, and his smiles in your pictures get wider and wider

One day is devoted entirely to walking through the market in town, buying random food items just because they smell good and holding them out for the other to try

At one point Yeosang slips away while you’re not paying attention

Trying not to panic, you look around, feeling like a child who’s lost their mom at a supermarket

Just as you’re starting to lose your breath, Yeosang catches you by the waist

You knew it was him just by his touch, but you still look to his face for the reassurance that he’s there

There’s a glint in his eye that implies he’s amused by your concern at losing him, but he tells you it’s okay, and shows you where he went:

A bright bouquet of flowers no doubt native to the island is bursting from his hands in marvelous yellows, pinks, and whites

You recognize Asphodels, but the rest are beautiful, nameless mysteries

They almost get crushed between your bodies as you throw your arms around Sangie and kiss him in full public view

No one seems to mind it though-- it appears as though love is in the air on this day, carried by the light sea breeze and lit by the sun

Yeosang smiles into the kiss before reminding you to be careful of your flowers

You take them from him with a grin, but when you’re on your way home, the smile turns into a pout

“Sang?” “Yeah?” “My feet hurt.”

Yeosang fakes a dramatic sigh, but it’s not another second before he’s crouching in front of you, holding his arms out behind him

You gleefully climb on, and Yeosang carries you the rest of the short walk to your AirBnB

He’ll never say it out loud, but his favorite thing in the world is feeling your arms around his shoulders

Just like on your wedding day, just like now, just like he wants every day for the rest of his life

Another day, the two of you are hiking through some of the more rural parts of Santorini, and happen upon a beautiful wild olive grove near a cliff face

You come back the next morning with a blanket and some snacks, and spend the entire day in the shade

Admiring him as you sit by the seaside, because he looks so stunning among the greens and blues and yellows

Again--SO. MANY. SELFIES

It’s not your fault he looks that good

Maybe he looks a little too good

Maybe you make a mess of your picnic blanket after grabbing your husband and pulling him on top of you

Once Yeosang looks around and ascertains that there’s absolutely no one around, he’s all game

His hands are bunching the skirt up around your hips, his mouth greedy and searching your neck for any spot that’ll make you whimper when he sucks into it

Your spot in paradise turns into rapture as his fingers meet your core, massaging you until you start to dig your nails into his shoulder

You’ve got one hand on his bicep and the other in his hair when he takes you in one smooth motion, finding his rhythm like he never dropped it in the first place

You come apart beneath him, and beneath the softly rustling leaves of the olive trees

The two of you fall asleep shortly after, completely relaxed in each other’s arms

Holding hands on your walks through the town at night, underneath the twinkle lights

You’ve married your best friend, and this is the best beginning to your lives together that you could ever imagine

Happiness settles around you like a light blanket, and you hope it stays forever

San

Don’t ask me why, but a glass igloo hotel in Iceland seems perfect

It’s cozy but not too small, and it’s the picture of quiet luxury

The glass walls and ceiling give you a beautiful view of the wide Icelandic sky, which is clear as crystal after a fresh snowfall

There’s a fireplace against one wall, with a fuzzy rug in front of it and many, many pillows

You spend the first evening snuggled up there with San, sipping hot chocolate and talking about every random thing you can think of

He keeps finding reasons to say “my wife”, getting all giggly every time he does

After you fall asleep, another storm rolls through, dropping an extra foot of powdery snow all around you

You and San are oblivious, however, because you’re both fast asleep under several layers of blankets

Safe and warm in your little nest, you nuzzle your face into San’s neck, and he tightens his arms around you in his sleep

Because being with you, and keeping you close, comes as naturally to him as breathing

When you wake up, you see the wonderland outside and it’s not even a discussion-- you and Sannie are outside as fast as you can put on your clothes

You play in the snow together, and his adorable laugh echoes around you every time he beans you with a snowball

Chasing each other around like little kids, giggling and kicking up the snow

San catches you by the waist and spins you around, making sure to never drop you

You wrestle around a bit but eventually end up making snow angels together

When you stand up to admire your outlines in the snow, San pulls you close and presses his face into your hair

Putting an arm around his waist, you brush some of the snow off his jacket

He catches your hand, and holds it to his chest, where you can feel his heart pounding

“Never forget that this beats for you, okay?”

You almost cry, but opt to pull San to you and press kisses all over his face instead

He just giggles and accepts every single peck on his quickly-heating cheeks

Later that day, you make your way to the hot springs nearby, running as fast as you can to the water’s edge after dropping your coats

It’s a rush to the senses, slipping into the hot spring and away from the frigid air

San is behind you, gripping your hand tightly

You find a ledge that’s been carved into the rock underwater, and make yourselves comfortable on it

San leans back, eyes closed, and you can see the puffs of his breath coming slower and slower as he fully relaxes

You lean back against his arm, enjoying the feeling of his skin and the soft water pooling around you

You end up throwing your legs over his thighs and curling into his side

His arm goes around your shoulders, and you feel every bit of worry leave your body

You’re heavy with relaxation, but you feel lighter than ever

That evening, you’re watching a movie and sipping spiked hot chocolate when a flash of green lights up the igloo

Gasping, you stand up to stare skywards, mouth open

San turns off the movie and moves next to you, taking your hand and squeezing it lightly

You watch the Northern Lights in silence as they ripple across the sky in vivid purples, blues, and greens

A few minutes into the show, you glance over at San to see his eyes glittering with all the colors

He looks so beautiful, holding entire galaxies, and he doesn’t even realize it

When the lights begin to fade down, you reach over and pull San to you

He knew what you wanted from the first millisecond of touch

He responds in kind, tugging you as close to him as he can and making quick work of both your shirts

Chests pressed together and breathing ragged, you let yourselves fall back onto the rug

Arms and legs tangle as you make love beneath the glass ceiling, and the auroras begin to flicker again, making everything that much more beautiful

Falling asleep in each others’ arms, not only for the warmth, but because you love him more than anything in the world

Mingi

Madagascar!

It’s a lesser known honeymoon destination, with fewer people than some of the more popular spots in Europe or the Caribbean

You have your own bungalow on the beach, with room service twice a day and spa services as well

Getting massages and face masks with Mingi? Yes. Doing so in matching fluffy white robes? Double yes.

Going on a safari adventure to see the lemurs!

