#normal amount to write

[memesandmusicalss]

hi you should tell me 🫵 yo ur thoughts on the movie . just like anything at all . you thought about the movie . if you want . pleagse

OKAY. okay yes this is going to be. a long post probably yes okay. so. first of all ☝️ and most importantly ☝️ it was sosososo good i enjoyed it so much. i cried multiple times. i scratched and bit myself so hard i bled. i couldnt stop shaking during or afterwards etc etc yup normal reactions about it generally .

so. yes okay this was kind of my first introduction to shadow. as a character and my immediate reaction was just. 'wow this guy i so so so cool oh my god' and. yeah. aargahfgjg ofcourse the. family. scenes. all made me go crazy insane but i expected that of course. the running scene ☝️ and when they played 99 red balloons i went 🫵🫵🫵 damians song. yup . yes uaahhm the running joke of 'team sonic' made me giggle and also then yes cry later on. yup yeah uah all of the. action fighting scenes were so so so cool oh my god all of those shots were sickk yes oh my god the animation was generally just. so so so well done oh my god yes . uah knuckles jokes about like. 'a more impressive hedgehog' made me giggle yes OH SHADOWS MOTORCYCLE SCENE WAS. SO COOL OH MY GOD YES okay AND THEN STONE. MOTORCYCLE. AARGAHDHFGGGJFG yeah im normal about it why do you ask,, uaaahm robotniks. jntroduction in that movie was all. generally unexpected yup fhshfjf but. oh my god the stobotnik of it all. THE HAIR CUTTING SCENE. IM GOING SO INSANE. STONE WAS LITERALLY IN HIS LAP okay whatever im normal about them. ueah um. hmmmbrhdjggg jim carrey inception anf the. fourth wall break also made me giggle as well yes. um oh yeah the. mini black hole. happened yup yeah uahh ummm tom and maddie being so eager to help was. aargshfjgg. family. yes im normal normal about them . gggragdgghggf shadow is. so cool ouahfhgkgkgdgh um. STONE BEING JEALOUS. AND LEFT OUT :(((( i was. biting kind kf aggressivelu at the screen during that scene i dont know why. i ljike him :( :) aargshfjjggkgkggghhjfhgg sorry this is getting more and more incomprehensible . uahm. TOM. NOOO HE. AAURJSHFJGKGKG AND EVERYONE. CROWDING AROUND HIM. THE PARALLEL TO MARIAS DEATH IM GOING TO THROW UP. AARGAHFJGKG also. the. shadow and maria. montage. scenes. made me sob uncontrollably yup yeah asrgahfjgjgg asgrhshdjahshfhfjgg asggrhfhfjagGghdjdjfg <- the sounds i was making. transcribed 👍 aargahdgf. knuckles ???? the scene talking about the pact ?????? im so insane graggjggf um. shadow hesitating. just a little bit. to help im going crazy yeah uahm 'but js jt what maria would have wanted' WE SHOULD ALL KILL OURSELVES. yeah uahhmm robotnik. being kind of betrayed :(( 👎👎👎👎👎👎 :( and then the. chaos emeralds scene. things. they went yellow mode yup . when shadow and sonic teamed up and looked at each other. like That i almost said out loud 'they should make out' i didnt though. there was a like. six year old sitting next to me who was. muttering passionately to himself in russian during the whole movie it was entertaining to me yup. uuafhgdhfjjggjdjahehjfjgjshsbcjahdjfjnfnfjgngmgnf. sorry thats. what my thoughts / inner monologue sounded like. at that point sorry everything will get s lot less understandable. now yeah. UARGAHDJFJGJSHFH STOBOTNKIK. IM GOING TO KILL MYSELF. ACTUALLY. IM. ASRGSHFJGJGJSGFHG 'I CANF LOSE YOU AGAIN' ????? GAY. GAY GAYGAY ALL OF UT. STOP ASRGSHDHFJFUGGGGDFF. HIS REACTION. TO THE BROADCAST. IM GOING TO SHOOT MYSELF. ROBOTNIK FIRING HIM SOUNDED LIKE A BREAKUP FHSHDJEHSHSHAHEHEHUDHSHFJF. anyways. hehahehehfhjgjkgkgkggAARGSHFJGG. yeah um . the shadow suicidal . ness made me jnsane. ysah. aargagdhfhrjfgjg. h. and. then of couse. esploded :((( uah. then. THE FAMILLYUUUUYYYY ASRGSHFJGJGKG I LOVE THEM. FGSSHSFHRJGJG. 'just team' I SHOULD KILL MYSEFL. AGDHFJFJGGGGHHFDG yeah. just. frgshddfhgghshfjg. in there 🫵. im going insane yeah.

