#this is what happens when you throw interaction at someone who hasn’t even entertained a crush since middle school

[snail-eggs]

sorry i haven’t been super active these past few days, dookie stinks 🙏 once i tire of trying to woo men i’ll come crawling back to you all 🫶🏻

[pathetic-dumpling]

Coming to Terms

Dream has been having a bad day, which has quickly turned into a bad week. Techno and Phil both need to go out and do essential tasks around the tundra, but they can't leave Dream alone either. So... they find a babysitter. words: 5,188 - read on ao3 instead

CW: overstimulation, implied panic attack, unintentional self-harm, referenced abuse

Dream has been having a bad day. Correction, he’s been having a bad week. He’s been caught in a bit of a spiral for the last several days, and the exhaustion from an attempt at healing keeps dragging him down before he can get out. The last thing Techno wants to do is leave Dream alone like this, but he and Phil have already pushed off as many necessary tasks as they can. They need to head out, but they can’t leave Dream alone… So in comes the Syndicate.

They consider a few people. Niki is chosen.

“Look, all you need to do is watch him for a day. We’ll be back by the end of it, and you can leave, alright?”

Niki scrunches her face up, which is, in all honesty, reasonable. She’s one of the people who didn’t want to interact with Dream, but Techno and Phil are running desperately low on options.

“Is there anyone else?” She asks. “What about Puffy? She’s a therapist, right? Wouldn’t she be more equipped for something like this?”

“A, we don’t want more people knowing about Dream than necessary, and she’s already refused to give Dream treatment. B, we don’t trust her to not psychoanalyze Dream when he really doesn’t want to be psychoanalyzed. Plus, we don’t know what kind of domestic issues there are because Dream hasn’t opened up about that part of his life yet.”

Niki winced. “What about Ranboo?”

“Well, you see, Ranboo’s been growing into himself recently,” Phil interjects, beside Techno. “Which is good, by all means, but that also means he’s been embracing that he’s a little bit of a dick sometimes. You’re literally the only person we can think of who can be… pleasant and hold your tongue around Dream.”

“And- and we don’t wanna sound misogynistic,” Techno quickly adds. “This isn’t a ‘the kind woman puts up with the toxic man’ situation; it’s just… Dream is fragile right now, like, really fragile, and we’re pretty sure you’re the only person who has the kind of self-restraint to not break him any more, you know?”

Niki raises a brow but ultimately sighs. “This is your only option?”

“Yes.”

“Yeah, pretty much,” Phil laughs.

“...alright. I’ll watch him. One day, got it?”

“Oh my gods, thank you so much, Niki.”

So Niki is given keys to the house. Mentally, she prepares for whatever Dream might try. She saw him, briefly, in a Syndicate meeting or two, but only between several layers of fabric and zero spoken words. She doesn’t know what he’s like if he’s grown out of his… nastier habits yet. Techno has done everything in his power to tell the Syndicate that Dream has changed, but none of them have actually seen any change. Niki kind of doubts it, if she’s being honest, but she trusts Techno’s judgment more than anything. She knows Techno wouldn’t lie to her and lead her on like others in the past.

She wakes up the following day when things are still dark. Niki can see her breath, even within the small haven of an underground city warmed by countless fires and lanterns. She throws on her Syndicate cloak, getting ready to head out to the arctic. Hopefully, Techno didn’t want her to do anything with the animals because she definitely wouldn’t be able to stand being outside for that long. When she arrives, Techno thanks her profusely. He pledges to show her around the house and offers a few tips while Phil gets ready for their trip outside.

“Alright.” Techno swings his hands by his sides. Niki has noticed he’s stopped clapping them when he begins to speak. “First things first, Dream hasn’t eaten in, like, three days, so we really need you to try to get him to eat something. His diet has been pretty limited so far, but we left a list of things he’s been able to eat so far on the counter. Try to stay fresh- anything stale makes him throw up, and so does steak. Don’t offer it. We keep apples in a little icebox downstairs because he likes fruit cold. Also, Dream likes himself cold, too. He gets anxious when he’s hot.

“If Dream hides in his room, he’s most likely hiding under his bed. If you need to interact with him during that time, do not try to pull him out. That will scare him and he might bite. Instead, just kind of lay on the floor and face him and just… wait until he’s ready to talk. If you try to push him, he’ll probably just curl up more, and he tends to get really distant for the next day or two when that happens.

“If he asks for something, it means that he needed it about three hours ago and has only now gotten the courage to ask for it. Even if he prefaces it between a lot of ‘only if you want to’ and ‘you don’t have to,’ don’t believe him. We’re trying to teach him that asking for things is good but it’s been a bumpy ride. Also, he’s iffy on touch; I’d say it’s better to not try.”

Techno stops, tapping his lip. “Try not to let him outside without supervision; we haven’t really been able to block off potential hazards yet. Other than that, I think that’s everything. Dream is sleeping right now, but he knows you’ll be here. He might get startled anyway. Try not to stare or anything. It makes him uncomfortable. Just treat him like a nervous cat or something.”

Niki blinks, trying desperately to process all of the information that was just dumped on her. Techno waits patiently as she mentally backtracks and tries to commit everything to vague memory. Nervous cat? That’s what the ruler of the server has turned into?

“Okay… I think I got all of that?” Niki says, hoping she got everything she truly needed down. She knows how awkward things get when she or Techno has to start repeating themselves.

“Cool.” Techno sighs, running a hand through his hair until it gets caught in his braid. “A nervous, injury-prone cat… That’s Dream. Thank you for doing this, really. Dream just started being okay with being in the same room as boiling water, and I think I might have a breakdown if I have to leave to make tea again. This means a lot. Anything you need from us, me or Phil, we’ll be happy to help as soon as we get back.”

Niki nods. “Honestly, I didn’t think this would be on the agenda when I joined the Syndicate, but I’m happy to help you, Techno.”

“Of course.” Techno bows his head. “Of course. We’ll be back as soon as we can. Again, don’t let him… do anything to himself, okay?”

Niki gives another nod and a thumbs up. “You can count on me, Techno.”

Techno gives a strained smile and then, awkwardly, does a slight bow before leaving. His muffled voice filters through the door as he calls out to Phil, and then they head out. Niki takes in a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds before sighing as she watches the silhouettes of her friends disappear over the horizon.

Alright. She can do this. She may not like Dream, but she did agree as a part of the Syndicate to… help. This is just for Techno and Phil, to keep them from worrying. To watch Dream and make sure he doesn’t try anything he shouldn’t. Niki could do that. In fact, she was happy to keep the man out of trouble, if it were for Techno’s sake. Now she just needed to find something to do until there was someone to watch.

Niki glances around the house, finding things pleasantly clean. The chests were a bit of a mess, but things weren’t lying all over the place, and it looks like it’s been cleaned recently. It looks like the house has been somewhat baby-proofed, too, which makes a little chuckle bubble in Niki’s throat. They’ve only been housing Dream, and he’s certainly a grown man, isn’t he? What would they need to keep him out of drawers for?

Niki gets to entertaining herself with one of Techno’s many book recommendations, making a tiny home for herself on the couch. She opens the blinds and curtains, letting any sort of light filter in as much as it can. The sun is slow to rise in the arctic, and candlelight can only do so much. Slowly, as the sun rises over the north, Niki finds herself growing more hungry, so she starts making some food. It gets bright soon after that, lighting up the room with the near-blinding rays of the sun. Niki adjusts soon enough, simply happy to have more than enough reading light.

A few hours later, after Niki has already eaten and taken care of her share of the dishes, Dream emerges. The first thing she notices is that he’s completely maskless. Secondly, he looks exhausted to the bone, drowned in a dark green jacket and a black shirt underneath. Loose-fitting pants cover Dream’s legs, almost completely hiding his figure from view. Dream’s eyes are dark, his posture slouched inward, and his hair is messy, long, and frail. He looks unbearably tense. His eyes squint at how bright it is, but he tries to shake it off quickly with a flick of his hands. He does a quick double-take on Niki, eyes darting around the room before relaxing slightly. His attention never leaves her, though. His gaze makes a shiver crawl up Niki’s spine.

“Good morning, Dream!” She says politely because maybe Dream is worse in the mornings.

Dream waves tiredly, and Niki notices his bandaged finger. Something about it looks off until she realizes it’s too short to be normal, missing nearly the entire first section. She wonders how it happened, how she’s never noticed before. Dream takes his bandaged hand, dragging it down his face. He lets out a long sigh, sitting down at the circular table in the kitchen, leaning heavily on it for support. He raises his hands, and although they tremble and shake, Niki recognizes one thing. Dream is signing.

Oh. It looks like Technoblade forgot to mention one thing.

“Oh!” She says quickly, tucking her book into her chest. “I’m so sorry, I don’t know sign language.”

Dream, from the table, raises a brow at her. He raises his hands, signing what Niki can only assume is: you don’t know sign?

“I always meant to learn, but the only people who use it actively on the server are Callahan and….”

Me. Niki can guess that one well enough.

“Yes… you. I’m sorry.”

Dream waves his hand dismissively. He gestures for a pen, which Niki retrieves without much hesitance. She may not like Dream, but she still needs to communicate with him if this day even has a chance at going well. She places the pen and small pad of paper on the table, stepping back quickly. Dream lets out a long breath before beginning to write.

I’ll show you some stuff I probably won’t be able to translate in the moment, Dream writes. Writing looks a little more challenging with the ever-present tremor in Dream’s hands and his shortened finger, but he makes do. He writes down a few simple words: can’t, stop, no, sorry, and shows the signs for each of them. Niki furrows her brow.

“These are all negative responses. What about… ‘yes’?”

Dream struggles to meet Niki’s eyes for a second, looking away almost immediately. He seems borderline uncomfortable. Slowly, he curls his hand into a fist, nodding it forward twice.

“Yes?” Niki asks in conformation.

Yes.

Niki nods, trying to commit this information, like everything else dumped on her today, to memory. Dream drops the pen after that, cradling his hands in his lap. They certainly… don’t stop shaking. Hm. Niki would ask about it, but she doesn’t really want to poke at any boundaries. Dream fiddles with his fingers, beginning to bounce his leg.

“Em-” Niki starts, catching Dream’s attention and picking at the back of her neck awkwardly. “Techno told me that you should probably eat today, right? I made food a few hours ago, but I can make something for you or….”

Dream waves his hands, furiously shaking his head. He scribbles down variants of I’m not hungry, and you don’t have to, which Niki isn’t given a chance to object to. Dream carefully gets up, grabbing the notepad beside him and pushing past Niki. He makes his way over to the couch, plopping himself down and sighing. Niki watches him, unsure of what entirely to do. She knows what Techno told her, but there was only so much that was truly in her power. It didn’t help how dismissive Dream appeared to be with her attempts at offering him food.

This Dream is… new, to say the least. She didn’t know the old Dream outside of what she heard from her peers, but she especially doesn’t know this Dream. Is he better? Does he know that what he’s done is bad? Terrible? Unforgivable, even? Does he regret it at all, or does he just think he’s a victim in all of this?

It takes two more attempts at getting Dream to eat before Niki’s patience starts running a little slim. She’s never had the time to talk to Dream before, but right now, he just seems nothing more than tired. He looks fine, if not a little skinny, maybe a little quiet. For all Niki knows, this could be a ploy, a trick, to live the high life off of Techno’s dedicated care and then run off into the woods. Niki feels a little nasty for thinking this, but what if Dream is just faking this all? What if he’s just playing it up for show and sympathy? To get free protection while his next plan brews quietly in the background? She’s heard about the lengths Dream was willing to go to in the past; what would make this different? She knows how convincing an actor Dream can be, and dedication to a part can take someone a long way.

Well… Now is as good of a time as ever to get a few things off her chest, Niki supposes. If Dream isn’t faking, he’ll have some kind of genuine reaction, and if he is, then, well… Niki can keep her friends from getting used again. It’s a win-win, really.

“You know, you’re very lucky Techno decided to care for you so much,” she says from the kitchen because the distance makes her feel safer. “He didn’t have to do all of this, you know? It’d certainly be easier for him to have ignored your favor. I would’ve.”

From behind, Niki hears a sharp intake of breath, but no objections come. Niki looks behind her at Dream, still sitting on the couch, wide-eyed and staring at her. He swallows, eyes darting to the side like he’s sorting through his thoughts. He gestures at Niki, a sort of go-on movement, so she turns around and continues. “Things like Wilbur, Doomsday, the festival, you played a role in all of those, you know? You’ve been the authority figure of the server for so long. You-- you had control over exile and Tommy and… Everything you’ve done, it’s hurt all of us. It’s- it’s hurt me, and I-”

There’s a loud, distinct sniffle behind Niki. Slowly, she turns to look behind her, finding Dream curled up on the couch. He brings his knees up to his chest, pressing tightly into himself. He’s looking to the side, almost shameful. His shoulders are shaking.

“...Dream?” Niki asks. Maybe this is the genuine reaction she’s looking for.

Dream nods sharply. He looks up, meeting Niki’s eyes, his own glassy and red and wet. His eyes fill with tears, so he quickly hides his face again, pressing it into the arm wrapped around his knee. It feels like he’s forcing himself to keep his gaze on Niki, and that information tastes a little bitter going down Niki’s throat. He lifts his head just enough to meet Niki’s eyes again, folding his hand into a half square and pressing it to his temple. Niki doesn’t know the sign, but she doesn’t need to.

I know, he says. I know.

Dream takes a shuddering breath, fingers dancing across the parts of the body he’s gripping. They speed up and slow down as he filters his thoughts, eventually coming to a standstill. He grabs his notepad with trembling hands, scribbling down something hastily, ripping out the paper, and holding it out for Niki while hiding himself. Nervously, Niki steps forward because the memory of powerful and quick and ruthless Dream has never left her, even when presented with the sight of the trembling man before her.

I know, the paper says. I want to listen. But not today. I can’t today.

Niki swallows. She looks at Dream, trembling and crumbling in on himself, and nods. “Okay,” she says. “I understand. I… I’m sorry. That was out of line, I...”

Dream nods quickly and sharply. His fingers tap quickly against his leg. Niki feels awkward, standing in front of Dream like this as he fidgets and shuffles. She puts a little distance between the two of them, retreating back to the kitchen. The house is plunged into a small period of unrelenting silence. Niki wished that she knew at least a little sign because maybe things wouldn’t be so awkward. Dream doesn’t look all too thrilled to be talking with her either way, though, so perhaps it was wishful thinking. He’s running a hand through his hair, pausing to tug on the long strands every few seconds.

Niki frowns. Has Techno told her anything about how to handle something like this? Sorting through her memory quickly tells Niki that, no, Techno hadn’t spilled anything helpful for a time like this. He’d asked Niki to make sure Dream didn’t do anything to himself, but certainly, he wasn’t that much of a danger to his own wellbeing, right? Techno had mentioned some other useful things, but he seems to have forgotten some details Niki would’ve loved to have. She sighs.

Niki supposes that the best she can do right now is swallow her words and try to be helpfully polite. To, in kinder words, simply watch Dream. She tried to ask him about some things here or there but mostly ended up talking at Dream instead of with him. That’s okay, Niki didn’t mind. She didn’t really go into today expecting some sort of riveting conversation, and the one she’d already tried to have ended oh-so-splendidly.

Suddenly, the sound of Dream’s stomach growling caught her attention. Niki looked back from her chunk of dough that she’d started kneading to fill the silence at Dream, who was caught like a deer in headlights. He looked to her quickly before starting off on what Niki thinks is a garbled bundle of excuses about how he wasn’t hungry again. Niki laughs kindly, making Dream’s hands pause mid-air.

“I’ll go get you an apple or something,” she says, running her hands under the sink to wash off the extra flour. “Techno showed me where everything was before you woke up. I’ll be back in just a second. Stay put, okay?”

Dream nods, hiding his face and giving a small thumbs up. The trip downstairs is quick, only interrupted by a skulk of three foxes Techno apparently kept in his basement. The box with cooled fruit was propped up, probably to keep the foxes out of it, Niki mused, if the scratch marks on the side were anything to go off of. Dream was sitting in virtually the exact same position Niki had left him in, nervously glancing at her when she approached. At least he’s good at following directions, Niki noted. She held out the apple, waited a long few seconds for Dream to take it, then set it on the table next to him. Dream’s eyes watched her with rapt attention, almost like he was afraid she was suddenly going to turn around and attack him.

After that little experience, Niki went back to kneading dough as pleasantly as she could. She couldn’t explain the small smile that crept onto her lips when the inevitable crunch of an apple being eaten hit her ears after minutes of silence. Niki chalks it up to the fact that Techno would be happy that Dream ate and tries to move on from it as passively as she can.

Shuffling fills the corners of the house between the clanging of various pans and Niki’s humming. Dream had come a little closer, sitting stiffly at the counter and watching Niki work after throwing his apple core into Carl’s stable from the window. He keeps the notepad close to him, bouncing the pen back and forth against the solid surface. Niki greets him and starts explaining what she’s doing, to which Dream nods along. She tries to suggest Dream join the baking whenever she can, moving pans around and into the sink when they’ve become dirty. Dream’s eyes follow her hands as she gestures around, eyebrows twitching downward every few seconds. Every semi-loud sound makes his eyes blink in surprise and something else Niki can’t quite place. It goes on like this for about half an hour, with various levels of participation coming from Dream.

Eventually, he begins to look more and more lost in thought, distracted, even borderline frustrated, eventually dropping his pen roughly and tapping his pointer finger against the counter. His other hand goes to his hair, pulling, as a small whimper tumbled into the air. Dream’s nail makes a quick tap, tap, tap that sounds borderline panicky, only increasing in speed. His shoulders are tense, and because Niki is so used to providing comfort to those unscarred by touch, she reached out for his shoulder.

Dream jerks away as soon as her hand meets his shoulder, a small, distressed noise leaving his throat. He stumbles onto shaky legs, looking almost as if Niki burned him. Niki, in return, pulled her hand back to her chest. Dream holds up a finger, a small give me a moment, before distancing himself. He hangs his head and holds up his hands, shaking them out almost violently as he paces the living room.

“Dream?” Niki begins to ask, watching the man pace and shake his hands. What was he doing? What was going on?

Her thoughts are abruptly cut off by a sharp yelp when Dream suddenly turns and pushes over a chair. This is still Dream at the end of the day, and once upon a time, he was terrifying and dangerous. Niki clamps her hands down over her mouth to keep any further sound from escaping when it makes Dream flinch. His breath picks up in shakiness and speed until a loud crash makes the house go silent.

Dream’s head whips around, finding a pile of shattered glass on the floor next to the chair he flipped over and the table it apparently took on its way down. He stares at it for a good, long second, the breath stolen from his lungs. A quick, strangled sob leaves Dream’s mouth as he drops to his knees, scrambling for the glass pieces. Hot, fat tears fill the corners of Dream’s eyes. His hands are shaking so much it makes the glass pieces he picks up clink against each other. Almost desperately, Dream tries to wipe away the tears, and Techno’s worry about Dream hurting himself suddenly becomes much more apparent as the world catches up to Niki.

“Oh- Dream, no, we- let’s not-” Niki drops to her knees beside Dream, holding her hands out gently. “Let’s not do that, okay? You’ve got glass in your hands.”

Dream doesn’t stop. The tears and sobs only spilling harder and faster. Niki doesn’t think this can get any worse, so she slowly puts her hand over Dream’s, grasping it and pulling it away gently. There’s no resistance, even as Dream digs his chin into his chest. Pricks of blood are already forming on scratches left on Dream’s cheeks from the glass, quickly mixing with tears. Dream starts signing something frantically, and Niki doesn’t know what he’s saying, but, oh, she wishes she did.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” Niki tries. “Are you worried Techno will be angry?”

Dream nods, choking on another sob.

“I’m sure he won’t be!” Niki presents her hands, cupped, to Dream again. “He really cares about you, alright? He won’t be mad over a broken cup, okay?”

Dream makes a strangled sound that almost sounds like a “but” as he snaps his head up to face Niki.

“No. No buts.” Niki pushes her hands forward pointedly. “I’ll clean up the glass, okay? I think you should go lay down on your bed and rest. Calm down a little, alright? I’m supposed to be here to help, and Techno would be upset if you hurt yourself. I’ll let you know when everything’s been taken care of.”

Shakily, Dream brings his free hand up to his face, fingers touching the newly formed cuts as his lips trace Niki’s words. His eyes go wide, pressing down on the tiny bubbles of blood forming. He drops the glass into Niki’s hands, staggering up with a sharp breath. He mutters something too faint for Niki to catch before disappearing into his room. Niki picks up the rest of the glass, her hands thankfully much steadier than Dream’s own despite what just happened. Periodically, she glances up to Dream’s room, watching, waiting.

She isn’t quite sure what she’s waiting for, maybe for him to come bursting out, angry at being coddled, or perhaps for him to come slinking back with shaky hands and hot tears and try to help again. Whatever it is, it never comes.

Carefully, Niki spends a few minutes making sure no shards had spread out over the house or that she misses any finite pieces. After her searches come back clean, Niki moves to the knocked-over furniture. She rights the table and chair Dream had knocked over, huffing out a small sigh of relief. The living room was clean again, thankfully. She hopes Techno won’t be mad. That would just make her look bad when Dream was so clearly distressed over the whole ordeal.

At the thought of Dream, Niki makes her way over to his room. She knocks, the wood giving way and opening up into the small room. Dream lays on his bed, curled up into a ball, and appears to be fast asleep. The blankets look almost deliberately untouched around him. Niki steps into the dark room, noting the closed blinds on his window. Everything is kept down to nearly a depressing minimum, the only trace of life in the room being the messy, yet unmoved, sheets and a single flowerpot laying on a chest.

It would be better to let him sleep, Niki thinks. The room is kept cold, and Niki doesn’t want Dream to get sick, so she decides to drape the untouched sheets over Dream’s sleeping form. As she pulls up the blankets around the sleeping body, though, Dreams’ eyes flutter open, and his body tenses. He turns his head to watch her silently.

“I’ve cleaned up the glass, so the living room is good to be in again,” Niki offers. She pulls her hands away, crouching down so she doesn’t loom over Dream. “I was going to let you sleep; sorry for waking you.”

Dream shrugs, not really looking like he had been sleeping in the first place. He sits up, glancing at the sheets pooling around him. Dream glances around, scrubbing at his face and swinging his legs over the side of his bed. Despite Niki’s protests, he gets up and shuffles his way into the living room. His eyes fall on the now empty space on the table, sucking in a soft, shuddering breath. Niki comes to stand beside him.

“Hey,” she says. “It’s okay. I’m not angry, and they won’t be either, okay?”

Dream’s eyes flit from the table down to Niki. His body, slouched forward, leans a little closer to her as he nods silently. He looks back to the room, eyes squinting. He shoves his hands in his pockets and produces the pen and paper he’d kept on him; scribbling down, can you close the blinds? Niki smiles. She needs to encourage him to ask for things, too.

“Sure.”

Dream makes a home for himself on the couch. He eyes Niki’s book and they make idle chatter over it, Niki sitting across from him in the chair. They slide the notepad between each other on the table, both patiently waiting for the other to read or write before responding. Dream apologizes for the outburst. He said that he was feeling overwhelmed and hasn’t had to deal with something like that in a long time. The apology was accepted. Niki even manages to get a small laugh out of Dream, one that tugs gently on his throat and makes his chest stutter. It’s nice to see Dream’s smile, the way it cracks his face as he chuckles to himself. Somehow, it’s the most pride she’s felt in a while.

When Niki gets up to make herself some food, Dream takes her up on the offer to eat together. The list Techno left with what Dream could eat suddenly became very useful when preparing dinner. He doesn’t eat much and apologizes about it, for the hassle he must be causing, but it was what Niki was expecting anyway. Dream goes to sleep soon after that, pausing at his door and sending a quick, earnest thank you to Niki. She smiles.

“You’re welcome, Dream.”

Techno wasn’t mad, and neither was Phil. They seemed more focused on the fact that Dream actually ate a decently sized meal for the first time that week than anything else. Dream, who was hovering in the back, made sure to send Niki off with a little wave.

If she feels a little protective over him during the next Syndicate meeting, that was only her business. If she spoke in a hushed tone and kept an eye on him so he wouldn’t get into trouble, it was just general caution mixed with a bit of care. When she brought the loaves of bread with her on a visit, they were for Techno, Phil, and Dream, but she couldn’t deny the tiny bit of excitement that bloomed in her chest when Phil suggested Dream learn how to bake to help with tremors and outbursts.

If she let Dream into her stash or secret recipes for pies and bread, it stayed between them. Dream promised to keep them secret, and Niki didn’t doubt him. He smiled at her one day, growing nicely into the freckles that had started to speckle his skin, while his third batch of experimental dough was baking. Niki couldn’t help but smile back.

[cellard0ors]

Fic: Movement (1/?)

This is dedicated to @peachworthy - my plan is to work on this when I can. I was going to try and write a full long thing (all puns intended) but thought it might be fun to just do sporadic bits instead!

“As you can see, it’s a pretty nice place…” Mr. Super Tall and Super Handsome and Super-Out-of-Link’s-League tells him as he walks him around the place. Link’s only been half listening because he’s been trailing behind this uniquely sexy giraffe of a man for about half an hour now and it’s been hard to not just…eat him up with his eyes.

Link’s lived in LA for about two years now and while he’s seen some attractive people, they all pale in comparison to…

…oh gosh, he’s forgotten his name again! Not a good thing to do when being toured by your potential roommate to be. Although Link’s pretty sure his current tour guide is just being nice.

No way he’s seriously considering letting Link move in. First of all, Link is a late in life college student trying to get a film degree. Second, this guy could have anyone live with him.

Anyone.

The fact he even needs a roommate is staggering. After all, this place is already furnished. It’s clear he’s lived here for a while now – so the need for someone else-? Link doesn’t get it.

But he sure as heck can’t stay on campus anymore. It’s embarrassing. Most of the other students there think he’s a professor as it is; and bunking with kids half his age has been a nightmare.

Not because he can’t identify with them per say, but because he just-? He wants to interact with people on the same wavelength as him.

And no way is this Greek God and he on the same wavelength. No doubt the guy’s an actor. Almost everyone in LA is. And, no doubt, the guy has probably had some gigs. Several, if the house is anything to go by…

Maybe he lost a role recently? Maybe that’s why he needs the extra income? It’s the only thing Link can think of and he’s stupid enough to voice that, “It is a nice place, man, but I don’t see how I’ll be much help. What you’ve got here looks pretty well lived in. Take it you’ve been here solo for some time and I’m not sure how-?”

“I have,” Handsome admits and oh, that southern drawl. It makes Link think of home. How perfect can one man be? “And, frankly, I don’t need a roommate, but I’d like a roommate.”

“For parts? Like the Black Market?” Link can’t help but joke, and the guy throws his head back and laughs and oh, no…

…Yeah, Link can’t live with this man. It hasn’t even been a full day and Link is practically already in love with him. And thinking of the ‘him’ he forces himself to sheepishly ask, “Um, I, ah, forgot your name again...”

“It’s Rhett.”

Of course it is.

Rhett is such a romantic name.

Rhett Butler immediately springs to mind and Link sighs, “Look, Rhett – like I said, it is a nice place, but-!”

“I tell you what I’d expect in rent?” he asks and when he lists the price, Link decides that – besides being insanely attractive – that the guy is just insane in general.

The rent is cheap. Far, far cheaper than Link expected and it must show on his face, because Rhett shrugs, “Look, Link – I can’t say what it is, but I gotta feeling about you. I’ve met with a couple of potential roommates and, honestly, none of them have gone this far. I haven’t let ‘em. But there’s something about you…”

“My natural charm?” Link asks, but he’s sort of giggly and weird when he does and oh, gosh – why is he so awkward? Isn’t he too old for this? Don’t you reach a certain age and awkwardness just…drops off?

But apparently not and, apparently, Rhett isn’t turned off by it, because he gives him a warm grin, “Might be.”

“Rhett…”

“Might be the accent to be honest,” he confesses, seeming almost shy and that should be illegal, because it just highlights how cute he is, “I’m from North Carolina and it just-!”

“Hey!” Link perks up, “Me too!”

“Really?” Rhett gushes and Link nods, “Yeah, Buies Creek.”

“Oh! My family and I almost moved there! Ended up in Charlotte instead!”

“Wow! Crazy! What are the odds!” And Link hates every cliched thing coming out of his mouth right now, but he can’t seem to stop and Rhett just looks so damned pleased.

As if his feeling about Link is right on the money and Link wishes it was, but this can’t possibly work. Can it? And just as Link is about to voice that, Rhett suddenly looks…apprehensive. Fidgety.

And Link’s caught a bit off guard by it, because – up until now – he’s been so cool. Cool and collected. But now Rhett runs a hand through his thick mane of hair and sighs as if a great weight is upon him, “Ah…actually, I, ah, well – I forgot…”

Here it is. Link’s been waiting for this. The big secret. The big reason someone as amazing as Rhett would need someone like him. Maybe it is the Black Market thing. Link has some nice organs. Real juicy. Maybe revealing his background has made the big guy feel bad – like he can’t carve up a fellow North Caroliner.

Rhett rocks on his heels, “I told you, none of the other potential roommates made it this far and…there’s a reason for that. Even the one or two I kinda considered…well, I, um, I told them what I do for a living and that’s when things sort of fell apart…”

…oh shit. He IS a Black Market organ dealer!

Link’s Adam’s apple bobs as he looks around skittishly. The house is big and they’re alone in it. He’s been so distracted by how hot Rhett is that he hasn't even thought about that fact.

