#we got in super late and the restaurant we normally go to was closed and i ended up eating apples and cheese for dinner

[unnonexistence]

celiac disease voted "extremely annoying to travel with" for 5th trip in a row

[mikachacha]

Hi, lovely! I hope that you're doing well! May I please request a fic for Bada? Where reader is the leader of a girl group and happens to meet Bada at either an award show or somewhere else and the end up spending time together and slowly develop feeling for each other but are both scared to confess until reader has enough and decides to confess despite the fact that shes super shy and a blushing and stuttering mess throughout the confession, she finally asks Bada to be her gf. (Or at least tries to but Bada interrupts and asks first, since I feel like she's competitive like that, and readers confession makes Bada bolder..)

Delicate (Bada Lee x Idol! Reader)

Synopsis: Confessing your love to the person whom you met at an event a few months ago

Warnings: just idiots in love, a bit of in denial and some overthinking

A/N: Y'all are really digging Bada and Idol! Reader fics and it's so cute 🥹🥹

"I-I like you, okay?! I like you so much and I don't know if you feel the same way or whatever! You make me feel so special when.. When we spend time together and I don't know if you're like that to anyone, not that it matters.. Well it kinda does but that's beside the point. I'm sorry if this is all weird or if I misinterpreted your actions but here we are. Lee Bada, I-I like you.. So much!" you confessed to Bada as you sat together at the park, watching the stars together like you always do when the skies are clear at night. How did it come to this?

🩵✨🩵✨🩵✨

Well it started exactly 5 months ago, when you were at an awards show with your group. She was there, being the hotshot choreographer that she is and you interacted all throughout the event since you were sitting close to each other. You found her really sweet, playful and just really nice. It was like destiny really pulled all the strings to get you and her in the same room that night. You really hit it off right away, talking, laughing and just being so comfortable with each other like you've been friends for years.

One thing led to another and after the event, you were constantly messaging each other on instagram before you gave her your number. You texted and called each other daily, without fail. You just felt so comfortable with Bada and she felt the same about you. It's like the day isn't complete if she can't hear your voice or see your face while you're face timing her as you did your skincare routine before bed.

Not long after that, you began inviting her when you're hanging out with friends and she'd invite you when she's hanging out with her team or when she's teaching. Hell, you even signed up for her classes just so you guys can hang out right after. You and Bada became inseparable and more often than not, acted like a couple even without realizing it until someone points it out to which you'd both laugh and deny, saying you're just really good friends that would either earn an eye roll or people straight up telling you both to just date each other.

It usually didn't bother you that much until you'd go on 'friendly dates' with Bada. Like hanging out at the park late at night to star gaze and snuggle against each other, eat at some new restaurants together or just go on random road trips whenever both your schedules clear up. You tried to tell yourself that she's just being friendly with you and the things you do together are just normal things friends do. But no matter how much you deny it, your heart always betrays you. You feel giddy whenever she greets you 'good morning' or how your heart skips a beat whenever you see her. Yup, you've got it real bad. You're head over heels for Bada.

"I'm scared.. What if she doesn't like me? What if she's just being friendly and I got it all wrong then she'll hate me!" you cried one night to your group and the girls just looked at each other before comforting you. They feel bad for you and your current situation but they also feel bad for betting with team Bebe on who will confess first between you and Bada. It's obvious that you and Bada are so in love with each other. From the posts, to the little dates and did they mention the daily calls and messages? Yeah, only a fool wouldn't see that you guys are so in love and just waiting on one another to finally confess.

"Unnie.. I'm sure she likes you too. I mean what's not to like? Beautiful, talented and sweet. I mean, if you're not into Bada-unnie, I'd ask you out." Ari jokingly said as she rubbed your back to get you to stop crying. You playfully smacked her and wiped away your tears.

"I mean, there's only one way to find out. Tell her what you feel and whatever happens, we'll be here for you maybe with some soju and some chicken." Hana jokingly said and you hugged your group. You're thankful to have them as your friends even though you just mess with each other most of the time but you got each other's backs especially on situations like this.

You thought about confessing to Bada for weeks until you finally gathered enough courage that led to this current predicament. Bada looked at you, she didn't say anything yet as the confession is still processing in her head. It's like her brain has short circuited and she couldn't form any words.

The lack of response scared you and you couldn't help the tears that rolled down your cheeks, feeling your heart sink. You got up and were about to leave when Bada pulled you back and hugged you tight, kissing the top of your head and saying 'thank you', 'sorry', and 'i feel the same way' over and over. You hugged her back, now full on sobbing as you felt relieved and happy that she feels the same way as you do. That you weren't just being delusional.

"I.. Wow.. I'm sorry if I scared you when I didn't respond right away. I just can't believe that this is all happening, that you feel the same way as I do.." Bada finally says and moves away just a bit so she can see your face. She wiped your tears away and kissed your forehead. You don't know what came over you but you pulled her in for a soft kiss before pulling away, your cheeks burning red after realizing what you just did.

"Bada.. I really like you and I was wondering if-" you didn't even get to finish what you were saying when she pulled you in for another kiss, this time a little longer but you're not complaining. You love the way her lips feel against yours.

"Y/N, you pretty pretty girl.. You don't have to respond right away but I'm gonna ask anyways. Will you please be my girlfriend?" Bada asked the same question as you were about to ask her. You could swear that you look like a tomato from how hot your face feels at the moment. Yeah, you imagined Bada asking you to be her girlfriend a few times but now that she's asking you for real felt so different. It's like a million butterflies are in your belly right now and that your heart is beating a thousand times a minute in your chest.

"I was about to ask you if you didn't cut me off with a kiss!" you whined which made Bada laugh and kiss you again. She just couldn't get enough of you and your lips. She just couldn't get over the feeling of being so in love with you and you feeling the same thing.

"I'm sorry, I just can't help it." She says, a playful smile on her lips and you shook your head in amusement .

"Very cheesy but to answer your question, yes. I'd love to be your girlfriend." you told her and she hugged you, a grin on her face like she just won the lottery now that you're officially girlfriends.

[navire190413]

haha i got drunk and wrote like 2,000 words about my experience with learning japanese. read it sober and just sat in front of my computer like 😐

you know when old people talk a lot and sometimes its hard to tell if they’re trying to pass on wisdom or are just kind of full of themselves and want to talk about themselves? what i wrote was definitely the latter. i’m just an おじいさん who wants to drink and smoke and talk about myself and my hard work lol

one of my favorite 居酒屋 to visit on my way home from work is closing for good this weekend. its open 24/7 so it was always great for stopping by after drinking at the bar until morning. their squid and shrimp 串カツ are soooo good. i’m actually here now typing this on my phone. this izakaya is in a basement so i don’t have signal. i just end up scrolling through my photos or blogging in my notes while sitting here alone for an hour until my favorite bar opens at 7.

the last time i came here a server ive become acquainted with hit on me, and i didn’t pick up on it at all, so my reaction was kind of dull. i only realized he was hitting on me when he turned around and all the other servers were laughing at him bc they were all eavesdropping. he probably mentioned he was gonna do it beforehand haha. i’m so sorry. i would be totally down to grab drinks if i realized sooner 😂

he always makes me turn around and show him my backpiece when im wearing tanktops and croptops. and hes always basically yelling カッコいい！！its cute how not normal tattoos are here. i would never get these reactions in america but sometimes it can be annoying. yes yes i have a lot of tattoos. yes. expensive. yes painful. and then they find out about my scarification, which honestly most people in the states have also never seen, so then its a weird balance of explaining my love for body modification and not self mutilation.

money has gotten TIGHT lately. im literally courting my ex and bringing him to izakayas and nice restaurants every week and im going broke from it so i gotta stop hahaha. we did have a really good time last night, though. and hes always really grateful and respectful when im paying. he also initiated a lot of kisses and kept kissing my cheeks last night which was weird and not like him at all. im not gonna think about it anymore tho.

i am super excited about where we’re going on saturday. its an 青森県 restaurant and i guess they get fish delivered daily from there, so i hope its super fresh and tasty 😤. i unfortunately booked too late and couldnt get a private room, but i think sitting at the counter will be nice since we’re doing the all-you-can-drink course and itll be faster to get our drinks if we’re not in a secluded room.

my go-to drink for the past 2 years living here has always been highballs, but lately theyre way too strong for me. ive become obsessed with lemon sours, but because its not whiskey in them like highballs i become drunk super super fast. good for cost performance purposes but dangerous since im used to my highball drinking pace. i usually dont black out if i only drink for 2-3 hours on a work night but the other day i drank my usual amount, just this time they were lemon sours and not highballs. i was on the verge of blacking out returning home at only 9pm on a monday 😂

i can’t stop thinking about the guy who asked me to be his girlfriend two weeks ago. he’s american and he’s nice enough, but he’s been living in japan for over a year and cant even say すみません to get a server’s attention. he also doesnt eat meat, so i cant introduce him to yakiniku and yakitori which are my go-to. everytime we hungout i had to translate everything and guide him around tokyo. i brought him to an izakaya for his first time and had to teach him the words for squid and octopus. which he promptly forgot 2 minutes later. its literally taco and ika!!! we got lost in a department store one time and i had to ask for directions while he just stood there. it always felt like i was with a child who knew nothing when we were together. as friends, im more than happy to introduce tokyo and translate. but as someone who was obviously trying to be appealing to me, it was honestly a massive ick. i have no preference when it comes to what ethnicity or cultural background someone is, but i cant date someone who knows less about japan than me. it was a good realization actually! i always say i dont have a type, but i think im slowly starting to realize my type. he doesnt have friends so he would always say “lets go out and explore tokyo together!”dude i have been experiencing tokyo for 2 years. i have my favourite spots and my favourite neighborhoods and i know how to find good restaurants and i regularly go out and just do shit by myself because i can navigate it by myself. he also was expecting me to teach him japanese which was just soooo….

when you get to a level where you’ve lived somewhere long enough and can speak the language a lot of people expect you to be a free tour guide. when it comes to strictly friends with no expectation of me, im more than happy to plan a day of sightseeing and introductions but sometimes when i make friends with foreigners it feels like that’s all they want out of me. i mean it goes both ways. a lot of japanese men just view me as a fetish object. omg a white girl who i can actually speak to!!! maybe she can teach me english!!! ive never fucked a 6 foot tall white girl with tattoos!!!

for my established friends, i happily translate stuff for them and give them english lessons but man it feels like theres a lot of expectations of me meeting people here. from foreigners and native japanese people.

i have a lot of foreign friends who have lived here longer than me and dont speak a lick of japanese and dont have any plans on learning. i dont really feel one way or the other about it. theyve been here long enough and know they can get around and have fun without knowing the language. i cant imagine how tough that is sometimes so more power to them. but its always the people complaining they want to learn and want to understand and communicate but still for some reason just dont sit down and study or make an effort to make japanese friends so they can atleast pick up conversational japanese that i dont understand. why are you not studying???? sure its hard but just do it??? you dont even have to use textbooks. apps kind of suck once you get past the basics but its at least something you can do while riding the train and then atleast i wouldnt have to order for you at the bar after youve been living here for several months!!!

im a princess and a brat and am obsessive so studying is super easy for me. i studying during my lunch breaks and anytime im riding the train. i understand thats not the case for everyone, so i try to take the time to teach my friends who want to learn japanese important phrases for day to day life. maybe textbooks and studying isnt their thing, which is fine. okay i’ll teach you as we go. but even then they dont retain anything 😂 dont complain to me about not being able to speak japanese if you’re not going to put in a little bit of effort to atleast order a beer by yourself!!!! and if youre over thinking the difference between ください and お願いします before you can even say [名前]と申します, youre thinking too much!!!!! japanese is hard. theres a lot of info. if you start getting into super specific japanese before you can do self introductions, its gonna be a long long road. so im super happy i learned japanese in america where i went textbook step by step instead of being surrounded by confusing japanese all day long. when i try to teach my friends japanese they always somehow ask me about n2 grammar. and its just like. stop. ignore that. that does NOT have anything to do with you at this time. i was N2 before N3 grammar even made sense to me (i did get full points on n3 test despite none of it making sense to me though 😂) because i finally had context for it and could make the connections. without those building blocks and going step by step id be lost. and thats why you should study the language before coming to a foreign country.

god im judgmental.

[roboticspacecase]

BillDip promt:first date

Ahh an excuse to write fluff, yes >:3c

The last thing Dipper had expected when he was asked out by a handsome, seemingly normal guy on a dating app, was to end up gripping the passenger seat of a fancy sports car while his date stared down an empty parking lot.

"Don't you dare," Dipper laughed, gripping the seat tighter. "You just took me out to that nice restaurant and fed me all that pasta, and I don't think either of us want to see it again. Especially since this time it’ll be all over your dashboard."

Bill's intense gaze shifted from the pavement to Dipper, a large, smarmy grin on his face. "You saw how good of a driver I was when I got us from your place to the restaurant in that funky traffic jam. We made it on time for our reservation, didn't hit anyone or anything, and I didn't get pulled over!"

Dipper rolled his eyes, still smiling. During the two weeks that he and Bill spoke over messages, the blond had mentioned that he enjoyed doing things that, “got the heart pumping”. But Dipper had always thought that had been some sort of sexual joke, not that he actually wanted to fling his car around at high speeds the second they drove by an empty lot.

