#we’ll experience ‘new’ things together wow!

[once-in-a-blood-moon]

Solomon who’s lived for so long he can’t remember most of the things he’s done so most things feel new to him 🤝 Me who has the worst memory known to man that things I’ve already done also feel brand new

[incognit0slut]

Much Ado About Nothing (Act III, Scene II: The Dangerous Game)

An unexpected tension rises between you as Spencer dangerously blurs the line of your fake relationship.

Part warning: Sexual tension. Lots of it. And... body description? Basically Spencer gets a little handsy and has a boner😭 Words: 2.8k

SERIES MASTERLIST | MAIN MASTERLIST

You should’ve known this would happen. Deep down, given the lie you were maintaining, you had suspected that you'd end up sharing a room together. You were dragging your suitcase behind you—because a duffel bag wasn’t enough for all your stuff despite staying just one night—when Penelope pulled you away from the group.

“You and lover boy are staying in the room on the second floor, the one on the corner left.”

You frowned, your eyes darting between Penelope and Spencer, who was grabbing his bag from the car. “I really don’t think that’s necessary,” you reasoned, trying to come up with an excuse. “I mean… Reid and I just started dating, we haven’t… you know.”

Penelope flashed you a smile. "Then maybe it's the perfect time to… you know.”

You felt a flush rise to your cheeks. "Pen, no, we should probably—"

She cut you off with a dismissive wave of her hand. "It’s just for one night. Besides, you know it’s the best room here—great view, lots of space. It would be a waste for it not to be enjoyed by the new couple."

You narrowed your eyes on her.

“It’s also the only room with a lock.”

You made a face. The thought of sharing a room with Spencer, especially one with a lock, sent a wave of anxiety through you. Memories of that night flooded your mind, making the situation feel even more daunting. You felt your cheeks flush again, your heart pounding faster. It took every ounce of your self-control to smooth your expression back into something neutral. 

"Alright," you said, forcing a smile. “Fine.”

Penelope beamed, clearly pleased with herself. "Great!” She gushed, pulling her suitcase. “Because there are no available rooms left.”

You sighed inwardly, realizing there was no way out of this. You watched her enter the house, leaving you to gather your thoughts alone. Maybe it wouldn’t be that bad. Maybe sharing a room with Spencer would be manageable. 

After all, it was just one night. You had handled more complicated scenarios in your line of work, hadn’t you? You had faced near-death experiences. If you could negotiate with armed suspects, how hard could one evening of pretend romance be?

Extremely hard, you realized, because when Spencer slowly approached you, all you wanted was for the ground to swallow you whole.

“What?” he asked, probably noticing the look of sheer panic on your face.

You tried to find the proper way to say it, searching for words that might soften the blow. But there was no other way than to tell it how it was.

“We’re... we’re sharing a room,” you finally managed to say.

There was a pause, and then there it was, the elephant in the room. But you both avoided acknowledging it directly, as you always did, so he simply cleared his throat and looked away.

“Okay,” Spencer said quietly, his eyes fixed on some distant point.

“Okay?” You echoed. “You’re really okay with this?”

He glanced back at you. “Look, weren’t you the one who wanted to make this convincing? Sharing a room might help with that.”

You sighed, knowing he was right but still feeling the weight of the situation. “Yeah, I guess so. It’s just...”

“It’s just one night,” he snapped. “We’ll manage.”

Oh, wow, he was going to be a bitch about it.

His tone was sharp, dismissive, and it grated on your nerves. This whole situation was already uncomfortable, and his attitude was only making it worse. The last thing you needed was him to act like this was some minor inconvenience when it felt like so much more. You threw a glare at him.

“Fine,” you shot back. “But you’re taking the floor.”

He didn’t respond, he just kept looking at you with that same unreadable expression. His silence was infuriating. It was as if he couldn’t even be bothered to acknowledge your frustration, and that only fueled your anger more. Without another word, you stormed away, seething, dragging your suitcase as you left him standing alone in the driveway.

Maybe he shouldn't have snapped at you. Spencer knew it wasn't fair to take his frustration out on you, especially when you were both stuck in the same awkward predicament. But it was hard to act as if everything was fine when the reality of your situation weighed so heavily on his mind.

Sometimes he wished he wasn’t wired like this. He knew he had the tendency to overthink, to let anxiety get the better of him, or to struggle with situations that required emotional skill. He could handle high-pressure situations in the field, but dealing with personal relationships was hard for him. It was never his intention to push people away when he felt overwhelmed, but it happened way too often, and today was no exception.

He also knew he needed to work on that. But to do so, it required him to confront his traumas, and that was the last thing he wanted to face. So instead, he pulled his sunglasses down and opened his book because nothing screams a good coping mechanism like reading fiction to avoid reality.

And his reality now was you.

“What are you doing?”

He peered over his glasses and saw Derek hovering above him. “What does it look like I’m doing?”

“Like you’re brooding.”

“I’m reading.”

“I can see that,” Derek said as he settled on the lounge chair beside him. “What I meant was, what are you doing out here alone? Where’s your girlfriend?”

Spencer had asked himself the same question. You weren’t there when he dropped his bag in your shared room, you were also missing during lunch, and when he realized that you were avoiding him on purpose, he decided to change into more comfortable clothes and head out to the pool.

“She’s around,” Spencer replied, trying to sound nonchalant. “Needed some alone time, I guess.”

Derek raised an eyebrow. “Trouble in paradise already? You two just started dating.”

“It’s not that. We’re just…” He thought of a way to explain the situation without giving too much details. “We’re adjusting to the whole team knowing about us. It’s a bit overwhelming.”

“You’re both overthinkers, that’s the problem. Just relax and enjoy the weekend,” Derek suggested, leaning back in his chair before giving him a pointed look. “And maybe try spending some time with her instead of hiding behind that book.”

“I’m not hiding,” Spencer shot back without looking up from the pages.

“Sure you’re not,” Derek replied, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “Just saying, kid, you’re here to have fun. Maybe try doing that with your girlfriend.”

He turned a page over, not saying a word. When Derek realized he was purposely ignoring him, he leaned closer.

"Let me give you some advice about women."

Spencer wrinkled his nose, already dreading what was coming. "I’m not sure I want to listen to this."

"Trust me, you do," Derek insisted. "First off, this," he said, pausing for emphasis before pointing his finger toward Spencer’s book. "Is not cute."

Spencer flipped over his book, revealing the cover with its title printed in bold letters. In Cold Blood. "Of course not. It's a detailed account of the 1959 murders in—hey!"

Before he could continue, Derek reached out and plucked the book from his hands. "Not this. You," he said, pointing the book at him. "No wonder she's off doing her own thing while you're glued to this."

Spencer furrowed his brow. "She's the one who—"

"No. No." Derek placed the thick paperback down on the small table between them. "Second piece of advice about women, they're always right. Or, at least, they think they are, and sometimes it's easier and wiser just to go along with that."

"That's hardly practical advice."

Derek laughed, leaning back comfortably. "You don't have to agree with everything, but showing that you value her perspective can go a long way."

"She’d be easier to deal with if she wasn’t so stubborn.”

"Reid, do you even hear yourself? You sound like you don't even like her."

Spencer paused, an uncomfortable realization dawning on him. He was supposed to be playing the part of a devoted boyfriend, not a grumpy one. He was supposed to keep up the act.

"Fine," he sighed reluctantly. "What should I do then?"

"Be present. Stop isolating yourself and go talk to her."

"I don't even know where she is."

“Then go find her," Derek said matter-of-factly, his eyes drifting across the pool. He nodded his head. "Speak of the devil.”

Spencer turned in the direction Derek pointed, pushing his sunglasses up with a finger as they slid down his nose.

Then he froze. His brain promptly shut down as if someone had flipped a switch. His eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets, his jaw slacking open, his mind startlingly blank as he watched you step out of the house wearing what he assumed was a swimsuit. The top had straps that crisscrossed in a way that seemed overly complicated to him, and the bottoms were minimal, barely covering your skin.

Your swimsuit left very little to the imagination and he found himself momentarily stunned. He felt an unexpected tightness in his throat and a sudden warmth pooling in his chest. The heat surged through his body before it focused right between his legs, and he forced himself to clench his thighs together as he snapped his mouth shut.

Derek cleared his throat beside him.

"I guess you do like her," he teased, picking up the book from the table before dropping it onto Spencer's lap. "You might want to hide that."

Spencer’s face turned a deep shade of red as he quickly tried to adjust the book to cover himself better. His mortification grew as he noticed you standing close by, your attention directed towards Derek.

"Hey Morgan, can I steal my boyfriend for a sec?" you asked, smiling a little too sweet.

"He's all yours, pretty girl," Derek replied with a grin, standing up before he left you two alone. When he was out of earshot, you sat on the chair he had occupied.

"We've been away from each other far too long," you commented, your voice hushed. "It's not looking good for us."

Spencer nodded absently, trying to focus on your words. But his attention was too focused on the bottle of sunscreen in your hand.

“You’ve been avoiding me.”

He shook his head.

“You have," you pointed out, popping open the cap. "Well, maybe I have too, but that’s not the point."

Spencer shifted uncomfortably, his eyes following the movements of your hands as you squeezed some sunscreen onto your palm.

"We need to do something," you continued. Your palms rubbed the lotion together at the same time his tongue darted out to lick his lips nervously. "If we keep avoiding each other, they’ll start to suspect us."

He nodded again, his mind half on your words and half on the way the sunscreen glistened on your skin as you started applying it to your arms. "You're right," he admitted, forcing himself to concentrate. "We need to be more convincing."

"Exactly," you pressed, unaware of his growing distraction. "We should start doing things that couples do. Spend time together, be seen together."

"Yeah," he echoed, his gaze drifting as you moved to apply sunscreen to your shoulders. “Together.”

"And we should show more affection," you added, and his breathing hitched slightly when your hands moved to apply sunscreen across your chest, fingers brushing subtly along the upper swell of your breasts. It was a casual motion for you, but for him, it was torture. His eyes followed the path of your hands, his mind struggling to stay focused on anything else.

"And I know you don’t like holding hands, or any type of PDA for the matter," you continued, turning slightly, giving him a clearer view of your chest. "But I think it's necessary. It makes this whole thing look real.”

"Uh-huh," he mumbled, his focus slipping again as your hand moved lower, smoothing lotion over your stomach and inching toward your hips. His throat felt dry, and he unconsciously pressed the book harder against his lap.

“Really? You’re okay with that?”

He blinked, forcibly pulling his eyes up to meet yours, hoping you were oblivious of where his gaze had lingered behind his shades.

“Yes." He winced when his voice came out high-pitched and strained. He cleared his throat, and repeated in a more controlled voice, “Yes.”

“Huh.”

He shifted nervously. “What?”

“Nothing.” You looked away, now focusing on your legs. “I just didn’t expect you to agree.”

He hadn’t planned to, but it was hard to think straight when he was too focused on the way you were leaning down, smoothing the lotion over your thighs. The angle gave him a clear view of your breasts peeking out from your top, the thin fabric barely containing them, and he had to bite his lip to suppress a moan.

“Great, they’re still staring at us,” you noted with a quick glance over your shoulder. You handed him the bottle of sunscreen. “Here, help me put it on my back.”

His eyes widened. “I don’t think—“

But you were already laying down on your stomach on the lounge chair, pushing your hair to the side. “Come on, it’ll look more natural if you help me.”

Maybe you were right, maybe this was necessary, but he couldn’t help recalling the last time he had his hands on you and how that night had turned out. But he convinced himself that this was different. You both were out in the open and surrounded by your friends, so nothing could go wrong.

Nothing serious, anyway.

He moved to your chair while keeping his book securely on his lap, and you caught sight of his awkward movements. “You know you could just put the book down.”

“No, I… I think I’ll keep it with me.”

“You must really like that book.”

He forced a small laugh, trying to appear casual. “Yeah, it’s, uh, a good read.”

You frowned, clearly not buying it but choosing not to push further. He then took a deep breath and poured some sunscreen into his hands. He moved closer, the book still awkwardly balanced on his lap, and slowly placed his hands on your back.

Your skin was warm, just like how he had imagined it. Soft and smooth under his fingertips. He started at your shoulders, working his way down with slow, careful motions. He could feel the tension in his body as he focused on you, acutely aware of every inch of skin under his fingers.

You had grown quiet, and Spencer noticed the subtle change in your breathing—how it had deepened and slowed. Your usual witty remarks were replaced by a tense silence that seemed to hum with something neither of you had expected to surface. He felt your muscles relax under his touch, and as he reached the lower part of your back, he paused, unsure.

“Is this okay?” he asked softly.

You nodded. “You can go lower... if you need to.”

He nodded slightly, though you couldn’t see it, and shifted his position. He could feel the heat radiating off your skin, the subtle shifts of your body as you adjusted to his touch. Then his hands slipped a bit further down, his fingers brushing the top of your swimsuit line.

“Let me know if I need to stop,” he murmured, his voice low and almost hesitant.

You didn’t respond immediately, and he took your silence as permission to continue. His pulse quickened as he realized the line he was crossing. This was already dangerous territory, but he couldn’t help it. Not when he was this close to feeling your soft flesh beneath his fingertips. Not when the rush of blood to his groin was making him lose all sense of control.

He carefully slipped his fingers just under your swimsuit. When you made no move to stop him, his fingers dipped dangerously lower, his gaze intently fixed on your face. He observed your mouth part slightly, eyes closed and brows knitted together in a mix of surprise and something else he couldn't quite place.

He was so focused on your expression, the way your body responded to his hands, that he nearly missed the soft, almost breathless sigh that escaped your lips. The sound was unmistakably intimate, downright sinful and he immediately stopped. His hands hovered just above your skin as you quickly opened your eyes, realization dawning on both of you.

"I-I'm sorry, I—" he started, pulling his hands back, the book almost falling from his lap.

"No, it's... it's okay," you said quickly, sitting up and adjusting your swimsuit, a flush creeping up your neck. “I… uh...”

You looked at each other, silent for a heartbeat. Then you both began to speak at the same time.

“I’m gonna—”

“I should probably—”

You cleared your throat, beginning to stand up. “I’m gonna grab a drink. Do you want anything?”

Spencer shook his head, a tight smile briefly crossing his face. “No, I, uh, I’m good. Thanks.”

There was an awkward silence before you finally snapped. You quickly turned and hurried away, leaving Spencer to himself as he sat there, his body betraying a level of sexual frustration that was both inconvenient and embarrassing. The bulge in his pants was almost painfully obvious at that point, forcing him to adjust the book on his lap with a grimace.

His eyes involuntarily flickered back to you, only to regret it instantly as he caught a glimpse of your ass peeking from the bottom of your swimsuit. He let out a sigh. He might actually need a cold drink after all, or better yet, a whole bucket of ice.

[a-dauntless-daffodil]

Vaggie: “Charlie. You know I love you, right?”

Charlie: “….”

Charlie: “…before I answer, can I ask YOU a question?”

Vaggie: “Sure, babe. Fire away.”

Charlie: “Okay.”

Charlie: “Is this about the singing cannibal quartet love song turned massacre in the hotel lobby?”

Vaggie: “No.”

Charlie: “Is it about the supposedly non-man eating flowers that tried eating Angel Dust, which Niffty won’t let us get rid of now because she wants to train them to hunt cockroaches with her?”

Vaggie: “No.”

Charlie: “Is it about the alleged cookies Husk is still in bed recovering from taste testing?”

Vaggie: “Those were cookies?”

Charlie: “Allegedly. In a previous life maybe.”

Vaggie: “Huh. They weren’t bad.”

Charlie: “They- Vaggie, you didn’t actually EAT-”

Vaggie: “After wrestling Angel Dust out of the third flower in a row? I was hungry. The kitchen was on fire earlier so I knew you’d made something. And they were sitting in a common area, unclaimed and unlabeled.”

Charlie: “I put CAUTION TAPE around them!!”

Vaggie: “We don’t have anyone staying here named Caution or Hazardous Waste. Not yet, anyway.”

Charlie: “ARE YOU FEELING OKAY!?”

Vaggie: “Fine. This isn’t about the uh, ‘alleged cookies’.”

Charlie: “Well then what is it about? Am I forgetting something else?”

Vaggie: “Maybe. Are you gonna answer my question now?”

Charlie: “Of course I know you love me, Vaggie. Absolutely."

Vaggie: "Then-"

Charlie: "A dangerous amount, even- you sure you’re feeling alright? Those cookies... poor Husk…”

Vaggie: “Husk is on average 40% alcohol and not used to solid foods. This was a good learning experience for him, trust me.”

Charlie: “I do! I do I do, I just, also really hope Angel Dust knows how to BE an actual bedside nurse as well as DRESS like one. A. Sexy one.”

Vaggie: “We’ll save Husk from medical malpractice in a minute. Right now though…”

Vaggie: (smooch the tol gf)

Charlie: “?”

Vaggie: “You don’t have to do extra things like this, sweetie.”

Charlie: “Oh.”

Vaggie: “Not that I didn’t love the thought behind it.”

