#you set time aside for friends to either just. talk. share memes. or hang out no matter how infrequently

[void-tiger]

Actually…? No. Tell me the odds. I need the likelihood of success and got nothing else to lose might as well try even if extremely unlikely. Because I need help sustaining the hope that everything’s gonna be okay and motivation to get there that I just can’t do for myself without burning out almost completely.

[connladraws]

Not enough RikuRoku in the world, I gotta do it myself. This ship meme shall have to do. 

big spoon/little spoon: Riku is the little spoon, unless it is the case where he is sleeping flat on his back and Roxas is laying face down on top of him. Riku just likes being held yknow?

favorite non-sexual activity: Sparring is high on the list, since they’re both naturally restless and have been fighting for too long to really relax normally.  When they aren’t expending their excess energy via beating each other with blunt force weaponry, Roxas has taken a shining to dragging Riku to the Twilight Town open theater to watch movies together.

who uses all the hot water: While Roxas takes his showers scalding, he’s also in there for 20 minutes at maximum. Riku is the one who takes long, albeit ICE COLD, showers.

most trivial thing they fight over: Arguments are inevitable. It’s almost in their nature to squabble. Currently the top cause of these squabbles is Riku’s tendency to put all else above his own well being, which while not trivial, is the only thing that really could qualify as causing them to FIGHT.

who does most of the cleaning: Roxas. Riku isn’t necessarily messy but Roxas is used to an almost militant sparseness to his surroundings and thus any clutter that is “out of place” needs to be tidied up or it’ll bug him. Actual chores are divvied up between them

what has a season pass on their dvr/who controls the netflix queue: Neither of them really is huge on TV, and generally prefer the occasional movie, theatrical performance, or just reading a book. That being said, Olette DID get Roxas hooked on this ONE teledrama...

who calls up the super/landlord when the heat’s not working: At first? Neither of them. They’d both make some effort to fix it, Riku likely coming closest to actually doing so. It’s sort of a contest to see who will swallow their pride first and cave.

who steals the blankets: Amazingly? Neither. Riku doesn’t like sleeping with blankets unless he absolutely HAS too, but neither Destiny Island nor Twilight Town get cold enough for that. Roxas just sort of sleeps like a deadman, so moving around enough to actively steal blankets isn’t something that happens.

who leaves their stuff around: Riku. His jacket over there, his boots over here. A water bottle in the bathroom, a hair brush in the kitchen. It’s been a while since he’s had a safe space to actually call his own and he’s resorted right back to all the bad habits of his younger self when it comes to house keeping. Whenever Roxas is over he almost auto-pilot starts to put things away as he comes across them.

who remembers to buy the milk: Neither. Remember what I said about bad childhood habits? Riku keeps putting the empty milk cartons back into the fridge and then gets frustrated when he tries to make a midnight bowl of cereal only to find it empty. Roxas at least throws the carton out but then forgets to go to the store.

who remembers anniversaries: Both of them. Roxas is INCREDIBLY date orientated and can probably tell you the exact date of most things just because he keeps track of it constantly in his head. Riku is just extremely sentimental like that.

who cooks normally?: They make efforts to do so together. Roxas never really had to cook and Riku’s method of cooking often involves freshly skinned kills and an open campfire. They’re BOTH learning how to navigate a kitchen.

how often do they fight?: Depends on what you define as a fight. They’ve both calmed down substantially but often have little spats with one another. These rarely ever turn into anything, though when they do... They’re EXPLOSIVE. Unfortunately for them both, Riku and Roxas are both capable of achieving a FRIGHTENING rage. They’ve both since learned to excuse themselves to go cool down, but sometimes this can take several days in Roxas’ case. It’s a good thing they’ve learned how to actively talk to each other about how they’re feeling.

what do they do when they’re away from each other?: With Roxas it could be ANYTHING. He’s a dog let out its cage. Who will he hang out with today? Axel? Xion? Namine? Kairi? Hayner? Pence? Olette? All three? Will he go challenge Seifer to a brawl? Will he spend the day helping Isa in the garden? Will he go head out to Departure for some training sessions with Aqua? Maybe go boarding with Ventus? Get some pointers from Terra? Riku is far simpler since he’s become QUITE the workaholic. You can usually find him in Radiant Garden, Departure, or Destiny Island unless he’s out on an active mission.

nicknames for each other?: Neither is quite the type to nickname each other but Riku will drop the occasional “babe” on Roxas.

who is more likely to pay for dinner?: It’s a back and forth thing. If either of them does do more than once, it could start a squabble. Unspoken rules. Unless it’s an actual date, in which case the rule is put aside depending on who is taking who out at the time.

who steals the covers at night?: Neither. Unless it’s ACTUALLY cold. In which case, Riku. Though his version of cold is perhaps... Debatable.

what would they get each other for gifts?:  Roxas tends to pick up anything that makes him think of Riku. Which could be anything from a shiny rock to a bottle of lotion to a necklace. He’s not shy in giving gifts. Riku on the other hands tries to get things that he knows Roxas will like or otherwise needed. So far the best gift (according to Roxas at least) has been the at-home ice cream machine. It gets a center stage spot in the kitchen.

who kissed who first?: Amazingly it was Riku. He still asked though. Was fully expecting an angry “No” too. They both caught each other off guard <3

who made the first move?: It’s honestly hard to tell. Somewhere along their efforts of trying to bury the hatchet and become friends they kind of realized that they’re rather similar people who share a great number of philosophies and views. And those that they don’t, they tend to find interesting in the other. They both sort of danced around each other at first since they both figured there was no WAY they could possibly be anything more than very tentative friends at best. It wasn’t until Riku came out and asked Roxas if he could kiss him (and Roxas saying yes) that they both FINALLY realized it was a mutual thing. Even then, it took a while for them to figure out what exactly they wanted to be.

who remembers things?: Roxas. Always, Roxas. It’s not that Riku has a bad memory, it’s simply that Roxas’ is superhuman.

who started the relationship?: The actual relationship itself was started by Roxas. Both in terms of platonicism and romanticism. Riku carries a lot on his back about how he and Roxas first met and has been very adamant about letting Roxas set the pace for things. Which honestly suits Roxas just fine, since he rather enjoys being able to have some control over situations.

who cusses more?: Roxas, by a small margin. Neither of them curses EXCESSIVELY but Roxas was “raised” in a castle full of adults and let’s be real, he learned about HALF of those curse words from Axel and the other half from Xigbar. Riku isn’t shy to cuss but it’s usually not dropped so casually. If you hear him say “Oh fuck” you might want to start running the other direction.

what would they do if the other one was hurt?: It’s perhaps not... The HEALTHIEST mindset, but they both have a thing about the other getting hurt. It’s a sort of strange pattern where it’s FINE if they hurt EACH OTHER but not if anyone else does. In their head, it’s justified by the logic that they know each other’s limits. They’d never actually hurt each other to the point of it being debilitating because they know each other and themselves well enough. That being said, they can both get a little wrathful and helicopter-y when the other suffers an injury that can’t just be curaga’d away. Roxas more so wrathful and Riku more so helicopter-y.

[kirishwima]

For scenarios... could I request rfa accidentally meeting MC before the party? no drama like "there's a bomb so I gotta run to your place" they just accidentally meet somewhere and MC recognises them from the pictures in the chatrooms and goes to greet them. Rika's apartment can't be far away from where the others live so it should be impossible. (if you can find a way to squeeze in V that's okay but you don't have to)

i really liked this idea! hope i executed it well ^^

YOOSUNG:

MC and he were actually studying at the same university, but different subjects!

They had a common elective course of modern history though, one that Yoosung’s friends convinced him to take with them since they could share notes, and MC simply had an interest in it, and well, needed the extra credits

Neither of them really noticed each other at first-it’s a big classroom and it’s in the afternoons, so oftentimes Yoosung just skipped lmao

Once though Yoosung’s friends couldn’t make it to the class so he offered to go and take notes for the day, and rushed into the class a little late, so he took the first seat available-right next to MC

He struggled to both write and listen to the professor at the same time, and eventually he got a little behind with his notes. MC noticed his cute frustrated face and shared their notes with him, tapping him on the shoulder as they quietly pushed their papers to him

Yoosung’s happy face was stuck in MC’s mind-he wore his feelings on his sleeve and it was so refreshing to see someone this innocent at this day and age.

They became fast friends afterwards-exchanging facebook accounts and talking via messenger often, sometimes about the class, sometimes about anything and everything else

They even had study sessions to help each other study!

Near the end of the semester, and right when this extra class ended, is when MC stumbled upon the RFA messenger-and one look at Yoosung’s name along with his shooting star emoji got them excited to realise there’s a familiar face amongst this strangeness

The rest of the members found their friendship cute, and Zen constantly tried to play match-maker for the two, telling Yoosung that ‘he should’ve told the RFA he has such a cute girlfriend’ lmao

(*cue Yoosung flushing redder than Seven’s hair*)

ZEN:

No, contrary to what you might think, MC wasn’t his fan-they did however hear about Zen through friends interested in musicals, and agreed he was handsome

No, instead, they met him whilst helping out a friend who was working backstage at one of Zen’s shows-they needed help finishing up painting of some background sets, and MC offered to help them in their free time, and as a return their friend offered MC tickets to the show

Zen met MC whilst rehearsing-he knew MC’s friend and went over to say hi, and met MC, who he of course instantly tried to flirt with, even though he was half-kidding about it

Well, flirtatious nature aside, the two really hit it off, and became good friends-not that they were super close or anything, but Zen would stop and chat with MC after rehearsals, and he invited MC out along with the rest of the crew after the first successful run of the show

He didn’t exchange any social media accounts with MC, because quite frankly, he doesn’t have any lmao, and MC’s phone was broken so they couldn’t give him their number either

Zen insisted that if they leave it up to fate, they’ll meet again, and well-he was right

Lo and behold, MC joined the RFA, and whose face is the first they see in an oh-so-modest selfie?

Yup, Zen the Knight it is

His first words when he realised who MC was were ’See? I told you fate would find a way!’

Sure Zen,,,sure lol

JUMIN:

MC actually scored an interview as Jumin’s executive secretary!

They were so thrilled about it, and did their best to calm their nerves before the interview, knowing that being jittery and anxious would lead them nowhere

Well, they were more than shocked at Jumin’s cold behaviour, but they did their best to match his pace, answering each of his questions without missing a beat, mentioning their credentials without bragging about them

Honestly, Jumin was very pleased-he saw a perfect candidate across him, albeit a little inexperienced due to age, but that didn’t really matter to him-with a little training they’d be perfect for the job

Well, eventually though a better candidate came along, so MC was left with the rejection e-mail in their inbox, disappointed but ready to move on

They had all but forgotten about Jumin Han until stumbling onto the RFA and meeting him again, confused and surprised at the difference of his character in the chatrooms

They didn’t mention the interview at all, but Jumin has the memory of an elephant-one look at MC’s name reminded him of how he met them, and he reassured them that they were incredibly good at the interview and left an impression on him

It takes some getting used to his different attitude, but it’s refreshing to see a man they thought of as cold and calculated be a complete cat-loving goof-and it’s honestly one of the things that makes MC fall for Jumin

And vice-versa, Jumin remembers MC’s serious confident attitude at the interview, and is pleasantly surprised to learn what a gentle, kind person they are in the messenger

When they meet Jaehee though….boy are they glad they didn’t get the job lmao

*pat pat* it’s okay Jaehee…hang in there baby

JAEHEE:

MC was working part-time as a barista at a coffee shop near C&R!

It was a small independent shop, hidden in-between bigger franchises, but their coffee was great, and if there’s one person that loves good coffee, well, it’s Jaehee

The first time she visited the shop she was at a loss of what to order, the possibilities endless with all these brews of coffee they offered, and MC found Jahee’s flustered face adorable

They chatted her up to see what kind of flavours she likes and dislikes, and ended up making her a delicious cold brew with vanilla cream-just sweet enough to give her that sugar rush she needed, but not enough to hide the flavour of the coffee itself

Well, Jaehee was more than thrilled both at the taste, and at the cute cashier *wink wonk*, so she quickly became a regular at the shop

Yes this is your good ol’ cliche coffee AU DON’T JUDGE ME

She’d always stop for a cup of coffee before work, and would secretly be happy on the days she ended up meeting MC during their shift-she’d try and visit during her breaks too, when time would allow it, and would sit and sometimes chat with MC when the cafe wasn’t too busy

MC eventually learnt some stuff about Jaehee, that she works as a secretary to some annoying cat-loving rich dude (lmao sorry Jumin), that she loves coffee, and that her dream is to eventually open her own cafe, if circumstances allow it

One day, Jaehee went to the shop, knowing that MC had a shift at that time, but they were nowhere to be found-their co-workers said MC called in that they can’t make it today because something urgent came up, so Jahee nodded along, wondering if MC was okay

….well, she didn’t have to worry for too long, as not soon after she got her coffee and headed back to the office, a familiar name popped up on the RFA chatroom

Yup, this is a coffee shop au alright-just with some hacker and cat-loving twists lol

SEVEN:

You can never convince me that this boy is not an active reddit user, and you most definitely can Not convince me he isn’t in any and all paranormal and horror forums either

So he’s scrolling around on reddit one day, posting memes and trolling people, when he stumbles upon a really interesting thread someone made about the origins of mothman and possible sightings outside the USA

He’s hooked and spends a lot of time reading through the thread, intrigued by the sophisticated way the OP wrote their points and how well-thought of their evidences were

He started commenting on the thread and talking with the OP, who he soon became online friends with-he loved to chat with them about spooky stuff, cryptids, conspiracy theories and so forth

He didn’t talk much about himself, and would sometimes even make up some lies because he didn’t want to seem like a creep that won’t even share his name, but he couldn’t give out his info that easily; he did however tell them his code name, 707

Eventually they started talking outside of reddit too, through facebook messenger (i mean…we already know this dude has a facebook account and posts his cars there lmao), and is thrilled to find out more about his new online friend, MC, and to even find out they live far closer than he thought!

Well, he gets used to talking with MC almost everyday, and it’s actually one of the few highlights of his day-he’s never really had someone care for him the way this person, someone he hasn’t actually ever met in real life does. He wonders if they’d change their mind about him if they ever met him in real life, but shakes the thoughts away-it’s not as if this could ever develop into something more than an online friendship anyway

Well…or so you thought, Seven lol

When a stranger comes barging into the RFA messenger, he’s instantly tracing their steps and finding out all their internet activities, and lo and behold-whose facebook account is this that he ended up finding? Why, it’s none other than MC!

The moment Seven found out, he got suspicious; was MC just pretending to be online friends with him to hack into the RFA? Were they stealing information without him knowing?

It hurt to have to think this way, but how else could they be linked?

When he slowly found out MC was actually innocent, he was more than relieved-he secretly happy that he could now chat with them both online and on the RFA app, that he could share parts of himself with MC that he couldn’t before

to say he fell for them is the understatement of the century lmao

V/JIHYUN:

When he first started with photography, he took some classes at a local university to learn more about professional photography, photoshop e.t.c

And MC happened to be taking the same classes as him!

They often sat next to each other, not talking at first, but then their professors would sometimes ask them to pair up to work on assignments, and MC ended up paring up with Jihyun more than once

They became fast friends-Jihyun was a little distant, but always friendly in a cold, aloof way, and always polite, and he found MC to be so warm and gentle, he was naturally drawn to them

He did feel attracted to them, but never made a move-he was still struggling with so many things himself, he didn’t want to drag anyone else into his mess. He just wanted to focus on photography and that’s that

So whilst they talked a lot during university, as soon as they graduated, V drifted away, and when he even changed his phone number all communication was lost between the two

Well, time went on, and MC slowly began to forgot about the mint-coloured man they met, until they stumbled into the RFA chatroom

They didn’t realise it was Jihyun at first-he did change his name after all, and everyone in the char referred to him as V, but the way he texted was very familiar, even though MC couldn’t quite understand why

When he finally introduced himself, they were stunned. They didn’t want to ask him if he remembers them though-it’d be too embarrassing if he said he didn’t

But of course V did remember them-the moment Seven told him their name after his background check, all the memories came flooding back, opening up a Pandora’s box in his chest where he locked all those feelings away

Even if they’re back within arms’ reach, and even if they seem interested in him though…it’s useless. He’s far beyond repair, and if he didn’t want to drag MC into his mess then, he most certainly doesn’t want to drag them into it now

So he becomes distant again, more so than ever before but MC isn’t having it-they call him out on his bullshit, and tell him to square up and be honest otherwise they’re leaving

So V reluctantly admits to it all-to remembering MC, to his feelings towards them, and to his own cowardliness back then, and how it’s now too late to change anything; even if he wants to. God, he wants to.

hi I’m soph and i love to torture my favs lol

-send me a mystic messenger scenario/prompt for character reactions!-

[hoes-simpin-imagines]

Hello! Can I have a Danganronpa V3, Haikyuu!! and Persona 5 matchup? I'm bi, 5'1 and a HALF (the half is important), INFP Taurus. A huge gaming addict but with a very busy daily schedule since I'm the oldest, so I usually forget to sleep or eat to compensate for gaming time. I also like to draw and play melodica (horribly). I have a hard time speaking in public, often having to send texts even though the person is right next to me. Thank you so much for accepting and have a good day!

