#this candy is dedicated to walk-in-sunshine

[burymeinwillow]

Candy and Joe 👉👈

[averagewriter-inthedark]

His Reason to Fanboy 🦸‍♀️ | Mickey ‘Fanboy’ Garcia imagine

TGM Masterlist

Characters & Pairings: Mickey 'Fanboy' Garcia x MovieStar!reader (romantic) Dagger squad (platonic), Marvel actors (platonic)

Content Warnings: fluff, slight profanity, pop culture references, timeline events not completely in order | Female!reader (she/her) | wc: about 7k

Requested 📨 yes/no for Anonymous (tagging @eternalsams though cause I know how much you love Mickey <3)

Premise: Little was known about the private life of energetic WSO Mikey 'Fanboy' Garcia to his fellow Top Gun alum. He was a walking encyclopedia when it came to all thing's superheroes and Hollywood's biggest stars. So it's the biggest surprise of their lives when the face behind his call sign Fanboy is revealed after years of wondering who claimed his heart when he was just a teenager.

Note: gosh writing this reminded me how much i love writing famous!reader x dagger pairings. this was so fun and long awaited so big apologies to the person who requested this last summer 🥰🥹. I hope it was worth the wait and I did it justice!! 🫶🏼

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If there is one thing the Dagger squad knows about their energetic WSO, Mickey Garcia, it’s that he lives up to his callsign Fanboy. Everyday they bear witness to his knowledge of all things superheroes and who’s dating who in Hollywood. The man’s apartment--or dorm on base depending on where he is--gives away all his interests and pop culture loves. Anyone who becomes friends with Mickey would have no trouble finding a birthday gift. There'd be endless ideas. 

Each room of his home had its own theme. Go to the bathroom and you’re hit with his love for Star Wars. Doctor Who memorabilia coats his kitchen. Then his living room looks straight out of Avengers tower. Throughout the apartment there’s knick knacks from attending a multitude of conventions, including a wall dedicated to signed pictures and movie posters. 

“Damn, Garcia,” Hangman whistles, roaming the vast collection. “You sure are a collector.” The WSO laughs, waltzing to his fridge to collect a case of beers for the squad. 

“My pride and joy.”

“I can see that,” Jake stops in front of a glass case filled to the brim with Funko Pops and figurines. One striking detail was the majority being characters of a certain actress hot in the Hollywood scene. “I see you also got a crush on Y/n L/n.” 

The name sent a large smile on Mickey’s face, filling his chest with warmth and butterflies, though his friends were too occupied to notice. “You can say that.” 

“C’mon, Mickey!” Y/n shouted at him from the sidewalk, waving a hand frantically toward the movie theater. “We’re gonna miss it!” It was a packed house, Mickey weaving through a horde of people after his mother dropped him off, promising to pick the two teenagers once the film ended. Listed in bold letters on the showings were “Spider-Man 2”, along with several others but they didn’t matter to them. They were there for the newest Spider-Man, having anticipated it all year.

Y/n stood with a cross body bag filled with candy, holding up the tickets. “You’re lucky I already got our seats.” Mickey fell into step as she led them inside, rolling his eyes playfully.

“At the very least we’d miss the previews, Y/n.” He held the door open, “not the end of the world.” 

“Speak for yourself,” she teased, thanking him in the process. Together they beelined for the concessions. With a soda and popcorn bucket in their hands the teens made it to their seats right as the lights dimmed. Y/n visibly excited during the trailers for National Treasure, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Then when it came time for the movie to start, she barely touched the popcorn. Leaving Mickey to enjoy it for himself. They shared candy and gasps during intense scenes. 

When the film ended the teens made their way out immersed in a debrief, “Harry is going to be a problem in the next one,” Y/n predicted with confidence, “Now that he knows Peter is Spider-Man, he’s gonna go after him to avenge his father.” The girl threw her hands up, “Which wasn’t even his fault!” 

Mickey laughed, popping a few leftover skittles in his mouth, “I’m kinda sad about Octavius. He had a change of heart in the end.” 

“Yeah,” she agreed with a sigh. They walked in the direction of the Dairy Queen next to the theater. Craving some ice cream while they waited for Mickey’s mom. “I hope one day I can be in one.” Mickey peered at her, frowning at her tone which was a mix of longing and sadness.

“A superhero movie?” 

“Any movie really,” she chuckled, pushing her hands in the pockets of her denim jacket. “A superhero one would be amazing--just because I love them so much.” Since they became friends at eight years old and their shared interest in comics, Y/n and Mickey watched pretty much every superhero movie to exist. Only when they turned 10 did their parents allow them to go to the theaters on opening weekend with supervision. It was the past year they were able to go alone now that they were fifteen and in high school.

Living in California, on the outskirts of Los Angeles, Y/n had always had a desire to go into acting. Begging her family to take her to auditions. Which was difficult considering they had full time jobs. Y/n’s mother a paralegal and her father a mechanic. When Y/n turned 10 her parents agreed to take her to commercial auditions on weekends. She landed several jobs, including ones for well known brands like Coca-Cola, Cheerios, and Motarola to promote their new phone. Children's toys, and hotel marketing. Recently came guest roles on popular tv-shows, like That’s So Raven, House, and voice acting on Danny Phantom. She had her agent to thank for that. 

But she was itching for that big break.

“You’ll make it, Y/n,” Mickey put his arm around her shoulder, the girl leaning in. “You’re the most ambitious, hard-driven, working person I’ve ever met. You’ve got family and friends who support you. An agent who cares about you.” If there was one thing he was right about it was her support team. Y/n’s agent Tanya had been with Y/n for two years and worked endlessly to secure her projects. The two were introduced in 2002 shortly after Y/n had a small role of a young vampire in Queen of the Damned. Her first feature debut, but it was so small she wasn’t listed on the credits. 

Tanya believed in Y/n more than anyone else. She was the reason Y/n appeared on more tv-shows than commercials within the last two years. While getting movie roles proved difficult, Tanya was determined and had Y/n pumping out auditions left and right. 

Mickey squeezed her shoulder gently, adding a friendly kiss to her cheek that made her heart flutter. “It’ll happen.You just have to be patient.” 

If only the two had made a bet that day. Mickey never lost faith in Y/n’s potential. And when they finally entered a relationship junior year after years of mutual pining it only heightened. They both attended University of Southern California, Y/n pursuing acting while Mickey studied aeronautical engineering. While finishing high school, Y/n auditioned consistently for L.A productions, accumulating credits on Constantine (which had her loss for words getting to work with Keanu Reeves), Ugly Betty, Bring It On: All or Nothing, and her personal favorite, X-Men: The Last Stand. Then in 2006 she had credits on Transformers, Knocked-Up, and Freedom Writers which were released in 2007. Those roles would benefit her in the years to come for the connections she made with co-stars. 

Her building resume those years resulted in Y/n getting that big break she dreamed off. One crisp January day in 2007, having just wrapped on a guest appearance on Suite Life of Zack & Cody, Y/n received a call from Tanya. Changing the trajectory of her career forever. 

“I’ve got you an audition to play Robert Downey Jr.’s daughter in this new Iron Man production.”

Y/n literally spit out her soda, choking as she tried to say, “I’m sorry, did you say Iron Man.” Of course she heard correctly, but Y/n being the massive comic fan she had to be sure. 

“Yes,” Tanya chuckled, Y/n could hear her typing away on her laptop. “I’m emailing you the scene--you’ll read for Jon Favreau, Kevin Feige and the casting director. There’s a chance Robert might be there for you two to do a chemistry read.” 

Y/n rushed to her laptop, nearly running into the wall of her dorm when she cut the corner too fast. The *ding* of the email coming through sounded, Y/n sliding into her chair at a rapid speed to open the document and print it out. 

“So you’ll do it?” Tanya’s voice reminded the girl she was still on the phone. 

“Where do I meet you?”

Now if Y/n were being honest, she wasn’t too confident of her chances of getting the role. It was the inaugural film of this highly anticipated Marvel franchise. Not to mention an L.A set so who knows how many up and coming actors are fighting for a spot. Y/n knew her odds were slim. But she was going to give the best damn performance ever. 

She planned to tell Mickey about the audition once she knew the outcome. As much as she loved and trusted him and his faith in her, Y/n didn’t want to disappoint him. Not that she ever could, Mickey adored her and supported everything she did. But since he loved superheroes as much as her, this was important to him as well.

The audition process was a long and painful process. Following the initial reading, Y/n had been called back four more times as the team narrowed down their choices. They did several scenes, particularly the ones with Robert since the character would be on screen with him the most. Each time Y/n read with Robert it was nerveracking, but she handled it well and really put her acting capabilities to the test. The man complimented her after every session to which she was grateful for. It boosted her confidence. Even if she didn’t get the role, Y/n was thankful for the experience and hoped to work with Robert in the future. 

After a grueling month-long process, Y/n received the call she’d been waiting for. From Kevin Feige himself. “We want you to be our Jordyn Stark.” It took everything in Y/n to hold back her screams of joy. Releasing them the second they ended the call. She nearly woke up the entire dorm hall, thankfully no cops were called. 

Mickey was over the moon when she told him the news. Jumping from his side of the booth to pull her up into a massive hug. Kissing all over her face, “Oh my God this is amazing!! You’re gonna be a superhero--I knew you could do it! Holy shit!” They looked like little kids in a candy store, bouncing up and down in a fit of excitement.

Proud of his girlfriend, Mickey dragged her to the nearest comic store. Purchasing a comic that featured her character and figurine. “Will you do me the honor,” he held up a sharpie, grinning at the look of joy on her face, “of signing this for me. I want to be the first person to have THE Jordyn Stark aka THE Iron Lady,” he winked, and finished, “aka THE Y/n L/n’s autograph.” 

Tears formed in her eyes. Both from the overwhelming amount of happiness and because of Mickey’s whole show. People passing by gave confused looks, unaware the girl was about to become the face of a whole generation. 

Iron Man’s release sparked a new era in Hollywood. Marvel Studios got the green light to begin plans for a whole phase of projects in the universe. Reception to Y/n’s performance of Jordyn Stark was well received. Fans and critics praised her, fellow actors committing she was the scene stealer. 

Rosario Dawson, a massive comic book fan, stated in an interview when asked if she saw Iron Man, “Are you kidding? I saw it three times in theaters--I was blown away! And the girl who played Tony’s daughter, I believe Y/n is her name, oh my gosh she was amazing,” the woman talked with her hands, “Every scene she was in had me either laughing, on the edge of my seat, or simply going ‘wow, this girl is talented’. She matched Robert’s energy on screen so you’d think they are a father-daughter duo in real life.” 

Samuel L. Jackson, who would go on to be Y/n’s co-star in future Marvel films and Hollywood projects, said, “Look I don’t say this lightly, but that girl is gonna go places. And to think this is her first big supporting role in a motion picture!” He smiled brightly, “what a talent.”

Y/n was full of excitement, not hesitating to sign her name on the dotted line for a multi-picture contract--but not before her agent and lawyer read over it. The success she garnered from Iron Man occurred rather quickly. In the following year Y/n found herself attending award shows for the first time. Winning Best Supporting Actress in an Action Movie, Best Scene Stealer, Best Duo with Robert Downey Jr. and Best Breakthrough Actress at the MTV Movie Awards. She also won her category for the Kids Choice and Teen Choice Awards. 

Before long her agent was blowing up her phone. Iron-Man 2, 3 and The Avengers were already accounted for and Y/n wanted to lengthy her filmography to prevent being typecast. Obviously she loved Superhero/Action movies, but she desired to be a versatile actress. Countless auditions, but Y/n soon became a staple name in the early 2010s with performances in Tron: Legacy, Black Swan, Insidious, Grown Ups, Contagion, teaming up again with RDJ and Jude Law in Sherlock Holmes. Then in 2012-2014 Y/n added Men In Black 3, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Enemy, The Hunger Games: Mockinjay and Interstellar to her list. Working with amazing directors and popular franchises pushed her into international stardom. Plus making lifetime collaborations. 

Oh, and can’t forget being nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars and Golden Globes. Winning the latter and making Y/n one of Hollywood's most desired acts. Now whenever she appears in a project, the Golden Globe Winner precedes her name.

And Mickey was there every step of the way. He was living his dream of working in aviation, completing OTS and flight school to become a weapons-specialist officer in the Navy. The backseater to the pilot, but just as important. Y/n was beyond proud. Thinking of all those times Mickey randomly gave plane facts or begged her to go to the air show in high school. Anytime she traveled and saw a figurine of a plane he was missing from his collection she got it. Luckily the Navy kept him on the west coast. Making it easier to see each other during her days away from set. He loved his job. And Y/n loved him. 

Maintaining a relationship while in high-demand careers was no easy task. Especially when one’s a movie star and the other goes on classified missions for the government. Add on the fact they wanted to keep their private life a secret to prevent media scrutiny. Y/n worried in the beginning Mickey would view it negatively. Not posting about him on social media or bringing him to premiers and award shows. Like he was some dirty secret. But Mickey, the wonderful man he is, never was bothered. In fact he liked the idea. 

They talked consistently, sometimes everyday unless they were occupied with work. Y/n kept him updated on every audition. Sharing the excitement with him each role she landed and comforted by his voice when rejected. And while he didn’t go to the premieres, Mickey was at every opening weekend for her movies. Dragging his friends along each time. It’s no surprise he earned the callsign Fanboy for his endless passion for movies. Specifically the superhero ones. While drunk the first weekend in flight school he gave the entire lore of the current MCU projects. To anyone he would just be labeled a superfan. Unaware of the true reason behind his love for the MCU. 

The mid-to-late 2010s did not disappoint. Y/n’s contract for the MCU extended as Jordyn Stark became a prominent figure in the franchise. And with her strong chemistry and bonds, Y/n collaborated with several of her Marvel co-stars in projects outside of the MCU. Jeremy Renner in Arrival, working with Denis Villenueve again starring in his Enemy and Sicario. Brie Larson in Room, Tom Hiddleston in Crimson Peak. Both of whom, with Samuel L. Jackson, starred in Kong: Skull Island with Y/n. She worked with Tessa Tompson in Annihilation--who would go on to cite inspiration from Y/n’s performance in MIB when she joined the franchise in 2019. Then after working with him in Men in Black 3, Y/n teamed up alongside Josh Brolin in Sicario, Deadpool 2, and eventually parts 1 & 2 of Denis’ adaptation of Dune. 

“Oh she’s one of my favorite people to work with,” Josh said during the press tour for Endgame after the interviewer mentioned all the times the two collaborated. “I had first seen her in Freedom Writers back in 2007 and thought she was just spectacular. Then of course in Iron Man, what can I say,” he shrugged while beaming, “It’s because of her and Downey that we have the MCU in the first place. They really set it in motion and to capture that feeling of, ‘this is going to be something’ so early on is incredible.” Josh crossed his legs, grinning wide as he added, “I love working with Y/n, I’ll say yes to any project if she’s attached and I’m excited for this next thing we got going with Denis after this.”

Besides movies Y/n continued to land jobs on shows whenever she was back in L.A. Tanya, her agent with an iron fist, booked her guest appearances on The Good Place, Black Mirror, Hannible, and The Americans. Her gig on Daredevil stirred major discourse in the Marvel community. Especially after it was announced years later the MCU would be buying the rights to the Netflix Marvel productions. In 2017 she had a recurring role as part-time companion to the 12th Doctor on Doctor Who. Becoming a fan favorite, the actress was constantly asked by fans and reporters if she had plans to return for the upcoming 60th Anniversary special. Y/n enjoyed her time in England and met up with several friends. Christopher Nolen, in fact, had called her up with the offer of a role in his upcoming work, Tenet. 

How could she pass that up?

2019 from the start was going to be an interesting year for the actress. At the height of her career Y/n felt the train was non-stopping. Traveling around the world. Press tours and interviews. Finding time to decompress was a task in itself. In between projects Y/n visited Mickey at his base in Northern California. Just like old times they’d go to the movies together. Only in disguise to hide from fans and the paparazzi. Sometimes they’d see her movies--usually at Mickey’s request, but Y/n always felt weird watching herself on screen. She’d think after over fifteen years in the industry she’d be used to it, but nevertheless she’d tend to think, ‘I could’ve done that better,’ with every scene. 

By September of that year Y/n was gearing up for a major project with longtime friend and collaborator, Denis Villenueve. Endgame had taken over the globe, concluding 10 years of buildup between characters and storylines. Tears upon tears were shed at the premiere. Unsure of what Marvel had planned for Jordyn Stark, Y/n prepared for the next chapter in her career. On top of Endgame she’d been in Greta Gerwig’s Little Women and the rom-com, Isn’t It Romantic. She’d signed on for a three-picture deal with Deadpool, but now he was also going to join the MCU, so the future of her character was in question. Ryan, however, assured her she’d remain in the universe, already texting plans of potential dialogue and jokes. 

Then there were countless interviews and promos.

“Hi, I’m Y/n L/n!” her excited tone was directed to the camera, sitting criss crossed on a pastel purple fabric that lifted into the backdrop. “And I’m here with Buzzfeed to answer some questions sent in from Twitter and play with puppies.” She rubbed her hands together, “Bring them in!”

Dream come true if she were being honest. Surrounded by tiny four-legged creatures that caused her heart to sour. Answering the questions was actually the difficult part, pulling the slips of paper from the bowl and reading aloud, ‘What has been your favorite role to play?’

“This is probably obvious,” her laugh was light and genuine, “but it has to be the one, the only, the absolute icon herself, Miss. Jordyn M. Stark.” Y/n visibly awed as a beagle pup climbed into her lap. “Anyone who knew me growing up--.” she instantly thinks of Mickey, smile widening, “knows my love for superheroes and comics in general. I was always at the movies opening weekend, sometimes even opening night, to watch the newest release. Getting to play Jordyn Stark has been an absolute dream come true. Not only has it fulfilled a longtime aspiration of wanting to play a superhero, but it’s opened the door to so many opportunities,” she points out the obvious, “she put me on the map. It’s crazy to think it’s been over a decade since I brought Jordyn to life on the big screen and until Marvel lets me know what’s next for her, it’s a bittersweet end to an amazing chapter in my life.”

‘What’s been the most challenging part of your career?’

Y/n thinks for a moment, petting the husky pup biting her shoelaces, “I think having to migrate from what my life was like before booking Jordyn--which is ironic considering that’s what every actor's goal is. To get that big break that shoots them into stardom if you say…” her hands move to emphasize her point. “Going from a freshman in college working a part-time job at a hotel and getting tiny gigs on L.A productions,” she lifts her left hand up, then her right, “to the train never reaching its stop…it was a big shift. I definitely was the type of actor calling up co-stars with questions like, ‘is it always like this?’” she ends it with a chuckle, “I think I managed it well, but I still think about it from time to time.”

‘Favorite actor/actresses to work with?’

She doesn’t hesitate, “Downey of course, that’s my ride or die. His name on my phone is literally, ‘Work Father/Iron Dad’.” She laughs with the crew, “And Josh Brolin--love that man so much. I’ll actually be seeing him soon and I’m excited to catch up.” A pup barks for attention and Y/n lifts him in her arms, “I love working with Tessa Tompson. She and I got close on set during Avengers and I gave her advice on joining the Men In Black family. If there’s one actress I’d love to work with again it would be Viola Davis.” Y/n clutches a hand to her chest, “We had to do so many scenes over because I could not stop staring at her in awe and would miss my cue or forget my line. Ah! I was so embarrassed--but she was great about it and I freakin’ love her. I really really adore Keanu Reeves--in fact,” a wink is sent to the camera, “I might actually have some exciting news to share soon regarding a certain action franchise he’s in.” Seconds after the interview was released Twitter was buzzing. Excited about the potential of Y/n joining the John Wick series.

‘Is there another superhero, or possibly villain, you’d be interested in playing on the big screen?’

“Ooo I like this question,” Y/n grins, clapping a bit only to have the puppy in her lap playfully take a bite at her fingers. “As I mentioned I love comic books, so any chance to play a character in one I’m taking. If I had to choose….” she scratches her chin before smirking, “Poison Ivy is one of my favorites from DC--if I were to play her alongside Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn I think that would be so iconic. I’d love to play a villian/anti-hero in general,” she shrugs nonchalantly. “ The closest I got to playing one was Shock in Daredevil. Every other character in a superhero setting I’ve done has been heroes. There’s so many villains in X-Men I think are intriguing--Dark Phoenix, Fatale, and Copycat. But for sure Poison Ivy is my top choice.”

‘Do you have any advice on romance?’