Charlie: “There were no thoughts. Just, wow I love my girlfriend, wow I really hope she knows I love her.”

Vaggie: “I do. You’re amazing, and doing normal hotel crisis things with you is already amazing enough.”

Charlie: (droops) “I know, I know…”

Vaggie: “So?”

Charlie: “Well that’s the THING though! We’ve only been doing hotel stuff!”

Vaggie: “It’s a pretty wide range of activities you gotta admit.”

Charlie: “Oh sure right, sooo varied- stop a murder, fight to stop a murder, try not to do a murder, replace THIS fix THAT organize another group talk and go into red alert whenever the things get suspiciously quiet- go collect the bodies, probably reassemble them, pay the bills, supervised arts and crafts and Cherri still makes a BOMB somehow-”

Vaggie: “Everyone getting together to blow it up outside was kinda sweet.”

Charlie: “And that’s great! We’re doing great, things are going good, it’s just- WE don’t do anything that’s just for US.”

Vaggie: “That what’s bothering you?”

Charlie: “Bothering me? BOTHERING ME?? Vaggie our last outing together was dragging you back up to HEAVEN where the people who left you in hell also BLAKMAILED YOU!"

Vaggie: "Could've been worse."

Charlie: "IT WAS HORRIBLE! A NEGATIVE TIME TOGTHER! I’m gonna explode- I haven’t taken you on an actual date in MONTHS!!!”

Vaggie: “So let’s go then.”

Charlie: “I know we can’t just leave the hotel, but that doesn’t stop-”

Charlie: “…”

Charlie: “Huh?”

Vaggie: “Let’s go. We can take the rest of the night off.”

Charlie: “….can we?”

Vaggie: “Sure. Niffty’s busy with her new murder plant buddies, Husk’s busy being sick, Angel Dust’s busy with Husk, and Cherri Bomb… well. If the singing cannibal duo wants to keep playing exploding volleyball with her out back then that’s their problem, not ours.”

Charlie: “It’ll be our problem REAL quick if anyone spikes the bomb at the hotel!”

Vaggie: “It’ll be just another Tuesday, another hole in the wall, and a chance for Cherri to learn about the wonders of vacuum cleaners and wall plaster.”

Charlie: “Which you won’t be able to sleep knowing about until you’ve redone the whole thing yourself.”

Vaggie: “That’s still just another Tuesday.”

Charlie: “What about Husk being sick? AND suffering under Angel Dust’s dubiously sexy medical care?”

Vaggie: “If they’re bothering each other they can’t be getting into trouble with anyone else. Win-win.”

Charlie: “Niffty is building an army.”

Vaggie: “Good for her.”

Charlie: “She might be planning on wiping out all life in the hotel???”

Vaggie: “Hell forbid the cleaning ladies do anything.”

Charlie: “Why are you suddenly so okay with mess and chaos? You HATE messes and chaos! You patrol the hotel just to check everyone’s doing what you thought they’d be doing, based on all the little schedules you keep making on them!”

Vaggie: “Which they didn’t need to hear you yelling about but sure.”

Charlie: “You refold all my laundry so the creases line up just right! Why- oh no.”

Charlie: (gasp) “Vaggie, don’t panic, but I think the evil fail cookies are affecting you-”

Vaggie: “Charlie-” (laughing) “-no, they’re not. Maybe I’m fine with a little extra mess and chaos, if it means spending time with you.”

Charlie: “….”

Charlie: “How many fingers am I holding up?”

Vaggie: “Triangle. Wanna go on a date with me?”

Charlie: “YE- wait, you’re sure though?”

Vaggie: “I’m sure.”

Charlie: “Really sure?”

Vaggie: “Very.”

Charlie: “It’s not a fun date if it makes you super stressed afterwards.”

Vaggie: “I’m always stressed. It’d be nice if I could at least get some uninterrupted ‘stare at my beautiful girlfriend’ time while I’m at it.”

Charlie: “The hotel’s gonna be in RUINS when we get back. Our friends might be on fire by then.”

Vaggie: “C’mon, they’re not our kids. They’re all responsible adults….”

Chaggie: “…..”

Vaggie: “….they’re all adults…”

Charlie: “Who we’re kinda responsible for…?”

Vaggie: “Not for tonight.”

Charlie: (sighing) “That WOULD be nice.”

Vaggie: “So let’s make it happen. Date night?”

Charlie: “-ES YES YES YES YES-”

Vaggie: “That a yes?”

Charlie: “YES!!! I- Hold on, wait wait, I’ve got-”

Charlie: (pulls out several papers covered in writing and diagrams)

Charlie: “…I’ve got, let’s see here-”

Vaggie: “Notes?”

Charlie: “-seven quick pick up date ideas that don’t need ANY preparation-”

Vaggie: “You made plans for dates you didn’t even think we’d go on?”

Charlie: “Well it never hurts to dream about something, right? That way you get to have fun either way, and you’ll be ready if it does happen!”

Vaggie: “I love you.”

Charlie: (grinning) “You love that you’ve infected me with note cards and organizing thoughts and things~”

Vaggie: “That too.”

Charlie: “Well according to my wonderful notes, the least stressful date option is…. Cannibal Town!”

Vaggie: “They have that dress code don’t they.”

Charlie: “Unless you wanna get your cute butt chased for all the wrong reasons, yep! They do!”

Vaggie: “Is this you wanting to see me in a fancy-ass dress?”

Charlie: “And to stroll down the nicely kept streets arm-in-arm with you, enjoyed the quiet atmosphere not filled with random agonized screams, stopping to admire the beautiful and very well composted flower beds…”

Vaggie: “I’d stroll with you anywhere, so count me in.”

Charlie: “YES! Oh I already LOVE THIS- and Vaggie?”

Vaggie: “Yeah?”

Charlie: “I love you too.”

Vaggie: “Wow really. Had no idea.”

Charlie: “Heheh.”

Vaggie: “Honestly there’ve been like, zero hints about that all day.”

Charlie: “I promise I really was trying to be subtle.”

Vaggie: “There’s a lot of words for you, but subtle’s probably not one of them.”

Charlie: “I tried. I tried for youuuuuuu~ For the sake of my girlfriend, I was willing to go against my baser and more dramatic nature!”

Vaggie: “What’s more dramatic than man eating flowers, that’s what I’d like to know.”

Charlie: “A garden.”

Vaggie: “A g- a whole garden?”

Charlie: (shrug) “We’ve got plenty of empty rooms…”

Vaggie: “A garden, sweetie.”

Charlie: “I was thinking of putting a lot of trees and bushes in. Lots of stuff to hide behind.”

Vaggie: “Our own little patch of private picnic paradise, huh?”

Charlie: “Hm-hmm! Or for makeouts. Or both?”

Vaggie: (chuckling) “Not to spoil the mood but… speaking of plants and compost, on our date, should we bring the other half of the cannibal quartet over to Rosie’s while we’re headed there? Or, what’s left of them?”

Charlie: “Mmmmm NAAAH. I wanna have all hands free on the way over.”

Vaggie: “Hands free for what?”

Charlie: “Nothing~”

Vaggie: “Your hands are already on my ass, Charlie.”

Charlie: “Oh whoops!”

Vaggie: “I didn’t say you could move them.”

Charlie: “That’s why I’m not~”

Vaggie: “You’re in a mood tonight, aren’t you.” (muttering) “I’m not even the one off playing with carnivorous plants, so why's it suddenly feel like I’m in danger...”

Charlie: “Beecaaaause you look dangerously cute in a fancy dress.”

Vaggie: “Says the woman walking around in THAT suit.”

Charlie: “I have to dress sharp! I need to match with my girlfriend!”

Vaggie: “You’ve been wearing that exact same kind of suit since long before you even met me.”

Charlie: “Only through YEARS of unfulfilled potential!”

Vaggie: “Uh huh.”

Charlie: “Tragic, wasted beauty!”

Vaggie: “Hardly wasted with you in it.”

Charlie: “But it was! A jacket crying out for the one woman who’ll finally borrow and wear it the way it was always meant to be worn!”

Vaggie: “With the sleeves falling over my hands?”

Charlie: “With that adorable little blush when you snuggle down into it… Also, the way it falls to almost mid-thigh on you, and how you like wearing it with nothing el-”

Vaggie: “Is this a date night or a do not disturb night?”

Charlie: “Date night!”

Vaggie: “Then stop biting your lip at me.”

Charlie: “Aww.”

Vaggie: “And come help me pick out a fancy dress.”

Charlie: “!!! THE ONE FROM THE COMMERCIAL MAYBE???”

Vaggie: “Oh you liked that look, huh?” (snickering) “Aw babe- is THAT why you stay up replaying the commercial some nights?”

Charlie: “That’s… public image analysis…”

Vaggie: “Whatever you say. Now you now know how I feel every day.”

Charlie: (muttering) “lucky you.”

Vaggie: “You wanna switch things up for the date, or keep the suit?”

Charlie: “Keep, probably..? You like me in the suit~”

Vaggie: “I like you in a lot of things.”

Charlie: “R-right.”

Vaggie: “And nothing.”

Charlie: “I- same.” (horns start popping out) “Um.” (pushes them back in) “Could we also. Wear matching hats?”

Vaggie: “Of course we’re wearing matching hats. This is supposed to be a fancy date right?”

Charlie: “Very. Very fancy.”

Vaggie: “Well nothing’s fancier than hats."

Charlie: "WHEEE! With flowers on them, yeah!?"

Vaggie: "Have I ever let you down?”

Charlie: “Never.”

Vaggie: “And do you promise not to bring me anymore demonic flowers or singing quartets?”

Charlie: “… I’ll do my best.”

Vaggie: “Perfect.”

Vaggie: “…”

Vaggie: “I wouldn’t say no to a few more of those cookies though-”

Charlie: “NO.”

Vaggie: “Sweetie, they were good.”

Charlie: “No. Absolutely no, I am NOT poisoning you on purpose. Not even if you ask me nicely and pout about it like that.”

Vaggie: “You deny the cookies?”

Charlie: “Don’t even start-”

Vaggie: “Girlfriend abuse. Toxic relationship alert.”

Charlie: “Those 'cookies' were the MOST TOXIC THING that our relationship has EVER seen!”

Vaggie: “They were made with love.”

Charlie: “And likely heavy metals? The fact that you willingly ate them is maybe the most WORRYING thing our relationship has ever seen…”

Vaggie: “Cough exorcist lie cough cough.”

Charlie: “Totally different. That didn’t put you in active danger-”

Niffty: “SPEAKING OF DANGER!”

Chaggie: (screaming)

Niffty: “My murder plant babies are in danger.”

Vaggie: “HOW can- how can those things BE in danger?”

Charlie: “NIFFTY PLEASE! The knocking?? The not dropping from air vents???”

Niffty: “Only in emergencies, I remember! This is an emergency. Husk is feeding himself to my murder plan babies.”

Vaggie: “Why.”

Niffty: “Escaping nurse Angel Dust and unnecessary CPR.”

Charlie: “Oh for-”

Vaggie: “Let him. They won’t kill him. Permanently, anyway.”

Charlie: “…. Hm.”

Niffty: “What if my murder babies get food poisoning from second hand bad cookies?”

Vaggie: “Seek revenge for them or something?”

Niffty: “OoooOOOH!”

Niffty: (scuttles away cackling)

Charlie: “Oh noooo, you’ve given her an idea-”

Vaggie: “Too late to stop her now. C’mon.” (grabbing charlie’s hand) “Make a break for our room before anyone else-”

Cherri Bomb: “Hey girls! Uh, you were planning on making a pit for a hotel swimming pool, right? Like, one already kinda full of blood? Right out back? Right???”

Chaggie: “….”

Charlie: “… Hello~! Charlie and Vaggie can’t be reached at the moment!”

Vaggie: “We’ll be out all night.”

Cherri Bomb: “And the pool of blood-?”

Charlie: “So please leave a message at the sound of the beep!”

Vaggie: “Beeeeep.” (at charlie) “Run.”  

Charlie: (scooping up vaggie) “My legs are longer-”

Vaggie: “Brilliant thinking sweetie now GO GO GO!!!”

Chaggie: (flees)

Cherri Bomb: “…..”

Cherri Bomb: “They take the u-haul thing seriously, huh.”

-their room-

Charlie: “….Vaggie.”

Vaggie: “Yeah?”

Charlie: “Stop it.”

Vaggie: “Stop what?”

Charlie: “Vaggie.”

Vaggie: “Mmm?”

Charlie: “…..”

Charlie: “…..fine, FINE!” (groaning) “I’ll see about salvaging the burnt remains of the evil cursed cookie recipe when we get back. Now will you PLEASE stop messing with your flawless hair and put the dress on? Or anything!? Anything being put on would be good now too!”

Vaggie: (smiling) “No idea what you mean babe, but alright.” (quietly to herself) “Mission success.”

Charlie: “I heard that.”

-exiting hotel-

Vaggie: “Almost there.”

Charlie: “Oh please my dad who’s probably in a pile of duckies, please just let us make it out the d-”

(horrific screaming from deeper inside hotel)

Charlie: “…..”

Vaggie: “….”

Charlie: “We didn’t hear that.”

Vaggie: “We kinda already did, sweetie.”

Charlie: “No.” (pouting) “No. We can hear it when we get back.”

Vaggie: “Fine by me.”

Charlie: (SIGHING) “Even though we’re gonna hear allllll about not hearing it when we get back...”

Vaggie: “Worth it.”

Charlie: (grinning) “Think so?”

Vaggie: “Do you?”

Charlie: (already tugging them out the door by their entwined hands) “More than worth it.” (lifts and twirls vaggie down the hotel steps) “Whooosh!”

Vaggie: “Oh is THIS why you really wanted me in a fancy dress? For the ‘whoosh’?”

Charlie: “That, and for the way you smile when I whoosh you~”

[brianwashere]

hello!! saw your writing today in my tags and got interested, read some more and you seem really cool :D i got one fic stuck in my head though, the one you posted earlier today with the 7 foot spider reader! it was really cool but i kind of thought about a follow up (and I made sure to check your rules before this)

i was thinking, m/n is really big, intimidating and generally a badass- however. in bed (nsfw) he’s inexperienced, shy af, and ends up just being really submissive (you actually didn’t specify if you prefer dom or sub reader, i assumed you mind neither, but if u don’t feel comfortable with this then just ignore)

thank you, and keep up your great works so far :D

Anon, you’re officially my favorite fucking person ever. Oh my god. This req. warmed my heart. Idek what. It just did. Thank you for reading my other fics too. Wow. I’m reeling rn.

Also you didn’t specify who with so I just did HCs for Noir and Miguel

Pls req again soon! You’re so sweet

**I do not own any characters or part of the franchise from marvel or sony **

Summary: look at req

Tw: explicit activities ehehehehe, language

-Miguel-

The first time you two try anything he’s expecting you to be all dominant and get his ass blasted

Y’all two are making out and he’s ready to take it to the next level

And you’re nervous cause you know he’s expecting you to be this super experienced “knows how to make you scream immediately” kinda guy

The truth is you haven’t had much experience because while people may be into the whole “huge man” thing they’re too scared to actually come up to you and even have a conversation

And you’re also scared of hurting your partner

Just a mix of things that led you to little experience

It doesn’t take long for Miguel to figure it out

As soon as you glanced at his face nervously he knew something was up

At first Miguel is surprised bcc he would’ve expected men and women to practically be hanging from you

Once he recovers from the initial shock he’s down with topping and showing you the ropes

It’s a bit of a boost to his ego, not to mention a massive turn on for him

He never lets you shy away from him/cover your face. He loves seeing you. He knows he’s not stronger than you but he’ll still pull your hands away/pull you closer

But sometimes he does wanna be on bottom

Queue very erotic teaching sessions

When you do something he likes he’ll definitely over exaggerate so you’ll know

He also loves marking you up in more…intense ways because he knows it won’t really hurt you

Clawing your back. He’ll claw the SHIT out of your back.

Biting you too. Sometimes he just can’t help it

He finds out you have god tier stamina and impecable recovery time and will definitely use that to his advantage

*cough cough* Overstimulation and denial *cough cough*

He’s down to do whatever you’re comfortable with but sometimes he really needs some stress relief i.e. getting a blowjob or just fucking you senseless

He won’t admit it but he likes when he’s the little spoon after you two are done

~Noir~

You got nervous and told him the first make out session that you had practically no experience

He was a little taken aback, again, you’re so big and so hot how could people not be lining up for a piece of you

It makes him feel even more lucky to be with you though

“Oh…that’s ok, dear. We’ll take it slow, then.”

