#though if you want to react in french go ahead!

[altxrrmelancholy]

emotion verte - Jyh

>The title comprises French words meaning 'green emotion.'<

Your boyfriend gets jealous over something miniscule that causes an argument, and he thinks trying to make it up to you at a convenience store might earn your forgiveness.

｡⁠・Tags: bf!Yunho, jealousy, a bit of arguing, semi public shenanigans, a bit of smut, manhandling, previous crushes mentions.

｡⁠・Word count: I forgot to keep count sorry 😞. But I'm sure it's below 5k.

Note: I find it hard to specify tags, especially if it's to do with smut (if anyone has noticed). So if that is an issue, please tell me so I can specify. I'm not used to writing smut also so if it's unusual or awkward please bare with me I'm trying.

Also also I'm having difficulty writing/completing works. Zero motivation. So enjoy this in the meantime. Feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Minors? You know what to do. Here's the door (to leave)🚪

•••

"It doesn't matter if you thought there was nothing wrong. Men always have ulterior motives."

"What if he didn't? What if he was genuinely complementing me because he thought I looked good, ever think about that?"

Exasperated, Yunho stared blankly at you. "He thought you looked good? Y/n, come on I know you're smarter than that."

You knew that Yunho had a point. You were only wearing a sweater with tiny shorts and thigh-high socks. You didn't need to wear much as you were only going to the convenience store to get some snacks at 12 in the morning, so you just threw on a sweater and met Yunho outside your dorm building after receiving a call from him a couple of minutes before. Assuming he would protect you like he always did.

But you also knew that he had the tendency to overreact when it came to you. You're not totally bothered by his jealousy, you know that. In fact, it makes you feel validated, that someone so sweet and kind, so hot, could like you this much. To the point where he allows jealousy to take over him. To consume him sometimes that it ends with you face down on his bed, or even facing the wall, gripping onto his hand on your hip as he takes you from behind. You loved your boyfriend so much that you were willing to excuse his behavior after someone (a man) oh so casually touches your arm in the middle of a conversation. He would inform you of their behavior and then be extra doting that day. You loved that.

It was moments like these, though rare, that reminded you that you shouldn't be so dismissive of his behaviors. Moments where you would argue about his jealousy, like it was your fault that men are the way they are.

If you didn't leave the building you both were currently arguing in front of, someone was bound to complain sooner or later.

You gave your boyfriend a nasty look before you left towards the direction of the store. You were gonna get snacks without him and go back to your dorm. You heard doorsteps behind you and low-key sighed. You knew he wouldn't leave you to go alone.

"Y/n wait." You stopped. "I'm sorry, okay? It's just that..." You heard him sigh. "I'm not the only one that wants you. That guy..." He pointed behind him. "That guy was looking at you, it made me uncomfortable. And then I imagined you were here alone and then... What if you were here alone, huh? With that outfit?"

You turned towards him. "But I'm not alone Yu. I'm here with you. Besides, would you have allowed me to go out this late at night alone?"

He looked down, pouting. "No..."

"And so? I wouldn't have come out alone out of my own will anyway. You have to stop blaming my outfits every time other people look at me."

As you were on your way a couple of minutes prior, you were walking ahead of Yunho on your phone when a man shorter than him passed by you. He must've thought you were alone because he looks you up and down before stopping at your right and going 'you look good.' Before you could even react, Yunho stepped up in front of you, glaring down at the man with an intensity that could rival actual heat. He didn't even need to say a word before the man stuttered and abruptly left. You were about to make a joke about Yunho scaring people off when he said something about what you wore. That none of that would have happened if you just dressed appropriately. His own words.

You knew Yunho loved your little outfits. So hearing this from him kinda hurt you.

You approached him and placed your hand on his cheek. "I feel safe with you, okay?"

"I wouldn't want it any other way, darling." He said almost immediately, looking down at you fondly.

You smiled and lightly tapped him cheek twice. "I'm glad."

You began walking ahead of him. Just as you were about to pull out your phone from your sweater pocket, you heard Yunho begin to speak.

"Wait. Why would you wear such an outfit when you know you were leaving the house at this time, in this cold."

You sighed and turned around.

"Yunho-"

"You don't even like wearing such when you're outside my room." He said, referring to your skimpy shorts. "Is it because you know San is over at the apartment?"

You gasped. Never have you ever heard Yunho be quite audacious in this fashion. Even with his jealous tantrums.

"I told you that in confidence. How dare you." You whispered, your eyes wavering as you fixed your gaze upon your boyfriend.

"Well who knows, Y/n."

"Fuck you, Yunho."

You hurriedly left for the store, this time not caring whether he followed you or not.

You liked to think that you were ready for anything Yunho said, because he would randomly say things and his friends would be okay with it. He would be so blunt and his friends would just shrug because 'that's how Yunho is'. The fortunate thing about him is that he wouldn't be so careless as to blurt out another person's secret to other parties. That didn't mean he wouldn't blurt out yours in front of you. You remembered the night you told him about how you used to have a crush on one of his friends years before he even met him. You had to heavily assure him that it was not only small, but over with. That was the night you knew of Yunho's jealousy.

Yunho sighed and rubbed his eyes. He had to remember that you were not one of his friends, but his girlfriend. He failed to realize what he had said after he heard you curse him and storm away from him. Yeah, he shouldn't have said that.

You barged into the store angrily, not even caring that you scared the poor worker at their station next to the door. You walked stealthily towards the snack section at the back of the store, next to the dairy products.

"How dare he." You muttered. "How could he say something like that so... casually! Ugh!" You threw your arms in the air and proceeded to glare at the gummy bears in front of you.

Poor snacks.

This would have gotten a laugh out of you if you weren't so angry.

You noticed Yunho's black sweatshirt at the corner of your eye. You almost rolled your eyes. The audacity.

"Y/n."

You ignored him.

"Y/n that was out of line. I'm sorry."

How many times will he apologize that night? You suddenly found the German on one of the snack packets interesting. You even tried to read it in your head. Huh. Enthält Zucker und andere-

"Y/n, please." He sounds desperate though. Should I forgive him?

You stilled. He never usually lets you be angry at him for long.

"That wasn't fair, Yunho." You muttered.

"I know, baby, I'll take you home if you want to. Just please forgive me. Please?"

Hmm.

You looked at another brand of gummys and tried to read the language on it. Is that Russian?

"Come on, Y/n." Your boyfriend whined his voice deep but soft, slightly stomping his feet. This grown man.

You felt him sigh and come up behind you. You shivered slightly as you felt his warm presence. "Y/n~" He brought his hands up to your waist while you pretended to read the damn packets. "Baby~ I'm sorry baby, please~" His words, now a whisper next to your ear. You shut your eyes and bathed in the all-consuming presence of Yunho. You didn't expect to feel a hand creep towards the front of your shorts.

You jumped slightly, still in his hold. "Yunho! What are you doing." He ignored your question and proceeded to shove his hand in your shorts and underwear, lightly drawing circles on your clit with his surprisingly warm fingers. You didn't even have time to get surprised that you were in public. You whined softly as you felt the other hand rise up your body to cup one of your boobs over your sweater. You sighed, your eyes closing as you leaned back on his chest. "Y-Yun- ah-" his fingers quickened slightly.

"You're gonna forgive me, right? Because you love the way I'm touching you. You love when I make you feel good like this, huh? Come on, don't stay silent. Let me know how good you feel." He whispers in your ear. At this point you hoped you were the only ones in the store and that there were no cameras.

He continues to prod at your clit, knowing all the ways to make you moan and jump in his hold. He knew how much you liked when he touched you even more than sex itself, though you had never told him that. He just knew. He knew most things about you.

"You're c-crazy..." You moaned quietly, the fingers on your clit not easing up even a little. You had each hand on both his arms, trying to get him off of you. But you weren't even sure you wanted to stop, considering you were already so close.

"I'm crazy because I love you Y/n. I'm crazy because it makes me feel good knowing I'm making you moan like this. You're close, right?"

You whined quietly. "I'm so close... Yunho p-please make me cum pleasepleaseplease..."

"Then open your eyes and look at how good I'm making you feel, baby."

You opened your eyes slightly and looked at the silhouette of his hand moving inside your shorts. He smirked and increased the pace of his fingers, making you fall apart with a moan. The hand that was on your chest rose to cover your mouth, allowing you to moan through your orgasm. "Ssh ssh that's it, baby." He whispered next to your ear as you closed your eyes, his fingers still rubbing you through your orgasm.

After a while, his hands were out and off you. He left you leaning on one of the shelves with your hands trying to catch your breath. Did he just make you cum... in a store?

"Do we even still need snacks?"

You looked toward your cocky boyfriend as he licked his fingers slowly as if teasing you, his steady eyes on you. You turned away from him, feeling your cheeks burn up. He chuckled lowly and grabbed an assortment of various snacks and casually walked towards the front to pay for them. You sighed and tried to pick yourself together before following him, your steps slower than his because... well...

You met him at the cashier on his phone as the girl scanned the items one by one. You notice her pale skin turn pink at the sight of you. You look up at Yunho, finding him already staring down at you trying to hold back a laugh. You choke back a scoff. Oh how you were never coming back to this store ever again. Forever and ever and ever and ever-

After the items were done, you scurried past Yunho past the doors already dreading every second in that store. You could hear Yunho shamelessly laugh as you left the building. Just because he gave you an orgasm didn't mean you forgot what he said earlier.

"I can take you to my apartment?" Yunho caught up to you, swinging the polythene back on one hand, the other in his sweatpant pocket. You nodded, looking at your feet as your steps fell in sync with his. He smiled to himself as he looked up towards the road.

"I bet San couldn't make you cum the way I just did though."

Now-

•••

More notes ig: the German says, 'contains sugar and other-'

Tell me what y'all think. And don't forget to reblog.

I'm also always open for conversation. *Casually walks away*

[smoochhyuka]

Surprising Riize in lingerie <3

Spoiling the boys.

○o。content warnings! NSFW, idol!riize, fem!reader, fairly detailed descriptions of lingerie, established relationship, service top!Shotaro, slightly subby!Eunseok, cunnilingus and no use of protection in Sungchans, oral m!receiving and very tame mean!dom in Wonbins, a wee bit of angst and orgasm denial in Sohees, mention of spanking and cunnilingus in Antons, unedited

Shotaro

You decide to surprise him after an especially difficult week, shyly opening the door, already wearing the new set you bought, closing it rapidly behind him in case a neighbor walks by.

It's a fairly classic set, a push-up bra, stockings and a lace slip in a color that compliments you the best.

Your cute Shotaro, with a big bouquet in his hand, is speechless, almost dropping the present. He bought them as an apology for being too absent lately.

He has a bright smile on his face, slowly handing you the flowers and taking off his shoes. "W-wow...", he stutters, "You really went all out for me today, baby."

He is a giggly mess, but at the same time he's frozen in place, just checking you out. He might ask you to do a little spin, but that's the extent of it. If you want to, you know, not stand around in the hallway anymore, you need to say something.

You lead him into the bedroom, just sit down at first, at the edge of the bed, and kiss slowly, taking things from there.

Even though you had sex numerous times already, he treats you like it's your first time all over again. Asking if you're alright, if you like what he's doing, what you crave at that moment, making sure to worship you~.

Exploring your body in a completely new way. Rubbing, biting, pinching or kissing new places. The most playful sex you two ever had.

He's going to buy you more lingerie in the future.

Eunseok

It's his birthday, the first one you two celebrate as a couple, actually. He has made a few jokes about birthday sex. Not a few, a lot. So many, you knew it wasn't a joke anymore. So you decided to grant him his wish.

You both sit in his car, it's a rather quiet drive to your apartment. At a red light, you call for his name, making him look over at you. What he didn't expect is that you already pulled down the top of your dress, revealing an almost fully transparent lace bra, hugging your tits cutely.

Let's just say he didn't stop at the following red lights.

You have no idea how you made it all the way up to your door while making out this intensely. He's pressing you against the apartment door while trying to turn the keys in the keyhole.

You just stumble into the living room, Eunseok is already taking off both of your clothes. You have never seen him this desperate before.

A lot of humping and wet french kissing, if you ever wanted to take charge, now is the time. Anything you say goes, you could tell him to jump, and he'll do it, holding his boner. ("Me when a bad bitch tells me to do something *🫡*")

If there is a kink he has been wary of previously, he'll also do it without giving it a second thought (realizing he has just been a little judgmental before...)

He'll be fairly rough, though, and cum really fast~ he can't control himself when you look this sexy.

Sungchan

Last time you two drank together, he told you how much he likes these cute négligées. It was a little bit of a comment on the side, not an actual request, but you still went ahead and bought a satin one in his favorite color.

You just left the shower, your boyfriend already in bed, mindlessly scrolling on his phone. He doesn't really look up as you lie down next to him, just as you start to run your hands along his chest, he turns off his phone.

Reacts rather composed. Smiling at you and pulling you closer, placing kisses on your cheeks, forehead and neck, whispering into your ear how beautiful and sexy you look.

In his mind, he is going full on caveman-mode. Awooga. Just wants to sex you.

Pampers you, he feels somewhat grateful you listened to him this attentively and work hard to impress him. You just need to lay back and enjoy what he's giving you. He starts by massaging your back a little bit, your hands, and moves on to your breasts.

Sungchan won't take off the négligée, just your panty underneath to slowly eat you out, giving you multiple orgasms.

"What did I do to deserve this?" "I am a really lucky bastard." "You're seriously spoiling me, Y/N."

Sensual, hot and deep missionary. Omits the condom, he doesn't care tonight.

Wonbin

You know he likes cute things. While scrolling through TikTok, you saw an ad for an online shop that sells cute character and animal themed lingerie, and decided it'll probably be right to your boyfriends ally. You had no specific plan or date in mind, when to wear it, though.

