#though it does sound a little cheesy now that I see it typed out but who knows

[mandasfandoms]

If anyone out there is a fan of both The Promised Neverland (manga) and Code Lyoko, I wanted to share an idea I had for a crossover fic that I'll never actually write.

Spoilers for both series.

So, first off for this idea to really work I'll have to change a few details in both series' canon.

For Code Lyoko, it would change the way the replikas work. Basically, the new idea is that the other supercomputers also have scanners and everything, and that when they are devirtualized from one of the Lyoko copies, they're devirtualized for real into that scanner connected to it, wherever that is. They're really there, they do not still have their Lyoko powers, they basically just teleported to a different location. No different than being devirtualized into their factory. So when they need to go back, they have to go to the scanner just as they would from Paris. Also, they have whatever they took with them into the scanner.

And for The Promised Neverland, it would need to change what year it takes place. I'm thinking this would be after the group reunites with Norman and is living at the hideout, but before Ray and Emma go to the Seven Walls. But also still somehow have it match with Code Lyoko, which took place in the mid 2000s.

So the actual fanfic idea is that the Lyoko Warriors, while trying to locate and destroy all the replikas, stumble upon one that's connected to a supercomputer somewhere in the demon world. Ulrich and Yumi are the ones who get devirtualized this time, and before they can find the supercomputer, they run into Ray and Emma. Both pairs think the other is an enemy at first, but once they actually talk, they quickly understand the situation.

They end up forming a mutually beneficial alliance - the Lyoko Warriors will help the kids escape the demon world through the supercomputer and get set up in the human world, and in exchange they will help fight X.A.N.A. Probably that would involve getting a few kids at a time into the virtual world, and they'd have to either build another skid or add more seats to the skid or something to transport them through the digital sea.

Also, maybe X.A.N.A. starts launching attacks in the demon world.

Also this idea would probably have to explore exactly how they plan to destroy the supercomputer AND get back to the scanners. I'm thinking a program that is on a timer that destroys everything but once they run the program, they only have so long to get back to the scanners before they get stranded, since there's nothing Jeremie could do on his end.

Anyway, I wanted to at least throw this idea out there if anyone is interested. Just because I thought someone might like the thought, if there's anyone else out there in both fandoms.

[impactedfates]

Letters Unsent - Genshin + HSR Boys x GN! Reader

★ Summary: After their death, you find a letter. A letter he wrote. A letter he wrote for you, a letter he wished he could’ve given to you personally. A letter describing his feelings.

☆ Characters Included (Separate): Diluc, Wriothesley, Cyno, Argenti, Jing Yuan + Gepard

★ Genre/Trope: Angst + Hurt/No Comfort

☆ Warnings: Major Character Death (Not the Readers)

★ Extra: Angst is fun, angst is nice :)) // Might make another part with different characters if this does well // Not fully proof read // Motivation came back cuz of sad tunes/hj

He said he'd be back, that it'll be quick. Despite your worry, you knew he was strong, so he'd be able to protect himself right? So you trusted him. Trusted him so much that when his co-worker showed up to your door with an expression you couldn't exactly read, you were confused. It was about him but...he was fine right? Then why were they telling you he had passed? The injuries he sustained was...to much for his body to handle? The healers couldn't help him? But...he said he'd be back...you were snapped out of your thoughts when they handed you a letter with your name on it. "I think he knew he wouldn't be able to make it...so...he wanted you to have this...even if he couldn't hear your answer"

"To My Dearest,

If I'd ever be lucky to even call you that. Although this isn't ideally how I wanted to do this. I believe I can only get these things on paper, it's much too difficult otherwise. I was never good with words so I hope this alternative is alright for you.

Ever since the day I first laid eyes on you, I knew you were different. Not in a bad way. It took me way too long to figure out the reason for this was due to the fact I loved you.

I loved seeing your smile.

Hearing your laugh.

Loved the small talk we had that would end up with me taking you home. You made me feel something I didn't think I would ever feel, and I'm unsure if I even deserve it.

If I even deserve you.

Whether or not you feel the same way, I hope we can stick together as long as time allows us.

Sincerely

Diluc."

"To Y/N

Hope you're doing well, life in Meropide is still as dull as ever. Well, unless you decide to visit, you really do light up the room when you come by don't you? Or maybe that's just for me.

Anyways, preferably I would be telling you this in person, but more work has piled up. That's also why our little tea sessions have to be put on hold for now. Don't worry, as soon as this all clears up and I investigate this one area, then we can go back to the usual.

I have this one blend I think you'd really like!

Anyways, enough beating around the bush.

I like you.

Like like you.

I love you.

So much.

I can't even begin to describe how much I love you, and even if I did I feel you'd be gagging at how cheesy I was being haha!

But really, I love you so much. I want to be with you, of course I understand if you don't feel the same. But Sigwinnie would have my head if I postponed this confession any longer.

I hope to see you again after my work.

Yours Truly

Wriothesley"

"Hello Y/N

I never thought I'd be writing this kind of letter in my free time. Unfortunately for me, it seems as though fate likes making things harder for me and whenever I want to even try to talk to you about this, it's much more difficult than it was when I practised in the mirror.

Or...

Well...

Practised to Tighnari.

We can ignore that for now though as I'm still trying to put this all together in words.

I would let you borrow my TCG set, you can use it as you please and I'd even let you touch my limited edition cards.

If that's not making any sense then how about a joke?

How does a fruit confess?

They say "Olive You"

.

.

.

Get it, because an olive is a type of fruit, and olive sounds like "I love"

.

.

.

I love you"

"My beloved rose

As much as I'd love to tell you all these words in person, my search for Idrila is still ongoing and I am unsure when I'll be able to see your beautiful face once again.

Ever since my eyes laid on your beauty, I thought I had found Idrila herself, but once I got to know you. Even if you weren't the Goddess, you could almost rival her.

The sparkle in your eyes.

The pretty little smile.

Your wonderful personality.

All those things you think are flaws? I love each and everyone of them. They are not flaws to me and it pains me knowing you think of yourself like that.

Once we meet again, I want to make sure you know how deserving you are of these words, how your 'flaws' aren't flaws and how much I love every bit of you.

Though I am aware I find many things worthy of praise. I want to let you know that you're different.

I don't just want to praise you, compliment you. I wish to love you, hold your hands and protect you with my life, no matter what it takes.

I love you so much, and if I could be so lucky to call you mine. Well, I think I'd be the happiest man alive.

I will return soon,

Signed

Argenti"

"Morning, Afternoon or Night

I'm not too sure when the Cloud Knight will give this to you, or when I'll give this to them. Whatever the case, I won't beat around the bush too much.

I love you.

Nothing could compare the feeling in my heart when I see you.

The smile that will never fade as long as you're there by my side.

You are just amazing. In all my years of living, never would I have thought to have met someone as perfect as you.

Even Fu Xuan herself can see just how enamoured I am for you, although for her. She's been using it as an advantage to do work.

'If you finish now you can see them quicker'

'How would they feel knowing that you're not working?'

'Stop dozing off or they won't come to see you ever again!'

I must admit, they all do work. Even if in hindsight, not only would I still see you even with work uncomplete, I'll see you plenty of times and more to come but I don't think you care all too much about my sleep.

But I digress.

I hope this letter finds you well, take as much time as you need to consider my words and think about your own feelings.

I'll be waiting where I always am.

Jing Yuan"

"Dear Y/N

Aeons this is embarrassing. But it would be even more embarrassing if Serval kept teasing me about this. I've been putting this off for so long, worried about how you'd react.

Your answer.

And if this would change your view on me...but you're not that kind of person. I know you're not. And after a bit of thinking, to save me from stumbling on my words. I decided to write a letter.

Serval should be the one giving this to you, so I hope she didn't say anything to you, I would nearly die of embarrassment if she did. Anyways!

So...I know it's probably not much hoping Serval wouldn't say something actually, knowing her, she gave it away with one sentence but...

I like you, a lot. More than you could ever know.

And I'm more than happy to talk to you about this in full once I'm back from my mission.

I can only pray you feel the same, but even if you don't.

I hope we stay friends.

Until next time,

Gepard"

WOOO FINALLY GOT THIS DONE AFTER FOREVER.

Sorry if any characters are OOC, I tried my best with writing what I think they'd write in a confession letter, but I hope you enjoyed this anyways!

[suusoh]

(pwp or something idk. just got horny in the tags of my last post about eddie not looking anywhere else but at his wife and only his wife while doing his husbandly duties.)

cw: female reader, sex, eddie's orbs, overuse of the word staring because I want you to start feeling annoyed and maim this man, slight yandere (maybe if you squint?) cheesy and unfunny frank valli reference at the end.

———

he's staring at you again.

Eyes fogged with a love sick haze in them at the absolute sight of you, his wife, all warm, soft, and pliant under him. You try to close your eyes from time to time, but even when you open them again— it just comes back to the first thing you see which is this man on top of you, mouth switching between grinning and gasping, and eyes wide open.

"...Eddie?"

He hums tenderly. "What is it, dear?"

"I-I.. can you just-"

It's so hard to talk when his hips don't stop moving despite his concern. The weight and absolute mass of him on top of you and grounding you into the bed with each thrust makes it all the more harder to think straight.

Thoughts on how to sound out your request begin to blur and buzz out with him fucking into you like this. In and out, in and out, inside of you. over and over again as he buries himself deep within your cunt. your pubic bone practically connecting with his, and sending sparks of heat inside your belly with each time he ruts himself into you.

"Just what? What does my darling wife want?" He starts searching your face for any indication or answer to complete it for you what you want him to do now. Still looking at you intensely.

Looking. He keeps looking. Which is, sort of the thing you wanted to point out in the first place.

"You're... o-oh- oh-"

"I...?" he acts as if he's not quite catching on. Pondering for a second with the sounds of your moans and wanton sighs, and the creaking of the worn out bed acting as background noise to aid his thinking.

"Oh! I'm doing a swell job is that it? Is that what you're trying to say, dearest?" he lets out a content loving sigh, and your breathe stutters as he picks up his pace. "You and your words never fail to make me blush, my love."

Another particularly good thrust has you arching your back, of which he's making sure his eyes connect with yours once more while you writhe and wiggle underneath. But your wriggling quickly eases from bodily pleasure, to slowly morphing into a sense of discomfort now.

Because he's staring at you.

Again.

Which should be good isn't it? Eye contact during sex is a sign after all of a good partner paying attention to your needs. And with someone like Eddie, him paying attention to your needs is the tiniest sliver of hope you cling onto to make sure his reason for keeping you alive is a bit more... cemented, substantial even. Gives you a little bit more reason (or delusion) to believe he'd be inclined to make this relationship, make you, last longer.

(Compared to the alternative route of him using your body for his own sick dispositions, and casually stringing you all up when he's done.)

Though you're sure that this is not the type of bedroom eye contact many normally wish for.

"Y-you... you're.." you try to murmur out again.

Not that you should talk about having anything normal with this man. You might as well find the solution to world hunger long before you find anything even remotely "normal" in this place.

It's not that you're expecting him to do things normally, but can't he... can't he just... do something else maybe?

Look anywhere but you for just a split second, maybe bury himself into your neck, or close his own eyes to focus on the feeling of his cock getting squeezed, or look at any other part of your body that could possibly entrance him; mouth, chest, stomach... hell, you could even hope that he tries to glance down at your clit? Maybe marvel at the sight of where the two of you connect, since that's all his fucked up baby fever mind thinks about anyways?

You'll take anything really, just one small thing to act as a reminder that you guys are indeed having... sex— and not engaging in some sort of impromptu staring contest out of nowhere.

Because his eyes are doing absolutely nothing but looking into your own and as they continue staring at you.

and staring at you...

and staring...

and staring...

and staring...

Jesus fucking christ you don't think he's even blinked in the past few seconds anymore.

You let out a mix of a whine and a groan, opting to shut your eyelids close and try to shield your face away from his unmoving eyeballs by trying to wiggle your hands free out of his grasp (him and his damn insistence to hold hands while making love as he calls it.).

"What is it my love? Must I pay you a penny for your thoughts perhaps?"

"You keep staring... "

You try to wiggle free again, inadvertently adding onto the delightful friction between your parts and his— to which he gets a small shiver of his own at the roll of your hips. A light laugh escapes him at your captivating and somewhat fruitless display. He finally gives reprieve to your brain's rising fear of being uncannily perceived at, and blinks.

"Ohhh, my darling."

He lets go of one of your hands so that he can cradle your face, tilting it so he can capture your mouth into a kiss. humming into your mouth, but the humming isn't just the usual sighs of pleasure, as you can pick up the movement of him saying some words.

He pulls apart from his half kissing-half speaking into your mouth, as he slowly begins to playfully laugh again.

"You can't blame a man for looking at his wife when she's like this; all breathless and beautiful, now can you? I sure can't!"

Said wife that he just knows for certain was sent down by god all-mighty himself into the 7th circle of hell named "mount massive asylums".

When Eddie sees you, he can't help but imagine your rotting carcass somewhere else. An alternate place where those filthy bastards could have gotten their hands on you, torn you limb from limb (if they didn't have the patience to pull your teeth and your eyes out first), then have their way with using your dead body as a urinal afterwards.

You must have been scared to not have your dear husband around to protect you from all the nasty violence around the asylum, weren't you darling?

No, no. No meed to fret now and get your panties in a twist! None of that here. Not when your dear ol' Eddie is here now.

You are very much alive and perfect, preserved by your own sheer dumb luck or maybe by fate itself to be kept alive long enough for him. Just him.

And under his care, your body is experiencing the furthest thing from excruciating physical pain right now, isn't it darling? Feels good, yes? To have your husband make love to you like the passionate man he is. Lest he's supposed to take in the sight of you rolling your eyes back and your legs hooking around his waist, pulling him in for more as something otherwise?

Oh goodness him... It's almost too good to be true.

And he really can't take his eyes off of you.

[orikiys]

✿ ✿ 〞my lips, your name

✰ pairings: ot8!skz x gn!reader

✰ genre: fluff, romance

✰ warnings: cheesy af that’s all ig

✰ word count: 863 words

✰ note: this was a short one idk where i got the motivation from but im back in town at least?? also tyy to axe’s ( @blue-jisungs ) sexy mind for coming up with cutie nn

౨₊ৎ chan

would definitely call you ‘love’ or ‘babe’ even if it’s the most basic ones, somehow with just his voice he makes it sound so much more special— the loving gaze with a little eyebrow raised as he would lean down to listen to you better.

whenever he would be having a bad day he would just wrap his arms around you and pull you closer to him while mumbling, “i missed you my love”

“you look so cute, babe” . “you’re perfect just as you are.you’re perfect for me, my love” . “meeting you was the best thing ever babe”

౨₊ৎ minho

i feel like he would call you ‘kitty’ but in an affectionate way. the words would roll out of his mouth by accident at first and he would be embarrassed by it, but a one-timer turns into hundreds and before he knows it that’s what he calls you. his sweetheart.

the words would slip out of his mouth like a habit, hard to drop. but it would sound so right just because it’s him.

