#uuuuh what else should i add

[neoqzz]

i have no art to post so yall have to rely on stuff im reposting from tiktok rn

i bought csp today on the discount so ill MAYBE drop new art tmrw when i get back home from my internship 🙏

song is binomi also go check out my fic !! /j /nf

this ones kinda old too (july 2024) but uuuhhh its kinda iconic because its referencing a fic that im PROBABLY known off of so why not repost it to here

im gonna both remake this and maybe rewrite the fic if it gets to 100 kudos which is,,, impossible !!

[theearnestonion]

I have so many story concepts that I’m never gonna do a thing with and it makes me sad. I oughta draw them just so they have some physical appearance in my brain to keep me from forgetting them

[lubraes-ruin]

Go find a clown robot with a gun somewhere else. I can understand liking a character, and I can't lie, I like Cayde as a character. He's been a nice comic relief in TTK, but I feel they made him too funny in D2. But now, invalidating 3 DLCs and all the wonderful storytelling that happened just because of one funny robot man, then that becomes a problem for me. And examples like "Uuuuh Bungie brought back Uldren and Saint, they must bring back Cayde" no, fuck that shit. Uldren is now Crow, a Guardian and my God I'm so ready for his development during the new season. So that can't happen to Cayde.

Saint? Osiris literally built the Sundial with the only objective of rescuing Saint who die in the Infinite Forest, and not our world. So saving him was also helped by the fact we didn't have to change things in our own time and space, but rather in the ones simulated by the Vex. So we can't go back in time because no Osiris and because Cayde was the cause of his own death.

So, let's say they did bring him back, what would he add to our story? More fun? More reasons for you stans to drool over him? Would he just talk secretly talk about Ace and just that? C'mon guys.

So once again. Enjoy Cayde all you want, do whatever you want with him! But stop living like he's the only reason Destiny 2 should exist, otherwise you're basically telling that everything the devs worked on this years means nothing to you, just because Cayde isn't here.

Love you guys, have fun.

[readerinsertfanfiction]

Hitch in the road

Fandom: The Arcana

Character: Julian Devorak

Prompt: Julian being Julian but he is trying to celebrate @venulus​ birthday! Or at least, I’m. Happy birthday! 

Warnings: Mentions of food

Word count: -1k

Masterlist

Julian's intentions were in the right place often, but it was his luck, or perhaps a lack of skill even, that often left out the desired results. So this was the case in the following story. His intention was good, but the result was an absolute disaster.

"How the hell did you manage that?" Portia had questioned, a brow rising on that homely face who was anything but unimpressed. It had been only his first attempt, so his sister could have gone a little nicer about it. A first ever even, though Julian did admit that it was perhaps for the best not to mention this try, ever. There still was no need to pretend that he was an entirely hopeless case, however!

"Just a little hitch in the road. Gotta allow some failures to reach perfection, right?"

But Portia had dubiously stared at her brother as she put a hand on her hip, not even bothering to give the man some tips on improvement.

His second attempt was a little… burnt. "At least it holds shape, I guess," his sister had reviewed this time. Though Portia had looked so offended when Julian brought his second attempt in to show that the doctor decided that perhaps he shouldn't describe this one either.

"Just another bump!" he exclaimed and Portia rolled her eyes this time not even sparing her brother a few sassy words. That stung more than any review she could give.

In the end he had finally figured that he did need flour, he couldn't rely only on sugar and that he needed less heat. Julian supposed that looking at the recipe Portia had handed him in the beginning was a smart idea after all. Baking was, after all, not as intuitive as he had imagined it to be. Nor did he seem to possess said intuition.

"I'm not tasting this." The finality in Portia's voice when Julian brought forth the umpteenth cake made the older sibling nearly crawl away. He knew he wasn't getting any closer to the desired result, but the day was reaching its end and he still had nothing, nothing aside from the failed attempts that his sister even refused to classify as anything related to food.

"Maybe I should go for a no-bake version?" he tried but the fierce glare from his sister shut him up real quick. "Right. Flour and eggs," he repeated the notes from his last no-bake attempt, which Portia had described as an attempt on her life when she found out.  

"What if…"

The tell tale sign of Portia's hand on her hip and a long dreadful sign interrupted Julian, "no, you can't go without flour and eggs. Anyone else could, but you can't."

How very discouraging, but Julian wasn't a Devorak if he wasn't stubborn and didn't like to explore boundaries.

"I'm here!" the ring of your voice startled the man who was still in the process of getting everything ready, earning a spill over his fingers when he was trying to pour everything into the container.

"Here!" Julian called from the kitchen, glad for Portia's absence right now, but devastated at the look of the kitchen, "or rather, stay there! I will come for you!" the man quickly corrected himself. After all, the ruined cakes numbered 1 to 12 were all on display still, with number 13 in his hands.

And on his clothes. And��� all over the place and his face and…

"Uuuuh, actually…" Julian threw the container on the counter, spilling half its contents before he slammed the door to his kitchen shut, "be a dear and make yourself at home in my… living room?" the man asked and from the other side he could hear you chuckle.

"Uhuh, and you will hide in the kitchen?" you tease and Julian chews his lips as he tries to think of an answer to that without ruining the night.

"Portia told me," you fill in the silence and Julian curses his sister for ratting him out as he feels you tug at the door handle, finally relenting as he opens up the space and steps back into the disaster he had left in his wake in an attempt to surprise you. And surprised you most certainly were.

An awkward rumble escapes Julian who spreads out his arms, gesturing over to the counter on which attempts one to twelve are on display and at attempt thirteen still in the sink and all over him.

"Tried another no-bake, what's your binder?" you ask him and Julian internally groans when he realises that he forgot that you were a baker as well.

"Binder. Right. Uhm," struggling to remember if he had put any in it as well his lips curled up into that characteristic smile of his.

"Well, that would be my love for you," he smoothly adds and he knows that the roll of your eyes is a response out of love, as you can't suppress the smile on your face, your head shaking as you pull the man by the only part of his sleeve that is still clean.

"That's not a binder, but nevermind. We should get you cleaned up and go out for some dinner and cake. I'm not helping you clean this mess."

Julian smiles wider at that, though the prospect of having to clean up his kitchen alone isn't a pleasant one. Nonetheless the man pulls at you, an arm wrapping around you as he nuzzles your cheek.

"Then how about unwrapping me as a birthday present?" he coyly asks before realising that he is still covered in raw batter as much as he is covered in dry and hardened batter as well as flour that he is smudging all over you.

Before a look of guilt can set on his face you have already smacked him on the chest, dragging the both of you off for a much needed wash.

Perhaps there was a perfection in his failures after all.

[goldenworldsabound]

attempt at determining why I fell for Mr. Fitzgerald part 1

via discussing season 3 episode 7 because. That's Fitzgerald Rising. And it is definitely the episode that slam dunked me directly into his loving arms kjhKFHWJKF (also a little bit of s3e12)

under the cut

so the episode opens with him in the slums

The Guild's strategist seeks him out, asking him to give her orders again. But he's...really frickin depressed. A mess. After he says this, he also adds, "those paltry things were all that gave me value". Without money, his ability is basically useless too, it's worth adding. And by basically I mean literally, since he turns money into power. He failed, and he's taking it super super hard.

Seeing a character who was proud, cocky, arrogant reduced to...a failure is...always something powerful to me. It always makes me feel some level of sympathy. I was surprised to see it, mostly because I thought he was dead fksjfhksja but also because...he is SUCH a confident and cocky asshole. But he was also SO devoted to his cause, it's shocking to see he sank so low, that needed someone else to pull him out of it. This is of course a really solid step in humanizing a villain (and I will point out he gets even more humanization and semi-redemption in the manga, but we'll get there in my analysis later). But this episode is all about humanizing him.

this picture is from his flashback about falling into the ocean and it's gorgeous

but he's also talking about how he thought he was going to die - but someone, despite using up his entire fortune, he hadn't used his 500,000 wedding ring. But it seemed to absorb itself here without him deciding to use it. The fact that he didn't use it before really speaks to his love for his wife. He used literally everything else, after all. My point about this is that I think despite all the antagonism and insanity we see from him he cares deeply about the people he chooses to care about (his wife, his daughter, and now Aura uwu).

Now back to the current. He starts to get back on his feet.

And holy shit. He does NOT know how to not be rich. And it is insanely endearing. He also gets back on his feet and is back to being the lovably asshole.

look at him thinking about which suit to buy, even when he's dressed like that and a bit of a mess he's still so handsome and smug stahp it

he's very handsome here okay fdkjfhskda he's talking to the strategist Louisa here, and he's saying that in her extremely capable hands 50 billion dollars is worth no more than loose change found on the streets. He certainly doesn't need to flatter her - she seems incredibly eager to please. But through the episode he praises her and makes it clear he values his employees.

Jumping ahead, he criticizes the president of Manhasset security for treating his employees like trash.

Louisa says she isn't sure she can accomplish what he wants and Francis is immediately like YO. YOU CAN DO IT. Which is obviously a little self serving but. It seems clear he values her immensely.

He's speaking to Eckleburg, who was originally framed for murder by the president of Manhasset. He doubled the man's pay (and got him you know cleared of murder) and also doubled the amount of work he has to do, but...you know. There's definitely a lot of emphasis by Francis in this episode on, "my employees are valuable and talented and should be treated well". I mentioned from earlier episodes some of this is visible - he only goes on his rampage to destroy Yokohama because his employees got hurt in the first place. He was trying to find other paths until that point. Obviously that's a disproportionate reaction but. You know.

And then at the end of season 3 we see him actually work with the ADA against a common enemy, which is a very good sign. He's not an unreasonable man - in fact, when you aren't in his way, he generally won't care about you one way or the other.

I just wanted to include this picture because...something about the way he's smiling...omg...also I almost screamed when I saw him did not expect him to be here at all!!! and there he was the love of my life fjkahsfkjd

SO what I'm trying to say is. Holy shit. Love a man who will do anything for his goals and picks and chooses careful who has value to him and protects these people. He's still a mostly irredeemable villain but. I love him anyway so KJFWHFKJW here we are.

uuuuh okay I'll add a reblog to this for...some further analysis known as image dumping because he's also very cool and handsome fkjdsahf

[repeterwiggin]

i decided to make notes as I watched POF (SVSR) for the second time and damn. it’s just as much of a rollercoaster even when you know what’s coming (warning this is long there’s a lot going on)

- wild to me how we jump straight in!

- lee & mary lee are adorable & also thomas at the wedding is a Mood literally me at all my friends weddings

- the flashback breaks my heart,

- Patton is still a really good trier... he’s so good and he tries so hard and I love him

- the way thomas rips off his suit jacket...

- the song that isn’t sung!

- Patton says “we four helped you” but there were five sides in svs hmm I feel like that’s probably significant in some way

- the ace attorney ref makes me very happy! there was a secret path of me hoping for for a professor layton reference but this is ehhhh kinda close?

- the fact that the first thing they say is “why didn’t we talk to lee and mary lee” like. yeah!!

- WE SHOULD START LOOKING I TO WAYS TO PREDICT THE FUTURE! he’s a little confused but he’s got the spirit

- patton and roman bffs!!

- feral cats,,, what a tangent i stan roman

- I like that we get some more context to the invite as well, like being asked face to face does add another element to the dilemma

- Dame Judy Dench = Queen Groovy Bench I see you using those Good Place swears, Roman

- “maybe they ... feel guilty” is like. I get where you’re coming from Patton but talking to them should’ve been step one imo like. I have been to lots of friends weddings and talking to them is important

- “I’m not sure there was a good ending to get” ... “for he’s a jolly good fellow!”

- them calling Patton out for how critical he’s been!!! very important!!! and I appreciate that Patton is trying “I’m just trying to help you be a good as you can be!” he still has more to learn but still im love him

- the bagel callback lol

- GameStore instead of GameStop lol Patton

- FROGGER

- “he eats fly for breakfast”

- We’re ten minutes in and there’s already so much going on

- Also I just want to appreciate that thomas is such a good actor I can tell which side is speaking just from their voice like the cadence is different and they way they say words ahhh it’s something I’ve thought about before but it’s really hitting me with these voice over segments

- Leslie Odom Jr lol if only we’d known

- The Pokemon battle format is so good and I love that it’s being used for a “do you give money to a homeless actor”

- The hotdog puns....

- Logan’s Lowdown!!!

- Roman mouthing “behoove” to Patton is very cute but I feel bad for Logan :(

- Pixel Logan is adorable

- The fact that roman immediately goes “ignorant” breaks my heart listen to logan!!! please!!!!

- Patton trying to soften his thoughts is kind of painful to watch

- “As long as that’s not the main reason you’re doing it!” Patton no,,,,,,,,

- Roman needs to be listened to more he looks so defeated when Patton doesn’t agree with him and only continues after serious prompting I feel like he’s been ignored too many times lately I’m very excited for a roman arc :((

- “Leslie Odom Jr’s....literal cake that he baked!!!”

- Logan’s fun fact popping up in the mario scene!! that’s my boy!!!

- Also the fact that roman is immediately painting deceit as the bad guy after they spent all of svs getting along......like, I feel like after the other sides decided that deceit wasn’t at all genuine or looking out for thomas’ best interests roman did a full 180* on him which makes sense for romans character but is also kinda depressing bc in is lying okay? and svs he was like “oh he’s not that bad!!” And now he’s like “scute bellied tyrant!!” damn

- Patton let’s him talk and then immediately is like “uuuuh no” yikes

- Roman targets all his insults at deceit and very carefully avoids being even playfully rude to anyone else hmm I really do think he’s trying to “make up” for siding with deceit last time and in the end it doesn’t even matter :((( bc he still feels like he’s disappointing people

- Roman seems like he’s genuinely trying to understand and Patton is really struggling to articulate his thoughts and that creates such a good conflict between the two bc it’s not like theyre really against each other it’s just solid interpersonal difference. or intrapersonal I guess

- The trolley problem!!!! A classic I love it

- The way it’s animated too is so good... the “Thomas is full of dread” the way the music cuts when the train appears how it cuts right before the train hits “is it over” ahhhhhh

- Also Leslie Odom Jr again lol

- “Maybe don’t depict scenarios where my friends die” and then later Patton is specifically like “it’s lee and mary lee!!!” lol wild

- “You know we don’t like to use the T word!!!” GREAT little aside

- “So it’s the how that matters” “yeah... and the why!!!” patton baby you’re trying so hard and I love you but it’s okay. you don’t need to have all the answers. you can just not know! I promise it’s alright!