Today he promised to come visit you right after dance practice, but they're taking a lot longer than anticipated and you're growing restless. It's the perfect time to whip out the set and send him a picture, in hopes he'll hurry up!

You begin to worry as he has opened the message, but didn't answer for a whole 25 minutes.

"Open the door." is his only response.

He's panting, still in his dance clothes, and you're hit with an overwhelmingly strong smell of his perfume, probably because he dumped the whole bottle on himself. "I came here as fast as I could."

You're still wearing the set, Wonbin pulls you closer to him and shamelessly checks you out, pulling the fabric to the side, revealing a little bit more of your tits. "Someone has gotten really desperate, huh? To wear something like this?"

Cocky Wonbin! Ignore that fact that he just sprinted to come see you. He literally feels like he's won in life.

This cockiness translates into the sex itself as well, he's getting a little bit of a snarky and mean!dom.

"Show me how much you missed me." as he leans back, pumping his dick leisurely, instruction you to kneel down in front of him.

Sohee

It's your six months anniversary, you just returned home from a wonderful and fun date and want to relax at home for the rest of the evening, maybe watch a new show or play a game.

At least that's what Sohee thought, you had gotten seriously horny throughout the day. He treated you so well, so delicately, and he has said some seriously cute and heartfelt things to you -- how can you not want to fuck his brains out!

You know how your boyfriend is like when he's horny, and this is definitely not it, so you need to help out with a few tricks. You excuse yourself, going to your room to change while he waits in your living room.

You pull out the only type of sexy underwear you own, it's a simple lace bra and matching thong. Since you're already wearing make-up, jewelry and have your hair done, you look hot already, even if it's a generic outfit.

Sohee is a little taken aback, he didn't expect this at all, and it shows in his reaction. At first, you grow a little insecure, worried you might have taken it too far.

After composing himself, he just pats the spot next to him, urging you to sit down. "When have you become so bold?" he asks you in a sultry voice, freely letting his hands wander, kneading your boobs. "You should've told me you needed a little help, sweetheart..."

Teases you with his fingers, plays with your clit, but denies you orgasms. He's showing you a different side of him you didn't expect.

Tells you to ride him, you're now fully naked while he's still wearing all his clothes. Every time you get close to an orgasm, he pulls you off, effectively edging himself as well.

No because he got the biggest confidence boost.

Anton

He spoils you so much, with presents, kisses, massages and cuddles, so you figure it's only fair to give something back.

You invited him over, both wearing proper attire, Anton a dress pant and shirt, you are in a black mini dress, eating a homemade candlelight dinner at your kitchen counter.

You already planned the whole night, just waiting for the right moment to go into your room and change into the little négligée you already arranged.

He's cutely complimenting everything: your looks, the food, the atmosphere, the effort you put into it. He is grinning from ear to ear the whole night, shyly praising you for breathing.

As you both start to wash the dishes, you excuse yourself, telling him you need to take off the heels you have been wearing. In actuality, you're keeping them on, just taking off your underwear and slipping into the different set of clothes.

Confused by the sound of your heels on the floor, Anton turns around to ask why you haven't taken them off, just to see you wearing something even sexier, more revealing than before.

In all honesty, he already had a massive boner the entire night, this was just his tipping point.

Picking you up and carrying you back into the backroom, dishes abandoned, he will make sure to show you how much he appreciates your effort.

He's desperate, horny, and rougher than usual. Hot, wet kisses on your pussy, sensual and deep thrust from behind, he might even spank you a little bit if you're fine with it. Two, three or four rounds, as long as you can keep up. He's greedy tonight.

[twisted-wonderland-shenanigans]

Hi, I read your monster au posts and they are amazing. Though I was wondering what would Rollo be and how would he handle there being a magicless human given his attitude in canon, as well as how would GloMas go down with Yuu and Mini!Yuu in that au?

So, I’d been holding off on answering this for Rollo until I had a better grasp on his personality and behavior, as deciding the monster/cryptid species that fits best is important. But since the Glorious Masquerade is coming to the ENG servers tomorrow (I’m not ready!!!), it feels like the right time to introduce him into the Monster!AU!

Also, as for whether or not RSA has seen Yuu/mini!Yuu, I think at least Che'nya and Neige and the dwarves have seen them yes! Outside of those, I leave that up to you/whatever direction the game takes us down next! And thank you so much, I'm glad everyone loves the AU's ;;v;;

To answer the question, I decided to base him off the French (and coincidentally Louisiana) cryptid “feu follet”, otherwise known as a Will-o’-the-wisp. Why did I choose this versus creatures like the “Beast of Gévaudan” or the “Gaueco” which will make him a fluffy canine monster? Well, while I think both would be interesting concepts to work with, neither of them really seem to fit the vibe I got from him as he’s portrayed in the beginning (…well, before chaos as usual hits the fan of course). Plus, it was also an interesting excuse to delve into more of the non-animal based ones besides Ortho being a golem!

WARNING: SOME SPOILERS AHEAD AND MENTION OF DEATH BASED ON THE MYTHOLOGY OF THE FEU FOLLET/WILL-O’-THE-WISP!

Anyway, I picture him being more of a feu follet/Will-o’-the-wisp as a call to his UM “Dark Fire” and his last name Flamme, which translates to “flame” in French. Hence, as a “ghost light”, it seemed more fitting! Feu follets are said to come in various shades of blue, yellow, red, and even green—now imagine him changing color based on his emotions and having to control that side in public! His poker face means nothing behind that handkerchief if he turns colors! 😂 (Especially if you keep in mind color theory!)

While they’re also generally harmless, however, if you’re familiar with the legend of Will-‘o-the-wisps (which has multiple different variations and stories across the world!), following one at night thinking it’s a fellow traveler can lead to one’s death in a marsh, bog, swamp, etc. Typically, they’re seen in a graveyard or one of the above-mentioned areas. Since no one knew how dangerous Rollo was until it was too late, it seemed fitting for him to be one!

By the way, he can be corporeal to handle things or be hugged by someone. He can also phase through things he wants to avoid…now imagine his hat getting caught between the fence bars! 🤣🤣🤣

With that out of the way, let’s discuss his reaction to Yuu and mini!Yuu!

Given that he’s more comfortable with non-magic users, he’d be fascinated and charmed at the thought of humans—creatures of historic legend and cryptic bedtime stories—being non-magic. A world where magic doesn’t exist and no one will be consumed by blot or harmed by spells gone awry? He’d likely want to know more, but he wouldn’t want to get too close—after all, he’s not exactly keen on making friends or showing a vulnerable side. Yuu is gonna have their work cut out for them if they want to give him pets and scritches! Their best bet is in private where he’s less likely to react so strongly (though if he learns that getting the majority of Yuu’s attention is enough to annoy Malleus and the others, I can see him being smug about it and letting them praise him 😌).

As for mini!Yuu though…

Mini!Yuu: *toddling around the room, giggling as they support the large puffy cap on their head*

Azul: “Where did you get that, little one?”

Mini!Yuu: “Mr. Rollo dropped it and let me wear it!” *adjusts the cap with one hand to try and look up at them before bumping into Deuce’s leg* “Oof!”

Deuce: “Oop! Careful, Yuu!”

Riddle: “I’m surprised he allowed you to wear it given his position as Student Council President.”

/Meanwhile/

Vice President: “Uh…President Rollo? Where is your cap?”

Rollo: *holding handkerchief to his mouth* “Yuu wanted to know how heavy it was.”

Vice President: “Y-you’ve never let yourself be out of uniform!” *gets emotional* “But you’re allowing the human child to wear it…that is so precious!”

Rollo: *scowls, his wisp body turning reddish-pink in embarrassment*

///////////

Pfft…I just couldn’t resist a bit of cuteness~! UvU/)

As for how the whole event would go down…well, I can imagine that Rollo would believe he’s doing the right thing, so him possibly trying to separate Yuu from the others using the flowers would be even more terrifying! For mini!Yuu, the whole situation would be absolutely terrifying for the toddler since I doubt the others would have let them come with them to stop Rollo. So, the boys would likely leave them with Grandpa Trein for safety until the whole situation is done and over with.

Once all is said and done, it’s really up to Yuu to decide how they see Rollo after the fact. As for mini!Yuu? Whether they find out it was started because of him or the boys kept it under wraps just like everyone else in NBC being ignorant of what happened, they might just be happy to see he’s okay. Now imagine him dancing with mini!Yuu at the end of the event like Charlotte with Prince Naveen’s younger brother from Princess and the Frog!

[justrandomfanfictionskh]

We Should have Stayed in Gotham ch 4

(Almost every Maribat fic I read has the akuma class going to Gotham. But tell me which is more likely, a class touring the city of crime, or a class touring the city of lights? So here it is, the Daminette fic that only I asked for, where Gotham goes to Paris, and the poor students have to grapple with the fact that they have competition for the most dangerous city in the world. I wonder what will happen?) (a/n: Warning dark Conversation. Don't be taken off guard.)

ao3 Beginning Previous

Despite what his brothers might say, Damian did not hate fun. He just hated their idiotic brand of fun that usually found them needing Bruce and the WE PR team to bail them out of jail while Barbara laughed at them from the other side of the bars. (He would never forgive Todd from stopping him from freeing the Zoo Animals. They would have gotten away with it if he had just followed orders.) Still, he planned to have fun on this trip, especially at the Louvre. He had always wanted to see the inside of this place, the art, the history, maybe even correct some of the factual errors. A scavenger hunt would not interfere with that, even if it was tedious and pointless.

But then Alix and Kathryn had skated by waving a half-completed work sheet shouting, “You’re falling behind!” Apparently, they had gotten a head start by going through her father’s office. Mendeleiev just groaned as manic grins spread across multiple students’ faces, including Marinette’s.

 And so it was, that before any of the teachers could stop them, the Parisians had grabbed their Gothamite’s hand and took off running through the halls of the most famous museum in the world. Damian didn’t know how to react as Marinette pulled him through wing after wing, her hand holding his in a vice grip, until they stopped in the Egyptian hall. He was surprised to see that she wasn’t panting, even though she had to be running at full speed in order to stay ahead of him.

Instead she just skidded to a stop and began to say in very broken German, “Ok…the first…question…is about…”

Damian cleared his throat, and said in French “You want to win this, right?” Marinette cocked her head but nodded. “Then I think it will be best if we stick to our fluent languages. We can help each other after we finish demolishing your insane classmates.”

Marinette grinned and then said in English, “Very well, but what about your classmates. Won’t they be a problem?”

Damian glanced at his work sheet and raised an eyebrow. “I doubt they will be much help. After all I’m not even sure what this first question means. Is it some sort of riddle?”

Marinette laughed and pulled him deeper into the wing. “Sabrina and your class representative, no you call it president, made this to encourage us to ask questions about each other,” she explained, “‘The scroll that awoke the Pharaoh, and revealed the secret of the Bug,’ is a reference to the akuma Pharaoh. He was a researcher here at the Louver whose theory on resurrection magic was dismissed, so he was akumatized in order to prove it worked. He tried to sacrifice Alya to the god Ra.”

Damian squashed a quip about how that would not have been the worst thing, instead settling on the more pressing question, “And the secret of the Bug?”

Marinette stopped in front of an old papyrus scroll, her smile fond and almost nostalgic as she looked at it. She pointed at the image of a woman with a yoyo in a spotted robe fighting the Pharaoh. “It was during this fight that it was revealed that Ladybug was over five thousand years old.”

Damian nodded as he looked at the scroll with consideration. “I thought the SpotsOn blog said that the title of Ladybug was a mantle passed down.”

“It is,” Marinette said as she scribbled on her work sheet. “But it was this scroll that set the question in motion. Since then scholars have been scouring the artifacts looking for people who could have a Miraculous Holder.”

“So why is it on our work sheet?” Damian asked.

And Marinette once more smiled as if at a fond memory. “I was with Alya when she found this. I got turned into one of the hundred mummies meant to aid in the sacrifice. Believe it or not we were actually good friends back then.”

Damian opened his mouth to say something, but Marinette clapped her hands and spun towards him with a smile. “Alright, the first one was for Paris, the second one should be for Gotham. Alix and Kathryn, have a good head start, but if we run, and take a few short cuts I know, then we should be able to catch up and beat them!”

Damian stifled a grin with a smirk. Her competitive spirit was infectious, and it pulled at his own instincts to push them to victory. And he was so tempted to give into it. He was the Son of the Bat after all, there was no way they could lose. But Grayson was always warning him that he overdid it, so he fought the urge to string trip wire everywhere and looked down at his sheet. His smirk turning devilish. “Are there any bat artifacts in the Chinese Wing?”

Marinette nodded briskly, “Tang Dynasty, this way!” And with that she had grabbed his hand and was once again pulling him through the Louvre at a devastating pace. And as the game went on, Damian stopped denying the genuine and bright smile that was slowly growing on his lips. But even as he gave into his more competitive instincts, he noticed a few interesting details about the Parisians.

For example, the Museum had obviously prepared for them, because they had roped off designated running lanes so the students could go wild without breaking anything or disrupting the other guests. And as they zoomed past, while the tourists stared in shock, the employees and locals laughed and cheered them on. It was strange considering that in Gotham they would have had security called on them ages ago.

Another thing was that all the Parisians were strangely athletic. Even the ones who should have been out of breath at the first sprint, vaulted and laughed as if it was nothing. At the pace he and Marinette were keeping, he expected that she would have to slow down after the first three questions. Instead, she only seemed to gain speed as she pulled him after her in a rush of adrenaline. And she never slowed down. Even when her classmate, the tall Chinese one, barreled toward them with his partner on his back, Marinette never slowed. She just pulled Damian down so that they slid down the slick floor, as the boy vaulted over them with ease.

Leaping to her feet, Marinette continued to pull Damian along even as her peer shouted, “I’m going to get you Mari!”

