#but is he both so dad-coded and the perfect third for them?

[spookycooper95]

Every time I see Skinner, all I can imagine is him with Mulder and Scully on a pair of those kid leashes. God he’s so tired

[allthesethingswillendsoon]

Long, long time

CHAPTER FIVE: There's a first time for everything

SUMMARY: Seventh grade marks some memorable firsts for the girls, both good and bad.

NOTE: Okay whoopsie this lowkey took me ages, but it's over double what I said it would be the other day, but it's not proofread, so if there are any mega plotholes just let me know. I don't mind this one, I think it could've been better but also it's like quite a memorable one for their plot development so like yeah. Also I'm thinking of also posting this on ao3 because I prefer reading on that platform so tell me if you think that's a good or bad idea. Okay, I hope everyone likes it and thinks it's semi-worth the wait.

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Warnings: Little bit of angst, Jealous Paige 6.6k words Pairing: Paige Bueckers x Azzi Fudd

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20th of FEBRUARY, 2015

OAKRIDGE, VIRGINIA

It was a normal, seemingly average Tuesday when it happened.

Paige woke up, she chucked on her clothes and went downstairs. She said a quick goodbye to her dad as he left for work and ate cereal at the kitchen counter. When the clock hit eight she grabbed her backpack and locked the front door. Azzi was waiting at the front gate as always.

They walked to school at a not too slow-not too fast pace, Azzi chattering about her crazy dream the night before - something about gingerbread men and a zombie apocalypse. From the moment they started walking to the moment they stopped, the dark-haired girl made a point to fill the air between them with consistent conversation, not that Paige minded, it was nice to just listen sometimes. 

The first bell rang as they entered the school, and the best friends parted ways for their classes, Paige to Maths and Azzi to French. First period rolled into second period, which rolled into third period. Finally, after an agonizing three hours of education, it was time for lunch.

Tuesday was renowned for having the best lunch, mac and cheese. It was simply mind blowing that the lunch ladies -who were almost always one health code violation away from unemployment- were able to create such delicious food. Each bite was other-worldly, the perfect ratio of pasta to sauce. And after such a draining morning, every student at Oakridge Middle School was absolutely desperate for a taste of heaven.

Paige scoffed at the line of eager kids waiting for their bowl, amateur hour. If they were smart they would have known that you’re allowed to get two bowls, if Miss Amanda likes you that is. All Paige had to say on the matter was that Miss Amanda loved Azzi, arguably more than her own daughter. So, with a proud grin, Paige waltzed her way past the queue over to her lunch table.

Azzi and Paige had sat together at the same lunch table every day since they started middle school. They shared their table with a few other girls in their grade, who they were friendly with. It was a peaceful arrangement, and the cohabitation worked well for both groups.

As she neared the table, Paige felt her heart drop, something was very, very wrong. The state of the cafeteria could be described as pure pandemonium. Each pre-teen wolfing food into their mouths like their lives depended on it, and some of the most violent line-cutting techniques could be observed. Paige herself had been looking forward to their silent lunch break, expecting both her and her best friend to be fully focussing on their food as was normal on a Tuesday.

So, when her table came into sight, there was no doubt that something horrible had happened to Azzi Fudd. The scene was comparable to a renaissance painting, amongst all the chaos sat Azzi, two glorious bowls of mac and cheese in front of her, both of them perfectly untouched. She was staring ahead, eyebrows furrowed as if she was deep in thought. 

There were many things Paige didn’t like about the world, but the thing she liked the least was seeing Azzi distressed. With a deep breath she walked over to the table, prepared to beat up whoever it was that had messed with her best friend.

“Hey Az!” Paige exclaimed as she sat down, her voice filled with so much enthusiasm it seemed almost fake.

“Hey Paige.” Azzi responded, glancing at her with that same pensieve look she’d had when she was sitting by herself.

Okay, now this was concerning. Not to be too full of herself or anything, but Paige was usually a fix-all for any of Azzi’s bad moods, so the fact her presence changed nothing, was definitely an issue. 

“Everything good? You look a bit upset.” 

“No, I'm not upset.” The younger girl answered, giving absolutely no sign of not being upset.

“That’s good, I’m glad to hear that.” Sure, she was glad to hear her best friend say she wasn’t upset, but that statement didn’t mean much when the best friend in question looked like she might drop dead from stress in the next minute.

Just before she was able to continue her investigation, Azzi took in a big breath, as if trying to breathe in all the courage she could, before she started, “Listen Paige, I need to tell you something.”

Oh god, what could it be? A death in the family? An illness? She didn’t even want to think, could she be… moving? No. No. That was not the time for spiralling. Paige took a moment to compose herself. Azzi was clearly upset by whatever was happening, and the last thing Paige wanted was to make her even more upset by reacting anxiously. 

In the most calm tone she could muster, she asked, “Okay?”

“I’ve been keeping a secret from you.” Azzi said. She had clearly tried to sound confident, but the words came out sounding oh-so very sad.

“What? You’re a mob boss or something?” She joked, hoping to take away some of the tension that Azzi seemed to be drowning in.

“No, not that.” She deadpanned. Now, Paige was aware that it wasn’t her best joke, but she still thought it deserved a little laughter. 

Normally Paige’s crappy dad jokes were enough to take Azzi’s mind off whatever was troubling her for at least a second, but nothing was cracking her shell. For a moment, Paige let her composure slip, “Just tell me Az, you’re really stressing me out.”

Then, Azzi’s stressed exterior slipped, giving way to a softer look, the one she saved for Paige, “Okay, so you know Aaron?”

Paige ran through a mental list of kids in their grade before she questioned, “Aaron B or Aaron W?”

“Aaron B.” Azzi replied. It was probably a trick of the light or something, but Paige swore that as her best friend answered the corner of her mouth flickered up into a smile.

“Yeah I know him. Didn’t he pee his pants sleepwalking at sixth grade camp or something?” Paige chuckled at the memory, there was nothing like the silly fun of a school camp.

“That was Aaron W, not Aaron B.” Azzi stated matter-of-factly. 

Not laughing at the mob boss joke, sure Paige could get that. But not laughing at the thought of a twelve year old sleepwalking and sleep-peeing, simply unheard of.

Paige usually had pretty thick skin, but for some reason Azzi’s reaction mellowed her out, “Oh, right.”

For the second time, Azzi softened, her gaze meeting Paige’s almost apologetically, before she continued, “Anyways, so Aaron B?”

It was weird, the way she was acting. Her worried demeanour was a stark contrast to the urgency and statementness of her words. It seemed as if Azzi had been tasked with telling Paige this secret with as little personality as possible.

“What about him?” Paige questioned, deciding to help the younger girl move her explaining along.

“Well…” Azzi started, before suddenly developing the most intense interest in staring at literally anything other than the blonde girl sitting with her. A solid minute of silent waiting passed by, with Paige waiting to see what she had to say, and Azzi questioning if it was too late to back out.

Just when Paige thought she would never hear her best friend speak again, Azzi blurted, “He asked me to be his girlfriend.”

“What?! Paige near-yelled, she had almost stood up from the table in her outrage,“You said no, right?!” 

Who did this chumbag think he was? Asking the Azzi Fudd to be his girlfriend? 

God, it must have felt great for Azzi to put him in his place.

Nothing in the entire, ever-expanding universe could have prepared her for the words that came out of her best friend’s mouth, “I said yes.”

The words dropped like a bomb, waves of shock almost knocking Paige to the ground.

“What the fuck Az!? Why!?” This time Paige stood up from the table, hands slamming down, shaking the bowls of mac and cheese, before Azzi pulled her back down.

She got this shy look on her face as she spoke, her cheeks and ears burning, “I dunno. He’s cute, and he’s nice and funny.” For the first time during that lunch break, Azzi smiled. It was a different smile, one Paige hadn’t seen before. Once she saw it, she immediately wished she could unsee it. There was something about that smile, it held a different weight than her usual ones, like it meant something more, something deeper than when she smiled at Paige.

There was only one explanation, Azzi had gone crazy, and as her lifelong best friend, it was up to Paige to talk some sense into her, “Yeah, so what? I’m all of those things, doesn’t mean you’re gonna date me!”

Paige’s words settled in the air as Azzi returned her gaze to her. For the third time Azzi’s demeanor softened. She looked at her with such lightness, as if the weight of her vision would crack Paige’s skin open. Normally she liked it, but normal definitely did not include her best friend dating some random boy she barely knew,

Paige knew she was strong and she didn’t like to be babied, her exterior was tough and hard to break. The only people she ever really let loose around was her dad, and the Fudds. She knew none of the kids at school would ever be able to pick it, but she was a major dad’s girl. Not in the stereotypical, ‘pink princess’ way, but just in the way that her Dad was her hero, and Bob gave everything he had and more to Paige no matter what. With the Fudds, they were like the extended family she had never really had, being with them was great, she knew she was like a daughter to Katie and Tim, and like a sister to Jon and Jose. That being said, they were the people who saw her at her highs and lows, and they knew when to go hard or easy on her.

But with Azzi it was different. With Azzi she let herself go soft, let her guarded exterior turn mushy. Paige couldn’t count the amount of times she had cried over her mom, over life, tucked into the crook of Azzi’s neck. She would look at her with those soft eyes, and Paige knew it wasn’t patronising, she knew Azzi would never hold her moments of vulnerability against her. It was the only time she would ever let herself be unguarded. 

But in that moment not even the look on Azzi’s face could make her feel better.

Yet, the whole situation was somehow made worse when Azzi spoke again, “It’s different Paige. Surely you’ve had a crush on someone before, it’s just different.” 

With her words, some deep-seated anger arose from Paige. It was a weird feeling, being upset with Azzi - it had never happened before. Why would she say that, “It’s just different.”? Like their friendship meant nothing in comparison to her snapchat streak with a un-potty trained seventh grader.

“Yeah whatever Az.” Paige spat, her voice dripping with venom, “Why don’t you go and change his diaper or something?”

That time, Paige’s words were the ones to shock Azzi, “Why are you mad at me?!” Confusion was etched all across her face. “And also I told you that was Aaron W not B!”

“Same-same. Now if you don’t mind I have some Mac and cheese to eat.” Paige spoke dismissively, turning to give her full attention to her mac and cheese as she poked at it.

Paige avoided eye contact with Azzi like her life depended on it, not even daring to glance at her as she stared at her from across the table. It wasn’t until the second end-of-lunch bell rang that Azzi finally got up, leaving Paige to sit there with her thoughts.

And for the first time ever, Paige sat without Azzi at the table, and binned two, full bowls of mac and cheese.

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24th of FEBRUARY, 2015

OAKRIDGE, VIRGINIA

Paige had never considered herself a violent, or mean person. But there was just something about seeing Azzi and Aaron together that made her want to scream and yell and throw things. There were just so many things to dislike about Aaron, it was really hard to pinpoint exactly what made him so horrible.

Objectively speaking, he wasn’t ugly per se, but he definitely wasn’t a looker either. He had a button nose, a sharp jawline, clear skin, and bright green eyes. 

When she put it like that she knew that it sounded like he could be attractive - but he was not. 

Looking at Aaron was a jarring experience. It had never occurred to Paige how creepy-looking he was until Azzi started dating him.  Aaron had managed to ruin her brooding time, she couldn’t glare at her best friend without seeing his ugly face, or hearing his revolting voice - or worse, his laugh.

When she heard two girls in English talking about how lucky Azzi was to be his girlfriend she barely stopped herself from turning and strangling them both, and instead shut her mouth as tight as she could, and clenched her fists till her knuckles were pure white. 

To take her mind off the situation, she imagined him as a child, coming home from yet another lonely, friendless day at school to find his mother hosting an afternoon tea with her friends. They would fawn over him, and say “You’re going to be such a heartbreaker!” as they pinched his cheeks. Of course, they all knew it wasn’t the truth, but that’s just what you say to unfortunate looking kids, who grow up to be unfortunate looking pre-teens that ask out girls way out of their league.

Maybe what irked her was the fact that Azzi had smiled when she spoke about him, that saying the things she liked about him broke her out of her broody trance. Or maybe it was the way her cheeks had tinted the prettiest pink. How the galaxies in her dark brown eyes lit up a thousand times brighter. How the dimple in her cheek popped when she hung out with him, how her laughter at his shitty jokes echoed through the halls, honey sweet and sing-songy.

It was only when she came upon that specific reason for not liking him that she realised that maybe that gnawing, sour feeling that had settled low in her belly was something more akin to jealousy. And then, in the same strand of thoughts she decided to stop thinking altogether about why she didn’t like him, and instead just double down on the fact that Aaron sucked and she absolutely hated him. 

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27th of FEBRUARY, 2015

OAKRIDGE VIRGINIA

The final nail in the coffin came when Paige left her third period Spanish class. 

It was a Tuesday, which meant the best mac and cheese in the world. But it also meant it had been a week since Paige and Azzi had last spoken.

If avoiding Azzi was an olympic sport, then Paige had become a twenty-time gold medalist.

 For the first few days they weren’t talking, Paige made a point to stay in Azzi’s vision. She had decided that if she had to be reminded of the emptiness of Azzi in her life, then Azzi should be reminded of Paige. She made sure to be subtle with it, instead of standing directly in front of her, she’d ensure that Azzi would catch glimpses of her from her peripheral vision. Paige would watch as Azzi would spot her, then she would force herself to keep a straight face as she watched her best friend apologise to Aaron for forgetting what it was he had been saying.

That whole thing had been going perfectly, exactly to plan, but then it just started to make her really sad and really angry, and then, of course, her only option was to avoid Azzi, no matter what it took.

She thought it would be simple, she knew Azzi's entire timetable, she knew which hallways she walked down, she wouldn’t be surprised if she could estimate the amount of steps it took for her to get from point A to B. So in theory, it should’ve been smooth sailing to stay away from her, but nothing in her life had been easy, except Azzi - up until that point.

Aaron simply had to ruin, not only her friendship with her best friend, but also her ploy to never see her again. Obviously, because she wasn’t weird, she had absolutely zero idea about Aaron’s timetable, let alone his whereabouts, and in the past week the boyfriend-girlfriend duo had become attached at the hip, meaning it was nearly impossible to avoid them. The key word being nearly.

Paige had been working tirelessly to avoid the both of them, and somehow she had been able to manage it. Her genius strategy? Waiting till the second bell to leave for her next class. On the negative side, she had sprinted away from basically every hall monitor in the school multiple times. But on the positive, she had not seen Aaron and Azzi together in days, which was basically all she wanted.

As glad as she was to not see them together, it was the first time ever that Paige wasn’t on speaking terms with Azzi, and it made her really, really sad. Which was why she wasn’t thinking straight when she left third period Spanish and walked her usual route to the cafeteria - out the language corridor, round the gym, past Aaron and Azzi holding hands, then home-free into the cafeteria.

What. The. Actual. Fucking. Fuck.

Paige isn’t a squeamish person in the least, but the sight of Azzi’s soft hand encased in Aaron’s sweaty one nearly made her throw up. It was surreal, it felt like time had paused, like Paige was floating in time, stuck in place staring at them as they walked hand-in-hand down the hall.

She could have stayed in her trance all day, glued down in the centre of the hallway, but thanks to Mac and cheese Tuesday the hordes of smelly tweens are pushing her forward towards the cafeteria.

Just like the week before she walked past the lunch line and went straight to her table. Since Azzi had been sitting with Aaron and his little minions, Paige had been left to sit with the girls they shared their table with. There were four of them, and they were nice, something Paige had never cared to notice, too busy with Azzi to pay attention to the girls sitting two feet away from them.

They were nice in all the cliche ways, but what made their kindness stand out was the fact they had not mentioned Azzi once, and had simply invited Paige into their conversations. It was good for her to talk to other people, to get out of her head. 

She was aware that she hadn’t been looking or acting her best since the previous Tuesday, but no one had said anything or shown a reaction to her disheveled appearance. It was only on that Tuesday, when Paige had stomped her way to the table that the girls had acknowledged her delicate state.

“Hey Paige!” Shania greeted, her friendly smile quickly growing concerned as she and the rest of the group took in her severely agitated condition, “Are you alright?”

“Wha- Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Nothing to worry about here!” The table continued to stare at her worriedly, perhaps more so after her seemingly, self-assuring response.

“Oookay, cool.” Shania responded, voice filled with nothing but good-willed apprehension.

The table fell into silence, the girls trying to figure out how to deal with Paige’s nuclear state, and Paige trying to act as normal as she could after seeing her best friend of seven years holding hands with a grubby boy.

“Oh my gosh, I forgot to tell you about this Paige! There’s a party this Friday at Ryan’s, and you should totally come along!” Emma squealed at her excitedly.

“Yeah, sure, I’d like that.” Paige responded, trying her hardest to sound happy despite herself.

“Yay! I’ll text you the deets,” Emma said, passing Paige her phone, encased in pink diamontes, “Put your number in.”

Paige dutifully poked in her phone number before handing it back. The girls fell into conversation about the party, talking about drinks and other people that were going. Paige was content with letting it go in one ear and out the other, until she heard the name ‘Aaron B’ sandwiched in between the names of the other partygoers.

Aaron going to the party meant Azzi going to the party, that meant they were both going to the party that Paige was going to. Great. Just great. She would get front row seats to their love-fest, how exciting.

For some reason that knowledge didn’t make her cancel, instead it fueled her with reasons to go. She wanted to be there, and wanted to be the one to surprise Azzi with her presence. She wanted her to feel that same stomach dropping feeling she had felt all week, she wanted to be the one with the upper hand. Another, softer part of her, wanted her first, boy-girl, alcohol party to be the same as Azzi’s, even if they weren’t experiencing it together, together.

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2nd of MARCH, 2015

OAKRIDGE VIRGINIA

The school day had dragged on for so long Paige had accepted the fact that it would never end, meaning she nearly cried tears of joy when the end-of-school bell had rung out through the halls.

Ever since Tuesday she had been buzzing with both nerves and excitement. She was convinced that going to her first proper party would cause some cosmic shift within her universe, like the clouds would part and the angels would sing to her the second her hands touched the glass of a lukewarm berry cruiser.

With much more enthusiasm than necessary she had swiped her book into her backpack and power-walked out of school. That had become a prime part of the ‘avoiding Azzi’ plan, leaving way too early for school in the morning, and booking out of school the second it ended to make sure their paths didn’t cross.

As she walked into their street, a pang of guilt struck through her chest at the sight of the Fudd house. It had been killing her, not just the radio silence between her and Azzi, but the subsequent disconnect that had happened between her and the rest of Azzi’s family. 

It was odd, she hadn’t felt the shoulder punches from Jon and Jose in over a week. Hadn’t been yelled at motherly by Katie in over a week. Hadn’t been pulled into a daughter and extra-daughter hug by Tim in over a week. They were things that were a part of her daily life that she had always taken for granted, assuming they’d always be there. 

That wasn’t the only thing she had missed, mostly she had been missing Azzi. Paige missed her so much, she just missed everything about her. And she had officially decided that she would try to make up with Azzi, preferably as soon as possible. Her best case scenario had her hoping for a reconciliation at the party that night. All she had to do was pull her away from Aaron and she was golden, she was one hundred percent sure that Azzi would forgive her once she apologised, because she really was sorry.

The more and more she thought about the whole situation the more she realised how absolutely crazy she had been acting, from quite literally the moment Azzi told her. It was like a switch had flipped in her brain, and all rational thinking had been thrown out the window.

As she showered and got dressed for the party Paige was growing increasingly excited at the prospect of speaking to Azzi again after what felt like a lifetime of separation.

She got her dad to drop her off at seven-thirty at Ryan’s house. Her dad had given her a stern talking to about drugs and alcohol, and the dangers of them. 

Unfortunately, Bob would have been severely disappointed to find out that Paige had accepted a cruiser immediately upon arrival. As excited as she was to talk to Azzi, she was also desperately nervous about going to her first party, and having to enter by herself. Although the cruiser didn’t reveal cosmic secrets to her, it did send the lightest buzz through her, and inspire her to go to the kitchen and concoct a wickedly bitter vodka-juice blend in a plastic red cup.

After a while of floating around, Paige spotted Shania and her friends in the corner, and quickly made her way towards them. As she does she scans the room for Azzi and/or Aaron. That still made her upset, that they were now always together, like Paige and Azzi usually were, but whatever, Paige was there to make up with Azzi, not trash on her stupid boyfriend.

She walked up to the girls and fell into the simple chatter that they constantly had going. It was nice, they were nice, the way the alcohol made her feel was nice. She was content, simply standing there huddled in a circle with them as they discussed something Paige really didn’t care about. It appeared they were going to stay like that, until someone yelled ‘Spin the bottle time!’.

Suddenly, everyone, including Paige, was shoved into the basement, a large, misshapen circle of people sat in the centre of the room. Scanning the room once again, Paige finally saw her.

Azzi was sitting in the circle, pressed up against Aaron on one side and some random cheerleader on the other. She was wearing a pink sweater and her nicest pair of jeans, her hair was out and her lips were glossed a soft mauve. To put it simply, she looked really pretty.

Paige was leaning against a wall, her third drink and second cruiser of the night held firmly in her hand. She had opted out of the game, not wanting to have to swap spit with some stupid boy in her grade if the bottle were to land on her.

It suddenly hit her that she was sitting out of the game because she didn’t want to kiss someone, and that Azzi was sitting in on the game because she did want to kiss someone. And that someone would obviously be her boyfriend.

The thought of Azzi kissing him made her shudder, but she pushed it to the side. Azzi was her best friend and it should not have mattered to Paige who she kissed, so she decided not to care.

For the amount of hype the game had received, it was actually quite boring. Someone would spin the bottle, the bottle would land on someone, they would kiss, then the process would repeat. It wasn’t until Kathy Libertman spun the bottle and it landed on Johnny Albertson that there were some oohs and aahs. The fact that Kathy had the world’s most massive crush on Johnny was as widely accepted as the fact that two plus two equals four.

As Paige chuckled at the spin she glanced towards Azzi, who looked up at her at that exact moment. Instead of looking away like she would have a few days ago she held her gaze, blue eyes on brown for the first time in too long, and smiled just a little. A look of confusion mixed with shock passed over Azzi’s face before the corner’s of her mouth flicked up.

God that felt good. The cruisers hadn’t changed her life, but seeing her best friend smile at her like that again made Paige think that maybe the universe was on her side.

After Johnny had adeptly swerved Kathy, a few more rounds passed. Then, it was Aaron’s turn. Azzi was trying to play it cool, but Paige knew every single one of her nervous tells, the clench of her jaw and the furrow of her brows softening for a second as Paige gave her an encouraging nod.

Aaron reached into the circle and spun the empty coke bottle. It spun and spun and spun before coming to a perfect stop between Azzi and the cheerleader next to her.

The chatter of the room dissipated immediately as everyone watched in anticipation. Azzi was visibly distressed, and even Paige was nervous as to where the situation was headed.

Aaron hesitated for a moment, his gaze flickering between his girlfriend, the strawberry-blonde girl next to her, and the coke bottle. With a big intake of air, he leant forward over Azzi and kissed the cheerleader. The room erupted in a mix of confusion and support.

Everyone in the room was watching as Aaron and the cheerleader kissed for what seemed like forever, but Paige had her eyes trained on Azzi, who looked like a deer in the headlights stuck between them. Pushing through the room, Paige reached a hand out to Azzi who gladly took it and let herself be pulled out of the room and onto the street.

They stood in companionable silence, there were things they needed to say, but not yet.

It was nearing eleven o’clock when Paige called her dad to pick them up. The night air was chilly but when Paige’s hand brushed against Azzi, her whole body heated up from her best friend’s warmth.

Paige didn’t know if Azzi had been drinking or not, but she knew when they got into her dad’s car that he would know that Paige had in fact been drinking, and hadn’t heeded her dad’s warning. She expected a lecture on the danger of drinking but instead was met with absolutely zero conversation directed towards her, instead, her dad was talking to Azzi, catching up with her about the past week and a half of their lives. It hadn’t occurred to her till then that Azzi was just as much a part of her family as Paige was a part of hers - she had missed Azzi in her life so much.

The two girls went straight to Paige’s room and Bob to his. Only when they were tucked safely into the gentle warmth of the bedroom did Paige speak, “Listen, I’m really sorry Az. I don’t know why I was being so crazy, he just made me so upset, like I knew you were way out of his league and I just knew that you deserved way, way better than him.”

After her rant Paige sort of expected Azzi to get mad at her and let out her anger at the whole situation, yet Azzi simply smiled, “Yeah you were being pretty crazy, but I’m sorry too”

Paige scoffed at that, earning a confused chuckle from Azzi, “What are you sorry for? You literally did nothing wrong.”

“Well I should’ve told you ages ago, we had been texting every night for two whole weeks before he asked me out, and I don’t really know why I didn’t tell you… It’s just  that I was really worried you were gonna react… exactly like you reacted, y’know?” The curly-haired girl explained.

“Yeah, I get that, I did have like the worst reaction a person could have,” Paige confessed softly  “I mean, I’m just so sorry Az, I wish I never got angry, I’ve missed you so much.” 

Azzi pulled the blonde in for a hug, her head nestled in the crook of Azzi’s neck, the familiar, sweet aroma of her perfume filling her senses.

With a squeeze Azzi pulled away, before she flopped face-first onto Paige’s bed, “God that was so embarrassing.”

