#the trial and error noodles

[bitacrytic]

I am ashamed to say this, considering how much I LOVE KINNPORSCHE, but this little boy is exactly who I thought Kinn Theerapanyakul was going to be.

[thestarfilledsea]

Can I project for a minute and say that it’d be cool if MK had ARFID or is that too personal

[magicalcreeks]

I literally woke up for an hour thinking of Kon watching Tim eat cup of noodles for a few days straight… he doesn’t say anything at first… he’s silently observes. Eventually he goes to Ma and asks her to teach him how to make her bangin’ chicken noodle soup recipe. After some trial and error Kon finally makes the perfect soup.

The next time he sees Tim he doesn’t say anything. He just takes Tim’s noodles out of his hands, chucks it across the room and puts down a thermos prob covered in knockoff Superman stickers.

Tim and his discarded cup of noodles are like ???? and Kon goes :))) and floats away.

[lovverletters]

👉👈 yandere serial killer...??? Maybe?? Like just this big scary dude with a mask and a big fuck all weapon like a butcher's knife or something and hes so big and scary but he sees his darling as he's just head over heels in love and obssessed and stalks them and makes sure they are safe.

Maybe leaves gifts as a way to try and court his darling even (trial and error style)

So like he leaves maybe a dead animal like a fucking cat cause he's this kinda survival guy and he's trying to provide food but darling is freaked out, so he tries again with something else maybe bones. Doesn't work. Tries to figure out what they like and tries again with their favorite flower or something.

Like he's out of touch with society cause again big serial killer who likely lives out in the woods, kills people who get to close to his home etc so he's really trying to win over his darling who lives closer to the town/city or something.

Just.... I just love big scary man who is so scary and mean but is ONLY nice and soft to his darling and tries to be so gentle, especially if his darling is much smaller than him.

No pressure if you dont wanna do this! Just!!! Giving out some ideas!

♡♡♡

♡Bunny

Yandere! Serial Killer

A/N : thank you for requesting! I changed a few things if you don't mind💖 this is like an intro for him? I'll write more if people like this dude

T/W : Obsessive behaviour, murder, mentions of dead animal.

«────── « ⋅ʚ💌ɞ⋅ » ──────»

"─yet another body has been discovered near a park at Heartfelt Avenue this morning. The police were alerted to the scene after a man who was walking his dog stumbled upon the deceased body covered with deep cuts that were shaped into a heart. This marks the twelfth victim of the serial killer, 'Lovelorn' that has left communities in fear──"

The news forecaster were cutted off as [Name] switch the television off. Their stomach churned with uneasiness at the reports of the new killing. With the serial killer still on the loose, god knows who'll be next?

It could be them.

It's a terrifying thought but a probable possibility. All of the bodies were found near their place of living, meaning that the killer is not far from their area. Moving away is not a choice for them, they could barely make enough money to stay afloat.

[Name] will have to put up with the murderous maniac's antics until they were caught and placed behind bars.

"Shit── I forgot I have to cover for Stacey today!" They cursed out, hurriedly changing into their horrendous work uniform.

Working a late shift at a cafe wasn't exactly their choice. [Name] usually worked the day shift── stressful but far better than being all alone at night when there's a lunatic who's going around stabbing people. Their coworker Stacey had an emergency today and had practically begged [Name] to cover for her shift as no one would take up on it.

[Name] don't blame them, no one in their right mind would voluntarily throw themselves in a situation where they would ended up in a news headline.

However, adulting is hard and it drains your sanity slowly and [Name] already lost theirs a long time ago. Plus, they really need more money otherwise they'll have to live off cup noodles.

What ever could go wrong? The killer had just slain a person today, they couldn't possibly attempt to do it again could they?

«────── « ⋅ʚ💌ɞ⋅ » ──────»

Everything went wrong.

It had been mind numbingly boring shift, the cafe were deserted at night with only a few people coming in and getting out as soon as they got their drinks.

[Name] were tempted to just sleep through their shift in the break room. Their boss won't care──probably.

"Can't something interesting happens right now? I'm bored out of my mind──" On cue, the lights suddenly begun flickering before shutting off.

Fuck. They're not bored anymore.

[Name] jolted in their place when the main door slammed to a close and their heart stopping momentarily as they saw a figure running towards the backdoor entrance.

They raced towards the exit──there's no way they're going to investigate it! They value their life more than this store they worked at──and try to pry the door open but discovered to their horror that it has been jammed!

Before they could attempt to break the glass door with a steel chair, they heard a noise from their former place behind the counter. [Name] eyes widened in fear at the sight of the figure they'd seen running earlier.

The man was muscular and had a red horned mask on, in his hand was a large butcher knife that serial killers loves wielding. Had their life not being in danger, [Name] would've laughed at how cliché this situation they're in.

"H─hey buddy, that's a nice looking knife you got there" [Name] says as they held onto the steel chair tighter, ready to wield it as a weapon if needed to.

The killer only stalked further in silence, ignoring [Name]'s remarks. He only stopped once they reached a good distance from each other and [Name] were confused, is he fucking with them?

Their confusion only furthers when the killer drops a fucking dead rabbit in front of them. Horrified beyond belief, [Name] looked at the horned masked man who stared at them as if he's waiting for a praise.

"Wh──wha..?" They could only croaked out timidly.

"It's for you" The killer spoke in his deep voice, elaborating no further.

Their eyes almost bulged out of their sockets as he dropped a human heart next to the dead rabbit. [Name] felt their knees weakened as they fell on the ground, disturbed at the sight before them.

Mustering whatever courage they have left within them, they asked the killer that's towering over them.

"Wha──what are these f──for?" Stumbling over their words from how terrified they were.

The killer, holding a flower in his hand──they looked freshly cut from the stem──lowered to their level of ground and spoke in his gravely voice that's strangely laced with a certain gentleness and love.

"M' courting you cause' I love you"

«────── « ⋅ʚ💌ɞ⋅ » ──────»

[espionn]

Fly, Little Bird

i suppose this counts as my contribution to the stp drawing challenge!

honestly the apotheosis was never my personal favorite route, i've always been more of a witch/beast fan, but sometimes inspiration comes from unlikely places! i realized, watching the scene where she throws the long quiet into the tear in reality, how cool that shot must look from a 3rd-person view, so i decided to bring it to life myself.

a little more about the process for anyone interested:

i expected the hands to be a pain and they were. you can probably tell where i gave up in certain places. but ultimately at this scale they're just a bunch of noodles with a few bumps at the ends so they didn't take too terribly long, it was just a bit tedious.

what might have actually taken longer was the background. i really wanted to recreate the bg of the long quiet and damn was that a process. what you're seeing actually has several layers and it took a while to get something i was happy with, but i think it was worth it.

the shading on apotheosis herself actually wasn't that bad considering i did it all on one layer. limiting yourself to a few tones can do wonders

that green beam of light, meanwhile, was an asshole to draw and took a lot of trial and error. i think the end result serves its purpose, but it's probably the thing i'd most want to tweak in the future.

i'm super happy with the end result though, it's pretty much exactly what i hoped for and i did the whole thing in only a couple hours. im particularly happy with apotheosis's face, the background, and the long quiet's wings. might do more stp stuff soon who knows!

[scarletts-scribbles]

Spice Up Your Life

⁀➷ Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x Reader

⁀➷ Notes: Just a small idea I thought could be really cute :) If anyone has requests/ideas please send em over!

⁀➷ Summary: Natasha admits to you that she never really learnt how to cook, luckily you're more than happy to teach her.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Natasha knew you were cooking from the moment she’d gotten home. The smell of oil and fresh vegetables hung in the air, wrapping her in a sweet aroma, as she hung up her coat Nathan couldn’t help but smile to herself as she made out your low humming coming from the kitchen. A slow happy tune gracing your lips.

She loved coming home to you cooking. Not only was it something you enjoyed but you always made something delicious for her and she was always beyond grateful.

Truth be told, she was a little jealous of your culinary skills. Sometimes the redhead would just linger at the kitchen door, leaning on the wooden frame whilst she watched you effortlessly guide a knife to chop ingredients or she’d come to your side and help you plate your meals. It was somewhat enchanting to her to see you in your element.

Tonight was no different. Natasha finished taking off her coat and slid off her boats, placing them on the small rack by the front door before making her way to the kitchen.

She couldn't resist the urge to sneak up behind you, wrapping her arms around your waist and resting her chin on your shoulder. "What's on the menu tonight?" she inquired, her voice filled with genuine curiosity.

“Well let’s see, I’ve got some fresh peppers from the market and we’ve got those left over noodles.” You explained as you continued to dice up a garlic glove, “I was thinking maybe a stir-fry, how does that sound?”

“Stir-fry sounds amazing.” She smiled and planted a soft kiss on your cheek and peered over at the ingredients. Nat pursed her lips for a moment before stepping back to admire how you navigated the kitchen so easily.

“So.” Natasha began but paused for a moment, causing you to stop and look back at her. She seemed to be blushing a little, her cheeks a darker red, “How do you know how to prepare everything so well? You do it so easily, I’ve never been able to do anything like this.” She mumbled quietly, her gaze not quite meeting your eyes. It was something you’d learnt that she did when she was embarrassed, “I never learnt how…”

You chuckled softly, turning to face Natasha, "Well, it's just something I picked up over the years. Trial and error, you know?" You noticed her hesitancy and added, "But if you want, I'd be more than happy to teach you some tricks?”

Natasha smiled widely, unable to stop the corners of her lips curling up, her eyes seemingly sparkled with excitement. “You’d do that?”

You turned to face her, surprised but amused. "Of course darling, it's never too late to start learning. How about you help me finish making this? I'll teach you the ropes as we go.” You smiled, washing off your knife before offering it out to her.

Natasha raised an eyebrow, a playful glint in her eyes. "Are you sure you want to risk it? I might burn the kitchen down."

“Well it’s lucky that I live with a very strong Avenger who can elegantly carry me to safety, isn’t it?”

Natasha muffled a giggle, shaking her head a little as she kissed your cheek. You returned the gesture softly before guiding her towards the cutting board, you handed Natasha an orange pepper. "Here, hold the pepper like this, and let's start with a simple chop." Your hands gently covered hers, guiding her hands gently with the knife, slicing through the vegetable as you demonstrated, “See? You've got this."

As Natasha started to chop the pepper with your guidance, she couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment. "I might not be as smooth as you, but I’ve love to cook for you sometime - only once I get a little better of course, wouldn’t want to poison you.”

You chuckled, nudging her playfully with your hips, “I think I’d love that Natty.” With a wink, you handed her a pan, showing her how to heat it up and explaining the order of ingredients and how to know when each one was ready. It didn’t take long to explain your seasonings either, she was so eager to take it all on. “We could make this a regular thing if you’d like? Start making meals together from now on?”

Natasha's eyes lit up with excitement. "I'd like that very much," she replied, a genuine warmth in her voice. As you both continued to cook together, the kitchen filled with laughter and the sizzling sounds of the oil. It was the beginning of a new tradition, where the joy of cooking intertwined with the joy of being together and you couldn’t be more proud of the progress she’d made.

