#the third drawing with the horns is how he usually appears

[defensivelee]

i have a hungarian

[oneatlatime]

The Painted Lady

Air Bison, Sea Bison, and now Sludge Bison.

I have no idea how Aang is swimming through a solid. Must be an Avatar thing.

I bet there would be time for more potty breaks if Sokka hadn't spent 100+ hours of their time drawing up the schedule. A very Sokka thing to do though.

Because hills often have horns. Great disguise.

You can't tell me that a factory that close to their town wouldn't also become the town's primary employer.

That is a lot of town.

I sense a return of preachy Katara. This episode is going to suck.

I'm with Sokka on this one. Buy fish, move on, defeat Firelord, return to help with environmental remediation if time permits.

I like Doc. And Shu. Nice people.

Writers: if you have to make one of your characters an entirely different person to set up the episode's lesson of the week, maybe the lesson doesn't fit your chosen characters. This is the Warriors of Kyoshi all over again. Funny how that's happened to Sokka twice.

We are all Sokka.

And where exactly did this mysterious painted lady get the food to deliver to the village, if the reason the Gaang stopped in the village in the first place was because they needed food?

Let the record show: I lost the last of my patience with this episode 8 minutes and 9 seconds in.

Waterbending healing has never thrown off that much light before. Even the spirit oasis water wasn't that bright.

Also where is the water she's healing with? Usually she has a big bubble of it.

Impersonating a religious figure. That won't end badly.

"Well I hope she returns every night otherwise this place would go right back to the way it was." YES!!!!!! THAT'S THE POINT!!!!!

What was Katara's plan? Forget about the eclipse, forget about fighting the Fire Lord, we're going to stay here for the rest of our lives so that the painted lady can put in a nightly appearance. THIS IS WHY SOKKA DOES THE PLANNING.

Spirit magic is more doing the worm than doing the wave. Good to know.

Bold of a kids' show to advocate for ecoterrorism.

Aang's like "Hey spirit lady! Here's my resume! Here's my connections on LinkedIn!" Why did Katara think that faking being a spirit within two feet of the bridge to the spirit world would be consequence free? Actually that presupposes that Katara thought. Which she didn't. Sokka does her thinking.

"I don't get to meet many spirits. But the ones I do meet, not very attractive." I am OFFENDED on Yue's behalf. And Sokka's. I guess Aang doesn't like Water Tribe girls after all.

"I guess I just became her." No. That's an excuse and a deflection. I don't want to hear it.

What was I saying about Aang and Katara enabling each others' bad tendencies?

Sokka is horribly out of character this episode, but Aang is as well. In what universe would Aang be so unbothered by Appa being sick, and then so unbothered by the reveal that Katara had been faking Appa being sick? Like, this is Appa. He nearly skinned a bunch of sandbenders over the guy. And he finds out Katara's been messing with him and calls her 'great' and 'a secret hero.'

So this factory, despite being operational 24/7, has no night staff, not even a night guard? Because if it does (which it absolutely does - automation is a problem for factories in our world, not the ATLA one), Katara and Aang just killed A LOT of people.

And so she follows up one short term solution with another short term solution, which causes a third problem she will no doubt solve with a short term solution. You think there won't be reprisals for the only obvious suspects to this industrial sabotage? You think they won't rebuild the factory?

Sokka was kidding when he said that the Spirit Lady had better blow up the factory, but not in the way Katara thought he was kidding. Katara thought he wasn't being serious. But Sokka was serious, in that blowing up the factory is as short term a solution as appearing every night. He thought the joke - exchanging one bad solution for another - was obvious.

Somebody's enjoying himself a little too much.

Unfortunately, serving as Exhibit A is the most Toph has had to do all episode.

It is cathartic to see someone finally call Katara on her nonsense. But I'll bet everything I own that the narrative is going to side with her anyway.

Welp. I won that bet.

"You need me." Correct! Katara unsupervised needs bailing out after five minutes. "And I will never turn my back on you." A much more realistic goal than never turning your back on anyone who needs you, and also Sokka summarised in one sentence. Impressive for an episode where they had to Flanderise him beyond recognition to make Katara somehow the good guy.

Oh for fuck's sake. It's not about having a heart. This late in the game it's pure damage control.

So that's where the Painted Lady's food came from. I guess Fire Nation factories count as pirates?

I like the jetskis. The seem far more stable than actual jetskis.

It never occurred to Katara to obscure the evidence even a little bit? At least rub some dirt on the emblem. Look at me assuming Katara has thoughts.

Actual reprisals for once. About time.

This kid is annoying.

Toph gets to be a haunted house sound effects machine.

That's awfully waterbendery for a Fire Nation spirit.

I don't buy for a minute that anyone would be able to stay perfectly upright and balanced after an air blast from below without extensive trampoline training.

This won't work. His superiors, or the next shift change, or the first recruit wanting to climb the ranks quickly, will rise to the challenge presented here by the "painted lady." And as soon as one FN attack goes unchallenged by the "painted lady," the village is toast. I give them a week, tops.

Kudos to some clever in-universe bending special effects. Doesn't save the episode though.

Katara's preachy speech here makes absolutely no sense in light of the rest of the episode. Scolding them for not saving themselves, when waiting around for someone to save them appears to have worked perfectly? And having little miss I-must-save-the-whole-world-on-a-weekly-basis-otherwise-my-sense-of-self-implodes deliver that scold?

Who are these people wearing the Gaang's skin?

Yeah, nothing screams undercover in enemy territory like an entire village knowing that you're a waterbender. Good thing the only competent tracker in the Fire Nation is Zuko, otherwise these kids will absolutely be dead long before the eclipse.

Hi Bushi! You're about the only part of this episode that doesn't drive me nuts!

At least the animators had fun with this one.

Is this guy mopping the river?

Exactly how many days did they take out of Sokka's schedule to restore the ecosystem? I don't care how overlevelled these kids are at bending, you cannot mechanically separate an entire river's worth of dirt from water in an afternoon.

Well that's just he piss icing on the shit cake, isn't it? It wasn't enough for Sokka to lose all reason and come around to Katara's very flawed way of thinking, it wasn't enough for Aang to call her a hero, it wasn't enough to have a village worshipping at her feet, Katara needs affirmations of how right and special and correct and perfect and morally justified she is from the spirit world itself. This is Mary Sue stuff.

Final Thoughts

This is the first time an episode of Avatar has felt like a waste of my time.

It's also the first time I've felt like an episode has gone out of its way to insult the audience.

Katara talking about how she knows what she's doing is wrong is worth absolutely nothing when a) she goes right back to doing it; and b) literally every other part of this episode trips over itself to assure Katara that she's in the right.

Katara is downright punchable this episode. Sokka is Flanderised; Toph is non-existent; Aang is just there; poor Appa is an unwitting accessory to crime; and Momo has as much impact as a housefly.

So the execs forgot about the existence of The Spirit World Part One and demanded a save the environment special episode. The writers responded by forgetting that they'd already established that Katara was ride or die for literally anyone with a pulse in Imprisoned, and gave us this to remind us of that fact. They also forgot that they'd already established that Katara has no moral code whatsoever the minute her personal interest is involved in The Waterbending Scroll, so they decided to recycle the "narrative sides with Katara endangering them all over Sokka being reasonable" plot from that episode and hope we wouldn't notice. We did.

At least with Imprisoned, Katara kind of sort of caused the problem that she fixed. She was super tangentially involved in that kid's arrest. Here, she causes problems by trying to fix problems that she didn't really have any business getting involved in.

The more of this I watched, the more I wanted someone to slap Katara. What I wouldn't give for an episode where she is wrong (has happened a lot) and the episode doesn't pretend otherwise (has never happened). For god's sake, LET HER BE WRONG AND FEEL IT. How else is she going to progress past being self-righteously fourteen? Why is she being so consistently insulated from consequences? Aang chooses power over family at the end of season two and gets actually murdered for it. Katara steals, lies, skirts dangerously close to being a false prophet and does a nifty little ecoterrorism (with Aang's help), and she gets villagers being a bit shouty before big brother comes in and fixes it. Then she gets divine sanction for her actions so even the shouty bit is negated.

There's an interesting contrast in Katara's "I will never turn my back on people who need me" and Sokka's "I will never turn my back on you." It shows which of the two doesn't have their head in the clouds, and has actually formulated realistic expectations of how much a single person can do. It also speaks to the fundamental difference in how they operate. Katara acts; Sokka mitigates. Sokka does Katara's thinking for her; Katara outsources her thinking and then gets pissed when rational thoughts don't conform to her emotions' view of the world.

Why haven't the villagers moved away? If the water was poisoning them this much, why are they still here? Was the early 2000s too early to have a theme of climate refugees? Or the pollution equivalent? That would have been more interesting than this.

I hated this. Why isn't this the episode that gets hated on like the Great Divide? Its sins are nothing compared to this.

Doc, Shu, and Bushi were the only good thing in this episode, but they weren't enough to make this one remotely rewatchable.

One out of Three so far on season three episode quality. No other season has had this bad a ratio this early. This does not bode well for the rest of this season.

[jelly-fish-wishes]

I’m feeling a little too sick to draw the rest of the Mario Movie changes, so I’ll just type them in.

Mario mentions that Luigi landed in a dark place and everyone grows silent. Peach tells Mario that’s Bowser’s domain and Luigi is in danger. Peach gets excited about a third human and wants to test Mario so she can have him tag along with her to the Jungle Kingdom.

Peach shows Mario the course behind the castle and passes it. Mario questions how he can do all of that since he is short. Peach calls Toad to demonstrate. Mario gets embarrassed and peach offers the Super Mushroom. Events from the film occur, except Peach leaves because she has business to attend, but Toad stays behind to cheer Mario on. Before she could leave completely, Mario makes it to the end, except he loses his grip on the pole and crashes onto Toad. Peach asks Toad to leave so she and Mari can talk for a bit. Events from the film occur.

Note: All of the Luigi events stay the same.

Mario and Peach are about to embark on the journey to get to the Jungle when a Toad asks who Mario is. Peach hypes him up as another human just like her. The Toads get excited and Mario gets flustered, but stays a gentleman by waving at the oogling Toads. “Are you just as cool as the Princess?” “Are you helping her beat King Koopa?” “Are you two getting MARRIED?”

Toadsworth insists to go with her, but she commands that he stay behind to take care of things while she’s gone. She puts a little blind trust in Mario to Toadsworth’s dismay. They start traveling until suddenly, Toad appears to tag along. Peach insists that he stays behind because she doesn’t want to bring him down if she fails, which resonates with Mario. Toad begs to tag along to prove himself to be a Royal Guard. Peach can’t resist the face and agrees. Mario rolls his eyes in an annoyed but endearing way at Toad because he reminds him of Luigi. Events of the film occur, except a Laikitu with a camera shows Mario with the princess. Kamek sees it through a crystal ball.

Bowser sings his song as usual and is informed that there are TWO male humans that have the same face. Granted, they are separated but one of them is with the Princess and the other has been captured and on the way. Bowser smiles as he realizes he can use this to his advantage.

Events from the film occur except Peach reveals that after attempting to return her to her realm, the toads found the warp pipe destroyed. (A part of me wants to add the deleted scene here, but the moment between the two doesn’t feel earned, so Mario inviting Peach to Brooklyn feels better during Rainbow Road instead)

Luigi and Bowser meet. Except Luigi takes an in depth analysis at his situation. Big throne, lava everywhere, the smell of spicy cinnamon, the biggest one in the room and the only one with horns. This guy is in charge. The interrogation goes just like the film except when. Bowser asks if Princesses find Mario attractive, Luigi says “Do Mayors count?” R.I.P. his mustache. He ends up in the prison room. (Luigi’s Escape Plan comic where he escapes with Lumalee and the Penguin King starts :3)

Events stay the same for the most part up until Peach gets back to the Mushroom Kingdom after Mario and DK fell into the ocean. Toad begs to stay behind and Peach tells him that it’s best if he helps his fellow Toads get to safety. Peach marches outside with Toadsworth to defend the kingdom. Same events occur except Kamek tortures Toadsworth instead. They take Peach and they toss Toadsworth into the prison room. Toad hides, witnessing everything and sneak onto the fortress to rescue Toadsworth. Toad bumps into Luigi and Lumalee.

We are now caught up :3

[carolinelikesdinner]

Fablehaven headcanons that have no basis in canon but they're correct (trust)

Newel and Doren read manga in their free time (specifically Shoujo)

Seth enjoys drawing and painting, and his work is surprisingly good

Ronodin can play the violin very well

Kendra has a slight fear of dogs (<— me self projecting)

Kendra and Alyssa were actually friends when they were in kindergarten, but then drifted apart due to going to different elementary schools. They then reconnected in late middle school when they joined the same soccer team

Dragons human avatars look different based on how powerful they are. If a dragon is weak and doesnt have much power, when they transform into their human avatar they can be easily clocked as a dragon. Scales, horns, claws, unnatural skin color, ect. tend to appear on weaker dragons avatars. Colorful hair and eyes are the most common signs of a dragon at medium power. If a dragon is particularly powerful, their human avatar can look nearly indistinguishable from any normal mortal (for example, Navarog)

It’s the same case with unicorns. If a unicorn isn't very powerful, they can have more horse like features in their human avatar. Cloven hooves instead of normal feet, horse ears, and the horn still attached to the forehead. This usually only tends to happen to younger unicorns, who don't have as much control over their magic and havent gained their third horn

Before Stan became caretaker, and was in his 20s or so, he was good friends with Newel and Doren. He consistently hung out and partied with them, until he became caretaker and married Ruth. They're still friends to this day, but not as close as they used to be

During the first few years of Patton and Lena's marriage, Lena would visit the pond and chat with her sisters, though they usually either ignored her or beckoned her to come closer to the water. Her visits slowly waned over time, the nail in the coffin being when one of the naiads managed to grab her leg, and was only saved due to Patton being with her. She never visited again after that

Dale has a noticeable southern accent. Warren also has the slightest hint of one, but it becomes much more noticeable when he's emotional

[minced-mangoes]

This is how I envision Lucifer, personally.

I'm a huge believer in third eye Luci and think he should have an extra set of horns.