AND THEN. THE END CREDIT SCENES. AMY. METAL SONIC. AMMYYYYYYY 🫵🫵🫵🫵🫵 I POUNTED AT HER AGGRESSIVELY. A D SCREAMED. SHE LOOKS SO COOL IM. ARGAHFJTJGJG !!! YIPEEEE i saw her hammer and went. what. no way. THE PINK. yeah yup im normal and then. i stayed for the second end credit scene. obviously. i was the only person left in the theater and the people cleaning looked at me like i was insane BUT ☝️ SHA DOW !!!!!!! YES THE GUY. i ffffigured they wouldnt just. let him die like that not after. all that yknow but !!! still !!!! SHADOW YES !!! THE GUY ARGAHFJGJ

o.kay yeah thats. it im sure theres. more thoughts . definitely but this was. most of them. im sure this was a normal amount to write hope you. enjoyed reading it fhshfjgf

[zombiemollusk]

"i'm sorry there's so much dialogue here, i should write less dialo-" shhhhhhhhh. shhh. sh. no. none of that. i like the dialogue. Let The Dorks Speak.

[troublegoblin]

love when characters who have spent their whole lives believing they are annoying, useless, and a burden are told (and shown) that loving them is like breathing and that they are not required to be anything but alive for this love. for normal and not personal reasons at all.

[teethlordd]

There are worms in my head

[saessenach]

Thinking many thoughts about Miss Andarateia Cantori tonight because what do you mean we get to be in her house for the entire game, in which she and her boyfriend/partner-in-crime run a gambling den, assassin guild ANd find the time to argue with the public administration while opposing a military occupation?? who does it like her??

Joke aside, I think she's an incredibly fun character, and I'm really happy that hers was the lens through which we saw the Crows this game. Whenever I see random posts and critiques commenting that the Crows were too "sanitised" or "found-family", I want to yell a bit, because DATV never claims that to be the case!! Obviously everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but what we see is anchored in a very specific context: not just Treviso under Antaam occupation, but also the Cantori Diamond, which falls under Teia's jurisdiction.

She's an elven orphan turned Guildmaster and Talon, who desperately wanted to find family in the Crows! While the other Talons resisted her attempts at every step (some more succesfully than others ksks), that implies 1) her approach towards her own House was probably not dissimilar and 2) it got her the Talon position in her 20s. Ergo, her modus operandi was probably fairly successful.

For all that she threatens to evict anyone who treats her like a landlord (lol), the Diamond is very much a reflection of her as a character. It's all completely in line with both her general characterisation in 8 Little Talons and with the point she reaches at the end of that story when confronting Emil. I don't think it's a coincidence that out of our two POVs in 8LT, she's the one discussing Crow ideology with their would-be-murderer:

and

and

Following this particular set-up, of course orphans like Jacobus are treated kindly; of course fledglings have time to gossip in quiet corners while training; of course she helps the Dellamortes however she can?? She decided these people are family to her, and she wants to do better by them than what she got. This is wildly compelling to me personally, because she's such a delightful mix of idealism and disillusionment, honesty and manipulation, compassion and retribution - and she's so fucking obstinate about it!!!