Then he finds out your submissive too and he’s pretty sure he has a heart attack

Now he was pretty vanilla at first but then he found the internet and stumbled upon some kinks and did some…research

Behind. He loves seeing your back muscles move and twist under him

He likes tying your wrists together with some of his webbing

It’s strong enough that it could actually hold you if you tried resisting, maybe not for very long, but it wouldn’t snap like thread at the slightest pressure

He loves praising you. Praise. All the time. Always praise. You could breathe and he’d be on his knees for you

Every time he does something new he asks if you’re ok with it

He’ll be gentle if that’s what you want but he figures out that’s usually not the case

Usually you want everything he’s got, as much as he’ll provide you

He does love soft romantic nights with you though

Where he gets to enjoy your large beautiful frame and your contrasting shyness

When he gets to slow down and drink in ALL of you

The noises you make, the small movements, your incoherent mumbling

He loves ALL of it

He’s so down bad for you not even a joke

A little guilty pleasure for him is kissing you senseless

He loves being the big spoon for you, even if it just feels like a backpack is attached to you

[random-potat]

and they were roommates - kjs. - pt. 4

part 4. moving in (wc. 456)

Packing your belongings that's enough for six weeks in forty-five minutes is definitely easier said than done, but alas, it is not completely impossible. Honestly, you can't really tell if you are overpacked or underpacked. What mattered most was that Bada didn't kill you for procrastinating.

With five minutes to spare, you rush down to the parking lot to store your luggage in the trunk of the car.

The rest of your members come down to say goodbye. Let's just say the dramatics were turned on, that's for sure. 

“I'm surprised you actually packed quickly,” your leader says. 

“What can I say? I'm serious about my cookie dough.” 

"I can't believe you’re leaving me behind,” Ria dramatically wails. 

Rolling your eyes, you pull her in for a hug. “It’s not like I’m permanently moving; I’ll be gone for like six weeks.” You pat Ria’s back and say, "Plus, we’ll still see each other for practice.” 

“That’s only if there is something to practice for.” Eunwoo interrupts, hugging the two of you. 

Bada lovingly pinches Eunwoo. “Don't say that, Eunwoo, we still have festivals to practice for,” Bada says as she joins in the group hug. 

“As much as I would hate to break this group moment, we really have to go now, YN,” manager Woo interrupts. 

After saying what seems to be but isn’t really your final goodbyes to your group members, you head into the car for a long one and a half-hour drive away from the city.

After a long ride that only involved sleeping, you arrive outside of the shared villa that you’ll eventually be sharing with five other people, who also happen to be idols. “Can’t wait to get cancelled,” you thought. 

Manager Woo begins to give you a quick debrief of what is going to happen.  

“Everything is already set up in the house. The producers will be in the hallway guiding you where to go, and you guys will all be entering individually.”

“Wow, this is some Love Island-type shit. Minus the love part,” you quickly look around your surroundings, “and the island,” you respond.

Manager Woo gives you a stern look and says, "After that, everything is going to be directed by the producer. Schedules will be sent to you like normal, but most things won’t interrupt the filming for this show.

You nod your head.

Manager Woo gave a small smile, "Just enjoy the experience, don’t take everything too seriously, okay?”

"Sir, yes, sir.” You send a mocking salute.

Getting out of the car and dragging your luggage towards the house, you take a deep breath in and out. “Of course I’m the first one going in. Well, here goes nothing. A hot new bombshell enters the villa.”

a/n: very subtle love island references cause that was my hyperfixation when i was writing this in the summer :p but other than that hope you guys are enjoying it so far. really just creating this as i go but i do have ideas that i know i want to be in the story, so we'll just have to see where this ends up lmao!! also school has officially started as im posting this so that's really fun :)) much more writing to do although essays aren't fun

synopsis: With long-time K-pop fans asking for another season of the infamous variety show We Got Married, MBC brings it back with a spin-off, We Became Roommates. As a way to bring K-pop fans together, the first season involves six idols born in 2005. With seeing each other every day, doing missions for every episode, making memories, and fans watching and shipping, blossoming friendships and a bubbling romance can't be helped. pairing: idol!jongseob x fem idol!reader genre: idol au, crack, fluff, humour, coworkers to friends to lovers

previous ✉︎ next ✉︎ masterlist

likes and reblogs are appreciated ⋆˙⟡♡

taglist; open 📌: @yoizhrs @sunoostripletriple @seobluv @sirenla @chuuswifereal @rkivegirlsblog @tkooooop @forever-atiny @i03jae @bludzk1llzyuzu @downmainstreet @astro-doll-the-star @rinaforstars @ssweetreveries @finnbbl @keropiimp3 ~ (send an ask or comment if you'd like to be added to the taglist ദ്ദി(｡•̀ ,<)~✩‧₊)

[luffysinterlude]

REMEMBER WHEN. . .

★ summary: the straw hat pirates reminisce on some fun memories while voyaging through the Grand Line.

★ warnings: chatroom au/comedic relief, mentions of pregnancy, cursing, takes place after water seven/pre thriller bark, ooc characters, use of yn + female reader in mind, flirty!yn + the crew teases yn a bit ><, zoro x reader…kinda..im biased im sorry 😞 + some things are NOT canon and i just made it up :p

★ an: hiii!! there is not enough one piece fanfic content on this app in my opinion (i feel like i’ve read almost every piece, all have been amazing), so here’s my attempt at making more!! also, i’m still pretty new to the op fandom, so some characters may be a little ooc. i’m still reading/watching thriller bark so pls bare with me! also this is a chatroom au because i don’t have access to social app anymore *cry*. anyway, please enjoy!

NOW ONLINE [9]. . .

yn: SIGHHHHHHHHHH

robin: is everything okay, yn?

chopper: yeah yn, is everything okay?

zoro: probably not

yn: just thinking

usopp: thinking about where we’ll be next? praying manifesting it isnt anywhere scary

chopper: everywhere we’ve been has been terrifying

nami: yeah usopp

nami: its like we goto hell, leave it, and then enter another part of it

nami: i think we should just start expecting the worst

zoro: maybe we should all just get a lil more stronger. starting with the blonde pervert we have as our cook

sanji: I DIDNT EVEN SAY ANYTHING YET

sanji: AND YOURE THE ONE TO TALK!

sanji: MUST I REMIND YOU THAT I LITERALLLLY JUST SAVED YOU AND USOPP AT THAT TOWER

luffy: oooooo thinking about what? tell me tell me tell me!

sanji: now, my dearest yn, please let me know if theres anyway i can assist you

zoro: she probably doesn’t want your help lmfao no offense

sanji: WHOOOO was even talking to you? I SAID YN’S NAME IN THE TEXT DAMMIT

nami: can you two idiots cut it out already? its like, i can hear your voices through my screen and i don’t like that

franky: yeah it’s actually kinda crazy i can hear you all…without actually being in your presence

chopper: soooo yn?

luffy: yeah yn what’s going on?

yn: just sitting here thinking about all of our fun adventures. like wow we actually did all of that and it was like…real life

yn: i feel like if i didnt know you guys and didn’t experience it then it wouldn’t sound real

yn: but like wow it was all real

robin: we’ve had some wild times, haven’t we?

luffy: LOL yeah that might’ve been on me

luffy: but we’ve survived this long

luffy: we’ll continue to survive because fate loves us!

nami: -.-

sanji: luffy’s right, surprisingly

sanji: sometimes i think about how fate brought us together…or atleast i think about how fate brought me nami yn and robin together

yn: watch it pretty boy

sanji: YES MA’AM

sanji: screenshotting

zoro: ignoring that dude. i think it’s amazing how we prevail every time. we get stronger without realizing

yn: i mean we did fly into the sky

yn: thats so crazy we actually like. flew. in the air. on a ship.

nami: yeah all thanks to me ;*

yn: thank u pretty i remember falling in love with you then and there

franky: WHAT THE HELL

franky: YOU GUYS FLEW IN THE AIR WITH MERRY?!

usopp: HELL YEAH MERRY FLEWWW

usopp: FRANKY YOU SHOULDVE SEEN IT

usopp: there was this gigantic whirlpool below us and everything

chopper: haha yeah that was crazy! and those giant monkeys

robin: oh! yes, the saruyama alliance. i could never forget the amount of fun i had during our time on Jaya Island

yn: robin i love u but FUNNNNNN???-?-?-!-? DID WE FORGET ABOUT THAT STUPID FOREST CRICKET HAD US GO INTO?!1? i still have nightmares of that stupid south bird and its stupid face and the way it made all those stupid bugs chase me

luffy: haha those south birds were really something else

nami: it’s funny because we had no idea what was coming next

zoro: that stupid “God” was next. what was his name again? emily? enemy….?

zoro: well shit i’ve forgot. it was somethin else though. his stupid lightning

franky: BROTHER WHAT

franky: YOU GUYS FOUGHT….A GOD?!?!1???!!!?

franky: was it like….you know…..THE GOD

chopper: not really sure what you mean but that guy enel really had some sort of crazy insane powers

chopper: him and his crazy insane priests were able to predict our moves!

robin: oh yeah. he electrocuted zoro, yn, and i.

yn: pls dont remind me TT

yn: he scares me because i feel like he somehow is still alive

yn: like what if hes reading our messages

nami: i never thought of it like that…

nami: enel if ur reading this please drop 1,000,000,000 berries down from the sky

luffy: i wish the skypeians and shandians rang the bell more often.

luffy: haha oh well! i know they’re doing just fine! :D

usopp: well thanks to yn now i’m reminscing TT

usopp: it feels like alabasta JUST happened

robin: well, we did just face the world government

robin: technically crocodile was apart of it

usopp: YEAH AND YOU WERE HIS ASSISTANT OR WHATEVER

robin: that’s the past. i had to do what i needed to do to survive. and i’m glad i was, considering i was able to find you all <3

yn: ROBINNNNNNN TT

nami: ROBINNNNN

sanji: robin i wouldve followed you to hades’ kingdom if i had to. i will always protect you (and nami and yn. the others can fend for themselves).

luffy: hahahaha i agree!! see, fate loves us

chopper: WE LOVE U ROBIN

franky: YEAH! WE LOVE SISTER ROBIN!

zoro: appreciate ya.

usopp: YEAAAA WE LOVE ROBIN!

yn: shoutout to us

yn: i love us

yn: i love being a strawhat

chopper: same!!! forever and always gonna be a strawhat!!

luffy: i love our little family!

luffy: without you all, i wouldn’t be as close as i am to reaching my dream! so thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

luffy: also sanji when is dinner gonna be ready so i know when to head back to the sunny

nami: same

nami: now i’m really reminiscing. do you guys remember when yn thought she was pregnant

usopp: i-

usopp: …

yn: NAMI

yn: alright well.

sanji: WHATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT TT

sanji: also luffy dinner will be ready when its dinner time. its mid day. if you’re hungry i have snacks in the fridge or since you’re running around this island, find a food stand

sanji: BUT WHATTTTTT DID NAMI JUST SAY

chopper: HUUUUUUUUUUUUH

robin: what a naughty girl you are, nami. teasing yn about her “almost” pregnancy

nami: yk me! but i remember being soooooo worried only for the pregnancy test to come back negative

zoro: yn?

franky: LITTLE SIS YN…DOES THE DEED….BUT SHE LOOKS SO INNOCENT

luffy: oh wow cool sanji thanks!

luffy: also congrats yn? but where will the baby stay?

usopp: did you even read nami’s text

luffy: oh..right LOL that’s good! i can’t imagine yn having a baby. plus how are babies even made

chopper: :o

nami: …

robin: your innocence is apart of my will to live

yn: luffy TT

sanji: THROUGH LOVE! BABIES ARE MADE THROUGH LOVE!!!

luffy: oh sickkkkkk do you guys think we can make one?

yn: oh luffy TT

nami: well!

sanji: he’ll come around

luffy: LOL BRB

LUFFY has gone offline.

chopper: wonder what he’s up to

yn: probably found food like sanji told him to

zoro: yeah he kind of left the store we’re at and i have no desire to look for him right now

zoro: oh nevermind. he just went outside to buy meat from a vendor. he’s good, still in my eyesight

chopper: also

chopper: YN WHY DIDNT YOU TELL ME

yn: chopper >< you were still fairly new to the crew then

yn: but this happened after we left chopper’s hometown

yn: i think i was just sick because of the crazy weather changes, plus nami has just recovered and didn’t want anyone to be worried sick :p

zoro: why didnt you tell me?

zoro: you’re apart of the crew too, ya know.

usopp: interesting

sanji: you stupid ass MOSSHEAD WHY WOULD SHE TELL YOU HER BUSINESS

nami: sigh

nami: its like the most obvious thing ever

robin: i’m afraid it just isn’t clicking for him.

yn: it’s not like i didn’t wanna tell you

zoro: okay so why didn’t you

sanji: WATCH HOW YOU SPEAK TO HER DUMBASS!

yn: LMFAOOO I REMEMBER WHY I DIDNT TELL YOU

yn: YOU GOT LOST AS SOON AS WE GOT TO ALABASTA

yn: and by time i found you, i had already forgotten that i thought i was pregnant because there was a whole warlord wanting us dead so

zoro: hmm. okay. well next time..

sanji: YOU DIDNT HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO HIM YN YOURE BETTER THAN HIM IN EVERY WAY

zoro: if you ever need a safe space. you know.

yn: hehe yes i do. but i apologize for not telling you as soon as i felt…different. it’s just that we’ll always have bigger issues to worry about

franky: ummmm are we interrupting something

zoro: hm

zoro: nah. yn and i will talk later when we see each other.

zoro: for now i’m thinkin about that time luffy and i got beat up on jaya island. now i’m annoyed.

zoro: the principle of the matter was good but i really just had to sit there and take an ass beating when i could’ve handled the entire bar

zoro: ehhhh now i’m gonna go workout. if anyone needs me you know where to find me.

ZORO has gone offline.

yn: he left saying “you know where to find me” as if we’ll actually know

robin: i really hope he finds his way back to the sunny.

sanji: he can get lost for all i care

yn: it’s crazy that i really thought i was pregnant that one time

yn: even vivi thought so

nami: i was super worried

nami: so worried i was reading every book we had to find anything i could help you with

usopp: well i’m offended cause why didn’t you tell me i thought we were besties

yn: wellllllllll no offense but full offense, you have “i-can’t-seem-to-keep-my-mouth-shut” disease

yn: just yappin all day everyday

franky: so, sister yn, zoro huh?

sanji: DONT OFFEND HER LIKE THAT YOU IDIOT!

usopp: HEYYYYY!!!!! I WOULDVE KEPT A SECRET

sanji: yn my loveeeeee you know you could always tell me your secrets

yn: i cant lie i almost let it slip when i helped you with dinner that night

yn: but again, bigger fish to fry

sanji: screenshotted again

sanji: did you guys see that? shes flirting with me. might die

robin: hm not sure what part of that was flirting but whatever makes you happy.

nami: oooo franky’s quick

franky: it isn’t hard to tell

chopper: what’re you all talking about!!?

yn: nothing important you little cute doctor

chopper: >~< SHUT UP! >~< THAT DOESNT WORK ON ME!!

sanji: robin! nami! yn!!!! i will be going offline to go back to the sunny to make some snacks. would you ladies do me the pleasure of enjoying them? should they be ready before you all arrive?

robin: please do! surprise us this time :)

yn: hell yea sanji you know i’d never say no to you

nami: lol yes please! i’m kind of craving something sweet

sanji: OFF TO THE KITCHEN I GO!! GIVE ME AN HOUR!!

SANJI has gone offline.

yn: well now that those three are gone

yn: i worry about them a lot

yn: i feel like those three find trouble every where we go

chopper: same but we’re all like, insanely strong now!

chopper: and it’s not like we’re actively looking for trouble, sometimes we just want to chill

nami: yeah. but now, more than ever, i feel more secure

nami: like wow he’s really gonna be king of the pirates

yn: most definitely. we only ever get stronger

usopp: yeaaaaaaaaaaaaa obviously i’ve had my doubts but…

usopp: it’s never been because of luffy

robin: ever since i met you guys again on alabasta…

robin: i knew you all would give me a life worth living

yn: robin’s so sweet online it makes me want to cry

yn: well shes always sweet

franky: SISTER ROBIN TT

nami: robin, i’m curious. how did you find our ship?

robin: well it was just docked and i figured i’d finally take a rest somewhere. if you all hadn’t left alabasta by time i had woken up, then i wouldn’t have stayed. like luffy says, fate loves us.

franky: WHAAAAAT you just…..snuck on? O.O

chopper: oh yeah i remember!

chopper: i’m not gonna lie, i was a little intimidated by you at first

yn: OH HOW COULD I FORGETTTTTTTTT

yn: chopper wasn’t there when we first met robin!

nami: oh yeah!

yn: franky chopper omg like have i ever told the story of how i first fell in love with robin

usopp: OH YEAH she blew that guy’s ship up

usopp: i wonder how vivi’s doing

nami: VIVI TT i hope she’s okay

nami: but yeah i agree. i was scared shitless of robin but then she told me she got me treasure

franky: WOAH ROBIN BLEW SOMEONES SHIP UP?

robin: not entirely. he survived and thats what matters

franky: i mean i guess

franky: i was definitely intimidated by luffy when we first met. even though that was like three weeks ago

franky: i can’t lie he still sometimes intimidates me

yn: brother ur half machine

franky: YEAH BUT MOSTLY HUMAN!!!

franky: anyway sisters. you guys have to tell me more stories at dinner later i have to go refill the coke tanks, see ya!