You and Mingi pile into the backseat of an open-air Jeep and a driver takes you around one of the wildlife refuges

You two have the time of your lives looking at all the animals, grabbing each other and pointing when you see a new one

He’s smiling so big the entire time, and his happiness is contagious

You both sleep in late every day just because you can--no alarms, just birds twittering and sunlight filtering through the blinds

Waking up in each other’s arms, nestled under a layer of soft blankets

All you have to do is open your eyes, and Mingi is right there, sleeping soundly with the corners of his mouth turned up

His hair is tousled and he looks so peaceful

That is, until you try to get up to make breakfast, and he refuses to let you get out of bed

He doesn’t even wake up; just throws one arm around you and hugs you tight, humming in his sleep with a little pout on his lips

You can’t help but smile, and relent to his cute charm

An hour or so later, when both of you wake up, Mingi kisses you all over your face

It’s the best way to say “good morning” in his opinion, and you’re pretty sure he’s right

Another day, you do a guided hike through Amber Mountain National Park

There are even more lemurs, and many other animals

The air is so clean you can’t even believe it, and peace seeps into you with each step further into the lush, green wilderness

You stop to swim in an emerald pool at the foot of a small waterfall, and your guide steps away to give you a moment of privacy

You get close to Mingi, resting your hands on his shoulders and pressing your forehead to his

The water flows softly around you, but Mingi is your rock--steadfast and comfortable to you always

He kisses you sweetly, and you feel any tension he might have had leaving his body with each deep inhale

Your favorite moment from the trip, however, has to be your journey to the Avenue of the Baobabs

The Baobab trees have long been a legendary symbol of the African wilds, but seeing them up close in reality is its own level of breathtaking

Nothing could have prepared you for just how massive the Baobabs are, towering above the horizon as you approach in your tour Jeep

You’re dropped off at the beginning of the path that winds through hundreds of the giant trees, and told to meet back there in a couple of hours

Mingi pulls you down the trail excitedly, telling you that if he had to be a tree, he would be one of these

You snap your favorite photo ever that afternoon

It’s a picture of Mingi, grinning widely, hugging a Baobab (or trying to, since that particular tree had a diameter of about fifteen feet)

He looks so happy, almost childlike, and the joy just radiates off of him

That picture gets framed the second you return from your trip, and it’s also the lockscreen on your phone

Although your days are spent visiting every destination on the island, your evenings are a much-needed quiet time to recharge

You and Mingi snuggle up for a movie some nights, and other nights you drink on the porch and listen to the sounds of the jungle

Sometimes you get distracted from the movie or the scenery, and kiss Mingi a whole bunch instead

He’s more than willing to pull you close, and even carry you off, when you whisper something sinful in his ear

But no matter what you get up to, his love and sweetness are in every touch

Whether you’re out and about, or enjoying a quiet moment to yourselves, his arm is around you always, and you never have to ask twice for extra kisses

Wooyoung

A beach resort in Turks and Caicos seems like the perfect place to go with Wooyoung

Hear me out-- it’s got music and tourists that are just as loud as he is

Crystal clear, bright blue waters greet you as the two of you hitch a ride from the airport

All the windows in the cab are down, because it’s sunny and just the right kind of warm

Salty sea air fills your lungs and the wind breezes through your hair

You’re given complementary rum punch when you check in, and it’s the perfect start to your trip

You and Wooyoung drop your bags off at the room and immediately change into your swimsuits

The resort backs right up to the beach, so you run out in your sandals, hand in hand as you make a beeline toward the water

The sand is hot beneath your feet, but you don’t even notice because you’re so excited and the water! is so! blue!

You crash into the surf seconds later, the warm water swirling around your legs

You wade through the water until you’re chest deep, then kick up your feet and float on your back

There are no breakers, nor boats allowed, in the calm waters of the bay, so you float in the soft blue for a little bit, content to just let the tide wash you back to shore in whatever timeline it sees fit

You reach out at the line between sea and sky, meeting the skin of Wooyoung’s arm

He’s still standing, staring in wonder at the paradise around you, but he takes your hand without thinking

He’s your anchor, letting you float without drifting away

You spend the next several hours going back and forth between the sea and the sand, finding beach chairs to lounge on while you lay in the sun

As the sun starts to fall in the sky, you decide to head back to the room to shower off and get dressed for a fancy dinner

You’re minding your business, rinsing the shampoo out of your hair, when the bathroom door opens and Wooyoung pokes his face inside

“Mind if I join you?”

“Not at all. It’ll save water,” you respond, smiling

Woo sheds his swimshorts and joins you, slipping in as fast as he can to keep the steam inside the glass door of the shower

You massage shampoo into his hair, enjoying his little hums of appreciation

He rinses it out while you wash your body, and you stand behind him as he washes off too

His back is to you and you openly stare at the water running down his back

You feel heavy, relaxed, from spending all day in the sun, but there’s one thing that could make this afternoon even better

Once all the soap is off of him, you step forward and kiss the spot between his shoulder blades

Never a stranger to your unspoken wishes, Wooyoung leans his head back as you kiss your way up to his shoulder

When you can’t reach any more, he turns and kisses you, hard

He’s got one hand snaked around your waist and the other holding your face to his

Your arms are around his shoulders in a heartbeat, and he backs you against the tile

It’s cold, but the warm water is still running between your bodies, giving you shivers

Wooyoung breaks the kiss only to kneel in front of you, throwing your leg over his shoulder

He brings you to the edge with his mouth, then stands again, keeping your leg hitched over his hip

When he fucks you, you’re worried that people are going to see the scratches on his shoulders the next day at the beach

But eventually, you can’t be bothered to think about it, and you lose yourself in his touch instead

You come apart shortly after, chests heaving and skin pressed to wet skin

A little while later, you’re toasting one another over dinner

The restaurant offers many amazing local delicacies, and Wooyoung insists on hand-feeding you at least half of them throughout your trip

There’s live music every night at the resort’s restaurant & bar, and Wooyoung doesn’t think twice about pulling you with him to the dancefloor

You’re not overly confident in your dancing skills, but Woo pulls you close and shows you some simple steps as other couples join around you

After a couple of songs, you’re able to get into the groove of the funky music that the island loves so much

Wooyoung’s smile is all you need to know you’re moving the right way, and you dance to a few more songs before going back to the bar counter for more fruity drinks

The two of you continue to get tipsy, then walk to the beach and make out in the sand like a couple of teenagers

You’re both giggling between kisses, digging your toes into the sand, and existing purely in the moment

Everything is sweet, from the taste of pineapple on his tongue to the heady aroma of plumeria blooms in the trees

Every day is a beach day in this place. You’ve never had this much fun, splashing and playing in the water, laughing nonstop

One afternoon, Wooyoung is passed out on a beach chair under an umbrella, lulled to sleep by the day’s warmth and the sounds of the ocean

After taking a picture of him to giggle at later, you get an idea

The air is fragrant with the sweet smell of the thousands of flowering bushes that are planted throughout the resort’s grounds

Nobody would miss a few of those flowers, would they? If you were to, say, pluck some and decorate your husband with them?

You slip away from the chairs and your sleeping Woo to gather a few blooms from the nearest row of landscaping, returning with sweet-smelling handfuls of them

You giggle to yourself, putting the flowers all around Wooyoung’s head like a little halo of yellows, whites, and pinks

He doesn’t even notice them until he wakes up, gets back in the water, and sees a bunch of petals in the surf around him

You laugh and take photos of all of it

Being on a catamaran at sunset, sitting side by side with your head on his shoulder

The sky is painted in vivid oranges and reds, and Woo’s hand rests on your thigh, his breathing slow and even next to you

The wind is a bit cool on your wet skin, but the sun still delivers warmth, and you inhale the smell of saltwater on Wooyoung’s skin

He turns his face slightly to kiss the top of your head, and you smile knowing that his love for you comes without him even having to think about it

As the boat smoothly cuts through the water, you feel completely at peace

You’re exactly where you’re meant to be, and it’s hard to think about your life turning out any other way than this moment, with this man

Jongho

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Incredible local food, soccer matches, constant music, breathtaking city scenery--it’s a neotropical dream

First of all, Jongho is amazing to travel with

Being the eldest of his family, he’s well-prepared with a bag full of snacks, meds, toiletries, headphones, and neck pillows for both of you