There's also the little connection with the Crows' beginnings, specifically in Treviso. Iirc, it's mentioned in 8LT that her base is Rialto (she's also got gardens there), so a part of me wonders whether the Diamond was an inherited property from a previous Cantori Talon, or whether she got it up and running between then and the events of the game. I think that between that little tibdbit and with Lucanis being named First Talon at the end of the game, it's pretty obvious that the theme of rebirth is very much the point in the Crows' plotline - a messy, hopeful and spiteful rebirth.

All of this is to say, what we get doesn't at all negate the other aspects we've seen from the Crows in previous games, but rather puts them into perspective. The game just goes on to ask - isn't there another way to do this? what else is there room for us to be? is there any chance we might find some kindness in this world? and one of the ways these answers are explored is through Teia's character (we start this series with Zevran's story within the Antivan Crows - an elven orphan bought from a brothel, who doesn't have the power to change this guild, and end with Lucanis, Viago and Teia, who is, specifically, an elven orphan picked up (?) from the streets, who remains one of the powerhouses of the organisation. I love a bit of narrative symmetry ✨)

And honestly, I find this entire thing delightful - it's cheeky and dramatic and a lot of fun, and it makes sense for these characters, if you only sit with it for a second and give it a bit of thought!

(PS the way she draws Viago into her orbit and the way their partnership works is another rant entirely, and they drive me absolutely insane nghhh)

[cumplanecrash]

Just over 500 words of the deaged!SQQ concept that stole my soul yesterday while i was trying to work. Not quite feeling the vocal tic(s) here but I didn't wanna write baby talk. I'm thinking Binghe is about 16 15here, and Shizun has been made about 4.

✨ ETA: fic continues in my Shizun Babies AU tag ✨

Honestly, Shen Qingqiu had been thinking immediately before everything went to shit, My disciples know what they're doing; they don't need me.

And then the demon in question flung a spell with a frankly alarming amount of qi powering it at Luo Binghe, and of course Shen Qingqiu was the closest person to be able to help deflect, sticky thing that his Binghe was, and really, he'd intended to throw up a shield as soon as he got into position, but the spell was moving so much more quickly than anything else the demon had done so far, and, and, and --

Shen Qingqiu hit the ground. He felt Luo Binghe immediately leap over his position and sling two sword glares in the same movement, not a Qing Jing form but damn impressive. At least two more disciples took position surrounding where Shen Qingqiu was incapacitated -- covered in a blanket, maybe? He thought Ming Fan was the one breaking formation to get in close, based on the wordless yell and rapid footsteps, as all his disciples on this trip redoubled their efforts to take the creature down, hurling vincentives that Shen Qingqiu is sure he's never heard anyone utter since he died, cough cough. Shen Qingqiu knew his disciples would need guidance, the demon was apparently far more powerful than they'd given it credit for, but first he needed to see what the damage was, and if he would be in the way.

His head popped out of its covering triumphantly, just in time to see the demon be bisected vertically by a sword glare from the group next to him -- Binghe or Yingying, based on the warm tone -- and from behind by Ming Fan's sword.

Ah, well. He had just been thinking what good hands he was in.

"A-Yuan thinks this might be a very good lesson in not letting your guard down around an enemy, even if you think you have their measure," a childish lisp announced from his approximate location. Huh. He'd been trying to say 'this master' but that is not what came out of his mouth. "Also, A-Yuan thinks that spell was a very nasty trick, and is afraid to look down."

From the general direction of down, an open palm smacked him in the rough vicinity of his face.

Shen Qingqiu -- Shen Yuan, he must suppose-- looked down.

The face he saw bore a striking resemblance to the one he had seen in the mirror every day since he'd died, and, he suspected, an even more striking resemblance to the one he currently wore.

"Noisy," complained the Original Goods, because honestly, who the hell else could it be? The child -- if Shen Yuan had to guess, perhaps they were four or five years old, presuming he was just as deaged as the boy in his arms -- was naked except for the Peak Lord appropriate robes they were both loosely draped in, and was burrowing further into Shen Yuan's chest. "Xiao Jiu is trying to sleep."