“do you wanna cuddle with me kitty?” . “your hands are so soft kitty” . “is it time for you to head home? time flies so fast when i’m with you kitty”

౨₊ৎ changbin

he would mostly likely call you ‘darling’. the name would’ve first come when you two would be watching a movie and he sees the name, he would try to say it as well and the next few days in order to tease you he would constantly keep chanting it. later, this would turn into a very cute nickname.

along with that, at times he would also refer to you as ‘baby’. would squish your face to annoy you and then would pepper you with kisses, “you’re red in the face. are you perhaps blushing, baby?”

“you’re the prettiest. how did i get so lucky darling?” . “darling, you seem tired i’ll do the rest you should sit down” . “my surname looks so good with your name darling”

౨₊ৎ hyunjin

would 100% call you angel. just the sight of you smiling has him forgetting all the bad things that happen to him. your hands around him– around his torso, has him smiling to himself. you’re like his guardian. his lucky charm, his angel.

would randomly grab your hand and twirl you while you were cooking something and yell, “dance with me angel! we’re so meant to be.”

“your eyes, they remind me of the beautiful waters angel” . “is my angel angry with me? why is that?” “you look so tiny in my arms angel”

౨₊ৎ han

the type to call you by a hundred nicknames till he likes one and sticks to it. that one nickname would be ‘sweetheart’. it’s a really random nickname and even though it sounds kind of cringey, it’s become a couple thing now for the two of you. in return you would call him something like ‘my prince’

the word sounds like a series of melodic music that you could listen to forever. it would be so meaningful for you that if he uses any other nickname you would immediately frown.

“you look really cute sweetheart. keep the jacket” . “do you want to buy matching jewellery sweetheart?” . “why does everything remind me of you sweetheart?

౨₊ৎ felix

would most definitely call you ‘sunshine’. even though people believe him to be the sunshine which he is, he likes to call you ‘his sunshine’. you would be like his recharge, giving him courage and energy to do things. his biggest supporter.

the two of you are pretty affectionate with each other since the start. he would be cuddling you, his legs entangled with yours and your head on his arm when he would whisper, “i’d love to stay like this all day long sunshine.”

“how was your day sunshine?” . “i missed you so much, sunshine!” . “i got you your favourite. i hope you like it sunshine”

౨₊ৎ seungmin

definitely the type to call you ‘pretty’. it’s the way he can’t stop complimenting you till you have to practically hide your flushed face from him. he would giggle upon seeing your reaction and at the end of the day, the cycle would repeat.

“are my eyes deceiving me because i can’t believe a goddess is standing in front of me.” your no.1 fanboy! he loves you so much that he could go on for hours just listing down the times he found pretty.

“hey pretty lady” . “the world ugly doesn’t suit you pretty” . “good night my pretty girl”

౨₊ৎ jeongin

the type to call you ‘flower’ or ‘love’. when you asked him why, he would say that you’re his pretty little flower. like his rose you help him in blooming by using your love. and he loves you so very much.

the two of you would be walking down the streets when he would pull you by the waist upon seeing a bike, “you need to be more careful, flower”

“the moon is so pretty tonight. right my love?” . “my love, you worry too much. i’ll be fine, don't worry” . “if i could, i would bring the stars for you, all for you my love”

[artdcnaldson]

hi boo, as promised, my dodge mason thoughts :))) i was cooking up a storm lol (its very long, apologies)

dodge mason… the cowboy that you are. i need this man more than anything. something about that man just makes me wanna be a sweet innocent christian country girl lol. this is much more cheesy and cutesy than my previous submissions, he just makes my knees weak fr (but also i need him desperately)

im attaching this (hopefully it works) cuz its exactly how i picture him here

alright, picture me this, youve just moved with your dad to this nowhere town in texas. you know no one here, theres nothing to do, youve already graduated high school before the move. its just summer, in a strange place, full of strange people.

maybe youre kind of a farmers daughter type? youve moved onto a ranch, your dad is really into rodeos and he gets you your very own horse. but hell if you know how to ride a horse that big. youd only ever ridden ponies when you were little. its sweet of your dad though, at least now you have a friend to pass the time with.

on one particularly hot day your dad decides that you should go into town a grab a cool drink and enjoy some shade. you settle on the cute looking diner, very fitting for a town like this. if you happen to notice the cute boy behind the counter you dont say anything about it. just steal a couple glances at him, maybe blush a little pink when ordering your shirley temple with an extra cherry. (tihi)

if he notices how pretty your flowy little sundress hugs your waist or sits on top of your thighs while sitting in the booth, he doesnt say anything either. he simply makes a mental note to find out your name, he's sure youre new, he wouldve remembered you if youd gone to the school senior year.

some time later he meets your dad at one of his rodeos (competitions? idk, i am not a country girl yall). spots him in the crowd, sees his opportunity to find out your name. they get to chatting, your dads all too happy to talk about you, his pride and joy. he happens to mention that youre wanting to learn to ride your new horse. dodge happens to offer his assistance. how can he resist an opportunity like that? theres truly nothing he would love more than teach you how to ride... a horse, of course :)))

when your dad had told you hed found a cowboy to teach you how to ride, you had expected another one of your dads friends. already made peace with the fact that it would be slightly awkward but ultimately worth it. but then he shows up, the boy from the diner. a cowboy, huh? definitely not what you were expecting. but hes wearing the boots and the hat, he certainly looks the part. hopefully he can play it too. (also i need him to call me darling and tip his hat, i need to have it)

you try your best to get to know him while he's teaching you, but he's not big on answering questions, instead redirecting them back to you. he does laugh, a beautiful, intoxicating sound, when you make a joke about his name being very fitting. dodging all your questions. (legit giggling to myself rn) he tries to tell you about the town, but he doesnt know much more than you, except this weird game he's heard people are playing over the summer...

he asks a surprising amount of questions about your life, you had pegged him as the quiet, stoic type when you first saw him at the diner. but this charming cowboy whos teaching you how to bond with your horse - because apparently its important for her to trust you before you start riding her - is a totally different story. when you invite him in for some fresh lemonade, hes chatting away with your dad about rodeos and all the places nearby he needs to visit. it wasnt at all what you had expected from him.

he starts spending a lot of time around the farm, teaching you to ride your horse, your dad inviting him to come for dinner, or really any excuse he can find to drop by. hes totally enamoured with you, he even feels a little guilty about it. youre so innocent and pure-hearted, he really has no business flirting with you the way he is. hes sure you cant even tell most of the time, that same sweet smile on your lips every time he speaks. totally unaware of the way his gaze lingers, eyes wandering, glued to your ass when youre wearing those damned blue jeans.

it takes you a long time to learn how to ride your horse, but eventually you get good at it. the day you finally succeed at riding around the farm without his help, you both dread that it might be the last time he comes by. but the next time he shows up on a horse of his own. tells you that he wants to show you more of the area, he takes you around, you talk for hours. simply just enjoying each others company.

the time after that you're already waiting for him outside, that morning you had gotten up earlier than usual, just to spend extra time picking your outfit, styling your hair, blushing your cheeks. this continues for a while. your dad starts to notice, youre acting like a little schoolgirl around him. dodge can tell, hes basking in it, he loves it. his compliments become more frequent and more intentional.

eventually your dad insists on bringing you to one of the rodeos, youre hesitant, youd rather not end up trapped in a long conversation with one of his old friends. but when you realize that dodge will be there, competing, you immediately agree to go. youve never seen him in his element like that. you make sure to wear his favorite dress of yours and style your hair just the way he compliments it the most.

its not like youre together, but you want him to know that youre there for him. to see him. and oh he knows. the second he sees you, he knows. ugh he can barely contain himself. youre standing right there, dressed up just for him, watching him in awe as he hang on tight to the rowdy horse.

need him to come out all sweaty and running high on adrenaline. picking you up and spinning you around, his pretty little thing, all dressed up for him, special for him. i need him to be so caught up in the moment that he put his hat on your head, kissing your cheek. luckily your dad had left with some buddies, because everyone at the rodeo knows what it means to wear a cowboys hat, everyone but you. you dont realize that hes staking his claim on you, making it clear to anyone who looks at you that you're his. not that you would have minded that part if youd known.

i need someone to make comment/joke about the cowboy hat rule, and dodge teaching you to ride, to which you enthusiastically, but oh so very cluelessly, mention that yes, hes been trying teaching you for a while now. but that youre only just starting to it right, something about it all being in the hips. i need you to look up at him confused when he just drags you away, mumbling something about that guy being an ass and promising to explain later...

what the fuck do yall know about my man dodge mason. my man my man my man. i havent stopped thinking about him since that fancam... i need to be the innocent farmers daughter who gets corrupted by the handsome mysterious cowboy, such a clique, but i need it anyway!!!!!

-🐞

NEEDHIMNEEDHIMNEEDHIM

This is soooo so sweet too like :(( he’s literally the only thing that makes Carp bearable :((

Just thinking about like having your first kiss with him like maybe a cute little picnic you set up in a little clearing hidden away from prying eyes 🥺

It’s all innocent and sweet— you made little sandwiches, and cut up fruits, and made him a pie. Little glass bottles of lemonade. It’s all so sweet, like you’d copied it off of an old movie.

And you’re talking his ear off and he’s so fine with that— he’s more of a listener anyway. Besides, you look so pretty with your hair in braids, a little sundress, glowing from the sheen of sweat on your skin.

He interrupts you mid sentence with a kiss, nearly knocking his teeth into yours. Your eyes stay wide for a moment, but you melt into him like butter. Its so chaste and sweet, but you end up on his lap and his tongue is in your mouth and his hands are palming your ass 🥰

#needthat

[artful-aries]

Saying ‘I Love You’ For The First Time (Kaveh, Dottore, Kaeya)

Kaveh:

He is the type to say he loves you pretty early on. It won’t be too soon, but it will fall quickly and naturally from his mouth once your relationship reaches a comfortable point.

He just doesn’t see the need to hold back and worry over words. If he loves you now, why would he keep that fact to himself?

You’ll be doing something simple, like cooking him a nice meal, or simply reading a book by the window with the light illuminating you like a halo, and he will tell you he loves you without a second thought

If you’re flustered about it, Kaveh will be a little confused but laugh at the sight of your flushed cheeks

“What, is it that much of a surprise that I love someone as wonderful as you?”

After the first time he tells you he loves you, Kaveh will never stop saying it to you. You could simply breathe air in his presence and he’s going to tell you how he loves the sound you make when you inhale, how he likes to watch the rise and fall of your chest, how he wants nothing more than to feel your breath fan his skin

Despite how cheesy his words are, or how frequent he blurts them out, they never feel fake or annoying. He’s just got that certain charm that allows him to speak from the heart and not seem like a creep when he does it

Even though he manages to say he loves you with relative ease, he wouldn’t necessarily expect the same from you, at least not immediately. He understands the weight of the words, and only wants you to say them unless you truly mean them

Though if you keep him waiting a long time for him to hear you say you love him, he’s going to feel a little insecure about it. Is he not good enough for you to love? Kaveh would keep these insecurities bottled up, not wanting to pressure you to say you love him

When you do finally tell him you love him, it’s like the Archons themselves came all at once to bless him. Kaveh’s got the biggest, dumbest smile on his face once he registers what you’ve said. He can’t help but pick you up in his arms and press kisses over every inch of skin you’ll allow

Whether it’s the first time or the fiftieth time you’ve said you love him, his reaction is always the same. He’s genuinely touched that you feel the same way, even though it’s very obvious that you do

Dottore:

To get this man to admit his feelings in general is a feat on par with the Archons, let alone feelings of affection and love. Be prepared to say you love him long before he ever returns the favor

For the longest time, he sees himself as above such irrational feelings. Love is simply a mix of chemical reactions within the brain, one’s that can be studied, criticized, and altered should he desire to poke around in enough brains to delve into the subject

It’s not until you tell him that you love him as he works late at night in his laboratory that he begins to mull over the concept more

Dottore does enjoy spending time with you, he enjoys watching how you react to your environment, to the stresses of your life, to his mere presence when he enters a room. It’s all so fascinating to him, and he never wants to stop studying you. But does all of this qualify as the feeling of ‘love’?

You can take the Doctor out of the Akademiya, but you can’t take the Akademiya out of the Doctor. He is going to do extensive research on the idea of love, and how that affects the brain and other bodily functions. He even goes as far as asking some of the other Harbingers for data (Almost all of them vehemently refuse to be part of his experiments by any means)

Once he feels like a sufficient amount of data has been conducted, he concludes that what he feels towards you is close enough to hypothesize as love, although his experiences do not wholly match the data. Still, it is the only emotion that seems to best describe his complete and utter fascination with you

After all of this research and studying, actually saying the words to you almost seems lackluster.

Dottore waits for the next time you tell him you love him, and he casually says it back as though he has always responded this way

He pretends he doesn’t notice, but your look of utter disbelief has him absolutely captivated. Had he known saying he loved you would elicit such an entertaining reaction from you, he would have said the words sooner

He doesn’t exactly get more affectionate after he tells you he loves you, and he doesn’t seem to bat an eyelash when you tell him you love him; however, he does keep a log for how many times you tell him you love him over a set period of time, and he tries to match that frequency

It might come across as a little creepy, but in order to maintain this ‘love’, Dottore theorizes there should be an equal balance in this regard. If you fell out of love with him, observing you and your day to day life would become much harder

Kaeya:

This Casanova is not going to say he loves you very easily. Will he tell you he thinks you look like an angel? Of course. Will he flirt ceaselessly with you until you turn into a blushing mess around him? Without question. But saying he loves you? It’s a daunting task, even for the fearless Cavalry Captain

He’s got the burning desire to tell you he loves you at a decent point in the relationship, but when push comes to shove he always finds a way to chicken out of it

Part of him is terrified that you won’t feel the same, the other part of him is scared of what loving you truly means. Kaeya would be giving his heart to you with that confession, which gives you the power to break his heart, whether you intentionally do it or not

He takes the approach of completely avoiding the problem altogether, telling himself there is always tomorrow

It’s not until you say the words first that Kaeya realize he doesn’t have forever to sort out his feelings, that he has to get over his own fears and tell you what you deserve to know, or he might lose you forever

He will reciprocate saying he loves you right when you do it for the first time, so neither of you are left waiting on the other to respond.