- Thomas face after Patton brings up the “figment of your imagination” things KILLS ME

- I actually disagree with Thomas on the “putting more good into the world” as not being a compelling answer BUT I think that Patton is overlooking how feeling good/having positive emotions attached with those actions IS directly putting more good into the world. like, if doing good makes you feel good, that’s a good thing!! idk

- Logan disagreeing with Patton was good and we all know logan is my favourite but I think he could’ve handled that a little better

- PATTON HITTING SKIP ALL..... sweetie no :((

- everyone has already said this but that cane is the snake boy

- Roman even pulls back the insults on a philosopher who is not there

- Also Roman being like “your desires are getting in the way” again bc he feels like he’s not being listened to or appreciated bc there’s something about him that’s “wrong” and trying to shoulder the blame bc he feels bad that his desires (success, fame, love, appreciation) are inherently selfish :(((

- “that is the stupidest thing you’ve ever said” right sentiment, terrible delivery

- the way roman says “you’re just blowing smoke” is a Lot and very much like his fishing for validation but I don’t blame him for it, after what he’s just admitted it’s truly understandable that he needs that validation

- Thomas’ point about feelings motivating him is REALLY good bc we are all motivated by our emotions

- “Doing nothing is even worse!” i mean you’re not wrong but not in the way you think,,

- Logan/Deceit (I do think it’s deceit at this point) using the oxygen mask metaphor is really great to me!!! I love that metaphor & I was going to be a flight attendant so it’s something I thought about a lot. I’ll talk about it more when Deceit brings it up again lol

- “Uuuh I do need help” mood thomas mood

- “Temporarily put himself first” oof

- “It’s easy to say what we would hypothetically do...” hard agree

- Watching logan/deceit huff and roll his eyes solidifies for me that it is deceit like something about it feels unlike Logan lol I can’t explain why

- Roman nodding along with the explanation of why leisure is important makes me very happy

- “Oh is it not? Please correct me if I’m wrong” and the way the sprite pressing further and further and being more expressive with his hands and eyebrows like damn. that’s deceit!!

- Patton’s breakdown is Iconic I love the glitching and the way it zooms out to show the layout of the living room and the way he explodes ahhhhhhh so good

- why does the frog have abs that’s my one question

- lilypadton ahdhajfka I love it

- DECEIT EX MACINA THE REVEAL IS SO GOOD as soon as he started punning (cut through this bull...frog) I was like 👀 AND THEN THE LINES AND THE CAPE AND THE LORD OF THE LIES IM HAPOY TO OBLIGE

- “CODE YELLOW”

- the deceit sprite is so cute :))))

- Deceit pulling Thomas behind him we have to stan

- “Richer than Jeff Bozos” I LOVE that roman I love you

- Deceit calling him out and the way the words themselves turn into attacks is such a fun detail

- Frog Patton still punning even in serious moments is so on brand

- Deceit dodging while thomas gets hit is a solid metaphor

- “The plane is going down, you need to give thomas some room to breathe” oof like it needed to be said but oof

- The health bars changing to “Thomas’ mental health” OOF LADS WE’RE REALLY IN IT NOW

- the way thomas looks when he steps back into frame cracks me up

- “We can still beat him! We’ve beaten him before!” oh roman, but it’s not a fight against deceit :((

- the snakes on the plane ref lmao “I’m sick of this morality fighting snake on this metaphorical plane” whoever wrote that line... I want to give them a high five truly iconic

- Deceit is so much more playful and showing more diverse personality in this ep and I’m living for it

- final fantasy!! the og version turn by turn which is what I like to play lol also the villain they’re fighting kinda looks like Virgil and idk how to feel about that

- Deceit looking away as soon as logan pops up lmaoooooo

- “Not that any of you care...” logan baby no!!!!! I care!!!!

- Effective Altruism explanation and Logan making a point to go “it employs the heart and the mind” like ... reminding Patton that they need to work together and they’re on the same side I’m soft

- Deceit and Logan agreeing warms my heart they’re both so good and ahhhh

- “Emphasis on the ‘sometimes’ though, right?” “Yeah sure whatever — I mean yes! Of course!”

- I also love how deceit addresses thomas directly they don’t do that a lot but it makes sense cause deceit is really trying to persevere thomas’ self

- Him calling roman noble and roman not believing it :((( deceit trying to be honest and ahhhhh I’m so sad

- “Selflessness isn’t always the answer” which was exactly what svs was supposed to be about

- “What do you almost all things?” “Oh you’re right we wouldn’t want to plant too many trees, imagine how much CO2 might absorbed”

- lmao why am I so impressed by Roman’s deceit impression when they’re literally the same person

- roman flipping out and attacking deceit is a Big Yikes but it’s totally in character bc roman has always been black and white even more so than Patton and it’s been building to an arc for a loooong time so I’m very excited

- Deceit taking off his glove.... saying his name......... I can’t process this

- JANUS!!!!!!!!!! It’s so good it’s perfect I love it I love him

- roman immediately laughing yikesssss

- “Oh roman thank god you don’t have a moustache otherwise between you and remus I wouldn’t know who the evil twin is” YIKESSS but also valid deceit is at a breaking point

- “I thought I was your hero” “you are!”

- I’m going to be thinking about deceit’s—JANUS’S—nod for a long time....was he agreeing with Thomas or was he saying that Thomas was lying ahhhhhhh

- “Everything’s going to be okay. We love you.” “...right” AH MY HEART

- I want to give roman a hug

- Patton asking Janus for advice like right away and Janus not being great at first but coming around quickly with the ever true “it depends” like I love the two of them together the DYNAMIC POTENTIAL

- Janus does seem fond of Patton which is cute I can’t wait for everyone to be friends again lol

- ACTUAL LESLIE ODOM JR I CANNOT

- how did they make that happen,,,, how wild

- the clapping

- “This sanders sides not odom sides,, I’m not threatened at all” that is, somehow, a mood

- “don’t kill, don’t steal, easy conclusions to come to” “even those can get iffy” “I don’t want to think about that... but maybe that proves my point!” you what we call that? growth

- “Giving too simple answers to complicated questions can do more harm than good” “mmhmm”

- “So I’m sorry! Again!” Poor boy is trying to hard and I love him :((( so much <3333

- “Oh yeah that’s cool, talk about me like I’m not here” I love you Janus!!!”

- “I’ll take care of him” and then immediately joking around and trying to make thomas laugh is very cute thomas needed something lighthearted after all of that ahhh

- “You’re not stuck with an EVIL snake boy...you’re just stuck with a snake boy!!” I LOVE YOU JANUS what an adorable nerd I would die for him

- and how excited he gets about being called right he deserves it

- “I love how much you like these constant dilemmas so please keep overthinking things” you know what I needed to hear that man

- “You can’t get doing good down to a science” WORD

- the message of treating yourself well & finding the right balance between that and doing good for others being a personal thing is very good and much needed

- Lee and Mary Lee are onscreen for like 3 minutes and I love them so much

- “So this is what you do for a living? Comedy?” “Yeah I’m a hack”

- Patton and Janus chilling on the same screen... I adore them

- “Seems like things worked out after all... I was wrong about everything!” “You and I both know that’s not true” and Patton’s soft little smile I love them!!!!

- “Odom sides would cool!” like actual Leslie Odom Jr said that.... I’m shook

- okay that’s the end it’s just as much a rollercoaster the second time around no I am not okay, thank you for your time

[stereksecretsanta]

Merry Christmas, @otpsfloat!

Hello dear @otpsfloat! I really hope you’re going to like this story, and I also hope I didn’t add too much fluff ;)

Summary: Derek is forced to go to a mini gold speed dating, but when he meets Stiles there, he isn’t really sure if he should rather thank his sisters for this amazing idea.

Read on AO3

*****

The Official Beacon Hills Rainbow Mini Golf Date Night.

Not for the first time, and certainly not for the last, Derek Hale hated living with his sisters. He had been sulking for a while, unhappy with college, with life, with everything.

Of course, Laura and Cora, the banes of his very existence - together with their mother Talia, of all people! - had attributed it to him not getting laid enough. (Or, in the case of his parents: of him not having someone to love, to cherish and to bond closely with!)

Thus Laura pulled some strings, added a lot of pressuring, and a near-blackmail in the form of “if you do this, you’re off the hook for an entire year!”, and here he was: At the Official Beacon Hills Rainbow Mini golf Date Night.

He already hated the colourful design of the rooms, the glaringly offensive brightness of everything assaulting his eyes. There were several courses of eighteen holes each, and a group of male and female visitors, all milling about and having a drink.

Derek cringed internally as he headed towards the cash register. He’d looked it up, before; Everyone would take a coloured golf ball out of a huge tub with their eyes closed, and would complete an entire course with whoever had the equivalent of their colour. The only thing they could choose in advance was the gender of their ‘dating partner’.

Derek hadn’t hesitated in signing himself up for men only.

There were a lot of people standing around. Some seemed shy, others were already trying to pair up. There were others, similar to him, who looked like they wanted to be anywhere else but here.

Derek was the last to grab for the ball, and the organisers were already beginning to pair the people up, smiling like this was the best thing of the entire world. And for some it seemingly was, judging from their happy expressions, but for him it was only something he had agreed to to get his family off his back for a year. He really didn’t get their complaints anyway, what was so bad with being single?

Derek toyed with the plastic ball, looking around idly. He wondered about getting a drink to loosen up, but knowing that it wouldn’t work (and assuming that they didn’t have anything stronger for werewolf customers) he decided not to. An attendee headed towards him, and he displayed the abysmal pink ball in his hands. She smiled, leading him on.

And then he saw his partner for the speed dating. He held his own pink ball, wearing a shirt with a cute fox on it, grinning sarcastically, Jeans, pretty worn converse and a checked shirt wrapped around his waist. He had moles everywhere, brown eyes and hair that stood up and didn’t look like it had been combed in a while.

“Great! Now that everyone is paired up, let me explain the rules again! We have three courses here, and you complete one with your current partner. If you want to get to know them better, you can take some extra 15 minutes at the Bar. If you want to continue, you wait here until all are done, and pick another ball. But let’s hope your current partner got the balls to sweep you off your feet, right?”, she announced with a loud laugh.

Derek blinked, slowly, and then made his way over to his partner for the night. He had to admit it - the boy was pretty cute. A somewhat upturned nose, awake, honey-coloured eyes, and a grin that matched the relaxed posture he had. But for some reason he looked awfully familiar to the werewolf - and not quite legal. “Hey,” he said, approaching the young man directly. “How’s it going?”

“Hey!”, he let out in an almost squeak, as his eyes ranked over Derek’s body. He smelled excited, hopeful and somewhat happy. “I am Stiles! You probably remember me from the one running in to you and throwing all his books down the staircase in college!”

Derek’s eyes widened at that. Christ, he remembered. “Damn, that was you,” he blurted out. “You nearly broke my neck. And your own, too, when you almost flung yourself down the stairs to save the books,” he added with a somewhat devious grin. “Out to meet new people?”

“Oh yeah!” He chuckled at that, wiggling his eyebrows. “Kinda. Actually… to be really honest…” he whispered and leaned in. “I lost a bet.”

Derek’s brows shot up. “Be glad you don’t have obnoxious sisters you think you need to get laid,” he replied, voice nothing but a quiet growl in Stiles’ ears. He didn’t miss the shiver that ran through the boy.

“Hah… so we both aren’t here on our own volition?” he asked, tilting his head. “But hey! It’s mini golf! Let’s make the best of it and have the game of our lifes!”

“You’d love mini golf,” Derek replied with a grumble. They both took their (ridiculously small!) clubs, heading to one of the courses. Being intimidating by nature meant people let Derek go first, and he smirked at that, walking past the people with Stiles at his side.

Stiles, who didn’t mind this at all. He smelled so ridiculously happy that it was almost overpowering everything else in the room. “Soooo… what should I call you?“

Oh, right. He’d never introduced himself.

"I’m Derek. Derek Hale,” he added, knowing that most people were at least remotely aware of his… unconventional family at the edge of town. And his werewolf blood, too.

“Derek…” Stiles repeated, almost purring. “Then show me how you treat these balls!”

“Oh, you’re an expert for balls, then?” Derek drawled. He dropped his own ball to the ground, putting it in position with his foot and eyeing the hole. Jesus, he sucked at mini golf. No werewolf senses would fix that. He flicked the golf club, shooting the ball towards its aim.

Stiles let out a laugh. Derek’s ball was way off. “Good shot, Der!” he said, placing his own ball down. He licked his lips, glanced towards the hole, and then hit it.

“Come on,” Derek growled, watching Stiles hit a hole in one. “You’re actually good at mini golf? What kind of nerd are you?”

“Wohooooo!” He let out a cheer and jumped up, grinning at the werewolf. “I am kinda good? Not greatly good, but… yeah! But I promise I didn’t use any magic…” he added as he wiggled his fingers. “And I am a nerd by association! And… yeah. But really, you’re giving up that easily?”

“Oh, I haven’t even started,” Derek said with a low rumble, and his the hole with the next shot as well. He didn’t comment on the magic statement, after all he wasn’t the only supernatural creature here. The one in the corner looked like he could be a Kanima, and he was sure that one of the organisers was a werewolf as well. And magic per se wasn’t that rare, it all depended on what kind of magic… and that was something he could find out later, once he decided that he was interested in getting to know this one further. If he would do it. “Keep going. You start this time, Mister Nerd by association.”

“Uuuuh! Call me Stiles, Sourwolf!” he shot back, a wide grin on his face. He hopped further, placed his ball in front of him again, and this time wiggled with his back. Was he trying to wiggle every single part of his body this evening?

Sourwolf? Derek chuckled against his better judgement, reaching out with the club and patting Stiles’ backside with it. “Wiggling for the audience?”

“Maybe I’m wiggling for you?”, he offered with a wink and then played the ball. But this time it went into the hole, jumped out of it and rolled down. “Maaaan!”

"Not quite as lucky all the time?” Derek whispered into his ear, walking past him. This time he was more effective than Stiles - he just needed two hits, the other three.

