#these are v fun so i might do some more batches!

[dungeons-and-dragon-age]

i stole some cool kids for warm ups

(characters (left to right) belong to @squeaksquawks, @creativegoblin, @elfrootsalad :] )

[joannaliangart]

A LIST OF THINGS I CAN’T REMEMBER (2024) 6.5 x 6.4 in 23 page case bound book and handmade pastepaper. Papercut art and poetry

---

not sure if this is called papercut art? I'd been referring to it as 'paper art' in my mind but googling that leads to a lot of like, folded/oragami stuff too

final project for my praxis class in 3rd year! Got a good reception towards it during crit which was lovely C:

god this project took fucking FOREVER, I'm glad I did it because it turned out almost exactly how I pictured it but my goodness gracious AUGH it was a lil rough. I'd be working on this thing literally ALL day from morning till Very Late into the night for SEVERAL days straight to meet deadline it was kinda crazy. My floor was covered in a fuck ton of pastepaper I'd made and my finger was getting callused from holding the x-acto knife so frequently orz 23 pages of papercut images AND papercut words?? whhooweee

Watching a fullplay through of in stars in time is what kept me company during those long long days and nights haha, tis a very potent memory I have now (which now that the whole project-making ordeal is over is a p fun memory lol; isat is v v good)

some thoughts about this piece I jotted down in preparation for crit day:

A list of things I can’t remember my intention was to gather a list of mundane unimportant things as well as more like sad or poetically troubling things to disrupt it throughout. At the end it says “if I want to remember these things” because that is also something that I don’t remember, and it’s kind of the crux of the whole piece as this book at its core is about what kind of things are worth trying to hold into in your memory.��

That last page had black text because it’s the hardest to remember or think about, and as such it’s meant to be hard to read/make out clearly. 

The wavy black on the spine area is supposed to be like an encroaching darkness of forgetting lol

used pastepaper to make paper art trying to take advantage of the textures and colours I can make with pastepaper

+crit day installation! There were no white plinths left just this bright pink one?? But I was like. Actually that might fit the vibe lol and I think it did C: made the whole piece pop

For the assignment requirements we had to choose something from one of the special collections we visited, and I chose Janet Kellett's beautiful Qualicum Blue. And was also sooo grateful that googling it brought me to a whole website of theirs that had info on its creation. It's what got me into the rabbit hole of pastepaper and hoo boy! making it was a wholleee process haha; here's the slides I made for when we had to present our material research:

I did a WHOLE bunch of experiments; I really wanted to know what I could and could not do with pastepaper and I'm glad I pushed the material so much in the amount of time we had to complete this part of the project. My prof was surprised at how many experiments I did haha

+fun fact: I asked my prof if they could recommend me a place to source black paper for my book, and they sent me to what looked like such a weird sketchy on the edge of town looking place lmao But it was all good they were like a mass producer of paper or smth and they had a lil storefront? in their warehouse selling what I assume were leftover batches in smaller quantities; that was p fun and! Now I know where I can find paper

Also I got some remarks that the papercut art reminded people of The Very Hungry Caterpillar C:

[talesfrommedinastation]

My redneck neighbor Doug on Tech's Looks

(Me: "Doug, so you know, a lot of people are unhappy that the Bad Batch was made to be lighter then the regs. It's a hot topic."

Doug: "Well, here's my theory on the matter. I hope the kids on the Internet (his words for Tumblr) don't get too spicy over this. It's all in good fun. I hope it makes 'em smile and think a bit.")

After having a firm, peer-reviewed discussion (and by that, I mean endless texts with Doug) it has been concluded that Tech has lighter skin and hair, and a slimmer build, due to the Kaminoans leaning harder into the hillbilly part of Jango Fett’s genes, whereas the regs got the nicer, prettier, more amenable genes. 

In short, Tech looks the way he does…because he is a blue-collar white guy from the American South.  

A Florida redneck, specifically.  

And let me (by way of Doug) tell you: rednecks do not have beautiful tans, flawless fades, snatched waists, muscular thighs, diamond-sharp cheekbones, the ability to follow directions, or perfect matching armor, all of which a reg has. 

(Sorry, Howser, go back to guarding Ryloth or posing for GQ or whatever it is you do.)

Back to Tech. Look at that man and tell me the shit he gets up to would not be constantly at the top of r/floridaman

A lot of people might clutch their pearls, and be shocked at this revelation. 

“He has a fancy accent! He’s persnickety about certain things! He’s my fancy pretty boi and I’m going to dress him up in a gold thong in my fan art!”

You do you, kid. But let Doug and his neighbor here, Dr. Meat Muffin, defend this deranged argument, here. Using anthropological research applying autoethnographic methodologies that they conducted independently at one point. 

(By that, we mean that Doug is from the bayous of Louisiana and has lived in the Florida Panhandle before moving Up North. Dr. MM attended graduate school in a redneck hot zone, lived in said redneck hot zone for a while, and married a Texan as well. Hook 'em gig 'em and wreck 'em)

After all, if you want an army to win over the galaxy and work with the Jedi, you want well-mannered, shiny, handsome men with melanin and agreeable personalities.

You do not want a pale-assed weirdo in jeans and a receding hairline who can’t get off his phone to work closely with orphaned space wizards. 

Tech’s an anarchic Floridian piece of tornado bait and that’s why he look the way he do, says Doug.

Here's why Doug says Tech is a Redneck:

Mandalorians are Space Rednecks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Trx7fDdlIo0. I do not own the rights to the video, but my God, it is perfection. A masterpiece. Mandalorians are rednecks in space, who end up colonizing Space Florida, no questions asked. Our theory is Tech is merely the concentrated, Waffle House-fistfighting, chew-dipping, Mountain Dew chugging, part of that. The Kaminoans just leaned into the trailer park part of Jango Fett hard when designing Tech, because no one can fix cars while shooting a gun and yelling at his crazy brothers like a redneck (more on that below). 

Hell, all of the Bad Batch are different brands of Florida Man:

Grizzled long haired tan guy with skull tattoo, obsessed with tracking, knife fighting, and hiding from normal society? Hunter.

Bald tanned dude with weird scars who loves blowing shit up and screaming for no reason? Wrecker

Pale, freaked out man who was kept in a cult’s closet for years? Echo 

Creepy, old, Second Amendment loving white guy with a gun themed tattoo who can’t seem to die? Crosshair 

Maladjusted orphan left behind at a bar by her inexperienced caretakers and almost drowns in the ocean? Omega 

His love of vehicles: We never see Tech whip out a manual to fix anything. The man says it’s because he has an exceptional mind, but that’s edging dangerously close to “Ah don’t need no schoolin’, hoss, I can fix any Ford!”.  Doug thinks it’s just because Tech loves playing with car parts, which is some grade A, hillbilly tomfoolery. And what is more redneck than some white guy ripping apart a vehicle in the dirt while the rest of his family bitches at each other in the heat? It happened right here in Season 2 (this exact scenario has played out many-a-time in Pensacola, trust me). All they need is some Lynyrd Skynyrd blasting in the background to make the picture complete. 

His clothing color scheme: “Oh, no!” you wail. “He just changed his colors to reflect Mandalorian heritage!” 

WRONG. 

Tech’s redneckery is blatant here, because his colors switch from 

Hot Topic goth to…UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA. 

“We’re loyal to each other,” says Hunter. And by that, he means the Gators, beloved of many an NCAA following redneck in the Sunshine State and beyond. Orange and Blue, indeed.

Notice how we first see him in these colors, is while he’s parked his stolen work vehicle on a beach while his brothers are busy being chased by huge-ass crabs as their sister is quietly fishing?! 

This is PEAK FLORIDA MAN. 

Tech was probably trying to get ESPN+ to work on the Marauder, because the Devil works hard, but the SEC works harder during football season. I wonder if he has a tattoo of Tim Tebow on his buttcheek.

His home is his car: Tech, as well as his unemployed brothers and underaged sister who the cops are looking for (how trashy is THAT sentence), live in the Havoc Marauder now that their home was destroyed in a fire fight with the government. 

("Jesus Christ, this argument just writes itself now, don’t it," -Doug) 

This attack shuttle, for all intents and purposes, is a stolen work truck that they live in. It’s filled with posters of guns, as well as other weapons and explosives, and has all the comfort of a Jacksonville gas station at 2 AM. All you need is some cigarette burns on the fender and some empty take out bags from Bojangles and it might as well be parked down by the river in Suwannee County. Just Florida redneckery. Speaking of which….

He loves guns and explosions: Won’t go into detail, but the man knows how to use multiple pistols, rifles, and different tactile maneuvers with glee. Tech’s only notable complaint regarding explosions is making sure Wrecker’s new fancy boom-booms aren’t parked next to his bunk. And the look of calm joy when his sister tells his brother ‘Do some damage, Wrecker!’ as Tech pulls a Bo Duke and flings his vehicle across a locked up work site, while his deranged brother giggles and fires some guns at a government-owned power plant from the back seat. PURE. UNADULTERATED. REDNECK. 

He’s a racer: It is a fact (with peer reviewed research) that rednecks really, really love them some racing. NASCAR, motocross, BMX, you name it. And if you’ve seen ‘Faster’, well, that’s all you need to know about the man. 

He has no fear of large animals: We’ve never seen him hunt, but Tech knows how to distract massive amounts of nasty animals using light, and the first response to seeing a terrifying monster isn't running away screaming, but whispering ‘FASCINATING’., before, ya know, firing a gun at it. It’s one step away from ‘IT’S COMING RIGHT FOR US’. You KNOW that man would be sponsoring gator wrasslin' contests if he could.

His actions towards His family: This is where Tech truly differentiates himself from the typical ‘geek’ character and leans hard into King of the Hill territory. Whereas a normal nerd character might nag and panic when his sister falls down a hole while drilling for explosives in a cave (dear God Doug, how much more redneck examples can you keep pointing out, I’m exhausted), Tech merely YEETS HIMSELF down into the abyss. Or when his brother picks a fight in the mess hall? Does Tech run away, or just start punching people like it's past closing time in the Applebee's parking lot in Daytona and the Dolphins lost? And let's not discuss the season finale :(. Rednecks are some loyal folks, family first, and that’s our man’s right there. 

There you have it, says Doug. Tech isn’t lighter because he’s better than the regs. The opposite.

You can not be a deranged, adrenaline filled, sassy, goggled weirdo flying throughout space and blowing shit up and not be pale AF with twiggy legs and a receding hairline that’s edging towards Hunter S. Thompson level, born out of America's Sunshine state while a hurricane chases you out.

::turns up ZZ Top::

[echonidae]

a buncha headshot portraits! three out of five portraits, i'm finishing up the last two c: the sketches here are from way back in august/september, and i fiddled with them for some weeks on end trying to make Something out of them, then proceeded to frustratedly shelf the lot of them away. so it's nice to see at least these three all finished up now :') and they were really nice to work on too ;v;

but ohoho okay, this is a lot of announcements in one single post, so bear with me a moment :3c here's a tl;dr first: 1) headshot portraits as a new commission option maybe? :0ccc 2) commissions are opening again on monday, jan. 23rd! 3) separate commission info webpage for reading convenience (particularly for folks on mobile) 4) commission rules changes: payment in full & upfront, rather than half-and-half 5) two-slots-per-person rule will be no more and folks are free to send as many orders as they want, but any ones after the second will go into the queue instead 6) also a small change with unoccupied queue slots

the rest is under the readmore :')

so, i've been thinking about adding this sort of portrait as a commission option!! fairly simple compositions but fully rendered (because i darn love painting so much; cellshading is nice and all, but coloring it all in one layer is just... heart-eyes), on the big 2600px to 3800px canvases as well c: and i'm thinking of pricing commissions like these at 28 USD (feels like a good price but i'm accepting feedback on that — the point was to add something that's just straight up fully-rendered, but for the lower end of the pricetable, and the limitations of a headshot portrait feel fitting enough on both sides ;v; )

also portraits like these are fairly quick to draw, so the turnaround time would be fairly short! add to it that 1) these are fun, 2) i could use focusing on just the face and expressions rather than elaborate poses and all, 3) portraiture lighting my beloved, and 4) these are painted, and don't take forever to figure out or paint. :D but yeah, let me know what you think of the headshot portrait option!! would you folks be interested in something like this? :0c

and now hold on a moment, i have more things to say!! xD

commissions are reopening monday, jan. 23rd, at the usual 5pm BRT (UTC -3:00)!

6 active slots (previously known as regular slots; can't believe it's taken me years to figure out a better way of calling these orz), as well as another 24 slots on queue. these will remain open until further notice; money's tight right now, hence the lack of closing date :')

there should be plenty of slots either way tho, so no rush at all! but i apologize for the super short notice orz

also, i went and got all the commission info on a separate webpage on wix instead. here you go!

should be easier to access and read through stuff, particularly on mobile — or at least i sincerely hope it is, please leave me feedback if you can!!! let me know if you encounter Problems, i've looked and combed through every bit of these four (4) pages but i might have missed stuff still, pretty please let me know if you run into any Issues! ;-;

but yeah, the website has all the rules and info and all the different options as well, with extra examples and all. on monday, you'll also be able place orders directly through there, i made a little form and all c': technically the form is already there but pls don't send requests yet, i can't reserve slots ahead of time!

also also, and these are the last things i've got to say, i promise (and thank you if you've read this far!),

a couple commission rules are changing!

1) from this new batch onwards, i'll be charging commissions in full & upfront instead of the half-half system i'd been doing up until this point. the exception is if an order exceeds $80 USD; for those ones we'll return to the half-before-sketch + half-once-finished situation instead!

but how's that? :0c i hope this is alright, but please let me know if this would make commissions just... unaffordable ;o; i do really like the half-half system, and i'd rather keep it, but it's either this or raising prices, and i don't think i can do that yet :T either way, please let me know your thoughts on the matter!!