Kaeya is quite frankly over the moon when you finally confess to him, but he will never tell you this. Even though he’s also admitting his love for you, he’s going to tease you relentlessly for confessing first

In reality, he’s only slightly upset that he didn’t get to confess to you first, but he will simply make up for it by never letting you go another day without him telling you he loves you at least once

If he’s in a flirty mood he can be a little dramatic about his love declarations, but more often than not he is soft and sincere when he says he loves you, making sure to whisper it in your ear so that only you can hear

[enweasley]

Restricted Section ; Finn Weasley x Sallow!Reader

AN: HII! So I haven't seen this being done much (or even at all but I barely looked) where people would write fanfics of their own characters in Hogwarts Legacy, so I decided to do so! Quick introduction to the character:

This is Finn Weasley; He's in Gryffindor and has a very loyal but mischievous personality. He's also pansexual! He LOVES herbology but he loves solving mysteries and exploring secrets even more - even if it's super dangerous. However, he will go to any extent to keep others out of danger (ironically). Finn can be really harsh to people if someone hurts him or the people he cares about. He's not perfect, though, he has some flaws. He does have a short temper and can say pretty horrible things without meaning to. He can also be quite reckless and finds it hard to accept other people's love and care, leading him to forget to keep himself from getting hurt.

That's all for now, but I'll probably add more to his story as time goes by!

(Please excuse any grammar mistakes, I'm trilingual and grammar from 3 languages can mix me up a lot C:)

--

Summary: The new student needs your help sneaking into the restricted section for something 'very important'. However, he doesn't expect you to cover for him when you get caught.

Warnings: Swearing, small panic attack, gets a little heated at the end. Kinda cheesy but we love that :)

Reader's gender is never specified!

--

"Excuse me! Y/n Sallow, right?" Interrupted from your game of wizard's chess alone, you turn around to be met with a pretty tall red-head. You couldn't help but think about how gorgeous he is, but you swallow your excitement.

"Yeah, that's me. You're the new kid aren't you?" You disenchant your chess game and give him your full attention. "I watched your duel with Sebastian in the Clock Tower, you're really good!"

Finn seems to flush at your compliment. During his short time starting in 5th year here in Hogwarts he's gotten plenty compliments on how he's been able to learn and execute spells so quickly, but for some reason your compliment had a special affect on him.

He chuckles lightly. "Thank you, I'm just trying to catch up quickly." He couldn't seem to keep his eyes from wandering over your features. "It's Finn, by the way. Finn Weasley."

"Oh, another Weasley! Well it's lovely to meet you! Did you need anything?" You ask politely.

Finn almost forgot why he was talking to you in the first place, but managed to remember before already humiliating himself in front of you. "Right, yes. This may sound quite forward, but Sebastian told me you're really good at sneaking around. Is there a chance you can help me sneak into the restricted section of the library tonight? I can't say why, but it's very important."

You were a bit surprised at his request, but kind of prideful that you were the first person he was led to for it. You smiled widely. "Of course! I'm surprised my brother didn't take you himself. Meet me at the grand staircase at 9. Don't be late!"

"Wait- Don't you wanna know more about why I need to sneak in?" He asked perplexed.

"Nope. I'll take any opportunity for sneaking around. Either way, you don't seem the type to burn down the castle or anything. Plus, you said you can't say why you need to sneak in."

He mentally facepalmed himself. How could he forget he just said that? Maybe he just wanted to talk to you longer. "I'll see you at 9!" You smile at him and walk away.

You take a long breath after turning away from him. Holy shit he's cute.

-

You're both crouched at the railing of the stairs looking down onto the central hall at exactly 9pm, analysing the prefects walking around and guarding the doors of the library.

"Okay," you whisper. "First of all, we need to go invisible. Have you learnt the disillusionment spell?"

Finn looks at you like a lost puppy, his head slightly titled. You almost had to tell him how cute he looked, but held back.

You pull your wand out and whisp it over your head and body. The wand leaves a blue trail of light before all there was left was your aura.

You continue whispering to the lost boy in front of you. "This is the disillusionment spell. It doesn't turn you completely invisible but it's better than being completely exposed."

You point to his hand holding his wand. "May I?" He nods hesitantly.

You slowly hold his fist clenching onto his wand and do the same movement you did on yourself over him. Finn could barely focus, the feeling of your soft hand on his summoning an army of butterflies in his stomach. You couldn't help but feel the same tingle in your stomach too.

Clearing your throat, you speak. "That's the movement for the spell. Just think of it and do the movement."

He did as you said, and suddenly you were both just two ghosts staring at each other's remains.

Finn chuckles enthusiastically. "This is awesome!" He whisper yells.

You laugh at his excitement, wishing you could see his freckled face through the spell.

"Okay, let's go. Stick close to me." You begin to sneak down the stairs, through the hall, and quickly side past the prefect turned away from the library door. You can feel Finn following closely behind.

After you both get into a safer corner of the library away from Madam Agnes's sights, you remove the spell off you.

"Here's the plan," you start. "You go get the key from Madam Agnes's desk draw over there, I'll distract her."

Finn nods. As you start to turn away, Finn grabs your arm gently and looks at you with his adorable puppy eyes.

"What if you get caught?" He sounds worried. You can't tell why he'd be worried about you, though.

You give him a cheeky smile. "Me? Get caught? You should worry about yourself, Weasley." He chuckles, shooing away the blush creeping into his cheeks after hearing you call him by his surname. "C'mon, let's go."

As you throw a book across the room, Finn conceals himself and scurries to grab the key. You quickly do the same and meet him at the entrance of the restricted section.

Exposing yourselves from the spell, you watch him unlock the gate before you walk in.

"YES!" Finn cheers, surprising you both with a tight hug. There's a pause before he realises what he's doing and slowly pulls away, taking his warmth away with him. "Sorry... Got excited."

You laugh sweetly at him. "I don't mind." He continues walking down the stairs of the forbidden room, but not before shooting you a relieved smirk.

"Lumos." You cast, making the eery room brighter and less intimidating.

As you squeeze between abandoned bookshelves and over piles of junk, you reach a collapsed set of armour. "Repai-" Finn begins to cast before a loud screech interrupts him.

Almost out of thin air, Peeves flies through the wall in front of you. He almost knocks you down, but Finn's quick reflexes catch you before you hit the ground. You find yourself wrapped in his arms, yours tightly around his neck.

"Shit, are you okay?" Finn asks you breathlessly, his worried eyes glaring into yours.

"Yeah yeah, I'm fine-" But once again you were interrupted by the same squeaky, loud voice of the poltergeist.

"I'M TELLING, I'M TELLING," Peeves squeals mockingly before flying straight upwards towards the main floor of the library.

Your heart squeezes into itself. You've never been caught before, why now? Your uncle is going to kill you if he finds out you were sneaking around the castle, and in the restricted section of all places.

You didn't realise your breath was quickening until you felt arms lowering you onto the floor and rough but warm hands palming each side of your neck.

"Hey, hey. You're alright, sweetheart. Take a breath." You hear Finn's soft voice whisper in your ear. A little voice was in your head screaming How do you expect me to breathe when you're making my heart beat even faster??

You breathe deeply before letting out a small chuckle. "I'm okay. I'm fine. Just go get whatever you need to get. I need to deal with Peeves before he gets us both in trouble."

Finn looks at you as if asking you if you're sure. You just nod and sprint after Peeves, the last thing you hear is a distant "Repairo" before making it back to the library.

"PEEVES YOU STUPID POLTERGEIST." You try catching him, forgetting he's a literal ghost as your arms flail right through him.

"Y/n Sallow." You jump at the voice of Madam Agnes behind you. You slowly turn around while Peeves chuckles menacingly at your head hung low in shame. "And to think I'd get a break from the Sallow siblings, you come running along. Wait until your uncle hears about this."

"No. No no no-" You get interrupted by her. "That's enough. You're a bright student, you should know better than to go sneaking around the restricted section especially after curfew."

"But Madam Agnes-"

"And Peeves here tells me you were with someone else." Peeves twirls and rolls around mid-air, celebrating your punishment. "Please tell me you were forced to come here by someone's hand instead of it being your own choice."

There's a pause. You could never snitch on Finn like that. You only just met him but you know better than to put his record at risk on his first week of school here. This was your own choice anyway, you weren't forced. Finn helped you down there, so you're gonna help him.

"No. I came here all alone." You said in a low but stern voice.

Madam Agnes sighs at your lie, but she knew how stubborn you and your brother were, so she let it slide.

"Detention after classes tomorrow. You're going to sort the books to their respective places until they're all done. It doesn't matter if it takes you all night." Your shoulders slump. "Peeves, escort her to her common room, please."

With a sigh from you and an evil chuckle from the poltergeist, you begin your walk to your common room. At least Finn's in the clear now.

Little did you know, Finn saw the whole thing from behind one of the shelves. He couldn't help but let a grateful smile reach his lips.

--

The next day, Finn runs to the library to find you after his classes. It's already dark out by the time he finishes his extra tasks and from talking to Professor Fig. He doesn't know why he's in such a hurry, but he won't let his confidence escape him just yet.

Once he's in, he find the library to be completely empty, not even Madam Agnes in sight. He hears distant curses and shuffling coming from the second floor and he can only assume the source being your complaining.

As he follows the sounds of frustrated mumbles, he finally finds you at the end of the second floor in a dark corner holding a bunch of books to shelf up. He smiles at the sight of you awkwardly balancing everything in your one hand and walks over to you, taking a pile of books from you.

"Need help there?" He looks at you with a teasing smirk.

You look at him with a grumpy face. "Oh haha, Weasley. I can handle this on my own, thank you very much." You snatch back the books he took from you, instant regret flooding your features as you immediately struggle to balance them.

Finn immediately takes them back from you and effortlessly holds them over his head, extending his arm upwards far from your reach.

"Hey- Hand those back, Weasley." You try hopping to reach the books he so graciously stole from you.

He chuckles at your efforts while you claw up his chest and shoulders, trying to tug down his arm. After a harsh tug, Finn loses balance of the books he's holding and he tries catching them but ends up stumbling forwards.

The books fall to the side as Finn catches himself on the bookshelf, trapping you between it and himself.

You lock eyes with him, your hands clutched tightly onto the thin material of his shirt over his chest. You're both breathing heavily, chests almost touching with every breath.

You can feel Finn hesitate as his hands slowly reach to cup the back of your neck, his thumb over your cheek. No matter how much you willed yourself to, your simply could not take your eyes off him.

"Thank you." He whispers. Your eyebrows furrow.

"For what?"

"For covering for me." His stare snapping between your eyes and lips. "I heard you in the library after we got caught."

"You mean after I caught got?" You tease.

Finn smirks at your remark, his hold on your neck squeezing for a second. "Whatever you say, sweetheart." The nickname melts into your ears and into the rushed beats of your heart.

"Hey, Finn?" The use of his first name makes the blood rush to his cheeks, his breath hitches.

"Yeah?"

"You dropped my books."

"Shut up." Finn lets out in a desperate breath before pulling you into him, his lips roughly but passionately meeting yours.

His other hand shifts from the side of your head to tangle into your hair, tugging it lightly. You let out a little whimper, but that's all it took for Finn to deepen the kiss even more, his tongue slightly grazing yours. Breaths were escaping through your noses, desperate for air but never desperate enough to separate from each other.

Your fingers weave through his long, soft ginger locks. Your other hand clutches desperately onto the collar of his shirt.

You both finally pull away from each other, your hands gliding down to rest on his chest.

"Fuck." Finn leans his forehead on yours, leaning in for another quick peck. His hazel eyes are glazed over, looking into yours like they hold the world. He slowly brushes a strand of your hair behind your hair, memorising your face as you memorise his.

"I was hoping you'd do that." You chuckle breathlessly. Finn laughs with you, his eyes holding nothing but love as they stare into yours. "Oh yeah?" You nod, your nose lightly touching his.

"Now help me with these books, Weasley. You're still responsible for my detention." You playfully push him away and start picking up the books he previously dropped.

"And I'd do it again as long as it ends like this every time." He smiles at you cheekily.

"Do it again and I'm telling Sebastian you used a love potion on me."

And with that he got to work helping you sort the books out.

[thydungeongal]

Hey! I've been sitting on an idea for a cheesy 90's tv show inspired campaign for years, convinced that I'd homebrew the perfect system for it myself... And I'm now ready to admit my hubris. Would you have any recs?

The core concept is Future Teens Escape from Space Juvie + a fun spooky conspiracy to investigate. I've thought abt using Eureka, but they seem to really want you to use pre built modules (which is not my plan at all) and i expect it would take at least a little adaptation to work for the silly-played-straight sci-fi i had in mind. I do like the idea of framing the player characters as investigators within the story though, and it seems like it'd be a fun choice in a lot of other ways.

Do you think it'd be worth square-pegging my campaign into Eureka's round hole, have i underestimated Eureka's versatility, or do you know of any systems that would be a better fit?

This sounds like a fantastic campaign idea! Now, I am not entirely sure it would work with Eureka as is: first of all, Eureka assumes a relatively contemporary setting and also carries some expectations of the setting being grounded in the sort of logic we can expect from our everyday environments, so getting it to work in a somewhat less serious sci-fi environment would require a bit of work.

Having said that, I also can't think of any other system that would fit this type of concept as is, so if investigative gameplay is what you're looking for I can't recommend Eureka enough, if only as a source of inspiration.

Also, to assuage your fears a bit: while the creators of Eureka are very opinionated about the use of premade modules it does not come from a place of "you should never create a custom mystery:" rather, the logic behind recommending premade modules is that planning a cohesive mystery takes a lot of effort and trying to improvise a mystery on the fly does not result in the type of experience the creators of Eureka want the game to produce. Eureka as a game is the type of game that feels there should always be one solution to a mystery and the gameplay is a test of the investigators' skills to see whether they can figure out that solution. So, provided you're willing to put in the effort to plan out the conspiracy/mystery you want the party to poke at as well as having a coherent set of leads and clues for getting to the bottom of things, you should not see Eureka's recommendation to use premade modules as discouraging.

I will also tag @anim-ttrpgs here because I feel they may also have more to contribute to this ask :)

[thana-topsy]

Ok I gotta come out and say it. I envy you. Like, to a painful extent. The amount of people you get interested in your characters, how you're incredibly skilled in both visual art AND writing, how readers your fics have. I absolutely adore your work, but seeing it fills me with so much envy it's honestly ridiculous.