His wings are much bigger, and he has stumps where his third set of wings were. He ripped off all three sets, only two sets fully regrew.

I'm not sure about the earrings, honestly, they were a take on the pendant on his belt in demon form, but idk, I might make them look closer to that.

Jabot Lucifer real, and Diavolo gifted him the horn adornments, as when he fell Lucifer was not comfortable with his new horns. Having them decorated helped, and solidified his relationship with the Demon Lord.

He does have eye bags, he has tried to remove them, but not even Asmo's skin products can budge this poor guys eye bags. Maybe it would help if he didn't overwork himself. He does wear a lip balm or gloss on occasion, usually only if he's going to an important function or meeting.

Ears. I'm just going to say it. Demon's tend to have ears relating to their sin animal. If the animal doesn't have notable ears, then they have goat ears. Angels on the other hand have lamb ears.

Lucifer's ears grow feathers.

He has little stripey markings on his cheek. Idk why, I just think they look cool. They probably appear on his hands as well, which is why he wears gloves. He doesn't like seeing them.

The ears, wings, horns, markings, and third eye disappear when he uses glamour to shift into a more humanoid form.

The brothers use glamour to look more welcoming to MC, though as they become closer to each other they drop the glamour, and stay in their default demonic form.

~~~

That was longer than I wanted it to be... If anyone else is interested in seeing more of my obey me design concepts lmk in the comment/send me an ask saying who you wanna see,,,

If this gets enough notes I might finish the drawing, as well.

[goldyluna]

I just had an impuls of drawing Sara and Shin with wings and it became an AU. Everything began with one "what if"! And then it became this. Your Turn To Die: Purgatory Trials.

In the world between life and death is a Purgatory. A place where people have a chance to go back to live, to their homes and loved ones. But if they can't do that, their existence will stay only in the hearts of living. As everyone suddenly appear in an unfamiliar place, they find themselves with two easy choices. Play Games to Live or Die.

And there are these things. They call themselves Guardians of Purgatory. They looked like fallen angels, with no way to say for sure if they were there to really guard them. Will they be of any help or everyone's destined to perish?

Second part here and third part here

Below, you can read my "little" ranting about characters! (There may be spoilers if you didn't finish the game)

Guardians may or may not be bad. Even if they don't have evil intentions, their own existence makes others nervous and uncomfortable. Their appearance is too grand and too vague to feel secure in most cases. They feel godly-like and omnipotent. Their faces blank, without expression. And even if they can't do anything serious, they can't hurt anyone with their hands... How could you trust someone in a place like this?

I will write their normal names as I have no idea how to name them differently and what they could represent (like "Laughing Doll" or "Crying Doll"). I really wanted everyone to have clothes and elements resembling their oryginal selves. To give them things that symbolize them.

Sara Chidouin - She is our main protagonist in YTTD, but here she is one of the Guardians. Her voice is strong but gentle. Her movements are with purpose. She will most likely try to help children or people who aren't doing well. Sara isn't innocent. We know that in simulations, she could be ruthless. I don't say that she is evil and a demon with angels face. Everyone except Shin sees her as a good person that they could trust. I wanted her to look so open, so graceful and kind, but at the same time, I gave her horns covering her face and dark wings. Not because I think she is more on a bad side, but to highlight how she is. Kind and wanting everyone to live and escape, but being able to wreak havoc if she felt like she needed it. In the end, she could have any personality a player chose for her. I think I did her a justice with her design.

Gin Ibushi - He, honestly, gave me trouble with the design. Especially with clothes. I knew I wanted him to have a mask and wanted him to be warm. Warm in colors, expression, pose. Warm with attitude to others. He, as a Guardian, is the most liked one. Almost nobody can hate him. He likes to play and usually helps others in a trade for playing with him. He never would do anything bad to anyone, but because he seems as the most naive and weak one of fallen angels, there are people that want to hurt him to try leave any other way than win the Games. Gin would never hurt someone back, but fortunately (or unfortunatelyto those that did the unforgivable), other Guardians aren't that good to not get rid of the offender.

Shin Tsukimi - He and Sara were my first "Angels" to sketch. He is also a little villainous in the game, but he still is one of my favorites. I can understand him, even if I think he could do things differently. His whole persona in this AU may be a little biased by me and my vision about him. Especially that this is an AU. He, as the Guardian, isn't trusted by others that much at first. He doesn't really go all his way to help others and sometimes ignores those who need his assistance. He usually can be seen near Kanna and then is more likely to say something useful. He can help, too, if he thinks someone can give or tell him something he needs. Why would he need anything? Doesn't he know and have everything? And why does he have this key?

He also has the wound on his chest as a connection to someone... that you will see in next character chart xD and kinda to his death in ch2.

I still am figuring this AU and have another 3 "Angels" in making. But for now, have this thee!

[wolven91]

Under The Influence

'The Staggered Ursidain' had every indicator that it was a 'human' bar.

However, any self-respecting human would usually not be seen dead in one of those types of bars as they painfully leaned into all the stereotypes including being the source of some of the more outlandish ones. It appealed to those with a romantic view of humanity. Who near fetishised the critically endangered species. Those 'human lovers' often had some internal notion of what a human 'should be' and these establishments aimed at catching that, alarmingly large, chunk of the market.

That said, Danny had just gained the unpleasant education that on this tiny waystation at The Edge of the galaxy, this was one of the only establishments that served actual alcohol. At the centre of the galaxy, The Galactic Community had made it almost impossible to find somewhere willing to serve a human anything that was deemed 'unhealthy'.

Danny frowned as he stepped inside. The Community list of illegal food stuffs was extensive, but only illegal to sell to a human. Alcohol. Stimulants. Spice. Technically salt was illegal to humans. But... out here on The Edge? That list was a long way away.

The unshaven human did have other options for a drink. There were a few Scent bars a few streets over and the more overt 'Love Lounges' available that had bar service, but the former was useless to Danny and the latter would send the wrong signal. He didn't want to be slobbered over; he just wanted a drink.

Entering, he inwardly groaned as he found it was busy with punters. More than a few glanced his direction, eyes widening, and neighbours being nudged.

The human walked the length of the bar until he had to turn the corner and settled at one of the few stools at the bar still free, he mercifully ended up near the end at the back, almost obscured to most of the bar. He could see the entrance and most the bar, yet only if someone was facing him would actually notice him. He could be nice and quiet; most humans had learnt how to meld into the background these days.

The only patron close to him was something big and quiet in the booth at his back. A glance found a shadowy figure, maybe an ursidain? Nah, not enough fur. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He didn't like it, but moving now wasn't an option.

The bartender was a sluggat perched on a piece of metal with wheels attached to the bottom, he pulled and pushed himself using the bar's counter. It was the fastest slaggat Danny had seen move, he smirked as he watched the alien roll away to get the human his first pint.

After his third pint Danny hadn't noticed his shoulders slump nor the shadowy creature behind him slowly begin the sway in time with the music. Just the vague creaking of the seat beneath it's bulk.

The rest of the patrons had begun to get rowdy, singing and chanting in an uncharacteristically jovial fashion. The sluggat behind the bar had stopped charging Danny for his drinks and snacks after the first two. The sluggat had been in the game long enough to know when to take a loss to gain later. A human in his bar was good for business and would draw in customers in the future in their vague hope of seeing another one.

However, Danny's first notion that he was under someone's direct attention was when a scaled and clawed hand twice the size of his own, hit the bar, right next to his. Before he could react, a second, matching hand appeared on his other side. They were boxing him in. It was then he felt the hot breath from behind him washing over his shoulders.

A voice spoke out that reminded him of a storm on the horizon. A rumble that plucked at something primal deep in his guts.

"Well then... what's a placsh like you, doing in a gal like me?" Came the slurred words from above and behind him.

Also quite 'fresh', Danny spun in the spot and lent backwards craning his head to look directly up. He saw a jawline filled with teeth and stubby horns that accented the sharp lines of the quadruped Draconic that was looming over him.

"Want me to get out the way?" He asked carefully. Any draconian with more than two legs was one to treat carefully. They were known to be more chaotic than their two legged cousins.

"Nah... I want to buy you a drink..." Came her cool reply, her swaying was arrested somewhat by holding onto the bar, but the elongest neck continued to wobble slowly.

Danny would have to be careful now... it wasn't easy to turn down a draconian who was drunk, was larger and could feel insulted that a human wouldn't simply throw themselves into their clutches at the first ham-fisted attempt at 'flirting'. Not being aware that he hadn't been charged for his previous drink, Danny merely saw this as a way to save his pennies. A drink wasn't a promise and even out here on The Edge, humans were still protected, least the station be blacklisted.

To the human, he could milk this alien for at least a few drinks and he could simply excuse himself to the bathroom then make himself scarse if it went sideways.

"Sure!" Came his happy reply, beaming up at her.

A grin spread across her muzzle before she waved the Bartender over.

"Two more in the booth!" She ordered holding up her shovel-sized hands with two fingers extended.

The booths were admittedly comfier than the stool, so Danny allowed the muscled arm to loop over his shoulder and he was guided to the worn leather seats. The draconian had to do a mild 'hop' as she walked with only three legs, the forth draped over Danny.

She swept a hand towards his seat in a dramatized 'gentlemanly' gesture. The two of them chuckling at the action he settled himself in and the draconian shuffled into the opposite side.

The party mood of the 'tavern' seemed infectious, colouring the mood between the two aliens. The conversation was light, filled with banter and jokes. The draconian was the first to offer an innuendo, and at Danny's hearty chuckle, was emboldened to lead into more and more dirty jokes as long as Danny kept genuinely laughing at them. In all honesty, Danny hadn't been this relaxed in months and discovered that he was actually, honestly, enjoying this creature's company.

They eventually found themselves sat next to each other, moving around the rounded booth until they were pressed into each other's side. They even joined in with some of the more well-known shanties. The draconian taught Danny one or two, despite her and his slurring.

When he blinked and had a moment of clarity, he took stock of where and what was happening.

His left hand was relaxed and resting lightly on top of her right thigh, his pinkie finger was actually trapped between the soft scaled flesh of each of her inner thighs when he thought about it. His other hand; held a bottle of beer, but her right arm was now looped over his shoulder, her hand distinctly limp so she wasn't grabbing or touching him beyond resting against him.

His body was leant completely against her, the side of her torso pressed against his forehead. Powerful lungs expanded the chest, and contracted in time.

She took a long drag of her own drink, draining it pointedly. He lifted his own to find it was also empty.

He turned to look at her only for her to be turning to look at him at the same time.

His lips touched the silk soft scales of her snout by accident, but neither jumped to stop the touch.

Her hands became bold, putting down her drink, her freed hand found his thigh and ran her claws gently up to his hips. She grabbed at the side of his pelvis and pulled him roughly against her.

"My place isn't far.." She whispered.

[moonknightproductions]

Non-human design for Yami-Yugi, created with some help from a few polls I ran! Commentary and closeups under the cut

Since the poll results were feathered wings, I decided to take some Horus inspiration and make them hawk/falcon wings! Maybe a red-tailed hawk to match with Mana’s? Though I did put bars on the tail… The horns poll turned out to have long and curly as the winner so I went with Berfomet-inspired horns since that’s one of his key monsters during Battle City. The glow I imagine to be more like how a mirage shimmers to add to his incorporeal nature. This drawing is of how he looks during Duelist Kingdom, but I definitely won’t remember that I gave him the earrings so that’s subject to change.

Creature features! Sharp nails and teeth creating an air of danger with how pointy they are.

Another full-body, this time from Battle City/Orichalcos arc. He’s definitely less menacing/intense from hanging out with (inhabiting) Yugi, and honestly just wants a break from dealing with world-ending threats. (And yes that mug does say World Class Duelist, Sugoroku got it for Yugi originally but Yugi just gave it to Yami since he’s really the one winning the duels. Yami then insisted they share it so they do.)

More notes:

-His horns keep his hair contained, otherwise it’d look like this (also does when he overuses his powers):

-While the wings are functional, he prefers to float because it’s less effort and uses them mainly for intimidation. This also leads him to neglect preening so a monster spirit usually does it for him (not that he asked, they just fuss over him). They can sorta manifest while inhabiting Yugi, but they look more like vaguely winged-shaped blobs than actual wings so any threat displays he tries don’t work too well. The mind-crushing and resting menace face more than makes up for it though. Other than that, none of the non-human features appear as Yami-Yugi.

-The sun disk pattern around the third eye on his forehead constantly glows a soft yellow. The Eye of Wedjat still appears over this eye when using his shadow powers, but not to the same degree since there’s already an eye there. All of the extra eyes are functional but for like Ka or shadow realm vision (think Judai with Yubel’s eyes during s4 of gx). Main eyes also glow a little.

-Can interact directly with monster spirits while not inhabiting Yugi

-Can be independently corporeal for short periods of time but prefers inhabiting Yugi for corporeality (easier/more comfortable)

-Spends free time either wandering the Puzzle’s maze (looking for something but he doesn’t remember what?) or peering over Yugi’s shoulder

-Generally divine/royal aura about him

[deedjre]

day 9 - relationships ! god. i have a lot to say about these three. the basics: trio of foils formerly in a love triangle (the triangle was solved). now they're two boyfriends and a third wheel that has dated both of them (they have all dated at some point. the reason polycule was not the answer is that john is aggressively monogamous in my mind). now where it gets really complicated is that they're all foils. these idiots are stuck repeating everyone's mistakes but they've escaped the loop now i think. still foils though.

