#unless i only liked it and forgot to go back later to reblog when i was available

[originalaccountname]

dying over the fact you keep seeing all my terribly drawn crack drawings (zaizai) I SWEAR I CAN ACTUALLY DRAW

I've seen your more polished art too!!!! I have a healthy diet of evermorethecrow art

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

my girl 5

Warnings: this fic will include elements, some dark, such as possible age gap, noncon/dubcon, and other untagged triggers. Please take this into account before proceeding. It is up to curate your online consumption safely.

Summary: your brother’s friend from work starts hanging out a lot more often. (short!reader)

Characters: Captain Syverson

Author’s Note: Please feel free to leave some feedback, reblog, and jump into my asks. I’m always happy to discuss with you and riff on idea. As always, you are cherished and adored! Stay safe, be kind, and treat yourself💜

Forty minutes pass. The pizza has to be cold by now and your stomach is growling for a slice. You give in and text Isaac. You rarely do that. He barely says much to your face as it is. Not unless he’s making a dumb joke. 

'Where r u dummy?' 

You hit send and set the phone down. He's always been the type to wander off. When he was a kid, you remember helping your mom trawl the block for him. He would disappear into his room and never come out, only to escape through the window to find some trouble elsewhere. 

He texts back a couple minutes later. You can hear Sy pacing on the porch. You've never been alone with him. In fact, you're rarely in the house by yourself this long. 

'Ryan wants to hit up Barons. Gonna be late.' 

Frig. Why would he do that? Especially knowing Sy was on his way. This is going to be even more awkward. 

You’re not sure how to handle this. Usually, your mom takes care of guests. She’s so good at it. You just stay in the background with your books and help where you can. You live more in your head than you do out loud. 

You take the pizza and put it in the oven to warm up. You can't waste his kindness on Isaac’s ignorance. You go to the front door and peek your head out. 

"So er Isaac isn't coming." You say. 

Sy stops short and faces you, "oh. But... you're all alone." 

"Yeah, but that's okay. You can stay for pizza. I put it in to reheat. I mean you went to all that trouble." 

"Oh," he looks disappointed. "Too bad. If ya don't mind, I'm starving." 

"Of course." You smile. 

You feel bad. He came all this way and your brother ditched him. Now he's stuck with you. 

“Sorry about Isaac. I guess it must be important.” 

“Nah, don’t be sorry for him. Don’t you make excuses for him either. He’s that way, isn’t he? Unreliable,” He tuts. 

“Right but... well, he tries, right?” You say. 

Sy grumbles, neither in confirmation or denial. Why would he keep your brother around if he wasn’t good at his job? He hardly seems like the type to stand for that. You don’t ask. It wouldn’t be appropriate. 

You go back inside and he follows not far behind. He appears in the dining room without his hat and boots. You bring out the pizza and put a slice on your plate. You ask how many he wants and you dish him up two. 

Before you can sit, you pause. You almost forgot. 

"One sec." You raise a finger and stand straight.  

You flit out without explanation. His confused expression stains your vision. Living so long in your head, sometimes you forget to put your thoughts into words. 

You go to the fridge and grab two of the strawberry sodas. You return to the table and hand him one. He thanks you an examines the label. 

He twists the cap off easily as you struggle with your own. You forgot an opener. The ridges bite into your palm. 

"Want some help?" He reaches across the table. 

"Sure." 

You hand it over and he uncaps it with a soft his from the bottle neck. He plunks it by your plate as you thank him. He offers a funny smile through his beard. 

You take a sip and he swigs. He hums and eyes the bottle again, "you're right. It's sweet." He sets it down and picks up a slice. "I like sweet." 

You nod and pick up the pizza. You nibble on the end as he takes a bigger bite. Where you make yourself small and unoffensive, he's large and unbothered. His eyes meet yours as once more your mind wanders to orcs and their burly figures. 

"It's nice. This. Uh, us. Um, what I mean is..." he stammers. "Not so bad without the rest, huh?" 

"No, it's not bad," you shrug and smile. 

"Did I say they're showing the trilogy down at the drive-in next month? Read it online." He says. You can tell he's just trying to fill the lull. You appreciate the effort. 

"That's cool." You say. You knew. Your mom was supposed to go with you. 

"Yeah, your brother wasn't so into it. Said he's busy." He scoffs. "Suppose I can make the truck bed up and drive down... lotsa room. If you're interested or something." 

You take another bite as you process. It takes too long to realise he’s asking you to go with him. You’re not as good at subtext in real life. 

“That would be really nice but you know, if you feel bad for me, you don’t have to go to all that trouble.” You chuckle nervously. 

“Feel bad? About what?” 

“I’m a bit of a loner. I know that. And my mom just left. I guess it would seem kind of... sad?” You say. 

“I don’t think your sad.” He brushes his hand over his head. “I think... I think you’re really smart and that.” 

“Because I read?” You wonder. 

“Guess so. I never read books like this before. I don’t read much, you know? But I thought...” His face pales and he folds his pizza in half and puts it down. “I dunno. Guess I was looking for new things to do. Don’t got much else, myself. Don’t think you’re the only one on their own.” 

He gulps and rubs his neck. He stands abruptly, startling you. 

“Think I said too much. I’m sorry. I ruined dinner and all that.” He reaches back to steady the chair before it can topple. 

“No, you didn’t...” you frown up at him. You didn’t mean to hurt his feelings. You really just didn’t want to be in the way. “Please. I didn’t mean anything. I was only letting you know, like, it’s not a big deal. It’s really nice of you to invite me.” 

“It was stupid.” 

“I don’t think so. Unless you do.” You force a smile. “I’d be really lonely eating dessert by myself, you know?” 

“Dessert?” He lifts a brow. 

“Oh sure. You ever tried Pocky? They’re kinda not much but I got a bunch of new flavours.” You offer. “But if you got to go, that’s fine too. You should take some of this with you. I can’t eat it all.” 

He looks down then at you again. His cheek ticks and he shakes out his hands. He makes himself sit and clears his throat. 

“I’m real sorry. I wasn’t meanin’ to act up. I just... I didn’t wanna be a problem.” He shifts in the seat. “I’ll stay.” 

“Not a problem. You brought dinner.” You say. Your mom would never let someone walk out like that. But you’re not your mom. You’re not a very good host at all. 

[rubyuji]

Restless (Lee Chan) ౨ৎ⋆˚｡⋆ ☕️

“OK enough, as far as I know, you know way more about me than I do about you. So, tell me about yourself?” 𓂃 ࣪˖

Genre: Fluff (this is just the sweetest thing ever, I can’t)

AU: Nonidol!au, College!au

Pairing: Dino x afab!reader

Warnings: none

Synopsis: After a week of traveling for school, Chan was ready to get home and crash onto his bed for the weekend. The problem? He was locked out for the night as his parents and younger brother had gone to visit their relatives on short notice, so he turned to his only option, you.

Note: Another recycled fic from my drafts that I never really finished ;; I’m popping out fics left and right atp but this one has a lack of proofreading and editing. Happy reading again guys, don’t forget to like + reblog!

Word Count: 2.8k

“Bye Ms Kim! Bye, everyone! It was so nice to be with you all in Japan, until our next competition. You all did well” Chan bowed toward his teachers and fellow students as he left the bus, bag slung over his shoulder.

Once he was on the pavement, Chan sighed and hastily walked into his building, ready to pass out on his bed. He clicks the elevator button to the floor he lives on while fidgeting with the new keychain he had bought as a souvenir. The ride was taking longer than usual for some reason.

When the elevator dinged, indicating that he had arrived, Chan eagerly stepped out and headed for the door of his family’s apartment. Instead of him being able to open it easily with the password, the lock buzzes and the sound causes Chan to frown in confusion. Did his family decide to change the house code while he was away?

As Chan was about to try one more time, his brother had texted him about how they had gone to see family and forgot he would arrive that day, adding that wouldn’t be back until the next morning.

Seeing this, Chan runs a hand through his hair and huffs. He was so ready to get the rest he badly needed until an idea came to mind.

Chan turns towards the apartment next to his family’s and grins, you were probably home, right? A girl who was his age, living independently next to his family, probably wouldn’t have many places to be, so he tried the last bit of his luck.

You hear your doorbell ring and wonder who would be at your door late into the evening. As per your paranoid self, you bring a knife to the door, being a girl and living alone with her cat wasn’t exactly the ideal situation to be in, especially at this hour.

You hesitantly peek into your peephole and your jaw falls slack as you struggle to open the door. What the hell was Chan doing at your doorstep? You thought his family would be at home like usual, the Lee family never really went anywhere and would often invite you over so this came as a surprise.

“Chan? That’s new, what brings you here?” You squint at the boy and he chuckles awkwardly, a hand scratching his cheek.

He had his backpack still on his back and a small stroller next to him, he looked like he had just come back from the airport. ‘Oh, I forgot he flew to Japan last week for a dance competition,’ you thought to yourself.

“My family forgot about me arriving today and left to go see my relatives without me, so uh, I had no other option? Unless you’re uncomfortable with me staying for a night, I can just call up one of my friends to let me crash at theirs” Chan cringed at his own words.

Seungkwan lived an hour outside the main city and Vernon lived in a one-bedroom apartment that barely had anything but a bed and a place for his pet iguana. Mingyu was at his sister’s place, and Soonyoung had gone with his family, the house already cramped enough with two grown kids and their parents. He genuinely had no other option.

“What? No, it’s fine. I’ve known you and your family since the day I moved in, it’s the least I can do since you guys have been nice to me. Now come in,” You moved aside so Chan could shuffle in, and in his head, he made a mental note to thank you later when he wasn’t as tired from the jet lag.

You helped him move his things into the guest room before getting him settled. He looked exhausted, and as much as your crush on the boy had started to take in how adorable he was, you couldn’t afford to scare him off when he seemed like he had no other place to go.

“You can use the shower, I have extra products for guests in the second drawer so you’re free to use that as you like. I was making dinner so you’re also welcome to join me in case you haven’t eaten yet. Make yourself at home,” You offered Chan a shy smile and the boy felt his heart skip a beat. Have you always been that pretty?

Chan snapped himself out of his daze and nodded before smiling back at you. “Thanks, I seriously owe you a lot for letting me stay the night. I’m sorry for coming up on short notice,” he says bashfully. You were very kind and the fact that you even offered him dinner was crazy enough as it is.

“Hey, it’s no biggie. I don’t have guests over that often so it’s nice to have someone around now and then. Call this our first unofficial sleepover if you will,” You laugh and Chan can’t help but feel flustered around you. You were so calm despite everything, it was almost impressive to him.

You put your hands together and excuse yourself, making Chan stand up and smile at you once more before you leave the room.

“Towels are in that cabinet under the desk, I think you already have the password here since it’s just my cat’s name in lowercase letters,” Chan once again nods as he watches your figure disappear into the rest of the apartment.

The silence welcomes Chan as he turns to observe every inch of the room. It was very minimal with a simple white desk, a few pictures on display, and two candles off to the side. A white double-door closet stood at the opposite end of the bed, a plant in a gray pot right next to it.

A part of the wall had postcards from places he assumed you had gone to, as well as some awards from your school. It was nice how the room still had a few elements of you in it despite it being a guest room, he would’ve never known that you had topped your class or that you had been to France.

Grabbing a towel from the cabinet and some clothes from his bag, Chan then made his way over to your bathroom. As he was passing the kitchen, he saw your back and got a whiff of whatever you were making for dinner. It smelled like meat and ramyeon, something he had missed dearly during his entire trip to Japan.

Chan enters the bathroom quietly to avoid distracting you and looks at how organized everything is, noting that the room itself is also well-lit.

‘Maybe I should take a selfie in here later,’ he thought while checking himself in the mirror, only to grimace at his appearance shortly after. He looked beat despite the flight only being three hours.

You hear the shower turn on from the outside and continue to finish up plating the food, your cat rubbing herself against you as you bend down to pet her.

“It’s a bit weird, but you don’t mind having him around right?” Luna meows as if saying ‘Not at all’ and you chuckle.

“Well Luna, you already know how much I talk about him and it’s no surprise,” you tell your cat in a whisper. The shower halts and you bring the food to the coffee table in front of your TV, turning Netflix on while waiting for Chan.

“Oh, no way! Ramyeon and meat? You made this for me?” You hear Chan say dramatically as he clutches his chest. The reaction causes you to laugh as the boy plops himself on the couch beside you.

Seeing Chan in your peripheral almost made you choke on your bowl because of how good he looked. He was wearing a white shirt and grey sweats, so simple yet he looked godly.

“Not for you but I made extra ok! Wash the dishes with me at least since you still are technically a guest,” you joke.

Chan hums without another word and that was when you choked on your food. Wow, it was that easy? You thought you were going crazy. He looks at you oddly and raises an eyebrow at you.

“Sorry, I was shocked at how you agreed so quickly,” Chan laughed at your words before taking in the last bit of food on his plate, collecting all the dishes once you leaned back on the couch and sighed in contentment.

“Y/n, you said you’d do the dishes with me!” Chan whined from the kitchen. After opening your eyes and huffing, you then make your way into the kitchen and see Chan’s back in front of the sink.

“I have a dishwasher by the way, we can just rinse these off and put them in,” you say as a matter of fact.

Chan turns toward you with a huff and watches you open the space beside him, seeing you put in the rest of the dishes and turning them on.

“Remind me never to do dishes over here ever again” Chan frowns, a pout set on his lips as you wipe your hands dry.

“I’m honestly way too bored to watch something right now, do you mind just chatting for a bit? I’m too full,” the two of you walk into the living room once again before the boy hums with a smile. You sit on the couch and throw a blanket over the two of you.

Chan shifts to make himself more comfortable, suddenly noticing a very obvious lump under the blanket that slowly starts making its way toward you. “Luna, what did I say about hiding under the blanket? You’re so naughty.”

Grabbing your cat from under the covers, you then put her on top of your lap, her blue eyes staring straight into Chan’s soul. “Does she always stare? Her eyes are very, blue. It’s like she’s staring straight through me” he says, and takes a closer look at your cat.

“Sorry about her, I haven’t had anyone over in weeks so Luna’s fascinated by a new presence at the house” You giggle while petting her. Chan feels his heart do flips, seeing you in your most natural state made him fall for you just a tad bit more if that was even possible.

“Anyway, where have you been? Your parents told me you were in Japan or something. How was it there?” You grin.

You had been to Japan quite a few times, from what Chan could tell. If he could vaguely remember, one of the postcards in your room said Osaka and Kyoto, even Kobe.

“Ah yeah, we had our most recent competition there, it was great. A lot of sightseeing and whatnot for the most, I wish I went outside of Tokyo but we couldn’t leave so I had to settle with just exploring the city,” Chan breathes out, recalling the memories he made with his friends Yeonjun and Changbin.

“That sounds so cool! I’ve been to Tokyo loads of times and honestly, city life is way too busy for me. I think visiting the more provincial areas is great if you want the feeling of peace.” Chan noticed a bit of a distant look in your eyes and wondered if you were thinking about your memories in Japan as well.

Luna suddenly meows and jumps onto Chan’s lap, causing the two of you to jolt up out of surprise. “Huh, she’s usually weary of everyone. This is a first for her,” you say with a soft smile.

Chan pets Luna with a soft smile on his face, the image making your heart flutter. It was impossible to contain your crush on the male any longer after everything that happened, hell, even your cat liked him as much as you did.

“Well, hi there Luna. You’re adorable and look just like your owner. Y/n, you legitimately like your cat, she’s like a mini clone of yours.” Your cheeks heat up at Chan’s stare, the male looking between you and the cat as his eyes linger a bit too long on you.

“OK enough, as far as I know, you know way more about me than I do about you. So, tell me about yourself?” Chan says after a minute of silence.

You jolt at his voice and look at him with an awkward smile. There wasn’t much to say about yourself if you were being honest, you couldn’t gauge anything interesting enough to tell the boy.