“So! As this is a date or something… we should talk, right?” he began, heading to the next area. “Okay. We know our names. Then… what else does one talk about during dates?”

“I’d ask what you’re doing, but I know that already,” Derek said smugly. “College, Criminal Science. Right?”

“Yes. And you?” He looked at him. “I only saw your abs to be honest… oh, and Cora, but she’s rude and kinda scary.”

“She is. Don’t tell her I said that, she’d eat my eyeballs.” He shrugged. “Architecture and art,” Derek said, putting another ball. “One because it was sensible, one because I wanted to.”

“Nice!” He nodded, watching him playing. “And you’re a werewolf. My best friend is one, bitten.”

“And you’re not scared?” This was a surprise; most people were. Derek motioned for him to shoot. “That’s rare.”

“Well… when he tried to kill me, yeah… back then I was. Scared shitless actually…” he murmured, a frown on his face. “…but I did my best. I tried to teach him as much as I could, without an Alpha for him around. He was bitten by a rogue Alpha, which I think… your family took out a bit later, if I remember correctly? You maybe know him? Scott McCall? He works at Deaton’s. He’s also helping me with my magic a bit, not as much as I’d like to, but that’s Deaton…”

“Yeah, actually. Heard his name before. Deaton’s my mother’s Emissary.” Derek said with a nod. “And well, in Scott’s defense, you look like a snack,” he added deadpan.

Stiles looked at him, as if to ask if he was serious, but then his lips spread into a grin. “If I’m a snack, then you’re the full meal.”

“Smooth,” the werewolf said with a quiet laugh. He nodded, motioning for him to go ahead. They kept talking, an easy back and forth between them.

It was really nice and also felt natural. Stiles’ happiness didn’t let up even one second, and he was a good challenge when it came to mini golf. He laughed when they just finished half the course with both of them needing three shots for it. “So, how do you like this date so far?”

“It’s pretty good,” Derek said with a low rumble in his voice. It was true; he enjoyed himself. “Much better than any of the others I went on, for sure…”

“That’s great!” Stiles blurted out, the tips of his ears turning red as he brightly smiled at him. “I am… actually quite excited. I mean… yeah, I just lost a bet, but… you are amazing….”

Amazing? Derek ducked his head a little at the surprising praise, then smiled over at Stiles. “So you don’t mind being set up like this, for once?”

“Wow… your smile is breatha-”, he began, then cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair. “I totally don’t mind. I didn’t expect much apart from a nice mini gold match, but… I get to know you and that’s wow.”

“Hmm. I agree,” Derek said, pitching the next ball. At this point neither of them was really focused on the game, and Derek felt comfortably… warm. Maybe this was a decent idea. The boy seemed to be fun… and he really didn’t mind hanging out with him.

Stiles walked to the next area, placing the ball down before he stretched and glanced at the werewolf. “So. May I ask why someone like you is single?”

“I’m a horrible people person, in case you hadn’t noticed,” Derek said drily, watching Stiles hit another hole. “Besides, I had some… bad experiences in the past.”

“I think you’re very compatible with me, though!” he shot back with a big grin. “And hey. No time like the present, right?”

Derek was suddenly directly behind Stiles as he got ready to hit his next ball. He whispered. “Hmm. Do you want to say you see us both as highly compatible in a … mating sense?” The werewolf watched with great pleasure as the ball went awry.

He could scent Stiles’ nervousness and at the same time there was something else, making it clear that he liked this very much. “Well… if this big ass werewolf likes a scrawny human…?” he whispered back. Stiles definitely tried to hide how nervous he was, but he couldn’t mask his scent, at least not to Derek’s nose. He picked up all the subtle changes, how he was interested, how much he liked it. But he also realised that he really liked Stiles’ overall scent. It was nice, calming, grounding in a way…

“Oh, I wouldn’t call you scrawny. Maybe wiry. Definitely… flexible,” Derek added with a smirk. Then he stepped away, dropping his own golf ball, and continued playing.

“Oh that’s mean! You totally did this on purpose to be better than I am! Oooooh, you just wait!” He grinned and then put the next ball into the hole in one. “Uuuuh yeah! You just watch me!”

“I am watching,” Derek said - and it was true. He was watching Stiles, and the boy was pretty damn good looking. Which didn’t mean he’d let him win.

“Well, I gotta say, Derek Hale… I am interested in getting to know you more…” he murmured as he waited for the werewolf to play.

“Is that the only thing you’re interested in?” Derek asked, feigning innocence. But he kept playing expertly.

“You? Heck no!” he answered with a chuckle, watching him miss the hole. “I play Lacrosse. I help my Dad with solving crimes. I help Scott with everything werewolf related. I read a lot. I play video games. I also learn how to manipulate mountain ash, and some spells and how to feel the land around you. And… well, I live with my Dad, who’s the Sheriff, to give you some more information about me.”

“Hmm,” Derek said with a nod. That wasn’t what he had wanted to imply, but it was just as well. Information for information. “I’m a werewolf in college. I live with my family and am a beta to my mother’s leadership. I don’t plan on starting my own pack in the next few years. I have obnoxious sisters, I probably read even more than you, I suck at operating a computer. Sometimes I volunteer in the city centre. And I drive a Camaro.”

“A Camaro?” At that Stiles looked up, almost whistling. “Nice one. I got a Jeep and its name is Roscoe. Eh… Scott’s my best friend. Lydia, the woman I had a crush on for a long time is a Banshee and is together with Jackson, a Kanima. I also know Isaac who really wants to be a werewolf. I never had a relationship ever before, never dated…. so… I’m a virgin in every sense!”

“I see,” Derek nodded. “I’m… not. I tried dating women, but truth be told, it sucked. So I ended up here, and met you, and… I don’t think that’s so bad,” he added with a small smirk.

“Oh man, I’m sorry…” he said with a frown as he walked to the next area. “Soooo… do you want to spend a bit more time after this ball kicking?”

“Absolutely,” Derek agreed quietly. He smiled, and Stiles felt his knees wobble a little at that. “Maybe have a drink after I beat you, huh??”

“Beat me?” He laughed as he had a look at the score chard. “Actually, dear Mister Hale… this is the last area and I am in the lead right now.”

“…” Derek looked up. Shit, when had that happened? There was no way he could win. Derek growled, pitching the last ball in. “Alright. Drink on me then, I guess.”

“Yeah!” Stiles thrust up an arm, noted down Derek’s points and then followed him over to where the organisers were waiting. “We hope you had fun? Have you decided?” the woman from before asked with a smile.

“Decided?” Derek said. He found himself reaching out, curling his arm around Stiles shoulders. Drawing him close against his chest. “We’d like that drink now.”

This totally made Stiles blush, but he agreed with a very firm nod. “Very well. Then please proceed and pick a seat. You get 15 more minutes.”

“Thank you,” Derek said, politely, and led Stiles away with him. Only then did he turn his head. “Is this okay?”

“Totally okay!” he answered, chuckling. “I mean I heard werewolves are kinda territorial, but you’re starting it really early.”

“Tell me if it bothers you,” Derek hummed, leading him to a table. Then they sat down together. “Drinks on me, then. In exchange for your number, if you are game…”

“And you are straight forward!” Stiles added with a laugh. But he nodded and showed Derek his number, then saved the other’s number under 'Sourwolf’. “And… don’t worry. I am really honest and will not hold back just to be nice.”

“That’s good,” Derek said, and left it at that. He wanted to say so much more; how he hated it if people lied to him or kept their opinions. But maybe that was too much for a first date, so he remained quiet. They both looked at the menu, and Derek raised a brow. “Those cocktail names are borderline pornographic.”

“Yeah, right?” He chuckled and then lowered the menu. “Come on, we just got 15 minutes. Let’s focus on each other!” he murmured and leaned forward.

“So….. Han Solo or Luke Skywalker?”

“Han Solo. Rebels or Empire?” Derek shot back, leaning back a little. This was promising.

Stiles’ eyes lit up and his mouth fell open. “Oh my god! You are perfect! Star Wars! You watched Star Wars?!”

“Of course I did. But I prefer the old trilogy,” Derek added with a smirk. “Answer my question.”

“Ah, ah yeah! Rebels of course! I mean, they got the X-Wing and they’re fighting for the freedom of the universe!”

“Very good choice,” Derek purred. Yeah, he liked this boy. “Favourite Horror movie?”

“Oh, that’s… difficult…!” He leaned back, and began to nibble on his lower lip. “So… I guess… I haven’t watched a lot of full horror movies. But IT is good… and Freeze.”

“Oh, Freeze. Nice choice. Okay, your turn.” They both ordered a drink, barely paying attention to the waitress.

“Okay… now, let’s be more creative now. Favourite song when you’re angry?”

“How angry are we talking?” Derek replied with a raised brow. “Casual level of 'I hate my sisters’? Probably Destroya, by My Chemical Romance. Really angry? Something like Sentenced, if you ever heard of them.” He shrugged. “Favourite band when you were a kid?”

“Hmmm….” His eyes were on Derek and the smile from his lips never disappeared. “I guess Linkin Park and … Blink 182? Soooo, Der. What’s your guilty pleasure?”

“Chocolate chip cookie dough. No, don’t look at me like that. I love that stuff.” He made a face. “Doesn’t really match my habit of doing a shitload of workouts, though, so it remains a very guilty pleasure.” Derek considered for a moment. Then he leaned forward. “How about… the dirtiest fantasy you had today.”

“To…day?” He huffed, then rubbed his nose carefully. “….well…. actually quite tame. Just about kissing.”

Derek smiled. He didn’t hear a lie, so he nodded gently, motioning for Stiles to go on.

“Honestly! That was all! But now that you mentioned it… what about you and your fantasies?”

“Well, I probably thought about a certain person’s backside when they were bending down to retrieve a golf ball,” Derek said, looking at Stiles pointedly. He saw no reason in lying.

He laughed at that, and then winked at him. “Okay… You can thank your sisters for forcing you to get here! Because I want to meet you again for sure!”

“Oh yeah, I second that notion.” Derek nodded with a smile, and they finished their drinks. The fifteen minutes were almost over already.

“Good. Then we can text and… agree on another time and place for some more Stiles-Derek time? And I meant that in a totally innocent way, like getting to know each other more…”, he asked, standing up with a smile just as the woman approached them.

Derek nodded. They took a step aside, and then, before they parted ways near the door… Derek wrapped him up in a tight, long hug. And damn, did that feel good. His inner wolf was pleased.

“Hey, cuddlewolf…” he smiled and hugged back. “You smell really nice.”

They stood like this for a long moment, and it felt wonderful. Derek rubbed his head at the side of Stiles’ cheek, grumbling softly. Marking him.

And he didn’t mind it at all. “Scott will ask all the questions later, dude.”

“I don’t care,” Derek muttered. They finally let go of one another, and headed for the door. “I’m glad I went here tonight.”

“I’m damn happy I lost this bet!” Stiles let out with a laugh, walking alongside Derek, slowly heading back to the carpark. “I’ll text you once I’m back?”

“Definitely,” Derek said. His voice sounded almost breathy. They got into their respective cars after another brief, but warming embrace. They didn’t kiss; after all it was just a first date. But Derek felt…. good.

+++++

The drive home was uneventful for him. Derek parked the Camaro, took his phone, and then entered the house as silent as possible… knowing full well that his family would be waiting for him inside. They’d never go to sleep without needling him first.

And this time it was even worse. As soon as he closed the door behind him, he spotted Laura’s face, looking at her with expectant eyes. “Sooooooo?”

“God, you don’t even let me get inside?” Derek groaned. He could see Cora perching on a table, grinning widely. “At least get me a drink and say hi,” the werewolf demanded with a playful growl.

“Sure, sure. Get a drink. We’re in the living room. Waiting.” She winked at him and then disappeared into the room next door.

Derek bit back a groan, knowing that they’d all hear it. He padded into the kitchen, got himself a coke, and then strode into the living room, to the waiting faces of his sisters. “It went well,” he finally said, looking at both of them. “I met a nice guy. Got his number. Might see him again. And no, I am not giving you his name.”

“OH my god?! YES?” Laura’s face exploded in a smile and she leaned forward. “Tell us more!”

“There’s…. not much more. He’s nice, so far. Doesn’t mind me being a werewolf. I’ve seen him before.” Derek shrugged. His fingers were toying with his phone. “I like him.”

“You do?” Her smile grew as his mobile vibrated. And indeed it was a message from Stiles, stating 'Hey, Sourwolf. Just wanted to tell you that I reached home safe and sound’

“Tell us about him, come on!”

“Just a moment,” Derek said, sounding - to his own surprise - a little defensive. He typed a quick answer. “Am home too. My sisters are already planning a wedding I guess. Sorry bout that.” Then he turned back to them. “He’s… cute. A little younger than me. Goes to college, too.”

'Haha, I’m not wearing a dress!’ Stiles answered back in record time and with lots of smileys.

Laura’s smile grew even wider. “So… this was a good idea.”

“Better than your other ideas,” Derek replied smugly. Cora chuckled. “So, when are you going to bring him home, huh?”

“Not…. yet. But I guess I wanna see him again.”

“You guess?” Laura leaned back, looking at Cora with a grin. “You exchanged numbers obviously. And you seem to like him.”

“Urgh, fine. I do want to see him again. Preferably soon. And now I am going to bed. Good night you two!” He took the drink and his phone along, ignoring the protests of his sisters and their announcement to call their parents to tell them all about this. Derek headed towards his bedroom, already typing a reply. ‘Might look good on you tho. ;) I got off the hook, going to bed now. And you?’

'I’m already in bed. Going to sleep real soon and dream of how I beat you’ Derek could almost hear Stiles’ voice through the text. It was casual, and actually really easy…

'Aw, relish in your victory, until I get my revenge. How about something more physical? Basketball?’ He took off his shirt, tossing it aside on the bed together with his pants, before climbing inside.

'I told you I’m playing Lacrosse, right?’ Stiles answered with a grinning smiley. 'But we could also try something else. As you seem to like small balls. Pool?’

I probably like your balls, Derek thought idly to himself. He read the message again. 'Sounds good to me. Know a nice place?’

'Hmmm…. not really, but I know friends who do. Or we could go bowling if you like it bigger?’

Bowling? That usually included more people. 'What if I prefer to have you to myself?’ he sent back, reclining on his bed.