(prompt list) incredibly detailed going through of how they're foils below. not really on dawsey's end.

okay. first off. names (left to right): John Rider (nicknamed Dick and Johnny boy by Colin), Colin James (nicknamed Jim by Dawsey), Dawsey Lennan Cessair (nicknames: Daws, D-Daws, that guy from the 500s (derogatory) (colin used to call him that)) We're getting into symbolism first. Because they're foils. John's main color is blue, Colin's is pink, and Dawsey's was red (through meeting John in highschool) and now it's purple. think the song Colors by Halsey. hopefully i dont have to explain that pink is an opposite to blue. john and colin are almost complete opposites. Quick detour: dawsey's name means soft/kind, his middle name means sweetheart/lover, and his last name is sorrow/affliction. now you know everything about him. the other two don't have names with meaning unless you count the nickname "dick" being bc john would comfort colin in a way that would be classed easily as "dickriding". back to it: they have animal symbolism too. john is a hare, colin is a great horned owl (his nickname in his writing group is owl), and dawsey is a bunny. a great horned owl is a predator of both of these, but the hare has a much better chance at defending itself from the owl than the bunny does. the bunny is naive.

physicality wise: john is bony (even when healthy) and appears very sickly. he has big, sunken eyes. all of his clothes are baggy on him, and he initially had much shorter hair when living with colin. i usually think of him as looking like a tim burton character. colin, on the other hand, has been fat his whole adult life. he is 6'4 (john and dawsey are 5'9). he always looks full of life despite having more relaxed eyes. his clothes, nowaday, have to be tailored specifically to fit him (thankfully he has money. unlike john. listen when i SAY they're foils-) and he ALWAYS has a mullet. i'm going to exacerbate this.

mullet haver since 8 years old. thats before john was even BORN (11 year age gap; they met when john was 23). which is incredibly funny to me. actually, just noticed this, he has a widow's peak where john has a part. back on track: john's features are more rounded while colin's are more squared. they. they kinda swap this lmao. anyway where does dawsey fit in? he's like john if he was healthy and nice. he and john are very similar. this is on purpose. design wise it was a coincidence actually. but them being similar is on purpose !!

now in terms of personality and other stuff: dawsey is the most normal. he's a sweet guy, usually tired. gets exasperated easily. mostly introverted. he has both parents. not the best of parents but i think he has both (his father is actually terrible though). john is very isolationist. he hates leaving his house, he hates talking, he hates everything social. this is mostly because he's insecure about his looks. have you seen those fear mongering anti smoking psas from the 2000s?? cause i have and honestly that's where i got the idea to give him a neck stoma. anyway they make neck stomas seem freaky which is kinda rude but the psas were effective, so. draw your own conclusion on ethics but either way it'd 100% make john self conscious. what was i talking about. anyway. john hates himself. but he also had a minor superiority complex. he too has both parents with his father being shittier. can you tell i have daddy issues. colin, on the other hand loves social interaction. he sucks ass at it but he loves talking to people and being praised. he's very confident in himself but he DOES have NPD so back when he was roommates with John, he was very low self esteem. in case you were wondering, john's response was "i can fix him" and then taught him how to mask better. colin got the groceries and he's not at all insecure about his body. almost always has a smile on. he, unlike the other two, lost his mother at a young age and hated his father, but his father was very caring towards him regardless.

now. dynamics. this is a dramatic tragedy romcom of a summarized backstory. dawsey and john dated in highschool. they dated in secret because it was the 2000s and even looking at a guy the wrong way could get you called gay in a derogatory manner. they had an okay relationship, very messy, but one day they got caught by Dawsey's father who then banned the two from seeing each other again. details not sorted out, but either john or dawsey wound up lashing out at the other after this. now. colin met john when they became roommates, and after a rough day at work he wound up crying within earshot of john which started their weird relationship. basically "and they were roommates" at its finest. they fell in love with each other but colin is used to transactional relationships, to say the least, so he didn't recognize this. dawsey shows up, colin and dawsey fall for each other, dawsey gets with a woman (love a bi king) who treats him poorly (colin notices this because he also treats dawsey poorly to a lesser extent and warns him heavily but dawsey ignores it). after daws realizes his mistake he goes back to colin (who basically spat in his face). now. go back a bit. colin left john at one point to room with dawsey. john was angry about this and was resentful towards dawsey (he did not know it was dawsey and dawsey did not know colin had a roommate or that the roommate was john). now. back to that rainy night (yes it was rainy when dawsey begged to stay at colin's place after running from his soon to be ex wife). the next day colin lashed the fuck out like "augh i loved you i just wante dyou to love me i thought we had something". and then he and dawsey were on tense terms. later john winds up. you're not gonna believe this but he lashes out at colin in the exact same way and then he moves upstate (they're in new york) and colin's like "oh i fucked up lashing out at daws and also i just realized i love this man where is he going". colin later repairs his relationship with dawsey but dawsey has a husband now so he opts to wait for john to reappear in his life (to his credit he was emailing john often). now. in the present (ten years later in 2027). he's close friends with dawsey, dawsey is close with him, john is a pathetic mess and is very much trying not to love colin so he doesn't repeat his mistake (he fails on both fronts), colin is like obsessed with john (these two bitches went from seeing only flaws in the other to idolizing the other), and john and dawsey are on semi tense terms but they're chill. so i hope you understand their dynamic from all of that.

Now FUCK Dawsey i wanna talk about how gay john and colin are. john had to cuddle colin EVERY night while he vented about how awful his life was. decently heavy stuff but also minor inconveniences too. john slept in the same bed as this man multiple times and was used as a teddy bear. they used to shower together but they had to stop. colin stopped smoking bc john didn't like it and actively noticed how upset john looked at bars, despite not being good with these kinds of things. john taught colin to donate to charity he was like "you'll look better if you donate. but don't brag about it or people will hate you". and colin is like a fucking puppy or some shit and managed to be coached into regularly donating to charities like that. john kept adding strawberries to the grocery list so colin started adding it himself and bought a strawberry perfume to wear. and he kept wearing it because john liked it. colin considered john to be the second best person behind himself (MASSIVE compliment). john used to wear a pair of colin's pajamas that were way too big on him and considered them his for the most part, but recognized them enough as colin's that he left them behind when leaving. colin proceeded to keep those pajamas and never wear them again because they're john's. he kept neck stoma care supplies around his house in case john ever came back to live with him. colin used john as his muse for his writing. all he did was write about his time with john and became a successful writer. colin was very distressed when john left and he became incredibly rash. john basically lost his ability to care for himself without colin. colin would put on space documentaries when leaving friends to their own devices out of habit because that's what john liked. when john finally went back to colin ten years later they still loved each other and fell back into routine near perfectly. they're so fucking gay.

[mischief-lies-and-stories]

11 Thoughts I Had While Reading Loki Issue 3

Contains spoilers for the first three issues (but mostly the third issue) of the Loki miniseries. Also likely contains spoilers for many of the comics starring or featuring Loki I normally talk about (including King Thor, Loki: Agent of Asgard, Defenders: Beyond, Young Avengers). Also alternating pronouns for Loki throughout.

So in the "And that's what you missed on Glee" (by which I mean the recap/prologue), they explicitly call Loki the God of Stories, which apparently I missed or forgot about in Chapter Two (or they didn't call him that, but I think they did). So, post-Agent of Asgard, but as yet unclear (to me) if post-Defenders: Beyond or mid-Defenders: Beyond or what.

"But we know what you're probably wondering. What has any of this got to do with Loki?" WHOLE-ASS MOOD. That's what I'm constantly thinking!

Can I just say how much I love whenever Loki hangs out with their Young Avengers friends post-Young Avengers? The YA aren't exactly warm towards them anymore, but they're also not outright hostile usually, so they're almost real friends. It's sweet. Loki deserves to have more than just Verity and Thor in their life. (And they don't even have Verity in this comic, which I'm upset about.)

Loki's look in this issue is just peak genderfluid Loki for me. The fingerless gloves, the coat, the black nail polish, the slightly less angular but not quite smoothed over facial features, the slightly longer and wavier than usual but not shoulder-length hair with the bang flipped over one horn. The make-up.

(I did not take this picture for this post. I took this picture because I love the way they look in this panel and needed to save it to look at later.) And there was something about his chest on the cover that I couldn't quite put my finger on, but I just put on my binder and looked at myself in the mirror and something about how my chest looks in the binder made me go 'Is Loki wearing a binder?' (This is just my personal headcanon based on the similarities in appearance from my current experience, I don't necessarily think the artist intended to draw him while hinting at a binder, and I'm not even sure how you would do that without showing all or part of the binder itself. Practically, it could just be the effect of his armor. But I'm going with it, even though Loki can shapeshift.)

KO-MIR PULLING A LOKI IN KING THOR CHILLING (no pun intended) IN A SUN

Not me stretching the allegory of Ko-mir to its breaking point trying to make it relevant to Loki.

Ultimately, I don't care how much of a lie the story of how Loki got the piece of Naglfar back is. I love watching Loki at peak power, even if it's not true. I mean, he achieved it somehow, who's to say he didn't do it this way?

The way Loki has nail polish on his cuticles. Something about how his hand isn't steady and he's not so much a perfectionist that he won't go back over the edges with rubbing alcohol afterwards.

Should...should I know who Bullseye is? The only Bullseye I know is a gangly toy horse. This guy looks like someone tried to make a Captain America toy but wanted to avoid a lawsuit.

"Corporate wants you to find the differences between these two pictures" meme, but it's Muck Mulligan making mob bosses' eyes bleed with the Good News of Naglfar, and an Early Modern painting of missionaries bringing typhoid and gunpowder--I mean, Christianity, to the far corners of the world.

So final thoughts re:my post before issue three came out: I wrote an entire note about when I thought this series takes place in Loki's comic arc, and in explaining why I thought it occurred then I ended up talking myself out of it. So at this point I actually think this is after DB, like entirely after DB. He seems enough like his end of AoA (post-ego death) self that I think her memories have been restored to her. The only thing is that Thor isn't dead, like he is for this iteration of Loki, which is established right at the beginning of DB (the timeline for that comic is really confusing), and implied that Loki had a hand in it (again). I think Loki's memories have been restored post-DB, and that enough time has passed since then that Thor's come back (as he tends to do). Probably other comics have established how/why he died in that part of the timeline and then how he came back, and then at some point after those events I think is when this miniseries takes place. Loki isn't quite their old self again, but is sorting through their memories and current personhood and trying to reconcile the two, as well as reclaiming her vocation to save the cosmos (from the end of DB) and figuring out what that means. And making up for past and current mistakes in the form of stopping the pieces of Naglfar from wreaking havoc on the universe. Very much looking forward to what issue four and beyond has in store for him; I think we might finally be back on track for what Al Ewing had envisioned for this character and I'm appreciating that a lot.

What did you all think of this issue? When do you think it takes place, or do you think it's its own timeline that is just cherrypicking interesting story beats from comic Lokis past?

[moonpiepig]

Part One - When the stars weep for you

I recently watched the third Harry Potter in preparation for spooky season, and I'd forgotten how much I love this movie and Remus Lupin <3 So I thought I'd write a cheeky wee fanfic split into two or three parts with Remus and an OC. Sorry Tonks fans, I do love her and Remus individually, but I never really fell for their relationship.

__________________

Harry followed Professor Lupin into his office after being caught wandering the school corridors alone while everyone was out visiting Hogsmeade. He tried to ignore the persistent thoughts of Ron and Hermione having fun at Zonko’s Joke Shop or eating their weight worth of treats at Honeydukes without him with limited success and accepted the weight of disappointment drawing him down. 

In the corner stood a very large tank of water. A sickly, green creature with sharp little horns, had its face pressed against the glass, pulling faces and flexing its long, spindly fingers. A bookshelf groaning with the weight of tattered tomes stood guard to the left of a large oak desk painted with coffee stains. Piles of scrolls containing essays ready to be marked were scattered on top of the desk and as Harry scanned the names for his, he couldn’t help but notice a small, silver-framed picture of a young woman peeking out of the paper hills. The woman smiled out at him, clutching two potted plants in her arms. He recognised one of them and shuddered at the memory of the screaming mandrake he repotted during his first year at Hogwarts. 

Lupin poured sweet-scented, steaming tea for them both into chipped mugs while gently teasing Harry about his death omen the Divination teacher had found within the tea leaves of Harry’s cup, causing his classmates to tiptoe around him since then and talk in hushed tones as if they were attending his funeral. They sipped their tea and Harry seized the opportunity to ask Lupin about the Boggart incident during their first lesson. He was relieved to find that the professor didn’t think him weak but instead had been concerned about Voldemort appearing in front of the class, terrifying all the students. 

Lupin took a long drink and placed the mug down gently. Harry noticed his eyes flicker to the picture before focusing back on him. He didn’t wear a wedding ring and Harry had never seen him leave the castle grounds. “Professor, who is that woman?” He asked and immediately regretted opening his mouth as Lupin’s brows furrowed and his pallor grew pale, leaving him looking more sickly than usual.

“Oh,” he said and cleared his throat. “She was… is… someone dear to me.” He waved his hand, dismissing the topic and was saved by a knock at the door. “Come in,” he called. 

The door opened and Snape entered, carrying a goblet which was smoking faintly. He sneered at Harry when he spotted him and pointedly jerked his head towards the door. Harry drained his mug and excused himself, eyeing the goblet suspiciously. 