He looks so cute on the flight, snuggled up in his complimentary blanket and neck pillow

He’s pouting in his sleep and you take several photos just because

When you get to the hotel room, he bravely offers to carry your luggage up the stairs for you

But he makes you wait at the bottom of the stairs so that he can come back and scoop you into his arms

Because he insists on carrying you bridal-style at every opportunity, starting with your arrival to the room

It’s a suite on the second floor, with its own balcony overlooking the main walkway below

You can look out over shops and restaurants and bars, all the nightlife in one place

You change out of your airport clothes, then venture out to grab some drinks and go shopping-- the boys had bullied Jongho into promising that he’d bring back gifts

The two of you are buzzing by the time night falls, but your feet are sore from walking and you’re exhausted from the flight

So you grab some food to-go from one of the restaurants and take it back to the room

You chow through dinner with the balcony doors open, allowing the music and chatter of the streets to carry in on the soft, warm breeze

Going into food comas immediately after eating, you and Jongho pass out on top of the covers, facing each other with hands clasped in the middle

You wake up to brilliant sunlight and Jongho’s arm thrown over you

He’s your life-size teddy bear, and you snuggle closer to him for warmth and comfort

When you both get up and around, you surprise Jongho with tickets to this year’s Superclasico-- only the biggest soccer match in Buenos Aires!

Jongho tries to play it cool, but you can tell he’s absolutely giddy at getting to attend a sports game while he’s here

He loves soccer, after all, and he can’t stop smiling the entire way to the stadium

He practically drags you by the hand to your seats, which are so close to the field that you can hear the footballers yelling to each other

Jongho doesn’t sit down a single time during the game, shouting excitedly in Korean even though he doesn’t know anything about these teams or who to root for

He’s just glad to be there, and it’s an absolutely fantastic match

On your short walk home, he’s got so much energy from being amped up by the game that he stops you on the sidewalk and tells you to get on his back

You blush profusely, but who are you to say no? Besides, you love seeing him be this carefree

The two of you stick out like a sore thumb in the streets of Argentina since you’re giggling like crazy and he’s singing to you in a language that definitely isn’t local

You indulge in some amazing street food before going back to the hotel and getting ready for the evening

He got tickets to a theater show, and it gives you an opportunity to get all dressed up

Your husband looks so handsome in his casual suit, and when you walk out in your dress, he’s holding roses

The show is wonderful, and you’re both part of the standing ovation it receives

You throw off your shoes when you get home, but there’s so much excitement outside that the night is hardly over

Standing on your balcony, listening to singing in the streets and bars below, with Jongho’s arms around you from behind

This man clearly did his research before coming here, because he actually knows some of the songs in Spanish and you bet your ass he serenades you as musicians pass by below

There are fireworks some nights for no apparent reason other than that the city exists to be a technicolor celebration of life

There is no better place to start this marriage, and no better person to be married to

[marzipanandminutiae]

I’m one of the people who’s a bit spooked by older dolls; my beloved late aunt collected Shirley Temples in bad shape with the intent of restoring them, and they usually got to convalesce in the room I stayed in until then. It was formative in the most unfortunate sense, ha. But I’m really curious to hear about your Mademoiselle Leonore - what age group would she have been intended for, originally? Would they have seen her more like a friend, or as something to mother? Is she a typical model for a doll from her era, or would she have been considered old-fashioned or even new for the time?

Sorry for all the questions, you definitely don’t have to answer them all! I’m only like the anon who’s trying to think of dolls less as “eek spooky uncanny valley” and more as companions that would’ve been dearly loved. Thanks for your help in that! :)

Oh NO. Yeah, not the best way to introduce a kid to old dolls. I'm sorry you had a bad first experience with them.

(To be honest, damaged composition dolls like that sometimes creep even me out. I know they were loved too, and they have artistic value, but their eyes are just so flat and they feel so weird to the touch- not plastic, not bisque, not wood or leather, not cloth, not even rubber/gutta-percha...even earlier dolls with composition bodies and bisque heads don't trip the same Nope instinct in me. And sometimes they have TIN EYES which make scraping noises when they open and close, get yellowed, and look even flatter than the painted ones...brrrr. But! Still worthy of appreciation.)

French fashion dolls like Leonore are in a really interesting position re: intended age and common types of play. When the movement started in the 1850s in Paris, it began with dolls in the "Mode Enfantine" style- fashions for children, with the dolls meant to represent girls of perhaps 9-12.

(Doll by Huret, c. 1860, dressed in the enfantine style. Note relatively short skirt, less shaped bodice, and fluffy unstyled lamb's-wool wig.)

However, by the mid-late 1860s, the same sort of doll was beginning to be dressed as a fashionable lady, too.

(Doll by Dehors, late 1860s. Same manufacturer that made Leonore's head. Here we see a long skirt, a more sophisticated dress design, pinned-up hair, and a silhouette that mimics an adult woman's shape rather than a child's.)

The two styles existed contemporaneously for a while among French fashion dolls, with the taste for lady dolls coming to dominate in the 1870s and early 1880s. However, children will always play what they want with what they have, and one occasionally sees original French fashion trousseaus that include both opera dresses and christening gowns. It's not common, but it does happen.

And how exactly children played with these dolls was a subject of some concern among contemporary commenters. Many articles in at least American and British magazines expressed concern that Young Miss would lose her maternal instincts playing with dolls that were adults rather than babies. One particularly nauseating story I read on Google Books features some Little Sally or other throwing over her "Paris doll" at once when Mama is persuaded to buy her "a real baby-doll." Gag.

(There was also debate over whether a little girl could truly be content with ordinary outfits when her doll had such fabulous treasures as were sold for French fashions. I'm rather glad we're past the "will this doll make my child Too Worldly" hand-wringing. At least modern "will this doll damage my child's self-esteem" is well-intentioned, even if it often backfires in practice.)

So it seems like, with a few exceptions, they were mostly vehicles for girls to imagine their own futures. And interestingly, those futures were wider than simply being a wife and mother. As with Barbie, French fashions may have presented a circumscribed adult life, but it was still a life outside the home. With sporting outfits, promenade dresses, formalwear, traveling clothes, etc., the average Parisian doll of the day certainly didn't seem to be entirely focused on hearth and household.

The target age range for these dolls is a little bit murky. One generally sees them in photographs with children around ages 8 to 14, but occasionally one will be clutched in the hand of a younger child. It's hard to imagine a truly wee one working the minute fastenings of their clothing or keeping them unbroken, so I imagine they were generally for today's Barbie crowd (Monster High? Rainbow High? what's hot right now, anyway?). There are rumors of adult collectors, including Napoleon's niece Mathilde Bonaparte, but I haven't actually read the sources that information comes from to check for myself. Still, with entire miniature worlds available for these dolls, it wouldn't surprise me!

And finally, Leonore would have been considered a very fine modern doll indeed when she was new. Her jointed wooden body was a cut above the most common stuffed leather bodies, though her average size (17"/43cm) likely made her easy to find clothing for in doll shops. Collectors often now call this "size 4," after some markings consistently found on dolls, and it seems to have been the most usual size for French fashions. Though of course, there's massive variation in the "genre," from tiny 9"/22cm fairies to exhibition models that can reach 3'/91cm tall.