Did you deal with similar feelings towards other creators when you started writing fic by any chance? If so, how did you deal with those feelings? I feel genuinely stuck feeling worthless about my fics. I'm not as verbose with my language despite over 10 years of writing under my belt and it seems as though my plots don't interest people as much either. So I feel like there's just nothing of worth about any of my work.

I know that this is a lot to dump on you, but I felt like I would burst keeping this all in. Much love to you and I hope you have a wonderful New Year!

Hey there my friend, I've been sitting with this all day trying to decide how I want to answer you. I genuinely appreciate your honesty, because I know this is a familiar feeling for a lot of people, myself included.

I remember when I first rejoined Tumblr in early 2019, desperately trying to find anyone to talk to about TES, I would look at all these blogs gettings asks about their OCs like they were little celebrities and feel envy and longing. Now, when these feelings start to bubble up, I force myself to take a break from sharing my work, be it art or writing, if only to remind myself why I'm creating it and who I'm creating it for: myself. I know it sounds cheesy, and I probably sound like a broken record, but genuinely I just do this because it's bursting out of my skull. But I won't lie and say the engagement and the support doesn't have a big impact on my motivation. I love sharing with people and getting an enthusiastic response.

I think something people might not realize, or maybe they just forget, is that I used to write a lot of smut. Like...a lot of smut. (I still do). Hahaha and it doesn't get a lot of comments or engagement, but it does draw a lot of eyes. Once my smut stories started taking on heavier plotlines, a comment I'd get a lot was "came for the porn, stayed for the plot." And I wasn't writing smut because I thought it would get me an audience, I was just horny LMAO. But it encouraged me to branch out and experiment with the types of stories I was telling.

Anyways, art is another big part of it, yes. But that also didn't get a lot of engagement in the beginning, and my skills were rusty as hell. I was getting maybe 15 notes on here, 30 likes on instagram. But that didn't really matter to me, I was just insane with inspiration. I'd reach out to people and ask to do art trades, got ghosted a lot, made some good friends, (some people who are still my good friends to this day!). But it took a lot of risks, and I made a lot of accidental enemies and learned a lot of hard lessons. But having visuals to go with the stories I'm writing is like advertisement in its own way. I'm just lucky enough to hyperfixate on this shit like it's my lifeblood. I've always obsessively drawn my favorite characters, ever since I was a wee bab. Long before social media was a factor or the words "content creator" even existed.

And I think that's what it all comes back to. Above all else, do what you do with unbridled joy. If someone else finds joy alongside you, all the better! Even if it's just one person. Take risks, make friends, make enemies, draw that blorbo unapologetically and with wild abandon. Love what you create, even when it's bad. Even when it makes you cringe years later, don't delete it. Even when people try to find every reason to hate what you do and who you are. Don't stop.

Every act of creation is bringing something into the world that didn't exist before you made it. And that alone gives it worth.

Happy New Year!

[fficway]

I love how you write Donnie!!! PLEASE GIVE US MORE!!!

Thank you so much! I originally had this idea for a Leo fic, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought it would work better for Donnie, so here you go!

Synopsis: One of Donnie's inventions ends up on a rampage and you have to think of a creative way to get Donnie to quiet down so that he doesn't reveal where you're hiding.

ROTTMNT Donnie x Reader insert. (No gender specified). Age is irrelevant in this fic and not specified so age them to the show or up, however fits you best.

[This is actually angst before the fluff. I don't usually write angst because I really don't enjoy it but I need more practice writing drama and resolution. It's not like dramatic life or death angst, just heart break before the resolution. I also re-wrote the ending a few times and still don't love it (I think it's a little rushed and cheesy lol) but I hope you all enjoy it at least!]

"Shut up, Donnie"

"Feast ye eyes, brethren, on my newest invention: the Pizza Maker 9000! Patent pending, state of the art, trademark, magnificent pizzas at the ready with a mere touch of a button, and voice activation!" Donnie pulled a cloth from atop of a new machine he had created. The light sparkled off of the neatly polished silver appliance. "Allow me to demonstrate-"

"What's the 9,000 for? Did you try to make 8,999 of these before this one?" Raph questioned from his seat on the couch with his brother's. Leo sitting at his side and Mikey leaning from behind over Raph's shoulder.

"No, the 9,000 stands for the 9,000 possible combinations of pizza this baby can make! Well technically it would be over 7.7 million!" Donnie emphasized proudly, "But 9000 sounded cooler. Now, allow me to-"

"But I thought I was the designated pizza chef!" Mikey whined, "You guys love my pizzas!"

"Yes, Angelo, we did. Up until your adventurous, for lack of a more insensitive word, endeavors you've been concocting lately." Donnie replied flatly.

"What's wrong with Pizza Milkshakes? We all love Pizza, and we all love Milkshakes! Obviously combining them would be delicious! And Pizza noodle soup! And pizza with brussel sprout toppings! And-" Mikey's argument was interrupted by Leo.*

"Everything! Everything is wrong with those combinations!" Mikey pouted at Leo's words.

"However, segway! This Patent Pending Donnie Tech Pizza Maker™ does make delicious pizza combinations!" He pressed a button to turn on the machine so that it would make a pizza in front of their eyes as he continued his speech. "With over 100 types of dough, 1,800 types of cheeses, 43 types of tomatoes, and an infinite possibility of toppings, gentleman, I give you: the perfect pizza." The machine finished with a *ding* and a pizza came out of the front.

"Uuuugh, Hawaiian? Ugh I knew I should have removed pineapple from the ingredients list!" Donnie rubbed his hand over his face in frustration as Leo and Raph laughed at him.

"Ahhh yes, the most rare of unlimited possible pizza combinations: the Hawaiian!" Leo howled with laughter.

"I could've made that." Mikey crossed his arms, still pouting.

"Alright, so it made a pizza that we could just order. But how does it taste?" Raph walked up to grab a slice.

"Oooor I could make it! We don't have to order one!" Mikey whined again, his arms flailing in frustration.

"Come and see for yourself. And by 'see' I mean 'taste' of course." Donnie stepped aside for Raph, confident in his invention. "Even though there is pineapple on that pizza, the cheese, sauce, and dough are all chosen to be the best possible combination to compliment the fruit topping."

Leo walked up as well to take a slice. Raph and Leo shrugged at each other with grins before biting into their slices. Hey, free pizza is free pizza!

Donnie and Mikey watched with held breaths for their reactions.

"O-ho-hoooo boy this is some good pizza!" Leo crumbled to his knees with the half eaten sliced raised to the sky as if he was worshiping it. Then he quickly finished off his slice and took two more in his hands.

Raph mumbled through a full mouth, "Great jub Dunnie! Now we'll nuver huve to ordur out again!"

"We haven't ordered out anymore anyway because I've already been making us delicious pizzas!" Mikey yelled in protest.

Donnie stood straighter with his hands proudly on his hips, "Relishing. And I am relishing. And I am still relishing." Mikey huffed at Donnie's smugness.

"Say," Leo paused in his pizza eating to take a breath when a thought occurred to him. "This isn't going to turn evil and attack us later like your other inventions is it?"

"Please, 'Nardo, you place such a ridiculous hypothesis upon me with very little statistics to support your claim." Donnie scoffed, his proud stance not wavering a bit.

"U-huh, yeah, because when have your inventions ever tried to get us killed." Leo rolled his eyes sarcastically to himself as he continued with another slice of pizza.

"Not including Albearto's, S.h.e.l.d.o.n, the defense bed-" Mikey mumbled, listing off a few on his three fingers before Donnie interrupted to correct him.

"The Personal Slumber Defensive Device did not try to kill us, it did exactly as programed and defended the sleeper, a.k.a. Pa-pa."

A noise from the entrance made everyone look over to see you and April entering the lair.

"Hey guys! What's going on?" April asked. It looked like you both had interrupted something.

"I smell pizza but don't see any! Did Raph and Mikey already scarf it down?" You asked half joking.

"No. I refuse to touch something so devoid of artistic flavor and love!" Mikey crossed his arms in a huff.

"Oh no. Mikey used big words like 'devoid.' That means he's upset." You looked at April.

"My guess? It's another one of Donnie's inventions." April looked from you to the three turtles gathered around the machine, solidifying her guess.

"It's the Patent Pending Donnie Tech Pizza Maker 9000™ AKA the PM9000™!" Donnie gestured dramatically to his shiny new machine that was currently making a second pizza of random order for an excited Leo and bouncing Raph.

"That's great! Another invention that will later try to kill us." You chuckled sarcastically.

"That's what I'm saying!" Leo agreed before stuffing his face with a fresh slice from the newest pizza, this one with olives.

"It will do no such thing! It is programmed only to concoct the highest of quality pizzas! Allow me to demonstrate since you guys missed it the first time!" Donnie rushed through the last sentence excited to show you and April his genius.

"Hmmm, I sure am hungry for a pizza!" Donnie annunciation his words clearly with a finger in the air in the center of the room. Everyone stared at him expectantly in silence as nothing happened. You and April shared an impassive glance. A light flashed from the Robot as it started up again, and everyone 'ooh-ed' as it spoke back.

"One Perfect Pizza™ at the ready." It's robotic voice sounded as a mechanical arm stretched out towards Donnie and reconstructed into a conveyor-belt. The third, and newest pizza arrived in front of Donnie, steaming hot. (The pizza too.)

"It will deliver your pizza to you anywhere in the Lair!" Donnie said proudly, taking a slice out of his own pizza now.

"Oh so it responds to us just talking about pizza? What if I say that I'm going to cook a pizza?" Mikey protested. The machine flashed again and a new conveyor-belt transformed in front of Mikey, a new pizza coming his way.

"One Perfect Pizza™ at the ready."

"Is it really going to say "trademark" every time?" April asked.

"Nuh-uh! No way! If you think I'm going to betray the years of hard work I've slaved away in the kitchen learning how to make my perfect pizza, you can think again baby! I'm the Pizza chef around here! It's either me, or another being with a heart that will be making the pizzas for us! A machine can't recreate the love that goes into cooking!" Mikey had slapped away the pizza and was now dramatically spieling. You started to realize that Mikey really was actually offended, and you felt bad for him. You know how much Mikey loves cooking, but you also know how much Donnie loves his inventions, and they both do their crafts as their own way to help their brothers out and do nice things for each other. This was complicated, and you knew this had to be settled between the turtles, so you watched on. Leo and Raph will surely step in if it gets out of hand.

"I don't know, this tastes like love to me!" Leo said between mouthfuls of pizza.

Ok... surely Raph will step in if it gets out of hand.

"Yeah, and Donnie's pizzas are cooked faster than yours Mikey, so I say for the Lair pizzas, Donnie's machine is best." Raph was already ordering a third pizza now.

Oh boy...

"Boom! Hahaha! Technology is the future of civilization, there is nothing that can beat it!" Donnie was proud that two of his brothers had liked his invention, and his words were insensitive to Mikey, however, and you winced. You're sure that he doesn't mean to rub it in Mikey's face-

"In you're face Michelangelo!" Donnie laughed while pointing.

-Ok, the universe is apparently going out of it's way to prove you wrong on everything today. You know Donnie doesn't mean to be mean to Mikey, he's just being immature right now. But honestly? This'll help you to convince yourself that he isn't perfect.

You've known the turtles for a while now, and had originally developed a crush on the intelligent and passionate Donatello. However your crush has recently begun to fade. Yeah, you could always just tell him how you feel, and take whatever answer he gives you. You could handle it (you think), and you're positive that Donnie wouldn't treat you differently just because of a one-sided crush. However, you decided there was no benefit in telling him regardless. The reason being was because of said one-sided crush.

You know that it's one sided because Donnie is very forward about himself. He's choosy on what emotions he shares with people, sure, but you've seen how he lights up when talking about his childhood idol and crush Atomic Lass, as well as when he fights villains like Cheery Tomato at Albearto's. He has a type and is not shy in his advances when faced with those caricatures, so you're certain that if he did have an interest in you, you would have noticed by now. Therefore, if confessing to him of a one-sided relationship would make no difference in your friendship, then not confessing to him would ultimately bring the same result, so you've concluded that keeping it to yourself and willing yourself to get over him is the best course of action.

This was a good opportunity to tell yourself "See? He's not perfect! He can have immature moments too! You can get over him!" But your heart chose to make excuses for him. Not to excuse his behavior at Mikey as ok, but to understand that he doesn't mean it that way. At any rate, you decided to step in to mediate now, and tried to stay impartial.

"Donnie, I think you've had the floor to talk about your invention long enough." You approached Mikey and put a hand on his shoulder. "I, for one, would love a home-made Mikey Pizza Special." You smiled at Mikey's gleeful expression. You told yourself that you weren't siding against Donnie as a selfish way to push away from him. This was fair! Donnie had two people on his side, so its only fair that Mikey gets one person on his team!

"One Perfect Pizza™ at the ready." The robot's voice sounded as a pizza was delivered in front of you. Mikey slapped it away again while pointing triumphantly at Donnie.

"At least someone here has a refined palate, knowing exactly who here is the better pizza maker!"

"What is your order?" The Pizza Maker responded to the words its named after.

"How could you choose Mikey over me?" Donnie was looking at you shocked and betrayed. You were sure that it was because of his pride in his inventions.

"I didn't choose anyone over-" You were interrupted by Mikey.

"Maybe because your not-so-perfect pizza machine is so-not-perfect enough to compete with me and my so-perfect artistry!" Mikey issued the challenge to Donnie.

"You're suggesting that art somehow bests science? Oh sweet 'Angelo, if it's a challenge you want, it's a challenge you shall receive!" Donnie and Mikey were quite literally butting heads.

"Somehow, I think I might have made this worse." You mumbled defeatedly.

---

It was decided that Mikey and Donnie('s invention) would go toe-to-toe in a pizza making contest. The judges being you, Splinter, and April. Leo and Raph were not allowed to intervene other than to host the event with a microphone and referee. Splinter and April were chosen as neutral third parties, but you were still unsure why you were a judge considering that you had only asked for Mikey's pizza. You didn't want to chose a better pizza. It was irrelevant! You just wanted a normal pizza made by Mikey to help him feel better. Yet somehow you were roped into not only being a judge, but your vote counted three times as much as Splinter and April's vote!

"Then why add other judges if your votes don't count?" You asked April on your walk back to April's apartment. You were going to be sleeping over at her place anyway, you both had just decided to stop by and see the boys on the way home (which you were now regretting.)

"I have some ideas in mind, but the short of it is? Because you intervened." April poked you with her joking response. She seemed to have some reason to find all of this funny. You on the other hand were dreading what was going to happen tomorrow.