'Then I would suggest driving out into the preserve in my Jeep and choose a spot where we can see the city and have a picnic there?’

Now that? That sounded nice. Derek wasn’t really one for big crowds, although he could understand the security of them - especially for humans. 'You don’t think the big bad wolf is going to eat you up?’

'Then I will just have to wear my red hoodie…. ’, Stiles texted back with a wink. 'But hey, if you are okay with Lacrosse - we have a game next week.’

'You playing?’ He hadn’t watched Lacrosse games before, always considered them somewhat boring. But with Stiles playing that could certainly change. “When?’

'Friday evening.’ Stiles then texted the time back.

'I’ll be there. You have some celebration with the team after? Or do you want to grab a drink?’

'That very much depends on if we win. But if we do, I should probably celebrate with them! ’

'Definitely,’ Derek agreed. He got under the covers, realizing how nice it was to lie here and just… text. He’d never done it before, not like this. 'What’s your position?”

'Come and see, curious wolf…’ Stiles texted back. 'But at least I’m a regular now. In High School I was on the bench so often.’

'Alright, alright, enough questions for one night. Looking forward to seeing you play on the field’, Derek wrote. And he meant it. He wanted to see Stiles out there.

'Then come! But first we should have another… date?’

'Absolutely. And I love the idea with the woods. But maybe safe that for a later date where you feel more comfortable being alone with me. Awoo,’ he added, with a winking smiley. 'Back to ball games, I’d say. You and me.’

'Oooooh yeah! Let’s talk more tomorrow, I should really sleep.’

'Me too.’ Derek looked at his phone. No, actually smiled. He felt warm. 'I had a really good day. Sleep well, Stiles.’

‘Nighty Night! This was the best day ever and I’m so looking forward to seeing you again.’

‘Trust me. I for once could kiss my family for this idea.’

‘Better keep your kisses for me, big guy!’

‘Should I kiss you next time we meet?’

‘If you won’t, then I will!’

Derek laughed softly. ‘I will. I will kiss you. I want to kiss you.’

‘Tomorrow? Dinner?’

‘Sounds good.’ In fact, it sounded amazing.

‘I’ll text ya where and when tomorrow! Gotta sleep now, Dad’s complaining! NIGHT!’

‘Good Night, Stiles’

[elysiumwaits]

Last Line(s) Challenge

So I was tagged by @thepeacering and I’m kinda cheating a little cause I have uuuuh five different fics open and I’m bouncing between them. So here’s five different “last lines.” 

If ever a day comes that I actually stick to the rules of one of these memes, please alert the authorities and search for the pod that took me.

1. Dust to Dust - a complicated during-and-post-Endgame Clint/Darcy fic that deals with grief and mourning and promises made and promises that can’t be kept and all the ones that can. (It’s been sitting for awhile in my brain, but it’s kinda difficult and deals with difficult things).

Clint doesn’t intend to talk to her. This isn’t some kind of reunion, after all. He glances at her, though, just to check that she’s unharmed, and it’s a mistake. Darcy’s eyes are on him, and she’s got blood on her chin where her lip is split. She’s holding a small handgun, a 9mm, the kind built for delicate hands to conceal and carry in purses. Her hands don’t shake as she flips the safety back on after a moment of studying Clint, apparently deeming him not a threat.

God, the world’s changed. 

“Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world,” she says, still halfway out of breath. 

2. God, I Like Your Style - Clint/Darcy pwp that is stupidly kinky and features drummer Clint because I have a dumb thing for drummers.

“Yeah? You think you can, huh,” he goes on, low and rough. “Darcy, baby, I play drums for three and half, maybe four hours. Maybe a couple ten or fifteen minute breaks in there. I’m not the ‘quickie to take the edge off and again in the backseat’ guy. I’m the guy who takes your personal best record as a challenge, the guy who isn’t done until you’re delirious with it, until the only words you can say are ‘Clint,’ ‘god,’ and ‘please.’”

“You’re so fucking cocky,” Darcy breathes. One of her hands has curled in his t-shirt, and she’s only now noticing. 

“Ain’t bragging if you can back it up, sweetheart,” Clint says, pulls back to look at her. “Let me take you home, Darcy.”

3. What My Hands and My Body Done - a Stiles/Jackson fic that bit me in the ass and won’t let go, but I’m not sure if I’m gonna keep working on it or let it go. It’s super angsty but in that cathartic way where the healing is messy.

“I’m not going back,” Stiles finally says when he’s halfway through what he thinks might be his third drink. Possibly fourth. The days run together lately. 

“Alright,” Jackson says, evenly.

“You can’t make me,” Stiles adds without looking at him.

Jackson breathes out a sigh, frustrated. “I’m not going to make you, Stiles.”

“I’m just saying,” Stiles goes on. “You’re wasting your time.” The ice in his glass clinks as he lifts it to drink, glancing over at Jackson.

Jackson nods. “Yeah, well,” he says. “I needed a vacation anyway.”

“Whatever,” Stiles mumbles into the glass.

4. The Unnamed Fake Dating Oh My God They Were Roommates Fic - Stiles/Derek, I posted a bit of it not too long ago, and I’ve added a couple hundred words since?

“How do you accidentally lie to your family about dating your roommate?” Stiles demands. He’s not angry, exactly, more just wildly confused and half-convinced that he’s still asleep and this is an insane dream. “Here’s a better question - why, out of everyone that you know, would you lie to your family about dating me?”

Derek shrugs while reaching up to run his hand through his hair, turning in place to look at the kitchen like he can convince it to clean itself. “Mom was going on and on about how worried she was that I was never going to find anyone I trusted after-” He stops, glances at Stiles, who very carefully does not say anything and doesn’t let his expression change. After a moment, Derek pushes on. “So I just said, ‘Well, I have Stiles,’ without really thinking about it, and she… took that to mean that we were dating. I just never corrected her.”

“When was this?” Stiles is officially in damage-control mode, trying to figure out what to do here. Derek winces a little, and Stiles groans. “Oh my God, Derek, how long have we been quote-unquote ‘dating’? When did you have this conversation?”

5. The Coffee Shop/University AU - Stiles/Derek, I have no idea where it’s going past this meet-cute and Derek’s coffee snobbery

“Can I tell you,” the customer says, with a grin Derek can only describe appropriately as ‘wicked.’ “Can I tell you that I was pretty ticked off about my roommate breaking my Keurig until this exact moment? Because now I’m thinking I should give him a gift basket of some kind. One of those fancy chocolate towers or something.”

“I only serve coffee, not looks,” Derek says in a deadpan, and tries very, very hard not to let his mouth quirk into a grin of its own. His own once-over is hopefully much more subtle - jeans, brown hair, moles, flannel tied around his waist, graphic t-shirt of a cat sitting in a taco shell (how the hell does someone even look attractive in that monstrosity), a few years older than Derek’s usual customers. 

The customer snorts and steps forward to lean on the counter opposite Derek, mirroring Derek’s position of arms folded and leaning in. “I beg to differ,” he says, and jerks his head at the glass case. “You also serve muffins.”

Oh god, okay, I’m tagging uuuuh @novemberhush @jmeelee @evanesdust @nightwideopen aaaaand anyone else who wants to do it, I need sleep desperately and I don’t remember who else I wanted to tag.

[sibillascribbles08]

Uuuuh probably long, sappy Scruff fic

an AU where they were childhood friends, but when they meet up again Dareth doesn’t recognize Ronin, and Ronin doesn’t say anything

I’m writing this at 11PM so if there’s typos that’s why

“▒▒▒▒? What are you doing here?”

“Uh, tapping on your window?”

“Psh, you know what I mean. It’s almost two in the morning.”

“I um...”

“What’s wrong?”

“I wanted to say good-bye, maybe.”

“Good-bye? Maybe? What’s going on?”

“I can’t stay here. I’m leaving.”

“What? Did coming out to your parents go that bad?”

“...I haven’t told them.”

“You said–”

“I know, but I can’t, sorry... you... I thought about asking you to come with me but I know you have a future here.”

“▒▒▒▒, come on. Don’t go.”

“I can’t. I can’t keep living like this.”

“You don’t have to. We can figure it out just–”

“I’m sorry.”

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

When Ronin first saw Dareth again his heart got stuck in his throat.

It’s not that he forgot, no, he never forgot. You don’t forget your first and biggest crush that easily, no matter the kind of shit you go through. In fact, he thought about him more often then he’d ever admit. Sometimes he even used his connections to see what the man was up to. A rise and fall in career, off to run a dojo, and then running around with the ninja.

Part of him was surprised, but no, his personality didn’t seem to change all that much. If nothing else he was more carefree in his older age.

But as far as Ronin was concerned they’d never cross paths again, until he had to go and get mixed up with the ninja.

Looking back, stealing Zane and messing with their memories wasn’t the best idea. Of course they came looking for him when more disasters started cropping up.

Still, despite the shock that ran through his system when Dareth first came wandering into his pawn shop, he couldn’t help but get a flash of deja vu. Like it had happened before. Maybe because of that strange dream he had.

With his heart lodged into his airway, he held his breath. As if Dareth hadn’t been cute enough when they were teens, now he was just gorgeous. He still had dimples when he smiled, which he was doing a lot of as he studied the shelves. Big brown eyes, gorgeous brown hair, all complimented with his brown robes that had no business showing that much of his chest hair.

He held his breath so long he got dizzy and forced himself to inhale, hoping it wasn’t as noisy as it felt. He didn’t move, he didn’t dare. He just sat there, waiting for Dareth to approach, waiting to see if the man would even recognize him.

Maybe not, not as if Ronin looked at all the same as he did back then, but there was a chance right?

Eventually Dareth wandered up to the counter. He rested it elbow on it, leaning against his hand, eyes half lidded.

“Nice place.” Dareth grinned. “Don’t happen to have any spare trophies, do you?”

Ronin couldn’t stop himself. Habit kicked in because, of course Dareth still had the same habits he did in high school. How many times did he use that move to get Ronin to chuckle when he was feeling awful?

So once again he was laughing. Caught himself too late to stop it, but quick enough to clear his throat and pretend nothing happened.

“Yeah, I’ve stolen–er, acquired a number of them. Probably be easy to change the name plate.”

Dareth laughed this time, grinning wider. “Hah, I was kind of joking but that’s good to know. Might look into it when I get some spare money.”

Ronin crossed his arms, relaxing against the counter. “Have to build up your wall of fake accomplishments huh?”

“Hey,” Dareth pointed. “Some of them are real. Just like to... add emphasis you know?”

Ronin found himself smiling again. It felt so easy, so natural, like they hadn’t been apart for almost thirty years. Maybe Dareth did recognize him.

“So, what’s your name? Haven’t seen you in town before.”

Well, so much for that hope.

“It’s Ronin.” He answered. “And that’s all you need to know.”

“Ronin huh? Sounds familiar. Something familiar about you.” Dareth leaned in close again, squinting. “Can’t seem to place it.”

Ronin let out a nervous laugh and moved away. “Hah, well, I get that a lot. Eyepatch makes it hard for people to get a proper read on my face.”

“Swear you were in a dream somewhere.” Dareth hummed as he straightened up. “Maybe I’m remembering wrong.”

If they wound up having the same dream that would be something freaky. For now, Ronin ignored it.

“So, if you’re not in the mood for trophies can I convince you to buy anything else?”

“Oh? Just what would you try selling someone like me?”

“I have a killer collection of old records.”

Dareth gave a mock gasp. “How did you know that would get my attention?”

Ronin shrugged, but his gaze darted to the side.

“Lucky guess.”

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

Ronin told himself that it was a childhood crush. It had been almost thirty years. It was over. Done. Finished.

That’s what he kept telling himself when Dareth visited more and more often. It’s what he emphasized with Dareth accidentally broke his leg. It’s what he chanted in his head on loop whenever the man would check on him in the hospital, or back at his home. It’s what he whispered to himself whenever Dareth would leave, a smile from the earlier conversation still lingering on his face.

Damn it, it wasn’t supposed to be like this.

Why couldn’t he just grow up?

But part of him didn’t want to, especially where Dareth was concerned. Talking to him was effortless. He couldn’t even remember the last time he laughed this much.

And there was plenty of conversation to be had when he was helping put Laffy’s together. By now they’d developed some inside jokes, that left Nya staring between the two of them as they tried to cover up their laughter. There were paint fights, Dareth tossing ice down the back of his shirt, and at least two late nights Dareth convinced him to dance around the still-being-built dining room floor.

Well, even if Dareth didn’t remember him, it’s not like Ronin didn’t have a chance, right?

But somehow that felt deceptive, twice as deceptive as it normally did. The biggest reason he avoided any kind of long term relationship, apart from the fact he just sucked at them.

At some point they’d find out, and what would they say then?

Then again, Dareth already knew back then, at least partially. He’d been one of the few people Ronin could even trust with a secret like that. There’s no way the man would judge him for it now.

But that still left the matter of telling him.

Of course an opportunity would come leaping out at him over a pair of drinks. Laffy’s was long closed for the night, most of the cleaning done, but after a busy day like that Dareth convinced Ronin to stay.

For once he wasn’t overdoing it, but he’d had enough to start feeling tipsy. By now he’d shoved his empty glass to the edge of the counter so he wasn’t tempted to look for more.

“You ever been in love?” Dareth mumbled.

The question had come from nowhere. After a lengthy conversation on whether Tron needed a reboot or not, there’d been nothing but silence. Then that.

Ronin blinked, trying to get his eye to focus. In the end it just settled on Dareth. “Once.”

“Only once?” Dareth stare was full of doubt. “Come on now.”

“Only once.” Ronin said. “Would you believe it was on my childhood friend?”

Dareth hummed. “I guess I’d believe that. Strong bonds and all.”

Hah, yeah right. Ronin snorted, ignoring the urge to reach for his empty glass. “I ran away from home at fifteen. Last time I saw him.” Well, that was a lie, but Dareth didn’t need to know that yet.

“Huh? Why did you run?” Dareth frowned.

Ronin bit his lip, rolling it between his teeth. “I just... couldn’t keep living like that.”

His friend snorted, almost burst out laughing. “Funny, that’s what my friend said.”

Once again his heart lodged in his throat. “What?”