“How about we do a few donuts, then we park and give my poor stomach a chance to catch up with the night?” He leaned back in his seat, preparing himself for the ride. “I think I can handle at least a few.” Their night had been going well enough that Dipper would feel bad if he shut down Bill’s fun too quickly, so he didn’t mind putting up with more of the blond’s shenanigans.

Bill lit up, his baby blue eyes twinkling from the dim glow of his headlights. “Sounds good to me, Pine Tree!” He revved the engine a couple of times before shifting the car into gear and slamming his foot down on the gas.

The tires screeched as they whirled around the lamp posts and empty parking spots. The two of them got thrown around a bit with each turn, though both could be heard laughing over the sound of the rubber on pavement.

Thankfully, Bill stuck to only doing a few and came to an abrupt stop once they had made their mark on the lot.

“Bet you’ve never had a date end with something that exciting, huh?”

Dipper looked at Bill, a large smile on his face. “I dunno, one guy took me to see a movie then took me to a grocery store ‘cause he needed something and didn’t want to go back out again after dropping me off. So I guess you could say this is a close second.”

“Oh, so that’s how it’s going to be?” The blond put his car into park, then adjusted the seat so that it was lying all the way back. “Then I’ll just have to one-up him and take a nap right here and now so that I don’t have to sleep after dropping you off.”

As soon as Bill closed his eyes and pretended to fake snore, Dipper burst out laughing and nudged the blond’s arm. “As much as I like your commitment to making this a super fun date, I think it’s about time I let my poor stomach lie down.”

“Your poor stomach, huh?” Bill got up and laid himself over Dipper, reaching for the latch to lay his seat down at well.

It popped into place too suddenly for Dipper to keep up with, he and Bill both falling backwards in an awkward position, Bill right on his stomach.

“Fuck, sorry,” he laughed. “Didn’t mean to come onto you that hard, but hey, you’re laying down now! Your poor stomach can rest easy in my car.”

“Not with you on top of it,” Dipper grunted. He gave the blond a playful shove, not actually trying to get him off. “Maybe if we carefully get back to my place before it gets too late, we can both… I dunno, maybe let our stomachs settle together on my couch with something playing on the TV?” Pink filled his cheeks because he knew that sounded a lot like he was inviting Bill over to get laid. And he sort of was. If one thing led to another, then who was he to deny the flow of the date?

Bill sprung up and had his seat back to normal in no time, his hand on the gearshift. “I’m about to be the carefullest- No wait, the most careful? Whatever, we’re about to be so fucking safe but fast, so buckle up.”

“I never unbuckled, so I’m ready,” Dipper snorted, adjusting his seat so that he could sit up. The car moved again, this time at a much better speed, and Dipper couldn’t help but smile over at his date. It was no trip to the grocery store, but he had a feeling he and Bill would have plenty of other outings that would more than make up for it.

[antimatterz]

okay okay, i’m getting out of my shell too bc trust me, i never know how to initiate conversations either but… do you have any headcanons for you and dan heng as a couple? 🥰🍁

i hope you’re having a good weekend and taking care, mwah !!

this has been in my inbox for so long and i'm so sorry TT but this ask has been on my mind the entire time and just, i loved thinking about it and here we gooo~

i'm super energetic ( adhd ayee ) while dan heng is more calm n quiet, so i guess that makes quite the interesting dynamic !! because of his calmth i manage to regulate my bursts of energy way better !! also i can totally see him secretly entertained by my hyperactive moments, although he wouldn't admit that. it shows from the tiny smile he tries but fails to hide hehe :>

once i feel at ease around someone i literally won't stop talking ( unless depresso hits ) and i can see him being a rly good listener !! so that's just right; dan heng lets me ramble while he listens patiently, paying close mind to my words even when i'm outing pure nonsense – he finds everything i say important !!

we don't rly go on standard dates such as to the movies or dinner at fancy restaurants but instead we love to retreat to a silent place and spend time together. it just suits us better, since we don't like busy places with lots of noise n all. whether it's stargazing ( which is pretty easy in space lol ) or hanging out in the archive room or cuddling somewhere quiet, we rly enjoy it !!

i'm not always happy, though. when the darkness hits i think dan heng is the perfect companion for me. he has a sweet side that he keeps especially for me and he rly pampers me in his own way when i'm not feeling well <3 he lets me complain, rant, cry, listening patiently until everything is out and then we just cuddle while he tells me everything will be okay :)

he's also my personal agenda. i'm very forgetful while his mind is very much more organized. so i will tell him everything that's important and he'll be like "remember your appointment at four." and "have you taken your meds already, angel?" and "don't forget to do do your laundry today." and suddenly, boom, he makes me function like a normal person :D ( somewhat )

he calls me "angel" <3 i have such a soft spot for that pet name and i can see him using it ( i can picture it in his voice and <333 )

he lets me pick out a phone case for him >:) as much as i love black ( i literally only wear black clothes lol ) i just think his phone case needs a little update !! but he soon has his mind set on a clear case with a polaroid of the 2 of us together behind his phone yay :>

i absolutely love taking pictures with my s/o and he lets me, secretly he loves it as well ^^

THAT GOT RLY LONG I GOT A LITTLE EXCITED SORRY !!!

again i apologize for getting to this so so so late thank you for coming out of your shell to reach out <3 HAVE A NICE DAY !! MWAH !!!

[thecandywrites]

Monster March 2024- Day 28- Cryptid

OkCryptid

Because I can't resist. I know, I'm running behind. But hopefully I'll be able to catch up.

Huge thanks to @borealwrites for their fabulous Monster March 2024 Prompt List. As well as @thetravelerwrites for their OkCryptid prompt.

Monster March 2024- Day 28- Cryptid- 

OkCryptid- Beerfest

Phoenix felt she should have gotten a shower, or at the very least, changed out of her work scrubs. But there was no way she had enough time between her late emergency clients and this date. She was honestly tired, stressed and with all the tips she got, she had enough to treat herself - even if this date didn’t show as she went straight to the bar to get the strongest, fruitiest drink. Even though this bar was currently having a beerfest. But she wasn’t a beer kind of girl but she knew she could get one hell of a drink no matter what. 

“Hey Phoenix, what can I get you?” Andy asked as he approached her. 

“I need a bahama mama, could you make her lethal please?” Phoenix requested hopefully. 

“You got it. Rough day?” He asked as he started making her the drink, putting in twice the amount of alcohol as normal. 

“Yeah, I got booked for my two emergency appointment slots tonight- on top of a full shift. And I just got matched on OkCryptid and he wanted to meet me here tonight at the last minute and I don’t have time to go home, get freshened up first or anything. I just hope my deodorant holds out.” Phoenix admitted as she nibbled on her bottom lip. 

“Well if he tries anything, or even if he stands you up, you let me know ok?” Andy urged her. 

“Absolutely, thanks.” Phoenix thanked him gratefully before he finished her drink and she slid him a 50. 

“Understood. Tell the hostess you’re a friend of Angel’s and she’ll seat you around the bar where we can keep an eye on ya. And tell your waiter or waitress that too and they’ll keep a close eye on you too.” Andy urged her. 

“Let me get you change.” Andy offered.

“No. I don’t need change, I just need your eyes. I just got a bad feeling about this- my date all but demanded that I meet him ASAP, he just came off just a tad aggressive in asking me out tonight. He said he would meet me anywhere, and pay for any dinner I wanted, and he wanted to take me to some super expensive place that I'm way underdressed for. So here tonight- even on a Friday night during a beerfest was where I'm known- was a compromise.” Phoenix explained. 

“Thank you!” She nodded as she got her drink and took a long pull, melting at the ice cold, delicious, sweet and strong drink in her mouth. 

She kept checking her phone as he sent her several messages where he swore and promised he was coming, but just needed to find a parking spot nearby because the bar was packed and people were having to park in the parking garage nearby, where she too had parked, but walked here. She waited, a few anxious minutes before her date came in, only a few minutes late, but that was ok. She needed the drink to take the edge off and hopefully this wouldn’t blow up in her face, again. 

“Here he is, wish me luck.” Phoenix offered to Andy before she left the bar with drink in hand.  

“Draven?” She asked as she came up to him with her drink once she waived and he lit up with a bright happy smile when he saw her as he tried to move through the crowded restaurant to get to her as well.  

“Hey! Phoenix, right?” He asked charmingly and a bit nervously as he offered her his hand to shake. 

“Yup. A pleasure to meet you. Sorry, I just got off work. I look like a mess, had my two emergency appointments get booked tonight. No time to go home and get ready or anything.” She offered as she gestured to her appearance. 

“Oh pffbbsh, don’t worry about it. I know it’s still spring and still the busy season. And you don’t need to get all dressed up and dolled up, you’re gorgeous just the way you are.” He tried to charm her. 

“Aww, thanks. So did you get us a reservation?” She asked. 

“Yes I did. Let’s go.” He offered as he gently ushered them through the crowd to where the hostess was telling others who were coming in, what kind of wait there was for the pub tonight, with wait times now almost being an hour long. 

“Hi, I have a reservation for two under Harrison?” He offered. 

“And I’m a friend of Angel’s.” Phoenix offered as she and the hostess exchanged a meaningful look and a nod. 

“Oh awesome. Angel’s a great friend to have isn’t she? I have your down, it’s still gonna be another 15 to 20 minutes for your table to be ready.” The hostess offered as she put a symbol next to the reservation. 

“We can wait by the bar right?” Phoenix asked. 

“Yes, absolutely, here’s your buzzer, just come back when it goes off.” She offered as she offered them the buzzer before Phoenix grabbed it with her free hand and then went back to the bar to snag two open seats next to each other.

“So what can I get you?” Andy asked as he came over to Draven. 

“What do you have on tap? Besides what's on beerfest?” Draven asked before Phoenix slid the beer menu over to him once he gave the flyer a dismissive glance. Granted, it was for sour beers, which she didn’t care for either. 

“I’ll take a pint of….ooh, a toasted macadamia nut stout.” Draven offered before Andy nodded and poured the beer for him. 

“So why did you want to meet me tonight? And not tomorrow?” Phoenix asked. 

“Because I had plans for my other nights and this was the only one that opened up at the last minute.” Draven answered. 

“I see.” Phoenix nodded as she sipped her drink. 

“That busy for you too huh?” She offered. 

“Yes! It’s been crazy busy, but my friend is wanting to do a group date thing tomorrow night actually, and I don’t have anyone and I really don’t want to ask any of the girls in the office because office romances rarely ever work out. Like I know with shows like The Office and Parks and Rec and pffbbbshh, just about every other cast show, that’s like a big deal but in real life? It tends to be on par with nuclear disasters, at least in my experience. So, yeah, I really just didn’t want to go and risk being set up with anyone’s girlfriend’s friend? Because then it’s just really awkward for everyone too because especially if there’s nothing there between you, you’re both there because you’re friends with the involved party and you’re just counting down the minutes until it’s over and I’ve done that too many times to count now and I don’t even take my chances with that anymore. So, sorry if I came off as needy or pushy or demanding or anything, I’m just in a bind with this. But I really didn’t want to get set up on a blind pity date again.” He confessed. 

“Right, so when your evening opened up, you took your chances with OkCryptid instead?” She concluded as she nodded in understanding. Ok that made sense as her inner alarm started to ease just a tad. 

“Yup. I’ll trust an algorithm over sheer, blind luck any day. And with you just putting your profile up on OkCryptid and with you working at The Velvet Spa, I knew I needed to take my chances and shoot my shot sooner than later before you get snatched off the market because single girls in there, don’t stay single for long, like barely a day, a week at the absolute most.” Draven reasoned. 

“I guess that makes sense.” Phoenix nodded slowly again. 

“So, are you just looking to date a Velvet Spa girl period or…?” Phoenix asked suspiciously. 

“Sorry, that came off really wrong. It’s not a fetish, I swear, I was just happy we matched, you- doing the work you do is just a huge bonus because you’re used to working with clients who are anything other than human most of the time. And with OkCryptid, it’s more for “other” kinds of people, but obviously, a lot of humans will use it as something of a fetish too.” He clarified. 

“Yeah, I guess that makes sense. So, are you a client there?” She asked. 

“Oh of course.” He confirmed as she lowkey put his name into the system to hopefully bring up his client file so she would know more than just what his own profile stated. But his client profile didn’t really offer much more either, just his service history. 

“So, is your friend dating someone at The Velvet Spa too?” Phoenix asked thoughtfully. 

“Yes, River.” He confirmed. 

“Oh! So you’re a friend of Rane’s.” She realized. 

“Oh, are you a friend of hers?” Draven asked hopefully. 

“Uh, no. I don’t know her that well because I only know her at work, we don’t really hang out much outside of work. I’m new and still learning everyone. I only overheard her say Rane’s name in the breakroom, but I was just in there getting more supplies when I heard it. She wasn’t even talking to me. That’s about it. It’s the busy season, we’re in the trenches and practically still in the weeds. And will be for at least the next week or two then things will start to calm down.” Phoenix admitted. 

“Ah shucks, I was hoping you knew her so you could tell me if Rane got a good one or not. He’s one of my oldest friends and I’ve seen him go through the ringer a few times. And I was just hoping River would be the settling down type.” He snapped his fingers. 

“Sorry, I don’t really know River, so I can’t really say one way or another. I mean I always wish for the best and for things to work out for others in general.” She offered a small shrug. 

“Oh of course.” He nodded in agreement. 

“So, are you new to the area too?” He asked. 

