#yup we're still jumping around

[rieamena]

"mama!"

your seven year old daughter climbed onto your bed, bouncing on the mattress before settling into your warm embrace under the blankets. running a hand through her pink hair, you answered softly, "yes, sweetheart?"

it was almost like your genes didn't put up a fight at all. your child, chikara, was the spitting image of her father, your husband, ryomen sukuna. same hair, same face shape, same facial features, the only thing that seemed to be your contribution was her personality, and even then, sometimes you'll see your husband's characteristic scowl on her little face

"how did you and daddy meet?" "well, it was–"

"what's goin' on in here? conspiring against me?" sukuna's voice filled the room as he leaned against the door frame, a cheeky smirk on his face. you saw your daughter's face brighten up as she jumped down to run to her father, "daddy! daddy! mommy's gonna tell the story of when you first met!" sukuna immediately looked at you, his index finger barely being fully wrapped by his daughter's hand

"she asked me to. guess watching all those romantic dramas with her rubbed off on her." you giggled, earning a scowl from him. "shut it woman. you know i hate them." "yeah..., that's definitely why we watch 90 day fiance every sunday together." "you got a problem with— stop tryna move me brat!"

"but daddyyyyy," she whined, still pushing against sukuna's body, "i don't wanna miss mommy's story!" "we're literally seven feet away from her."

your daughter pouted and stopped trying to get her dad to move. letting go of his finger, and leaving him at the doorway, chikara plopped herself down at your side with wide, eager eyes, "go on, mommy, tell me! i wanna know everything."

you smiled, looking at sukuna, who rolled his eyes but gave a small nod. "alright, sweetheart. it all started one day in the park when i was watching over megumi, and your dad was taking care of his younger brother, yuuji…"

"yuuji?" chikara interrupted, her face lighting up. "uncle yuuji was there too?"

"yep, yuuji was just a little kid back then," you said with a soft laugh. "he was running around, being his usual energetic self, when he tripped and scraped his knee. your dad, being the great caretaker he is—"

"—i was plenty good at it," sukuna muttered

you shot him a look and continued, "—didn't seem too worried. he told yuuji to stop crying."

"i did not say it like that," sukuna cut in, pushing off the doorframe and coming closer to the bed. "i told him to toughen up. gotta learn how to handle a few scrapes."

your daughter giggled, clearly entertained by the back-and-forth. "but mommy's a nurse, so she went over to help, right?"

"exactly. i couldn't just sit there watching, so i went over, knelt down, and started cleaning yuuji's knee. and i told your father—" you paused, giving sukuna a mischievous smile, "—that he should care more about his son instead of telling him to stop crying."

your daughter gasped dramatically, eyes wide with anticipation. sukuna groaned, running a hand over his face. "i knew you'd bring that up."

"and what did daddy say?" she asked, leaning in as if she could hardly wait

"he looked at me and said, 'that's not my son, that's my brother,'" you mimicked sukuna’s low, irritated tone. "i was so embarrassed!" sukuna chuckled at the memory, shaking his head. "you should've seen your mom’s face. all high and mighty, like she was about to call child protection services on me or something."

you couldn't help but laugh, too. "anyway, i patched yuuji up, and to make up for the misunderstanding, your dad suggested we set up a playdate for yuuji and megumi."

"a playdate?"

"yup," you nodded. "though i think your dad might've had other reasons for giving me his number." sukuna scoffed, folding his arms. "that didn’t happen."

you raised an eyebrow at him. "oh? so your eyes didn’t sparkle when i smiled and told you goodbye?" sukuna groaned again, this time louder. "my eyes did not do that."

chikara giggled harder, clearly enjoying the banter. "i think daddy liked you right away!" you smiled softly. "maybe he did. i mean, why else would he take me to a skate park for our first date?" sukuna rolled his eyes. "you said you wanted to learn how to skate. i was just being nice."

"uh-huh. sure," you teased. "and he was so good at it, zooming around, showing off. i'll admit..., he did look kinda cool! i, on the other hand, spent most of the time falling."

"which is why i had to keep catching you," sukuna added, sliding into the empty space next to you on the bed. "mommy fell? did daddy save you?" chikara asked, her face lighting up at the idea

sukuna ruffled her pink hair. "more like i had to stop her from breaking every bone in her body." you rolled your eyes at him. "i wasn't that bad."

"yes, you were," sukuna said, smirking. "you almost took me down with you half the time." smiling at the memory, you leaned in to kiss your daughter's forehead. "but it was fun. and after that, we went out for ice cream, and your dad actually smiled for real that time."

"daddy smiled? really?"

sukuna shot you a half-hearted glare. "i smile."

"not back then you didn't," you teased, poking his arm. chikara turned to her dad, beaming. "i wanna learn to skate, too, just like you and mommy!" sukuna chuckled, wrapping an arm around her

"maybe one day, brat. but you’re probably gonna fall as much as your mom did."

"hey!"

gulp... sorry if sukuna is ooc, im tired and im on my period but i really liked this request so...

jjk taglist

@blendingcaramal @gzchaos @theamazingrain @woah-girlz @voloslobotomyservice

@kyozvy @obessionofagrl @bubybubsters @sugurusbaobei @raindropsonrwses

@c-moon20-12 @saltynanobeanie @theamazingrain @synthiiiiis @ghostlyluminarycloud

@poopyyy @supernatrualqueen @bxrbie-jadeee @laitifly @discipleofthem

@cheesecake95 @strawberry-cherrypie @makeshiftproject @magiamad0ka @ncitygreen

@stillnotherapy @oniondrip @cloudy-yyy @definitely-not-leena @kidd3ath

@atigerandabear @russianremy @ohnoitsamistakee18 @ivy-vivii @ourfinalisation

@1ndee @yourhornysister @ancientimes @cupcaketeddybehr @tomikixd

@e-dollly

[joycrispy]

I wanna talk about The Angel Who Would Be Crowley.

Because I had a certain set of expectations, which got thoroughly trashed in the first five minutes of S2, and my genuine response is, "Oh, fuck, yup. You're right. That's WAY better."

Looking around at GO fandom, I'm not alone in this. So let's talk about it.

Basically, a lot of people (myself included) believed that he was a high-ranking angel, and therefore as chilly and remote as every other powerful angel we'd seen at that point. We pictured Crowley-To-Be as long-haired, regal and imposing --and the fanart at the time reflected this. I'd link some if Tumblr didn't hate links.

Something like this:

We were collectively drawing on a few things --mostly, Crawly's appearance and general bearing in the Biblical scenes of S1--

--But also scattered hints of his importance, backed up by conspicuous absences in Heaven and a few profound displays of power. That's all better covered elsewhere, so I won't reiterate the arguments here. All I'm saying is: I think our headcanons were justified.

But it turns out he was this:

!!!

With his curly little--!!

And his neat white--!!

IT TURNS OUT, he was an angel who squeaked and squealed when he was happy; who flailed his arms around and made explosion noises with his mouth to explain nebulas; who preened when told his stars were pretty. Furfur, who knew him before the Fall, says:

"You used to jump on me back, little monkey in a waistcoat..."

(The use of a diminutive there, 'little'...oh, that fascinates me.)

In a pretty huge subversion of expectations, we're given these glimpses of an angel who was sweet, and joyful, and heart-meltingly silly.

In sum...an innocent.

(Perhaps innocent to a troubling degree.

We see how he troubles Aziraphale, during their first conversation. He starts looking around and behind them, checking to make sure that no one can HEAR the blithe and reckless things coming out of this angel's mouth. This angel who talks like he's never been reprimanded in his life; like it's never occurred to him that anyone would want to hurt him.

Before the Beginning, Aziraphale understood Heaven better than he did. The danger is plainly occurring to Aziraphale.)

So now, we the viewers are in on a cruel joke that Aziraphale has known all along, which is that this --THIS-- is the angel who--

*checks notes*

--did a million lightyear freestyle dive into a boiling pool of sulphur. For asking questions.

...Imagine you are Aziraphale, and everything inside you wants to believe Heaven are the Good Guys, and God is Good and Everything She does is capital-R Right...and now try to reconcile that. Keep trying. I don't think he ever totally managed it in 6000 years.

All this gets further complicated when we learn that, despite all of the above, we were still right. That sweet excitable babby up there?

He WAS a powerful and high-ranking angel.

That much is explicitly confirmed, with significant evidence that he could have been among the mightiest of archangels...

...Who apparently accosted his fellow angels for piggyback rides. And was remembered millennia later by those (now fallen) angels as something 'little.'

What does that tell us about who he was? Is?

Hell, Aziraphale has known to be wary of the archangels (and the judgements of Heaven in general) since before the Fall even happened. He chooses to believe they are Good; he can't fool himself into thinking they are Safe.

Yet he's absolutely certain that Crowley won't hurt Job's children. Enough to stand in a burning building and say to them, "I can't save you, but don't be afraid. I won't need to."

And what reason does he give?

("I know you."

"You do not know me."

"I know the angel you were.")

What does that tell us about who he was? Is?

("The angel you knew is not me."

But how is Aziraphale supposed to believe that, when he can see him all the time?)

tl;dr --yes, this is better. I love the tragedy of it.

'Innocence died screaming' and all that.

[celestialgalaxyglow]

Batfam and Danny, part 4

Later that night.

Bruce: Everyone, we're almost ready for patrol, the only thing still pending is Danny's route.

Dick: He can go with me.

Jason: Umm, no he's my sidekick.

Tim: I don't care, he's going with me.

Duke: You three are too chaotic, he's coming with me.

Cass: No, he's with me

Steph: No, he should be with me.

Dick: Well I'm the oldest, so he's with me.

Jason: No, he's with me, he's my son.

Danny: I'll like to go with Damian.

Everyone: What!?

Danny: He's cool.

Tim: I'm 10 times cooler than him!

Danny: Whatever helps you sleep at night, Tim.

Tim: I- you really are Jason's kid...

Bruce: Damian?

Damian: I'm ok with it.

Bruce: Then it's decided, Danny will be with Damian until I can give him is own route, keep in mind this will require moving some of you around, and no I will not take any requests, you get what you get. Now go!

Everyone leave the batcave and head to their respective routes. Danny flew behind Damian as he jumped from building to building.

Damian: You picked me so I could teach you swordsmanship didn't you?

Danny: Yup!

Damian: Very well, we can finish our route and the our lesson can commence.

Danny: You got it boss!

Two hours later, Danny and Damian, finished their patrol and sat on a rooftop.

Danny: Are nights normally this slow?

Damian: No, tonight's rather quite, unfortunately.

The two continue to look at the city.

Damian: Danny what is your impression of me?

Danny: What?

Damian: What do you think of me in the short time we've known each other?

Danny: Well before arriving at the manor, Jason, gave me a rundown of everyone.

Damian: Oh...

Danny: No, he spoke highly of everyone, especially you.

Damian: He did?

Danny: Yes, you're the youngest Robin there's ever been, but you don't let that stop you. You're always training, learning new fighting techniques, you're a great fighter, and very compassionate, even if you try to pretend you're not.

Damian: ...

Danny: And I saw that today. You're a great person Damian.

Damian: ...In the League of Assassins my grandfather taught me that emotions were a sign of weakness. So when my mother left me with Bruce I was shocked on how freely everyone expressed their emotions. I was jealous of how close the others were to Bruce. Something which I saw as my birthright as his biological son, to the extent that I refused to acknowledge my siblings as my siblings for over a year, simply calling them by their last names. Yes, now I see them as family, and I'm tying to show emotion more freely, but it's still hard sometimes. You're the second person to join the family since I arrived, when Duke joined I was still in my "I hate you all" phase so I didn't make what I would now consider a good first impression. So when Jason introduced you to us I was focused on making sure you felt welcomed as part of our family, guess I'm a little nervous on how I did in that endeavor.

Danny: Well you did great.

Damian (smiled): Thank you. They sat in silence for a few seconds. Danny I'm going to ask you something, but you're not allowed to tell anyone.

Danny: Sure, what is it?

Damian: Can we hug?

Danny (happy): Sure.

They hug.

Damian (standing up): Alright that's enough of that, like promised I shall teach you proper swordsmanship nephew. We will start with you learning the parts of a sword, followed by the proper stance you must take, then you may start to wield a sword.

Danny (standing up and saluted Damian): Yes sir!

(Master Post)

[himbosandhardwear]

Steddie I Tiny Bit of Angst I idiot4idiot I First Kiss I 1.8k I SFW

“We're out of Mountain Dew,” Eddie yells into the living room.

“There's another case in the garage, I think,” Steve yells back, “I'll go look.”

Eddie slams the fridge shut. “No, don't get up, I've got it.”

“Quit being sweet on me!”

He's teasing, it's nothing, but Eddie's pulse jumps anyway, horrified that he's being obvious again. “I'm not sweet on you! I'm repaying my life debt!” Not the whole truth but not a lie either. Satisfied that he's dodged a bullet, he jogs to the garage, grabs the 12 pack from the moderately-wealthy-person's-modest-second-garage-fridge and drops it off at the ultra-wealthy-person's-expensive-and-shiny-main-fridge. He brings two back to the living room, gets ready to leap over the back of the couch so they can resume the movie, before he realizes Steve is MIA.

“You taking a shit?” He yells out.

Steve doesn't answer, which he supposes is answer enough. He resumes his roll over the back of the sofa, cracks his can open, chugs, and waits for Steve to return.

The TV is still paused on Kurt Russell’s rugged face. What a man. Eddie idly wonders what Steve would look like with a beard. He could sketch it out and then hide the evidence in one of his old D&D manuals.

Speaking of Steve…

“Yo, did you fall in?!” No response. “Hello?”

Okay, now it's getting weird. A chill runs down his neck.

Steve is fine. There's nothing to worry about. It's just weird he hasn't responded yet; the downstairs bathroom is ten feet away.

He jumps up, just to check for himself that Steve is okay. Which he is, because everything is fine.

The bathroom is empty…

“Okay, this isn't funny, asshole! You know I have trauma!”

No response to that either. What the fuck.

“Steve,” he yells up the stairs next, “seriously, dude, where are you?”

He takes them two at a time, because there's no good reason for Steve not to be yelling back. He pictures him being chewed on by a last remaining Demogorgon and preemptively starts planning his own sacrifice. Because if Steve is dead on Eddie's watch, killed while Eddie had his head in the garage fridge, he doesn't deserve that second chance at life.

“Hello?” He croaks down the hall. All of the doors are ajar, but that's not unusual. They're forever in and out of the various rooms; Steve into Eddie's, Eddie into Steve's, the both of them into his parents' empty room because they have the better bathroom.

Still nothing from Steve. It's getting ridiculous. He's not being eaten by a monster either, too quiet for that, so what the hell is going on?

He marches into Steve's room and finds it empty too. He almost continues on to Steve's en suite but he stops, notices the comforter on Steve's bed is missing, which is weird. A clue, maybe? He glances around, a look underneath, a peek around the side of the bed, but it's nowhere to be found.

He goes to call Steve's name again but then he hears something, like a sniffle.

The closet doors are shut but between them is a chunk of Steve's blanket, a tiny corner sticking out at the bottom.

Eddie tiptoes over and listens.

Yup. Another sniffle.

He parts the doors gently.

Steve throws the blanket over his head before Eddie can see him, only getting a quick peek at his knees before they disappear.

“Uhh, wha’cha doin’ in the closet, Stevie?”

He thought he'd said it soft enough to not scare him but when he immediately bursts into loudy, snotty tears underneath his blanket, Eddie can only assume he's fucked up anyway.

He crouches down. “Hey, I'm sorry, don't freak out, it's just me. C'mon, man, talk to me, what's going on? You're scaring me.”

“I'm fine,” Steve croaks.

“Yeah…clearly.”

The lump that is Steve groans and then falls over, landing on a pile of old shoes, which he doesn't seem to notice or care.

“I don't want to talk about it.”

Okay. Now that Eddie knows Steve is upset about something, he thinks back to what they were doing before they paused the movie. Which was nothing.

“You said you'd seen The Thing before.”

Steve sniffs. “I have. At Mike's fifteenth birthday.”

“Okay. So why are you freaking out about it now?”

“Why the fuck- Uhh. Yeah. The movie. Scared me real bad.”

Eddie frowns at The Lump. So it's not the movie. Something happened when Eddie got up. Think, think, think!

“The life debt thing?”

Steve doesn't respond. He does curl into a smaller ball, which seems like an answer in itself. What it means, he has no idea. Why would that leave Steve a sobbing mess? It's not like he can undo Steve saving his life! Of course he owes Steve everything!

“Please talk to me,” he begs softly. “I'm not good at this. I'm not Robin.”

He gets a scoff. “Robin is also not good at this.”

True. Just because she's a girl doesn't mean she comes equipped to handle emotional outbursts. She's more of a ‘pat, pat, there, there' kinda gal.

“Would you tell her what was wrong?”

“Yes,” Steve admits after a short pause.

“Would you like me to go get her?”

“No,” he says, barely above a whisper. “But you don't have to stay in here with me. You can finish the movie if you want. I'll be okay.”

“Steve,” he pats what he hopes is Steve's shoulder, “I might not be good at this emotional vulnerability shit but even I know you don't leave your friends crying on the floor of their closet.”