“I had a friend run away when I was in high school. They... they were dealing with a lot. I got it. But it still sucked.” He rested his face on his palm. “Sometimes wish I had run with them.”

Ronin rolled his eye. “Trust me Dareth, you don’t.”

“Oh? And how would you know.” The man looked at him again. “It’s not like you were–”

Dareth froze. His eyes went wide, mouth hanging open. He was looking at Ronin like he’d seen him for the first time.

Then recognition swept over him, then something else, as if he was in pain. “Ronin?”

Ronin ignored how fast his heart was racing. “Yeah?”

“Did you... did you used to know me?”

Once again he was biting his lip as he nodded.

Dareth stood up, nudging his stool back. “It was you! That’s why you looked so familiar. Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Say what?” He ignored how his voice cracked when he spoke. “Part of me assumed you forgot me for a reason.”

“I never forgot you.” Dareth protested. “I just didn’t recognize you. I mean look at you.” He gestured from Ronin’s face down to his legs. “If you hadn’t made that comment and convinced me to take a hard look I still wouldn’t have noticed.”

“Well, on one hand it’s a good thing I look so different.” Ronin kept avoiding eye contact, leaning on his prosthetic hand. “But sorry, guess I should have brought it up sooner.”

“Hang on.”

“Hm?”

“You were in love with me?”

His face slipped, and he would have slammed his chin into the counter if he hadn’t caught himself and sat up completely straight.

Fuck.

Fuck fuck fuck.

“W-well.” Ronin sputtered. “You just... were really nice you know.” He laughed, because that always covers it up, right? “And cute. But I was never... I mean I wouldn’t have...” More nervous laughter before he cleared his throat. “You don’t have to worry about it.”

He was hoping Dareth would laugh it off with him, but the man’s face was serious, gaze fixed on him. Ronin swore the room just jumped three degrees. He rubbed the back of his neck to get rid of some imaginary sweat.

“Do you still feel that way?” Dareth took a step toward him.

“I...” Ronin hesitated, not sure what to say. Instinct told him to keep denying it, but judging from the way Dareth kept glancing at his lips, that wasn’t the right answer. “Honestly?” He swallowed. “I’m... probably more in love with you now than I ever was.”

Dareth reached out, taking his right hand and sliding their fingers together. Ronin didn’t move, didn’t breath. He just kept staring until Dareth was so close that it felt rude. His eyes closed when their noses brushed together and he sighed when their lips met.

That contact had his brain dragging up a dozen daydreams. Before he could catch up he found his free hand sliding behind Dareth’s neck, into his hair, pulling him as close as possible.

Dareth responded by placing his hand on Ronin’s back. Their attempt to get even closer forced Ronin to stand up, not that he was complaining. It was easier to kiss when he wasn’t tilting his head so much.

Ronin let go of Dareth’s hand, putting both of them on either side of the man’s face as he deepened the kiss. Dareth wound up turning them both, pushing Ronin against the bar counter. The impact had him gasping, reminding him to breath.

“You know,” Dareth said as he kissed Ronin’s cheek and then his ear. “I always pictured doing this next to the jukebox the first time around.”

Ronin laughed, not bothering to stop the man as he moved to his neck. “Funny, my first day dream was always on the roof of my house.”

“You really liked me for that long?” Dareth kissed his collar.

Ronin sighed but forced himself not to melt under the contact as he pushed back. In a flash he had Dareth pinned against the counter instead. “Admittedly I forgot about it for a while, but then you had to show up looking fifty times more gorgeous than you ever did.”

Dareth blinked, seemingly surprised. “Hah, gorgeous? Ronin, I wouldn’t–”

“Don’t tell me I’m wrong.” It was his turn to kiss Dareth’s neck now. “No one’s ever taken my breath away as fast as you.”

“You’re one to talk.” He put his hand on Ronin’s cheek, forcing him to look back up. “Just look at you.”

“You better not call me pretty.” Ronin pretended to pout.

Dareth shook his head. “No, pretty’s not the right word, but I at least know it suits you so much more.” He ran a hand through Ronin’s hair, letting the strands fall back into place. “You just look so much more like... you.”

God, the most frustrating this about this man was that his words always wound up twice as gorgeous as his face was. Ronin tugged him back into a kiss, not sure how else to phrase his appreciation.

Before he could get in too deep a second time, however, Dareth gently nudged him back with a hand against his chest.

“Not that I’m not enjoying this.” His cheeks were stark red, the color reaching all the way to his neck. “But I thinking we might want to slow down just a touch.”

Right, that was probably a good idea. Hell, were either of them even sober right now?

“Want me to take you home?” Dareth offered.

Ronin snorted. “If you come with me what makes you think you’ll make it home.”

That blush was only getting worse. “Right.”

Ronin smiled and leaned forward, kissing Dareth on the nose. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Dareth blinked a few times, as if regaining his composure. “Right, see you tomorrow, Roni.”

“Roni?”

“Uh, yeah, nickname.” Dareth grinned. “Don’t like it?”

Ronin thought about it for a moment. At least it was a change of pace to his codename that had just turned into his regular name. “Nah, it’s fine. Just don’t use it in front of the ninja.”

Dareth laughed at that. “Oh yeah, I can see how that would go. Kai would never quit calling you Roni.” He poked Ronin in the side.

He squeaked as he took a step back. “Hey!”

“Oh, so you are still ticklish in that spot.” Dareth kept grinning. “Good to know.”

“Dareth, don’t you dare.”

“Aw, come here, just want to give you a good night hug.”

“You do not, you liar.” Ronin darted away to keep his distance. The pair of them ran circles around the dining room, but despite being out of breath Ronin couldn’t stop laughing.

For the first time since he ran away he felt like he was home again.

[zelink-nalu]

Not a monster Epilogue

Inky's POV.

It's been over a year now. Uncle Tom helped relearn how to walk again and taught me how to use sign language! He's really nice to me!

But... I can't help but feel lonely most times...

I mean, don't get me wrong! Uncle Tom still hangs out with me whenever he can!

But... The thing is... He hardly has time to play with me... I feel so bad for being such an ungrateful demon, he already did and still does so much for me!

On the plus side! I get to practice my flying at night! It wasn't easy to find a good place to fly, so I had to go to the upper levels, on Heavenly Toys! I know, I know, I'm not supposed to go there... But I only go there at night so there's nobody around! Still, don't tell papa Joey this, or else he'll be even more mad at me!

Oh! It seems like it's night! Welp! Time to go roam around the lower levels!

Wait... I hear voices... But who would still be here at this hour?

Maybe I should investigate!

???'s POV.

"You sure it's a good idea buddy? Mr. Drew precisely told us not to go to the lower levels." A certain cartoon wolf said.

It's Boris The Wolf!

"C'mon Bo! Ain't ya curious about why Joey told no to go there?" A smaller cartoony figure asks the wolf.

And it seems like he's Bendy the Dancing Demon!

"I am, but-"

"Besides, he ain't here now, is he?" The devil adds with his iconic smile.

"Guess you got a point there..."

"What are you two doing here!" A female voice suddenly exclaims.

It's Alice Angel!

"Ugh! Not her!" The Lil Devil Darlin' groans in annoyance.

"Uuuuh... Hi Al..." says the cartoon wolf, embarassed to be caught.

The angel just glares at them.

"Joey said we're not allowed to go the lower levels!"

"Ain't ya in there with us right now Angel?" The demon argues back.

"I'm here to fetch you guys so it doesn't count! Now come on you two! Let's go back to our rooms!" She went to drag them by the arms but was stopped by her older (though smaller) brother swatting her hand away.

"Ya can't tell me what to do! I'm older!" he exclaims, clearly annoyed.

Alice just glares at him.

"I may be the youngest but I sure am the most mature one out of all of us!" She argues.

"Well-" CRASH!

Their arguements were interrupted by a loud crash. It seemed to come from a corridor on their right.

They slowly turned to face the direction where the noise came from and saw a can of Bacon Soup roll on the floor. They came closer to each other with Alice in front of them!

"Wh-Who's there?! Come out and show yourself! I'm not scared of you!" She exclaims, trying not to show her fear.

After a few seconds of silence, the see an inky figure come out.

A very tall figure with large black bat wings. When it came close enough for them to properly see it, they were petrified.

There was a long uncomfortable silence, until...

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!"

[!!!!!]

Time skip brought to you by the sleep-deprived author.

Tom's POV.

Inky has been feeling down these past few months. He must be feeling lonely, especially since I don't have any time to play with him... Poor kid, I hope I'll soon find a way to help him.

It was all Joey's fault! He purposely gave the mechanic more work to make sure that he couldn't take care of the ink demon!

Speaking of him, the boss seemed rather agitated. He was running around calling the toons' names. As much as he liked them, he needed to go see Inky and make sure that he's alright.

A big surprise awaited him when he came to his office.

The toons were there... Playing with the plushes... With Inky...

Needless to say, it was quite a sight.

"Oh! Mr. Connor! We just met Inky last night and he said, or rather wrote us, that you could explain to us what's going on!" Boris said with a smile. "Although for some reason he won't talk to us and would instead do weird gestures or write what he wants to say." Alice then adds.

"The wierd gestures you're talking about is called 'Sign Language'. Inky's mute s he uses that to comunicate easily." Tom explains them.

"Oooh!" They all say in unison.

"Ok! Now can you what's going on?" Bendy asks, getting impatient.

"I don't know, it's quite complicated..." Tom then looks at Inky, only to see him with a pleading expression on his face and with his hand flat on his chest, making circles with said hand.

[Please!]

"*sigh* Alright..." Tom accepted.

"Wait! What did he say?!" Bendy asked, curious about this new language. Before the man could say anything though, someone else beat him to it.

"He said 'please'." Boris answered and when the others looked at him shocked, he added: "He looked like he was sayin' that."

"Alright then, let's get the story time over with."

And let's just say that the toons were shocked but also happy about knowing that Inky was their youngest sibling. Especially Alice.

They also promised themselves that they convince Joey to give their brother as much freedom as they have.

The End.

__________________________________________

And, it's finally done! And it's almost 5 am... I think I need to go to sleep...

Anyway! Thank you so much for your support! I love you guys so much!!!!x3

A little disclaimer: I'm not done with this AU!!! There are still a lot of things I'll be doing for it!

[incognitofujoshi]

I Think I’ve Always Cared for You Ch. 4 (T-rated)

At the end of their 4th period class, Japanese, the students of class 1-A packed up, grouped up, and bolted for lunch. Todoroki, Midoriya, Uraraka, Asui, and Iida lingered, awaiting everyone else to file out first. 

Asui and Uraraka both went over to Deku’s desk. “Are you ready for lunch, Midoriya Kun?” Asui put her right hand up to her face, as if resting her cheek in her palm. Her tongue hung out to the side, with a grin.

“Almost.” Izuku pulled his bag over his shoulder and walked up to Shoto’s desk. “Todoroki Kun, will you join us for lunch?” He tilted his head to the side and smiled wide. His eyes closed and it added to the adorable glow around him. 

Shoto almost swallowed his own tongue. Izuku was too cute for his own good. He stood pin straight.

“Uwwaaaa! Todoroki Kun is having lunch with us?” Uraraka rushed over, and put her hands on her cheeks in awe. 

Shoto nodded. “If I’m not intruding…” He looked down at the ground, and awaited their answers.

“Of course not! I invited you.” Izuku reached his hand out, and put it on Shoto’s shoulder. He squeezed it reassuringly. The red and white haired young man looked over to Izuku’s hand, and let a rose color dust across his nose.

“Please join us!” Iida walked up to the group, and smiled invitingly. He put his hand on Shoto’s other shoulder.

“Lunch will be so much more fun with you, Todoroki Kun”, Asui croaked.

“So what’s your favorite food?”, Uraraka asked, already convinced he was coming.

Beginning to feel overwhelmed, Shoto distracted himself with grabbing his school bag off of the back of his chair. “I really like Soba.” He hit his spiral, with loose papers stacked atop it, against the surface of his desk to keep everything level , before placing them in his desk. 

When he looked back up, everyone stared at him with adoring smiles. Shoto wasn’t sure what to do. His classmates were staring at him. His palms began to sweat, and he darted his eyes around, uncomfortable, but not displeased. 

Izuku grabbed his hand, to lead him out of the classroom, to the Lunch Rush Cafeteria. “ Did you pack your lunch? Or are you getting it here?” 

As Midoriya and Todoroki walked out of the classroom, Iida, Asui, and Uraraka followed behind them, closely. “I don’t see Todoroki Kun in the cafeteria often.” Asui contemplated, aloud. 

Uraraka put her index finger to her chin and nodded in agreement. Iida responded, by asking, “Todoroki Kun, do you usually eat outside?” 

“I packed my lunch.” He answered Izuku, then turned to Iida. “And sometimes; I was going to today. The wind felt good this morning.” Shoto allowed his freckled guide to lead him down the hallways of UA,  so he could continue to feel him hold his hand. 

“That sounds great! I need to get my lunch in the cafeteria; can I meet you by the entrance?” Iida turned from Shoto to the two young women. “Did you bring your lunches Uraraka and Asui?” 

“Our lunch is packed.” Uraraka turned to Asui and rubbed the back of her neck, nervously. “I just got some new jellies, and I know you like Jelly, so I made us PB&J sandwiches.” 

“Thank You Ochaco Chan!” Tsuyu jumped up to hug Ochaco from the side. “You’re so thoughtful!” Ochaco used her anti-gravity quirk to lighten Tsu, and carry her on her back.

“I still need to get mine too, Iida Kun.” Izuku let go of Shoto’s hand, and turned to Iida, once they reached the entrance of the cafeteria. 

With quick goodbyes, Uraraka, Asui, and Todoroki went to pick up their lunches, while Iida and Midoriya waited in line to received theirs. Asui and Uraraka were the first to arrive at their meeting spot. Todoroki was the next to arrive, and spied them both conversing intimately. He approached slowly, as not to startle them, but as soon as he came into their view, their eyes were locked on him. 

“Can we ask you something Todoroki Kun?” Uraraka and Asui both cornered him by the cafeteria entrance.

He knew he was trapped, and he should have been expecting the question, but the boldness still shocked him. Uraraka rose on her tip toes, Asui behind her, and whispered in Todoroki’s ear, “Do you like Midoriya Kun?” 