The question fills Y/n with heat, giggling under her breath which the camera catches. “I don’t think I’m the best to answer this question, because when it comes to romance I just wing it--,” her hands raise in defense, “which had worked to my advantage.” The topic of relationships was rare for Y/n. No surprise there since she’s been known to keep her private life private her entire career. Not to mention she’d been with Mickey for half her life. “My partner on the other hand is very romantic. He loves to plan dates, surprise me with my favorite candy, and will send memes at the most random times of the day because they remind him of me. He’s not in the industry,” she is quick to point out, giving viewers a first time look of her personal life, “but he knows a lot and is my biggest supporter. I love him dearly.”

The video went viral on twitter and, as expected, people had a lot to comment on the clip of Y/n’s love life. 

@/Lokidarling: awed so many times watching @/SuperY/n talk about her partner. I hope to love someone like that one day.

@/TheDoctorsWife: So we can all agree Y/n L/n’s partner is the luckiest man on the planet. 

@/MTV: currently sobbing that our wife @/SuperY/n is off the market.

@/Slick_like_AgentK: @/SuperY/n heard the rumors about her and Sebastian Stan and said ‘NOT TODAY!’

 In the weeks leading to fall Y/n made plans to read Dune at Denis’ request. Had auditions lined up for Succession, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and The School for Good & Evil. And desperately needed time with her fiance. The two recently engaged following their 30th birthday. 

Technically they were legally married under California’s common law. They’d been together since 16 and while no rings were on their fingers, they had assets. Including cars, apartments, and dogs. Still they wanted a wedding and proper marriage documents. Both agreed to sign each other's prenup. A scene almost comical when they approached both their lawyers, who along with their families and Y/n’s agent knew of their relationship. 

Admittedly, the engagement was a result of upcoming events. Ever since Mickey informed her of his orders to return to Top Gun for a classified mission Y/n had been stressed. Thoughts plagued her mind of the dangers Mickey could face. Not just the mission but the training itself. She’d heard of incidents of technical malfunctions in the air that led to someone’s death. The thought of Mickey hurt or worse, dead, in the line of duty was her worst nightmare. And since she was not his wife, medical professionals were required to not share any information of his status if he were admitted. 

So before he shipped out, they did what the typical military couple does on a time crunch: they went to the courthouse. 

Did Y/n’s publicist bribe and threaten to sue the official if TMZ got word? Only God bore witness to that interaction. 

By the grace of a higher spirit Mickey came home to her. They had little to no contact while he was off shore so the second he called her up saying he was back in Fightertown Y/n was packing a bag. Speeding down the next morning. 

Their time together was private, and unbeknownst to both it would be the last. In a sense that is. 

Because they pulled off the impossible, Mickey and the rest of the Dagger Squad were declared an official strike squad for the Pentagon, basing the team at Fightertown. A good thing for the couple. Now instead of a four-hour drive it was cut down to just over two hours. 

“How long will you be gone?” He brushed his fingers down the length of her arm, the two cuddled on the couch watching The Bachelorette. 

“A few months,” was her reply, nibbling on a twizzler. Sighing, she nuzzled against his touch, not wanting to think about the long flight to Budapest ahead of her. She’d planned to use that time to read Dune before her first day on set. “Maybe less if all goes well. How long will you be offshore?” Y/n referred to his pending mission with the Dagger Squad. She felt him shrug against her.

“I’d say no more than a couple weeks. Rooster is team leader and Mav’s supervisor. It’ll be a piece of cake.”

Tilting her head up to look at him, Y/n smiled, “I want to meet your friends. They sound like great people.”

“They are,” Mickey grinned, matching her gaze, “You’d love them--but I have to warn you they can be a handful. Especially Javy.” He laughed as the memory popped in his head, “It’s amazing we can get stuff done at times.”

Y/n thought for a moment, laying her head back on his shoulder, “Maybe when I get back we can talk about going public. What do you think?” her tone was nervous, butterflies in her stomach for his reaction. This was the first time in a while the idea of disclosing their relationship came up. And considering they were now legally married, keeping it secret was harder by the day.

Mickey tightened his hold around her, pressing a kiss to her temple. It made her instantly relax, “Whatever you want, mi amor.” He smiled at her sigh of relief, “You know I won’t object--so long as you’re sure about it.”

“I am,” she doesn’t hesitate, “we’ve kept it hidden for so long--which I’m amazed by with all the times we’ve gone out.” The fact her disguises worked made her laugh any time she thought about it. “Everyone at Marvel pretty much had their suspicions that I was in a serious relationship. Never said anything, which I’m grateful for. But I want to share you with the world,” leaning back up, Y/n cups his cheek, stroking his jaw followed by a sweet kiss to the lips, “because you are my world.”

If only there was a camera secretly concealed in Mickey’s apartment the day his closest friends discovered the secret he’d been harboring. It happened unexpectedly, completely taking them both off guard. 

Wanting to surprise Mickey after months away filming, Y/n arrived in San Diego with their favorite take out in hand and headed straight to his apartment. As she was taking the items from her car she noticed a man with a very large camera across the street. 

Pointing the lens straight at her.

“Fuck,” was the first word out of her mouth, beginning to grab things in a rush.

“Y/n! Y/n over here!” 

Preparing herself, Y/n put on a brave face and turned on her heel. “Hello!” she smiled and waved, seeing the pap had moved closer but still kept his distance. “All I ask is please don’t take photos of my license plate, if you don’t mind.” Running into paparazzi while driving her own car always brought fear. Many celebrities had unfortunately dealt with fans showing up to their homes due to their license plate being leaked. Y/n tried her best to prevent that whenever she could.

Thankfully the gentleman was nice, waving a hand in return. “No problem!” He continued snapping pictures as she walked, following behind several paces. When she got inside, without her usual disguise because she was in a rush, Y/n caught the stunned expression of the doorman and receptionist. ‘Cat’s out of the bag.’

Ruffling for her key once in the elevator, Y/n shot a quick text to her agent and publicist, ‘sooooo we might have a problem…although it's not the worst if we’re being real.’ Quickly putting her phone back in her bag to not see the incoming replies--to spare herself the stress--Y/n hurried to the apartment. Not even giving Mickey a warning before she busted inside only to shock herself with the discovery of people inside.

“Oh my,” she said aloud, hearing the sound of someone dropping their phone followed by several gasps and a ‘what the fuck?’.

Mickey, however, was jumping from his seat, “Baby!” he shouted in glee, rushing to encompass her in a massive bear hug. Completely oblivious to the fact his friend's jaw dropping reactions behind him. “When did you get it? Just now? I thought you were coming on Monday!” 

Wrapping her arms around him, Y/n remembers why she was there in the first place. “I wanted to surprise you,” lips meet her cheek. “I brought Sambino’s.”

Mickey moans like he just won the lottery, cupping her face, “You are a living angel. How did I get so lucky?” 

Smirking, Y/n hands him the bag as they untangle and replies, “You didn’t make fun of me for being the only girl in our third grade class who liked comics.” She scrunches her nose when he ‘boops’ it, followed by a quick kiss to the lips. 

By now the group taking up the entire living room had stood up, congregating in the kitchen. All wore matching expressions: flabbergasted, awe, and pure confusion. The man closest to Mickey who towered over everyone spoke first.

“Garcia,” Payback choked out a laugh, wrapping his head around the fact he just witnessed his partner kiss THE Y/n L/n. His hand waved in their direction, “When you said you and your highschool sweetheart preferred to keep a low profile…her being the actress you’re obsessed over was not at all what I had in mind.”

Jake scoffed, “speak for yourself, I thought he was bullshitting us about having a high-school sweetheart,” at Mickey’s look of offense he raised his hands in defense, “What? You hardly ever spoke of her and quite frankly--” hands wave around the place, “you have no pictures whatsoever.” 

“Oh I do,” The WSO winds an arm over Y/n’s shoulder, to which she leans into. “Just they’re in photo albums and kept in a safe place. Away from prying eyes.” A playful smack hits his chest, Y/n rolling her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” Javy cuts in with a confused chuckle. “Are we just going to ignore the fact we’re in the presence of an A-list actress--who is dating our Fanboy.”

Bob gives a friendly smile, “that makes sense why he’s always talking about the MCU and seems to know the direction it’s going before we do.” The fellow WSO then adds after chucking, “it’s because you’re really a big fan of Y/n.”

Rooster belts out a laugh, “Yo that’s kinda ironic. Fanboy dating his celebrity crush he never shuts up about. I couldn’t have predicted that at all.”

“Dating is putting it lightly,” Y/n finally speaks up, face full of amusement. Placing a hand on Mickey’s chest, their attention instantly goes to the ring on her finger. 

“Well shit,” Jake whistles, causing Nat to nudge him with her elbow, though she matched his stunned expression.

“Damn, Garcia!” Javy goes to dab him up. Reuben does the same while saying, “Congrats man!” 

“I know we may look like we’re calm,” Natasha chuckles, catching Y/n’s attention which makes her become nervous. “But I think I can confidently say for all of us we're freaking out inside--at least I know I am.” the pilot blushes, stunned to be talking to one of her favorite actresses of all time. The previous night she literally sat down to watch How to Get Away With Murder. Particularly the season Y/n was a recurring character on. 

The squad knew Mickey grew up in the same town as Y/n after he mentioned the high school he attended in Orange County. It had been the first time they hung out at his apartment where they saw his entire collection--and pretty much shrine--dedicated to his favorite franchises. Following Jake’s comment of Mickey’s little ‘crush’, the WSO casually said, “Yeah, you can say that. We actually went to high school together.” This was then followed by Mickey whipping out his sophomore year book to show proof. Ever since the squad was envious and sometimes tried to ask questions but were brushed off.

But to discover the two were married? Now that was unexpected.

Once everyone departed after several hours of giving detailed accounts of their lives--plus mentioning to Mickey a Pap had spotted her and the likelihood of the internet discovering their relationship--,Y/n let out a heavy breath, unable to fight the grin off her face. Giggling when Mickey gave her a look of ‘What did you think?’ “That was fun--Ah!.” A squeal escaped her as he picked her up, spinning them in a circle.

“Been wanting to do that since you walked through the door,” he brought her into a passionate kiss, setting her down but keeping their chests pressed together.

“Why didn’t you?” she teased, kissing him again while combing her fingers through his short hair. A blush rose on his cheeks.

“Wasn’t sure if you’d be okay with it.”

“I wouldn’t have minded,” she spoke with honesty, “but I understand. We were both surprised. I wasn’t expecting an audience--probably should’ve sent you a heads up.” Mickey shrugged, swaying them side to side.

“Honestly I’m glad you didn’t,” a light laugh escaped him, picturing his friends' faces once again. “If there was one way I was going to break the news to the squad that I'm married to the woman I keep dragging them to the movies to see, it would be like that.” 

Y/n broke into giggles, thinking to all those times Mickey sent her photos of him and his friends in the theater with captions like, ‘You already know what’s going down.’ ‘Jake and Javy are trying to bet who would pull you if they got the chance.’ ‘Wish you were here…so I could steal your sour patch kids.’ 

“Which, speaking of….” Mickey stepped back a bit, hands landing on her waist with eyes full of wonder and question. “How do you think we go from here? Now that the whole world is about to know about us?”

Y/n smiled brightly as she pictured the future. Moving her arms to wind around his neck, feeling her belly fill with warmth and happiness. 

“I think….it’s time we plan that wedding.” 

E! News reported that evening, “It looks like Bruce Wayne isn’t the only superhero who’s good at hiding information--tonight Golden Globe winning actress Y/n L/n has confirmed via Instagram her marriage to longtime partner, Naval Weapons Officer Lieutenant Mickey Garcia. Turns out the two have been in a relationship since they were teenagers--sixteen to be exact! They officially became a couple in 2005 as juniors in high school and have kept it hidden from the limelight. Wow! Talk about a well kept secret. 

“The news came following reports of Y/n spotted in San Diego several times outside of Garcia’s apartment complex. Photos then surfaced on Twitter of several occurrences where fans have speculated seeing the two in public. Cozying up at movie theaters, enjoying a weekend getaway to Hilton Head, and internet sleuths have even found an instagram account they believe is run by L/n strictly for close friends and family. Former classmates of the 30-year-old actress have come out saying they remember the two together like peas in a pod. We even have a photo someone shared of the young couple attending their high school prom. Y/n revealed in the summer of 2019 she’d been in a committed relationship, but has never given details until now.

“Y/n L/n first got her big break in Hollywood at eighteen years old when she was casted as heroine Jordyn Stark opposite Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man. After years of small supporting roles and starring in popular commercials, the now critically acclaimed actress has appeared in several blockbuster films including Black Swan, Interstellar, La La Land and most recently Greta Gerwig’s Little Women. Besides Marvel, Y/n has been part of multi-billion dollar franchises--Men In Black, The Twilight Saga and The Hunger Games just to name a few. Then in 2016 she won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal as DEA Agent Molly Coleman in Denis Villenueve’s Sicario. Coming down from the high of Marvel Studios record breaking release of Avengers: Endgame, Y/n recently wrapped on the upcoming sci-fi production of Dune--her fourth collaboration with Denis and has an ensemble cast with names like Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Fergason, and Josh Brolin.

“In her instagram post--featuring several photographs of the couple over the years starting from when they were children to the most recent of their courthouse ceremony--Y/n thanked Mickey for his continued love and support of her, remaining her quote “cheerleader and shoulder to cry on as I progressed through this wild journey of playing dress up on the big screen. You never lost faith in me. You stood by my side, first as my best friend, then as my boyfriend, and now as my life partner. I am forever grateful for you, Mickey Garcia. And while the Navy may have given you the name, It’s an honor to be your reason to fanboy.”

..........

TGM Tag List: @avaleineandafryingpan , @caitsymichelle13 , @poppyalice2001 , @cutelittlepotatofry, @luckyladycreator2 , @americaarse , @elenavampire21 , @back-tooo-black, @wildellaa , @artemissunn , @pinkpantheris , @kmc1989

[itaipava]

— daniel ricciardo being a simp for you.

he has such a unique and pure way of making you laugh; with silly jokes, exaggerated imitations of characters or people you don’t like, tickling you until you’re out of breath, leaving kisses all over your face while holding you as close to him as possible… he’s a ray of sunshine in your life.

he always makes eye contact with you as you speak; it doesn’t matter if you’re just rambling about your day or telling him some funny story from your childhood, he looks at you intently while caressing your hand. he wants you to know that he is paying attention to everything you are saying, that he is listening to you and everything you say is important to him.

when he needs to leave early because of work, he tucks the blankets around you and leaves a kiss on your forehead, then lightly caresses your cheek. he prepares your breakfast and leaves a note beside it; an explanation of why he needed to leave early and when he comes back. (he also draws two birds on a tree branch with a heart around them both. the biggest bird - that’s him - has heart eyes as he looks at you)

he buys all your favorite things; he ensures that your house always has those favorite beauty products of yours or those sweets you love the most. and he also likes to spoil you; he buys things he thinks you’ll like and things you’ve looked at in the shop window or on the internet. you think he forgot about it, but you’re delightfully surprised to see him with a bright smile as he hands you a gift package when he gets home; he just hugs and kisses you, saying that you deserve so much more than this gift.

he writes important things and puts them on a magnet on the fridge; like birthdays of your mutual friends, date nights —and he puts a heart around the date to demonstrate that it’s your day — and even appointments with dentists or doctors so you don’t forget.

he always plans a date for the two of you to have some time together. he plans everything perfectly because he wants you to feel as happy and comfortable as possible, so everything you like and admire the most will be there. and he doesn’t let anything or anyone get in the way of this night, because it’s all dedicated to you and only you.

he loves spending time with you and moments like that are so precious and unique to him. he doesn’t care if you’re just lying down caressing each other while watching some bad movie on netflix or going for a fun walk around town, any time with you is perfect for him.

when you go out and you’re carrying lots of bags, he’ll take them out of your hand and hold them for you until you get home.

he is the type of boyfriend who will use your purse as if it were his and he loves that. but when you go to buy a new purse, he wants you to buy one that suits him.

he has a space in his backpack that are just things for you; meds, band-aids, your favorite candies etc. and he also always has a hair elastic on his wrist just in case you need it; and in fact it is he who ties your hair for you - he loves taking care of your hair.

he always comes home with something for you; your favorite flower, that book you’ve wanted for a while, your favorite food or candy.. he always wants to please you.

before leaving the house he hugs you tightly, leaving a kiss on the top of your head before taking your face with both hands and kissing your forehead and finally your lips. you have to remind him to go otherwise he will be late; he just can’t stop leaving soft kisses all over your face. and, with a smile, he says “i love you, i’ll be back soon, love” before finally leaving.

he has a necklace with your initials and he never takes it off - or hides it. in every photo or interview he appears with your initials and his proud smile says enough.

[where-are-the-spooky-gays-2]

Parental Dukexiety who stick to their aesthetics.

For simplicity's sake, I'm gonna say they adopted a little girl and her name is Olivia.

The little nicknames. "Little rockstar" "lil ass kicker" "baby bat" all those sweet things. Bonus points if you can guess what lil ass kicker references.

Parent teacher conferences. Teachers expect "normal" parents and in walk an emo and punk fully dedicated to their aesthetics, each other, and their daughter. And they're very nice and Olivia is so so so excited about her parents.

Family outings to the zoo. Nothing really alt about that but I think they'd really like seeing the bats.

The first song Olivia learns fully is Dragula by Rob Zombie because that is a core memory for so many people and therefore must be carried on.

She learns way too many cuss words too early — cough Remus cough — but she's also sassy (*looks directly at Virgil*) so they just have a fantastic little combo there.

She grows up to be a teen and decides her own aesthetic. They stick to theirs. It's fantastic. Imagine she is drawn to cottage core and so their family outings are just two stormy nights and a ray of sunshine. Them buying her sunflower earrings. Or she follows in her parents footsteps and goes to an alt subculture they get to help teach her out.

Them helping her pick a prom dress and she goes for whatever style she likes but Remus and Virgil definitely don't cry a little bit because omg their little girl is all grown up she's going to prom.

She gets piercings and Virgil goes with her for support because he has more experience with that, or she gets tattoos and Remus goes along because that's his jam. Or both. Definitely both.

Dads :3

— 👑

Dadmus and Dadgil my fucking beloveds oml I L O V E this <3!!! Olivia sounds like such a sweet and cool kid and it's S O fucking heartwarming how much she loves her spooky dads and how much they love her <3 Bonus: They go all out every year on Halloween either throwing kickass spooky themed parties or taking her to houses that give the best candies (Always the haunted ones) and she absolutely L O V E S it <3

[eatsyourainbow]

FILMS LIST

Series 13 Reasons Why American Horror Story Breaking Bad Mr. Robot Pride and Prejudice Spotless

…………………………………………………………………………….

# (500) Days of Summer (2009) 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) 1001 Grams (2014) 13 Going on 30 (2004) 17 Again (2009) 17 filles (2011) 3 Hearts (2014) 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007) 45 Years (2015) 5 Centimeters Per Second (2007) 50/50 (2011) 6 Years (2015)

…………………………………………………………………………….