It was quite the situation, but it was definitely way more embarrassing for Aaron, like, fumbling the single-most pretty and smart and kind and funny girl in the whole school. She decided against saying that, and instead tried to lighten the situation, “Could’ve been worse, you saw what happened to Kathy.”

“Yeah, but Johnny’s not her boyfriend.” Azzi mumbled from her spot splayed out on Paige’s bed.

“That’s true I guess.” Paige responded thoughtfully, accepting defeat.

“Great. thanks Paigey.” She grumbled light-heartedly.

Right before Paige went to apologise Azzi sprang up into a sitting position on the bed, “It just sucks y’know?”

“Yeah I know.” Paige hummed in agreement. Their shoulders were pressed together again, and Paige could feel the touch and the alcohol mixing and making her brain short circuit a little 

“Like I really thought I was gonna have my first kiss tonight” Azzi huffed in upset annoyance.

“Well look on the bright side, he’s a mega dick, so really you dodged a bullet.” Paige reassured her. 

As much as she was glad that Azzi had found out what a douche he was, she wished even more that it had happened quietly, not in front of a big crowd of people.

“You’re actually quite right.” Azzi agreed after considering her statement for a moment.

Paige playfully shoved her with her shoulder, “Of course I am.”

Azzi went quiet for a second before she turned to look Paige in the eyes, “Yeah. I want my first kiss to mean something. To be with someone that really cares about me and stuff.”

The words came from her mouth before she could think about what she was saying, “I mean you still could.” 

Paige didn’t know what it was that made her say that. Maybe it was the liquid courage from before. Or maybe it was the adrenaline from making up with her best friend. Or maybe, just maybe, it was the way the streetlight glow filtering in through the windows was hitting Azzi’s cheekbones just right, how her lashes were long and her lips full. How Paige wasn’t sure she had ever truly appreciated Azzi’s beauty before the way it was meant to be.

“What do you mean?” Azzi asked. It seemed like a question, but with the way Azzi was batting her eyelashes at her, it started to seem more like a challenge.

Paige’s brain actually did short circuit for a split second that time, but then, mostly thanks to the liquor, she decided to just double down and speak with confidence.

“I think you know what I mean” She responded, her blue eyes flickering from Azzi’s doe-y brown ones to her soft lips.

Almost imperceptibly, Azzi shifted closer. 

“Yeah.” She breathed out shakily, breaking eye contact to not so subtly look at Paige’s mouth.

“So can I?” Paige asked, moving her hand to rest on Azzi’s shoulder; confidence suddenly oozing out of her every pore.

“Yes.” Azzi responded quickly, her eyes trained only on her best friend’s mouth, before starting again, as if trying to regain some dignity, “Yeah. Yes please.”

Paige gave a soft smile before moving her hand up to cup Azzi’s jaw, the other settling feather-light on her waist. She watched as Azzi’s breath hitches, and her eyes flickered close. Paige followed suit, leaning in slowly. Azzi’s hands were hovering over both of her shoulders, as if unsure of what to do. Paige doesn’t mind though, if it weren’t for the alcohol that was running amok through her system they probably wouldn’t have even been in that situation in the first place.

After an eternity of leaning in, their lips touched in a soft peck. Only for a second, before they pulled away. Azzi tasted sweet, like canned lemonade and strawberry scented lip gloss. Her skin was warm under Paige’s hands.

Maybe it had been minutes or days or years since their kiss, neither were sure. All Paige knew was that she wanted to kiss Azzi again, and so she did. That time she let herself linger, let herself apply a little bit of pressure, and in return Azzi pressed in a little harder too. When Azzi made a little sound of contentment Paige thought she might explode. She wanted to keep going, but something told her to stop, to let it be good just as it was.

When she pulled away and opened her eyes, Azzi still had hers closed. And for a split second, Paige swore she caught a smile on her face, a kind of smile she had never given to Paige before.

Now that was it. That was the cosmic feeling Paige had been waiting for. Scratch the cruisers, scratch everything else, that was the feeling. The kind that people chase their whole lives, and Paige had just experienced it on a random Friday night in the quiet of her room.

Friendship really was magical. 

Azzi was her best friend, of course it would be her, they were the closest of all platonic soulmates.

A few seconds later, Azzi opened her eyes, and smiled at her. Her hands were still on Paige’s shoulders and she decided that she wouldn’t mind holding onto each other like that forever.

Kicking off their shoes they surrendered to wearing their outside clothes to sleep. Paige had a double bed, which was the absolute perfect size for two people in Azzi’s opinion.

They tangled together in a mess of warm limbs under the blanket. Azzi had her head on Paige’s chest, listening to the rhythmic thumping of her heartbeat.

“Thanks Paigey. I’m glad you were my first kiss” She whispered against her jumpered chest.

“I’m glad you were mine too Az, that’s what best friends are for, right?” Paige smiled good-naturedly, her chin coming to rest against Azzi’s head.

Azzi let out a little choked sound before she responded, “Yeah, best friends, totally.”

Paige ignored the weird way she was talking - it had been a long night - and pulled Azzi into her just a little tighter, prepared to let sleep take over.

Just when she thought she was about to fall asleep she heard Azzi’s whisper again, “Paige, you were right.”

“Yeah I usually am.” Paige smirked sleepily.

“So full of yourself, god.” Azzi said as she used her arm draped around Paige’s waist to poke her in the side.

Wincing slightly Paige gloated, “That’s like the second time you’ve said something like that to me tonight.”

“Yeah whatever you goof.” Azzi conceded, seemingly forgetting about whatever it was she had to say.

Paige wanted to sleep, but she wanted to know what it was that Azzi was going to tell her, “Wait, so what specifically was I right about?” she asked as she gave Azzi’s shoulder a soft squeeze.

“Oh right” Azzi spoke softly, “It was Aaron B.”

Azzi always got a little out of it when she was tired, but she always remembered to finish her sentences, “It was Aaron B, what?”

Paige thought she had fallen back asleep after Azzi had gone silent for so long, but after taking a quick inhale of breath Azzi answered quietly, “It was Aaron B that peed his pants on sixth grade camp.”

If it weren’t for the fact Paige was so determined to know what Azzi had said she would have missed the softly spoken words, but she didn’t and she was so glad she heard them.

Paige burst out laughing and Azzi followed along.

“You’re kidding me!” Paige wheezed between gasps.

But Azzi was too busy laughing so hard she could barely breathe, clutching onto Paige’s arm as her mouth opened wide in silent laughter.

That was how they fell asleep, tucked into one another as their heaving laughter gave way to shallow, sleeping breath.

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

Feel free to send me asks or opinions and stuff in my inbox or DMs, responding to them is my favourite it's so much fun. As always, thanks for reading :)

[moraymiso]

who're your top 3 OTPs, and BROtps?

top 3 OTPs.... i'm basic ik, but gotta be skk + sskk + ranpoe. what can i say?? they just fit so well, and skk/sskk are so versatile! i've mentioned this already but i just love how skk can either be super angsty or super sweet and i love both sides of the coin sm, same w sskk! as for ranpoe, these 2 seem so heavily nd coded they need to KISS

BROtps... dazai and atsushi. they occupy SO MUCH of my brain. their dynamic is perfect, their little moments together are perfect, their hand-in-hand character development is perfect. i'll definitely rant about them more later.... as for the other 2, i LOVE yosano and ranpo as gossip girl best friends!! i fr cannot think of a third so i'll throw ranpo and fuku in here as the best dad/son pairing in any media ever. he aged like 30 years tryna raise that kid

[richincolor]

January's New Releases

2024 has already started off right with a strong list of new releases of debuts, a few sequels and trilogies, and a whole slew of highly anticipated novels. Which book will you start your 2024 TBR list with? Click below to read all that has come out so far.

Week of January 2nd

Stay with My Heart by Tashie Bhuiyan Inkyard Press

From the author of Counting Down with You  and  A Show for Two comes a new YA contemporary about a girl who accidentally sabotages an up-and-coming local band and falls for the guitarist while secretly trying to make up for her mistake.

Liana Sarkar lives and breathes music, hoping to follow in the footsteps of her A&R coordinator father. Maybe if she succeeds, he’ll finally give her the time of day instead of drowning himself in work to distract from the grief of her mother’s passing.

When Liana accidentally sabotages an up-and-coming local band, Third Eye, she makes it her mission to steer them towards success—without them discovering her role in their setback. But as she gets closer to Third Eye, especially their enigmatic leader Skyler Moon, it becomes harder to hide the truth.

With both her heart and their futures on the line, will Liana be able to undo the damage she’s caused?

Just Happy to Be Here by Naomi Kanakia HarperTeen

In this YA standalone perfect for fans of Tobly McSmith and Meredith Russo, the first out trans girl at an all-girls school must choose between keeping her head down or blazing a trail.

Tara just wants to be treated like any other girl at Ainsley Academy.

That is, judged on her merits—not on her transness. But there’s no road map for being the first trans girl at an all-girls school. And when she tries to join the Sibyls, an old-fashioned Ainsley sisterhood complete with code names and special privileges, she’s thrust into the center of a larger argument about what girlhood means and whether the club should exist at all.

Being the figurehead of a movement isn’t something Tara’s interested in. She’d rather read old speeches and hang out with the Sibyls who are on her side—especially Felicity, a new friend she thinks could turn into something more. Then the club’s sponsor, a famous alumna, attacks her in the media and turns the selection process into a spectacle.

Tara’s always found comfort in the power of other peoples’ words. But when it comes time to fight for herself, will she be able to find her own voice?

Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White (Song of the Last Kingdom #2) by Amélie Wen Zhao Delacorte

Years ago, the Elantian colonizers invaded Lan’s homeland and killed her mother in their search to uncover the Last Kingdom’s greatest the location of its legendary four Demon Gods. Lan’s mother devoted her life to destroying the Demon Gods, and Lan is determined to finish her mission. Yet, there are others searching for the gods, too.

Zen knew his soul was forfeit the moment he made a deal with the Demon God known as the Black Tortoise, but he’s willing to lose himself if it means saving the Kingdom–and the girl–he loves. But to crush the colonizers who have invaded his land he needs more power than even a single Demon God can provide. He needs an army. And he knows exactly where he can find it–in the undead army his great grandfather lead decades ago.

The Elantians may have stolen their throne, but the battle for the Last Kingdom has only begun.

Ghost Roast by Shawneé and Shawnelle Gibbs & illustrated by Emily Cannon Versify

For as long as she can remember, Chelsea Grant has tried everything she can think of to distance herself from the disastrous damage her father does to her social life. It’s not easy to shake her reputation as Ghost Girl when Dad keeps advertising his business as a “paranormal removal expert” in big, bold, loud letters all over New Orleans!

This year, Chelsea’s all grown up, attending one of the most prestigious high schools in the city, and she’s finally made friends with the popular crowd. Things are looking up—until a night on the town backfires spectacularly, landing her in hot water at home. Her punishment? Working for her dad at Paranormal Removal Services. All. Summer.

Worst of all, her new job reveals an unexpected secret she has to keep: While Dad hunts ghosts with his own DIY tech, Chelsea can actually see them. And when she meets Oliver, a friendly spirit, at the fancy mansion her dad is getting a handsome fee to exorcize, she realizes she has to save his after-life, even if it risks everything her father’s worked for.

Week of January 9th

Somewhere in the Deep by Tanvi Berwah Sourcebooks Fire

Seventeen-year-old Krescent Dune is buried under the weight of her dead parents’ debt and the ruinous legacy they left behind. The only way she can earn enough money to escape her unforgiving island is by battling monstrous creatures in an underground fighting pit. After a fight goes terribly wrong, she’s banned from the pits. Now hopeless, she is offered a deal: in exchange for the erasure of her debts, she must join and protect a hunting party for a rescue mission deep within the mining caves beneath the island.

Krescent is determined to keep her head down and fulfill her role as the dutiful bodyguard, even though she is trapped underground with her childhood enemy and a company of people who would gladly kill her if they knew who her parents were. As they come across creatures she believed only existed in legends, it becomes clear they are in far more danger than she could have imagined. But someone doesn’t want her to make it out alive. And she’ll have to figure out who before she’s left alone… in the dark.

From the author of Monsters Born and Made comes an action-packed South Asian inspired fantasy that will have your heart racing at every turn.

Arya Khanna’s Bollywood Moment by Arushi Avachat Wednesday Books

Shaadi preparations are in full swing, which means lehenga shopping, taste testing, dance rehearsals, and best of all, Arya’s sister Alina is home. The Khannas are together again, finally, and Arya wants to enjoy it. So she stifles her lingering resentment towards Alina, plays mediator during her sister’s fights with their mother, and welcomes her future brother-in-law with open arms. (Okay, maybe enjoy isn’t exactly right.)

Meanwhile at school, Arya’s senior year dreams are unraveling. In between class and her part-time gig as a bookshop assistant, Arya struggles to navigate the aftermath of a bad breakup between her two best friends and a tense student council partnership with her rival, the frustratingly attractive Dean Merriweather.

Arya is determined to keep the peace at home and at school, but this shaadi season teaches Arya new realities: Alina won’t always be in the bedroom down the hall, Mamma’s sadness isn’t mendable, friendships must evolve, and life doesn’t always work out like her beloved Bollywood movies. But sometimes, the person you least expect will give you a glimpse of your dream sequence just when you need it most.

Structured like a Bollywood film (entertaining intermission included!) Arya Khanna’s Bollywood Moment will make you swoon, laugh, cry, think, nod your head in agreement, and quite possibly make you get up and dance.

Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang and illustrated by LeUyen Pham First Second

Valentina Tran was named after Valentine’s Day, which used to be her favorite holiday. But when Val learns the truth behind what happened with her parents and why she’s being raised by a single father, she realizes true love is a lie. This is reinforced when she meets the spirit of Saint Valentine, who tells her she and her family are cursed to always be unlucky in love. Val is ready to give into her fate, until one Lunar New Year festival, where a mysterious lion dancer hands her a paper heart, and ZING. Val becomes determined to change her destiny, prove Saint Valentine wrong, and give her heart to the right person.

Meanwhile, lion dancing is the only thing that has given Jae peace after his dad passed away. It’s also what keeps him connected to his father’s side of the family. Both Jae and his cousin Leslie notice Val at the Lunar New Year festival, and for some inexplicable reason, Jae hands Val a paper heart. But it’s Leslie, with his K-Pop good looks, who starts to date Val. Jae still feels this connection with Val and feels it’s somehow tied to how he feels about losing his father.

Both Val and Jae struggle with the spirits who haunt them as they are inextricably brought together in a love story that is satisfying, sweet, and moving.

Week of January 16th

Escaping Mr. Rochester by L.L. McKinney HarperTeen

Jane has no interest in a husband. Eager to make her own way in the world, she accepts the governess position at Thornfield Hall. Though her new employer, Edward Rochester, has a charming air—not to mention a handsome face—Jane discovers that his smile can sharpen in an instant. Plagued by Edward’s mercurial mood and the strange wails that echo through the corridors, she grows suspicious of the secrets hidden within Thornfield Hall—unaware of the true horrors lurking above her very head.

On the topmost floor, Bertha is trapped in more ways than one. After her whirlwind marriage to Edward turned into a nightmare, he locked her away as revenge for withholding her inheritance. Now his patience grows thin in the face of Bertha’s resilience and Jane’s persistent questions, and both young women are in more danger than they realize. When their only chance at safety—and perhaps something more—is in each other’s arms, can they find and keep one another safe before Edward’s dark machinations close in around them?

Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa Feiwel & Friends

London, 1812 . Oliver Bennet feels trapped—not just by the endless corsets, petticoats, and skirts he’s forced to wear on a daily basis, but also by society’s expectations. The world, and the vast majority of his family and friends, think Oliver is a girl named Elizabeth. He is therefore expected to mingle at balls wearing a pretty dress, entertain suitors regardless of his interest in them, and ultimately become someone’s wife.

But Oliver can’t bear the thought of such a fate. He finds solace in the few times he can sneak out of his family’s home and explore the city rightfully dressed as a young gentleman. It’s during one such excursion when Oliver becomes acquainted with Darcy, a sulky young man who had been rude to “Elizabeth” at a recent social function. But in the comfort of being out of the public eye, Oliver comes to find that Darcy is actually a sweet, intelligent boy with a warm heart, not to mention attractive.

As Oliver spends more time as his true self, often with Darcy, part of him dares to hope that his dream of love and life as a man can be possible. But suitors are growing bolder―and even threatening―and his mother is growing more desperate to see him settled into an engagement. Oliver will have to choose: settle for safety, security, and a life of pretending to be something he’s not, or risk it all for a slim chance at freedom, love, and a life that can be truly his own.

So Let Them Burn (Divine Traitors #1) by Kamilah Cole Little, Brown Young Readers

Whip-smart and immersive, this Jamaican-inspired fantasy follows a gods-blessed heroine who’s forced to choose between saving her sister or protecting her homeland.

Faron Vincent can channel the power of the gods. Five years ago, she used her divine magic to liberate her island from its enemies, the dragon-riding Langley Empire. But now, at seventeen, Faron is all powered up with no wars to fight. She’s a legend to her people and a nuisance to her neighbors.

When she’s forced to attend an international peace summit, Faron expects that she will perform tricks like a trained pet and then go home. She doesn’t expect her older sister, Elara, forming an unprecedented bond with an enemy dragon—or the gods claiming the only way to break that bond is to kill her sister.

As Faron’s desperation to find another solution takes her down a dark path, and Elara discovers the shocking secrets at the heart of the Langley Empire, both must make difficult choices that will shape each other’s lives, as well as the fate of their world.

A Drop of Venom by Sajni Patel Rick Riordan Presents

Sixteen-year-old Manisha is no stranger to monsters—she’s been running from them for years, from beasts who roam the jungle to the King’s army, who forced her people, the naga, to scatter to the ends of the earth. You might think that the kingdom’s famed holy temples atop the floating mountains, where Manisha is now a priestess, would be safe—but you would be wrong.

Seventeen-year-old Pratyush is a famed slayer of monsters, one of the King’s most prized warriors and a frequent visitor to the floating temples. For every monster the slayer kills, years are added to his life. You might think such a powerful warrior could do whatever he wants, but true power lies with the King. Tired after years of fighting, Pratyush wants nothing more than a peaceful, respectable life.

When Pratyush and Manisha meet, each sees in the other the possibility to chart a new path. Unfortunately, the kingdom’s powerful have other plans. A temple visitor sexually assaults Manisha and pushes her off the mountain into a pit of vipers. A month later, the King sends Pratyush off to kill one last monster (a powerful nagin who has been turning men to stone) before he’ll consider granting his freedom.

Except Manisha doesn’t die, despite the hundreds of snake bites covering her body and the venom running through her veins. She rises from the pit more powerful than ever before, with heightened senses, armor-like skin, and blood that can turn people to stone. And Pratyush doesn’t know it, but the “monster” he’s been sent to kill is none other than the girl he wants to marry.

Alternating between Manisha’s and Pratyush’s perspectives, Sajni Patel weaves together lush language, high stakes, and page-turning suspense, demanding an answer to the question “What does it truly mean to be a monster?”

Beasts of War (Beasts of Prey #3) by Ayana Gray Nancy Paulsen Books

Once a prisoner to Fedu, the vengeful god of death, Koffi has regained her freedom, but she is far from safe. Fedu will stop at nothing to hunt her down and use her power to decimate the mortal world. Koffi knows when Fedu will during the next Bonding, a once-in-a-lifetime celestial event. To survive, Koffi will have to find powerful new allies quickly, and convince them to help her in the terrible battle to come.

Once a warrior-turned-runaway, Ekon has carved out a new life for himself outside Lkossa, but the shadows of his past still haunt him. Now, alongside unexpected friends, Ekon tries to focus on getting Koffi to the Kusonga Plains before the next Bonding. If he fails, Koffi will be consumed, either by her own dangerous power, or the terrible fate Ekon is doing everything he can to prevent. Ekon devotes himself to protecting Koffi, but the lingering threats from his own past are more urgent than he knows.

As Koffi and Ekon race to the Kusonga Plains—and try to garner the help of Eshōza’s ancient gods along the way—they must face a slew of dangerous beasts old and new. In the end, destiny may unite Koffi and Ekon for the last time—or tear them apart for good.

Week of January 23rd

Into the Sunken City by Dinesh Thiru HarperTeen

In the slowly sinking city of Coconino, Arizona, the days are long, the money is tight, and the rain never stops.

For Jin Haldar, this life is nothing new—ever since her father died in a diving accident, she’s barely made ends meet for her and her younger sister, Thara.

Enter Bhili: a drifter who offers Jin and Thara the score of a lifetime—a massive stash of gold hidden in the sunken ruins of Las Vegas.

Jin knows it’s too dangerous. She stopped diving after her father’s accident. But when her sister decides to go, Jin’s left with only one choice: to go with her.

A ragtag crew is assembled—including Jin’s annoyingly hot ex-boyfriend. From there, a high-stakes heist ensues that’s beyond even Jin’s wildest fears. Crumbling ruins, sea beasts, corsairs, and a mysterious figure named João Silva all lie in wait. To survive, Jin will have to do what she promised herself she’d never do again: dive.

Out of Our League: 16 Stories of Girls in Sports edited by Dahlia Adler and Jennifer Iacopelli Feiwel and Friends

A compelling YA anthology from editors Dahlia Adler and Jennifer Iacopelli about the trials and triumphs of girls in sports.

Ambition. Drive. Determination. Talent. Courage. Teamwork.

Every athlete knows what it takes to win. But for teen female players, the stakes are so much higher. In this anthology, the voices of these athletes come alive, highlighting the ferocity of those who are often shunted to the side. From navigating rampant misogyny to forging a sisterhood through sweat or just reveling in the love of the game, the stories in Out of Our League address the phenomenal physical and emotional power of teenage athletes as they compete, persevere, and thrive, on and off the field.

The Colliding Worlds of Mina Lee by Ellen Oh Crown

When a Korean American teenage artist gets sucked into the world of her own web comic, she must find a way out with the help of a cute boy all while facing off against a villainous corporation. Inspired by the A-ha’s “Take on Me” music video, this entertaining YA novel is a grounded speculative fiction adventure from the co-founder of We Need Diverse Books.

Mina has become the hero of her own story. Literally.

When Mina Lee woke up on Saturday morning for SAT prep, she did NOT expect to:

1. Nearly be fried by a superhero who turned out to be a supervillain. 2. Come face to face with Jin, the handsome boy of her dreams. 3. Discover a conspiracy involving the evil corporation Merco that she created.

And it’s all happening in her fictional world. Mina is trapped in the story she created. Now it’s up to her to save everyone. Even if it means losing Jin forever.

Barracoon by Zora Neal Hurston, Adapted by Ibram X. Kendi, Illustrated by Jazzmen Lee-Johnson HarperCollins Childrens

In the first middle grade offering from Zora Neale Hurston and Ibram X. Kendi, young readers are introduced to the remarkable and true-life story of Cudjo Lewis, one of the last survivors of the Atlantic human trade, in an adaptation of the internationally bestselling and critically acclaimed Barracoon.

This is the life story of Cudjo Lewis, as told by himself.

Of the millions of men, women, and children transported from Africa to America to be enslaved, eighty-six-year-old Cudjo Lewis was then the only person alive to tell the story of his capture and bondage—fifty years after the Atlantic human trade was outlawed in the United States. Cudjo shared his firsthand account with legendary folklorist, anthropologist, and writer Zora Neale Hurston.

Adapted with care and delivered with age-appropriate historical context by award-winning historian Ibram X. Kendi, Cudjo’s incredible story is now available for young readers and emerging scholars. With powerful illustrations by Jazzmen Lee-Johnson, this poignant work is an invaluable contribution to our shared history and culture.

[honey-minded-hivemind]

Okok, so my list goes as follows:

Erik is my first choice for sure, not only are there endless possibilities for angst, but he's also one of my favorite marvel characters in general.

Charles is second, I honestly imagine him being such a sweet dad, and I don't see enough work with him being a parent it's a crime.

It's impossible to pass up on classic feral dad, so Logan gets third, uncle Viktor is an added bonus in that one.

I'm curious, which yans are higher on your list?

Lamb Anon

Those are good choices! And I see the points you've made! Erik has so many choices, not to mention if he was Reader's dad, you have Wanda as Reader's sister! And then eventually, when the kids get caught, Pietro finds out he's Reader's brother... Aaand it doesn't help the situation. At all. Because wow, he and the others had just watched Reader die, but it turns Reader was his sibling. His younger sibling. And they never knew, not until they were dead (which he isn't sure is possible, because they are alive then? He's confused on what's going on and why they're still around)...

Charles IS an underrated dad! And he would likely be the most understanding, tied with Hank/Beast! (The parents are all understanding to a degree, but those two are the most understanding of Reader and their... "situation"...) To be fair, he'd probably be a good dad, checking up on Reader, reminding them if they forget something, letting them interact with his other adopted children and friends, going on small adventures... He'd just... maybe keep an eye on them. At almost each waking second. Because that's his child, thank you, and he does not need or want them getting hurt or getting into trouble... (He also wants to make sure they don't turn to Erik... they are exes (friends, partners, etc. )) (and he does not want Erik to steal his child, or worse, convince them of his anti-hero ways...)