Next

[theokusgallery]

A bunch of fanart for @greenninjagal-blog's fics I either made during the weekend or never posted for some reason. Names of the fics for each image is in alt text -- in order, we have: 600 Pieces of Eight, Dead Men Break No Codes, Deja Vu (2 images), Details in Gold, and With an Enemy Like You (Who Needs a Lover?)

First image there is called "re-reading 600 Pieces of Eight". Because I'm normal about that fic and its Janus. Second picture is just there because I wanted to show off Virgil's face + I hate how Janus' body looks

And a very small Janus from A Cactus and Nothing More because I j. I just. love this fic so much. It's so cute and rmgjhlfkd.

[thedemises]

——— A BITE OF LOVE。 ★ jiaoqiu.

note; og idea — the idea of feeding your partner food & kissing them over the pots is so beautiful n intimate I wanna cry /j

“say, ‘aaah’ ,” a spoon was brought over to where your lips are, a red liquid emitting a spicy yet delicious scent into the air enters your nostrils. even while you're reading, jiaoqiu always has an excuse to make you his taste testee for his new dish.

“mhmm,”

your eyes still remain focused on your own business as you obediently open your lips for him to push the spoon into your mouth, the splash of hot flavor hits your tongue as you savour the tasty soup your partner had provided you to taste — of course, he made sure to blow on the spoon for you beforehand.

although it tasted as it was you expected from his excellent culinary skills, despite being a healer (“using food to treat my patients is my specialty, y'know,” is what you recall him saying a while ago), something was off; a missing element perhaps.

“well?” his large, furry tail sways behind him while jiaoqiu anticipated for your awaiting response, eyes shut with a smile and scheme in his heart, he knows how honest you can be with your feedback — which is why he deems you best when it comes to tasting his spices and whatnot, or anything in general; if you will.

even though your eyes were trained on something else at the moment, you still paused to make the effort to share your thoughts on jiaoqiu's soup.

“it just needs a pinch of salt, but it still tastes as exceptional as you are.” you remarked just as you slowly turned a page, your eyes flickering from the book to settle on jiaoqiu, unintentionally giving him a chance to lean in and press a chaste kiss on the lips.

it felt like a second too long but he pulled away just as quickly as it came, chuckling a bit at your taken aback expression.

“thank you,” and just like that, jiaoqiu swiftly leaves your area with a satisfactory look on his face. his tail swaying behind him while he makes his exit out of the room.

you stare dumbfounded from where he just left; the flavoring of pepper, paprika, chili powder, and other constituents still lingers on your tongue like an unforgettable, pungent aroma.

subsequently that same day, jiaoqiu had called you over to help him prepare rations for his patients. despite your initial confusion, you still agreed to help either way — to help others is something you like to do, occasionally.

“here, see if you like this,” jiaoqiu, yet again, calls you over as he motions for you to try something he’s eager for you to taste. of course you can't say no — although you're busy mixing something in one of the pots and the two of you are just a few feet apart in the kitchen — you faced your body towards him and moved forwards. you notice him offering something that seems to have filling of some sorts, it looks delicious too that you can't seem to resist... well, it's jiaoqiu; anything he makes is very appetizing.

with an eager bite, the treat yielded to your teeth, releasing a burst of flavor that spread across your tongue. the creamy filling mingled with the crisp outer layer, creating a harmonious blend that made you hum with delight. the contrasting textures and tastes melded together perfectly, creating a delicious explosion on your palate. you hum in delight, expressing your visible contentment.

“mm, that's good.”

you comment, gazing back at jiaoqiu with a smile and he smiles back; satisfied with your reaction as he settles the treat to the side on a plate.

“I think your food's trying to escape—it's on your face,” the foxian chuckles as he points out the small mess you had on the side of your mouth, where a smudge of filling lingers as you savor the last bites of the treat. you murmur a small ‘oh,’ and your hand reaches to wipe it off for yourself.

then, with a quick motion, jiaoqiu swipes the smudge of filling from your face onto his finger before you could. pausing for a moment, he brought it to his lips and licked it right off.