Rather long-winded, but I hope that answers all your questions! I'm really glad whenever I can help shed some light on my much-maligned antique darlings. Best of luck in your journey towards de-creepying dolls for yourself.

[markosmate]

to the dark side

Pairing; Marko x Emerson!Reader

Summary; Moving to a different state with your younger brothers and mother just to live with your grandfather was hard enough, but falling in love with a vampire and then watching your brother do the same thing? Much different story.

Warnings; strong language + mentions of blood

au:// Part 5 losers, have the whole thing mapped out from here hehe I’m excited for y’all to read everything :))

Part 4   -   Part 6

“Be one of us.” David’s words echoed a couple of times through my head. My eyes flickered between Marko and Michael, wondering why drinking from this bottle initiated someone into the group - yet also wondering if Michael was going to accept this invitation they were giving him.

David held the bottle up and out towards my brother, in a silent sort of offering. As Michael stood to make his way closer to David, the other three boys started softly chanting his name in a mocking fashion. My brother grabbed the bottle from David’s hands, and slowly turned it in between each of his own. Star came up right behind him, and began speaking to him in such a low voice that I could barely hear her from where I was sitting.

“Don’t. You don’t have to, Michael.” She pleaded softly and I could my eyes roll involuntarily. Was this her way of trying to tell him not to be peer pressured? It sure didn’t seem like she cared about pressuring him when she was letting her boyfriend lead him to the edge of a cliff.

“Michael.” David whispered along with the boys, eyes piercing into the side of Mike’s head.

“It’s blood.” Star’s voice was louder this time, like she wanted everyone to hear what she had exposed to him. But, after the whole maggots and worms play - he didn’t seem to want to fall for another one of the group’s tricks.

He chuckled nonchalantly and nodded his head in a sarcastic manner. “Yeah, sure. Blood.” And then he raised the rim of the bottle to his lips and took a few big gulps of whatever it was. The boys let out a few scattered cheers, Paul even pumping his fists into the air in celebratory manner.

But the celebration was short-lived, as the four boys’ gazes turned back to me. Marko moved forward quickly, snatching the bottle away from Mike’s grasp before he could chug down all of it and moving towards where I was sitting. He crouched down in front of me before offering the bottle to me with a sly smirk creeping up on his lips.

“Drink some sweet thing. Be one of us, just like Michael.” I still hadn’t the slightest clue what that was supposed to mean - why would drinking some cheap alcohol out of a home-made bedazzled bottle make you automatically apart of the group? The way they were putting things wasn’t making any sense, but I could overlook that for right now. Because in this moment, Marko was looking at me with such hopeful eyes that I almost couldn’t pick up on the deceit hidden underneath it. But I felt like I’d do anything he asked me to, so I reached forward to take the bottle from his hand.

The boys watched on with excited eyes, eagerly anticipating my next moves. I glanced over towards Star, who had Laddie by the shoulder and was leading him away as she watched Michael with a disappointed gaze. Maybe it was blood? Maybe that’s why she looks so shaken right now? Because Michael had drank some even after she warned him not to? I pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind - I was probably just overthinking - and raised the rim of the bottle to my lips.

The substance came pouring into my mouth and it burned it’s way down my throat. It tasted nothing like any alcohol I’d ever drank before - it was so much stronger, but at the same time so much more addicting. I wanted nothing more than to keep taking swigs of whatever it was but before I could even process what was going on, the bottle was tugged gently from my lips.

The boys all cheered, their shouts echoing through the cave, as Dwayne and Paul began chanting Michael and I’s names. All of my previous rational thoughts of staying far away from these boys and any of the trouble that came along with them were long out the window by now.

The substance I had drank gave me a drunk sort of feel and all I knew was there was a hot dude giving me what seemed to be alcohol and all of his friends cheering my brother and I’s names around us. David yelled out a “Bravo!”, reaching over to take the uncorked bottle from Marko to hand back to Michael.

Paul let out a loud laugh and momentarily stopped his cheering to lean over and clap me on the shoulder. “You’re one of us, girl! Let the good times roll.”

I wanted to be by Marko’s side, but David had beaten me to it. “Give me a ride, Marko.” The curly blond sent me a quick, mischievous grin before standing up and making his way behind David, beginning to push him around the fountain on the wheelchair.

I didn’t know what they meant by that, but they all kept saying it over and over so it had to mean something other than a cheesy initiation. I ignore the feeling in my chest that I had somehow just made a horrible mistake, and continue on partying with the others. I’m just overthinking it after all, these dudes are cool, what could go wrong honestly?

-

The answer was a lot. A lot could go wrong. David announced that we all had somewhere we needed to be, and Michael and I blindly followed the boys out of the cave and back up to the top of the bluff. I’d gotten on the back of Marko’s bike without a second thought, and soon the five bikes were racing through the slim trails of the woods once more.

It didn’t take long before they pulled up next to some train tracks - David, Dwayne, and Michael parking their bikes on one side and Marko and Paul parking their bikes on the other. I climbed off with a little stumble, still feeling the tiniest bit dizzy from drinking whatever alcohol was in the bottle that they gave me. The boys began walking on the tracks, out and over the bridge. 

“Perfect timing.” David led in the front and Marko grabbed one of my belt loops to pull me into his side as he threw his other arm around Dwayne’s shoulders.

“What’s going on?” Michael’s voice echoed.

“Michael wants to know what’s going on.” David teased the slightest bit. Paul laughed a bit as we walked farther out onto the bridge. “Marko,” He spoke again. “What’s going on?”

“I don’t know.” Marko grinned. “What’s goin’ on, Paul?”

“Wait a minute, who wants to know?” Came Paul’s genius reply - quickly followed by,

“Michael wants to know!” From Dwayne, who had finally spoken up for the first time that night.

“I think we should let Michael, and Ivory,” David paused slightly to begin including me in on their hazing. “Know what’s going on.” The platinum leader stopped a few feet ahead of the boys and turned with Michael at his side, before leaning forward the slightest bit to wrap a cold hand around my wrist. He tugged me gently away from Marko’s hip, bringing me to stand next to him and my brother to watch the three others of the group.

“Yeah.” Paul sung out, body practically buzzing with what I could only assume was excitement for what was to come. David tilted his head with a small mischievous smile and spoke once more.

“Marko?” I turned my head back to look at said boy once more with furrowed eyebrows.

He wasn’t looking at me however, instead opting to stare only at my brother. He lifted his hand and twirled his fingers in a small sort of wave before grinning wickedly. “Goodnight Michael.” Before he dropped with an echoing “Bombs away!” I gasped, my head whipping around to look at David yet his expression hadn’t changed a bit.

Michael’s jaw hung open in pure confusion, only confirming that he too had seen what I had. Paul stepped forward with a similar grin and looked between Michael and I quickly. “Bottoms up, man. Yeow!” He dropped just as suddenly, and was quickly followed by Dwayne who only shot us silent finger guns before dropping down the same opening in the bars that the previous two had. I stared, absolute shock and fear cursing through my blood. Had they just literally jumped to their deaths right in front of us? They couldn’t have, how would that make any sense?

David moved to step in front of us, and with a hand on Michael’s shoulder he leaned in the slightest bit to speak. “Come with us, guys.” Before he, too, stepped off the edge and dropped through the bars. With one short glance at my brother, who was too busy staring at where David had just fallen to notice I was looking at him, I rushed forward and kneeled on the edge to stare down into the fog. A huff of relief left my lungs and I laughed breathily as I stared down at the four boys hanging from the support beams.