The competition had been postponed to the following day as Donnie declared that he wanted to make some last minute upgrades on his tech. When Mikey had taunted that it was because Donnie knew that his machine would lose, Donnie had laughed off the remark, and replied with his own. Something about proving something and making things right again? You assumed that it was "proving Mikey wrong" and "making [the tech] right again." That's the only combinations that made sense to you.

After April and you had dinner (pizza was off the table since you'll most likely be getting your fill tomorrow), you settled in for the night after a movie.

April was on her phone a few times throughout the movie. You assumed she was texting Sunita.

"Uh, hey! I gotta step out for a quick sec! It'll only be a minute but feel free to crash if you get tired!" April kinda rushed to the door. You sat up, now anxious.

"What's going on? Is there trouble? Should I come too?" You questioned her.

"NO! Uh, no! The boys just had a mission alarm go off, but it's just a petty thief! No biggie! Only two of them are going to check it out, all of us aren't needed!" She waved her hand a few times to emphasize that it wasn't a big deal.

"Then why are you going?" You raised an eyebrow.

"Uhhh, be..cause it's at the new shop I work at! I gotta check it out as, you know, an employee and all! Psssh you know how it is!" She crossed her arms casually.

"You got a new job already? Where?" April's phone dinged as you spoke.

"Uh, I'll answer all of that when I get back! Gotta go!" She ran out of the door in a hurry, leaving you swimming with questions. You could see she was acting suspiciously, but you've had a lot of your assumptions proven wrong tonight so you decided to just drop it for now. You'll have her explain what's up tomorrow. Yawning, you settled down after a frankly exhausting day.

---

"There you guys are!" April panted catching up to Raph and Donnie.

"Alright, show me to the scene of the crime stat! I still have to finish my modifications before tomorrow's competition and I don't trust Mikey being back at the Lair so close to my tech without me." Donnie was looking around the empty street as he spoke, "Why did he and Leo get to stay home while I got dragged by Raph out of my lab? If the thief isn't that big of a deal then why not let Leo handle it?" Donnie's brain was still in overdrive since he had been freshly pulled from his lab.

"Donnie, there is no thief. We needed to talk to you and knew you wouldn't listen if you were still in your lab." April explained.

"What? Why? What is there to talk about? If you're going to convince me to go easy on Mikey I will have to decline! He will gain nothing from us going easy on him! And by "us" I do of course mean "me and my tech"." Donnie crossed his arms.

"Donnie, you know who this is about." Raph crossed his arms as well.

April had been the one Donnie confided in when he realized he had begun to have feelings for you so long ago, but out of fear that you would not reciprocate, he pushed those feelings way down. April had been the only one to notice and weasel it out of him. Raph, however, had overheard, and therefore was sworn to secrecy.

Which apparently did not include secrecy from Leo and Mikey because Raph told them within the hour. April, who Donnie had dubbed responsible for the entire "Donnie's Secret Crush in Now a Lair Known Fact " fiasco, agreed to do everything in Donnie's best interest when it came to you. Whether it be keeping you from finding out his feelings for you or helping him to get to spend more time with you. April had been frustrated for months because of Donnie's contradictions. He wanted to spend more time with you yet didn't want you ever finding out how he feels! So the long and short of it was, there would be no end to his ridiculous antics while pining after you.

Donnie had even gone as far as to create secret phrases and code words with April and his brother's so that he could communicate emergency protocols. There was no real use to this because Donnie kept flipping between code "help me get an opportunity for us to be alone," and code "abort! The truth must not be revealed!" And quite Franky, while his family found his rare moments of panicking endearing, they were getting quite sick of it.

So after the events that happened today, Leo, Raph, and April had decided to get Donnie out of the lab, away from his work, to give April the opportunity to convince Donnie to fess up to you. Since Mikey and Donnie are in the middle of a feud, Leo agreed to stay home with Mikey to give them the space Donnie needs to calm down and think rationally. And who knows? Mikey could've ended up using this as a way to rile up Donnie! Emotions were high between the brothers so it was best to play it safe.

"Dee, you saw how you acted today. You know that it's time." April tried to gently persuade Donnie. "You can't keep letting your emotions get the better of you and drag others into your situations. Especially not the person you've got such a crush on."

Donnie sighed. "I know but, but to choose Mikey over me like that! I just feel so frustrated! I can't say anything now! It'll look like an excuse, or a way to cheat the contest, or-"

"Just confess after the contest then." Raph suggested. "Regardless of who wins the pizza contest, it has nothing to do with you. Your feelings are-"

"It has everything to do with me!" Donnie sighed. "If my tech that can be upgraded and evolved beyond human, yokai, and mutant abilities isn't good enough, then how can I think that I am?"

An explosion from a couple blocks over interrupted April and Raph from the rare moment of Donnie being vulnerable and honest.

---

An explosion woke you up. You jumped up and scrambled to the window to look for what was going on. There was a light from the next block over that looked like it was the light of a large fire. You grabbed your weapon and ran down the fire escape to head to the scene.

As you approached you saw Mikey jumping around a couple roof tops. "Ohmigosh! Ohmigosh! Ohmigosh! Ohmigosh! Ohmigosh!" He sounded panicked.

"Mikey! You ok? Where's the others? Did the thief do this?" You had so many questions and Mikey shouted back a rushed answer.

"Thief? What thief? I mean- yeah! A thief totally stole Donnie's tech and messed with its wiring! We need to stop it!"

You got to the scene of the fire finally to see Donnie's Perfect Pizza Maker™ wreaking havoc, shooting flames all over the place and slicing through walls with giant pizza cutting saws and giant kitchen knives.

"How did a thief get to Donnie's tech if he was working on it? He wouldn't have taken his eyes off of it long enough to-" Mikey jumped down and cut you off.

"That doesn't matter now! We have to stop this thing before Donnie finds out!"

"What do you mean 'finds out?' Mikey, what did you do?!" You didn't get an answer as you both jumped in different directions to avoid the blades swinging down at you.

"I'll explain everything later! Just please don't be mad!" Mikey yelled from across a rooftop, jumping to dodge a fire blast.

"It's a little late for that!" You yelled back, ducking a blast from a pepperoni pistol that shot at your head. "Where are the others?"

"Raph and Donnie went out earlier! I don't know where they went!" Mikey attacked at a mechanical arm. "It was just Leo and me at the Lair!"

"Then where's Leo?" You were panting now. Between the yelling and fighting, you were having a hard time catching your breath.

"He's uh... a little tied up at the moment!" Mikey answered with a lower volume this time but you still heard him, and it was only then that you noticed Mikey fighting with only one nunchaku.

"Mikey, I swear, if I live through this you are in so much trouble!" You blocked another knife attack.

A few purple missiles shot past the building you were fighting on top of accompanied by a shout: "Phalange Sandwich!"

"Donnie! Up here!" You shouted down.

"No no no! We're ok! Nothing to see here!" Mikey shouted back.

"Is that, is that my PM9000?" Donnie asked when he jumped up onto the rooftops near you guys. The machine had been knocked through a parking lot and slammed into the mall. "But, how? I mean I know I wasn't finished with the upgrade, and sure I maybe went a little overboard with the modifications-"

"A little?" You shouted back to him as you ran towards the mall. The fight isn't over. Not until you made sure the tech was destroyed or shut down.

"Ok, maybe a little more than I should have but even in the midst of the upgrades it doesn't make sense for it to be going crazy like this!" Donnie, Mikey, and you landed inside of the mall to find a crater in the floor where the Pizza Maker had landed... yet no Pizza Maker in sight.

"Where did it go?" You asked aloud, looking around.

"What does it matter Donnie? You could add every upgrade under the sun and it still couldn't beat me and my pizzas!" Mikey apparently was still heated from earlier that day as he threw a quip at Donnie.

"Oh, I didn't need to add anything to beat you, I just wanted to make sure to not go easy on you. A growing boy needs his life lessons, Michael," Donnie sarcastically quipped back.

"Ugh, can both of you just drop it? We need to find the pizza-" You were interrupted by a red light shining down on all of you. Looking up you all started sweating at the sight of the undamaged Pizza Maker.

"Pizzaaaaa." It glitched out the word in an elongated, chilling robotic voice before lunging down at you three. All of you jumped out of the way, scrambling to defend against the mechanical arms that attacked with blades and flames.

"This way!" You yelled at the two turtles as you ducked and ran towards a store in the mall. The turtles batted away the mechanical arms and ran after you. You jumped and ducked down behind a counter, and the two joined you.

"Oh look Donnie! Another one of your inventions trying to kill us!" Mikey whisper shouted at Donnie.

"I know my engineering better than anyone! There's no way this could have happened!" Donnie retorted before a realization hit him, "Unless you messed with the circuitry! You did, didn't you!"

"You guys, now is not the time!" You hissed at them, watching as the machine scanned the store. It turned and started back towards the doors and you sighed in a relief that proved to only be temporary.

"You have no proof of that! What if I decided that my artistic squills and love was what was missing from your boring pizza maker?" Mikey crossed his arms.

"I knew it!" Donnie shouted as the counter you three were hiding behind exploded. You ran out with the turtles hot on your heels.

"How is it tracking us? It's scanners didn't notice us! Can it hear us?" You yelled back at Donnie.

"Of course! I created it to pick up key words like 'food,' 'pizza,' 'hungry,' and more! Even going as far as to include hearing the sounds of a rumbling tummy!" Donnie explained, still running, yet sounding proud of himself.

"Are you kidding me?" You shouted exasperated.

"See Donnie? This is your fault! If you wouldn't have tried to replace me as the pizza chef of the lair then none if this would have happened!" Mikey shouted.

"My fault? You're the one who messed with the Pizza Maker's circuitry and made him into this killing machine!" Donnie yelled back.

"Are you guys forgetting the part where this thing can hear you?!" You tried to shout over their bantering but a burst of flame hit the ground just behind you. Donnie turned around and blocked a blade with his tech bo before it reached you. You dodged just in time as another blade cut down at you.

Flames burst from one side as two blades cut from the other. The three of you dodged and parried the attacks. You were keeping up, but getting tired fast. These attacks were too quick and relentless! Finally, Mikey wrapped a chain around one of the metal arms and jerked it, pulling the Robot up into the air and throwing it across to crash into a store.

"Split up!" You shouted at the first opportunity. Mikey and Donnie are still too heated over the pizza thing to stop arguing or using the key words that the robot is drawn to. You're no strategist, nor their leader. The best thing to do was to split up and stall until backup arrived.

As you all took off in different directions, a metal arm with a blade on the end slammed down in front of the direction you were running, cutting off your route. You turned and ran the opposite way, being met with a wall of flames. Donnie slid to a stop. His battle shell transformed into jets and he quickly shot from one side of the hall to the other, picking you up in his arms as he zoomed past.

You both crashed and rolled into another shop. You rolled to a stop, but upon glancing back at the hall at the machine getting up, you pushed over Donnie to roll you both a few more times to hide behind yet another counter.

"I can't believe he messed with my tech's circuitry! That means he went into my lab too! Ugh! I thought we all learned from this after the incident with S.h.e.l.l.d.o.n!" You looked down to shush Donnie but blushed at noticing your position atop of him. He apparently hadn't noticed yet.

'Or if he did, then it probably doesn't phase him.' You thought sorely to yourself.

"Donnie, now's not the ti-"

"I knew it couldn't have been my programming! Oh! That's right! It's my programming! Maybe I can still hack his data-frame!" Donnie interrupted you, reaching for the screen on his forearm.

"No!" You slammed down his wrists so he couldn't reach the electronic cuff. The pizza maker entered the store. The last thing you need is a new way to lure it to your hiding place! "Donnie, the only thing you need to do now is be qu-"

"But if Mikey hasn't touched the mother chip processor, then I can still shut it down using my override protocol!" Donnie protested. The Pizza Maker started scanning the store as it grew closer.

"Donnie, it can hear-"

"I mean, that is a big 'if' considering he went as far as to ruin a perfect invention of mine!" Donnie kept going.

"Donnie don't-!"

"All over something as silly as piz-" Donnie didn't get to finish saying the key word.

Your lips were on his. You panicked! You had been holding down his arms to prevent him for reaching for his electronic cuff, and he wasn't listening to your attempts to shush him! You had to cover his mouth and you panicked!

You can't complain really. You've always wanted to do this. To kiss Donatello. Not in this way however, and you had hoped you'd be a couple by the time you'd kiss him at least, but if you're putting away your feelings for him anyway, at least you've gotten this chance.

His eyes were wide as he stared up at you for a moment of shock. Your eyes were squeezed shut. Your lips were so soft. It felt amazing! Being kissed wasn't at all as bad as he had feared it to be, being the over-thinking science man that he is. In fact, it was euphoric! He felt fireworks in his heart and butterflies dancing in his belly! He closed his eyes.

You stayed lip-locked with Donnie as you cracked open your eyes to look over towards the machine that was finishing its scan of the store and turning to leave. You startled when you felt Donnie's lips move against yours and snapped your eyes, wide with shock, back to his face. He was kissing you back!

You were so confused. Was it possible that he liked you back? You wanted to melt into the feeling of him kissing you back! You wanted to kiss him for real! But now wasn't the time for that. You looked back over to the pizza maker as it finally vanished around the corner.

You pushed off and away from Donnie and sat back in shock once there was a little bit of space between you, but you didn't go far enough to reveal yourself from behind the counter. Donnie raised up on his elbows, his eyes were half lidded and he had a silly half smile splayed across his lips.

"Did you just kiss me?" You asked. You didn't mean for it to sound so accusational. You were still panicked from all that just happened within this past 30 seconds. You tried to calm your beating heart.

"Correction. You kissed me!" Donnie sat up fully now, wearing his usual confident smile now, his eyes still half lidded as he looked at you. His heart beat was finally calming down and the full realization that you both had kissed was putting him on cloud nine

"But you weren't supposed to kiss me back!" You were anxious and in denial of what just happened. None of this made sense, and none of it was supposed to play out this way! Your face was still hot.

Donnie's smile faded. He began to look unsure of himself. "But, I thought that's how kissing worked? You put your lips on mine, and it wasn't in a life saving maneuver such as CPR so I assumed.."

You groaned in embarrassment, your hands coming up to cover your face. "Donnie, think about it! Why would I kiss you?"

At the look of hurt that crossed his face you immediately regretted your word choice. You meant it to mean "why would you kiss him now in not-so-suitable conditions like in the middle of hiding from a foe after shushing him constantly!" Not "why would you kiss him!"

"Oh.. Right. But of course." He stood up. "I'm.. sorry for the awkward assumption." He said 'sorry' and you winced. He rarely says sorry, but here in this context it made your heart break.