And one can never say no to Logan as a dad, because that is what he does best (besides kicking the *ss of every evil human or mutant in bothering the X-Men). He's dad-coded. He's protective, he handles any problems his kid has (especially bullies, he does NOT like those, and what better way to handle them than him?), he'll keep an eye on them, he let's them and his other kids be friends and hang out, and he doesn't mind if they're not perfect. So, he is a pretty good choice, too.

Okay, my top three favorites? Okay, let's see...

I'd say Logan, Victor, then Hank.

Logan because of the above reasons (I can't help it, he's a comfort character of mine, and he always comes with a kid in whatever media he's in) (it's also fun, writing for him)

Victor, because it makes sense for Reader to be his kid, due to their specific shape-shifting mutation (they can only turn into animals), and because I like him. (And he would also have a bit of trouble losing Reader, a lot of trouble, so that adds to the story, too) (he's also a comfort character)

And Hank, because he's nice, he's sweet, he's gentle, and he's underrated. He would be a great dad. Would accept his kid despite what mutation they have (or if they seemed to not have one), makes sure they're healthy and would make good meals for them both to eat, he's fun with his teachings, he's pretty gentle, he's an avid literature reader, the list goes on (why is he so sweet?? he's like a blue, extra fluffy marshmallow of goodness!)...

So... those are my top three😅

I'm okay with hearing your preferences, I just want to figure out which parent would be the best for Reader and the story of the 🖤Dark AU. I enjoy making it!😊 I just have to get in the specific mood for it to write about it. So that means a bit of action/chase music, some sadder songs, and perhaps a few dark ones (plus re-reading the posts about and for the 🖤Dark AU, to make sure I'm sticking to its theme!)

All in all, this IS for fun, so there's no pressure about any of this. I do want to make sure I think it over, though. What do you think of my choices, 🐑 Anon? Any thoughts on them?

(P.S.

A few songs I've listened to, to imagine and write to while I've been working on this AU:

• Black Betty by RamJam or Spiderbait (it's good for chases) (try it the regular speed or slowed reverb way)

• Pump It by Black Eyed Peas (2nd choice for chase scenes) (slowed reverb, or regular speed)

• Americano by Lady Gaga (it's fun, and it's also chase somg number 3) (regular speed or slowed reverb)

• My Demons by Starset (it fits the older platonic yans and how they're handling things) (slowed reverb)

• Summertime Sadness by Lana Del Rey (it works better with the older teen platonic yans, or with the four younger ones) (this can be sped up, slowed reverb, or regardless speed)

• Daylight by David Kushner (probably the older platonic yans trying to come to grips with their choices and how they're handling them) (slowed, possibly slowed reverb)

• Immortals by Fall Out Boy (it fits the theme, and it counts as a chase/contemplation song...) (sped up, slowed reverb, or regular speed, but I recommend slowed reverb)

• Down Under by Men at Work (it kinda fits how the four feel out of place. Surprise, they're about 3 to 5 years in the future, the world's pretty weird, aaand they're all out of place) (slowed reverb)

(Hopefully this helps, if y'all wanted a few songs to listen to for this AU!😊 Stay safe, drink plenty of water, and get some rest, okay?)

[iamanerd1]

hey now that they've announced the incredible 3 i wanted to write this out because I've had this idea for an Incredibles sequel forever

so the main gimmick of this one is that there is a significant time jump. Dash and Violet are both adults or close to being, and Bob and Helen are finally retiring from superheroing for good.

Dash and Violet are new and successful young superheros and have to deal with the increasing commercialization (endorsing products, attending interviews, kissing babies ex) that is getting in the way of their actual job. This is leading them to feel burnt out as they want to do good, but so many other things are getting in the way of it. Also one of them develops a rivalry or a gets a nemesis with one of the new characters, and this is heavily coded to be analogous to their first serious relationship.

Helen and Bob have to deal with what their plans will be after they retire (go on cruises? travel the world? get a boat?) but they both don't actually want to retire and are just convinced the other does. This comes to a head in the mid-movie action scene where one of them does get seriously hurt, which makes them both realize that they do actually have to retire.

The villain of the film is Jack-Jack, though this is only revealed halfway through in dramatic fashion. Everyone else in the family has been mostly ignoring him the whole film, (which is used for some tasteless jokes) as they are dealing with their own problems, and just assumed that he was going to school as normal.

He turns on his family because they were all too busy being amazing superheroes while he was a kid, and ignored him while he was struggling to control all of his powers. Unlike Violet and Dash who only ever showed signs of having one power and never problem controlling them, Jack-Jack retains all of his abilities as he grows up.

What was once a cute quirk as a baby and toddler, becomes impossible to manage as a kid and teenager and he drowns under the weight of his uncontrollable abilities, until he eventually becomes resentful of his family. This is further influenced by a Villain that he meets (might be older Syndrome somehow?? who knows) that encourages this behavior and helps him learn to control his powers. (Though the villain has further plans that Jack-Jack doesn't know about, like exploiting him or something.)

Because the rest of the Parr family is fighting against Jack-Jack there is a emotional weight to every fight scene. They are trying to talk to him to get him to stand down, but the time for talking past years ago. Additionally because Jack-Jack has so many powers he is a really difficult person to fight and has a perfect counter for everyone's powers. (For example, he can match his dad's strength by turning into the devil baby rage monster, can trick Dash and his speed by making multiple copies of himself, and can get around Violet and his Mom by teleporting to the other dimension and disappearing.)

The conclusion is pretty cliche. The family realizes that they've been neglecting Jack-Jack and need to be there to support him. The villain does something incredibly evil and pushes too far and the whole family has to come together and stop him and also apologizes.

Helen and Bob resolve to put their retirement plans on hold to help him recover, while Violet and Dash more time with him. Bada bing bada boom, billion dollar movie easy. Villain dies in a volcano.

Anyway, I wanted to put this down on paper because I'm interested in what Disney is going to do for the third movie, and i am going to be judging that based on if I think that the movie they make is better than my ideas lol

[irismfrost]

July 14 - Free Day: What It's Like To Be A Local

I spent today on my own. I met up with my Dad's old business partner and friend, who lives in Taipei. My Dad works in architecture and his friend works in interior design (there was also a third business partner who I have not met). He and his wife picked me up from the hotel and we went to Green Bakery located in a residential part of the city that I haven't been to yet. The creations at this place were unlike anything I've ever seen. Every product was a work of art and had complex and new (to me) flavors. For example, one dessert that looked like Yu Shan (Jade Mountain- the tallest mountain in Taiwan) had a greenish bottom layer and a white top layer. It was cold and the bottom was a bit denser and has an earthier flavor while the top was light and airy. It had a sesame filling that was a bit grainy in texture. It had a light sweetness- not like the US. The filling is intentionally grainy to represent the dirt in the mountain. The layers had the perfect density- as time went on the top started to get softer and the bottom held its shape better. It made me think about being close to the ground (bottom part) and being close to the clouds (top part). I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to meet my Dad's friend and his wife, and that he shared this Sunday with me. They were both so friendly and our conversation could've gone on and on and on. We were probably at that shop for over 2 hours. He showed me his office space which is just as innovative as I expected. And he has a picture of him and my Dad when my Dad was building our house when I lived in Georgia which I thought was pretty cool.

Him and his wife dropped me off at the temple we visited yesterday. In my previous post, I called it "Longshan" but when I went back, I noticed that it was spelled, "Lung Shan", so i wanted to address that correction before I talk about it more. I thought it would be interesting to immerse myself into a new culture and just give it a solid try. It took me a while to figure out what I was doing, but thankfully, the English pamphlet, QR code with prayer directions, and many nice people helped me very much. I started with Bodhisattva (the central Buddhist figure at the temple). I am not one to pray but I did and I made sure to say my name, date of birth (DOB), and current address at the beginning. All prayers start the same here. Then I moved on to the Daoist Gods- I didn't pray to all of them, just a few. I forgot to give my offering (I only had my granola bar) when I first started praying to Bodhisattva, so I circled back and re-prayed to Him before I took it back. I also decided to do the moon blocks (poé). This was more of a challenge than I anticipated. There were also specific directions on the website that I followed. When you throw the blocks, you don't get an answer to your specific question, but you get to know whether your question WILL be answered. You are asking for a divine sign (the sign is when the blocks say "yes") that your question will be answered today. The answer to your specific question is found in poem form (you interpret it) and there are about 100 poems that could be your answer. The number on the stick is how you figure out which poem is the answer to your question. The first step is to start your prayer, ask for a sign, and ask your question. When you get a "yes", you then pull a stick with a number. If you don't get a "yes" at this point, you have to rephrase your question and try again. The answer you are looking for corresponds to the number on the stick, but you have to confirm that the number you just pulled is the correct answer. So you need to get 3 "yes"s in a row to confirm. This is the tedious part. If you don't get a yes, you draw another number. There were certain points that I just restarted the whole prayer and I kept re-wording my question. After what was probably an hour or throwing blocks on the floor, I finally got an answer. I asked the lady who was selling the charms and trinkets to help me interpret it (it was all in Chinese). I also bought some charms and blessed them. She was very helpful and patient with me. I spoke with her on many separate occasions. When I got back to the hotel, I ate my granola bar offering. It was very melted, but I felt proud of myself that I completed the ritual.

Reflection

Meeting my Dad's friend was such a unique experience that I never could've imagined. Yesterday, I talked about the perception of time in Taiwan in comparison to the US. He and his wife took over 3 hours out of their Sunday to spend time with me. And it didn't have to be 3 hours, but everyone was enjoying the moment and it just happened to be that long. In the US, meetings like that are typically a little more rigid with timing and structure. Sometimes in the US, conversation is cut short in an effort to stick to a timeline. It feels refreshing to let go of the need to control time (to enjoy the present without the future looming overhead).

At Lung Shan temple, actively participating in the customs felt so strange and took a lot of confidence. Everyone stares because I look different and I didn't have enough clothes to dress super modestly which made me feel more out of place. I didn't pray to every deity because A. I didn't think they all applied to me and B. that would've taken a long time, but it made me realize how much work prayer is. It takes a lot of focus to clear your mind to pray. It takes a lot of discipline to keep repeating the beginning part and not rush through it (back to the idea of time-orientation). It also just takes a long time if you want to be thorough (especially if you want trustworthy results from throwing the blocks LOL). It is also hard to specify your prayer. That is part of the reason you are so specific with your name, DOB, and address in the beginning. You can only get what you want when you know what you want. I compare this to goal setting and the idea behind manifestation.

Every day, I wake up grateful that I am here and have already grown so much in 4 days. These reflections are an amazing avenue to do just that.

[tokiro07]

Cipher Academy ch.56 thoughts

[Continue...?]

(Contents: Speculation - anxiety/predictions, thematic analysis - Friendship)

I STILL CAN'T TELL IF IT'S BEEN CANCELED!!!

Hrngh...on the one hand, this was such a quick resolution to this storyline, it really feels like Nisio is outright trying to wrap it up as fast as possible...on the other, revisiting the introductory crossword specifically in the battle with Toshusai to determine which of them is the leader of the academy is the perfect bookend to this section of the story since she won't have any reason to be antagonistic to Iroha going forward, and there isn't really a way to drag out sharing crosswords into multiple chapters that wouldn't feel awkward

The presence of loose ends like Kogoe's machinations, Hakanage and Zakuroguchi's plans, how the Morgue will be used, Iroha's dad, locating Amvicious, etc. all indicate that there's plenty of story left to tell, but it's very possible that we're going to get an "our journey continues" ending, so that doesn't tell us anything

As I've said before, Nisio frequently ends arcs with quick resolutions, like how Medaka vs. Kumagawa or Hitoyoshi vs. Iihiko were only one chapter each, so this feels very like him, but that could just lend well to wrapping up the story when the editors say it's time to stop

It's so frustrating!!! I don't want to hold out hope only for it to be dashed, but Nisio's track record tells me there isn't reason to accept defeat yet, either!!!

Hmph!!!

Anyway, this is a fantastic end to what I've been calling the Friendship arc, as not only has Toshusai acknowledged Iroha as her friend, it was Iroha's belief that she felt that way that convinced her to concede defeat to him. The goal of Q.123 was to demonstrate how well they understood each other by effectively putting words in each other's mouths, and wrong answers would be a demerit - not only did Iroha demonstrate perfectly that he understood Toshusai, but that even though they were on opposing sides, he wholeheartedly believed that she viewed him as a friend

There was also the bit about "answering a code with a code," which I believe is meant to harken back to the idea that Iroha's way of thinking is so outside of the box compared to everyone else's, as seen when he brought in a third member to what was supposed to be a three-person cell, but honestly I think that was more how Nohime rationalized it rather than how Toshusai did. It's an important skill that only Iroha has shown, so it is a quality that Toshusai believes that a leader should have, but more than that, the idea that wars can be ended with friendship rather than violence has been a key ideal of the story as a whole, so it makes sense for that to be the final lynchpin in her decision to allow Iroha to take command

Kogoe walking away because she considered both options to be winners is an interesting callback to the CLP election, as she said the same thing when Iroha fought Anonymity, so I think if the story is to continue, she's undoubtedly going to be the cause of the next inciting incident. If the story gets to continue on, Iroha's friendship with Kogoe is certain to be a major contributing factor to the resolution of whatever her plot is, though likely in a slightly different way than we've seen here. Like I said, I think that our next storyline is going to be the Victory arc, so rather than "wars can be won through Friendship", it's more going to be "wars can be Won through friendship." It's a subtle distinction that I don't envision most people will understand at the moment, but if we ever get there, I'll be sure to go into more detail on it

Kogoe established in chapter 1 that she believes wars can be won without fighting, so using her as the focal point for the Victory arc, a story about finding alternate forms of victory, would be just as fitting of a bookend as Iroha befriending Toshusai. I still feel there would need to be one more arc after that to tie together all three arc's lessons, but ending it on Iroha proving Kogoe's hypothesis correct could well be the perfect conclusion

Here's hoping we get to see it!

Until next time

[hoshigray]

AYYYOOOOOOOO!??!? DO MY EYES DECEIVE ME, OR IS THAT DIVI BACK FROM THE DEAD?!?! ALEXA, PLAY HIGHER BY CREED 🤧🤧🤧✨️✨️ and you've returned with the second installment of your series that I've been waiting PATIENTLY to read upon myself!! Omg first things first: wb divi bby, missed you sm and glad to see you're doing okay 🥹🌸🌸 second, to celebrate this return, here's my review for this second part as promised!! Here we go:

• Reader mumbling to their teddy bear bag is so me coded like I honestly feel so called-out rn, lmao

• Oooooo I liked the tiny interaction between Toji and reader before opening the door; establishes the tiny bits of information that we know but the person in the story doesn't. All the while, inputting teeeeeeeny bits of a spark b/w the two, oolalaaaa~

• but alSO HELLO??? NOT HIM GOING DAD MODE ON US OVER THE OUTFIT WE SPECIFICALLY HAND PICKED FOR HIM 😭😭😭😭😭 the way I'd roooooooll my eyes?? AND HIS ASS HAS SHORTS AND SLIDES ON—bro, I'd chew him out.

• Pffft him regarding himself as a creepy asshole is so cute, at least he's aware, haha

• Awwwww them having fun at the store 🥹🥹🥹🥹 ughhhh I love this sm

• "...and he wasn't going to let it slide. Not on his watch. That he wasn't even wearing." Oh, so you got jokes, huh, divi 💀💀 okay

• AHHHHHHSTOOOOOP NOT THE "bf putting a coat over his gf's figure to make her feel safe + keep the creeps away" TROPE AHHHHHHHHHH I'M EATING THIS UUUPPP!!

• .........would you believe me if I said I chuckled at the "Cinnabon" line? Lmaooo it was the delivery

• "I don't want diabetes," he says; okay, Toji. Takoyaki can give you diabetes too, remember that

• "He laughed out in disbelief. 'Gumi? That boy? Ha, good luck with that. He wouldn’t know the first thing on how to treat a girl.' He couldn’t treat you the way I could. Is what he wanted to say." BYE, it's him trying to extinguish the thought of reader and gumi being together by making him seem like a loser 💀💀💀💀 he so would, what a jealous man.

• "That answer seemed to be good enough for Toji, but to both his and your utter surprise you continued, 'But I've done other things.'" GASPPPPPP READER!! HOW DARE?!?! Lmao it's me shaking my head during the college story for me, like damn sweetheart it really be like that (me who has never experienced this)

• me @ this paragraph: oh WORD?

• “Tojiiii, baby it’s been so long, when are you coming over?? You know I miss you-”  girl I sucked my teeth so quick LMAOOOOO

• Okay so like, I was so invested with the dream sequence because I just loved how you built it up by using the frustrated feelings between reader and Toji from earlier, and using said frustration to just relax and envision a moment for reader to be like "well, if he's with her, then...wonder what it'd be like of it were me instead?" kind of thing. The build up was realistic, the atmosphere was hot, and perfect length enough to edge you for the next and final part where are soon-to-be lovers will be....in union 😌😌😌 loved it, 10/10. But the talking cat bit LOL

• “Mama chose a thought daughter.” OH, DIVI, WE GOT JOKES TODAY, HUH 💀💀💀💀 (and pffft, did you mean "thot" daughter, or were you playing with words? idk if it autocorrected on you, but lyk just in case!!)

AHHHHHHHH, I loved this so baaad!!! It was so cute watching how the reader was getting all ready for Toji, the humor made it all sweet and funny, the cliché sweet tension getting better and better, and who doesn’t love Toji being protective of his lil sweet baby, right? 🤧💘💘 sighhhhhj you cooked here, divi, yes you did. 🤦🏾‍♀️🚬🚬 and now I shall wait patiently for the third and final part of this cute story. Love youuuuu, mwahhh ☆☆☆☆

# HOW TO SEDUCE YOUR NEIGHBOR 101 !!

CHAPTER ii. [9.1k words]

୨୧‬┊pairing: toji fushiguro x fem! reader

୨୧‬┊synopsis: the shopping trip you were forced to go on with Toji doesn't go exactly as planned.

୨୧‬┊warnings: taboo cw! + semi-smut + age difference (reader is 19 and toji is 34 ) + slow burn + one-sided pining + attempt at humor + slice of life + reader takes multiple L's + megumi is mentioned + reader gets objectified (not by toji) + toji is a serial hoe

୨୧‬┊a/n: make sure to check out my main post! ive included a pinterest board for everything described + a playlist ♡

MAIN POST | part i. > part ii. > part ii.

You didn't know if it was a blessing in disguise, or a curse. Perhaps a cruel joke the world was playing on you like it always did. Yet here you were again, your knee high fluffy socks skidding across the oakwood flooring of your room, scouring through your closet like a deranged cat looking for something to wear on today's decor run.

"Shoes, shoes…I'm missing shoes," digging through the furthest corner in the enclosed space of your closet, you spotted an unopened box on one of the shelves. It was a simple pair of heeled, white mary janes with a heart buckle. You got it 2 birthdays ago but never saw an opportunity to wear them, until now.

Your mother told you that Toji was picking you up at 10:30 am despite you telling her that you would go after lunch.

'He's a busy man. He said this is the only time he's free today.'

"Yeah, of course he is. Always busy doing God knows what." Sighing, you decided on your ensemble for this morning. It was rushed and unplanned, but it would have to do.

Looking at the time on your phone, you saw that it was 10:15. You've still got 15 more minutes left till Toji arrives to pick you up. Letting out a breath, you sat on your bed, shoe cladded toes tapping the floor as your knee bounced, restlessly waiting.

Going over to your floor length mirror, you checked over your choice of outfit once more. It wasn't too cold of a day, so you opted for a knitted long sleeved, off-the-shoulder, cream toned sweater dress that hugged your curves. With its hem stopping just right underneath your ass.

You were debating between thigh highs or leg warmers, but decided leg warmers looked better scrunched down on your ankles with the shoes you opted to wear. You didn’t do much with your hair last night since you were only at home, but since you were going out in public today, you felt like doing something with it. Something cute specifically, as you opened your vanity drawer deciding which accessory to wear today. Picking some silk ribbon you saw laying about, you braided it into your hair, sealing it with a rubber band and tying an extra ribbon into a bow to conceal it. And finally, you had your bag. Well, more like bear. The teddy bear backpack you had on matched well with the neutral color scheme. So, you went for it. Honestly, you reminded yourself of a doll. A doll with a pretty face, and a whole lot of problems.

Taking a deep breath, you puffed out your chest. Your confident expression stared back at you, but on the other side of that mirror you felt nothing but anxiety simmering the longer you stood there in silence.

"I might as well wait for Toji outside then." It was no use standing around in your room. The bed looked way too inviting as it only made you think of excuses not to go. You wouldn't let your bed get the best of you this time.

Walking down the stairs, you headed towards the entrance, petting your cat's furry head along the way. Upon opening the door, you were met with the sight of freshly layered snow. It was thin, barely half an inch thick, but it already had you feeling a little better with the anticipation of making a snowman with it once the days got colder. You remember there was a time when you used to do that with Toji.

God, you can't even reminisce about the past without Toji having some part in it.

You desperately needed to figure out how you were going to do this.

Last night was a bust. Not much progress was made besides the fact that Toji actually spoke to you for the first time in years. Not that he had much chance to do so sooner even if he wanted to, with you a couple hours away from home and all. But it was the bare minimum. Right now you needed a plan, and you needed to think of one fast.

Standing against the railing of your porch, you sorted through your thoughts. You're going to get picked up by Toji in less than 10 minutes. You'll ride in his car, pretend that everything's okay because it is, you'll buy whatever this party needs, and if it goes well you'll confront him on the ride back home. And that'll be the end of that.

Easy.

But when is anything ever easy when it comes to that man. Nothing. The answer has always been nothing.

This line of thought has you so deep into your own frustration that you don't even realize you've been ranting to your teddy bear backpack. Murmuring to it harshly, and rolling your eyes like you're gossiping with a friend about the latest dumb thing that happened on Twitter today.

And it's only when you see a black pickup truck from your peripheral vision pulling up, that you stare back at the bear in horror. Mind being snapped back to the present, and feeling embarrassed that you were seen like this. A man was causing you this much turmoil, that you've been complaining to a damn backpack about it.

Quickly putting your bag back on, you smoothed out your sweater dress. You really fucking hope he didn't see that.

Facing towards the driveway you paused. Your eyes widened, already in awe at the vehicle as you saw it more clearly up close.

The last car you saw Toji with was an old, red Toyota truck. It did it’s job, but definitely not without a couple repairs here and there every so often (that you may or may not have checked him out while he was doing so.) So seeing this new, shiny, black Chevy parked right outside the driveway was definitely an exciting upgrade. The wheels were lifted, making the body higher than its original design, and the windows were tinted midnight black, making it nearly impossible to see who was inside unless you stuck a cheek to the glass.

Overall it was big, and intimidating.

Just like him.

'Guess those freelancing jobs paid off then.’

*BEEP BEEP*

Jesus. You didn't even notice Toji had already parked. How long were you just staring at it for? If he started to honk at you, it must’ve been more than what society deemed normal.

Running up to the passenger side of the truck, albeit meekly, you stopped right in front of the door just as the tinted windows were being pulled down giving you a better view of the inside. There sat Toji on the other side, upper body turned and facing towards you with one hand still on the wheel.

Toji’s eyes almost popped out of his sockets at your appearance but it was quickly masked by a look of amusement.

"You busy daydreaming or what?"

Ignoring his remark, you placed your hands on the edge of the cold glass, peering up at him and around the interior.

“So, new truck huh?”

"Oh this? Yeah, got it not too long ago after receiving my payment for….from work."

You squinted your eyes in suspicion, noticing that he caught his words, but you weren't going to question it. No, you were going to let it go. You knew he wouldn’t tell you anything anyway, most likely just brushing it off as suddenly being hit with a stutter. He never spoke about his “overseas” jobs that he apparently racked up stacks of cash from, and despite him saying it was only freelancing work, you had a hunch it was something a lot shadier than that. You weren’t that dumb. Which is exactly why you weren’t going to ask.

Choosing to stay oblivious, you gave a compliment instead. "It's nice, Toji. Really."

You were about to open the door to get in and cut the small talk short (and because you’d rather bask in the in-system heating than out in the cold) but it wouldn’t budge. It was still locked. Why isn’t he unlocking the door?

Instead of unlocking the door for you like normal people do when picking up a person with their car, Toji isn't exactly someone you'd consider normal. Instead, Toji looked you up and down slowly as an awkward silence took over. You stood there rigid, allowing him to unashamedly undress you with his eyes. At least you think that's what he was doing. He’s being really bold today…does he seriously not plan to open this door?!

Your mind was running a mile per minute. You felt exposed, vulnerable, but you kind of liked the attention he was giving you right now. Especially since he hadn’t bothered to give you any last night. Not that you blame him. Looks like the effort you had put in, despite being rushed, was working, leaving him dumbstruck. You felt proud that you managed to have him speechless.

Unfortunately, your sudden boost in ego was quickly shut down.

"What the hell are you wearing?" Oh. Talk about anticlimactic.

"Huh? W-what do you mean?"

"I mean," He stood there, a single eyebrow raised, and vaguely gesturing to your form with his hand, "This."

Looking around to see if anyone else was witnessing this, you quirked your head in question. "What about it?"

"I know ya didn't just decide to go out looking like that when it's freezing out here. Go back upstairs and put some real clothes on." He looked at you sternly with a scowl etching onto the scarred side of his lip, arms crossing in front of his chest.