“mm...” he lets out a noise of consideration, a playful glint in his eyes as he savors the flavor. “... delicious.”

the peach foxian whispers and leans in, pressing a brief yet tender kiss to the corner of your mouth where the smudge had been, a fleeting act of affection that lingers longer in your heart than on your skin. without a word, he steps away, returning to whatever task had called him, as if the moment was as natural as breathing.

for a heartbeat, the world feels suspended, the gentle warmth of his gesture radiating through you. it’s only the soft bubbling of the soup in the pot that pulls you back to reality, your hand resuming its stirring almost instinctively. though your thoughts remain adrift, you can't help replaying the sweetness of the moment in your head.

© thedemises 2024. do not feed to ai, copy, steal, rewrite, or claim as your own. I will hunt you down for my sake.

[seahorsepencils]

also can we just talk about the fact that in the Wish World, a woman can get away with calling another woman beautiful without setting off everyone's queer panic, but when a man does it to a man, it tips over the edge? so the Kates of the world are flying just under the radar, but are likely to be more emotionally repressed as a result - and yet, all the queer or queer-coded characters in this world are offered the same security and protection from doubt by the prospect of entering into an opposite-sex marriage...

[kayvsworld]

okay so i was thinking in the tags of this post about how tony gets so much immediate incredulous pushback when he says he doesn't want to make weapons anymore

specifically that i got some Untraceable Vibe TM that maybe tony had tried before to branch out into other things and was repeatedly gently shepherded back to military projects by a miserable pinky-ringed hand. and then i thought. hang on

this is the same fucking line it's the same argument it's the same conversation

and it made me think back to that talk with my bestie christine everhart and how it has a Structure it's a Fight tony's playing Chess about it. He starts with the obie line:

when that doesn't work, he goes for howard's:

and when that doesn't work, off comes the sunglasses armour, and it's just Tony—

and. ah. a Traceable Vibe TM, actually,

[vyoleya]

i want it back --> i drag its dead weight forward

one day ill draw a character in a different pose / perspective... one day...

[subwillsolace]

i need to stop tempting myself this is ridiculous. am i ovulating or something. why the hell am i only wanting to write porn. like endless thousands of words of porn. i have other things

[christakisbang]

yes, lee know-ya i see you aging along with me you're the second oldest but, to me you'll always be the maknae~♡

[deepestblue]

We need to find a way to stay alive. And it can't be her. — Hélène Cixous; Stigmata, sevdaliza; shahmaran.

[yaralulu]

pre-canon tamcien takes up so much space in my brain it’s not even funny. and i’m not even talking pre-canon like when lucien lost his eye or sm, im talking about when tamlin and lucien were practically two strangers living in the same house. im talking them knowing each other for like a total of one month and awkwardly skirting around one another. tamlin not quite knowing how to talk lucien but wanting to help him anyways. lucien confused as to why a high lord has taken such an interest in his well being but finding himself opening up all the same. their first real talks, the small endearing interactions, the getting-to-know each other stage.

it’s such a random era to be obsessing over like??? why am i thinking about this nonstop

[luxaofhesperides]

Wings AU ; requested by @justwannabecat!

“Are you sure it looks good?” Duke asks for the sixth time in an hour.

Tim sighs and says, yet again, “It looks fine. Just give it to him! If he doesn’t love it, I’ll beat him up for you.”

“You wouldn’t do that.”

“I could! But you’re right, I wouldn’t. I would just psychologically torment him until he broke.”

“Don’t do that, please. I’d like to actually have a chance with him, even if he hates this.”

“He won’t,” Tim says. He actually stops typing to give Duke a severe look. “Go and give it to him. If you don’t go now, he’s going to think you bailed.”