Until now.

What if the other potentials didn’t get this far because they got cut up beforehand? Maybe the whole roommate thing is a farce! Maybe it’s a con! A con to draw people in and-!

“I work in the entertainment industry.”

Link blinks. Blinks and feels like the dumbest man on planet earth as he says, “Well, yeah. You and half of LA. Heck, I’m here trying to get into film myself! Do some directing or sound editing or-!”

“No,” Rhett says firmly, smoothly, meeting Link’s eyes head on as he says in a full deep register, “When I say I work in the industry, I mean it. I’ve, um, had a pretty healthy and…and long career…”

“Really?” Link asks, eyes wide behind his glasses, “Have I seen anything you’ve-?”

“Doubt it,” Rhett interrupts with a humorless huff, “You don’t seem the type. But then,” he eyes him thoughtfully, “I’ve been surprised before…”

Link doesn’t know why he’s being so cagey about this, “What’ve you-?”

“My resume is…” Rhett finally looks away, as if he can’t bear to look at Link when he says it, “…of the adult variety.”

“The adult-?” Link starts to repeat and then it clicks. It clicks and it hits him so hard over the head it’s like a physical blow. The house, the handsomeness – the…everything.

Rhett looks back at him, jaw firmly set as he speaks, “Look, it’s not that I’m ashamed of what I do. Far from it. It’s just a job and it’s one I happen to be good at. But it’s also one that people in polite society aren’t too keen on and considering you’re from my home state you might-!”

“Porn?” Link croaks out and he feels a little like he might faint, “You’re a porn star?”

Rhett just kind of shrugs and the reason Link feels lightheaded has nothing to do with his shock at the man’s career and everything to do with the fact that Link has only seen a few porn films and none of them have ever stared someone so breathtakingly beautiful. The idea that Rhett has been in something like that…

Heat suffuses through Link’s system with equal mixes of lust and shame. Lust because, well, look at Rhett and shame because Link doesn’t want to just view the man as a sex object, Granted, that’s kind of his job, but it just seems…rude.

While Link doesn’t know Rhett well, he knows him well enough at this point to say he’s just a regular guy. An extremely gorgeous regular guy, but a regular guy all the same.

Thinking of him in simple black and white just doesn’t do him justice. So he’s a porn star. So what? He’s nice and this place is amazing and the rent suggested is fantastic and-!

“Take it by your silence you’re gonna decline…”

“No!” Link cuts in quickly and Rhett’s eyes shoot to him, wide and amazed, and Link feels a little sense of superiority at that. At catching this giant off guard, “No, uh – your…your profession isn’t a problem.”

“It’s not?”

“Well, I mean,” Link looks around once more, "You don’t-? You don’t film here, do you?”

The laugh that booms out of Rhett at that makes Link’s toes curl with pleasure, “Nah, man. This place is sacred. Like to keep my personal and professional life separate.”

“And…” Link scratches at the back of his head, “And you won’t, like…bring over a-a partner or partners and-!”

“Don’t have one,” Rhett admits and then the sexiest crinkles form around his eyes, “Although I gotta say, that’s about the slickest way anyone’s ever asked me if I was single…”

The heat from before returns full blast, no doubt coloring Link’s cheeks pure red and it comes completely from shyness, an emotion he is much more familiar with than most, “Oh, no! I-I wasn’t-!”

“Think you were asking if I do some weird sex shit here in the house of the personal variety and, again, no. You work in my field you kinda lose a bit of a taste for it.”

“For sex?”

Rhett nods, “And for a lot of things. It’s like I said – I'd like a roommate. Mainly ‘cause I’ve been feeling a little…disconnected of late. Feel like I need someone in my life who isn’t in the business. Someone I can just, y’know…” his shoulders roll and he bobs about a bit, clearly bashful, “…jam with.”

“Someone on your wavelength…” Link whispers and suddenly, Rhett’s idea that Link might be someone worth keeping around feels totally legitimate. Because Link is suddenly reciprocating it and then some. Because Link's starting to have a feeling about him too.

A feeling that this could work.

It really could.

And, this in mind, Link asks, “When can I move in?”

[samwrights]

i really like your seijoh baby fever hcs 😭 could i please request with 3rd gym + ushi and tendou ☹️

BABY FEVER PART 2 HUH 🤧🤧 alright, lets dive in y’all. Also, side note, I am sooooo soft for Akaashi’s inferiority complex. I just wanna hold his hand and tell him he’s perfect.

Also, Tsukki kinda got angsty??? I m sorry.

Bokuto;

This nut has baby fever with you

That baby radar we talked about last time—you both had it.

You can bet there’s a competition of who saw the cuter baby at the grocery store when the two of you go.

Though, no one ever wins because they’re all fckn cute.

You’re a little bit worse off than Bokuto though, in the sense that you won’t stop mentioning “when” you guys have kids versus “if”

And it’s kinda doing lots of funny things to him

Especially if you guys have friends over that have kids.

If you’re nowhere to be found, you can bet that you’re in the backyard playing tag or hide and seek.

H o l d I n g t h e m.

Friends who have babies are especially allowed over, just so you can hold them.

And feed them.

Oh my god, the way their eyes open?? So full of love and wonder??

Your weakness #7.

And Bokuto weakness #41—seeing you feed and hold a newborn

Never in his LIFE has the owl seen you look so happy and loving and glowing.

Not even on your guys’ wedding day.

You did but whatever, Bo.

Wait who’s got baby fever? You? Or Bo?

Both. Both is good.

But, Bokuto being him, he kinda starts to worry about the fact that you haven’t even brought up having kids.

Like y’all have been married for a year

This is what married couples do, right? No

So he’s in emo mode, but this is a whole different kind of dramatic.

He’s so serious and blunt and it’s kinda scary.

“[name], do you even want to have kids with me?”

ASSFGHJKL

“Bo, please tell me you didn’t just ask me that.”

But you can tell by the way his pupils his shrink yet his eyes become wider than the moon—he’s hopeful.

“Koutarou, I’ve literally been saying for the last four years, when we have kids. It’s kind of a given.”

“...can we get started then?”

Akaashi;

Akaashi gets soooo flustered when you start talking babies.

Because no matter how many different ways he looks at it, he thinks he’s not ready.

Especially when your newborn nephew gets dropped off for baby sitting.

How are you such a natural with kids?

Akaashi pretends not to notice the soft spoken voice you use for the baby.

Or the way it looks so natural, so right, to see you balancing him on your hip while you warm up a bottle.

He learned you’re also a co-sleeper and jump at the opportunity to nap with your nephew

It’s hard image for Akaashi to force out of his mind

But he can’t help but wonder if you’d do the same with your kids.

Then he starts panicking a little because he.’s falling down the rabbit hole of thinking he wouldn’t be a good dad.

Even more so when you bring up wanting to have a family with him.

Apparently you were prepared to just forego the entire idea of marriage and skip straight to family

Akaashi can and will freak out about that at another time.

“Shouldn’t we wait? Until we’re ready?”

“I am ready, Akaashi. But something tells me that you aren’t.”

“...I don’t wanna mess up.”

Akaashi isn’t very vocal when it comes to his insecurities—it came with the territory of handling Bokuto for a couple years.

So when he’s sharing them with you, you naturally jump into overprotective mom girlfriend mode.

“Akaashi, I wouldn’t want to have kids with you if I didn’t think you’d be a good dad.”

Did I mention he’s got a bit of a praise kink?

Cause that just went straight from his ears to his dick.

Kuroo;

Being married to Kuroo Tetsurou comes with a warning label.

One you had to recite as a vow.

“I will not bring up children until I am ready.”

You always thought it was a little weird when he asked you include something along those lines.

And, after a year, you sometimes forget your vow. You’re only human.

What else is human is this ADORABLE toddler in the car next to you guys at a stoplight who won’t stop waving at you.

“Aw, Tetsu look! Say hi!” The former captain’s eyes narrow questioningly, but he doesn’t say anything yet.

It only gets worse from here on out.

Why do kids like waving at you? Idk, but it happens pretty frequently.

Like when the two of you go out to eat and a baby in their high chair stops throwing their food on the ground, just to smile and babble as they look at you.

It makes you soft.

And, considering you’re sitting right in front of him, Kuroo sees the way your eyes become three shades lighter with every interaction.

“Remember your vow, baby.” He grits out, though the strain goes entirely over your head.

“Why did you make me say that anyway?” Kuroo never explained why—only begged that you included it.

“Cause once we start having kids, we aren’t stopping until you physically can’t anymore.”

Oh.

OH.

“Hey, Tetsu?”

“Yeah?”

“Can we start when we get home?”

Tsukishima;

If you expected all of these to be happy hcs, I hate to disappoint.

But Tsukki wants to strangle you when you bring up kids.

He’s brought it up so many times that he does not want kids.

No matter how many times you fawn over your friends’ children.

Or how much you splurge on gifts when you have to attend a baby shower.

That last one in particular especially made him want to fight you.

You will tease and joke over and over how much you just want him to impregnate you.

“[name], no.”

“Come on, Tsukki. You’d be such a hot dad!”

He’s not gonna deny that.

But he is definitely going to deny impregnating you.

Unfortunately, this is a recurring argument for the two of you.

To the point where you feel a little empty every time you hear once of your old friend’s just introduced another family member.

And Tsukki knows it’s wearing down heavily on you.

To where you almost aren’t really yourself anymore.

“I’m not agreeing to this,” he says one day when he finally sits you down, “but give me some time to...mentally prepare for being a family.”

“N-no, I’m okay, you don’t—“

“No, you aren’t. I miss you, [name]. And if this is what it takes to get you back, then I have to try.”

Ushijima;

Let’s be real—Ushi kinda dense.

So honestly, don’t expect him to pick up or understand the excitement you have when you see a baby

Or fawn over receiving wedding invites because someone still hasn’t popped the question.

I’m not pointing any fingers. Wakatoshi.

N e way. You’re not as eager for a baby as some. Or at least, you’re not as transparent about it.

Yes seeing little babies napping in their stroller sends your ovaries in a frenzy

Or seeing or hearing a baby cry in public forces your maternal instinct to go into overdrive.

But you were good! Really!

At least that’s what Toshi thinks

Until he overhears you on the phone with someone after getting home from work. Your mother, apparently.

“No, mom, he hasn’t proposed. Yes, I know we’ve been together for the better half of a decade, thanks for reminding me. No, you aren’t going to have any grandkids anytime soon.”

Oh. Was...was he doing something wrong?

“I should go, Toshi’s gonna be home soon.”

As soon as you open your bedroom door, you’re met with your stone-faced partner who was standing close enough that, if the door were still closed, he would have been pressed up against it.

“Are you upset with me?”

“Wha—no! No, you know how my mom gets...”

Ushijima may be a little dense, but he is at least somewhat aware enough to know when you’re lying.

“Let’s talk.” Not allowing you to escape, his large hands plant themselves on your shoulders just as firmly as his voice, leading the two of you to sit on the edge of the bed. “Is that what you want? A marriage? A family?”

“Of course, Toshi, I love you. We’ve been together for seven years—“

“Whatever you want, I will do for you.”

Tendou;

You had always told Tendou you didn’t want kids any time soon.

And he’s totally okay with—gives you two the chance to be just that.

So you both agreed to you going on birth control. IUD specifically, just so you didn’t have to worry about anything for a few years at a time.

Nothing to worry about!

Except seeing your best friend hold her newborn is doing funny things to you

And your other BFF just found out she’s pregnant

Now they’re both kinda just expecting you to follow in line

“You guys know I’m not ready.”

But they see just how tender you are with the newborn

Or how you’re very involved with the pregnant one, constantly asking her questions of what she’s feeling and how excited she is to be a mom

They know you too well—you’re already entertaining the idea.

So while you and Tendou are laying on the couch together, you try to nonchalantly bring it up. Try.

“How would you feel if I didn’t replace the IUD this time around? Hypothetically speaking, of course.”

Tendou’s typically bemused face perks up. “Oh? Making plans without me?”

“Wha—no! I’m just asking a question!”

“Mm, okay,” though his tone is light, there’s a bit of a teasing drawl, “then, hypothetically speaking, I would try to convince you to finally let me get you pregnant.”

Haikyuu!! Tag List

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[jalapeno-princess]

Something There

Prince Mark X Princess reader

Genre: Angst (fluff and potentially smut in the future chapters but this specific chapter is just full of angst).

Word Count: 6.5K

Summary: Ever since you were a little girl, you have been groomed to follow the ways of being royalty. Being a princess had it’s perks; you got to attend all of these fancy balls and parties, you lived in an enormous palace with your family and your best friend just so happened to be a prince of a neighboring kingdom. Everything was seemingly perfect. You barely had any worries other than what you would be like as queen once you would take over the family reign from your parents. You were still so young to be considering what your life would be like in the future, but your parents don’t give you much of a choice once you find out that they have given your hand away in marriage without your knowledge or consent. Although you knew it was going to happen sooner or later and you’ve accepted your fate, you weren’t ready to find out just who you were going to marry--and when it turns out that the man you are meant to spend the rest of your life with just so happens to be the same man you hate with a burning passion.

“Y/n! Are you ready yet? The Parks will be here any minute!” 

You giggled softly to yourself at your mother’s hasty words as your chambermaid helped you with the final touches on your hair. That word never set well with you seeing as how Elizabeth—or Lizzie was more like a second mother to you rather than someone who was meant to work for you and do as she was told by your parents. 

It wasn’t as though your family was ever mean to her or treated her as a servant. In fact, she was practically family; all of the people who worked your your family were more than just servants and it didn’t feel right calling any of them that. When you were first born, Elizabeth was hired to be your nanny and it was only for up until you were old enough to go to school. However, you quickly grew attached to her and her sweet, gentle and kind-hearted personality. 

There were times that you felt as though she was more of a mother to you than your own mother and since you hardly had any friends, she was your confidant and seemingly your best friend. She finished curling the last piece of your hair and playfully squeezed your side as she noticed the wide grin that hasn’t left your face since you heard of the news that Jinyoung was coming over to the palace. 

“You look beautiful as always my dear. I’m sure Jinyoung won’t be able to take his eyes off of you. He never seems to every time he comes over.”

If the blush wasn’t already extremely prominent earlier, now you were sure you must have been as red as a tomato. With the last few touches of powder on your nose; although it really wasn’t needed, Lizzie helped you in to your gown, and gave you a sweet smile as she took in you and all of your beautiful glory. 

“Time to meet Prince Charming.” 

Right as your mom had her hand the doorknob, ready to twist it open, you barely spared her a glance or even a polite greeting before storming past her in to the hallway. You mentally cursed yourself for not asking where the older boy was beforehand; your humble abode or so your parents referred it to was in more or less words gigantic. There were a lot more rooms than your family of five really needed. Twenty-five bedrooms, eighteen baths, three kitchens, a garden, six libraries—honestly you would have been content living in a simple three bedroom house. 

You’ve been living in the palace from the moment you were born. All you have ever known was this life. Being a member of the royal family—but not just any member. The heir to the throne. You were the oldest sibling of your parents children. Your sister Angelina was fourteen and your brother Theodore was only seven. It was only natural for you to be the next in line for queen. However, you were growing tired of this life. 

Sure, you were extremely grateful for the many blessings that you had because of who you were. You had a roof above your head, you had a great education, a family that loved you, people who took care of you and people who adored you—you were very lucky to be who you were. However, if you had the choice, you would run away; run away with the wonderful man you were only moments away from reuniting with after going weeks without seeing him. 

The thought of settling down, moving in to a quaint little farmhouse and starting a family with Jinyoung never failed to make you feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. You’ve known Jinyoung for almost your entire life. In fact, both his and your parents barely gave either of you enough time to learn how to talk before having you play with one another. 

Since you were a little girl, Jinyoung was one of the only people your age that you could call a friend. It wasn’t until less than a year ago did your friendship with the handsome prince develop in to something more. You weren’t necessarily dating; Jinyoung claimed it was because he was aware of the fact that royals never got to choose their life partners—parents would decide who their children would spend the rest of their lives with. 

Normally, it was with the child of another royal family and in most cases, the eldest child of either family would get married first. You were hoping that your parents brought the two of you together as friends for a reason; so that maybe one day you would become Mrs.Park Jinyoung. Sure, deep down you knew that it wasn’t exactly the most plausible situation but you were hoping and sometimes you’ve prayed that your dreams of marrying Jinyoung would one day come true. 

You were still considerably young to be getting married; twenty-one was still an age of adolescence yet you were anticipating your parents giving you away to a future king in less than a year. Until then though, you and Jinyoung were selfish and began to see each other in secret. There were times where you’d sneak out through your window to meet him at a nearby park somewhere or he’d climb a tree just outside your bedroom and you’d find yourselves reading a bunch of books, stealing kisses from each other and just basking in the presence of the other. 

As much as you didn’t want to say that your life was rough just because you had everything you could ever want and need—life as a royal could get very rough. There were so many eyes on you; everyone seemingly judged your every move and kept up with all the members of your family. If anyone were to find out about your secret rendezvous with Jinyoung, you were confident that you’d be the talk of the entire town. Plus, you were afraid of the consequences that came with going against your parents wishes or what was considered tradition. 

Whenever you’d look at Jinyoung or even just think about him, it was in those moments that you wish you were a common person. The number one thing your heart desired was to spend the rest of your life with the person you loved, not the person your parents set you up with just so that your families would receive social gain and growth in power. You were miserable—not being able to choose your own destiny was heartbreaking and extremely unfair. 

Jinyoung was verbal about how unhappy he was that he couldn’t be to you what he wanted to. No matter how hard either of you could try to hide it, there was no ignoring the fact that you and Jinyoung were simply not meant to be. That never stopped you and Jinyoung from doing whatever it was that your hearts desired together. Wherever life ended up taking you, he would always be your first true love. 

You were racing down the hallway and wasted no time in guessing where the Parks could have been. The party being held tonight had been planned for months now; neither your father nor your mother went in to detail about what this party was for, but then again your parents were notorious for throwing parties without any actual reason behind them. People would come from near and far, all around the country just to be able to say they attended one of your family’s parties. 

Your parents would have entertainment, music, delicious food, beautiful decorations and just nothing but the best ambiance and atmosphere. Once you finally made your way in to the ballroom, your eyes immediately landed on his devastatingly handsome features. God, Park Jinyoung was just the definition of perfect. He was currently dressed in a black suit and a red tie; a combination that you’ve mentioned to him a few times that you found very attractive. It brought a smirk to your face knowing that he was probably thinking about you while deciding what to wear tonight. 

He had yet to notice you since he was kneeling on the ground, having a conversation with your younger brother. Watching the two of them interact and hearing the little boy laugh at what you were sure had to be a corny joke of his, you could feel your heart growing heavy. Jinyoung was such a gentleman and took care of both your siblings as if they were his own. He was also extremely kind-hearted and generous towards your parents. They would always ask when the next time he would come over was. He blended right in with your family—you were hopeful that maybe, just maybe your parents would find it in their hearts to break that stupid tradition and allow you and Jinyoung to be together. 

You didn’t realize that you were so focused on the current state of your relationship with Jinyoung to notice that he was now walking towards you. The gentle squeeze of your hip broke you out of your thoughts as he dragged his fingers along the side of your cheek; causing goosebumps to raise on your skin. 

“Hey princess. I’ve missed you so much. Have you missed me? You look stunning by the way. Simply gorgeous. How’s my favorite girl doing?” 

If you weren’t in the middle of the grand ballroom where anyone could have seen the two of you interacting, you probably would have kissed him. His lips looked so soft and so pretty and with he way he was eying you up and down, licking and biting his bottom lip—you wanted to show him the effect his unwavering gaze was having on you. 

“I’m doing a lot better now that you’re here. I’ve missed you too Jinyoung. You look very handsome.” 

He sent you a flirtatious wink and motioned towards the direction of the library you frequently visited. Any time he hinted towards being intimate with you, you could physically feel your heart beat against your chest. Right as the response of agreement was on the tip of your tongue, a soft voice interrupted any plans you were moments away from having with the older boy. 

“Y/n! You look beautiful sweetheart! How have you been? Jinyoung hasn’t stopped talking about you since our last visit—oh, sorry dear, I didn’t mean to—well, it’s not like you try to hide your excitement anyway. It’s so nice to see you again. Where are your parents?” 

Mrs.Park pulled you in to a hug and allowed you to greet Mr.Park. To your dismay, in your peripheral vision, you could see the last person you felt like interacting with tonight. The sight of him made your skin crawl and you were sure that if you were to see yourself, you’d be wearing a scowl on your face. 

“Mark, sweetie. Aren’t you going to say hello?” 

You absentmindedly rolled your eyes at his mother’s curiosity. By his not so subtle scoff and the way he looked around at everyone and everything but you, it was clear that he had the same feelings of disgust as you were currently experiencing. Mark Tuan—he was Jinyoung’s older brother. The oldest of the Park siblings. Why he had a different last name than your best friend; you had yet to understand but you never asked since it wasn’t your business. You just assumed that maybe he took his mother’s maiden name while Jinyoung took their father’s last name. 

You’ve known Mark for as long as you’ve known Jinyoung—but unlike the close knit relationship you held with his younger brother, you wanted nothing to do with the sarcastic asshole that was Mark Tuan. Honestly, you could tell by his actions alone that Mark hated you. He had to; there was no real explanation as to why he was so cold towards you and why he made it his responsibility to ignore you and pretend as if you didn’t exist. 

When you were younger, you, Jinyoung and Mark often played with each other whenever you’d visit their castle or when they’d come over to your palace. At one point, maybe when you were six and Mark was eight, you considered yourself closer to him than you were with Jinyoung. He was a lot more fun and outgoing when you all were younger—but time was a bitch wasn’t she? 

When he turned fourteen, that’s when he ended up cutting you from his life completely. It’s been almost ten years and you still had a difficult time comprehending his rough and crude demeanor towards you. You’ve asked Jinyoung on multiple occasions why Mark changed out of the blue; was something going on at home that seemingly changed him in to such a prick that lived to displease you? 

Was it something you said or did that you didn’t realize back then? You weren’t going to lie, you missed Mark. Well—you missed the old Mark. The Mark that would read chapter books to you before you could even read on your own. The same Mark that stayed up till three in the morning with you because you had a nightmare and were too afraid to go back to sleep. 

Sure, you should have asked him yourself what led him in to turning against you so that maybe, you’d be able to move on from it and stop blaming yourself for something that was out of your hands. But you were a coward and you were afraid that his behavior was all in your mind. Before anyone could say anything, he stormed past you and made his way in the direction of the kitchen. His mother gave you an apologetic look before bowing in remorse. 

“I’m so sorry about him y/n, he’s had an exhausting day but that’s no excuse. We’d better go look for your parents. There’s a lot we need to talk about. You two go have fun. Jinyoung sweetheart, maybe later you can go keep your brother company. We all know how he feels about these parties. It’s always a pleasure seeing you y/n.” 

You gave the older lady a gentle smile and allowed both Jinyoung’s parents on their way before motioning him towards your favorite hideaway. You were tempted to reach for his hand which was practically second nature to the two of you, but you were afraid of someone seeing the sudden movement of affection and you refused to allow someone get the two of you in trouble just so they could make a couple more bucks. 

It didn’t take you long to make it to the library but once you finally did and locked the door behind you, Jinyoung wasted no time in pulling you against his chest. He swiftly shoved his face in the crook of your neck and left a couple of sloppy kisses against your jaw before looking down at you with a sad smile. His hand was cold as he cupped your cheek and as soon as his lips melded perfectly with yours, all the hostility you felt from earlier with that unnecessary interaction with Mark disappeared. All that mattered in that moment was the beautiful boy who’s embrace you were currently in. 

“I’m sorry he’s such an ass. You don’t deserve that kind of mistreatment.” 

Out of all the things Jinyoung could say or do, something about the way he cared so much about you and showed you as much as he would tell you made you feel as though your heart was about to jump from out of your chest. If you had it your way, you would have ran away with the boy in question and got hitched a long time ago. It was like this every time you’d be around his entire family. More so whenever Mark was around. 

He always seemed to apologize for his brother’s brash actions and responses and you weren’t exactly fond of him anymore, but you did think about him every now and then. You wondered why things ended up the way that they were now—if he ever thought about you in a way other than disgust and hatred, and if he wished your friendship was what it used to be when you were kids. It didn’t matter though; you had many other things to worry about like one day ruling your kingdom and preparing for marriage. 

“Hey, everything okay?” 

You failed to realize that you were dozing off at the thought of Mark to listen to whatever it was Jinyoung was probably telling you. He continued to give you a look of pure curiosity but you refused to let him know what was going on in your mind. As much as you trusted Jinyoung with your life, you didn’t think he would understand why his brother was now taking up the capacity of your thoughts. 

“I’m fine. Shall we go to the library—“

“Not so fast you two. The last time you snuck off to the library, nobody could find you for hours. There is meaning behind tonight’s party and a very important announcement will be made. Let’s go.” 

A soft sigh fell from your lips; but it was quickly replaced by a child like grin and blush on your cheeks at the thought of what you and Jinyoung had been doing that warm summer day and why none of the staff nor either of your families could locate the two of you. 

By instinct, Jinyoung reached for your hand—one of his favorite things to do with you was hold your hand. On multiple occasions, he has told you that holding your hand made him feel safe and at ease. You were his own personal security blanket. Unfortunately, it was as if he remembered that you weren’t alone. He was quick to retract his hand as he was to reach for yours and it sent a rush of sadness to your chest. If only you could be affectionate with him without having to worry what others would say or think. Hell, you couldn’t give less of a shit if the town were to talk about going against your parent’s wishes to be with the person who owned your entire being. Every time you thought about the future; living in a castle somewhere in the country, having a bunch of kids running around and ruling the Kingdom—Jinyoung was always right there by your side. 

“Maybe we can sneak off later once my parents make the announcement.” 

He hummed in agreement, but didn’t turn to look at you which was odd. With every chance he could get, he’d look at you while you talked or did practically anything. He just really loved looking at you. Now, his shoulders looked slumped and his excited demeanor from earlier was no longer. This made you wonder if he was upset that the both of you couldn’t get your alone time or if there was something weighing heavy on his mind. 

He didn’t seemed bothered when you practically threw yourself in his arms not too long ago but then again, Park Jinyoung was the king of poker faces. If something ever did bother him, you could never tell because he’d never showed it no matter how troubled he was. As you walked in to the dining room, you were surprised to see just how beautifully it was decorated. Sure, your parents would set up the entire palace to look amazing with every party and event that your family held, but something about tonight was different and it worried you that you couldn’t put your finger on it. 

“I forgot to tell you, you look breathtaking as always. I can’t seem to take my eyes off of you.” 

You looked up at him and smiled fervently—grinning cheek to cheek. Every time he complimented you, you’d feel like a little school girl who had been flirted with by her crush. Jinyoung always knew exactly what to say to make you feel like the most important person in the room. When you entered the ballroom, all eyes immediately turned to face you. You were surprised to see just how many people your parents invited. 

Whatever reason they were throwing this party had to be a pretty big deal. You recognized some of the guests to be fellow kings and queens with their families—there was also a couple of dukes and duchesses, governors, mayors and just a lot of important and very powerful people invited. However, you had a feeling with the way everyone seemingly turned their attention to you that this party had to do with you in some way. It wasn’t your birthday, nor did you think you accomplished anything worth celebrating. So why did everyone seem so interested in your sudden appearance? 

“Jinyoung.”

“Hmm?”

“Is it just me, or is everyone looking at me?” 

He gently squeezed at your side while leading you towards the table that your families were sitting at. The sight of Mark also gazing at you caused your stomach to tighten. As a princess, you were used to this kind of attention—but that was only when you knew the meaning behind it. Right now, you felt uncomfortable and that was an understatement. Mark wasn’t helping with the blank expression on his face. Thankfully, Jinyoung’s presence was taking your mind off of the anxiety building up in your chest. 

“You’re the most beautiful girl here. That’s why. I can’t stop looking at you either. Don’t worry about it too much okay? Let’s just enjoy tonight. When we think everyone is distracted, then we can dismiss ourselves and have our own party. How does that sound?” 

As much as you wanted to be excited at the thought of finally being alone with the older boy, you couldn’t push back the thought that something bad was about to happen. It was hard to put your finger on it, but something just didn’t feel right. You nodded slowly in agreement, just so that he wouldn’t ask you any more questions. You began to come up with different excuses to leave, but you didn’t want to hear it from your mother. 

To your surprise, the night went off without a hitch; although you were still very anxious for reasons you didn’t even know yourself. Since you spent most of the night talking with Jinyoung, you were unable to witness the way Mark was sending daggers across of the table but you could feel him staring at you. As the night went on and it neared the end of the party, you slowly began to relax. Whatever reason the party was thrown for had yet to be made known of, so you assumed your parents either forgot or the reason wasn’t too important. 

“Jinyoung.”

“Hmm?”

“I think they’re all distracted. Everyone is either drunk or exhausted and what better time to go than when everyone is—“

“Everyone. I have a very important announcement to make. Please gather around.” 

You released a frustrated sigh as all the party guests gathered around the dining hall—filled with curiosity as to what your mother had to say. The suspense has been eating you away at the seams this entire night. Although you had yet to find out exactly what your mother had planned to confess, it didn’t take a genius to know you were involved in the announcement somehow. She grasped at your fathers hand and pulled him next to her; the look of worry on her face didn’t go unnoticed by you. In fact, you had a gut feeling that she probably wanted him there by her side for moral support. 