“Then I’ll take the Haikyuu and Persona 5 ask!! Thank you so much and sorry again ( ；∀；)”

No worries hon, it’s all good!!! thanks so much for requesting c: and aww sdjsjdks you’re such a cinnamon roll btw;;

your Haikyuu matchup is…

【Kenma Kozume】

(my fAVORITE boy ever how indeed very lucky of you TwT)

Despite Kenma normally coming off as a little aloof and asocial, as he’s hardly ever really concerned about the the affairs of other people or interacting with others, you two would probably click together in almost an instant! This is due to the many characteristics you two share - Both of you being quite introverted and gaming addicts. If anything, Kenma would much rather prefer someone who’s similar to him in a sense, as he already has to put up with his noisy and energetic teammates on a daily basis. Don’t worry, Kenma’s also pretty much a total noob when it comes to speaking with others in public. (He had to have Kuroo assist him with every failed attempt he’s made to try and approach you alone at first. Poor kitty would chicken out just as soon as he believed he had garnered up enough courage to make a move). 

✧headcanons✦

The two of you first encountered each other at the local GameStop that was nearby the school. A new video game was to be released in stores that day, and Kenma was pretty psyched for it. He had planned to get himself a copy right after practice that evening, and doing so, left without Kuroo. As he skimmed through the aisles, his fingers brushing against the spines of the various packaging, he quickly noticed the game he was looking for and reached out to grab it. However, his wrist instead made contact with yours. 

He was a bit startled when his catlike eyes had found you as he staggered back in his direction awkwardly, averting his gaze and muttering an apology. He decided he just let you have it as he can either come back tomorrow or buy and download the game digitally. However, he didn’t expect you to apologize so incessantly over it, urging that he take the last copy instead, while each time he would reassure you that it was completely fine with him if you just take it. It got a bit awkward for him, and it was clear he was flustered by how visibly flushed his cheeks were. Eventually he complied, reluctantly taking the copy. While doing so, he noticed Kuroo watching the interaction unfold and swiftly went the other direction before you could question. 

Of course, as soon as Kuroo caught up with him outside Kenma definitely expected he would be bothered and interrogated by him. “Who was it you were just talking to? Was it someone cute? With the look you were giving earlier, I could tell you thought so.” “Shut up, Kuroo.” 

Eventually, Kenma would see you there quite often. He thought you wouldn’t recognize him, well, at least he hoped you didn’t. He’d avoid you like the plague, not that he wanted it to look like had anything against you though. His childhood friend read into his motives fairly quickly, and he would urge him to just go for it, not tolerating the excuses he would make.

When he did finally manage to approach you though, he never expected that it was that easy to converse with you on the topic of gaming as a conversation starter, as the discussion between you two had seemed to flow naturally. Kenma completely overestimated the situation that time. 

Anyways, I doubt it would be much of a problem if you require sending texts to converse with Kenma even if he’s literally right next to you. He’s alright with keeping at it virtually. When in a social situation that seems to be nerve-wracking, Kenma would just send you some gaming related memes saved in his camera roll to console or evoke a chuckle out of you. It may weird his teammates out as they watch the two of you communicate that way, but he doesn’t really care. He also may sound a bit more outgoing than usual through text.

He enjoys watching you draw, and he may sometimes ask you to draw some of his favorite characters/mains, or even a custom player character he designed. He’d set them as his avatars on every social media platform, obviously crediting you. 

Kenma obviously enjoys playing games with you. You two would duo in League of Legends, making a formidable Xayah and Rakan. (aww :3) Since Kenma’s a Youtuber, he would stream a few of the gameplays together with your permission of course. It isn’t compulsory to talk if you’re too shy, but whenever you’re ready, he’d definitely be glad to introduce you to his growing fanbase!

Date nights would normally consist of you two inviting yourselves at either one of your guys’ houses, and ordering a box or two of pizza at the door along with it. You two would usually be up gaming the entire night, and completely losing track of time. On the first night together at Kenma’s house, Kuroo invited himself in the next morning, seeing the two of you lay snuggled together on the couch and sleeping peacefully, both controllers thrown to the side and a half-finished open box of pizza on the floor.

~ Mod Suba 🌌

and for Persona 5, your matchup is…

【Futaba Sakura/Oracle/Navi】

You two just have so much in common!! She’s also an avid fan of video games and all things tech related, which is what initially drew her to you. It took all of her courage to awkwardly confess her feelings to you, but now that you two are in a relationship, you cant even keep track of how many all nighters you both had pulled together. Since you’re the eldest sibling, and I’d assume much more responsible than her, you’re usually the one who ends up taking care of her whenever she stays up for 12 hours straight playing online games. Despite her rough past and her shy disposition, she finds it very easy to confide in you due to how much you two have in common!

✧headcanons✦

You guys manage to save up a bit of money, and with Sojiro’s permission managed to go to an anime/gaming convention in your area! Let’s just say, it was the best date ever. She ended up spending a lot of money though, and had to borrow a lot of money from you toward the end of the con. You both totally did the thing where you follow a cosplayer while playing their theme song on the melodica.

On rough days, she likes to pull you into her room and cover you both under her blanket. She will never express it verbally, but she almost always wants cuddles from you. She will subtly hint at this, by either snuggling up to you or awkwardly forcing your arm around her. She likes to sit in between your legs and lean against your chest. When you assume this cuddling position, she will sometimes text you despite the fact that you are right there! It’s a cute gesture though, and she usually sends you memes and gifs during these moments.

On her first day of highschool, she’ll definitely be on the phone with you the entire time. Being in a school environment for the first time in a while really made her nervous. During a time like this, your presence and reassurance was vital to her! Luckily, she got the hang of school life after a few weeks, and she has you to thank for that!

Since you’re both fairly short, you both struggle to get high things on shelves. Sometimes you both clean LeBlanc together, and come across a high shelf that you cant reach. She tries to get on your shoulders to reach the shelves, and when that doesnt work, Akira or Sojiro usually steps in to take care of it.

She will hypocritically scold you for skipping meals while you’re gaming. She usually ends up playing said game with you while she scolds you, which makes her tirade a lot less threatening. But that aside, she really worries about your health a lot. If she notices you’re not eating properly, she’ll force either Sojiro or Akira to make you curry and coffee. And she makes you eat it too. You’re not leaving until you’ve licked the plate clean.

~Mod Onion 👻

[pixeldreqms]

september 2018 

there's an estimated forty days left of filming and already, ian's dreading the end. he's been trying harder to enjoy the little moments, and not just be miserable because he knows they won't last forever. it's hard, but he's trying. he's almost never as happy as he is when he's with these people, his fellow losers, and he doesn't want to waste the time he has left with them.

forty days.

probably closer to thirty nine now since it's past midnight. one more day down. but that's something he's not letting himself linger on. instead, his eyes settle on kennedy who is getting his ass kicked in a video game but is still laughing so loud that the sound is filling the entire basement of the rented house. he focuses on that sound and can't help but smile. he focuses on it and he swears every sad thought in his head floats away, just like that.

he accepted earlier in the summer that his feelings for kenny weren't as platonic as he had originally thought. but in his defense, he was only twelve when they first met. he had a lot of figuring out to do.

he's figured it out now.

he loves all his friends, strongly and deeply, and he's a little co-dependent with more than a couple of them. if he goes a day without talking to evan, he genuinely misses him. he goes out of his way to visit the burgess' at every given chance. each member of the cast has expressed annoyance with the way he spams the group chat while they're all asleep. he's entirely convinced he needs june to survive. and he feels all that with kenny, too, so it took him some time to realize just how much more he felt. and how he felt things for him that went well beyond the things he felt for everyone else he loved.

he doesn't get an overwhelming urge to lean in and kiss any of his other friends when they get too close, for starters. that was a big tip off for ian.

kenny jokingly winked at him once and he felt like someone had lit him on fire.

he constantly found himself shoving others aside just to stand by him in group photos or to sit by him on a couch during a movie.

his own behavior should have been a giveaway right away, but he's not exactly very experienced in that area. not in just dating, but even with liking people. he's only really had one real crush before, and he'd been twelve. and he'd never liked one of his guy friends before either - but he'd accepted that fact easily. given how many male tv characters he'd been infatuated with over the years, and his long-standing secret harry styles obsession that started back when he was ten years old, he'd always suspected he wasn't totally straight. he still hasn't slapped a label on himself yet, but he doesn't think he needs to know for sure what he is to know that he definitely has feelings for kenny.

feelings that are so intense that sometimes he can't even think about anything else. feelings that are so all-consuming that all he wants to talk about 24/7 is kenny and he has to force himself, multiple times a day, to shut up about him or else he'll give himself away or let too much slip. and he knows better than to say anything, to kenny, or to anyone.

but god he wants to.

he's kept this feeling bottled up for months now, though it feels like so much longer, and sometimes he feel like he's gonna burst from how bad he wants to talk about it. his journal only has so many pages he can wax poetic about kenny onto, and he's sure even the inanimate object is sick of hearing about his crush. he needs a pair of real ears. and maybe someone to tell him he's not stupid or crazy for falling for his best friend. because boy oh boy does he feel like he is sometimes.

evan's loud hooping and hollering covers up the sound of kenny's laughter, and ian rolls his eyes but can't help but grin in amusement. his victory had been predicted since mid-game, but evan was still celebrating like he'd done something impressive.

in an attempt to show kenny support, ian raises his arm and gives evan and his win a thumbs down. "booooooo."

he gets two middle fingers raised at him for his efforts. he thinks that's all he's getting in return for voicing his disapproval, until evan drops the controller and comes flying past the gaming area, past the couch, and leaping onto ian where he's sprawled across a huge bean bag chair.

"hey, i wanted to play the winner!" jeremy shouts from the couch in front of the tv, where the other four teenagers had been sat, partially watching the game, partially on their phones, mostly having their own conversations.

ian easily could have squeezed in with them, but he couldn't resist a good bean bag. plus, he was closer to the little mini bar area that this place had. the bar itself wasn't stocked with alcohol, not that ian cares or jeremy's mom would have let them drink anyway, but she kept the shelves and mini fridge stocked. ian likes being close to the snacks.

"well i'm over here now!" evan yells back. the loud volume right in ian's ear makes him wince. "play the loser. kenny, that's you. you're the loser."

ian shoves evan off of him and onto the floor. "dick."

"no," evan says, rejecting his removal from the chair. "move your ass."

"no." but he does it anyway. he can't move much or else he'd be on the floor, because yes it's a big seat, but they're both months away from being sixteen and are not the same small twelve year olds they'd been when they first met. they've hit massive growth spurts since then. sharing small spaces isn't as easy as it once was, but it doesn't stop them from trying. evan ends up with one of his legs completely over ian's and their shoulders pressed together. ian lets it happen, but he's still mildly annoyed about it. "wow, this is so comfortable. i'm so glad you came all the way over here to dig your elbow into my stomach. feels great."

"are you saying you don't want to sit with me, you a**hole?" evan asks.

evan's elbow digs deeper into his side and ian's pretty sure it's on purpose. he grimaces and shifts as much as he can but still doesn't move out of the seat.

"that's literally exactly what i'm saying, yeah. you stink."

the bickering continues, because it never really ends with them. there's an almost constant flow of jokes and jabs between them. but for as much as they give each other sh*t, him and evan have definitely had their fair share of genuine moments between them. anytime ian has an anxiety attack in a group setting, evan's one of a few who knows how to calm him. ian's called him crying about his family or about wanting to go home more than once. there was also the time on set during their first movie together where after an intense, emotional scene, they'd both cried and hugged each other until they got it out of their system. sometimes his relationship with evan reminds him of his relationship with his sister, and the way they can pick and pick at each other, but at the end of the day, they'd die for one another.

it's just really fun to insult each other, so they do it often.

eventually, after evan shouts at ian to eat an ass, they're informed they're being too loud.

anna, the only girl in a group of boys, shushes them with so much aggression that it terrifies ian a little. she puts up with so much nonsense every time she hangs out with them, he's just waiting for the day she finally snaps. he knows he doesn't want it to be his fault, so he does as he's told and shushes.

"they're all haters," evan mutters.

ian nods. "they wanna be us so bad."

and just like that, they're on the same team again.

ian feels a vibration against his leg and realizes his phone's fallen under his thigh. as he digs it out, he sees evan's own attention has momentarily returned to the game on the tv just as the loading screen transitions back into gameplay, so he feels less bad about checking it. reading kenny's name on his screen, he visibly lights up, grinning at the text.

'if he's being a dick, come escape and play me next,' kenny has written.

ian quickly types back. 'he's not, but i might anyway. wanna be next to kick your ass.'

he glances across the room, but he can't see kenny at all where he's sitting on the floor in front of the couch, so he has no idea if he's grinning as big as ian is just from seeing a new text from him. he can't imagine he is, but it's still a nice thought. as soon as the round on the tv ends and the loading screen is back up, kenny starts typing.

'I THINK I'M WINNING THIS TIME.'

ian's smile widens, his cheeks sore from it, but he doesn't get a chance to start replying before -

"is it a meme?" evan asks, neck craning to look. ian clicks back to his homescreen quickly.

"is what a meme?"

evan slumps back a little once ian drops his phone to his lap. "whatever you were staring at like that."

"no, or - yeah." he answers, then changes his answer when he realizes he can't tell him what he was actually grinning at.

he wasn't as subtle as he had hoped.

"you lookin' at something nasty?" evan asks. "you fvcking freak?"

ian blinks, then deadpans, "yes. i'm looking at something nasty while surrounded by my friends. with you practically in my lap. you caught me."

"thought so. looking like a blushing school girl over here." that one's a little too close to home considering he feels like a smitten school girl every time he sees or talks to kenny, so ian shoves evan for it. he almost rolls over the edge of the seat but gets a palm on the ground to steady himself. "come on. seriously. what was it? what's so secret?"

"fvck, you're nosy."

"invested in your life," evan corrects him.

"nosy," ian insists.

evan gives him a look, a raised brow and a silent dude, come on, tell me, and ian takes a breath.

he reminds himself there's a reason he's kept this secret so under wraps. as much as he wants to scream from the rooftop how much he likes kenny, the risk of him finding out isn't worth it. he'd ruin not only their friendship, but probably the entire group. they'd never be able to all be together. not with kenny inevitably being weirded out by ian's crush, and ian being too mortified to be around him anymore. the rest of filming would be a nightmare. getting through press and the promotion would be torture. he'd lose his favorite person.

nothing good could possibly come from people knowing.  

then, he reminds himself this is evan. they may thrive off of giving each other sh*t, but he can trust him. he's never let him down before. not when it mattered. if there's anyone he can tell and trust they won't screw him over by letting it slip, he feels like it's evan.

if for no other reason than he'd suffer, too. not just because ian would never forgive him, but he'd hate it if the group dynamic was thrown out of wack, too.

evan feels like a safe place to finally be honest.

so he exhales, and speaks.

"it was a - i was looking at something from - it's a someone."

a bit of a rocky start, but he got where he was trying to go after a few attempts.

"you have a someone?" evan asks, seeming mildly offended that this isn't information he was already privy to. "someone i don't know about?"

"i don't really have someone," ian tells him. "i just... want to. i want to be with them."

"who is she?"

"it's..." ian's voice is barely a whisper at this point. "it's not a girl..."

the silence that follows is the longest, most anxiety inducing silence ian has ever experienced. it can't be more than twenty seconds, probably not even that long, before evan speaks again but it feels like a lifetime. he doesn't know why he's so nervous about the reaction to this. he knows evan well enough to know he won't care, but people can be surprising in the worst ways sometimes. and he's never done this before. he's pretty sure his sister has an inkling, but he's never come out and admitted it to her. this is the first time he's having the actual conversation and god it's fvcking terrifying. he kind of wants to cry suddenly but he's really holding himself together.

even while fearing and preparing himself for the worst, he mostly expects evan to react with some generic but kind sentiment. a that's okay with me, dude or an i love and accept you, pal.

that's not what he gets.

after a moment, evan's brow furrows, his head tilts just slightly, and he asks, as sincere as can be, "man, is it me?"

it's just what ian needs to hear to ease his tension. he throws his head back and lets out a cackle. the ache in his stomach is no longer due to nerves, but from how hard he's laughing. "absolutely fvcking -" he has to stop, pausing as he got through another fit of laughter. "oh, absolutely fvcking not."

a tear rolls down his cheek and he flicks it away as he finally starts to calm down. then he gets a good look at how unamused evan looks and it sets him off again.