FRANKY has gone offline.

usopp: well chat

usopp: i usually help him so i’ll be going back too

usopp: yn i’m expecting way more details later after dinner

usopp: or zoro. but preferably before you see zoro

chopper: i’ll help! girls if you need me for anything i’ll be with those two!!

yn: um…okay…? we’ll see u all later!!!

USOPP has gone offline.

CHOPPER has gone offline.

nami: and now it’s just us three

nami: sorry for bringing your pregnancy scare up

nami: i’m getting my nails done right now and i can’t really seem to remember our journeys

yn: its all good

yn: i kinda forgot about it

robin: we’ve been through so much our brains probably started to black out any unwanted memories. i’ve read that it happens

robin: and yn, i don’t blame you. i would’ve been worried sick if i was apart of the crew then. but since it’s just us…

yn: omg let us catch you up

yn: so basically..i had…with…and then…

nami: —.—

nami: she had sex with someone *cough* zoro *cough* and started puking the next morning

yn: NAMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

yn: TT

nami: i definitely thought it was pregnancy

robin: silly girls. you do realize pregnancy symptoms don’t happen overnight, right?

robin: also, yn. it’s obvious. i’ve seen the way you two are always the first ones missing during our celebrations

nami: well……..yeah but

nami: we can never be TOO safe

yn: mmm if you hadn’t caught on by now then i’d be surprised

yn: i was still scared

yn: i think it was more of a “wow me and zoro actually did that and it was real”

nami: it’s just….in a forest?!-?

nami: with…HIM!!!-?-?-?-??

nami: you can have any man or woman or creature you want and you stillllllllll………….

yn: i was running on adrenaline. that dude and his stupid ass candle wax drove me insane

yn: plus you both know i kinda have a little crush on the guy

yn: i can fix him

nami: okayyyyyy whatever you say.

nami: pfttt “little” and you guys are basically dating in my head

robin: i forgot his actual name but i’m assuming you guys are talking about mr. 3

robin: ah yes his wax is quite the problem. i wonder if hes alive still

nami: i was seriously stressed out

nami: but honestly, since we’re on the topic, i’m glad i joined luffy

nami: there was this one time, yn i’m sure you remember

nami: right before going to the baratie

yn: the day we went to the baratie TT

yn: but what happened before i kinda forgot

nami: WHY’RE YOU ALWAYS FORGETTING THINGS

nami: anyway when we ran into your crazy psycho ex

yn: OMG

yn: AND HE THREATENED LUFFY

yn: AND THEN LUFFY THREW HIM INTO THE OCEAN TT

robin: oh? tell me more about this ex of yours. i’m interested

yn: he kinda followed us after luffy saved me from HIM

yn: um so basically..you know my devil fruit powers…yeah he held them over my head and threatened to tell the marines about me and

nami: it was chaos. but it was the first time i’ve seen yn in combat and it was mind blowing

robin: luffy being our life saver and our little brother

robin: what would we do without him

yn: you’re right

yn: but i think at this point, we’re all strong enough to handle our own. if i ever see my ex again i’ll beat him so bad

nami: yeah me too! cause he had the crazy audacity to ask me out after i found out what he did to you!

nami: either way, i’m just happy we’re still all together. you know since we’ve been throwing the word fate around, i’m really starting to believe it. luffy has a really good sense of knowing who should join our crew

yn: he does :’)

yn: he gave me a family

robin: well we should probably go check on the boys now. i’ll meet you all at the sunny <3

robin: come back safely.

nami: yeah!! you too robin! yn, bring us some goodies! i’ll see you both later!!

yn: I LOVE YOU GUYS BE SAFE ILL SEE YOU SOON

yn: can’t wait to see u guys again

nami: ….you saw us this morning.

ROBIN has gone offline.

NAMI has gone offline.

YN has gone offline.

CHATROOM IS NOW CLOSED [0].

NOW ONLINE [1]. . .

LUFFY is now online.

luffy: HEY GUYSSSSSSS

luffy: IM BACK

luffy: i ate some meat and came back to the shop we were at but zoro isnt here anymore so i’m wondering if you guys happen to know where he is!

luffy: ….

luffy: oh the chatroom closed

luffy: well i guess i better get back to the sunny!

luffy: hopefully my friends make it back safely! we still have more adventures to take care of

luffy: wow these things are so cool i’m just talking to myself

luffy: i wonder if i can get one on the sunny…

luffy: OH WELL

LUFFY has gone offline.

CHATROOM IS NOW CLOSED [0].

★ an [2]: ahhh!! my first work is now done ☺️ honestly this was all self indulgent because i’ve been going through some personal things and right now the strawhats are my comfort zone. i decided to make it like a big groupchat because i don’t really have any friends irl or online so this makes me feel a lil better ☺️! i hope you all enjoyed.

its a lil messy because when i first started this i was about to began Thriller Bark but as I’m typing this I’m currently on the Sabaody Archipelago arc and things are getting more exciting like omg hello mr. Trafalgar Law I’ve been waiting for your debut….

if you enjoyed this please like and reblog! maybe i’ll start writing more drabbles idk. it used to be my thing when i was still using @/krazykento and jjk used to be my comfort zone. also, if you want to be friends please don’t be shy to say anything! i’d love to make new friends!!

[pixeldistractions]

warnings: adult activities and conversation, pictures should be Tumblr-safe (we’ll see…), spice level 3/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️ 😇

He promised she wouldn’t hate this, so sometimes that meant he carried four jugs of water to fill the tank so she could have a luxurious hot shower. She appreciated that, and she would take care of him in return. She massaged his tired muscles, kneading all that tension, the powerful shoulders and hard-working back, and turned him into putty. Then when he was melted to her satisfaction and dozing off to sleep—she wasn’t quite done with him yet—she traced the shapes of his tattoo, spanning shoulder or shoulder.

“Did it hurt?”

“Heh, yeah. It took forever.”

“Does it still?”

“Not anymore.”

“Wait, though, it’s a compass,” she said. “But what good is a compass that you can’t see?”

He chuckled. “Didn’t think of that. Maybe it’s not for me.”

“Who’s it for then?”

“You’re the only one who sees it, so I guess it’s for you.”

“Are you saying I’m lost?”

“No. Not anymore. You have a compass now.”

She could see the corners of his lips, grinning into the pillow.

“Hmm, that’s very suave, mister.”

“We’re gonna pretend I planned it that way.”

She tugged on his body until he rolled over, so she could straddle his front instead, then she leaned down to kiss him.

The close confines of their camper called for some romantic experimentation, but that wasn’t a bad thing. Jordan thrived on variety and the millions of ways and places he could cherish her body. He spoiled her with it. In the cab of the camper, window covers on, lean the seats way way back. A blanket under the stars, rolled up together into a frenzy. Save the moans for outside, though you might scare the wildlife. That could be fun, too. In the deep woods with only the nocturnal creatures as their witness. Don’t be shy of the owls and raccoons. They don’t care, they’re naked, too. A campfire crackling. Shirts kept on, or loosened, or scrunched up in a tangle. A wool blanket draped over her back and slowly falling off with each rock and sway. November brought a harsh chill to the nights, but they were always too hot together to ever feel the cold.

Or, just as often, inside, in their bed. So they devised some tricks, battery powered fans for noise, a makeshift wall made of pallet scrap, a haphazard door cut and fit from more scraps. It closed and locked; that was all that mattered. A carefully placed toy that would rattle when little feet crept out of bed. Keep it slow and rhythmic, so so sweet. Hush now, only whispers and sighs, muffled passions, bit lips, covered moans. Don’t rock the camper.

Another experiment, one that caused some mixed anxieties but was just as exciting, they’d been talking about skin to skin. Maria had been on her new birth control for a full cycle now. She was sure it was the right one this time. Double, triple checked.

“I want to feel you,” she said, “not a rubber bag.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure, very sure,” she said, sliding herself over him, up and down and around him, just waiting for the go-ahead to push him deep inside.

“I’m just saying, the last time I did this, someone got knocked up with twins.”

“I won’t get pregnant. Not tonight, anyway.”

“Wow. Okay. Yes.”

And that was all she needed.

“Fuuuuck,” he moaned.

“I’m gonna need you to last more than two minutes.”

He was already far beyond words, so she got straight to work. She moved herself on him purposefully, hitting all her right spots while keeping it slow and steady, watching his face melt with pleasure, slowing him down and trying her best to beat him to the finish line because this was going to be a race. She would win, but it might be close.

The camper rocked, for sure.

— “boxes and squares #5.1: live the fairytale” (7/10)

previously: Jordan is super careful and Maria is irresponsible

notes: this isn’t just frivolous smut, by the way. (Not that I would ever be above writing such a thing!) We are heading into some important character development in the next piece. Also not meant to be foreboding. She really did double-triple check her birth control this time! It’s like 99% effective or something…

Next -> // 5.1 start // index

[sessakag]

Since guest reviews aren’t allowed at the moment I hope you don’t mind me commandeering your ask box for fic commenting purposes-🍥☀️🍥☀️ (Butterfly chapter 10)

[Her puffy eyes shifted to that part of her Naruto had touched, peering hard at her flesh as though her eyes could detect a spectrum of light that would reveal the shape and color of the warmth his hand had left on hers.] I’m not articulate enough to express why certain lines hit for me beyond saying “wow I really liked that!” so, wow I really liked that!

Hinata cataloging her physiological responses to Naruto made me smile a lot ❤️. Someone help our girl out and explain what a crush is.

Also!!! “Naruto-flutters” is THE CUTEST THING I’VE EVER HEARD!!!!!!! 🥺🥺🥺. When I saw that phrase I had to walk it off as if I was experiencing them myself.

But the part of the chapter that really got me was Hinata experiencing the feeling of safety for the first time. Goddddddd I have so many emotions about that. Honestly as I type this out, I’m tearing up again. [As though there was a shield between her and the things that hurt.] Like????????? This is too much for me 😭.

I have a pretty huge trust kink and the feeling of safety is such a large part of that so you really hit all the right buttons for me. It’s devastating that the reason Hinata isn’t aware of what safety feels like comes from the people who should most have wanted to keep her safe ☹️. But it’s also beautiful seeing her get to experience it with Naruto. I’m so happy for her 💕💕💕💕. Hinata’s panicked response at almost losing that feeling was heartbreaking, but at the same time I’m delighted at how that speaks to her growing affection and need for Naruto.

Sai mention!!! Sai is soooo underrated in my opinion. I have such a soft spot for him. Him interacting with Hinata will either be a huge disaster or a shocking success, with no in between. I love that for him 💕. His bluntness is really reassuring in some ways, and if nothing else, Hinata can’t possibly feel like a social disaster when compared to him 😭. Sai and Hinata being art buddies would be cute! Hopefully they get to interact soon and well.

[Smiling wasn’t the only thing she couldn’t remember doing, laughing was another. Naruto was a well of new experiences for her, and the urge to laugh was one of those newfound, slowly developing experiences he was slowly coaxing from her.] 💔💔💔💕💕💕. Here’s to hoping for many more new experiences together 🙏.

Shikamaru!!!! Another favorite of mine 🥰. I love how cool he was about Hinata’s stutter, to the point of not even mentioning it even though he was aware of it. That’s so very him.

[“How the hell do you know about that?!” Naruto finally burst, piercing the stunned silence, scaring her in the process, though he was too caught up in giving his friend the third degree to notice.] Hmmmmmmn Naruto does get aggressively loud sometimes and I can imagine how scary that must be for Hinata. I wonder if we’ll be seeing more of this situation 👀👀👀.

Hinata hesitating to join in on the conversation was painful and relatable, but I’m so proud she did 💕. She is just as much an inspiration here as Naruto was for her in canon. I hope next time she’ll be able to ask Kurenai for what she wants. Small steps but she’ll get there 💪💪💪.

I’m so curious about Naruto’s pov on the whole court appointed guardian thing. Does he get the full implications of what that means for Hinata and her home life? I feel like at that age hearing something like that, I wouldn’t have wanted to think too deeply into it. But also I’m pretty far removed from high school now so who knows 😂.

The Kurenai-Minato relationship is an interesting one! I wonder if it’ll lead to some fun interactions.

Excellent chapter as usual, thanks for writing.

Of course, as soon as you drop a review, AO3 turned comments back on, lol. But thanks so much for dropping it here! You're one of the ones I was so upset about possibly missing out on! 😭But the crisis is over for now it seems, so you are free to comment again! 💕which I am sooooo happy about! I like getting messages here, but I prefer them on the story that way I can go back and reread them again and again 🙈 when I need a boost to keep going 💪🏾Writing is tough work 😤

Funny thing about this line: [Her puffy eyes shifted to that part of her Naruto had touched, peering hard at her flesh as though her eyes could detect a spectrum of light that would reveal the shape and color of the warmth his hand had left on hers.] It's a Byakugan reference🤭

Right! Poor Hina is clueless, lol. I've been wanting Hinata to switch place with Naruto in a story for a while, having her unable to recognize her own feelings like canon Naruto struggled. I think it's really cute 🙈💕Probably not the reason for her lack of emotional acuity but the concept of it.

Naruto-flutters are so adorable to me too, and it's like ahhhh, omg Hinata do you know what those little flutters mean???🙈she doesn't of course and somehow that makes it even cuter!! 💕💕

Riiiiiiggggghhhtttt, like I love Naruto making her feel all safe, and it hits so much harder because he has no idea what he's truly giving this girl! Like how much he's shining down on this poor wilting water lily🥹💞

Lmao, that is so true! Either Hinata is gonna get a new friend or Naruto's gonna upper cut him through the school roof🙈let's hope Sai makes a wise decision🤭Art buddies would be so adorable! Though Sai would definitely be brutally honest and who knows how Hinata will take that🙈

Here's to more new experiences! 💕💕

Shikamaru's so chill and go with the flow, he was the perfect first initiation into socializing outside Naruto🥰

I cannot express how hype and excited I get when readers catch those little details I put in there🤩Naruto is indeed a very loud, pretty liberally aggressive guy. Perhaps that will factor in again later🫢Naruto's learning gentleness and patience, but maybe there's a few more tricks Hinata can teach him 🤭

Right! And that's what I wanted to get across with Butterfly! Strength is subjective, it's not a one size fits all, and every obstacle a person overcomes is just as important than any other obstacle whether its physical, mental, emotional, psychological, whatever! Hinata struggles with things others take for granted, but she keeps trying, and that's not weakness, that's strength, bravery, determination and just as you said, just as inspiring as Naruto! 😤

He'll revisit the convo about it at some point, don't worry! Its very reminiscent of his past self though, when he was a boy in the woods and didn't really understand the significance of his meeting with Hinata🥹

Kurenai-Minato may or may not have more significance later on, we shall see 🤭

Lovely comment!! Thank you sooo much for coming through!! You are really one of the people I cannot wait to hear from! 🙈you truly make my day!!💕always so thorough and detailed, I love seeing your reactions and being privy to your thoughts on the chapter, and you're consistent support and you don't know how much that means to me 😭Thank you sooooo much!!🦋💕

[eternitywrites]

fantasy AU scenario (not an actual ending) (this series im made a mini scenario on is by YUZUYA on youtube and twitter!)

after a horrid experience in the Straihorn Mountains we finally made it to the top, it was kind of peaceful but none of us let our guard down. just as we were walking to the alter it was silent.

.

.

.