Was Toji actually scolding you right now? The nerve of this guy!

You hadn’t seen it right away, but after staring back at him in disbelief at what you were hearing, you noticed his own personal ensemble.

There’s no damn way…

Looking up and down at him as he had done to you just moments prior, you saw that he was wearing an unzipped puffer jacket with a hoodie underneath which was fine, you had no issues regarding that. The problem was what he was wearing below.

This man, who was condemning you on your sweater dress because it was apparently unfit for “freezing” temperatures, was wearing shorts and slides. At least he wore socks with it, if he hadn’t you think you may have actually gone back home and let him do the shopping himself.

You couldn’t help but let out a short laugh, but quickly shut up after seeing Toji wasn’t finding this as amusing as you were.

This was crazy.

Tilting your head to the side, you scrunch your nose in disbelief. “You’re telling me to put warmer clothes on, when you’ve got shorts and slides on?”

Toji was quick to counter. “It’s not the same, don’t compare it.”

“Yeah it is!”

“Look kid, I’m not gonna argue with ya. Either change your clothes, or stay home.”

That’s exactly what you want to do. But you know deep down you can’t, you already told yourself you had to sort things out with him. And the first step to that, is sorting this out.

‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ - - - - - - - - - - ୨♡୧ - - - - - - - - - -

After a couple pleading looks and adamant convincing of, 'I'm not cold!' 'I swear I'm fine. It doesn't even feel like winter out here!'

Toji relented. Letting out a sigh, shaking his head as he told you, 'Fine, whatever. But don’t come cryin’ at my feet when your stubborn ass gets sick and your mom gets mad at you.'

Now here you were, seated on the heated, brand new black leather seats of his Chevy after he finally gave in and unlocked the door, letting you in. You spent the trip with your head resting against the palm of your hand somberly, as you watched the scenery of snowy trees and other cars pass by.

The awkwardness throughout the entire car ride was at an all-time high. Higher than what it'd started out with earlier. You were both quiet; your brain a little less. Toji's disappointment regarding your attire was a total blow to your ego. You were just trying to look cute.

Not like it was meant for him anyway.

Is what you wanted to try convincing yourself in order to feel better, but really, you knew it was a lie.

As for Toji, that thought you had earlier about him ogling you? It was right on the money.

But he had to quickly save face by instead acting like a concerned adult worrying about the wellbeing of his innocent, young neighbor. If he was being honest, he didn’t give two shits about what you chose to wear. As long as it was for his eyes only.

Yes, he knew he’d hurt your feelings for telling you to go change. He understood that he was being overbearing and unreasonable especially after you brought up his own attire, but you had to understand. He physically couldn’t accept seeing you wearing an outfit that barely covered your ass like that in public when he should be the only one to see you looking like that. Yes, he was sick for looking at you that way and he knew that which is exactly why he needed you to cover up. Both so that no other creepy assholes (except himself) could see you that way, and because he doesn’t think he could control his thoughts about you for the next couple hours you have alone together. It’s why he had to shift in his seat a couple times. Though, you didn’t notice that.

This game you were playing with him? This seducing thing? With little skirts and shit, yeah it was doing something to him.

Maybe you haven’t changed as much as he thought. As they say, old habits die hard.

After about 15 more minutes of unspoken thoughts, you finally arrived at the store.

Why did you agree to do this again? Oh yeah, you didn't.

Unbuckling your seatbelt, you took a deep breath to try and regain your composure. Just focus on the task. Opening the door, you hopped down and out onto the recently snow-shoveled pavement with Toji following suit as he turned off the truck, taking the keys from the ignition and shutting the door behind him.

You could feel Toji’s burning gaze boring into your back as he walked behind you, keeping a slight distance between you and him but still enough that people could tell that you two came together. Entering into the store, you whipped out your phone, unlocking it and clicking on the notes app filled with a list of things you needed to get that your mom instructed you two to buy. You crossed your fingers hoping you could get all this done quickly and smoothly.

Obviously, life loves to humor you because things did not go smoothly.

Everything was going well at first, you scoured the aisles looking for streamers, fairy lights, pretty napkins, silver and white balloons, and whatever else was needed; putting it all into the basket that Toji was holding, still following you like a sort of puppy—or more like a guard dog with the menacing aura he carried around himself with every step he took.

Walking around you’d occasionally find something that caught your eye, tinkering around with the item for a couple seconds before putting it back down and walking over to the next intriguing thing—like a snow globe you found of a character you recognized filled with pink and white sparkly snow. You bet your ass you added that one to the basket. That hello kitty snow globe was a need, not a want. How something like that even found its way to a store like this was beyond you, but hey, you weren’t complaining.

You even found cute little hats while looking around and managed to get Toji to wear a pair of elf ears while you wore a Santa hat, telling him a silly joke about how he was Santa’s jolliest helper. That only earned you a huff, and roll of his eyes as he took off the ears and pulled the hat you wore down over your face, chuckling as he watched you make dramatics about how you were being suffocated despite being able to breathe perfectly fine.

Interacting like this with him gave you butterflies. You’d let him ruin your perfectly styled hair if it meant things were going back to the way they used to be between you both.

Everything was going fine.

You were actually having…fun. Which you hadn’t anticipated. You were so caught up about feeling like you were on thin ice with Toji, and though you still sort of felt that way, you felt ecstatic that things were beginning to feel normal. Like nothing even happened.

“Hmm, looks like the last thing on this list are more scented candles. Thought we already had some? Oh well.” You shrugged your shoulders. You think your own obsession with candles might have stemmed from your mom now that you think about it.

Toji leaned his body over your shoulder, looking down over your list himself at the check marked boxes except for one. You immediately stiffened up, not expecting him to get so close to you, and especially not for him to make body contact with you. You wish you didn’t have all these layers in the way. You internally shook the thought off before it could escalate. Now was not the time to be having these touched starved thoughts!

Pulling away from you, but still keeping close enough that you could feel the warmth radiating from his body, he put the basket down next to your feet. “Yeah, I saw a couple of those on the other aisle we passed by.”

“Oh good! One of us can get it. Stay here and I’ll quickly-“ Your suggestion didn’t even have a chance to reach the other end of Tojis ears before it got shut down.

“Nah, you stay here, and stay put while I grab it. And don’t go straying off you understand, kid?” Toji looked down at you, waiting for your answer. He’d rather not leave your side, especially since he didn’t trust that you wouldn’t get distracted by something and walk off like a lost mouse-but he tried to reason out in his head that it was only one item. He’d quickly get it and come back, and you’d still be there.

You weren’t going anywhere.

So why did he find it so hard to walk away from you? Must be some type of trauma he thinks.

Nodding your head, with a ‘Mhm! Promise. Not going anywhere. Nope, staying put.’ Toji searched your face to see if you were lying but decided you weren’t, and began jogging off towards another aisle in a different section of the store.

He couldn’t help but have a bad feeling about this as he looked over at all the scented candles, picking up the most expensive looking ones.

“S’not my money anyway..”

Maybe he should’ve just taken you along with him. It’s not like it would’ve caused the both of you any more hassle than going alone would. Shit. Something was gnawing at Toji to hurry the hell up and get back to you. As he briskly walked to the aisle where he had left you, he was met with something far worse than overpriced décor, and it had him seething.

There you were, face scrunched up, and looking highly uncomfortable as some random guy, around your age it seemed, was trying to flirt with you.

Keyword: Trying.

Toji didn’t know who this guy was but he knew damn well what was happening, and he wasn't going to let it slide. Not on his watch. That he wasn't even wearing. 

You hadn't noticed Toji's arrival yet. Still preoccupied with keeping calm and trying to ignore this random man that thought it would be chivalrous of himself to make comments about your body. Saying things about how he doesn't know why your man let you out like that, and if you were his bitch he wouldn't let you out his sight.

It's a good thing Toji wasn't there to hear any of that.

What Toji did hear as he was silently coming up behind the both of you, that almost made him run up and deck the guy in the nuts was when he leaned his body down exaggeratedly to look at your ass and said, "DAMN. That's more ass than…. I've seen….in a while!"

This prick didn't even know where the hell he was going with that line, but Toji sure knew where that guy was gonna end up if he tried it again.

At this point, you were more than ready to kick this guy in the balls, but you didn't want to anger him. Who knows what this guy has got going on in his head? He's harassing you at a decor store for fucks sake!

Before you were thinking about making a run for it to the direction of where Toji had gone, deeming your situation helpless without him; it seemed like someone finally answered your prayers because the moment you looked back, there he was standing right behind the both of you.

'How did I not notice him?? He's wearing slides for god sake! I should've heard the 'plip' 'plaps'!'

"The fuck are you doing?"

The guy was still leaning down when Toji spoke up. He was about to cuss out whoever this other guy was for interrupting his daily "I objectify women for fun" hobby, until he looked up. There Toji stood, 6'2, built like he was made for war, in his shorts and slides, holding candles, and a look so threatening etched onto his face, you think this guy may have almost shit his pants. If the audible gulp meant anything.

"O-oh fuck. Look sir, I was just admiring your hard work, very beautiful daughter you have here. Didn't realize…Sorry." The way he ran away was almost pitiful. Almost. But none of you had any pity for trash.

'Well that was quick', Toji thought. He assumed he might've had to light up this candle he was holding and choke him with it but it seems that wouldn't be happening today.

That's one less crime the authorities could pinpoint on him.

Turning his attention towards you, he asked if you were alright.

"Sort of…not really. Being objectified isn't exactly the greatest feeling…" Toji noticed the way you hugged your hands around yourself, most likely trying to cover up. Suddenly feeling too exposed for comfort despite attempting to brush the interaction off.

Maybe you should've listened to Toji earlier and changed your clothes to something more fitting for winter weather. Screw looking cute.

Though, the regret didn't have a chance to get very far because suddenly you were being brought back to the present.

"Lift your arms up."

Huh? "Wh- why?" The next thing he did nearly had your heart leaping out of your chest. Taking off his puffer jacket, he nudged your arms to lift up so he could help put it through the holes of the sleeves. After checking to make sure it was on properly, he zipped it up a bit more than halfway and patted you down in an effort to make you look a little bit less like the emo version of the Michelin Man.

"You gonna be okay?" You were still a little surprised at the gesture, especially since it was coming from him of all people, but you answered, "..Yeah. Yeah, I'll be okay."

"Good. Lemme finish paying for all this crap and I'll drop you off at your place."

Leading the way towards the cashier, he placed his large palm over your lower back and kept it there until your goods were paid for, and you were out the door.

Situating yourself on the seats of Toji's car, you couldn't help but feel a smile creep up on you, desperately trying to bite it back. You're wearing his coat.

He put his coat on you.

You think you could die of happiness right now. But, you'll save that for later. That whole fiasco that happened at the store still had your mood all sour. You really didn't want to go home yet. And as Toji began to pull out of the parking lot, you spoke up.

"Toji? I don't really feel like going home yet.."

"Yeah? Aight. We'll stop somewhere, I know a place."

Nodding your head, you mumbled a 'thanks', grateful that he took the hint and didn't try to argue with you or ask any questions. Toji can be empathetic when he wants to be sometimes.

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Apparently, when Toji said he 'knew a place', you didn't expect it to be…this.

"Cinnabon? Really?"

"What? You don't like their cinnamon buns? We can go someplace else if you don't want em.” 

You paused. Well, now that you were thinking about it…"Okay. Yeah. Yeah, I do like those."

“Besides,” Walking over to the counter to order, Toji got into line, “I remember ya telling me one time that you liked this place." 

He still remembers something like that? 

You didn’t answer. Instead you followed the nod of Toji’s head telling you to leave the ordering to him and to go find a table to sit at. Looking around, you saw that all the tables were already preoccupied. Damn. Walking back to Toji, you suggested ordering it to go and just finding some place else to sit at like that wooden bench you saw just outside the establishment, which he seemed to favor far more.

Leaving him to his vices, you exited the shop and went to sit outside on the storefront bench, patiently waiting for Toji to get back with your food. Looking around there was still a thin sheet of snow covering some areas of the pavement, most having melted throughout the day or driven over by now. Yet it seemed as though the temperature had no plans of rising as you breathed out a puff of steam, remaining at its crisp, nearly frosty condition. It felt peaceful.

The few minutes of alone time you had to yourself was the most silence your brain has allowed itself to be in within the 24 hours of Tojis reintroduction into your life. 

The oversized puffer jacket you still had on made those hours feel shorter by reminding you of just how much "excitement" had managed to happen—you bet you looked silly as hell with it engulfing your frame, but you couldn't find it in you to care about that at this moment. Especially since it was serving its purpose of protecting you against the cold that you found yourself surrounded by as you sat there waiting.

Leaning back against the wood, you felt something hindering you from going all the way. Your teddy bear backpack. You forgot you even had it on as it was hidden underneath the coat Toji had quickly put on you. Yeah, you must've looked really stupid. Fighting back a grimace and ignoring the fact for your own peace of mind, you went to remove the coat. Leaving it piled behind you on the bench as you took off your bag, placing it onto your lap. 

Reaching into your bag, you took out your trusty emergency makeup kit. Wouldn't hurt to do a quick touch up… Looking over in the direction of the sudden sound of a bell being rung, you peered over to your left to see that it was just someone stepping foot out the shop with a cup of what looked to be hot chocolate. 

'Hopefully Toji get's back soon.'

Focusing back on the task at hand, you clicked open a compact inspecting the state of the way you looked with the mirror. The sight that greeted you brought out a breath of relief. Not a single thing out of place. But just in case, you patted on a little bit of powder for good measure, and reapplied your clear lipgloss so the cold air could struggle to nip at your lips. 

After assessing what needed to be assessed, you put your pouch back into your bag and immediately piped up at the sound of the door chiming again. You couldn't help but do a small cheer as you saw that it was finally Toji approaching you, carrying a bag containing your icing drenched cinnamon bun, a hot drink of some sort, and a bottle of water. 

Handing you your food and drink, you thanked him and immediately dug in once it was within your grasp. Taking a bite, a bit of steam emitted from the warm and gooey bun melting on your tongue, flooding your taste buds with a mix of sweet and nutty spice. Damn, you were a lot hungrier than you thought. But you suppose that's due to having skipped breakfast in the morning. Stuffing more into your mouth, your eyes met Toji's to see him already sitting beside you and looking down at you, snickering.

"Hwat?" The question came out muffled from your cheeks being stuffed like a squirrel.

He looked off to the side for a second, still snickering before he answered, "Nothin." 

Swallowing your food down harshly, you pouted with your brows scrunched together and took notice that you were the only one eating. 

"How come you didn't get yourself one?"

He deadpanned. "I don't want diabetes." 

"Right…of course not…" Such a Toji answer, you thought.

It felt a little weird to be the only one eating, but he kept refusing everytime you asked if he was absolutely sure he didn’t at least want a bite. It was silent between you two except for the occasional slurp of your drink, and you think Toji noticed it too because suddenly he started conversing with you, catching up a little bit on how the both of you have been.

"So kid, how's the university life been treatin' ya?"

"Hm? Oh uhm, it's been alright I guess." You shrugged, fork still in hand.

"Just alright? Sounds pretty lackluster to me."

"It is." You sighed. 

"You tellin' me you don't, what- party? Or done those weird cultist initiations you kids do at sororities." 

"Yeah…no. I'm too busy actually studying most of the time. I've been to like 2-ish? parties, but that's about it. And sororities? You couldn't possibly pay me to join one of those.” You’ve heard one too many stories of premature deaths being caused by sororities. You didn’t particularly feel like gambling your chances. Plus, you weren’t really into the whole sisterhood-brotherhood thing, too weird.

As the conversation progressed between your frankly unexciting school life, Toji recalled some neighborhood fiasco that happened while you were away. 

"...Then this kid's boyfriend starts beating up the guy that tried to take her purse."

"No way! This really happened in our neighborhood? Where like.. nothing ever happens?" To think that a crime had actually happened in the most safest, suburban of neighborhoods that you lived in for your whole life and you weren't there to witness it.

"I'm tellin' ya it was set up to make himself look good. A robbery in broad daylight? In this neighborhood? Bullshit."

"Why does all the exciting shit always happen when I'm not around?" You whined, sighing out your disappointment.

Closing the box to your nearly finished cinnamon bun and placing it beside you on the bench, you suddenly remembered something. 

"By the way! My mom told me you have a son? How come you never mentioned him to me before?"

And just like that, Tojis brows immediately furrowed as if the question was one he hadn't expected to be asked, especially not coming from you. Leaning forward with a grunt, he rested an elbow on his knee, propping a palm under his chin as he proceeded to look at you with the most dramatically bored expression you’ve ever seen on someone's face- one that rivaled even yours.

It screamed, ‘let's get this shit over with.’

"You never asked. Besides, why you askin' about him now?" 

You noticed the way his mood instantly changed after mentioning him but...it was probably nothing right?

Regardless, he didn't seem to be exactly… excited at the mention of his son, so you treated lightly with your next words. “Well, my mom is telling me that I should start looking for a good boy to date and she mentioned your son.” 

He laughed out in disbelief. “Gumi? That boy? Ha, good luck with that. He wouldn’t know the first thing on how to treat a girl.” 

He couldn’t treat you the way I could. Is what he wanted to say. 

Awkwardly you answered, “Well… anyway, I don't think he even goes to my Uni…I think. So it wouldn't really be an option.” 

Toji stayed silent. 

The sudden uncomfortable silence that took over had you overthinking all over again. 

What's wrong? Does he have a bad relationship with his son? Is that why he looks irritated? Should I ask? No. He might get more irritated. Shit. Okay, subject change.

Slamming your hands onto your thighs a little too hard in an attempt to calm your nerves, the sound seemed to catch Tojis attention. Snapping him out of whatever trance he was in, and back to his usual demeanor.

You rubbed your arms out of awkwardness. “Sooo, yeah. Sucks, I wasn't there to witness a fraudulent act of chivalry right in my own neighborhood."

Toji was thankful you moved on from the topic of his son, he didn’t want to think of that little squirt right now. 

But then it got him wondering…

"You ever had a boyfriend before?" 

The question surprised you a little. Okay maybe a lot. You didn't think he'd be even remotely interested in your love life. 

"No… I've never had one." While there was no shame in not having had a significant other at your age, still you couldn't help but feel embarrassed admitting it to Toji.

Toji raised a brow in suspicion. "You sure you're staying clear of boys?" 

This behavior he was exhibiting was starting to confuse the hell out of you. First he scolds you on your attire this morning, and now he's interrogating you on your love life? He was being way overprotective, almost acting as a parent, and it was seriously beginning to make you feel hopeless. 

You nodded. "Yes, Toji. I'm not interested in college guys. They don't know what they're doing,"

That answer seemed to be good enough for Toji, but to both his and your utter surprise you continued, "But I've done other things."

Straightening his back up against the wooden bench in interest, Toji beckoned you to continue on. Truth be told, he didn't want to hear you talking about boys. Just the thought of you with some dumbass little boy made him irrationally bothered. But there was one thing itching at him to ask. 

One thing he simply had to know.

"Oh yeah?"

"Just casual stuff. Nothing serious.."

Toji hummed. It was cute how you were beating around the bush about whatever 'things' you've done. He'll humor you this time around.

"We talkin' the 'clothes on' type of stuff?"

"Well…not exactly.." 

Your lack of elaboration following your answer made Toji egg you on further.

"Don't start gettin' all shy on me now. Let me take a guess, this has somethin' to do with how you mentioned that college boy's don't know what they're doing, yeah?

And like clockwork, the words proceeded to flow past the tip of your tongue without a second thought.

"Remember how I also mentioned earlier that I've gone to only a few parties? Well at one of those parties, I got left alone by my friends in favor of hooking up with some guys they thought were hot." 

"Sounds like some shitty friends." 

You grunted. "Tell me about it. Anyways, here I am, sitting alone on this couch that's thankfully only mildly sticky from whatever wasted student had spilled their drink on top of it, and this guy sits right next to me. We talk, things happen, and we find an empty room."

Toji hums, signaling to you that he's still listening.

Immediately, irritation is apparent on your face by the way your eyes narrow as you recall the memory. "He puts his hands in my pants and this dumbass can't for the life of him find where my clit is and is just rubbing around. Then he has the nerve to ask if I came yet!? Bitch I'm not even moaning!"

Toji nods, intently listening to your rant. Biting back his amusement at your outburst.

"And the same fuckin thing happens again except with a different guy I had been seeing for less than a week. Except—get this, he asks me what a clit is. Like are you for real!?"

Taking a deep breath, you tried channeling your nerves. "So that's that. College boy's don't know where the clit is—hell, they don't even know of its existence." 

Slumping your shoulders, you kicked at the tiny stones on the cement with your shoe. 

"It's why I've never gone further than that." 

If you were being honest, even if those guys did know their way around a woman's body, you don't think you could find it within yourself to stick around for it. You already knew what your mind was banging against your skull to say. Deep down, somewhere in the backrooms of your brain, you know it's because of Toji. It's always been him; the man you're still holding out for. Hoping he'd be the one to take your virginity. 

Whatever. It was a pipe dream anyway. And you definitely weren't going to tell him that.

Speaking of telling him…

‘Why did you tell him all that!? Why did you have to run your mouth!!’

You stammered out an apology. The gravity of what you just up and confessed dawned on you, leaving you a cringing mess from within.

"I-I'm sorry…I don't even know why im telling you all this-"

Toji is quick to dismiss the apology. Truth be told, he was delighted to hear that you were still a virgin.

“Don't worry bout it’. It's nothing to be embarrassed of.

“I mean yeah…but still…”

Turning to face you, Toji placed his hand gingerly upon your thigh, giving it a light squeeze in what you assumed to be an attempt at reassurance or maybe it was comfort? You couldn't really tell, you just knew that the warmth of it felt nice.

“Listen, if I’m tellin’ you that being a virgin is nothin’ to be ashamed of, then its not. Look at it this way, you ain’t a teen mom, something not many can say nowadays.” He shrugged.

He kind of had a point. Though his comforting skills were kind of ass.

“Yeah..okay. Thanks for listening then.”

“No problem.” 

You thought after your little rant the atmosphere would return to its awkward state as it seems that's how it had been every time you spoke with Toji—yet oddly enough, it felt like you had somehow managed to get closer to him by opening up about your struggles. 

Suddenly feeling a spout of hunger befall you once more, you took the last remaining bite of your cinnamon bun, slowly licking off the icing that had gotten smeared onto your lips. 

Toji eyed the action intently, internally shaking a head at himself. 

‘This little minx..’  but before you could make eye contact he abruptly withdrew his hand, fishing a phone out his pocket and checking the time. Huh, you hadn't even noticed his hand had still been on you.

“It's already almost 4, think it's time to call it a day.”

With a sound of surprise, you rose up from your seat, closing the box once more as you watched Toji stand up from his own spot, already patting on his pockets for the car keys. 

You hadn't even noticed that much time had gone by.

“Thanks again for the cinnamon buns and of course, for listening.” 

Toji only hummed in acknowledgement.

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The ride home was spent surrounded by the sounds of muffled radio chatter, ever so slightly noticeable with the engine of the truck at a constant thrum. The sun surprisingly hadn't gone down yet as it typically would have on any other winter day and you made sure to thank your lucky stars for those few more minutes of sunlight.

On the other hand, you couldn't help but feel sad. You didn't want the day to end yet, especially not when progress had been made between the two of you. Then it hit you, progress had been made. While you didn't actually confront him about what had transpired on that faithless day, it was still worth celebrating. 

Baby steps are still steps after all. 

And the more you thought about it, it began to occur to you that today…today kinda felt like a date. In a messed up sense. To others this would've been a failure of a day, but to you? You were elated.

‘Maybe now's my chance to talk to him about what happened back then.’

Sitting up just a little bit straighter in your seat, you turned your head to face Toji, contemplating on the right words to say to him. Just when you were on the verge of starting your sentence, Toji’s phone suddenly began to ring, vibrating atop the center console. 

Without bothering to check who was calling him, Toji answered the phone, putting it on speaker. Nothing to be worried about anyway, probably some scammer giving Toji his routine call.

“Yo, what’s up?”

Without a second to waste, a feminine voice practically cried from the other end.

“Tojiiii, baby it’s been so long, when are you coming over?? You know I miss you-” 

Before this unknown lady could hope to finish her sentence, she was abruptly hung up on–courtesy of Tojis hand flying to take the call off speaker, fumbling for a good second only to ultimately end the call for good measure.

Clearing his throat, Toji continued to keep his eyes focused on the road ahead. Can't be having you both end up in a car crash right? 

“Sorry about that, that was… just one of my old close friends.”

“Uh huh. Ya’ll must've been real close.”

Toji ignored the snark.

“Anyways, go ahead, what were you saying?” 

“I…wasn’t saying anything.”

Thankfully the call was received just minutes short of arriving at your home. Pulling into the driveway, the truck on neutral, you waited a few seconds to see if Toji would say anything more. He didn’t.

Holding back a shaky sigh, you unbuckle your seatbelt and exited the vehicle, opening the passenger side to pick up the bags of decor that you went to buy in the first place.

“Wait, let me help ya out-” Toji last minutely interjected as he turned his body over in his seat to face you.

“No need. I already got it.” Picking up the last bag (thankfully they weren’t very heavy), you slammed the passenger door shut. You contemplated giving Toji a proper farewell bidding but with the way you were feeling right now? You didn’t want him to see the ache painted in your eyes. Instead, you continued walking down the shoveled path and up the steps to your house, fishing the keys out from your keychain and unlocking the door, closing it behind you.