“You all know, that in every royal family the first child is the heir of the kingdom. Our beautiful daughter y/n is going to be twenty-two soon. Although I do believe she is still so young, her father and I have decided that it is time for her to settle down and get married in order to continue our family name for many generations to come.” 

As those words fell from her lips, you could feel your throat drying up. Nobody—neither your mom nor your dad said anything of the sort to you. Marriage? Your mom said so herself, you were still so young. Why were they having you get married and why didn’t they talk about this with you before humiliating you in front of hundreds of your guests? This is why she seemed tense the entire day; you should have known there was more to this party than just a simple celebration. Never does she worry about your timeliness like she did earlier. It was all making sense to you—she was worried that you were going to make a run for it if you were aware of what was going to go down tonight. 

“Y/n—“

Your parents turned towards you and you completely ignored the look of remorse on your father’s face. How could they do this to you? Jinyoung’s hand slowly made its way up your arm and you were grateful he was trying his best to calm you down because you were only seconds away from having a panic attack. The idea of marriage didn’t bother you. You’ve always dreamt about getting married for such a long time now, but you weren’t ready yet. Especially because you were well aware that the beautiful man who was attempting to take your mind off of your unfortunate situation would not be the man you would call your king—your husband. To your dismay, it only got worse from there. Your mother’s next words made your head spin and you were ready to throw up. 

“My husband and I along with the Park family have decided to unite as one in order to better control and take responsibility of our two kingdoms. Our two kingdoms will now become one on marriage. Since they’re both the eldest, Y/n and their oldest son Mark are set to marry in two months—“ 

You couldn’t even let her finish before storming out of there completely. The atmosphere was suffocating and you were on the verge of passing out. Just at the sound of his name with yours in the same sentence as marriage made your head spin. 

There was no way—no way in hell that you were going to marry Mark Tuan. They couldn’t force you to marry him. You haven’t had a genuine conversation with him for over nine years and every time you did have to talk with him, his words were always filled with malice and disgust. You were extremely vocal about the fact that your friendship with Mark was no longer what it used to be when the two of you were kids. Your mother knew all about your grudge against the older boy and how he always tried to make you feel bad about yourself, so why did either of your parents feel like setting up an arranged marriage with a man you were sure wanted nothing to do with you? 

Did you do something to anger them? Did they just so happen to find out about you and Jinyoung and were angry with the idea of you sneaking behind their backs and going against royal tradition? How could they force you to marry the brother of the man who was the rightful owner of your heart? There was no way you could do it. 

There was no way you could ever see Mark in a way other than disgust. How could you spend your life with someone you’ve spent more time bickering with and insulting than having an actual decent interaction? You can’t even remember the last time he said hello to you without throwing in a crude comment. Once you made it to your room, you slammed the door and sank to the ground while tears built up in your eyes. 

Since you ran without hearing the entire announcement, you failed to learn all of the details behind the marriage but you didn’t care. You were set on running away—or at least you weren’t going to give up without a fight. You were old enough to make your own decisions. As much as you loved your parents, you couldn’t help but think that marrying you off to Mark was to bring more power and wealth to both his family and yours. 

Bringing up the idea of marrying Jinyoung was weighing heavy on your heart—you would still be becoming one kingdom, but just with a different son. Your parents brought you and Jinyoung together all those years ago for a reason didn’t they? Was it not to get the two of you to become close so that you’d get used to one another and end up agreeing to marriage? God, you wanted to scream to the top of your lungs but nothing was coming out. You felt defeated—broken, helpless. 

You didn’t know how long you were sitting on the ground for, but when you heard the soft knock on your door you were hoping that it was the only person you wanted to see right now. Knowing how he could be though, there was a chance it wasn’t Jinyoung. He was the kind of person who wanted to give you your space for a few moments before allowing you to lean on him and as much as that was a quality of his that you admired, there was nothing you wanted more than for him to hold you and to tell you that everything was going to be alright. You were met with disappointment when you opened the door to Lizzie, but that was only because she wasn’t Jinyoung. 

Jinyoung. 

How was he feeling at the news? The two of you might not have been an actual couple, but there was a mutual unspoken agreement that you belonged to each other. His heart was yours just as much as yours was his. He was the man whose wedding ring you wanted on your finger. He was the man whose arms you wanted to fall asleep in and whose kisses you wanted to be waken up with in the morning. You wanted nothing more than to have mini Jinyoung’s running around the palace and you wanted to rule the kingdom with him by your side. 

Due to tradition however, you accepted the fact that the life of your dreams would never happen. The two of you kept sneaking around and ignoring the fact that the chances of the two of you actually ending up together were even more slimmer than the chances of him becoming king one day. However, you held on tightly to the hope that one day, your parents would come to the conclusion that tradition is stupid and there’s no legitimate reason as to why royal families continued to follow it. 

Did he know about this? There’s no way he could have. He would have warned you wouldn’t he? Both you and Jinyoung told one another every single thing that went on in your life. Whether it was good news or bad—he’d celebrate with you if something good happened and he’d comfort you if the world wasn’t on your side. If he even had the slightest hunch about his parents along with your parents wanting to marry off you and Mark, he would have told you about it. Or at least, you would want him to. But you couldn’t read minds; you didn’t know what he was thinking and this now made you wonder—what did Mark think? Did he know about the arranged marriage? 

Was he as hurt and disturbed at the news? Did he run away like you had not too long ago or was he currently trying to get his parents to change their minds? Everything was just too much and your mind was racing. Thankfully, instead of saying anything, Lizzie pulled you in to her arms and softly began to run her fingers through your hair. She didn’t say anything as she consoled you which is what you preferred. It boggled your mind sometimes; she was more of a mother to you than your own. Your parents were always so busy with their duties to really pay attention to you and your siblings. 

Lizzie practically raised you, which is why you weren’t surprised that she knew exactly what to do to get you to calm down. You couldn’t even count on two hands just how many times you’ve cried in front of her and how she got you to settle down before things got worse. When you felt her run her thumbs right under your eyes, that’s when you were made aware that you were crying. Though, who could blame you? 

Sure, you’ve been groomed to do whatever your parents told you to and you were aware of the fact that it was highly likely for your hand to be given away in marriage to someone not of your choice since you were old enough to grasp the idea of marriage. Yet—you weren’t prepared to go along with any of this. Once Lizzie felt as though your sobs slowly silenced, she led you over to your bed and had you sit down before taking her place right next to you. With all the energy you could muster, you placed your head on her shoulder as a exasperated groan fell from your lips. 

“I know I should have known something like this was coming, but I don’t think I can do this.” The comforting touch of both her hands on either sides of your arms relaxed you quite a bit, but you were still so frustrated. 

“I know sweetheart and I’m so sorry it has to be this way—but you and I both know you have to. There’s no getting out of this.” 

She was right; you’d never have enough courage to run away and you were confident that even if he did care about you and wanted to be with you, Jinyoung loved his mother too much to do such a thing like that. You too loved your parents too much to dishonor them by not going along with their wishes. However, you wanted to be selfish. You wanted to choose yourself first this time. From the moment you realized you were a princess, you followed every single one of your parents orders no matter how much you disagreed with it. This time around was different. This time—your heart desired to put yourself first and there was no way in hell you were going to take Mark’s last name and move in to the same palace as him. 

“But Lizzie—“

“No buts my dear. I know, trust me. I wish things could be different, but this is an example of why being a royal isn’t all that people assume it to be. Yes, you have privilege and luxury, but at a cost. In your situation, you can’t be with the person you love. Hey, Mark seems like a nice guy and he’s very good looking—“

“Haha, very funny. Mark Tuan? Nice? I don’t think those three words belong in the same sentence. He’s the biggest asshole I know. He hates my guts. You don’t see the way he looks at me Liz, it’s like I’m the scum of this earth—the dirt underneath his fancy dress shoes. This marriage will never work.” 

She got up from the bed and you looked up at her in curiosity but she didn’t give you any chance to ask what she was doing before the older lady made her way over to your closet. A tiny smile rose on your face as you saw her preparing your nightgown; you were ready to call it a night after the mess of events you just went through and you could only pray neither your parents were going to come find you and bring you back outside. As she helped you out of your dress, you released a sigh of comfort. One would think being a princess was so much fun because you got to dress up for parties, but if you had the choice you would wear a pan suit. 

“He doesn’t hate you—and before you give me that look, I actually observe the way he looks at you. You on the other hand, I don’t think you get to see the way he looks at you. You’re too busy ogling his younger brother to even notice him at all. I don’t think it’s my old eyes deceiving me, but I think he looks at you—well not at you, but he looks at Jinyoung in jealousy.” 

You couldn’t help yourself; a sarcastic chuckle came from the back of your throat at her revelation. Mark? Jealous? Of what? What was there for him to be jealous of? By the knowing look on her face, and from past experiences of how slow you were whenever it came to realizing things, she opened her mouth and spoke before you could even ask what  she was referring to. 

“He really has no reason to be jealous. You’re just being silly. Why would he be jealous of Jinyoung?” 

As much as you admired and loved Lizzie, you couldn’t believe one word that was coming out of her mouth. There was no way Mark would ever see Jinyoung as competition and they weren’t exactly close, but at least they were civil. 

“Why would he be jealous? Well, there’s a lot I don’t know about their relationship but what does Jinyoung have that Mark doesn’t?”

“You.”

[berryberryrad]

𝙨𝙛𝙬 𝙖𝙡𝙥𝙝𝙖𝙗𝙚𝙩⚡️

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shino aburame, sfw alphabet prompt

if this comes across as ooc, literally hit me pls. I’m usually kiba biased, but something about shino has just been hitting different recently.

warnings: blatant abuse of grammar and punctuation. cursing. i’m no writer, i just tell it like i see it. I wrote this on mobile and am not a tech guru so I wish I could do the fancy little, “keep reading,” bit but I’m

word count, 3983

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A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

we’ve all come to the generalized conclusion that the aburame clan aren’t handsy. shino falls in line with this, and pda or even private interactions that involve skin to skin contact aren’t going to be his forte. I can see him holding hands, or the aspect of interlocking pinkies with this boy while you’re both reading or walking throughout the woods just has me weak in my knees. a more common way shino would express himself by ways of affection would be listening; absorbing every word you have to give and then offering up the information he’s collected later to show that he does hang onto your every word. he does so subtly, remembering things that you mentioned favoring seemingly offhandedly but in reality he wants you to feel as seen as you make him feel. someone give him a kind smile right now

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

shino’s so quick to throw around the, “I’m not sure I have any friends,” card when kiba inuzuka literally exists— the audacity of this man. team 8? the bond the three of them have outdoes friendship. the loyalty. the camaraderie. the attitude. i get whiplash from their personalities interacting, and i love every minute of it. the bluntness of shino can come across as rude disposition, however it all comes a place of well intent. he speaks his mind, and he speaks the truth. all of it. having shino aburame as a friend would mean you could easily find calm grounds to stand upon. he’d offer words of harsh wisdom, whether you ask for them or not. he sees the best in people even behind his quiet demeanor, and has loyalty oozing out of him. good boy, 10/10 wanna be his best friend.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

can i be self-indulgent for .6 seconds: imagine how w a r m shino is. it had to be said.

anyways, aburame clan: not particularly touchy. we talked about this. however there would come times where shino would hold your hand. it was a practice you initiated, and he quickly caught onto. when you walk through the forest together, he’ll send his bugs out to take a quick peek around before interlocking your fingers silently. he’ll be nervous the first time, but eventually is confident enough to make the move without any plaguing hesitation.

I could go on and on about hand holding because I’m a simple girl, but we gotta get to the goods.

cuddling? with shino aburame? a prize that I want to win. you. bug boy. sitting side by side, chatting about slice of life oddities— you put your head on his shoulder. okay little baddie, we see you: he very carefully presses his head onto the top of yours. shoulder to shoulder, his cheek resting in your hair. you never stop talking about your day, and he never stops you. it feels so natural and easy. c o z y. I’m soft.

you don’t spoon, you want to see his face when he lights up with facts about entomology. when you reach that state in your relationship, you lay side by side and play with his fingers, or he draws lazy patterns on your wrist.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

he’d love to settle down wtf. he’d want to keep a romantic partner close, but even platonically— shino’s in it for the long haul.

he may be bug boy, but he’s also a clean boy. right? like okay his hair may be a bit unkept, and his room is definitely littered with sketches of insects and books here and there. but they’re organized in a way that makes sense to him. he can immediately find whatever he needs whenever he needs it, and that doesn’t make him unclean. when it comes to his insects, he keeps them tucked away with precision. each is labeled and jarred away probably alphabetically, idk, that just feels right to me.

cooking is something that can be accomplished in theory. a recipe can be read and executed, but that’s as far as it goes with shino. don’t expect much creative flare, the aburames are known bug enthusiasts, not ramen curators. the most spontaneity you can hope for is perhaps a pinch of salt on your eggs in the morning. if it’s not in the recipe, it’s not happening. he’s a boy of many talents, cooking is barely one of them.

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

i don’t even wanna entertain shino breaking my heart—

good thing he’s breaking yours

shino wouldn’t let a platonic relationship go far enough into a romantic status unless he was without a doubt that you were someone he could trust and hold close to his person. honestly I’d say you’d have to be the one to break up with him if you managed to get far enough in. but if he had to break up with you? he’d have the briefest moment of hurt before setting it out all on the table. once his mind is made up, it’s over. he’s not one to dance around the point. you probably won’t even have to ask why. he’ll tell you without prompting.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

oh shino has no problem committing his life to you, after you’ve been together for a very long time that is. marriage isn’t the forthcoming thought pressing into his conscious. it’d be something you had to mention in passing to him to let him know you were interested. to shino, he recognizes your relationship as it is: a relationship. your partners for better or worse, he doesn’t think a marriage certificate has any true significance in the way you share feelings for one another.

but you’d like a wedding? okay, no qualms. he’d want to wait a few years, and the atmosphere of the village would to have to fair calm, but he wouldn’t mind a small ceremony. when he tilts your head back and kisses you to seal the deal, kiba faints.

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

sorry I was just checking the time, seems to me like it’s, “soft boy hours.”

I want you to know right now that shino aburame hangs onto every word you say with such fervor, it’s just darling okay? emotionally, when you’ve established that you plan on playing an active role in his life, he’s so doting. asks you short and simple questions about your day. offers advice on your woes. let’s you interact with his bugs— because he trusts you. and you better offer him the same love and respect back. I have this whole thing about him receiving cheek kisses. he eats that shit up okay, but silently with a blush crawling up his neck and wrapping around his ears. pinky holding— hullo. that’s the gentlest thing homies can do.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

maybe he hugs you first. that’s wild, but it keeps you on your toes. you held his hand first, yes, but that night when he accompanies you home you stand nearly toe to toe. you haven’t released hands yet, and he’s overwhelmed with a feeling of gratitude to someone who has lent an ear to him with no ulterior motives other than quality time. it’s strangely second nature to him as he wraps a fast arm around your waist, crushing your held hands between your bodies. you’re taken aback, obviously, but before you can even share a proper moment in the same space he’s retreating back into his stoic persona and wishing you a good night.

shino hugs with his whole body, and my favorite version of this would be him wrapping his arms around your shoulders as your crushed into his shoulder. love it. he doesn’t hug often, cherish the ones he shares with you.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

shino, ever the one to speak his mind, let’s you know he loves you immediately when it occurs to him. I’m not quite sure when this is, but you’ve been apart of his life for a long time without a doubt. you make him feel safe, seen, and he is sure he can trust you. you probably ask him a question about like the process through which butterflies migrate or whatever, I’m not clever enough to think of insect related questions, but after he gets done explaining and you’ve got this thoughtful expression on your face he just blatantly says it. it’s so matter of fact and without any doubt that you have to blink for a moment before sharing the sentiment. it’s not awkward. there’s not any fanfare or roses involved. it’s the truth, and you’re both quietly over the moon about it.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

shino and jealousy don’t necessarily exist in the same realm. he’s not going to entertain someone he can’t trust, that’s just a given. and if he did have any doubt in his mind you were pursuing something romantic from another, he’d simply send one of his bugs to investigate the situation. if it proved to be true, he’d confront you on it. if he’s misunderstood the circumstances then he can admit it, but if he hasn’t then he’ll make it apparent to you very quickly he doesn’t appreciate what you’ve been doing.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

soft, goodnight.

okay so like forehead kisses, right? forehead kisses by shino>>>>

i will die on this hill, don’t test me.

shino kisses softly and with purpose, there is nothing he does without meaning. it’s a press of his lips to your forehead before leaving for a mission, it’s brushing your lips together in the moonlight, it’s pushing the pads of your fingers against his mouth when you’re upset. I’m a hopeless romantic and there’s only so many euphemism for kissing, so take what you’re given. shino isn’t experienced in tonsil surfing, so you’ll have to bear with him. it’s something that relies less on textbook skill and moreover on feeling and primal intuition, something he does have so he’s not completely clueless. like i said, forehead kisses are a go to and idk if I’ve mentioned you giving shino cheek kisses but for the love of god, please opt to. he eats that shit up, you gotta.

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

kurenai herself made note of how well shino interacts with kids, and I have never known kurenai to be wrong so it’s been decided. shino? amazing with kids. the scene between him and mirai? shino giving a piggy back ride? goodnight y’all, imma clock out.

and he eventually becomes sensei badass okay, like he can handle himself amongst a child or two. as far as having his own children I think he’d do well with one. shibi and shino share the classic aburame relationship: mutual understanding and appreciation of one another’s existence, and i can see him sharing that with his own child and then some. he spent the better part of his own childhood in solitude. it was in tandem sought out and forced upon him. big boy perks. he’d want his child to not only embrace their aburame side, bugs and all— but also to feel confident and extroverted enough to branch out and make interpersonal relationships

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

imagine being a morning person. I mean shino doesn’t have to, but it couldn’t be me. shino’s up before dawn breaks, throwing his legs over the side of the bed and pressing his glasses into his nose before he even opens his eyes. rise and shine. if you’ve been sleeping beside him, he’ll cast a long look you’re way, admiring your still figure before standing and beginning his day quietly so as not to wake you. he lets you sleep as long as you wish unless you instruct otherwise. sometimes you ask him to wake you when he wakes himself. you always regret it because why the fuck is he awake, the crickets are still outside doing god knows what. he thinks the ambiance of an early morning is peaceful, and it sets his person in ease.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

can we all just take a moment to appreciate the grand outdoors and how precious it would be to have shino watching you fondly ogle at fireflies in the middle of a field. like arms crossed with a gentle smile behind his collar as you open mouth grin and point because he absolutely asks them to do something impressive just to see you in awe.

nights are spent outside staring up at the sky. in a tree? on the ground? in the park? in the middle of the woods? who cares, time with shino is time well spent.

if it’s raining then that’s tough, I guess y’all will just have to have a night in. sometimes you play shogi, and you don’t complain when he lets you win despite you showing no true skill for the game. he doesn’t mind.

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

oh shino won’t reveal anything haha. well not on purpose. see I know I’ve gone on and on about shino being so attuned to you and what you have to say, but you have to show him equal attention and devotion to get a good read of him. anything personal that can be taken from him is conveyed so subtly you’ll miss it if you’re not paying attention. he’ll answer any question you ask, however if you get too personal too fast he’ll slyly avoid the question

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

not easily angered, moreover easily annoyed. while shino may not be on shikamaru’s level of strategical advances, he does have a pretty good sense of how things should be completed. it’s usually the way that benefits the most people and accomplishes the goal with as little room for error as possible. when things stray off from the how he envisioned them, I see him getting a little irritated. I think the time he’s spent with kiba has aided in this conclusion, and he isn’t as easily moved to a pissy nature as he once was, but I think the sullen nature still translates across if things fail to go his way because in his mind, it’s the most logical path.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

broken record alert: he’s a good listener. it’s both a strategic move to manipulate situations because he’s become so good at reading people, and his own unique love language. it’s the juxtaposition of words of affirmation; he shows he cares by ways of empathy and action. it’s stoic empathy, but empathy nonetheless. he remembers everything you tell him, and everything you don’t. on missions when you two are parted, his thoughts are sometimes clouded with images of the way your mouth arches when you laugh, or the soft smell of you lingering on his coat after you hugged him goodbye.

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

when you let him go on and on about his insects and you seem genuinely interested. so often do people put up with shino’s knack for bugs out of politeness or to just let him fill the silence— but you ask questions. you seem intrigued with any word that falls from his lips and you’re quick to quip back with facts you’ve dug up on your own. you’re curious about what shino is so attuned with, and he is so excited to have someone to educate who wants to learn. you’ll go on small adventures to locate bugs to breed or to simply watch, and it’s at these moments when you’re both silent and poised over a poisonous beetle with a respective jar and net that he remembers fondly when you’re both parted.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

well he’s already sworn to protect the village, so initially it’s on that basis. his duty is to do whatever he can to keep the residents of the hidden leaf secure, but with you he keeps a bit more of a watchful eye available. he isn’t paranoid or overly protective, however on days his mind is uneasy, shino has no qualms sending a beatle to hover your person. it’s just a security measure, nothing to write home about.

you keep shino protected from his inner turmoils. hinata and kiba can only reassure him so much, but shino has developed the habit of writing them off. they’re just his teammates, they have to put up with him. however you have no personal ties to him really. you stick around on your own accord, and this boosts his self esteem immensely. you put his mind at ease and make note to remind him daily that the members of team eight are an excellent unit and that he needs to give kiba and hinata more credit because they both care about him as well. akamaru too, woof woof dummy. accept the love.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

shino’s not a man of many words, and when he does spit fire, it’s calculated and can come across as blunt assertion. you’ll come to put up with it, but he can come to understand he can be a bit overbearing in this aspect. so as I’ve expressed, words of affirmation aren’t his love language (though don’t put it past him to whisper sweetness into your ear when you’re both alone: that would be lovely.)

he expresses himself through gifts, awe. shino won’t present you with precious jewels or money as means of affection. no, the gifts are moreover practical. a book you had been pining after, a scarf to keep you warm in the upcoming months, things of that nature. he also collects rocks, we can collectively agree on that as a community right? he’ll share them with you, encouraging you to begin your own arsenal of rocks that entertain no one but are a sweet gesture— thanks shino.

dates are long walks when he as spare time. he doesn’t mind if they’re silent or if you fill the space with your own daily narrative. you’ll both trade useless dialogue and he likes it. it’s a sense of normalcy for him.

he doesn’t try particularly hard in any sense, but he doesn’t need to. time spent with shino is delightfully casual in both of your lives, please don’t mind it.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

what if shino picks his nails, awe.

he’s a wonderful, brilliant little creature: but he has a habit of writing off people who clearly care about him. you’ve gotta take a little energy into reassuring him from time to time. he won’t outwardly mope in this mentality, but sometimes he seems a little off and it will fall on your shoulders to assist him

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

mans only lets like 3% of his face be shown for the better part of the series and then decided that a visor and top knot were gonna be his debut look in boruto, he is n o t the one to look to for fashion advice, and this is coming from someone who simps so hard for shino aburame like he’s lowkey giving kiba a run for his money at this point but like come on

as far as his s/o goes i know the prompt didn’t ask but he doesn’t mind what his s/o particularly looks like. it’s a personality game baby, let’s go

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

shino’s written as a loner, and he doesn’t particularly mind that status but a friend every now and then is never unwelcome. he deserves to be appreciated, and while he may not outwardly show that he receives the appreciation in good spirits, you can rest assured he does. having a partner would be pleasant, no doubt, and he would love having someone by his side to call a best friend (and eventual partner) however shino’s existence isn’t completely codependent on another half. he can exist on his own with just the company of his bugs with no true remorse. he does feel lonely at times, but he’s got the squad of the hidden leaf backing him up. he’ll make it through

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

blush bug boy shino = a happy bee (‘s me, I’m bee)

the headcannons where stoic blunt hardass shino is an inexperienced nervous boy eat me alive. man’s is a shinobi who has faced peril and nearly suffocates when you hold his hand for the first time? imma head out, i love it

he’s also always early to things? yes please? early is on time, on time is late, and late means call an ambulance, something super not cool has gone down

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

if you don’t like bugs, you have to evacuate the dancefloor. I’m not saying you have to be the president of the, “insects are the superior race,” committee. to enjoy something and appreciate something from a distance both can weigh evenly on a scale in this instance. if you’re a bug enthusiast, kudos. he’ll love spending time showing off his collection to you with a slightest hint of pride coloring his tone. if you’re the type of person to be afraid of insects, he can deal with that as well. most people are, and he recognizes it comes from misunderstanding. if you are willing to give the bugs a chance and overcome your phobia, you’ve won him over.

wouldn’t like an over the top ditzy person. he needs you to have some sense of self preservation and common sense. shino does not put up with tom foolery and he would make that apparent to you very quickly.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?)

can I head cannon that he just becomes unhinged in his sleep? can we get behind that? like shino may begin the night tucked in with his hands clasped over his abdomen, but that is n o t how he finds himself in the morning. as a shinobi, he’s a light sleeper. fair play. but light sleepers toss and turn too, and I like to imagine him waking up discombobulated. face down, open pressed into his pillow, arms doing what they will, hair in disarray. magnificent. a pen drops and he wakes immediately, and is up before you can truly assess what you’ve just seen of the normally so put together aburame.

he knows he’s an active sleeper, ‘s why he gets up at 4am. that’s his business

[munamania]

happy hawkins holiday hiatus to @mikewheelerthepaladin !! here’s a lighthearted fic + a playlist of songs i listened to a lot while writing, i hope you enjoy 🥳

& a big thank you to @sevensided for putting this together, it’s been super fun <3

It’s the first time he’s been in over a year, really, but he’d entertained the thought of asking Will over the summer, for one last challenge before he left. It never happened, everything went by too fast; and, honestly, Mike didn’t know how to talk to him with the goddamn weight of everything - hi, we’ve barely spoken in the last year and we just almost died, again, and now you’re moving away forever - wanna hang out?

It’s the first time he’s been in over a year, really, but he’d entertained the thought of asking Will over the summer, for one last challenge before he left. It never happened, everything went by too fast; and, honestly, Mike didn’t know how to talk to him with the goddamn weight of everything - hi, we’ve barely spoken in the last year and we just almost died, again, and now you’re moving away forever - wanna hang out?

It’d never been that hard.

And it sucked. The whole thing. Now that Will is gone, it gnaws at him daily that they could have had more time together. Or a proper goodbye, at least. Instead, he spent a lot of time last summer sitting around, figuring out how to approach El and his feelings toward her, and most of all, alone.

But now the Byers are coming home for Christmas. And staying with The Wheelers, on top of it all.

So, seeking some sort of cryptic universal answer to his life problems, Mike returns to the place of a lot of younger memories, of crowding around machines with Lucas and Dustin and Will, a conglomeration of shouting and booing and cheering when one of them topped a high score, of frantically patting down their pockets for a few extra coins.

All of these wistful memories come to halt, however, when he finds a familiar redhead occupying one of their favorite games.

Max glances at him through the screen. “What do you want?”

“Uh, to play?” Honestly, he doesn’t care; he’s not sure he could focus enough to win much anyway. “Kicking your ass would be a plus.”

“Yeah, as if.” Her gaze fixes back on the colorful pixels dancing in front of her face.

Okay, well, she’s not moving anytime soon. He could probably just walk away, but a part of him wants company, even if it’s from someone hellbent on disagreeing with him.

Even when the Party hangs out now, Mike finds himself bickering with Max over what movies to see, where to eat, nearly anything, even when he doesn’t really give a shit. It’s the principle of the thing, and she gets under his skin. 

Maybe it’s a good thing.

Mike sighs, leans against one of the neighboring games, and shoves his hands in his pockets. “I don’t really know why I’m here.”

“Well, if you’re looking for me to throw pity money at you, it’s not happening.” After a beat, and losing the level, she kicks at the machine and turns to him. “Now look what you made me do. All your moping and talking - I could’ve beaten that if you would just leave me alone.”

He offers a quarter.

“Forget it.”

“I’ll buy you a pop, then.” She glares at him. “Seriously, okay, this is the first and only olive branch. Take it or leave it.”

After a moment of scowling at him, her arms folded, she slowly concedes, a smug look taking over. “Okay. I’ll take it, Wheeler.”

“So, you’re stalking me at the arcade because… of nothing?”

Mike presses his lips into a line. “I’m not stalking you,” he says, “and it’s not - it’s not nothing. I was gonna ask Lucas or Dustin to come, but… I felt like I needed to be here alone.”

Max sips on her drink. “That didn’t work out.”

“Guess not.”

“So you did need to talk to someone.”

“Guess so.”

God, this is borderline painful. Sitting in a shoddy little booth across from Max, whom he never once intended to have a heart-to-heart with, is a new level of desperation. But here they are.

With the most grandiose sigh he’s ever heard in his life, Max straightens in her chair. “Well, I don’t love giving advice to annoying teenage boys, but I’ve been told I’m good at it. Advice, you know.”

Mike raises an eyebrow. “Was it El who said that, by chance?”

“Bite me.”

Amused, Mike smiles, and he slides the near-empty cup between his hands like a little game, something else to focus on. “Okay, fine, give me some advice.”

Max frowns at him like he’s the biggest idiot in the world. “Maybe give me a situation to work with?” She mutters something under her breath that he doesn’t bother with.

“Well, the Byers are coming home and staying with us, and I wanted to come up with something really nice to do, you know. I know that they’re really nervous because it’s… the holidays have been rough, the past few years.” He finishes his drink and stares at the lid. “They almost refused. So, I dunno, I figured I could do something to make them feel like it’s still home.”