After both Snape and Harry had left, Lupin drank a mouthful of the foul potion and grimaced as he made his way over to the large, arched window overlooking the viaduct. He smiled sadly as he saw his younger self, the same age as Harry now, standing on that bridge, waiting in the cold for the woman in the picture. His fingers traced a chain hidden deep inside his collar, threaded through a simple gold band he could still feel the ghost of on his left ring finger. 

December 1973

Remus crawled up the steep, snowy slope leading to the base of the Whomping Willow feeling his muscles screaming with each nauseating movement and his teeth chattering from the cold, winter breeze. Last night there had been a full moon and, as usual, that meant he’d had to hide in the Shrieking Shack, far away from everyone. He had awoken alone despite Sirius’ promises to arrive in the early hours to help him sneak back into the castle and, after waiting one very long hour, the loud growling in his stomach made his decision to leave the dilapidated building by himself. Dizzy with exhaustion, he clambered out of the hole, lifting one heavy limb at a time, completely forgetting the vicious tree and its nasty habit of trying to squash people with its thick, club-like branches. With that threat now in mind, Remus hastily fumbled for his wand in his pocket to immobilise the tree and froze, realising a strange stillness in the air around him. He couldn’t hear the usual creaking of wood as the tree sensed his presence, in fact, the branches were suspended in the air, moving slowly as if they were wading through treacle, droplets of snow dripping onto the frosted ground. A figure dressed in Hufflepuff robes was standing a foot away from him, studying the wafting branches, wand in hand. She noticed Remus and yelped, jumping back, slipping on ice and hitting the ground hard. 

“Are you okay?” Remus asked, rushing over to the groaning girl and holding out a gloved hand. She took it and her eyes widened as she observed his gaunt face and dark circles under his tired eyes. 

“Are you okay?” She asked. “Do you need to go to the hospital wing?”

Remus shook his head, the thought of bringing attention to his condition made him feel queasy. “No, no, I’m fine.” She frowned, looking very unconvinced. “Honestly, I just didn’t sleep well. Nothing breakfast and a nap can’t fix.” He tried a smile and was relieved when she returned it. 

“I’m Aster Evans,” she announced, after a long pause. “I think we have Potions class together.”

“Remus Lupin. And yes, you shared your book with my friend Sirius last week when he forgot his. Saved us all from yet another Slughorn speech about organisation.” Remus found his grin was becoming more natural and his tension eased away slowly. She didn’t seem suspicious or acted as if she knew his secret at all. He was just about to suggest they go back to the castle together when a loud crack sent a flock of birds fleeing into the sky and the girl lunged towards him, grabbing his waist and throwing him to the ground just as a gnarled branch smashed into the snow where he’d been standing. They scrambled to their feet and rushed to a safe distance. They caught each other’s eye, him pale as a corpse with robes now soaking wet and freezing, her with ice dusting her hair that the tree had shaken off in its attack and a jagged tear down her tights, and burst into laughter. 

“That was a close one!” Remus chuckled once they’d started to calm down.

“It’s amazing it’s here unguarded,” Aster said, pointing towards the base of the tree. “There’s a knot that calms it when touched, but getting there isn’t easy.”

“How did you figure that out?” asked Remus, forcing his voice steady. Had she found the secret passage?

“Well… It’s been here for two years and we still haven’t covered it in classes and I can’t find it in my Herbology books. I just wanted to see it up close,” she replied, glancing at him strangely. “Weren’t you here for the same reason?”

Remus opened his mouth, excuses reeling through his mind. He couldn’t act enthusiastic about the Willow now, nor could he pretend he was just casually passing by so close to the dangerous tree.

“Remus!” 

Relief cascaded through his body when he heard a familiar voice calling out nearby. Sirius Black waved his hands in greeting, his thick, black hair windswept from racing down the hill. The exertion and cold had left his cheeks flushed, highlighting his already handsome features. “I had wondered where you’d run off to,” he said to Remus, acting as if they had separated for only a moment this morning and casting a brief questioning look towards the Hufflepuff smiling politely beside him. 

Remus introduced them and they made small talk as the sun slowly crept fully over the horizon, warming them, and the bustle of waking students grew louder over the peaceful grounds. They wandered up the path and into the Great Hall where the long tables were dressed for breakfast and overloaded with seasoned sausages, eggs made in a variety of different ways, jars of cereal in between large pitchers of fresh milk and any other breakfast foods imaginable. Remus clutched his stomach as it rumbled loudly and was surprised to find himself rather embarrassed about it. Sirius slapped him on the back, said his farewell, and hurried over to join James, who was helping himself to a tall stack of buttered toast while Peter begged him to help with his Charms homework. 

“It was nice to meet you properly, Remus,” said Aster. “I’ll see you tomorrow in Potions class.”

“See you tomorrow,” Remus replied and watched as she went to sit with her friends at the golden-decorated table.

[sweet-gargoyles]

𓏲 ࣪₊♡𓂃 Know about the couple ✶ ࣪˖࿐ *

⠀ ★ Malleus Draconia.

— Third Year. Diasomnia's housewarden. Descended from fae. One of the most powerful mages in the world. Heir to the throne (prince).

— Capricorn (01/18). 178 years. 202 cm. INTJ - 6w5. Gargoyle Studies Club. Class D (No. 6). Junior. His dominant hand is right.

— Lilia Vanrouge (guardian), Maleficia Draconia (maternal grandmothe), Meleanor Draconia (mother), Revan Draconia (father).

— Tall young man with pale skin. Cool-black hair that’s mostly cut mid-length, with long bangs and two longer sections of hair on his sides that fall over his shoulders. Has one small cowlick on the top of his head. The bottom ends of his hair fade into a dark turquoise color. Has bright green eyes with vertical-slit pupils and long eyelashes. His lips are a slightly darker color than his skin, and usually wears what appears to be subtle dark eyeshadow. His most unique features are his pointed, elf-like ears, and long black horns on the top of his head. His horns are covered in small ridges, and curve back in an s-shape. Sharp fangs are shown when his mouth is open. Is often seen with a serious expression, or a mysterious smile.

⠀ ★ Riku Volpex.

— Third Year. Heartslabyul's spade. A black fox beastman. A country boy from Shaftlands.

— Scorpio (11/05). 18 years. 1.80 cm. ENFJ - 2w7. Gargoyle Research Society, Band, Football, Hockey and Horse-Riding Club. Class D (No.9). Junior. His dominant hand is right.

— Widow Tweed (human adoptive mother).

— Tall young man also with fair light/midtone skin. Black hair that's is mid-short length, short bangs. Has heterochromia, his left eye is a black one and his right eye is red (with a tiny mole under this eye) with a mid eyelashes and over his right cheek is a small black marking shaped like a spade symbol. His lips are the same color but slightly pinker because he uses cherry balsam every day. Is often seen with a with a smile and a friendly face.

𓏲 ࣪₊♡𓂃 Tags ✶ ࣪˖࿐ *

⟢ rkls q&a : you ask something and rikulleus answers !

⟢ rikulleus , sweet gargoyles , foxdragon , rikuxmalleus &/or 🦊🐉 : selfship content !

⟢ lovely heat : nsfw content !

⟢ bitter sweet tears : angst content !

𓏲 ࣪₊♡𓂃 Before you follow me ✶ ࣪˖࿐ *

I'm new in yume tumblr so I actually don't know how to use this app. I'll try to post whenever I can. ࣪ ࣪ ׅ  ⊹

I use selfinsert for my selfship.

I'm 19 y/o. I use he/him pronouns and dating !!

I speak spanish since thats my first lenguage and english (i'm very insecure with this but I try my best)

I don't draw or edit since idk how to do that things so most of the time it makes me feel bad knowing that I can't do more than neka &/or picrews for my selfship.

Writer's attempt so you will soon see lords or au's. <3

[sadeswrites]

Out for Smokes

Commission Story for moikheck on Instagram/Twitter

Heavy flakes of snow momentarily stuck to the living room window before melting against the warm glass. Josh barely paid them any attention as he sat on the couch. All light had been extinguished except for the sole lamp seated on the end table next to him. He was deep into rereading the third book in his favorite series, and not even the sounds of the furnace blasting could draw his attention away. He couldn’t stay up much longer, as it was a school night, but he allowed himself one last chapter.

Footsteps broke the unseen tension in the room, created by loud boots connecting with the old wood frame of the staircase to the second floor. Tom appeared from the entryway, layered under thick winter clothing. He reached into the coat closet beneath the stairs, stirring up enough noise to finally break Josh’s focus.

“Here, Josh, take this.” Tom lobbed the coat his way, which covered the book in his hands.

“What? Why?”

“I’ve gotta head to the gas station real quick for a pack of cigs, and Mom said to take you with.”

An exasperated sigh left his lungs. “I’m good. Mom says your smoking is a bad habit, and I don’t want to go. I’m almost done with this chapter.”

“I understand, but I don’t think she’ll like that answer.”

“Is she having an episode again?”

“Yeah.”

“You could have led with that.”

Josh carefully set the book down, doing his best to remember the page he’d left on, and slipped effortlessly into the coat. Then he threw on some sandals and joined Tom out the front door.

The biting wind immediately hit him. It whistled across the yard and through the pine trees that lined the road, carrying with it a sizable amount of snow. The pathway to Tom’s rusting red truck was buried under six inches of the stuff.

“Hold on, I need to get different shoes.”

“Jesus, Josh. Come on.”

He stepped inside, threw on a pair of boots much larger than his own feet, and rejoined his older brother. Together, they made it to the sputtering vehicle, and he reached for the passenger door.

“Absolutely not,” Tom said. “Backseat.”

“But Mom lets me sit—”

“But I’m not Mom, and right now, you’re my responsibility. Backseat.”

Josh did as instructed, taking his spot in the back passenger seat. His brother turned the key in the bucket of rust, which struggled to start. He seemed more frustrated than usual, but Josh knew better than to prod about it. Things had been rough lately.

“Is it going to be safe to drive in this weather?”

“Yeah, it’ll be fine. The truck has driven through worse. We’ll just need to take it real slow. Our five minute trip to the gas station will probably actually be ten.”

“Ten minutes? I should’ve brought my book.”

“Play with the toys back there, then.”

“These are baby toys. I’m too old for them. I haven’t played with these in years.”

“Then don’t. I don’t care.”

The words hung in the air for a while as he slowly backed out of the driveway, making sure that there weren’t any other cars dumb enough to be out in the blizzard.

“Sorry, bub. I don’t mean that. I’m just in a bad mood.”

“I know.”

“How was school today?”

“It was alright. Today was the book fair.”

“Did you get anything?”

“No. I haven’t gotten my allowance in a month.”

“Oh. Sorry. I spaced it. Is there another book fair day?”

“Yeah, they’re still doing it tomorrow, but all the smelly pencils are gone.”

“Remind me when we get home. I’ll get you your allowance.”

The road, which was already buried under snow and in abysmal condition, was made worse by the impossibly low visibility threatening to run them off course. He pounded the dashboard once or twice when the engine made some weird noises, but they remained quiet for a few minutes until his headlights dimmed.

“No! Come on!”

He pounded his horn and carefully worked the brakes, bringing the truck to a full break right as it died.

“What happened?”

Instead of answering, his brother buried his head in his hands. He remained motionless for a long time, and Josh thought he could hear a sniffle. Only when the threat of the cold leaking into the vehicle greeted their skin did he pull his head away.“It’s alright. The battery died is all. We have a jumping kit back home, so I’m gonna go grab that. Stay bundled. I won’t be long.”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Just have a long run ahead. Give me fifteen minutes. Do not leave the car for any reason.”

“Okay.”

His brother quickly opened and slammed the door shut and immediately ran in the opposite direction, leaving Josh in the silence of the dead truck with nothing to do but think and shiver. It was essentially pitch black outside except for the snow caking against his window. As the cold encroached, he slipped his arms out of the sleeves of his coat and against his chest, trying to conserve the heat.

Sixteen minutes of sitting in the cold, thinking about the cold, and ultimately wanting to not be cold passed before his brother appeared at the truck, opened the driver side door, popped the hood, and set up the jumping kit, which had its own heavy battery. Then he came back inside the truck while the device charged up.

“Did you happen to grab my book?” Josh asked.

“I was a little preoccupied trying to make sure you didn’t freeze to death out here. So no, I didn’t grab your book.”

The cold, which he’d now become accustomed to, had infiltrated the entire vehicle, clinging to his cheeks and nose. Waiting for the truck to start was excruciating, made more so by the fact that it took three tries and ten total minutes to get it restarted. The heat returning was more than welcome, and he pressed his hands to the vents as Tom went to retrieve the jumping kit.

“Okay. We’re good to go now. Just a quick trip. We’re almost there.”

“I’m getting tired.”“I know, dude. We’re almost there. Then you can go to bed, alright?”

After a little slipping on the road, he got the truck moving again, and slowly the lights of the town outskirts appeared in view, dim at first against the torrent of snow. Josh watched the buildings crawl by, all with lights and signs mostly off. There still wasn’t a single other car on the road.

Tom slammed his hand on the steering wheel. “You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

“What?”

“They’d better be open right now. They have to be.”

They pulled into the parking lot right out front, and Josh watched as his brother strained hopelessly against the glass doors of the gas station. They didn’t budge. He kicked the brick wall, turned, opened his truck door, got in, and slammed it shut before resting his head on the wheel.

Finally, he let out a cry. It started low at first, but before long, he was sobbing. Josh didn’t know what to do, so he sat there as his older brother let out his emotions.

When it didn’t stop a minute or two in, Josh finally spoke up. “Is everything okay, Tom?”

His brother looked up, eyes puffy. “No, bub. Everything’s not okay. It’s Mom. She...” He coughed and wiped his nose.

“Did it happen?”

“Yeah. Yeah, it happened. She, uh... was having another one of her episodes. It was a long one. And then she looked at me. Looked at me. Do you remember the last time she was able to do that? And she smiled. And that was it. That was... she was... she’s gone now.”

His brother’s voice shook, and Josh didn’t fully understand what was happening, but he did know what his brother meant.“Is she safe now?”

“Yeah, buddy. She’s safe. No more seizures. No more episodes. No more pain. I didn’t want you to see her while I was going out for smokes. That’s why I made you come with. Sorry it was a waste of time. It’s your bedtime. Let’s get you home.”

“Okay.”

Tom threw the truck in reverse, and at the same speed they’d arrived, he scooted through the town. It all felt a lot darker. A lot colder. Once they’d hit the tree line that bordered the town, the feelings only magnified.

“Did Mom love us?”

“Yeah, she does—she did. Why?”

“Because she wasn’t very nice.”