“Yup. I got headhunted straight out of school by Maddison and the others on maternity leave because the girls on maternity leave, still need work done themselves and Bianca not only reimburses it, but it’s a way for them to- keep working I guess, even while on leave. Which is why I think half the staff always seems to be on maternity leave. Bianca even has a wing, especially dedicated to those who are on and off maternity leave. Which is really nice.” She noted. 

“But you must be really good to be headhunted like that.” He ventured. 

“Well, I would say I’m average for a newbie.” She chuckled a bit. 

“My class just graduated only two weeks ago. I started training even before I fully graduated because the way they teach us things in school and the way Bianca does things is slightly different. Actually Bianca does things better and to a standard that’s well above any and every State and Federal Medical Board and she runs that Spa as if every client is an inspector and keeps us practically in a constant state of readiness. And she makes sure all of us are ready for when and if the board does a surprise inspection. And I was lucky that my clients followed me from the school’s clinic to The Velvet Spa, even though, most go to the school clinic because it’s much cheaper and easier to get in there than it is to the spa. But, with the school clinic, it’s still a blind grab bag because you could get a first, second or third semester student. But I live like, an hour away, just outside the city. So it’s a long drive, but so far, it’s been well worth it. There’s little towns with little beauty salons that others go to. But the client density is way smaller out there and barely enough to fill a part timer’s hours. But with Bianca not only offering full time hours with full time pay, but with benefits to boot which in this industry- is a rarity.” She offered. 

“Oh, so do you know Dove?” He asked hopefully. 

“Yes! Dove I know. She was in the class ahead of me. And she even vouched for me to get the position in the first place.” Phoenix nodded. 

“Well, she is supposed coming too with my friend Finley, so at least you’d know someone if you went with me to the thing tomorrow.” He supplied. 

“Yeah I would. So you work with Finley and Rane? Because I know they are working on a project together but from two separate companies.” Phoenix recalled. 

“In a way, yeah, I work in financing and I’ve helped with the financing on their various projects.” He offered. 

“Oh, that’s nice.” Phoenix nodded. 

“So what’s this thing tomorrow?” Phoenix asked. 

“Oh Rane wanted a group dating- thing at this really nice teppanyaki restaurant, it’s called Sakura Fuji. And they invited me and others that are in on the project and some of them are married and others already have girlfriends or whatever but I was the only one without a partner. And I didn’t want to chance any of them- putting stress on their new relationships- trying to ask their girlfriends to get a friend of theirs to come be my date for it, because again, bad experiences with that in the past. And this time, I just kind of went out on a limb and you’re practically my hail miracle.” He offered. 

“And what time would it be at?” Phoenix asked. 

“Oh I think it’s at 6. Six or seven.” He answered. 

“Ok, that sounds fun. I’ve only been to like a hibachi place before, so that’s kind of similar right?” She mused. 

“Yeah, practically the same thing, just a lot nicer with much better ingredients.” He expounded. 

“Well, in that case, I’m looking forward to it.” Phoenix grinned as she gave Andy the ‘I’m good’ grin and subtle hand motion just as the buzzer went off

[angiezidler205]

Dinner Date

Valentine's Day Rockbert Special fanfic

Rocko just got home fast and ran up the stairs to shower. Heffer just told him at work that Melba is single now and she's going to the diner alone. This is his chance to walk in unexpectedly, sit next to her, start a conversation, and ask her out!! He grew excited as he can finally be with the girl of his dreams! He finished showering and rushed to the mirror and fixed his hair. He had to look perfect! He must be perfect!! He grabbed a grocery bag and pulled out some mints and cologne. He sprayed himself everywhere and made sure nothing was left out. He shoved at least five breath mints in his mouth and felt his mouth freeze. He rushed out of the restroom and got in his room to put on a nice suit. He then rushed downstairs to feed Spunky and give him water, then left the door. He got into his car and drove off in speed, melting the ice in his mouth. 

Meanwhile a certain Beaver was at a restaurant across from the diner. Norbert was sitting in the booth for about an hour, waiting for his blind date to come by. He was wearing a nice suit with his hair combed nicely. Yet.. Waiting for an hour in the booth is driving him nuts to where he fiddled with his hair and messed it up. The embarrassment was slowly kicking in due to everyone staring at him with sympathy. The waitress soon came by, “Are you ready to order sir?”. Norbert shook his head, “Not yet. Still waiting for my date to come in. I hope nothing happened to him.”. The waitress nodded sadly and left the beaver alone. Norbert rested his face on his hand and decided to never make a dating account again. He was supposed to meet up with a tall handsome kangaroo, but he guessed that the guy had Other things to do.. 

Rocko finally made it to the diner and looked to see Melba sitting there reading the menu. He grew excited and looked around hoping to find something to give to her. He found a happy flower shop and parked at the parking lot and walked inside. He looked around and noticed the old couple looking out the window. “Uhhh excuse me? I was hoping I could buy some flowers for someone!”, Rocko politely asked. The woman looked at him and smiled, “Ohh what a handsome gentleman you are. We have all sorts of flowers here for any guy to buy for the lovely partner.”. Rocko smiled and noticed a bouquet of lavender roses. “How much for those roses?”, Rocko asked while pulling out the bouquet. The color reminds him of those amethyst eyes he had. His heart stopped at this. Melba doesn't have amethyst eyes… He then realized that he was thinking about Norbert's eyes. The lady smiled at this, “Thinking of someone dearie? My husband makes the exact expression when he thinks of me. Or his favorite food.”. The old man chuckled, “Mostly you darling. I can't help but remember the day I laid my eyes on you.”. Rocko watched as the couple giggled at each other. 

Norbert sighed as he looked at his watch and noticed it's been over an hour since he got here. It was already getting late and the restaurant closed soon. He looked at the diner and thought about going there instead. Yet he remembered that the diner closes at the same time as the restaurant. He felt eyes on him and noticed some couples talking about that he deserves better. Of course he does!! He has to get out of his comfort zone and try to move on. Try to find a different partner to be with. Someone kind, loving, understanding, sweet, shy, chubby, and with sapphire eyes. Just like Rocko.. His eyes widened and face grew red as he thought about his best friend. Well… More of a crush. He's been falling for him almost every time Rocko does something silly or super sweet.

He'd honestly wanted to ask him out before, but was afraid that he wasn't interested. He always talked about Melba and just yesterday he was talking about how Melba came back to town to visit her family. He sounded in love and kept complimenting her. His heart shattered at this and knew that he'd never be like her. Normally he'd fight but he didn't want to go through the same tango again with TreeFlower… That always ended with his heart breaking bit by bit. So it's useless to fight for the Wallaby.. He needs to find another Wallaby. I mean. Another partner!!! 

Rocko left the shop holding a bouquet of roses and walked towards his car. He got inside and began to drive towards the diner. All of a sudden something catches his eye. A familiar blonde hair in a booth at the fancy restaurant. He parked his car in a large parking lot that can be used for Both the diner and restaurant. He rushed towards the window and saw Norbert there looking so.. Sad.. Why is he sitting at a restaurant alone and dressed up? He then looked at the candle and noticed how it was already burnt out at the bottom. He's been in there for too long… Was he supposed to meet someone?! Why is he finding a new date? Is he tired of hanging out with him?? He had the sudden urge to go in there and pretend to be his date yet he looked behind him to see Melba already eating. His heart clenched and his mind raced. Why is this so hard?! Norbert is already going on a date! But he's been stood up! Melba is single now! But she doesn't love him! 

Rocko's eyes widened at this. Melba doesn't even love him at all. She only saw him as a friend and nothing more. Last time Melba saw his confession, she ran off… Norbert though… He loved talking to him, laughing at his jokes, making silly nicknames for him, and how he was himself. Rocko felt his heart flutter at Norbert's smile everytime he talks about a funny memory. He rushed inside his car and drove back to the flower shop and ran inside. He placed the bouquet down on the counter, “I need a bouquet that compliments amethysts please.”. 

Norbert grew tired of waiting and checked the time. Two hours before closing… He's been here for two hours already and if he keeps waiting it'll be four hours instead. He was just about to get up until the door slammed open and he turned around to see a bouquet of beautiful flowers in front of him. “I'm so sorry for being late!! My boss had me stay for another two hours and my phone was shut off! I hope these flowers can make up for the time you've waited here!”, Rocko panted while looking down. Norbert's eyes widened and his face flushed red, “R-Rocko?? What are you doing here??”. Rocko leaned close and whispered gently, “Just go with it. I'll explain later on.”. Norbert nodded and took the bouquet, “It's ok Rocko. I had a feeling that your boss was behind this scenario.”. Rocko smiled and sat in front of him, “I uhhh. T-Those flowers.. I-I got the ones that compliment your beautiful eyes. I mean! Your amethyst eyes!”. 

Norbert stifled a laugh and heard a few couples awe at this. The waitress finally came back and smiled wide, “Are you two ready to order?”. Norbert nodded, “The special please with red wine.”. The waitress nodded and rushed to the kitchen. Rocko then looked at him and tilted his head in concern, “How long were you here?”. Norbert shrugged, “About two hours. My date was supposed to be here but I guess he bailed on me.. It's fine tho… Gives me a good reason to not use a dating site.”. Rocko felt anger take over but calmed himself, “Well he is not a gentleman at all. He should be ashamed of himself for treating a beautiful beaver like yourself. You honestly deserve better Norbert. Not that hunk of garbage! Oh my! S-Sorry I don't know what got over me.”. Rocko looked down embarrassed and ashamed for saying these things. Norbert on the other hand was blushing up a storm. He felt his heart race at how Rocko called him beautiful. He shook the thought out of his head. He's just doing this out of pity, or to probably get free food.. No! Rocko wouldn't use him for that!

“Appreciate the awful defini-shion of Roderick, but you didn't have to replace him. I was going to leave myself and go home.”, Norbert calmly said. Rocko shook his head, “I wanted to Norb.”. Norbert chuckled and looked out the window, “Listen Rocky Road. You didn't need to do this. By the look of your outfit, you were about to do something before me being stood up changed your mind. Why not just go do what you were going to do and I'll take the food to go.”. Rocko felt a bit hurt by this but he had a feeling Norb would act that way. He was stood up, of course he'd be depressed about it. He sighed and slid to the side to get up. Norbert felt his heart slowly begin to break but he felt him sit next to him and pull him into a hug. 

“To be honest, I was going to go to the diner to meet Melba and try to win her heart. I thought that I'll have a chance to be with her and maybe just be her new partner. Yet.. I realized now that I was. I wasn't in love with her anymore.”, Rocko said softly as he felt his heart race. Norbert stiffed at this a bit and his heart raced. Rocko continued, “It was a lost cause because she'll never love me as I did for her a long time ago. So I went to you instead because I realized something..”. Rocko felt his heart racing and his palms grew sweaty. Ok here goes. He's going to confess then try to ask him out! Norbert felt his heart racing even faster and he turned around looking at the Wallaby full of hope. 

“Here's your meals and red wine! Oh! Sorry, are we interrupting??”, The waitress said, a bit embarrassed. Rocko immediately shook his head, “N-No no it's ok! Uhhh N-Norbert are you ready to eat?”. Norbert was a bit frustrated that they were interrupted but he was starving. He nodded as he got ready to eat and noticed the large spaghetti, with garlic rolls on the side, and red wine poured into their glasses. Norbert saw the candle getting replaced and lit up. As the waiters left them alone, Rocko held up a glass in front of Norbert. Norbert smiled and grabbed his glass and lifted it up. “I.. I wanted to thank you for accepting me for who I am. When I'm with you Norb. I don't feel so alone or walking on eggshells. I can be myself and talk about my modern life with you without any judgment. I feel more myself when I'm with you and I.. Wanted to thank you for that.”, Rocko said while smiling softly at him. Norbert felt his heart melt and looked into his eyes, “I wanted to thank you too, Rocko. You are the most caring, sweetest, gentle Wallaby I ever met since the bar. To be honest.. After the break-up with TreeFlower I was lost. I couldn't find a way out of the dark room until. You came into my life and opened the door to freedom. I never felt so happy before and I can finally let go of that past and focus on myself for once. And it's all thanks to you.”. 

Rocko felt his face flush a bit and smiled warmly, “Well. To us then. For helping each other with difficult situations.”. Norbert chuckled and tapped his glass against his, “To us. For understanding and making each other laugh like there's no tomorrow.”. They both drank the wine and began to eat the large plate of spaghetti. They both had a blast at the restaurant. Rocko tried to feed Norbert the meatball, but immediately Norbert said something about “You would give me your balls”. Immediately Rocko ate it and looked away red, while Norbert laughed while trying to take it back. Norbert tried to make a sandwich out of the rolls but it failed miserably, earning a loud laugh from the Wallaby. Then they were eating the spaghetti and nearly met in a kiss but Rocko had to slurp up the remaining noodle, taking the one in Norbert's mouth as well. Norbert had to bring that up and laughed how Rocko grew more red at that. 

“Hey it's not that bad! I can give you a real quick kiss if you want Rock-a-Noodle!”, Norbert laughed and made kissing noises to him. Rocko pushed him away softly and laughed, “Not in here Norbert!”. They both froze at this and Norbert felt his face flush. Did he just say that he'll give him a real kiss?! Rocko felt his face flush more red. Did he just say not in here?! They looked at each other and then looked away embarrassed. Rocko slowly looked at Norbert and noticed the way the candle light made his hair glow brighter than before. He wanted to kiss him yet they weren't even dating yet! He wanted to ask him out, but he didn't want to be pushy! Norbert felt his heart skip a few beats and his face burning. He wanted to just grab him by the shirt and kiss him already! Yet he didn't want to be demanding or pushy about it. But it wouldn't hurt to ask him out right? Norbert took a deep breath and turned to face him.