"Donnie, that's not what I meant, I swear!" You stood and reached for his arm, desperate to clear up this misunderstanding, but a new explosion went off, this one finally triggering the sprinkler system in the building.

You could see electricity crackling through the mall. You heard a loud "bang" and then cheers from outside. It seems like the others had arrived in time to take out the Robot.

You looked back at Donnie, the sprinklers making it as if you both were now in the rain. You couldn't see his face, but he wasn't standing as straight as usual. He shoulders were shrugged up a bit, and his hand around his tech bo looked tight. There's no way... he's upset? Because you retracted the kiss? Does that mean..?

"Donnie,-"

You didn't get a chance to talk to Donnie before Leo and the others were walking into the destroyed store you two were still in.

"There you guys are! You missed out on Donnie's invention trying to kill us again! Hmm, gee, I wonder who could have seen this coming?" Leo stopped talking when Raph gave him a rough nudge. Raph shrugged his head towards Donnie, and Leo notices Donnie's expression.

"Uh, I mean, Donnie! It's too bad about your awesome invention! Maybe, uh, you should make another one?" Leo tried to perk up the mood.

"Yeah! You still haven't gotten to do your contest remember? We can postpone it until you get the new one up and running! Right Mikey?" Raph turns to Mikey, who is looking really guilty now.

"Well, actually you guys," Mikey starts to confess, "I kinda... cheated. So I think the win should go to Donnie."

"No, don't worry about it." Donnie finally spoke up. He still didn't face anyone. "It's not important anymore."

You made eye contact with everyone as they turned to look at you at his words. You looked to April pleadingly.

"Dee?" April walked up and put her hand on his shoulder and looked at his face.

"I'm uh, going to head back first. My battle shell is water resistant, but, you know, it's uh, best to keep it dry." April had a slight surprise, then looked sad and backed up. Donnie's jets came out of his battle shell and lifted him out of the store through a hole in the roof.

Once he was gone the sprinklers finally shut off. Everyone looked at you. You immediately hugged April, tears in your your eyes.

"Woah, hey! It's ok! Calm down. Just tell us what happened?" April's hands were on your shoulders to pull you away from her enough to look at your face. The remaining brothers gathered around.

"Is he that upset about me messing with his tech? He usually gets angry. I didn't think he'd get... like this." Mikey looked down and his fidgeting hands, feeling guilty. Raph put a hand on his shoulder. The look on his face telling Mikey that it was ok, but he also should properly apologize to Donnie later.

"I think I messed up big" You told April, the tears in your eyes were threatening to fall now.

"It's ok. I'm sure it was a misunderstanding. Now you just have to fix it." April said with a soft tone. She looked at Leo.

"Way ahead of you." Leo put on a rare game face and sliced up a portal. You looked between him and April.

"What if I mess up again? Every time I've assumed one thing today, I've been proven wrong in the worst way." Today had been one bad choice after another for you. The fear of making it any worse was almost paralyzing.

"Then stop assuming and just communicate! Knowing Donnie, he'll want this patched up just as much as you do, m'kay? There's nothing to worry about." Leo smiled and stepped back towards Raph and Mikey.

April smiled at you, "I'm just a call away if you need me! We'll hang back a bit to give you both some space."

You looked around at them and gave a small smile. They were helping you to fix this. You have to take advantage of this opportunity. You took a deep breath and stepped through.

---

Donnie flew to the sewer entrance. He felt so heart broken. He didn't even get a chance to confess, which at this point sounded silly to have put the inevitable off for so long. Heck, even confessing and getting rejected the normal way would have been a lot less painful and humiliating than what just happened.

"Why would I kiss you?" He shrunk in on himself at the echo of your voice in his head. He pressed his hands to the sides of his head with a groan in an attempt to forget about it. He began his dissent into the sewer now, trying to ignore the broken record that played in his head.

Why did you kiss him? He wondered as he reached the bottom of the ladder. He played over the scenario in his head a few times. The realization finally hit him that it was simply to shut him up. Every time you had spoken during the entire fight it was to try to get him and Mikey to stop luring the robot over with the key words he had programmed the robot to pick up, and you had obviously been exhausted by  the fight. He had put you in danger repeatedly during the duration of the fight. What a cruel and even more humiliating realization to come to. He slapped his hand over his face, his eyes glued shut. Maybe if he did this long enough, he'd wake up in bed, all of this being nothing more than a bad dream.

Donnie ran his hand down his face and stopped walking when his fingers brushed his lips.

He could still feel the warmth from your own. He felt tears prick the corners of his eyes but squeezed his eyes tightly shut again in an attempt to keep them at bay.

"I really do have a type," he sighed out with a choked chuckle, "cute and... mean."

He took a deep breath, forcing his brain to do a mental reboot, closing the many open tabs about you in his brain, and continued to the entrance to the lair. He was sure that the others would already be back by now and wanted to at least appear normal until he can escape to the privacy of his room or lab. However when he walked into the lair he heard silence. Minus the muffled snores coming from Splinter's room.

Donnie sighed, grateful for the chance to slink away and shut himself inside his lab. He didn't feel like socializing. Much less talk about the events from tonight.

He disengaged his battle shell on his wall, put up his tech bo, and grabbed a couple tools to work on literally anything to distract himself. He sat down and rummaged through blue prints on his table. Nothing seemed to peak his interest. Not even the bust of himself.

He remembered that there was a simple yet time consuming experiment that he had been meaning to conduct for a while on some mystic material he bought in the Hidden City! That would be the best thing to use to shut himself away in his lab as it required a controlled chemical environment and could take up to a couple days, so he could have uninterrupted time to himself to process everything. He looked around for his notes and the main pieces for the project.

"Donnie?"

"Oxygen and Magnesium!" Donnie startled and turned around to find you standing in the doorway.

"Sorry! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I thought you could hear me walk in." You rubbed your arm awkwardly. Donnie was a ninja, the fact he was too distracted to notice you approach was probably a bad sign.

"No, I uh, hadn't." He turned back around and tried to keep his posture nonchalant as he continued gathering his notes, but his eyes squeezed shut in embarrassment. "So are the others back yet? Would you give this to Raph for me? I need to start on this experiment now and it's going to take me-"

"Donnie, can we talk?" Your voice sounded soft, almost meek. It cut Donnie off from his rambling excuses. He really didn't feel like talking about this right now. He wanted time to process it. To think out every possible conversational route with you and to pick the safest responses. He wanted to hide his embarrassment from you for just a little longer. He turned to give you another excuse and to dismiss you from his lab, but when he saw your face his resolution crumbled. Like a sandcastle to a wave.

Donnie collapsed into his seat. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry about tonight. I had gotten so frustrated at Mikey that I just kept going on and on and put you in danger, and I really should have stopped when you shushed me the first time. I realize now that it was all my fault."

"Woah, Donnie, nothing's your fault-" You started to cut in.

"No, but it is! The competition, making Mikey mad at me enough to tamper with my tech's circuitry, dragging you into this out of jealousy, putting you into danger, and the.. misunderstanding from you just trying to get me to stop luring the PM9000 with the key words." He looked down when he said the word "misunderstanding" and looked hurt.

"Jealousy?" You asked. You had heard him correctly, but now you were starting to become more sure about how Donnie feels about you. Actually sure. However you were going to take Leo's advice and communicate instead of jumping to assumptions again.

"I, yes," He sighed, embarrassed. "I really didn't mean to put you in an awkward position from you having to do what was necessary to get me to stop jeopardizing the mission and stop talking. I was just.. I don't know.. surprised. Well, surprised isn't the right word. In fact, that's a lie. I don't know, I was making things worse during that fight, and I feel like I'm making things worse now-"

"Donnie if you don't stop talking I'm going to kiss you again." You interrupted him before he started spiraling.

"I mean if I had-" Donnie short-circuited, his head snapping towards you with his face red. "What?"

You had gained a little confidence and were attempting to take advantage of it for as long as it lasted. Or until you both got everything out into the open. "Everything I did today went so wrong. I kept making one bad call after another, assuming that the situation was one way instead of communicating, and ended up hurting you because of my own bias against you."

"Bias? Against me?" Donnie looked hurt, but more-so confused.

"I..." you sighed, face red, and avoided his eyes. "I was trying to get over my feelings for you."

"What? 'Get over?' But- But that implies that you had feelings for me in the first place, that doesn't make sense! Since when? How long?"

"Dee, I've had feelings for you for over a year now." Your face was hot but it was time for this conversation. No matter which way it goes.

"What, but that.." His heart was beating so fast now and he could feel how hot his face was. "Then why did you say that earlier? Why did you ask why you'd ever kiss me?"

"Oh, Donnie, no, I didn't mean it like that! Honestly!" You finally had a chance to clear this up! "I asked that to have you realize that I was just trying to get you to be quiet so the robot wouldn't find us! I'm sorry Donnie, I really could have handled all of that a much better way. I should have! I really didn't mean it like that. I.. kissed you in that moment more from.. panic or impulse. Honestly I think I mostly did it because I just really wanted to." You couldn't meet his eyes admitting this.

"But, your actions contradict your words? You're saying that you're getting over me, but why?" He was confused, and you didn't blame him. You were one big contradiction tonight, acting selfishly then pushing him away and hurting him before he even can react to save yourself from the possibility of getting hurt.

"As for why I've been trying to get over you, I just didn't think you felt the same. You're just always so bold with your advances on your mascot crushes, and since you had never been so bold or forward like that with me, I just assumed.. You know, that you weren't interested." You looked away from him again awkwardly with a shrug. You were only barely sure now that he reciprocates your feelings by how he had been acting tonight, but you couldn't help but to still feel shy and insecure putting your feelings out in the open like this. Especially with everything that you were admitting to.

"Well, yeah. Sure I can be bold about my advances with mascot characters, it's just living out a fantasy! I don't know who's in those costumes, and they don't know me! They reject me and it's just a mutant turtle they're rejecting! But you.. you know me. If you were to reject me- I mean.. I couldn't be that bold or forward with you because you make me feel... I care too much about what you think, and therefore was too scared to find out." Donnie trailed off. "I just kept running from the risk of scaring you away and ruining what I already have with you by confessing my feelings for you." His heart was beating so fast now saying it all out loud. "I wanted to be selfish and.. cowardly."

"So you do have feelings for me?" You asked, hopeful. It was the question you've been dying to hear the answer to for so long.

"I do.. Have feelings for you that is." He clarified.

You both were staring at each other, blushing hard. Shy smiles started to appear on your faces.

"So, am I.. too late?" Donnie asked, uncertain, referring to your mention of trying to get over him.

You smiled, "Well I mean you aren't the only one who's acted selfishly, Dee." You confessed, "Like I said, I honestly could have let go of your hands to cover your mouth earlier."

Donnie raised an eyebrow at your comment, a smile sneaking onto his own face. "That's right. 'Impulse' you had said?"

"I mean, if I'm being honest here, it's not like it was the first time I have ever had an urge to kiss you." You tried to push on with the confidence you were feeling. Everything else was already out in the open, might as well ride the wave!

He was over the moon to hear this. Sure, you haven't answered his question directly yet, but he took this as a green light to test the waters. You had mentioned that you wanted bold and forward, flirty Donnie?

Noted.

"Not the first time, you say? Pray-tell, how often have you thought of kissing me?" He questioned back, causing you to blush. You felt butterflies at the confidence that started to overtake him. Just that was enough to make you feel all shy again? Hoo-boy.

"Hmm, it depends. Are you asking for the number of time from this past year? Or just the amount of times I've thought of kissing you during my futile attempt to get over you?" You questioned back.

He raised an eyebrow with a smirk. "'Futile,' huh?" He quoted back to you. He stood up and crossed his arms. "So you're saying that you've wanted to kiss me? Or rather, would it be more correct to use present tense: you want to kiss me?"

You were now embarrassed. You didn't want to humor his smugness with an answer.

But on second thought, maybe this is an opportunity you can take advantage of to see more of this side of Donnie.

You crossed over to him. "What if I say that is correct? I do want to kiss you?" Bold flirting isn't easy, but you couldn't miss this opportunity.

Donnie's smirk grew, his eyelids lowered as he looked at you approach. He pretended to think, "Hmmm, 'why would I kiss you?'" He smugly echoed your question from earlier that night back to you.

You grabbed his face in your hands, smiling at him, "Shut up, Donnie." You kissed him. Properly this time.

You felt his lips move against your own as his arms wrapped around you to keep you in place. You're not going anywhere this time. You both had apparently been taking turns to be selfish, so now it was his turn.

He leaned his weight against his desk behind him to prop himself up and lean you more into him. He'd never admit it, but his legs felt weak. If he had felt fireworks earlier, now he was feeling the stars. You were like a supernova, so bright and pulling him in. The idea of floating among nebulas paled in comparison of feeling you in his arms. When you moved one arm around his neck, he quickly placed one of his hands atop yours that was still on his face, keeping it there to relish in your touch a little longer.

When you broke apart, you didn't separate too far. He moved your hand to his lips to kiss your fingers, before moving it to his plastron. You could feel how fast his heart was beating. Or was that your own? You pecked his lips again, both of you smiling too much to give a proper kiss again. You leaned your forehead to his and you couldn't help but to giggle.

"Donnie, are you in here? Mikey wanted to- Oh! Oh, sorry guys! Uh, hold on! Let me just-" Raph had walked in and immediately shuffled awkwardly right back out of the room. He loudly cleared his throat before enunciating every word, "Donnie! Knock. Knock! May I come in?"

You and Donnie had already pulled apart when Raph had walked in but you still took a quick second to compose yourselves. Donnie's attempt to act natural was to examine his bust of himself while you pretended to hand him random tools... like a saw...? You were flustered, ok?

Donnie cleared his throat as well before calling back to Raph nonchalantly, "Yes, yes, come in!" Raph stiffly shuffled back into the threshold of the lab. He didn't know if it was appropriate to say anything about the development between you two. Should he congratulate you? Fist bump? Cheer?

No, that can wait until later when you both are ready to tell the family. After Raph tells Leo, Mikey, and April first of course.

"Mikey wanted to talk to you if, uh, you have a second. But no rush! In fact, take your time! I'll just be on my way now that I've relayed the message!" Raph pointed towards the living room as he squeezed back behind the wall as he started sneaking away. "You know, to let Mikey know that you'll come and talk to him!" Raph took off down the hallway.

"Oh no you don't loud mouth! Get back here!" Donnie yelled as he urgently chased after Raph.