“Oh,” Max nods, finally breaking into a slight smile, “well, cool, you could set up something really romantic for El! She’d love it.”

Right. The girlfriend. 

He had no clue where the hell they left things when the Byers moved. About a month ago, Mike called to tell her the distance was confusing and they might need to take a break. He figured she would’ve told Max because, from his understanding, they spoke on the phone on an almost daily basis.

“Sure - yeah, yeah, that’s - it’s a good idea. For sure.”

Max falls back into a confused squint. “Was there something else you had in mind?”

Mike isn’t sure how to get it out without sounding like a total airhead. So he copes with it the best way he can. “You know what, this was dumb. I’ll figure it out myself.” He grabs his jacket and stands to leave.

“No, no, Mike - I want to help.” She’s looking up at him with a genuinely nice expression, holding out a hand to stop him from fully up and leaving. “I’m really good at this stuff, just let me know what I can do. No judgment. I swear.”

“I have to get home tonight anyway,” Mike says cautiously. “Told my mom I’d help with dinner.”

“Can I come over tomorrow?”

He frowns, and something digging at his stomach makes him respond with, “Why do you care?”

Max’s jaw sets. She stands up to meet his eye level and sets a look on him. “Even if I didn’t, even if I couldn’t care less about you, Mike, I care about El. And Will. And I want to be a part of their homecoming. So maybe you could figure out a way to not be a dick about it.” She snatches her drink cup and storms off from the table, leaving Mike to scramble after her with more apologies.

He’s gotta get better at this whole ‘girls’ thing.

He catches up to her outside. “Okay, listen - come over after school tomorrow. We can meet outside by the stairs.”

She barely turns to him, says, “Fine,” and then hops on her bike and rides away.

That’s how Mike ends up with Max in his basement, slowly walking and examining his things, but not touching any of them, thankfully.

It’s going alright, thus far. A part of him feels like he should reach out to Lucas and Dustin, too, since they’re also Will’s best friends. But something about this… works. He and Max can’t seem to stay entirely civil in each other’s company, but she gets something. And she hasn’t brought up El even once since yesterday.

“So, I’m gonna come up with a really cool campaign - well, I’ve been working on it, and I can tell you about it - “ Max lifts herself on tiptoe in his peripheral vision, “ - but anyway, we can pull an all-nighter, if everyone’s up for it, and make snacks and drinks and stuff, and we can have movies on for you guys, and I thought I might even look for some costumes because I really think Will would get a kick out of it. I can put lights up, too - “

“You draw?”

Max’s back is to him, as she’s looking over his wall of posters and pinned pictures. As he steps closer, he realizes her eyes are fixed on a sketch that definitely bears some resemblance to him.

“No, Will sent me those,” he says quickly, not wanting to seem like a giant narcissist, because Will’s drawing is - how can he say it - beautiful. “He’s been using charcoal a lot recently, he told me he got some new art stuff. I think he wants to send one of all of us.”

Max turns to him, and he can’t tell if she’s tearing up for some reason, but she quickly wipes any sign of tears away. “That’s so neat,” is all she says at first. There’s a small silence between them, and she’s just looking at him, and he has no idea what the hell he should say. “He’s such a good person,” she adds quietly, “I wish I got the chance to really know him.”

Mike’s breath hitches for a few seconds. “Yeah. I mean, he mentioned hanging out with you a few times.”

A smile lifts the girl’s cheeks. “Yeah, to bitch about you, mostly.”

“Hey!” he protests, but he can’t help but smile too, this time. This might just be their most pleasant interaction to date. “He never mentioned that.”

“I don’t know how he could, all you freakin’ do is talk.”

“Whatever.” Mike messes with some Christmas crafts on the table, holding them up in his vision to see where they might fit in the basement. He clears his throat. “You know, El and I, uh - we split.”

Max nods slowly. “She said you guys don’t call much.”

“No, we didn’t. I mean, I don’t even call Will, we just write.” He leans against the table, eyes glazing over as he looks over years of memories, dorky craft nights, and shitty school projects that he or his mom made a point to keep. “It’s too hard to talk - to either of them, you know. I didn’t think I could hear their voices without…”

Max cuts him off. “I get it.” She crosses over to the table, helping him pull apart old paper snowflakes. “I’m just the opposite. I’m scared if I don’t talk to them, I’ll convince myself it was all fake. And maybe it’d be for the better, but I’m glad I knew them. Even if only for a little while.”

Mike bites down on his lips, attempting to bury all the emotion threatening to spew out of him. “Yeah.”

Max finally looks up at him, and though they seem to have shared a moment, she snaps back out of it. “All offense, Mike, these are ugly as shit. I’m helping you make new ones, okay?”

“It’s for the memory!”

“No more living in the past.” She raises her eyebrows at him, and he pinches his face in annoyance, so she says, “Okay, you can put them up, in like, little corners, but we’re making new ones. Surprise. Work with me here, Michael.”

“It’s my basement, Max.”

“Did you or did you not ask for my help?”

Mike blinks. “Not really.”

She throws a crafty paper star at him. “Shut up, you’re glad I’m here.”

He shakes his head and moves on, but though he may never admit it, a part of him really is glad.

Weeks pass in what feels like a span of days or maybe hours, with Mike and Max sorting out their surprise plans with a typical amount of bickering - but hey, they get it done. Max has lots of opinions about decorations and music that make Mike roll his eyes, but she’s got a good eye and she offers to help with baking, which is not a strong suit of his. Yes, they throw a lot of streamers at each other, and threaten to storm out every other hour, but it gets done.

And the day is finally here.

Mike pulls himself into his best festive sweater and eyes himself in the mirror. He messes with his hair, though the long, wavy curls never seem to fall exactly into place - maybe growing it out was a mistake - and tugs at the creases of his sweater, letting out a huffy breath. None of it is working with him. When he can’t stand looking at himself anymore, he dashes down to the kitchen to help his mom with desserts.

She smiles when he plops into a seat. “You okay, honey? You seem a little tense.”

Mike jolts. “Uh, yeah, just excited.”

“Good! Joyce said the kids haven’t stopped talking about the trip for weeks.”

Great. “I hope we live up to the hype.”

“Oh, Mike. You know you don’t have to try that hard.” Karen stops frosting for a moment to look at him. “Will’s your best friend. El is excited to see you,” she nudges at him, and he coughs out a nervous laugh, “and Joyce thinks you’re an angel-”

“God, mom-”

“I’m serious. Don’t worry so much.” She leans forward on her forearms. “I know you think every problem in the world is on you, but it’s not. It’s enough just to be around the people you love. If anything, you’ve gone overboard.”

Overboard. Hopefully, it’s not too much.

Finally, he caves, exhaling slowly with a simple, “Okay.” He stays beside her, tapping his fingers, and eventually ruining a gingerbread man’s face until she notices and smacks his hand away.

There’s a knock on the door, and while Mike hops to his feet, his mother calls out, “Come in!” earning a panicked look from him. She mouths, ‘Chill,’ but he still half-jogs to the door and throws it open.

Nancy calls down the stairs, “Who is it?”

It’s Max, brandishing a few small wrapped gifts.

“Hello, sunshine,” she says. After a moment, “It’s great to see you too, Michael, allow me to invite myself in.”

“It’s just Max,” Mike calls back. He steps aside, and Max brushes past him, dropping her gifts by their tree and running into the kitchen. 

“Hi, Mrs. Wheeler!”

“Hey, Max, Merry Christmas!”

Mike’s mom seemed to think Max was one of the most charming people on the planet, something they frequently disagreed on, but he can’t be mad at their pleasant chatter right now.

Especially not when the next knock comes so soon.

Probably just Lucas and Dustin, dragging their feet as usual.

Mike opens the door, prepared with a quippy remark for his friends, but his stomach drops immediately.

It’s Will. Holding a bunch of luggage.

Mike is caught up in everything about him. He’s taller. New, floppy hair, tousled and messy in the biting snowy winds. His forearms exposed as his bags push against his jacket. Will.

The boy smiles at him. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Mike manages.

Will looks past him with a tiny wave, and Mike turns to see Max beaming and waving back, and then Max slips back into the kitchen and Will returns his gaze to Mike. “Can I come in?”

“Hey, Mike!” Joyce interrupts from the car, straining to grab something in the backseat. “Merry Christmas, honey!”

“Merry Christmas, Mrs. Byers!” Mike, finally catching up his brain-to-movement reactions, moves to let Will in. “Yeah, come in. I’m gonna, uh, go help your mom.”

“Cool.”

He immediately forgets why he’s moved and attempts to step out as Will crosses the threshold, almost knocking him over, so Mike grabs his arms to stabilize with a, “Sorry - uh - whoops, haha, don’t fall,” and Will chuckles and shifts a bag to his shoulder, saying, “It’s alright,” and Mike spends his walk to the Byers’ car trying not to curse himself out.

“Oh, Mike, thank you, sweetie,” Joyce grunts, pulling a heavy tote bag from the floor of the car. “Can you carry this?” Mike nods and takes it from her easily, offering his arms out for extra luggage. Together, with Jonathan, who greets him with a, “Merry Christmas, man,” they manage to get everything inside in one trip. Mike hardly notices El rummaging through the trunk until she comes stumbling along with a basket full of gifts.

Finally, they’re all inside, and only a beat goes by before Nancy comes bounding down the stairs to greet Jonathan, and Joyce is grinning around at everybody, and then Karen rushes in from the kitchen with excited greetings.

“It is so good to see you,” Joyce says, opening her arms up to Mike for a hug. “You’ve grown so much-'' she looks at Karen and mutters, “-so much-” then looks back at Mike. “We’ve missed you all.”

“I’ve missed you guys too,” Mike says, “I’m glad you decided to come.”

“We couldn’t miss it. Figured it’s best that we’re together, you know.” Her expression falters, but she takes a breath and carries on with moving bags and ‘Merry Christmases.’

Joyce and his mom wind up chattering, and Karen takes off her apron to help transfer some luggage to the spare room. Nancy takes Jonathan’s hand and heads upstairs, grabbing one of his bags from the ground.

Will seems to have disappeared into the kitchen with Max, leaving his things behind, so it’s just Mike and El.

Mike takes in a deep breath.

It wasn’t an ugly breakup; honestly, El seemed unfazed. Their calls were little more than small talk about their days, most of the time, and even though he thought they might hold onto their past, everything they’d been through… it seemed to work best that they didn’t.

“Hey, Merry Christmas.”

El smiles easily. “Merry Christmas, Mike.” She lifts the basket slightly for acknowledgment. “Can these go by the tree?”

“Yeah, yeah, go for it.”

El nods and slips by the couch over to the tree, carefully laying out the gifts. After a few moments of Mike awkwardly leaning against the couch arm, thinking up something to say - thank god she didn’t seem too focused on him - Max walks in, her mouth stuffed with a truffle.

“El!” She darts over to the tree, and El jumps up, eyes bright, immediately throwing her arms around the girl’s shoulders. “I missed you so much.”

“I missed you too,” El giggles. “I brought you a gift.”

“You too. I can’t wait for you to see it. But first, you have to try one of these sweets Mrs. Wheeler’s making. They’re like frickin’ heaven.” She holds out the last bite of her own, and El takes it from her hand, eyes lighting up mischievously as she bites into it.

“It’s amazing.”

“I know. I think we should go sample some of the others.”

Mike calls out to their backs, “You guys better leave some for later on,” and in response, hears Max mimic him. He rolls his eyes and stands up from the couch.

And then it’s just him and Will, who’s beaming at him, seemingly amused by their banter.

Okay, Mike, now or never. “Uh, I’ll show you downstairs.”

“We’re not staying in your room?” Will asks simply, crossing over to retrieve his duffel bag.

“We totally can, I just have something I wanted to show you.”

Will nods. “Oh, okay, cool.”

Mike assists with a smaller bag and leads him to the basement door; before he runs down the stairs, he catches Max’s eye, and she gives him a thumbs up and mouths, ‘You got this.’ Deep breaths. At that moment, he’s incredibly thankful for her presence. 

He watches as Will follows him down, slower, glancing around at the familiar surroundings. His eyes catch on everything Mike and Max put together over the past few weeks, and his footsteps grow slower as he takes it all in.

Streamers of all festive colors and off-balance fairy lights hang along the corners of the basement, phrases of ‘Welcome home,’ hand-cut and pasted on the front wall; at the table, a game mat and figures sit in wait, silly hats placed in front each chair; even the TV is prepared with a Santa hat, the couch covered in blankets and pillows, a few sleeping bags folded on the floor.

“Mike,” Will says quietly, stepping in a small circle, “what is all this?”

“Your homecoming party.” Mike is all jitters; he leans against the wall and shoves his hands in his pockets to disguise any visible shakes. “You like it?”

Will finally looks straight at him, an indiscernible look painted on his face. “Yeah,” he says, nodding rapidly, “yeah, it’s great - but we, uh,” he swallows and shakes his head, “we don’t, um, have to play D&D. I mean-”

“I don’t know, Will,” he ventures to step away from the wall, taking slow steps over to the table. Will follows every move. “I mean, I was really excited to have you back, even just for a little bit. We all were.” He reaches the table and leans back on his hands. “Figured having our cleric back warranted some festivities.”

Will shakes his head, runs his hands along his face, and turns away. The bit of confidence Mike has slowly starts to trickle.

“Is it okay?”

Will shakes out of his stupor and chuckles. “It’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me. You’ve truly outdone yourself, Michael.” He lifts himself on tiptoe to look at decorations on top of Mike’s shelves. “Are these from our big craft night, like, years ago?”

The horrible crayon work makes Mike smile - they made half of the snowmen evil, citing a Great Abominable Snowman War, and gave them wicked frowns and smiles, claws on their stick hands. “Yeah.”

“I didn’t know you kept them.”

“I keep everything.” An awkward chuckle breaks from his chest. “Not everything, like, a hoarder or whatever, but - “

Will simply smiles and pushes himself forward toward the back wall, brushing past Mike, to his different pinups. He fixates on the sketch of Mike that he’d sent about a month back. “You know, you should probably take this down. I don’t think you’ll hear the end of it from Lucas and Dustin if you don’t.”

“Screw ‘em.”

“Right.” Will quirks his eyebrow and moves to sit in his designated chair, right next to where Mike is currently resting. “So, they know about D&D?”

“They know.” Mike smiles, and looks at the floor, right where their legs brush up against each other. “They seem pretty excited to have the party back together. To remind you of how badass your first one was,” he adds.

Will peers up at him for a moment before quietly saying, “I never joined another one.” Mike meets his eye for a moment, then, threatened by the silence that follows, clears his throat and distracts himself with a particularly interesting notch in the wood paneling. “Did you guys find someone else?”

“No, no,” Mike assures him. “We haven’t touched any of this stuff. It’s not the same.”

A silence settles between them, one that neither seems to know how to navigate. But Will keeps his gaze steady on Mike, trying to breach some barrier, to fall back into their usual ways.

Something is different, though; it’s not uncomfortable, it never could be, but it’s something intimidating. Will seems more comfortable, at least; he’s not shying away from anything Mike throws at him.

And he tries to break the silence first. “Y’know - “

“Will,” Mike cuts him off, and he’s not sure what he’s saying, or where he’s going with it, but he knows he’s supposed to say this. His name. “I need you to know that I missed you.”

Will blinks at him, cocks his head. “I missed you too,” he says matter-of-factly.

The words are eating at him, right there on the edge of his mind, and Will looks almost concerned and now Mike just wants to drop it because that’s not what he wanted. But he can’t, not now. “I missed you the most.” It sounds so juvenile. “More than everyone else. I missed you before you even left. I just didn’t know how to say it.” He breathes in and out, focusing on Will’s cheeks, the tip of his nose, anything but his eyes. When Will doesn’t say anything, the rest just spills. “I missed you when our first first day of school apart came and passed, and I didn’t even call. I missed you at homecoming. And,” he licks his lips, not really sure where his speech is heading, “I know you had to go, it’s fine. We’ll figure it out. But I feel like we haven’t been on the same page in a long time. So, I missed you, and I love you, and that’s that.”

Will looks at him funny, and then his face softens into something like laughter, and Mike is genuinely about to run and throw up somewhere, but then the boy closes his eyes and says, “I love you too.”

Mike blanches. “I don’t think I said that.”

“Oh, you definitely did.”

“Oh,” he nods, mind spinning, “well, you know…”

Will stands to be at Mike’s level, leans forward on his knees. Mike stops breathing. “I do,” he says, “but tell me again.���

Mike swallows down a breath of courage and suggests, “I think I might like you.” His eyes flit to Will’s lips, then back to his eyes. “Is that okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll allow it,” Will says, a bright smile causing lines near his eyes. Mike smacks at his arm, nervous laughter coming out with a quiet, ‘Shut up.’ Will moves so he’s resting his fingertips on the table. Inches away.

“Same page, then?” Mike asks.

“Same page, yeah, for sure.”

Mike nods absently, distracting himself with the strings on Will’s sweatshirt. “So I don’t sound crazy?”

Will laughs. “I dunno. I always counted on us going crazy together. Figured we might have a few extra years, but hey, I’m all in.”

And then Mike is flashed back to a night on his couch just over a year ago. Knees knocking together, shared smiles. A promise.

So much has changed.

He wants to know what Will meant. A future of being in each other’s lives, maybe, getting old and senile and batshit crazy. Always being there.

He never dared to think about it before.

“So what now?”

Will shrugs. He dips his head to meet Mike’s eyes with his own. “What do you want, Mike?”

And finally, he thinks he might know.

Or maybe he’s always known.

He scoots forward, takes Will’s face in his hands, and kisses him. It’s just a quick press of their lips, but in that moment, he knows a few things for sure. His heartbeat is going a mile a minute, and Will must be able to feel it; it’s absolutely exhilarating, surreal, insane that he’s kissing his best friend; and, he is definitely in like, or maybe love, with Will Byers.

He’ll probably love him forever.

When Mike pulls back and his eyes flutter open to see Will, flushed, blinking back at him, slightly dazed, he doesn’t want to pull away at all. He did that. Mike’s hand remains on his jaw, lax, and he runs his thumb along Will’s bottom lip, curious to see his reaction, curious about a lot, now.

Will lets out a breathy chuckle. “Wow,” he mumbles, “that’s new.”

“Yeah.” Mike exhales shakily, takes one of Will’s hands, and says, “Merry Christmas, Will.”

“Yeah, Merry Christmas.”

The world doesn’t seem to fall apart like Mike thought it might if he ever got to this point, so, that’s nice.

“So…” Mike begins carefully, “you’re gonna have to be slow with me here. This is sort of a lot for me.”

“Me too,” Will replies simply. He squeezes Mike’s hand. “But we’ll figure it out.”

“Totally.”

Will takes his cheeks in his hands and smiles into a very gentle kiss, his fingers curling into the hair at the nape of Mike’s neck. It’s soft and sweet and lingering - but not for too long, as moments later the door upstairs busts open and shouts of, “BYERS!” from their dear friends sound through the air, and Mike and Will jump apart, equally startled and laughing.

“Down here!” Will calls out. He looks at Mike, smiles, offers, “To be continued?” and as he walks past, he leans in, just to leave a quick peck on Mike’s cheek.

And all Mike can do is laugh and shake his head and run after him to meet their friends; Lucas and Dustin are horribly late to the surprise, but they collide into Will the second they see him, shouting over each other, ‘What’s going on, dude?’ ‘Merry Christmas!’ ‘You’ve missed so much,’ and everyone is grinning and chattering, and it’s awesome.

Max approaches him, watching all of the madness, smacks a hand to his shoulder, and says, “You did good, Wheeler.”

“Yeah, I did.” She punches his arm lightly, laughing, so he adds, “thank you for everything. Seriously.”

“I think we should work together more often.”

Mike scoffs into a laugh, and says, “Yeah, guess so.”

Max rolls her eyes, but at least now they’re actually laughing in each other's company. It’s great progress from just a few weeks ago.

After a minute of watching the boy’s shenanigans, Max smiles. “Well, Merry Christmas, anyway.”

“Merry Christmas,” he responds, and he watches as she jumps up onto a kitchen stool, chatting and giggling with El.

With everyone back together again, finally, Mike feels really alive; so, he jumps in with all the excited shouting and group hugs and bickering, and celebrates the merriest Christmas he can remember in a long time.

[vlovers19]

Is it just me, or is Jimin really looking on camera a lot while interacting with Taehyung? Wasn't Vmin officially sleeping in a bed in the soop for the same reason? Vmin are the only members of the BTS who interact the least with each other and act unnaturally, but they are "best friends". What do you think about it?

Exactly. Isn't that suspicious? Why do they act different in front of the camera and then completely change off camera. Looking at this situation, which would you take more seriously. What you get on camera (scripted, sometimes even rehearsed environment) or what you don't get on camera (freedom of expression)

During interviews or Behind the scenes, we get less than twenty minutes screen time of the boys. What happened to the rest of time we never get to see.

We judge simply by what we see. It's normal to do so because we are humans after all and we can easily forget things but then what about the moments they do have. Don't they matter at all?

They say they are best friends but hold each other's hands whenever they can. They say they are best friends but they aren't satisfied with being just that. They just have to go further and label themselves soulmates.

They say they are best friends but Taehyung wrote a whole romantic song titled 4'O clock based on a moment he spent with Jimin in a park.

If we are going to look at the on screen moments what about the Bon voyage letter? Their moment at Malta?. People really forget things.

Honestly, we can't get much on camera because everything is still going round like a circle. One moment, you will see another ship sailing, then the next second, another ship comes up and pushes yours to the back burner causing a wave of confusion that makes people talk and the Internet to go on a frenzy.

But i want to explain to you the concept of a forbidden secret relationship taking one of the greatest female vocalist of all time, Celine Dion as a case example.

As we all know, Celine Dion had quite a long secret relationship with her now late husband who was her manager but was far older than her. It was a controversial relationship. However, many don't care to know the details or what they had to go through before legally becoming husband and wife. According to Celine Dion, she hadn't prepared to fall in love with him. It happened just like that. 'One day, a good night kiss felt different'

When rumors of her relationship with her far older manager started circulating, she was advised to hide it because it didn't look good on camera and many objected to the idea of her being in a relationship with a far older man, sometimes calling her all sorts of names, opportunist being one of them especially as she was too young at the time and her career was just taking off so Celine Dion had no other choice but to hide it for her own benefit.

In an interview, she said it was the hardest thing she ever had to do. Sometimes, she just wanted to shout out loud to the whole world how she truly felt but she knew she couldn't and that made her feel stifled. The only way Celine could make people understand her feelings was through her songs. Most of her evergreen love songs we enjoy today where all inspired from her relationship with her husband.

Why do I bring up this story? It's simple. If Vmin are in a relationship, they cannot under any circumstances reveal it especially on camera until they don't have anything to loose anymore or the situation in their country changes. It was very difficult for Celine Dion who was in a healthy heterosexual relationship talk more of a gay relationship between two boys from the same group. It will never be accepted at least not in the nearest future so we are just stuck with what we are getting right now. We just have to endure all these emotional rollercoaster Big hit and BTS are throwing at us, keeping people confused.

BTS go through so much in their personal lives but when you see them on screen, they look so happy when that's truly not the case. Let's take Jin for example, the eldest member who seems so positive and energetic, acts like nothing can ruffle him on camera. He's so full of sass people wouldn't have imagined that he was actually going through such a terrible time because he's all smiles on camera. He acts funny and jokes around. But the only way Jin could express his innermost darkest thoughts and come out as someone suffering from depression was through his song Abyss.

Let's look at RM's song Zero o clock which talks about depression. Jimin who looks so positive and happy on camera praised the song and said he could relate to the lyrics. Why would he relate to a song like Zero o clock if he hasn't had a personal experience. Literally all the members relate to that song but when we see them on camera, they are smiling, laughing while we the audience are completely unaware of what is really going on in their minds. In 2018, we were so busy enjoying what we were getting on camera unaware of what was truly happening behind the scenes, completely clueless that BTS were considering disbanding. Even till this moment, we would never have known had Jin not opened up about it in 2019 while receiving their Asian best artiste award. Even their reality show burn the stage didn't show us and till now, they don't open up about what truly caused them to consider disbanding because that is a sensitive issue which isn't meant for the cameras. They showed us the struggles they passed through as Artistes but not how that affects them as their true selves. As Namjoon, Seok Jin, Hoseok, Yoongi, Park Jimin, Kim Taehyung, Jeon Jungkook.

Now, we can't blame Big hit. They are an entertainment company who have invested a lot in BTS image. It is normal for them to be extremely careful when it comes to them so you can't expect them to show us everything.

For artistes like BTS, the only avenue they can use to truly express themselves is not through the camera lens, it's only through songs. Their songs.

I have said it before but Friends is a full compilation of everything Vmin want to say us.

One day when this cheer dies down, stay (Ayy), hey (Ayy)

You are my soulmate

For eternity, keep staying here, stay (Ayy), hey (Ayy)

Almost like they are telling each other to hang on until everything is over.

[musette22]

You Make My Heart Skip A Beet

You Make My Heart Skip a Beet

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Bucky Barnes (Stucky)

Word count: 3.8k

Rating: Teen and Up

A/N: Based on this lovely prompt by @greyhoundsgirl​. I have to be honest here, I’ve never actually seen Top Chef though so I thought it would be safer to make up a new fictional amateur cooking competition which I’ve titled Chef Wars :p 

No warnings to speak of, apart from maybe for awful food puns, but it is a bit of a cracky piece, and it’s in Sam POV (poor guy). Hope you enjoy!! 💗 Huge thanks to the amazing @rainbowsandcoconut​ for brainstorming, food puns and awesome beta’ing, as usual 😘

Read on AO3

Summary:

“I made soda bread.”

Steve lets out the 6’2” supersoldier equivalent of a squeak. “Oh, I love soda bread,” he says eagerly, rolling forward on the balls of his feet like he does when he gets excited. “My mom used to make it all the time when I was growing up.”

The tips of Barnes’s ears turn red, and he mutters something that sounds suspiciously like, “I know.”

****************************

When Sam and Steve had first been approached about being guest judges on an Avengers-themed special of Chef Wars, they’d spent a full fifteen minutes jumping around the common room in the Tower like a pair of overgrown kids on a sugar high.

Guest judges. On Chef Wars.

It so happens that Sam and Steve watch Chef Wars religiously. In fact, Steve even mentioned this in passing in one or two of his more recent interviews when asked how Captain America likes to spend his downtime, which is probably how the show’s executives had thought to invite them in the first place.

Sam’s love for cooking and cooking shows was passed down to him by his mother Darlene, and he, in turn, passed it on to Captain America – though if you’d told ten-year-old Sam that, he would’ve thought you were nuts. Poor Steve isn’t exactly the culinary sort of guy himself, but once Sam started turning up on his doorstep three nights a week to keep him company and make sure he didn’t sink further into depression, he’d slowly started to enjoy the shows Sam insisted on watching with him. Sam figured the familiarity of the actions and the low stakes of an amateur cooking competition would be perfectly suited to someone trying to integrate into a new century, while still being just exciting enough to hold the attention of an adrenaline junkie like Steve.

And he was right. So now, every Thursday night, the two of them chill on Steve’s couch, yelling at the TV and pretending they‘d do a better job of it than the contestants. Which, to be fair, Sam probably would, but Steve decidedly would not. What Steve lacks in culinary skills, though, he more than makes up for with his crazy supersoldier metabolism, rivaled only by the Other Guy and sometimes Thor, once he’s cracked open the mead. Steve can eat, and he does so with relish.

So needless to say, when they got the invite, they’d both jumped at the chance. Who wouldn’t, when presented with the opportunity to do the thing they did every Thursday night for funsies, but this time for realsies? And after weeks of giddy anticipation, today is finally the day.

Filming day.

The whole thing had gotten off to an excellent start. The sun was shining, Steve had actually been whistling on their way to the studio instead of nervously drumming his fingers on the dashboard (something which got on Sam’s nerves like nothing else), and they’d been offered some quality Italian espresso when they arrived. The show got on the road as soon as they’d gotten a quick tour of the studio, and after lights, camera, action, the contestants were introduced one by one.

There is Bernadette, a Missouri housewife who turned out to be somewhat of a BBQ expert and who reminds Sam of his Aunt Jenna; there’s Bob, a big, burly dude from Kentucky who wouldn’t look amiss on a Pro Wrestling show but who ends up surprising them all with a surprisingly delicate edible flower-dish dedicated to his lovely wife; and Yulia, a tiny, fierce girl from Bulgaria with some mean knife skills who Sam suspects could very well be a distant relative of Natasha’s.

And then there’s Bucky Barnes.

Bucky Barnes is a thirty-one-year-old physical therapist from Brooklyn who’s looking to change careers and get into the restaurant business full time. He has that whole hipster vibe going on: long, meticulously conditioned chestnut hair in a messy top knot, designer stubble, sleeve of – admittedly awesome – tattoos on his left arm. His cool, blue eyes and sharp cheekbones give him a model-like appearance, and yet there’s something soft and disarming about him.

Steve certainly seems to think so, at least.

The moment Barnes came walking through those glass doors, Sam heard Steve suck in a sharp breath at his side. A quick glance at Steve’s slack-jawed expression told Sam all he needed to know, since the dude is about as subtle as a sledgehammer. He’d elbowed Steve in the side until he looked over and pretended to wipe some drool from the corner of his mouth. Steve’s eyes went wide as he hastily mirrored the movement, missing the joke by about fifty yards. Oh, boy.