2) the only-two-slots-per-person rule will no longer be in effect, so go ham with multiple orders if you wish on monday — the caveat is that i'll still be working only on two orders at a time per person, so if you order three things, the third one will be placed at the end of the queue c:

looking back i could've... done this from the beginning. orz it should be more convenient to send multiple orders if you have 'em!

and finally, 3) if the queue list hits its closing date with slots still available, folks who have already ordered and would like to get in the queue again can go on and grab those empty queue slots if they want, instead of being limited to two slots per person per batch, and then having to wait for an entire new batch.

i opened this exception for the last round of commissions (thank you once again to the folks who wanted repeats ;-; ) so i thought i should just make it into a proper thing instead, since it does make sense to do it anyway — the queue list is purposefully filled with a ton of slots, then left open for weeks on end to make sure everyone interested can get their orders in, so letting folks claim those remaining slots after the deadline sounds fine ;v;

that being said, there won't be a deadline for this monday's batch, so this bit technically doesn't change anything xD but i thought i should mention the New Thing #6!

and that's it! that's all!

while i'm pretty set on most of these (specially the full-upfront-payment bit — again, money's tight orz), i'm still definitely open to feedback, and to change things if something doesn't work for you folks!! please do share your thoughts on it, or send a note if you'd rather!! and let me know if you have any questions too ;v; 

i apologize for the super short notice again (and for cramming all of this into a single post) orz i'll be sorting things out until 5pm on monday, and getting these last commissions posted as well c:

thank you again for reading all of this orz and please don't feel obligated to reply to all the points if you have thoughts on only a specific one, i'd rather hear a little feedback than none at all ;o;

all in all, hope at least these portraits look nice, they were fun to work on :') Oliver, Owen and Steffan (previously known as the Swordsman/the Warlock — yup he's got a name now!); i'll get the other two of Matthew and Coriander done and posted!

thanks again folks, have a nice friday! ;w;

[t4tgempearl]

HI im sorry this took so long!! So the undergrove, I will admit i know a little less about it as opposed to some of the other empires but its still v fun to play around with! this isnt as in depth as my gilded helethia rant partically because i am really tired and partially because i know less, i might flesh it out a bit more at a later date though.

I think it's a lot less established then many of the other empires. Not less established as in ramshackle but more as in rather empty. There would be some gnomes that made it through the portal with her but for the most part its populated by forest animals who decided shrub was a friend and the occasional person who didnt want to stay in any other empires.

Shrub became the ruler of the undergrove after she founded it when she led the remaining gnomes to empires from their old world (i havent watched shrubs pov so take that with a grain of salt) She never thought she deserved the title but she ended up taking it anyway.

The culture would be rather different as opposed to many other places, they forage rather then farm. Only a few things are grown or imported. Status is almost non existent and everyone knows everyone. People do many things together, work, eat, sleep. A lot of their traditions revolve around community as a way to get back what they lost after the destruction of their home world.

For cusine and clothing (my favourite parts) i think it would all be rather rustic. Clothes are handmade from animal furs and fabrics imported from other empires. Theyre usually quite loose and practical, lots of pockets and easy to move around in. Colours to match the mushrooms are favoured so many people where white/grey with pops of warmer colours. This does cause a bit of contrast within the forest though so clothes for things such as hunting and foraging are usually made in darker shades of brown and green.

Food is usually made in large batches, big pots of stew, massive loaves of bread, etc. Despite the gnomes smaller size they do this so they can share food and also so it lasts for longer. Many people carry around 'snack pouches' in which they will carry berries, dried meat and other such things to eat throughout the day.

Animals are treated as equals and often have their own homes, if they are the companions of certain families or people they will wear pieces of cloth tied around their legs or necks to show that. Wolves are somewhat revered as holy animals and it is forbidden to ever harm one lest you become cast out and ostracized.

Thats about all i got rn im afraid i need to go to bed, i hope you enjoyed my hopefully somewhat comprehensible rant that i am not bothered to spell check

That was so awesome to read! Tysm!!

I love the undergrove and I am so normal (lie) about shubble characters

[lowkeyclueless5137]

Doodles dump! Digital edition >:3c

Bcs on the sketchbook I did references for my current comic and thus I won't spoil u yet :3

This time is a lot of Jade for sum reason :v

We starting with the new au i didn't explain: the fight club au

The premise is basically MK meets Streetfighter, meets twst, meets real world. With Epel trying to get around New York and attending the prestigious NRC school for mages. He uncovers a secret fight club and gets recruited by a misterious fighter in order to uncover a secret drug ring.

The magical girl au :D

This was more of silly doodle time, but there are a few hints of the au's plot :P

Lowkey I didn't know how Ace was gonna look like at first, but now I know EXACTLY why he turned out like this. Parkour I guess :'3

This is from the lettler exchange p5 x twst au :v

Noting how I confirmed that the velvet room attendees are siblings, I HAD to make a few shenaningans in between them :3

Lavenza and Floyd are the ones who get a new fusion method, thus Igor(the deemed parent), Had to instruct Floyd first so he could tell Lavenza as well. I really like how the uniforms turned out tbh.

And yes, this implies that all the attendees are mers. Lavenza, Theo and Elizabeth are eels, while Margret and Azul are octopuses. Might draw those one day :v

For context, it's this spuerhero au. :'3

Ace is the funny lil guy that has and absolute TRAINWRECK of a backstory. And Riddle as well, but I wanted to practice a bit on backs and side profiles, but I also wanted to add sum context ;3

TWO :D

I tried to get around model references, because GODDAMN some of those peeps look like sum bones are in the wrong place :v

also colored vgs, bcs I saw some using those and I do enjoy sum complementary color sumtimes :'3

And what better au than jjba au? The first one is ur hint at the main plot idea of this au, while the latter is a ref for Azul and his stand: Dark Side Of The Moon. I tried to also see how realistically his stand would resist against things, seeing how it is made out of bulletproof glass, also a lot of Drag inspo for his stand tbh. :'3

You know it, I know it, WE AIN'T ESCAPING THE MLB MILD AU<3

It's a sort of tease of what happens during the mlb specials, which all happen post the main 4 seasons ya'll read and saw me losing my shit abt. :'3

YES, THERE WAS A REASON I TEASED MALLEUS'S FAM DRAMA!

Think that NY and Shangai Specials happen at the same time, but each of the our main 2 heroes go through sum self discovery post all that chaos with Madame Moth. Riddle with accepting the flaws of himself and coming in terms with his new family dynamic, while Malleus comes in terms with the tesnsion and the chaos around himself and the fact that he cannot ignore changes he doesn't like anymore.

And the other miraculous au, this time the maleidiazu hard au version.

Since Jade got the butterfly miraculous, I thought that the twins would be ABSOLUTE MENACES to Azul.

For Jade's design, I saw those very pretty butterfly decorations photos and I fixated on Gabe's butterfly tending hat. I also wanted to allude to his eel form, so I imagined a long, sleek, trein, reminescent of a cocoon, that can flare up and reveal it's true shape of a half wing, the top vest part acting as the 2nd part of the wing. He looks pretty aloof, the kind of person you'd assume would be nice, but the veil is like your warning sign, with the butterflies always sitting on the outside, all alert. I really liked how he turned out and probably is one of my favorite designs in this au tbh.

And again, Jade for the last one: the Jjk mild au. damn, I can't find the post

I knew right off the batch that I wanted this mf to get some inspo from Nobara's uniform, just because I think Floyd-pre curse era would have a more yuji insp uniform and since in cannon jjk these 2 were like besties and up to shenaningans at first, I thought it would be a fun and subtle reference. :3

The reason that yellow overall is shown, is bcs underneath the jacket, Jade has a top of a similar shape, mostly to accomodate his brother.

It's fun to think that Jade's so reserved and acts humble, but in here there's literally the truth. He's thrown in this world with 0 knowledge, trying to gather up the disaster that was left behind his brother and just fix things that he isn't responsible for in the first place, all for his own selfish reasons. It's fun :D

and that would be all for now :3

[mirahuyooo]

Stranded [Why Dionysus?] | jhs

[masterlist] | check out [Elysian Tales] & [BTS as Greek Myth Icons]!

have you read [Stranded]?

A/N: As promised, here's the messy "rationale" and the melting pot of ideas i had for writing Stranded! Again, TAKE EVERYTHING WITH A GRAIN OF SALT bc i may be wrong with some of the mythology parts ✌😭✌

WHY DIONYSUS?

I get that Hoseok is mostly depicted as Apollo in these sorts of AUs, but Dionysus, man! DIONYSUS—Olympian god of wine, vegetation, pleasure, festivity, madness, and wild frenzy. 

I know it’s usually Jimin for this type of thing too, but at the time (when I made this series lol) it just screamed JUNG HO SEOK to me somehow, you feel?

Albeit, we all know how drunk Hoseok gets now (at the time I didn't lmao), I feel like since he'd be a god in this AU, he's bound to have greater alcohol tolerance 😅👌 BESIDES, Hobi would be all up on that dance floor! I just really thought that having him as Dionysus would be a nice change and it was v v fun (ToT)/~~~💖

Also, the love story of Dionysus and Ariadne gave me quite the uwu, so I thought I could add a bit more to the story for some cute shit 🥰

When it came to the whole sacrifice to the Minotaur thing though, I made a lot of shit up because some say that Athens had to bring tributes every 9 years, but some said it was every year??? (I AM CONFUSION 😭😭😭)

Anyways, to fit my fictional narrative (a.k.a her seeing the start of the downfall of her family), I had to do the some maths and vague research AHAHAHHA  i.e. searching how long it takes for a calf to turn into a bull (two years according to Google) bc Asterion started causing real trouble as he grew older lmao (he’s a beast raised to be a monster after all) + the fact that Theseus joined the third batch of the tributes to slay the Minotaur + Ariadne!Y/N being in her 20s???

I ended up settling for “every five years” (making Y/N 24-ish by the time she ran away, if Asterion the Minotaur was born when she was around 7 and he was locked up in the labyrinth when she was 9) 

ThIS WAS A WHOLE LOT OF WORK 👁👄👁

P.S. I was planning to have (Y/N) die, since it’s part of some version of myths abt Dionysus and Ariadne, but it felt like it would be a repeat of Yoongi’s story so uh… i just left her at a near-death experience 🤪🤪🤪 

WHAT HAPPENED IN THE MYTH?

Again, there are a lot of versions of this mythology.

With Ariadne’s upbringing, it was hard to get conclusive points??? All we know is that it’s in Crete, she’s a princess, her mom fucked a bull as a result of a divine curse, and her dad’s an all around j e r k LMAO I was also shocked to find out that the Minotaur had a name???? I kinda felt bad after ngl lmao 

AnyWAYS, several sources called Ariadne “mistress of the labyrinthe” (and that she might actually be a goddess too??) and that either way when Theseus came she fell hard like a SIMP ✋😭 She and her sister, Phaedra, both did, but it was Ariadne who helped Theseus with a thread (a clew) to let him know his way out of the labyrinthe after slaying the Minotaur (some sources say she was clever enough to do it on her own, but some say she asked Daedalus for help) 

Theseus, so glad that this chick is here to help him out, asks her to marry him once he returns successful, but some sources say that Ariadne asked him to. Another version also said that she asked him for marriage as protection since she's committing treason for helping him.

Either way, when the beast was slain, they obviously had to book it out of there before anyone could discover that they unalived the Minotaur. 

In Hesiod (and most of the other versions), Theseus abandons Ariadne on the island of Naxos after she had helped him and had fled Crete with him. Other accounts claim that Theseus was told (by Athena or Dionysus) to leave her there for the wine god as a sacrifice, because the island was Dionysus' territory. It was said in the Odyssey that Theseus had “no joy for her”, and had no issues with leaving her to Dionysus. Although, there are still some accounts that do depict him being distraught about the abandonment. Either way, he still left her there. 

So, with that, I had opted for the route of him being told to do it, but is still a jerk about it lol.

(This decision was fuelled by my utter anger for the myth where Theseus and his best bud, Pirithous, decided to kidnap daughters of Zeus to marry. Theseus chose to kidnap Helen of Troy, who was twelve at that time, and intended to keep her until she was old enough to marry—bLEGHH)

Theseus is a hero, yes, but he was still a bastard lmao (SO i went ham on making him the (sort of) villain in this story WHAHAH i am petty and biased, I'm so sorry)

Alas, his kidnapping of Helen of Troy seems to have happened long after his time with Ariadne, so as much as I wanted to trash on him, I couldn’t do so very much :DDDD

Phaedra (her sister), on the other hand, ended up being the queen of Athens because she was either abducted by Theseus or arranged for political marriage with him by their oldest brother King Deucalion (bc at this point, their dad, Minos, got murked in Sicily looking for Daedalus lol) She then proceeds to later get cursed to thirst after her stepson, Hippolytus :DDD 

Anyways, at Naxos, Dionysus saw Ariadne and fell in love with her, deciding to put a ring on it. Ariadne had many children with Dionysus and she was said to be faithful to him, but according to some myths, she killed herself because of Theseus before they get to meet??? Other versions say that she was killed—either by Perseus (with medusa’s head) or Artemis (at Dionysus' request?? Bc she and Theseus banged at a sacred grotto or cave or something—ig this is probs in the version where he doesn't love her yikes). 

Also, (in the myths where they are lovey dovey but Ariadne, for some reason, dies) Dionysus, after becoming a full-fledged god of Olympus, goes to the underworld  to get his mother and wifey back (sacrificing either a grapevine of his first love (Ampelos) or his thyrsus—this one's a bit unclear so I decided to omit it from the storyline lol) and went to Mount Olympus to be with her forevs. He also made her into a deity along with his mother, and then put her wedding crown to the sky as the constellation Corona Borealis!