“I can’t think of anything, I’m a pretty boring person,” Chan frowns at your words. Boring? That didn’t seem right to him, there was probably more to you than you think, he just had to get it out of you somehow.

“Are you sure? Y/n, you’ve gone to Japan and a lot of other countries, judging from your guest bedroom alone, and I think that’s interesting enough as it is.” You blush at Chan’s words, this was the first time someone had ever asked about you, and you felt grateful towards him.

“Thank you, Chan, that’s honestly super sweet of you to say. I just traveled a lot from a young age since I was offered the opportunity to, but for now, I’m just taking a break from it all. Moving to different places in such a fast-paced environment becomes exhausting once you get older,” You play with your hands and recall every single place you’ve been to.

Traveling and moving was all you had ever known since early childhood, due to your parents moving around a lot because of their jobs and because they were always just super busy people in general. One day, you just got so used to all of it that settling down for the first time in college felt foreign to you.

“That’s honestly really cool, I’ve only ever known the practice room and the music so dancing is like my version of that. Now that I was offered the opportunity to travel, I didn’t realize it would be so overwhelming, especially as a first-timer.” Chan smiles comfortingly.

He truly admired you a lot. After getting a feel of what your life was like, before settling down into one place, he was intrigued by your way of life. How things worked after you had gotten used to it all, and how you coped with the amount of change you were faced with.

“I guess we still do have quite a lot to learn from each other then. You have a lot to tell me, and I think that’s very clear based on our current ordeal.” Chan laughs.

You shrug your shoulders and throw him a sheepish smile. No one had ever been curious about you, or how you lived your life, unlike how Chan did. It felt refreshing to be able to share your life experiences and what you had gone through with someone who listened.

Sure, you did have your friends who were also curious about you, and that's how your friendships even came to be, but Chan was different.

You always thought you’d only have a few chance encounters with the boy next door, but you never thought you’d have him sitting beside you on your couch as you go over your life with him.

“I never really got the chance to talk about my life as much, but you were willing to listen to me like it was nothing. If I continue yapping though, we’d take forever and I don’t want to keep you up any longer since you are still tired from your flight,” You say, and look at Chan beside you.

A pout stays on his face, but he had totally forgotten about the jet lag and how badly he wanted to just pass out after spending time with you.

Chan truly couldn’t get enough of you, and he starts to feel a crush blooming in his chest, not like he had one already, he just never acted on his feelings towards you.

“Don’t be like that, I live next door so you’re technically welcome to come over anytime. Now go on, I’ll let you rest up. I’ll be in my room if you need me ok? Goodnight Chan,” You tilt your head a bit as you greet him goodnight, and Chan swears he felt his heart melt right at that very moment. It didn't help that your adorable cat was rubbed up against your leg too.

“I will, thanks again for letting me stay Y/n. Goodnight, sleep well,” Chan breathes out a breath he didn't even know he was holding. You grin and turn in the direction of your room, Luna following closely behind you.

Chan was restless when he came but with your presence alone, it seems like he could stay up for a whole week if he could.

© rubyuji 2024’ -. no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any manner without the permission from the publisher.

[saintarmand]

gonna post some screenshots from a particular user in the vampterview community and the users liking their garbage posts, just in case some of you haven't heard. should become obvious why i'm highly suspicious of anyone who interacts with any of these users.

please just read the posts. sorry i'm not providing image descriptions, please dm me if you need them and i'll add them when i can!

the first post is just one example one of many on this blog, the second one might seem innocuous if you see it on your own but in combination with the others, not so much. please pay attention to the people liking these.

then we have an anon complimenting the wisdom and maturity of this person, who then replied with several paragraphs:

and got likes from two of the same users and two others.

then they self reblogged one of the posts from earlier and continued:

obviously this last post is the most egregious, and not everyone is bold enough to press like knowing that likes are public and could affect their reputation in the fandom. but i am going to assume that the people liking the other posts, which weren't all in public tags, are this person's followers and have seen all the other posts and believe this kinda shit is acceptable. and that speaks volumes about them as people.

i'm personally not going to assume that everyone who's ever liked or reblogged from any of these users did it knowing what kind of people they are (i didn't always know that either, and have probably reblogged from at least one of them before i did) but i am highly suspicious of anyone reblogging from them or interacting with them in a friendly way, and if i see people i follow doing that, i am going to unfollow unless i have very good reason to believe they genuinely had no idea, in which case i will message first.

i hope none of my followers need me to actually explain why what they're saying is absolute garbage but if you genuinely don't get the problem, dm me and i can find you some links about racism 101 i guess

EDIT/UPDATE:

someone asks nalyra what's going on

she later adds this, linking to a post that links back to this very post you're reading right now

track you UNliking something? GIRL WHY DID YOU LIKE IT IN THE FIRST PLACE?

i do love how if you read this and don't bother clicking the link she sounds kind of reasonable, and even like she's taking accountability (she's not denying anything! she's linking to a source so people can judge for themselves!) just not SO much accountability that she'll actually say what she did. gotta click those links to find out, and let's face it, the majority of the people who see her post are simply going to assume she's being unfairly targeted again. i mean, she posts about it all the time! why bother even checking, it's not like she would ever link to, say, screenshots of her liking a post that says affirmative action is the only system of oppression based on race and anti-white racism is real

EDIT #2:

another screenshot i forgot to include from the same day of nalyra liking another untagged post from cosmic

[lilacmingi]

GRINCH AU

My works are 14+ ONLY. If you’re under 14 DO NOT interact with me or any of my works

Pairing: Grinch!Jongho x Martha May Whovier!fem reader

Word count: 2,428

Note: I was rereading this one and I forgot how much I loved it 😭 I took a different route and put Y/n in Martha May Whovier’s place while also putting my own twist on the story and adding my own scenes. Christmas is in 3 days so thank you all for your love and support for the Christmas imagines series! I’ve loved reading your reblogs and comments! I hope you all enjoy this one and have a Merry Christmas!! 💚❤️ Reminder: This imagine is from Wattpad so there will be no continuations or extra parts

Years ago when you were still in school, you had a classmate who stood out from the rest. His name was Jongho.

His messy, green hair stuck out from the other Whos and the sour look constantly etched onto his features was one everyone talked about. He kept to himself most of the time, staying seated in the back of the classroom, not paying attention and not speaking to anyone unless spoken to first.

You felt bad for him. Part of you always thought he liked being by himself, but another part of you thought he might enjoy some company. So, one day you approached him.

"Hi." You greeted.

His uniquely-colored bright green eyes met yours.

"Hi." He returned, his tone short.

"I'm Y/n."

"I know."

"What's your name?"

You already knew his name, you'd heard it during roll call before, but you wanted him to introduce himself.

"Jongho."

"I like your hair." You complimented.

The sour look on his face fell just a bit.

"You do?"

"Yeah. Were you born like that?"

He nodded.

"That's so cool."

"It is?" He asked, bringing his hand up to touch his viridescent locks.

"Yes. I like it a lot. It's very unique."

That was the first time you'd ever seen him smile.

"Can I sit in front of you?" You asked him.

He gave a small nod in response.

After that day, you started talking to him, saying hello and asking how his day was going. You were unaware of how much Jongho appreciated that. No one had ever showed him kindness like you had. He was used to being ignored, so all this attention from you was new to him, as was the warm feeling in his chest.

Christmas approached and Jongho wanted to do something special for you. He remembered you mentioning during a recent conversation about Christmas that you liked angels. He didn't have the money to buy you one, so he did the next best thing.

He stayed up late, rummaging through his adoptive parents' kitchen, taking anything he might be able to use for his little DIY project. It took him nearly all night, but once he was finished, he knew his hard work had paid off and he couldn’t wait to see your reaction.

The next day, you walked into the school dressed in your most festive outfit. As you headed towards your classroom, someone ran up beside you, catching your attention.

"Y/n!"

You turned to see Taehyun, a fellow classmate. He always kind of got on your nerves. He was cocky and often bullied other people, especially ones who weren’t snobby and rich like he was, which you didn't like at all. Not one bit.

"What do you want?"

"I got you a present." He grinned, pulling out a necklace with huge diamonds on it.

It was ugly. However, your mom always told you to be grateful, so you thanked him.

"Put it on." He held it towards you.

"Maybe later."

"Come on."

You knew he wouldn't leave you alone, so you  gave in, holding your hair up and allowing him to clip the necklace around your neck.

You weren't aware of this, but Jongho, who was on his way to give you your gift, had seen you with Taehyun and hurriedly hid behind a nearby wall. He peeked his head around the corner, watching as Taehyun clipped a flashy necklace around your neck, the dozens of diamonds sparkling under the fluorescent lights in the hallway. He felt his heart sink as he turned his back on the painful scene and walked off.

Taehyun gave a thumbs up of approval at the necklace before heading to class. As soon as he was out of sight, you pulled the gaudy thing off, shoving it into your bag. It was the ugliest necklace you had ever seen. It looked like something an old lady would wear and it was far too big for your tiny child-sized neck.

You continued down the small hallway of the school and into your classroom, acting as if nothing had happened. When Jongho saw you walk in, he sat up straighter. He noticed you weren't wearing that ugly necklace he saw Taehyun put on you moments earlier, which made him feel a bit better.

You walked over to the seat in front of his, which you'd been sitting in for the past few weeks, placing your backpack down.

"Hi, Y/n." Jongho greeted you.

"Hi, Jongho." You smiled. “Are you excited for Christmas?"

"I am." He nodded. "I have something for you, by the way."

His tone was soft and he seemed a little nervous.

"You do? Like a present?"

He gave a short nod as he started rummaging around in his backpack. He pulled out an object and handed it to you. You glanced down at the flashy item, observing it carefully. Once you realized what it was, you gasped.

It was an angel made of what appeared to be kitchen appliances, small gems, and pieces of stained glass.

"You made this for me?" You asked, unable to believe he would go to such lengths.

Unlike when Taehyun gifted you that necklace, you didn’t have to fake your gratitude for Jongho’s heartfelt present. It was stunning and best of all, made by him.

"I did." He nodded.

"It's so beau—"

Before you could finish your sentence, Taehyun walked up, cutting you off.

"Really, freak?" He scoffed. "This is the best you can do? This is just a pile of garbage."

Before you knew what was happening, Taehyun snatched the angel from your hands and threw it on the ground.

Jongho looked down at the present he worked so hard to make that was currently in pieces on the classroom floor. Much like this now destroyed gift, his heart was shattered.

"Taehyun!" You shouted at the boy as you dropped to the floor, picking up the pieces and setting them onto your desk.

You didn't even notice Jongho rush out of the room until he was already gone and out of sight.

You turned to glare at Taehyun, mustering up all the anger you could. Without thinking twice, you grabbed the necklace he gifted you from your bag and shoved it into his hand.

"I don't want this." You told him.

That was years ago; you were probably eleven years old at the time. You never forgave Taehyun for what he did, but that didn't stop him from trying to constantly win you over.

Jongho never came back after that day. You didn't know what happened to him until about three years ago.

There were whispers in Whoville about a "scary" green-haired man that lived on Mount Crumpit, the ominous, snow-capped mountain that loomed above the town. You knew immediately that it had to be Jongho, though the Whos didn't call him that, they referred to him as The Grinch. You weren't sure why. Perhaps it was because of that sour look constantly plastered on his face. If that were the case, he hadn't changed at all.

Every night, you found yourself gazing up at the monstrous mountain, wondering what Jongho was up to and if he was doing okay.

"Nothing's stopping me from seeing him." You voiced your thoughts aloud.

You were in the midst of planning a Christmas party, though you weren't sure if anyone would show. The Mayor, aka Taehyun, was having a party the same night. You only invited two people, but Taehyun's Christmas parties were always the talk of the town, so you weren't even sure the only two friends you had would show up.

You sighed, turning your attention back to Mount Crumpit, a brilliant idea popping into your head.

The next day, you set out on your own, climbing up Mount Crumpit, a Christmas party invitation clutched in your hand.

It took an agonizingly long time for you to reach the top, and by that time, your fingers, toes, and nose were completely numb. Despite that, you approached the door that was nestled in the mountain, giving a few knocks on the weathered wood.

Nothing.

You tried again.

Still nothing. Just the sound of the frigid wind whistling as it blew past, whipping strands of your hair around.

You knocked once more, only to get the same result. You then resorted to plan B and moved closer to the door.

"Jongho?" You called out. "It's me, Y/n. I don't know if you remember me."

You paused for a moment in case he happened to hear you.

"I'm not sure if you're in there, but I'm having a Christmas party on the 25th. I'd really like it if you would come. I'd love to talk and catch up."

You paused for a moment before continuing.

"I never knew what happened to you all those years ago. I only recently found out where you've been hiding. Truth is, I miss you. I'd like to see you again."

You took the invitation and slid it underneath the door.

"I'll just leave that there." You stood up. "Goodbye, Jongho. I hope to see you soon."

You started your descent down the mountain, hoping that Jongho heard you. If not, the invite had been delivered and it's in his hands now.

Inside the mountain stood Jongho. He heard your knocking, but ignored it, thinking it was some dumb kids trying to prank him, but then he heard your voice. Your sweet voice that was always laced with kindness.

He shot up from his chair, hurriedly scurrying towards the doorway. Your voice sounded so gentle and comforting. It was nice to know you hadn't changed. He listened intently as you spoke.

"I don't know if you remember me."

What? Of course he remembered you. You were the only person who bothered to pay him any mind. The only person to show him any sort of compassion and kindness.

He wanted to speak, let you know that he was there and he was listening, but for some reason the words were stuck in his throat.

"I'm not sure if you're in there, but I'm having a Christmas party on the 25th."

His face scrunched in distaste at the mention of the obnoxiously cheerful holiday. After he ran away all those years ago, he held such bitter feelings towards Christmas. He despised it, hated it. The holiday was ruined for him. He was humiliated that day in front of you and couldn't bare to be in that classroom any longer, so he ran out. He didn't even think about how that would make you feel. Truthfully, he thought you forgot about him. Everyone else did... for a while, anyway.

Three years ago, he returned to Whoville for certain items he couldn't obtain himself and, even with a disguise, people seemed to recognize him. After that, people started harassing him. Kids—mostly teenagers, would dare each other to go up to his home and knock on his door. It was annoying and he wished people would just leave him alone.

Except maybe you, of course. Though Jongho shut himself off from everyone and had a hatred for every Who in town, he had a fondness towards you. You were the one and only exception.

"I'd really like it if you would come. I'd love to talk and catch up."

His eyes widened upon hearing that.

You wanted to catch up? As in talk? To him?

There was a strange feeling in his chest as he thought about you wanting to spend time with him. It was a feeling he hadn't felt for at least ten years.

He listened as you said your goodbyes, watching as an invitation was slid under the front door. He waited a moment before he walked over to take the invite. Even though Jongho hated Christmas, he had to admit, the invitation was pretty. Inside was the address of your home along with the date and time that the party would take place, all written in your beautiful handwriting.

His fingers unconsciously traced over the letters before turning to his dog, Max.

"What do you think?" He asked the animal. "Should I go?"

The dog barked in response.

"Yeah, but I don't have anything nice to wear."

Max barked again.

"I know I don't have to dress nice, but it's for Y/n."

The dog only stared at him.

"Fine." He huffed, throwing his arms in the air. "I'll go find something. Just stop nagging me, will ya?"

Your party was a bust so far. It was nearly time for it to start and no one had shown. Just when you were ready to give up, there was a knock on the front door, making you perk up. You hurriedly went to answer it, surprised to see who was standing on the other side.

"Jongho?"

His uniquely-colored green hair was neatly pushed back, showing off his insanely handsome features and round face. He wore black slacks, a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, and a red vest that fit his body snugly.

You were rendered speechless as you looked at him. You didn't mean to stare, but you didn't expect him to show, not only that, but he looked incredible.