✧･ﾟ: *

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[cactibarber]

bg3 companions ranked from worst to best cook

9) astarion

has not eaten human food in two centuries and doesn’t want to start now. since he mentions that wine tastes bad to him he’s probably like the vampires in wwdits and projectile vomits after eating so when it’s his turn to cook he just lays raw ingredients out for other people to deal with

8) shadowheart

has been living in a convent where she probably didn’t have to learn how to cook ever. overcooks whatever she does cook and tries to pass it off as a “style”. is the equivalent of a “one iced coffee for the entire day” girl so is surprised when people are still hungry after eating a small bowl of gruel

7) karlach

basically like a college kid in terms of scrounging together food and comes up with awful combinations. would be on an instant noodle diet if she could

6) minsc

only knows how to prep food for boo and no one else so it’s salads and fruit only (literally rabbit food)

5) lae’zel

food is important because it gives you energy to fight so you need exact amounts of it to bring your body to its full potential. what do you mean you don’t want to eat two boiled chicken breasts with a side of boiled potatoes. what about your calories

4) jaheira

now we’re getting into the actual decent cooks. makes very homestyle meals that leave you full, even if they’re not the fanciest and tastiest of meals. her kids always complain about her cooking but never leave home before eating a meal

3) halsin

the druids all take turn cooking so has had lots of practice. manages to make shitty ingredients actually taste decent but cooks a little bit like a health nut. at least you won’t feel bloated afterwards

2) wyll

grew up eating fancy ass food that he then tried to replicate when he was on his own. trial and error means he’s gotten pretty good at it too, although he swears that it’s not as good as he remembers it

1) gale

canonically is the best and does all the cooking and why wouldn’t he? fancy man living on his own in a tower is going to have a lot of time experimenting and developing recipes. loves showing others how he cooks (but isn’t the best teacher)

[hannieween]

rehearsals | backstage series | l.sm

Being in love with your best friend has been an experience with many trials and errors. Mostly errors.

♡︎ pairing: lee seokmin x afab!reader ♡︎ genre: fluff, smut mdni you'll get blocked ♡︎ aus: theatre performer seokmin, best friends to lovers ♡︎ word count: 9k

↣ part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, navi post — other fics

₊🎧: cool with you - new jeans ♡︎ | love scene - baekhyun ♡︎

₊ nsfw tags under the cut

♡︎ warnings: swearing, smut with plot, soft-dom seokmin, big dick seokmin, dirty talk, multiple orgasms, cum swallowing, teasing, unprotected sex, creampie, oral sex (f, m), pussy stretching (f), pet names: noodle, baby, love (hers) baby, babe (his)

part 5

There had only been a handful of times that Seokmin has slept next to you like this. His nose buried on the sweet scent of your hair, his arms draped around your naked body, feeling your heartbeat so close to him.

Seokmin remembers the first time he slept with you like this: the night he spent on your sofa with your body on top of his. It was a tight space for the two of you, but somehow you both made it work.

You had placed the half of your body on top of his and tangled your legs with his. So he had no choice but to sleep with his arms around your body.

That happened five weeks ago—and so much has gone down between you and Seokmin since then.

Now you were in his bed, wholly naked in his sheets. Over the night you scooted towards Seokmin's body, he was convinced you did it unconsciously, almost as if in dreams you were making sure he didn't go anywhere.

His fingers were tangled with yours, his arms around you, your back pressed to his chest. As soon as he woke up, he realised that it wasn't a weird dream and that you indeed were in his bed next to him.

A dream come true, maybe.

Five weeks it took for Seokmin to realise just how deeply in love he was with you. Why didn't he realised it sooner, he wasn't sure. Scared to be unreciprocated in his feelings.

Who would've thought he'd be in love with his best friend.

Apparently a handful of people did see this coming. But he never really saw it, and for the longest time you were just friends. Even when he fucked you for the first time, just friends. Until the idea of him always having a crush on you invaded his mind, it becoming fuzzy.

Maybe he was always in love with you.

But he always remained fine with the idea of being your friend despite you going on dates with different guys, going through multiple heartbreaks and eventually landing a long relationship with somebody else, though it turned sour.

He remained clueless by your side. In love, yes. But clueless.

After some long minutes of him being lost in thought, you stirred in his bed. You stretched one arm out, fingers touching the air as you took a long breath and looked around.

"Hi there," he murmured.

You hummed softly, and he unavoidably smiled because hearing your voice as the first thing in his day could probably turn into his new favourite thing.

"G'morning," you replied in a soft sigh.

When you let go of his fingers, he got the chance to stretch the stiffness out of them. Then you turned around in the creamy white bed sheets.

Seokmin looked at you with curious eyes as you found a new way to cuddle, nuzzling your face in the crook of his neck, eliciting a chuckle from him. He felt your breath land softly on his chest when you sighed again, encircling his body with your arms once again.

"Noodle," he murmured, placing a hand on the back of your head.

"Mmm?"

"Are you dozing off again?"

"Maybe," you cooed, but then your lips pressed on his skin. "Why."

He groaned silently, feeling the skin on his arms prickle. "You passed out on me last night," he said as your lips attacked the soft spots on his neck. "I'm worried, that's all."

"'m fine, Seokmin," you mumbled and your hands travelled on the bare skin of his back and to make things worse, you nibbled at the soft part of his neck.

"Baby, don't do that," he muttered, wincing under the newfound sensitiveness of his neck under your attack.

"I thought you liked it," you cooed sweetly and he could picture you pouting cutely from the way you said it.

"I do but," he pulled back to peak at your face, he moved his hand from the back of your head to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear. "I will only want more and you know what happens next and my roommate is here so we can't make noise."

Your eyebrows shot up. "That hasn't stopped you before," you grinned.

Seokmin rolled his eyes, but a smile slowly crept on his face. "I know. I just..."

You chuckled. "Alright, alright. I'll stop," you mumbled and went back to cuddle with his body.

It seemed for a moment that you were dozing off again. Seokmin felt your body relax and try to make yourself more comfortable, and that meant moving your limbs on his bed, and somehow your belly pressed against him, inevitably finding his hard cock.

Your eyes shot open.

"You're–"

"Obviously," he muttered through gritted teeth.

"But I haven't done anything–"

"You don't have to–"

"How?"

"Just being this near to you gets me hard," he explained with a shy laugh. "You don't have to do anything, just exist."

"How does that even happen?" your brow furrowed as you lifted the sheets up to take a look.

Only to find him fully hard, the tip of his cock glistening wet in his precum. You swallowed hard at the sight, thinking that Seokmin had been hard for a while now, he must be aching.

He was.

"I've no idea," he groaned, pushing the sheets back down to cover his naked body. "The only thing that occurs to me is that I like you so much that you get me hard, no matter what you do. I'm new to this, you know."

Seokmin has had a couple of flings before, nothing too lasting nor important, even. They were all great girls and everything ended nicely with all of them.

But now this was a different and new territory for him. This was the first time he's been with someone he knew he was in love with.

He saw you press your lips in a cute smile, a fond look in your eye as your hand caressed his side.

"Do you want me to do something about it? Maybe I can suck you off, if you promise to be quiet," you whispered, your eyes travelling to his lips and back to his eyes.

He groaned in frustration. "Don't say things like that," he reprimanded with a soft tone, but his hands pushed you so that your back was completely pressed to the bed.

Seokmin pinned you against the mattress, his arms on the sides of your head as he dipped his to find your lips with a chaste kiss.

A satisfied smile appeared on your lips when he parted your legs and slotted his body between them.

"Why, I mean it," you replied, feigning innocence. "Or, maybe we both could give each other head, like a sixty nine thing, I dunno."

As he dipped his head in the crook of your neck, he let out a breathy chuckle. "Baby, you literally passed out last night."

He surveyed the hickeys he had created on your neck, they took a vibrant red colour that contrasted beautifully with your skin. He bent his head and kissed the sensitive marked areas with care.

"I want you so bad I think I'll need you to fuck me everyday, Seokmin," you said with a soft sigh that told on your playfulness. "I'm really wet right now. Please, fuck me, please?"

Seokmin had discovered two things about himself ever since he first fucked you. One, he really liked hearing you beg. Whenever you begged for him to rail you, something would scratch an itch in his head, as if he needed to hear your sweet voice beg and see your pretty face when you were so needy in order to get with his day.

Two, he was really weak for you. So, you didn't have to beg all that much.

"Be good," that was all he said before nudging your entrance with his cockhead, skipping all buildup.

In truth, Seokmin had been hard from the moment he woke up beside you. So he was just as needy as you were, he was just a bit better to keep himself controlled.

You were indeed not lying.

"Holy shit. You're so fucking wet, baby," he groaned quietly as he begun to thrust inside your walls, slamming his cock to the hilt then he realised you were so wet you were nearly dripping on the bed sheets.

You moaned and nuzzled your face against his shoulder, trying to muffle the sounds that started to slip out of your lips when Seokmin started plunging in and out of you.

His thrusts were calculated and fast, so hard that your whole body was bouncing on his bed. It surprised you that the bed almost didn't make any noise as he quite literally pounded on you, fucking you open. You held him as humanly close to your chest, and wrapped your legs around him to attempt to not make any noise.

You bit the bulging muscle on his shoulder, not too hard, but enough to make him groan.

"I told you to be good," Seokmin cooed softly and moved his head to kiss your lips to drown out your moans.

"I-I'll be good. I promise babe," you replied. "It's just—you feel so good."

Seokmin's chest tightened. Whenever he heard you call him in any affectionate way, he'd feel something entirely new to him. He had never experienced that in bed, so whenever you called him sweetly, he felt himself nearer his release.

"Fuck, I'm cumming," he muttered, his hips retracting completely from you. His cock slipped out of you, a yelp coming out of your mouth when you felt him pull out.

"W-what?"

"Wait," he replied, his eyes screwed shut.

He shuddered visibly, the arms towering on each side of your head made the mattress around you shake slightly as he let out a muffled groan.

"Okay?" you mumbled as he pressed his chest on yours without lowering his weight on you, and his hand slipped between your bodies to guide his cock to thrust your warm walls again.

"Don't want to cum yet," he groaned and smiled shyly. "You're making it a bit hard for me, though."

"Sorry," you whispered.

A hand cupped his cheek and he shuddered at the affectionate touch.

Seokmin felt tired and sensitive from what had happened the night before. He pushed himself to a limit he didn't know he could reach.

The look in your eye, so filled with love and affection got him hard. He had never spilled more than two loads in one night, but he wasn't that surprised that it was you who pushed that limit.

Seokmin felt crazy about you. So utterly in love.

He felt so needy of you that he didn't care that his roommate was practically in the next room, and that the walls are paper thin.

His hips buckled, drawing a small moan from your lips which made him rush and seal your lips with a fervent kiss.

"Fuck this," he whispered, picking up the pace. "Be as loud as you want to, love. I need to hear you."

"What about–"

"I don't care," he said despite himself, and to make his point across, his hips slammed against yours firmly, knowing that would make you cry out in pleasure.

"Fuck, right there Seokmin!" you nearly screamed and then buried your face on the crook of his neck.

"What, like you're shy now, baby?" he purred, smiling adoringly at you.

"Yes," you whimpered, but still raised your legs from the bed, angling your hips for him to sink his big cock deeper inside you.

Seokmin chuckled in response and stopped pushing his hips, understanding what you wanted he pulled his body back and grabbed your legs, hoisting them up on his shoulders.

Then he pressed your legs against your chest and when his cock dragged in and out of your walls, you moaned lewdly again, tears instantly gathering in your eyes from how good his cock felt inside you.