Since he's touching Steve, he can feel the short, hitching breaths he's taking, trying so hard not to be heard.

“I'm fine. I'll be fine,” Steve tries to convince him, “I just need a bit to get over myself. Like a week or…six.”

“Over what?”

He sniffles some more. “Nothing.”

“I'm not leaving until you tell me what's wrong, dude.” To prove his point he shuffles fully into the closet and pulls the doors shut behind him. “There. Our closet breakdown.”

Steve groans, tries giving Eddie a little kick but his feet are trapped inside the comforter, so it feels more like a nudge.

“I'll be over here by this pile of old basketball jerseys when you feel like talking. Number twenty-one? Is that lucky?”

“This is so stupid,” Steve mumbles.

“Hey, you're in charge of this rodeo, just tell me what's wrong and we can mosey on out of here.”

“You sound like Wayne when you say shit like that.”

“Well, he did half raise me. Tell me what's wrong.”

“No.”

“So you don't trust me?” He says just to be an asshole, to get some kind of reaction. “We're not that good of friends I guess.”

That gets him a reaction alright, just not the one he wants. Instead of getting pissed, Steve somehow curls even tighter, near silent sobs emanating from The Lump.

All of this had had a sort of surreal, humorous quality before, finding Steve having a nervous breakdown on the floor like a toddler told to go to bed, but it's getting less cute now.

Eddie gets up and lays the opposite way, head down near Steve's. He wants to bundle Steve up and rock him like a baby, but it doesn't seem like Steve wants that. “If I'm really hurting you…if this is my fault and you want me to go, I'll go, but I don't want to. I want to fix this. What do you want me to do?”

He's quiet. Not actively crying at least. After a long stretch, he mumbles, “Is that what you've been doing this whole time? Trying to fix things? Doing what you think I want because you think you owe me?”

Okay, now they're getting somewhere.

“I do owe you, Stevie, but that's not why… That's not why.”

“Then why?”

He swallows. “Because you deserve more than you get.” There. That's fine. That's platonic and still vulnerable and absolutely true.

“And that's it?”

What the fuck does he say to that? ‘No, actually, I want to treat you like the god damned royalty that you are, not in the fake high school sense, but in the way that knights willingly followed Kings onto the battlefield?’

“What do you mean?” He asks instead, like the coward he is.

“I mean… You close all the curtains in the house when you notice I've got a migraine. You learned to play my favorite songs even though you think they're mediocre. You corral the kids when they get out of hand and start being mean to me. You invite me to family dinner at Wayne and Gail’s. We live together and make breakfast together and spend all of our time together and I guess that's just because we're friends. That's what friends do. We're just friends.” He's worked himself into a fit again.

Eddie can do nothing but stare at the blanket lump and try not to panic. Either Steve has been onto him for months and has finally had enough or…

“Stevie? Why are you crying in the closet?”

“Don't make me say it.”

He chokes on his own sob, months of being good, keeping it tucked away and out of sight, welling up in his chest and in his eyes.

He finds the end of the blanket and pulls until he can crawl underneath too, finding Steve with his head turned away, like he's still trying to hide. Eddie slides both hands onto the sides of his face and turns him away from the floor. He blinks at Eddie, looking every bit like a tragic Prince in a fairytale. Or a baby cow.

“Please,” he begs, voice breaking, “tell me why you're sad.”

Steve studies Eddie, eye roaming over the tear tracks Eddie can't stop, over his trembling lip, the blush that must be painting his cheeks. He's going out on a real limb here, betting it all, but Steve doesn't leave him hanging for long.

“I thought you were sweet on me.”

Eddie coughs out a relieved a laugh. “I am, baby. I'm so sweet on you.”

Steve's face could outshine the fourth of July. “Yeah?”

“Are you kidding? You think I'd crawl back into the closet for just anyone?”

“Oh my god,” he groans, head falling to land on Eddie's shoulder.

“Hey,” he nudges softly, “whaddya say we come out of the closet together?”

“Why do I like you so much?”

“Aww, you sweet on me, Stevie?”

Instead of answering, he throws back the blanket, bringing fresh air, and then Steve basically knocks Eddie into the door, spilling them out onto the floor of his room. He crawls on top of Eddie, pinning him down with all of his jock glory.

"I am so sweet on you."

And then he kisses Eddie. Kisses him like he's been thinking about it just as long as Eddie has, which is a real bitch of a realization. Months they could've been doing this.

He's got two handfuls of jean covered ass when Steve pulls back far enough to whisper, “We have to make up something else to tell Robin. She can't know it happened like this, I'll never live it down.”

"Let me touch your dick and I'll tell her whatever you want. You fought off a bear in the backyard and I was overcome with desire."

"Deal."

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

book 7 part 8 thoughts!!

***THIS POST CONTAINS MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR BOOK 7 PART 8 OF THE MAIN STORY!!*** Please note: this is NOT meant to be a summary or a translation; these are only my initial thoughts on the events that roughly unfold. There may be details overlooked or misunderstood in this post, so PLEASE do not use this as a translation.

Right off the bat, we're starting off strong with a video presentation from Idia!! He uses many MMORPG terms and analogies to better explain his concepts, even referring to allies as "party members".

The video is ~3 minutes long and the artwork used are Takashi Mifune-sensei’s LINE stickers. Yana says she is particular about functionality like Idia is, so she is pleased that they were able to implement this video. “Please watch Idia’s debut as. YouTuber!”

AGKVTIUOD8VQFVE IDIA SHROUD ASKS US TO LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE IF WE LIKED HIS PRESENTATION....... . . .. ...... .. . . . . .. . . . . I'LL GIVE IT TO YOU, IDIA... You popped off on the editing fr...

Idia tells us that there the population of Sage’s Island is roughly 20,000!

He basically explains his plan to defeat Malleus. Idia's going to fuck around with stuff in his own dream to make cheat codes to debuff Malleus (ie remove his invincibility). The others shall distract Malleus so he doesn’t catch onto what Idia is up to. Yuu, Grim, Sebek, Silver, and Ortho will infiltrate the dream worlds of classmates, "wake" them, and then recruit them to their cause. They will then lure Malleus into Idia's dream, at which point all the recruited students will JUMP HIM 🤡 Truly, the power of friendship but the NRC way…

Idia grants everyone the ability to DREAM FORM CHANGE!! By saying that phrase, it opens up a menu where you can magically change your outfit in an instant. The NRC boys are becoming magical girls… ✨

akjlfabidfbefeqof Grim has fun changing into his various Anniversary outfits! Ceremonial Robes, Labwear, Apprentice Chef...!

Silver and co. hop into Epel's dream! (Idia keeps in touch with everyone via his tablet while he stays behind in his own dream.)

Everyone at NRC seems to speak in the same Harveston dialect as Epel. And, well... here's apple boy...

IS THAT EPEL’S HEAD ON JACk’S BODY????????!!!!!?!?!?!!!?!?

THIS IS LITERALLY THE BUFF NATSUKI DDLC MEME 😭 I MEAN I WAS KINDA EXPECTING THIS BUTNIT FLOOKS SO FURGINGNGGGF GS CURSED

Anyway, the group just casually walks up to Epel and tells him everything is a lie??? And when Epel's world starts to go all wibbly wobbly, a dream!Rook and dream!Vil show up to praise him. Rook says he has heard rumors that Savanaclaw wants to recruit Epel for their own dorm, while Vil praises Epel as being both strong and beautiful, a perfect fit for Pomefiore.

I like that the implication is that while Epel still has a desire to be in a "tough" dorm like Savanaclaw, this dialogue seems to also say that he now also finds value in Pomefiore. This is why dream!Rook and Vil are tugging Epel in opposite directions; his soul must like BOTH options. Further proof is that Epel is still a Pomefiore student in his dream, he is not in Savanaclaw. To keep him under the sleep, the dream is trying hard to appeal to both sides of Epel's wishes.

So we battle the fake Rook and Vil!! Then Epel's memories come flooding back to him; the cracking glass effect is so pretty and calls into mind a mirror shattering as Epel gains his lucidity.

(Rook and Vil get similar "glass breaking" scenes upon waking, so I'm only going to comment on Epel's here and leave it at that!)

Cut to black to explain the situation to Epel!

Ortho invites Epel to join their "party" in Idia's dream! Then I believe he uses Epel's dream data to project a hologram of buff!Epel to remain in the dream while Epel joins the gang to hop into the next dream.

Next up is Rook's dream, and--

YUP, THAT'S A YEEHAWING ROOK HUNT IF I'VE EVER SEEN ONE 💀 I thought for sure his in-game 2D model would have larger arms (like, at LEAST Leona-sized arms, if not Jack-sized)... I guess not though, because we cannot have nice things/j

I love the extra detail of the leaves being stuck in the brim of his hat!! dfhlbafbiapia and bro just walks around with a quiver of arrows and a bow strapped to his back at all times...

ahbfg8yoadf9pbaegpb ROOK JUST DROPEPD A FUCKING BOMBSHELL ON US???????? Apparently Vil is a student at RSA and is besties with Neige???????????? BRO'S HEAD IS FR WRITING OUT FANFIC ABOUT HIS TWO MOST BELOVED IDOLS HOLDING HANDS AND GIGGLING TOGETHER

Uhhhh long story short, Rook runs off to his room and we chase him. What we find is--

YEAH THIS IS ROOK'S ROOM??????? It's probably what is depicted in his Savanaclaw Dorm Uniform SSR too. Note the split bed and the completely different carpets in the SSR artwork.

AEBFYVQEVYOFBQB THE WAY THE ROOM IS PERFECTLY SPLIT DOWN THE CENTER AND IS JUST STACKED WITH MERCH (including Tsum Neiges and Vils????????!????!?!?!?!?!??!!!!)

Rook starts to chuckle menacingly and pops off about his hyperfixations to us???? Then he wrangles us all to sit down and watch DVDs with him for the next *checks notes* 5 HOURS?????? AM I READING THIS CORRECTLY????? Rook... HONEY... THE WORLD IS ABOUT TO END, WE DON'T HAVE TIME TO DO THIS...

We keep trying to talk to Rook, but he isn't quite waking up yet. So we have an aside with the gang and Epel suggests... RECREATING OUR VDC PERFORMANCE??????? ? ?? ????? He shows Silver, Sebek, Grim, and Ortho the dance moves and the show goes on!

Rook is lured to the VDC stage and we get a new Absolutely Beautiful rhythmic with our current squad! Unfortunately, the vocals are the same as book 5, so we do not get a new variation with Epel, Sebek, Silver, Ortho, and Grim singing.

I love Love LOOOOVE that Epel is the center here!! He took the initiative to suggest the idea as well as teach everyone, and now he's REALLY walking the talk by serving as the "leader" of the group.

Watching the NRC Tribe makes Rook's head hurt and he starts to remember...!!

Well, wouldja look at that... Here comes dream!Neige and RSA!Vil to distract Rook. They say they are inspired by the NRC performance and start to perform Everyone Yahoo! This entrances Rook, making our task of "waking" him all the more difficult.

aihfboyfpie LMAO THEY'RE SO DRAMATIC?????? Vil steps up to defend Neige, and Neige is all like, "Nooo, Vii-kun! If anything were to happen to you, I'd be crushed by sadness :((" ROOK... IS THIS WHAT YOUR MIND COMES UP WITH...

Rook points an arrow at them and cries about how he betrayed Epel... (AYO LIKE THE HUNTSMAN????) and now he has to destroy Vil and Neige, who are "proof" of his betrayal. It makes him cry even more because he can't think of harming them, even if it's just a dream...

Anyway, time to pummel the sparkly duo! You can see from the battle sprites that RSA students seem to use REAL ASS SWORDS to channel their magic instead of magical pens. Man... Imagine being handed a writing utensil and then glancing over at the next guy and seeing them holding an ACTUAL WEAPON.

If you look closely, you can tell that Neige and Vil's pommels, grips, and rain guards are slightly different. Apparently, every RSA student has a unique one? WOW, I feel like NRC got ripped off then??? Cuz only the dorm leaders get unique items or staves to channel their magic and everyone else has the same standard issue magical pen but with a different magestone color. The only exception to this for the average student seem to be Diasomnia kids, who have baton style magical pens in their dorm uniforms.

Rook fully awakens and we rinse and repeat what we did with Epel (cut to black to explain things to him, make a hologram Rook to leave behind, and invite him to join us).

The last part of the update has us venturing into Vil's dream.

OMG, WE'RE IN FAIREST CITY??? AT QUEEN'S FILM STUDIO???? We just visited this place in a recent event! What perfect timing... I see you, clever TWST devs!

I swear that Vil's outfits are getting worse with each new one I see him in, but that's probably just my fashion sensibilities clashing with his 💦 I thought from the initial silhouette that we would be getting a slightly older Vil to show us how his values have changed since book 6, in which Vil declares he is always beautiful no matter what. Him being older would truly drive that point home; I feel this was a missed opportunity but maybe it wasn’t possible because these dreams don’t seem to be taking place in the “future” but mostly center on the present or past? Something, something, magic limited to what can be imagined and maybe the magic can’t reach that far “ahead”?

aefyeyovfyvqvf HIS NEW HAIRSTYLE KINDA LOOKS LIKE CROWLEY'S, DOESN'T IT...

Here, Vil seems to be highly popular + considered fairest of them all. Additionally, a certain SOMEONE has been relegated to being his mere assistant (and uh, Vil is somewhat demanding of them):

VIL... THIS ISN'T HELPING YOU BEAT THE MEAN GIRL ALLEGATIONS, SWEETIE...

On a more serious note, I think this raises an interesting point about Vil’s character. Try as he might to get over his envy of Neige, it’s clearly still something so deep-rooted in Vil, right up to the end of booo 5. Now this element also permeates in his dream world. Neige “has” to be demoted in so Vil can stand on top—but is that really “fair” to Neige?? Is it truly Vil’s jealousy that informs the dream of this, and thus the dream is spinning this shallow, easy victory for Vil’s satisfaction??? Because the noble Vil I know of in book 5 wouldn’t consider this a real “win”. Very fascinating topic to ponder!

Vil has Neige toss us out, which Neige does. The dream is preemptively acting this time, with dream!Neige coming at us. We make a getaway and somehow whack the head of the announcer + have Rook usurp his role.

As Vil is walking down the red carpet, Rook announces the various sins that Vil has committed. Vil panics and demands that someone shut Rook up, but then he starts to realize things aren't quite right.

We try to intervene, but Neige gets in the way and ultimately Vil is pulled deeper into his own darkness. Everyone else plunges into the dark with Vil?? I was worried that we'd have another battle map segment but thankfully there was none!!

We're back in the VDC backstage hallway area and stumble across a horrifying sight. Neige is on the ground (next to an empty bottle of apple juice) and all Seven Dwarves are surrounding him and sobbing. Ortho runs a scan on his vitals and Neige... FLATLINES...

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?????? THAT VIL ACTUALLY INTENDED TO KILL NEIGE IN BOOK 5????? 💀 Dude... No wonder why Vil was feeling so guilty and screaming that his actions were so "ugly"...

Epel uses his UM to encase Neige in a magical glass coffin to keep him safe. Then they run out onto the VDC stage and hear the announcer declaring that NRC has won. Vil is there soaking up all the attention and praise until we confront him.

Just as he is starting to "awaken", the darkness comes back and Vil alone is taken.

What I find really adorable here is that both Epel and Rook rush to his side and try to pull Vil out of the darkness. They're... OFFERING THEIR HANDS... TO HELP HIM OUT OF THE MIRE... OFFERED HANDS... A MOTIF THAT HAS BEEN IN TWST SINCE THE PROLOGUE... 👁️

Vil finally faces off against his Phantom. Like Idia in the last update, Vil willingly assumes his OB form to do battle. These fights seem very symbolic in the grand scheme of things. Idia and now Vil, confronting the worst, most unsavory parts of themselves, their inner demons, and rising victorious, proving that they have become better people… It continues the little bits of character growth that we’ve been seeing in each of the past books!!

He rises from the darkness and joins up with everyone else after conquering the fight!! The update ends here.

Okay, there's a LOT to talk about????????

The highlight for me was definitely Idia's presentation. It was very fun to watch because of the slick editing and it was a silly way to lay out the plans. I appreciate that we get to see Idia's strengths on display here; he can get long-winded and throw in lots of eccentric gamer slang, but you can also see how quickly he's able to tailor a complex plan together while accounting for many variables. adfhlboafoiyebif I UNDERSTAND THE IDIA HYPE NOW, I UNDERSTAND IT ALL...

(Side note: I did not know where to insert this, so I'll do it at the end! BONUS POINTS TO IDIA FOR RIGHTFULLY CALLING MALLEUS SHALLOW 💀 because his understanding of constitutes as happiness truly IS shallow. Once again, Idia slays with his brutally real words...)

I already said my parts about Epel and Rook's dreams when they happened. It was great seeing how their characters have developed, especially Epel! I never much cared for him, but I really appreciate all that he has done this update.

This pretty much confirms that future updates will have us visiting every remaining classmate's dreams and "waking" them. Admittedly, I'm both excited and worried??? Because that's a TON to cram in, and I worry that not everyone will get proper screentime or development. On the other hand, I'm hype to see what their dreams are like and what other limited SSRs the game might throw at us.