You had a crush on him back in school. Part of you thought that would go away, but seeing him in front of you proved that your feelings for him hadn't gone anywhere.

His eyes stayed glued to the the ground as he fiddled with his fingers. You fought the urge to hug him, afraid it would be too much, especially after not seeing him for so many years.

"I can't believe you showed up." Your eyes drifted down to a small scruffy-looking dog sitting by Jongho's feet. "And you brought a friend?"

"This is Max." He told you, his voice quiet.

"Why don't the two of you come inside? You're just in time."

Upon entering your house, Jongho found that he was the only one there. He saw a table with four plain gingerbread houses sitting out along with icing and other candy decorations as well as a decently-sized spread of food.

"I thought you were having a party." He spoke up.

"I am. I invited a couple people and you, but they were no-shows. Probably at the mayor's party." You gestured to a gaudy invitation on your coffee table.

"Is that from..." Jongho trailed off.

"Yeah." You rolled your eyes.

Jongho couldn't hold back the sour expression on his face.

I still can't believe that jerk managed to become mayor of Whoville. He thought bitterly.

Jongho walked around, keeping his hands shoved in his pockets. He was feeling a bit overwhelmed and out of place, even though he was the only person in your house. It wasn't you—you hadn't changed at all. It was the fact that it had been so long and he hadn't really spoken to anyone since running away. He wasn't sure how to initiate a conversation, let alone what to say, so he resorted to looking around.

You began going on about what all you had planned for the party as he wandered around.

"I have food if you're hungry. Max is welcome to have some too. I also have different activities to do if you get bored. We can decorate gingerbread houses, make our own ornaments, or have a Christmas movie marathon." You listed, not knowing that Jongho's attention was elsewhere.

His eyes gazed upon the massive Christmas tree in your living room, as he looked at the glittering lights and decorations adorning the branches, but that wasn't what caught his attention. It was the angel that donned the top of the tree. His angel. The one he made for you.

"So." You clasped your hands together as you approached Jongho. "What first?"

You stopped when you saw him staring at something. Following his gaze, you realized it was the angel at the top of your tree.

"You kept it?" He asked, not taking his eyes away from it.

"I did."

"I thought it was broken."

"I fixed it."

"I can't believe it."

"That gift meant a lot to me. You ran out before I could tell you, but it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." You stared up at the decoration. "I love that little angel."

Jongho was about to speak, but was stopped by a sudden knocking at your front door.

"Maybe we have some company after all." You beamed, going to answer the door.

Your smile dropped immediately when you saw Taehyun standing at your doorstep.

"What are you doing here?" You asked snappily.

"You're not at my party. Didn't you get my invitation in the mail?"

"I did."

"Then what are you doing here all by your lonesome?" He inquired, tilting his head.

Jongho didn't have to see the guy's face to know who it was. He clenched his fists, making his presence known as he stalked up to the doorway to stand beside you.

"She's not alone."

Taehyun's eyebrows raised as a look of amusement colors his features.

"Oh, I see." He scoffed. "You're busy spending time entertaining this freak."

"That's enough." You snapped. "Don't you have a party to get back to?"

"I can spare a few minutes."

"There's no need. I don't want you here."

"I'm the mayor. I don't have to listen to you." He spoke, trying to push past you and force his way into your home.

Jongho stepped forward, protectively pulling you behind him as he stared down Taehyun.

"She said leave."

"I'm not afraid of you." He scoffed.

"Leave. Now. I'm not going to tell you again."

"What are you gonna do about it?" He taunted. "Go hide in your little cave again like you did all those years ago?"

To your surprise, Jongho roughly shoved Taehyun away, causing him to stumble back and fall into the snow. He landed with a grunt, glaring up at the green-haired boy beside you. At that point, Max had scampered over to the front door to see what was going on and had started growling at Taehyun.

"Don't you dare bother her again." Jongho snapped before slamming the door shut.

He then turned to you, his expression softening.

"Are you okay?"

You nodded. "Just annoyed with him. Thanks for sticking up for me like that."

"It's nothing." He shrugged.

You knew he was just being modest.

"I have to admit, I've been wanting to do that for a long time." He added, making you chuckle.

"He definitely deserved that, and more." You locked the front door, before turning back go Jongho. "Now that he's gone, we can get the party started. What do you say?"

He only nodded, seeming a bit bashful.

You put on some Christmas music and immediately began preparing hot cocoa for you and your guest. Once that was finished, you urged Jongho to participate in at least one of the activities you planned. He decided on ornament decorating.

As the two of you decorated your ornaments, you talked about what had been going on in your lives, you more than him.

"You know, the day you ran off, Taehyun got me the ugliest necklace." You cringed at the memory. "I don't even now why. I guess he was trying to win me over. That boy is relentless, always has been it seems.”

Jongho knew which necklace you were talking about, but pretended he didn't.

"Do you still have the necklace?" He asked in an almost hesitant manner.

"No." You shook your head. "I gave it back to him after he broke your gift to me. I hated it anyway. It was the ugliest and gaudiest thing I'd ever seen. It looked like something an old lady would wear."

Jongho couldn't help but smile knowing you gave the necklace back to Taehyun. Not only that, but it was clear how much you disliked Taehyun, and that gave him a confidence boost.

"Y/n, I wanted to tell you this earlier before we were interrupted, but knowing you pieced together that angel gives me this warm feeling in my chest. I'm not really used to it, but it's a good feeling. The last time I felt like this was in school when I was spending time with you."

You were surprised by this confession, his sweet words making a warm feeling of your own spread in your chest.

"You approached me that day and spoke to me. No one had ever done that."

"I just thought you needed some company."

"Deep down, I think I did." Jongho stopped to get a look at his ornament. "I think I'm done. Sorry if it looks bad. I don't usually do stuff like this."

"Let's see it." You leaned over.

Jongho's cheeks got warm at your close proximity. You didn't notice as you were too busy looking at the ornament he decorated.

He painted it green and added red swirls on it. It was simple and a little messy, but cute nonetheless.

"I like it." You smiled.

"You do?"

You nodded.

"You wanna keep it or do you wanna hang it on my tree?"

"I wanna hang it." He answered quietly.

"We can hang them together. I just finished mine." You showed your ornament to Jongho before the two of you placed them on the tree.

"Aren't you glad you did that?" You asked.

He nodded. "It was fun."

Jongho was beginning to feel himself become shy again and started having trouble looking you in the eye without getting flustered. You were so nice and so pretty.

"Y/n." He called out, keeping his eyes on the tree for a moment, trying to gather his nerves.

"Thank you for inviting me."

"I should thank you for showing up. If you weren't here, this would be the most boring party ever." You chuckled.

Jongho started to speak, but you cut him off.

"You wanna dance?"

"Oh. I... I don't really know how."

"It's easy. Follow me." You took both his hands, pulling him into the living room, Max following behind. You placed Jongho's hands on your waist before wrapping your arms around his shoulders. You couldn't help but notice the faint pink tinting his cheeks.

"So this is how you stand, then you just sway back and forth, or you can take small steps left to right and slowly go in a circle. Whatever feels right."

"I'd like to just stay in one spot."

"Alright." You smiled softly, the two of you swaying side to side.

You studied Jongho's features, taking in every perfect detail of his face, your heart thumping wildly in your chest. You only turned away for a moment, seeing that Max had made himself comfortable on the couch. You let out a chuckle before resting your head on Jongho's shoulder. He seemed a little tense at first, briefly making you worry you had overstepped, but he soon relaxed.

You weren't sure how long the two of you danced for and you didn't really care. You were just happy to be reunited with Jongho.

"Y/n." He spoke up, his tone gentle.

You hummed in response, pulling back to look him in eyes.

"I'm going to say something that I've wanted to say for a long time and you can say no. I won't be upset."

"What is it?" You inquired.

"I really like you. I have from day one."

You were too stunned to speak. You had no idea.

"Okay. I've made you uncomfortable. I'll let myself out."

"No." You spoke up, abruptly. "I like you too, even way back in school. Seeing you tonight made me realize that my feelings towards you haven't gone away at all. In fact, I think they've gotten stronger."

Jongho seemed equally surprised at your confession as you were at his.

"You're serious? This isn't a prank or anything?"

"No pranks." You shook your head.

Caught up in the moment, Jongho pulled your face towards his, catching himself just before his lips touched yours.

"It's okay." You whispered. "Go ahead."

That's all the confirmation he needed before he smashed his lips against yours, capturing them between his own in a full-fledged kiss. You were dizzy for a moment, not expecting him to go in hot and heavy—not that you were complaining.

Your hands found their way to Jongho's brightly-colored hair, running your fingers through it and feeling it's softness. A gasp left you as Jongho's hands lightly squeezed your waist before he snaked his arms around you, pulling you flush against him.

The kiss seemed to last forever yet not long enough at the same time. Jongho pulled away, looking a bit flustered. You cupped his cheeks, lovingly stroking them with your thumbs.

"I want you to stay." You blurted.

"Stay?"

"Yeah. With me. Here. I don't want you to go disappear in that cave again."

Jongho didn't have to think about it for very long. It was either live in a nasty cave and be alone, forever having conversations with his dog, or live with you in your cozy home getting to see you every day. The choice was obvious.

"Okay." He agreed.

"Really?"

He nodded. "I'll get to be with you all the time, plus I can protect you from Taehyun when he starts bothering you again."

"I like the sound of that." You grinned, leaning in to kiss him once again.

Hongjoong ❄︎ Seonghwa ❄︎ Yunho ❄︎ Yeosang ❄︎ San ❄︎ Mingi ❄︎ Wooyoung

Masterlist ᝰ — enjoyed this imagine? reblogs & comments are very much appreciated!

DO NOT steal, plagiarize, copy, repost, alter, or translate my works in any way

🏷 @h3arteyes4mingi

[roomsofangel]

GROWING PAINS . . . # CHAPTER NINE !

synopsis you hated christmas. simple. this year was no different, the only thing changing was the scenery when you decide to let your older brother, yunho convince you to visit your grandmother who neither of you had met but hoped it would do some good. everything was still the same — writer’s block, the winter loneliness, the way yunho won’t stop singing jingle bell rock, yeah, everything was the same. at least, until a certain blonde haired boy made it his mission to melt your iced heart.

warnings none really!

wc 1.3k

if you’d like to be added to the taglist please either send an ask in my inbox or leave a comment to be added to the taglist! reblogs and comments are also very appreciated! ^_^

this chapter is in san’s pov !

a/n i decided to update this today and give you all a double update for growing pains since i know it has been a good while:( let me know what you guys think :D

san thought he knew a lot of things back when he was still a rosy cheeked kid with deeper dimples than he had now — when he still had a lot of hope in the world and nothing snuffed out his spark just yet.

and maybe now that he’s an adult with more emotional scars than before, he can say he never wants anyone to feel the way he did. not since that night, he refuses to let anyone feel as if he has given up on them. sometimes he wonders if thats who he is or the fact he just wished no one ever gave up on him.

this small town, oh the ache it carried when he decided to come back three years ago to care for his mother. it was best to not live these days in his own rues, he had to learn to accept the past and embrace the future, no matter how much it ached.

and for the most part, san was fully convinced he was healed from that chapter of his life — that he no longer needed medication to make him feel alright.

“and this is yeosang.”

ah, that made his world shatter. kang yeosang in the flesh.

his eyes couldn’t help but match the other’s when they narrowed, eyeing and taking in the sight of how he was sat before the sound of your voice came up again, “you can sit by me if you want to.”

and san felt his heart ache a little, well— does it count as an ache? he hasn’t felt anything in his chest like this before, unless it was to do with hurt and sorrow. san nods, “of course yn.” he smiled, and tried to ignore the feeling of a glare on him as he took a seat with you, your smile warming him up.

it seemed that time was going by achingly slow, but san was thankful for the three that were there. mingi seemed to be decent, he reminded him of wooyoung. he should text wooyoung later, he forgot to do so.

as the movie progressed, it was some romcom that san could recall watching with his sister years ago, he couldn’t remember the name but he could recall certain scenes as he tried to snack on the popcorn given and focus on the texture, the taste. he could feel your hand brush against his and he felt his face warm, why was he warm?

“personally, if she says i’m a bird i’m gonna be a bird.” mingi broke the silence with his hands raised up in defense, making yunho snort and san couldn’t help but laugh a little himself and nod along. “so are you?” he teased a little and mingi grinned

“i like this guy.” mingi motioned over to san who nodded his head in acknowledgment and returned the grin, yunho agreeing with a “right!”

but san didn’t miss one thing,

the one thing but san is he was too observant for his own good

so yeosang must have forgotten that san noticed everything, even the similar little scowl that he remembered all too well.

“no! like this!” mingi shoved yunho aside to get onto the snowy ground, laying on his back and spread out to begin making a snow angel, making yunho groan and find a new spot to make his own

san chuckled, turning his attention to you who quickly looked away and back at your brother, making his lips only curl up more. he was convinced his face would hurt later on. “are they always like this?” he asked, wondering out loud and asking you while you nod and laugh. “sadly.” you said in response, san chuckled

“thank you for inviting me, yn.” san whispered softly as his eyes glanced up at the night sky, the stars twinkling and he noticed the moon was full. god, it was beautiful. he always loved the moon, he loved the different meanings and the different phases. how can something so magnetic and beautiful also be so far?

his eyes glanced towards you, your rosy nose scrunching as you felt the snowflakes fall onto the bridge of your nose and melt on your skin, your focus more on the same moon he was admiring.

how can something so magnetic and beautiful feel so far?

san walked back to his home, holding his house keys while you followed behind, your little hums making him smile at the snowy ground that he tried to focus on, counting each little detail. “hey san,” your voice met his ears, and he hummed in response

“i’m glad you came tonight.” you said, the two of you reaching his doorstep and he thought this was comical in a way, maybe even endearing. you were walking him to his door this time, oh how the roles reversed but he didn’t mind. he’d do anything to spend just even another second with you.

san smiled, “me too.”

“i’ll.. see you around?” your voice got a bit higher towards the end, your feet backpedaling to walk away soon to get on your way back home but your gaze was still on him, cheeks and nose rosy. “you know where to find me.” he whispered, not letting his eyes leave you for one moment. no, he needed to every little detail of you tonight committed to memory.

you looked.. so beautiful, under the moonlight with the snowflakes in your hair. “goodnight, san.” you looked at him, and he nodded.

“goodnight, yn.”

you reminded san of the moon,

he just hoped he could be your sun.

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taglist (open) @myonlyloveseungmin @itsvxlentine @rockstarsanie @brown88 @barbielibra @vixensss @satsuri3su @yessa-vie @yoichiislovie

[hood-ex]

#EMILY#one of these days we have to stop enabling each other in just writing our untagged snippets and scenes on here#and then never posting them anywhere else and constantly being surprised when a) we#cant find them later. b) other ppl cant find them. c) we forget we ever wrote them and d) nobody ever finds them or knows they#exist because we wrote them at some weird ass hour and reblogged it maybe once and then also forgot we ever wrote them#and thus never actually thought to tell other ppl that hey we wrote a thing that they might maybe like and go check it out#BUT I DIGRESS#the point is I love this and also Ive never seen this before but like. considering all of the above like.....that tracks. i should maybe no#be surprised by this phenomenon which directly mirrors or replicates a phenomenon that we have mutually experienced pretty often#with each others random ass scenes that were written and posted and forgotten about at random ass times and never thought about again#lol#anyway#the point of this is yay i like it. im glad to have read it. wish I had read it when you first wrote it#and fed you validation when this was fresh off the vine and potentially had momentum that couldve been nurtured and fed#into getting you to write more of it there and then but like. I didnt. so. oh well#unless I did and just forgot. which as we've established. also a strong possibility#whatever. anyway here have a convo that probably couldve been a DM convo but lol since when do we waste perfectly good DM convos on actual#DMs when we can just yell back and forth at each other in tags that nobody else actually needs or wants to read anyway - @bigskydreaming

See this is why we technically should have secondary blogs dedicated to this so that nothing gets lost amongst everything else. And if we were really smart, we'd use complex tagging systems, but at the same time, I think Tumblr would just eat the tags and not bring them forth when we called upon them. As it tends to do. But also I think we'll never find everything we've written to transfer them over to said secondary blogs, so I think we're just going to continue enabling each other to write things that get lost in the tundra of digital life.