"okay, it's not me, i got it!" evan says in a hushed whisper, just loud enough to be heard over the sound of ian's own laughter. "who is it then?"

the nerves are back, suddenly. and again, he doesn't even know why. he wants this. he wants to be able to talk to someone about his feelings. he wants evan to know. but his palms are still sweating.

"you can't tell him," ian says softly. "i'll literally strangle you. you have to swear."

"i swear," he assures him. "so it's someone i know?"

he's pretty sure evan knows everyone ian knows. even his few remaining guy friends from back home, evan's met. but he doesn't remind him of that now, just nods and confirms. "yeah. it's someone you know."

"who? i'm not gonna tell, ian."

nervously, he glances towards the couch, just to make sure the game was still being played and their entire group of friends hadn't turned around to stare and listen to his confession. all he sees are the backs of heads, and he can hear everyone's laughter mixed with anna's muffled trash talk as she has a go at the game. no one's paying attention to him except for evan.

for some reason, he's having a hard time looking at him. the hardest part is already over, he tells himself, just spit his name out. but he's also telling himself that it's not too late and he can keep this secret to himself. evan would be annoyed about the cliffhanger, but ian could deal with that easier than he could deal with other possible outcomes of telling him.

no. he's doing this.

suck it the fvck up.

with his eyes on the back of the couch, in the smallest voice possible, he admits, "kenny."

he doesn't know what evan's initial reaction is, because it takes a few seconds for him to finally meet his eyes again, but when he does look at him again, his face isn't easy to read. he doesn't look shocked, exactly - and really, given that ian is arguably closest to kenny and evan out of everyone, it probably wasn't the most surprising name he could have said. if anything, he looks... confused?

"you're not gonna tell him, are you?" ian asks, misreading the look as inner turmoil about not wanting to keep a secret from their other best friend.

that's not at all what it is.

"no, i said i'm not," evan huffs. "but, why the fvck is it not me?"

"i'm - i'm sorry?" ian says, because what else does he say to that? "are you offended that i don't have a crush on you?"

"am i not cute?"

"evan, this isn't how people are supposed to react to sh*t like this -"

"i just can't believe out of everyone - kenny." he whispers it, at least. "and not me? really?"

"i'd love it if you weren't so fvcking weird about this."

"i'm not being weird! it being me just would have made sense, is all i'm saying."

ian squints. "and it being kenny doesn't make sense?"

evan sighs, falling back into the chair a little. "yeah, i guess it does. it does."

"just to make sure - " ian says, putting a hand up. "you don't - i mean, you're not upset because you like - "

"ew, don't even say it. i don't like you."

it's ian's turn to sigh and lean back into the seat. "okay, cool. you're just... fvcking weird. that's good to know."

there's a moment of silence and ian just breathes. he did it. he did it and nothing's changed, nothing world shattering happened. he feels like a weight's been lifted, just by telling one person. it feels really good. even if it didn't go how he'd have imagined it to. still good.

"knew it couldn't have been a meme you were looking at," evan says a minute later. "the memes you send are never that funny."

ian scoffs. "fvck you. i send the funniest memes."

"willow sends the funniest memes."

"you're gonna go to hell for saying sh*t like that. lying is a fcking sin."

"is it?"

ian pauses.

"... i'm not sure. i think so. did neither of us go to church growing up? that kind of explains a lot."

there's an angry cry from the front of the room that draws their attention. anna curses, followed by kenny laughing. once again, ian smiles at the sound.

the laughter, not the cursing.

"did kenny actually win?!" evan shouts over to the rest of the group.

kenny and anna stand up as the other three perk up on the couch to look over at the two in the bean bag.

"i've been winning!" kenny calls back.

jeremy chimes in. "he's on a winning streak!"

"more like a cheating streak," anna mumbles.

"he's beaten everyone except evan," jeremy says.

"ahem!" evan waves a hand, gesturing to ian. "not everyone except evan. let ian at him."

ian tries to suppress his grin. he'd been so worried about the bad outcomes of telling evan, but he hadn't considered all the good reasons. like evan helping him get closer to kenny. even just in little ways, like playing video games. maybe this was a better idea than he thought.

he meets kenny's eyes and when kenny smiles at him, he can't hide his own anymore.

"ian?" kenny asks. "you want the winner?"

evan nudges ian in the side, winking at him as they make eye contact and calling out to kenny, "yeah, he does."

on second thought, he might end up regretting it.

[seagreen-meets-grey]

When you’re close to me

After the realization hit her, it was impossible for Astrid to look at him the same way anymore. (Aka being a teenager and having a crush on your best friend is the best set-up for prom night.)

[Part 1: Revelations] [Part 2: Chicken Dance] [Part 3: Night Owls]

(The quoted song is “Sway” by Blue October.)

Crossposted on ao3 and ff.net

Astrid didn’t know exactly when it started.

She remembered lunch in the cafeteria, trying to squeeze in some homework, and a slightly nasal laugh when the math equations didn’t make sense to her and she let that out in a menacing tirade under her breath. She remembered wondering why it had pleasantly filled her ears, why it had made her look up.

She remembered standing in the school’s hallway shortly after last period, students jostling around, a cacophony of girly laughter, loud testosterone-filled exclamations and the general buzz of conversation surrounding her. She remembered turning away from her locker, ready to head out, and catching a glimpse of auburn hair in the crowd. She remembered smiling and waiting for him to catch up to her so they could walk out together.

She remembered her smile growing at every new text, remembered her sudden awareness of how much fun it was to hang out together.

But most of all, she remembered that one Saturday before finals.

It had been a busy couple of weeks, crammed with last-minute papers and presentations, long nights filled with caffeine and frustration. She was nothing but an ambitious student, always determined to ace every test coming her way, to prove herself and excel in every subject. Astrid Hofferson had goals, and she’d do everything in her power to reach those goals. That meant a very rigorous studying schedule, no distractions allowed. That again involved not being able to see her friends outside of school. She had no time for smoothies and movies, for afternoons in the park, the cove or on Heather’s couch, and certainly no time for Hiccup Haddock. Which sucked, because he was her best friend – the best she’s ever had, if anyone asked her.

She had first met him in kindergarten, but never really had had anything to do with him. Only when they got paired up for a project in freshman year – the classic way of getting to know people you never talked to – and after the initial rounds of awkward silence, did she have a real conversation with him. Up to that point, she had thought they couldn’t be more different people and that she couldn’t be less interested in the person that was Hiccup Haddock. But when he mentioned his dog with a missing tail and she told him stories about the parakeet she’d had as a kid and the puppy she had recently adopted, the conversation just kept flowing. Not always smoothly, but that didn’t matter. She liked talking to him. She found out he had a strong passion for what he loved and what he thought was right. He deeply cared for the people in his life and would do anything for them. Besides, it turned out they shared a lot of interests, and that made becoming friends even easier. And being friends with Hiccup was just that – easy. It was as if they clicked on another level, able to read each other like a book. There was no one who Astrid rather spent time with. He always made her forget about her troubles, but unfortunately finals – and therefore studying – were her troubles at the time.

Astrid groaned and buried her face in her physics textbook. She was lying on her stomach on the ground in her room, every surface covered with binders, notepads, textbooks, post-its, and index cards – the aftermath of a whole Saturday morning filled to the brim with studying, right after a short few hours of sleep preceded by a Friday afternoon and night study session.

Her brain was overflowing with equations, bullet points, half-sentences and phrases that refused to fall into context. The more she read and reviewed the less sense everything made in her head. Astrid sighed. She needed a breather. Placing her textbook aside, careful so the post-its didn’t shift out of place, she reached for her phone. She lay on her back and, holding her phone above her face, skimmed through various group chats. They all basically said the same; people were either studying or procrastinating, asking for help in several subjects, and the overall vibe screamed for salvation in the form of finals to be over already or a distraction of any shape or form.

Astrid was just grinning at a few memes sent by the twins when her phone suddenly buzzed several times from incoming texts, prompting her to drop it on her face.

Hiccup [11:48am]: your brain melted yet? i think i’m seeing smoke signals coming from your house

Hiccup [11:48am]: or did you try to make lunch and the house is burning down

Hiccup [11:48am]: do i need to call 911

Hiccup [11:49am]: where are your parents

Hiccup [11:49am]: omg did you finally snap from all the studying and killed them?

Rubbing her aching nose where her phone had met her face a moment ago, she typed back.

Astrid [11:50am]: Who do you think I’m cooking? ;)

Hiccup answered with a series of shocked emojis. Astrid grinned and imagined him placing a hand on his chest, pseudo-shocked look on his face. She rolled back onto her stomach, eyes set to the little dots indicating he was typing.

Hiccup [11:51am]: tbh i’m not surprised

Hiccup [11:51am]: always knew it was just a matter of time until someone died at your hands

Hiccup [11:52am]: how did you do it? axe or feeding them your version of an edible meal?

She could easily picture him gesticulating, waving his hands around, never able to keep them still while talking. It was kind of charming.

Astrid [11:52am]: Axe, of course. My cooking might be basic, but it doesn’t kill people.

Hiccup [11:53am]: biggest

Hiccup [11:53am]: lie

Hiccup [11:53am]: ever

Hiccup [11:53am]: hofferson

Astrid was about to reply when another text came in.

Hiccup [11:54am]: HOLY SHIT IS THAT WHY YOUR STEW WAS SO BAD? WHERE YOUR NEIGHBORS IN IT???!!

She rolled her eyes. A few months ago, she had made dinner for her friends. She had tried to follow her mother’s recipe but with her own twists, wanted to create something new, something originally Astrid – and, apparently, had succeeded. Only that her friends were rather spitting it back out on their plates than praising her cooking skills. The only one who at least tried and gulped down a few spoonfuls was Hiccup, and she loved him for it, despite the following teasing she had to endure.

Astrid [11:55am]: Shut up, Hiccup. I’m trying to study here.

Hiccup [11:55am]: how’s that going

Hiccup [11:56am]: have you even eaten anything yet

Astrid sighed. At his mention of stew, her stomach had growled viciously. Aside from half a croissant early in the morning, she’d had nothing to eat yet. She’d been so absorbed in studying that she hadn’t even noticed her parents leaving for their shopping day. Just one more chapter, she told herself while reopening her textbook, then she’d look for something to eat in the kitchen.

She put her phone away, not giving Hiccup the chance to further tease her on the subject of food. She would never admit this to him, but he was right. Astrid didn’t know how to cook, no matter how many cookbooks and articles she read, no matter how often she tried even the simplest meals. She was a lost cause. This was the reason why her motivation to look for something edible wasn’t necessarily high. She knew for sure there were no leftovers, and the fridge was likely mostly empty anyway; her parents would buy groceries at the end of their day at the mall.

Forcing herself back to her textbook, she pushed the notion of food to the back of her mind. Soon she was buried deep in her notes, trying desperately to press new information into her brain. When she stared at an equation and the numbers and symbols started dancing all over the page, she groaned in frustration. She needed to know this stuff by next Friday, and there was still so much more to revise.

She got up and went to the bathroom, filling the sink with cold water which she then dunked her head in several times. But it was of no use, it wasn’t ice water, of course this wouldn’t work. The only thing it did was to make her aware of how thirsty she was. While towel-drying her hair, she trudged down the stairs to grab herself a bottle of water. A quick check of the fridge confirmed her suspicion that there was basically no real food in this house. She found a few crackers in the cupboard and resigned herself to her dry excuse of a lunch when she heard the bell ring.

Bag of crackers in hand, she went to open the door and was greeted by a pair of familiar green eyes and a lopsided smile.

“Hey,” Hiccup said. His hair was as tousled as always and she noticed he was wearing an old green sweater that he only dug out on lazy weekends. Astrid didn’t have to ask if he had opened a textbook at all today.

“Hiccup, you’re smart,” she said in lieu of a greeting. “How do I restart my brain?”

Following her into the house and stealing a few of her crackers, which earned him a ferocious glare, he shrugged. “That’s exactly why I’m here.” He threw a cracker in his mouth and nearly missed. “I read the smoke signals.”

Astrid gave him a punch on the arm. “That’s for wasting my last food ration. Now I’m going to starve!”

Rubbing his arm, he motioned his head toward his car that was parked outside. “Then let’s go get some food.”

She crossed her arms, empty bag crinkling in her hand. “I can’t. I have to study.”

“We both know you’re not going to come far like this. Come on, I know you need a break.”

Astrid sighed. They both knew he was right.

“And something to eat,” he added when her stomach chimed in on the discussion. “See? Now let’s go before you kill and eat me too.”

Astrid bit her lip. She knew he wasn’t going to drop this. And a short break from studying could surely recharge her concentration.

“Alright,” she gave in with a sigh and put the bag in the trash, grabbed her jacket and followed Hiccup back outside. “But I lied, I didn’t cook my parents. They’re out shopping.”

“In that case, I’m even more scared, in such proximity with you when you’ve clearly not yet let out your daily dose of violence.”

“It’s not violence,” she protested, “it’s communication!”

“If it is, people should even be more afraid of you. You have some strong opinions.”

Astrid grinned and shut the car door. “Hell yeah, I do.”

“So communicate with me then,” Hiccup said while turning onto the street. “What do you want to eat?”

“Anything that’s not a dry cracker.”

“Or stew.”

She punched his arm lightly and he glared at her. “I’m driving here, you insane muttonhead.”

“You’re the muttonhead,” she retorted brightly before plugging his stereo cable in her phone and selecting their special car playlist. The songs that made it in were a bunch of shared favorite songs, songs they listened to on longer car rides together, songs that had a special meaning to them, or songs that were some sort of inside joke between them. They referred to it as their car playlist, but Astrid thought of it only as her Hiccup playlist. Whenever she felt down, she listened to it, finding comfort in the memories it held and the promise of their friendship that came with it.

While the music blasted through the speakers, Hiccup hummed along.

“How did you know?” Astrid asked as he turned onto the main road.

“Hm?”

“That I needed a break from studying.”

Hiccup glanced at her before turning his eyes back on the road. “Like I said, I read the smoke signals from your brain. I call it,” he made a grand gesture with one arm, “Astrintuition.”

“That’s not a thing, you dork.”

“It is now, I just named it.”

Astrid looked out the window to hide her smile. Of course he knew. He knew that she would spend her entire weekend preparing for finals and that she’d prioritize that over everything else. That’s why he decided to come by and make sure she ate something and still saw the sun. A fond feeling spread in her chest.

They ended up at Pizza Hut where they shared their favorite pizza, a Cheesy Crust Chicken Supreme. Hiccup watched in awe as she devoured slice after slice and when he exclaimed that he was stuffed, she ate the rest of his half too. She might not look like it, he thought, but that girl could rival his father when it came to eating. Astrid was so busy with her pizza that she missed the affectionate look he gave her.

On the way back to her place, the sun came out. It hit Hiccup’s hair at just the right angle to create a fiery halo around his head. Astrid rolled down her window to enjoy the warm breeze.

When their playlist jumped to a loud and fast song, Hiccup amped up the volume. He and Astrid automatically started duetting, jerking their heads along to the fast parts and swaying in sync to the slower ones. It had taken them a lot of tries to finally get all the lyrics right in the proper pace, and even now one of them sometimes fell out, provoking a snort from the other while they spluttered to jump back in.

Astrid loved moments like these. It was her and Hiccup, a team, enjoying each other’s presence. When the song faded out, their last chuckle dying down with it, she propped up her elbow and leaned her head on her hand. She closed her eyes, felt the wind in her hair, on her skin. She smiled when she recognized the next song, her favorite from three summers ago. Silently mouthing the lyrics along, she got struck by a feeling of utter contentment, accompanied by a swelling in her chest while familiar, memory-laden streets around her where dipped in sunlight.

Forget about the trouble Forget about the drama Cause I ain't Casanova Baby I can dance for days This time with you Is just amazing in so many ways

She looked over at Hiccup who slightly bobbed his head to the music, his eyes on the road, a small smile gracing his features, the sunlight dancing in his hair. She couldn’t stop looking at him. It was as if she was suddenly seeing him with new eyes. She felt a swoop in her stomach. In the light, she could make out slight stubble on his chin. His fringe and thick eyebrows cast shadows over his face. She had never really noticed how handsome he was.

Feeling a blush heat up her cheeks, she averted her eyes. Well, this is new, she thought.

For the rest of the day, she couldn’t really concentrate on anything and fell asleep much later than usual, confusion and strange new revelations keeping her awake until early in the morning.

From then on, she noticed the little things. The small touches that were suddenly too much, the glances, the dragged-out goodbyes, the increasing frequency of hugs that tended to linger a moment too long. She wondered why she had never noticed how green his eyes were, how much taller than her he had grown, or how broad his shoulders had become only in the last year.

Every day, she noticed it, noticed him more. And it only got worse over time.