Kicking your shoes off and slipping some slippers onto your feet, you laid the bags over the kitchen counter letting whoever discovered them first deal with the contents inside as you made your way up the stairs to your room, plopping onto your bed face first.

You nearly teared up at your own naivety.

Holy shit. ‘I’m so stupid.’ Was all you could think of as the booty call Toji had received replayed in your mind. This wasn’t any new information on Toji that you hadn’t already known about yet it hurt so bad. 

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On the other hand, Toji couldn’t help but feel the same way. When he saw you safely get back into your home, he shifted gears to reverse, pulling out the driveway and driving back to his own place. 

Closing his eyes for a moment, he pulled out his phone from the cup holder it fell into amidst his struggle to end the call earlier and proceeded to call them back.

One ring was all it took for them to answer, and one second was all it took for Toji to cut them off before they could say anything more.

“Don’t fuckin’ call me again, understand? Good. Now, fuck off.” Hanging up before she could respond or attempt to call back like an idiot, he blocked her.

Letting out a rather loud groan of irritation, he gripped the steering wheel with both hands in indignation, letting his head fall as he could feel a headache coming on.

“Fuck.”

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Laying on your bed disappointed, you curled up thinking about the events that transpired earlier. The whole trip felt like an actual date—up until that call anyway. It was probably the worst way the day could have ended. Your bad luck was unimaginable.

“I need to find myself a four leaf clover or something at this point…”

Honestly, you didn't want to get out of bed. You wanted to lay down and wilt like a flower that never gets any sunlight. Stuffing your face into your arm, it occured to you that you were still wearing Toji’s jacket. 

“Maybe I should stop trying to go after someone who’ll never like me back…” You mumbled to yourself, sitting up and throwing the coat towards the nearest chair it could land on.

Were you really this delusional? You saw the way he was looking at you—you shook your head, trying not to overthink it. 

‘I guess I had the wrong idea.’

Feeling defeated, you knew if you wanted to continue moping about this, you’d have to do it after a shower; lest you end up skipping your skincare routine leaving you with another thing to sulk about.

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You couldn’t sleep.

Restless, you tossed and turned trying to find that sweet spot that would have you suddenly waking up to the birds singing. Come the fuck on..! I just want to sleep, dammit!

Grunting, it seemed no matter where you tried to place yourself within the comfort of your sheets and plethora of pillows engulfing you, you just couldn’t seem to knock yourself out.

Only one option left.

Slipping a hand underneath the blanket, you let your fingers wander across your skin. Giving each of your tits a soft squeeze under your shirt as you slowly began to relax, sighing in content at a teasing roll of your bud, slowly hardening at your touch. 

Growing tired of the teasing and beginning to feel heavy with need, you ran a finger down your panties, keeping it firmly pressed against your slit as you slowly raised your hips up and down in tandem with your middle finger, rubbing yourself over the cotton material. You could feel yourself getting hotter, wetter. A small, sticky patch of your own arousal seeping through the garment as you finally had enough, moving your panties to the side and making contact with your sickened clit. You wasted no time in parting your lips with your pinky and index, and letting both your middle and ring finger draw tight circles over your bundle of nerves. Immediately settling into a steady rhythm that was sure to have you quickly coming undone. 

As your breathing picked up, so did the small whimpers escaping through your lips. You tried your best to stay as quiet as possible, but fuck was it hard when all you wanted to do was mewl out a certain someones name, imagining it was him playing with your pussy like this. 

Toji. 

Even just sounding his name out in your head had you bucking your hips against the friction you were creating. His large, warm hand stuffed down your panties, and cupping your pussy from behind while rubbing at the entire expanse of your puffy cunt messily. Fast. Drenching his palm in your juices. Wondering what it'd feel like to have his long, fat fingers plunge into you as your own currently probes at your clenching hole, dipping in slightly only to take it back out. It didn't feel—wouldn't feel nearly as good unless it were his. 

You felt so close. Your fingers were starting to ache as you exerted them, moving it against your swollen clit quicker than before. It started to hurt, but the feeling of adrenaline rushing through you to finish made your brain block it out, replacing it with the endorphins of white hot pleasure that you anticipated to burst at any minute now. 

You clamped your legs around your hand, curling into your side like a ball. You wanted to stop, it was too much. But you were so fucking close. Your shaky whines were no longer being held back, eyes squeezed shut and the side of your face pressed against your pillow muffling it as best you could to prevent it from being heard outside. 

Just a little more…

Come on come on come on..! Your hand wouldn't stop unless your body reached its peak, only increasing in its pace. Holding your breath, the sound of your palpating heart was deafening as you continued letting out harsh pants.

You felt the familiar feeling of your lower abdomen tightening, coiling up and finally bursting like a dam. Your toes curled up as you threw your head back further into the pillow, unable to stop the sudden cry of Toji’s name that accidentally slipped out from your parched mouth at the pressure of your orgasm rushing over you like a tidal wave.

Before you could bask in your post orgasmic bliss, Toji bursts through your door. The fucking man himself. In the flesh..?

In a panic, you pull your stiff hand away from between your legs as if it were scalding hot oil, grasping the blanket up towards your chin to cover what you’d just been essentially caught doing.

“Heard you screamin’ my name out, sweetheart.” 

You’d think any normal reaction to being intruded on by the person you were just fantasizing about would be to first ask some questions—yet there you laid calm as a cucumber, watching as he inched closer to you.

Toji smirked. “Don’t start gettin’ all shy on me now. Let me hear you scream my name again for me.”  

You don’t know how he got to you so quickly but Toji was already slipping his hand under the covers towards your pussy, finding it slick and sticky from your high, smearing it all over as he ran his fingers up and down your sensitive slit. 

Retracting his hand back from underneath, he relished in the way your arousal stuck to his fingers like a spider's web as he spread them out, glistening against the soft lighting of your suddenly oddly hazy looking room.

Fueled with newfound urgency, Toji threw the covers off of you, yanking your body up to stand on the floor as you both made your way towards your vanity, back hitting the edge of it as you steadied yourself against Toji's chest. It was all moving too quickly. Too fast. Before you could stop to process your surroundings properly, Toji’s large hand hastily groped your tits as his other fingers that were touching on your pussy earlier prodded at your mouth to open. Without a word, you wrapped your lips around them like a good girl, sucking—tasting yourself before he removed them in order to turn you around. 

Just then, you realized you both were naked as Toji lifted one of your legs up onto the vanity, dragging his wet fingers over his cock as he moved to align it with your dripping hole. You couldn't form a thought. As if on autopilot. Only the unbridled, desperate need to have Toji in you remained.  

No. Scratch that. You felt your own thoughts before you could form them, as if it weren’t your own. It definitely was though. You don’t think anyone could too how fucking badly you wanted this man. Now he was finally about to fuck you? You may as well have been the luckiest woman on planet earth.

And as you begin to feel the sensation of Toji's cock about to enter you—confirming that notion, the door to your room bursts open again.

Wait.

“Wake up.”

What?  

“Wake up!”

Is that my fucking cat talking!?

“WAKE UP!”

Groggily opening your eyes, you're met with early winter sun seeping through your thin curtains, casting a hazy glow into your room. You hear birds singing.

“What the hell was that…” Stretching the sleep out of your limbs, you noticed your hand was still situated inside your panties. 

You closed your eyes, trying to recall your dream. “So half of that was real?” Well, up until Toji bursted into your room, you suppose. And when your cat spoke up telling you to wake the fuck up. 

Ugh.

Sitting up, you rubbed your eyes, leaning over the bedside to pull your diary sitting on your nightstand towards your lap. You had to write this shit down. 

‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎- - - - - - - - - - ୨♡୧ - - - - - - - - - -

After jotting down as much as you could recall from the dream without mixing it up with what you were actually getting up to in real life, you left the diary on the same vanity dream version Toji almost dicked you down on. 

Throughout the day, you couldn’t stop thinking about Toji. Hell, your feelings for him increased tenfold just from that measly dream alone. You don't know if it's solely your dreams doing that made you feel like you suddenly had a genuine chance with him but fuck it. 

You thought about the events of yesterday and recalled when he grasped your thigh. That couldn’t have just been nothing right? The way he eyed your lips too as you licked icing off them. He didn't think you noticed, but you did. Of course you did. It was on purpose after all. 

And the icing on the cake? When you brought up his son, Megumi. You didn't want to assume anything but you could've sworn you sensed jealousy swimming in those green eyes of his. How ironic.

Shit, maybe you do have a chance with Toji after all. All he needs is a little push.

With all the evidence stacked up in your favor, you knew you had to devise a plan.

A plan on how to seduce your neighbor.

You giggled to yourself. 

“Mama chose a thought daughter.”

© SUGUCIDAL 2024 — All rights reserved. Do not copy, modify, or redistribute my work without permission.

[bratbarzal]

On Your Side (NH13) / Chapter Four

Pairing: Nico Hischier x Fem!OC Poppy Jensen*

*I say it's an OC, it's just a name and third person POV. I use minor character descriptions because I don’t get on with writing vague reader inserts/YN for long-form, story heavy fics, but I will generally try to avoid including race and body type or really any physical descriptors. I’m always open to feedback on my writing, or how to be more inclusive.

WC: 10k

18+ MDNI!!

Chapter Warnings: (rushed) smuT!! with the hardest possible T on the end. (finally!!) as if it isn't only chapter four but also this is an accidental pregnancy fic so whatever fingering, oral (both receiving just not simultaneously lmao), heavy petting, (unprotected) p in v (like protection isn't even thought about or mentioned pls I beg be more responsible than this lmao), some admirable displays of endurance honestly, there's a random joke about jumping in front of a car sorry idek how else to write that warning, aaaaaand nico being... an idiot perhaps? he's a man after all, poor decisions are written into the very core structure of his chromosomes unfortunately

Summary: Poppy Jensen’s job with the New Jersey Devils was supposed to be her first big step into adulthood - a way to prove to herself and her overbearing parents that she could make her own way in life. She was never supposed to become involved with any of the players. Becoming best friends with their captain was stupid. Getting her heart broken by him was tragic. Getting knocked up with his child was just plain messy.

Series Masterlist

Previous Part (Chapter Three)

A/N: I'll just let yous crack on this time no yapping on my end hope you like it lmao (but I must say, as always, never proofread)

if you do wanna yap, if you have any feedback you wanna share or criticisms or whatever, my inbox is always open!! 💓

Poppy

Nia: !!! 

Nia: 🚨CODE BLACK 🚨 

Nia: !!!

Poppy wouldn’t usually be the type to sit on her phone at the table in a restaurant, but desperate times had called for desperate measures, and she would say being made to wait 10 minutes with no response to any messages on what was supposed to be a first date counted as desperate times.

She had been flicking through instagram stories, hoping to catch a sneaky glimpse at the guy she wanted to be the cause of her cell’s incessant vibrations, but to no avail so far.

She had been picking at bread rolls and sipping at her water, tapping on her screen every 30 seconds to check when fifteen minutes had passed, and she would have been able to up and leave without feeling bad about it. Would have been able to tell her mom that she had at least made an effort, unlike Mr Evidently Not-So-Perfect Tucker Lyon.

But who needs fifteen courteous minutes when you have a best friend like Nia Auden. 

Nia, who had introduced the Code Black protocol to their friend group when they were teenagers, and who had stressed the severity of it to everyone. Never to be abused, always to be used for the ultimate good.

When they were younger, the two of them specifically had abused it a couple times - to get out of presentations in class, bad dates, or dinners with overbearing parents. 

Nia had once sent Poppy a Code Black text when her dad had thrown some boring party in the family home, and there usually would have been nothing in the world that would have gotten Poppy out of it - but a text from her best friend, who’s parents were out of town, and who desperately needed someone to drive her to the emergency room after she sliced her finger opening a tuna can, had Mr Jensen agreeing in seconds. His heartstrings had been thoroughly plucked by the story of the fake injury and the thought of that poor girl sitting in Norwood Emergency Care on her own with half a finger left. Poppy had only just managed to convince him he didn’t need to help, and the two of them spent the evening binge watching Gilmore Girls in Nia’s basement, concocting a plan for Nia to wear a finger bandage for the next few weeks if she was coming over.

The contingency had been entirely pointless, obviously, because Poppy’s dad was hardly ever around enough to notice such a small detail, back then. And, despite her mother having the perception levels of a hawk, Mrs Jensen cared too little about Nia to notice, either.

In instances like that, the use of the code was mostly pre-planned. The girls would complain about whatever it is they wanted to get out of until one of them suggested it, and it was always a case of waiting for the incoming text without seeming too obvious. But her and Nia hadn’t agreed to this. Not this time.

Sure, she’d droned on earlier in the day about how much she didn’t want to go on the date, but Nia wouldn’t usually go rogue - especially not with a Code Black. This kind of thing takes preparation and a pre-warning.

Poppy: what’s up?

Poppy: you okay???

She had remembered Nia’s plans for the evening - taking a potential client out for drinks, showing them the wonders of the better side of the Hudson River, and hoping that she can charm them into signing with her agency - trying to work her way up the ranks of podcast production until she can hopefully get a job in television or film.

Nia: I’ve just witnessed the saddest sight I’ve ever seen in all my 25 years.

Nia: need to share out the misery before I let it consume me 😢 

Attached to her messages was a pixelated picture, taken from across whatever bar she had found herself in. It was blurry, and bad quality, taken in poor lighting and zoomed in the whole way but Poppy was still able to make out who it was. All too reminiscent of the pictures Jack had sent her a week prior.

Nico, sat alone at a bar, chin in the palm of one hand and a drink in the other.

Nia: he’s about as subtle as a smack to the face, Pop.

Nia: moping and brooding for all of NJ to see

Poppy: this is your code black?

Poppy: six exclamation points and two blaring alarms for nico moping again?

Nia: this doesn’t look like an emergency to you?

Nia: you’ve broken the poor guy

Poppy: why is it always my fault? 😢 

Poppy: you told me to make him sweat??

Nia: he looks like he’s one drink away from throwing himself in front of oncoming traffic

Poppy: wow dramatic much?

Nia: you haven’t seen him in person

Nia: in fact I think I just saw him wipe away an actual tear

Nia: how sad ☹️ 

Poppy: nico doesn’t cry in public

Poppy: only in private to movies about dogs

Nia: your date is clearly going well for you to be replying so quick

Poppy: he didn’t turn up

Nia: stfu

Nia: how rude!!

Poppy: it’s whatever

Poppy: can you tell nico I’m omw so he stops sulking?

Nia: no but I can bully him until you get here 🥰

Poppy: go easy on him pls 🙏 

Nia: 🤷🏽‍♀️

—

Nia was right. Nico is about as subtle as a smack to the face. The kind where the sound of it silences the rest of a room, and the imprint of closed fingers comes out almost immediately into the recipient’s skin surrounded by a hot, burning redness that lingers long after it’s done.

It’s something Poppy had realised as soon as she saw him when she got to the bar, as soon as he saw her, and he couldn’t wait to get to her - leaving Pally with his mouth wide open, mid sentence as Nico ejected himself from whatever one-sided conversation his teammate was having to seek her out.

She’d realised it when they were alone, and he practically had to cuff his hands behind his back to stop himself from touching her, unintentionally making a show of his attempt at restraint. Or when he’d pressed the stiff outline of his evident arousal into her hip, making a show of the complete opposite.

And when Timo had interrupted the two of them, the sharp clench of Nico’s jaw and the whitening of his knuckles by his sides.

Subtlety is far from Nico’s strong suit.

Not when he’s burning holes into the back of his teammate and long-time friend’s head when Timo returns to the group, not when he’s initially giving tight-lipped smiles whenever anyone asks if he’s alright, or mentions that he seems a little out of sorts.

Not when his hand takes up permanent residence on the small of Poppy’s back, and he absentmindedly rubs random shapes into her flesh as the two of them converse with the team. Although, she doesn’t entirely mind that aspect.

Not when she had initially thought he might act the opposite - might keep his distance, pretend their back of the bar rendezvous hadn’t happened and refuse to get too close out of a fear someone might notice something between them. 

He hasn’t left her side for almost two hours now, and she quite likes the quietly possessive stance he has taken up beside her. 

She quite likes a lot about how he has been tonight.

Likes the attention and affections he gives her, likes the way he clues her in on conversations she otherwise would have no business being involved in, likes the way he lets her see little parts of himself she hadn’t got to really see before - not this fully, at least.

Like how he leads his team with gentle authority, wanting to make sure they’re having fun, looking after themselves, not letting their loss from the previous night dampen the joy from the win the night before that. Not caring that they are in fact supposed to be out celebrating him, and knowing that with a short break until their next game, they all deserve to let loose a little. He checks in on everyone, recalls little details she doesn’t know how he juggles in his mind with everything else he has going on, and she can’t help but lack subtlety herself in the way she admires how he deals with Jack.

Nico, who is soft spoken, but assertive, seemingly shy, but comfortingly confident, handles the younger boy with such care it makes Poppy’s heart thud rampantly in her chest.

Jack had suffered a knock to his shoulder in their game against Chicago on the Friday - had missed the game against the Canucks, missed the game against his brother, the whole Hughes-Bowl extravaganza - and is now stressing over missing his first time co-captaining a team during the All-Star weekend at the end of the month.

And Nico somehow manages to calm him down - taking his time to let Jack air out his grievances and coming back on every worry to diminish it with words of affirmation and encouragement.

Nico is reassuring, gentle, understanding of his frustrations, and as they sit across from Jack in a darkened booth, a couple hours after their encounter in the hallway, a few drinks deep into the evening, she starts to think she’s never been this attracted to another person in her life.

With their legs pressed together under the table and his hand, the one that lays free when he uses his other to gesture as he talks, rubbing gently into the flesh just above her closest knee, she’s starting to lose her mind just a little.

She hadn’t been able to stop herself in the empty hallway before from launching herself at him, but 4 days of no contact with Nico had her entire body buzzing with anticipation.

Anticipation of his feelings, of her own feelings, even, and what they could lead to if she just let them take the reins.

Twice they had kissed now - twice her whole world had been rocked off it’s axis with just the press of his lips to hers, and as she’s been pressed to him for the better part of two hours, has watched the indent of his dimples form into his cheek, watched his dark eyes gleam under the poor lighting in the bar, watching him laugh and smile and be his charming, charismatic self, she starts to feel a pressure rise within her. It’s like she’s a shaken up bottle of soda, and one more touch, one more glance, is going to twist the cap straight off of her until she fizzes all over the place.

And when Jack dismisses himself to get another drink, his mood seemingly lifted, able to crack a smile, at least, she leans into Nico, hand on his lap as she cranes her neck to speak into his ear. “I think I’m good to get out of here, now.”

She only just manages to jut her chin away when his head turns to look at her, tongue darting out to wet his lips, dark eyes dashing down to survey her own tucked between her teeth. “Oh yeah?” His voice is a lot lower than it had been when he spoke to Jack, huskier, breathier, and the deep hum of it rings all the way from her ears to the pit of her stomach. “You want me to take you home?”

She nods, and it takes every ounce of restraint she has not to kiss him again, in the middle of the crowded bar, surrounded by all their friends - especially with the way he’s looking at her, his darkened gaze pooling with pure unadulterated lust.

“Let me grab my jacket and we can go.”

“I’m gonna say bye to Nia.”

He squeezes lightly at her thigh as a confirmation before edging out of the booth and lending her a hand to help her out. “I’ll come find you.”

Nia isn’t too hard for Poppy to find, having joined the group in their private section, bringing her hopeful clients along with her and introducing them to the team. She’s stood with John Marino and Nate Bastian when Poppy comes over, and her best friend looks at her with the smuggest grin she’s ever seen in her life.

“Finally broke free of Captain Sexy’s clutches, huh?”

Poppy wishes, not for the first time, she would stop calling him that, especially in front of other people.

“Nico’s gonna make sure I get home okay,” Poppy tells her best friend, immediately cringing at the hollers that break out beside her. 

“Ooh, I bet he is,” John scoffs, nudging Bass in the side, the two of them grinning almost as wide as Nia.

Nate wolf-whistles, before singing, “Poppy and Nico, sitting in a tree-,”

“Whatever word you’re thinking about spelling out,” she hooks a finger pointedly at John, cutting the two of them off before they can carry on whatever childish rhyme they could come up with between them, “Save it before I spare the world of any future mini-Marinos.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he salutes, “A little early to be heading out though, isn’t it, Poppy?”

“Some of us have work tomorrow,” she smiles, regardless of the fact that she doesn’t have to go to work until she has a meeting in the afternoon - but these two don’t need to know the semantics, “I’m just borrowing Nia for a sec.”

She drags her friend a safe distance away so the two of them can’t eavesdrop, and tries to ignore her lack of subtlety when she sings, “F-u-c-k-i-n-g.”

“Don’t stoop to their level, Ni,” she sighs, rolling her eyes despite the stuttering of her heart, and holds her hand out to retrieve the purse she had left with her when she’d first come into the bar. “You’re better than that.”

“What? It’s catchy,” Nia shrugs, hazel eyes slowly assessing Poppy as if trying to read her like a book. “And you’re so trying to get laid tonight. Don’t think I don’t know what the two of you were up to when you disappeared into the back, before."

“Whatever.”

“Hey, do me a favour?” Nia asks, reaching into Poppy’s purse for her phone and holding down the side buttons until the device powers down. “Don’t turn that back on until tomorrow.”

Poppy doesn’t even have to ask. She has a sixth sense for her mother’s interference, and she just knows she’s been blowing up her phone all night with questions. Nia is right, she doesn’t need to dedicate any precious mind space to that tonight.

Tonight is for her and Nico, whatever may happen.

“You don’t have to ask me twice,” Poppy lets out an uneasy laugh, allowing for Nia to zip the cell back into her bag before stepping away ever so slightly. “I’ll text you as soon as it’s back on, though.”

“Damn right you will.” Nia scoffs, leaning in to give Poppy a quick hug, “I want every last detail, Jensen.”

“Sure thing, Auden.”

“Have fun, Poppy, I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

The two friends part with a quick peck to the cheek, and Poppy retreats in search of Nico, who she finds by the bar, eyes meeting from across the room as if he had been waiting for her to finish.

Once she had made her way over to him, he holds his jacket out to drape over her shoulders, and she tucks herself under his arm as he leads them out of the bar into the cold of the night, wrapping her arms around his middle in an attempt to distribute some of the warmth she has stolen from him by borrowing his coat.

“I’ve got us an Uber,” he says, pulling her into him as they wait by the side of the building. “It should be here in a minute.”

“You don’t wanna walk me home?” They’re in Jersey City, maybe a fifteen minute walk from her apartment, and they could easily warm up if they made pace. The sky is clear, and she wouldn’t mind getting to walk somewhere and hold his hand.

“I’m not piggy-backing you all that way, Poppy,” he scoffs, knowing her better than she knows herself - the mention of a piggyback bringing forth an ache in the soles of her feet. Not a chance of walking fifteen minutes. “We can get the car to stop a block from your place, and I promise I’ll carry you around the corner.”

“If we’re going to my place we should get the Uber straight there, you won’t ride in my elevator and I need to be carried the last two flights of stairs at least.”

“Your elevator is a rickety death trap,” he hums into her skin, nose tucking into the open collar of his jacket draped over her shoulders, nudging at the curve of her neck. “And I don’t feel like dying tonight.”

“Oh, do you have big plans for the rest of your evening?” 

“I have a very pretty girl in front of me and a lot of time to make up for.” The last time he had mentioned making up for lost time, it had made her feel uneasy - this time couldn’t be any further from that. She feels anticipation, excitement, exhilaration - knowing the time he’s referencing goes so far beyond those months apart. 

“My place, then, the whole way,” she confirms, “And I’ll just have to figure out a way to distract you in the elevator so you don’t think about dying.”

“Shouldn’t be too hard for you to distract me.”

She tries not to overthink the meaning behind that - tries not to let her mind wander down paths it shouldn’t go down, where she pictures him thinking about her when he shouldn’t - when he’s with other people, in other places, away from her.

And, just in time to save her from an embarrassing display of public affection, a black Suburban pulls up to the curb in front of them, and Nico nudges her toward it.

They sit together in the back, his arm around her, thighs pressed together, her right hand holding the hand attached to the arm slung over her shoulder and the left fiddling with the fingers of his other in her lap.

The two of them make very brief small talk with the driver, and the drive takes maybe 5 minutes before they both stumble out right in front of Poppy’s building, Nico quick to send the driver off with a tip while Poppy unlocks the main door.

The elevator is already on the bottom floor, and she tries her best to do all the work in getting it to go up. Nico had been mostly accurate to call it a rickety death trap - the type with doors you have to close manually and lights that flicker and hum like something straight out of a horror movie. 

The only surefire way to distract him is to kiss him, and she doesn’t have to use up any brainpower to convince herself to do so.

She pulls him in with soft hands placed on either side of his neck, and he falls immediately into the flow of it - large hands gripping at her hips, pushing her gently into the far wall as the elevator begins its ascent. They don’t part until the elevator stops, and even then, they only do so so that Poppy can yank the door open and pull him out with her, immediately attaching herself back to his lips and kissing him with fervour.