A A Brief History of Time (1991) A Brilliant Young Mind (2014) A Cinderella Story (2004) A Lot Like Love (2005) A Man Called Ove (2015) A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (2014) A Single Man (2009) A Summer Violence (2014) A Walk to Remember (2002) About a Boy (2002) About Time (2013) Across the Universe (2007) Addams Family Values (1993) Adult World (2013) All About Lily Chou-Chou (2001) Almost Famous (2000) Almost Friends (2016) Am��lie (2001) American History X (1998) American Psycho (2000) And They Lived Happily Ever After (2004) Anna Karenina (2012) Annie Hall (1977) Anomalisa (2015) Another Earth (2011) Armageddon (1998) Atonement (2007) Away from Her (2006) Away We Go (2009)

B Bachelorette (2012) Bad Teacher (2011) Barney’s Version (2010) Beastly (2011) Becoming Jane (2007) Before Midnight (2013) Before Sunrise (1995) Before Sunset (2004) Before We Go (2014) Begin Again (2013) Beginners (2010) Being Flynn (2012) Ben X (2007) Big Fish (2003) Blue Valentine (2010) Boyhood (2014) Breathe In (2013) Breathless (1960) Brick (2005) Bright Star (2009) Brokeback Mountain (2005) Bruce Almighty (2003)

C Calvary (2014) Candy (2006) Can’t Hardly Wait (1998) Carrie Pilby (2016) Cashback (2006) Catch Me If You Can (2002) Celeste & Jesse Forever (2012) Cemetery Junction (2010) Chungking Express (1994) Citizenfour (2014) City of Angels (1998) Closer (2004) Cloud Atlas (2012) Clueless (1995) Columbus (2017) Comet (2014) Confessions (2010) Cries & Whispers (1972) Cruel Intentions (1999) Crush (2013)

D Damsels in Distress (2011) Daydream Nation (2010) Death at a Funeral (2007) Dead Poets Society (1989) Dear John (2010) Dedication (2007) Definitely, Maybe (2008) Despicable Me (2010) Detachment (2011) Disconnect (2012) Don’t Laugh at My Romance (2007) Donnie Darko (2001) Dope (2015)

E Easy A (2010) Edward Scissorhands (1990) Elizabethtown (2005) Empire Records (1995) Enchanted (2007) Enough Said (2013) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011) Ever After: A Cinderella Story (1998) Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

F Failure to Launch (2006) Fallen Angels (1995) Fanny and Alexander (1982) Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) Fight Club (1999) Fish Tank (2009) Flipped (2010) Forrest Gump (1994) Frances Ha (2012) Frank (2014)

G Garden State (2004) Gemma Bovery (2014) Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009) Ghost World (2001) Gifted (2017) Girl, Interrupted (1999) Good Bye Lenin! (2003) Good Will Hunting (1997) Grave of the Fireflies (1988) Great Expectations (2011)

H Happythankyoumoreplease (2010) Harry Potter (2001-2011) He’s Just Not That Into You (2009) Heavenly Creatures (1994) Her (2013) Hick (2011) Home Alone (1990) How Do You Know (2010) How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

I I’m Not There. (2007) I Am Sam (2001) Ida (2013) I Killed My Mother (2009) I Love You Phillip Morris (2009) I Origins (2014) If I Stay (2014) If Only (2004) In Your Eyes (2014) Into the Wild (2007) I Smile Back (2015) It’s Kind of a Funny Story (2010)

J Jane Eyre (1996) Jane Eyre (2011) Jeff, Who Lives at Home (2011) Jerry Maguire (1996) Juno (2007) Jurassic Park (1993) Just Like Heaven (2005)

K Keeping the Faith (2000) Keith (2008) Kill Your Darlings (2013)

L L’Enfer (1994) La belle personne (2008) Laggies (2014) Last Night (2010) Laurence Anyways (2012) Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004) Léon: The Professional (1994) Les Misérables (1998) Less Than Zero (1987) Letters to Juliet (2010) Liberal Arts (2012) Life Happens (2011) Like Crazy (2011) Lincoln (2012) Little Birds (2011) Little Forest: Summer/Autumn (2014) Little Miss Sunshine (2006) Liv & Ingmar (2012) LOL (2012) Lola Versus (2012) Lost in Translation (2003) Louder Than Bombs (2015) Love & Other Drugs (2010) Love Actually (2003) Love and Death (1975) Love and Other Disasters (2006) Love Me If You Dare (2003) Love Story (1970) Lovers of the Arctic Circle (1998) Lucy (2014) Lymelife (2008)

M Maggie’s Plan (2015) Manchester by the Sea (2016) Map of the Sounds of Tokyo (2009) Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011) Mary Is Happy, Mary Is Happy (2013) Matilda (1996) Mauvais sang (1986) Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015) Mean Girls (2004) Medianeras (2011) Memento (2000) Monsieur Lazhar (2011) Moonrise Kingdom (2012) Mozart and the Whale (2005) Mr. Nobody (2009) My Blueberry Nights (2007) My Girl (1991) My Life Without Me (2003) My Neighbor Totoro (1988) My Own Private Idaho (1991) My Rainy Days (2009) My So Has Got Depression (2011)

N Napoleon Dynamite (2004) Never Been Kissed (1999) Never Let Me Go (2010) Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (2008) Night on Earth (1991) No Strings Attached (2011) Nobody Walks (2012) Northanger Abbey (2007) Norwegian Wood (2010) Now Is Good (2012)

O On the Beach at Night Alone (2017) Once (2006) Only Yesterday (1991) Orlando (1992) Oslo, 31. august (2011) Our Little Sister (2015)

P Palo Alto (2013) Parasyte: Part 1 (2014) Parasyte: Part 2 (2015) Paris, je t’aime (2006) Paris, Texas (1984) Pay It Forward (2000) Penelope (2006) People Like Us (2012) Persona (1966) Petal Dance (2013) Philomena (2013) Prayers for Bobby (2009) Pretty in Pink (1986) Pride & Prejudice (2005) Pulp Fiction (1994)

R Raise Your Voice (2004) Rashomon (1950) Reality Bites (1994) Requiem for a Dream (2000) Respire (2014) Revolutionary Road (2008) Rocket Science (2007) Ruby Sparks (2012) Running with Scissors (2006) Rushmore (1998)

S Safe Haven (2013) Say Anything… (1989) Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012) Sexual Chronicles of a French Family (2012) Side Effects (2013) Silver Linings Playbook (2012) Simple Simon (2010) Sixteen Candles (1984) Shakespeare in Love (1998) She’s the Man (2006) Short Term 12 (2013) Sleepwalk with Me (2012) Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) Sound of My Voice (2011) Speak (2004) Spirited Away (2001) Spotlight (2015) St. Elmo’s Fire (1985) Still Walking (2008) Stranger Than Fiction (2006) Struck by Lightning (2012) Stuck in Love (2012) Submarine (2010) Sunshine Cleaning (2008) Sweeney Todd (2007) Sweet Little Lies (2010)

T Tag (2015) Take This Waltz (2011) Taxi Driver (1976) Terms of Endearment (1983) That Thing You Do! (1996) The Art of Getting By (2011) The Black Balloon (2008) The Bling Ring (2013) The Blue Room (2014) The Book Thief (2013) The Breakfast Club (1985) The Choice (2016) The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007) The Double (2013) The Double Life of Veronique (1991) The Dreamers (2003) The Edukators (2004) The End of the Tour (2015) The Face of Another (1966) The Falling (2014) The Fault in Our Stars (2014) The Garden of Words (2013) The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006) The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) The Great Gatsby (1974) The High Cost of Living (2010) The Host (2013) The Intervention (2016) The Jacket (2005) The Jane Austen Book Club (2007) The Kid with a Bike (2011) The Kids Are All Right (2010) The Kings of Summer (2013) The Last Kiss (2006) The Last Song (2010) The Little Mermaid (1989) The Little Prince (2015) The Lobster (2015) The Long Excuse (2016) The Lorax (2012) The Lovely Bones (2009) The Lucky One (2012) The Notebook (2004) The Odd Life of Timothy Green (2012) The One I Love (2014) The Other Woman (2009) The Painted Veil (2006) The Parent Trap (1998) The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) The Piano Teacher (2001) The Place Promised in Our Early Days (2004) The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) The Ramen Girl (2008) The Reader (2008) The Remains of the Day (1993) The Road Within (2014) The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) The Science of Sleep (2006) The Secret Life of Words (2005) The Seventh Seal (1957) The Simpsons Movie (2007) The Sixth Sense (1999) The Shawshank Redemption (1994) The Solitude of Prime Numbers (2010) The Spectacular Now (2013) The Squid and the Whale (2005) The Theory of Everything (2014) The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009) The Tracey Fragments (2007) The Tree of Life (2011) The Truth About Emanuel (2013) The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988) The Virgin Suicides (1999) The Visitor (2007) The Vow (2012) The Way He Looks (2014) The White Ribbon (2009) The Wizard of Oz (1939) The Young Victoria (2009) This Is 40 (2012) This Is England (2006) Three Colors: White (1994) Through a Glass Darkly (1961) Thumbsucker (2005) Tideland (2005) Tiny Furniture (2010) To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) To the Wonder (2012) To Write Love on Her Arms (2012) Toni Erdmann (2016) Trainspotting (1996) Tuck Everlasting (2002) Two Days, One Night (2014) Two Night Stand (2014)

U Unexpected (2015) Uptown Girls (2003)

V Very Good Girls (2013)

W Waiting for Forever (2010) Weekend (2011) Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995) Welcome to the Rileys (2010) What If (2013) What to Expect When You’re Expecting (2012) White Bird in a Blizzard (2014) White Oleander (2002) Why Stop Now? (2012) Wild (2014) Wild Child (2008) Wings of Desire (1987) Wish I Was Here (2014) Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988) Wristcutters: A Love Story (2006)

Y You’ve Got Mail (1998) Young Adult (2011) Yourself and Yours (2016) Youth in Revolt (2009)

[simplyotometrash]

Valentine's Day

I was wanting to write for Kiro so here we go!

Genre: Fluff

MC is gender-neutral!

Valentine's Day. A day you were used to spending on your own. It never bothered you, considering the holiday is deeply rooted in how much money is spent. You mostly enjoyed the mass amounts of discounted candy and stuffed animals the very next day.

Then came Kiro. Kiro turned your entire world upside down. He loved you like you'd never been loved before. He was a superstar idol, the world's favorite sweetheart, but he loved you more than anything else. Nothing could compare to you in the eyes of Kiro. Everything you did had him backing you. He was your biggest supporter, your greatest fan. Your relationship was rock solid. Now, the adorable superstar knew that taking you out for a day-long date would be incredibly difficult. Hiding his face could only do so much and it was still easy for some people to recognize him. His die-hard fans would know him from his speaking voice alone. It was impressive and scary. So he had to think about what to do. Perhaps just staying in would be a good idea? The two of you could just enjoy being together, something that didn't get to happen often with his work taking him all over the globe. Even when he was in Loveland City it could be hard to get together. He had to be in the studio so much or do events constantly.

"Happy Valentine's Day, sweetheart," Kiro exclaimed as soon as you opened your apartment door.

You couldn't even see Kiro behind the large stuffed animal he bought. It was a giant stuffed bunny. He waddled his way inside with the giant plush and set it down in your living room. You could barely blink before his arms were wound around you. You could feel the smile against your head. "I'm so happy I get to spend today with you, MC." "Aw, Kiro," you smiled and hugged him back just as tight. "Happy Valentine's Day, sunshine." As Kiro had showed up before you had the chance to make breakfast, he insisted that you let him cook or that you cook together. Cooking together was your choice. It was nice to cook with him. You made eggs, bacon, and pancakes. Kiro was very insistent on trying to make the pancakes heart-shaped, and they didn't turn out too bad once he got the hang of it. "I was thinking we could stay in for most of the day," he said in between bites of breakfast. "I did a lot of digging but Souvenir is supposed to be open for a short time tonight. I wanna take you there for dinner. Then we can go on a walk!" "Staying in most of the day sounds good. Trying to go anywhere would be such a hassle," you said. "Everywhere is going to be crowded with couples trying to do stuff together." "That's what I was thinking!" "We could watch some movies, play some games, and cuddle!" You were liking the sound of this already. A day to snuggle up with your sweetheart without getting rudely interrupted by his manager? A dream come true. "Then it's settled!" He produced a nicely wrapped box of chocolates from his bag and presented it to you with a grin. "I took the liberty of buying these for us...I mean you! I want some, but Savin might kill me if I break my diet too much." A pout formed on your lips. Stupid diet. "We don't have to tell Savin anything. You work yourself to the bone all the time. You're dedicated and you stay in shape. I think you deserve to splurge on whatever you want to eat. Our secret." His eyes lit up and he rushed to your side of the table to smother you in kisses. "You really are the best partner anyone could ever ask for!" ~~~ Your day went on as you two had planned. You set your phones to 'Do Not Disturb' for the day and got settled in to watch some movies and snuggle together. It was such a nice time that you both fell asleep halfway through the third cheesy rom-com you picked to watch. You woke up first to a very sleepy Kiro resting with his head against your chest. It made you smile just seeing how peaceful he was. It was nice getting to spend the day with him.

His eyes fluttered open and he yawned. "Mmm...what time is it?" "Half-past two," you mumbled after taking a look at your phone. The half-eaten chocolate box lay on the table in front of where you two were together on the couch. Kiro sat up to stretch, an action that made you miss his warmth immediately. "We could take that walk now instead. Get some fresh air, stretch our legs?" "Sounds like a plan to me." You got up from the couch with a large stretch. Your stomach showed just a bit from where your shirt raised up and Kiro wasted no time in tickling your exposed belly. It was never a dull moment with him. He stopped as soon as you were laughing breathlessly with a grin on his face. You guys got ready to face the crisp, cool February air together. Kiro had to ensure his face was covered with glasses and a mask otherwise he ran an even great risk of being recognized. That wasn't what he wanted. Not when you two were together. It had happened once before, he still felt guilty over that date getting rudely interrupted. Kiro adored his fans, he just wished they would treat him like a person and not something to gawk at. It was something all celebrities had to endure, unfortunately. The cold air outside filled your lungs as you started your walk. Things were still quite muted in February. There weren't the bright colors of fall or spring nor the greenery of summer. Winter's beauty came with snow and there wasn't even a flake in the sky. "So when does Souvenir open tonight?" You hummed, your gloved hand holding his tightly as you made your way to the park. If it had been warmer then the two of you would have probably had a private picnic. "It opens at 6. I think we should go there a bit early to ensure no one else gets in before us if the owner lets anyone else in at all. They're only open until 9 so it's a three-hour window." Kiro really did work hard to get that information. He explained to you that he had gone there every single day for over a month waiting for them to be open. All because he wanted to ask if they'd be open for Valentine's Day. What luck that they were! Souvenir was Kiro's favorite place to eat whenever they were actually open. ~~~ Your walk had lasted longer than anticipated and you never did manage to go home before dinner. You weren't dressed lazily, which was a good thing. You looked pretty presentable for dinner even though no one else was in the dining area of Souvenir. "This is our first Valentine's Day together. I really hope you had a good time," Kiro rubbed his hands anxiously while you waited for the food to come out. You took his hands in yours, rubbing your thumbs over his knuckles. "I had the best time. I'm not big on Valentine's Day stuff. I think a lot of it is overrated. I don't need a special day to be able to show you that I love you, Kiro, but you made this day so wonderful just by being with me." Kiro opened his mouth to respond just as Mr. Mills returned with your meals. You let go of your boyfriend's hands and thanked the older man for the food. It looked and smelled divine! You'd eaten there with Kiro on a few separate occasions, you could understand why it was his favorite. The calm atmosphere was honestly pretty relaxing and romantic as well. A perfect way to end your day together. You talked and laughed together while you ate, happily enjoying each other's company. You scarcely realized that the three-hour time frame that the restaurant was open for was about to come to an end. Kiro insisted on paying for the meal and the two of you decided it was better to make your way home. "Kiro, look," you whispered excitedly and pointed at the sky. Snowflakes had begun to fall from the darkened, starry night sky. "It's beautiful." He wasn't looking at the falling snow. His eyes were trained on you and that happy look on your face. This was the perfect end to a perfect day.

[hunterartemisanime]

KnB Commentary: Kise Ryouta and the Curse of Being “Pretty Boy” in Shonen Anime

Cheerful, extroverted, happy-go-lucky and sunshine with a face, Kise Ryota is the screen ikemen in Kuroko no Basket. Although Kise is a cult favourite, but I think he is sometimes pushed aside with Momoi. In KnB people tend to focus more on the other GoMs rather than Kise. Here is my take on how Kise Ryota’s character and his types are scorned in Shonen Manga.

Shonen and Shojo manga revolve around two different dimensions: while shonen manga focuses on friendships, journeys and solid characteristic developments, shojo manga focuses generally on the romance parts, interpersonal relationships, appearance and struggles of the ordinary main character. Both manga lauds ordinariness and makes the ordinary extra-ordinary one just by showing that they have the possibility to be sublime. While Shojo manga greatly appreciates male beauty to the point of worship, Shonen sort of looks down on male beauty: anyone who identifies himself as good looking, or wants to be good looking is put down by others around him. Let’s see how Kise fell into the same trap.

Kise is introduced in the story in a very Shojo manga fashion. He is looked from the female point of view of Seirin’s girl students as he walks down the main pathway of the school. That piece of scene almost reminded me Takumi Usui entering school in Kaichou wa Maid Sama. From that point, wherever he goes he is greeted and surrounded by female population en large, much to the annoyance of his team members and opponents. Similar to the effect of “male gaze”, exists a “female gaze” which supposedly decides the desirability of a boy, especially in a high school setting. Kise, being handsome by the contemporary Japanese standards thus somewhat becomes the focus of the female gaze which makes males around him conscious and equally anxious. This phenomenon can be asserted with Momoi’s first encounter in the anime with Kuroko in Aida Gym pool. When Kuroko is hugged by a very beautiful and buxom Momoi Satsuki, the boys on his team lament: “I am so jealous of you Kuroko, hope you’ll die.” This was from a rather “harmless” and “normal” bunch of High School Basketballers, then just imagine how it effects the powerhouse boys with similar primal instinct and with greater ego. Thus Kise is treated with hot-and-cold attitude from males around him: be its his former teammates or current.

Kise is thus definitely an eligible bachelor and he surely knows it. However his self-awareness is without vanity or narcissistic edge. He is shown to be appreciative of female attention and not portray himself as a “playboy” or a “Scorer”; he is never addressed by anyone as “charan poran” (womanizer) in the series. This is a very contradictory attitude in Shonen anime. In shonen anime Male sexuality have very limited outlets: either one should be hyper-celibate and not pay attention to any organism marked as female, or one could be hyper-sexual to the point where they objectify the female form in a not so respectable manner--there is nothing in the Middle. In KnB Akashi, Kuroko and Midorima fall in the former end of spectrum while Haizaki Shogo and Aomine Daiki fall into the latter. Even dating and having girlfriend can make you the object of male scorn: in the anime Grand Blue, the department of Mechanical Engineer has a secret pact to stay single and when they find out that Iori Kitahara is living with Chisa (who is his cousin), they almost throw a violent fit. The male solidarity in Shonen thus ostricise the males who express appreciation in female company and show interest in courting and romance. Kise is snubbed in a similar manner for showing interest in a more feminine side. A same kind of snubbing was delivered to Hiroshi Fukuda of Seirin when he confessed on the rooftop that he wanted to get into the team for dating someone. In Free Momotarou Mikoshiba too, is either ridiculed or snubbed by his teammates for openly admitting to like Gou Matsuoka.

Out of all the Generation of Miracles characters, I think Kise is the most discriminated of all. His discrimination is the unsual kind: he is too important in the plotline to be comic relief like Takao and Izuki and he is too cheerful enough to be the bad boy. So what kind of discrimination does he face? He faces the discrimination for being good looking. Yes, there is a thing to be discriminated for being good looking. I also think Kise has been played within the character of being the “dumb blond”. He is portrayed as “pretty boy” and is expected to limit himself within it. His cheerful attitude is often met with cold shoulder and it is absolutely normalised within the storyline. Unlike other players who greet their rivals outside the courts with a broody attitude and slightly glaring eyes, Kise is the one who advocates “Yesterday’s rivals are today’s friends”. This is a very positive attitude to use in real life to keep the unhealthy competitiveness in check, but it is met with a scorn in the anime. It is shown as if being cheerful is the by-product of being good looking and the former should reflect the latter. This is perhaps the reason Kise’s playing style was completely sniped out of the scene from being “the best of all”. According to the society, a good looking person is just an eye-candy for anyone to drool over and if they have too much agency or talent people enviously comment “(s)he gets all that because of the looks”. It stems from the insecurity of one person having too much social power. The entire thing is very limiting. Kise is not only good-looking, he is acing his modelling career, a field which is highly demanding and taxing and at the same time he is doing well in basketball also in a nationally reputed school. These attributes somewhat gets overshadowed because he is somewhat only identified on screen for his looks. This fact is highlighted with his rivalry with Haizaki Shogo. Haizaki, instead of acknowledging Kise as a player, “marked his territory” by “boning” one of the girls claiming to be Kise’s girlfriend. 

Kise is very much aware of the fact that the swarming bunch of girls are intrinsic to his image, especially as a model and for this reason he tries to be respectful towards them. However, he does not identify the admiration of the fan-brigade with genuine affection. This is the core fact which Haizaki misinterprets about Kise that he derives power from the admiring fangirls. Haizaki despite being the antagonist is pretty much shares the similar prejudice with the people near Kise: that Kise Ryota begins and ends with looks and even his playing style “perfect copy” is less than original. But Kise is not the prejudices that surround him, he is affectionate, loyal and genuine with enough dedication to pursue what he loves. The ideal type of Kise : “a girl that won’t tie me down” says a lot about him. He is eager to meet someone who will respect him for who he actually is and not for his looks or fame. He too is someone who grew out of seeing the surface and judge to observe someone and understand---that is how he started to respect Kuroko at the first place. At the end, when he loses to Touou, he sheds the image of a “cool handsome boy” and cries like a baby in public; something his own captain Kasamatsu or his former teammate Midorima could not do. This shows a lot of courage and strength but also shows that expressing ugly emotions in a public can also be dignified and not necessarily be stripping to masculinity.