When he looked at her, her heart skipped a beat or two. He invaded her thoughts regularly and often in the most inconvenient moments, like when she wanted to sleep or needed to pay attention during class. Astrid was in no way a sappy romantic. But every time the topic of love or romance was brought up even in the slightest, her mind wandered to Hiccup, much to her chagrin. They were friends. She didn’t want to ruin that with sudden, stupid feelings.

Eventually, she came to admit to herself that she had a crush on him (just a small one really, no big deal). It was when her grandmother asked for a nice photo of her and Astrid sorted through her pictures on her laptop. After an hour or so she suddenly noticed she had moved from looking at pictures of herself to staring at pictures of Hiccup instead.

It took her a while to come to terms with it, before she tried to block it out and hoped it went away on its own. When that didn’t work, she changed tactics. Going out with someone else would certainly help her forget about her crush. But whenever she tried to find a guy she’d go on a date with, the qualities she looked for in them were traits she associated with Hiccup. In comparison to him, everyone else quickly faded into the background.

By the time she gave up changing targets, she could no longer deny to herself that this crush was indeed not small at all. And her plan to not tell anyone so that it couldn’t become a bigger deal than it was – and it really was a big deal – failed spectacularly when Heather caught her staring at Hiccup from afar and asked her if she ever noticed how she wouldn’t shut up about him. Astrid tried denying it at first, but there was no fooling Heather.

“Hiccup this, Hiccup that. Astrid, you couldn’t be more obvious.”

Sometimes, though, Astrid was glad that Heather knew. She would do her all kinds of little favors, like “accidentally” forgetting something in her locker when the three of them were on their way to class, saving Hiccup a seat that happened to be right next to Astrid, or cancelling at the last minute when they decided to go to the movies so Astrid and Hiccup were to themselves. Although Astrid loved her for doing that, it didn’t help her frustration about her one-sided crush.

Heather, however, had a different opinion. She believed that Hiccup had feelings for her, too, based on the way he acted around Astrid. Despite her hopes that her friend was right, Astrid nevertheless argued that Hiccup had always been like that since the beginning of their friendship; Heather just hadn’t been there to see it since she’d come to their school later. Besides, Hiccup was the one always stressing that they were friends (best friends, but still just friends). Heather would just look at her like she was missing something obvious.

Time went on like this, with Heather always trying to nudge Hiccup and Astrid in the right direction and telling her to just talk to him or make a move herself. And it’s not like Astrid didn’t try. She gave Hiccup signals all the time, like shuffling closer and leaning against him while they were watching a movie, dropping comments here and there about the two of them together, touching him on the arm or chest or hand whenever she got the chance to – not that she minded at all – and even going out for ice cream on Valentine’s Day. But either he didn’t notice the signs, like the dork that he was, or he read them wrong. And there was still the possibility that he wasn’t into her at all – a notion Astrid hated but had to admit could be true.

Her frustration got especially bad when prom rolled around. While she normally wouldn’t even think twice about the ridiculous need to find a prom date that other girls seemed to have, a part of her still hoped Hiccup would ask her while she tried to work up the nerve to ask him herself. But whenever she opened her mouth to bring up the topic, she chickened out. If she asked him and he said no, she didn’t want that to affect their friendship, didn’t want to jeopardize whatever it was that made their whole dynamic so easy and comfortable. And it wasn’t like she needed a prom date to have a good time with him, anyway.

She kept going back and forth with her reasonings, caught between her idea of simply having fun with her friends without conforming to high school society norms, and the inevitable pull Hiccup had on her, creating her desire to be close to him, closer than she was now. And she just couldn’t find a solution.

Astrid was sitting in the cafeteria, picking at her vegetables, while she glared daggers at the girl who was currently talking to Hiccup on the other side of the room. The girl was tall, blonde and pretty, and she had her hand on his arm while she threw her hair back laughing at something he said.

“I know cafeteria food is awful, but even those peas don’t deserve what you’re doing to them,” Heather said next to her, watching as her friend tortured squashy peas and radiated jealousy like a miniature Chernobyl. When Astrid only grunted in response, Heather sighed. “Just ask him already. I don’t know how much longer I can take this unnecessary pining.” She snorted. “Or Snotlout.”

Astrid rolled her eyes. “Don’t remind me.” She’d been asked to prom nine times by now, eight of those by Snotlout (the other one by an overachieving freshman named Gustav).

She cut into her steak, pretending she wasn’t secretly watching Hiccup and that girl. Her plate made a horrible sound when she got through the steak and ran her knife over the cheap china. She and Heather cringed at the bloodcurdling noise and Astrid mumbled an apology.

When she looked up the next time, that girl was gone. Hiccup came towards their table with his food tray and sat down opposite them.

“That’s the fifth time this week that I’ve been asked to prom,” he said. “Is there some kind of prank going on?”

Astrid scowled. She only knew about three. “If there is, I’m going to kill the person responsible,” she mumbled and chewed on her steak. Hiccup frowned at her sour mood but didn’t comment on it.

“Hiccup, do you even know how popular you are?” Heather asked him. “And you’re an eyecatcher. Girls notice you.” Hiccup looked at her as if she’d grown a second head. “It’s true, just ask Astrid.”

Astrid almost choked on her (awful) steak and felt Hiccup’s eyes burning through the side of her face. “Yeah well, kind of,” she stammered, fighting the blush growing on her cheeks while she avoided his gaze, “I mean, everyone gets more handsome when they grow up, not specifically you, but everyone, you know, which doesn’t mean that you didn’t, I mean… You’re fine, I guess.” She shrugged and stuffed half her steak into her mouth so that she couldn’t start rambling again like that.

“What Astrid’s trying to say here is that I’m right.”

A quick glance told Astrid that Hiccup was still frowning at her weird behavior. “Are you alright?”

She gave him a strained smile and swallowed the ball of dry meat in her mouth. “I’m fine.” He didn’t seem convinced but didn’t question her further either. Instead, he went back to complaining.

“I just can’t catch a break from turning down prom invitations. Which I most certainly never thought I’d ever even have to do in the first place.”

Heather took from that that he’d immediately said no to all of them. A smile grew on her face as an idea crossed her mind. This was a perfect opportunity.

“Hey, why don’t you guys go together?” she asked, looking back and forth between Astrid and Hiccup. Both of them simultaneously started to protest.

“It’s not like that.”

“We’re not… It’s not…”

“We don’t date.”

“Yeah, that’d be weird, because we’re just–”

“We’re just friends.”

“Yes, exactly.”

They were both blushing pretty hard, avoiding each other’s gazes. Heather rolled her eyes.

“Then just go as friends. That means you,” she pointed at Hiccup, “will be left alone by all those girls, and you,” she pointed at Astrid, “will get Snotlout off your back.”

Astrid pondered that for a moment and came to the conclusion that she liked that thought. She and Hiccup shared a look.

“Alright,” he said and gave her a lopsided smile. “Wanna go to prom?”

She tried not to break into a wide smile while she felt the familiar tingle in her stomach. “Sure,” she shrugged and went back to eating her cafeteria food which suddenly didn’t taste so bad anymore. Hiccup did the same, suppressing a grin himself. Heather just shook her head at them and sighed. Hopeless dorks.

[officerjennie]

💘 Kagami x Tobirama

Below the cut cause the list is super freaking long.

Ask meme referenced here

Where they first met and how?In canon, Tobirama wasn’t exactly Kagami’s sensei. Their respective teams worked alongside each other’s apparently on a few occasions, though I imagine they met a bit before that. Probably met either shortly after Kagami graduated the academy, or perhaps Kagami was friends with part of Team Tobirama and they met that way. Either way, they met long before either of them would have any Feelings.

How long their ‘flirting’ phase was before feelings got involvedThere probably wouldn’t be a flirting phase. Either one would have feelings for the other and not say anything (age gab reasons and superior/subordinate reasons), or there would be a mutual and unspoken understanding between them not to mention any hopes of a relationship.

Who fell for who first (if applicable)?It’s hard to say, because I doubt either of them would be able to pinpoint the exact moment the feelings became romantic. It was a slow shift over time for both of them.Where their first date was and what it was like?A quiet affair. Probably was more intimate, in a non-lemony way, than most first dates since they were both pining for so long.

Who asks who out and how (with a sign? Spelled out on a cake? Just a simple ‘will you go out with me’?)I can see Tobirama being the first one to step forward and ask for more. Just with words, no flowers or gifts or anything of the sort.

Who proposes first?Surprisingly, I see Tobirama being the one to propose here.

If they keep/kept their relationship secret or let everyone know right away?Uuuhhh, yuuuuuppp, secret for quite a while. Tobirama sees too many potential risks in coming forward, and doesn’t want to deal with the headaches. No matter that their relationship isn’t problematic, many might still see it that way.

Where the proposal happens and how (kiss cam at a baseball game? on a Hillside surrounded by ducks? At a Disney park?)I think Tobirama would give romance a try. Might try to make dinner (and not do very well), or something of the sort. Kagami would mean the world to him, and he’d probably go a bit overboard on several important occasions to make sure Kagami knew that.

If they adopt any pets togetherYup. Lots of them. All sorts of different kinds.

Who’s more dominantI always assume this means in the bedroom, and, well. Tobes.

Where their first kiss was and what it was likeStilted and a bit awkward, probably right after their first date. Pining might have happened on both sides, but Tobes has no idea how to handle feelings and physical contact between the two of them. He’ll get the hang of it eventually.

If they have any matching couples stuff (Mugs? Sweaters? Pillowcases?)Once again, Hashirama strikes, and showers with gifts.

How into PDA they areNot very. Kagami likes to lean on Tobirama on occasion, but that’s about as far as they’ll go.

Who holds the umbrella when it rainsThey have their own umbrellas (real talk: do people actually hold umbrellas for other people? Is this an actual thing and not just a movie thing? I don’t get it)

Where their usual ‘date spot’ is (if applicable)Quiet places. One another’s homes, small sweet or tea shops, walks in the woods, a nice spot by the river.

Who’s more protective?Tobirama. Kagami has a habit of laughing everything off and getting sneaky revenge through pranks, but nothing seriously protective. Unless there’s violence threatened, he doesn’t make an outward big deal of it. Tobirama likes to spit fire at people with his words.

How long it is before they sleep together (can be as in ‘had sex’ or as in ‘shared a bed’)?Share a bed? Rather soon, actually. Even if it’s still a bit awkward, they have soft moments very quickly. Doing The Lemons? It takes a bit.

If they argue about anythingYup! Tobirama thinks Kagami’s a bit careless with his well being, and Kagami snarks right back about the pot calling the kettle black.

Who leaves more marks (lipstick, hickeys, scratchmarks etc.)?Neither are really big into it tbh

Who steals whose clothes and how oftenNeither, really.

How they cuddle (spooning? facing each other?)Depends on where they are.

What their favourite nonsexual activity isTobi’s favorite is either when they’re reading together or when Kagami takes the time to try to understand his experiments. Kagami’s is when they go out to the woods and wander.

How long they stay mad at each otherNot long, though they have a few reoccurring arguments.

What their usual coffee/tea orders areTobes ingests anything with caffeine. Kagami has refined tastes in tea.

If they ever have any children togetherProbably not.

If they have any special pet names for each otherNone anyone else would ever hear.

If they ever split up and/or get back togetherNope (that’s forever going to be my answer, no matter the ship soz)

What their shared living space is like (Messy? Clean? What kind of decor?)A bit messy, random bits of experiments here and there, loose parchment as well. Simple decor since neither of them care much for that sort of thing.

What their first Christmas/Hanukkah/etc as a couple was likeTobes probably tries to make it romantic, though it’s not much different than any other holiday. Kagami appreciates the effort and thinks it’s cute.

What their names are in each other’s phonesProbs just their first names (I’m unoriginal)

If they have any ‘couple traditions’ (buying a new mug for their collection every year? Baking every Friday evening?)They make sure to set aside at least one day a week to spend time together. Tobes gets easily drawn into his work and might forget otherwise.

Who falls asleep first and who wakes up firstTobi is inhuman. He never sleeps. There is no sleep within him.

Who’s the big spoon/little spoonTobes/Kagami

Who hogs the bathroomNeither

Who kills the spiders/takes them outsideNo killing spiders up in here. Kagami would be more likely to take it outside, and Tobes would either just leave it be or put it in a jar to study it if it’s dangerous (which is why Kagami puts them outside).

[xwomanscornedx]

TW: domestic violence, assault, gas-lighting, trauma

I officially “met” my ex fall of Sophomore year.  We knew “of��� each other before hand, but had not really had any reason to hang out or talk prior.  We had both won lead roles in our high school play, and ended up having a few scenes together.  During the several months of rehearsal, we learned we had a lot in common and were “sympatico” in many ways.  He would start a joke, and I would finish it. In improv, one of us would begin a scene and the other could pick it up perfectly. We both sang and played guitar.  He started a band.  I started an entertainment company, ect.  At the time, he was dating a friend of mine so obviously we never went past casual acquaintances because I’m not the type to interfere in a relationship – but I did develop a light crush.  After high school we stayed in contact. Sometimes he would stop over, have a beer, and watch something stupid or play video games. Other times, we just shared memes on Facebook. Two years ago, we reconnected while we were both going through hard times. We had hung out before, so I didn’t think anything of him inviting me over to hang out and have a beer.  We walked to the store, and on the way back he gently held my hand.  We got back to his place, and he pushed me against his van and kissed me hard.  From then on, we were inseparable.  After only a few months, we officially moved in together and for a while, everything was great.  Honestly, the best relationship I’ve ever had.

We were intense.  He confessed that he’d had his eye on me for quite some time, and it was like all the pent up feelings between us were coming out in full force.  Being with him felt so good, almost intoxicating.  We had plans to buy an RV when we both retired and travel the country. Hell, we were even at the point where we were looking at houses together.  He wanted his own shop, and the plan was for him to take care of the technical aspects (lead mechanic, hiring, orders) and I would handle the business aspects (payroll, customer service, bookkeeping).  I truly believed that we were each other’s happy ending.  Sadly, this was temporary.

The abuse began gradually.  I have compared it several times to a frog in boiling water.  If you put a frog directly in boiling water, it will jump out and run.  However, if you put a frog in luke warm water and slowly turn up the heat, it will eventually boil to death before it realizes it’s in danger.  Things started small:  Little comments about my weight or abilities, drinking more and more, taking the change from my change jar, ect.  Over the next year and a half, things got worse. Eventually, he was breaking things and punching walls. He would get so drunk that he couldn’t form complete sentences.  During this time, I was trying desperately to help him.  I had known him for so long and truly believed that if he just quit drinking, everything would be fine.  

Then the physical abuse began.  He broke my rib trying to crack my back, even though I begged him to stop.  He tried to set me on fire in our bathroom.  He would wake me up by pissing on my face when he was angry with me. Once, he got so mad at me for taking too long in the bathroom that he busted the door open, grabbed me by my hair, and threw me out.  I landed on my tailbone and cracked it.  To this day, I still have issues.  I performed in the Vagina Monologues with two black eyes because he was mad I was acting again and he wasn’t.  By our two year anniversary, I had quietly accepted that I would die in this apartment.  My friends had all but stopped talking to me, he cost me every job I had either by forcing me to quit, making it impossible for me to sleep, or showing up drunk and causing a scene so I couldn’t afford to leave him.  

This next paragraph is very triggering.  If you are sensitive to topics of violent rape, please don’t read this  Move on.  Scroll down.  Because yes, he did.  Sometimes, it wasn’t that “bad” I guess.  He wouldn’t allow me to sleep on the bed if I wouldn’t perform for him.  He would throw my pillow on the floor and make me sleep there, and sometimes if I was lucky I could just opt for the couch instead.  One thing was for sure, when he was in those moods it was my choice to either have sex with him or find somewhere else to sleep in my own home.  Other times, I wasn’t so lucky.  The worst one I only have vague clips of memory from.  I can’t even remember how we got to this point.  But I do remember him on top of me, spitting in my face, and screaming how much he hated me.  I started to cry because it hurt.  I was bleeding.  I was begging him to stop and praying for it to be over quick if he didn’t. And he just hawked a loogie in my eye and put a pillow over my head so he “wouldn’t have to look at that (my) ugly face”.  I cried so hard I eventually just went out of my head.  I wasn’t there, mentally, and honestly don’t remember much after that moment.  I know he was eventually tired of me and pushed himself away from me to sleep.  In the morning I was so sore it was hard to walk.  Hard to pee.  Hard to wear underwear.  I wanted to die.  

Honestly, there’s more abuse than even this.  Some things, however, are still too painful to discuss and some I am remembering slowly.  As anyone who has worked with trauma victims before will tell you, our brain blocks out some things that are just too much for it do deal with.  It’s known as cognitive dissidence.  