The four cheered a bit, finally making some noise once Michael leaned down next to me, curiosity ultimately getting the best of him. “Hey, Ivory!” Marko called up with a grin on his lips, attention then momentarily taken from me as Paul swung his legs up to kick at the shorter boy.

“Michael and Ivory Emerson!” David’s rough voice cut through the other boy’s cheerful shouts. “Come on down!” He taunted, his laugh afterwards cause the nerves in my body to go haywire. I never thought I’d genuinely come face-to-face with the expression about all of your friends jumping off of a bridge, but here we were now.

I grinned at Michael and clapped him on the shoulder teasingly before moving to climb down onto the bar across from Paul. My arm strength wasn’t nearly as good as Michael’s, but adrenaline was coursing through my body at such a rate that I didn’t care. “There ya go, girl!” Paul laughed loudly kicking at my legs this time instead of Marko’s. I reacted just as quickly, kicking back at him in a competitive manner as the grin on my face grew. I saw Michael climb down in front of David out of the corner of my eye as Marko began to shout once more.

“Yeah, let’s play a game! Let’s play a game, baby!” He dragged out each syllable of the last word and my stomach flipped a few times at his voice, but I needed to focus more on not falling to my death than whatever it was he was getting at.

Paul laughed along with his friend. “Welcome aboard, Michael.”

David’s chilling laugh echoed once more, and the wind carried his voice to me though I could tell he was only really speaking to Michael. “Fun, huh?” Suddenly the tracks above us began to vibrate, and not long after they began to viciously shake as the horn of a train blared through the night. I felt my stomach squeeze uncomfortably as the boys continued their obnoxious shouts. I glanced over in Marko’s direction for some reassurance only to see him pulling himself up once through the bars before dropping down to hang once more with a mocking grin on his face. He wasn’t looking at me though, his attention was over towards Michael who I could vaguely hear shouting, “Jesus Christ!”

“Yeah!” Paul laughed, suddenly letting go of the bars and falling into the fog below. As if this entire thing wasn’t insane enough, I felt my heart drop. “Oh my God!” I cried, looking down to see if I could spot him but there was still only fog below us. My arms were burning, and I knew there was no way I’d be able to hold on much longer - never-mind try and pull myself up and over the bars to safety once the train passed.

Marko caught my eye and he sent me a wink, eyes sparkling as if he knew something I didn’t. “Don’t be scared, Ivory!” Then he let go as well, yelling out as he fell the same way Paul did.

“Jesus Christ!” Michael’s voice met my ears again, as suddenly Dwayne fell from my side as well, yelling on his way down.

“Guys!” David yelled to the both of us. “You’re one of us! Let go!”

“And do what?” I shouted at him incredulously, was he fucking serious? Were the other three dead right now? And now he was telling us to let go too?

“You are one of us, Ivory.” He assured once more before falling into the fog as well.

“David!” Michael screamed after him. The train finally passed, and the bars stopped shaking in our grasps. I looked over at my brother with wide eyes, how the hell were we supposed to get ourselves out of this one? I watched as he tried to pull himself up to no avail, and right as I went to speak to him I heard shouts from below us. It was the boys - they were alive! How the fuck were they alive?

I glanced over to Michael who was trying to pull himself up once more and felt my grip begin to slip drastically. “I’m gonna let go.”

“What?” His voice was strained and he glared straight into my soul. “No, are you insane? You’ll die!”

“I can’t hold on anymore, Mike. And they survived somehow, there’s gotta be water or something below.” And before he could even begin to protest more, my hands slipped from the bar. I screamed as I fell, the thick fog enveloping me completely and all my senses seemed to be blocked out.

I could vaguely hear my name being whispered over and over again and I was almost completely positive that I had blacked out and was just hallucinating this excruciatingly long fall. Right before everything went dark, a pair of arms cut my fall short as my eyes fluttered closed.

[separatist-apologist]

Um can I have a part 2 to Lucien finding out about solstice? Pretty please?

You can have a part 2. I was not planning a follow up to yesterday's little sass-a-thon but apparently everyone likes bratty Elain and irreverent Lucien.

--

--

Lucien woke wondering if he’d imagined the entire night with Elain. It certainly didn’t seem real. She’d barely said one word to him for a good year and some months only to turn around and tell him to eat shit. He wondered what it said about him that he liked it. Lucien groaned, kicking the blankets off his sweaty body like a petulant child. He was tired of waking up alone and more tired still having seen the fire lurking behind his mates’ eyes.

Lucien padded to the bathroom suite, still naked from sleep. He perched on the edge of the tub, turned on the hottest water he could possibly stand, and sank into the scalding water until everything but the top of his head was visible. He was supposed to leave today, back to the mortal lands. Back to sniping with Jurian and arguing with Vassa and daydreaming about Elain when no one looked at him too closely. He still had his apartment in Velaris. Perhaps, if today went well, he’d spend a week in Feyre’s starlit city.

He took his time dressing and grooming, still more than a little irritated with Azriel from the night before no matter how his angry outburst had worked in Lucien’s favor. He certainly would not be outdone in the one arena he knew he could run circles around the male in. Lucien had always had a sense for fashion and what worked well. He didn’t need to know Elain well to know it was something she appreciated about a male.

If Rhysand was surprised to see him that morning, he gave no indication as he handed Lucien the morning paper at the breakfast table. Their silence was companiable enough, sipping coffee while Lucien tucked away tiny pieces of information about Night Court he thought might use as leverage at some point. It was nothing the High Lord wasn’t willing to risk, given how he prized information himself, but Lucien never passed up an opportunity to keep himself well informed.

He felt strangely content in that moment until Elain swept in wearing a gown of pale, shimmering gold that was altogether inappropriate for the softly snowing day around them. Rhys glanced up at her from his cup of coffee, one eyebrow raised for all Elain seemed to notice. She had tea and a scone and, without a word to either of them, sat across from Lucien. Lucien’s eyes roamed what part of her body she could see; the long-sleeved dress seemed to be made of paper and exposed her shoulders and collarbone to him. His fingers twitched around his own mug as the mating bond woke with a vengeance.

Touch her touch her touch her touch her—

“Lucien,” Rhys interrupted Lucien’s musing. Elain kept her eyes focused on the wall behind him, her big, brown eyes framed by too-long lashes. Was she wearing make up, he wondered? Or had her lips always been so pink, so—“Feyre mentioned you were considering staying for a few more days.”

Elain’s eyes focused, glancing towards the High Lord. Had Feyre said that? He certainly hadn’t made any promises outside of his own mind.

“I have some business in the city,” he agreed, well aware Rhysand must know his only business was his mate.

“Are you planning to stay here? You are welcome to, obviously.”

Lucien shook his head as color began to creep into Elain’s cheeks. What was she thinking, he wondered?

“No, in my apartment,” he replied, catching how her eyebrows raised. Did she not realize he had one?

Rhysand’s violet-colored eyes shifted to Elain, his mouth curving into a smile. “I’ll have your things sent over, then. Please, feel free to stop by for dinner if you’d like. I know Feyre very much enjoys your company.”