In that moment, Shoto was grateful that his container with his soba was well wrapped in the blanket he’d grabbed, as it would have surely spilled everywhere when he dropped it in surprise. He quickly crouched down to pick up his lunch, and avoid the awkward stares. “Doesn’t everyone? He’s friends with the whole class.”

Ochaco, piecing his response and pink visage together, pushed the question. “…I mean romantically. We won’t tell anyone.” She smiled smugly. 

“What if I do?” Shoto’s defensive nature kicked in, seeing her over-confident expression. 

“Then Ochaco Chan and I want to help.” Asui answered. Both of the women smiled at him, and gave him knowing winks.

Realizing he had answered their question inadvertently with his antics, and hearing their wish to help, Shoto let a confused and frustrated sigh slip from his lips. Weighing the pros and cons of their help, he ultimately decided that they knew Izuku better than he did. Any help was welcome, when you didn’t know anything about relationships. “Thank You.”

Uraraka and Asui jumped up and down, filled with glee. 

Both Midoriya and Iida walked up to the group, lunches in hand, and greeted everyone. “So where do you normally sit, Todoroki Kun?”, Midoriya inquired.

Shoto lead them around the back of the school, to a shady side under a large tree. The blanket he had wrapped around his lunch was used to lay on the ground. Uraraka and Midoriya, “oooooh”d and “aaahhhhh”d. Iida thanked Todoroki for the consideration. Asui thanked him for his thoughtfulness. 

The group sat down and tore into their lunches. No one talked until, at least, half of their lunches were down. Then, their conversations varied from All Might, to which classes they found difficult, to what they enjoyed doing in their time off.

Even though Shoto was nervous about the experience, he hadn’t ever enjoyed his classmate’s company more than now, during this lunch. He smiled, chuckled, and found similarities between each of the students there.

At the end of lunch, the newly formed Dekusquad left for English class. They had this, and one more class for the day, before they were free for the weekend. 

Algebra came to an end, after English, and Midoriya waited by Todoroki’s desk, as he packed up for the day. Iida, Uraraka, and Asui joined them. 

“Did you have any plans tonight?”, Uraraka asked the squad. 

“I must study.” Iida answered immediately. 

“But it’s the weekend!”, Uraraka complained. “What about you, Tsu Chan?” 

“I’m free.” Asui put up two of her fingers to give Ochaco a peace sign. Asui and Uraraka looked to Midoriya and Todoroki for their answers.

“I’m, actually, quite tired.”, Todoroki began to excuse himself for the evening, only to have Midoriya answer at the same time. “I’m a little sleepy.”

“Awwwwww!” Uraraka squeezed her eyes shut. “Then I guess it’s just Asui and me!” 

“That’s ok Ochaco Chan.”, Tsu smiled. “We can watch that funny movie together, if you want.”

Bidding them a good evening, Uraraka and Asui took off for their evening together. The three young men exited, after the women, and conversed about an English test on the way to the dorms. Once inside the common room, Iida set his school bag by the couch, and began to take out his study material. He’d explained that he wanted to use the space before everyone else gathered there for games and lounging. 

Without intending to, Shoto had followed Izuku to his room. When Izuku opened his door, he quickly turned around to ask, “Were you still tired, To -Shoto?” His All Might homage sparkled through the slit in the door behind him. 

“Oh,” one nervous chuckle escaped the ice and fire student’s throat. “I suppose I am. I’ll just be heading to my room.” He bowed, respectfully, and took flight towards his dorm’s direction. He’d actually been hoping to spend special time with just Izuku, but he didn’t want his thoughts to be conspicuous.

As soon as Shoto entered his room, he set his bag aside, and unrolled his futon to lay down. Today had been great, but so draining. He let his legs give out, and slammed into his bed. “Shit.”, he said to no one in particular. He had forgotten to do laundry. ‘It’s always when you lay down.’

He got up, grabbed his hamper, and ran downstairs, to the laundry room. Since no one else’s clothes were running, he threw his clothes in one washer and his blanket into another one, near by. Everyone always rushed to do their laundry in the morning. ‘You think they’d learn.’ He shook his head at the thought.

While waiting, Shoto left for the kitchen. He went to the fridge to grab some of his apple juice, and some white rice he’d portioned out. Instead of sitting, he ate standing up, secluded. With one bite, he decided to add some flavor. Nori flakes and sesame were added, and he leaned against the pantry to continue eating by himself. 

Ashido, seated by Kirishima, Bakugo, and Kaminari, in the common room, looked over at the sad scene. She knew Kirishima had experience with romance, and looked over to him. “Kiri, how would you help a friend who was having a hard time confessing to someone?”  

Kirishima’s eyes opened wide in shock, and he blushed. He, quickly, looked back at Bakugo. Bakugo scowled and looked away, arms crossed. “Uuuuh… Well I just - or, I would try to get them alone together. The more time they have alone, the harder it will be to ignore their feelings.” Bakugo looked like he was ready to rip something’s arms off.

Ashido nodded. She did the first thing that she thought would help, and pulled out her phone. She need Uraraka and Yaoyorozu’s opinions. They were the closest girls to Midoriya and Todoroki. If they didn’t know how to get the two alone, no one would. 

After eating, Shoto went back to the laundry room to throw his clothes and blanket in the dryers. He leaned against the machines and let himself reflect. It had been a little while.

Fatigued, the dual quirked student slid down to sit in front of the dryer. His first thoughts were to try and decide the exact moment he realized his feelings for Izuku were romantic. That one was easy: it was at the Sports Festival. Izuku had put everything on the line just to help him realize his true potential as Hero Shoto. He realized the most important thing he cared about in life was to become the best hero, not by rejecting his father’s means, but by using all of his. Izuku had broken through his defensive walls, and changed him, all in the span of less than half an hour. 

Next, he decided to trace back his memories to the first moment he knew he was attracted to Izuku. Shoto thought about when he’d challenged him. Yes; he’d been attracted then. Thinking back further grew difficult. Basking in the memories of all the times he’d spent with Izuku, he fell asleep against the warm drying machine. 

Zzzzzt. Todoroki’s phone vibrated. “Where are you?”, it read. Midoriya had sent the message. He’d answer it when he got back to his room. Shoto turned around and realized that the dryers were done. He, groggily, took his fresh clothing and blanket out to head upstairs. 

Around the corner, on the floor his room was on, Shoto saw Izuku pacing outside of his door. “Hey.”

The angel faced student jumped. “Ah! Shoto Kun, you scared me!” Deku rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, and laughed off his nerves. He suddenly became serious and a determined look crossed his face. “Are you ok?”

“What?” Shoto was still too tired to grasp what he meant.

“Ashido, Yaoyorozu, AND Uraraka all said you needed to talk to me.” Izuku walked closer to him, concerned. He put a hand up to grab Shoto’s shoulder, but in a sleepy stupor, the fire and ice hero rested his face in Izuku’s palm.

“I’m tired. But if you want to talk, we can hang out in my dorm.” 

Realization dawned on Izuku that Shoto was half-asleep. He couldn’t blame him, with the early wake up call he’d given him. The green haired cherub chuckled at sleepy Shoto. ‘I’ve never seen him like this. He’s so innocent.’, Izuku cooed in his mind.

Shoto shifted his hamper into one arm, and used his newly freed hand to grab Izuku’s. He lead him into his room. “Please make yourself comfortable.” The drained young man put his hamper down and took out a few articles of clothing to fold. 

“I can help you with that.” 

“No. No. S’ok. You can pull up some videos on my laptop if you want.” Shoto’s sentences came out with large spaces between them. 

Izuku laughed and pulled up Youtube. 

“SUGOOOOOI” Opening his history, majority of the videos were about All Might. Izuku set Shoto’s laptop on his desk, nearby, and watched a few Silver Age videos as Shoto folded his clothing. He stacked his shirts and pants on the ground, too tired to organize them in his dresser. 

When he was finished, Shoto joined the amazed fanboy on his Futon, and leaned against him. “Turn on the one… where All Mi…” the words were lost as the tired young man began to fall asleep against his crush. Soft breaths fell from his lips. 

Lost in the warmth flowing into his side, and the heroic deeds of All Might on the screen, Deku became comfortable and, also, fell asleep. 

A memory began to emerge from the darkness of Shoto’s vision. Sunlight kissed a young man’s already tanned skin. He looked so nervous. His tender cheeks were pink. Freckles dotted under his tired eyes. Those eyes were green jewels. He kept licking his lips and shaking his head in a way that looked like he talked to himself. Shoto couldn’t give time into watching this small, fragile man, because he needed to focus. It was their first day of school, and he’d just laid eyes on the whelp. It was ridiculous how he couldn’t tear his eyes away. Talk about frustrating. A musical laugh escaped from the student. The man in front of him turned to make eye contact with him. 

Shoto felt too hot, and shifted awake. He was on his back, in bed, but his blankets weren’t there. ‘Why am I hot?’ He turned to his left, to seek cool pillow, and was instead greeted by soft hair. Like a sudden blow to the chest, he remembered Izuku coming to his room to talk, him folding his laundry, and then watching an All Might video. He, then, remembered his dream. It was the first time he laid eyes on the precious hero in front of him. The thought struck him, that this wasn’t just some crush. He’d been attracted to Izuku from the moment he saw him, and he was falling for him with each new time they were together. Quickly. 

Overcome with deep seated emotion, instinct drew him in, when the sleeping hero nuzzled into Shoto’s cold side, that was now on the bed instead of next to him. The rapidly heating man propped himself up, over Izuku. He leaned down and touched his soft bottom lip, just barely, with his own.

“Shoto?”

Author’s Note: Sorry for the long chapter. Just had to start up some DRAAAAMAAAAA. Feel free to re-blog if you like it : ) Just don’t steal, please.

[jkpfr]

“- AAAAAH! Fuck!”

I almost stepped on a fffffff. A fucking ffffff. A fucking rat. Almost stepped on a rat.

Okay, calm down. It squealed and ran off, which means that it’s gone. Man, that little bastard almost gave me a heart attack. It’s whatever, though… Most importantly… Don’t tell me she actually lives in that place.

I’m trying to reconnect with my cousin. She grew up at my house, so she was sort of like a sister to me. We were never all that close, but we got along, and I always felt like we understood each other. Alone to deal with my drunkard of a father, we were in the same boat, really.

This is her parents’ old place. They were too poor to keep her, but when dad kicked us out, she was forced to come back here. The door to the building was open… and as soon as I got in, I almost stepped on a rat. That’s that. Now I’m walking up the stairs, and it’s oddly silent, and I’m slightly anxious.

I don’t know what conclusion I’m reaching, but when I find the door to her apartment broken, my heart starts to hurt. I walk in nonetheless…

“- Hello?”

We haven’t spoken to each other in years.

“- Andi? Andrea? Hello?”

I isolated myself and lost contact with everybody. I was able to reconnect with some old friends recently, but when I called her number, it had been assigned to someone else.

“- Hey, uuuuh… Does anyone live here?”

The place is empty, covered in dust, and it smells like… trash. Like a waste disposal.

She’s not here, is she? But then… Where… What…

“- What are you searching for, young man?

- Argh!”

I jumped in surprise. Like, actually jumped. Got some fairly good air, at that.

“- What’s your name?”

When I turn to look behind me, I find that an old – and I mean old – woman has followed me through the door. A shiver goes down my spine. I didn’t want anyone to talk to me, especially not someone who lives in there.

“- M-my name?”

I’m not good at conversation. I can’t entertain her. My head feels hot just thinking about it.

“- Yes. You should always introduce yourself to your elders, shouldn’t you?

- Uuuuh…”

Is that a thing though? Oh, I’m not liking this.

“- Suuuure… I’m, uh, I’m Paul. Nice to meet you..?”

The old woman nods. I’d expect her to introduce herself, but she doesn’t. She glances around the corridor before staring at me like she already was.

“- Are you looking for a new place to live?

- No.”

I answered in a snap. Better justify myself now…

“- Uhm, no, I’m actually… searching for someone.

- Ah, yes.”

She nods again. Solemnly. I guess. She doesn’t add anything, though.

I feel seriously uncomfortable, but to be honest, it’s not entirely her fault. Now that I think about it, she should be able to help me.

“- Soooo… Did you know the girl who used to live here? With uh, her parents, I think?”

Crap. Now that I think about it, a long time ago, Andi had mentioned that her dad had left her mom. At least I remember something like that…

“- Aaaah, yes. A pretty girl, eh?

- Uh, yyyyyes.”

We’re indeed probably thinking about the same girl. I’m aware that she was the pretty charming kind of teen.

“- She died a long time ago, I think.

- Ah?”

…Wait.

What?

She says it like it’s nothing.

“- Took good care of that kid of hers. Boyfriend probably ran off, like they all do. It’s what happens to girls this young.

- She… A… what?”

The old bag completely ignores my reactions.

“- I say she killed the little bastard and then herself. Or maybe someone killed them. Something like that. Those young hookers rarely last long either way.”

At this point, my blood drains out of my body.

[loremonster]

To The Nonnie Requesting Friendship Advice

...

Punch ‘em in the face and be done with it-- this kid is being a manipulative assha--

Dee! What the hell are you doing?!

Uuuuh... givin’ advice? Like the kid asked for? 

Well then, you’re giving shitty advice. 

Oh whatever. Fine, do it your way, but at least give people a read-more before you go into wall-of-text mode. 

Hello, my gray-faced friend. I’m glad you reached out for advice, but I do want to preface any words of wisdom I may pass onto you with this; I am not currently in your situation. I do not know what biases your explanation contains, I do not know your friend’s side of the story, and I have no idea the context of actions taken by any of the involved parties. Anything I tell you is going to be colored by my life experience. I’ll try to suss out my own biases as much as I can, but no human is capable of doing so completely. I am not a professional. I am not a councilor, nor a psychologist, or even a social worker. I am a person on the web... that said, I appear to be a person on the web who you see as trustworthy, so I shall value that trust and do the best I can. 