His older brother looked at him through the rear-view mirror. “I know. Especially the past couple of weeks. But she did. She loved us as much as a mother could. She wasn’t trying to be mean. I don’t try to either. It’s just... there’s been a lot going on since Mom started having her episodes, and I’m doing my best. I’m sorry I haven’t been good to you. You don’t deserve it.”

“Okay.”

The trees abruptly reached their end, bringing them to the field near their house. In the spring, there were always corn or beans, and he remembered watching the crop duster planes fly by, spraying manure all over. The house stank for a week after, and it drove his mom nuts. Then fall and winter came, and the crops were always gone. One year, there was a section that hadn’t gotten harvested, and the corn froze and withered away.

“Did Dad love us?”

At first, his brother didn’t respond, and continued on to the house, which they were surely almost to by now. If only he could see anything out the window, he might be able to tell exactly where they were.

“Tom?”

“I know. I heard you. You know how Mom had issues?”

“Her episodes?”

“Yeah. Well, Dad had his own type of episodes. Except in his episodes, he was really mean. More than Mom. He hurt us. He hurt her, and he hurt you, and he hurt me.”

“What did we do?”

“Nothing. Especially you. You were too young. But he was a mean person.”

“What happened to him?”

“One day, during one of his episodes, he was being mean to you again. He was hurting you. And I got in the way, and I stopped him.”

“And then what?”

“That’s it. Now he can’t hurt you again. I kept you safe. I took care of it. Took care of you.”

“Okay.”

Finally, the house was in sight, and as they pulled into the driveway, Tom sat with the truck on, staring at the garage door. It was impossible for Josh to figure out what was going on in his head.

“Do you want to go see her?”

Josh thought about it for a moment. “Yeah.”

Tom turned the truck off, and they hopped out at the same time. Josh did his best to step in the spots where footprints had already flattened the snow, but still got some in his boots.

When they got inside, he took them off, dusted the snow from his feet, and then removed his coat. Tom led the way up the stairs, taking them slowly and softly. Josh was tired of slow and opted to run up them alongside and past his brother.

His mom’s room was all the way at the end of the upstairs hallway. Tom flipped the hall light on, and they approached the closed door.

He looked up at his older brother. “Is it scary in there?”

“I’m not sure, bub. Do you want to hold my hand?”

He answered by taking the outstretched hand, and together they pushed the door open. His mom was laying in bed, eyes closed. The machine next to her, which was usually beeping steadily, was now silent, its screen off. The tube that was wrapped around her mouth had remained.

As he approached his mom, he could feel tears coming. She was in a better place. A safe place, like Tom had said. She wouldn’t be in pain any longer. But he was still sad. He loved his mom.

Tom came up from behind and rubbed his back as he held his mom’s hand. It was cold, the way he felt when sitting in the truck all alone, waiting for his brother to get it restarted.

Maybe that’s what cold was: death. Cold kills the corn in the fields outside. Cold froze the air in his lungs while sitting in the truck. Cold even killed the truck battery. And now his mom was cold, and she would never wake up.

He stood by her side, crying for a long while. Tom sat down in the chair next to her bed and let out a shaky sigh. “I need to go make a call, buddy. After that, it’s going to be bedtime. You’ve gotta go to school tomorrow so you can get something at the book fair.”He reached into his pocket and grabbed his wallet, revealing a twenty and handing it to his younger brother. Then he stood up and left the room. Josh heard him talking to somebody, telling them his name and where they lived, and talking about their mom.

That’s when he noticed the cord of the machine wasn’t in the wall where it was supposed to be. He looped around the bed and plugged it back in. The machine beeped loudly in one long tone and flashed some warnings. His eyes moved to his mom’s, and he watched, hoping somehow they would open back up.

Tom reentered the room, phone down at his side. “Okay, Josh, time for bed now.”

“It didn’t work.”

“It’s alright. I’ll take care of it with the ambulance drivers. Go brush your teeth and get your pj’s on.”

“What do we do now?”

His older brother got down next to him and put his hands on his shoulders. “We’ll be okay. I’ll keep you safe. I’ll take care of you, just like I always have. But right now, I need you to go get around for bed. We’ll talk more after school.”

He ushered Josh out of the room and carefully closed the door behind them. The younger brother did as told, going through his routine, trying not to think too much about his mom in the other room. He said goodnight to his brother, who was pacing cross-armed down by the front door with his last cigarette in hand, and retreated to bed. He was still more than awake when the paramedics arrived half an hour later, but opted not to get out of bed to see them take his mom to the ambulance. A few minutes after that, Tom knocked on his door and cracked it open.

“Still up?”

“Yeah.”“No worries. I’m gonna struggle to sleep tonight, too. Here, I brought your book, in case you can’t get any rest. If you need something—anything—you can come knock on my door. I’ll be sleeping in my room tonight.”

“Okay.”

Before his brother could close the door again, he quickly called out to him.

“What’s up, Josh?”

“I love you, Tom.”

His brother smiled softly at him. “I love you too, bub.”

[redrobin-detective]

Half of

Danny Fenton was half ghost. Or something.

No one was quite sure what that meant exactly or if it was even true. A ghost in a pure white suit had announced it during an attack on the town until he was beaten and silenced by Phantom. It’s been three days since then and the nerd hasn’t been at school. Not that Dash was looking for him or anything.

Dash worried, for just a second, that something bad happened to him. The Guys in White creeps had been asking questions around school the last few days. There’d been a noticeable lack in ghost attacks around town, maybe another ghost got to him? What about his ghost obsessed parents? Surely they wouldn’t have done anything to their own kid...

“Think Danny will be in school today?” Kwan whispered nervously, leaning in close to Dash’s side. Talking too loudly about the elephant, or ghost he guesses, in the room got people very forcefully interviewed by the government. 

“Why the hell would I know?” Dash grumbled, shaking his friend off to shove his hands deep into the pockets of his letterman jacket. “No one knows what’s going on, Manson and Foley haven’t shown up either.”

“I hope they’re ok,” Kwan said quietly, looking down at the floor. 

“Why do you care?” Dash grumbled, harsher than he meant to.

“You and everyone ditched me for Danny when Paulina was dating him, remember? Sam and Tucker were real pals and Danny, well he’s weird but not really that bad.” Kwan said bitterly before his eyebrows twisted in confusion. “That was actually pretty out of character for Paulina to date him now that I think about it, maybe he was, like, using ghost magic to control her?”

“That’s stu-” Dash was interrupted by the usually noise of Casper High going dead silent. He and Kwan shrugged at each other. He saw Star down the hallway, staring at something. He caught her eye and mouthed What is it at her. Her eyes slid back over to the hall before mouthing Fenton back. 

“Shit,” Dash couldn’t help but mutter under his breath, “Fenton’s here.” He glanced over at Kwan, trying to hide his nervousness. “Guess we’ll find out if he’s some sort of ghost freak after all.”

Kwan eyed him for a second, “you know if Danny really is half of a ghost then maybe you’ll want to quit it with the names.” The warning bell rang for first period. “You guys have homeroom together with Lancer, right? Just, I don’t know, don’t make him mad or anything.”

“Man, don’t even joke,” Dash said with a strained smile. “It’s Fenton, what’s the nerd gonna do?”

XxX

Fenton always sat in the back right of the class so seeing him there wasn’t that strange. What was strange was that he was there before the bell rang, not looking sweaty or exhausted or beaten up. Seeing him sitting there with an almost bored expression, casually leaning one arm over the back of his chair. It was eerie, seeing Fenton try to act normal. Dash felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on his head as he stiffly walked by the nerd he usually smacked when he walked by. He thought he felt Fenton’s icy eyes following him as he passed. Dash made sure he didn’t scurry like a wimp to his seat but it was a close thing.

“Class, please stop staring at Mr. Fenton and let us begin,” Lancer sighed, unsuccessfully trying to start the class.

“Do you know the ghost boy?” Paulina asked, slamming her palms on her desk and ignoring their teacher. “Because if you’ve been holding out on me-”

“I mean everyone in Amity Park knows him,” Fenton shrugged. He’d been so chill this morning, like the whole thing wasn’t bothering him. It only made Dash more antsy. He bounced his leg under the desk.

“Can you do anything cool? Like fly or shoot lasers from your eyes?” Mikey asked, leaning forward with curiosity.

“I can do lots of cool things,” Fenton sniffed. “I know a lot about the space program and local astronomy. I draw sometimes and I’m think I’m pretty good. I also have super flexible joints so I can do this.” He grinned a little as everyone squealed when he bent his thumb back so far it nearly touched his wrist. “Of course,” his grin turned into an eye roll, “no one really cares about that only my supposed superpowers.”

“What is a half of, exactly? What that ghost called you?” Dash found himself asking. He almost didn’t want to be heard but Fenton turned to look at him anyways. 

“What do you think it means?” Fenton questioned back. Though he had a teasing smirk, his eyes looked dull and dead. Dash couldn’t look at them and ducked his head. 

“Alright, alright, enough with the questions. The Fenton’s gave Danny a clean bill of health and allowed him to rejoin class so that’s all you kids need to know. Now, back to what we were actually talking about.” Class continued as expected but everyone still snuck glances at Fenton. He’s not sure what they were all waiting for, him to suddenly turn green or sprout horn or whatever. But Fenton just sat there, still as anything, trying to act normal and it just didn’t fit him right and it was all just. Wrong.

XxX

Dash was relieved Fenton wasn’t in his second or third period classes but they did have the same lunchtime. For the first time since he was skinny, bucktoothed 6th grader, Dash wanted to hide away and eat his lunch in private. But Fenton wasn’t the only one trying to keep up appearances.

“Alright, what has everyone got,” Paulina was whispering to the table by the time Dash was sitting down. “The day is halfway over, someone had to have seen him doing something ghostly.”

“I mean we don’t know how long he’s been like this,” Star commented, flipping her hair as pretense to sneak a glance at the loser trio near the back entrance of the cafeteria. “He could’ve been hiding his for a while.”

“Fenton’s always been weird,” Dale commented with a sneer, stabbing at his beefaroni. “Since day one, he’s been jumpy and clumsy and goes through weird mood swings.”

“Maybe he’s never been normal,” Kwan said with a little frown. Now Dash knows this wasn’t true. He was the only one at the table who’d gone to the same middle school as Fenton. The nerd had talked too much about space and was always tripping over something but he’d been like all the other annoying brats in middle school. Dale was onto something, Fenton had changed once high school hit which means whatever is up with him as been going on for a while. Years. 

He suddenly felt eyes on him, a cold, crawling feeling that made his breath catch in his throat. Dash squeezed his eyes shut and breathed a silent sigh of relief as the eyes turned from him. They didn’t return but Dash found he couldn’t eat after that.

XxX

“Dude, did you hear about Fenton?” Victor said in an excited but still hushed whisper as Dash was leaving fifth period. 

“No, what did he do?” Dash asked with dread.

“He had gym last period and apparently he’s been faking his loser weakness. He crawled up the rope climb like a goddamned spider monkey and then slid himself back down. Don’t know how he didn’t have intense rope burn from that. He also beat Charlie, Katie and Veronica on the sprinting portion. Must be those ghosty genes.”

“Fenton did all that?” Dash asked, he bit the inside of his cheek. Hard.

“Yeah it was crazy, I thought Tetslaf was gonna pass out,” Victor laughed. “Maybe we should get him to try out for the football team, he’d be a great running back or-”

“Come on, Vic,” Dash laughed but the sound came out wrong. “Why would we want Fenton on our team? He’s, he’s Fenton! Just a skinny, weird little wimp.” Vic side-eyed him a bit before clapping Dash on the back.

“World’s changing, Dash. First ghosts, now half ghosts, it’s all wrong but you just gotta roll with it. All I know is I have 2 years left in this hell hole before I leave this miserable place for Chicago and never look back. I recommend you do the same, after all,” Vic grinned again but it was sharper. “Fenton’s always been your personal punching bag, not every day you learn your victim has superpowers.”

“We don’t know what the hell is up with Fenton,” Dash defended. Vic just shrugged.

“Yeah but he’s always been a freak now we know he ain’t human. Who knows what else he’s hiding?” Vic said with a smug smile before wandering off, giving a halfhearted wave over his shoulder as he left.

Dash stood in the hallway, trying to get himself under control until the warning and late bell rang. Only then, when he was certain he wouldn’t run into Fenton, did he head to class. 

XxX

“Should we follow him, see where he goes?” Paulina said, biting onto one of her nails in nervous excitement. Paulie was gorgeous and overall pretty cool but her thing with ghosts sometimes tired Dash out. Now more than ever. 

“Come on, that’s like stalking,” Kwan scolded. “Even if that wasn’t illegal or whatever it’s just not cool. They had a rough day today, leave ‘em alone.” That icy chill returned and Dash looked out of the corner of his eye to see Fenton and his cronies walking out of the school. 

Truthfully, Dash didn’t think Fenton had that bad of a day. Yeah people were asking questions but he’d side stepped them all, gave non-answers. Other people talked about Fenton’s supposed strength in gym but there’d been conflicting reports, some said he flew up the rope climb, others said he levitated doing his push ups. Dash really didn’t know what to believe. Fenton was just acting, well, like Fenton. He paused for a second, stopped walking before catching up with the group.

Maybe... maybe Dash was getting caught up over nothing. There really was no proof Fenton was this ‘half of’ other than what one dumb ghost said. He thought back to Fenton’s grin during first period; stupid nerd was probably milking his 15 minutes of fame and bully free time. His earlier fear and uncertainty burst into flames until a familiar anger was burning in his gut. Now this he knew what to do with.

“Yeah, well his day is about to get rougher,” Dash heard himself say as he stomped off to where Fenton was smiling tiredly at something Manson was saying. “Hey Fentonio! Think you’re pretty cool with every paying attention to you but I-”

Fenton gasped suddenly, like a hiccup only his breath misted out in front of him cold as a winter’s day. Dash stopped midsentence watching as Fenton’s whole face twisted. His earlier weary but tolerant annoyance that he’d been projecting all day was stripped away. He glared at Dash with an expression that was hard as ice and full of an exhaustion and bitterness he couldn’t begin to understand.

“As payment for being forcibly outed,” Fenton spoke up loudly enough that most of the school yard could hear him. “I was promised a week.” His eyes slowly but methodically scanned the crowd who had frozen in place at his authoritative tone. “Where I didn’t have to deal with ghosts, so I want to know... Who is trespassing on my haunt.”