That's literally how I feel whenever I see one of your posts show up on my dash that I've never seen before. Like hello yes it was posted at like 3 in the morning so that's why I never saw it, and it probably didn't have a Dick Grayson tag on it, which is basically the only tag I ever check, and I also don't scroll down all that far on my dash when I visit it every day, so things just get lost foreverrr. Until they don't because one random person someway, somehow found the post and got it circulating again at some random point in time. Or you magically remember said post exists, and you post it yourself, to which I am like ?! thou'st dare hideth the writing from thee!

So yes we could potentially mitigate this problem, but also, I think we both post something and then completely forget it exists either minutes or hours later, so we'll just continue this cycle of prioritizing other things over fic visibility and accessibility.

[asksoldieron]

SO-16: And Here's the Action!!

If there's a lot of engagement on this, this post is liable to get real long, beware before you expand.

No art, and I'm pissed because I had a really cool idea for this one. Erik is playing with guns and guns are cool! I have played with some guns (in a controlled environment, don't get nervous) and I can confirm that they are very cool. Not cool enough for me to spend money spraying more lead indiscriminately around the environment, but if forty feral hogs habitually showed up on my lawn, I'd have me some fun. Well, I'll edit the art in later, at some point, hopefully.

*ahem*

Welcome to the Engagement Lounge, for The Chatterbox Massacre (SO-16) an instalment! Short comments can go in the replies, but there's a 475 character limit. Longer ones will need a reblog. Remember to @asksoldieron if you're reblogging someone else's reblog, so I can see it too!

😭Waaaaaah I wanted to draw St. George-in-Erik firing guns with magic but I just CAN'T yet! I mean, non-zero chance I'll screw up my first couple illustrations when I can draw again, so I probably shouldn't draw that one first anyway, but I wanna see it. Damn.

IRL, I'm not fond of violence as a solution, but as a writer I appreciate the expedience. BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG! Okay, and now we have a whole bunch of NEW problems. I suppose that's not really a solution at all, but it's still gonna look cool when you imagine it. That's how come they say it's not possible to make an anti-war movie. You script it and make it part of a narrative and put some good actors and effects in it, and it just looks cool. Can't help it, gotta roll with it.

On the other hand, while Erik certainly doesn't deserve to die for being who he is, you can see why the cops prefer to kill immies on sight. Look what they can do! But, on the third hand, look at what Maggie can do. Nobody's going to unload on her for being magical unless she does something and they see it.

Poor Maggie made a little error and punched Mordecai when she really didn't need to, but if you've been reading you may suspect who (or what) put their finger on the scale, and who helped her shrug off David's little god trick. But to tell you the truth, it's like that because I forgot how magic works when I wrote the first draft. I needed her to punch him in the face! Fortunately, their unseen observer needed her to punch him too. We'll get to that when they get home again.

I was surprised by how little time it took to actually kill everyone. (Ha-ha, there's another one of those things I can only say because I'm a writer.) I was worried it needed to be more epic. The spouse advised me that that's just how it is when only one guy has a working gun in a street fight. It's over. People are dead and that's forever. On to the next thing. Bleh. I don't like the idea of it, but it rings true enough.

John is... not doing well, is he? I'd been planning this scene for years but that caught me off guard. I didn't realize what the situation would look like to him until I got him back inside and George handed him a gun. Well, let's see, Erik's family are right there to help him and he knows that, and he's holding an object that will get him out of the way so Erik can go home. Uh, yeah, why wouldn't he? (Currently writing the next 6 and I've almost got him out of Prokovia, and the plot, for the time being. Jenny will put him back together and Rob will forgive him, but Billie might not...)

Next instalment goes up on Erik's birthday, and mine! It's not birthday-themed or anything, but after all this nonsense his family do finally have enough information to get him home. They just have to put it together!

[Back to site?]

[higaneion]

your character in 5 quotes

Repost, don't reblog.

Tell us your favorite quotes from your character. Give us an idea of who they are by five things they’ve said. Then tag your friends.

"Come on…be brave. Take that first step to live without fear…"

"So…everyone should have told me, you know…? They’re just…too considerate… I’m not…that weak…"

"Roy…please… Don't fail…"

"I just feel that you're not a bad person. I…trust you."

"I shall make Ostia a country in which our children can always be happy."

I was gathering her lines from FE6 and decided now is a good time as any to post them. There are extra notes on my thoughts below the cut because I feel like a lot of these need context.

This first one comes from her recruitment conversation with Gonzalez. I have read her supports a lot and honestly forgot about the recruitment conversations, but they are some of my favorites.

This is right after Hector's death, she is not having a good time, but she's trying her best! What else is significant about this quote is that before this she eggs on Eliwood about fighting and joining Roy and she gets shot down twice, painting a small glimpse of how she (and women in Elibe) are treated. Granted, she is 15 at the start and he is saying this because he doesn't want her to get hurt for fear of telling Hector, but he also sends his 15-year-old son to be the tactician and leader of the army, different circumstances I guess, but I don't know really. Tangent aside, I think this also means something to her because in her mind, she was going to find out eventually, but she just feels hurt that no one told her sooner, allowing her to believe that things were (sort of) fine outside of the walls, pointing once again to that bubble she's lived in all her life.

Okay so this is her death quote. HAHA But the way I interpreted it is that she basically says: keep moving on for the sake of Lycia, for peace, even when I'm gone, keep moving forward. Obviously this is a mouthful for someone dying unless you're an Engage character, so it keeps her last words short and bittersweet.

So, the context here is this is part of her support chain with Garret. She tries to befriend him, or at the very least make conversation with him as she does with many members of the army, regardless of station. The reason for me choosing this one is that thinking about what she's been through and what trust and honesty mean to her. You could look at it through two different lenses, one being she is just pure-hearted and believes there is good in everyone; this is true by the way. And the other being that she was betrayed by rebels under Ostia's banner, so I'd imagine that there is at least some reluctance to trust others, though her natural instinct is to do so anyway according to her supports/conversations. But to this end, she does give reasons later about why she does aside from "just a feeling"/intuition, that if he was going to kill her, he would have done it already. As she talks to people in the army from different walks of life, this aids her understanding and emotional maturity we see throughout the game.

This one is almost a red herring because the real star of this support chain is Ogier/Oujay. He has such banger lines that make me c': For a boy so young to have such sad but powerful lines... when in Fire Emblem... But anyway, talking about the quote, this one is kind of my least favorite out of the ones I picked but dialing back from the emotional maturity she does eventually develop, we see in this support just how out of touch she is with the rest of the world. She's very concerned in the moment with making friends and learning more about him that she doesn't consider the world they live in. Like, he says their family was poor and he's the breadwinner and she presses him with casual questions about his family like the small talk you would hear in school or something. Girl... But I think it works out in the end as it shows not only her flaws, but she admits to being so hasty and ignorant and tries to be more open-minded.

[raedear]

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My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

look at that face. you know it happened and Nicky just accepted that this is his life now.

329 notes - Posted November 2, 2022

#4

if you've ever wondered if a comment you've left on a fic has reached the author in some way or made a difference to them: a well-timed comment there just improved my mood enough that I didn't quit my job in a fit of pique.

Everyone who's ever left me a comment or a nice tag: I love you with my whole heart and I am kissing you full on the mouth.

343 notes - Posted March 24, 2022

#3

good evening lads. how we feeling.

523 notes - Posted June 22, 2022

#2

So @wickedpact posted this and said this:

And then I saw it an hour ago and wrote this in a complete haze. Hope that's okay, pal! If I still like it later I'll maybe post it on ao3.

(I made Nicky a junior doctor and tripled his shift. This isn't a value judgment of nurses, I just forgot the prompt details)

Bone app the teeth:

It's definitely not safe for him to be driving, but it wasn't safe to work a 37 hour shift either, and here Nicky is, fresh off the ward and so tired he thinks he might crack under the weight of it. Not only that, but behind the wheel, so exhausted that the only thing keeping him awake is the blind terror of hurting another person. He's just five minutes away from home though, and the thought of his warm bed keeps him going. If he can ever make it there.

The light is on above the porch when he pulls into the driveway, and it's like the very sight of it gives Nicky's body the permission it's been waiting for to give up. He can feel it, muscle by muscle, his body crumbling into sleep.

He doesn't have his key, but the spare is behind the little decorative panel as always, and the door swings open before he's even fully registered unlocking it.

From there, it's easy. Shoes kicked off at the door, bag dumped to deal with in the morning, scrubs stripped too. He stumbles into the downstairs bathroom to brush his teeth and use the toilet dressed in just his boxers and his undershirt, and resists the siren call of sitting on the edge of the bath as he brushes his teeth. If he does that, there's no chance he'll get back up again.

It's a herculean effort, but in short order Nicky drags his mostly-unconscious self out of the bathroom and up the stairs (with just one detour to check he actually locked the door behind him when he came in).

As always, the bedroom door is slightly ajar because the door handle creaks loudly enough to wake the dead. Nicky brushes past it, not even noticing, too drawn in by the sight of his bed not ten feet away.

It's not a graceful landing. Even a belly flop would have more dignity. Nicky shoves his way into the bed like a battering ram, and by the time he lands on the mattress he has the duvet up around his nose and Joe's arm wrapped tightly around him. Used to him, Joe just bundles him up against his chest and carries on sleeping.

Nicky's snoring before his head hits the pillow.

—

'Nicky.'

Nicky grumbles and grinds his nose against Joe's chest. No matter what time it is, it's too early. Especially on the heels of such a long shift. Unless the house is on fire, he's not waking up.

'Nicky, you need to wake up.'

'No—' Nicky whines, dragging it out. Joe smells like fresh linens and sleep, and he's so warm. Why would Nicky ever want to—oh no. Oh, oh no.

Nicky wakes up completely, the realisation of where he is and what he's done slipping down his spine like a block of ice, freezing him as it goes.

Joe's on his back with Nicky's head on his chest, and Nicky is so embarrassed he thinks he might actually burst into flames.

Very slowly, very carefully, all the time wishing he was dreaming, Nicky raises his head to meet Joe's eyes.

Joe's bleary, confused, beautiful eyes.

'I am so sorry,' says Nicky slowly when the silence stretches on too long. 'I-I don't. I'm sorry.'

Joe's hands are on the small of his back, which is the only thing stopping Nicky from leaping out of the bed.

'When did you get here?' asks Joe, raspy with sleep. He's always looked like a surprised puppy first thing in the morning. Nicky's chest hurts.

'I don't know,' answers Nicky, honestly. 'I don't even remember coming here.'

'Nicky,' says Joe, in that way he always did when this happened before, Nicky, exhausted on the heels of some too-long shift, doing something that's normal when you're well-rested and dangerous when you're not. Like driving. Or cooking. Or accidentally turning up at your ex-boyfriend's house, a full week after you broke up with him.

Nicky shrugs, awkward and humiliated, and sits up completely. Joe's hands are slow to slip off his back.

'I'm sorry,' he says again. Joe sits up too, slouching against the headboard and looking at Nicky like he's a puzzle to be solved. 'I was just…tired. And I wanted to go home. I wasn't thinking.'

'Your flat is ten minutes closer to the hospital than here,' Joe says, even and clear. Nicky cringes.

'Yes,' he says, slowly, feeling out where he can possibly go from here to explain why he broke into his ex-boyfriend's house sometime in the night and got into bed with him. 'That is…I…well.'

See the full post

534 notes - Posted April 23, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

569 notes - Posted February 4, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[da3dm]

ok um oc vore thingy

vara: 8, 11, & 17

irza: 7, 10, 13/14, & 18

YOU, yes you (/nf): 1, 10, & 17

Lol I almost forgot about that one bc that ask game made me nervous when I reblogged it

I did not expect to be asked about me tho oof

Feels free to ask more about them on this one if you want, or some clarification for what I've explained! I know I don't exactly explain very well.

Now be warned, I'm nervous talking about this, so I slowly ended up all over the place and idk if I fixed all of it...

—

Varazae:

8. If they’re prey or observer, how would they react to meeting a willing pred?

—He would probably panic and try to avoid them. His avoidance is a lot of times pretending it doesn't exist and evading the topic or the pred, in which case would be Irza, and keeping out of reach. He probably wouldn't be very willing to be prey just bc of how Irza would definitely always go about it

11. Teasing?

—He is very, very easy to tease, but be careful bc he will bite you right back with the same level of teasing...unless it scared him/made him nervous/too flustered

17. Do they have a “favourite part” of vore? Or a least favourite part?

—If he was at all willing it would only be for mouth cuddles when Irza is just bored bc the cat loves hugging things and warmth. He doesn't like being swallowed because Irzayn is a jerk.

—

Irzayn:

7. If they’re pred or observer, how would they react to meeting a willing prey?

—He'd actually no longer be interested if that's how they first reacted to it. He is a pred and he definitely wouldn't even know how to begin to deal with that response to his behavior bc he's not used to anyone even being willing to be near him. Later on tho he'd probably just sigh at it and allow it...but only for Vara.

10. Foodplay?

—I can certainly see him messing with Vara using food but not by a lot. Maybe something like him staring at Vara while he's eating or when he's being an extra jerk, Vara being dropped on top of it and he uses his claws or fork to just kinda poke Vara to mess with him. It probably wouldn't go much further than that, he would just want the fear. Except tbh I can see him covering Vara in whipped cream on purpose and offering to 'help' him before proceeding to lick it off.

13. Protective vore?

—If it's to protect his hero (cat hero boyyyy) he will definitely do it and never say a single word to actually explain it.

14. Possessive vore?

—He would also do this. He is extremely possessive and has already killed villains/heroes that have done anything bad to Vara several times sooooooo...if that was an option he'd take it.

18. Do they consider vore to be negative, positive, or something in between?

—Something in between, I'd say. (If in a world of pred/prey bc idk how else to explain) He initially wouldn't really have an opinion, use it for threats, or just...kinda to scare people. It would only be later that he'd see it a little more positive because of Vara. They'll mainly have a shrinking dynamic I think, so it's not really a first thing to consider.

—

Me:

1. Safe vore? (As a pred, prey, observer)

—I am pred/observer altho I do like knowing the prey's perspective just bc there's sooo much more to it than the pred's most of the time. I really love vore...I think there's a chance I might be able to be prey too, I go round and round with all of the aboveeee

10. Foodplay?

—Hmmm...I don't mind it, I'm not any particular way about it and it can be very fun. I think a favorite might probably be what I said Irza would do...the teasing aspect of it more than eating them with it, I think.

17. Do they have a “favourite part” of vore? Or a least favourite part?

—I think my favorite is the mouthplay and being swallowed. Once they reach the stomach it begins to fade a little for me, but like with the throat and the rest is entertaining. This is from the prey perspective and the pred, but with pred I also like the stomach being added in just a little more I think.

—

TO BE COMPLETELY HONEST THIS TOPIC STILL DOESN'T FEEL SAFE

But I'mma do it anyway~~

Like a boss

Thanks for the ask and sorry it took me so long, I was busy wallowing in pain and sadness bc my teacher took part of my employability grade for being absent today and yet my head also hurts too much to care~~~

[buckyalpine]

Redemption

Bucky x reader, Morgan & Tony Stark, Alpine!