I feel like with the reveal of Vil OBing to fight his Phantom/"inner demons", we'll get similar scenes with the other OB boys coming to terms with what they've done and where they can go from here. This... might lead into the highly desired and speculated about Overblot series of SSRs, which I theorize will be the limited SSRs for each of the OB boys. I'll definitely be keeping my eyes peeled for those, TWST... I wonder if we'll get a Neige card eventually too??? Since we did see his battle assets exist this time. Will Chenya get one too, assuming he comes in a futureHeartslabyul update??

Aaaaaah, next time... Scarabia... 🤡 I'm so hype for that, Scarabia is like my second favorite dorm next to Octavinelle!! (SPEAKING OF, WILL WE FINALLY GET EEL FORM CARDS FOR THE TWINS...)

I’m sliiiightly concerned for Silver because bro used his UM no less than, what? 4 or 5 times this update alone??? He used his UM to enter Yuu’s dream and then Sebek, Lilia, AND Idia’s. Presumably, he also has to use his UM no less than 13 more times (12 more for the remaining boys + 1 more time to return them all to Idia’s to ambush Malleus). And even worse, he has to transport an increasing number of people each time. HOW TF IS SILVER NOT OVERBLOTTING????! 😭

bxjsgwjwnwkcbjsbs This update was nonstop WTF moments sandwiched between genuinely heartfelt moments. It’s been really rewarding to follow along and see how the Pomefiore boys have changed since we first met them all the way back in late book 4, early book 5. Looking forward to seeing how the other boys play out!! (… Book 7 is fr about to be 200+ parts long 😭)

[birchleavesdawn]

Itzy Yuna - Public Indecency

"Come on babe I wanna go to the pool! Look I can see it from the window, it's basically empty!"

"I don't know Yuna, isn't it kind of late? You wouldn't rather just relax here in the hotel room for a bit before bed?"

"No! We can do plenty of relaxing down there in the pool. Now come on, get up, we're going."

You two had just arrived in Spain, and after the long trip you were kind of drained, but Yuna knew what she wanted and there was no way you were getting out of it.

"Agh, fine fine, I'm coming,"You said, pushing yourself up off the bed. Yuna gave a little cheer.

You turned to reach for your trunks and realized Yuna had already completely undressed. Her perfect, pale body was on full display. She turned and bent over to pick up her bikini top. You watched as her cute little ass cheeks lifted her little tail slightly into the air. She then picked up her bottoms and turned back around to look at you.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer."

"You know that might be my favorite sight in the world. Even after all these times, it's still just as amazing as the first time I saw it"

You walked up to her and gave her ass a squeeze.

She yelped. "We don't have time for that right now."

"Aww, you sure?"

"YES! Come on! The pool is going to be closed soon. There will be time for that later."

"Alright alright. Look, I'm dressed. Let's go."

You grabbed a couple towels and headed down to the pool. The warm night air hit your face as you opened the door and went outside. Yuna ran ahead of you and jumped straight into the water. You couldn't understand how she could still be so full of energy.

"Ahhh, so good!"

You placed your towels on one of the lounge chairs and walked to the edge of the pool. While Yuna's preferred method of getting used to the cold water was to just get it over with, you preferred to take it slow. You sat down, letting your legs dangle into the pool. Yuna came swimming over to you.

"Why are you sitting on the edge?"

"I'm getting used to the cold."

"Oh my gosh, just jump in! The water isn't even cold! You're such a wuss!"

"Alright, alright relax. I’m coming."

You slid in, the sudden drop in temperature made your body shiver, but it wasn't as bad as you were expecting.

"See? It's not so bad."

You looked over at Yuna who was floating on her back and gazing up at the sky.

"What are you looking at?"

"The sky is so pretty. There's too many lights back home, you can never really see the stars quite like this."

You swam over to her and gave her a kiss. "Well, the moon sure looks nice tonight. Almost as beautiful as you."

Yuna rolled her eyes. "You're so lame. What on earth did I see in you?"

You splashed her.

"AHH! You jerk!" She splashed you back. She then swam to the other side of the pool, where it was a bit more dimly lit.

"Hey come here! I want to show you something," Yuna yelled at you from the other side.

You swam over to her, only to find she had disappeared under the water.

"What's going on?"

Suddenly, you felt Yuna's arms around your waist. Before you could react, she had pulled you under the water. You opened your eyes and looked around, only to see Yuna's hair floating gracefully in front of you. She grabbed you by the shoulders and brought you in close. With the light from the moon you could clearly make out her beautiful features. You stared lovingly into each other's eyes for a moment before she brought her lips to yours.

You couldn't believe this amazing woman was yours. It seemed like every day with her was something new and exciting.

You were both starting to run out of breath, and Yuna pushed you away and kicked up towards the surface. You followed after her.

You gasped for air as you reached the surface. Yuna was doing the same.

"Did you really just do that?"

"Yup. It was fun, wasn't it?"

"Well yeah, but what if someone saw us? They could kick us out of the pool!"

"Quit your whining. The only people left are over there in the hot tub, they won't be able to see what we're doing. I'm sure they aren't paying any attention to us anyway."

You stole a peek at the couple in the hot tub. She was right, they were too far away and it was too dark to see what you guys were up to.

You turned back and realized Yuna had taken her top off again but was covering herself with one arm.

"Babe, what are you doing?!"

"It's ok, I have a plan. Come here."

She leaned in and kissed you. As her tongue made its way into your mouth, you felt her other hand snake its way into your trunks.

"Mmm, someone is excited," she whispered in your ear.

Her fingers slowly traced along your shaft, sending chills through your body.

"I think it's time I take care of this."

Before you could respond, she had ducked back under the water. With one swift pull, she had dragged your trunks down to your knees.

You looked back towards the couple, and to your horror, they were no longer sitting in the hot tub.

"Shit. Yuna, they’re coming!"

You heard her muffled laugh below the water.

"Babe, they are going to see us."

Suddenly, you felt Yuna's hot mouth engulf your member.

You were speechless. The thrill of being caught by the strangers and the pleasure from Yuna's mouth was an indescribable combination.

Yuna slowly slid your cock out of her mouth before coming back up for air.

The couple was now walking past the edge of the pool. The man gave you a wink and continued passed without saying a word. Yuna flashed them a giant grin before heading back down below the surface.

You tried your best to hold in your moans as Yuna's lips found their way back onto your member. She took you as deep into her mouth as she could, and began bobbing her head back and forth, swirling her tongue around your shaft.

You couldn't believe she was so nonchalant about being seen, but the thought of it only served to turn you on more.

She took your member deeper and deeper into her mouth, until her nose was brushing against your pubes.

She let go for what you assumed was another chance to refill her lungs, but instead she slipped your trunks the rest of the way off and headed back to the other side of the pool. She was now sitting on the steps with your trunks in hand. She peeled off her own bottoms before walking out of the pool, now fully in the nude.

"Yuna come on, give those back!"

"If you want them, come and get them!"

She grabbed your towels from the lounge chair and made her way over to the now closed bar area, just a short walk from the pool.

"I'll be waiting over here."

You got out of the pool and chased after her. She was leaning on the counter, her perfect ass pointed towards you.

"What took you so long?"

"I can honestly say I have never had to run with an erection before. What a strange feeling."

She couldn't help but laugh.

"But what are you doing Yuna? This is going too far."

She bent over the counter and lifted her ass into the air, completely ignoring your concerns.

"Well are you just going to stare, or are you going to do something about this?" She said, shaking her hips back and forth.

The sight of her dripping pussy was too much for you to bear.

"Fuck it."

You walked over to her, grabbing her ass cheeks and kneading them.

"That's a good boy. Now give me what I want."

You rubbed your shaft along her pussy lips, making sure she was yearning for it, before you took it away.

"Please, don't tease me, I can't take it anymore. Give it to me now."

"Sorry babe, I'm in control now."

You took the opportunity to give her a taste. You lapped at her asshole for a few seconds, before plunging a thumb inside and switching your focus to her enticing folds. You licked around the edges of her entrance, savoring the sweet nectar dripping out.

"F-fuck, that's good," Yuna moaned.

You took her clit into your mouth and sucked gently. Her body convulsed.

"Oooh, I think I'm gonna...gonna cum."

"Not yet," you said, pulling away once again.

"Please, please just let me cum. Why are you being so mean?"

Yuna had become a whimpering mess. Her juices were now running down her thighs.

"Because it's more fun this way," you responded, giving her a quick slap on the ass.

She whimpered.

"Please, please just fuck me, I'm begging you."

You grabbed her by the hips and pulled her closer to the edge of the counter, placing your tip at her entrance. You leaned over and grabbed her by her hair, whispering into her ear.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes, just please hurry."

"As you wish."

You thrust forward, pushing yourself deep inside her.

"Oooh yes, finally," she moaned.

You took a second to adjust before slamming into her over and over again. Her pussy was dripping, the sounds of your flesh slapping together echoed across the empty patio. Everyone in the hotel must be able to hear you now, but you didn't care anymore.

"Fuck, you feel so fucking good," you moaned.

"Harder! I want you to fuck me harder!"

"Whatever you want, baby."

You gave her another slap on the ass. She cried out in pleasure.

"That's it baby. You're gonna cum on my cock and I'm going to fill your dirty little pussy with my seed as punishment for this little stunt you've pulled."

"Fuck, I'm so close. Please, just a little more."

You pounded into her, making sure to keep a steady pace. She was screaming out, and you were certain everyone was watching by now, but all you could think about was the feeling of her pussy walls constricting around your cock.

"YES, YES, I'M GONNA CUM."

"Do it, cum on my cock."

You felt her pussy walls tighten even more around your shaft, her entire body began to spasm.

"F-FUCK," she screamed as her orgasm hit her.

Her pussy clamped down around your member, causing you to lose control. You let out a moan as your orgasm ripped through your body.

"Fuck Yuna."

You released everything you had, filling her up.

"Oooh fuck that feels so good."

You stayed inside her until the very last drop. She was breathing heavily, her body still quivering from the orgasm.

"Holy shit, I don't know where that came from, but it was incredible."

"That was the hottest thing I've ever done."

"Me too," you said, kissing her softly.

"So, did anyone catch us?"

"I'd say it's safe to assume they did. We're really not even hidden anymore, this bar is completely lit up."

Once you had come back down to earth, you threw your clothes back on and took the very long way back to the hotel. Avoiding as many awkward run-ins with people as you possibly could.

You were woken up the next morning by a heavy knock at the door. You threw on your robe and headed over to answer it. You were met by one of the desk staff, he handed you an envelope, nodded and then walked away.

"Who was that?" Asked Yuna while rubbing her eyes.

"They are asking that we check out as soon as possible and that we are not welcome to come back."

"Wow really? I guess that answers that, someone definitely saw us. It was worth it though, that was the best sex I have ever had."

"Maybe we can make this into a game, see how many hotels we can get ourselves banned from."

"Oh you're on."

[rwac96]

Play Bunny Antics # 1 (Silent Knight)

Welcome to the first installment of Play Bunny Antics, and we're here to introduce our Play Bunny: Neopolitan, or Neo for short.

(source: Leux 21)

Neo: *waves, smiling*

Neo, what's your favorite thing to do, your cute mute bunny?

Neo: *holds up a sign* 'Getting my guts rearranged.'

Um, please be more specific.

Neo: *rolls her eyes, turning around, spanking her own ass and spreading her buttocks apart*

So, anal?

Neo: *releases her cheeks, holds up another sign* "Anal and getting my muff stuffed!"

Okay! Okay! Let's bring out the himbo--Uh, our bunny fucker-- I mean our bunny lover, Jaune Arc!

Jaune: *blinks in confusion* "Why am I here?"

Neo: *approaches Jaune, swaying her hips with each step and winks at him*

You've read the agreement about participating in Play Bunny Antics.

Neo: *signs* 'You heard that no-name, Himbo.' *peels the stickers off of her breasts, revealing her nipples*

Jaune: *eyes widened, blushes* "Oh! Now I get it!" *smacks Neo's ass*

Neo: *shudders, turning around and 'adjusts' her corset, signs* 'That's it, Baby~.' *bends over, shaking her ass at Jaune*

*Jaune tugs his jeans down, letting his cock out, and grabs Neo's hips*

Wow! Someone's eager!

Jaune: "Yup!" *pushes his cock inside the Play Bunny, beginning to thrust back and forth*

Platt!-Platt!-Platt!-Platt!-Platt!-Platt!-Platt!-Platt!

Neo: *ahgeaos, signs* 'Fuck me! Fuck me!! FUCK ME!!!'

Jaune: *grunts, still thrusting* "Nnngh, you feel so good, Ice Cream Bunny!"

Jumping the gun there, but, I like your spirit!

Neo: *moans silently, signs* 'He can cum in my pussy, right?'

Sure thing.

Jaune: *blinks in confusion* "What if you get pregnant?"

Neo: *pushes her ass against the thrusts, signs* 'It sounds like they're okay with it~.'

Pwalp!-Pwalp!-Pwalp!-Pwalp!-Pwalp!-Pwalp!-Pwalp!-Pwalp!

Jaune: *thrusts faster and harder* "F-Fuck!"

Looks like Jaune's about to burst!

Three!

Two!

One!

FILL!

*Jaune slams his hips against Neo's ass, flooding her womb with his spunk*

Neo: *red-faced cum leaking from her pussy, signs* 'Fuck! That certainly feels like a Knock-Up.'

And that's the conclusion of the First Play Bunny Antics! Hope you've enjoyed the show~!

Neo: *turns to Jaune, signs* 'Hey, you doin' anything after this~?'

Jaune: *pants, sweaty* "I was going to a carnival with Nora and Ren, but this' better than being a third wheel."

[sp0o0kylights]

No Upside-Down AU

"It's called the Creel House."

Steve groaned. Then groaned again when Dustin produced a binder full of papers, many sticking out at odd angles. He dropped it down on the counter, the thing making an audible "thunk!" 

Robin shot a look over her shoulder from where she stood, restocking the kids cartoon aisle. 

Steve had a feeling he should have volunteered to do it instead. 

"It's Halloween, Steve.” Dustin snarked, rolling his eyes dramatically. “ We're too old to go trick or treating!"

Ah yup, there was that incoming headache, the same one he got whenever Dustin stormed in with a half baked idea. 

At least this one didn’t involve tramping around tunnels and stumbling over a pack of feral dogs. 

"So you jump right from collecting candy to, what, conducting a fricken seance in a haunted house?" Steve retorted, running a hand through his hair. 

A part of him wanted to pull it, but his parents had rid him of that habit long ago. 

Dustin scoffed. "We're not conducting a seance.” He said, like that was the stupidest thing he’d ever heard. “We're gonna do science experiments." 

"On ghosts!” 

“Come on, Steve!” Dustin whined, his voice pitching up in the way it did when he might not get his way. That meant he’d probably already told his poor mother Steve was involved, just like he always did. 

Not that Steve couldn’t completely blame him for doing it. 

Between Will Byers getting abducted, found, thought dead, and miraculously coming back to life in the morgue, the Starcourt Mall Fire (caused by Russian experiments if you believed the rumors but what Steve personally knew to be about fifteen different OHSA violations) and the damn feral pack of rabid dogs, the parents of Hawkin’s found themselves suddenly needing to keep a much closer eye on their children.

Claudia Henderson was no exception. 

(And maybe a part of him liked Claudia. The way she tried so hard to provide for Dustin, making the most she could of his fathers absence.Steve knew they weren’t divorced, but he also never personally met the guy, and well. 

At least Claudia was still there. 

At least she was trying.) 

“Okay. Let’s say I agree to play ghost masters  for a night.” Steve said, mispronouncing Ghostbusters on purpose and enjoying the immediately shrieked correction it got him. 

“Why on earth would anyone be willing to let a bunch of teenagers into their house for the night?”

It still killed him that the kids were technically teenagers. Had been, for a hot minute.

They were even high school freshmen now and wasn’t that a trip?

Soon one of them (Steve had his bets on Max) was going to start pestering him to learn how to drive and the very thought made him want to get on his knees in front of his Beemer to beg forgiveness. 

“I promise we have permission, Steve.” Dustin pleaded, rolling the word promise across his tongue in that whined, over exaggerated way kids forever used against their older siblings.

 “We crossed our i’s and dotted our t’s on this one! It’s just an evening in a house, having fun. That’s it.” 

Steve sighed, running a hand down his face when Dustin busted out the puppy dog eyes.

“If you assholes--” He started, and winced when Dustin immediately let out a victory cry. 

Fists punched the air, Dustin jumping about as he yelled; “Yes! Steve, thank you!” 

“I didn’t say I was going to go yet!” Steve yelled after him as Dustin spun about, shouting that he was going to go tell the Party over his shoulder. 

Robin snickered at him behind the kid, which Steve immediately caught. 

“Don’t laugh too soon Buckley.” He threatened, pointing at her. “You’re coming too.” 

“Oh really?” She shot back, as Dustin flew out of Family Video, making a beeline for his bike. “How do you figure you’re going to get me involved in this one?” 

“Because you owe me for driving you to that bar in Indianapolis.” 