.

kirishima: bakugou what’s wrong? you seem.. off.

bakugou: eh? im fine shitty scales don’t worry about it.

kirishima: my prince, don’t lie to me please. i can tell something’s wrong, your facial expression is off too.

traveler: we can tell what’s wrong, please tell us bakugou! we’re your friends.

bakugou: (he lets out a deep sigh) i swear it’s nothing bad.. just feelings that’s all. forget about that i can see the alter ahead of us come on. (he picks up his pace)

kirishima: traveler theres definitely something wrong with him. i get your gonna.. well be gone soon (he takes a deep breath) but this feels like something else

traveler: yeah i agree (they fidget with their hands)

as i pick up my pace i can hear the two of you behind me, i wanted to get this thing over with. i’m not one to deal with this mushy goodbye shit. i will admit, it is kind of.. hard saying goodbye, after everything we’ve been through i can’t help but to feel a bit sad

bakugou: look we’re here, traveler get that gem out and be prepared to put it in

traveler: got it (sounds of shuffling as they take the gem out)

kirishima: ohh traveler i’m gonna miss you (he hugs them) i really don’t want you to go.. (sniffing noises) but you’ll be at home and that’s what matters

traveler: kirishima don’t cry (they hug him back)

kirishima: (sniffs as he lets go) katsuki i can see that look on your face. you don’t need to hide your feelings. after all this is the last we’ll see our traveler.

bakugou: (deep sigh as he walks over) i.. i’m not good with words. i don’t like being mushy either. you idiots better listen closely cause i’m not repeating anything.

kirishima: mhm

traveler: got it (they make eye contact with him)

bakugou: i.. well you know why i started calling you traveler, instead of outsider?

traveler: well actually not really, i’m just glad you don’t see me as one anymore (they smile lightly)

bakugou: (clears throat) the reason why i started calling you that is.. well because you’ve done a lot for me and eijiro. back in the Hadera Forest you saved kirishima, you’d given up sentimental items just to get me a new sword back in Milosen. hell you still even trusted me even after i attempted to sell that gem of yours. this opened up a bunch of.. feelings. dunce face came into the picture when he said i should get my head out of my ass and admit my feelings.

kirishima: bakugou.. (he says in shock)

bakugou: once i did take feelings into consideration it felt like a curse, it kept on growing and growing, my emotions felt like explosions and i didn’t like it. what i’m trying to tell you, is that i love you and eijiro, i know i suck at communicating but i can’t hold these thoughts in anymore, eijiro ever since i saved you from that.. camp, we traveled together. all the days we spent together to the time we played apart in each others lives, i fell in love with you. i just couldn’t realize it until sparky said something about feelings.

kirishima: (shocked noises) b-bakugou you HUH?

traveler: i-i’m speechless.. really.

kirishima: well.. uh if i’m being totally honest, i also.. love you katsuki. you too traveler! i fell inlove with katsuki after i got to travel with him more, and got to know him i could tell something changed how i looked at him, and Traveler… i’ve always been fond of you, ever since the beginning. but.. it wasn’t until the hadera forest that I realized…. that i loved you. i mean.. how could i not? You saved my life. i guess what I’m trying to say is ……. i love you both. so much.”

traveler: (shocked expression) you guys..

bakugou: eijiro.. you love us?

kirishima: (he nods his head staying silent)

traveler: wow.. i.. don’t know how to react.

bakugou: tch don’t let this stop you from going back home. the reason why we went through all of this was to get you here.

traveler: i.. i just need to say something.

kirishima: we’re listening, go ahead.

bakugou: (hums in agreement)

traveler: if i’m being perfectly honest.. i love you both too. i fell in love with both of you when we were under that cherry blossom tree, when we just well.. relaxed. when we were all play fighting, when we hugged. that just set of a bunch of emotions in me and i didn’t want to leave that moment behind. i don’t want to leave any of you behind.. (they start tearing up)

bakugou: (shocked expression) eh? you.. love us back?

traveler: y-yeah (they start crying)

kirishima: hey.. hey it’s okay traveler (he embraces them)

bakugou: (walks over to the both and joins in on the hug) don’t cry.. damn it

traveler: i wish i could give both of you my love, but time has its limits. (they end the hug) i should be ready to put the gem in the alter when the stars align

bakugou: y-yeah (he rubs his eyes for a second)

kirishima: of course

the three of us stood in silence, waiting for the right moment to put the gem into the alter. it had to be the longest silence of my life. i took a peek up at the sky and rushed you over to the alter

bakugou: traveler it’s almost time, you should go closer and get ready

as you look up the stars were aligned. it was beautiful, but a representation that this was our last time seeing each others. there was a shuffle as you put the gem in. it started glowing and a portal opened up. kirishima stared in wonder.

traveler: this is.. goodbye. goodbye eijiro and katsuki, please don’t forgive about me (noises as they hug them one last time)

kirishima: trust me (he sniffs) we can’t forget about you

bakugou: what the dragon said

traveler: good. i won’t forget about you guys either.

the last thing we saw was you smiling at us before you walked in, and the portal closed.

[fe-fictions]

Kellam x Kiran Commission (I got sick and had a really rough end of year... here's hoping 2024 is a normal one! the flu killed me the last week of 2023 :") but here's my last commission! my resolution is to post more consistently from here on out LOL)

You were all thrilled at the thought of the Hallow’s Eve festival. It was a perfect break for everyone to experience between all the battles that Askr had to face.

That, and it provided an excellent opportunity for those who didn’t celebrate a similar holiday in their own worlds to have a new experience.

Kellam was one of these people; and he seemed to be particularly interested in the customs. It wasn’t all that different from the holiday you celebrated in your own world. 

But seeing him so excited about it was the true joy.

“Wow…all these sweets and decorations- it’s all so colorful!” Kellam marveled at the beauty in front of you, utterly stunned by it all. The town was alight with the raucous fun of the town-wide party. 

It was filled to the brim with adults and children alike, families boisterous while they danced and played about the festival.

You smiled softly at Kellam, “I must say, you do make a dashing pumpkin.” 

“A pumpkin farmer, actually-” Kellam corrected you as he adjusted the large orange headpiece. “It wasn’t my first idea, but once we got to work on the costume, I couldn’t say no. It’s a little silly though, isn’t it?”

“I don’t mind it. It’s very charming.” You reassured him, making him chuckle bashfully.

“Really? You wouldn’t like it better if I were dressed as something fearsome, like a werewolf or a dragon?”

“It just wouldn’t suit you. I’m sure you’d be very handsome in either, but…I like this. Pumpkin Kellam is dashing all on his own.”

“You flatter me.” Kellam blushed, laughing nervously in a bid to hide the quickening of his heartbeat. “B-but enough about me! We should really enjoy this festival while we have a chance. I’ve never seen anything like it before!”

“Ylisse doesn’t have a Hallow’s Eve festival, does it?” You remembered the conversation from earlier, Chrom and Lissa chattering excitedly about being able to experience a whole new holiday (with said princess plotting out her “tricks” for said portion of the colloquial saying).

Kellam nodded as the two of you headed into town, starting your adventure. “No, I’m afraid not. We have a few holidays that are similar to ones that are held here in Askr, but there isn’t one that’s particularly similar to this one. I’m really excited about trying it out. What about you?”

“We do have one; though we call it Halloween. Similar theme, but rather than one big festival, we all go out into our local neighborhoods and give out candy to each other- it’s very popular with children. The adults who don’t have kids to take out treating will just have a big party or watch a bunch of scary movies, or-”

“Movies? What are those?” 

“Think those photograph tomes that one Anna sells at the ocean, but it’s constantly moving for an hour straight; with talking and music and whatnot.”

“How interesting!”

“It really is. I wish I could show you,” You admitted, “They’re really fun to watch when it’s in a group or just with a friend or two. I’m sure there are plenty of movies you’d enjoy.”

“Don’t worry about that-” Kellam reassured you, “I enjoy spending time with you no matter what we’re doing, Kiran. I don’t mind missing out on a, er, scary ‘moving’ when we can do other things together!”

“Movie, Kellam- no ‘ing’ at the end.” You laughed, fighting to suppress your own blush at his earnest confession. “I’m sure we’ll have our hands full with this festival, anyways. Look at the size of it…”

You both slowed as you reached the town’s front gates, which had been clogged with people as they all struggled to enter and enjoy the celebration.

The noise was audible even from the back of the crowd, where the two of you were. It made your stomach twist, if only for a moment. You were quite sensitive to auditory and visual overloads, particularly when you were already nervous or on edge.

It was something you could fight through during battle, with the appropriate gear to help ease the tensions courtesy of Anna’s gadgets or some useful spells. 

But when it was just the two of you, in a casual setting and no  battle gear to be had…it was easier to get overwhelmed.

Well, that, and you had a very handsome, well built knight standing next to you, confessing how much he enjoyed being around you.

It was certainly a nerve-wracking experience, indeed; not one that you wanted to dampen his spirits with by leaving early or lashing out at him because of the stress.

You sucked in a deep breath, the two of you closing in on the entrance one step at a time. It wouldn’t be that bad; it would be loads of fun.

You’d get to play games, eat good food, dance and enjoy music; maybe even win a prize for Kellam. That’s what you turned your focus to; something you could definitely do. That you wanted to do for the sweet pumpkin man.

Naturally, just as you thought this, you felt a calloused hand close around yours, prompting a jolt and confused stare at Kellam.

“It’s getting pretty thick at the gate; I don’t want to lose you in the crowd. If you don’t mind, that is.” He explained quickly, and you shook your head.

“I don’t mind at all.” You replied with a geuine smile, giving his hand a soft squeeze. It was certainly the right call; considering within moments, you were thrust into an intimimdating crowd, being pushed and pulled in various directions while being jostled further into the city.

His grip tightened on your hand, trying to keep you close to his body for fear of losing you among the strangers.

The excited babbling of passersby sent a shiver down your spine, and a jolt of anxiety up your throat. 

With a deep breath you focused on the feel of his hand, his warmth a welcome comfort in spite of the nerves gathering in your chest.

Kellam, in all of his sweetness, did not notice what was happening; but he could feel that you were squeezing his hand a little tighter than he would have anticipated.

He cast a glance at you between trying to navigate the crowd and getting through the entrance. 

“Kiran, you all right?” He asked you quietly, which drew you from your nerves just slightly.

“Yes.” You swallowed, fighting to press those feelings down. “I just…don’t like the tight space. It’s a bit overwhelming, right?”

“You’re not wrong,” He agreed warmly, “But, we’re almost there! Look, the crowd’s already thinning right up ahead.”

“Finally.” You muttered, though the relief was countered only with the realization you would no longer be able to hold Kellam’s hand without reason. But the pain and stress of the boisterous crowd finally relinquished your anxiety, as people filtered through the damn gate and spread out to all the various stalls.

Once you were able to see something other than the costumes in front of you, you were both surprised by the beauty surrounding you.

Bright lights, autumnal colors that were saturated and cheerful, and the scents of sweets and savory meats filled the air. 

It was hard to spot a single person who wasn’t wearing some sort of costume; even the knights stationed and on duty had some sort of little decoration on their helmets or chestplates.

You and Kellam were fighting to keep your smiles from widening; it was such a delightful scene in front of you!

“Wow, I don’t even know where to start. Look at all this!” He remarked, spotting a stack of flyers that were loaded with all sorts of pertinent information to the party.

He led you off to the side, out of the way of foot traffic. You looked over his shoulder, finding the loads of information almost equally overwhelming.

“Oh my god, look at all this- dances, games, contests…acrobatic shows and musical performances? And this is gonna go on until dawn!”

“These people definitely don’t mess around with their Hallow’s Eve partying, do they?” He turned the parchment over, finding a meticulous map outlining the location of just about anywhere you could go to have fun. “Well, I’m happy doing just about anything- what do you want to try first? Should we eat, or maybe play a few games?”

The thought of eating did make your stomach turn just slightly, reminding you that the anxiety wouldn’t go away just because you were entertained. It would only be a matter of time before the stimulation of your surroundings spilled over into some sort of attack.

If you could at least keep it tamped down for a couple of hours…

“U-um, I’m not particularly hungry right now. Why not try out a few games? I believe you owe me some prizes if you’re successful.”

“Of course. I’ll win you the best and biggest prizes I can manage- but don’t get upset if I can’t get anything good. I hear that festival games have a nasty habit of being rigged.”

“I’m sure we can figure it out,” You grinned, and you immediately headed off for something that you knew would be perfect for Kellam, given his deceeptively physique.

It was harder to hide his massive body in his costume, but given his lack of presence in the space, it was easy for people to dismiss him. 

That would be the case, at least, until you requested a ticket to play the hammer game.

“So all you have to do is swing this hammer as hard as you possibly can…and if you hit the bell, you win the grand prize!” You explained to him excitedly, lugging the mallet from the staff member’s hands and hauling it to him. “Oof, this thing weighs about as much as you do.”

“I guess this isn’t a game meant for you to play, huh?” Kellam chuckled, gladly relieving you of the thing. He gripped it in one hand, managing it without issue. You were in awe of him; how one man could possibly be so strong was fantastical. 

He weighed it back and forth, looking up at the contraption that he was about to absolutely obliterate. 

“Try not to hit it too hard, Kellam.”

“No promises,” He grinned, “Not if you want that prize!”

It was as if he was deliberately trying to make you swoon. You couldn’t linger on the sweet words of the knight, for the mallet struck the base with a mighty crack, shooting the little piece so hard into the bell that said metal bit broke in two.

The passersby gasped, stunned by the sudden explosion of power that shattered the game.

“Kellam!!” You bit your cheek to keep from laughing, the poor man running the game pale from the shock of what just happened.

“Ahh…sorry, I didn’t mean to hit it that hard- guess I was just focused.” He chuckled nervously, handing the mallet back to the man. “So, Kiran, which prize do you want?”

“That one please, sir.” You pointed to the largest possible stuffed toy you could find; a fine prize that couldn’t have been handed over faster (for fear of the mallet coming down on his head, instead).

“What should we play next, then?” Kellam asked, “I don’t think we can come back to that one.”

The two of you were a fit of giggles, hurrying away to find something else to do. 

And it didn’t take long. The hours of the night ticked by, the two of you filling it with apple bobbing (two for you, a stem for him), dart throwing, and tasting a number of pastries, sweets and hot, savory street foods that filled your bellies.

Perhaps this wasn’t so bad. Your nerves weren’t too high, and throughout the night you’d been able to avoid scarier or louder noises that might trigger an anxiety attack. The crowd thinning out from the front gates had been a gods-send, too. 

There were plenty of people, and it was still pretty snug, but it could’ve been much, much worse. The noise was manageable, provided that you focused on Kellam. He could keep you calm. You were safe with him, after all.

Nothing bad could possibly-

Crash!!

You nearly jumped out of your skin when the sound of glass shattering hit right beside you. It was followed by laughter, but your heart was already thundering.

“What the hells-?!” 

You were clinging to Kellam’s arm, looking for the source of it. Another game, shooting rocks at glass bottles. 

“Oh, that one looks fun. Looks like someone figured out a trick,” Kellam was amused, trying to ignore you were wrapped around his bicep for fear of his whole body turning red.

“You can’t use magic to win this! You’re disqualified-” The game runner snapped at the player. What worried you was that the more he spoke, the harder it was to hear him.

The world was starting to get waterlogged in your ears, your heart pounding and your fingers trembling. You were on edge, before. But that shock was sending you careening into a panic attack.

“Kiran, want to try it? I won’t cheat, I promise.” Kellam offered, looking down at you when realizing you were unmoving.

In fact, you were frozen in place…and the prize he’d already won you was on the ground.

“Kiran?”

He realized you were breathing hard. Too hard. Your face was so pale-

“Um, let’s get out of the middle of the road, here-” Kellam stooped to grab the plush and hurried out of the way, taking you into a small alley off to the side.

He gently pulled you from his arm, his hands on your shoulders. He was concerned, clearly, and it made you feel worse. Or it would, had you been able to register what was going on outside of the panic bubbling in your heart.

Truly, all you wanted was to get out of there.

This was almost worse- enclosed space, panicking in front of your crush, and a boisterous crowd of strangers just outside…it was a nightmare. 

“Kiran, what’s wrong? Can you talk to me?”

“I’m- um-” You stumbled over yourself, feeling the blood drain from your faec. “The sound startled me. I-I don’t think I’m-”

“You’re not startled. You’re…you’re panicking.” Kellam realized, leaning down so that he was at eye level. “You’re safe, Kiran. I promise. I’m here. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

“I-I know that. Don’t you think I know that?” You looked away from him, your hands pressed to your forehead. You were trying to take deep breaths, but they were pulled from your chest, only making the tightness and pain blossoming feel worse and worse.

“Just slow down for a moment. We can get through this.” Kellam insisted as he took your hands into his, giving them a gentle squeeze. “Um…here. Just…just breathe with me.”

You looked up at him, somewhat surprised that his suggestion was actually one that was quite helpful with anxiety attacks.

“Trust me. I’m here for you.” He promised you, nodding to encourage you to try. You weren’t sure that you could focus beyond the fight or flight instinct that was practically screaming at you to get out of there.

Get away from all of this.

But it was the warmth in his eyes…the patient, encouraging smile on his lips. So you took a breath. Then another. Another, this one shaking, but deeper than the last. Kellam didn’t let go of your hands for a moment, a soft demand for your focus on him.

“You’re doing great, Kiran. Just keep breathing. In, and out. You’re all right. You’re safe here, and you’re with me. I’m not going to let anything happen.”

The beat of your heart started to soften, the thundering becoming much more of a softer roar rather than an unconquearable crash against your rib cage.

You managed to meet Kellam’s eyes, nervous, but starting to regain your focus. 

Another shatter split the air, followed by raucous cheering. Your hands jumped in his, but he didn’t falter.

“It’s all right. It’s just someone playing that game, again.” He assured you once again, reminding you how sweet this man was in front of you. “Just focus on me.”

And so you did. You focused on his kind face, the warmth of his touch, his steady, slow breaths that you matched to his.

Slowly…finally…your heart rate managed to come down. You squeezed Kellam’s hands, once, then twice.

“I’m okay.” You managed to eek out some sort of comment, after you regained your breath. His gaze remained warm and comforting, but you could see he was still uncertain.

“Are you sure? We can stay here a while longer, if you’d like to.” He offered, “I don’t want to push you more than you’re able.”

“No, it’s…it’s okay.” You reassured him, nodding again. You crossed your arms over your chest, trying to avoid looking at him. The embarrassment of what just happened was starting to sink in; to think he of all people would be the one to witness your upset!

“What do you want to do, Kiran? We can stay a little longer if you’d like, but I’m just as happy going home. We’ve had plenty of fun, but it doesn’t look like the party willl slow down any time soon. It’s probably going to stay hectic and crowded.”