Yeah, yeah, Lucien thought, still thinking of how Rhysand had shut Azriel down the night before. Not out of friendship, but politics. Still, it was better than tacit approval and, in some stupid, small way Lucien could appreciate the shrewdness.

Elain excused herself leaving Lucien to finish his breakfast and dress for the cold before making the trek towards his apartment. He’d try at dinner, he told himself. It would be easier to corner her somewhere alone, to let her lobby insults at him and, perhaps, kiss her on the mouth if she held still long enough for him to capture her face.

Lucien turned the lock to his apartment to find two things wildly out of place. His bags were sitting just inside the foyer next to a long, silver cape that was too feminine and small to belong to him, hung on the hooks beside the door. Just at the end of the hall, Lucien saw Elain in that same golden gown, arms crossed over her chest.

“I didn’t know you had an apartment,” she accused as he unwound his scarf.

“You never asked,” he reminded her patiently, his blood thrumming at the sight of her in his apartment. He could practically taste the argument floating between them.

Give me your worst.

“Must I do everything?” She asked him, arms crossed over her chest. He had to look away; she’d inadvertently caused her breasts to swell beneath her arms and Lucien was struck dumb at the sight.

“Not everything, no,” he replied, walking to the living room where she waited. “But perhaps something might be nice.”

She scoffed and Lucien dropped onto the cream-colored loveseat, stretching out his long legs as she watched her from the corners of his eye.

“I don’t owe you—”

“Yeah, yeah,” he interrupted, bored. “Why are you here, again?”

Because it was her, after all, standing in his apartment. She shifted, her boots still wet from the snow. She’d created a little wet spot on the hard wood beneath her feet. He would normally have cringed at that, but it was Elain, if she wanted to ruin her floors, who was he to stop her?

She bit her bottom lip. “To tell you how hideous you looked at breakfast this morning.”

Lucien laughed as he ran a hand down his chest. Elain’s eyes followed the movement. “Liar.”

She scoffed. “I’m surprised you fit in this little apartment at all, given the size of your ego.”

He couldn’t help himself as he leaned forward, carefully watching her expression. “You know, Elain, they say it takes one to know one.”

Her mouth dropped open again as she stood, stunned into silence for a moment. “You find me ugly?” She asked, dropping her arms to her side.

“Impossibly ugly,” he agreed, the lie rolling right off his tongue. Her cheeks flushed as he took a step towards her. He was going to kiss her, he decided. “And ill mannered.”

“It is your manners that are offensive,” she retorted hotly. “Though not nearly offensive as your face.”

Lucien hesitated, surprised by how her words stung a bit. It was a game and yet…she’d touched on something he’d privately feared from the moment Amarantha gouged out his eye. He could still recall, in the early days, how people recoiled when they saw the scarring, how even now people stared, surprised at the brutality etched into his face. He’d spent more than one night wondering if Elain too found him abhorrent to look at.

He arched a brow, his heart hammering in his chest. He didn’t know what he’d do if she truly thought him ugly. It would wound him far more than anything, short of a flat-out rejection of the bond. “Oh?”

Her eyes drifted towards his mouth. Lucien blinked, some of his fear ebbing. “Disgusting,” she murmured, inching closer. He held himself exactly where he was despite his muscles screaming in protest, demanding he yank her into him and kiss her senseless. “The ugliest man I’ve ever seen.”

“Liar,” he told her again. She blinked, head tilted, eyes half-lidded, her lips parted ever so slightly. This was what had gotten Azriel in trouble, wasn’t it? This moment, right here. He suddenly felt immense sympathy for the male. Lucien was also rooted in place, desperate to touch her, too.

“I know,” she whispered. Her eyes fluttered closed the moment he reached for her face, holding her just as she was so he could kiss her. Words failed him the moment their lips touched, the world melting into nothingness. Whatever he’d thought, however he imagined that moment paled in comparison to the real thing. She was soft, her lips sweet. Every single piece of her seemed to radiate an invisible heat his blood recognized by contact alone.

Mate. Mine. His body sang, urging him to take things further, to strip her of her clothes and mark her with his scent so thoroughly no other male could get within a mile of her without smelling him, too. He had to stop himself, unsure what she wanted.

“You’re a shitty kisser,” he told her, forehead pressed to her own. Elain giggled, the sound ringing through his chest.

“You’re so rude,” she responded with a sigh. “How can anyone stand to be in your presence?”

“And yet here you are,” he reminded her, poking her in the stomach. “In my apartment.”

She looked around, her eyes taking in his furniture, his shelves of books, his artwork. “Why don’t you stay more often?”

He shrugged, unable to meet her gaze. “There is little for me to do here.” That was partially true. Why torture himself and sit around waiting on a female who had no interest in him? He wasn’t that much of a glutton for punishment. Elain stepped away, walking towards the wall length windows and pushing back the curtain. Gray, snowy clouds did little to hide the cheery day around them as fat snowflakes were carried along in a winter wind.

“I have been cruel,” she said after a moment. Lucien came up behind her, resting his hands on her delicate shoulders.

“Perhaps. But not without cause.”

She blinked, twisting her neck to look up at him. “It’s just a lot…even now.”

He nodded. “I could help, you know. I’m not your enemy.”

“What kind of help are you offering?” She asked as she turned around, letting him twine his arms around her body. His heart stuttered for a minute. Pretty, she was so pretty—

“Whatever help you’d like,” he managed to choke out. Elain smiled slyly.

“What if the help I want has nothing to do with being made?”

He was going to die, he thought. He cleared his throat. “Could you be more specific?”

She was mocking him. “I often struggle with the laces of my dresses, for example.” She gestured towards the back of her gown, neatly laced with a golden ribbon. Easily undone, he thought, his fingers twitching. It would take one pull to have her dress pooled at her feet. He brought his face closer to hers, well aware that his thoughts were likely not well aligned with what she really needed. Time. Space. Room to get to know not just him but herself.

“Sounds like you need a friend,” he murmured, brushing his lips across hers before dropping his arms and stepping away. She huffed a sigh.

“Do you treat all ladies so poorly?” She demanded. Lucien was back on the couch, legs stretched out as he willed himself to calm down.

“Only the ones I like,” he replied with a grin. Elain plopped down beside him and took his hand, much as she’d done the night before.

“Lucien?”

He’d never tire of hearing her say his name. “Yes, Elain?” She scooted a little closer, her eyes locked on his. She was looking at the scar, he realized. Panic flooded into his throat.

“I lied when I said you were ugly,” she confessed. He exhaled the breath he’d been holding. “And I like the scars. You’re beautiful.”

He reached for her chin, caressing her sweet face. Lowering his mouth to hers, Lucien told her, “Ah, well. It takes one to know one, now doesn’t it?”

[beyondspaceandstars]

While You Sleep

Chapter 9

Relationship: Bucky Barnes x Reader Warnings: N/A, just fluff this time! Summary: Soulmate!AU - Throughout life, you’re given glimpses of your soulmate through dreams. As you sleep, memories flash in your mind showing you the life your soulmate has lived. Everyone around you raves about how their soulmate reads great books or volunteers in their spare time. But you can’t relate as your dreams end up being more like nightmares. Through initial images of death and violence, you come to learn your soulmate is the Winter Soldier.

(a/n: yes i really used some cliche scenes expected from a bucky fic but come on you have to, right?)