Duke glances at the time, then jumps. “Shit! Thanks for your help, man!” He’s out of the door before Tim can say another word. He doesn’t bother with the front door, or even going down the hallway. Instead, he opens the nearest window and flings himself out of it, unfurling his tawny wings to catch the wind beneath them and ride them into the city proper.

He briefly considers stopping for a moment to change into his Signal outfit so he can fly above civilian jurisdiction, then decides that it’s far easier to just bend the light around him so he’s invisible. He wouldn’t want to be late meeting Danny, after all. Especially not for this.

He hadn’t been expecting Danny to be into traditional courting methods. Most people tend to go the more modern way of dating, but Danny had mentioned once or twice that he thought it was romantic. He had blushed, mumbling the words, but Duke heard them and went into researching courting methods to see which ones Danny might like best.

Sure, he could just ask Danny out on a date like he normally would if he liked someone, but if Danny wants to be courted, then Duke is going to court him!

It’s why he’s been planning this out carefully, gathering his primaries after his wings molted a few months ago so he could string them together into a thin wing covering. 

Admittedly, this courting method isn’t super common, but the thought of giving Danny his feathers, making it look like their wings are one and the same, has kept Duke up some nights, wanting it so badly. 

Besides, he thinks Danny will like it. Considering the state of his wings after the Accident…

Duke holds his handmade wing covers closer to his chest, flier lower as he leaves Bristol and enters Diamond District. The streets are busy, full of people. Most tend to stay on the ground, wings tucked close to their bodies, but there are plenty still flying above cars and buses that Duke has to carefully fly around. 

It takes another twenty minutes to get to Robinson Park, where Duke drops down to the ground and takes a moment to make sure all his feathers are straight and neatly displayed. Then he walks into the park, heading towards their usual meeting place.

For once, it’s a nice, sunny day in Gotham. Everyone’s taking advantage of it. The park is full of couples and families, walking around slowly, and kids dart through the air, still unable to go very high with their wings not yet fully grown in. It’s nice to hear the laughter and general chatter of people wandering the park. 

Duke doesn’t spend too long walking the paved paths through the park. He steps off of it near the second water fountain on the path, then heads into the trees, passing two moms on a picnic with their three kids rolling around the grass nearby. 

Tucked away in this corner of the park is a small clearing surrounded by thin trees. The tile is dirty and cracked, no one maintaining it at all with it hidden away. 

He sees Danny’s wings first, with long feathers that trail onto the ground, a black that shines dark blue in the light. He follows the lines of his wings back to his body, where Danny sits on a bench, leaning his weight back against his hands as he lifts his head up into the sunlight, basking in the warmth.

He really is so pretty. He insists that he isn’t, but Duke regularly spends time with the Wayne family, all who have modeled before, so he’s got a better idea than most about what pretty  looks like, and Danny fits the bill. 

“Hey,” Duke calls out softly, watching as Danny slowly blinks his eyes open and turns to give him a warm smile.

“Hey! I’m free for the rest of the day, which means we have so much time to complain about things today.”

“I didn’t keep you waiting, did I?”

“Nope,” Danny says. “I wouldn’t mind waiting, though. I like hanging out with you.”

Heart pounding in his chest, Duke walks forward. He doesn’t know if there’s something specific he has to say when presenting his gift, if there’s a courting tradition involved that he didn’t learn about. He’s terrified Danny’s going to reject it. He’s praying that Danny accepts it.

“Are you okay?” Danny asks, standing to get a better look at him. “You seem tense…” He trails off as he catches sight of what Duke holds in his hands, breath stuttering.

“I’m fine. I, um.” Duke steps into the clearing, entering the sunlight, and holds out his wing covers. “I made them for you. You mentioned before that you thought courting traditions were romantic… I don’t know if you like wing covers, but I thought you’d look good in my feathers… Only if you want it though!”

He’s trying so hard not to cringe away in embarrassment. He’s flirted with Danny before, half jokes and half serious, always playful. Duke was smooth then, delighting in how flustered it made Danny before he hit back with his own flirting. Now he’s a hesitant, stuttering fool, tripping over his words and struggling to find the perfect things to say. Maybe he should have thought up a speech, or something. Memorized a few lines to speak his intentions with this courting gift. Done literally any prep for giving the gift instead of focusing only on making it.