Tags

: @sidd-hit-my-butt-ham @yanderebakugo @kurokonbscenarios @kurokonobasket @kurokonoboisket @art-zites @idinaxye @sp-chernobyl @strawbe3ryshortcake @reservethemoon @rilnen @a-shy-potato @thirsthourdemon @animebxxch @edagawasatoru @akawaiishi-blog @reinyrei @chloe-noir @theswahn @ahobaka-trash @jeilliane @trashtoria  @scarlettedwardsposts @quirkydarling @ghostieswaifu @levihan-freaks @hope-im-spirited-away @yves0809 @marshiro1101 @bubziles @heartfullofknb @kit-kat57 @akichan-th

[thatasianstereotype]

Father, This Is Your Future Son-In-Law.

A short little side companion fic to my Adrien x Damian series. 

First: Fuck. I’m Gay. 

Second: Damn, You’re Looking Fine. 

Third: Shit. I Got To Deal With This Bitch (Again).

I’m still working on the fourth and final part of the series (it won’t be as long of a wait as Part 3). But I wanted to write how the Batfam reacted to their youngest suddenly getting a boyfriend while abroad. 

Creative liberties were taken. Also, this is a crack writing. 

The Demon Spawn who has gotten better at not attacking people at first sight but still just tolerates people. And his holier-than-thou attitude is still there with his love for throwing insults around like free candy. 

This is the kid that manages to snag a pure cinnamon roll sunshine as a boyfriend?

This angry grumpy child? 

Needless to say, the Batfam is in disbelief.

.

.

.

“What?” Bruce thought that the Teen Titans mission in Europe was done. “Why do you want to stay in Paris longer? Is something wrong?”

“No Father. I have simply found someone I wish to court. I will be spending time in Paris to see how best to present myself as an exceptional suitor that is all. Give my regards to Grayson that I will be missing Family Night but that I will make it up by introducing him to his future brother-in-law soon.” 

Bruce was too much in shock to answer when Damian hung up. 

“DICK!” 

“I think it’s cute that Dami is getting a boyfriend.” 

“Dick, you oblivious and naive child, you are completely missing the point.” 

Dick rolled his eyes. “Look, I’m pretty sure Damian isn’t actually going to marry someone right now.”

“He said ‘future brother-in-law’ inferring that this courtship he wants to initiate will end in a wedding.” 

“I think you are reading too much into this, B.” 

“And you are not reading enough. Have I taught you nothing at all?

“You taught me paranoia.” 

“I taught you to be prepared for every kind of situation.”

“Pretty sure the possibility of your 17-year-old son getting hitched in Paris can be ruled out.” 

“Where did I go wrong with you?” 

And Dick rolled his eyes once again at Bruce’s dramatic-ness. This. This is where Damian gets it from. 

.

Ever the peace keeper in this dysfunctional trainwreck of a family, Dick managed to stop Bruce from flying to Paris. But much to their frustrations (even Dick’s who wanted to know who captured his baby bro’s heart), Damian did not tell them the name of his potential boyfriend. 

.

All in all, Damian spent about two months and a half in Paris before coming back home to Gotham. And the Batfam could see a difference right away. 

Damian was happy. He smiled (it was a little one but it had Dick squealing in joy) more and he was more tolerate of his brothers and schoolmates. 

“We should’ve shipped him off to Paris earlier if he comes back like this.” 

Tim was still staring at Damian like he was an alien. The demon spawn still insulted him every other day but hasn’t threatened to kill him at all since he came back. No ripping out his intestines to feed to the vultures or throwing him off a building for the rats to feast on. It was nice. Although a little part of him felt slightly unnerving. He doesn’t have any contingency plans involving a Nice!Damian. 

Dick shook his head fondly at his little brother, taking away his coffee full of too much caffeine and replacing it with decaf. He has truly ascended to motherhood. “Well, I think it’s nice that Little D found love.”

“In the city of love. Is no one paying attention to that part?” Jason munched on one of Alfred’s cookies. “Cause I think that’s hilarious. I thought Baby Bat would’ve choked on all the happiness and bright clean air there.”

Dick whacked his arm. “Stop being mean to Dami.”

“But Dickie. It’s how I show affection.” 

.

Adrien Agreste was the son of the supervillain Hawk Moth that have terrorizing Paris for the last 3 years. Batman was not at all pleased to hear that the Parisian heroes called for help and the Justice League turned them away. People have paid for that. Dearly. 

“So his mom’s dead and his dad’s a criminal?” Jason looked over Bruce’s shoulder at the BatComputer. “Kid’ll fit right in with our family. Demon sure knows how to pick them.”

“Hnn.” Bruce grunted. 

“I mean with you dating Selina, a notorious thief and doing the thing with Talia, a very dangerously lethal assassin, it’s no wonder where your son got his taste from.” 

“Jason.” Bruce grunted in a warning tone. 

“I mean when I’m right, I’m right.”

.

“Ok.” Tim started off tonight’s Family Meeting (excluding Damian), the topic being one certain ex-assassin’s love interest. “Looking further into the Agreste kid shows he clearly did not take after his villainous dad. He is one of Paris’ teenage models and have a huge fanbase dedicated to how pure and sweet he is. He is a literal walking ray of sunshine.” 

“How the fuck did that sunshine child tame our literal feral demon brother?” Jason said. Always the VIP asking the important questions here.

Tim actually had an answer for that. He pulled out several charts and data on his laptop and showed it to the others. “Looking further into Adrien, I have found evidence that he is the cat-themed superhero Chat Noir. Being a loveable and touch-starved kitten appealed to the demon brat’s almost non-existent affections.” 

“Timmy, Dami is capable of love.” Dick said in a disappointed voice. 

“I said almost non-existent, didn’t I?” Tim waved the Mom’s disappointment away. “But you guys have got to see this.” 

He pulled up a video of Chat Noir and Ladybug on the big screen. They watched him using his signature move: cataclysm. No one spoke for a few minutes as they processed the sheer destructive powers of the hero.

“You know what.” Jason broke the silence. “I have no more questions. I can kind of see how Agreste is the demon’s type.” 

What baby assassin wouldn’t be turned on by the literal godly destructive powers the baby kitten held in his hands? 

Dick, the only one wanting to keep things semi-PG here, smacked the back of his head. 

.

“Baby brother.” Cass greeted. She is back home from her Hong Kong trip and heard all about the famous Adrien Agreste. She thought it was adorable and that Adrien and Damian made a cute couple. 

“Hello, Cassandra.” 

She peered down at the list he was currently making. She gestured towards it with a confused look. 

“I am compiling a list of tasks that needs to be done before my Chaton and new sister-in-law come to Gotham. Only the best for them after all. 

Her eyes lit up. “New sister?”

“Yes. My mon amour’s sister will be our new one.” He pulled out a picture of her on his phone for Cass to see. “Her name is Marinette and she will be a fine addition to the family.” 

“Baby sister.” Cass said happily. She was always up for new family members. 

“Yes. I imagine you two will get along the best.” 

But she couldn’t help but notice that with all the preparations he is making, even if it is for his boyfriend and new sister, is a bit —how would Steph say it?— overkill. 

Her coal black eyes were sharp as she observed his body language. “You very serious on this. Why?” 

He can never hide anything from his sister. “I wish for them to have a good impression of our family so that their family will not be disincline to reject my proposal for marriage.”

“Marriage?” She was still quite unfamiliar with some words in English. 

“It means that you will be getting another brother too.” 

.

“We will wed.” 

Dick hasn’t even finished his cereal yet. He looked over at Damian’s serious expression. “Did you even ask him yet?” 

“I will present myself as an extraordinary suitor that he will be more inclined to say yes when I ask.” 

“At least you’re treating your man right.”

Damian took offense. “Why wouldn’t I treat my mon amour with anything but the upmost respect and love?”

“I didn’t mean it like that, Little D. I’m just glad you’re in a good relationship and from what I can see, Adrien adores you very much.”

Damian smiled. “I adore my Chaton a great deal as well. Would you like to come with me to pick out a ring?

Dick could just hear Bruce’s voice in his head saying he shouldn’t be encouraging this. But come on, this was his baby brother who grew up learning how to hurt people finding a precious loving relationship for himself and he will be damned if he doesn’t support this. 

“Of course. I’ll be honored to help.”

His baby brother brightened before he launched into a rant. 

“I’m having trouble finding the perfect gem to complement his eyes. They are a certain shade of forest green you see. And many jewelry stores do me a great disservice by not having that certain shade or having utterly appalling quality for what my Chaton deserves.” 

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Taglist: 

@iglowinggemma28 @iz-bell-saiah @nach0ava @roselynfey @mochinek0 @wannajointhecrabcult

[sweatersexual]

Now I Want to Hold You Too

Read on AO3

The party welcoming both sets of Pines twins back for the summer had never really ended. Mabel’s friends had slept over that night, and Soos was still playing party music even into the afternoon. Fiddleford had come over for lunch and now he and Ford were discussing new projects, blueprints scattered all over the dining room table.

Becoming a man of means had suited Fiddleford. He now spoke with the confidence Ford remembered from the old days. He stood up straighter, and the healthy weight he’d gained filled his endearingly garish patterned shirt in all the right ways. Yes, Ford was happy he was doing so well, and that their friendship had been rekindled.

But Ford had to admit, feelings of friendship weren’t all that had been rekindled in him, especially when their hands lingered around each other, tracing the blueprints, or when Fiddleford gave him that familiar lopsided grin, or hearing him hum quietly the way he always did while thinking hard. Still, Ford worried it was too soon, or perhaps inappropriate altogether, to make any romantic overtures to Fiddleford. He didn’t even know exactly how much Fiddleford remembered of their romantic history. No, it was better to take their relationship as it currently was, because the fact that Fiddleford was even talking to him again put a spring in Ford’s step.

He and Fiddleford had finished making revisions to one of the cooling systems when a short cough caught their attention. It was only then that they noticed Ford’s thirteen-year-old grandniece standing next to them, her two best friends not far behind her.

“Are you two having fun?” Mabel was grinning widely enough to make Ford a bit wary. Had she planted a glitter bomb again?

“Yes, of course,” he answered. “Fiddleford’s been showing me -”

“Yeah, we know,” called Stan from the kitchen. “You two have been at it for hours. I’m gonna need you to clear the table before dinner’s ready, okay?”

“Sure thing, Stanley,” replied Fiddleford. “We were at a pretty good stopping place, weren’t we, Ford?”

“You two should join our braid train!” said Mabel.

“I appreciate the offer, Mabel,” said Ford, “but I don’t think either of us have hair long enough to braid.”

“Mr. McGucket’s beard is long enough,” Grenda pointed out.

“I bet an extra finger really comes in handy for holding multiple sections of hair,” said Candy.

“It’s definitely been useful for tying complicated knots,” Ford agreed, “but I’m afraid I’ve never tried braiding hair before.”

Mabel gasped. “Really? Okay, now we have to teach you. Are you ready for a new look, Mr. McGucket?”

Fiddleford shrugged. “I guess it can’t hurt none.”

Once the dining table was clear of blueprints and they took their seats in the living room, Ford noticed his heart rate pick up a little. Braiding Fiddleford’s beard was going to include touching his face, and the last time they had been in each other’s personal space like this was many, many years ago, in a . . . different context.

“Let’s start with a simple braid,” said Mabel, running her fingers through Grenda’s hair. “Divide the hair into three even sections, like this.”

Ford let out a deep breath and ran his hands along Fiddleford’s jawline, blushing at the memory of using the same movement to pull him in for a kiss, once upon a time. He was close enough to notice Fiddleford’s cheeks also reddening beneath his facial hair.

“Is this okay?” he asked Fiddleford, just to be sure.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Go on and do as she tells you.”

He could feel Fiddleford’s facial muscles moving beneath his hands - but he had to focus! Three sections of hair. He could do that.

Fiddleford’s beard was shorter and much better groomed than it had been last summer. The weird little bandage was gone. Ford hadn’t expected to enjoy the sensation of soft hair through his fingers so much. With Mabel’s simple instructions, the strands were soon woven together into a thick braid.

“That looks great!” she praised him. “You’re picking this up fast! You want to try a French braid?”

“O-okay.”

Candy turned out to be right about his extra fingers coming in handy, though it still took him a few tries to get the hang of it.

“Nice! Keep going, Grunkle Ford! Careful not to drop that strand.”

“Oh. My. Gosh,” said Candy, pulling out her cell phone. “That boy I told you about from regionals just texted me! Do you think I should send him a selfie?”

“Ooh!” squealed Mabel. “We should take your picture outside while the lighting is good.”

Before Ford could say anything, the three girls ran out the door with nothing more than a “keep practicing, Grunkle Ford!” from Mabel. Their giggles slowly faded away.

“She’s a regular ray of sunshine, ain’t she?” said Fiddleford.

“Yes,” agreed Ford. “I’m very lucky to have her and her brother in my life.”

“Me too. You know they helped me start getting my memories back.”

“Yet another thing I’m grateful to them for.” He came to the end of Fiddleford’s beard with a hum.

“I reckon that looks pretty snazzy,” said Fiddleford, checking his reflection in the window, but Ford shook his head.

“Hang on, let me try that again, it got really messy near the end.” He reached for the beard again, more out of a desire not to end this intimate moment with Fiddleford than out of dedication to immaculate braiding.

Fiddleford grinned, a knowing glint in his eye. “Always the perfectionist.”

“Pot. Kettle.”

“Guilty as charged!” With a laugh Fiddleford added, “Do you remember that stupid fight we had about coffee filters? We was yelling at each other right in this here room, weren’t we?”

Ford’s breath caught. Of course he remembered. He also remembered that fight had ended with a makeout session on the couch.

Did Fiddleford?

“Yes, it was in here,” he answered. “But . . . is the yelling all you remember?”

“No.”

He said it quietly, but with an intensity that brought Ford to a rigid attention. The tender look in his eye loosened Ford’s tongue, and before he knew it he blurted out, “I’m still in love with you.”

Fiddleford brought a trembling hand to Ford’s face. “Ford . . .”

Leaning into the touch, his hands moving from Fiddleford’s beard and onto his shoulders, Ford continued, “I know that after everything that happened between us, it’s more than I could ever ask for simply to be your friend again. And if you want to keep it that way, I’ll still consider myself incredibly fortunate. But if you still feel anything romantic towards me -”

Fiddleford cut him off with a kiss, soft and tender, leaving Ford tingling as he pulled away. “Yes,” he said breathlessly. “Yes, consarn it, Stanford, I couldn’t stop loving you if I tried. Which I did try. Multiple times. I don’t want to try again.”

“Me neither,” said Ford, and pulled him into another kiss, more intense than the first. Ford’s hands fell around Fiddleford’s waist and pulled him closer. When their mouths broke apart, their foreheads rested together, drinking in the closeness that had so long been denied them.

“The beard’s different,” murmured Ford. “But I like it.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Fidds chuckled, rubbing his beard on Ford’s face and peppering him with kisses. Ford was laughing when their lips met again.

“Oh, great,” said Stan, jolting them apart. “Now I owe Mabel fifteen bucks.”

“Stanley!” Ford cried. “How long have you been standing there?”

“Literally two seconds, sheesh,” said Stan, leaning against the doorway. “I just wanted to tell you dinner was ready, not watch you make out like a creep.”

“And since when do you gamble with the kids?”

“Since when do I not gamble with anyone? I really shouldn’t have bet against Mabel’s matchmaking skills, though. I just thought you two were so repressed, you wouldn’t know a gay urge if it bit you in the rear.”

Ford rolled his eyes. “Just because I like to keep things private doesn’t mean I’m repressed, Stanley. I accepted the fact that I’m gay back in college, when we first got together.”

“Really? So Mabel didn’t start your relationship, she just got you back together. I think I can make this work for me.”

“You give that girl her fifteen dollars, Stanley,” Fiddleford insisted. “I never would’ve guessed that braid train business was a setup. That girl is good.”

When she came in for dinner and found Fiddleford and Stanford holding hands, Mabel squealed and accepted her winnings with relish. Though Dipper was less exuberant, he did say that their getting together was “neat, real neat. You guys are, like, the ultimate science power couple.” Even Stan admitted that despite all the teasing, he was happy for them.

“It gives me a lot of hope for the future,” said Ford as he walked Fiddleford home that evening, “having that kind of support from family.”

“Don’t it?” Fiddleford concurred. “Those kids ain’t growing up with the same limits on self expression, or love, that we did. What a blessing that is.”

“For so long, I felt like I didn’t have a future,” said Ford. “Everything was about stopping Bill. But now, the possibilities are endless. This is the freest I’ve ever felt. I’m so glad I get to share that with you.”

“I feel exactly the same way.”

Ford kissed Fiddleford then, right there in the street, not caring at all if anyone saw.

[carry-on-snowbazzing]

My 5 best of 2020 (in 2021 😂)

1. A summer day ☀

"Well, Baz! Do you want to move?" Penelope yelled, already in the car (a certain MG dated 1967).

Simon studied his own reflection in the rearview mirror, running a hand through his bronze curly tuft and resulting in even more messiness.

"A minute!" was the answer from a few floors above the apartment.

Penelope rolled her eyes and picked up her Iphone.

Shortly after, hurried footsteps were heard coming down the stairs and Baz, after closing the door, got into the car.

Simon leaned out of the back seat and kissed him on the cheek.

He smiled and, starting the engine, exclaimed:

"Destination: fun!"

  Later there were four of them getting out of the car: Baz with a beach umbrella over his shoulder, Simon struggling with a giant inflatable pink flamingo, Penelope with a cooler bag, and Agatha with another bag, containing beach towels and sunscreen.

"The weather forecasts were right; today’s a perfect day for the sea," Penelope commented as she slipped off her flip-flops and dropped her bag into the sand.

"Edward shines like a fairy!" Simon yelled, putting on a pair of sunglasses and pointing to Baz.

"Stop it, Snow," he laughed, "and give me my glasses back; all this sunshine stuns me."

Trying to ignore them, Agatha took off her cover-up and began to rub off the protection angrily.

"Whoever dives himself last is a pixie!" Simon yelled, throwing his t-shirt and starting to run towards the sea with Penelope at his heels.

Several splashes and laughter later, the two returned wet, smiling and hungry.

Meanwhile, Baz and Agatha had dedicated themselves to crossword puzzles and to the horoscope.

"Agatha, there must be some butter and turkey sandwiches in the cooler," Penelope said as she wrapped herself in her towel.

"I couldn't find anything better for you than beef carpaccio," she said to Baz.

He smiled making 'OK' with both thumbs.

"And for me?" Agatha asked, offended that her friend hadn't thought of her too.

"Fruit salad" she replied. "I know you're on a vegetarian diet."

Agatha blushed feeling a little guilty and muttered something like "Oh, thank you".

Everyone literally devoured their lunch, because, as Simon ruled on his fifth butter sandwich, "The sea makes you hungry."

They gossiped a bit about their old classmates, wondering if Gareth still had his belt buckle as a wand and if Trixie had a fight with his girlfriend.

  They lost track of time after falling asleep in the early afternoon sun.

It was the sound of a notification that woke Agatha, who, after seeing her mother's message ('Where are you? Coven party tonight!'), made a shrill sound that woke the others too.

"Damn, I'm in mega-delay!" she complained, sitting up and hastily gathering his things.

Seeing her so agitated, no one dared contradict her and they hurried too.

Before leaving for the return, all already in the car, Simon took out a Polaroid from the trunk (not an easy feat, given the bulky mass of the flamingo) and urged them:

"Wait! Say 'cheese'!"

Everyone posed, waiting for the flash.

Once the picture was taken, Simon reached for the film that had just come out of the instant camera, but found himself clutching a slice of Emmental in his fingers.

Baz couldn't help himself and laughed uncontrollably.

"Tyrannus Basilton Grimm-Pitch!" Simon bursted, but he couldn't bear a grudge and joined in the general laughter.

___________________________________________________

2. Shopping (Big & Little) 🥄

"They'll be emptying the mall, those two" Agatha commented, looking at the clock on the kitchen wall and adding another egg to the bowl.

"Probably" replied Penelope, who was handling the curry risotto.

"They've been away for three hours!" Agatha insisted, "and with two credit cards!".

Penelope gave her a look like 'what can we do?' and again consulted the handwritten note attached to the refrigerator with a magnet (shaped like a scone).

"Oh, I forgot the onion!" she moaned after a quick glance, "my mother would kill me if she knew!".

She went back to the stove and for a few minutes they remained silent, one intent on vigorously banging the whips, the other busy slicing the bulb.

Once Agatha had baked the chocolate cake (wiping a non-existent sweat with her glove) and Penelope had remedied her mistake, the girls dropped onto the sofa.

They were just debating which movie to watch that night when they heard the key turn in the lock and Simon exclaim from the entrance:

"We’re at home!"