“In you dreams Kim!” she shouted. She beamed with pure joy, and Damian felt his own adrenaline muddling his senses, because he found himself mirroring her.

“What was that?” He demanded when they reached the Enlightenment Room.

“Hm?” Marinette said even as she searched the artifacts, “Oh, have you ever played the floor is lava?”

Damian grimaced against the memory. Grayson had thought it was a good idea to yell that phrase in the middle of Titan’s Tower, resulting in Jon scooping him up and hovering over the floor. Everyone had laughed as Damian thrashed like a kitten in the bath. It was one of his more embarrassing memories. “Once or twice,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Have you ever played it with real lava?”

Damian cocked his head at the question then nodded his head in understanding, “Lava Boy, he was a level 10 right?”

“You read the list,” Marinette said with a smug smile.

“Tt,” Damian said has he scanned for their opponents. “Of course, I did, I’m not an imbecile.  But what does this have to do with the fact that your entire class seems to be experts in parkour?”

“Not the entire class,” Marinette mused as she jotted down the answer. “Just those who know to pay attention in gym. Parkour became a curriculum requirement after Lava Boy. Every Parisian school teaches it as apart of our Physical Education. Or as we like to call it, ‘Running from Akumas 101.’”

Damian nodded his understanding. It was smart. It made him wonder why Gotham schools didn’t teach self-defense. But then again, maybe they did. He never really paid attention in class. But he had no time to ponder, because Marinette was grabbing his hand again and pulling him to the next artifact.

They ran into Alix and Kathryn twice, and saw that they were catching up, as the pair debated if they should be going towards Modern Art, or Ancient Greece. Which was when Damian noticed something else about Marinette, she was smart. When she had competed with him in languages, he had known that she had intelligence. But now she barely had too look at the clues to know the item they were talking about. And they really were some of the strangest clues, for example, “This Queen’s spear is lauded as Luck’s greatest hand.”

“That could be anything!” Damian exclaimed.      

“Queen Hippolyta’s spear was donated by Wonder Woman back in 1983, as a gift to her adopted city,” Marinette stated and then dashed off.

“Wait how did you know that?” Damian cried as he chased her.

“Hippolyta was the first named Ladybug, although technically she was the second holder. The first was the Oracle of Khepri, although her name was lost to time. We saw her scroll like ten minutes ago.”

Damian just shook his head and followed her without question. And that was another strange thing that he noticed. He didn’t mind following this girl around. Under normal circumstances, he would have demanded the lead. But Marinette just pulled him along as if her leadership was the most natural thing in the world. And as of yet, Damian could not begrudge her for it. And so it was in less time than he thought possible, they were racing back to the teachers with Alix and Kathryn hot on their heels and gaining. Then Marinette pulled out a bag of marbles and scattered them on the floor.

“Hey!” Alix yelled as the two girls were forced to slow down, “That’s cheating!”

“No rule against it!” Marinette shouted back as Damian laughed.

Mlle. Mendeleiev was pinching her nose as the pair skidded to a stop in front of her and handed her their completed work sheets. “I hope,” she said in her stern voice, “That the two of you got to talk at least once during that…escapade?”

“Yes Mlle. Mendeleiev,” Marinette said with her signature bright smile growing even as Damian sunk back into his signature scowl.

“Oh, and what did you learn about each other,” Bustier said with her signature plastered smile and too sweet voice.

“That Damian knows a lot about bats but not a lot about bugs.”

Damian couldn’t help the amused snort, even as the teachers rolled their eyes and took their sheets. But it was one of the Gotham teachers, Miss. Faustus who said, “You finished three hours early. Why don’t you two go back through the museum slower this time? Or perhaps spend time at the museum’s café?”

The two nodded their assent and then waited for Alix and Kathryn to turn in their sheet. “Well,” Marinette said, beaming so brightly, Damian was sure he was going to go blind. “We won!”

“You cheated!” Alix cried in mock annoyance as she skated up to them.

“Tt,” Damian said, “You were the ones with a head start, not to mention you were on skates. If anything, you were the ones that cheated, and yet we still were victorious. I do not know if that proves the depths of your ineptitude or the height of our excellence, but either way, you cannot argue with the results.”

Kathryn face palmed, as Alix stared at him in shock. Suddenly Damian was very aware that offending the wrong person in this city could result in a villain chasing him down. But he refused to back down as he tilted his chin to the girl, daring her to question him. Instead, Alix just turned to Marinette who seemed completely unfazed by his attitude.

At her friend’s questioning look, Marinette smiled gently. “Imagine if Kagami and Chloe were one person, and male. That’s him,” she said jutting her thumb at Damian. He furrowed his brow at the comparison, but faced Alix undaunted all the same.

She however just said “Oh,” as if that made perfect sense and then studied him more critically. Then her face split into the widest, most mischievous grin, Damian had ever seen (and he lived with Jason). A little nervous he took a step back even as Alix leaned forward and said, “We kill Lila!”

“Alix, no!” Marinette cried.

“Alix, yes!” Alix cried grabbing Damian’s shoulders before he could even begin to process what was happening as she said in a hissing voice, “Come! We have murder to plan!”

“No murder!” Marinette cried, even as Damian threw her hands off of him.

“First,” he said coldly, “Never touch me again. Second, I assume you have a strategy?”

Alix cackled and led him to the café even as Marinette screamed in frustration.

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

“So,” Kathryn said once they were all seated at the Museum’s outdoor café, “Who is this Lila and why are we trying to kill her?”

Damian remained silent as he watched the Parisians. They had only ordered drinks, because apparently the best bakery in Paris was catering their “Getting to Know You Party” later. So he sipped his as he watched Marinette tense, and Alix huff in frustration. It seemed, that now her adrenaline from the game was spent, the roller blading menace was ready to be serious. But it was Marinette who began the story.

“Lila,” she said simply, “Is a compulsive liar in our class. The only way to ensure that she didn’t akumatize anyone from Gotham was to pair her with the worst French speaker in your class, because she doesn’t know a lick of English no matter what she might claim.”

“When she first came here,” Alix said anger dripping from her every word, “She would tell all of these crazy stories about the places she’s been, and the celebrities she’s met. Of course, none of us actually believed her. We actually personally know a lot of the celebrities she likes to name drop so we always knew she was lying. We thought it was just some sort of game she liked to play, so we entertained her. It wasn’t doing any harm.”

“I never liked the game,” Marinette said as she stirred her coffee. “So I asked her to stop, and she threatened me. It was the only time she’s ever been completely honest.”

Alix took a deep calming breath, an action which Damian was quickly learning to associate with deep negative emotions from the Parisians. “That’s when her lies became a little less obvious,” she said, “She started sneaking subtler lies in with her obvious ones, slowly turning the class against Marinette. Started framing her for stealing, cheating, and bullying. Things like that.”

“She almost got me expelled,” Marinette said into her cup. And Damian couldn’t stop the shock from spreading across his face.

“Are you saying that your teachers believed her?” Damian demanded. He had only known this girl for an hour and a half, but already he felt that her being anything other than a model student was just preposterous.

But Marinette didn’t seem to register his outrage as she just shrugged and said, “The principle is more worried about funding and press than justice,” she said, “And I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, but Mlle. Bustier is a bit naive. Mlle. Mendeleiev is great, and she doesn’t let Lila get away with anything. But Mlle. Bustier…”

“That woman needs her license revoked,” Alix said in a huff, “And she probably would have by now if it wasn’t for Hawkmoth.”

“So?” Kathryn said leaning forward, “What happened?”

“Adrien,” Marinette said with a sigh of exhaustion, “Another classmate. Apparently, he talked to her, made a deal with her to back off. He told me about it as if it was this grand gesture on his part. But basically, it boils down to, he lets her do whatever she wants as long as she doesn’t directly target me.” Marinette rolled her eyes, “His heart's in the right place, but his arrows don’t always hit their marks if you know what I mean.” The Gothamites nodded and then gestured for the girls to continue.

“So anyway,” Alix said, “Later, Lila comes forward and admits that she lied. Claims she has a mental disorder that forces her to lie. Only, that night Marinette goes home and does a crap-ton of research on mental illnesses and lying and guess what?”

“There’s no such thing,” Damian said with a sneer.

Marinette just shook her head, “Compulsive lying is a symptom of many different illnesses, mainly OCD and psychopathy. But neither force the individual to lie. The person is always conscious of what they are doing, and can chose differently given that they are actively working towards their mental health.”

“And when Marinette presented her research,” Alix said, “The class basically split in two. The enablers who think the best way to help Lila is to humor her. And the intelligent people, who are just sick and tired of her crap.”

“Me, Chloe, Sabrina, Alix, and Juleka are the most outspoken members of the Intelligent,” Marinette explained. “Alya, Rose, and Mylene are the most outspoken of the Enablers. Everyone else falls on a sliding scale in between. But of course, none of this would even be a problem it is wasn’t for Hawkmoth.”

“Yeah,” Alix said sipping her coffee, “Hawkmoth has everybody thrown out of whack. I mean how do you in good conscious call someone out for being an idiot, when they’re enough of an idiot to let that akumatize them.”

“Next thing you know,” Marinette said, “You're running through the city with a horribly dressed flying fox demon on your tail.”

Both girls groaned and sipped their drinks, as Damian exchanged a look with Kathryn. Finally, Damian asked the question that had been plaguing him since the moment he had heard the name Hawkmoth, “What about the Justice League? Why hasn’t anyone called them in?”

“Screw the League,” a harsh voice called out, and the party turned to see Chloe and Sabrina with Alice and Will following behind.

“Chloe,” Marinette said instantly brighter, “You’re done early. I thought you would be dragging your feet in there.”

“Chloe helped me make the scavenger hunt so she can’t participate,” Sabrina said sliding into the chair beside Marinette. “So, we decided to do a walking tour with our partners instead.”

Everyone then introduced themselves, with Damian being introduced to Chloe last. They stared at each other with narrowed eyes before huffing simultaneously and sipping their drinks. The rest of the group giggled at that before Alice said, “What do you mean, ‘screw the League?’ I know some of them are blowhards, but they do have some powerful magic users. They can help.”

Chloe sniffed derisively, but the rest of the Parisians became somber. They looked to Chloe almost as if asking for her permission before she nodded. Then Marinette cleared her throat and said,

“It was three years ago, at the beginning of this…mess. At first all of the akumas were level 1-4s. Powerful and scary but not dangerous. No casualties, and they always had limited goals. It was very rare for them to effect more than ten people. Then…then we got our first level eight, Dark Cupid.”

“I saw him in my research,” Damian said stiffly, “I couldn’t understand why he was put so high, all of the other level eights had a death count in the high thousands, but his wasn’t even in the high hundreds.”

Sabrina nodded emphatically, her face contorted with pain, “Yes. The akumas are categorized by the damage they do. Which means that the higher akumas are rated by their death count. 5 is 1-1,000. 6 is 1,000-10,000. 7 is 10,000-1 million. 8 is 1 million-10 million. 9 is 10 million to 1 billion. and 10 is anything high than a billion.”

“But there are other kinds of damage that rank just as high as death,” Marinette said as she reached over to grip Chloe’s hand which was starting to shake. “When those akumas happen on a wide scale, they are usually ranked higher.”

“And Dark Cupid was one of those?” Kathryn asked.

“I read about him too,” Alice said leaning forward. “There weren’t any fight videos of him on the blog, but it said that he made people feel the opposite of their true emotions. What does that even mean?”

The girls took a deep breath and looked to Chloe again. She just nodded as she stared numbly into her coffee. It was Alix who spoke, “Dark Cupid was a boy whose Valentine humiliated him. So he made people feel the opposite of their true emotions. Love turned to hate. Hate turned to love.”

“I don’t see the problem,” Damian said, his brow furrowed in confusion.

“Oh!” Will cried, horror etched over his face. “Oh, that…that’s awful!”

“What?” Kathryn demanded.

Marinette sighed and looked them in the eyes. There was something hard and cold in her gaze, and it seeped into her voice as she said, “Imagine the person you love the most. The person you trust the most, parent, sibling, partner, spouse, being struck with a black arrow and then turning against you. They are consumed with a burning obsessive hatred for you and everything else they love. What do you think would happen?”

Damian paled at the thought. He could imagine it. He didn’t want to, but he could see it happening. His family sitting down to dinner, suddenly struck from behind…and then turning on him. It was a horrible image and he wanted to forget he ever saw it, but Marinette was not done.

“Now, imagine the person you hate. You’re worst enemy, and the same thing happens to them. Except now, with love. Or perhaps more accurately…lust. You’re enemy filled with an obsessive drive to ‘love’ you, just as your loved ones are filled with an obsessive drive to hate you. What do you think happens then?”

Damian was suddenly very glad that he had not eaten anything, because he was going to throw up. The images that Marinette was painting for them. They were horrible. They were gruesome, and disgusting on so many levels. And…and they had lived through that. He looked up and saw it. All four of these girls had faced that. Spouses turning on their partners. Parents turning on their children. Friends turning on their friends. All on a day when they were supposed to be celebrating their love and trust. And then to add their enemies into the mix…

“Only 136 dead,” Sabrina said solemnly, “But over three million reports of assault and battery, and over ten thousand reported rapes, and sexual assaults. And those were just the people who came forward.”

“We called the Justice League,” Chloe said as a single tear fell down her quivering jaw. “We broke their website begging for help, once the Miraculous Cure passed through. But they never answered.”

“Three more akumas were created because of that,” Marinette said squeezing Chloe’s hand as Sabrina wrapped her arms around her. “Eventually Ladybug gave a press release saying she got in contact with an International member, but she didn’t say whom. Here,” Marinette pulled up a video on YouTube and showed it to them. “You can watch that later. It basically says that miraculous matters are miraculous matters, and the Justice League will not be coming unless it’s a level 11 akuma.”