On July 25th, we had another fight.  I wanted to go to bed early because I had a 9am interview.  He wanted to stay up, listen to music loudly, and have sex.  One thing you may or may not know, I am sterile.  I can’t have kids.  I tried to sleep through him, but about an hour after I laid down he barged into the bedroom, turned on all the lights, and began grabbing at me and telling me how he was going to “breed” me.  I pushed him off of me, which made him very angry.  He was already close to two six packs in by this point.  He immediately jumped on the bed and began punching me repeatedly.  Somehow I managed to grab my mace and sprayed him with it.  All this seemed to do was make him angrier.  He jumped me again and rubbed the mace on my eyes and inner thighs before finally collapsing from pain by the back door.  I managed to force my eyes open enough through the pain to reach the kitchen, grab the milk, and lock myself in the bathroom where I called 911.  

The entire time I was waiting for the cops, he was pounding on the door threatening to bash my head in with a hammer.  Since he had used a hammer multiple times to beat down the back door or put holes in the ceiling, I 100% believed that if he got that door open before the cops got there, he was going to kill me.  Thank God the cops got there quickly and he was arrested.

Between that day and his trial at the end of October, he broke the no contact order repeatedly with phone calls, voice mails, texts, and even emails. Hearing him tell me time and again that he loved me and wanted to change for me was heartbreaking, because I was (and still am) madly in love with him.  But trauma bonding is real.  I managed to stay strong and move forward.  It was hard.  The first few months I didn’t even know where rent would come from.  But my friends and family came together and kept me afloat enough that I made it through.  

Money issues aside, I started playing Minecraft while watching PewDiePie Minecraft videos.  It may seem dumb to some, but it made it feel like I was playing games with someone.  Like there was someone always with me so I wasn’t so alone.  I slowly fixed all the holes and broken things in my apartment, and even repainted some of the furniture to make it my own style.  I called my mom daily (Mom, I’m so sorry.  I know how annoying I was) and slowly went out more to see people who cared about me.  I even managed to get a job in the warehouse of [REDACTED] and found solace in the manual labor I did there.  I became the second best truck thrower in the building – second only to my boss’s boss.

I’m also still learning just how deep this has broken me.   A friend recently asked everyone to comment one of their talents, and I honestly couldn’t come up with anything.  I feel like I have no talents or anything special that makes me worthy of existing.  I still say things like “I know I’m not a catch or anything...” and think that when guys are nice to me, it’s because they pity me. It’s like this constant self doubt – even self hate – that taints every aspect of my life.

So that’s it. That’s why I’ve been so quiet.  He took a plea deal and will have to complete intense addiction therapy, and be on probation so strict he won’t even be able to fart without [REDACTED] County’s permission. But as for me, I’m damaged right now, but filling my cracks with gold one day at a time.  I’m in therapy and planning my first vacation since being free.  I’m getting my entertainment company back up and running. But every day I fight his voice in my head telling me I’m not smart enough.  Not pretty enough.  Not thin enough.  Wondering what I did to make him so mad?  Wondering why he stopped calling me his “sweet girl”.  He used to ask me to get him coffee in the morning before work.  I would smile and say jokingly “And what makes you think I’ll do that?” and he would reply “Because you’re a sweet girl” and kiss me on my forehead. I miss that, but not enough to go back to a place where I looked at death as my only escape from him.

[jawbreakers2015]

Player Profile: Hang

avid modder, occasional TO and montage video producer from Germany top 12 in the Jawbreakers Stunfest Qualifier (artwork of Drop by Kagu)

What names do you go by?

I used to go by Troke for the entirety of April. Which was based on a dumb coincidence where I talked to Neer and had one of my usual mobile spelling errors and I wrote "I'm having ha troke" instead of "having a stroke".

I wanted to go away from "Hang Boy" since quite some time as I specifically wanted to get rid of the "Boy" and just "Hang" felt wrong and was still associated to Hang Boy anyway. But I guess I'm back to that now.

Reason to why I wanted to rid myself of "Boy" was as simple as me linking my online persona to my OC (By choosing her for profile pictures on basically any platform) which then of course lead people to believe she is a male based on the thought "Hey this is Hang Boy. So the profile picture must also be Hang Boy".

The name Hang Boy btw occurred just as I started my first step into the internet, when I was a big fan of the Binding of Isaac. So i needed an online name and I ventured through Isaac related things. Which was when I came across the Tarot card "Hanged Man". So I just took that and adjusted a bit.

How do you feel about your performance in this tournament?

Was pretty okay. I didn't expect to get far into it. Although I'm a bit sad I didn't make the Top 8 picture. Only needed one win more as well.

However I would have been disappointed in everyone else, if they allowed for me to reach Top 3. So good that didn't happen.

What was your strategy preparing for and competing in the tournament?

I haven't played Blaze in weeks. The only times I played recently was to get some recordings for a Toxic montage. Right before the tournament I was more worried to finish my Isaac run. Which I did win!

And during the tournament was pretty much just "Turn some nice music on, jam to it, play some Nitro, do some silly cuff shenanigans, do dumb parry grab down throws so the viewers can laugh over something".

I did "fly" with Nitro in one match but sadly it wasn't streamed so only Hellraiser was able to see the glory of Flying Cuff™.

Which was your hardest match of the tournament?

Hellraiser I suppose. He did kick me out of it. I never really played him or saw him play and he didn't fall for my aggressive playstyle, so it was a tough time.

What surprised you most about the tournament?

Cherry's second place finish. I know he's good, I think he's underrated even.

But second place is a really good finish. Even more so beating JawDrop since, in my opinion, he has some of the craziest tech and can be really really confusing to play against.

(Yea he also has weird lag even tho he lives in France but whatever :p)

Is there anyone you didn’t face that you wish you did?

I would have wanted to play Defur if possible. To some degree I see his entrance as a sort of meme entry. But jokes aside and game aside, I can only take my hat off to this man and his effort for the tournament scene.

Sadly didn't get to play Daio. It feels like a tradition to face off against him in FellowsTV hosted tournaments. Which always goes the same way tbf. He counters my playstyle hard, I'm annoyed to play against him, don't bother changing my playstyle in order to win, get demolished. But the tradition counts!

I'd put Neer in the same boat. Hate playing against him but it just kinda has to be.

How did you get into Lethal League?

A friend bought it for me. We played a couple of games, he had to leave. I went into QM, found Garu, got absolutely demolished, he friended me and pulled me into it.

I specifically remember seeing his Latch corpse juggles and thinking "Man this is so cool, I want to be able to do this too". So right of the bat I started to play for the style, which is what I still go by.

Style > Efficiency

It feels bad not having paid for LL nor Blaze but I bought LL for a bunch of friends so guess that checks out.

What's your current Lethal League experience?

450+ hours in LL 340 hours in Blaze (As of now. 26.4.2019) And a giant bunch of hours of community interaction and modding.

I was very excited when asked to be beta testing and it fulfilled a childhood dream of being in video game credits.

Despite only getting into Beta a month before release, I stacked up 90 hours before the game came out. Lots of 9 hour playtime days. It was massive fun.

I bought almost all of the merch...got most signed by Tim & Dion too. I went to the Netherlands twice to meet TR. It was fun, they are cool people. Watching Dion doing a live dance off was pretty rad ngl.

I brought self made cheesecake the second time, but Tim had to get it into the building since they check your bags for normal visitors and it wasn't allowed to bring food.

I'll never forget the sight of Tim with his big bag looking like he's smuggling a bomb into a convention.

Who are your main/side/counter character picks?

Everything. So yes random, it's random.

However I most enjoy playing Nitro because of all the dumb things he can do. Especially flying, cuff storage (specifically for down angle on the ground, to just pull a little bit forward) and half pull.

Doombox is also very fun. Special>bunt>smash>parry>special>repeat can chain pretty often on some opponents and is hilarious.

The only characters I "despise" playing are Toxic and Sonata. But only because I'm really bad with them.

What are your favourite character outfits?

Dust and Ashes. Just their whole design.

For real tho. There's not really skins that stick out to me since I use my own modded ones.

Can you share your favourite/most used custom outfit?

Hm I missed that that's not "outfits"...well take a load of skins! In order

Mothyman Jeviman Spacetor Golden Switch Drop Palette Sonata Supercharged Latch PaDice-a the Rapper Skull Grunt Supercharged Grid Supercharged Doombox Dropbox FYouBox Nitro with a blue, white and mint color scheme I made for every character and lastly my Toxic skin with that same color scheme

What are your stage preferences?

Idc. I play random so who really cares. I guess insert the usual "Paradise field eclipse succs!!!"

What input method do you use?

PS4 Controller Dpad for movement L1 Bunt R1 Swing R2 Grab

I used to play LL on a cheap SNES controller using only face buttons. When I was over at Dutch Comic Con with Serchiot I played a couple games of Blaze with his PS4 controller and really liked his layout and the feel of the controller. So I just sneakily stole his layout and got myself a PS4 controller.

Coming from all face buttons, I needed some time to get used to it. But in my opinion it's just superior this way.

How do you make your character montage videos?

I have two ways of recording clips. Just consciously recording with OBS or putting Shadowplay on and saving every time something cool happens. I usually just boot up Blaze and jump into ranked to get some games in. With the Toxic montage it was a bit different since I now have a 4K monitor but 4K can hardly be recorded at 60fps and setting the output resolution in OBS to 1080p got me weird screen effects. So every time I went to record, I put the resolution of my monitor to 1080p in order to at least get that in good quality. Then I just cut all the good clips out of the recordings and mix ‘n’ match ‘em. What's usually the hardest decision is what music to use. There's been a couple of songs that I'd like to use, but they either don't fit over Blaze gameplay, don't fit my playstyle or were just the wrong length.

My two favourite Montages are definitely for Candyman and Nitro. Candyman took a long way to develop, because I just wanted to show off so much. It's one of the few montages where I actually asked higher skill players for games instead of jumping into ranked. Picking the song was really hard, I was only sure I wanted a Klaus Veen track, but OD V2 was too mainstream and most others were too short. So in the end I opted for two songs with a break in between the montage. Splitting the clips into two sets, each song one. With the second part containing what I considered the more hype bursts.

And for Nitro I actually had the montage pretty much done, but I wasn't too happy with it. Still planned to just upload it like that tho. However when I saw the Nitro voice actor interact with a community member in a way that could only be described as "incredibly wholesome", I was inspired to redo most, if not all, of the clips and do the best I could. For the first time actually going into training mode to lab some combos (mostly corpse juggles tbf) and eventually learning Flying Cuff™ too. Watching JawDrops Blazin' Combo video and taking a slice off the Nitro plays there. Which resulted in a montage I am very happy with.

What other games do you play?

It differs from time to time.

The only games I always come back to are retro games like SMW, CTR or something like Mario Kart 8D. Which I always enjoy playing at local tournaments and pretty successfully so even. People just can't handle it when someone plays with one hand.

Atm I also like playing TBoI Rebirth.

Will you come to Stunfest?

Probably not. Driving/Flying over to France is just very expensive. I would love to meet all my Baguettes (Lusked, Jawdrop, Aru and Lalou, who stated he can't make it due to exams, yes I know). But exams and the neer-ing end of my apprenticeship is leaving a lot of work to be done.

So it probably won't fit into my schedule. However never say no! Trips to Blaze events aren't uncommon for me.

Is there anything else you’d like to say to the community?

Play the game for fun, not for glory.

Stop rubbing yourself for an imaginary title that doesn't mean anything as there's not even any competition for it.

I can't stress enough how great Soda City Funk by Tim Legend is. Go listen to it right now.

And for my last words. Be more like Kota. And remember, We love Ramkat <3

[tales-from-the-silver-lining]

Hello! I'm a DM, but I'm new to it (A little under 6 months of experience). I have a group of really talented players, but they find that their characters haven't had the opportunity to bond - despite being given many of said opportunities. What things have helped your squad, and characters, bond?

Apologies for the delay on this answer! We felt this was a question best answered by as much of the squad as possible, so here’s what we all think:@aerorwenfalls (Marbles) answered:“ When we started off, we had a discord server and 5 introverts with no or very little experience role-playing. We’d established a few things beforehand about some relationships but I wasn’t quite quick enough and too shy to indulge in much of anything session 0. But every time I would reflect, I’d talk to Phan (who plays Kha'Raj), I would make art so I could visualize things better, I polished Marbles’ backstory, talked to Rob, I wrote dialogue options in my notes, things to ask about as a player that Marbles would be interested in, and RP ideas.I also put together a playlist which helped again with figuring Marbles. You have to know character and what they want to do. I think what really helped was when we couldn’t all make it for a session at the right time so Rob (DM) suggested DMing little RP’s between us for backstory purposes and that sparked the idea of private RP’s between us- especially establishing how Marbles, Kha'Raj, Deekek, and Amelia ended up together before the story picked up. Jess was the first person I RP’d with and it was a little but wholly adorable scene between Marbles and Deekek which is where the cloud analogy comes from. And from that I was able to understand how Marbles would interact with Deekek and what their history was. We’ve since continued to privately build on that.I also started plotting shenanigans with Phan so Marbles and Kha'Raj could pull off their shenanigans in-game. When we play a session of story-mode, I now end up plotting new things and establishing conversations that later occurred to me between sessions. I think as DM, there’s only so much you can do. When the opportunities are presented, the players either need to take initiative to talk to each other and ask questions or engage with each other outside of the story mode. Pull each other aside. If there’s no chemistry, create chemistry.You have Kha'Raj’s prank war with Amelia as two magic users so they have a rivalry. He antagonizes Cate in a very sibling-like way. Cate doing damage close to Marbles and holding her own inspired a private conversation between these strangers about keeping the others safe and now they do have an open and profound relationship and respect for each other. Marbles and Deekek share a bed and a room with Kha'Raj so we’ve talked about what lead to that. We’ve capitalized on patterns and things that came up in the game. We’ve put out backstory hints. We’ve done memes. Amelia is a character Marbles don’t have an established bond with yet but I know how to forge one.Long story short- I don’t think it’s fair to expect the DM to do all the hard work. If you’re giving them downtime to do things in game and they didn’t do anything… that’s not on you?* Unless they think you might be railroading them a bit??”@venoshook (Cate) answered:“i think if you’re worried about your players not having opportunities to bond, you can always subtly make some. like for example, the inn they want to stay at might only have one or two rooms free so some people might have to bunk together or share beds (like marbles and deekek do) or send them on little errands around town to interact with other people something our dm does, especially when things get quiet on our end, is prompt us and tell us our options it happens more when we have to go do things that relate to a mission but it can work in this context too.but ultimately i think that characters will just naturally gravitate towards each other over time based on the experiences they share as time goes on especially characters who have similar alignments or ideals.”@coconutjessica  (Deekek) answered:“Sometimes it helps to list all the characters you’ve interacted with and figure out what your character thinks of them. What does you character know about the individual, is there something about the individual your character does/doesn’t like, has new information/any backstory hints changed how your character feels about the individual.Remember that characters can change too! Your character don’t have to stick to acting one way, characters learn and grow just as we do and can always change their way of thinking the more they hang around one group of people. If you’re having a hard time figuring out what your character would do try answering some questions about their personality/mannerisms/fears/weaknesses, there are lots of question lists out there if you need help thinking of some. (examples at the bottom of this ask) Answering these questions can help you figure what situations your character would be vulnerable in (both physically and mentally), allowing other characters to help you out, learn a thing or two about you, and hopefully bond.”@rtjgsketch  (Rob the DM) answered:“As a DM myself, i know how vexing it can be to try to get players to interact with each other in meaningful ways. There’s no surefire means of tempting players to learn about each other’s PCs, but sometimes you can influence things insmall ways. If a character falls to zero hitpoints, describe how they may be bleeding out, how they’re unresponsive or how nasty the wound looks. The team’s setting up camp for the night and one player notices the other fiddling with something- the catalyst doesn’t need to be interesting, it just needs to grab attention and inspire some intrigue.Another method, for the players who love to interact with your NPCs but not the other members of the team, is have NPCs make commentary. Comment on behaviour, actions, whatever you feel that character may want to discuss. The result is never guaranteed, but some players go into this thinking this is like an Elder Scrolls game, that to do anything you need to first be prompted by the local innkeep or tavern-owner.Alternatively, use NPCs to present quandaries: A character continually getting into trouble with the local church may earn the scorn of the members of that order from all sects within that region, and said scorn could apply to the entirePARTY if not addressed properly. A traveling merchant is to deliver a letter toone of the party members but that member isn’t present at the moment, so it falls into the hands of their friend.These are all base suggestions for increasing the likeliness of bonding, but know that none are absolute. In the end, you can’t control your players, but if this is something that ends up irking you by all means, sit down and talk with them for a moment- sometimes straight-up communication is most effective, and if it’s in their minds then they may act on it more. You never know!”We hope this proves helpful, and that you and your players both get something out of this! If you have any more questions though please just shoot us another ask (on here or our individual blogs) and we’ll gladly help out!And the links mentioned in Jess’ reply:List 1 / List 2 / List 3 / List 4 / List 5

[goldenscript]

in the moment.

pairing: jeon jungkook | reader genre: best friend au / fluff word count: 4,275 description: the best moments with jeon jungkook have always happened by chance. author’s note: well, this came out longer than i thought it would. it was also inspired by this post because game night with namkook seemed too fun not to write~

It’s funny how easily people come into your life. Sometimes they pass through, other times they stick around for a while, and even rarer times, you come across the ones that stay. The ones in the last group almost always come by chance. Though arguably anything that happens by chance seem to be the best ones.