Before we dig into your friend, however, I’d like to dig into you. I find it interesting that you recognize that your friend deals with both anxiety and depression without qualification, but when it comes to the fact that they’re trans you felt the need to add about four or five sentences of ‘I don’t get it but I’m still totally an ally’, followed by ‘But they’re doing things I recognize as female-coded so I think they’re digging their own grave’. Clothes and make-up are not feminine. They are coded feminine by the world around us. Often when one is struggling with themselves and their lives, particularly when they were born biosex female and encouraged towards that gender performance their whole lives thus far, one of the things that makes a hard day a little better is self-expression and making the effort to feel attractive-- and society doesn’t have a lot of socially acceptable ways for males to do that. You’ve pointed out that your friend is engaging in ‘feminine’ behaviors and then complaining of dysphoria, but part of those behaviors being viewed as feminine is that everyone keeps reinforcing the known status quo. This is less for this specific situation and more for general allyship, but please try to remove the idea that clothing and make-up are gendered things. They’re not, and they only continue to be that way in the mass consciousness because people who are not harmed by that gendering choose not to think about it. 

Moving on,

A great deal of the behavior you’ve described is of someone who his manipulating those around them. I’m going to make a few base assumptions about you and your friends, including your problem friend-- that you’re all somewhere between the ages of 15 and 25, that your ‘friend’ doesn’t have the best home life on the planet, and you yourself are a highly empathetic person who often makes friends with troubled individuals. Working on these base assumptions, let’s parse out your ‘friend’s’ behavior. 

The fact that they constantly dump on you, but don’t really listen or engage when you need someone to vent to, is an inequality in the friendship. It’s one thing to understand that they’re having a bad day with depression or anxiety, but its entirely another to never allow one party in a friendship seek relief because the other is always too wound up to be supportive. That’s unhealthy, and unfair, and something you may want to talk to him about if you decide this is something you want to attempt to fix. That’s a hard fucking conversation, and it’s not just one conversation. It’s many. It starts with “Hey, can we talk? I feel like I’m doing a lot to support you a lot of the time, but when I need someone you’re not really there for me.” It’s hard, but its important to be open, be honest, and have a real discussion about what they’re doing to you without invalidating your own feelings. Don’t let them equivocate, and if he responds with anything along the lines of “Oh, I guess I’m just a terrible asshole who shouldn’t talk to anyone again ever” THAT IS A MASSIVE RED FLAG, DO NOT TRY TO WALK THAT SHIT BACK, THAT IS A MANIPULATIVE TACTIC TO MAKE YOU APOLOGIZE WHEN HE WAS THE ONE WHO WRONGED YOU. Any shit like that, do not let your ‘holy shit I can’t believe I made him feel that way’ instinct kick in-- physically walk away. I mean it. Get up, say nothing, walk away. It hurts, it’s hard, but a real conversation about your imbalance issues can’t take place with that kind of BS going on. 

This is the point where I’m going to tell you exactly what you don’t want to hear. You can’t fix him. I know you want to help, I know you want to make his life better, you want to be that positive person who never gave up on him so when his life gets better he will always remember you as the supportive friend who never gave up-- forget that. That kind of determination is what allows empathetic people to be ripped apart by others, and that kind of over-investment can cause you to insert yourself too far into their lives and make both you and them feel like the world would fall apart if you weren’t friends. That is unhealthy, for both of you. 

You’ve also mentioned he does shitty things, as well as attention-seeking behavior, and pulls away from the group when called out on being shitty. First I would question what ‘calling out’ means-- if you are quite literally going after him in a public setting, I can understand why he’d pull away and be like ‘fuck y’all’, but, if you are taking him aside in a more personal manner and going “Hey, dude, that thing you did back there? That was hurtful to [person x]” or “Man, I don’t wanna put you on the spot but [thing y] was just a not cool thing to do/say.” When it’s just one person, not the whole group, taking you off to the side and being kind but firm about a correction, it can go a long way to helping someone with anxiety figure their shit out... which is what I feel like your friend is doing right now-- figuring himself out. The sense I get is that your friend is a younger person who may be somewhat socially inept, but has held fast to that idea as part of themselves rather than recognizing it as a lacking skill they can practice. They might have grown up in a house where manipulation was the key way family members got each other to do things, or perchance lacking in specific role models from whom he would have learned these social behaviors from. You can help teach him how to be a better friend, but only if he wants to learn, and a big part of learning how to be a better human is admitting you’ve been a shitty one, and that’s not a fun time for anyone. He will get upset. He will get butthurt. He will feel like everyone is against him and he’s losing control of his life-- just like if someone came up to you and told you you’ve been doing it wrong for years and you’ve got to change everything you’ve ever known until now. 

All of this said, let’s circle back to that mention of red flags and manipulation-- because I get the feeling that you’re a younger individual as well. You might even still be in middle or high school. If you are, I’m about to tell you something else you probably don’t want to hear.

Most of your friends are probably abusive to you. This is simply a fact of making friends within school-- your choice of whom you associate with is limited by your school, your grade level, who you share classes with, who you share clubs with, who you’re aware of and how you’re aware of them. Particularly if you’re in a small town, your choices for friends might be pretty slim, but because humans are social animals we’re programmed to simply overlook certain flaws to gain our needed social contact. Usually the unhealthiness of these seminal relationships happen in smaller ways-- a friend who isn’t great at listening, a buddy you only do certain activities with because you can’t stand them outside that context, someone who was great to talk to that one time but turns out to have the shittiest world view and constantly smack-talks everything you believe in... but when someone is being outright abusive in the worst ways, such as trying to isolate you from your other connections, manipulating you into staying when you really don’t want to be part of this shit anymore, making you fear what they might do to harm themselves should you end the friendship, and constantly bringing up how much they need you, but never ever once recognizing that you might need them from time to time... these are ways in which young relationships are unhealthy enough to do real damage to you, and you have the right to walk away. You have the right to cut toxic people out of your life. 

This process is not easy. It is not fun. It will be one of the hardest things you ever do socially if you decide to do it, but it can be one of the best things you’ve ever done for yourself. It will hurt like hell as you’re doing it, but you will be looking out for your own mental and social health. 

At the same time, if you don’t feel your ‘friend’ isn’t being outright abusive to you, and you still care enough to try and help, see if there’s a councilor you can meet with to discuss some of the issues you’re having. If you’re in school, still, there are often resources open to students experiencing social troubles. If not, many communities do have services available for not as much as you’d think. Look for a councilor or social worker specializing in personal relationships, and if you find someone who you trust, see if you can get your friend to go with you to talk to them in a group session. The councilor can act as a mediator, a calm and neutral third party, to get the conversation going and prevent butthurt tantrums from derailing the discussion that really needs to be had. 

Try to foster understanding with your other friends if you’re going to try and stick with this person. Discuss with them some of your fears, and see what their take is on your specific situation with this friend. Getting the thoughts of other observers can put your own experiences into better perspective, and those friends can support you if you decide to walk away from this friendship and let this guy continue on his own path without you. 

Please, remember, you always have the right to walk away. It is not your job to fix this person. If they are making you responsible for their happiness, they are not controlling their own life, and that is unhealthy for both of you. 

You have the right to walk away.

Ooooooor...?

OR you can punch ‘em in the face... but I really don’t recommend that course of action. 

I hope this helped, friend, and I wish you the best of luck. 

[antarestyl]

What exactly does the sugarplum villain look like? Asking for an art-

O.O Uuuuh…

UUUuuuuUUUuuuh…

I would imagine… well… very purple. Maybe a bit fairy like? Like… wings for sure. Maybe even pretty beautiful but kinda fake looking?

Hmm… we referred to the sugarplum villain as a he so far so… maybe male? (it doesn’t really matter thou) So… I would imagine he is smaller than Fellby but taller than most of the candy people. He would be able to fly with his wings and maybe use some magic (Like I kinda imagined him wearing either a robe or something else that indicates somebody able to use magic. He DID made a truth serum apparently) So maybe a purple robe, some white or golden highlights… wings and a pretty face (whatever counts as pretty in the Candy Kingdom) but kinda fake and plastic looking. Also maybe humanoid body but clearly different from human (otherwise Fellby would freak out with his fear of Human)… if you want to add any other features go for it!

And glittering! Like somebody called sugarplum villain SHOULD glitter, don’t you think?

I… I must be honest I didn’t kinda imagine the villain with some specific design in mind. like… if you got other ideas, go for it. Run with it. I’ll be happy with anything, really. XD

(Also I would love you forever for art. @namekian-maoh too :D)

[geese-howards-transscriber]

1, 2, 4, 9, 14-22 for Salty ask list. I hope you've already prepared masamune's birthday pic.

*deep breath.* Let the salt flow.

1. What OTPs in your fandom(s) do you just not get?: Honestly, there aren’t many I don’t get. Unless they literally hate one another, but even still, I can get that and am kinda guilty of shipping that kinda thing myself.

2. Are there any popular fandom OTPs you only BroTP?: MasaYuki, Keiji x Yoshiteru, uuuuh not sure what else?

4. Do you have a NoTP in your fandom? Are they a popular OTP?: I don’t think I do, I mean I try not to ship canon characters if I can help it.

9. Most disliked character(s)? Why?: DATE GODDAMN MASAMUNE. Where do I even begin? He’s childish, brash, and comes across as being extremely selfish at times... and everyone fucking loves him. Hell, even just his status as being made into the Big Good of the series is enough to make me utterly vitriolic and the mere sight of him sparks something resembling anger within me. And he’s everywhere. TL;DR:

14. Unpopular opinion about your fandom?: Probably the fact that people are far too jovial in it, I mean I get it. Sengoku BASARA is not meant to be taken seriously. But for Christ’s sake, people, don’t be afraid to make some dark (maybe even outright terrifying or depressing) content every now and then.

15. Unpopular opinion about the manga/show?: Masamune should not have been the hero in BOTH SEASONS OF THE ANIME AND THE LAST PARTY. PLZ

16.If you could change anything in the show, what would you change?: More character establishment for non-Masamune characters, especially the villains. What’s everyone’s motivations? How do they think? How do they feel?

17.Instead of XYZ happening, I would have made ABC happen…: Instead of Masamune being gung-ho about mowing down every major villain without a thought for what the long-term consequences are, maybe I’d have him try to think about it, especially in the case of Nobunaga. See, Masamune’s dad, historically speaking, was good friends with Nobunaga, even sending him falcons. Maybe there would be internal conflict involved (man vs. self) with whether this is what he really wants or not.

18.Does not shipping something ‘popular’ mean you’re in denial and/or biased?: I don’t think so, but then again I just don’t give a shit about “popular” ships because they’re not my cup of tea.

19. What is the one thing you hate most about your fandom?: Back in Ye Olde Days of the BASARA fandom, when Judge End came out, the Masamune stans came crawling out from their holes and LITERALLY FLOODED the tag with complaints about how their pwecious dwagon lost against Mitsunari because they were so accustomed to Masamune winning, even though Judge End followed the events of the third game. I’m glad that’s over for now, but I’m sure they’re still out there, bitching about how Masamune should have beaten Mitsunari down like in Last Party.

20. What is the purest ship in the fandom?: Oichi x Nagamasa. Their love for one another is so pure and beautiful, it’s a shame what happens...

21.What are your thoughts on crack ships?: It’s BASARA. Let it happen. Even the ones that make literally 0 sense (Tenkai x Matabei comes to mind).

22. Popular character you hate?: Date Masamune. I’ve stated my grievances above but would like to add that he reminds me too much of the idiots I met in high school and that brings back bad memories.

[brightideawritings]

The Divine Contract: Chapter 2

Here we go! Chapter 2 of the little sidefic inspired by the incredible @earthsong9405‘s Goddess!AU! As always go visit her page and see the amazing art and world building she has done!

“Tastes like…purple…window panes…” Rarity said in her asleep. Several more minutes of incoherent mumbling followed ranging from that daisies made the best muffins and the fashionable minotaurs wore dresses made of apples before the light of the rising sun woke Rarity. Ignorant of her own sleep talk Rarity yawned and stretched in her modest bed before she swung her hooves toward the edge of the bedside. Here she hesitated.

“Another day and so far not one step closer to saving Ponyville.” Rarity sighed, and played the events of last night in the Everfree Forest. Battling the shadow-demon and Twilight’s failed capture of the second shadow-demon followed by another two hours of waiting for Twilight to finish inspecting every inch of the area for ‘pan-dimensional resonance’. Rarity had returned to her quarters in the Temple of the Gods exhausted and disappointed. She had passed out immediately upon climbing into bed. This would be Twilight’s fourth day in Ponyville and they both were still no closer to discovering the reason why the shadow-demons were attacking Ponyville.

“Honestly, why do I feel so…hollow?” Rarity shook her head. She was awed by the magic that Twilight displayed, she controlled the energies of the dominion of magic so effortlessly it was in many ways breathtaking. Unicorns that were trained in the higher levels of magic needed time and preparation for complex spells but Twilight seemed to be able to use them with the barest of flickers of her horn. Rarity did not doubt Twilight’s Divine powers, but Rarity still felt as if there was some sort of gulf that had opened up within her over the last few days.

“I have been preparing for months for this. I’ve kept so many secrets from Fluttershy, Cheerilee, Sweetie Belle and so many others.  I should be happy, but-” Rarity stopped her monologue when she heard a single knock on her door. At first confused at who would be calling upon her so early in the morning she was quickly not surprised to see the door open after the first knock revealing her sister, Sweetie Belle.

“Rarity! I’m coming in!” Sweetie Belle cheerfully shouted after she had already jumped into Rarity’s room. She looked at Rarity in her bed and her face frowned in disappointment. “You’re still in bed? WE have hospitium duty today and YOU said YOU would show ME how to do our duties!”

Rarity winced on the inside, she had completely forgotten she was to show Sweetie Belle how to administer to the wounded in the temple’s hospitium. As Sweetie’s Sister Superior it was Rarity’s duty to train the priests-in-training under Rarity’s wing. Rarity had made sure her afternoon and night duties had been shortened so that she could work with Twilight so she had overloaded her tasks to the morning shift. In particular she had switched hospitium duties with Fluttershy. Rarity surrendered and decided she had to put aside her worries about the shadow-demons for now.

“Sweetie Belle!” Rarity’s voice carried out into the hallway with mock mortification, “How many times have I told you that a priestess, and just as importantly a proper lady does not just barge into somepony else’s room uninvited? You must be courteous and who knows what you might see if you do not give a pony time to open the door for you.”