It was a gay bar, one Steve had heard about when one of his father’s shitty secretaries once again forgot to put the phone on hold when “trying” to transfer Steve’s call. 

(She had absolutely nothing nice to say about the bar, which was a solid recommendation in and of itself in Steve's book.) 

Not that he truly needed the ammunition. Robin was his best friend, and they loved each other-- a sappy little number he would gladly pull out if it meant he didn’t have to herd the brat pack around by himself on Halloween. 

Robin sighed dramatically, staring at the ceiling. 

“Fuck you Steve, fine.” She huffed, giving in.

“You would never.” He taunted, and then did his own stupid little mimicry of Dustin’s victory dance, just to make her laugh. 

Smiled wide when it worked. 

At least if things went sideways again, she'd be right by his side.

xXx 

“I don't recall the Creel House being a giant mansion on top of a hill.” 

Steve said it accusingly, standing at the meeting spot on Halloween, kids in costumes floating about them as they clogged up the sidewalk. 

Nancy Wheeler pursed her lips, arms crossing tightly across her chest. 

(Steve had no idea how they’d gotten her to come and frankly, hadn’t asked.) 

"It's not." She agreed.

Her eyes narrowed, zeroing in on her brother with a look that younger siblings the world over knew by heart. "And that is absolutely not the Creel House." 

"We mixed up the names, so what?” Mike waived a hand, as if by doing so he could flick away his sister’s irritation. “It's a haunted house we have permission to hang out in, on Halloween." 

“If it’s not the Creel house then how exactly do we know it’s haunted?” Jonathan muttered, hands clutching his camera. 

(Steve did know how he got involved, if Nancy was here.

Not that he mentioned that either.) 

Steve nodded in agreement, putting his hands on his hips as the kids grouped before them. 

"How exactly, did you get permission for us to stay the night again?" Robin huffed, staring up at a place that looked like it came straight out of one of Munson’s horror movies. 

“I dunno, Eddie got it.” Lucas said with a shrug, and got a collective groan from the older teens for his efforts. 

“I’m not getting arrested again.” Robin said, spinning on her heel to face Steve, eyes wide.

 “I know you guys get arrested by the Chief of Police like, every other day, but some of us do actually want to get into college and frankly, the whole experience sucked.”

“Only Steve and Jonathan have been arrested.” Nancy corrected, face now thoroughly pinched in annoyance. 

“The rest of us were just detained. That said,” She added quickly, as Mike and Dustin both went to speak at once, “Robin’s right. We learned our lesson from Starcourt, didn’t we? We are not breaking into places we are not meant to be.” 

She sounded like she was quoting something.

Knowing Nancy, she probably was. 

“Eddie has definitely been arrested.” Robin protested. 

Nancy, forever stuck on a technicality, shot her a look. “Not in the incident I know you’re referencing.”

“Yeah, ‘cause he ran.” Lucas grumbled. 

“There is no shame in running boys and girls.” The man himself said loudly, leaping out of the bushes to land right in the middle of their little huddle. “Especially from the law.” 

“Eddie!” the kids shrieked as one, their annoyance at his prior abandonment immediately replaced by all his little Hellfire Club minions trying to tackle him. 

Max and El shared a private look, the only two of the children to not swamp the metalhead, and collapsed into shared giggles. 

Freshmen. Steve thought with a groan, as Eddie dramatically fell down, playing out a very overacted death scene. God help us all. 

“Harrington, call off your brats!” Eddie howled, the tail end interrupted by a cackle of laughter as Mike and Dustin tickled him. 

“We talked about this Munson.” Steve yelled back. “When you rile them up, they’re your kids, not mine, and you get to deal with them.”  

“Damn. Down my minions, down!” Eddie tried, and got tickled harder for his efforts. 

They all wrestled for a bit more before the boys relented, Mike and Dustin red in the face with laughter while Lucas, their own budding basketball star and thus the only one to even think of exercising, helped up a panting Will. 

“Eddie, not that I trust you, because we both know I don’t,” Robin started, as Eddie jumped to his feet. “But how exactly do we have permission to be in that house?”

“I’m wounded Buckley, truly.” Eddie said, a hand going to cover his heart. He staggered backwards, head shaking as though injured. “Here I thought you were one of my best friends.”

Nancy sighed loudly, rolling both her eyes and her head back while Jonathan hid a smile behind his camera. 

“You are one of my best friends you asshole,” Robin fired back. “Which is exactly why I don’t trust you! I know you too well!” 

Eddie laughed at that. “Fair.” He reached into his pocket, bringing out  a set of keys. “I’m house-sitting the place for the weekend.” 

“Someone trusted you to watch a house like that?” Nancy said slowly, before being nudged hard by Robin. 

She winced. “I mean-”

“I know what you mean, Wheeler.” Eddie said, taking the comment in stride. “It belongs to one of the executives at the plant my uncle works at. Their first house sitter dropped out last minute and they needed someone to watch their dog.”

Here, Eddie made a face. “He has one of those crusty white things that gets seizures or some shit, the guy said his wife wouldn’t go anywhere unless she knew the dog was okay.” 

“So you're allowed to be in there then.” Nancy said tartly. “I am sure they wouldn’t appreciate-”

“You are underestimating how last minute this was.” Eddie cut her off with a twirl, keys swinging out so that they flashed dramatically. “He said, and I quote,” 

The metalhead’s voice abruptly adopted an accent that sounded like a trucker and an English  butler had a weird, upper class baby. 

“I don’t care what you do in this house tonight, Munson, as long as you don’t break anything, kill anybody, and clean it up after yourself. And for fucks sake, keep the damn dog alive.” 

Taken aback, all Nancy could do was blink. 

“This dude sounds awesome.” Dustin said, impressed. The other boys murmured their agreement, once again slowly swarming Eddie. 

Like puppies, they were.

Overexcited, hormone ridden, accident prone, trouble finding puppies. 

“Pretty sure the guy was implying I could throw a party, so forgive me if I think inviting a bunch of children, their siblings, a bank geek and their overprotective mother” that was aimed at Steve, “over for a night of trying to communicate with the deceased isn't going to be a problem.”

“Like you would throw a party anyways.” Steve snorted, the sound ugly. 

“Wow, is this gang up on Eddie night? I could damn well throw a better party than you, Steve Harrington.” Eddie raised his eyebrows, taunting. 

King Steve was of course, a boy long left in the past, but a part of him, that competitive part who was very good at keg stands, rose to the challenge. 

“Is that so?” He said, standing up from his “mother hen slouch” as Eddie himself called it, to his full height. He took a step forward, made sure it radiated some of that past swagger he’d been so known for. “I’ll take that bet.” 

“Can you guys have a pissing match later?” Robin asked, ignoring the way Nancy winced at her choice of words. 

“Yeah!” Mike shouted, abruptly snatching the keys from Eddie’s waving hand and ignoring the shorter teen’s outraged “Hey!” 

“Come on, let’s go already!” He huffed, racing off. 

“Why did that asshole have to grow so tall?” Eddie complained, as the younger teens flew past him. Even Max and El took off, though they at least paused to shrug at Steve with twin smiles before they ran past. 

“I seriously hope this really is ok Eddie.” Robin said, worrying her lip anxiously as the older teens started the climb up to the front door, a trek that somehow took two different sets of steep stairs. “I meant it about getting arrested.”

“Chill Robs.” The metalhead assured her, knocking his shoulder into hers as he and Steve flanked her sides, Jonathan and Nancy trailing behind. 

“El’s here, so it’s not like good ol’ Chief Hopper doesn’t know what we’re doing.” 

“He knew what we were doing last time.” 

“No, he knew whatever lie Mike told him so he could sneak El around. That’s why the kid’s on his shit list.” Eddie corrected.

Robin sighed, defeated. “God you can be just as annoying as Nance, you know that?”

“Excuse me?” Nancy said, from behind, eyes popping wide and startelement. 

Jonathan hid his chuckle into a cough when she shot him a furious glance but Steve, now two years past being her ex, had no issues letting her see his amusement. 

“Sorry Nancy, but she’s not wrong.” He called teasingly. “You gotta get that need to correct people under control.” 

Then bolted past his friends as Nancy spat out his full name like a curse, offended, before quickening her pace to catch him. 

Laughing, Eddie and Robin took up the chase, leaving Jonathan to shake his head. 

“I am not running with this camera!” He yelled at them, cradling his baby and following at a far more sedate pace. 

“Your fault if we lock you out!” Steve called back, but the threat was empty. 

He and Jonathan had fixed their shit, those same two years ago. They were good now, even close, sometimes.

Not as close as he was to Eddie and Robin, but close enough to hang out with the kids on Halloween and enjoy it.  

‘A family.’ Eddie had called it, while he and Steve recovered in the hospital not even six full months ago, from a shenanigan neither of them talked about in front of Robin for fear she’d put them right back in the ER. 

‘We found ourselves a proper family. Good for holidays and everything.’ 

He’d had a stupid little grin on his face when he’d said it. 

‘How about next time we don’t almost die finding one.’ Steve had countered, and  then grinned smugly when Eddie’s protest just ended up making his injuries hurt. 

“You’re both dumb.” Jonathan had said at the time, their sole witness and ride out of there, soft smile he almost never let out on his face. 

“Screw you Byers, you were in California for this one!” Steve complained, and well, it had devolved into silly, amusing arguments from there but the point was still the same.

A family they were, the whole lot of them. 

xXx 

“Oh my god this place is huge.” Robin muttered, spinning about in the entryway. 

“That’s capitalism for ya, baby.” 

“We should split up, that way we can find the perfect room.” Dustin announced, shuffling his bulging backpack up as it once again tried to drag him to the floor. 

“You weren’t serious about the ghost stuff, were you?” Steve groaned.

He didn’t know why he did--Dustin never joked about this kind of shit. 

“We have an opportunity, Steven. I’m not wasting it!” 

“Fine then. Go run around like a lunatic and find me when you found your stupid perfect room.” 

“Weren’t you the one bitching about splitting up last time?” Eddie teased, playfully poking at Dustin’s back and trying to get him off balance. 

“Yeah, in an actual situation.” Steve countered, as the kids paired off, Lucas and Mike losing their preferred partners to each other, the girls not looking sorry for it. “Not playing pretend.” 

“Is that what we’re doing? Playing pretend?” Eddie moved his head so that for the briefest of seconds, his nose ghosted right past Steve’s cheek. 

Steve, more than used to Eddie having no personal space, didn’t even flinch. 

“With the whole summoning ghosts bit? Absolutely.” He clarified with his own secretive smile.  

Because Munson often spoke in riddles, had dual meanings to every word-and for once Steve had started to catch on.

Had even started to play around back. 

It may have taken him a hot minute to do so, but sitting on the knowledge that there was a chance Eddie Munson was actually, seriously, intentionally flirting with him had made the world rearrange itself a bit. 

Steve honestly wasn’t certain he was comfortable with what it meant in regards to himself--but he knew he found Eddie hot. 

More than that--they were like two halves of something, working and bouncing off each other in a way only those who were very close could. 

(“Two halves of a whole idiot.” Robin had said when Steve had first broached the topic.

Steve had licked a finger and stuck it in her ear in retaliation.) 

The guy part, Steve found once he’d thought on it, didn’t bother him as much as it once would have. What made him hesitate wasn’t that, or even how quickly his discovery had led to him having fucking wet dreams of Eddie Munson.

No, it was everything else.

Namely, the dad he’d already disappointed, but also all the other crap that came with living in a small town, and being relied upon by a lot of parents as their kids' de facto elder sibling. 

If Steve came out, openly came out…

People had been shitty enough to Eddie, in high school. Steve had even been one of those shitty people. He knew how they thought, what they could and would do. 

Egging, graffiti, getting your ass kicked in an allyway, and barred from establishments was all just the start of it, for someone who hadn’t even admitted to being gay. 

He’d about convinced himself to ignore it. He liked girls anyway, was one of the lucky ones, as Robin loved to put it, whose brain and general being didn’t care too much about his partner’s gender. 

“It at least gives you a shot to fall in love with the person you’re “supposed” to.” She’d said, drunk off her ass and wobbly as she made air quotes with her hands. 

Steve couldn’t blame her for it. Not now, when he finally understood the consequences of dating that other person. 

The one you weren’t supposed to. 

Then came that damn bar in Indianapolis. The bartender with the earring who’d shot him an appreciative glance and Steve hadn’t even had to think about it-he’d just, winked. 

Ended up with a free drink.

Made out a little at the back of the bar on the guy’s break and sure, it hadn’t gone farther than that but it was enough.

 To know.

To want. 

How Robin hadn’t caught him on that one was a miracle, but he didn’t want to ruin things. A part of him knew she was graduating soon-her, Nancy, Jonathan and Eddie, if they could finally drag him through Mrs. Click’s class. 

 They could all move, if they wanted to, after that.  

He was happy to follow them wherever they wanted to go, and knew the first three were trying to get into the same colleges. He also knew he wouldn’t have problems dragging Eddie along for the ride. 

If anything the guy was itching to get out faster than any of them. 

Laughter suddenly rang down the halls, interrupting him from his too loud thoughts. 

Steve smiled at it, knowing he damn well couldn’t abandon the kids. 

“You alright?” Jonathan asked, his voice too quiet as always, having come up on Steve’s left side. 

The guy just didn’t relax anymore unless he was high. 

Steve made a mental note to ask Eddie if he’d brought anything after the kids had managed to go to sleep-or at the very least, tire themselves out enough to be corralled in one room. Then the adults could go have their fun. 

Something he knew Jonathan desperately needed. 

“Yeah, just thinking.” Steve said back. 

“I didn’t know you could do that.” Jonathan responded, then cracked a smile when Steve playfully threw his shoulder at him. 

“Earth to Harrington!” Eddie called, and Steve blinked, because the guy had suddenly teleported from right near him to across the sprawling entryway entirely. “If you and Johnny Boy are done talking, I say we to go explore the basement. Together.” 

Eddie clapped his hands, to emphasize the last word. 

Jonathan shook his head, but Steve just sent his friend a conspiratorial wink, before putting on the most harassed sitcom-husband voice he could, yelling back “Coming, honey!” 

Eddie, who had started to turn, almost tripped at the words, long legs tangling together and getting an honest to god laugh out of Jonathan. 

Steve snickered right along with him, before trotting over to save his idiot friend from himself. 

“Come on Munson, let’s go be the stupid people who die first in all the horror movies.” He said, opening the door and trotting down the rickety, wooden steps. 

A pressure at his back, Munson crowding him as he followed. 

“If we wanna be the people who die first, then we have to sneak away to have sex.” Eddie murmured, hair ticking the back of Steve’s neck.

Steve grinned as the sound of the basement door swinging shut followed. 

The sudden silence and lack of light was just the courage he needed to blurt out, “Well if that’s on the table, then I’d absolutely rather die like that.” 

The breath Eddie sucked in was a high he could ride for days, Steve decided, as he carefully made it to the bottom of the stairs. went about feeling for the lights.

Being flirted with by Eddie was one thing but flirting back?

Steve had never been on a better power trip.

[darknight3904]

so american

𝕊𝕦𝕞𝕞𝕒𝕣𝕪: ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ᴏɴ ᴠᴀᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ɪɴ ᴍᴀʟᴀʏꜱɪᴀ ʏᴏᴜ ᴍᴇᴇᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀɴ ʏᴏᴜ ꜱᴡᴇᴀʀ ʏᴏᴜ ᴍɪɢʜᴛ ᴍᴀʀʀʏ ᴏɴᴇ ᴅᴀʏ, ᴋᴇɴᴛᴏ ɴᴀɴᴀᴍɪ

𝕎𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤: ꜱᴡᴇᴀʀɪɴɢ. ɴᴀɴᴀᴍɪ ɪꜱ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ, ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ᴏꜰ ꜱᴇx ɢᴇɢᴇ ᴡʜʏ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅɴ'ᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ʟᴇᴛ ɴᴀɴᴀᴍɪ ꜱᴇᴇ ᴍᴀʟᴀʏꜱɪᴀ??

ʙᴀꜱᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴏɴɢ ꜱᴏ ᴀᴍᴇʀɪᴄᴀɴ ʙʏ ᴏʟɪᴠɪᴀ ʀᴏᴅʀɪɢᴏ.

ꜱᴏʀʀʏ, ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛ ᴀᴍᴇʀɪᴄᴀɴ….

ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ: 2ᴋ

ᴍʏ ᴍᴀꜱᴛᴇʀʟɪꜱᴛ

Kuantan, Malaysia

Vacation Day 5:

"Your English is really great." You compliment

"Thank you, I spent a lot of time in my early twenties practicing." The man next to you says

The hot sun that dances above is blocked by a pretty blue umbrella that your new companion got to stand up correctly. A half-melted drink rests in the sand next to your bag.

You met Nanami on the first day of your vacation while you were struggling to communicate with the woman who was working at the front desk of your hotel. He had smoothly cut in and easily translated your choppy Malay to something more fluent and even got you a room upgrade in the process. Originally, you had just planned to buy him dinner as a thank you but here you were, day five of vacation and you were still hanging out with him.

"You look good like that." He compliments

"Like what?" You laugh thinking of how sunburned you were

"With my shirt on." He explains, reaching out to tug gently at the sleeve of his soft linen beach shirt. He had let you borrow it after seeing how red your shoulders had become.