“I-I don’t want to leave if you’r ehaving fun. I know it’s just a crowd, and I know it’s just games. I can handle a little more.”

“Hey.” Kellam’s hands were suddenly in yours again, sending a shock of elextricity through your fingertips. 

“Kiran…please don’t push yourself on my account. What matters is what you want- no, what you need to do right now, so you’re calm and you feel safe, again.”

You pursed your lips, looking back to the jovial crowd just beyond the uneasy quiet of the alleyway.

“I don’t want to stop spending time with you.” 

The admission was quiet, almost barely there. But Kellam heard you, loud and clear. And if his heart hadn’t skipped a beat before, it most certainly did in that moment.

“Well…you don’t have to stop spending time with me just because we don’t stay here. Why don’t we find somewhere just a little quieter first, and gather our bearings? Maybe there’s somewhere close by so that we can at least rest a little while before we head back home. I’d hate to push you harder before you’ve fully gathered your bearings.”

The young knight’s thoughtfulness was borderline shocking, how boundless it seemed to be. He offered you his arm, in hopes of keeping you grounded and steady when you ventured back out into the raucous festival.

Mercifully, the town’s archives weren’t far; a small, library-esque location that was plenty quiet compared to the goings on outside.

Kellam closed the doors quickly, giving you both a safer respite. It was finally clearer to you now, what had happened and where you were. 

What he did for you.

“Kellam…how did you know to do that?”

“What do you mean?” He asked innocently as ever, and you looked down at your hands, fidgeting.

“How did you know…to calm me down?”

“Well, it’s not the first time I’ve seen a panic attack.” He said simply, “It’s a common sight, especially among new recruits. We’re trained pretty early on about how to handle the stress as it comes, and how to address and alleviate panic attacks. I’ve done it for plenty of other people, myself included. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

“I’m…I’m not ashamed of it.” You said in spite of the blush rising on your cheeks. “I just wish you weren’t the one to see it. It’s not my best moment.”

“It’s all right- you’ve seen me at my worst more than once. I’d never judge you for something like that.”

“Even though it cut into your festival time? Wearing that handsome costume?”

Kellam laughed, his cheeks as red as the apples he’d failed to bob for. “Trust me, there’ll be plenty of opportunities in the future for us to enjoy a festival like this. It comes around every year, and sometimes more than once, depending on the realm we’re in.”

“B-but I…”

“It’s okay if you want to go back. We can get a nice cup of tea and sit at the campfire together. Besides, there’s going to be fireworks in an hour, if I recall. I’m not sure you want to be up close for all that noise…and all those people.”

You smiled sheepishly, conceding defeat. “I don’t know if that would end well at all.”

“Then we return home.” He decided simply, “Honestly, Kiran. It’s okay. What matters most to me is that you feel safe, and that you’re calm. I would hate to keep you here knowing you were on edge the entire time.”

“I…I’m glad, but…why?” You asked him in earnest, drawing your coat a little tighter around yourself. Kellam hesitated for a moment, considering his answer carefully.

“Because…you’re important to me. Nothing matters more to me than making sure you’re all right. Probably…more than anybody else.”

“Oh.” You looked down at your hands, your heart thundering for an entirely new reason. “W-well, I feel the same about you.”

“You do?”

He sounded so hopeful. You nodded, stealing a peek at him. “I do.”

“I’m so happy to hear you say that, I…wow, Kiran, I…” He found himself at a loss for words, laughing nervously in spite of himself. 

To see a mighty, massive creature like Kellam alight with bashfulness made your whole body warm. What a sweet knight he was.

“Come on, let’s get back to camp. We should celebrate with that campfire and tea, don’t you think?”

“I really do.” You grinned, your legs still a little shaky from the receding adrenaline, but if not also for the hint of excitement that lingered for a whole new reason.

Kellam offered you his hand to take, this time; much warmer and softer than his arm.

He led the two of you from the festivities, taking care to avoid the more boisterous and raucousareas on the way back to the gate.

And of course, once you were safe in the warmth and quiet of the fire, you found it much more delightful and preferable even to the festivities.

There were few things sweeter than sitting together, alone and basking in the glow of a new, autumn love.

[mycoolwritingcorner]

Merry Christmas Hotaru

Written for Sailor Moon LGTBQ+ Week.

Day 1: Morning.

The Outer Guardians celebrate their first Christmas morning together as a family.

@smlgbtqweek

----

“Haruka-Papa! Michiru-Mama! C’mon! Get up!” Hotaru shouted at her parents' bedside.

Haruka slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes, “What…?”

“It’s Christmas! Santa came!” The black-haired girl said excitedly, grabbing her papa’s arm and trying to pull her out of bed, “C’mon c’mon c’mon!”

“Alright, alright, settle down dear.” Michiru said, sitting up as well, her elegance shining through her exhaustion, “How about you head downstairs and wait for us? We’ll be down in just a minute.”

“Aw, okay. Don’t take too long though! Setsuna-Mama is waiting downstairs too!” Hotaru informed.

“Of course she is.” Haruka said, rubbing her eyes again, “Alright, alright, we’re coming. Just give us a sec.”

With that, Hotaru took her leave, excitedly bounding down the stairs. Michiru turned to her lover with a smile, “Well, she’s certainly excited.”

“A little too much for 5:42 in the morning if you ask me…” Haruka said, fighting the urge to lay down and go back to sleep.

“Well, this is our first Christmas together as a family, it only makes sense.” Michiru reasoned, getting up and putting on her robe.

“And basically her first Christmas period from what I gathered. Kid didn’t even know who Santa was before I told her.” Haruka said, also getting out of bed.

“Yes, I suppose that’s true… that poor girl…” Michiru said sadly, brushing her hair in the mirror.

It was true that Hotaru had not celebrated the holidays before the Outers took her in. It seemed the Death Busters hadn’t felt much need to encourage their Messiah of Silence to leave out milk and cookies or stuff stockings. As such, the whole experience had been dazzlingly new to the girl, Haruka, Michiru and Setsuna all wanting to make sure their little girl’s first Christmas was a good one… no matter how early they had to get up to make that happen.

“Yeah… but, guess that just means we have to make all her Christmases with us extra special to make up for it.” Haruka said, holding her partner from behind and looking at her in the mirror.

“Hmm… yes, I suppose it does.” Michiru said with a smile, turning around and going in for a kiss, until,

“HARUKA-PAPA! MICHIRU-MAMA! C’MON!” Hotaru called up to them.

“Heh, well, let’s not keep her waiting any longer then.” Haruka said, throwing on her robe and grabbing her camcorder before they made their way down the stairs, to find Hotaru and Setsuna sitting on the floor together by the tree.

“... so is he a time traveler too? I just don’t understand how he can get around the whole world in one night.” Hotaru asked Setsuna.

“Of course he is.” Setsuna said confidently.

“Really?!”

“Yep. I see him at the Door of Space and Time every year. He usually has trouble fitting his whole sleigh through it, but he somehow always makes it work.” Setsuna explained with a smile.

“Wow…” Hotaru said, wide-eyed, before finally noticing her other parents had arrived, “Finally! You’re here!”

“Yep, we sure are.” Haruka said, still a little groggy, but she’d be lying if she said Hotaru’s energy wasn’t a little contagious.

“Well, go ahead dear, which one do you want to open first?” Michiru asked.

“Hey! No! Not yet! If we’re doing Christmas we’re doing Christmas right!” Haruka said, pulling out her camcorder, “Now if I can just figure out… how to work this thing…”

“Have you never used a camcorder before?” Michiru asked, tilting her head.

“When would I have ever needed to use one before now? I bought this thing, like, last week.” Haruka explained, still looking it over.

“Well do you have a tape in there?” Michiru questioned.

“Yes of course I have a tape in there! I know that much! I just-”

“Oh for crying out loud just give me the damn thing!” Setsuna said, standing up and swiping it from Haruka, before turning it on and pointing it at the little girl, “Alright Hotaru, whenever you’re ready.” She said with a smile.

“Yay!” Hotaru exclaimed, immediately going for the biggest present and tearing it open, “No way! I got a Nintendo 64!” She shouted excitedly, holding it up for the camera to see.

“That’s wonderful sweetheart.” Michiru said, before leaning over to Haruka and whispering, “I get the funny feeling she’s not the only one who’ll be playing that.”

“... Look I just wanna play Mario Kart, okay?” Haruka whispered back, defensively.

“Alright. You’d better let her win a couple times, though. She told me about what happened with God Driving at the arcade.” Michiru said.

“Look, the kid’s gotta learn-”

“Haruka.”

“... yes ma’am.”

…

Once the presents had been exhausted, Haruka looked down at her little girl with a smile, “So, you like everything you got?”

“I LOVE IT!” Hotaru exclaimed.

“Heh, well, that’s good. Anyway Setsuna you can probably stop-” Haruka began to say, before Hotaru sprung up to cut her off.

“No, wait! We’re not done yet!” The little girl insisted.

“Uh… we’re not?” Haruka asked, scratching her head.

“Nope! We haven’t gotten to the best part yet!” Hotaru said, and before anyone could ask her to elaborate, the black-haired girl disappeared up the stairs to her room.

“Uh… Hey Sets, you got any idea what she’s talking about?” Haruka asked, leaning over to her.

“Hmm… maybe.” The Guardian of Time said with a smirk, cryptic as ever.

Hotaru soon returned, running back down the stairs with a flat, square present in her hands, and handing it to Haruka, “This is for you.”

“Oh… for us?” Haruka asked, taking the present as Hotaru snatched the camcorder from Setsuna.

“Mmhm! Now c’mon! Open it!” Hotaru said, excited to see their reactions.

Haruka did as she was told and tore open the present, revealing a framed drawing of the four of them holding hands on a hill. Hotaru was very talented for her age, having been instructed in many of the fine arts by Michiru. Despite that, the drawing still had a childish charm to it. Above the four of them Hotaru had written two simple words: ‘My Family’.

“Oh, sweetheart, it’s lovely.” Michiru said, looking down at the drawing.

“Yes, I think so as well. What do you think, Haruka?” Setsuna asked, looking over at Haruka, who seemed almost entranced by the drawing, “Haruka?”

“Do… do you like it, Haruka-Papa?” Hotaru asked, seeming a bit worried, “I worked really hard on- oh!” Was all the little girl could get out before her papa dropped down and pulled her into a hug.

“... I love it. Thank you, Hotaru.” Haruka said in a voice that betrayed that she was definitely holding back tears. Hotaru’s two mamas quickly joined the hug as well, Michiru patting Haruka’s back in support, “Merry Christmas, Hotaru.”

“Merry Christmas, Haruka-Papa.”

…

Later in the day, Haruka found a nice wall in their house and hung the picture up. Once she had successfully done so she took a step back, looking at the picture and tearing up once again. Sure, their family wasn’t what most would consider a ‘normal’ one but… it was hers. And Haruka wouldn’t trade it for the world.

----

And that’s it for day one! In case anyone’s curious, my participation in this event will mean that the next chapter of my ongoing fic, Sailor Moon: Reignstorm will be pushed back to next week. 

Please come back tomorrow for Day 2: Argument (I think the UsaRei fans are gonna be pretty happy for the fic I’ve got cooked up for that one ;) )

But until then, please let me know what you thought! Comments, reblogs, likes, etc. are much appreciated!

And until next time, take care everyone!

[dragonologist-phd]

Femslash February: rain

for the kiss prompt: a romantic kiss in the rain

also on ao3

“Is it going to rain?”

Sigrun sits cross-legged on the window ledge, her nose pressed against the glass. The world outside is gray and dark; cool shadows have claimed the entirety of the courtyard, and the ominous chill in the wind has already driven most people inside. Marja stands just behind the new recruit, unable to hold back the slightest of smiles.

“I’d expect so, yes,” she answers. “Good thing, too. Varel said the farmers were worried about a potential drought, and that’s the last thing we need on top of everything else.”

“Why?” Sigrun asks, turning her bright, inquisitive eyes onto Marja, and Marja can feel herself flush.

“Well…less rain means less crops.”

“But why? Can’t the crops get water from the soil, like the moss does in the Deep Roads?”

“…I don’t completely know,” Marja admits. “Plants just work differently on the surface, I think.”

Sigrun doesn’t laugh at Marja’s lack of knowledge, which Marja appreciates; her eyes merely sparkle with an intensified curiosity. Marja can tell she has a hundred more questions on the tip of her tongue, but she’s cut off as a rumble of thunder rolls through the air. The noise causes Sigrun to jerk away from the window, nearly falling from her perch, but she recovers quickly and with no small amount of enthusiasm.

“Is that rain?! I didn’t know it was so loud.”

“That’s thunder,” Marja says, with much more confidence this time. A year of camping outdoors on the surface has left her quite familiar with this particular phenomenon. “It’s a different type of weather, but it usually happens at the same time. But rain sounds more like- oh, like that!”

It starts lightly- a few patterings of raindrops against the glass, causing Sigrun to once again lean close to window, her expression a mixture of surprise and excitement. But the volume grows as the clouds finally make good on their promise, and soon enough a steady downpour of water is falling over Vigil’s Keep.

A delighted laugh falls from Sigrun’s lips as she takes in the sight. “Wow. Wow. You weren’t kidding, huh? There it goes, just falling right out of the sky!”

Her smile is so wide, her eyes so bright as she watches the rain outside, that Marja makes the offer before she can think better of it:

“Do you want to go out there?”

“Really? We can do that?”

“If you want to. We’ll get wet, of course, and cold. And if lightning starts up, we should probably head inside. But…yes, there’s no real reason why we can’t.”

By the time Marja finishes speaking, Sigrun is already halfway to the hall door. Marja grabs her cane and hurries to follow, and once she’s caught up to her Sigrun eagerly throws the door wide open.

The two women are instantly greeted by a cold gust of wind and wayward spray of rain. Marja has never seen Sigrun be anything less than eager to jump into new surface experiences; the Legionnaire has no fear or distaste for the novelty of the world around her. She still doesn’t, not really- even now she looks out at the rain with clear, wide-eyed wonder.

But her feet do pause at the top of the steps, and she does look back to Marja with just a hint of uncertainty. “Look,” she says, “I know we won’t actually get sucked into the sky or anything. But you’re sure it’s safe for us to go out there?”

“I’m sure,” Marja says, and when Sigrun still hesitates, she takes a deep breath of her own and sets her cane against the stone wall. Sigrun gives her curious look, and her eyes widen when Marja holds out her hand.

Marja’s heart hammers at her ribcage, askance at her own boldness, but she fights off the nervous sensation. “Come on.”

Sigrun looks just as surprised at the offer as Marja feels- surprised but pleased, and she takes Marja hand, lacing their fingers together. Together, they step out into the rain.

A yelp immediately escapes Sigrun’s mouth as the cold rain drenches them, but the sound quickly turns into a laugh as she tips her head upwards in unrestrained glee.

“Look at this!” she cries, and her hand tightens around Marja’s as she moves farther out into the courtyard, kicking at puddles as she goes. Marja hurries to keep up, and she finds herself having to lean against Sigrun as her unsteady legs slip in the mud. She also finds that she doesn’t actually mind all that much.

In fact, as she takes in Sigrun’s reaction, Marja can’t help but be reminded of her own first experience with the rain. It was far less magical than this, she must say; she’d been in the Frostback Mountains with Duncan and Darvis at the time, cold and angry and living out of a flimsy cloth tent. It’s a relief to know that Sigrun’s having a better time than she did.

Sigrun must feel Marja’s eyes on her now, for she sends the Commander an impish grin as she shakes the soaked hair out of her eyes. “What? Do I have something on my face?”

“Just a bit of water,” Marja chuckles, blinking the raindrops from her own eyelashes. “But it looks good on you.”

Sigrun’s grin widens, and she lifts her head back up to the sky. “I can’t believe nobody else is out here!”

“Most people don’t like standing out in the rain and getting drenched.”

“Well, they’re missing out!”

Marja’s lips and fingers are already growing cold, and her clothes are soaked through- but Sigrun’s still smiling at her, so it’s the simple truth when she says, “They certainly are.”

And then Sigrun leans in and kisses her.

She kisses Marja right there in the courtyard, under the waves of rain, and despite the wind and the weather Marja suddenly feels an undeniable warmth rushing through her. Her lips part as she gasps in surprise, but when Sigrun moves to break away she chases after her lips and kisses her again.

Sigrun giggles against Marja’s lips, and in a whisper that Marja can barely hear above the rain she says, “Thanks for coming out here with me.”

Marja’s heart is still hammering. “…You’re welcome,” is all she can think to say back, and Sigrun laughs again.

Another peal of thunder sounds out overhead, causing both women to jump, and Sigrun wraps her arms tightly around Marja’s. “I guess I’m ready to go back in now,” she sighs. “Oh, I’d kill for a blanket and a warm drink.”

It takes Marja a moment to respond, as her mind is still catching up to the moment. Sigrun just kissed her. She just kissed back. Now is the time when she should straighten out exactly what that means, when she should explain that she’s the Commander and she can’t do things like that and she can’t give Sigrun what she wants-

But Sigrun is already pulling her back towards the keep, and Marja decides that maybe she doesn’t need to overthink this just yet.