Fenton’s mouth opened impossibly wide revealing what seemed like rows of sharped teeth. He curled his fingers into claws and, looking closer, his fingernails had indeed become real claws, as sharp and deadly as his teeth. His eyes blazed an impossible, ectoplasmic green and his dark hair developed streaks of white. He was terrifying, monstrous, but he was still Fenton. That feeling that had been eating at dash all day came back full force. Not the realization that Fenton had powers or whatever but that he had been hiding it in plain sight through ghost attacks and bullies and failing grades. This had always been Fenton, they just hadn’t seen. Until now that is.

And now the script had flipped and Dash didn’t know how this Ghost Fenton, who still was the same Fenton Dash had wedgied last Wednesday, fit. A green blob ghost materialized over by stairs, quivering and wailing in some ghost language. It turned and fled, presumably in the direction of the Fenton Portal to escape Fenton’s wrath. Fenton’s glowing eyes tracked it for a moment before he straightened up from his hunched posture and... was human again.

He brushed his hands through his black hair, lazily blinked blue eyes and, when he smiled, his teeth were normal. But Dash had seen, they all had. He’d let them see but to what end, he had no idea. Fenton turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow and another small smirk, just as tired as earlier.

“Sorry about that Dash, I take my vacation time very seriously. You were saying?” Fenton said with a smug lilt but his eyes were still dead and there was a bit of fear in them now. Despite his powers, he still gripped his backpack tightly.

“When your dumb little vacation’s up, Fentionail,” Dash said with a shaky voice. “It’s-it’s back to business, okay? Punches and wedgies and locker shoving. You,” he voice cracked a bit and he fought it down. “It’ll ramp up now that I know you can take it.” Fenton blinked, once then twice before he smiled. This time it wasn’t annoyed or scary or fearful but like the dumb grins he usually gave his dumb friends. 

“Yeah okay, we’ll start back up next week. The usual time?” Dash nodded, not knowing what else to say. “Alright, see you around.” He turned to walk away before pausing and turning back. “Actually you should be careful on who you shove into lockers, it can get hard to breathe in there and not everyone can phase out of them. You never know who’ll turn up dead,” he grinned and his eyes flashed green again, “if only half.”

That said, he and his friends walked away, ignoring the stares of the entire school on them. “Oh and it’s halfa, not half of,” Fenton called out over his shoulder. “I’m not half of anything, I’m just a whole me even if the details get a bit complicated.”

“Bye Danny, see you tomorrow,” Kwan called after with a grimace. No one else said anything for a minute until Dash found the strength to move his legs from where they’d been planted. He clenched his fists to hide his shaking and continued his walk home. Everyone else slowly did the same, talking quietly among themselves.

“What the hell was that?” Dale asked in a nervous high pitched voice. “What the hell did I just see?”

“Fenton being a weirdo but that’s nothing new,” Dash shrugged with a confidence he didn’t have yet. But if Fenton could show up to school after being outed and then willingly show them his inhumanity, then Dash needed to up his game. Couldn’t let the nerd be cool or anything. “So what if he glows or whatever, he’s still Fenton. Look I gotta get home, it’s Pookie’s feeding time and he is NOT going to believe the day I had.

[lilpuffyart]

You have any headcannons on the shipp kids? 👀

>Example: What are they like; did they get a habit from one of their parents; are they troublemakers or super chill?

I don't mind if your answer is long or short I'll take anything tbh- >:]

Oh yeah!!

Aubrey

They go by they/them pronouns and they came from a family that, while not straight abusive, had some weird tension going on that only go bigger till their father left them and their mother abandoned him in the Black Market

Aubrey's mother was a hebridean goat (and that's why he has 4 horns) and their father was a spectacled bear

Not my favorite art but it's the only art I have related to them atm rip I'll probably make a Christmas drawing with them tho C:

Personality and appearance wise, Aubrey looks a lot like they could be Riz and Pina's kid, given that they even has ice blue eyes that Pina's has. And, as a kid, Aubrey can act very similar to how Riz acted as a kid, being shy and scared of pretty much anything, but they also have a explosive personality like Tem when it comes to people that they disliked (like when they started to fight with a guy that was bothering them and Sophie for being hybrids)

In my ghost Tem AU (therefore only Riz x Pina), they adopt Aubrey when they're around 2 years old

Sophie

Sophie is Bill and Els' first born kid and given how they (aka mainly Bill) treats her, she's spoiled lol. She goes by she/her pronouns and she was born looking a lot like a goat, save for her long tail and paws; tiger stripes started to appear on her after she was 10 years old and eventually covered her whole body

She and Aubrey are very close, but given that they're related to hard headed animals, her first instinct was to headbutt them, therefore scaring them

Like her mom, she likes to climb mountains and cliffs C: what nearly kills Bill everytime he sees one of his kids up there with nearly nothing touching their feet

Nataniel and Michael

They are twins and Bill and Els' second (and third lol) kids. Both go by he/him pronouns. Since they're pretty much babies, there isn't really much to talk about lol ;;--;;

Bill developing a bad habit of not saying "no" to Sophie nearly gave him a heart attack (per usual) one day when he saw Nataniel and Michael climbing a mountain alongside Sophie and Aubrey

They also like to hear Tem's weirdly specific mythology stories (specially Egyptians) and anyone that knows a bit of them know how they can get pretty weird, so its weirdly specific mythology stories turned into somewhat family-friendly

As they grow old, horns eventually start to appear

[alpacaparkaseok]

The Pact - Date #3

Pairing/Genre: OT7 BTS x reader (not poly), idol!BTS, best friend BTS

Word Count: 7.7k

Premise: The truth about the pact the boys have about you has been revealed. What happens when you agree to go on a single date with each of them?

Warnings: none, BUT THE FLUFF IS COMING DOWN FULL FORCE YA’LL

a/n: don’t forget, I taking your guys’ comments/reactions into account for this series, so please let me know what your thoughts are! of course, at the end we’ll really take a deeper look at all of the dates and what stood out the most, but I would love to hear from you about this one!! love you all, enjoy!

Date #3

series masterlist ∆∆∆ join the taglist

The more time has passed, the more you fully come to realize that if you have been that affected by two dates, you are in no way prepared for the five that remain.

Nope. Not one bit.

It was Thursday when Jungkook finally texted to check that you were free around eleven. Your heart leapt, finally. A date that you wouldn’t have to spend all day moping around waiting for.

So obviously, you were ready by 9. You know, just in case.

You’d been instructed to wear casual clothes, something that you rejoiced in. Donning your sweater with the word Harvard in thick blue letters spanning the front and a pair of skinny jeans, you felt right at home.

The boys never missed a chance to tease you about your Harvard sweatshirt, and for some reason they never believed your lie that you actually went there. Of course, that might be due to the fact that they were very much aware of your current schooling situation and it was most definitely not Harvard.

But hey...attending one of the top universities in South Korea wasn’t bad, either.

Currently you were perched on the end of your bed, partly due to the fact that if you went anywhere else you would most certainly just end up staring out the window at every car that passed by. Not wanting to look like a nosy neighbor, you’d confined yourself to your room to wait out the morning.

In the hours that pass, your thoughts are completely occupied by the two boys you shared the last couple of Saturdays with.

It would be a lie to say that you don’t replay the image of Taehyung standing in your doorway every night as you tried to sleep, his hair a fluffy mess and that cable knit sweater proving to be your doom.

Your thoughts were usually interrupted as you took your bracelet off and stared at it, imagining Hobi delicately placing each individual bead it it’s place. It’s when your hand burns with the memory of his gentle kiss on your palm that you finally set the bracelet down and let out a frustrated sigh.

Yeah...Jimin was wrong when he invited you to just think of these as nice, friendly dates.

He probably knew it, too.

“Ok,” you breathe out, closing your eyes and focusing on the rise and fall of your chest. “Just...enjoy it.”

Enjoy it you shall.

That’s the thing that carries you through the waiting, still just breathing in and out and mentally preparing yourself for all that awaits you today.

You get so carried away in your attempts to calm down that the knock on your front door comes before you realize how much time has passed. Taking one more steadying breath, you get up from your bed and amble down the hallway to the door.

Pausing for a moment, you realize that you truly have no idea who might be on the other side of that door. The thought makes you smile. You’ve always loved a good mystery.

Cracking open the door, you can’t help but smile as the figure before you has their back turned to you. At the sound of your quiet giggle, they turn around, eyes a little wide.

A nervous smile in place, Namjoon leans forward ever so slightly. Almost as though he’s being pulled in by your personal gravity. “Morning,” he says almost as an afterthought, his voice low.

“Good morning,” you respond, throwing the door open the rest of the way. “So you’re lucky number three?”

“Well, you know what they say.”

You busy yourself with grabbing your bag and double checking that you have everything. “What do they say?”

Namjoon shrugs, his nervous smile growing until it’s bordering on giddiness. “Third time’s a charm.”

Indeed.

Once you’ve ascertained that you have everything you’ll need (you made sure to replenish your mint stash earlier this week), you’re stepping out into the slightly brisk air and locking the door behind you.

The sound of keys jingling near your ear has you turning to face Namjoon, who wears an oversized, dark plaid shirt that’s open to reveal his black t-shirt beneath it. The picture of casual coolness, paired with his dark wash jeans and sneakers, the look is complete with the way his dimples poke out as he holds up the keys to your eye level.

“Guess who’s driving?” He teases in a sing-song voice, making you laugh as you swipe the keys from him. As the two of you descend the stairs toward the car, you tilt your head to the side.

“How did you get here?” Then, turning to him with wide eyes, “You didn’t drive yourself, right?”

He’s quick to shake his head, pointing out a car that’s turning around at the end of your street and slowly making its way back toward you two. “The guys dropped me off.”

The thought of Namjoon in a car with some of the boys and the rest trailing after them in a separate vehicle is endearing, while also hilarious. “All of them?”

“Yep,” he confirms. “Every last one of them.”

As the car draws nearer, you see the windows roll down and someone with familiar black, fluffy hair sticks their head out. Like a dog pile, another head hovers beside them.

Taehyung and Jimin.

Oh, and there’s Jungkook somehow managing to wiggle in between them.

“We apologize in advance, jagiya,” Jimin croons loudly with a teasing smirk. “At least try to enjoy yourself.”

You snort, clicking the button to unlock the car and laughing even harder when Hobi jumps at the sound of the horn. He sits in the passenger seat beside Jin, who drives. The two merely wave before mumbling something to each other that makes them laugh.

“Where’s Yoongi?” You ask, frowning as you do a head count and not finding him anywhere. In response, a pale hand coming from what must be the very back row of the car worms its way forward to the open window. You swear you can almost hear his disgruntled greeting, but it’s drowned out as Taehyung excitedly speaks up.

“Good luck trying to beat me, hyung,” he teases, shooting Namjoon a sweet smile that’s at odds with his teasing comment.

Namjoon just shrugs, utterly unphased as he follows you around the car and opens the drivers side with smooth precision. “Shouldn’t be too hard.”

This encourages a round of ooh-ing that only serves to make you laugh even as you tuck away the momentary competitive side of Namjoon. Calm, calculated, and - if you’re reading that steely look in his eyes correctly - utterly in the zone.

Oh, you’re definitely enjoying this way more than you should.

“Drive safe!” The boys shout out amidst jeering comments directed toward Namjoon and his lack of driving abilities. With a final wave, they’re speeding off down the street. Once they’ve disappeared from sight, you notice the way Namjoon’s shoulders relax. He hurries over to the passenger side, hopping in and buckling up before fiddling with his phone.

“So...where to?” You ask, buckled up and ready to go. You tap the steering wheel excitedly, already feeling hyped up from the short interaction with everyone.

You miss seeing them all together. There’s a reason why you’re friends with the entire group.

“I put the address into the car,” Namjoon explains. “It should give you directions as we go.”

Arching a brow at him, you don’t shift into drive just yet. “So I’m driving us there, but I don’t get to know what the end location is?”

Smiling softly, Namjoon nods. “Exactly. You’re so smart, have I ever told you that?”

Scowling, you press the green button that appears on the screen and a warm female voice instructs you to drive to the stop sign and turn left.

You hum, pondering the slightly sarcastic question. “I’m not sure. But that’s definitely a sign that you should tell me more often.”

“I’ll make note of that.”

With a glance at the screen, you see the estimated driving time. “We’re leaving Seoul?”

From your peripheral, you notice Namjoon’s worried expression. “Is that alright? We can find something to do around here, it’s just-”

“No,” you rush to reassure him. “I was just surprised, that’s all.” It won’t be a particularly long drive, just over an hour, but you certainly weren’t expecting that.

Something tells you that there are plenty more surprises waiting for you today.

It doesn’t take long before the two of you slip into an easy conversation, Namjoon relating his latest experiences in his efforts to add something eye-catching to his studio.

“Like what?” You ask. “I love your studio the way it is.”

Namjoon looks over at you, smiling softly. “Really? I don’t know...I just feel like something’s missing.”

“Well, we’ll keep an eye out for something today,” you promise, relaxing now that you’re on the freeway and in the flow of traffic. “Like, do you want something to hang up? Or something to go on your desk?”

He shrugs, taking a moment to roll his window down and close his eyes as it runs through his hair. “I already have a bunch of stuff on the wall, and if I put anything on my desk-”

“Right, you’ll spill on it.”

“Exactly.” You keep your eyes on the road, entirely missing the fond look he gives you.

“So basically, you don’t need anything.”

He huffs a sigh, rolling the window back up and sinking down into the seat. “No, I do, I just don’t know what.”

“Mmm.”

“Hey,” Namjoon cuts, giving you a dramatic glare. “Don’t mock me.”

Feigning innocence, you peek over at him. “I’m not!”

“Yah, just drive.”

“I am!”

Despite the bickering, you can’t fight the smile edging its way onto your features. A glance over at Namjoon shows that he’s having the same issue, his face turned away from you but failing to hide the silly grin he’s attempting to hide as his fingers curl at his lips. It’s a habit he’s had for as long as you’ve known him, one that often makes its way into many photos.

“Prepare to take exit 14,” the voice instructs, and you make your way over to the far lane, eyeing the looming sign that will announce what exit it’s for. Once the sign comes into view, you give Namjoon a puzzled look.

“We’re going to Anyang?”

It’s not that you have anything against the city, it’s just that...well, what is there in Anyang that isn’t in Seoul?

“See? Super intelligent.” It’s the only response you get from Namjoon, but it has you rolling your eyes in an effort to counter the butterflies that erupt in your stomach at the way he’s looking at you.