"Like that, love?" he gasped, nearly cumming from your lewd cries.

"Yes, yes, just like that," you whimpered and gave him a clumsy nod.

And then, he started slamming his hips against you so hard and fast Seokmin had no doubt in his mind the noise of his skin slapping against yours travelled the whole apartment, and he partly hoped his roommate was using earphones so he wouldn't hear the lewd cries coming from you.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, Seokmin," you gasped, tears sprung from the corners of your eyes and rolled down your temples. "I'm cumming, please, don't stop!"

He kept his brutal pace, slamming against you without any care in the world now, hearing you cry out in pleasure as your walls started clenching erratically around his cock.

"Shit," he hissed through clenched teeth.

It took him a couple of thrusts to cum with you, seeing your parted mouth, your tears of pleasure, he knew he could no longer last. He groaned loudly, the raw sound reverberating across his bedroom and he pressed his hips against yours sloppily, cumming inside you.

Seokmin knew he was spent now. Spent and ruined. Ears buzzing. Fucking crazy. He eased your legs back in the bed, now parted for him to press his chest against yours to clash his lips with yours in a fervent kiss.

"I love you," he whispered into your lips, his heart beating with each syllable.

You stilled, and he swore he could feel you stop breathing for a second.

"You love me?" you asked in a tiny voice, your eyes brimmed with tears once again but now for a completely new feeling.

Seokmin pressed his forehead on yours, swallowing thickly. "I do. I have for a long time."

"I love you too," you whispered, your hands cupping his face to press your lips against his with a sob and then you broke into a small giggle.

Seokmin frowned slightly. "Why are you laughing?"

"You love me," you smiled despite your tears.

He pulled his head back, feeling deeply confused. "Why are you crying, then?"

"I wanted to say it first," you replied, pouting sweetly.

"Baby, you did. Last night," his frown only deepened. "You don't remember?"

You mimicked his expression, but you tilted your head to the side slightly. "I thought I dreamt it."

Then it was his turn to laugh, his forehead pressing on yours again to leave soft kisses on your lips.

But both your bubbles were suddenly burst when a door slammed shut quite loudly, making you flinch from the sudden bang.

"That was definitely my roommate," Seokmin scrunched his nose, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Do you think he heard us?"

"Oh baby, of course he did," Seokmin chuckled. "We weren't quiet at all."

"Did we upset him?" you asked meekly.

"No, I don't think so," Seokmin replied and slowly rose from your legs, pulling out his cock out of you. "That was probably his way of telling us that we're alone now."

Seokmin quickly reached for his phone forgotten on the floor and found a text from his roommate.

[9:21 AM] shua: a little warning next time? 🙂 [9:21 AM] shua: i'll be back by 5 pm [9:21 AM] shua: so take your precautions before i see something i don't wanna see [9:21 AM] shua: or hear something i don't wanna hear ever again 🙂 [9:21 AM] shua: kidding

Seokmin groaned in utter embarrassment. His roommate could be a bit of a tease sometimes, but he was glad he was so understanding, even supportive.

[9:23 AM] seokmin: sorry [9:23 AM] shua: no problem [9:23 AM] seokmin: thanks bro

"Everything alright?" you asked. Seokmin was still occupying the space between your legs, so it was all too easy to feel the stickiness from his cum starting to cool and turn watery.

"Sorry, baby," he replied, snapping his gaze from his phone. "Let me take care of you."

You laughed when he quite literally jumped from the bed and yanked his bedroom door opened and walked to the bathroom to turn the shower on.

"I think we might've ruined the sheets," you told him as soon as he was back and already carrying you in his arms.

"We can wash them," he shrugged slightly and gently lowered your feet on the bathroom floor. "That reminds me, your clothes are in the dryer."

"Do we need clothes?" you poked him in his ribs with a finger and he flinched with a laugh.

"Mm, you're right," he wrapped you in a hug, letting the shower stream drench your skin and your hair. "We have until 5 before my roommate comes back."

"What do you want to do?" you asked and Seokmin noticed the slight blush on your face.

You felt elated, so happy that you swore you could burst.

And he thought the blush looked cute on you, so he placed a kiss on your cheeks. "Whatever you want to do is fine by me."

"Can we... rest a little?" you replied with a smile. "I think I need to take a break from sex for a while."

Seokmin laughed breathily. "Me too. I think I will need a couple of days."

"I remember you told me you wanted to wait until we started dating before we fuck again," you quipped, arching an eyebrow at him.

"Mm yeah, and you told me we could start dating today," he replied with a grin. "But I guess we got ahead of it again."

"We kind of got ahead of everything two people a normal relationship would do," you sighed, circling his neck with your arms.

Your eyes looked at him fondly, and his heart caved in pure adoration over you.

"But I do want to take you on dates. On several dates," he pointed, leaning his head to kiss your lips softly."

"Are you worried we're moving fast?" you asked suddenly, your eyes shifting slightly from his.

Seokmin thought about it for a long minute.

He knew now that he'd been in love with you since university, you being his best friend and now lover meant that you both had to work to build an actual relationship.

But, how? You've been fuckbuddies for weeks now, you already told each other how you feel, so what should you do now?

"I'm not," he finally said. "I want us to work. I know we will," he grinned.

"Oh, yeah?" you hummed. "What makes you so sure, mister?"

"I love you," he replied simply. "And I will do everything I can to treat you right."

Your eyes glimmered and you smiled sweetly at him. "I love you too, Seokmin."

Seokmin returned the smile, completely in love.

"But I still want to ask you to be my girl on a date," he pouted.

"Shh, don't spoil it," you flashed him a grin and poked his rib again.

You both laughed and finished washing up shortly after that.

Being in love with your best friend has been an experience with many trials and errors. Mostly errors.

But Seokmin was sure that you could make it work, because you felt right to him. As if he'd been gravitating towards you aloofly in love until you both met each other at the right time.

And he was going to give everything to you.

"Soooo, are you two a thing yet?" Seungkwan asked one day when you two were closing the coffee shop.

"Nope, not yet," you sighed tiredly.

"What?" he pouted his lips. "Why?"

"Seokmin says that he wants to wait for the perfect moment," you confided in your best friend.

"Ah, that's ridiculous," he scoffed. "You guys are passed all that already."

"I know. Well, no. I think I should let him do his thing, because he wants it to be romantic, you know," you put in awkwardly as you walked home.

Seungkwan brushed his fluffy chocolate brown hair back with a sigh. "Well, I'm not one to judge."

Your eyebrows pushed up. "What? What do you mean?"

"Y'know, entering a relationship is important. The more I think of it, the more I understand Dk for trying to make it perfect," he shrugged.

"What happened to you?" you inquired with a laugh.

"I'm just saying! Aahh," he groaned annoyingly. "I'm trying to see things from your boyfriend's perspective, okay?"

You snickered. "He's not my boyfriend yet. But do go on, Mr. Boo," you quipped.

Seungkwan looked heavenward, as you two walked down the street and through the quiet night.

"We're just memories," he said softly, looking up at the moon. "I can't blame if someone wants to craft a perfect memory, even if they have to wait for that time to come."

The answer he gave you hung in the air and, surprised by the unexpected turn of the conversation, you nodded silently. As you walked side by side, the city lights created a soft glow, creating shadows that moved along the sidewalks.

The night was relaxing and soothed the fatigue accumulated during the long shift. Every step seemed to relieve the stress of the day, and the quiet company of your best friend gave you a comforting air of trust, it felt like talking to yourself.

"I want to quit," you said abruptly. "The coffee shop job, I mean."

Seungkwan let out a sigh. "Me too," he confessed.

"Why haven't you done it?" you asked, looking at his big doe eyes.

"I didn't want to leave you there," he nodded back to your part time work place with a hand.

"What?! I didn't want to leave you!" you exclaimed with a laugh.

"Really," he sighed and ruffled his hair once again.

"Let's quit together," you said and looked at the night sky too.

"Tomorrow?" he raised his pinky finger to you.

"Okay," you smiled and laced your pinky finger with his.

He seemed content and almost relieved.

"I'm going back to Jeju this weekend," he told you in a quiet tone.

"And you didn't invite me," you joked with a reproachful tone. "What are you doing? Visiting family?"

He nodded. "That and I have a debt to pay," he explained. "I'm singing on a wedding reception."

"Ah, now I see where the cheesiness comes from," you quipped and nudged at his shoulder with his. "Do you have a plus one?"

"No, you know I don't," he scoffed.

Your best friend has been single since you met him. Seungkwan wasn't the type to get that involved in romantic relationships, so you haven't had these kinds of conversations with him unless it's about your love life.

"You'll find someone, Kwannie. You'll see."

Dating Seokmin was a complete dream.

To say you got the princess treatment everyday was a complete misunderstatement.

Everyday, you got a good morning text and some days he'd be outside your building to take you to a restaurant to have breakfast with him, some days he'd be in your bed next to you, and you both cook together.

He would be waiting for you outside work sometimes and walk you home. Most nights he would sleep in. You had already made space in your drawers for his stuff, he had a spare toothbrush he left in your apartment.

Seokmin felt like an ant. Moving in your apartment slowly, bringing his things over yours one at the time.

You had the space and were eager to see him every single day, so you made no comment or inquiry about it.

And you shared mostly everything: you were both actors, singers, art lovers. There were no discussions and whenever a disagreement happened, you resolved it with little to no mishaps.

However, Seokmin hadn't popped the question yet.

No, not that question.

He just hadn't asked you to be official yet.

Sometimes you felt like it wasn't necessary. You practically lived together now, slept together at least three nights of the week and saw each other almost every day.

But in his mind, he was adamant on asking you one day.

That said, Seokmin discovered that he was a hopeless romantic.

He rang your doorbell, although it was completely unnecessary since he already had a key to your apartment. He just wanted you to open your door, to see your face lighten up when you saw him standing with a bouquet of flowers.

"For me?" you made puppy eyes as you grabbed the bouquet.

"Oh, not at all. I got these for myself," he laughed when you immediately pouted. "Of course they're for you, baby."

"They're beautiful. Thank you," you said smiling sweetly. "I'll put them on a vase."

He watched you eagerly turn to the kitchen and he couldn't help but smile.

"Are you ready?" he asked when you came back, still wearing a smile on your face.

"Yep. I've forgotten most of the steps though," you replied with a toothy grin which he loved dearly.

He made a show of rolling his eyes. "I'll teach you again," he motioned you over to him, extending his arms to you.

Seokmin had been helping you practice your routine for your new role, to the point that he had learned the dance steps better than you. He usually had no problem doing this, since he is a really good dancer.

But you made it a little challenging for him.

As soon as your hands touched him and you started dancing without music, your retracing your steps slowly, he couldn't help the irresistible tug in his chest.

"You do remember all the steps, baby," he pointed when you carried out your part of the choreography without stopping.

"I just wanted to practice one more time," you smiled shyly.

You were nervous about this particular role. It was pretty demanding, so you knew you had to be in perfect shape for it. You practice everyday, whether it was just your lines or the choreography, or the songs you needed to sing.

"We can practice with the music, if that makes you feel more comfortable," he suggested softly, grabbing your hand gently and the other hand flatly pressed in your back over the fabric of your oversized hoodie.

Or better said, his hoodie. You've slowly acquired his clothes, so he wasn't all too surprised when you used his clothes.

"Yeah, I'd like that," you responded and dropped Seokmin's hand to turn to your flat screen mounted on the wall and played the song you've been practicing the choreography to.