"Oh, right, duh." You smile, avoiding his gaze.

Was he even aware of how flirtatious he had been the past few days? You swore his pretty face and warm compliments would turn you into a puddle of love-sick embarrassment before you left this country. He reminded you of one of those men you only hear about in books or in cheesy one lined poems about love.

"It's getting late. Would you like to go to get dinner? I know a great market nearby, it has delicious street vendors." He asks

"Sure!" You smile jumping up off your towel to pack up your things while Nanami pulls the umbrella out of the sand.

You struggle to slip out of his shirt, your shoulders are burning from the sunburn.

"Keep it. I've got another in the car." He says pulling it back up over you, " You look pretty in it anyway."

You're mesmerized by the blonde as he drives down the road. Warm air from the open windows pushes your hair from your eyes as you eye the way his arms flex slightly when he takes a turn.

"You're quiet today. Normally you're full of jokes." He says

Crap. You can't admit that you've been ogling him all day!

"I...my back has been hurting."

What the hell was that?!

"Ah. You should've told me earlier, we could've rented those chairs." He says, referring to the overpriced chairs that were for rent on the beach.

"It's alright. Those are just tourist traps anyway." You dismiss

"We're both tourists." He reminds you

"I know..." You roll your eyes

"Put your feet up, I heard that can help with pain."

Your face heats up when he stops the car at an intersection and gently pulls your feet up so they rest on the dashboard. So touchy, you swear he's doing all this on purpose!

"Better?" He asks

"Yup!" You smile

Silence settles around you as you try not to treat the man next to you like eye candy. In defense, it's not your fault. Who knew driving could be so attractive? It didn't help that he hadn't put that extra shirt on yet...

"Tell me a joke." He prompts

Who did he think you were, a stand-up comedian?

"Umm...Why did Darth Vader go to the dermatologist?" You ask

"Why?" Nanami responds, a hint of amusement in his voice

"He had Start Warts." You say

You hear him let out a snicker of laughter and you feel your face heat up out of embarrassment.

"It was the best I could do cold turkey okay!" You groan

Nanami had been right about the market and the street vendors. You had never seen so much delicious-looking food at once. How did he know so much about this place? According to him, he had only been in Kuantan two days before he met you.

"So," You smile as you pop a delicious bite of food into your mouth "Do you always look like this or is this a special version of Nanami?"

You're referring to his relaxed appearance. Long blonde hair slightly hides his eyes and the top view buttons of his shirt are undone. His skin is tanned from all the time spent on the beach at your side and a pair of sunglasses sit in the pocket that's sewn onto his shirt.

"I actually wear suits most of the time when I'm back home." He says

Seriously? He hides this muscular build under suits every day? The poor women of Japan, they don't know what they're missing!

"No way!" You laugh

"I'm serious." He says, and he takes his phone out and pulls up a few pictures of him and a kid with pink hair at his side.

"Wow. You uh, look..." You don't want to tell him he looks like he has a stick up his ass...

"Stoic, I know." He says "I like to think Itadori brightens this picture up though."

You look at the pink-haired boy, Itadori, who is holding up double peace signs and looks like a ray of sun next to the stoic Nanami.

"He definitely makes up for your lack of smile." You tease, poking at his cheek as he brushes your hand off his face

"Well, I had good reason to not smile. The person taking this picture is the most- speak of the devil."

A chime interrupts his sentence and you look down at the phone to see a push notification.

Satoru Gojo

Shoko is going through old pics, check this one out, you were so cute, Nanamin!

Another ding sounds and your eyes widen to see a picture appear at the top of the screen.

Nanami tries to snatch his phone off the table but you get there first and open the message from this Satoru Gojo.

"Is this you in high school?!" You gasp seeing the picture in all its glory as you tap on it

You take the blushing and silence as a yes.

"Your bangs!" You laugh

"I know, it's bad. I don't know what I was thinking." He admits sheepishly

"I think it's kinda cute." You admit, "It kinda reminds me of an emo haircut."

"I wasn't emo." He says

"You sure? Those bangs aren't very convincing..." You laugh "Not to metnion you're not smiling here either...kinda seems emo to me!"

"I wasn't!" He groans, finally reaching successfully for his phone "I wasn't emo...I'm not emo."

You laugh at the way he texts this Satoru Gojo back with a scowl on his face.

"You should tell this person my opinions of your hair." You say

"So he can call me an emo when I get back? I don't think so. Nice try though." Nanami says gently tapping his shoe against yours under the table

Vacation Day 6:

You agree to Nanami's suggestion of a nice stroll through the lit-up city. City lights twinkle against the dark sky as you see the shops and karts selling different goods. You pick up the goofiest-looking plushies and make up different voices for each of them as Nanami watches and laughs.

"Wait, stop for a second." He says suddenly

"Hmm? Do you want one of those weird charms? They don't really seem like they're your style." You say, distracted by the store he's stopped you in front of.

A soft tickle on your leg brings your attention downward and you see something you're not expecting. Nanami is down on one of his knees tying the laces on your left sneaker. His blonde hair is brushing your knee as he finishes up.

"I didn't want you to trip." He says gently patting the back of your calf as he straightens back up

"Oh, thank you." You say, trying to ignore how warm his hands felt against your leg.

You're a mess internally as you try to keep cool when he continues to walk. If he keeps this up you're going to end up in love with him before this trip was over...wait...has that been his goal the whole time? It couldn't possibly be.

"Could I ask you a question?" Nanami asks when you finally get yourself together

"Sure." You say

"Are those red cups I see in movies actually a real thing where you come from?"

That's his question? Why would Solo cups not be a real thing?

"Umm of course!" You laugh at his dorky question, "Did you think they were fake?"

"I just thought it was strange that everyone drank from red cups at parties." He shrugs

"Well, for your information, Nanami I've been to multiple parties and drank from a red cup like in the movies." You say

"Interesting." He says, his body gently bumping into yours when you get a little too close, "You can call me Kento."

"I thought in Japan you were supposed to call a person by their last name." You say

"Well, yes that's for formality." He says, "I think we're familiar with each other though, we've been around each other for six full days now."

"Alright then, Kento." You smile, testing his first name out on your tongue

You want to laugh when Kento drags you into a tie shop. He must want something fun to wear to work when he gets home. You suggest multiple different kinds that are ridiculous and would probably get him fired. Your personal favorite? The one with the huge eagle with a snake in his talons. It was just too ridiculous to be real. Honestly it reminded you of things you'd see back home. It was just missing the signature red white and blue.

"Here, switch places with me." Kento says as you exit the store and get back on the sidewalk

"What? Okay." You agree

You don't miss the way he smiles to himself when he gets what he wants. Does he have a preferred side of the sidewalk or something? Who enjoys being on the side closer to the road? What a weird man.

Vacation Day 7:

"You're really strange sometimes." You observe

"How so?" He asks as he bites into a cookie

"You were fully content just wandering into my hotel room. What if I was an axe murderer?" You ask

It was a rainy day in Kuantan. There were road closures and a few downed trees nearby so you had invited Kento to spend the day with you in your hotel room. The two of you were wrapped in fuzzy bathrobes and had just polished off an excellent room service meal that he had insisted on paying for despite you insiting that it was payment for driving you around.

"I knew you weren't though." He says

"And if I was?" You ask

"I would be disappointed and then I'd try to fight you and your axe off." He says

"What if I was too strong?" You joke

"I doubt it." He laughs as he flexes one of his arms.

There isn't much to look at because of the bathrobe that conceals his arms from your greedy eyes but you swear you can see a bit of definition under all the fuzzy material.

"Whatever..." You mumble

His stupidly pretty face is making you say dumb things. Who talks about axe murderers with such a good looking man in their bed? You were surely the biggest idiot in all of Malaysia.

"I thought you said this was a good movie," Kento says

"It is! You just need to give it a chance!" You say

"We're already ten minutes in and the only jokes they've made are about sex and drugs." Kento points out

"Okay, but...look you just have to trust me okay!" You say looking at your laptop which is playing Superbad, a film Kento hasn't ever seen

"There is more to humor than just bad sex jokes." He says

"Well, not in this movie. Now hush." You say unpausing the movie

Kento Nanami's eyes drift over you as you're mesmerized by this movie. Sure there were funny moments but he had definitely seen better.

Besides, how could he focus on some old 2000s movie when he was too distracted by you? You look too cute for words in the hotel's bathrobe and there's even a bit of chocolate smeared on your face from the Hershey kisses you had pulled out of your bag and insisted he try earlier.

His eyes rake over you and your entire room in general. A pair of blue jeans haphazardly sits on the chair across the room. He can see the American flag-printed sunglasses you wore the other day sitting on the nightstand beside a few stray hair ties. An oversized bag of chips you had brought from back home is half eaten on the bed near his feet, he didn't even know they made bags that large.

He swore you were some walking stereotype of things he didn't even know were real outside movies. To top it all off he's pretty sure you're wearing a "New York Yankees Baseball" t-shirt underneath your robe.

"You're so American."

The words tumble from his mouth before he can stop them

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" You ask, clearly a bit offended by his words

"Nothing, nothing." He laughs at the way your eyebrows knit together in confusion

"Tell me!" You groan reaching out to punch at his arm.

He easily catches it and pulls you into his side.

"Nothing. You're just really American." He smiles as he wraps an arm around you

You let out a huff of annoyance that he finds cute.

"Whatever, Kento. Maybe you're just too Japanese." You dismiss as you rest your head on his chest.

He lets out a hum of amusement and just accepts the way you send a mean pinch to his upper thigh. The pain is barely there but he laughs when you gently rub at the spot as a form of apology.

He's never been more glad that he came to Kuantan. He can't wait to visit more corners of the world, hopefully with you at his side. Yes, he's sure he wants to be around you even more, even if you're loud in stores, drink out of red cups, and wear baseball themed shirts. Sure, you might be oh-so-American to everyone else but he loves every bit of it.

Was that a cringe ending? I hope it wasn't.

As an american, I tried to think of stereotypes to put into this fic and struggled. IS that a sign I'm blind to them? Probably. Oops.

Yes, I'm still working on my Gojo fic. Have some Nanami while you wait. Consider this my formal apology for what I did to him in the Gojo fic...

My Masterlist

[odysseyeurobeat]

Literally just me gushing about eurobeat

Y'know what? Tumblr, you get a little treat. I don't have much better of a place to post something long-winded like this, so here we are.

I love eurobeat music. Big surprise from the girl with it in her handle, right? But I don't just love one kind of eurobeat. No, I'd go so far as to say I love it all. This genre becomes an absolute buffet of delightful, energetic, silly fun when you forget about trying to look for ways it "doesn't count", and try to look for the ways it does.

I love early eurobeat! I love the stuff that's indistinguishable from early Italo Disco, the formative things where the tempo was still low and the disco vibes were still high! That's Eurobeat and the first few volumes of Super Eurobeat are great for this!

I love later eurobeat, too! Even if some of the sounds aren't always my favorites, I love that folks were trying new things and dabbling with new sounds, experimenting in ways that in previous years seemed prohibited! Comparing some aliases who have been going for multiple decades from this period to when they started is also super fun!

I love traditional eurobeat, if I could pick a name for it! Faster, more rave-influenced, whether or not it's still got some disco elements in it, themes about nightclubs and love and loss and betrayal and that ever-ubiquitous fire! Maharajah Night has some great examples, leading into the bulk of pre-200 Super Eurobeat volumes!

I love J-Euro! It turns out, folks in Japan have different ideas and tastes and approach the genre VERY differently than the folks in Italy do, and I love how it sounds! I love how the sound design is so different and the speed jumps a little higher!

I love indie eurobeat! I love hearing how new and amateur producers take a crack at the sound, and seeing what folks do as the tools for making it grow and evolve! Even virtual versions of the synths the masters used to use are available now, and it's fantastic to hear how those things sound in new hands! I love the ways indie producers bend, break, and work around the rules of the genre and still deliver a uniquely "eurobeat" experience! Without this category, I would never have found DJ Command, DJ Bouche, Turbo, Vikas Beatbox, the Galaxian Recordings crew, and so, so many more!

I love happy eurobeat! The nature of the genre makes it so straightforward to pair its signature energy with joy, delight, empowerment!

I love sad eurobeat! That very same energy that powers joy and happiness can be just as powerful for driving home sorrow and sadness, and some lyrics even carry strong emotional weight (we're well past the days of eurobeat being only about Burning Love Car Baby Fire Desire Tonight Drift Tokyo, y'know)!

I love fandom eurobeat! Yup! Vocaloid, Touhou, MLP:FiM, Vtubers; whatever you may be a fan of, chances are good there's a eurobeat remix out there (or even an original) that suits your fancy!

I love Initial D eurobeat! How could I not, right? The classics are classics for a reason, and eurobeat and drift racing are a uniquely fantastic pair. Of all the things eurobeat could be about, it's one of a few that really knock it out of the park!

I love feminine eurobeat! Masculine eurobeat is great too, but it already gets a lot of love in the other categories, so I want to celebrate those eurobeat songs that feel quite the opposite while still being perfectly eurobeat! Eurobeat is broad enough to express feelings like this, too!

I love songs that aren't quite eurobeat, but have elements of it! And I love eurobeat songs that heavily include elements from other genres, too! Eurobeat is like any other genre-- it has not always had the same chances to rub shoulders with other sounds in the dance space, but when it does, some wonderful things happen! And the whole music world is enriched for that cross-pollenation!

I love the songs I used to dislike! To think I'd go from vastly disliking Norma Sheffield's discography, to adoring it so fully! Disliking "Higher Higher More and More" to seeking it out from time to time! Not being fond of SAIFAM/BBB's style, to knowing some of its songs by heart!

And most of all, I love that I get to MAKE this stuff for a living! I do not take the fact that this could've not worked out trivially, and I hope I've rewarded your patiences well with a lot of new favorites and starting points for diving deeper into the genre over the last... almost 20 years, now!

And that's just the tip of the iceberg! I understand some eurobeat isn't to everyone's taste, but I think if you haven't tasted all that there is out there, you owe it to yourself to see how you feel about it. You might be pleasantly surprised!

[cierraonline]

the way ur so obviously hurt by the pazzi asks it's hilarious 😂😭😭

girl boo

Anyways I know this week has been hard for most of us due to the election results. But I just want to say as women we are powerful, fearless, and adaptable. We are not going to let this man and his clan break us because we believe in a future where every tear we have now is going to be the strength that helped us fight later on. Like Kamala said just because we didn't win this battle, doesn't mean the fight is over. We know who our opponent will be JD Vance once Trump is over and we know who our victorian will be Kamala Harris. So until these four years are over be safe, stay strong, and don't give up.

XXXXXX

Europe Special Part Two

Chapter four: europe special part two

warning:  none

masterlist link | previous chapter | next chapter

"We're in Croatia!" Aliyah cheers, her face lighting up with excitement for a brand-new day of exploring.

"Boss Lady, take a picture with me!" KK dashes over to where Sasha is standing with Azzi and Nika, grinning.

"You're going to be doing this all day, aren’t you?" Sasha says, looking down at the slightly shorter girl bouncing around with boundless enthusiasm—a quality she'd come to expect from the lively freshman.

"Yup!" KK suddenly hops onto the team leader's back, holding her phone out to capture their reflection in the elevator’s mirror.

"Kamorea?" Sasha asks, a hint of exasperation in her voice.

"Yes, bestie?" KK beams, still perched on the 5'10" young woman's back.

"Get off me," Sasha deadpans, wanting to stand up straight—and mostly not wanting KK to be clinging onto her back a second longer.

"I’m kinda comfortable, you know?" KK adjusts her arms around Sasha's neck. "I feel like this is bringing us closer, strengthening our bond—"

"Now."

"Yup, okay." KK jumps off without hesitation.

XXX

"I love to travel and study people. Each year we've come here, it’s been different." – Geno Auriemma, Head Coach

"Paige, where are we going?" Nika asks her best friend and teammate as the camera follows behind them.

"We’re about to go ziplining!" Paige replies, and they finish their little announcement with a playful spy pose, fingers pressed to their lips.

"That was corny," the camera pans to Sasha, laughing at her friends' dorkiness.

"So corny," KK chimes in.

"KK?" Sasha turns toward her.

"Yeah, bestie?"

"Back away from me," Sasha says, nudging her forward.

XXX

We start to see who takes on the leadership role and who wants to stay a follower. – Geno Auriemma, Head Coach

"It’s time to be honest with ourselves!" Sasha addresses the team, gathered in a huddle. "We... no, wait. Not we—you all suck at rebounding. You’ve been bad at it every year. Aren't you tired of it? Failing to rebound means you have to work harder at every other position on the court."

I don’t like the toughness of this team. I don’t. The only player here with real grit on the court is Sasha, but that's because she’s a perfectionist and thrives on competition. – Geno Auriemma, Head Coach

XXX

"Why are you crying, Q?" Sasha asks, walking over to a freshman on the bench, who’s quietly tearing up from a minor injury. "This isn’t high school. This is college and professional-level ball. Hits are harder, the game’s faster. You need to handle playing in these conditions because this is how it’s going to be from now on."