Rocko's heart stuttered as the light made his eyes shine a bit brighter and the flowers behind him made them look more beautiful. He felt himself get closer to him. Norbert stared into those lovely sapphire eyes to where he hadn't even noticed the Wallaby getting closer to him. Rocko felt his eyes grow lower as he was about to pucker his lips but. Their noses bonked each other a bit and their faces grew more red at this. Rocko backed away quickly and covered his nose, “S-Sorry!”. Norbert was surprised at this and rubbed his nose softly. Was Rocko about to? Rocko looked away embarrassed, “I apologize for uhh b-bonking our noses together! Uhhh I was. I mean. I was trying to. Not to be demanding or pushy I just!”.

The waitress came back and smiled, “Here's your bill! And the restaurant will be closing in about five minutes. Would you like for me to give you a box to go?”. Norbert nodded, “Maybe a red wine to go as well please?”. He was about to give the waitress the cash but Rocko gave her his card. The waitress smiled and left with his card and Norbert looked at him shocked, “I was going to get that Rocko!”. Rocko looked at him, “I uhh. A-As your date I insist t-that I pay for our meals.”. Norbert felt his heart flutter at his silly shenanigans and smiled, “You are such a gentleman. But I'm placing the tip down. I owe that waitress a lot after everything.”. Rocko nodded and looked down. He nearly kissed his lips. He was about to kiss his lips!! That was too forward! The waitress and back with his card, boxes, and a new wine bottle. Norbert gave her twenty for being very patient and as the waitress left happy they got ready to leave. 

Norbert smiled as they exited, “Thank you for a wonderful time Rocko. I hope you make it home safe.”. Rocko tilted his head, “You're leaving already?”. Norbert looked at him confused, “You had more plans?”. Rocko felt his face flush and looked down, “I-I was wondering if you.. Wanted to come over to my house and uhh. S-Share some wine together!”. Norbert was even more confused and thought about it. His eyes then widened and his face flushed more red. He smiled a bit and walked up to him, “I'd like that.”. He kissed Rocko's cheek, the same spot he kissed when they first met, and walked towards the parking lot. Rocko felt his cheek and smiled. He then followed him, not noticing the two old couples stared at them smiling. “What a lovely couple. I told you that he loved that beaver.”, The wife said as she kissed her husband's head. Her husband chuckled, “You really are a love match professional.”. 

[11lights]

August 21th, 2023

2231L

Temp 83° Kinda windy

Saddlebunch Keys, FL

Another decently late entry. Well honestly as long as I get some words down that's sufficient for me. Let's see. Yesterday I was able to play Call of duty with Danny and I was able to explain to him the predicament and I was in pertaining to my leave. I love that dude so much, he literally was so supportive and understanding which made me feel kind of worse that I threatened our trip because of the stupid navy. It's really good to hear his voice, and just feel like a normal person again. We call it quits near midnight because I had to wake up this morning at like 6:00 in the morning to get my affairs in order. Had a flight today at 8:00 a.m. so I woke up super early pack some clothes for the gym and did a little bit of cleaning and brought out the trash because once I left my house for the day I wouldn't be coming back until now at 10:30 p.m.. I stopped at baby's coffee. Got myself a little cafe con leche, I don't care if that is considered breaking my fast because that would be literally the only thing that I've eaten all day and it's not even food. Was able to talk to my pops for a little bit on the way to the airport so that was cool. To be honest, I can't really remember if there was anything of significance in that conversation besides for me retelling the story of why my leave had to be canceled so I can train. Flying was good. I feel like I can never complain about flying because I love it so much but my landings do suck. I got a new instructor today and she was very by the book and informative which is what I needed and why I didn't want my last instructor. She was very confidence instilling and I think I landed one and a half times by myself. I have the option to fly the Skyhawk but I really do like the Cherokees. There's something about the lobing aircraft and the design that feels good. Maybe it reminds me of some old navy trainers or something. I took a picture of the interior while I was doing my pre-flight checklist and it reminded me of the interior of a 1998 Honda Civic. So I just did my whole PreFlight with Bad Bunny playing. After flying I drove straight to the gym to meet up with my gym partner. We hit chest pretty hard. I got a serious pump and I was able to sit in the sauna for 45 minutes while fasted. That felt like a challenge on its own. Right now I'm sitting here fantasizing about Popeyes because they just opened up the restaurant down here and my buddy is sending me pictures of him buying it and getting it because he knows I'm fasting. I could really go for some good chicken or a chicken sandwich or mac and cheese, Jesus. Work was boring. I started ground, I feel like I can get it within 2 weeks but also I feel like it's a very steep uphill battle. Not to mention, I have to finish all of my coursework for these two classes by August 31st. Fun times. It's really pedal to the metal here. I have such a short period of time left to get these things done before a bunch of timelines end so it's high stress. All right. Well, the dog is waiting for me at the steps. There's really not much to talk about today, I feel like I am really close to the edge offending this fast, but I really want to last a lot longer so I'm kind of disappointed by myself for feeling this week mentally. I'm going inside. Have a good night.

[say-al0e]

How's your tooth? What were your fav. Things in Germany(beside the chocolate)? The least(beside the airport)? I need to know everything!

Doesn’t hurt so bad today! I’ve got a sinus infection and that makes my mouth hurt (no idea why, but it always does 😭) so I’m just holding on. I have to call the dentist tomorrow to see if they’re taking new patients (and if they can see me soon-ish, but maybe not until I feel better physically and can breathe out of my nose again) so wish me luck.

I’m listing all this below a read more since it got a little long 😂 I started a whole list and will post it eventually.

Favorite things:

public transportation! We don’t have that here where I live so it was super nice getting to just hop on a train and not having to drive. It was also pretty cheap and I never had any issues with it running late.

The grocery stores are so cheap. I went into one and was so shocked at how insanely cheap groceries were! I also really like the recycling system. I just recycled my bottles at my hotel but it was super cool (and even adding on the pfand, stuff was still insanely cheap).

McDonald’s curly fries. Stupid but so good.

No one really bothers you in shops? I appreciate help when I need it but there was no one constantly being like ‘are you okay? Do you need help?’ It was nice to be left alone.

Public bathroom stall doors. The ones here are insanely creepy, i now realize. Do not like the space. Love the full coverage doors in Europe.

Black currant. It’s not a flavor here but it should be. 11/10 love

The duvet situation. Having like no top sheet and just a duvet felt weird but I grew to love it.

Capri Sun with bubbles.

Chocolate.

All the museums!

Soccer (football) culture. Coolest experience ever was seeing a game, riding the train with fans, and just being there for it all.

Least favorite: (keep in mind a lot of this is because I grew up in a small southern town and have those ‘southern manners’ instilled in everything I do. A lot of these are probably normal in parts of the US and might just be a city thing. Not judging, just a little surprised and kinda thrown off.)

People blow their noses ridiculously loud in public. I get it, it’s normal there. Still. A massive culture shock to me. Not judging, just not a fan.

Dog culture. So many of them were off leash and I have no fear of dogs but a random dog, off leash, on a busy street? Freaked me out. Did not like. Also off leash on the train and that too freaked me out. (Almost all of them were well behaved but it only takes one wrong move for something to happen. I guess I’m just paranoid.)

Self checkout at grocery stores. We bag as we go along. I got yelled at in German for not knowing that you ring it up and then bag when you’re done, even though the instructions in English clearly did not specify that. Totally my fault, but still embarrassing. Should’ve just gone to a regular cashier.

Smoking. Everyone was smoking everywhere. At the entrance of buildings, right by the train, outside restaurants; everyone had a cigarette in hand. Smoking is so rare in public (at least where I live) that it blew my mind. And it smells so bad. Least favorite thing by a mile.

No one says excuse me. If they need to brush by you, they’ll just nudge you out of the way. I thought it was just a one off but it happened so many times. They didn’t speak at all, it wasn’t just me not understanding them saying excuse me, promise. I get manners are different but that threw me off. Wasn’t expecting it but I’ll know for next time.

Every chip is paprika flavored. It’s fine but it’s kinda bland? Maybe I just didn’t get the right brand but it was just meh. Lays was the only brand with any other flavor I saw.

Everything is closed on Sunday’s. (I’m from the middle of nowhere. Grew up in a town where that’s the norm. But Berlin is a massive city so it’s just odd to me that everything is closed. Maybe for work/life balance? I dunno. Im sure there’s a reason. Just not fun when you’re a tourist and still need food on a day everything is closed.)

Overall, everything was great. A lot of my ‘complaints’ are just culture shock things that I didn’t think to expect would be different. And, again, they’re not bad. Likely just ‘big city’ things I would experience in a large city here. Just a few small surprises as an American on her first trip to Germany.

[strawberyblogs]

Stray Kids - Dating Lee Felix - Fluff Headcanons 🥭

Love language: TOUCH ALL THE WAY!!! He would love to scare you by a from behind bear hug out of nowhere. He'd like to be making as much physical contact with you as possible, like holding your hand in a line, wrapping his arm around you, or even just a good ol' fashioned cuddle sesh.

He'd 100% write songs for you and about you. He'd be a little bit shy when showing you because the songs would be very vulnerable, but just show him support and he'll open up more about those sweet romantic things.

DANCING!!!! Felix would be the type to try to embarrass you by dancing in public to whatever music the mall is playing, but you'll find it so adorable that you couldn't even be mad at him.

Follow up to the previous one, on a very romantic date, he would like to do some formal ballroom style dancing with you. If you were a little bit nervous at first- because come on. He's so hot and right there in front of you, so close. He would guide you until you got more comfortable.

Gift wise, he would appreciate and like to give you more sentimental things than expensive things, which is great because I doubt any of you guys' reading are millionaires. He'd like to make you gifts instead of buying them, because you can't put a price on love. (Corny I know I know)

He'd be pretty quick to introduce you to the group, but very hesitant to introduce you to the public. He probably wouldn't at all for your own safety, because we all know how toxic some fans can be about idols dating. He really cares about you and doesn't want anything bad to happen to you, so he'd be really good about protecting your privacy.

After a fight, he would at first avoid the topic in case you were mad because he would be worried that you'd leave him. However, after some time he'd approach you and apologize, and would treat you to something afterwards so you would know that he cares and that he wants to give you the time of day.

You guys would have to move around a lot for tours and offers. He would have a lot of fun treating you to exotic restaurants and finding underground tourist attractions. If you're the type who doesn't like to travel, he'd make sure to check in on you often, despite his busy schedule so that you wouldn't feel neglected or get lonely.

Jealousy isn't really a problem for Felix. He sometimes will get jealous if you're giving a lot of attention to another guy, but he trusts that you'll be loyal to him, so he normally will just laugh it off. Under worst circumstances, he would probably wrap his arm around you, as to "claim what's his".

For dates, they would be SO chaotic. Like trespassing on a random playground and just running around like idiots or going on a snack raid to target super late at night. There would be maybe one or two moments of calm, but calm is boring, and Felix is fun!

That pretty much concludes the headcanons for Felix. This is my first time writing for real people, so let me know if you guys (my single viewer o.O) would like to see more of this! I loved writing this, and my commissions are (almost) always open, so don't be afraid to send any requests!

~ 🍓

[swirlngthghts]

Sep 2

Brain Spill:

Reflecting my relationship, and how to make ours better.

We had a huge fight on Friday, during dinner I didn’t want to talk about it. I focused on my food, and my bgm to him talking was him nagging and telling me off about how everytime we fight he feels like I am very hostile towards him everytime we fought. I didnt understand why he had to act that way because the restaurant was closing at 9pm and by the time we got our food there was only 30 mins left and all I wanted to do was finish my food before the restaurant closes. We had a long walk towards Da’an forest park and had a very long talk about everything. I felt super overwhelmed and I didn’t really understand what he is saying towards the end. There were two points I remember from the convo;

1. He doesn’t compare me to anyone, as for me I have people I compare him to, either it’s people from my past relationships, or my girl friends boyfriends, etc. So this is unfair to him.

Tbh, I know I do it, and I try not to compare, but it’s hard not to. Like my coworker said, it’s like eating nice sushi, and not being able to go back to regular sushi. I mean, this is over-simplifying it A LOT, but it makes so much sense, I am trying to see past it, and I definitely need more time to figure out how to cope with it or see past the first stage.

2. He mentioned when I talk to him, I am very discouraging and very hostile towards him. This is a first. He wants me to encourage him more, and its hard for me to do so.

I told him what I’ve been feeling satisfied about, and I wanted to write down why I am not feeling taken care of and really think about the reasons behind it.

1. Sending me home: We’ve been dating for four months, and he’s never offered to take me home, or escort me home. So he doesn’t know where I live. He doesn’t even know where my home is. I live like 15 mins away from taipei city hall by bus. And sometimes on metros, I ask him to stay with me on the metro till my stop. It is probably 10-15 mins further than his stop. I had asked him several times, almost every time we take the metro, but never once did he do it. Sometimes it’s late, sometimes I am super tired and sleepy. Sometimes I just wish he could spend more time with me since my commutes are always longer than his from where we hang out and most of the times I get home later than he does. Like he literally has the time to shower and lay in bed by the time I arrive home, so I never understood why cant’ he spend an extra few minutes with me. He mentioned before he couldn’t come upstairs so why would he take me home. Sometimes its just about the thought behind it. Like, I’m not asking you to do it everyday, I ask every time now because it never happened and I want to see if he will be willing to. And… do you expect to enter a girls house everytime you send her home…? umm… isn’t it very normal for the guy to take the girl home safely after a date. I know he doesn’t have a car, so maybe even riding a few metro rides with me would be nice, but yea, he is just not willing to.