“Level 11?” Kathryn squeaked.

“Yeah,” Alix said with an amused huff, “Otherwise known as the ‘How in God’s Name are You Still Alive!’ Protocol.”

“If either Ladybug, or Chat Noir ever lose their Miraculous to Hawkmoth. Then the other is to retreat and go into hiding, while every citizen still alive in Paris spams the Justice Leagues number until someone shows up,” Marinette said with a small smile. “It hasn’t happened yet, but we’ll be prepared if it does.”

“Were you?” Alice looked at the shaking Chloe, her voice hesitant and soft. “I’m sorry but you told me that you used to have a lot of enemies. So…were you…um…”

Chloe sniffed and straightened, she was as rigid as a bored, but her chin was up and her jaw was set. Her eyes had not lost their fire as she scoffed and said, “Kwami no, no one touched me during Dark Cupid. I was the bitch who caused the whole thing.”

The Gothamites blinked. “What?” Damian demanded.

“You heard me,” Chloe said firmly squeezing Marinette’s hand. “Dark Cupid. The most emotionally scaring akuma aside from Sand Boy. I caused him. I was the dumb bitch who humiliated the boy and made Valentines day banned in Paris! It was my fault.”

“Chloe—” Sabrina began, but the heiress silenced her by leaning forward and growling,

“I caused more akumas, and suffering in this city, then Joker has probably done in a year. Everyday I wake up knowing that I am probably the most despicable being on the planet. But you know what? Everyday I wake up and decide to change that. It will never be enough. I will never undo the damage I did to Paris. But damn it, I’m trying! And I’m not alone.

“This is Paris. If you haven’t been an akuma, you’ve caused one, and no one is immune. Not even angels who are too good for this world like, Sabrina and Marinette heaven help them! So everyday we wake up knowing that we are villains! But every day we wake up and we swear we are going to do better. We make amends and we try. We’re all monsters, but we all have one enemy, and that’s the idiot who thinks he can put chains on monsters and not get bit!”

Chloe was seething now. Her teeth bared. Her eye wide. But she was still in control, and she stared them all down with the deadly force of a lioness. It quelled any arguments, pinning the Gothamites to there seats. As she roughly wiped the tears from her eyes, she declared,

“So yeah, screw the Justice League. As far as I’m concerned, they can all go and suck it! This is Paris, and we clean up our own messes. Besides even if they did show up, there’s nothing they can do. Ladybug is right, this is a Miraculous problem to be solved by Miraculous Holders.”

“Besides,” Sabrina said in a far gentler tone, “Do any of you really want to see and akumatized Superman? Or Batman?”

Everyone shivered at the thought, even Damian. He then drew in on himself as he thought about everything they had said. Lila. Hawkmoth. Dark Cupid. Chloe. The Justice League. Not all of his questions were answered, not by a long shot. But then he remembered the scavenger hunt. The pure joy radiating off of the Paris Class as they ran through the Museum. The genuine laughter of the employees at seeing their antics. The bright smiles of the civilians as they walked with their heads held high down the streets. They had been through hell, like Gotham never had. But where Gothamites scurried and scowled they…smiled.

Even now as he looked up to study the four girls before them, they were smiling. Bright, genuine, pure smiles. They laughed as they pulled the Gothamites out of their horror. They cheered as more of their friends joined them from within the museum. It was strange. It was confounding, confusing, and impossible for Damian to comprehend. It was…miraculous.

And so Damian whispered to himself in his heart, "I swear on mantle as Robin, and on my title as the Son of the Bat, and the Demon's Heir, I will do everything in my power to defeat Hawkmoth."

Next   

@night-ngale @annastasha @ev-cupcake @hammalammadamdam @laydeekrayzee @itsemmylie @when-no-wings-do-broomsticks  @doglover82 @raven-ette @atiredartistandacat

[mimisempai]

To see the smile on your face

Summary

Crowley is in the mood to romance Aziraphale a little, but he has no idea how to go about it, or who to ask. In order to prepare for the perfect evening, however, he'll need to make some connections. An opportunity for him to strengthen his ties with the neighborhood?

Notes

A little bit of levity for our two boys, and an opportunity for Crowley to interact with the local shopkeepers...

On Ao3

Rating G -  2033 words

"What are you still doing here? You finished your coffee ages ago, didn't you?"

Crowley looked up at Nina and replied, "Hey, Nina, you should be nicer to the customers."

Nina shrugged and retorted, "You're not a customer, you're a parasite."

Crowley retorted, "I'm still paying for my coffee, and I want a second one."

Nina eyed him suspiciously and sat down across from him, "Out of the question. You're already too nervous."

She pointed at the demon's fingers tapping nervously on the table and continued, "Spit it out."

Crowley shook his head, "And being the subject of street gossip for the next few days? No thanks."

Nina chuckled softly, "You're going to be the subject of gossip anyway, so go ahead and shoot!"

Crowley avoided her gaze and murmured in a low voice, "I'd like to do something romantic for you know who... well..."

"Oh no no no, I'm going to stop you right there. Go to Maggie, she's the incurable romantic between the two of us. She's better at that sort of thing."

Crowley handed him his empty cup, "Coffee for the road?"

"Go to hell!"

Crowley stood and muttered, "Been there, not going back," before leaving the coffee shop and heading for Maggie's shop.

He stepped through the door and exclaimed, "Maggie, I'm so glad to see you!"

Maggie looked at him quizzically and said quietly, "You know, when you're not grumpy, you're almost scary. What do you want?"

"Oh, I'm really hurt that you'd take it that way."

Shaking her head in amusement at Crowley's now familiar antics, she replied softly, "Is this about Aziraphale?"

That had the effect of calming him, and he came to lean against the counter.

"Okay, you know, I was at Nina's and I finally told her that I wanted to do, uh, you know, something for Aziraphale, not the usual, you know."

Maggie laughed softly, "I now understand why Nina sent you here. If I'm trying to decipher what you're trying to tell me, I assume you want to surprise Aziraphale and you don't know exactly what."

Crowley sighed, glad he didn't have to humiliate himself any further, "I knew you were sharp, Maggie."

"I told you I liked you better when you're grumpy. Gerald Lambert."

Crowley raised his eyebrows, "What?"

"The cellist Gérald Lambert. Aziraphale seems to be quite fond of him. Unfortunately, he's never been recorded on vinyl, so I don't have anything for him. But I seem to have seen that he is currently performing in London, though I don't know more than that. I think Mr. Arnold would be in a better position to inform you about such concerts than I am."

Crowley rolled his eyes, wondering how many times he'd have to socialize today.

He thanked her with a grunt and headed for the music store not far away, hoping to avoid Justine, the owner of the French restaurant.

"Oh,  it's Mr. Good Guy!"

Crowley retorted, "I already told you, I'm not either... What?"

Mrs. Sandwich looked at him cheekily and replied, "I got the message about you not being a lad. So here's your new nickname, Mr Good Guy!"

Crowley refused to argue; he felt it was a lost cause anyway.

The sassy woman continued, "So you want to do something for your sweetheart?"

He stared at her, "My wh... what?"

Mrs. Sandwich replied, "The bookseller."

Gossip in this neighborhood was a disaster.  

Nina would pay for it.

With a mischievous smile on his lips, he leaned into Mrs. Sandwich's ear and whispered, "I hear Nina's added a coffee to her menu called the Vinyl Latte." 

Seeing that the woman was still not reacting, he added in a conspiratorial tone, "You know, Vinyl, like the record store, and Latte, like the coffee..."

"Oooooh... oooh, I think I have to be somewhere."

The woman didn't greet him and went straight into Justine's restaurant. Crowley snickered as he entered the music store.

He felt a little more at ease because he didn't have to explain himself, he had just come to get some information. He walked confidently up to the man at the cash register and, after greeting him, asked, "Have you heard of Gérald Lambert?"

The shopkeeper eyed him suspiciously, thinking that Crowley probably didn't really seem like the kind of guy who liked that kind of music, before replying, "The cellist? Yes. Quite."

"I hear he's giving a concert in London at the moment?"

"Yes, absolutely, at the Wigmore Hall, playing Bach's 6 suites for solo cello. But all the concerts are sold out."

Crowley nodded, looking slightly annoyed, while inwardly telling himself that getting tickets would be as easy as clearing a table at the Ritz, which was what he was going to do as well.

He greeted Mr. Arnold and left the shop, rubbing his hands together. A few more preparations and it would be perfect.

Meanwhile, as the afternoon drew to a close and night began to fall, Aziraphale was surprised that he hadn't seen Crowley since he'd left for coffee at Nina's. 

Busy with yet another tax audit because his well-kept accounts were too suspicious, Aziraphale hadn't seen the time fly.

He took off his glasses and muttered, "I wonder where he's been."

"Well, after spending some time with Nina, he went to Maggie's, then met with Mrs. Sandwich, and finally went to Mr. Arnold's."

Aziraphale turned to Muriel and asked, "Tell me, did you work or spend your time watching the street?"

Muriel replied, "It's not like the street is very big. Besides, given his appearance, Mr. Grumpy is quite an eye-catcher.

Aziraphale raised an eyebrow and replied, "You spend a little too much time with Mr. Grumpy. You're getting pretty cheeky."

Muriel's face fell and they began to apologize. Recognizing this kind of behavior, Aziraphale immediately stopped them, "I was joking, Muriel. I just thought it was like I heard Crowley talking and found it amusing. It's not a reproach. It never will be. Go on and express yourself freely. I'm sorry if I made you think otherwise."

He was relieved to see the other angel's smile return after a few seconds and promised himself to be careful in the future. He knew exactly what it felt like to constantly have to stop yourself from expressing who you were. 

They continued to put the books away together and it was getting dark when he told Muriel they'd done enough and they could go home.

The angel had barely left the bookstore when Crowley entered.

"Crowley, my dear! Where have you been?"

Crowley approached and said with a small smile on his lips, "Let's just say I went to do a few things. How about you? Did you finish your accounting or whatever it was you had to do?"

Aziraphale joined him in the middle of the bookshop and replied with a sigh, "Actually, I'm knackered."

Crowley raised his hand and wiped a small smear of ink from the angel's cheek with his thumb, leaving his hand there. As the angel leaned his face against the demon's hand, Crowley asked gently, "Too tired for a little surprise?"

It was as if something had animated the angel from within, and his eyes lit up as he exclaimed, "A surprise? What is it?"

The demon chuckled and replied, "Angel, if I tell you, it won't be a surprise anymore, will it?"

The angel turned his head into the demon's hand and kissed his palm before Crowley dropped it and grabbed the angel's hand. He pulled him toward the door of the bookshop and the angel asked, "Where are we going?"

Crowley turned to him, winked, and simply replied, "Do I have to remind you that this is a surprise?"

He led the angel to the Bentley and gallantly opened the door for him to get in before getting behind the wheel.

They had barely driven a few yards when music began to play on the car radio, Aziraphale almost immediately gasped and said in a surprised voice, "It's Bach's Cello Suite No. 1! Crowley, you never listen to this kind of music!"

Crowley playfully replied, "But you do."

Aziraphale looked at him puzzled for a few seconds before exclaiming again, "It's played by Gérald Lambert! I'd recognize his style anywhere!"

Crowley, a satisfied smile on his lips, asked, "And how about listening to it live? I'd say... right here, right now."

The Bentley had just miraculously pulled up not far from Wigmore Hall.

"Crowley! But how...and why?"

Crowley opened the door again to let him out, then held out his arm for them to walk down the hall before answering, "How? Let's just say with the help of some people and a little magic. Why? Because I wanted to surprise you and make you happy."

Aziraphale squeezed his arm and said, looking delighted, "Well, it worked."

A short time later, they were seated in a booth that allowed them to enjoy the concert to the fullest.

Crowley, who found the music absolutely boring, enjoyed the spectacle of the angel's reactions as the concert went on, and in the end the two hours didn't seem all that long.

As the applause died down, Crowley whispered in the angel's ear, "I have another little surprise for you. How would you like to meet your idol?"

He was delighted to see the angel's expression of joy as he threw his arms around his neck and embraced him.

A short time later they were at the stage door and Gerald Lambert approached them, the angel excited as a flea, handed him the concert program and exclaimed happily, "I'm so happy to meet you."

The musician simply nodded distantly, and Crowley instantly hated him.

Aziraphale continued as the musician signed, "You really are a talented musician, and I've never..."

The cellist interrupted, handing back the program, "Yes, thank you, I already know all that. You can save your breath, you've got your autograph. Thanks for coming."

Crowley was about to jump in and tell the ruffian what he thought, but Aziraphale beat him to it. He handed the signed program back to the musician and calmly replied, "It's a shame that such a talent should be served by such a bad temper. Please take back your signature, sir, as I don't want to remember you. May I never see you again."

He turned with dignity and walked away, followed by Crowley, impressed by the grace with which the Angel had handled the situation. He looked back and couldn't help but make a small gesture to trip the cellist; it wasn't much, but it satisfied him enough.

"What a despicable little bastard!"

Crowley turned his head toward the angel who had just cursed and couldn't help but laugh as he grabbed the angel's arm.

He said softly, "I'm sorry your idol didn't live up to your expectations."

Aziraphale took advantage of the deserted alleyway to stop and kiss the demon on the cheek before continuing, "I had a great night anyway. Thank you."

Crowley asked, "How about I tempt you once again to end this evening even more nicely by dining at the Ritz?"

Aziraphale laughed softly and replied, "I would say, as always, temptation accomplished."

They both laughed as they got into the Bentley.

Moments later, they were seated at their usual table, just a little closer than usual, waiting for the waiter as the piano played the notes of soft jazzy music.

Under Aziraphale's surprised gaze, Crowley stood and whispered a few words to the pianist, who nodded with a smile. 