From that moment onward, Steve’s brain seemed to have gone through a blender, turning it into a rainbow smoothie – which was pretty unfortunate, considering they were going to have to interact with the contestants in a way that was suitable for daytime television.

The thing is, Steve is not exactly what you’d call a people person at the best of times. He’s fine with someone he’s known for a while and feels comfortable with, but with strangers he’s just… a little awkward. Credit where credit’s due, Steve is one of the most loyal, sweet, funny and whip-smart guys Sam has ever known – and let’s not forget stubborn as hell – but he’s also very, very bad at social cues. It’s not his fault, of course. Steve had gone from growing up pretty isolated without any real friends to speak of, to suddenly spending years surrounded only by his army buddies, which wasn’t at all representative for how normal people interacted with each other (Sam knows this from experience).

While Steve’s many social faux-pas are an endless source of entertainment for Sam, he’s not a total asshole, and he has tried to help Steve practice his social skills. Unfortunately, giving him well-meaning advice like “just be yourself” seems to be a sure-fire way to ensure Steve will put his foot in his mouth somehow.

That’s why Steve prefers to put on his Cap persona for public interactions. When he’s Captain America instead of Steve Rogers, all he has to do is look commanding and sort of friendly and say bland things like “I’m very happy to be here” and “You did well, son” and no one would be any the wiser that beneath that righteous exterior, Steve was floundering and wondering when he could reasonably leave whatever social engagement Pepper had sweet-talked him into attending, and head home to the comfort of his armchair and his sketchbook.

For today’s engagement, Steve had wisely adopted this approach as well, and the fact that he was genuinely excited to be there helped to loosen him up a little – so really, it should’ve all been fine.

But then Bucky Barnes from Brooklyn walked into the room and turned his big, blue eyes in Steve’s direction, and Steve promptly seemed to forget who or what a Captain America even was.

So far, Steve has already missed his cue twice, and it’s taken Sam stepping on his toes to get him to focus. To be fair, though, Steve puts in a valiant effort to pull himself together, managing to ooh and aah in all the right places when talking to the other candidates – sheer dumb luck, if you ask Sam. But as Steve’s best friend and confidante, Sam sees right through it. He hasn’t missed the way Steve’s gaze keeps drifting in Barnes’ direction, and coupled with the blush creeping up the back of Steve’s neck whenever Barnes’s eyes meet his, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Cap has got himself a Manhattan-sized crush.

Now, most people probably aren’t aware that Captain America is also attracted to men, but Sam has a feeling that by the end of this episode, that cat will be most definitely out of the closet. Steve’s never purposely hid his sexuality; it was more of a question of it never having come up yet. It sure as hell has come up now.

And what makes this even better is that Barnes is just as bad. He stuttered his way through his introduction, very obviously starstruck at meeting Captain America, but also very obviously gay as hell for him, if the way his eyes lingered on Steve’s chest and thighs is any indication. Sam, for his part, is incredibly amused by it all. Not only does he get to be on the set of his favorite cooking show, he also gets to rib Steve, throwing in as many food puns as he possibly can – most of which go over Steve’s head because he’s too busy drooling over Barnes. Sam’s wit is wasted on his friends.

Then, it’s time to judge. In the first round, the contestants are supposed to make something which represents why they got into cooking in the first place.

Sam can feel Steve practically vibrate with nerves at his side as they walk up to Barnes’ station. Feeling magnanimous, Sam decides to have mercy on his muscly pal and take the lead on this one.

“Mr. Barnes,” he says, giving Barnes an encouraging smile. “Tell us about your dish, if you please.”

“Call me Bucky,” Barnes says, returning the gesture with a quick quirk of his lips.

Next to him, Steve repeats the name in a whisper, most likely unaware that he’s even doing it.

Sam has to bite down on the inside of his cheek to keep from smirking.

*****

Bucky’s confessional

“I grew up in Brooklyn, as the eldest of five kids. My dad left when I was fifteen, and while I was still in school, my mom had to work three jobs to provide for us all. She wasn’t home much, so it was kind of up to me to make sure dinner was on the table most nights.”

Bucky plucks at the seam of his black skinny jeans, lost in thought. “I think that’s why my specialty is comfort food. Nothing unnecessary, just hearty, nutritious food, y’know?” With a tilt of his head, he adds, “Although since all my siblings moved into their own places I’ve been cooking mostly for myself and my cat, so I’ve been experimenting with adding some twists to my tried and tested recipes.” He laughs, right hand clasping the back of his neck in a bashful gesture. “I’ve had… mixed success. Luckily Alpine has loved all of it. She’s my cat.”

“My first dish today is Irish soda bread with sage butter and Himalayan sea salt,” Bucky continues. “Bread was something we could never have enough of in our household. Five growing kids, y’know? And also, um...” A slight blush creeps its way onto Bucky’s cheeks, his eyes flitting around nervously. “Well, I guess you could say I used to be a bit of a history nerd growing up. I was super interested in World War II, particularly, uh, Captain America.” His blush deepens, spreading upwards from the neckline of his white t-shirt to the tips of his pierced ears.

“I, uh, I basically read every Steve Rogers biography I could get my hands on, which is why I learned to make things like soda bread because, y’know, Steve Rogers was Irish. Is Irish,” he corrects himself. Bucky’s eyes glaze over, taking on a faraway look. “Man, I couldn’t believe it when Cap was found a few years ago,” he marvels, “and alive. I don’t think I slept for a week after I found out.” He stares into space for a moment before shaking himself. He clears his throat, eyes refocusing on the person behind the camera. “Anyway, so when I heard that Chef Wars was doing an Avengers-themed special, I immediately applied because Steve – Cap, I mean- Captain America. Um. Yeah, so Cap mentioned in a few of his interviews that he watches Chef Wars, so I figured there would be a good chance he’d be watching this one too, you know? And then I got the email that I’d been selected and that he was going to be the one judging us, and I just…” Bucky trails off, looking a little faint, the blood draining from his face as quickly as it had risen.

“God, I just can’t believe I’ll finally get to see him in the flesh.” His eyes widen. “In person, I mean," he hastily amends. "And I’m excited about my dishes too, of course. I really hope Cap will like them. And the Falcon. Him, too. Yeah.”

*****

“I made soda bread.”

Steve lets out the 6’2” supersoldier equivalent of a squeak. “Oh, I love soda bread,” he says eagerly, rolling forward on the balls of his feet like he does when he gets excited. “My mom used to make it all the time when I was growing up.”

The tips of Barnes’s ears turn red, and he mutters something that sounds suspiciously like, “I know.”

When Steve puts a piece of bread into his mouth and chews slowly, he sniffs, eyes turning a little watery. “It tastes exactly like my mom’s,” he says in a hushed voice, sounding like he can’t quite believe his taste buds. Sam pats Steve’s back consolingly, before scooping up some sage butter with his own piece of bread and taking an enthusiastic bite.

“Hmm, nice,” he says, giving Barnes an appreciative nod. “And the butter? You make that yourself, too?”

“You butter believe it,” Barnes replies, then immediately looks horrified, like he can’t believe he made a pun that bad on national television.

Sam cackles, holding out his fist for Barnes to bump. When Barnes has recovered enough to return the gesture with his left hand, Steve stares longingly at their touching hands, before letting his gaze trail over the tattoos on Barnes’ exposed forearm. Since he's not exactly subtle about it, Barnes catches him looking and gives Steve a tentative smile when their eyes meet. Steve chokes on absolutely nothing and launches into an impromptu coughing fit. “Crumbs,” he wheezes, thumping a massive fist on his massive chest, “wrong pipe.”

Sam just smirks at him, before turning back to Barnes. “That was delicious,” he tells him. “Can’t wait for your next dish, man.”

“Really, really, good,” Steve chimes in once he’s caught his breath. “Well done, Bucky.”

Barnes goes as red as a tomato, eyes trained on the floor as he awkwardly shifts from foot to foot. “Thank you, Captain.”

“Steve, please,” Steve implores.

Barnes bites his lip, looking up at Steve through his lashes. “Thanks, Steve.”

Sam's pretty sure Steve stops breathing altogether right then. Christ, it’s like there’s an electrical current running between the two of them, the air crackling with it. Thunderbolts and lighting, very very nauseating.

Sam claps his hands. “Right,” he says loudly, “moving on to the next contestant now… Yulia, what have you prepared for us?”

*****

By the time the second round rolls around, Steve has had a series of meltdowns and Sam has spent precious time he could’ve been exploring the set and taking pics for his mom on talking Steve out of a bathroom stall. Damn, he’s a good friend. It takes all of Sam’s VA-honed therapist skills to convince Steve that he’s doing fine, he’s not embarrassing himself, and no one but Sam has noticed Steve’s massive heart boner for Barnes yet. Sam actually isn’t entirely positive about that last one – or the first two for that matter – but Steve doesn’t need to know that. There are still two rounds to go.

In the second round, contestants are asked to make a dish that represents who they are as a person.

While the contestants are cooking up a metaphorical storm, Sam and Steve walk around their stations to chat with everyone some more, camera crew on their heels. Steve manages to get out at least three complete sentences, and Bernadette and Bob are too in awe of him to notice the few times he says something that doesn’t actually make any sense. Yulia has given no indication that she even knows who either of them are, and Sam can practically feel the relief radiating off of Steve. He guesses that’s part of why he and Natasha get on so well.

When they round on Barnes’ station, Barnes has just started seasoning his dish. There’s a checkered dishcloth slung over his right shoulder and a focused look on his face, which turns into one of low-key stress the moment he spots Steve and Sam coming towards him. Leaning his hip against the counter, Sam settles in to watch Steve make a fool of himself. He's not disappointed.

“Wow,” Steve says inanely, gesturing in the direction of Barnes’ hands. “That’s- you’re- you’re really good at that.”

Barnes pauses his turning of the peppermill to give Steve a slightly panicked look. “At… grinding?”

At Steve’s strangled cough, Barnes seems to realize what he just said, his bewildered expression morphing into one of abject mortification. The poor guy looks like he’d very much like the ground to swallow him whole right about now.

Honestly, these two deserve each other.

When they've finished chatting to everyone and it’s time to taste, Barnes is asked to explain his dish and how it represents him. He seems to have pulled himself together somewhat since their last encounter, his stance a little more confident now and his eyes only drifting to Steve’s pecs every other sentence.

“I’m a simple guy,” he tells them, somehow managing to make it sound genuine instead of cliché. “I enjoy the little things in life. I like taking care of people, making them feel good and comfortable, and I think that’s reflected in my cooking. I enjoy making comfort food, the hale and hearty stuff.” He licks his lips, meaningfully adding, “Although, don’t get me wrong. I do indulge occasionally. I’ve got my guilty pleasures same as everyone else, y'know?” That last part is directed at Steve, who nods dazedly, like he knows exactly what Barnes means. Gross.

“So I guess you could say you’re just… arugula guy?” Sam grins, cheerfully ignoring the growing sexual tension.

Barnes stares at him for a beat, and then snorts. “You know what?” he says, returning Sam's grin, “the s’more I get to know you, the s’more I like you.”

Sam has a very real moment where he thinks he might actually fall in love with this guy himself. It’s only Steve’s doe-eyed look that keeps him from proposing to Barnes there and then. Okay, and maybe the fact that Barnes is clearly smitten with Steve, and also Sam is straight and very happily dating Nat, who would not hesitate to gut him if he decided to elope with some pasty hipster dude.

Barnes’ dish – mac and cheese with black truffle and locally sourced cheeses and fancy cuts of bacon – is mouthwateringly good, and Sam tells him as much. Using appropriate words to do so. You know, like a normal person.

Steve, on the other hand, moans loudly around his bite and then, mouth still full, he blurts, “That’s exactly what I thought you’d taste like.”

In the painfully awkward silence that follows, Steve and Barnes blush so hard the combined heat of their flaming cheeks could probably power most of New York City. This time, Sam can’t contain his laughter. He crows as he gleefully slaps his thighs, and even some of the crew is hiding having a hard time staying professional in the face of such blatant dumbassery.

Shaking his head, Sam grabs Steve by the bicep and herds him towards the backroom. “Come on, Casanova,” he says. “Let’s get you some ice for those burns.”

*****

For dessert, Barnes goes all out.

He actually makes Captain America cake pops, shaped and decorated like Steve’s shield with blue, red and white frosting. Steve’s eyes almost bug out of his head when he sees them. Barnes explains how they’re “sort of an adult version” of normal cake pops, which makes Sam raise an eyebrow. He’s been on the internet. He unfortunately has seen adult versions of all kinds of Captain America paraphernalia. Fortunately, Barnes just means that his cake pops have some sort of liquor in the center, “for a punch, you know?”

The starry-eyed look Steve gives Barnes clearly conveys just how clever he thinks that is, and Sam surreptitiously rolls his eyes. No game whatsoever, either of them.

“I’ve never had a cake pop before,” Steve says, carefully picking up one of the treats and inspecting it curiously.

“Oh,” Barnes says, blinking at him. “Well, normally you’d eat them in one go, but these are a bit bigger than usual because of the shape of the shield, so you probably won’t be able to fit -”

The rest of his sentence sort of peters off into a stunned silence as Steve proceeds to stick a whole-ass giant cake pop in his mouth in one go, letting out an appreciative grunt as he chews and then swallows.

Barnes’s mouth goes slack. “Oh my god,” he breathes, his eyes glazing over, and Sam cracks up. Again.

The cake pops are actually surprisingly good, despite their garish (sorry, Steve) appearance, and then it’s time to retreat and deliberate. As was to be expected, Steve has a crisis of conscience.

“I can’t vote for him just because he made my mom’s soda bread and he practically raised his baby sisters by himself and he cooks for his cat and he has pretty eyes, Sam!” he laments, voice muffled into his massive forearms. Sam makes the filming crew promise not to air this bit. It takes some doing, but finally Sam manages to convince Steve that Barnes’s food was simply the best. Better than all the rest. He even does a little Tina impression to get his point across, and that seems to do it.

When they announce the winner, Barnes smiles so wide it transforms his whole face and makes Steve melt into a puddle of Gü.

Sam has to nudge Steve again to get him to say his line, since he’s too busy mooning over Barnes to notice the autocue changing. “Ah, yes!” Steve says loudly. “First prize is a substantial sum of money, sponsored by Tony Stark, which we hope will go towards opening your own restaurant–"

“… and a weekend stay at Avengers Tower, also sponsored by Tony!”

Steve’s head whips around to him in surprise. Sam winks at him. “Including a private tour of the premises by none other than Captain America himself. Isn’t that right, Steven?”

A beat of silence, and then Steve.exe starts back up. "Right,” he nods, drawing out the word. “Yes. That’s right.” Sam pats his arm. Good man.

Stepping forward, Steve takes Barnes’ hand and shakes it slowly. “Congratulations, Bucky. I look forward to seeing you again soon," he says, adding, after a quick, bracing inhale, “and maybe when you visit, I can make my mom’s stew for you? If- if you like?”

Sam feels a surge of pride. Look at Steve go, being something almost in the vicinity of smooth.

Barnes laps it up, beaming at Steve. “I’d really love that,” he says in a low voice, still holding Steve's hand. “I’m sure you’re delicious.” His eyes widen. “It’s delicious. The stew – not- not-" Abruptly, Barnes stops babbling, then seems to come to a decision. “Oh, fuck it,” he mutters, and pulls Steve towards him, crashing their mouths together in a scorching kiss.

Over the noise of the assembled crowd's whoops and cheers, Sam gleefully calls, “And that, my friends, is a wrap!”

[bakibakini]

a monster & his soulmate | s . tendo ( haikyuu ) -- 1

pairing : satori tendo x gn ! reader

genre : fluff , kinda angsty 

taglist : no one yet !! but comment to be tagged <3 

notes : ughhgahwa this was so cute to write !! i love this mans so much & i was entertaining the idea of making this a series while writing this & u know what . i finna . i rlly finna . 

MASTERLIST 

Satori had loathed the concept of soulmates.

It wasn’t the idea that he was tied to a single person since birth, not the fact that he couldn’t choose, else society would frown upon him, no, he was sure that he’d love whoever his soulmate was. In contrary, he was the problem. A weirdo, a scary monster; he didn’t want to meet his soulmate, couldn’t bear to hear what they’d think of him. Unfortunately for him, just as the little words etched into his abdomen, soulmates were fated, he couldn’t avoid his no matter how much he tried.

It happened in the gym, back in elementary school. He stood there, eyes cast downwards, tiny hands balled into equally tiny fists as a few of the kids from the volleyball club continued to talk him down. The mean names were nothing unusual and he wished he could say that he was used to them, but it took all of his self-control to keep himself from bursting into tears.

“Stop trying to get into the volleyball club, freak.”

“Yeah, no one wants you here! You’re a monster.”

And the more they said, the more he felt his heart sink. He was glad, at least, that his face could remain so stoic, still, he wanted to scurry away right about now. His heart suddenly leapt, though, at the sound of another pair of footsteps approaching. Nose scrunched in preparation for even more berating and finally, the new addition to the group began to speak.

“Hey, hey, stop it! I didn’t know my big brother was such a meanie, it’s so low to make fun of someone!” The person spoke, tugging one of Satori’s bullies by the hand. “Mom is here to pick you up anyways, let’s go!”

Satori’s eyes twinkled at the sight of you defending him. Anyone sticking up for him was rare in general, it was strange to see someone so cute pushing his bullies away. As soon as they started walking off, you turned to him, a bright smile on your face and a faint blush dusting your plump cheeks.

“Don’t listen to those idiots, I don’t think you resemble a monster at all!”

An ache was all he could feel at the moment, not just on his abdomen, but in his little heart as well. His mouth opened, as if he was ready to speak, hands absentmindedly moving to grip his shirt, right over the mark, but before he could do anything, say anything, his feet were already carrying him out of the gym at an immense speed.

He cried that night, much to his poor mother’s surprise. And after that, he never saw you again.

  “Go, go, Karasuno! Push it, push it, Karasuno!”

Shiratorizawa hadn’t expected Karasuno to be so good, neither did they expect the 5th set to be so stressful, as all of them really thought it’d be a clear win. Satori, of course, shared that sentiment with his team, but he was more surprised at the overwhelming amount of cheering that came from Karasuno’s side of the bleachers. The Flightless Crows having so many people cheering them on? Even stranger than that annoying middle blocker. He didn’t see the point in staring at who was in the opposing team’s bleachers, but frankly, he was quite bored sitting out during the action, so he let his eyes trail.

To say he nearly collapsed at the sight of you, that same lopsided grin on your face and bright orange pom poms in hand, would be an understatement.

He wasn’t entirely sure how he managed to recognize you, perhaps it was his soulmate sense, but he knew he wasn’t mistaken. The only pair of eyes that looked at him with such kindness back in elementary school, even if for a brief moment; he’d be a fool to not recognize them. It was odd to see his soulmate as a cheerleader for the opposing volleyball team, but he couldn’t deny that the colors looked nice on you. Besides, he had no rights to feel jealous, he had never even spoken to you. That didn’t stop him from feeling a little bit envious of Karasuno though, snatching up his soulmate just like that.

For as bummed as he was that their team lost in the end, he wasn’t surprised, they had you as their cheerleader, after all.

Lining up and, later, hearing Karasuno was going to advance to Nationals was excruciating, but it was somehow worse to see you right over there. Hardly being able to keep his eyes off of you, he kept on entertaining the thought of catching up to you later, saying something, just so you’d know he was your soulmate.

I can’t, he thought to himself, they’ll hate me.  

And before he knew it, the bleachers were empty and he and Wakatoshi were already cleaning up. He could see the two Karasuno managers cleaning up as well, which meant you might’ve still been somewhere around here. Useless thoughts, not like he was going to do anything. Unfortunately, he hadn’t noticed Wakatoshi’s analytical gaze following each and every one of his movements.

“You look like you’re in thought.” Satori was snapped out of his daze by the deep voice of his friend. “Are you out of it because we lost?”

“Hmm?” Wide eyes blinked, surprised at the sudden concern. “Yes, obviously! Didn’t it take you by total surprise?

Wakatoshi nodded and the conversation was over, but Satori couldn’t hide just how antsy he felt knowing that he was about to lose his other chance. God, he hated talking about these serious things, especially with the team captain, who was the voice of reason most of the time. He knew what the other would think of this, but…

“I know who my soulmate is-”

“Talk to them.” Wakatoshi wasted no time, shutting down Satori before he could even elaborate. “Don’t you want to?”

“Mm, you’re no fun!” Satori exclaimed, throwing one of the towels that sat on the bench at Wakatoshi. “What if they think I look weird, you know?”

“They don’t, have you seen your mark?” The captain’s eyes trailed to Satori’s abdomen and although it was covered, he knew what lied underneath his volleyball shirt. “Besides, it’s a little selfish to keep your soulmate from knowing who theirs is.”

“Huuh, I hate how much sense you make sometimes, Wakatoshi!” With a whine, Satori turned back to the two Karasuno managers who looked like they were about to leave. “Alright, but I’m only doing it so you wouldn’t nag me later!”

With that, Satori left his poor teammate to clean up for himself, all the while he mentally prepared to face Karasuno’s managers just so he could ask them where you were. For a moment, he thought about his teammate’s soulmate mark, a mark that simply said ‘excuse me, can you pass me the baking soda from the top shelf there?’. It’ll probably come easy for him, meeting his soulmate in a seemingly mundane situation and being a looker to boot, whereas the only interaction Satori had with you was him running away from you the second he realized you’re his soulmate, he’ll consider himself lucky if you still thought the same thing.

“Heey~!” The redhead yelled, perhaps a little too obnoxiously, as his hand moved to grab the shoulder of one of the Karasuno’s managers. “Can I talk to you for a second?”

The girl unfortunate enough to be the one Satori directed his attention to jumped at the sudden contact, then yelped ever-so-slightly after glancing to see who it was. The other one didn’t seem phased at all, on the other hand, walking up to the two, taking Satori’s hand and removing it from her blonde friend’s shoulder.

“We’re not interested.”

“Ah, no, I’m not interested in you either!” The redhead grinned, hands making their way to his own hips. “Can you show me where the pretty Karasuno cheerleader is? They’re my soulmate, I wanna see ‘em~”

That exact second Kiyoko noticed how much Hitoka’s face shifted at the mention of soulmates, from scared to excited, even. She now stared at Satori with wide eyes, eventually looking over at her fellow manager, as if searching for her blessing to play Cupid. Kiyoko, fully sensing Hitoka’s excitement, only smiled.

“You can go, I’ll finish up here.”

Getting the clear, Hitoka wasted no time in grabbing Satori’s hand and beginning to tug him along out of the gym, surprising him this time. Obviously her mood shifted so much, she was a hopeless romantic, the idea of soulmates excited her way too much, even if the situation didn’t concern her. She scanned the halls filled with people for the familiar faces of Karasuno with upmost care and attention, all so she could point Satori to you.

“What does your mark say?” Hitoka suddenly exclaimed, but wound up covering her mouth with her free hand seconds later. “I- I mean, if you don’t m-mind me asking!”

“Don’t worry, don’t worry!” He smiled, though it didn’t look as enthusiastic as he wished it would. “Don’t listen to those idiots, I don’t think you resemble a monster at all; that’s what it says.”

In an overdramatic fashion, the girl’s eyes filled with tears. “A- Ah, that’s so cute! What does l/n-senpai’s say?”

“I wish I knew!” Satori said, a small groan promptly leaving his mouth. He was playing it up a little bit, but it’d be a lie to say he wasn’t feeling the frustration. “I ran away when they said that. How stupid, right?”

“What? Why’d you do that?!”

He shrugged and opened his mouth to speak, but got interrupted by his chest hitting Hitoka’s back, seeing as she had stopped running. He followed her gaze and wound up seeing you, the same pom poms in hand as you spoke with the 3rd years of Karasuno, a wide grin on your face. He felt his throat close up.

“I’m a bit nervous now.” Hitoka whispered, but he couldn’t hear. He thought he was going to die.

He supposed it was admirable how much just the sight of you made him seize up and want to run away. The famous Guess Monster of Shiratorizawa weak at the knees after seeing the face of his soulmate whom he hasn’t even talked to before; he really hated it. Did all people feel like this? Did all people feel fear while looking at their soulmate? No, he was supposed to feel butterflies in his belly, so why couldn’t he-

“l/n-senpai!” Satori’s startled daze got cut short by Hitoka yelling out to you. His grin never got wiped from his face, but if one looked close enough, they could see that it was wavering just slightly.

You turned, looked at Hitoka, then at him, with a smile much more genuine than what was on his face. He saw the brief confusion in your eyes at the sight of him, noticed your brows furrowing for a second. How could he not? Not only was he naturally analytical, despite the growing fear in his heart, he still couldn’t take his eyes off your face.

“Hm, what’s up?” You turned away from Koushi to fully face Hitoka and Satori. “Hah, did you make friends with the Guess Monster? Nice to meet you, I’m l/n y/n!”

With your focus completely on him, he thought he was going to sink into the ground. Were you really going to think…he wasn’t a monster after finding out he was your soulmate? He supposed he wouldn’t know without trying.

“Uh…hi.” He uttered and the second he realized what he said, his soul nearly jumped out through his nose. Hands flew to cover his mouth, completely in disbelief.

Hitoka snorted, but he couldn’t even hear it, busy focusing on what you were going to say. Your smile faded and was replaced with surprise coating your features. He was ready to run off yet again, he could take a lot of things, but not his soulmate rejecting him in front of so many people. But then you smiled all over again, erupting into giggles mere seconds later.

Huh...?

“You know, all my life I’ve been wondering how awkward my soulmate is going to be, I could’ve never guessed-!” Your cheeks were red, the grin plastered on your face reaching from ear to ear. “Wait till my mom hears that Shiratorizawa’s Guess Monster is my soulmate! So cool! Do you think you can teach me how to block like that?

“Wha…what?” Satori’s voice had risen by five octaves as he spoke. Tilting his head, he moved to point at himself. “You want to learn how to block from me?”

“O-Oh, I’m sorry, I’m getting a little bit too ahead of myself!” You chuckled, waving your hand. “You’re Tendo Satori, right? I don’t want to keep referring to you as the Guess Monster, it’d be weird, right?”

Satori’s fingers twitched, he so desperately wanted to jump at you and hug you tight and he would’ve, really, he was quite shameless, but he could still barely comprehend you weren’t scoffing at him and instead, looking at him as if you’d been waiting for him to show up for your entire life. It made his heart flare up in a way it hadn’t before, the fear he felt previously subsiding and turning into those nervous jitters he wished he could feel. He exhaled the breath he was holding in for way too long, tense shoulders dropping in relief. Hours filled with hatred for himself for never speaking up in elementary, sleepless nights thinking about how unfair everything was; it all boiled down to this and he couldn’t believe that he felt genuinely happy, like he was a little kid frolicking in a field of flowers with no worries in the world. Of course, he was an idiot for not realizing you were too good of a person. It was safe to say now, that he was glad he had confronted you, even if it was slightly against his will.

“I-”

“Tendo!” The loud, stoic voice that belonged to Wakatoshi rang through the halls and successfully interrupted Satori. “We have to go now, hurry it up!”

“Aah, it seems like I have to go!” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I’ll reach out to you later and we can go on a date some time, okay? I’ll make sure to teach you lots of things, l/n-chan~”

Seeing you look flustered at his words made him content for now, so he turned and began to make his way to Wakatoshi, sending you a small wave. He could already imagine himself showing you how to play volleyball, or rambling to you about Shonen Jump- he couldn’t believe how far more exciting this was than he’d ever thought it’d be.

The concept of soulmates was still weird to him, he couldn’t deny, but he also couldn’t wait to fall in love with it, and you, now that he finally had you by his side.

hi if u made it this far pls send requestz thank u ahah jd

[beastars-takes]

Zootopia Takes: The Power of Really Liking Each Other

Our main event, Beastars Takes, will resume soon, but in the meantime I want to talk about one of my favorite movie relationships:

Has this been talked about to death by other people? Yes. But this is my blog and I write it for free so I can do what I want.

Note: this is not a shipping post--this is just an examination of their canonical relationship in the movie and why it rules.

At first glance, this is your typical enemies-to-friends story. I love those. But while the typical arc tends to involve two characters who can’t stand each other, who eventually develop a grudging respect for one another (often through some kind of shared ordeal) and maybe thaw into actual friendliness at the end. Zootopia packs all of that into the first half--by the midway point they are clearly not just allies, but friends, and by the end of the film they’re inseparable.

It’s important to recognize this isn’t just for the hell of it, or just to be cute--the closeness and trust they build is the linchpin of their success in the final moments of the movie.

All the reasons why, after the jump.

Something I talked about in the previous post was the messaging of Zootopia, and I don’t want to rehash it too much here. It’s a movie about prejudice, and the work it takes to overcome it. A key theme (one that it shares with Beastars, incidentally) is that friendships with those who are different from you are hard--but they are worth it.

Part 1: They Hate Each Other! (Right?)

Now...it goes without saying that when these two first meet, they bounce off each other hard. Each is seeing the other at their absolute worst.

Judy can’t stand Nick because he takes every bit of optimism she has about this world and throws it back in her face. She want to use him as a prop in her vision of an equal society, where “not all foxes” are crooks. He laughs at her. He humiliates her. All he has to do is walk away, but he takes his time. He twists the knife.

For his part, Nick sees a laughably ineffectual bunny who condescends to him and threatens him with jail for the crime of...humiliating her. She may not personally be a threat to him, but she wields the institutional power of the ZPD--a power he has plenty of reason to be afraid of--and she does it irresponsibly.