The two joined them in the living room and Baz asked:

"Curry and chocolate?"

Penelope nodded.

"Sometimes I wish I was a vampire; just smell a dish to understand if the doses are right or wrong," she sighed.

"Shopping?" Agatha asked, looking at the numerous envelopes they both had in their hands and casting a reproachful look at Simon.

"There were the sales" he tried to justify himself, shrugging his shoulders.

"Hurry up; you’ll show us your spoils of war after dinner" Penelope ordered.

  "What do you think?" Simon began, smugly showing a set of jeans for Baz and a giant jar of sour cherries scones.

Penelope seemed to try not to roll her eyes.

"I stayed on the intellectual side" Baz said, pulling a stack of books and a pack of pastel highlighters out of a bag.

"I need them for the college" he explained to Agatha, who was trying to get hold of the markers.

"And you haven't seen the piece of resistence!" Simon shrieked, grabbing a smiling Baz by the wrist and dragging him into the nearest room.

They came out moments later walking backwards (in what was supposed to be an imitation of Michael Jackson's moonwalk), so they could only see their backs.

"3, 2, 1 ..." Baz counted.

"Ta daaaan!" Simon exclaimed as they turned at the same time.

They wore matching gray sweatshirts; both had a black molded spoon.

'Big' was written on Baz's, while Simon's 'Little'.

"Awww" the girls screamed in unison, in the grip of a fangirl attack (which managed to make Agatha look adoring too).

"We have a pair for you too" Baz said, handing Penelope a black t-shirt with 'Brownie' on it, while Simon gave Agatha a white one with 'Blondie' on it.

"Thanks, guys" Penelope murmured moved and Agatha initiated a group hug.

photos references

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

3. Anniversary 💞

here

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4. Ops! 🧴

 Simon knocked for the tenth time on the bathroom door:

"Occupied!" Baz yelled for the tenth time.

"And sorry, but I can't hold it anymore anymore ..."

Simon abruptly released the handle, abandoning his irritated tone.

He let out a cry, muffled by the hands that he immediately brought to his mouth.

Baz was shirtless in front of the mirror, glaring at his own reflection.

Everything was perfectly normal, except for his hair: it had turned from raven to red.

Fawn red.

"If you tell anyone about this, Snow, I will end you" he growled menacingly.

Simon stood there, speechless. When he had regained the use of his mouth, he barely stifled a laugh and intoned:

“Weasley is our king

he always lets the Quaffle in ... "

From Baz's look, he knew it would be wiser to stop, so he did it.

He approached cautiously and asked gently:

"What happened to you?".

"I wish I knew; I was taking a normal shampoo shower" sighed Baz.

Meanwhile Simon had reached the sink and was looking closely at the bottle of the citron and bergamot scented blend.

"It doesn't seem to have anything strange" he then ruled, placing it back on the shelf.

"Indeed; I went to get it from my home in Hampshire; Daphne can only find it in our town's herbalist's shop," Baz replied sadly.

"I really can't explain it" he went on, unable to get over it.

"My sister gave it to me ..." he stopped suddenly.

He clapped her forehead and turned on the lock screen of his smartphone.

"Today is April 1st," he murmured.

He took the vial in one hand and, with the ivory wand in the other, exclaimed:

"Show me your secrets!".

The writing on the label changed from 'Shampoo with citrus notes' to 'Permanent color intense red'.

"MORDELIAAAAA!" he screamed as Simon rolled with laughter.

"April Fool!" he managed to exclaim between a laugh and another.

That’s totally inspired by a fanart of @vkelleyart​ 💖 :  that 

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5. Trick or treat? 👻

 "Well, Baz! If you don't move, we'll only have the sub-brand candy left!" Simon railed.

With all the peace of mind he could, Baz went down the stairs and joined his screaming boyfriend, who was immediately silent at his sight.

"Morgana, Basilton; you really mean it" Penelope commented, watching him as she lit another candle to put in the Jack o 'lanterns carved by Simon and Baz (which occupied all the flat surfaces of the apartment).

"I've been doing some accurate researches over the last week" he began, making a theatrical gesture in his vampire cloak.

"You even have the same jacket as Gary Oldman" she observed excitedly.

He, in response, gave her a perfidious look, baring his fangs.

Simon was still in his silence and couldn't take his eyes off him.

"What's up Snow, the cat got your tongue?" Baz asked, amused.

He answered with a tongue sticking out and approached him with a raised eyebrow (in perfect Baz style).

"Wow" he commented after kissing him on the cheek.

"Enjoy yourselves!" Penelope exclaimed as they came out hand in hand.

  "Where do we go now?" Baz asked.

Simon moved with great ease between one bell and another, meticulously illustrating the specialties offered by each house.

His phrases were: "Here you can always find top quality stuff", or "No, better to avoid an indigestion".

After scouring all the houses on the first five blocks, Simon had an epiphany.

"For a thousand snakes! Baz, we absolutely have to go to the 'Spooky night' party!" he screamed, making him jump.

"Crowley, Snow! Calm down!" he retorted irritably, adjusting the cuffs of his shirt.

"You don't understand," Simon insisted.

"Our loot is loser when compared to everything you can find there; Strawberry Blood Drip, Every Flavour Beans, Pumpkin PIE, Butterbeer and, hold on ... Oreo with Orange Cream!"

Baz, seeing him so excited ('like a child', he thought), couldn’t say no to him (although he wanted to go home more than anything else; his feet protested against Count Dracula's boots).

"And where would it be?" he asked, trying not to smile.

"A couple of blocks from here; hurry up!" Simon urged him, taking him by the hand and starting to run.

  "A delusion!" Simon snapped, leaving the bag full of sweets on the doormat.

"What happened?" Penelope asked Baz, who had just closed the door behind him and limped desperately as he headed for the sofa.

"In short at that damn party they had finished everything and told us our costumes sucked" he explained.

Simon was with his arms folded, all sulking, sitting in the armchair.

"Look at their costumes! And let me have something to eat, rather!" he barked.

Penelope approached him and, looking at him tenderly, reassured him:

"We always have our repertoire of horror films."

Simon shrugged, hitting the nearby lamp.

"And I was prepared for any eventuality," she went on, snapping her fingers and popping up a pack of Oreos with orange cream.

Simon's face cleared, illuminated by a huge grin.

__________________________________________________

Ty @letraspal​ for tagging me 💕

That’s all; hope u like it!  💜

Happy new Year! ✨

[thecassadilla]

Pumpkin, Pumpkin

Pairing: New Dream/Rapunzel x Eugene

Word Count: 2,085/AO3

Summary: There aren’t many things that can shock Eugene anymore, as he’s learned to expect the unexpected with Rapunzel. Though, coming home to an apartment full of pumpkins is always a fun surprise.

Author’s Note: Happy October! While I absolutely hate Fall (cold weather + less daylight, yuck), Halloween is my favorite holiday. I planned to write a couple of fics this month to help me “embrace” this season and this is the first. I really didn’t think that I would finish it in time but I pulled it off by the skin of my teeth. Enjoy!!!

It had become a habit for Eugene to expect the unexpected whenever he returned home to the apartment that he shared with Rapunzel. It wasn’t unusual for him to walk into some type of elaborate feast for dinner, though he wasn’t sure where she found the time or energy to cook after a full day of work. It was equally as common for him to walk and find Rapunzel completely enthralled in one of her many hobbies, completely focused on the task in her hands and nothing else. Expecting the unexpected had become the norm. 

And yet, he would occasionally find himself surprised, nonetheless. Like the chilly, early October evening when he walked into an apartment full of pumpkins and gourds of various sizes. It was impossible not to laugh and shake his head at the sheer absurdness of it.

“Hi, Eugene!” Rapunzel called as she walked past the entryway to the apartment.

“Hi, Sunshine,” he called back, as he shrugged out of his jacket and hung it up on the hooks by the door. He dropped his bag on the floor next to their shoes and tossed his keys onto the console table before walking into the apartment. Rapunzel was standing by the sink, cleaning off one of the pumpkins with a damp towel, and he observed for a moment from the living room before walking up to the crowded counter and taking a gourd in his hands. “Now I’m not up to date on current events, so tell me - did they just discover that pumpkins have the same monetary value as gold?”

She turned around to roll her eyes at him. “Very funny.”

He hastily placed the gourd back on the counter and raised both of his hands in surrender, playing along. “What do I know? Maybe pumpkin farming is where the real money is, these days. 

“Eugene,” she warned playfully.

“You know I’m just messing around,” he chucked. “A man walks into an apartment full of pumpkins and - wait, that sounds like the start of a bad dad joke. Anyway, I guess the burning question is: what’s with all the pumpkins?”

“So some of them are for carving -”

“Uh huh,” he interrupted, leaning onto the counter and cradling his face in his hands.

“And some of them are for pumpkin pies -”

“I see.”

“Even though I’ve heard canned pumpkin is better for pies -”

“Mmhmm.”

“So I’ll have to do my own test to find out. Ooh! Pumpkin bread too!”

He was nearly drooling, now. “Sounds amazing.” 

“Just generally for baking, you know?”

“Totally,” he nodded.

“And I’m bringing the gourds with me to work tomorrow.”

“Gotcha!” He remarked, standing straight up and clapping his hands together. “It all makes sense now.”

She smirked at him. “You know, you’re a bit of a pain sometimes.”

“Moi? A pain?” he teased, dramatically gasping and placing a hand over his heart. 

“Eugene, I -”

But in a flash, he was on his knees before her, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his face in her side. Unable to complete her thought, she patted him on the head as he begged, “Could you ever forgive me?”

He looked up at her and she cocked an eyebrow. “Are you done?”

“Yes,” he laughed, standing up. 

“You are the most dramatic person I’ve ever met, in my entire life,” she said matter-of-factly, though her voice was laced with humor. 

“I do have a flair for the dramatics, don’t I?” He smirked. “It isn’t everyday that my fiancée decides to buy out the local pumpkin farm and I have to take advantage of that. Don’t be surprised when I start breaking out the pumpkin puns.”

She wagged her finger at him. “Save them for the weekend. I want an entire day, at the minimum, dedicated to carving.” 

“Kind of rich coming from the only person in the room who’s artistically inclined. I’m probably going to end up cutting a few triangles and a smile into mine. But, I’ll be sure to clear my very empty schedule,” he assured her. 

“Much appreciated.”

“Now, I don’t know about you, but I am starving. I’ll pick up some takeout?”

“Yes, please!” 

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

Though he was still half-asleep, Eugene had the strangest feeling that he was being watched. His body was still begging for sleep, but he couldn’t shake the sensation so he cracked open an eye. Sure enough, someone was staring at him - Rapunzel.

“Morning!” she called, chipper as ever. 

He groaned in response, burying his face in the pillow. “What time is it?”

“Seven.”

“I’m going back to bed,” he said, his voice muffled by the pillow.

Her hand came down on his shoulder and she gently squeezed it. “I thought your schedule was wide open for pumpkin carving?”

“It is. At a decent hour.”

“Seven is decent! Look, the sun is up and everything!”

“I am not ready to be elbow deep in pumpkin guts at seven in the morning, Sunshine. Try again around noon,” he yawned.

“Aw, come on. I’ll make you breakfast!”

“Don’t try to bribe me with food,” he warned, finally turning to face her. 

“Knowing you, you’ll make some pumpkin pancakes or something.”

“Is that a thing?” she asked excitedly, as if his idea was a stroke of genius. She grabbed her phone, and seconds later, she had an answer. “It is a thing!”

He chuckled. “Did you really expect anything less? This entire part of the year has become synonymous with pumpkin spice lattes. The real question is, what can’t be made with pumpkin?”

“Pizza,” she answered, without skipping a beat. “Pumpkin pizza sounds gross.”

He wrinkled his nose in disgust. “Revolting.”

Instead of answering, she looked at him with wide eyes and pouty lips, very obviously trying to convince him to get up. 

“Fine,” he remarked, kicking the sheets off of his body. “You win. But I am going to take a delicious nap later and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”

She clapped her hands together a few times in victory. “Yay! Pumpkin time!”

“Pumpkin time,” he mimicked, in a less than enthused voice.

“Brighten up, Eugene! This is going to be fun.”

He followed her into the kitchen and sat on one of the stools at the counter. Somehow, she had already managed to set up their work station with tools and of course, the pumpkins.

“What time did you do all of this?”

“Five,” she answered, climbing onto the chair next to him.

“You got up at five o’clock in the morning on a Saturday? What is wrong with you, woman? Do you ever sleep?”

She clicked her tongue. “I was excited.”

“The only time I ever willingly get up this early is to catch a plane to a nice, warm beach vacation.”

“I can’t help that we get excited about different things,” she giggled, picking up one of the carving tools.

“You’re always up early. I think you’re just excited about life in general,” he pointed out.

“I am,” she nodded. 

“Now, is this a competition? Because if it is, you’re going to run circles around me.”

“Not a competition,” she assured him. “I thought they would look nice on the balcony, or maybe we can even put them in front of the door on Halloween so people in the building will know that we’re giving out candy.”

“I hope I don’t crush your dreams, but there aren’t a lot of kids in this building. Didn’t we only see two trick-or-treaters last year?”

“Yeah,” she frowned for a moment, though it quickly vanished. “But maybe this year will be different!”

“Maybe,” he chuckled, picking up a tool of his own. “Now, where should I start? I have a simple, yet traditional design in mind.”

“You have to start at the top,” she answered, matter-of-factly. “The insides have to come out before you can carve anything into the pumpkin.”

He snapped his fingers in approval. “You’re absolutely right.”

They both began to work silently, carving circles around the stems of their pumpkins before pulling out the seeds and fibrous strands.

“Don’t throw away any of the seeds,” Rapunzel warned. “I’m going to toast them later.”

“You got it, Sunshine.”

After their pumpkins were thoroughly cleaned out, they began to work on carving the outer portions. It didn’t take Eugene long to draw out his design with a marker, and carve it out, as he wasn’t being meticulous with it and was only using one tool. Rapunzel’s design, on the other hand, was very elaborate and time-consuming, and it was apparent that she was taking advantage of all the tools she had purchased.

“How’re you making out?” he asked, when he had finished working on his.

“Oh, I still have a while to go.”

“I’m done, I think.” He turned the pumpkin to face her; he’d carved two triangles for eyes, an upside down triangle for a nose, and a big wide grin with a few square-shaped teeth. 

“It’s so cute!” she squealed. “I love the little teeth.”

“Thanks,” he chuckled. “I told you that it was going to be classic. Can’t go wrong with a few basic shapes.”

“It’s adorable. I absolutely love it.”

“If you don’t mind, I’m going to take my nap now. Wake me up when you’re finished,” he said. “Unless I wake up first, in which case, I’ll see it when you’re done.”

“Sweet dreams.”

Instead of going back to the bedroom like he had initially planned, he decided to crash on the couch instead. He relaxed into the soft cushions and within a few minutes, he was soundly sleeping. In the meantime, Rapunzel continued to work hard on her creation, utilizing different techniques to create the image that she desired. With a lack of distractions, she placed her full attention on finishing, sticking her tongue out in concentration. When she was finally satisfied with the way that it came out, she relaxed her shoulders in relief and let out a bated breath.

She jumped off of the stool and wandered into the living room. She wasn’t entirely sure how much time had passed and Eugene was still peacefully sleeping, but he had told her to wake him up when she finished. So, she tiptoed over to him and gently shook his shoulder.

“Eugene,” she whispered. “I finished carving my pumpkin.”

“Yeah? That’s great,” he mumbled sleepily.

“Do you want to see it?”

“Mmhmm,” he nodded slowly, his eyes finally blinking open. 

“I’ll go get it!” 

She skipped back to the kitchen and grabbed her masterpiece before returning to the living room. He was sitting up now, rubbing at his eyes with his hands.

She placed it on the coffee table. “Ta-da!” 

Somehow, she had managed to carve an image of the two of them into the pumpkin. He wasn’t quite sure how he did it, but it looked just like them.

“Wow...I’m seriously impressed,” he remarked in awe. “You even got my nose right!”

“Of course,” she giggled.

“How did you do that?”

“So basically, I took a photo of us and converted it to grayscale so it would be easier to see all of the lights and darks. And then I printed it out and poked a bunch of tiny holes around our faces and stuff, and then I had to cut out some places and shave down the flesh in other places, and eventually it turned into this!”

“You did an amazing job. I really can’t believe that you turned us into a pumpkin.”

She grinned. “Wait until I put a candle in it! It’ll look even nicer when it’s illuminated.”

“I really don’t know how you do it,” he chuckled. “It’s beautiful, though. I love it and I’m sure the neighbors will too. It’ll really give ‘em pumpkin to talk about. See what I did there?”

She simply shook her head, smiling widely. “You’re very clever.”

“Now that all of the carving is done, I have to ask - when were you planning on testing out that pumpkin pie theory you mentioned? I know that I’m not much help in the kitchen, but I can’t get the thought out of my head.”

“How about we start with some pumpkin pancakes? Because you haven’t eaten breakfast, yet. I can make the pies later.”

He clapped his hands together. “Another reason why I only have pies for you. Look, I did it again!”

“You’re the pun-king, Eugene,” she smirked. “Now, come help me clean up the kitchen so we can get to baking.”

[ultraglittercat]

Drabble 76

Victory Party

(This fic is actually dedicated to @honeyxmonkey because they need positivity today!)

“People of Corona, I have an announcement.” said King Frederick, standing in the courtyard addressing all his subjects, with his wife and daughter by his side. “I know a lot has happened this past week, and I am proud of how valiantly all of you fought against the dreaded demon Zhan Tiri.”

There was a murmur of applause from the crowd.

“That is why I am proclaiming today a celebratory day and starting today we will have a victory party every year to commemorate the defeat of Zhan Tiri.” Frederick concluded.

The crowd erupted in cheers, but Eugene and his friends stayed silent. They were looking at Rapunzel, who they knew was wrestling with many emotions now that Cassandra had left. Frederick's announcement was probably at least partly meant as a distraction for her, but they could tell it wasn't completely working.

“You okay, Sunshine? I know you still miss Cass, but this party could be just what we need to lift our spirits.” said Eugene.

“I know.” replied Rapunzel. She tried to smile, but didn't quite pull it off.

“Yeah, I can make a fireworks display. Thanks to Lance, we know flynnolium has excellent pyrotechnic potential.” Varian put forth.

“See? I knew what I was doing.” Lance said smugly.

“Really?” Varian arched an eyebrow.

“Well, I mostly knew.” Lance amended.

“And just think of all the treats we'll have! Cupcakes, pies, candy...” Eugene rattled off a list.

“Dibs on the candy!” yelled Kiera.

“No fair, I wanted to call dibs!” Catalina pouted.

“I guess I could make an outdoor mural with chalk.” Rapunzel mused. “And we can all be on it, even Cassandra!”

“Tell you what, Sunshine. We can set out a lantern-- just one-- in honor of Cassandra and wherever she is, she'll be able to see it.” Eugene said.

“Oh, can we?” Rapunzel clasped Eugene's hand, looking genuinely happy for the first time that day.

“Of course. I loved Cass like a sister, but you I love more than anything.” Eugene told her.

“I love you too, Eugene. And just knowing how much you care about me, really helps right now. I think I might be able to enjoy the party after all.” she said.

“I knew you would.” Eugene replied, kissing her cheek. Rapunzel blushed and then she kissed him back. She was feeling much more like her usual, chipper self.

“Okay, gang. Let's go out there and help everyone make this a party to remember!” Rapunzel proclaimed.

“Yeah!” they all cheered. Kiera and Catalina went to help (mostly bother) Monty and Attila as they made the snacks. Lance tried to follow Varian over to where the teen planned to set up the fireworks but was told in no uncertain terms that he wasn't welcome around flynnolium. Varian did relent and say he could play with the lancide, a new compound which fizzled a lot and mostly made a mess of things. And Eugene and Rapunzel walked slowly arm in arm, watching their friends make preparations.

“It really is going to be a good day.” Rapunzel said, more to herself than anything.

“I know it is. Here's the chalk, Rapunzel. Go do your thing.” Eugene urged. And Rapunzel got down on her knees and began drawing an elaborate picture of her, Eugene, Pascal, Maximus, Lance, Kiera, Catalina, Varian, Ruddiger, Quirin, Frederick, Arianna, Cassandra, Fidella, Owl, and Cap. She even added Stan, Pete, Nigel, all the castle staff and some prominent citizens of Corona. It was a big picture, but Rapunzel had a big heart and room enough for all her friends.

The End

I hope I didn't forget anyone! I love what close friends the gang are. They may not be family by blood, but they are family by choice and that's just as good.