They shuffle down the hall until they’re outside her apartment, and she blindly, one-handedly fumbles around in her purse for her key, manages to slot it into the keyhole after a few tries, and twists until she can hear the lock turn. 

Once the door is unlocked, the two of them stumble into Poppy’s apartment, the thick heels of her boots thudding against the hardwood floor with each clumsy step, and in the very back of her mind she hopes Jesse downstairs can’t hear it too loud.

The thought is fleeting, though, because Nico’s hands press firmly into the base of her spine, causing her hips to jut forward and practically thrust straight into his, his tongue taking immediate advantage of the gasp she lets out and prodding into her open mouth. 

He guides them backwards, tangled limbs interlocking until their bodies careen toward the kitchen, he throws his jacket somewhere on the way, and he manages to blindly reach a hand out to stop her colliding with the island counter.

He slowly lets her fall back into it, hand curved over the sharp edges, mouths still pressed together in a sloppy, messy kiss and his body follows suit, aligning to her every curve and indentation. 

She wonders briefly if it would have been easier to just break apart - to allow the dim lighting emanating from her kitchen to guide the way to safety instead of relying on Nico’s hasty memorisation of the layout of her apartment, but as she feels the soft muscle of his stomach roll into her torso, feels the flicker of his tongue against hers, she realises it all adds to the exhilaration. 

Adrenaline is pumping through her very core, and she doesn’t want to break apart, even for a second. 

She’d had a dream about him, once. In the very early stages of their friendship, before the somewhat rational and entirely brutal part of her brain stomped down on her attraction. It went something like this, wandering hands, frantic movements, she doesn't remember exact details but she does remember waking up in a cold sweat.

Regardless, nothing she could ever dream of lives up to the real thing.

To the way his stubble scratches at her skin, the way his hands dig into every part of her they choose to touch, grabbing and clawing with desperation and determination, the way his thick thighs nudge hers apart with subtle dominance so his leg can slot between hers as they both lean into the counter.

The real thing is something else, entirely.

He manages to lift her onto the counter, somehow communicating through touch exactly where he wants her, because as soon as his thick fingers press into her hips, she knows to leverage her hands on the surface behind her and assist him with picking her up, their lips locked the entire time.

Every move is frantic, but intentional, and she is teetering on the edge of rushing this and savouring every moment - and it seems like he is too when he pulls back, their lips parting with a wet smack and his slightly sticky forehead pressing into hers.

The rise and fall of her chest is scattered, while he tries to level out his breathing, trying the in through the nose out through the mouth technique to seemingly calm himself down. 

All she can do is watch. Admire the way his eyes drop closed, thick eyelashes fanning out as he scrunches his face, even thicker brows furrowing as he battles whatever internal dialogue is taking place - one she doesn’t want to interrupt or intervene with. 

“Are you too drunk for this?” He asks, a surprising croak to his usually level voice, his dark eyes opening to gauge the honesty of her response.

“No,” she pants, still a little out of breath, not so used to being able to pull herself back together as quick as he is. “Are you?” 

“No.” 

He sounds a little more certain than she did, although he had been out longer tonight, and had definitely had more to drink. She supposed he has the constitution for it. But she knows she isn’t too drunk - knows she would consent if she hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol all night. She had been ready to jump his bones in that dingy back corridor of the bar, and had been fully sober at the time. 

He flexes his fingers at the sides of her thighs on the countertop, itching to touch as if he’s holding back until he gets the right answer. “Do you want this?”

She nods, gaze flickering between his rich, dark chocolate eyes as if trying to read his mind.

In what world would she not want this?

“Tell me, Mohn,” he commands, knuckles whitening as he clenches his hands into fists.

“I want this.” She breathes out, pressing her forehead back to his, eyes fluttering closed as if too heavy to keep open, and allowing for her other senses to heighten. “I want you.”

She blinks her eyes open to see relief visibly flood through him in a rushed wave, and watches as it washes over his entire being - realising just how much her previous rejection, if she would even call it that, had weighed on him the past few days.

Her hands fall onto his atop the counter, rubbing soothingly until his fists flatten out, and all the tension in them disappears. Her fingers fold over his, lifting and guiding them until his palms lay flat where the bottom of her dress meets the soft skin of her thighs. She can feel how hot she is before she starts to push at his hands, taking a shuddered breath as he takes enough initiative to curl his grip around the curve of the flesh there, and she guides his hands slowly upward, the skirt bunching up as they go. 

She watches as his gaze follows the movement, staring intently as more of her skin is revealed, until he looks up to meet her eyes, seeking permission in a heated glance. 

She feels like she can read his mind when he looks at her like that. Feels like he’s laying out his every intention on a storyboard, visual aids and all, sees it branch off into two potential paths, just like the two she had been weighing up in her own mind.

One where they both take their time, tension building to a euphoric crescendo, where his hands get to memorise every curve and hers get to do the same, where they uncover every unheard sound, every unpracticed touch.

And another where he rips off her clothes and takes her for the first time on the kitchen counter, where she claws at the skin of his back, and he uses his lips to scatter purple bruises across her chest.

He seems to be able to find a middle ground when he starts to help her undress, and keeps one hand slowly caressing the slight dip of her waist as they both push the dress up her body and tug the fabric over her head, with him discarding it off to the side when they’re done.

He flicks teasingly at the strap of her bra until it falls down her arm, gathering and draping just above her elbow, and leaving him free rein to lean down and press his swollen lips to the space where her shoulder meets her collarbone, just about able to feel the subtle echo of her pulse as it travels down her neck.

Her head dips back, granting him full access to her upper body, all the way up her throat and to her jawline, and one of her hands raises of its own accord to the neck of his sweatshirt, fingers tangling in the chain she had gifted him until her nails are tickling and scratching at the skin beneath it. He makes quick work of unzipping her boots, again pulling them off and throwing them away with a heavy thunk.

The moan she lets out is breathy, sparse, but it appears to fulfil something inside him all the same, awakens something greedy as his large palms cup at the sides of her hips and tug her forward, grasping the waistband of her panties and having enough leverage as she slides across the surface to bring them down. She hops slightly so he can pull them over the roundness of her ass, and he steps back a touch from between her legs so that he can dispose of them, flinging them to God-knows where to lay with her dress on the ground. 

She’ll worry about it another time.

He maintains his position, fingers wrapping around her calf to push it to the side, parting her legs until he can see what beauty rests between them. 

He gazes upon her with unabashed hunger, goosebumps rising on every inch of her skin as she takes in the heat behind his eyes. She has never felt so exposed to another person, so admired, so adored.

Her kitchen is illuminated only by the under-cabinet lighting strips behind them, but she can see the way his irises glisten and sparkle with desire. He makes slow, deliberate movements - painstakingly displaying his intention as he steps forward into her space, leaning with a hand down on the counter beside her thigh, and the other remaining on her opposite leg. When he starts to bend, she stops him with a shaky hand on his shoulder.

“Wait,” she whispers, losing her breath when he breaks his gaze from between her thighs to look up at her. “Could you take your shirt off?”

The corner of his mouth twitches upward, a single brow arching in a teasing question.

“Please?” She thinks she almost sounds pathetic, but has little space in her brain right now that she can dedicate to caring about it. “I need to touch you.”

He wordlessly follows her command, straightening up and reaching back to pull the sweatshirt from his body. It drops straight from his grasp to the floor, and the t-shirt he layered underneath follows suit. “Better?” He asks, biting back a smug grin as he watches her eyes trail down his torso, lingering on the faint dark patch of hair just below his bellybutton. 

“Kiss me, again.” She requests with a shaky breath, and he fulfils her command, lifting a hand to cup at her jaw and pulling her face into his. Her fingers tickle at the nape of his neck when their lips press back together, immediately parting them until their tongues collide in the middle. She brings her other hand to his chest, his skin warm beneath her touch as she drags it painstakingly slowly down his torso, savouring the feeling, stopping at the button of his jeans and skilfully popping it open without the need for them to part.

Nico releases a cautioning hum into her mouth, pulling away with a slight pop and taking her hand into his to stop her as her fingertips start tickling at the elasticated waist of his underwear.

“Me first.” He huffs, selfishly, swatting her hand away and bending until he can press a kiss to the inside of her knee, pulling her legs apart with a hand clasped around her ankle and lifting until he can swing it over his shoulder.

She gasps when his nose bumps at her thigh, trailing up at a dizzying pace as all she can do is fall back onto her hands placed atop the counter and wait for him to reach his target. He does so with his tongue first, licking a slow, long stripe upward, culminating with his lips pursed around her clit until he can apply mind-numbing pressure to the bundle of nerves.

A hand soon finds purchase in his hair, scratching easily at his scalp and gently tugging when he introduces a finger into the mix, then another, prodding at the wetness that has gathered at her entrance and easily sliding his middle and index fingers up to the bottom knuckles.

There’s nothing she can do to contain the sounds that tumble out from parted lips, gasps, moans, squeaks, all spurring him on where she cannot mask the pleasure he elicits within her.

He adds another finger, she lets out another elongated whine, hips thrusting forward of their own volition into his face, and he doesn’t even seem perturbed. His mouth maintains the same pressure on the bundle of nerves, tongue flicking, lips pursing, and the noise of it all is downright filthy.

His fingers bend and prod and pulse within her until a knot builds deep in the pit of her belly, and ineligible sounds fall from her mouth, eyes rolling into the back of her head.

So much better than anything she had dreamt.

“You’re trembling, Mohn,” he chuckles darkly once he pulls away for a quick breath, pupils blown when he looks up and meets her eyes from between her legs. “Are you gonna come for me?”

He presses his thumb where his mouth had just taken up residence on her clit, rubbing random little shapes into it as he lifts his head, angling his body to press his forehead to hers. 

The pressure swirling in her stomach is almost too much to bear, and she can’t help the tremors in her thighs as he holds her in place, her mind tumultuously cloudy and the interlink between her brain and her mouth cut off with a staticky disconnect.

Her hand lands upon his arm, nails digging in with a marking pressure until crescent shapes form into his skin as his digits work at her masterfully, that knot within her growing and unfurling into something beyond words.

The sensation rips through every fibre of her being, head thrown back, mouth dropping open, stomach clenching and the entirety of her legs trembling, from the tips of her toes to the apex of her thighs, as her orgasm hits like a tsunami, walls clenching around Nico’s skilful fingers and pulsing into a vice-like grip.

He presses his forehead to her chest, both of their skin slightly clammy with a light sheen of sweat, lips seeking out the flesh of her breasts spilling over the cups of her bra, and with his free hand, he reaches around to unclasp it until they fall free of the fabric, just for the sake of it.

“Are you okay?” He asks after a minute of her catching her breath, smirking into her skin as he presses light kisses around her nipple, avoiding the sensitive area in an attempt to tease, watching as it hardens in anticipation of his lips. She feels the shivers wrack all the way down her spine and shoot straight to the nerve endings there.

“I think I,” she babbles out incoherently, and he chuckles deeply into the valley between her breasts. “Yeah.”

She’s thankful for the moment of reprieve, rolling her shoulders and lifting her head back up to look down at him. She feels dizzy - the cartoon kind of dizzy, where stars whirl around her head and her vision mimics the wavy lines of tv static.

He seems mesmerised by something, too, and when she follows his gaze, she can see the staccato rhythm of her heartbeat bouncing visibly from under her breast, and he’s watching it as if trying to memorise the staggered, spiky flow.

She lifts a hand to run her fingers through his hair, using the clamminess of her palms to push the strands away from his forehead, clearing a path for his heated stare to find hers before he pushes himself the rest of the way up and presses his lips back into her own.

“That was crazy,” she mutters into his mouth, teeth clashing ever so slightly as he chuckles in response.

“Crazy?” He asks, his own teeth tugging a little at her bottom lip, “Not mind-blowing? Incredible?”

“How would you describe it?”

“Perfekt. Herrlich.” His accent is thick with the words spoken into her skin. 

“What does the second one mean?”

“You can look it up when I’m done with you,” he bumps at her nose with his own before pressing his lips to the corner of her mouth, teasingly.

“I’ll be sure to do that if I can remember my own name by then,” 

“Magnificent.” He presses a kiss to her cheek, hands travelling to grip at her hips and sliding her to the edge of the counter until her body presses fully back into his. He lifts her enough for her to drop unsteadily onto her feet, and holds her until she can stand up straight on shaky legs. Her hands immediately drop to the open waistband of his jeans, pushing them until they fall down his legs and he can kick them off with his sneakers. 

“Is it my turn now?” She asks, plucking at the elastic of his briefs with a hooked finger before she takes his hand in hers.

“Whatever you want, Mohn.”

Nico

When Nico had started his evening, never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined where it would end up. When he had been dragging his feet about the party - had taken too long getting ready, had lied about his Ubers cancelling on him when he turned up late, had moped around his friends until he was exiled to getting his own drinks at the bar - he could not have pictured himself finishing his night in Poppy’s presence. And even in the back of the bar, when the two of them had kissed - despite how heated things had gotten, and despite asking her if she wanted to leave with him - he wouldn’t have thought he would be currently attempting to coax a fourth orgasm from her.

He’d asked with the intention of spending the night, sure, but his mind hadn’t let itself wander this far. It had envisioned a night cuddled up on her couch, maybe making out, maybe relieving the tension between them by grinding into her like some love-struck horny teenager who didn’t know how to control his libido.

He’d given her her first sat atop the kitchen counter, leg thrown over his shoulder, the other bent up and resting on the side to give him full access to the heaven between her thighs, where he’d gotten his first taste of the wetness that had been gathering there all night. His fingers had mapped out the path his cock would take, rubbing in and out, bending, curling, pressing at her spongy walls until she came apart in front of his very eyes - her entire body trembling in euphoria. 

The second had come after he’d moved her over to the couch, had sat her on his lap while they kissed a little more, and she’d worked her nimble fingers at taking him out of his briefs, had wrapped them around the base of his cock and worked up and down with a mind-numbing pressure while he struggled to kick his underwear fully off. Before he knew it, she was leaving a wet patch on his thigh, his hands were moving of their own accord to lift her hips and he was easing her down on his length until she was fully seated upon it.

He’d given her some semblance of control at first - let her work at her torturously slow pace while she got accustomed to his size, and he pressed delicate kisses to whatever skin he could reach. Her breasts, her chest, her neck, her jaw - leaving light but memorable marks to evidence his occupation of her body. When he felt her ease up, when she started lifting herself to bounce on him a little, his hands stopped listening to the little voice in his head telling them to be gentle with her, and they grasped at her waist, leveraging her up and down into the perfect rhythm until she was begging, “Nico, don’t stop.”

The sounds she let out, the moans, the whines, the cries, he thinks he’ll be playing back for a long time to come, and the feeling of her walls clenching around him as she came for the second time is a one he never wants to forget.

How he had managed to hold himself back, he’ll never know. How he lasted long enough for her to pull herself off of him, swing her leg over and lean down beside him until she could take him in her mouth, he thinks it’s commendable - especially considering there was a point earlier in the night he had pictured himself coming just in his pants.

Her eyes had met his as she licked him from base to tip, swirled her tongue around the head of his cock before slowly taking him into her mouth inch by inch. He’d held her by her ponytail, gripping tighter the further she took him, watched as her pretty eyes rolled back and her mouth grew sloppier. Her tongue pressed against him, suctioning to his length as she worked up and down with varying pressure and a hand cupping at his balls, and he quickly found himself tugging at her hair to let her know, “Poppy, I’m gonna come,” but she just gripped at his thigh to keep herself in place until he released down her throat. 

He watched intently as she had lifted her mouth from his length with a pop, brought herself level onto her knees next to him on the couch and his eyes followed the bob of her throat as she swallowed - she had even licked her lips to make sure nothing had gone to waste - and the sight of it all contributed to the pulsing feeling that shot straight back to his cock, where he honestly couldn’t remember it even going down after his release.

He’s never been one for kissing a girl straight after she’s gone down on him, always thought there was something a little weird about it - but there was something about tasting himself on Poppy’s tongue that he couldn’t let go amiss, and so he had grasped at her chin, pulled her toward his open mouth and wasted no time in swiping his tongue against hers.

The making out on the couch plan had ended up coming to fruition after all - way less clothing involved, of course. He’d laid her back, cupped her face with one hand and her hip with his other, bodies slotting together as she bent a leg to accommodate him, and kissed her until they both got worked up again, grinding and writhing against each other until it became impossible to restrain themselves. 

“Do we ever make it to my bed in your big plans for the evening?”

Her fingertips had been scratching up and down his back, from the base of his skull to the dip above his ass, some indentations deeper than others, some movements more soothing, but he could feel that he had been marked up - not that he minded.

“You’re so desperate for me to carry you somewhere, huh?”

“Well, if you’re offering, I wouldn’t decline.”

He had snuck another kiss from her before working himself up onto his feet, offering her a hand to help her stand before he had picked her up, her legs wrapping around his middle section and his hands encompassing the backs of her thighs.

She had kissed him while he carried her, stumbling blindly toward the other side of her apartment, freeing a hand to guide himself until he found the door to her bedroom. He clumsily edged into the room, kicking the door shut behind him and stepping forward until he felt the edge of her bed and could let her down onto the thick comforter, her body falling back into it and splaying out like a dream.

“You might wanna cover the rabbit’s eyes,” Nico smirked when he noticed the stuffed animal tucked in between the pillows behind her, “She won’t be able to look at you the same after tonight.”

“Bunny’s seen me do a lot over the years,” Poppy chuckled, reaching back for it and stroking over it’s head with tender eyes, turning it toward Nico as she held it’s ears back and waved it in front of him, “Plus, you’re a teddy bear, you wouldn’t defile me in front of my sweet little bunny would you?”

In a surge of possessiveness at the thought of that damn rabbit seeing Poppy do anything with anyone else, he quickly grabbed it from her hand and tossed it across the room, lunging forward to pin her down and capturing any protest she would give between his lips.

He could hear her sweet laugh, feel the shaking of her chest beneath him, and he felt warm all over - felt like in all the years of knowing Poppy, this is where he had longed to be - soaking up her joy, sharing her space, clothing entirely optional, completely wrapped up in her everything.

The third orgasm had come from slow, sensual movements - slipping into her heat as he kissed her with intent, swallowing her moans and savouring them as he moved on top of her, his hands holding his upper body just above hers, her arms curling under his, clawing at his shoulders as the two of them press completely into each other with burning intensity. Her legs had trembled again, the telltale sign of bliss wracking through her, and had wrapped themselves around his hips as he chased his own pleasure.

And in chasing his second, he wants to give her a fourth, which is how he has found himself holding her legs up, thighs pressing back into the mattress to open her up completely for him, and he gets to look down and watch himself disappear into the heaven between her angled up hips.

“Nico, please,” she whines as his pace quickens, pressing himself deeper and harder into her with dizzying pressure. “I can’t,”

“You can give me one more,” he knows she can, can feel it in the way her walls clench around him, squeezing tighter and tighter, “You’re so good, Mohn, such a good girl.”

If he wasn’t so astute to her every reaction, he might have missed the way her back arched, and her eyes clenched a little more shut at the affirmation. But now that he knows she likes it, he can’t stop himself, leaning down to nip at her ear and keep whispering his every dirty thought until she comes again. 

“My good girl taking my cock so well,” he groans, his own climax approaching quicker than he can control, “My pretty flower, just one more, you can do it, you’re so wet for me, yeah?”

The response she gives is a stuttered mess, and he thinks he could get used to making her speechless like this. 

“All for me, you’re all mine,” he breathes into her sticky neck, and he doesn’t even need her to confirm it, not with the way her fingers clutch at his back and her body arches into his like the perfect puzzle piece. 

She is his.

The 3 prior orgasms prove it. The jewellery adorned on her wrist proves it. The pictures scattered throughout her apartment prove it. The years of shared lives, shared jokes, shared meals, shared friends, shared rides, shared routines - they all prove it. 

The way her first thought after being stood up by someone else was to come to him, to kiss him, to spend her evening pinned by his side and her night underneath him, it’s all the proof he needs.

She is his, and he is hers.

They come together - him with a guttural groan into her skin followed by mutterings of profanities in his native tongue, and her with a pleasured cry, and he all but collapses on top of her as the two of them come down with deep, laboured breaths and shaky limbs.

It takes a good few minutes for their breathing to even out, her rubbing soothingly at his back as he softens inside her, eventually pulling out and causing the both of them to wince at the sensation. Nico rolls to the side, off the top of her, but stays so that he can get a proper look at her in the afterglow.

And glow, she does - despite the mess of her hair, the swelling of her lips, the blooming bruises littered across her chest and neck - she looks like something out of a dream. Especially with the soft smile that erupts when she looks up at him, eyes sparkling like they always do when they are cast in his direction.

He reaches over to swipe a stray wisp of hair out of her face, long enough to tuck behind her ear and he’s able to cup the side of her face, leaning into her for another kiss, still unable to get enough.

“I have to use the bathroom,” she utters once they’ve parted again, pressing a hand lightly to his chest, “Could you get me a glass of water from the kitchen?”

“Of course,” he pushes himself up before offering her hand, and he can’t help but watch as she stumbles toward her en-suite with a proud chuckle.

His bare feet pad across the hardwood until he gets to Poppy’s kitchen, and he quickly rounds up some essentials while he’s away from the bedroom. He slips into his briefs for comfort, picks up the t-shirt he had worn that he wants Poppy to wear while she sleeps, gathers his cellphone from the pocket of his jeans and then gets Poppy her water, taking a large gulp of it himself before topping it all the way back up.

Poppy is still in her bathroom when he returns, and he decides to join her, throwing the t-shirt over to her when he enters. She’s cleaned her face in his absence, and her hair is down now, the comb she had used to detangle it laid beside her sink. 

She takes the top from him with a muttered thank you, and shrugs into it before pulling her hair out. Once she’s adorned in his clothing, he gets a good eyeful of her ass again when she bends to the cabinet beneath her sink and throws a small package at him. 

It’s a toothbrush, red, compared to her lilac that she’s just retrieved from a holder on the sink top, and once he’s unwrapped it, she holds out the tube of toothpaste for him. 

It hits him that he’s never really shared this part of his routine with anyone, before. Never stood side by side, catching each other’s eye in the mirror, holding back smiles every time they do - he’s usually coming back to his previous partners already in bed, getting in late from a roadie, or having to slip out before them in the morning to get to training. He’s never had time like this, doing the little things, having something so usually mundane and established make him feel sparks in the pit of his stomach. 

He can see flashes of other routine things he could do with Poppy. Things like grocery shopping - pushing the cart as she checks items off a list on her notes app - cooking together - him in charge of cutting the ingredients because he doesn’t trust her not to get too cocky with a knife, and her mixing everything together, lifting a spoon to his lips for him to try whatever delicious concoction she had put together - doing the chores - she would vacuum because she knows he hates it, and he’d do all the chemical based stuff, because she doesn’t like when her hands get dry but also doesn’t like them getting sweaty in gloves.

All things he’s never given anyone else the time for, before, he’ll give it to Poppy.

He’ll give her anything. 

He puts the toothbrush in the holder beside hers when they’re finished, and he doesn’t miss the little smile she gives when he does.

For next time, he thinks.

And even though they’ve barely caught their breaths from the first time, he craves the next with every fibre of his being, especially when Poppy leads him back her bed, and they settle in under the thick duvet, tangling up in one another - limbs interlocked, stomachs pressed together, her hands stroking at his hair and his pushing his t-shirt higher up her thighs.

“Do you think you still remember your name?” He asks.

“Just about,” she hums, “Not sure about yours, though. Nick, was it?”

“Still good enough to crack bad jokes, I see.”

“Hey, I don’t ever crack bad jokes, take that back,” she pouts, adorably, swatting at his bare chest.

“Say my name, and I’ll take it back.” He can’t help but be possessive when it comes to her - even the thought of her saying a made up name as a joke in her bed has his fingers itching to hold on tighter to her. His. Not Nick’s. Nico’s. “C’mon, you’ve moaned it enough tonight, Mohn.”

“Stop,” she whines with a bashful smile, swatting at him again. “You’re the one who’s not funny.”

“Say my name, Poppy,” he commands with a playful pinch at her ass.

“Nico!” She squeals, her leg twitching until she lifts it to rest over his. 

“Good girl,” he hums deeply, rubbing soothingly over where he had just nipped at her flesh. She nuzzles into him, and he can’t help the smug smile that breaks out as she once again reacts to the brief utterance of praise he had given her. “Sweet dreams,” he mutters into her hair, breathing in the smell of her shampoo and committing it to memory. 

This is where he wants to be every night, the last thing he sees before he falls asleep being Poppy, her pretty eyes drifting closed, her soft lips parting as her breathing evens out.

And as his own tell-tale signs of beckoning slumber appear, he lets the realisation wash over him that he hasn’t felt this content in a really long time - and it’s that thought that soothes him into a deep sleep, the kind in which he hasn’t been able to have for the longest time, either.

—

Nico wakes to the uncomfortable feeling of a full bladder and a gentle buzz on the nightstand beside him.

The vibrations continue as he tries to adjust to the darkness of the room, the sun still not having risen yet, and when he reaches back to retrieve his phone, he cranes his neck to make sure he can read the time without bringing it too close to Poppy.

05:12am.

He doesn’t have morning skate today, so he knows there shouldn’t be an alarm on there, but his Face ID isn’t picking up his features from this angle to be able to read whatever notifications had interrupted his sleep, so he carefully untangles himself from the peacefully resting girl beside him and tiptoes over to the bathroom.