On first viewing, Nick inarguably wins this exchange. He avoids arrest, reads her to absolute filth and leaves her stuck in cement.

And he makes her really sad. Nice!

But, and I don’t pretend to be the first person to have pointed this out, on second viewing it’s obvious he can guess her story so well because it’s basically his story. The only difference, in his mind, is that he’s accepted the reality that he’ll never be allowed to live the life he wants, while she is still vainly pursuing hers.

I don’t know about you, dear reader, but the people I’ve met who have always most pissed me off are the people who remind me of things I hate about myself. The people who seem to embody the flaws I’ve worked to minimize. Nick’s naive hope is what has brought him the most pain in his life. He sees this bunny full of the same naive hope, surmises that she’s facing the same failures he did and yet stubbornly refusing to learn from them. It’s irritating.

Pictured: irritation.

Maybe I am projecting, but if Nick is anything like me, he probably didn’t walk away entirely happy from this exchange. Yes, he “won,” but he was also reminded of everything about himself that he least wanted to think about.

Part 2: They Are Not Very Good at Hating Each Other

So, the thing about Judy is, she is naive. By default, she assumes people are her friend. But she’s not stupid.

Nick assumes she is stupid, not least because she hasn’t wisely given up on her dreams like he has, and...he learns that she maybe not so fun to pick on after all.

So they wind up doing the first part of this enemies-to-friends routine, allies of necessity.

So, naturally, because he is Him, he makes it his mission to torment her.

In fact, we get two whole scenes where all he does he does is watch her struggle and make this face.

The first read of this behavior is that he’s just enjoying the failures of someone he hates. He says as much later. But I would also argue--from a viewer’s perspective--Judy is ridiculously entertaining and charming throughout these encounters. She wears her heart on her sleeve, and it’s hard not to like people like that.

Is there more happening here than just schadenfreude? I won’t pretend to know for sure. But worth considering.

By the time they’re investigating the limousine, his sabotage has diminished into something more like gentle trolling. And you can’t see this face, in context...

...and tell me she isn’t starting to like him, at least a little bit.

He’s also starting to help! By the time they’re past the minor detour of almost being murdered by a mob boss, he’s entirely cooperative, helping her conduct interviews and look for clues. The movie doesn’t call particular attention to this, but it almost did.

Finally, let’s look at Nick’s behavior when they’re being chased by a rabid jaguar. He could have absolutely booked it, with no regard for the cop who was blackmailing him into helping her.

These moments go by so quickly, but they’re hugely revealing of his true character, even before he defends her in front of Chief Bogo.

He picks her up when she falls.

More importantly, when he gets to the skytram, his first instinct isn’t to jump in--it’s to hold the door for her:

He sees she can’t make it, and she even tells him to leave without her. He doesn’t. He holds the door until he can’t anymore, and as a result he’s nearly killed.

Nick is a good boy.

Part 3: They Are Friends Now

She save his life, so he saves her job. This is a key story beat, and it’s a Disney movie, so there’s not a lot of subtlety (except how the specular highlights in Judy’s eyes fade as Bogo asks for her badge--the light literally goes out of her. Go watch).

But it’s such a sweet moment of teamwork--he was contemptuous toward her from the start because she believed in herself. This is the first time she’s simply given up in the whole movie, and he steps up. Because he believes in her now.

And she believes in him! Or, she wants to.

Judy’s supportiveness here is sweet, but it’s also still a little selfish. It’s not that different from their interaction at the ice cream shop, really: she wants to meet a fox who defies stereotypes, who is easy for her to like. Someone who ticks all the boxes to prove her family wrong.

When he starts being more foxy, later--self-identifying as a predator, showing his claws, challenging her--we learn that her supportiveness is conditional.

Am I being too hard on her? Sure. She’s been in bunny country her whole life. She’s new to this and she’s trying. But that’s where she’s at.

But still! They’re friends now. They’re no longer pretending they don’t like each other. Judy’s openly encouraging, Nick is fully in her corner, and we get a few cute sequences where they keep being more and more impressed with each other.

He’s still not above affectionately messing with her, and she’s getting worse at pretending to dislike it.

And he trusts her enough to let her flush him down a toilet...

Which gives us this heartbreaking shot where he thinks she’s drowned. He cares a whole lot about this bunny.

She likes him too! Enough to want to team up on a more permanent basis. This is pretty standard-fare enemies-to-friends stuff now, but considering where we started, and considering they’ve known each other for all of two days? Not bad!

It’s clear this moment means far more to him than it does to her, too. It’s actually taken very little persuading from Judy to get him to step up and be brave and helpful and trustworthy. The fact that he’s turned around and opened up to her so fast suggests he’s been ready for an opportunity like this for his entire life, and never got it. I mean, look at his face.

The foundational flaw in her worldview is still there, though, and it’s about to do almost-irreparable damage to their whirlwind friendship.

Part 5: Fuck!

So Judy gives her press conference, and gives a great example of why police usually answer every question with “the matter is currently under investigation,” or “we’re not prepared to comment further at this time.” Honestly, though, this is on Bogo--I had coworkers who once did some press interviews, and they spent over a week doing media training. They didn’t even break a major kidnapping case. So, you know.

So she repeats some weird race science stuff she assumes is true because someone in a lab coat said it, which is amusingly similar to how race science (or “race realism”) often propagates--people with low-rent doctorates from crappy universities write a bunch of scientifically shoddy material and people say “well, he has a PhD!”

And then Nick has a PTSD flashback? I don’t want to be irresponsible and make an armchair diagnosis, but also...that is absolutely what is depicted on screen.

You’re not immediately “better” after something like this, which is why I cut Nick a bit of slack when he basically blows up their friendship.

Judy...doesn’t get it. It’s completely heartbreaking, because she likes him, and doesn’t understand why he’s mad, and isn’t self-reflective enough to stop and think maybe he has a point. Not until it’s too late. He tests her, and she fails.

Their friendship has always been a little inequal. He’s trusted her with everything, shown her his deepest vulnerabilities. She’s never trusted him completely.

So he leaves.

I don’t want to impugn her professionalism by suggesting she wouldn’t have quit the force if she hadn’t had that friendship-ending fight, but, you know. Maybe.

This is the second time she gives up, and this time he’s not there to pick her up again.

Judy is intensely goal-oriented, and I don’t think she realized what Nick’s friendship meant to her, as the first person in the city who truly believed in her, until it was too late. Judy is sweet and well-meaning but emotional intelligence is not really her strong suit (which is actually cool to see in a female Disney protagonist, imo).

So, while it would have been nice for her to track Nick down immediately and apologize, I think it makes sense for them to spend time apart. Her own self-perception has been shattered, and she needs time to figure out how she went so wrong.

So when she does come back, she delivers one of the best animated apologies I’ve ever seen. Only AtLA compares, in my mind.

Part 6: They Are Much Better Friends Now

Nick forgives her, because of course he does.

(Sidebar--people talk about how he kept her carrot pen the whole time they were apart. He also kept his handkerchief from Ranger Scouts, AND he only wears shirts that match the wallpaper in his mother’s house. He desperately needs a hug.)

Credit to Nick also, who can’t fight and has no police training whatsoever, who has multiple times been almost killed helping her out, now agreeing to help her out again. She’s not even threatening him with jail this time!

We, the viewers, are then rewarded with this great montage of them being best friends.

She’s finally stopped pretending not to be amused by his shenanigans.

(One other sidebar here--Nick is canonically a really gentle character. For all their adventuring, this is only time in the movie he gets physical with anyone: to protect the bunny. Again, he definitely can’t fight and immediately gets smacked across the room. But it’s the thought that counts, right?)

Per the post title, more visual evidence of them really liking each other.

Judy trips on a dead body, and here we get the second time in the movie that Judy tells Nick to leave without her, and he won’t--this time, he refuses explicitly.

Which then gives us the opportunity for the big moment--the culmination of all this care and intimacy and trust.

In order to con Bellwether, she lets him stalk her, and bite her throat. This has been often pointed out, but it’s important--throughout the movie, Judy’s wriggling rabbit nose has been used as a signifier of fear and suspicion. It wriggles when she’s spying on Nick at the beginning. It wriggles like hell when he confronts her after her press conference.

Not here. Doesn’t move. It’s a great, clearly intentional animation choice that tells a close observer (or more likely, a repeat viewer) that she’s completely unafraid.

She trusts him.

I could write a whole other post about how well-scripted this movie is, how every scene is doing half a dozen different things, but the way the personal and the professional come together here, the way the threads of prejudice and friendship and the police case all tie together in this moment. It’s good shit.

This is basically where things end, in terms of character development, but we get a bunch more shots of them clearly adoring each other:

So there it is.

To sum up, certainly not suggesting this movie invented “characters liking each other,” or anything like that. But it goes above and beyond in portraying a friendship that’s not just one born of circumstance, one that’s authentic and unmistakably loving. Characters who enjoy spending time with each other, regardless of what’s going on around them.

I hope everyone is able to experience friendships like that. I absolutely treasure the few I have.

Appendix: The Shipping Thing

I hope I’ve made all this ship-agnostic, which was my intention. I personally like the ship, and I think the reason it resonates with people is because that love and trust and closeness is clearly there, and a romantic relationship creates a lot more easy opportunities for dialing those things up even higher.

I would also argue, if pressed, that the amount of teasing and physicality that happens reads as pretty flirty. If they were humans I knew in real life, I’d definitely think there was something going on there. But I’m an American, where touching and emotional intimacy tends to be read as romantic. Also, animals are a lot more cuddly than humans. So who knows? I think it’s perfectly reasonable to read them as platonic friends until the end of time.

But, one way or another, they love each other a lot. Shout out to this, one of the most emotionally rewarding relationships I’ve ever seen in a cartoon.

[epic-potato-crisp]

Courtship - Part 2 (AjinWeek2020/7)

Notes:

Part 2 is here after...a year?

Originally, this was supposed to be posted for Ajin Week 2020 Day 7: Anything goes. The whole story was just supposed to be two chapters, however I want to expand it a little and now we're at looking at 3-4. Stay tuned for further updates! (I'm considering whether Twilight is the right choice for their movie night. It's very temping. There are five (5) movies and so very little of Kei's patience.)

———————————————-

“I’m sorry, what?” Tosaki says.

Yeah, Kei probably shouldn’t have agreed to this. On the other hand, the look of pure bewilderment on his team leader’s face replaces about a month of entertainment for him. At the very least. It’s a fair deal.

“We’re dating.” Kou explains sheepishly, for the second time, scratching at his neck.

“Since when?” Hirasawa asks, appearing just as invested as he is amused.

Izumi hasn’t said anything yet, instead observing them in silence.

“Since like right now.” Kou says, laughing awkwardly, “It was pretty spontaneous. Right, Kei?”

“Don’t drag me into this.” Kei responds briskly.

“Hey, you just said yes!” Kou argues, his brows furrowing.

“And I’m regretting it more and more.” Kei snipes back.

“Oof, boys, 20 minutes in and trouble in paradise already. It’s not looking good, huh?” Ogura comments.

“It’s just a…trial.” Kei says, anxiety still spiking up in him months later at the thought of the any kind of experiment, “For a week. More for research purposes than anything.”

“Research purposes, now we’re talking.” Ogura chimes in, “What’s your hypothesis? Are you going to need help evaluating the data?”

“Can you even evaluate a relationship that way?” Hirasawa argues, “In numbers? That sounds strange to me.”

“Well, plenty of psychological studies say yes, so.” Ogura shrugs, “So Nagai, what’s your deal?”

“The hypothesis is that seven days of close interaction will not lead to me murdering him.” Kei glares in Kou’s direction, “And that he will shut up about my dating life.”

Kou coughts out something that suspiciously sounds like “what life”, for which Kei elbows him in the ribs, hard.

“Yeah, what he said.” Kou wheezes, returning the glare in kind.

“And we’re not really going to write a report about it. We’re just letting it run simultaneously. Would that be with you?” Kei asks.

Tosaki stares at them for a full minute and then leaves the room without another word.

“I’ll just be-“ Izumi says, apologetically, hurriedly following after him.

“You boys have my blessing.” Hirasawa says, winking at them and toasting in their direction with his barley tea.

“Mine too, with a little extra sprinkle of blessing on top if you do take a few notes about it.” Ogura says, “From a sociological perspective, it’s pretty hilarious. Completely anonymous, of course.”

“Fine, I can do that.” Kei says, “I’m bored as it is.”

They take their leave.

“Well, you’re not going to be bored for long with me around.” Kou says, once they’re out of earshot, grinning at him brightly.

Kei grimaces. “Yeah, we’ll see about that.”

Kei hadn’t believed that dating Kou would be difficult- to be truthful, he hadn’t considered the situation at all, but here they were. But reality is a whole different obstacle.

First, there’s the hand-holding. It’s been a good while since Kei had held hands with anyone, frankly, when he was in elementary school and crossing the street with Eriko, and that had been more of a safety precaution than anything. It’s an unnecessary amount of touch in his opinion, the sweaty entanglement of fingers grossing him out in theory. In practice…it’s not really that bad.

Kou slips his hand into Kei’s, that evening as they’re taking a walk around the forest. It comes as a surprise to him. They had just been strolling around aimlessly for a while, trying to clear their head from a day of training and the awkward conversation earlier. Lost in his own thoughts, Kei startles a little at the sudden physical contact.

“The cicadas are really fucking loud, aren’t they?” Kou says, almost nonchalantly. Kei notices that his grip, although confident at first, loosens a little in hesitation, giving Kei the opportunity to pull away. He considers it. However, instead of sticky and oppressive, the touch is comforting somehow. Which is weird, considering there is no purpose to it. But then, there is no purpose to this entire trial run, Kei concludes, which makes up his mind. He hums noncommittally and squeezes back. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see how the other’s face lights up in surprise. “Maybe they just have a lot to talk about.” Kou stumbles to add. “Maybe they’re just as chatty as you.” Kei replies sarcastically. Kou laughs. “Yeah, probably.” he agrees, grinning. They continue walking until dusk approaches, coloring the sky in shades of purple and blue.

Izumi’s waiting for them when they get back with two glasses of chilled water. They say their thanks, Kou gulping down his water in a flash and wiping his mouth with his arm.

“Ah man, thought I was going to die of thirst.” he says, sighing blissfully as he goes in for a refill.

“Literally impossible in that short of a time span.” Kei corrects him, but he too can’t help a small sigh of relief. August brings about a heat wave that makes him even more grateful for the air conditioning at the hideout. He regrets to think that he “voluntarily” signed up for a training camp during this very time of the year when he could have instead spent his days in his room doing practice questions. Pure insanity. He’ll definitely get Sato back for this.

“By the way, Tosaki-san is okay with you… dating.” Izumi explains, “He was just a bit overwhelmed at the situation.”

Not only him, Kei thinks grimly.

“Well, it’s just for a week!” Kou interjects, with an embarrassed laugh, “We’re not sure about anything yet, you know?” Kei side-eyes him hard. His attempts at preserving his chances with Izumi-san are obvious enough that it’s almost pitiable. “Well, I am. I’m pretty sure I don’t want to spend the rest of my life dating someone like you.” he scoffs, which should serve Nakano’s agenda well, ignoring the slight constriction ins his chest. The walk must have tired out his muscle more than he realized.

“So he is okay with it?”

“Well.” Izumi bites her lip, “He said that by your mere existence, you’ve ruled out his two biggest concerns, so after that he doesn’t really care what happens. Unless it jeopardizes your training, of course.”

Yes, that does sound indeed like Tosaki.“And those concerns are?” Kei asks, genuinely curious.

“You can’t get pregnant and you can’t die.” she says, matter-of-fact. Kou chokes on his water.

“In that particular order, in case you were wondering.” she adds, rolling her eyes.

“Wow.”says Kei, any other words temporarily not coming to mind.

That’s one obstacle removed.

For some strange reason, having a boyfriend doesn’t magically remove Kei’s above average exhaustion after what the others refer to as one instance of basic interval training.

“I can carry you the rest of the way.” Kou grins, kneeling beside Kei who is currently wheezing into the ground, fingers digging into the earth. Thirty situps, followed by half an hour of jogging? Give him a break. He’s been through 15 and already wishes he were six feet under.

Permanently, that is.

“Are you dumb?” Kei coughs out, “How on earth would I benefit from that exercise?”

“Well, you could rest- you seriously sound like you’re gonna pass out any second.” Kou pointed out, “And I could get some strength training in. Win-win. I know I’m strong enough to carry you.” He has the audacity to wink at Kei.

“Hirasawa-san!” Kou yells and runs over to where the older man is standing and timing them. With Kou gesturing broadly while explaining, and Hirasawa nodding eventually, Kei knows his fate is sealed.

“Pick me up.” He says, lethargically stretching his limbs skywards once Kou comes back for him.

“Just get on my back like a normal person.” Kou laughs at his purposeful display of weakness, “Unless you really want the bridal carry?”

“Hell no.”

“Your choice, Nagai.”

Remarkably enough, riding on Kou’s shoulders is not as bad as an experience as Kei had imagined it to be. He gets a ride across their training grounds, coupled with brilliant view of the clear blue sky and puffy clouds that drift by without a care in the world, and his only physical exertion is reserved for clinging to his teammate just enough so that he doesn’t fall off.

Which is to say minimal. For all his bragging, Nakano really does have profound upper body strength.

“See? Told you I could easily carry you!” Kou teases.

Easily.

Kei doesn’t know what does it, the confidence emblazoning his tone, the mere fact that Nakano was right or the reality of the situation where he picked him up and carried him around like it was nothing.

Kei’s heart starts to beat a little faster.

“I’m not sharing a bed with you.” Kei declares, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“What’s the big deal? Couples do it all the time.” Kou says.

It’s close to midnight and he’s standing at Kei’s door, armed with his phone and a pillow.

“Yes, but we’re not a couple.

“We are for this week.” Kou points out and damn, he is right. He pouts at Kei.

“So we only have a week. Please, Nagai?”

“You know how I feel about physical contact.” Kei glances back at his bed, which looks perfectly designed to host one person, and one person only. As it should.

“Well, I mean we don’t have to cuddle. Unless that’s…something you want?” Kou throws him an inquisitive gaze, the tips of his ears reddening.

“Of course it’s not, you moron!” Kei snaps back, a blush rising to his cheeks.

“Well then what the hell is your issue?” Kou says, slightly frustrated.

“I don’t want to share a bed with you, that’s it. Good night.”

Kei slams the door close in his face.

He hears his teammate/boyfriend-for-the-week groan and the head of to God knows where.

Kei fortifies his resolve – he doesn’t even need to give a reason, and yet he gave perfectly acceptable to deny his overnight stay.

Perhaps that’s his only issue.

Perhaps he also doesn’t want Kou to be able to listen to his steadily accelerating heartbeat whether they’re in close proximity.

But that’s something Kou is better of not knowing about.

Little by little, the hand-holding is integrated in their daily routine. Not when anyone can see them. And only if there’s nothing immediate that needs to be done. A brush of fingers as they pass each other in the hallway. Kou’s hand naturally slipping into Kei’s as they’re watching a video on his phone. Kou’s fingers grasping for Kei’s in the middle of a team meeting, right under the table, and Kei holding on for just a second too long, a scene that he will replay in embarrassment in his memories later.

Sometimes Kei wishes it wouldn’t feel as comfortable as it does, because this too is something that he will have to erase once their week comes to an end.

“Oh yeah, can we use the room later?” Kou asks, three days into their trial, barely swallowing down his food in time to ask the question. Which is directed at Tosaki, an unspoken agreement that comes with trying to sort out most hideout-related issues. Because the man really is the only person that would find a problem with that, Kei thinks grimly, and isn’t disappointed.

“For what?” Tosaki asks, suspicion setting into his features. Or perhaps that’s just his default look these days.

“Like, for a movie night?” Kou says, “The screen in here is really big.”

There is dead silence. Kei picks at his soba and tries to stave off his oncoming headache.

“Why?”

“Dunno, cause we want to have one?” Kou tilts his head curiously, “If you guys aren’t gonna use it, we can have it, right?”

Ogura tries to turn his laugh into a cough, failing miserably.

“Yeah, Yuu, don’t be such a spoilsport. Let them have it.”

“What are you calling me?”

“I already said I’m cool with Ikuya, you’d just have to stop being so uptight about it.” Ogura shrugs, gesturing at him with his chopsticks.

“This room is reserved in the evenings.” Tosaki grits out between his teeth, ignoring Ogura’s third consecutive attempt that day to get under his skin, if Kei is keeping count correctly.

“Damn it. “ Kou sighs, “You can’t make an exception?”

Tosaki’s eyebrow twitches.

“Wouldn’t a couch be more comfortable than chairs?” Hirasawa interjects, right before Kou can continue in what Kei knows is a losing battle, “There’s one in the storage room. It’s a little battered, but it will do the job.”

“Yeah, I actually think there’s a projector in their too.” Manabe says, “You won’t need a screen. We’ll just get the laptop hooked up. Kind of like a home cinema.” He smiles nostalgically at the prospect: “Haven’t been to one in ages.”

Tosaki sighs.

“Hell yeah.” Nakano says, pumping his fist. He grins at Kei: “What do you say, Nagai?”

“Whatever.” Kei says, despite feeling strangely excited at the idea, taking another bite to avoid further conversation.

Izumi appears thoughtful. “I might be subscribed to a streaming service, if I remember correctly.” she says, “So make use of that if you will.”

“It will be better than risking a computer virus.” she adds, awkwardly, as Tosaki shoots a glare in her direction.

“Izumi-san, Hirasawa-san, Manabe-san, you’re the best!” Kou proclaims loudly, his body positively vibrating with excitement, “This will be the most amazing movie night ever!”

Hirasawa chuckles. “You’re welcome. We’ll help you set it up right after dinner.”

“And I’ll check the wifi and my login details.” Izumi says, pointedly avoiding eye contact with her boss.

“I’m glad everyone has their priorities for the evening sorted.” Tosaki says icily.

Kou gives Kei a winning grin, which seems to say: “I promised you a movie night, and I made it happen.”

For all intents and purposes, Kei is the slightest bit impressed. Which is yet another tidbit of information Nakano doesn’t need to possess.

“You better not make me sit through one of your dumb action movies.” he mutters, instead.

This is going to be a long night.

[bakatenshii]

Shouto x Marquie HCs

It’s 00:48AM here so technically it is no longer your birthday, but let’s just pretend it is because it’s the 17th in some time zone okay.

I wish I could say I came up with this concept all by myself, but my other ovary @theygottheircages actually did, so you could say she co-wrote this. Anyways, don’t kill me for the first few bits, I promise it’ll get better! Happy birthday my love, my ray of sunshine @mindninjax you deserve all the love in the world.

Shouto Todoroki was never brought up like most children; childhoods filled with laughter and friends, aimless ambitions and whatnot.

He never had any experience interacting with others his age, or anyone really in general. Which brings us to:

Bullet point 1: Shouto Todoroki does not understand social cues.

Shouto Todoroki is a loser

It’s almost painful for us to see him stumble into conflicts in conversations he has no part of being in. (It provides some good entertainment, though)

But Shouto being Shouto, glorified hotter version of Zuko (I SAID WHAT I SAID), still has girls throwing themselves at his feet. No one is surprised. (Except maybe M*neta)

But Shouto also being Shouto means he has no fucking clue about how to treat a girl.

This boy can barely read the room, you think he can understand women? Madness

So as per, after Shouto’s third dumping, everyone came up with a game:

A bet; How long before Shouto gets broken up with this time?

Is it mean? Maybe a lil. But is it funny? It sure fucking is.

He doesn’t get it. Shouto? Cue the confused math lady meme.

He just doesn’t understand why these girls pursue him for weeks, spill their loves out to him, to... break up with him a week later? r/woosh

Anyways, the most recent break-up had him more confused than usual. The girl had said something along the usual lines of, ‘you just don’t get me, do you even like me?’, but then there was a comment slid in there about how she’d found another man who’d treat her better.

Another man? So she didn’t like him while they were dating?

Bullet point 2: Shouto Todoroki did not ask to be cucked.

Up til now, yall are probably like, this is just Shouto slander! Angel, where is protagonist!! We didn’t sign up for this!!! (Except you did, welcome to my blog where I make the rules hehe)

And for this crack headcanon, we throwin’ in a lil twist. In this headcanon, the hero’s not gonna save our protagonist. Our protagonist saves our hero.

Enter: Marquie

Well, technically, Marquie is exiting the building (Angel shut up you’re not funny) of her work when she spots a suspicious young man...

setting fire. To what? fuck knows. 

But there’s the distinct flare of flames that are lighting up the alleyway (yes! another alleyway!! sue me!!!)

and Marquie? Nah, she’s not having that. How dare someone commit arson, do they know how environmentally damaging that is? God

She marches up to the man, already preparing the script to tell him off:

“What are you doing? We can’t afford more pollution, not in this city—“

He turns around and she comes face to face with... 

a Zuko cosplayer. 

With duo-coloured eyes and duo-coloured hair.

It’s all a lil ridiculous because who the hell dyes their hair that colour, but also more concerning is that he’s setting fire to what looks like the iceberg that sank the Titanic. 

(cue a tomato being thrown on stage because that’s positively the worst joke I’ve made up to date)

He just stares at her though, because frankly, he’s a lil slow.

No, but genuinely the screws in his brain’s just turning tryna figure out why this woman’s just coming at him before—

oh.

and he proceeds to deadpan an explanation about being a hero and his quirk that frankly is a bit too convenient but he’s cute and Marquie’s a bit of a sucker for cute boys so.

Marquie!! do we need a bit of background info? Well I’m about to spoonfeed it to yall anyways.

Marquie is the human embodiment of a ray of sunshine, can make conversation with just about anyone, and honestly, you just subconsciously get whirled into it. Caught up in her flow and whatnot.

Which is precisely what happens, and yeah sure, Shouto’s not giving her much to work with, bc since when was he the talker of the century?

He’s still got the same expression on his face, but he’s enjoying it. He swears, can you not tell?

For once, he doesn’t feel as if the girl’s expecting anything out of him, doesn’t feel pressured to fulfill her image of him, whatever that is. He hasn’t even figured it out himself.

She’s so excited, as she always is. Soon as she realized he wasn’t harming the environment, in fact, staying behind to clean up his mess, he was in her good books.

And a hero? Mate, she’s got a list of questions the length of that Spongebob meme. You know the one. (no, not the ‘The’ one.)

It happens naturally, they’re just going with the flow. He’s still not giving out much input, but she’s more than content with whatever singular-word answer he gives.

It’s fun, and cute, blah blah, their personality just meshes, you know?

They’re grabbing food together because Marquie’s just got off work, and he’s off patrol, and honestly, why the fuck not.

The story’s gotta progress somehow, init.

And the story progresses like this:

They start spending more time together, because the area he patrols just happens to be where she works. 

(God! Angel pulling the strings of fate once again.)

He’s frankly surprised she’s not gotten bored of him, or been offended he seemed so ‘disinterested’ (even though he doesn’t think so, it’s just his face, probably)

She’s happy with him just the way he is, he’s good company, although Marquie could make anyone good company. She’s just that likeable.

She knows how to have a good time, and if she has a good time? You can’t help but also have a good time.

I knooow the motto of my blog is ‘fuck a slow burn’ but man, you want me to write fast burn Shouto? (I didn’t make a pun, everyone thank me for that.)

He’s surprised, you know? Never has a girl just spoken to him so casually, without any traces of ulterior motives (not that he could’ve picked any up, what even are social cues?) and somehow, she’s always managed to know what he’s feeling.

She says something like— I can tell by the expression on your face, it’s pretty obvious— to which we reply:

No, Marquie. That’s just you. Shouto’s got a total of 2 distinguishable expressions and it’s when he sees Endeavor and when he doesn’t.

So yeah, whatever, we all know where this is going. He’s blushing more around her, finding himself wanting to see her more and, what do you know.

Bullet point 3: Shouto Todoroki’s got a crush.

Not that he knows what that is. But Marquie sure does, so instead of the guy taking the lead (because fuck gender roles!! yeah!) she makes the first move.

And when she tells him he’s an idiot for not realizing, we’re all snorting because— now you realize he’s an idiot?

Yeah he’s an idiot, but he’s her idiot, you know?

(GAG, VOMIT)

And maybe he’s googling for the first time: Where to take a girl out on the first date? What to buy a girl for her birthday?

He can’t for the life of him figure out why he doesn’t want to fuck this up this time, but it’s okay baby, we’re all patiently waiting for you to grow up. It’s okay. (It’s kinda endearing)

And that leads us to our final point:

Bullet point 4: Shouto Todoroki will never be cucked again. Marquie has saved him from the cucking, congratulations.

You heard it here first: Cuck Wars 2020 has been ended by Marquie. 

tags: @enjifuckersupreme , @theygottheircages , @yukiimanic , @lookslikeleese , @rat-suki , @baku-no-alt , @blahkugo , @sanguinekeigo , @pomsuki , @zahrashallucinations , @saratour , @red-riot-girl642

[mx-bright-sky]

so for right now, it seems like everyone is in agreement that we’re getting into the endgame of bnha here in the manga 

and! we still don’t know who the traitor is. huh. fancy that

so I’m going to do an exceedingly long look at each character of class a and give them each a rating on how likely they are to be the traitor based on a few criteria

First, the criteria:

Ability: Meaning, would they have been able to get information to the LOV about the Hero Classes and what they were doing. Also, there are some things where all or nearly all of the characters have the “ability” to do something in a certain situation (like the press break in- we didn’t really see anyone except for Izuku, Uraraka, and Iida, so anyone else could have been anywhere; or giving the location of the training camp, because it could have been anyone given the timing). In those situations, I’ll only point out outliers. 