A/N: Been sitting with this idea for a while and I finally decided to write it. This doesn’t follow the events in the movies. Always wanted to see something where Bucky feels like he redeems himself with Tony, and Tony accepts Bucky. The ending felt a little rushed, might go back and edit this later but I hope you enjoy it! Please like, comment, reblog <3 

Warnings: Angst (some violence), fluff

Word count: 3.4k

Bucky padded down the hall, wondering how come the left side of his bed was cold and empty this morning, though he had a sneaking suspicion of why.

“Alpine? Where’d you g-”

Bucky smiled, shaking his head as he entered the living room, watching Morgan set up her tea party, her stuffed animals and Avengers actions figures all lined in a row. In the middle, was a large fluffy cushion with the special guest of honour.

“Did you want Friskies or Temptations today Alpine?” Morgan held up two treat bags she had snuck out of Bucky’s room, nodding when Alpine pawed at the chicken treats.

“Chicken for you, shawarma for daddy’s friends, cheese burgers for daddy, Mr. Snuggle, you’ll have to share with me, I only have 1 chocolate chip cookie”

Morgan put 3 teats in a dish for Alpine, setting it in front of her. Alpine sniffed the bowl, waiting for Morgan to give her permission to eat.

“Let’s see, scotch for daddy, Thor I have Asgardian mead for you, and for Alpine- oh! I forgot your water bowl, let me go get it!”

Morgan got up, making a bee line to Bucky’s room, turning back to make sure the little white ball of fur stayed in her seat.

“Just give me a second Alpi- Oof!” She collided with a large wall of muscle, two strong hands safely catching her before she stumbled back.

“Hi Morgan” Bucky smiled softly, setting her back down “Whatcha doing?”

“Hi Mr. Barnes” grinned sheepishly, knowing he was looking for his fur baby “I’m having a tea party! But not a boring one, we can have alcohol! Did you want to join us, Alpine is the special guest”

Bucky snorted, nodding his head; he’d noticed Alpine getting slightly fuller from the many tea parties she’d attended but he didn’t mind. Alpine certainly didn’t seem to mind, enjoying the pampering and head scratches she got for hours on end.

“Is it okay if I get Alpine her water bowl?” Bucky nodded, sitting on the couch, smirking at the way Alpine stretched out, basking in the morning sun slowly blinking at him making sure he knew she loved the extra treats and extra attention.

“Here, whisky for you,” Morgan poured apple juice into a tiny tea cup, handing it over to Bucky as she continued to fill the other cups.

“Thanks Morgan” Bucky sipped from the cup, watching Alpine get up, sauntering over the Morgan’s lap while looking at looking at him, purring to her heart’s content as Morgan rubbed her furry tummy. Bucky narrowed his eyes at the dramatic feline; Alpine had taken after his personality. Quiet, reserved and picky with letting people touch her. Unless she liked them. “Spoiled princess”

 The sound of footsteps echoing through the hall caused Alpine to scamper away back to the safety of Bucky’s room as you, Tony and Steve returned from another week long mission, however this one had left you shaken.

“Daddy!” Morgan shot up, running into Tony’s arms, allowing him to scoop her up, peppering her face with kisses.

“Hey princess, what have you been up to?” Tony smiled at the little set up he saw in the living room, his smile faltering as he saw Bucky on the couch.  

“Havin’ a tea party. Alpine was just here, where she go Mr. Barnes?”

“Uh- probably went to use the little box, I’ll go check for you, okay?”

Bucky got up from the couch, quietly making his way back to his room shutting the door behind him. Tony swallowed thickly, as he continued to fight the conflict that plagued his mind. No it wasn’t Bucky’s fault over what happened to his parents. Hydra wasn’t his fault; the Winter Soldier wasn’t his fault. Nothing was his fault and yet when he saw him he only saw the life leaving his mothers eyes, his father’s last breaths. He fought with himself to see it differently but it was easier to keep his distance. Tony walked over to the now empty couch, setting Morgan down with him, who was now handing him his tea cup.

“Daddy?”

“Hm?”

“How come you don’t like Mr. Barnes?”

“I- who said-” Tony shook his head, his daughter was insightful and it wasn’t the first time she had asked this question, unhappy she was never given a straight forward answer.

“He always leaves when you come and you don’t stop him” She mumbled, disappointed Alpine hadn’t finished her treats and disliking the tension that filled the air. “He always stays for the tea party until you come”. Tony sighed, deciding to change the subject, placing his helmet on her as you made your way over to your shared bedroom with Bucky.

You knocked on the door softly, not wanting to bother him if he needed time to be alone, only getting silence in return.  Your hand rested on the doorknob, noticing it had been left unlocked; something Bucky had started doing when he had nightmares and needed you by his side. He left the doors unlocked to silently let you know he wanted you with him. You opened the door, your heart breaking at the sight.

Bucky’s eyes were red and puffy as he sat against the bed, tears streamed down his face, his eyes refusing to meet yours. His metal arm clenched as he stared off at nothing, his mind racing over the people he’d killed, the screams, the families he’d destroyed, the people that wished he were better off dead, the loved ones he’d never be able to bring back.

“Baby…” You walked over to him, sitting on the edge of the bed, wiping away the tears that spilled down his cheeks. You kissed his forehead as he closed his eyes, his forehead resting against yours, his breaths ragged. Your thumbs caressed his face silently letting him melt against your touch, wishing you could take away the pain that haunted him.

“I’ll always be him” His eyes squeezed shut as he saw flashes of his cell, the wires and needles that injected him, the chains and locks that caged him in place.            

“Bubba, you’re not him, this is different. Not everyone sees you that way anymore; you know he’s forgiven you its just…” Your voice trailed off as Bucky nodded. He didn’t expect Tony to ever fully forgive him for what he’d done. He was grateful he’d been allowed to stay at the compound but he always felt out of place knowing the pain he caused whenever Tony looked at him. Bucky pulled you into his lap, resting his head against your chest and you rocked him, kissing his hair.

“I miss you when you leave” His voice, barely above a whisper, wrapped his arms tighter around you, the only place he felt safe, wanted, loved. “How was the mission?”

Your breath hitched, curling into Bucky’s lap as he held you, shaking, recalling the mission that left you reeling. The hydra base was empty but it was what they’d left behind that haunted you; thousands of files with footage from the compound; Pepper and Tony’s wedding, images from the training rooms, you cuddling with Bucky on the couch, the day Tony brought Morgan from the hospital. Steve had to remove Tony from the facility as the footage showed Morgan in her bed, a red laser pointed at her sleeping form before cutting off. They wanted you to see the footage. They wanted you to know they were watching. You closed your eyes, clinging onto Bucky, your heart racing over what was going to come. “It’s not over, they’ll be back”

                                                         ***

The next few weeks were uneventful though Tony had reset all the security systems, updated the compound system to respond quicker to emergencies and increased surveillance.

“Daddy you said we could play with the jet pack today” Morgan clung onto Tony as he reluctantly suited up, responding to an urgent call from Fury.

“I know, I promise I’ll take you as soon as I’m back okay?” Tony placed a kiss on her forehead, setting her down beside you. “I love you 3000”

“I love you 3000”

You giggled looking at Morgan’s pouty face as she tugged you back to the living room, plopping down onto the couch, sighing. You sat down beside her, contemplating on just how much mischief you’d both be able to get up to without getting into too much trouble.

“We have the whole compound to ourselves Morgan, what do you want to do?” Steve and Nat had left with Tony, Bucky had been in the training room with Sam and Pepper was busy in the lab. You grinned as you saw the gears in her head turning, her previous pout replaced with a toothy grin.

“Can we make cookies?! And watch movies?”

“We can do anything you want Stark jr.”

Morgan hopped from the couch running to the large kitchen, pulling out ever possible ingredient she could think of along with all the bowls and measuring cups. You’d managed to bake 3 batches of cookies without causing too much of a disaster, saving a small bowl of cookie dough to eat for the movie night.

You settled beside Morgan in the living room, deciding on a Disney movie, as you both built an elaborate pillow fort to sit in while watching. You laid out all the snacks and cookies along with the cookie dough, and some milk.

Bucky walked through the living room, smiling at the heap of pillows and sheets that were piled in front of the large screen, soft giggles emerging from you were curled under. He passed by to see you and Morgan curled under a large fluffy blanket.

“Hi Mr. Barnes! Did you want to join us? We’re watching Beauty and the Beast” Morgan smiled at him hopefully; he was always a gentleman at her tea parties even if he didn’t stay the entire time.

Bucky shook his head, knowing it wasn’t his place to stay, his heart breaking as he saw her smile fall. “Next time sweet heart; have fun with y/n, okay?”

Morgan nodded, snuggling into your side, her eyes widening as she remembered something.

“Wait! Here!” She grabbed a cookie, shoving it into his metal hand, “We made them today!”

Bucky smiled, ruffling Morgan’s hair and giving you a quick peck on the cheek before going to his floor.

You were heavily engrossed in the movie when the screen went blank for a moment; seconds later the entire compound going dark. You sat up feeling around the floor for your phone, confused about why the backup generators hadn’t immediately started up. Something wasn’t right. Morgan clung onto you as you turned on a flash light, your heart racing as you heard movement from outside.

“Morgan, I’m going to take you to your room and then see why the power went out, okay? Don’t open the door for anyone, I’ll come and get you”

Morgan nodded, silently clinging onto you as you carried her to her room, closing the door softly, instructing her how to manually secure it from the inside. Sam met you in the hall with Bucky, suited with his Falcon wings as red wing detected a number of Hydra agents surrounding the compound.

“There’s at least 30 of them and they’ve hacked all the systems, there’s nothing to keep them out”

You ran down the hallway to get your gear, hardly making it to your room before running in the first agent, swiftly breaking his neck with a kick before grabbing your knives and loading your guns. You quickly suited up, sprinting down the hall where Bucky had left a trail of 5 bodies.

A harsh red light flooded the compound entrance as more agents emerged from a jet, each one steadily moving towards the building. Sam flew through the air, successfully wiping out two jets, before more of Hydra could attack. You pulled your knives out, precisely slicing through agents, leaving them to bleed out, hoping the danger would remain outside.

The sudden explosion from inside the compound sent you flying, cement and glass cutting your skin, your ears ringing, blood clouding your vision. The bomb had caused shrapnel to fly through the air, lodging into Sam’s wings as he fell to the ground, his suit damaged from the impact. You lay on the ground, your breaths laboured as Bucky ran over to you, kneeling by your side, his hands frantically wiping the blood away from your face.

“Y/N, Baby, baby look at me, talk to me sweet heart, say something ”  His voice pleaded with you as you struggled to speak, dust clouding your lungs and you coughed, your mind immediately racing to Morgan who was still inside.

“M-Mor…” You coughed, blood dripping from your lips and you weakly pointed to the raging fire that engulfed half the building. “S-she’s inside”

Bucky eyes widened in horror, giving into the blood lust he kept inside, no hydra agent that stood in his way left alive as his metal hand grasped them, quickly snapping the life out of them. He ran towards the compound, the heat and smoke burning his skin as he made his way upstairs. Bucky sprinted through the halls, fire nipping at his skin, the smoke filling his lungs as he reached Morgan’s room.  He didn’t waste time breaking through the door as Morgan hid under her sheets, eyes wide as she held Alpine, who had snuck into her room earlier.

“Morgan, it’s me” Bucky said softly, lifting her into his arms, his heart racing as he tried to figure out the safest way to get her out. Morgan clung on him, Alpine tucked in her arm as she sniffled.

“I’m going to take you outside, okay sweetheart? I need you to hold your breath for me until we get outside, don’t look up, close your eyes”

                                                       ***

Sam groaned, seeing a faint red and gold figure land nearby, running to his side. His eyes focused as he saw Tony’s wide eyes, looking down at him, panic on his face.

“Tony…” Sam struggled to speak, groaning as he lay on the ground, while Steve and Nat fought off the few agents that had escaped Bucky’s wrath.

“This was their fucking plan, the mission was a distraction” Tony’s heart raced as he saw the destruction around him, hydra agents littered all over. His ability to breathe stopped as he saw Peppers blue and gold suit trapped under rubble, running to her side. He managed to blast the larder bricks of cement, pulling her out, his ability to think clearly faltering “FRIDAY, I need medics sent to the compound, NOW”

                                                          ***

Morgan nodded, taking a deep breath, her arms clinging around Bucky’s neck as she buried her face in his shoulder. Bucky wrapped his leather jacket around her before speeding down the hallway, his large arms shielding her from the flames, smoke burning his lungs as he panted. He felt deep gashes on his skin as the ceiling began the crumble. His metal arm cradled her head, protecting her from the burning pieces that continued to fall.

“You’re…you’re doing good Morgan,” Bucky’s breaths were labored as he struggled to breathe from the fire, the exit a few steps away, “Just…just a little…just a little more, o-okay?”

                                                          ***

“Morgan? WHERE’S MORGAN” Tony cradled Pepper, as the medics ran to her aid, whisking her away along with you and Sam. He stood up, ready to enter the compound as he saw Bucky run with Morgan in his arms. Bucky managed to get to Tony, his footsteps heavy, vision blurry, barely able to set Morgan down before collapsing to the ground. Steve ran to Bucky’s side as Tony cradled Morgan, looking over her for injures.

“Honey look at me, are you okay, did you get hurt?”

Morgan shook her head, as she kept herself wrapped in Bucky’s large jacket, hugging Alpine as she mewed, trying to escape and check on her favorite super soldier.

“I’m okay daddy, Mr. Barnes came to get me”  

Her face fell as she saw Bucky on the ground, medics struggling to revive him, swiftly taking him away to the med bay that hadn’t been destroyed.

                                                        ***

“You’re a hero Bucky, you saved Morgan, and Morgan saved your little fur baby”

“Bucky, wake up, Pepper’s here to see you”

“Alpine misses you, she won’t leave your Henley alone, and she’s taken up your side of the bed”

“I love you bubs, please say something”

Bucky hadn’t woken up in three days; the serum worked quickly to heal the gashes on his skin but hadn’t been as successful with the smoke inhalation. As soon as you were treated, you stayed by his side, insisting that your stitches would heal just fine without needing bed rest for your injuries. You cradled his face, your fingers brushing over his scruffy cheek the way he loved, hoping he’d be able to hear everything you said to him over the last few days even if he was unconscious.

                                                           ***

“Daddy?” Morgan poked her head in Tony’s lab as he tinkered with his helmet, a habit he’d picked up on when his mind worked faster than he was able to comprehend. “Hey Morgan” Tony set down his helmet, noticing the way his daughter shifted on her feet, her little hands struggling to hold the giant card she had behind her back.

“Where’s Mr. Barnes?”

“He’s…did you want to go and see him?” Morgan nodded, smiling as Tony carried her, making his way over to the infirmary.

“WAIT!” Morgan shimmied out of his hold, running towards the stairs.

“Where you going Maguna?”  

“I have to get something from Mr. Barnes’s room!”

“Wait, I don’t think he-

“I’m always allowed, he said its okay!”

Tony shook his head in amusement, recalling number one rule of no one being allowed in Bucky’s room with the recent exception of y/n (and Alpine).

                                                               ***

“Please wake up baby” Your pleading voice caused Bucky to stir. He felt the side of the bed dip softy, a small hand holding his arm and 4 tiny paws clambering onto his chest. His eyes struggled to adjust to the light; three fuzzy figures were near him, a particularly fluffy one significantly close, nuzzling his face.

“Hey Alp” Bucky’s voice was rough, his lungs and throat stinging, still recovering. He turned towards you, immediately showered in soft kisses all over his face.

“We missed you baby” Tears streamed down your face as Alpine made herself comfortable in the crook of Bucky’s neck. “You have another visitor”

Morgan smiled softly, her hand holding Bucky’s metal one. A giant card was placed in his lap along with a small basket of plums with some balloons tied to the handle.

“I made a card for you! Daddy helped me pick some of the plums from the tree; we used his suit to get the ones that were all the way at the top!”

Bucky squeezed her hand gently, nodding as she smiled proudly.