[overzne]

❛  SOMETHING’S  NOT  RIGHT  WITH  THOSE  SIBLINGS. ❜

      there’s  been  a  mystery  afoot  in  changwon  ,  south  korea  for  what’s  going  to  be  three  years  on  august  17th  ;  a  question  that  seems  to  have  so  many  answers  yet  none  at  the  same  time   ---   what  really  happened  in  the  kwon  household  on  that  gruesome  night  ?  a  blazing  house  fire  that  consumed  three  people  whom  where  still  inside  ,  yet  the  younger  three  children  were  in  no  harm  ,  just  pain  from  losing  their  loved  ones.  citizens  in  the  area  who  heard  about  the  news  were  also  devastated  about  the  news  and  gave  their  condolences  to  the  last  of  the  kwon  family.  their  parents  were  very  respected  people  simply  due  to  their  contribution  to  the  community  and  their  passion  towards  their  kids.  yet  when  a  leak  from  the  police  station  revealed  that  the  father  of  the  home  was  found  with  twenty  one  stab  wounds  repeatedly  in  the  chest  ,  and  the  mother  already  being  deceased  from  blunt  force  trauma  ,  those  same  people  started  to  see  those  kids  in  a  different  light.  instead  of  letting  them  grieve  ,  conspiracy  theorists  took  to  the  internet  to  give  their  take  on  the  incident.  some  wrote  about  the  eldest  woman  doing  the  evil  deeds  while  the  twins  had  no  idea  what  went  on.  others  speculate  maybe  one  or  both  of  the  youngest  children  planned  it  themselves  ;  very  few  believed  it  was  all  of  them  and  quite  many  brought  up  the  eldest  son  ,  which  gained  them  crazy  looks  as  he  died  in  the  fire  as  well  . . .  until  word  got  around  that  his  body  was  nowhere  to  be  found.  for  now  ,  the  theories  have  been  a  popular  forum  but  like  all  things  ,  it’s  traction  began  to  die  down  and  slowly  went  from  a  wildfire  to  a  hushed  whisper.  the  kwons  are  now  trying  to  balance  life  after  loss  ,  still  maintaining  their  sanity  one  day  at  a  time.  but  one  member  of  the  family  have  decided  to  take  matters  in  their  own  hands  ,  and  soon  a  NEW  theory  was  posted  revealing  everything  that  took  place  inside  the  home  ,  but  are  people  gonna  take  it  serious  as  it  tarnishes  the  kwon’s  family  name  forever  ?

UNDER  THE  CUT  ,  you  will  be  introduced  to  the  last  three  standing  family  members  of  the  kwon  residence.  if  you  wish  to  plot  with  any  of  them  ,  please  like  this  post.  tw :  vague  mentions  of  child  abuse  /  pornography  ,  drug  abuse  ,  violence  ,  homophobia  ,  attempt  sexual  assault  /  suicide.

#  FILE  NUMBER  ONE  :  KWON  JUNHEE  ,  age  30.  (  seo  yeji  fc  )

originally  the  second  born  child  now  taking  on  the  role  of  the  eldest  &.  the  parent  of  the  younger  twins  ;  a  very  dedicated  mystery  crime  novelist  who  often  spoke  about  wanting  peace  and  happiness.  the  public  loved  her  stories  ,  but  it  was  something  about  her  recently  released  book  back  3  years  back  before  the  incident  that  drew  in  more  eyes.  ❛  ESCAPE  FROM  HOME  ❜  was  a  tale  about  a  young  woman  named  son  eunbin  who  lived  a  happy  life   ---  or  so  it  was  described.  then  suddenly  she  wakes  up  in  a  cold  sweat  and  all  hell  begins  for  the  rest  of  the  book.  the  uniqueness  and  detailed  descriptions  left  many  people  speechless  and  they  yearned  to  know  the  truth  behind  it  yet  got  no  answers  as  junhee  stated  she  was  not  going  to  say  anything  until  the  time  was  right.  in  april  of  2020  ,  a  follower  of  her  instagram  page  released  a  screen - recorded  video  from  a  live  the  author  did  confessing  that  the  book  was  inspired  by  true  events  in  her  own  life.  it  baffled  the  people  of  changwon.  a  lot  of  people  refused  to  acknowledge  it.  after  all  ,  she  described  the  parents  in  that  book  to  be  MONSTERS  ,  absolute  scum  of  the  earth.  the  father  was  the  worst  of  all  as  the  mom  would  sometimes  help  but  neither  had  a  good  enough  redemption  arc.  not  to  mention  the  main  character  soon  found  tapes  upon  tapes  of  her  being  molested  as  a  child  from  ages  eight  to  ten  by  close  colleagues  of  the  family  being  hidden  in  her  father’s  office.  and  what  about  the  acclaimed  suicide  attempts  ?  there  was  no  way  in  the  world  it  was  all  true  ,  but  it  was.  a  gossip  site  let  it  be  known  that  junhee  was  indeed  admitted  into  a  rehabilitation  center  far  from  home  once  hitting  the  age  of  22  for  unknown  reasons  ,  two  years  after  the  twins  were  born.  she  ended  up  saying  herself  that  she  couldn’t  watch  not  just  one  ,  but  two  children’s  lives  be  destroyed  by  those  evil  people.  so  she  tried  to  smother  them  ,  but  when  caught  by  her  mother  they  ended  up  arguing  and  eventually  things  got  too  overwhelming  as  she  then  tried  to  hurt  herself  with  a  kitchen  knife.  now  the  THIRTY  year  old  woman  says  she  has  changed  from  who  she  was  eight  years  ago.  she  made  sure  the  twins  were  happy  and  tried  her  hardest  to  protect  them.  she  still  writes  ,  and  has  an  up  and  running  bookstore.  due  to  her  brother’s  absence  she  had  to  take  the  role  of  running  the  family’s  business  which  she  took  ,  not  before  firing  those  who  were  close  to  her  parents  and  running  it  her  way.  can  be  described  as  alert  ,  calculated , nurturing , organized  &.  reserved.

#  FILE  NUMBER  2  :  KWON  TAEYEON  ,  age  20.  (  hwang  yeji  fc  )

the  first  born  out  of  the  bundle  of  twins  ;  a  ray  of  sunshine  and  the  golden  child  that  captivated  everyone  with  her  adoring  smile  and  contagious  giggles.  she  was  like  bubbles  being  blown  on  a  hot  summer  day  in  a  sundress  ,  a  piece  of  candy  so  sweet  that  you’d  get  a  toothache.  taeyeon  wasn’t  afraid  to  be  herself  in  front  of  anyone  ,  not  even  her  parents.  which  is  where  her  downfall  began.  her  interests  in  boys  stopped  faster  than  her  playing  with  dolls  did.  her  eldest  brother  was  the  first  to  catch  on  after  he  caught  her  watching  some  very  dirty  videos  at  age  13.  he  explained  to  her  that  while  he  had  no  problem  with  it  ,  their  parents  might.  she  was  aware  of  that  being  possible  ,  hence  why  she  pretended  to  like  boys  in  the  eyes  of  the  others.  besides  that  ,  taeyeon  was  the  perfect  kid.  incredibly  intelligent  ,  and  very  athletic.  truth  be  told  ,  she  favored  her  father  over  her  mom  since  he  was  always  at  her  games  and  showered  her  with  attention.  this  alone  started  countless  arguments  with  her  brother  as  he  for  one  did  not  like  him.  she  assumed  it  was  jealousy  from  not  being  dad’s  favorite  as  their  father  did  quite  purposely  ignore  him  for  her.  she  was  15  when  she  fell  for  her  close  friend.  they  were  spending  the  night  after  a  big  game  win  and  wanted  to  spend  more  time  together  over  the  weekend  since  it  was  the  end  of  the  season.  one  thing  led  to  another  and  their  lips  connected  in  a  sweet  kiss  only  to  be  interrupted  by  her  mother  walking  in  on  them.  quickly  she  left  and  taeyeon  assumed  she’d  just  keep  quiet  about  it.  sadly  that  wasn’t  the  case.  one  evening  when  she  was  cleaning  up  her  room  ,  her  father  busted  in  and  confronted  her  about  the  kiss.  no  explanation  was  good  enough  as  it  resulted  in  her  being  smacked  in  the  face.  things  only  got  worse  when  he  tried  to  force  her  into  a  relationship  with  a  close  guy  friend  she  had.  thankfully  he  understood  her  situation  and  didn’t  try  to  do  anything  which  just  pissed  the  man  off  more.  so  he  took  matters  into  his  own  hands  ---  or  rather  a  colleagues.  after  getting  out  the  shower  ,  she  walked  out  into  her  bedroom  and  was  met  with  an  unknown  man  waiting  for  her. quickly  she  caught  on  and  tried  to  run  back  to  the  bathroom  but  failed.  he  was  quick  ,  and  managed  to  gain  control  just  as  fast.  however  ,  her  twin  and  older  brother  heard  her  screaming  and  immediately  ran  to  the  scene  where  they  stopped  anything  from  getting  too  far.  since  then  ,  taeyeon’s  trust  has  been  messed  up  ,  even  causing  her  to  break  ties  from  her  girlfriend  before  hitting  17.  she  had  to  move  rooms  because  it  scared  her  to  be  there  and  nightmares  crept  onto  her  like  a  ghost  in  the  night.  she  was  paranoid  ,  it  showed  on  the  outside  ,  too  whenever  someone  she  didn’t  know  approached  her  too  friendly  or  came  off  as  strong.  she  couldn’t  function  properly.  so  junhee  decided  to  give  her  some  sleeping  pills  that  she’d  been  using  to  help  her  sleep  better  as  she  felt  like  that  could  be  part  of  the  reason  she  was  always  on  edge  ,  too.  so  she  did  ,  but  soon  that  became  a  danger  to  her  as  well.  at  some  point  junhee  took  the  younger  off  the  medicine  but  that  didn’t  stop  her.  taeyeon  wanted  to  sleep  for  as  long  as  she  could  ,  for  she  never  wanted  to  wake  up  to see  the  face  of  her  demon  ever  again.  thankfully  her  older  sister  caught  onto  this  similar  behavior  and  managed  to  stop  her  before  things  got  worse.  since  then  she’s  been  okay  but  she  sees  life  in  a  different  light.  now  she’s  studying  childhood  education  and  works  at  an  ice  cream  parlor.  she  can  be  described  as  guarded  ,  sentimental  ,  understanding  ,  finicky  and  doubtful.

#  FILE  NUMBER  3  :  KWON  TAEHYUN  ,  age  20.  (  choi  yeonjun  fc  )

the  other  half  of  the  twins  ;  the  softie  out  of  the  two  who  was  an  elder’s  favorite.  taehyun  was  the  kid  who’d  you  see  running  from  their  parents  while  giggling  ,  the  child  who’s  face  would  be  covered  in  candy  but  would  say  if  asked  if  he  had  any.  he  always  managed  to  put  a  smile  on  someone’s  face  ,  except  his  father’s.  the  young  male  never  knew  why  his  own  parent  couldn’t  quite  look  him  in  the  face  but  shook  it  off  because  his  mother’s  attention  made  up  for  it.  because  he  was  a  momma’s  boy  ,  he  would  do  anything  to  make  sure  both  her  and  his  sisters  were  okay.  though  perhaps  his  way  of  helping  is  a  bit  messy.  when  getting  old  ,  he  would  notice  how  his  older  brother  and  sister  would  come  home  sometimes  late  at  night  when  everyone  was  sleeping  (  as  he  was  a  night  owl  )  and  the  elder  boy  was  covered  in  bruises  and  blood.  he  remembered  overhearing  how  his  brother  told  his  sister  that  he’d  kill  anyone  who  hurt  her  ,  but  neither  of  the  males  expected  her  to  yell  out  “  what  about  their  dad.  ”  it  struck  him  at  that  point  that  it  looked  like  he  wasn’t  the  only  one  who  got  weird  vibes  about  the  man.  so  taehyun  took  it  upon  himself  to  becomes  his  sisters’  bodyguard.  he  would  stray  them  away  from  harm  and  make  sure  they  were  happy.  they  were  attending  one  of  taeyeon’s  games  when  a  strange  guy  approached  junhee.  the  boy  could  sense  she  was  uncomfortable  and  he  immediately  butted  in  ,  telling  the  older  guy  to  buzz  off.  when  she  asked  why  he  did  ,  he  explained  that  he  was  going  to  protect  her  from  everyone  ,  including  their  dad.  it  brought  tears  the  girl’s  eyes  to  hear  such  words  so  he  knew  it  had  to  mean  something.  but  it  started  to  happen  all  so  fast.  while  learning  how  to  fight  ,  his  older  brother  noticed  that  the  kid  was  good  ,  but  he  never  expected  that  if  he  was  angry  that  things  could  end  badly.  he  remembers  when  a  guy  tried  hitting  on  taeyeon  while  she  continuously  told  him  that  she  was  fine  after  the  near  assault.  so  to  make  him  listen ,  he  punched  him  once  ,  then  twice  and  repeated  the  process  until  his  knuckles  were  as  red  as  ketchup.  taeyeon  had  to  interfere  ,  screaming  at  him  to  stop  and  let  it  go  as  she  was  scaring  him.  that  was  when  it  was  revealed  that  taehyun  was  slightly  derailed  as  he  admitted  that  he  was  gonna  kill  the  guy  for  messing  with  her  ,  and  he’d  do  it  to  anyone.  even  their  father.  from  that  day  forward  ,  taehyun  was  more  attached  the  girls  ,  being  by  their  side  like  glue.  this  was  the  start  of  him  finding  out  what  happened  to  the  girls.  on  a  faithful  night  ,  he  did  end  figuring  it  all  out.  but  it  hurt.  it  hurt  because  these  were  his  own  kids  he  was  putting  through  hell  and  back.  the  videos  ,  the  pictures  ,  the  vulgar  messages   ---  it was  just  too  much.  how  strange  of  a  coincidence  was  it  that  the  night  he  figured  it  out  was  august  17th  ?  just  hours  before  the  fire  started.  he’s  been  reclusive  ever  since.  he  sees  countless  psychologists  and  counselors  but  all  say  the  same  thing.  taehyun  tries  to  move  on  ,  tries  to  forget  but  he  can’t.  now  at  20  ,  he’s  unemployed  as  junhee  is  afraid  of  him  going  since  he’s  not  exactly  stable  yet.  he  can  be  described  as  derailed  ,  vengeful  ,  friendly  ,  and  apologetic.

[nad-zeta]

Match-up Duo ☀

Hi there love! Thank you so much for the request and your kind words! You are such a sweetie pie! Hope you enjoy the match-up @noodle-of-sunshine​. And sorry for taking sooooooooooooooo long to get it to ya! ^o^

So I match you with………………… Ieyasu

Selfie match-up portion

The first time Ieyasu saw you, he had to do a double-take

You were absolutely radiant, shining bright like a ray of warm sunshine

He couldn’t help but compare you to a bright yellow sunflower, extruding warmth and light.

You are his favorite colour, yellow! 

And when he looked at you, he couldn’t help but think that you embodied everything, he loved about the color, sunshine, hope, and happiness, overflowing with purity and optimism

He had to shake his head clear, but then he looked up into those eyes of yours he melted into a puddle

Brown eyes shone brightly with the warmth of the sun, piercing into his very soul. 

They were big beautiful bright doe eyes. Constantly smiling at him, warming his sweet porcupine heart.

And ooohhh how his breath caught in his throat when you flashed him your smile.

It was like seeing the first spring flower bloom with happiness and joy

He had to avert his eyes, for if he gazed at you any longer, he feared he would lose his heart or perhaps he had already lost it

For the match-up part

Ieyasu needed to get away from you before your bright light swallowed him whole. He couldn’t help but be a moth drawn to your flame. While everyone was chatting and getting to know you after Nobunaga declared you the new castle, Chatelaine. Ieyasu tried to cut the blooming feeling in his chest off by the bud. He stood up abruptly, rolled his eyes, and said, “If this meeting is over, then I’m leaving, I don’t have time for weaklings.” You looked up at him with your big doe eyes, and he couldn’t help but blush and avert his gaze. Ieyasu quickly made his way out of the room, knowing that if he stays a moment longer, he with be teased to death by the troublesome trio. After he left, Mitsuhide focused his golden eyes on you: “My, my seems like the little mouse has caught the attention of our resident porcupine.” Masamune couldn’t help but laugh and chime in, “Never seen the lad so red, maybe i’ll swoop in and steal the lass away before he makes a move.” Mitsunari oblivious to any kind of teasing simply turned to you and beamed his bright angelic smile. He then clasped your hands in his and said, “I’m so happy you’ve managed to make so many friends already.” You couldn’t help but smile up at the strange men who took you in.

You worked hard as castle chatelaine and brought a kind of warmth and peacefulness to the castle. The maids loved working with you, and your bright warm personality even had Hideyoshi dropping all suspicion towards you. You had made quick friends with all the warlords especially Hideyoshi and Mitsunari

One day you went out to the market to buy some candy for Nobunaga. You felt slightly nervous, walking around with so much money but felt a sense of pride at the same time, for being trusted with such a big responsibility. You had successfully completed your mission and was now on your way back to the castle, when you saw some scary looking people out the corner of your eye. They, too, took notice of you and started to follow you. You picked up in pace, trying your best to spot one of the warlords to help you. You now broke out into a desperate run, trying to make it to the palace before the bandits caught up to you. You, unfortunately, were out of luck as you tripped, dropping a bag of candy. The bandits caught up to you and drew their swords; one of them grabbed you. You tried your hardest to fight them off, but one of them put a cloth over your nose and mouth. You felt yourself loose consciousness, and before you knew it, everything was black. 

Ieyasu and Hideyoshi were starting to worry about you, as you had been away for some time, and no one has spotted you. They left the castle, and Ieyasu felt something crunch under his shoes. He looked down to see a spilled packet of candies. He and Hideyoshi exchanged looks. They went back to the castle to report your disappearance. Mitsuhide contacted all his informants to try and pinpoint your whereabouts. Thanks to Mitsuhide’s connections, they quickly found out where you were, and a search party was now deployed to recover you.

You woke up in a dark room, your wrists were bound, and you could see the silhouette of two people chatting outside. You overheard a part of their conversation. They wanted to give you to a monk named Kennyo to use as an advantage over Nobunaga. A shiver went down your spine; you honestly prayed that someone was on their way to help you. The sky started getting dark, and a storm was brewing, you pretended to be knocked out when the men sought shelter in the very room, they kept you in. The cloud burst, and a big storm was underway. The shack they kept you in was by no means a good shelter as it was full of holes and cracks. You were also positioned right under a hole in the roof, so the water was now dripping all over you, chilling you to the bone. You honestly felt like crying, and just when you were starting to lose all hope, the door of the shack swung open, and your warlord friends came piling in guns blazing. Ieyasu went to untie you and help you up. The fear and anxiety was too much for you, and Ieyasu could see it in your eyes. He crouched down and picked you up, “You really are a troublesome girl.” That was all you heard before you passed out in Yasu’s warm, comforting arms. He took you back to your room and tucked you in.

The stress must have been too much for your body as you woke up feeling like you had been hit by a ton of bricks. As you slowly opened your eyes, you were welcomed by the sight of two bright green emerald eyes glaring down at you with worry. “Someone as naïve as you should learn some self-defense lest you want to be trampled on like a flower in the dirt.” You found it strange how his harsh words didn’t match his gentle action. He put a soothing cold cloth on your forehead and made you a cup of tea. He gave it to you, looking at you with concern. His eyes softened, and he gave you a small smile. You were drifting in and out of consciousness, and after you finished drinking the tea, your eyes fluttered closed, and Ieyasu tucked you back into bed. He had slowly nurse you back to health, and soon you were back to your full health ready to get back to work

Hideyoshi gave you the rest of the week off to relax until you were 100% healthy, in his opinion. You decided to spend that time making something for Ieyasu as a thank you for taking care of you. You had found out that he enjoyed spicy foods, so you made him a spicy curry and bread. You walked over to his palace and knocked on his door. He couldn’t help but give you a soft smile when he saw you walk in. “I don’t need your thanks, silly girl; I was just doing what I felt like.” You beamed at him and gave him the thank you gift anyways. The two of you sat together and had tea, you felt comfortable around him, so you chatted away. 

Since then, your visits to Ieyasu became a common occurrence. He really enjoyed it when you visited him, and he got to see that goofy smile of yours, not that he would ever admit it, of course. On one of your visits, you spotted a fawn in his garden, and you were awestruck, she was so freaken cute. The whole scene inspired you to paint, so you left abruptly returning a few hours later with some paints and a canvas. Ieyasu simply raised a brow at you and let you in. He had long ago fallen in love with you. So, he was but all too happy to spend more time with you. You set yourself up to paint on his porch overlooking the garden. Every day you came to visit him. He would work on important documents, and you would paint, and when both of you needed a break, the two of you would sit and have tea together. Ieyasu told you all about his life, and you told him all about yours. 