It’s just a kiss, she tells herself, despite the protests of her own thoughts. It’s just a kiss, and a blanket, and a warm drink. That’s all Sigrun’s asking for tonight.

Just for tonight, Marja can give her that much.

[sseraflix]

DECEMBER 2022 ISSUE | ALLURE KOREA [SKR & EC]

OFFSHOT / PREVIEW

official = web / pics 1 / pics 2 / pics 3

MAGAZINE SCANS

credits to @lovelygx9

INTERVIEW TRANSLATION

credits to @fimdungies (web)

HONG EUNCHAE CUT

What was on your mind this morning? Today is my birthday so I woke up and came here in a good mood!

So you’ve been receiving so many wishes from people all across the globe all day, haven’t you? That’s why it doesn’t feel real, it’s so fascinating. Just last year, I was having a birthday party by myself in the practice room…

Everything has changed  for you in the past year. How was 2022 for you who debuted as LE SSERAFIM?

I made my debut, then I spent my birthday for the first time together with the fans. Every month, there are heaps of unforgettable days. I think the whole year itself is unforgettable. It doesn’t feel real that it’s already almost December. I’m new to everything, so I’m not sure if we’re really busy or going at a reasonable pace. Sometimes, the unnies say “Wow, we’re really busy” and I reply “Ah, I guess we are”.

Haha! For example, if Sakura said something like that, you’d trust her. That’s right, it feels nice when my unnies say those things. I like being busy too.

At the end of the year 2022, can you recall the happiest moment this past year? The day I debuted and today. Though there’s still so many more days left!

For a while now, I hear LE SSERAFIM’s songs when I go to work. It makes me feel like I’m being cheered on for the day. Oh, oh! When I work out or when I’m in a slump I also listen to “ANTIFRAGILE” and though it’s our own song, I feel like I grow stronger and gain energy. It’s like a song that makes you do your best.

”ANTIFRAGILE” has a strong and beautiful message. How was it when you first heard it? I liked that there was “toe shoes” and “career” in the lyrics, like it was a story only the members could tell. For “FEARLESS” it had the meaning of fearlessly moving forward, but “ANTIFRAGILE” is that we’re moving forward and we’ll overcome any hardship that comes our way then grow stronger. It’s cool that the narratives connect with each other. I want to become like that too, so I’m even more curious about people’s reactions to it.

If you want to leave a part of your own story in the lyrics, what would you want to write? I won’t get overlooked just because I’m young. (Laugh)

Did you have anything you paid close attention to for this comeback? I used to think that it was alright if I just danced well for our performance, but this time I really practiced my expressions. Just like me, everyone else really gave a lot of attention to their expressions. There were expressions that I was working on for the first time, I did the merong (tongue out, teasing expression) too. I got a lot of compliments from our instructor and the unnies that I improved a lot with my expressions. I felt proud. 

When you debuted, you were worried if people would like the group, but you’re already on your second rounds of promotions. Do you feel like you’re loved? At a recent college festival, we had a “sing-along”. We haven’t had a concert yet so that was my first time experiencing people do a sing-along. With so many people singing to our song, I felt that our songs were popular. It didn’t really hit that many people like our songs. I was so excited while we were performing. 

How was it to come across that type of reaction? I worry if I can express myself well whenever I do anything, so imagining such positive reactions makes me think that there isn’t anything I can’t do. I want to work harder. Where do you get strength when you face your fears? My mentality? I’m the type of person who thinks that if I can’t do something, I can’t do anything. It’s like those thoughts pile up on one another. I still have a lot of fear, because I’m still lacking in experience. There are a lot of scary moments, and I have my own worries, but I still think that if I can’t do something, I can’t do anything.

When was the time you felt most courageous? When we first met as a team. I was really shy, and I was worrying a lot about how I could get closer to the unnies I had seen on TV now that we were in the same team. I gathered up the courage and approached them, that was the most nerve-wracking moment in my life.

Haha! That’s the transferee mindset. That’s right. And since the unnies had open hearts, soon my heart opened up too.

What’s something you want to compliment yourself on the most? That I’ve improved my skills in preparation for the comeback. It’s not a lie to say that I’ve prepared so much harder than I did during our debut. It’s a choreography that has us moving from start to finish, so endurance is really important. We do our performance pre-recordings around three or four times so I think “Can I do this?” but I go through it in the end, so I’m proud of that.

If there’s something that you never want to change about yourself, what would it be? My bright, playful, and lazy personality. (Laugh)

You have fun experiences from before your debut, don’t you? It was fascinating to see our sunbaenims who we were promoting alongside with at the broadcasting station. Before, they were people that I would look at from afar and go “Wow~ It’s a celebrity~” but we promote together now. I get surprised whenever I see them.

Who were you most surprised to see? There are a lot, but we recently met Sunmi sunbaenim. It was so fascinating to see her face to face, she was so pretty and nice that I keep thinking back to it. (Laugh)

You’re here together with Sakura on a shoot for the cover of this pictorial, what was this combination like? This is the first time, this is a combination that we don’t try often even when we do group or unit photo shoots. I feel happy that the day has come where the two of us can do a shoot together, I already think that it’ll come out well. 

Is there anything that the two of you have in common?  Our food preference is the exact same, so that’s why we’re meal-mates. When the members eat salad we eat rice but it’s still surprising that it’s the same everyday. It’s really in our food preference!

Then what’s the most different between the two of you? Our MBTI are totally opposite. I’m an ISFP and unnie is an INTP, if I’m someone who can sympathise and relate to other people then Sakura unnie is more realistic. A real INTP!

Have any of your dreams as a child come true? I saw SEVENTEEN sunbaenims at a concert when I was young and that was when I started to dream about being an idol. I was entranced by the fan’s cheers. It started with “If I sing and dance on that stage, I wonder if people will like it?”. I think that’s my biggest dream that has come true, receiving the fan’s cheers.

Are you dreaming of anything else as LE SSERAFIM? Our biggest goal is to have a world tour and meet fans from all across the world, and because of that my own personal goal is to study languages hard. During our fansign events, we meet a lot of foreign fans but it’s a shame that I can’t speak to them properly. I want to express myself and communicate better, but our time is cut down because it needs to be interpreted and translated to us, so I think that I should be able to speak foreign languages so the time won’t be too short.

What’s the most valuable thing you’ve learned this year? Because we have so many fans, I learned that I am loved, and that I can receive love. That’s the most valuable experience for me.

Is there something that you want to get yourself for your birthday? I already have the things that I want, but if i could really get myself anything then a really nice bed?  A really big and nice bed, since I sleep a ton and I like to sleep.  When it’s time to rest I really just lie down.

What thoughts do you think you’ll have before you go to sleep tonight? Either way, it’s my birthday and I had a photoshoot together with Kkura unnie… and though we still have schedules until tonight I think I can go to sleep in a great mood since I was able to spend my birthday with my unnies and the fans for the first time, it probably won’t hit even before I go to sleep.

It’s been said that the first song you hear for the new year will be the theme song for that year, do you know that saying? Yes, I know that. I’ve done it a lot.

Haha, what songs have you listened to? I’ve listened to various songs. I listened to BTS sunbaenim’s “IDOL”, and WJSN’s “As You Wish”. I’ve listened to these a lot to make my dream come true.

Recommend song of LE SSERAFIM’s, what should we listen to on the new year? Shouldn’t it be “ANTIFRAGILE”? In a year, many unimaginable and difficult things can happen, and “ANTIFRAGILE” has the meaning of becoming a person who can overcome and grow stronger through those times. So you should listen to “ANTIFRAGILE”.

Anyway, the nails you have are really cute. Did you get them for today’s shoot? Nope, I wanted to get them done together with the members a while ago, but they came out with our own personal flare. I thought it would be nice to get pastel tones with Cinnamoroll on them. Mine are kind of the most colorful and chaotic, can you see the character if I do a V-sign like this?

You’re more calm than I though you were. Kind of like a class president vibe? I’ve tried being class president a lot of times, before I became a trainee I did it all the time. When I was in elementary school I was even the president of the whole school. You might not see it through videos, but I’m more calm and collected than you may expect. I was the unnie while I was a trainee then I became the maknae out of nowhere, but I think I suit being maknae the best. To tell the truth, I’m the maknae at home.

You have a birthday party with the members, right? Have the unnies prepared a lot for it? I’ve been looking forward to it since last week. I’ve been adverstising it this whole time, that it’s my birthday soon. I tell anyone I see about it, the people at the company have told me to tone it down, that it’s still not my birthday. (Laugh)

The rest of the year will probably pass by in a flash, won’t it? What will you think on the last day? I’ll get my national ID card next year, so I’m really looking forward to that.

SAKURA CUT

What was on your mind this morning? It’s Eunchae’s birthday today so I should wish her happy birthday a lot. It’s really cute how she’s been looking forward to her birthday. I don’t have that energy for birthdays now.

It’s been a meaningful year to Sakura just as it is to Eunchae who’s new to everything. I think it’s an unforgettable year. I debuted for the third time, and though I already knew Chaewon and Yunjin I met new members. I’ve started at the very beginning again, I was uneasy and scared in the beginning but now I’m glad that I chose to go down this path. I’m welcome to trying new things.

That’s just like the lyrics of “ANTIFRAGILE”. Can you recall the happiest moment of this year? I’m happiest when I’m just at the waiting room chatting with my members. It’s hard to meet friends that you’re close to like family and have been able to open up your heart, so I think I’m very blessed.

It feels different to hear “blessed” from you. Do you have other phrases that you like? You can sleep when you’re dead.

Sounds very workaholic-like. You can rest later! I think it’s the best to be busy. I can’t believe that it’s already the end of the year because I’ve been spending everyday absolutely jam-packed. I think I’m living hard everyday, I carry a lot of responsibility that I have to do well.

How was it when you first heard “ANTIFRAGILE” I wanted the day to come when I could do something like this whilst being an idol, I didn’t know and the fans didn’t know when it would come either. The fans’ reactions to the performance was that they liked it since it felt so new. It was like they found a new Sakura.

When I hear the lyric, “Don’t ignore the career I’ve made a path with” Sakura immediately comes to mind. I cried when I first heard that line. Like, it was something I wanted to say, but couldn’t. I can’t just say “I’ve worked so hard so don’t look past me”. But to be able to say that on a title track made me feel like the path I’ve taken up to this point has been recognised, so I think that’s why I cried. This year, I had to exceed all the results that came from my life’s hard work leading up to this point.

Where do you think your pride comes from? The way I see it, I think what makes me confident is the fact that the life I’ve lived is special, and that I’m at a point in my life that I think that I’ve worked hard up until now. These days some old videos still exist, and all of my growth from since I was 13 also remain, though it’s a little embarrassing. 

Can we see improvement in “ANTIFRAGILE”? It took us 3 hours of practice to get just the intro down for this comeback. Our heights are different so we had to work to match the angles or the position of our hands. We’ve done this much, so we have the confidence to do well on stage. We say “Let’s just do what we can” but what that means is that we’ll go beyond. In our documentary “LE SSERAFIM – The World is My Oyster” the time we spent together had came out and the fans can see that and the chemistry we have with each other and know what we were feeling as we became LE SSERAFIM. So I think that this song hits even closer to home. 

When did you feel that LE SSERAFIM were loved by the people? When we went to Yonsei University for a festival, it was the first time I’ve seen the audience sing along to our songs. It was so fascinating that so many people knew our songs. Even when I heard that our album had gotten into the American “Billboard 200” chart, I found it hard to imagine that I belonged to a group like that. It was also amazing that people who spoke various languages were listening to our music and got energy from our music. It made me so happy.

“FEARLESS” and “ANTIFRAGILE” both talk about having the courage to fearlessly move forward. Where does your courage come from? From my desire to not make any regrets. I hate having regrets the most, I have the idea that I should just give things a try. Though you can experience failure, if you don’t do anything then that’s where it all ends. I always have the mindset that I should try first even if I fail. With the thoughts of everything I’ve done so far, I take on the challenge even if I’m afraid.

When was the moment that you felt that you needed courage the most? When we debuted. A debut is something very precious, and being able to do so 3 times is something I am incredibly thankful for. And though I felt pressured and was anxious if I could do well, I wanted to show a new side of myself.

When you feel that pressure, do you cast something like a spell on yourself? I watch a fancam where I performed well and compliment myself, saying that I did well. I communicate with the fans and gain energy, they give me so much love so I’m always in a great mood.

Haha, what’s a fancam that you watched lately? The latest one was Inkigayo “ANTIFRAGILE” face cam!

Is there a gift you want to give yourself for running tirelessly this year? San-nakji (live octopus)! I like eating Yukhoe and chopped up San-nakji together. But it’s expensive, I can’t keep ordering it to my heart’s content so I want to order a ton at once and eat it. I haven’t gone to a shop to eat it, I’ve always just ordered. 

Ordering and eating chopped up San-nakji! It’s better than you may think, with the moving thing. (Laugh)

Even as much time has passed, there are stil parts of you that haven’t changed since you were young, right? It’s still the same that I go “On” and “Off”. I’m “On” when performing, even at dawn, but when I get to the dorms I pass out.

What do you do on your “Off” days? We all started watching “Transit Love 2” a few days ago. I watched up until episode 7, but we’ve promised to watch the final episode in particular all together at home. I watch it and go “No, that’s not it!”, it’s really fun. My Korean has improved too, a lot of words that I use in real life come out on the show so I can really focus when I watch. 

You came on “Allure” to day to shoot the pictorial cover with Eunchae, but how was this combination? This is the first time we’ve had schedules for just the two of us, and I was so surprised to hear the news. I’m the eldest and Eunchae is the youngest so we have an age difference, but we’re like great friends. She’s like my real little sister. She’s lovely, and our food preferences are the exact same, save for plums.

Do you have anything in common? We’re both smart when it comes to games. On our self-made content “Leniverse” we play a lot of games, it’s always Eunchae and I left in the end.

On the opposite end, what’s the most different? Being lovely? Having a lot of aegyo? I can only do those things in front of the fans but Eunchae’s aegyo comes naturally to her like breathing would. So that’s what makes her so cute, just looking at Eunchae makes me feel great. Eunchae is an “I” but I still don’t believe that, she’s an absolute “E”. I’m a total “I”, I even got a 98% when I took a test.

Among all the artists I’ve met, a lot of them are introverted. Really? Everyone, how do you all deal with your activities?

How do you do it, Sakura? I can do anything with just a camera, but only for schedules. (Laugh)

Is there any dream that you had when you were younger that you want to come true? Since you’ve already fulfilled the dream of being an idol. I wanted to be an obstestrician-gynecologist when I was a kid, I like writing as well so I want to write a book someday.

What kind of book do you want to write? For the first one, I want to write about the life I’ve lived up until now. I want it to be in both Japanese and Korean.

Are you dreaming of anything else as LE SSERAFIM? I absolutely want to do a world tour, I want to meet the fans.

What’s the most valuable thing you’ve learned this year? Complimenting myself when I do a good job? I haven’t done that a lot, I thought that if I praised myself I would stop improving. But I think that it’s important to praise yourself. I have a lot of things I want to do, and I have a lot of excitement so I’m really looking forward to next year.

What do you love the most about this job? All my effort returns to me as much as I put in. The fans love me as much as I work hard, and like that we grow with each other. That’s what I like about it.

Do you know the saying that the first song you listen to will become your theme song for that year? What song will you listen to next year? Do I even need to say it? “ANTIFRAGILE” will be a whole ordeal, so I choose “FEARLESS”. Take on the challenge fearlessly!

Are you a fearless person? I have a lot of fears. I have a lot of them, so I’m cautious and careful, but I’m also someone who does something again and again.

What thoughts do you think you’ll have before you go to sleep tonight? Eunchae’s birthday has wrapped up well! To tell the truth, I prepared a secret gift for her. Since our debut, Eunchae has been missing one of her bluetooth earphones. I said that if it was still missing until her birthday I would buy them, but it’s really gone missing. (Laugh)

If 2022 Sakura and 2023 Sakura met, what would you want to say to her? Firstly, I want to tell my 2022 self that she’s worked hard and is doing well. To my 2023 self, I want to tell her “Have fun!”. I want to show that I’m enjoying everything next year, so I want to have fun too.

Is there anything you weren’t able to say because you were too shy? The year’s end is a great time to say those things. To be honest, I really like my members. Even if I don’t really show it to them, I just hope they know that. I think about it a lot. I wish that they feel that unnie adores them all so much, even if I don’t talk about it often. Oh my, now that I said it I feel shy!

VIDEO / BEHIND

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[parttimepuff]

Hey not to rush the dark matter congregation but maybe beep and co. should be ditching before a giant flaming angel man gets the attention of someone waking up

Beep stayed silent, looking away, as she didn’t want to admit they were right. "Ah… yeah, I, guess so." Reverie spoke up instead. Getting around at night was one thing, walking about in broad daylight wasn't a good idea. 'Go home?' Orbee asked, disappointed. "'fraid so." Their father answered. "People are gonna be waking up soon, it’s probably not a bad idea>" Lor pointed out, displaying the current time. "But…" The Matter still protested, knowing she couldn't change things.