When Crowley returned, the waiter had filled their glasses with champagne and Aziraphale had his in his hand. Crowley grabbed his, and Aziraphale was about to toast him when he stopped abruptly and whispered, "It's..."

Crowley nodded, smiling.

“That certain night

The night we met 

There was magic abroad in the air”

There was undeniable magic in the air, and as Crowley and Aziraphale took a sip of champagne, the angel took the demon's hand and intertwined their fingers.

It wasn't Bach.

The pianist wasn't famous.

But to Aziraphale, it was worth all the concerts in the world because it was a hymn to their love.

_________

Still not beta'd

Still not my native language

Still hoping you'll enjoy this story  🥰

Still thanking you for bearing with me 😝

Ineffable Growing Love series : here (After season 2)

Ineffable Husbands masterlist : here (Before season 2)

[pumpkincarriage3]

Rook Hunt Character Analysis

Rook is an interesting character. With his french words, that I still want to know why the apparent translation spell over the school doesn't change, and his general personality, all compile into one of the most unique characters in Twisted Wonderland.

Rook is a character, that people in universe are mostly terrified of and are unable to understand. Of course, there are a few characters that get along with him, Vil and Trey in particularly, but that isn't typically the interactions we see.

Which is in part because Rook is a hunter. He sees the beauty in everything and because of that he wants to see every side of everything. In meaning, he doesn't just want to see when people are happy and their best selves, he wants to see them in difficult situations and see how they react. To Rook, watching people as a hunter would their prey, allows him to understand them more and see their true beauty.

Which is interesting when you consider the fact that Rook is one of the most private characters in the cast. He wants to see everything about a person to see their beauty, but he isn't willing to show every part of himself. Which, in a way, reminds me a lot of Cater.

Of course, even though Rook does intentionally make some people uncomfortable, he doesn't actually want people to be upset. Even though he wants to see them for them, he also wants to see them thrive in an environment that is so entirely them, because that is what is the most beautiful to Rook. Watching people and things simply exist as themselves. So, he'll take actions to help that person, or how he sees as helping them.

It's the entire reason why Rook voted for Neige's group. It's not because he likes Neige more than Vil, Rook never said that. It's just that he knew that later the NRC boys wouldn't actually feel as if they won and instead would be unsatisfied, therefore it wasn't their win and was instead RSA's.

Rook is a character that is motivated by his curiosity by the world around him. Curiosity about how the world itself interacts with things in it. How people interact with the world. How anything interacts with anything. He wants to see it all. And since he wants to see things as they are, at their best (and worst), he is more than willing to help people be their best selves.

It's why he helps and offers console to Epel but will hunt him down when Epel runs away from lessons. Rook isn't Vil's lapdog that just does whatever he says, it's his own choice to go after Epel and drag Epel back to those lessons. Cause he feels like those lessons will show Epel's true beauty and Rook wants to see it.

Rook is completely unapologetically himself. He will call people out if he sees an issue with something. If he is doing something, it's because he wants to do it, it is not from a decision he suffered over to make. He, while kind, can be just as shady as the rest of the cast. He has been multiple times and will lie shamelessly. He has pictures, of who knows what, "hidden" behind his wallpaper in his room. He is in a villain school, this isn't surprising.

The hunter from Snow White wasn't a hero and never will be. He was fully planning on cutting up Snow White until he got cold feet, that was the whole reason he lured her out into the forest. This is the same person that Rook is based off of. He's not in RSA for a reason, no matter how kind.

Rook can also be selfish for his own desires and belief, an example of this - spoilers ahead for chapter six - is when he goes to rescue Vil. He should have been watching over the dorm since Vil wasn't there to do it, it's what the rest of Vice Dorm Leaders, and Kalim, did. But he went after Vil anyway because he cares for Vil and he wasn't about to let something happen to him. Vil yelled at him for a reason. Because he failed to do his duties for his own selfish desires, no matter how noble those desires were.

Rook is a complex character and people shouldn't boil him down to the funny french man that's a weirdo. Because that's not who Rook is as a person. He's shameless, curious, persistent, and obsessed with seeing the beauty in everything, and he's even much more than that.

[thisliminalspacedaydreams]

2 and 8 for the fic ask game (and for 2 is you wanna pls give your fav line from your first and your most recent fic)

Hello YESSS.

8. Is there a story idea you have that you would love if it could appear fully realized but that you do not think you’ll ever write yourself?

Yes. I had the idea of writing an AI Regulus 2.0.

And then the story spiraled last summer when I saw green and we brainstormed it, and he and I are writing it now. But we’ll only ever post it if we finish it. So since it might be months or years, I can speak about it a bit :D

Essentially… Regulus the human dies (brain dead), and his brother brings him back as an AI experiment. All of Regulus’ AI personality is based on Sirius’ memories of his estranged dead brother.

There’s Jegulus, and baby Harry, and Remus as a mad scientist, and it’s angsty and weird and the writing has to be very clunky from Regulus’ POV so it’s a real exercise for green and I who are very… metaphor-me-this and metpahor-me-that writers.

It’s all I’ve ever wanted to write. It’s my passion project. I think if we ever finish it, it would become my favorite thing I would have ever written. But the odds are kinda low.

2. What is your favorite paragraph from (and for 2 is you wanna pls give your fav line from your first and your most recent fic)? Is there a reason it’s your favorite?

So from my first fic it would technically be in french from a Naruto fanfic I wrote when I was 13, but that shit is buried and I shan’t try to find it again. 

The first Harry Potter fanfic I wrote was a Dramione, and I gave my answer here. But if it’s from the Marauders, then it would be Goldeneye, and my fav line from there would be…

They sort Beans.

I think it was one of the first time where I wrote a sentence and felt like there were a thousand other tiny sentences hiding in between the words. Because even though you read “they sort Beans”, really what you read is, “they’re putting aside their differences”, “they’re learning to be close to each other”, “they don’t make fun of each other’s quirks” and so on. It’s kind of lovely.

“What are you doing?” “Bit of an obvious question, isn’t it?” It’s the first sentence Regulus has spoken directly to him in days. James has to force himself not to react, not to let his feature slack, his eyes close in relief. It’s not a fuck off. It’s not a go ahead, either, but James is here now. He pulls out a chair and takes a seat. Starts sorting Beans with Regulus. It takes a while. In fact, it’s an infinite game, because Regulus has charmed the candy to duplicate itself upon impact. “Are we eating this at some point?” James asks. It’s a methodical game. Once a bowl of colour is full, Regulus will Vanish it and start another. It truly is mindless. “I don’t like the taste.” They don’t speak for the rest of the night. But there are moments, James thinks, where their hands start dancing around one another. He tries not to think about it too much. They sort Beans.

Damn I just really like this.

Thank you for asking! <3

[mobscene-awards]

RULES & GUIDELINES.

The Awards were one of the most wonderful, nonsensical parts of the original Mob Scene’s run. All of us are aware it’s impractical, and would never happen in any real-life city, especially one overrun by monsters. Nobody is going to willingly offer up a ‘Biggest Villain’ award to one of the mob bosses without fearing for their lives, and nobody is going to get ‘Biggest Drug Addict’ without the police going, ‘wait, hang on a fucking second…’ It’s simply an event that exists for the fun of the players, and we always had just that. It’s an excuse for characters to get a giggle out of voting their friends for stupid awards before we get to play them out attending what became the most beloved social event of the Launceston era. Nobody takes it seriously, and bragging rights are the only real prize.

To make sure things run smoothly, however, there are a few rules and guidelines that one should consider throughout the process.

Any and all voting should be cast in character. This means just because you, the player, happen to think a French bro is deserving of the ‘Best Sense of Humour’ award, doesn’t mean that your lovely, anti-St. Clair, Russian loyalist is going to feel the same way. It’s kind of pointless making it an in-character event if you’re just going to vote for what you want as the player.

Please don’t vote for yourself, you vain little bitches. This is especially applicable when you have multiple accounts. Don’t use them to bolster the vote count for your other roles. Do not use multiple characters to vote for your ship.

Please try to make sure you meet all of the voting deadlines. This is important for my sanity, most of all. This applies both to the preliminary round in which the finalists are picked, and then the final vote. If you can do it as quickly as possible so I can even get a bit ahead, I'll love you even more, because I'm running on an incredibly tight schedule this year as I've had to bring it forward a week.

Please pick one name for every category. If you fail to do so, your entire ballot will immediately become void. I won't chase you up for a replacement answer. If your character doesn’t happen to know anyone in the finals for ‘Biggest Heart’ then just pick someone at random. Never leave a blank space. It ruins overall totals, and makes me miscount things.

You are allowed to vote as multiple characters. As stated earlier, you are allowed to vote from multiple characters. In fact, it’s encouraged that you do so! The more votes there are, the happier an admin I become.

Keep an eye on the updates. Although it isn’t compulsory to track it, I will be posting updates under the tag ‘2024AwardsUpdate’. You will be able to find these updates on the page itself under the category of ‘news’. This will be where I post deadlines, and general information about the event itself, the after-parties, best-dressed requirements, and other things that you’ll need to know to get the most out of the occasion.

The most important thing of all, though?

Have fun!

Remember that this is only meant as a joke. If your character doesn’t make it into any of the final categories? Have them throw a tantrum, have them make snide remarks about how the awards are bullshit, or perhaps graciously applaud those who beat them out. How they react is entirely up to you! But please never take it personally on an out-of-character level. It’s not intended that way, and it is never an attack on you as a player if your character comes up short in the vote count. ♥

[impetuous-impulse]

Tagged by @cadmusfly.

Last Song: Napoleonically speaking, I read the last song I listened to (thanks to Victor Hugo). Le roi d'Yvetot is by Jean-Pierre de Béranger (1780-1857), a popular chansonnier. He was under Lucien Bonaparte's patronage for a bit. This song satirises Napoleon, and apparently Napoleon heard it one day and was like "haha funny". I found a record of it below.

There's also this recent version, which is clearer and more dynamic.

William Makepeace Thackeray made a translation of it, as seen here. Someone also posted the French text in the comments of the first song, so you can machine translate to get the literal meanings.

More generally, I've been on a nostalgia trip listening to older songs. Time-Forgotten One (時忘人) strikes me as apt for this blog, because the lyrics explore grief and survivor's guilt in a post-war context (with a twist at the end). Of his comrades, the singer muses:

Even though the long-drawn-out war has ended / where have they gone / have they gone to a land where no grass grows / and continued the fight there？/ I continue to wait for them

I remember fighting with comrade whom I could entrust my back to / Now I am the only one left on this street, where have the familiar faces gone？

Translations adapted from here (if you want to experience the story in its glory). The creator hinayukki also posted a remake recently.

Currently Watching: Two reality TV shows, which I need to catch up on.

Three ships: Any kind of ship, right? Not my favourite or anything? Okay. I define shipping by two people interacting with and reacting to each other intensely, whatever that may mean. The following are some I would actively promote.

Ney/Soult: From comrades and work friends to "bitter rivals" (and scholars continue their feud). I love a good friends to rivals/enemies to something else, and their historical relationship gives me so much material to work with. You can create something very historically-compliant and trace various narratives depending on what you focus on. Desaix/Saint-Cyr: Two giants who respected each other equally and were intimate friends (to the point of using "tu" with each other). Hot/cold foils (commented on contemporaries and later writers). There is also some tragedy in outliving one of your closest friends (of which you have so few), ascending to a higher rank than he did in life, while disliking the institution who bestowed the accolades upon you. Bernadotte/Brahe: This is just here for how codependent they were. Bedside counselling deep into the night? Brahe having a room of Bernadotte statues? Matching rings with braided hair? So much potential.

Honourable shout-out to Jourdan/Kléber as a thought experiment of the ephemeral variety (I think my bias for the Rhine armies is showing). I would also like to mention [REDACTED] and [REDACTED], but I suspect it would get me dragged through the mud by fans of Ney (as he is represented in popular tradition), haha.

Favourite Colour: Gold and green, currently.

Currently consuming: The last food I had was vegetable broth.

First ship: In the Napoleonic fandom, it would be NapJuno (because of the plausibility).

Relationship status: Complicated

Last Movie: The Holdovers (2023). A good alternate Christmas Hallmark movie.

Currently working on: 1) The Ney and Soult Get-Along T-Shirt AU, where Ney escapes arrest with Soult's help post-Waterloo. Here's a WIP of it choked with purple prose to prove it isn't dead:

2) A Lannes WIP. 3) A non-Napoleonic fic that I desperately need to finish so I can be more active on here again.

Tagging: Anyone who wants to do it—go ahead.

[crispy-bonnie]

Hiii! Ok so I absolutely love your writing, it’s amazing!

So I had a pretty cute idea, that just randomly popped into my head, how would the enemy units react to reader kissing them for the first time? Like not on the cheeks but like right on the lips xD

Your confessions fanfic was super cute btw!

OMG MY VERY FIRST REQUEST YAYAYYAAAAAA thank you so much for the idea huahgev i've been looking for something to write that isn't too complex so thANK /gen

First kiss - FBI UNITS

SWAT Shield

So I mentioned how he pretty much melted upon your acceptance, right?

Well when you kissed him for the first time, he would've just been reduced to atoms. In a good way of course!