At some point, Ieyasu couldn’t hold in his feelings anymore, and he just had to confess them. So, one night he took a thin paintbrush and some of your paints and made a painting of his own. It was by no means good, but he was happy with it. He hung it on your wall for you to find it the morning and when you woke up to the clumsy painting, you were filled with so much happiness that you ran to Ieyasu palace and before he could say anything you gave him the biggest hug and smiled as he kissed your nose.

Ieyasu loved you so much. He was always there for you. He knew you would put others' needs before your own, so he made it his priority to make sure you were always happy. He would literally shower you with the sweetest kisses. His favorite kisses to give are definitely butterfly and Eskimo kisses. He would instantly pick up whenever you were feeling sad and just envelop you in a warm hug, gently rubbing your back. He knows you use humor as a coping mechanism to deal with stress, so he will even crack a few jokes while soothingly rubbing your back. Once that beautifully radiant smile is back on your face, he to will give you a smile in return and kiss your nose. 

The two of you can often be found nestled together in the sun. You love cuddling and snuggling the contrary porcupine. He is so soft and sweet like a big ball of cotton candy. Ieyasu loves you more than anything in the world. He will often just sit with you in his arms and whisper sweet nothings in your ear. He will often think back to the day he met you. Perhaps he got it slightly wrong. He is like the sunflower strong and sturdy.  As the sunflower always faces and follows the sun, so will he always follow and dedicate his life to you. His sun, his love, his universe, his all. He will never tire of you, and he will always love you. 

Other potential matches...................... Hideyoshi

I hope you enjoyed it dear! and i hope you are staying safe and well! <3

[darkmindsotome]

Risque Rouge pt10

Tagging: @umbralaperture​ @otome-smut-queen @silver-fox-of-azuchi @tsundere-mitsuhide @jennacat84

General warnings for the whole fic: Angst, some fluff, Mental health issues, emotional things, trauma, blood, death and possible triggers. Please read responsibly. 

Darkmindsotome Masterlist

---

Chapter 10

Her inner mantra ran on repeat in her mind reminding her that she was a professional performer. It was fighting what felt like a futile battle to overpower the nerves inside her that were making her feel like her body was locking up as if it were a rusty machine.

“Genevieve?” Comte stood at the head of the table holding out his hand to her as he called for her again. His soothing voice didn’t drown out her inner monologue, it laced with it as naturally as if it simply belonged there and had always been part of her.

Aware of the number of eyes still on her she tried her best to ignore the looks of curiosity as she walked past them to join le Comte. As soon as she was close enough, she placed her hand in his and found the warmth she had missed since his departure from her room. He guided her to a chair that was on his right. It gave her a clear view of the other men who were all in alignment on the opposite side but also meant she was once more in a position closest to him.

Somewhere in the back of her muddled mind, she wondered if this was something he had planned to make sure she felt more at ease or if there was another calculation involved she was still to be informed of.

“There we are.” Comte spoke as he gently pushed her chair under her. “You look wonderful in that dress, far greater than I could have imagined.”

Comte watched as she shuddered at his quiet voice issuing her a well-deserved compliment. He felt a little childish taking delight in such a thing but he maintained his composed smile and returned to his own seat. Taking that to be the signal the other men sat back down as well.

“Thank you, Comte.” Evie ended up blushing at the direct compliment and busied herself with placing her napkin on her lap.

“If all you did was bring us here in order to show off, it could have waited.”

Evie looked up finding a pair of violet eyes giving both her and le Comte an irritated and annoyed glare. Unlike the other men at the table who were simply smiling or looking relaxed this violet-eyed man with white hair simply looked irritated and impatient to leave.

“Ignore him Cara mia, he’s not interested in anything that doesn’t have eighty-eight keys and made out of mahogany.” Leo chuckled at his own joke shrugging off a silent reprimand from Comte who gave him a look known to most children as a parent telling them to behave themselves.

“Pardon?” Her curiosity got the better of her nerves as she pressed for clarification as to why that was somehow humorous.

“Mozart is a composer. Which I suppose leads us nicely into introductions.” Comte expertly navigated the conversation back to the matter of hand and away from the troublesome man to his left who seemed to delight in inventing problems for him. “The gentleman at the far end of the table is Mozart, he tends to keep mostly to himself in the music room.”

“Not that I expect you to be interested in such things but I would prefer it if you could avoid unnecessary noise around my room.” Mozart spoke in a way that was abrupt and slightly condescending.

“You could stand to be a little more friendly.” Leo chided which had the effect of making Mozart almost bristle.

“I refrained from telling her to avoid the room and myself completely that is friendly enough.” Mozart gave a defiant glare for what he felt was an uncalled-for reprimand.

Evie watched the casual back and forth between the two men and wondered if this kind of exchange was commonplace. The two men appeared to be complete opposites. Leo was easy going, friendly and looked a little slovenly. Mozart appeared to be ordered in both his appearance and his movements. He certainly had the attitude of someone passionate in one field and lacking social skills as a result of their dedicated focus. 

“A pleasure to meet you… I think.” Evie gave a polite greeting and maintained eye contact with the prickly musician. Mozart held her gaze for a moment before averting his eyes and falling silent.

“Comte tells us you are from outside of the city?” A friendly man with messy short blonde hair struck up a conversation next.

It was almost as if he had sensed the unsure clouds in the atmosphere and was trying to push them back with pure sunshine. The piercing blue eyes were as clear as a summer sky but a hundred times brighter. Evie felt herself feeling like her mood was lighter simply by looking at him.

“Montmartre, it isn’t really that far.” She attempted to amend his question so it sounded a little less like she had been discovered in another country. It was a thought that, had her inwardly laughing as it was fairly obvious that if she had been found somewhere further abroad, she would not stand out in this crowd.

Since arriving she had already met several people who not only spoke with different accents but also reverted to the occasional phrase from their native homelands. She was thankful for once that the broad spectrum of people that found their way to the performing house had at least made her aware of the world beyond the capitol’s limits.

“It must be very nice there.” He smiled and it was like looking directly at a stage light. Evie found herself returning his bright and carefree display naturally as if they were old friends. “Oh! I’m so sorry that’s very rude of me. My name is Vincent, I’m a painter. My brother isn’t here at the minute otherwise I’m sure he’d be happy to meet such a pretty young lady.”

“Thank you, Vincent.” Evie was back to feeling a little uncomfortable at yet another direct compliment. It wasn’t that she was not used to the praise per se, it was more along the lines that these felt more genuine and less like a platitude dealt out like candy after a performance. She also noticed whilst they made her feel a little unsure it was nothing when compared to the comments from a certain someone.

“You should see if Vincent would paint you Cara mia.” Leo piped up with a deadpan expression.

Evie looked wide-eyed at Leo after his suggestion completely, unsure as to how to respond. There were plenty of artistic patrons at the performing house requesting the chance to paint the girls that graced the stage but she had never been approached which was probably thanks in large part to Uncle and his overprotective nature.

Comte glanced at his old friend and was met with a defiant look that was full of curiosity. It was all too clear Leo was enjoying himself and it reminded him of their chance meeting in the hallway previously. Comte suppressed a sigh along with a groan. He would have loved to have shown both expressions, even if it was only to release some of the frustration he was feeling as it grew inside him knowing that Leo was playing games.

“Oh yes! I would love to if you had to the time to sit for me.” Vincent enthusiastically latched on to the idea, giving her a look that was rather difficult to refuse. It was not dissimilar to being stared at by a puppy whilst eating and feeling the desire to cave to its plea and hand over some scraps.

“A painting of me? I’m… erm…” She fumbled her words trying to figure out her reply. It wasn’t that she hated the idea of sitting for a painting, more that she had no idea of what it really meant to be a model. She felt mildly stupid after giving herself a pep talk about how she was a professional performer and then allowing herself to become plagued by a fear of failure.

“Pfft, you just imagined yourself modelling au naturel didn’t you?” Leo’s laughter broke the awkwardness making the situation feel completely outlandish.

“Excuse me!?” Evie cried out her face went pale as she registered what Leo was suggesting and wondering exactly how on earth he would think that she had even thought of that as a possibility to begin with.

She wasn’t the only one to be a little scandalised by the notion. Mozart scoffed muttering something incoherent and looked even more irritated than before. There was a very silent man focusing intently on his tableware that had turned as red as an apple. Comte was doing a rather fine job of glaring at Leo without actually changing his placid expression and Vincent was fidgeting in his seat apologetically even though none of this was actually his fault.

“There really is no need to worry I would never propose such a thing to a young lady, I would be happy to paint you as you are now. The dress is very beautiful on you.” Vincent was looking rather like an uncomfortable child which made Evie feel sorry for him. She was almost certain that Leo was joking and that it was probably done in order to tease her so she did feel responsible for poor Vincent becoming collateral damage.

“Genevieve you already know Leo. We appear to be blessed under a rare star today as it is unusual for him to attend a meal at the table whether I request it or not.” Comte interjected doing little to hide his exasperation.

“I simply felt like it might be fun for a change.” Leo replied smiling like a cat that got the cream.

“Quite! Which brings us to the last of the introductions, Isaac is a physicist.” Comte seemed to work a lot of feeling into the last word he directed at Leo before moving on to introduce the very silent man.

It was a little amusing watching the two men having this kind of interaction. It reminded her a little of the way siblings fought without actually coming to blows. It spoke volumes of the level of closeness they had between them and also had a slightly unexpected result of her feeling a little jealous.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Isaac.” As she addressed him the red-headed man who was still staring intently at the tableware as if it was about to grow legs and wander off looked in her direction.

“Is it?” Isaac fixed her with a calculating gaze as if he were trying to figure out a scientific formula.

“Yes?” Evie tentatively responded to his question that had caught her completely off guard.

“You don’t sound very sure.” Isaac didn’t sound particularly angry or irritated as he replied. His voice sounded almost bored as it was so monotone. She wondered if he was tired or just not used to socialising. It would perhaps have been a bit easier to strike up a conversation with him if she had an idea about what he was interested in.

Given how quiet he was it was difficult to get an idea of what he was like. The way he became lost in thought and focused on things was probably part of the curiosity needed to be whatever a physicist was. She lamented a lack of knowledge that spread further than what she needed to know for performing.

Evie had been given books and a few of the performers had also helped her when she was growing up with understanding things. That was the extent and limitations of her education, just enough to not be completely clueless, but never enough to be able to hold an in-depth conversation on something outside of her remit.

She opened her mouth to reply and quickly forgot what she was about to say when one of the windows to the room was opened from the outside and a pair of feet covered in strange white socks and wooden sandals appeared.

“What’s this? Is my little Apple-kun making friends?” A tall man dressed in what looked like a robe of some sort pulled himself free of the window and corrected his attire. He ran one hand through his black hair as he tucked the other inside his robe at his waist.

Evie wasn’t sure if it was the strange choice of clothing or the way in which they entered the room but she remembered a time when one of the performers managed to lock themselves out of the building during a costume change and how they were too embarrassed to enter through another door.

“I forget how many times I’ve asked you not to call me that.” Isaac complained grumpily and made it very obvious that he desired nothing more than to ignore the new arrival by returning his attentions to the table and began staring so hard at the table cloth it was a wonder it didn’t catch fire.

“Probably the same amount of times Sebas has asked him to use the door.” Leo chuckled. He looked delighted that the room once more balanced on a fine line between chaos and control. It was the same kind of delight Evie thought you might see in someone attending a circus and being told the show was about to start.

She took the opportunity to look at her host and found that he was wearing a smile that looked a little forced. She wished she could be more helpful and defuse some of whatever was troubling him but it was rather difficult to help someone when you didn’t even know where to begin.

As if sensing her looking at him Comte turned his head to return her gaze. She had a troubled look on her face that struck him as rather adorable. It didn’t take a great mind to imagine that the reason for her expression stemmed from a desire to be helpful. She was an extraordinarily kind-hearted young lady. He had seen it during his visits to the performing house but also felt it in every tear she shed that night after that unfortunate experience.

“Dazai sensei…” Sebastian spoke clearly in a firm tone that was acknowledged by the new arrival and promptly ignored with a display of obliviousness that boarded on obtuse.

Evie watched as such a simple manoeuvre was executed so masterfully. It could not help but succeed in its desired intention of avoiding being scolded whilst also laying down just enough groundwork to prevent any further discussion on the matter by making it appear to be completely pointless because the man they were trying to correct continued to be unaware of any wrongdoing.

She felt a little bad for imagining the new man was this sneaky but also couldn’t ignore her own instincts. Evie made a mental note that just because these men happened to be guests of le Comte she would still have to keep her eyes open.

“Oh dear, I appear to have arrived late.” The black-haired man looked around at the gathering his eyes looking at the spread of food on the table that was yet to be touched before looking in Evie’s direction as if he had only just noticed her. “And who is?”

“This is Genevieve. Genevieve, Dazai is a writer.” Comte helped supply yet another name to a new face as he slipped a pocket watch from his waistcoat and checking the time.

“A writer? Anything I am likely to have read?” Evie’s prior warning to herself fell rather spectacularly to the wayside as her enthusiasm for books took over.

“That depends Toshiko-san can you read kanji?” Dazai took their seat next to Isaac much to the other man’s thinly masked irritation. His yellow eyes crinkled in mirth as he smiled at her and she was unsure if he was delighted by Isaac’s reaction or her own.

“Kanji?” Evie ignored Dazai’s use of the wrong name, assuming he was either playing a game of misdirection or was simply terrible with names and focused more on the unfamiliar word.

In all fairness she was not exactly familiar with a lot of the foreign words these men used but they were usually a little easier to figure out a basic idea about what they meant from the context of the conversation. She was once more reminded of why she had tried to warn herself of the tricky nature of some people as she sat there in confusion.

“He is referring to written Japanese Mademoiselle.” Sebastian assisted in clearing up the matter as he placed a cup of milk tea next to her and returned to his tea set to pour another for le Comte. She had not noticed him until he had spoken to her but a quick look at the other men seated at the table showed he had been busy serving them all while she was distracted.

“Oh, erm, no I am sorry to say I can’t.” Evie lowered her eyes feeling embarrassed as if he was drawing attention to her lack of knowledge. It was probably a completely unintentional result that had everything to do with her growing sense of inferiority but it did not change her current mood.

“Dazai we are here for introductions and luncheon, could you refrain from making my newest guest uncomfortable?” Comte found her hand on the table and placed his over it giving it a pat as he did so. Her eyes followed the flow of his hand to his arm right the way up until she was once more looking into his eyes forgetting some of her tension looking at his smile. “Genevieve the roast beef is deliciously tender and I highly recommend the quiche. Sebastian, you’ve outdone yourself once more.”

“Thank you, Monsieur le Comte.” Sebastian gave a small bow that seemed to indicate that luncheon was to commence.

---

The heavy door was like one used on a well-protected wine cellar or a catacomb and when they pulled it the noise of happy chaos surrounded them like the smoke from their cigarettes. Of all the places to meet they had no idea why it had to be in such a location. As they descended the staircase they were hit with the smell of several scents at once that reminded them of just how myopic the world of cattle could be. Simple creatures that were little more than slaves to their baser instincts.

There was a long bar set up with bottles of various liquors that was also well stocked with people in various stages of inebriation balanced on tall stools. A burst of laughter drew their attention to a gaggle of women fawning over two men. One looked more than happy for the attention the other appeared to be glaring at the females for daring to get in the way of them and their drink. There was a scent of strong perfumes and rich foods that made their stomach turn.

Pursuits of pleasure beyond what was necessary held no interest to them at all. Everyone had a past and theirs had taught them the dangers in chasing that level of desire. It was a path fuelled by lust that led to a life fraught with judgement and persecution. It was not an experience they wished to relive no matter how sweet the call back to the darker side of temptation was.

Ignoring the small group of inebriated pleasure seekers, they looked around the room for their associate and found them propping up a corner of the bar in the furthest corner. If they had been accused of being a person of mystery when it came to descriptions beyond their general appearance then this man was the perfect spectre.

Everything about them was a calculated addition in an unwritten formula that produced the perfect average, non-descript person that quite literally fades into a crowd.

“You kept me waiting.” Their master spoke loud enough for them to hear whilst hunched over the edge of the bar one hand holding his glass over its rim as he rocked it watching the amber liquid inside move like a wave on the ocean.

“I’m sorry I was following up on a promising lead and forgot the time.” Slipping on to a stool next to the bored-looking man they were then presented with a matching glass of amber liquid.

“I trust you got more out of your avenue of interest than a full stomach?” The man let a dry chuckle escape them as they picked up their glass and drained its contents in one go.

Momentarily lost in awe they found themselves watching the man thinking that this is exactly what made them a master in their craft. In a matter of seconds, it was as if all secrets had been laid bare and had already been calculated into a plan of action in order to move forward. It meant that conversations flowed easily but also left a rather unpalatable taste in the mouth knowing you were serving a purpose but also superfluous to requirements.

“Enough.” They adjusted their suit unsure if the comment was made from an observation out their appearance or a lingering scent. “It appears our mutual interest has taken on another.”

“Interesting but hardly something that will be a major Achille’s heel.” The master signalled the bartender and received another dram of whiskey.

Alcohol did little for them as a rule, but there were still aspects of it they could enjoy even as a vampire. The dryness, the scent, the subtle changes in flavours from the multiple types of brewing and distillation. They watched their master take another sip of their new drink and imagined the variations of alcohols, ages, locations, treatments were not dissimilar to blood and found their own mouth-watering at the idea.

“That is where you might be wrong. This one is a female.” They passed on the information they knew and took a sip of their own drink. The liquid felt thin as it slipped over their tongue and ran down their throat.

“Female? Well, now that is interesting, very interesting indeed.” A smile came to their master’s lips as he placed his empty glass down and turned to him. “What are your plans now?”

“To follow orders naturally. I was sent to observe and inform, I shall continue…”

“No.” The master cut off his lackey before he could finish.

“Then what would you have me do, Lord Amos?”

Ideas were forming in the gloom of his mind that shifted shadows into place like pieces on a board. Part of what made him the best, that kept him employed and sought after was his ability to think freely. To make calculated guesses that could be reported back and acted upon later. This was one of those times and he wasn’t a master for nothing.

“Await my orders like a good little pawn, I shall have to consult with the other party and see what actions they wish to take now.” Amos placed some coins on the bar that would cover the cost of drinks for most of its occupants and then pulled on a hooded leather jacket. “You did well, Latour. I’ll be in touch.”

---

[glmfic]

~ pairing: Ayako x Bou-san ~ word count: 4,434k ~ genre: holiday!fic

~ summary:  ❝Alls Ayako & Bou-san want to do is warm up…hey is that a contest to win a free vacation? It’s for couples only? Oh. <3 ❞

~ warnings: candy cane sweet fluff!…also, maybe some typos I didn’t catch ;) ~ note: the second in a series of 4 one-shots dedicated to my dear readers (happy holidays!)– enjoy! <3

Christmas Vacation

“That one,” Ayako spoke decisively.

“Finally...” Bou-san murmured under his breath as the Nissin employee marked the selected pine tree.

They were standing in a sea of them, a virtual forest miraculously populating an asphalt parking lot in the heart of Tokyo. Ayako had bet the monk she could find a living tree for the SPR office, and the monk had took that bet...and lost. He was thoroughly paying for it after spending forty-five minutes in 29 degree weather while the bet's victor selected the perfect one.

Following her selection, Ayako was given a ticket (there were people in line ahead of them), and was told that when their number was up, their tree would be wrapped and attached to the roof of her car.

Ayako accepted the ticket, satisfied with her purchase, but feeling the effects. She was cold. How many people were ahead of her? How long exactly were they going to have to wait? Glancing at the monk next to her, she could tell he wasn't doing a whole lot better. His shoulders hunched up, he shot her a look.

“What's the number on the ticket? I'm half frozen over here.”

“66,” Ayako answered, rubbing her arms and stomping her feet for warmth. The clouds overhead were thick and gray, it felt as if it could snow any second.

“Customer 35, your tree is ready! Customer 35!” a voice shouted from the wrapping station near the parked cards.

35?

Bou-san raised his eyebrows at Ayako in disbelief,

“That many idiots decided to spend their Saturday morning standing out in the freezing cold for a tree?”

Ayako grit her chattering teeth, not happy either.

“I told you we should have gotten here earlier.”

“Hey, I had a gig last night--”

Ayako waved an irritated hand, her eyes locking onto something,

“Oh never mind-- let's at least get something warm to drink while we wait.”