Masterlist | Series Masterlist

If you thought you were scared before your first encounter with Bucky, your feelings as you got ready for this date were unbelievable.��

The pressure really felt on this time. 

In the anxiety of nervousness and self-doubt, you had bought a whole new outfit for this date. You stood in the mirror, checking yourself over as you adorned a lovely knee-length, flowy dress. It had little flowers decorated all over it. The fabric was soft and comfortable, easing worries just a bit more - if you felt good, all would go good, right? The entire thing was complimented by a new pair of flats. You even spent more time on your make-up, making sure everything was just right and accentuating all your features pleasantly. 

The more you did, the better you felt, until you realized there was no more to do. Once your hair was laid gently over your shoulder in a cascading braid, you had to face the fact that it was almost game time. Glancing over, your clock told you Bucky would be here any minute.

Still, back at the mirror, you couldn’t help yourself from fidgeting. You tweaked your braid, fixed the invisible wrinkles on your dress, even reconsidered your lipstick color choice… But then it happened. Your phone’s ringtone sang throughout your room, giving you a jumpscare. You had to take a deep breath before crossing the space and answering the call. Bucky’s name flashed on the screen.

“Hi, Bucky,” you said.

“Hi, doll,” Bucky responded, a little sing-songy tone in his voice. His cheeriness was practically contagious through the phone. Your heart fluttered. “I’m outside whenever you’re ready.”

“O-Okay,” you sputtered out, letting out a cough to cover it but it didn’t work well as Bucky let out a light chuckle at your nerves. You chose to ignore it and continued, “I’ll be down in a second.”

“Alright,” he said. “See you soon.” The line disconnected. You sighed, gripping your phone probably too tightly. Closing your eyes, you inhaled then exhaled, centering yourself, letting your pounding heart come down. 

One last look in the mirror and you realized that it was game time. There were no more preparations you could make. Your soulmate was waiting downstairs and off you went to get swept away.

Bucky wasn’t the only thing that greeted you when you exited the apartment building. He was standing by a taxi, one arm leaning against it like it was the world's most romantic chariot. A smile broke out on your lips as you approached him. 

“Good evening.”

Bucky gave a nod, “Good evening.”

He kept staring at you, taking you in fully and shamelessly. You blushed under his focused eyes and quickly looked away. Motioning towards the taxi, you said, “Is this our ride for the night?”

Now he was smiling as well. “Just to get us there.”

You hummed, interested. “Where is ‘there?’”

“Gotta get in the taxi and find out, sweetheart,” Bucky said with a proud smirk as he opened the door. He extended his arm out dramatically, motioning for you to slide in. You mumbled a shy thank you, still feeling your blushing was out of control and got comfy in the cab. 

Once Bucky was also settled in, he leaned in very close to the driver and whispered the destination. You pretended not to notice but had to admit, he sure was sticking to the whole surprise thing. It made you feel quite giddy inside knowing he was going through all this just to surprise you. To give you a (hopefully) nice date. 

Once the taxi driver understood the address, Bucky leaned back and the drive began. You stared out the window, watching your neighborhood pass by, as you tried to ignore Bucky still staring at you. It was like he was really focused on you like he was searching for something. It made you feel all kinds of warmth under your dress. 

“You look beautiful,” Bucky finally said, breaking the backseat silence. Your heart that was once pounding suddenly was going a million miles an hour. Uncontrollably, you whipped your head to look at Bucky. You met his eyes which were looking at you with such wonder and longing. Oh yeah, it was getting warm in this taxi, you thought.

“Thank you,” you said, shyly. You still didn’t understand where this nervous, antsy of you was coming from. You had been around him plenty of times, even had a bit of a fight that night in your fucking apartment, but now this was what you were scared of? A date? You had to shake your head to literally shake off the nerves, something that was becoming a habit of you now. 

Eventually, you forced yourself to add on to the conversation, “You look great, as well.” And that certainly was the truth. Bucky had cleaned up nicely. His hair was slicked back casually. He wore a soft sweater and black slacks. The outfit was paired with dress shoes. The entire look just felt… Classic but in the best way. In a way that was Bucky at heart. 

You two fell into silence again but it was more comfortable, like Bucky’s words had hidden messages telling you to calm down. This was just another date, as couples do, and you two had been through crazy stuff - cough, cough… the fucking apartment showdown. Well, maybe that was a bit dramatic, you thought, but it sure felt hostile in the moment.

Moments later, the taxi stopped outside some… dance hall? You peered up at the sign, quizzically. You had no idea these places even existed anymore. This was already turning out to be the most unique you had ever been on but it wasn’t like you had been on many. 

You were about to get out when Bucky stopped you. Confused, you watched him run around the front of the taxi and stop at your door. He opened it for you, as any gentleman would. He offered you his hand and helped you out. After paying for the cab, he came back to join you, offering his arm for you to take.

“Dancing?” You asked as you two walked towards the entrance. “You’re taking me dancing?”

There was a faint blush creeping up on Bucky’s neck. “I am,” he said. “Back in the day, when I wanted to woo a girl I took her dancing. I hope that’s okay with you.”

You giggled, “Yeah, it’s...” Your words abruptly stopped as you were suddenly hit with the realization: you didn’t fucking know how to dance. Even in your own time period, you couldn’t be thrown out anywhere expecting to bust some moves. Your feet stopped moving before you could enter the hall.

Bucky turned to you, concerned. “Everything okay, sweetheart?” 

You wouldn’t look at him and instead looked past him, through the clear doors of the dance hall, watching the couples spin and twirl about. “I don’t know how to dance.”

Bucky waved a hand in dismissal and continued walking. “There’s no need to worry, doll,” he said as he opened the door for you. “You can follow my lead and you’ll be just fine, okay? I’ve got you.”

Your heart skipped a beat as Bucky placed a hand on your lower back, leading you around the hall. The music was loud, more on the big band side, though. You saw up-close now as the couples flung each other around, laughing in awe at one another. There was a bar off at one end where patrons moved around it with beverages. The place was fairly crowded as well, something you didn’t really peg Bucky for being enthusiastic about, but his face lit the second you two walked in. There was something like a sense of familiarity in his eyes.

You didn’t comment on it, though, and instead took his arm again, letting him guide you to the bar first. You were silently thankful, hoping a nice drink would loosen you up - at least, enough to actually get you on the dance floor. 

Bucky ordered for you two which you actually appreciated. Part of you enjoyed seeing him take charge like this. Plan the date, open your door, order a drink you might like… The care of it all made your heart sing. 

Retrieving the drinks, he handed you one. You thanked him as you took the drink and looked it over. The drink was something dark poured over ice. An orange peel and cherry bobbed in the liquid, next to the ice. You sipped it, letting the taste of whiskey and orange essence hit your tastebuds. 

“It’s lovely,” you said and took another sip. For as nice as it was, you weren’t exactly well versed in cocktails. “What is it?”

“An old fashioned,” Bucky answered as he took his own sip of the drink, letting himself lean in closer to you as you two stood at the bar. He still watched you with a curious intensity that made your skin all kinds of heated. “I-I’m glad you like it.”

A silence fell over you two once more as you sipped your drink and let your gaze wander back to the dancing pairs. They moved so majestically and vibrantly across the hardwood floor. Engrossed with one another, trusting as they spun about. You had to admit, it did look quite fun. 