Seokmin grabbed your hand, but before he could position it for dancing, he pulled the oversized sleeve up your wrist. You smiled nervously when you saw the irked expression on his face when he couldn't grab your hand properly.

And by stopping to do so, you missed your cue.

"Sorry," you muttered and turned to replay the song.

"No problem," he responded gently.

Ever since you started dating, you hadn't had sex that frequently. You could count with your fingers the moments you two have been so weak you had to give into each other.

You were, according to Seokmin, trying to do things by the book. An idea which you had respected a ton, since Seokmin seemed dead set on it.

However, he couldn't resist sometimes but to sneak in a touch here and there, while you two were in close contact, like sleeping on the same bed or when watching tv.

Make out sessions here so hot and heavy that it made him feel lightheaded sometimes, resisting to you was one of the hardest, (no pun intended), things to do.

And that afternoon, he would have to exercise his patience.

The way you bit your lip when Seokmin's arm circled your waist as you practiced the choreography told him you were thinking the same. He knew you like the palm of his hand now, being so obsessed with you to the point he just laughed sweetly.

"Focus, baby," he muttered.

Your expressive eyes found his and you frowned slightly. "I am," you whispered.

"Oh, yeah?" his smile broadened.

"Ye-yeah, why?" you stuttered and you started to get visibly nervous.

Seokmin pressed his hand flatly on the center of your back and tugged you closer to his frame, making your eyelids flutter and your breath hitch.

"Seokmin," you breathed.

"Mm?" he hummed, you were so close to him that he could catch the sweet scent of your hair.

"Nothing," you mouthed and lowered your gaze to his neck, to the glimpse of his collarbones you could catch on the hem of his t-shirt.

"Your hands are getting sweaty," he commented, just to get that look on your face.

Completely flustered, you dropped your hands from his shoulder and the other from his hand to wipe the light layer of sweat on your palms, rubbing them on your sweatpants and darted a look at him.

Seokmin couldn't help but grin like a total idiot.

"What?" you mumbled with a tiny voice that denoted your nervousness.

You positioned yourself again for him to encircle you one arm on your lower back, the other hand gripping your sweaty hand tightly. But before that, Seokmin had to stop and pull the sleeve up your arm to uncover your hand to grab it properly.

"Nothing," he shrugged, already knowing what your answer would be.

"Tell me," you immediately blurted. "Please."

"Nope," he replied, making sure his lips would pop the 'p' in a playful manner.

"Seokmin!" you squealed.

"You're not focusing, baby!" he replied, mimicking your tone and then snickered. "You're thinking of something else and I know what it is."

"Oh, yeah?" you parroted him, making his smile stretch on his face more. "What am I thinking of then, mister?"

You and Seokmin weren't dancing anymore, the music played on, but your bodies were standing in the middle of your living room. Chest to chest, hands laced, heartbeat thumping so hard and loud that you believed for a second that Seokmin would hear it, or feel it against his chest.

"You want to kiss me, baby?" he teased with the shadow of a smile on his face.

"No," you murmured indignantly, egging him to continue dancing.

"We have to rewind the song now," he told you.

With a frustrated sigh, you went back and restarted the song and walked back to where Seokmin waited for you, extending a hand to you.

"This fucking thing," he muttered to himself, rolling the sleeve up your wrist again. "You know what–,"

You squealed and burst out in laughter when his hands took the hem of his own hoodie to yank it off your body.

"I want this off, now," he muttered frustratedly.

You didn't protest, in fact, you raised your arms all too willingly for him to take the hoodie off and threw it to the side. Only to let out a sigh in pure resignation.

"Of course," he mumbled again and looked to the ceiling. "Why are you naked?"

"What, you did this!" you squealed.

"I didn't know you weren't wearing nothing beneath it!" he chuckled and looked back at you.

"I can put on something, hold on," you blushed and started to turn towards your bedroom.

Only for Seokmin to grab you by the waist with one arm and turn you around to him, your chest hitting his earning a gasp from you.

And then, his lips clashed on yours, kissing you fervently, like a hungry man that's been starved for two weeks.

After the brief chaste kiss, he tossed you to the couch effortlessly. You yelped in surprise but your eyes told him this is what you wanted, what you were refusing to admit.

"Seokmin," you whimpered, your needy eyes roaming all over his frame.

He had been hitting the gym a lot lately, presumably to get ready for his upcoming role. But you intuitively knew that it was because every day when you woke up side by side, he had to quickly distract himself, and put all that unused energy into something else.

So his shoulders seemed broader, when he suddenly yanked his top off you noted his chest leaner, his biceps more bulky.

"Mm? What is it, baby?" he asked in a low tone.

You licked your lips hungrily. "I want you," you told him.

Seokmin smiled and got on his knees before you.

"And I want you," he replied, locking eyes with you.

"Then take me," you breathed with a whimper. "Fuck me, please."

You didn't have to beg this time like the couple of other times you practically begged him to fuck you and he couldn't find the strength in himself to reject you.

Because he wanted you. He wanted you more than he ever did anyone or anything before in his life.

His hands gripped the band of your sweatpants and yanked them off your legs, dragging your wet panties along with them and threw them aside on the floor.

"You're so hot, baby," he muttered gruffly, revelling at the sight of you.

The flustered expression on your face, your body wholly naked and sitting on the edge of your couch, looking at you impatiently.

Seokmin hooked his arms underneath your legs and yanked your body so that your legs were sprawled, angled open for him. He didn't give you the chance to reply to his compliment, because he quickly shoved his mouth down your cunt.

Your fingers found the back of his head at the same time you closed your eyes and let out a cry of pure pleasure. "Seokmin!" you whimpered.

His mouth was on your wet throbbing core, licking your arousal hungrily, his tongue stroke and laved in your wet folds, humming and purring sounds of pleasure with you.

"Oh, oh fuck," you whimpered when the tip of his tongue found your clit and started teasing at it expertly, trying to get it to swell. So he flicked and swirled at the sensitive bud relentlessly, knowing too well that would have you twitching and whimpering.

"Fuck, baby, slow down," you whined, tugging at his dark hair on the back of his head.

But he groaned, moving the hand underneath your thigh and removed yours from his head, and set both of your hands aside on the couch, locking his fingers with yours.

He didn't relent on his teasing, much as if he were trying to punish you to make him do this, skipping his rule. The past few times you've had sex it had been like this, frantic, desperate and needy.

But you were more than okay with that.

Seokmin released your clit from his teasing and flicking of his tongue and returned to lick your folds, darting meaningful a look up at you, linking his gaze with yours.

You nodded your head, signaling him that you were liking what he did and you wanted him to continue.

Because he was only licking your cunt up and down, you could catch the glimpse of one the corners of his mouth raising slightly in a triumphant grin.

And then he moved his mouth back to your clit again, just when it was starting to throb in arousal. Seokmin pushed it with the tip of his tongue gently, swirling around it, to then start sucking it, moving his head slightly to apply more motion.

Your legs started twitching from the tension building between them. The hand that wasn't clasped with his held on the armrest of the couch, your chest started heaving and you closed your eyes, savouring your sweet, blissful release.

"Seokmin, ah, fuck, baby," you gasped desperately. "I'm close, gaah!"

Seokmin hummed in your cunt in response, sending a soft vibration on your sensitive bud.

"Baby, I'm cumming," you whimpered lewdly before letting out a long high keen moan.

Your body contorted and shuddered, nails digging on the armrest of the couch as you cried out in pleasure, moaning his name over and over again until you were completely out of breath.

Seokmin showered your skin with sweet wet kisses, on your mound, on the soft side of your thighs, where he sucked gently to create hickeys on your thighs. And lastly, he released your hand to prop himself up and land a kiss on your mouth.

"I missed this," you admitted, giving him puppy eyes.

Seokmin blinked slowly with a lazy smile. "I missed this too, love."

You weakly lifted your arms to reach the band of his gym shorts and tugged them down. Seokmin stood up straight so you could do the same with his briefs. His big cock sprung free, it was hard and wet with his precum.

"Can I return the favor?" you asked darting a look up, at the same time you grabbed his cock at the base, pumping it a few times.

"Yes, baby. Please," he sighed desperately.

So you stuck your tongue out, and gave his cockhead a long stroke, picking the salty precum gathering on the slit, to then wrap your mouth around it.

You pushed your head forward and Seokmin let out a low guttural moan.

"Fuck," he muttered and placed a hand on your head, as if he were patting your head.

Then he slowly gathered your hair in a ponytail, his careful and lithe fingers gently handled your hair so that he wouldn't hurt you. The light touch of his fingers sent a shiver from the nape of your neck down your spine.

The head of his cock hit the back of your mouth and you breathed in, trying to adjust your mouth to the size of his cock. You moved your head back and tried once again to deepthroat him, breathing in carefully.

You started to pick up the pace each time you bobbed your head back, sucking on his length as if it were a lolly, remembering how much he liked that.

Seokmin had dropped his head back slightly and closed his eyes with a blissful groan. One hand gathered your hair sloppily, and the other caressed the side of your head gently.

There was nothing more arousing than the sweet sounds coming from Seokmin's mouth. His jaw was clamped tight, but you could make out the soft sounds coiling in his throat, making it bob slightly when you attempted to deepthroat him each time you pushed your head forward.

"Oh, oh fuck," he muttered in a low guttural town, his eyes snapped at you, breathing hard. "You take me so well, love."

You locked eyes with him, working your mouth on his cock rhythmically, your wet hand pumping the length you couldn't fit in your mouth.

"I'm cumming, fuck," he groaned and breathed out, small moans came from his clenched teeth, the hand gathering your hair tightened as spurs of hot cum spilled on the back of your mouth and you swallowed to the last drop.

He gently pulled out before giving you a small nod, a string of drool connected you to his cock and the sight was so arousing that Seokmin felt himself getting hard again.

So he made a motion for you to lie on the couch and you did, following your movements he slotted himself between your thighs, his chest pressed against yours.

"So good, to me," he muttered with a sigh.

He gently locked lips with yours, kissing you with so much love and tenderness that you nearly whimpered in his mouth, sending a shiver down Seokmin's spine from how sweet you sounded.

"Are you ready, love?" he muttered and you nodded with your head silently.

"'m always ready," you quipped with a grin.

Seokmin returned a grin of his own before grabbing his hard cock and guiding it to your wet core. You instantly flinched when you felt his cockhead nudging at your entrance, the anticipation from what was next had your breath catching in your throat.

Your hands grabbed him by his shoulders when he slowly started sinking his length in your tight walls, your mouth parted and involuntarily let out a whimper in a mixture of pleasure and pain from the slight discomfort of his big cock stretching your walls.

"Fuck baby, you're tight," he muttered and dropped his head on the crook of your neck as he groaned.

You moaned with a sigh and closed your eyes, your whole body alight from the pleasure. Being filled after weeks of not having sex felt so insanely good that your mind started going blank, just as Seokmin dragged his cock out and sank back in to his hilt.

Seokmin then started thrusting in you, acquiring a rhythmical pace that threatened to make you go insane. It felt so good, the drag of his cock in your tight gummy walls, the heat of his body, his low grunts muffled in the crook of your neck.

"Fuck," you breathed. "Baby, I'm close."

He raised his head and frowned at you. "What?"

"I'm close Seokmin," you whimpered.