2. Not appreciating my efforts and my ideas. I gave him an example of when the time I realized the importance of it and the feeling it gave the other person and how appreciated it made me feel. I told him about this one time in university when Bernard played this song and I was like omg I love this song and he said: “Yea you showed it to me.” And I said omg you remember and he said “I remember, I remember everything someone else recommended or showed me”. So that stuck with me till today and after that day I tried to remember what other people has showed me or introduced to me so I don’t take it for granted. I noticed he often thinks a lot of them are his ideas, or he just doesn’t recognize the efforts that go behind it. You may say I’m petty and I am.

I have been reflecting what he said and I think omg maybe I am toxic asf. Like this isn’t the first time I’ve had this feedback, but i think I am already very very understanding to him, he also gives me a lot of comfort and makes me feel secure in the relationship, but idk, I want kids in latest two to three years so I need someone that can show me he is ready and can protect me NOW!!!!

Anyways, I am just did an AMH test and I hope my ovaries are healthy and everything is.

[eienoah]

May 27 - Arashiyama bamboo park

Today marked our trip to Arashiyama bamboo park and monkey park. I woke up kind of late today but still managed to buy some good breakfast last night so I wasn’t that hungry in the morning when we would have normally broken for lunch. We took a couple of quick train rides over to Arashiyama which looked pretty much just like a normal residential area at first. As we continued walking, the residential area started to break up into a forest-like area, which slowly became more and more bamboo. It kind of felt like just a regular kind of nature path that you would walk on in Florida, but the Japan version I guess. We walked for I want to say around 30 minutes or so through mostly bamboo forest and when we had finished there were a bunch of converging paths which we didn’t get to explore but I wish I could have later on after the excursion. Anyways, from the bamboo forest, we had to walk next to a giant river and across some bridge, which made for some awesome photo ops. After the bridge, we started our hike up the mountain to go see the monkeys. I was a little concerned that I was going to slip or someone around me was going to, but thankfully the mountain wasn’t really that wet so I stayed upright the whole way. Once we reached the summit, I kind of started looking around and couldn’t find any monkeys until I looked on the roof of the main building that was there. As I slowly started to look around the area, I just kept seeing more and more. There was also the giant banana which me and Zach took a picture with which I thought was really funny. I really thought the monkeys were gonna be a little bit bigger. I mean like they were big but not that big. They were constantly fighting which was pretty funny to watch because they would hit each other a couple times and then go running down the mountain. After that, I asked the workers at the top of the mountain for a Restaurant recommendation and they sent me to a croquet place towards the center of the city. It looked closed, but they actually were running a shop like 50 meters away and I got a bunch of croquettes for super cheap but no one else really wanted them so I just took them on the go. After that we took a really long bus ride where Zach was asleep for what I wanna say was about 40 minutes. Just like neck fully touching chest which was hilarious. We then went to round one and I kind of sat around while other people were playing arcade games but next to the round one was the dollar store which I was really looking forward to because I need to buy some secret things for an event coming up. After that was just a couple trips to some stores around the area that were pretty much pointless because everything was too expensive but that was pretty much my day.

Academic reflection

Given that Arashiyama has had its land protected for centuries starting from the Heian period, I feel as if I could kind of get a better glimpse into just how well it truly was today. Especially from the summit of the monkey park. Once you reach the summit you take a good look around and it’s just forest and streams in what appears to be a bordered area. You can see where it ends but up until that point nature is truly thriving. I will say Japan kind of has this thing for making sure that even next to large towns or cities there is adequate amounts of nature to balance it out. In addition, we got to see Nonomiya which helped shape up the story told in the readings a bit better. I did get to see one of the charms in the theme of The Shrine in the Fields characters but I refrained from buying it and humbly passed on. It was funny to find a shrine that is kind of dedicated to love. It makes me want to search out other specific themed shrines.

[dorefasolsido]

16.

1 - Are you interested in any reality TV shows?

No, but I like to watch videos movie commentary channels make on them.

2 - When was the last time you made plans with someone? What are you going to do with that person?

I made plans with two (potentially three?) friends to meet for the weekend. I guess we'll just have a coffee and chill, nothing that crazy.

3 - How often (if ever) do you use moisturizer?

Once in a while. I used to be more regular, but now I use SPF more often.

4 - Name five things you can touch from where you’re sitting right now:

Laptop, balcony fence, bug screen, table, chair

5 - Have you had any of your wisdom teeth removed? What was the reason? (eg. infection, impaction, lack of space).

Yup, the only wisdom tooth I actually had. It was either impaction or lack of space, can't remember exactly.

6 - What was the reason for your last hospital visit?

That was so long ago that I can't remember. Maybe some check up?

7 - Where was the last place you had an itch?

My nose just as I read this question lol. And now I'm getting itchy all over gaaah

8 - If you’re on a long car journey, would you rather drive or be the passenger?

Drive, I think.

9 - What’s the earliest time you’ve had to wake up for work? What about the latest time you’ve clocked off for the day?

I never had to wake up super early for work, but when I was just starting, I'd get up at around 9 AM. However, since I usually work at night, I sometimes clock off super late. A few times when I had deadlines close by, I worked pretty much until 7 AM.

10 - Do you use a laptop, desktop, tablet or phone to take your surveys?

Laptop, it's annoying on the phone.

11 - Are you fussy when it comes to how your surveys are formatted on your blog?

A little bit.

12 - How old were you when you first got internet access at home? Was it broadband or did you have dial-up first?

We had dial-up first, but I'm not sure how old I was. Maybe 5-6?

13 - When was the last time you painted your nails?

I think the beginning of the year. I don't bother normally, but sometimes I'll let my sister do it if she's in the mood and I'm in the mood for something different.

14 - What’s your typical order when you go to Starbucks (or wherever your favourite coffee shop is)?

I usually get hot chocolate.

15 - What’s your favourite thing to have on toast?

I don't really eat toast that way.

16 - Do you have any debt? If so, are you on top of paying it all back?

Hmm, not really.

17 - What was the last thing you purchased with a credit card?

I don't have a credit card.

18 - Have you been to college/university? If so, has your degree been useful to you or was it a bit of a waste of money?

Yup, and yes. I mean, I likely could've gotten this job without my English degree too, but I really think it's a bit of a boost. Plus, my university was free and I loved every second of it, so it definitely wasn't a waste either way.

19 - How often do you travel by public transport?

Whenever I have to go anywhere. So not every day, but a few times a a week for sure.

20 - Do you have an instagram account? If so, how often do you post on there and what kind of things do you post?

I have two, actually. One is like a fan account (though I only follow stuff there, I don't post), and the other is my personal account. On that second one I post from my trips sometimes, but I'm not very consistent at all.

21 - Are you close to your extended family? Do you wish you were closer?

With some of it, not all. I don't really wish we were closer, though. I'm close to those I want to be close with.

22 - Do you prefer to give your pets human names or not?

Hmmm, not quite, but then again, Lucifer is technically a human name?

23 - Do you like having ice in your drinks?

Sure, when it's hot.

24 - When was the last time you went to a BBQ restaurant?

I don't go to those, it works a little different here.

25 - When was the last time you re-arranged the furniture? Is this something you like to do often?

I don't remember, it's not something I normally do.

26 - Have you ever used a fire extinguisher? Would you know how to use one without reading the instructions?

I haven't, but I mean, it can't be that complicated since people are meant to use it on the spot.

27 - What’s the worst thing you’ve ever had to deal with at your job?

Lol casual calls. I'm super awkward with new people, so like, when we talk about professional stuff, no problem, but when you're supposed to be chill and funny, it's my worst nightmare. Takes me a bit to get there.

28 - What was the last thing you used your mobile phone for?

Just checking notifications. There are always SO many, I'm sick of it.

29 - Did you used to play The Sims? What version or expansion pack was your favourite one to play?

Yeees, I played all of the Simses. Sims 3 was (and still is) my shit, I'd get Generations, Seasons, Adventures, University Life and Nightlife and then fuck around for literal days.

30 - What was the last thing you used a lighter for?

I have no idea, it's been so long since I used one.

[taleofteal]

Prompt 03 — July Entry

"I like you. Like a lot."

—

— In Paris

The plane had landed, yet the words still hadn't come out. Nor the eyes that usually looked at him with adoration. Nothing was found. Nothing was on him.

Everything looks normal on the surface as both of them rarely talk in public. So nothing seems changed, but only they, or maybe, only he knew that everything had changed.

"New-ssi! We've arrived in the city you love. What's with the pouting!"

A voice came closer to him, followed by an arm hooked perfectly around his neck. He knew who it was just by the voice only.

Ji Changmin.

"Nothing. I'm just a little bit tired from our last schedule. Let's go."

All the eleven men got off the plane together and hurriedly ushered to the car before they drove to the hotel they would be staying in. Everyone seemed exhausted inside the car that either they were sleeping or they were sleeping— he chuckled, looking at these brothers of him before falling into a daze.

Brothers.

Yes. They are all brothers.

He recovered from his short daze and decided to lean back on his seat, closing his eyes, and tried to catch some rest again.

Trying to not think about it too much.

———

After arriving at the hotel, putting down their luggage, and eating some food to patch their stomachs, everyone gathered in the lobby. They had decided to explore the city once they arrived as their schedule would be the day after today. As long as everyone was back at the designated time for rehearsal.

"I will stay in the hotel. You who wants to go, go. If you want to catch up some sleep, then sleep. Just make sure to be careful for those who are gonna go outside."

Everyone nodded as the leader decreed so.

After some reminders, each group went to their own path.

He saw him from the corner of his eyes, leaving with some brothers, still in that outfit of him that he chose way back before the departure. He couldn't help but lift up his lips a little bit into an invisible smile.

"The makne lines are going with Hyunjae hyung?" asked Lee Juyeon.

"Yes. Erigi has not been here last time, right? So they're going together. "

"Ah- that's right! I see, I see..". He nodded at what Changmin said.

"Then me and Kyu will go together as well." He continued.

Then, just like the other small groups, his two-person-group also decided to walk around the city of love together. Although the name is the city of love, being accompanied by his best friends for 75 years was enough.

Yes.

It was enough.

Although it was different than the last time they came here. This was enough.

And just like that, he strolled around the city of love with his bestest friend. Luckily, they arrived during the day so they could go around the city right away. Ignoring the jetlag they felt.

He visited some clothing store, coffee shop— this one is a must go to for him—, some cafés, and stopped by to eat their meal in a restaurant together.

"So, what happened between you and him?"

The question he had been avoiding so much finally reached him from his best friend's lips. It took him a few seconds to react to that question. But then, he didn't even know how to answer nor how he really had to react.

"Is it really obvious?," he asked.

"Do you really think you can hide it away from me? From 'us'?!"

He looked at Ji Changmin abruptly as he heard what Changmin said to him.

"Us? Who 'us'?"

"Who else? Sangyeon hyung, Younghoon hyung, Jacob hyung, Juyeon, and obviously me. " Changmin shrugged.

"We realized you have been— becoming really strange lately. You are quiet usually, but now you are either 'super' quiet, or you become talkative when usually you don't— as if you're trying to run away from something, " continued the man who was sitting in front of him.

He was silent for a while as he looked at Ji Changmin. He thought maybe it's time for him to stop to bear this burden alone in his heart. He, then, decided to order some menu as the stomach came first, and they could wait for the food while trying to talk together about his issue.

After everything was settled, he took a deep breath as he was ready to face it.

"I don't know where should I start...."

"....but at some point, everything just ended, and over, just like that. It went by so fast. Then suddenly the days changed, but I felt like I'm stuck somewhere, while the other seemed like he is able to move on and very fast at that."

Without him realizing it, his fingers curled and clenched into a fist, trying to suppress that weird feeling around his hands every time some angst was about to happen to him.

"Maybe it was a fear of being left behind... alone," he continued as he lowered his head, looking at the black coffee on the tea cup in front of him.

Yes. He is scared being left behind.

Isn't that such a scary thing to happen to you?

Or.

Maybe he is just too weak.

...

"New-ya, you are not weak."

The clear and firm voice woke him up from his mind.

"You are not alone as well. He is not the only one. Everything is not about him."

"And you are very precious. You are very worthy. And very important for us."

Ji Changmin firmly looked at his best friend's eyes, as if he was trying to reach out his hand to grab his best friend's soul out from the abyss.

He was startled at the words said by the man in front of him. The very man who usually acts very silly around him now holding onto his fist very tightly. As if to express...

'I am here with you, too'

Those firm eyes looking at him, making him choked up from suppressing his feeling to burst out from deep down in him that it made his skin flushed in red from his colar up to his neck, even his nose.

"Hey— I know you are touched and want to cry, but please mind our public image, alright? Not to mention, I am hungry as well," said Ji Changmin.

"Shut up! Whose fault do you think it is?!" He complained.

"Obviously not me. Probably that other guy somewhere, anyway, what do I care whose fault is it?" said Ji Changmin again, which resulted in him getting nuts thrown at him, followed with the waiter putting down their food and ended with both of them laughing and giggling foolishly with reasons only they knew about.