Behavior: I’m looking at behavior of the character rather than a specific “motive” because given that so much is “unknown” we can’t really assume someone is a traitor just because they could possibly have a good motive- after all, who knows, maybe All for One is blackmailing whoever the traitor is, and in that case, it could really be just about anyone. So, looking at behavior instead is analyzing “Would this character say these things and act this way if they had knowledge that they were giving information to the LOV?”

Story Impact: Of course dramatic tension isn’t the #1 reason to decide someone is a traitor, but the impact it has on the story is very important. If this were a real world scenario, it wouldn’t be, but given that this is a story meant to entertain, why would it bother with a traitor if said traitor wasn’t someone that would generate a reaction at the reveal? So while Story Impact alone can’t decide “yep this is the traitor” I do believe it should be included as a factor

Now, as for why I’m only looking at Class A, rather than expanding out to Class B and beyond; partially it has to do with the Story Impact point, because if it was someone from another class it would have much less of a dramatic weight, and also because Class A is usually the center of attention including in these villain attacks- basically, it would make more sense that it’s someone from Class A, because they’re able to give information on Class A specifically

I’ll be doing my best to give this an unbiased look, and no hard feelings if a character that happens to be your favorite gets a higher or lower score than you would have thought. This is still just my opinion, and I’m open to discussion on certain characters and topics if you have anything you’d like to add or anything you think is off.

For the most part with Ability to give info to the LOV, the last mention is the Kamino Raid Arc, because that’s the last time that it’s really been the LOV specifically versus Class A. The LOV did work with Overhaul, yes, but they weren’t really “buddy buddy” and I’m not sure how much information from the traitor would have helped. If there’s something I’m missing here, I would appreciate it if someone pointed it out to me so I could look into it further.

In addition, “This character was shown to be attacked during [x LOV attack]” won’t be included because that can be said for pretty much any character, and so we’ll operate under the idea that it’s POSSIBLE that for the first few attacks only All for One was aware of and working with the traitor, and therefor the LOV wouldn’t know not to attack them. 

On to the analysis

Aoyama Yuuga

Ability: It is a bit suspicious that the story makes a point of not telling us where Aoyama was during the USJ attack, but that could just be a part of foreshadowing that plays into Aoyama’s development during the License Exam where he’s found hiding and is then talked into taking stand and helping his class. We know that during the Training Camp attack, he was hiding for a good majority of the time. It could be said that the fact that he was able to stay hidden suggests some kind of foresight or knowledge, but that’s a really shaky argument that I don’t find very convincing. Overall for Ability: 5 out of 10. You could look at the actions and twist them to your narrative, but it’s not really anything concrete.

Behavior: This section is really what helps contradict a lot of the points above, actually. In the USJ, why would Aoyama specifically go around asking “do you know where I was?” only to go “it’s a secret!” if he really is the traitor? It wouldn’t make sense for him to distinguish himself like that. Then in the Training Camp, Aoyama helped at the last second to knock the marbles away from Compress (which gave the others the chance to at least save Tokoyami from being captured). Why would he have done that if he were working with the LOV? Down the line, there are his interactions with Izuku where he acts strangely, but I really think it was more like Aoyama was trying to find common ground with him and just being awkward than anything overly suspicious. Overall for Behavior: 1 out of 10. If the stuff with his quirk really is a cover to make him less suspicious, then damn does it work, because I buy it. Unless if he WANTS to be caught, or WANTS to sabotage the LOV (pointing himself out in the USJ and helping during the Training Camp respectively). But otherwise, the behavior doesn’t match up. 

Story Impact: (Unfortunately, because I like him,) Aoyama hasn’t been very present in the story; he’s clearly one of the more “”background”” characters, even if he’s a bit closer to the foreground than some others. However! Recently he has been getting closer to Izuku, and he does have a very loud personality even if he’s not always present in important plot related events. Overall for Story Impact: 7 out of 10. It wouldn’t be the most impactful of reveals, but I feel like it would get a reaction out of people.

Aoyama’s Chances of Being the Traitor: 13 out of 30. Pretty low, there’s a chance but I really don’t think it’d be him. There’s been too much bait and switch, and his character development helps to explain the things that have been happening with him, and I don’t think the story would throw in being a traitor on top. 

Ashido Mina

Ability: Ashido was one of the people who avoided being teleported by Kurogiri in the initial USJ attack- perhaps foresight of what was coming helped her avoid being warped. During the Training Camp, Ashido was also safely indoors for the majority of the attack, with only Twice’s copies of Dabi to worry about (Aizawa dealt with that easily enough by himself). Overall for Ability: 7 out of 10. While obviously this by itself isn’t enough to say that she is, for sure, the traitor, it could be combined with other evidence to say that there is something there.

Behavior: Ashido is another loud personality of Class A, but we know little to nothing about her backstory- what we do know only comes from flashbacks of Kirishima’s past. She hasn’t had an arc focus on her, and we don’t know her internal thoughts or drives. So basically- we know very little about her personal life, and we haven’t seen her go through any development. Could this be hiding something? Or is there somehow a future plot point featuring her and her backstory that we haven’t come to yet? It should also be pointed out that Ashido was not part of the group that rescued Bakugou, even though she’s one of his friends and she doesn’t seem like the type to be overly concerned with the “we don’t have our hero licenses yet”. However, it would be wrong of me to not point out that during the USJ, Ashido did cry tears of joy when All Might showed up, seemingly relieved that he was there to save them, which would be strange if she were in fact the traitor. Overall for Behavior: 6 out of 10. Again, there’s nothing concrete, but the groundwork is there. 

Story Impact: As I said, Ashido is another one of the loud personalities of Class A. She’s never had an arc dedicated to her, but everyone knows her, you know? While she’s never been the focus, she’s been present a lot. And she’s a likable character too. Overall for Story Impact: 7 out of 10. Again, like Aoyama, it wouldn’t be the most impactful, but it WOULD be a big deal.

Ashido’s Chances of Being the Traitor: 20 out of 30. A lot of it is circumstantial evidence, so it’s not the most concrete, but you have to admit that it’s a possibility. It could just be a case of the author neglecting to give her deeper characterization and in this case it just happens to look more suspicious, though. Overall I wouldn’t say I’m completely sold, but I wouldn’t write it off and say she’s for sure not the traitor.

Asui Tsuyu

Ability: Nothing really sticks out in the USJ, nor in the Training Camp attack. In the Kamino Raid Arc, she does directly disapprove of helping Bakugou, however if she were the traitor surely she would have told the LOV about the student’s plan. Overall for Ability 2 out of 10. Yeah I guess it’s still possible for her to be working with the LOV by rule of the factors where it could be any of Class A, but there’s nothing about her that makes her any more suspicious than anyone else.

Behavior: I did mention just above that she disapproved of helping Bakugou, but looking at her reasoning, that makes it unlikely for her to be the traitor. She didn’t want them to go because doing that kind of thing without a Hero License is against the law- and when Class A moves into the dorms afterwards, Asui is shown to feel bad about what she said to them about helping Bakugou. Would the traitor feel the need to go out of their way to apologize? I suppose it’s possible that there’s mixed feelings, a gray morality, and maybe Asui just didn’t want them to get hurt, but that’s an assumption based on the fact that we don’t have any real fact. Overall for Behavior: 3 out of 10. Again, I guess it’s possible and really it would depend on what the motive ends up being, and it depends on how willing the traitor actually is, but that’s really not enough to say it’s anything substantial. 

Story Impact: Asui is one of Izuku’s friends who’s been there since almost the beginning, and she’s a very good friend of Uraraka. However, in recent arcs we haven’t really had anything that really emphasizes this friendship. Outside of story, we know that people do LOVE Asui though. Overall for Story Impact: 8 out of 10. It would be more impactful than some of the other Class A students who are less relevant, and it would certainly garner audience heartbreak, but the story would need to emphasize her friendship with Izuku (or Uraraka) more than it does currently when leading up to the reveal for it to be Peak(TM) heartwrenching drama.

Asui’s Chances of Being the Traitor: 13 out of 30. Another “I guess it’s possible”, but with her character as it currently stands, it doesn’t make the most sense.

Iida Tenya

Ability: Iida is literally one of the only characters that we KNOW couldn’t have done anything during the press break in. In the USJ, Iida is the one who ran for help and got All Might to show up and basically solved the situation in a way, which really makes it seem unlikely. He did have that “dark” turn in the Hero Killer Stain arc, but that makes it even less likely than more likely because even though Shigaraki didn’t like Stain, Stain was still working with them. In the Training Camp he was helping other students get to safety. In the Kamino Raid arc, he went with the group to save Bakugou and kept them from making reckless decisions that would have gotten them hurt. Overall for Ability: 1 out of 10. If I was doing negatives in this ranking scale, it would be negative. Iida is so unlikely. I am only here because the point is doing Every Character. 

Behavior: He’s like a big brother that wants to keep everyone safe. He feels responsible for Class A because he’s their Class Rep. He disagreed with the saving Bakugou mission but only because he didn’t want them to make the same mistake he did, and eventually he agreed to go with them to keep them safe. Overall for Behavior: 1 out of 10. There’s no Iida is the traitor.

Story Impact: Would Izuku be heartbroken by this? Yes. Would a lot of fans be heartbroken? Yes. But looking at all the other things on the list, this is really one of those “it came out of nowhere and was bullshit” kind of twists if it did hypothetically happen, so really it would be a bad idea. Overall for Story Impact: 1 out of 10. It would ruin so much. 

Iida’s Chances of Being the Traitor: 3 out of 30. This is literally the lowest score you could get. I think this is the one of the only characters that I can say, for 100% sure, is not the traitor. There’s just no way. By all accounts it doesn’t make sense.

Uraraka Ochako

Ability: We know she couldn’t have done anything during the press break in, like Iida. During the USJ, she was one of the people who avoided being warped away by Kurogiri, like Ashido; however this was because she was saved by Iida and not any kind of ahead-planning. During the training camp she aided in helping Izuku and a group of others go after Mr Compress to get Bakugou and Tokoyami back. She did directly disagree with the group that went to save Bakugou during the Kamino Raid arc, but again if she is the traitor it’s not something that she told the LOV about which is strange. Overall for Ability: 1 out of 10. Really doesn’t seem likely, looking at this.

Behavior: She is one of the Class A characters that we know isn’t a hero for the sake of being a hero or the “selflessness” of it. She wants to be a hero for money, specifically money to help her family that’s not very well off. Of course that doesn’t mean she has to be the traitor or that she’s selfish, but what it does mean is that she cares a lot about her family, and we know this. Could be blackmail? Not concrete but worth considering. Toga does make a comparison between herself and Uraraka, commenting that the two of them are alike. For the main female character, she really hasn’t had any kind of deep focus on her since the Sports Festival- most of it is just “uwu girl crush” stuff, which is disappointing, but like with Ashido- who knows! Maybe it’s hiding something. Overall for Behavior: 4 out of 10. You could make a case for it, but nothing concrete.

Story Impact: Maybe I’m biased because I used to really really like the Traitor Uraraka headcanon, but oh my god that would be so heartwrenchingly good. The Drama(TM) of it. If it was played right, I think it could be done well. And the reason it’s different with Uraraka from Iida is that you CAN make a case that it’s possible that she is the traitor but either isn’t willing or is morally gray to where she cares about people from Class A and tries to keep them safe. Iida, on the other hand, does more to actively destroy the LOV’s plans, and I can’t really buy the “unwilling traitor” because the only good blackmail would be threatening his family which is... made up of heroes. Even with Tensei after being attacked by Stain, that’s after the USJ so he couldn’t have been the traitor from the start. I don’t know. Again, maybe I’m biased, but I feel like if it were played right, traitor Uraraka just might be able to come through. Overall for Story Impact: 10 out of 10 if done well, but 1 out of 10 if done poorly. I think if the story is able to pull it off in a morally gray way and treats it like a complex situation it could work, but if the twist is a “well the traitor is just secretly evil and has been evil the whole time :)” then that’s just blegh and doesn’t make sense. 

Uraraka’s Chances of Being the Traitor: 15 out of 30. I could see it going either way. Imagine it if she was the traitor? Wow, that would be something huh. But at the same time, yeah, I recognize that there are a few things that don’t make sense, and if those end up left unexplained then traitor Uraraka wouldn’t be that great. Maybe she really has just been bogged down to “love interest girl :)” and I’m just trying to cling to the idea that maybe just maybe she could have a complex narrative that treats her like a person. 

Ojirou Mashirao

Ability: This really sucks to say but, there’s not really. Enough of him being around to make him particularly a standout either for or against in either the USJ or Training Camp attack. He was solo in the USJ, yeah, but does that tell us that he was able to be solo because he’s got more intel than we know, or is it a “no way he’s the traitor because it was so hard for him”? Really up to interpretation. Overall for Ability: 5 out of 10. It could go either way but we just don’t KNOW enough.

Behavior: Again, there’s not anything during a LOV attack to go off of, BUT. In the Sports Festival, Ojirou is the one who dropped out of the tournament round because he only passed the Cavalry Battle because Shinsou had brainwashed him and so he felt he hadn’t “earned” it. There was no prompt for him to do this, no one asked him to, he just did. Would a traitor have given up the spot so honorably? It could also be argued that maybe he did it to stay out of the spotlight and that he’s been staying on the down low this whole time, and he “honorable” thing was an act, but... mm I don’t know, again that’s just speculation. Overall for Behavior: 4 out of 10. Again yeah I guess it’s possible if you twist it right, but there are lots of “it’s possible if you twist it right” and we just don’t know enough about Ojirou.

Story Impact: Ojirou is someone who really doesn’t have much interaction with the story or plot. He’s kinda there, occasionally he’s in conversation, but I feel like about half of his lines are just student filler that could be replaced with anyone. I’m sorry, it sounds mean to say that because I know people like him, but the story just doesn’t give him any attention. Overall for Story Impact: 5 out of 10. Any Class A student would have at least somewhat of an impact on the fact that “but they were our CLASSMATE” but for Ojirou there’s no connection to the “main” main characters that would make it particularly dramatic.

Ojirou’s Chances of Being the Traitor: 14 out of 30. I feel like the one way it could work is if it really leans into the whole “I was staying on the down low this whole time, keeping myself from attracting attention, so that no one would notice it was me”, but even then I feel like there are other characters that could do it better and Ojirou just doesn’t seem very likely. 

Kaminari Denki

Ability: In the USJ Aizawa asked Kaminari to see if he could use his quirk to get through the barrier or contact the school, and it was a bit of throwaway dialogue that was never brought back in. That could mean anything really- maybe it was a bit of throwaway dialogue, maybe the fact that Kaminari (clearly, because the school was never contacted directly, and Iida had to go) wasn’t able to do it is suspicious, maybe his quirk just incapable of that, who knows! Who knows. In the Training Camp attack, Kaminari was safely inside, like how I mentioned Ashido earlier. Overall for Ability: 6 out of 10. I don’t know, maybe there’s something there, but I gave him a bit of a lower score than Ashido because Kurogiri did warp him. 

Behavior: I guess I’m just gonna keep bringing up Ashido, because Kaminari and Ashido have a lot in common and are a comedic pair on occasion. Anyway, with Ashido I mentioned that she’s got a loud personality but that we never get let in to see what’s going on with her personal life or inner circle. Kaminari is much the same way, because even though there was a brief something in the License Exam, he’s had no focus either. And considering that I just did Ojirou, I know it seems strange to bring up that he doesn’t have anything as something that’s more suspicious for him than it was for Ojirou, but the reason it is more suspicious is that he’s kept very present. It’s like, the story wants you to keep him in mind, but hasn’t properly utilized him or given him an arc yet. Also, when it comes to villain attacks, he acts cowardly (even if he does help eventually). Would he really be so afraid if he were the traitor, or is it an act to avoid suspicion? Overall for Behavior: 6 out of 10. It’s a lot of “perspective” stuff where maybe it COULD make sense, but it’s just speculative.

Story Impact: I’m probably gonna end up with the same score as Ashido here, for the same reasons. Kaminari has a big presence, so even though he hasn’t had much of a “focus” people like him. He’s a part of the Bakugou friend group, so we know that would be dramatic for them, looking at it from a purely in story drama view. Overall for Story Impact: 7 out of 10. It’d make waves, but more like “really windy day” waves, not TIDAL waves.

Kaminari’s Chances of Being the Traitor: 19 out of 30. His situation is, as I’ve said, a lot like Ashido’s, where people really know him and he’s a favorite, but (as far as I’m remembering, if I’m missing an entire arc in my brain then tell me) he hasn’t had a real FOCUS on him in any story arc. Ah yes, the age old question: is this character just not developed at all, or are they hiding something?

Kirishima Eijirou

Ability: Directly tried to attack Kurogiri at the USJ, alongside Bakugou. Even after clearing the villains that were in the area he was in, he (and Bakugou) went to help Aizawa who was fighting villains at the center of the USJ. In the Training Camp he’s safe inside just like Kaminari and Ashido, but in the Kamino Raid arc he seems to feel genuinely guilty that he wasn’t there to help Bakugou and is the one who gathers the rescue team to go help him. Overall for Ability: 1 out of 10. Not as unlikely as Iida, but pretty damn unlikely. 

Behavior: We know from his backstory that his drive is to become a courageous hero, we know that he wants to grow and stop being afraid. Unless you REALLY somehow twist that there’s no way that’s traitor material. He’s a rowdy boy, but he’s a rowdy boy with a good heart. Overall for Behavior: 1 out of 10. As unlikely as Iida on this one.

Story Impact: On this one it feels like a crossroads between Traitor Iida and Traitor Uraraka. Like, maybe if it’s done right it could be really good and impactful, but mostly it feels like if it did happen it would be a twist that’s just for shock and it would harm more than help the story. Overall for Story Impact: 1 out of 10. I just don’t see it happening. With his backstory especially, it doesn’t make sense.

Kirishima’s Chances of Being the Traitor: 3 out of 30, another lowest score. If it happens, I’ll eat my left shoe. If it happens and is then used as “Bakugou character development” or whatever that somehow makes him be like “I’m good now!” but then he still doesn’t change his behavior just like every other time, I’ll throw up my left shoe and then eat it again.

Kouda Kouji

Ability: There is nothing for this in canon. We don’t even SEE him in the Training Camp attack, I think. Kouda deserves better. I guess you could say his quirk could help him gather info, but that’s about it. Overall for Ability: 6 out of 10. The 6 rating is mostly for his quirk but otherwise we don’t know anything about him so we can’t say whether it goes either way.

Behavior: Same ^ Overall for Ability: 5 out of 10.

Story Impact: I guess you could go with the same reasoning as Ojirou (”I stayed on the down low on purpose, ho ha ha”) but with Kouda I think it’s still less likely because at least Ojirou has lines, meanwhile Kouda is a very quiet character. That’s not to say that makes him less likable, just less noticeable, by the cast and by the audience. Overall for Story Impact: 4 out of 10. Like I said, no matter what Class A character it is there’s gonna be the whole “but you were our CLASSMATE” drama, but with Kouda it’s one of the least dramatic reveals because, sadly, there’s just nothing there. Character arc for Kouda WHEN?

Kouda’s Chances of Being the Traitor: 14 out of 30. Only that high because we literally just Don’t Know. Kouda I’m sorry. 

Satou Rikidou

Ability: Another one with a huge lack of information. We know he was safe during the Training Camp attack, but it’s like... hardly anything to go on. Hey Horikoshi, give us more about the other characters except for a 193334th arc featuring Bakugou, please. Overall for Ability: 5.5 out of 10. I guess because of the safe during Training Camp thing, but in this case that’s really not much at all. 

Overall for Behavior: 5 out of 10.

Overall for Story Impact: 5 out of 10.

Satou’s Chances of Being the Traitor: 15 out of 30. I didn’t really write anything because I didn’t want to be too repetitive, but man I just feel sorry for the characters that don’t get any spotlight, this is just sad.

Shouji Mezo

Ability: Shouji was one of the nonwarped students in the USJ, but he helped restrain Kurogiri so that Iida would be able to run for help. In the Training Camp attack, he helped rescue Tokoyami. These actions directly oppose the LOV. An argument could be made that his quirk would give him an advantage with spying and gathering information, but I feel like there’s more evidence against him being the traitor than for it. Overall for Ability: 1. He’s kind of “not around a lot adjacent” where he’s in between the characters who are loud and present but have nothing of substance, and the characters that are very much so just “background”. But from what there is, I feel like it’s unlikely.

Behavior: Again, he helped rescue Tokoyami during the Training Camp attack. Why would he do that if he were the traitor? I suppose an argument could be made that maybe it was just because there were other students around watching who could be judging, but that’s not solid. Overall for Behavior: 2. Because I considered the counter argument just a little, but don’t find it very convincing. 

Story Impact: I guess it could go for the angle where it’s like “he’s like the LOV because he has a mutation quirk, and there are members of the villains like Spinner who were othered for having mutation quirks!” But mmmm nah. I really think Shouji is just kind of stoic but on the inside is good and helpful (shown by pretty much every scene he’s in if you actually pay attention). Overall for Story Impact: 4 out of 10. Again, any Class A person will have SOME impact, but with Shouji I feel like it would just feel meh because it’s like, of course you made the scary looking guy the traitor, right?

Shouji’s Chances of Being the Traitor: 7 out of 30. I mean, I wouldn’t say he’s less likely than others like Kouda or Ojirou, but with Kouda and Ojirou there’s just so much uncertaintly, meanwhile Shouji’s character traits that are there all point to “Nah.”

Jirou Kyouka

Ability: Nothing strikes out as anything specific during the USJ, but it is worth pointing out that she was one of the only two Class A students to be hit with Mustard’s poisonous gas and therefor was missing from the discussion about going after Bakugou, which would explain why the LOV didn’t know it was going to happen if we were to believe that she’s the traitor. In addition, her quirk would help her gather information by letting her listen in on things that perhaps she’s not meant to hear. Overall for Ability: 7.5 out of 10. Nothing overly suspicious, but you this stuff is worth taking into account.

Behavior: During the USJ attack, she DID try to talk down a villain that was threatening Kaminari’s life. She’s also one of the few characters who we have insight into their backstory, and we see that same pure “just yearning to be a hero” from her. Overall for Behavior: 1 out of 10. I wouldn’t say it’s impossible for her to be the traitor, but the way she acts doesn’t really match up. 

Story Impact: She’s not really one of the characters considered a “main” main character, but she’s certainly one of the ones that gets more focus. People are attached to her as a character. That being said, again, with the way her character stuff has been set up unless there’s some key info we’re missing out on, it would probably be one of the “this just comes out of nowhere” twist. Overall for Story Impact: 5 out of 10. I don’t think it would be nearly as bad as some others, like Iida or Kirishima, but it still feels like the twist would be a bit lacking. 

Jirou’s Chances of Being the Traitor: 13.5 out of 30. You could argue she has the ability to be the traitor, but for the most part what we’ve seen of her character so far doesn’t match up with the idea that she IS the traitor. 

Sero Hanta

Ability: During the USJ, he was one of the people to not be warped away, but he also directly helped restrain Kurogiri so that Iida could run for help. In the Training Camp attack he was one of the people in the main building. Overall for Ability: 4 out of 10. I wouldn’t rule it out but it seems unlikely. 

Behavior: I don’t know. Nothing really sticks out? He’s a lot like Kaminari and Ashido where he’s got a loud personality but hasn’t had any deep dive into his character, but at the same time he feels like... just a level under Kaminari and Ashido, if you know what I mean. Like, yes he is loud and gathers attention, but to a relatively less degree than them. One thing that could be worth pointing out is that he’s frequently looked down upon- in the Sports Festival even before his “fight” with Todoroki, when Present Mic was introducing him if I remember correctly he made some kind of comment about Sero being “unremarkable” (I could have remembered that wrong). And then Todoroki did beat him rather quickly. There’s the first training after everyone comes back from internships, and even though Sero “won” he was still somewhat overshadowed by Izuku and his learning to use Full Cowl. In the exams arc, he didn’t pass even though his partner did. I’m not saying that all this about him being looked down upon means that he HAS to have some kind of a grudge, but it is a possibility worth noting down. Overall for Behavior: 7 out of 10. Mostly for the same reasons I gave for Kaminari and Ashido being likely; the whole “there, but not really”. I wouldn’t put stake on the “inferiority” idea towards either proving or disproving it. 

Story Impact: I feel like if it went for the “everyone looked down on me” angle it might be cool, but I’m not entirely sold. That’d have to be a “surprise! [The traitor] was really evil all along and was faking” kind of traitor twist, and I’m not really a fan of that idea because I just DON’T believe that anyone in Class A could be “evil” even if they end up being the traitor. Overall for Story Impact: 6 out of 10. He’s a loud personality but he’s not as included in the story as some others, and so it wouldn’t be as dramatic as someone we know better. It would still be dramatic, sure, but it wouldn’t be Peak Drama(TM).

Sero’s Chances of Being the Traitor: 17 out of 30. More likely than some others, I suppose, but I wouldn’t say he’s the most likely. 

Tokoyami Fumikage

Ability: During the USJ, the area he was warped to was some kind of storm simulation. That could go either way as a piece of evidence, depending on how you twist it, either “for” because it would make Dark Shadow stronger or “against” because it would make Dark Shadow harder to control. During the Training Camp attack, Dark Shadow lost control and had to be weakened by Bakugou and Todoroki. Tokoyami was also the person who was nearly captured by the LOV alongside Bakugou. That’s another piece of evidence that could go either way depending on how you interpret it; you could say that “the fact that they bothered capturing him makes him disqualified as the traitor because if he WAS they wouldn’t bother taking him” (though I did acknowledge at the start that it’s possible the LOV didn’t know who the traitor was or that there even was one, and that the traitor was attached to just All for One) or you could say “interesting that Tokoyami was singled out here”. Overall for Ability: 5 out of 10. It’s very back and forth; you could interpret it either way to make whatever case you want. 

Behavior: He does act dark and brooding a lot. But that’s just like, how “stereotypical” is the story gonna go with the whole traitor situation? Is it gonna go for one of the more obvious people who seem “darker”? Or would it go for someone that would be cheery specifically to catch readers off guard? Seemingly, more flip flopping. Is Tokoyami’s learning to control Dark Shadow a metaphor for how there is a darker side of him he’s trying not to let out (like say, being the traitor), or is it just a showcase of how he’s truly a good person despite his quirk? Overall for Behavior: 5 out of 10. There are lots of characters who have been getting fives because it could go either way, but Tokoyami is the first one where it doesn’t feel like it’s because of a lack of information. I mean, don’t get me wrong, there still IS a lack of information; we don’t know anything about Tokoyami’s background. Which does leave things open. But it still feels like it really could be nothing. 

Story Impact: I’d say that in terms of relevance he’s about at the same level as Sero. Definitely not one of the more left out background characters, but he doesn’t have a “loud” personality that makes him stick out, and he’s not always made important in the big group arc showcases. Overall for Story Impact: 6.5 out of 10. A bit higher than Sero because there is the connection to Izuku that was made during the Sports Festival. That being said, similar to how I feel like Sero would be a cheap traitor if the story went for the “they looked down on me” angle, I feel like Tokoyami would be a bit cheap as a traitor because he’s already brooding and dark, you know?

Tokoyami’s Chances of Being the Traitor: 16.5 out of 30. It’s certainly possible, but much like everything else, I could see it going either way. Personally, I really like the idea that he’s got a “dark” power but still wants to do good and is striving to be a hero and to gain control over Dark Shadow so that he can help people. 

Todoroki Shouto

Ability: During the USJ he froze the entire section of villains he was warped to, threatened them for information about their plans, and then as soon as he gathered enough his first move was heading to the center and freezing the Nomu. These actions directly go against the LOV. In the Training Camp attack, he directly helped rescue Tokoyami and NEARLY rescued Bakugou before Dabi got to the marble first. In the Kamino Raid arc, he was one of the people who helped PLAN to go save Bakugou. Overall for Ability: 1 out of 10. Lmao no. Literally as unlikely as Iida, if not more unlikely. 

Behavior: Like, maybe you could argue that Pre-Sports-Festival-Todoroki could possibly be roped into working for the LOV with the promise that they’re taking out hero society, but like, that LOV motive didn’t really become “a thing” until after Stain, and after Stain was after Todoroki already went through his character arc and started living for himself rather than living for spiting Endeavor. Overall for Behavior: 1 out of 10. There’s just no way. Not happening. 

Story Impact: He’s TOO close to the center, if you know what I mean. We know far too much about him, if he was somehow the traitor, we would KNOW by now because of how present is and how much of his background we already know. Like, yeah I guess it would be devastating to the characters around, but that’s another “subverting expectations for the sake of doing it rather than actual story quality” twist. Overall for Story Impact: 1 out of 10. It would be so bad.

Todoroki’s Chances of Being the Traitor: 3 out of 30. Another “no way in hell”. We already have Dabi (if the Dabi is Touya theory is correct). Todoroki as the traitor just makes zero sense.