"God baby, you're awesome," he grinned, dipping his head to wrap his mouth around one of your nipples, sucking at it while his hips diligently earned an orgasm out of you.

"Baby! God, I'm there," you gasped. "Fuck, fuck!"

Your walls tightened around him, making him moan around your nipple and he threw his head back to kiss your mouth just as you reached your second climax, but now on his cock. You came undone hard, waves of tingling bliss overwhelmed you completely, leaving you a whimpery mess.

Seokmin groaned, slamming his hips hard against you, his cock sinking deep in your walls as you stopped writhing from your high. You broke away from the kiss, breathing hard, your arms encircling his body tightly against you.

"Hi there," he muttered when you seemed to come back to your senses, blinking weakly at him.

"Hi," you breathed.

"Okay?"

"Perfect," you breathed with a sweet smile that made Seokmin's heart clench hard in his chest.

Seokmin smiled before dipping his head to give you a chasteful kiss on your lips, to then place open mouthed kisses down your chin, then your jawline and under it as his hips thrusted generously on you, gently moaning in your ear.

"Baby," you called. "Can I mark you?"

Seokmin understood the kink you had with marking him, he himself had one. But since your new role had very revealing outfits, he didn't have much of a choice but to land his lovebites somewhere no one would look.

Like, your thighs.

"Of course you can, love," he replied and added quickly. "Just in the chest, alright?"

You nodded and sucked at his beautiful skin where the position your bodies were in allowed you to. You sucked bellow his collarbones and seemed content with your work.

You ran your fingers through his dark hair, making him lift his head from the crook of your neck and look at you.

"I'm close," he told you with a puffy breath.

You cupped his cheek and he immediately kissed your palm.

Then Seokmin hooked one of your legs on his arm, hoisting it up his shoulder with your help, knowing what he was attempting to do. When your thigh was pressed up on your chest, he started sinking his big cock deliciously fast and deep inside you.

"Seokmin! God, baby, just like that," you cried out lewdly, feeling his cock impossibly deep inside your walls, the pacing of thrusts making it so good that your eyes brimmed with tears of pleasure.

"Cum for me baby," he directed with a low groan. "Cum again."

And to help you achieve this, one of his hands sneaked between your bodies pressed together, you shot him an alarmed look at his face when his thumb found your swollen clit and started rubbing at it fast, almost harshly.

"Seokmin, that's too much," you whimpered, but at the same time your muscles tensed up and you felt your climax rising up fast in your body.

"You want me to stop baby?" he asked breathlessly. "Or do you want me to give it to you?"

You clenched your teeth, tears ran down from the corners of your eyes to your temples as you squeezed your eyes shut, feeling all the tension from Seokmin's relentless thrusts of his cock and the teasing of his thumb on your clit finally tearing an orgasm out of you.

"Give it to me," you gasped. "Please, please, Seokmin!"

The corners of his lips rose in satisfaction. "Cum for me then," he purred.

And you did. Your body instantly obeyed with shockwaves of pleasure gripped your body, making it tremble uncontrollably. You sobbed in his mouth as more tears sprung from your eyes.

Then Seokmin followed, dropping his forehead on yours as he let out a low guttural moan of pleasure with you, slamming his hips a few times hard as your tight walls milked him dry.

He gently eased your shaky leg back to the couch and you hugged him tightly as he showered you with kisses again, on your cheeks, your forehead and your lips.

"So much for waiting," you sighed.

Seokmin felt too tired and too consumed by you that he couldn't make out a reply. He just rested his head on the crook of your neck to catch his breath peacefully, his cock still nestled inside your walls, one of your legs wrapped around him.

You enjoyed the quietness that came after. Seokmin usually was the one that sprung to aftercare first, or the one that seemed to come down from his high faster.

But this time, he didn't want to break away from you. He didn't have the strength to think about what was next.

"I love you," he muttered softly.

Being that the first thing spoken after fucking hard and passionately on your couch almost gave you a mental whiplash.

Your hands caressed his naked back and you hummed sweetly. "I love you too, Seokmin."

Aftercare followed some minutes after, you both showered together and as nightfall drew near, you grew hungry.

"Do you want to cook something or should we grab something out?" you suggested, putting on your sweatpants again and one of his black oversized t-shirts.

Seokmin smiled when you did that all too naturally.

"I'd like to stay here," he muttered, opening his designated drawer to get his briefs and another pair of shorts. "Where is my–"

"In the hamper," you replied before he could even finish. "We haven't washed whites yet."

So Seokmin wore a black tank top. "We have to designate a day for that," he muttered to himself and followed you to the kitchen.

"You haven't cooked for me in a while," you mentioned when he got there, you were bending down to gather something from the fridge.

He seized the baggy of baby carrots from your grasp and you whined. "That's because everytime I cook, you fill your stomach with these and you never finish what I do," he chuckled, grabbing a baby carrot for himself to munch on.

"Give it back!" you whined and he did with a grin. "That's not true. Well, maybe a little."

"You like my cooking?" he asked, patting your ass twice to gesture you to move from the fridge and he started selecting ingredients to cook something up.

"You know I do," you muttered. "You should stop feeling insecure about it."

"Roger that, boss," he quipped and kicked the fridge close.

"Is your hair still wet?" you asked when you felt droplets of water scattered on the floor on your bare feet, you looked up and found him innocently looking at you.

His hair was dripping a little, and he sighed a smile. "Do you want me to cook or not?" he grinned.

"Okay, but you're cleaning the kitchen too," you joked.

Seokmin rolled his eyes. "Fine."

You sat on the isle of the kitchen, trying to munch on more baby carrots quietly without him noticing.

And then, a knock came to your door, startling you from the abruptness. You jumped down to get it, parting the door just a few inches to sneak a look out on the hallway.

"Mom?!" you gasped.

Seokmin could've died right there and then. He stopped dead in his tracks, almost cutting himself with the knife he was using to slice some peppers and whipped his head around to swiftly look towards the living room.

Your clothes and his were still scattered on the floor. And Seokmin nearly flew to get them and run to your bedroom to throw them on the bed and went back to you, puttin on a hoodie to cover the hickeys that the tank top couldn't hide.

Your mother was already inside your apartment, and she had brought something in grocery bags.

"Oh, Seokmin! I didn't know you were here," your mother shot a knowing glance at you.

But your mother adored him, she wrapped him in a hug and patted his back gently.

Seokmin muttered a polite greeting to your mother and smiled at her sweetly.

"What are you two doing?" your mother's eyes narrowed on the abandoned task on the kitchen counter.

"I was just about to cook something, mom," Seokmin addressed your mother. "Would you like to stay and dine with us?"

You sighed silently at how masterfully Seokmin handled the situation.

"Oh, no. Don't let me steal your moment away," she brushed off. "I just came here to drop something off."

"What did you bring, mom?" now it was your turn to ask, and opened a bag to eye what was inside it.

"Cookies, your aunt brought them from somewhere in Europe. I can't remember, silly me," she laughed merrily and looked at Seokmin.

And his stomach dropped when he knew your mother's eyes had caught sight of his freshly washed hair. And then when she turned to face you, she noticed yours.

"Thank you mom," you said, completely allusive to your mother's silent sleuthing.

"Well," your mother clapped her hands together, and Seokmin knew her visit was originally intended to be longer. "I guess we'll stay in touch."

"You're leaving? Already?" you asked and pushed one eyebrow up.

"Yeah, I don't want to steal you and your boyfriend's home dinner," she smiled and wrapped you in a warm hug.

Your eyes widened in alarm and locked with Seokmin's.

The way your mother said the word 'boyfriend' came too natural. It wasn't suggestive in any way, and Seokmin started to piece everything in his mind.

Your mother hugged Seokmin and went out the door before you could stop her.

"Did you tell your mother we're official?" Seokmin inquired.

You slowly turned from the front door and scrunched up your nose.

"I might've," you mumbled shyly.

Seokmin closed his eyes and smiled. "Why?"

"Well, she knows you spend a great deal of time here with me and you know her," you sighed in resignation and started approaching him. "She started asking questions and I just had to tell her that we were official."

Seokmin thought long and hard for a minute.

"Are you angry?" you asked, looking at him innocently.

"No, baby. I'm not angry," he replied with a resigned sigh. "Well, your mom noticed that we both just showered and I'm not too sure she didn't see our clothes on the floor when you opened the door."

"Oh!" you gasped and looked back to the living room. "Did you get them?"

"Yeah," he scrunched up his nose too. "I think that she would've asked you anyway after seeing that."

"So... you're okay with my mom thinking we're official?" you asked with a tiny voice.

Seokmin grabbed you by the shoulders and pulled you to his frame, wrapping his arms over you.

"I think we should make it official," he muttered, looking down to find your face and pressed his lips on your forehead.

"Right now?" your eyes read his face.

"I think I waited for too long, baby," he replied. "There's no moment more perfect than the one we have right now."

"That's really, really cheesy, Lee Seokmin," you laughed out loud and he echoed you instantly.

"I know, it sounded better in my head," he muttered.

You smiled sweetly at him and he kissed your smile.

"So what do you say baby? Do you want to be my girlfriend?"

"I obviously do, Seokmin," you breathed before reaching to his face with your hands and kissing him lovingly.

His arms wrapped around you and reciprocated the kiss happily.

"Finally," you sighed with a small smile.

Seokmin couldn't agree more.

♡︎ a/n: hi everyone!! this is the last chapter of the backstage series! the main story is wrapped, but i'm going keep writing shorter side chapters for this fic because i really love seokmin sm and i'd like to continue writing for backstage hehe 💟

↣ next chapter is going to be a side chapter! (⸝⸝ᵕᴗᵕ⸝⸝)

so this chapter was supposed to happen before the city lights fic timeline, but i got carried away with that other fic and completely stopped working on my other projects. but here it is!!

anyway, that's about it for now, if you liked this, please do let me know? i'd appreciate a comment, a like, a reblog, an ask, anything!

love you all 💟

thank you to my backstage nonnie who gave me the support to write this chapter!! i love you nonnie! i hope you liked this i hope you are doing great 💟

₊ taglist: @aaniag @madein97line @cottoncheol @lilsafsafbooyah @amazzwon @honglynights @variety-is-the-joy-of-life @heaventcloud @peachescreamandcrumble @agustjinrecs @christinewithluv @jpanda003 ty ty ty lovelies ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ♡︎

[asexualsinner]

More Ghoul Headcanons: Kitchen Edition

Mountain

Hides his snacks on the top shelf to avoid the others stealing them

Has to use a recipe when cooking

Likes hearty meals like stews

Is an excellent shadow, will assist any of the other ghouls or Copia when asked.

Likes to just be in the kitchen

Is the embodiment of a pioneer woman mom

Loves to bake

CanNOT handle spice

Thinks cayenne is spicy

Favorite food is chili and drink is tea

Favorite snacks are fig newtons (yes he knows that they're made with wasps, he thinks it's funny)

Carries epi pens on him for the others

Rain

Is obsessed with making smoothies

Isn't allowed to use the stove after using water on a grease fire

Nearly burned half the abbey down

It's fine, he prefers salads anyway

Do not trust this ghoul with a knife he will find a way to hurt himself by accident

Is just a disaster when in the kitchen

Favorite food is smoked salmon thanks to Dew

Fancy ✨bitch✨ that puts mint and fruits in his water

Is the only ghoul to like Kale

Has a high spice tolerance

Takes forever to do the dishes bc he'll play in the water instead

Dew/Sodo

Favorite snacks are seaweed sheets and Takis

His taste buds went "weird" after his transition

He can't decide what he likes anymore, spicy? Fish? So he decided on both. Sometimes neither

Loves to smoke foods, begs Mountain for dried wood flavors for it

Dew learning to smoke properly was heavy trial and error, some things were edible some were very much not

His favorite changes weekly, but ATM it's smoked veggies and tofu

Is a big garbage ghoul, will throw everything together on a plate and eat it

Drinks coffee but doesn't like energy drinks

Has moderate spice tolerance

Will try anything once

Surprisingly one of the better cooks in the pack

Is lactose intolerant. No this doesn't stop him. Why would it?