—

Later that night, it was Kim Younghoon and Lee Juyeon's turn to ask him out for a 'triple date,' they said, which actually only a night strolling together and taking a bunch of blurred pictures of each other, doing some silly stuff in the middle of the street without caring of people looking.

But, thanks to that, he was able to forget about the heavy feeling in his heart. As if he was freed from the dark clouds inside, which was swept by the night wind and the beauty of the night city view.

"Nu-ya, do you want to go for the second round? But, it's just the two of us"

They were at the hotel corridor after sending Kim Younghoon back to his room because he's gonna sleep early.

He looked at Lee Juyeon with eyes saying 'what possessed you?'

"I bought a wine— you have been enjoying it now, right? Let's drink it on the bench outside just near the river," continued Lee Juyeon as he was trying to persuade Choi Chanhee.

He was about to decline, but the mention of wine sold him right away at the invitation. So they walked on tiptoe along the corridor— even if no one would know—, and went outside with a bag of nutella biscuits and a bottle of wine that Lee Juyeon kept inside his bag this whole time. Lucky it didn't break while they were playing around earlier.

"I can't believe you have been bringing this whole bottle of wine with you all along inside your backpack," he was really astonished, looking at Lee Juyeon bringing out all those things from inside his backpack.

'Is that backpack some kind of Doraemon's pocket or something?'

"I protected it don't worry, it's safe with me!," Lee Juyeon said that with so much confidence while trying to open the wine with the tool he brought. He even brought the wine opener tool!

"Here you go. Sadly, I don't bring any cup so we have no other choice than drinking the wine right from the bottle— you're okay, right?." Lee Juyeon put the opened bottle on the free space between the both of them, right next to the opened biscuits that has been eaten a few by Choi Chanhee himself as he waited for the wine.

But as soon as he heard of what Lee Juyeon said to him, he looked at Lee Juyeon incredulously, "What the heck?! It's wine, not a soju!!"

"I know! But what can we do? I don't have any cup, not to mention glass with me"

"Unbelievable." He sighed. He couldn't do anything other than accepting the reality.

So they just did that. Drinking the wine straight from its bottle and sharing it together at that. At first, it was such an embarrassing thing. But since when has he ever been this conscious of Lee Juyeon? It's not like this is their first time sharing drinks together or even drinking from the same spot. So he decided to put it in the back of his mind and not care about it.

They then chatted with some light conversations about the nights, their experience on the first day in the city, and other light topics. which made him grateful because Lee Juyeon didn't bring up any of the heavy topics or the expected topic to be brought up remembering they were drinking wine at that time.

And thanks to the wine, his head felt light, and once again, he could enjoy the night breeze while sipping the wine and eating the biscuits.

"I'm gonna search for some water first, you can just wait here, okay? Don't go running anywhere else." Lee Juyeon stood up and took out his wallet from his backpack and putting back his bag on his sitting spot.

"Oh, sure. I will stay here." He answered as he looked at Lee Juyeon walking away and searching over their surroundings before he walked to a certain direction.

He let out a long sighed before he leaned back and stared at the black long river in front of him.

It's cold. The wind breeze. But it felt really nice. Especially with that, the area is very quiet, with only a few people spotted sitting on the other benches.

It felt very peaceful.

He grabbed the wine bottle and stood up, walking slowly a few steps towards the river, still staring so deeply at the endless dark river in front of him.

He was standing there, silent, and spacing out with no one knows what was he thinking about.

"I like you. Like a lot."

Suddenly, the six words slipped out of his lips, breaking the silence. But, he didn't continue his words. Instead, he looked down at his own feet. His grip on the bottle tightened up, followed by his hardened jaw. As if he was trying to suppress something from surging up from inside. As if at the next moment, a raindrop would fall to the ground.

But instead of a sob, his lips formed a helpless smile— yet, it carried some kind of feeling with it.

"I like you. Like a lot." He said those words again.

"But it's all in the past now."

He lifted his head. His eyes were very clear and filled with determination, like he had made up his mind.

And heart.

He is freed.

...

"Did you wait long?."

Lee Juyeon, who had been away for a few minutes, finally found his way back.

"I'm sorry, I was about to buy our water but I got a call and was told for us to go back to the hotel right away," Juyeon continued.

"Oh, that's okay! Let's go back to the hotel then."

They cleaned after themselves and trying to not leave any trash behind. While he grabbed on to the wine bottle.

"Can I get the rest of the wine and bring it to my room?." He said, which was followed by a laughter from Lee Juyeon, who was standing next to him.

"Yes, yes. You can get it all. Enjoy it well, Nu-ya!"

Lee Juyeon chuckled as he put one of his hands on top of Chanhee's head and rubbed his palm on it. Making a mess out of Chanhee's hair.

After that, they walked back to the hotel together while still chatting along the way. Before they went on their separate way to each of their rooms.

...

That night, Chanhee slept a dreamless night with a smile on his face.

[bi-bard]

I'm Sorry in Advance for that Shit - Dean Winchester Imagine (Supernatural)

Title: I'm Sorry in Advance for that Shit

Pairing: Dean Winchester X Reader

Requested: nope

Word Count: 1,089 words

Warning(s): Dean being insecure, cussing

Summary: (Inspired by "Fruit Roll-Ups" by Waterparks) Dean wanted to give (Y/n) a great date night. Why did the world have to be against him?

Author's Note: This song has such boyfriend!Dean Winchester vibes.

Hey! I did a rewrite of the ending of Supernatural. It took a really long time to complete, so it would mean a lot to me if you check it out. Here’s a link! (it’s on my personal account)

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

"Are you gonna tell me where we're going," I asked as Dean pulled Baby out of the bunker's garage.

"Nope," he smiled.

I smiled back. Any night I got to spend with him was special. Seeing him so excited about something made me even happier.

A short drive later, Dean pulled up in front of a movie theatre. I looked over at him, confused.

"Umm, we've been busy lately," he explained, looking down nervously. "I thought a normal date night would be nice."

I grinned.

"Sorry if it's dumb-"

I cut him off by leaning over and pecking his lips, "A movie sounds amazing."

He blushed a little- which he would later deny- before leaning in and kissing me again. I pulled away, biting my lip in a half-hearted attempt to keep myself from smiling like an idiot.

"Come on, let's go get some snacks," I said excitedly.

We walked into the movie theatre and grabbed two tickets for a new release. He paid for the snacks before I had the chance and led us to the theatre.

I walked first up the steps and to the best seats in the theatre; close-ish to the back and in the middle of the row. Dean wrapped his arm around me as we relaxed and got ready to enjoy the movie.

We left thirty minutes in.

The movie was awful.

It was a horror movie. It wasn't just gory but it wasn't scary. So all the blood just made me sick to my stomach. There were too many sex scenes that went on far too long and were obnoxiously aggressive.

I was going to deal with it because Dean seemed excited earlier but I didn't complain when Dean mumbled for us to leave.

"Oh my god," Dean muttered on our way out. He was holding on tight to my hand, rubbing his other hand over his face. "I'm so sorry."

I had my other hand holding the bag of popcorn we had bought, "It's fine. I don't blame you."

"I was so scared that we were gonna see that guy's dick," he said. I chuckled. Yeah, the movie was that bad.

"I thought that poor girl broke her back," I added as I got into the car.

Dean got in the driver's seat and groaned, "I thought that movie was going to be better... sorry for dragging you into that."

I shook my head, "It's fine."

"Well, we have a lot of time before our reservation but we can go see if the restaurant can squeeze us in earlier or not," Dean suggested.

"Ooo, dinner reservation," I said dramatically, making Dean roll his eyes. "You're too sweet to me."

He laughed as I leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"It sounds great," I added quietly.

We got to the restaurant a few minutes later.

Dean walked up to the counter, pulling me into his side.

"Umm, we're here super early but I don't know if you guys have an earlier opening or not," he explained. The hostess furrowed her eyebrows. "Our other plans fell through."

She nodded and asked for the name, "Dean Winchester."

He must've been planning to use cash. He wouldn't put his real name if he was using a fake card.

"Well, we are completely booked but... that wouldn't matter," the hostess explained. "I don't have a Winchester in my book."

"What," Dean asked.

"I don't have any reservation under the name you gave me," she said. "Sorry, you can wait for a potential opening but I can't give you a solid time estimate."

Dean looked deflated. It made my heart break. He looked down for a moment.

"It's okay, thank you," I replied before pulling on Dean's arm. "Come on."

He followed me outside.

We stayed silent until we got to the car. Dean let out a large sigh, hanging his head. I jumped when he hit his steering wheel.

"Hey, Dean, it's alright," I leaned over, grabbing his hand. "I saw a fast food joint down the road. Honestly, right now, that sounds so much better than this place."

He sighed before nodding. He still wouldn't talk. I could tell that he was stuck in his own head.

We found an empty parking lot to eat after getting our food. He was so quiet that it was tense.

"Dean," I said softly. He looked at me. "What's going on in your head?"

"Tonight was supposed to be special," he explained. "And I messed it up. The movie. The dinner. I screwed the whole thing."

I furrowed my eyebrows and tilted my head, reaching over to touch the hair on the nape of his neck.

"I wanted to give you something. One normal thing for all the shit you've put up with. With the monsters and... and me. I couldn't even do that. God, some boyfriend I am."

"Dean," I mumbled. He looked over at me. "I had an amazing time tonight. I always have a good time with you. Whether I'm sitting in the fanciest restaurant in the world or some grubby diner in the middle of nowhere, it's perfect as long as it's with you."

He didn't look like he believed me. I leaned over and kissed him gently. He reached up, cupping the side of my face. I pulled back just enough to speak again.

"You are amazing to me," I continued. "You make me so happy every day. I don't need grand gestures or 'normal dates' because we aren't normal. I have just as much fun in the impala with greasy food and rock music as I would at some fancy dinner where there are too many forks on the table. That's not our scene anyway, we'd feel weird there."

Dean chuckled.

"I love you, Dean," I said. "As long as you're there with me, I don't care how many dates go wrong."

He smiled, blinking back tears, "I love you too."

I kissed him again, smiling against his lips as I grabbed the front of his shirt.

"You're amazing," I mumbled. I moved and kissed his cheek before leaning back to my seat. "Thank you for such an awesome night."

He looked so much happier.

"And hey... this feels about as normal as we can get," I shrugged.

He laughed and nodded, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

We spent the rest of our night jamming out to music and eating all the junk food that we had collected over the night. It was so much better than anything I could've asked for.

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Masterlist

What I Write For

Request Guidelines

Musical Prompts

Small Moments With…

When Worlds Collide (Doctor Who Crossover Series) Masterlist

Some Original Characters

folklore/evermore Writing Challenge (and Masterlist)

[sup-hoes-its-me]

Hi hun! Hope you’re doing well! Could a request a Shikamaru fic! I was thinking maybe it’s obvious to everyone that Shikamaru and Reader like each-other (except themselves of course). But a mission where they have to pretend to be a couple and they finally confess.

😘

Pretenders (Shikamaru x Reader)

A/N: another request. Im not super proud of this one, i really got stuck halfway through and i think that shows here. Thanks for requesting though, and hopefully you still enjoy. Trigger Warning for sexual assault.

word count: 6500

“So, you two set out on a mission tonight right?” Ino asked, leaning her cheek in her hand, nodding toward her two friends across the booth.

“Yep. Supposedly 3 weeks,” Y/N told her. “I won’t get to see you guys for so long.” The girl took a quick sip of her lemonade and sighed. It was a substantial amount of time. It’d been a while since she’d gone somewhere so intensive.

Shikamaru and Y/N had only a couple more hours before they were to be briefed on the details of otheir next mission and whisked away to a far away land for yet another tedious job. Y/N was perfectly fine with the premise of going on a 3 week mission, she’d been home too long and longed for some kind of adventure. She still wasn’t sure the caliber of the mission, nor did she even know where or what they were doing, but she was excited nonetheless.

Shikamaru, of course, wasn’t too fond of the entire idea. Yes, he was more than happy to find out his mission partner was Y/N L/N. Out of all the people he could have been paired with, she was most definitely the least annoying. He really felt like Kakashi had his back lately with missions, giving him ones that were semi decent, and sending him out with his friends. He was certainly grateful for the Hokage’s assignments.

Choji added from his spot near the wall, taking a second away from munching on his lunch. “It won’t be so bad. You guys have each other, after all. How could things get boring when you have your little girlfriend with you, Shikamaru, am I right?”

“Choji…” Shikamaru groaned, pressing his fingers to either side of his temples. These sorts of things borhered the hell out of him. The constant teasing from everyone, not just his teammates, but literally teachers, other squads, his mother, her grandmother. They weren’t dating. They never were dating.

Yet every person in this damned town was under the assumption there was something going on between them. Really, he was just trying to live his life.

Did he want to date her? Yes, a million times over, yes. She was literally perfect, he couldn’t imagine himself with anyone else. But was Y/N at all interested? Definitely not. She was more oblivious than Naruto was with Hinata, and that’s saying a lot. She seemed to ignore everyone when they made jokes, she thought all his measly attempts at flirting were just normal conversation even when he treated Ino completely differently. She wasn’t a dumb girl either. She was smart in her own right.

That’s why he’d begun to think she was maybe avoiding his advances on purpose. That she didn’t like him and she was trying to let him down easy. It was stupid really, and he wished she would just come out with it already, tell him to his face that she just wanted to be friends. It was frustrating, to say the least, but he kept trying.