You’ve found that last statement to be true.

The best moments in your life have always happened by chance. From that one spontaneous trip to downtown by yourself, which you learned a few things about the city’s oldest bookstore and yourself to that time you met someone who stayed, who actually continues to stay. To be more specific, despite how cheesy this’ll sound, this was how you met your best friend, Jeon Jungkook—by chance.

The more you’ve pondered it, the more it has become apparent to you that most of your favorite moments involved Jeon Jungkook. Not because of how easily he could make you laugh just from one look from across the room or the way he could hug you so tight and make the world feel a little less broken, but rather, in the same way he came into your life.

At the prime age of seven-years-old, you stumbled upon this doe-eyed coconut head of a boy the moment the two of you reached for the same bowling ball. Of course, you hadn’t noticed him prior to this, but it came as a sudden surprise to interact with him. He was shy, withdrawn away from you and your family, though his mother reasoned that Jungkook would grow accustomed to everyone eventually. His mother and yours were close friends in high school, so upon discovering one another on a trip to the grocery store, this trip to the bowling alley came to be. So, with much hope, they waited for the two of you to get acquainted, and eventually become best friends which was a success.

He offered to let you have the ball, already beginning to look away. But you beamed at him, shaking your head and allowing the bright neon ball for his usage. This might’ve sparked something in him, some kind of willingness to open up to you. In turn, a potency between the two of you developed. All because this ball became the buffer to this blooming friendship. The two of you exchanged it after each set, both watching with eager eyes as one another bowled until eventually the entire game wrapped up.

You two were attached at the hip a week later, citing that your mutual love for cheese pizza and Dr. Pepper was perfect enough reasons to justify your sudden friendship (Joohyuk, Jungkook’s older brother, asked). As such, it became the basis for what you two have had for the past twelve years—friendship (and then some).

The second half of this camaraderie came without much thinking, almost seamlessly in the ways in which the two of you shared your time together. By pre-teen adolescence, his sudden visits to your home were no longer accompanied by with his mother, nor would you walk home alone because he said “it was on the way.” You often found yourself calling him relentlessly, even if he was busy playing a videogame because the silence between the two of you was not awkward or foreboding—it was comfortable.

In a nutshell, Jungkook was just someone that made everything feel at ease without any effort whatsoever. He could make something so simple be so hilarious, it was almost too much even for someone as close to a walking meme as he was. He never really explained why he did this, though you hardly ever questioned your best friend and his methods, because he usually had the best intentions anyway.

Even with the offer of a game night at Namjoon’s place, you didn’t question the offer. With the odd interactions you had been going through with him and his other friends, you were relieved to see that your speculations that he wasn’t telling you something were nothing more than speculations, so you were absolutely certain that he could turn something as mundane as playing Uno or War into nothing less than another ab-crunching session for you and Hani.

“Y/N, Hani, great to see you two!” Namjoon greeted at the door, offering you a hug then Hani one. He stood aside to let you two in afterwards.

Unlike your initial assumption, you did not see everyone else present. Only Jungkook adjusting a faded denim jacket over his black sweater. His eyes darted darted from the beige carpet to your eyes before flashing you a wide grin. He said, “Hey!” .

You smiled back, already walking toward him to give him a hug. Before you wrapped your arms around his waist, you replied, “Hey you!”

You were about to add in a quip about his avoidance of you but he then wrapped his arms around your shoulders, returning your gesture. His natural body warmth mixed with his cotton sweater was seeping past your own sweatshirt, not that you wanted to complain anyway. Even as kids, you actually enjoyed his hugs. He was notorious for squeezing you tight because he was certain this was what you did with people you cared about. When he got older, he did it just to piss you off, but you can’t say you would complain if he did. Hugs with him were becoming a rarity overall. Nowadays, with friends, he tried to avoid it as best as he could and even in private, too. So, you relished in the embrace, feeling the warmth even as he let go and took a seat beside Namjoon.

You almost wanted to curse at yourself for pushing off on asking him what’s been going on, again.

Hani soon took her spot beside you, flashing you a smile as soon as she bumped you with her shoulder. “So,” she drawled out, looking between you and Jungkook, “Joonie, here, was telling me that everyone else pretty much was too lame to come for game night, but since we’re the cool kids—” You giggled. “—We get to play, and there’s pizza on the way.”

Namjoon grumbled, “I guess card games weren’t in everyone else’s forté—”

“—I’m guessing booze at Dino’s was,” you mused aloud.

“Their loss, though!” Jungkook then quipped, nudging the beanie-wearing older man. “We thought we’d make this game night interesting anyway.” 

The curve of Namjoon’s lips were turning more into a smile as he nodded, answering your inquisitive look, “We thought we’d play in teams like you and Hani against me and Kook. Maybe make the stakes interesting with a bet or somethin’.”

You turned to exchange a look with Hani, raising a brow at the chestnut-haired girl, because it was hard for you not to agree straightaway.

Among many things about yourself, you most certainly had a competitive nature. And, this streak matched Jungkook’s. It was either something you picked up from hanging around him so much or vice versa. Regardless, it was notorious amongst your friends to keep challenges away from the two of you. Because the sheer lengths the two of you went to out-do one another was both hilarious and nerve-wracking. (To say the least, Jimin nearly had cardiac arrest at 16-years-old when he found you both trying to see who could stay underwater the longest in his pool, which was an added factor into that ordeal. You won, though.)

Even more so, this began after your first time bowling with Jungkook, and since then, the need to beat one another came as naturally as breathing. Less at heart attack-inducing stakes, for Jimin’s sake, but still ongoing.

However, unlike yourself, Hani and Namjoon seemed to be quite the exact opposite. So that was why you were looking at your older friend, as if to ask her if this was alright to accept. You didn’t want her to have to suffer through anything, so you quickly said, “If we do, if,” you were looking at Jungkook as you repeated the word, “then what kind of bet are we talking about here?”

There was a momentary silence amongst the two boys as they looked over at one another this time. Namjoon’s brow quirked at your best friend; the younger boy with pink-dusted cheeks nodded at him.

“Well,” Namjoon said, adjusting his beanie, “How about the winner gets a favor from the loser?”

“Wait, why is it singular?” you asked with narrowed eyes, looking between the two boys. You’ve known better than to take what they say lightly, especially with challenges and Jungkook involved. What are they up to?

You were just about to voice your thoughts when Jungkook then spluttered, “H-he—uh—meant plural.”

“Oh, really now, Jeon? Are you su—”

“It can’t be that bad,” Hani suddenly said, turning to you with a smile. “I’m down to do this if you are.”

You blinked, leaning forward and asking, “Are you sure, Hani?”

She nodded, “Let’s do it.”

Turning to Namjoon and Jungkook, your eyes were no longer narrowed. Instead, a smile curved on your lips as you told them, “You’re on then.”

You received smiles from the boys in return. As soon as Namjoon clapped his hands and began to pass around the shuffled cards in the deck, a prickling sensation overcame you as you looked over at Jungkook once more. He was focused on grouping his and Namjoon’s cards together for your game of War, but his eyes flickered to meet yours for the briefest of seconds. It wasn’t like the previous times you two competed, there was an underlying pressure with how off everything’s been.

This was the first time in the past few weeks since Jungkook has asked you to hang out with him. The last time was when you two watched some random movie back at your place, and well, Taehyung called him about an impromptu lan party back at Jin’s. When Jungkook declined and said he was with you, the ever-so-playful brunet was teasing him about you. This wasn’t completely abnormal as many of your friends often toyed with the prospect of you and your twelve-year best friend about being together, but Taehyung was hinting about telling you something already. When you asked, Jungkook wanted to drop the subject and he’s been semi-avoiding you ever since.

So, to say the least, the tension between you two made itself present, only increasing now as the four of you sat there with a large stack of cards placed between the pairs.

“Ready?” Namjoon asked, his slender fingers already grabbing a card from the top.

When Hani did the same, the two of them nodded, throwing down their cards. The faced upwards, one was a Three of Spade and the other was a Six of Hearts. You grinned at your partner, sliding your wins onto your side. This act went on for three more times until Jungkook drew a winning Ten of Hearts over your Five of Clubs.

You noticed that there was a glimmer of confidence flashing across his eyes. He turned to watch Namjoon draw another winning card, and the two broke out into goofy grins. You felt your heart flutter, though you were absolutely certain it was because you were finally hanging out with your best friend without the odd nuances from previous hangouts.

So, you rolled your eyes and released a small huff before pulling another card that was taken by yours and Hani’s opponents.  

“What happened to being a pro at War, Y/N?” Jungkook inquired, raising a brow at you.

You laughed, watching as Hani took the next victory, “I am, Jeon! Just you wait, I’ll be winning this game.” You even leaned forward as you pulled a card from your deck, finding it to be one higher than his, “And the challenge.”

He watched you as you did this, a smile undeniably curving on his pinkish lips, and nodded, “If you say so.”

In the end, you and Hani wound up winning that round. The next one was supposed to be Sorry! which actually ended with Namjoon and Jungkook winning because as Hani claimed, “Namjoon’s shuffling sucks,” which you agreed with because they were getting all the good cards. The final game (and also an important one) was Uno. For whatever reason, you agreed despite fully knowing how terrible you were at this game. 

There was no worry about what the boys would ask of you and Hani. You were actually quite positive that if they did win then the most they would do is ask you both to say something stupid to a store clerk. Rather, you were more disappointed at the fact that if you did lose this game then you would be unable to get Jungkook to confess his reason for avoiding you those past few weeks. Given, it was a bad method to getting someone to open up, you still wanted to know.

The sudden thought struck you, What if he has a girlfriend?

It caused you to break away from your focus on the game at hand, because the prospect of Jeon Jungkook with a significant other would be a surprise. Sure, there were moments where the two of you had crushes and occasional dates once in awhile, but none of it ever really came down to settling down with someone. Possible significant others went through careful, rigorous observational interviews that often left little to no one (and mostly no one overall) as a clear winner. Despite being so tough, it was hardly ever lonely for either of you when you had each other to fill any lonely space.

So, it was only natural to feel weird about the thought. He was your best friend. He would tell you if he was with someone. Jeon Jungkook, you’d tell me. Right?

Your gaze flitted over to him, he seemed at ease right then. His attention was on the set of cards, probably trying to figure out if the color method was the way to go in this. He once told you the methods to winning; it was on a night when you were supposed to be going on a date in the tenth grade, but you got stood up, so you called Jungkook and he took you to a boba shop and showed you the ways to one of his favorite games. He promised that one day you’d beat him, and one day you’d meet someone that wouldn’t stand you up either. It made you feel better especially knowing that if no one else would show up, then he would be right there.

You felt a nudge at your side, Hani’s hushed whisper calling you back to reality, “Y/N—”

You blinked once again, looking from Jungkook’s sweater-clad chest to your friend. You looked at her apologetically before saying, “Sorry, I—uh—”

She immediately waved you off, showing you the cards at your disposal and said, “Just help me choose, because we still got a few more cards left.” She was looking at Namjoon with narrowed eyes, which the dimpled man grinned at in response. “We still have a chance.”

With a nod, you did your best to focus on the game, picking and choosing the cards carefully. You barely missed Jungkook looking over at you, but decided not to dwell so much on him for Hani’s sake. She was trying hard to help your team, which only made you feel guilty for zoning out on her.

It ended on a close game. If it wasn’t for Jungkook’s action card play, you and Hani would’ve beat the boys. Though it was disappointing to realize that you would not be finding out the truth about why Jungkook was acting the way he was, you couldn’t deny how nice it felt when Hani voiced no qualms about losing. At least she wasn’t upset, or relatively fretful over whatever publicly humiliating deed they would be doing.

“So,” You said, as soon as the games were put away, “What do we have to do?”

“Give us a second?” Namjoon asked you and Hani, which you both nodded in response.

Namjoon and Jungkook exchanged a look, leaning into one another to converse about their set course of action. It hadn’t breached you mind that the promised pizza had not actually arrived in the past two hours of your game play until your beanie-wearing friend slapped his forehead and mentioned it.

He quickly went back into the kitchen to grab his cellphone, dialing Tony’s before briefly talking to a worker. He returned and murmured, “Fuck,” he plopped back down beside Jungkook and explained, “I might’ve told them pick-up.”

“I can go and get it then,” Hani quipped, looking between the three of you. “Joon’ll come with since it was his card and I can even grab us some milk teas.”

Namjoon looked relieved before nodding, “Yeah! That’ll be your deed from me. Kook can give one to you, Y/N.”

You watched as the pair practically dashed off, even as you rose to close the door behind them, Namjoon and Hani had shoved on their coats. The two seemed awfully keen on getting out of their as soon as possible, which struck you as weird as the pair waved at you and exited. You locked the door, making your way over to the tan couch and sat down.

Jungkook joined you, his knee brushed against yours though this was always normal for you two to sit this close. He leaned against the backrest, looking over to you with a half-smile and said, “That was weird huh?”

You nodded, leaning back and using your arm as a rest. Now your leg was brushing over his and he rested a hand on your knee.

You noted, “You’ve been acting pretty weird lately, too, y’know.”

“I have?” he asked with wide eyes. His voice was softer than usual and his fingertips wouldn’t quit fidgeting either, so you knew that this wasn’t inadvertent confusion—he knew what he was doing.

“Why?” you asked as your brows furrowed. His eyes darted away from yours to stare off at the blinds, three meters from you two. “Jungkook… what’s going on?” You could feel your heart thumping against your chest, and an odd sensation churning in your stomach as you decided to ask, “Do you have a girlfriend? Is that why—”

He was shaking his head profusely at this point as his eyes widened even more. His voice was regaining some of its usual tone as he said, “N-no! That’s not it at all—I—um—” He released a deep exhale, “I don’t have a girlfriend, Y/N.”

“Then why’ve you been avoiding me?” you then asked, feeling both better and crappier knowing the answer to his question. “Did I do something…?”

“Ah, no,” he shook his head once again. “You didn’t do anything wrong, I promise.”

“Then?” you then asked, no longer leaning against your arm as it rested on your lap. The churning and thumping were still happening inside you, though it only seemed to augment as the hand that had been on your knee was now reaching for your free hands.

You let him grab hold of them, meeting his eyes as a sheen of determination flitted across his coffee brown hues. He seemed to swallow hard before he said, “It’s—I’m—well, it’s me, alright?” You squeezed his clammy palms with hope that it would encourage him to continue, which it did: “I realized something a few months ago, and I’ve been coming to terms with it these past few weeks.”

He took a long pause, so you quipped, “What’d you realize?”

With pink tinge making its way on his cheeks like vines, he answered, “That I—um—like you. Well, I love you, actually.”

You blinked and blurted out, “What?”

He nodded, pulling one of his hands away to rub the back of his head again. “Everyone’s been nagging me about tell you, and I couldn’t find any courage to do it until right now,” he said, offering you a soft smile. “I’m sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?” You asked, because despite the news of your best friend loving you, you actually found no reason for him to be sorry.

“For ignoring you and for, y’know, making this awkward,” he said, beginning to pull his second hand away, but you kept it in place. “What—”

“Don’t be sorry about your feelings,” you said, squeezing his hand once again. “I mean you can be sorry for ignoring me—you dummy—but I can understand that you can’t control your feelings.”

His smile grew significantly as he said, “Well, then, I’m sorry for ignoring you. I just wanted to figure out a better way of confessing.”

“Was there an alternative to this?” you asked, raising a brow at him. You couldn’t help the smile curving on your lips though. You were very relieved to know that there was no other person taking him from you, and to be truthful, you were actually quite happy to hear that he loved you.

He nodded, his eyes darted away once again.

You couldn’t help feeling the need to know, to hear how he imagined this moment, because in all honesty, you couldn’t say the thought of loving him or being with him as romantic partners never crossed your mind. So, to know that the possibility was a reality made you feel happy.

“Tell me!” you laughed, giving his hand a shake.

He made a clicking sound with his tongue, finally meeting your eyes as he acquiesced to your request, “I was gonna ask you to kiss my cheek, so when you asked why I asked for that instead of anything else then I would say something like, ‘That’s all I want,’ and then, y’know, tell yo—hey, stop laughing!”

“That’s so cute, Kook!” you said, loving the way his cheeks were still burning with rouge. “That would’ve been nice, too.”