Dionysus is a bastard of Zeus (a lot are LMAo) through his priestess Semele, and was the first god to be born a deity even with a mortal parent. He’s unwelcomed in Olympus though (mostly bc Hera is v v salty) and so he lived his life on Earth, at some point getting dismembered by Titans and/or going insane from a curse by Hera, and getting reborn because of the shit he goes through. He becomes the last god to enter Olympus after his cult fully establishes itself in Greece, and this part (I read) happens AFTER he met Ariadne (that’s why the plot is the way it is lol). This is also why there are sources that say Ariadne accompanied Dionysus in his travels, helping him spread his cult and influence. 

Also, also, the animals associated with him are panthers (leopard), tigers, bulls and serpents, and is often depicted as riding a leopard or a chariot drawn by leopards. (I made up the name Agrios though!)

This has been a rollercoaster and my head is pACKED Imma need to sit down whEW!! 

Thanks for Reading!

[arti-armory]

Gosh, it’s seriously been three years since I last publicly posted my artwork. Goodness me. Well, I’m certainly going to be getting better about it... hopefully. I think what I’ll do is post batches of artwork here while in-progress stuff with be frequently added to my twitter. 

  Anyways, I’ve been getting into Submas and Splatoon lately. Honestly not the best at shooters alone but maybe after some practice I’ll be. I just love the art style so much and the possibilities this creates. *Chiefs kiss*

TL;DR below if y’all are interested in learning more!~

This Submas x Splatoon is a fun side project to my main project involving Pokémon; Legends Arceus, PLA. And to clarify I'm not combining PLA with Splatoon. It’s not going to have inklings, octolings, and all that other good stuff with PLA. However interesting that might be.  The main project a massive 20-30 chapter story with my player character/OC, Rota! Which is why they are included here. 

Rota Species: Octoling Pronouns: She/They Unique traits/features: Blind in right eye (the white eye for clarification) Relations: Ingo (adoptive father), Emmet (adoptive uncle)

Rota is a very serious but considerate character. She suffers the same problems like Ingo with having a very unexpressive face that appears to be mostly neutral and/or disinterested. However as she grows more comfortable or at worse overwhelmed, those emotions actually come out. In the Splatoon universe she serves as the middle grounds between Ingo and Emmet, her opinion on matters will determine what the other two decide on. It’s a very serious job which fits her just right. Even though she has a tendency to favor Ingo’s side being her adopted father and all. Though she still has a lot to learn as a to-be conductor, don’t let it fool you of how skilled she it in battle. In fact, she can take on both Ingo and Emmet if need be and hold her own just fine. Sometimes when none of them can agree on anything, they usually battle it out. And that is a sight to behold.

I’ve actually have a mix-shift story in my head of how Splatoon Ingo, Emmet, and Rota all met up together but I’m already working on 5 different projects at once. Bare with me please. OTL Perhaps I’ll try making mini comic series or picture with mini chapter with it. I dunno. If people find this interesting, it’ll definitely encourage me to post more. If not then I’ll just enjoy this all to myself. ^v^ 

[graff-aganda]

Woooa i love punky demons design! Whats your designing process?? Theyre all so pretty..!

Ah, thank you so much!! ;v; You know, I’m not too sure if I have much of a process, but I find it handy to have a theme to start with. In this case, punky, or clown, or cozy, etc. From there, sometimes it’s even fun to try and mix two themes. Colour palettes can be super fun and important too, sometimes I have them in mind from the beginning, sometimes I randomize some colours and then mess around with them, and sometimes I just pick a main colour and try to work with colours around it! That last one is basically what I did with Punky. 

I try to look at a lot of clothing and different fashion/styles. It’s impossible for one person to be able to imagine every kind of article of clothing or style ever, so that’s a good place to get inspiration. I check out the Beserk website a lot, they sell a lot of goth/punk/alternative stuff. I didn’t do many alt designs but it’s one of my favourite looks!

Sometimes I’ll also take the vibe of whatever music I’m listening to and try to channel it into the design. It’s not like anyone would know, but I feel like it gives them a little more personality somehow >:)

Annnnnd even though it would save my wrist some strain and myself some time, I didn’t want to use a base for these designs. In my mind, it’s like, the entire being is part of the design, and that includes different heights and weights and body proportions and stuff! Though, you could still do that with a base, if you just draw over it in different ways. And to be quite honest, if I do another batch anytime soon, I might make my own base just to cut down on time LOL, but I enjoy baking designs from scratch here and there <3

[siren-virus]

And now, it's time for the next batch of asks for you about all of the things you've done that I'm keeping up with XD FLEE: right now we've got the first of potentially many many MANY fucked up things that happen in the vast wastelands with Leo's backstory of running away from his fiancee to avoid being chained down to the community he was residing in thanks to his flight. Would you mind telling us another thing that's normal for their society but it's still pretty fucked up? Or in case you haven't thought of any yet, how would that community react to him should the group ever have to get there or nearby? SWUP: I can already see poor SWUP (I gotta re-read the asks I've sent you if only to remember everyone's names XD) being both worried sick about Derrick and done with his shit once he has settled down as something more of a regular part of her band of rougues instead of just an enemy that might pop up whenever to ruin all of her stuff and kick her ass XD I can see her being similar to Ben against most of the regular enemies in Omniverse, in that she'd be tired of his shit after a while and just wants to get everything done to go back to her regular day to day life LuckyBen!AU: Ooohhhh, Ben using his position as granchild of a magistrate would be very interesting, considering that he could most likely use that as a way to get into more secure places without trouble, or perhaps troll some Plumbers into thinking that he's there as a representative since his dear old grandpa couldn't make it due to unforseen circumstances, or as a surprise inspection :V Also lol, Hex knowing Ben is Nekomata and doing absolutely nothing with that info. Like, what would he do, tell the Plumbers? Please, he's also in their wanted list. Tell another criminal to hunt him down? Why? He takes care of the competition pretty well. Let him be a playmate of Charmcaster so he can have some time for himself? If only the girl knew his identity, though watching the teen dance around her about it is plenty fun in it's own right XD Gecko: Who are Kai and Crystal? From what I recall you haven't said anything about them before, or perhaps you've said something about them and I just missed the posts :V Anyways, can we know a bit more about them please? And that's all I have to ask for this asks, I'll see you when you reply to this and I begin thinking of new questions once that's been done XD

Eyo welcome back

I'll get right into it

FLEE: Certainly! There's the whole selective breeding- or forced marriages thing happen in most burrows. Some are a little more encouraging of free will than others.

In Leo's specific burrow community- humans are killed on site- doesn't matter if they're weak, injured, elderly or an infant.

Sometimes if a hybrid were to give birth to a normal- human looking child that doesn't have any mutated features- they're killed instantly.

For people with Wings like Leo- they're forced to go off on their own to search for food and water- even if they're quite old or young. I guess they're the seekers. If they're injured in the process they're still sent out- unless they've lost all capability of flight.

There's limited resources, so if they're permanantly downed and can't reproduce- they're killed. Same goes for any other hybrid- however if they've recieved a permanant disability they're killed off- not even kept alive to care for children.

It's a harsh world- but with limited food and water, it's just what they have to do.

Fortunately The group have not encountered Leo's home YET. Zara's burrow is a little kinder.

SWUP: Yes!! It's a love hate relationship between the 2. Derricks really likes to stir the pot with her.

She's so over it, wants to get smoothies and chilli frie- oops wrong show. jkjk

But yeah, SWUP doesn't have many reoccuring enemies- she's a very strong woman and an encounter with her usually ends up with her enemy being scarred--- physically or mentally in the worst way.

Sometimes it's intentional. Other times, she just looks so scary her enemies will piss themselves in fear.

LuckyBen!AU: He doesn't use his grandpas position often. Of course it doesn mean discounted flights- hehe- Plumbers would bend over backwards to help him get to locations thinking it would benefit them and their own positions.

And yes some trolling is done- but it's far and few between.

He also takes advantage of the plumbers who really like to gossip about secret missions. Most plumbers assume he's in the know.

Exactly, Hex has know reason to see Ben as a threat, maybe a tad bit annoying, but it's like having a nephew. Often he'll tell Ben to "play nice" with Charmcaster- I mean Charmcaster is a little bit like a loaded gun at times, tad bit unhinged- but less crazy then the OG verse.

Hex hates it when Charmcaster barges in on him to bitch about Nekomata.

GECKO: ooH, my bad ;; Kai and Crystal were the two other people in the trailer. Yes Gecko has a trio/quadro main character group.

Crystal a little bit unhinged herself, and crazy strong- loves a laugh and is just a goofy girl.

Kai is a little more uptight- like there's a stick up his ass. He's so strict and well maintained that it's irritating.

Crystal does everything in her power to push his buttons. Sometimes it works out, cause Kai loosens up, maybe has a laugh too. Sometimes it ends up with Kai using Mac as a meat sheild.

Together these two are Mac's worst nightmare. They torment him on a regular. They might both be hot- but god. Please leave poor Mac alone, he's going to go grey before he's 25!!

They're both fun characters though, they mean no harm... kind of. They're also quite protective of Mac. They're basically all the same age, but because Mac got his gecko a lot later than everyone else- the usual age is like 6-12years old- he's like a baby to them.

Thanks again for asking!!

[missbunnycarrot]

K I S S & T E L L

C H A P T E R S I X

"여러분(everyone), bottles up" the leader began. "toast for a successful comeback and promotion. from the company's staff, youtube production team, dance and choreo crew, music and lyric producers to these hardworking 12 boys beside me, i hope to aim higher with all of you in the future!"

you had your first shot down. indeed it was an awesome first round of comeback activities for me. i am really living the dream random fact popped inside your head.

"joshua, leave the grilling to me okay?" you took the tray of meat. "y/n, let the maknael help you," joshua opened the venue's sliding door wider. "do you trust me?" both of you stayed still. you knew he'll insist that at least one of the maknae line will help you, "진짜(really), i am fine with it. you guys just have fun and keep ordering meat from my station. i'll happily serve everyone," you gave him a big smile.

you made your way across the outdoor space, where the members played soccer with the crew, to the grill so you could start cooking the meat.

"boys! first plate of meat coming right up!" you called their attention.

you went back in the penthouse to get another tray of meat then went back to grilling meat again. the first plate of meat isn't near empty and your second batch is ready to be served. then you thought of making lettuce wraps for everyone. lettuce, meat, a little bit of paste and kimchi. after filling a tray with lettuce wraps you placed the third batch and while it's cooking you went around feeding lettuce wraps to the staff, crew and lastly the boys.

"y/n, you didn't have to feed us," blushing jun said are you blushing because of me or is it the alcohol? "it's the least i could do for you guys," you smiled genuinely. "dino-yah, aaaaah~ " dino gladly received your lettuce wrap "고마워요(thank you) noona" tsssss. this kid, isn't he just the cutest?

"y/n, you're not drinking?" dk asked trying to find your shot glass on the table. "oh, i don't really drink.." what the heck y/n?! you used to be an underage drinker and your alcohol tolerance is quite high! well maybe because i am not in the mood tonight.. "우와(whoa), you and woozi have a lot in common than i thought," jeonghan seem surprised. you faced woozi with a confused look. "i might have some type of allergy with alcohol," he said matter of factly. "oh.i see.."

you ran back to the grill remembering the third batch. "shit! shit! shit! is it burned?" you flipped the meat to find that you came just right on time "good lord!" you sighed in relief. you were about to turn two more meat on the grill when you notice a can of beer at the corner of your eye. you looked up to see wonwoo with his glasses and beanie offering it to you. "oh, no thank you. i'm fine". "정말(really)? what are you drinking then?" he sat beside you. you turned around with a big grin, holding the beverage "바나나 우유(banana milk)!" both of you crackled. "judging the way you drank earlier, you don't look like you don't drink much," wonwoo commented taking a sip of his beer. "진짜(really)? you can tell?" you rolled your eyes at him. "you look like a.. alcohol veteran. but i might be wrong," he slyly admitted. "i just.. i don't like beers.." you bit your lips. "what do you like then? maybe we have something you'd like," "vodka is my weapon of choice" you wanted to sound sexy but failed ending the conversation with laughter.

"hyung, look over there" vernon pointed at your direction. "well, what do you know?" he clinged on vernon's arm, resting his chin on the maknae's shoulder, squinting his tiger eyes. the roomates took in each and every interaction you and wonwoo did. "잠깐만(wait a minute), didn't you say you like her hyung?" the boys on the same table: mingyu, minghao and vernon turned their heads to hoshi after seungkwan's statement. "oooooh~ now this is getting interesting," mingyu rubbed his palms together anticipating their hyung's answer. "yeah.. i do have a crush on y/n.. but.. i am still not sure how to approach her.." hoshi nestled his head on his palm biting his pinky finger. "i think i know how you feel hyung, i mean, we all do kinda have a crush on her.. trying to get her attention in our own ways.." vernon blurted out. "but that's wonwoo hyung we are looking at vernonie!" seungkwan made the boys chuckle. "for someone quiet and reserved it's weird to see him like that.. do you think he'll ask her out?" mingyu finished his can of beer. "야(hey) let us not jump to any conclusions shall we? especially when we are all drunk. maybe.. they're just.. really friends." minghao ended the discussion neutrally.

"third batch anyone?" you yelled, enough for the group from the other end to hear. "noona i have been waiting~" vernon gripped his bowl and chopsticks closer to him.

"stay here, let me take the tray for you," wonwoo stood up leaving his quarter-filled can of beer. "thanks." you followed his actions, wow isn't he just tall?..