“Like what?” Sweetie Belle asked, but Rarity ignored her question and had already pushed off of the bed and closed the door behind Sweetie Belle. Rarity became a whirlwind as she dressed for the day, she did regret not properly combing her mane or putting on a facial mask the night before but Rarity had her ways of hiding how haggard she may appear to be.

“Again, a proper pony does not ask.” Rarity replied even as she combed her mane, “Where is Scootaloo? You both are attending the hospitium today.”

“Ohmygosh, I forgot to wake her up!” Sweetie Belle practically jumped in place before she streaked out of Rarity’s room. Rarity allowed herself to smile as she finished the last of her preparations and slipped into a fresh set of robes.

In a few minutes, Rarity had left her own quarters and collected both Sweetie Belle and her friend and fellow priestess-in-training, Scootaloo, from the dorms for neophytes. Rarity had pulled many strings to get Scootaloo accepted into the Temple of the Gods, the priesthood did not accept many initiates that were unsponsored (otherwise the priesthood would be straining to accommodate the orphans from the wars and shadow-demon attacks). Fortunately, Cheerilee was sympathetic and Rarity had arranged for a modest fund toward accepting Scootaloo as an initiate in the Temple of the Gods.

“Rarity! What are we going to do in the hospitium?” Sweetie’s voice echoed through the marble corridor even as its owner pranced around Rarity.

“Ooooo! What if we get to do surgery? I call dibs on the saw!” Scootaloo’s voiced joined with Sweetie’s, the filly dodging her friend as the both made completely opposite orbits around Rarity.

“Nuh uh! I want dibs!”

“Surgery? Really? Have we not been studying up on the roles and duties of a priest have we?” Rarity knew the answer to that questions already, but still the reaction from both fillies was priceless to watch.

Even Rarity was quietly shocked by both fillies stopping in front of her at the exact same moment, their faces turned toward her with genuine fear. A nagging part of her wondered if the two had choreographed it but their responses quickly washed away any thoughts in Rarity’s mind.

“Uuuuh…” both filies responses, looking at one another and back at Rarity.

“Ah, I see” Rarity responded, a slight smile on her lips as she continued down the corridor past both Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, “Perhaps…perhaps I should mention to Cheerilee that you both could use some extra hours instructions…”

“Extra hours?!” Sweetie Belle gasped, “we can’t Rarity, after our daily duties we said we would meet Apple Bloom and-“Rarity’s younger sister was cut off by a swift elbow to her ribs by Scootaloo.

“-and help her buy some supplies in town!” Scootaloo finished for Sweetie Belle. Rarity did not need to look back to know both fillies were holding their breaths for Rarity’s next words. Do I doom them to a late afternoon of dictation and higher learning from Cheerilee or granting them freedom to play out their own agenda?

“Well…” Rarity paused for dramatic effect, during her own spare time after daily duties it would not be an uncommon sight to see her engrossed in a new novel that filled with drama, mystery and pregnant pauses, “I just may forget to talk to Cheerilee if you both pay attention and keep quiet while we are in the hospitium…”

“We will Rarity! Your, uh, Journeymare Priestessness!” Scootaloo was the first to chime up and catch up to Rarity’s walking pace. Sweetie Belle was a swift second.

“Scootaloo’s right! We’ll be pay so much attention you’ll never notice! We’ll be like…like…”

“Temple ninjas! That would be so rad! I bet we could make really cool throwing stars out of-”

“Girls! We are here! Look! Look!” Rarity hoped she didn’t sound too desperate to steer Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle from their current course of thinking, but if she used ANY of the past attempts by the two fillies to skirt their neophyte training or add ‘extra curricular’ training it would not end well. Rarity needed both fillies distracted and shooed any thoughts of being ‘Temple Ninjas’ into the forgotten corners of their filly minds. Rarity was still apologizing to June Bug for taking their talk of “Temple Torchbearers” less than seriously, even though Rarity went out of her way to compliment how well June Bug’s tail hair had grown back.

Fortunately, both Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were immediately taken by the sight of the hospitium. It was one of the larger rooms within the Temple of the Gods but it did at times feel fairly cramped, much of the space within was taken up by row after row of cots and a few privacy screens. Rarity was thankful to see that the majority of the cots were unoccupied. Unbidden memories leapt up, shrieks of pain and shouts of terror always punctuated the by the sounds of soft sobbing and the final breath of-

“Rarity!” Sweetie Belle’s voice cut through Rarity’s thoughts, she shook her head and looked down at her sister.

“Yes, Sweetie? Did you say something?” Rarity softly loosened the grip on her sounding staff, she hadn’t notice how tight her grip had become.

“Aren’t we supposed to tend to the statue of Redheart, goddess of healing first?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Normally, we would,” Rarity smiled and gestured toward the statue of Redheart. The statue itself was carved from a portion of the north wall but rose across the ceiling of the room, with her head leaning down and arms widespread she looked to be encompassing the entire room with her arms and every corner was within her soft gaze. “Different Divine have different preferences.”

“Like apples and oranges?”

“Birds and bees?”

“Red and blue?”

“Pronouncing ‘vase’ as ‘vah-se’ instead of ‘vay-se’?”

“Almost. It is very much linked to each individual Divine’s likes and tastes. Not just in preference of something so material as the object of sacrifice but the proper action. Orthopraxy. Redheart would be insulted if a ritual to her was completed before tending to the sick and wounded in her view.”

“Isn’t it hard to remember each and every single Divine’s likes and like-likes?” Scootaloo asked.

“Yes, it is for most ponies. That is why there is a Temple to the Gods, not every settlement has one but fortunately Ponyville is big enough. We enact a civic duty for the entire town! We make sure the Divine, if some pony is coarse or blundering enough to offend them, take their anger on that individual pony and not on the entire town.”

“We give praise to the Divine when there may not be a pony in Ponyville to do so. No matter the act be it to freshen up their shrine with newly cut flowers, tending to the sick, or…” Rarity murmured quietly to herself, “…going on nightly patrols of the Everfree…”

“Going on nightly patrols of the…?” Scootaloo asked.

“Patrols of the temple!” Rarity hurried forward before either Scootaloo or Sweetie Belle could continue with that particular line of questioning, “Watch and learn, girls.”

Taking several steps into the hospitium Rarity stopped in her tracks and closed her eyes for a moment. After several moments, a smile split her features, her eyes moments ago had looked tired and haggard with a lack of sleep but now they almost seemed to shine with a newfound energy. Rarity breathed in deeply and let it all out.

“Gooooood morning, my darlings!” Rarity’s voice echoed throughout the hospitium, more than enough for every and any pony to hear her she continued her voice laced with an easy cheer, almost teasing but in a good-natured way, “How are you my gentlecolts and lovely ladies doing this Divine given morning? Hmm?”

Dozens of worn out faces turned toward Rarity from across the room. Some were standing, but most had to lean up from or crane their heads on their cots to look in her direction. Some were in the hospitium because of sickness but most were for injuries sustained from the latest of the shadow-demon attack to mundane farming accidents. Most were there because either they had no home to stay in or family to take care of them. The mood in the room, formerly somber, immediately shifted as the ponies visibly perked up at the sound and sight of Rarity, that could have mumbled a broken chorus of good mornings, while others simply smiled and laid back down or went back to their previous conversations.

“A Divine once told me, at a friend’s birthday party, that a smile is more than enough to brighten up a day” Rarity turned to tell Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle before she was off toward the first few patients.

To a patient observer Rarity moved through the hospitium with the grace of a ribbon caught in a summer breeze. Graceful in her motions and a pleasantly surprising sight to see. One moment chatting, some may say gossiping, with an older mare who was too weak to get out of her cot, the next changing the bandages of a stallion and before you knew it she was taking the temperature of a mare while also subtly mentioning the stallion in the bandages always seemed to be looking the mare’s way with a blush. Always she would be thanked and always she would reply the same, “Think nothing of it dear, generosity is always in style.”

It was not long before Rarity, with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle hurrying to keep up arrived at one particular cot whose occupant did not seem too pleased at all to be stuck in the cot. Besides the fact that she was tall enough that her hooves hung over the edge the occupant looked about ready to leap up and buck an apple tree.

“Ahh, Applejack. I see we are getting caught up on that rest the doctors recommended you take. Oh, wait my mistake dear, they didn’t recommend it but ordered it, did they not?”

“Phooey. I ain’t needin any bedrest! Just because I got my arm bite off by one of them shadow-varmits everypony thinks I need fifty winks every time I sneeze! I ain’t going to fall over in ah breeze!” Applejack grumbled from her cot, her one good eye staring out toward the ceiling, far away from Rarity’s unimpressed gaze. It was true that Applejack was, Rarity had admitted to herself on more than one occasion, impressively built. Standing at around 6’7ft Applejack was larger than most stallions with the particular exception of her brother, Big Macintosh. Even missing her right arm up to the shoulder Applejack was a powerful sight to behold, the bright pink-red scars that marked across her body and over her shut right eye only had added to what was a mountain of what Rarity considered ‘stubbornness in pony form’. Applejack had been so severely mauled by a shadow-demon that no one had expected her to recover, no pony else ever had, but after a month she had returned to her family farm as if nothing had changed.

Which at times was a problem.

“That may be true, you have already proven you have incredible stamina, but…” Rarity let her words fall, and her gaze travel toward the ceiling.

“…but what?” Applejack asked, Rarity did not even need to turn her head to know Applejack’s gaze had drifted down from the ceiling to her. When Rarity looked back at Applejack she had been 100% correct, even correctly guessing Applejack’s scrunched brow.

“Well, you were out for a month, darling. What if one of your wounds reopened and you were back here for another month or even a week or two? A night or two isn’t so bad compared to that is it?”

“I suppose…” Applejack’s stubbornly scrunched brow collapsed into one of worry. If Rarity was correct she was weighing the possibility of missing out more time at Sweet Apple Acres and how it would affect her family. Rarity could not have prayed to the Divine for better timing when a filly’s voice with a similar twang to Applejack’s began to shout in the hospitium.

“Sis! Sis! It’s me, Apple Bloom!” Applejack’s younger sister shouted as she sped between the cots of the hospitium before jumping on one cot to use it as a springboard to cross the aisle and land on top of Applejack.

“I heard yah, Apple Bloom. That shadow-varmit didn’t scramble my brains.” Applejack beamed at the sight of her sister and squeezed her tightly in a one-armed hug.

“Apple Bloom!” Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle chimed in from behind Rarity and were soon scrambling past Rarity to talk with their friend. Rarity noticed Applejack’s smile seemed to grow wider as she looked at her sister and friends talk among themselves. Applejack looked up at Rarity and winked.

“It’s good Apple Bloom has friends. With all this shadow-varmit hooey going on ‘am happy these three can find a way to have some fun.” Applejack whispered to Rarity. Applejack’s words made Rarity smile as well, not the cheerful smile she had worn since entering the hospitium but one that was less of a show for ponies who needed it and more genuine for just herself.

“I was ah little surprised to see you here today, Rarity. I thought Fluttershy was supposed to be makin the rounds?” Applejack asked. Rarity froze in place as Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle stopped and turned toward her.

“What about Fluttershy?” Apple Bloom asked.

“She did say she would be here the other day.” Scootaloo added.

“Yea, why wasn’t she here to teach us?” Sweetie Belle added.

“Ah, well you see girls…Fluttershy actually traded duties with me today…because she…she…”

“I bet it’s because she can’t stand the sight of blood.” Applejack interrupted, nodding her head but at the same time looking at Rarity knowingly. She was only a handful of ponies that knew Fluttershy very well…

“What, really?” Apple Bloom asked, looking between Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.

“I remember! That one time a supplicant tripped and scraped their knee on the stairs REALLY badly. Blood was EVERYWHERE!” Scootaloo said, waving her hands to emphasize.

“It wasn’t THAT bad Scootaloo. Just a scrape, but you’re right. Fluttershy was there and she just kept staring at the blood. And shaking. I think by the time Cheerilee pulled her away she was sweating.” Sweetie Belle said.

“Kind of wimpy to want to pass out from seeing a little blood if you ask me” Scootaloo shrugged her shoulders.

“I thought you said it was EVERYWHERE, Scootaloo” Apple Bloom elbowed Scootaloo in the arm.

“It was! Everywhere, sure most of it was on the supplicant’s pants but-“ Scootaloo and her friends continued to argue among themselves about the definition of everywhere.

Thank the divine for small favors and how easily sidetracked these three can be! Rarity sighed in relief and turned to Applejack who hadn’t taken her eye off of Rarity.

“So, if you’re taking over for Fluttershy now I suppose that means you’ll be free in the evening, right?” Applejack asked. Rarity winced on the inside, Applejack despite being what Rarity considered a straightforward pony she was remarkably adept at telling bluffs and lies. If somepony was not being 100% truthful she knew. Rarity had to choose her words carefully.

“Yes, that’s right. I will be free this evening” Rarity replied curtly.

“Oh really? I hope you aren’t gettin into any…trouble.” Applejack leveled her gaze at Rarity.

“Trouble? Me? I don’t ‘gettin’ into any trouble, Applejack.” Rarity smirked and tossed her mane over her shoulder.

“Then what are you doin later then?” Applejack continued, she seemed unwilling to let Rarity go without a more solid answer.

“I’ll be heading to the plaza.” Rarity replied, which was true. Before Applejack could ask what she would be doing in the plaza Rarity knew she had to lead Applejack off. Fortunately, Rarity’s reputation as a hopeless flirt had persisted even from when they were fillies together. “Why do you ever ask, darling? Does big, strong Applejack need a little assistance from a priest’s…healing hands to get back to Sweet Apple Acres?”

Rarity had laced her words with such a sultry undertone her words may have come from a demon. The not-so-innocent giggle and flutter of her eyelashes were the icing on the performance, but it was more than enough. Applejack blushed and shook her head, scooting under the cot’s blankets a little more and even holding them up as if that would be enough to ward off Rarity.

“Nn-not at all! Like I said, I’m fit enough to wrestle a minotaur! I don’t know why you go to the plaza to stare at those dresses the merchants bring in. Seems like a waste of a good afternoon when you could be doing so much more and…” Applejack continued to talk about the fine work ethic of Earth Ponies, particularly the Apple Family, and Rarity knew she had been successful in keeping Applejack from prying too close.

What she was doing with Twilight Sparkle was dangerous, and she would not let either her family or friends to come to harm because of her responsibility…