“Well, we can’t do that now, can we?” he playfully chirped, his bottom lip protruding slightly over his top one.

You shrugged and said, “I mean… I can still do it, if that’s what you want.”

“Wait, what?” he blinked, raising his brows.

You nodded, “I haven’t done something since you did win fair and square, so you’re still free to decide on what you want to do.”

It didn’t take long for him to decide on what he wanted, so he nodded and said, “Alright. You can just kiss me on the cheek then.”

“Gladly,” you murmured with a smile. “Wait, before I do,” —He tilted his head at you— “can I ask you something afterwards?”

He gave you a funny look, but he nodded regardless. “Of course.”

You leaned forward to press your lips to his cheek; however, at the last second, you allowed your free hand to tilt his head toward you, effectively pressing your lips to his. You could feel your heart thudding even louder inside. Even your stomach was still churning, but there was ease in taste of Coke on lips touching yours. His lips were soft like you once imagined at seventeen, and the kiss itself was as you hoped—nice and simple.

Pulling away, you released his chin and ran a hand through your hair. Your cheeks were burning now and the smile curved on your lips couldn’t be fought either.

“Wow,” you both said, earning a giggle from you.

“You didn’t have to do that,” he said, albeit his cheeks and his smile were a dead giveaway at how elated he was at the turn of events.

You leaned in close, as if to share a secret with him, “I wanted to.”

He then blurted out, “Can we do that again?”

You laughed once more before nodding. This time, his free hand threaded in your locks and found purchase at the back of your head to draw you in. His lips met yours, chastely exploring the plushness of your lips. You remember telling one another of your first kisses, with separate people, in high school, how there was nothing special about any of it. But, right then and there, with each other, it felt special.

When you both pulled away, he pressed his forehead to yourself. His hand entwined with your slipped away to rest on the other side of your head. He was undeniably happy, that much was evident as you both panted to catch your breaths.

“So,” He said, softly, “What was that question of yours?”

“You’ve always made an effort to make me laugh, even when you were trying to keep this secret from me, you would still send lame puns and memes… why?”

He pressed his lips to the tip of your nose and pulled away. You both sat straight while his hands moved from your cheeks back to your hands.

“Well, even if you didn’t reciprocate to this,” he lifted your interlocked hands, “then, I just wanted you to know that I’d still be here to make you smile anyway. Because at the end of the day, we’re still best friends, Y/N.” He suddenly said, “Plus, I love being the reason why you smile.”

You realized right then that you wanted to share special moments like this with him. You couldn’t help but laugh, nodding as you told him, “I love you, Jungkook. Even if that was the cheesiest thing I’ve ever heard.”

He raised a brow at you, “Oh yeah?” He looked at you with feigned determination, “I promise there’s more where that came from.”  

“Good,” you said, pressing your lips to his cheek.

The best moments have always occurred with Jeon Jungkook, and you were looking forward to whatever else chance had waiting for you two.

[killiancygnus]

Serendipitous Melody 12/?

Summary: Everyone has dreams. You might dream of becoming an astronaut or teacher, or you might want to become a doctor and save as many lives you can. Emma Swan’s childhood dream was being a singer. But with life getting in the way and never finding the courage to overcome her fears, she never had a chance to follow it. That is until a little push from her friends lead her to cash on an opportunity; and, who knows, she might even get more than what she’d wished for.

Rated: T

Word count: ~3.3k

A/N:   I LIVE! I know this is super late and I’m very sorry but between writer’s block and the hard time I’m having at uni it took me ages to finish this up. I hope you like it though! I honestly don’t know when I’ll be able to post chapter 13 since exams season will begin in a few days for me but I’ll try my best not to make you wait 6 weeks again. Anyway, comments make my day so if you liked this chapter or if you’ve just started reading this story, don’t be shy! I’m a sweet potato you can ask around :’).

As always, huge thanks to @the-reason-to-sail-home and @londonsbridge, my woderful friends and betas, for helping me with the editing and to all the CS Writers’ Hub ladies.

Tagging some friends: @villains-happy-ending, @stardusted-nymph, @allisonchameron, @kmomof4, @hencethebravery, @katie-dub, @captainwiley, @irishswanff, @thejollypirate, @dassala, @imhookedonaswan, @ofshipsandswans, @legendofthephoenixcs and @mahstatins

If you want to be tagged too let me know :)

(Emma’s song is ‘Human’ by Christina Perry whereas Elsa’s is ‘Bird Set Free’ by Sia)

Links: Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10 - Chapter 11 / AO3

Emma was slowly climbing up the stairs, trying with all her might not to bounce up and down in excitement. She was just about to have a lesson with Killian, her first lesson before the semifinals. She couldn’t believe she had gotten so far in this competition, which was ironic because at first Ruby had to do a lot of convincing for her to even consider doing an audition.

A few days had passed since she last saw Killian. And, to be honest, she’d spent a nice couple of days with him. Yes, him telling her how much he cared for her and them both sharing bits and pieces of their past had been emotionally draining for the both of them, but they had fun. Watching the show with him had been great, even though she had to admit that watching and hearing herself sing on television had been weird. He gave her tips, based on both the others’ performance and hers, he told her stories of what happened behind the scenes and then he made her blush furiously when he went on an impassioned rant about how much she’d improved since they’d started working together and how much of an amazing singer she is.

The days leading to her next lesson were mostly uneventful. They would have been completely quiet if only Mary Margaret didn’t convince her to go out with Ruby. However, what she claimed was a simple ‘girls day out’ turned out being an excuse to drag Emma with them on wedding dress hunt. And apparently, only a few weeks of engagement were enough to transform Mary Margaret in what Emma could only define as a wedding obsessed monster. She dragged both her and Ruby in shop after shop, for the whole day, discussing flowers arrangements, colors themes and the pros and cons of lace and satin dresses. Yeah, it was that bad, but, truth be told, Emma had never loved shopping much. There needed to be a rare astral conjunction to find her in the mood to go around in the city and browse through piles and piles of clothes in different shops. She was one of those persons that shopped with an aim: she would enter a shop, spot what she needed to buy in a few minutes and head to the cashier to pay.

She had to admit, though, that going wedding dress shopping was another matter altogether. It was a bit overwhelming and intimidating entering those beautiful and sophisticated shops, with all those stunning, immaculate dresses hanging neatly along the walls.

Whereas Emma felt quite out of her element there, Mary Margaret- just like Ruby- seemed unfazed by all that luxury. She was a woman on a mission: find the perfect dress, the one which would make her feel like a princess and everyone else cry. She tried on dress after dress, but she never seemed satisfied. Emma had never thought her friend would be so prickly, and she really couldn’t understand why she had been. Maybe it was because Emma wasn’t exactly made for marriage. But, then again, maybe she was more romantic than she cared to admit, and the thought of spending ages looking for a dress was absolutely crazy to her. What was the point, if the only opinion that would matter was the one of the person you were going to marry, who would find you stunning just in your pjs? Well, it wasn’t luckily she’d ever find out anyway. She was no relationship material, as she made Killian understand the other day.

Killian… Now that she thought about it, when he saw her in only a pair of leggings, his faded batman t-shirt and with a messy bun on top of her head, he gave her the same look he always gave her whenever she walked onstage, all dressed up with perfect hair and makeup. But it wasn’t anything like that with him. He was just her friend - probably her best friend - right?

As she took the last few steps to the door, Emma groaned in frustration. Why did all her thoughts have to lead to him?

She didn’t even have the time to knock, that she heard Killian’s voice coming from right behind her.

“Morning, Emma!” he greeted, stopping next to her, with two cups of steaming coffee in hand.

“Hey! You know you don’t have to bring me hot chocolate - or coffee - every time we have a lesson right?”

“Of course I do, but I want to. And look who’s talking!” He gestured to the package she was holding, “What do you have there, Swan?”

Emma teased him, grinning, “Wouldn’t you like to know?” 

”Perhaps I would,” he replied with a cheeky smile on his lips and a sinful look in his eyes that made Emma’s cheeks flush pink.

Emma was ready to punch him on the shoulder but then reconsidered it. That coffee smelled divine; it would have been a shame if he dropped it after she'd punched him. So, for the coffee’s sake, she just rolled her eyes at the ceiling and entered the room. As she put the small bag down on the table, she could hear Killian giggle behind her. He followed her and stopped by her side, putting the coffees by whatever she brought that day.

Emma was fidgeting with the package and internally cursing Mary Margaret for closing it in such an overcomplicated way, while Killian watched her in amusement. When she finally managed to open it, she suddenly stopped, catching a movement with the corner of the eye.

“Ah, ah, ah!” She tutted, moving away the bag from Killian, who was trying to sniff its content. “Step away or I’ll eat them both.”

Killian pouted innocently and took a step away. “And what would they be, Swan?”

“Homemade muffins!” Emma beamed, showing him a perfectly crafted chocolate muffin.

Killian took the pastry and eyed it suspiciously, not daring taking even a small bite, making Emma huff in annoyance at his theatrics.

“You didn’t make them do you?” he asked warily.

“What if I did?”

“Then it’d mean I really had underestimated both your wish to see me dead and your cooking abilities.”

While she gently peeled the cup off her muffin, Emma snorted, shaking her head, “Mary Margaret made them. You’re safe.”

Happy with her answer, Killian took a large bite of his muffin as if he’d never seen food in days.

“What did you get me, instead?” Emma asked, eyeing curiously at the two steaming cups next to him. 

Killian took her drink and gave it to her. “Why don’t you take a guess?”

Putting the muffin aside, she took the cup and sniffed it, before taking a sip.“Uhm…” she hesitated, ”Cappuccino? With... Chocolate?”

“Nope, but you were close,” he smirked, “It’s a latte macchiato with chocolate.”

“Oh, I like it!”

“Good.”

They drank and ate in silence for a bit, enjoying the feeling of the caffeine starting to kick in. It was just when the only things left of the muffins were only a few crumbs, that Killian broke the silence.

“You know, Emma,” he started, hand moving up to scratch behind his neck, “I think I’ve found the perfect songs for the semifinals. Would you like to take a look at them?”

“Sure.” Emma nodded excitedly.

Smiling at her enthusiasm, he walked up to the piano, and browsed the papers inside the folder laying on the stool for then going back to her. She happily accepted the stack of sheet music he offered her.

“Killian,” Emma gasped as soon as her eyes focused on the songs’ titles, “They are perfect! How did you-?”

“As I’ve told you before, love,” Killian interrupted her with a smirk, “Open book.

Days came and went, busy with work, rehearsals and nonstop wedding talk for her utter and unconditional joy. There wasn’t a single day that went by without an embarrassing amount of texts going back and forth between her and Killian, though. They would talk and talk, but truth be told, they were just goofing around most of the time. He especially liked to send her memes and random weird pictures of animals to tease her, to which she’d reply with either the eye roll emoji or the middle finger one. He sent her so many pictures, that by now she was sure she had at least five pictures of goats saved on her phone - yes he was that much of a dork (and she actually loved it). However, as the time passed, her excitement for the next episode they had to shoot grew more and more.

She loved the song he chose for her. It was perfect, considering everything she had to go through, both lately and in the past. She didn’t have to fish the emotions she wanted to show that deep into her heart; they were just there floating on the surface for her to catch and reel into her voice. 

(Wait. Was that a fishing metaphor? Damn girl, your nerves are bad…)

Nerves aside, she was confident in her abilities and determined to win, but only her or Elsa would go to the final, and Emma knew her friend wouldn't go down without a fight. She had heard Elsa sing a couple of times during rehearsals but every contestant, her included, used to conceal themselves a little during group rehearsals. She had heard her audition on telly too, but it was only when Ruby made her watch the show on Monday that she realised how talented Elsa actually was.

When shooting day finally arrived, Emma’s insides were already a ball of jittery energy. A part of her wanted to go knock at Killian’s dressing room door as soon as she got to the studios. As much much as she didn't like to admit it, even just seeing him would have helped her relax, but she couldn't go. She really couldn't. Their relationship had already been much more intimate than what was expected from them; they couldn't be seen hanging around and interacting with each other as they used to. Not there, not ever. If someone were to find out, all hell would break loose. So, Emma disgruntledly willed her feet to walk past the coaches’ dressing rooms and headed to hair and makeup, hoping that a few hours of sitting on a comfy chair while being fussed over would calm her nerves. Elsa was already there too, so, as soon as Emma sat down on her assigned chair next to her, they started talking. However, when Ashley threatened to draw mustaches with waterproof eyeliner on both their faces, they both stopped. Ashley was a sweet girl but it was better not to cross her, so, while Elsa decided to put on her earbuds and listen to some music, Emma focused her attention on Ashley’s movements as she gave the last few touches on her makeup before starting working on a complicated updo.

They were almost ready to go get dressed when she heard Elsa muttering the lyrics of the song she’d sing.

“I'm not gon' care if I sing off key, I find myself in my melodies. I sing for love, I sing for me,”

“I shout it out like a bird set free,” Emma sang with her, making Elsa blush as she realised she had been singing out loud.

“Sorry,” she smiled, taking one of the earbuds off.

“Don’t be,” Emma brushed her off with a smile, “It’s a beautiful song. I think it’s perfect for you.”

“Thank you. I think I’ve got to go get changed now,” Elsa said, taking a quick look at her schedule. “Good luck!”

“Likewise.

It was always hard for him to pretend not to be nervous and excited for his team when shooting, and the uneasiness would only grow when the time for Emma to perform got closer. And today wasn’t an exception. It wasn’t really professional for him, not at all, but he couldn’t help it. She was special, his best friend. The best friend his heart longed for but he didn’t dare make a move on because the timing was not ideal, because he could see the uncertainty in her eyes. Sometimes she would look at him with such love and affection that it made his breath catch in his throat, but then it’d soon be replaced with fear. He couldn't risk it. He'd patiently wait all the time she needed but he wouldn't stop fighting for her. After all, as his brother used to say, a man unwilling to fight for what he wants deserves what he gets.

Robin was joking around with Tink and Ariel was laughing along as the lights dimmed out, but he wasn’t in the mood to join them. Emma and Elsa were the first to sing and he probably was more nervous than them. The fact that this time around it was Emma’s turn to perform first decisively didn’t help at all, but he was more than confident in her abilities.

From where he was sitting he could see her patiently waiting to climb onstage when announced. Her eyes were closed and her eyebrows knotted in a concentrated frown. As if she sensed the burn of his stare on her, she opened her eyes and smiled at him, nodding as if to say ‘Don’t worry, I got it’. He gave her a soft smile in return just as he heard her name being announced by Belle and the audience go wild. He couldn’t believe he had been so stunned at Emma’s sight in the backstage to not even hear Belle talking.

He followed her with his eyes as she sprinted in the arena, high fiving the people standing next to the short corridor that lead her on the sage. She was radiant, jumping around in excitement and smiling brightly.

She must be enjoying not having to balance on those ridiculously high heels for once, he thought with a chuckle.

Soon, she reached the right side of the stage where a white grand piano was waiting for her. Sitting on the stool after smudging some non existing wrinkles from her navy blue lace dress, she put her hands on the keyboard. A few gold locks which had masterly been left out of the loose chignon on the back of her head, framed her face as she tilted her chin down waiting for the music to start.

The lights dimmed even more, only to leave a single white spotlight illuminating her. It was only when silence fell in the studio that the music began coming from the numerous speakers around the theater. Her voice resounded in the arena soon after, her tone soft and crystal clear as always, while small white sparkles exploded on the screen behind her following the melody coming from her fingers.

He couldn’t help but look at her in wonder - much like everyone else in the theater - as she worked her magic. He was drawn in, placed under a spell as she moved to the refrain. If he thought she had been good at that at the auditions, now it was another thing altogether. Not only did she have much more control on her voice, being now able to modulate it as she pleased, but she could control her emotions better too. She could now channel them into her voice without so much of an effort, avoiding to flow into excess at times. It was a beautiful evolution to watch. She was beautiful to watch.

But I’m only human

And I bleed when I fall down

I’m only human

And I crash and I break down

Your words in my head, knives in my heart

You build me up and then I fall apart

'Cause I’m only human,

As she got closer to the second refrain, the music built in intensity as did the sparkles on the screen. Swiftly, she picked the mic from its stall and got up reaching the center of the stage hitting high note after high note. The stage flashed with white rays of light as she sang, following her voice and the music in a crescendo that lit up the audience. There was all of Emma in there: all the hurt, all the worry, all the battles she had to fight, all the desire to just be Emma.

Then everything went black, except for a single ray of light on the top of Emma’s head. Her voice started back from soft and low to grow in one last crescendo that would lead to the last final high notes, only for it to dye down in a whisper at the end.