In a couple of minutes you’re turning onto a relatively quiet street, only a few random people mulling about, enjoying their weekend. Namjoon points out an entrance to a parking lot that you would have completely missed due to its hidden nature. Once you’re parked and dwarfed between the buildings surrounding the little lot, you jump out of the car and make a show of stretching your legs.

Namjoon mimics you, a loud yet satisfying yawn coming from him. “Hey, are you hungry now or are you good to wait a little while?”

You pause, internally wondering. “I think I’m good for a while.”

“Great.” Rubbing his hands together, he comes to stand beside you. “Let’s go, then.”

You fall into step beside him. “Woah, you still haven’t told me where- oh.”

The two of you have rounded a corner and now stand in front of a nondescript building. Its sage green paint is chipping a bit, giving it a rustic feel that is only accentuated by the gold lettering above the door.

Wanderers & Travelers

However, it’s not the homey feel or the tasteful name that has you stopping in your tracks. It’s what you see inside, through the large windows.

Without a single word, you step forward as though in a daze. The little bell above the door chimes as you walk in, announcing your arrival. And, as though the entire thing couldn’t get better, the scent hits you.

The smell of old and new books, some leather bound and some hard backed, dives into your senses and leaves you whirling.

The walls in here are painted some shade of sky blue, complementing the deep wood shelves. It’s quiet in here, the only sound being that of shuffling feet.

If you blink, you’re afraid it might all vanish.

“Oh! You’re here!”

Turning to your left, you see a woman with flecks of white in her hair, smiling warmly at you and Namjoon. If you’re being completely, honest, you’d nearly forgotten that Namjoon was there.

The woman descends the final few steps of the creaky staircase, keeping a friendly distance as she nods at the two of you. “You were right,” she remarks to Namjoon. Then, to you with a teasing smirk, “You look like you’ve never seen a bookstore before.”

You sputter for the right words. “I- yeah, but this-”

“Is no ordinary bookstore,” Namjoon finishes for you, a hand at your elbow. You can’t help but lean into his touch, momentarily forgetting the rows and rows of shelves just a few steps away as Namjoon involuntarily steps a little closer.

“Ah, right. Well, first thing’s first: I’m Choi Min-jee. And this is my bookstore,” she gestures to the endless rows of bookshelves, and you wonder for a moment how all of these can fit in the building. It looks so much smaller from the outside.

Min-jee motions for you to follow her, and she leads the two of you to the nearest bookshelf. “These books range in languages and age, you never know what you might find. This shop has been in my family for five generations now - we’ve collected our fair share of books and other antique items.” With a little wink, she steps back. “Take your time, and let me know if you have any questions. Oh, and the upstairs is open now.”

Namjoon perks up at this, looking over from where he’d pulled a book off the shelf. “Really? We’ll have to look up there!”

“Please do! I’m off to practice piano.” With that, she whisks away, leaving you to your own devices.

You stare after her in awe, mouth slightly ajar. It makes Namjoon chuckle quietly, he must know the feeling.

“I wanna be her when I grow up,” you whisper, earning a louder chuckle from the man.

“Same.” Namjoon heads deeper into the shelves, and you follow after him. He glances back at you over his shoulder. “This is my favorite place.”

“I take it you’re a regular?” You ask, eyes catching on a bright blue book with frayed binding. Pausing, you ease it from its spot. “Hm… ‘The Cottage by the Sea’.” You run my hand over the shiny inlay, a seashell glinting up at you. “Why do I feel like I just entered the world of ‘Little Women’?”

Namjoon snorts, wandering back over to you and gazing down at the book. He grabs the one that occupied the spot next to it on the shelf, the deep red absorbing in all the surrounding light. “You’re definitely Jo.”

“Really?” You ask, gently flipping through the first few pages and trying to find a publish date. “I always thought that I was more of an Amy.”

Namjoon looks appalled, tearing his eyes away from his book. “What? No. In what world are you Amy?”

“Hey! Don’t act like she’s a bad person,” You whine, bringing the book close to your chest. “She was just...trying to survive.”

Huffing loudly and obnoxiously, Namjoon heads over to the other aisle, peeking at you through the gaps in the shelf. “She got everything she ever wanted, without hardly having to ask for it. Are you telling me that you have everything you ever wanted?”

There’s a skylight above you, allowing the lazy afternoon sun to filter in and play with the lighter tones in Namjoon’s hair. He looks at you with his ferociously focused gaze, something that you had never squirmed under before but now find your cheeks burning as he doesn’t look away.

You sigh contentedly. “More or less. Look at me, I’m surrounded by books.”

Namjoon gets closer to the shelves, leaning down to be eye-level with you through the shelves. “So what’s missing?”

“Hmm?” You hum, getting a little lost as music starts up somewhere. You realize with a start that this must be what Min-jee meant by practicing piano, as the soft sound comes from somewhere hidden.

There’s a little smile on Namjoon’s face, just enough for a dimple to appear. “You said more or less. What are you missing still?”

Edging a little closer and nearly closing your eyes at the smell of leather, you’re tempted to reach through the shelf and poke at the little indent in his cheek. “Just your glasses, I think. I love it when you wear your glasses.”

The statement takes him by surprise, Namjoon’s dragon-like gaze dropping and a flush taking over his features before he steps back. “Hmph.” With that, he continues down the aisle, the red book still in his hands and the blue in yours. “I still think you would be Jo, though.”

“Why?”

The two of you match footsteps, languidly walking along the seemingly endless rows. You catch glimpses of him through the books, a soft dimpled smile on his face as he looks down at his feet. It’s enough to make your coy smile grow, and you clutch the book tighter to your chest.

Finally, Namjoon comes to a stop as another book catches his eye. You take the opportunity to round the corner and enter the aisle he stands in, feet carrying you closer to him. Just as you’re about to reach his side, he speaks.

“Jo is...well, for one, she’s a dreamer. And we both know you’ve got a lot of dreams in that head of yours.” He taps your forehead for emphasis, side-smile growing when you scowl. “But she’s a realistic dreamer. You’ve given up a lot for your dreams, but I believe that you’d leave it all behind if someone you loved was in need of you.”

You blink, unprepared for the genuine compliment.

“And,” Namjoon says breathily, sliding the book back into its place and turning on his heel to walk away. “You two share a tendency to be oblivious to others feelings for you.”

He keeps walking, leaving you to become a sputtering mess before launching yourself after him. “I- we what?!” You all but screech, wincing as you sound twice as loud in the empty shop. “I am not oblivious-”

With a triumphant smirk, Namjoon heads down a little slope that leads toward a sitting area. “Be honest with yourself. You wouldn’t have had any idea about the pact or anything if Jungkook hadn’t spilled it.”

“But that’s not my fault!” You defend, glaring defiantly at his back. “You guys had that under lock and key!”

Diving into another row, Namjoon looks contemplative. “Ok, that may be true. But tell me the truth: did you ever once suspect that...I don’t know, there might be something more going on? Even just once?”

You stand out in the main walkway still, frozen by his question. “Er…” Pausing to think, you squint down at the book still in your hands.

Of course there were moments that had your heart pumping a little faster and a blush rising to your cheeks. Movie nights always meant some form of cuddling, but you quickly just assumed that it was all part of the friendship. Good morning texts that made you sink back into your pillows with a lazy smile, or the little facts that one of the boys would remember about you always made you stop and wonder.

But you never actually entertained the idea. It all seemed too…

“Unrealistic,” you mumble aloud. When Namjoon looks at you quizzically, you walk down a few rows until something catches your eye. You delight in the fact that now he’s following you. “I guess I had little moments where I wondered, but it just seemed like wishful thinking.”

Stopping near the end of the row and looking up at the top shelf, you wiggle on your tip-toes trying to grab a book. Your fingers barely graze the spine of the book before a warm presence overshadows you and Namjoon’s fingers ghost over your own before tugging the brown book from its spot. Still pressed against your back, his light breathing makes the hair on the back of your neck tingle as he lowers the book into your waiting hands.

“Moments like this?” He whispers, hands coming to rest just above your hips.

Suddenly, you recall a moment from months before, when you’d been in a similar situation. The boys had invited you over for some breakfast on one of their rare morning’s off. You’d wanted some cereal, only to find the bowls on the very top shelf. Namjoon had come to your rescue, pulling the exact same move before awkwardly pausing and looking as though he’d wanted to say something. He hadn’t, and instead rushed out of the kitchen before you could even utter a ‘thank you’.

Turning around in his grasp, you can see that he wears a similar expression as before. This time, however, he looks determined to say whatever comes to mind.

With a quiet voice you whisper, “Who in their right mind puts bowls on the top shelf?”

Namjoon’s grip on your hips tightens as he throws his head back and laughs, the kind of laugh that sinks right into your bones. All you can do is watch him, feeling like it’s the first time you’ve ever seen him. Perhaps it’s the first time you’ve ever allowed yourself to look freely.

“Ah, so you did notice,” he whispers back. “You acted like nothing happened, so I figured I was in the clear.”

With a roll of your eyes, you’re stepping out of his grasp and taking a look down at the new book in your hand. “With you, Mr. Kim, we’re never in the clear.”

He lets out a low hiss, but lets you walk away. Not like you realize he’s not following you anymore, you’re idly wandering around while thumbing through the mystery novel. It looks like it might be an original copy from one of your favorite authors. One that passed away in the 1950’s, but still stands out among the countless authors that have come after them.

You’ve made it down to the small sitting area, where a large fireplace is crackling.

“Huh,” you smile. As if this place couldn’t get any better. Plopping down on the couch, you let out a sigh at how the cushions sink and welcome you into their warm embrace. Setting the blue book off to the side, you open up the brown one and begin to read.

You’ve nearly completed the first chapter - knees tucked to your chest as you lean against the arm of the couch - when you hear footsteps approaching.

Expecting it to be Namjoon, you glance over your shoulder with a smile. It’s Min-jee, who returns the smile with a knowing look. You listen closely and realize that her piano practice must be over. Classical music plays over the speakers in the shop instead.

“Namjoon’s gone upstairs,” she explains, coming to adjust something in the fireplace. “He said something about finding an item for his studio.”

You close the book softly, stretching before sitting up straight. “What’s upstairs? More books?”

“No, we’ve expanded our antique selection, there’s an assortment of desks and chairs up there, among other things.”

Making an ‘o’ with your mouth, you get up. “This place is amazing, by the way.” You hold up the brown book with an excited expression. “I found this - I think it’s an original! How much is it?”

Min-jee makes her way over to you, smiling softly as she recognizes the book. “You’re a fan of this author too, huh? My grandad used to read these to me back before I had to start running the shop.” She offers you a fond look. “Oh, and Namjoon told me to put whatever you like on his tab. So don’t worry about it. Take the book.”

She must notice your shock, because she places a comforting hand on your shoulder and squeezes it gently. “He also told me that you might be hesitant to get anything because of that. But honestly, get it. And ‘The Cottage by the Sea’. That’s one of my favorites, actually.” Min-jee nods at the blue book with its golden seashell.

“Ah, he knows me too well,” you sigh. “This might be silly to ask, but...do you think it’s alright? You know, to just get them?”

Min-jee, to your eternal gratitude, doesn’t laugh at your question. Instead, she sees right through you, to the worry in your heart.  The last thing you want is to take advantage of any of the boys. “It would make him happy,” she responds, watching your reaction carefully. You immediately let out a sigh of relief, nodding and picking up the books.

“Alright,” you concede. “I’ll get them, then.”

“Great! I’ll take them up front and hold them for you, if you’d like.”

“That’s perfect.”

While she whisks away your books, you follow after her until you reach the staircase. She nods encouragingly, and you head up.

Clearing the stairs, it doesn’t take long to locate Namjoon. He’s standing in front of a large wardrobe, inspecting every inch of it. The sight makes you smile, enjoying the way he’s chewing on the inside of the cheek.

“Don’t tell me that’s what you’re getting for the studio,” you drawl, making your way toward him. He looks back at you, a wide smile interrupting his cheek chewing.

“I mean...no, but look at it!” He exclaims. “It’s beautiful, isn't it? Honestly, if I moved some things around, I could probably make it fit.”

You reach the wardrobe, marveling at the expert craftsmanship. “It’s gorgeous. But what would you even put in it? It’s not like you take all of your coats to the studio. And you want your trophies to be visible, don’t you?”

This thing must weigh a ton, the wood is thick and the hinges smooth. “Hmm...no, but I can think of something else I could hide away in here.” The way Namjoon glances over at you with a sly grin makes you stumble back, red rushing to your cheeks as you suddenly become preoccupied with a very old typewriter.

“What would that be?” You venture, running your fingers over the keyboard. You’re waiting for his answer, which you’re sure will be a single word - you. However, just as he’s opening his mouth and looking like he’s garnering the courage to say it, the creaky staircase announces someone’s arrival.

At first you think nothing of it, but Min-jee’s voice is loud. Loud enough that you know she’s trying to be heard.

“I told you, we don’t sell anything BTS related in this store.” She says, and you and Namjoon share a puzzled look.

A couple of voices respond, but one in particular stands out as she raises her voice. “I swear, I saw Kim Namjoon walking around in here just a few minutes ago!”

Their footsteps are growing closer, and you suddenly realize that this is Min-jee’s way of warning you two.

Rushing over to Namjoon’s side, you look around frantically. “Is there another way out?” You whisper. Clearly the staircase is blocked at the moment. When he shakes his head, you’re about ready to suggest causing a distraction but he suddenly gasps.

Quickly and quietly, he’s swinging open the wardrobe and nudging you inside, quickly following. You raise your eyebrows, mouth opening to ask him just how this is going to help anything, but he allows the door to swing shut and presses a hand against your mouth.

Back pressed against the back of the wardrobe and Namjoon looming over you, the two of you hardly dare to breathe as you strain to listen to what’s going on outside.

“I’m pretty sure I would know if he was in my shop,” Min-jee is saying, sounding much closer now. “And right now the upstairs is off-limits, so please-”

“Look, I know I must sound crazy, but I’m absolutely positive that I saw him in here. I was just outside and he went up the stairs! And now you expect me to believe what you’re saying?”