He was just arriving from a tough mission that he had to retreat from and you were patching him up in the Medic Bay

It was clear how exhausted he was while you were fixing him up, so you decided to give him a little something that hopefully would make him feel a little better

He didn't even process the words you muttered to him after the fact, as he was too busy thinking about how your lips felt on his

It was only until a few minutes after you left when he finally snapped out of it

He would ask for another kiss but he was way too shy to do that

Looks like he'll have to get busted up more

Taser

Taser was busy ranting on about how cool Megaman is when it happened

He was just going on and on about it but he was interrupted by your lips meeting his, softly muttering for him to just stop for a minute

Istg his eyes lit up like fuckin thunder clouds. Like oml he was so damn excited when it happened

He proceeded to then sweep you into his arms and just peppered your face with kisses, not stopping regardless of whether or not you were flustered about it

Taser was just giggling like a little kid getting a new toy from the store, but both his and your joy was cut short when the ultimate asshole known as Captain Winters decided to show up and make you guys get back to work

The second you two got privacy again though, he wasted no time continuing his kiss-peppering session with you

Cloaker

I swear to god THIS MF-

Cloaker managed to bait you with some mistletoe during a holiday party that the SWAT force was having

You were just trying to get to the food table so you gave him a peck on the cheek

HOWEVER, he decided that this wasn't enough. He pulled you back and just slammed his lips against yours

To put it in a more appealing manner, he pulled you into a French kiss

You just stood there for a little bit trying to process what was going on, but it was only when he pulled away when it finally clicked for you

Upon seeing your face going red, he proceeded to started to flirt with you and all that. Let's just say that the next few party activities turned out in a very messy closet later.

Dozer

You two were in the middle of an after-battle cuddle session when you decided to go ahead and plant a kiss on his lips

Similar to Taser, he just cooed as he proceeded to give you a few kisses on your face, but he was a lot more gentle and slow with his

Dozer made sure to hold you close as he left various kisses on your face, every now and then muttering 'I love you' or telling you one of his many favorite things about you

He's just such a sweet guy so pLEASE for the love of god give him more kisses because it helps him to cope with the fuck ton of bullets he has to walk through in order to live another day

If you leave a few more kisses as well, he'll eventually just turn it into a kiss fight

It either ends in a very steamy makeout session or a really ten times cuter cuddle session

Medic

There wasn't anything specific going on when it happened. You just wanted to give your beloved a kiss

When you delivered your kiss to Medic, he literally just stood and stared at you for a few minutes

You attempted to snap him out of it, but he soon spoke up and asked you,

"Can I have another one?"

Whether or not you get flustered about it or not, you comply and give him another kiss

This time, he makes sure that it's a much more prolonged kiss. He's already addicted to the touch of your lips, even though it was his first kiss with you.

Sniper

Sniper was really tired after a few missions, so you decided to bombard him with a fuck ton of care

Blankets, movie time, popcorn, everything. You made sure to snuggle up with him while you two were watching whatever movie it was

However, you eventually noticed halfway through the movie that Sniper had been staring at you, but when you ask what's wrong, his action surprised you just a tad

Sniper leaned in, placing a soft kiss on your lips. His face was red as a tomato, but he did his best to brush it off

"S-sorry...your lips just looked...really nice...."

If you ask for another kiss, he'll comply, but it might turn into something steamier at some point

[lutiaslayton]

Well! This chapter was definitely worth the wait! But now I have more questions! How was Clay able to shift into little Des? How's Claire going to react to this revelation about Hershel? How's the reunion between Hershel and Des going to go? And most importantly, WHO or WHAT, is Clay? Well, nevertheless, I can't wait to see more and find out (even if takes a while 😅)!

That is indeed a lot of questions, and all of those are questions I absolutely intended to give indeed, hehehe >:)

We have reached the point when I no longer have any French chapters as buffer, so I sadly won’t be able to keep up the pace of one chapter per week… But everything is planned, and I have a lot to reveal with what comes next.

Warning: I had some fun giving teasers for the future of the fic in this ask, so even though I don’t give actual spoilers, I’m still leaving this under the cut. If you want to read the fanfic 100% blind, you can ignore this. If you like being teased and having hints as to what to expect in the future, however… Have fun letting your brain dive into theory mode :)

Who’s Clay and what have they become? Indeed, since this is pretty much the only mystery the crew really has to solve (what with Clay already knowing basically everything else… or not?), the reveal won’t come before a LONG while. Doesn’t mean I don’t plan on leaving hints for the audience to pick up on, haha, so if you figure it out ahead of time and get it right, congrats!

I will have planned for this eventuality in the sense that although this is a big mystery, this story is (as you could guess) far more than just focusing on Clay’s mystery. Even if you figure it out as soon as the first or second chapter (which is totally possible imo, I left enough clues to at least allude to the truth), I hope that everything else will keep the story interesting. If anything, knowing who and what Clay is ahead of time might even make it all the more entertaining? Who knows!

How’s the reunion between Hershel and Des going to go? It’s going to go places. I have written down a TON of Hersh/Des interactions with awkward dialogue and/or dialogue where Hersh gets salty and doesn’t hesitate to rub salt on the wound (let him have the sass, he deserves it after having been lied to for more than two decades). I have written months ago an entire scene where Hershel goes on a road trip with Roland and Lucille in order to visit Des so they can finally discuss some Family Matters, and where the ambience is hilariously tense and awkward lmao.

How’s Claire going to react to this revelation about Hershel? Claire is the best girlfriend in the universe. I did say in the previous ask that I don’t write Hurt without Comfort.

How was Clay able to shift into little Des? This question was meant to find an answer in the latest chapter (chapter IV-3, or chapter 8 in AO3’s numbering system). From Hershel’s deductions at least, it appears that somehow, memories of his own alternate-timeline-future-alter-ego made their way in Clay’s mind, which includes memories of both future events that can no longer take place… and personal childhood memories, if only one or two—therefore, including the memory of child Des’s appearance.

Still, copying someone’s memories and implanting them by force into someone else’s brain… This sounds absolutely ridiculous. Absurd. It’s not like anything like this could ever have been made at any time. Am I right folks?

…am I right, folks?

[catfoodblog]

Can cats eat french fries? A Complete Guide to Cat Nutrition

We all love those golden, crispy potato strips called french fries. They're a popular fast food item because they taste great and have a satisfying crunch. What about our cat friends, though? Can cats eat French fries? In this article, we will talk about cat nutrition in order to answer this important question.

Can cats eat french fries? A lot of people eat french fries every day. They are usually made with potatoes, oil, and salt. They give you quick energy because they are high in carbs, but do they have any benefits for our cats?

Can cats eat french fries?

The first question that comes to mind is: Can cats eat French fries? Short version: cats shouldn't eat French fries. We need to make sure you know why French fries are not good for cats, even though they might be interested in the smell and taste of them.

One big reason cats shouldn't eat French fries is that they are high in fat. Fatty foods can make cats fat and give them many health problems, like pancreatitis. Can cats eat french fries? Cats can also get sodium ion poisoning from eating French fries because they have a lot of salt in them. This can lead to symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, and even tremors.

Can cats eat French fries without getting sick?

But why do cats like French fries in the first place? Being curious, cats might be interested in these crunchy treats because of how they smell or feel. Can cats eat french fries? But just because they're interested doesn't mean they can give in.

Even though cats shouldn't eat French fries, a very small amount once in a while probably won't hurt them too much. In small amounts, they might not be a threat right away. But it's important to remember that cats should never eat French fries instead of their normal food.

The carbs in French fries won't hurt your cat if they're eaten in moderation. A small amount of French fries probably won't hurt you. Can cats eat french fries? But keep in mind that cats have specific dietary needs, and giving them the wrong foods on a regular basis can cause health problems in the long run.

Are French fries bad for cats?

French fries have ingredients that are bad for cats because of how their bodies break down certain substances. One ingredient that worries people is salt, which can poison you with sodium ions if you eat too much of it. The symptoms can be as mild as stomach problems or as severe as tremors and seizures.

Can cats eat french fries? Another problem is the oil that is used to fry French fries. Small amounts of oil might not hurt you right away, but eating too much of it can make your stomach hurt and even give you pancreatitis.

Why French fries are good for cats

You might be curious about whether cats can ever eat French fries in a good way. Can cats eat french fries? It's too bad that this is not the case. French fries don't have enough of the nutrients that cats need to stay healthy. They don't have enough of the vitamins and minerals that cats need for a healthy diet.

How Many French fries Can A Cat Eat?

Can cats eat french fries? If you still want to give your cat a small taste of French fries, keep in mind that less is more. A little nibble here and there probably won't hurt too much. But there aren't any big health benefits to doing that.

If you only give your cat a few French fries, it won't get much nutrition from them, but it also won't make them sick right away either. But it's better not to give them any at all.

How do you give cats french fries?

You should be very careful if you want to give your cat a taste of French fries. Start with a little bit and see how your cat reacts. Can cats eat french fries? You should be ready, though, for your cat to not be interested or even turn down the offer.

If you're making French fries for your cat, take out any extra oil and salt. A plain, unsalted, and unsbuttered potato wedge is the safest choice if you decide to go ahead with it, but keep in mind that it is not a healthy or recommended treat for your cat.

Extras and Other Options

You can feed your cat something healthier and safer instead of French fries:

Cats can get a lot of protein from boiled chicken breast that has been stripped of its bones and skin.

Supplements: If you want to add something to your cat's food, talk to your vet about what supplements are best.

[liliumofthevalleyy]

I would like to give my honest contradiction. First of all, I want to make it known I ONLY read the prostitutes part as it's the only one I'm commenting on.

Jack the Ripper victims are all women, because that's how the original real life story goes.

"Abandoned kids would be easier" No they would not. And it was made clear in the Hunting of Baskervilles case. Nobody gave a care in the world about kids from the slums going missing. Even though the method at which they were kidnapped was "extravagant" [I.e. a fancy carriage with candy inside took them, and a driver with a rather "loud" presence]

And kidnapping Kids from stable families (middle class or not) would defy what the plot is serving, and the story it's representing (Jack the Ripper's). Sick people are a no-go by default, again diverting from the story, and depending on age range of sick people, it brings back to my point. And if status wise the sick people were rich, it would be too much of a problem + diverting from the "Jack the Rippers" plan in MTP's author version of "causing a big change by merely killing some prostitutes" [the exact word they used is wh*** showing that they themselves are representing how society sees them].

"No one points out the sexism, even Bond?" Because it was never about sexism. The real Jack The Reaper targeted prostitutes. So MTP's author went with it. And in the first place, in MTP author's version, he explicitly wrote why they targeted prostitutes, aside from following the original story, because the Jack The Rippers group are a-holes who do not regard the prostitutes as people, but something less. I need to stress that's not sexism from the author but these characters personalities are deliberately like that.

"They don't give a damn about historical accuracy" Sure, the author did not care about accurately portraying the French revolution and other real-life events that appeared in the manga, but he did for Jack The Ripper. Because it happens to serve his version of Sherlock Holmes and how he wants to write it. If you want to label it as sexism just for that, sure go ahead.

"Isn't using prostitutes a bad target?" Again, that argument is not with the manga but real life? Because that is what happened in real life???? I'm not an expert in the real story of Jack The Ripper or its details, so maybe i shouldn't speak in this regard, but I believe even though his targets were prostitutes he still became well-known and centre of the media. Far as I know because, considering the time period, there weren't many notorious serial killers with such specific victims.

I agree, we don't take the media seriously when they drop certain news, real or not. But that's "we" people of this current age, 2024, we have seen alot, and we who have Internet, and AI, and such platforms we simply can not believe much anymore, or react to much news anymore. Not "them" the people from a century ago, who still use mails to deliver letters and rely on paper-printed newspaper to find out about daily news. And are in an age of renovation and discovering.

"Why not a word about lack of interest I'm prostitutes in particular?" I'm confused, lack of word from who? The cops? Because if so, the chief of police explicitly says in one the chapters that he does not give a damn about the prostitutes, what worries him is the retaliation/rebillion from Whitechapel citizens due to the whole thing and the attention these murders are getting media-wise. Because again, this is the 19th century, and you said it yourself, prostitutes are considered lowest of the low, it's a reality.

Tome 8

Remember that no one forces you to read this. If you don't want to see your favorite manga being critized, block me and move on 😄

Prostitutes

The author really has a problem with women.

Jack the Ripper's victims are all (ALL) prostitutes. There is no particular reason for them to be targeted (not like in Black Butler), it's just to create fear. They are simple tools for the plan of men who don't even consider taking other targets.

The only reason is that they are easy to find. They could have been abandoned kids or sick people, it would have been even easier.

And no one points out the sexism of the situation? Even Bond?

It would be nice if we stopped using women as objects to be abused. Especially if it is not to say anything about it.

Of course, in the original story, Jack also attacks prostitutes. But we saw with the case of the Hound of Baskerville that the author doesn't give a damn, IRENE is proof that they can perfectly modify pre-existing stories. Bond is neither a trans man (?) nor a Moriarty man and even less an idiot who gets defeated by everyone.

THE FRENCH REVOLUTION is proof that they don't give a damn about historical accuracy.

What is the reaction of the prostitutes? We see that the inhabitants of Whitechapel (all males) have decided to create a militia because they do not feel safe. But what are the opinions of the sex workers? Are they afraid to go out to work? Are they resigned because they have no choice? Are they used to such horrors happening to them? The murderers say vaguely that they are afraid to go out but these are only indirect testimonies, we do not see them.

Speaking of which, isn't it a bad idea to use prostitutes as targets? They are very often victims of violence and no one will come to their defense, especially at this time. And because of their profession, they are even less respected than other poors. So it's a big gamble to use them to create fear and indignation.

In addition, the two victims were seen with different men. Didn't anyone think that the crimes had nothing to do with each other and that there was just a smart aleck trying to get noticed by communicating with the press?

Good point, the organization that created "Jack" hired someone to manipulate the press so that it would be taken seriously. But just because the press says something doesn't mean people think the same thing. (WE don't always take it seriously when the media freaks out)

The cops admit they don't give a shit about Whitechapel, why not a word about the lack of interest in prostitutes in particular?

It would even be used to make Sherlock guess that this story is fishy, ​​like: "It's horrible but murder and violence against prostitutes is pretty common, it's strange that the press would get so worked up over a jerk who could very likely take on other people's crimes."

The Lord Crime

William presented himself as the Lord of Crime for free to his enemies.

Which, I remind you, is something you do NOT do when your identity is supposed to be secret. And you don't go there with your face out in the open either.