"얘들 아(members) is there anything you guys want more of?" wonwoo served the tray. "oh yeah we do," seungcheol smirked. "so, what's up with you and.. you know?" with his eyebrows dancing, dino gazed at your direction. "hyung, seeing you like this gives me goosebumps, it's weird.." seungkwan shook his arms before he sipped his beer. "boys you're overreacting! it's obvious that most of us is fond of her. but let me remind you guys she's a friend too," jeonghan crossed his arms. "a crush is a crush. let's keep it that way. i don't want us to make her feel uncomfortable by competing with each other," joshua glanced a quick look at you. "and please, let us not fight over a girl. if she gets closer to either one of us, that's her choice. it's just a matter of who she is comfortable with" jun stretched his arms to reach as many members as he could. "that's why when she doesn't choose you, don't sulk dude," minghao giggled. "better still, try harder," mingyu faced hoshi with raised eyebrows, so did minghao. "i am just glad she is my dance partner. i spend more time with her than any of you," woozi pointed at each member matter of factly. "hahaha!! hyung, you braggart!" dk wrapped his arms around the cute-size member's shoulders.

they look happy, what could they be talking about?

C H A P T E R S E V E N 👇

[shenanigans-and-imagines]

NSFW Alphabet: Crosshair

A/N: Not officially a request, but I thought I’d better cover the whole Bad Batch while I’m at it. And as a reminder, remember to REBLOG AND COMMENT IF YOU LIKE THIS!!! The tumblr tags are fickle at best and it’s the only real way to support creators on this hellsite.

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

He’s always stuck between wanting to keep your body against him, but at the same time not wanting to come across as needy. He’ll probably start kissing your shoulders and neck, before nipping at the skin and telling you to go take a shower. Once you do, he’ll try to play it cool like, “you can stick around if you want, not that I care either way”. But, he does. He does care.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

He likes your waist. Odd, but true. It’s the natural place to put his hands when he pulls you close to him. He likes the way you shiver when he runs his fingers along your skin. Not to mention it’s the perfect place to grip you as his fucks you senseless.

For himself, he likes his legs. Yeah, they’re not as thick or muscular compared to regs, but they’re distinctly his. Plus even if he’s not any taller, it helps with the illusion that he is.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

His favorite place to cum is all over your chest and stomach. Seeing you a sweating, blissed out mess with his cum sticking to your skin is the single hottest image his mind can come up with. Second only to you hazily swiping his cum onto you finger and sucking with a moan.

You better be prepared if you do that because you won’t be able to walk the next day.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

He has an impressive collection of dirty holos you’ve sent to him while away on missions.  He’s kept every single one.  It’s gotten to the point where he just picks a random holo and that’s the fantasy he indulges in to get himself off until he can see you again.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

Like the rest of the batch, he’s had a pretty healthy string of one night stands since leaving Kamino. He actually has the most notches on his bed post which he is not ashamed to bring up whenever Wrecker is getting just a little too cocky. So, he’s pretty experienced all things considered.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

Taking you from behind and against a wall. That’s the popular image of him in the fandom and I’m ain’t here to dispute it.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

Not funny, but he’s definitely a smug asshole who can’t help but comment on every sound you make.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

He keeps it pretty well groomed down there, almost complete shaven.  Also, dark hair down below, if you’re curious. 

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

It’s very rare for Crosshair to be emotional in bed.  He uses sex more as a way to get rid of tension or get a solid hit of dopamine.  Actually being open with someone is not something he’s comfortable with.

The most intimate he gets is when he feels he might lose you, either in the field or to another man.  Then, he uses it as a way to assure himself you’re with him and his. In that case, it can get pretty intense.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

He jacks off often, before and after meeting you.  He’s got a higher sex drive than his brothers and needs someway to work off the tension after a mission.  He prefers doing it in the shower when he has the time, but he’ll honestly whip it out anyplace where he can get some privacy for fifteen minutes.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

Let it be recorded that Crosshair is not only a Dom, but the only true Dom in entire Grand Army of the Republic. (With the exception of Commander Wolffe.)

Seriously, the man likes nothing more than pinning you down and using your body as his personally fuck toy.  His ultimate fantasy is keeping you tied up in various positions, your body spread open and willing for him to use whenever the mood strikes him.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

Anywhere with a relatively flat surface. I cannot emphasize how much he does not care where he does it: bedroom, shower, locker room, bar bathroom, sparring room, between a couple of boulders out of view of the rest of the Bad Batch. He does not care.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

His ego...let me explain.

There are two ways to really get him going, but they both come down to how they effect his ego.

Number one, praise.  If you compliment him on a shot, confirm that he did, in fact, beat Wrecker at something, or rasp a dirty promise in his ear that he’s the only man who has ever made you cum that hard; that’ll get him going more than anything.

Number two, jealously.  If he sees another man actively flirting with you, he’ll all but sling you over his shoulder and carry you to the closest abandoned alley he can find to fuck you senseless.  He doesn’t care if you were interested in the guy flirting with you or not, you’re his and he needs to remind himself and you of that.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Humiliation for him is a no go. There’s the more obvious stuff, like the idea of you putting him on a leash or something equally degrading just gets him frustrated, and not in a sexy way.  But, more specifically verbal humiliation. He genuinely gets upset if you’re the one to say he’s not good enough for you in some capacity or compare him negatively to somebody else. That’ll kill the mood in seconds.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

Much prefers receiving to giving.  Seeing you on your knees with his cock in your mouth his heaven.  And being able to cum all over your face and chest when he’s done? He’s in heaven.

That being said, he’s not bad at giving, he just ends up mostly using his fingers while he runs his mouth.  He can’t help it.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

Fast and rough, like all the time.  He basically has no other mode.  Now, whether it’s more intense with pent up emotions or a fun stress reliever depends on his mood.  Either way, if you’re not a sweating, panting mess by the end of it he feels like he’s failed in some way.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

Yes.  He’s going to say yes to quickies.  Where ever and whenever is good for him.  But, don’t think it’s really over when it’s over.  He only considers it a preview of what he’s going to do to you once you actually get some time and a little more privacy.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

He’s certainly willing to try different positions and kinks, but he’s not big on getting more toys in the mix.  He’s more than happy to tie you up and spank you, but he’s not so keen on adding a paddle or something like that, if that makes any kind of sense.  It’s about his body and what he can do to you.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

Just as good as every other clone, with a fantastic recovery time. A solid average of three rounds per night lasting as long as either of you can stand it.

That all being said, he’s in constant competition with himself on how long he can last and for how many rounds.

Current record for time is two hours before he came once with you cumming a total of five times. Current round total is him cumming five times in one night while you lost count of yours.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

Surprisingly not his thing. He’s got some cuffs he uses on occasion with you, but not much else. Like I said, he’s in competition with himself, not him and a toy.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

He doesn’t tease often, but when he does, he’s an asshole.  He’ll keep you pinned down, lazily rubbing the tip of his cock against your opening, never fully going in until you’re squirming and begging him to just fuck you already.  Sometimes he will and sometimes, he’ll leave you hanging there.  It all depends on his mood.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

Not especially. In the beginning he keeps it almost conversational, as he talks dirty into your ear. But, it all changes when he comes to the end. It’s like whatever control he had over his vocal cords gets shut off. He curses a lot combined with grunts and borederline feral growls as he rams his cock harder and deeper into you.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

Crosshair has a real jealously streak, especially when it comes to regs. 

While he’s confident in his abilities, he’s aware more than Wrecker or even Tech that they’re basically a bunch of freaks the Republic likes to keep under wraps.  A funny little lab experiment.  While regs were made just as much as he was, they actually have a chance at being...well, normal after all is said and done.  He’s not sure he’ll ever be normal.  So, the fear of you realizing you’re dating an actual freak of nature weighs on him constantly.

He needs to remind himself that you’re with him, that you chose him and you’re not going to walk away.  It drives him crazy that you make him feel that way, but it’s the truth.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

Just as long as his clone brothers (a solid 8-inches), but not as thick.  Not that he need that extra edge.  His talent is precision after all.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

I’d say he has the highest of the batch, actually getting agitated if he hasn’t had a good fuck in more than a few days.  His hand can only do so much for him before he gets down right hostile.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

I’d say it takes him a solid half-hour to finally fall asleep after sex. He’d never tell you, but he likes the feeling of you asleep in his arms. He’ll savor it for as long as he can.

[kinsbin]

Title: Birthday Gift Rating: G (all audiences) Ship: [Platonic] The Sim Siblings - Jonathan Sims + Kinley Sims

A/N: Despite my birthday being in February I just really wanted to write out this lil' scenario I've kind of had in my head. Kinley wears a Nazar around their neck and it was given to them by Jon! So this is kinda how they got it. V stupid and self indulgent but when isnt my writing.

----

Jonathan couldn’t help the long exhale of breath that left his mouth as he thumbed through the statements in front of him with idle curiosity. The tape player on his desk remained patient as it allowed time for his decision. The batch he had been presented with this morning was a rather dull selection of easily refuted arguments about paranormal activities that felt ingenuine at best. Even a horror podcast could come up with more believable content than some of the titles that flickered past his eyes. The Archivist felt the dullness of the day creep over the side of his shoulder, an unwanted burden against the spine of his back as he resigned himself to the afternoon's obvious dullness. He picked one at random, laying it flat on his desk as his other hand moved for the record button on his tape.

It clicked on, the static echoing in a promise of its preparedness. Jon took a moment to clear his throat.

“Statement of Leonardo Montoya regarding-”

A knock echoed on the door of his office, causing Jon’s words to falter messily before coming to a halt. He frowned to himself, annoyed at the interruption to his already dulling day, and turned to look over at the offending wooden frame with undeniable frustration. There was a long silence, patient in its noncommittal echoe, before another careful tap of knuckles resonated again.

“Jon? Are you in?” Martin’s voice was muffled through the edges of the wood. Another annoyed sigh broke past his lips before Jon could fully stop it.

“Yes, Martin, what do you want?”

Martin opened up the door fully, his head popping through the slim entrance he had created with a smile on his lips. It curled around the edges of his face, making the corners of his eyes wrinkle softly as he stared into the office. Jon tried his best to ignore the detail as he distracted himself with the sharp edge of the paper between his fingertips, eyebrow raising upwards in semi-impatient curiosity.

“Sorry,” The apology flowed from his assistant’s lips, lacking the usual genuine concern it often had, “But I just wanted to let you know that we’re getting ready to celebrate Kinley’s birthday! Elias let everyone take a small break at the same time to go to the break room with them. There’s even donuts! I thought you might want to come.”

Of course he wanted to come. He hadn’t forgotten about his brother’s birthday. Well, to be mor accurate, Kinley would not let him forget. Their private texts were nothing but the edges of annoying memes alongside constant prods and inklings about just what it was he was planning for their birthday. There was never any real threat to the words, though. Kinley knew that Jon wasn’t the best at ‘partying’ as they had put it idly in a conversation one day. No, the going outs and loud evenings with friends suited them much more.

It was probably why they got on with Tim so well, too. More than one conversation with the other archival assistant had led to his disbelief that the two were related. (“We’re not,” Jon would state, “They’re adopted”. Followed by a swift ‘Oh fuck off Jonny’ and a kick to the back of his leg).

None of that meant that he didn’t care, though.

“Right,” Jon finally nodded to Martin, “I’ll be… I’ll be there in just a second, then. Thank-you.”

Martin seemed more relieved than he should have been that Jon had agreed, giving a thumbs up before disappearing back behind the door. He left it slightly ajar, a small tick that made Jon frown, but he ignored it for now.

His hand put down the statement and instead reached around for one of his drawers. Opening it up, he stared down at the neatly wrapped box inside of it. He wasn’t that good at wrapping up gifts, and the struggle was obvious against the wrinkled red gift wrap and messily tied golden bow. Really, he scolded himself, he should have just gone with a gift bag. He clutched the small gift in his hand for a moment, as if debating to himself to unwrap it and just give it as it was, but it was honestly too late now. They’d make fun of his wrapping skills in both situations. Might as well make it look like he had some effort in it.

He stood up with the present and made his way into the break room.

---

The room itself was brightly lit with the fluorescent ceiling bulbs above them. Kinley couldn’t help but grin as the chatter of others filled their ears, eagerly clinging to the gentle ‘happy birthdays’ and pats on the shoulder that their co-workers offered them. Most of the faces were familiar, others from the archival branch of the institute above others. Still, other departments had those who could not resist the promise of free donuts and came to visit nonetheless. They greeted them with the same happy birthday wishes, though, and as long as they seemed happy with it, Kinley didn’t complain.

A hand flew onto their shoulder, patting them eagerly as they startled in their spot.

“There they are!” Tim’s voice was bright at their side as he hung off of them, “Happy Birthday, big boy! You made it one more year.”

“Happy birthday, Kin.” Sasha’s voice joined in as she smiled at the two’s side.

Kinley laughed, leaning back and kicking playfully at Tim’s feet as they blushed forward at the sudden attention. A hand rose up to itch at their face, picking idly at the small spots of acne that dusted across their reddening cheeks.

“You guys really didn’t have to do all of this for me!” Kinley stated as they smiled, “The gift cards were sweet enough, really!”

“And miss a chance to spoil one of our top curators? I’d hardly call that a worth celebration.”

Tim pulled away from Kinley, who blushed in surprise as Elias approached them. The smile on his face was easy going, but they could still feel the tinge of professionalism lacing his voice. It made their own back straighten as they smiled up politely, still holding the plate of their favorite donuts close to them as they averted their gaze from his intense eyes.

“Thank-you, Mister Bouchard. Really you didn’t have to go through so much trouble. I could at least help pay for the food and-”

Elias held a hand up with a shake of his head, “I wouldn’t dream of it. Consider it my birthday gift to you if you must.”

“Okay, okay,” Kinley relented easily against the whims of their boss, “Still, thank-you for all of it. I don’t know how you guessed that this was my favorite donut shop, too!”

“I suppose I’m just lucky like that.” Elias smiled slightly, as if remembering some sort of joke to himself.

The door to the break room opened once more, making the curious eyes turn towards it. Martin appeared through it with a grin on his own lips, his hand upwards to wave at the group. Kinley waved excitedly back at their friend, eyes bright with excitement as he came over to give them a sideways hug. They held their donut away to hug the taller man back with a grin.