He flicks the light on and closes the door to, just enough that it doesn’t disturb Poppy, and pads sleepily over to the toilet to relieve himself. 

His phone buzzes again in his hand - the continuous kind of buzz, as if someone’s calling him - and, as if by second nature, he presses to the bottom right of the screen to accept the call, lifting the device to his ear and muttering out a quiet, croaky, “Hello?”

“You’re awake, thank God,” the voice that responds is female, the words uttered in German, and it takes Nico a good few seconds for his brain to connect the dots as to who is currently speaking to him.

“Talia?” He asks, a sudden shot of panic seeping into his previously calm demeanour, his heart rate picking up and pins and needles rushing through his hands.

“I need to speak with you, it’s urgent.”

“It’s 5am.” He sighs, rushing over to close the bathroom door so he can flush the toilet without running the risk of waking Poppy with the sound. “Can’t this wait?”

“No, it can’t. Why are you whispering, is someone there?”

“I’m not whispering,” he tries not to, but again, he doesn’t want to make too much noise.

“Whatever, I need to come over, are you at home?”

“Yeah,” he responds before he can think, knowing any other answer was a sure fire route into an argument. Any other time, any other place, he would have told her the truth, but 5am in Poppy’s bathroom doesn’t seem like the prime spot to be bickering with his ex girlfriend over the phone. “What do you mean, come over, aren’t you in Germany?”

“No, I just landed in Newark. I told you, it’s urgent.” She does sound panicked to give her credit - and why else would she fly back to the States if she didn’t need to talk about something serious. “Can I come straight over?”

Poppy’s apartment is within walking distance to his own, only a few blocks away. If Talia is leaving Newark now, he should be able to make it back before she gets there. They can talk about whatever it is, then she can delete his number and leave him alone, and he can move on with his life.

“Talia,” he huffs, partly ready to reject her as soon as he remembers where he is, remembers who he has yearned for so long to wake up next to, and who would be really upset to find out he had ditched her to go meet up with an ex.

“Please?” She sounds like she’s crying, and if there’s one thing Nico can’t do, it’s say no to a girl in tears. Even if it’s a girl who, not even a month ago, dumped him via text message.

“Yeah, fine, whatever.”

“Thank you. I can let myself up, I still have the key, I’ll see you soon.”

He mutters out a quick goodbye before hanging up, quickly washing his hands, and making his way back into Poppy’s bedroom.

She’s on her back now, arm laid out beside her as if ready to take him back in, and he feels a pang in his chest at the thought of disappointing her.

He knows that he should wake her - should tell her that he doesn’t want to leave her to wake up alone, but that he has to. That he wants to be back - he will be back. But that would all cause her to ask questions, and he’s not sure that she’ll like the only answer he can give right now.

Poppy is understanding, but this has already caused a wedge between the two of them - caused her to doubt herself far beyond what Nico can comprehend, or what she’s been able to share with him. 

He can explain things to her as soon as Talia is gone. As soon as she’s said what she needs to say, has given him back the keys to his building and apartment, and has closed the door on them ever interacting again.

Hell, if it’s quick, maybe he can come back with breakfast from the place around the corner Poppy likes so much, and she’ll never have to know where he had disappeared to, or who he had seen while he was gone.

He presses a brisk, soft kiss to her cheek, quickly surveying the floor of her bedroom before he leaves to retrieve her bunny, slotting the soft toy into her open arm so she can cuddle it in his absence.

He briefly considers leaving her a note as he dresses himself in her kitchen, checking around for something to write it with, but the realisation quickly dawns on him again that he can’t be certain if or when he’ll be back.

He just has to hope that if she wakes up before he is back, she isn’t too upset, and that he has enough persuasive power to get her to forgive him just one more time if he doesn’t make it.

He leaves her apartment with the soft click of the automatic lock behind him, and the sound echoes in his head until he makes it back to his own apartment, the ever-growing weight of dread filling his empty stomach as he waits for his ex girlfriend to arrive.

Next Chapter

taglist: @alwaysclassyeagle @bunbunbl0gs @idgaf-if-youre-here @youflowerr-youfeast @thearchersstuff @bellsdi0r @wonderheartz @jjgsunflower @butterflies35 @kenziepickle @josierosie @laheyxlover @mrsmattytkachuk (sorry if your tag hasn't worked btw)

[dangeroushologramcolor]

Being Neon J's daughter :

He and his wife always wanted to start a family, but his obligations in the army make it difficult.

When he was called for the border war, he asked the hospital to conserve some samples of his genetic material, so their dream can become true if something happened to him.

The war was unforgivable and murderous, but the thought of finally coming home to his dear wife, settle down and having children kept his spirit up.

After his warship was bombarded, he lost his crew and most of his body. He miraculously survived, but the majority of his body must have been replaced by robotic parts.

When he came back, his wife was crying of relief and pain. Seeing her husband in this state, but alive, put her emotions into a roller-coaster.

After his comeback, they decided to have a child.

The pregnancy goes well, they learnt that they'll be the parents of an adorable daughter. Everything was so perfect. If only it would last forever.

But fate had other plans.

His wife didn't survive the birth, leaving you and your father.

Neon J was devastated, why life must be so cruel. Giving him great joy then pulling him into misery.

But he must be strong. It only you two now, he must be strong for you, to protect you, to make sure his dear wife rest in peace, knowing both of you live in happiness.

It's a this moment he created the first models of 1010.

His passion always was music and dance. So, now that his military carrier is behind him, he'll become the next star of Vinyl City.

You were there when he taught the first models how to dance and sing. It wasn't very good. But your 3 years old self found it funny and loved to clap her hand in rhythm.

The second version of the 1010 was more human like and a little less army lookalike. They were better, but still not very popular because of their looks. And the five of them look perfectly the same, so people didn't really see the point of a band make of only one people multiplied.

The idea of making them in different colors went from you. You sticked stickers on them, with an unique color for each of them. It helped you to remember who was who. You father found the idea brilliant.

And so were made the third generation of 1010. You big brothers.

You loved them, and they loved you. Neon J was so proud of his little family. He hoped his dear wife could see that from where she is.

You takes part of 1010 training routine. You love dancing and your father is an excellent teacher.

You go to Vinyl City Elementary School, but your dream is to go to the military school. The only problem is that your father is formally against it. He refuses that you get enrolled in the army.

It really upset you, but you will prove to your father that you are strong enough to become at great general, like him.

If only you know he refuse because he's scared of what could happen to you. He doesn't want you to go though what he did.

He's kind of protective, sometimes too much.

Your brothers have a protocol named "Y/n's protection" coded deep inside them.

When Neon J isn't here to give them orders, you are the one who gives them orders.

They are not obligated to listen to them, but you're so cute when you act like that. And you never disrespect them, you they play along.

Since your brothers have a sailor uniform, you asked your dad one too.

How can he resist those puppy eyes when you asked him so sweetly "Can I have my own uniform too dad, please."

Now, you look like your brothers!

But you refused to wear the hat. You find it ridiculous.

Your dad works a lot, to the point of exhaustion. So when you saw him sleeping against his desk, you stole his coat and his captain hat and decided to supervised the concert for him.

You are 9 years old. You can do that. And your brothers agree with you. Your dad really need to rest.

You're not afraid of those rock revolutionaries. Let them come, they will see what 1010 is made of.

They will pay for what they have done to your friends' family. And for making Lady Tatiana angry.

They better have come with their tactical thermals goggles, because-

YOU'RE GONNA BRING THE HEAT!

[rainyraisin]

Hey so I’m gonna be silly and share this Donnie-centric ROTTMNT fic I was writing a while back. It’s incomplete so it ends very suddenly but even though I probably won’t be continuing it, I really like what I wrote so I wanted to share it :) (I put a break so it wouldn’t fill up y’all’s feed gbhjbhgbhh)

—

They have to be perfect.

Those words repeated through Donnie’s mind like a mantra as he simultaneously welded wires and worked out the code needed for his newest project. It didn’t need as much as other things he’d worked on, but whenever he made a mistake, it was hard to fight the urge to start from scratch. It was his first time working with mystic technology, and he couldn’t mess it up.

After the incident in Witch town, he realised tech was...limited in what it could do, at least for now. And the Hidden City happened to be further along in its advancements than the surface. It was a hard decision, but after a bit of pushing from Mikey, Donnie made the decision to ask Baron Draxum for aid on his newest project. He knew the man had offered them to his soldiers before, and that he might know what made the things tick. The turtle despised asking for help from their former enemy, especially one that threw Leo off a roof (although he’d never tell his egotistical twin that was his reasoning), but it was his only option. After all, if he stepped into Witch Town, he’d be thrown right back in jail. And he didn’t think Mikey and Papà’s lawyer shtick would work again.

The goat yokai had been of great help, and he was almost done with Leo’s cloaking broach. He felt the worst about what he had put his twin through, so it was only fair to work on his gift first. His youngest brother had to be made aware of his plan’s in order to help him confront the Baron, and he’d aided Donnie in the design aspect of things, so his was being made second out of appreciation, with Raph’s third and Donnie’s own last.

His last ‘gifts’ were...questionable, to say the least. He’d wanted to help his brothers in their weaker areas so they wouldn’t have to worry about them anymore, but the way he’d gone about it wasn’t the best. More like...completely insane. The helmet was probably the least harmful. The most it did was distract Raph and probably make him insecure about his plans for a while. Not that either of those things was a good outcome, but it was better than completely ruining Mikey’s fighting style and making him feel that Donnie didn’t have any faith in him. Don’t even get him started on Leo’s shock collar. He knows now that delivering shocks when his twin made a pun was despicable of him. The softshell couldn’t begin to believe that Leo forgave him one bit for that. Raph and Mikey might be a bit more forgiving concerning their ‘gifts’, but that still didn’t mean-

“Whatcha workin’ on there, Don?”

Donnie flinched, twisting his chair around to face whomever had entered his lab. He was met with the slightly confused face of his eldest brother. Both a relaxing and terrifying sight. “Uh...nothing! Nothing whatsoever, my dearest Raphala! Why would I be working on anything? Nervous laugh.”

A fantastic lie, probably his best work. You’ve done it again, Donatello! There’s no way Raph could see through-

“You’re a terrible liar, Donnie.”

Crap.

“I have no clue what you’re talking about! I’ve been practic- I mean, I wouldn’t lie to you! Never have and never will! I don’t even know what a lie is!” He attempted to spin his chair back around so he could get back to work and hopefully escape the hole he’d dug himself into, but Raph grabbed the top and bent down so they were at eye level.

“You don’t have to lie to me, bud. I like seeing all your little doo-dads.” Raph’s genuine grin showed Donnie that he wasn’t trying to be condescending, although just the fact that it was him saying it was enough to make the softshell believe him. If it was Leo, he wouldn’t believe him for a millisecond.

“Exhausted sigh. Fine, but you better not tell Leo about this!” He jerked his head towards Raph’s fist and his older brother immediately let go so Donnie could spin around and grab Leo’s almost completed cloaking broach, before turning back to Raph and presenting it. “It’s not done yet, but here. You know that broach Sunita uses to look human? I thought if I made some for us, we could maybe go on the surface during the day. Hang out with April in public without having to constantly worry about humans discovering us for who we really are.”

Raph’s brow narrowed as he inspected it, before he gently placed it back on the table. “Absolutely not.” Donnie’s face fell as his brother looked his way. “Mutants have been going missing. We haven’t seen Meat Sweats in ages. What if the government are getting wise to us? If those things fall off in public and everyone sees us out in the blue, who knows what’ll happen? Maybe after all this dies down, but not right now. I don’t want to risk losing you guys.”

“What? But I’m just trying to-”

“I’m not gonna argue with you on this, Don!” The snapping turtle shot back before his face softened once more. “Stop making the broaches. Please.” Before Donnie could even try explaining himself, Raph left the lab. His chair turned once again as he crumpled up a blueprint and threw it in the trash.

Well. At least he had one less broach to work on.

---

“Why do I have to be blindfolded for this? It’s just one of Don’s inventions, I see like twelve of those a day.” Leo complained before trying to right his mask.

Mikey yanked his arm back down, almost knocking his older brother over. “Because Don wants it to be a surprise!”

“Then why aren’t you wearing your mask backwards?”

“Because I’m his favourite.” The box turtle grinned, sticking his tongue out at the slider. He was lucky Leo couldn’t see.

“I will neither confirm nor deny that.” Came Donnie’s voice from inside the lab. “Now, Mikey, if you please?”

“BootyyyShaker9000! Three y’s in booty!” He confidently stated, although he was still relieved when the lab door opened to reveal his purple brother behind it.

"Is that your password for everything?" Leo questioned as Mikey dragged the turtle into his younger twin's lab.

"It's also his username for everything!" Mikey answered instead, figuring Donnie was busy finding Leo's surprise.

"Great, now I'll have to change all of my passwords." Donnie feigned annoyance, but he knew his younger brother was just trying to help.

"What, to BootyyyyShaker9000 with four y's in booty?"

And his older brother was just trying to mess with him.

“Please, I’m not a dum-dum like you. I’d never change it to something so easy to guess. It’ll take you forever to figure out my new and improved passwords. Well, when I change them.”

“You’re not going to change them at all, are you, Don?”

How were they seeing through him so easily lately?

“That’s for me to know and you to find out.” He had hoped that would wipe the smug grin off his twin's face, but the fact that it remained told him he would have to at least consider changing his passwords. At least the ones that were said aloud.

—

And that was where I stopped writing yhjbhgvjhhvg- if anyone likes this I might pick it back up again or at least share the plan so y’all know where it was gonna go but yeah!! This is it!!! This is actually what my human rise designs were originally for, except for Raph as his cloaking broach form wasn’t going to be involved here. I’d share the art I made for this here but it’s from back when I drew on my phone and it probably looks awful lmao

This isn’t the only rise fanfic I’ve written, I also started one for an English assignment like back in October, but sadly I do not have access to that 😔😔😔💔💔💔

ANYWAY YEAH HOPE YALL LIKED IT 💪💪💪‼️‼️‼️

[austinswhitewolf]

Blue Eyes Baby Pt. 17

Almost Friday! <3

The entire way from the airport to their home, Gabe was wide eyed and staring out the window. Everything was so different from Atlanta, she couldn’t wait to explore it with him. As they got into the neighborhood where the house was, the yards grew, the landscape became more elegant and the houses got bigger. 

When the driver slowed and pulled into a driveway that had a gate, he punched in a code and the gate opened. Once he parked, he got out and started to pull out their luggage while Austin got out and held his hand out for Gabe. She smiled, excited to see the inside of his house. “It’s beautiful Aus.” She said looking at everything she could see. “I’m glad you like it. If there is anything you don’t like, we can change it.” He said while leading her to the front door and pulling his keys out of his pocket. After he unlocked the front door, he opened it and let her in first. Gabriel was in awe of the design, color and feel of it all. It just fit him perfectly. It was homey while also staying the perfect balance of fancy and relaxed. The living room had a piano in one corner and a few guitars hanging on the wall as well as a record player with a few shelves full of vinyl. The kitchen was something any true cook would drool over with plenty of surface space. There was a bedroom on the first floor that he had turned into an office and one entire wall was bookshelves that were full of not only books but knick knacks that held memories and sentiment for him.There was a full bath across the hall from that. There was a laundry room off the door to the garage,

Austin grabbed his two suitcases, leaving his carry on by the door, Gabe followed suit and stayed behind him as he led the way up the stairs. “Master bedroom is down the hall here.” He said, leading her there so they could set their bags down. “This room is a spare bedroom I have set up for guests, there is a bedroom over there that was empty but I had my dad guide the movers to put what they could in there. Anything that didn’t fit, they put in the garage.”  

When Austin opened the door to the master bedroom, her jaw dropped. It was so beautiful. The wall the bed was against was a beautiful dark grey while the other three walls were white. The bed had a very fluffy couch at the foot of it that was an off white/grey color with a glass table in front of it. Almost the entirety of one wall was glass. There were two sliding doors that opened the space up to a balcony. 

Austin guided her over to a doorway that led into a large walk in closet. His clothing filled only a third of the space, maybe a little bit more. “You can use up all the space you need.” He said, setting his bags down by a counter that held a mirror and chair. “We can unpack later or even tomorrow if you want. I usually just take a day to wash it all even if it doesn’t need it.” “We can do that, just may steal something from you to change into tonight.” Gabe responded with a cheeky grin. “Sounds perfect to me.” He said, giving her a look over quickly before leaning down slightly and giving her a loving kiss. “There is a pool outback and I’ll show you where your stuff is in the spare room and then the garage.” Lacing his fingers with hers, he led her over to the empty room, opening the door. When they both looked in, Austin had a slightly amazed look on his face while Gabe had a happy and proud smile. Kris and Rose had done better than you had hoped. The boxes were labeled with the room they came from and what was in them. They were also taped up well so nothing got damaged from the cross country trip. Austin’s dad must have had the movers stack things by room and in nice stacks. “This looks like it should be most of it. If not, there would only be a few extra boxes that aren’t here.” Gabe said, leaning her head against Austin’s shoulder. “Well it shouldn’t be too hard to get unpacked with how everything is labeled.” He said with a light squeeze to Gabe’s shoulders before kissing her head. “Would you want to clean up and get rid of the travel feel? I’m going to go take a shower myself.” “Sure. I always hate long travel days for that reason.” She said with a nod. Austin led the way back to their bedroom, making a quick stop in the closet to grab a pair of shorts and shirts for them before heading into the bathroom. Setting the clothing down on the counter, he grabbed two towels while Gabe started the shower, turning the heat up just enough. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Both Austin and Gabe decided to just relax on the couch and turn something easy on while they napped on and off. It was a wonderful afternoon and Gabe was happy to do just this, as long as Austin was at her side, this was perfect and enough. That evening, they just ordered chinese so they didn’t have to go out to get groceries yet. There wasn’t much food left over when they were done eating, so they just put it in one container and into the fridge. When Gabe gave a huge yawn, Austin smiled and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Want to call it a night? Maybe read something or turn the tv in the bedroom on?” When he got a nod and soft smile in return, he scooped her up into his arms, earning a light yelp and gentle laugh while she slid her arms around his neck. Once in the bedroom, Austin let her legs down, keeping his arm around her waist while he pulled the blankets down and turned the lamp on the nightstand on. Gabe was quick to slide onto the very soft mattress and waited for Austin. He nabbed the remote for the tv off the small table in front of the couch and then shut all the shades. Once he slid onto the bed, Gabe rolled and curled up against his side, head on his chest and arm over his stomach. Both gave happy and content sighs as he pulled the blankets up over them. “This is the most comfortable bed ever.” Gabe murmured, wiggling her legs just slightly with a smile. “Glad you like it. It took a while to get used to the bed in Australia.” He murmured while kissing her forehead. He offered her the remote for the tv as a large yawn formed. Gabriel smiled, taking it from him and turning the tv on.  It didn’t take long to choose on demand and found Mysteries of the Abandoned. Once that was on, she turned the volume to a soft level and the timer on the tv was set for a half hour. Austin took the remote when she handed it back to him and set it on the nightstand before flicking the lamp off and the room was then bathed in the flickering light of the tv.

“Love you so much Austin.” Gabe said softly, looking up at his beautiful blue eyes. “I love you too, Dove. More than you could ever know.” He tilted his head down and gave her a soft, loving kiss. Long lith fingers started to thread through her hair as he once more kissed her forehead. He loved the feel of her silky hair trailing over his fingers. Something about it was very soothing to him. 

When he glanced down a few minutes later, her eyes were closed and her breathing was even. “Welcome home my love. My soulmate.” With those words, he let his own eyes close and let sleep take him. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The following morning, Gabriel was slow to wake up. The warmth surrounding her, the soft mattress and Austin’s scent was everywhere. When she shifted, Austin’s arms pulled her closer to him and he nuzzled his head into the crook of her neck and shoulder. 

He took a deep breath and gave her skin a soft kiss as he started to wake up himself. When he did finally open his eyes, a sleepy smile filled his face. Gabe was hugging a pillow to her chest while sleeping. He was content to just lay there and watch her until she was awake. When she finally opened her eyes she felt Austin run his hand gently up and down her arm. “Morning Dove. How’d ya sleep?” His voice was deep and gravely, the drawl thicker at the moment. “Mmm… The best I ever have.” She said softly as she shifted to face him, sliding her arm over his side. “I’m glad.” He kissed her on the forehead and the tip of her nose before leaning his forehead against hers. Both laid there happily for a while before Gabe had to go to the bathroom. She slipped from his arms only after telling him she would be right back. Austin stretched, rolling onto his back, arms above his head, feet pointing out in a very long stretch. A few pops emanated from him and he groaned happily, a goofy smile filling his face. When Gabe stepped back through the doorway from the bathroom, a loving smile filled her face. Austin’s hair was a mess and it was adorable. She moved to the edge of the bed and sat down, lacing her fingers with his. With her free hand, she brushed some hair from his face. Austin turned into her touch and kissed her wrist. “Want to go to breakfast then get groceries?” He asked softly, leaning up on his elbow. “Sounds wonderful Hun.” “I’m going to go to the bathroom, change and then I should be ready to go.” Gabe nodded and when Austin got up, she moved to the closet to grab an outfit for the day that was clean from her suitcase. 

When both were ready to go, Austin grabbed the keys to one of his cars and guided her out to the garage and opened the car door for her. Within moments they were backing out of the garage and on their way. 

[movingandnolongeractivehere]

[hcs] some general headcannons ♡

— dating the karasuno boys >> third years and second years (daichi, suga, asahi, noya, tanaka)

daichi sawamura —

morning walks to and from school because he’s just a good gentleman it makes you cry

never lets you eat lunch all alone. like he’s always by your side or if he’s busy he’ll have suga and asahi or the first years accompany you because he doesn’t want you desserted in a table

its also to make sure that you are eating right!!! mans wants to make sure you’re good and healthy (plus the first years always get giddy when he asks them to come with you since they asks you the most ridiculous questions in hopes to expose a secret about their captain)

daichi just gives them a glare and they shut up

gets you little trinkets that remind him of you when he’s on his away games

“I just think it’s cute and it makes me think of you”

sir-we need to stop you from making us fall in love even more

kinda not the softest but definitely has a hard time saying no to you specially when you pull the puppy eyes

he starts an inner dialogue when you do those to convince him something like buying some shit you know is just a waste of money and he’s all like “oh no not the puppy eyes”

random but serious talks about your future— getting a house, marriage, even kids

and its literally so fucking pleasant to see him looking so intent about planning your future together,,, he’s so sure it almost hurts

love him please

sugawara koushi —

never misses any special occasion that could be an excuse to take you on a date!!!

its just a koushi thing

random duets and soft humming when you two are together because he really has an amazing voice (and you can’t convince me otherwise, go cry about it)

gives the warmest hugs that can cure you of any sadness like at some point you’d believe their actually magic

very teasing but cares very much about you

always has something sickeningly cute to call you and it makes your heart go “kandiska omg” but at the same time you’re also “disgusting please stop”

trolling daichi together because why the hell not (plus daichi has the most funniest “i am done with this” reaction whenever you and suga pull some shit on him)

hinata randomly got the two of you matching mugs for one of your aniversaries

stares at you with the most dorky smile when he thinks you’re not looking but oops you see it and you really just go “oh good he really loves me that much yes”

and yes suga loves you a lot please be the nicest to him because he is soft boy

azumane asahi —

he!!! is!!! the!!! most!!! sweetest!!! boy!!! ever!!! ohmygod!!!

gets shy and flustered when you compliment him but he absolutely loves it when you praise him so do it more

gifting each other soft clothings like cotton sweaters and warm scarves because a soft boy like him deserves soft things too

will never let you walk home alone specially when it gets late because he can’t even stand the idea of someting relatively bad happening to you

giving him all sorts of braids and keeping an extra hair tie, rubber band or head band with you because he sometimes breaks his and you being a good girlfriend is always there to the rescue

WILL AND I TELL YOU, HE WILL always ask for consent either from you, ya mom or ya dad because he doesn’t want them to think bad of him

and they would never??? bruh your parents probably even acknowledges him as their in law already lets be real

you literally not getting why people are scared of him or like think he’s this some sort of thug because??? he is just the softest?? and the cutest??? and everything nice and sweet???

nishinoya yuu —

has a list of disgustingly cute nicknames to call you and he never runs out of them, it just keeps going (babe, baby, princess, honey, lil’ cutie, cupcake, whatever sweet ass nickname exist you name it, he says it)

crackhead pranks with tanaka and cue daichi screaming at the three of you for almost setting something on fire

absolutely sends you selfies from every gym or court he’s played on, on his away games, tokyo, nationals, training camp, wherever he goes he sends you a selfie of him if he can’t convince coach ukai or daichi to bring you along

will fight, and I am absolutely serious, anyone who even makes you frown

ya’ll know he’s gonna pretend to be all cool around you but in reality he’s just a big ass baby who’s loud but you love him anyways

makes it a living goal to remind you how perfect you are because in his eyes you are literally everything

anyone who says the opposite is going to get reckt because he may be small but he’s feral and tanaka backs him up (and thats on bro code)

gets all googly eyed when you smile so warmly at him because ahhh his heart can not survive this

kisses your nose randomly because it makes you scrunch them and you look so adorable focusing on the tip of your nose

10000/10, highly recommend dating him

tanaka ryuunoske —

Always manages to convince you to watch practice or to watch his matches

goes crazy when you borrow or just straight up steal his clothes like please anything but seeing you in his own clothing it makes him incredibly soft (but he makes you wear his clothes more anyways)

lol noya and tsukki called him a simp,,, but he didn’t even deny it??? like fuck whatever you say so what I’ll simp for my baby

your number one hype yes sir

literally thinks everything you do is immaculate and praises all the little things you make. he wants you to feel appreciated no matter what it is because you do the same to him

hanging out with saeko-nee san because she’s all for you and she loves teasing the shit out of tanaka

lol saeko covers up for the two of you whenever you sneak out so tanaka can’t say anything

you being the more mature one in the relationship but thats not saying anything since the both of you are just crackheads

daichi face palming when you did something dumb when he specifically told the both of you not to do so and you both just sit there like “well whats done is done” while daichi nags your ears off for breaking the last broom available

love him please oh my god i would die for tanaka

[junicai]

Relationship with WAYV

➣ KUN ☾ karia

if it wasn’t for dotae potentially coming to kill him, he would steal aria into wayv

he’s the cool dad? 

they can’t spend a lot of time together because none of their schedules match up, but aria takes every third or so weekend out to come have dinner in the wayv dorms

she’s surprisingly close to the china line, and its a combination of ten dragging her to his dorm for an entire month and them just kinda adopting her when they realized she was a foreigner as well 

yuta can fight them, she’s one of them now

he doesn’t like to baby her a lot, and she really appreciates the break from being the “maknae” so to speak 

however does that stop him from giving her the forehead kithes? no

aria sad? forehead kith

aria mad? forehead kith

aria smad? forehead kith + kuddles (kun cuddles)

he has sent her a passive agressive text when he found out that she wasn’t eating enough again and had almost passed out

but he finished it with a heart so its ok

if she isn’t smiling at all times, someone will die

aria feels like she can trust him with a lot; that no matter what she tells him, he’ll never out her or make fun of her

kun actually took a two-week online course to learn how to make traditional japanese dishes when aria mentioned missing her parents

he originally was going to learn how to make irish dishes, but he changed his mind after seeing what they were

“im not giving my kids boiled cabbage and mashed potatoes what kind of post world war-”

wants to give her a chinese name but hasn’t yet because he hasn’t found the one that fits her right and he wants it to be perfect 

aria teaches him japanese phrases in exchange for him teaching her a little bit of mandarin

FAN FAVOURITE MOMENT.

aria saw kun’s back as she entered the practice room, the man standing with three other members in the centre of the floor before the choreographer came in to start their practice. coming up behind him, she wrapped her arms around his waist, peeking her head around from where she was. “hi!” she smiled brightly.