“Up for a bit of a dance after this, doll?” Bucky drawled, a hint at what sounded like a little Brooklyn accent peaked out, making you grin. He must’ve been absolutely transported back in time and you were so thankful you could be there with him. 

You took a drink, probably more than you should’ve in one gulp, and said, “Maybe if this drink kicks in soon I’ll let you show me a few moves.” You smiled to yourself. “That is, assuming you still have moves.”

Bucky raised his eyebrows at you as he stared at you above his glass. “Excuse me?”

You giggled, “Well, you’ve got a few years in you. Just want to make sure you can show a gal a good time.”

Bucky scoffed and then, without any other warning, he grabbed your drink from your hands. Slamming both the glasses on the bar counter, he gripped your hand in his and dragged you out to the floor. You shuffled to keep up, giggling loudly at the fire you had sparked within him. It was amazing what a little banter could do to him. Once he picked an area, the band began playing a new song and Bucky fell into the rhythm quickly. 

You stared, a bit stunned watching him move. But Bucky wouldn’t let you just stand there for long. Getting into the beat, he grabbed both your hands and began instructing you on the steps. Thankfully, it wasn’t as serious as you thought it would be. This was just a dance hall, after all. Everyone was too caught up in their own lovers to pay attention to others. You watched his feet intensely, as you kicked and stomped, feeling a bit clunky but Bucky, you glanced at him every now and then, was watching you with a hint of pride in his eyes. 

Suddenly, he decided to get daring and spun you out, quickly pulling you back into his arms. You let out a laugh, enjoying the spontaneous move of it all and reveling in the feeling of his arms around you. Following that, you fell back into the rhythm. As you got more confident, you could actually look at Bucky better and saw he looked just as pleased and excited as you were. You felt you two had melted into the crowd well despite you feeling like a sore thumb. 

The twirling was probably your favorite and you were very pleased with your dress choice. As he moved you, it would flare just slightly around your thighs, making you feel like fabric just drifting in the wind. Bucky seemed to like it as well as his hands felt like they made a point to never leave your body, always prying and begging for you close. 

Eventually, after a couple of upbeat songs, the music turned down, now on the more slow side. Bucky, however, seemed very prepared for this as he pulled you into his body without a second thought. His hand landed on your lower waist, your front pressed to him securely. His metal hand was entangled with yours, lifted away from your bodies, as you two moved in a small circle. 

You and Bucky finally really locked eyes for what felt like really the first time in the entire dancing sequence. His eyes looked at you so softly, so in total awe. Maybe there was even a hint of admiration just lurking, you noted. You felt yourself blushing intensely, but then again, when weren’t you like that around Bucky?

Bucky eventually spoke. “You were a natural, sweetheart.”

You shrugged, a small smile on your lips. “I think I just had a really awesome teacher.”

“Oh, yeah?” He grinned. “He must’ve been great. Taught you some nice moves.”

“Mhm,” you nodded, “he’s the absolute best. Really good-looking as well. That’s a nice bonus.”

“You’re making me blush, doll.”

“Good. That’s how I get all the time around you. It’s time you had a taste of your own medicine.”

Bucky threw his head back, letting out a loud laugh. “Really, honey?” His eyes met yours again. You jumped at the new pet name. It felt so much more...domestic. “I make you blush? Make you feel a bit warm?” His tone got lower as it was just above a whisper. A shiver ran up your spine. 

You bit your lip, contemplating how far this was going to go. “You make me feel many things, Bucky. Good things.”

His grin had turned to a full teasing smile now. He didn’t respond, though, just nodded with a mischievous expression now coming across his features. You were going to ask what he was thinking about when the music stopped and the band announced they would be taking a break. It sounded like Bucky let out a sigh of relief as he promptly took your hand and began leading you off the dance floor.

“You hungry, doll?” He asked, stopping next to the exit, hands in his pocket now, looking all casual. But the casualness was a nice cover, you thought, as his expression held everything but unsuspecting. 

You hummed. “I could go for something.”

He nodded, still smiling. “I planned to cook you dinner. Is that alright?”

You gasped, “I get to go to your apartment now?”

He laughed as he took your hand again, now leading you out of the dance hall. You two began making your way down the street, hands gripped tightly together. 

“You will get to see my apartment but fair warning, it’s nothing special.”

You scoffed. “Yeah, like mine was a real looker.”

“At least yours looks lived in.”

You looked up at Bucky quickly, mouth open now as if you wanted to say something but you didn’t really know what. He wouldn’t look back at you now and instead just kept leading you to presumably his apartment building. You turned your sights back on the sidewalk, watching the cars and people rush around in the nighttime landscape of the city, as you let Bucky guide you. 

It was a fairly nice area he lived in, an estimated taxi ride away from you. The area was really bustling with people now and there were shops and eateries galore to browse. You glanced in the windows as you passed, watching others mingle about and eat their dinners. 

Eventually, Bucky stopped in front of a building and pulled open the door. He let you in first, still ever so the gentlemen despite you not knowing where the hell you were going. Neither of you dwelled on this though as Bucky took your hand again and led you to his apartment. You felt yourself getting antsy the closer you got but you didn’t understand why. As much as you wanted your flirting to get you a little bit somewhere, this was dinner. A nice lovely dinner with your soulmate. One that he planned to cook. (Could he actually cook, though? You debated this as you went.)

Bucky unlocked the door and let you in. Sadly, he wasn’t too far off from the comment about it not looking lived in. There wasn’t… much of anything. There were the essentials - kitchen, couch, stools, television - but nothing that screamed Bucky. Or that he even actually stepped foot in here. 

But you weren't about to say any of this. You lingered by the kitchen counter. “It’s cozy.”

Bucky chuckled, “Thanks for trying, doll.”

You frowned. “I-I mean it. It’s nice. Clean and… and formal.” Well, you thought, what could you expect from a former soldier?

Bucky raised his eyebrows, though, not buying it. 

“Alright,” you sighed, “it could use maybe some personal touches but your space is your space. Who am I to judge when mine looks like it's falling apart?”

“Yours has personality,” Bucky shrugged as he slowly took steps towards you. You were leaning against the counter now, arms crossed watching him approach. 

“That means it's a trainwreck.”

He smirked, “It means it fits you and I like you, so, naturally, I’m going to like your apartment.”

Your heart pounded in your chest. “You like me?” You asked and winced at your words. Apparently, you were having a hard time growing out of this silly schoolgirl crushing phase. 

Bucky nodded, now pretty close, staring you down. One hand came to rest on the counter beside you, slightly trapping you in. “I do like you.”

You couldn’t get over how close he was now. Even during your slow dance, you don’t think he was like… this. Towering, confident. Your eyes flicked to his inviting lips quickly before returning back to his eyes. They held amusement and… Was that a hint of amorousness in them? Your pulse was racing.

“Enough to make me dinner?” You let out a breathy chuckle, trying your hand at humor to figure out what was going on here. You didn’t mean to be practically dismissing these advancements but you also couldn’t believe they were happening. You thought it was just some sweet back and forth in the dance hall, a possible side effect of the adrenaline from dancing getting to you two. But, no. This fact was simple. Bucky wanted you. 

“You know,” he sighed, “I don’t think I’m really hungry.”

“Oh?”

“At least not for dinner.”

You were barely able to let out a gasp at his confirmation before Bucky’s lips were on yours, hot and heavy.