“Happy Birthday, Kin.” Martin cooed with a pleasant eagerness, “We should go out later after work to celebrate proper.”

“That’s a great idea!” Tim piped up with a shine in his eyes.

“You guys are going too far,” Kinley groaned with their face in their palm, “This really is enough.”

“Nonsense,” Martin declared, “I’ll buy for you if that’s what your worried about.”

“We all will!”

“Okay, okay! We’ll goooo, now stop making me blush it’s disgusting.” Kinley hit Tim on the shoulder, making the man laugh.

A throat cleared, making them all focus forward on the man behind Martin. Kinley couldn’t stop the grin from brightening itself on their lips as they spied their brother from behind Marin’s shoulder. He shifted awkwardly in his spot, catching his sibling’s eyes with that usual look he got when they were in a crowd together. A silent plea of ‘oh god please help’ that made Kinley laugh through their nose. Putting their plate down on the nearby table, they shifted around the other’s towards Jon with a laugh.

“Found time out of your incredibly busy schedule to wish your dear, sweet, light-of-your-life brother a happy birthday, Jonny?”

Jon cringed at the nickname, his face enflamed with red as Kinley bumped shoulders with him, that usual shit-eating grin on their face as he nudged them back with what equal force he could muster. They had always managed to be stronger than him, but the pity in them made them let up only slightly as he pushed them away. Behind them, Tim held back a snicker at Kinley’s words and Sasha rolled her eyes as the two settled back into a more professional manner.

“I thought you’d forgotten,” Kinley admitted, half-joking as they grinned up at him.

Jon’s brow furrowed with almost genuine hurt, “I’d never forget something like this.”

“Thanks,” Kinley’s grin split their lips again, “Soooooo…”

“So what?”

“You said ‘happy birthday’ but what did you GET me?”

“You assume I got you something? Is my support not enough?”

“Not by a longshot. Now come on, Jonny, give me the goods.”

“I told you to stop calling me that at work!”

“Jonny, Jonny, Jooooony,” Kinley sang eagerly as they watched his face furrow with frustration. They grinned wide at it as he finally relented and held up the small, poorly wrapped box with a smug look of satisfaction. Kinley’s eyes lit up as they moved to take it from him, but he quickly pulled the item away with a turn of his nose.

“If that’s how you’re going to be, I don’t think you deserve this then.” He declared, holding the item out as far away from Kinley as possible. They leaned forward, trying to snatch it with a whine.

“What come on-! I’m sorry, see? Now give me my birthday present you prick.”

“I don’t feel like you really MEAN it, though.”

“Oh my GOD this is workplace discrimination, Jon, give me my present!”

He finally relented, allowing Kinley to grab the item and eagerly look down at the package, snorting at the wrapping paper as they held it up.

“Great wrapping job, Saint Nick.”

“Oh I’m so sorry your highness did you want me to have it flown in on a box of gold?”

“It’s the least I deserve, don’t you think?”

“You deserve plenty of things but that isn’t one of them.”

Kinley snorted and went back to their present, unwrapping the edges carefully, not wanting to make a mess of paper on the break room floor, and pulled off the top of the box within it. Their eyes widened as they looked down at the item, running their thumb along the box before using their other hand to reach in and pull it out.

It was a standard necklace, the chain a bright sterling silver with a lock on its back. The charm hanging down on it was a Nazar held in a silver pendant, the whites and blues of its eye-like shape staring forward into their soul as they watched it back. They turned the item, the mirroring design on its back staring at them once more. Their lips parted in awe for a moment before they closed again, standing up straight as they admired the jewelry piece.

“Did you really-”

“It’s the same one you texted me, yes,” Jon stated, “I remember things, you know. Though, if you changed your mind about it, I can always just take it back and you can-”

“Oh shut up, it’s perfect.” Kinley grinned as they put the box down, shifting their neck so that they could wrap their arms around to the back and clip the shiny new necklace in place on them. The lock clamped together neatly, nimble fingers easily fiddling with the smalle mechanism, and they let it hang down on their chest with a smile on their lips. The edges of its silver caught the light and sparkled, shiny and new and all theirs as they held it in their hand for a moment, running a thumb along the Nazar itself with a grin.

When Kinley looked back up there was a genuineness to their gaze. A bright and thankful sort of stare that lit up in their eyes as they looked at their brother. Jon watched them back, pursing his lips to hide the edges of a smile that tried to break across his own face. They rarely had a chance to celebrate their birthdays with one another. Between Kinley’s own job traveling through Europe to gather research and artefacts and his own locked away in the bowels of the Institute itself, there was little chance to watch each other grow any more. Like a lifetime together hadn’t made them tired of it.

Still, there was a sense of pride in having been able to make them smile like they did when they were kids.

“Thanks, Jon,” Kinley finally sighed, leaning over to give their brother a hug. Jon tensed up in it, squishing his face together in a look of discomfort. The eyes of his co workers focused on them.

“Aww,” Tim teased immediately upon seeing the show of affection, “What a good brother! Where’s my camera?’

“The only one to hug Jonathan Sims and tell the tale,” Sasha nodded sullenly alongside the other, making Jon squirm as he glared at them both.

“The peanut gallery isn’t necessary for any of this I- Kin let go of me.”

Kinley held him tighter, grinning wider.

“KINLEY.”

“Nooo you gotta embrace the moment Jon.”

“Whatever ‘moment’ you had was ruined when you started doing this! Stop being immature and-”

“I can’t hear you over the sound of me hugging you.”

“Oh for God’s sake-.”

The Nazar around their neck jingled with a pleasant metallic hum, a gazing symbol of appreciation between the siblings as it stared aimlessly forward into the brightness of the afternoon.

It was a good birthday.

[jenoptimist]

request:

can I request enemies to lovers with Lucas 👉🏼👈🏼🥺

✮ Pairing: lucas x reader (gender neutral)

✮ Genre: (one-sided) enemies2lovers | shopkeeper!au

✮ Additional info: miscommunication & misunderstandings

✮ Word count: 5.3k

♡ Yakult says: thank you so much for the request !! i decided to make this be in the same au as my florist!xiaojun fic but it takes place before it 🤪 don’t worry though, you can read this as a standalone !! 

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Dream Puffs stood in between a quaint bookshop named Moon’s Bookworms and the one and only tattoo and piercing studio in your small town aptly named, Nakamoto’s Body Art Studio. All three buildings adhered to a similar color scheme which consisted of various shades of brown; Moon’s Bookworms was displayed with gold plated, elegant lettering and a dark mahogany colored body, Nakamoto’s Body Art Studio was written with bright neon lights against an umber colored building and the Dream Puffs building was the color of pecans, its name displayed in large, white letters. The buildings across the street were the exact opposite; the flower shop Rainbow V was colored in pretty pastels and the bright thrift shop Tern & Ten’s Treasures was a fusion of artsy and chic. There was an empty outlet just in the middle of the two stores, directly across from Dream Puffs, that was very obviously lacking the loud personalities all the buildings on that side owned. 

Recently there had been rumors that the lot had been sold a couple of weeks ago and that whoever had bought it also would be moving into the apartment directly across from yours. Although your curiosity was peaked, not catching a single sight of the newcomer, you knew that you weren’t the only one. The other owners on the block had gathered around in the far corner of your cozy café, gossiping among one another. It seemed as if Yuta and Yongqin were doing most of the chatting, Kun and Taeil chiming in whenever they thought it was appropriate. Seeing as the rush of customers had officially calmed down, a few of your regulars in their usual seats, you allowed yourself to part take in their conversation when Yuta waved you over with that dazzling smile of his. 

“So, y/n, what do you think?” The tattoo artist asked, his cheek resting in the palm of his left hand. 

“What do I think about what?” You shot back quizzically as you sat down, automatically setting the nape of your neck on top of Yongqin’s arm when he rested it on the back of your chair.

“What kind of store do you think this mystery person will open up?” Taeil clarified, lazily fiddling with the straw in his iced-tea in between his index finger and thumb.

You hummed. “Maybe something for arts and crafts?” You weren’t good at guessing but you did know that a store that catered for specific types of painting and drawing materials were needed, judging by Taeyong’s constant complaints about how there should be an art supply store because shipping was too expensive every time he bought something online.

At your side, Yongqin practically began vibrating with excitement along with Yuta across from you. Their reactions were something you expected since the two of them, as well as and Taeyong, were extremely talented artists; where Taeyong and Yongqin drew for fun, Yuta’s job as a tattoo artists required him to draw on a regular basis and he absolutely adored it. As Yongqin and Yuta chatted excitedly, Taeil chiming in every now and again, your eyes zeroed in on Kun as he sipped on his latte, his eyes suspiciously shifty. Before you could voice out your question, someone entered the café and headed straight for the counter. You had sent Doyoung and Taeyong on their breaks ten minutes prior so you had no choice but to slip out of your chair and bounce over behind the counter.

While the customer’s eyes roamed the menu above you, you occupied yourself with wiping the counter and when you couldn’t pretend to clean anymore, you drummed your fingers on your thigh. Finally, the tall - and extremely attractive - man made eye contact with you. With a smile you hoped wasn’t awkward, you tapped in his three drink orders and asked if he’d like any of the sweets on display since he was studying them so intensely.

“Can I have one of each?” 

It wasn’t an unusual request, plenty of customers had asked before because Doyoung and Taeyong were extremely talented at what they did. You always found yourself fighting for the position to be their taste tester against Donghyuck and Jungwoo whenever they came up with something new. There wasn’t any friendly small talk as you prepared his order, in fact whenever you caught a glimpse of the customer, his eyes were continuously roaming around the building. You were particularly proud of the interior design of the place. Taeyong had spent endless hours painting designs on the walls while you and Doyoung chose the furniture you thought would suit it the best. Your favorite part in particular was the copper wire wall grid that was used to display the instant pictures of the staff posing goofily and the regulars. Judging from the way the customer’s eyes locked in on the pictures on the wall, he did too.

“Thanks for coming! Hope to see you again!” You chimed while you placed the money in the register. It was unlikely to happen, you knew, because the man wasn’t one that you recognized. Dream Puffs often had customers that stopped by because they needed a pick-me-up during their travels. The only response you received was the incline of his head and a gorgeous smile before he turned to leave. You watched his back as he strutted away, your head tilted to the side slightly. 

“Love at first sight?” Yongqin teased in a loud voice from your right and if you had been close enough, you would have thrown your cloth at him. 

“Shut up Yongqin!”

*

“You will not believe what I just heard!” Yongqin exclaimed from somewhere behind you. It was half past six in the morning and you and the boys were setting up, Taeyong had just taken out a fresh batch of pastries while Doyoung was bent over the glass display case for the food, organizing the goods meticulously and adding glacé cherries to the cupcakes. You hummed in question as you snatched a croissant that you knew would be deliciously buttery, flaky and soft when you took a bite of it. “The empty store! You’ll never guess what it’s going to be!” 

“A hardware store?” Doyoung guessed uninterestedly as he adjusted a cupcake. 

“No!” You watched, mid-bite, as Yongqin walked by you and stood so that he was in clear view of the three of you. “A café!” Both the statement and the hot interior of the croissant had your jaw dropping. 

“What?!” You exclaimed while you set your pastry on the flour covered counter, just beside the baking tray full of equally measured, unbaked cookies. 

“Yeah,” he said, dragging out the vowels as he slowly bopped his head, “I know right. Dream Puffs might actually have some competition now.”

“Out of all places to set up a café.” Taeyong mumbled, his brows furrowed, flitting over to the other side of the room to grab his bottle of strawberry flavored water. 

“Where did you get this information from?” Doyoung asked after he straightened himself out, crossing his arms over his chest.

Yongqin, who was watching Taeyong gulp down his beverage, mindlessly said, “Kun.” You pressed him for more information, recalling how shifty the said florist had been the other day. Yongqin tore his eyes away from Taeyong. “I don’t really know how he knew, he just let it slip yesterday.” He grabbed a glacé cherry and popped it into his mouth. “We should totally put on some disguises and scope the place out when it opens!” 

Taeyong snorted. “As if you work here.” 

“Well we don’t want you guys going out of business now, do we?” Yongqin reasoned as he ran his fingers through his pink streaked blond hair. “So, are you in?” 

“Of course.” You said, picking up your croissant and taking a big bite of it.

The plan was discussed in pieces throughout the day while the three of you manned the counter. Yongqin stood to the side, switching from chatting to your customers animatedly as they waited for their orders and telling the three of you how he needed a temporary employee because Chenle was going on vacation in a few weeks from June until August. He stayed until he had to return to his own store since his younger sister had to go for her break. As the day dragged by, you insisted that Doyoung and Taeyong to go home early - they deserved it for all the work that they do - while you stayed behind to some additional cleaning before you locked up for the evening. Not bothered to cook dinner once you were home, you called for some takeout as you toed off your shoes. While you waited for the delivery driver to call you to let you know they were downstairs, you flopped onto your couch and mindlessly scrolled through your phone. When the call came, you were quick to grab your cash and dash out your door. 

With a warm box of pizza in your hands, mini boxes of the sides you selected on top of it, you turned to make you way back up when a voice called out for you to hold open the door for them. You fulfilled their request by swinging your leg and waited impatiently for the weight to be lifted off of your foot so that you could run off and eat. 

“Thank you! Oh,” the stranger said when you managed to flash them a quick smile, “hey it’s you!”

Internally, you groaned. What would it take for you to be able to eat your dinner? It was going to get cold. Plus you ordered their fudge brownie that came with ice-cream. Nevertheless you plastered on a smile while turning your head to the side that the stranger decided to occupy and found yourself looking at the tall and handsome man from a few days ago. 

“Yeah,” you agreed, not knowing what else to say as you followed him into the elevator and also stunned by the fact that he could potentially have lived here all this time somehow without you ever seeing him. Although, maybe he was visiting a friend? “Are you the one who moved in across the hall?” You asked curiously after eyeing him press the button to your floor.