“Thank you for coming to get me”

“Anytime, sweet heart”

Morgan took Alpine in her lap, petting her as Bucky closed his eyes, leaning into your touch as you gently stroked his forehead.

Tony leaned by the door, watching what he almost lost because he wasn’t there, his heart racing again because he knew what would have happened if Bucky didn’t rescue Morgan. He felt something new; clarity. He took a deep breath before walking in, he wasn’t one to feel nervous but the thought of almost losing his daughter had him on edge.

“I- Thank you Bucky”

Bucky’s eyes shot open as he heard Tony’s voice, he wasn’t sure if he was unconscious again. He still felt your touch, Morgan and Alpine sitting on the bed and the weight of the basket, he was very much awake. Bucky looked over at Tony’s soft face, his throat tightening, eyes stinging because he had chased redemption for so long. For the first time he heard warmth in Tony’s voice. Acceptance.

“I’m sorr-”

“No. That wasn’t you. It was never you” Tony stopped Bucky before he could finish, he felt guilt; it shouldn’t have taken this incident for him to completely forgive Bucky for what happened to his parents. “I don’t blame you. For anything” Bucky nodded, his heart feeling lighter, a weight lifted off him; he was more than the Winter Soldier.

-

[babycharmander]

If you think you have never stolen artwork, read this post.

So, art theft. If you've been a follower of mine, you've heard my barely-coherent rants about this before, but I thought it might be more productive to make a more coherent post on the subject.

If you're wondering about the title of the post here, it's because I feel like a lot of people aren't really grasping what exactly art theft is, and a LOT of people, even well-meaning ones, do it without even realizing it.

"But wait," you say. "I would never STEAL from an artist!! I never claim it as my own!" And that's all fine and good, but you're missing something here.

To start things off, what IS art theft? (It's not what deviantART said it was several years back, I'll tell you that much. *cough*)

We all know what art is, so let's talk about theft. Dictionary.com defines "theft" as "the act of stealing; the wrongful taking and carrying away of the personal goods or property of another; larceny." Okay, makes sense, but what about that other word there, stealing? Dictionary.com defines "steal" as "to take (the property of another or others) without permission or right, especially secretly or by force."

From those definitions, we can go on to define art theft as, specifically, "taking art without permission or right." In the context of art, that typically involves reposting it (not reblogging--reblogging is different) or using it for other things.

And there, my friends, is the issue.

If something is taken or used without permission, it is stolen. Permission is the important thing here--if an artist says "oh yeah, you can go ahead and use this!" then it's not stolen. You have their permission. But if you DON'T have that, then it IS stolen. It IS theft.

"But I'm not claiming it as my own!" you say. But you don't have to claim it as your own--the act of taking it in and of itself is an act of theft.

"But I said 'credit to the artist!'" The "credit" thing is a whole other conversation, but here's the short of it: The entire point of credit is to direct people to the source of something. If you are not directly linking to where you got the art from, you are not giving credit. "Credit to the artist" is not actually credit of any kind whatsoever. (Also, Google and Pinterest are not sources.)

"But I DID link back to the artist!" Okay, now this is where it may get confusing, because you may think you're covered because you actually did give credit. Here's the problem: if you reposted it or used it without permission, regardless of whether you gave credit or not, it's still stealing.

I'm bolding this because it's a point that a lot of people get tripped up on. Let me explain it this way: If you went into your neighbor's house and took something of theirs without their permission, but you told people "oh yeah, I got this from [neighbor]'s house!" that that would still, of course, be stealing, and it's no different for art.

Another thing is that even when you credit, people don't always check the source. Very recently I found a case where someone had reposted a piece of artwork of mine to Pinterest that was deliberately made to look like it came from the source material (it wasn't meant to confuse anyone, though--the description of my original post made it very clear that it was fanart). The person who reposted had linked back to my original post. The problem? The comments had people asking if this was official, where it happened in the source material, etc. Despite the fact that the source was right there, no one thought to look at it.

Even if you link back to the source, if you did it without the artist's permission, it's still stealing, and still causes problems for us artists.

"But I just posted it to my Pinterest--" DO NOT DO THIS. DO NOT POST AN ARTIST'S WORK TO PINTEREST IF YOU DO NOT HAVE THEIR EXPLICIT PERMISSION TO DO SO.

"But this artist friend of mine says they're okay if I post their work to my Pinterest so long as I link back to them!" Good for your friend! But the fact that your friend is okay with it doesn't mean that all artists are okay with it. For me, personally, I am very not okay with my work being posted to Pinterest, and say as much on my art blog description and posts (which people tend to ignore).

The problem with Pinterest--and reposting art in general--is that we artists don't know when it happens unless we're told, or unless we find it ourselves. It causes us to lose control of our art. And because of this, our art can spiral further out of our control, because when our works get posted to Pinterest or other similar websites, people who have no grasp whatsoever on how art works will just take it as "free art" and then use it for whatever they want.

That's how a piece I spent 20+ hours on was used as a poster for a paid event, without my permission, and without any payment or credit to me.

If an artist has said nothing about Pinterest (or other similar image sharing sites), your default should be to assume that they don't want their artwork posted there.

"Well I didn't repost someone's art, but I did use it for my avatar/RPing icon/video/fic cover/photo edit--" That's still stealing. If you're using it without their permission for any reason, that is stealing. Not to mention, the artist may not be cool with what you're using their art for anyway. (Looking at you, people who use platonic art in your shipping videos.)

“I MEANT to ask them for permission, but I forgot!” This can ONLY happen if you used the artwork BEFORE you asked for permission. You can resolve this by asking for permission BEFORE you use it, rather than assuming the answer will be “yes” and using it before asking.

"But it took me a really long time to make that icon/video/cover/edit!!" How long do you think it took the original artist to draw their piece? It doesn't matter how much work you put into modifying someone else's art--if you're doing it without their permission, you're still stealing.

"But I couldn't find the original artist! I tried to find them, I really did, but I couldn't. Is it okay to use their art then?" No, because you still don't have permission, and by reposting it anyway, you’re continuing to make the artwork spiral out of their control.

"What if I found the artist, but they speak a different language from mine? I can't ask them for permission, so is it okay if I repost their art anyway?" NO!! DO NOT DO THIS!! If there is a language barrier, use Google translate or find someone to translate for you and get a hold of the artist that way to ask them for their permission. The language barrier is NEVER an excuse to steal artwork. There are plenty of non-English-speaking artists who have taken ALL OF THEIR ARTWORK OFFLINE because the art theft was completely out of control. (And this isn't just exclusive to English-speakers stealing art from people who don't speak their language. It happens artists who don't speak English stealing art from English-speakers, too, but as this post is written in English it doesn't do much good for me to rant about this here.) If you can’t ask their permission, do not use it!!

"But what about reblogging?! Isn't that the same as reposting?? Should we not reblog art at all then?" No, reblogging (or retweeting) is not the same as reposting. If you reblog art, you keep all the information that we attached to the art, including our blog name and the description attached to the art. Reblogging/retweeting actually helps us artists A LOT, so as long as you're reblogging from the original artist (and not someone who's reposting their art), by all means, reblog our art!

"What if I just want to share someone else's artwork on Discord or show it to a friend?" This one's a bit different and is not actually as problematic. If you want to share our work on Discord or whatever, just link directly to where we posted it. Please don't post the art itself, unless you're doing it alongside a link because Discord won't show a preview or something.

"What about a forum or a site like Reddit?" This one's a bit different, since due to the way Reddit functions, if you LINK to the art, you have to go directly to the artist's original page to view it. (At least, that’s what it’s like the last time I was active there.) In a way it's roughly the same as with Discord--be sure you're linking directly to the actual post rather than just uploading the art on its own--but I would also ask the artist if they're okay with it, because they may be a member of the subreddit or forum and want to post it themselves, or they might not want their work shared to specific communities. (Some communities have a function where a bot will repost the artwork to Imgur, and some artists don't want that done with their art.)

"What if I'm saving it to my computer/phone to look at later, or making it into my desktop/phone wallpaper?" IMO this is fine, since your computer/phone files aren't public, and neither is your wallpaper. It's only a problem when you post it to public places without our permission.

"What if it's art I commissioned?" Well... like... in that case, it's art you paid for, so unless the artist you commissioned laid out very specific terms for you, you should be good to use that art. Like, at most, the artist may ask you to credit them somewhere in your blog description if they drew your icon or something, or credit them in a fic description if you commissioned a fic illustration from them, or something to that effect. It's really something you should have already worked out with the artist beforehand, but for the most part you should probably be fine to use art you paid for however you like.

"What about art I requested?" This is a bit different from commissioned work. Just because the art was drawn at your request doesn't mean it's explicitly yours (unless it's like, a drawing of your original character or something). Some artists take requests more as suggestions, so the art they draw in response to a suggestion or request is still theirs. Treat this as you would any other artwork and ask the artist for permission first before you do anything with the artwork you requested from them.

“What about NFTs?” ... Okay this one I can’t really go over too much because I barely understand it in the first place, but NFTs are BAD for artists and are a form of art theft. Do not turn people’s art into NFTs. This is a crappy thing to do. (If you want more information on this one, you’ll have to look it up yourself. It’s a form of cryptocurrency and it’s confusing.)

“If you don’t want your art stolen you shouldn’t post it in the first place.” This is fascinating logic. Try applying it to something else and see how it holds up. “If you don’t want your merchandise stolen, you shouldn’t open a booth.” “If you don’t want to get poisoned you shouldn’t eat food.” “If you don’t want to get punched in the face, don’t walk outside.” Yes. Flawless logic. Truly.

"Why do you care so much, anyway?! I'm sharing your art because I like it! That's a compliment! Shouldn't you be happy?" Well, we're certainly glad you like our art, but the problem is... as I've said before, reposting our art causes us to lose our control over it. When we lose control of our art, that damages our livelihood. As I said before, other people have made money off of my artwork. As well, some artists lose jobs because when their potential employers check out their portfolio, they may find artwork that's been reposted everywhere online, so they cannot hire the artist because they believe they may have stolen the artwork in their own portfolio.

Your reposting an image you thought was cute to Facebook or Pinterest could cost an artist their job. Think about that.

So, tl;dr, keep this in mind: you need the artist's permission to repost or use their artwork. If you do not have it, it is stealing, even if you credit the artist.

I know this post is really harsh in places, but this is such an important thing for all artists, and there's so many misconceptions about art theft online. And I feel like one of the biggest problems is that when some people see posts on art theft, they ignore them, because they think they've never done it or would never do it, so that's why I worded this post the way I did. I'm not trying to hurt anyone--I just want people to understand what art theft is, how it affects us artists, and how you can avoid it. Thank you for reading.

[dollslayer]

Sweeter Endings

Sugar Daddy!Steve Rogers x Reader

Summary: Still reeling from the financial realities of losing your mother you turn to a lucrative website for help and get more than you could have bargained for.

W/C: 5,325

Warnings: Smut (no minors 18+ only), light D/S dynamics, brief mentions of alcohol consumption, unprotected sex, swearing

A/N: NO MINORS, I wrote this for @donutloverxo 's Sugary 4k Challenge (Congrats!!) I love sugar daddy AUs so I was really excited to write this!! If you like it then please like/reblog/comment I'm all ears! Also maybe check out my other stuff if you want! Cheers!

Main Masterlist

____

The saying ‘desperate times call for desperate measures’ was truer than you’d ever imagined and you found out the hard way. Life had hit you hard last year. You had watched your mother succumb very quickly to cancer. A cold that just wouldn’t go away turned into a doctor’s visit turned into three months left to live. Having no one else in her life, the cost of her funeral and medical bills fell to you. The bills outweighing the inheritance you had no choice but to drop out of school.

One year later you were hanging on by threads to keep yourself off the streets without turning to a loan shark or selling yourself. Stocking shelves at a bougie grocery store in Soho by day and bartending in Tribeca by night had you working six days a week. What free time you had you were too exhausted to do anything with. Something had to give or you were going to collapse from the stress, you just didn’t know what.

A couple weeks ago you had been casually venting about how broke you were with a coworker when she jokingly suggested signing up for one of those Sugar Daddy sites. You laughed along with her but it sounded better than getting a third job. You had quietly asked one of your roommates to borrow their laptop saying you needed to look at job postings only half a lie, really and locked yourself in your room.

You were just gonna check out the website, maybe sign up and poke around, it didn’t mean you were committing to anything, just looking. You remembered first looking at the website once your shitty wifi loaded it, promising ‘beautiful and successful people making mutually beneficial connections’. You balked after reading that but you couldn’t look at any profiles without making one yourself so you had set to work.

After making your profile you hadn’t gotten any hits in about a week so you shrugged it off. You couldn’t keep hogging your roommate’s computer anyways so you set off back to work. Your days at the store wore on into endless nights at the bar and you wondered what other options you really had when you had no degree and no experience in any relevant field.

___

6 o’clock on a Thursday night, the typical after work crowd begins to roll in. The bar you work in is upscale, classy. Definitely trying to lure in the businessmen that worked in the area and their wallets. It annoyed you to deal with the same type of customers you did at the store all over again but with the high end crowd came good tips so you couldn't complain too much.

It was busier than usual when a group of men in suits walked in together asking for a booth. You saw a lot of business meetings take place over whiskey sours in this place so you didn’t think much of it. You tried your best to keep tending to your regulars when a pair from the group came over.

One of the men had deep brown eyes and a sly grin that when split gave you the perfect view of the gap between his teeth. He was confident but he had a kind look to him. His friend had dirty blond hair and a beard that clung to his perfect jawline and you’d be lying if you said you hadn’t snuck a second look. You turned your back and continued filling orders to distract yourself when one of them cleared their throat behind you.

As you turned to face them you found it was the blond calling after you. His face held a hint of surprise but it was quickly replaced by a look of amusement as he smirked and one brow lifted, like he knew something you didn’t. He was like any other typical customer for you, professional and handsome, probably over-confident in himself. You returned his smirk and prepared your best charming banter. Time to earn those tips.

“Something to drink for you, gentleman?” You offered.

“We’d like a round of scotch for the table over there. You don’t mind bringing it over, do you sweetheart?” the brown-eyed man asked.

“Of course not” you answered. Pricks.

“Good girl” the blond said with a wink. Creep. A hot creep but still. Before you could ask he took his card out of his wallet and put it on the counter for the tab.

____

A round had come and passed, soon they’d asked for another but this time it was just the blond that approached you. You lifted your eyebrows in anticipation of an order.

“You here often?” he asked. Ugh, not even a good pick up line.

“Am I here at my job often?” You retorted with a playful smile.

The man’s shoulders shook as he chuckled. “Sorry you just uh, you look familiar that’s all. What’s your name?”

You supplied him with it and asked him if he wanted another round of scotch. He nodded.

“Smart girl, I’m Steve by the way.” He laid down his business card which you picked up with a look of challenging curiosity. Steve Rogers, CEO of Shield inc.

Oh. You didn’t recognize the name but you definitely knew the company. It felt like a quarter of their employees stopped in for a drink throughout the week and it was prominent enough of a company that you read about it weekly. Play it cool, these types want to feel like an every-man at the bar but still wanna feel important.

You raised your eyebrows again in recognition. “Nice to meet you, Steve, I’ll have your round right out.”

“Good Girl” he winked again at you. Okay so it’s hot, but he’s a total stranger and you don’t even know him. Stay on your game.

___

10 o’clock came around and things were thinning out slightly, regulars made their way out, awkward Tinder dates and rowdy young 20-somethings made their way in. The party of businessmen was still around but they were hopefully wrapping up after the 2 more rounds they’d had. Steve approached the bar once more and you preemptively picked up the bottle of scotch.

“Whoa, easy, girl! I’m here to pick up the tab” He said, taking out his wallet.

“What’s the name on the tab?” You decided to play dumb but based off the grin on his face he knew you were playing with him.