Danny doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t move either. He just stares, wide-eyed at the wing covers in Duke’s hands.

That’s a bad sign, isn’t it.

His hands lower just a touch, and he quietly prompts, “Danny?”

Just as he’s about to pull back, step away and try to fix things, messily attempt to salvage their friendship because clearly Danny doesn’t want to be courted by Duke, Danny’s hands snap out whip-fast and latch onto his wrists.

“This is… for me?” he whispers, awed.

“Yeah. Yeah, it’s for you.”

“And you’re courting me? Like, for real?”

“Yeah, definitely courting you for real. Do you accept?”

Danny throws himself into Duke’s arms, careful not to crush the wing covers between them. “In what world would I say no?” he laughs, bright with joy. He pulls back a second later, not giving Duke time to hug him back, and turns around, carefully stretching his wings out. “Put them on for me?”

“Of course.”

He starts by smoothing out some of Danny’s feathers. He doesn’t get to do this often; Danny hates having his wings on display for anyone, with how they spasm occasionally, and have empty patches where feathers will never grow in again. The Accident, all that electricity coursing through him, it permanently damaged his wings. There is no healing to be done. 

His wings are lacking too many flight feathers and primaries for him to fly. He’s stuck on the ground now, unable to use his wings for more than a minute. Old burns are still visible closer to his spine. 

Danny prefers hiding his wings away. He hates thinking about the Accident, hates how it’s taken his wings from him, how it’s changed him completely. 

But Duke loves his wings. He loves the softness of Danny’s lower feathers, how they shine in the light, how they always puff up when it gets windy. He’s only gotten to preen them twice before, and he treasures those memories more dearly than anything else.

This easily outshines both those moments.

He gently combs his fingers through Danny’s feathers, straightening them out, then lays the first wing cover over his right wing. His own brown feathers drape over the top of Danny’s wings, hiding the featherless patches from view. He does the same to the other wing, then adjust both until they lay perfectly on Danny’s wings.

As soon as he lifts his hands away from Danny’s wings, Danny is spinning around with a grin, flaring his wings out.

“How do I look?”

“Perfect,” Duke answers. He was right; Danny looks good in his feathers.

He watches, fond and amused, as Danny spins, keeping his wings flared, admiring his new look. “I’m never taking these off,” he says. “I love them so much. I can’t really make one for you, though…”

“You don’t need to.”

“I can’t just accept this and not give you something in return!”

“Well… There is one thing you could give me. Something I’ve been wanting for a long time.”

“What is it?” Danny asks, leaning towards Duke. He’s eager, ready to please, so delighted to be courted. 

Duke smiles. “A kiss.”

“Done.” 

He doesn’t have time to react before Danny is pouncing on him, hands fisting the collar of his shirt as he tilts his head up and kisses Duke. He pulls back before Duke can kiss back, blushing and unbearably cute.

And all Duke manages to say is, “Cool.”

He’s so good at this.

Danny rightfully laughs at him, then grabs his hand and pulls him down to the bench. “Come on, I promised to complain about my teachers today and I intend to deliver. And maybe later, I could take you out on a date? If you want.”

“Danny, of course I want to go on a date with you. I’m courting you! I thought I made my feelings clear!”

“I’m just making sure!” Danny shouts over him, and Duke can’t resist the urge to pull him closer and pepper kisses along his cheek. “Okay, okay, I got it. You’ve made your feelings clear. I’m going to date you so hard.”

“You better. It’s about time you put some work into our relationship.”

“Excuse you?!” Danny gasps in mock outrage, and they start bickering lightheartedly as they always do.

Even with their feelings come to light, even with a courtship started and a date promised, it doesn’t feel like anything between them has changed. 

It’s just them. Just as it always has been.

Duke couldn’t be happier.