“Guilty as charged,” he replied, raising both his arms. Then, dropping them back down to his sides and stuffing them into his jacket pockets, he said, “my name’s Wong Yukhei.”

“Y/n. I’d shake your hand but, y’know.” You lifted the boxes of food for emphasis and he nodded understandingly. Yukhei got a few words in about the town, how cute he found it and how friendly the people were, before the ding! of the elevator finally signaled the end of your short journey to your floor. Yukhei allowed you to exit before him.

“Well it’s nice to officially meet you, neighbor.” Yukhei said, grinning cheekily as the two of you stood outside your respective doors, facing one another. 

After replying with sentiments that mirrored his, you finally entered your apartment and all but sprinted to your coach and dug in. Your new neighbor seemed nice enough. You wondered what brought him over to this town–there was nothing particularly attractive about it except for the people that lived there, not that anyone living outside of the town would know that or anything. It was when you were halfway through your third slice that something dawned on you. 

*

“I know who it is!” You said loudly, barging into Nakamoto’s Body Art Studio. As expected, Yongqin was getting his forearm tattooed by Yuta. You greeted Jaehyun, who was flicking through a magazine, with a high five as you passed by the reception desk and took one of the wheeled stools and sat on Yongqin’s other side, opposite Yuta. 

“Know who?”

“The new store owner! I met him yesterday.” Yuta finished the line he was working on before looking up at you briefly to acknowledge your presence before resuming his work. Yongqin was the one who prompted you to continue. “His name is Wong Yukhei. He was the really tall one from the other day.”

“The one you fell in love with?” Your friend teased. You mimicked his words, voice as high as possible, while making a face at him before groaning dramatically, thinking about how amiable Yukhei had been in the few minutes that you were together. 

“Guys, he ordered all of the food we had on display.” You chewed on your bottom lip. Maybe his friendly behavior was an act, he did know that you work at Dream Puffs after all–you literally co-owned the place. “You don’t think he’s going to steal everything the guys make do you?” Both of your friends scrunched their faces which only served to make you groan loudly again. 

“That’s rough buddy.” Jaehyun said from his position on the right side of the room, the sound of him flicking his page loud and clear when Yuta removed the tattoo gun from Yongqin’s arm. 

“What’s rough?” Jungwoo asked confusedly, his voice sounding further than usual, probably just having stepped out of the separate room that he used to pierce their clients. 

*

You stood behind the register, watching with narrowed eyes as Yukhei and some unfamiliar people filed into the building directly across from yours, each carrying supplies. It had been days and days of you heatedly watching their every move as they worked on their space. While they were all having the time of their lives interior decorating, you were practically tearing your hair out at the thought of having competition that was a mere twenty steps away from Dream Puffs. It wasn’t that you didn’t trust Doyoung and Taeyong’s ability to bake or your barista skills and it wasn’t as if you were the only café in the area or anything - there was another one just on the other side of town - but he really couldn’t have set up literally any other kind of store?

What was even more infuriating was that Yukhei was acting really chummy with you and the others outside of your working hours. It even became a regular thing for Yukhei to wait for your shift to finish so that the two of you could walk back to your apartment complex together. Admittedly, even though you enjoyed your own company, it was kind of nice having someone to talk to on the way home. 

“You’ll scare away the customers if you keep making that face.” Taeil said, his eyes never wavering from the page that he was reading. It was a new book for the book club that he created recently, said it would bring in more customers. He shared a table with Jeno, who was reading the same book, and Mark, who was playing Luigi’s Mansion on his Nintendo Switch.

You sniffed, tilting your head to the side. “I’m not making a face.”

“Dude, you so are!” Mark, who was sitting across from Taeil, said after taking a sip of his banana milk. 

“Don’t listen to them,” Jeno told you nicely, “of course you’d be making a face, I mean, that guy is gonna make a store that could potentially out-business you.” 

You threw your hands at his direction as if to say exactly! with wide eyes. “We’re practically enemies!” 

“Enemies,” Taeyong repeatedly lowly from beside you, amusement ringing in his voice. “As if.”

You gaped after throwing him a look. “What’s that supposed to mean.” Before your friend could reply, your attention was redirected elsewhere with the call of your name. Taeyong bumped your hip and scurried off. You turned to face none other than the man himself. “Yukhei,” you smiled, “the usual?”

“Please. Oh and could I also get...” He listed five other drinks and then picked out some food to bring along with him. As you prepared his order, the two of you talked about your plans over the weekend and even though you were aching with the need to ask about his shop, you said nothing. 

“He’s the enemy.” You whispered firmly to yourself. “Do not get distracted by his cute smile!”

“Cute smile?” Yongqin startled you by popping up from behind you. “Is this about Yukhei?” He asked loudly, tone full of mischief, as he nudged your side.

“Who else would it be about?” Taeil countered. 

Mark and Jeno chuckled while you raised your eyes to the ceiling, briefly reconsidering your choice in friends. Maybe you should stop giving them free drinks. Your gaze flickered to what would be Yukhei’s shop and found him sipping on his drink as he leaned on the glass, chatting to someone. As though he felt your eyes on him, he did a double take and beamed at you. 

“He’s the enemy.” You whispered to yourself once again, hoping that you would actually begin believing it soon, as you raised your hand to wave at him–he kept smiling at you until the person next to him clapped his shoulder and you would have loved to know what he said because Yukhei all but whipped his head towards him, his eyes practically bugging out of his head.  

*

It had been almost a month since Yukhei had moved into town and he still hadn’t opened up his shop. That was something that you kept in the back of your mind, even as he continued to be cordial with you and the others. Although you kept referring him as ‘the enemy’ to yourself, at this point he was your friend. There was no point in denying it or anything, considering that somehow your relationship with him progressed from only speaking to one another when he ordered stuff from Dream Puffs and when the two of you walked home together, to actually hanging out. You guys had actually agreed to start watching movies together every Saturday night and regularly went over to each other’s apartment to keep each other company. 

In fact it was actually Saturday and instead of receiving a text from Yukhei about what food he should bring over with him, it was one asking you to meet in front of Rainbow V. After texting him an affirmative, you changed out of your pyjamas and headed out. 

The nearer you got to Rainbow V, the more you could make out the distinct figure of Yukhei; he was leaning against the door of his shop, his left foot on top of it as he scrolled through his phone. You allowed yourself to stare at him for a little bit longer before taking bigger steps towards him. 

“Hey,” you greeted once you were close enough, “what’s up?” 

Yukhei returned your greeting, stuffing his phone into his pocket as he stepped forward to mirror you before raising his hand. When you gave him the high-five you assumed he was waiting for, he clicked his tongue and wrapped his large hand over yours. Startled, you looked at him with wide eyes.

“Wrong,” he grinned, a playful gleam in his eye, “you forgot our handshake already? Y/n, you wound me.” He placed his other hand on top of his chest, where his heart was, dramatically as he said the last part. 

“I didn’t forget,” you countered. “You got it wrong, dummy, it starts with a fist bump.”

Yukhei huffed, the grin he wore turning into something much softer. “You’re right.” 

Instead of releasing your hand like you thought he would now that it was clarified, he continued holding onto it and even lowered it slightly as if he wanted a better look. He turned it this way and that way slowly while staring like he was inspecting it. As he did that, your eyes flitted over to the beanie that covered his forehead (you liked how it looked on him, it looked really cute on him,) before travelling down to the rest of his face; there was a spark of something in his eyes, his head at an angle, as he stared at your hand in his. It was the look someone got when they found something they had been missing for a long while.

You cleared your throat, warmth creeping up your neck all the way to your cheeks. “Is there something you want to show me?”

“Yup!” 

And with that he interlocked your fingers, fished what sounded like a bunch of keys from his pockets and unlocked the door. He made quick work of turning on the lights, allowing you to be greeted by the sight of minimal style interior. There were large potted plants by the door, a long island with seating as well as booth tables. String lights were hung all around the cream colored wall, providing additional lighting to the dim lights. Yukhei lead you around the space, excitedly telling you about the work that had gone into it and how he had difficulty choosing what kind of style he wanted. 

“It looks amazing,” you complimented as he gestured for you to take a seat closest to where the register was. “It’s going to be a great café, I can tell.”

“Thanks,” he smiled shyly, “that really means”-he paused, tilting his head to one side with confusion written all over his face-“did you just say café?”

“Mhm,” you nodded, “looks like Dream Puffs is going to have some serious competition now.”

Yukhei released a hearty laughed. “Y/n, I don’t know where you got that information but this isn’t a café.” Your jaw almost dropped in shock and you stumbled with your words before settling for a ‘huh’. “Yeah, dum-dum, it’s going to be a boba shop.”

“Boba. . .shop.” You echoed slowly. 

Yukhei nodded, “yeah.” 

Later on the stroll home, after the two of you spent an hour or two in his shop with him telling you what kind of flavors he planned to have on the menu and pulling some suggestions from yourself (“what about toffee popcorn with, I don’t know, maybe whipped cream and actual popcorn at the top?”), he asked who told you that he’d be opening up a café to which you grumbled ‘Yongqin’, he let out a heart laugh again. You could feel the tremors that went through his body as he laughed since you were tucked warmly under his arm and whether or not it was because his laughter was contagious or how weirdly intimate the situation felt - it was the way he took of his beanie and adjusted it on your head, insisting that you looked cold (you were) and the way the two of you were practically glued to each other’s side - but you huffed out a laugh before smiling to yourself and leaned into him more.

“Hey, y/n,” Yukhei called once you unlocked your door. You turned to face him and found him aiming his phone straight at you. “Smile.” Instead of smiling, you made a silly face at him and jogged inside your apartment after the tell-tale sound his phone made that indicated that he snapped a picture of you. 

It was only when you were taking off your jacket and shoes that you realized that he hadn’t asked for his beanie back. Although you knew that you could easily make the short trip to him across the hall, you decided that you would give it back the next time he was at your place.

* 

“A little birdie told me that you and Yukhei went on a date last night.” Yuta said the following morning, barging into your small office and then plopped himself on the couch that was placed near your work desk. 

You were quick to shoot his statement down with, “your ‘little birdie’ is wrong.” After typing a quick ‘Kind Regards’ along with your name and position at the end of your email, you swiveled your chair around so that you could face your friend. He was scrolling through Instagram, double tapping every few seconds. “Who was it that told you that, anyway?”

“I don’t snitch on my sources.”

“I’ll give you twenty-five percent off whenever you buy coffee for a week.”

“Sold,” he said while he typed something quickly on his phone before lowering it so that he could flip himself over on his stomach and look up at you through his lashes. “It was Taeil. He fell asleep in his office and when he was locking up he said he saw you two mooning at each other alone in Yukhei’s shop.”

“We were not mooning at each other,” you sniffed, skimming your hands down your thighs. “What? We weren’t!” You emphasized when he gave you an unimpressed look.

Just as Yuta was about to reply, probably something sarcastic by how he arched his brow, his phone chimed to signal a text. He tutted at you before re-arranging himself so that he could reply with ease. You watched as his eyes read the message quickly before the corner of his mouth quirked upwards and he huffed out a laugh, typing furiously. While a large part of you was curious as to what could have elicited that reaction, you chose to turn back to your computer screen and browse through your email inbox. 

“If you aren’t dating him,” Yuta said after a few minutes of silence that involved him typing away while you binned some junk mail, “then what’s this all about?” From the corner of your eye, you saw him lift his phone towards you so that you could read whatever was on his screen. Turning, your eyes skimmed through his text, your eyebrows all but crawling to your hairline. He allowed you to grab the phone from his hand so that you could zoom in on the picture that followed the texts from Mark–his words were all in capital letters followed by several exclamation points. You opened your mouth to say, well, literally anything but nothing came out so you snapped it shut. Wordlessly, you handed Yuta back his phone before logging out of your computer.

“I have to go,” You said lowly, dazed, as you stood up. “I have to- will you tell the guys I’ll be back soon?” Yuta gave you an affirmative and then you were off, practically sprinting towards the door. 

On the way back to your apartment complex, your thoughts were full of Yukhei. You could admit that you had a big crush on him. It was difficult not to, you thought, what with how sweet and thoughtful he was. He was also funny and knew how to brighten up the room. But did that mean you wanted to date him? You weren’t sure although you knew that you certainly wouldn’t mind going on a date with him to find out.

Soon enough, you found yourself in front of his door. You stared at it for a long time, your heart racing, before you found enough courage to rap your knuckles against it. There was no answer. You tried an additional two times before you decided to leave it be, that you could talk to him later after your shift because he would probably be by the door, waiting for you with that big smile of his. You nodded to yourself and turned to walk away.

“Y/n?” His groggy voice came when you had taken three steps away from his door. “What’s up? Are you okay?” You turned on your heel (he looked adorable with his bedhead) and nodded stiffly, your heartbeat picking up speed again. “Want to come in?” He invited, opening his door wider.

You cleared your throat. “Yeah.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be at work right now?” He asked, locking his door after you shuffled in. 

“Yeah but there was something I needed to talk to you about.”

Yukhei took a seat beside you on the couch and you tried not to concentrate on his knee that leaned against yours or how he automatically rested his arm on the back of the couch so that you were practically laying on it. 

“Texting me wouldn’t have done, no?” He teased. 

You shot a quick glance at him, took in his cute little smile and then stared pointedly ahead at his carpeted floor. “I didn’t really think about that at the moment.” You replied, your shoulders lifting to your earlobes. The only thing you had thought about was how you wanted to see him when you confronted him about what Yuta had shown you. Yukhei prompted you to tell him the reason for your visit. “Well, um, earlier Yuta showed me a text from Mark and I’m- we’re- your phone wallpaper?” The arm beneath your shoulders was gone in an instant and Yukhei jolted to his feet. “So it’s true?” You asked, peeking at him through your lashes. His expression was one of horror, arms splayed at his sides as if prepared to explain himself.