Doesn't need a recipe, cooks from memory or guesswork

Has everything labeled and dated

Swiss

NO spice tolerance

Tries to compete with Dew, Cumulus and Rain and it never ends well

Loves comfort food!!! Give this ghoul Macncheese or pierogies and he's happy

Can follow boxed instructions or strict recipes but tries to "improve" them

Survives off of Redbull

Doesn't know the difference between a chef's knife and a paring knife

Thinks bc he's a multi ghoul he can pull pans out of the oven without mitts - has been treated for burns multiple times

Hates doing the dishes

His go to snacks are gummy worms or jerky

Will eat expired food thinking it'll be fine - it never is

Is a 3am fridge raider

Phantom/Aeon

Loves pancakes, absolute favorite food though is fettuccine Alfredo. Has to be fettuccine noodles, spaghetti isn't the same

Has texture issues with food

Absolutely hates ground meats, the texture is bad

Has a sweet tooth

Is a surprisingly decent cook, can manage without recipes

Baking is beyond him

Mistook baking soda for sugar once and Mountain banned him from baking ever again

Doesn't like eggs

Is allergic to peanut butter

Favorite snacks are Oreos or rice crackers

Enjoys cranberry juice

Can't have caffeine - gives him headaches

Aether

One of the better cooks in the pack

Is one of the only ones that can finish the dishes without distractions

Is allergic to citrus fruits

Has an app on his phone to scan packages for ingredients

Will practically drink soy sauce he loves it so much

Favorite snack is cucumbers and Italian dressing

Prefers strawberry jam over grape jelly

Doesn't like seafood

Favorite food is deer chili - shares this with Mountain

Wears gloves when cooking to avoid cross contamination

Cumulus

SPICE QUEEN

Has done every spice challenge possible, downs it like it's nothing

Like Swiss, can read box instructions but don't trust her past that

Has burnt frozen pizza before

Favorite snacks are tortillas and ghost pepper salsa

Eats jalapenos like candy

Needless to say she terrifies others

Favorite food is homemade ramen - she begs the others to make it for her

Package ramen isn't the same

Likes to do the dishes and help out in the kitchen

Does need a step stool however

Favorite drink is hazelnut coffee

Aurora

Junk food junkie

Favorite snacks are Skittles and kettle cooked potato chips

Prefers vitamin water over regular water

Likes to make quick easy meals like grilled cheese etc

Eats at the oddest times, breakfast is 2pm and dinner has been at 4am for her

Leaves her dishes in the sink like a gremlin

Has been banned from eating in the living room

Gets easily distracted while cooking

If she puts her mind to it, can make really elaborate dishes for the pack

However she makes a huge mess of the kitchen when doing so

Cirrus

Can identify spices/ingredients after tasting things once

Is also lactose intolerant, takes lactaid frequently

Loves Korean BBQ

Likes differing temperatures (cold food that's spicy, mints, etc)

Loves blackberries and celery

Is a very good cook, can make most things after trying them once

Her favorite drink is bubble tea

Has medium spice tolerance, like spicy flavor rather than the heat

Would rather dry and put away the dishes than wash them

Has a massive sweet tooth like phantom

[heian-era-housewife]

The Wormie Chronicles

An evolutionary analysis of Shiu's acceptance of a certain cursed worm.

Special thanks in large part to @noodle-is-unstable whose genius inspired...well, this! Thanks, Noodle 💜

Pt. 1 - The Origin

Toji walked into Shiu's office with his usual swagger, ready for his briefing on their latest target.

"Talk to me, Kong," he said.

"Subject's name is-" he stopped, staring over the rim of his readers, the pages of their target's profile drooping in his hands. "W-what the hell is that?"

"Oh, this?" Toji gestured to the ugly purple creature draped over his shoulders and around his waist. "S'a curse," he said simply with no further explanation.

"And you have it because...?"

"Holds things," Toji shrugged, "I'm training him to carry my weapons."

"I'm sorry, him? Did you just say him?"

"Yeah. I think," He shrugged again.

"How do you know- you know what? I'm not gonna... What do you mean it 'holds' things??"

Without another word, Toji reached for the curse's sputtering mouth, his hand swallowed up past the wrist as he rummaged for the hilt of his sword. Shiu dropped his papers, one hand gripping the edge of the desk behind him, the other bunching the fabric over his heart. Finding his grip, Toji pulled the cursed tool from the creature's mouth. Trails of drool dribbled from the end and onto the hardwood floor of Shiu's office. The handler stared in stunned disgust.

"He holds things," Toji repeated, as if the demonstration alone was a fully sufficient answer.

"I- You- I-," Shiu searched for words that wouldn't come. Taking a deep breath, he started over. "Zen'in-"

"It's Fushiguro now," the assassin corrected.

Another deep breath. "Toji," Shiu said, bringing his hands together and dropping the honorific. "Where in the fuck did you find that thing and, more importantly, how did you learn it could do that ??"

"Trial and error," he shrugged once more

"Trial and- ?!" Shiu heaved a sigh. "Forget it." Massaging his brow, he eyed the slobber on his mahogany floor. "Just keep it out of my office."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Two weeks later, Toji sauntered into Shiu's office, the ghastly purple curse wrapped snuggly around his torso.

"You still have that thing?" Shiu asked, an air of judgement to his voice as his lip curled in repulsion.

"He's useful," Toji stated.

"Can you even fight with that overgrown caterpillar clinging to you like that?" Shiu reached for his mug. He hadn't had nearly enough coffee for Toji's wacky bullshit.

"If he gets in the way, I just swallow him," Toji said casually.

Hot coffee shot from Shiu's mouth, spraying the floor as he choked on the oversized swig he'd just taken.

"Easy there," said Toji.

"Did- did you just say," Shiu gasped through strangled breaths, "'SWALLOW' ?"

"Yeah. You know," with great ease, Toji balled up the curse until it was about the size of a golf ball. Then, to Shiu's utter horror, he swallowed the orb in one great gulp.

"Wha- who- how the fuck?!" The handler's deep voice had jumped a full octave, cracking as he spluttered incoherently. Once again, he found himself clutching his chest.

"Yeah. And then I just," Toji reached a finger into his throat, gagging slightly before the ball reappeared in his hand. In one swift motion, the hideous curse was back to its original size and shape, draped comfortably on Toji's figure. "Like that," he finished.

With a shaking hand, Shiu reached once more for his mug, stumbling to his leather office chair before throwing himself into it. He drained the mug in one shot, realizing far too late there wasn't enough coffee in the world for Toji's wacky bullshit.

[malikselfindulgence]

RED SON X READER BLURB ☆ 1K WORDS

Description: How Red Son tends to show his love to his partner :3

Content: RED SON REFERRED TO WITH HE/SHE/THEY PRONOUNS! I personally see her as genderfluid but any hc is cool. Reader is gender neutral

Fic under the cut!

Red Son doesn't really ever say "I love you" 

He might have whispered it once, but you were half-asleep in his lap and the warmth from his hands threading through your hair turned your brain to mush, so you could've been imagining it. Besides that, he's never said the dreaded L-word.

You're not sure why- perhaps an aversion to such disgustingly vulnerable words in general, or his parents hammering lesson after lesson of how displaying emotions so openly is weak. Or maybe it's a lot simpler than that, and the thought had simply never crossed his mind.

Red Son does love you, though. You know this, and they know it too. They tell you they "tolerate your company" and that you're "just adequate enough to be in their presence"- both code words for I like being with you. 

Red Son's love is his driving force- it builds up in his chest and overflows out of him, despite his insistence that his heart is black and cold.

For her family, it's countless nights spent in her lab, working on their next plan to overtake the world, it's trying to live up to her father's legacy, not allowing a single smidge of dishonour to smight her family's name, it's continuing to live in the demon bull fortress, despite the fact that she's over 400 years old now and old enough to live in her own house. 

For his friends, it's reminding them of their self worth when needed- however brash and blunt he may be, it's watching Mei's streams as he works, leaving small comments to show her he's listening, it's helping MK fix up his dreadful noodle-cart while begging him to put it out of its misery and purchase a new one already.

For you, however, it's a bit of a mix of these.

For the first few months of your relationship, it was a lot of trial and error. There was a cultural gap between you and Red Son, demon courting being completely foreign [and frankly concerning] to you. And even if there wasn't, Red Son had no relationship experience. They were still reeling from having friends now, never mind a romantic partner.

Red Son would try to read up on mortal's courting customs [or "dating", as he's come to learn], he'd sit through those crappy rom-com movies and shudder each time they did something over the top, he'd even thought about asking Mei for help, which was just wholly embarrassing, and he totally didn't try to subtly do so only for her to call him out on it and laugh immediately.

It started out with a lot of choppy romantic gestures that just weren't….Red Son, despite how hard he tried to enjoy them, and after a long conversation [or two, or three-], you two eventually found your rhythm, one you both enjoyed and found comfort in.

Red Son built you things- trinkets and machines and the like. If you mention off-handedly that you'd been wanting this thing for ages but just never had the money or time, you best believe they'll be showing up on your doorstep the following morning with a box hidden behind their back. They also fixed things for you- your fridge, your washing machine, your kettle. They grumble the whole time about how out-dated and rusty and repulsive your tech is, but they've never once turned down your requests. They've even offered to upgrade your TV a few times, but you're just too attached to the old thing.

Red Son spends a lot of time with you, even if you two aren't actively engaging in conversation. You'd sit across from each other, or in each other's laps, doing your own separate thing, just in each other's company. Every once in a while you pipe up with a random thought or question, and he shares his own as well before you two fall back into comfortable silence. You like watching him work with his hands, and he likes seeing how passionate you get over your hobbies. He shares parts of his life with you and you do so as well in turn.

Red Son's also shockingly touchy with you. She's not one for grand acts of physical affection- picking you up in public and hand-feeding you syrupy fruits and whatnot, but she will loop her pinky finger around yours when you walk, she'll kiss your forehead just before you head to bed, hug you from behind when she's freshly awake and still sleepily dazed, and once she gathers up the courage to do so, kiss you when her feelings rush through her body and send her hurtling towards you. She always has to be touching you in some way or another.

Most importantly, Red Son tries for you, and for themselves. They still mess up sometimes, they still get scared and terrified and defensive, they're still figuring themselves out, but they try for you. Red Son'll try out a new food just because it's your favorite, or will dabble in new music genres for your sake. Even more than that- Red Son tries to be more open, they try to talk about things they've never spoken aloud before, they try to listen to you- they start taking breaks more often, and eating better, and their self confidence rings a little truer and a little less fake each day. It's more than you could ever ask for. 