"Do I think they’re a good group? Yes. Do I think they get along? Yes. But that was the same as last year. Something has to change for us to have a different ending." – Chris Dailey, Associate Head Coach

Everyone who knows me knows I just want to play. It’s not about games in August and Europe; it’s about the national championship in April. – Paige Bueckers, Guard

XXX

"I refuse to go another year where the same five players are on the court for 40 minutes with no breaks while there's two or three rows of players sit on the bench," Sasha declares, looking firmly at her teammates and the coaching staff. "That’s why we got rid of some players. Our starters can’t slow down halfway through. Not anymore!”

There’s gotta be something worth all this that we’ve been through.– Nika Muhl, Point Guard

This is who we are. This is who I am. And because of that, our team will get an identity. – Geno Auriemma, Head Coach

XXX

"Geno says coaching is about teaching you all something meaningful. So, let’s go over our three priorities," Sasha stands in the middle of the huddle. "Nika, what’s the first focus?"

"Pick up," Nika responds, spot-on.

"Ayanna, the next one?"

"Guard your player."

"KK, the last factor?"

"When the ball is in your hand, you shoot," KK answers confidently—yet incorrectly.

"Inez, correct KK’s mistake," Sasha shakes her head, prompting.

"Shoot, pass, drive," Inez replies with the correct answer.

"KK, repeat it," Sasha turns back to the freshman.

"Shoot, pass, drive."

"Again."

"Shoot, pass, drive."

"When the ball is in your hand, what do you do?"

"Shoot, pass, drive."

“Each game we play over the next 12 days, we’ll be assessing and making corrections. For this game, I’ll be evaluating quick plays, and corrections will be given. If you can’t follow them, don’t expect to play in the next game," Sasha announces with authority.

On the sidelines, the coach and player duo of Sasha and Geno watch the action, analyzing players’ strengths and weaknesses. Right now, Nika has the ball, with three opponents close on her heels. Realizing she can’t make the shot with them so close, the Croatian player passes the ball to Aubrey, positioned nearby.

"Get a layup," Geno commands, and Aubrey successfully makes the shot. In the next play, Q manages a steal and has a clear path to the net. Sasha counts the seconds as she races across the court, measuring her speed.

"Good, Q!" The team cheers as the freshman scores.

"We need to get her moving faster, or at least able to take the shot from the two-point line," Sasha remarks to Geno, who nods in agreement.

"We’ll use this preseason to push them from a high school to a college level," Geno says, spotting a chaotic play forming on one side of the court. "Drive it!" he shouts, as Ashlynn Shade, one of the guards, hesitates with the ball. She quickly passes it to Aaliyah, who moves closer to relieve the pressure, but the opposing team intercepts, scoring a three-pointer.

"Ashlynn, go ask KK what we do when the ball’s in our hands!" Sasha calls to the player as she walks off the court. "I don’t know what that was out there, but I don’t want to see it again."

We have a lot of work to do. Some things were good—I think our transition offense was strong. The freshmen’s effort level is good. – Chris Dailey, Associate Head Coach

"Thank you, freshmen!" Sasha claps, acknowledging their quick plays, ball control, and long-range shots.

"It was so cool—our first game as Huskies!" Ashlynn says excitedly in an interview, with Quadence Samuels beside her.

"I know," Quadence responds. 

"It was exciting."

"I didn’t… I mean, I did and didn’t expect to play because I’m a freshman, and Sasha is intense. But when she called my name, I thought, 'Okay, here we go,'" Quadence adds with a laugh.

XXX

"Aubrey needs to work on ankle strength; if her knee shifted just a little to the left, her ankle would’ve snapped," Sasha observes as Aubrey completes a layup.

"Hey, Q, bring Aubrey over," Geno instructs the freshman.

"By March, Q needs to be a skilled, confident player. Right now, her instincts are strong," Geno remarks, watching her progress.

The freshmen who joined us in June stand out—they’re fearless. They don’t hesitate; they play, and they keep going. They want to learn, and that fearlessness is refreshing. – Chris Dailey, Associate Head Coach

XXX

"This is KK, a freshman," Caroline Ducharme, a guard, introduces her teammate with an arm around her. "She’s from Ohio."

"But..." KK shyly smiles.

"But she came from Wisconsin." On the court, KK skillfully makes a layup.

"What took you so long to make that layup?" Geno laughs, congratulating her.

"Sorry," KK apologizes, a bashful smile on her face as she walks to the bench.

"Jump by bending your knees, not by putting weight on your ankles," Sasha instructs as KK passes by.

"Okay, Sasha."

Every freshman class is different, and these three have a solid understanding of what’s expected of them. They’re gym rats—they love it. I was here Saturday afternoon, and it was just Sasha and Quadence, throwing shots and looking to Sasha for tips. They love to play, they’re competitive, and they’ll add so much because now no one has to play 40 minutes. Watching them is just fun. – Geno Auriemma, Head Coach

I don’t think there’s a way to describe the feeling when I was cleared. The first rush was pure joy, and then this overwhelming sense of satisfaction for working as hard as I have over the past 12 months. It’s changed me, made me grow up in so many ways. I’ve been counting down the days until I could play again. It’s gone by so fast, and yet it hasn’t. Finally hearing those words, it meant everything. Throughout the season, there was so much turbulence—a real roller coaster. Having to sit on the sidelines, watching and only being able to say things without actually being able to do them, is the worst feeling as a teammate and partner. You just want to play, help your team, support them when they’re struggling. Sitting out is one of the most painful things for an athlete. I just wanted to play in the NCAA tournament. – Paige Bueckers, Forward

Knowing Paige and how much she wants to play, I think it was a mature decision on her part. At her level, both on and off the court, there are always people trying to influence her. It’s my job to make sure the right people are in her ear, that she knows who has her best interests at heart versus those with their own agendas. – Geno Auriemma, Head Coach

"Go put on your knee brace," Sasha stops Paige from stepping onto the court.

"My knee’s fine, baby," Paige replies, unsure why she needs to put on the protective gear.

"Put it on, or you don’t step on the court," Sasha insists, turning her attention fully to her wife.

"But there’s nothi—"

"Now." Sasha’s tone is firm, brooking no argument.

"Yes, honey." Paige submits, heading to the bench where her knee brace is waiting.

"Are you going to do an interview for the special?" Geno asks, gesturing to the camera.

"Nope," Sasha shakes her head.

"Why not?"

"I don’t feel like talking about my basketball journey," Sasha shook her head. "It’s nothing but pain, misery, and pretending everything is okay. Meanwhile, inside, I’m wondering why I even get out of bed." With that, she walked away, heading back onto the court.

Sasha and I have been side by side since she was a little girl—she's honestly like my fourth kid. I've watched her through every milestone in life and basketball, and her journey hasn't been a pretty story. When I first met her, she wasn’t even let on the court—no one believed in her. But the moment she and her mother walked up to me, asking for permission to play in a youth boys' AAU game, I saw something special in her. With Diana, I had four years to create something magical. But with Sasha, we built something never seen before. By the time she hit double digits in age, she was already labeled an All-American. But to get there, she had to take some hard punches. There were plenty of times I was sure she was ready to quit the game for good. But one day, the tears stopped, and it was like a new fire was born in her. She got faster, smarter, and stronger, and I don’t think anyone was ready for it—I sure wasn’t. For those first few months, it was as if Sasha was teaching me as much as I was teaching her. Since then, we’ve never been apart. Her parents trusted me completely with her, and she’s lived with me and my family since she was eight, only going home for the holidays. Together, we’ve achieved what some players don’t reach until a decade into their careers. But it’s come with a heavy burden. – Geno Auriemma, Head Coach

"Some of the coaching staff say Sasha James is the heart of the team. No. She’s the heart of the women’s league." – Chris Dailey, Associate Head Coach

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[livesworthlivingau]

Behind the Vale Chapter 23

Spoilers for ISAT/Two Hats below! CW: Panic attacks, some mental spiraling.

"Do you have to wear that outfit still?" [Nille asked as you walked side by side down the trail to the next town. You smirk and put your hands behind your head as you stepped along.]

"What's the matter, am I distracting you~?" [She rolls her eyes, elbowing you lightly in the side, though you actually get the wind knocked out of you slightly, wheezing out and gripping your side.]

"Oh crab! S-Sorry! Don't know my own strength sometimes."

"I-I'm fine." [You wheeze out, clearly not. She chuckles and stops in her tracks, letting you catch your breath for a moment.]

"So... We're probably getting real close, you gonna be okay?"

"P-Probably not..."

"Vale..."

"Would you prefer I lie?"

"No! Just... Ugh, we gotta figure this out Vay, I don't want you running off again!" [You take a very deep breath, sighing it back out.]

"I promise... I won't run away, at least not without saying anything... I don't know if I'll be able to stay, but I won't just leave you... is that enough?" [You ask genuinely. Nille crosses her arms, a bit upset that that's the best she could get out of you for now, but seeming to accept it.]

"Alright... but if you start feeling the need to run, we're gonna talk, and I'm gonna help you work through it, no running from your feelings without a proper talk! Maybe a few skull bashes with the hammer, y'know, for good measure~." [She laughs out heavily. You just smile, appreciating the way she showed she cared. You find a weird comfort in it involving threats for some reason. Perhaps it would be best to not look into that for now.]

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

[You browse along through the stalls of the town's open market, curiously glancing about at what each one had for sale. Nille was off refilling her own supplies somewhere else in the hustle and bustle, this being one of the larger towns you had stopped in. You go to pick up some fancy looking trinket only for a voice to cause you to freeze solid.]

"Does everyone have their shopping lists and coin?" [Crab... The Researcher,]

"Yup! Got mine! Camping supply duty!" [The Fighter,]

"A-And mine! Bonnie and I are food duty!" [The Housemaiden,]

"Yeah! I gotta find everything to make Nille's favorite!!" [The Kid...]

[You finally turn to glance in their direction, seeing them all together... minus your Stardust. Though that felt like a blessing in this very moment. You quickly look around for a place to hide, doing a very poor job of 'casually' walking away, keeping them in the corner of your vision. You finally duck behind a wall, placing your back to it and panting frantically. It's okay, we don't need to panic, they probably won't even recognize us! You try to logic out to yourself, only to look down and realize what you were wearing. The lightless skin of your arms speckled with stars fully visible through the sheer fabric. WHY DID WE HAVE TO WEAR THIS YOU BLINDING IDIOT?!]

[You try your best to regain your composure before suddenly feeling a hand on your shoulder. You nearly jump 3 feet into the air, holding up a paper sign in shock only to find Nille standing beside you, pulling her hand back.]

"S-Sorry! You good? You looked like you just saw a ghost." [She said, though her own words starting to help her realize what you might have just seen.]

"Wait, did you- Are they here?! Did you see Bonnie?!" [She asked excitedly, you're still quite shaken up, but you just manage to nod, pointing in the direction you saw them.]

"Thank you, Vay! I-I'll... I'll give you a few minutes and then introduce you, alright?" [She caught herself getting lost in her excitement, wanting to be there for you as well but wanting so dearly to see her sibling. You just give a light nod of permission and acceptance, letting her rush off before you lean against the wall again. You were hyperventilating, you couldn't catch your breath, just gasping in tiny puffs at a time and letting them back out before they could help. We need to calm down, Vale! Get a hold of ourself! Stardust isn't here, we can handle this! Just calm down! You finally manage to catch a full breath, sighing it back out, then taking another, and another, and another...]

[You start pacing back and forth in the little alley you were stewing in. How do we go about this? What do we tell them? The fact we were Loop has to come up certainly, no hiding it in this... We've already told Nille nearly every other blinding thing... well, all but one... No! No! We can't get into that right now! Okay, so we tell them we were Loop, and go from there... simple, right? A part of you is sure it won't be that simple, but there's not much else to be done at this point. You simply practice your breathing exercising for a few moments longer, finally heading out to try and find them all.]

[You stay far behind, but you spot them fairly quickly, Nille is kneeling down to give Bonnie the tightest hug you've ever seen. The both of them are crying, and the rest of the party is happily watching this touching moment like a scene from a play. It's nice, you're happy for Nille, as happy as you can be all things considered. You wish this moment could last... but you know you can't keep your distance for long, she'd drag you in to 'meeting' them all soon enough. You do your best to keep calm as you wait.]

[Finally the two of them have had their moment, Nille gets introduced to the other members of the party, and after a moment she turns back to look around, spotting you and waving you over. With one last deep breath you begin to walk over, your heart racing quickly again, doing your best to keep your mask firmly attached.]

"Everyone, this is Vale, we've been travelling together for a little while. They saved me from a sadness that got the jump on me, about a week after y'all unfroze everyone." [Nille explains, showing you off a bit. You give a nervous smile and wave as you're introduced. They all examine you like some strange beast, focusing on the visible skin of your arms. Before you can even manage to start talking, they realize who you are.]

"LOOP?!" [The Housemaiden and Fighter cry out in unison, being called that again makes you wince. The Researcher has a raised brow, almost inspecting you, ever curious as always. The Kid is looking up at you with a confused expression.]

"What happened to your face?"

"Bonnie! Mind your manners!" [Nille scolds their sibling some, only for you to chuckle a bit.]

"No, no, it's fine. It was quite a shock for me as well, but that's a story for another time~! Just call me Vale from now on, alright? That name has some... painful memories associated." [The Fighter and Housemaiden seem to understand quite well, being used to the change belief and all. The researcher hasn't taken that studious look off their face the whole time, it feels like you're being examined like some sort of experiment... The kid still looked a bit confused, but seemed to accept this for now.]

"Hey Vale, uhhh... We kinda thought you were dead? Did something happen? Sif woke up one day and was sure you were just gone..." [The Fighter starts to explain with a nervous look, as if unsure they wanted an answers, you notice then taking a little glace at the tip of the scar on your chest.]

"Right... that's part of that 'story for another time'... Where is Stardust anyways?"

"Back at the Inn, resting up, he had quite an... 'episode' when he thought you were dead..." [He looks disturbed, recalling several parts of the week. Was Stardust okay?... Did he really care that much about us?...]

"E-Episode?..."

"Like you said, Story for another time!" [The fighter parrots back at you, getting a bright smile back on their face.]

"O-Oh! Speaking of Siffrin, we need to tell him! He'd love to hear you're actually okay!" [The Housemaiden adds, The Fighter perking up.]

"Oh Change! You're right! Uhh… You all continue shopping, Vale, do you mind coming to see Sif?"

"Lead the way!" [You declare confidently, or at least try to. You feel Nille patting your back, you turn back to her, and she gives a reassuring smile, whispering to you.]

"You got this, I'll cya soon?" [You nod in response, smiling back lightly, then heading off with The Fighter.]

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

"Alright, here we are, should I... give you two some privacy?" [The fighter asked as you both stood outside of the house they were staying at, Stardust just inside.]

"I think that would be for the best, yes. Thank you."

"Of course! I'm sure you two went through a lot together, I can't imagine what it would be like stuck in those loops for so long..." [You wince at that, rubbing your arm lightly, he had no idea how right he truly was...]

"I better go back to the others, still gotta finish my shopping after all. You know where to find us if you need us!" [He offers with a bright smile, heading back to the market. You are left alone standing in front of the door.]

[Minutes pass as you just stare at it... the one last barrier between you and your stardust... We could run away again... but we promised Nille we wouldn't... Come on, we've come this far! it's just a door knob! Stars, we don't even have to open it, we can just knock! You take a deep breath and bring a hand up, ready to knock...]

[... Why aren't we knocking?! Why are we just standing here like a blinding idiot?! WE CANNOT TURN BACK!! KNOCK ON THE BLINDING DOOR YOU FOOL!! You finally summon enough courage, anger, annoyance, whatever emotion it was that finally pushed you over the edge, flicking your fist at the door a few times. Stars... we did it... we did it, it's happening, we can't go back, we can't run, it's over, it's all over, why can't we run? It would be so easy, just turn and head in a random direction again, what's another week of endless running? We've done it once we can do it again, just live in the woods like some hermit! Yes this is a great idea, just pick a direction and-]

[Suddenly the door starts to crack open, Stardust poking their head out of it. They blink a couple times, confused at the sight before him.]

"Uhm... Can I help yo-" [They start to speak, their voice was weak and raspy. They examine you before something clicks in their brain, seeing your arms, seeing your face, likely noticing how nervous you looked in this moment. Your heart raced like mad. You notice their eye getting watery already.]

"L... Loop?..." [You wince again at that blinding name... but you let it slide for now. You don't want to ruin this for him.]

"... Hello, Stranger~." [Is all you can manage to force yourself to say, trying to paint that smile back onto your face. You stand there awkwardly a moment as tears roll down their face. Before you can even react, they had their arms wrapped around you, wincing as he gripped you tighter than was comfortable, even squeezing some air out of your lungs. He sobbed into your clothes all the while.]

"I thought you were gone..." [He choked out through his weeping. You eventually manage to bring your arms up to hug him back, lightly rubbing their back.]

"I'm here Stardust... I'm... I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." [You finally manage to speak again, your own tears welling up now. You rest your head on theirs, hugging back even tighter.]

"I'm sorry to-"

"No!" [You suddenly shout, gripping tighter.]