“Please don’t be mad! Taeil took the picture last night because apparently he saw us? I don’t know, Mark told me so I asked him to send me the picture and, well, I thought it was cute you know?” You did know. Taeil had managed to snap a shot of you two in front of Rainbow V - didn’t Yuta say that he only saw the two of you in the shop? - and it was when Yukhei had been laughing with you under his arm, a smile resting on your face. “I know I probably should have asked you, I don’t know what I didn’t. I can change it now if you want? Please don’t be mad at me.”

“I’m not mad,” you assured, looking him in the eye so he knew that you meant it. He visibly relaxed, the tension bleeding out of him at your words. Once he stopped looking so panicked, he looked at you with wide eyes before darting them towards the floor. It seemed the roles were reversed this time, what with him avoiding your gaze while you continued staring at him. He raised a hand to cover his eyes while the other went to hug itself around his waist. “Hey Yukhei,” he still refused to look at you, “would you maybe want to go on a date with me?”

That immediately gained his attention. “What?” His voice was soft, coated in disbelief. “Are you serious?” After you insisted that you were, never once breaking eye contact with him, a large smile blossomed on his face and he let out a loud whoop, punching the air in triumph. As if remembering that you were there, he dropped his arm, although the smile remained on his face. “Apparently there’s a boba place opening tomorrow, right in front of Dream Puffs, what do you say we try it out?”

“I’d love to but I’m worried about seating.”

“Don’t worry, I’m on good terms with the owner.” Yukhei winked. The two of you dissolved into a fit of laughter shortly after.

“I’ve gotta get back to work,” you said while you stood up from the couch once both of you sobered. “But I’ll see you later?”

“Of course!” Pleased smiles were plastered on both of your faces even as he walked you to the door. 

*

You had barely stepped foot into Dream Puffs before Yongqin wrapped an arm around you and lead you to a table where Kun, Yuta and Taeil were seated, two vacant seats in between Kun and Yuta. Taeil let out a small titter, a smile that was too wide etched on his face as you and Yongqin sat down. 

“Tell us everything!” Yongqin exclaimed, “spare no detail!”

“I will but first,” you said as you turned to face him. “You brat! You knew that he wasn’t opening up a café, didn’t you? You totally tricked me!” 

There was no hint of guilt from him, just a shit-eating grin that reached from ear to ear. “Maybe so. Now go on, tell us!” You rolled your eyes, feigning annoyance but couldn’t fight off the smile that gradually grew wider and wider on your face as you recounted the recent events that transpired between you and Yukhei.

[clean-bands-dirty-stories]

Study Buddies ~ H.D.

A/n: Yall really be liking Hamish huh? Lol we stan tbh.

Request: “Hi could I request a hamish duke x male reader where the reader is like the super studious person like always preparing for the next test or something and hamish starts liking him? Ps you are like the only person who does the order fics and I love that you do it because I love the order boys!!” by anonymous

Word Count: 3000+

Masterlist

Psychology was hard.

School was never one of those things that came easy to Y/n. He wasn't one of those kids who could sit there and give the bare minimum effort. He struggled to follow throughout an entire lecture because the sun was bright and the grass was really green and he knew it was a nice day outside today and... wait now he'd missed five minutes of class, dang it!

In college, five minutes was like missing three days of school. The topic was suddenly completely different and Y/n was lost and confused.

That didn't stop him from being a top student in each one of his classes though. He had always been proud of his grades and worked himself near death if necessary, if it meant getting an A. Not literally near death of course, that was dramatic.

Y/n had taught himself time management at a very young age. It had been the key to his success ever since. He slept and ate food - three meals a day - and even kept a job, taking every free moment he had to study his ass off so that he knew what was going on and could deliver the proof with those beautiful red A's on the top of each of his papers.

Y/n really did study so much to get those results though. On his breaks at work, between classes, before and after school, during meals and off periods. He even quizzed himself in the bathroom and the shower, checking to make sure he'd gotten it right when he got out. It was hard and tiring, but it meant that he succeeded every time, and that's what was important.

He was a good student. His psychology teacher's TA, Hamish Duke, was very appreciative of it.

Hamish was around a lot more than the teacher was. He taught lectures and even graded papers. This class had long since been seen as Hamish’s class, and that was perhaps why it was so easy for him to slip every conversation into the direction of Y/n. Hamish was proud of all his students, but most often his star pupil.

Hamish talked about Y/n constantly. Or, more accurately, his grades. Like a proud parent showing off his child, Hamish filled his friends' ears with rant after rant about his favorite student. The only student that seemed genuinely knowledgeable about the material. The only student as well who turned in his stuff early and asked questions rather than just listening, and seemed dedicated and focused on everything, as Hamish said.

One day during one of these rants, Lilith said something that changed everything. "He likes you."

Hamish jerked back, his face twisting in disbelief. "What? No he doesn't."

Randall snorted. "No, I have to go with Lilith on this one, Hamish. I have math class with Y/n and he doesn't pay attention at all. He's just a super nerd and teaches the stuff to himself in his free time."

"Some boy doesn't pay attention in any class but Hamish's?" Jack laughed. "Dude so has a crush on you."

Rolling his eyes, Hamish stood. "You guys obviously have no sense of respect. Sorry, I forgot who I was talking to- I already knew that." The trio laughed as Hamish walked away.

After that though, Hamish became hyper aware of Y/n. The boy had his eyes on Hamish nonstop. Every once in a while, he'd even mutter under his breath as he'd watch and Hamish realized after a while that he was watching so closely, he was subconsciously mouthing along with Hamish. Probably because he read the book on his own time as well. Which made Hamish wonder why Y/n ever came to class. If he read the book, was he just... adding some context? Insight? So he asked Randall about it.

"Y/n only comes to class about half the time. The entire time he asks questions, but it's never about what's happened in previous classes or anything- just clarification about what we're learning now. I think he's got some theories? I don't know, he likes to test the water and push formulas. Our teacher actually gets a kick off of it. Y/n makes math fun, and... well, it's math. We all get happy when he's there."

So he might have stayed consistent with his insatiable need to deeply understand everything he took part in, but there was something different about Randall's experience from Hamish's. First of all, Y/n had never missed even a single one of Hamish's classes. Hamish knew because he had a perfect attendance record, and Hamish and the teacher - Ms. Merrill - talked about Y/n around their discussion on the newest lesson plan, batch of tests or even homework.

While Hamish was trying to ignore the thought of Y/n's possible feelings for him and teach a lesson instead, Y/n threw him off by approaching him after class. "Mr. Duke, I was wondering if you know any good tutors. I've been really struggling with the stuff we've been going over recently.

Hamish quirked an eyebrow. "Your grades are almost perfect."

There was a small smile on Y/n's lips when he spoke next. "Unfortunately, grades don't reflect understanding. I can sense myself starting to struggle I don't want to depend on luck being as good to me as it has been."

"Surely you're being modest."

A light chuckle. "Well, yes. I never depend on luck. I have been making educated guesses though and crossing my fingers on the rest."

That Hamish could relate to. "I see. I have to say, I don't really know anyone doing as well in my class as you are. No one who seems to be getting it as well as you do at least. It's mostly your questions that seem to clear up a lot of things for everyone else." Y/n seemed to lose hope as Hamish spoke. Maybe it was the look of panic that caused Hamish to speak next. "Uh, maybe I could." Y/n's eyes widened. "I just- I mean, obviously I understand it a little better. And in a one-on-one setting, it'll be less a lecture and more teaching since I'll be able to take you through my understanding on a deeper level."

"You'd do that?" Y/n looked so hopeful...

Despite the little voice screaming at Hamish to run, he couldn't bring himself to. "Yeah. When are you free?"

"I work everyday except Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Wednesdays I have completely free but if you wanted to work around Tuesday or Saturday that would be fine." Y/n pulled out a pen from behind his ear. Hamish hadn't noticed it before.

Hamish shuffled. He felt awkward for some reason. Why did he feel awkward? "Wednesdays will be perfectly fine for me. Should I get your number so we can decide what time and place?" Y/n nodded before holding out the pen and offering... his arm. "You don't have paper?"

Y/n rolled his eyes, but his smile was fond not mocking. "I really have to get to work actually. Could you just-?" He motioned to his arm and Hamish shrugged before trying to be delicate as he inked his number on the inside of Y/n's arm. "Thanks! I'll call you." He turned and moved quite quickly out of the room before disappearing out the doors. It was only after Y/n was gone that Hamish realized he still had the pen.

It was fine, he could give it back when they met up to study later.

Later on in the day, Hamish was still struggling to understand why he was so excited for the Wednesday study session. I mean Y/n seemed really cool so maybe Hamish just wanted to be friends with him. That made sense. But right as Hamish thought he was finally over it, it popped back in his brain again and he felt weirdly jittery and unfocused. He kept having to reread the problem he was on because he would get distracted before he could answer it then forget what it was when he finally focused again.

Lilith snapped her book open. "Okay, what's your deal?" The other two boys looked over. Hamish was surprised when he went to look at who she'd snapped at and had seen them all looking at him. When he only looked back confused, Lilith rolled her eyes. "Come on Hamish spill the beans. You won't sit still and you keep looking outside like you're waiting for a package to arrive or something."

"The last time he got like that was when you took him online shopping and he bought a grey v-neck. He threw a party when it came." The tease came from Randall.

"The he cried when you threw up on it," Lilith recalled.

"He CRIED?" Jack's eyes widened in amusement.

"It made my eyes look really good and that stain never came out!" Hamish exclaimed, defending himself.

Lilith shut up the others as they began to laugh. "Anyway, what has you all messed up now?”

Hamish scoffed. "Nothing could be as cool as a gray v-neck. You still owe me a replacement by the way," he shot at Randall, who winked and grinned in response.

"Hamish," Lilith snapped.

Pursing his lips, Hamish hesitated. Then he sighed. "There's only one thing I've got planned and it's not a big deal." Everyone leaned forward. When he didn't explain Randall motioned him to continue. Hamish rolled his eyes. "Y/n asked for some help-"

"You have a date with Y/n?" Jack demanded, his grin already face splitting.

"It's not a date!" Hamish slammed his own book shut. "He just needs someone to study with. He seems to be struggling."

Randall snorted, wiggling his eyebrows. "Probably because he's so distracted by Mr. Teacher."

Lilith nodded in agreement. "Sounds like a study date to me."

Waving his hand to dismiss what they were saying, Hamish stood and moved to the bar. Maybe if he drank something he could make sense of the chaos. Both of his friends and the one that was made up of his emotions. He usually handled both plenty well but they seemed to be refusing to make sense today. "You guys are idiots."

Idiots or not, their words followed Hamish all the way to Wednesday. He and Y/n only texted once to establish the time and place and it was just as professional as their conversation in person had been, but that didn't stop Hamish's mind from going wild. For the first time since Cassie he felt... stupid. He didn't know what to do or say. He found himself wanting to text Y/n more, but couldn't find a reason to. Why was this messing him up so much?

Panicked, Hamish pulled Randall aside at the last second. "I am freaking out."

"Your thing with Y/n today?" Randall asked. Hamish just wordlessly nodded. Randall smiled. "You like him, don't you?" Hamish was stubborn, but he wasn't dumb. He closed his eyes, groaning. "You have for a while?" Randall continued. "Like even before we said anything."

Hamish thought about that for a second. He thought about Ms. Merrill teasing him about how much he talked about Y/n. How she would hand him all Y/n's papers and tests to grade. He thought about the smiles on people's faces when he mentioned Y/n at all. He thought of the warmth in his gut he'd passed off as pride this whole time but, on a second look, was obviously something more. "Yeah." He frowned as he focused on Randall again. "Why did it take me so long to realize?"

Randall smiled. "You're stubborn. Once you've set your mind it'll never be changed. Whatever it was - whether you mislabeled the emotion, or the relationship between you guys, or even you or Y/n as people. Once you labeled it, you weren't going to be swayed until someone forced you to."

"Thank you Lilith," Hamish mumbled, feigning bitterness. Randall laughed. After a second, Hamish asked, "What now?"

Clapping Hamish on the shoulder, Randall let out a heavy sigh. "Now you go to this study date and you woo the boy. Duh."

So that's what Hamish did. He met up with Y/n and recognized the swell in his chest when he saw him. The way his stomach twisted. Now that he knew what it was, he was nervous rather than excited. Why was it suddenly so hard to talk to someone once you liked them?

They were already acquainted. Y/n had seen Hamish in all kinds of conditions, if not all but his worst. They knew plenty about each other, if just in passing. They'd talked plenty of times. They'd even been alone a few times, in a setting just like this. Y/n had been there when Hamish had been a disaster while trying to adjust to fully teaching a class instead of just doing grunt work. He'd helped Hamish out even, instead of teasing him or messing with him like the others students tried to do. What did Hamish have to be afraid of? Y/n trusted Hamish with his grades and education, and that seemed to mean a lot to him. Hamish trusted Y/n too. To tell the truth. To guide and help when he was struggling, and to liven things up when it got boring. It shouldn't have been hard to just talk to him.

And yet.

Y/n placed a hand on Hamish's arm. "Hey, are you okay? You seem upset." Hamish looked at him and realized how close together they were. Not too close, like friends, but far closer than they'd ever been before.

He didn't know what possessed him. It would have been better to break the ice. Maybe bring it up casually and talk about it. Flirt or tease. Anything to transition or something. Hamish skipped all of that. In his little moment of panic, he just leaned in right for the kiss.

And Y/n jerked away.

Hamish nearly choked. "I- I'm so sorry-"

Blush swallowed Y/n's face. "You were going to kiss me, right? I didn't misread that?"

"Yes." Hamish white knuckled his pencil. "I should have lead into that. You just- have these really pretty eyes-" He chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand.