You keep your eyes trained on the thin opening where light is streaming in, trying to see what’s going on. Namjoon, however, shuffles a little closer, hand slipping from your mouth and staring down at you. He braces his hands on either side of your head, needing to bend over a little bit due to the small space.

“For the last time,” Min-jee defends, “the upstairs portion of this shop is closed. As you can tell, nobody is up here besides us. If you wish to continue this conversation, I would simply ask that we do it downstairs.”

You bite your lip, looking up at Namjoon and about to whisper something about how Min-jee deserves a raise. The words die on your tongue, however, when you finally catch sight of him.

Namjoon is slouching a bit, and you realize that his hands are on either side of your head. His hair is slightly mussed, from what you’re unsure. However, that’s not what has your breath catching in your throat.

He’s looking down at you in a way that suddenly makes you aware of just how small the wardrobe is, and has you mentally cursing yourself for coming up here in the first place. Namjoon is looking at you, looking at you in a way that you immediately recognize.

Like it’s the first time he’s allowed himself to.

You watch the way his eyes follow the way your throat constricts as you swallow, the way they trace the slope of your nose and the dip above your lip.

The voices fade away as Namjoon’s fingers feather through your hair, light enough to make your heart melt. He does so slowly, eyes reading your own in order to see if he’s somehow crossed a line that he shouldn’t have.

You, however, are sick of all these dumb lines and boundaries that have been set. Somehow, Namjoon must see that, because he’s opening his mouth and whispering out what he’s been thinking this entire time.

“You,” he mumbles as he watches the strand of hair he tucks behind your ear. Almost as though to verify that this is real, that it’s actually happening. “I’d tuck you away in here, and nobody would find us.”

Breathing has become impossible at this point.

“No prying eyes, no invisible lines to make sure I don’t cross,” he’s tracing the line of your jaw now, and you don’t miss the slight tremor in his hand. “Would you like that as much as I would?”

His eyes land on yours, eyebrows coming together as he awaits your answer. You would smile if you could, but you find that you’ve turned to putty at his touch. Instead, you slowly nod before breathing out, “Yes.”

That’s when you realize that Namjoon is just as tired of rules as you are. Namjoon, the dedicated leader that always makes sure everything is in order. Namjoon, who constantly forgets things like his phone and wallet, but never forgets to say please and thank you.

Namjoon, who leans impossibly closer until you’re closing your eyes for fear of going cross-eyed. His breath fans across your nose, acting as your only warning before his lips find yours.

Light as a feather against your mouth, Namjoon kisses you.

As you sigh against his lips, you suddenly understand why kissing was prohibited. Because right now, all that you can think of - every breath, every heartbeat - it’s all saying the same thing.

Namjoon.

Just as your hands find their way to his chest and bunching up the fabric, he’s jumping back with a gasp and stumbling through the door of the wardrobe. You see his wide eyes, but you’re too busy standing there completely frozen and praying that nobody is up here still.

He looks around frantically, but looks at you with utter horror as the same voice as before pipes up from downstairs.

“See! I’m telling you that someone is up there-”

“Oh! Did you see that? I think I just saw him taking the emergency exit!” Min-jee retorts, and you can picture her frantically pointing out the window in an effort to distract the girls. “Hurry! He looked like he was running!”

The bell above the door chimes, excited voices fading as the group exits the shop. However, their timely exit does little to soothe the raging heartbeat pounding against your ribs.

“I- I’m not supposed to do that,” Namjoon reminds himself aloud. “Please, I’m so sorry-”

“They’re gone!” Min-jee calls out, poking her head up as she ascends the stairs. She spots you still standing in the wardrobe. “Oh, so that’s where you were hiding. Anyway, I’ve locked up the front, so we shouldn’t be having any more trouble with that.”

You can only offer her a weak smile, Namjoon still staring at you with that horrible, guilt-ridden expression, which you’re dying to erase.

“Thank you,” you say when Min-jee begins to notice the odd silence. “We’ll be down in a second, I think.”

Namjoon nods along, finally looking away to check the time. “Actually, we’ve got a reservation,” your stomach flips at the thought of sitting through an entire meal with his guilty apologies, “is there a way we can sneak out of here without being seen?”

Min-jee blinks, looking between the two of you but not saying anything. “Ok...um, yeah. The back alleyway should be clear, it’ll lead to the parking lot.”

Finally stepping out of the wardrobe, you look back at it with a glare.

“So much for Narnia,” you mumble, closing the door.

ˆˆˆˆ

Min-jee quickly places your books in a bag - Namjoon ends up getting the red one as well - and offers it to you with a smile. Automatically you reach out for it, but so does Namjoon. The second your hands meet you can’t help but jump, and the bag falls to the floor.

“Oh no,” you whimper out, feeling sorry for the old books. Before you can lean down to get them, Namjoon’s swooping them up and keeping a firm grip on the bag. He mumbles out a soft, “sorry” before following Min-jee toward the back exit.

The two of you thank her profusely for the day, and you promise that you’ll return soon. There’s no way you can leave a place like that alone for very long. Namjoon smiles for a moment, looking pleased that he picked a good place. However, once he catches your eye, he’s back to chewing on the inside of his cheek.

Slyly sneaking down down the alleyway, it’s quiet between the two of you. No matter how hard you pinch yourself, your thoughts keep zoning in on the way Namjoon’s lips felt on yours...the way he looked at you just before he leaned in...how perfect everything had been until he’d come to his senses-

You’ve made it to the car, and you click the unlock button, jumping back as it honks. Man, you’ve got to get out of your head.

Namjoon hurries to set the bag in the backseat before rushing to the driver’s side, opening the door up for you with significantly less flourish than before.

Knowing Namjoon, it’s eating him up alive. And there’s no way you’re about to let a kiss - something to celebrate, in your opinion - ruin the rest of this date.

Especially when it may very well be the only one you get.

“Namjoon,” you say, walking slowly toward him. His eyes jump up to yours, and you can already see that he’s hard at work trying to pretend like everything is fine.

“We’re going to be about an hour early for our reservation,” Namjoon admits, running a hand through his hair and immediately trying to fix it after. “I’m sorry for rushing you out of there, I wasn’t thinking straight. You can go back in, if you want. I’ll wait out here until you’re ready-”

“Namjoon.” He quits his rambling, red cheeks somehow turning redder as you stop before him. “I wanted you to kiss me.”

At this, he lets the door fall shut. “You...did?”

Wanting nothing more than to dispel the awkward tension, you laugh. “Of course I did! I’d be an idiot if I didn’t! So please...it’s nobody’s fault. So what, you broke a stupid rule-”

“And I’ve hurt the guys in the process of breaking that rule,” Namjoon explains, looking at you with clear, pained eyes. “Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t me regretting kissing you because- w-well, that’s not the point!” Leaning back against the car, you follow suit just as a large stormcloud blocks out the sun. It’s going to rain soon.

“Namjoon, you’ve all found ways to skirt around the rules in some way,” you confess, remember Hobi’s sweet hand kiss and Taehyung’s forehead kiss. “Sure, you actually broke the rule, but nobody is going to hate you for it. Nobody. Least of all me.”

He leans his head back, closing his eyes as he lets out a long breath. “It’s just, we all agreed to give you enough space to make a clear decision if you felt like you wanted to make one at the end of all this,” he confesses, not seeing the way your eyes widen. Oh. “And I’ve completely screwed that up.”

Sighing, you squint as a fat raindrop lands on your nose. “Well, we’re on a date, aren’t we? People sometimes kiss- I mean, honestly, we could have done a lot worse-” Namjoon chokes on his spit at that. “But if you need something to blame, please don’t blame yourself. Because I love this date, and as far as I can tell, the kiss only made it better.”

He peeks one eye open at you. “Really?”

“Really.” You shrug. “And see? I really am Amy! I always get what I want!” You don’t add the fact that that wasn’t quite true with Hoseok or Taehyung. “If anything, blame the wardrobe. Wardrobes are wacky, anyways.”

Namjoon snorts, rolling his eyes. “Blame the wardrobe? Really?”

“Yeah! Sometimes they transport you to Narnia, sometimes they mess with your common sense,” you give him a pointed look, which he avoids. “So if the boys get all upset about it, just tell them it was the wardrobe. I’ll back you up on it.”

Finally, Namjoon laughs. Like, the annoying little hyena laugh that he hates but you secretly love. And when he looks back down at you and opens up the door, he doesn’t look so upset about it.

“Be honest, would you have rather gone to Narnia or been stuck in there with me?”

You feign annoyance. “Ugh, just get in the car.”

From the way your stomachs were rumbling and the rain was pouring, the two of you decided to bag the reservation. It was for some posh outdoor restaurant in Seoul that Namjoon pretended to be excited about.

Which is exactly how you ended up going through the McDonald’s drive thru and bringing it back to your place.

“Aren’t you on a diet or something?” You ask around your fries, eyes not leaving the television screen. The two of you had decided on Gone With the Wind, completely forgetting just how long it was.

Namjoon makes a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat, taking a swig of his drink. “Yeah, something like that. Today’s my cheat day, though.”

“Aw, you decided to spend your cheat day with me?” You tease. Namjoon rolls his eyes, finally deciding that maybe you really are Amy from Little Women. However, he can’t fight the feeling that he’s the Laurie to your Jo.

Not that he’ll be telling you that anytime soon. He’s certainly done enough today.

“More like our date happened to fall on my cheat day,” he bites back. “And I heard that they have really good cheesecake at that restaurant we bailed on.”

You hesitate before taking another bite of your food. “Should we have gone? They probably would’ve given us our food to go if we didn’t want to sit under the umbrellas. I feel bad, you made reservations and everything.”

Namjoon shrugs. “No, this is way better.” He holds up his McFlurry for emphasis. “They even had the cheesecake McFlurry back in season! Coincidence?”

“I think not!”

You both chuckle before falling back into the companionable silence you’d been in before. Over the course of the drive back to Seoul, you’d taken your time, stopping at a handful of little parks along the way. Namjoon had imitated the ducks before realizing how silly he looked, then hiding behind his hands for a solid five minutes before he could look you in the eyes again. Overall, it had been calm and relaxing.

As you watch Scarlett O’Hara flirting it up with different suitors on the screen, you can’t help but wonder if that’s you.

Sure, Gina told you back at the haunted house to just enjoy it. Chances are it was all just a phase, anyways. There was all of this romantic tension between you and the boys that would naturally fade away as their curiosity diminished after their dates.

At least, that’s what you assumed. However you’re quickly coming to realize that you’re a little out of depth here.

“You alright over there?” Namjoon asks, pulling you from your thoughts. “You have your thinking face on.”

You blink. “I have a thinking face?”

“Of course,” Namjoon replies as though it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “You gonna tell me what’s got you so stressed?”

“No,” you say a little too quickly. “I’m just...thinking about the movie.” Not entirely a lie.

You know he won’t push it if you don’t want to talk about it, but you take a little bit of enjoyment in the way his lip pouts out. “Alright, if you say so.”

Only a few more minutes pass before he speaks up again, sounding a little hesitant. “You know that this is a long movie…”

“Oh, should we end it here?” You ask, a little disappointed because you were just getting to one of your favorite parts. “You don’t need to feel like you have to stay-”

“No, not that. I’m gonna finish the movie. It’s just,” he wipes his fingers off on a spare napkin before scooting a little closer to you. “Long movies call for cuddling, don’t you think?”

You nearly choke on your saliva. “You- you, as in Kim Namjoon, want to cuddle? You’re into cuddling?”

He laughs, tugging on your arm until you give in and collapse against his side. You hope that your content sigh isn’t too noticeable when he drapes an arm around your shoulder. “It just depends sometimes. But yes, I am. At the appropriate times.”

“Ah, and long movies-”

“Are the epitome of the appropriate time,” he explains, lightly pinching your arm when you let out a wry laugh.

“Hey!” You cry out, only to be shushed by him.

“Shhh, I’m trying to watch this.”

You just can’t find it in you to be annoyed.

You’re asleep before the film is over, despite the fact that the sun barely went down. Something about having a full stomach and leaning your head on Namjoon’s shoulder just lulled you right to sleep.

You stir a little when Namjoon fidgets, pulling his phone out to call someone. His voice is deep and quiet, trying not to wake you.

“Hey, can you pick me up now?”

Despite your half-asleep state, you crack a smile. It’s quiet, but you can hear a familiar voice on the other side of the phone.

“Yeah, I’m close to there right now. Be there in a couple minutes. You’re at her apartment, right?”

“Thanks. Yeah, she’s conked out on the couch.”

There’s a laugh ringing through the phone. “Cute. Make sure she rests up, she’ll need it for our date next week.”

Namjoon sighs, not quite annoyed but not exactly pleased, either. “Yah, just hurry over.” He pauses for a moment. “Do you think I should wake her up to say goodbye?”

“Your call. But I mean, it’s not like you’re gonna give her a kiss goodbye. If she’s that tired, I’d just let her sleep.”

Your cheeks involuntarily turn red, and you can only imagine the way Namjoon looks right now. It’s his silence that gives him away.

“Hyung...what-”

“Text me when you get here,” Namjoon says, and suddenly the call ends.

Oh, he’s in for it tonight.

Stretching and trying to look like you totally weren’t just eavesdropping, you crack open your eyes to see Namjoon looking down at you with an amused expression.

“I would tell you that you missed the ending, but something tells me you’ve seen it before,” he drawls.

You chuckle breathily, yawning as you stretch your arms over your head. “Yeah, a couple of times.”

“I’m about to head out,” Namjoon begins, back to chewing on the inside of his cheek. “But thank you for going out with me. I seriously...it was just the best.” He smiles softly, and you wish you could have a picture of it.

Instead, you opt for nuzzling back into his side. “Aren’t I supposed to be the one thanking you? It was great, Namjoon-ah. I’ll have to read that book you got some time.”

He hums, returning the sentiment. “Yeah, we’ll do a book swap.” His phone lights up, but before you can see who it’s from, he’s snatching it up and jumping up from the couch. “They’re here.”

It’s tempting to not resort to begging him to stay a little longer - if only for the sake of his warmth which is quickly fading as he retreats to the door. However, you only pad after him, stopping him before he reaches the door.

“Thank you,” you whisper against his chest. “Tell everyone I say hello.”

“I will.” And with a rush of cool air, he’s out the door.

Gone, leaving you to stare blankly and wonder what just happened today.

And worse yet, what’s yet to come.

main masterlist

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