Both Tink and Ariel shot up to applaud her as soon as the last feeble echo of her voice resounded in the arena, while Robin clapped slowly pleased and still a bit awestruck. Killian, instead, was grinning proudly at her, clapping along with everyone else. The cheering from the audience was deafening, and Killian could see her cheeks tinging pink as she muttered a thanks. When their eyes met a few moments later she smiled softly, her eyes shining with emotion. Time must had stopped, because the seconds in which they only but looked at each other, lasted an eternity. Their eyes were like magnets, the pull too strong to fight it and try to look down. He hoped he could see the love, the adoration and the pride in his eyes, just as he could see the affection and the adrenaline-induced liveliness in hers. It was only when Belle ushered her backstage to present Elsa’s song that their connection broke.

Elsa got onstage soon after, not looking fazed at all by Emma’s performance. On the contrary, she looked more determined and secure than ever. In fact, she kept up with her teammate more than nicely. She gave everything she had, blowing everyone away with her (until then fairly hidden) talent.

After the second standing ovation of the day, the time for him and the other coaches to vote finally came. It had been hard for all four of them to decide to whom give their point since they all had loved both their performance. Eventually it all ended in a tie, with Robin surprisingly giving his vote to Emma and Killian to Elsa. As soon as he gave his preference though, he saw a flash of hurt and confusion in Emma’s eyes matched by an equally confused and elated expression on Elsa’s face, while boos from the audience echoed in the theater.

Bringing a finger on his lips to ask ask for a moment of silence, he then spoke “I’d like to give an explanation of my vote to you and to everyone else here and watching us. I, as coach to both of you,” he continued, gesturing to Emma and Elsa, “not only got to meet you amazing women, but I also got to see how much you care about this, how much you’ve improved. Tonight both your performances were beyond not only mine, because I know your potential, but everyone else’s expectations. After tonight you both equally deserve to get to the final, and since I couldn’t really find fault in any of your performances, I decided to make you face the audience’s vote next week without any of you having any kind of advantage.”

As he talked, Emma’s expression changed to something undecipherable, and that scared him. She was closing off on him again.

As both Emma and Elsa walked backstage to leave the space to Ariel’s team, he hoped she would understand that he couldn’t give his vote to her again, no matter how much he wanted.

When a last flash of her gold waves disappeared backstage, Killian just prayed she would give him a chance to explain himself when not surrounded by cameras. 

[crypticcravings]

Memories Remain, Chapter 2

Prev. Chapter<<  >> Next Chapter

Also on AO3

Ladybug swung through the streets of Paris--which were fairly quiet, even for a weeknight--and nearly whooped with joy. It was a good day, and she was celebrating with a patrol--which was really just an excuse to don her spots and swing above the rooftops with the lack of crime in her city.

Marinette had turned in the preliminary designs for her capstone project that morning, then that afternoon, she'd put the finishing touches on three commission projects before dropping two of them in the mail, and emailing the third client about a pick-up. It was her day off from the bakery, and she had run out as soon as she could, loving the feel of the early February air whipping through her hair. The only thing that would have made the day better would be seeing her partner, though that was unlikely.

Marinette shoved the pang of loneliness aside and landed on the top of one of Notre Dame's towers. She looked over her city and relaxed for the first time in what felt like forever.

Yet as she sat down, stretching her arms over her head and extending her legs out in front of her, her brain nudged at her with a tiny anxiety. It was the feeling she typically got when she had a major assignment coming up, but she knew her next draft of designs and fabric mock ups weren't due for another week, and she didn't have any pending commissions. The source of her anxiety could only be one thing: she was worried about her cat.

What was that saying? Absence makes the heart grow fonder?

That couldn't have been more true. Over the years, seeing Cat Noir less and less had made her miss him more. She was worried that she was losing him as they grew apart. Her life was becoming so routine--get up, help prep the bakery, get a morning coffee, go to class, work, commissions, sleep, then do it all over again the next day. She was so busy with everything that she hadn't even noticed how….normal things had become since Hawkmoth's defeat.

Not that normal was always a bad thing, but considering the majority of her childhood/teen years had been spent as a spotted super-hero defending Paris from supervillains of various affiliations, normal was, well, abnormal. She loved that her city was peaceful. Crime was at an all-time low, and the super villains had been quiet for a few years. It was a good thing for everyone.

But Ladybug couldn't help but almost wish for at least a little excitement. Something to break the monotony of her daily life. Something that would let her see Cat Noir for even a little bit…

Ladybug must have fallen asleep up there, because the next time she opened her eyes the sun had moved to the horizon. It was almost setting.

She sat up and rubbed her eyes. She'd never get to sleep after napping for so long. Maybe she should swing by that coffee shop, then prep some dough for her parents after the bakery closed…

"A little late for a cat nap, isn't it, My Lady?"

Ladybug was on her feet in an instant, hand already on her yoyo.

"Woah, there, LB, it's just me!" Cat Noir held his hands out in the universal sign for "I'm unarmed" and grinned at her. "Long time no see, Bugaboo."

Ladybug's face split into a huge grin as she relaxed her stance. She tried to ignore the fluttering in her stomach, but she couldn't ignore the slight heat rising in her cheeks. "Chaton!" She threw her arms around him in a tight hug. She felt his hands come to her waist and she realized once again how much taller than her he had become. The top of her head was barely above his shoulder. Yet even with the height difference, she never felt more at home than when she was in his arms. Years of tumbling around together in battle would do that to a person. "What are you doing out and about?"

"I could ask the same of you. It's been a while since I've heard about a streak of spots flying through the city."

Ladybug laughed as she reluctantly stepped out of Cat Noir's embrace. "I had a good day and wanted to enjoy my freedom a little bit."

Cat Noir sat down on the slope of the roof and Ladybug followed. "I'm glad you had such a good day. I was flipping TV channels and saw some footage of you out patrolling. I wondered if I'd catch you out and about still."

"Well, you caught me."

Cat Noir pointed out, with humor in his voice, how dangerous it was for her to fall asleep on top of a tower. She told him that, compared to all of the reckless stunts he had pulled over the years, she was entitled to one or two of her own.

The pair shared jokes and told vague stories from their civilian lives to catch each other up on everything they had missed in the past few months apart. Cat Noir had gotten a new job--his last one hadn't been giving him enough hours. Ladybug was in her last semester working towards her masters degree. He'd gotten a haircut. She was considering one. The weather was awfully nice for this time of year, wasn't it?

It wasn't until the sun had nearly set over the horizon that the pair considered parting ways.

Ladybug was feeling uncharacteristically shy as their rare meeting drew to a close--like a middle schooler with a crush trying to form her words around the guy she liked.

"So…uuum. I guess it might be a while before we see each other again, huh," Ladybug murmured.

Cat's eyes filled with regret. "I guess you're right."

Ladybug cast out her yoyo out and prepared to swing off, but turned back to give Cat Noir one last one armed hug. "Take care of yourself until next time, okay? You've gotten really skinny lately. Make sure you're eating enough."

His eyes crinkled with mirth at her concern. "Thanks, mom. But try not to stay away for so long this time."

"Back at you, kitty. Let's not wait until summer to see each other again." Ladybug winked before leaping off the building, the rush of the wind and the remaining exhilaration from seeing her partner/best friend again ran through her.

Adrien didn't return to his apartment until after dark. Seeing Ladybug had to have been the highlight of his week--maybe even his entire month.

"She hasn't changed at all, has she Plagg?" He sighed and flopped down dreamily at his kitchen table.

The tiny black Kwami rummaged around in the cabinets. "What are you talking about? She's totally different from that awkward kid back in the day."

"That's not what I mean. I haven't seen her since…what….Before Christmas? Maybe longer? But every time I see her, she takes my breath away." He sighed, tapping mindlessly on the small pile of bills that called for his attention. "She has this…air, this essence about her that never changes. Like, the atmosphere around her is charged with her aura. Like she carries the light with her, you know?"

Plagg made a disgusted sound and tossed something to the floor. "The only thing I know, kid, is that no matter how many years go by, somehow you get sappier with each one." There was more rummaging about in the cabinets. "At least you used to talk about real things. 'Oh, your bluebell eyes. The way she smashed that Akuma's face in. Blah blah blah'. But now you're obsessed with her aura?! The air around her? Blegh."

"I don't care, Plagg. You know what they say: Absence makes the heart grow fonder."

Finally, the clattering stopped. Plagg, having apparently found what he was looking for, floated over to Adrien's side with a box of cheese crackers. "You really need to get laid, kid."

Adrien whacked at his Kwami, but missed.

"Face it kid, you've been pining over LB for years now. You either need to do something about it or move on."

Adrien sighed and slumped down, head hanging over the back of the chair. "Maybe you're right, Plagg."

"Come on, kid, I mean you've been whining about--wait. Did you just say I was right?"

Adrien winced. He should have known the words would come back to bite him in the ass. "Don't let it go to your head."

Plagg's grin could have rivaled the Cheshire Cat. "Too late for that." Adrien rolled his eyes and chose to ignore the gloating black cat.

Plagg really did have a point.

Maybe it was time for him to quit pining and take action. After all, he wasn't a fourteen year old kid anymore. Neither was Ladybug. Plus, the danger was out of the way with the absence of super villains lately.

Maybe he needed to grow a pair and finally do something about this pining heart of his.

Marinette walked home from the coffee shop, macchiato in hand, and reflected on her day.

She hadn't expected to run into her cat, but the fact that she had…

Marinette felt heat rise in her cheeks. She pressed a hand to the side of her face to feel the warmth of her own skin. She closed her eyes and sighed, reveling in the sweet feeling of butterflies in her stomach, almost like a giddy anticipation of things to come. Seeing Cat Noir again had settled her resolve. It was time for her to meet him--the real him. With all of the danger gone, she could finally and safely reveal herself to her partner.

What would it be like to be able to call him whenever she wanted? To finally text him all of those memes she had saved on her phone?

And sure, things might be awkward at first, but seeing the man under the mask, getting to know him for real, maybe they could be something more…

Marinette wiggled a bit in her excitement, and danced in place, not caring about the stares of pedestrians around her.

She was ready. It had only taken ten years, but she was finally going to tell her partner everything.

[astralescent]

MarthIke for the ship meme!!!!!

send me a ship and i’ll tell you

who hogs the duvet

Ike, much to Marth’s dismay. He just kinda grabs whatever’s within reach in his sleep and builds a nest overnight. Marth just hopes he gets pulled in along the way because there’s no winning a tugging war against Ike.

who texts/rings to check how their day is going

they both do ! I’d say it might be more of a reflex to Ike, he’s generally a little less busy than Marth and the one who has just enough free time to stop and realize he wishes he could see his person that day, which will usually prompt him to text or call. Although it’s also totally something Marth does when he checks the time and knows for sure that Ike is on break or just available to a degree

who’s the most creative when it comes to gifts

I think that would go to Ike; while Marth is the kind to go all out and stress himself into exhaustion to find the perfect gift, it usually ends up something fairly traditional or meaningful but that still stays within the bounds of what can be expected. Ike’s ideas are probably more original.

who gets up first in the morning

Marth ! Almost always has stuff to do in the morning and usually wakes up early anyway. Ike will be up early if he has something going on but he will not be happy about it and if he doesn’t then he’ll just sleep in until he’s downright sick of being in bed

who suggests new things in bed

Probably Ike. Marth has conducted a few experiments of his own but Ike’s the one who’s actually outright suggested things like collars and bondage. Ike has more “exotic” kinks as well I believe so I wouldn’t be surprised if that trend kept going.

who cries at movies

If anyone it’d be Ike, the big softy can’t accept that that one dog had to die

who gives unprompted massages

they both do, actually ! they both gladly get onto the other’s case without them asking for it on a regular basis. Ike knows about Marth’s secret weak spot and is not afraid to use it, especially when he’s around to see how much time Marth spends bent over a desk or with his back too straightened up while in other people’s presence, and Marth has been able to take notice of just how damaging Ike’s training and fighting methods can be to his back and shoulders, so whenever the opportunity shows itself, one of them gives the other a good rubdown.

who fusses over the other when they’re sick

again, both of them. Mostly out of simple care and concern, but Marth also knows Ike rarely becomes ill so he worries twice as much as he should when that happens, whereas Ike knows it was never his family or friends that cared for Marth when he was sick growing up and wants to make up for it now with extra care and affection. 

who gets jealous easiest

I think I would say Marth ? It might just be because so far only Ike has been actively coveted by others, but I think it’s also fairly safe to assume Marth is the most insecure and/or possessive of the two.

who has the most embarrassing taste in music

err, neither ? Unless you consider Marth’s especially nerdy appreciation of classical music embarrassing, but he definitely isn’t any kind of embarrassed about it himself. Admittedly I’m not 100% familiar with Ike’s taste in music, I assume he’d be into rock/alternative a lot but maybe he secretly enjoys cheesy pop songs, who knows

who collects something unusual

haha, both of these were brought up a long time ago but I’m glad I get to talk about them publicly. So, regular verse, Marth - modern verse, Ike

Ike travels a lot for his job and as expected, these two miss each other a lot when he’s on the road. To make the wait more bearable, Ike has developed a habit over the years of gathering little somethings during his travels, little tokens of his adventures that he then presents to Marth upon his return. Marth has dedicated a couple of shelves to them in his room and treasures them and the meaning they have.

In modern AU, Marth is a compulsive post-it notes user. He always has  some on himself and uses them extensively, to jot down important stuff as well as to scribble little reminders. It’s come to the point where if he has some within reach and a pencil in his hand, he’ll start scribbling down key words about random thoughts he’s having in the moment. One night, he was helping Ike study for a test, and while doing so, started randomly making notes of Ike’s qualities and things he likes about him in general and sticking them to him. Ike kept focusing on his studying for a while and only got to read the notes once he was done. He secretly kept them and put them up on a little board in his room. Marth doesn’t know still, but ever since he’s made a habit of writing down sweet little nothings on post-it notes and giving them to Ike every now and then, slipping them in his lunchbox, under a plate he knows he’ll have to clean up at work, or just when they’re spending quiet time together for whatever reason and he wants to tell him something without breaking the silence. Ike collects them all.

who takes the longest to get ready

Marth. Neither of them take very long but if anyone it would be Marth; he takes more time to bathe because he enjoys it whereas Ike is out as soon as possible; Marth actually puts some minimal thoughts into how he’s gonna dress for the day whereas Ike just grabs whatever stinks less; Marth will take a moment in front of the mirror to clean up his face and tame unruly strands of hair if unruly strands of hair there is whereas Ike doesn’t give a fig. All in all I’d say it takes Marth a good 5 to 15 more minutes getting ready.

who is the most tidy and organised

Marth by a mile. Being organized is a very important principle of his, and he doesn’t see the point in letting clothes and sheets and stuff sprawled on the floor or hanging off furniture it shouldn’t be hanging off of if the idea is to either keep them clean until they’re used or to get them cleaned up at the earliest opportunity. Ike is more of a “I know where I put it, therefore it’s in the right place, wherever that is” kind of person. 

who gets most excited about the holidays

I’d say originally it was Ike, but with Marth now being more or less part of his family, he probably is now very much looking forward to holidays as well.

who is the big spoon/little spoon

Ike is big spoon, Marth is little spoon

who gets most competitive when playing games and/or sports

They both do, honestly. They’re both stubborn and competitive; pitting them against each other is basically guaranteeing a never-ending battle or an extreme quantity of salt for whoever the loser turns out to be.

who starts the most arguments

hmmm I wanna say they don’t argue a whole lot, but if anyone probably Marth ? He’s used to reading between the lines, so when he gets very insecure he tends to ignore part of Ike’s bluntness and assume he’s implying things he’s not and such, which can lead to misunderstandings and arguments. 

who suggests that they buy a pet

Ike. Doesn’t suggest, begs. Not a pet, multiple pets. All of the pets. And also adopt the litter of stray kittens and rescue all those dogs. All of them.

what couple traditions they have

I don’t think they have any yet, actually ? Aside maybe from honey kisses. Having Ike ingest a lot of honey and then kissing to share the taste is somewhat of a celebratory gesture at this point.

what tv shows they watch together

That’s a very good question, honestly, I don’t know many TV shows at all. The only thing I know Ike watches is like, those nature shows, which sure, Marth would love to watch with him. It’s very calming.

what other couple they hang out with

None, I don’t think ? Nothing that’s been confirmed at this point in time at least. I’d assume they have meals with Merric and Elice on a regular basis after getting married. They’re also still often around the rest of the Greil Mercs, so if anyone gets in a relationship there, that would include them too ? But nothing set in stone yet– that I can think of.

how they spend time together as a couple

Do I really have to answer this ? They do everything together.

who made the first move

It was Ike ! At least in our main verse, we haven’t determined anything in the others. But it was Ike who took a leap of faith and went in for the kiss.

who brings flowers home

Neither, Ike is allergic to flowers.

who is the best cook

they both lack a bit in cooking experience, but I’d say Ike. He cares more about food than Marth and therefore is probably more invested in the making of it and has more flair for it. I am also fairly sure at this point in time that he tries to make a habit of cooking regularly and experiment a bit.