"You... I'm sorry you just took me by surprise." Y/n rubbed his forehead. "Please don't tell me you thought I asked for your help because I liked you." Hamish's smile fell and he tried to find something to say, but Y/n looked uncomfortable and he was afraid he'd make it worse.  "Hamish, I meant what I said when I inquired for help. You suggested doing it yourself. I don't... like you like that. Honestly I'm about to take a short leave for a few days and didn't want to get behind so I thought I'd get some clarification on some things I've been studying on my own."

Hamish felt like an idiot. "Oh."

"Yeah," Y/n returned softly.

"I'm... so sorry," Hamish breathed out. "Honestly I was talking about you to my friends because I admire your hard work and good grades and how you engage in class and make it fun, and they messed up my head." He shook his head, trying to clear it. "How about we ignore all of that and focus on school? I'm sure you still need help."

Y/n paused, a smile growing on his face. "I'd like that. I don't think I could get anyone as good as you to help me with this."

The awkward tension passed in a few moments as they got absorbed in work. The problem was, as Hamish easily lost himself in teaching, Y/n was now the one who found himself distracted. Hamish had a really nice smile and the sun reflected off his eyes and hair and made him look like he was almost glowing. Y/n hadn't noticed it before, but now... thinking about Hamish kissing him. How Hamish might like him. Might have been thinking about him and wondering. Getting up the courage for this little thing, and how he hadn't run away to save his pride because he valued Y/n's need enough to push away his own feelings.

They parted on good terms, shaking hands after a pause. Then they gathered their stuff and went their separate ways.

Hamish refused to talk about the "date" with Y/n, no matter how much his friends begged and prodded. Not even Lilith could pry anything from him. When Y/n didn't show up for class, Hamish figured he was gone for his little break. A break that lasted for a week and a half. Every class without Y/n was super boring and seemed to teach no one anything. Students all stared at him like he was speaking another language, and everyone refused to ask any questions. No jokes or engagement at all. He understood what Randall had meant by everyone getting excited when Y/n came to class now.

It was right after the next class Y/n hadn't been at that the man himself suddenly appeared. He looked determined about something, walking to Hamish quickly. Hamish was at the back of the room, trying to pull himself together and lift his spirits as he worried yet again that he was maybe just a bad teacher and Y/n was the one who made people stay and come at all. It was then that Y/n barged in and walked right up to him, cutting him off int he middle of greeting him and asking what he needed to grab him by the shirt and pull him into a kiss.

Without hesitation, Hamish kissed back. He held Y/n's face as the other boy pulled them as close together as they could get. When they parted, they'd moved a little so that Y/n was sitting on Hamish's desk, Hamish between his legs. "Whoa," Hamish whispered, both stunned by the kiss and their current position.

Y/n exhaled a sharp breath. "You asshole. I've been thinking about you nonstop for MONTHS and you finally try and kiss me right when I'm getting over you. Then I'm gone and all I can think about is you again and I miss you and your stupid class and your hair and eyes and your voice and how much I wanted you to kiss me so guess who's back early because I need you to kiss me? GUESS."

Hamish chuckled, soft but for quite a while. Y/n shoves him, but before he can go off again Hamish is already kissing him for the second time. Both boys relaxed and melted into each other. "Hey," Hamish whispered.

"Hi," Y/n whispered back.

The older boy's thumb brushed over Y/n's cheek. "Let me take you on a real date."

Biting his lip to try and contain his smile, Y/n considered. "Only if you agree to be my boyfriend."

Hamish grinned. "Does this mean we can be study buddies all the time?"

"Will you distract me with kisses like you tried to last time?" Y/n asked.

Tilting his head, Hamish avoided answering. "Not... EVERY time..."

Y/n laughed, shaking his head. "Fine. Deal."

"Deal," Hamish agreed. And they kissed again to seal it. Finally.

[chibi-tofu]

Hearts In Boxes

A Very Hannibal Christmas AU

(Domestic Hannigram. Stealing each others clothes. Awful Christmas Puns. Doggos. Hannibal being a shit. Will being a flirt. An apology. SO MANY BOXES. Mainly fluff and a bit of smut.)

Hannibal stretches out Will's shirt and has to apologize. V cute.

Crop Top Hannibal.

(Sorry for any grammar or spelling mistakes, kinda new to writing.)

-----

December.

Hannibal started noticing his winter wardrobe getting smaller bit by bit. Starting in mid October up until the 15th of December, The day he caught Will red handed! Will was making coffee and preparing the dogs’ food and seemed to be wearing a lavender button up. While it seemed slightly big on him, he looked stunning. The fact that he was wearing a silver chain and that the button up was only buttoned halfway distracted Hannibal from registering it was his shirt. The next day Will was wearing a dark navy sweater that he knew would get noticed. As it was the one Hannibal would store in his car for if it got below 45 degrees outside or if he got blood on his current outfit. He was wearing it paired with some ridiculous boxers with dog paw prints on the back while reading by the kitchen counter. Hannibal was amused and decided to play along as he stood in front of Will and put his hands on the counter on either side of him. “Darling, Is that my sweater? It looks rather familiar.” Will smiled and gestured to his torso “This? Is it? I had no idea.” then ran a hand up the side of his lover “Would you like it back? Now? I do have a busy day. Might have to pencil you in.”

Hannibal loved this game. Really, any game where he could make Will laugh. 

So began the Wardrobe Week War.

Hannibal stealing Will’s beanies, Will stealing Hannibal’s ties. Both stealing and hiding each others shoes, then keys, and even any pair of fuzzy socks. Most nights would end with kisses, a few with “Will, This shirt cost more than your entire wardrobe, I’m not going to rip it off you.” 

Hannibal decided to be a shit on the 21st and wear a shirt that was gifted to Will last Christmas. An ugly Christmas sweater shirt that read “Bah Hum-Pug” with pugs running across the bottom of the shirt. It just barely fit his boyfriend, rising up to show a bit of his stomach when he lifted his arms. So when the blonde stretched this shirt onto his torso he expected Will to laugh and retaliate. Will cocked his head and gave a tame half smile then sighed “You’re a dork. What are we making for dinner?” Not much of a reaction, this was strange but he decided not to bombard him with questions. “I was thinking prosciutto roses on watermelon since the two bottles of Batard-Montrachet were delivered yesterday.” Will pouted a bit “Not the most festive, is it?” Hannibal made a slight twirl with his hand as he boasted “I promise you it will taste incredibly festive, he was dressed as Santa after all.” Will shook his head, kissed Hannibal’s cheek, then stood up “Change and meet me in the kitchen, or you’ll have to fight me for the oven.”  

December 23rd.   

Hannibal was busy trying to find a whisk so he could finish the sugar cookie dough as Will sat at the bar and mixed icing colors. Hannibal asked him if he had seen the whisk twice but his beloved seemed to be stuck in an introspective state. He softly rubbed Wills back as he asked “Feeling okay? There’s something lonesome about you, pet.” Will looked tired, bags under his eyes and his hair slightly mussed. He made a small hum in response and continued mixing the food coloring into the icing. Hannibal dipped his finger into one of the small icing bowls and swiped the tip of Will's nose. Will gasped and did the same with a smirk. Hannibal could still feel how shutdown his lover was and decided he’d talk to him before bed. 

Hannibal leaned against the bathroom door frame and looked at will in the mirror “So...Is the silent treatment your solution, Will?” He questioned while undoing his tie. Will was silent for a few beats before replying. “No, stealing all of your damn ties and hiding them around the house is my solution. I just happen to be brushing my teeth and deep in thought about how to kick your ass.” Will smirked and resumed brushing his teeth as his lover continued undressing. “You know, it was only one shirt. I’m sure you’ll steal one of mine as a replacement.” Hannibal walked up behind him and slowly wrapped his arms around his partners frame. “Hannibal. Dear. Darling. You stretched my shirt into a crop top. It’s rude. If I recall you have a saying about those who are rude.” He smirked and squeezed Will ever so slightly in his arms then lowering his voice stated “Are you planning to eat me, Will?” “Not with utensils.” Will teased. He spit then swished with mouthwash before turning around in Hannibal’s arms. “I’m alright, just tired...and you ruined one of my favorite shirts.” he teased “I just need to sleep it off.” he pulled Hannibal into a hug and felt his boyfriend kiss his neck. A muffled “Come to bed my sweet.” was the last full sentence uttered before they shuffled off to their bed.  

December 24th.

As Hannibal closed the oven after checking on his sugar cookies he heard a sigh. He could barely hide his smile for how his partner in crime was pouting around the apartment. The brunette was stringing the Christmas lights around the tree and huffing every few minutes. He watched as Will disappeared behind the tree and decided to give him some Christmas spirit. He quietly padded to their room while six wagging tails followed him, nearly blowing his cover. After a few minutes of putting together his surprise he collected two items from the bedroom closet then slid into the kitchen. Grabbing two sugar cookies from his first batch, the ones with snowmen on them, he led his troop of fuzzy step children into the family room.

As Will was hanging Hannibal’s ties around the tree he paused when presented with six fuzzy children wearing velvet red collars with little silver bells attached to them. “It seems you have resting Grinch face Will.” The shorter man grimaced and chuckled “Where did you even hear that?” Seeing that his plan is starting to work the blonde stepped a bit closer with his hands behind his back. “The younger detectives use slang around crime scenes. Possibly inappropriate but incredibly entertaining. I’ve also heard the term Velvet Daddy.” Will laughed out of surprise “Please NEVER say that again. Is this you apologizing?” Hannibal sheepishly took another step forward and softly put antlers attached to a headband onto Will’s head. “This is only the first part, the next piece of my apology comes tomorrow. But I thought you might indulge me and our children?” He pulled out his phone  “Take a Christmas card worthy photo with us?” He pulled Will in close and softly kissed his cheeks. “I could put a splatter of blood on our sweaters just for fun.” Will whispered just inches from the blondes lips. “A beautiful idea darling, but where would we get the blood?” Words could no longer be heard over their heartbeats becoming collectively louder. They kissed softly, Hannibal’s face held in Will's hands, while his hands were around the shorter mans back grabbing his shirt with a bit of urgency. 

A few jingles and an adorably loud whiny yawn made them laugh into the kiss. They let go of each other and got ready for the pictures, Hannibal put on a matching set of antlers, and Will got the picture timer set up then grabbed a few dog treats. They ended up laying on their stomachs on the floor with the dogs, the phone took three quick photos. In the first one they were all smiling at the camera while the two men held hands and the second was the same but now the men were looking at each other preparing for chaos. Right before the third was taken Will smiled, counted to three, and said “Go!”. They giggled when they saw the last photo, The children were looking up and even some mid jump as they scrambled to catch the treats the men threw into the air. 

“One more, just you and me?” Will rolled his eyes but held the camera up and was about to snap the picture when his lover shoved a sugar cookie into his mouth. His look of surprise deemed adorable next to Hannibal’s look of pure love and joy in a smile as he held one with a bite already taken out of it up next to him.  

December 25th.

Hannibal was the first to stir as Will unconsciously squeezed his hand. He stared at his person for a bit, just admiring how sweet and relaxed he looked as he slept. He rolled onto his stomach and partly onto Will. He started kissing up Will's side and then his chest, he paused briefly as a hand gently ran through his hair. “Good Morning. Did you sleep well?” Will raised an eyebrow as he remembered just how well the apology wound up going last night “Good Morning, Velvet Daddy.”  he giggled and pulled Hannibal up to kiss him “Yes I slept well, did you?” Hannibal whispered “I slept well, but call me Daddy again and I’ll make sure this night is sleepless.” Will bit Hannibal’s lip “Is that a threat or a promise?” Hannibal got inches from Will’s lips then put his hand around his throat. “Oh darling, It’s the most fun when it’s both.”

About an hour and a half later the two appeared downstairs to make breakfast. Will made coffee as Hannibal grabbed a Labrador sized present “I want you to open this one before we cook.” Will rolled his eyes lovingly “Before food, Hm? Must be good.” He shook it lightly then tore through the shinny red wrapping and opened the box to revel...another box wrapped in the same red wrapping paper. Will tilted his head at his lover but Hannibal just sipped his coffee with a big grin. He picked up the next box and tore the paper again to revel...yet another box. He could since where this was going but repeated the steps again to revel...another. fucking. box. This continued for about fifteen more boxes and will had now been doing this for ten minutes. The boxes were now medium small and he could hold them in both hands. He suspected there were about seven boxes left. He was off by two. 

It had now been fifteen minutes. By this point Will had chugged a cup and a half of coffee, was now sitting on the couch next to Hannibal, and the dogs had begun playing in the mountain of wrapping paper. He had finally reached the last box, wrapped in black matte paper with a metallic silver tag. Will beamed as he read the tag “Beloved.” and the noticed a small black heart at the end that was slightly smudged. He carefully unwrapped and opened the box. Sitting in a deep red velvet pocket was a beautiful pocket knife, the handle made of bone. Engraved on one side of the blade was Will and other side Hannibal . Will teared up a bit and chuckled as he quipped “If you eat me on Christmas, Who will tell the dogs you miss them when you’re at work?” Hannibal put the knife back in the box on the table then took Wills face in his hands “I’m not going to eat you Will, Well not with utensils anyway.” Will snorted as Hannibal smirked. “Our names are on both sides to symbolize we are two sides of the same coin, or knife in this case. We are the same. You are my Beloved.” 

Will kissed him hard and pulled him close. His nails dug into Hannibal’s sides claiming him as hard as the kiss. “Beloved, Huh? “ Hannibal nodded “Is it as good as Velvet Daddy?” Will laughed hard “PLEASE stop saying that.” “Maybe after Christmas?” Will blew out a puff of air “Finnee. Who gave you the box full of boxes idea?” Hannibal shook his head and scoffed “You’d kill them and me.” Will picked up the pocket knife and put the tip gently against Hannibal’s chest. “Would you like to go first?” Hannibal kissed him deeply and grabbed the knife

 “Where would the fun be in that?”

Happy Holidays Fanibals.