Smiling softly, Magolor took one of her hands. "I'll miss you, too, Beep. But I'm just a thought away, y'know?" He reminded her, lifting her spirits. "Y-yeah, and we’ll get to hang out again in no time!" Beep agreed. "Absolutely>" Lor chimed in. "Right!! I'll let you know the moment we can!" The Halcandran promised, making her smile more. "Fuck yeah." She nodded. "Fuck yeah!!" He repeated, to which Reverie not so subtly covered Orbee's ears(?). "Whoops." Magolor apologetically mumbled.

Beep rolled her eye at her father. "Dad, Orbee hears me say that all the time." She pointed out. "Still." Reverie complained, lowering his wings again. Looking past the misstep on his part, Magolor clapped his hands together. "Oh, wait, before you go, I figured I'd send ya back with something." He remembered. "Huh??" The Matter questioned, not expecting any gifts. "One sec!" The Halcandran insisted before ducking into a room they'd yet to tour and coming out with two canvas bags. "Since you guys can't really shop, I got together some processed food for ya! It's not like I really need it anyways and at least one of you really does." He explained.

The Matter was silent for a moment, touched at the surprise help. "You got us food?" Beep asked, her shock and gratefulness evident in her voice. 'Food!!!' Orbee exclaimed, buzzing about the bags to figure out what was inside. "Yeah! It should last awhile, too! I didn't really know what you guys like, so it's a bunch of different stuff." Magolor elaborated, gesturing with the bags. A number of snacks and meals stuck out of them, no repeat of any one thing. Clearly he'd put some thought into this.

"Wow… Seriously, thank you, Wiz. That's going to help a lot." Reverie thanked him, realizing how many trips to get fruits and veggies at night this would save and how many new experiences it would provide for Orbee and Beep. "Aw, it's nothing. Think of it like, a present for your last birthday, just late." Magolor offered. The thought made Beep smile, then pause. "Do I, have a birthday?" She asked. Her father was the next to pause. "…hm. I can't say I know when you were born. We could make one up? Maybe when we met." He suggested. That idea sounded good to her. "And we get food for it, perfect." She added. Her friend chuckled. "Ah, well, let me know what day it is, so I can get you something!" Magolor insisted. "Yeah!" Beep agreed, turning back to her father. "When was that?" She asked, Reverie trying to remember what day that even was. "I will, figure that out!" The Dream Fae promised. "No rush, but the mail deliverers are heading out, it’s getting light out>" Lor interrupted, monitoring the area outside she could see on her cameras.

"a" Beep squeaked, before pulling Magolor into a hug and taking hold of one of the bags. Reverie stepped forward, taking the other bag so that he could reciprocate it more easily, which he did. "Careful on the way back, alright?" The Halcandran advised as she hugged him just a bit tighter. "We will be, promise…" The Matter replied, finally pulling back. "It was so great to meet you all, I can’t wait until you can come back!>" Lor chimed in. 'Great meet Lor, too!! Thank for food!!' Orbee responded, giving Magolor an affectionate bump.

"I'm really looking forward to seeing you both again, too." Reverie expressed, happy with how things had gone. "We’ll be back, right guys?" Beep reminded them. "You’re right, Beep>" The Starcutter agreed. 'Yeah!!' The solosis seconded, floating to their sister's side. "Til then!" Magolor waved, grinning with his mouth just barely visible. The Matter smiled back. "Until then, Wiz."

[violetswritingg]

Valkyrie

Mark Grayson x OFC!

Description: In which two superpowered teens meet and fall in love amongst blood, death, and betrayal

Rating: M (Canon typical violence, betrayal, mental health issues, survivor's guilt, abandonment issues, child neglect, angsttttt)

Want to read the other chapters?

Click here

9: Shit Show

~~*~~

I’ll laugh along, I’ll sing the songs you wanna hear

Let me in, oh, let me near

Honestly, It’s a Shit Show, my God

But it’s this show, I want to be there, Whoa-oh

Honestly, It’s a Shit Show, my God

But it’s this show, I want to be there, Whoa-oh

~~*~~

Stella flew up to the top of the building just to get some air, knowing she only had so long before she needed to be back to go over training schedules and basic information with the new team. Which is going to absolutely demolish her.

Having to formulate a plan that would still work with her schedule and also get the team ready in the fastest fashion essentially meant her flying back and forth from home to the pentagon for an early morning training session, then to school, at lunch fly back to the pentagon and have a training session, then fly back to school before it was over, still find time to eat, finish her school day, fly back to the pentagon and then end the day with paper work and homework.  

It was going to suck.

But it needed to be done, it was the only way.

Finally deciding she had had enough time, Stella went back to the training arena, walking in as Robot was handing out the training schedule.

“As soon as the forensic investigation had concluded, we’ll be moving into the Guardians’ headquarters.” Robot informed.

“Home sweet home.” Stella smirked wolfishly. A hidden bit in her words as she stepped up beside Robot.

“Thank you for joining us Valkyrie, better late than never.” Robot’s dig didn’t go unnoticed, and her grin just got wider as narrowed her eyes at the android, who knew how to be passive aggressive but not how to compromise.

“Sorry for the tardiness, had to take a call. But until we can move into Headquarters training will take place here.” Stella took over, stepping in front of Robot. Childish, she knew, but she was really done with him today. “Breakfast at 5:00 am, followed by close-in combat exercises until 8 am-” Stella cut off when she noticed the 2 on Dupli-Kate’s chest, eyes narrowing, “Where’s Kate prime.”

“Had a thing, I can fill her in.”

“Going forward Prime will need to be here, there is nothing more important than this-” Stella’s annoyance was interrupted.

“Just to be clear, there is no universe where I wake up at 5 am and the world isn’t on fire.” Rex held up the schedule in his hand and lit it on fire. Stella’s teeth grit together as the bandaged boy leaned forward on his knees. “Like come one, we don’t need this bootcamp bullshit. It’s us Robot. And Valkyrie knows how we fight. We’re fine.”

“You’re not on the Teen Team any more Rex.” Robot stepped up beside Stella, the girl could have sworn she heard annoyance peeking through his normally robotic voice.

“Exactly. I’m sure you’ve had a lot of experience wrangling teenagers, but I was with the Guardians from day one.” Sampson got himself involved and Stella felt like multiple veins were present on her forehead.

“Wow, thanks dad. Maybe if you hadn’t lost your powers you would have been there to help the Guardians’ on their last day.” Rex retorted, with his usual lack of delicacy.

Stella’s hands clenched by her sides, her fingernails cutting into the skin on her palms. Sampson looked to their young leader and narrowed his eyes at Rex, “I don’t know you yet, but I’m gonna assume that was a joke,” Sampson bent down and got into Rex’s face, “and I don’t need to beat your ass until all you wanna do is call me dad again.” There was a moment of tense silence before Sampson stood up straight, looking to Robot, “I don’t know you either, but we need a leader who we can look in the eye. Not a bunch of one’s and zero’s.” Sampson glanced at Stella and the girl stood a little taller. “No, offense.”

“That’s actually super offensive,” Kate spoke up from her spot, “So, wait, you think you should be in charge?”

“I do have the most experience, but that’s not what-” Sampson shrugged his large shoulders, getting interrupted by Rex.

“Most experience in what? In losing your powers. I mean, come on, why do we even waste our time on this guy? He wears a suit, it takes batteries.” Rex stood, trying to preach to the team, “Let’s just get Eve back in here.”

“She refuses to be in the same room as you.” Stella narrowed her eyes at the boy, “I wonder why.”

“I’m new to this whole team building thing, but I thought it involved teamwork?” Shrinking Rae questioned, sighing and standing up she waved at Robot and Stella, “Call me when you figure it out I’ll be-”

“Sit. Down.” Stella snapped, crossing her arms over her chest, “Whether you like it or not, I am leading this team along with Robot. You may have fought in teams before together or were solo heroes, but that’s the past.” Stella’s words were low in her chest, forcing the rest of the team to listen to her, her eyes ready to light the world on fire should any one of them dare to railroad over her again. “You are now the Guardians of the Fucking Globe! The first and last line of defense for the entire world!” The whole room was silent, the heroes who had been arguing before at least having the decency to look a little guilty, “Stop acting like petulant children and fix your shit. Because I’m sorry but this is unacceptable.”

Turning on the red headed boy she zeroed in, pointing a finger at him as she spoke, “Rex I will make sure your ass is up and out of bed at 4:30 every morning even if it kills me, that goes for everyone. And Kate prime will show up every day herself or risk losing her spot. We will, in fact, be doing what you called bootcamp bullshit because this is not a team. It is very far from it. And that is why we need to train together. So that maybe, just maybewe can even attempt to live in the shadow the previous Guardians left.” Stella took a deep breath, looking around. “Any objections? Because if so, I recommend leaving now, since this is what it takes to become a Guardian. And if this is too much for you then you obviously aren’t ready and, in that case, we will find someone who is. Does everyone understand?”

Stella’s intense eyes flickered over every person in the group, willing them into submission. Sampson one of the only ones who fully met her gaze. A proud smirk on his lips as he nodded.

“Understood Cap.” His deep voice rumbled and broke up the tension, the others’ nodding among vocalizations of confirmation. Rex still complaining as they all walked past Stella and Robot, Sampson stopping beside Stella for a second, looking down at her with a grin and a warm hand on her shoulder.

“The future looks bright.” With that he walked off, Stella grinning to herself for a moment before Monster girl stopped in front of her and Robot.

“I can’t do three combat exercises a day.” Her voice was quiet, and the girl was having a hard time meeting Stella’s eye. A sinking feeling in Stella’s stomach, she didn’t want them to be afraid of her, but they needed a lot of work and most of them were far too comfortable coasting with their new titles. As if being inducted meant they were at that level when they so obviously weren’t. It was a battle of ego’s and Stella needed to take them down a peg or two for this team to work as a group and not six individuals.

“Why not?” Stella asked, softer than before.

“We are on a rather tight timetable to get this team operational.” Robot’s voiced stressed, Stella sent the android a glare before looking back to Monster girl.

“What’s wrong?”

Monster girl then explained how the curse that gave her her powers came with some pretty heavy side effects. Her getting younger each time she transforms. Stella took in the information and nodded.

“I don’t look it but I’m twenty-four years old. I used to go by Monster woman, but it got too hard to explain so…if you don’t want to start changing my diapers three exercises a day are too much for me. If that means I’m out, I’ll accept it, I just wanted to thank you for even considering me.” Monster girl finished.

“I didn’t…” Robot trailed off, Stella picking up for him.

“There’s a difference between being lazy and having a genuine restriction on how much you can use your abilities. If I overdo it, I go into a hypoglycemic coma, and risk dying, so I get it. We’ll adjust the schedule to better fit with your needs.” Monster girl smiled up at Stella.

“Thank you.” Stella muttered out a ‘don’t worry about it’ in response. Monster girl on her way out when Robot spoke up.

“It must be difficult. I understand what it’s like, for the world to look at you and see one thing, never knowing the truth of what’s inside.” Stella watched Robot with confusion and suspicion as he faced Monster Girl and said what he said. It making no sense to her, much like it made no sense to Monster girl.

“How could you understand? You’re a robot.”

With that Monster girl waved at Stella and left.

Stella’s watched beeped and she read the coordinates and cursed. It was a couple of states over, this was going to be rough.

“I gotta go, someone’s attacking Mount Rushmore.

~~*~~

“Rogue supervillain, public in danger, Eve’s already en route, Valkyrie needs a lift, she’s waiting at the pentagon.” Cecil tossed a small earpiece towards Mark, the boy struggling to catch it. Inspecting the piece of tech as Cecil continued, “Here, so we can talk on the way.”

“Stella’s gonna be there?” Mark asked, perking up.

“Oh, did that just sweeten the deal?” Cecil raised an eyebrow, eyes darkening at Mark’s use of Stella’s real name.

“What? No- I mean, where is this… at?” Mark asked, glancing at the door.

“Amber is washing her hands.” Cecil sighed, “Mount Rushmore.”

“What state is that again?”

~~*~~

“Did you seriously not know Mount Rushmore was in South Dakota?” Stella asked, trying to find humor in an uncomfortable situation. Mark standing in front of her in his suit, her suited up as well.

“Okay, okay, laugh it up but we gotta go.” Mark rolled his eyes; an awkward air surrounded them as they realized what came next.

“Right, um. When I would have to do this with Immortal I would just kind of cling, like a baby koala.” Stella tried to mimic a hug like motion, “It would leave him a hand free to control his speed and punch should he need to do so.” Stella dropped her arms, thin, forced grin on her face. Stella doing her best to avoid Mark’s eyes and the warmth invading her face.

“Okay, uh, sounds good.” Mark rocked back on his heels, if his suit hand pockets, his hands would be shoved in them.

“Okay uh,” Stella chuckled under her breath at herself, “Jesus Christ, this is ridiculous.”

“Just a little bit.” Mark chuckled. His grin more natural now. Stella lifted up to his level, placing her hands on his shoulders.

“I’m going to wrap my legs around your waist, okay?” She cleared, getting a silent nod from Mark. The boy swallowing harshly before clearing his throat as she did just as she said she would. Arms around his shoulders. His hands hovering over her back. “If you don’t support me this is kind of useless.” Stella reminded and Mark placed his arm around her back this time. Feeling like his heart was beating out of his chest.

“Okay,” Mark took a breath and smiled, “Please keep arms and legs inside the ride and make sure you are strapped in and secured.”

“You are such a dork.” Stella chuckled, her grin hidden in his shoulder. Mark’s heart stopped hearing her voice so close to him and feeling her breath on his neck.

 Clearing his throat, he forced his voice deeper to mimic a plane announcer, “Take off in, 3, 2, 1.”

~~*~~

[vitaminwaterreviews]

Newjeans - Ditto

Alright, that was an experience. I started off kind of indifferent; this song has been hyped to all hell by everyone, so I was expecting something Great. And instead, I got something Good, and that was kind of underwhelming. But maybe being Good is exactly what it’s meant to be, y’know?

The contrast between this song and basically every other title track in kpop is very obvious. Kpop is energetic and loud and bright and exciting, and this song is muted and quiet and sad. The lyrics are kind of necessary to understand what’s going on, and once I had the lyrics, I think I was really able to get it.

I also want to mention how girl-next-door the concept is. Like, they don’t look like idols in the traditional sense; yes they’re absurdly beautiful compared to normal people, but they’re dressed like normal people and in normal people situations and doing normal people things. They could be students from your high school or your college and you wouldn’t be able to tell. Except maybe for the dancing in the middle of the classroom part, you’d be able to tell by that.

This song won daesangs from MAMA and MMA, which places it in that “truly special” tier of kpop song, right up there with songs like Cheer Up and Love Dive. I don’t know if I buy it yet. I liked it a lot, and I’m sure it’ll grow on me. But in the end, it is very different from kpop. But I don’t know if I like that difference; I usually prefer the energetic and excited and bright side of kpop. I’ll go with 8/10. We will see if it grows on me.

-

Alright, I’m gonna try a new format here. This time, I’ll listen to the song three times. First with the music video and no lyrics, then with just the lyrics, then all three together. We’ll see what I see. I don’t think I’ve heard this song before? Certainly not all the way through, and I’ve definitely never seen the MV. But this just won a MAMA and a Melon (plus it’s just, like, massive) so I’ve been meaning to get around to it.

Also apparently a performance video has the most views so I guess I’ll watch that instead of the MV.

First listen (just video):

Synths and vocals, very sad

Lol the birds there

Why is their choreo so fun when the song is so sad?

It’s Very minimal. Like, you can easily pick out everything that’s going on

I’m not sure I buy the drums on top of the melancholy everything else

The choreo is, unsurprisingly, very NewJeans

Initial reaction: Like a 7 I guess?

Second listen (just lyrics):

Nice, we get a random k, let’s go

Mkay, so it’s a love song

“Summer’s already gone and it’s autumn”

Mmm the lyrics do make this much better

Ohh I see, it’s “I don’t want to stay in the middle, like you a little”, because she wants to like them a lot

So it’s a song about longing for love. And it sure does sound like a longing song

Okay, yeah, better with the lyrics, we’ll go 8 this time

Third listen (both)

I’m actually gonna watch the Side A MV this time bc I’m curious if it adds to the story (I’m sure it will)

Oh look, it’s a home video, but with absurdly beautiful people instead of normal people, isn’t that cute

What, why does the MV get this pretty piano prelude

And what is this song they’re dancing to? We’ve heard like two songs so far and neither of them are the song

Omg it’s a guy

And a camera

Here we go, here’s the song

Oh I forgot to turn the captions on oops, let’s do that

Look at them, they’re normal girls doing normal girl things, isn’t that cute

Omg a rainy day scene, we did need that

Well that picture of a deer in the snow was Lovely

A cast on one hand and a single painted nail on the other

And she’s filming everything

Wow that was an Aesthetic ending

Glad I watched the MV, much better experience than the performance version