You looked at your fingers that Donnie had kissed and moved them to touch your lips, blushing deeply. The sounds of the lair muffled around you as you relived the moment that had just happened between you and Donnie a little longer. You'll need to find more excuses for Donnie to be quiet in the future!

---fin---

*Reference to the 2012 TMNT series. (I like that all of the TMNT series reference each other so I wanted to do that too)

[stelacole]

Dating Jeff Clarke would include/headcanons :

- Jeff’s heart usually sped up, his body tensing when anyone reached out to touch him, even in the most casual way. Since his PTSD, he’d come to brace himself against closeness, anticipating discomfort or feeling trapped by even the gentlest of touches. But with you, it was different.

The first time you reached out to comfort him, he’d just come back from a particularly rough call, his shoulders visibly weighed down by the lingering strain. When you touched his arm gently, he felt himself relax against the warmth of your hand, almost against his will. There was something in your touch that softened the edges of his mind, the chaotic rush of memories and tension beginning to quiet. Without a second thought, he’d leaned in, instinctively pulling you closer, inhaling the familiar, soothing scent that he now associated with safety and peace.

In that embrace, he felt something he hadn’t felt in a long time—home. It wasn’t just physical comfort; it was like you’d reached past his defenses, making the world outside disappear for a moment. With you, Jeff felt safe, unburdened, and for once, fully himself. He found himself leaning into every embrace after that, holding on just a little longer, as if grounding himself in the warmth and calm only you could give him. You had become his anchor, the one person who could break down his walls just by being there, and whenever you wrapped your arms around him, he’d pull you even closer, feeling as if he’d finally found his way back to a place he belonged

- Jeff might not be the type to go all out with public displays of affection, but he more than makes up for it in the little ways he shows his love. Every morning, like clockwork, he sneaks a sweet note into your locker, something simple yet thoughtful—a little reminder that he’s thinking of you. The notes vary: sometimes a funny inside joke, sometimes a heartfelt “I love you,” or even a scribbled doodle that makes you laugh. Each one feels like it was written just for you, capturing something special about the two of you that only you’d understand.

He also loves sending you cute, sometimes downright cheesy text messages throughout the day. Whether he’s telling you he misses you or texting you something random that made him think of you, he finds ways to make you smile even from afar. And whenever he does pull you aside to tell you in person how much you mean to him, it’s as if the whole world fades away. Those moments feel private and sincere, reminding you of the depth of his love in a way that’s entirely unique to him.

Though he may keep things subtle in public, he’ll still wrap an arm around you or kiss your forehead if the moment feels right. In his quiet, thoughtful way, he’s always finding ways to show you just how much you mean to him, making you feel cherished in every note, text, and whispered “I love you.”

- When you tell Jeff that you’re pregnant, he freezes for a moment, taking in the news with wide eyes. You can see the shock shift into joy as it sinks in. A huge smile spreads across his face, and he pulls you close, holding you tightly, almost like he’s afraid to let go. This is something he’s dreamed of—becoming a dad—and now, the reality of it is overwhelming in the best possible way. He can hardly believe that he and you are starting this new chapter together.

From that day on, he can’t get enough of talking to the baby. Each night, he’ll gently rest his hand on your belly, whispering little stories and telling the baby how excited he is to meet them. He rubs your belly, too, especially if you’re feeling tired or achy, as if he wants to ease any discomfort. During the ultrasounds, he’s in awe, watching the screen with his hand tightly in yours, completely mesmerized by the tiny flicker of the baby’s heartbeat. When you both hear it for the first time, he’s overcome with emotion, his eyes welling up as he laughs softly, wiping away tears. The sound of that heartbeat brings everything to life for him, making it real in a way that words can’t capture.

To him, it’s not just a sound; it’s the beginning of something beautiful that he gets to experience with you. It’s clear that he’s already completely in love with this little life you’re creating together, and every heartbeat only makes his love for both of you grow deeper.

- Jeff takes every chance he can to surprise you, loving nothing more than seeing the pure joy in your smile when you stumble upon one of his little surprises. Whether it’s an early morning coffee with a sweet note waiting on the counter or a small gift hidden in your bag to find at work, he always finds a way to make you feel special. He’ll sometimes leave flowers in unexpected places—a single bloom in your car, or a little bouquet in your locker.

He even gets creative with it, like planning a quiet evening at home with your favorite movie queued up, snacks on hand, and soft lights to set the mood—all so you can unwind together. If he hears you talking about a place you want to go, he’ll make it happen, even if it’s just a surprise weekend picnic at your favorite park. These surprises are his way of saying he loves you without words, and he lights up every time he catches that look of delighted surprise on your face. Seeing you happy, especially knowing he’s the reason, fills him with a kind of joy he never knew he could feel.

- Jeff’s surprises are his love language, little moments of thoughtfulness that make your relationship feel like a steady, beautiful adventure. He’s always tuned in to the things you casually mention or the places you long to see, like he’s memorizing every little detail just to bring you joy. Every time you find one of his surprises—a handwritten note hidden in your jacket pocket, a single rose left on your doorstep, or that morning coffee with your favorite pastry waiting for you—it’s like receiving a part of his heart.

The evenings he plans at home are just as special. He knows exactly how to create the perfect, cozy atmosphere, lighting candles, arranging your favorite blanket just right, and preparing the best comfort foods for a night in. And when he catches that spark of happiness on your face, it’s as if nothing else matters to him in the world. Jeff truly finds a deep sense of fulfillment and happiness in making you feel cherished and safe. It’s not only his way of showing his love but also how he shares in the simple, profound joy of being together.

- Jeff’s love for you runs fiercely and deeply, so when it comes to your safety, there’s nothing he wouldn’t do. The instant he sees you in harm’s way, he’s like a storm—unbreakable, unshakeable, and absolutely protective. His first priority is always you: he rushes to your side, pulls you into his arms, and checks every part of you, whispering assurances that you’re safe now, that he’s here. Only when he’s certain you’re alright does he turn to the person responsible, making sure they understand the gravity of what they’ve done, his anger a rare and intense force.

When you’re hurt, even if it’s just a hospital stay, he can’t bear to leave your side. He’s there at every moment, holding your hand, soothing you, staying awake through the night just to make sure you’re okay. If you reach for him or ask him to lie beside you, he doesn’t hesitate, carefully climbing onto the hospital bed to hold you close, feeling your heartbeat as the reassurance he needs. The thought of a world without you terrifies him; to Jeff, you are his heart, his light, his everything. In his embrace, there’s a quiet promise: he’d move mountains to keep you safe, and he’ll never let go.

- With Lisa, Jeff had lived in a complicated, unfulfilling space. He tolerated the cheating and the distance between them because, in his broken state, he didn’t feel like he deserved anything better. She had been a fixture in his life, but not someone he could rely on. Trust was a distant memory, and yet, he stayed. In his darkest moments, he couldn't bring himself to walk away, because he felt alone and lost—too lost to make decisions that were good for him.

But when you came into his life, everything changed. Jeff didn’t know it at first, but the moment he saw you—especially the way other guys noticed you—he felt a wave of jealousy like he had never experienced before. It was a feeling he couldn’t ignore, not because of anything you did, but because it was new and raw. When he saw Kelly Severide, a close friend of yours, hug you, Jeff’s chest tightened, a mix of protectiveness and possessiveness taking over him. He didn't understand why he felt that way, but he did. And the jealousy? It burned. With Lisa, he had never felt anything like that; there was never a sense of real fear of losing her. But with you? It was different. He didn’t want to lose you to anyone, not even to a friend.

As you two grew closer and started dating, that jealousy stayed, simmering beneath the surface. But with time, Jeff came to trust you in ways he had never trusted anyone before. He saw your heart, your integrity, and he knew you would never betray him. He realized his feelings were rooted in how much he valued you, how much he needed you, and how deeply he had fallen in love with you.

While the jealousy would always be there to some extent—he was protective of you, and you meant the world to him—he had learned to control it. He trusted you completely, knowing that your love for him was unwavering. And as time went on, he didn’t just see you as someone he loved, but as his home, his peace, and the person who made his heart whole again.

- With Lisa, Jeff had always felt like an afterthought. His needs were secondary to hers, and no matter how much he gave or how much he tried, it was never enough. She wasn’t there when he returned from Iraq, struggling with the weight of PTSD. Instead of being the partner he needed, she was distant, cold, and emotionally unavailable. He needed her to be his support, to be his safe place to fall, but instead, she was wrapped up in her own world. When she cheated on him and left for her sister’s house, Jeff was left to pick up the pieces of himself while she started a new relationship, seemingly without any care for the trauma he was dealing with. The betrayal cut deep, and he felt abandoned when he needed love and care the most.

But with you, everything changed. You made him feel like he wasn’t alone in the world, like his feelings and struggles mattered just as much as yours. From the very beginning, you were there for him in ways Lisa never was. You didn’t just listen to him—you understood him. You didn’t shy away from his PTSD but offered your support, your patience, and most importantly, your love. You made him feel like he mattered, like he wasn’t just some broken person who had to suffer in silence.

Jeff never had to ask for your love or care; you gave it freely, with kindness and understanding. You saw him for who he was, not just as a man who had been through trauma, but as someone who deserved happiness, peace, and real connection. You showed him what it felt like to be loved in return.

Now, with you, Jeff feels like he finally has a relationship where both his needs and your needs are equally important. He doesn’t feel like he’s constantly giving without receiving—he feels valued, cared for, and loved. In turn, he makes sure to show you how much he appreciates you. He goes out of his way to do things for you, to make you feel as special and important as you make him feel. You’re the person he can rely on, the one who makes him believe that maybe, just maybe, he’s worthy of the love he’s always needed.

With you, Jeff knows what it’s like to be loved unconditionally, and he would do anything to show you that he feels the same way.

-  With you, Jeff’s world has shifted from the lonely, uncertain days he spent in the shadow of betrayal and emotional neglect. With Lisa, the wounds of abandonment and emotional isolation were constant, and his soul had become weary from constantly trying to fill a void that could never be filled. Every moment spent with her had been a struggle to be seen, to be heard, to matter. His emotional needs were pushed aside in favor of her own, and the deeper he fell into his trauma, the more distant she became. When she cheated, it wasn’t just a betrayal—it was the final confirmation that he had never truly been valued. The pain of her leaving for her sister’s house, to start a new relationship without a second thought to the pain he was living through, tore him apart.

But when you came into his life, everything shifted. From the very first moment, you showed him what real love was—a love built on understanding, compassion, and shared vulnerability. You didn’t look at him like he was broken or damaged; you saw him as a person deserving of care, respect, and love. You never shied away from the heavy parts of him, including the PTSD that had haunted him for so long. Instead of avoiding the tough conversations or turning a blind eye to his struggles, you were there—patient, steadfast, and ready to face whatever came your way together.

You didn’t just care for Jeff in ways that made him feel loved; you made him feel seen. When he needed someone to hold him after a nightmare or when the weight of his past became too heavy, you were there, offering him the comfort and reassurance he had never known. Your love was a refuge, a place where he could breathe and heal, and for the first time in a long time, he felt like he could be himself—flaws and all—without fear of being rejected or abandoned.

With you, he no longer feels like he’s giving everything without receiving anything in return. You’ve created a balance in their relationship, where both of you care for each other equally, both supporting each other’s dreams and fears. It’s not just the big gestures, but the quiet, everyday moments that show him how much you care. The way you listen to him, the way you hold him when he’s struggling, and the way you encourage him to be the best version of himself make him believe that he is worthy of love.

Now, Jeff doesn’t feel like the man who was discarded and forgotten in his past relationship. He feels like someone who is cared for, adored, and most importantly, needed. He will go out of his way to show you that same love, that same tenderness, because he now knows what it feels like to be truly loved. And he wants to make sure you always feel the same way—loved, cherished, and prioritized.

In your arms, Jeff has found the security he once longed for and the peace he thought he could never find. With you, he finally feels at home.

- With Lisa, Jeff’s attempts to cook were always met with indifference, and eventually, he stopped trying altogether. The effort he put into making meals was never appreciated, and it seemed like no matter what he did, it wasn’t good enough for her. The two of them ended up resorting to frozen meals and takeout, something that made Jeff resentful. He hated the lack of effort and the monotony of their meals, but he had long since given up trying to make it better. He felt like his efforts were invisible, like no matter how hard he tried, Lisa was never truly interested in the things that mattered to him.

But then, everything changed when you came into his life. The first time you cooked for him, Jeff was floored. You had put thought and care into making his favorite dish, and you even baked his favorite pie. It wasn’t just about the food—it was about the love and effort you had put into it. In that moment, Jeff realized you were different. You cared about him in ways that Lisa never did. You wanted to make him happy, and it wasn’t just about grand gestures, but the little things—like cooking him a meal that showed how much you valued him.

That moment sparked something inside Jeff. He realized that he could enjoy cooking again. For the first time, he felt the joy of making something with his own hands, knowing that it would make you smile. Cooking and baking became his way of showing you how much he loved you. Every time he made your favorite meal or baked a dessert you loved, it was his way of saying, "I care about you, and I want to make you happy." He found joy in the process of cooking for you, something he thought he had lost.

Jeff no longer saw cooking as a chore or a thankless task. It became a way for him to connect with you, to express his love, and to show you how much he appreciated everything you did for him. Whether it was a quiet evening at home with your favorite meal or a surprise breakfast on a lazy Sunday morning, Jeff made sure to put in the effort because he knew it made you happy.

In you, he found someone who valued the small things, someone who appreciated the effort he put in, and most importantly, someone who made him feel like his love and care mattered. And in turn, Jeff would do everything he could to make sure you always knew how much he loved you—not just through words, but through actions, especially in the kitchen.

[atths--twice]

Hello!! For the WIP ask game: Arcadia :)

Ohhhh this is a fun one I started a few years back.

It’s different from my other stories as it’s in first person present tense, and it will be solely from Scully’s perspective. We will see the in between moments we didn’t see on the show. Moving in, unpacking of sorts, how they handle the aspect of living together and dealing with one another that way, and get Scully’s thoughts about it all.

Now, I know not everyone loves first person, but I thought it would be fun to explore.

Because I know it will be awhile before I post this, I’m going to include two little snippets.

The first is from their arrival to the neighborhood.

The second is from a discussion they have in bed when Mulder comes back to the room, claiming that the couch had been uncomfortable the night before.

Hope you enjoy!

______________

February 24, 1999

I hear Mulder humming, and immediately I’m back to loathing this assignment, my recent feeling of being okay with it, although a little nervous, disappearing.

I’m trapped in a minivan with him, on our way to an undercover assignment, and the thought of running away as soon as I possibly can sounds like a fantastic plan.