So, no, Red Son doesn't really say "I love you", but you don't mind. You hear it in the shared space between the both of you, in the mugs of your favorite drink freshly brewed and handed to you when you're stressed, in the angry notes scolding you for not resting properly, in the brush of his hand against yours. You hear it loud and clear, and you whisper your response into his hair every morning, every evening, every night,

 "I love you, too." 

[notsodailykurudoro]

Day 95

Dororo lacked an appetite.

Despite his flawless care habits, rigorous training that he glided through with ease, the extra attention he gave to others, his strong morals, and insistence on staying on the bright path after belonging to the shadows for so many years, it was a reality, an asterisk in his portfolio, a blue stain on the white cloak of hypocrisy.

Dororo didn't feel like eating.

Dororo, in fact, refused to eat.

Even though this affliction did not greatly affect his almost invincible performance, it exposed him to certain situations that were, at the very least, unfavorable and uncomfortable. A fake laugh accompanied by a hand gesture of rejection, a polite decline that, under insistence, turned into cold sweat and finally into the bitterness of giving in. He had always been weak to social pressure, weak to the pure of the heart, as he would say.

Kururu was not like that.

After constant, close inspection and very long sessions of trial and error, he realized how curious his nature was. He could spend entire days awake, with the occasional bite of a curry-flavored nutrition bar, too engrossed in whatever task or objective was in front of him, determined to finish it until the inevitable snap of reality fell on his shoulders and brought him to collapse, something that he eventually found out only happened when he was in total and complete solitude. Something that changed once the trained assassin settled into his routine.

Once he finished his endless days of leisure, hunger attacked him as if his stomach was demanding blood, and he ended up eating anything he had within reach with aggressive voracity, regardless of the time, as long as no one could see him. He tore up packages, skinned pieces of meat or chicken, gobbled up noodles, inhaled instant curry, and if the gods decided to take pity on his putrid soul and he happened to have access to homemade curry (or, in general, something more edible than the packaged garbage he got at any grocery store), there was no power on earth that could keep him from almost tearing off his fingers or eating part of the plate. It was a spectacle, one that he had been fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to experience more than once.

And from that moment on, the Ninja tried to get packages of food prepared by him to hand over. Once again, the extra attention to others was messing with his own well-being.

He loved Pekopon, he loved his friends, he loved his hobbies, and he loved Kururu, but that conclusion came only after an extensive period of deconstruction and a very severe identity crisis that cast a shadow over him, which he was still trying to leave behind to this very day. The things he saw and did during his time in the assassins' corps were only to remain in his darkest nightmares and in the most horrible of his intrusive thoughts, things so ruthless, immoral, unpleasant.

It wasn't until he tried to take a bite of a piece of undercooked ham that, the impact of the taste making him return to the darkest of his days, made him realize that perhaps, and just perhaps, the problem ran a little deeper than he had initially thought.

He grimaced in disgust, only reflected in his usually expressionless eyes, as he witnessed how the Sergeant Major noisily slurped what a moment ago was his almost intact soup without waiting for a concrete response from him. It wasn't like he would have denied it to him anyway, but the urgency with which he was devouring his food (and his, too) was perhaps starting to displease him a little, besides the fact that he was starting to consider it somewhat rude.

He sighed again, looking away at the rest of the event hall, which was also part of the underground base of the platoon, decorated halfway with lights and other Christmas miscellany for the season, and also with the mess that gradually grew while his companions argued and ran around the entire venue wrapped in the decorations. Completely oblivious to the conflict, he barely made an effort to put the pieces together of what he more or less found out before the situation escalated... Did the life cycle of geese have something to do with the color of the grass in the stadium? He had no clue.

It was horrible; he felt strangely melancholic, almost dizzy from the lights and the screams. Christmas was supposed to be a time to rejoice in the company of those you care about the most, to feel grateful for what you have in your life and what you have achieved during the year, to admire the decorated houses, the families, the friends, the lovers... None of that entered into the bitter feeling that built up in his stomach and made his chest throb.

He considered excusing himself and calling it a day, returning the next day or maybe in a week, clearing his mind with more meditation, having tea with Koyuki, but he had no idea when the next time they would include him in their plans would be and he did not wanted to risk cutting short valuable time in the company of...

Another glimpse of Giroro hitting Keroro, who was on the ground with Christmas lights wrapped around his torso, with a comically large candy cane in his hand, erased his train of thought in a flash, and his grimace only grew larger. He prepared to stand up.

"Very well, this has been deligh-" he began.

"FFFWAAAHh-" A high-pitched, nasally voice exhaled from beside him, finally satisfied after having victoriously exterminated as many dishes as he could reach from what used to be the feast prepared for their small meeting thousands of meters underground.

"Now THAT is a Christmas miracle, Ne, Doro?"

"Ah..." Interrupted once again mid-sentence, he managed to blurt out, halfway up to leave.

"What? You gonna empty the tank?" Kururu returned, halfway to lying down on the ground.

"Um... Actually, I... I was just about to-" He tried to excuse himself, making inconclusive gestures, realizing it would be quite rude to take his leave without a proper goodbye.

"...N-Nevermind."

"Haaaah..." The yellow frog blurted out, scratching his stomach and looking away at the trio of morons who were now hanging Giroro from the ceiling with the same Christmas lights and preparing (or at least hinting at it) to use him as a piñata.

They both entertained themselves for a few minutes staring in mutual silence at the stupid scene before Kururu spoke up.

"Welp, I'm fed up. Wanna get outta here?"

Slightly surprised, he was able to return his gaze in time to process his request, take one last look at the rest, and nod firmly.

And once outside, he could finally breathe.

Their shared silence always seemed comforting to him, being able to lose himself in his own thoughts with the freedom of knowing that the other was doing exactly the same until one felt the eventual need to mention something before returning to calm, sometimes for hours, sometimes for minutes.

This was one of those minutes.

"You're quiet," Kururu spoke, bringing him out of his trance.

"What do you mean? I always try to reserve my words." He answered after seconds of stupefaction.

"More than usual, too much jovial charade?"

Dororo seemed to consider it, staring at the mechanical floor beneath his feet that constantly moved in tune with the machinery, saving them the tedious task of walking barefoot through the endless corridors of the base.

"...Maybe."

"Hm."

Another couple of minutes passed, seeming to stretch on for hours. Usually, they didn’t take the scenic route; by now, if they had wanted to, they would have already been in front of the metal doors of the amphibious lemonade lab. He supposed his autopilot got the better of him, unconsciously falling into one of Kururu's psychological traps.

He bristled a bit at the realization, doing a fleeting recount of all his actions during the day and the week while he was at it, failing to take a hint at the subject of the mental war that was approaching.

"You didn't touch your food."

Oh. Oh no.

"...You didn't let me."

"You haven't done it in a while."

Insightful, and honestly not surprising.

"A-Ah... Is... Is that so?"

"Listen, as far as I'm concerned, you can starve yourself if it means you're in the middle of some weird ninja starvation vow. I don't care what you do to honor the persona you created in your roleplay post-trauma, but believe me, I don't want to be the one to drag you once you fall face-first into the ground because of this stupid little antic."

He sounded oddly harsh, mad even, genuinely exasperated by something as banal as he believed his little intermittent fasting was. No matter how much he turned his claims over, he couldn’t fully understand his frustration or what at least resembled such.

"Such... thing is not going to happen, I can assure you. My health is above all in perfect condition." A half-lie, perhaps accustomed to the static in his vision, to the numbness of his words, and the slowness of his cognitive tramp.

"Sure." He spat, cynical as always in that mocking bite that adorned his own words.

Tense, he pressed his forearms together a bit, feeling somewhat scolded and remaining in cold silence for the rest of the journey. At least until the belts split, and the decision to jump to Kururu's or stay on his own to go off on his own presented itself to him. Panicking a little in the face of uncertainty, he opened and closed his mouth as he searched for the right words to ease the burden he felt he had placed on the hacker's crooked back. Finally, he opted to move from his spot, at least to beg for an apology, and if possible, a hug, any kind of physical contact, any pixel of validation. He took a step forward.

And that was the last thing he knew.

Fading in the process, a deafening pressure enveloped his senses and took his breath away, effectively falling face-first to the ground.

Still dragged by the moving platforms, Dororo remained motionless.

The yellow devil let out some sounds of urgency (and annoyance), condemned to the irony of his predictions always coming back to bite him in the ass. Cursing under his breath, his hands gripped the ninja's pits and dragged him to a more optimal area on the belts, at least while they arrived at their destination.

"I told you, I told you, I fucking told you. I always tell you, and you never listen to me. You're a…" He muttered between pushes, the mechanical statue with its face rising imposingly behind him.

He huffed, wiping sweat from his forehead, before slapping it after remembering that he could make robotic limbs emanate from his gear to make the task of carrying a body in the solitude of his mechanized cave easier… For once, without malicious intent. He supposed his autopilot got the better of him.

Still grumbling, he held Dororo suspended in the air, supported by six spider hands. The statue's teeth raised upon detecting his presence and emitted a few extra beeps upon recognizing the shinobi's. His own hands clung to his churning stomach in an attempt to ease the nausea caused by the scare and physical effort previously used. It was his fault for overdoing it like that anyway; he could only hope that he didn't end up throwing up that night.

He gently positioned his partner in his Gaming Chair™, manipulating buttons, commands, and medical equipment with his mechanical hands while he rubbed his face in eternal tiredness and stress, sitting on the floor next to the blue-hued frog. He connected small tubes to his arms that led to plastic bags with strange liquids, serums, and alien substances that perhaps, if he were in the right mood, he would take the trouble to explain in excessive detail. Withdrawing assistance once everything was in order, he shrank a little in his place when he noticed that the discomfort was only getting worse.

He let out a shaky sigh, looking up at one of his huge screens to see the time: 1:05 AM, December 25th. Christmas.

"Tch… Ho, ho, ho, motherfucker." He tilted his smile, staring at the sleeping frame of his partner.

This was nothing out of the expected; he had gotten used to the idea that sooner or later, he would end up tying him to a chair and forcing him to eat, or maybe take a rag and cut off his breathing until he fell asleep and proceed with the same idea. Even suddenly attacking him with syringes while his guard was down, taking advantage of moments of closeness, or simply going all in and stabbing the poor bastard. But he never thought that the moment would come so quickly, or much less in such an easy and, he would be lying if he didn't admit it, anticlimactic way.

Nevertheless, a failure in his almost precise calculations was a failure; there was no denying that. This was not what he expected from his night when he left the room with a full stomach. Yes, his emotional instigation was a stone in the road, and yes, maybe he also got a little bit carried away with the "scolding." But it was nothing that couldn't be smoothed out with a little more time, nice words, and a grope here and there.

Dororo was easy to manipulate, and it just so happened that Kururu almost always got his way out of things. He wasn't even leading him toward committing illicit acts! Everyone had a win on this!

…Had one.

Christmas was supposed to be about freebies, food, and consumerism, and basic decency and kindness, no matter how many war crimes and hate crimes you committed over your long career in the scumbag chain of the worst of spatial scum. Endless speeches about love and peace and giving, the hopeful looks of idiots rejoicing at the most futile of gestures, the smallest of compliments, the most meaningless of gifts…

To become uncomfortable under the coldest of touches…

He shuddered all over, his stomach churning with the aggression of a miniature typhoon, twisting and bending his organs until he felt the gags graze the back of his throat, flesh sizzling against the acid.