Hagakure Toru

Ability: She claims that she was warped to the same zone as Todoroki in the USJ, but did not make any attempt to make him aware of this until after the fact; when she says she was in his area, Todoroki has a “Wow she should have told me what if I accidentally froze her” moment. Seems very ambiguous for whether or not she was actually there, because she’s invisible. People have pointed out before that she’s missing in a panel during the Training Camp before the attack, where the view is just showing where all of Class A is, but I don’t really think that’s too “big”; it doesn’t mean she had to have been getting information to the LOV because TEXTING exists and literally all the character’s have phones, and they clearly weren’t banned because Izuku had his on him (it was broken when he went to save Kouta from Muscular). Like Jirou, she was the only other member of Class A who was in the hospital because of Mustard’s gas, and therefore was not present to hear of the plan to rescue Bakugou. Her quirk could potential be beneficial to collecting information, as she might be able to sneak into places undetected. Overall for Ability: 8 out of 10. She is a bit suspicious, but I don’t think this is anything that completely confirms that she 100% has to be the traitor. It’s a bunch of various things added up, and that makes it seem bigger, but it’s possible that all of these individual things mean nothing. 

Behavior: If she were the traitor, it would be good for her to be as unnoticeable as possible, which fits well considering her quirk; however, in panels where characters are just chatting, she’s repeatedly talked about wishing she could stand out more and trying to stand out more. Maybe it’s just a cover to blend in more, because despite saying this she doesn’t “stand out” stand out much, but it’s still a bit odd. There’s only so much reverse psychology-ing you can do on this. It has also been pointed out that she was the one who suggested the class outing to the mall, where Shigaraki confronted Izuku before the Training Camp arc, but I don’t feel like that argument holds much water; we saw Shigaraki leave the LOV bar because he was upset, and he never said where he was going to, so it’s not like this could have been pre-planned. Overall for Behavior: 3 out of 10. I don’t know, maybe you could twist it to suspicious if you tried, but I really don’t think it fits. 

Story Impact: Really, it depends on how the story tells it. Perhaps it could really explain the reasoning behind all her decisions. But I feel like we don’t see enough of Hagakure for it to be as impactful as it could be. Also, it would be a “you see this sunshine who you thought was really nice? Well, she’s the traitor, lol” which, if not handled in a good way, could come across as bland. Overall for Story Impact: 6 out of 10. Even if the story does her motives well, and doesn’t have it as a “shocking just to be shocking” she’s just Not That Present in the story. The impact would probably be a bit lacking. 

Hagakure’s Chances of Being the Traitor: 17 out of 30. I know there are some people who are really a fan of this theory, and I can understand that because if you look at her ability to be the traitor and the chances she has and all of the individual moments, you could twist it that way, and it does seem a bit suspicious. But otherwise, I don’t think the twist would hold much weight. It almost seems like a “safe” option? It does seem possible though. 

Bakugou Katsuki

The. The league literally captured him and said “quit your school and join our emo band” and he was like “lol no villains are losers”. I won’t say he has the best reasons for being a hero (given that he just wants to “win” like All Might and be strong), but he’s not the traitor or a villain. We know too much of his backstory too. He does too much to stop the LOV too.

I’m just gonna go ahead and give this a 3 out of 30 we already know it ain’t him, I’m not wasting time thinking about it. Yes I know I did for Iida and Todoroki and Kirishima but the difference is I like them and that I couldn’t care less about Bakuogu.

Midoriya Izuku

God can you imagine. The story has been lying to us this whole time.

Mineta Minoru

Ugh I’m tired of this section already let’s get it over with

Ability: Nothing in the USJ, in the exams he was the only half of his team to pass so we know he didn’t purposely sabotage himself so he’d be safe in the Training Camp attack. Overall for Ability: 3 out of 10. Unfortunately. 

Behavior: He’s gross and abhorrent, but not in the kind of “suspiciously villainous” kind of way. Overall for Behavior: 2 out of 10. We know what’s going on with him and we wish we didn’t.

Story Impact: Well it would certainly make some people happy because they could hate him and see him get beat, and he’s definitely been one of the just to the left of front and center character who’s been very annoyingly present at all times, but it feels cheap because we should be able to hate him and expel him for the horrible thing’s he’s already got going on. Overall for Story Impact: 4 out of 10. I hate this ugly grape boy. He gives “grape” a bad name.

Mineta’s Chances of Being the Traitor: 0 out of 10. Horikoshi’s not gonna make his pervy self insert be the traitor. 

Yaoyorozu Momo

Ability: Helped fight during the USJ like everyone else, so there’s nothing special there. In the Training Camp attack she’s the one who attached a tracker to the Nomu to lead the heroes to the LOV’s base, and she also helped lead the Bakugou Rescue Squad (to keep them out of trouble, like Iida), and clearly didn’t land them into a trap. Overall for Ability: 1 out of 10. She’s the real lawful good.

Behavior: Looking at the above, she’s been doing so much to help her fellow hero students. It really doesn’t feel like she has any ulterior motives. Overall for Behavior: 1 out of 10. She just wants to help people. She is a good and powerful girl.

Story Impact: It would be a surprise, but it wouldn’t feel at all earned. Overall for Story Impact: 3 out of 10. She’s liked enough it would matter, but again it wouldn’t feel earned. But at the same time she’s not present enough that it would be COMPLETELY awful. Only mostly awful.

Yaoyorozu’s Chances of Being the Traitor: 5 out of 30. Really doesn’t seem like she would be the traitor. I severely doubt it.

FINAL SCORES AND RANKINGS

So, going from most to least likely,

Ashido Mina at 20 

Kaminari Denki at 19

Hagakure Toru and Sero Hanta at 17

Tokoyami Fumikage at 16.5

Uraraka Ochako and Satou Rikidou at 15

Ojirou Mashirao and Kouda Kouji at 14

Jirou Kyouka at 13.5

Asui Tsuyu and Aoyama Yuuga at 13

Shouji Mezo at 7

Yaoyorozu Momo at 5

“No Way In Hell Club” Todoroki Shouto, Izuku Midoriya, Iida Tenya, Kirishima Eijirou, Bakugou Katsuki, and unfortunately Mineta Minoru, all at 3

Note that being higher ranked doesn’t necessarily mean that I say they HAVE to be the traitor, just that I would find it more believable. 

Again, please note that if you feel I’ve left something out, I in fact welcome people to point out things I’m missing!

But for now these are my Traitor Thoughts(TM). They might change if we hear more about a concrete motive, but as we don’t have one, this is all I got.

If there’s anyone still reading (which I doubt ahsjdkfljaskd this post is so long) thanks for sticking around for so long! This took a while to write, so I would really appreciate a reblog

[btgalaxy]

Moonlight - Jungkook wolf!au

➳ a/n: soooo a long awaited (lol) moonlight chapter- hope you enjoy it! :)) - admin lottie

➳ pairing: jungkook x reader

➳ genre: wolf!au, a little bit of everything tbh; angst, fluff, smut

➳ word count: 3.8k

➳warning(s): violence, mention of gore/murder

previous / masterlist / next

Chapter 11:

            You’ve been waiting hours. The cold morning light has revealed the extent of the damage from the Rogue attack— most of which is easily recovered and fixed. Thank God. At least, despite everything that’s happened, there will be one less thing to be worried and stressed about. You’re already on the verge of a breakdown since you’ve basically thrown one of the two people you’re in close contact with under the bus, and the other you’ve perpetually pissed off. Maybe it really is your fault this time. Maybe you’ve royally fucked it for good now.

You can see Jin standing outside the house on duty still, a purple bruise swollen on his right cheek from Jungkook’s fist and his eye all black and small. You tried to take some ice out to him to soothe it when he first arrived at the post, but he ignored it, and he told you to go back inside near emotionlessly. You’ve never seen someone look so dead in the eyes, even more so directed at you. You aren’t sure how much more hurt you can deal with, whether you induced it or not.

You sit with a blanket wrapped around your shoulders at the window in the lounge, looking over the front patch of drive, still awaiting Jungkook’s arrival. He won’t be much longer. Your wolf is stirring already, so he must be getting nearer.

You told him you loved him. Why would you do that? He obviously doesn’t love you back. You’re just a nuisance to the pack, a problem that Jungkook has to handle alongside everything else. God, you’ve never felt like such a burden. You can’t even speak to your dad to numb the ache in your chest since the landline and your mate’s computer are locked away in his office, practically taunting you it’s so close yet so far. And that means no Taehyung either; granted, that’s probably the reason the door is locked, so possibly wouldn’t be a wise decision anyway.

You trudge into the kitchen sullenly, finally succumbing to the growling in your belly and scavenging for some kind of relief. It comes in the form of cornflakes a few days out of date; as the stock in your kitchen hasn’t been replenished for about a week it’ll have to do. Maybe this is just another way the world is punishing you.

As you settle with your food, the sound of a door handle rattling is brought to your attention. Your eyes widen slightly, dropping the spoon as you jump from your stool to around the corner, just in time to see your mate shutting the door behind him slowly. As he turns, you’re immediately met with purple bags looming under his eyes and a pale face making his skin look white-washed and ill. Your wolf stirs, aching to care for him, but you don’t know what to say, or what to do.

He shrugs his coat off, dropping it over the radiator by the front door, but remaining facing the wall. He stays that way for a moment, enshrouding the room in a deafening atmosphere, before whipping round to stalk stealthily in his office.

The door slams shut behind him. You let out a breath. Then he walks straight back out.

“I’m sorry,” he announces, striding over to you. As if subconsciously, you throw yourself into his arms.

“I was a jerk and angry and stressed and I’m sorry,” he mumbles into your neck, nose nuzzling against your flesh as you curl further into his chest. This was not what you were expecting – not that it hasn’t come as a welcome surprise.

“I’m sorry I ran, too,” you respond, pulling back your head to look up at him, “I should’ve stayed with Jin, I should’ve listened to you, I-“

He cuts you off by bringing his lips onto yours, and you melt into him like caramel. The sugar drips off your lips as your hands climb up his chest onto his shoulders, his own clinging to your waist desperately. He nudges you backwards as you step behind you towards the kitchen, still holding him with a newfound urgency. When your back is flush against the kitchen counter, your mate hoists you onto the surface as you push the bowl of cereal aside and he slots himself between your legs, finally pulling back to breathe.

“Don’t apologise, Y/N,” he pants with you, “It was a shitstorm and I should’ve handled things better – it was my fault for being a shitty Alpha.”

“Don’t say that,” you respond, sternly, “You’re – we’re still so young and you don’t have to do it alone – all I want to do is help you, but you always push me away when I should be being there for you.”

He frowns slightly, “No, it’s my job to protect you, Y/N.” His response leaves you grimacing, and you push him gently out of the way so you can jump off the counter.

“Jungkook, I don’t think you understand, a Luna’s role is-“

“Y/N, I know what a Luna’s role is,” he sighs, “Let’s not argue again now, please, there’s still shitloads to do-“

“Well I’m trying-“

“I know what you’re trying to do,” he sighs, holding one hand up to his nose briefly before heading to the fridge and pulling out a drink, “You’re trying to have me let you lead a pack with me when you’ve no experience whatsoever.”

You grimace at that, “I’ve got to start somewhere.”

“Can we talk about something else?” He looks at you, bum perched on the counter as he sips his drink.

Folding your arms over your chest and with the most authoritative tone you can muster up, you order: “Tell me about your father.”

Jungkook watches you as you stand there, resolute with your words. It’s fairly apparent you must be the only one who ever dares to question him or make demands of him. Other packs wouldn’t, and Jimin certainly wouldn’t, let alone the rest of the pack’s inhabitants. Only you. You think he enjoys it slightly, though, having someone give him a bit of response.

Your mate finally puts down his drink with a deep breath, “You don’t want to hear about that.”

“I do,” you insist, fumbling quickly behind him as he trudges towards the stairs, “I do, Jungkook.”

He doesn’t slow down, instead double-steps up the spiral staircase as you struggle to keep up behind him. You won’t let him close up again – not just as you’re about to get somewhere.

“Jungkook, please!” You all but yell from behind him, the distance between the two of you growing as he steps into the bedroom while you still make your way up the last few steps. 

“Just....just talk to me.” The hint of desperation in your voice causes him to stop and you nearly collide into his back. A sharp sigh leaves his lips and you’re hopeful that he’ll finally begin to open up and treat you like a mate rather than a burden... but of course, this is Jungkook you’re talking about. 

“Why are you so interested in everything that involves me? Is there nothing else to entertain you?” You’re a bit taken back by his outburst, before letting out a scoff. Had you really expected anything different? 

“Unfortunately, no. Everything I had to ‘keep me entertained’ I had to give up as soon as you decided to show up,” you spit back at him with clear disdain, the shock that settles onto his features mimicking yours from just seconds ago. 

“Excuse me?” Jungkook’s incredulous tone challenges you to keep going. You see the fire ignite in his eyes and it triggers an adrenaline rush which pushes you over the edge to take him up on the offer, fist clenching at your sides as you continue on. 

“Honestly Jungkook; one day you and your pack just show up, it turns out that we’re mates and you bring me here before I’ve fully processed what’s happening. I had to give up my pack, my family, my home to start my life anew with people I don’t know and who I’ve barely interacted with since I got here. What did you give up, huh? You, being my mate, are the one person who’s supposed to make all of this worth it and I don't know anything about you. Are you actually surprised that I’m not on cloud nine up in your segregated house where I have, as of yesterday, no friends at all?”

Although your question is rhetorical, Jungkook can’t help the physical ache it leaves in his chest to hear you say that you aren't happy being with him. He tries to convince himself that the comment hurts his own ego rather than his wolf’s bond, but the longer he stares at you, the tighter the bond feels. It’s almost as if his wolf is trying to hold on to you and keep you close to him, afraid you'll leave if he doesn’t.

The tension in the room feels suffocating as you and Jungkook remain staring at each other, waiting for the other the make the first move. You decide to break the silence, taking in a calming breath before carefully addressing him. 

“Jungkook I just... I'm not asking you to tell me everything about you. You can tell me as much or as little as you want, but just tell me something. Talk to me. I want to know my mate, not ‘Jeon Jungkook, Alpha of Red Moon’, like everyone else knows. I want to feel like we’re bonded better than that.” 

Jungkook clenches his jaw and looks away, considering your words. Another sigh leaves his lips, exhaling his anger and apprehension with it as his body finally relaxes and slouches over. Stretching out his taut muscles, your mate walks over and sits at the edge of the bed. Looking down at his feet, he pats the open space next to him. 

“There’s a lot to catch you up on so you might as well take a seat.” A small smirk graces his face and you tilt your head in wonder as your legs guide you closer to him, hesitantly sitting down.

It’s silent for a few moments as he thinks over how to begin. 

“My father… he was incredible, once. He knew the right thing to do in every single situation, how to keep the pack happy and safe and balanced… and they loved him for it. He was what made Red Moon as powerful as it is now. The loyalty of his pack made him a formidable opponent to any others, and he was admired across the world. Growing up, these incredibly powerful wolves from all over the world visited us to meet him and form alliances and friendships and to listen to him speak of his pack and his mighty prowess… not that it’s much use now.

Dad’s mate – my mother – was from an Omega family from one of the packs that visited.”

You can’t suppress the gasp that slips from your lips. An Omega? With such a powerful Alpha? An Omega is the absolute runt of the pack – there is no going lower than an Omega wolf, but usually wolves mate with those of similar rankings. You’ve never heard of such a story – and if you had anywhere else other than the horse’s mouth you aren’t sure you would’ve even believed it.

After a brief pause he continues, “My father didn’t care what ranking she was. He was utterly in love with her from the start. They were married within a few days and expecting within a few weeks.” He looks down at his lap, uncomfortably, and you gently reach out to place a caring hand on his, squeezing it softly to offer some reassurance.

He breathes in, “After I was born, they received word that there’d been some resentment bubbling within some of the lower ranks of the pack – they were angered that they were treated poorly yet this Omega from another pack was now their Luna and regarded as wolf royalty. It was jealousy. They were fucking jealous.” You see the fury rise in his eyes as you slowly rub your thumb across the veiny back of his hands.

“They’d plotted out a whole agenda. They were to wait for a viable heir for the Alpha position. They had originally planned to do it within a few weeks of my birth, but they decided to wait for an age that I no longer needed my mother. So things were good for a few years, the pack flourished under the leadership of my father and my mother cared for me at home until I started school. It was then that they deemed me capable without parents.

They lured my father out of the house with a fire one night and came in and slaughtered my mother. She’d heard them come in and thought it was an attack from another pack, so she rushed me to the saferoom, but the revolt had an Epsilon who knew the passcode in. So we were trapped and they slit her throat in front of my eyes.”

You watch as a tear slips through onto your mate’s cheek, staring blankly ahead as he involuntarily relives the moment. You shuffle closer to him and bring his hand up to your face, holding it there for warmth.

He sniffs slightly, “When father returned, he found me in the saferoom with mum’s blood all over me, trying to revive her. He immediately knew who’d killed her. Apparently he’d heard about the plotting before, but hadn’t expected anything to come of it. It was then that I saw his eyes, they – it was almost as if I could see the way the man he was slip from them. He was gone, along with her.

His sanity was questionable from that moment, let alone years later when the pack decided enough was enough and exiled him from Red Moon. He was executing masses. He blamed the pack rankings for my mother’s death and wanted to obliterate them. Starting by killing as much of his pack that he’d built over the years as he possibly could. People died for anything, and they lived in fear for too many years.

I was 17 when he finally left. Made Alpha the same day, because what’s a pack without its leader? Red Moon was fairly easily rebuilt. Word of my father’s sanity was kept within the borders, else we could’ve faced wars and conflict we couldn’t overcome without a lucid Alpha.”

It almost is too much to process. No wonder your mate is initially cold to people; his own father betrayed him and continues to attack everything he loves. The thought of it makes you miss your own father, wondering how the hell you would ever get over losing him, the way Jungkook’s lost his parents. It’s too harrowing to even consider.

“And the letter? From the box in the cupboard?” You don’t mean to pry, but for the first time he’s actually being open with you about his life.

He sighs, biting his lower lip cautiously, “He sent that to me a few months ago – well before I met you. He still believes all wolves should be equal and the rank system should be demolished. But he’s not in his right mind – without ranks there’d be anarchy, and the powerful would no longer be required to protect the weak. It would be wolf versus wolf, and there’d be massacres without consequence. The world would no longer be safe. He was trying to convince me to dismantle Red Moon and join him and the rogues in a rank-less world. But I would never yield my pack to a life like that. Never.”

You both sit in silence, both lost in your thoughts with an indistinguishable atmosphere between you. This is the story that’s made him who he is, his legacy. You feel a lump in the back of your throat when you look at him, eyes red with both grief and fury, head hung low and a forlorn look strewn across his features. 

“I’m so sorry you had to go through that,” you tell him, earnestly. 

He breathes out, “I’m sorry you’ve been dragged into it. Maybe having an Alpha mate isn’t worth it after all.”

You immediately take his hand in yours and lean into him, “Don’t you ever apologise, Jungkook. I know I said some things earlier, but I promise I still chose to be here with you, and I don’t regret leaving Scarlet Oak, and certainly the last thing I would ever ask for is to have a different mate. You are perfect for me, flaws and shitty family and all.”

This makes him look back at you, a slight smile just poking at the corner of his lip. He watches you for a moment, before leaning in and stealing a gentle kiss as his arms reach for your waist. As if subconsciously, you relax into him and bring yourself round to straddle his lap. 

He pulls back, “I love you, too, you know. I should’ve told you before the Rogue attack because I know how you like to overthink things, and I shouldn’t have excluded you from everything that was happening, but I do love you. Even if I don’t show it in the right way.” 

An uncontrollable grin spreads across your face as much as you try and hold it back. Your mate smiles contentedly in response, leaning in to you again.

“Wait-,” you stop him, “Say it once more?”

He finally lets out a throaty laugh and it rings like a chorus of church bells in your ears, still ringing after it’s stopped and you hope it never does, “I love you.” 

He kisses you on the forehead, “I love you.” 

Then on the bridge of your nose, “I love you.”

On your eyelid, scrunched up from the smile spread inexorably across your face, “I love you.”

And finally he looks down at your lips, “I love you.” 

__________________

After a lazy afternoon of kisses and ignorance, Jungkook excuses himself to his office to take a call from the packhouse in the town, leaving you settled on the sofa alone with your thoughts.

It would be ideal if you could reconcile with Jin – then you would have it all; your mate and your closest Red Moon friend. And that’s enough for you. And maybe a better friendship with Taehyung. You haven’t spoken to him much, but you still like him a lot. He’s intrinsically kind, from what you can tell, and that’s something you don’t often come across – particularly when speaking of pack Alphas who are traditionally cold and cut off… reminds you of a certain someone.

Thinking of Taehyung, you begin to contemplate the problem of the Rogues. Red Moon is clearly struggling, and despite Jungkook’s best efforts to protect the pack and be the best Alpha he can be, the attacks are still getting worse and more frequent. You need help, and frankly you can already expect that your mate isn’t going to be one initiating anything – especially considering him and his impenetrable pride.

He promptly finishes his call in his office, swaggering out to find you still lounging on the settee.

“Comfy?” He smiles, coming around to sit beside you, taking you by the waist and hauling your figure into his lap.

As he nestles his face into your neck, you begin to play with his large fingers, absentmindedly, “What was the call about?”

“Rogue stuff – not much progress in that department, but they’ve sealed up the well,” he responds, with a sense of finality.

You gently bite your lower lip in apprehension before speaking again, carefully deliberating over your words, “Maybe we should call Alpha Taehyung?”

Jungkook stiffens beneath you, “What?”

You nudge his face from your neck to look at him better, “I don’t mean for dinner and a show, Jungkook.”

“I should fucking hope not,” he growls.

Ignoring him, you continue: “I think we should be requesting his support if this were to reach a war we can’t handle.”

He perks up slightly at your comment, finally listening to you with half-earnest intent.

You carry on, “Taehyung is a good ally to have and he’s situated close the pack so could reach us within a couple of hours. He is actually a very kind person if you would actually give him a chance and he said we can call him whenever we need him. And I think we do need him.”

You can tell your mate is on the verge of compliance, but his jealousy still holds him back. God, this man and his hubris. You look at him, unforgivingly.

“I think you need to suck it up and be what you need to be for your pack right now.”

“You sound like a Luna.” You can tell he tries to suppress the small smirk on his face, fondness riddled through his expression.

You watch him still, seriously, “So you will call Taehyung?”

With a sigh, Jungkook throws his head back, “Fucking alright, I’ll call the bastard. Later though, we have to get down to the packhouse first for something.”

“For what?” You interrogate, suspiciously.

“You’ll just have to wait and see. I’ve had enough of you bossing me about for one day,” he squeezes your waist playfully before standing you both up to head out, enveloping your hand in his to walk over to his jeep.

The packhouse is fairly busy when you arrive; the usual people mulling about outside with Jimin handing out some clipboards to people. He holds a hand up to you in greeting from afar, and Jungkook half-smiles back before walking you by the hand into a meeting room inside.

The lights are dimmed and your mate’s skin looks soft and dewy in the darkness. He looks over you at the door, and you cannot help but lean into his neck and leave kisses gently down.

“What are you doing?” He grumbles, quiet and throatily.

You bite your lip as your hand runs down his torso, “Nothing.”

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you…,” he warns.

“And why not?” You smirk back, looking up at him suggestively.

He flicks his head to the door with a humorous glint in his eye.

“Hello, poppet.”

[ordinaryschmuck]

Top 20 BEST Animated Series of the 2010s-16th Place

All aboard the hate train! Because I’m about to say a show people would put in their top tens where it hasn't even made my top fifteen!

CHOO-CHOO!

#16-Regular Show (2010-2017)

The Plot: Two twenty-something slackers named Mordecai and Rigby are working in a local park named...The Park (Yeah, it’s a pretty lazy title when you think about it). When they’re not doing work, they’re usually slacking off by playing video games and hanging out as best bros should. However, amongst their sacred duty to avoid work at all costs, these two friends learn the ordinary isn’t as regular as one would think. Can they survive whatever life throws at them without getting fired? Judging by the number of seasons this show got...probably.

One thing I should mention right away is that this series was the perfect show for teenagers...and the occasional stoned college student. But teenagers, most of all! Or at the very least, teenagers in late middle school and early high school. And when I say that, I don’t mean that Regular Show panders to teens by using slang or sexy women (most of the time), but it at least knows how to talk to them. And it all has to do with the situations Mordecai and Rigby find themselves in.

Aside from when Mordecai and Rigby are forced to fight demons and monsters, any teen can relate to what Mordecai and Rigby go through in Regular Show. Most teens wish to escape responsibilities to play video games or to just goof off. And the lengths that Mordecai and Rigby go through to make that happen helps the target audience root for them. Teens can also relate to the personal issues Mordo and Rigs face. Rigby often struggles with growing up and trying to become a better person. He often comes across as annoying at times, but his attempts to change are both admirable and even relatable. Then there’s Mordecai, who faces something more dangerous than any monster these guys have met: Relationship issues (and also self-doubt, but it’s the relationship issues that the show focuses more on).

Now I know that I’ve complained about romantic subplots in the past and that for some fans, the romance was what dragged this series down as well, but I personally think the romantic subplots are one of the best things about the show. Mordecai’s struggles to have/keep a girlfriend is something that most guys (and maybe even some girls) can relate to. And while I would rather have the show focus more on his self-doubt rather than relationship drama, there is still the essence of self-doubt as seen through how he struggles with making the first move with a girl. The best example of this is in the episode “It’s Time," where Mordecai keeps chickening out to ask out Margret and ends up paying the consequences for it. The self-doubt is still there, but it’s just hidden under romantic drama. However, there is a love triangle, but it lasts no more than just a season-long and is completely tame compared to Star V.S. the Forces of Evil.

And while Regular Show primarily focuses on Mordecai’s love life, there are still other relationships in the show that manage to also be pretty entertaining. I legitimately love the fact that Muscle Man and Starla is the perfect couple, even though it’s revolting to see them be romantic with each other. Not only is it hilarious, but it even comes across as sweet at times. Speaking of sweet (kinda spoilers ahead), both Rigby and Eileen are adorable in later seasons. Rigby is far from perfect, but he honestly tries to be better and more understanding of Eileen. The best part is that Eileen doesn’t encourage him to do this. She likes Rigby for Rigby. Faults and all. Not only is that something most romantic partners should try to aim for, but it’s really adorable to see. (kinda spoilers over). And while not romantic in the slightest, the friendship between Mordecai and Rigby is honestly the best. They both have a great dynamic, and the interactions they have with each other legitimately feel like I’m watching real best friends having fun. I’m not kidding when I say there are actual moments where I forget that these are just characters voiced by people in a booth. Because they come across as THAT authentic.

Speaking of characters, I'm amazed by how there isn’t one in this series that I hate. Or at the very least, not a single character that I’ve learned to deal with. As for characters I love, Benson is on the top of that list. Not only are his frustrations with Mordecai and Rigby hilarious at times, but his struggles to have a life with meaning is something all of us can relate to. Then there's Skips, who is this stoic badass who actually has more layers to him than one might realize. Both Pops and Muscle Man also have great depth to them, one more than the other, while also managing to be the funniest characters. The only characters I really have slight problems with are Margaret, Thomas, and High Five Ghost (Yes, that’s actually his name). Margaret has little to no development until season seven, and even then, there’s really not much done with her. As for Thomas, he was forced into the story, and I felt nothing when he eventually got written out. Then there’s Fives, who doesn’t really have any personality other than being Muscle Man’s bro. While I’ve grown to live with these characters being in the show, they still have problems that I can’t really ignore.

And while we’re on the topic of problems, there is one main issue that I should mention first, and that’s the fact that this show is so weird. That stoned college student jab wasn’t just a joke because it honestly feels like you have to be high to understand the logic of this show's production. Just from looking at the main cast alone, I struggle to wonder how J.G. Quintel came up with these ideas. Not only that but the situations these characters find themselves in can range from bizarre to holy-crap-someone-had-to-be-high-while-making-this. And somehow-SOMEHOW-it gets weirder with each passing season. Sometimes I’m okay with shows embracing the weirdness, but even I have a limit for this series.

Another problem I should mention is Regular Show’s animation. The animation in this series is not all that great. Usually, that isn’t a problem because it relies on dialogue and bizarre imagery to entertain viewers. However, there are occasions when Regular Show utilizes action scenes, and that is when the poor animation really drags the series down. There’s neither weight nor choreography for any of the fights. And rarely can you feel the punches that the characters exchange with each other. Because of this, the action feels both slow and kind of boring at times. A problem that wouldn’t exist if the series had just slightly better animation.

However, what really drags this series down is its seasonal rot. By season five (six if I’m feeling generous), the show starts to lose its magic. The first thing to leave is its maturity. I don’t know if it’s child censors catching up with the writers or if the target audience just got younger, but it is painful to see this show become more kid-friendly. It used to not be afraid of having the characters be in the middle of a shootout (with real guns and rocket launchers, by the way), but by season seven, the series resulted in using lasers and bean bag guns. What also eaves is the show’s sense of humor. At first, the jokes were pretty funny. But after a while, they start to lose their mojo and can be awkward at times. But none of this compares to what happens in Regular Show’s final season. Without giving too much away, the eighth season puts the characters in an environment that doesn’t really fit the show. There are times where even the characters don’t feel like themselves, and it gets to the point where it seems like I’m no longer watching Regular Show anymore. I don’t know how other fans felt about that season, but that’s how I felt throughout most of it (It’s also been four years since the finale, and I still don’t understand how the last two minutes are even possible).

Regular Show is not meant for everyone. Hell, at a point, it no longer became the perfect show for its original target audience. However, that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to enjoy. It’s funny, has great characters, and while it gets pretty weird at times, most fans loved that weirdness for six years. It’s nowhere near the best show in the 2010s, but it was still a good show. A jolly good show indeed.

(That last line makes more sense if you seen the series)