He could safely say he hadn’t felt this way for another girl in his entire life, and he wouldn’t give up that easily. He really just wanted other people to mind their business. That’s the reason he shot down all the jokes and comments from his friends. They didn’t need to know about his lovelife, that was personal.

Ino smirked, tossing her ponytail over her shoulder and letting a laugh leave her lips. “Come on, Choji. You know how Shika feels about you teasing him.”

“Fine. But you gotta admit it’s funny.”

They continued on with their conversation, Shikamaru groaning at their jokes and the other two laughing the entire time. That was how it usually went. Y/N just listened quietly, sipping away at her lemonade. Those two, his teammates, they always made jokes, it was normal. She was constantly labeled Shikamaru’s girlfriend, and each time he denied it. Over and over again. He didn’t let a single instance slide by.

That’s how she knew to avoid the subject. To keep her feelings to herself. There was no point in confessing to him when he was already so adamant at keeping their relationship out of other people’s mouths. She was a troublesome girl, anyone who thought he saw her as anything different was delusional.

So she kept quiet, just listening.

Each time someone joked, her stomach would turn and she would wait for him to say something, for him to admit they were right, for him to get flushed in the cheeks, for him to reach out and hold her hand and confess his feelings, and each time she was let down brutally. After enough times getting her heart broken, it was only inevitable she give up this false hope. There was no digging her way into his cold heart. He was so closed off, to get inside...it seemed like an impossible feat.

She wasn’t willing to fight for him anymore. It was tiring, and they never got anywhere.

After enough time, she stopped crying herself to sleep. She stopped talking about her crush with Hinata and Ino when the boys weren’t around. She still looked at him with all the love she had to give. He was the best man she knew, how could she not. She just stopped wishing for something that wasn’t going to happen. She stopped investing so much of her time and energy into a useless, pointless dream.

She was tired of running endlessly in circles, over and over again. All because of his dumbass.

Maybe with time, she could try and get over him. With time she could learn to like him the same way as all their other friends. It was always just the little things that would pull her back in every time. It was the walks home at night when she was tired, or she had too many drinks and he’d wrap his arm around her waist and hold her so tight to his side she could feel his heart beating. It was the times he’d lay beside her in the grass and run his fingers through her hair splayed out over the ground. It was the times he would hold her silently as she cried for her mother and father who’d died, and he would rub her back until she could breathe again.

Every single fucking time she got close, the moments she felt she might not be desperately in love with him anymore, he came right in and stole her heart again. It wasn’t his fault, he was just being a good friend, but God, did it hurt sometimes.

And it wasn’t Ino and Choji’s fault for talking about it. It was so fucking obvious she liked him. Y/N followed Shikamaru around like a lost puppy half the time, what else were they supposed to think? They were just wrong in their assumptions that she was anything more to Shikamaru himself. That the boy thought of her as anything more than a troublesome friend who was always needing help with something or another.

She drank the last bit of her drink and set down the glass. “We better be heading to the Hokage tower soon. It’s almost time, and he still has to debrief us and all, “ she told the boy at her right.

“Yeah. I’ll go get my bag from home first and we’ll meet up there?”

“Got it,” Y/N slid out of the booth and waved to her friends. “See you when we get back.”

“Bye, Y/N!” Ino called as the girl left the restaurant with her book bag over her shoulder. She sighed, sinking down into her seat and glaring over at the pineapple head across from them. “You gotta make your move on this mission, Shika. Stop being such a scaredy cat.”

“Listen, you guys don’t know anything about anything, okay? She doesn’t like me that way. She never has.”

“I never thought I’d have to say this, but you’re dumb, man,” Choji laughed. “She obviously likes you.”

“Yeah, yeah. All of you seem to think that but you don’t see how she is with me. We are purely friends. That’s it.”

“Whatever, man,” he waved off the boy’s stern reply and added, “ Have fun on your trip with Y/N. Hope you get lucky.” Those words caused Shikamaru to heat up from his neck to the tips of his ears and he promptly slid out from his seat, straightening his vest as he did so to try and calm himself. That was unnecessary of his friend to say, for sure.

He turned to them once more and nodded his head. “See you around.”

“See you!”

Now all he needed to do was get his things together and meet up with the girl of his dreams for their weeks long mission. Fun times. Especially now that his friends made him annoyed and frustrated with the entire situation again. He’d have to calm down before seeing her soon.

_______

“We’re doing what?” Y/N asked, staring down at their Hokage in disbelief. He’d been detailing their mission and everything seemed normal so far, infiltrating and learning information about a budding coup in a far away nation just on the edge of the Land of Earth and The Land of Wind. It seemed easy enough at first, but then he kept going.

Kakashi sighed. “I said, you two are to be disguised as a princess and her consort from the Land of Sunflowers. The leaders of this land are expecting these royal visitors and you will be taking their place.”

“So, like, he’s gonna be my husband?” she asked for clarification again. It wasn’t that she didn’t understand his words, it was that she didn’t want to believe them. This was her worst nightmare. They would have to pretend to be in a relationship? Shikamaru was going to hate this more than anything and it would be uncomfortable the entire time.

Why did Kakashi have to pick them two, of all his shinobi? Why?

“Yes. That won’t be a problem for two close friends such as yourselves. After all, that’s why I picked you. You have some kind of dynamic going I feel your targets will find believable.” Shikamaru cursed the heavens. Even the fucking Hokage thought they were involved. This was ridiculous. Now this long ass mission he was already dreading was made ten times worse with this awkward situation. “We’re not gonna have a problem, are we?”

It would be okay though. He just had to take a few deep breaths. That’s all.

“No, sir, of course not. I’m ready for anything you throw at me,” she declared, straightening her back and letting the heat fade from her cheeks. She was embarrassed, obviously, but she couldn’t let the Hokage know. It was easier talking to Kakashi though, much easier than Tsunade. Kakashi watched them grow up, he knew them personally from helping them train. That didn’t mean she couldn’t be flustered.

“You’ll take those bags with you. They have some more suitable clothing for royalty. Put them on when you get close to the village. Throw out any indicators you’re from the Leaf as well.”

“Okay.”

“You’re dismissed. Leave as soon as possible,” the gray haired shinobi told them. She nodded and threw the bag over her shoulder, tossing the other one over to Shikmaru who caught it and slung it onto his back. He definitely wasn’t happy about any of this, but maybe it was a sign.

Ino and Choji told him to confess his feelings to her on this mission. Kakashi just told them they would be pretending to be a married couple. As he watched her walking in front of him down the Tower stairs, her head just barely dipped as she absorbed all the information running through her mind, he wondered if maybe this was his opportunity. A make or break type scenario. He had three weeks to figure out how to tell her how he felt in a more direct way than he’d tried before.

He worked out all the scenarios and their outcomes in his head millions of times and every time they ended in disaster. For someone so great at strategy, he sure did struggle with this one.

“So, I guess we’re married now. Should we start kissing or something?” she asked awkwardly as they reached the bottom of the stairs, shifting back and forth from her toes to her heels. He stopped, more like froze, in his path and stared at her.

“Now you're just making it weird,” he replied. “We aren’t even there yet.”

“I know, I was kidding. Trying to lighten the mood, you know,” she grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. Of course he would reply like that. He didn’t like her at all, he couldn’t even take a fucking joke. Had to get all upset over it like a baby, all because he was so set on never dating her ever, never even entertaining the thought. She rolled her eyes, “You don’t have to be so rude about it, geez.”

She kept walking before he could reply. He had a feeling this trip was going to be a lot worse than anyone had anticipated. He was nervous, grumpy, and preparing for the worst. In fact, what he really wanted was a nice long nap.

_________

The dresses that Kakashi packed for her were...extravagant to say the least. They flowed all the way down to her ankles, thick heavy hoop skirts embroidered from head to toe with symbols of the land of sunflowers. She felt strange with her shoulders exposed and her body on display in these outfits which were so unlike the pants and t-shirts she wore when she was back at home or on a normal mission. She wrapped a shawl around her shoulders and sighed, feeling at least a little covered.

Shikamaru had nice clothes, but they were nothing in comparison to her wild dresses and all the bright colors of the fabric. He looked semi-normal. She was jealous, admittedly, that he still got to wear pants and shirts. He said she looked good in the dress, he actually told her about a dozen times, reassuring over and over again that she looked fine, but she didn’t believe him. She wasn’t dainty, how could she look beautiful when she clearly didn't belong in something so delicate?

Still, when they walked up to the gates of the Land of Shadows, they were greeted like the royalty they pretended to be. They were swept away to the main castle to meet with the King and his wife. It was nearly dinner time, and they were to eat with them as a greeting. It made sense, but Y/N felt herself growing more nervous with the second. She didn’t know the first thing about being a princess, or acting like a monarch. All she knew was fighting and joking with her friends.

Not only that, but how could she convince them that she and Shikamaru were in a relationship? Y/N wasn’t sure they possessed the right dynamic and even if they tried, it would be obvious they were uncomfortable with each other. It was all making her heart race, and she had to take a few deep breaths as they entered the dining room.

But her companion...he knew what he was doing. He was going to put on quite the show, take advantage of the situation. If this week and a half was his only chance to hold Y/N in his heart, than he wouldn't let any opportunities slip by.

Without warning, she found that Shikamaru had reached over and wrapped her hand up in his bigger one, clutching at her shaking fingers. He was so steady, she found herself sinking into his touch. It was comforting, more so than she thought it could be, given the circumstances. His skin was just so warm and soft against hers, it was only natural she felt safer.

“Ah, Princess Ayaka, Duke Hisashi. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” a man called from his place at the table. His wife was sitting beside him, her soft smile only reaching her lips not nearing her eyes. Y/N caught that immediately. Her distance. Silently, she took note of that as the King approached them, extending his arms for an embrace.

“It’s an honor to meet you, your highness,” Shikamaru replied with a smile, an obvious fake one, but damn was he good. She watched as he hugged the man so earnestly, as if he’d sunken right into the role of consort without an issue. She’d have to ask him tonight how he was so good at acting.

“And your beautiful wife,” he extended his hand to the girl and she raised it hesitantly, receiving a soft kiss to the back of her palm. “Come take a seat. Dinner will be served soon.”

The pair took their seats beside each other on the opposite side of the table, Y/N directly across from the Queen, who looked up at her for merely a moment only to sigh and go back to fiddling with the curve of her wine glass. "Your highness," Y/N hummed to the woman who nodded.

"Oh what a dream, to be young and in love," she said. "I remember the days."

"Please dear! To me, you will always be my beautiful young wife! We share a love to last a lifetime," the king cheered, placing his hand over that of his wife's as he took his seat at the table. "I apologize for her gloom. She's been going through a rough patch. We are more than overjoyed to have you here."

"It's fine. We all have our bad days," the girl replied softly.

After a few minutes of small talk, just dipping their feet into the conversation, a couple servants brought out plates of food and wine bottles full of vintage drink truly meant for the highest of royalty. Compared to the plain sake she had drank at home, this was liquid gold dripping down her throat. Shikamaru sent her a warning look. Y/N was known to be quite the lightweight, and even a couple glasses of wine could send her into a tipsy stupor. He really knew her too well, so hyperaware of the things she did.

"So, how did you two meet?" their host asked, taking a moment away from the chicken in front of him. "It's said that you married for love, not arrangement. That's true?"

Y/N and Shikamaru hadn't been versed very well on the details, just on the basics. Her heart beat increased, stress building up. Her lies would have to be good.

"Yes. You've heard right. He was my friend before anything else. We met as children." That much she knew for sure after reading the mission summary.

"Oh wow. Childhood lovers. Very sweet," the queen sighed, resting her cheek in her palm.

Y/N would be lying if she didn't feel a bit of similarities between her own story and that of the real princess she was pretending to be. Shikamaru and Y/N grew up together, for as long as she could remember. She started to love him before she even really knew what love was. It only made sense she pretended to be a princess in the same situation.

And when he held her hand again, this time under the table, his thumb brushing over her knuckles so softly she thought she might melt. Her cheeks began to heat up under his touch and she smiled. It was so nice holding his hand, pretending to care about each other this way. Not that she needed to pretend.

Dinner droned on, and she continued to hold his hand the entire time, besides when they were spooning at their food. For once on a mission, it felt like they were completely at peace. Of course, they were both supposed to be analyzing the movements of everyone around them to make sure no one was planning a coup like Kakashi told them. But she couldn’t held but cherish the moments of calmness and warmth between everyone.

The King and his wife were genuinely some of the kindest people she’d ever met, whether they were just acting that way or not. It was a pleasure to have dinner with them, talking and laughing like an uncle would with his nieces and nephews. It had that same energy, talking to him.

“Hisashi, you wouldn’t mind accompanying me to my library? I have some books I think you might enjoy,” the man said, standing from the table. The rest of them slid out of their chairs after him, and she had to brush down her skirts to make sure everything was in line. It was tedious, wearing these outfits without any prior warning. She felt like a clown. The Queen was so effortless in her movements, how could she not feel stupid standing beside someone so regal?

“That sounds great, your majesty-”

“Not necessary. Call me Shoto, that’s my name after all, and you are an honored guest,” he laughed. He reached over and gave his wife a gentle kiss on the cheek before turning on his heel and heading toward the door. She really expected Shikamaru to just leave with just a simple goodbye, or a “I’ll see you tonight” kind of thing.

Definitely not this.

He was gonna go all out this time around.