No matter how confident you are in your abilities, you remain cautious, the unexpected can always happen. Maybe one of the fake Jack the Ripper will manage to escape or survive, maybe someone saw him and his brother and will recognize them…

Ah but that's exactly what happened!

The guy whose brain works so much that he has to sleep a lot didn't foresee that?

Jack the Ripper

The case is not closed at all, the criminal has not been captured. (Don't tell me "in reality, we didn't know who it was. It's historical respect." Because, again, I would have liked to see this respect for the French Revolution.)

However, it is this absence of a culprit that created the following mess with Chief Inspector Arterton. It is not because the innocent accused has been cleared that the inhabitants will be reassured that the murderer is potentially still at large.

Moriarty & co. could have taken advantage of this to frame someone else, a nobleman whose downfall - rather than murder - would do much to help the cause. A nobleman whose real crimes are hard to prove but whose arrest would be credible (especially if he already has a track record of corrupting officials).

And Sherlock's test wouldn't have been whether or not the people who died mysteriously in an explosion were actually the real Jack the Ripper, but on the contrary not to say that the asshole (whom he knows to be a criminal) is innocent in the only case that could put him in prison.

(It's funny that Sherlock manages to guess what happened despite the few clues, but that we don't see anything of his reasoning. Really, how did he figure it out?)

Moriarty & co vs Sherlock & co

Who remembers when I said that the men on Moriarty's side are competent while those on Sherlock's side are buffoons? Everyone I hope, I say it in every review.

Well, we have another example of this phenomenon in this volume with Lestrade and Moriarty's spy, Paterson.

One is yelling, fidgeting and using a puppet show to try to convince Sherlock to take on the Jack the Ripper case (which he already intended to do so it was useless).

The other is calm, discreet and cunning, he even seems to know Bond, the new kid on the block, pretty well. (Yet more proof that Moriarty's team has super privileged and ✨special✨ relationships with each other)

One is ridiculous, the other is classy. One is manipulated, the other manipulates. I'll let you guess who is who.

Conveniently, the spy ends up at the head of the police force at the end, even though he officially did nothing to deserve that position and doesn't seem to have the power or connections to get it (apart from his connections with Moriarty, but it's not suggested that they had a role in that).

Moriarty and Sherlock

I like their interactions. I would like to see more of them. As long as the author doesn't remind us that Sherlock is inferior, the two respond well to each other.

Speaking of which…

Sherlock's zero points

Sherlock managed to find out that Moriarty was a mathematician thanks to the golden number on a staircase. This is his very first interaction with William.

It is therefore quite implausible that he has no points in Moriarty's test, as difficult as it is.

I could have accepted it if the author had taken the opportunity to inform the reader that Sherlock has very selective knowledge. That he has an enormous memory for what is useful to him during an investigation but that he is completely ignorant of the rest. This is what allows him to have space. He can know which locksmith in London makes what type of lock but not that the Earth revolves around the Sun.

But no, it's just a joke to humiliate Sherlock and show how much less intelligent he is than William.

Talk about a credible rivalry…

[norellenilia]

So I’m finally rewatching FMA03 again because I want to appreciate it again with some awesome analyses I have read on this website in mind.

But for now I’m just salty about the fact that in the french version, they redubbed some lines for whatever reasons. Probably to make less harsh or violent, but it just doesn’t make sense to me. Like in episode 13, they cut off some of Ed’s swearing, but not everything, and they ADDED the miniskirt line by Mustang: originally, he says “and when I’m charge of the military, I’ll bring back its glory and dignity!” (it does rhyme in french) and now it’s “all uniforms will have miniskirts!”, and at the same time, some of Ed’s swearing has been changed (and that’s very minor swearing, like he still says some very bad words in the episode lol).

(Though now that I’m writing this, making Mustang talk about miniskirts out loud actually makes more sense if the goal is to make any eavesdropper believe he’s just talking nonsense. But I still like the original line better because it rhymes lol)

And now that I rewatched the first two episodes yesterday, the first thing I noticed was in the first episode, when they arrive in Lior and Ed hears the water/wine fountain, he says the onomatopoeia for when you drink a lot at once (don’t know what it is in english) and a reference to a drinking song, now it’s just “Water! Water! Water!” Like, what? Were they afraid a teen character making a vague reference to a drinking song before drinking what he was sure was water was too harsh or something? (Too bad we see Ed having drunk himself to sleep in CoS when he was still technically underage by Japanese law, if I’m not mistaken)

Also in the beginning of episode 3, when Ed and Al are in the library and can’t find anymore info on the Philosopher’s Stone, Ed says in a fake desperate tone: “Wait for me, I’m just gonna hang myself” and now it’s “Can someone just finish me off?” I get it can sound like a very dark joke for a child character to say, but I don’t think the new version is that much better. And also, we see another character literally commit suicide (though it’s “only” an armor) and just before dying, Lust says that maybe that’s why she wanted to become human: to die. So... Yeah.

And also, the opening scene of this show is a child losing his leg and getting traumatised for life, at this point I don’t think Ed’s joke is any darker.

Anyway I still have the entire anime in the first dub so that’s what I’m gonna rewatch.

And also, look, I tried to make an Edward crochet doll.

[kanaesparadise]

Valorant Agents Reactions to You Making Them a Flower Crown

Characters: Chamber, Cypher, Yoru, Omen, Neon, Jett, Killjoy

Type/Genre: Headcanons/Fluff

Warnings: None

Pronounce: There's no pronouns, everybody can read!

Chamber

Chamber doesn't have much time to enjoy nature or activities like that, so I think he would be happy if you made him a flower crown.

He looks at what you are doing while you are making a flower crown for him, but does not comment. He thinks you're going to give it to Jett or someone else.

If you leave a flower crown on his head while he is working, he will not react at first and prefer to look at you sideways.

After a while he takes the crown from his head and stares for a while because he didn't know what you put on his head.

"I didn't know you were doing this for me."

Even though he didn't show his reaction to you much, he would find it quite sweet on the inside.

"Merci chérie. J'aime bien."

I'm sorry if you don't speak french but he will only say in french that he likes the crown you made.

He does not hesitate to go to the others with a flower crown on his head. He even teases Yoru for not having someone to make a flower crown for him.

"Unfortunately, you have no one to give you such things, Yoru."

Cypher

As much as Cypher loves to work, he can finish a few important tasks ahead of time so he can spend time with you.

When he sees that you have made a flower crown, he will sit next to you and begin to do it with you.

He's pretty good at doing this!

He finds every gift you make yourself very precious so he can wear the flower crown you put on his hat all day, provided you wear the crown he made.

Congratulations, you now have a matching accessory with him!

"You look pretty cute, darling. If you wear the crown all day, I won't take off mine too."

Omen

Omen usually does not approach the plants so as not to harm them unintentionally.

He still loved to watch you make a flower crown. But he didn't think you would give it to him.

If you can convince him that he won't harm the flowers, he will do it with you!

Since he knows how to knit, he can easily learn how to make a flower crown.

If you give him a flower crown that you made yourself and ask him to wear it on his head, he will be quite happy.

Still, he finds it surprising that you're giving him such a lively gift, as he sees himself as a terrifying creature.

"I didn't expect you to give me such a beautiful gift, thank you. Of course I can wear this."

He would be too happy to care what others think of him.

He is very careful not to damage the crown and constantly checks it.

Please give him more gifts like this, because no one else does.

Yoru

Yoru will make fun of you at first, just as he makes fun of Skye.

"Why do you keep playing with those bits of grass?"

Still, deep down he would wonder what you were trying to do and would watch you.

When you tried to make a crown of colorful flowers and put it on his head, he would try to run away from you, as if disgusted.

"Are you really going to put that grass in my hair and mess it up?"

If you try to leave him disappointed or angry, he will stop you from leaving and agree to take the crown.

Even though he didn't want to go to the others, he would spend the whole day with that crown on his head, so as not to upset you.

"Don't try to say a word about it, Phoenix, or I'll kill you."

Killjoy

Killjoy is surrounded by mechanical devices and technological gadgets all day, so she almost forgets what nature or flowers look like.

She'll probably notice you too late while you're busy making a flower crown.

When she finally decided to take a break, she saw you tying a few flowers together, but because you were so focused, she would quietly walk away so as not to be distract you.

She probably fell asleep somewhere while you were making the crown, so if you leave the flower crown on her desk while she sleeps, she can take it from there.

When she wakes up at a random time and sees the flower crown you made, it wouldn't be too hard for her to realize that you made it.

She would spend the day taking off her hat and carrying the flower crown you made on her head for that day.

She would be quite happy looking at herself in the mirror wearing the crown you made.

She would stop you at the first place she saw you, thank you and ask if it suits her.

"Hey hey (Y/N)! I didn't know you could make something so beautiful out of those flowers, especially I didn't expect you to give it to me. Thank you! By the way… does it look good on me?"

Neon

Neon didn't know who will you give that crown but when she saw that you made a crown out of flowers, the idea of ​​making a crown for you sounds good to her.

However, she didn't know how, so she had to ask Skye for help.

After a few tries, she and Skye somehow managed to make you a flower crown.

Due to her shyness, she will come to you quickly, trying not to be seen by others.

When she came to you with a flower crown in her hand, she was frozen for a while as both of you were faced with flower crowns in your hands, but she was finally able to hand you the crown.

"I... I thought it would look good on you. It's okay if you don't want to wear it."

The shy smile on her face when you took the crown she gave and put it on your head would be worth seeing.

Also, if you put the crown in your hand on her head, she will be very emotional.

"If you did it for someone else, you don't have to give it to me!"

As hard as it may be to convince you that you made the crown for her, once she is convinced she will overwhelm you with her love.

"You're the sweetest and most considerate person I've ever seen. No I'm not exaggerating, what about other people to me? After all, they're not considerate of me."

Jett

As soon as she saw you making a flower crown, she would drop everything and come to your side.

"Hey! Can I make one for you?"

Although she says this she doesn't know how to do a flower crown so you will have to teach her.

Although she tries to do what you say, she is not very good at handicrafts, so do not be surprised if she can't.

Still, by doing the best she could, she would have succeeded in giving you a flower crown.

She will be quite embarrassed if you give her a flower crown that you made yourself. She also leaves her hair free for that day only.

"The crown you made definitely looks better than the one I made."

Normally, Jett is the last person to say such a sentence. So if Jett said something like that, she probably thought you wouldn't like the crown she made.

PLEASE DON'T LET HER FEEL LIKE THIS BECAUSE SHE'S GOING INTO A VERY DEPRESSIVE MOOD! SHE'S NOT A JETT ANYMORE SHE'S A DEPRESSED YOUNG GIRL!

If you can convince her that you really like the crown she made, she will go back to normal pretty quickly.

"Hah, I already knew you liked it. After all, you can pretty much understand what's good, that's why we're together anyway!"

[folkloreguk]

French Class [6]

A/N: You guys might want to whack out your love song playlist for this one…I cried writing this BYE I'm posting this from my grave!!

genre: optional bias (m) x reader (f), fwb, f2l?, college!au, fuckboy!bias, nerd!reader, ANGST, smut

words: ~ 3.8 k

✽series masterlist✽

taglist (lmk if u wanna be added!): @lovely-ateez, @runaway-fics, @mainexiii, @awfullytiredbuthealing, @erikyoong, @etherealuv, @staysuki, @justcuz-ican, @yeostars, @hyuckthangs, @teenloves, @mexious18-blog, @sunghoonied, @mailobjaeyoon

couldn’t tag: @chorizoek

You: can I come over? I kind of need u

H/N: you need me huh…you’re lucky I’m home alone

It always starts differently. Some other question, or a subtle message of telling him you’re bored, or a flat-out confession of being horny. The ending is always the same. You, naked in his bed. You just had to get there, and things were easy when you were already on his dorm’s doorstep.

The moment he had opened the door, you had fistfuls of his hair between your fingers and attacked his mouth in a feverish kiss. He made a noise between a laugh and surprise but reacted quickly. His lips parted right away, letting you in, and you tasted mint from the chewing gum he liked so much.

“Let me- at least- close the door,” he mumbled. “Jeez, what’s gotten into you today?”

You stepped aside and mirrored his grin. He was acting surprised, but the way he instantly locked your lips after he had shut the door told you he was enjoying this as much as you were. You ran your hands down his torso and along the side of his thighs. His happy hum only poured oil into the fire, and you saw no reason as to why you should have kept your clothes on any longer. In minutes, in the middle of heated kisses and clumsy chuckles, your clothes were discarded, and you were left in your underwear. You stumbled into his bedroom in a tangle of arms and legs and heads barely pulling apart.

“Will you tell me about the date you had today or are we skipping over that part?” he asked, as he pushed you down by the shoulders onto his bed. You groaned a little, not even knowing where to start.

“Didn’t go well, huh?” he asked. Only a few nights ago you had consoled him after his failed date, now the roles were reversed.

“That’s one way to put it,” you said. He was climbing on top of you now, and the weight of him between your thighs still did the same things to you it had done the first time. There was one of his random playlists playing quietly from the speakers, but you were both too occupied to even consider switching the music off. You weren’t in the mood for a chat, not when he was biting and sucking bruises into your chest, pushing aside your bra just enough. But you knew he wasn’t going to let it go this easily.

“Tell me about it or I won’t take one more piece of clothing off your body,” he threatened. You shot him an are-you-serious-look while he only blinked at you innocently, like he was awaiting your response.

“Fine,” you groaned. “But hurry, now.”

“That’s my girl,” he said, before unclasping your bra and throwing it to the other side of the room. “Go ahead, I expect a story.”

You had rolled your eyes at him, but when he sucked on your nipple all of a sudden, and his tongue flicked over the sensitive bud ever so perfectly, your eyes moved to the back of your head involuntarily. And, before he could complain, you started to retell today’s events.