With the promise of something warm, Bou-san followed Ayako's lead, which brought them to the main street that ran past Nissin World Delicatessen. A Starbucks, in all it's glory, sat on the corner.

But Ayako let out a groan as they approached it. Apparently they weren't the only ones looking to take the chill off with a nice hot coffee. There was a line, which stretched down the sidewalk. The cold fueling her impatience, Ayako crossed her arms and made to turn back, but Bou-san caught her elbow before she could, hauling her a few feet along, placing them in line.

“At least we aren't thirty people behind,” the monk pointed out. Ayako yanked her elbow free, but grudgingly remained, grumbling about how busy Tokyo gets during the holiday season. Five minutes later, they had moved up by six people. The door to Starbucks was in sight. Happy customers exited with amazing smelling drinks in hand. Full delirium was kicking in for Ayako.

“It's seventy and sunny,” she chanted, her eyes squeezed shut against an icy wind that whipped down the street, “It's seventy and sunny.”

“Sure...in another six months,” Bou-san answered. Tenderly he touched at the tips of his ears, which were starting to go numb.

Not appreciating the reality check, Ayako opened her eyes and directed a glare at the monk.

“I can't wait another six months, I want the beach now.”

“Ah, the beach,” Bou-san mused with a touch of longing, “white sands between your toes, the smell of the salt air...”

“See, you can't wait either,” Ayako remarked, elbowing him. She didn't bother stepping back, deciding to hang close and leech whatever heat she could from him, “Just think of the blue waters and the warm rays on your skin...I could be laying out somewhere on the Mediterranean right now.”  

“Or the Caribbean,” Bou-san added, as Ayako hummed in approval, “Or heck, even Okinawa.”

“I'd kill to be drinking something tropical on Miyako island.” Ayako stood smiling at the thought.

“Yeah, but with what money?” Bou-san spoke, delivering a second dose of reality.

The wind blew colder. Ayako's smile dimmed. Spitefully (even though it did her no favors...) she stepped away from the monk, gazing out over the busy street. Noticing this, Bou-san slid up even closer to her than before, pressing against her side. When he spoke, his voice was in her ear,

“It may not be tropical, but I'll buy your drink. Look, we're nearly to the door now.”

But Ayako did not look.

“Hey,” he prodded, poking her at shoulder.

Ayako suddenly grabbed the offending hand and yanked.

“Oy,” Bou-san protested as he found himself being dragged out of line.

Ayako didn't pay him any attention, even as he was loudly demanding to know what she was doing (we were almost there!), his legs stumbling along as she pulled him to the nearest crosswalk. There they finally stopped and the monk tugged his hand free from hers with a frown.

“What has gotten into you?”

Ayako reached up and took Bou-san's face in her hands. Without explanation she, turned his head in the direction of the shop on the other side of the crosswalk. A large red banner hung out front that read: Want to get away? Enter for your chance to win a beach vacation! Contest today ONLY.

Bou-san looked back to Ayako with a grin,

“It's like Santa heard our whining.”

Ayako's eyes were bright, gleaming with possibility of sunshine and swimsuits,“Let's enter.”

“Yeah, let's-- but, ah, wait,” Bou-san objected, grabbing Ayako's wrists and holding her hands in place, “your hands are warmish and I'm finally starting to kind of feel my cheeks...”

The crosswalk sign changed, and rolling her eyes Ayako freed herself from the monk.

“You won't have to worry about that on a beach, come on.”

The sidewalk space outside the clothing store was crammed with people when Ayako and Bou-san approached a table set up with balloons.

A young woman looked up at them from behind the table, “Hi, can I help you?”

“We'd like to enter the contest,” Ayako announced, peeking at the forms laid out.

“Wonderful! So, it will be you two then?”

“Uh,” Ayako faltered, her eyes trailing down the form.

Printed there were the contest rules, and at the bottom scrawled inside a cute red heart, was the key component of the contest: just for couples!

Ayako cleared her throat, and moved to step back-- but found she had nowhere to go. Bou-san, reading over her shoulder, was standing right behind her. In Ayako's flustered silence, the monk answered the young woman,

“Of course! It says here we just have to be voted the cutest couple? I think we've got this in the bag, don't you?”

The woman running table gave an appeasing smile and handed over a set of clipboards, “Read and sign these. The top prize is a trip for two to Hawaii. Second and third runner up gets merchandise and gift card prizes. We'll begin soon, good luck!”

Ayako swiftly grabbed at the monk's coat and lead him a few steps away from the table. Her eyes were narrowed.

“What are you doing?”

Bou-san shrugged.

“Winning us a beach vacation.”

“You're serious?”

“What? You don't think we can?”

“It's not about that.”

“Oh, you mean the couple part?”

Here Bou-san took a step closer to the miko, lowering his voice surreptitiously,

“Just channel your inner Masako, and nobody will know we're not the real deal.”

Ayako slowly relaxed her grip on Bou-san's coat, chewing her lip, contemplating...

Reading the nerves on her face, the monk gave her a little room, his gaze softening.

“If you don't want to...”

Just then something whizzed past Ayako's head, catching at her hair. Startled, Ayako ducked and whipped around to see what had happened. Bou-san came forward at the same time, reaching out a hand to cover Ayako's head,

“Hey, what the..?”

The assailant turned out to be a selfie-stick, held by a woman wearing a skirt short enough to even make Ayako balk, especially in the arctic temperature. She was clinging onto the arm of a man, and seemingly hadn't noticed the fact that she had nearly clobbered someone.

“Hello everybody! It's Yoko and Ken, live streaming-- from downtown Tokyo!”

The woman giggled and waved into her cellphone, as the man next to her began speaking,

“Yes, and today's the day! It's the couple's contest we told you about on Twitter. Remember, if you're in the area, stop on by and vote for Yoko and I!”

“Not that we necessarily need it,” Yoko chimed in in a loud whisper, “I mean, what competition?”

Bou-san suddenly felt something pressed against his chest. It was Ayako's clipboard. The miko stared up at him with a honey-eyed look.

“Hey babe, will you turn these in? We don't want to miss the deadline.”

Recognizing the competitive fire lit beneath Ayako's demure facade, Bou-san smirked.

“Whatever you say, sweetheart.”

Officially entered into the contest, Bou-san and Ayako were gathered, along with the other couples, to wait for their turn, the necessity of having to link arms and appear “couple-ish” the least of their worries, as they were both still freezing and wouldn't be competing until the last round.

Huddled close, they watched the couples ahead of them, with a judgy and critical eye, as they passed through the stages of the contest, which consisted of having pictures taken of them modeling clothes from the store, enacting poses suggested by a photographer.

Fifteen minutes, and six couples later...it was finally Bou-san and Ayako's turn. They were going up in a head to head with none other than-- the YouTube couple. The four of them exchanged tight insincere smiles as they were lead inside the store. They were brought to a set of dressing rooms, and a quick and cramped change ensued, during which they were each handed various articles of winter clothing. Ayako stepped out in a white down jacket, brown boots, and matching earmuffs and a scarf. And of course, because this was a couple's contest...Bou-san walked out wearing exactly the same.

Reunited with the miko, Bou-san met her with a smirk,

“You look like a marshmallow.”

Ayako mirrored his smirk,

“Thanks, Frosty.”

But standing outside again, all teasing died away.

Recalling all of the photographer's suggestions for the other couples, Ayako began to second guess her decision play along with this facade.

What if he had them pose like the cover of some romance novel...?

But just then YouTube couple passed by, on their way to stand in front of their photographer, at their station. Yoko was grinning, holding her phone up.

“Just three photos away from our dream beach vacation!” she told her viewers with a confident wink.

Ayako set her jaw firmly. Potentially mortifying romantic scenarios, be damned. She was determined to give YouTube couple a run for their money. She hadn't froze head to toe for an hour and half for nothing. That beach vacation was theirs.

The crowd on the sidewalk swelled with onlookers as the contest entered it's final round. Bou-san and Ayako were directed to stand in the center of the background hanging behind them and face the camera, but as they did so, Bou-san was distracted by a shout from the crowd.

“Norio?”

The monk perked up, hearing his stage name, and looked around until he settled his gaze on a teenage girl beaming at him.

“Oh, it is you! I'm Suki. I was at your show last night.”

Bou-san waved and smiled back, “Hi there! I hope you liked it, it was really cold for you guys.”

Another teenage girl beside Suki shook her head, “No, not at all! Hey, what are you doing here? Are you apart of this contest?”

Before the miko could protest, Bou-san linked fingers with Ayako and raised their joined hand into the air,

“Yup, trying to win a vacation.”

The girls squealed and waved at a baffled Ayako,

“Norio's got a girlfriend!”

“See, I told you he was out your league-- look at how gorgeous his girlfriend is!”

“Well I guess you're right, anyways they're cute.”

Listening to the girls prattle and enjoying the gorgeous remark, Ayako managed a friendly smile and nod at both of them.

“Norio, you have to win-- we'll vote for you!” Suki declared brightly.

“Yeah, here I'll text the rest of the girls and tell them to come vote too-- they're close by.”

“Really? Wow, I really owe you...how about we talk after the contest? Maybe I can score you some free tickets to the next show?” the monk offered with a grateful thumbs up.

The girls squealed again and happily agreed.

“Ah, what nice kids,” Bou-san murmured, still turned towards the crowd.

“Hey, Norio.”

“Hm?”

“You're supposed to pick me up.”

“Huh?” Bou-san blinked, and looked to Ayako, attention snapping back to the situation at hand, “What? Pick you up? Why?”

“Because the photographer said so. Now hurry up, we're a step behind YouTube,” Ayako hissed out of the corner of her mouth.

Bou-san glanced over at the competition in time to see Ken scoop Yoko up, bridal style. Ayako hurriedly placed her hands on the monk's shoulders, readying herself, her disgruntled expression hidden from the photographer and the crowd-- when Bou-san surprised her by suddenly crouching down.

“What are you--” Ayako had to bite her tongue to stem the fiery words that wanted to come out, which would quickly demolish the sweet image they wanted to create.

Bou-san reached an arm back, bodily nudging her behind him, “We can't just copy them, that's too boring-- here, get on my back instead.”

“You're going to piggy back me—?” Ayako manage to sputter, but-- desperate to save face, she did as she was told, and threw herself on his back.

Bou-san grunted as he stood, and Ayako squeezed her arms around his neck a little tighter in revenge...but otherwise, from an outsider’s perspective-- they looked like a charming couple.

Snap. Snap. Snap.

The photographer took a series of photos. Bou-san and Ayako grinned frozen smiles. They were asked to give more variety and Ayako took perverse delight in messing with the monk's hair, and poking at his “adorable” cheeks.

In response to her antics, the miko was unceremoniously “dropped” by the monk when the photographer gave the signal to change poses. Privately, Ayako shot him a dirty look, but the next suggestion was being thrown out and they were mixed up in the charade again.

Holiday proposal.

In the next instant one of the photographer's assistants was suddenly handing Bou-san a bouquet of fake poinsettias and a velvet box with a ring inside. It was all Ayako could do not to blanch in horror.  

There were giddy cries from the crowd and it became apparent that at least some of YouTube couple's “fans” had come out to see them, and they were all tickled at the idea of a proposal. A quick look at Ken's unsteady hands as he got down on one knee in front of Yoko though, showed that he wasn't a big fan of the photographer's suggestion.

“We got 'em on the ropes with this one,” Bou-san murmured, following Ayako's gaze. The ice broken, and the big prize hanging over head-- Ayako closed her mouth and nodded,

“You're right, so make it count.”

Bou-san did. In a cheesy and dramatic fashion, he instigated a series of poses-- professing heartfelt love, handing Ayako the flowers, and even sliding on the ring...Ayako's red cheeks in the last few shots were chalked up the cold. She was not blushing.

Once relieved of the ring and flowers, the two couples waited anxiously for the final pose. And waited. The assistants had disappeared into the store. Bou-san and Ayako exchanged wondering looks with a frown, what was taking them so long...?

Finally the assistants emerged, each pushing a large prop. Wooden door frames on wheels. And hanging from them...mistletoe.

Ayako found herself suddenly wishing for the romance novel cover suggestion.

“Okay, it's the final act! Your theme will be: mistletoe kiss,” the photographer announced with a cheeky wink.

Like they had the last two times...Ayako and Bou-san stole quick glances at their competition, holding on to a frail hope that they wouldn't be comfortable with this suggestion either, but...

They were a real couple, and a YouTube couple at that. PDA was in their DNA. By the time their photographer was raising his camera ,Yoko and Ken were already going in for it...

Ayako wondered if the monk could hear her silent cursing as they looked back at each other. He didn't seem more any more confident, but clearing his throat-- he shrugged and his eyes seemed to say: we've come this far...

And they had. That had come this far. In the cold. Only three photos separated Ayako from her dream vacation. Why did it have to be mistletoe?

For the sake of keeping up appearances, Bou-san put his arm around Ayako's waist, pulling her close.

“How about this,” he whispered, stalling while pretending to fix her hair for the picture, “we do it just like the movies...the right angle-- and presto, it looks like we're kissing.”

Ayako's eyebrows lifted. The idea was so brilliant she could kiss him. Chiding herself, she pressed her hands to his icy cheeks, loudly thanking him for being such a doting boyfriend. Bou-san caught the hidden message: yes, let's do that.

And she planned on doing just that, right up through the monk adjusting their position, pulling her impossibly closer-- right through his large hand coming up to cup the back of her head, guiding her to tilt it just so...

It was the plan as they drew in, towards each other, their breaths mixing in puffy white clouds. It was the plan as she grew so near she could count the freckles across the bridge of Bou-san's nose, as-- to sell it better, his eyes fluttered shut...

It was what she planned to do right until she heard the shouts and wolf whistles. YouTube couple. Just a few feet away they were causing a real stir, their fans going crazy. A familiar fire was lit in Ayako's gut.

This was a contest. And she was going to win.

Ayako tossed the plan out the window as her lips connected with Bou-san's. It was an electric moment. She felt the monk's lips part in a surprised gasp, which she reacted to by only pressing harder, not wanting him to break the kiss and ruin everything.

Just follow my lead she telepathically tried to communicate. Bou-san must have understood, because his hand at the back of her head took up a better hold, he was suddenly returning the pressure of her kiss.

All thoughts of Ayako's suddenly narrowed to just the man against her. It was annoying, but she found his lips were actually soft (that barbarian actually has a winter skin care routine??), and the scent of sandalwood that always accompanied him, instead of being overwhelming, was strangely a comfort in this surreal moment (it's okay, it's just Bou-san...).

Most frustrating of all though, was the thought that she could do this all day long. Ayako was chilled to the bone...and the monk was warm, soft, and comfortable-- why stop?

Mentally, Ayako berated herself for even entertaining such an idea, and began to count herself down for pulling out of the kiss (just a few more seconds...she really was so cozy...), but before she could do it-- Bou-san broke it first.

Ayako stubbornly ignored the wave of disappointment that washed over her as a gulf of cold air came between herself and the monk.

“Not bad for a miko,” he murmured, as they both caught their breath.

Ayako gave him a shove and he grinned, stepping back. It was then that Ayako heard the clapping and cheering.

The competition was over.

Thank god.

The crowd filling the sidewalk formed lines to vote for their favorite couple. As Ayako and Bou-san were being brought back to the dressing rooms, Suki caught their attention-- waving with a group of girls behind her.

“We're going to vote for you Norio!”

“That was some kiss, you're going to win for sure!” another girl shouted.

Ayako ducked her head and slipped past the monk, hiding her red face.

Once outside, having (against her will) shed her coat, boots, ear muffs and scarf-- Ayako was more miserable than ever. The wind that blew through her thin clothes, carried light flakes of snow. She crossed her arms and stood shivering. Next to her, having also shed his winter gear, the monk's teeth were chattering. Absently, they leaned towards each other, searching for some kind of warmth as they waited for the results of the voting.

Finally, the young woman they had met at the registration table, came to stand in front of the store, holding a microphone.

“Attention, shoppers and contestants! It's what you've all been waiting for. We will announce our contest winners!”

“Ugh, none of this consolation prize crap for me. There's only one winner, and that person gets to sit on a beach,” Ayako muttered.

“Two winners actually, remember honey?” Bou-san quipped.

“How could I forget, dear.”

“In third place...” registration lady began, “earning ten percent of the vote was...”

“That kiss was not a ten percent kiss,” Bou-san asserted, frowning at even the possibility of third place.

“...Han-san and his wife, Keiko!”

There was polite applause. Across from them, Ayako spotted the YouTube couple mixing with their fans in the crowd, selfie-stick out again.

They think they've won.

“The Hans will win two gift cards to our store, enjoy! Now...on to the runner up!”

Ayako and Bou-san locked eyes with the YouTube couple. Bou-san grabbed Ayako's arm and wrapped it around his.

“This is it. Two hours in the cold traded for two weeks in the sun.”

“In second place, earning over forty perfect of the vote is...”

Ayako squeezed the monk's arm, “That was more than a forty percent kiss...”

“...Takigawa-san and Matsuzaki-san! You two will win merchandise, courtesy of our store! Enjoy!”

There was more polite applause, mixed with some booing. Suki and her group, disagreeing with the results.

“Which means...our winners are Yoko and Ken! Congratulations, you're going to Hawaii!”

The crowd erupted. The YouTube couple shouted in victory and threw themselves at each other.

Ayako pulled herself free of the monk, rubbing her arms-- she glanced around her.

“I wonder who is supposed to give us our prize...?” she asked.

Bou-san tilted his head at her, surprised at her demeanor. He was half expecting the miko to demand a recount of the votes. Somehow, her calm was...worse.

“Well, anyway-- I can't feel my fingers. Will you pick up our merchandise after you talk to the girls? I'm going to head back.”

And before the monk could protest, she traded places with Bou-san's fans who had just walked up.

“See, here they are. I'll meet you at the car.”

Ayako closed the car door with a slam. She had spent an extra five minutes standing in the cold explaining to a Nissin employee who had just gotten on shift that her ticket for order 66 had never been filled, even though they were now on order 70.

“I didn't get my coffee and we missed our turn. Stupid contest,” she grumbled sourly, adjusting the heat settings to full blast and turning on her seat warmer.

A few moments later the passenger car door opened and with it came a rush or arctic air.

“I see you got the tree attached,” Bou-san remarked, settling in, a light dusting of snow in his hair, “Hey, why isn't warmer in here? Don't you have the heat on?”

Ayako's eyes fixed on his hands in which a cup of Starbucks sat,

“You took the girls for coffee? You should be warm enough. Of course, the heat's on. Not that I can feel it. I must be frozen from the inside out. Only the heat of Hawaii can thaw me at this point...”

A small smile tugged at the corner of the monk's lips, but he was careful not to let the miko see it in her sensitive state, instead he held out the coffee towards her.

“How about the heat of this drink for starters, hm?”

Ayako accept the coffee from the monk with a wondering look, “It's for me..?”

“I said I'd treat you to Starbucks. I'm a man of my word. Drink up.”

More pleased than she let on, Ayako took a satisfying sip, feeling the warmth of the latte spread through her.

“And if that's not enough,” the monk continued reaching into a bag at his feet. It had the contest store's name on it, “try this out.”

Ayako nearly choked on her coffee as Bou-san leaned over the center console to wrap the scarf she wore in the photo shoot around her neck.

“When did you get this...?” she asked, bewildered, but grudgingly, she was feeling warmer...

“They were our prizes, I got the same one.”

“Oh.” Ayako took another sip of coffee, her eyes flashing with the bitterness of their loss.

Relieved to see her temper make an appearance, Bou-san smiled more freely and reached into the bag and pulled out a white envelope which he opened.

“And they also gave us these...”

Ayako peered over at what the monk was pulling out, and nearly choked again. Polaroids. Of their poses.

“They said the assistants took these, as a kind of souvenir for the contestants. Ah look, that one turned out cute...”

The miko watched as the monk cycled through the pictures, half mortified and half interested...until--

There they were. The two of them. Wrapped in each other's arms, their faces pressed together...

“Actually,” Bou-san spoke into the charged silence as they both stared down at the photographic evidence of their kiss, “if the coffee and the scarf aren't warm enough, I just got an idea for another way I can warm you up...”

Bou-san was staring up at her now, his eyes locked with hers. Suddenly the car was very warm for Ayako.

“What...what's that?” she spoke and was embarrassed to find she had glanced at his lips.

The monk grinned. Ayako stiffened, had he caught her looking...?!

“I'll take you to the bathhouse,” he finally answered, “No better way to get warm, hm?”

Ayako grinned back, despite herself.

“No better way I can think of...”

“Perfect, let's go.”

“Let's. We just have to deliver this tree first. Mai will kill me if I keep her waiting any longer.”