“Steve. Rogers.” He replied, his tone was stern but his eyes told you he was in on the joke.

You cashed him out and left him to sign his receipt so you could make more drinks. You saw him move in your peripheral and turned your head to see his face.

“Have a good night, sweetheart. I’ll be seein’ ya” he promised.

“Take care!” You smiled back.

A few minutes later you circled back to collect his receipt and found three $100 bills staring back at you. You blinked dumbly in disbelief, who the hell leaves a 200% tip? Looking around to see if Steve was still here he was nowhere to be found. You had no choice but to pocket the money.

____

Another week went by and left you wondering how much energy and concentration it would take for you to just evaporate, since that seemed easier than going to work today. Sadly still in solid form, you punched in at the store and stowed your things in your locker.

Your upscale customer base was a mostly pretentious and successful group of yuppies so even though you were grateful to not be on the streets you were constantly reminded of the professional success you couldn’t help but feel that you were missing out on. Stuck instead to listen to incessant whining ‘is this organic? I won’t eat it unless it’s organic’.

The upside of this job was that the time went by quickly because you always had so much to do. Plus with how monotonous the work was it was easy enough to zone out. So much so that you hadn’t heard someone calling your name and approaching you. A hand softly touching your shoulder snapped you into the present.

You looked up, startled to find a pair of blue eyes staring back into yours. You took a step back and processed who it was. “CEO guy?” Steve?

“‘CEO guy?’ I thought I recognized you, ‘barmaid’ or should I say… ‘stock girl?’” He joked using his fingers to make quotations.

Now that you thought about it, the store isn’t that far at all from the bar, it would make sense if he’s in the area. You smiled and tapped your nametag in response.

“I just came in on my lunch to grab a few groceries” looking down at his basket it held some protein powder, some eggs, and one lonely banana. “Clearly, I’m single. But you’d know that already, wouldn’t you?”

Your brows twinged together in confusion. What is that supposed to mean?

“Excuse me?”

He edged a little closer to you and lowered his voice “SeekingConnection.com?”

Your eyes widened in shock. The fucking Sugar Daddy site! I forgot about that! Surprise was quickly replaced with humiliation. You looked down and away as you felt your cheeks heat up.

“I don’t mean to embarrass you” Steve placated, “But I gotta say, I’m pretty hurt you never responded to me. I sent that message weeks ago and let’s just say I’m not used to rejection.” He kept his tone light, letting you know he wasn’t mad.

“I-I um, I’m sorry, I don’t have a computer and they don’t have an app, I was using my roommates’ computer and I guess I forgot about it…” You admitted.

Steve nodded in acknowledgement. Please say something to salvage this conversation. Please.

“Well,” Steve rummaged in his pocket for another business card. “You got a pen on you?”

You dug around in your apron and came up with one. Handing it to him you watched as he wrote on the back of the card. He held the card and the pen out to you.

“That’s my number, I’d ask for yours but I don’t wanna make you uncomfortable, you already look like you wanna sink through the floor” Not helping, but I do. You took them from him and tucked them away in the pocket of your apron.

“You do have a phone right?” You only glared at him in response. “Well, if you check your profile, you would’ve seen I asked you out to lunch, offer still stands. Just text me when you’re free”

Should I even say yes? I mean, the winking the other night was weird but he’s good looking and at least somewhat considerate. I mean, it’s not like I had any other intention when I signed up for that site. What the hell. right?

“I… usually work mid shifts so I don’t know if lunch is doable, they only give me half an hour but, maybe we could do coffee? I’ve got tomorrow off from the bar I could meet you” you suggested.

If Steve felt pity for you he hid it well behind the wide smile he made when you offered coffee instead.

“There’s a place around the corner from here, just up a block, you know it? I’m off tomorrow at 6, why don’t you meet me there?”

“Sounds like a plan.” He winked at you again and started walking away. What the hell just happened?

____

You did end up borrowing your roommate’s computer once again when you got home to look up Steve’s DM. Sure enough, there he had been in all his internet glory. ‘Steve, 33, CEO. likes: art, conversation, whiskey. Digging around further on his profile you found that he owned several houses here and in Europe, he had a dog that was cuter than he was, and that he was ‘Seeking deeper connection’. All of these things piqued your interest.

‘Hey, Doll. Saw your profile and I had to ask, what’s a girl like you doing in a place like this? Kidding, of course. But maybe you’d care to tell me your story over lunch? Your profile says we’re both in New York. - Steve’ Sent three weeks ago. Fuck.

You had texted him earlier to confirm, which is how you found yourself walking up the sidewalk towards the shop with a mind running rampant with nervous thoughts. What if he just wants to feel big about himself in comparison to me? What would I even really have to offer the relationship? A college dropout working two dead-end jobs with no social life. You needed to snap yourself out of it. You were just meeting for coffee doesn’t mean anything.

Pushing open the door you found Steve waving at you from a quiet corner. He was still in a suit, presumably coming from work himself. Even the buttons on his shirt looked expensive. You were wearing dirty jeans and a worn pair of work boots paired with a flannel. You couldn’t have looked more different if you tried.

“I waited for you to order,” He said. You smiled up at him, only now realizing how tall he was in comparison to you. He ushered you both towards the counter where you both placed your orders. You moved to take your wallet from your purse but he had already beat you there.

“Really? As if I’d let the lady pay, and on the first date no less?” He said playfully.

“Oh, so this is a date now, is it?” You kidded.

Steve shoved his hands in his pockets and gave you that boyish grin and a shrug. The pair of you made your way back to the table and waited for your drinks to be brought over.

“How was work?” You asked, “What exactly is it that your company does?”

“We offer security and surveillance software domestically as well as international. Stadiums, airports, other government buildings. Things of that nature. And work was fine, thank you for asking” Steve said with a genuine smile. “How was your day, doll?”

“Oh, my day was fine, more of the same but y’know,” You answered half-heartedly.

“You know, you never answered me, what’s a funny, pretty gal like you doing on a site like that?”

Embarrassment hit you again, this time maybe accompanied with a hint of shame. You were saved momentarily by your drinks being delivered. He seemed truly interested and since he was paying you supposed you owed him an answer.

“I was going to Columbia and I had a pretty good internship when my mom got diagnosed with cancer. She died three months later and since it was only always just the two of us I ended up footing the bill. I was on partial scholarship but between the hospital and the funeral I can’t really afford the rest of tuition on top of working for free so here I am” you explained, “Oh my god, I’m sorry I’m totally oversharing aren’t I? You probably don’t wanna hear about a bummer like this, sorry”

You tried to laugh to ease the tension you thought you’d created. Braving a look at Steve, he looked thoughtful and only a little bit like he pitied you. You could live with that.

“I’m really sorry about your mom, mine also got really sick before she died, I know it must’ve been hard. What were you in school for?”

___

You and Steve talked for hours, trading anecdotes of childhood and talking about each other’s interests. You had a similar sense in humour so you got on swimmingly. The evening seemed to be coming to a close as the night sky sent in through the window.

Being with Steve was probably the most relaxed you’d felt since before your mom was diagnosed. It became difficult to focus on anything but your financial situation and even though that’s what brought you here in the first place you had managed to forget all about it.

“So look, us getting together wasn’t exactly the most conventional on meet-cutes but to put it bluntly,” He said, “The CEO life makes it hard to meet real people and it gets kinda lonely, I mean, you saw my grocery basket” You both laughed at that. “You need money and I need company, I feel like we could help each other out. Whad’ya say? Think you could put up with me?”

You knew what this was but hearing it put so plainly was a little surprising. At least he was to the point.

“So if I said yes what does that mean, exactly?” you inquired.

“Well,” he started, “We take care of each other. Let me cover some of your bills at the very least, make it so you’d be comfortable quitting at least one of your jobs. And you’d keep me company, we go on dates, maybe you could come over, there’s the occasional work event or charity gala I’d need you on my arm for. Thoughts?”

God I can’t even imagine what it’s like to work only one job anymore. Maybe I could even save up and go back to school. He’s cute and he seems sensible, why not?

“Could we maybe take things slow? What you describe is something I’m down for but I don’t want to make myself completely dependent on you. But I’d love to be there for you, and I have to admit, the thought of only working one full time job is pretty crazy to me” You laughed.

Steve swallowed and placed one of his large, warm hands over yours.

“I can do things the old fashioned way, if that’s what you’d feel good with. I gotta say though, with looks like that it’s not gonna be easy” he jested.

You smiled shyly and looked away. You both stood to leave and he held the door open for you.

“I’ve already got your number from when you texted me earlier but I’ll talk to my assistant about my schedule and maybe I could take you out to dinner this weekend?”

“I um, I’d really like that. It’s a date” You stated.

“Oh, so you think this is a date now?” He jested.

You lightly punched him in the arm and he took the opportunity to pull you closer to him. You looked up to find his face inches from yours. You could smell his aftershave and his deep voice gave you goosebumps when he spoke next.

“I kinda want to kiss you goodnight, would that be okay?”

You could only nod as he shut his eyes and closed in. Your lips met in one perfect, chaste kiss. You sighed and leaned into his hand as it briefly cupped your face.

You broke apart and made promises to see each other soon. You felt like you could’ve floated home as you boarded the subway, caught up in the swarm of newly forming feelings.

_____

You sat in the break room when your phone buzzed to life, ‘Saturday at 7?’

You were about to type out a yes when you forgot you worked closing at the bar. Your thumbs moved quickly to tap out the reply ‘Working, sorry :/ the pitfalls of bartending. Sunday at 7?’

You were nervous telling him no and asking to change plans. You hated not being able to make things work but you only just met the man and the weekend tips were killer, it’s not like you could turn the shift down.

‘Ah yes, almost forgot. Sunday works too, I’ll text you the details. What’s your address? I’ll pick you up’

Oh, God. Steve can’t see my building! His cufflinks probably cost more than my rent!

‘I’ll just meet you there, don’t worry about it’

‘Not a chance, doll. Just tell me where and I’ll come get you’

You let out a worried sigh but knew you had to let it go. You sent him your address and went back to work.

____

Saturday was maybe the longest day in your entire week, in fact you loathed it. Mornings at the store followed by running immediately to the bar. Last call in New York was 4am so it’s a good thing you didn’t try to make brunch plans with Steve for Sunday. But ultimately both your shifts passed without major incident and now it was Sunday and you tried to ready yourself the best you could.

The place Steve mentioned was fancy, you knew that much from a quick search. Panicking instantly upon realizing you don’t really have any nice clothes you turned to your most fashionable roommate for help. She loaned you a cocktail dress that was revealing enough to draw interest without giving everything away. You just hoped Steve would like it.

‘Downstairs, doll. Silver BMW’ you exhaled. Hoo boy, here we go.

____

Steve handed his keys to the valet and rushed around to open your door for you. You held his hand and you clambered onto the sidewalk in your heels. His warm hand on the small of your back as he steered you towards the doors was a comforting weight.

Dinner has been lovely so far, he chose a place that wasn’t completely white-glove but was upscale enough to make you feel only a little underdressed.

You joked back and forth with him over the course of the meal, talked about your lives, and even found out you both have a guilty pleasure for cheesy rom-coms. It wasn’t until dessert and your third glass of wine came that you realized how much time had passed. You frowned slightly thinking of the early morning ahead of you followed by a long night at the bar.

“What’s wrong, doll?”

“Oh, nothing I just didn’t realize how late it was, I’ve got both jobs tomorrow it’ll just be a long day that’s all” you tried to wave it off but Steve frowned in response.

“Quit the bar” he stated.

“What?”

“Quit the bar. This is your card, I’ve already loaded $3000 on there. Put me in touch with your landlord and I’ll get you taken care of.” He slid the card across the table to you. Your name printed on the front. This got real very quickly.

“Steve, that’s.” You were in shock, a loss for words almost “that’s too much, I don’t know what to say.” You felt embarrassed taking the money. You knew that was the essence of your arrangement but actually taking his money had you feeling uneasy.

“Honey, this is what I’m here for. Let me take care of you. Give up your late nights. I wanna take you out on the weekends and you’ll need to be available for events. You can stay at the store if you want but quit the bar, you don’t need it.”

You took a deep sigh. He did say he wanted you to be comfortable quitting one of your jobs; it's just making the change that scares you. But something about Steve felt safe so you nodded and looked up to him.

“I’ll put in my two weeks”

“Good girl” he patted your knee and you involuntarily clenched your thighs. He smirked at that but let it go.

____

A few months had come and gone since that night and your time with Steve had been great. Only working the one job gave you so much more free time. You'd spent a good chunk of it just trying to form a normal sleep schedule but all the time you spent with Steve made it difficult. Not that you minded especially since your allowance was monthly but he’d showered you with gifts here and there.

They started off small, perfume, chocolates and flowers, or a simple pair of white gold hoops that reminded him of you. They gradually became pricier and more elaborate. You’d felt guilty accepting it all at first but he was insistent you deserve the best. He had even mentioned you moving out maybe finding a better place but you reminded him you needed to go slow.

He’d also been nothing short of a gentleman. Out in public at least, you’d learned the hard way that he was an absolute animal in bed. It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep your hands off of him.

Something you had appreciated about Steve is that he never made you feel bad or less than for being broke. Never held his money over your head like leverage. You’d felt equal to him in all aspects, understanding you had just as much say as he did.

Still, there was a small nagging voice in the back of your head that reminded you Steve is not your boyfriend. This isn't a relationship and he's looking to get something out of just like you are. But if you were being honest you were catching feelings, it was hard not to when the man was giving you the fantasy. You decided to push that voice aside whenever it came up and let yourself be swept away. Maybe that would bite you in the ass but for now you were happy.

____

You were buzzed into Steve’s building and on the elevator ride up to his penthouse your phone buzzed. ‘I have to make a quick call- I’ve got a present waiting for you in the living room.’ You couldn’t help but feel giddy.

The doors opened and Steve was nowhere in sight but as you entered the living room a bag from Chanel and the Apple Store sat on the table. Oh god, what this time? I swear this man is too much.

You opened the smaller bag from Chanel first and found a beautiful black and white evening bag. It was sleek and simple, very much to your tastes. You were nervous to open the Apple bag, Steve always went overboard. Shakily removing the paper you pulled out the slim case in disbelief. A MacBook Air and a pair of AirPod Pros. The man well and truly spoiled you.

“You said you didn’t have a computer.” His voice came from behind you and startled you.

“Steve, this is too much. You’re too much.” You swung your arms around his neck and kissed him.

“Nothin’s too much for you, doll.” He kissed the top of your head.

“Think you could take a couple days off of work? I just got off the phone and confirmed plans for my house in Nice.”

A trip? France?? Oh my god. How is this my life? You felt so overwhelmed that you grabbed Steve by the collar and brought his face down to meet you in a kiss. His tongue swiped your lips and you granted him entrance. Moaning into his mouth your hands traveled up into his hair, pulling softly and coaxing a groan out of him.

He guided you to sit on the couch and brought you down into his lap. You ground down onto him and felt his hard-on through his slacks. Your hand moved slowly to undo the buttons of his shirt as he kissed down your jaw towards your neck. You sighed softly when he found your sweet spot and started sucking.

He helped you take off his shirt while you got started on his belt and undid his pants. He lifted himself off the couch slightly to move them down to his knees, taking his briefs with them. His cock stood proud and an angry red, leaking at the tip.

“I wanna ride you, I can’t wait.” You pouted as you writhed against him in need.

Steve tutted at you “that’s no way to get what you want. Ask me nicely, baby. Beg to ride my cock,”

You ground down even harder and whined. “Please, sir, please let me ride your cock. I need to feel you, I can’t wait any longer please.”

“Good Girl” Steve's hands flipped up your skirt and found your panties, ripping them to shreds. They were La Perla and had cost a pretty penny but he didn’t care.