Oh no, he definitely wasn't going to be able to hold this one, he thought fleetingly, unable to find a trash can in time. Grabbing an unfinished helmet attached to a myriad of cables, he emptied some of the contents of his stomach inside.

Making a mess of the unfinished apparatus, he remained in that position for a few seconds before regurgitating again. His gags and whimpers echoed too loudly in the lab's silence, as he threw up another slice of turkey and stew.

"Nnngh..."

He hated food.

He hated Dororo.

He hated the way he always bragged about being nice and good, with his old-fashioned sayings, his well-kept garden, his almost perfect physical condition, and the pretentious advice he gave, as if he knew him or at least had a rough idea of what was going on in his head.

He snorted, idiot, he couldn't even take care of himself. He was just as mortal as everyone else, just as miserable and pathetic.

He laughed to himself, in a fetal position, waiting for the nausea to pass. His congested breathing made him snore and sound unpleasant as he tried to boast.

Poor thing, of course, he needed him. What would become of Dororo if he wasn't there to drag him out of his misery bubble?

"... Yeah..." He found himself muttering, turning his permanent smile upside down.

"Kur-... uru..."

He jolted upwards, how much time had passed?

He rushed to Dororo's side, who was beginning to stir and show signs of consciousness. Kururu tried to hide a sigh of relief.

"Don't strain yourself, dumbass." He warned, rubbing one of his eyes, still dizzy from his earlier vomiting.

"What... happened...?" Dororo tried, attempting to bring a hand to his face, only to notice his restricted movement.

"Don't move." Kururu said quickly, holding down his arm with one hand, carefully

They finally locked eyes.

“... You passed out because you are a crybaby who doesn't want to eat his fruits and vegetables.”

"I'm... sorry."

"You're a moron." Kururu frowned, tempted to hit him behind the head, without taking his hand off the other.

They held their stare for a while, one crystallizing and the other softening.

"Tch... Fine, apology accepted..." Kururu looked away, crossing his arms.

Dororo, in all his exhaustion, couldn't help but muster a hidden smile.

"I... suppose you did end up being the one to-"

"Drag you once you fell face-first to the ground, yeah, I know, very funny, Doro..."

A pang stabbed through his chest and stomach. He remained silent before trying to move one of his arms again to reach out for Kururu.

"I'm... sorry." He repeated, his hand in the air stretched towards Kururu's direction before being held by the wrist by an alien touch. A touch that, even coming from annoyance, was nothing more than a gentle squeeze.

"I said don't move, you braindead?"

"Are you mad?"

"What kind of question is that? Of COURSE, I'm ma-..." Kururu cut himself off, falling silent and looking at the floor for a few seconds before returning his gaze.

"No." A blatant lie, as he led Dororo's hand to a more optimal position and let him go.

Resigned, the ninja stood still, losing his sight in some dead spot in the room while Kururu walked away to lean on his desk and let his weight fall on his arms, exhaling a sigh between his teeth, still dizzy.

Dororo tended to make him sick.

"Would... it make you feel better if..."

"Just don't do that again..." Kururu interrupted, bringing a hand to his face to rub his eyes again under his glasses.

"What thing?"

There were a few beats of silence.

"... Scaring me."

The Shinobi's empty eyes opened a little more, worry settling on his features. Before he could properly process it, he began to tear up.

"... I'm sorry..."

"Ah, it's alright..."

Normalizing his breathing, Kururu finally turned to see the ninja practically tied to the chair, approaching to check the bags connected to him. Not yet.

He gave him a few playful pats on the cheek.

"Ne, cheer up, it's good now."

"I-Is it...?"

"Yeah, you just caught me in a bad mood."

Dororo sniffed.

"Is there a difference?"

"You're stretching it."

"... I know."

He weakly laughed, Kururu stretched his smile.

“... I'll start eating more,” Dororo added, his blurry vision showing signs of determination as he tried to focus on his partner's face.

“Do I believe you?” Kururu asked skeptically.

“I implore you to trust me.” Dororo replied.

“Only if I see it.”

Even through the haze of his own tears, Dororo could make out their faces drawing closer with each passing second. For the first time, he took the initiative to disobey previous orders and reached out to grasp the smaller frog’s face. He took the edges of his own mask with his free hand, attempting to pull it down. Until suddenly, Kururu shuddered violently, puffed out his cheeks, and vomited all over both of them.

… Merry Christmas, he guessed…

[sgiandubh]

For a very quick, but effective fix: Pasha's improv rustic pizza

Meet Pasha IV, Shipper Mom's British Shorthair spirit animal and soulmate:

This is the most lazy & gourmet being ever to grace this planet, so it's only normal to dedicate the following quick fix recipe to him (pets are never 'it' in this house, nor should they ever be - damn grammar!).

This is a freestyle recipe I invented for myself back in my first days of desperate cooking apprenticeship, in Paris. Leaving home at 18, with virtually zero food skills, I quickly realized it was not reasonable to eat every single day in town. My path to cooking began with books, fantasizing scrumptious recipes and a lengthy, persevering trial and error process. I always was a difficult, horrendously fastidious client, but now I was slowly turning into a monster, keeping my eyes peeled on cooking gestures and mannerisms, wherever I could find them.

This pizza experiment was an instant success and the moment the coin dropped: I actually could do things to and with food, that would be something more than survival. The rest is reading ahead, combining ahead and never being shy to ask around for that recipe. From taxi drivers to friends, they were all more than happy to generously indulge, all around the world.

You need whatever you have loitering around in your fridge and you aren't really sure how to recycle. I even happily, barbarically put mac & cheese or cold satay noodles (want my recipe? I poached it in Phnom Penh) on it. Tuna/corn/red onion is a sure combo and so are deli bits and bobs/corn/Vidalia onion. Cold roast beef, too. Diced ham, onion and even roasted potatoes leftovers, plus heavy cream - only in winter. Sardines (tinned), lemon/orange zest, ground pepper and perhaps a dash of coriander leaves (add herbs at the end, otherwise, they will go bitter). Fresh goat cheese, pistachio, figs (even fig jam will do) and balsamic vinegar. Sky is the limit. I also never use Mozzarella, and yes, please curse me - I always use Irish red cheddar, because this is what you are likely to find in my fridge until the end of time. And whenever you can or see fit, break an egg on top of it three to five minutes before you take it off the oven: it's called Pizza Radio and it is a local Corsican secret.

Preheat the oven at the usual temperature: 350 Fahrenheit/180 Celsius.

Unroll a store-bought pizza pastry sheet in a parchment paper lined 13x8 baking pan. Let rest while you prepare the easiest sauce in the world.

Mix Heinz ketchup, Sriracha and sweet Thai chili sauce. Should yield about a cup - proportions vary according to your own resistance to heat: one of the reasons you should taste your own concoctions and do it often. If you went overboard with the sacred Sriracha, immediately add honey or some brown sugar, until rectified. Add two Tablespoons (30 ml) of EVOO and mix well. Spread on the pizza pastry sheet with your usual brush.

I always try to use this one, but any brand will do:

4. Add the grated Cheddar, with spiral, clockwise movements (this is something I stole from a pizzaiolo in Florence, it is the only way to make sure all the surface gets evenly covered).

5. Thinly cut the onions (you know: halve them, then go ahead exactly like you would do for onion rings or quarter them and go ahead for more caramelized crunchiness, curse TPTB and cry your arse out). Add them on top. I had red onion - it is stellar with cold cuts.

6. Add whatever it is you want to garnish the pizza with. In my pic, we had thinly cut (recycled) debreceni kolbász (Debreziner) sausages and diced Prague/cooked ham (you need something more neutral to counterbalance all that heat).

7. Finish off with 150 grams/5 ounces (drained) canned sweet corn. No particular brand, but make sure it's dry before you add it on top of this.

8. Bake in a very hot oven for about 20 to 25 minutes. Take out, let breathe (5 minutes tops), cut and devour. I guarantee no leftovers.

You're welcome! We'll get to more serious things this evening, though.

[manikas-whims]

XAVIER COVERED IN BLOOD CARD WHEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SAME ANON, WE NEED IT!

you know i think alot how others get to reincarnate.. restart and fall in love with MC again.

But Xavier has always been here.. helplessly watched the love of his life die..had to leave her in order to make change for her..and.. HE'S JUST GONE THROUGH SO MUCH

He's lived life as an evol police, and he probably changed professions so many times, changed places he lived in so many times, changed identities so many times..

And he's got every other faction of crime rings after him (Lumiere), he's got his own people from Philos against him, he's got people from N109 against him..and there's Lumiere antis slandering and trying to uncover his identity..

HE'S JUST BEEN GOING THROUGH A LOT!

and he'd probably been living on take-outs and cup noodles, and his own trial and error cooking (MC must've made it slightly better)

Like it'll be so fun to see his pretty face get a lil messed up..to see him drenched in blood, see his expression go a lil crazy..because he deserves to be a lil unhinged after all this shit! So yes anon, its not a want but a need. And we all need it!

[lacefuneral]

oh btw here is my take on Buldak Creamy Carbonara as a guy with a low spice tolerance. apparently they post about these noodles on tiktok or whatever but i found them on my own lol

Spicy Crab-onara:

In a mixing bowl, pour 3/4 cups of milk and the powder packet. Mix them together until powder clumps are gone.

Place a patty of butter a small sprinkle of shredded mozzarella into the bowl, but do not mix yet.

Using a knife and fork in a small bowl (or like? a food processor? idk) cut up imitation crab meat into smithereens. Then microwave them until hot.

Pour the imitation crab meat into your mixing bowl. The heat of the "crab" will melt the butter. Stir mixture thoroughly.

Cook your noodles as per instructions. Strain out all the water. Add them into the mixing bowl.

Mix the noodles and your crab mixture, although it's a bit like trying to staple water to a tree because of how thick the noodles are. Just do your best.

Take the buldak hot sauce packet and add to the mixture to-taste. Find whatever spice level works for you. The dairy proteins will already be working overtime to cancel out the capsaicin. I find that the more I eat these noodles, the more sauce I add.

Pour noodles-and-sauce into desired microwave-safe container (or keep in bowl, if microwave-safe already.) Sprinkle more cheese on top. Perhaps some black pepper. And microwave it just long enough to get the cheese to melt.

Yum!

Notes: As with any stove-top ramen dish, the water content may evaporate out, so you may need to add a little bit of water if you want more sauce. If you don't add a lot of the hot sauce packet it can taste bland. Perhaps some of this umami flavor can be returned with a chicken ramen packet (such as maruchan), but i've not tested this. I've not tested this with real crab meat due to price, but I imagine it would be tasty. This would probably also go hard with a seafood ramen topper, which I have not tested either. Nor have I tested adding additional spices (aside from a very tiny amount of Sichuan pepper) or vegetables. I do think there's a lot of potential to make this better. This was mostly just me doing trial-and-error over several attempts because I bought a 5 pack I didn't want to waste, and I ended up liking it enough to order more noodles. I have tried adding egg, and it sort of overpowered the dish, so I don't recommend that.

[dtwof]

anyway something fun I’ve been doing is learning new recipes which is very trial and error and kind of chaotic bc I’m not a confident cook and I am bad at timings and everything but it’s FUN!!!!! Finally made a decent (?) stir fry noodle dish after years of not realising that my white British parents recipe was not in fact correct in any way and then wondering why my stir fry was shit