"N-No... Don't apologize, please... You did nothing wrong, Stardust. I'm the one who... who messed up..." [You struggle out, your tears dripping down into their hair as flashes of the memory of the last time you were together enter your mind.]

"... I'm so glad you're okay, Loop..."

"It's... It's Vale now..." [You correct as gently as you can, still holding each other close.]

"Vale... That's a nice name." [They note with a soft smile, sniffling some as their tears began to slow. You both stand there for a while in the close embrace. You savor this moment where everything feels oddly okay, after all, you know that feeling won't last for very long...]

[deadlynavigation]

Satan's My Fuckbuddy

Fandom: Helluva Boss

Pairing: Blitzø x Reader

Warnings: Swearing, violence, brief mention of smut in the beginning and end.

Author's Note: Sorry Lilith. More of this to come, guys. I may turn this into a series.

I do not own Helluva Boss. Pls don't come after me.

Do not copy, plagiarize, or translate any of my works or their assets.

Navigation

"You know, you could've told me you and the big boss himself used to fuck," Blitzø pants, his head turning to look back at the city's firey ruins.

"Oh, sorry," you respond breathlessly, a sickly sweet smile spready across your face. "I wasn't aware that little bit of information would lead to us running from a burning city after almost being banned from everything Hell has to offer!" By the time you finish your rant, you're almost screaming, and Blitzø's put another foot of space between you two.

A boom sounds from behind you, followed by a large crash. "How many times have I told you-" your boss yells over the noise. "Sleeping with rich assholes that live six fucking rings down never ends well!"

"You think I listen to your rants about rich assholes?" You shout over another boom. A boom which sounded way too close for comfort, so you pick up the pace, Blitz doing the same.

You're almost to the elevator that will ship you back to Imp City. The isolated building that holds such transportation is in your line of sight, only a few yards or so away. And if your luck holds, you'll get there with minimal injuries-

It's too easy. Blitz's eyes widen as he realizes this, and turns over his shoulder to glance at the literal devil chasing you both.

Shit.

"Time to start sprinting, toots." Blitz turns back in a panic. Even from your peripheral vision, you can see his wide eyes and anxious expression, which prompts you to look where he had seconds ago.

What you see has you moving faster than you've ever moved before. Lucifer himself is on your tail, his devil form taking the place of his standard, human-like form. His feathered wings are spread, blocking the red sky from view. His horns are larger than usual, and his face could make any sinner fall to their knees.

Hot.

After a moment of staring at Lucifer in all his glory, you stop running. Your breaths slow and your heart stops trying to escape from your chest as you blink slowly in realization.

Blitz turns around once he notices the absense of your footfalls, only to find you completely still with Satan quickly catching up.

"Are you fucking insane?!" Your boss shrieks.

You shake your head. "Nope, just realistic. We're not gonna outrun the Devil. Why try and get in even more trouble with him?"

Blitz looks at you like you just said Moxxie was right about something. After he stands like that for a long second and comes to terms with your statement, he sighs, walking up to you as he rubs his forehead.

"If we get killed by this guy, you're paying for my next horse-riding lesson."

Your snarky response is droned out by Lucifer dropping to his feet in front of the both of you. He looks ready to rip every limb from your body and then feed them to the other's corpse, but he restrains himself, taking a deep breath and folding his wings in.

"Have you any idea what you've done, imp?" He says in a deep voice, his every syllable sending chills down your spine.

Blitz goes to respond, but you know him talking will only worsen the situation. So, you jump in, shoving a hand over your boss's mouth and speaking.

"Yes, My Lord. And from the bottoms of our hearts, we apologize, but we really must get going-"

Lucifer holds up a hand, commanding your silence. He blinks at you, tilting his head and furrowing his brows. His true form slowly melts away as he studies you.

"Y/n?" He questions softly, as though he thought he'd never see you again.

You purse your lips, half in fear, half in annoyance. Lucifer has always done things on his own time (not including his fall, of course), and that doesn't seem to have changed.

"Yup." You eventually force out. The Devil blinks one more before a smile starts to dawn on his face.

"Heyy, how've you been? Long time no see," And he brings you into a bro hug like you're long-lost friends and not past fuckbuddies.

"I've been great," you respond hesitantly once he releases you from the hug. Maybe being casual, playing it cool, will release you from the Devil's clutches. "Got another job, made some new friends. What about you?"

Lucifer beams with your reciprocation of friendliness. "Yes, I've heard of your developing social life. Al says hi, by the way. And life is great; Charlie's in on another project- I think it's a hotel -and no demons have caused an uproar. It's practically paradise."

"Good, good. Listen, it's been a good chat, but could we schedule for another time? I kinda have somewhere to be." It's not a lie- you do want to get home soon. Where there are no Satans chasing you down for small talk.

"Yeah, yeah, sure. Do you still have that number? I'll text you the address of a nice little tea shop for next week."

"Looking forward to it," You laugh nervously and start backing away, grabbing Blitz while doing so. "All righty, I'll see you then!" And with that, you're off, walking as quickly as possible without running.

It's silent until you get into the huge elevator that'll ship you back to Imp City. Blitz is next to you, giving you a weird look.

"What?" You snap.

"Was he good in bed?"

"BliTZ-"

"Hey, he almost blew us up. I deserve an answer, at least."

You sigh. "Is that what you think?"

"Yes, it is." Your boss responds, slouching into his spot as though preparing to wait you out.

The elevator is quiet while your resolve holds for a solid two seconds.

"He did this thing-"

"Fuck yeah he did. He's Satan." Blitz interrupts.

You hit him with a glare. "Do you want this or not?"

"I do, I do. Sorry. Go on."

You stare at him a moment longer before continuing. "This thing with his hands-"

"I'd be disappointed if he didn't."

"BLITZ."

What do you think? Series or no? OR I branch out and do Hazbin Hotel oneshots? Let me know!

[kellykidd]

No Matter What

*Gif belongs to its rightful owner, it is not mine*

Pairing: Matthew Casey x reader

Summary: From Anonymous: Hellooooo ‘Stay behind me no matter what.’ Matt Casey :) ~~ Matt Casey + Reader + Fire Call = Hookups in his Quarters (I don’t make the rules)

Words: 682

Warnings: Intimate moment, canon typical events

Read on Ao3 here

Notes: Sorry it’s so short, but I hope you like it Anon!

Join my taglist here

Tags: @mrspeacem1nusone @kiddbegins @pensfan5871

__

“Need any help with the inventory?” Sylvie asked.

“I think I’m finished up,” you laughed, "you bored or something Brett?"

"I know I've only been in Chicago for a few months, but this is the first shift I've had with no-"

"I'm gonna cut you off right there before you jinx us. Those who say the 'Q' word or even think about the lack of runs is a jinx to the whole house."

"How do you know this?"

"Candidiate a few years back-"

Battalion 25, Truck 81, Engine 51, Squad 3, Ambulance 61, building fire, 723 North Wabash

"Looks like you are the new jinx, Sylvie Brett," you laughed, hopping into the passenger seat of 61, "and the jinx gets to drive."

Sylvie started the short drive to the scene, "how's it going with you and Casey?"

"Good, yeah, we're in a good place. It's weird to date someone you work with though. I'd never done that before Matt."

"Helps that your crazy schedules are synced."

"True that," you giggled, pulling up to the fire.

You hopped out of the rig and grabbed the jump bag before heading over to Boden.

"Where do you need us, Chief?" you asked.

"Two still inside, owner needs to be checked out."

As you and Sylvie tended to your victim, you could hear the commotion between truck and squad.

'Chief, I need a medic inside if you have one to spare' your radio buzzed. 

"You good here?" You asked Sylvie.

"Yup, go."

You threw your bunker coat on and grabbed the jump bag.

"Medic coming in now, Casey. Where am I going?" you said, hustling towards the fire.

"I'll come get you, we're turned around in here."

You stopped and waited at the door. 

"Fire is pretty much out," he announced, "follow behind me."

You followed Casey into the building and up the stairs. 

"Baby, I need you to stay behind me no matter what," Matt admitted, "I don't know what hapened in here and I don't want anything to happen to you."

You nodded and followed him up the stairs to the second floor of the building.

"Victim is over here. Burns and possibly a neck injury as far as we can tell.”

“Thanks. Conscious?”

“In and out.”

You leaned down beside your victim.

“I’m a paramedic, I’m here to help you,” you introduced yourself as you undressed the victim of his jacket. 

“Matt, you’re right. I’m worried about a neck injury. Grab the collar.”

Your boyfriend, now assistant, handed you your supplies.

“Help me get him out of here. It’s getting hotter in here.”

He nodded, picking up the jump bag beside him and handing it to you. 

“Got him?” You asked.

He nodded and brought your victim outside.

After finding Sylvie, you loaded up the victim while Sylvie got the oxygen ready for the ride to the hospital.

——

Returning to the house after your run, you looked in the ambo’s mirror.

“Brett, did you seriously let me ride around with soot on my face?” You laughed, trying to rub it away.

You walked into the now full common room with your partner.

“So are we finally gonna convince you to take the firefighter’s test?” Herrmann asked.

“Haha, very funny Herrmann. 61’s my home, always will be.”

“I’m sure we’ll get you over here at some point,” he chuckled.

You ducked out of the common room and into the bunk room, where you peeked into Matt’s office. 

“Got a minute?” You asked.

“For you? Always.”

You locked the door behind you.

“You know,” you laid down, semi-seductively, on his bed, “they way you said ‘stay behind me no matter what’ on that last call was-“

He leapt up from his chair and drew the blinds. 

“Was what?” He smiled.

“I was kinda sexy,” you grinned.

“Oh yeah?” He leaned in for a kiss.

“Yeah.”

“You know what else is sexy?” He broke the kiss for a moment, “you with all that soot on your face.”

“I guess we should do something about these feelings then, huh Matt Casey?”

“I think you might be right.”

[dfortrafalgar]

I'm Losing You... (But We're Filling the Cracks)

Having a family isn't always as easy as fairy tales make it seem. But sometimes, you just need a little bit of love... and a little bit of science.

Warnings: read chapter 1 for warnings.

Taglist: @phsycochan | @mirillua | @augustanna | @chaixsherlock | @whore-of-many-hot-men | @nerdisthenewcool | @lilypadmomentum

Chapter 26

[Prev] [Next]

Your fingers gently knocked against the firm wood of your boss’s closed office door, your opposite hand clutching a closed envelope.  It had been an incredibly slow day with very few meetings and a large project having just been finished, so you felt slightly more comfortable approaching her during the work day.  After a few minutes, her cheery voice beckoned you to enter.  You slowly pushed open the door and stepped inside with a small smile on your face.  

Your boss was ridiculously gorgeous.  You often wondered why she was busying her time working in a graphic design firm rather than modeling on international runways or selling luxury clothing, but at the same time, you were more than happy to be working under her.  She came from a long line of strong, independent women, and made sure to instill the same values in her workplace.

“Ms. Boa, thank you for your time,” you stated politely as you sat down in the plush seat in front of her desk.  Directly beside her computer monitor was a framed photo of her and her two younger sisters.  The sight made your smile widen.

“It’s never a problem, darling,” she responded, a small grin on her own lips as she finished typing an email, sending it off with a sharp click on her keyboard before turning her full attention to you.  “What can I help you with?”

You pulled out the envelope from behind your back, slipping it over the top of her desk.  Curiously, she took the parcel and peeled up the flap on the back, dipping her perfectly manicured nails inside the paper and pulling out a small stack of photographs, held together with a wire paperclip.  Her eyes widened almost instantly, making your heart skip a few beats as you watched her absorb what she was holding.

“No way,” she uttered under her breath before turning her sharp gaze towards you, her eyes sparkling with glee.  Her next sentence came out almost as a squeak.  “Twins?!”

You nodded eagerly, fidgeting with your hands in your lap.  “I’m about 13 weeks along now.”

Boa Hancock launched herself from her rolling chair, almost sprinting around the desk to envelop you in a hug.  She had been one of your biggest under-the-table supporters of your pregnancy struggles, having allowed you generous time off that most companies would strongly turn their noses towards.  She almost jumped off of the ground as she pulled you from your seat and wrapped her lean arms around your shoulders.

“I could cry right now, I really could!”  She pulled away from you, her hands still gripping your shoulders.  “13 weeks… that’s longer than the other two, right?”

“Yup,” you stated curtly.  “It’s been really weird coming to terms with it, but I’ve made it this long and everything’s been progressing normally according to my doctor, so I’ve finally started telling more people outside of our immediate friends.”

Hancock smoothed her hand over your cheek, a mothering gesture that made you smile brightly.  “You’re already glowing, look at you!”  

After a few moments, she finally retreated back to her desk and gazed lovingly at the ultrasound pictures you had handed her.  They were from your 12-week scan just a week prior, and you could already see their individual traits.  Large, alien-like heads, little nubs for hands and feet, two little bodies curled up tightly in your womb.

“This is probably the best news I’ve heard all year,” she sighed, clipping the pictures back together and handing them back to you in their original envelope.  “I take it you used IVF?”

“We did.  It was an insanely long process, but clearly,” you held up the envelope with a cheeky grin on your face.  “It worked.”

Hancock squealed again, spinning around in her chair.  “I’m so, so happy for you and your husband, I mean it!”

Her sentiment made your heart flutter in your chest.  Knowing sparing amounts of her history, you knew topics of maternal nature were very important to her, and the fact that one of her best employees was finally succeeding in something she had wanted for so long was an act of pride for the female boss.  She collected herself, still maintaining a smile as she folded her hands on her desk and looked at you.

“So what can I do to help you out?” she asked, her dark gray eyes focused.

“Well, I wanted to hopefully discuss maternity leave sooner rather than later,” you offered.  “I know I’ve taken far too much time off of work, so even if you wanted me back after four months–”

“Absolutely not,” she stated flatly, cutting you off.  “Sweetie, you’re pregnant with twins.  The least I would give you is a year and a half!”

You backpedaled, your eyes widening.  “That’s too much…!”

She shook her head, affirming her stance.  “Darling, think about it like this.”  She tapped one of her manicured fingernails on the wooden surface of her desk.  “You are easily one of my hardest working employees.  You put your all into every single project you’re given, you work amazing with the rest of the team, you’re an all-around irreplaceable person to have.  You’re also an amazing woman outside of work.  And your husband is a heart surgeon who can barely get time off.  Twins are a handful, and even if you have good support at home, you’re going to want those extra months to spend with your babies and to share those moments with your husband when he’s home.”

Hancock’s words rendered you speechless, your jaw essentially hitting the floor.  You couldn’t disagree, though, the woman was right.

She seemed to know it, too, as she leaned back in her chair and crossed her long legs.  “So?”

You quickly bowed your head.  “I wish there was a way to repay your generosity, seriously.”

“You can repay me by giving birth to two healthy, happy babies.  And the first step to doing that is taking care of yourself.”  The smile she gave you was enough to melt a glacier.

Your eyes began to well with tears.  “Can I hug you again?”

Hancock laughed, once again standing from her seat to embrace you.  “I’m saying this as more of a friend rather than your supervisor.  You are so deserving of all the happiness you can get.  I’m so proud of you for staying so strong and pushing through what you’ve gone through, and anything you need from me over the next eight months, just say the word.  I know the entire company would be more than happy to back you up.”

You wiped your eyes on the sleeve of your work blouse, your lips forming a smile through their quivering.  “Thank you so, so much, Ms. Boa.”

“Have you told the rest of the team yet?” she suddenly asked.

“No, I haven’t.  Only Ikkaku knows,” you replied.

Her eyes became sparkly as her lips curled into a cheeky grin.  “Wanna go share the news?”

—

“Law, you look like you’re glowing!”  Rebecca’s large brown eyes gazed up at her superior from her seat at the nurse’s station as Law passed by with a cup of coffee in his hands.

With a small smile, he stopped to look at her.  “Do I?”

“You do!”  She stood from her seat, gathering a few papers in her hands before circling around the counter and joining Law in his walk to the break room.  “Has something big happened?  I mean, you usually don’t radiate positivity this much, but it’s just coming off of you in waves!”

Law gazed forward down the hallway as he walked, the warmth from his styrofoam cup warming his hand.  He had to admit, his shoulders had felt significantly lighter, and his chest certainly felt fuzzy in the past few weeks.  “Rebecca, if I tell you, you have to promise not to spread it around.  I’m trying to keep it under wraps for a little longer, but I think I can trust you.”

Rebecca’s eyes were wide with curiosity as she eagerly waited for whatever news Law was holding on his tongue.

His lips curled into a pleased grin.  “My wife is pregnant with twins.”

The pink-haired nurse almost dropped her papers in shock, her feet planting her to the floor as she gasped.  It clearly took her a great deal of restraint not to burst out in excitement, so she expelled her quick burst of energy by covering her mouth with her papers and exhaling a long, pronounced sigh.  “Law, that’s incredible!”

He simply smiled, continuing to walk.  Rebecca regained her composure and scampered after him.

“You guys were trying for a long time, right?”  Now it was her turn to glow with happiness.  “That’s so exciting, I’m so happy for you both!”