He lined himself up and brought you down harshly gripping your hips. You moaned loudly in surprise and satisfaction and wasted no time moving back and forth. Steve made you feel so close and connected to him whenever he fucked you but he still made you feel sordid and dirty. You couldn’t get enough of the feeling, you’d gladly chase it.

His eyes were hooded as watched you chase your own pleasure and giving him some in return. His hands kneaded your ass and smacked it just to get a gasp out of you. He grabbed the back of your head and brought you in for a searing kiss that was all teeth and tongue. He’d nip at you and lick the pain away.

His hips met yours, finding your rhythm and speeding you both up when he gripped your hips.

“Can’t wait to have me, you had to fuck me on the couch huh?” Steve panted, “my dirty girl. So fuckin’ gorgeous.”

You put your forehead against his and went harder, pushing your clit to grind against the muscles of his abs.

“Only yours, sir.” Your orgasm was building. Steve was a pretty relaxed dom but you still needed permission.

“Sir, please let me cum I can’t wait any longer” you tried your best to slow your movements a bit.

“I think you can hold it baby, I wanna enjoy you a little longer”.

You could only whine in response and tried to slow your pace but his grip on your hips and his own movements pushed you further and further towards the edge. You tried to squirm out of his grasp but his hands only tightened. It felt like forever until Steve finally gave you permission.

“Go on baby, cum for me you earned it. Fuck your self on my cock and cum all over me”

Your movements were frantic, desperate to chase your orgasm when finally the perfect angle of his cock inside you and your clit against him set you free. You cried out above him and dug your nails in deep.

Steve held you firmly in place and started slamming into you from below, finally letting himself think about cumming. All you could do was hold on for mercy. Moments later he brought you down onto him one final slam as he came inside of you with a cry.

The only sound in the room was both of you trying to catch your breath. You sighed again and collapsed against him, nuzzling your face into his neck. He kissed the side of your face and let you make yourself at home while he caressed your back.

____

One shower and two more orgasms later you were both clean and made your way to the kitchen. Steve was gathering the ingredients for dinner when you hugged him from behind. Your head resting against his back. Steve twisted around and hugged you in full. You both stayed like that for a moment until you looked up at him.

You were so content. Moments like this where you were just domestic were some of the best between you. It wasn’t about money or material, it was just the two of you making dinner and enjoying each other, no barriers.

“Are you really going to take me to France?” Your voice came out muffled against his chest.

“Of course, doll. After dinner I want you to use your new laptop to buy some outfits for the trip. I left my card in your new purse.”

You lifted onto your tiptoes and kissed his nose.

“You really do think of everything, don’t you?”

“What can I say? I’m a planner” he retorted.

You didn’t know it yet but Steve was going to ask you to become official while you were there. He wasn’t worried in the slightest. In fact he’d never been so sure about something in his life.

[shepherds-of-haven]

I hope you’re having a great day Lena! I was just wondering if we could have any fluff facts about the shepherds as a whole! Like fun tidbits of how they interact with each other, what some of them do if they have the same day off, does anyone host weekly game nights?? I hope that makes sense! Reading the recent short story on Patreon I love seeing how the characters interact with one another and now I need moreeeeeee🙏

Ooh, great question! I’m feeling curiously tapped dry at the moment, so I’ll probably have to reblog this as more ideas come to me; I’m so happy you’re enjoying the short story, btw!! 💖

Some group dynamic headcanons:

Many of them steal clothes from each other. Briony wears a cute sweater of Shery's (she asked), Ayla gets cold so she just takes one of Red's jackets from a chair (she didn't ask), Chase gives Tallys his scarf one day and Riel corders Trouble a pair of gloves from a fashion line he favors because his old ones are holey and they get into an argument about it... This leads to some recruits mistakenly thinking that the captains are all involved in some sort of mass relationship because they keep walking out of each other's rooms wearing each other's clothes. (The recruits believe a lot of really dumb stuff, if you couldn't tell. They LOVE gossip. It's like a competitive sport in the compound)

There is a weekly card game night, initiated and organized first by Chase, but it grows bigger over time, with snacks, cakes, drinks, and new games being procured! I'd actually say it's more like every ten-fourteen days or so than on any set weekday, and is typically proposed by anyone who senses that they or others need to blow off some steam. They all tend to meet in a private common room and either just chill and play some card games and casually drink and listen to music, or they get LOUD and raucous and play more risque non-card games (like Question or Command/Truth or Dare). The loud nights are more like once a month or bi-monthly, though! They take place in the captains' lounge so dumb recruits don't get to join! It's rare that they're in there all doing the same thing, though: maybe half will be at the table playing card games while others will be broken up into smaller groups, say arm-wrestling in the corner or playing chess at the smaller table or reading, but they're all there! Game nights are almost never held unless everyone is there, which is extraordinarily difficult to schedule, but they all make an effort to make it happen--even those who first had to be dragged into it, like Blade or Riel!

Speaking of chess games, Red and Riel have a standing game where they complete at least four more moves every night that they're around and able to meet up after dinner. Planning their next move helps them both break up the monotony of the day, and it's something they enjoy immensely. However, whenever he gets called away on a mission, Red gets sick with worry that Riel's been cooking up all sorts of schemes while he's been gone, so sometimes on the road he has, like, a schematic that he doodles on trying to anticipate Riel's next move, and it's very nerdy and ramps up in joking Anxiety. Riel, graciously, goes easier on him on nights after he comes back from long trips, though he denies it

Similarly, Blade and Trouble have a standing training session once a week where they just beat the crap out of each other. This is generally where they do the majority of their talking

Briony and Ayla first had an agreement that they would get the other one up if they overslept (Briony tends to be the one who oversleeps while Ayla is better about being up at dawn, but Ayla is really grouchy if she went to bed late and Briony is the only one who can handle her), which morphed into doing runs and sparring together at dawn and having breakfast frequently!

The girls have a standing spa night once a month where they all get together in a room (usually Shery’s) and basically do sleepover stuff and relax and chat and catch up for a few hours. This also sometimes involves showing each other new outfits that they bought that month! Sometimes there are even group baths in the big common bath, but these are rarer because Shery is shy and Tallys doesn’t like sitting in hot water getting pruny

Chase and Trouble drag Red and Halek to go drinking with them around once a month; sometimes Blade is persuaded to go if Trouble can get the drop on him and punch him hard enough to wind him. It’s complicated

Riel and Shery, of course, have tea together once a week! You’re not allowed if you can’t bring a chill vibe (Riel’s rules). Tallys, Lavinet, Halek, and Red are occasional visitors; Briony is allowed on a good day. Blade would be allowed but he has 0 interest

Similarly, Lavinet hosts a weekly brunch, either in a courtyard or at some restaurant in town! Typically it’s a girl thing and Ayla, Briony, and Shery are the most consistent attendees, but Chase has snuck his way in there often, and Riel, Halek, or Red pop up occasionally!

Tallys and Halek cook together! It’s not all that often and doesn’t seem to have any set way of materializing--it just happens somehow--but they both very much enjoy it! Sometimes they cook dinner for the whole group and have a little dinner party that they both secretly get excited for! Sometimes Shery bakes the dessert!

Riel noticed that Tallys has a little garden that she spends time weeding, so he sends gardening tools or special seeds when he thinks she needs them and she leaves baskets of vegetables or vases of flowers in his office. All of this is done without exchanging a word

Chase sporadically teaches Briony acrobatics and things like tightrope walking, just randomly whenever they’re both idle. She teaches him how to gut people with bare fists and also sometimes they paint! 

Caine caught Red grazing in the pantry late one night and now it’s like a Thing where they pass each other in the kitchen and Red sort of just looks the other way re: Caine’s bedtime and what on earth he’s doing up so late and Caine doesn’t tell anybody that Red is just absent-mindedly eating a loaf of bread at 2 AM because he was too busy working to remember to eat dinner. It’ll be like, “there’s some turkey leftover from dinner in the cold box” “oh hey, Caine. thanks. ...so, what’s the news from the midnight watch tonight?” “i’m going to go hunt ghosts on the seventh floor with my friends!” “...okay! have fun!”

Lavinet has a monthly shopping trip where she updates her wardrobe, and it is very common for others to accompany her around the city and just shop while they drop! Common partners are Shery, Briony, Riel, Chase, and once memorably Blade, who didn’t know what he was in for!

Trouble and Ayla are wildly competitive and keep arm-wrestling each other for money; this becomes a bi-weekly sporting event that is eagerly attended and bet upon by third parties

There was ONE group karaoke night. ONE. Most of them got so blackout drunk that they swore to never do it again. Even now, several of them go green whenever they hear a popular bar song (“Don’t Piss Where You Plant Your Flowers”) being sung, especially badly

The game of "telephone" gets really bad in their group. It's like, Shery will say to Briony that she's worried because she thought Riel looked a bit peaky and feverish. Briony will say in passing to Trouble that Riel is getting sick and Shery is worried. Trouble will say to Tallys that Shery is worried sick because Riel is bedridden. Tallys will be mixing herbs and Chase will ask what for and Tallys will reply that Riel is sick, but because she's mixing herbs, Chase will surmise that the sickness must be quite advanced, and will later say, "Damn, have you seen Riel? Seems like he's really sick." Red will interpret this as "I have seen Riel for myself and have determined that he's extremely ill." At least four people will bust into Riel's room, expecting him to be on the verge of death, despite the fact that they saw Riel that morning. Riel will be fine and very annoyed at the intrusion.

They rarely go out as a group to bars and establishments outside of the compound (too chaotic as well as risky, for one thing, and also, recruits don't need to see their superiors like hanging out of bushes and dancing on tabletops drunk out of their minds, and also, "Mages can't drink" (lol)), but when they do deem it a worthy occasion (Trouble's birthday, say), the girls are very punctual when getting ready, and the boys are almost always extremely late due to various shenanigans (Chase forgot that he put a booby trap on Red’s door, covering Red with flour, or a cat somehow slips into Trouble’s room and steals, like, a detonator or an important key, and they have to go chasing it across the city). This has led to the girls coming late on purpose in order to even out their arrival, but mysteriously, this has only led to even later start times, meaning they often don’t get started until like 10 or 11 PM when the most well-intentioned souls meant to be in bed by midnight... that never happens, either!

One such night once led to them ending up on a ridge in the Sun’s Embrace, like a mile outside of the city, in order to watch the sun rise together, because hiking in the dark while blasted out of their minds sounded like a really good idea. They all made it, and the dawn was spectacular, but the moment was ruined when Tallys said softly, “It’s the beginning of a beautiful new day--” punctuated by Trouble abruptly throwing up in a bush and Riel just flat-out passing out

[h3art-n-s0ul]

Grocery Shopping Together part 3

Ushijima, Daichi, Hinata

Genre: Fluff

(Please feel free to reblog and comment)

Part 1 and Part 2

This will be the final part but please leave any requests for any fics or hc's you want to see!

___________________________

Ushijima: Stands in the grocery line for you while you go eat samples

-The patience this man has

-Just wants you to be happy

-Definitely lets you buy whatever you want

-Just obsessed with your smile

-Chivalry isn't dead

-He makes waiting in line a good time

The line was honestly incredible. Unnatural.

“Woah.” You stared in disbelief. The two staff members looked so panicked and you swore you’d never seen a human being move so quickly. Well, at scanning items. The rapid beeping was so consistent, you couldn’t keep up.

“Y/n?” Your boyfriend brought you out of your dazed stupor.

“O-oh. Sorry, I was distracted. Toshi, what are we going to do? It’ll take an eternity to get through this line.” You crossed your arms and huffed.

“It’s alright love. I’m sure it’ll go faster than you think.” His towering figure inclined toward you and he tilted your chin upward.

“And of course you make it bearable.” You smiled when he kissed your forehead.

“Hey, they have a ton of free samples in the back of the store,” He pointed. “How about, you go and try some?”

“But Ushi, our stuff…” You looked downward.

“I’ll stay in line Y/n. It’s fine, lovely.” He dropped his hand to squeeze yours.

“Really? Thank you so much! Love you! I’ll be right back!” You reassured him and ran towards the samples. When you were out of sight, Ushijima couldn’t help the smile that creeped onto his features. You were so damn cute. He would die just to see you all ecstatic again.

A few minutes later you returned with a tiny paper plate, filled with snacks sitting at the ends of toothpicks.

“Here Toshi! I brought the best ones so you could try some of them too!” You fed him each individual food and waited for his verdict with wide eyes.

“Yeah I like this one better than the last one.” He commented. He loved how easily pleased you were.

This was his favorite thing, just enjoying small special moments with you.

___________________________

Daichi: Pushes you around in the cart

-Doesn't want to break store policy

-Like as much as he loves you, getting kicked out of a grocery store is not on his to-do list

-He is just such a sucker for you when you beg

--Already head over heels for you

-Always has to bribe you in exchange for denying you grocery cart access

-He's basically a glorified babysitter let's be real

“Oh my gosh it’s perfect. It’ll look so good on the windowsill in the bedroom!” You squealed.

Daichi couldn’t believe that you were this excited over a tiny potted plant.

“I’m worried you’re starting to like that plant more than me.” Daichi scoffed.

“Well come on, it’s not like you can compete. This is the cutest thing in existence!” You raised the little plant Lion King style into the air.

“Well I mean, almost.” Daichi shrugged. “The plant is second to you.” He tapped the tip of your nose with his finger.

“Ugh you’re such a sap.” You laughed and turned to him.

“Only for you.”

“Well in that case, I am going to take this rare opportunity to ask...Can I please please please ride in the cart, Dai? You know, since you love me so much?” Daichi rolled his eyes. You asked every single time you two went to the store. He was already expecting it. And he was 1000% ready to deny your request as usual. But with the puppy eyes you were throwing at him, that stupid little plant clutched in your hands...It was too much. I mean the guy was only human. He sighed. “Okay. Fine.” He watched your eyes light up. “BUT BUT- Only this ONE time. Got it?”

You nodded fervidly and started to climb into the cart.

It must have looked ridiculous. You, sitting cross legged in a shopping cart, grasping a tiny plant in your lap, while a grown man pushed you around.

Even if you did look ridiculous, you didn’t care. You were perfectly content as long as you were in Daichi’s arms, well er- cart.

___________________________

Hinata: You two race to find items the fastest.

-People aren't really sure if you two are in an actual relationship as much as you're in an enemies with benefits situation, with how competitive you are

-It's always only in the name of fun

-He's still so sweet on you

-He is also fantastic at distracting you which is great unless you're actually trying to be productive

-Super comfortable around each other

It had been a few weeks since you had been grocery shopping and the crumpled paper list clutched in your hand was a mile long.

“I’m sorry you came with me, Shoyo. This is going to take forever!” You whined and leaned against his side.

“Hey Y/n it’s okay! I can help get stuff for you!” Typical Hinata. Internally, he was frantically trying to come up with a way to make grocery shopping more fun for you.

“Thanks Shoyo. You sure you don’t wanna go home? This is going to take a while and I’d much rather just lay in bed and binge watch a tv show with you.” You complained.

“Trust me, I would too. But I promise I’ll get as many things on that list as possible for you!” Hinata smiled brightly and you couldn’t help but think how sweet he was.

“In fact, I bet I can find the things on your list faster than you.” He knew exactly how to motivate you. Competition.

“Oh really? Are you prepared to test that theory, Sho?” You ripped the list in half and gave him the longer half.

“Hey! This is cheating.” He held up his half of the list.

“You’re the one who initiated the competition, and I figured since you were so confident…” You leered.

“Fine. I’ll still beat you.” He laughed and continued, “Meet at the checkout? Winner gets to choose the show we watch tonight.”

“Deal! You’re on.” You shook hands with him.

“Ready?”

“GO!” Both you and Hinata broke into a sprint, heading in opposite directions.

Time skip tilde~

“I still don’t understand how you won!”

“Shoyo. Maybe because you forgot to get a cart and instead haphazardly decided to carry everything.” You rolled your eyes.

“There wasn’t enough time!”