“I’m going to kiss you now,” he whispered, just loud enough for only her to hear, over her shoulder into her ear. When his warm breath hit her skin, shivers ran up and down her spine. Her eyes widened and she turned to stare up at him, cursing herself when she felt heat rise up in her cheeks and burn the tips of her ears. Was he serious, or just teasing her? He always liked to crack jokes like that.

But when she felt his rough hand pressed to her cheek, lifting her face ever so carefully to meet his, she knew he wasn’t messing around. His eyes met hers for a split second, and she could have sworn he winked down at her before pressing his lips to hers.

Honestly, she thought she might have a heart attack right there in the dining room. Shikamaru was kissing her. It felt even better than she dreamed it would. Chapped lips running against hers, heat pooling in her stomach, heart pounding in her chest.

As soon as it started, though, the kiss was over, and he took a step back. "See you tonight, Princess."

She was keen on catching the smirk on his lips, and the way he laughed to himself as he walked out of the room with the King before him.

Y/N stood there silently, her fingers pressed to her lips, breath caught in her throat. The boy she’d wanted for so long just kissed her like it was nothing, and she was left all alone to deal with this predicament, all the feelings that came rushing in after. All she knew for sure, whether he was serious or not, was that she really, seriously liked him. She liked him a lot more than she thought.

And now they had a whole week and a half of fake kisses and hand holding to endure. Jeez.

__________

“You know, you’re nothing like the other princesses I’ve met,” the guard said to her as she waited for Shikamaru to show up. He was still out with the King practicing archery. Apparently that was a hobby a lot of these rich country men had. So far, she wasn’t suspecting a thing out of the King or any of his closest acquaintances. They were nice as could be and seemed sincere in their intentions toward the village alliances. She had no reason to suspect them, and was beginning to think a coup was just as Kakashi thought, a mere rumor.

That made things a lot easier.

She sighed, tapping her fingers on her wrist. She wasn’t a fan of having a guard watching her every second of the day, especially not the talkative ones. This one was strange. He gave off this energy she couldn’t describe as anything other than creepy.

“Yeah? That’s nice,” she muttered.

“It’s just, usually princesses are pompous, full of themselves, spoiled women. You aren’t the same,” he continued, even if it was obvious she wanted him to shut up and go about his business while she did hers. She felt uncomfortable being alone in this land, without any of her weapons or the ability to fight back if someone was acting sketchy. She was forced to sit by like some little, ditsy princess just watching and observing.

Honestly, though, Shikamaru was probably having a great time. All he had to do was eat with the royalty, play board games, shoot some arrows, and then go to sleep. There was no extensive fighting or thinking going on, just sitting around observing and waiting for something suspicious to happen.

The queen would normally hang out with the female guests but thanks to her bouts of depression she stayed in her room, leaving Y/N completely at the mercy of time. So much time passed, and she was bored of it.

“I’m honestly just another princess. You’d be surprised though. Many princesses are just as modest as I am, it’s not all that uncommon,” she commented, taking a peek over at the man, only to quickly look away. He had quite the hungry look on his face, and if her eyes hadn’t deceived her, his own were trained right on her breasts. Damn these dresses.

Y/N wrapped her arms across her chest and slumped down, trying to hide herself from this weird man watching over her. Only, it seemed impossible. He was so much taller, could just look over her shoulder. She couldn’t run away and raise suspicion. She had to sit here and wait for someone else to break the tension.

She was scared.

“I meant that as a compliment. You say thank you when someone compliments you, yeah?” he mumbled, a firm hand reaching out to snatch her wrist. It hurt, his grip on her arm, and she winced at the feeling. “Say thank you.”

She bit her lip and refused to meet his eyes, instead focusing on his hands. If she needed to, she would defend herself but only to a small extent. She couldn’t blow her cover just because some guard was manhandling her. Take a deep breath, Y/N. It’s gonna be okay. Just calm down.

“T-Thank you,” she gulped, hoping he would drop her wrist. But he didn’t. He only held on tighter.

He smiled, yellow teeth showing through his thin lips. “See, you are a good girl, aren’t you?” he questioned, and she felt his other hand run up her waist. All she could do was whimper, shivers running up her spine and any skin this man laid his hands on. The only hope she had was that another guard come walking around and see them.

It was unlikely, but she prayed for a savior to make their appearance.

His hand worked its way down to her ass, and she felt him squeeze. Vomit rose up in her throat and she squirmed away, pressing herself against the wall as tight as she could so his hands had nowhere to go. Instead, he took to fondling her breasts in his hands. She could only bite her lips and feel the tears bubble up in her eyes as he pushed down the fabric of her top and pressed his filthy palms against her skin.

“What the fuck?” a voice cursed from behind them. The guard was torn off of her form and she brought up her hands to cover herself, tears still dripping thickly from her eyes as she cried, little breathy sobs leaving her lips. Shikamaru stood there, hands shaking at his sides as he glared over at the guard. “What’s going on here?” he demanded. Y/N watched as her friend turned red in the face, burning up with an anger she rarely saw from him, if ever.

“You tell me, your highness. Your wife seduced me!” the guard cried, clearly lying to cover himself and his sins.

The eyes of all three men, the guard, Shikamaru, and the King standing near the footwell of the stairs, turned to her. She just cried harder, shaking like a leaf in front of everyone. “He grabbed me and started to touch me, and-and I couldn’t do anything,” Y/N told them all through her pained cries.

The King marched up the steps and grabbed his guard by the arm, yanking him toward the doorway to enter the castle. He appeared worn from his workout, tired and sweaty, but he was awake enough to realize the severity of the situation. He bowed low to Y/N and her companion.

His apology ran thick from his mustached lips, “This is unacceptable. Honored guests, I apologize for everything that’s happened. I will take care of this, I assure you. Please, don’t hesitate to ask for anything you need tonight.” Shikamaru nodded, and they watched as the pair of men walked into the castle, no doubt to find another guard to incarcerate the guard in question.

Shikamaru turned to her and winced, seeing her dress pushed down below her breasts and the tremors running through her hands desperate to cover them. He watched as hot, heavy tears ran thick down her cheeks and her lips quivered and shook with fear and trauma. Gently, he moved her hands to the side and brought her dress back up to cover her chest. He worked carefully, making sure not to startle her or make things worse.

The woman sunk into his touch, leaning her head against his shoulder and sobbing. “It’s gonna be okay, Y/N. You’re safe now.” He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and tugged her close to his chest, pressing a soft, gentle hand to the back of her head to stroke her hair. “I’m so sorry. I won’t leave you alone again, okay?”

“Shika, “ she whimpered, “I’ve never felt so helpless in my entire life. I couldn’t do anything to defend myself and there was no one else around to help me. I-I didn’t know what to do.”

“I know. You must have been so scared,” he whispered. She just nodded against his shoulder, crying deeper into his chest. He hugged her tighter and swore to himself, even if he couldn't make it happen, that he would protect her. This kind of thing would never happen to her again if he had any say at all. “I promise this won’t happen again.”

"I've just never been in that position before. I always have the upper hand. It was awful. I was so scared and I wanted to cry for you to come help me but I didn't know where you were."

"God, I'm sorry," he mumbled, hugging her tighter in a desperate attempt to calm her shaking. He just wanted for her to be better, even if he knew that wasn't an option right now.

He felt so hopeless, knowing the only thing he could do was promise, to say things without any actual basis behind them. He was just whispering words to the wind hoping they would stick and he was right. He cursed himself for not being there in the first place to protect her, to make sure something like this never happened in the first place. He really was useless when she needed him the most.

He wouldn’t even argue if she said she wanted to go home, if she never wanted to see him again. He let her down. For the first time ever, he let her down in the most terrible, awful way he could think of. And now she was crying and he didn’t know how to make it better. He was really trash.

For now, all he could do though was hug her and promise her the world, all these things that might make her feel safe and comfortable, make her feel less alone and scared. It was the least he could do.

________

Finally, after a long evening of socializing and another huge dinner literally fit for a king, Y/N found herself stripping off her gowns and heavy undergarments, switching into something much lighter and comfortable for the night.

She was tired from the day. From being left alone for the good part of the morning just sitting in the sun waiting around. She was tired from the assault on her body by the guard whom was supposedly in jail right now for his actions. She was tired from all the crying and the shaking. She was just tired.

Shikamaru was out, finishing up drinks with the King and some of his subordinates for the time being, so she sunk down into the mattress near the far wall, curling up under the down covers and pulling a book from the table beside her. Anything to ease her mind for a while. She felt safe being alone in the confides of the bedroom, knowing that her friend was right down the hall if she needed him.

She scanned the pages of the novel quietly, humming each time she turned a page, leaning on her elbow so the pages would be illuminated in the candlelight.

After about an hour, the door slid open and her companion entered, shutting the door silently behind him. "You aren't asleep? I expected you to be after such a long day."

"I'm tired, but I'm not in the mood for sleep yet," she shrugged, still skimming through the pages of her novel. "Did you have fun?"

"Nah. It's such a drag having to hang out with that old man. He's nice but he never stops talking." He took off his coats and tossed them onto a chair, kicking off his heavy boots and thick socks. "Annoying, having to wear all this fancy shit too."

"Trust me, I know." She shifted over in the bed so he had more space to lay himself down, kicking out his legs and crossing his ankles. "Do you know what's on the agenda for tomorrow?"

He nodded, tilting his head ever so slightly to the side to peek at her face. His eyes slid down to the novel turned over in her hands and smirked, "Yeah. You've got book club. Have fun with that." She tossed her book back on the table beside her and instead curled further into the blankets.

His eyes caught hers and he smiled, one of those undeniably handsome intoxicating smiles she loved so deeply. "You know, you look kinda cute like that."

"Huh?"

He shrugged, "All curled up under the blankets like a little baby. It's cute. I'm just calling it how I see it."

If she wasn't flustered before, she definitely was now. He was undeniably making her feel some sort of way, and she was loving the attention. He was being so bold, so unlike him. She questioned what had compelled him to act like this, to say such things. They weren't in character anymore, it wasn't like he had to say these things.

"Thanks, Shika." She felt dumb but what was she supposed to say? She was overwhelmed. "But we're alone now. You don't have to act all lovey-dovey."

He crossed his arms beneath his head and sighed, eyes gazing up at the canopy. He mumbled, just loud enough to reach her ears, “When this is all over, I’m gonna miss you being my princess.” She peered over at him in the candlelit room, making out his faint silhouette in the darkness. Her heart fluttered in her chest at his sweet words. She never imagined in a million years Shikamaru would say these things to her, and now that it was happening she didn’t know how to react.

She dreamed of this moment for a while now. The thoughts of Shikamaru confessing his feelings and then her falling into his arms dramatically. It was a fantasy of hers, a guilty pleasure. Far too dramatic to ever be a reality.

That's why she was too shocked to meet his eyes. His princess. Those words made her woozy.

"What are you talking about?"

"You're not stupid. You know what I'm talking about," he said calmly.

"You don't want things to go back to normal?" Y/N asked, hesitant. She felt nervous, diving into these waters. Each words felt like it held so much weight. It was a puzzle, just finding the right thing to say, how to reply to his statement. "Just friends, like before?"

"Is that what you want?"

And when she really thought about it, he was right. She didn't want to go back to normal. She wanted to continue holding his hand, kissing his cheek and his lips, loving each other with their words and their gazes and all the little touches. She wanted all of this to last and as the mission came to a close, she found herself worrying for the future empty of all those things.

She shook her head, just barely able to bring her eyes up to meet his. He looked bored, but she knew he cared. He cared a lot, actually. "I-I think I'd like if we could stay like this."

"Falling in love with you, Y/N, was one of the easiest things I've ever done. Finding the right time to tell you, that's been troublesome," he confessed, blowing a stray piece of hair from his eyes. "You never seemed emotionally available, really."

"I always was. I was always waiting for you, Shikamaru. Ever since we were just teenagers, I've been waiting for you," she told him, letting her heart finally come out with her words. "I just thought you wanted to be friends. Before this mission, I had completely given up on being with you, but then everything seemed to fall into place on this trip."

"When Kakashi told us we would be married for this mission, I have to admit, I got excited." He rolled onto his side to face her. She was still curled up in her blanket, and he felt like he was melting. The most beautiful woman in the entire world right in front of him, his heart playing right into her hands. He was okay with that. He was okay with this girl having his entire soul if that meant he would see that smile and those eyes peering up at him.

He wasn't a romantic man. Far from it. But she brought out a side of him he'd only heard about from love struck novelists, such kinds Kakashi sensei would read.

"I just knew I'd have to shoot my shot with you," he finished, sending a wink her way. She truly was swoon, like putty in his hands. Her words came faster than she could think to stop them.

"Shikamaru, I think I love you. When you kissed me for the first time, I knew it was true. All these feelings for the past few years weren’t in vain. I love you."

"The feeling is mutual."

The girl crawled out from under the blankets and over to him on the other side of the mattress. Her arms wound around his neck and as best she could, she curled into his chest. Her ear pressed to his heart, beating loud and constant in her mind. He was more than happy to let her cuddle up to him, in fact, he relished in the feeling.

This is what he'd been missing out on all this time. The hugs. The cuddles. The looks in the dark full of love and longing. It was nice, to lay there with someone he knew for sure, without any doubt, loved him to the moon and back. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her tighter to his tired form, letting her sink further into his touch.

Kakashi knew what he was doing sending them. Two lovers with a mask over their emotions, straight into a game full of dancing around their feelings and pretending to be something they always wanted to be. Everything played out perfectly, a happy ending for a couple of worthy shinobi.

He was happy. That's all he could ask for.