He’s been humming “Here Comes the Bride” and “Chapel of Love” sporadically under his breath for the past couple of days, and it’s beginning to drive me insane. I’ve tried glaring at him, telling him to stop, and even threatened him with physical harm, and yet he has continued.

With a wink to me no less.

The bastard.

“Mulder, seriously,” I say with force, as I simultaneously scowl at him, hoping that will be what does the trick.

“Scully, we are going to be portraying ourselves as a happily married couple. I’m just trying to lay the groundwork for us. Get us in the mood, so to speak,” he explains with an innocent tone.

But I know him, and that aw shucks attitude of his isn’t going to stop me from wanting to smack that cheesy grin off of his face. I sigh and he smiles, obviously believing he has proven his point and won this battle.

Looking out the window, I sigh again as I think of spending days and nights with him pretending to be his happy little wife. I know he was not exactly thrilled with the assignment, but in the past couple of days that we have been here in San Diego, he seems to have gotten into the spirit of it.

At least the ‘annoy the shit out of your pretend wife’ spirit of it.

He’s called me honey more times than I can count and every one of my admonitions have fallen on deaf ears. Seeing how gleeful he is when he gets a rise out of me, I’ve seen a glimpse into my very near future.

I wonder if I would be hurt too terribly if I just jumped out of the car now.

_____________________

He looks at me and I stare back. He nods his head and then looks away. The room is silent again as we both contemplate what it would be like to have someone waiting at home for us while we lay in this bed, together, though not together.

“These rings, though,” he says with a tone of changing the subject. “Mine is fine, but is that ring something you would pick? It hardly seems like a Scully type ring to me.”

“God no,” I say in horror. “It’s a beautiful ring, but it’s not my taste at all. I would want something much more…”

“Simple,” we say simultaneously, and I look at him as he grins at me.

“We should go on the Newlywed Game,” he says, waggling his eyebrows. “We would make an absolute killing. We would beat all the other couples hands-down. I know my wife.”

I laugh and shake my head. “And yet, you were the one who picked out this ring for me to wear.“

“Hey, I did exactly what I was supposed to do. I picked out the most un-Scully like ring I could find,” he says defensively. “Because you’re not Scully, you’re Laura and that is exactly the type of ring that Laura would want.”

“Oh, so you know Laura pretty well?” I tease him and he nods vigorously. “So what else do I need to know about Laura?”

“Well, for starters, Laura likes to sleep in the nude.” He looks at me with a sly expression and I laugh again, shaking my head and raising my eyebrows.

“Keep dreaming, buddy,” I say to him, still laughing at where his mind would go immediately.

“I’m just letting you know in case you wanted to get into character,” he says by way of explanation.

“Mm-hmm.”

____________

I really am enjoying putting this one together. Yes, it’s been a few years, but… I think it will be good once it’s all done. ❤️

[phoenixyfriend]

*inquiringly* darthfett?

♡ Send me a ship and I’ll tell you

Oh, I'm so sorry for what this became. They are bad at the more traditional domestic cute shit.

Who accidentally pushes a door instead of pulling/vice versa Vader. He then uses the Force to make it open the wrong way anyway to save face and now the door is broken.

Who doodles little hearts all over the desk with their initials inside them ...ehhhh neither? If there was a very specific plot that involved like... mid-Imperial era (early twenties) Boba going back in time and seducing 19yo Anakin, then Anakin, but otherwise I don't think either of them. Anakin doesn't have anything to doodle on, because he's in a hell of a life situation, and Boba doesn't seem like a doodler to me... except for one specific case (further down).

Who starts the tickle fights Vader, using the Force, but he cannot be tickled back, because... [gestures at his life support] it would be unlikely but still possible to kill this man accidentally by tickling him into a breathing mishap.

Who starts the pillow fights Vader, trying to rediscover a sense of whimsy. It doesn't really work. Boba tries to pillow smack him back and it just kinda. Doesn't go anywhere. They are bad at this.

Who falls asleep last, watching the other with a small affectionate smile IDK about smiling but Vader falls asleep last, and he's definitely a 'watch you sleep because I Love You' type.

Who mistakes salt for sugar Boba. He's a shade absentminded sometimes, while Vader is hyperaware of everything if he cooks because it's been Twenty Fucking Years since he had real food or used a kitchen and he's triple-checking everything as a result.

Who lets the microwave play the loud beeping sound at 1am in the morning Boba, just to be a little shit.

Who comes up with cheesy pick up lines Vader. He is attempting to have a sense of humor. Sometimes Boba even laughs.

Who rearranges the bookshelf in alphabetical order Oh this one is 100% Vader. He sees Boba's shelves and gets Twitchy about it.

Who licks the spoon when they’re baking brownies Boba, because Vader really can't take his helmet off for something that unimportant.

Who buys candles for dinners even though there’s no special occasion Vader. He is drawing on the Old Memories Of Romance With Padme, and he got those ideas of romance from really cliche romance novels. Boba's just like 'alright, don't burn anything down I guess."

Who draws little tattoos on the other with a pen Boba leaving graffiti on Vader's armor as a powerplay against Imperial employees like 'yeah. he lets me do this. feel inadequate yet?' Very Smug Cat energy. (Yes, this is the exception to the doodling thing.)

Who comes home with a new souvenir magnet every time they go on vacation I think this one is also Boba, but Vader does it a few times specifically to stick the magnet on Boba and stare at him until he stops reaching to take it off. This is what you get for doodling o n his armor.

Who convinces the other to fill out those couple surveys in the back of magazines This is 100% Vader. Boba has no idea why his weird work frenemy he occasionally does Weird Romance Stuff with has decided to bring a teen girl magazine (where did he even GET that) to him for some quiz thing in the back.

[olderthannetfic]

ref this ask here about how people can be a little.... vitriolic about things they see as being out of character: 722140348853387264

Yeah people are just jerks, anon, and some of the hatred about people not writing characters 'right' has been a lot like anti behaviour, complete with harassment on AO3, and the people doing it don't think they're in the wrong. I left those servers fast, let me tell you. I hate some of the fics in my fandom and hate the way people see the characters. it makes me roll my eyes and bitch in a private group chat. I'm a hater, and I know it. I always have been.

But at the same time, these people are having fun. It does not matter at the end of the day. All I have to do is mute or block the authors so I don't see them on AO3, and go talk in a different channel when they're going on about the characters in a way I hate.

It's annoying. But if some 14 year old kid, a person writing on their break from a stressful job, a stay at home parents looking for escapism, whatever, wants to write a hundred cheesy AU's in ways you think are OOC good for them. Be annoyed, then go write what you want to see. As the anon above mentioned it's escapism. We don't get to decide how someone else uses fandom no matter how much it annoys us

I've been in fandom for decades, and no matter how long I'm here, I'm never going to understand why a stranger writing a fic or character in a way you don't warrants harassment, bullying, or cruelty. Grow up and bitch to friends like everyone else, or better yet, write the fic you want to see, or support authors you like.

When I was on maternity leave with my kids I wrote more than ever before. And with my first? I wrote a long, fluffy, coffee shop AU, as I was battling severe post-partum issues, and it brought me a level of joy and relaxation. I'm sure some people hated it and thought it was OOC, but it helped me stay sane. That sounds dramatic, but being able to type away at my silly little story when the rest of my thoughts were horrific? Helped more than I can say, and while I wouldn't want to write or read that fic or anything like it now, it was exactly what I needed at the time. With my second child I wrote a 300k dark fic with all the archive warnings. My third I wrote a long canon divergence that I worked incredibly hard to keep in character. But that first mat leave fic of a fluffy little coffee shop? Still my favourite, even if it's not perfectly in character by any means.

Writing fic is escapism. To the people who are annoyed by OOC fics? Hard same, even though I'm guilty of it myself. To the people who are actually angry about what someone else is doing with their free time and those who harass others? Get off the internet for awhile. You don't know why someone is writing something and, frankly, it's not your business.

--

[br4inr0tx]

Hc for dating Evan pls 😜😜

Yes indeedy. I hope we’re thinking about the same Evan, otherwise please specify a bit more next time. Enjoy. 🖤

tw - MASSIVE THANKSGIVING 2023 SPOILERS

Evan Fletcher…

• Evan is honestly quite full of himself..though even then he cares about people in his own special way. That being said, he’s a nice boyfriend to have if you want someone who’ll protect and stand up for you a lot, as well as just be the a best friend you never knew you needed.

• Evan is the type of guy to often give hugs from behind. Like, you’ll be doing something like putting your dishes away or something, and Evan will wrap his arms around your waist, pulling you close.

• He’s also very greedy with his kisses. He steals kisses a lot, all over the place. Neck, lips, cheek, forehead, etc.

• As you probably deduces by now, he’s really into PDA. If you’re not, it’s best to have a long conversation about it. The most you guys could probably come to as a compromise is hand holding and possibly hugs while the two of you depart for class.

• Evan isn’t all sweet though, and is definitely an asshole. He often teases you, and even sounds a little demeaning to you. Most often times he can go a little far with his jokes, so be sure to call him out if something really hurt.

• Even then, though this might sound cheesy, he’ll punch a fucker out if they mess with you. Him and his friends are the only ones allowed to mess around with you in his eyes.

• Evan is addicted to his phone as you know, and would often stop for selfies, sudden livestreams, and self blogs; so be prepared for that.

• Of course, as his lover you’d be posted a lot on his page. Hell, he might have a secret fan page run for you.

• He’s most definitely the type to send you "send this to your crush" videos.

• Yes, he’d send you random funny TikToks he saw at 3am lmao. He’s that kind of guy.

• Also, please remind his when he needs to focus on something. He gets distracted pretty easily. He might be a little pissy about it when you initially call him out, but he gets over it eventually and realizes he needed it. For that, he appreciates you.

• To apologize, he’d give you lots of love and compliments. You guys tend to go out on date nights, or just spend time hanging out with each other often.

• Being the athletic, muscular guy he is, I can definitely see him picking you up a lot. Mostly just for fun. If you genuinely need to be picked up you can definitely count on him.

• COME TO HIS GAMES PLEASE. He adores every second of it, especially if spots you in the stands. It literally makes his day more then anything.

• Now, when the Thanksgiving shinanigans starts to arise, he really doesn’t want you to get hurt. So, he asks you stay by his side more often in a protective boyfriend way.

• Even with that though, he still can get distracted or underestimate the looming danger everywhere. Please call him out, like you usually would.

• He does eventually come to the realization that he’s been an asshole, and will need your support to get him out of his crisis.

• If you picture yourself going through the Black Friday Massacre, then you can assume that Evan does what he can do to cheer you up. Though with such a touchy subject like that massacre, expect there to be times where he’s just like "Get over it 🤷♂️". Remember, he went through this too. Hell, he’s what caused this discord over it, and highly regrets it now.

• He’s a little bit of a hypocrite in that regard as well, as when cheering you up he fails to really realize that this hurts him too.

• Evan is a loving boyfriend, much like you’d expect from a goofy jock. There’s not much else to say on the matter I think lol.

[dereliction-if]

Hi Sai 👋

I'll be honest (kind of ashame for admitting it) my MCs are more like Self-sona of me 😅 what ? can't i imagine living in a fantasy world like everybody thought at least once ? Isekai you know lol

i get as close as possible from what i look like, with the few/multiple options i'm given + the Thaoraq features. For the personality, i take the choice close to what i could have probably answer IRL or decide to act like a badass/outspoken girl during some decisions all the while keeping a sweet personality most of the Time.

So yeah the main personality traits are : kind, polite and quiet/introvert (with some badass here and there)

In a world like Dereliction and with how much info i know, i think a sweet MC can be possible. Mainly in childhood with the parents who are lovely ones, but also with some of the ROs (i'll talk about them next paragraph) especially if they are close to MC or not seeking conflict with MC.

In order of romance :

Solas (because childhood Friend to lover is a sweet one and the most lavable RO in IF)

M!Jia (because puppy love is cute and a sweet MC could work well with him)

Darius (the romance just sound sweet to me)

M!Havu (i can fix him.. Nah just kidding. Because i believe a sweet MC could be a nice change in a certain way ?)

+ imagine the guilt/heartwrenching feeling after using/hurting MC (like Alex in his route with a sweet MC) 😏

I would like to know more about Serjan, he married a Thaoraq so his love life could be also some type of what if would possibly happen if MC dates Solas for example.

I would also like to know Gareth (buddy has a name but not a face or presentation)

More about the parents too specially the dad with all the bullshit he goes through as King's right arm.

Now to know in game or not, well it just depends of the information which will be share or given to me during our regular conspiracy theory share ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

-sarah

YOUR MC & some LORE!

Damn Sarah,

thanks for the insight! I loved reading your perspective.

I know it may still be hard to create a specific Mc with that little details you have, but yeah, self inserting is actually a way i find very fascinating. I think it offers a good opportunity to learn something about ourselves. So yeah I'll root for you and your Mc 😂🫶🏻

I think your Mc will def encounter some... challenging situations in this world, but also very heartwarming ones for sure.

Your choice of ROs will also allow you to discover a lot of lore hidden deep down in this world. People who just play one path or focus on spending time with just one character will risk missing out on some mysteries, drama, politics and more. So you have a good cut here!

Ah your uncle Serjan, yes...

Him and your aunt have a very fulfilled life. Yk all the cheesy fully in love thingy 💁🏻‍♀️ your uncle is absolutely smitten with your aunt. Her strong personality, unique sense of humour and overall cheerful demeanour is what had your uncle fall for her. Your uncle on the other side is rather reserved and observing, yet warm and soft to those he cares about.

He is the finest armourer in the country, his craftsmanship well-known beyond the kingdom. He primarily works for the king personally, as well as for his guards. Your aunt on the other hand is a scholar, specialized in history and politics, working at the court. They own a little house a bit away from the castle, in the middle of the city, halfway to the nearby forest.

🤔 what else? Their relationship to your parents is solid, warm, even though work doesn't allow to see each other too often, they make sure to visit as much as possible and on special occasions.

You and your parents live in another city / town...

Your father and the Lord have a good relationship overall. It's a respectful and loyal one. It's not always easy tho because while your father is his subordinate, he does not hold back with his opinion when he considers it to be the right thing. Luckily your father has the knowledge and experience to prove his point. So far so good, right ?

Oh Gareth... yeah, that boy works for your father. The best way to describe his position would be to call him your father's squire. And your babysitter lmao He is around 6 years older than you. And well, he actually likes you. Why? I don't know... you tell me! He's a confident boy unless he's in the presence of your father. He is always up to no good, has a lot of friends, who you'll also meet, and I would describe him an optimist.

Hope that was a bit of an insight for you 😁✌️