“Alright. First of all, he acted all gentleman-y. Pulling back my chair at the restaurant, letting me have a look at the menu first, letting me order first, asking me if I was okay with our seats because they were in the sunshine, or whether he should have requested we get a different in the shade table, blah, blah, blah.”

With the lewd noises he was making, kissing your chest and fumbling with your breasts, you almost wondered whether he was paying attention to you at all.

“I’m waiting for the plot twist,” he chuckled. “If he had been this great, you wouldn’t be in my bed right now, would you?” He was now on his way to your lower regions. Your breaths came out shaky when he gripped your hips with familiar fingertips and placed a few kisses there, right above the material of your underwear. Nonetheless, you had to continue your story.

“Oh, it’s coming,” you said. “Because I suspect, the only reason he was acting that way was to compensate. For the fact that he was an hour late.”

He stifled a laugh, and you slapped his head playfully. “It’s not funny! I stood outside that restaurant on a busy street like an idiot for an hour. During exam season!”

“I wonder, if studying is so special to you- ,” he said. He tugged on your underwear, and you barely cared about his words when you were already imagining his mouth on your pussy. “Why aren’t you at home right now, doing just that?”

“Too frustrated,” you groaned, spreading your legs, practically inviting him in. “You don’t get it. That was only the beginning of the date. It gets worse.”

“Oh, damn,” he laughed, and you were going to slap him again. Harder, this time. But his tongue kitten-licked over your clit and you didn’t dare interrupt him further.

“First of all, he turned out to be boring. An economics major. And look, I’m not generalizing, I’ve met some cool economics majors. But when I said I never really understood the whole thing with inflation and deflation, I wasn’t asking for him to explain it to me. I know what it means, I just meant to say money is the root of all evil,” you said, little moans slipping inbetween your sentences. He laughed whilst sipping on your clit. You couldn’t be mad at his laughing anymore. In fact, at the sound of his chuckles, your own lips curled into a smile, too. God, he was so good with his tongue.

“But turns out he loved money. Like it was the sole reason he was doing anything. When he showed me his gold watch I almost yawned,” you continued.

“Dating a rich guy can have its upsides too, though,” he said, but you knew he was joking. He was running the tips of his fingers over your core, and you whimpered at how badly you wanted him to put them inside of you. You loved watching him, loved feeling his hair tickle the side of your thighs and having his free hand laying on top of your hipbone. The familiarity of it all, his little habits, made your heart heavy, so full of emotion, all of a sudden. But you had to snap out of it.

“Not this guy. He kept saying these lowkey sexist things I won’t repeat now. It’ll only make me mad again. He was one of those who thought money would buy him a girlfriend. And I was really trying to see the good in him…only there was none,” you said.

“Alright, I’m starting to understand why you needed some cheering up,” he said. “Good thing you’re at the right place. I know just the thing.”

At this, he slid his digits into you. You hummed and dropped your head into the plush pillow. Slowly, you exhaled, happy you finally got to relax after being so upset. But of course, he had to interrupt. Again.

“Did I say you could stop? Was that the end of the story?” he said. How did he expect you to form a coherent sentence? He fingered you gently, but the slowness of it all only drove you crazier. You felt every tiny sensation, every new bit of you he touched.

“No,” you sulked. “Fuck, it feels so good.”

“Go on, then,” he encouraged you, grinning because he was proud of your reaction he had caused.

“Fuck- okay. He was super shitty to the waiter. I’m talking about criticizing everything. This man had the audacity to complain about the food. I’m not a food critic, but I swear the food was amazing, there was nothing to fault at all,” you said, and then whined when he switched from licking your clit to sucking it between his teeth. You knew he was doing this on purpose. To make speaking harder for you.

“Oh my god, H/N. Wait, let me finish this. Not only was he horrible to the waiter in person, but he also made fun of the waiter’s appearance behind his back. And all along he expected me to find him funny. I used to think he had a sense of humor but not after today. Blech.”

“At least you got a free dinner?” he said, and without awaiting your answer, went back to work. Your head was spinning in pleasure, and you could only laugh sarcastically at his suggestion.

“Yeah. And after that train wreck of a date, he really thought he’d get to stick his tongue down my throat,” you said.

“Did he at least ask permission?” asked the boy between your legs.

“Mhm…but I told him I don’t do that on the first date,” you said. “Safe to say there won’t be another date, though.”

He looked up now, laughing more than before. You grinned, mainly because the sight of him was so cute. He folded his hands on your belly and put his face down onto your skin to giggle. In no way could you be upset or urge him to keep giving you head. In fact, you had forgotten about all of that for a while, as he seemed to enjoy your misfortune a little too wildly. You should have been hungry, eager to have the half-naked boy inside of you. Yet, you laughed at the way his breaths tickled your stomach and when he finally made eye contact, it was a wholly different sort of hunger which overcame you. Instead of the heat he usually made you feel, it was a comfortable warmth that was in your chest. It reminded you of a bonfire or of drinking your favorite hot drink on a cool autumn day.

“I want to watch you come,” he said, casually. “Were you close?”

You were so lost in his trustworthy, dreamy eyes, you almost forgot to reply. Quickly, you nodded and hummed.

“I would have already come, had you not pestered me to tell you all the details of my date,” you said. The way his cheeks beamed when he smiled made you feel as if your insides were turning into mush.

“I’m sorry. I’m your friend, aren’t I allowed to ask how your day went?” he asked.

“Of course you are,” you said. The word ‘friend’ echoed off every wall in your head until you wished you could have deleted it from the dictionary.

“I’ll make sure it feels extra good now,” he said, kissing your stomach. You shivered as you watched his gentle lips move lower, to your hips and the insides of your thighs. The touch felt like butterfly wings on your skin, and the tardiness of it made you impatient. When his tongue came in contact with your clit again, you sucked in a breath of surprise.

He tried to start slowly, but then you gripped his hair tightly, and carefully pushed him further. It was something you did often, a way to tell him you wanted more without having to use words. After all this time, he understood perfectly. Your clit was between his lips and his tongue flicked over the sensitive bundle of nerves with just the right amount of pleasure. It felt incredible, creating a funny sensation in the pit of your stomach. His fingers grazed over your slit until you were whimpering and shifting your hips, trying to make him hurry.

One of his digits slid into you easily, curling against your sweet spot, and it hit you only now how much you had missed him between your legs since he had stopped a few minutes ago. It made you feel as though you were suddenly overwhelmed with all of him, but you were willing to let the heat crash over you if it meant you could be close to him.

“Am I making it up to you now?” he asked as he pulled away merely for a breath. “I’ll turn your day into a good one after all.”

In a different tone his words would have sounded like the exact thing one would have expected to hear from a fuckboy in the bedroom. He could have boasted and bragged endlessly about how great he was with his tongue and fingers – he would have been right – but he didn’t mean it like that. You could tell from the uprightness and the authenticity in his voice that he really was doing his best because he wanted to make you feel better and turn your day around. Because you were special to him. Or so you desperately hoped.

Your legs wrapped around his shoulders as if you were trapping him between your thighs. But he was right there, and he would gladly stay for so much longer, and to say it puzzled you was an understatement. The boy who belonged to everybody, who was known by all of the campus, was treating you like you were royalty, and not the other way around. You moaned, his name inevitably falling from your lips. He added another finger and the slightest stretch made you lose your mind for a split second.

“That guy could have never made you feel this good, could he?” he suddenly asked. Your initial response was a helpless whine. You had been so close, and his talking had interrupted the otherworldly bliss for a moment.

“No, never,” you then whimpered shortly. ‘No’ was such a tiny word. It could barely encapsule what you truly meant to say. Which was that it would have never even gotten that far. That other guys couldn’t even have you at all. They didn’t get their turn to try and beat him. Not as of lately, at least. That you didn’t so much as dare to think about sleeping with other guys. That even before you had gone on the date, you had known it wouldn’t lead to anything. No guy could let you develop an interest on him in the same way the boy between your legs had done it. No other would be able to kidnap your brain like that. H/N was always there. Even when it was only you and your sex toys, you would automatically pretend it was him getting you off. You were so far gone that it was embarrassing how long it had taken you to admit it to yourself. But it was a colossal thing to confess to him, and you would never do that. Rejection would hurt a billion times more than whatever it was you two had now.

Your heart was racing as you closed your eyes. You had been so lost in thought, it was wondrous you hadn’t fallen yet. But you were right on the edge, making your breaths come out like puffs and a string of moans and swears sound from your lips. He too had stopped talking, concentrating on the task at hand, and judging by the way your back arched he was doing one hell of a good job.

“Oh my god- “ you whimpered. “I’m so close, H/N.”

This time he didn’t reply, which was for the best. Only a few seconds passed until you started to quiver and whine beneath him. You were going to outer space behind your eyelids as your high rushed through you. Your fingers curled and tightened in his locks while your legs clenched around his head. He was quick to pull your thighs apart again, still not being finished. For long seconds you swam in pleasure, with nothing on your mind but bursting stars. He was heaven, knowing precisely how far he could take it until you were too sensitive to take any more.

When you were at that point, he finally pulled away and looked up at your crumpled form. There was a lazy smile playing in the corner of your lips and your vision was hazy after having had your eyes closed for a while. He climbed up your body until his chest was against yours so he could really look at you.

“I get all of this without ever having been on a single date with you? I’m so lucky,” he said. You only smiled at him, at a loss for words. What were you to say? The two of you were clearly past the awkward dating stage already.

“I’m lucky you let me come over all the time,” you said. “I would have expected the campus fuckboy to be busier. To not have an empty spot in his bed every night.”

“Ah, shut up,” he said. “I’d rather have you here than a girl I don’t know at all. Look, I’m really tired so I don’t know how this will go…but can I?” He was on his knees, a tent visible in his boxers. With a questioning look, he was tugging them down his legs now.

“Of course,” you said. As you watched him roll on a condom, your ears perked up. Did that song have to come on shuffle just now? The coziest, most romantic love song you adored so much? You knew if you looked him in the eyes you’d be done for. But there wasn’t anywhere else to look when he settled between your legs and held up his weight with his forearms. His eyes were deep enough for you to get lost within a second. Distracting yourself was impossible. The one last thing you could do was to reach between the two of you and guide his length into you.

The song’s chorus came on, you looked at him once again, and suddenly you were all his. You didn’t need to tell him so. He thrust gently, almost carefully, like he had never done it with you. Your heart hammered against your ribcage so vivaciously, you wondered whether it had turned autonomous and was now trying to jump out of your body, onto his skin and through it, so it could nestle next to his own heart.

Neither of you spoke. Yet, there had never been so much chemistry, such a heavy amount of uncommunicated emotions between the two of you. You were ready to hang on his every word, should he decide to speak up. In your head rampaged a billion sentiments you needed him to know, but there was no option to express them adequately. Perhaps there were simply no words in the English language to declare your feelings for him.

Small whimpers and moans left your lips only for him to hear. Sometimes he moved a little quicker, gifting you with the most perfect sounds he could make. And to know you were the cause for it sent you into overdrive. His mouth was right above yours. If you lifted your head slightly, you could have kissed his sweet, sweet lips. But you were so afraid. What would he think? You had never kissed him during sex. Not softly, like you wanted it so terribly.

Even worse, you craved so much more than that. You wanted to pull him in, envelope his mouth in your own, crawl over the edge of his lips and reside in his chest for safety. Because that’s what he was. Comfort. Reassurance. Home. How foolish you had been, pretending this little fling would lead to nothing more. You really had told yourself this would work. No feelings. Just fun. You couldn’t deny having fun with him. He was the best company you had ever known, and he had become your most precious friend quickly. It was as if you had only been waiting for the silly, flirty boy to sit across from you in the library and make weak advances towards you.

The love song tuned out slowly, replaced by something more sensual and sinful. In accordance with the new background noise, he gripped your hips a little meaner and went faster. You barely noticed how his breathing had sped up as he was getting closer to his orgasm. A trance had overcome you, transfixing you on his godlike features and how much it hurt to know you couldn’t call him yours. In your head you were made for each other. They always said to date your best friend, didn’t they? You could try to turn back time, go back to your first meeting place, at the party. See if things would turn out different. But you knew they wouldn’t. As much as your fear tried to suppress it – you would take the same path again, stumbling head-first into his arms and letting him into your life like a crashing wave of laughter and heart-crushing conversations.

Now you reflected in despair, how he had taken your heart in a storm, without having to try too hard. And worst of all, you were okay with it. Your heart was secure with him, you thought. The feelings yearned to be spoken out loud, but you couldn’t bring yourself to do it.

“You feel so good,” he said. “Always, so fucking good.”

He snapped his hips against yours, burying his cock deep inside of you and all you could muster was a hum of agreement. This is what you got for keeping him at arms-length from the beginning. Wasn’t it you who had challenged him to be friends and only that? Perhaps you would be okay, so long as no one else called him theirs either. You could go on like this, letting him use you for sexual relief and making him laugh when he needed it. Gladly, you would take the pain of not being allowed to love him with your whole being if it meant you could see him whenever you wanted. Exposing those silly emotions would wreck your friendship and you wouldn’t let it happen.

He grunted and only then, when he lowered his head into the crook of your neck and moaned your name, you realized he was reaching his high. Softly, you cradled his head in your hands, as if it was the last time you could hold him like this. When he put his forehead against yours, he had his eyes closed and his chest was moving steadier than before.

“You’re the best,” he whispered. “Stay the night?”

Should you have gone home, and missed him all night? Would you have regretted saying no while you curled up in bed with no Cheshire-cat-grin-boy to hold? Or were you to remain in his bed, and pray you would survive the torture of not speaking your mind? His skin radiated the most wonderful warmth and you wanted to trace his lips with your eyes until you fell asleep. That’s how quickly it was decided.

“Okay,” you answered.