“hi,” ten chuckled, showing her the camera that had just filmed all of that. 

➣ TEN ☾ tenaria

Whipped(TM)

so so gone for her its upsetting actually

yangyang and aria share the position of his baby 

except aria willingly accepts the title while yangyang would rather fling himself from a rooftop

ten’s instagram is half his cats, half miyazu aria

he posts her dancing practice on his story a lot, with a variety of captions ranging from “thats my baby  ♡( ◡‿◡ )” to “yah that’s not right...(눈_눈)”

such an enabler for her bad ideas 

aria wants to go shopping at 4am? ten agrees, now they’re sitting by han river eating ice cream

pls he’s gonna get her in so much trouble one day

when they walk together, ten likes to take her hand and put it in his pocket 

its under the pretense of not wanting her to get lost 

he just wants to hold her hand

yes he has lost her in a shopping mall, and NO it wasn’t his fault

ten always complains that they never have schedules together and he misses his baby 

“we have superm-” “I NEVER SEE YOUUUU (ﾉಥ益ಥ)ﾉ”

if they’re in the same room ten is either watching her out of the corner of his eye, or is actually wrapped around her like a boa constrictor 

hugs n kithes all around

only he is allowed make fun of her mistakes in dancing 

anyone else gets deaded. he will fight for her honor how dare you insult his baby 

sm give these ttwo a dancing duo video pls 

FAN FAVOURITE MOMENT. 

the first and only time aria and ten had a duet was during their last concert on superm’s first world tour. during the second half of ten’s solo performance, aria emerged from the left side of the stage, coming to join him in the centre stage. no one had ever seen aria as serious as she was then, both herself and ten becoming completely different people in the moment. midway through, aria spun with her back to ten and leaped backwards into the air - eyes closed - completely trusting ten to be where she needed him to be to catch her. 

➣ WINWIN ☾ winria

a love hate relationship at its finest

they don’t actually hate each other it’s just really funny to pretend that they do (especially because yuta complains that 2 of his favourite people aren’t getting along)

winwin is so savage towards aria but it’s ok she claps back twice as hard

at first, before czennies had seen enough of their dynamic they thought that they actually did hate each other

but that’s not true they just don’t know how to express, affection, without brutally insulting the other with a loving tone

they are, surprisingly, the most stable pairing in 127 - they have a dynamic and rarely stray from that, which is a good comfort for the fans

despite what they might say to each other, they don’t mean any of it - and winwin has been seen several times raising his eyebrows with a questioning look at aria to make sure she wasn’t taking any of his playful jabs to heart

oh god the flexibility

the entirety of nct is terrified of them

the day sm gives them a circus act is the day that kun and taeyong have a heart attack

quietly supportive of each other - catch aria “playing” with a water bottle and not getting up to get it when it conveniently rolls across the floor and into winwin’s leg

he makes sure to save some new chinese sweets whenever the wayv members get packages from their familes, and sneak it into aria’s room before the managers can catch her breaking her diet

not really physically affectionate with each other, which played into czennies idea that they didn’t like each other but aria cleared it up in a vlive

“winwinnie and I, well. we don’t hug a lot because i know he doesn’t like it as much as i might, so i try to show him i care with other things :)”

FAN FAVOURITE MOMENT.

winwin and aria going in to each other on knowing brothers, to the point where the mc’s had their eyes popping out of their head and waved about to stop the segment before aria could start attacking winwin’s cooking methods-

nothing is off limits when it comes to them

➣ LUCAS ☾ arihei

besties 

please they’re so cute together - tol child next to tini child she barely comes up to his chest :(

bear hugs

he just swamps her in his arms, and when he doesn’t feel like being bent over he picks her up 

complains that she’s too heavy but then immediately after will throw her around like a softball 

someone tell this man to be careful with her she’s not a barbie doll 

singular braincell energy

don’t get it wrong, they’re both super smart 

so it’s just - being smort together, but then nearly dying because neither of them remembered that you couldn’t eat raw cookie dough when there are eggs in it

she adores how he’s so confident in the things that he does - like convincing the entire nct fandom that he was fluent in english? king behaviour

so aria looks up to him (literally) but also because she wants to have that confidence some day 

lucas says they’re not close and then aria pouts and he takes it all back

nczennies made a 14 minute compilation titled “lucas melting like a popsicle in australia for aria” 

and literally what the title tells you, this man goes :(( when he sees her 

lucas was actually the person to convince her to go ahead with the [redacted] proposal - and reminded her that it was too good an opportunity to pass up just because she felt like she was outgrowing the boys

he’s so proud of her

and she’s so proud of him 

they’re so proud of each other and it makes nczennies want to cry because they never are seen together 

sm stop separating the platonic soulmates first markhyuck and now arihei smh

FAN FAVOURITE MOMENT.

during a photoshoot, aria was standing off to the side of the boys, dressed in white suit to contrast the boys’ black ones. the photographer was calling out to her to get her to move closer, but she couldn’t hear him from so far away, and so lucas (who was on the end) just walked over to her, gripped her by the biceps and lifted her vertically and to the left a little bit. 

“luc-LUCAS?”

“you had to move :)”

➣ XIAOJUN ☾ arijun

honestly these two aren’t super close, just because their schedules never matched up until the NCT 2020 promotions

even when aria was dragged to the wayv dorms, xiaojun kept his distance from her because he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable 

even so, when they were filming Make A Wish together, they seemed comfortable enough around each other

there was a mutual agreement to not try fill the silence with awkward small talk, so they sat in silence when left alone together

they’re both shy :( someone needs to get them to talk to each other :(

even so, aria was all supportive smiles and thumbs-up when she saw him getting nervous before their first public stage as the unit 

he was a little intimidated of her at first, but also really curious about how she was holding her own against the other members

not only physically, but her vibes are tiny let the man be concerned ok

his first impression of aria was just: small quiet? she was sitting apart from the other boys in the practice room, and he almost wanted to go over and ask her if she was ok; before she was approached by donghyuck and her face broke into a bright smile 

aria’s first impression of xiaojun was: eyebrows he was really handsome? at first, she thought he was in the wrong room, seeing as the SM modeling auditions were happening in the next room down

any arijun shippers are starved of content im so sorry guys 

FAN FAVOURITE MOMENT. 

currently still up for debate between the fandom :(

➣ HENDERY ☾ aridery

ah these two 

you might as well sign a waiver if you decide to do anything with them, because they can and will get you killed 

kun can testify

ten’s the enabler but hendery is the do-er

super giggly around each other, for no reason at all

hendery could pick up and throw a basketball and suddenly aria’s on the floor in literal stitches 

have a secret code 

no seriously

they don’t text in words, they just send various reaction memes and a colourful variety of emojis to convey emotions and scenarios 

it’s become quite a beautiful language actually 

got some nice proverbs in there

they’re like, cousins but the ones you only see at family reunions but get so hype to see them

that energy 

asides from the chaotic, murderous vibes they possess as a duo

hendery knows what it’s like to miss home, to miss your parents, etc etc

and so he tries to make aria feel as home as possible - especially with wayv, because they’re all foreigners who know how she feels 

whenever he gets packages from his parents who have sent things over, he always makes sure to keep some of the small treats/sweets back for aria

1. because he knows she’ll appreciate the thought and she gives good hugs

2. because he knows she’s on a diet constantly and never allowed eat these things when she’s in the dorms with managers around 

FAN FAVOURITE MOMENT. 

filming the Resonance “Wish” event, aria was put in a skimpy minimalistic mock-suit to differentiate from the others’ clothes. unfortunately, that left aria with a little too much shoulder and chest on display than she would like, and she was noticeably uncomfortable with her clothes, constantly pulling it up and even going so far as to just hold it with her hands. 

hendery saw this, and knew he was finished filming his segment for the time being, so he pulled off his own jacket and tossed it over to aria, who caught it with a grateful smile. “thank you,” she mouthed to him, tugging the dark blue material over her shoulders.

➣ YANGYANG ☾ ariyang

aria. has 9 days of age on this boy and will never let him forget it

“respect your elders you brat” “9. DAYS.”

european pals 

they feel so cultured when they get asked about europe, and then are kindly reminded by hendery that A. Germany started 2 world wars, and B. Ireland was just a British colony until 100 years ago. 

they both hit him for that

aria teaching him curse words in irish and yangyang teaching her curse words in german? more likely than you’d think 

they met before yangyang’s debut was announced, in a practice room that had let them accidentally overlap their practice times 

instead of working it out between them, they actually just started to alternate their songs - and the other gave them some good, constructive criticism 

most of the time

when they found out they were going to be in 90s Love together, they were so happy 

it was going to be their first official schedule together

all the behind-the-scenes videos are just aria and yangyang being children and then ten coming over and cooing at them 

they love ten, but they will trash talk the man behind his back 

yangyang confessed to her that he sometimes feels nervous when speaking korean, like he’s going to make a big mistake

so she tries her best to teach and correct him where she can, and make him as comfortable as possible 

if you look at any of the 90s Love promotions - aria is always beside yangyang

he bit her ear once

she doesn’t know why and he won’t tell her

but now when she makes fun of him, he threatens to do it again 

FAN FAVOURITE MOMENT. 

aria skating onto the rink during filming, and yangyang following her because she promised to teach him how to skate backwards.

“ok just, think like you’re leading with your heels. press your knees in, and push outwards, with you-no no that’s forwards. go backwards yangyang.”

“no no no thats a WALL YANGYANG STOP-” 

[miyacchis]

Notes from a Con Man - Musical Great Pretender Stage Report Act 1

This is a bit extremely rambly, but I want to give some description of the distinguishing features of the staged version of Great Pretender as compared to the anime, although my plan is not to give a complete recap of the plot, as I’m sure anyone who is choosing to read this has watched the anime - or so I assume, but you know you do you. I try to control myself and keep it just to what is relevant, but I’m also a wordy bitch and that will never change, so, reader beware, I guess.

 The stage is set up with three levels (the stage level, the second floor, and the third floor where the band is). Both the stage level and second floor have a couple of rooms that can be pulled out or opened, and backgrounds are projected onto the set to create different settings. With the exception of the opening theme, which is taken from the anime, all of the music is live, and there’s very good interplay between the band and the performers, and I don’t know if I’d ever been to another show that felt so vibrant/alive/idk?

First, the biggest change made for the sake of clear storytelling on the stage is the addition of a framing device: the plot is conveyed to the audience through Edamura’s (Miyata Toshiya) narration as he tells his story to a prosecutor after the events of LA Connection. The play opens where LA Connection ends with Edamura being questioned at a police station, where it’s clear that he has been attempting for hours to convince detectives to believe the team-confidence-wild-and-wacky-adventures ™  explanation as to how he came to be in possession of a bag stuffed with foreign currency. Detectives are fed up with him and ready to go berniewiththesteelchair.jpeg on his ass. Enter Kitaoji (Kato Ryo), an elite prosecutor who seems to be on track to become attorney general, although it is unclear to those at the police station why he would take interest in Edamura’s case. 

Edamura is initially reluctant to open up to Kitaoji (Kato Ryo), certain that he won’t be believed, but after Kitaoji quotes from Shakunetsu (side note: I had no idea that in English Shakunetsu was turned into Die Hot which is an absolutely incredible pun and I really commend the translator), Edamura thinks Kitaoji might be just the person to believe him and help him to make amends to all those he had harmed through his life of fraud. Kitaoji encourages Edamura to start at the beginning and goes to eat a piece of candy, prompting Edamura to question, “What would you do if this simple piece of candy was sold for $5 million?” at which point he begins telling his story, transporting us first to a club in Hollywood where we are introduced to the plot with Sakura Magic and, more importantly, Laurent (Miya Rurika, goddess, dressed devastatingly in green), who is identified in quick succession as a French trader, an arrogant Don Juan, and the “bastard who got me into this mess.” 

Edamura bumbles through Laurent’s plot to build hype and clinch a deal with Cassano (Otani Ryosuke) by having Abby (Yamamoto Chihiro) “test” the “drug,” while giving small asides to Kitaoji to explain the main players and reveal to him that this is all a con job, but when Edamura is called to sign the contract to supply Cassano with the drug for $5 million, he flips out, pulls Salazar’s (Mikami Ichiro) gun, and flees the club, without the excuse of believing that he had taken drugs as he did in the anime. It is also not at this point that Edamura makes the connection between Laurent and Kudo and realizes that he’s been set up (Miyata!Edamura is overall a bit less perceptive than Kobayashi!Edamura, as we shall see, although I think this was a function of simplifying aspects of the characters’ interactions for the sake of clarity for the stage). 

Kitaoji pops in and out of the story from this point, donning different costumes (an unhoused person, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Razzie from the Shakunetsu series, etc.) to illustrate different aspects of the main characters’ conversations, and he serves as a way to get into Edamame’s head, allowing him to express what he is thinking and feeling as events in the story play out. It is in the metanarrative that we get some of these more comedic scenes, as well as additional insight into Edamura’s character as he grapples with his own identity as a scam artist and the son of a child trafficker.

After escaping Cassano’s henchmen outside the club, Edamura rejoins Kitaoji to ask if he’s following the story so far, which of course he is not (lol), so Edamura dives into how he met Laurent and came to be in LA. From here we flashback three days, joining Edamura and Kudo (Fukumoto Shinichi) in Asakusa as they spy Laurent as a potential mark. Edamura pulls the wallet-switch trick, and this scene generally follows the anime, although parts, such as the scenes showing Edamura selling water filters and Edamura and Kudo being raided by what seems to be the police, have been cut. After realizing that Laurent pickpocketed him and saw through his grift, Edamura quickly follows and catches him as he is about to depart in a cab to the airport. Just a moment to talk about this cab because it was such a cute, clever idea; it was really just a little push car driven by one of the supporting cast, and it can be disconnected in the middle, so as the driver pulls off, the back seat can be left behind, allowing the audience to watch Laurent and Edamura’s conversation as they are taken to the airport. 

Similarly to the anime, the successive scenes are nominally delivered in English, so Edamura switches to a dialect of Japanese to represent his accented English, which I mention only because Miyata discussed Edamura’s code switching with Kobayashi (Edamura’s Japanese voice actor) in an interview in vol. 51 of Stage Square and how he was concerned that he might confuse Standard Japanese and the dialect during scenes where he has to go back and forth quickly. Kobayashi reassured him that as he got into the character of Edamura Miyata would naturally fall into dialect whenever speaking to Laurent and Abby, and I’m very biased, buuuttttt throughout the run of the show, Miyata performed this beautifully, and as someone who for several years lived in the Tohoku region, the dialect of which Edamura’s accent reminded me of, his accent made me really nostalgic. 

Anywayyyyyy

After Laurent and Edamura bet on the outcome of Laurent’s upcoming “business negotiations” and it’s agreed that they will travel to LA together, the opening theme plays, the main cast is introduced, with Edamura running up and down the set to give a sense of action, the title in massive letters is lowered onto the stage, and we rejoin the main plot with Edamura trying to elude Cassano’s gang on the streets of LA by hiding behind the title. The supporting cast gives us some great background color as like random people in LA, like we’ve got some girls with Starbucks cups, some people breakdancing while simultaneously mugging a Dodgers fan, a skateboarder shouting “STREET”...for some reason. Perfect encapsulation of America *chef’s kiss*

Laurent finds Edamura and tells him to come home because he’s a good boy (😳), and Edamura is then introduced to Abby who, just as in the anime, kicks and knocks him out, after which they collect him and take him to an upscale hotel where Cynthia/Paula Dickens (Senna Ayase) is performing as a jazz singer. Laurent greets her briefly, but we don’t properly get introduced to her character until a later, very frustrating scene, but I’m not going to get started on that yet (it’s not her that’s frustrating, but it’s how they chose to have her and Edamura meet, but anyway we’ll get there). She sings “Summertime,” and it’s a lovely performance; all of her acting choices are very clearly informed by her experience in Takarazuka - she has these really dynamic, almost over-the-top movements and she uses that to her advantage to be one of the more comedic actors - and it’s really entertaining to watch.

Laurent orders them drinks; Edamura has something pink in a little martini glass, and he splutters when he tries to take a sip because he can’t handle his alcohol, which makes Laurent laugh, giving a lot of credence to Laurent’s statement soon after that he derives a lot of pleasure out of toying with naive boys like Edamura who pretend to be tougher than they really are. There’s also some funny adlib with Abby at this point where she gets brought different plates of food like fake fruit on one day and a tower of donuts on another. Laurent explains who Cassano is and the plan to defraud him and gives Edamura a notebook with a fabricated recipe for Sakura Magic, so the notebook is not part of what Edamura prepares himself when he goes later to get himself captured by Cassano to negotiate with him. Edamura has a couple of outbursts accusing Laurent and Abby of putting on airs, pretending to be carrying out justice, repeatedly interrupting the band who give him dirty looks and Shi-won, dressed as one of the saxophonists, loudly blows the saxophone back at him, and this prompts Laurent to be like nah we’re getting too much attention here let’s continue this back at the hotel. 

The hotel scene is fairly similar to the anime, but once Edamura is left alone, we get the first instance of him thinking about his family as he reflect on what Laurent had to say about how people don’t always believe the truth that is in front of them as they would rather believe whatever is most convenient. He flashes back to his family going home together after his father finished a case (the hotel room is on the second floor with his mom and dad entering on the stage level; the younger version of Edamura is done in voice over), and of course they seem like a happy family, although it’s interesting that what his dad has to say about ethics was cut from the script. The scene focuses more on Edamura idolizing his father as a great lawyer.

Okay, so we’ve finally come to the scene I absolutely hated and did not think was necessary, after Edamura leaves the hotel room. He is approached by three unhoused persons, one of whom he at first thinks is Kitaoji coming to interrupt the narrative again, but he soon realizes that they are “real homeless.” It was really just a disgusting, cruel stereotype; one of them is playing with a rat they found, another is acting like a junkie, and the ringleader is trying to get money off of him because they haven’t eaten in three days and then they steal his little Toyotomi Hideyoshi figurine and play keepaway with it and don’t stop until Cynthia/Paula Dickens (at this point she’s Paula tho so I’m going to refer to her that way) enters and is like knock it off. So that’s how they meet. Cool. They could easily have come up with something else and they just didn’t.

But, anyway, since he got his figurine back, he explains to Paula that his hobby is collecting capsule toys, and during his explanation, a gacha machine is projected up on the stage, out of which comes Kitaoji dressed as Toyotomi, followed by a bunch of other figures from Japanese history. This part always got a pretty good laugh out of the audience, and I think it was a pretty cute way to stage it. Paula insists they go to dinner together, so she can hear more about Toyotomi, and the capsule toy figurines all follow to a diner (serving “breadfast” 24hrs lol) where Shi-won is dressed as someone named Ricardo. The figurines all start to get drunk, while “Ricardo” fixes Edamura and Paula some tacos; meanwhile Edamura explains that Toyotomi began as a simple peasant, but because of his hard work and study, he was able to climb all the way to the top and unite all of Japan as a powerful lord. 

Edamura asks why she decided to help him before and he despairs that he must seem like a beaten dog, but she explains that while she might seem confident, she faces tremendous anxiety getting on stage every day, particularly as she wants to make it big as a performer but can’t expect to get the attention of a label just because she can sing a bit. (In the background, Francis Xavier is completely sloshed and ends up drinking with Ricardo) Edamura suggests that she take inspiration from Toyotomi as someone who was able to trick even his enemies into working with him and represent herself as someone more important than she is to get music producers onto her side. She seems fired up by this proposal, and she says that she’ll follow the example of Toyotomi, “Japan’s best confidence man,” which gives Edamura his own motivation to get back to trying to win the bet with Laurent. He asks Paula to wish him good luck and runs off, and we get the first dance scene with Edamura and a number of samurai as he builds up to confronting Cassano. The scene ends with him running into a video shop, presumably to rent Cassano’s movies.

Laurent and Abby are called to Cassano’s mansion - they argue if Edamura is capable of pulling off a job like this, although Laurent insists that he has a natural talent - but they are certain that he must be dead when they hear from Salazar that Edamura was taken into their custody at the airport trying to run. However, Edamura bursts onto the scene, dressed in a new Hawaiian shirt, and at this point, Miyata looks as though he has been in a swimming pool, but it’s just sweat lmao. Cassano informs them that he’s made a new deal with Edamura for $10 million, and when they ask how, we get a flashback showing how he got onto Cassano’s good side by praising Shakunetsu with Kitaoji, as Razzie, acting out scenes from the Shakunetsu movies on the second floor of the stage. Whenever Cassano hugs Edamura in these scenes, it was really funny because his jacket would get just absolutely covered in Miyata’s sweat just ugh gross lol 

Cassano’s accountant joins them and they play out the whole bit about confirming Edamura’s credentials as a pharmaceutical scientist, at which point Edamura finally realizes that Kudo is working with Laurent, when he calls Kudo to thank him for deceiving Cassano’s attorneys. After Cassano has confirmed Edamura’s identity, he takes the crew to his factory and insists that Edamura make Sakura Magic for them right there and then so that they can be sure to properly replicate his recipe. She does this the whole play, but particularly during this scene, you can really see how well Miya Rurika portrays Laurent as always calm and and in control before Edamura but as quietly losing his shit whenever he feels like they’ve been backed into a corner, and we also get some very cute like Laurent clearly being exasperated with Edamura but the two of them starting to be able to play off one another as they convince Cassano that the factory isn’t up to snuff for making Sakura Magic. 

They have to clear out because they hear someone coming, but Cassano promises that he will build a new laboratory for Edamura and entrusts his care to Salazar. The police bust in after everyone has left; Anderson does the absolute most to show off to everyone that he’s properly securing the scene, but he’s clearly relieved that Cassano slipped through their fingers once again oh my how does this keep happening oh well better luck next time. We get a proper introduction to Paula and Shi-won as members of the FBI who have come to investigate Laurent and his organization (Paula has changed into this beautifully tailored brown tweed pantsuit and she pulls it off so well), and Paula threatens to expose Anderson’s connections to Cassano if he doesn’t follow her lead.

After the scene in the factory, we return to the present in the interrogation room with Kitaoji and Edamura. Detectives bring Kitaoji additional files on Edamura, asking if the prosecutor has heard of the attorney Ozaki. They inform him that Edamura is Ozaki’s son, and Kitaoji is a bit shocked; he leaves, saying that he will review the files. The detectives collect the money before exiting the room, but not without getting in a dig at Edamura, telling him that he clearly takes after his father. Edamura is stricken by this statement, and the act ends with Edamura battling with this internal conflict. 

I don’t think anyone would want to read all of this, but if you have, thank you so much. I hope some of it at least was interesting or informative. I’m going to end there for now, as I’ve already gone on for too long, and I’ll finish writing up the second act in another post.