“Thank you, I appreciate it,” the surgeon replied, his own voice airy and light.  He couldn’t remember the last time he felt this excited to share the details of his personal life with someone.  While he had been keeping his surgery team up-to-date with some of the details regarding your procedures, that was mostly due to the fact that his cell phone had become a returning character in the operating theater.  Rebecca wasn’t a part of his surgery team, so her interactions with him were mostly from patient rounds.  Nevertheless, it was clear that the younger girl was more than excited to be told the incredible news, if her bright, toothy smile was anything to go by.

“How far along?” she asked.

“13 weeks.”  He took a deep breath.  “It’s been a stressful three months, but so far everything’s been going smoothly.”

Rebecca sighed dreamily.  “Wow, that’s seriously incredible… Congratulations, Law!”  After a few brief moments, she turned her head to look at her superior.  “Hey, if you want any help with picking out baby clothes, I know a really good seamstress downtown!  She runs a clothing boutique but also does custom orders.  I can put in a name for you and your contact info!”

Law pondered over her offer.  Truthfully, neither of you had started planning anything regarding when the babies would actually arrive.  The thought suddenly made Law a bit nervous.  You were just about starting your second trimester and with everything going well regarding your health and the development of the babies, it seemed like now would be a good time to begin preparing actual baby gear for your apartment.

“That’d be really nice, Rebecca, thank you,” he finally responded with a cordial smile.

Their conversation quickly dissipated as Rebecca needed to depart to go on another shift of rounds, but before she departed she scribbled a name and number onto a piece of paper and slipped it into the pocket of Law’s white laboratory coat.  With a small smile remaining on his lips, he entered the break room and finally placed his now-lukewarm cup of coffee on the counter before sitting down and pulling out his phone.  He had a few new text messages from you, making his smile grow.

Mama So i might have caved and told all my coworkers today… they want to plan a baby shower now but i told them to take it easy!  But dont be surprised if we get a bunch of new baby items in the coming weeks <3

Mama Wait did you change my contact name???

Mama I didnt know my phone could do that LOL it says you changed my contact name

Law chuckled as he tapped on his screen to begin typing.

I changed it a few days ago.  I can change it back to Wifey if you want.

After a few moments, another bubble from you popped up.

Mama I think i like being mama <3

Mama Ive been addressing you as ‘daddy’ in that journal you got me so i guess its not much different!!!

Law needed to duck his head to hide his broad smile from the other colleagues on their break.  The last thing he wanted was any unnecessary attention drawn to himself thanks to his uncharacteristic grin.

You need to stop making me smile, one of my nurses already told me it looks like I’m glowing.

Mama AWWW BABYYY… YOU ARE GLOWING!!!!

Mama I have to go anyway and take bepo for a walk, i’ll see you later love!

Text me if you want something brought home for dinner.

A little heart bubble appeared next to his response for you.  With a long exhale through his nose, he placed his phone back in his pocket and took a long sip from his coffee.

—

Law arrived back to your apartment later that evening, a brown paper bag of take-out sushi in his hands as he closed the door behind him with his foot.

“Babe?” he called.  The apartment was eerily quiet, making his heart rate momentarily spike.

“I’m in here!” you yelled back, your voice coming from the living room.  “I’m in a bit of a predicament.”

Law was quick to kick off his shoes and round the corner into the main living space of your home, placing the bag with your dinners on the counter.  A smile tugged at his lips at the sight of you sprawled out on the floor.  Bepo was laying flush against your side with his head resting perfectly on top of your belly.

“He hasn’t moved in, like, fifteen minutes,” you said.  “My neck is starting to hurt.”

Your husband walked over to your spot on the floor, sitting next to you opposite the dog and reaching his hand over to card his long fingers through Bepo’s fuzzy head.  The animal slow-blinked like a cat in response, the sight making you laugh.

“Do you think he knows I’m pregnant?” you asked.  “He’s been a lot more attentive of me lately.”

“Animals have really keen instincts, it wouldn’t surprise me if he senses something different about you,” Law replied, rubbing small circles behind Bepo’s pointy ears.  “There have been a lot of reports about animals recognizing symptoms of various illnesses in humans, maybe you smell different to him.”

The thought made you smile.  “Whatever it is, he’s already showing off how good of a big brother he’ll be.”  You fidgeted slightly on the floor, making Bepo pick his head up enough for you to push yourself up on your hands.  Law supported your back with his arm, placing a kiss on your head when you sat up high enough.

“He’s our gentle giant… we’re probably going to need to get a new vacuum cleaner, though,” he offered, holding out his hands to help you to your feet.  You eagerly gripped him back, wheezing slightly as he hauled you off the floor.

“Oh, definitely.  We’re probably going to need to wrap all of our baby things in mesh to keep his fur out!”  You placed a kiss to the tip of Law’s nose before proceeding toward the kitchen.  “Hopefully neither of them have allergies.”

Law snorted.  “Bepo would find a new home with Shachi and Penguin in that case.”

You excitedly opened the brown paper bag, your mouth watering at the sight of your favorite sushi rolls packed neatly into plastic containers.  There were five rolls in total to split between the two of you.  “You know me too well, baby,” you moaned out, removing the containers from the bag and fetching two pairs of chopsticks from your utensil drawer.

Law pulled out two chairs for the both of you at the table, helping you place your food down.  He waited until you took the first bite before digging in himself.

“So I made an impulse purchase today,” you began, pulling out your phone from your back pocket.  A few taps on your screen brought you to an online shopping app which you then showed to Law.

His eyes lit up almost immediately.  “Sora pajamas?!”  He snatched your phone out of your hands, making you laugh at his excitement.  You had ordered a set of footie pajamas for all six of the main Sora characters- Sora and the five officers of Germa 66.  “I didn’t even know they made these!”

“Me neither!  Sanji told me about them today!”  You popped a piece of sushi into your mouth.  “Sanji’s always had a weird connection with that comic.  Have you noticed how much he resembles Stealth Black?”

Law finally handed your phone back to you.  “And his siblings, too.  Have you met his older sister?”

You laughed at the thought.  “It’s uncanny!”

“Well,” Law began after swallowing another bite.  “That makes me feel better.  I might have made some purchases of my own while I was on break earlier.  I was talking to one of my nurses and she gave me the name of a woman who runs a local boutique downtown, apparently she takes orders for custom apparel.  I might have placed a few orders for baby clothes.”  He had a cheeky smile on his face as he shared the information with you.

You practically beamed at him.  “I’m glad we’re both on the same page!”  After a few brief moments of silence passed, you whispered, “Sora pajamas…”

Law beamed back at you.  Maybe he really was glowing.

[vulpixisananimal]

[A:1 C:23]

(Ramos)

"Headed off for the day?"

(Your hands were shaking as you left the Defenders House, you were so excited! Today had been buuuuuusy, but none of that mattered now. You waved to the doorman as you left.) "Yup!! I'm running off to meet a friend!"

"Oh? Have fun then, Ramos!"

(You had the biggest grin on your face. You tried not to run through the streets you were so excited; it wouldn't be good if you showed up all sweaty and breathless, take your time! That's the advice Isa would always give!)

(You couldn't believe it, he was actually visiting! Your old buddy! You had half a mind to send him a letter if he didn't show up soon. Change, he must be busy after saving the country and all, so you couldn't really blame him.)

(You passed by the farmers market, still open from yesterday. Didn't you hear about some scuffle that happened there yesterday? You rub your shoulder, it still aches a bit. You guess maybe yesterday was just one of "those days".)

(You wonder, as you make your way through town, is Isa here alone? Or did he show up with the other saviors. You were just told the rumor that he was around, though you don't remember who told you.)

(Should you be concerned about that? Your memory had been spottier than usual.)

(You ignored it. Today was going to be great! You'd meet Isabeau, maybe their friends, and then. . . W-well. Well then they'd be your friends too!)

(. . . It, it still felt wrong.)

(Sure, they wont know you changed their memory. And, if they think you're not useless, then there's no way they'll leave you in the dust!)

(But, it still felt wrong.)

(That was something to think about another time. You had this gift, so use it! Oh! This is the place! A two story house, yard in front, it's really nice. You open the gate to the yard and walk to the front door, pausing before knocking. Alright, alright, you got this, you lift up your hand and-)

"Ramos?" (You jump, that voice!) "Is that you?"

(You turn and- oh Change! Isabeau was sitting right there! There was an outdoor table and chair hidden behind some foliage! You didn't even see it! How cute!)

"Isabeau?!?" (You walk over.) "Yeah! It's me!!"

(Isabeau smiles back and waves, he was doing some embroidery it looked like- Embroidery?!? You never would have thought!) "Yeah!! Wow, good to see you again! I heard that you changed and, wow, looks good!!"

"O-oh!" (What?!? You made it so everyone thought you always looked like this! Well, everyone you could touch at least. Guess you missed someone.) "Y-yeah! I was, uh, real nervous about it!"

"Haha!! I was too." (He looks as nervous as you do right now. You guess you did catch him by surprise.) "Take a seat!"

"Dunno if I could carry it home but I'll try." (You respond cheekily, laughing as you sit down. Isa laughs too.) "It's, i-its really good to see you again."

"Y-yeah. . ." (He rubbed his shoulder.) "With the curse and all, if we didn't win. . ."

"Ah but there's no way you wouldn't have! You're the best!" (You say, smiling. You point at the embroidery.) "Whatch'ya doing by the way?"

"O-oh!!" (He looks a bit surprised you asked.) "I-I, uh, wanted to, uh, branch out a bit! And try some, some new things!"

"That's the name of the game isn't it? Changing and trying new things." (You say, smiling. It looked good from your angle.) "Can I see?"

(Now's your chance, you hold out a hand.)

(Isabeau looks at it, then you, then looks away.)

". . . Uh, Isabeau?"

(He bites his lip before responding.) ". . . Can, can we talk about something kinda serious?"

(You take your hand back, not your chance then.) "Oh? What's up?"

"W-well. . ." (He takes a breath.) "We're friends, Ramos, and, and I promise, if you just tell the truth we'll still be friends, ok?"

"H-HUH?!?" (You try to contain your worry. What. What. What does that mean! What?!?) "I-I, I don't-"

"Ramos." (He's looking right at you.) "Please."

(Your heart is beating out of your chest, what. What. What could this be about. Did he find out? Does he know?!? Calm down, calm down. Just promise.)

"I, a-alright, I'll try."

(Isabeau nods, and takes another breath. Finally, he asks,) "Are, are you using Mind craft, Ramos?"

"HUH?!?" (WHAT. WHAT WHAT WHAT. WHAT. HOW. WHAT.)

"I-its alright! W-well, it's not, but, please, just, trust me. Please." (He put his hands up that way he does when he's worried.)

(Don't tell him.)

(You should be truthful, tell him.)

"I-I. . . Y-yeah, maybe, yeah." (Your voice is wavering, quiet. Your tapping on your chair nervously. How.) "How'd, how'dya find out?"

(Isa pauses.) ". . . A-a friend of mine, a good friend, they can restart a day over and over again if, if something bad happens." (He looks away again, he looks afraid.) "T-this morning, they, they nearly died. They've repeated today a couple dozen times a-and, and it's killing them."

(You think you knew where this was going. You didn't respond.)

"Ramos," (He sounds desperate.) "Ramos I, they said you changed my memories, once, and. . ."

"And what." (You say, a bit harsher than you mean.)

"And I don't want to Believe it!" (He turns back to you, he's crying.) "Y-you, you said you wanted to be strong!! B-but, but are strong! Even if you struggled with things, you are SO strong!! You'd keep trying and trying and stay up for hours practicing one thing to get it down! You gave being a defender your all!"

(He thinks you're strong?)

"S-so, they told me you, you wanted to be stronger, like me and, and, you'd change people's memorues to do that, I couldn't believe it but." (He shakes his head.) "I don't want to, but-"

"You, think I'm strong?"

(Your voice is a whisper. He thought you were strong? You? The weakest twig who could barely figure out a slowdown craft a few months ago? You? Who couldn't face how your guardian might look at you after changing?)

(You, who had to hide behind Mind Craft?)

"Yes!! I always have!! Always, always, always!!" (He continued.) "Even if you weren't the best, that was ok! You always tried to do better! And weren't scared off by what was hard!"

"That's not true-"

"It is!!!" (He grips the table.) "I-I, I wish I could have been more like you!"

(What.)

"I, I don't want to just be a big dumb defender guy, Rams, I want people to think I'm smart, and to know I can sew! I want to make clothes! But, I could never tell people that- o-oh, oh crab are you ok?"

(Huh? Oh, oh you're crying, you wipe away your tears. You? He looked up to you?) "T-thats. . . I-I'm ok." (You shake your head.) "I'm, I'm sorry."

"It's, It's ok." (He holds out a hand to you.) "Ramos, listen, I'll help you fix this just, promise, don't forget you're strong. Ok?"

(You look at his hand. What. Why. Why was he being so nice. Over the last few months you had been, been changing people's memories. And he was willing to trust you, just like that?)

"W-why, why are you trusting me."

(He looks at you, his eyes, warm, nice, his mouth quivering just a bit out of worry.) "Because, you're my friend."

(. . . You take his hand.)

(He takes breath, then a second. You take a breath with him. Don't, don't change anything, don't touch his mind. Don't do it.)

(Don't do it.)

(Don't do it.)

"O-ok. I'm sorry." (You finally say.)

"I'm sorry too, for leaving so suddenly."

"Haha, no, that's ok. You had a country to save. It's in the past."

"Exactly! It's in the past!" (You look up, he's smiling again.) "You promise you'll stop?"

"I-I. . ."

(You spent months doing this. You'll just throw it away?)

(Sunk cost fallacy. You were wrong. It's ok.)

"I promise."

(He takes your hand in both of his. You're crying, still.) "See? Not that hard, right?"

(You nod.) "It's, it's still blinding scary."

(Isabeau looks up a bit, surprised?) "Wh- say that again?"

(You blink up at him, confused.) "Blinding scary?"

"Yeah! How'd you know that word? 'Blinding.'" (He's perked up, wait, you remember that face, Isa was figuring something out.)

"Oh! Y-yeah, my guardian said it all the time, dunno what it means, just picked it up." (You tilt your head.) "Why?"

"Well, It's complicated- oh! Right! What about your broche! The wish one?"

(You tilt your head.) "My, oh!" (You take your hand back and undo your bandana. Your emblem, you didn't go anywhere without it now.) "I got it from someone I met!"

(Didn't you promise to keep it secret?)

(So what. You can't lie to him.)

"Someone?" (Isa tilts his head.) "Someone gave it to you?"

(You nod excitedly.) "Yeah!! He said that it was, it was. . ."

(Ow. You shake your head. He said, he said. . .)

(What is going on.)

(You need, you need to find his friend. You need to find them. The one who turns back time.)

(What? What? WHAT?!?)

"Ramos?" (Isa looked worried.) "Is, everything alright?"

"N-not, right." (You shook your head. Why? What's going on! Why should you, you go find them?!?)

(Because I told you so.)

(You stand up and stumble back, gripping your head. What. What is.)

(Relax, Ramos. You said you'd help me out, right?)

"I-I, I did! I did but, why now! Why, w-why-" (Your breathing quickened.)

"Rams?!?" (Isa stood up too, he looked worried.)

(Relax, Ramos. It'll be like yesterday, you wont remember a thing.)

"I- what?!?" (You smell something.) "I- no! I don't want, I-I, I-"

(You wont remember. It's fine, It'll be like nothing ever happened! And it'll even make your guardian happy, right?)

"What's going on?? Ramos! Buddy!" (Isa ran over to you, he was about to grab your shoulder. You quickly back away, stumbling over.)

"N-no! No I, d-don't- I-" (You smell mint.) "I don't, can't, think-"

"-op! You need to rest!"

(A girls voice, no, it was that housemaiden. You turn to look. The door to the house was open, she, her name was Mirabelle, was there, trying to get someone back inside.)

(White cloak, white hair, white pointy hat-)

(That's the one. Go touch them, Ramos.)

"NO!!!" (You grip your head- no! Wait! Not the head! You tug at the stupid crabbing star around your neck. This stupid! Blinding thing!!!)

"You." (The person in white was walking at you, murder in their eyes, knife in their hand. They looked, they looked terrifying.)

"L-loop! Wait! It's, I'm not effected! It's fine! They're-" (Isa was sticking up for you, even now.)

(Go on, Ramos. Touch them. All you need to do, one touch.)

"No, no no no!!!!" (You tug hard at the star, it hurts, you're going to bleed. You're starting to cry.) "I, I don't want to!! I don't want to hurt them!!"

(It wont hurt, you know it wont.)

"SHUT UP!"

(You can barely see through the tears, you're feeling numb. You're feeling sick. You're lightheaded. The smell of mint, it's sickly, it's unbearable!)

"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!!!"

(. . .)

(You're yelling at nothing. You're yelling at, at something, not, here. You need, to, to. . .)

(You smell burning.)

"Gems alive. . ."

(There's others. Tall lady. Lady with hammer, one with a pan. And. Mirabelle. A-and-)

"Wh, what is. . ."

(Your vision is, it's, you can barely see, barely think. The smell of mint, burning mint. They looks so distant.)

"Ramos!?!"

(Isabeau. You're sorry. You're so, so sorry. You just, you just-)

"Look out, everyone!"

(You just, you just wanted to be brave.)